The burning of the city B–, to S’s surprise, makes him feel that the ship is a place of safety. As he approaches the ship, accompanied by a huge shock wave, a bright flash of orange submerges the city. When S looks back, most of the buildings are gone. Blue-black vapor covers the once crowded skyline. S thinks about the people who scramble to preserve arts, while questioning whether they escape from the catastrophe.

Here, Eric and Jen’s conversation reaches a small climax. Underscoring the burning of the city B–, Jen mimics Eric’s writing style (most likely to catch attention) and notes in capital letters:

“IT BURNED DOWN, ERIC.”

A barn on her parents’ property was burned down, and the act was later determined as a “plot arson” by the fire marshal. While Eric tries to comfort her by saying that “No one was really at risk”, he infuriates her, who replies:

“My family is at risk, not yours, and just because you don’t care about yours doesn’t mean I shouldn’t care about mine.”

Eric believes that “there’s no reason to be scared in the first place” if someone is trying to terrify them, while Jen points out that “you can’t just decide not to be scared.”  The conversations highlight the risks Eric and Jen are taking while decoding FXC’s messages. Jen is constantly being spied on and followed, and the act seems to have escalated into violence.