34. Higher-Ups

Bob is forcibly taken from his cell by Frieda and her group to meet with resistance leadership. He is brought to an elegant private home where he encounters Natasha, a wealthy resistance figure, who communicates with a mysterious voice via an antique radio receiver. The interrogation escalates when Natasha calls in Philip, a torturer, but Bob's threat of a dead-man switch explosion and a mysterious English-language response from the radio reveal an unexpected connection.

Bob's captors unbind him and transport him by wagon through the wealthy districts of Three Lagoons to a well-appointed private home. Inside, he is chained to furniture in a library. Natasha, the imperious homeowner, summons a vintage radio to communicate with a superior authority called Motorola. Frieda and her team are dismissed with payment while Bob remains for interrogation. Motorola questions Bob about his origins, allegiances, and assets, while Bob maintains that he has no employer and seeks only to find a missing friend. Natasha grows impatient with Motorola's indirect approach and summons Philip, an expert torturer, with an array of gruesome implements. Bob reveals he possesses a dead-man switch capable of destroying everyone in the room, and threatens to use it if harmed. Motorola responds with the English phrase "And we don't like explodey stuff," shocking Bob. Bob recognizes the voice and calls out "Bender?"—suggesting the mysterious contact is one of his own companions.