Exit Strategy

Murderbot meets with Mensah’s team in a hotel room. They rule out a direct assault on GrayCris headquarters, and Murderbot explains that GrayCris is stalling ransom negotiations to resolve issues with its bond company. In fact, the most likely scenario is that GrayCris needs the ransom payout to repay its bond.

Pin-Lee proposes luring GrayCris into a fake ransom exchange to lure GrayCris into bringing Mensah to a meeting outside the security barrier. This will allow Murderbot to track her implant and stage a rescue. Gurathin forges the necessary financial documents to make the offer appear legitimate. A seemingly friendly GrayCris representative named Serrat arrives to verify the funds, but quickly realizes the financial document is a fake and draws a concealed energy weapon.

Murderbot, who was monitoring from the hallway, blocks Serrat’s communications, storms the room, and chokes him unconscious as a concession to the Preservation team’s strong objections to murder. At that moment, Mensah’s implant activates, revealing she is moving through the station’s transit pipe, approaching the hotel. Murderbot instructs the Preservation team to flee to their shuttle while it prepares to intercept Mensah’s captors.