A news report, prefacing the chapter content, confirms the attack’s global impact, stating that other countries using the UK’s driverless system fear similar attacks.

The Hacker informs the jury that they’re being broadcast live from a hidden camera. Jack’s staff locates a camera, and the Hacker warns that every action will have consequences. Ignoring this, Jack smashes the camera. The video feed instantly switches to a different angle from another camera.

The Hacker reveals that he has dozens of cameras hidden in the room. He then explains his plan: He has taken control of eight autonomous vehicles, each representing a different walk of British life. He announces that all eight vehicles are programmed to collide in just over two hours.

The audio feed from the hijacked cars is broadcast into the inquest room. The pregnant Claire weeps for her unborn baby. Onscreen, Jude Harrison recognizes Libby and calls out her name. Jack accuses Libby of being an accomplice, but the Hacker silences him.

The Hacker introduces another Passenger: Victor Patterson, an elderly, disabled war veteran who has cancer. The Hacker then says Jack’s act of destroying the camera has a consequence. The video feed switches to an external view of Victor’s taxi as it explodes, killing him instantly.

Preceding the chapter content, a UK financial news site warns about the workforce impact of the government’s driverless car mandate: Despite the many new autonomous vehicle industry jobs, the UK is unprepared to absorb the loss of jobs associated with driving (extending far beyond driver jobs) that the autonomous vehicle mandate will render obsolete.

In her car, actress Sofia Bradbury watches Victor’s death but thinks it’s a special-effects stunt. She’s convinced that she’s a contestant on a reality show called Celebs Against the Odds. Addressing her dog, Oscar, she discusses the competition. She applies makeup, adjusts her hearing aids, and critiques the other Passengers’ unconvincing acting.

Sofia’s thoughts drift to an encounter with Richard Burton and a costly secret that she and her husband, Patrick, have shared for 40 years. She feels relieved to have a break from monitoring him.

From his vehicle, Jude watches Victor’s car explode. He then sees a second car swerve into the burning taxi and become engulfed in flames. Jude’s attention is drawn to the distress of the other Passengers, particularly Claire.

He uses the audio system to call out to Claire, urging her not to give up hope for her baby, and successfully reassures her. Afterward, his focus returns to the image of Libby in the inquest room, sensing that something is wrong with her.

A news site report, prefacing the chapter content, notes that a war hero was killed in the autonomous car attack. The report characterizes the attack as a war being waged on the UK and advises “government officials” and the “Royal family” against traveling until the situation is resolved.

Witnessing Victor’s murder triggers a panic attack in Libby, who uses coping mechanisms to regain composure. She confronts the Hacker, declaring that Victor was an innocent man. The Hacker deflects, blaming the death on Jack’s disobedience.

As another consequence, the Hacker broadcasts all of Jack’s personal data to the world. Enraged, Jack smashes his tablet against a wall, accidentally striking a staff member. The Hacker mocks him and then turns to Libby, warning her she won’t like what he’s about to ask of her.

Inside his vehicle, Sam Cole contacts his wife, Heidi, a police officer trapped in another car. He attempts to reassure her but internally struggles with guilt. He was being extorted and was on his way to drop off £100,000 when he was hijacked.

Sam dismisses the idea that his extortionists are responsible for the attack. He calculates their chances of survival, concluding that Heidi would likely be killed first, as killing him would remove the extortionists’ leverage.

Seeing her face on international news, Libby asks the Hacker what he wants. The Hacker warns that interfering with the cars will cause their detonation. He’ll spare one Passenger if the jury chooses another to die first.

Libby and another juror, Muriel, protest the demand. The Hacker threatens to kill all the Passengers if the jury refuses to comply and announces that the public can also vote on the decision. At that moment, armed police, led by Commander Riley, enter the room with a civilian team, which is carrying electronic equipment.

Preceding the chapter content, a social media poll from the handle @HijackerHacker prompts users to click a radio button to vote for which of the seven Passengers should die first. At the bottom of the window, a counter shows that nearly a million votes have been cast.

A man named Cadman directs his team to set up equipment to monitor social media. Commander Riley explains to Jack that the team was sent by the Home Office. Cadman introduces himself as a social media expert who will interpret the public’s vote, which he calls the sixth juror.

He reveals that his team was mysteriously booked months in advance for this specific day and activated by the government’s COBRA emergency committee. Cadman displays screens showing the global reaction to the crisis and then bluntly asks the jury which Passenger they’re killing first.

Preceding the chapter content, a music streaming service prompts users to create their own playlist for the hijacking. The list begins with five preselected songs, beginning with AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.”

Cadman informs the room that hundreds of thousands of people have already voted. To make the vote fairer, the Hacker presents short, biased biographies for the seven Passengers: Claire, an asylum seeker named Bilquis Hamila, Sofia, Jude, Sam, Heidi, and a woman named Shabana Khartri.

From these biographies, Libby learns that Jude Harrison is unhoused. After presenting the skewed information, the Hacker instructs the jurors to vote for which Passenger should be executed.

Trending hashtags related to the hijacking precede the chapter content. Hashtags indicating bias and negativity, like “#EnglishBeforeImmigrants” and “#WeHateThe8,” overwhelmingly outnumber those conveying positivity, like “#SaveThemAll” and “#SendingPositiveVibes.”

Libby refuses to vote, but the Hacker forces her by threatening to kill Jude. The other jurors (Jack, Muriel, Matthew, and a juror named Fiona) all vote for Bilquis Hamila. Realizing that the outcome is decided, Libby casts a protest vote for Sofia. Cadman confirms that the public vote has also selected Bilquis.

Onscreen, Bilquis pleads for her life before her car explodes. Matthew shields Libby’s eyes. She tries to run, but Commander Riley stops her, informing her that the area is in lockdown. Libby accuses the Hacker of manipulating the vote, and he confirms this, revealing Bilquis’s true, heroic backstory (including the circumstances that led her to flee from Somalia and save several children), which he withheld to influence their decision.

Preceding the chapter is a list of trending hashtags, the top two of which are now “#ShaantiSeAaraamKaren” and “#RIPBilquis.”

A new camera angle shows military drone footage of the hijacked cars. Jack confirms a plan to use snipers to shoot the vehicles off the road. In response, the Hacker reveals his contingency plan: bombs planted in 10 schools across the UK, with additional nail bombs near the exits. He threatens to detonate them if the military interferes.

Cadman reports on the new wave of panic on social media. The Hacker turns to Libby, revealing the personal data he has gathered on her. Libby defiantly rips off her fitness tracker. The Hacker offers to show the event that caused Libby’s distrust of technology.

Prefacing the chapter content, online UK news sites share expert predictions that the hacked cars will collide on an empty lot where a factory once stood.

The Hacker plays CCTV footage from two years ago, showing an incident on Monroe Street. The video shows Libby witnessing an autonomous car strike two women and a baby. The footage captures Libby running to provide first aid, comforting one of the women as she dies. Libby recalls her anger when the car was later exonerated and her protests were silenced.

In the present, Matthew comforts the distraught Libby. Jack dismisses the incident, blaming the pedestrians. The Hacker concludes by stating that Jude Harrison’s life now depends on Libby’s participation.

Trapped in her car, Shabana Khartri is overcome with fear. Her mind flashes back to her oppressive, arranged marriage to an abusive husband, Vihaan, and her longing for a lost love. She looks at the phone that her son, Reyansh, gave her, wishing she knew how to call for help.

Shabana recalls that her son once used the phone to dial 999. She attempts to dial the emergency number, but the call fails. As she sits in the car, she resolves that if she survives, she’ll return to her home village in India.

A betting site precedes the chapter content, displaying a list of the six remaining Passengers and the odds for which one will survive. Claire tops the list, while Shabana’s estimated odds of survival are dismal.

In the inquest room, Cadman reports that Libby’s backstory has made her a hero on social media, and online sites are taking bets on which Passengers will survive. The Hacker announces the next task: Each juror must interview and champion one of the remaining Passengers, after which the jury and public will vote to save one person. The pairings are made: Libby chooses Jude, Jack picks Claire, Muriel gets Shabana, Matthew is assigned Heidi, and Fiona takes Sofia.

Suddenly, the video feed shows Shabana’s car stopping. A crowd swarms the vehicle, trying to free her. Riot police clash with the crowd, and the scene descends into chaos. Without warning, Shabana’s car explodes, killing her and many who had gathered to help.