Among the Impostors

The portable phone begins ringing while Luke checks to make sure Jason is still alive and breathing. He hesitantly answers the call, for a moment hoping he misheard Jason saying that he worked for the Population Police. After Luke answers, a voice on the other end threatens to kill him if they’re cut off again. Luke remembers hearing Mr. Talbot lie to the Population Police and knows he has to sound convincing to the person on the other end of the line. Pretending to be Jason, he muffles his voice and says the call has a bad connection, which he once heard his parents say. He apologizes, groveling to the man because he knows it’s what the man wants. Luke tells the man he needs more time—which is what he’d heard Jason saying before Luke grabbed at the phone. The man tells him they’ll give him another day and hangs up.

Luke drags Jason down the stairs and down the hall to the nurse’s office, knocking and calling out through the door that his friend is sick. Luke tells the nurse that Jason had a seizure and was spouting lies in a delirious state. He asks if the nurse can give Jason something to keep him asleep.