Having “converted” the tribe to their cause and obviated Donnie’s counterarguments,
Hank says it is time to fulfill the purpose given to Donnie in a vision ten years prior.
TREATMENT
After the ritual, Hank soberly chastises the mystic leader for using the drink to mislead his people into believing in the drug-induced fantasies of Ata-Atsu. When the mystic leader reaffirms his belief that his experience with his totem provides him protection, Hank sends him to his knees with a strike to his throat. The tribe members decry his burning of their shelters, and Hank answers that they will not need homes if they join his Horde in their mission against the Black Pyramid.
Noticing a tent set apart from the camp, Hank finds Donnie and invites him to discuss a way forward for them and the Horde. Donnie resists, expressing his displeasure with Hank’s conversion measures. He says Hank has prioritized amassing an army over finding the relic, despite the vision showing the masses will believe after the relic is found. Hank admits his approach to leadership has caused the Horde to drift from their aims and wants to return closer to the original spirit of the endeavor. He says Donnie’s mind and the Horde are similarly wasting away, and without swift action, the Horde will “start eating itself,” as Joan puts it. Donnie suggests they continue to seek the relic among the tribes, beyond the mountains, or even with the Relegy, though they don’t know where to find them. Hank reveals that Abarth works for a Boomtown slumlord, saying that “it all points one way now,” and Donnie has no answer for this.
Hank explains the plan to infiltrate Midtown using the tunnel Tim secured through his contact in Boomtown, now described to be a member of the Ghosts of the Revolution (a reformation of the defunct Children of the Revolution). Donnie is surprised at Hank’s strategy, but Hank clarifies he does not want to make war - he wants to talk to the citizens inside the walls. Donnie refers to previous failed attempts to spread their message in the city, but Hank believes the Towners are now desperate for a figure to lead them against their oppressors in the Institution and will be receptive to the vision’s message.
When Donnie asks what could have changed Hank’s mind about them, Hank reminds Donnie of a dream he has about the people in the city calling to him. He shows Donnie the copy of Ricky’s pamphlet, calling it a sign that their time has come.