There are some things that readers would know that Arron knows that he’s not saying here:

  • He’s not bringing up the Bridgepoint data, which is likely tangled into this mess somehow.
  • He’s not bringing up that he likely knows that some of this technology is tied into AI.

One can speculate as to why that would be. That said, Arron doesn’t have as many puzzle pieces as readers would have to how many factors are at play here (we know there’s a tech company that wanted to use Peter’s connection to Central as cover for one of its technologies, the research of which would have violated agreements with the IDS (via PACT)), we also know that at least Avon was involved in what is now suspected to be Kor’s World technology, and we know that PACT is perhaps not as reliable an ally of the IDS as elements of the IDS might hope (if they were indeed involved in the theft of Bridgepoint data, something several factors suggest). Which likely means all sides are in some degree of betrayal of all other sides here.

The last panel is bit silly. In the original drafts of the comic, there was a reoccurring joke that someone (usually Arron) would speculate that Peter was up to some devious master plan, and then we’d cut to Peter doing something utterly mundane. We still see this occasionally as it amuses me, but the comic is less tightly focused in on the back and forth between Peter and Arron than the original versions, so it has less opportunity to occur.

Peter is talking to Miko in the last panel. We’ll probably see more what they are up to… it’s been awhile since we’ve seen what Peter is up to after all.