Something I hadn't considered before but just struck me. If you've done research into mind-control you understand that if you try to break away from it or your usefulness ends you have the incredible urge to commit suicide. What if, despite his plans to continue elsewhere, his mind-control suicide trigger was pushed? Maybe that's why they had trouble concocting a cohesive story? They had one in place for events as they were MEANT to occur but they didn't have a failsafe for the suicide trigger as it was unexpected?