Walker and Fatal are standing on the roof of U.A., staring out toward the Final Exam Arena.
Fatal: Day two, it should be getting hectic now.
Walker: Yes, more than half the teams have yet to encounter another group. I’d be surprised if that number isn't zero by the end of the day.
Fatal: I heard there was some action last night.
Walker: Two battles, both in favor of Class 1-B over 1-A.
Fatal: Damn, which teams lost their orbs?
Walker: Aaron, Gus, Lilith and Alexis, Zach, Karma.
Fatal: Wow, so what’s the rundown then?
Walker: four teams only possess their original blue orb, one group has blue and green, and those two teams are empty-handed.
Fatal thinks for a moment.
Fatal: We aren’t actually going to be removing students from the course if they fail... right?
Walker: Why would I lie to the students?
Fatal is shocked.
Fatal: Damien, those are six good students… you honestly will go through with it if they fail?
Walker: They have four more days. If they can’t figure out how to pass this exam during that time, they’ll be failures as heroes, and this school has no time for failures.
Fatal: One mistake shouldn’t be ground for-
Walker: One mistake? This exam is designed so that failure requires a multitude of errors. I could list off 10 that both of those teams made to get to the point they’re at right now.
Fatal: They’re only first years! They have two more years to refine their skills and be ready for real hero work. So why are we giving them such a harsh test?
Walker: Because these first-year students are not like any other class this school has ever seen.
Fatal is taken aback.
Walker: This school is building dorm rooms because of their unique circumstances. They’ve been attacked twice now, well, three if you count what happened during Hayze’s internship.
Fatal looks concerned.
Walker: Ivan has made an attempt on Hayze’s life twice, I don’t know why he’s been targeted in particular, but we have to assume Ivan would do the same to any of the other students.
Fatal: Right…
Walker: With that in mind, we need to prepare them for actual combat, as much as we can anyway. The next time something like the mall incident occurs, we need to be sure they can defend themselves.
Fatal goes quiet.
Walker: Your sister told me you think Hayze is going to fail.
Fatal: She did what? And wait, why were you talking to my sister?
Walker: She volunteered to be on rotation for exam monitoring duty. We had a chat.
Fatal: That bitch…
Walker: You shouldn’t say that about your family.
Fatal: I know, I know.
Walker: I know you’ve had a connection with him since his days before U.A., but you should have more faith in him. He’s far exceeded my expectations this year. Hell, I thought he’d only last a week or two when I read his file for the first time.
Fatal: It’s not just our history. We’re similar; we both didn’t have our quirks until later in our lives.
Walker: You developed your quirk when you were 10; he developed his less than a year ago. I hardly consider you the same.
Fatal’s eyes widen.
Walker: What? What is it?
Fatal: Damien… I need to tell you something.
Walker: Okay…
Fatal: I-
The door onto the roof opens, and Adrian steps out.
Adrian: Hey Damien! Why did you call me here-
Adrian spots Walker and Fatal.
Adrian: (Well… alright then…)
Fatal turns to Walker and gives him a death stare.
Walker: *whispering* I’ll be at the bottom of the stairs for the next ten minutes.
Walker leaves and pats Adrian on the shoulder. Adrian looks at Fatal, who refuses to make eye contact.
Adrian: (This isn’t going to be easy…)
Hayze, Eve and Jake are walking through the forest.
Jake: Can you guys slow down…
Hayze and Eve: No.
Jake: *whines*
Eve: So, you’re sure we’re heading in the right direction?
Hayze: We should be. I noted where the sun was in the sky when we entered the arena. It was to the East, so the city is this way.
Eve: Alright, but If we got lost, I blame you.
Hayze: That’s fine, and just a heads up, as we get closer to the center, the chances we’ll run into another team get higher, so keep your head on a swivel. We can’t allow ourselves to get ambushed again.
Eve: Yeah, I know, you don’t have to tell me everything.
Hayze: Sorry, I’m just making sure.
Eve looks at Hayze’s wounds.
Eve: Do you even need those bandages anymore? I’m sure your injuries have healed by now.
Hayze: Probably, but you did a nice job; I thought I’d leave them on a little longer.
Eve: Shut up.
The three continue walking for a while longer until Eve abruptly stops.
Hayze: Hm? What’s up?
Eve: I… I have to go to the bathroom.
Hayze: Alright… we can wait. Jake, we’re going to take a break real quick.
Jake: Thank god!
Jake lies down. Eve puts the supply bag down and starts walking away.
Eve: If either of you follow me, I’ll castrate you.
Hayze: Okay…
Jake: Why would I want to watch you poop? That’s gross.
Eve stares at Jake.
Eve: I’m going to go now, but just to clarify, I am peeing!
Jake: Well, I don’t want to watch that either!
Hayze: Jake… that’s great, Eve. We’re all rooting for you…
Eve: Shut up!
Eve walks off.
Hayze: (Everyone goes to the bathroom… Why was she so weird about it?) *sighs* (I’ll never understand girls…)
Hayze looks at the supply bag, zips it open, and retrieves a small book.
Hayze: (This book explains the exam rules just in case we forget. It also lists all of the orb combinations required to pass.)
Hayze looks through the pages.
Hayze: (There’s something I don’t get, though, one of the things that Mr. Walker told us we would be evaluated for this exam was Loyalty. But I don’t understand how that comes into play. Given the nature of this test, adaptability, unity, strategy, and efficiency… Those four are clear, but loyalty? I can’t wrap my head around it. The exam gives no reason to betray your teammates. It’s not even a good idea to split up.)
Hayze grabs their orb and stares at it.
Hayze: (There’s something hidden about this exam, and it all lies in the orb combinations. If I could just figure it out…)
Jake yawns loudly.
Hayze: (Eve is right… that is highly annoying…) Jake, can I ask you something?
Jake: What’s up?
Hayze: Why are you still here?
Jake: Because this exam is five days long.
Hayze: I don’t mean the exam, I mean the hero course, U.A. in general, why are you still here? You never show any enthusiasm or put any effort into anything. It seems to me like you don’t want to be here.
Jake: No, I do.
Hayze: Mind explaining then?
Jake: Do you know how much a C-Rank hero makes per year?
Hayze: No, not off the top of my head.
Jake: About $100,000, it’s a great living. All I have to do is get average grades, perform average on exercises and exams, and boom, I’ll be an average hero making a solid salary to live a comfortable life of minimal stress and a lively job. Doesn’t that sound nice?
Hayze: Yeah… it does.
Jake: I put a ton of effort into getting into the best hero school in the country. 98% of graduating hero course U.A. students, at a minimum, become well-established C-rank heroes. So all I need to do to reach my dream life is the bare minimum to graduate, which I’m doing. I want to be here; I just don’t want anything more than that.
Hayze is quiet for a few moments.
Hayze: When you put it that way… it all makes sense: why you didn’t try in the Sports Festival, why you didn’t leave the cabin during the forest attack, and why you were somehow ranked in the middle of everyone during the midterms.
Jake: Just because most people are shooting for the stars doesn’t mean everyone is.
Hayze: Yeah… I guess I didn’t think about that…
Jake yawns loudly.
Hayze: But there’s one more thing I need to ask you.
Jake: Huh?
Hayze: When the time comes for us to secure the orbs necessary to pass this exam, will you give it your all? Because if not, we’re going to have a problem.
Jake stares at Hayze with a blank expression on his face.
Jake: Yeah, but don’t expect it to look like I’m trying.
Hayze: That’s good enough.
Hayze hears Eve returning; he stuffs the orb into his pocket.
Jake: Did you enjoy your poop?
Eve: JAKE, I WILL FUCKING END YOU!
Jake: Okay…
Eve walks over to the supply bag and notices Hayze is holding the rule book.
Eve: What were you looking at that for?
Hayze: Just refreshing my memory.
Hayze puts the book back in the bag, Eve grabs the bag, and the three resume walking, with Jake, once again lagging behind.
Eve: We don’t stand a chance with him on the team…
Hayze: We had a talk while you were… going to the bathroom. He’ll help when we need him to. I trust him.
Eve: Good… also again, I was peeing.
Hayze: Jesus, I get it. What is like a girl rule to pretend that you guys never shit? It’s weird seeing this side of you.
Eve: We’re taught that girls are supposed to be feminine from a young age, and going to the bathroom is not that, so excuse me for not being super comfortable talking to two guys about my bodily functions!
Hayze: Okay, okay, I get it. You being all nervous caught me off guard is all, my bad.
Eve: God, you’re awful.
Hayze: I’m sorry!
Eve: Not that. You’re awful at talking to girls; no wonder you never notice Blair.
Hayze: Notice what about Blair? Oh god, did she change her hair?
Eve: Case and point… literally, everyone notices except you.
Hayze: Notice what!
Eve: Jake?
Jake: *from afar* Oh yeah, it’s obvious.
Hayze: I wish you guys would just tell me…
Adrian walks up next to Fatal.
Adrian: Rachel.
Fatal: Asshole.
Adrian: *sighs* That’s how we’re going to do this?
Fatal: Don’t sigh at me. You have no right!
Adrian: Rachel, I’ve been here for months, and you’ve refused to speak a single word to me. How can I have no right to be upset?
Fatal: Months? You’re hung up on months? The last time you and I saw each other, you left me in tears and then disappeared for 7 years! That’s why you have no right to sigh or be angry!
Adrian: I’m not happy about how things were left either, but that doesn’t have to be how they end.
Fatal looks away.
Adrian: I’m sorry, what I did was wrong, you trusted me, and I broke that trust without explanation. I… I’ve missed you, I’ve missed talking to you, I’ve missed sparing, I’ve missed arguing with you, everything, and I know you feel the same way.
Fatal pretends to ignore Adrian.
Adrian: But with that said, I have to tell you that I don’t regret it.
Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.
Fatal looks ticked.
Fatal: Is that supposed to make me feel better?
Adrian: No, it’s supposed to make you understand.
Fatal stares at Adrian for a few seconds before turning away again.
Adrian: When we were students here, we had one goal: to become heroes, the best we could be. I was allowed to do that, but it required me to sacrifice… everything. When I made the choice, it wasn’t easy, but the thing that made me realize I needed to do it… was you.
Fatal is in deep thought, but Adrian can’t tell because she isn’t facing him.
Adrian: I knew you would tell me that I need to seize the opportunity to be the best hero I could be regardless of your feelings. Am I right about that?
Fatal doesn’t answer.
Adrian: You would have wanted me to leave for the opportunity, and I knew it deep in my heart. So that’s why I left, and that’s why I don’t regret my choice.
Fatal: Why didn’t you explain it to me like this? You’re describing it as an opportunity, but you just told me you couldn’t say back then. I wasn’t mad at you for leaving. I was angry at you for lying to me. We became friends because we shared a dream, and then you threw that dream away before my very eyes; that’s what hurt!
Adrian: Because at the time, I was under the impression this opportunity would last for the rest of my life. I didn’t want you to be hung up on me. I wanted to give you the chance to move on. We wouldn’t have been able to see each other often, if at all, and our friendship would never have been the same. And to me, that would have been more painful for both of us, so I decided it would be best to end it.
Fatal turns to Adrian and slaps him.
Fatal: Well, it wasn’t “best.” It sucked! I missed you, and I hated that I hated you, you were my friend, my best friend, and I- I needed you.
Adrian: Damien told me “she” took over a while ago.
Fatal is silent.
Adrian: I helped you control her before, and I can do it again, especially now that there is another.
Fatal: You mean Hayze?
Adrian: He remembers the incident, but he thinks it’s a nightmare. I made a mistake… I put Saige in charge of his quirk control training, which should have been my job, and now Hayze is potentially going to suffer from my lousy decision-making. He’s a good kid, he shouldn’t have to battle with the demons of taking another life at his age, but now he will because I wasn’t diligent enough. I plan on taking him under my wing again this summer. I am his mentor, and it’s time I took on the responsibilities of that position.
Fatal: Look, I care about Hayze, but what does this have to do with you and me?
Adrian: I made a mistake with you, and it hurt you. I understand the ramifications, and I can never “fix” my error. But I do know one thing: I need to start making up for lost time.
Fatal stares at Adrian for a few seconds, then takes a deep breath.
Fatal: I forgive you.
Hayze, Eve and Jake continue through the woods when Hayze holds up his hand to signal the others to stop.
Eve: What? Why did you stop us?
Hayze picks up a stick and drops it, triggering a bear trap.
Eve: Jesus Christ!
Jake: Huh.
Hayze: The teachers are playing hardball…
Eve: Hardball! That’s a fucking bear trap! Imagine how badly we could have been injured!
Hayze: Yeah, I bet traps will become more frequent the deeper we go into the forest. They’re trying to test our attention to detail while we’re exhausted.
Eve: Fucking assholes…
Hayze: I’ll stay up front and keep a lookout.
The three resume walking.
Eve: So, Hayze.
Hayze: Yes, Eve?
Eve: Yesterday, you said something that stuck with me.
“ Hayze: Eve, let’s be honest with ourselves here: we might be the weakest team in this forest- “ - Chapter 63
Eve: Do you genuinely believe that?
Hayze: Yes.
Eve: If you think we’re the weakest, shouldn’t we wait a day and try to arrive after other teams have been in battles?
Hayze: Yeah, we should.
Eve: So then why are we heading towards the city?
Hayze: Because we can’t afford to waste time.
Eve: Why can’t we?
Hayze: Because our team isn’t built for the long haul.
Eve: What?
Hayze: The biggest issue that every team will face as days four and five arrive is we’ll all be exhausted from lack of sleep, stressed, and hungry from five days of bare minimum rationing. My quirk burns a lot of energy and Jake’s quirk requires him to be well-fed, two things that won’t be a part of the equation by the time this exam ends. We’re weak, and we’re only going to get weaker…
Eve looks concerned.
Eve: Boy… you sure inspire confidence.
Hayze: Hey, that’s what Aaron is for, not me.
Eve scoffs.
Eve: Whatever, even if what you say is true, we can’t just hope things work out for us, we have to-
Eve hears a fart. She immediately turns to Jake.
Eve: I TOLD YOU TO STOP DOING THAT AROUND ME!
Jake: Uh… that wasn’t me…
Hayze and Jake both stare at Eve.
Eve: Don’t look at me, you bastards! I wouldn’t do that.
Jake: Whoever smelt it, dealt it.
Eve: We’re not in 2nd grade!
Hayze starts looking around.
Hayze: (If it wasn’t Jake, Eve, or myself… then that means…)
Pink gas starts to surround Hayze, Eve, and Jake.
Eve: What the hell!
Jake: Huh?
Hayze: Shit!
Through the gas, they hear a voice.
Gavin: *from afar* RIPPIN’ ASS!
Eve: Who is that?
Hayze: I don’t know, I don’t recognize that voice!
The gas gets closer and closer to them.
Eve: What is this stuff!
Hayze: I don’t want to find out!
Jake grabs Hayze and Eve’s hands.
Eve: Don’t touch-
Suddenly, Eve, Jake, and Hayze are elsewhere in the forest. Hayze looks over and sees the gas cloud about 60 yards away.
Hayze: So, that’s what it’s like for you to teleport?
Jake: Yeah, it’s pretty quick.
Eve barfs.
Jake: Oh yeah, I used to get motion sick. This quirk knocked that right out of me.
Eve: A little warning would have been nice!
Killian: *from afar* You guys sure are pretty casual after being attacked!
Hayze starts frantically looking around but doesn’t see Killian.
Hayze: *under his breath* I recognize that voice…
Eve: That sounds like that wolf loser that Kevin fought.
Killian steps out from behind a tree.
Killian: WHO ARE YOU CALLING A WOLF LOSER!
Hayze, Eve and Jake stare blankly at Killian.
Killian: Oh… uh…
Whitney and Gavin walk out from different trees.
Whitney: Jesus Killian! Wait to ruin our tactic!
Gavin: Yeah, you really screwed the pooch on that one.
Killian: SHUT UP! WE DON'T NEED TO BE HIDDEN TO TAKE THESE THREE DOWN!
Eve gets to her feet.
Eve: /Great… two people whose quirks are complete mysteries to us./
Hayze looks at Killian.
Hayze: (He put up a good fight against Kevin, that’s no easy task, regardless of what the other two can do, we have to be wary of him.) So you guys are here to take us on?
Killian: Why else would be here?
Hayze: I’m just making sure because I have an offer for you.
Killian: An offer?
Eve: (What’s Hayze up to?)
Hayze: We’ve already fought another team, defeated them, and took their orb. We possess one blue and one green now.
Killian and Whitney are surprised.
Whitney: That means you took down one of the other teams in our class!
Killian: Who were they? Who did you defeat?
Hayze: Sydney, Romeo, and Desiree. (They’re the only 1-B team I can remember all of the names of.)
Killian and Whitney look at each other.
Killian: (He’s got wounds… Romeo isn’t too hard to take down, and he’s beaten Sydney before…) Alright… What's your offer?
Hayze: We’ll hand you our green orb, automatically allowing you to pass the exam, assuming you still have your green orb, of course.
Killian: Maybe… and what’s in it for you?
Hayze: Safe passage, you get the orb and walk away.
Eve: (There’s no way this is going to work…)
Killian looks at Whitney, who shrugs, then Gavin, who also shrugs.
Killian: Show us the orbs.
Hayze: They’re in the bag.
Eve: (Is this really working? How will he fake a green orb?)
Killian: Get the green one and show it to us.
Hayze: Alright.
Hayze looks at Eve. She takes the bag off and places it on the ground.
Eve: (I hope you know what you’re doing, Hayze.)
Hayze starts searching through the bag.
Killian: (This is fishy…) Hurry it up!
Hayze looks up at Jake. Jake and Eve look in the bag and see Hayze grab their knife.
Hayze: /Eve… Jake… Go!/
Hayze tosses Eve the knife, allowing her to magnetize it. The blade immediately flies into Jake’s hand; he instantly teleports behind Gavin, grabs him, and puts the knife to his neck. Hayze stands up and looks at Killian.
Hayze: Hand over your orb, or your teammate gets eliminated from the exam. You have 5 seconds.
Whitney and Killian don’t look worried at all.
Eve: (Something’s wrong…)
Hayze: I said 5 seconds, and I mean it.
Killian: Oh, Gavin, show him why we’re not afraid of his threat!
Gavin: Okie Dokie!
Gavin farts, engulfing Jake in the pink gas and leaving Hayze and Eve dumbfounded.
Hayze: (That gas… came from…)
Eve: (HIS ASS?)
Killian starts laughing.
Killian: Clever little plan you had there. Too bad Gavin’s immune to all attacks from behind thanks to his behind.
The gas clears, Jake is stumbling around like a drunken sailor.
Jake: Duhhhhhh… I like chicken nuggets!
Jake falls over and starts drooling.
Hayze: What’s wrong with him?
Gavin: My quirk is called Goofy Gas. I fart out nitrogen oxide, or as it’s more commonly known as laughing gas. He’s now in a state of pure euphoria, and with how big of a whiff he got, he’ll be like that for a while!
Jake: I want chicken nuggets!
Eve: He seems the same to me…
Killian starts walking towards Hayze and Eve, showing his claws.
Killian: Now… about that orb.
Hayze: (This isn’t good… with Jake incapacitated. There’s no way we can take on them all at once!)
Killian starts running circles around Hayze and Eve, moving so fast that it appears he is in multiple places at once.
Killian: This won’t take long!
Eve tries to follow Killian’s movement.
Eve: He’s moving too fast, I can’t-
Killian punches Eve in the gut, knocking her to the ground, and returns circling them.
Hayze: Eve!
Eve: *pained grunt* Oh, I remember now why I didn’t like this guy before!
Hayze looks at the circle of Killians.
Hayze: (We’re not going to be able to escape…)
Hayze presses a button on his gauntlet deploying his Shock Sabers.
Hayze: (So we have to stand our ground and fight… the path to victory is definitely not clear, but we have to find it, or else our chances at becoming heroes will die in this forest.)
Hayze’s eyes change to yellow.
Hayze: (Let’s go, wolf boy!)
Hayze starts running in a circle inside Killian’s circle, matching his speed and creating the same illusion as Killian.
Killian: (What the hell! How can he match my speed!)
Hayze: (I don’t know which one is the real Killian, but I know a way I can find out!)
Electrical impulses begin to course through Hayze’s body.
Hayze: Spark Shower!
Hayze starts emitting those impulses outward, shocking Killian and stopping him.
Killian: Ah! Dammit!
Eve picks herself up off the ground.
Eve: (They were moving so fast… I couldn’t tell what was going on.)
Killian gets up.
Killian: So you think you’re fast, huh? Well, I’m faster!
Hayze: That’s fine, but are you stronger?
Killian: Oh, that’s for damn sure!
Hayze points one of his sabers at Killian.
Hayze: Then let’s tussle, you versus me!
Killian: Oh, you’re on!
Whitney: Killian! We need to fight as a team! Don’t let your ego get in the way-
Killian: Pipe down! This guy is all talk, I can see it in his eyes, I can take him!
Whitney: But Killian!
Killian: But nothing! I’ll take this one. You and Gavin can handle that girl without me.
Eve: Hayze! What are you doing! We need to-
Hayze: Oh, Jake!
Jake lifts his head up from his drool puddle.
Jake: Yes, Mr. Hayze?
Hayze points his sword at Gavin.
Hayze: He’s got nuggets in his pocket.
Killian laughs.
Killian: What the hell is that supposed to do? He inhaled Gavin’s gas, he can’t-
Jake tackles Gavin and teleports away with him. Killian and Whitney are dumbfounded.
Killian: What just…
Whitney: Happened…
Hayze: Never underestimate the power of Jake’s stomach.
Eve runs up to Hayze.
Eve: What are you doing!
Hayze: You can handle that girl, right?
Eve: Well, of course, but I-
Hayze: Good, because I’m going to lead the idiot away.
Eve: Can you please explain to me why we’re splitting up?
Hayze: If our teams clash, they’ll win easily, that was obvious from the get-go, but if we turn this battle into individual matchups, we might stand a chance.
Eve thinks for a moment.
Eve: You don’t think there’s any other way?
Hayze: No, I'm the only one who can keep up with his speed, so I have to fight him. Jake’s already been hit by that Gavin guy’s gas, so I can’t imagine he can do much more to him. That leaves you with the girl, and I know you’ve got this. Eve, trust me, this is our best chance of getting out of here with an orb, let alone two.
Eve takes a deep breath.
Eve: Alright, I understand… good luck.
Hayze: You too.
Hayze starts running off, Killian follows him.
Killian: Don’t run from me!
Eve and Whitney stare into each other’s eyes.
Eve: So bitch, you ready to be demolished?
Whitney: I disagree with my teammate’s decision, but I must respect his wishes and defeat you.
Eve laughs.
Eve: That’s not happening.
Jake and Gavin appear elsewhere in the forest. Gavin pushes Jake off of himself.
Jake: Give. Me. The. Nuggets.
Gavin: Woah, Woah, Woah, you goober, I don’t have any nuggets, but I do have some tasty ass gas.
Jake: Awww… no nuggets.
Jake stumbles over to a tree and starts bashing his head into it.
Jake: I WANT NUGGETS!
Gavin: Ass Gas!
Jake: Nuggets!
Gavin: Ass Gas!
Jake: Nuggets!
Gavin: Ass Gas!
Jake: Nuggets!
Hayze stops running and faces Killian.
Hayze: If I recall correctly, you pride yourself on your speed almost to a fault.
Killian: A fault? Speed is all I need. That guy just got lucky during the Sports Festival, is all. I know you’re tougher than you look. Beating Sydney is no easy task after all, but be warned, I’m far superior to you, and this fight will prove just that!
Hayze: Maybe it will, maybe it won’t. Strength isn’t everything when it comes to superiority, and this fight will prove just that.
Killian: Then let’s go!
Elsewhere, Iota, Zaire, and Ivy walk down a dark staircase lit by torches.
Ivy: Master, where are you taking us?
Iota: I wanted to show you the fruits of the movement’s hard work over the last few months.
Ivy: What do you mean by that?
Iota: I’ve been having you coordinate much more high-profile and dangerous missions lately, Ivy, and you’ve completed them beyond satisfactory. Down here is what those missions have been working to build.
The three reach the bottom of the staircase and begin walking down a torch-lit hallway.
Ivy: I’ve never been down here before.
Zaire: Neither have I. I was unaware of this part of the premise.
Iota: I’ve kept it secret so as to not spoil the surprise.
Ivy: Master, may you be more specific about what you’re going to show us.
Iota: Zaire, how many students are currently a part of the movement?
Zaire: During our last count, 262.
Iota: And how many did we have when X was inducted?
Zaire hesitates.
Iota: Zaire, I asked you a question.
Zaire: Yes, sorry, Master, 298.
Iota: That means we’ve lost 36 in the last 5 months; that’s about 6 a month and nearly 2 a week. No matter how much we build our numbers, we’ll never have enough students to truly be reckoned with.
Ivy: You have us, Master.
Iota: I know Ivy, but even you are not enough.
The three reach a door. Iota stops and turns to them.
Iota: Since our existence and my survival have become public knowledge, our ability to recruit has become difficult. It’s required me to reassess how we will accomplish our goals…
Iota places his hand against the door.
Iota: If I want our movement to leave its mark on society and become feared all across the nation, it will require many of my students to lay down their lives in the process… and I do not want that… instead.
Iota pushes open the door revealing a laboratory filled with hundreds of test tube chambers.
Iota: I want an army.