Hayze, Saige, Blair, Eve, Jake, Hailey, and Verity enter the center building.
Hailey: Well, this is bland...
Verity: Indeed it is.
Eve: Who cares about how the building looks? I'm just ready to get this over with.
Blair: Me too. I can’t wait to get away from a certain someone.
Saige: Blair, apologize to Hayze.
Blair: I’M TALKING ABOUT YOU!
Saige: But Blair, you love talking to me! Just like that night you came to me for advice about-
Blair tackles Saige and covers her mouth.
Blair: SHUT THE FUCK UP, BITCH!
Saige: *muffled giggle*
Eve: Thank you…
Hailey: *whispering to Verity* 1-A is more dysfunctional than I thought…
Verity: Yes… they seem to be at each other’s throats quite a bit.
A portal opens, and Walker steps out.
Blair: Oh, thank god…
Walker: Blair, please let go of your teammate.
Blair: Fine…
Blair gets off of Saige.
Saige: Geez, Blair, I didn’t know you were a top!
Blair: Shut up!
Walker: *sighs* Alright, let me see your orbs.
Verity and Saige hand Walker their respective orbs.
Walker: Alright, The team of Blair, Saige, and Wes passes, as does the group of Verity, Hailey, and Fabio. The latter of whom I’ll fetch in a minute.
Walker turns to Hayze, Eve, and Jake.
Walker: Judging that you haven’t given me anything, I assume you’ll be taking on the red orb challenge?
Eve: Unfortunately…
Hayze: Yes, we are.
Jake: When are we going to eat…
Hayze and Eve: Shut up, Jake.
Walker clears his throat.
Walker: Alright, those of you that have passed, take the middle elevator to the lounge, clean yourselves up and get a nice meal. As for Hayze, Eve, and Jake, take the left elevator and proceed to your challenge.
The two elevators open.
Walker: Good luck.
Walker leaves through his portal.
Eve: Alright, here we go.
They all start walking toward the elevators.
Hayze: I guess this is where we part ways.
Blair: Good luck, guys. I know you can do it!
Eve: Don’t worry about us. Although I’ve been skeptical, I still believe we can do this. Well, we have to.
Blair looks worried.
Blair: I hope so. (I don’t know what I’d do if Hayze and Eve failed… I don’t want to lose them.)
Saige steps up to Hayze.
Saige: Well, hotshot, you broke your own orb and gave another away just to get this point. It’d be pretty bad if you failed now.
Hayze doesn’t respond.
Saige: Yeah… I didn’t expect much of a reaction out of you… although…
Saige motions to Hayze to come closer. Hayze does so. Saige then whispers in Hayze’s ear.
Saige: /If you fail, I’ll kill you./
Hayze gulps.
Saige: Tee hee!
Eve: What’d she say to you?
Hayze: Nothing… let’s just get going.
Blair: Bye guys, see you soon!
Hayze, Eve and Jake enter the elevator. The doors close, and they begin to descend. There is an awkward silence.
Hayze: So, are you guys ready for this?
Eve: Yeah… sure.
Hayze can sense Eve’s frustration.
Hayze: I can tell you’ve got something to say.
Eve: *sighs* Regardless of what happens here, I hope we never get put on the same team again.
Hayze doesn’t react.
Eve: I told you I trusted you, and… for the most part, I still do. I don’t like you, but I’ll say I respect you… a little. I’ve seen what you can do. You’ve beaten Silver and Aaron. After all, you clearly have an idea of what you’re doing. But I didn’t expect you to spread my trust so thin that you’d have me questioning my sanity to continue giving you the benefit of the doubt. When this exam started, I looked at this team and thought, “well fuck”, but I knew that attitude wouldn’t get me anywhere, so I swallowed my pride the best I could and tried to work with you both to better this team. The problem is that this wasn’t a team for the most part. You were constantly trying to be the hero, running interference, conducting plans without consulting with us, and splitting us up for your pride, only to double back and throw that out the window when you came up with some other plan. I don’t know what it is, but sometimes you go from being this calm and calculated guy to an impulsive idiot to an overly competitive jerk.
Hayze stares at Eve.
Hayze: (If only she knew…)
The elevator stops, and the doors start to open.
Eve: I’ll be honest. I think you made the right choices along the way, but maybe take your teammate’s feelings into consideration next time.
Eve exits the elevator, and Hayze stands there for a few moments.
Jake: Got any nuggets?
Hayze: Not now, Jake.
Jake: So is that a no?
Hayze: Yes.
Hayze walks out of the elevator, and Jake follows.
“ 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. “ - Chapter 68
Hayze: (Now’s the time for him to prove it, and if what Jake told me about his goals is true, he’s definitely not taking this lightly.)
In front of them lies three metal booths.
Eve: What’s this about?
Hayze: They look like metal phone booths.
Eve: Well, duh, but what are they for? And what are we supposed to do with them?
An intercom sounds.
Walker: *intercom* Welcome to the Red Orb Challenge. This is a winner take all attempt. If you complete the challenge, you pass the exam; if you don’t, you fail.
Eve and Hayze look stern, while Jake has a blank look.
Walker: *Intercom* In front of you are three booths, one for each of you. Before I can begin explaining the rules, each of you must pick a booth.
Eve: I’ll take the middle.
Hayze: I’ll go left.
Walker: *intercom* Alright, and Jake will take the last one. Please step into your booth.
All three of them step inside of their respective booths. Immediately after, the doors close, locking them inside the dark space for a few seconds before a screen lights up in front of them. Three buttons light up in front of them as well. One labeled “Hayze,” another labeled “Eve,” and the last one labeled “Jake.”
Hayze: (Oh boy…)
An intercom inside of each of the booths sounds.
Walker: *intercom* You now are disconnected from your teammates. These booths are soundproof, so you will have no way of communicating with each other, and your quirks are not permitted to be used. In front of you are three buttons with a member of your team's name on each one. You’ll be given four questions to answer, which the answer will be one of the three of you, and you’ll have to push one of the buttons. Seems simple enough? Well, here’s the catch.
Hayze and Eve are both nervous.
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Walker: *intercom* All three team members have to give the same answer to each question. If even just one of you deviates, you fail.
Hayze and Eve are shocked.
Eve: (What! You’re telling me that I have to predict what those two idiots will do!)
Hayze clenches his fist.
Walker: *intercom* This challenge starts now.
The first question pops up on the screens: Who is the weakest link?
Jake: (Oh! This one is easy!)
Jake presses his own button.
Eve: (Okay… starting off simple…)
Eve goes to press Jake’s button but then stops herself, hovering her hand just above it.
Eve: (But… what if… what if Jake picked me? He wouldn’t be that petty… would he?)
Hayze stares at the three buttons.
Hayze: (The obvious answer to this question is Jake. But it isn’t that simple… in Jake’s mind. It could have been Eve. If those two pick each other… It doesn't matter what I do. Shit… I knew this challenge would be difficult, but if these are the types of questions we’ll be answering… it might be impossible.)
Walker and Houston watch from their viewing room.
Houston: I’ve gotta say, Damien, this might just be the most extraordinary mental torture chamber I’ve ever seen.
Walker: We told them it would be hard. I couldn’t just lie to them.
Houston: This isn’t just hard. It’s borderline impossible; look at this. The one on the right clearly knows he’s the weakest and has already locked himself in, but the other two are struggling because they have no clue what he’s done.
Walker: Well, that is the point.
Houston: I know, but this feels cruel.
Walker: You and I both know what the point of year 1 at U.A. is supposed to be. This test is the ultimate culmination of everything we’ve taught them. They’re faced with a situation where their proverbial lives are on the line. They have to know what each other is thinking on a level that can only be achieved by having 100% trust in each other. Anything less, and they fail. That’s the harsh reality of the hero world. If you’re not entirely in sync with the heroes around you, people could die. They’ve spent four days surviving together. They’re sleep-deprived, hungry, dirty, and tired of each other. But under those circumstances, they have to come together without even being able to communicate. This isn’t easy, but if they understand everything we’ve taught them this year and the point of this exam, they can pass.
Hayze stares at Jake’s button.
Hayze: (If Jake picked Eve, I have to pick Eve… but will Eve do it?)
Hayze grinds his teeth.
Eve: (Is that little bastard that much of an asshole? After all the comments he made to me over the last few days… does he really think I’m the weakest link? I just don’t know.)
Eve shifts her hand to her own button.
Eve: Ugh.
Eve shifts her hand back to Jake’s button and then to her own.
Hayze: (This all comes down to whether Jake is really in this to win… he told me that he would give it his all… I have to believe him.)
Hayze presses Jake’s button.
Hayze: (Please Eve…)
Eve continues to shift her hand back and forth.
Eve: (This could be it… this 50-50 could be my hero career staring me in the face… what do I do?)
Eve starts to tremble.
Eve: (Fuck it! The kid may be an asshole, but he’s not suicidal. He knows at least one of us will hit his button. I have to believe Jake won’t tank our careers.)
Eve punches Jake’s button.
Eve: (Well…)
A green check mark appears on all of their screens.
Eve: (Oh, thank god...)
Hayze breathes a sigh of relief.
Hayze: (Alright… three more.)
The second question pops up on the screens: Who mistakenly thinks they're smart?
Hayze: (Oh boy…)
Jake, without hesitation, hits Eve’s button.
Eve: You’ve gotta be kidding me…
Hayze bites his nail.
Hayze: (This is another negative one, but it’s trickier. Jake is annoying, but he definitely doesn’t think of himself as intelligent, narrowing it down to either myself or Eve.)
Eve looks at Hayze’s button.
Eve: (That’s my answer right there… but I don’t think Hayze will pick himself… or maybe he will think that I did… GODAMMIT, I HATE THIS STUPID CHALLENGE!)
Hayze bites his tongue.
Hayze: (A lot of the challenge of this test gets removed if you just figure out what one member of your team is going to do and hope the final person follows suit.)
Hayze looks at Eve’s button.
Hayze: (I’m about 90% sure Jake picked Eve, but I’m also not convinced Eve would be willing to choose herself over me. I guess I just have to trust that Eve will do the right thing.)
Hayze goes to press Eve’s button.
Hayze: (Unless maybe I’m doing the wrong thing. What if Jake just had the same exact line of thought about me? What if he picked my button believing that I would be willing to do so to satisfy Eve…)
Hayze slams his fist against the side of the booth.
Hayze: (Dammit!)
A bead of sweat falls down Eve’s forehead.
Eve: (Just accept it, Eve. Jake didn’t do it once, he’s not going to pass up the opportunity when he’s not the obvious answer.)
Eve presses her own button.
Eve: (Now I just have to hope for Hayze.)
Hayze stares at Eve and his buttons.
Hayze: (What Eve said… I can’t be selfish… I have to do what’s best for the team, and that’s picking my own button.)
Hayze starts to reach for his button.
“ Eve: I don’t know what it is, but sometimes you go from being this calm and calculated guy to an impulsive idiot to an overly competitive jerk. “
Hayze stops his hand.
Hayze: (Or I am just being impulsive again…)
Hayze clenches his fist.
Hayze: (I need to be calculated and follow my original logic, even if I’m nervous.)
Hayze slams down Eve’s button.
Hayze: (Please…)
Another green check mark appears on their screens.
Hayze: (Jesus Christ… hopefully, this next one is simple.)
The third question pops up on the screens: Who has the biggest sense of entitlement?
Hayze: (Fuck.)
Jake looks around at the three buttons.
Jake: (I guess this one is a little harder… the others could pick Eve or me, or maybe Eve picks Hayze? She did lay into him during the elevator ride…)
Eve looks pissed.
Eve: (I swear to fucking god!) Enough of these stupid fucking questions!
Hayze is puzzled.
Hayze: (Well… honestly, I wouldn’t say Jake or Eve for this, but I guess the question is phrased as who has the “biggest.” In which case, I have no clue who the others will pick.)
Hayze looks at Eve’s button.
Hayze: (Eve dislikes both Jake and me, so she could pick either of us… and then Jake is a massive wildcard on this one. He probably wants to pick Eve for every negative one… but he can’t be dumb enough to assume Eve would do that as well…)
Eve looks back and forth at Jake and Hayze’s button.
Eve: (Okay, I have to assume Hayze is trying to guess what Jake or I will do and corresponding his answer to that rather than giving his own opinion. Whereas Jake is the exact opposite, so I should hit my own button because that’s what Jake would do.)
Eve goes to press Jake’s button.
Eve: (But… What if Jake is thinking the same thing about me? Fuck, then he could press Hayze’s button, thinking I wouldn’t push my own again… shit.)
Hayze places both of his hands against the sides of the booth and starts thinking.
Hayze: (This challenge is highly complex… not only do we have to balance our own feelings on the questions, but we also have to balance our teammate’s perceptions of our feelings. We have to try and get into each other’s heads and figure out what we will do. The problem is… if all three of us do that, we’re simply swapping our answers, not coming together for one. The best possible strategy is to have one person answer the question based on their feelings then the other two people predict that person’s answer. That’s kind of how we did the last two questions. Jake predicted Eve would pick him, and I did the same then, for question two, we anticipated Jake’s answer. However, this time, I have no clue whose lead we’re going to follow because this question’s answer isn’t obvious.)
Hayze is in deep thought.
Hayze: (The other’s probably assume, given my personality, that I’m trying to predict what they’ll do and not picking based on my own thoughts. That’s probably a safe bet. So then that narrows it down to Jake’s answer, which would be Eve, and Eve’s answer which would be me. So, I’m at a 50-50 choice.)
Jake presses Hayze’s button.
Jake: (Eve probably can’t help herself.)
Eve is torn on the decision.
Eve: (Do I pick me or do I pick Hayze! Everything is on the line here!)
Eve looks at Hayze’s button.
Hayze: (How can I know? How can I be sure which one answered honestly and which one followed suit? Damn!)
Uncertainty racks Hayze’s brain.
Hayze: (I’ve gotta choose, I can’t just sit here driving myself crazy!)
Hayze puts his hand over his own button.
Hayze: (Here we go…)
Hayze presses the button a few seconds pass.
Hayze: (Please…)
A green check mark appears on the screen.
Hayze: (Alright… one more.)
Eve wipes sweat from her brow.
Eve: (If we fuck up now, I’m killing Hayze.)
Jake’s stomach growls.
Jake: (Once this is done, I can get some chicken nuggets!)
In the control room, Houston looks at Walker.
Houston: They’ve done well to get to this point.
Walker: Yes, they’ve been able to use their knowledge of each other to successfully navigate thus far, but this last question will make that strategy less viable.
Hayze is ready.
Hayze: (Let’s see it.)
The final question pops up on the screens: Who doesn’t deserve to be a hero?
Hayze: …
Eve, Hayze, and Jake all stare at their respective screens.
Hayze: (God fucking dammit…)
Jake stares at the screen.
Jake: (Hm… this one could be tough.)
Hayze looks at the three buttons.
Hayze: (No answer is obvious here, if Jake believes Eve and I are picking him, he could pick himself, but if Eve believes Jake is picking her, that could be bad. Then on top of that, there’s the problem if Eve chooses me.)
Eve also looks at the buttons.
Eve: (I won’t say any of us don’t deserve to be a hero… although… I didn’t feel that way on our first day at U.A.)
Eve flashes back to the many verbal altercations she’s had with Hayze.
Eve: (They probably think I’ll pick Hayze… but Jake also could be convinced it’s him. Hell, he picked himself for the first question with no problem. So my guess is he’s torn between picking himself and Hayze, and Hayze probably is too. In which case, I’m the decider of what happens.)
Eve puts her hands on Jake and Hayze’s buttons.
Eve: (I guess this comes down to who do I think they think I hate more. God, I think I just confused myself…)
Jake places his hand on his own button.
Jake: (Well, Eve hates me a lot, so…)
“ Eve: *sighs* Regardless of what happens here, I hope we never get put on the same team again. “
Jake: (But she definitely hates Hayze a lot too.)
Jake places his other hand on Hayze’s button.
Jake: (Eve picked one of us… but who?)
Hayze rubs his temples.
Hayze: (This is it… this question will determine whether we’re U.A. students tomorrow or not. Jake has to be too worried about us thinking he’ll choose Eve, and Eve isn’t picking herself, so that takes her off the board. But that leaves Eve to choose between Jake and me…)
Hayze places his hands on his and Jake’s buttons.
Jake: (It all comes down to this.)
Eve: (One choice.)
Hayze: (To decide our fate.)
Jake flashes back to Eve beating up Hayze and himself during the exam.
Jake: (Our team has been dysfunctional.)
Eve: (We’ve had our struggles.)
Hayze: (But all of our roads lead here.)
Eve: (This moment.)
Jake: (This decision.)
Hayze, Eve and Jake: (And our careers depend on our success.)
They all press a button, and the doors to their booths open up.
Hayze: (Wh-)
They turn around to see Walker standing there with a stern expression.