The countdown clock hit exactly 6:00. They were six hours in and had six hours to go. Hendrix was sure they were close to the end, but they would never get there if they couldn’t move forward. And to do that, they needed to search the den.
After Hendrix had left Kane, he’d found Ander and Raymon in the flight deck room. Raymon was back at work on the puzzle. Ander was methodically searching for anything they might have missed. They’d looked so hopeful when Hendrix walked in, like they expected him to say he’d solved a clue. Or at least gotten Kane to quit playing. He’d felt so guilty about his failure as a leader that he’d stayed downstairs after delivering Kane’s food.
At some point, Kane will have to take a break from the game, Hendrix thought desperately. Or he’ll get called for a status update or take an extra-long bathroom break. Something. Maybe he was being a coward, but Hendrix’s plan was to wait for Kane to leave on his own and then go search the den.
“Hendrix, we’ve got a problem,” Ander said as he came into the kitchen. Raymon was right behind him, nodding his agreement.
“I know,” Hendrix said. “We need to search the den.”
“It’s more than that,” Raymon said. “It’s the fact that we’re all too afraid to go in there while Kane’s playing. We’re afraid of him.”
“I’m not—” Hendrix stopped, realizing Raymon was right. Kane was being a bully. He might not be outright threatening anyone, but his bad attitude was keeping them from being a team. Hendrix was Kane’s friend. But he was also the leader of this team—and he owed it to Ander and Raymon to stand up to Kane.
“All right,” Hendrix said. “Let’s go.”
The others stayed a few steps behind him as he marched into the den and right up next to the TV so Kane would have to see him.
“We need to talk,” Hendrix said in what he hoped was a firm and confident voice. Kane barely looked up. “We’re halfway through and we have no idea how much farther we have to go. It’s time to get back to work, and it’s time we all did it together.”
“In a few minutes,” Kane said. “Just let me finish this level.”
Something snapped in Hendrix. He turned and ripped the TV cord from the wall. The screen went blank and the room was filled with a sudden silence.
“What the—?” Kane jumped to his feet and took a step forward, but Hendrix refused to back down.
“Do I have your attention now?” Hendrix yelled angrily.
“Why are you being such a jerk?”
This only made Hendrix angrier. “Me? I’m the one being a jerk? You’re the one sitting here doing nothing but playing Time Hunters.”
“I’m doing plenty. You let Raymon work on that stupid puzzle for hours. How is this any different?” Kane fell back onto the chair. “And why do you get to tell everyone what to do anyway?”
“I’m not telling you what to do,” Hendrix said. “I’m asking you to be a part of this team. I’m asking you to help us win.”
Kane laughed. “Like we have a chance. I mean, come on. We’re a bunch of teenagers. We might as well enjoy the perks of being on this show while we can. Because tomorrow we’re going home empty-handed.”
Kane looked at Ander and Raymon, who were staring openmouthed and wide-eyed after his speech. “You know that, right?” he said.
To Hendrix’s horror, he saw Ander nod slightly.
“So quit,” Hendrix said. His words were so quiet he could barely hear them himself. But Kane must have heard because he was back on his feet and in Hendrix’s face.
“Fine, I’ll quit,” he said. “But like you said, we’re a team. So if I go, we all go. That’s what being a team means, right?”
Hendrix swallowed hard and took a step backward. “No. It means we work together toward a common goal. And I want to win. Raymon, do you want to win?”
Raymon made a strangled kind of sound. Then he cleared his throat and said, “Yes,” in a small voice.
“Do you, Ander?” Hendrix asked.
Despite his earlier resigned nod, Ander responded with an enthusiastic “Heck yeah!”
Hendrix turned back to Kane. “Our team is the people who want to win this—who believe we can win this. And this team is going to search this room, find clues, and get through the rest of the doors and whatever’s waiting for us beyond them. So you can either help or get out of the way.”
Hendrix turned to the nearest shelf and started looking through books. After a moment he saw Ander and Raymon doing the same thing. He tried really hard not to look to see if Kane was joining, but eventually he couldn’t stand it anymore and took a quick peek.
Kane was on his knees inspecting the fireplace.
Hendrix let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. Suddenly, he needed to be alone. He went to the bathroom, hoping to have a few minutes to himself with no one watching. A few minutes when he didn’t have to solve all the problems. But as soon as he turned off his microphone, someone knocked on the door.
With a heavy sigh, Hendrix opened the door. Raymon stood there, looking nervous. Without waiting for Hendrix to say anything, he stepped inside, closed the door, and turned off his own microphone.
“Did you read the contract?” Raymon asked. Hendrix shook his head. He didn’t think even his parents had read it, but he wasn’t surprised that Raymon had.
“Any player who does not complete the competition is liable for all expenses incurred by that player,” Raymon said. He must have seen that Hendrix wasn’t following because he went on, “If we quit, we have to pay the studio back for everything they’ve given us. Airplane tickets, hotel rooms, food . . . who knows what else. But it would be a lot.”
Hendrix gaped at him. “We can’t let Kane quit then. We have to tell him.”
Raymon shook his head. “He knows. I overheard him and one of the producers talking when I came out of my interview the other day. They stopped as soon as they saw me, but I know that’s what they were talking about. So he definitely knows, and yet he’s suggesting we all quit.”
Hendrix felt his blood run cold. Kane wasn’t just being lazy and unhelpful.
Kane was trying to sabotage them.