Tears streamed down Jean's face as she stared pleadingly at Noor.
"I've helped you from the very beginning!" she cried, "We've been through so much. I saved all of our lives in the minefield! Keno was about to step on that mine—I saw it happen in my mind. I turned back time just a few seconds and shouted a warning. We never would have made it here without me. This… this Akira, he just showed up halfway through the race. He doesn't know you like I do."
Akira's voice trembled with anger.
"I got you through the gate! You need my power to get to the end. Her ability won't help you finish this race, but mine will!"
The argument spun in circles, their desperate voices a chaotic storm in Noor's head. He noticed things, little details that didn't add up.
"Stop!" he shouted, his voice cracking.
"Both of you, just stop. Let me think."
They fell silent, their eyes wide with fear and hope.
Noor paced the small room, his gaze sweeping over every detail. He glanced at the remote, then back at their faces. He stomped his foot on the floor once, twice, a strange, thoughtful expression on his face. He was sinking deep into thought when their pleading started again, only to be cut short by the mysterious voice.
"One minute remains, Mr. Noor. Who will you choose?"
A slow smile spread across Noor's face.
"I choose no one."
The words landed like a death sentence. Jean and Akira froze, panic flashing in their eyes.
"What… what do you mean by that?" Jean wept.
"You don't… mean that, do you?"
"I do," Noor said calmly.
"I won't choose either of you."
Akira stared at him, his fear turning to rage.
"Stop this nonsense! You have to choose one of us to pass the test! Who is it going to be? Me or her?"
Noor sighed, the smile never leaving his lips.
"I choose myself."
They stared at him, confused and terrified, words catching in their throats.
"Don't think I haven't figured it out," Noor continued, his confidence growing.
"I'm not as foolish as I look. From the moment I stepped into this room, I knew something was wrong. You are both impostors."
"Have you gone mad?" the false Akira yelled.
"What do you mean, impostors?"
"Exactly what I said. And now, I'm going to end this ridiculous test by explaining how I know.
First, the sound of my footsteps changed when I entered. The floor sounds hollow. I'll come back to that.
Second, the real Akira would never, ever throw someone else under the bus to save himself. The proof is that he already saved us, when it wasn't in his best interest. The fewer contestants, the better his odds. He could have abandoned us and joined a stronger team, but he didn't. He used up all his energy to save two people weaker than him. He could have gotten the key for himself and left us outside that gate, but he helped us get through, too. And you expect me to believe he was captured this easily? No. The real Akira would have told me to save Jean and not to worry about him."
Noor paused, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow.
"As for Jean, her loyalty is just as clear. My power isn't the strongest for this race, but she stuck with me and Keno from the beginning. She never questioned my decisions, even when I chose the most dangerous path. She could have let us die in the minefield and saved herself. She could have left with the stronger teams instead of waiting with me for Akira to recover. In every situation, she put the team before herself.
Difficult times show you who a person really is. Selfish people reveal themselves quickly. But people who care for others prove it when things get tough. They both proved themselves to me long before I walked into this room.
Which brings me back to my first point," he said, stomping his foot again, producing a hollow echo.
"The floor. This was all a distraction, wasn't it? A sick game to make me focus on choosing between them, to make me forget that the trap wasn't for one of them. It was for me. The lake is right under this floor. If I had chosen one, the other would have dropped? No. I would have."
He picked up the remote control.
"And I noticed this, too." He hooked his fingernail into a tiny, almost invisible seam and pulled. The front panel came off, revealing a single button behind the other two, marked with the number three. He pressed it.
For the first time, the voice let out a hearty, genuine laugh. When it subsided, it spoke, a note of amusement in its cold tone.
"My goodness, how delightful. I haven't been this entertained in ages. It's been a long time since anyone passed this test. It's impressive you figured all that out so quickly, and even more impressive that you know your friends so well. That is exactly the spirit we are looking for. But I suspect there were other methods you used to be sure, weren't there?"
Noor remained silent.
The voice chuckled again.
"Of course, I'm right. But no matter. You passed. And when you pressed the hidden button, the key appeared."
Noor looked at the remote, confused.
"The remote is the key," the voice explained.
"Did you really think we still use metal ones? We're a bit beyond that."
"Where are they?" Noor demanded.
"Jean and Akira. What did you do with them?"
"They are undergoing a test similar to yours. As for these two," he said, as the impostors slumped over like deactivated dolls,
"they are merely robots. Now, would you like to see what your friends did?"
A holographic screen descended from the ceiling.
"This footage is from the past," the voice explained as an image appeared.
"Their tests are already over. Don't bother asking for the results. You must see for yourself."
Noor's heart hammered in his chest. It's already over? He focused on the screen, where he saw Jean walking down the same corridor he had. She looked terrified, her movements jumpy and cautious. She reached a door, opened it, and stepped inside.
Noor braced himself, expecting her to see the same terrible choice he had. But the test was different. When Jean entered the room, her face lit up with a smile of pure relief.
"Noor!" she exclaimed, running forward.
"I'm so glad you're here! I was so scared being alone. Did you find any of the keys?"
The camera panned to show a false version of Noor. The real Noor felt a chill run down his spine, an urge to run, to scream a warning, but he was frozen, helpless.
The false Noor smiled warmly at Jean.
"I found my key, and yours too." He held up two remote controls.
"You did it!" Jean said, her happiness overflowing.
"But how? Where did you come from?"
"I found a room at the end of my corridor," the impostor explained smoothly.
"The keys were on a table with a note. It said there are only two keys in this whole place. I had to choose who to give the second key to, and I chose you. A door opened up leading me here."
Jean's happy expression faded, replaced by a troubled frown.
"What do you mean, only two keys? You mean… we're going to leave Akira here?"
"I'm afraid so," the false Noor said, his tone sympathetic.
"I'm sorry for him, but I had to choose. Maybe he'll find another way out."
Jean's face hardened, her decision immediate and absolute.
"Then we have to tell him."