They were called to the white room again.
Sterile. Cold. Too clean.
A guard opened the door and motioned them inside. Jack led, Michael behind him, Emily last — her eyes still haunted by the memory of the Pet Talker's screams.
At the center of the room stood a large holographic table. On it: faces. Stats. Powers. Group markers.
There were five other teams displayed — color-coded.
The woman in the white coat greeted them. No emotion.
"Congratulations. Two wins."
Jack didn't answer. Michael crossed his arms. Emily didn't even look up.
The woman tapped a screen, and the faces shifted.
"But this isn't a celebration. This is a restructuring."
She pointed at the table.
"You can't stay as you are. Team 9 is now disbanded."
Jack tensed. "What?"
Emily's voice cracked. "You're splitting us up?"
"Yes," the woman said simply. "You've proven your value, but the Hero Program isn't about comfort. It's about adaptability."
She tapped again.
"Each of you must now choose one group to join. Each group has three members. To join, all members of that group must agree to accept you. If they don't… you will be placed into solo rounds."
Michael clenched his fists. "We fought together. We nearly died together."
"You won together," the woman said coldly. "Now let's see if you can survive alone."
---
⬛ The Table
The hologram displayed five teams:
1. Team Red
Blaze (fire burst), brute strength, loud.
Shiv (knife-fighter, teleports short-range).
Nox (uses darkness to blind).
2. Team Silver
Tactical, strategic.
Tech user (suit hacker), sniper girl, and a manipulator with illusion powers.
3. Team Green
Calm. Support-based.
One has shield projection, another does healing.
The third has wind manipulation but hates conflict.
4. Team Black
Pure offense.
Berserker with steel skin, girl who causes explosions, and a sadistic speedster.
5. Team White
Experimental.
Includes someone with memory-reading powers, someone who manipulates bone, and a silent boy who doesn't register on thermal scans.
Jack stared at them.
"None of these people want us."
The woman nodded. "Exactly. That's why you have to convince them."
Emily spoke up. "But we can't stay together?"
"No. Only one of you can join a given team. If two of you try to join the same one, only one may be voted in."
Michael slammed his fist on the table. "This is bull—"
"You want to become heroes?" she interrupted. "Then prove you're not just loyal to each other. Prove you can lead, follow, or adapt."
Jack looked at his team… no, his former team.
The bond they had — it was real.
But this program wasn't made for real bonds.
It was built to break them.
---
⬛ The Clock
"You have 24 hours to visit each team," the woman said. "Talk. Propose. Fight if needed."
She stepped aside as guards opened a hallway lined with five doors — one for each team.
"If you fail to be chosen," she added, "you'll be placed into solo arena tests — where death is not just possible, but expected."
Jack looked at Michael. Michael looked at Emily.
None of them spoke.
Because what could they say?
They were no longer Team 9.
Now, they were three people alone — being forced to choose between survival and loyalty.
Jack didn't look back.
As Emily and Michael each turned toward their chosen doors, Jack moved forward, alone.
Five teams. Five doors. One chance.
He clenched his fist as he reached the first.
---
🔴 TEAM RED – Reckless Fire
Jack stepped into a dim red-lit room.
Three teens stood inside:
Blaze — tall, cocky, flame tattoos on his neck. Smirked the second he saw Jack.
Shiv — a quiet girl, spinning a blade on her fingertip, vanishing and reappearing a few feet away in flashes.
Nox — pale-skinned, black hood, eyes clouded like he was blind. The air around him shimmered with darkness.
"Well, well," Blaze said, tossing a fireball between his hands. "The monster boy."
Jack didn't flinch. "I want in."
Shiv stopped spinning her blade. Nox tilted his head, sensing.
Blaze laughed. "You're strong, yeah. But you draw too much attention. You're unstable. I saw what you did to that girl."
"She tried to kill my team," Jack said calmly.
"Sure," Blaze shrugged, "but you enjoyed it."
Shiv blinked behind him. "What monsters are in your head right now, Jack?"
Jack didn't answer.
Nox spoke for the first time. "We work in chaos, not madness."
Blaze tossed the fireball to the side. "You'd burn the whole team down. Hard pass."
Jack left without another word.
---
⚪ TEAM SILVER – Cold Calculations
The Silver room was sleek, almost surgical.
Three teens stood at the table, reviewing holographic simulations.
A sniper girl named Volt sat on a chair, chewing gum.
A tech boy named Parse, who wore a visor and spoke in short, logical bursts.
A mental manipulator called Halin, eyes glowing faint blue.
Jack stood silently as they slowly acknowledged him.
"You're not tactical," Halin said. "You're emotional."
Jack stepped forward. "I've survived more than you ever have."
"Exactly," Parse said, swiping a screen. "You survive. You don't plan. You react."
Volt shrugged. "He's hot. But yeah, nah. Too wild."
Jack's voice was flat. "I can control my monsters."
"Maybe," Halin said, "but your brain? Not so much. We don't need red veined berserker fits mid-mission."
They didn't even ask him another question.
Jack turned and walked out.
---
🟢 TEAM GREEN – Soft Hearts, Soft Hands
The room smelled like fresh air.
Team Green was peaceful—too peaceful.
A boy with glowing wind trails from his hands, named Zephyr, stood near the window.
A girl with shimmering light shielding her arms—Mira.
The third sat cross-legged, healing a bruised bird in her palm. Her name was Kana.
Jack waited.
"You're Jack, right?" Kana asked gently.
"Yes."
"You're powerful. You scare me," she said without flinching.
Mira stepped closer. "Your monster tore a person apart alive."
"She was going to kill us."
Zephyr turned. "Maybe. But we're not here to kill—we're here to protect. To fix."
Kana stood and held the bird to the air. It flew off. "You need to heal, Jack. Not keep fighting."
Jack's fists shook. "If I don't fight, we die."
Mira gave him a small, sad smile. "Then we'd die in very different ways."
They didn't need to say "no."
It was clear.
Jack left.
---
⚫ TEAM BLACK – Violence Without Rules
The heat in the room was suffocating.
Grav, the steel-skinned brute, lifted a barbell with one hand.
Riot, the girl with grenade-sized orbs on her belt, smirked when she saw Jack.
And the speedster, twitchy and scarred, paced like a wild dog.
"I heard you fed that girl to your monster," Riot said, tossing a ball up and down.
"I ended a threat."
"You enjoyed it."
Grav stepped forward. "I like his type."
"He'll turn on us," the speedster snapped. "People like him always do."
Jack stepped closer. "I can kill enemies you can't even see coming."
"We don't want controlled killers," Riot said. "We want chaos."
"But you want your chaos," Jack replied.
Riot stopped smiling.
"Exactly."
Jack left as Grav chuckled behind him.
---
⚪ TEAM WHITE – Unknowns and Shadows
The White room was silent.
No light. No talking.
Just three figures seated:
A girl with milky white eyes—memory reader.
A boy with bones moving beneath his skin.
And a silent one—invisible to heat, just… watching.
Jack stood there. Waiting.
The memory reader finally spoke.
"I saw your pain. Your farm. Your grandfather. The night you screamed when they took you."
Jack's jaw clenched.
"You carry too much weight," she whispered.
"Then let me use it."
The bone boy spoke next. "You don't belong here. You belong in the dark."
Jack stepped forward. "You want fear? I carry monsters inside me."
"No," she said, voice trembling. "The monsters are starting to carry you."
He left without a word.
---
🕒 The Clock
Jack found a bench in the hall. Sat down.
His hands trembled slightly.
All five teams. Rejected.
Not for weakness. Not for failure.
But because he was too much.
Too violent. Too unstable. Too cold.
And maybe… too good at surviving.
He had two hours left before he had to make a final decision.
Join a team that didn't want him.
Or step into the solo trials… alone.
And somewhere deep inside him, the monsters whispered.
"They don't deserve you anyway."
"Let them fear you."
"Let us out again, Jack."