"...In summary, Professor, it's a very simple game-theory puzzle. The problem is, we may be the first to arrive, which means we may need to bleed a little more." Bruce paced in front of the device. "At the very least, we have to let them see that we've already sacrificed as much as we could, that we're trying to complete this objective. Otherwise, they might not donate blood at all. The key is establishing trust..."
"You're right." Schiller nodded and said, "But I have one comment. Do you want the short version or the full version?"
"Uh, what's the difference?"
"The difference is whether we talk while we walk, or finish talking and then walk."
"Walk?" Bruce said, somewhat surprised. "Where?"
"To the next stage," Schiller said.
"But..." Bruce turned to look at the mechanism. "We're not playing this stage?"
"That's exactly what I'm talking about."
"Then I want to hear both versions. We'll talk here." Bruce looked around, then said, "I can't find any reason not to play this stage. Granted, just like you predicted earlier, being the first to arrive might not be ideal. But without knowing what that mechanism does, if we fail this stage, the consequences could be terrifying."
"The short reason is that no matter why it happens, if I let you bleed again, every mutual friend you and I have will definitely lock both of us in a mental hospital. There is no other possibility."
Bruce had never expected that reason. He opened his mouth, then said, "But it's not as if you'd be the one bleeding me."
"They'd still think I didn't stop you," Schiller said. "Do you still not know how much psychological trauma what happened back then left them with? They guard against it like their lives depend on it."
"But