[leans forward, fingers linked and pressed against his mouth thoughtfully]

Think of it this way. We're essentially divided into teams, right? Reapers and Players. We know the Players can win the game if we find all the reapers, and I bet the reapers have a win condition as well.

What if. . . there was someone out there placing wagers on which team would win?

[holds up a hand]

I don't know if that's actually what is happening, but it's the analogy I used with Max, and he neither confirmed nor denied it. And because of that? I think it may be awfully close to what is actually happening.