Meet the Characters of "The 11th Hour" Part 5: Sarge

Name: Caleb Joshua Ellis
Age: 25
Job: Persuasion/Interrogation
Hair: Light Brown
Eyes: Blue

Birthplace: Northern East Edge

Personality: Caleb possesses an intense sense of responsibility, and is thus the most serious of the group. He does what he is told, and as efficiently as possible. Due to his ability to change his tone and temperament at a moment’s notice, it is often difficult to know exactly what Caleb is like, even when he is around the group. He is the oldest and thus sees it as his responsibility to make sure the others are not being wreckless. This makes him enjoyable company at times, but his protectiveness also annoys a few of the other members.

Biography: Caleb comes from a rather large family (as far as Damned families go), and is the oldest of 4 boys. His father – who, before Nicolae’s reign of terror, was the FBI’s best and brightest – was arrested and executed on the same offenses as Emily’s parents: crimes against the nation.

Being a single mother was hard enough; being a single mother of 4 boys on the Damned side of town was next to impossible. For years, Caleb watched as his mother did what she could to keep her boys healthy and safe, often times going for weeks without eating so there would be enough food for them. He was forced to watch his mother change from the beautiful young woman she was into a horribly frail creature, older than her years. Unable to watch any longer, Caleb bottled the hate that he had for the man who murdered his father and enlisted in the army the day he turned 18.

He was more than qualified, had the makings of a great soldier, and was not against taking orders no matter what they be, but he was still declined. He was told it was because Nicolae felt he should stay with his family – his poor mother wouldn’t be able to handle another loss – but everyone knew the real reason was his Jewish heritage. He had read a few of his father’s old books on a war years ago and knew not to push the issue, but his hate began brew again. Nicolae had killed his father and, by denying him rank in his army, he was going to kill his mother.

Unwilling to face his mother and tell her of his failure, he stopped off at a local bar to pass the time. There he met a young girl who looked no more than 13. She seemed nearly as frail as his mother and, his brotherly instinct taking over, he tried to convince her to be on her way home.

Her frail appearance was extremely deceiving, as the girl under it was one of the most stubborn individuals he had ever encountered. She not only refused to leave, but was also planning on registering for The 11th Hour, a game that Caleb himself had forbidden his younger siblings to enter. She introduced herself as Karalynn Anders (he was correct on assuming her age), and informed him that she was planning on building a team for this year’s competition. Caleb listened, intrigued, as she explained her ideas, past experiences, and the way the whole team structure would work.

He had to admit, he was impressed. Kara was smart, and her plan seemed flawless. On top of that, if they played their cards right, he would be able to support his family… at least enough to see to it that his mother could stop skipping meals. He registered with her, unaware that they were making history as the first ever “team” to compete. A few months before the competition started, they added Haylie Watson to their small group, and the combination of Kara’s planning, Haylie’s analysis, and Caleb’s surprising ability to get whatever he wanted out of anyone proved to work very well. They didn’t win – didn’t come close – but they gathered enough information to be comfortable until the next competition.

In the years to come, they added Colin Tatengko and finally, 17 year old Astrid Miller – who very quickly claimed the title of “pain in Caleb’s ass” – to the roster and finally, with the five of them working together far better than anyone had ever hoped, won the first of three consecutive T11H titles. As time went on and they continued to win – setting new competition records and creating new rules – Caleb was able to see to it that his family was taken care of. By the time they registered for their fourth and possibly final competition, he was being driven by something more than his family’s well being: the chance to move out of the slums and show Nicolae that turning him away was the worst mistake of his life.


Skills: Caleb can read people fairly well, and thus will know exactly what tactic is needed to talk them into giving up whatever information they may have. Likewise, he can adjust his tone and temperament at a moment’s notice, making himself incredibly hard to read. His soldier’s mentality and physical build help him to be as persuasive as he needs to be, in whatever way necessary.

Flaws: While his hand to hand skills are quite impressive, his weaponry skills are mediocre to poor. He has also developed a fondness for Kara that has a tendency to cloud his judgment.

Based on: Dave Franco