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think and I register the ugliness of such a thought. “I
never said that.”
    “ Is her life worth more
than mine?” Nikki asks, softly, her fingertips brush my hand on
Jesse’s coverlet.
    I open my mouth, shocked by the
question. “What?”
    “ If I volunteer to lead a
team into Caldwell’s headquarters and I’m killed trying to rescue
her dog, would you think that was worth it? Or if I died trying to
save Jesse, would that make you happy?”
    “ No, of course
not.”
    Nikki gives me a sad, sweet smile and
kisses me on the cheek. The hint of irritation in her tone melts
away, replaced with her usual kind patience. “I’m going to go take
a shower before my shift in the control room starts. You’re welcome
to join me.”
    She manages a devilish grin and gives
my hand another squeeze before leaving the room.
    I exhale, but it doesn’t loosen the
tightness in my chest. The room suddenly feels too warm. My cheeks
are ablaze. I tug at my collar and slip off my coat. The pungent
smell of antiseptics makes my head swim.
    Jesse sleeps in the white hospital
bed, but not peacefully. Sweat beads around her hairline and her
face scrunches then relaxes in turn. What wouldn’t I give to chase
all her demons away?
    I want to stay here with her until she
wakes, but I know if I don’t join Nikki, she’ll take it as a
personal affront.
    I watch Jesse for a long moment,
weighing my desire to stay with the consequence of not going. Nikki
was so quick to defend Jesse on my behalf. I want Nikki to know she
matters too.
    If I died trying to save
Jesse, would that make you happy?
    I give Jesse’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll
be back before you wake.”

Chapter 6
     
    Jesse
     
    T he city is in ruins. Cement and mortar lay in heaps across a
great road, tumbled over like a child’s building blocks. Ash falls
from the sky, landing on my hoodie and shoes. I look down to see
the toe of my red sneaker smudged gray. I lift my hand and ash
lands on the backs of my fingers like snowflakes, precariously
balanced on the folds of my knuckles.
    Gabriel comes to a stop
beside me, a stark figure in the white haze. “ It’s fallout .”
    “ Where are we?” My voice
reverberates against the wreckage.
    “ Your world. Is this the
one you choose?”
    “ What? No.” I whirl around
to face him. His eyes are the same demonic green, bright and
iridescent as always. His dark suit jacket remains unmarred by the
falling ash. “Who the hell would choose this?”
    His eyes deepen from green to midnight
blue. His tie changes to match. “If you do not choose, this is the
choice.”
    “ What the hell does that
mean?”
    Light falls against my face as his
wings open, and a brilliant red desert stretches out in all
directions. The ruined city with its fallout rain has disappeared.
Now there’s only this desert and a great expanse of blue
sky.
    Poised in the sand in front of me is a
globe, a perfect replica of Earth balanced on a thin wire that runs
into the sand.
    I look from the desert landscape, to
the globe, to Gabriel’s porcelain face. “What the hell is this all
about?”
    Gabriel walks around the globe and
stands opposite me. Then he takes one slender finger and spins the
globe. “Your world is protected by a magnetic field, not unlike the
field that protects you.”
    A thin layer of purple light begins to
glow around the globe, encasing it as it spins and
spins.
    “ But this shield will
weaken and fail.” Gabriel jabs his finger against the globe and the
Earth stops spinning. The purple light disappears. “When that
happens, Earth will be destroyed by the first threat that comes
along.”
    His green eyes meet mine, searching my
face for comprehension. I don’t understand and I’m pretty sure my
slack jaw and arched eyebrows say as much.
    Gabriel stoops down and grabs a
handful of sand, clenching it in his fist. Once he stands, he
positions his fist over the globe, opening his hand slightly to let
the grains slip between his fingers in a