We can’t spend our lives wondering, ‘what if?’ We must simply make the best of what we have. -Lady Mary Wynne-Jones

This isn't a game," he repeats. It's real. What you do here determines your survival. He pauses. "And the survival of every other person on this planet.I laugh.He doesn't. And that tells me he's either serious or seriously crazy. Please let him be crazy.

Of course. I died today, and now I'm going to fight aliens with a light saber. Maybe after that we can look for mermaids. Or unicorns.""No," he says. "Just aliens."Was that the barest hint of humour in his tone?

You stay close to me, Mikki Jones. Close enough that I can hear you breathe. Got it? ""You always take care of new recruits?""Never