“Hey. Calm down. It’s not your fault.”

She stared at him. “Then whose fault is it? I’m the one who created the vaccine. I’m the one who decided to stick it into Colt’s body.” Her voice shook, and she looked away before she burst into tears.

Wow, she was tired.

“You had no choice.” Ham reached for a bottle of water that Jake handed him. Opened it and handed it to her.

She took a drink. Sat back. Met Ham’s blue eyes. He wore worry in them.

“It never ends,” she said.

“What never ends?” He slid onto the chair next to her.

“The evil. It’s like on the beach. We stomp out one terrible virus or terrorist group and a second later, something else washes in to fill it. It’s useless.”

She glanced down the hall, to the ICU room. “And people like Colt or my dad pay the ultimate price. It’s not worth it.”

“Who says it’s not worth it?” Noemi said. She had gotten up and walked over to Tae, sat beside her. “Colt got hurt because he was trying to keep us alive. Over and over. To me, to Selah, it was worth it. He saved our lives.”

“I know. It’s just . . . what about the people he leaves behind? Dodge, Ranger, his sister. His dad.” Silence. And yes, these guys would deem it worth it—they were all heroes. She looked at them. “What about the people who love you?”

“It’s never an easy choice,” Pete said quietly from his seat across the waiting room. “But we have to believe that we’re making a difference.” He looked up at her. “You’re making a difference, Tae.”

She shook her head, her eyes burning. “I don’t know. I just feel like whatever I do, it’s one bad choice after another. Everywhere I turn I feel . . . helpless.”

“No surprise there. Do you really think that you will be able to save the world?” Ham said.

She frowned. “Um—”

“Saving the world is not your responsibility. That doesn’t belong to any of us. Our job is just to do our part. Show up, with the talents God has given us, and say yes to the mission he’s given us. That’s it. You’re going to feel helpless if you think it’s up to you.”

“It feels overwhelming.”

“Only because you’re looking at the big picture. And . . . the ending that you want.”

“Why else am I doing all this?”

“To make the world a better place. One battle at a time.”