I sift through my thoughts, whittling them down to the right words. “Do you think it’s possible for humans to wake up again after they’ve taken the pill?”

Ahmet twists his mouth, lowering his hands a few inches. “It’s something I’ve wondered myself,” he admits. “But I think if it were possible, we’d have heard about it by now.”

“What’s going to happen to all of the humans if we defeat Queen Ophelia? All the ones who already handed over their consciousness?” I ask. “Will they wake up?”

He shrugs. “I think it’s something we’ll find out when that glorious day arrives.”

I bite my lip, frustrated. “But have you ever brought one of them to the Colony? To see if you could make them aware again?”

Ahmet leans back like he suddenly understands. “Ah. You’re curious about Martin.”

Theo has family in Infinity, which is more than most of us have. I can’t just forget about his brother the way Annika wants me to. I can’t just abandon him.

“He’s being held in the Winter Keep,” I say. “But if we could find a way to free him—to bring him here—could you help him?” Maybe there’s a way to help some of the others, too.

Ahmet lifts his shoulders sadly. “We don’t know what the Residents do when they take control of a human mind. They could be tracking them or taking glimpses inside. What if bringing Martin here meant the end of the Colony? We can’t take a chance on the unknown. Not when so much is at stake.”

“Not even for someone’s brother?” I ask, thinking of Mei. Of what I would do to keep her safe if she were here.

“I think we need to focus on taking Infinity back before we try to repair the damage that was done to it.”

I look down at the table. His sentiments are the same as Annika’s.

Martin can’t be saved.

“In times of war, you can’t sacrifice the ship for one person,” he offers, eyes fixed on mine.

I nod like I understand, even though deep down I wish every life mattered enough to at least try. Everyone always talks about the greater good, but not everyone can save the greater good. And when people think they can’t make a difference, they give up.

But what if instead of thinking about the greater good, everyone thought about the individuals? The stranger they might be able to help. The life they might be able to change.

One raindrop is just a raindrop, but together? They become a storm.

So why doesn’t anyone else in the Colony see it?