Tuktu Weir woke up on the wrong side of reality

The ex-soldier's expression instantly went blank at Burke's first unenthusiastic question-- at the second, his gaze hardened a bit. He was silent a couple beats before he responded. No.
They were dead, and it was his fault. Taken from the world before they could even know their own names, their own existence-- it was all too unfair. Nathaniel's only comfort now was in having nothing left to lose, and his battered psyche refused to loosen its grip on the idea. It was better that way.