"It's simple," he says with chagrin. Simple, yes; not the same as easy. "Now that you know you're dreaming, you just need to wake up."

He's not saying it out loud, but he's not coming with her. There are others out there still trapped in their nightmares. He's an enforcer, this is his duty as far as he sees it.

"I find sometimes it helps to count down, like a launch sequence."