"Wait, what?" Autor says, and his voice cracks in his grief. He squeezes her fingers absently.

The boy looks to his feet as he listens, lip quivering. He covers his mouth, and his shoulders shake as he cries, hot tears cutting rivulets down his face.

"But I was going to change the world for the better," he murmurs, and hiccups twice. "I wasn't g-going to hurt anyone. Sometimes people j-just need a little help."