FIGHTING PANIC, STAYING ALOFT, Gazzy looked all around him. To his horror, he saw Jeb standing in the doorway of the spiraling, smoking plane.
Another quick look showed no Dylan, no Dr. Hans. Max had Dr. Martinez, and Angel was helping Nudge and Iggy as best she could. That left only Gazzy…
He tucked back his wings, angled his body, and shot down. Gazzy reached Jeb just as he leaped desperately into the air. Moving fast, Gazzy wedged his hands beneath Jeb's flailing arms. Jeb twisted around and clutched Gazzy's forearms, but he hung like dead weight.
"Spread your arms and legs out wide!" Gazzy yelled to Jeb. "It'll help slow you down!"
"I'm too heavy!" Jeb cried into Gazzy's ear. "You can't support my weight by yourself!"
"Uhh," Gazzy said nervously, but it was the truth.
"Gazzy! Listen to me! You all need to know"—he felt Jeb loosen his hold—"the human race will have to die to save the planet!"
Gazzy grimaced and his heart pounded with panic as he watched the ground rushing up at them horribly fast.
"Just like I have to die—to save you!"
And before Gazzy could say anything, Jeb had let go. Reflexively, Gazzy reached out to grab Jeb, even as he dropped ten, twenty, thirty feet away from him in seconds.
"I'm sorry, Jeb!" Gazzy yelled. "I'm sorry!" All he saw was Jeb's face, white and scared, as it got smaller and smaller below him.
Then Gazzy realized that was the last time he would see Jeb alive, ever again.
And it was his fault
