Chapter 3

The alarm bell.

The shriek cut through the darkness, pulling me from a void of pain and nothingness. I sat bolt upright in my bunk, my heart hammering against my ribs. My skin... it didn't hurt. I looked down at my hands, my arms. They were whole. Unscarred.

"Warehouse fire, south side!"

It was Captain Duncan's voice. The same call. The same day. I was back.

I scrambled out of my bunk, my mind racing. It wasn't a dream. The memory of the chemical burns, the hospital, the betrayal... it was too real, too visceral. This was a second chance.

As we geared up, I saw Sabrina. She was standing there, pale and trembling, about to deliver her first performance.

"Captain," she began, her voice quivering on cue. "We can't go in. The roof... I see it."

This time, I didn't wait for Duncan to dismiss her. I stepped forward, pulling on my gloves, my movements sharp and decisive.

"I'll take point, Captain," I announced, my voice ringing with a confidence I didn't feel just moments ago. "I've studied the blueprints for these old warehouses; I know the weak points. I can get us in and out, no problem."

Anthony immediately stepped in front of me. "Molly, it's too risky! Let the heavy rescue squad handle it! What if she's right?"

I looked straight into his eyes, the eyes of the man who watched me die. The love I once felt was replaced by a cold, hard resolve.

"The only risk is standing here talking about it while a man's life is on the line," I said, my tone leaving no room for argument. I pushed past him and looked at Duncan. "Captain?"

Duncan studied me for a long moment, then nodded. "Go, Johns. Lead the entry team."

Inside, the heat was just as intense, the smoke just as thick. But this time, I had a map in my head. A map of the future.

"Stay clear of the northeast corner!" I ordered my team over the radio. "Structural integrity is compromised. We're going in through the west wall access."

We found the victim, just like before. We pulled him from the debris and started the extraction. As we carried him out, I heard that same monstrous groan from the building's steel skeleton.

"It's coming down!" a teammate yelled.

The northeast section of the roof collapsed, exactly as I remembered. But this time, we were fifty feet away, in a secure corridor. We emerged from the smoke and haze into the flashing lights, the victim safe, my team untouched.

The crew erupted in cheers. They slapped me on the back, their relief washing over the scene.

One of the guys laughed, jerking a thumb back at Sabrina, who stood watching, her expression unreadable. "Guess your crystal ball is busted, probie!"

They all laughed. All except Anthony. He was staring at me, not with pride, but with a strange, calculating look in his eyes. A look I now understood all too well.

I had changed the game. But I had a chilling feeling the outcome was still the same.