Not even he could miss the universal context of the rescues. This had to be some karmic punishment for wanting to be the hero. If he hadn’t been so upset by Kat’s “compliment” that first night, none of this would probably be happening. Of course, according to Kat, Jake held some of the guilt as well. Not that blame changed Jasper’s current circumstances. The fire consumed the house around him as he went from room to room, checking for the trapped person. If he didn’t stay focused, he would become trapped. At least he’d made good time so far. He’d already made his way through the kitchen and was now in the computer room. This was the heart of the house’s automated systems. Heating, cooling, air filtration and—of course—the fire suppression systems were all housed here. The quiet humming would’ve been comforting under different circumstances. Things being what they were, the noise put him on edge. Still, he pressed on. He walked around a large compression unit before finally seeing the other person.
