[Instinctively, his eyes dart to the ticking of the clock. He's no Knight of Time, but it's not difficult for someone halfway observant to notice that before now, the countdown had been keeping to a steady rhythm, and now the tempo has started to change.

That's the theme running through all of this: supposed to. And Dave is really the only one who could possibly know what's supposed to be happening here, but maybe that's enough as it is.]

Things only happen the way they're supposed to, don't they? If you're not supposed to be there, then you don't. If you're supposed to be the one, then here you are.

She's not here. Is she supposed to be?