Voss stood between the two guards, his hands tucked into the pockets of his dark wool coat.

My mother stood beside him, her hair perfectly in place despite the damp wind blowing through the broken window panes.

“You look tired, Natalie,” Caroline said, looking at the dark circles under my eyes.

“I’ve had a busy few days, Mother,” I said.

“You’ve made a series of very poor decisions,” she replied.

“Like looking inside Dad’s coffin?” I asked.

Caroline didn’t flinch.

“Your father was a brilliant man, but he lacked the stomach for the necessary outcomes of his research,” she said.

“So you helped Voss fake his death,” I said.

“We did what was required to protect the asset,” Voss said, taking a step forward.

The red laser sight from my rifle dot settled onto his forehead.

He stopped walking.

“The asset is my life, Voss,” I said. “My career. Everything you built out of lies.”

“We gave you a purpose,” Caroline said.

She took a slow step toward me, her eyes reflecting the faint blue light of the intercom panel.