I held onto her like she was the only solid thing in a world that had turned to quicksand.
And for a moment, just a moment, I let myself believe that everything would be okay.
The moment passed.
It had to.
Reality didn't pause for emotional breakthroughs. The entity was still out there. The VHC was still hunting me. The Sanctions Division was probably already mobilizing.
I pulled back from my mother's embrace. Wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. Pretended I hadn't just cried in front of the woman who raised me.
She pretended not to notice.
Some lies were kindnesses.
"There's more," I said. "Things I haven't told you yet."
"About the integration? The third step your father mentioned?"
"About what the entity wants. About why it selected you. About the door."
She frowned. "The door?"
I pulled out the transcript pages. Found the relevant passage. Read it aloud.
"'The son of Kimiko Nakano will open the door that his mother closed.'"
She went very still.
