Page 254
“Deliver the target.”
My hand tightened slightly against the edge of the table.
“And?”
“Transfer all recovered evidence related to the reproductive archive irregularities.”
There it was.
Not Talia’s alleged theft.
Not hostile dissemination.
The actual investigation.
He knew.
I looked at the dark screen.
“You know what we found.”
“We know you exceeded mission scope.”
“That is not an answer.”
“It is sufficient.”
No.
It had been sufficient once.
Not now.
“What happens after transfer?”
“Your operational failure will be cleared.”
I went still.
The handler allowed the silence to sit.
He knew what he was offering.
Not absolution.
Continuation.
“Your Ghost status remains protected,” he said. “Your legal record remains unchanged. No disclosure to military command. No royal notification.”
There.
The real offer.
No Anik.
No Crown.
No mother.
