Page 186 of Black Reign

VESPER: Ghost was real long before I knew Xavier existed.

I read it slowly.

Not an answer.

Also exactly an answer.

My eyes close.

For some reason, that hurts more than it helps.

Because now there are two versions of me inside her mind too.

Ghost.

Xavier.

One she trusts.

One she might hate.

She isn't the only person trying to reconcile them.

GHOST: And now?

No answer.

Then:

VESPER: Now I need the truth.

I look down at Adrien Beaumont’s file.

So do I.

GHOST: Give me time.

VESPER: Dangerous thing to ask from someone who doesn’t trust you.

GHOST: You trusted me for years.

VESPER: I trusted Ghost.

Again.

I hate that distinction.

GHOST: Same man.

Her answer arrives quickly.

VESPER: Prove it.

Then she's gone.

NULL goes dark.

I sit alone in a London hotel bar with an untouched Scotch, a cooling espresso, an old copy of Romeo and Juliet, and a dead man's file open beside me.