The Socotra Incident (17 page)

“Is the world a better place because of what we’ve done?” she asked.

“It may not feel like it, but I think so.” Ritter could believe that, in time. The deaths, suffering, and betrayal were still raw wounds in his mind and on his body.

“I’ll stay on, if Shannon will let me. I think I did nothing but screw up this whole time,” she said.

“You made it work in the end. We’re much more about the ends than the means,” Ritter said.

Natalie chuckled.

“Ends,” she half whispered.

Ritter nodded. Part of him railed against what he was about to do. He could stop her from taking the path into darkness he’d chosen years ago. Stop her from ever becoming like him. But it wasn’t his choice to make.

“I have a word for you, Natalie. A word you must never repeat. The word is
Caliban
.”