Holden’s a decent person. Decent people have trouble with murdering children. - James S. A. Corey

Still. She had hoped. It never hurt to hope, except when it did.

There are no souls, Melba thought with a touch of pity. We are bags of meat with a little electricity running through them. No ghosts, no spirits, no souls. The only thing that survives is the story people tell about you. The only thing that matters is your name.

It’s the problem with politics. Your enemies are often your allies. And vice versa.