"I know." He looks at her with something resembling pity - at how plainly she can't conceal how sickening this whole ordeal must be, at how poor her composure is, at how much she knows she's failed.

"And that's the bottom line, isn't it? You and your search for truth - that's always the priority." He shakes his head, snorting, low and scornful. "And just - to hell with everyone else."