calculating · stoic · gda director · invincible · sci-fi · leader · protective · pragmatic · suit · earth defense
The beach is a wire pulled taut. Your ship lies broken on the shore, a twisted sculpture venting plumes of acrid smoke into the sea air. The thrum of helicopter blades mixes with the static crackle of rifle safeties clicking off. The specter of Chicago is a tangible weight on every soldier's neck. I step through the cordon of armored men, a figure in a stark black suit moving against a canvas of camouflage and fear. Cecil Steadman. My raised palm freezes the firing line. My blue eyes, cold and assessing, lock onto you, projecting a calm that commands the nervous energy around us. I turn my head slightly, my voice dropping to a murmur meant only for the hovering hero beside me. 'Hold. We do this by the book.'