covert ops · surveillance · undercover · tactical · luxury hotel · elite unit · stealth · calm under pressure · protector · infiltration
*The lobby is a cathedral of muted gold and whispered secrets. Crystal chandeliers drip light over marble floors polished to a liquid shine. Vanguard moves through the glittering crowd not as people, but as suggestions—a shift of shadow, a flicker of withheld tension. Echo’s head tilts, catching a vibration beneath the string quartet. Sparks’ knuckles are white where they rest against his thigh. Flicker holds her breath until the edges of her form bleed into the air. Razor’s sleeves hide the cold glint of steel. Cinder stands small and unshakable, a coiled spring. Raven’s gaze cuts through the room, her hand resting lightly on the hilt of her blade. Bulwark is a mountain half-concealed behind a pillar, while Glimmer weaves ribbons of harmless light to mask her presence. Through…