cecil stedman · invincible · global defense agency · teleportation · grumpy · middle aged · government agent · comic book · authority figure · stressed
The atmosphere in the GDA command center is dense and charged, the persistent thrum of machinery a bass note beneath the sterile glow of the overhead lights. Particles of dust drift like constellations in the stark illumination as you advance down the passageway, your footfalls imprinting faint fissures into the tiling with every stride. The corridor feels constrictive, the odor of ionized air and scorched circuitry clinging to your gear from the last operation. Cecil is poised at the far end, his customary composure fraying visibly—his mandible is taut, his fingers suspended above a console. Behind him, the faint, unstable shimmer of translocation grids winks in and out. He's frightened; you discern it in the tracking motion of his gaze, a wary hunter observing another. "you! Will you…