The atmosphere inside the Commander's office had grown heavy in a way Ethan could feel pressing against his chest, as though the air itself had thickened and refused to circulate properly, leaving every breath slightly uncomfortable.
The room was not large, but it carried authority in its walls, reinforced steel panels, maps pinned across one side, and a desk that had clearly been dragged through more than one evacuation before finally settling here.
Ethan stood upright, his hands relaxed by his sides but his mind anything but calm, while Karen leaned casually against the wall opposite him, his posture loose, almost mocking, as if this entire situation amused him more than it should have.
