The Command Center. 5 hours had passed since the workshop incident, and nobody could pretend things were normal anymore. The briefing room's harsh fluorescents kept flickering whenever Jin shifted in his chair, creating a strobe effect that made everyone's temples throb.
Jin sat at the head of the tactical table, his posture perfect, his expression cold. The crimson in his eyes had settled into a steady glow. Every few seconds, his fingers would twitch—the only sign of the war raging inside his skull.
*Let me handle this briefing,* the Entity whispered, silk and poison in equal measure. *You're too weak to lead them properly.*
*Shut up,* Jin's consciousness snarled back, clinging to control by his fingernails. *They're my friends. My family.*
*Your family betrayed you. Your father proved that.*
