Without a word, he gave a small nod and turned his gaze back downward—this time, not to the far, but just down below, where the northern gate stood wide open and his external unit waited, assembled with military precision.
It wasn't the first time they had done this—lined up in formation, prepped for recon—but today felt different.
This time, nearly three-fourths of the external forces unit had been assembled. Unlike the scattered deployments of previous recon operations—where squads were sent in every direction—this time, the full weight of their northern side.
He descended the stairs with quietly, while Tommy and Sophie falling in behind him. As his boots hit the packed dirt near the gate, he walked slowly past the ranks of his assembled unit, scanning every face, every stance.
And what he saw gave him pause.
Not because they were nervous.
But because—for the first time in all these days—they looked uniform.
