[He didn't need anyone to hold his hand; he had been motivated under his own steam for a very long time, and the structure had been stabilizing but not everything. There was a reason that he was a commander of the STRIKE program, that he could lead the teams into difficult situations when most of it was all in blind. He was good at what he did, and he could and would be good here. Hell, he'd apparently been a hero dragging out hostages, but it had been a bad op with bad intel.
And Insight. Well, that had been a good op that had gone all wrong. He probably should have blamed Steve more; maybe in time he would. Right now, he wondered how much of what he was doing was some state of shock where a single push could turn him loose, apply all that skill to turn the world upside down.
He gave her a patient look, not because he thought of her as a child, but he knew for a fact that she didn't know much of the story about him. She had been one of the few things in his life he had bothered to be genuinely nice to, but that was really as far as it went. She didn't have all the facts.] One moderately good person in a sea of bad people doesn't leave much for you to judge on, Ava. I'm not a good man, and I never will be. I do the ops no one else wants, the real dirty ones, not because I enjoy it but because I'm good at them. [His moral compass had long ago been turned on its head.
But again, he doesn't refuse her touch. He was reminded of some of the few STRIKE gatherings after a particularly brutal op. Rough men and woman throwing arms around each other, flicking pretezels and making crude jokes.] Nah, she's more bark than bite, all threats and little action when push comes to shove. She ain't so bad. You probably wouldn't like her.
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And Insight. Well, that had been a good op that had gone all wrong. He probably should have blamed Steve more; maybe in time he would. Right now, he wondered how much of what he was doing was some state of shock where a single push could turn him loose, apply all that skill to turn the world upside down.
He gave her a patient look, not because he thought of her as a child, but he knew for a fact that she didn't know much of the story about him. She had been one of the few things in his life he had bothered to be genuinely nice to, but that was really as far as it went. She didn't have all the facts.] One moderately good person in a sea of bad people doesn't leave much for you to judge on, Ava. I'm not a good man, and I never will be. I do the ops no one else wants, the real dirty ones, not because I enjoy it but because I'm good at them. [His moral compass had long ago been turned on its head.
But again, he doesn't refuse her touch. He was reminded of some of the few STRIKE gatherings after a particularly brutal op. Rough men and woman throwing arms around each other, flicking pretezels and making crude jokes.] Nah, she's more bark than bite, all threats and little action when push comes to shove. She ain't so bad. You probably wouldn't like her.