As Echo guided him home through the quiet night streets of Meridian Bay, James couldn't shake the memories that had been threatening to surface all day. The discussion of ethical boundaries in weapons research had opened doors he'd kept firmly shut since his return from service five years ago.
Echo's harness felt suddenly tight in his grip. "Steady, girl," he whispered, though the dog hadn't faltered. It was his own steps that had become uncertain.
Inside his apartment, he released Echo from her harness, his fingers finding the special hook by the door through practiced motion. The familiar ritual usually centered him, but tonight the walls seemed to close in, filled with phantom sounds his heightened hearing couldn't quite distinguish from memory.
"Home," he announced to his empty apar
