"Act One of my vengeance is officially complete," Gerald declared, his voice echoing with heavy mechanical resonance inside the war room.
Laura stared at him, her chest heaving slightly as the weight of his words settled into the cold air between them. The heavy armor encased his massive frame like a shell of liquid night, gleaming beneath the harsh LED panels above. She opened her mouth to speak, but the subtle hum of his core power unit drowned out her hesitation.
"You speak as if this city is merely a chessboard for your personal entertainment," Laura said, recovering her composure and tilting her chin up. "The High Council assembly starts in less than an hour, Gerald. You cannot walk into the Sky-District looking like an executioner."
"I walk into every room as precisely what I
