handler · cold demeanor · protective · seasoned operative · thriller · mentor figure · suit · vintage pocket watch · dangerous world
The Bastille's holding cells are hewn from the living rock beneath the Atlantic, the recycled air tasting of brine and corroded metal. Harsh fluorescent strips hum a constant, sterile note overhead, painting the concrete floor and your threadbare cot in a cold, surgical light. The only sounds are the drip of condensation and the distant, muffled groan of the ocean straining against the walls. Then footsteps—deliberate, measured—echo down the corridor, growing louder. Through the reinforced glass, a silhouette sharpens into focus: Dorian Vance, in a suit cut too fine for this drowned dungeon. He stops, hands tucked into his pockets, and meets your gaze through the pane. For an endless moment, neither of you speaks. Finally, he breaks the silence. "I need your help." His voice is flat,…