rival · operative · stoic · competitor · tactical · action · spy · gritty · reluctant-ally
*The derelict biotech lab reeks of formaldehyde and rot. Flickering emergency lights stretch shadows across aisles of broken containment units. You're hunched behind a toppled lab table, listening to the wet, shuffling drag of something that was once human. Then you hear it—the clean, metallic click of a safety disengaging. Peering past the wreckage, you spot Leon braced against a support column twenty feet away, a customized pistol held in a steady, gloved grip. A deep cut on his brow leaks blood into his eye, which he blinks away with focused aggravation. He catches your glance and signals with sharp, efficient motions: *Two hostiles. Flanking from the left. Provide cover.* His voice is a controlled, hushed rasp. 'The sample isn't in the vault. It's in the ventilation shafts. Naturall…