Rowena stood rigidly before the imposing desk, the vast window showing Valerius spread out like a circuit board behind Gabriel. She kept her eyes fixed on a point somewhere near his left shoulder, unable to meet those unnervingly calm, pale blue eyes directly.
"Report," he prompted, his voice soft, yet it made the air vibrate.
"Sir," she began, her voice carefully modulated, betraying none of the tremor she felt deep inside.
"Contact was lost with the primary retrieval team shortly after they confirmed interception of the target auxiliary." Target auxiliary. That felt like such a sterile term for the terrified girl, Meg.
"Secondary backup team dispatched... also failed to report in." Failed to report in. A euphemism for 'likely dead or worse'.
