[ John's gaze is steady, but his voice scrapes gravel. soft and low, toneless. ]

Mother Base was destroyed. With most of our personnel still on it. They put a bomb - two goddamn bombs - inside of Paz.

[ even the sudden affirmation of canine affection isn't enough to chase the shadow from John's eyes. his hand drops away from Adam's shoulder to rest on the dog's head, scratching him idly behind an ear.

killing anonymous soldiers at the behest of some city-state or another is one thing. killing kids - kids like Paz, who'd warmed up to them as surely as a blossom unfurling under the sun, no matter her ultimate betrayal - that went beyond everything that he fought for. ]