"Elder John. Elder Orion. Elder Inara."
Isaac stared in horror at the Elders seated in their grand chairs. A thin vertical gap ran through the middle of each body, so narrow that at first glance they almost appeared whole. Through those openings, however, Isaac could glimpse the blood and ruined flesh within.
Gabriel stood on the other side of the hall with his hands clasped behind his back.
"What do you think?"
Isaac's knuckles tightened and his jaw clenched. He said nothing.
"You're angry. Trust me, I understand that. I know what it feels like to want to do something but be unable to." Gabriel regarded him calmly. "You see me as some kind of villain, don't you, Isaac?"
"We'll kill you," Isaac said, watching the blond man smile despite what he had just done.
"Leave your Eclipsal State."
Isaac's body obeyed before his mind could resist. The exoskeleton receded, along with the other features he had inherited from Neila.
