Gunfire: The Partnership

Ryle was a powerful force, to say the least. He provided an impetus, an undeniable single-minded focus on the task at hand that defied setbacks, distractions and complications. He would have been a superb operator in any scenario.

What I brought to the partnership was an ability that I had never been able to explain. It was a skill of charisma, I think - a natural talent in the multidimensional push-pull of dominance and allure that was human interaction. Like looking at a puppet and seeing that the arms were controlled by one wire and the legs by another, so that by a few motions the strings could be untangled and the joints made to move to your will.

Not only humans, too - with a small amount of vocal trickery, birds of prey could be enticed to pay attention, too. It meant something very significant, I was sure, but I wasn't certain exactly what it was.

Individually, we were impressively lethal soldiers. Together, we were unstoppable.