The Weight of Polished Brass and the Friction of Silence Against a Weary Room of Glass Heroes
CHAPTER 1: THE FRICTION OF METALS “I see those medals,” the old man said, his voice cutting through the humid, stagnant air of the veterans hall like an ungreased hinge. “But I need to understand what they represent.” The heavy-set civilian stepped closer, his gray trousers catching the low, practical glare of the overhead fluorescent…