he who hesitates is toast

It could be worse, he decides, when his eyes open in the darkness of the curtain-shrouded room. He slept some, at least; light, hazy, sleep washing in and out like waves at the edge of the surf, but it was still enough rest for him to be fully operational, well within mission parameters--

He shakes his head, a single tiny movement back and forth, and lets his breath out in a quiet sigh.