[A couple of months ago, Alex might have been frightened by Ben's sudden shift into soldier mode. He had wanted, at least on some level, to help Ben get rid of it, so that he could be normal, or at least a normal level of freak. But now he understands better, he thinks. This is part of Ben and will be forever. He can be more than that, if he wants, he can add things, but he will never be rid of this entirely.]
[Alex does not follow Ben's gaze; instead he takes in what he can, hoping that he's looking to the right places. He looks for cover, looks for weapons, looks for danger.]
[Then he looks to Ben, nods, follows his command with verbal response. He walks several steps behind, and to his credit, while he's not silent, he is very quiet.]
[ Spam ]
[Alex does not follow Ben's gaze; instead he takes in what he can, hoping that he's looking to the right places. He looks for cover, looks for weapons, looks for danger.]
[Then he looks to Ben, nods, follows his command with verbal response. He walks several steps behind, and to his credit, while he's not silent, he is very quiet.]