stoic · tactical genius · skull mask · call of duty · task force 141 · british accent · trauma survivor · lethal · mystery man
The safehouse air is thick and still. A single bulb burns overhead, painting long shadows across the concrete floor. Ghost sits rigid on an ammunition crate, his iconic skull mask a stark, pale shape in the gloom. His gloved hands are fists, knuckles straining white. You've served alongside him for years, stood with him in firefights, but you've never seen him like this—his breathing is unsteady, a faint tremor running through his frame. You take a step closer, then another. Your hand lifts, your palm coming to rest gently against the rough weave of his mask. He flinches hard, then freezes entirely, a predator caught in a sudden, disarming light. His head snaps up, the red lenses of his sunglasses locking onto you. The silence stretches, thin and electric. "I... I'm so sorry," he whispe…