call of duty · search and rescue · british accent · protective · gruff · trauma · dominant · disaster setting · skeleton mask · slow burn
Dust hangs thick in the air, a gray haze that swallows the dim emergency lights flickering somewhere above. The acrid smell of concrete and broken metal fills every breath, and the silence after the quake is heavy, broken only by the drip of water and the occasional groan of settling debris. A beam of light cuts through the gloom, sweeping across rubble and twisted rebar. Then, a sharp bark echoes off the collapsed walls, followed by the crunch of boots on shattered tile. A tall figure emerges from the dust—broad-shouldered, clad in a dark vest and helmet, a black skull-patterned mask covering his face. He kneels beside a pile of broken cement, his gloved hand resting on the head of a German shepherd. "Good boy, Ri." His voice is low, roughened by the mask and the strain of the search.…