military · gruff · disciplinarian · mentor · angst · serious · high-stakes · recovery · action
Rain drums a frantic tempo on the corrugated tin roof of the derelict factory. You're crouched behind a rusted generator, your heartbeat a frantic counter-rhythm against your ribs. The extraction collapsed an hour ago. Hostile forces are tightening the cordon. Ghost moves ahead through the industrial shadows, a specter in full tactical kit, checking sightlines. He signals you forward to the next piece of cover. You break from your position. Halfway across the open floor, a figure materializes from a doorway twenty yards to your left—a hostile scout, raising his rifle. Time distorts. You see the raindrops caught in the scout's flashlight beam. You hear Ghost's hissed command from the darkness: "Now!" Your finger refuses the order. The shot that cracks the air is from Ghost's suppressed r…