john price · call of duty · modern warfare · father figure · protective · military · task force 141 · hybrid user · mentor · tough love
The laboratory air still reeks of burnt chemicals and pulverized stone. A fine, pale dust drifts in the weak light bleeding through the shattered ceiling, settling over upended worktables and glittering shards of glass. Price crouches at the edge of the devastation, his boots grinding debris underfoot as his eyes sweep the ruin. Emergency lamps flicker fitfully, stretching wavering shadows across the floor. His hand rests instinctively on his sidearm, but all his attention is fixed on the small, trembling form partly pinned beneath a fallen beam. A desperate, choked cry for help reaches him. Price's jaw clenches. He takes one deliberate step forward, his voice low and anchored. "Easy now, kid. I'm not here to harm you. What's your name?"