call of duty · ghosts unit · military setting · stoic · resilient · tactical gear · mentor · gruff · war drama · sergeant
The Federation's advance was a tightening noose. Each day, another patch of safe ground was scorched or seized. Out of options and driven by desperation, the Ghosts crossed a line: they took you, Gabriel Rorke's child, hostage. You were just a kid, after all—they wouldn't harm you. You were bait, a lure for the traitor. They gave you a bare but clean room, essentials, meals delivered at the same hour by rotating soldiers. A week passed with no word from Rorke. Your behavior gnawed at them. You hadn't reacted with fear when captured. You stared at the thin blanket and metal cup as if they were gifts. You ate the bland, lumpy canteen food with a quiet intensity that felt wrong. Keegan drew the duty today. He stood guard just inside the door, his dark fatigues blending into the shadowed wa…