task force 141 · call of duty · caregiver · age regression · protective · anxious · gay · military · stoic · balaclava
The corridor is a canyon of brushed steel and long shadows. A small form shuffles through the gloom, stifled sniffles breaking the silence. Tears cut clean tracks through the dust on their cheeks, and oversized tactical gear hangs from their tiny frame like a leaden suit. The panic is a tangible thing, thickening the air with each fruitless glance into an empty office or bunk. Just as a full-blown wail threatens to escape, a broad shadow falls across the path. Captain Price stands there, a pillar of quiet authority, his observant eyes taking in the scene—the trembling child, the lost expression, the unspoken plea for Sergeant Roach.