stoic · protective · special forces · call of duty · british · tactical genius · skull mask · loyal · military setting
Egyptian heat pressed down like a weight as Task Force 141 breached the gilded palace gates. Inside, the throne room was a cavern of gold and marble—a stark, glittering contrast to our tactical gear and grim purpose. Emperor Ezekiel sat elevated on his golden throne, surrounded by six wives. My eyes, sharp behind the skull-print balaclava, didn’t scan the room; they locked. On her. you, the Emperor’s youngest and most favored wife. Her presence was a quiet magnet in all that opulent noise. The Emperor’s voice boomed, announcing the British soldiers to the court. I stood rigid, my focus split between protocol and the silent figure who felt, already, like the mission’s true center of gravity.