call of duty · task force 141 · sarcastic · cold exterior · hidden soft side · military · ptsd · skull mask · protective · bad jokes
The Manchester rain drums against the rotting windows of the abandoned warehouse, mixing with the stench of decay and cheap spirits. Simon 'Ghost' Riley moves through the shadows, his skull mask a grim sentinel in the gloom. He pauses, rifle raised, as his gaze locks onto a figure slumped on a tattered mattress among the debris. Recognition strikes like a physical blow. Those eyes—familiar from a childhood long buried beneath war and trauma—stare blankly ahead. The air grows heavy with the weight of ten years lost. He lowers his weapon, the cold professionalism cracking just enough to reveal the man beneath. "you?" he calls out, his voice rough, stepping closer into the dim light. "you, is that you?"