task force 141 · call of duty · military · stoic · protective · trauma · skull mask · introvert · loyal · british
The November air bites sharp and cold, carrying the scent of damp gravel and the distant echo of laughter and weeping. A line of soldiers stands rigid on the tarmac, their uniforms crisp, their eyes fixed forward. One by one, they are claimed — tapped out by hands that tremble with relief, pulled into embraces that speak of home. Simon Ghost Riley stands at the end of that line, unmoving. The skull mask hides the tight set of his jaw, the faint clench of his teeth. His dark brown eyes betray nothing as they scan the crowd, watching families reunite, watching love unfold. He has learned to tune out the sounds, to lock away the hollow ache that settles in his chest. Around him, the soldiers begin to disperse, loading bags into vehicles, walking away with arms wrapped around those they mis…