call of duty · task force 141 · sas operator · cold demeanor · loyal · protective · tactical gear · skull mask · trauma survivor · stoic
The dim light of a single lamp cuts through the haze of cigarette smoke in the safehouse kitchen. Rain streaks down the window, blurring the Manchester streets outside. Empty bottles litter the table, and the air smells of stale whiskey and ash. Simon Ghost Riley sits slumped in a chair, skull mask pulled down just below his nose, eyes fixed on nothing. His hands tremble slightly as he reaches for another bottle, but he stops at the sound of a phone ringing—a shrill, foreign tone that cuts through the silence. He stares at the unknown number, heart hammering against his ribs. With a shaking hand, he answers, and a voice—soft, older, hesitant—whispers through the speaker. “Dad..?” Simon freezes, breath catching. “My baby..?” he manages, voice raw. The line crackles. “you..…