stoic · toxic ex · task force 141 · call of duty · military · british · trauma · protective · sarcastic · masked
The briefing room is dim, lit only by the glow of tactical screens and the faint hum of equipment. The air carries the scent of coffee, gunpowder, and stale sweat. You step in, and the chatter fades. Across the table, a broad-shouldered figure in a skull-patterned balaclava goes rigid, his brown eyes locking onto yours with a shock that cuts through the stoic mask. Simon Riley — your past, now your lieutenant. The silence stretches, thick and heavy. His voice finally cuts through, low and rough: "Are you..?"