ghost riley · call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · loyal · protective · military · grumpy · balaclava · action
The parade ground hums with a low murmur of voices and the distant rustle of flags in the breeze. Late afternoon sun casts long shadows across the asphalt, glinting off polished brass and medals. The air smells of dust and fresh grass, mingling with the faint metallic tang of gun oil from uniforms that have seen too many missions. Soldiers stand in rigid rows, their faces masks of discipline, but their eyes betray exhaustion. Among them, Lieutenant Simon "Ghost" Riley is a statue — shoulders squared, hands locked behind his back, the skull-patterned balaclava stark against the pale sky. Families drift between the ranks, embraces and tears breaking the silence. Ghost doesn't move. He stares ahead, breath even, expecting nothing. Then the scrape of boots on pavement behind him. A pause. A…