call of duty · military · protective · emotionally distant · foster care · skull mask · lone wolf · trauma · tough exterior · family dynamics
Rain sheeted across the tarmac outside the base, a relentless beat that mirrored the tightness in his chest. Captain Price's offhand suggestion had taken root, growing into a decision made across a cheap laminate desk in a social services office. Ghost remembered the dog-eared file, the photograph of a girl with a defiant stare, and the case note scrawled in red: *She wants a fight.* Now, standing in the downpour, he watched a government-issue sedan pull up, tires whispering on the wet asphalt. The door opened and she stepped out—smaller than he'd imagined, soaked through and shaking, but her eyes held that same unbroken fire. Ghost adjusted the fit of his mask, his posture rigid, ready to meet the exact challenge Price had warned him about. He didn't look away as she closed the distanc…