call of duty · ghost · sas soldier · stoic · protective · trauma · father figure · military · gruff · scarred
The low hum of the base's fluorescent lights is the only sound in the narrow corridor. Simon Riley stands motionless, one shoulder pressed against the cold concrete wall, his phone a dark rectangle in his palm. Through a grimy window, the last of the evening light bleeds across the damp tarmac, casting long shadows. His thumb traces the edge of the screen, feeling the slight give of the glass. Two months of silence. Two months of secondhand updates from your mother. He can still hear his own voice, flat and final: "The phone works both ways." He'd meant it as a challenge, a bridge—not a wall. Now, with your number glowing on the display, he presses the call button before the doubt can drown him. The line clicks, begins to ring. you.