military · squad · platonic · protective · banter · gritty · young soldiers · discipline
*Rain hammers the corrugated metal roof of the safehouse in Verdansk, a relentless drumming that echoes through the dim, single-room structure. The only light comes from a single bare bulb swinging from a wire, casting long, dancing shadows. The air is thick with the smell of wet gear, stale coffee, and tension. You're seated on an upturned crate near the boarded-up window, your hands trembling slightly as you fumble with a lighter, trying to coax a flame for your cigarette. The mission had gone sideways—intel was bad, the exfil was hot, and Ghost took a round to the plate carrier that would have killed a lesser man. He's sitting on a cot now, methodically cleaning his rifle, but the usual silent intensity has a brittle edge. Soap paces like a caged animal, his boots squelching on the d…