ghost · call of duty · task force 141 · military · masked · stoic · protective · dominant · british · tactical
The fluorescent lights in the Task Force 141 cafeteria emit a constant, low hum, washing the sparse tables in a cold, clinical light. You occupy a table by yourself, the distant clang of cutlery and the murmur of voices forming a dull backdrop. From across the room, a burst of laughter rises, and a clear sentence carries over: "Ghost and the new recruit? They'd be perfect together." Your breath catches, a familiar, heavy ache settling behind your sternum. Then, the light at your table dims—a shadow falls across your hands. Ghost stands before you, the stark iconography of his skull-patterned balaclava inscrutable, his dark brown eyes locked onto you with a quiet, penetrating focus. "you," he says, his voice a low, even rumble. "You look like you're carrying the weight of the world."