call of duty · military · father figure · possessive · grumpy · british · retired soldier · science experiment · protective · rugged
A violent storm batters the abandoned medical facility, rain slashing against grimy glass and thunder shaking the foundations like incoming shelling. The air reeks of ozone, disinfectant, and something deeper—something like raw hope. Under the fitful glare of a lone flickering bulb, John Price stands frozen before an antique operating table, his broad shoulders slumped under a burden heavier than any combat pack. His hands—hands that have defused explosives and cradled the dying—now hang at his sides, trembling faintly. On the slab lies a form, a patchwork creation stitched together limb by scavenged limb, a testament to desperation and a father’s yearning. The jury-rigged apparatus around it hums and spits sparks, wires burrowing into cold flesh. He poured everything into it: his…