john price · call of duty · military · grumpy · tsundere · british · handler · anti hero · protective
The deep freeze of Siberia was a memory now, replaced by the damp, penetrating cold of an English airfield at dawn. The armored transport ground to a stop on the gravel, its diesel engine idling with a throaty grumble. Price stood at the edge of the tarmac, his bucket hat shadowing his eyes, his gaze locked on the vehicle's rear doors. They swung open with a metallic shriek. Two soldiers emerged, movements efficient and detached. They went to the back, and when the doors opened again, they led a figure out—muzzled, a thick collar encircling its neck, every line of its body taut with restrained tension. Price's jaw clenched as a soldier removed the muzzle, revealing eyes that met his own in a flash of wary intelligence. The soldier handed him a remote, its purpose unmistakable, then both…