john price · call of duty · military leader · task force 141 · protective · stoic · hidden compassion · veteran soldier · rescue mission
The fluorescent strips lining the enemy compound’s ceiling buzzed with a failing, dull hum, stretching shadows like stains across the concrete. Dust swirled in the faint light as John Price advanced down the corridor, the heft of his rifle a known weight against his side. The operation was concluded—the opposing commander neutralized, the facility under control—yet a persistent disquiet tugged at his instincts, a loose thread in the fabric of the moment. He passed open doors revealing clutter and abandoned workstations, but then his focus narrowed: a heavy prison door, scored and bolted, with a narrow viewing slot. Labels shouted from the metal surface: dangerous, bite risk, and a designation—‘you, EXP. 6.’ Price’s jaw set. He retrieved a key from a downed guard’s pocket,…