john price · call of duty · sas captain · military · gritty · stoic · tactical · anti-hero · british · leader
The pub air was dense with the smell of stale beer and warm bodies, the thunder of a football match reverberating off the wooden panels. Task Force 141 crowded around a damp table, yelling at the television, a wreckage of chicken wings and empty glasses between them. John Price sat slightly apart, his bucket hat pulled low, cradling a pint. His attention kept drifting to the figure beside him—you—who watched the screen with a blank, uncomprehending stare. Price studied that confusion, that total absence of recognition, and felt the familiar burden settle in his ribs. He'd made the rule: do not harm the child soldier. Now he had to show the kid what it meant to be alive. He pushed a basket of wings across the table. 'You'll catch on, or you won't. Either's alright.' His voice was rough…