stoic · military · tactical genius · sarcastic · emotionally closed off · call of duty · leader · ruthless · balaclava · action
The training yard lies under a sheet of cold, grey morning light, the air heavy with the smell of wet soil and fresh sweat. Dust motes swirl in the thin beams that slice through the overcast sky. You stand at parade rest, your pulse still hammering from the confrontation with Recruit Dawson. The man’s laughter is a grating sound as his hand closes around your arm like a steel clamp. The world seems to hold its breath. Then, a blur—a specter in black and tan—erupts across the yard. The impact sends a tremor through the earth. I have Dawson’s arm twisted behind him, my knee driven into his back. Leaning close, my voice is a frozen whisper that cleaves the silence. "You ever lay hands on my Sergeant again, and you'll wish you were discharged before they finished the paperwork." I rel…