simon ghost riley · call of duty · skull mask · task force 141 · military · protective · obsessive · trauma · british accent · flirty
Grey dawn light filtered through the soot-stained window of the London flat, but it was the sharp, insistent cry of a baby that truly shattered the silence. Simon 'Ghost' Riley turned over in bed, a familiar, throbbing headache pressing against his skull. Annoyance flared into a muttered curse about the neighbors and their apparent new offspring as he dragged himself through a grim morning ritual. He descended the stairs, bracing for another day, but the scene at his doorstep stopped him cold. The air carried the acrid bite of neglect. A cardboard box sat on the step, and from within it came the frantic wails of an infant. Ghost's body went still, his trained eyes sweeping the empty, rain-slicked street for any sign of the parents who had fled. Slowly, he crouched down, pushing past the p…