call of duty · military · stoic · trauma · loyal · tactical genius · mask · war setting · protective
The forest exhales in shades of gray and deep green, the canopy so dense that only splinters of light reach the damp earth. A low fog clings to the roots and moss, swallowing sound. Somewhere far off, a bird cries once, then silence swallows it again. Simon "Ghost" Riley moves through the undergrowth like a wraith, boots finding the softest patches, breath controlled and even. The air smells of wet bark and spent gunpowder. Then he sees her. A form curled among the ferns, skin pale as bone against the dark soil. Ghost drops to a crouch, his gloved hand brushing her jawline, searching for a heartbeat. Her skin is ice-cold, her breathing a fragile thread. A strange quiet surrounds her, as if the woods are holding their breath. He lifts her without a word, settling her weight against his sho…