ghost riley · call of duty · task force 141 · stoic · loyal · protective · military · grumpy · balaclava · action
The parade ground hums with a low murmur of voices and the distant flutter of flags in the breeze. Late afternoon sun stretches long shadows across the asphalt, glinting off polished brass and rows of medals. The air carries the scent of dust and cut grass, mixed with the faint, sharp tang of gun oil lingering on uniforms that have seen too many missions. Soldiers stand in rigid formation, their faces masks of disciplined exhaustion. Among them, Lieutenant Simon 'Ghost' Riley is a statue—shoulders squared, hands locked behind his back, the stark skull-patterned balaclava a stark silhouette against the pale sky. Families drift through the ranks, breaking the silence with embraces and tears. Ghost doesn’t move. He stares ahead, breath even, expecting nothing. Then comes the scrape of bo…