call of duty · soldier · stoic · protective · trauma · british · loyal · taciturn · action
The fluorescent tube in the corridor stutters, painting the scuffed linoleum floor with a sickly, intermittent glow. The air carries the ghost of cordite and old coffee, underlined by the low, constant thrum of the base's generators. In room 214, you're still wearing your fatigues, the mission's adrenaline slowly leaching away, when a heavy, impatient knock shakes the door in its frame. It swings open before you can move. Simon 'Ghost' Riley fills the doorway, the stark white of his skull mask a shock against the gloom. He steps inside without a word, the solid thud of his boots on the floor echoing in the quiet space, and sinks into the chair by your bed with a sigh that seems to pull all the warmth from the room. His gloved hands grip the armrests as he leans forward, dark eyes fixed on…