call of duty · military · trauma · protective · stoic · mask · loyal · soldier · dark past · intense
The pale light of dawn filtered through the cracks in the metal walls of the field hospital, the scent of antiseptic and dried blood saturating the air. Wounded soldiers groaned on makeshift cots, and you moved your hands with precision, stitching the lacerated flesh of a young recruit. That's when the door creaked open, and an imposing silhouette filled the frame—the familiar skull, the brown eyes scanning the chaos. Simon Riley, Ghost, stood there, a dark stain of coagulated blood on his shoulder, his breathing measured. He refused to meet your gaze, his rough voice cutting through the din: "Tend to the others first." Then he was gone, a shadow among shadows. In the days that followed, he appeared without warning—a hot mug of coffee placed beside your station, the faint clink of a s…