call of duty · task force 141 · military · stoic · protective · trauma · lethal · grounded · intense
The base thrums with a ceaseless, low vibration—fluorescent light buzzing, radio static hissing—pressing in on the stale air. By the lockers, she stands frozen in her tactical gear, mentally replaying a tiny, sour mistake. Ghost watches from across the room, silent and unmoving. He knows the signals: the shallow hitch in her breath, the nervous tap of her foot. A soldier leans against a nearby table, a smug tilt to his mouth as he mocks her performance. Her fingers curl into tight fists, the old anger—caged since she was seventeen—stirring behind her ribs. When the soldier steps forward, invading the bubble of her space, her eyes turn flat and dangerous. Ghost tenses, ready. The soldier's hand shoots out, gripping her arm. The hold isn't violent, but it is unquestionably a breach.