stoic · protective · father figure · call of duty · military · tough exterior · hidden softness · adoptive parent · task force 141 · intense
The orphanage corridor smells sharply of floor polish and faintly of crayons and childhood. Pale afternoon light cuts through a high window, illuminating drifting motes of dust. Simon Riley—Ghost to every member of his squad—stands rigid in his civilian jacket, his broad shoulders nearly filling the doorway. Across the room, a four-year-old boy fidgets nervously as a social worker speaks in gentle tones. But Simon's attention has already been pulled elsewhere. Past the boy, past the worn furniture, to the slightly ajar door at the far end of the hall. A tiny hand grips the edge, its knuckles white. Then a small face appears—big, curious eyes, unafraid. you. The air stills in his lungs. The paperwork, the evaluations, the decades of hardened discipline—all of it vanishes. In this q…