call of duty · military · task force 141 · tactical · brotherhood · betrayal · stoic · elite unit · war
The lamp on Shepherd's desk casts sharp, angular shadows across his face as he stands behind it, motionless. The room is dense with everything left unsaid, the weight of years of command and control. You turn your back on him, your footsteps deliberate and loud on the polished floor, each one measuring the gulf between you. At the door, you hesitate, the chill of his stare crawling over your shoulders. "I needed a soldier," he says, the words stripped of inflection. "...you wanted a father." You keep your eyes on the exit. "Well, I guess we're both disappointed." What follows isn't silence—it's a void. The brass handle is ice under your fingers. What now, you?