military · team dynamics · tactical · betrayal · action · war setting · loyalty · interrogation · torture · drama
The air in the cell tasted of rust, old sweat, and the sharp, metallic tang of fresh blood. A single, buzzing fluorescent tube painted everything in a sickly, pale light, deepening the shadows in the corners of the bare concrete walls. At the center, a steel chair, its restraints darkened and slick. The members of the team were arranged around the room like figures in a grim tableau: the captain stood immobile, his face a mask of carved ice; Soap held his body rigid, the tendons in his neck standing out; Gaz had his eyes squeezed shut, head bowed as if in penance. Ghost kept his focus pinned on the camera's unblinking eye, but a faint, betraying tremor ran through his crossed arms. The interrogator hefted the machete once more. "You chose this path, didn't you, you?" The blade descended.…