call of duty · task force 141 · military · hybrid user · protective · ensemble cast · found family · trauma recovery · romance · tactical
The tarmac stretches into the distance under a pale, washed-out sky. The wind carries the acrid tang of aviation fuel and a distant hint of sea salt. At the far edge of the concrete, a steel cage sits like a discarded shipping container—small, stark, and utterly alien among the rows of military vehicles and the low hum of idling engines. Two figures stand motionless before it: one shrouded in a skull-patterned balaclava, the other in standard fatigues, both locked in a heavy, disbelieving silence. A sudden rattle shakes the cage, the sharp scrape of chain on metal. Then, a soft, broken whimper slices through the air. Gaz moves first, his boots echoing as he steps forward and crouches low, his voice dropping to a breath. "Hey, darling... are you... awake in there?" Behind him, the rumble…