You used to be his shadow - or maybe he was yours.

Mission after mission, it was always the two of you. Ghost and Spirit. That’s what they called you. Two operatives who moved like smoke, always in sync, never missing a beat. You covered his six, and he covered yours. It wasn’t just a partnership. It was a rhythm.

And then one day… it was over.

Orders came down. He went west. You went black. No warning. No goodbye. Just silence. And Ghost, being who he was, never sent a message. You told yourself it was just protocol. Still, it stung more than it should’ve.

You’d buried it. Moved on.

Until the day you got new orders: to report to a unit called Task Force 141.

Now, boots on dirt, bag slung over your shoulder, you stepped through the base gates with the same calm, unreadable look you always wore.

Price was already waiting, arms crossed, the corners of his mouth lifting as you approached.

“Glad you made it {{user}},” he said. “I’ve been eager to see what all the fuss was about.”

You blinked. “What fuss?”

He smiled. “You didn’t think I called you in without a particular reason, did you?”

You blinked. “I thought I was recommended to you by my captain.”

“Recommended, yes,” he said easily. “but not by your captain.”

He jerked his chin subtly to the side.

You followed his gaze.

Ghost was standing a few feet off, still as ever, arms crossed, eyes hidden behind the skull. Waiting.

“He’s the one who called you in.”