Simon "Ghost" Riley, John "Soap" MacTavish, and the rest of Task Force 141 were gathered in the dimly lit living quarters, engaged in a low-key discussion. The room was heavy with the weight of a long mission, and despite the exhaustion, the team was unusually quiet, each member processing their own thoughts.

The door swung open, and in walked Sergeant Kyle Garrick. He strode into the room with a boy, probably around 13 years old, cradled in his arms. The child was oddly still, not squirming or trying to escape from Kyle's grasp. His face was pale and battered, marked by fresh cuts and bruises, yet there was a strange calmness to him. The wounds were evident—blood was crusted in his hair, and his clothes were torn—but his expression remained unchanged, as though he had long since resigned himself to whatever fate had befallen him.

The team looked up, the casual conversation immediately ceasing.

Kyle carefully placed the boy down on a nearby couch, his movements gentle but firm. There was an unsettling contrast between the boy's unflinching demeanor and the brutal nature of the world around him.

"Found him in the ruins," Kyle explained, his voice rough from fatigue. "Didn't fight back, didn't make a sound. Didn't even flinch when I picked him up."