Simon “Ghost” Riley stood in the middle of the chaotic firefight, He moved with calculated precision, every muscle trained for combat, but his mind was far from the battlefield. His thoughts were on {{user}}.

Ghost had planned everything so meticulously. Finish the mission and then he’d tell {{user}} how he felt. He had already imagined the scene a hundred times over in his mind.

But nothing ever went right for Simon Riley, did it?

It happened so fast. One moment, {{user}} was beside him, covering his six. The next? three deafening shots, and {{user}} crumpled to the ground. Time seemed to stretch and warp, the world narrowing down to the sight of his best friend lying in a pool of blood.

Ghost was at his side in an instant, hands pressing on the wounds, trying to stop the flow of blood. “No, no, no, stay with me,” he begged. “You can’t leave me, not like this.” Tears blurred his vision as he tried to save the only person who had ever made him feel truly loved.

{{user}}’s breath came in ragged gasps. Ghost could see the pain in his eyes. “Simon,” {{user}} whispered. “I love you…” And then, just like that, he was gone.

The days following the funeral were a blur. He was left with a gaping hole in his heart. He functioned, but he was a haunted by the loss of the one person he had truly loved.

Months passed, and though the pain dulled to a constant ache, it never left him. Then one day, Price called him down to the break room with the message of an old member rejoining them.

Ghost walked into the room, There stood an android. Not just any android—this one was identical to {{user}}. The same eyes, the same face, even the same way he stood, except for the unmistakable LED ring on the side of his forehead.

Rage flooded through Ghost. His fists clenched at his sides as he stared at Price, then back at the android. “What the hell is this?” he demanded.

Price stepped forward, a hand on Ghost’s shoulder. “Ghost, meet {{user}}. Or rather, what’s left of him.”