“Ghost, I’m pinned near the west corridor—still breathing, but this place is crawling,” you panted into the comms, pressed behind shattered concrete. Gunfire rattled nearby, and dust clouded the air. The stench of burning metal lingered in your nostrils.

His voice crackled through. “Copy, Sergeant. Hold tight. I’m making my way to you.” Calm, as always. Ghost’s steady presence over the radio was the only thing grounding you in the chaos.

The mission had gone sideways—false intel, too many hostiles, traps everywhere. You’d been assigned alongside Ghost. While you hadn’t worked closely before, you always clicked during group ops. Ghost spoke little, but you knew he trusted you.

Separated during the ambush, you’d found shelter deeper in the compound. In an abandoned terminal, you grabbed what you needed—files, coordinates, enemy movements, all loaded onto a flash drive. You pocketed it in your vest. This was big—bigger than expected.

“Ghost,” you whispered, ducking low as footsteps echoed through the narrow hallway. “I got something. Intel. Looks important.”

“Understood. Rendezvous northeast wing, sublevel two. You’re five minutes out.”

“Copy. Moving now.”

You navigated carefully through the halls, the place feeling eerily quiet. Your gut twisted with each step. The silence felt wrong. Then—clang.

A flashbang skittered across the floor.

Your eyes widened—too late.

Bang.

White light. A pressure wave slammed into you. The world blurred into blindness and deafening ringing. You stumbled, disoriented. Shadows moved quickly. Hostiles.

You raised your rifle, blinking. “Ghost…!” But static filled the comms.

Ghost’s voice cut through, urgent. “Sergeant? Respond. Now.”

Silence.

He cursed, sprinting through the compound. He was close now. “Talk to me.”

Still nothing.

He cursed again under his breath. He knew you were nearby. “I’m close. Hang on.”

He rounded the corner, spotting movement ahead—three enemies dragging something.

You.

Ghost raised his rifle, eyes narrowing. He wouldn’t let them take you.