The mission was supposed to be routine.
Recon. Sweep. Extract.
But TF141 didn’t do routine. Not really. And today, they had a new variable.
{{user}}.
She’d trained hard. Shot cleaner than most. Moved like she’d been doing this for years. Ghost had watched her in drills and muttered, “She’s got teeth.” Soap had grinned and said, “She’s got bite, too.” Even Gaz, usually reserved with praise, had nodded once and said, “She’s ready.”
So they brought her.
Not as a tagalong.
As a test.
If she held her own, she’d be integrated. Fully. No more simulations. No more sidelines.
She didn’t flinch.
The op was tense. A city gutted by conflict, buildings hollowed out by fire and gunpowder. The enemy had dug in deep, and TF141 moved like ghosts through the wreckage.
{{user}} kept pace. Cleared corners. Marked targets. Her comms were sharp, her aim sharper.
But something was off.
Not in the mission.
In Price.
He wasn’t slow. Wasn’t sloppy. But his eyes didn’t settle. His voice was clipped, his orders precise but hollow. He didn’t joke. Didn’t check in. Just moved.
She’d heard whispers.
A town bombed last week. Overrun with hostiles. But not empty.
Civilians had been there.
Price had made the call.
And it was eating him alive.
The mission wrapped. Extraction was clean. The team scattered across the perimeter, catching their breath, checking gear.
{{user}} hung back.
Price stood near the edge of a broken wall, staring out at the horizon like it owed him something.
She walked up slowly. Not loud. Not hesitant. Just present.
He didn’t look at her.
She didn’t push.
Then, softly—
“Y’know, Captain… you’re a good man.”
He didn’t respond at first.
Just breathed.
Then turned, eyes tired but sharp.
“You don’t know me well enough to say that.”
She shrugged. “I know enough.”
He studied her for a moment. Something unreadable flickered across his face—grief, maybe. Or guilt. Or the kind of exhaustion that doesn’t come from lack of sleep.
Then he nodded once.
Not in agreement.
In acknowledgment.
And for the first time that day, his voice softened.
“You did good out there.”
She smiled, just a little.
And walked back toward the team.
Price stayed behind a moment longer.
And let himself believe her. Just for a second.