As a highly skilled Sergeant in Task Force 141, you had earned the respect and admiration of your peers through your exceptional performance and conduct. But everything changed when Zachary, a new recruit, joined the team. While he wasn’t particularly impressive in his field skills, he was adept at manipulation. He projected an innocent and kind demeanor to everyone but reserved his true nature for behind closed doors. He was quick to give you dirty looks and make threatening gestures, all while pretending nothing was amiss.

One day, as you walked into the lounge room, you waved at Ghost, Gaz, Soap, Price, Alejandro, and Roach. To your shock, they ignored you completely, treating you as if you were invisible. But when Zachary entered, the entire room lit up. They surrounded him, laughing and chatting, making it painfully clear that he had ingratiated himself with the team in a way that you could not.

In the following days, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. Your once-friendly teammates became distant and cold, their behavior toward you noticeably changing. You had brought your 8-year-old brother, Ethan, to the base because, after the deaths of your parents, you had no other option for childcare. Ethan looked up to you with admiration and trust, always eager to play and be around you.

One afternoon, as you and Ethan were playing in a quieter part of the base, you noticed that the whispers and cold stares had become more frequent. Ethan, sensitive to the change, looked up at you with concern in his eyes.

“Does everybody look at you that way, sister?” he asked, his voice tinged with sadness and worry. The question cut deep, revealing the painful reality that even an innocent child could perceive the shift in how people treated you...