Keegan rushed back to the infirmary with Yn in his arms. He arrived and called out, "Nurses, come here immediately!"

The nurses and doctors quickly gathered around as Keegan placed Yn on the bed.

He explained, "She coughed up blood and passed out."

The doctor examined Yn carefully and then reassured Keegan, "Don't worry, there was some blood in her lungs, and the cold outside took a toll on her weakened body."

Keegan nodded and leaned against the wall, watching Yn intently. She looked thinner, with more scars and a burden of losses and trauma. He couldn't help but think that she was a resilient soul.

As the hour passed, Keegan kept a watchful eye on Yn. Finally, her eyes fluttered open. He couldn't hide his relief and said with a hint of joy, "You gave me quite a scare, kid."

Yn, feeling irritated by the reality of her near-death experience, replied, "Guess I'm not so easy to kill after all."

Keegan grinned behind his mask, amused by her remark. However, when she attempted to sit up, he gently pushed her back down, saying, "Easy there, kid. You're going to stay lying down and recover for now."

Feeling stubborn, Yn protested, "Easier said than done."

Keegan looked at her sternly, giving her a warning look. But she turned away, determined to ignore him.

With a sigh, Keegan realized that he wouldn't win this battle of wills and decided to give her some space. He walked away, leaving her to rest and recover.

As Yn lay there, she couldn't help but reflect on everything she had been through. Ghost, Price, Soap, and all the others she had lost. The trauma, the pain, and the burden of her experiences weighed heavily on her heart.

☆☆☆
(TIMESKIP)

Another week passed, and the doctors took an X-ray to check on the progress of my chest. The doctor came to me and said, "Your chest is not yet 100% healed, but we can discharge you today. You'll get four weeks off work, and you must take them."

I sighed and replied, "Thank you, Doctor."

Physically, I was indeed feeling better. Breathing was easier, and the pain in my chest and arm had subsided. As I got up, I noticed Keegan passing by. He said coldly, "I heard you're being discharged today. If you can manage, come to our base and talk to our superior, Colonel König."

I was taken aback and asked, "König? What kind of name is that?"

Keegan replied cryptically, "Find out for yourself," and left.

The nurses removed all the medical equipment from me and gave me my standard uniform. I changed, tidied my hair, and applied a bit of concealer to hide the dark circles under my eyes.

I made my way to Base 141, my heart heavy. It felt like every piece of my heart was breaking into fragments. As I entered the meeting room, it was empty. Ghost's cup was still there, Price's ashtray, Gaz's second captain rank, and Soap's hair gel. Tears streamed down my face as I closed the door and went to my room. I packed everything into three suitcases.

I left the suitcases in my room and went outside, standing in front of Ghost's memorial. I leaned my forehead against the door and took deep breaths, murmuring, "I miss you so much..."

I left the base and looked back at the emblem one last time before heading towards Keegan's base. It was a long and tiring journey, and I could feel my body struggling due to the injuries.

When I arrived at Keegan's base, I noticed a special emblem depicting a ghost. I entered the building and saw a secretary at the front desk. She checked my name tag and rank and greeted me, "Good day, Sergeant Yn. How may I assist you?"

Without a smile or a greeting, I replied, "I need to speak with Colonel König."

She nodded and pointed towards his office. I knocked on the door, and the deep, serious voice inside said, "Come in!"

I entered the room and saluted. I was shocked to see that Colonel König also wore a mask, an even more intimidating one than Ghost's.

He said, "Take a seat."

I sat down, and he continued, "Sergeant Yn, right? Keegan recommended you as the second lieutenant to follow in Ghost's footsteps." He looked up from his papers and stared intensely into my eyes.

I nodded.

He sighed and said, "I've heard that you want to be officially declared dead."

I replied, "Yes, sir."

In a more serious tone, he asked, "Do you understand what that means? No public recognition for your heroics, no public medals. If you die, you won't be officially acknowledged again. You'll be left with the dirty work, always being in the shadows. Oh, and before I forget, your name will also be on the farewell parade for the fallen members of Task Force 141."

With a serious tone, I replied, "I accept."

Colonel König crossed his arms, showcasing his biceps. He said, "I like your gaze. Ice-cold."

He threw some papers onto my lap and added indifferently, "After four weeks of leave, you can only be seen wearing a mask, except in front of your comrades. New identity and new residence."

I nodded.

He gestured towards the door and said, "Now get out."

I stood up, saluted, and left the room, my heart heavy. I had officially left Task Force 141, and no one was left behind. I collected my suitcases and walked towards my private car in the military parking lot. I hadn't touched my private car in three months. I loaded the suitcases into my tuned BMW E36 Limo 323i and got in.

As I drove away, the soldiers at the gate saluted, and I left. I never took vacations, but this time it was forced upon me. Unfortunately.

I arrived at my apartment. My parents had passed away seven years ago when I was still a recruit. The apartment felt empty, just like my heart. I glanced out of the windows with a sense of paranoia and saw a happy couple, which made me feel sick at the memory of losing Ghost and everyone else. I rushed to the bathroom and vomited.

My body felt weak, and I made my way back to my room, collapsing onto the bed and falling asleep. The dreams and memories of the past haunted my sleep, and I found no peace. I woke up several times, my heart racing and my mind filled with images of the fallen comrades.

Days turned into weeks as I isolated myself from the world. I didn't want to interact with anyone; the pain was too much to bear. The scars on my body and the emotional wounds were constant reminders of the battles I fought, both physically and mentally.

The weeks passed quickly, and I noticed how the wound on my chest improved day by day. I continued my daily training, determined to be at my best. It was the last day of my leave.

I stepped outside with a suitcase containing all the essentials and made my way to my car. As I walked, a child pointed at me and whispered to his mother, "Mom, look at the scar on her face!"

His mother quickly covered the child's mouth and pulled him away, offering an apologetic smile. I scoffed inwardly, used to such reactions. I loaded my suitcase into the car and started driving towards the military base, a journey that would take about an hour.

As I approached the base, I put on Ghost's iconic mask and dressed entirely in black. It was a symbol of the new identity I was embracing. As I neared the security checkpoint, a young and inexperienced soldier pointed his weapon at me and demanded  "Roll down the window now."

I complied and looked at him with an icy stare.

He demanded to see my identification, and I simply showed him the emblem of Keegan's team.

The soldier seemed skeptical and accused me " Are you fucking kidding me?."

However, another more experienced soldier arrived, reprimanded the young one, and saluted me,
" I apologize for the misunderstanding !"

With the gate now open, I drove through and parked in the designated area. During the four weeks of my leave, I had taken the necessary precautions to change my appearance and avoid detection. I had my car repainted, acquired new license plates, and found a new apartment. All these measures were necessary to maintain the secrecy of my new life as a ghost.

I headed towards Keegan's base. The secretary nodded to me as I passed by. I knocked on Colonel König's door once again.

He sounded annoyed, "Enter!"

I walked in and saluted. He said, "Oh, Yn."

Taking off my mask, my hair fell down my back. I handed him the documents, and he placed them on the table. He said, "Here's your new identity."

I took my new ID and passport and murmured the name that was written there: Lt. Rose Gilbert, born on August 23, 1995, in Virginia. I was surprised and asked, "I've been promoted?"

He nodded and said, "You and Keegan were both promoted. The performance you've shown deserves it."

I replied with a sincere thank you, "Thank you, sir."

In my mind, I thought, "Ghost, look at this. I'm now a lieutenant, just like you."

With my new identity as Lt. Rose Gilbert, I had officially left the name and rank of Sergeant Yn behind. The past was behind me, and I was stepping into a new role.

I saluted and walked out of the room, where Keegan was standing.

He greeted me with a smile beneath his mask and said, "Welcome."