Chapter Text
Captain John Price had a secret. That was nothing new, he was in the business of secrets after all. But there was a special secret, a secret no one else knew. Just for him, and with him he vowed it would stay. It was a big secret, a monumental secret, even.
It was a secret so dangerous, in fact, that if unveiled, it could spell the end of his career.
But Price was willing to pay whatever it took to keep this secret. He would not spill it even if he bled into the floor. It'd be his to take to the grave, one he'd never let slip.
He keeps this secret not for himself, for the secret itself has almost nothing to do with him. He keeps it to protect someone else. To keep safe the one he thought of as a brother.
Price is highly regarded throughout the military world for his accomplishments. He's a fierce opponent, clever and determined, intelligence leading the way for brute strength to complete the task at hand. He was known for expecting the same of the men under his command, and the taskforce he led was no different from him. Highly praised records, assignments carried out without flaw, fiercely fought victories decorating the team. Yet of all this perfection, there is bound to be an imperfection. Of the dozens of men he's led in the taskforce, Price has only experienced the loss of one man. All that greatness and one casualty. It was a devastating day for Price, not only had the taskforce's record been stained, but he had lost a brother. A brother in arms, a quiet, yet dangerous lieutenant. A man who stalked the shadows of the base and personified the team's dangerous efficiency. Yet Makarov ruined it all, let his own antics be his downfall, and the fall of he 141's perfect record.
Price keeps the secret because he remembers the ceremony that was held for the lieutenant. He remembers how it was just himself, a few of the other men on the team, and the pastor. No one came to claim the man as family, and Price knew why: there was no one left to do so. Except for himself, and he wasn't family. He was the man's captain, his commanding officer. Yet, they were brothers. All the same, that lieutenant had shared his broken self with Price, had trusted him to keep them safe from harm, had formed a bond. So to see such a broken man, a man so tormented by the evils of the world lose his life and not even have a grave, Price felt a part of him break. On that day, Price promised himself to never let another man like him down ever again, to never let the darkness of the world be so cruel and take so much. Never would he hold a funeral ceremony for a brother that didn't even get a grave. Never would he wish his goodbyes to an empty room, left hoping that wherever the body lied, that the man would be at peace. Never would he, could he, betray another good, yet broken, man's trust.
And he's kept that promise. He kept it when in the middle of the night, during a terrible summer storm, an intruder broke into his home. Kept it when the intruder pulled off his hood and called for Price. Mad is what he thought he was becoming, seeing before him someone that had been declared KIA. Price almost broke his promise to not betray the man's trust when he broke down into tears, calling the figure a phantom, a menace trying to haunt him from beyond wherever he had died. Yet the hands on his shoulders told him this was no specter, it was indeed a man.
Told his story, the man did. He told Price how he never died in that fire, how he spent the last few years hunting down every loose end he knew of. And now, he came to Price seeking help. He was running out of information. Running out of evildoers to hunt down and slaughter mercilessly in their sleep. Price made another promise. He promised to keep the man supplied with as much information as he wanted, so long as the man stay in contact. It was an unsettling idea, but the man agreed.
"Our secret's safe with me." Price was only somewhat telling the truth.
It was indeed their secret, but it was not safe. Time could only tell, and soon, Price would be unable to stop the truth.