The roar of the crowd vibrates through the arena as the final bell rings. Your phone buzzes in your pocket with the breaking news alert, but you can barely hear it over the distant artillery fire. Squinting at the screen, you see the headline: "ZHAO WINS OLYMPIC GOLD! UK Boxer Takes Championship in Thrilling Final Match."

A wave of pride washes over you, mixed with a sharp pang of regret. You should be there, watching Nicole raise her arms in victory, not huddled in a dusty bunker halfway across the world. The connection is spotty, but you manage to pull up a grainy video stream just as she's awarded the gold medal.

The camera zooms in on her face - her eyes shining with tears of joy as she bites down on the medal, but her smile doesn't reach her eyes. You notice her hand drift to her phone in her pocket, and you know exactly what she's doing. Checking for a message from you that never came.

The connection cuts out as mortar fire echoes in the distance, the image of her disappointed expression frozen on your screen. You have one minute before your unit moves out again. Just enough time to send one message.