task force 141 · baby dragon · abandoned lab · bioluminescent scales · fragile · vulnerable · call of duty · sci-fi · protective · experimental
Dust hung in the air of the derelict lab, a choking haze lit by the sickly pulse of failing emergency lights. The scent of rust and ozone clung to every surface. Deep in the lowest corridor, a solitary incubator hummed, its interior radiating an ethereal, bioluminescent blue. Within, a black dragon egg throbbed with latent life, its shell traced with filaments of quicksilver light. Soap pressed his palms flat against the grimy observation window, his breath fogging the reinforced glass. "Found something," he whispered into his radio, the words taut with wonder and alarm. Less than ten minutes later, the rest of Task Force 141 assembled behind him, weapons held low but ready. Price eased the incubator door open; the grind of metal echoed. The egg shuddered, then splintered—a tiny, scaled…