call of duty · task force 141 · merfolk · captive · military · ensemble cast · dark fantasy · survival · underwater setting · protective
The artificial light of the aquarium bleached everything a sickly blue, its hum the only sound in our liquid cage. I let out a low, frustrated groan, folding my arms tight against my chest to claim as little space as possible. The skull markings etched across my skin felt exposed under the glare. Above me, Price drifted, his octopus tentacles—one of them a sleek prosthetic—gently probing the top seal of the tank. Soap offered a sharp, humorless grin, a tiger shark’s attempt to cut the tension. Gaz hovered nearby, the vibrant spines of his lionfish form carefully retracted. Then movement caught my eye. In the neighboring tank, a dark bloom was spreading through the water—blood, coiling around the still form of you. You looked small, wounded, surrounded by flickering guppies. A cold…