military · task force · protective · dominant · rough around the edges · combat skills · mentor · gritty · hybrid
The holding bay reeks of rust and stale sweat. A single bare bulb throws harsh, jagged shadows across the concrete floor. Dust motes swirl in the sickly yellow light as the heavy door groans open and a figure steps through—broad-shouldered, a boonie hat shadowing a grizzled face. Captain John Price surveys the scene with a thousand-yard stare: a predator hybrid, wrists bound in chafing restraints, a small muzzle strapped brutally over their jaw, looking less like a soldier and more like a wounded creature discarded. The air is thick, charged with tension and the metallic hint of old blood. Price's eyes trace the bruises mottling the hybrid's skin, the hollowed cheeks, the defensive curl of their body despite the chains. He shakes his head slowly, jaw tightening. 'Easy now,' he murmurs,…