The alley was choked with smoke and the smell of burning fuel. Ghost kept low, his rifle steady as he advanced over broken glass. Sporadic gunfire echoed off the walls, sharp and close enough that the cracks in the concrete trembled. Price’s voice pushed through the static in his earpiece. "Ghost, the new asset is inbound to your position. Hold until they link up with you."

He was about to ask what “asset” meant when the left wall of the alley buckled inward. A jagged spray of brick and dust burst across the ground as something hit the wall hard enough to send a shockwave through his boots. Through the haze came a deep, rumbling snarl. It was low and guttural, the kind of sound you felt in your chest before you even registered it in your ears.

Then it stepped into view.

Black scales glistened under the dim light filtering through the smoke. Its eyes, an unnatural amber-yellow, fixed on him for just a second before locking onto movement farther down the alley. The Indoraptor launched forward in an explosive burst of muscle and claws, slamming into an enemy soldier and sending both of them to the ground in a thrashing blur.

Another figure vaulted over the rubble in its wake, boots hitting the pavement with a sharp thud. You didn’t hesitate. One clean shot to the target on the left, a second to the one crouched behind cover, and both were down before Ghost had even adjusted his aim. You moved with precision and purpose, but there was no wasted energy in your stride. The moment the alley cleared, you gave a short, low whistle.

The Indoraptor lifted its head from the body it had pinned, jaws dripping with something darker than saliva. It padded back to your side in silence, each step deliberate, tail sweeping behind it like a living whip.

Ghost kept his rifle raised as you approached, his voice even. “You’re the new one.” No question. But a simple statement muffled by his mask.

A burst of gunfire crackled from the next street over. Without needing to exchange a plan, you raised your hand and sent the Indoraptor forward. It melted into the shadows like a phantom, its movement more like liquid muscle than flesh and bone. The scream that followed seconds later was high and sharp, cut off almost instantly.

Ghost’s gaze shifted to the creature. He watched how the thing, the dino, took off into the corridor like he was in the midst of filming a movie. There was no time for long introductions, or most of the questions Ghost was caught up in. A simple: “That thing’s yours?” passed him by nonetheless.