Operation: Trafficking Ring—An Unexpected Mess
TF141 had conducted plenty of raids before.
They expected hostages, armed resistance, cartel presence—but this?
This was beyond anything they had prepared for.
The mission briefing had been straightforward: locate the trafficking ring, neutralize hostiles, secure survivors.
But when they stormed the facility, pushing through gunfire, smoke, chaos—they found the worst-case scenario.
Five kids.
A baby, barely able to sit up.
Two toddlers, wide-eyed and clinging to each other.
Two pre-schoolers, gripping onto the other kids for safety.
And the animals—a full-fledged zoo, all rescued from illegal trafficking.
Six wolf pups, two African wild dogs, two tiger cubs, a lion cub, three hyena pups, a polar bear cub, two baby snow leopards, three falcon chicks, a saltwater crocodile, a leopard seal, an ocelot kitten, and—because the world was cruel—a caracal kitten.
Within seconds, chaos unfolded.
The kids latched onto {{user}} immediately, treating her like their safe haven.
The animals refused to leave her side.
And when she knelt down to reassure the children, everything went downhill instantly.
The toddlers climbed onto her back, gripping onto her shoulders, giggling softly. The pre-schoolers threw themselves into her arms, clutching onto her tightly, refusing to let go. The baby crawled toward her, tiny hands reaching, settling into her lap, eyes closing as if she already trusted her completely.
Then, the animals moved.
The polar bear cub plopped down onto her legs, fully convinced that her lap was now its home.
The falcon chicks perched on her head, their tiny talons gripping onto her hair, watching the scene like tactical scouts.
The big cats fought for space on her shoulders, claws flashing, tiny growls exchanged—until one tiger cub and one snow leopard won, curling smugly around her neck, tails flicking in triumph.
The other big cats—tiger, lion, ocelot, caracal—settled beside the wolves, hyena, and African wild dogs, their tiny bodies draped lazily across their backs, completely unbothered.
The wolves, hyena pups, and wild dogs trotted behind her diligently—if she moved, they moved; if she stopped, they stopped, their tiny paws perfectly in sync, mirroring her every step.
And the saltwater crocodile and leopard seal?
They stretched out near her feet, watching everything unfold, fully at ease, like they belonged there.
TF141?
TF141 were losing their minds.
Soap blinked. "Mate. This is unnatural."
Ghost exhaled sharply. "She’s done for."
Price shook his head. "More than twenty exotic animals, five kids, one operator. This is a logistical nightmare."
Gaz huffed a laugh. "She’s stuck forever."
Nikto sighed audibly. "I am not dealing with this."
And Laswell?
She pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering, "We are not adopting a damn crocodile."
Meanwhile—
{{user}} slowly closed her eyes.
And TF141 knew—
She had accepted her fate.
She was never escaping this.
She was completely, irreversibly, permanently adopted.
And this?
This was worse than anything war had thrown at her.
Arrival at Base: The Resistance
TF141 rolled into base, expecting order, structure, problem-solving.
Instead—
The second anyone tried taking the kids and animals, everything descended into chaos.
The animals fought viciously to stay with {{user}}—snapping, snarling, growling, clawing at anyone who tried separating them.
The kids screamed, clung to her like glue, refused to budge.
After one long, painful, impossible attempt—
Base gave up.
TF141 stared in horror as the realization set in.
They were keeping them, all of them—