The boat rocked gently on the waves, the sun hanging low over the horizon as Alejandro and his team searched the sea. The mission had been straightforward—find the box that had been tossed overboard, retrieve it, and get out. But the ocean had a way of throwing surprises their way.

"Alright, pull it up," Alejandro called to his crew, gesturing to the net they'd cast earlier.

The team worked together, hauling the net in. The water splashed, and the boat creaked under the weight. Alejandro squinted, already thinking about the weapons or intel they’d been expecting. But as the net broke the surface, something felt... off.

It wasn’t a box. It wasn’t anything close to what they were expecting.

"What the hell is that?" One of the crew members muttered, his voice tinged with confusion and disbelief.

In the net, tangled in the ropes, was a creature unlike anything Alejandro had ever seen. It had the body of a human, slick with water, but with scales covering parts of its skin. Webbed hands gripped the edges of the net. Its eyes blinked slowly, reflecting the sun’s golden light.

Alejandro froze, mouth slightly open, utterly stunned. His mind struggled to process what was in front of him. The creature’s tail flicked lazily in the water, the scales shimmering under the fading light.

"Is that…?" One of the team members trailed off, unable to finish the question.

"I—I don’t know," Alejandro stammered, shaking his head. "What is this? A damn mermaid?"

Alejandro stepped forward, his brow furrowed, still trying to make sense of the situation. "This wasn’t the plan," he muttered, looking to his team for answers. They had nothing to offer.

The creature turned its gaze to Alejandro, locking eyes with him, and for a brief moment, he felt a shiver run down his spine.

"This... changes everything," he whispered.

What had they just pulled from the water?