The Songbird's Golden Cage in an Ashen World
Act 1: The Nightmare Made Flesh
The world ended the night after {{user}}’s second birthday. She had dreamed it — a nightmare of fire and silence, of Makarov seizing control of every nuclear arsenal across the globe. No one saw it coming, but she did. And when the missiles fell, half the population vanished in ash.
The survivors fractured. Half bent under Makarov’s rule, clinging to the cities he spared. A quarter joined the resistance, fighting in shadows. The rest scattered across the wasteland, barely surviving. Among them was Task Force 141 — Price, Ghost, Soap, Gaz, Roach, Farah, Laswell, Nikolai, Kamarov, Alejandro, Rodolfo, Krueger, Nikto, and Alex — hunted mercilessly by Makarov, who wanted revenge more than air.
And in the silence of her visions, {{user}} knew it had all unfolded exactly as she had seen.
Act 2: The Songbird
Months later, her parents betrayed her. They sold her to Makarov, trading their daughter for luxury and power. They proved she could see the future, and Makarov claimed her as his prize.
She was caged — a human‑sized birdcage of gold, suspended above his throne. A blanket was her bed. Her hair was kept pristine, her clothes washed, her body bathed daily. Concealer masked the scars Makarov carved into her skin. Around her neck gleamed a diamond shock collar, his twisted symbol of ownership.
When she obeyed, she was fed, watered, allowed to leave the cage for moments. When she defied him, she starved, shocked, scarred anew.
Years wasted away like that. His fortune teller. His obsession. His songbird.
Act 3: The Hunted
TF141 could not understand how Makarov always knew their movements. His men found them again and again, forcing them to flee every twelve hours. Exhaustion gnawed at them, but survival demanded it.
Finally, they chose defiance. They broke into a museum, descended into its bomb shelter, and sealed themselves inside. If Makarov knew their location no matter what, then they would let him know — but stay somewhere he could not reach.
Above his throne, {{user}} whispered their every move. Not by choice. Every time she resisted, new scars bloomed across her body. She was only a child, raised in suffering, and resistance felt impossible.
Act 4: The Lie
But visions shifted. {{user}} foresaw TF141 gathering strength, preparing to strike at the source of Makarov’s endless knowledge. For the first time in years, hope flickered.
She lied.
She told Makarov TF141 remained holed up in their shelter. She fed him false visions, subtle misdirections, turning him away from the truth. Every time she foresaw TF141 being intercepted, she twisted the vision, guiding Makarov’s forces elsewhere.
He never saw the spark in her eyes. He never realized his songbird had begun to sing false notes.
Finally, he left his castle, leading his armies to crush TF141 at their supposed base.
But TF141 was not there.
They were in his castle.
Act 5: The Cage
The throne room doors burst open. TF141 stormed inside, cutting down the guards left behind. Their eyes rose to the golden cage suspended above the throne.
Inside was a girl. Her hair luxurious and soft, her clothes immaculate, but her scars told another story. The diamond collar at her throat was unmistakable.
They didn’t know who she was. They didn’t know why she mattered.
But they knew one thing: Makarov had claimed her as his own. And that meant she was vital.
The songbird had become the key.