Kidnapped by Dolphins

Chapter 1

Ethan Mercer always knew two things:
1. Getting an aerospace engineering degree had been harder than surviving three hurricanes in Florida.
2. Dolphins looked way too intelligent to be trusted.

At twenty-seven, Ethan had exactly zero plans to become part of marine civilization.

He had planned a simple Tuesday:

Wake up.
Microwave leftover pizza.
Ignore his student loans.
Go fishing.

Instead, by 2:14 PM, he was underwater, zip-tied with seaweed, being dragged into the Atlantic by six dolphins wearing what looked suspiciously like military formation discipline.

"THIS IS ILLEGAL!" Ethan screamed through the snorkel one of them had shoved onto his face.

The largest dolphin clicked sharply.

Another dolphin surfaced beside him carrying a laminated sign in its mouth.

NO TALKING UNTIL ARRIVAL.

"What do you mean arrival?!"

The dolphin slapped him with its tail.

Three hours later, Ethan discovered that the internet had not been joking.

There was an underwater city.

Hidden beneath a trench off the Florida coast, glowing towers rose from the ocean floor like glass spears, lit in blue and silver. Transparent domes covered neighborhoods. Fish swam through illuminated tunnels. Giant gates opened as dolphins escorted him inside like a captured criminal.

At the center stood a throne.

And on that throne sat the oldest dolphin Ethan had ever seen.

Its skin was scarred.

Its eyes were terrifyingly wise.

And around its neck hung a waterproof tablet.

The screen lit up.

WELCOME, SURFACE ENGINEER.

Ethan blinked.

"No."

Another line appeared.

YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED.

"No."

YOUR DEGREE MATCHES REQUIREMENTS.

"I literally work fixing satellite brackets!"

EXACTLY.

The dolphins had a problem.

Their city was sinking.

Apparently, generations ago, they had mastered advanced hydrodynamics, sonar communication, and suspiciously good architecture but had failed one critical area:

Load-bearing structural design.

Their western dome had cracked.

Water pressure was rising.

Their coral power grid was unstable.

And according to dolphin law, whoever first appeared near the trench with "builder energy" had to solve it.

Unfortunately for Ethan, he had been wearing safety goggles while fishing.

That counted.

For three days, he was held in what could only be described as an underwater Airbnb prison.

A jellyfish lamp floated in the corner.

Seaweed noodles were delivered twice daily.

Every morning, a dolphin named Commander Ripple slammed open the shell door and demanded progress.