Chapter 4 - Shadows in the Mist
"What is that thing?! It's a demon!" one of the fishermen yelled, scrambling toward the door in terror.
"Secure it! Use the net!" Dr. Vance yelled, entirely unfazed. He pulled a metallic capture-gun from his coat, a glowing blue laser sight aiming directly at Pearl.
"No!" Aiden roared.
With a surge of adrenaline, Aiden kicked back, catching the fisherman holding him in the kneecap. The man grunted, losing his grip. Aiden broke free, grabbed a heavy iron skillet from the stove, and swung it hard, clipping Marcus across the jaw. Marcus crumpled to the floor.
Before Vance could pull the trigger of his capture-gun, Aiden lunged across the bed and snatched Pearl out of the chest. He shielded her small, glowing body with his heavy oilskin coat.
"Hold on to me, Pearl!" Aiden yelled.
He grabbed his heavy brass lantern from the mantle and swung it hard against the glass of the window behind his bed. The glass shattered outward into the dark, wet night. Without looking back, Aiden vaulted through the broken frame, landing hard on the muddy grass outside.
"After him! Don't let him reach the water!" Vance’s voice echoed from inside the cabin.
Rain pelted Aiden's face as he scrambled down the slippery mud path toward the cliffs. He could hear the heavy boots of the fishermen and the high-tech whirring of Vance's gear pursuing him. Pearl was squirming in his arms, her tiny hands clutching his shirt with surprising strength. She wasn't crying; she was making a low, rhythmic clicking sound, her chest pulsing with a soft, angry red light that matched the rising storm.
Suddenly, from the dark waters below the cliff, a massive shape breached the surface. It wasn't a whale. It was a sleek, armored underwater drone, its searchlights cutting through the mist, illuminating Aiden on the slippery cliffside.
"There's nowhere left to run, Thorne!" Vance shouted from the top of the path, aiming his capture-gun. "Give me the asset, and you walk away with your life!"
Aiden looked down at the churning, black ocean thirty feet below, then down at Pearl. "You ready for a swim, grumpy?"
Pearl looked up at him. The fierce scowl vanished for a fraction of a second, replaced by a look of absolute trust. She gave a tiny nod.
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"Hold your breath," Aiden whispered.
He jumped.
