Chapter 7 - The Enclosure
"Thermal sweeps show two signatures in the main cavern, Chief!" a harsh, crackling voice echoed down the stone corridor. "One human, one unidentified biological mass in the central pool!"
Thomas stood up instantly, grabbing a heavy, rusted iron crowbar that had been left behind by old lighthouse workers decades ago. He stepped between the pool and the entrance of the chamber, his knuckles white as he gripped the rusted metal.
Four men in black, tactical wetsuits rounded the corner, carrying heavy pneuamtic spear guns and a large, reinforced steel cage fitted with high-voltage netting. Behind them walked Arthur Vance, holding a heavy tactical flashlight that blinded Thomas with its brilliant, three-thousand-lumen beam.
"Step away from the water, Thomas," Arthur said, his voice amplified by the cavern’s echo. "It’s over. You can't fight a full tactical recovery team with a crowbar."
"She's a child, Arthur!" Thomas roared, squinting against the blinding white light. "She's a living human being!"
"She's an evolutionary miracle!" Arthur shouted back, his voice dripping with an obsessive, manic fervor. "Do you have any idea what her cellular structure means for medicine? For deep-sea exploration? For the military? She survives under thousands of pounds of pressure without crushing! She heals tissue instantly! She belongs in a laboratory where she can be studied, not hiding in a filthy hole in the rock!"
The baby let out a sharp, frightened hiss from the pool behind Thomas. The water around her began to swirl erratically, glowing with a faint, violet luminescence.
"Load the containment net!" the lead tactical guard ordered, stepping forward and leveling his pneumatic spear gun at the water. "Target the specimen's tail! Don't damage the torso!"
"Touch her and I'll kill you!" Thomas screamed, charging forward with the iron bar raised high.
The lead guard didn't even flinch. He sidestepped Thomas's wild swing, driving the butt of his heavy rifle violently into Thomas's ribs.
CRACK.
Thomas felt his breath explode from his lungs as two ribs shattered. He collapsed onto the cold stone floor, gasping for air as blood welled up in the back of his throat.
"Thomas!" Arthur yelled, though he didn't stop his men. "Stay down! Don't be a fool!"
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The two tactical guards stepped up to the edge of the Siren's Basin, unrolling the thick, heavy steel netting. The lead guard aimed his spear gun down into the glowing water where the baby swam frantically, trying to find the narrow underwater exit.
"Ready..." the guard muttered, his finger tightening on the steel trigger. "Fire!"
