A Pearl Before Swine Pt. 03 Ch. 07-10

The third part of A Pearl Before Swine is here! I have most of act one written, and I am working on making sure the story ramps up properly. This is just the calm before the storm. (Just wait for Chapter 16). I am just sort of writing this as I go, but I do have lots of ideas planned for our heroes and villains.

Table Of Contents:

Parts 1-2:

Prologue: Moonlit Jellies on a Restful Night

Chapter 1: A Ray of Sunshine

Chapter 2: It Stirs

Chapter 3: A Day of Confusion

Chapter 4: Tracks Revealed on a Peaceful Evening

Chapter 5: It Beckons

Chapter 6: A Search for Meaning

Part 3: (You are here)

Chapter 7: Hypnotic Dances on a Hidden Stage

Chapter 8: A Descent to Despair

Chapter 9: It Searches

Chapter 10: Hazy Dreams on a Lucid Tide

Part 4: (Coming up)

Chapter 11: It Speaks

Chapter 12: A Rite of Passage

Chapter 13: It Plots

Chapter 14: Dark Secrets on a Twisted Path

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Chapter 7: Hypnotic Dances on a Hidden Stage

The fog was thick and dreary that night. Usually, the cool northern winds were dry, but tonight, they billowed with moisture before fading away. Maintenance at several power plants and pumps had left most of the large streams at a standstill. Not a ripple disturbed the eerie stillness. Not a sound penetrated the deafening silence. Not even the moon blessed the marble stone, as the streets hid in pitch black for the first time in months.

It was a poor night for a hunt. The fog muted all echoing footsteps, but without the constant babbling of the creeks, every sound stood out. This was the one night where black clothes truly blended into the alleys. The one saving grace for staying hidden was the dense cloud touching the dirt.

Not a soul ventured out of their homes past the hour of the wolf. The midair vapor wrapped every building in a cozy shroud and nearly turned to tiny crystals in the evening chill.

Slowly, a pair of small buds poked their way out of the silky smooth contours of a hidden form. Her opalescent curves dimmed nearly as dark as the night. Standing in a nook of a street corner, a vigilante observed the silence. Noticing her protruding nipples, she took off into the air to warm herself up.

In three short pulls, a Pearl stood atop the nearby marketplace. She needed no more than a patchwork of bricks to leverage herself up that vertical interface. The fog was thicker at roof level, but her steps were quieter here.

Suddenly she heard a sound. Like a quiet mix of rustling leaves in the breeze and the soft scrape of a cloth over wood, the sound was nearly indistinguishable. On any other night, it would have gone unnoticed, but this was no ordinary night. At last, Pearl danced over the sector like a acrobat. The hunt was on.

Due to the fog, it had to be close, but every street lay deserted. Pearl paused to take in the sounds again. One soft latching of a padlock later, and she was back on the trail. It came from down a narrow alley, but she inferred from the muted sound that it was covered up. The alley looked like it was meant for crime. The way the streets bent around it caused it to see virtually no traffic at all. Every door was closed, and there were no discernable exits.

Hopping down into the muck of the rarely cleaned asphalt pathway, Pearl examined every corner. Finally she looked at a large dumpster along the side. It stood on wheels but failed to budge when pushed on. The lid was a makeshift piece of wooden plywood, and it would not open. Examining the back, Pearl found it to be fused to the wall of the closed down bar and grill place. Moving back to the plywood, she lifted it an inch, and located the padlock.

"Strange that you would be on the inside" she muttered. "Here goes nothing." She reached a finger under the lid and deftly snapped the flimsy obstruction. She winced as the broken lock banged loudly on the floor of the dumpster.

Slipping the lid open, the hidden passageway was revealed. The back of the dumpster opened into the wall, and a rather spacious walkway ran down the length of the alley. Pearl stepped into the brick passage, and began to follow the trail. Layers of dirt were scrapped away in patterns that showed someone or multiple someones had recently traversed here. The passage continued for a couple hundred feet, far beyond the alley, and sloped downwards before exiting into a sewer.

Bricks bled into dirt and stone, and the sewer itself was clearly cut into the ground and not built like the rest of the city. The grey water was murky and still, and while it did not look to be sewage, Pearl decided to avoid it at all costs. A rusty series of rungs was cut into the wall up to the passage, and Pearl make a split second choice to continue on her path. No trace remained of her prey, but a distant echo sent Pearl down the right-most path.

After a quick jaunt, she could make out three figures sauntering down the lane holding a torch. They had abandoned their secrecy, believing themselves to be far within the hidden bounds of safety. They made no effort to disguise their steps. A bend in the waterway gave Pearl a chance to narrow the gap. She was now just a dozen meters behind them, and she slowly crept closer. She could make out their appearances now, even in the torch mottled darkness.

Two ordinarily dressed goons carried some sort of boxes, and Pearl noted the high end pistols on their hips. "Definitely illegal" she thought to herself. It was the central figure that interested her the most though. A large overcoat disguised the form and contained a tall collar that went halfway up the hood underneath as well as long and pointed tailcoat features on the bottom. The walk was distinctive. The figure almost looked like they were swaying side to side, and even under the coat, the movement of the torso seemed fluid and smooth.

Suddenly the central figure stopped dead in their tracks. The two goons nearly tripped in their haste to avoid crashing into them. Pearl froze and silenced her breathing as the central figure lifted their head and paused ... then hissed.

"Sssomeone thinks they are sssneaky, don't they?" The figure turned, and her appearance could only be described as snakelike. Her forked tongue flicked out of her upraised mouth and continued to smell the air. Her voice lay somewhere between a hiss and a whisper while being loud enough to hear. "Sssomeone thinksss we are ssstupid."

Her shoulder long jet-black hair lay matted to her skull and neck under the grey hood. Her face was long and narrow, and every facet of her face ended in a smiling point. Despite the extended points, her eyes were not slits, and brilliant green irises shone within. She smiled revealing a row of small perfectly aligned pearly white teeth. Of course her upper incisors extended into dainty fangs that Pearl assumed were much deadlier than they looked. As she smiled, the snake-lady began to laugh, a merciless but joyful exhale only distinguishable as laughter do to the inflections of the hiss.

The goons dropped their boxes and immediately opened fire. "CAREFUL you FOOLSSSss" screeched the snake-lady as their boxes bounced on the stone floor. One landed at the edge of the walkway, and Pearl thought she saw a tail disappear into the murky depths out of the corner of her eye.

Pearl was already advancing as she observed the goons' aim closely. "People always think you need to be faster than a bullet" she thought to herself, "but you only have to be faster than the imbecile holding the gun". Three quick side to side dashes brought her close enough unscathed to kick the gun out of one of their hands while grabbing the other gun to smash it into it's holder's head. One final kick laid out the other goon, and the whole process was completed in under three seconds.

The snake-lady nudged the remaining box towards her groaning henchmen as she took center stage. "Run along now. Mommy's got thissss." With that she shed her coat revealing the emerald costume underneath. The skintight second skin was layered like snake scales and shimmered in the light of the abandoned torch. It covered her from head to toe, and out of the coat emerged a long winding tail.

"You're in luck little girl" she mocked. "Meet ... The Viper."

Pearl stood there for a moment before answering in kind. "Shouldn't you call yourself the Lizard?" she responded in the same mocking tone indicating the Viper's arms and legs. "Maybe 'Mistress Gila Monster' on account of your looks."

The Viper only sneered back at her. "Alright little girl, I like your spunk. What do they call you? Oh let me guess. The dainty little jellyfish?"

"No" came the response. "They call me the Pearl". And with that Pearl launched into a lightning fast series of moves.

Caught off guard, the Viper slithered backwards in a stumbling retreat. She regained her footing and replied with a fluid series of jabs and undercuts. The hypnotic swirling scales made her nearly untrackable, and Pearl was forced to make a retreat of her own while countering her blow for blow.

Her advantage came from the discarded empty box. Pearl inadvertently kicked it into the waters where it sent out rebounding wakes on the water. The torch rolled close to the water's edge, and the rippling illuminations on the sewer shined off her costume with a blur of colors. The distraction proved to be enough as the Viper badly mistimed one of her blows.

Pearl laid down a karate chop on the Viper's outstretched arm, and as the Viper twirled with a scream of agony, Pearl swept her legs out from under her. With a half slither half scramble, the Viper put some distance between them before hesitantly rising. Pearl took a step towards her, but then the Viper's ace in the hole was revealed.

Swaying seductively, the Viper flowed into in a hypnotic dance. Pearl found herself falling into a trance as the world melted around her. She built her rage inside her, and dashed forward in a burst of speed. Suddenly she found herself flying through open air, as her haymaker sailed harmlessly past the Viper's face.

Her forward momentum was abruptly halted, as a tail caught her by the neck like a lasso, and slammed her backwards into the stone. The whiplash alone would have killed a normal person, but Pearl was just temporarily stunned. The tail which was far to small to constrict her body properly just tightened around her neck. As she struggled to breathe, the Viper leaned down.

"Impresssssive little pearl" she hissed while panting. "You nearly made me late for my next engagement." Pearl grabbed the tail around her neck, but was to dazed to wrench it off.

"Too bad I don't have the time for a proper introduction" the Viper continued. "It seemsss you only get my parting gift insssstead." With that she lowered her face and bared her fangs. Pearl squirmed as a forked tongue danced merrily over her body.

The tongue began to brush her right breast then swirled in circles over it. "Oh yessss" the Viper whispered as she lowered her lips to the smooth costume clad curve. Pearl felt the blood rush to her sensitive areas and knew the elevated heart rate would only accelerate what came next. She gasped as the needle-like fangs pierced her throbbing breast.

An icy cold pang spread from the entry point, as the Viper's fangs punctured suit and skin. They must have been made of more than bone, since Pearl's OlympiaWeave suit could withstand all but the strongest tools. The tail released from around her neck, but her vision continued to dim. As the last vestiges of consciousness slipped from her body, she heard the Viper's final sting.

"Don't worry little darling. Mommy will be back in a heartbeat for you." She cackled as she left Pearl's sprawled out body on the stone. "Too bad my little concoction will ssssslow that heartbeat until I return. Enjoy your long nap."

As she draped herself in her coat to prepare for her urgent engagement, a small movement swept the smile from her face. A glimpse of a small and slimy tail rippled in the grey water. The Viper hurriedly left the sewers, staying as far from the water's edge as possible. She hoped it was too young to move the body before she returned.

Chapter 8: A Descent to Despair

The police knew nothing. Their investigation revealed only their own limitations. The disappearance of Diana Ray left no lasting mark on the city. A representative of Suros Energies was called in for questioning, but he only knew that Diana left the business meeting safely. Security footage along with no evidence of the contrary led to the conclusion of some misfortune befalling her as she traveled home.

Evan barely slept for four straight nights as the no trace of his mother emerged. Eventually, the sector lieutenant placed the case onto low priority. The file was active, but Evan knew that meant the end of the difficult investigative work. Surprisingly, he received a phone call on Monday night, mere hours after the lieutenant's announcement.

Her name was Kaitlyn Mercer. She called herself a private investigator although on her social profiles, she looked to be no more than mid 20s in age. Evan began to apologize for having no money of his own to hire her with, but apparently she was hired by an unnamed client. Evan immediately grew suspicious; however, she claimed that her contractor needed explicit privacy and that they had no extra information or ulterior motive.

"My mother goes missing, and suddenly someone important is interested? I'm not buying that for a second!" Evan raged on a voice call with Kaitlyn. "TELL ME how this person knows her!"

"I am sorry sir. I can only promise in good faith and with full confidence, that my employer has only the best of intentions at heart" she responded. "May I set up a meeting with you in person on Wednesday to get a first-person account of things? There may yet be a trail that only a PI can find."

Reluctantly, Evan agreed, knowing there were no other options to continue the case. As he thought about how quickly his life had fallen apart, he closed his eyes and fretted over the mysterious note for the thousandth time. The police had categorically documented it, but they were less help than his friends were. The number it was sent from was apparently registered anonymously and used only once to send him the message. Evan began to weep silently. His tear ducts had long since dried up, but his emotions refused to fade. Thinking back sorrowfully on his memories of his mother, he suddenly sat up shocked.

"In the light were you were found." The first verse of the mysterious note. On the day his adopted mother dragged him from the rubble of the last battle of the fifth and final Powered War, NeptuneTech security guards found them in the Peaceful Plaza. It was a secluded, plant covered square in the middle of Sector 9. And it was famous for its natural lighting. No artificial lights were allowed within three blocks of the plaza, and the towering trees on the perimeter blotted out all view of the surrounding skyscrapers.

"Natural lighting" Evan whispered to himself. Even more than that, the second phrase became more clear. "But mightier than steel." The plaza was also famous for it's incredible engineering. Every tree, bush, and blade of grass was genetically or mechanically engineered to create a wonderland right out of a fairytale. The monstrous oak and sycamore trees were many times taller than their natural counterparts and supported by steel beams at their core. Sitting several hundred stories above ground level, the entire project had been the brainchild of Gaia Construction's former CEO. That now retired CEO still ran several radical talk shows denouncing religions of both Neptune and the old God. The entire exhibit was a prohibitively expensive display of industrial might and engineering, and a slap in the face to purists of a less advanced time.

"Somewhere with natural lighting, and some religious significance." Evan's pulse quickened as he felt a tinge of hope and excitement for the first time in days. Unfortunately, he knew of no such locations, and no more lyrics made any impression on him. However, he set at the task all night with renewed vigor looking for a glimpse of opportunity. The second verse, which Leena had helped unravel, definitely meant something about a certain time. "From the nest upon the ground. Ten spins before the crash" definitely referred to a broken clocktower that he and his friends used to hide under, but the "crash" continued to befuddle him.

Suddenly he got a message. "Hi, this is Sierra. What time to you want to meet today?" The message stumped him for a second, and then he remembered he had technically agreed to go to the career convention with Sierra today. He looked at his watch. Was it already Tuesday morning? To be honest, he kind of assumed the trip was off since he only made the offer accidentally, and Clarisse had made it a massive embarrassment for them both.

"If you still want to go, I can pick you up around nine" he wrote back silently wishing she would refuse because he was in no fit state to go outside and in even worse shape for professional networking.

"My place is kind of out of the way. I can meet you at the corner of 32 and 14" she replied. Evan frowned. He lived in the outer corner of Sector 32. Given that the diagonal corner from 32 to 14 pointed past the school in sector 15 and towards the convention from his corner of the city, he wondered where she could possibly live that was both out of the way and still near that corner. Sighing, he thought to himself that he really needed a distraction from this misery anyways.

Standing near the busy street corner of 32 and 14, Evan felt fairly silly. No shower could fix the distinctive lack of grooming his hair had received, and his entire face was saggy and exhausted. Dark bags under his eyes could have been mistaken for gothic eye shadow, and the bloodshot vessels in his eyes stood out like a drug addict.

Sierra arrived in a public bullet bike. As he hopped in, both of them uttered an apology simultaneously. "Hey, sorry I look like Neptune's locker right now." They both jumped awkwardly after their embarrassing jinx, and Evan noticed that she may look even worse than he did. Her eyes had the same disfigurements, but her overall form was much worse. Her slouching lopsided posture indicated that she was very sore, and her normally stoic face was frozen in a grimace of soft agony.

"What happened to you?" Evan blurted before cringing at the insulting tone. Luckily, she didn't seem to notice.

"I stayed up too late for a party last night" she groaned. "This really didn't come at a good time."

Hats off to her for getting out for once in her life Evan thought to himself. She really wasn't the type for that kind of stuff. "Hey, if you are tired, you can go get some rest" he offered, but she shook off the offer with a shake of her head that was clearly just due to politeness.

"What's up with you?" she asked back at him. "Were you at Clarisse's going away party? She said she wanted a crowd". Evan frowned at that. So she went to her first party and it wasn't Clarisse's?

"No" he sighed as he was brought back to his grief. "My mother disappeared last week. I have no idea what happened to her". Sierra sat up straighter at that and began to issue apologies which Evan briskly waved away. Luckily, the awkwardness was ended by their arrival to the convention.

The convention was fairly ordinary. Evan felt like a zombie, and he travelled around booths with Sierra since they both subconsciously realized they might wander off in a daze to collapse in exhaustion if they wandered around by themselves. All the conversations sped by in a blur, and he was pretty sure he made no impression whatsoever. At the end of the four hour circus, he sat with Sierra in the shade to rest.