Chapter 106: The Reunion on the Docks

New York Harbor. Pier 42.

It was pouring rain. Jackson drove his car through the fence, screeching to a halt at the edge of the water.

He jumped out, ignoring the rain soaking his ruined white shirt.

The pier was empty.

In the distance, barely visible through the mist and waves, the stern lights of a cargo ship were fading away into the Atlantic Ocean.

"NO!" Jackson kicked a metal bollard, roaring in frustration. "They’re gone! We missed them!"

Luke ran up behind him, holding a tablet shielded from the rain. "Boss, Coast Guard radar confirms a cargo ship left ten minutes ago. It's flagged as The Intrepid. Heading East."

"Get the helicopter," Jackson wiped rain from his face. "We are going after them."

"You can't fly in this storm, Jackson."

A voice spoke from the shadows of a shipping container. Deep. Gravelly. Like stones rubbing together.

Jackson froze. He knew that voice.

He turned slowly.

A figure stepped out of the darkness. He was tall, broad-shouldered, wearing a tattered trench coat that looked like it had survived a war zone. His hair was long and grey, his face covered in a beard.

But his eyes... those violet-tinged eyes were unmistakably sharp.

Liam Sterling.

"Dad?" Jackson whispered.

"You look terrible, son," Liam walked closer. He moved with a strange, gliding grace, as if he didn't weigh anything. "I told you to stay out of trouble."

"They took the kids," Jackson’s voice cracked. "The Architects. They took Alex, Mia... and Aurora."

Liam’s expression changed. The calmness evaporated, replaced by a cold, terrifying aura that dropped the temperature on the pier by ten degrees. Frost began to form on the puddles around his boots.

"They took the girl?" Liam asked. "My granddaughter?"

"Yes."

Suddenly, headlights blinded them. Another car arrived.

Serenity jumped out, followed by Margaret.

"Liam?" Margaret stopped in her tracks. She stared at the ragged man standing in the rain.

Liam looked at his wife. The violet glow in his eyes softened to a gentle human blue. The monster receded; the husband returned.

"Maggie," Liam whispered.

Margaret ran to him. Liam caught her, lifting her off her feet. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. It was the reunion they had been denied for five years since the Arctic explosion.

"I thought I lost you again," Margaret sobbed.

"I was never far," Liam wiped her tears with a thumb that was surprisingly warm. "I watched over the house. I watched over the kids."

He turned to the ocean, looking at the disappearing ship.

"Why didn't you stop them?" Serenity asked, walking up to him. She wasn't afraid of him anymore.

"I tried," Liam’s jaw tightened. "But these 'Architects'... they have new weapons. Sonic disruptors that interfere with my senses. I got here too late."

"We can still catch them," Jackson stepped forward. "Luke is prepping the jet."

"No need for radar," Liam closed his eyes. He raised a hand towards the ocean.

"I can hear her," Liam whispered. "Aurora. Her blood sings to mine. She is afraid... but she is fighting."

He opened his eyes. They were blazing violet again.

"She is a beacon. As long as she is alive, I can find her anywhere on Earth."

Liam looked at Jackson, then at Serenity.

"I ran away to protect you from me," Liam said. "But now... I think it's time the Sterling family stopped running."

"We go together," Jackson stated firmly. "Three generations."

"Then let's go hunting," Liam walked towards the end of the pier. "I hope they have a lot of soldiers on that boat. because I am very hungry."

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