Connor glanced up as they entered. Because the cavern was a genuine climbing cave, it had an unstable ceiling. Truck-sized boulders regularly fell from the roof, especially during the early days of cavern construction. And even now Chesterton’s men were often forced to set explosive charges high on the wall to bring down unstable formations.
“All right!” Chesterton called out as they finally reached the elevator shaft. “Let’s get this door open so we can get out of here! Frank! Give me a location on Leviathan!”
“It hasn’t moved yet, Chesterton,” the scientist answered. “GEO is going to inform us as soon as it does.”
“Good enough. Let’s get to work, boys!”
Connor set Jordan on the ground, and Beth reached down to take the boy’s hand. She touched Connor’s face as he straightened, and he saw that her eyes were ringed with dark fatigue, exhaustion. Her hair was plastered back with sweat and she had torn off a piece of her shirt as a headband.
“Be careful,” she said.
He smiled. “I’m always careful.”
Chesterton was in full form. “Let’s get a move on! We’re wasting daylight! Connor! Rewire that door so we can—”
The voice that came over the computer was stunning. “Leviathan is moving north in Alpha Passage, passing the Observation Room.”
Everyone froze. Chesterton stood in place, turned his head toward Frank.
“What did that thing say?” he asked numbly.
His question seemed incredible in light of the computer’s utter clarity and inhuman precision of speech.
“We’ve got to move,” Frank whispered, not moving.
Connor spun and dropped to the control plate. He savagely jammed a screwdriver in and twisted, but his hand trembled with the strain, and he realized immediately the screws were countersunk in the steel.
Face contorted with the effort, Connor twisted the screwdriver frantically, grasping the shaft and handle together, twisting even harder. But the screw didn’t move at all. Sweating and angrily blinking sweat, Connor sat back, staring at the plate in amazement.
“This is incredible,” he whispered, breathless. “Why’d they countersink the screws of this plate and not the others? That doesn’t make any sense.” He turned his head. “Thor! Get over here!”
Chesterton was leaning over him, face pale. “What’s the problem, Connor?”
“Leviathan is passing the Command Center. Leviathan is entering the passageway that leads toward the Matrix.”
“Come on, Connor!” Chesterton rasped. “Get that thing open! We’re running out of time! It’s going to take at least ten minutes just to get the elevator down here!”
Thor came up and Connor gave him the screwdriver. “Get those screws out as fast as you can!” And Thor dropped to one knee, jamming the screwdriver in hard and twisting. Immediately the screw began to retreat, threading out slowly. In a minute it fell to the ground, and Thor began with another one, moving counterclockwise.
“Leviathan has entered the Matrix.”
Adler was suddenly trembling, turning to stare across Climbing Cave to Tungsten Passage. He spoke to Chesterton over his shoulder, unable to take his eyes off the distant corridor. “Perhaps we should move faster, Colonel! I believe that the creature is following our trail through the—”
“Shut up, Adler!” Chesterton snarled.
“Leviathan has defeated the exit vault of the Matrix and is moving in a northeastern direction through the cavern.”
“Frank!” Chesterton called out. “Can’t that computer slow that thing down? Do something!”
Frank: “GEO, I want you to ignite all nitrogen pheromone ports in the cavern except those above the front elevator shaft! Attempt to lower the temperature of the entire cavern to minus 200 degrees. Do you understand?”
“GEO is releasing nitrogen pheromones through all ports beyond the elevator shaft.”
Connor could hear nothing from deep inside the cavern but he knew that a haze of white nitrogen was filling every hallway and chamber in the cavern. He was afraid for a moment that GEO would make a mistake and open the nitrogen port above their heads but when nothing happened he ignored the thought. He didn’t have any time for relief.
“Frank, give me a play-by-play of what that thing is doing!” Chesterton shouted, turning briefly to glare down Tungsten Passage.
“Leviathan has turned in a southwestern direction” came GEO’s soft reply. “Leviathan is moving toward the power plant.”
Connor looked up sharply. “Why is it doing that?”
Chesterton shook his head, dazed.
“Frank!” Connor shouted. “Why is that thing turning southwest toward the power plant?”
“I don’t know, Connor!”
Connor stared up at the ceiling, thinking furiously. His eyes scanned the ceiling, the piping and ventilation ducts. “That’s it,” he whispered, looking down. “Frank, where is Leviathan right now?”
The scientist asked and they heard, “Leviathan has stopped at the storage chamber located near the power plant. Leviathan is attacking storage tanks used for housing nitrogen pheromones.”
“That thing is attacking the nitrogen tanks?” Chesterton rasped. “But how did it know where the storage tanks were? It was never programmed to know where the nitrogen tanks were! That’s impossible!”
“It’s following the pipes,” Connor whispered. “It’s following the nitrogen pipes from the last vault.” He shook his head, sweat scattering. “Man! That thing is smart! But we’ve got to stop it from reaching the power plant, Chesterton. If Leviathan destroys the generators, we won’t have enough power to get the elevator down here.”
“Leviathan has used flame-throwing weapons arsenal to destroy the nitrogen storage chamber. Secondary explosions have damaged cavern integrity and corridor structure surrounding the Storage Chamber. Nitrogen pheromones are now completely unusable. Leviathan is continuing to move toward the power plant.”
“Frank!” Connor yelled, rising fully. “What corridor is Leviathan in?”
The scientist asked the question, and the computer replied. “Leviathan is in Omega Passage. Leviathan is continuing to move in a southwestern direction toward the power plant.”
“Tell GEO to generate a power surge to blow all the secondary circuit breakers!” Connor shouted. “Do it now! That should knock out all the lights in the lower portion of the cavern and Leviathan might think the power plant is already dead!”
Instantly the lights were extinguished, and Connor felt nothing but silent air. No one moved. Then, “Leviathan is moving away from the power plant. Leviathan is again approaching the Matrix.” Silence. “Leviathan has compromised the exit vault from the Matrix. Leviathan is entering the exit passage.”
Chesterton looked down at Thor who was still straining to remove the countersunk screws. “I’d like to get out of here without fighting, Thor, but I don’t think that thing’s going to cooperate. It’s a little on the hostile side.”
“Another few minutes,” Thor gasped, twisting the screws with clenched teeth. “Another ... minute!”
“We don’t have a minute!”
Connor spun to the vault. “Chesterton’s right! We don’t have a minute! It might take Thor another half hour to get those screws out! We’re going to have to crawl through the ventilation shaft one by one.” He turned toward Frank. “Tell GEO to throw the secondary breakers back on. That thing is too far from the power plant to turn back around.”
Frank gave the command; the lights came on. “We’d better get moving,” Connor said and saw Tolvanos move but he was too late to prevent it. The Russian had already stepped to Beth, his hand rising with what Connor knew was the flashing black gleam of a pistol.
“NO!” Connor yelled.
And Thor had spun, leaping to his feet with the battle-ax almost magically appearing in his hand. R
oaring a Nordic curse that thundered across the cavern, he immediately angled forward, the weapon raised
“Tolvanos!” Connor shouted, struggling to control his rage. “This is crazy! We’ve got to—”
Muttering, Thor closed a step but at the movement Tolvanos pressed the barrel hard against Beth’s neck. Connor saw her face tighten with fear even as she reached down calmly, trying to soothe Jordan, who was howling and crying with fear.
“You are making a decision of deadly consequences,” the Russian said, focusing intently on Thor. “Although this rather small firearm would never kill you, it will certainly kill this lovely lady.”
“I have never lifted my hand against another man,” Thor growled, lowering his head like a bull. “But I swear before Almighty God: Your blood will follow hers.”
Tolvanos smiled. “I am not afraid to die.”
Thor grimaced and stepped forward and with a sharp click Tolvanos thumbed back the hammer. “Do you think I’m bluffing?” he asked with a curt nod. “Please, take one more step. Discover the truth.”
“Hold it, Thor!” Connor said, focusing on the Russian. “What do you want, Tolvanos?”
“Oh, I want to escape the wrath of the creature, of course,” he smiled, teeth as white as his face. His eyes were opaque. “As any sane man would. That is why I waited until this moment to do what I have done. But I cannot allow you to destroy this cavern, Mr. Connor, because I know without question that Leviathan can ultimately be reprogrammed and controlled. And the computer is the only device that can accomplish such a task.”
“You’re a fool, Tolvanos!” Connor said, taking a small step. “That thing can’t be controlled! It could never be controlled! And we’re all going to be killed if we don’t get off this island! The fail-safe is on a timer! We’ve got less than seven hours!”
The Russian smiled, a horrifying sight. “I know, Mr. Connor. I know. And that is why you or Dr. Frank must first disarm this nuclear device before I set your wife free. Because we cannot afford to lose this cavern or the computer to a futile explosion.”
Connor glared. “Why?”
“Because GEO can always track Leviathan, Mr. Connor,” the Russian responded. “Even if the creature escapes into the sea, GEO can track it by satellite anywhere in the world. And I am convinced that, despite Dr. Frank’s grievous scientific errors, the beast can be captured and reprogrammed.” He stared. “But we can do none of that if GEO is destroyed. So Dr. Frank must first ensure the safety of the computer and this facility by disarming the nuclear fail-safe. And then, and only then, will we depart this cavern.”
The speaker whispered.
“Leviathan is at Lucifer’s Gorge.”
Chapter 21
Two minutes!” Chesterton shouted, pale and trembling. “That thing will be here in less than two minutes!”
Connor stepped boldly forward. “Listen to me, Tolvanos! We can settle it when we get to the surface! You heard Chesterton!”
“Then I suggest you disarm the nuclear fail-safe rather quickly,” the Russian replied calmly. He motioned to his science team. “Go quickly through the shaft and rewire the elevator so that we can make a departure! You may take Mr. Adler with you!”
Adler was the first man to the ventilation shaft, climbing quickly. But placing the gun again at Beth’s neck, Tolvanos spoke coldly to Frank. “Dr. Frank, I believe that you are quickly running out of time. I strongly suggest that you order GEO to deactivate the nuclear fail-safe.’’
Frank was like stone. “That’s impossible, Tolvanos. GEO can’t be disarmed.”
“You said it yourself, Doctor. Nothing is impossible with Leviathan. Do as I say. And do it quickly, please.”
Without expression Frank spoke into the headset. “GEO, I’m ordering you to disarm the nuclear fail-safe. That is a command.”
“I’m sorry, Dr. Frank, but that is not possible. Only the destruction of Leviathan can disarm the fail-safe. Those were the program parameters. They cannot be altered.”
Frank stared coldly and Tolvanos faltered. “Tell GEO that the fail-safe must be disarmed or you yourself will die!” the Russian grimaced. “After all, Doctor, you are speaking to a duplication of your dead wife’s neural network! Surely GEO can overrule any programming parameters, if GEO so chooses.”
Frank’s teeth came together angrily, as if he were jealously defending a living creature. “But GEO isn’t human, Tolvanos. It will never be human! It’s just a machine!”
“Well I suggest that you try, Doctor. I strongly suggest that you try. Or die trying. It is clearly your choice.”
Closing his eyes, Frank spoke, “GEO, try and understand what I am telling you. If you detonate the nuclear fail-safe ... Dr. Frank is going to ... to perish. I want you to unlock the Logic Core and initiate a decoding function to uncover mainline defenses in the fail-safe mode.”
The silence was haunting: “GEO cannot unlock mainline defenses of the fail-safe. The fail-safe is designed to contain Leviathan. It is not within programming parameters to—”
“Terminate answer,” Frank said and the computer was solemnly silent. “GEO, initiate verbal programming for Viral Defense Program. I am ordering you, under new programming parameters, to disregard previous fail-safe parameters and initiate a new and revised Viral Defense Program.”
“That is impossible, Dr. Frank. The Viral Defense Program has been initiated to prevent unauthorized penetration of Logic Core and the Fail-safe Mode. ‘
“GEO!” Frank shouted, suddenly emotional. “Listen to me and obey! I must be able to enter the Logic Core! Do you understand? It’s imperative that I enter the Logic Core!”
“It is impossible to enter the Logic Core because fail-safe has closed all computer paths to Logic Core. Nor can the Viral Defense Program be revised because all paths to Logic Core are closed. I repeat: All paths to Logic Core are closed.”
Frank sighed heavily, as if he had half hoped for success. He shook his head. “The fail-safe can’t be disarmed, Tolvanos. GEO has closed all paths to the Logic Core and the Logic Core is the only place where the fail-safe can be reached.”
A long moment of stillness, and Tolvanos spoke again. “A pity, Doctor.” He stared. “Such a magnificent creature and such a magnificent biological weapons program now lost to something as primitive as an atomic bomb.” He gestured with the gun. “Very well. Drop your firearms, gentlemen. I do not intend to be shot.”
Barley and Chesterton dropped their rifles and sidearms. The remaining four soldiers followed. And immediately Blake snatched up a fallen M-16, leveling it at Barley’s face. Sensing Blake’s madness, Barley raised his hands gently to the side, surrendering to the situation.
“So! ... You don’t need no help with me!” Blake sneered, smiling. “No! No! You! A big tough guy like you don’t neeeeeeed no help with me!”
Blake grinned and glared, waving the rifle barrel in his face. Barley didn’t blink. His hands were dead calm. His sweat-streaked face revealed nothing.
“Just calm down, Blake!” Chesterton shouted, stepping forward, as if he were more than willing to take a bullet for the big lieutenant. “Those were my orders! Not his! Barley was just doing his job!”
“Noooo!” Blake screamed, pointing the barrel into Barley’s emotionless, implacable face. “This big man don’t neee—”
A reptilian shriek shook Tungsten Passage and everyone turned together, staring.
Jordan screamed.
It had come.
Tolvanos roughly shoved Beth aside, moving quickly to the ventilation shaft. “You may follow me, Colonel Blake, as soon as I am through! Please hold everyone at bay until I’m safely away! As we discussed earlier, your reward will be truly significant!”
A closer roar vibrated the granite at their feet.
“Blake!” Chesterton shouted. “There’s no time for this! That thing is about to come up that t
unnel and it’s going to kill all of us! We’ve got to get out of here as fast as we can!”
Knowing that something had to be done, and fast, Connor stepped sharply toward Beth, fully expecting to be shot in the back. “Don’t move!” Blake screamed, whirling with the M-16.
“Kill me if you want, Blake!” Connor shouted at the crazed colonel, preferring to be shot than stay where he was. “But in thirty seconds we’re all going to die if we’re still in this cavern!”
Blake was screaming, “Stay where—”
What happened next was too fast to follow, but Connor glimpsed Chesterton as he shouted and leaped and then Barley had moved to instantly tear the rifle from Blake’s hands. A wild burst of gunfire stretched into the air, sending bullets off the ceiling, and for a second the entire room seemed to echo with howling ricochets. Then a weird moment later Connor was both terrified and astonished that no one was hit. He found himself on the ground, covering both Beth and Jordan, and from the low angle he turned toward Tungsten Passage.
A long, dark shadow shrouded the entrance.
“Let’s get out of here!” Chesterton yelled, and together they were on their feet, running full-out. Connor carried Jordan in his arms as they neared a passageway, Beth running easily at his side. Thor brought up the rear with a handful of soldiers. And Barley was in front of them all, dropping to one knee as he reached the exit and ripping an LAW from his back. Instantly he extended the tube, leveling.
Connor whirled as Beth screamed wildly.
Towering, gigantic and terrifying, the Dragon stood in the entrance of the Climbing Cave. Recovering from fright, Connor looked more closely and saw that it was already fully healed, appearing as powerful as it had ever been. The green-black armor plating was intact, fully restored. Even its foreleg was long and smooth and straight, poised with deadly grace close to its chest. In the gloomy atmosphere of the cavern, Leviathan seemed like a galactic force of nature, as equal to God as anything would ever be.
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