Leviathan(103)

Connor leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

“Yeah, I agree with that.” Barley nodded, rubbing a forearm across his eyes. “I've always agreed with that. The worst thing ain't fighting. It's not having anything worth fighting to defend.”

“Every man must face the Dragon once in his life,” Thor rumbled. “It is the moment when he finds what is truly dear to him.” He paused. “For some, the Dragon is disease. It is cancer or diabetes or any cruel pestilence that destroys his life and causes him to face his true love. For some, the Dragon is the death of what they love most in the world. The death of a child, a father, or a mother.”

Thor's aspect darkened, somber and sadder. “But when the Dragon comes, a man knows with all his heart what he loves most of all. He knows, for perhaps the first time in his life, what he has valued most of all. And it is then that he must come to peace with it, make amends with it, and heal his wounds. And that is the destiny of us all. For me, as well as you.”

Barley stared a moment. “I'm not sure I understand all that, Thor. But I got the part about fighting.”

Thor laughed. “It is enough.”

“So what is your Dragon, Thor?”

With a sudden frown Thor replied, “I know what I value most of all, Lieutenant. And I know what I hate.”

Barley was poised. “And what do you hate?”

“I hate what is before me,” Thor replied. “I hate cruelty. I hate evil. I hate those who would destroy the lives of the innocent and the weak. I hate those who take the lives of children to feed their lusts.”

“And so what is your Dragon?”

Thor frowned. “I have met my Dragon.”

Connor opened his eyes and stared across the chasm. He thought he had heard something, but there was nothing there. Around them were only the red emergency lights. Rerouting the 100,000-volt line had caused another current break. And Connor figured power would be out all the way to the Housing Cavern.

Thor spoke, “Connor, what will happen when the Dragon touches the cable?”

Connor squinted. He was certain that he heard something. “The shock will probably throw it backward,” he replied. “That's generally how it works. But when you're dealing with currents this fast, you can only predict so much. There's a point where electricity is just going to do what it's going to do. It might knock it straight back or it might blow it straight up into the air so that it lands on top of us.” He paused. “Did either of you hear anything?”

Barley looked up alertly, his hand shifting on the M-203. “No,” he responded. “Did you?”

“It is there.” Thor nodded. “It has been there for some time.”

Connor stiffened, almost standing.

“No,” Thor said sternly. “It is merely watching us.”

Quick, adrenalized breaths lifted Connor's chest. He took hard pulls of the thick air but felt light-headed, faint. Glaring across the gorge, it took all of his control not to leap to his feet and begin firing the M-203. He turned his head to risk a narrow glance at Thor.

“Are you sure?” he whispered.

Thor nodded, chewing a corner of his mustache. “It has been there since before we began speaking. It is studying the bridge.”

“Where?” said Barley, eyes wide. “I don't see it.”

“It is there,” Thor growled. “It is deep in the tunnel. It seems to know how far we can see. But we have the advantage. We will wait for it to approach.”

“How can you see it?”

“The darkness is deeper where it stands.”

Connor shifted. “That thing moves fast.” His hand was sweating, tight on the M-203. “Real fast.”

Immediately Frank ran up the bridge. His voice was urgent. “Hey Connor! GEO just told me Leviathan has stopped feeding to reconstitute itself and it's circling to come across the—”

“We know!” Connor hissed, cutting him off. “Tell Chesterton to take everybody to the Housing Cavern. But do it quietly! Tell him to guard Beth and Jordan with his life! We're going to make a stand right here!”

Instantly the scientist was gone and a second later Connor heard them shuffling on the other side of the broken vault, moving away from the door. Thor was holding a steady aim into Tungsten Passage and Barley had followed his lead, lowering the barrel of the M-203. Slowly, at Thor's gesture, they rose to their feet.

As if vomited from Darkness, Leviathan leaped into the red light.

Instantly it was at the mouth of the tunnel, staring at them over the long bridge, a monstrous black nightmare of fantastic armor and distended fangs. Even from a distance its malicious green eyes appeared to smolder. The long tail swished back and forth for balance, steadying the colossal form. It crouched on all fours, moving with silent steps. But at the end of the bridge it paused, unhinging the fanged mouth even more deeply to growl. The ominous tone crawled across the bridge, making the rock vibrate.