Leviathan(121)

Shouting explosively Beth threw out both fists, clenching tight and screaming still as whiteness erupted out from her, smashing through the flame to create a spiraling nova of strobe before...

Endless expanse ...

Arms pin wheeling wildly, trying to recover from the blast, Frank careened through the obliterated wall like a ship hurled through fog, slowly gathering control. When he had passed through the shattered whiteness he put his arms to his sides once more, leaning forward, gathering speed.

Beth released a tight breath.

That was close, too close.

But she was too frantic with the speed of the attack and her own speed to be relieved. She crouched as she felt herself flying wildly forward beside the scientist, feeling more a part of the unreal than the real.

Streaming forward, Frank plummeted to the depths of the heart of the artificial mind known as GEO. And, trembling and blinking sweat, Beth kept her hands high to fire again and again, sighting and spinning, lashing out left and right to desperately clear a narrow path through the flaring flame.

* * *



Connor glared left and right and saw no escape.

Jordan cried out, hysterical with a sight he would never forget for the rest of his life. And Connor grimaced, angrily centering the grenade launcher on the chest of the beast. His finger curled around the trigger.

Leviathan lowered its head, jaws unhinging.

Connor's face twisted in rage.

“Eat this!” he shouted, and pulled the trigger.

The explosion struck Leviathan full in the chest, making it stagger. Its neck stretched up, burning with flame and Connor snatched Jordan from the ground, instantly running. He heard a roaring behind him, a bellowing and vengeful wrath that conquered the cavern like a thunderclap, shattering stalactites on the far side. Dust cascaded from the roof, dust and dark rain.

Gotta find a way out, a way out ...

Connor breathlessly rounded a full-red corner of limestone searching for anything—a cave, hole, or an overturned stone or whatever would provide some small measure of escape from the beast so that—

A mushrooming white explosion set the entire cavern roof aglow, and Connor instinctively ducked, not even understanding. Then the cave thundered with the howl of a wounded beast and Connor saw Leviathan rolling past him, slamming itself against the ground, shattering stone and stalactites into flaming shards.

It was bathed in white flames.

Connor didn't ask any questions, didn't understand. He picked up Jordan in one arm and ran back toward the exit, carefully avoiding a section of the cavern floor that glowed with unexplainable fire. He took a half-dozen strides before he saw the two images standing angrily in the doorway, one red-bearded figure and holding a smoking M-79.

Thor sighted him almost immediately.

“Connor!” he bellowed, waving excitedly. He quickly broke open his weapon, inserting another grenade before snapping the weapon shut. “Hurry!”

Then Barley cut loose with a grenade, striking an area far to the rear and Connor felt the terrific mushrooming blast that lit the room like a lightning bolt.

Leviathan screamed but Connor didn't turn to see it. With Jordan tight in his arms he ran with all his remaining strength, crossing the two hundred yards with slowing, slowing strides. The entrance seemed infinitely far, so far that his strength could never carry him past the portal. And Connor knew, knew in a hate-filled, staggering fatigue that he would never make it.

And then Thor was running forward, his M-79 slung around a shoulder and his arms spread wide. In seconds he met Connor in the middle of the cavern floor, lifting a protesting Jordan from his arms. Instantly Connor felt lighter, stronger.

He made it to the door.

“This way!” Barley screamed, running, and Connor followed him through the doorway in the very shadow of the beast. As he went through the portal he realized with a sense of doom that the corridor was easily large enough for Leviathan's continued pursuit.

No good ...

Blindly Connor followed Barley and Thor as they ran down the tunnel, fleeing for the slightly raised vault at the end. Although Connor managed to match them stride for stride, his mind was quickly fading under the overcoming power of infinite fatigue.

So weary ...

The opened exit was almost a quarter mile away and Connor realized with a sense of doom that the chase was almost finished. They could never make it, and even if they did, they couldn't continue. But without thought he hurled himself forward, hearing Leviathan strike the vault behind them with fresh rage, pounding again and again, somehow seeming strengthened even more by its wounds.

Against his will Connor spun in stride, turning to see the Dragon on fire, savagely shattering the exit, coming, always coming. It was covered with white flowing flame, flame that rose almost to the ceiling of the tunnel. But it was still chasing them, ignoring the injury and pain, determined to finish the kill. And Connor knew somehow that it was motivated by far more than food.