“Where's Connor?” Beth shouted. “Barley! Where's Connor? Where's Thor? What happened?”
Barley shook his head, breathless. He lifted an arm and pointed toward the corridor. “They was ... they was fighting the Dragon in the Matrix,” he gasped. “Connor went into the shaft to help Thor. He told me ... he told me to bring Jordan here. I don't know what happened, Beth.” He shook his head, almost shedding tears. “I'm sorry, Beth. But I just don't know ... I'm sorry as I can be ...”
Grieving, the big lieutenant bowed his forehead to the ground, and Beth found herself over him. Her heart was hurt for Connor and Thor but she somehow felt surpassing compassion and gratitude for this man who had carried her son so selflessly through the cavern. Without thought her arm settled over Barley's shoulder, embracing his exhausted form.
“It's okay, Barley,” she whispered as she felt a tear fall. “Thank you for taking care of Jordan. No matter what happens, thank you for taking care of Jordan ...”
Barley nodded, before he fell forward.
Unconscious.
* * *
Exhausted and bone-burned with fatigue, Connor staggered into the Computer Cavern. Beth was standing on the dais as he entered, and he saw her face open in shock.
“Connor,” she whispered. “What happened? Where's Thor?”
Clenching his teeth, fighting to arouse his dead will, Connor lowered his head. He gathered himself for a long time, concentrating, leaning against a polished black computer terminal. Then he looked up and saw Barley, grim and saddened, standing alone on the computer dais.
The lieutenant seemed to already know.
“Thor's dead,” Connor said, eyes roaming the ceiling. “Thor's dead and that beast is dead, too. Thor killed it. He killed it with his own hands in the Matrix.”
Beth staggered forward.
“Oh, Connor,” she whispered. “Did you see it?”
“Yeah,” Connor nodded. “I saw the whole thing. I tried to get a shot at the thing. But I couldn't. It was something between the two of them. And it ended with them.”
Beth closed her eyes and cried openly.
Barley silently bowed his head.
“Thor sealed himself in the cavern because it was about to catch us,” Connor continued, after he had rested a moment. “And he was right to do it. In another second it would have had us. So someone had to . . . somebody had to slow it down. And Thor stopped to hold the ground.”
Beth leaned against the same computer terminal that supported Connor, lifting a hand to her face.
Turning slowly upon a large steel platform, Frank came to the edge of the railing. Connor reached out, embracing his wife, feeling the same tears fall from his face. Somehow, he knew, they would never recover from this, from all of this. Beth sobbed against his chest and Connor held her close. Then he glanced past her to see Jordan asleep on the wide, sprawling computer dais, wrapped warmly in a blanket, sleeping.
Frank was staring, clearly afraid. Connor regarded the scientist for a long moment. “What is it, Doctor?” he asked loudly. “Did you think that thing would live forever?”
“No,” the scientist replied, truly remorseful, “I just never thought ...”
“Well you better think it, Frank,” Connor said, tightening his arm around Beth. “Because that thing is finally dead. And it died hard, too, just like you designed it. Thor just died a little harder.”
For a moment, Frank said nothing. Then he raised his hand to the headset and spoke. “GEO, what is the status of Leviathan?”
“Leviathan's heart rate is not measurable. Leviathan has no measurable EEG activity. Leviathan's internal temperature has dropped to two hundred degrees and is continuing to descend at the rate of—”
“Terminate answer,” Frank said quickly, turning to Connor. “Connor,” he continued hastily, “I'm sorry, but I need to know something. How did Thor kill Leviathan? How did the battle end?”
Connor stared for a long moment. “What do you mean, how did it end? Thor killed the thing.”
“No.” Frank leaned forward, speaking with concern. “I need to know exactly what Thor did to kill it. I need you to describe the fight.”
An angry moment passed and Connor replied. “The whole thing lasted for about three minutes. Thor went out to meet it, standing in the middle of the cavern, holding the battle-ax. And that thing came full at him, using its claws. But Thor was strong. He was almost eight feet. Half as tall as Leviathan. It couldn't push him around. Couldn't take him down. So they went all over the cavern. From one end to the other. It hit Thor again and again with its claws, its fangs. It slung him against the walls, busted stalagmites with him. But Thor held on and kept hacking at it with that battle-ax, over and over again, just over and over and over, trying to take it to the ground.” Connor hesitated, face darkening. “There wasn't any backing down. For either of them.”