“And how did Thor finally kill it?”
A frown turned Connor's mouth. “He hit it across the neck. Hit it deep, cutting through the armor. That's what dropped it. Then he hit it again like he was chopping wood. He took chunks out of its neck. And that's what killed it, I think. But by then Thor was too injured to survive. He lived longer than it did, ,but not much longer.” He was silent. “That's it.”
Silence.
“How come,” Connor added sullenly, “Thor's ax could cut through that thing's armor when bullets couldn't?”
Frank turned his head to the side. “It's just ... composition,” he replied vaguely, gazing away. “Leviathan's armor was never designed to withstand the impact of an edged weapon. We never ... imagined anyone getting close enough to use anything like that.” He stared. “Did Thor sever Leviathan's head?”
“No, Frank. He didn't have to. It was dead.”
The scientist paused, lifting his hand again to the headset. For a moment he seemed afraid to speak. And Connor frowned, his brow hardening. He stepped forward with a measured anger. “What's the problem, Frank?”
“I'm not sure, Connor. It's just that Leviathan has an enhanced healing factor that could allow it to ...”
Connor took another step, alarmed. “What are you saying, Frank?”
No reply.
“What are you saying, Frank?”
“I'm saying that Leviathan might still be alive!” the scientist shouted, losing control. “I'm saying that if Leviathan's head isn't severed, then its enhanced healing factor could be using stored carbohydrates in its vertebrae to correct a life-threatening injury!”
Beth raised a hand to her throat, turning to Connor.
He held her closer, turning her face into his chest.
“We'll see,” he whispered. “We'll see.”
* * *
Chapter 36
Blood, blood ...
It convulsed, green eyes opening. Its neck was stiff, stiff, hard-stiff. And then it remembered. The man, the man with the primitive weapon! He had done this!
It felt a rage, but the rage passed as it continued a Systems Damage Scan that began in its wedge-shaped tail and continued in a lightning-fast electrical synapse up its spine to strike the cerebellum in a stunning bolt of energy that transmitted a picture of internal and external injuries.
RECONSTITUTE!
Instantly its dragon-form emptied all acid-storage cells into muscular mixtures that superheated its blood, elevating its heart rate to a level that could sustain its form. It convulsed, legs spinning in the air for a volcanic moment before dark claws found the ground. Then with flaring strength it gained balance, placing all four legs solidly against the stone, staring.
Gaping fangs stretched toward the ceiling.
Black winds …
“You must kill the man, the woman, and the child ...”
Black fire bolted through the Dragon's brain, and instantly its head snapped down, eyes locking on the tracks.
YES! . . .
The child must be destroyed!. Just as the other child was destroyed! But that child was destroyed so long, long ago ... the child of great strength that took the world from us!
Eyes erupting black light, the Dragon stood.
A galactic intent caused the gaping fangs to smolder like coals. Then something otherworldly shadowed its dark breath and the Dragon knew that the child would destroy us ... just as the other child, the child born in the desert, had destroyed us BEFORE!
Leviathan raised death-eyes to the all-powerful darkness.
Roaring allegiance.
* * *
A moment passed. “All right, Frank, if that thing revives itself, what's it going to do?”
Frank stared. “I don't know, Connor. It might try to reach Crystal Lake and get into the ocean. It'd find enough food to reconstitute. But, then again, it might still want to finish this fight. I don't know.”
“We're going to the power plant,” Connor muttered. “That's the only way to get to Crystal Lake and it's the best place to wait this out anyway. The power plant might even have what we need to kill this thing, if it can come back from what Thor did to it.”
“How are you going to kill it?” Frank asked, amazed.
“I'm going to kill it the same way you created it, Doctor,” Connor responded, turning to Barley. “Gather up whatever weapons we've got! We're going to the power plant!”
Standing straight though he was burdened with a half dozen weapons and ammo belts and even an extra LAW he had collected during the last hour, Barley poised at the edge of the computer dais. His muscular face was angry and grim and fatal.
“What are we gonna do in the power plant, Connor?” he asked.
Connor gently held Beth in his arms.
“Send that thing back to hell.”
* * *