* * *
Chapter 41
Holding Jordan in his arm, Connor stood over the Dragon.
It was finished. All that remained of Leviathan's gigantic, reptilian form was a charred mass of blackened bone and flesh. The serpentine neck and forelegs, once hard with muscle and tendons, were withered ash. Even the proud armor that had defied the might of an army was finally defeated, overcome by a force far more powerful.
Staring down, Connor saw that almost nothing remained of the Dragon's gigantic aspect. Leviathan was twisted and contorted with a charred hole blasted clean through the center of its massive body. There was simply nothing there—no heart, no blood, no life. The Dragon was an empty husk. And the glowing green eyes were burned black – empty and dead.
Connor said nothing, hugging Jordan close beneath the emergency lighting. And then Beth was beside them, wrapping her arms around them both. Her forehead was bruised but the blood was already stanched by Frank's bandage. Gazing down, Connor kissed her softly and held her.
It was a moment of silence but of a rumbling silence like the silence cloaking a low, lightning-torn sky. And then Frank was also beside them, staring down coldly. His face was empty, his pose solemn.
Connor turned to him. “Is it dead, Frank?”
“It's dead,” the scientist said somberly. “Forever.”
Raising his face, Connor gazed across the cavern toward Barley. “Is Barley going to make it?”
“Yeah,” the scientist nodded, looking at where they had laid Barley on a stretcher after Frank had helped free Connor from the girder. “He's a strong guy. He'll make it. But he's going to be laid up for a long time. He's got a lot of broken bones.” Frank stared tiredly. “Not that he cares.”
An interrupting voice came over the surface link radio and Frank instantly picked it up. With the calm thoroughness of an emergency room surgeon, he gave terse instructions for necessary medical assistance, along with their location in the cavern.
“It's the Sea Patrol,” he said, turning to them. “They've arrived with a representative of Stygian Enterprises. They said that they can get to us in about an hour. And they're going to bring a couple of stretchers.”
“Good enough,” Connor said before he sensed Jordan staring up at him, quiet and still. With a gentle smile Connor gazed down. “You're a good boy,” he whispered. “You're a real good boy.”
Jordan smiled, wrapping his arms around Connor's neck.
“Are we going home now?” he asked. “Like you promised?”
Connor nodded, closing his eyes.
“Yeah, boy. We're going home. Like I promised.”
It took EMTs two hours to haul Barley through the cavern and then they were finally on the way to the surface. But Connor had been given an injection of morphine for his badly bruised leg and other wounds and he insisted on walking the full distance, making a slight detour when they passed the Matrix to retrieve something he could not leave behind.
Then they reached the elevator and began to rise to the surface. But halfway up the ascent Connor curtly ordered the lift stopped. Then he opened a trapdoor and crawled beneath the cage, working quietly for a few minutes in the shaft.
When he crawled once more through the trapdoor he was bathed in sweat, and fresh blood gleamed through the bandages over his wounds. Beneath Beth's concerned gaze Connor rolled, exhausted, to a wall.
“Did you do it, Connor?” she whispered.
Connor nodded wordlessly and motioned for the confused rescue personnel to proceed with the lift.
And the elevator began to rise.
Toward the sun.
* * *
Connor gently placed a hand on Barley's shoulder.
“You're not going to die on me are you, Barley?”
Barley grunted, almost pale from blood loss, “No, Connor, I think I'll stick around for a while. Might even take a vacation.” He lowered his voice. “Did you do it?”
“Yeah,” Connor nodded. “A few more seconds.”
“Good. Then it's almost over.”
Eyes narrowing, Connor turned to stare at the cavern shaft. The blackness of the abyss was completely isolated, the elevator itself anchored solidly on the surface. He knew that no rescue personnel had descended into the cavern since they had reached the surface. The United States government had ordered the facility secured.
No one else was going in.
Frank walked up.
“Beth and Jordan are in stable condition. They've been airlifted out on the Sea Stallion,” he said. “It's a fast-flight helicopter, so they should be at a hospital inside an hour. Jordan is dehydrated and suffering a low grade infection, but he'll be okay.”
With a nod Connor focused on the scientist's youthful face. “I appreciate you taking care of them for me, Frank. I had some things I had to do.”