A somber grin lightened Thor's face. “Sometimes children know greater truth than men, Doctor.”
Frank closed his eyes, shook his head. “You can't hurt it with that battle-ax, Thor. I'm telling you the truth. You can't hurt it. Leviathan is too strong. It will kill you.”
“All strength has an ending, Frank.”
“Look, Thor, I'm being honest with you,” Frank stressed, turning his head and amazed at his own concern. “I know this creature! Its strength is unbelievable! Leviathan is like . .. like a force of nature! It's been hit with everything we throw at it and it's still alive! What makes you think that you could ever hurt it with that ax?”
Thor stared at the image engraved upon the steel. “God will decide the victory, Doctor Frank, and God alone.” He paused. “Nor do I relish the conflict. But if I am forced to make a stand against the beast, we may see if a weapon forged by unknown hands and, perhaps, blessed by unknown hands, can draw a Dragon's blood.”
Frank stared a moment and then closed his eyes, leaning his head back. He was silent a long time before he spoke. “If it comes to it, Thor, strike for the neck. When Leviathan charges the scales on its neck separate and there's a gap of maybe two or three inches between the armor. If... if you hit Leviathan in the gap, you might be able to wound it. You won't live long enough to kill it.” He paused. “But you might be able to wound it.”
Thor's reply was somber.
“A wound is a beginning, my friend.” His massive hand tightened on the battle-ax. “And a beginning is half an ending.”
Ten minutes passed and then they were on their feet again. Two by two, they traveled in a ragged line down the Tungsten Passage. Several corridors led out of the tunnel as they ascended higher, toward the entrance, but none were closed by vaults. Connor remembered that there were no vaults at all on this side of Bridgestone. When they reached the Climbing Cavern, the elevator shaft at the far end was sealed by a colossal vault.
Connor glanced up as they entered. Because the cavern was a genuine climbing cave, it had an unstable ceiling. Truck-sized boulders regularly fell from the roof, especially during the early days of cavern construction. And even now Chesterton's men were often forced to set explosive charges high on the wall to bring down unstable formations.
“All right!” Chesterton called out as they finally reached the elevator shaft. “Let's get this door open so we can get out of here! Frank! Give me a location on Leviathan!”
“It hasn't moved yet, Chesterton,” the scientist answered. “GEO is going to inform us as soon as it does.”
“Good enough. Let's get to work, boys!”
Connor set Jordan on the ground, and Beth reached down to take the boy's hand. She touched Connor's face as he straightened, and he saw that her eyes were ringed with dark fatigue, exhaustion. Her hair was plastered back with sweat and she had torn off a piece of her shirt as a headband.
“Be careful,” she said.
He smiled. “I'm always careful.”
Chesterton was in full form. “Let's get a move on! We're wasting daylight! Connor! Rewire that door so we can—”
The voice that came over the computer was stunning. “Leviathan is moving north in Alpha Passage, passing the Observation Room.”
Everyone froze. Chesterton stood in place, turned his head toward Frank.
“What did that thing say?” he asked numbly.
His question seemed incredible in light of the computer's utter clarity and inhuman precision of speech.
“We've got to move,” Frank whispered, not moving.
Connor spun and dropped to the control plate. He savagely jammed a screwdriver in and twisted, but his hand trembled with the strain, and he realized immediately the screws were countersunk in the steel.
Face contorted with the effort, Connor twisted the screwdriver frantically, grasping the shaft and handle together, twisting even harder. But the screw didn't move at all. Sweating and angrily blinking sweat, Connor sat back, staring at the plate in amazement.
“This is incredible,” he whispered, breathless. “Why’d they countersink the screws of this plate and not the others? That doesn't make any sense.” He turned his head. “Thor! Get over here!”
Chesterton was leaning over him, face pale. “What's the problem, Connor?”
“Leviathan is passing the Command Center. Leviathan is entering the passageway that leads toward the Matrix.”
“Come on, Connor!” Chesterton rasped. “Get that thing open! We're running out of time! It's going to take at least ten minutes just to get the elevator down here!”
Thor came up and Connor gave him the screwdriver. “Get those screws out as fast as you can!” And Thor dropped to one knee, jamming the screwdriver in hard and twisting. Immediately the screw began to retreat, threading out slowly. In a minute it fell to the ground, and Thor began with another one, moving counterclockwise.