Leviathan(92)
“Leviathan has entered the Matrix.”
Adler was suddenly trembling, turning to stare across Climbing Cave to Tungsten Passage. He spoke to Chesterton over his shoulder, unable to take his eyes off the distant corridor. “Perhaps we should move faster, Colonel! I believe that the creature is following our trail through the—”
“Shut up, Adler!” Chesterton snarled.
“Leviathan has defeated the exit vault of the Matrix and is moving in a northeastern direction through the cavern.”
“Frank!” Chesterton called out. “Can't that computer slow that thing down? Do something!”
Frank: “GEO, I want you to ignite all nitrogen pheromone ports in the cavern except those above the front elevator shaft! Attempt to lower the temperature of the entire cavern to minus 200 degrees. Do you understand?”
“GEO is releasing nitrogen pheromones through all ports beyond the elevator shaft.”
Connor could hear nothing from deep inside the cavern but he knew that a haze of white nitrogen was filling every hallway and chamber in the cavern. He was afraid for a moment that GEO would make a mistake and open the nitrogen port above their heads but when nothing happened he ignored the thought. He didn't have any time for relief.
“Frank, give me a play-by-play of what that thing is doing!” Chesterton shouted, turning briefly to glare down Tungsten Passage.
“Leviathan has turned in a southwestern direction” came GEO's soft reply. “Leviathan is moving toward the power plant.”
Connor looked up sharply. “Why is it doing that?”
Chesterton shook his head, dazed.
“Frank!” Connor shouted. “Why is that thing turning southwest toward the power plant?”
“I don't know, Connor!”
Connor stared up at the ceiling, thinking furiously. His eyes scanned the ceiling, the piping and ventilation ducts. “That's it,” he whispered, looking down. “Frank, where is Leviathan right now?”
The scientist asked and they heard, “Leviathan has stopped at the storage chamber located near the power plant. Leviathan is attacking storage tanks used for housing nitrogen pheromones.”
“That thing is attacking the nitrogen tanks?” Chesterton rasped. “But how did it know where the storage tanks were? It was never programmed to know where the nitrogen tanks were! That's impossible!”
“It's following the pipes,” Connor whispered. “It's following the nitrogen pipes from the last vault.” He shook his head, sweat scattering. “Man! That thing is smart! But we've got to stop it from reaching the power plant, Chesterton. If Leviathan destroys the generators, we won't have enough power to get the elevator down here.”
“Leviathan has used flame-throwing weapons arsenal to destroy the nitrogen storage chamber. Secondary explosions have damaged cavern integrity and corridor structure surrounding the Storage Chamber. Nitrogen pheromones are now completely unusable. Leviathan is continuing to move toward the power plant.”
“Frank!” Connor yelled, rising fully. “What corridor is Leviathan in?”
The scientist asked the question, and the computer replied. “Leviathan is in Omega Passage. Leviathan is continuing to move in a southwestern direction toward the power plant.”
“Tell GEO to generate a power surge to blow all the secondary circuit breakers!” Connor shouted. “Do it now! That should knock out all the lights in the lower portion of the cavern and Leviathan might think the power plant is already dead!”
Instantly the lights were extinguished, and Connor felt nothing but silent air. No one moved. Then, “Leviathan is moving away from the power plant. Leviathan is again approaching the Matrix.” Silence. “Leviathan has compromised the exit vault from the Matrix. Leviathan is entering the exit passage.”
Chesterton looked down at Thor who was still straining to remove the countersunk screws. “I'd like to get out of here without fighting, Thor, but I don't think that thing's going to cooperate. It's a little on the hostile side.”
“Another few minutes,” Thor gasped, twisting the screws with clenched teeth. “Another ... minute!”
“We don't have a minute!”
Connor spun to the vault. “Chesterton's right! We don't have a minute! It might take Thor another half hour to get those screws out! We're going to have to crawl through the ventilation shaft one by one.” He turned toward Frank. “Tell GEO to throw the secondary breakers back on. That thing is too far from the power plant to turn back around.”
Frank gave the command; the lights came on. “We'd better get moving,” Connor said and saw Tolvanos move but he was too late to prevent it. The Russian had already stepped to Beth, his hand rising with what Connor knew was the flashing black gleam of a pistol.