Leviathan (40 page)

Chapter 34

The fail-safe is defused.” Rachel said the words softly, so unlike ... a machine.

Frank hovered in a suddenly dark and separate space, sensing an exhaustion that bordered on death. He felt something within him wounded, deeply wounded. And somehow, he was no longer aware that he was in Cyberspace. With a slight falling he floated slowly forward, drawn like a magnet toward the artificial life-form before him.

Rachel smiled, raising her hands.

“
Rachel ...” he whispered, lifting his hands slightly.

It was all forgotten, the fail-safe, the fear, and the pain as Frank stood once more in this place, before her. He opened his mouth to speak, needing no breath, needing nothing at all as he somehow sensed the visage of his own reality changing, softening. He had been here so many times, but nothing had ever seemed so ...
so real.

Rachel's scarlet-neon face returned the gaze.

Frank hovered, and then it was as if the artificial network surrounding them disappeared altogether. Rachel changed, becoming more of what she was, solid and embracing. Dazed, Frank gazed to the side to find himself in wonderful blackness with Rachel before him becoming more and more, more ...

Rachel
...

But the dark thought came hard, crashing.

No
!

Frank
closed his eyes.

Not Rachel
!

With a
supreme effort of will Frank opened his eyes again, trying to remember.

No, it's not real. But all his life was here, he knew, all the best of life that he had ever known and would ever know. It had been here, in this place, with her, no matter what place this was. Yes, the best...

Frank lowered his face, looking away, closing his eyes and trying violently to remember Rachel the way she truly was, the way she had been. But it seemed the same to him, somehow, in his heart, what stood before him and what he had loved, love bridging the gap between the two...

He struggled, an effort
that took the last of his heart …

“
No,” he shook his head. “No, she’s gone ... ”

Holding place solidly in blackest space, Frank stared once more upon the apparition, knowing he had brought it forth and could not blame it. And, grimacing, he nodded his head, knowing
the best of his heart would always be
here
…

Slowly,
groaning in pain, Frank floated upward.

Rachel lowered her hands to her sides.
Her face seemed to reveal something that struck him, moving him only as life could move him and Frank cried out, almost surging forward again to lose himself to this, this ...

Then Rachel blinked, speaking softly to his mind.

“
Good-bye, Frank
...”

Frank closed his eyes, clenching his fists as he raised his face to the darkness. And in a bolt of power he understood as solidly as he lived that nothing, nothing, not even death could take from him what he treasured most—that brief moment in time where he had been truly happy, when he had held in his arms the heart and hope of his life. And then, with another shock, he understood why the words had come so softly to him, understood why this was such a dangerous, dangerous place
...

W
hat is your final purpose?

“
To please my Creator
…”

Gasping in pain, Frank lowered his hands to his side, gazing hard upon the false reality before him. And he knew in his heart that this was too much
-would-always-be-too-much.

Remembered love was enough.

It had to be.

“
Good-bye, Rachel,” he whispered.

S
he smiled.

“
Good-bye, Frank
...”

Frank paused a moment more, staring, capturing the moment and knowing that it would never come again. No, not as long as he lived. Because he could never endure this again, would never allow himself to suffer and endure it again.

Enough
, he nodded, stepping back.

It's enough.

A pause, a volcanic gathering of final will, and Frank gazed upward. The darkness was there. And beyond that, the light.

It was time.

He rose toward dark space, ascending slowly at first and then faster, and faster. With gathering speed he soared upward, hurtling like a torpedo through the spider-network of nerve-light to see the maroon-colored crust of the Logic Core looming closer, closer, a sea of red.

With face upraised and fists at his sides, Frank's flight reached the speed of light as he burst through the scarlet surface into a bright, blazing, amazing world of white.

***

Connor laid Thor upon the ground and paused, exhausted.

It had been brutally difficult to drag the giant's body into an adjoining room of the Matrix. But, logically or not, Connor had been unwilling to leave his friend in the room with the beast. Not even in death, he decided, would it have any victory.

Thor lay silently on the cold stone floor and Connor gazed down, struck by the sight. He shook his head, still lost in shock, and rose to walk back to where the creature lay.

Leviathan lay limply, sprawled in a smoking pool of blood, poisonous fumes rising through the faint light. Connor frowned over it, stepping carefully over a foreleg to retrieve what he sought. Then he bent, lifting the gigantic battle-ax from the ground.

He gripped the weapon in a tight fist, shocked by the enormous weight. With
both hands he lifted the battle-axe before his face, studying the sweeping crescent blades. The edges were black with blood, still smoking and even ... glowing ... so strangely.

Connor squinted, uncertain of what he could truly see or even understand in the gloom. He had been awake for a long time now. Too long, he knew. His eyes were failing him. He didn't trust his judgment anymore. So he cast the sensation aside and lowered the heavy ax to his side, standing solidly over the wide black pool.

Reflected flames danced in the depths.

Strangely, Connor felt himself recovering from shock as he gazed over Leviathan. Even dead, the Dragon was titanic and horrific beyond all belief. Almost six tons of claw and fang and armor and sinew. And even now, just a few minutes after the horrific battle, Connor could not envision what he had witnessed with his own eyes. But he knew it had happened. Butchered black scales and chunks of armored flesh scattered across a demolished cavern were testimony to the terrible truth.

Too numb to feel anything at all, Connor stood over the Dragon, muttering a hate-filled and merciless curse. Without expression he walked away to again enter the adjoining room where he had laid Thor.

Battle-ax in hand, Connor poised in solemn silence.

Somehow, he felt, he should say something. But words had never meant anything to him, and they didn't now. All that mattered was what had happened between the two of them in life. And yet for some reason, not even understanding it himself, Connor knelt to lay the battle-ax across Thor's breast. Then he lifted the great, wounded hands to fold them over the ax.

Unexpectedly moved by the closeness, Connor paused to find himself gripping one of the massive hands he had crossed over the wide, muscular chest and battle-ax.

Clutching tightly for a moment, Connor bowed his head. Then he closed his eyes and clenched his teeth against the pain before he stood, strong and angry, to his feet.

A tear fell as he stared down.

It struck the ground as he turned away.

* * *

Chapter 35

Beth shouted as Frank's body suddenly convulsed. Instantly she had leaped from the control panel to run forward, gaining the steps of the Cyberspace Module in seconds.

With frantic strength she jerked the helmet from Frank's head to free his mind from Cyberspace control. She tore the connecting wires from the suit, not knowing which were most important and not taking time to figure it out. She tore them all.

Frank fell forward, groaning. Blindly his hand rose, trying to unfasten the Cyber suit, and Beth reached around, unzipping the suit, trying to awaken the scientist.

“
Frank!” she shouted, grabbing his neck. “Frank! Wake up!”

The scientist blinked, grimacing, as his face went black. He shook his head, gasping, and seemed to recover a dim measure of consciousness, opening his eyes to stare across the cavern. With a dazed look he turned to her.

“The fail-safe ...” he whispered.

“
You did it, Frank! You did it!”

Frank blinked and his head dropped heavily forward. Beth caught him as he fell from the Cyberspace Module, lowering him in her strong arms to the floor where he collapsed onto his back, breathing raggedly.

“Are you all right?” she asked, staring down.

The scientist coughed and dragged a breath. Then after a long pause he turned his face to gaze upward into her eyes and Beth saw the image of a man remembering a terrible, scarring pain.

“Are you all right, Frank?”

She waited for an answer, but he said nothing.

Closed his eyes again.

* * *

Gasping, Barley staggered into the Computer Cavern, holding Jordan tight in his arms. The lieutenant's fatigues were soaked with sweat, his face a glistening mask.

“Barley!” Beth screamed, running forward to lift Jordan from his arms. And as she did, the big man collapsed to the floor, wasted from the long journey through the cavern.

“
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 sup
ported 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.”

“
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.”

* * *