Thrilled to Death

by James Byron Huggins

  Connor steadily stared. “I promise. I won’t do anything that I don’t have to do.”

  She received the words with a quiet nod, glancing at Jordan. “And Daddy always keeps his promise, doesn’t he, Jordan?” she smiled.

  “Yeah,” Jordan laughed. “Daddy always keeps his promise.”

  Connor smiled, pulling his son close until a loud crash brought them around. All of them whirled to face the wall as a steel ventilation shaft cover was sent crashing to the floor. But even as Connor saw the cause of the disturbance, he visibly relaxed.

  Heated cursing in a thick Nordic accent echoed from the narrow tunnel, and a moment later they saw a broad battle-ax pushed through the opening, the tinge of a shaggy head and two blackened hands poised at the rim. Then seconds later they saw Thor inching his head out, staring at them as if he had discovered a cavern of hidden gold. His eyes blazed, wide and excited, his face strained with exhaustion. Sweat and dark chalky soot smeared his face. His bright red hair and beard were black with grime.

  Connor laughed, shaking his head. Soldiers took a few weary steps toward the shaft when Connor waved them off.

  “It’s all right,” he said wearily and lowered his hand.

  They held their place.

  Barley, turning at the complex to look back, laughed gustily. He raised his rifle in the air, placing the stock against his hip.

  “I figured you’d make it!” he called out.

  “It’s Thor!” Jordan shouted, lifting his hands in the air. “Daddy! It’s Thor!”

  Wrestling mightily, smiling in fiendish delight, Thor inched himself out of the opening. It was a phenomenally tight fit and it seemed like the ventilation shaft would literally explode at the strain of containing his enormous girth. But in a moment he had succeeded, his massively broad shoulders slowly passing over the edge. Then, the worst done, he quickly eased himself to the ground, holding an enormous Viking-style battle-ax in a firm grip. A leather thong tied to the end of the haft was looped around his wrist.

  Straightening to his now familiar, gigantic height, Thor gazed over them. Beth was almost shocked to hear Connor laugh out loud, shaking his head. Then with a light stride, Thor came across the cavern, casting a single, frowning glance at the angry forms of Adler and Blake as they approached.

  Blake gestured to the weary soldiers to follow but they only sat shaking their heads. Livid, Blake followed on Adler’s heels to confront Thor in the center of the cavern. They said something obviously hostile to the giant just beyond hearing and Thor frowned over them as if they were strange insects he had never seen. He appeared to mumble something and moved past them without further words, ignoring Blake’s heated commands.

  Chesterton stood in the doorway of the Housing Complex, watching the encounter. He wearily took a sip from a canteen. “Just leave it be, Blake!” he called out. “We need all the help we can get!”

  Turning angrily, Blake made a straight line toward the complex, anger launching him into every step. Beth ignored the debate that began at the steps and focused on Thor as he drew near. Thor reached out, placing a firm hand on Connor’s shoulder. His voice was dry.

  “I am overjoyed,” he smiled, “to find you all well.”

  Connor nodded and glanced at Adler and the wildly gesticulating Blake. Both of them were raging at an implacable Chesterton who only seemed amused.

  “What’d they say to you?” Connor asked.

  Thor glanced at Blake and Adler, humorously lifting an eyebrow. “They said that this was their secret facility. They said that I had no right to be down here in their secret facility.” He laughed. “I told them there are no more secrets.”

  Jordan joined in, lifting his hands joyfully.

  “Now we’re all together!” he sang.

  Thor’s deep laugh was like thunder, lifting something that had been dark and dooming. But Beth saw him cast a single, threatening glance at the vault, saw his massive hand tighten ominously on the battle-ax before he smiled down once more.

  “Yes,” he said. “Now we are all together. As it should be.”

  Chapter 20

  It has a devil’s skill,” Thor rumbled.

  In a circle, they had told him everything and Thor stood solidly through it all, cradling the battle-ax in his arms. Then he had told them of his wild descent into the cavern and how Blankenship and the ground crew had already evacuated the surface of Grimwald Island by hastily repairing and utilizing the cruisers.

  “So my crew and their families have evacuated the island?” Connor asked.

  Thor nodded, “Yes, my friend, they are gone. And they took Blake’s guards with them.” He paused. “I knew that you would be concerned for their safety, so I gave them the bearing for Iceland. If they take the correct bearing they should reach land within six hours. But, in any case, they will find assistance as soon as they clear the electromagnetic interference cloaking this island’s radio frequencies.” He smiled. “Your men shall live.”

  “Good,” Connor replied, bowing his head tiredly. “I appreciate you doing that. At least they’ll survive this.”

  Thor shed his soot-blackened bearskin to stand before them in his customary leather pants and loose, sleeveless shirt. Connor saw for the first time that Thor wore large leather gauntlets reminiscent of those worn by Scandinavian warriors of a thousand years ago. More than a quarter-inch thick and fastened with metal straps, the gauntlets fully sheathed each of Thor’s forearms between elbow and wrist. And to top off the primeval costume he had tied his long red hair in a ponytail, leaving only his ragged red beard to descend upon his massive chest. His ice-green eyes glinted with anger and angry cunning.

  “Yes,” Thor scowled, speaking once more of the Dragon. “It has a devil’s skill. It is not a beast.”

  “No,” Frank said. “It’s like a machine.”

  “A machine is only a mirror of man,” Thor gazed down. “But the Dragon is more. There is death ... and ancient darkness ... in its heart.” He paused. “It is not a reflection of man or of anything else, Doctor. It creates its own reality.”

  Frank stared silently at Thor, and Thor raised his gaze to study the secretive conclave on the opposite side of the cavern. Tolvanos and Adler were bent low in the center of the group, speaking in hushed tones, gesturing intently with secret plans.

  “Yes,” Thor frowned, “we must all choose between evil and good.”

  Waiting for Chesterton to call the meeting, Connor laughed lightly, shaking his head. “You know, Frank,” he said, “this whole thing reminds me of the Titanic.”

  “The Titanic?” the scientist answered. “Why?”

  “Because of the science.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Connor laughed, leaning back. “Answer a question for me, Frank. What do you think sank the Titanic?”

  “An iceberg sank it,” the scientist replied vaguely. “It hit an iceberg on April 14, 1912. The first four watertight compartments of the ship, which weren’t really watertight because they weren’t sealed above the waterline, were ripped open and flooded. Then the ship began pitching forward with water spilling over the top of each compartment to flood the compartment behind it. It went down in three hours.”

  “That’s what happened,” Connor said. “But that’s not what sank the ship.”

  “What sank it?”

  Connor lifted a small round piece of steel, turning it slowly in his fingers. “Do you know what this is?” he asked.

  “Yeah, it’s rebar. It’s part of a steel bar that they use in concrete to make it more stable.”

  “Yeah,” Connor replied. “It’s rebar. And it’s pretty sorry steel, actually. It’s not good for anything except reinforcing concrete. I know a little bit about it because I used to work concrete when I was young.” He paused. “But did you know that the steel they used to build the Titanic was even sorrier than this, Fra
nk?”

  There was no reply but a light flickered in the scientist’s eyes as if he knew already where Connor was going.

  “Yeah, the steel that they used to build the Titanic was high in what we call sulfide occlusions, or ‘stringers,” Connor continued. “Nowadays we know that high sulfur content makes steel real brittle, especially in cold water. But back in 1912 nobody really understood the phenomenon of what we call ‘brittle fracture.’ They tested the steel of the Titanic for tensile strength and that was that. But brittle fracture is something that happens to high-sulfide steel when it gets cold. And on the night that the Titanic hit that iceberg, the water temperature was one degree above freezing.”

  Frank lowered his eyes, frowning.

  “What the shipbuilders had done,” Connor continued, “was build the largest, most luxurious ship in the world with brittle, high-sulfide steel that wouldn’t even make it out of a yard today. So when the Titanic hit that iceberg the steel in her bow didn’t bend or ripple like modern steel would do, absorbing the impact. The steel in the Titanic’s bow was brittle to begin with and even more brittle because it was cold and it busted like an egg.”

  Somber, the scientist waited.

  “What I’m saying,” Connor added finally, “is that the engineers of that time knew how to build the ship, Frank. They were smart. They had the science and they had the technology. But they had gone ahead of where they should have been. They didn’t understand everything that they needed to understand in order to make it safe,” he paused, “Or right.”

  Frank stared at him.

  Connor laughed shortly. “But don’t listen to me,’’ he added, a vague smile. “I’m not a scientist like you guys. I just fix things.”

  “I’m just about tired of listening to you, Blake,” Chesterton mumbled, sipping from a canteen. He looked up, his eyes dangerous with pain. “And in any case, what you think doesn’t matter.”

  Finally separating himself from the secretive conclave with Adler and Tolvanos, Blake had come to the steps of the complex once more to accuse Chesterton outright of mutiny and insubordination, ordering him to stand down

  “I’m tired of your insubordination, Chesterton!” Blake cried. “This is a military operation—a CIA operation—and you no longer have authority! The machine has broken down because of your blatant disregard for authority! None of this would have happened if you had obeyed orders! But you didn’t! You recklessly attacked Mr. Adler and Dr. Tolvanos in the Observation Room, creating confusion which allowed that thing to rupture its cell. This is your fault! And when this is over, I ensure that you will be held in judgment before a military court!”

  “I hope that I live to see it,” Chesterton replied. He took another sip from the canteen, wearily lifting a hand to massage his burned neck. “Ah, yeah, those painkillers are kicking in. Just like old times.”

  For the past half-hour they had been recovering, eating military Meals Ready to Eat, or MREs, and drinking gallons of water. They had also taken numerous painkillers, and whatever ammo remained had been evenly distributed, with Barley counting out twenty grenades to a man.

  Also, each soldier retained an LAW rocket, a devastating antitank weapon that could be fired like a bazooka. At close range an LAW would disintegrate a small building. No one had yet fired one at Leviathan.

  Five soldiers, including Barley, remained alive. And there were approximately forty science personnel, with Tolvanos team and Frank’s team combined. Blake’s two MPs in the Observation Room were listed among the endless dead.

  Connor wasn’t trying to pay attention, but he noticed that the argument at the Housing Complex was heating up. He leaned his head back, staring across the cavern into a darkened doorway, where he knew Beth was quietly working on a terminal. His fatigue seemed endless, depthless, as if this cavern was the only place he had ever been, the only place he had ever known. He couldn’t even remember yesterday. Today there had been only darkness.

  Blake’s livid voice carried across the room.

  “No! For the final time, Chesterton, I will not give you the satellite encryption so that you can call for a rescue! The encryption is one of the NSA’s most closely guarded state secrets and I will not allow you to broadcast a universal NSA distress call on an unauthorized satellite simply to evacuate this island! You are overstressed, Colonel! If you are incapable of command then you should allow me to take over! I don’t think I can possibly do any worse!”

  Frowning, Adler also attacked Chesterton. “Colonel Chesterton, you are being unreasonable. You have been relieved of duty by the Pentagon. And although I have nothing against you personally, it would clearly be a disloyal act against my country to give you the code. Not until I am assured that either Leviathan or this cavern will be harmed. That is a priority.”

  “Yes,” added Tolvanos, staring. “Preserving the life of the Dragon and the computer itself is a grave necessity, Colonel Chesterton. That is why we must disarm the nuclear fail-safe before we depart the cavern.”

  Chesterton squinted, focusing on the Russian.

  Tolvanos continued, “Yes, Colonel Chesterton. Mr. Adler has informed me about the nuclear fail-safe. And be assured I have the necessary security clearance. It is part of my duty to know everything because I am now officially in charge of this experiment.” He paused. “Please recognize, Colonel, that Leviathan and the computer have incalculable value. They must both be preserved.”

  “Boys,” Chesterton began, “I don’t think you clearly grasp this situation.” He waited a moment. “That thing is trying to kill us. If it attempts to escape through Crystal Lake, there’s not a whole lot we can do to stop it. And none of us are going to live to talk about it, either. We’re going to be crispy-fried. So the best thing we can do is get off this island before that thing goes into that lake and makes this island go boom.”

  Adler was unmoved. “Colonel Chesterton, I believe that the creature might escape by entering Crystal Lake, yes. But the nuclear fail-safe must be disarmed or we will lose this billion-dollar facility and the computer. And the computer holds the secrets for how to duplicate this process! The loss of one creature is not of monumental importance to me. It is the price of success. But you must order Frank to disarm the fail-safe.”

  Chesterton leaned back. “Well, I appreciate your lack of cooperation, Mr. Adler. But I’m not going to order Frank to defuse the fail-safe just yet. ‘Cause if that thing tries to swim out I’m gonna vaporize it anyway I can. Or bury it down here.” He nodded. “That’s a vow. A solemn vow. And then I’ll see all of you in a civilian court or a military court or in an alley or wherever you want to meet. It doesn’t make much difference to me. That is ... if we survive.” He turned his head sharply, in command. “Frank! Get over here!”

  Glancing up, the scientist rose to his feet. And then Connor was also moving forward, intent to have a say in whatever was about to happen, Thor steadfastly beside him. Together they convened at the steps with Chesterton in the middle, holding forth like a king.

  “Well, gentlemen, I think—”

  “I think,” Adler interrupted sternly, “that these men – ” He gestured to Connor and Thor, “ – should take their seats elsewhere until we sort this out.”

  “Don’t make me hurt you, Adler,” Connor said wearily. “I’m not in the mood.”

  Chesterton smiled broadly as Adler straightened, turning toward Connor with an imperial air. “Now understand this, Mr. Connor. I ultimately own this facility. That means you work for me. So if I want you to be in on this meeting, I will tell you. If not, then I expect you to do as you’re told. Now, please go and console your family while we proceed.”

  A measured pause and Connor turned to the older man. “Adler, I want you to know something,” he said quietly. “If we make it out of here, you and I are going to have a serious meeting of minds.”

  Adler stared, seeming suddenly to enjoy the conflict.r />
  “Is that a threat, Mr. Connor?”

  “You should take it like that.”

  “I look forward to it,” the older man responded.

  “All right,” Chesterton broke in. “First things first. Listen up, Frank. I want to know why that thing hasn’t followed us into the Housing Cavern. Why hasn’t it knocked down all those vaults by now?”

  “Connor injured it,” the scientist replied, studious. “After Leviathan was hit by the charge it went into a self-diagnostic mode. It realized that it was structurally compromised and it knew it needed time to heal.”

  “What do you mean, it realized it was hurt?” Chesterton answered, scowling. “Couldn’t it feel that it was hurt? I mean, it had a broken leg.”

  “No. Leviathan doesn’t feel pain like we feel pain,” Frank answered, eyes zoning to recall the data. “If Leviathan perceives injury it does a visual and neural self-diagnosis of electric—”

  “All right, Frank, all right.” Chesterton raised a hand. “I’ve had enough of that stuff. I get the point. It doesn’t feel pain. I don’t care why. I’m too tired to care why.” He took a deep breath. “In any case you’re saying that it hasn’t attacked because it’s healing. That’s good because it means we’ve got plenty of time to regroup and get out of this cavern.” He waited, concentrated. “Do you think its hurt bad enough to try for the lake?”

  “No,” Frank replied. “It’s stronger than that. It won’t try for the lake until it’s dying.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’m sure, Chesterton.”

  “All right, Frank, how much longer before it attacks us? A couple of days, maybe?”

  “An hour or two.”

  Chesterton passed a hand over his face. He seemed to have expected it. “All right, Frank, let me explain this one for you, just to give you some relief. You’ve molecularly altered this thing so that it heals up real, real fast, right? Heals almost instantly from any kind of wound?”