Chapter 10 - THE LAST ALPHA
Maya fired a flare into the Queen’s face.
The monster recoiled.
The Alpha broke free.
“GO!” Ethan shouted.
Voss raced toward the surface with Maya.
Their plan was insane.
Which meant it was their only plan.
They would connect every available power source to the eighth pillar.
Then use the Heart as a regulator.
If the ancient system accepted artificial energy, they could close the prison without sacrificing anyone.
If it didn’t—
Everyone died.
Simple.
Ethan stayed beside Richard.
“Can you move?”
“With dignity?”
“No.”
“Then yes.”
Ethan pulled him onto his shoulders.
The newborn dragons followed.
Three had hatched.
Four eggs remained.
The Alpha fought backward toward them, refusing to abandon its nest.
A black creature climbed onto Ethan’s back.
Richard stabbed it with a broken ice tool.
“Still useful,” he muttered.
Ethan almost laughed.
They reached the upper tunnel.
Outside, Maya was already ripping cables from generators.
“Blue to blue!” Voss shouted.
“They’re all black!”
“Then guess!”
“Great engineering!”
Helix survivors worked beside expedition members.
Nobody cared about company loyalty anymore.
The mountain was collapsing.
They dragged equipment into the cavern.
Ethan connected the first power unit.
Nothing.
Second.
Nothing.
Third.
The pillar flickered.
“Yes!”
Maya yelled, “We need more!”
Voss looked at the helicopter.
“No.”
Ethan followed her gaze.
“Oh, yes.”
“That aircraft cost eighteen million dollars.”
Maya stared at the giant alien Queen behind them.
“Send Helix an invoice.”
They stripped the helicopter batteries.
The eighth pillar lit brighter.
Still not enough.
The Queen slammed the Alpha into the cavern wall.
The dragon fell.
It tried to stand.
Couldn’t.
Its blue eyes found Ethan.
The newborn in his arms cried.
The Alpha answered softly.
Ethan’s chest tightened.
It was saying goodbye.
“No.”
The Queen approached.
The Alpha dragged itself forward.
One broken wing hung behind it.
It positioned itself between the Queen and its babies.
Richard whispered, “That’s what guardians do.”
Ethan looked at his father.
“No more guardians dying.”
He dropped the cable.
“Keep working.”
“Where are you going?”
“To help it.”
Maya grabbed his arm.
“With what?”
Ethan pointed toward the drilling rig.
The machine used a high-temperature plasma cutter.
Maya smiled.
“Oh.”
Together, they turned it toward the Queen.
Voss saw them.
“You’ll rupture the cavern.”
“Probably.”
“That’s your plan?”
“No.”
Ethan powered the cutter.
“This is the part where we improvise.”
A column of white-hot plasma hit the Queen.
For the first time, the creature screamed.
The Alpha raised its head.
Then the Queen’s tail swung through the drill.
The machine exploded.
Ethan flew backward.
His ears rang.
Through blurred vision, he saw the Queen standing over him.
Its mouth opened.
May you like
Then the Alpha Dragon rose behind it.
And bit down on its neck.
