Chapter 9 - BETRAYAL
Richard fell.
Ethan screamed.
Maya shot Shaw through the shoulder.
Voss kicked the pistol from his hand.
“You stupid bastard!”
Shaw laughed through the pain.
“You think Helix is leaving without that crystal?”
He pulled a small device from his vest.
Voss’s face changed.
“Don’t.”
Shaw pressed the button.
Deep below them, explosives detonated.
The glacier jumped.
The nest floor collapsed.
Voss stared at him.
“You planted charges?”
“Orders.”
“Whose?”
“Board of directors.”
The lower chamber split open.
The Heart dropped several feet.
The seal shattered.
A sound rose from beneath them.
Not a roar.
A voice.
Thousands of voices speaking at once.
The Alpha Dragon froze.
For the first time, Ethan saw true terror in its eyes.
Then the Queen emerged.
Its head alone was larger than the dragon.
Black armor covered its skull.
Six pale eyes opened one after another.
Its mouth unfolded into four separate jaws.
Maya whispered, “We are so screwed.”
The Alpha attacked.
Fire-blue frost exploded across the Queen’s face.
The creature barely reacted.
One claw struck the dragon.
The Alpha flew across the cavern and crashed through a pillar.
Another egg broke.
Ethan heard a tiny cry.
A second baby dragon emerged.
Then a third egg cracked.
Richard coughed.
Ethan crawled to him.
“Stay with me.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
“The pillar.”
“I’m not putting you in that thing.”
Richard smiled weakly.
“Still stubborn.”
“You taught me.”
“That I did.”
Voss knelt beside them.
“His lung is filling with blood.”
Ethan glared at her.
“Help him.”
“There’s nothing I can do here.”
Richard grabbed Ethan’s jacket.
“Listen.”
“No.”
“Listen to me.”
Ethan stopped.
“The system was built on sacrifice because they didn’t know another way.”
Richard coughed blood.
“But you do.”
“What?”
“You’re not an ancient priest.”
Richard pointed toward Ethan’s field pack.
“You’re a scientist.”
Ethan stared at him.
Then at the Heart.
Energy.
Bioelectric transfer.
Eight pillars.
A closed circuit.
“What if we split the load?”
Richard’s eyes brightened.
“Across multiple organisms.”
“Or multiple power sources.”
Voss understood.
“Our generators.”
Maya looked toward base camp.
“Those won’t produce enough power.”
“No,” Ethan said.
“But Helix’s helicopter batteries might.”
Voss nodded.
“Plus the thermal drilling units.”
Richard smiled.
“There you go.”
Ethan squeezed his hand.
“We can do this.”
Richard looked toward the dragon.
“Then hurry.”
May you like
Behind them, the Queen grabbed the Alpha by the throat.
And began pulling its head toward its open jaws.
