The Leviathan

The Leviathan.

My eyes widened in fear as I saw it through the large window of my station, Valhalla. I drifted across, closer to the glass, using rails and bars to pull and propel myself through zero gravity. Earth had no hope, not against that… THING. With the sun shining and illuminating the curvature of the earth, it slithered. Four long limbs pierced the crust as it anchored itself to the planet. What little breath remained in my lungs flooded out in a gasp as chunks of the blue marble’s crust, of my planet’s crust, were ripped up and out into orbit. It ate them like crumbs on its plate, picking and choosing between them.

I saw its tail, slithering around the planet menacingly. Those four piercing limbs penetrated so deeply into the crust that they were effecting the deepest layer of crust, causing mass earthquakes.  This was simply it’s food, a source of energy. The closest thing I could relate it to in my mind was Jormungand, of Norse mythology, but instead of its own tail, it feasted upon the world. It’s snake like fangs shine brightly under the solar rays as it bore them, sinking them into the tectonic plates lining the earth and ripping them out and into it’s throat. It swallowed it down in one go. Half of Russia, in mere seconds the Leviathan had eaten half of Russia, along with sixty million lives. I turned away, I had to relay to mother base on Mars, I had to warn them, but before I could go, a bright flash burst into the room. I turned back to face the Leviathan. Two nukes, the USA, two pulses of massive energy ripped through the beast. It flinched, a scratch across one of its scales. It roared, or at least I think it did. There is no sound in space. It ripped into its meal with renewed vigour, anger evident in its bites, a call came through the comms.

“M-Mr President?” I asked, after hearing his voice.

“Fire… Fire Thor.”

“U-understood Mr President.”

I rushed through the station, grabbed my EVA suit and made my way to the hatch, grabbing my tether along the way. As I twisted the value on the airlock, I sucked in a breath, and took a step forward. This would be the most important and perilous part of my career. The air lock closed, and I attached myself to the rail on the wall. The airlock opened, and I was ejected into the void. I floated a few metres, spinning and twisting above the big blue marks, before my tether yanked me back into reality. I looked over the horizon once more at the scaley beast. It’s eyes glowed a sunset orange as it moved its head. Orange energy burned in its throat, a burning fire of fusion that roared in silence. I crawled over my cylindrical station, my tether following me as I pushed toward the Thor super weapon. A gauss cannon with more power than all the nukes in the world. There was a reason the USA had not signed the Geneva conventions.

I climbed into the supermassive weapon, and say on the control terminal, slowly turning the beast toward the leviathan, and powering up the magnetic could. A steel bolt loaded into the chamber; the warhead sitting snugly on the front.

“With love from America.” I said, before slamming my fist on the fire button.

The bolt fired out of the cannon with tremendous force, blasting toward the creature. The explosion that followed shattered one of the creature’s many scales, allowing the bolt to pierce to monster’s tough skin. If sound could travel through an airless vacuum, I would be able to hear the monster’s shrill cry. I could imagine the flood of noise entering my ears as the creature wailed in silent pain. I watched as it reserved up on the planet, the impact shocking it’s muscles into spasm. I had an idea, not a good one, but an idea. I repositioned Thor, aiming it at the creature’s many limbs. Many in China would die, but I would have to sacrifice the few to save the many. I fired four bolts in sequence, blocking out my own humanity, allowing the instinct of survival to take over.

I knew in that moment that hundreds of thousands of people had just died, due to me.

I think reared again, it’s limbs coming loose. It fell back, flying off from the planet, spinning and twisting through space. I tracked the creature as it attempted to regain its balance, the lack of air resistance meaning its tail movement was useless.

Air blasted out of the vents on its back, pushing its body into alignment and out of its spin. It was using its body heat to propel it through the bleak void, back towards earth. The heat it radiated was immense, being enough to force the gigantic creature forward in a surge of energy. I aimed for the eyes and fired Thor twice more. The bones around the creature’s eye sockets cracked and fractured as the impact hit. One more bolt, I aimed for its roaring mouth, the silent screeching creating a pulsating target.

I squeezed my eyes shut, held my breath, and calmed my nerves. Aiming carefully for its throat, I fired. I saw the shockwave rip through its windpipe.

That didn’t stop it though, it was wounded, in pain, but it hasn’t stopped. It as charging, furious, with a bloodlust that over powered its hunger. I watched it, helpless, as its fangs came closer and closer, until they bore over me and my station.

Only darkness would follow.

At least, that’s what I thought. Until the bolt struck.

It seemed Russia had been keeping secrets too, as its warheads struck the creature’s throat. I saw the flashes of light surrounding me and my station as I travelled further and further into the creature.

As I lost sight of my beloved planet, I felt content, knowing there was still a chance to save it, and that I had done my part. I wasn’t going to be saved, there was no chance in hell for me.

The Leviathan, fed.