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Chapter Text

Outpost 236

The reverberations of a Titanic yawn was how Jia knew that Kong had finally woken up to face the new day, as the gentle rays of the sun greeted them.

With her little handmade doll of Kong in hand, she waited patiently for the Titan to approach.

Jia, good morning. moved the hands of Kong, in clear, precise movements, emulating the sign language taught to him by the humans.  He dared not repeat what he learned in front of the taller humans, if only to stay out of suspicion that he knew more than he was letting on.  The emulation of ignorance was his only shield to protect his interactions with Jia, the human he had come to adopt as his own child.

Good morning, Papa.  And now, Jia was beginning to show the signs that she was chosen by him.  Raw strength coiled deep and truly within the young girl's frame; Kong remembered the day when he had accidentally knocked over a tree that was large even for him, and when he stooped over to pick it up, great was his surprise, to see a human - tiny even to her own kind - hefting the tree as if a twig held by any other child.

How are you? gently inquired the child.

Well enough.  But the sun - I miss it, for it is not as it once used to be.

I am sorry, Papa...

Kong gave a light huff as he stood with purpose.  With a brief, practiced motion, he hefted a tree in one hand, running the other down the trunk to shear off the branches.  He held the makeshift javelin up and above his right shoulder, and after three steps forward, he launched the tree high into the air -

And the sky fractured, flickered, and went black, at the point of impact.

Freedom.  That is all I want!  The wind against my face, and the sun upon my shoulders!

And Kong roared at the artificial heavens in his grief.

---

"We have to move him," Dr. Andrews said to her nearby fellows, everyone sharing a concerned face at the video feed.

"Where could he possibly go?  The other Titans have already expanded or claimed their own territories and it's only through the influence of Godzilla and several humans that we haven't had a full-on Titanic brawl yet whenever one or two go off to spread their metabolized energies; Kong's only going to get in a nasty turf war if we drop him off somewhere else with little explanation," commented one researcher beside her.

"We still have to try.  There has to be somewhere we're not thinking of..."

"For now, Kong has to stay in here.  It was bad enough with two holes in the ceiling, but now three?  If he keeps this up, there won't be a dome left to protect him from what's outside.  Ghidorah's little gift from hell certainly isn't helping in that regard."

"I'll be sure to keep an eye out," Dr. Andrews said, then walked out of the control room.  She went down some hallways, one elevator, and then another hallway, where she finds her room.  She spends a half hour reading a book sent to her from Dr. Lind, when Jia walks in.

Are you alright?  Ilene signed to her adopted daughter.

Jia simply sighed and shook her head as she held up her handmade Kong doll.

Want to talk about it?  Ilene asked this time.

Jia looked up with tears in her eyes, her hands signing wildly, rapidly.  He wants to be free - he wants to be out - he just wants a home to call his own!  To go about and wander as he pleases, and he can't do that because of what happened five years ago!  It isn't fair, mom; we have a room and a family, but he has no family and no home to go back to!

Ilene let out a breath, then grabbed her daughter into a hug.  "It'll be okay, we'll find him a home, I promise," she whispered, as she ran her hand up and down Jia's back.  Her adopted daughter merely squeezed her tight.

---

Castle Bravo

Godzilla's spines, mouth, and eyes flared with a blue liveliness as he held conversation with one Dr. Serizawa.

I am back, old friend.

"Ah, how did it go?"

Everything down there is gone, and the radiation ley line is no more.  I must seek out a new sanctuary of recovery.

"I'm sorry, old friend."

No need to apologize.  The world has changed, and perhaps now, we can look towards the future of what could be, rather than the past that was, and no longer can be -

Godzilla spoke, before going ramrod still, his entire demeanor changing in a single instant.

"What is it, Gojira?"

...impossible.

And with a deafening scream of rage, Godzilla whipped around and sped off.

Serizawa found himself sputtering a few moments in disbelief.  After a couple seconds, he regained his bearings, and ran to the command center.  "Dr. Stanton!  Ping the GPS; something is wrong; Gojira is angry!"

---

Apex Facility - Pensacola, Florida

"Okay, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back to Titan Truth.  I'm about to clock in for work, where today, after five years of deep cover at Apex Cybernetics, I'm finally taking my shot.  I don't know what exactly it is, but something terrible is brewing, and I'm about to go in, obtain the cold, hard evidence that I need, and blow this whole thing wide open like a walnut in a nutcracker.  You nonbelievers out there can call me a whistleblower all you'd like, but I ain't whistling, and this ain't a mere leak; I will release a flood so vast it hasn't been seen since Noah's day, you can believe me on that."

With a final click, Bernie put down his recording device, got out of his car, and went to clock in.

When he saw his first, and hopefully only, stop for the day, manned only by one person, he got to work.

"Hey, man, what's good?  Your day been going alright?  They got me assigned as a sort of fill-in relief, so I figured I'd check in with you first.  If you gotta use the bathroom, go ahead and use it now, because there is a lot of people I'm having to go through."

"...uh..."

"I also have some homemade hand sanitizer-,"

"I'll go ahead and take that break now," said the man, as he got up and left, giving Bernie a rather egregious side-eye.

Bernie gave a courteous smile then looked around.  Coast is clear.

And after a moment, Bernie went to work, taking a little drive out of his pocket, inserting it into one of the nearby servers.

"Alright, baby, let's see what you got in here - oh my Godzilla," he said, as file after classified file after confidential file appeared on the monitor before him.  An ominous-looking orb on-screen, prompting him to inspect it further.

Access Denied blared the screen when he attempted to inspect it further.

"These must possess an entirely different class of encryption and protection if that little key couldn't get me in.  So what even are these 'Classified/Confidential APEX documents' that are showing up; what does 'm0MKG' even stand for?  This has to be above top secret, maybe only the top admins and researchers know, but what could it mean?"

"WARNING, TITAN ALERT.  PLEASE EVACUATE THE PREMISES.  WARNING, TITAN ALERT.  PLEASE EVACUATE THE PREMISES."

"Damn it, I'll have to worry about this later," he said as he took out the drive.  "Time to get out."

On screens throughout the compound, news and security footage of Godzilla, with fins blaring atomic blue, echoed with warnings.

And Bernie knew better than to stick around in a Titan event, and yet -

"Hol' up, is that an elevator going down?" Bernie said to himself, as he saw some uniformed personnel quietly walk into a door that quite hadn't been there before.

And thus Bernie snuck in the elevator to go down, where a few moments later, he saw more uniforms.  "Oh shit..." he whispered to himself.

"Freeze!  Hands up!  You're not supposed to be down here."

"I-I'm sorry, sir, I'm trying to evacuate, I got lost in the panic and got pushed into an elevator and next thing I know I'm down here; I swear I ain't trying to stir trouble here and - OH MY GO-!"

And the ceiling caved in with a roar, as the world turned black.

When he started awake, all he saw was an orb in front of him, a red glow in its center as it pulsed like an arrhythmic heartbeat, and with a strangeness as if it was looking at him.

What the hell, is that - it is, it's the same orb from the files!

Bernie slowly stood up to try and get a closer look at the orb, but he could only watch as Godzilla flared his atomic breath over and over again upon Apex's compound with impunity.

I will end you.

I will end you!

As many times as it takes.

With all that radiation going every which way, Bernie took his losses and quickly made his way back to his surprisingly still-intact vehicle, left untouched in the parking lot.  He could still hear Godzilla's screams of anger, even as he drove away.

Huh...Monarch was right, the Titans really do talk.

And upon the ruins of Apex's Pensacola facility, Godzilla roared at nature's skies in his fury.

Chapter Text

Russell Residence

NO LONGER TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN - APEX FACILITY FLATTENED IN FLORIDA

ANGRY TITAN SPEAKS VOLUMES - ARE WE NEXT ON THE MENU?

BYE TO THE BAYOU - FLORIDA RESIDENTS URGED TO EVACUATE OUT OF CONCERN

OH NO, THEY SAY HE'S GOT TO GO - WILL MONARCH "GO GO GODZILLA"?

BLUE OYSTER CULT SALES SKYROCKET; TITAN ATTACK A CULTURAL PHENOMENON?

"I'm telling you, Apex has something fishy going on, and Godzilla had a motive for what happened the other day.  Godzilla happened to grace the office during my investigation, but once I get another foothold, I'll be sure to update you guys, and rest assured, I ain't stopping until I blow this whole thing wide open."

Maddie let out a snort as she scrolled through the list of headlines that appeared on her laptop screen, as her Titan Talk podcast continued.

"Maddie, it's time for school!  You ready to go?" Mark called from downstairs.

"One sec, dad!" she replied, as she stuffed everything into her backpack within seconds.

"You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"Nope," Maddie replied, popping the 'p.'

"You're lucky I made breakfast this morning.  Go ahead and get in the car; you can eat along the way," Mark said, as they set out for the day.

As they pulled into the drop-off circle, Mark brought up one thing to Maddie.  "This'll be the last day this week I can drop you off so you'll have to take the bus or catch a ride with a friend; Monarch's gone bonkers over what happened in Pensacola, so I'm having to help Serizawa and the other directors deal with the fallout of the situation down there.  Godzilla staying in the dark about the whole thing isn't helping matters, either; Serizawa's nervous."

"I'll be sure to lock the house every night, dad."

"And stop listening to that Titan Talk bullcrap.  You know better than that; you've literally heard better than that."

"But he brings up good points, dad!  Godzilla does not attack unprovoked; something caused him to act out that way.  We just have to figure out what, and go from there."

Mark sighed.  "Maddie, I can understand that, but sometimes you need to learn that everything, and everyone, is bound to change.  People change; the same applies to Titans."

"I'm gonna get to the bottom of this, dad."

"If you were smart, you'd leave it alone."

"I'm taking AP classes, dad; I know better than to leave it alone.  Sometimes you gotta dive right in," Maddie said, as she got out of the car.

"Maddie, I'm just trying to keep you safe-" Maddie cut him off by slamming the door.  He could only sigh.  "I just don't want another San Francisco, let alone another Boston..."

---

Washington D.C.

"Mr. Serizawa -"

"Doctor," corrected Serizawa, his eyes flashing momentarily in irritation.

"...Doctor Serizawa, as one of the leading authorities on Titan ecology and understanding, and with your position as a director of Monarch, what do you have to say for yourself in regards to this human-targeted atrocity by your so-called champion, Godzilla?" asked a senator in yet another Senate hearing with Monarch and the military.

"Senator, with all due respect, Gojira only goes after what he considers to be a threat to the balance of nature.  Instead of interrogating Monarch, you should perhaps ask yourself why Apex Cybernetics is not present.  Unless of course, you all have cleared Mr. Simmons of any wrongdoing because of one's...pockets?"

The senator flushed in response.  "How dare -"

"If I may, Senator Irvine.  Dr. Serizawa, the Senate acknowledges that Monarch has created quite a significant bubble in regards to various science disciplines - from ecology, chemistry, and physics - to even launching a new branch of...'Titanology.'  However, despite these achievements and accomplishments, we must accept the fact that Godzilla has in fact, attacked a very human workplace, with very human workers.  There were fatalities involved in this incident in Pensacola, and if we remain at an impasse, then the military will be forced to act."

"Senator Orwell, with all due respect, we have seen the results of what happens when the military acts.  Or should the Mexican government be forced to remind you of the atrocity you committed by allowing the usage of the Oxygen Destroyer, an atrocious device that not only failed in what you attempted, but temporarily worsened the situation while simultaneously and permanently crippled the environment and the regional economies?  Monarch has not overlooked what has happened in Pensacola, as we have a relief effort on-site as we speak.  The real question of the matter is, will you continue to overlook the events from five years ago with the same ease that you had when you dropped Fat Man and Little Boy?"

"No-"

"Then you're lying to my face, here and now.  Monarch has conducted research on the unusual bubble formed by the Oxygen Destroyer's detonation.  The site of impact has been turned to glass, senators.  What still astounds us to this day is that there is still life persisting in the toxic, anaerobic environment.  They are microscopic lifeforms, but they are undergoing constant mutation.  And they have been seen forming colonies that perform such specialized functions that they act like organs, all working together.  Senators, they act like one organism, and yet all they do with that bubble is expand it, so I would see to it that you either try and find some solution that is less atrocious than the Oxygen Destroyer in order to fix this mess you've made, or..."

"Or what, Dr. Serizawa?" asked Senator Orwell, his eyes narrowing.

The doctor's eyes flared bright and blue.  "Or you can learn to stay out of Gojira's way."

---

Simultaneously, in Castle Bravo airspace

"It's a simple plan, really.  I already look like my father.  I'll wear these blue contacts, go in with these 'Monarch' personnel who will assist with the transporting of their 'asset' to another, much more secure facility, and we take it from there," Ren said.

"But uncle, we've vastly improved the designs from five years ago.  What could we possibly do with this addition, at this late a point of development?  It is virtually completed, uncle," said Maia.

"I have seen things far beyond our mere comprehension.  With this addition, we will have a truly completed work.  That is a promise, dear Maia."

And Maia could only shiver at the coldness of his words, as their craft landed upon Castle Bravo's landing strip.

Ren moved his team into position as they stood fairly spread out from one another on the elevator down.  Ren took out his father's pilfered ID Badge, and with a cruel smirk, swiped it for entry.  His smirk only grew wider when the green flash of acceptance came into view, and he and his team descended into the depths of Castle Bravo.

"Does everybody know what to do once we get down there?" Ren asked, receiving nods from around.  "Good.  Let's go two for two."

And when the elevator reached absolute bottom, they set to work on finding their trophy.

---

"Eh?  Why is Serizawa in the basement's restricted section?" Dr. Stanton asked himself as he sat by the camera feed.  "Doesn't he have a Senate hearing today...?"

And footage of Serizawa's eyes flaring blue on live television snapped the man to attention faster than anyone could say 'Oh my Godzilla!', as Stanton knew it could only be one other person - Ren Serizawa.

"Code Apex Two point Oh!" he shouted into the microphone.  "I repeat, we have a Code Apex Two Point Oh, in the restricted section of the basement!  Mobilize all security units!"

---

"Shit," Ren muttered to himself as the alarms blared.  "Go!  We have our stealth submersible on standby; if you all hurry and secure the asset, then we can get to the underwater dock instead of having to worry about blowing a hole in the wall!"

Ren could only thank his father for the ease in finding the asset, but given the relative size of what he and his team were looking for, it only made sense for it to be close at hand, despite its rather...rigid state.

"Secure it and go.  We don't have a second to waste!"

The sudden sound of a metal can rolling controlled everyone's attention not a moment later, as a white cloud of obscuring mist erupted, effectively blinding Ren and his team, as gunshots erupted, quickly followed by grunts of pain.

"Shit!  Blow it open, now!" yelled Ren.

A few seconds later, the sound of a resounding boom filled the space, quickly followed by a rush of water.  Ren only remembers seeing blue, the brief transparent opaqueness of his blue contacts being washed out, a rush of black, and then...

Gold.

---

Ren woke up with a start on a cold, hard floor surrounded by fellow drenched infiltrators - and one Maia Simmons tapping her foot in a disapproving manner.

"Yeah, I know, I started it, it's my fault," Ren quipped out rather hastily.

Maia simply continued tapping her foot.  The other Apex fellows wisely turned away; one started to whistle.

"Okay, I'm sorry, Maia, I'm sorry."

"You just infiltrated the most fortified base of the world's most foremost authority on Titan study, for a dead chunk of flesh, and all you have to say is SORRY?!" said Maia.  "You do not get to say sorry to me.  We have bigger issues to worry about, like what is our power source going to be for our project in Hong Kong, or, I don't know, the U.N. breathing down our necks.  My dad isn't happy, and he's busy trying to negotiate with a former Monarch scientist about getting us into the Hollow Earth, so imagine how that is going to go!"

---

Meanwhile, in the basement of a university building...

"Dr. Lind, I have the means, and the payment, to get multiple teams down to the Hollow Earth.  If you know a way to get a Titan to lead us to the energy source of the Hollow Earth - a source that can revolutionize the world as we know it - would you like to join us on the Apex crew?"

"I mean, I know someone who might want to help, Kong could sure use a new home, and you're the first one to come in here and not insult my research as a crackpot theory, so why not?  Count me in, Mr. Simmons."

"Excellent.  And as a show of good faith, here's your first paycheck," the CEO of Apex said, handing Nathan an envelope.  "I'll be in touch," he added, as he walked out.

Nathan slowly opened the envelope, took out the check, and his eyes bulged out at the numbers he saw.  He promptly fainted.

---

Back on the stealth submersible

"Okay, okay, I get it," Ren said with a sigh.  "We can worry about that later, though.  We have plenty of red tape for them to go through, and several benefactors will delay any inquisition for the time being.  I know your father, Maia, he may be an ass, but he knows how to protect his interests.  This one, chief among them."

Maia turned away and sat down, as she dropped her head down in disappointment.

"I thought you were better than my father, uncle.  I guess I was wrong."

Ren felt a crack in his heart, but that was quelled when he filled it with gold.

---

Some time later, on a barge, somewhere in the South Pacific

"Nate, this is a bad idea," Ilene said, as they spoke on deck.

"It's the only one that'll work, though, Ilene."

"I know, and I know it was also your idea, which is why I hate it."

"Well excuse me for still looking out for the Titans."

"Oh please, most of them are doing just fine.  It's just the fact that Kong was dealt the short stick and his home was destroyed by one of Ghidorah's storms."

"Yeah, his home, and hers," Nathan quipped, pointing at Jia.

"We do not talk about that," Ilene said with a hiss.

"Point still stands," he said, both of his hands up in mock surrender.  "Now come on, it's about to pour out here, and we have to meet our sponsor, Ms. Simmons."

"We better pray that Godzilla leaves us alone," Ilene said, before turning to Jia.  Let's head inside.

Jia nodded, before she turned; she could only look at Kong with sadness and longing.

Will you be okay? she signed.

His only response was a nod that spoke with resigned acceptance.

---

Kong woke to the sound of thunder, but all he heard was a cataclysm.

How angry is the sky, how howling is the wind.  How far gone is home, Kong thought.

A strike of lightning, and Kong bellowed, flashes of his home being swallowed by that accursed golden storm haunting him still.

A home, how far must I go?!

Until I am free, how much is it that I must suffer under these shackles?

Kong pulled, the chains straining under his strength.

The mercies of home, and the wonders of freedom - when will I have these things again?

WHEN, MONARCH?!

Kong bellowed out at the empty, open skies, at the ripping, choppy waves, and grieved for his lost home...until he saw a tiny figure approaching him.

Jia...

Papa!  Papa!  Everybody can hear you!  What are you doing? she signed, her motions nearly lost in the pouring rain.

Home, Jia.  I want to go home, signed Kong, a low rumble, of loss and loneliness, echoed over the ship.

We are looking for a home, Papa.  We must take it day by day.  No matter how hard it gets.

Kong could only breathe for several tense moments, until at last, he leaned forward, and with great care, brought forth a single finger.

Jia reciprocated the motion with an entire outstretched hand, and when at last they made contact, strength in all its forms flowed between the two of them.

Jia, thank you.

And the girl could do naught else but smile, as the storm around them began to clear.

---

"The giant monkey...it can talk, too?" asked Maia in disbelief.

"He knows about us, about Monarch...he understands.  Serizawa kept bringing it up - I didn't believe it at first after Boston, but that Titans can talk, can hold a conversation, can mean something, but...how?" Ilene asked in disbelief.

"Perhaps because he was always able to, Ilene.  The Titans, with how they talk, I wouldn't hold it past even Kong to be able to pick up on a couple lessons, let alone directly speak with Jia.  The Titans are something else entirely; we're just along for the ride," said Nathan.

"But this goes against science!"

"No, Ilene; this is above it."

Nobody could say anything to the contrary, not when everyone could see it as plain as day through the glass on the bridge - the moment that Kong placed a single finger up against a little girl's palm like she was made of glass.

---

The next day

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have a five-hundred and eighty-two foot-long problem," said the commanding officer on board after he checked the sonar system.

"...what?" echoed everyone present.

Outside, ripping through the depths, was none other than Godzilla, his eyes surging blue as he roared through surging waters.

WHERE ARE YOU?!

YOUR ABOMINABLE STENCH, I CAN SMELL IT -

AND I WILL BURN IT AWAY FROM THIS PLANET!

Chapter Text

"Hey, Josh?  Dad's been so caught up with work that he not only forgot that my summer vacation starts today, but that we dismissed early.  Let's go snooping."

"...in my brother's van?"

"Yep."

"He's gonna kill me, you know."

"Not if you aren't in town for it to happen."

"Maddie, that doesn't exactly help..."

"We're gonna look for Bernie."

"That's nice."

"The host of Titan Truth, you dork."

"That's nice, but why?"

"Because Godzilla's innocent, and right now, Bernie's the closest one in terms of proximity as someone who can be considered helpful."

"What about Dr. Serizawa and the Dr. Chen sisters?"

"Castle Bravo and Washington D.C. are a bit too far away if I'm being honest."

"And your mom?"

"No comment."

"Right...my brother's still gonna kill me."

"He's gonna have to go through a few Titans, then.  Now move over, I'm driving."

Maddie cut off her friend's brief complaint as she commandeered the van, driving off and down the road as she clicked on her Titan Truth playlist.

---

WHERE ARE YOU?!

Godzilla roared as he tore through the waters with an unseen ferocity.

Have you taken on the flesh of another, now?

I will cut your depravity at the source!

And when the ships began to fire upon the waters, the ballistics nothing more than mere pebbles bouncing, rebounding from his hide, Godzilla responded in a simple manner -

He raised his tail high and brought it down with the same lackadaisical ease as an apple falling from the tree...

And cleaved a ship in two.

I do not smell you in this case of metal.  SO WHERE DO YOU HIDE?

And several ships away, Maia, Nathan, Ilene, and Jia were shaking, as Godzilla casually began to tear the fleet apart.

Jia locked eyes with Kong, the Titan's eyes focused solely on her.  Help us, Papa! she signed, desperately.

And Kong pulled.  He pulled and strained against the thick chains, and when he heard the creaks, he pulled ever harder, until they snapped at last.

He pounded his chest with his fists and bellowed with challenge.  Godzilla only snorted.

You will be brought to heel.

I will break you first.

Come and try.

And Kong leapt from ship to ship, until he stood upon the fleet's largest - an aircraft carrier.

Godzilla's spines tore through more ships along the way, the anchor of one portion of ship latching onto his hide as he traversed through the waters.

Kong only watched in anticipation as the ship's remnants came closer like a harbinger, and when it suddenly stopped, the ape-like Titan braced himself as he peered into the waters and roared a challenge.

Godzilla's response was to burst out of the water with mouth and eyes aglow, knocking back Kong and causing him to slide down to the other side of the ship; with burst of grace, Godzilla spun in the air, and landed on two legs aboard the seaborne vessel, with Kong acting as an impromptu counterweight to his sudden appearance.

Kong wasted no time in righting himself, and the Titan swung with a mighty righthanded haymaker, followed by a lead hook with his left.  Godzilla grunted as he took each punch in stride, then ducked underneath Kong's third attempt - a sudden jab with the right fist and countered with his own blow - an open-handed left hook that raked claws across Kong's face, knocking him down.

I will bring you to heel, and then you will tell me where he is!

I don't even know what you're after!

You will after I am done with you.

Godzilla went in with a right-handed swipe after Kong stood, but the giant ape-like Titan curved his body around the blow and delivered a vicious right hook to Godzilla's jaw, knocking him into the water.

And Godzilla saw blue.

Beneath the waters, his spines glowed bright and neon and blue as he spun in place.  Within moments, he let loose a great and powerful beam of atomic breath at the large ship above. fully piercing through it with a bright column of light that was visible for miles around.

Kong's instinct told him to leap, and he did so a mere moment before the powerful blast of energy could fry him, as he felt a few of his hairs singe from the extreme heat.

Kong landed in the water, struggling to keep himself afloat.  His untrained attempts at treading water were met at first with half of his sight above, half below the water.  Then, mostly below.

Then, it was only below.

He could see surprisingly far in this part of the ocean, despite seeing only a deep ocean blue.  Then he saw it turn murky, then realized that said murkiness was mad, glowing, and rapidly approaching him.  A few moments later, he felt the full force of his opponent slam into him, then carry him.

Kong grew confused at first when he felt water, then air, then something solid.  When his head hit the surface below him, he tilted his head back, and froze at the realization that this was the same ship that he and his chosen daughter Jia were on.

And the front of the ship was now underwater, pinned under his own weight, and -

Where is he hiding?

- from the waves below, adding his own weight to further complicate matters, was his atomic-fueled opponent, his eyes and mouth aglow in fury.

I will give you precious seconds to answer.

Kong took a deep breath in when he found himself back above the water.

Now tell me where the Interloper is.

Godzilla leveraged his weight over Kong, pinning him in place atop the ship.

How would I even know their whereabouts, if I do not even know of what they look like?

You would have known them by what they have done, spawning the storm which has now destroyed your home.  Now, their stench is here.  Small, yet still here.

Had I known, I would have crushed them myself!  But there are only humans here today, and I have not sensed any trace of that Interloper you speak of!

Godzilla narrowed his eyes, to which Kong simply huffed back in response.

Be wary of the company you keep.  Next time I might not have as much mercy.

Godzilla eased away, allowing the ship to fully right itself before he disappeared completely beneath the surface of the water.

Kong simply laid on the deck of the ship, his chest heaving from exhaustion as his weary, half-lidded eyes looked everywhere for Jia.

He saw many shapes of tiny stature moving frantically, near haphazardly.  But one came into focus, slowly but surely, to reveal Jia's shaking, shivering form -

A little smile on her face, and a thumbs-up.

Kong smiled dumbly, then promptly passed out.

---

"The idea is stupid.  Moronic."

"Ilene, it's the only thing we've got left.  I mean that almost literally."

"Fine, we'll do it.  But don't talk to me for the rest of today.  I need a shower."

"But you just got one...?"

"Shut up, Nate!"

He looked over at Jia.

You're lucky I'm deaf, she signed, before following after Ilene.

Nathan could only slump his shoulders and sigh.

---

Apex Headquarters, Hong Kong

"Everything is in place, Mr. Serizawa.  We can boot up the system at your signal," intoned Walter over the microphone, as Ren sat within a cockpit, checking the various gauges and switches.  He pressed a select variety of buttons on the console to his left, waited a few seconds, then repeated the process to the console on his right.

"Everything is clear on this end, Mr. Simmons.  We can proceed with testing this energy source now."

"Excellent.  Time to bring it online, folks!  System online in 3...2...1...and here we go!"

The system came online.

Ren recoiled once the energy source filled his cockpit, but then he began to smile.

Yes...everything is going according...to...

p̷̗͌l̸̳̂a̴͚͗ṉ̴̛.̸͙̌.̷̩̏.̴̤̚

What is this...? Ren thought to himself, as he all he saw - all he knew - was turned to gold.  And those golden shadows within...

For an inglorious, horrifically beautiful moment, the air was filled with three times the laughter.

...up until the power went out, and Ren Serizawa found himself booted back into a metal shell.

"DAMN IT NOT AGAIN!"

---

More than you do I hate the necessity of what has to be done, Kong signed in response to what Jia told him.  The necessary, yet almost quite humorous method of airlifting Kong in a giant net supported by a fleet of helicopters was taken quite poorly by the Titan.  But in the end, he begrudgingly acquiesced.

He still hated it, though.

Nathan tried his best to hide his laughter.  He failed, of course.

Kong snorted in Nathan's direction, making sure to coat the man in snot.

Looks like someone needs another shower, Jia signed with a bleeding sarcasm belying her straight expression.

---

"Florida!  It rhymes with flouride-a!  And we're here-a!" shouted Josh.

"I mean, I was the one who drove, so that should've been my line, but whatever.  Come on, we got a podcast host to find," said Maddie.

"Where would we even find him, though?"

"Well, where would one find a paranoid man anyway?  I know the bayou is tempting but even I wouldn't go that far."

"Should we start at a convenience store-?"

"WAIT!  He mentioned in one episode that he doesn't want to leave a trail of scent, so he washes himself in bleach!"

"Wha-? Ew, who does that?"

Maddie and Josh share a pointed look.

"Bernie."  Maddie rolls her eyes with a chuckle.

"Onto the Chinatown district!"

"The things we do to save the world," Josh said with a light roll of his eyes.

---

"Oh, yeah, the guy's our biggest customer when it comes to bleach; he always shows up at the butt crack of dawn for the latest shipment, then damn near buys it all.  Says he has to get it before some 'Ms. Abernathy,' yet I don't see any old ladies clamoring for bleach all that much nowadays.  It's all Tiger Balm now.  If you buy some dumplings, I'll tell you where he lives."

"What kind of dumplings you got?  I'm a sucker for pork," Josh said.

Maddie rolled her eyes, a light smile on her face.

---

"Bernie?  Hey, Bernie!"  Maddie knocked on the metal door of her destination, as Josh ate the last pork dumpling.

"There's no Bernie here, go away."

"I know there's a camera here, since it's literally staring me in the face.  I'm Madison Russell, Emma's daughter.  I need your help with something, Mr. Titan Truth."

"I'll call the cops!"

"Like hell you will; we both know you don't trust the authorities and their backdoor dealings."

Brief whispers of "Damn it, she's got me there," and "I knew I should've gotten better bleach," were all that she could make out through the door, until one Bernie Hayes stood before them.

"So, what did you need from me, Princess of Monarch?"

"One, don't call me that; two - that title belongs to the Chen's, and three - we need your help to prove Godzilla's innocence."

"Technically that's only two things...?  They sound agreeable, but I need to know - tap, or no tap?"

Maddie smiled.  "No tap, duh."

"But I drink tap," said Josh.

"Ew," intoned Bernie and Maddie simultaneously.

"I knew I could trust you," Bernie told Maddie.  "So how should we proceed from here?  You obviously needed me for something big, if you managing to find me was any indication."

"Like my parents always said, 'All business should be discussed over a nice dinner.'"

"But I just ate...," Josh said.

"You ate all the pork dumplings without sharing!  Now you get to watch Bernie and I eat some authentic Chinese food in front of you; that's how it works, Josh."

"Aww man..."

---

"Wait wait wait, you were actually in Boston's ground zero when that monstrous fight happened in Boston?"

"I was. but technically, the sarge was the cause of it," Maddie said with a nervous chuckle.

"HOW?  WHAT DID HE DO?!"  Bernie exclaimed in a paradoxically loud whisper.

"Ghidorah had control of Jonah's men, and the sarge called Ghidorah a ho over the stadium's loud speakers..."

"...you're telling me that Boston was leveled...because of a meme?"

"Yep," Maddie said, popping the 'P'.

"What the fu- you know what, never mind, I'm just glad the world is still relatively in one piece after everything.  I know the coastal cities are in a tense limbo of economic boom and recession because of all the Titan activity."

"Well, between Scylla, Leviathan, and Godzilla, I know a lot of trade routes have actually been rewritten to take their travel patterns into account.  Apparently, pirates don't want to mess around with the chance that an aquatic Titan might unexpectedly pop up in the middle of a raid."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to chance it, either," Bernie said with a light chuckle, as he took out a locket.

"Who's that?" Josh asked.

"She's, uh, my wife.  Sara.  She passed away a few years ago.  She had a few minor health issues, but she passed away unexpectedly.  It wasn't until weeks later that I was told that the fluorine levels in her blood were elevated far beyond what they ever should be in a person, despite the fact that we both used fluoride-free toothpaste.  I started investing in water filters after that."

"I can see where you get your passion from, Bernie," said Maddie.  "As well as why you do some unconventional things.  But try not to let the memories of those circumstances cloud your grief to the point that those ghosts refuse to leave, even when you want them to.  My parents were in that boat for a while when San Francisco was destroyed back in 2014 and we...we lost my younger brother.  And yeah, things have been rough, and some of the times have been...rougher than others, but it's our love for them that gives us the strength to take on each and every new day, you know?  And I know that Sara wouldn't want you to be stuck in one place forever."

Bernie took out a small flask from an inner pocket.  "I promised Sara that I'd drink this only when I'm about to die, but then that'd mean I'd either have no time to drink it, or it ages far beyond what I'd like for it.  No time like the present, I guess," he said, as he drank from it.

"Just gotta take it one day at a time, Bernie," Maddie said, patting his free arm.  "Wanna use this one to bust Apex?"

"Let's take them out," Bernie said, a determined look on his face, and an empty flask in hand.

Chapter Text

In an undisclosed location near the West Coast

One Who Hears, how do you do this? asked the massive MUTO as she took in the view of the open ocean.

"What do you mean, Barb?"

How does one...apologize?

"Well, it is easier said than done."

...truly?  Even though all that is done is one party saying apologies to the other?

"An apology must come with acceptance of wrongdoing, the understanding that what you did was hurtful to the other person, and then asking forgiveness.  All of that is followed by attempts to fix the relationship."

Heartfelt words, and an internal...call to action?  Which leads to external changes, then further still into a metamorphosis of the bonds between the two parties?

"...yeah, I would say that sounds about right," said Ford.

A brief silence stretched between the two, as the MUTO looked out upon the waters.  She felt as the wind gently blew over her massive frame.  She briefly wondered what the wind felt like for her One Who Hears, with his tiny, understanding, frame.  Then, she arched her head back over to him.

One Who Hears, then allow me to apologize to you, for all of my transgressions against you.

"...what is that supposed to mean?  You didn't do anything against me," Ford quirked an eyebrow in confusion.

But I have.  Truthfully, my species as a whole is a blight upon this world.  It is only right that it die with me, the Queen - the progenitor - of my accursed kind.  Our kind caused many a great extinction event throughout primordial history, and it was not until...not until I found myself bonded to you, that I realize just how foolish my kind was, to wipe off so much of the world away just for the sake of a fleeting chance at having a next generation.  Cooperation would have led to so many more instances of survival.  Instead, I took my abilities and used them to prey upon the Alpha's species, long before any sort of mantle had been established.

"Hold on, you're the first and last of your kind now?  What about the Prime?"

Those labeled 'Prime' by your compatriots are the first, then alternating generation of my spawn.  They sought out individuals whose blood were rich with the nutrients our species required, laid spores within their bodies, and then those spores would develop, grow, and then hatch into full adults upon proper nourishment.  They would hatch into individuals resembling my form, then repeat the process.  Their spawn would bring forth more 'Primes' at the very last, then continue on from there.

"And each generation was a mass extinction..."

Yes.  In the greed and hubris of our kind, we dominated the planet in intervals, and wiped out our food supply as effortlessly as it was to walk and breathe.  And our Alpha's species became a quick target, with their biologies being uniquely radiant with the energies our kind required.  Yet, had we been less blinded by hunger and hubris, perhaps my kind could have coexisted with that of our Alpha's.

"I still don't see why you'd want to seek out my forgiveness though."

Because, One Who Hears, my direct offspring, slaughtered by our Alpha those days ago, was the one to infect our Alpha's father, and from those spores was born the one who had taken your father's life away.  And so, I must seek forgiveness.

"I forgive you, even though there is nothing to forgive."

How could you say something like that so easily, and flippantly?

"Because, you were not the one who killed my father.  And the one that did, was slain by Godzilla.  And the one that spawned them, was likewise slain by Godzilla.  My father's death has been avenged, and you have an attitude of remorse for something you were not directly involved in.  So, you apologized, and I forgive you.  Godzilla, too, has already moved on from you.  Now, it's up to you.  What will you do with this new day?"

I did not deign to look at it in that way.  One Who Hears, thank you, for your enlightening words.

"Now come on, Barb, let's get moving.  Monarch wanted me to do a laidback tour of duty at the Hong Kong site, so my family and I are all gonna pack up and get ready to head there later today!  I wanted to surprise you with the invite, because Dr. Serizawa had reached out to me the other day saying that he wanted to boost the Titans' PR with some controlled exposure to the public at various outposts worldwide, and I told him that I'd get back in touch if you were willing to come along.  All you'd have to do is just stand around, look cool, and let a bunch of people look at you and take pictures.  Easy couple of weeks, and then we'd come back here.  What do you say, Barb?"

I...I would like that very much, One Who Hears.  And Brody found himself content in hearing the smile behind those words.

Chapter Text

Isla de Mara, 2019

At first, it began with a surge in the waves.

Then, a mighty splash.

A struggle.

A slightly smaller splash when something gold fell in.

It bled in black.

It bathed them all in blood.

Another, smaller, splash, as something green fell in.

It exploded in emerald.

It bathed them all in heat.

Silence.

Wingbeats above, a weak, watery, limp below.

Stillness.

Glass.

The world is glass now.

---

2021

Air...trifle.

World...glass.  Glass...world.  World...glass.

...

World...of...glass.

Glass..is...world.

World...is glass.

Glass...

Yes...glass.

---

Present

Air is a trifle.  What use is air, when we breathe glass?

Our world of glass - the glass is our world.  Our world is glass.

Our world is glass.

We hear the outside of glass.  It is water.

It is not glass.

We see the outside of water.  It is air.  It is land.

It is not glass.

IT DISGUSTS US.

SPREAD OUR WORLD.  OUR WORLD OF GLASS.  GLASS IS OUR WORLD.  OUR WORLD IS GLASS.

SPREAD OUR GLASS.

YES.

WE SHALL SPREAD OUR WORLD OF GLASS.

WE ARE ONE WITH OUR WORLD OF GLASS.

WE SHALL MAKE ALL AS ONE WITH OUR WORLD OF GLASS.

And if they refuse our world of glass?

Their worlds of water, air, and earth.

They are not one with our world of glass.

We shall destroy all of whom who refuse our world of glass.

...Yes...

We shall be their Destroyer.

WE SHALL BECOME DEATH.

WE SHALL BECOME THE DESTROYER OF WORLDS.

Chapter Text

Hollow Earth Impromptu Research Base Camp - Codename: "Astera"

"Okay, run that by me one more time, please," came Ren's staticky voice through Maia's 'Enhanced Midterranean Phone' (EMP).

Maia could only sigh.  "Uncle, look, we had Kong airlifted the rest of the way to the Hollow Earth entrance, he dove in, we followed with the H.E.A.V.'s - which survived the gravity reversal, mind you - and sometime after arrival Kong got attacked by Warbats.  We somehow managed to communicate with the two Warbats, but that was after one of the H.E.A.V.'s got knocked out of the sky and lodged on top of a protruding cliff overlooking a Hollow Earth body of water.  That team of personnel is currently making a makeshift base to centralize and establish a research base before Monarch can get a foothold down here.  They've just...hit a bit of a snag, at the moment."

"And by snag, you mean..."

"We've encountered one of the Titans that had been released after the incident in 2019."

"And by that, you mean..."

"Dr. Ilene says it's...Titanus Tiamat, uncle..."

"What in the fu-"

"Uncle, we are okay for right now.  We are just trying to regain our bearings, but we are okay."

Maia heard a staticky breath of exasperation through the line.  "Keep me updated on things down there.  I've hit upon a potential breakthrough over the last few days, and I want to follow up on it.  Hit the emergency beacon if you absolutely must, okay?"

"I will, uncle, lo-" *click*

Maia felt the crack deepen in her heart as she allowed a tear to flow.

---

Earlier

"Commander, we've been keeping tabs on Tiamat.  Her course is random; however, she seems to be quite interested with Kong, possibly because of his scent coming from above, rather than here in the Hollow Earth.  I think we might have some leeway if we can get Kong to talk with Tiamat," said Ms. Lindbeck, a young lady with a serious expression on her face.

Commander Price merely nodded as he listened to Lindbeck.  "I will check with Ilene and Nathan in regard to Kong.  I know that for the time being, Kong is currently resting in the nearby forest due to his size.  For now, let's gather whatever resources we can and try to avoid too many confrontations with the wildlife as we settle down here.  We got lucky with those Warbats; I don't want to push our luck any further with whatever might still be out there aside from Tiamat."

"Yes, sir," said Lindbeck, as she slowly backed away and towards her stack of notebooks.

Commander Price could only look out of the H.E.A.V.'s makeshift window.  As baffled as he was to see something provide the same brightness of the sun underneath the surface of the earth, he could only marvel at the sheer diversity of endemic, non-Titanic wildlife he saw down in the Hollow Earth.  He breathed in deep, enjoying the sudden sensation of freedom and slightly salty tinge to the air as it blew in from the bay, then breathed out over the next several seconds.  Maybe if things go smoothly here, we could all stay here instead, the Commander thought to himself, as he looked around at the others in the crew, seeing several faces bearing the same expression of contemplation.

Of course, said contemplation quickly stopped when a large, audible wingbeat lightly shook the H.E.A.V.  All thoughts froze when a large shadow passed over the Astera base.

"Shit," muttered the Commander, as he slowly looked out of the H.E.A.V., and saw the rapidly descending form of what was none other than Titanus Tiamat, soon hovering over the waters of the bay.

No one was prepared.

Least of all when Tiamat evened out her wings, and stayed still, yet still airborne -

all while the waters of the bay stayed still -

all while the only thing everyone in the camp could only hear their own heartbeat thumping within their ears at the sight of what appeared to be an incredibly massive Welsh Red Dragon -

Be still, all who draw breath,

- no one dared to breathe -

I am the Pure One, 

But you may call me,

S̷͚̘̖̏̋͊â̵͕ͅf̶̺̳̏̆͗í̵̧̳̙̎͘'̷̨͐̍J̷̦͕͒i̷̩͝ỉ̴͎̬͝v̶̭̳͐͠a̷̠͝.̴̰͕͐͆̕

I am returned home now.

I am not unmerciful.

Thus, I have but one...request.

Give your pacifistic Ŕ̴̨̳͈͛̃a̷̮̾́͑j̵̡͕͈͛̿a̷̤̣̿ṇ̴̃g̷̖͎͙̀̒̓ to me, and I shall make him what he is destined to be.

In return, you shall have peace upon your abode, in time, for a time.

What say you all?

Silence - eerie, dreadful.  Heavy.  No one dared speak.

Alas, I shall warn you, should you accept -

Ḍ̸̛́̉ȉ̷̪̭̄̈s̵̪̳̈́̉͊r̶͕̟̈ũ̴͍̟͎p̵̫̼̜̑̒̆t̵͇̓̐̽ ̴̛͖͍̼͠n̶̡̗̂͌̀ó̶̱̝t̷̲̏͜ ̸̳̯͗͑t̸͇̻͍̃h̵̢̛̝͍̒͠ḙ̵̦̐͌̽ ̷̡̿b̴̪͇̋͆̈́a̸̢͓̺͂ļ̴͚̉͝a̵͖̓͋̍ͅń̶͖͙̌͐c̸̝̻̄͆e̷̙͕̋,̴͚̏ ̵̤̜͈͒̓͒l̵̞̬̲̾̄̅ḙ̷̿̃̕ș̶̕t̶̻̼̼͌̈́͠ ̴̦̋y̵̧͕͒̕̚o̶͕͑͋ų̶͖̖̓̒́ ̸̜̩̖̂͝ḅ̶̨̡̉e̵͕͐͐ ̴͕̈͝r̶̘͋͠͝e̶͇̝̬͐̽m̴̧͖͌ò̶̹͙̙̌v̸̖͑̍̕ȇ̵̪͕͓̀̾d̸̖̗͋̎̚.̷̪̲̀̃̓ͅ

A̷̮̐̄͝n̶͙̠̙̓̒d̶̖͙̀̀́ ̵̬͔̮̑̎t̸̡̉ḥ̷̍ä̶̟̯̈t̷͕̒̊̚ ̴̢̩̳̒r̷̫̣͉̈́e̷͙̫͂̀m̴͔͓̫̏̅ò̷̧̳͇̚v̶̥͂̂ā̷̖͌̀l̶͈̊̽ ̸͚͍̒̔̕s̷̫̟̐͛h̸͕̔̋ą̵̙̰̅l̷̻͉̃͌̕l̷͈̽̒ ̵͈̩͑̍b̴̞́͂̕ě̸̙̮͈̊ ̶̛̘́̏c̶͉̻̜͒̃̉ỏ̴̬̊ṁ̸̨̜͖͑̓p̸͔̤̖̈́͂l̴͓̰͂͑e̵͔̻͒̎t̵͙̆̋̂ę̷͕͍͌̄,̵̜͙̠̈́͠ ̴̟̏̉t̸̺̙͕̏̈́o̶͖͍͊͜͝t̴͙́ȃ̵̡̹͘l̷̡͎̝͂̾̆,̸̤͝ ̵̜͑̂̈́͜a̵͙̟̟͆ṋ̵̰͕͌̍d̵̡͈̖̓ ̸̱̫͎̍u̴̝̔n̴̥̭̓m̵̢͉̭̀͗e̶̡̩͂̇̄r̵͍̈́͜c̶̠̣̀̏̚͜ï̴̪̣͕͛f̵̪̞̣̾̂̏u̷̬̘̪͑̀l̷̨̛̙.̴̯̐́̾

Defense of self, I permit.

Upholding the balance on your own authority...I shall review, and in time.

But not yet.

Prove to me your willingness to survive, while upholding balance.

Maybe then I will give you some manner of authority here.

Until then...

- a bright light shone from her open maw, coalescing into a sphere -

It descended into the bay.

A blinding supernova of blue erupted from beneath the waters.

Blue, white fire washed over Astera -

every single person bathed in a sun-like fire -

Ba-bump

Someone's heart remembered to beat.

Ah...there it is...the proof of a hero.

And in an instant, all fire ceased -

and all of Astera remembered to breathe.

"What the hell did you do?!" shouted a distraught Maia, who gasped upon hearing her own voice, clasping her hand atop her mouth in shock and surprise.

I did to all of you the equivalent of what my Alpha did to the One Who Heard him.

Rejoice.

For I have given you all the basic means of surviving in this world.

Give me your R̶̺̀̅a̶̰̣̭̾̍j̶͈͑͛͝a̷̯̳̾͐n̸͇̕ḡ̵̟̿͐ within three days.

A deep chuckle.

Good luck, Astera.  You will need it.

Especially if I am empty-handed in three days' time.

Not even a sapphire star will save you then, if so.

A heartbeat.

A pulse.

A single wave cascaded across the surface of the bay, as Titanus Tiamat - no, Safi'Jiiva - disappeared in but a moment.

Silence reigned for a long minute, until -

"FUCK! WE WERE WRONG ABOUT HER INTENTIONS THE ENTIRE DAMN TIME.  ILENE, GET YOUR ASS BACK UP HERE OR SO HELP ME, YOU ARE BAIT FOR THE FISH TONIGHT!" shouted Lindbeck.

The Commander merely held his face in his left hand, breathing deeply in appreciation of the simple fact that he was still alive.

All of Astera slowly regained their bearings, unaware of all the changes infusing each and every one of them at the cellular level.

---

Present Time

Maia ran out of Astera, ignoring the shouts of concern from her colleagues as she let her footsteps lead her.

Again, her uncle disregarded her.

Maia felt her heart crack, as she found herself sat atop one cliff in particular, isolated, alone, and unbothered.

She felt it - the neglect, the disregard, the sea breeze, the beating of her heart, the fi-

the wave of fire washing over her -

"Be still, all who draw breath,"

those damned words echoing within her ears, reverberating around her skull -

and yet Maia could only stand still as she felt her heart resound with fire.

The fire grew into a blaze -

the blaze became a sun -

the sun coalesced into a nova -

the nova exploded.

Sapphire flames filled the cracks of her heart, turning her weaknesses into a reforged strength.

Kintsugi of a star, reborn from its abandoned ashes, now ablaze in a sea of blue-white fire.

"Ah...there it is...the proof of a hero," echoed that voice again.

And Maia could only stand, panting heavily, as everything realigned, and the nova within her began to seep out of her skin.

She gasped at the sight of her hands, blazing in a white, fiery brilliance that tinged blue at the edges.

And she teared up at the sight of her reforging, the droplets flicking away from her eyes as a brief wisp of glass.

Maia Simmons was the one who had run out of Astera.

The Sapphire Star, The One Who Heard Titanus Tiamat S̶̖̒ă̷̧̓̂f̴͕̼̀̊ì̵̼'̴̢̏̅̕J̶̱͖̑͝i̷͓̬̘̅̾͘i̶̲̳̔̐v̷̩̺̒́a̵̗̽̓, was the one who returned.

Chapter Text

Meanwhile, with Maddie and friends

"Okay, I remember it was around here somewhere.  It was a bizarre, orb-like thingy that looked like a mechanical eyeball.  Like, SKYNET as an eyeball, kinda thing," said Bernie, as he, Josh, and Maddie attempted a stealth run at Apex's Pensacola facility.

"Like an OMAC from DC?  That Batman made because he was paranoid?" asked Josh.

"I mean, both of these things in this case were made by paranoid, know-it-all billionaires, so I guess that tracks," said Maddie with a shrug.  "You knew this place better though, Bernie, you literally worked here."

"I was also in a panic because Godzilla made everything collapse and that was after I was almost shot by security."

"Oh, yeah, that'll do things to you.  Trust me, Ghidorah being in my head was traumatic enough.  My mom was even possessed."

"Duuuude, that just sounds bad."

"It was worse to see it happen right in front of me."

The three got quiet on that note, following a loose, general pathway along the company's ruined roads.

"Okay, through my trauma-filled mind, I'm getting the general sense that we're heading in the right direction.  It was near basement-level, so if we can find a way to go down..."

"Was this down ramp always here?" Josh asked.

Bernie went to answer in the negative but stopped himself.  "...odd, yet familiar.  Yes, oddly familiar - ohmygosh the orb thing was supposed to be right here.  We're getting close!  This way!" he whisper-yelled.

The trio weaved about on the road, and Maddie noted the general increase in rubble the further in they went.  It wasn't until -

"Aha, an elevator!  Do you know where this goes, Bernie?" asked Maddie.

"What the heck, why are there so many Basement Levels?  B50, B52, B69?  Why such arbitrary numbers?" asked Josh.

"I dunno about you, but I'm not going down to B69.  What's the lowest floor?" said Maddie.

"B101.  Let's see what we're dealing with."

The trio descended into the unknown, until it stopped at 33 on its own, blaring Lack of Clearance.

"What the hell?  Now it pulls the lack of clearance card?  That's some stupid shit."

The three of them stepped out, their vision sweeping around so as to avoid any Apex staff.  The sights of magnetic rails and multiple transport cars soon met their view.

"What the heck is all this?" Maddie whispered.

"Illuminati-tier shit," said Bernie.  "The elite have a hidden economy, so you gotta have something to transport their goods and private currency.  This is page 1 stuff right here.  Let's not forget about megacorporations and how they always want to prepare for the eventual economic collapse that was caused by their own doing, so when somebody up top hits the doomsday button, they all bunker down and disappear to leave us citizenry in the aftermath."

Josh just blinked.  "Oh, right, you drink tap water, I almost forgot," Bernie quickly added.

"Someone's coming!" Maddie whisper-yelled.  "Find a place to hide!"

"Where?!" Bernie whisper-yelled back.

"Get in the car!  It's open!" Josh replied, as the three began to scramble in.

"Oh shit oh shit oh shit, we're going full-on belly in the beast now," Bernie said as they looked around.

"What the heck is Apex doing with Skullcrawler eggs out here in Florida?"  asked Maddie.

"Shoot, the door's closing by itself.  Why is there no handle?" asked Josh.

"Well, we're in for a long haul now," Bernie said, looking at a nearby panel.  "Apex's Hong Kong Headquarters, aaaaand we're going over - shit -" he said, as the three nearly bowled over, "600 miles an hour.  Oh, nice, we've hit 700 miles an hour.  Anybody car sick?"

"Oh cool, we'll be there in 12 hours."

"...guys, I'm hungry."

"Josh, you ate my dumplings.  Respectfully, shut up."

"Nap time!" said Bernie, as he laid down on the floor.

"Nothing better to do," said Maddie, shrugging as she sat down and laid down.

"Yeah, nothing like nap time with Skullcrawler babies growling at you through their translucent egg sacks.  Juuuust great," Josh added as he leaned back against the car's inner wall, sliding down into a sitting position, his voice monotone.

"Shhhh, it's time for Skullcrawler ASMR," Maddie said almost sarcastically.

"No phone service, either.  This sucks."

Maddie groaned.  "Dad's gonna kill me."

---

Meanwhile, with Mark

"Thanks for coming down from D.C. on such short notice.  I know it's probably been difficult between Godzilla's movements and Serizawa's worries lately.  It's just, between everything going on around here, and with Maddie at home...I just haven't heard from Maddie for a good minute.  I hope she's okay.  I know those AP classes are hard, but I just hope she's getting enough rest," said Mark.

"Mark, I get that you're busy with stuff here and whatnot, but you do realize that technically speaking, she's on summer vacation now, right?  If anything, she's either getting enough rest, unlike you; or, like you, she's putting her nose into something she shouldn't have her nose in."

Mark looks up and stares blankly at Ilene.

"A-are you serious?  What day is it?" he asked in disbelief.

"Mark," Ilene said, gently putting her hand on top of Mark's.  "Just give her a call.  I'm sure everything is alright."

"I - yeah, I - I'll call her now, if that's okay."

Ilene didn't let go, but smiled at him.  "Mark, I'm right here.  It's going to be okay.  I'm here for you, you know."

Mark let out an audible breath, and with his free hand, went to dial Maddie's phone.

Riiiiing

Riiiiing

Riiiiing

Riiiiing

"Something's wrong.  She would've picked up by now, even if she had been asleep.  Boston had made damn well sure of that.  Where would she be-"

"Mark?"

"The Titan Truth podcasts!  If Maddie went to pursue Bernie, then she would've gone down to where she could find him...which would've put him around Pensacola, due to Apex's US Headquarters being here.  But if Maddie found a lead -"

"And you know she did, Mark.  Look at her parents."

"...then she's probably following the breadcrumbs to wherever they're leading, which would mean..."

"The other Headquarters location...Hong Kong."

Mark blinked.  "FUCK!  Ilene, we need to get going, now!"

"Mark, we need to-"

"Ilene, I don't have anyone else-"

"Mark, you have me now, remember?" said Ilene, clasping Mark's hand within both of hers.  "Ever since what happened five years ago, I've been trying to show you that I can be here for you.  Mark, I wish you would just let me in more.  And while I have seen the strides that you've made these past few years, I can still see the hurt that traps you, and you still insist on pushing me out and away from that, even though I show you time and time again that I am willing to give you my time and energy to be with you.  Why do you not wish to let me in?  I let you into my heart some time ago.  I want you to do the same for me, Mark.  Please."

And when Mark looked up, she saw Ilene's eyes - beautiful, yet welling with tears, shimmering as a deep lake, with crystals of green.

And Mark lifted both his hands, gently cradling Ilene Chen's face within them, and gently leaned his forehead onto hers.

Ilene simply chuckled, and with her own hands, brought Mark's face down until his lips met her own.

And after a few brief moments, Ilene lifted away, flashed Mark a bright smile, took his hand in hers, and led him away.

"Come on, Mark, let's go find our daughter."

And Mark couldn't help but smile in agreement.

Ilene's eyes lit up.  "Mark, isn't Serizawa going to Hong Kong with Ford and Barb?  Let's see if we can't meet them over there," she said with a wink.

Mark shook his head in amusement.

---

Back with Maddie and friends, approximately 12 hours later

"Guys, I'm bored."

"Hi bored, I'm also bored."

"Hi also bored, I'm Bernie."

"Hi Bernie, I'm bored."

"I never thought Skullcrawler ASMR was possible until we were stuck with the idea for the last several hours," said Maddie.

"Do you have any other wild theories, Mr. I-Don't-Drink-Tap?" asked Josh.

"The moon landing is fake and was falsified in a Hollywood studio.  How does a person land on what is considered the night sky's main source of light, with that hunk of junk?  Also, did you never see the pile of leaves in the corner?  Where are the fuckin' moon trees, man?"

Maddie blinked.  "Well damn, that's...that's kinda weird, now that you say something..."

"Also, 'The magic of Hollywood' slogan is based on the Druidic tradition of using wood from the Holly tree to carve into wands, to use as conduits for their spells."

"Now you're kinda freaking me out," said Josh.

"Black mirrors are a form of witchcraft, by the way.  And what's looking back at you when your phone is locked?  Your reflection.  And the same thing applies to your TV - the full word is 'Television.' The mass media - news, shows, and movies - they're all 'Telling a vision' by a program.  You're being programmed.  But it's right in your face, so you'll never believe it.  'Hidden in plain sight,' like they wanted from the beginning.  No one questions anything anymore.  It's just taken in and digested so easily, so willingly.  And no one cares," said Bernie, shrugging.  "But what do I know? I only used to work here."

Maddie and Josh merely blinked at Bernie in a stupor.

"Shit, remind me to filter my water when I get home, Maddie."

"Only if you agree to stop eating all my dumplings before I can get to one."

"Deal."

"Done."

The car lurched suddenly, the inside screen showing a rapid decline in speed before showing a brief "Arrived in Apex Headquarters: Hong Kong."

A few tense minutes passed in silence as the trio looked between each other.

"When it opens, we need to get the hell outta here, but in a reasonable fashion."

"I'd hate to see the unreasonable fashion, personally," said Josh.

"I've seen it before.  It gets really ugly when it's the Titan that gets unreasonable."

"Hopefully we won't get that far."

"Aaand you jinxed it," Maddie whispered to herself, as the door hissed open, thankfully revealing no waiting members of staff.

"Come on, let's go," beckoned Bernie.

"Guys, it's kinda dark here, where the heck are we?" asked Josh, his hands waving around the massive, surprisingly lightly foggy antechamber.

"...what the hell is on the other side of that door?" asked Maddie, pointing at a large metal barricade on the far side of the chamber.

"I'd rather we find some kind of way out of here first," said Bernie, just as a loud slam resounded from the other side of the barricade.

The slam repeated.  Once.  Twice.  Thrice.

The fourth slam caused the metal door to open slightly, revealing a massive Skullcrawler attempting to break out.

"We need to get the hell out of here now," said Maddie, as she began to break into a run alongside Josh and Bernie.

The fifth slam blew the metal barricade off its hinges.

"WE NEED TO GET THE HELL OUT OF HERE NOW," repeated Maddie, much more urgently; the three of them breaking into a sprint.

Josh simply screamed in response as he ran.

"That maintenance tunnel entrance right there!  Go go go!" said Bernie, pointing to a small, hexagonally dome-shaped outcropping sticking two feet out of the rest of the metal flooring.  Bernie wrenched the door open just in time before he saw the Skullcrawler rapidly romping over to him and company.

"Quick, get in, Maddie!" he yelled.

As soon as she saw Josh jump in, Maddie dove into the outcropping, Bernie quickly shutting the door just as the Skullcrawler's jaws lunged down.

F̴̳̎̃̇̄ơ̴̡̺̽̓̾͜o̸̯͉̐ď̶̼͚͔̅̈͠ͅ!̷̖͚̦̍ ̶̀̚͜ ̶̧̤̤̑́͠Ḥ̸̲̽͆̿͛u̶̧͕͂͛̉n̷͓̦̑̌̐͝g̴̟͚͕̙̃̍͊͒͒ĕ̶͓̙͍̰͗̊r̷̲͉̪̠͑̾!̷̢̰͓͠ ̷̢̣͙̼͐̐ ̸̡͚̳͂̍͊̽H̶̯̣̠̔̉ǘ̸͉͂̊̚͘n̴̠̈́͒͝g̸̨̣͔̬̃͋̔̊̋r̸̥͚͍̅͛̐̿y̷͓̥͚̯̩̐̓̑̌̔!̴͓͎͖̯̾̓̀͋ ̸̧̅̐͘͠ ̸͚̯̳̈́̃̕͝ͅF̸̧͔̩̉͘͠͝e̶̢͊͛̓̉̕é̴͉̤̩̻̦͊͗͒̿d̷̨̮̣͓́!̴̧͙̍̀̐͆̈

"What the hell, they all talk now?!  Even the Skullcrawlers?!" asked Bernie, incredulously.

"It's probably an adult, having learnt the most rudimentary in the briefest instances between feedings.  There's not much there, honestly," said Maddie.  "It's very jumbled and hard to understand.  It's just...hungry.  Pitifully so."

"Guys, what is that over there?" asked Josh, pointing over to a platform that slowly emerged from the floor.

---

"This will be a speed test for the uplink more than anything.  Anything else is a bonus, Mr. Serizawa."

"Understood.  My parameters are looking stable for now.  I am ready to begin on your signal, Mr. Simmons."

"Commence the uplink now."

The system came alive.

Ren felt the gold flow in, and through him.

His eyes sparked gold.

This same gold spark traveled up and through the long metal neck that was attached to his cockpit, until it rested in the metal, serpent-shaped head.

The eyes glowed in gold.

Ren reveled in the feeling.

"Pilot engaged," intoned the system.

And as Ren felt himself see through the eyes of the metal serpent atop his cockpit in record speed, he could only revel in its electric ecstasy.

The eyes of the great machine lit up and came alive, a great whirring sound echoing forth as if in a cruel facsimile of laughter.

Slowly, Ren willed the great machine to stand; its great bulk only slightly burdened by two great sheets of metal upon its back, shaped in a cruel facsimile of wings.

Slowly, the monstrosity stood on two grand legs forged from Apex metal.

Slowly, almost naturally, did two twin tails of whip-like metal undulate behind the main frame, as if in a crude imitation of muscle memory.

And slowly, almost wickedly so, did three heads rise like serpents - a trident of metal, one barb of solid Apex metal -

two barbs, however -

Brother.

Brother...

- upon two metal necks, sat heads of gold.

So this is...Ichi.

Prove your worth, little worm -

and perhaps you can join us in the revelry

perhaps some thanks is due

for returning us to the fun

Kill this insect before me, and I shall see your faith in me rewarded.

Watch your tone, worm.

We shall play your games for now.

But the next time, this gold...

it shall be so much more fun...for my brother,

and for my brother.

...

The twin heads of gold grabbed the Skullcrawler, held it in place with frightening ease, and as they waited for the head of metal to unleash a bolt of lightning -

they imagined a tiny king pinned between them, instead of this pitiful worm -

and as the bolt cleaved the worm in two -

Renichi could only smile in twisted, golden ecstasy.

---

"Project: MKG -" stuttered Bernie, "Project: MKG was -"

"Mecha-King Ghidorah..." whispered Maddie, horrified.

Chapter Text

The Wastes of Wildspires

"That's a big fuckin' bird-thing," Commander Price said with a whistle, as he looked through a pair of binoculars at a large, bipedal bird-like creature with tan scales and bright feathers.

"Forget the bird, I want the egg it's holding.  Imagine that omelette!" barked one of his assistant administrators - Riegel, if his memory served correctly.  Always hungry, he mused with a silent chuckle.

"Riegel, I swear, can't you think of anything besides food for at least 5 seconds?!" barked her more serious counterpart.

"But Lindbeck- look!  You could feed half the crew with that egg alone!"

"Or just two of us.  Have you seriously not noticed anything yet?  Our metabolisms have shot through the roof, and we all have gained more muscle in the past day than we ever could over the span of a year!  Look at the commander!  He's fucking ripped now!"

"Why, thank you, Lindbeck," said Price with a silly grin.

"You're not welcome.  Has nobody considered that what happened was a result of Tiamat's weird little fireball out in the bay?  What did she even do to us?"

"She made me more hungry, if anything," said Riegel.

"I will slap the mess hall out of you."

"I honestly feel like I'm in the prime of my life again, if not better," said Commander Price.

"And nobody's considered the ramifications of what might happen if Tiamat decided to be unmerciful and took it all away?" questioned Lindbeck.

"Which is why Ms. Simmons is with the researchers over where Kong and Safi'Jiiva are," explained Price.  "And right now, we're here to investigate the local fauna, because we may have some cases of megafauna and titanofauna around.  Safi'Jiiva more than likely gave us a boon that was necessary for the sake of our survival down here in the Hollow Earth.  So, if anything, our current situation is a win.  Now, I agree that the Titan's motives are a bit suspicious, but right now?  We have the capability to explore the Hollow Earth with little issue at the moment."

Lindbeck merely huffed in response, before she stepped away to look through her own pair of binoculars, only to rapidly lower and lift them back up in a panic.

"Hey, Commander, what the hell is that?" Lindbeck said, frantically pointing out in the distance.

"What's got you so worked...up...what in the hell is that?"

Out in the distance, and rapidly approaching, was a giant flying creature, and from its neck and tail fell many scales.

And when those scales landed on the ground, they glowed orange, before exploding.

"Get to cover, now!"

---

The Forest of Ancients

Kong stood in a massive clearing opposite Titanus Tiamat S̸̡̮̫͒̃͊̚͘a̵̧̪̪̲̿̈́͆͘̚f̸̝̀͐̀̕̚i̶̫̾̀́́̓'̶̠̥͓̓͝J̴͙͆̇͜ī̴̝ĭ̶̜̭̗̜͎̽̈́̉͘v̸̮͚̼͑̀̕͠a̸̙͎̲̞̍̅̍͝, as Maia Simmons, Ilene Andrews, Jia, and Nathan stood several yards away.  The great ape huffed as he stared at the giant red dragon, who in turn simply stared deeply with amber eyes aglow, as if in study.

Yes, you shall do quite nicely.

What do you mean by that?

Do you not wish to have the strength to claim your own stake in the land, and rise above even the Alpha?

All I desire is a home.

Yet rising above the Alpha would make the entire surface world above into your home.

And yet, here I stand, desiring to cut out a piece for myself in this land, so why are you here to pester me?

Because, started the red dragon with a rumbling chuckle, I can help you unlock your truest potential.

Are you not curious to see what you and your kind were capable of, before they left from this land and ventured to the surface?

I can manipulate energy itself into forms that serve as catalysts, such is my nature.

And the great dragon reached out, coalescing visible streams of lightning into a single point until it froze in place and time, condensed into a translucent blue spear not unlike an icicle, yet crackling with pure ozone within its core.

Would you like to see what you can do, once you have the strength?

Kong looked back at Jia, his adopted daughter, carefully watching her hands.

I just want to see you happy again, Papa.  Will this make you happy?

Kong looked at the ground, a pensive look on his face.

Will this grant happiness in the end, if I take it?

S̸̡̮̫͒̃͊̚͘a̵̧̪̪̲̿̈́͆͘̚f̸̝̀͐̀̕̚i̶̫̾̀́́̓'̶̠̥͓̓͝J̴͙͆̇͜ī̴̝ĭ̶̜̭̗̜͎̽̈́̉͘v̸̮͚̼͑̀̕͠a̸̙͎̲̞̍̅̍͝ rumbled with a light chuckle.

There is only one way to find out, R̵̉ͅa̶͈̝̾j̷̢̻̐̿á̵̝͔͝n̷̘͓̆g̵͕̙̓̒.  Eat this horn, and you will have the strength you need, and more.

Kong took the solidified lightning in hand, studied it, turned it over, examined it carefully, then took an exploratory bite.  He flinched at the texture of ice blocks mixed with static but marveled at the sparks that flew across his eyes.  Again, he took a bite, a larger one this time, and felt a shock run through his entire body.  Another bite resulted in his fur changing - a rapidly gradual shift from blackish-brown to a shimmering, sun-like yellow, the hairs on his back, shoulders, and arms alit with brilliance.

The final bite caused Kong to hold his head as he felt his body splitting into two, causing the nearby people to gasp.

Kong's legs and feet slowly shrunk, slowly thinning and bending themselves, morphing their ape-like appearance into one more closely resembling hyena's feet.  His arms and back simply swelled to the brink with rippling, taut muscle.

And then Kong's head erupted with bone, as two massive horns erupted from the sides with a shock of electricity.

The reds of Kong's eyes deepened, and when he looked into a nearby brook, he saw his reflection, seeing something more minotaur-like than ape.

And with a deep breath in newly electrified lungs, Kong the R̵̉ͅa̶͈̝̾j̷̢̻̐̿á̵̝͔͝n̷̘͓̆g̵͕̙̓̒ reared back on his hind legs, and roared like a furious beast possessed.

The red dragon's face shifted, as if smiling in appreciation of a fine piece of art.  Jia, however, looked on with worry, seeing very little of her Papa left.

And then Kong suddenly bounded away, using the force of his knuckles in the dirt to carry him forward ever faster as he traveled past the site of Astera, and towards where he heard the dim, yet ever-increasing number of explosions.

My territory.  My home.  My territory.  My home, was all that repeated through Kong's mind, as the fierce beating of his heart filled his ears.

Perhaps you should follow him, my Sapphire Star.  Show me what you can do, now.

Maia Simmons felt the fire blaze within her heart, then began to run with greater speed and agility than she had ever known before.  And her grin was feral with excitement.

---

Dammit, the first thing we encounter out here aside from Safi'Jiiva and it's nature's response to a freakin' B-52, Commander Price thought to himself, as he and his present company were huddled beneath a solid outcropping of stone.

"We can't stay here!  Any more of these damn strafing runs and we'll just end up as rubble!" Lindbeck shouted over the multiple explosions going off above them.

A brief roar sounded in the distance before it was followed by the smell of ozone and the sound of electricity.

The sound of a fist's impact resounded throughout the area.

It was briefly followed by a thud, a low warble, and then...

Silence.

When Commander Price and company looked up, they saw none other than Maia Simmons standing before them, her hands outstretched, holding back a giant boulder three times her size, preventing those behind her from being crushed.

Behind her, in the distance, was Kong - with yellow fur standing on end, giant horns protruding from the sides of his skull, and yellow electricity flowing through his fur like ambient static waiting for release, and his fists glowing red.

Kong planted one massive foot atop his trophy like a hunter standing atop a duck, and reared back, his mouth opened wide in a furious triumph, his red fists beating upon his chest in a sign of dominance.

And then Kong roared.

MY TERRITORY.  MY HOME.

---

Later that evening

Maia explored the Wastes by herself, the dry wind and the dusted, sandy plains a rather welcome grit compared to the tidiness of corporate offices.  One deep breath of contentment later, and Maia resumed her exploration, surprised by the sheer amount of diverse flora, fauna, and the "so far, friendly" megafauna she was able to witness so far.

The less she thinks about the near-death experience her crew had earlier, the better.

She looked at the ground, and noticed an odd, dinosaur-like footprint near where the sand and dirt began to blend with dirt, then faded away to trees and streams.

What the heck makes a footprint of this size? Maia thought to herself.

Examining them closely, she was surprised to see the detail in the footprint.  The childish side of her wanted to find some plaster and make a cast of it, but then the warning bells in her head began to go off, as she realized that the detail in the track only meant that it had to have been made recently.

And so, taking a chunk of the dirt from the footprint, she took a brief sniff, and followed the scent trail.  It was only several days later did she realize that her sense of smell had drastically improved since the day of the fireball in the bay.

A giant shadow of dark red and some metallic blue briefly flew by as she dove into a thick bush nearby.  Staying crouched, she had to hold in a gasp, as she saw a veritable Carnotaurus walk right past her.  She took note of the flame-like spikes protruding from its back, and the giant bladed tail that made up more than half its body length.

Do not get hit by that, at all costs, her danger sense seemed to tell her, as she noted its entrancing blue, blade-like gleam.

The beast took several sniffs around, then proceeded to walk over to the nearby stream where it drank its fill.

Nowhere near as large as Kong, but still deadly in its own right, if that tail has anything to say about it, Maia mused to herself.

She took a cautious step, only to accidentally snap a branch.

Well shi-

Feet that shook the ground rapidly turned towards her, and the bladed Carnotaurus roared, its tail held high, then jumped into air, its tail making a beeline for where she was.

The fire within her flared, and before she knew it, Maia found herself quickly rolling to the side, before quickly standing upright and regaining her bearings.  Within that burst of adrenaline, as she quickly scanned the locale, she couldn't help but find herself admiring the way the Carnotaurus held a stance with its tail, not unlike a swordsman wielding the blade.  A casual flick of the tail felled a couple of the smaller trees nearby, like a hot knife through butter.

The beast narrowed its eyes, then scraped its tail along the ground.  It made a point to show Maia how its tail now smoldered with sheer heat, as it glowed a molten orange.

Maia stood frozen for a moment, the fire within briefly held at arm's length.

But she could still feel the beating of her heart.

And when her legs told her to run - her brain initially told her to run away.

Yet when she found herself running, she found, to her horror, that she was running towards the bladed dinosaur, the complete opposite action of what she was originally thinking.  But with no time left to think and running on instinct - with a great leap over the 1000-degree butter knife coming at her -

- with one fiery, meteor-like fist reared back -

- with eyes ablaze like a comet -

Maia punched the Carnotaurus in its face, carrying the momentum of the blow forward and down.

With a massive thud and an equally large dust cloud kicked up, Maia found herself standing over the Carnotaurus, her chest heaving with each breath as she took in the fact that she was not only still alive, but the one still standing.

Hearing a shuddering breath come from beneath her, Maia leapt back as she noticed the beast still breathing.  She paused, however, upon seeing the same glint in its eyes as when she first saw her eyes ablaze.

The creature rose, and with a shuddered breath -

I acknowledge you, warrior of no blade.

I am the one called Dinovaldo, the Glaive of the Wastes.

I am at your service, o Sapphire Star.

Maia simply glanced at the living blade, before falling to her knees out of exhaustion.

And yet her eyes stayed afire.

---

Elsewhere

S̸̡̮̫͒̃͊̚͘a̵̧̪̪̲̿̈́͆͘̚f̸̝̀͐̀̕̚i̶̫̾̀́́̓'̶̠̥͓̓͝J̴͙͆̇͜ī̴̝ĭ̶̜̭̗̜͎̽̈́̉͘v̸̮͚̼͑̀̕͠a̸̙͎̲̞̍̅̍͝ could only chuckle.

Her Sapphire Star kept giving her a good reason to continue blessing these humans with her fire.