The Rhythm of the Earth's Heart
They awoke, distraught and confused. First he awoke, then his companion. Nearly forty-five years ago, he awoke from his slumber, confused about where he was. The field of grass and rolling meadows turned into an island shore since his slumber began. He found himself disoriented, noticing that his body had changed during his sleep. He had grown, and so did his companion. His companion was a creature of flight, a creature that the tiny humans called a pteranodon. And he was an ankylosaur. Forty-five years ago, they both awoke and left their homes to see what changed in the world. They were met by resistance from the new mammalian dominance. The world had changed much. It cooled down greatly, but this new body of his cared little about it.
He was not friends with his flying companion, but they had a mutual agreement. And that was all. His companion became his eyes in the sky and he the voice from the ground. The two separated that day and he found himself in the frigid north, met not only by the hairless mammals, but another familiar face. This animal was like him, reptilian and ancient. He knew the face, but like him, had gone through changes. He was a theropod, a hunter among dinosaurs. But before the change, his kind was too small to hunt ankylosaurs. It seemed that the hunter had also grown much. He remembered that this particular predator, the last time before the golden dragon appeared—this one was just a hatchling, but his father was a purposeful hunter. His father, the one with the gold eyes—not a usual feature in his species—must have been one of the ones taken by King Ghidorah. He almost felt sorry for the predator until the antagonist attacked him with a spray of blue flames. He remembered how much it hurt. Instinct took over and he and his adversary fought. Usually, an ankylosaur would not fight, but his changes not only his body, but his judgment as well, and he became violent. And they fought until he gave in and retreated. The predator, with his fire breath, proved to be too powerful a foe. He left, rejoining his flying companion back to their island home.
He and the pteranodon met up with the predator the tiny creatures named Godzilla only a few years later and they heard of the death of Godzilla's father at the hands of the humans. The ankylosaur and the pteranodon felt it was time to return to another timely slumber of dreams. This world had changed too much for them and they did not belong in it any longer.
Now, they awoke again, disturbed by something familiar. This familiar thing baffled and frightened them because they knew what it was and they did not much like the look of it. He had returned and from what they heard from the local animals, for the second time since the Great Extinction 130 million years ago. They slept through the last one. King Ghidorah was only there for a short while, but the humans chased him away. The humans were capable of great things, but not the defeat of King Ghidorah. He was startled, but not overcome. He went away to gather strength for another day. The ankylosaur could sense the energy in the air and his nose wrinkled in disgust.
The ankylosaur glanced back when he heard the curious squawks from his winged companion. The lithe form of the pteranodon emerged from the cave above his and scratched his eyes. His commented on how the wind felt across the membranes of his broad wings. Years of gauging the wind, the temperature, and the moisture around him told him that a storm was coming. He shook his tight hide and squawked again. The two stood silently for what seemed an eternity, listening to the sounds of the waves crashing onto the sandy beaches and the jagged sharp rocks on the shore. It was as if they were listening to the beating of the planet's living heart. The sound of the waves seemed irregular and their once steady beat of the ocean slapping against the shore sounded unbalanced. This unsteady beat disturbed the pteranodon who has heard the sounds of the strong and steady rhythm of the waves as they crashed against the rocks of the shore near his roost. This unsteady beat greatly concerned him and he mentioned this to his spiky companion.
The armored and spiked dinosaur nodded in agreement, stating that the feel of the fresh soul also had an air of unsettlement. And they both fell silent gain. Unlike humans, who have just about everything to say from 'how's the weather' to 'I just got a raise at my job', animals' modes of communication were simple and straight-forward.
The ankylosaur sniffed the air once more, sensing a presence slowly lumbering towards him. He let loose a low rumble of warning to the newcomer into his territory. He did not mind sharing his territory with the pteranodon, but anyone else was not permitted. He arched his back up as he sensed the intruder coming closer, making his back spines look more prominent. His lips pulled back into a snarl and he gripped the ground, ready to spring out at the intruder. The pteranodon spread his wings and puffed his chest out, the flexible scales on his neck and his blue neck feathers raised up in order to make himself look larger.
The intruder slowly crept out from behind the rocks. The two other dinosaurs relaxed their stance when the new creature appeared. It was Godzilla. The enormous dinosaur knelt down, trying to make himself look less threatening and to let the other to know that he was not here to fight. Godzilla began to rumble and growl, giving off the mixture of sounds that represented his language. He told them that he sensed King Ghidorah's return as well. The ankylosaur lowered his head, shutting his eyes tightly as he remembered what King Ghidorah was like. Godzilla rumbled and glanced back at the rolling ocean. Even he could sense the irregular beat of the waves onto the shores. The whole planet could sense the space dragon's approach. Godzilla let loose an audible sigh when his thoughts returned to the mechanical one that was once his father.
Not even Mechagodzilla believed he had the power to stop King Ghidorah. Godzilla turned to the others and began to inform them that the humans by some miracle, had brought his father back to life. They had made him incredibly intelligent, fast, agile, and powerful. The humans, who killed his father, brought him back to life to defend him from his own son.
The ankylosaur snorted, roaring out that no creature, not even the humans had the power to bring the dead back. Though, the pteranodon seemed shocked, but intrigued by the miracles the humans seemed capable of accomplishing. The ankylosaur snorted skeptically and in unbelief. Godzilla defended his father, telling the other two the humans were capable of giving his father the power to possibly defeat King Ghidorah. Again, the spiky dinosaur was extremely doubtful. He demanded proof that the humans were capable of this. The pteranodon also agreed that he would like to see this marvel. Godzilla warned that his father had become faithfully loyal to the humans who brought him back to the living, and he devoted his services to them. There were times where Godzilla even questioned whether or not Kiryuu was his father anymore since the humans changed him. Though the love and affection was still there and Kiryuu expressed it that day in Florida.
Godzilla broke away from his memories of that day when he saw the ankylosaur leap off his rock. The spike-armored dinosaur hobbled towards the shoreline and bounded his thick, pudgy body into the water. Godzilla roared, running after him. He called after the four-legged reptile, trying to warn him that it was not a good idea to go seeking Kiryuu out. He remembered his father constantly warning him about not going into the lands occupied by the humans and he warned them of it as well. He warned that because of his father's fierce devotion to the tiny, hairless creatures that he will defend their territory even at the cost of killing anyone daring to venture to it. But the ankylosaur did not listen. He continued to paddle his way through the salty waves. The pteranodon launched into the air and followed his spiky companion. Godzilla continued to call out after them, sounding his baleful siren. They left him there alone on the shore. Godzilla slumped down upon the sand and sighed again. He did not want to disobey his father's command. Let them find out what happens when Mechagodzilla comes to defend the human lands. And all he could do was sit and wait for their return.
Manda settled down on his roof top of his double-wide trailer. Being a detective did not pay as much as many would think, but he made his modest home look like a palace with style and finesse. He relaxed against the lawn chair on the top of his roof, listening to the waves. The Earth's rhythm was uneven, wavering erratically like the beat of a human's heart under great strain to keep alive. Manda closed his eyes, his lengthy, serpentine form unwound as he focused on the soft crash of the waves against the sand.
Just two days ago, he had returned from Infant Island—from a meeting with the Earth's Guardian Mothra. Both were concerned about whether or not Kiryuu and Godzilla had the power to defeat King Ghidorah. His mind turned to another disturbance that he sensed coming from the northwest. Manda leaned up as he felt a fierce, chilled wind blow across his sapphire scales and he shivered with dread. He heard the sound of someone crying out in agony, begging under the strong, relentless will of another for release. The voice wailed out for help, pleading hopelessly to the one who held it captive.
"Marx!" another voice called, flinging him back to reality. "Marx!"
Manda opened his eyes, gasping as he dragged himself away from the northwest. He peered down from the edge of the roof, the sea breeze blowing locks of his green mane into his ruby eyes. Below him was his partner and his roommate Josefina Cortez. She was a fit and lithe Cuban, deeply browned from spending days out in the hot Miami Beach sun. Her silky, black, long hair whipped about in this strange wind.
"Marx!" Jo called. "It's going to storm. Get down from there."
"Storms don't bother me, Jo," Manda said.
"Well, they bother me," Jo said.
Manda chuckled again and returned his thoughts back to the west and that voice. He sensed something else as well, another presence that disturbed him when he tried to feel around for it.
"What the hell are you doing?" Jo asked.
"Listening to the waves," Manda replied.
Jo glanced back at the ocean in front of the trailer. To her, the sounds of the waves were the same as the day before. Her mind was not tuned to the energies of the world like he was—although perhaps maybe her ancestors once were. Humans had lost that ability when they began to 'civilize', becoming more like they are now.
"Whatever," Jo sighed, loosing interest with the sea she had seen many times before. She tucked her hands into the pockets of her low cut jeans and shook her head. "Don't stay out there too long. I'm cooking dinner."
"Just give me ten more minutes, Jo," Manda said as he focused on the new entity.
"I can't believe you called in sick for this," Jo threw up her arms at him. "The Chief isn't happy, you know. You're lucky that he makes good use out of your 'special' skills to solve cases, or else he would have kicked your ass off the force a long time ago."
"I'm grateful to his generosity," Manda scoffed. "Even if he's a pompous jack-ass."
Jo chuckled and walked inside. Their relationship was strictly platonic. She had recently lost her home to a fire started by a gang war and Manda took her in. She was grateful to him for she had not family to turn to. He was her family. Though, she knew that he was a Dragon even before she came to live with him. Since she moved in, he gave her his room and started to sleep on the couch. He was a great host to her and not once did he tell her that she was a burden upon him. But recently, she noticed he became a little more withdrawn. He became collective, reserved, and silently, rarely speaking anymore. And now he was missing more work, pretending he was sick so that he could spend the day listening to the ocean. And only he knew why. The Dragon was hiding something. Then, he left for Utah, and then for some place she never heard of—Infant Island.
Jo knew of Manda's other commitments, the fact he was once one of the Guardians of the fabled city of Atlantis. Though, he could at least elaborate on what was happening and whey he disappeared a few times. Jo just suck her head again and went back inside.
Manda crossed his arms again and took in a breath of contemplation. He focused once more on the entity that was moving in the west. As he focused on the energy, he began to realize that the entity moving was not alone. There was two of them making their way to the east. Manda followed their movements, finding that their heading was towards the West Coast. He concentrated on the two creatures as they traveled east. One appeared to be a bird-like creature with enormous wings flying over a spiky, armadillo-like creature. He knew of these creatures. The gojirasaurs were not the only ones who where brought to the modern world by Mothra, there were two others as well. The humans gave names to these dinosaurs, the pteranodon was called Rodan, and the ankylosaur was called Angilus. Why were Angilus and Rodan heading towards the West Coast? Manda's eyes opened wide when he realized what would be of interest to them.
"Kiryuu!" Manda bellowed.
Jo ran outside again when she heard him.
"What the hell's the matter now?" she asked.
"Kiryuu…" Manda gasped.
"Who?"
"Mechagodzilla," he replied. "There's two monsters heading for the West Coast."
"Oh, good," Jo began. "They can do us a favor and get rid of Los Angeles."
Manda rolled his eyes at the brash comment.
"Why are you so worried about it, Tim," she asked. "Mechagodzilla will kick their asses out of California."
Manda closed his eyes again, focusing his mind on Kiryuu. He heard that voice again, balefully shrieking out in agony. And there was another, a stronger force inflicting this agony upon the trapped and tormented individual. A second entity stood and watched helplessly as the torment continued. Manda began to realize that the voice crying out in agony was Kiryuu's."
"Oh-no," Manda breathed.
"What?" Jo asked.
"Something is happening," Manda began as he began to feel his way around Kiryuu's CPU. His connection was weakened by the distance for he was too far away to make any solid diagnosis. All he could see were shadows, and all he could hear were whispers. But the voice—Kiryuu's voice was loud enough for him to hear it even all the way in Florida. He could hear the other entity whisper softly, and that alone caused Kiryuu pain. At first, Manda thought the tormentor was Erika Munson. After all, Kiryuu was Biollante's favorite play thing. But this entity had a different energy pattern and it was many times stronger than that of Biollante. This new entity was not Biollante. Manda felt his mind shrink back to a memory that was inflicted up on him once ago. And he stood there upon the ruined Marble City—Knoxville, Tennessee. There was the free standing—82-meter tall structure the failed 1982's World's Fair, the gleaming Sunsphere. Though, the fair was a failure, the Sunsphere was a unique architectural structure and became the thing most people—Tennesseans especially—thought of when they heard the word 'Knoxville'. The campus site of the University of Tennessee was completely demolished and the famous Neyland Stadium—Home of the Tennessee Vols was flattened into rubble.
And there was Kiryuu, standing before the fallen body of his son, Godzilla, holding the decapitated head of his own son in his claws. Behind him loomed the sparkling, golden form of King Ghidorah. The great space dragon held a devious grin on each one of his three heads. And Manda heard Ghidorah chuckle deeply. Kiryuu joined him in the moment, chuckling sinisterly. Then, the flashes began and Manda saw the nuclear bombs explode on the horizon. Kiryuu's body jerked and he roared out in pain as the EMP shut down his systems, frying his circuits. And King Ghidorah laughed, watching his puppet fall to the ground. Mechagodzilla laid there across his son's body—joining Godzilla in the cold slumber of death. King Ghidorah flew on victorious, following the East-West Interstate 40. He turned towards the snow-capped mountains in the distance and set his sights for them.
"The Smoky Mountains?" Manda asked, recognizing the mountain range in the southeast.
Get out of here! A powerful voice echoed furiously into Manda's head. The Eastern Dragon felt his body being picked up and flung backwards off his roof. He fell from the trailer to the ground below him in a painful crash. Manda opened his eyes, finding that his body was now lying in a sandy trench on his beach.
"Tim!" cried Jo as she came outside again, hearing the crash. "Tim!"
Manda moaned a bit, lifting his aching head up for a moment and then plopping it back down again.
"Timothy," Jo breathed as she picked the Dragon's head up and set it gently down into her lap. "Manda…"
Manda growled again, his lip coming up around his sharp fangs. Jo combed her fingers through his soft mane, comforting him as he growled. She felt the Dragon's body relax and Manda began to purr from the attention. He opened his eyes again and looked up at her, his eyes showing just how weary the fall made him.
"What happened, Tim?" she asked.
"Psycho-feedback," he replied. "My head hurts."
"Who caused it?"
"King Ghidorah…" he breathed.
"Who?"
"Remember those stories I used to tell you?" Manda asked. "Those stories about Monster Zero and how he attacked Atlantis?"
"Yes," she said though she did not like where this was going.
"Monster Zero attacked London, remember that?" he asked.
"Yes," Jo replied. "But they chased him away."
"He was surprised," Manda began. "He suffered a defeat, but he will return again. He won't rest until he's had his fill."
"Why is he coming back?"
"He devours the very life-force of planets," Manda replied. "And he also returns to finish what he started."
"And what's that?"
"The extinction of the dinosaurs," the Dragon replied in a morbid tone. "There are four dinosaurs left in this world. Angilus, Rodan, Godzilla, and his father—the original Godzilla—also known as Kiryuu. He'll kill them, only leaving Kiryuu alive to use him for whatever purpose he needs him for. And then he'll get rid of Kiryuu once he's done. He'll suck this planet dry of its life-force."
"Can't you do something?" she asked.
"Mothra forbids me to," he sighed. "And I must do what she says."
"That doesn't make any sense," Jo shook her head in dismay. "This concerns all of us, right?"
"Jo," Manda sighed as he leaned against her shoulder. "You're right. But if the world ends tomorrow, are you going to stop living your life day by day as you have been for the past many years? Are you going to just give up or are you going to continue on—knowing that the fate of the world is not left up to you? I've done my part, I've told the ones who have the power to change this to prepare themselves."
"But something tells me that you can still help them," she said, once more running her fingers through his hair.
Manda shook his head in disagreement.
"Tim," Jo rolled her eyes at him. "It's your job. To serve and protect. You're a cop and a Guardian, that goes double for you."
"Not when the boss forbids it," Manda sighed.
"Tim," Jo smirked. "You rarely obey the Chief. That last case you were on the Chief told you a thousand times not to interfere with, but you did. And you did because you cared. Are you telling me you don't care?"
"This isn't busting some alcoholic, drug-abusing, wife beater," Manda growled. "This is King Ghidorah."
"Drug users, murderers, domestic abusers," Jo sighed. "Gang wars and King Ghidorah. It's all the same thing. People still get hurt and as an officer of the law, you're supposed to help them. Even if you don't think you can win, you have to try."
"Kiryuu needs help," Manda said as a cordial as he could. It was his way in saying that she was right.
"So, go help him," Jo smiled.
Manda smiled sadly at her and leaned into her shoulder, burring his face in her hair. He began to release all his doubts and his fears then and sobbed. Jo raised her arms up and held him as he cried on her shoulder.
"I lost my dear friend because of King Ghidorah," Manda wept. "That demon tricked him, made him his slave, and corrupted him, poisoning him against me." Manda looked up at Jo. "And he'll do the same to the only being capable of defeating him."
"And you can help this person," Jo began.
"He would want to know about Knoxville," Manda said, remembering his last conversation with Kiryuu. "I kinda left him in the dark because not even I held all the answers."
"Do you have an idea now?"
"I know why King Ghidorah wants Knoxville," Manda replied. "But I don't know why he wants to go there. I guess telling Mothra would be a good idea—as well as telling Kiryuu. But I need help in assisting Kiryuu."
The Dragon rose up off the sand and shook his sapphire scales free from the grains.
"I have to leave again," he said as his form began to waver.
"And this time tell me where you're going," Jo crossed her arms with an expectant look. "I'm your partner, you know."
"I know," Manda smiled back. Then, he disappeared, leaving Jo with a disappointed look.
"Marx!" she cried. "Get your ass back here!"
Jo sighed and glanced back at the ocean.
"You're so lucky I care a lot about you, Tim Marx," she continued. "I think I maybe the only one who does and can still find you livable."
