III

The Will To Go On

Miki drove like a woman possessed. She pushed her car to the limit as she sped towards the fires of Kyoto. Traffic wasn't a problem, only a madman would attempt to brave a hurricane and monsters to get to Kyoto. Miki wasn't mad but she did know that if she didn't get to Kyoto before sunrise the world she lived in and all she loved in it would be destroyed by the Gyaos. She could feel them now. They were voracious, always hungry like voles they constantly needed to eat or they would die. She tired to block them out and focused on the minds of those in the burning city.

Asagi and Mayumi lipped through the wreckage of Kyoto station following close behind were Ayana and Moribe holding hands. They heard Gamera roar in the distance and stop to search for the turtle through the flames.

"Do you think Gamera can stop the Gyaos?" Moribe asked looking at the sky for any sign of the approaching horde.

"He will try, but his injuries from his fight with Iris may be too much for him to bare." Asagi answered helping Mayumi move on through the rubble.

"It's all my fault." Ayana whispered looking at the great beast's silhouette. "I'm the cause of this." She brooded. Suddenly she felt Moribe's hand on her cheek. She turned to him.

"It's not your fault. Iris used you, not the other way around." She smiled at the boy's kind words.

"Come on you two, we need to get as far away from the battle as possible." Mayumi said through clinched teeth.

General Asso sat in the mobile command station set up at coastal region near Matsue on the north western part of the island of Honshu. It was here that the united militaries of the world would draw their line in the sand. Things looked bleak. So far they had lost fourteen destroyers, and six carriers that were set up in the sea of Japan to try and slow the Gyaos swarm down. The remaining naval forces were set up in a blockade formation around the land forces. The other leaders had made good on their promise. Asso watched as the Ajax tanks were positioned along the beach as the first line of attack. Behind them were row upon row of missile trucks and tanks from the combined militaries. Japan's maser core was dispersed among the other military vehicles. Along the tree line were the Typhoon missile launchers set up by the Australians, and finally in the center of the amassed forces was the Maser battery. This cannon was ten times larger than the maser cannons deployed by the Japanese. It used so much power that a country wide black out had by issued to supply its requirements. He walked over to General Voloth who had been given command of the joint air core of this operation.

"How soon can the air core be deployed?" He asked.

"Fifteen minutes give or take a few due to communications difficulties, after all the orders have to be broadcast in six different languages." The general commented.

"Very well. We can only hope that will be enough." He turned and walked back to his station.

Miki was forced to abandon her car outside the city limits and proceed on foot. She moved as fast as she could navigate the debris filled streets all the while searching with her mind for the girl she sought. Miki had read about Asagi on the internet and became intrigued at another girl who was linked with a monster, this one was not even a claimed psychic. As she moved towards the Kyoto station she heard the elephantine roar of Gamera. She glanced at the giant Turtle amid the flames. He just stood there waiting for the end to come. He would fight till the end, but for the first time doubt entered the great beast's mind. He was wounded and bleeding the Gyaos were so many and he could feel the return of the flame bringer. Gamera would not give up even if it meant his death.

"He is not alone." Called a feminine voice. Miki turned towards the source. A small iridescent moth alighted on burnt out husk of a car. From it descended three small women each wearing the most beautiful of robes.

"Who are you?" Miki asked already guessing the answer.

"We are the Elias of Mothra, I'm Moll, this is Lora and Belvera my sisters." The one in crimson robes spoke.

"There are three of you. But there were only two Cosmos." She stated.

"Right there were only two Cosmos for one Mothra, but there are three who serve as the guardians of all Mothra. We are the three." The woman in the blue robes, Lora.

"If you are here, does that mean that Mothra had returned?" Miki asked.

"A testament to the intelligence of your species you are." The woman in black robes, Belvera commented turning towards her sisters. "Is she really one of chosen descendants?" She asked Moll. Moll frowned at her sister.

"Don't be rude. You know as well as I that she is." Moll stated.

"Am I what?" Miki asked.

"A chosen descendant of the Cosmos." Lora answered with a childish smile.

"You mean I'm related to you?" Miki asked astonished. The girl in blue giggled, but was silenced by her other sisters. Moll turned to Miki and continued.

"In a way yes, but it is far more complicated and we have no time to explain it."

"I understand." Miki said remembering the danger that loomed over them all. "Is Mothra coming to help fight the Gyaos?" Miki asked hopeful. Moll nodded.

"She is coming. And bringing Godzilla with her."

"Godzilla, he's alive?" Miki gasped thinking of the terrible creature that had once been her friend.

"Yes, he is sleeping in the Antarctic." Moll replied.

"We're wasting time here." Belvera growled. "Lets find the Avatar before he arrives."

"Who, Godzilla?" Miki asked the dark fairy.

"No, the flame bringer, Infernos the bane of Atlantis." Belvera said in a dark, almost admiring tone,

"Stretch out with your mind towards the swarm. You will find that they all are being controlled by one. That one is Infernos." Moll said. Miki did as she was told and opened her mind to the swarm. After the initial flood of bloodlust she found that all the Gyaos' minds were linked through one. She focused on the one. She touched his mind. Fire and death. Burning that was his purpose to scourge the world with fire and death. She noticed something else as well, intelligence. Intelligence rivaling that of Mothra. He noticed her. Miki was assailed by images of the burning of Atlantis and the deaths of countless millions. She clutched her head and attempted to block him out, but he was too strong. She was on the verge of loosing her self when a golden light irrupts amid the destruction. A beautiful song issues from the light. Miki awakes in the ruins of Kyoto the fairies are singing, their perfect counters to one another blending into a perfect melodies sound. They stop and look at Miki.

"You know him now, and he knows you." Moll stated. The moth the fairies arrived on chirps and the girls turn to it. "We must go, but first we will give you this." Moll said. She turned to her sisters. "We must give her the stone of the Elias.

"I refuse." Belvera stated. "This is ridicules! The Gyaos are not our problem, and Gamera will just weaken earth further if we give him the power of the Cosmos."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Moll asked irritated at her sister's selfishness. Belvera was silent.

"Very well." She sighed. The three sisters gathered and joined hands. They began to sing. Their melodic voices carried in the tomb like city. In the center of their circle a point of light flashed into being the light grew and took shape. The fairies finished their song the light faded and in its place on a spiral shaped ruby. Moll held her hands and began to sing. A ring of light appeared around the stone. The light faded revealing a silver chain on which the stone was. Moll gave it to Miki

"This is the Stone of Elias, the power of the Cosmos." She stated. "With it the Guardian of the Universe can find the will to go on."

Mothra sailed over the frozen wastes at the bottom of the world. She scans the ice for signs of her quarry. Finally she finds it a heat source to big to be any outpost or group of animals. She circles a large mountain of ice. She screeches and fires rainbow hued energy beams from her antennae. The beams cause the ice to explode revealing what lies beneath. Irregular magenta and grey plates are exposed to the air. Mothra chirps and unleashes a purple shockwave into the plates. Explosions blossom all along the ice mountain. Exposing plates, and green, scaly skin. Godzilla opens his eyes for the first time in four years. He rises from his icy rest and shakes the remaining snow and ice from his body. Throwing his head back and letting forth a mighty roar the King of the Monsters takes his first steps in years. Mothra chirps happily as Godzilla stretches and moves working out stiff joints and tired muscles. He turns and notices her. Letting out a below of challenge he rears up to his full height. Mothra merely chirps again. The dorsal plates on Godzilla's back begin to glow neon orange. Mothra narrowly dodges the burning onslaught. She trills dismayed. This is not the gentle Jr. that Miki knew. Both father and son are gone and in their place in a feral animal. Taking a dangerous gamble she delves into the creature's mind. She notices that the is not one but three conciseness inhabiting the same being.

Burning Godzilla slams into Godzilla Jr. as he is now. As the father moves in for another assault Destroyah knocks him over. Mothra is aghast at what she is seeing. Jr. gets back up and fires his ray at Destroyah causing him to flee. His victory is short lived as Burning Godzilla tail whips his son to the earth. Burning Godzilla roars triumphant and charges his beam. Mothra acts firing energy bolts form her antennae. Burning Godzilla turns, his eyes narrow. He fires his beam. Mothra dodges at the last second the beam sails past her into Destroyah. Mothra turns and fire her beams at the mutant crustacean. Jr. awakens and adds his beam. Destroyah cries in pain as it is consumed by the fire. Mothra allows herself a moment of joy in the dark monster's demise. But that moment is short lived as Burning Godzilla slams into Mothra. Mothra screeches in pain as the touch of the great beast actually burns. Instead of attacking him like she did Destroyah, Mothra showed him his death. Burning Godzilla watched in horror as he melted into a puddle of radioactive goo. He released Mothra and stared at Jr. with a mournful howl Burning Godzilla faded from existence. Mothra withdrew herself from the now free Godzilla and waited.

Godzilla remained still as a statue. Mothra chirped asking a question. Godzilla growled and stopped off. Mothra followed behind chirping at the nuclear leviathan. Godzilla stopped and roared at the giant butterfly. Mothra moved away startled, but returned soon after chirping. Godzilla turned and fired a beam of nuclear fire at the persistent insect. Mothra dodged the haphazardly aimed blast and continued to harass Godzilla. Mothra pressed for time resorted to more extreme measures. Godzilla roared in outrage as rainbow hued beams struck his hide. Mothra sailed over head shrieking a battle cry. Godzilla bellowed in rage and followed the great insect. Mothra quite aware Godzilla would follow her plotted a course for Kyoto she only hoped that she would not be too late.