Miki Saegusa, still under Mothra's influence, took Takuya, Masako and Andoh down to the lowest level of the atrium. Although it didn't look quite as big from above, the three marveled at how much the unknown apparatus dwarfed them. The blocks that were stacked upon each other were mammoth metallic monoliths covered in blinking lights and shining doo-dads. The machine emitted a low droning, audible only within a few feet of any of the sections that made up this ginormous doo-hickey. On the other side of the machine from where the four had descended, there was a smaller metal box about four feet high. Upon closer inspection, the explorers saw a series of buttons and switches on it.
"It must be the control panel," say Andoh in awe. He traced his finger along the panel, not touching any of the buttons, but often coming close.
Miki stepped forward and batted away his hand. "You must not touch this. This device is what destroyed the civilization that created it. Please, promise me you will leave this alone." She stared fearfully into Andoh's eyes.
Andoh took a step back and wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. "Oh, yeah sure." He glanced back at Takuya and Masako, who were staring at him. Takuya subtly wagged his finger, while Masako furrowed her brow, trying to understand Andoh's curiosity.
"Just what is this device?" Takuya said, gently placing his hands on Andoh's elbows and turning him away.
Miki didn't immediately respond. She moved away from the conglomeration of metal boxes and admired it from afar. After a few moments, she sighed. "Let me tell you a story that spans the ages..."
"Hundreds of millions of years ago, during the reign of the great reptiles upon the Earth, I came to be. That which gave me life entrusted the survival of all life on Earth to me. While many species would die from natural means, I was to protect them from external threats that might otherwise hinder the evolution of other forms of life. My earlier incarnations fought valiantly to protect life, although we were not always successful and the great reptiles were wiped from the face of the planet.
"As time went on, the age of the mammals came. Millions of years passed, and eventually the apes began to dominate the world. Some two million years ago, there was a division among them. Some of them continued their natural progression; those would evolve into human beings today.
"But there was a second group. These were especially intelligent. They were creating tools from bone and stone while Australopithecus were still hurling rocks at wolves. They practiced selective breeding almost from the outset; individuals who didn't possess a distinct level of intelligence were banished to live with their less-developed cousins. They erected stone walls while their cousins eked out a miserable existence in caves. By the time your ancestors were learning how to control fire this second group was entering the Bronze Age. And so it went.
"About a hundred centuries ago, this civilization had already established three kingdoms: Mu, Atlantis and Lemuria. Each kingdom was located in one of the three great oceans. The kingdom of Mu, of which this island was an outpost, became the first people to discover a way to control the weather. They felt that by controlling the weather, they might rid the world of death and famine, of oppression and misery, as there would be food for all. Nobody would have to work, and civilization might devote itself to science and the arts.
"The machine you see before you is the machine they invented to control the climate. It was tested successfully on Mu and replicated in the sister kingdoms as well. All three kingdoms enjoyed enormous prosperity and their people, unencumbered by the need to till and plow for their sustenance, dedicated their efforts to discovering cures for all diseases, and then age, and then immortality.
"This came at a price. Gaia, the Earth itself, is as much a living being as you and I are. Such hubris was offensive to her and to the natural order. It is like the Three Fates of your Greek Mythology tangling their strings and allowing life and death to fall out of balance. Recognizing the danger of the Muans and their compatriots to discover the secret of immortality, Gaia ordered me to destroy the humans.
"I refused. I had been created to protect life on Earth, not to intentionally destroy it. So Gaia, now angry with both those three kingdoms and with me, gave birth to Battra. Battra was to be Earth's avenger, the protector of the planet itself. Battra quickly destroyed both Atlantis and Lemuria before I could stop him. By the time I caught up with him, he had arrived in Mu. The resulting battle destroyed most of the continent and had decimated the population. Our battle raged across the great ocean until we reached the icy north, where I finally defeated my enemy and banished him to the icy depths.
"But that incarnation of Mothra was dying. It made its way to this island and laid the egg that I now reside in. The final surviving members of the kingdom of Mu programmed the weather machine to create the storm that raged around this island until just a few days ago. They left—whether they met up with your ancestors and mingled with them, or simply died in solitude, I know not."
"So you see, you must not use this machine," warned Miki. "If you do, the entire human race will be placed at risk. Please, do not tell others about it."
Takuya and Masako looked at each and nodded. Andoh, trying to hide his fidgety fingers, just nodded quickly and looked away.