Chapter 19: Redemption

Manhattan, New York, 7:45, August 16

She glared at the reptilian creature, standing a short distance away. She had caught it approaching her nest, the temporary home that contained her young ones. All curiosity had left her mind. She no longer cared about their similar appearance or its similar scent. She didn't care that the other, flying thing was no were in sight. Nor did she care why the reptilian creature approached her nest. She simply cared that it was.

She flexed her long claws. She had never been in a fight before, except for a minor squabble over food when she was only an infant. She certainly has never been in a fight with something so big before. The reptilian creature was twice her size, and she knew that it had a very powerful and dangerous ability. But, again, she didn't care. It threatened the survival of her young ones. Of her family.

And for that, it had to be stopped.

He stared at the strange reptilian creature that had appeared before it, almost out of thin air. He was frozen with surprise. He almost expected it to disappear after a blink of his eyes. But, this guess was quickly proven false. He was particularly confused because he hadn't detected this creature earlier. His senses were powerful, but he somehow did not smell, hear, or see anything that resembled the creature before him. Perhaps he had been so distracted by his fight with the flying object, he had failed to detect the existence of this new creature. This new, weird creature.

It was especially weird when considering the creature itself. There were plenty of differences between himself and the creature before him. However, there were plenty of similarities too. Odd similarities. It had scales as he had, and dorsal plates as well. But, most of all, it had a very familiar smell. It smelled like… like his island. His home island. The island in which he had lived in his youth before the noclaws had deformed him.

Could this thing have come from the same island he had? Could it have survived the same apocalypse he had? Perhaps even been deformed by it? Perhaps it was once the same creature that he had once been since it had spines similar to his own.

However, as he looked at the creature, he noticed that, while he looked at it with curiosity, it looked at him with anger. He glanced at his first foe, the flying object. It was still lying motionless on the ground, just waiting for its destruction. His mind whirled. Could this new creature be protecting the flying object? Was it angry at him for fighting its friend? But how was that possible? They were two completely different creatures. It had more similarities with himself than it did with the flying object.

He steeled his gaze. Fine then. Whatever reason it protected the flying object, it still stood in his way. The flying object was the only thing that had proved effective against him, and if this new creature stood in the way of that threat's destruction, then it would simply have to be destroyed as well.

He raised his claws up and entered a fighting stance, returning the new creature's glare with one of his one. He gave the creature a threatening roar, attempting to scare it off. It was much smaller than himself, after all, and it may be possible to scare it away. However, it did not. It simply returned his roar with one of his own.

He snorted at that response. So be it. This thing had just forfeited its right to survive. The creature was half his size, and would easily be destroyed. It would pay for defying him. If this creature wanted a battle, a battle it would get.

Mere moments after Godzilla and Gojira finished their challenging roars, the battle began. However, it was not Godzilla who acted first. It was Gojira. Faster than what may seem possible, Gojira darted down 29th Street, heading straight for her foe. Gojira was so fast that Godzilla only had a small moment to react. And his reaction was far too late.

In a matter of seconds, Gojira had run down an entire stretch of road, from 8th Avenue to 7th Avenue. Then, with a snarl, Gojira quickly squatted down and jumped towards Godzilla. All Godzilla could barely raise his claws into a defensive position in time to meet Gojira's attack. Gojira slammed into Godzilla with the force of a freight train, with only her lightweight keeping her from knocking Godzilla down entirely. But the titan was still thrown off guard, giving Gojira an opening to claw at Godzilla's chest and to bite down hard on his neck.

Gojira's claws, which were built to dig through miles of rock, were so strong that they were able to dig deep into Godzilla's flesh, making the leviathan screech in pain. Gojira's jaws too, while not as powerful, were still strong enough to break through Godzilla's tough hide, drawing blood, and to begin crushing the windpipe.

Of course, Godzilla wasn't about to let Gojira continue her assault. Grabbing Gojira's waist, Godzilla, with a massive heave, was able to throw Gojira off of him, though not without taking some scales with her. The creature was thrown straight through a tall, concrete building, sending it crumbling down into Godzilla's side. However, Gojira, with the dexterity of a cat, was able to land on her feet. By the time Godzilla wheeled around to face Gojira once more, the creature had taken off down 30th Street.

Godzilla snarled with fury and quickly made chase.

Yuji watched with astonishment as, with a speed he had never expected from a creature her size, Gojira had leaped onto Godzilla before he could lift a finger. Of course, she had been quickly thrown off, but not before several chunks of scales and flesh were torn out, leaving Godzilla bleeding from several fresh wounds.

Miyasaka seemed just as impressed. "Wow… that thing's faster than I thought."

"And it can fight," Katagiri said. "It can make him Godzilla bleed."

"I know that Gojira's a tunneler," Miyasaka said, mostly to himself, "but I never thought that she would be able to take on Godzilla. I mean, Godzilla's caused so much destruction and has been hit with tons of explosives. He's twice the size of Gojira, and yet Gojira has just made him bleed, something the military failed to do."

However, while Gojira's feat was impressive, Yuji couldn't help but doubt Gojira's success. Gojira was fast, smart, and could hurt Godzilla, but Godzilla still had plenty of advantages that could easily end Gojira's life. Godzilla was also smart and was also very strong. It was probably going to take a lot more than just a few scratches to kill him, and that wasn't even considering Godzilla's atomic breath.

This fight wasn't going to be easy.

Katagiri scoffed suddenly. "We ought to change Gojira's name to Zilla. If the damn thing can take on Godzilla, we might as well give it a name that appreciates that feat."

Miyasaka gave Katagiri a glance, but then, after a moment of thought, shrugged. "I guess that does make sense. They came from the same island, after all. And they even have similar appearances. They both have dorsal plates."

Yuji, considering the name, eventually nodded in agreement. "Fine then. Zilla it is."

The three of them were just about to turn to follow the new combatants when they heard a rumbling echo from behind them. "What now?" Katagiri hissed as the three of them whirled around. Of course, Yuji already had an idea of this new disturbance. And, sure enough, his suspicions were confirmed not a moment later.

Slowly rising from the ground, rubble falling to the ground in a torrent, the UFO was taken to the air. It climbed quickly and swiftly into the sky, passing over most of the buildings (or at least those that remained) in half a minute. And there it hovered, 'watching' emotionlessly as the roars of Godzilla and Gojira (who was now named Zilla) echoed from a few blocks away.

Yuji watched the UFO hover there anxiously, both curious and frightened at what it was about to do. Although Yuji, unlike Katagiri, had never been in the army, he knew through common sense that a tag-team against Godzilla would favor the UFO. And even if Zilla turned on the UFO, the UFO had the advantage of flight and only needed to hit Zilla once with its devastating beam cannon.

However, it did not take this opportunity. To Yuji's surprise, the UFO simply hovered there for several moments. When it did finally decide to act, it did the opposite that Yuji had expected. The UFO turned and began flying south towards the tip of Manhattan.

"Where's it going?" Miyasaka asked, the question briefly going unanswered.

However, while Yuji was stunned at this turn of events, a theory was forming at the back of his mind. "I think I know," he eventually said. "There is still one of the two World Trade Center towers left standing, right?"

Both Miyasaka and Katagiri, now looking at him, gave a small nod.

"Well, maybe it's using Godzilla's distraction to finish what it started. Whatever it started." Yuji's mind whirled. "Whatever it was doing when it was on the north tower, it is going to finish it on the south tower."

"But what should we do?" Miyasaka asked. "We can't cover the fight and the UFO all at once." At first, Yuji considered Miyasaka to be correct. However, this was only briefly.

"We can," Yuji countered. "We can if we split up."

Katagiri immediately began shaking his head at Yuji's word. "No. At a time like this, splitting up would be the worse thing we can do right now."

Yuji looked at Katagiri, confidence swelling in him. "I can take down roads unaffected by the fight. Maybe even get a car to work. The UFO should be too focussed on its goal to focus on me. I will be fine."

Miyasaka wasn't convinced. "I don't know, Yuji. With everything that is going on, I don't think anywhere on this island is safe."

Yuji, looking to Miyasaka said, "Don't worry about me. Follow Godzilla and Zilla. I will follow the UFO."

"If we do split up, we'll need a place to rendevous," Katagiri said.

Yuji, silently agreeing glanced around. The city was devasted - was still being devastated. Rubble cluttered the street and dust clouded the air. Rain poured down hard and thunder rolled in the distance. However, despite the apocalyptic scene, Yuji spotted a location that could work as a rendevous point.

Yuji pointed towards it. "How about there. Madison Square Garden, I think. We can meet up there, or at its rubble, if it gets destroyed."

Miyasaka and Katagiri glanced at each other once more before, though reluctantly, nodded.

"Good luck," Katagiri said.

"Don't die," Miyasaka said.

Yuji gave his friends a smile. "Same to you too."

Then, with a final wave of goodbye, Yuji turned and bolted down the debris ridden street, trying his best to keep up with the UFO as it floated gently ahead.

Madison Square Garden, 8:00

Nick couldn't decide which direction he should be looking at. To the right, a little way down the hall, stood six baby Gojira's, each giving Nick and the others around him hungry looks. To the left were two more of the creatures, though they didn't seem nearly as interested in them as the others were. Of course, that wouldn't stop the creatures from attacking them if they went down that way. Meanwhile, there was a solid wall behind them and a solid wall before them.

As it seemed, they were trapped.

Roache was glaring at the creatures, his gun aimed steadily. But he too seemed unable to decide which front to focus on. He was the only one with a gun, and there was no way that he could defend against all of the baby Gojiras with only one gun. Especially on two fronts.

Audrey, meanwhile, was also glancing back in forth between the two fronts, stepping back towards the wall behind them.

The wall behind them…

Then, suddenly, Nick remembered. There was an elevator behind them, one he had come out of not a minute or so earlier. Of course, it had closed long ago, but if Roache can hold the creatures back for long enough, they just might be able to get the doors open again and use the elevator to escape.

Nick, upon this realization, quickly informed the others of his plan.

Roache glanced back at the elevator behind them, its shiny steel doors comfortably closed. "It will be a close one," Roache said, "but it might work."

Roache then reached down into his pocket and pulled out a small pistol. He through it to Victor who, being distracted by the baby Gojiras, nearly dropped the weapon. "Can you shoot?" Roache asked the cameraman.

Regaining a sense of the situation, Victor shrugged. "Yeah. My dad took me hunting when I was a kid. These things aren't deer, but I'm sure I can hit 'em."

Nick glanced warily back at both fronts. Fortunately, the two creatures down on their left weren't really paying attention to them, instead playing with a gumball machine. The creatures to their right definitely were, but they had just been born and weren't experienced hunters. They were stalking their prey, but stalking them very slowly. Possibly, giving them enough time to escape.

"Alright," Nick said, "Roache can hold back the creatures on the right. Victor can hold back the left. Audrey and I will get the elevator opened."

With a simultaneous nod, the group broke up into their duties. Nick and Audrey rushed to the elevator doors, Nick ramming the button with all of his might. Subconsciously, he knew that he pressed the down button, while it would make more sense to hit the up button. However, his mind was a bit more preoccupied with the situation to think about their goal.

Right now, the goal was survival.

Meanwhile, Roache was staring down the pack of animals slowly approaching, not firing a shot, but holding his ground.

Victor, on the other hand, was a bit more trigger happy.

"Shit!" he yelled. "This damn thing won't hurt them!"

Glancing over, Nick saw that, indeed, each of Victor's shots had hit their mark. However, each of the bullets either bounced off or got lodged in their scales. They definitely looked surprised at the attack, backing away a few feet, clearly not as aggressive as their brothers and sisters approaching on the right, but they were unharmed.

Nick briefly wondered if the two creature's docile behavior was a sign that they could just run that way, but, again, this was more of subconscious thought. The matter at hand was far too pressing. The creatures were getting a lot closer now, the closest one crouched down only about a foot away. Nick began jamming the button even harder now, desperate to get the damn doors open.

Then finally, with a satisfying ding, the elevator doors pulled back, revealing the safety of the compartment inside. Audrey and Nick immediately ran inside, Audrey stopping to call Roache and Victor in and Nick running over to the panel of buttons. As with before, Nick pressed a random button without really paying attention. He was more focussed and pressing the button that closed the doors more than anything.

Victor and Roache, when Audrey informed them that the elevator had opened, immediately went for the elevator. Roache backed slowly into the compartment, keeping both his eyes and his gun on the creatures before him. Victor, meanwhile, simply rushed into the elevator, the pistol hanging limply at his side.

Meanwhile, the animals were now right in front of them. Standing where Nick had been just a few moments ago. And, worst of all, the elevator door was still wide open. The creatures could easily attack them now and kill them before the doors even closed.

However, they didn't.

The creatures (being newborns, after all) didn't have a great sense of strategy. Nor did they know that the little room that their prey had trapped themselves in would soon close and become that prey's sanctuary. So, instead of immediately attacking, the animals simply stalked closer to the elevator, moving slowly and carefully. A few of the animals even began to divert their attention from Nick and the others, biting and growling at each other. Unwilling to share their prize with any of their siblings.

Fighting over food.

It was these mistakes that gave the elevator enough time for it to come to its senses and finally close. Seeing the doors begin sealing off their prey, the creatures panicked and lunged.

Fortunately, though, two things stopped the animals from killing them. One was the doors, which had closed enough to only allow any of the baby Gojiras to enter one at a time. And second, was Roache himself, rushing forward to block the hole.

However, one animal was able to get its head through the door, snapping at their heads and screaming furiously, like a child having a temper-tantrum. Nick, Audrey, and Victor all backed away from the door, against the back of the elevator wall. But Roache was doing the opposite. Being the experienced fighter that he was, even in his old age, Roache was able to expertly shove his hand up and push the animal's jaw up and away. The creature shook its head violently and began clawing Roache with its claws, but Roache, though wincing in pain, refused to let go. And then, in a swift motion, Roache brought his gun forward and jammed the muzzle into the animal's now exposed underbelly.

Pulling the trigger, a sound like muffled firecrackers exploded throughout the elevator. The animal with a scream of pain fell back out of the elevator and into the hall, blood gushing from the bullet holes in its soft underbelly. Roache then fired his assault rifle into the hallway for another few seconds, keeping the animals from leaping back into the elevator. Giving the elevator enough time to finally close its doors.

Nick and the others simultaneously fell back against the back wall of the elevator, giving a sigh of relief. The elevator shuddered before Nick felt the floor move. The elevator had begun to descend.

However, Roache and Victor didn't notice it at first. "This damn thing," Victor said, chucking the pistol back to Roache, "couldn't penetrate those things' scales like your gun could."

Roache, returning the pistol to his pocket, shrugged. "You shot their head, which is armored. I shot their stomach, which is softer."

Victor, glaring at Roache for a moment, huffed. "Maybe I was trying to shoot its eye out."

Roache just chuckled. "Nice shot."

Before Victor could begin an argument with Roache, Nick interrupted, now remembering the behavior the two animals had showcased. "I don't think those two were actually interested in us," he said.

Roache laughed. "Ya. It seems those two like gumballs more than they like humans."

Audrey, ignoring Roache, turned to Nick and asked, "You're saying that the two baby Gojiras on our left wouldn't have harmed us? That we could have run right past them and they wouldn't have attacked us?"

Nick nodded. "It didn't seem like it." He considered the concept for a moment, eventually saying, "But it does make sense. There are probably over two hundred of those creatures. The number of animals that actually confused our scent for fish, and thus attacked us, are probably only about a dozen in number. These creatures aren't meant to hunt humans. Their favorite food is fish. And while a few of the animals may have confused as for being fish, I think most of them will be able to discern between our scent and the fish scent, and thus leave us alone."

"So, you're saying that were aren't facing an entire army of man-eating creatures," Victor said, "just a dozen or so."

Nick nodded. "These creatures are just babies, after all. Those that attacked us are too immature to know that we aren't food. Those who didn't should leave us alone."

"We should still get this fish smell off of us," Roache said, "just in case the other ones make the same mistake."

Nick nodded, but Audrey, who was looking at the floor with thought asked, "But what about the aggressive ones? Can they learn that we aren't food?"

Nick considered the question for a moment, hoping that Audrey was right. However, in his logical mind, knew that she was wrong. "Unfortunately, no," he said. "Man-eating creatures, like lions or tigers, don't usually want to eat humans. They would prefer their natural prey. For example, lions would prefer to hunt gazelles over humans."

"But then why do they eat humans?" Victor asked.

Nick shook his head. "Most of them don't. That's my point. The few that do eat humans only do when they learned that humans are easy to kill. From then on, their maneaters. They consider humans as prey."

"So," Audrey said, "you're saying."

"Yes," Nick affirmed with a nod. "The baby Gojiras that are aggressive towards us, or at least those that have actually killed humans, will always consider humans as food. Maybe, if given enough care from humans, or if the mother can teach them so, this can be reversed. But, for now, those dozen or so animals will continue to hunt us."

Roache chuckled. "Except for that one I shot. He learned his lesson."

"Yes," Nick said, grimly. "The lesson being don't take your time when hunting humans. Just attack them as soon as you see them. They can't shoot you if you kill them fast enough."

Roache's humor died almost instantly.

And then, before anyone else could speak, the elevator shuddered to a halt. A moment later, there was a ding, and the doors slid open.

The sliding doors revealed a room that contrasted greatly with the clean and pristine halls of Madison Square Garden. This room looked as if a tornado had passed through. Mounds of rubble and chunks of concrete were scattered everywhere, several bits of debris tumbling into the elevator when the doors opened. Wires hung loosely from the ceiling, many of which would spontaneously spit sparks of electricity. It was these sparks, as well as their flashlights, that helped illuminate the room. It helped Nick see that, at the back wall, a hole had been punctured through the concrete, and had apparently hit a pipe. Water poured from the hole, gathering into a small pool.

"Where are we?" Audrey asked, glancing around.

Nick glanced at the panel of buttons. "I think I may have sent us to the basement," he said.

"Better than to another pack of those things, I guess," Victor said with a shrug.

"But not as useful as sending us to the surface," Roache grumbled.

"Or the broadcasting room," Audrey adding, grabbing the group's attention. "That was my plan," Audrey explained. "We use the equipment there to send a create a broadcast and put it on the news. We tell and show everyone about Gojira's offspring, and alert the military to our location."

Roache nodded in understanding. "Then we wouldn't have to worry about jammed phone lines. The military would be calling us."

"And the military will know to blow this place up," Victor said.

That last part, though, Nick wasn't too sure about. He had just finished saying how most of the animals weren't aggressive, and how those who were, while now maneaters, could be turned docile with human or motherly care. Again, that debate began to rage in Nick's head, a battle to decide whether or not the Gojiras should die.

But, this debate didn't last long. It was soon interrupted by Audrey, who, pointing at something in the room, said, "What's that.

Everyone followed her gaze. In the center of the pool, there was a large, shadowy object. An object that stood tall and appeared like a rock. However, through prior experiences, Nick quickly realized exactly what this 'rock' was.

"Shit," Roache cursed, seemingly coming to the same conclusion.

Nick volunteered for the rest. "Its another egg."

Suddenly, one of the wires sparked, giving them enough light to confirm their suspicions. Sure enough, it was another egg of Gojira.

The group stared at the egg for several long moments, their flashlights locked on to the rough, slimy surface of the egg. No one moved for a long moment, watching anxiously for the egg to shudder and give signs of hatching. Now that they were aware of the egg, other, previously hidden details were now visible to the group. The floor, as with the subway systems and the stadium of Madison Square Garden, was covered in fish. And also, in a corner of the room, was a massive hole, where Nick assumed that Gojira came through to lay her egg.

Theories began to spiral through Nick's mind. He had begun to wonder why the egg was here, so far away from its siblings. However, it seemed apparent that this egg was a runt. It was smaller than the other eggs and had seemingly been late to be laid. Gojira had probably been on a trip to dump some fish around her eggs when she suddenly had to deposit one more. So, she made a small tunnel, found this room, and laid her egg. After that, she deposited a portion of the fish she carried and continued on her way.

When Nick leaned forward out of the elevator and looked up, he was unsurprised to find another massive hole, another tunnel that probably connected to the nest in some way or another. Why Gojira didn't bring the egg and place it with its siblings, or even just 'hold it in' until she got to the nest, Nick didn't know. Maybe Gojira thought that the egg was a dud, and the fish is simply a result of clumsiness.

Either way, the egg was here, and Nick was slowly growing more curious about it, as well as braver. Eventually, with a mental sigh, Nick decided to throw caution to the wind and took a step out of the elevator.

"What are you doing?" Roache asked suspiciously as Nick began to head out of the safety and shelter of the elevator.

Nick paused to glance back. "I'm going over there to study the egg."

"Are you crazy!" Victor said. "We still smell like fish, and maneater or not, those things are still dangerous."

Nick gave Victor a reassuring glance. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. It hasn't hatched yet and it might not for some time." Nick, with a quick glance at Roache's gun, then said, "But if worse comes to worst, we have an experienced French secret service agent who can protect me."

Nick glanced at Roache who, to Nick's relief, gave a nod. "We'll stay here to keep the elevator open, but shout if you need me."

Nick gave the old agent a brief nod before he turned back to the egg, which sat silently in the dark, and began to carefully approach it. His footsteps echoed loudly throughout the room, which was more of a cavern now that Gojira had trashed it. But as well as his footprints, Nick also heard the drip-drip of water dripping into the pool.

Then, from behind him, Nick heard another sound. Victor's voice. "Not you too!" Glancing back, Nick saw that Audrey had left the elevator as well, creeping up to join Nick in his investigation of the egg.

Nick wasn't too sure how to feel about this. It was incredibly awkward to be working closely with not only your ex-girlfriend but someone who happened to have used you to further her own career, ruining your own career in the process. However, Nick was beginning to understand her motives. That, of course, did not excuse what she did. However, Audrey hasn't exactly had an easy life. She had been stuck as an assistant for three years. And even her plan to make a name for herself, which used Nick to her advantage, ended up a failure, and probably left Audrey worse off. There are obviously better ways to work your way up in the world, but Audrey's progress had been stagnant for years. And after three years without progress, one tends to start getting desperate.

And, it did seem that Audrey was genuinely sorry for her deception. After all, Nick could find no other reason for Audrey to come on this expedition at all, other than to make up for her mistakes. To advance her career, maybe? She did suggest they make a broadcast. But Nick knew that one simple broadcast wouldn't be enough to elevate her to a star. And Nick remembered what Roache had said about his duty. How his job here was to help fix the mistakes of the past. And how redemption can only be achieved, only be truly achieved, if the victim forgives.

And Nick had done none of that.

Nick decided to push these thoughts away. He was getting closer to the egg after all. But, he knew that he would have to revisit this debate at some point.

Assuming they survived this, at least.

Eventually, Nick arrived at the edge of the pool, which the egg sat in. Though the egg stood tall over the pool, it was quite clear that the egg was definitely smaller than the others. Definitely a runt. This made the opportunity to study such an egg all the more enticing.

Though there was a moment of hesitation, Nick decided that he needed to get to the egg. To touch the egg. And that meant taking a dip in the dirty, freezing cold, and rancid smelling water. Cautiously, Nick lifted one foot out, planted it into the pool.

The water was deeper than Nick had expected. He was wearing heavy boots, ones usually worn by the army, so he hadn't expected to get his feet wet. But he must have stepped into a deep spot, a spot so deep the water shot up above the boot and rapidly began soaking Nick's foot. With a wince, Nick took another step, his other foot quickly becoming soaked to the bone. But Nick endured and, slowly but surely, made his way towards the egg. A moment later, another splash could be heard, and Nick glanced back to find that Audrey had entered the pool and was following him.

"You didn't have to come, you know," Nick informed her, turning back to the egg.

"I know," she replied, stepping cautiously through the murky water.

"Why?" Nick suddenly asked. He had already theorized as to why, but the answer just didn't seem possible. Why would Audrey want to apologize to him? There was nothing left he could offer her. He had served her purpose. It was a stroke of bad luck, perhaps even karma, that Audrey's plan hadn't gone as planned. But there was no reason for Audrey to want to use Nick, now that he was no longer with the military. No longer with CCI. No longer on the inside.

However, Audrey's answer was exactly as Nick had theorized. "Because I want to apologize, Nick," she said. "I'm serious. I know what I did was wrong, and how it screwed everything up. But I am sorry. I came here so I could fix my mistakes. To make it up to you."

Nick glanced back at Audrey. She definitely seemed sorry, giving him a pleading look. Begging him to forgive her. To accept her help.

"But how can I trust you?" Nick asked. "How am I sure that you aren't just trying to use me again?"

Audrey considered the question for a long moment, the silence lasting long enough for the two of them to reach the lonely egg. But, eventually, she did come up with an answer. "Because I care," she finally said. "I don't want to hurt you again."

Nick glanced at her," You didn't seem to care when you made that report."

Audrey sighed as if she had predicted his reply. "I was stupid and desperate. And I really, really regret doing it. I swear I do."

Nick gave her another, brief glance, before continuing on.

"Look," Audrey said, "you don't have to forgive me. I know I haven't earned forgiveness. But at least allow me to make it up to you. Let me at least try to redeem myself."

Once more, Roache's words circled through Nick's mind. He looked back at Audrey once more. In truth, he was beginning to believe that Audrey meant her words. She had, after all, risked her life to come here. And an old saying quickly piled on to the ever-growing mountain of Nick's thoughts. Everyone makes mistakes. Audrey was human after all, and it wasn't like Nick hadn't made any mistakes. He had made plenty. Technically, one of them had been trusting Audrey, but Audrey was openly admitting that she made a mistake in using Nick in the first place. She risked her life here to redeem herself from that mistake.

And then there was another common theme. Everyone deserves a second chance. Of course, Nick had already given her a second chance. That was what their whole conversation outside of that pharmacy had been. Nick giving Audrey a second chance. And Audrey had ruined it by using him for her little scheme. But, again, had Audrey not made up for that mistake by risking her life down here? And Nick had begun to remember what he had felt when he considered the possibility that Audrey might be dead before Audrey and Victor had tumbled down from the vent. He had been worried about her.

But why? After everything - leaving him without a goodbye, coming back only to use him for her personal gain - why was he worried for her? Why did he care? Was it because Audrey was trying to learn from and fix her mistakes? Because she wanted to redeem herself? There wasn't really any other explanation. But what if this was just another trick? Another plot to fool him into being Audrey's tool.

But while, after everything Audrey had done, distrusting her was a safe option, Nick was starting to believe that it wasn't the best option. Where would being distrustful of everything for the rest of his life get him? Nowhere. After all, he had trusted Roache despite being practically kidnapped by him. If he had stayed distrustful and refused Roache's offer, where would he be now? Where would Roache and his agents be? Where would the baby Gojiras be?

Where would Audrey be?

One can't just be distrustful of everything their entire life. They would never accomplish anything. And progress wasn't accomplished under one individual. Progress is a team effort. And while the common crook or the shady character may be worthy of distrustfulness, Audrey, Nick realized, was not. She had made several mistakes, but she was actively trying to fix them. To repair the broken friendship, to redeem herself, even if it meant risking her life in the process.

And, of course, redemption can't be attained without forgiveness.

Nick, now sure of his response, looked at Audrey and said, "Okay. I will trust you." Her face brightened with surprise and delight. "It will probably take some time before I can really forgive you, but I will trust you." Audrey seemed too happy to care.

And then… CRACK!

Nick and Audrey (who had been just standing around the egg for some time, at this point) whipped around to face the egg, now having suddenly been yanked back down into reality. Nick watched as the egg began to shudder, several loose pieces of eggshell and specks of debris sliding off and splashing down into the pool.

"Oh no," Audrey muttered.

Cracks were rapidly beginning to spread across the shell, forming a spider web of sorts. But before either Nick or Audrey could react, the egg fell apart and a large, reptilian head came forth. The creature released a shrill cry as Nick and Audrey jumped away from the egg. However, while Audrey was out of the way, Nick found that a good amount of yellow embryonic fluid now covered his chest and neck, covering him in a potent smell. Meanwhile, the creature struggled for a moment, using its claws to push the shell away. Scattered debris and eggshells were sent flying away when the animal was able to get it's tail free. A few moments later, the animal had completely hatched from its egg, the remaining husk collapsing behind it. The animal raised its head to the roof and released a victorious howl, declaring its freedom.

And then, the creature turned and looked straight at them.

The three stood there for a long moment, one looking with curiosity, the other two looking in fear. However, after a moment, Nick's fear began away and was slowly being replaced with a sense of wonder. Now that the animal was free from its egg, Nick got a good look at it. And it wasn't like any of the other animals.

For one thing, it was smaller. When standing upright, the other animals were about a head taller than humans, about six to seven feet tall. However, this animal was closer to being the average human height than the height of its siblings. Perhaps five to six feet tall. Another thing that Nick noticed was that its dorsal spines seemed more pronounced. Sharper, larger, and more formed than the small nubs of its siblings. But, most of all, Nick noticed that the animal's eyes were different. All of the other babies seemed to have piercing blue eyes, like that of their mothers. This animal however didn't have piercing blue eyes.

It had piercing green eyes.

The animal, curiosity present in its emerald pools, suddenly jumped towards, landing about a foot away and sending a crash of water towards them. Audrey and Nick immediately backed away. The creature began to stalk towards them, forcing Nick and Audrey to continue moving backward, cocking its head from side to side in a curious manner. Though it may be smaller and have a different eye color than its siblings, this animal definitely retained its mother's intelligence. It stared at them with curious eyes, but not in the way that suggested it wondered if they were food. It looked at them in a simply curious way. In a manner that suggested that it was merely interested in what Nick and Audrey were.

Of course, that didn't make it any less terrifying.

Suddenly, Nick felt his back press up against a cold, solid object. His heart sank. They were pinned against the wall, with little room to escape. And if they did make a break for the elevator, Nick knew that the creature was much faster than a human. The animal's legs, despite just being born, already rippled with muscle. And while they could shout for Roache, Nick knew that the creature would be on them before the agent could arrive.

Or, at least, one of them.

The reality of the situation fell on Nick like an anvil. The creature was stalking right up to them, and while it didn't seem aggressive, Nick didn't exactly trust it. If it attacked, as Nick was sure it would, only one of them would be able to escape.

Nick glanced at Audrey. Deep down, there was that selfish desire to make a break for it. An instinct that dictated that he should be the one to survive. After all, Audrey had hurt him. Had used him. What right did she have for survival? But Nick immediately banished this cruel instinct. He was not going to throw Audrey to the creature. Even after what she had done to him, he would not. It was most definitely the wrong thing to do. And he was not going to stoop to such a disgusting level, no matter what Audrey had done in the past.

Which left only one option as for who should stay to die.

Before the animal could get any closer, Nick turned and shoved Audrey to the said, away from the creature and towards the elevator. "Go!" Nick yelled. "Get Roache, or get the hell out of here!"

Audrey hesitated, turning back to give Nick a horrified look. "GO!" Nick practically screamed. "Save yourself!"

Audrey (with what may have been a tear in her eye) thankfully turned and fled towards the elevator. Whirling back towards the creature, Nick made sure that the animal's attention was focused on him. "Hey! HEY!" he yelled, waving his hands. The creature, which had been staring curiously at Audrey a moment ago, turned its attention back to Nick. And, its nostrils flaring, began to close the distance.

It was at that moment when Nick realized exactly what was about to happen next. Somehow, even when deciding between saving Audrey's life or his own, Nick hadn't really grasped that, either way, one of them was going to die. And when he had volunteered, he still didn't really internalize it until that moment. Not until when, with only one target, the creature began to approach him.

Nick's self-preservation instincts kicked in, and he began to panic, whirling his head about, searching desperately for something to protect himself with. Eventually, he was able to find it. A thin, white rod that lay on the floor. Its prior form and purpose, Nick would never know. All he knew was that it was there and that it was his only hope for survival. And so, Nick lunged for it…

Only to find a large, scaled body blocking his path.

Nick mentally cursed. The creature must have seen his intention and had quickly moved to block Nick, to keep him from his only chance at survival. And, looking up, Nick now realized that, even if he had gotten the rod, it was too late. The creature was less than half an arm's length away now. Its snout was mere inches away.

Deep in his subconscious, Nick couldn't help but be impressed by the creature's intelligence. It somehow had the intelligence to know that Nick was trying to survive. Whether it thought he was trying to escape or to defend himself, Nick wasn't sure. But either way, the creature had predicted his last-ditch attempt at survival and thus moved to deny him that chance at life.

But that didn't matter now. Nick's face was just a few inches away from the jaws of death. The creature's hot breath, which reeked of the same embryonic fluid that caked Nick's shirt, blasted in his face with each heavy breath. Nick closed his eyes, now certain of his demise. This was it. This was the end. Even after everything that had happened. From being called away from Chernobyl to seeing the wreckage wrought by Godzilla. From seeing the UFO fly overhead to finding Gojira's nest. From Audrey's betrayal to her attempt at redemption. None of it mattered now. Not to him, anyway.

Nick took in his final breath of air and prepared to die.

A/N - And that was chapter 19! I am sorry for the longer wait than usual for this chapter. An unexpected camping trip to our family cabin (that didn't have wifi) came up so I was unavailable to write for almost a week. I was able to get some writing done beforehand, and I was working hard yesterday and today, so I was finally able to finish it. Though, I had to cut this chapter a bit shorter than I had planned because it was getting a bit long. At this point, I don't really know what chapter will be the 'final' chapter. There is still a lot left to get through and there is an epilogue I want to have at the end. But, for now, how did you enjoy this chapter? As the title may suggest, this chapter mostly focuses on Nick and Audrey. But, I hope you guys don't mind me asking if you could give me some feedback on how I did with that stuff. When considering the drama, I was kind of going all over the place looking for reasons why Nick would begin to trust Audrey again. And it's not that I want them together by the end (that part of the actual movie doesn't really make any sense). At the very most, they will probably end up being friends by the end of this, and just that. If I really wanted them together, it would have to take a lot of time and it probably wouldn't happen until the third or fourth part (assuming I even do that, which I'm not interested in writing romance, so it probably won't). So, I would like it if you guys could tell me what you thought of how I wrote the Nick and Audrey stuff, and if you have any tips for future scenes like that. I probably won't go back and edit it simply because, while this chapter focuses on them, their relationship isn't the focus of the story. In fact, this story was going to focus on something completely different, but I had to cut it because the chapter was getting too long. But don't worry! That stuff that I cut from this chapter will definitely appear in the next one. You got to even see a sneak peek of it in this chapter! And I should (hopefully) be home for the next week to write it. Anyway, and as per usual, I hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter of Mutants and Monsters, have a great day, and that I will see you guys next week!