Elsa, Anna, Kristoff and Jack followed Colonel Foster and Dr. Ling along the walkway in the Docking hanger. They walked over to the end of the hanger, where a large grey research Vessel stood docked. Colonel Foster turned to Elsa and her squad mates.
"With the military's heavy surveillance, you all will be taking this to the island." she insisted to them.
"We called it M.T.R.V," Dr. Ling claimed to them.
"This was the vessel your mother and her team were assigned to for expeditions to study the titans."
Elsa, Anna and the others peered up at the research vessel. Anna stared up in awe at the vessel.
"This was mother's?" Elsa asked, curiously.
"Your kidding." Jack said, glancing to the colonel and Founder of Monarch.
"Wow," she said, peering up at the ship.
"This is where mom worked?"
She then glanced along the starboard bound, where she saw the gangway which lead aboard the ship. Anna gasped in awe. She then turned to Kristoff and tugged on his arm.
"Kristoff come on," she said.
"Lets check out what's on board."
She pulled Kristoff along toward the gangway. Jack glanced up at the research vessel. Needless to say, he was unimpressed to say them least. Not to mention concerned. They were about to sail to an island filled with giant monsters. They were supposed to sail across open waters filled with god knows what in this?
The ship was hardly armed with any sort of weapons. How were they going to defend themselves in case they were attacked?
And with his fiancé aboard...
"Colonel, with all due respect, this ship hardly has any weapons on it," he said, glancing down to Foster.
"How are we suppose to defend ourselves if we run into a titan or whatever else is out there?"
"The MRV comes with an advanced radar system," Dr. Ling insisted to him.
"It should detect any radiative signatures of any titan or creature in you perimeter."
"Well that's a start," Mattis said.
"But what are we to do if they decide to come after us?"
"The MRV's top speed will be enough to outrun any creature you might encounter." Ling claimed to them.
"Great," Jack said, sarcastically.
"That'll help."
Anna ran to the end of the ship and gazed down at Elsa.
"Elsa, you gotta see what's up here!" she said.
"Come on, come on!" Anna said, pulling Elsa into the on Board Laboratory.
The ship's lab was a narrow and boxed in with a countertop at the center. Where there was large microscope sitting close to the edge. Along with a test tub rack and other beakers and such. Off to the other end of the room, there was a large refrigerator with a cupboard of test tubs and beakers.
Anna came up to the computer monitor at the corner of the room, where a framed picture stood next to it. Anna picked up the picture and turned to Elsa.
"Look," she said.
"It's the trip to Tokyo we took to mother."
Elsa took the photo frame from Anna. She glanced down at the picture inside and saw the photo they took in front of Mount Fuji. She remembered this. Mother had taken her and Anna to a trip to Tokyo when they were kids. It was the last trip they had with mother before the Titan Killer was dropped over Baltimore and before she had disappeared.
Elsa frowned, glancing to the side. She still felt so torn about hearing the news of their mother after all this time.
Jack and Kristoff glanced around the lab.
"This thing comes with it's own lab?" Jack asked, curiously.
"Well of course."
The four turned back to the open doorway of the lab. It was there that they saw a Japanese man standing outside in the hallway. He looked to be in his late fortys with black hair, wearing a dark blue collared shirt and cargo pants. He stepped into the laboratory.
"The M.T.R.V was meant to track and study titans," The man insisted to them.
"Our team had to conduct our research while on the move."
"Our team?" Anna asked, curiously.
"Oh, uh, I should probably introduce myself," The man said.
"My name is Dr. Kira Hajima. And you two must be Anna and Elsa. Your mother has told me so much about you."
"You know our mother?" Anna asked, curiously.
Hajima nodded his head.
"Yes," He insisted to them.
"Your mother and I used to be colleges back in the University of Tokyo. We were both former protégées of Dr. Serizawa."
"Do you know where our mother is?" Anna asked, curiously.
Dr. Hajima nodded his head.
"I might have a good idea of where she might be." Hejima insisted to them.
Colonel Foster and Dr. Ling watched as the M.T.R.V slowly pulled out of the docking hanger. She glanced to Ilene.
"I hope you two are right about her." Colonel Foster said.
The now present CEO of Monarch closed both eye. She knew it was her. It had to be. So could feel it through the connection she shared with the monster queen. The Goddess herself had chosen her. Only she could speak to him in their darkness hour.
Everyone was gathered over the bridge of the Research vessel for the mission briefing. Standing around a large monitor, Dr. Hajima brought up an image of the island. He then enhanced the images, bring up a satellite image of a large outpost in the mountains.
"The outpost is located here in the mountains," he insisted, glancing back at the others.
"It's where we conducted research on the titans and some of the creatures we transported from Skull Island."
"What exactly is on this island?" Mattias asked, curiously.
"Most of the Titans like Behemoth and Scylla migrated to the island after the Titan War," Dr. Hajima claimed to them.
"There's also several species we've been studying on skull island like the Holy Tiger and the Sker buffalos. But most of the island's wildlife your squad should well familiar with."
"Oh that's just great." Jack said, sarcastically.
"How are we suppose to get to the outpost?" Anna asked, curiously.
Dr. Hajima scrolled right over the monitor to island's Northern coast.
"Here," he claimed to them, pointing an an image feed of a small Monarch docking port.
"This is where we received our supplies whenever we were stationed on the island. There's a road that should take us straight to the outpost. We can dock the ship there and take that road to the outpost."
"And how are we supposed to get there with those things out there?" Kristoff asked, curiously.
"Most of the titans reside to the southern part of the island," Dr. Hajima claimed to them.
"At least they were last time we were stationed there. But we don't have to worry about encountering them on the way to the outpost. Monarch had constructed anti-Titan walls to keep out any of the titans and the other creatures on the island."
Jack glanced down at the doctor.
"That's a start, but the walls aren't much of an obstacle for Banshees," Jack insisted to the doctor.
"And if there's any on the island, we're going to get overwhelmed."
"Especially without an ORCA." Kristoff insisted to them.
"Then we'll have to improvise," Mattias insisted to his squad.
"No one is to shoot unless I give the order. We don't to attract any unwanted attention."
Jack and the squad each nodded their heads to the lieutenant.
"Yes, sir." Jack said.
"It's settled then." he claimed, turning to the others.
"For now, everyone gets some shut eye. It will be a while before we reached the island."
Elsa laid wide awake over the bottom bunk late that night. She rolled over onto her side, narrowing her eyes. She continued to ponder about their mother. She was so angry and confused at the same time. She had just left them and didn't even say goodbye. And now after all these years, being branded as a criminal by the world for the Titan Killer, they find out that she was on an island full of monsters this entire time.
She felt so torn and angry. But at the same time, she was confused as to why she did it. Why she had left them when she did.
As Elsa continued to ponder, she suddenly heard a familiar growling sound. She widened her eyes as she leaned up over the bed. She paused for a moment and then heard it again. It was the same as what she heard back in the city. She glanced over at Jack and Kristoff who were sleeping in the bunks across from them. Both of them were fast asleep.
She then glanced up at Anna, who was snoring above her.
"Anna," she whispered to her younger sister.
"Anna, wake up."
Anna groan, leaning up her head with her eyes narrowly open.
"Elsa?" she moaned, curiously.
"What is it?"
"Do you hear that?" Elsa asked, curiously.
Anna peered forward as she listened.
"Hear what?" She asked, curiously.
Elsa then hear the growling sound once more. She glanced up at her sister.
"That!" she said.
"Elsa, I don't hear anything." she claimed to her sister.
Elsa narrowed her head, squinting her eyes curiously. She swore she heard something. It sounded like a Titan or a creature was nearby. How could she be the only one who was hearing it?
"It probably nothing." Anna insisted to her older sister.
Anna then turned over in her bunk and went back to sleep. Elsa shook her head. None of this was making any sense. She could swear that she had heard that same growl the other night. And that dream she had. What was going on?
Elsa stood up out of bed and walked over to the doorway. Unannounced to her that Jack had woken up and saw her walk out into the hallway.
Elsa leaned over the railing along the ship's starboard. She peered out over the blackened ocean at the moon glistening it's bright white light over the surface. All the while, she continued to ponder over her the feelings that now torn her. Over the anger she felt for her mother and the confusion she felt with her dream as well as that strange e growling she heard.
She narrowed her head. Why was she hearing that sound? Was she going crazy?
"Elsa?"
Elsa raised her head and looked back behind her. Only to see Jack was standing behind her.
"Jack?" she said.
"What are you doing out here?" Jack asked, curiously.
"I- I just came out here to think." Elsa insisted to him.
Jack came up next to her as he glanced to his fiancé. He saw he narrowing her eyes, frowning sullenly. A look which he was well familiar with.
"Oh boy, I know that look," he said, leaning over the railing.
"Come on, tell me what's what's wrong."
Elsa glanced to her fiancé. She sighed, narrowing her eyes.
"I'm... I'm just so confused," Elsa claimed to Jack.
"Our mother has been on some remote island filled with monsters for all this time. And she didn't even say goodbye to me or Anna."
Jack glanced to the side, frowning.
"How could she just leave us like that?" She asked.
Jack reached out his hand and placed it over Elsa's shoulder.
"I'm sure she has her reasons, Els." He reassured her.
Elsa shook her head.
"No," Elsa exclaimed to him.
"What reason should any parent have for just abandoning their own children?!"
Jack narrowed his head. She was right, there was never a reason for a parent to do that to their own kids.
"No, there shouldn't." Jack said, turning forward.
Elsa peered ahead over the blacken ocean.
"It's not that I don't want to see her," Elsa claimed to him.
"But... I... I just..."
"Just what?" Jack asked, curiously.
Elsa sighed as she shook her head.
"I don't know." she said, narrowing her head.
"Hey." Jack said as he came up to her.
Jack reached out his hand and turned her to face. He then brought her close, holding her tightly in his arms.
"It's going to be alright." he reassured her.
Elsa laid her head against his chest, enjoying his embrace. She loved the fact that he would comfort her in her time of need. It was why she loved him and wanted to spend the rest of her life with him.
The two then parted and glanced to one another. When suddenly, Elsa once more heard that strange growling sound. She turned and glanced out over the ocean.
"What is it?" Jack asked, curiously.
Elsa turned back back to him.
"There's something I have to tell you." Elsa claimed to him.
"I'm listening." He insisted to her.