Ms Angela Fairweather, Billy Cranston Doctor Serizawa, Charlie, Morgana, Mack, Kori and Joe Brody in his wheel chair all gathered in the briefing room onboard the Gotengo.
It had been two days after the death of Divatox, Morgana and Charlie, all of whom were looking through the briefs to stay informed (except for Charlie who looked to be skimming the pages of the dossier before her). Morgana had already read the briefing, she just didn't bother reading it again because everything she knew about Drakkon was marked in ink on the papers before her.
Drakkon.
That name hadn't been heard for the past eight years. The door to the conference room was opened by one of the guards standing at the door, Charlie put out her cigarette and everyone stood at attention when figures entered the room.
"Commander," Billy spoke first to Commander Grace Sterling, she was flanked by General Taylor Earhart and Carter Greyson.
"Mr Cranston," Grace acknowledged him. Everyone else addressed the Commander until she stood behind the chair that was at the opposite end of the table from Ms Fairweather.
"First, I want to congratulate you all on the success of your latest mission. This crisis has gone unpunished for far too long, but you did what needed to be done. Your country thanks you, and I thank you for your continued service." Grace said.
"This is the Kiryu Force?"," Carter asked, "Yes sir active Rangers Charlie and Morgana but everyone else in this room is their support and their service is unparalleled, and you can trust in both their discretion and their effectiveness in the field."
"I look forward to working more closely with you all," Carter gave a slight smile, and motioned for them all to sit down. Angela was still standing for the sake of her presentation.
"So, you believe this Drakkon threat is real?" Carter asked.
"I do, Carter," Taylor told them, "Ms. Fairweather?"
Angela cleared her throat, "General Earhart is correct, Drakkon has returned in previous occasions ."
"Matthews," Carter spoke, "in your professional opinion, why should we take this threat seriously?"
"You don't have to, sir," Charlie said, plainly.
"I'm sorry, I'm not even sure I understand," Grace commented, "Would you care to clarify more on that bit?"
"I said you don't have to take it seriously," Charlie said before pausing, "In fact, we can just end this meeting right now, you can go home, get a good night's sleep, knowing all is right with the world."
"What she's saying, sir, is that a lot of innocent people are going to die," Morgana spoke up in an aggressive manner. Eyes were now fixed upon her, even Grace a bit frightened.
"What makes you say that, ms Morgana?" Carter asked.
"The Titans are a thing."
Now the focus of the room was all on Serizawa.
"Care to elaborate?" Carter asked.
Serizawa swallowed nervously, " We have a somewhat allience with the Alpha Titan known as Godzilla but the Muto and Ghidorah have shown that some of these Titans are hostile and Drakkon being back complicates things"
"To answer your questions, Mr. Secretary, Director," Morgana began, "Charlie is correct. You should take Drakkon very seriously."
"It's settled, then," Grace said, "General Earhardt Secretary Greyson, give Kiryu Force whatever support the require."
Carter nodded, then Grace cleared her throat.
"Doctor Serizawa" Grace began, "You said something about King Kong?."
"Incredible." Joe whispered.
"Commander Sterling. This containment facility will not hold Kong for much longer." Serizawa warned.
"I know, Serizawa. But we don't have a choice. It's the only way to keep him safe." She replied.
"Safe from what?" Angela asked.
"From your mentor's pet project." Taylor replied sharply.
Angela's lips tightened, but she was restrained from speaking by a single hand gesture from Serizawa.
"Godzilla has left Kong's kind in peace since before Kong was born. Why do you think Godzilla would consider him a threat now?" Billy asked.
"Because Kong's the only Titan on Earth that Godzilla hasn't attacked in the last six to eight months." Taylor replied.
Serizawa took a deep breath as Taylor pointed a finger at him.
"I'm not letting Kong become his next victim."
"Gojira is establishing dominance." He pleaded.
"And what happens when two Alphas converge in the wild, Doctor?" Carter asked.
"One of them must bow." He replied.
"Or?" Taylor continued.
Serizawa huffed through his nose.
"… Or die." Grace finished for him.
"Look, Serizawa. Everyone. A year ago Godzilla defeated Monster Zero and asserted his dominance. 'The Roar Heard Round The World,' as it was called in the media. Remember? All of the Titans bowed regardless of where in the world they were. Godzilla stood alone and was treated as the Alpha. But now he's out there picking fights and making them all bow a second time by force. Why?"
A few of the other doctors and scientists exchanged glances, but none could return an answer.
"Exactly. Godzilla's not just acting like an Alpha. He's acting like a bully. And Kong isn't one to be bullied or pushed around. He'd never submit if Godzilla came for him. And given what we all know Godzilla can do, if that were to happen it would be a death sentence for Kong. And I'm not going to let that happen."
"If I may?" Joe asked.
"I'm sorry. Who are you, again?" Taylor asked.
"Joe Brody, ma'am. I was a nuclear engineer working in Janjira during the power plant meltdown at the hands of the Male MUTO."
"Ah, that's right. Apologies, mister Brody."
"It's fine. Anyway. I've been studying the Titans ever since the 2014 incident in San Francisco. And if we consider Godzilla's behavior to be that of an Alpha asserting dominance, it's not really as surprising as you make it out to be."
"How's that, mister Brody?"
"Because there are many in the animal kingdom who, when they're the Alpha of a pride, pack, herd, family group, whatever, will occasionally reassert their dominance whenever they sense unease or tension in the group. Sometimes it's as simple as restoring order and preemptively stopping in-fighting. And I think there was an example of that not too long ago between the Titans Behemoth and Amhuluk. The two were fighting in Behemoth's known territory and Godzilla had to step in and make them both back down and go their separate ways. Right?"
Grace heaved a long sigh.
"Look. I know it's not exactly a comfort knowing that Godzilla's making the rounds like this. But when you consider it from his own perspective then-"
"I'm sorry. His own perspective, mister Brody?"
"Yes. His perspective as an Alpha in a herd or pack or whatever you want to call all of the Titans."
"As much as I appreciate what you're trying to do by comparing Godzilla's behavior to something natural and not inherently violent, I have to remind you that we're all still only just beginning to unravel the mystery of what the Titans are, why they do what they do, and who each one of them truly is as an individual. And while they may look like animals and have some known animalistic behaviors, they're not animals. They're monsters. Creatures too big and too powerful for their own good. And if one of them gets it in their head that it's time to show everyone who's boss, what's to stop them from doing the same to humanity once they're done with the other Titans?"
Joe cleared his throat, and Serizawa stepped up.
"That is where you're wrong. The Titans are still animals. They were born on this world just like any other. And their kind have lived and died on this world like any other for longer than any of us can imagine. Their size is unique to a time long before even the dinosaurs. But they are still animals."
"Agree to disagree, Serizawa."
"What do you really have against the Titans?" Angela asked in a harsh tone.
"It's not that I have anything against them, Doctor Chen. It's that I don't trust our lack of knowledge about them. And unlike most of you, it seems, I prefer not leaving anything to chance or simply hoping for a positive outcome. Godzilla's acting out and fighting the others to assert himself. And when Kong doesn't bow, there can only be one Alpha standing when it's over. And that's not going to end well for Kong."
Angela was clearly not convinced, but relented and took a step back.
" Is it really for Komg's protection or do you hate them cause they remind of monster the villains rangers have faced over the years ?" Morgana
"Are we done?" Taylor asked.
Nobody spoke up.
"I'm sorry you had to see Kong acting out like that. We'll figure out what to do about him soon. For now, though, he has to stay here where it's safe."
"Why do you think it's safe?" Joe asked.
"Because, mister Brody, we've managed to use the findings from Mark Russell's data from the ORCA device to produce a copy of Kong's vocalizations and broadcast a signal that's exactly out of phase with it. When Kong's vocalizations and frequencies come into contact with it, they're canceled out. So as long as he's inside this dome, Godzilla will never know he's here."
"You think that Gojira's senses are so easily deceived?" Serizawa asked in a calm, low voice.
"I believe what the data tells me, and what I've seen with my own eyes. Godzilla responds most readily to the other Titan's audio frequencies. If we cancel Kong's frequencies out, it's basically putting Kong blinders on Godzilla."
Serizawa said nothing. But his calm, quiet stare told all.
"Now, if we're quite finished… I've somewhere to be."
Taylor took her leave. And almost as soon as the door was shut, Angela shook her head.
"Bitch." She muttered.
"Clam yourself, Angela." Serizawa scolded.
She gave a subtle bow of her head.
" Fucking Idiot more like it " Charlie quipped, Morgana agreed
"Mister Brody. What do you think?" Serizawa asked.
"I think she really cares about Kong and will do anything to keep him safe." Joe replied.
Serizawa nodded.
"I suppose she is not so different from me and my interest in Gojira."
Joe nodded with a slight chuckle.
"Yeah. Got that right."
"We can't keep him safe forever " Mack said " Sooner or Later G-man will discover Kong"
Serizawa smiled with a nod.
Out in the wilderness, Kong laid down against the base of a mountain and looked up at the fake sun overhead. The sun is bright. The skies are open. The clouds float by. The trees are swaying. Everything looks as it should. But the birds… They never land. The winds come and go in cycles too perfect to be natural. There are no more storms. There is no more smell of the sea. Kong laid down all the way and put his head in his hand.