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New Home in the Hollow Earth.

In their home in the Hollow Earth outpost, Ilene Andrews was making dinner for herself and her adopted daughter, Jia. Their home's wall was one large reinforced panel of glass that let them see beyond the Monarch compound into the wilderness that was Hollow Earth. Ilene knew from meetings the surveys of Hollow Earth were likely going to take decades. The discovery of the Hollow Earth was already affirming long-standing theories of geology and many were now rewriting the books. The information the geologists Monarch was allowing down here along with the exploration teams, combined with the scientists - the chemists, naturalists, zoologists, botanists, the meteorologists, and the physicists whose studies to the gravity inversion field alone was already yielding many discoveries, but Ilene knew it was too early for them to truly make much of a difference.

But down here there were dozens of potential cures for numerous diseases and illnesses, new alloys, new vaccines, new chemicals and metals; while Ilene was focused on Kong and how he was adjusting to the Hollow Earth following the battle with Godzilla and that Mechagodzilla thing Apex had built to threaten Godzilla's place as the alpha Titan, she knew only too well what her fellow scientists were doing.

After making sure dinner was at a stage where she could leave it, Ilene left the kitchen and walked to the window. Jia was sitting in the window seat and looking out over the landscape. As she walked to her adopted daughter, Ilene frowned. Jia was happy for her adopted father's happiness, but Ilene saw there was something wrong.

She wanted to find out what it was.

Gently Ilene put her hand on the little girl's shoulder, making the girl jump.

-Sorry,- Ilene hid the smile as she signed to her adopted daughter.

-You scared me-, Jia signed back, glaring cutely back.

-Sorry. But you looked lost in thought. What's wrong?-

Jia looked back out of the window for a moment before she turned back. -Do you remember when you asked me when we were in Hong Kong about going to school?-

Ilene nodded slowly. -Yes-, she signed back, remembering it clearly. She had been worried and concerned about Jia for a long time. For centuries, Skull Island had been the home of many people throughout history who had been shipwrecked there. Once they had realised escape was all but impossible, they had settled and raised families, giving rise to the Iwi. Jia was the last of the Iwi after the storms created by Ghidorah ravaged the island and the attack of another titan had driven the Iwi to extinction. She would have died herself, had Kong not saved her life. But Ilene was worried about her; while Jia was not her biological daughter, she was as good as her daughter and like all mothers, Ilene was worried for her.

She knew the girl was the last of a race who had a simple tradition, but she also wanted Jia to have other friends her own age and interests like a normal girl.

Ilene had asked Jia what she wanted to do now after the battle in Hong Kong. Jia had been reticent despite her fascination with the modern city, so different and so unalike to the jungle she had grown up in on Skull Island, but she had taken what Ilene had said onboard.

Jia had told her she was afraid of not being true to her home roots if she did that, the first Iwi to be out in the world and learning from others.

-Do you think I can do it?-

Jia's question took her aback. -You mean it, Jia? Do you want to go to school? I mean I know that you are good at math and reading, but do you really want to do that? I thought you were worried about losing touch with your roots, and what about Kong?

-I talked to him about this. He says that we will still be together if I left and that he hadn't originally wanted to leave Skull Island before coming here, but now he knows it was one of the best things to happen to him. Besides, I can still follow Iwi customs, can't I? And besides, I can come back whenever I wish since there is a way to and fro the Hollow Earth and the Outer Earth, right?-

Ilene was amused by the little girl's unspoken remark. -You've really thought this out, haven't you? Oh, and answering your question about following Iwi customs elsewhere, then you can. Nothing is going to stop you, and I would never allow it, and neither should you.-

-Yes, I want to get out into the world and see it for myself. We have gone from Skull Island, here, and Hong Kong. I do want to see more of the world, but I'd like it if you came with me?-

Ilene was surprised but happy. -Jia, that will be difficult to arrange with my work on Kong, but I think I can pull it off-.

She hoped she was telling the girl the truth, especially with the discovery Kong not only understood but practiced basic sign language, many in Monarch were heralding it as a remarkable discovery, but she was still expected to study and educate Kong. But she thought if she could play it off as a sabbatical, Monarch would allow it.