(Author's Note: Seems I got through to the one guest, but now I've got anotherone saying the cursing is "ruining the story for me," and demanding I either edit or delete the previous "chapter."
Sigh… You'd think that the whole "you don't tell me what to do" rantin that last "chapter" would have sent the message to anyone that nobody gets to give me orders regarding my stories or how I communicate.
But stupid is as stupid does.
So, stupid, this one's for you: Fuck you, I'm leaving that "chapter,"in all its profane glory, up for a little while longer since you thought you could makea demand of me. I was going to delete it yesterday until I saw your "review" and demand.
Get this, dumb fuck: shit stains like you don't get to tell me what to do. Ever. You don't like profanity? Double check the rating of this story, and then kindly fuck off.
Thanks!)
Kong pressed both hands against the massive wall of rock and leaned forward pushing with all his might. A grunt of effort escaped his clenched teeth, and the doors scraped open pushing up a massive cloud of ancient dust into the air and allowing the sun's rays to shine within this ancient hollowed space for the first time in who knew how long.
Cautiously, Kong took his first steps into this unknown domain.
What is this?
Coming in behind Kong at the slowest crawl they could manage, the team observed with jaws agape the majesty of this underground space. Along the ground of the entrance were carefully interwoven slabs of slate rock with cracks and crags along their surfaces. From wall to wall they lay in near perfect puzzle-like formation with each one settling into place beside the next. From the air they looked no bigger than a child's play toy. But compared to Kong they were slabs as large as his entire torso. Sometimes larger.
But this floor was only the beginning.
Ahead lay a massive open chamber stretching for at least two thousand meters from end to end. Perhaps longer. All around the outside were intricately carved and layered archways which absolutely dwarfed Kong in height. Behind each one seemed to glow an orange-red light as if a lava pool or fall were behind each one.
At the center of this marvel sat a massive stone tower surrounded by smaller pillars, each one with a carved line through the center which gave off a distinct dark blue glow. The walls of the cave seemed to have a similar thing going on with blue light peeking through cracks and nooks throughout. But that central stone tower is what drew everyone's gaze.
Beneath it was a massive circular etching in the ground which obviously marked this spot as the most important section of the room. But why? Squared off slabs between Kong and the tower seemed to form a pathway leading to massive stairs just at Kong's feet which the group had previously not noticed.
"Look at the size of this place." Mark whispered.
"Yeah. It's… beyond imagining." Joe added.
Jia tugged on Doctor Andrews' shirt to grab her attention.
What's he doing? She signed.
Doctor Andrews looked out towards Kong and saw him clenching his fists with a slightly stiffened posture. Added to that, he was beginning to let off small grunts and barks which echoed through the space.
"… He's calling." She said.
"Calling what?" Maia asked.
"Not what. Who?" Andrews replied.
Kong let loose a much louder roar. But like his shorter calls this one would only return a hollow echo through the chamber.
Doctors Lind, Andrews, Serizawa, Chen, and Mark all dipped their heads slightly with Andrews fighting back tears as her lips tightened and trembled at the sight. Doctor Lind put a hand on her shoulder and have a light squeeze.
"You all right?" He asked.
She shook her head.
"He's alone." She sobbed quietly.
Doctor Lind looked back to Kong and noticed that his shoulders had slumped and he was taking longer, deeper breaths.
Kong's head hung low as he let out a whimper and sat down at the top of the stairs.
This place. It smells and somehow feels like home. But there is nothing… No one, here.
The H.E.A.V's hovered nearby with everyone watching Kong intently.
"Serizawa. Do you think he's really…" Doctor Chen began.
Serizawa nodded once very slowly.
"Kong is home. But it seems he, like the others, is the last of his kind."
Doctor Chen sighed softly and looked out at Kong who was slumping forward with his elbows over his knees and resting his forehead against his arms.
Home.
His hands clenched into fists.
Home is not supposed to be like this.
He released a soft, mournful groan.
Home is not supposed to feel… So empty.
"Is… Is he-" Maia began.
"Crying." Mark interjected with a series of small nods. "He's crying."
As their H.E.A.V. came around the team confirmed Mark's declaration as they noticed the small puddle of liquid building between Kong's feet on the floor.
"They can do that?" Maia asked.
"You're really surprised by this?" Mark asked. "Of all the things the Titans have been shown to be capable of, you're surprised that Kong, one of the most intelligent and emotionally cognizant of the Titans, is able to cry?"
Maia's lips tightened and she looked away dismissively while Mark shook his head.
Meanwhile, Kong's head came up as he took in a deep breath and coughed out a final sob vocalization before pushing himself to his feet.
There is nothing for me here.
As he was turning to leave, Kong caught sight of something on the ground in front of the central tower. And despite his desire to leave this desolate place, curiosity got the better of him. As well as… Something more
He began descending the steps with the team in toe as they all seemed to follow his line of sight to the object.
"What's that?" Joe asked, unable to really see over the control panel.
"It's some kind of stick?" Ford guessed.
"… I don't think so." Serizawa stated.
Kong walked up to the strange object protruding from the ground. But no. Not the ground. It was protruding from a massive skull of a creature many times Kong's size. The exact identity of the creature was unknown as it seemed to posses both mammalian and reptilian traits. But what drew Kong's attention wasn't the creature. It was that object. And as he gripped it and hoisted it out of the skull it took the form of a crafted axe using what looked like...
"What in-" Doctor Chen gasped.
"An axe?" Doctor Andrews asked.
"Yeah. It's definitely an axe, but-" Doctor Lind began.
"Is that one of Godzilla's spines?" Mark asked.
"It is." Serizawa replied, mouth agape.
"An axe and some kind of bone, like a femur, for the shaft." Doctor Chen added.
Kong held the axe up and felt the weight of it in his hands.
It's strong.
He lifted the head into the air and held it against the light shining in from above.
I knew it smelled familiar. It's from him.
The axe came back down at Kong's side for a brief moment before he pumped it into the air and roared while beating his chest with his opposing hand.
The waters call to you! But this axe calls to me! If you attack again, I will not be defeated a second time!
Kong's roar shook the cavern for several long seconds before everything finally calmed and his calls died away.
"What was that about?" Maia asked.
"If I had to guess, he's establishing dominance." Mark said.
"What, just from picking that thing up?" Ford asked.
"Yeah. Primates usually display their power and aggression when they feel a sense of superiority over their rivals. The axe must have given him a confidence boost after his last battle with Godzilla." Mark concluded.
"Fascinating." Joe muttered.
"So what? Monkey's got a tool and now he's king of the world?" Maia asked.
"Shut up, already!" Doctor Andrews snapped. "Honestly you treat everyone and everything like it's beneath you!"
"He's just a Titan." Maia replied calmly.
Andrews' mouth snapped shut with a clenched jaw and Doctor Lind had to hold her back from reaching Maia who smirked and shook her head.
"Maybe get her a leash?"
Maia was suddenly pulled around by her lapel and face to face with Serizawa who stared directly into her eyes.
"When you disrespect nature, she will always respond. Mind your tongue." He said quietly.
Maia smirked again and pushed him off, straightening her coat.
"Whatever."
Jia tugged on Andrews' shirt and pointed to Kong who was now walking towards the central tower. But as they got closer they noticed a little lip at the bottom of it. And as Kong approached and gave it a once over, he then promptly sat down with the axe held up at his side.
"It's a throne." Doctor Lind said.
The H.E.A.V.'s landed near Kong and the crew all exited the crafts cautiously with the few security members available guns ready and checking the area to secure a perimeter. As he exited Doctor Lind looked up and noticed hundreds of pairs of eyes on the ceiling looking down at them all from around and between the stalactites.
"Creepy." He muttered to himself.
Back at Apex Cybernetics Headquarters in Hong Kong, Ren sat at his computer station observing the specs of Mechagodzilla when Simmons entered the room causing Ren to roll his eyes as he turned his chair around.
"What do you want?"
"Such a harsh greeting, mister Serizawa. I came to ask if there's been any change?"
"None."
"I see. How unfortunate."
Simmons glanced at Mechagodzilla's spec sheet and smiled. "Magnificent, isn't it?"
"Yes."
""Yes?" That's all?"
"What do you want me to say?"
"I don't know. I suppose I just thought you'd be more excited for when the project is complete."
"Predicting how we feel is usually impossible."
"Not for me, mister Serizawa. You'll enjoy yourself. I promise."
Simmons left the room and Ren turned his chair around. Clicking a single icon on his desktop, an image of Ghidorah's skull, connected to an unseen ceiling and mechanisms therein, appeared on the screen.
Ren watched the slow pulsation of light through the cables and shook his head.
"This is wrong." He whispered.
The longer he looked at the skull, the more he felt like he was being mocked.
"What's wrong with me?" He asked as he rubbed the back of his neck.
He switched back to Mechagodzilla's spec sheet, but the screen suddenly jerked back to Ghidorah's skull which caught Ren off guard.
"What?"
He clicked back to Mechagodzilla's spec sheet, and it stayed there.
"Must have double tapped the icon." He sighed as he sat back in the chair.
Suddenly, an alarm began blaring and live footage appeared on Ren's screen which caused him to sit straight up with a gasp before replacing his surprise with a deep frown.
"Kita, ani." (You've come, big brother)
Godzilla's flashing spines tore through the ocean leading into the bay illuminating the coastline and buildings lining it as he went. Mothra floated overhead and landed softly on top of a skyscraper as Godzilla rose up from the waters splitting a bridge against his back and stomping into the harbor shaking the ground with every step.
As he set foot on solid ground and pushed himself out of the water, this magnificently lit city almost seemed to taunt him and his senses as he lost track of the feeling of the Intruder.
I know you're here. Show yourself!
Godzilla roared splitting the air and shattering glass for hundreds of meters around his position. He glanced over his shoulder towards Mothra who remained silent and still on her perch. Godzilla huffed a growl and looked back towards the city with a snarl.
You won't escape me, Intruder! He roared while flaring his warning
Back in the Hollow Earth, Maia held a strange device in her hands as she paced about.
"I don't understand. He led us down here, so where is it?" She grumbled.
Suddenly, a light in the axe flickered to life which got Kong's immediate attention.
What's this?
He scanned the axe from top to bottom before sitting up a bit straighter.
I know what this means. But how?
Kong stood from the throne and his eyes locked on a very particular spot on the floor a few steps away which held an indentation perfectly fit for the axe he was carrying. Setting it into the indentation the light reacted and grew more intense as he seemed to leak through vein-like paths in the ground before hitting the dark blue rocky-crystals lining the floor and walls of the chamber. The light spread to other axes in other indentations and other Godzilla species spines set in the ground in sequence as everyone looked on.
"What's going on?" Mark asked.
"It's the axe. There's some kind of resonance happening here." Joe replied.
All eyes went to Joe as he wheeled himself forward a bit.
"The radiation from the axe is synchronizing with something. Some kind of power source. And it's drawing from it to get stronger."
As the lights continued to flow around the circle they illuminated a carving in the ground which looked identical to Godzilla including his head and eye. All of them glowed with the same light Godzilla emitted naturally from his spines. And Kong watched warily as the light continued to intensify around him.
The axe grows stronger.
But the coloration of the light changed abruptly to match the darker blue of the rocky-crystal formations in the ground, flickering before petering out and leaving the room in its original state.
Above ground, Godzilla and Mothra both snapped their heads up and looked at one another.
Was that-
Godzilla looked down at the ground with a snarl.
It's the Ancient Grounds. I sense it calling.
But why?
Something has disturbed it. And I will not stand for this!
Godzilla's already flashing spines illuminated even more brightly as he lifted his head into the air with a massive cloud of steam beginning to rise from his body as the ground and buildings nearest him began to melt.
No! Wait!
Godzilla's head jerked downward as he unleashed his atomic breath straight into the ground on a continuous stream.
In the Apex Headquarters, Simmons giddily laughed at Godzilla's attack as the ground shook beneath his feet.
"Ho hoo! Godzilla's responding to the source's activation! They found it!" He said with a clap of his hands.
"Now all we have to do is wait for Maia!" He cheered.
In the Hollow Earth, Maia's team set a spider-bot down on the ground which made a bee line for a spot where the light shone through the rocky-crystals of the ground and sending a small laser beam into it from its belly.
"What are you doing?" Doctor Andrews demanded.
"Extracting a sample." Maia replied flatly.
"This is an ancient and sacred place! You can't just go around taking whatever you want from it!"
"Actually, we can. And we are. So shut up and stand back." Maia snapped as the guards around her brought their weapons up.
"My father gave the order, and he always gets what he wants. This is now all Apex property."
The rest of the team was aghast as the little bot finished its laser cutting and extracted a sample which it brought up into its body and began broadcasting the live collection of data regarding the power source back to Apex Headquarters.
"Energy signal incoming, mister Simmons. We should be able to recreate it soon!" Shouted one of his computer lackeys.
"Excellent." He replied.
Ren, meanwhile, stood nearby with arms crossed and a deep frown on his face.
Back in the Hollow Earth, Doctor Andrews and the team all began gathering against Maia and her men.
"This is the discovery of a lifetime and Kong's home. You have no right to just strip it for parts like you own it because you put your feet down here!" Andrews yelled.
"Okay. Shut her up." Maia ordered.
The men brought their weapons up and prepared to fire, but were interrupted when Kong roared and stomped his foot sending everyone to the ground.
It was also at this moment that the entire room began to tremble which caught everyone, Kong included, off guard. The rumbling continued shaking the walls and ceiling which forced the strange winged creatures on the ceiling to begin leaving their perches and flying around the area like a swarm of angry bees. Kong noticed their descent and felt some of them trying to peck at his arms and chest. Flailing his arms in an effort to make them go away, he looked to the sky and roared again in warning.
"That's it! Go, go, go!" Maia ordered as her device read the power transfer nearing completion.
She and her men dashed to the H.E.A.V. just as Simmons and Headquarters saw the power source scan reach 100%.
"Yes! There it is! Mister Serizawa! Start your engines!" He called with glee.
"The uplink is untested. Once we get online Gojira will come straight for us."
"He's been coming for us since the first day we awoke my creation. This will be nothing new."
"We should at least run a test to see how the mecha responds to the-"
"Get in the goddamn chair." Simmons growled quietly.
Meanwhile, Kong continued swatting at the flying creatures as the team on the ground fought to get back to their H.E.A.V.'s. Maia in particular watched one of her men get carried off, and her eyes went wide as dinner plates as she scrambled to get into the safety of her vehicle with the rest of their team. They fired up the engines and punched it. But as they looked towards the light of the outside world from beyond the doors, the H.E.A.V. suddenly shook violently as it was pulled through the air and up to Kong's face as he peered into the cockpit.
"No." She whispered.
Kong snarled and began squeezing the vehicle.
"No, no, no, no, daddy-"
The H.E.A.V. and everyone inside were crushed by Kong's grip before he dropped it all to the ground with a huff.
Kong then heard a scream from behind and saw the humans fighting for their lives against the flying creatures. They couldn't reach the H.E.A.V. And there was the nice little one. The girl with the doll of him. Kong roared angrily and dashed forward only to be sent reeling back when a massive blue beam of light broke through the ceiling and slammed into the throne. The flying creatures disbursed, and Kong shielded his eyes as the beam continued to assault the room before finally vanishing in a flash of light.
"What the Hell was that?!" Doctor Lind screamed.
"Gojira!" Serizawa responded.
"Everyone on the H.E.A.V. Go, go, go!" Mark yelled as they all hurried into the vehicle and punched the engines.
Through the hole created by the beam, Kong looked down and saw only darkness. But even though his sight failed him, his other senses did not.
It was the one with the spiked back. The one who threatened him. The one who tried to make him bow. Somehow he had used that breath of his to blast through the portal and into this space.
You violated my home! Kong roared.
Grabbing the axe, now fully charged, Kong angrily stomped towards the hole only to be hit in the shoulder by a falling chunk of rock. Looking up, he rolled out of the way of another, larger one before leaping into the hole to escape using the axe to slow his descent. The team, meanwhile, dove in after him in the H.E.A.V.
