Well, we've just had two consecutive chapters of Monster mayhem, so I just need to wind things down, mainly to emphasize what'll be happening next chapter. Oh yeah, and this story will now be about 18 chapters.

All I own in this story is the name for the Husks. Now that's an easier way to disclaim things.

STATE OF EMERGENCY

USMCF HQ

"Let me get this straight," Jill sighed, exasperated, as she sat with the bullet proof glass between her and Tomoyuki, "You're saying this thing is from space."

"Yes," Tomoyuki insisted, "Think about it. The attacks started, and Godzilla began moving towards America, right after the meteorite landed; the same meteorite that Godzilla has been heading towards, and the same meteorite that's been at the centre of the attacks. Can you really believe that this is coincidence?"

"Even if I believed it," Jill answered, "How could you possibly know this?"

"That's the part you wouldn't believe in a million years," Jake spoke up.

"If you do know what this thing is," Jill continued, "Then tell me this: How do we get rid of it?"

"You don't," Tomoyuki answered gravely, "There's no weapon made by man capable of killing the Gryphon. Only he can kill it."

"He?" Jill repeated.

"Godzilla. Maybe… just maybe… he can kill the Gryphon."

"What?" Jill snapped, "What the hell are you talking about? Godzilla's at least as much of a menace as that thing."

"No he's not," A voice spoke up from the door.

"You're not supposed to be in here, Tina," Was all that Jill said in the way of a reply, "Jack take her outside or something."

"I can find my own way," Tina answered. "Did you even listen to what I said? He's not the enemy."

"Tina," Jill snapped, "This is bad enough without you contradicting me. I told you a hundred times what the monster did…"

"And it's all you ever tell me," Tina interrupted angrily. "He only attacked anyone because they attacked him first. What happened to Dad was an accident, I accepted with it, and I did what you always said Dad would want: I got on with my life." She looked her mother in the eye, "Why can't you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jill demanded as Tina turned and ran out of the room. She turned, angrily slamming her fist down on the desk. "I don't have time for this," She gritted her teeth and stormed out.

A few awkward seconds ticked by.

"What was that about?" Tomoyuki asked, to which Jack replied with a shrug.

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All eyes in the Command Room were focused solely on the screen. Rendered in pixelated horror, the heart of Indianapolis was a sea of fire, sirens and screams, the sides of buildings torn open, skyscrapers splintered into piles of debris, and the streets transformed into rivers of burning destruction.

"We've got a death toll in the tens of thousands," Plaqueze reported grimly, "It took that thing less than ten minutes to do this. There was no way we'd have been able to organise a counterattack in that time." He turned to regard Jill, who stood with her hands clenched around the iron bar, watching the screen with a fearful expression. "There was nothing we could have done, Jill."

"There was," Jill whispered to herself. "We were just too busy to know about it."

"What?"

"What's the situation now?" Jill asked.

"This new thing's flying toward Detroit. Thanks to the stop it made, Godzilla's gaining on it. Looks like he'll catch up to it a ways south of Detroit. The Pentagon still wants command over the Godzilla situation."

"Tell the Pentagon," Jill answered, "And use these exact words: Butt the hell out of our business and just let us do our freaking jobs without blocking us at every turn. And while you're at it, what's the status on the NT-20s?"

"Ready to go," Plaqueze answered, "We should have another unit constructed and ready to put in place by the time they reach Detroit, which should be tomorrow evening."

"Get units in place by then or I'll fire the first person I see," Jill ordered to the room.

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Mike leaned against the wall, looking up at the early morning sky from the front of the USMCF building.

"Mike?" A voice called to him. He turned his head to see Sara, a remorseful look on her face, walking uncertainly towards him.

"Sara." He greeted her with just that word.

"Look," Sara began, "About the…"

"What you did was unforgivable," Mike interrupted her.

"I was just doing my job," Sara insisted, "I heard news and I reported it."

"That the only reason you showed up here in the first place?" Mike asked, "Go ahead. Convince me our relationship isn't based on scoops. I told you something confidential, and…"

"Should you have told me?" Sara asked.

"N… I don't have time for this," Mike answered, frustrated, "Just… just go, Sara."

He re-entered the building, slamming the door behind him.

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"Ten thousand, seven hundred and fifty," Jack reported solemnly, "That's what we've got from that attack."

"Jesus," Tina whispered, "I can't believe I blew this so bad…"

"It wasn't your fault," Jack reassured her casually, "It's not like we could've done much to stop our hungry, hungry friend from waking up."

"Will you stop that?" Tina suddenly snapped.

"Stop what?"

"That!" Tina shouted, "Just… this isn't funny, Jack! Ten thousand people died in one night. What part of that sounds like a joke?"

"It's not," Jack answered, suddenly becoming angry for the first time Tina had known of since she met him, "This is just… this is me, alright? This is how I deal with stuff like this, because the only other thing I could do is think about what's happening, and how many people died, and how it all could have been stopped, and…" He looked away from her, "I just can't take it."

A long, awkward silence followed.

"Wow," Tina admitted, "I never…"

"It's alright," Jack sighed, "It's like Tomoyuki said: The only chance we've got now is Godzilla. He's the only one who can stop that thing."

"Who says we can't help?" Tina suddenly spoke up, her eyes alight with inspiration.

"Um… the fact that we're two tiny, teenage humans and they're two 180-foot monsters with severe anger management issues?"

"Yeah, but I've got this," Tina held up the pendant, "This amps ups those freaky… power… things, right?"

"Tina, there used to be a whole planet of Martians, and lots of them could do what you can do and, no offence, they were probably a lot better at it. For the most part, you're just a normal, very-much-human girl."

"Normal. You know just what to say to a girl, don't you?" Tina smiled sweetly.

"Hey, didn't you hear me just now? I make the jokes."

"Anyway, this planet's got Godzilla. If these powers can home in on the Gryphon, maybe they can do the same with Godzilla."

"And that would accomplish…?" Jack prompted.

"Maybe it can help him out. Give him some… I dunno… backup."

"Tina, this plan makes less than no sense," Jack warned her. "You don't even know how to use that thing!"

"I'm going," Tina answered as she started walking away, "Are you coming, or not?"

"God, your Mom is going to skin me alive for this," Jack sighed as he followed her out.

Truth be told, that chapter was primarily filler with a smidgeon of character development that'll continue chapter after next. I honestly enjoy writing those little scenes with Jack and Tina, not because I'm trying to imply something between them, but because they're just fun to write.

Next Chapter: What you've been waiting for ever since that incident in Antarctica way back in Chapter 1... MONSTER SMACKDOWN!!!

All Reviews Welcome!