New York Times
After months of pressure from the local fishing community and a hearing at New York Supreme Court last Saturday, the mutation investigation team known as H.E.A.T. has been evicted from their headquarters on Staten Island due to the disruptive effect on the local ecosystem caused by Godzilla. Erika Blaine of the National Marine Fisheries Service, who represented the collective fisheries of Manhattan in the hearing, had this to say about the matter.
"Since H.E.A.T. 's establishment around the waters of Manhattan we've monitored the fisheries situation closely in order to work a solution to this new ordeal. We've had sporadic communication with the team, and while they assured us that they were working to resolve the issue for weeks, the reports and complaints kept on piling up and we were forced to take action."
Dr. Nick Tatopoulos, leader of the H.E.A.T. team, has disclosed that their team is not too concerned about the eviction and will relocate to another pre-prepared base of operations located in the remote Aleutian Islands.
"We were well aware of the effect Godzilla would have on the city of New York early on, but before we established our secondary base up in the Aleutians our efforts were focused on rehabilitating Godzilla through processed feed. Unfortunately our results were not adequate."
In the two years since the creature's habitation of the waters around Manhattan, fishing stocks have depleted by an alarming 75%, and the multiple incidents of mutation incursions served only to aggravate the decline.
Dr. Elsie Chapman of H.E.A.T. says that said decline forced Godzilla to move to the Aleutian Islands for new feeding grounds.
"Godzilla, like many predators, is a territorial animal, and like all territorial animals he will remain until the environment becomes unsuitable to live in. His competition with the local fishing community culminated in an inadequate food supply. We suspect that the isolated nature of the islands is one of the major factors in this."
Despite this permanent change of residence, it has been proven time and again with multiple incidents that distance does not deter Godzilla's presence in an area. While it is certain that he will be seen again in Manhattan when another monster attacks, for now the city breathes a collective sigh of relief.
Nick Tatopoulos' Journal
April 23
Now that all of our equipment has been moved, H.E.A.T. is officially settled in our new HQ, and I have time to write in this journal.
The island has changed little since our previous venture. It's quite clear, however, that the Giant Turtle is no longer around. Thank God for that. I cannot be more grateful to the generosity of Major Hicks in helping to construct and supply our new headquarters. Our new facilities here make Staten Island look like a school laboratory.
Although we've had these installations ready for a few weeks, we were merely waiting for Randy to finish his studies at Norfolk County Community College before we could fully move in. Having picked him up since his expulsion from Empire State University, I'm happy for him to finally graduate.
My team was compelled to return here after we discovered that Godzilla was making unusual late-night excursions from his lair without provocation. We followed his trail and discovered that he returned to the uninhabited Alaskan island where we encountered Komodithrax. We learned that she had survived her fall last year, and for some time since had re-established contact with Godzilla and developed what Elsie sarcastically described as a 'long-term relationship'. Despite the turmoil of past events, it seemed the two reptiles still displayed deep emotional ties to one another. Given these circumstances, and the impending court hearings with New York's fishing industry, I felt it best to move our headquarters here where we could keep a close eye on Godzilla and Komodithrax. Sure, it's a lot colder here and some things will be missed, but our isolation is a price I'm willing to pay to keep the public, and Godzilla, safe.
Godzilla's behavior towards us is markedly different from our original encounter with Komodithrax last year. Before, he exhibited a strong protective bond that resulted in a mildly aggressive demeanor towards us. Now, he seems to be more accepting of our presence. Now that Godzilla lets us set foot on the island, we can study the two closely, as closely as they would allow at least.
Komodithrax herself had also grown accustomed to us. Her bond with Godzilla essentially guarantees us a new mutation ally, despite Monique's objections, although Komodithrax herself seems content in staying within the boundaries of her territory instead of following us like Godzilla does. In fact we have observed her welcome Godzilla home, almost like a housewife. And because this island is her home, we paid special attention to respect the reptiles' privacy when we built our new headquarters and settled here. Her sedentary behavior works to our benefit, lest we incite unwanted attention and public hysteria by revealing her existence recklessly.
But perhaps the most striking discovery since our return to this island is Komodithrax's infant, a female as well. Randy nicknamed her "Kori", a name the rest of us have come to adopt. Kori is around four meters in length and weighs in at around 300 kilograms, even heavier than an adult lion. She's nearly a year old and displays vigorous activity for a reptile. So far, she has taken a liking towards us, especially N.I.G.E.L.. Mendel is predictably despondent as N.I.G.E.L. has become little more than a chew toy. If Godzilla's own growth is any expectation (and I estimate it doesn't, but mutations have always surprised us), she might be on the road to a growth spurt. We'll have to conduct more tests to be sure.
Kori's presence on the island has also had a major effect on Godzilla's behavior. He's displaying actual parental instincts, teaching the infant to swim, dig and hunt, and he even plays with her. Now I really know what it feels like to be a father watching his child grow up. I thought the phrase "They grow up so fast" was applicable during our first days with him, but seeing him be a surrogate father in his own right finally does the phrase justice. In a strange way, I feel proud of him.
A/N: So yeah this is a thing that I'm making. Stay tuned for more additions.
