Chapter 1

The world around her was of endless colors. Mostly consisting of blue. She was swimming in a vast ocean. A school of fish to her left and coral reefs to her right. The fish swam in a hurry while the coral reefs welcomed its residents. The sunlight shone from above, casting its light on everything beneath the surface of the ocean. It was an amazing sight to behold. Suddenly, the ocean grew darker, the colors fading away. Darkness soon took hold.

Caverns of the deep that had existed for millions of years entered her vision. Why the sudden change of scenery? She wanted to go back to where it was lighter, but she was unable to move herself in the opposite direction. She had to follow forward. The darkness soon ebbed away, turning into light. However, this light was not sunlight. It was something very different. Something she was not used to seeing. The light seemed to flow downward in a liquid format.

The liquid turned into tendrils of steam. What was this she was seeing? She didn't understand it. The light soon showed what appeared to be an underwater city. This wasn't Atlantis, was it? No. It couldn't be. There were figures of a creature. Something about the creature was familiar to her. The statues took a backseat as that liquid light became brighter leading to a hallway with many pillars on either side of her.

The pillars and hallway itself were massive and then a staircase appeared. The staircase was on top of a pyramid. She couldn't help but be reminded of the Egyptians and the Mayans with the structures around her. She reached the top of the pyramid-like structure and looked up at the liquid light. It was surrounding her now…

She awoke with a start thanks to her chiming alarm clock. She groaned, turning over in her plush bed to hit the off button on the loud device. The clock ceased its sound making and the girl put an arm over her face, covering her eyes. She sighed. The scenery from her dream felt real. Too real. She had been seeing it almost every time she went to sleep now. Why was that?

Before she could ponder more, her cellphone rang. She picked it up, sliding her thumb across the screen to answer the incoming call.

"Hello?" she spoke groggily.

"Hey Y/N! Just giving a good morning call!" an enthusiastic voice answered at the other end.

"Yeah, good morning, Nathan."

"I know you just woke up, but I got some big news to share with you!"

"Could you tell me in person? Besides, we'll be seeing each other at school soon enough. I really need to get ready."

Nathan sighed. "Alright, but hurry! You're gonna love what I have to say! See you later!"

"Okay. See ya." She tapped the end button and sighed. 'I cannot have this much excitement first thing in the morning.' She shook her head and smiled. Nathan was always like that. She had met him back in high school, in sophomore year. The two became inseparable thanks to their love of sci-fi shows and books. She was grateful they could keep in touch after high school and was surprised to see that they were even going to the same university.

Both attended Apple Blossom University. They were in their last year of college and felt the intensity of finishing strong. They both wanted good marks to potentially be hired somewhere worthwhile. Y/N decided to study Marine Biology while Nathan pursued Zoology. Both fields were similar, but Nathan always found land animals much more intriguing while the opposite was said for Y/N. Y/N always enjoyed the ocean since she was little and wanted to learn more about it and the animals that swim in it.

Y/N jumped out of her bed and rushed to her walk-in closet. She decided she would wear a simple (favorite color) t-shirt, jeans, and black sneakers. Getting dressed, she walked into her kitchen to work on making a smoothie. She decided she would make a berry smoothie filled with blue berries, strawberries, and raspberries. She put all the berries and other ingredients together in a tall cup, placing the cup on the blender. She put a lid on top of the cup and turned the blender on.

While that was running, she gathered some leftover (favorite food) that sat in a container in her fridge. She grabbed the clear container and put it in her red lunch box. She grabbed a couple of water bottles, filling them up to the brim. The blender slowed down and stopped. She grabbed the cup from the blender setting it down on the counter. She reached into her cabinet for her special smoothie cup. Having grabbed the smoothie cup, she poured the smoothie out of the blender cup and into the smoothie cup.

She left everything on her kitchen counter and went to the bathroom. She made quick work in brushing her teeth. She fixed her (hair length and hair color) into a ponytail. She smiled at her appearance and dashed out of the bathroom. She grabbed her backpack, which was sitting in the living room, car keys, lunch box, water bottles, and smoothie. She opened her backpack to put her lunch box and water bottles into. She was grateful for the extra storage room available in her backpack.

With smoothie cup in one hand and her keys in the other, she closed her door and locked it. She started walking fast to her car. Living in an apartment complex was interesting, but she managed it well enough. The rent wasn't bad, and she was able to park her car close to her apartment all the time. A dark blue, four door Honda car greeted her. She pushed down on her fab to unlock the doors. She enjoyed the dark blue color of her car because it reminded her of the ocean. Setting her bag in the passenger seat, she went around to sit in the driver's seat. She set her cup down in the cup holder and started the car. Backing out of her parking space, she sped towards the university.

Tiredness. That was what he was feeling now. Having to fend off potential intruders wasn't always fun. Sure, he could do it no problem considering he practically towered over humans, but it was exhausting to do after a while. Godzilla was laying down in his home that appeared to be an underwater city. Godzilla was a creature of massive proportions. He towered at 394 feet and had atomic powers. His atomic breath was deadly, but powerful. He fed off radiation and this underwater city had plenty of it to spare.

He was low on energy and needed to refuel. He typically would not bother with humans, but as of late, they seem to be much more persistent in their endeavors. They were wanting to awaken a creature that he knew would only cause harm. Why did the humans want to awaken this creature? He was not sure of that answer. He just knew he needed to stop them before anything could become dangerous.

Then lately, there were images he had in his dreams that he didn't understand. He didn't want to be bothered with these images, but sometimes, they appeared in his dreams. He sometimes could see humans and their environments. One environment particularly stood out. It was what he assumed to be, a home. The space had strange shapes and a black picture, but sometimes the black picture would show other things on it. He wasn't sure what it was. Sometimes, he would see nothing but white. The white wasn't what he saw in the blue skies, but something else.

He didn't wish to dwell on these images for very long, but they have been more frequent as of late in his dreams. Why were they appearing? What did they mean? He was assuming he probably would never know the answer. He sighed through his nostrils, creating more steam that came out along with the radiation that fell around him. He closed his brown, red eyes and let sleep take over.

"Y/N! There you are!" Nathan waved his hand to her, a light breeze blowing by making his short brown hair dance with it.

"Yep, here I am," Y/N said, getting out of her car and gathering her items together. She locked her car and walked up to him.

"Okay. Are you ready for me to tell you the news?"

"Yeah, go ahead."

"Well, you know about the company Monarch, right?"

"Yes." She knew a little bit about them. She knew they studied the titans that have been sighted around the world.

"I had an interview with them last week and it went well."

"Ah. Okay. Let me guess. They hired you right?"

"Yeah! They did!"

"Congrats! That's awesome!" She gave him a hug. He returned it by wrapping his arms around her.

"This is gonna be great! Just have to get through this last semester and then I'm set!"

"That's really wonderful Nathan."

"You know, I'm surprised you didn't just…" He lowered his voice to whisper, talking into her ear. "That you didn't read my mind."

She raised a brow at him, quietly talking back to him, "Why would I want to do that with you? What's the fun in that?"

"Well, I mean, it's gotta be handy to read other's minds, right?"

"Yes, in some cases, but I don't like doing that all the time. Especially with friends and family. I'd rather just let things come to me from that person."

"What if something bad was happening? Would you do it then?"

She gave him a no duh look.

"Right, stupid thing to ask."

She giggled, "It's okay, but uh…we should get going to class now." She let go of him and started walking ahead of him. They didn't have the same classes together, but they were always able to meet up for lunch.

"Hey! Don't leave me behind!"

"Hurry up slowpoke!"

He ran to catch up with her. The two chatted about random topics for a few minutes until they both had to go to in opposite directions. Nathan dashed to his class while Y/N practically ran to hers. The tardy bell was going to ring in a few seconds. She just entered her classroom as the bell rang. She wiped her brow and went to take her seat.

The school morning flew by quickly and soon enough, it was time for lunch. Y/N waited under an apple tree for Nathan. They both decided to make this spot their place for lunch. She sighed at the research assignment she was given. She had to research Blue Whales. Sure, she enjoyed what she was going for in her degree, but research papers weren't always fun with restrictions and her teacher was extremely strict.

The paper had to be five pages long. No more and no less. Even if it were just a sentence or word over, the teacher would be furious. She couldn't wait to be done with this class and with this teacher all together. She was managing a B+ but she hoped to get the grade up to an A+ if possible. She was just sitting at a 3.9 and was hoping to move her GPA up to a 4.0. She hoped she could do it, but this teacher was very hardcore.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. My teacher wouldn't quit blabbing about genetics," Nathan said as he walked up to Y/N.

"No worries."

"You alright?"

"Hm?"

"There's something troubling you isn't there?"

She sighed, "Yes. My super strict teacher has assigned us to do a research paper. Five pages. I have to do research on Blue Whales."

"Hmm…I see. I know you love your ocean animals and it's hard to limit like that."

"Yeah, it is. I hate having to be so limited. I really cannot wait to be done. I'm probably going to be stuck at a 3.9 though."

"Ah. Don't say that. I'm sure you can get it up to a 4.0."

"Easy for you to say. You're already at that GPA."

"I know, but it wasn't easy for me either. You know how bad I was in school. I feel like I didn't care enough in high school. Now that we've been in college for four years, I feel like I do care enough this time. In fact, I know I care enough now."

She smiled at him, "You definitely have come a long way since sophomore year."

"Sure have. Thanks. You got this. Your teacher is a pain, but I'm sure you'll manage. Even if you still end up with a 3.9, someone somewhere has to see your potential and hire you on. Have you heard anything yet from the Apple Blossom Aquarium?"

"No. Not yet. I had that interview two weeks ago and still nothing. I'm wondering if they're going to hire someone else."

"You can always go over there and ask about it. Heck, maybe you can even read the minds of one of the hiring managers and see what they're thinking."

"Nathan, c'mon. I'm not going over there to read their minds. It doesn't hurt to go over and ask about the status at least."

"No, it doesn't. If you want, I can go with you. I say we do it today after school. They gotta let you on as one of their marine biologists. How great of an opportunity is that? Am I right?"

"Yes, you're right," she chuckled and gave him a warm smile.

"Cool, it's a plan then. I'll meet you at your car."

"Okay."

The two ate their food and had idle chatter about an upcoming sci-fi event. People could cosplay as one of their favorite characters and they had a chance to meet some of the actors from different sci-fi shows and movies. It was a great, but expensive event and the two weren't sure if they could go or not.

The bell rang indicating it was time to go to class. The two said their goodbyes and went off to class. The rest of the school day was a breeze since the last few teachers Y/N had were more relaxed and nice. She enjoyed the rest of the school day and was able to get her other work done while starting on that research paper.

Y/N walked out of the building and toward the parking lot, seeing Nathan waiting by her car, "I didn't keep you waiting long, did I?"

"Nope. Just got here a minute ago. How were the rest of the classes?"

"They were good. How about yours?"

"They were pretty good…"

"What happened?"

"Well, uh…I have to do a research project myself and…I need a partner for it."

"What's the problem?"

"My problem is that I want to have you as my partner, but you're already doing a research paper. I don't want to put more work on you. I don't know who else to talk to either. Everyone in my class has a partner and my teacher said I need to have someone as a partner by the end of the week…"

"Why doesn't anyone else in your class want to work with you?"

"Because everyone already has a partner that's in my class. Not enough students to be partnered with. My teacher said if no one in the class wanted to work with me, I could have someone else who's doing Zoology or Marine Biology be a partner with me. I don't know who else to talk to…"

"Hmm…well, how long do you have to work on this project?"

"Several weeks. This project is counting as our final."

"Oh. I see. That's not bad. My research paper is due next week, but I can finish that and then work with you, no problem. My teachers are all hinting at a multiple-choice test being the big final."

"Really?"

"Yeah. It won't be a problem for me to help you out. Besides, you're my best friend. We're always there for each other."

"Thanks Y/N. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Let's get going to the aquarium now."

The two got into her car and began the drive over to the aquarium.

"Nathan Thompson just called and left a message saying he would need to come in and use our facility for some research," a woman with a black ponytail spoke. She was dressed in a lab coat.

"Research? Did he say for what specifically?" a man with a high bridge nose, glasses, and lab coat asked.

"He said he needed to do it for his school. He's the one who is in his final semester sir. Surely it would be okay to let him in since he'll be starting with us at the end of the school year anyway. Right?"

"Yes, but…we need to be sure that if someone else comes in with him, they are not led to any of our restricted areas. Did he say anything about having other people coming in with him?"

"Yes, he mentioned this research project requires him to have a partner."

"I see…I'm okay with it so long as what I previously said stands. Keep him and his partner out of the restricted areas. Show them to the general spaces only."

"Yes sir. I'll call him back and let him know right now." She scurried out of the office she and the man were standing in. Her name was Whitney Evlyn. She had been with Monarch for ten years and was the one to interview and hire Nathan. She believed Nathan would be very helpful to the company.

The man in glasses watched as Whitney left his office and sighed. He took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. The work was catching up to him. His name was Carl Parks and he had worked with Monarch since he was in his early twenties. The late fifties were passing quickly and turning into the sixties.

Whitney made it back to her office and dialed Nathan's number. It immediately went to voicemail, "Hi Nathan, this is Whitney from Monarch. I'm calling to let you know that you and your partner are welcome at our facility. Please call me back with details as to when you will need access. Thank you." She hung up the phone.

Suddenly, her phone rang, which she was surprised at, "Hello, this is Whitney speaking. How may I help you?"

"Whitney, what a lovely name," a gruff, deep voice responded.

She instantly felt a chill go down her spine, The way this guy sounded on the other end made her uneasy.

"My name is Clark, but you can call me Mr. Gibson. I have a proposition for you."

She tried to calm herself down to not sound so shaky in her voice, "What is this proposition? Who exactly are you?"

"All in good time Whitney. My proposition is you and Monarch let me and my boys in for some testing."

"Testing?" She didn't like the sound of that.

"Yeah, testing. Let us have a look at your specimens and see how they deal with weapons."

She shook her head, "Is this something the military sent you in to do?"

"You could say that. I'm part of a secret branch of the military. My men and I have been ordered to enter Monarch and look at their specimens. We know you're keeping some things locked up from the public."

"How exactly do you know about any of that Mr. Gibson?"

"Sweetheart, this ain't anything new. Monarch has been around for several decades. Keeping some things from the public is all part of the game. You're playing it well, but it's time a new event took place."

She didn't appreciate how flirty he was at the beginning, but she knew he was right.

"Your silence speaks volumes. So, I need you to transfer me to your boss now. Can you do that for me darling?"

She grumbled, "Don't flirt with me Mr. Gibson. Yes, I'll see if my boss can speak with you."

"Thank you very much…kitten."

She groaned internally, 'Ugh. He's one of those guys.' She placed Mr. Gibson on hold and called her boss.

"Hello, this is Carl speaking," he answered.

"Mr. Parks, I have a man on the line. A Mr. Gibson. He says he needs to speak with my boss about having access to our facility. He said he works for a secret branch of the military."

"Whitney, are you alright?"

"I'm fine sir. Mr. Gibson just…he was trying to be flirty with me and I didn't appreciate it."

Carl sighed, "That all sounds very suspicious. I'm sorry he did that to you, but I will talk to him. You can transfer now."

"Thank you, sir." She worked on transferring the call to Mr. Parks. She sighed after the transfer went through and shook her head. She didn't have a good feeling about this Gibson guy at all.

"I'm sorry, the hiring managers are still debating about who to hire on. The only thing I can tell you is that you're one of the candidates in consideration," a lady behind the counter spoke to Y/N.

"Alright. Well, that is one positive. When do you think they'll have a decision made by?" Y/N asked the lady.

"I think they will have a decision made by the end of the week or next week. I know they're not wanting to think over this too much longer and just hire someone already."

"Okay. Thank you."

"You're very welcome and I am sorry. I'll let them know you came in to check on the status."

"You don't have to apologize, but I would appreciate you letting them know about me."

"I sure will." The lady left her counter and entered through a couple of large double doors.

Y/N and Nathan walked out of the office.

"That's a bummer," Nathan said.

"It is, but I'm glad to know I'm one of the two candidates," Y/N responded.

"Yeah, that is true. Hey, want to get some ice cream?"

"Sure, ice cream sounds good right now."

The aquarium had some of the best ice cream in all kinds of flavors. The ice cream stand wasn't too far from them. They both went over and ordered a couple of cones.

"I'll have a strawberry ice cream cone," Nathan said.

"I'll have a (favorite ice cream flavor) cone," Y/N said.

"Okay, that'll be five dollars please," the boy behind the counter spoke.

Y/N was reaching for her wallet when Nathan put a hand on top of hers.

"I got this," Nathan said as he took out his debit card and handed it to the boy.

"Thank you," Y/N said to Nathan.

"You're welcome."

The boy at the ice cream stand went to work on making the cones for Nathan and Y/N. He handed them both cones, "Here you are."

"Thank you," Y/N and Nathan said at the same time.

The two then walked away and sat down on a nearby bench to enjoy their ice cream.

"It's been forever since we've had this," Nathan said as he enjoyed his strawberry ice cream.

"It really has. It's nice having this again," Y/N replied, loving her ice cream.

The two chatted for a while and then Y/N's phone rang, "Could you hold this please?"

Y/N handed her cone to Nathan, and she reached out inside her bag for her phone. She read the caller ID and instantly answered, "Mom? Hi."

"Hi sweetie. How are you?" Y/N's mom asked.

"I'm okay. Having some ice cream with Nathan at the moment," Y/N replied.

"Your father and I haven't heard from you in a long time."

"I know. I'm sorry. I've been so busy with school and applying for jobs."

"Yes, that all does keep you busy, but your father and I would like to hear from you once in a while. I'll let you go since you're with Nathan right now. Could you call us this evening if you have time, please?"

"Yeah, I can call you later."

"Okay. We'll talk later this evening. Tell Nathan I said hello. I love you."

"Love you too Mom. Bye."

"Bye."

Y/N hung her phone up and grabbed the cone back from Nathan, "My mom says hello."

"Hello." He chuckled. "She sounded stressed or upset about something."

"It's just because I hadn't talked with her and Dad in forever. I do feel bad about not calling them. I just…I get caught up in work and school sometimes it's hard for me to stay focused in other areas of my life."

"I get that."

"I'll call her this evening and Dad should be home by then too."

"I should probably call my parents as well. It's been a little bit since I lasted talked with them."

"When did you last speak with them?"

"I was only able to talk with my mom the last time which was almost a month ago now. My dad has been going on a lot of business trips and it hasn't been easy to get a hold of him."

"I see…Hopefully you can talk with both of them at some point."

"Yeah, that would be nice."

"Well, don't want our ice cream melting. We better finish these."

Nathan nodded in agreement. The two finished up their ice cream and chatted about various topics.

Godzilla was greeted with a scene of humans walking, their voices merging together as they all spoke at once. He was then greeted with a human standing behind an interesting shape. The voices from his perspective and that of the girl were going back and forth. The girl walked from the shape and then his point of view changed to outside. There were some trees and more people walking.

There was something placed in his…hand? Is that what humans call them? The new shape seemed to have another shape on top of it, but this time it was being eaten. What was this cold sensation? Did he hear the humans say ice cream? What was that? He was then woken up by the sounds of something crashing.

He shook his head to get rid of the images that appeared in his dream. He didn't have time to think over the possibilities of what he had just seen. He got himself up and began to swim in the direction of the sounds heard just a moment ago.