The Journey Back
…
There was no denying it. Nathan's wound was infected. The mostly healed area had turned an inflamed red, and by the morning his temperature spiked.
It was as if Hollow Godzilla no longer existed. Ilene had a one-track mind of getting out of the Hollow Earth. No matter how many times Whyley, Amara, and even Ren told her it wasn't safe to leave without Kong's protection. Not to mention having to carry Nathan the entire way back, which would make the trip at least a week if not two.
That was until Ilene had another idea.
"What if just Ren and Whyley go?"
Ren looked taken aback.
Whyley frowned. "That's against protocol, Ilene. We're supposed to stick together."
"What else are we supposed to do? This is Nathan's life on the line! You're really going to use that as an excuse? We've already been separated, what's one more time?"
Ilene's voice was desperate as she leaned over Nathan. Jia too, looked up at Whyley with sad eyes.
"Are you saying my life is worth risking for the sake of his?" Ren asked.
"No, I'm not." Ilene countered. "You're the only other one who can fly the HEAV back here. Then we can all go back to camp, get the other HEAV and get out of here."
"What about that monster? You'll just let it keep chasing Kong?"
Oh so Ren cared about Kong now. Interesting.
"I'll help Jia with that while you're gone." Illene looked down at the girl. "We'll get Kong here."
At this, Amara glanced down to Jia who very subtly nodded. "I'll go with Ren."
Everyone turned to her. Ren groaned. "I'd rather go on my own than with you—"
"All three of us will go," Whyley said, cutting Ren off. "Ilene's right. We need to get Nathan out of here and bringing a HEAV back will be the fastest way."
Ren was seething now. "What happened to your 'protocols'?" he ground out.
"I changed my mind. Now go pack." Whyley's tone left no room for negotiation.
Ren stalked off. Amara followed behind. Whyley didn't disapprove of her coming along, which meant he knew why she wanted to go.
It was the perfect opportunity to see Godzilla again. Tell him about this place. About Hollow Godzilla.
Some of the Iwi noticed the commotion and came over to Ilene. Amara looked up from packing now and again to see her gesturing to them. They seemed confused at first. None of the Iwi healed by the water had gotten an infection, and some of them had been wounded worse than Nathan.
But they've lived down here for generations. Adapted biologically to the Hollow Earth and immune to things that could be deadly to their group.
Two of the Iwi left Ilene, briskly walking out of the cave. The twins perhaps?
It didn't take long to pack. Whyley had approached Ren to hurry him up. Ren's grumbles and scoffs filled the silent cave.
Amara finished tying the sleeping bag to her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. Moments later, the twins came back in with two of the bird creatures in tow.
They waved her and Whyley over. Ilene came as well.
"They're…old," she said, trying to analyze the girl twin's hand movement. "Walk away forever—oh let them go free after."
Amara ran her hand across the nearer one's steel blue feathers. Both birds lacked feathers around their eyes and missing some teeth from inside their bills.
"Are we getting a riding lesson?" Whyley asked, pointing up to the saddle. "I mean I rode some miniature horses when I was a kid, but I doubt this is anything like that."
The twins must have understood the gesture and the impromptu riding lesson began. The twins showed them how to mount and hold the reins which were strapped to the base of the creature's neck. Unlike a horse, the rains were short and purely for holding on. All the steering was done with the legs which were placed underneath their folded wings. The saddles had two seats each, one in front of the other, tied behind the legs and around the keel.
Once the lesson was over, Ren clambered up onto one of the birds and Amara and Whyley on the other. Whyley sat on the rear seat since his backpack and rife took up more space.
More Iwi gathered around, offering them portions of their rations. She and Whyley thanked them, hoping by now that they understood the meaning of the words.
And with sincere gratitude, Ilene and Jia waved them off.
…
Past the field of lichen and through the crater wall, the birds began to run. It was crazy to think that they were basically riding a giant version of an archaeopteryx.
Its gait was smooth. Unlike when they were attached to the wagons, they now darted effortlessly between trees and hopped over obstacles.
While Amara gripped the reins for dear life, Whyley held onto the saddle between them where two hand holds were molded into the leather.
The birds took turns leading and following through the trees taking slightly different paths. When Ren's was in front, the fan-like feathers on the tip of its tail flashed with iridescent blues and purples.
"At this pace, we'll get to the transfer zone in a couple of days," Whyley said as he dismounted. They'd only been riding for a couple of hours and they had already reached the craterous field of lichen.
But…it wasn't as bright as before.
As soon as Whyley helped Amara off, the bird wandered over to a patch of grass and began scratching.
Ren got off too, stretching and adjusting his clothes. He regarded Whyley. "How long are we stopping?"
"I'll set a timer for half an hour."
Ren barely nodded and wandered over to the crater, descending out of view.
Sitting down at the base of a tree, Amara cracked her neck and grabbed some nuts out of her bag.
Whyley took off his backpack, placing it down next to his rifle.
"You've got a feather on you," Amara said when he sat down beside her. She picked off the piece of down off his t-shirt and let it float off in the breeze.
"I'm not sure how there's even wind down here," he said watching it drift away.
"Uneven heating of the core. Creates temperature differences."
"Oh yeah, the whole high pressure to low pressure thing." Whyley looked up. "Wonder if it rains down here."
Amara gazed up too. Above them was a wispy cloud and beyond that, a river. "I don't see why it wouldn't."
"Never thought I'd miss it." He closed his eyes and leaned his head against the tree. "The sun, the moon, stars, blue skies. All of it. I don't even know how long we've been down here. It's like time doesn't exist."
At the mention of time, Amara looked over to the timer on the ground next to them. Whyley had forgotten to set it.
Now that they were finally alone, perhaps now was the time to tell him about the drawing. That she admitted to Jia that she was connected to Godzilla. But there was something about Whyley's expression that stopped her. Though his eyes were closed as if resting, his lips were pulled into a frown. Even his breathing seemed intentionally deep.
"I think I owe you a pillow," she said instead.
At her words, Whyley opened his eyes. Without any protest, he scooted closer, and rested his head on her shoulder.
"You're too short," he said after a moment, straightening.
Amara scoffed. "I'm not short, you're just tall."
"It's subjective." He shifted back away from her.
It kind of stung when it looked like he was going to curl up away from her, but then he moved to lay down, resting his head on her outstretched thigh.
He looked past her, back up to the river flowing distantly above them. One brown eye and one blue.
It was weird looking down at him. At his face. His eyes always drew her focus away from the rest of his features. His lashes and brows were a darker shade of brown compared to his dirty blonde hair. His lips were chapped, and blonde stubble adorned his usually shaved face.
"Look at me," she said.
At her command, he peeled his gaze from the land above and looked at her.
In searching for a distraction, she thought of the picture on his phone. "Your phone background, is that your sister?"
He smiled. "Jade? Yeah, she's a science geek like you. Finishing up med school this year. She's an oncologist." He let out a chuckle. "It was always so hard not telling her about G's radiation. She was always worried I'd end up like mom being so close to Godzilla and the other Titans all the time. I didn't get the chance to see her after the news got out, but I bet she was relieved."
"What does she think of you coming here?"
"She doesn't know. I wasn't allowed to say."
"Oh." For some reason it never crossed her mind. Whyley had a sister and a father that he had to leave behind.
"Mi Sun told me she requested you personally."
Whyley closed his eyes. "Colonel Gondo called me in out of the blue. Said he didn't know why Monarch wanted me specifically, but it was my unlucky day and told me about this mission. As soon as he mentioned one of the goals was to get Godzilla here, I knew you were going to be a part of it. When I asked who he talked to, he said—"
"Dr. Park."
"Yeah."
Her next words came out quietly. "I almost wish she hadn't."
He opened his eyes. "Why?"
"Apart from Ren, everyone wants to be here. We all have personal stakes. But you were forced to come. And now you and your family are being forced to pay."
"I'm not dead yet, 'Mara," he said with a small smile. "Besides, while my sister has a complex for saving people, I have one about protecting them. Especially tragic ones like you who have a knack for getting into dangerous situations."
She flicked him on the nose. "So I'm the damsel and you're the knight?"
"I never said—"
A shout from the crater cut him off. In an instant, Whyley was back up and grabbing his rifle.
Amara sprung up too, it only took a single glance to see what Ren had seen. The movement behind the towering tress was unmistakable.
Hollow Godzilla would be on top of them at any moment.
Whyley beside her in a second, he hooked his arm around hers ready to move them both, but where?
The trees were thin around the crater and offered no protection. There was a chance the others would go unnoticed, but like Kong and Goji, this Godzilla would see her.
Whyley made the decision before she could. She nearly tripped as he pulled her down into the crater. The drop off wasn't too steep, but at a running pace, the lichen caught on her shoes and threw her off balance.
As she fell, Whyley came with. They tumbled and rolled until the ground leveled out.
When Amara opened her eyes, the light of the lichen filled her vision. She turned her head to find Whyley, only to be pushed back down by the weight of his entire body.
"Stay still!" he whispered in her ear.
With him on top, she craned her neck just as a massive foot landed at the edge of the crater where they had been standing moments before.
The earth shook. Whyley's heartbeat pounded against her back as he used his body like a shield.
A deep sound escaped Hollow Godzilla's throat.
She turned her neck further despite Whyley pushing her down.
Hollow Godzilla was right there. Leaning over, looking down towards them. Ren was there too, a few meters away, also lying face down in the lichen. His eyes screwed shut.
Whyley's heartbeat only grew more rapid as Hollow Godzilla came closer. Just as close as he had been in the canyon. But this time his eyes were not focused on her. They were searching.
Unnatural wind brushed against her skin with every breath he took, until slowly he lifted his head, scanning the entire field of lichen.
For the first time, his expression changed. The look of contempt wasn't there. No, it was something softer, sadder.
Then, his mouth opened.
Whyley completely tensed on top of her. He wrapped his arms around her head and pressed his cheek against hers.
He was waiting for something Hollow Godzilla wasn't going to do.
Instead of intense heat filling the air, a warm breeze passed over them. Whyley shifted, allowing her to see blue vapor spread over the lichen like a fine mist. It billowed from Hollow Godzilla's open jaw.
Almost instantly, like watching a timelapse, the lichen perked up. The entire crater began to glow more brightly than ever.
Seemingly satisfied, Hollow Godzilla straightened. The earth shook as his other foot landed on the other side of them. Then something strange happened.
Instead of stepping up and out of the crater, his entire body slowly lifted off the ground. Up until his toes brushed against the tree tops.
It was how he snuck up on them without making a sound. The same thing he did to Godzilla when he fell into the Hollow Earth.
"What the..?" Whyley whispered.
It wasn't until Hollow Godzilla was fully out of view that he got off her. When she got up, he dusted bits of glowing lichen from her shoulder.
"Sorry 'Mara. I was worried we were going to get stepped on." He lowered his voice, "Then I figured that between me and the lichen, he wouldn't notice you."
"You don't have to justify your savior complex to me." She looked over to Ren. "Him, however…"
Sure enough, Ren was still sitting on the ground, skin pallor and a shell shocked look on his face.
"You okay, Ren?" Whyley called out.
When Ren didn't acknowledge him, Whyley began to walk over. "Ren?"
Ren snapped out of his stupor and shakily got to his feet. "Don't talk to me," he spat and turned away to go back up the hill.
"You haven't been nearly scared enough when that Godzilla comes close to you," Whyley said as they began to follow Ren at a distance. "Do you know something you're not telling me? I mean, sure this time he didn't, but last time he was about to blow up the entire canyon and you and Jia just stood there."
"I could feel what he was feeling. Back in the canyon. It was like I was overcome by its emotions, kind of like how I felt when I first connected with Goji—"
Whyley stopped, catching hold of her wrist. "Wait, you don't have a connection to Hollow Godzilla too, do you?"
"No, it's not like that." Amara faced him. "Godzilla told me a long time ago that he could sense intention. Like he could see a group of people around me and know if they were enemies or allies. I think that's what I was sensing."
"Emotions and intentions are different things though."
"Maybe that's how he senses it. Emotions can reveal intention. People can hide what they feel all they want, but they still feel it inside."
"Or because he's another Godzilla that's distantly related to your Godzilla, you have the Destroyer situation again."
"It's not like that. I could read Destroyer's thoughts in my dreams. This is different."
"Okay, so since you didn't want to tell me after this happened, care to tell me now?"
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you. It's not because I wanted to hide it, it's just we were all so fixated on Nathan and learning the language, the canyon thing never came up."
Whyley looked away and nodded.
"In the Iwi's story, Hollow Godzilla was connected to that girl. But he didn't die when she did, or he came back to life or whatever."
"Yeah."
"When he was looking down at Jia and I, I felt anger and jealousy. And then there was this really weird empty feeling. It was like a black hole…just consuming everything."
Whyley's expression changed. "The story was true then? If one of you died, so would the other?"
"I mean, that's what I thought until recently—"
"So you knew all this time that your lives were connected and you never thought to tell me?"
Amara shushed him. "Keep your voice down!"
"Why don't you tell me anything? Does Mi Sun know?"
"Whyley, no one knows!"
"And you came down here anyway? What about Tokyo? We realized you must have shared pain, but to die together? I—"
She put a finger up to his lips. "You what? You already protect me, what difference does it make? I used to worry about it too, after I found out. I went through a phase where I didn't even want to get into a car incase it crashed. Godzilla had dreams about me dying constantly. But we realized we can't live in fear and that if we die, the world will go on."
Whyley reached out as if to take her hand but stopped, curing his fingers instead. "So now you don't know what's worse. Him actually dying, or living and being what? Soulless?"
Amara nodded. "I should have told you and Mi Sun, but it's not something that really comes up in conversation."
"Are you guys done?" Ren peered over the edge of the crater from the back of one of the birds.
…
The mood had shifted for the next few hours they traveled. Besides a short conversation between Whyley and Ren about Hollow Godzilla's apparent ability to float, they were all silent.
Ren's theory was that Hollow Godzilla controlled magnetic fields. That because he and Godzilla were both made of similar things to the superconductive crystals, he had control over their bodies too.
In summary, she needed a master's degree in quantum mechanics to figure out what Ren was talking about.
Whyley clearly wasn't that interested, not asking any further questions. But it wasn't like it was too complicated for him to ask Ren to elaborate, rather like it was the furthest thing from his mind at the moment.
And it was obvious why.
He now knew her biggest secret. The one she'd never told anyone before. He and Mi Sun already worried about her too much and both put their lives on the line for her sake. Whyley shouldn't even be in the Hollow Earth. He should be on the surface with Mi Sun, working with Monarch and the military to keep peace. Not down here on some hopeless mission because a group of powerful people who knew nothing assumed they knew everything.
At least now there was one thing to look forward to.
They were almost back to the lake. Back to Godzilla. His presence once again filled the forefront of her mind. He was sleeping.
What had taken days on foot, now only took hours. Trees and shrubs were blurred shades of green accented by flashes of vibrant flowers.
As the forest thinned out, the canopy opened revealing the mantle side. In the space between, large birds darted through wispy clouds. Perhaps the Hell Hawks Ilene had pointed out before.
Finally, a sea of blue appeared through the trees.
Amara tapped the bird's sides with her heels. It responded by slowing its pace to a bouncy walk.
"We'll be camping here," Whyley announced to Ren.
Instead of snark, Ren slid off the saddle and went to find a spot as far away from them as possible.
Amara hopped off after Whyley. She dropped her backpack on the ground at the base of a tree and began taking off her shoes and socks. Whyley made a point of looking away when she went to take off her shirt, under it, her usual sports bra.
Without a backwards glace, she dove into the lake.
A wall of blackness filled her vision under the water. She swam lower, down towards it. Small bioluminescent fish swam away from her, lighting up gray scales in shades of green. Lower she swam beside the illuminated body until she stopped and reached out a hand.
An amber eye slowly opened as her palm brushed against scale.
You've returned.
How are you? She asked though the answer was obvious. His exhaustion flowed through her body and seeped into her bones.
I am fine. But you have been through a lot since last we were together. The Ancient One knows of you. He has seen your face.
The scenes played out in her mind as vividly as they occurred. The fight with Kong above the canyon and then again from just hours before.
The Iwi told us the story. He was just like you, connected to a human. She was killed, but he survived.
I feared as much. You sensed the emptiness inside him too then?
It was awful. All I felt was hurt and anger and jealousy.
The boy has done little to keep you safe in my absence. Now I am indebted to the ape of all creatures.
That's beside the point! What about the other Godzilla? The girl died and Godzilla lived. What if…
What if the same were to happen to us? I can no longer say. My father died peacefully with his connected one. Perhaps his vengeance was powerful enough to overcome death.
So what, now I have to learn to live with the knowledge that either we both die or that there's a chance you'll live and become a soulless vessel fueled by revenge?
We are not meant to know everything, Amara.
With that, she swam back up to the surface, gasping for breath.
Whyley sat at the edge of the water looking relieved. "How was the water?"
"Not as nice as I was hoping."
The water under her feet churned from movement below.
"Don't you dare come up," she hissed down at the water.
Whyley must have overheard her. "Ren went off to collect firewood. He can come up for a bit."
I don't need permission.
Something hard pressed up against her feet and pushed her upwards until she was no longer in the water and instead sitting on Godzilla's head. He stopped his ascent when his nostrils surfaced, resembling something akin to a crocodile scoping out prey.
Whyley had sprung up and retreated further back to land. "Did you tell him about the crystal yet?" he asked once the water settled.
Crystal?
Amara envisioned the temple and the giant crystal in the middle of it.
It's a part of Hollow Godzilla. A Kong broke it off and planned to use it as a weapon. Now it's enclosed in a temple. It's still full of radiation, we think you could use it to recharge then we can all get out of here.
And what of Kong and The Ancient One—or Hollow Godzilla as you call him?
One of our group is sick and we need to get back to the surface right away. They are willing to leave Kong here.
Selfish. You must work to solve the problems you cause.
"What's he saying?"
"He's saying we're selfish for trying to leave without resolving the Hollow Godzilla problem."
"Well tell the big guy that we're happy to hear any suggestions he might have."
Take me to the crystal and I will help deal with Hollow Godzilla.
She tried to picture the way back to the temple, but the way wasn't very clear. There were lots of trees and a field of lichen and a river now and again.
When you return to the crystal, touch it and I will come.
And then what?
We will do what we must to set things right.
"Well?"
"He said—"
Someone is coming.
"Crap. Hide!"
Begrudgingly, Godzilla lowered back into the water.
Ren came through the trees and Amara swam back to the shore. Between them, Whyley let out a relieved sigh.
…
