It's so great to hear from some familiar names! Thanks for the support! I have so many great ideas for this story (I mean I've been thinking about it for like 2 years now LOL) it's so exciting to finally write! My ultimate goal is to blow your guy's freaken minds.

Enjoy!

The First Expedition

…

The addition of Kong didn't do much to change the atmosphere of the camp. According to her watch, it was nine am, but as they discovered the night before, there—well—there was no night.

Not even the wispy clouds could cast a shadow. There was no direct light, just an ever-present ambient glow.

Dressed and ready as she'd ever be, Amara unzipped her tent door. She peeked out. Kong was sitting on the bank of the river a little ways off, his back mostly turned.

Yet the second she set foot outside, he snapped to attention and growled at her.

For at least the third time since he'd found them the day before, she raised her hands up. And, like the three times before, all eyes fell on her.

Jia waved to get his attention then began to sign to him. Kong dropped his defensive stance but continued to keep his eye on Amara.

It was already getting old.

Nathan was giving Ilene a look who rolled her eyes at him in return. He'd done the same when they met up with Kong, and Jia had to immediately calm him from Amara's presence.

It was a look that meant something along the lines of Kong knows best.

Ren was sitting on one of the logs they'd dragged over to the firepit. A small fire was lit, a kettle set up above it.

Whyley was over by Nathan and Ilene. It looked like he was taking inventory of their supplies. He already had his rifle strapped to his back along with a backpack that looked at least fifty pounds. He was also wearing all his military gear minus his helmet, which was also strapped to his pack.

Everyone else chose similar clothing to her. Ankle high hiking boots, utility pants with pockets filled with additional gear, and long-sleeved shirts.

"Remember to pack for two days, 'Mara," Whyley called over to her as he shoved more dehydrated food into Ilene's backpack.

"I still don't think it's a good idea," Ren said only loud enough for Amara to hear.

"What, immediately going on a two-day expiation into unknown land? Seems genius to me."

It was another thing she and Ren agreed on the night before. Even with Kong, it seemed stupid to go marching so far away from camp so soon. The only reason she relented, was that the transfer zone to the core side looked to be near the same river. Unless they were forced to cross the mile-wide body of water, it wouldn't be too difficult to get there.

And so, an hour later, they left the camp.

Whyley insisted they stay in at least some sort of formation with him at the front and Kong at the rear. He was just as surprised as Amara when Jia signed the request to the Titan, who immediately understood.

Amara walked up front with Whyley, behind them was Ren, then the family-like trio, and sure enough, Kong slowly walked behind the group. On their left was the riverbank, sometimes in plain view, and sometimes obscured by massive Jurassic period looking trees and plants.

Amara sipped on her coffee flavored with powdered milk, which was awful to say the least. Mi Sun's camera hung around her neck. She'd only stop the group to take pictures of the most interesting plants. It would be too easy to spend hours in a single location just looking at the native flora.

For the most part, nothing bothered them. A few creatures ran or flew away through the brush. Kong truly was making his mark on the Hollow Earth. A winged snake Titan called a Warbat flying overhead had veered away at the sight of him.

After hours of walking and two breaks, the terrain began to change. Lush rainforest ended on the banks of vast rocky tundra. It looked a lot like the core side of the Hollow Earth that hovered above them, but not as much lava.

Now that they could see for miles, Whyley finally relaxed a bit. He turned around to the group and told them they'd have another break in half an hour. He then signed the same thing to a smiling Jia.

"Since when do you know sign language?" Amara asked when he turned back around.

"What, jealous I'm fluent in more languages than you? Thinking about French or Spanish next."

"Japanese is plenty for me. Speaking's not bad, but I don't know how anyone memorizes that much kanji. So far all I can write are several types of fish."

Whyley chuckled. "Tao did that to me too, thought it was hilarious. He'd tell me 'It means honor' and have me write Mackerel, then I'd run to show half the neighborhood before someone finally told me."

"And how old were you then?"

"I don't know, eight? How is Tao anyway? Feels like it's been forever."

Amara swallowed as the smile fell from her face. "He's doing well. His English is getting pretty good now."

"Did he ever end up making a move on you? Guy was enamored when you showed up to Yonaguni."

Amara shrugged. "We dated for two years."

Whyley's brows shot up. "Wait, you guys dated?" He paused, "Wait, what do you mean dated? You broke up with him?"

"Can you shut up!" Amara punched him in the arm and looked back to the group. The trio were having their own conversation. Ren, however, raised a brow.

"Ow," Whyley said. "You didn't have to hit me."

She spoke again knowing Ren was listening. "I broke up with him before coming here. I doubt I'm ever going back to Yonaguni after what happened."

Whyley frowned. "If I ever see that Emms guy—"

"I already called it."

"Fair enough."

They walked in silence for a couple of minutes. Before Amara could determine if it was awkward or not, Whyley spoke again.

"So how's Gary?"

"Huh?" She went through a mental checklist of people she knew, but no Gary's popped up.

"You know, Uncle Gary. Old, grumpy, hates my guts."

"Oh-Oh!" Amara regained her composure. "I didn't think you cared much about him."

"You're old Uncle Gary? Of course, just because he hates me doesn't mean I don't care about him. So, how is he?"

Amara shrugged, "Tired. Grumpy. Nothing new."

"Did you tell him you were leaving?"

"This is a top-secret mission remember? I couldn't say anything even if I wanted."

"Did you at least tell him you'll be gone for a while? Don't want him to worry."

"Nah, he was sleeping."

"Leaving for two months must at least warrant waking him up and telling him. He's your Uncle Gary. He cares about you."

"Yeah, well, Uncle Gary hasn't been an angel himself. He went on a road trip and didn't bother to invite me. Some Uncle Gary."

A flash of red at her side indicated Jia had run up to them. She excitedly signed to Whyley who laughed and signed back at her.

"What's she saying?"

"She wants to know what we're talking about. Says she likes your funny faces."

"I do not make funny faces!"

But Whyley was busy signing to Jia. "Uncle Gary," he said as he made the gestures.

"Can we leave Uncle Gary out of this please, Gale."

Jia giggled and ran back over to Nathan and Ilene.

"Just promise me you'll give him a hug and a kiss on the cheek as soon as you go home. Kay, 'Mara?"

…

Everyone sat around on a rocky outcrop next to the river. It would be evening, given the time, but time seemed to stand still in the Hollow Earth. Ren and Nathan were picking up rocks that contained blue crystals. Her, Ilene, Whyley, and Jia were closer to the river where fern-like plants protruded from cracks in the stone.

Ilene was digging up the roots with a spade. Amara had her hand lens out, examining the foliage and roots, writing down notes.

Meanwhile, Jia was critiquing Whyley's botany sketches. Every time Amara looked up, Jia was stealing the pencil away and hijacking the sketchpad.

It didn't seem like Whyley noticed Kong's watchful eye at all. It was only her that ever triggered a response from him. If she moved too quickly or approached Jia from behind.

Kong treated her like a genuine threat.

She looked from Kong to Whyley. The latter had yet to acknowledge Kong's behavior towards her. So either he knew why already or had a theory about it.

She scoffed. Uncle Gary. If Godzilla had resisted eating him before, it was unlikely he would the next time.

She fought the urge to reach out to him. Whyley was right, she should have at least said goodbye. Come up with some lie. Not like Godzilla wanted to say closely linked anyway, he was tired and sore.

She nearly smiled. Lie to Godzilla. Maybe she could avoid the truth if she tried hard enough, but lie? No way.

She passed the next plant to Whyley and took another from Ilene. It was almost time to take more pills. Hopefully her headache wouldn't keep getting worse. She'd already gone through half of Whyley's bottle.

They took notes and collected samples until Nathan and Ren's bickering became too distracting and Whyley suggested setting up camp. They were only at the base of the mountain that led to the transfer site.

So far, everyone was split between carrying on to the formation and heading back to base camp to further analyze samples.

The mountain was far steeper than they anticipated. Climbing it definitely risked injury. Jia, Ilene, and Ren all had proper climbing gear, but only Amara, Whyley, and Nathan had any climbing experience.

"We can always go back and find a different way to the core side," Amara suggested to Ilene who sat beside her.

Ilene, who seemed apprehensive herself, looked to Jia who was now lying on the ground drawing in Whyley's sketchbook. "I have to agree with you. I really don't want to risk Jia falling."

"She could always try riding Kong," said Nathan looking up from one of the rocks he was breaking apart.

Ilene's frown was enough to make him mumble "Never mind" and go back to what he was doing.

Ren, as usual, was the furthest away from the group. Not unlike Nathan, he was doing some sort of test with a rock. He had managed to separate the blue crystal from the stone.

Whyley took the kettle off the fire and filled up his dehydrated food bag before passing it to Ilene. "We could try to find the transfer zone Kong used to find his ancestor's ruins."

"We're nowhere near that area. We followed Kong with the HEAV for almost an hour before we got there from the entry point. Then we would have to backtrack again from there."

Whyley pondered for a moment. "Then we can check out the other side of this mountain. Maybe it isn't as steep."

Ilene passed the water to Amara. "It's worth a look."

Over on her other side, Jia jumped up. With a picture in her hands, she ran over to Kong.

Said Titan was lying on his side, gnawing on a giant fruit from a nearby tree. As Jia approached, he perked, eyes on her tiny form as if she were the only thing in the Hollow Earth.

Amara blinked. And again. She hastily looked away.

More than Tao, more than Yonaguni, she missed Godzilla.

Pills could help the pain in her head, but nothing could touch the ache in her chest. The void. The heartache.

And here was Jia, hardly phased by this new world, happy to be with Kong.

Amara put her food down and got up. Back over by the spot she and Ilene were earlier, she sat by the river.

It was only a minute before Whyley sat on a rock next to her. "Headache?"

She shook her head, staring at the ripples of the water. "I just—it's not fair."

Whyley got off the rock and came closer. "Kong and Jia, you mean?"

"Yeah. Why can they just exist? Kong destroyed half of Hong Kong too."

"Amara, we're in the Hollow Earth, that's why. You and Godzilla could just exist here too."

"If it wasn't for him, Godzilla would have never attacked and none of this would be happening."

"You read the files, right? Monarch needed to move Kong off Skull Island. He was sedated on the ship. I hate to say it, but Godzilla did the provoking. Both then and again in Hong Kong. You're only blaming Kong for everything because you're envious of him and Jia."

Amara looked away from Whyley. "Well I'm mad at Godzilla too. He should have known better. Should have asked me. But Kong didn't need to climb out of the Hollow Earth to fight him."

"But by coming to the surface he ultimately saved Godzilla from the Mecha. Godzilla left him live too, which means he respects him."

"That doesn't help me. Kong hates me!" she hissed. "I can't go anywhere near Jia without him acting like he wants to kill me."

"Maybe he can sense—"

"I know he can. But if he and Godzilla have some sort of truce, why doesn't he trust me?"

Whyley put a hand on her shoulder. "He doesn't know you, but he knows you're someone. You just have to earn his trust is all."

"Okay, Mi Sun."

"Hey guys!"

Amara and Whyley stood as Ilene called again. She was next to Ren and Nathan, the former was holding something.

They came closer. In Ren's hand was one of the blue crystals. No, he was holding something else, the crystal was on top.

Floating.

Ren held out his hand, displaying the magnet he was holding and the crystal hovering on top. He then turned his hand upside down and yet, the crystal still floated under it, as if an invisible force kept it near the magnet.

Ren finally tore his eyes away from it and looked at them. "It's a superconductor!"

Everyone's faces had varied levels of confusion across them.

Nathen, however, knew exactly what he was talking about. "This could solve everything!" he said. "It's the perfect solution to the world energy crisis!"

"Computers, transportation, communication, and that would only be the beginning," said Ren.

Ilene interrupted them. "Would either of you care to enlighten us of what a superconductor is?"

"It's a material with zero resistance to electric charge. Without resistance, there is no energy loss. It can hold a current indefinitely. The only superconductive materials discovered so far must be cooled to near absolute zero to work. But this is showing superconductivity at ambient temperature and pressure."

"Ambient to the Hollow Earth," Nathan added, "But they're extremely similar to the surface, so even if modification is needed for them to function, it would be nothing compared to what we have to do now."

"Why is it floating like that though? Does it have some sort of weird magnetic field?" Whyley asked.

"Superconductors expel magnetic fields. But in simple terms, it can get caught in a magnetic field of a magnet which locks it in place."

Nathan looked up to the sky. Between them and the core side, were the floating rocks. So they were superconductors too then.

"I thought they were floating because they were stuck in the gravity inversion, maybe a phenomenon that held them right in between in a thin layer of zero gravity. But maybe they're floating on magnetic field lines." Ren continued.

Nathan gave a nod. "They are likely coming from the formation, that's why there are so many here and none by our camp."

"But that doesn't make sense." Amara looked between them. "You just said superconductors repel magnetic fields, but the compass points right at the formation, which would make it magnetic."

Ilene looked at her. "We entered the Hollow Earth near the south pole. Maybe the formation is growing on top of the magnetic south?"

Ren drew her attention away. "We already know it's a different type of superconductor from the others we have discovered. We have to get to the formation to do more testing."

Whyley spoke up. "We'll rest then go to the other side of this mountain. If there's a better path, we'll try it."

"Nathan and I will go alone if we must," Ren said.

Nathan looked surprised for a second before nodding.

"No, we are not splitting up."

Ilene nodded in agreement with Whyley.

"Then we'll take Whyley with us. You guys can stay here with Kong."

Amara and Ilene spoke at the same time.

"What, no!"

"Are you serious right now, Nathan?"

"What? We'll have our mandatory protection, and you'll have protection."

"Part of my job is to keep you from doing anything stupid."

Amara's head pounded as an argument broke out. She took a step back from the group and sat on the ground. She held a hand to her forehead and closed her eyes to the persistent light of the Hollow Earth.

They'd only been there for a total of two days and were already making world changing discoveries. Magic rocks, of all things. They would bring them to the surface and all of a sudden endless funding would appear out of thin air and mining would commence. The last untouched place on the planet, exploited. It was only a matter of time.

Maybe it would take some of the pressure off Godzilla's radiation. This place did have the exact same signature as his. For once when someone turned on a Geiger counter near her, they didn't immediately freak out. Everywhere here had lethal dose according to science as they knew it.

Guess it would be changing now that the secret was out. Nuclear physicists around the world would be studying the radiation now that it was out of her and ultimately Monarch's hands.

Not even the Hollow Earth would be safe.

When she opened her eyes again, she flinched. Jia was right there beside her. She snapped her head toward Kong, who sure enough, had a close eye on her. Amara swallowed and looked back at the girl.

Jia got up and ran over to pick up Whyley's sketch book. When she came back, she flipped though the pages to a blank one. Amara caught sight of a detailed sketch of Kong beside Jia's more rudimentary one.

She wrote on a blank page and leaned back to show her.

"What are they fighting about?" she wrote.

Amara took the pencil from her and wrote a response. "Nathan and Ren want to go to the crystal alone."

"Because it's special?"

"They think the crystal can make the world a better place."

Jia frowned as she wrote. "Does that mean other people will come down here?"

Amara bit her lip and nodded. Jia was thinking the exact same thing she was. "The greatest things come at the greatest cost, "she wrote.

…