I would just like to thank Silverleone and AngelGurl365 for always leaving reviews!

Enjoy!

A Lamb

…

She was floating. The water, deep, dark blue, thumbing through her ears. Quiet, otherwise. Peaceful. Or perhaps…lonely.

"Amara," a voice whispered.

Rays of light rained down from the surface. Dark waters turned vibrant cerulean. Whyley was there, floating with her.

"Wake up."

She opened her eyes. Like her dream, Whyley's features were cast blue in the glow of the crystal. His face was close to hers, a hand on her arm.

He looked so tired.

He sat back as she got up. Her shoulders ached from the movement. Scabs itched and stung as she stretched, causing her to let out a hiss of pain.

"We should check out your shoulders. The last thing we need is you getting an infection too."

As Whyley spoke, she scanned the expansive temple. "Where is everyone?" she looked back at him. "Is everyone awake? I thought you were going to wake me after a couple of hours."

Whyley shrugged. "Started drawing, lost track of time." Sure enough, his sketchbook was out beside him. "Now's as good of a time as any though."

He gestured to the door where the Iwi were slowly filtering outside. She squinted at the sliver of light. "Where are they going?"

"I'm guessing the HEAV. News spread pretty fast when they started waking up. Ren's out there too. Now, will you please let me look at your shoulders?"

She carefully pulled the shirt off and tossed it to the side. Now that they were back, she could grab a new, cleaner one.

Whyley had the first aid kit out and began peeling off the gauze.

"What were you drawing?" she asked while he worked.

"Trying to draw Hollow Godzilla. Wish we still had a camera, then I could at least take a reference picture."

It wasn't one hundred percent clear if he was joking or not. His voice was a lot more monotone than usual.

"He's just a bigger, sparklier version of Goji."

Whyley let out an amused huff. "When I close my eyes I can picture him clear as day, but I just can't translate it to paper."

"Probably because you haven't slept for what, two days now?"

"It's fine 'Mara. You sleep soundly enough for both of us."

"After I call Uncle Gary, will you sleep for at least a little bit? I'll stay close to Ilene."

"Ilene wouldn't be able to stop Ren."

"I can stop him. Ilene is just an extra pair of eyes."

"You think he'd attack in a way that you'd see coming?"

"And you think you would? You look like you can barely keep your eyes open."

"I could shoot him with my eyes closed." He finished reapplying her bandages.

Amara sighed. He really was stubborn. So stubborn in fact, that he could keep himself awake for two days.

She glanced down at his sketchbook when she got up to grab her backpack for a new shirt. At least two pages were covered in small drawings of Hollow Godzilla's head and body from different angles, many of which were scratched out.

Most of the Iwi were still outside and the few that lingered were busy tending to their fires and preparing to cook.

As casually as she could, she began to walk towards the crystal. Perhaps walk around it until no one was in sight and then hop in the water, touch the crystal, then hop out again. Done in less than a minute.

She stopped in front of the pool, her reflection looking back up at her. The surface of the water like a black mirror.

No one was looking. Maybe right here and now was the time. In and out.

Whyley gave her a slight nod from where he sat on his sleeping bag.

Touch the crystal. Call Godzilla. Don't let the Iwi see. Done.

She kneeled and went to put her leg in the water.

"Amara, you can't touch the water, remember?"

Ilene's voice caused her to jolt.

Amara jumped back up. Ilene was getting up from her sleeping bag about forty feet away.

"Oh yeah, thanks. I forgot," she called back.

"I've got some boiled over here if you're thirsty."

"Oh no, that's fine. I still have a little bit from our trip."

"No, no, I insist."

Glancing back to Whyley to see him staring out to the entrance with half lidded eyes, she left him to see Ilene.

"Hey," she said to Nathan. "How are you holding up?"

He smiled up at her from where he lay. "Been worse." Ilene passed them both cups of water. "Thanks for coming back so quickly. Those dinosaur things really came though. Did you run into any trouble?"

Ilene helped him up to drink the water.

"Nothing notable."

She'd have to tell Whyley not to mention the Hell Hawks. If Ren decided to say anything, she'd just downplay it.

Jia sat up and stretched in her sleeping bag. When she noticed Amara, she smiled and signed hello.

Amara returned the gesture while Ilene looked between them. "Hey, do you mind going for a walk with me?"

"Sure," Amara said.

Ilene signed something to Jia and told Nathan she'd be right back. The look on Nathan's face spoke a thousand words.

A thousand words that came as no surprise. They'd talked last night. Perhaps all night. It was amazing really, how quickly they came to a decision. Not that it was a hard one to make.

"Jia's been reaching out to Kong but he still hasn't come yet," Ilene said when they were out of earshot of the others.

Finally, some good news. Jia was keeping her promise. The only other person that was on her side. Well, to an extent. If it was a choice between her and Nathan or Ilene, she would choose them.

"Keeping Hollow Godzilla away from her is probably his top priority. He might only come otherwise if he sensed she was in danger—if that's even something he can do."

"I wondered that too. Jia doesn't tell me much. I'm not sure if that's because she doesn't understand herself, or she's not ready to tell me yet."

"She's still little, and finding out that she's connected to a Titan can't be an easy process. To be linked to something so much bigger and stronger than yourself…it would be hard to even comprehend. I mean, who knows what the connection is even like?"

Ilene nodded along. "If I hadn't seen so much evidence of it before, I never would have believed that story. Not in a million years."

"It is pretty crazy."

"I'm still not sure about the dying thing though. I think it's more like broken heart syndrome if even that."

"That doesn't sound like a real thing."

"Have you heard the stories about dogs dying a day after their owners? Or when two elderly people die within a week of each other? It's caused by the physical distress of intense emotional turmoil. But like I said, it might not even be that. Stories are known to be exaggerated as they are passed down. It could be metaphorical for all we know. But regardless, it's another reason we need to get Jia out of here."

"So basically what she doesn't know won't hurt her."

Ilene looked away but nodded in agreement.

There was a chance Ilene wasn't totally wrong. She'd often thought about it too. It seemed the further apart she was from Godzilla, the weaker the connection and that perhaps that would prevent the other from dying.

But that could easily be proven wrong. She'd been thousands of miles under the surface and the second she was in danger Godzilla found her. It proved the connection grew stronger in times of turmoil, which would make it the strongest just before death.

She'd have to tell Jia next time she got the chance.

They walked around the temple in silence for a while. Judging by Ilene's face, she was at least struggling with what she had to say next. She still had some morality left.

"I went out to see the HEAV a while after you guys got back…"

Amara didn't respond. She wasn't about to help Ilene with this part of the conversation.

"Though I'm not the biggest fan of Ren, he has turned out to be incredibly useful down here. Without him, we'd all be stuck at this point. Nathan's in no shape to travel or pilot the HEAV back to the surface."

When Amara didn't say anything, she continued. "That's not even mentioning his knowledge of superconductors. And the seat idea, I never would have thought of that."

Was Ilene ever going to get to the point?

"Nathan and I were talking. We do need to get him to the surface as soon as possible. He's even going to see if he's up to helping Ren today."

Amara nodded slowly, eyes on the wall carving of Hollow Godzilla roaring in agony as they passed it.

"It's just that one of us has to stay down here for a little bit longer. Then we can come back to get them, maybe even in a couple of weeks."

At this, Amara turned her gaze to Ilene. Was she serious? She knew as well as any of them that it would be a lot longer than a couple of weeks. Months—years more like. Monarch had no means to come back if the government didn't authorize it, and the government wasn't going to authorize an extra trip down for one person.

No, they would need a much better reason to come back.

"We were just wondering if you'd be okay being the one to do it."

Finally. There it was.

"As I said, it would only be a few weeks at most. Monarch wouldn't leave you down here. And of course you'd be compensated. You can just continue your research on Godzilla, and the Hollow Earth. Kong will keep Hollow Godzilla distracted and then when Godzilla feels up to it, they can take down Hollow Godzilla together—or we could bring a bomb down with us and charge Godzilla up for the battle."

Yes, because the government was definitely going to approve of strapping a bomb to the HEAV and sending it down into the mantle.

"Just a couple of weeks?" Amara finally asked.

"Yes, of course! Personally, I think you would be fine staying longer if you wanted to. You moved from a city to a tiny island in the middle of nowhere, this is probably nothing for you."

Now she was pushing it. Living on Yonaguni was nothing like this.

"I'll stay."

Ilene didn't hide her relief well. Did she ever think to consider doing the same? Using Godzilla as an excuse to leave her down here to continue research was no different than Ilene staying down there with Kong.

The difference was their families.

They all had access to each other's files before they left. Monarch's way of "getting to know each other". She'd read Ilene's, Nathan's and Ren's and they had all read hers. Only Whyley's file was redacted because he was neither a criminal nor a Monarch employee.

While Amara's stated that she was a single child with no father and limited contact with her mother, Ilene's listed extensive family and most of all, adopted Mother to Iwi child.

"Thank you so much, Amara," Ilene said. "I know it's a lot to ask. I thought about Whyley too, because he has more survival training, but he's a little lacking in the brains department, if you know what I mean." She let out a harmless chuckle.

Amara forced herself to keep walking. There was no way Ilene just said that. Whyley worked tirelessly to keep them safe only for Ilene to call him dumb? Without him, they'd be lost in a forest, or eaten by Hell Hawks, or crushed under rocks.

But no, Ren was the invaluable one on the team because he knew how superconductors worked and could fly a HEAV. Whyley could probably learn how to fly it in ten minutes if he had to.

"Just because he doesn't have a science degree doesn't mean he's not smart."

"Oh no, that's not what I was implying. It's just you could contribute more by staying a couple extra weeks—"

Amara put a hand up. "I'm staying on one condition though."

Ilene stopped beside her. They stood on the other side of the crystal from the others.

"I'll stay if you promise none of you will say anything about the crystals."

"You're not talking about the superconductors, are you?" Ilene looked dubious.

Amara nodded. "Not a word. As far as anyone will ever know, they don't exist. We never found them."

Ilene frowned. "Amara, don't you realize that they'll change the world? Save it even? Enough clean energy to power the entire planet!"

"That only works in the presence of radiation. Are you going to run cables all the way down here? Or try to use Titans as a part of your power grid?"

"Yes! I mean Ren already had the idea to put them in or near nuclear power plants. Or even Titan containment facilities. Putting one in the base of Mount Fuji with Orochi would easily power all of Japan."

"And what about mining it then? Sure, they'll come back for me in a couple of weeks along with specialized mining HEAVs and dump truck HEAVs. Kong will be able to have a nap because Hollow Godzilla is going to have a field day with all the machinery being sent here. I'm not sure the Iwi are going to like it much either if historical colonization is anything to go by."

Ilene's gaze dropped to the ground.

Amara continued, "You can tell me people will be responsible all you want, but you know it's not true."

"I want to say it would be for the greater good…but you're right. We can't destroy the Iwi's home to solve our problems."

"Thank you, Ilene."

As she was about to leave, Ilene spoke.

"One more thing," she said when Amara looked at her. "I know Whyley cares a lot about you. I don't want him to think that this is us against you…" she pursed her lips. "Maybe if you told him you volunteered, it would cause a lot less fighting?"

"Yeah, good idea."

She didn't look back when Ilene thanked her.

She headed straight back to her sleeping bag. Whyley was still there. He rested his chin on his knee as he gazed out towards the door. It wasn't until she sat down right beside him that he noticed her presence.

"I should have got a feather from those birds for Jade," he said off handedly. "No…she hates birds."

"What?"

Awareness crept back into his eyes as they met hers. "Uh, sorry. What did Ilene want to talk about?"

"You really should have a nap at the very least."

"I'm fine, 'Mara."

She swallowed. He was far from fine. Between the circles under his eyes and the slouch of his shoulders, it looked more like he hadn't slept in weeks rather than days. His usually bright eyes were bloodshot, his hair and skin looked duller than usual.

Thankfully Ilene hadn't asked him to stay instead. The thought of him being alone down here—she'd have volunteered a hundred times over. Sure, Godzilla would protect him if she asked, but they wouldn't be able to keep each other company in the same way.

No, it was good Ilene chose her. It was the most logical answer. Ilene had Jia to take care of.

Even as she sat there, Jia ran over to play with the other kids, dressed the same. At this point, she would have blended in if Amara didn't know her face.

Soon they would all go back to their lives on the surface while she stayed here and helped Godzilla and Kong take down Hollow Godzilla.

Then, if they were successful, then she could come back to the surface with Godzilla and face the world again. The mission would be a failure and Emms would be able to try building his containment facility. Then it would fail and who knows what would happen next.

They'd just have to find another place to hide.

From everyone.

Forever.

"Did Ilene ask you to stay?" Whyley's voice cut through her thoughts.

"I volunteered."

"'Mara—"

"I told her I would if they didn't say anything about the crystals down here. She agreed. The deal's done."

"You're really going to go through with it." He rubbed his temple. "Have you thought of a plan then[AL1] ?"

"Defeat Hollow Godzilla, release the radiation, Godzilla takes me back to the surface."

"Amara, stop joking around! I told you we need an actual plan. You can't just hope for the best when Godzilla and Kong are completely outmatched."

"We use their strength together. Between footage I've seen of Hong Kong and his fight with Hollow Godzilla here, it looks like Kong's strategy is going for the head. And Goji—I'll help him like with Destroyer. Use the size difference to our advantage."

"And what are you going to do during this fight? If Hollow Godzilla uses his atomic breath even once near you, you're dead."

"Goji and Kong know that. They won't let it happen. Hollow Godzilla needs a lot more time to charge his atomic breath than Goji does, so there's a lot more time to stop it."

"You're still imagining the best case scenario. It's like you don't remember the battle in Tokyo. It took everything Godzilla had to finally kill Destroyer, and Hollow Godzilla is bigger and smarter than it."

"So what, I'm supposed to imagine the worst case scenario and give up because I know we all might die?"

"Yes, Amara! Then maybe you can start using your brain instead of Godzilla's and look for a way out of this fight instead of deciding it's the only way."

"It's the only way Godzilla and I are getting back to the surface and the Hollow Earth doesn't get destroyed!" she lowered her voice again. "All I want you to do is take the HEAV and get back to the surface with the others safely."

"And I'm not leaving you down here knowing that you're going to get yourself and Godzilla killed because you think you can take this thing on."

"I just told you that it's the only way—"

"And I'm telling you that I'm not letting you do it alone."

"No." Amara shook her head. "I'm not letting you stay. You have a family. A life outside of this. You've already done so much for me. I don't want to have to worry about you more than I already do."

"Then just let me do this one last thing for you. Please."

There was something about the earnestness of his voice. The look in his eyes. The way he took her hand.

It was the final straw.

Tears blurred her vision. Like a broken dam, once they started, they wouldn't stop. Even when she squeezed her eyes shut, more fell.

Whyley pulled her into his arms. His heartbeat thudded against her ear, slow but sure.

He was too selfless. He'd proved it time and time again. Even in Los Angeles, back when he didn't like her, he used himself as a shield. It was instinct to him and he knew it.

"I don't want you to get hurt," she whispered.

"And I don't want you to, either."

He pulled away ever so slightly and looked into her eyes. "Just let me stay with you. Then we can worry about each other."

"Promise me you won't do anything dumb?"

Whyley smiled at that.

"Never mind," she said before he could answer. "You're awful at keeping them anyway."

"How was I supposed to wake you up from your much needed beauty sleep?"

Something between a laugh and a sob escaped her.

"You should probably call Big G soon. Even if we are staying behind, we could use Jia's help with Kong while she's still here."

He let her go as she wiped the tears off her cheeks. "Yeah, you're right."

As they spoke, Jia was still playing, wrapped up in her own little world with the other kids. Many of the Iwi who had come back inside sat around and watched the games Jia was teaching the others.

Perhaps now was a good time.

Whyley got up with her. When they neared the water, he turned to keep watch.

"Hurry," he whispered.

She dropped into the waist deep pond without a second thought and waded up to the base of the crystal. The water was warm and almost tingly.

This was it—the beginning of whatever was going to happen. Godzilla would come. Jia would call Kong before leaving with the others. The Iwi would flee. She and Whyley would stay to face Hollow Godzilla. They would win, release the radiation back into the Hollow Earth, and then finally, go home.

She reached up and put her palm on the crystal. Almost instantly it glowed brighter under her fingers.

She closed her eyes, searching for the thread. It was there, thin, almost invisible. I'm here.

Light shone through her eyelids. When she opened them again, the glow beneath her hand spread outward, brighter and brighter, the feint blue glow of the cavernous temple turning blinding white.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as energy filled the air.

Then a pulse. Invisible, weightless, but definite. As it shot outwards, the other crystals in the temple lit up like stars. The crystal veins in the floor became streaks of lightning spidering outwards.

Godzilla's presence filled her mind.

I see you.

But there was another presence too. Older, angrier, emptier.

She took her hand off the crystal, turning around. Everyone was looking. Completely still, eyes wide.

Bright light dimmed back to blue.

That didn't go well.

…

[AL1]W entertains her idea, getting her to expand on it