PART I-Singular Point

The choice, however, is as clear now for nations as it was once for the individual: peace or extinction. Lester B. Pearson

Chapter 1: 2 years later...

Gordon sat at the desk reading the reports with focus and precision. Each paper held his attention as he went over every detail. Nothing could be amiss. Every aspect of this project had to be in line with what he deemed important. He ran his finger down each sentence, analyzed every result from each test and calculation. He nodded silently as he went from one report to the next. Finally when he finished he placed them all neatly back into the folder and closed it, pushing it to the side of his desk. He stood up and began walking his office, stretching his legs. The office was small but equipped with his necessities: namely his desk with his chair and two others. A entire wall of glass was on one side that allowed him to look out on the floor of the base. He could see soldiers milling about, some in marching formation, others grouped up with a superior speaking to them. Everything was going well.

Well was an understatement. Within a few days of his proposal, Titanus Baphomet had attacked Houston, prompting the president to grant him approval. From there it was no question of financing. Numerous corporations had wanted a piece of "Titan business" and were willing to help facilitate funding for the promise of a slice. He had also used some connections of his to discuss the venture with other vested interests that were unaffiliated with neither nation nor creed. Between the government, the corporations, and some further negotiations with the less savory kind, he had all the money he needed. And now here he was, watching as the first in a long line of Anti-Titan weaponry being manufactured and soon to be tested. He turned and looked at the monitors on the other side of his office. There were 6 screens, each one showing different sections of the facility. A seventh, touch screen console on his desk was connected directly with Monarch's monitoring system, allowing him full view of every Titan that monarch was watching. Should the need arise, he could easily dispatch a unit to contend with the threat. Monarch was less than thrilled to have to share data with Gordon's group, dubbed the Earth Defense Force. But Gordon's requests were explicitly clear and the President had gotten his wish for this to be a "joint" effort. Dr. Allan Henry was dubbed the liaison between the two. The General was fine with that. Dr. Henry may be a Monarch researcher but when it came to being too curious the good doctor seemed to know his place. Gordon only told him only what he needed to know and Dr. Henry wouldn't ask for anymore. Probably scared senseless, the General thought. He sat back down at his desk and began swiping and selecting through the various Titans. He paused briefly on Godzilla. The monitor indicated he was last seen in the Atlantic ocean in one of his apparent undersea domains that lay scattered about the planet. A quiet anger creeped across his face before he swiped away and began searching. He took out a pad of paper and pen from his pocket. And as he began to slowly go through the Titan list top to bottom he made a notation at the top of the paper: Potential Targets.

Hollow Earth

Kong lounged lazily by the roaring waterfall overlooking the valley. Below him was a multitube of other Titan Apes, what remained of the Skar King's subjects. Since the defeat of the Skar King, Kong had taken over as an alpha to the group. He led them, along with Shimo, out of their fiery prison realm and into the open air of Hollow Earth. From there they had begun to establish a colony amidst the subterranean surface. It was a rocky start in the beginning. Shimo departed their company for a territory to call her own and for Kong there were few of the other apes who were resistant to his rule. Very quickly did Kong assert his authority and keep them in line. And once any resistance was quelled, Kong began to focus on his newfound brethren. He didn't use fear or anger to fulfill this role nor did he abuse or assault to force subjugation. Kong was a peaceful king and was more often found alongside his subjects, helping them in hunting and gathering as they established a residence in Kong's regular stomping grounds. But for now, he was enjoying his peace. Jia was watching him through the monitor as Dr. Ilene Andrews sat speaking with Director Hampton over another screen.

"EDF has made another series of requests about Hollow Earth and the status of Kong's tribe. They're still voicing concerns about another possible Skar King incident."

Dr. Andrews shook her head.

"They're only using that as an excuse to keep tabs on us. They literally seem to be waiting for any excuse to use those new toys they've got brewing back home. We've been sending them report after report and each time it says the same thing. Kong is keeping everything in check down here and hasn't been to the surface once since Rio."

"I know, you're preaching to the choir here. But we have to comply and unfortunately it's my job to make sure that you do." Director Hampton paused briefly. "How's Jia doing down there? She enjoying herself?"

Dr. Andrews looked over at Jia and smiled before responding.

"She enjoys watching Kong but she seems to enjoy the time she spends with the Iwis more. I haven't seen much of her. She's been making regular trips whenever we come down. I'm honestly surprised she's still here with me instead of being with them. Not that I mind. I love that she's getting to know her culture properly, even if it's miles and miles underground."

Dr. Andrews felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Jia giving her a playful look of insincere anger.

"I heard that," she signed.

Dr. Andrews gave her a look and signed back.

"What have I said about privacy?"

"I couldn't help it, sometimes it just happens. I don't mean to pry."

"Jia, you've got to be careful. Slipping in and just reading someone's thoughts can get you into some serious trouble."

"You need to be more understanding and accepting of what I can do. I know it scares you but it's something that I'm learning. It's a part of who I am now. And with learning something new, mistakes can happen."

Dr. Andrews sighed and turned back to Director Hampton.

"She doing it again," she asked, knowing the answer.

"Yes, but what can you do? I don't want to suppress her but at the same time what do you do with a 15 year old girl that just learned telepathy from the ancient tribe she originally came from?"

"Sweetheart, that's what every mother deals with in one way or another," Hampton replied with a laugh.

Jia turned back towards Kong's monitor, annoyed in the slightest over her mom's constant reminders. She's just trying to get a handle on it. It's not like she's trying to read every thought. Especially after she first learned she could do it, accidentally seeing into Trapper's mind and those gross thoughts about her mom. But her annoyance disappeared as she watched Kong and began smiling excitedly.

Kong's body rose up with a perk. His face peaked into an expression of joy as he got up and began heading off. Coming along a hill he could see Suko and a few other of the apes each carrying a Wart Dog. A very successful hunt. Suko had grown since he first met Kong, now a little over half his height and his fur was a deeper red than before. As the hunting party departed, one of the other apes handed off it's bounty and joined Suko in heading towards Kong. They're fur was dark like Kong's but slightly lighter and they moved with a grace unlike some of the other apes. Kong greeted Suko with a happy embrace while putting his hand behind the other ape's head, pressing their foreheads together in compassion. His mate had returned. Jia felt elated every time she saw them together. Not only had Kong found a tribe to call his own but he had also found a partner as well. She signed happily to her mom.

"Faye and Suko have come back."

Dr. Andrews let Hampton go as she came over to join Jia, watching the Kong family head off to join the other apes. Hollow Earth family time. Nothing else in the world like it.

Within Hollow Earth, there was so much life in abundance. Obscure and weird creatures of all sizes and shapes littered the land. Monarch may not have mapped a vast majority of the sub world but that didn't mean life didn't go on. The cycle of life was no different than the surface. There was predator and prey. Being a large lizard, Doug was more predator but his size definitely made him potential prey as well. He happily leaped from rock to rock as he dined on several large Hollow Earth crustaceans, chomping away with a joy only a glutton would have. Crunch by tasty crunch he ate his fill, their tasty meat filled him with nourishment. As he pinned another crab down with his claws, a sudden rumble in the distance stopped him. He turned and looked in the distance. Nearly a mile or two away he could see another creature plowing through the trees, dirt and dust kicking up and obscuring it from view. But the ground shaking, even the slightest told Doug's instincts what this meant. It was big. Bigger than him. Bigger means predator. And Doug scurried off and away, eager not to become prey to what was approaching.

Deep beneath the blue of the Atlantic Ocean, a great behemoth swam towards it's destination. Though it's body was heft and gargantuan, Godzilla glided through the water as easily as a bird cleaving air with it's wings. He descended down and down, finding a large open expanse of earth in the dark. He continued descending, his massive body twisting and undulating as needed. A warmth began to fill the water as he neared his current home. Light began to fill the water. Godzilla emerged into the massive underground cavern deep inside the planet. The heat and light from the high levels of radiation and magma within the chamber warmed his body and was a comfortable contrast to the cold waters he had just left. Godzilla gave a grunt and roared before finding an area large enough to settle in. As the Titan lay down, it's eyes began to flitter and close. Exhaustion. So much more than normal. With heavy breaths, the King of the Monsters entered slumber.

Captain Terrance "T.J." Storm, a man in his mid 30's with short hair, deep tanned skin, and an imposing 6'8 height made his way down the hall to the General's door. He knocked on the door and adjusted as he waited for permission to enter.

"Enter."

Captain Storm entered quickly, closing the door behind him before saluting and taking a seat. The General leaned back in his chair as his eyes met Storm's.

"Captain, how are preparations coming along?"

"Sir, the first unit has been checked and rechecked to specs. The team and I are confident that the first unit is not only ready to go, but is fully combat ready."

"Excellent. Have you already loaded it with the required ordinance?"

"Yes sir. As I said, we've done everything necessary to ensure the unit is not only ready but also fit for immediate deployment."
Gordon sat forward, a smile coming across his face.

"And how has the virtual reality training gone for you and your crew? Are you confident in your abilities to pilot the weapon?"

Captain Storm straightened up and nodded.

"Not only are we ready sir, but the other pilots and crew that have been training are more than prepared for mobilization. The vr training was intense but we've definitely managed to separate the wheat from the chaff, so to speak. Anyone who tested average or below in piloting and designated crew abilities was immediately cut from the program. Ruthless efficiency, as I believe you coined the phrase yourself when recruiting us Sir."

Gordon gave a small chuckle at the Captain's response. He had handpicked Storm specifically for the EDF due to his patriotism and the dedication he put into his military service. Captain Storm was honored to be a part of the EDF because he also believed in it's purpose, just as General Gordon did. Gordon stood and looked back out over the factory floor as he continued speaking.

"Is there an eta on the other units we have being manufactured?"

"Yes sir. Units 2 through 5 will be ready to go within the next 2 days and units 6 through 9 will be ready no later than next week. Those are the original 9 that have been commissioned. After that we can..."

"That's excellent Captain Storm. The team is going above and beyond my expectations. After unit 9 is complete I want the team to begin mass production."

"But sir, should we really begin mass production already? The cost alone is nearly $50 million per unit. Can the EDF justify that kind of spending without a proper test?"

"Captain, I thought you said the first unit was battle ready. Do you doubt the capabilities of our men and our tech?"

"Not at all sir," Storm said quickly, "It's just without seeing these things in action, not one of our sponsors would be willing to pay for mass production."

Gordon turned and smiled once more at Captain Storm before coming over and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"That is why we have the Court of Public Opinion. I have a press conference scheduled for tomorrow afternoon. You and your crew are to be ready to go at 1500 hours tomorrow. I want you there to show off what these taxpayer dollars have been covering. Once we show this nation and the world for that matter what we're doing, our financial providers will be more than happy to continuing supplying us. Trust me Captain. You'll have absolutely nothing to worry about. Thank you for the report, Captain. You and the team can take the rest of the day. Dismissed."

Captain Storm stood, saluted with a thanks, and left the room. General Gordon sat down once again and sighed. He couldn't tell the Captain everything. It wasn't need to know. He didn't need to know that so long as they kept their promise of effective anti-Titan weaponry that the shady financiers would have no trouble keeping the coffers full. No, the Captain needed only know the barest information to ensure that the EDF's forces functioned properly. He rocked in his chair as he pondered everything going on. His grand idea for the EDF was met with a lot of backlash in the beginning, especially from Monarch. Some even accused him of being the next Raymond Martin. He did see some similarities with the self proclaimed "Titan Hunter" but unlike that fool who tried to kill titans and show them off as trophies, Gordon was doing this to protect the world. He was going to be the one to save humanity from the clutches of these monstrous beasts that threatened our existence. A noble purpose, however it needed to be done. And he would succeed, unlike Walter Simmons and Raymond Martin. He would be the one to save us all.