Chapter 10: The Razor's Edge
Godzilla's eyes opened with a start. A rush of energy began to fill it's massive body. His much needed rest was over. Godzilla slowly rose, pushing himself onto his mighty feet with his hands. He grumbled before letting off a low roar. No longer dulled with pain, Godzilla's other instincts kicked in. He loosened his shoulders before trudging through the cavern towards water. The cool and salty liquid embraced him as he dove into the water. The trek back out to sea took no time at all now that he could focus. With the renewal of energy reviving him, the King of the Monsters set out to prowl his kingdom once more.
Monarch Headquarters Castle Bravo
"Yep, it definitely looks like the big guy's moving again," Dr. Allan Henry said as he took another bite of his sandwich, watching the large screen before them.
It had been some time since Monarch had lost track of Godzilla within the Hollow Earth. They had a rough guess as to where he was and coordinates where his signal had disappeared from, but not since the Oxygen Destroyer attack had they actually lost him. And considering Monarch was supposed to keep track of every Titan there was, this was not a good thing. They had dispatched a sub to the coordinates they had but found nothing. He clearly had other hideaways from the prying eyes of Monarch's satellites, perhaps deeper than they had previously looked.
"We should probably get some more units to that location and widen the search. Now that he's out of the area, it should be safer to do so. See if we can find his lair so we know where to look for next time. Lord knows we can't be losing the Titan King out there," Director Hampton said.
Dr. Henry nodded, hand covering his full mouth. Director Hampton shook her head as he walked off. She walked over to another employee's desk and tapped them on the shoulder.
"How are we looking? Any cause for that communication's drop we had earlier?"
"No ma'am," he replied. "We keep running different maintenance routines but we haven't found a clear indicator as to why."
"Ok, just keep at it. This is twice within the last few days we've lost contact with the Hollow Earth facility and all our readings from there."
"I know ma'am. We're working on it."
Director Hampton was about to say something else when her phone began ringing. It was Dr. Andrews. She answered immediately.
"Director Hampton here. Did you have a..."
"We've got a problem in the Hollow Earth," Ilene cut her off quickly.
"Yes, I know. We keep losing all our communication down there. We're still in the process of trying to figure out what's wrong," she responded, slightly annoyed.
"Again? I don't think that's a coincidence. Listen, Shimo is dead. I think the EDF had something to do with it," Ilene said with full conviction.
Hampton stood silent for a moment before breathing once more.
"Where are you?"
"I only just got back from Hollow Earth. You're the first person I called about this."
"Ok. Get here to Castle Bravo as soon as you can and tell me everything."
San Francisco
Madison's fingers moved across the keyboard swiftly as she finished typing up her most recent report. Clicking send and leaning back, she saw a security guard approaching her. She stood as he met her.
"You've got a visitor Dr. Russell. Just need you to verify him," he said, motioning her to follow.
She nodded and followed him from the office and down the hall to the main entrance. As they began walking down the stairs to the lobby, she could see Steve Martin standing there with his coat over his arm.
"Yes, I know him."
The guard thanked her and produced a visitor badge for Martin. He took it and followed her up the stairs.
"A very nice place you all have here. Maybe I need to consider switching jobs," he said with a smile.
"Beats the old closet offices they used to make Monarch work out of. I haven't experienced it myself obviously, but I've heard stories and read about. Monarch used to be a joke to a lot of people. Now we have offices and bases everywhere."
"I know Monarch has a lot of outposts and military style bases. So why did you choose to work in an office instead of more in the field?"
They continued down the hall to a lounge area and sat down. Madison huffed a little.
"Despite my relation to Dad and the things I've seen and experienced, I'm still just starting out. Office work isn't what I want to do but I'm pretty sure Dad probably had a hand in my placement too. I'm doing fine with it. Gives me time to continue work on some of the more technical and theoretical side of Monarch. It's how I came up with my theory on harnessing Titan energy for everyday use."
"How very curious and humanitarian of you. I read up on it and thought it was pretty incredible."
"Thank you for that. Just another way Titans can help humanity. So, Mr. Martin. What do you need me to do to help you."
Martin leaned in close to her.
"How connected is this place to the EDF," he asked.
"They have access to the computer systems of every Monarch computer. Helps them to keep up to date with everything we know in real time. To make sure they are ready as soon as something bad happens. That's the claim at least. Probably more to keep an eye on us."
Martin nodded in agreement and then smiled.
"Definitely a conspiracy theorist aren't you," he joked.
"So is Bernie and he knows what he's talking about," she replied.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flash drive.
"A friend of mine whipped this up for me a while back. Basically you put it in and it begins a deep search. It's designed to be subtle and undetectable. I've used it a couple of times so I know it works."
Madison crossed her arms and gave him a look of surprise.
"Sounds like Steve Martin is into a little espionage himself," she teased.
"I'm a reporter. Sometimes the truth requires a little espionage," he said with a smile.
"What else does this drive do?"
"It uses a series of algorithms to do it's search designed to find hidden files and locate their origin. It then makes a copy of all the corresponding files to the drive. So if the EDF is hiding anything, this baby will find it, copy it, and we should be able to review it."
"And how do I activate it? Just plug it in?"
"Kinda. You plug it in and then open the drive. There should be two folders on it. One is Kilaak. You want to open that and click on DAM Breaker. That will begin running the program."
"Kilaak? What the hell is that," Madison asked puzzled.
"Some sorta alien from a show. My friend is a sci fi nut. Anyway, once the program is done running, it will put anything it finds in the other folder under Xillien."
She gave him a seriously look. He shrugged and continued.
"After it's done you'll just need to exit out and take the drive out. Simple as that."
"How long will it take to run?"
"That depends on how much data it has to sort through. Could be 20 minutes or it could be an hour. Maybe even more. But if we want to get to the bottom of all this, we will need to do it."
She took the flash drive and put it into her pocket.
"I'll get on it as soon as I can. Anything else I need to know?"
"No I think that covers it. Just give me a call once it's done running and we'll meet up. I'll be staying in town."
They both stood up and began walking out of the lounge.
"Good luck," he said as they parted ways.
EDF Headquarters
The day had seemed to move at a snails pace for Gordon. He hadn't gotten much sleep with everything he had to prepare. He went over everything on the checklist he had made. They had already produced more Super Xs so the damaged ones had been effectively replaced. In total they had 17 in functioning order. Total crew they had could pilot up to 20. After that, more recruits would need to be gathered and trained to handle the weapons. Orders for other countries were also in the process of being manufactured. Then there was the matter of the doctor. Gordon had been waiting impatiently for him to send word on the project status. He had also gotten ahold of his Monarch contact and ensured they were ready to go on their end. Everything was in place except for the doctor. Gordon sat in his office once more, his foot tapping as he awaited word. At least they were able to get what they needed from that monster. That was a comfort in all this waiting. He didn't mourn the fallen beast. Not in the slightest. As far as he was concerned, a deadly threat had been eliminated. It was speculated by Monarch that Shimo had been responsible for the first Ice Age in history. And it was almost responsible for another in Rio two years ago. It was true that Godzilla had been present along with Kong to prevent that from happening. But it was also true that it never should have happened to begin with. Monarch gave the Hollow Earth to Kong and that was just the start. Monarch was just as guilty in his mind as those monsters they claim to protect. He stopped tapping his foot as he began composing himself. He was letting his mind wander when he needed to focus. He took a breath and closed his eyes. Inhale then exhale. He stood up, looking at his watch. It was almost time. He began to pace as he gave his legs a much needed stretch. Looking over the monitors, he could see the troops under his command training and doing drills. Some were honing their flight skills virtually while others were at rest. He was so proud of the work they had done up to this point and he knew he would be more proud as time went on. The sound of his computer beeping brought him back to the room. He went back to his desk and sat down. Clicking on the screen allowed Dr. Mafune's weary face to appear.
"Ah Doctor. I was afraid we'd have to begin without you. What's our status?"
"Project Atragon is finished. I'd still prefer to test it before we get it in the field," he said with a yawn.
"Normally I'd agree but we may be short on time. We're going to initiate in an hour. We couldn't of done any of this without you Doctor."
"So you keep telling me General. I'm going to give it a once over one more time. It will be ready when you give the word General."
"Thank you Dr. Mafune. Your daughter would be proud of you."
Dr. Mafune looked down for a moment. He then nodded and the video call ended. Gordon sat back and looked up at the ceiling.
"One hour left," he said.
Something nagged and tugged at Anguirus as he continued his back and forth patrol of the edge of Kong's territory. Something inside had called him here, something vague and subtle but still beckoning. And now that he was here it was a confusing mess. He wanted to leave, to go back to his home further into the interior of the Hollow Earth. But something had hold of him, like an invisible leash that tugged whenever he tried to leave. He snorted and groaned as he continued trekking back and forth. His claws dug into the dirt and rock as his restlessness grew.
Kong had tracked the scent to it's location finally. He began looking around, sniffing the air once more. The other 3 apes arrived just as he looked up. He could see a small gravity well hundreds of feet above him. That must've been where they came from. Kong bared his teeth once more as he looked for a way up. There was a rocky wall off in the distance that he could maybe climb and then follow along the cavern ceiling to the hole. The hole looked a little smaller than the ones he'd passed through before but with some effort he could open it more. Then he would find who did this to Shimo. As Kong led the other apes with him towards the wall, the faint droning in his mind simultaneously became stronger and weaker.
Madison said goodbye to the last of her co workers as they filed out. Most of them left around 5pm but today they seemed to linger. She had waited for the others to leave so she could run the program without issue. It was a little after 5:30 when she finally pulled the drive from her pocket and placed it into the computer. Immediately it appeared and she followed Martin's instructions. A progress bar appeared with a flying saucer making it's way to the right as an indicator. Martin wasn't joking about his contact's sci fi love. She stifled her laugh as the program started it's search, working to uncover any secrets the EDF had buried.
Gordon looked at his watch once more. 5:59. He dialed his contact, his breath held once more. When the line was picked up, Gordon let out his breath and spoke.
"Activate it."
Anguirus' eyes rolled into the back of it's skull as it roared out in rage. An intense sensation, stronger than any it had felt before was sending wave upon wave of direction and desire through it's body. It's claws gripped the ground tightly as he began to thrash and shake. Suddenly he was speeding off, barreling through the jungle of Hollow Earth. It's eyes rolled back into view but only a look of pure instinct held. Roaring and crashing, it continued it's unimpeded trek towards it's goal.
Meanwhile, Kong had begun his ascent up the wall when he felt a sharp pang go through his head. He dropped to the ground, holding the side of his head. Turning, he saw the other apes grabbing their heads as well. Their eyes were glazed white as they roared incessantly. Suddenly the three of them charged Kong, pushing him down and out of their way. They were trying to scramble up the wall but continued to climb and fight one another for purchase. The apes began to beat and tear and fight one another just to try and climb. Kong jumped up and tried to get between them all, pushing and shoving as they all tried to fight each other around and over top of him. It was as if they had lost all semblance of thought. The apes began to turn on Kong, raising their fists and bringing them down upon him. Kong covered himself from the bludgeoning attack before throwing them off of himself. He grabbed the nearest one and smashed him against the wall. He delivered a heavy punch with his gauntlet, knocking the other out. The last one jumped onto his back, arms wrapped around his neck in a chokehold. Kong struggle to pull the ape off as it chocked and jumped on his back. Kong rolled forward and overtop the ape as it let go. He turned and brought both of his fists down onto it's chest, rendering it limp. He stood there breathing hard, the sharp pang rhythmically pulsing in his brain. He tried to shake himself of the pain. Looking back at the apes he had laid out, a sudden realization hit him. His face grew worried and he immediately began to run full speed back home.
"Hey, are you seeing this," said Jacob Trammell, sitting at the observation desk at the Hollow Earth Outpost.
He pointed to the screen and showed the others what was going on. The radar was picking up an immense influx of activity. Numerous different titan species were suddenly and quickly becoming active. Utilizing the drone cameras, Karli Lenore began pulling in video images. There was a group of 6 Warbats rushing through the air, flying erratically and attacking one another. Several packs of Wartdogs were running around crazily, some attacking each other while others ran off into the distance. Other monstrous denizens of the Hollow Earth began to emerge. Vertacine flocks with their aggressive electricity flaring about while Titanus Doug was speeding through the forest in various directions. The Monarch team was stunned.
"I've never seen anything like this," Melissa Harris the behaviorist.
"Start transmitting all of this now. Monarch needs to be getting this now," said Jacob.
Thomas Matthew set to work transmitting their findings when he looked up at the outside cameras. A look of horror took him over.
"What's that," he exclaimed.
On the camera outside the building was several of the apes from Kong's tribe. They were screaming and roaring, a group of 8 of them. All were rushing, tumbling over one another as if they were a mass of moving flesh. The facility was directly in their path.
"We gotta evacuate now," cried Melissa.
Each of them abandoned their posts and began running for the exits. They burst out the entrance to the facility and ran as fast as they could. The apes were jumping and flipping over each other as some of them ran through the building. The facility exploded in a blast of metal and concrete. The survivors took cover as titanic apes leapt and ran over top just barely missing them with their feet. Melissa cried out once more as she dove into a nearby brush pile. The other three took off in different directions, trying desperately to avoid being stepped on. As the rush of apes finally passed over them, Jacob began calling for the others.
"Melissa! Thomas! Karli where are you?!"
He continued calling until he noticed Melissa in the brush. As he neared her, he could see fear in her eyes.
"Melissa, what's wr..."
He was interrupted as a massive hand grasped him. He began to scream as one of the apes had him in their hand. It's teeth were bared and foaming. It glanced down and saw Melissa screaming and trying to run. The ape threw Jacob into the distance as it's other hand smashed down upon her.
Anguirus continued running as fast as it could, the overload of sensation filling it's mind and driving it onward. It jumped onto the cliff wall and began to climb. It could see what lay before it as it ran along the wall. The gravity well above it's head loomed open. With a final burst of speed, Anguirus flung itself into the vortex.
Dr. Andrews was speaking with Director Hampton when the alarms began ringing. Both of them rushed over to the main control room of Castle Bravo.
"What's going on," Hampton shouted.
"We're getting alerts from all over Director. Look!"
The staffer pointed to the screen. There was large scale activity showing all over the world map. Vortexes were suddenly showing numerous incursions.
"Is this what I think it is," Hampton asked. Dr. Andrews' eyes were wide in disbelief.
"Titans from Hollow Earth are emerging," she said.
"My God. How many could there be," Hampton asked.
"All of them," Ilene said in a shocked whisper.
Madison continued to watch the progress bar of the flash drive as it sat at the halfway mark. Her foot was tapping impatiently as she sat there. Couldn't this go faster, she thought to herself. Her phone began to ring. She pulled it out of her pocket and read the name: Dad.
"Hey Dad. How's..."
"Are you seeing this Madison?"
"Seeing what," she asked confused.
"It's absolute chaos. Look at the news now."
She pulled her phone away and opened up the internet. News stories were popping up everywhere. Breaking bulletins and videos she could hardly believe. Images of Titans emerging from the vortexes, trashing through cities in a monstrous frenzy. Aerial footage of giant apes climbing out of the gravity wells and running wild. She put the phone back to her ear.
"Dad, what the hell is going on!?"
"I don't know Maddie, but it's looking like the end of Monarch."
General Gordon was rushing down the stairs towards the main hangar of the EDF. The news of the Titan invasion had broken only 30 minutes before but it took the president only 20 to call him. From that point on, the base was on high alert with all personnel rushing to their designated positions. The entire base was a bustle of activity as pilots and crew filled in what ships they could. General Gordon himself was heading to his own vessel. Crewed by a group of 50, he would lead the charge against the rising tide of Titans. The General reached his ship and entered the side into the control room. The control room was 40 feet wide and 30 feet long. Control panels and chairs for a crew of ten lay about, a central chair in the middle for the General. The crew was standing at attention as the General entered, saluted, and took his seat.
"Is all of the crew onboard," he asked.
"Yes," one of the helmsmen responded.
"And the Super Xs?"
"It appears all but two have finished preparations. The other two should be done in just a few moments," another responded.
"I want you to patch me into all of them, now."
"Right away General."
Gordon stood up and approached the front of the control room. One of the helmsmen gave him a nod and he began speaking.
"Soldiers of the EDF. My brothers and sisters in arms. Today is a dark day for humanity. An attack unlike any we have ever seen has happened. Monsters from the darkest pits of hell have erupted and begun to assault humanity. The EDF was formed to stop threats like this. And now we will have a chance to prove ourselves to the world. We will be the shield that these beast crash upon. We will be the spear that pierces the heart of fear. We will fight and we will send these beasties back down into the depths where they belong. We will protect humanity and destroy anything that stands our way. Remember this day! Remember that it was this one moment in history where you looked fear and death and horror in the eyes and you struck back to protect all you hold dear. By our hands, we will achieve victory! Brothers and sisters! For Humanity!"
Shouts of approval over the radio. Cheers from the helmsmen as General Gordon took his seat. He took in a deep breath and let it go. The time had come.
Godzilla continued swimming through the deep blue when it felt the first arrival. Something new had surfaced. Something invaded it's kingdom. Then another. And another. One by one more creatures began to invade it's territory. It could sense them all over. So many new invaders. Godzilla's dorsal fins began to glow a pink and blue hue as he set a course for the nearest invader. Godzilla was ready to defend his kingdom.
