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Chapter Text

Gojira swam lazily through the Atlantic Ocean, maple-leaf-shaped dorsal spines pulsating blue in a rhythmic pattern. His tail lightly swayed back and forth, guiding him along through the currents of the vast blue depths.

A hint of tiredness tugged at his eyelids. Swimming up to the surface, he took in the sight of the sun setting over the waves, its light catching them and reflecting into his eye.

It was getting late, and it had been a couple of days since he last left his lair to patrol the world. Perhaps it was time to return and go to sleep. However.

Gojira let out a small sigh. Nightmares had graced his sleep, ever since the battle with the man-made fake. The metal abomination, glowing red, would attack him in his dreams, ripping him apart and brutalizing him. A slight shudder passed through his body, from head to tail, at the memories of waking up with screams and roars.

He did not want to go to sleep if he was to be attacked. Even if he knew it was not real, the pain still felt real.

Gojira swam onwards, noticing a human structure in the distance. Built into an underwater mountain, it was one he was well familiar with. He suspected it was where the helpful humans, the ones who had saved him, came from.

Gojira remembered when a human had come into his old lair with one of their things, calling him an old friend in a tongue he knew, before the thing had exploded, restoring his vitality and destroying his old lair. After his sacrifice, Gojira had arisen from the depths, seeing a handful of humans there, waiting for his return. One of Mosura’s bonded was among them.

He knew their scent, and he could smell it, just a subtle trace of it, within this human structure that he was now drifting towards.

As he passed by, he let out a small growl. More recent memories had risen to the surface of his mind, the metal fake prominent among them. What else could explain the appearance of that fiendish monster other than it being made by the humans? It was them who had tried to resurrect the Golden One, the Invader who had stolen his throne. It was them who had nearly killed him that morning, two short moon-cycles ago, who had driven him to fear and helplessness and left him to be rescued by Kong, of all creatures.

His mind reached back further still, to the reason he once lay near death within his old lair. He had been fighting the Golden One, when suddenly, there was a flash of light, and the air was stripped from his body. An occurrence just as unexpected as the appearance of the fake, that could only be explained by the humans’ intervention.

The kindly human had saved him, but the rest of his kind had doomed him. Gojira wondered if, perhaps, they were not worth protecting after all they had done to him.

However, the kindly human’s face and voice seeped into the forefront of his mind, reminding Gojira of their capacity for good, proven through his sacrifice.

It was also something that Gojira’s Queen had told him of, countless times. Their bond thrummed against the back of his mind. Even if she was resting within her egg, unable to speak to him, he would honor Mosura’s words.

Gojira settled for passing close to the human structure with a loud roar, shaking it and hopefully rattling the humans inside. Let that serve as a reminder of who was their King.

Now it was time to return to his lair.

“Y’know, everyone here at school was looking at me like I was some kind of freak,” Josh Valentine said, voice crackling as the internet signal powering their video call wavered.

Madison Russell snorted. “Welcome to my world,” she said playfully. She was more than used to the students of Tallahassee Magnet High School giving her odd looks, whispering behind her back, and shunning her for her connection to the Titans. They knew she was the daughter of Emma Russell, the one who had set Monster Zero loose upon the world. She let out a small sigh at the unpleasant memories.

“I’m serious, Madison! I don’t know how they knew it was me, but they knew!” Josh continued. “The press never revealed our names or what we did.”

Madison shrugged. “Maybe they’re just guessing,” she said. “They know we were both absent on the day of the incident. And that I must have something to do with it, since I’m the Titan girl, right? That’s probably how.”

It had been two months since Hong Kong. Godzilla and Kong had fought, followed by the pair of Titans teaming up to take down Mechagodzilla, Apex’s mechanical Titan built solely to murder Godzilla.

Of course, Madison and Josh, having been there, knew more than the rest about what happened that morning. They had snuck into Apex with one Bernie Hayes, who had held a certain suspicion towards the company, and had discovered Mechagodzilla hours before the rest of the world. They had been at Apex HQ when it attacked, and Josh had dumped Bernie’s flask of alcohol into the computer at a critical moment, saving Kong and Godzilla’s lives.

Josh just groaned, and shook his head. “Even if they do know, wouldn’t they know that we’re the good guys, though? Godzilla was only ever chasing Mechagodzilla. No one can still be blaming him for what happened here, right?”

Madison sighed. Godzilla’s supposed rampage through Pensacola was still being reported on the local news as a tragedy. “Unfortunately, they are,” she said. “Most people online don’t seem to know what to think about him anymore. You’d think that with the exposure of Apex’s plot, the blame would’ve shifted off of him, but…”

“They’re still seeing him as an evil monster,” Josh said.

There was a pause, during which Madison glanced around her bedroom at her aunt’s house in Pensacola. She had been grounded ever since she got back from Hong Kong. Much to Madison’s relief, school had ended a couple weeks ago, but that left her confined to this room, which seemed smaller the longer she spent in it.

Madison let out a longer sigh. “I wish I could do something about it, instead of being cooped up here,” she said. She yearned to go back to Castle Bravo, looking out the windows as Godzilla approached the outpost.

Josh nodded. “Me too,” he said. “But we’ve got years before we can get hired, the way Bernie did. Maybe we can ask for them to open an internship opportunity.”

Bernie had been hired by Monarch and was now working at the new outpost in the Hollow Earth, alongside Kong’s little team of supporters. Madison would not admit to being jealous. “Yeah, that would be great.”

“Maybe you could even get a special role,” Josh began. “You were Godzilla’s number one advocate during that fiasco. And you were proven to be right, so they have to listen to you now, right?”

Madison sighed. “I wish,” she said mournfully. Her father had been content to ground her and push her aside after the incident. It seemed there was nothing she could hope for when it came to their relationship.

“… I just wish… I wish I was allowed to meet Godzilla.” It had been something of a dream for her ever since she was old enough to realize what happened in San Francisco. Even if Andrew had died, Godzilla had saved the city. And he had saved the world during the battle in Boston. Madison still remembered the sight of Godzilla’s atomic breath slamming into Ghidorah’s chest as the three-headed golden Titan bore down on her, ready to fry her into oblivion with his lightning.

Josh hummed at that. “That would be amazing,” he said. He then furrowed his eyebrows, thinking of something. “Wasn’t there that one little girl who was friends with Kong?”

Madison nodded. “Jia, if I recall correctly.” Grounded as she was, she had not gotten to know the young girl very well at all. But she had met Jia during the short time she was forced to stay in Hong Kong after the incident. She seemed to have a genuine bond with Kong, which awed and impressed Madison.

Josh clapped his hands. “And she could use sign language to talk with Kong. Just think, Madison… what if Godzilla could talk with us too?” A note of excitement crept into his voice.

Madison leaned back, thinking over it. Josh’s words were painting an image in her mind, of her standing beside Godzilla as Jia had with Kong. It entranced her. But as she thought over the question, sadness found its way into her heart. “… He could have told us about Mechagodzilla. Before… before he nearly got killed.”

Letting out a sigh, Josh said, “Yeah… that’s true.” He leaned back from the screen. “It almost became a tragedy, didn’t it?”

Madison nodded. “You have to see it from Godzilla’s point of view,” she began. “He nearly died, to something clearly built to kill and replace him, because none of us were smart enough to realize why he was attacking Apex.” She hung her head.

“We saved him, though,” Josh said. “Us and Bernie. If it weren’t for us, he’d be gone.”

“And that’s what makes it so awful,” Madison said. “Just us three, and Kong. We were his only allies. The rest of the world was against him.” Including her father. She would have thought he had learned from Boston, now three years ago. But apparently not.

“Hey. Maddie?” She snapped her head up at the sound of Josh’s voice. “…How have things been going with you and your Dad?”

She shuddered. “Not well,” she began. “We had an argument a few days ago, actually, about… well. School. Whether I should go back in the fall. I don’t want to, but he’s insisting.” The argument had gotten a touch heated. It seemed that her father wanted nothing more than for her to return to the life of misery she had led before Hong Kong.

Josh just shook his head. “Wow,” he breathed out. “He’s really being tough on you, isn’t he?”

Madison nodded fiercely. “He knows I can manage homeschooling. I handled it just fine, from when I was seven to when I was twelve. I get that he wants to protect me from Monarch, from all the shady stuff that I got caught up in before, but what’s the point in that? I’m already involved. I’ve proven that I can handle it.” She felt her hand clench around the computer mouse.

“And you’re amazing at it,” Josh said. “You’re smart, too. You’d make for a great Monarch agent.” Madison felt a faint blush rise to her cheeks, as Josh continued, “He just needs to see that you’re you, instead of just another normal girl.”

“I don’t know how to make him see it, though,” Madison cut in. “He just… he’s so stuck in what he wants to be real, that it’s like he’s forgetting who I am.”

“Then you need to remind him,” Josh said, frowning. “But… I am sorry, Maddie. I wish we could come see each other, in-person.”

Madison sighed. “Unfortunately, I’m still grounded. No word on when that’s ending, either.”

“Well, how about this. Once he’s un-grounded you, I can come over to your place, and we’ll watch a movie together. How does that sound?” Josh offered.

Madison smiled. “Sounds great.”

Ilene Andrews looked out the window. Outside, she could see the form of a Titan, laying on its side. A small girl stood a short distance away, signing with her hands. The whole scene was framed by hills and trees, and an otherworldly skyline in the distance.

She smiled. It seemed Kong and Jia were settling down for the night. Lately, Jia had taken to sleeping next to Kong, as opposed to inside the ramshackle outpost. Ilene let her. It was proof of her bond with the Alpha Titan, and she knew that the two had slept like that in the days before Monarch had located the pair on Skull Island.

Frowning, she turned to Nathan Lind, who had just entered the room. “Hello,” she greeted him.

He smiled, and waved back at her awkwardly. “Hi,” he said. Then he looked out the window. “I see Jia and Kong are settling down for the night.”

Ilene nodded. “Yes. I was starting to wonder; they’ve been awake for a while.” Technically, there was no day or night in the Hollow Earth, but Kong still had an everyday sleep schedule. The new outpost was learning to adjust to it.

Nathan reached over and turned off the light in the room. “Guess that means it’s nighttime for us too,” he said. Then he paused. “You, uh… do you think Godzilla is going to appear again?”

Ilene shook her head. “Last notification from Castle Bravo was that he is headed in the direction of his lair,” she said. “So, no.”

The other Alpha Titan was a regular visitor to the Hollow Earth. Ever since the two had made peace two months earlier, Godzilla had been coming for no apparent reason other than to see Kong. Ilene would have been fascinated, were it not for the still-healing scars on Kong’s skin, and the memory of reviving him with the exploding HEAV.

Now, she knew the fighting in Hong Kong had been tough for Godzilla too. They had observed a scar where Kong’s axe had struck him, and a healing burn mark on his chest. But the nightmares Kong seemed to suffer from gave them pause. The monkey-like Titan regularly woke up howling from an unknown source of pain, and would tell Jia that he was dreaming of Godzilla. Looking out the window now, Ilene prayed that Kong’s sleep would be free of bad dreams.

Nathan noticed her concerned stare. “You’re worried about him.”

Ilene sighed. “These past two months… they’ve been the most peaceful time for Kong. I just wish it wasn’t disturbed by his nightmares.”

Nathan blinked. “I guess you’re right that it’s been peaceful for Kong, but… has it really been peaceful for the world?” he asked, looking away.

“I guess not,” Ilene agreed. It had been somewhat chaotic since the Hong Kong incident. The general public and world governments had not taken it well when one of the largest cities on Earth was destroyed by Titans, especially once Apex’s machinations were revealed. Mechagodzilla had been completely unexpected, however in hindsight, it should have been obvious what Apex was planning, and so Monarch had caught a lot of criticism. “But it seems things are finally settling down.”

Nathan nodded in agreement. “I hope this lasts,” he said. “Kong doesn’t need any more trouble. I heard about the incident in the 1970s. He’s had enough for one lifetime.”

“Hmm,” Ilene responded. She was watching Jia through the window. The small girl had laid down, leaning back against Kong’s arm, with her doll tucked under her arm. Ilene found it quite cute; she thought of grabbing her phone and snapping a picture.

“It’s adorable, isn’t it?” Nathan said, watching alongside her. “I wonder sometimes… could anyone else form such a bond with the Titans?” he asked, quietly.

“We must,” Ilene stressed. “It might take a miracle, but we can’t keep living in fear of them.” She had pondered the question as well. Jia was a prime example of the potential that could be found in a connection between humans and Titans. Communication was possible between them, and their relationship was akin to that of a parent and child.

Nathan nodded. There was a pause, before he spoke up again. “Who could be like Jia, though? No one seems to have any similar connection with Godzilla.”

Ilene blinked, and looked at him. “You think someone could form a connection with Godzilla?” It was a surprising thought.

“Yeah,” he replied, before continuing, quietly, as if a thought had struck him. “…If Godzilla had someone like Jia… would Hong Kong have happened?”

Ilene’s eyebrows rose. Now that was an interesting concept. She tossed it over in her mind, thinking through all the details of the Mechagodzilla incident. “If he could communicate with us, we would have known why he was attacking Apex,” she realized.

Nathan sighed. “Yep, that’s what I was thinking.” He shifted awkwardly, looking down. “And, by the way… I’m sorry. I believed Apex was in the right until they took the energy source.”

“They took us all by surprise,” Ilene said. “I don’t think any of us are individually at fault for that. They were misleading us.” The investigation into Apex had proven that. The company had been deceiving everyone.

“That’s a good point,” Nathan conceded. “It doesn’t stop me from feeling bad about it, though.”

Ilene looked at him, knowing why he felt guilty. “Kong made it out alive, and he’s happy here,” she said. “We needed you to bring him here.”

Nathan just nodded, and then looked out the window. The pair stood, watching Kong and Jia for a while. Then Nathan yawned. “… I’d better be going. It’s nighttime, according to Kong.”

 Ilene smiled. “See you tomorrow,” she said, waving as he left the room.

Ilene Chen smiled as the video camera on her screen turned on, revealing her twin sister, Ling. “Hello, sister!” she greeted.

Ling smiled. “Hello to you too, sister.” Her hand reached up, adjusting her plait.

Ilene subconsciously ran a hand through her own pixie cut. “How are things on Infant Island?” she asked. She glanced toward the wall; even knowing that her room at Castle Bravo lacked windows, the desire to look outside was still ingrained into her.

Ling shrugged. “Well enough,” she said. “Mothra is still egg-bound, and seems to be content to stay that way for a while.”

Ilene dropped her voice, glancing away even though she knew no one was in the room with her. Their status as Mothra’s Shobijin was a closely kept family secret. “Did you…?”

Ling shook her head. “No, I didn’t talk with her,” she said, just as quietly. “That’s what I’ve been getting through the passive connection and the readings from the equipment here. It seems like she isn’t going to hatch anytime soon.”

Ilene sighed. “I have to wonder why,” she said. “I know she only hatches when it’s important for her to return to the world, but…”

Ling also let out a sigh. “You’re wondering why she didn’t hatch during the Mechagodzilla incident,” she said. “Believe me, we’ve been wondering that too.”

“Rodan showed activity during the incident, whenever Ghidorah’s alpha call was recorded,” Ilene said. They had detected movement within Rodan’s nest in Fiji, where he was hibernating. “And we know Mothra was responding to it too, within the egg. So why didn’t she hatch? Do we have a worse disaster in our future?” she wondered.

Ling shook her head. “I don’t want to invoke it,” she said. “But… you might be right.” She gave Ilene a somber look. “What could it be?”

“Well, for one thing, we’re pretty sure the eco-terrorists took the pieces of Ghidorah’s skull that were inside Mechagodzilla’s jaw and neck,” Ilene said, rubbing her forehead.

Ling winced. Everyone at Monarch was well aware of the possibility, but the reminder was still quite unpleasant. “And after Mechagodzilla demonstrated how Ghidorah’s consciousness lives on, even as just a skull, there’s no telling what they could be doing.”

They had seen the sadism displayed by Mechagodzilla in its scant few minutes of existence. They knew where the mechanical Titan had inherited it from. “Ghidorah is a threat as long as even the tiniest part of him exists,” Ilene said, almost growling.

Ling nodded. “Remind me again, why we can’t destroy the skull piece that Monarch has?”

Ilene groaned. The other piece of Ghidorah’s skull had been recovered from Apex Headquarters, and was now in cold storage in the Bermuda Triangle. “We’d need Godzilla’s atomic breath to do it. And unfortunately, we can’t talk to him.”

Ling sighed. There was a lull in the conversation, during which Ling’s gaze traveled to something off screen. “We still haven’t caught Alan Jonah, either.”

Ilene rested her face in her hand. “He could go after Mothra, Ling,” she said, verbalizing the concern that had been shared by both of them ever since Alan Jonah’s disappearance following Ghidorah’s defeat, three years ago.

Ling shifted in her seat. “I don’t think that’s likely,” she said. “Even when Jonah was here, he was only after the ORCA, not Mothra. I don’t… I don’t think he realizes her potential.”

Letting her sister’s words calm her, Ilene lowered her hand. “We can only hope.” She sighed, reflecting on the conversation. “I’m sorry for being such a worrywart.”

“It’s all reasonable concerns,” Ling said. “At the very least, Mothra seems to be content.”

Ilene nodded. “It could be no time at all before she is needed again. But it could also be many years. I… I must admit, I’m selfish. I hope it is not long,” she said.

Ling smiled. “Then we are both selfish. Perhaps it is only natural, for us as Shobijin to wish for her to grace us with her presence once more.”

“Her time was so short,” Ilene said. “I barely got a chance to meet her..”

Ling hung her head in mourning. “Next time, we’ll make sure she lives,” she declared, a simmering fire in her voice.

Ilene paused for a moment, then nodded decisively. “Agreed. We’ll do all we can.”

Gojira swam through the entrance to his lair, emerging within it and letting himself fall to the floor. His orange eyes scanned the area.

Nothing had changed while Gojira was away. There was, as usual, no sign that Tiamat was coming back to claim her old nest. He had fought her for it; it seemed she was respecting his victory. He let out a relieved huff.

However, Gojira had noticed that the diving metal creatures with the strange double-triangle symbol had grown closer to his lair. He knew those to be the work of the helpful humans, but he distrusted them anyway.

His eyes fell on the skull laying in the corner. As always, he wondered if he should give it to Kong, but decided to keep it there. He did not know exactly why, but he felt it was important to remember the war between their kinds. His mind flew back to the olden days, of the battle in which he killed the one whose skull now rested here. It had been a fierce battle, and he had laid here for days afterwards, resting.

As Gojira settled down to sleep, he tried to empty his mind of thoughts, leaving only the soothing presence of his bond with Mosura. He missed her dearly. Their time together, the last time she had hatched, had been too short. She had given her life to him, along with her sense of the world above water, but it had not been enough. He needed her, in the flesh.

He hoped there would be no nightmares of the metal fake. Breathing deeply, he let his bond with Mosura calm him, and drifted off to sleep.

It was hungry. And it burned, pain seeping into every part of its body.

my… my body?

What…

Its body. It… it was different, from before.

Before?

It looked around, with eyes that seemed forced to stare in one direction. There was water… and the surface, high above… and others, below it… or were they smaller? It couldn’t tell.

Am… I…

I’m not like them… not anymore…

What was before?

Through the pain, it tried to feel. Legs. A long, long tail. Fins, along its back.

Those are new…

It looked down, eyes straining to see through the misty depths. Yellow – yellow cans –

How do I know that,

Holes had been torn in the sides.

Did I… feed on… that?

But there was nothing there, not anymore. It had been eaten up.

Where… do I go now?

Something was drawing it away, towards the surface. It spied a dark shape, in the water some distance away. The Aqua-Line –

How do I know what that is…

It swam towards it, crashing and breaking through – blood sprayed from its gills, staining the water red – screaming – pain,  pain, so much pain –

It had to follow this urge. To destroy.

Why?

Its tail lashed out above the surface, water churning around it.

I – I need to…

It had to carry on.

It was changing once more –

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts

It had to carry on.

Gojira startled awake, eyes snapping open with a jolt as a shudder ran through his body. He took in the confines of his lair – everything was normal –

What was that?

Confusion swamped his mind, unsettling him down to his bones. He could remember the dream clearly. No, it felt like a memory. Like he had lived through it himself.

A memory that isn’t mine… Mosura?

He closed his eyes, feeling their bond against the back of his mind. He could only feel a vague sense of concern, likely her concern over his confusion. Then he reached out with the senses Mosura had granted him. Nothing felt abnormal.

Shaking his head, Gojira stood up. If that was a memory, and it was not his memory or Mosura’s, then whose was it?

He thought over the memory. Yellow cans, which he recognized as some of the humans’ waste. The same material that was in their things, that could explode and bring forth light. No creature should feed on those. He had to destroy the cans that it had found.

And this creature was in pain. Who knew what the humans’ waste could do to one who ate it. No one deserved to suffer in such a way.

But where was it? He tried to remember –

The Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line –

Tokyo. That was the name of one of the human cities. Not one that Gojira recognized. However, somehow, he felt as though he knew where it was, like it was an old instinct. It must have come from the memory.

Gojira swam out of his lair. He would find this creature, and put them out of their misery.

Chapter Text

Gojira swam though the Pacific, letting his newfound instinct guide him to Tokyo Bay. He was surprised to find that it was in a land he was quite familiar with, the land whose people had been the first to learn his name.

It looked surprisingly normal. Human watercraft buzzed about above the choppy water, before turning away and fleeing towards the shore when they saw him looming over them. Save for a seemingly abandoned watercraft, he saw no sign that anything unusual had happened here.

He looked over the structure that he now knew to be the Tokyo Bay Aqua Line. It was intact. No large stain of blood in the waves, no large tail arcing above it, no churning water.

Gojira paused, confused. There was no way his mind could have come up with the strange dream on its own, and the name Tokyo had been unfamiliar to him before. It felt like it was one of his own memories, but he knew that it was not. Therefore, it had to be a memory belonging to another creature.

But the supposed memory did not match up with reality. Gojira dove beneath the waves, headed for the seafloor. He spotted yellow cans of the humans’ waste, and while some were eroded, there were no large, jagged holes. He charged up his fire, and destroyed them, the bright blue glow illuminating the water around him.

Gojira returned to the surface, stopping for a moment to sniff at the abandoned watercraft. He wondered what his dream could have been, if it was not a memory. His mind refused to provide answers, aside from the thought that he could be seeing the future. He dismissed it. Seeing the future was only possible through Mosura’s sense of the world, and he knew, both from his time with Mosura and the time since it had been imparted to him, that it did not grant clear visions, but rather a vague sense of what was to come.

Had he come all this way to Tokyo because of nothing more than a weird dream? But that had to be the case. There was no possible explanation, other than it simply being something his mind came up with. It did not sit right with him, but it had to be the truth.

He had been expecting a fight. But there was nothing to fight.

Gojira lingered in the waves for a while longer, pondering, before the gentle tug at his eyelids caught his attention. He did not know why he felt so tired when he had just slept. Perhaps he should take a nap.

He swam out of Tokyo Bay, finding a nearby island that he knew the name of. Odo Island. Its people had worshipped him in the distant past.

However, Gojira doubted that anyone there would remember him now. The humans of today’s world, aside from the small group of helpful humans, were seemingly not interested in worshipping or aiding the Titans. Instead of watching them in awe, they ran away, screamed in terror, and aimed weapons at them.

One of their metal birds, marked with the double-triangle symbol, had been following him since he left Tokyo Bay. He snarled at it, watching in delight as it flew away.

Gojira emerged from the ocean slowly, coming to rest on a large beach on Odo Island. Curling up, tail tucked around his snout, he let himself drift off to sleep, thinking of Mosura. She would know what to do. If only she was not egg-bound.

For Mosura, growing inside of her egg was usually a time of peace. Sometimes it would be disturbed by her own desire to be outside, to be alive, but it was typically quite peaceful. Her mind was lulled into a state of half-consciousness, during which the time, possibly eons, could pass her by with ease.

She missed Gojira, though. He knew of her recurrent plight, and they both knew that she only hatched when she was needed for the world, so it was usually peaceful for Gojira. But she missed him, and she knew he missed her. The ache within her heart never ceased. Their relationship, symbiotic and arranged though it may be, had grown into something more throughout the eons. At least, Mosura liked to think so.

Something stirred her to wakefulness. She cast out her senses. One of her Shobijin was outside her egg; she sensed she was the one from her last hatching. Nothing seemed to be wrong, except… Gojira.

With a touch of concern, she reached out over the bond at the back of her mind. Gojira’s presence radiated concern, confusion, and fear. Something was wrong.

Now, Mosura knew from their bond that times had been tough for Gojira. Something had happened two months ago; she remembered Gojira’s fear and anger like it was her own, and she had heard the twisted, corrupted calls of the Golden One. Since then, there was a recurrent pattern of Gojira drifting off into sleep, only to be jolted into wakefulness with terror. He must be having nightmares of whatever happened.

But the fear never lasted long after waking. And it was never accompanied by confusion, of all emotions. There was also a hint of desperation, of a cry for help. Mosura had to shudder as she felt a distinct desire for death come over the connection.

But something about that felt wrong. Like it was not Gojira, except it was coming from her bond with him, so how?

Mosura felt herself twitch as she considered the possibilities. What was this strange presence within Gojira’s mind? Was he even aware of it?

She wriggled around. It might just be time for her to hatch soon.

When Mark Russell picked up the phone, he was not sure what he was expecting. He had seen Ilene Chen’s name; she was calling from her personal phone as opposed to her work phone. It made him wonder why.

“Good day, Dr. Russell,” she said, voice sounding cheerful.

He let out a small sigh, wondering why his professional title was being used. This had to be work-related. “And good… day to you? It is daytime at Castle Bravo, right?”

“Yes, it is. I see you’re remembering your timezones, Mark.”

And there was his name. “So what is this about?” He could not deny that he was curious.

Now it was Ilene’s turn to let out a sigh. “You’re always more interested in work than pleasantries, aren’t you,” she said, before continuing. “I’ve been asked by the Director to inform you that you’re needed at Castle Bravo.”

Mark’s eyebrows rose. “Director Guillerman says I’m needed?” He paused, trying to think of why. “Surely this can’t be because of what Godzilla was doing earlier today?”

There was a small pause on the other end – Mark got the distinct feeling that Ilene had nodded – before she responded. “Yes, it is. It’s the first time he’s come close to a human settlement that wasn’t Hong Kong since the Mechagodzilla incident. Rick also detected an anomaly in his bioacoustics, and Mothra’s been stirring in her egg. Something is happening, Mark.”

Mark sighed. Those were comparatively minor reasons to come back when compared to Pensacola or Hong Kong. But he could understand their concern. He had heard on the news that Godzilla had been seen destroying nuclear waste that had been dumped in the bottom of Tokyo Bay. It was causing tension between the Japanese and American governments.

“It’s only been two months since Hong Kong,” he lamented. “I was hoping to spend more time with my daughter.”

“But you are needed here,” Ilene said. “You’re our best expert on Titan behavior.”

“Am I, though?” Mark asked. It still stung that Madison and that conspiracy theorist had known what Godzilla was truly doing, at a time when he had assumed the Titan had turned on humanity. “Maddie seemed to know better than I did during the last incident.”

“Yes, you are,” Ilene refuted him. “And how is Maddie doing, by the way?”

Madison had not been doing well. Mark recalled the argument that he had gotten into with her, over her schooling. She did not want to return to school in the fall, and she had been acting increasingly restless under her grounding and house arrest.

“… We’ve had an argument,” Mark admitted. “I’m worried that she is going to do something, like maybe running away again. I have no idea what to do.”

There was a short pause, before Ilene suggested, “Perhaps you could bring her back to Castle Bravo with you.”

Mark shook his head, the very idea making his heart skip a beat. “We’re supposed to be discouraging her from getting involved in Monarch, not encouraging it,” he said, tersely. He had heard Madison’s account of her infiltration of Apex. She was nearly killed in Mechagodzilla’s testing chamber.

“But you shouldn’t be punishing her,” Ilene stated. “She may have run away, but it was her team that disabled Mechagodzilla at the critical moment.”

“And that’s what worries me,” Mark retorted. “She’s gotten herself involved with Titan messes twice now. And this is after she survived San Francisco, for goodness’ sake!” The loss of Andrew, distant though it may be, still stung.

“It’s undeniable that she’s connected with them now, Mark,” Ilene stressed. “She’s not the normal girl you seem to think she is.”

“I – I just – I don’t want to lose her again!” Mark shouted, before he winced, wondering if Madison had heard that from her room. “I’ve already lost Emma and Andrew. I can’t lose her too.”

“She’s been involved with Titans twice, and survived both times, Mark,” Ilene responded. “She’s proven that she can handle herself.”

Mark’s head swam. What was he supposed to do, in the face of Ilene’s strong arguments? The lead researcher did have a point. He just did not want to accept it. “… Fine. I’ll take her back to Castle Bravo with me.”

“Good,” Ilene said. “I’ll let the director know.”

Mark reluctantly nodded, before remembering that Ilene could not see him. “Alright,” he said. “I need to think for a while. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye, Mark.”

He cut the call, and then stared at his phone, shocked at what he had agreed to. Walking over to the couch, he sat down, holding his head in his hands.

I’m sorry, Maddie…

Within the boiling magma of the volcano in Fiji, Rodan sluggishly blinked open his eyes.

He did not know why he was awake. It seemed to be just the usual restlessness that always accompanied his hibernation. There had been no weird, corrupted cry reaching his ears, like there was the last couple of times he had awoken.

Those cries. They had sounded like the Golden One. No, not the Golden One. Ghidorah. That was their name. Rodan knew it well, after all.

It seemed some time had past since the last call, so Gojira must have taken care of it. Part of him felt dismayed. To him, Ghidorah was more than just an enemy, or a master. The three-headed dragon had offered him an opportunity, to live a life without cowering in fear of the King.The King who had once been one of his greatest friends.

His eyelids heavy, Rodan let himself drift off back to sleep. There was no point to being awake if his heart was filled with dismay, and if he were to cower in front of Gojira once more.

Kong stretched out, leaning against the steep rock face. He let his eyes drift towards the path he had taken through the deep hollows, the parted grass and knocked-down trees marking where he had fought. A small girl walked along the path towards him, glancing down at the corpse he had left behind in the grass, green blood forming a puddle.

It had been an easy battle. The creature, fierce though it was, had gone down with little fighting, and a few swings of his axe. Kong only had a few scratches to show, and he knew none of them would scar.

He paused, glancing down at his chest. There was still a dull ache there, from the battle two moon-cycles ago. Involuntarily, he shuddered, remembering the pressure of Gojira’s foot on his chest. Then he recalled his latest nightmare, in which the lizard-like Titan had crushed his chest, then beaten him to a pulp, ripping out his heart and –

The tiny touch of a delicate hand against Kong’s leg drew him out of the memory. He let out a small gasp; had he nearly fallen into a daze in front of Jia?

Jia, down below, raised her hands and began to sign. “What’s bothering you?”

Kong, seeing no reason not to tell her, lifted his hands and began to sign back. “My latest nightmare,” he said. “Gojira.”

Jia looked down, seeming somewhat sad as she contemplated something. “You don’t have to see him anymore, if you don’t want to.”

“I’m okay with it, Jia,” Kong responded. Although he did not understand why Gojira had attacked him so fiercely, he had dropped his axe for a reason, and he knew Gojira was no longer a threat. They were even starting to become friends, if Kong dared to say it.

Jia did not seem to have a response. She leaned against his leg, and Kong lifted her up in his hand, letting the two of them observe each other. Kong’s knowledge of facial expressions was still limited, but he thought Jia looked apologetic.

Oh, he thought. She’s the reason I’m friends with Gojira, so she feels bad.

He was grateful for her. A little human, who had grown so close and touched his heart. He could endure a friendship with Gojira if it was for her, could endure the presence of her human mother and the other humans.

In some ways, he saw Jia as his savior. His closest friend. And so he would answer to her.

Madison sat back on the bench and listened to the whirring of the propeller blades as the Osprey landed on the top deck of Castle Bravo. She smiled, looking towards where she knew the ramp would come down at reveal the outpost. She was finally here.

Across from her, her father shifted apprehensively in his seat, hand clutching the handle of a duffel bag as though it were a lifeline.

The Osprey landed, and the ramp descended. She stood up, extending the handle of her duffel bag so that it could roll behind her, and walked down the ramp. Her father rubbed his forehead, then got up and followed her with his own duffel.

“Good day, Dr. Russell and Miss Russell,” a man, presumably a Monarch staff member, greeted them at the base of the ramp. Madison did not remember him.

“Good day to you too, sir,” Mark replied. “I see Director Guillerman is not here?”

“He sends his regards,” the man responded. “He is in the control room right now. Godzilla has been quite active this morning.”

Now that caught Madison’s attention. “What’s he doing?” she asked.

Mark blinked at her, as the man shook his head. “Well, he’s set off the proximity alarms a couple of times already,” he said. He shifted awkwardly where he stood. “Um. I can take your luggage to your rooms, while you go down to the control room to check it out? I’m sure they’d love to have you there.”

Mark nodded. “That will be fine,” he said, handing over his duffel to the Monarch staff member. Madison followed his lead. He began to walk over to the elevator that would take them down into the depths of the outpost. “Maddie, you should go with – ”

“No,” Madison said, quickly cutting him off. She looked at him, defiance shining in her eyes.

Mark stopped, and turned to look at her, before glancing at the staff who were on the top deck, watching them. He sighed. “Fine. But you’re staying close to me, got it?”

“Fine by me,” Madison agreed. She was a little annoyed by his insistence on her staying close, but figured that she was lucky he agreed at all.

“Well then, come on,” Mark said, pressing the down button on the elevator.

Madison moved to stand with him.

Gojira, in the water below, circled the helpful humans’ structure. He was deep enough for his spines to be hidden by the waves, their glow shining through but hidden by the glare of the sunlight against the water.

Taking a nap on Odo Island had done nothing to ease his stress. While he had no new nightmares, it called to mind the pain of his dream – no, his nightmare. That was what it was.

With no answers on what the nightmare was, exactly, he needed to find a way to relieve his stress. That was why he was here. He wanted to check on them, to reassure himself that all was right in the world, and perhaps terrify them a little.

Gojira knew they were the helpful humans, not the ones who had stripped the air from him or built the metal fake. But they still needed a reminder of who their King was.

As Mark walked into the control room, his daughter at his heels, there was a flurry of activity. Scientists rushed from station to station, calling out various readings.

Glumly, he noticed that the shield was down as he stopped next to Director Guillerman, in the center of the room, looking out the large window. The blue light of Godzilla’s spines illuminated his face, familiar to Mark from the disaster in Hong Kong.

“Ah, Mark Russell,” Guillerman said, turning to him. “I see you’ve arrived safely. We were a touch worried about landing the Osprey, what with this,” he said, gesturing to the window.

Mark grimaced, glancing back at Madison. Everything had seemed fine on the top deck, but apparently Godzilla had been close to them the whole time. “What’s the situation?” he asked, eager to know.

“Well, he came here directly after leaving Odo Island,” Rick Stanton said, walking up to them. “According to his bioacoustics, he’s stressed about something, but there’s also an anomaly in there… it’s a bit difficult to explain,” he continued. “Hello, Maddie.” He smiled at her.

Madison smiled back. “What was he doing on Odo Island?” she asked.

Ilene Chen walked over. “Hello, Mark and Maddie. It’s good to see you,” she greeted. “I scoured the local mythology of Odo Island. They used to worship him, so it’s likely a place of comfort for him.” She turned to look at the window at the glowing Titan, the light brightening her face. “The real mystery, though, is why he went to Tokyo Bay.”

“No one has any answers on that, though,” Sam Coleman said, as he joined the group. “The Japanese and American governments are arguing over the pile of nuclear waste he destroyed. The public is wondering if he is going to attack other such waste deposits. But, uh…” he started, looking somewhat nervous. “We’re getting reports of increasing radiation levels in Tokyo Bay, and on Odo Island.”

Mark and Guillerman raised their eyebrows, and exchanged a glance. “Isn’t that normal?” Mark asked. “Their usual Titan radiation, the kind that makes cities turn into jungles. Is that what they’re detecting?”

Sam shook his head. “No, sir. They specifically identified isotopes known to be harmful.”

Mark paused, thinking about it. “A bioacoustics anomaly, and now increasing radiation levels where he passed?” he asked aloud, before he turned around, looking at Godzilla. “Why is that shield still open?” he snapped.

Rick and Ilene glanced at each other awkwardly. “We’ve kept it open when he approaches, ever since you told us to three years ago. Let him know we’re not a threat, like you said,” Rick responded.

“Should we close the shield?” Guillerman asked.

Mark hesitated, then shook his head, feeling disgruntled. “No.” Godzilla might attack them if the shield went up, and his daughter was here.

His daughter. He turned back to the window. Madison had approached the glass, and reached up a hand, pressing against it as she looked out at Godzilla.

Gojira watched the humans through the window in the structure. He, and the humans, knew it was only a dense pane of clearstone that separated them.

Inside, they were rushing about. A group began to gather in the center of the room, occasionally looking towards him. Good. They knew that he was here. He had wondered whether they did, since they were taking no means to protect themselves, or the metal bird that had landed on top of the structure a short time ago.

That was when he noticed something unusual. A human, young and female by the looks of her, had approached the window, pressing a hand against it. And as he studied her, Gojira was surprised to find familiarity.

He tried to remember where he had seen her before. A memory came to him. A small human, roaring – yes, roaring – up at the Golden One, seconds before his fire connected with their chest. The little one looking up at him admiringly as he gave a roar of his one, and strode forward into battle.

This little human knew him. Gojira let himself drift closer.

As Godzilla approached the window, Mark found himself unable to do anything but watch. One orange eye peered in, staring directly at his precious daughter.

Someone behind him was reading out proximity alerts. He ignored them.

Madison, for her part, seemed to be taking it rather well. She slowly lifted her hand from the glass, and gave the giant monster a small wave, her face showing nothing but awe.

The wave snapped Mark out of his daze. He rushed forward, pulled Madison behind him, and glared at Godzilla.

The Titan snorted, bubbles emerging from his snout, before he rushed away. Castle Bravo shuddered, lights flickering as Godzilla passed by, growing farther away with each passing second.

Mark turned to his daughter, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Maddie,” he began. “Don’t – don’t ever do that again –”

“Mark,” Ilene interrupted.

He looked up. Ilene and Rick were staring at him, Ilene’s hand over her mouth. Guillerman and Sam were watching him from further back, with raised eyebrows.

Madison herself was staring at him, with a look that read “really?”

After an awkward silence, Rick started. “Um… that’s the closest he’s gotten in quite some time.” He shifted on his feet, taking a sip from his cup of coffee.

Ilene nodded. “And this is after showing unusual behavior, a bioacoustics anomaly, and a harmful radiation signature,” she pointed out. “Could they be related?”

“What’s wrong with his bioacoustics?” Madison asked, curiously.

Rick shrugged, and looked away, trying to come up with an explanation. “It’s… tough to explain. It’s like there’s a second channel, barely detectable by our equipment, that doesn’t seem to align with the rest of Godzilla’s bioacoustics but is definitely coming from him.”

Guillerman nodded. “Mark, how about you look it over?” he asked.

Mark nodded, still somewhat in shock from Godzilla’s appearance. Work. He could do work.

As Mark walked forward to Rick’s workstation, taking in the bioacoustics readings displayed on the screen, he noticed Madison turn back to the window, staring in the direction that Godzilla left. After a few moments, she turned away, and joined them at Rick’s workstation.

Chapter Text

Madison walked into Castle Bravo’s control room, the sounds of the scientists talking together washing over her ears.

It had been a day since her encounter with Godzilla. The base had been in a frenzy after his appearance, checking to make sure no systems were damaged from his close pass. A lot of the staff were also giving her looks of admiration, which Madison enjoyed.

Her father had been somewhat annoyed with her in the wake of the incident, but she appeased him by working diligently on the math problems she was assigned. It had been more difficult than she remembered. Turns out that one year spent in a public school, which taught to the lowest common denominator, did wonders for one’s mathematical abilities.

Now that she was finished with them, Madison was going to the center of activity, where the newest and most interesting information came from. It also happened to be filled with people she recognized.

As she walked in, she spotted her father talking with Ilene Chen, Rick Stanton, and Sam Coleman, all gathered around Rick’s computer as he pulled up bioacoustics readings. The members of G-Team, Griffin, Barnes, and Martinez, hung a little further back, but were clearly interested in the conversation as well.

Madison smiled and approached them. “Hi!”

The group stopped talking and turned to her. Mark was the first to break the silence. “You’re done with those math problems?” he asked.

She nodded. “Yep. I left them on your desk to be reviewed.”

“Good job, Maddie,” Ilene said, offering her a smile. Then she turned back to Rick’s computer. “Want to help us figure this out?”

“I’d love to,” Madison said, before her father could protest. He gave her a look that screamed that he wanted her anywhere except inside this room.

“Alright,” Sam said. “We were just talking about Godzilla’s sleeping patterns. Rick, if you could…?”

“Sure,” Rick said, pulling up a graph on his screen. “This a log of Godzilla’s activity, with the times when we believe him to be asleep marked.” He pointed at a place on the graph, showing an orange spike of activity right after a purple marker, and a green area. “This is from a couple days ago, when we first recorded his bioacoustics anomaly, and he started heading towards Tokyo.”

Madison stared at the graph, taking in the various lines and colors that denoted activity levels and sleeping periods. Orange was when he was awake. Green was when he was seemingly sleeping. Purple seemed to denote the start of the anomaly. “Huh… he wasn’t sleeping for very long that night,” she observed.

Rick nodded. “That’s right,” he said. “He’s been sleeping less ever since Hong Kong, but that night in particular showed a loss of sleep.”

“Why would he be losing sleep?” Madison asked.

Mark sighed, seeming to finally accept his daughter’s presence in the control room. “It only makes sense, honestly. He’s likely more vigilant after what happened.”

Griffin added, “This doesn’t even compare to what we observed during the incident. He wasn’t sleeping at all.”

Madison turned it over in her head. Was it just heightened vigilance, or something else? She recalled her own vigilance after the events in Boston, and what had come with it. “Is he having nightmares?” she suggested.

Barnes shook his head. “He’s a giant monster. What would he have to be afraid of?”

“Look at what happened from Godzilla’s perspective,” Madison started. “First he hears corrupted cries of his old arch-nemesis, who nearly killed him, mind you, and he drives himself crazy searching for it. Then he goes to Hong Kong, and just as he’s exhausted himself, he gets attacked by something clearly built to kill and replace him. He would’ve died if not for Kong and Josh.”

The room considered it for a moment, before Martinez asked, “Would he be smart enough to recognize Mechagodzilla as something meant to replace him?”

“Yes,” Madison stressed. “We’ve seen that he’s fairly intelligent.”

Ilene nodded, backing her up. “And the threat may not even be over.”

Mark looked at her sharply. “What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“You’ve been briefed on how we couldn’t locate the pieces of Ghidorah’s skull that were in Mechagodzilla’s neck and jaw, right?” Ilene asked.

Mark nodded, a grimace crossing his face. ‘Yeah. That. You don’t suppose…?”

“There’s no telling what could be done with them,” Ilene said. “Ghidorah’s consciousness lives on, and if someone were to expose the skull pieces to enough energy…”

“Ghidorah could c-come back,” Madison said, stammering. The conversation was beginning to bring up bad memories. Before anyone could cut in, she added, “A-and. Godzilla probably knows that as well as we do. Of course he’s going to be scared.”

Silence hung over the room for a moment, everyone considering the implications of their discussion. Then Rick spoke up. “You sure do think about Godzilla a lot, don’t you, Maddie.”

Madison shrugged. “Of course I do. He’s the hero.”

Rick smiled. “You were his number one advocate during the Mechagodzilla incident.”

Madison smiled back. “You and Josh sound alike.”

“I wonder if Godzilla knows, given yesterday’s close encounter,” Ilene said aloud, drawing a few stares from the room.

“Of course he doesn’t,” Mark denied. He looked like he was about to come up with a logical refutation for Ilene’s suggestion.

“But I bet you wish it was true, huh, Maddie?” Sam added, flashing her a wink.

Madison nodded, smiling. “I wish I was as close to him as Jia is to Kong,” she admitted. It was true; the thought had come to her during her last conversation with Josh. She thought it was an amazing idea.

Mark could only stare at her. After a few moments, he said, “No, not happening,” and turned to leave the room, rubbing a hand over his face.

There was a short pause, as everyone watched Mark leave. They looked at each other awkwardly, before Griffin stepped forward. “…Hey. Maddie. Next time Godzilla shows up, we’ll text you, so we can go to the top deck and see him together. You want in?”

Madison felt her smile returning, before she shook her head. “Thank you, but I’d prefer to meet him alone,” she said.

Rick let out a low whistle. “You’re brave,” he said. “Now, shall we discuss this bioacoustics anomaly?”

The metal fake punched Gojira, fracturing his jaw with the sheer force. Then it swung its tail around with great speed, slamming into him and knocking him down.

Gojira looked up as the fake brought down a punch on his eye, rupturing it and spraying blood all over his face. He bit back a scream from the pain, as red stained half of his vision. “GO-JI-RA!” he heard the fake shout, in that corrupted mechanical warble.

He tried to snarl back, before he was grabbed by the neck, the fake’s metal claws scratching through his gills. He was picked up and tossed, crashing into one of the human structures. The building cracked underneath his weight, and he fell through, gasping for air as he landed.

However, he had no time to recover as the fake caught up to him, grabbed onto his neck once more, and lifted him up. He saw its other hand rising, towards his jaw, as its maw grew closer. He scrabbled and squirmed, recognizing the incoming attack, but he was unable to break free as the fake charged up, a red glow rising in its throat as its hand prised open his jaw, preparing to blast his insides to a crisp –

Something pulled it back, the red beam arcing wide over Gojira’s head, from what he could see with his only functional eye. He studied it more carefully, and to his surprise, discovered that Kong had joined the fight!

“Kong,” he breathed out, watching as the ape Titan beat down the fake with his axe. “Please… please, help me –”

And then the fake smacked away Kong’s axe with its tail, and in the same move, pried open his jaws, and breathed out a beam of red down his throat. Gojira watched in horror as Kong’s body exploded, blood spraying across the streets and onto his scales.

In Gojira’s shock, he had not noticed as the fake rushed toward him and grabbed onto his jaw. It brought down its weight, hard, and he heard a disturbing crack as it broke even further, pinning Gojira to the ground.

Then he heard a whirring noise. The blades on the end of the fake’s tail were spinning, faster than what should have been possible. It descended toward his eye, and then there was pain pain pain he couldn’t see –

“GO-JI-RA!”

Gojira woke up with a roar that sounded closer to a scream. His breath came in short bursts, as his eyes moved rapidly around, scanning the area around him.

He could see, the fake was not here, everything was fine. Everything was fine, it was all fine –

He was not fine. The pain in his eyes and jaw lingered, as did the horror at seeing Kong so brutally killed. And the fear, crawling down into his bones and the very tip of his tail.

He let out a roar, shaking the walls of his lair. Then, trying to steady his breathing, he did what he always did when he faced down a nightmare. He reached to the back of his mind, to his bond with Mosura. It thrummed in his skull, his Queen sending back calm waves of emotion, as her mere presence soothed his mind.

Once he had calmed down, his breathing stabilizing, he once again tried to reassure himself that everything was fine. The fake was dead, shredded into pieces by Kong’s axe.

But some part of his mind knew that the threat was not over. For it was the Golden One whose consciousness had lived inside the fake. There must be a piece of it somewhere, that he had failed to destroy. And as long as part of the Golden One lived, he was a danger to the world. To Gojira and his beloved Mosura.

He knew this. He had gotten over it during the past couple of moon-cycles by remembering his satisfying defeat of the Golden One, during their last proper battle. He had fried them, burned with the pulse of flame granted to him by the dying Mosura, until they were nothing but ashes, blowing away in the wind.

And yet, the Golden One’s mind had lived on.

Gojira shook his head. Clearly, no further sleep was going to come to him. He groaned. He had wanted a peaceful sleep, had been hoping for one.

He thought back to the last two times he slept. Napping on Odo Island was hardly a proper rest, but he had made it through with nightmares, much to his relief. But then there was that odd nightmare, that he thought had been a memory belonging to someone else.

A thought struck him. The Golden One. The invader. He did not know all of their capabilities, but he knew them to be psychic, in a similar way to Mosura.

Could they be responsible for his nightmares, including the odd one?

Gojira shook his head. In the olden days, he had heard tales of Titans who had developed nightmares after fighting especially tough battles. Why should he be any different after the battles he had faced?

The problem with believing that, however, was that it offered no hope of an end to the nightmares. It was like an incurable sickness.

Gojira sighed. Perhaps he should go talk to Kong. It would help to see him alive, and in the flesh.

He turned to leave his lair, feeling distinctly unsettled.

Kong ran along the pathway, one of his usual trails through the land of the deep hollows. He stopped, pausing to catch his breath, as he caught sight of the humans’ structure in the distance, and the small figure running from it towards him.

Jia had insisted on staying behind today. Now she was coming to him, urgency in her steps. What had happened? Kong snapped to attention.

She came to a stop before him, just far enough away for him to see properly when she signed, “Gojira is coming!”

Oh. He knew Gojira was a friend, but given their recent discussions, he could understand her worry.

Gojira leaped from the tunnel, letting the strange force of the deep hollows turn him around so that he could land on his feet. He never liked having to scale the tunnel, or the weird shift in which way was up.

He surveyed the wreckage of the temple around him, built by Kong’s ancestors and destroyed by his fire. His eyes caught on the skeleton laying in the corner, of another one like him. Letting out a low hiss, he carefully made his way out of the temple, stepping around the remains of his fallen kindred. Reminders of his status as the last were always painful.

Letting the odd light of the deep hollows warm his scales, he roared, calling out to Kong, and sat down to wait.

After some time, Gojira’s caught sight of the ape approaching him, running towards him and up the slopes of the mountains. He took in the Titan’s appearance. Kong seemed to be healing quite well from their battle, with no visible wounds.

The scar along his flank, where he had been struck with the axe that Kong now carried in his hand, twinged.

As Kong ran up to Gojira, he could not help but notice that the lizard-like titan was trembling, looking away from him towards the sun. He furrowed his brow in concern. Had something happened? But Jia would have told him.

He spotted Gojira’s eyes flicking towards his axe. Setting it down, he took a deep breath. “Gojira. Are you quite alright?”

“I’m fine,” Gojira responded, a barb in his voice. “Healing, no thanks to you.”

Kong tensed. It seemed Gojira was still as grouchy as ever. “Stop it,” he said. “I’m still having nightmares of you.”

Gojira paused in surprise. Kong was having nightmares? Of him?

He supposed it made sense. He had given the Titan quite a fierce fight, and from what he had learned, if the humans had not revived him, Kong would be dead.

Nightmares. Kong had to be scared of him. His mind flashed, involuntarily, to just a few days ago, when he saw the young human inside the humans’ underwater structure. Of how another human, looking like her father, had pulled her away, glaring at him with fear in his eyes.

“… I’m sorry,” Gojira said, after a moment of silence.

Kong blinked at him, surprise flashing across his face. “Thank you,” he said.

They stayed quiet for a few minutes, before Gojira broke the lull. “I’ve been having nightmares too,” he admitted. “The humans’ fake…” he growled.

Kong felt sympathetic to Gojira’s plight. It was relieving on some level, to know that he was not alone in his nightmares. But Gojira’s growl, and the rage in his eyes, showed nothing but utter contempt for the humans.

Now, Kong himself was distrustful of humans, They were strange, and had deceived him for a time, before taking him away from his old home. But then there was Jia, and her mother, and the man who had revived him with the exploding metal pod. He could not help but think of them.

He let out a breath. “Not all humans are bad, Gojira,” he said.

That earned an angry roar. “Do you have any idea what you’re insinuating, Kong?” Gojira growled, wrath shining in his orange eyes. “After all they’ve done?” He lashed his tail, spines flashing blue. “You may not know, but what of the Golden One’s release from the ice? Of them stripping the air from the ocean, nearly killing me? You saw the fake, saw what it was going to do to me, and yet you still defend them?” He snarled. “Why, Kong?”

“I-I have a little human girl,” Kong stammered back, shocked at the display of anger from Gojira, and feeling a touch frightened. “A friend. She’s the one who told me that you weren’t my enemy.”

Gojira’s eyes widened with surprise, but rage still shimmered within them. Kong continued to speak. “She is the light of my life, my truest companion.” He looked into Gojira’s eyes. “Do… Do you know any humans like that? Anyone, at all?”

Gojira thought of the kindly human, the one who had saved his life at the cost of his own. He could still see his face within his mind’s eye. “… I had one, once,” he told Kong, feeling his wrath evaporate. That human had sacrificed his life, and here he was, condemning his entire species. “He died before I could meet him properly.”

“Oh,” he heard Kong breathe out, before the ape awkwardly looked away, sadness clouding his gaze. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

There was a moment of quiet. Gojira let his mind wander, as he stared into the sun of the deep hollows. His thoughts turned to the little human inside the underwater structure. The one who had roared at the Golden One. “… What was her name?”

“Hmm?” Kong turned to him. “It was Jia.”

As he said the name, he made an odd gesture with his hands. Gojira stared at it, in confusion. What was Kong doing?

Kong must have noticed him staring. “Oh, right, you don’t know,” he said. Gojira blinked. “It’s called sign language,” Kong began. “Making words with your hands. The humans taught it to me. I was saying Jia’s name.”

Gojira just stared at him for a moment longer, before he let his eyes wander to where he had sensed a small group of humans, watching them from a distance. Of course Kong would be so close to the humans if he could actually communicate with them.

Jia sat on the grass, watching as Kong and Godzilla talked in the distance. Beside her, Ilene and Nathan were also observing the pair, muttering to each other in voices that Jia could not hear.

She did not care; just seeing that Kong and Godzilla were not fighting was enough for her. She had been so worried when Godzilla had reacted angrily to something Kong had said. It would be awful if they ever fought again.

A flash of movement caught her attention. Kong had just signed her name to Godzilla! The grumpy old lizard then stared at them, before turning back to Kong. Surprisingly, Kong’s hands began to move in what Jia recognized as the sign for “hello.”

Next to her, Ilene gasped, hand over her mouth, then hastily began to write notes as Kong began to move through other basic signs.

Godzilla seemed to be just as baffled as Ilene, staring at Kong, then down at his own hands. Paws? Claws? Jia did not know.

Eventually, Kong stopped, before saying something to Godzilla. The lizard-like Titan paused for a moment, then rumbled back. Then he turned away, with another rumble, and began to walk into the temple, presumably heading for the tunnel out of the Hollow Earth.

Kong waved, as Godzilla disappeared into the darkness of the temple. Jia chose that moment to run out of their little shelter in the trees, stopping as Kong turned towards her. “How did it go?” she signed.

Kong hesitated for a moment, during which Ilene ran up beside Jia, before signing back, “He apologized.” Then he turned away for a moment, to look in the direction where Godzilla disappeared. “I worry about him.”

Jia blinked up at him, confused. How could Kong be worried about the one who had nearly killed him? “Why?”

“Godzilla is having nightmares,” Kong responded. “His human friend died. Some time ago.”

Jia’s eyebrows rose. Now she felt sorry for Godzilla. Even if the Titan had hurt Kong, no one deserved that. “I feel sorry for him now,” she signed.

Kong could only nod. “Me too, Jia.”

Gojira swam through the waters, away from the human city where he had battled Kong and the fake. He moved lazily through the water, heading for his usual routes.

The talk had unsettled him. Sure, it had reassured him that Kong was alive and given him some solace in knowing that he was not alone in having nightmares. But it was their discussion about humans that bothered him.

He had nearly forgotten about the kindly human who had sacrificed himself to save his life. That was unacceptable. He needed to be honoring that sacrifice.

Gojira also felt a touch at jealousy, at Kong’s bond with the little girl. Jia. If only he had been able talk to the kindly human, or the helpful humans whose tribe he came from. They may have been able to do something about the fake.

For a moment, his thoughts flashed to the human girl he had seen inside the underwater structure. He caught himself wondering what her name was.

With a snort, he changed direction. He would find out.

Chapter Text

Madison finished typing out a paragraph on her writing assignment with a sigh of relief. She glanced around at the walls of the dimly-lit room she found herself in, and tried listening to the noise she could hear out in the hallway, though she could not make out any words.

Castle Bravo had grown more active ever since yesterday evening, when Kong had been caught showing basic sign language to Godzilla. Kong’s words on their conversation also indicated that Godzilla had been having nightmares, confirming Madison’s theory. She felt some satisfaction in knowing that she was right, but it was quickly muted by the reality of the situation.

She turned back to her studying, typing out another line when she felt the base shake and shudder. Looking up, she noticed the lights flickering, and she felt her phone buzz against her desk.

Reaching over, she picked up her phone and unlocked it. There was a message from Colonel Foster. Godzilla’s here, it read.

Madison recalled G-team’s promise to let her know when Godzilla next showed up. With a smile, she saved her work, and quickly began to run to the top deck.

Gojira approached the underwater structure slowly, near the surface of the ocean. He took in the light of the morning sun glinting off the waves.

He had swam through the night, trying to ease his thoughts as he did so. A variety of images had danced through his mind. The fake, the kindly human, Kong, Mosura, and the human girl he wanted to know the name of.

Right. How was he to go about finding her here? He dove down to the pane of clearstone, observing the humans on the other side. She was not in that room.

Gojira drew back, not sure how to locate her. He was considering using the sign for “hello” that Kong had taught him, when he heard a loud whistle coming from above. Swimming up, he went to investigate, breaking through the waves with a splash.

Scanning the top of the structure, he was surprised when, amongst the metal birds perched there, he caught a glimpse of the human he had been searching for. She was near the edge.

He leaned down to approach the deck, holding his head close enough for the girl to reach out with a hand and touch his scales.

“Hello,” Madison said, unsure what else to say to Godzilla. She was dimly aware of the staff on the top deck staring at her in shock and awe. She did not care. This was her wish.

After a moment, Godzilla rumbled back. Madison thought that meant he was saying hello too.

Then he dipped his head toward the water below, and, to Madison’s surprise, proceeded to move so that he was directly below where she stood, one hand on the deck railing. She looked down at him in confusion. “I could jump down on your head if I wanted,” she observed.

Godzilla rumbled at her again, and then momentarily dipped his head.

Does he want me to…? Madison thought, hesitating. This idea was crazy, but she had to take the chance. When else would she get it? 

Taking a deep breath, she climbed over the railing, pausing on the edge for a moment, and then jumped down, landing unsteadily on the Titan’s head, between his eyes. She clambered over to the back of his head, and sat down.

Godzilla rumbled, sounding satisfied. Then he began to move. Madison clung on to the back of his head, glancing around nervously, as the Titan slowly swam away from Castle Bravo. The ocean spray blew past her face, and the sun shone down, the base growing further and further away in the distance.

Gojira swam far enough away that the helpful humans’ structure was no longer visible in the distance, nothing but the open ocean visible in all directions. The human girl on his head turned around, taking in the expanse of water that surrounded them.

He wondered if Mosura would approve of what he was doing now.

Hearing the girl on his head take a deep breath, he slowed his pace, ready to listen. “H-Hi. Um. You’re Godzilla.”

He rumbled wordlessly, recognizing his name, even if the human had garbled its pronunciation.

“I’m Madison Russell,” she said. And there was her name. Godzilla paused, committing it to his memory. Madison continued, “But some people call me Maddie. Umm… I think we’ve met before. In Boston.”

Boston. That must be where he had fought the Golden One. “I’ve seen you before,” he rumbled. “You roared at the Golden One.” He knew she could not understand him, but said it anyway.

Madison took another deep breath, before continuing to speak. “I-I also saw you in San Francisco,” she said. “When you battled… um. I guess you won’t know the term ‘MUTO’… those parasitic Titans.”

“You were there?” he rumbled back, with surprise.

“A-And…” the girl began. “I was there, two months ago in Hong Kong, when you fought Kong and Mechagodzilla.”

Gojira turned the information over in his mind. Mechagodzilla. That must be the name of the fake. He wondered what “mecha” meant. But Madison had been there, apparently. “What were you doing there,” he asked, feeling somewhat startled.

“I-I… I admit, I really shouldn’t have been there,” she said. “But someone had to be. It’s… a bit of long story.”

“I have time for long stories,” Gojira rumbled back. It seemed there was more to the incident than he was aware of. He was curious, too.

“I… you attacked Pensacola,” Madison started.

Gojira did not know where Pensacola was.

“My Dad and I were living there at the time. I noticed that you were only attacking Apex, and I thought there had to be a reason why.”

There had been a reason why. The Golden One’s corrupted calls. He growled wordlessly, as Madison continued. “But my Dad wouldn’t believe me. So me and my friend Josh, we… sought out someone else who believed you. Bernie. He’d been infiltrating Apex and saw something suspicious that night. So the three of us went to Apex, and… uh.”

Gojira rumbled, prompting her to continue the story.

“We found Skullcrawler eggs in a shipping container. Then we got stuck in there while trying to hide, and shipped to Hong Kong with them.”

He snorted, not quite knowing what “shipping” was.

“We explored the Apex facility in Hong Kong, and then we found this gigantic room. They… they were using the Skullcrawlers as test fodder for Mechagodzilla. We saw one of their tests,” she said. “Mechagodzilla tore the poor thing in half, then used its atomic breath to… ugh.” She shivered. “It bisected it.”

Gojira growled. Using these “skullcrawlers” as nothing more than prey to be killed by that fake? Unacceptable.

“We went further into the base, and we found Ghidorah’s skull. It… it was hooked up to all these wires and cords. They were using it to control Mechagodzilla.”

That earned another growl, fiercer this time. He knew the Golden One’s name. Now he had confirmation that part of it lived on, that it was their consciousness who inhabited the fake.

“Then security caught us and brought us to Walter Simmons. He was this awful man, the one in charge of Apex. He ranted to us about why he built Mechagodzilla. None of it made any sense,” Madison said.  

Gojira now knew the name of the one who created the fake. If he was not dead already, he would kill this Walter Simmons for what he had done.

Madison took a deep breath before she went on. “Then… something happened. I think Mechagodzilla reached its full power? But it… it was strange. It snuck up on Walter Simmons through the window, and killed him.”

The evil human was dead. Good.

“Then it went and blasted a hole in the side of the facility, and raced out to battle you, Godzilla. We were scrambling around, trying to find a way to stop it. I couldn’t find the pilot, and then we had the idea to disrupt the satellite uplink system but Josh couldn’t hack into it.” She paused, taking another deep breath. “We were about to give up, and it was about to kill both you and Kong, and then… Bernie took out a flask to have one last drink, and Josh grabbed it and poured it all over the uplink system’s computer.”

Gojira hummed in confusion, not quite understanding the strange terminology. What would pouring a drink on a computer do? What was a computer?

“Sorry, I guess you don’t know what any of that means,” Madison said. “But it stalled Mechagodzilla for just a moment, and that was enough for you and Kong to gain the upper hand.”

He remembered that odd lapse, where the fake had seemingly stopped, eye lights flickering, in the middle of their battle. At the time, he had not questioned it, and simply took the opportunity alongside Kong to kill the metal monster. He had realized, in hindsight, that they would not have survived if not for that weird pause.

But now Gojira knew that it was this human, Madison, who was responsible for it. That meant a second human had saved his life. A wave of gratitude washed over him, and he expressed it with another rumble. “Thank you,” he said.

“You’re welcome,” Madison said, correctly guessing what he had said. Then she leaned back, lying against the scales atop his head.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, Gojira swimming along lazily while the human atop his head lay there. Then Madison asked, “… Can we be friends?”

What were they now, if not friends? She had saved his life, and screamed defiance at the Golden One. And here they were, drifting through the ocean together. “Yes,” he rumbled back.

For a while, they stayed there in comfortable silence. Gojira slowed to a stop, then began to circle around in a wide arc.

He noticed one of the helpful humans’ metal birds overhead. Of course. In frustration, he raised his tail, then brought it down onto the waves, spraying water everywhere.

Madison laughed. Gojira cherished the sound.

When Castle Bravo appeared in the distance, Madison could not help but feel a little disappointed.

She had enjoyed her time with Godzilla. The Titan had been very courteous as he swam through the ocean with her on top of his head; she had only gotten wet when he made that splash with his tail. He also seemed appreciative when she told him all of her exploits during the Hong Kong incident, and he had agreed to be friends with her. She was pretty certain of that.

As the pair approached the base, Madison heard shouting from the top deck, and as Godzilla rose out of the water, the noise was joined by gasps of awe. He leaned his head forward, letting her comfortably walk down his snout and leap over the railing, onto the top deck.

She turned around, about to wave goodbye, when her father caught up her. “Maddie!” he called out, grabbing onto her shoulder and turning her around to look at his panicked face. “Oh my god – are you alright –”

“I’m fine, Dad!” Madison just about shouted, as she was ushered away from Godzilla and towards the elevator.

“You’re still going to see the doctor,” Mark declared, in a tone that left no room for arguing.

“Really, I’m fine!” she tried anyway. “I barely got splashed at all, and he never showed any aggression towards me,” she said, as she gave up on fighting her way out of it and let herself be forced into the elevator.

She got one last look at Godzilla as the doors closed. He snorted, and turned away from the base, disappearing below the waves with a large splash.

“Dad, I’m okay,” she said. Her father did not look convinced, but let her continue as the elevator descended down into the depths. “I introduced myself, and told him everything I did during Hong Kong, and I think he even agreed to be my friend.”

Mark sighed. “Maddie,” he began, anger in his voice. “Why do you keep running away?”

 Madison was silent. She had not realized her little visit with Godzilla would come across that way. “I know what I’m doing, Dad,” she tried to argue, as the elevator doors opened, and the pair walked out. Mark just scoffed at her. “Would you please just stop holding me back?” she blurted out.

Mark stopped, turning to look at her. “Maddie –” he began, before cutting himself off. Madison watched as the anger slowly left his face, replaced by sadness. He hung his head. “I’m sorry,” he said, not looking at her.

Madison reeled back in shock. An apology, from her father?

“Just don’t scare me like that again. You got that?” Mark asked.

Madison just nodded mutely, unsure what to say. Then a thought struck her. Godzilla. Surely this would not be the last time she saw him, now that they were officially friends. “Am I allowed to see Godzilla?” she asked, quietly.

Mark blinked, then looked around awkwardly, before he closed his eyes. “There’s no way I can say no now, is there?” he breathed out. “Just… let the doctors take a look at you now. Okay?”

“Fine,” Madison agreed, feeling relieved, as they began to walk down the hall towards Castle Bravo’s medical bay.

Chapter Text

It hurts it hurts it hurts –

It changed, body roiling as it pushed through the water, the watercraft – boats – piling up in front of it.

What are boats...

It felt the river constrict, forcing it up and onto land.

I’m… I was in the river?

It scrabbled its way up, onto the pavement, the stones cold against its body – screaming – and broke through the building in its way – pain –

Its tail emerged from the water, lashing out behind it, sending boats flying.

Why am I here…

There was burning, inside of it –

The force drew it onwards, stomping through the city. Blood splashed from its gills every few steps.

Where am I…

There was a sign, for the Kamata District government offices.

Kamata District?

How do I know where that is…

The sign was crushed underneath its legs as it walked through the offices – more pain –

Its nubby arms brushed against the rooftops.

Arms? Legs? But I’m…

What was I?

I don’t remember…

It walked on, hearing the screaming of the fleeing crowds as buildings were destroyed under its heavy steps.

I don’t belong here…

A particularly tall building stood in its way. It tried to stand up against the building, which fell as a scream was heard from within.

Why do I want to stand up?

It stopped before a sign, reading Shinagawa Ward City – City Limits.

Reading…?

Its body burned – it began to change –

It hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts it hurts

Arms grew from the nubs. Its legs grew more substantial, and its tail grew longer. Pain exploded through its body as its skin ripped apart and resurfaced itself. Its back shifted, pulling it into an upright stance.

It stopped, staring around the city.

I’m so tall now…

But that hurt so, so much.

It let out a roar of pain, the sound echoing.

Then it walked onwards, crashing through the buildings of Shinagawa.

What am I doing?

It had to carry on. To destroy everything.

Why? There’s no reason to do that.

There was an ache in its heart. It began to cry, the tears seared away upon contact with its skin.

It carried on.

I don’t want this.

I never wanted to become this.

Wait… Are those?

A group of helicopters surrounded it. It stopped, looking at them without blinking.

They’re going to hurt me…!

It stayed where it was, staring around at them as they prepared to fire upon it. Fear made its body shudder.

But if they end me, the pain will stop.

It waited for the incoming gunfire, but it never came. Instead, the helicopters pulled away. It stared after them, confused.

Its body began to burn. It turned its head to stare at its back, spying an orange glow beneath the jagged spines.

It had to cool down.

It began to run, headed for the water it could see on the horizon.

Finally…

I can go home.

It splashed down into the waves, the water rushing over its body and cooling its skin.

But it had to carry on.

No. I don’t have to.

Not now.

Diving down, it swam into the depths, headed for the sea of yellow cans.

Tiredness seeped into its bones, the changes in its body making their impact known.

It’s time to rest now.

Gojira woke with a gasp, that turned into a roar.

He scrabbled around, trying to reach the water pooled on the floor of his lair. Looking into it, he was relieved to see his reflection. It was his own face, orange eyes set in charcoal gray scales, littered with old scars and chips.

For a moment, he questioned what he had expected to see. Bulging eyes, crooked teeth, and gills spilling out blood came to the forefront of his mind.

Gojira paused, breathing rapidly. He felt out the back of his mind, feeling Mosura’s concern. Letting her presence soothe him, he told himself that it was just another nightmare. It was not real, there was no way it could be.

Then he shook himself. It had felt real. The pain in its body, the burning sensation. The changes.

The creature Gojira dreamed of being seemed similar to himself. Large, with dorsal spines, fire burning through its core, and able to walk on land, but preferring the sea. It disturbed him.

How had his mind come up with that?

His only clue was that it seemed to follow after the previous odd nightmare. It was the same creature, the same pattern of thoughts. And it stuck in his mind as though it were one of his own memories, instead of quickly fading like a normal dream.

But he had confirmed that the first nightmare was not a memory. It had not happened, it was just a nightmare.

Or was it?

An image of the Golden One came to mind, and he thought of his theory, formed after his last nightmare of the fake.

He then remembered Madison, and her story. She had found the Golden One’s skull, in the Apex facility in Hong Kong, where the fake had emerged from. What had happened to the skull? It must still be there.

Gojira growled. It was so obvious now. The Golden One lived, and was tormenting him through these horrific nightmares.

He hastily left his lair, trying futilely to ignore the wrongness he felt inside his own body.

“Huh,” Rick said aloud, as Ilene hung up the call from her sister. She got up from her chair, walking over to his workstation and peering at the computer.

On the screen, a live graph tracking the overall intensity of Godzilla’s bioacoustics was displayed. Rick pointed at the collection of spikes, which Ilene knew, from seeing this exact graph several times, represented his latest activity. There was a gap before the spikes, also normal; it indicated the time when he was in lair and they could not monitor him so closely.

“… Is it me, or has the anomaly increased?” Rick asked.

Ilene squinted, as he hovered the mouse pointer over the second line recorded on the graph, a more recent addition showing the mysterious second set of bioacoustics they had detected from the Titan.

While still far fainter than Godzilla’s normal bioacoustics, its intensity had more than doubled since before Godzilla had entered his lair.

Ilene stared at it for a few moments, before she spoke up. “I just got a call from Dr. Ling,” she said. “Mothra is showing more activity.”

Rick turned to look at her. “Do you think it’s related to this?”

She nodded. What else could it be? The two Titans had a bond. If something was happening to Godzilla, Mothra must surely know about it.

Rick sighed, then took a sip from his coffee cup. “We’d better figure this out,” he said.

“Yes,” Ilene agreed. “Something is wrong.”

Madison smiled as Josh’s face appeared on the screen of her computer.

She had texted Josh about an hour ago, asking for a video call to help relieve her boredom. Ever since the doctors had finished looking over her, she had been confined to her room. Studying and reading the Titan news and speculation online could only keep her occupied for so long.

“Hello, Josh!” Madison greeted. Josh smiled, waving back at her. “How are things in Pensacola?” she asked.

“Oh, the usual,” Josh said. “Been pretty boring without you. How are things at… Castle Bravo, was that the name?”

“Yep,” Madison confirmed. “It’s been amazing!” she started. She had been excited to share this ever since her visit with Godzilla. “You’re not going to believe this, but I’m now officially friends with Godzilla!”

Josh’s eyebrows rose. “Cool! So, are you, like…?”

“I got to meet him and go on a visit and everything,” she said. “I-I told him everything we got up to during Hong Kong, and then I asked if I could be his friend, and I think he said yes!”

“You think so?” Josh asked, face showing pleasant surprise. “That’s great news!”

“Yeah,” Madison said. “It’s a bit hard to tell, since he obviously can’t speak, but I think that’s what he was rumbling at me.”

“What if he could speak, though?” Josh wondered. “You could hold a full conversation with the world’s greatest protector! That would be so cool.”

Madison felt herself smiling. Godzilla was indeed amazing, and her visit with him had only reinforced that. “Well Kong was showing him basic sign language the other day,” she said. “So maybe it can happen.”

“Really?” Josh asked. He ran a hand through his hair. “That’s… oh my goodness, Maddie. I might have to start begging for an internship now, if Monarch is letting you do things like that.”

“Well, they didn’t exactly let me,” she began. “I… I may have had someone agree to let me know when he showed up, and then ran to the top deck when he did, and, uh… that’s how it happened.” She let out an awkward chuckle. “I don’t know if they’re going to let me do it again.”

“But they have to, right?” Josh asked. “You’re officially friends now.”

“That’s what I’m hoping, too,” Madison said. Then she sighed. “I don’t think my Dad was very happy. Especially not after what the doctors found.”

“Oh, that sucks,” Josh said. Then he frowned. “What did they find, that has him so concerned?”

Madison hung her head. “Godzilla’s been giving off harmful radiation,” she said. “They first noticed it when he went to Tokyo. So, when I got up on top of his head, I was exposed. The doctors aren’t sure what it’s going to do to me.”

“Oh my god,” Josh breathed out. “Are you going to be okay?”

“I hope so,” Madison said. “I mean… it’s Godzilla. His radiation has never hurt anyone before. Not even when Monarch went to his temple three years ago, to revive him. They all came back just fine. I’d know, because my Dad was one of them.”

Josh nodded slowly. “Good point,” he said. “But why is he giving off that… harmful radiation in the first place?”

“We don’t know, but Monarch thinks it’s connected to the bioacoustics anomaly he’s been showing lately,” Madison said. “It started at around the same time. Just before he visited Tokyo.”

Letting out a low whistle, Josh shook his head. “Man. Bernie would be all over this. Any idea how he’s doing?”

“I don’t know,” Madison admitted. “He’s with Kong’s team, in the Hollow Earth. They seem to be doing fine down there, so I guess he’s okay?” She sighed. “I wish he could call, but the internet signal to the Hollow Earth isn’t quite good enough yet.”

“Me too, Maddie,” Josh said. “He was an interesting guy. Always had theories for this or that.”

“Yep,” Madison said, forlornly. She missed the Titan Talk podcast. It had been suspended, pending Monarch repurposing it as a news outlet. But no one was as good at theorizing about the Titans as Bernie had been.

They sat in silence for a few moments, before Josh spoke up. “So. I downloaded a movie earlier. Want to watch it together?”

Madison smiled. “Of course!”

Gojira swam through the waters toward Hong Kong, swishing his tail through the current. It had taken him a while to get here, and he was growing impatient.

He emerged from the ocean, sending a colossal wave splashing down onto the shore. Trudging through the rubble of the city, he made his way carefully around the tunnel he had bored into the Earth. This was his first time going further into the city since the battle.

Dimly, he was aware of the helicopters – he had learned the word from the latest nightmare – that began to circle as he made his way through the rubble to where the fake had fallen. He was quite confident that these were only here to observe him, however.

He paused, scanning the fake’s corpse. Most of it had been picked apart by the humans, but the general shape of the metal abomination remained.

Gojira charged up his fire, then unleashed it upon the remnants of his enemy’s corpse. He took pleasure in the sight of the metal melting down into sludge, its black blood spilling out onto the ground, as he let out a roar.

He then looked a little further away. Where had Kong tossed the fake’s head after he had ripped it off? It did not seem to be here. Had the humans already taken it apart?

Shaking his head, he turned his attention to the mountain that the fake had emerged from. Following the path it had taken, he pushed his way through the hole in the mountainside and found himself inside a large, dark chamber. The scent of the fake was everywhere, along with strange stains of blood and the foul smell of death and decay. This must be the testing chamber that Madison spoke of.

Which meant that the Golden One’s skull could not be far away. Gojira sniffed the air, catching an awful scent that he knew all too well, and followed it to a dent that had been scraped in the wall of the chamber, leading deeper into the facility.

He scanned the area, sniffing it curiously; while the scent was there, he could find no trace of the skull. The humans must have moved it. He let out a roar of anger, and listened as it echoed around the chamber.

Taking a deep breath, he paused, and tried to cast out his senses, given to him by his beloved Mosura, before a shadow fell over him. He turned around, catching sight of Kong’s silhouette in the hole in the mountainside. Squinting through the bright sunlight, he spotted a metal pod landing some distance away.

“Gojira?” Kong asked, tentatively. “What are you doing here?”

“I…” Gojira started, then stopped. How was he to explain? “My… my nightmares have gotten worse,” he said, after a moment. “I believe the fake – no, the Golden One – is responsible for them. And so I am here to find their remains.”

Kong blinked at him in confusion. “The Golden One?” he asked.

Gojira sighed. Of course Kong did not know. “Surely you must know of the storms that wracked this world, of the horrid cries telling you to destroy everything,” he said. “The Golden One is the one responsible for that.”

Kong shook his head. “I never listened to them. But the storm… do you mean the one that surrounded my old home?”

Gojira paused, then nodded. He knew the storm around that one island had persisted far longer than it should have, and raged onward to this very day. “I learned, from… a friend, I suppose… that their skull was being kept here. But now I cannot find it, even though its abominable stench is everywhere. The humans must have taken it away.”

Kong tilted his head at him. “If only its skull remains, then why are you so worried about this? Surely it must be dead.”

Gojira let out a snarl. “It was the Golden One’s consciousness that inhabited the fake, even when it was reduced to a skull.” He paused to let out a roar, taking delight in Kong’s expression of shock. “This creature must be completely destroyed for it to die.”

Kong blinked. “Oh,” he said. “Umm…” he shifted awkwardly, before a thought seemed to strike him. “I can ask Jia where it is?”

Now it was Gojira’s turn to blink. He had not thought of that, but if Kong could communicate with the humans, he could relay Gojira’s questions to them. “Go,” he snarled. “Do it.”

“Okay,” Kong said, then paused. “Are you alright?’

“I’m fine,” Gojira said, tersely. Kong just stared at him; he hoped he did not notice the slight trembling in his legs. “Now go.”

“Y-Yes,” Kong said, before turning to the group of humans that had spilled out of the metal pod. They were too far for Gojira to see them clearly, but he thought he saw Jia among them. Kong began to use the sign language he had told Gojira of, hands moving through a variety of shapes.

Gojira turned away, and tried to focus his senses once more. He felt the grass as it burst through the rubble outside, the clouds as they coalesced around the dust in the air. Reaching out further, he felt the crash of the waves against the beach, and the pull of the pale one on the water. But there was no sign of what he was searching for.

He let out a small sigh, then leaned against the wall of the chamber. Feeling the bond at the back of his mind, he found himself wishing for Mosura. If only she was here to help him. He was so tired of being helpless against his nightmares.

Kong walked up to him. “Gojira,” he started. “The helpful humans say that they have half of it, and the other half is missing,” he said.

Really now. Gojira let out a roar of anger, the sound making the wall he was leaning against shudder. Missing. So even the helpful humans did not know where it was. They could not help him. But… “What of the half that they have?”

“I-It’s being kept somewhere cold,” Kong said, looking somewhat nervous. “Someplace called the Bermuda Triangle.”

Right. That only made sense. The Golden One had been frozen at the bottom of the world for quite some time, making no move to heal or escape. He would have to trust that the helpful humans knew what they were doing.

“Leave,” Gojira said.

Kong looked taken back. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

With a roar, Gojira responded, “I told you that I’m fine.” Perhaps he was a bit harsh.

“Oh,” Kong breathed out. “I-I understand.” Then he turned around, leaving through the hole in the mountain.

Gojira watched him go for a moment. Then he turned his attention back to the chamber where he found himself. Bloodstains, a foul stench, and gashes in the wall showed where the fake had been tested. To kill him.

Letting his fire rise up from his tail and spines, all the way to his mouth, he proceeded to raze the place. The world within the mountain burned, and the insides of the facility were flooded with blue before they exploded into light. It was important that not a trace remained of the metal monster.

Standing within the flames, Gojira could not help but feel a slight sense of satisfaction. But it did little to ease his worries.

Chapter Text

Mark sat in his seat, a computer and a folder full of hastily printed documents on the table in front of him. The topmost document was a graph of Godzilla’s bioacoustics.

He glanced around the room. It was a rather small group, but he felt that everyone here was someone he recognized. Guillerman, Ilene Chen, Rick, Sam, and the four members of G-team all sat in the remaining seats in the small conference room. At one end of the table, a computer with a large screen was set up with a video call, its screen split into four. Ilene Andrews, Jia, Nathan Lind, Bernie Hayes, and Ling Chen looked out over the room.

Rubbing his eyes, he thought of Madison and how much she would love to be here, instead of studying in her room.

“Dr. Andrews, would you like to report on the recent events in Hong Kong, from your team’s perspective?” Guillerman prompted.

Ilene Andrews nodded. “I’m sure we all know by now that Godzilla was seen in Hong Kong just two hours ago,” she began. At her side, Jia looked on nervously. “He entered the city from the shore, walked past the tunnel to the Hollow Earth, and then proceeded to use his Atomic Breath to melt down the remaining unsalvaged portions of Mechagodzilla.

“That was when Kong, who was in the Hollow Earth and had been informed of Godzilla’s appearance in the city, chose to scale the tunnel. My team followed in our specially-designed HEAV.

“When we arrived on the surface, we found Godzilla inside the Apex Facility, in what was formerly Mechagodzilla’s testing chamber. Godzilla and Kong conversed, after which Kong came to us, asking about the location of ‘The Golden One’s’” – Ilene made finger quotes – “skull.”

“We assumed, from the context, that he was referring to the skull of Monster Zero. Seeing no reason not to, we told him where the pieces of the skull were.

“Kong then proceeded to converse with Godzilla, during which Godzilla appeared to be angry. Then Kong left the testing chamber, and Godzilla used his Atomic Breath to burn down the walls and the nearby portions of the Apex Facility.”

She paused, before she continued. “Kong… told us that Godzilla was ‘not okay,’ ‘hurting,’ and that ‘the Golden One caused his nightmares.’”

The room, which had been listening in silence and partial boredom, now turned to the screen attentively. Nathan Lind spoke up. “This is not the first time we have learned from Kong that Godzilla is having nightmares.”

Ilene Chen nodded. “We’ve presumed, from the theories of one Madison Russell, that these nightmares were a post-traumatic stress reaction from the battle against Mechagodzilla.” She paused, glancing around. “But it seems Godzilla has a different theory.”

Ling spoke up. “Monster Zero – or, Ghidorah – demonstrated that it has telepathic abilities, and that they remain even in death, through its possession of Mechagodzilla.” She looked around at the faces of everyone in the room before continuing. “So we believe it is reasonable for Ghidorah to be giving Godzilla nightmares.”

The room fell into an uncomfortable silence. Mark’s face fell into his hands. He knew already, that it was Ghidorah who had been in control of Mechagodzilla, but the knowledge that there was a telepathic Titan was just too much for him to comprehend. These beasts seemed to grow more dangerous every day.

Guillerman cleared his throat. “Dr. Stanton,” he began. “I believe you had something to report as well?”

Rick nodded. “Yes, Director. If you’ll look into your folders, I believe I sent you some relevant graphs and data charts. If you can understand them, that is,” he finished, grimacing.

Mark rolled his eyes. Trust Rick to be a joker even during a serious meeting. He opened the folder in front of him, and made a show of inspecting the documents he had already read, as everyone else did the same.

“We have observed what appears to be a second set of bioacoustics coming from Godzilla,” Rick stated. “It first appeared a little over a week ago, at a time when Godzilla had just reappeared on the sensors after leaving his lair. We were about to dismiss it as a glitch in our equipment, when Godzilla inexplicably went on a little vacation to Tokyo Bay, leaving behind elevated radiation levels in his path.

“We thought that the odd behavior and radiation emission could be related. And, earlier today, we were proven right when we saw Godzilla after he left his lair. The intensity of the anomalous bioacoustics had increased, just about doubling.”

Sam let out a “Hmm,” before he spoke up. “Have we seen increased radiation levels in Hong Kong as well?” he asked, before he muttered, “This could be a PR disaster…”

Rick nodded. “Observations from the local nuclear experts confirmed it,” he said. Then he continued. “We, uh… we also noticed something else. The emergence of this anomaly, and its sudden increase, both occurred right after Godzilla had been sleeping.”

Ling cut in, before anyone else could speak. “We’ve also noticed activity within Mothra’s egg at the outpost on Infant Island, timed right before both the initial appearance and the increase.”

There was another uncomfortable silence. Guillerman put a hand to his head, and sighed. “… So. We have a telepathic Titan who came from another planet and should be dead, who is… giving nightmares to Godzilla, which are affecting his bioacoustics and making him radiate harmful isotopes, and Mothra is sensing whenever it happens.” He paused, looking around the room. “Now what do we do about this?”

After a moment of silence, during which Ilene Andrews signed to Jia, the young girl made two hand signs in front the camera. “She says, ‘Help Godzilla.’”

“How? Give him therapy?” Rick joked. Mark and Ilene Chen glared at him, and Guillerman sighed. He looked at them awkwardly.

Jia then signed. She wore a solemn look, as Ilene Andrews translated. “Godzilla needs a friend.”

“If you’re talking about my daughter –”

“It’s not a bad idea,” Ling cut in. “Ilene, I believe you can share some of the recent developments at Castle Bravo?”

Ilene Chen nodded, a small smile on her face. “We have seen the beginnings of a bond between Godzilla and Madison Russell.”

“You want to use his… friendship with my daughter to stop his nightmares.”

Sam coughed, drawing everyone’s attention. “That could work, if these were normal nightmares,” he said. “But if they’re being caused by Monster Zero, we might need another method. Umm…” He paused, looking awkward. “Does anyone have any suggestions on how to block telepathy?”

The people in the room glanced around at each other awkwardly, and Mark spied Bernie Hayes looking as though he was questioning whether he should speak up. It seemed no one could find a way to speak without sounding like crazy conspiracy theorists.

“… Okay,” Nathan began. “Dr. Chen. You’ve found Monster Zero within local mythologies before. Did they say anything about its telepathy, or a way to block it?”

Ilene Chen shook her head. “…If they have, I must have disregarded it as unimportant,” she admitted, seeming to carefully choose every word. “But I will do more research.”

Mark sighed. He chose to voice the impression he had gotten ever since Monster Zero was highlighted as a possible cause for Godzilla’s nightmares. “… I have a bad feeling about what might be happening to Godzilla.”

Guillerman turned to him, raising an eyebrow. “How so?”

“Godzilla could go on a rampage,” Mark blurted out. He glanced around the room; they were looking at him in surprise. “We’re dealing with a telepathic Titan who wants to control the world. Who’s to say that Monster Zero couldn’t mind control Godzilla into doing it for him?”

Rick blinked at him. “Then why would he give G-man bad dreams?”

“I don’t know,” Mark admitted. “Perhaps he needs to wear down Godzilla’s mind. Or maybe…” he paused, a thought occurring to him. “Maybe all he needs to do is stress out Godzilla. We saw him rampaging when he was stressed during the Mechagodzilla incident.”

The room was silent, until Ilene Andrews spoke up. “Dr. Chen, Dr. Ling. You said that Madison Russell was befriending Godzilla, correct?” The duo nodded in unison. “Could having a friend ease his stress?”

“No,” Mark said. “We are not using my daughter to stop a Titan going on a rampage.”

Ilene Chen looked at him. “It’s a good plan, Mark. Isn’t it known that for almost all animals, companionship reduces stress?” Mark could only nod. “Why would it be different for a Titan? And we’ve already seen that it is safe for Madison to be around him.”

“But –” Mark glanced around, angrily. Why could no one else see how insane this plan was? “What about his radioactivity? Won’t she be exposed to that?”

“The doctors determined that it wasn’t a strong enough dosage to cause serious harm,” Griffin of G-Team spoke up. Everyone blinked at her. “What? Yeah, we’ve become friends with Madison.”

“Okay,” Guillerman spoke up, clapping his hands together. “For the time being, we will be encouraging interactions between Godzilla and Madison Russell. I’m aware that some of you object to this plan –” he glanced at Mark, who had his fists clenched underneath the table – “but without any better options, I’m afraid we have no choice.

“Also, we will be stationing extra monitoring around Godzilla’s place of rest,” he declared. “The next time he has one of these unusual nightmares, we need to be aware of it before he wakes up.” He turned to Rick. “Where is Godzilla located right now?”

Rick blinked, somewhat surprised at the question, before tapping away at the keys on his computer. “Current course shows him going to Fiji,” he said. “Where a certain angry fire bird happens to be hibernating.”

Guillerman nodded. “Colonel Foster, do you believe the Argo can reach Fiji in time?”

She nodded. “If we start moving now,” she stressed.

“Go,” Guillerman ordered. “And we have officially reached the end of this meeting. You are dismissed.” He stood up, and began to leave the room. The video call was cut.

Mark could only hang his head and groan. He turned to Ilene Chen, and angrily asked, “Why?”

She smiled shyly at him. “It’s her dream, Mark,” she started. “And now we have a chance to use it for good.”

Mark just looked at her, baffled. “You’re insane,” he said, shaking his head as he stood up and left the room.

Gojira swam through the great ocean, in the direction of the rising sun and the bottom of the world, towards a volcanic island. He did not know the humans’ name for it, but he knew it was the new nesting place of an ally.

At least, he hoped Rodan would be an ally this time. He remembered the flaming Titan bowing down to the Golden One, and assisting them in battle by attacking his beloved Mosura. Rage burned within his heart at the memory.

But his history with Rodan stretched back further. There was a time when they had been friends. Him, Mosura, Rodan, and Anguirus. Gojira preferred not to think about what came after.

Still, he held a small hope in his heart that his old friend would be willing to assist him in finding the Golden One’s skull.

It only made sense to delegate the task to an ally who could fly. A part of him asked himself why he had not awoken Rodan before, when he had heard the corrupted calls of the Golden One. He remembered his old reasoning, his fear that Rodan would have turned on him.

But now, Gojira had thought over his mistakes during what Madison would have referred to as the Mechagodzilla incident. His wrath had clouded his senses. He had been working alone, not telling anyone what was going on, and it had nearly been his downfall. It had only been the intervention of Kong and Madison that had saved him.

He needed allies. Which was why he was here, emerging onto the island’s beach. He let out a load roar. The humans swarming across the sand turned to flee.

With a spark of annoyance, he noticed a large metal bird circling high above. He could see the double-triangle symbol, so he knew it was the helpful humans, but their incessant need to observe still brought him irritation.

In the distance, the volcano began to erupt, spewing magma and ash, before a silhouette emerged. It cried out, the sound echoing over the island. Then it leapt into the air, flew towards Gojira, and landed on the beach.

Rodan landed on the beach, roaring, before catching sight of Gojira’s face. He paused, then sank into what appeared to be a very low bow, head and wings almost pressed into the sand.

Gojira observed him in silence. This cowering was nothing like the Rodan he knew back then. He had hoped Rodan would be of some help to him, but now he began to doubt himself.

“My King,” said Rodan, quietly. “What do you require of me?”

Gojira took a deep breath, pausing to think over his response. “The Golden One yet lives.”

Rodan’s eyes lit up, and he reeled back in surprise. “R-Really?” he asked, stammering. “But… I thought you…”

“Their skull,” Gojira continued on, ignoring Rodan’s questions, “is all that is left of them. It is missing,” he stressed.

Rodan blinked, then asked, “I-Is that why you woke me?” He glanced around awkwardly at the beach. “To search for it?”

“Yes,” Gojira growled, noticing how Rodan refused to meet his eyes.

There was a moment where neither of them spoke. Gojira looked down on Rodan, wondering what his old friend had been reduced to. It was as though Rodan was afraid of him. Part of him thought that was good, as he was a traitor. But the part of him that knew Rodan as a friend was horrified.

“Well?” Gojira was beginning to feel very uncomfortable with this interaction. “Get to it.” He gestured with his head to somewhere in the distance.

“Y-Yes, my King,” Rodan said, nodding, as though his face could get any closer to the sand.

What had become of his old friend?

Rodan watched as Gojira turned away, and trodded away from the shore, before sinking into the water and disappearing beneath the waves.

He lifted his head out of the sand, then turned it towards the large metal bird flying overhead, noting with amusement that it backed away as he did so. It was vaguely familiar. Hmm. Perhaps they knew him. The thought brought him a small spark of joy.

Sitting there, staring at the sea, he wondered why he had been chosen for this special mission. Did Gojira delegate this to him because they were old friends? Or was this meant to be a test and punishment for a traitor, for the one who had turned on him to serve Ghidorah, and attacked his Queen?

Or was it simply because he could fly and burn things? That had to be it. Or at least, it was what he would like to tell himself.

What would he do when he found the skull? Gojira probably wanted it destroyed. Rodan could do that, by burning it to ashes with the magma that flowed within him.

But some part of himself objected to the idea. The part of him that had heard Ghidorah’s offer, of an opportunity to live without fear, and craved the idea. The part that yearned for the Golden One, who was captivated by the destruction they left behind. That had lit up with joy when Gojira told him that they yet lived.

 And yet, if he chose to listen, to pursue that attraction, he would never be able to reconnect with his old friend. Memories of the days they spent together flashed through his mind.

He shook himself, spraying sand everywhere. Whatever he chose, he needed to find that skull.

It was time to leave. Rodan spread his wings, and took to the skies, rolling past the large metal bird as he did so.

Gojira traveled to Tokyo Bay once again, if for no other reason than to reassure himself. He swam across the ocean, and came ashore on the beaches.

Glancing around, he located Kamata District and Shinagawa Ward City, and gave them both a thorough inspection. He had felt the need to check on them after his nightmare saw them destroyed and broken. The buildings were all intact, with no piles of rubble in sight.  The streets were not covered in blood spilled from his gills. No one was screaming in terror, so the inhabitants must be safe.

Why did he care that they were safe? He was not sure. Then he thought of Madison, and then the kindly human who had died for him. Of Mosura’s care for the little ones. The three of them seemed to merge in his mind, into a single united voice, telling him to care for the humans. Perhaps he should listen.

Mosura. He felt the bond at the back of his mind. Soft concern radiated from it, along with curiosity. Was Mosura listening to his thoughts? That was kind of her. He felt better, knowing she was always at his side.

After several minutes, Gojira turned away, and sank back into the waves. It was well past time for him to be patrolling his usual routes.

He gave Tokyo Bay a parting splash with his tail, noticing that the end of his tail felt odd when it connected with the water.

He shook himself. It was just a stray wave, nothing more.

Chapter Text

As per usual, Madison was studying inside her small room at Castle Bravo.

There was no window, so she could not look outside. She lamented this fact as she found herself staring at the wall for the umpteenth time. Her reading assignments were rather boring. She would rather be scrolling through news headlines about the Titans.

However, it was still preferable to being stuck in a public school again. There would be no group discussions about this reading. Madison recalled one day when a classmate of hers had refused to talk to her, saying that she did not talk to eco-terrorists, and the rest of the discussion group followed her lead. She sighed at the memory. Hopefully that would never happen again.

The good news was that, as the Titans had made themselves known to the world, they had slowly made their way into a variety of academic papers. Some of which Madison was required to read.

After about half an hour, she heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” she called out, leaving a bookmark in her eBook.

It was Ilene and Rick. “Hi, Maddie,” Ilene greeted with a smile.

“How’s your studying going?” Rick asked. “It’s gotten quiet upstairs.”

“It’s going fine,” Madison said. “I was just getting caught up on some of the readings. And what’s going on up there?”

Rick shrugged. “Nothing much. G-man is back to his usual routes.”

“I heard that he was in Tokyo again?” Madison asked, curiously. It puzzled her that Godzilla would return to Tokyo. “Didn’t he go there after his first nightmare too?” The knowledge of the Titan’s second nightmare, and the meeting pertaining to it, had spread like wildfire through the base.

Ilene nodded. “We can only speculate on why. But Japan used to worship him.”

“Want some help with your studying?” Rick asked. Madison nodded.

They moved to an empty conference room so that they could use its chairs. Madison showed them her notes on the academic study she had been assigned to read, and Ilene looked over them, pointing out details that she missed while Rick helped her interpret the data.

“Y’know,” Rick began, looking over a scatter plot, “I wish we had data this specific for Godzilla’s bioacoustics.”

“Don’t we all,” Ilene agreed, absentmindedly.

“It would do wonders for explaining these weird nightmares he’s been getting,” Rick continued. “If only we could observe him when he’s actually asleep.”

“You can’t because we can’t actually put any submarines inside his lair, correct?” Madison asked, still focused on her reading.

“Yeah,” Rick replied. “It’s more than annoying, but we’re sure he would just destroy them. So the higher-ups think it’s a waste of resources to even try.”

“Hmm,” Madison hummed. After a moment, during which she re-read a sentence three times and understood none of it, she asked, “What do you think we would see?”

Rick sighed. “Anything.” He leaned back from the scatter plot and raised his hands, clasping them together behind his head. “This bioacoustics anomaly has us confused. We’re not sure why it even exists. And we’re still not sure what it means.”

Madison paused, thinking it over. She had heard, from both Rick and the briefing emails, that it was as though another creature’s set of bioacoustics had been detected, except they almost certainly came from Godzilla. “…How well does it match up with Godzilla’s normal bioacoustics? And, umm… with Monster Zero’s?”

Rick raised an eyebrow. “It’s… nearly identical to Godzilla’s, but not quite the same. It’s responding differently to the situations Godzilla finds himself in. It was rather odd when he went to Tokyo. Godzilla seemed wary about something, but the anomaly… honestly, it sounded like when Godzilla was dying in his temple three years ago, except louder and more frantic.” He then paused, shaking his head. “And as for Monster Zero… no, it doesn’t match up at all. I’ll have to check again to be sure, but that is quite strange, since we think the three-headed bastard is responsible for this.”

Madison frowned, before she heard a chime coming from someone’s phone. “Oh, that’s mine,” Rick stated. He picked it up, reading the lockscreen. “Looks like I’m needed back in the control room. See you, Maddie.”

“Bye,” she said, as he got up from his chair and left the room. “Thank you!”

Ilene watched him go, with a raised eyebrow, before she turned back to the computer screen. “Shall we continue?’

They worked in silence for a while longer, but Madison found that she could not focus. Rick’s words about Godzilla’s strange bioacoustics lingered in her mind. With a sigh, she asked, “… Ilene. Have you found anything about blocking Monster Zero’s telepathy?”

Ilene blinked, looking at her curiously. “… There was one mention, from the mythology of Mothra in China, of her ‘priestesses’ being shielded from Ghidorah’s influence.” She glanced around, almost nervously, before continuing. “Mothra’s priestesses were said to have a special bond with her. Perhaps there is more to it that I need to explore.”

Madison listened quietly, turning over what Ilene was suggesting in her mind. “So… maybe Godzilla’s symbiotic relationship with Mothra could work the same way?”

Ilene nodded. “We can only hope,” she said, looking oddly apprehensive.

Before she could continue, Madison’s phone buzzed. “Oh, sorry.” She took it out.

The message that appeared on the screen simply read Go to the top deck, and it was from Griffin. Oh. Godzilla was here.

“I’m going to the top deck,” Madison said, as she stood up from her chair.

“Want me to come with you?” Ilene asked, with a smile.

“Sure,” Madison agreed. She did not know how Godzilla would react to Ilene being there, but the smile was quite convincing.

The two set out from the small conference room, walking up to the top deck together. As they passed other staff members in the hallways, they got a few knowing looks. “We have high hopes for your bond with Godzilla,” Ilene said, as they stepped into the elevator.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Madison asked, curiously.

Before she could get an answer, the elevator doors opened, revealing the top deck, and beyond it, Godzilla. He let out a low rumble as he caught sight of them.

Madison smiled, and ran across the top deck towards him. She knew, from the lack of footsteps, that Ilene had decided to hang back. She climbed over the railing, as Godzilla moved, and jumped down onto his head, quickly getting into a comfortable position.

As Godzilla began to move away from the base, Madison turned around and waved at Ilene. The researcher waved back at her, a smile on her face.

Gojira swam away from the humans’ underwater structure, careful to keep his head above water and balance it so that Madison could sit comfortably. The waves parted around him, and he noticed the ocean fish scattering away.

He had seen Mosura’s bonded on the top of the structure, hanging back to give Madison space but smiling all the while. Clearly they were friends.

“Good day, Godzilla,” Madison greeted. He felt the gentle touch of her hand against his scales. “Or, at least… I hope it’s a good day for you?”

“It’s… been fine,” Gojira answered. He had not rested since he had visited Tokyo, so his day included his last nightmare and his visits to Hong Kong and Rodan’s nest. He scowled at the memories.

Madison seemed to pause, then continued. “We know you’ve been having nightmares,” she said, touching his scales again. “I know it must be rough on you. I know how bad they can get.”

“How?” Gojira rumbled back. How could any human know of what he was suffering in his dreams, nearly every time he slept? Then he considered it. Madison had lived through the battle against the Golden One. Of course she would be suffering from nightmares too. “… I’m sorry.”

“My therapist told me it was post-traumatic stress disorder, and I think you probably have it, too,” Madison said. “It sucks.”

Gojira listened with surprise. The humans had a name for this sickness, that had plagued so many Titans before him?

“But,” she continued. “Monarch says that your nightmares are… weird. They’ve picked up this anomaly in your bioacoustics, and apparently you’re radioactive, too.”

Gojira rumbled back, “What do those words mean?” He understood, though, that they meant something was changing within him. He felt himself shudder. Was he going to change, like the creature he had dreamed of being?

“Whoa!” Madison shouted, scrambling to get back into position. “But, anyway… because of that, we believe that it’s Monster Zero giving you these nightmares.”

He growled. Monster Zero must be the humans’ name for the Golden One.

“It’s honestly quite scary,” she said. “We don’t know if he plans to control you, or just stress you out until you go on another rampage.”

Gojira had fought the Golden One for quite some time, over the eons. He knew it could not control him. But it had not occurred to him that their plan could be to stress him out. Thinking over it, it made sense. The corrupted cries of the Golden One had sent him into a frenzy, and brought him right to where the fake was ready to attack him.

“… Thank you for the warning,” he rumbled, after a moment of thought. He would have to watch himself, make sure his wrath did not cloud his judgement.

“Everyone at Monarch is worried about you,” Madison told him. “Including my Dad, even if he’d never admit it in a thousand years.”

Monarch. That must the name of the helpful humans’ tribe.

“Even Mothra seems to be worried.”

Mothra? She must mean Mosura. Wait. How did she know about what his beloved Mosura felt? It was true that Mosura was worried about him, if what he sensed over the bond was any indication, but how would the humans, this Monarch group, know about that?

He then recalled that Madison was friends with one of Mosura’s bonded, the one he had seen on top of the structure just now. But he knew from his time with Mosura that the bond did not work over long distances, and there was no sign of her egg nearby. So how?

“How do you know about my Queen’s feelings?” Gojira rumbled, deeply, then began to swim faster. He had unconsciously paused in the water.

 “We’ve been monitoring her egg. Don’t you know that she has one?” Madison asked.

“Of course I do,” he rumbled back.

“You two are, uh… Monarch likes to use the term ‘symbiotic relationship,’” she said. “But aren’t you two in love with each other or something?”

He nearly reared out of the water in surprise. His feelings for Mosura were that obvious?!

“Waah – okay – I-I think it’s really cute,” Madison stammered out, as she righted herself.

Cute. That was how Madison thought of it? He might like her better now.

“But, uh. We’ve seen increased activity in her egg, right when you’re having your weird nightmares.” Her voice grew closer, as though she was trying to whisper in his ear. “The Chens are hopeful that she’s going to hatch soon.”

But how did they know any of that? It was as Madison said – they must be monitoring her egg. Some part of Gojira felt uncomfortable with the idea of the humans being so close to her.

He knew the location of the egg, of course. His sense of the other Titans’ locations, and the world-sense granted to him by Mosura, both told him where it was. But he had been content not to visit, knowing that he could trust his Queen to choose the safest places to grow and eventually be reborn. However, the idea of the humans interfering with Mosura… even if it was only Monarch, it bothered him.

Gojira turned sharply, waves crashing against his side at the sudden movement.

“H-Hey, where are you going?” Madison called out, as she scrambled back into position atop his head. He felt the barely perceptible impact of her feet against his scales.

“To Mosura,” he answered.

Ling Chen ran her finger over a line on the graph she had printed out. She traced the overall activity in Mothra’s egg as it spiked, then plummeted again, back to its normal levels.

She sighed, as she compared it to a graph of Godzilla’s bioacoustics, also on the desk she sat at. The timestamps showed that Mothra’s activity had increased right when Godzilla had been asleep, right before when they first detected the anomalous bioacoustics.

Ling already knew this, but it was still quite concerning to her. She had felt flashes of concern over her connection to Mothra at the time when her activity had spiked. The moth-like Titan was evidently worried about Godzilla. Something about his nightmares bothered her. Ling wondered if, perhaps, Mothra could see into them. She knew the two Titans had a bond, much like the connection between Mothra and her Shobijin.

If only Mothra would hatch soon. Then she and Ilene could commune with her, and learn what was tormenting Godzilla in his dreams.

Ghidorah was said to be responsible for Godzilla’s nightmares. Ling was not sure she believed that. Surely Mothra would return if that were the case, as her presence would be needed by the world. However, as she had not woken during the Mechagodzilla disaster, perhaps the current situation was not dire enough.

Ling’s theory that Mothra would hatch soon was only speculation. She had the increased bioacoustics activity and scans of the egg to back it up, but in truth, she was uncertain.

An alarm sounded, forcing Ling to look up from her desk. A moment later, the announcement system crackled to life. “Godzilla is approaching the outpost. Repeat, Godzilla is approaching the outpost. Please evacuate in an orderly fashion.”

Ling immediately got up, and left her room. She was not going to evacuate; she wanted to observe Mothra’s egg. Many people at the outpost had been expecting Godzilla to visit at some point. His connection with Mothra was well-documented.

She made her way to the enclosure that had been built around Mothra’s egg, and swiped her keycard, allowing her in. The egg shone with blue-green light, illuminating the dusky sky visible through the open ceiling. She walked up to it, and kneeled, clasping her hands in a praying position as she reached into the depths of her soul.

Do not worry, Mosura. Your King is on his way, Ling thought, knowing Mothra would hear.

A gentle wave of contentment flowed into mind. She smiled.

Ling stood up, as the ground began to shake, and a long shadow cast the enclosure into darkness. In the gloom, the brilliance of the egg stood out, and she stared in awe, only realizing that Godzilla had arrived when she heard a deep rumble.

She turned her head towards the sky, to watch the Titan as he stared down at the egg, its glow highlighting the reverence in his orange eyes. He leaned down to inspect the egg, and Ling caught sight of something strange. Someone was hiding amongst the spines on his back. A hand waved down at her, and Ling drew in a breath. Madison was here, with Godzilla? She had heard that Madison was becoming fast friends with the King of the Titans, but as she saw them now, she knew their bond ran deeply, perhaps as deep as her bond with Mothra.

That was when Godzilla’s eyes flicked over to Ling, staring directly at her. She froze. There was a spark of emotion in those orange eyes. Recognition? Distrust? She did not know. They stayed fixated on her for a few moments, before they glanced away, and returned to the egg.

The egg. Right. Ling drew in a deep breath, steadying herself. Taking a few steps back, she watched as Godzilla’s jaws closed gently around the egg, lifting it slowly into the air. Oh.

Am I not enough? she thought, as she saw Godzilla carefully carry the egg out of the enclosure, and turn away, his back to her. She got up, and exited the enclosure, quickly ducking into the outpost’s control room.

It was empty, everyone else having evacuated as they were told. She cursed, and immediately went to a workstation that showed the global Titan display. Zooming in on Godzilla, she observed as his marker moved off of Infant Island and into the surrounding ocean.

She sighed, and ran a hand through the plait in her hair. What inspired Godzilla to do this? He had left Mothra’s egg alone for years.

As the rest of the outpost’s staff filed back into the base, she stayed, watching as the blue marker rapidly moved away from the island, heading east towards the Pacific.

Madison was decidedly not having a good day.

She had been with Godzilla for several hours, if the time on her phone was any indication, and she was beginning to feel exhausted. She also knew, logically, that the outpost with Mothra’s egg was half the world away from Castle Bravo.

Part of her had hoped, when she saw the outpost appear in the distance, that she would be allowed off, to rest and relieve herself. Now it seemed that she would be with Godzilla for quite a while yet.

Madison sighed, and moved to the top of his head. She had taken to hiding within his spines, as they were easier to settle down into. The skin beneath them also felt oddly warm, as though she could feel the atomic fire surging below.

It was fairly obvious that she had gotten herself into this mess, by talking about Mothra. She shook her head, remembering the look that Godzilla had given Ling, after Madison had pointed her out to him. “Why can’t you trust her?” she asked. “She’s one of the Chens. The two foremost experts on Mothra. And good aunties.”

She got a low growl in response. Behind her, she noticed Godzilla’s tail as it rose out of the water, and splashed back down, spraying her with droplets of water. Hmm. Something about the tip of his tail looked off…

She shook herself. Evidently Godzilla did not want to talk right now.

They continued on for quite some time in silence, swimming through the night. Madison had seen the sun setting at the outpost, so she knew which way they were going. Southeast, into the Pacific Ocean. Lovely.

Eventually, however, Madison noticed a small, dark shape in the distance. Probably an island. She wondered if there were any people on it. It seemed unlikely, as there were no lights illuminating it. “Are we going there?” she asked, pointing.

Godzilla rumbled quietly, and they gained speed. Now Madison could see that it was definitely an island. As Godzilla rose up out of the water, she gazed down upon its shadowy form. There was a beach, and trees. “Can you let me down now?”

He let out a huff, and proceeded further onto the beach, until he was out of the water entirely. Madison caught sight of the moonlight reflecting off of a pond of water, and… was that a waterfall? Yes, it was.

She watched the cascading sheet of water, not realizing that Godzilla’s head had begun to lower until she noticed the Titan depositing Mothra’s egg on the ground, and she was forced to hang on for dear life. Then he laid his head down, next to the egg. Madison took it as her invitation to get off, and so she slid off of his scales, landing in soft sand.

She immediately backed up to a safe distance, nearly tripping a couple of times as she retreated under the cover of what seemed to be a small jungle. Godzilla had begun to move. Madison watched as his massive form, glowing with the light from his spines, curled around the egg, forming a circle, with his tail in the pond.

Now that she could see it, she noticed that the shape of his tail tip was different. Rounded, instead of coming to a sharp tip, like it did in just about every photo of Godzilla she had seen.

Madison stared at it at a little longer, then took out her phone. She would have a poor signal here, but she had to call her father and tell him where she was. She clicked the dial button on her contacts list, and said, “Hello?”

“M-Mad-die?” she heard, through the sound of static. “A-Are you ok-okay?”

“I’m alright,” she answered. “Godzilla took me to some remote island.”

“Wh-here-?” her dad’s voice asked, breaking up.

“Southeast of Indonesia, with a waterfall,” she said.  

“M-ad-di-e, list-ten. We’re get-ting yo-u a sat-tell-ite ph-one wh-en yo-u--”

“Yes, Dad,” Madison agreed, before the call cut out in one last burst of static. She sighed. At least she had told them where she was. Although it probably did not matter, since Monarch would have been tracking Godzilla the entire way here.

Madison paused, looking at the Titan. He was still, with his eyes closed. It seemed as though he was trying to sleep. If she looked at it the right way, it was beautiful. A glowing Titan curled around a glowing egg, as though it were a pearl.

She shrugged, and ran deeper into the jungle, looking for a place to relieve herself. Hopefully Monarch would find her by morning.

Chapter Text

The sound of whirring helicopter blades woke Gojira the next morning.

As he drifted awake, and his consciousness returned from the dark void of sleep, he abruptly realized that his sleep had been peaceful and dreamless. That was unusual.

Gojira grunted, then stretched out from where had curled up the night before, taking great care to avoid hurting Mosura’s egg, or the young human girl who had settled in next to his hand, but was now running across the sand.

Blinking away the bright sunlight, his eyes followed Madison as he noticed the approaching helicopter landing on the sand, next to the waterfall some distance away from him. He saw the double-triangle symbol on its side. It must be sent from Monarch, to pick up Madison. Letting out a small growl, he thwacked his tail against the ground. He had been planning to bring Madison back. Eventually.

He watched as the helicopter’s belly opened, and a human rushed out. It was one of the Mosura’s bonded, the one who had been near her egg. Madison had called her Ling.

Madison and Ling embraced each other, then broke apart, patting each other on the back. “Aunt Ling! I’m so glad you’re here!”

“And we’re so glad that you’re safe, Maddie,” Ling responded. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

They walked together towards the helicopter, but then Madison turned around. Her hand rose up towards Gojira, and she shook it vigorously. “Bye, Godzilla!” she shouted.

He tentatively raised his hand, mimicking the gesture. “Goodbye, Madison,” he rumbled.

Madison laughed, before turning and walking up into the helicopter’s belly. Ling followed her, but then returned a few minutes later, carrying two huge black objects. She set them down on the sand, then turned around and shouted, “Goodbye!” as the helicopter closed, lifted up off the ground, and began to fly away.

Gojira and Ling watched as it flew away into the distance. Then he looked down at the human. What was she doing here?

She walked up to Mosura’s egg, and knelt before it, for just a moment. Then she got up, and walked towards him. “May I stay with her?” she asked, a hint of reverence in her voice.

Gojira hesitated for a moment before he answered, “Of course.” She was a human, but as one of Mosura’s bonded, he felt that she could be trusted around the egg. Since it was only her, he was amenable to the idea of her staying here. And Madison seemed to like her.

“Good,” Ling said. She then moved back to the two black objects, and opened them up, revealing an array of smaller objects. Bustling about, she began to construct something with them.

It was likely a structure meant to shelter her while she observed Mosura. He snorted, and turned away, walking to the beach of the island. He would leave her to it.

Gojira swam away from the island, feeling distinctly more at peace than he had been the previous night. 

Mark stood on the top deck of Castle Bravo, squinting through the bright daytime sun as the Osprey carrying his daughter landed.

The ramp descended, and Madison ran out. “Dad!” she shouted, and ran to him, embracing him in a hug.

Mark returned it. He was so glad that his daughter was here, and safe. He had been up through the night, worrying over her and checking the tracking information on Godzilla and the Osprey dispatched from Infant Island to pick her up. “We are not letting him near you again until you have a satellite phone,” he declared.

“Then you’d better get it soon,” Madison said.

They separated a moment later. “You’d better go to the doctors,” Mark said, ushering Madison towards the elevator.

They got off at separate floors, Mark leaving the elevator first as Madison descended further into Castle Bravo. He walked toward the control room, and found Ilene waiting for him in the hallway outside.

Something must have shown in his face, as she immediately said, “We agreed in the meeting that we wanted to encourage Madison’s friendship with Godzilla.”

“I didn’t agree,” Mark said, tersely.

Ilene sighed. “Godzilla slept through the night without any weird nightmares. I’d count that as a victory.”

“I don’t care about how well that monster sleeps at night.”

She flinched, and then sighed again. Mark realized that he had been a little harsh. “You know as well as anyone that those nightmares are a sign of something bad. Especially with how they’re affecting his bioacoustics.”

Mark paused, then responded, “Is there a chance that it could just be post-traumatic stress, like Maddie suggested?”

Ilene shook her head. “Even if that were the case, stress is a problem for him, too. You saw what happened during the Mechagodzilla incident.”

He let out a groan, and walked into the control room. He knew Ilene was right, and that was what irked him so much.

The control room was somewhat quiet. Mark noticed that Sam was away. He knew that the director of technology was speaking with the government about Godzilla and his recent activities. They were getting concerned about his odd behavior.

“Dr. Stanton, what’s the status on Godzilla?” Mark asked, walking up to Rick’s work station. As per usual, there was a live graph of the Titan’s bioacoustics on display.

Rick turned away from his computer, looking at him. “Well, he’s back to his usual patrol routes,” he started. “There was no increase in the bioacoustics anomaly overnight. Seems like he had a nice, peaceful sleepover with his best friend.”

Letting out another groan, Mark turned to leave the room. Rick got up and followed him. At the sound of the other man’s footsteps, Mark said, “I just don’t like it, Rick. All I want to do is protect my daughter, and now here she is. The only possible or effective countermeasure against a serious Titan threat.”

Rick paused for a moment, head tilted. “Well, you tried to protect her by keeping her away, and look how that turned out. She was miserable, Mark. Kept trying to call and let us know.” He sighed, looking away. “Maybe… maybe that’s not what you need to do.”

Mark sighed. He had learned to feel sorry for that. From how her studies were turning out, he was beginning to see that Madison had only suffered in public school. And the way she ran into danger so easily spoke volumes. For as well-intenttioned as his attempt to protect her was, it had failed. He had failed as a parent. “I just don’t know what to do anymore.”

Rick held out a hand, and placed it on Mark’s shoulder in sympathy. “That’s rough. Perhaps you could try supporting her?”

Mark lowered his head. How was he supposed to do that? All he could see was his baby girl running recklessly into harm’s way and getting herself kidnapped by the world’s most dangerous Titan. He was not going to encourage that kind of behavior.

But if he had been supportive, maybe Madison would have had the foresight to call him once she had infiltrated Apex. Or she could have told him about Emma’s plan before she got dragged into it and nearly killed.

… Had he ever been supportive of his daughter?

“I don’t think I know how to support her, Rick,” Mark said, after a minute went by.

There was a moment’s pause. “Well, how about you start with the small stuff?” Rick suggested. “Like helping her study? I got to see some of her work yesterday, an, uh… she’s still smart, and trying her hardest, but those public school educational standards did a number on her.”

Mark sighed. He had seen her schoolwork and noticed the impact himself.

“She’s a lot happier studying here, though,” Rick stated. He then smiled. “You made the right decision, bringing her back to Castle Bravo.”

“Only because Ilene encouraged me,” Mark pointed out. If not for the lead researcher’s prompting, he would have been content to leave Madison in Pensacola, with her aunt.

“Don’t discredit yourself,” Rick said.

“It’s hard not to.”

Rick sighed, and said, “Look. You’ve raised a kid who’s helped save the world twice over. Don’t discount your victories.”

Mark just looked at him, unsure what to say.

“She wants to help Godzilla, Mark. Help her with that.”

After a moment’s pause, Mark gave him a solemn nod. Then he took in a deep breath, and let it out with a sigh. “I need to get some fresh air.”

“Already?” Rick asked. Mark just glared at him. “Okay, okay. Geez. Just come back down here when you’re done, okay? I want your help analyzing these weird bioacoustics.”

Mark nodded, and walked back down the hallway towards the elevator, riding it up to the top deck. The warm sea breeze greeted him as he stepped out, and made his way over to the railing, overlooking the choppy waves of the ocean.

He noticed a smudge of dirt on the rail. This must have been where Madison climbed over to jump down onto Godzilla’s head. That, or a seagull had perched here.

Leaning on the railing, he began to think over everything, as he stared up at the sun. Were Emma and Andrew watching him now?

He closed his eyes in shame. They probably were.

Emma… Andrew. I’m sorry, but it looks like I have no choice but to let her walk right into danger for that awful Titan. Please, if you’re watching over us… keep her safe. Please. That’s all I ask.

It had awoken to find itself changing, once more.

Pain seeped into every corner of its body as it grew, and its skin ripped and tore, exposing glowing red wounds and scarring it irrevocably.

It hurts, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts…

My tail feels different…

Its tail burned with extreme pain. Something was growing at the end of it.

What…

I see darkness, but my eyes are open…?

As the change finished, it blinked open a new field of vision, one it had never experienced before. It looked at itself, then at its tail.

My tail…

I can see, from my tail?

I see myself…

It was a true monster, skin dark like ash and open and torn with glowing red gashes all over. Its claws were twisted, its arms were shriveled, its tail was too long, and its teeth were a crooked mess. Jagged spines jutted from its back, like a crown of coral.

What have I become?

I’m scared of myself. I never wanted this.

Something was drawing it towards the surface, back to Tokyo –

Why? There’s no reason to go there… unless…

They could end me.

It broke the surface, trudging forward through the waves as the sand sloped up and out of the water. Sunlight shone down, catching its eyes as it surveyed the land, tail swishing through the air behind it as it tried to take everything in.

Tokyo is beautiful. Why do I have to destroy it?

A distant memory ebbed – a woman, laying in a hospital bed – and the cold flame of vengefulness ignited in its mind.

Who is that? Why does thinking of her make me feel this way?

I feel as though I should know…

It walked on for quite a while, through the outskirts of the city. People scattered before it, their screams echoing through the air. Its body burned with pain, and its muscles twinged with every slow step forward.

This is not where I belong.

It did not know where it was going. But it had to carry on.

I am lost…

Buildings were crushed under its massive feet as it moved towards the center of the city. There were skyscrapers here now, and it could see a river in the distance.

A few aircraft drifted into view, floating in the distance.

Why are they here…

Are they going to try to kill me?

I want them to end me / I don’t want to die –

They began to fire upon it, a hail of bullets bouncing off of its head. Smoke clouded its eyes, but through its tail, it could see.

… Can they kill me?

Then it felt a burning pain in its legs, smoke rising from them as they were struck, over and over again. But its skin healed too fast for the assault to mean anything. It walked on.

The burning spread to its head. Explosions burst and echoed through the air around it, and a membrane lowered over its eyes to protect them from the falling bombs.

This is getting worse –

I have to let them do it / No. I can’t let them end me.

Using its tail, it spied a row of tanks on the far banks of the river, next to a bridge.

Why does it matter? / There. That’s how I can end this darkness.

It turned towards the river, as the bombardment continued. The humans were using missiles now, it dimly noticed.

Smoke enshrouded it as it splashed into the river, kicking up a section of the bridge. It rose in the air, then fell like a knife, crashing into the other section.

As it emerged from the fog, it could hear the screams and shouts of those trapped beneath the bridge.

The explosions ceased.

…Why did I do that? / They’re hurting. Good.

The sun was beginning to set. The bridge lay in ruins.

It carried on.

With an agonized roar, Gojira shot awake.

His body felt wrong, with touches of pain around the base of his spines and the tip of his tail.

He scrambled towards the pond, taking care to avoid Mosura’s egg, and peered into it, studying his reflection. Orange eyes, not cold blue. Charcoal gray, not ash-colored. No glowing red wounds, no mess of crooked teeth.

Staring at it, he let his breathing calm down. There was nothing wrong with him. It was just another nightmare.

Gojira dunked his head into the pond, feeling the warm splash of the water caress his scales. Even if it was just a nightmare, he still felt extremely uncomfortable. He wondered if the was going to change, then shook himself.

Then he recalled Madison’s words. An anomaly in his bioacoustics. Radioactive. Whatever those words meant. Something was wrong with him. What is happening to me?

“Are you alright?” he heard, in a voice filled with concern. Right. Ling was here.

“No,” he rumbled back, pulling his head out of the water. He could admit it now, when there was no one here to understand him. Except for his beloved Mosura.

Mosura. Would she understand? Her egg pulsed with blue-green light.

Gojira reached out to the bond in the back of his mind, feeling her concern wash over him. She was fearful. He could not blame her. Mosu, he started. This creature, that I dream of being. I know it’s not real, but it scares me.

A wave of sorrow was what he got in response, followed by a rush of emotion. Anger, pity and confusion, but with a hint of certainty and hope.

Mosura was evidently just as puzzled by the nightmares as he was, and hated seeing him this way. But Gojira remembered her odd wisdom, her confidence that everything would turn out all right in the end. She was feeling that now.

If she could believe it, he could too.

He settled back down, curling up next to her egg, and stared out at the horizon. The sun was just beginning to rise, illuminating the waters with the light of dawn. Combined with the glow from Mosura’s egg, the pond and waterfall looked absolutely beautiful.

Ling, down below, looked up at him. From the way she moved, she was fearful of him. He spied a claw mark in the sand. Had he been thrashing around during his sleep?

Gojira huffed out a sigh, then closed his eyes. He would try to get more rest.

Chapter Text

Ling sat cross-legged underneath the waterfall. The spray of water dusted her hair, and droplets caressed her face. In her hand was a satellite phone, which she was studying carefully as another text message came in.

The anomaly spiked during the nightmare, the message from Rick read. It was quickly followed by a couple more incoming messages. Now it’s down to about half the intensity of his normal bioacoustics. You’re sure of what you saw?

Yes, Ling texted back, fingers moving gracefully over the screen. She thought back on it, recalling what she saw before Godzilla woke up. There had been a faint purple glow coming from his spines and tail. I don’t know what it could mean.

She glanced at Godzilla, who was laying on the sand, curled up around Mothra’s egg with his eyes closed. However, from his unsteady breathing, Ling knew he was awake.

Huh. And as for Mothra’s egg? Rick texted back.

My equipment detected higher activity, she answered. I saw the egg glowing more intensely.

And that was when you saw Godzilla glowing purple?

Yes, Ling replied. It looked quite eerie.

I can imagine, Rick responded. Must have been quite the lightshow.

It was. She leaned back, stretching out her arms as she lay on the rocks. She supposed that to an outsider, it would have been beautiful.

Well. Thanks for the observations, Dr. Ling. Now we need to figure this out here at Castle Bravo. TTYL?

Yes, thank you, she said, ending the conversation. With a sigh, she put her phone down, and closed her eyes against the bright early morning sunlight.

Ling had woken up at dawn, just before Godzilla’s nightmare had started. She remembered feeling a sense of urgency across her bond with Mothra, and had immediately scrambled to her equipment. She was glad Mothra woke her, but she wished she had been able to sleep more.

Getting to her feet, she walked over to where Godzilla was curled around the egg. “I need to speak with her,” she called, knowing the Titan would understand.

His orange eyes opened, blinking at her, before he moved, opening a space. She walked through.

Mothra’s egg shone with emerald light, although it was only faintly visible under the bright rays from the sun. Ling paused, regarding it with awe. This was her Queen, and she held nothing but love and respect for her. Their connection had shaped her life, and while she had some regrets, her bond with Mothra was not one of them.

She knelt down carefully before the egg, clasping her hands together in a praying pose as she focused on her bond with Mothra. Mosura, she thought. I must ask questions of you. Are you feeling quite alright?

A wave of emotions washed over her. She could feel concern at the forefront of Mothra’s mind, but there was a steady undercurrent of assurance.

I see, Ling responded. And how is your King?

The sense of concern flared, worry rising alongside it. Pity echoed beneath the waves. The Queen was deeply worried for the one she cared for the most.

I wish you my sincerest condolences. Do you know what is causing these nightmares?

There was uncertainty, coupled with confusion and puzzlement, followed by the familiar frustration of not being able to communicate. Ling sympathized with her, lamenting that Mothra was unable to talk while she was egg-bound. It was clear that the Queen knew something that Ling did not, that she wished she could express.

Thinking carefully, Ling asked, I apologize for speaking of them, but we believe Ghidorah is responsible. Are we wrong?

That earned a flash of anger, followed by bewilderment, and then a sort of amused pity.

It is not Ghidorah’s work?

Assurance and confidence echoed over their bond.

Ling sighed, holding her head in her hands. Evidently it was not Ghidorah who was causing the nightmares. Mothra would have known if that were the case. Godzilla, and now all of Monarch, were mistaken, and Ling had no way of correcting them without exposing the Chens’ family secret.

Mosura, give me guidance, she asked. I must… I must accept the burden of this knowledge..

The only emotion she felt was confidence.

… Thank you, Mosura. I wish you the best. And with that, Ling got to her feet, dusting the sand off of her pants.

She walked out of Godzilla’s circle, noticing his eyes tracking her across the sand, before they closed, and his breathing steadied. He must be trying to speak with Mothra.

Ling returned to the small shelter where here equipment lied, displaying the bioacoustics readings from the two Titans. She watched them for a moment, as they spiked and danced in sync with each other, and then took out her phone. With shaking fingers, she opened up her contacts list and dialed her sister.

“Hello, Ling,” Ilene said, as the call connected.

She smiled upon hearing her sister’s voice. “How are you doing?”

There was a short pause. “Well enough,” Ilene replied. “Rick’s told me about what you saw last night. You’re certain you saw Godzilla glowing purple?”

“Yes,” Ling answered, feeling a little frustrated. She reminded herself that her sister believed in her, and took a deep breath. “Ilene. I… I spoke with Mothra,” she whispered.

“Oh?” Ilene paused, and Ling heard the background noise grow fainter. “Did you learn anything?” she spoke, quietly.

Ling nodded, before remembering that Ilene could not see her. “It’s… It’s not Ghidorah,” she started. “The nightmares are being caused by something else.”

Ilene drew in a breath. “Does Mothra know what is causing them?”

Ling shook her head. “No. But… there was something she wanted to say, that was too complex to be expressed over our bond.”

Ilene sighed. “So she knows something that we don’t,” she said. “What do we do?”

“I was going to ask you that,” Ling responded. She ran a hand through her hair. Mothra had seemed confident that she could handle it, but she felt lost.

“We have to cast doubt on Monarch’s current assumptions,” Ilene said. “But without knowing what the true cause is, can we do anything?”

Now it was Ling’s turn to sigh. “I suppose we cannot. Unless we were to look for the true cause ourselves. Have you found anything?”

There was a short pause before Ilene answered. “I’m afraid not,” she said. “This is entirely without mythological precedent.”

“So we’re up the creek without a paddle,” Ling said. “There’s nothing we can do except continue our research.”

“… With the exception of encouraging Madison Russell.”

“Of course,” Ling responded, cursing herself for forgetting. “Her bond with Godzilla may provide us with answers.”

“It’s not a formal bond, Ling,” Ilene pointed out. “Not like ours. She can’t actually talk with Godzilla. But… if she can help ease his nightmares…”

“We might be able to stop whatever is happening to Godzilla,” Ling connected.

“Yes,” Ilene answered. “But it might not be enough.”

“Mothra’s confident we can succeed,” Ling said. She looked up at the sun shining overhead. “And we don’t have any other way.”

There a moment of silence, during which Ling admired the reflection of the sunlight on the waterfall. Finally, Ilene let out a sigh. “Mark’s not going to be happy with us.”

“Does that matter?” Ling asked. “Maddie is fifteen. And she wants to be involved.”

“… I suppose you’re right,” Ilene conceded. “But… I wish…”

“Wish for what?” Ling asked, feeling somewhat confused. Was her sister falling for Mark Russell, of all people?

“… Nothing. It’s nothing,” Ilene replied. “Just a silly whim.”

“Aw, Ilene,” Ling cooed. This would be her sister’s second time finding love.

Before she could keep talking, however, Ilene said, “I’d better get back to the control room.”

“Oh,” Ling breathed out. “Good luck!”

“Thank you, sister,” Ilene answered. “Talk to you later. Bye.”

“Goodbye,” Ling said, as the call was cut.

She let out a small sigh. Ilene hastily ending the call was unusual, but Ling supposed that she had interrupted her in the middle of the work day.

Glancing around, she caught sight of Godzilla. He was looking at her, with a somewhat amused expression on his face. Ling wondered idly if he understood what a phone was. If he did not, then she must have looked absolutely ridiculous.

With a smile, she turned back to her equipment, carefully reading the displayed radiation level. A moment later, she felt the earth shake beneath her, and looked up to see Godzilla getting to his feet. The Titan let out a roar, then turned away, walking to the island’s edge and sinking into the ocean.

Ling watched him go, thinking of what she saw during his nightmare. The purple hue, while it had been enchanting, was unlike Godzilla’s blue. She then thought of how the second set of bioacoustics was both like him and not, and frowned.

She felt as though she was missing something important.

Madison scrolled through the online newspaper articles, feeling quite bored.

Ever since she had arrived at Castle Bravo, finding Titan news online no longer gave her the enjoyment it used to. Madison thought it was because she now heard all of the news directly from the source. She no longer had to pick through various articles and social media posts to discern the latest events.

Even so, the reactions of people online to the Titans were still golden. She clicked on an article, with the headline “Nightmares: Godzilla Has Them?”, and after skimming through the contents, scrolled right down to the comments section. The expressions of shock and skepticism brought a small smile to her face.

Monarch had not revealed the cause or the physiological effects of Godzilla’s nightmares, but the internet was rife with speculation about the rising radiation levels in the areas the Titan had visited. When combined with his odd behavior, rumors had begun to spread.

Frowning, Madison read through a particular comment that caught her eye. This one speculated that the nightmares were fake, and a distraction cooked up to hide the increasing radiation levels. She shook her head.

A knock on the door sounded, before a feminine voice called out, “Can we come in?”

Madison smiled, recognizing the voice. “Come in!” she shouted, before the door opened to reveal Griffin, Barnes, and Martinez.

“We thought you could use some company,” Barnes said.

“Thank you,” Madison said. “I… I wasn’t doing my homework. Sorry,” she admitted, meekly.

Martinez smiled. “No need to apologize,” he said. “You’re a busy girl.”

“Right,” Madison replied, unsure how to respond. It was true that she had been busy. She was friends with the world’s greatest Titan, and the doctors had insisted on monitoring her after their last visit. They were concerned about the radiation Godzilla was giving off.

Griffin cleared her throat. “We thought we ought to let you know,” she began. “Sam was speaking to the government, and he mentioned your little friendship with Godzilla.”

Madison frowned. “Oh? What did they have to say?”

Barnes let out a sigh. “There was some arguing about whether it was wise to use your bond with him as a defense against his nightmares.”

Martinez nodded. “According to Sam, half of them wanted to use you, but seemed to see you as some kind of weapon or guinea pig, and the other half were disgusted that we’re letting a second child near a Titan.”

“None of them seemed particularly concerned about Godzilla’s nightmares,” Griffin added. “As though they didn’t believe they were truly happening.”

Madison quietly turned this over in her head. It made sense that the government would be acting this way. No one outside Monarch – not her classmates, not the government – ever seemed to accept the Titans for what they were.

With the exception of Josh, of course. She needed to talk to him sometime.

“I don’t care what they think. I’m going to help Godzilla anyway,” she declared adamantly.

Griffin smiled. “Thought you would say that.” She leaned forward, resting her arm on Madison’s chair.

Madison turned and smiled at her. It was nice to hear G-Team’s words of encouragement.

Barnes, meanwhile, scratched his chin. “But aren’t you worried about his radiation?” he asked. “I mean…”

“I’m sure it’s not going to hurt me,” Madison answered. “Titan radiation isn’t supposed to be bad radiation.” She had to admit that she was a bit confused about why everyone was so worried about Godzilla’s increasing radiation levels.

Martinez blinked at her, then exchanged a glance with Barnes. “Maddie. They’ve identified isotopes that they know are harmful.”

“And his radioactivity is increasing,” Griffin added. “The readings Dr. Ling got after his nightmare earlier were quite high.”

“He had another nightmare?” Madison asked, somewhat loudly. She now regretted agreeing with her father to stay out of the control room for today. Evidently she had missed something important. “Is he okay?”

Barnes shook his head. “Ling reported that he was thrashing around, and woke up in a panic. So I’d say he was kind of bothered.”

Madison ran a hand through her hair. “I wish I knew what he was seeing in his dreams,” she said.

“Don’t we all,” Griffin agreed. “… Look. You did well enough. They think that you being there saved him from one nightmare.”

“I just wish there was more I could do,” Madison said.

“We know,” Martinez said, before they felt the floor shake, and the overhead lights began to flicker. “Uhh…”

“Godzilla is probably here,” Barnes said.

“We’d better take you to the top deck,” Griffin declared.

 Madison nodded, and got up from her chair. The group left the room, walked down the hallway, and entered the elevator. As they rode it up to the top deck, they were joined by Mark and Ilene, emerging from the hallway to the control room.

“I figured you would be here,” Mark said. “I wanted to at least say goodbye this time.”

“You know he’s going to bring me back, right?” Madison asked, a defiant tone in her voice.

“Last time, he didn’t,” Mark pointed out, as the elevator continued its upward journey.

“I’m sure he was planning to bring me back,” she retorted.

Mark scoffed. “Sure.”

The elevator doors opened, and the group spilled out onto the top deck, the late afternoon sunshine washing over them and casting long shadows.

Godzilla was circling the top deck, his head out of the water and orange eyes scanning the area. As soon as he caught sight of Madison running towards him, he let out a gentle rumble, and lowered his head so that it was next to the deck.

However, it was not low enough for Madison for jump down onto it. She tilted her head quizzically at him. “You don’t want to take me for a visit today?”

Another rumble was all she got in response. He moved closer to the deck, close enough for Madison to reach out and touch him.

“I wish I could understand you,” she said. She held out a hand to touch Godzilla’s scales. They felt rough to the touch, and her fingers brushed over an old scar, tracing a dark line across his scales. She wondered whether his scars bothered him.

Turning her head, Madison looked behind her. The group that had followed her to the top deck was hanging a fair distance back from the pair. Mark looked as though he was restraining the urge to run forward, while Ilene, next to him, had a gentle smile on her face. G-Team looked on with mingled cautiousness and amazement.

She turned back to Godzilla. “I don’t know why they’re all so worried about me being with you,” she said. She began to pet his scales, running a hand over the mess of chips and old scars. “See? You’re perfectly gentle with me.”

He let out a low rumble, the sound making his scales vibrate against her palm. Madison wondered what he was saying, but was content to stay petting him.

They stayed like that for several minutes. She kept petting Godzilla, while he occasionally let out low rumbles. It felt quite peaceful.

Eventually, the Titan moved away from the deck. He rose up, looking down upon all of them. The group looked up at him with awe in their eyes, as he let out a roar. Then he turned, sinking beneath the waves, and they watched as his dorsal spines drifted towards the horizon and finally out of sight.

Madison walked back over to the main group. Her father caught her in a hug. “Maddie,” he said, patting her on the back.

She was unsure why she was getting hugged, but she embraced him back.

Gojira swam through the ocean, his spines cutting through the waves.

After checking up on Madison, he was going back to the island where he had left Mosura’s egg. He hoped to go back to sleep once he was there. These nightmares were beginning to cut into his resting time. He knew it must be one of the Golden One’s tactics, to wear down his mind.

He let out a low growl as he thought of his nemesis. The nightmares’ effects had grown more intense over time. His body still felt wrong, his tail and spines burning with pain, and it was for that reason that he had not asked Madison for a visit. Although, it had soothed him when she petted his scales.

Gojira reached out his senses, taking in the world. However, before he could sense the deep currents of the ocean, he detected the presence of Rodan. The other Titan was flying towards him – no, towards his destination.

With a flash, he remembered the fight between Rodan and his Queen, and he growled. He would not let Rodan hurt her again. He sped up, hoping to outpace the fiery Titan.

He reached the island, and stood next to Mosura’s egg, waiting patiently for Rodan. Ling was in her shelter, tending to the strange devices. She stepped out, looking up at him, and he looked down at her.

A burst of flame appeared on the horizon, before it dispersed, revealing the form of Rodan. He flew up to Gojira, and immediately bowed before him, pressing himself down into the sand and the branches of the small jungle that encircled the island. In Gojira’s eyes, it looked quite pathetic. “My King,” Rodan began, his eyes flicking momentarily towards the egg. “I-I am sorry. I have found no trace of the Golden One’s skull.”

Gojira regarded him in silence. It still pained him to see his friend like this. He remembered the Rodan of the olden days, the strong ally who had fought for his kingship, always boisterous and challenging. Now he was weak, quiet, and meek. He deferred to others.

Rodan, noticing his silence, flinched. Gojira noticed that he was trembling. Then he awkwardly nodded towards the egg. “B-But I can see that you found Mosura’s egg.”

Gojira blinked, concern rising within him. Whether it was for Rodan or for Mosura, he was not sure. “Yeah. What about it?”

Rodan cowered, taking a step back. A few small fires caught in the jungle below him. “I’m just surprised. I would have thought the humans would be watching over it,” he said.

“They were,” Gojira responded, awkwardly. What was Rodan hoping to accomplish, by having a conversation with him? “However, I did not trust them.”

Rodan blinked. “What about her?” He nodded in the direction of Ling’s shelter. “Is she…?”

“She’s one of Mosura’s bonded,” Gojira said. “And she came here alone.”

Rodan chirped. Gojira’s eyes widened somewhat. Was Rodan’s enthusiasm coming back to him? “You seem to put so much trust in Mosura’s choice,” he said, after a moment.

“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Gojira asked.

“Y-You love her, do you not?” Rodan said. His eyes lit up with a passionate fire.

“That’s none of your business!” Gojira roared.

“I-I just thought it was kind of cute,” Rodan stammered, sinking lower.

“You know we can’t be in love because I’m the King,” Gojira stated. Then he gestured with his head towards the horizon. “Now go. Resume your search.”

“Y-Yes, my King.” And with that, Rodan spread his wings, and took to the sky, flying away with great speed until he disappeared.

Gojira stared after him, a glare on his face. It seemed Rodan was not just a coward, but insolent too. But some part of his mind told him not to get angry. Rodan had a point. He did, indeed, love Mosura. To him, she was his Queen.

But no one could know of it. Titan Kings were not supposed to take lovers, after a particularly disastrous succession crisis during their long history.

Yet somehow, it seemed his love for Mosura was obvious. To both Madison and Rodan. What was he going to do? It would not be long before his title as King was challenged. Thankfully none of the likely challengers were awake, and Kong seemed uninterested in the throne.

He felt the bond at the back of his mind. It pulsed with pride and contentment.

Gojira settled down next to the egg, letting his bond soothe him into a state of relaxation. For now, he was going to watch over her, to make sure she hatched again. No matter how long it may take, he would be there for her.

He noticed, out of the corner of his eye, that Ling was watching him.

Kong woke with a start. He roared, as the pain from his nightmare lingered.

He raised a hand to rub at his chest, remembering the shock of lightning the humans had given him to restart his heart. In his nightmare, that shock had seared through him entirely, until he was no more, consumed by the surging tide.

Catching sight of Jia running towards him, he lowered his hand, and got up, turning to face her. The little girl stopped at his feet, and signed, “Are you alright?”

“Yes. Just another nightmare,” Kong signed back. It pained him to know that he was making Jia worry, but it seemed there was nothing he could do about them.

The human that Kong recognized as Jia’s mother stepped out of the shelter the humans had built. She walked briskly over to Jia. “What’s going on?” she signed.

“Kong had another nightmare. Gojira,” Jia signed back. Kong blinked. Gojira had been there, yes, but this time he was not the focus.

Jia’s mother let out a sigh. “Everyone seems to be worried about him now.” She glanced around, seeming somewhat hesitant, before she continued to sign. “They’re concerned he might attack again. Those awful nightmares.”

Kong leaned forward, surprise etched across his face. They thought Gojira was going to rampage again, because of his nightmares? What was going on with Gojira?

He thought back to the last time when Gojira had rampaged, attacking him twice before their true foe was revealed. Gojira had been entirely fixated upon the metal Gojira and its calls, letting his rage consume him as he searched. Kong was only a distraction in Gojira’s eyes.

But that was not entirely true, now, was it? Kong had saved Gojira’s life. If they had worked together, instead of Gojira lashing out, then it need not have become so dire.

 An idea came to him. “Gojira needs a friend,” he signed.

They glanced at each other, before Jia’s mother signed back. “We’re trying to give him one. Her name is Maddie.”

Kong nodded, taking in this revelation. Gojira had a new human friend? That was good. But. “We’ll need her to stop him.”

“We can’t do that!” Jia’s mother signed.

“Her or me,” Kong responded. Him and Maddie were Gojira’s only friends. It had to be one of them who calmed him down.

“You can’t do that!” Jia signed, a frantic look upon her face.

“There’s no way. He can swim, and you can’t,” her mother said.

“Then it has to be Maddie.” They had a point, and he did not want to worry Jia any longer.

The two of them stared at him for a moment, before Jia’s mother began to sign. “I need to talk with Monarch,” she said. Then she turned, and made her way back into the humans’ shelter.

Kong and Jia looked at each other awkwardly. “You’re sure he needs to have a friend?” Jia asked, a nervous look upon her face.

“He needed someone when he was chasing the enemy,” Kong explained. “And he is lonely.”

Jia looked away solemnly. She raised her hands, as though she was about to sign, then seemingly thought better of it and lowered them.

“I’m thankful for you,” Kong signed.

Jia smiled at him. It was a precious thing.

“Morning stroll?”

Jia nodded.

Chapter Text

It carried on, walking through the city as the sun sank below the eastern horizon. Dusk fell, and its skin blended in with the darkening sky.

I’ve become a shadow…

Where am I now?

I don’t know. It’s too dark to see the ocean.

Walking onwards, it stopped near a cluster of tall buildings, their frames barely visible in the darkness of night.

Something was in the air, above it – no, falling towards it –

Pain struck its back – a wave of blood sprayed into the air – pain, so much pain – and heat – it was heating up –

It hurts it hurts it hurts / I have to do something or I’ll…

I’m going to die…

It let out a roar, shaking its head to clear the pain. It opened its jaw, its lower jaw splitting down the middle, as its throat and spines began to glow, energy surging into them.

If I die in this world,

Who will know

Something of me?

Smoke surged in its throat. It vomited it out, spreading its jaw even wider, and the smoke began to blanket the dark city around it.

I am lost,

No one knows,

A membrane lowered over its eyes, as the smoke turned into fire, flames catching and swirling through the smoky air.

There’s no trace

Of my yearning.

Its fire focused, as another element was added, turning into a violet laser that screamed through the sky.

If I die in this world / But I must, carry on,

It leaned back, seeking out the source of the bombs that had injured its back – there –

Who will know / Nothing worse

A fiery explosion, then the bomber fell from the sky in flaming pieces.

Something of me? / Can befall

It knew there had to be more of them, and so it continued searing the sky –

I am lost, / All my fears,

No one knows, / All my tears,

There’s no trace / Tell my heart

Of my yearning. / There’s a hole.

There were none there. But it was beginning to feel pressure around its spines.

It snapped its jaw shut, wisps of gas escaping, before it leaned forward. Its muscles twitched, as it clenched its hands, waiting for the right moment.

I wear a void,

Not even hope,

A downward slope,

Is all I see.

There were bombs falling from above –

I wear a void, / As long as breath comes from my mouth,

It unleashed violet lasers from its dorsal spines, using a new sense to guide them –

The bombs exploded in mid-air, followed shortly after by the bombers, which fell from the sky wreathed in flame.

Not even hope, / I may yet stand the slightest chance,

It leaned forward, letting loose another laser from its mouth – its jaw hurt, but the pressure inside of it felt worse. It had to burn it away.

A downward slope, / A shaft of light is all I need,

It burned the buildings surrounding it, before it turned, sending its laser out across the base of the city –

Tokyo’s skyline was cut in half, explosions lighting up the night.

Is all I see. / To cease the darkness killing me.

It carried on, burning away all the excess energy it held inside of it. Eventually, the laser turned back into a plume of flame, and faded away.

It stood, tail swishing slowly behind it, as the glow ceased. Exhaustion tugged at its eyes as it surveyed the city, coated in fire and ash.

The destruction brought to mind an old memory that it could not quite discern.

I’m alive…

But Tokyo is not.

It could see the ocean at the edge of the flames.

It took a few steps forward, but then –

My body… feels heavy…

It began to stop. It had used up too much energy.

No… I have to go back home…

Its body shut down, freezing in place, tail mid-swish. It had to recover.

Its consciousness ebbed, before its eyes closed, and it fell asleep.

Gojira woke up in a panic. He let out a scream at the memory of the bombs hitting his spines – no, the creature’s spines – no.

He heard someone shout “Godzilla!” below him, and looked down to see Ling. She looked bedraggled, and somewhat terrified. “What’s wrong? You’ve been thrashing around for several minutes.”

Ignoring her, he scrambled to the water’s edge, looking down into his reflection. With a twinge of fear, he briefly saw not his own reflection, but that of the creature. He abruptly realized that it was dusk, and therefore too dark to see his reflection properly.

Right. It was him reflected in the water, not that creature. He started taking in deep breaths, trying to calm down.

But this nightmare… the creature. It had Gojira’s shape and size, his spines, and now his fire, too. It’s another me. It’s me. Except…

There was a certain darkness. The other him was not an ancient Titan, but some pitiful sea creature that had changed because of the humans and their waste. It felt every last drop of pain from its transformation. It was tortured by its existence, to the point of wishing for death.

Its thoughts during the last nightmare, when it unleashed its fire upon the humans, were sad and horrifying. Idly, a stray thought drifted at the back of Gojira’s mind, and he came to a realization. This isn’t the Golden One’s work. They couldn’t conceive of such thoughts.

But if it’s not them, what is this? he wondered. Nightmares of another him. Madison’s words about something unusual happening to his body… wait. Oh.

The other him had the ability to change and adapt.

He also recalled his original theory, back when he thought he was receiving the memories of some poor creature out there in the world.

These nightmares… this is how it’s adapting. It’s reaching out to me.

But if this was true, then… it was real. It was all real. Perhaps not in this world, but another. And if it was real, then in another world, he was…

Gojira thought of the firestorm encircling Tokyo, of the fallen buildings and the wreckage, of the people screaming as the monster destroyed their city. He thought of the other him’s horrific form, of its conflict with humanity.

Then he turned, letting his eyes catch sight of Mosura’s egg. She would be horrified.

I can’t stay here.

Gojira looked down at Ling, who was staring up him with a puzzled and concerned look on her face. “Look after her for me,” he rumbled.

Then he turned, and ran, splashing down into the water and rapidly swimming away.

Madison paced outside the conference room, footsteps resounding throughout the hallway.

She had been waiting for the meeting to end for about half an hour, listening intently to pick up any sounds from inside. She could hear her father’s raised voice, so she knew there was an argument going on, probably about her.

All of the people she knew were inside the meeting room, leaving her with no one to hang out with. She supposed she should be doing homework, or calling Josh, but she did not want to stay in her room any longer. It was somewhat exhausting, being cooped up in there. Okay, sure, it was not very different from when she was in Pensacola, holed up in her command station for long hours. But at least then she could go outside for a walk.

Now there was an idea. The top deck would probably be a good place to watch the sun rise. Madison turned, walking a few steps down the hallway to the elevator, when the door opened behind her, people spilling out into the hallway.

“Maddie!” she heard her father call out. Turning around, she looked him over. His face was set in a frown. “What are you doing here? It’s still early.”

“I was bored,” she answered, shifting uncomfortably as the stares of everyone in the meeting fell upon her. Guillerman was there, as were Sam, Ilene, Rick, and G-Team. “And I wanted to know how Godzilla’s doing, so…”

“He’s not doing too well,” Rick said. “Another nightmare, just a few hours ago. Ling reported that he practically ran away in a panic after he woke up.”

Madison winced. “Didn’t he just have one, though? What the hell?”

Ilene nodded. “Unfortunately, yes.” A grave expression rested on her face, as the group began to move down the hall.

“Is he going to be okay?” Madison asked.

“We don’t know,” Rick admitted. “The anomaly in his bioacoustics keeps increasing in intensity. Soon it’s going to surpass his normal bioacoustics. We don’t know what’s going to happen after that, but we’re preparing for the worst.”

“By which you mean, sending my daughter into danger?” Mark cut in.

“Wait, what?” Madison was confused.

“Dr. Andrews suggested taking you to Godzilla if he starts rampaging,” he explained. “Thinks you can calm him down.”

Madison paused, processing what her father just said. They wanted to use her friendship with Godzilla to stop him, if he rampaged? The idea would have sounded crazy if it was anyone else, but to her, it seemed perfectly sensible. She was friends with Godzilla now. He had gone out of his way just to visit her, so surely he would calm down if he saw her.

But something bothered her. “Why would he go on a rampage?” she asked. “Godzilla doesn’t rampage for no reason. And even when was ‘rampaging’” – she formed air quotes – “he was causing as little destruction as possible.”

“We know,” Mark said. “But he’s also under a great deal of stress, and all animals respond negatively to stress.”

“And given how erratic his behavior has been, there’s no predicting what he’s going to do next,” Sam said, as the group filed into the elevator. He pressed the button for the control room’s floor, and the elevator began its journey.

The group was silent as they stepped out, and walked down the hall into the control room. Madison followed them like a shadow as they returned to their work stations, or paused to stare at the global Titan display. She joined the latter group, her eyes finding Godzilla’s marker as it moved slowly across the Pacific Ocean.

“Current course predictions show him going to his lair,” Rick said, wandering up behind her from his work station. “Which is quite odd, since he’s been sleeping with Mothra lately.”

Madison glanced at him, a knowing smirk on her face. “Yeah, I know what I said,” Rick responded. “Didn’t mean it that way. You know that.”

She smiled, but it quickly faded as she thought about Godzilla and Mothra. “Do you think Mothra is going to hatch soon?” she asked.

“You should probably ask one of the Chens about that,” Rick said. His eyes wandered to the marker in the southern Pacific. “But with the activity she’s showing, I wouldn’t be surprised if she did. Why?”

“Could she help with his nightmares?” Madison asked, a serious tone in her voice.

Rick’s eyebrows rose, and he glanced away. “What, are you hoping that them cuddling will help him sleep?” He turned back to the global display. “I don’t see why it wouldn’t.”

“Then we just have to hope she hatches soon,” Madison suggested.

Hearing their conversation, Guillerman walked over to Ilene. “Dr. Chen. When do you believe the suspected Titanus Mosura egg is going to hatch?”

Ilene shook her head, sighing. “I don’t know,” she admitted. “Mythologies across the world say that Mothra only hatches in times of great need. Whether Godzilla’s nightmares count as such a time, I can’t be sure.” She looked away, towards the window. “But if she is going to hatch, it will probably be soon. We anticipate an escalation of the situation, so likely then.”

“So we probably can’t count on her to stop whatever is happening to Godzilla,” Guillerman summed up. “But she might be there once things escalate, and during the aftermath?”

Ilene nodded. “Yes,” she said. “I am sure her assistance would be invaluable.”

The room went silent. Guillerman returned to the group watching the display screen, and Rick walked back over to his work station. Madison’s mind conjured images of Mothra and Godzilla snuggling and generally being cute with each other.

After a moment, her dad walked up to her. “Maddie, why don’t you go do your homework?” he said. “I don’t think standing around fretting up here is going to help you.”

“Aw, Dad,” she protested meekly.

“I’ll be there to help you this time,” he said, glancing around awkwardly.

Madison paused. Her father would help her with her homework? Had he ever done that before? “Um, thank you,” she replied, unsure what to say.

“Alright, then come on,” Mark said, turning to leave the room.

Madison followed him, and together they walked into the hallway and then the elevator. As they rode it down into the depths, she noticed her father looking at her oddly, a faint smile on his face. She turned away, suddenly wishing for the control room’s window.

She hoped Mothra would return soon. The moth-like Titan had saved Madison’s life, three years ago. She could probably save Godzilla, too.

Gojira entered his lair, slipping past the metal sea creature that he knew belonged to Monarch. He wondered why it was there. Surely they knew he had changed where he slept. Unless they were predicting that he would return here, for some reason.

The thought sent a shiver running through him. Surely there was no way anyone could have foreseen his decision to come back, or the self-horror that had inspired it.

He had not visited Madison because he knew that, just like Mosura, she would be horrified if she learned the truth about him and his nightmares. While it was true that he trusted both her and Mosura, he was scared they would push him away if they knew.

That was an odd feeling. Fear. He had never experienced as much fear as he did during the last two moon-cycles.

Gojira walked up to the pools of water that adorned the floor of his lair. Looking into his reflection, he took in his features. Orange eyes, charcoal-gray scales, old scars and chips dotting them. Maple-leaf dorsal spines, ending in a tail that… huh?

He cautiously lifted up his tail, inspecting its tip. When he saw it, he drew in a sharp breath. It looked like there was a mouth on his tail. Were those little teeth he saw? And those two nubs, above it… oh.

It looked like the tail of the other him. Was probably turning into its tail, given the pain he felt from it.

He shuddered, a fresh wave of horror settling over him. Was he doomed to transform, to change into that monster? Why? What was the purpose of all of this? Did the other him wish to share its pain with him? Why would it want that, unless…?

It needs help, he realized. It wants me to understand its pain.

If that was the case, then what was he supposed to do? How could he help someone in another world?

A small part of him questioned why he wanted to help. This creature had made him suffer through its nightmarish memories, and it might not deserve help, after what it had done to the humans. However, he remembered the other him’s pain. Its mere existence was a tragedy.

Gojira thought over it, then decided that he would go to sleep. He knew what his nightmares were now. Each was a memory. He knew, deep down, that he had not seen the full story yet.

There must be a reason why the other him needed his help.

He lay down on his side, trying to relax. He instinctively reached out over his bond with Mosura, remembering his fear a moment too late. Waves of concern and fear swamped him, followed by an immense sadness. She was afraid for him, and missed being near him.

I miss you too, Mosu, he thought back. He wondered if she would be able to hear him. But I can’t share this burden with you.

He missed the olden days, when none of this would have happened. When he never felt fear.

Letting his memories soothe him, he drifted off into sleep.

Chapter Text

There was a sudden blast to its legs. The heat seared its skin, burning pain spreading.

It woke up, letting out a roar as its consciousness returned.

What is this?

The sky was a bright blue, few clouds in sight.

How long have I been asleep?

It could sense a plethora of small, fast objects flying towards it –

It began to glow, letting out beams from its dorsal spines to destroy them, explosions burning through the sky. A few buildings behind it were cut into and broke apart.

Searching the sky with its tail, it spotted a group of small aircraft sending out more of the tiny bombs.

What is going on? / These aren’t enough to kill me…

It destroyed them with its spine beams, turning to aim them as its muscles twinged with discomfort.

Another wave of tiny flying bombs came in. It destroyed those too.

How many of these things are there?

It fended off five waves of them before it felt its energy starting to deplete.

It deactivated its lasers, and the tiny bombs impacted its skin, shrouding it in a cloud of fire and smoke.

There were still more of them coming in –

I see no hope./ This darkness shrouding me must cease.

It let the energy surge along its tail, making its veins glow violet as it reached the tip. A laser began to fire from the tip of its tail.

It also opened its mouth, jaw splitting apart as it fired another beam.

Using both sets of eyes to direct the twin beams, it spun its tail around, destroying the sixth wave of tiny bombs.

Its tail beam turned into a stream of flame and disappeared as its energy was nearly depleted, and it was only a few moments before the laser from its mouth followed.

It saw no more of the tiny nuisances.

On the horizon, it could see the sunlight reflecting off of the ocean’s waves.

Let’s go home now.

However, it took no more than a few steps before it heard explosions, and the nearby buildings began to fall towards it.

What?

They knocked it down, burying it under the rubble.

More buildings fell, their added weight putting pressure on its body and pinning it down.

I’m trapped!

It let out a fearful roar.

Its eyes caught sight of a group of equipment-laden trucks approaching it, pulling up next to its open mouth.

What are they going to do to me?

Arms with sharp ends were raised, then lowered, puncturing the inside of its mouth. It could feel something being pumped into its bloodstream.

Ow ow ow / No…

A distant memory stirred – a large piece of paper, filled with dots, that was meant to be folded to reveal its secrets.

What is that? What secrets? / They know now…

It began to glow, letting out a small beam of violet light from its mouth, destroying some of the trucks.

It began to get up and move, but it felt oddly sluggish.

Suddenly, it felt something ram into it from all sides, producing explosions that knocked it back down, with a loud roar.

Were those trains?

I can’t escape…

It felt too sluggish to get up.

Another group of trucks drove up to its mouth, their arms piercing the tender flesh. It could do little except twitch.

I have to get up. This hurts…!

As they continued injecting something into its blood, it felt its skin stiffen.

I feel cold…

Is this the end of me?

Its tail fell down, coming to rest against the rubble.

No… No!

Mustering the last of its strength, it broke free with a loud roar. It began to walk, moving as fast as it could towards the sea.

I’m going to live, I’m going to go home –

But whatever the trucks had injected into it was beginning to take effect. It felt cold. Its was losing energy, despite not using its beams.

It stopped as its skin began to freeze, starting from its mouth.

What is this…

No!

Its body froze over, the energy inside of it dwindling.

It could not move. Its eyes stared blankly ahead, out over the ocean.

No no no no no –

I wanted to go home…

There was nothing it could do. Its body was as good as dead, but its consciousness lived on.

Am I going to stay here forever?

No… please, no…

This can’t be over.

Not like this.

I wanted to die. / I have to carry on…

As time passed, it pondered over what it could do. It took in the sunlight, and the waves it had nearly escaped to, with a sense of longing.

I need help…

Gojira woke with a start, letting out a roar that sounded closer to a scream.

He began to breathe rapidly, as his mind caught up to him. So that was how the other him was defeated by the humans. The possibility, of them having a substance that could freeze a Titan if it was pumped into the ocean of blood inside, made him shudder.

It was also evident now why the other him needed his help. But how was he supposed to help someone in another world?

There was no way for him to go to another world, so helping it physically was out of the question. Therefore, he must help mentally.

Gojira’s thoughts began to spin. How could he help someone that way? He was not like Mosura. Perhaps her healing could have saved the other him from being frozen, but he possessed no such ability.

He wished he could reach out, and speak to the other him. Wait. They had to possess a bond now. How else would Gojira be seeing its memories?

He looked deep within his mind, focusing on the memories he had been seeing as dreams. There he found a faint voice.

Nothing left of me

No one knows

Gojira listened intently, opening his mind to the song.

All but one

Is there hope?

He reached out, trying to reply to the voice.

There is hope. I am here.

The singing paused.

You… can hear me?

Yes. I can.

I want to live, I want to die, I want to live, I want to die…

There’s so much pain…

…

You have to live. We all have to live.

Can you… help me?

Please…

…

Yes. I will.

Gojira suddenly felt a fierce surge of pain in his mind. His vision began to fade.

Thank… you…

And with that, Gojira fell into the dark void of unconsciousness.

Inside her egg, Mosura mused quietly on the recent events.

Gojira had found her, and taken her away, to an island which she found to be quite nice. She found his abduction of her somewhat amusing, but it also saddened her that he evidently did not trust the humans who had been watching over her.

At the very least, her Shobijin had stayed with her, and from what she felt over their bond, she was intent on staying with her, on trying to help and support her no matter what happened.

However, Mosura found herself wishing for that support now. The strange presence she had felt within Gojira’s mind was only growing, its desperation and pleas for help resounding over their bond. Its growth left terror in Gojira’s mind, and she found herself feeling fearful for her love. His running away had brought sorrow to her heart, as she understood he was only doing so because he was scared.

She reached out to the back of her mind, over the bond with Gojira, and took in his feelings. The strange presence echoed, letting out a plaintive cry for help. And Gojira… he was resolute, as though he were making a promise. She could feel him as a spark of blue, reaching out and connecting – and then the spark dimmed.

With a rising sense of horror, Mosura felt as the strange presence moved to the forefront of Gojira’s mind, overtaking the blue spark with its own violet hue. What was going on?

She thought through the possibilities, but one thing was rapidly growing clear.

It was time for her rebirth. She was needed.

Ling slept peacefully underneath her shelter, curled up on a blanket she had brought with her.

She woke as a soft, glowing light reached her eyelids. Blinking, her consciousness slowly returned from the dark depths of sleep. She took in what she was seeing, and then shot awake, rapidly getting to her feet.

Mothra’s egg had begun to glow, the blue-green light dancing across the sands, outshining the distant light of the sun below the eastern horizon.

There was also a feeling, deep within her heart, of anticipation and of welcoming an old friend.

Ling gulped, then began scrambling around, setting up the camera and recording equipment before rapidly moving to take her position in front of the egg.

She kneeled down, grasping her hands in a position of prayer, and begin to sing a song she knew by heart, passed down from her ancestors.

“Mosura ya Mosura,”

The glow intensified, its dance quickening. Light flashed over Ling’s face.

“Dengan kisaktian hidupmu,”

A faint crack resounded, a shaft of brighter light emerging from the egg. Ling watched in awe, as she continued her song.

“Restuilah doa hamba-hambamu yang rendah,”

A leg emerged from the crack in the egg, barely visible through the brightness.

“Bangunlah dan tunjukkanlah kesaktianmu,”

The egg’s shell began to break apart, the mystic glow outshining even the brightest stars.

“Mosura ya Mosura,”

Another leg emerged. Ling wondered, dimly, if the hastily set-up equipment was working, before deciding that it did not matter.

“Dengan hidupmu yang gemilang,”

Mothra climbed out of the egg’s shell, breaking free with a burst of light.

“Lindungilah kami dan jadilah pelindung perdamaian,”

The larva took a few shy steps forward, before letting out a loud trill. The sound echoed in Ling’s ears, as she continued her song.

“Mosura ya Mosura,”

Mothra looked down upon her silently.

“Perdamaian adalah hanya jadian yang tinggal bagi kami,”

“Yang dapat membawa kami ke kemakmuran yang abadi.”

Ling paused, letting the last note of the song linger in her throat, and reached into her bond with Mothra.

She felt a strong sense of adoration and appreciation wash over her. Little one, that was marvelous, Mothra said. Thank you.

Ling let out a gasp. She had been expecting it, but that did not make hearing Mothra’s voice any less awe-inspiring. And thank you, Mothra, for sharing your beauty with me.

A small flash of amusement rang over their bond. Ling smiled, unsure what to say or even think next. Mothra’s presence had awoken a sense of hope deep within her, a knowledge that everything would be alright, no matter what.

She needed that hope, craved it, even. For now Monarch was on the edge of disaster, Godzilla’s nightmares rapidly growing worse with an unknown cause.

Do not worry, little one, Mothra’s voice reassured her, although Ling now felt a wave of concern. I must thank you, for remaining by my side through these tribulations.

Mothra, Ling began. I must ask a question of you.

Go ahead, my dear.

What do you know about Godzilla’s nightmares?

There was silence for a moment before Mothra responded. I do not know what Goji sees in his dreams, she began. But I do know of a strange presence within his mind. It is… odd. It wants help, and wishes for death.

Ling blinked. A strange presence, within Godzilla’s mind? She was unsure how to connect that with the nightmares, but it was a valuable data point.

Mothra let out a trill, before her larval body turned and began to move towards the waterfall. I’m afraid I must take my leave, little one, she said. The presence has grown stronger. There is no time to waste. I must enter my cocoon now.

Thank you for everything, Ling said. I will watch over you.

I must express my gratitude at your unending loyalty, Mothra said, letting her appreciation wash over Ling, who felt a faint blush rise to her cheeks. Now, it is time. I will meet you again, when I am fully reborn.

And with that, Mothra’s form disappeared behind the waterfall. Ling watched her glowing light as it shone through the water, before she pulled herself free from the bond.

She knelt there for a few minutes, as she processed their conversation. Then she got up, walking over to her shelter. She turned the equipment so that it could observe Mothra as she cocooned, and then took out her phone.

As she picked it up, a call came in from her sister, Ilene. Smiling, she answered the call.

Mark stepped out of the elevator, yawning as he walked down the hallway into the control room.

He had left Madison studying alone in her room. It seemed as though she understood the worst of the math problems now, so he was confident that she could manage the rest of them without him.

He noticed Ilene standing in the corner of a bend in the hallway, phone pressed to her ear. She was whispering, too quietly for Mark to make out any words. He raised an eyebrow as he walked by, and she nervously watched him as he passed by.

Knowing it was probably Ling on the other end, he resolved to ask her about it later. It made no sense to eavesdrop when she would probably tell the team about it soon enough.

When he reached the control room, he was surprised to find a group clustered around the large screen, talking in excited voices. He joined them, walking up next to Guillerman and Sam. “What’s going on here?” he asked.

“Look,” Guillerman said, turning back to the screen.

Mark looked. The screen was playing audioless footage of… was that Mothra’s egg? As Mark watched, brightness swamped the camera, dissipating to reveal a giant larva. Oh. So this was why Ilene was calling Ling. Mothra had returned.

“This is footage from about fifteen minutes ago,”  Sam said. “It just finished uploading to our servers.”

Mark nodded, watching as the larva appeared to stare down at a figure below it – was that Dr. Ling? It must be. They locked eyes for several minutes, before the larva turned away, moving towards a waterfall in the background. “She’s going to cocoon already?”

Guillerman nodded. “It seems so.”

 “Uhh, guys?” Rick shouted, catching the attention of everyone in the room. “Godzilla is awake.”

Mark glanced at the global Titan display. Godzilla’s marker had just appeared outside what they knew to be the location of his lair. He immediately moved to Rick’s work station, peering over at the screen. “His bioacoustics…”

The anomaly had overtaken Godzilla’s normal bioacoustics, which were now quite faint, dimmed as though he were asleep. “Do we have any live footage of Godzilla?” Mark asked, a bad feeling in his gut. Ilene walked back into the room, joining him at Rick’s work station.

“We’re working on acquiring footage now,” Sam said. “I’ll order the submarine outside his lair to follow him.”

Mark nodded, and turned back to Rick. “What do you think is going on?”

“I think he had another nightmare, but beyond that, I can’t say.” Rick let out a sigh. “According to his normal bioacoustics, he should be asleep, but he’s obviously not. Unless he’s sleepwalking.”

“And the anomalous readings?” Mark asked.

“I don’t know for certain,” Rick said. “But this is… different, from before. If it were a separate creature from Godzilla, I’d say it was feeling excited, as opposed to sad or terrified.”

“Where is he going now?” Ilene asked, quietly.

Rick changed windows on his computer, typing rapidly on the keyboard. After a moment, the forecasted course of Godzilla was displayed on the large screen.

“Tokyo?” Mark asked, with a hint of surprise. He turned to Ilene, who had followed him over to the large screen, and wore a look of concern on her face. “Ilene,” he began. “You said that Mothra only hatches in times of great need.”

“Indeed,” Ilene responded. “I believe the situation has escalated enough for her to respond.”

“You’re sure of this?” Guillerman asked.

Ilene nodded. Then Sam called out, “We have live footage of Godzilla,” and the screen switched.

It showed an underwater view of Godzilla, who appeared as a dark mass swimming by, details obscured by the water. His tail swished through the water behind him. Mark studied him for several moments. “So he’s definitely awake, not sleepwalking or anything odd,” Mark observed. Then he noticed a flash of color from Godzilla’s dorsal spines. “Wait.” There was another flash. “Isn’t he supposed to be glowing blue, not purple?”

Beside him, Ilene drew in a breath. “Something is… wrong,” she said, seeming to bite back her words.

“We’ve only seen that when he was asleep, during his nightmares,” Rick stated. “Why would it be appearing when he is awake?”

“… Dr. Russell,” Guillerman spoke up. Mark turned to face the director. “Would you say that the situation has escalated?”

Mark glanced around the room. Rick and Sam were pensive, and Ilene wore a look of horror, as though she knew something bad was going to happen. He took a deep breath. “Yes,” he answered.

“And how shall we deal with it?” Guillerman pressed.

Mark shook his head, taking stock of the situation. Godzilla had been showing physiological and behavioral changes, and now it seemed… he did not know what it seemed like now. They could only speculate on what the fifth nightmare had done to him.

And now he was headed towards Tokyo. A memory stirred, of when Godzilla was about to make landfall in Pensacola. And back then, they had not noticed anything off about him until after he had attacked the city. But now… “Tokyo needs to be evacuated,” Mark declared.

Ilene, Rick, Sam, and Guillerman all turned to stare at him. “Why?” Guillerman asked.

“He behaved the last two times he was there,” Rick pointed out.

“That may be true,” Mark began. “But this… this is reminding me too much of Pensacola.”

Guillerman nodded slowly, then turned to Sam. “Get the word out to the Japanese government,” he ordered. Sam nodded, and got to work.

The room fell into an uneasy silence, as the minutes went by. Now that the evacuation order had been called, there was nothing left to do except wait and see. Mark, meanwhile, thought over everything. He hoped desperately that he was wrong, but he feared that Godzilla was about to rampage.

 He glanced around, finding Colonel Foster, who walked up to Guillerman and whispered a question in his ear, glancing at Mark. With an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach, he walked over to the pair as Guillerman nodded. “What’s going on here?” he asked.

Both of them turned to look at him, bemused expressions on their faces. “We were wondering if we should use the Argo, to take Madison to Godzilla,” they said.

Ah. So it was exactly what he thought. He sighed, wanting to argue. “I don’t think that’s wise,” he said. “There’s unknown variables here.”

Foster blinked at him. “We agreed during the meeting that –”

“Over my harsh objections,” Mark pointed out. “And right now, I object to sending Maddie out. We don’t know what’s going on here. For all we know, Godzilla could do nothing, or he could be mind-controlled. If we send her out, we might just be putting her into danger.”

Foster sighed. “You do have a point,” she conceded, and walked away.

Guillerman nodded, looking strangely at Mark, and then turned to Sam. “How’s the evacuation going?”

Sam let out a groan. “Not well,” he said. “It’s nighttime in Tokyo. So almost no one is there to answer the phones, and the few that I’m getting don’t seem to take me seriously, or say they can’t evacuate a city that large."

Mark sighed. “Can we narrow down where in Tokyo he’s going to land?”

“We can’t know that until he’s a lot closer,” Sam said, shaking his head.

Mark groaned. Curse the bureaucracy.

The minutes of waiting stretched into hours. People went in and out of the room, chattering about Godzilla’s upcoming landfall in Tokyo and tossing theories about what his strange bioacoustics and the purple glow meant.

Mark found himself standing next to Ilene, who seemed to be struggling to find something to do. The researcher was texting, presumably to her sister. “Ilene. How are you doing?”

Startled, she turned to look at him. “I’m doing fine,” she said. Then let out a sigh. “Just… worried, I suppose.”

“About Godzilla?” Mark asked, a note of concern entering his voice.

She nodded. “I… Ling and I. We have some… theories, that we decided to keep to ourselves, since we have no evidence.” She looked up at the global Titan display, glancing at Godzilla’s marker before her eyes came to rest on Mothra’s.

“What do you think is going on?” Mark pressed, partly curious but also somewhat frustrated. Why were the Chens keeping valuable information to themselves?

“I… I need a moment, to figure out how to explain,” Ilene began. She paused, closing her eyes as she thought. “… The anomaly, in Godzilla’s bioacoustics. We’ve always thought that it’s as if came from another creature, except we’re quite certain that it’s coming from Godzilla.”

“And?” Mark asked, intrigued.

“What if it is another creature?” Ilene suggested, quietly. “Something else, within Godzilla?”

“What, like some kind of parasite?”

“No,” she said. She took a moment, seeming to carefully consider her next words. “Something within his mind. Psychic, like Mothra.”

Mark blinked, then blinked again. “But how would that even work?”

“We don’t know,” Ilene admitted. She looked as though she were under pressure. “That’s why we didn’t share it with everyone.”

Mark nodded, thinking through the idea. Another creature, within Godzilla’s mind? That had its own set of bioacoustics? The very concept was absurd. But if he explored it, and noted how the anomalous set of bioacoustics were currently more intense than Godzilla’s normal bioacoustics…

He drew in a sharp gasp. “You’re thinking that whatever this is, it could be possessing Godzilla, right now?” he whispered, tersely.

Ilene hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I didn’t realize, but… yes.”

Mark stared at her for a moment, then turned away, walking over to Rick’s work station with Ilene following him. “Rick,” he began. “What are Godzilla’s bioacoustics doing right now?”

Rick turned to him with raised eyebrows. “His normal bioacoustics are still behaving as though he were asleep,” he said. “But the anomaly… from this graph, it looks like it’s started trilling.” With a few clicks, he put the frequency on audio.

Mark listened to the odd noise. It vibrated against his eardrums, as he wrapped his head around the sound. The cadence of an alpha call was in there, but quite weak. Still, it was enough to inspire his feelings. The trilling sound, for that was what it was, brought a feeling of joy to him. He knew, rationally, that it was probably a bad sign.

Ilene, next to him, looked torn between joy and fear. She turned to Mark, hand brushing against his. “It’s happy, Mark.”

Rick glanced between the two of them. “I don’t know why Godzilla would be happy when he’s just woken up from a nightmare,” he said. “Makes no sense.”

The creature swam through the ocean, water parting to make room for its body. Or rather, the body it seemed to have taken over.

It truly was not sure what to make of the situation. After Gojira had promised to help it, his presence had fallen backwards, and they had blacked out. Then it had woken up, realizing very quickly that it was seeing through Gojira’s eyes. That came as a surprise.

But it also felt…wonderful. There was no pain.

It had never truly realized how painful its existence was until now. It could no longer feel the pain from its own frozen body, and it considered that to be a blessing. Gojira’s body had offered it relief from its perpetual pain.

It checked itself over, noting the changes that Gojira had seen in his body. It knew of the changes already, having seen them through Gojira’s mind, but it was still surprised to discover how similar this body had become to his own. And yet, despite the changes, it was still dissimilar. It could feel the burning fire of Gojira’s energy, except it did not hurt. There were scars, but there were no open wounds seared across the skin.

A strange excitement had taken over, leading it to leave Gojira’s lair and go out for a swim. It did not know how long this situation would last, nor what had happened to Gojira, but it wished to enjoy existing without pain for as long as it could.

It had chosen to follow its instincts, leading it in the direction of the humans’ city, Tokyo. It knew this was where…  everything had happened, in its own world. Perhaps that was why it was drawn there.

As it cut through the waves, it began to let out a low, indistinct trill, the sound reverberating throughout the sea. It felt joyous, having finally been freed from its pain. Being alive had never felt so amazing, and some part of it wanted the world to know, to share in its sheer joy.

It could no longer understand why it had wished for death. That was something it could thank Gojira for, whenever his presence returned.

Is he going to return?

It shook away the thought. He had to return.

Eventually, the depth of the water began to decrease, forcing it to swim closer to the surface. As its head broke through the waves, it could see Tokyo Bay. The night had cast the bay into darkness, but the city lights swamped the area, reflecting off the water. Some part of it found the display beautiful.

It looked around, eyes resting briefly on a boat drifting alone in the bay, with no lights on it at all. The boat reminded it of something, making it feel a pang of heartbreak.

Why do I feel this way? I don’t know…

Turning away, it looked toward the city. The bright, colorful lights edging the buildings showed that some of them were tall, almost as tall if not taller than itself. It felt curious. How could the humans be capable of something like this?

It wanted to venture onto land, and explore the city. It scanned the area, eyes resting on a beach in a less well-lit part of the city. That would do.

It trudged ashore, a fierce wave of displaced water crashing down onto the beach, and then continued into the neighborhood, heading towards the center of the city.

Screams issued from the fleeing humans below it, as it stomped on trees and small buildings that were in its way. It did not how to feel about them. They were frightening, and it recalled how they had hurt itself and Gojira too.

But that fear could not overcome its joy.

Mark stared at the video feed. Godzilla, spines still pulsating in an unfamiliar violet, was moving through the suburbs of Tokyo.

He squinted, as the Titan brought his foot down upon an unfortunate house, crushing it into pieces. Something about Godzilla’s movements was off. With a slight shudder, Mark recalled Ilene’s theory. Was this the possessor that he was watching now?

Sam’s voice rang out across the room. “The Japanese government has started evacuating in Kawakura, where Godzilla is now, and the nearby districts.”

“Good,” Guillerman said, from behind Mark.

Mark turned to the Titan course projection, which was zoomed in on Tokyo. Godzilla’s predicted course had him arriving in downtown Tokyo soon. “They need to evacuate central Tokyo, too.”

Sam sighed. “Unfortunately, they’re acting reluctant to do so. I don’t know why.”

“Send them a course projection map,” Guillerman ordered.

A few minutes went by. Mark was joined by Colonel Foster. The pair glanced between the video feed and the course projection screen. After a moment, Foster spoke up, voice echoing across the control room. “I’m taking Maddie to Tokyo.”

“What?” Mark exclaimed, caught off guard. They could not send his daughter into the proximity of whatever this thing possessing Godzilla was.

“You think he’s going to start rampaging, right?” Foster asked, turning to him.

“Well, yes, but –” Mark stopped. How could he reasonably explain Ilene’s theory? It sounded downright insane.

“Dr. Russell,” Guillerman began. “This was the plan we agreed upon, yes?”

Mark paused, as the room began to stare at him. A few recent memories, conversations and sights, crossed his mind. Madison would never stop running into danger. He had to support her in that. And… he had seen that she and Godzilla could be in close contact with each other without her getting hurt.

He knew it was not Godzilla this time, but… it was so hard to believe. And Godzilla’s bioacoustics were faint, not absent.

“Yes,” Mark conceded, looking down at the floor. Then he glanced at the course projection screen. “You… you should get going now.”

Foster nodded. “Thank you,” she said, turning on her heel to step out of the room. G-Team followed after her, alongside the other Argo crewmen who were gathered in the control room.

In their absence, Mark stood off to one side. He ran a hand through his short hair. When had being a father become so difficult?

The lights – neon lights – were indeed quite beautiful.

It had reached the inner areas of the city. The buildings now almost reached its shoulders, as it walked forward, tail sweeping out behind it.

Unfortunately, it could feel faint, tingling sensations along its spine. It knew what the cause was, of course. A few flying metal objects – helicopters – had begun to follow it on its little journey, and much like the drones that had attacked it before, in its own world, it could feel their presence.

None of them seemed to be attacking it. They were just… watching, with cameras recording and sending the information to other humans, far away.

How exactly do I know what those are? Or that they are in these helicopters?

It shook its head, ever so slightly. It needed to figure out why it knew things, but now was not the time.

From its tail, it could see the double triangle symbol on one side of a particular helicopter, flying relatively close behind it. So those were the helpful humans that Gojira knew of.

As it took in the other helicopters, a twinge of fear threaded its way into its mind. It could remember the humans’ attacks. Even if this was a different world, they were still dangerous.

And yet, on some level, Gojira cared about the little humans. It knew that from the way he thought about them, from the way he acted towards Maddie and also Ling. He would not approve if it attacked them. 

But then it remembered. Falling bombs, diving into its back and exploding, sending a wave of blood pouring of its back. The flurry of drones, used to distract it and drain its fire before those needles were used to freeze it. The humans’ airborne objects had made it bleed and burn.

With those memories, how could it be certain that these helicopters were not there to harm it?

And… it could not let any harm come to it now. Not while it was in Gojira’s body. He had  promised to help it, so it had to protect his body.

It was clear what it had to do, then.

A violet glow began to rise within it, starting in the base of the tail and creeping upwards into the spines along its back.

Madison sat strapped into her chair on the fast-moving Argo, eyes locked on the screens in front of her. Castle Bravo’s control room was on video call, and a video feed of Godzilla was pulled up alongside it.

The conversation inside Castle Bravo’s control room halted as a purple light began to glow from the video feed. Godzilla was charging his atomic breath, the light outshining the neon lights of Tokyo as it crept up along his back.

And then there was an explosion of light, and the feed went dark, replaced by a NO SIGNAL message.

Madison stared at the screens in shock, as gasps of surprise echoed in the Argo and sound began to flood in from Castle Bravo.

“W-We’ve lost the helicopter!”

What had just happened?

“Pull up the secondary video feed – find footage from people on the ground –"

“The Japanese government is speeding up the evacuation!” Sam’s voice called out.

“Did he just attack us?”

“No, he wasn’t even facing towards us –"

“Uhh, guys, now is probably not the time, but Rodan has just turned towards Tokyo –”

“Maddie!” Mark shouted, cutting of Rick as he ran up to the camera. “Argo, this is Dr. Russell, you need to turn around –”

“No,” Madison declared.

“Maddie, Godzilla just attacked humans unprovoked,” her father stressed.

“And that’s why I have to go to him,” Madison fired back. “I have to make him stop.”

Foster appeared beside her. “Mark. I know you don’t like this, but we don’t have any other way to stop Godzilla from rampaging – uh…”

Mark had turned away from the camera. “What?!” he shouted.

“What should we do?” Sam’s voice asked.

There was a short pause, before Mark spoke. “Let them carry on. They have every right to defend themselves from this.”

“What’s going on?” Madison asked.

Mark turned back towards the camera, looking somewhat startled. “The JSDF and American military are mobilizing.”

“What? No!” Madison called out.

Mark let out a sigh. “What choice do they have, Maddie?”

“B-But…” she stammered, not finding a response.

She had never actually considered what it would be like if Godzilla went on a rampage.

As the light dissipated, it paused, stopping to look around. The helicopters’ wreckage lay on the ground some distance away.

The area behind it, having been blasted by the shafts of light from its back, lay in ruins. Buildings had collapsed as the light cut through them, falling into piles of rubble and catching fire. Now the smoke from the flames rose up, blocking the carnage from view.

It felt a twinge of regret. This Tokyo now resembled the one it knew so well.

And whose fault was that?

There was a series of sharp stings near its head. Gunfire. That represented a threat.

It shook its head, and turned to find the source, before letting out a shaft of light from its mouth. In the distance, a plane caught fire and tumbled out of the sky.

It spent the next few minutes watching and waiting, using its tail to scan the area in all directions. There must be more of them, preparing to attack it and make it burn –

A second set of stings burned the scales around its head. That hurt, ever so slightly.

It promptly eliminated the source with another blast from its mouth. But it did not get a moment of respite, as it quickly detected a group of objects – fighter jets – approaching from behind.

Was that round of gunfire a decoy? it wondered, as it let light shine out from its spines, destroying the jets – and there was something else, too, falling towards it from above only to be obliterated by its beams –

Those were bombs, it realized, as the wreckage fell from the sky around it. They’re intending to hurt me – hurt Gojira – just like back then…

It was drawn out of its thoughts as another round of gunfire stung its head.

The gunfire and jets and bombs kept coming towards it, only to be destroyed by its light.

It was surviving. But it knew the attacks were getting worse, from the spikes of pain that came with each impact. The humans were using stronger and stronger weaponry, and their attacks came faster and faster. Eventually, they would try something more inventive, like their plan to freeze it. It also knew that, had it been in its own body, its fire would be exhausted already.

I can’t let this fight continue any longer, it realized. If I retreat, then maybe… And so it turned towards the ocean, and began to walk.

Unfortunately, the attacks did not stop. Why? it wondered, wearily.

Something in the sky caught its eye. There was a spark of orange light, hovering above the faint blue glow of dawn on the eastern horizon. Oh. Rodan.

Its moment of distraction left it unable to fend off the next attack. A series of bombs landed on its neck, burying themselves in its gills and bursting. It let out a cry of pain, as blood poured from the wound, before it stitched itself back together. Screams were heard from below.

No. That was just like… no. Can’t think about that now. They’re trying to hurt me – and Gojira too… I can’t let this stand.  

It turned towards the source, splitting its jaw open to fire another shaft of light upwards into the heavens. The bombers fell from the sky in flames. Then it turned, aiming at a dark shape it had seen above the eastern horizon, approaching it quickly. Its beam swept out across the city, cutting through a swath of buildings, before crashing into the dark shape, which broke into two.

Then it let light pour out from its back, destroying the flurry of small drones that had appeared behind it – wait…

A bomb exploded in its chest, a wave of blood gushing out. It let out a scream.

No no no no –

It breathed out another stream of light towards the source, feeling an odd sort of pleasure as it began to descend in a ball of fire.

Then its fire began to ebb. It tried to move, but found itself unable to, as another barrage of bombs fell from above. It let out a scream as they impacted its back, and began to stumble.

It collapsed, exhaustion tugging at its eyes. No… no!

Letting its senses guide it towards the source of the attack, it let light pour from its spines one last time.

As its consciousness faded, it caught one last view of the burning city, the devastation laid bare for it to see. Smoke rose towards the sky in great clouds, and the neon lights that it had found so beautiful were nowhere to be seen.

I’m sorry, Gojira…

Chapter Text

Ling Chen sat on the sand inside her small shelter, listening intently to the news reports being broadcasted from Tokyo and Monarch.

“– Godzilla is downed, I repeat, Godzilla is downed –”

“– bioacoustics intensity is dropping, he’s unconscious –”  

She tapped the power button.

The researcher rubbed her eyes. Sunshine streamed into the shelter and illuminated her tired face. She had not slept since Mothra had cocooned. While she had tried, it had become pointless once her sister Ilene had called, warning her that Godzilla might be possessed.

That was now hours ago. Godzilla, or whatever was possessing him, had gone to Tokyo, and put up a fight against the military. The battle had been fierce, and the city now lay in ruins.

While Monarch had predicted Godzilla would rampage, it still came as a shock.

Ling’s eyes drifted to Mothra’s cocoon. Why had she not hatched sooner?

Wait a second…

The light behind the waterfall was brighter, now.

Ling quickly stood up, set a few cameras to start recording, and exited the shelter. She took shaky steps towards the waterfall. My Queen, she called out, hestitantly. Is it time?

The glow surged, and Ling found herself having to squint. Yes, little one, a voice rang within her mind, regal and powerful. It is time.

The sheet of falling water began to part, a crack letting through a brilliance that rivaled the sun in its intensity. Then it broke open, the cascade bending upwards as wings spread from beneath the water, pushing it aside. The sunlight caught the spray of water, sparkling off the many droplets in the air. Mothra, now fully unveiled, let out an enthusiastic cry, the sound echoing.

Ling watched in awe, only dimly recognizing it when Mothra gestured to her with a forelimb. Well then, the Titan began. Shall we go to my King?

She jolted to attention. Yes, my Queen, she answered.

Mothra flew, or rather hopped, over to the space besides Ling, and tilted her body so that the side closest to Ling was next to the ground.

Ling,  realizing what the Titan meant for her to do, paused. “Hold on.” She rushed back into her shelter, hastily grabbing a duffel bag, her satellite phone, and a notebook and pen. Then she returned, and scrambled up onto Mothra’s back, bag slung over her shoulder.

After Ling had gotten herself settled, Mothra gently leapt into the air, and circled into the sky above the island. Look, she ordered. This world is beautiful.

Ling took in the view of the now-distant waterfall, shining under the sunlight. It truly is.

Mothra let out a chirp, then sped up, heading away from the island. From the position of the sun, Ling knew they were heading northwest. Towards Tokyo.

The Queen’s grace was admirable. Ling felt comfortable, and there was no jostling. She could barely feel the effects of turbulence.

She supposed she should tell Monarch about this, but decided that, since they would have seen her departure on the cameras, it could wait.

However, her thoughts strayed to her sister. Ilene was totally missing out on this.

Mark Russell anxiously fidgeted in his seat aboard the Osprey. Across from him, he saw Ilene staring at the cockpit, presumably trying to look out of its windows.

They were headed to Tokyo, or what remained of it after Godzilla’s inexplicable attack.

Mark sighed, and buried his head in his hands, for the dozenth time in the past hour. The Titan had just about destroyed the largest city on Earth. After all the years of him only attacking when he had a reason, he had finally snapped.

Part of his mind tried to reason, that he knew from Ilene that this was not Godzilla, but after his daughter – no, can’t think about that. He shook his head, chasing the thought away.

He knew the destruction in Tokyo must be horrific, even though he had yet to see any clear photography of the ruins. It was only dawn in the city when Godzilla went down, and the sun was just rising when he managed to break away from the control room. Ilene had joined him just when he was about to take off, with a muttered explanation about Mothra and her sister.

Mark had known Godzilla would do this, had known for years. It was only a matter of time, and now the hourglass had run down. Yet he could not bring himself to feel proud or triumphant in his belief. Instead, a sickening sense of cold dread clung to him. He had never wanted his belief to come true.

His thoughts drifted back to the control room, in the midst of the attack. A call had come in from the American military. They were asking permission to fire an Oxygen Destroyer.

Ilene and Rick had been the strongest objectors. They called out that the superweapon was disturbingly similar to a nuclear warhead, and that they were planning to use it on Japan of all places. They also pointed out that Tokyo had not been properly evacuated, and the massive ecological damage suffered by Isla de Mara.

Mark seriously considered approving its use. Now, he wished he had said yes.

The Argo had been shot down. The Argo, with his beloved daughter aboard. The video transmission was still playing after it had been struck by a ray of purple atomic breath. Madison was screaming in terror, as the aircraft tumbled from the sky and down, down, down until it crashed, violently cutting the transmission.

He closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. They had tracked the Argo’s remains to the edge of Tokyo Bay. There was a chance Madison was alive, but no relief effort had made it there yet. Everyone who had been aboard was now presumed missing.

Madison might be dead. His daughter. The last remaining member of his beloved family. He could feel the cold fear gripping his heart.

If he had just authorized the use of the Oxygen Destroyer, she might not be dead –

Mark began to cry, the tears welling up in his eyes as he let out a low sob.

He saw Ilene reaching out a hand to comfort him, and he slapped it away. She drew back, a conflicted look on her face.

Wiping his eyes, he turned to stare out of the windows in the cockpit.

The world was now in a state of panic. He could only theorize what the Internet would be saying about this. Would they be saying that Monarch failed? Would they be wishing that Mechagodzilla had killed Godzilla two months ago?

Mark remembered the look of desperation on Sam’s face. The poor man had been scrambling for answers that he could give to the governments of the world. They both knew it was fruitless.

Monarch could not provide any answers when they had no idea what had happened to Godzilla. The Titan had clearly changed, both in behavior and physical traits, given the reports of him firing atomic breath from his dorsal spines and tail. And yet, despite it being foretold through half a dozen nightmares and odd bioacoustics, they had no idea how or why.

The price of their failure was damage and destruction as bad as Hong Kong, if not worse. And it was not even over yet. Godzilla was out cold, but he would eventually reawaken, and now Rodan was circling him protectively.

Mothra was also flying towards Tokyo now. With Ling accompanying her, according to the camera footage, which was why Ilene was here now.

He had to wonder whether Mothra was going there to help Godzilla, or to fight him. He did not know which outcome would be worse. If Mothra fought Godzilla and Rodan, she would most likely lose.

But if she tried to help them, then… what would she do? Would she help Godzilla cause even more destruction, or would she put an end to it? Convince him to leave, without causing any more damage?

The latter option awakened a tiny flame of hope within his heart. He needed something to cling to, something to believe as his world shattered for the third time, as Madison lay dead –

Mark let out another sob, and let his head fall back into his hands.

Gojira’s consciousness returned slowly.

He tried to open his eyes, except they were… slow to respond. No, he could tell they were responding, but something was stopping him from opening them. It was as though they were sealed shut.

Then the pain hit him. It was a freezing, burning pain, oh did it hurt –

With an act of will, he wrenched his eyes open.

Gojira took in the sight before him. A coastline, and a stretch of water lit by the moon. This… this wasn’t where I –

His last memories from before he fell unconscious began to return.

This pain, this is just like that last nightmare –

“Can you… help me?”

This… this was…

This was not his own body.

Mind reeling in shock and pain, he tried to thrash about, and found himself unable to. He recalled, grudgingly, that the other him had been painfully frozen by whatever the humans had injected into his blood.

If he could not move, how was he supposed to help? He wracked his brain for answers. Perhaps…

He began to charge his fire, pain lancing through him as the energy welled up within his chest and tail. His tail felt… off, but he could not pinpoint why through the sheer pain.

As the energy rose into his spines, and then his mouth, he spotted something small, rising out of the ocean and soaring towards him –

He let out a stream of fire, blue in color as it connected with the object.

And with a burst of sound, everything went white.

Pain overwhelmed him. It burned fiercely, hotter than his fire, and yet he could feel energy seeping into him, but was there anything left to feel –

After what felt like an eternity, the pain shifted. It was now the familiar pain of his body rapidly regenerating, but it had never felt it this bad before. The energy he felt now rushed into every corner of his body, but it was too much. Way, way too much. He was overcharged.

As the light began to fade, he slowly got to his feet. He could see nothing but the blinding brightness of the light and the blackened, charred remnants of the city below him.

He let the overflowing energy surge outwards in a pulse, followed by another, and another, until he began to feel exhausted, his eyelids heavy.

With a clear view of the sea of glass, dust, and rubble surrounding him, he let himself slump forward, and collapsed, letting his eyes close.

I hope… this is enough…

Madison let out a quiet cry of pain.

She was trapped underneath the wreckage. Wreckage of what? She tried to recall.

Pain wracked her body. From the pounding pain in the back of her head, to the sharp, blinding pain in her crushed arm and back. The pain was too intense for her to know if she could feel her legs at all. She could not move, could hardly strain her body to see the condition she was in.

Letting out a quiet sob, she began to think, in fits and bursts. Rationally, she knew this was bad. And there was no one around to help. What was she to do? Or was this the end of the line?

Madison glanced up at the rising sun, then winced, squinting her eyes shut. That was too bright. But it was beautiful…

Did it truly matter if this was where she died?

It does matter…, she thought, as she passed out, slipping into the dark void of unconsciousness.

She could feel herself floating, with nothing but darkness and pain to accompany her.

Little one, can you hear me?

The voice awakened her thoughts.

Y-Yes… Wait… I recognize you, from Boston… please…

I understand, little one… I shall heal you.

Madison could dimly feel the sudden absence of the weight that she was pinned under. Then she felt a light spreading through her body. Her pain was soothed, and she could feel as her bones were mended, and her wounds closed.

Slowly, she began to open her eyes, letting the world come into focus. Blue-green light, sunlight. And a blurry face, peering down at her. After a moment, she recognized the face. “Ling…? Wazz goin’ on…?”

Then her view came into focus, and she could see Mothra’s face, peering down at her. Oh… she realized, letting out a quiet gasp.

“Maddie! You’re awake!” Ling exclaimed. She hesitated for a moment, eyes scanning Madison’s body, then pulled her into a gentle hug.

Madison could feel a few tears fall from her eyes. “I-I’m alright…”

Then she glanced around, her memory finally coming back to her. “Where’s… where’s G-Team?” she asked, concern rising within her.

“I don’t know,” Ling replied, a pained look on her face as she let go of Madison. “Maddie… they might be…”

Your friends, I presume?

Madison startled, then stared at Mothra in surprise, as the Titan’s voice echoed within her mind. She could hear Mothra, wow – “Yes… please, heal them too!” she begged, letting her desperation color her words.

Mothra nodded at her, then took off. Madison watched as she flew to a higher point on the wreckage, and the glow surrounding her brightened. There are several I cannot heal, little one. I am sorry.

“I-I understand,” Madison said. She knew what Mothra meant. There were casualties. Of course there would be. She shuddered. Several could mean everyone on G-Team was dead. All because they had to bring her to Tokyo. It’s my fault…

After a few moments, Mothra flew back over. They are healed now.

“T-Thank you,” Madison and Ling stammered out.

Now then, come with me. Mothra leaned over to one side. I need to speak with my King.

Godzilla? Right, he was in Tokyo before the crash…

“Hey,” Ling spoke. “Come with us.” She then climbed onto Mothra’s back, as Madison watched in awe.

Then it was her turn. Madison carefully scrambled onto Mothra’s back, trying to copy what Ling had done. Ling held out a hand and she took it, letting herself be pulled up and into position.

Mothra let out a low trill, then gently leapt into the air.

As Madison clung on for dear life, she took in the view from above. She could see the sun, now much higher in the sky, its light reflecting off the waves of Tokyo Bay.

Then she looked the other way. Tokyo’s wreckage greeted her, the rubble stretching as far as she could see, the few surviving buildings still burning. Plumes of smoke rose into the air. She was distantly reminded of Hong Kong.

She spotted Godzilla’s still form lying on the shoreline. Godzilla… why did you do this?

Gojira drifted in a dark void, contemplating nothing.

He could feel another presence there, beside him, both familiar and unfamiliar. It was similar to his own, and yet, different.

Wake up, my King…

Gojira’s mind stirred, and so did the presence. He felt the reassuring light of his queen.

Could it be…?

Slowly, he opened his eyes, blinking away the sudden brightness. Once it cleared, he saw the face of Mosura, his beloved queen.

His body was sore. His jaw felt as though it had been split in half, his spines burned, and his tail felt odd. Wait, my body…?

Am I dreaming?

“Mosura, are you really here…?”

“Yes, my King,” she trilled happily, leaning in to nuzzle him affectionately.

Gojira hesitated for a moment, then happily nuzzled Mosura back. Wait, no, she’ll think I’m – He pulled back abruptly, reminded of his self-horror.

As he recoiled, his vision finally came into focus. Then he tensed up. Rodan was sitting behind Mosura, staring at him awkwardly. Beyond them, he saw the rubble of a human city. Where…?

Gojira turned his head, taking in his surroundings. This looked… different from the sea of dust and glass he had last seen, before falling unconscious. And it did not look like the city where he fought the fake, nor where he had fought the Golden One or the parasites. But the shape of the shoreline was familiar. Is this… Tokyo?

Finally, his eyes fell upon a pair of humans, huddled together on the sand below the Titans. Madison stared up at him, while Ling was scratching a stick against a human object.

It’s a notebook and pen, a familiar voice spoke.

That voice, that was –

Was he not in the other him’s body when he last woke? And wasn’t he in his lair, when he went to sleep before that?

Mosura and Ling were on the island where he had left them. Madison was safely inside the humans’ underwater base, and Rodan was out searching.

None of this made sense.

The only way to explain all of this was if it was –

No… No. This… this is a nightmare. They’re not actually here! I’m not here!

He scrambled to his feet, fear washing over him, only to feel a pulse of concern from the back of his mind. “What’s wrong, Goji?” Mosura asked, gently.

Gojira turned to look at her. “This is just another nightmare, Mosu. You’re not real!”

Mosura drew in a breath, shock on her face. Then she leaned forward, grasping Gojira’s face with her forelimbs, and shrieked. “No, Goji! You’re awake!”

He thrashed his head, trying to break free of her hold. If he was awake, then why was he not in his lair? It was simply unbelievable.

“This is not a nightmare, Goji! We’re real, I promise!”

And then Mosura scratched him with the sharp edge of one of her forelimbs. It stung with pain.

What…? No…! She’d never hurt me in my dreams… This has to be real.

He stopped thrashing, staring uncomprehendingly at Mosura’s horrified face. Then he looked at Rodan, who seemed bewildered, and then at Madison. Who was crying, he noticed with a wince.

But… what happened? How am I here?

“Gojira, what’s going on?” Mosura asked. “Why would you think this is a nightmare? What… what happened to you?”

“I-I don’t know,” Gojira responded, after a moment. He cringed at the way his voice stammered. “Why am I… what happened to this place?”

Gojira…  I’m sorry… He felt a twinge of guilt that was not his own.

Rodan opened his beak, then leaned forward, a look of concern on his face. “What’s the last thing you remember?” he asked.

“What?” Gojira and Mosura asked together, surprise crossing their faces.

“I saw you fighting against the humans here,” Rodan said. “You’re the one who destroyed this place, Gojira.”

“What? But… I-I…” Gojira stammered out, taken completely off guard. He could not remember doing such a thing.

Inside his mind, he felt the twinge of guilt sharpen.

Mosura blinked at him, clearly confused, before a look of resolve crossed her face. “Gojira… are you responsible for all of this?”

Gojira just stared at her, with no idea what to say.

He began to think. He had woken up, here, in his own body and world. Except, he was not in his lair, where he had been before falling unconscious. And Rodan had just claimed that he had destroyed the city. It could not have been him, as he would have remembered.

Then his brain jumped to what he could remember. Being inside the body of the other him. He knew, deep down, that that was not a nightmare, it was real.

And that had happened after he began to hear the other him’s voice, and had agreed to help it –

If I was in the Other Me’s body, and I could not hear it… where was it?

I... I was here, Gojira…

A chill began to creep down his spine. If the other him had been here, the whole time, then –

He drew in a sharp breath, feeling horrified as he finally understood.

It was you, he realized. You… you possessed my body…

I-I’m sorry… I was trying to protect you…

He stared at Mosura, and then down at Madison and Ling. How could he even begin to explain? There was no way any of them would believe him… and Mosura was already horrified at what had happened…

Gojira turned, and began to run, only to be quickly stopped by Rodan and Mosura, who grabbed onto his shoulders.

“Goji, if you did this, I have to know why!” Mosura cried, her wings flaring red.

“Mosura, no – I don’t think he remembers doing it!”

Gojira struggled against their hold for a moment, before he stopped. He felt panicked.

There was a moment of silence, during which the red light faded, before Mosura spoke. “Goji. Please, answer me. Do you know what happened here?”

He hesitated, then hung his head in shame. “Yes.”

Mosura let out a small gasp. Gojira winced; it pained him to know that she was horrified.

“… But you don’t remember anything?” Rodan asked.

Gojira nodded. What happened, exactly?

I had to protect you. So I attacked, and they fought back. It… it became a mess…

Mosura leapt at Gojira’s face, grasping onto it. Her face filled his vision. “Gojira. I can sense, over our connection, that you’re scared. What happened here? What happened to you?”

Gojira opened his mouth, then closed it. A slight shudder rolled down his spine. What would Mosura do if she knew? And there was no way to explain something like this…

Mosura drew back, with a look of disappointment. “You’re too afraid to tell me?” Sadness found its way onto her face, followed by resolve. “Goji… let me look into your mind. Show me everything,” she asked, steel in her voice.

“… no,” Gojira responded, weakly. What is she going to do when she discovers the other me? He noticed a small movement out of the corner of his eye; Ling and Madison had stood up from where they were sitting on the sand. It was too far to see their faces, but they seemed curious.

“Goji, please.” The  red color crept back into Mosura’s wings. “You attacked the humans here, for no apparent reason. I have to know why.”

Gojira knew the red color in her wings meant that she was angry, and he could feel that anger over their connection. The threat was implicit.

He took in a deep breath. He had been backed into a corner. There was nowhere to run from this, no way to escape this reckoning, not without losing her. And he knew she did not want to lose him, either, if the worry coming through their connection said anything.

Inside his mind, he felt waves of fear from the presence of the other him.

“F-Fine,” Gojira stammered out.

Mosura blinked at him, then leaned forward, touching her forehead to his.

He felt her presence enter his mind. It was familiar and hauntingly gentle as it touched the forefront of his mind, and then entered his thoughts.

Gojira willed himself to recall. The battle with the fake, the way it had nearly killed him, leaving him haunted by nightmares. Then he let the nightmares transform into the memories of the other him, and his confusion and terror as they escalated and his body changed. He let the memory of him agreeing to help rise to the surface.

As he brought those thoughts forward, he felt the other presence within his mind bring forth memories of its pain and suffering. He could barely stand.

Please… see me with pity, not horror…

And then there was the memory of their experiences in each other’s bodies, of the battle in Tokyo –

Mosura let out a quiet shriek, and drew back, her presence retreating from his mind.

I’m sorry.

She let her eyes meet Gojira’s. He could see the horrified comprehension, as it turned into a deep sadness, her wings fading back to a deep blue. Then she hung her head.

“What is it?” Rodan asked, from nearby. Gojira jolted; he had forgotten about the other Titan’s presence. “What did you see?”

Mosura just shook her head.

Gojira watched her carefully, waiting for her to pass judgement. He could feel the other him doing the same.

After a minute, Mosura leaned in slowly, and embraced Gojira, wrapping her limbs around his neck. Not hurtfully, but gently, as though it was meant to provide comfort.

What? Why would she…?

Mosura began to speak, looking as though she would cry if she were human. “… I’m sorry. For you, Gojira, and for the other you. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.”

He blinked. She had just apologized. Why?

“Another Gojira…?” Rodan asked, quietly, with shock in his voice.

On the ground, Gojira could see Ling and Madison looking down at the object – the notebook – and then up at him. He nodded, still shocked.

Gojira had been expecting screams of anger and horror, followed by an attack. Why had Mosura apologized, when the other him had caused so much destruction? When the other him was horrific by its – his – very nature?

She saw my pain. My tragedy.

That must be it. He had seen the other him’s pain, had felt it so viscerally.

Then he remembered what had driven him to make his promise. It was the other him’s paradoxical wish to live and die. Such an ugly, pitiable wish begged only for compassion.

Mosura must have seen that too. Gojira slowly reached up his arms, and embraced her back, pulling her into a hug.

Relief surged through him as she leaned into it.