#and after getting frustrated the child goes to fight ghidorah

[echo-cave]

King Ghidorah (1964)

[michaelmyersmalewife]

LEVIATHAN | 10. A Light in the Dark | MASTERLIST

words: 6k+

A/N: nothing to say other that there’s a lot of little nuggets here !!

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As they departed from the Argo, Jodie and the rest of the team were met with both military and government officials alike. Admiral Stenz was at the forefront of the welcoming party, and he didn't look too happy.

"Colonel," Admiral Stenz said to Foster. "I'd like a moment with you and your men."

Foster's eyes flickered to the floor with resentment before nodding to the rest of G-Team. As they followed the admiral out of the hangar, Stenz regarded the rest of them. "I'll see you momentarily."

"What's the deal with that?" Mark said as soon as they were a distance away. "I thought they were with Monarch."

"Yes and no," Coleman answered. "They're sort of on a loan. Until now, we've never really had to test the chain of command."

Jodie's mind flashed back to Emma's speech back in Isla de Mara. Would G-Team really be willing to carry out the government's impending command to kill all titans? Despite everything, she hoped not.

Back in Castle Bravo's situation room, scenes straight out of a sci-fi movie played out on the monitors that hung on one of the room's walls. What had once been cities were now smoking ruins, each filled with military units combating nearly a dozen different titans to no avail. Everyone was aghast - especially Mark - but Jodie found herself feeling numb-er than ever. She knew that every one of the hundreds, if not thousands, of people were suffering and dying at the hands of the titans, but she couldn't find the energy within her to allow herself to grieve. She felt that if she did, she'd lose her mind. But that didn't mean she would let it continue to rage on.

But then the meeting began, Stenz walking to the front of the room.

"Moscow, London, Washington D.C. All under attack. On every continent, the titans are triggering earthquakes, wildfires, tsunamis, and disasters we don't even have names for yet."

As he spoke, more images appeared. Ghidorah's storm was now a whole system of hurricanes, from super-cells to immense squalls sweeping through inland areas, spawning thunderstorms and tornadoes by the hundreds. With every passing minute, severe flash floods were already washing away cities and the people within them.

And Ghidorah wasn't the only one causing chaos, Rodan was out there too. Feedback from planes and bases showed volcanoes erupting as he flew past them, and satellite data presented a string of eruptions that coincided with his flight path, sending tons of volcanic ash and gases into the atmosphere. He also seemed to be following Ghidorah's same path, like they were working in tandem instead of ripping each other to shreds. Jodie could only watch in horror. It was almost like they were trying to tear the earth apart, stripping its ecosystems down to the bone and starting anew.

Or maybe Ghidorah just hated everything that much, that the malice she had seen in his eyes extended to the planet that kept him trapped for eons. And the needless destruction was just a process, a goal for him to meet. He truly felt like a god, an angry god ready to smite anything and everything that opposed him. She wanted to believe that that was the case, to give it meaning somehow. But what scared her the most was the possibility that Ghidorah was causing all of this simply because he was bored.

Whatever his reasons, Ghidorah had undoubtedly tried this before and was able to be stopped. And if Chen was right, humans had been a part of his defeat.

"As before, we've been trying to lure the creatures with nuclear materials." Stenz went on. "But they're not taking the bait this time. Their behavior has become random. Erratic. And with our forces spread desperately thin - and these things roaming the globe unimpeded - we're running out of options. And time."

"Not random." Mark muttered.

The admiral noticed, turning his steely gaze toward him.

"Something to add?"

"Their behavior - it's not random or erratic." Mark said as he pointed to a map across the room. It detailed the movements of the various titans since their release.

"If I may," he said, walking toward the map. "As amazing as this sounds, they're moving like a pack. They're hunting. And like all packs from wolves to killer whales they all respond directly to an alpha. Grid..Gheedar -"

"Ghidorah?" Jodie said.

"Yeah. Him." he said. "And with Godzilla gone, he's the one calling the shots. They're acting like an extension of him. If we stop him, we stop them all."

Stenz only stared at him. Jodie could almost hear the gears turning in his head.

"Is there another creature that might stand a chance against him?" Foster asked.

"No," Serizawa answered. "Ghidorah and Godzilla's rivalry was ancient, unique."

"We believe it was their last battle that trapped Ghidorah in the ice, ages ago." Graham interjected.

"So you're telling me we just killed our best shot at beating this thing?" Jodie said.

"Outside of a miracle, yes." Chen said, sounding a little somber.

She was right, though. It was more than clear that the military didn't stand a chance against him, and that was including the Oxygen Destroyer. And since Godzilla's passing, none of the other titans had even attempted to stand up to the three-headed monstrosity. And that included Rodan, who seemed to be acting like his right-hand despite nearly being beaten to ashes by him not too long ago.

Jodie looked around at all the hopeless expressions that engulfed everyone present. It was suffocating. Suddenly, Mark left the room.

"Where are you going?" Jodie asked.

"To look for a miracle."

She sighed, rubbing her tired eyes.

_____

"If you even think about -"

The Regulator shushed her, carefully walking closer to them as they were backed against the control panel.

"Listen, I'm not.." her brows furrowed in frustration. It was an odd sight to see. "You're safe with me."

Elena scoffed. "Safe? You honestly expect me to believe that?"

"I know how ridiculous it sounds - and I can't quite believe it myself - but we're currently headed towards the city you call Boston. And if you wish to remain unharmed, you'll listen to me."

She was silent for a moment, considering the situation before speaking up. "I'm giving you five minutes to explain yourself before I call that monster of yours over."

The Regulator smiled. "That may have fooled my superior but you can drop the act, Elena."

She stiffened, crossing her arms. "Fine, just..you better give me a good reason."

With a quiet sigh, the Regulator stepped past Elena and toward the control panel. After a quick swipe, the same intercom turned on, a voice in the middle of conversation filling the room. It was Emma's.

"- idn't hit the reset, we hit the detonator."

"Madison is a child." the Controller's voice cut in. "This is what you were fighting for, remember? You came to us."

"You're avoiding the question -"

"Listen."

Emma's voice continued. "No, I won't. And I didn't. It was dumb luck that you managed to even pick up the ORCA's signal." she said. "And I thought we were fighting to restore the natural order, that you had come here to help the planet. So excuse me for seriously starting to think otherwise."

There was a short bout of silence before Emma started again. "Humans and titans coexisting in balance - that was the goal. But with Godzilla gone, Monster Zero isn't restoring anything - he's destroying it. This isn't coexistence, it's extinction."

Madison sucked in a sharp breath as she turned away from the control panel. Elena had suspected that death was inevitable in whatever plot she had been thrown in. Death was something natural, a fact of nature. Something she was all too familiar with. And sometimes there was a little more of it than usual but life found a way. She found a way.

But at the rate things were going, Ghidorah wouldn't leave anything left to grow back. It was worse than any mass extinction the world had witnessed, worse than the damage humanity itself had been steadily causing. Looking at the nearly endless destruction, Ghidorah and the titans under his control had done as much damage as humanity had in the last century in the span of a day.

"But not for us." the Controller said.

"Excuse me?"

"I've seen human nature firsthand, we've observed your kind for centuries. It doesn't change. It just gets worse." he said as calmly as one would in a conversation about the weather. "But you've already opened Pandora's box, and there's no closing it now."

Elena bristled at that comment. It was almost too accurate. But she thought back to that old myth, how the one thing that remained in the box was something small, but something powerful. Hope. Almost as if Emma had heard her thoughts, she responded.

"Maybe there is." she mused.

"Oh, don't be stupid. You broadcast that toy of yours again and you'll ruin your own plan."

"No, it'll ruin yours."

Emma's voice became slightly more distant, as though she was leaving the room.

"This was never about taking back your property, wasn't it. You wanted this to happen."

"And what do you expect to do about it, hm?" Elena could practically hear the smugness in his voice. "Tell Monarch? I'm sure your friends will be very happy to hear from you again."

"This isn't the world I wanted, the one you promised."

"You once said that the world always belonged to them, so maybe it's time you gave it back."

"No. Not like this."

The sound of her footsteps was interrupted by the sound of the Controller's gun whirring to life. Madison leaped for the panel. "Mom -!" Elena held her back.

"The things I've seen..humanity is a disease, and the fewer of them there are the better. I suppose I should thank you, doctor. You've made our job much easier."

After a beat, the Controller spoke to another person in the room. "Enforcer?"

"Sir?"

"If Dr. Russell goes anywhere near the ORCA, throw her daughter out of the airlock."

The Regulator shut off the feed. She looked stricken with fear, but was quickly trying to calm herself down.

Madison, however, felt nauseous. The relief she had felt at her mother possibly coming to her senses had been ripped from her mind at the Controller's comment. She knew that if not for her ability, she would've been disposed of a long time ago. And she suspected that her mother knew that too. Despite the countless lives sacrificed for the 'greater good', Madison knew that that line was drawn when it came to her family.

"Was all that necessary?" Elena asked, trying to process the conversation they had just eavesdropped.

"I'm afraid it was." the Regulator replied. "You see, I too wish to atone."

Touching the screen, she pulled up an image of a planet. It definitely wasn't Earth, in fact it didn't look like any planet within the solar system.

"My kind has been working alongside the creature you call Monster Zero for ages, bound in a sort of pact. On my world he's known as the Golden Demise - King Ghidorah. In exchange for keeping our own planet safe from his reach, we lead him to planets bearing life, allowing him to shape it to his liking."

"Jesus.."

"But this world...it's been uncharacteristically resistant. Almost to the point we were just about ready to move on to the next target. But my superior, after seeing your planet's natural defense system, he wants to use it for his own gain. And he can be...persistent."

Persistent was an understatement.

"For years I'd never thought I'd see the day where there'd be a chance to break free of this cycle - until now."

"But, Godzilla.." Madison said before finding a frog in her throat.

The Regulator nodded. Elena sighed, frustrated.

"I know you wish to stop him, but I'm afraid now there may not be another way." the Regulator said, pulling up a map on the screen. Madison and Elena looked at it for a minute before the girl spoke up.

"Hey, we're not that far from Boston."

"...That is correct."

She opened her mouth only to close it, face twisting in thought. "But the ORCA's under that creep's watch."

"What are you thinking?" Elena asked.

"The titans talk to each other like whales, right? If we can get the ORCA, we can broadcast it from Fenway. It's not too far from where we're at now." Madison said, looking at the beeping dot that moved across the map.

"I'm not sure about this." Elena thought out loud. "That thing's done nothing but piss them off."

"Exactly. It could distract him long enough to break off the attacks. Maybe give Monarch some time to figure something out."

"Our scanners indicate the city is nearing the end of its evacuation. In an hour or so, it should be safe." the Regulator chimed in. "But we are running out of time. Soon, we will land and settle in one of Monarch's bunkers. But before then, there's still time to exit the ship before we're trapped underground. There, it'll only be harder to escape."

It was a long shot, one that could get them all killed. And with the Regulator, that chance only increased. But there just wasn't the time to think. They could turn the tables, but only if they acted quick enough. Elena's hands tightened into fists.

"We've got one shot at this." Turning to the Regulator, Elena looked desperate. "I'm trusting you. Okay?"

The Regulator nodded.

_____

On Castle Bravo's deck, the fuming clouds above pelted everything with rain. Ghidorah's storm had nearly doubled in size, bigger than any storm system ever recorded. They weren't sure how long he could keep it up, but it didn't seem to be letting up any time soon. If he blanketed the earth - or even a quarter of it - for weeks, months, it could send the planet into what was essentially a nuclear winter. Plants would die, followed by practically everything else. And that was if there was anything that survived the floods.

Jodie wanted to cry. They had murdered the only thing that might have stopped him. Of course, if Monarch hadn't kept Monster Zero alive in the first place none of this would've happened. But they couldn't have known, could they? Even then, it wasn't easy to kill a titan. Any attempt to euthanize Ghidorah could very well have ended in him waking up. Maybe, despite anything they could've done, Ghidorah was inevitable.

And none of that even mattered anymore. Jodie still found herself standing out there in rain, feeling as hopeless as ever.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she called over the deluge.

Mark kept walking.

"So you're just gonna walk away? What about the ORCA? You haven't even -"

"I can't just sit down there, kid. I gotta do something." he said, boarding an Osprey. Jodie rolled her eyes.

"Like what?"

"Like go find my daughter."

"How? Where are you gonna go, there's no -"

"She's the only thing I got left, Jodie." he said, yelling over the thunder. "I wasn't there for her, I'm not gonna let it happen again."

They both hung there for a moment, the two of them enduring the curtains of stinging rain. She had felt something strike her in the heart. She hadn't been there for Gill, and she wished with all her power that she could take that experience away from her. She found herself nodding at him.

"Good luck." she said, genuine understanding gleaming in her eyes.

Mark nodded back, hauling the two duffle bags in his hand on board the Osprey.

"And sorry about punching you in the face!" she shouted just before he closed the doors behind him.

He chuckled at that, shaking his head. "I was asking for that, wasn't I?" he shouted back.

And with that he disappeared. She was understanding, sure, but even if he managed to get airborne where could he go? It was anyone's guess as to where Emma and Madison actually were, and she doubted he knew the locations of any of Monarch's shelters. And even then, there were dozens of titans to keep an eye out for. It'd take a miracle for anyone to survive out there based on a couple of hunches.

But suddenly, unbelievably, the rain slackened.

The wind had dropped to nothing but a loud whistle, the smell of the first rays of sunlight hitting the damp earth after a summer shower filling the air. Petrichor. Jodie paused. They were out at sea, far from the mainland - how in the hell is that even possible, she thought. And then there was a sound. No - a song.

Looking up at the sky, brilliant rays of light filtered through the dark clouds. They were warm, comforting. And the song, almost like a whale call but somehow far more beautiful, descended from the steadily emerging sun. Mark stepped out of the Osprey as everyone else on the deck stopped in their tracks to witness the strange sight. Jodie shielded her eyes as the sun became brighter - closer?

Her eyes widened.

With an operatic cry, the clouds parted. Mothra, descending from the heavens as if she were an angel, hovered above the base. In spite of all that was happening, this didn't feel like an attack. She was just revealing herself, like she wanted them to know something. Jodie flashed back to the larva in the Yunnan footage, how different the titan had felt just a short time ago. In fact, calling her a titan felt like a disservice, as it didn't quite capture the ethereal presence Jodie was seeing before her eyes. She certainly didn't look like your stereotypical angel, all carapace and pointed limbs. But she felt like one, like an answer to a prayer. A miracle.

And as if to drive that fact home, Mothra's shorter forelimbs found purchase on the rim of the base, bending low as if she were bowing. But she wasn't. Squinting through the light, she could barely make out two humanoid figures climbing off of the giant moth's back. Wait.

The figures ran toward her, and she nearly felt herself want to faint as Gill rapidly approached her. She all but collapsed in her embrace as soon as she felt her arms around her.

"Gill?!"

Looking above her shoulder, a familiar face walked toward them - Dr. Ling.

"Gill, what are you - wh..?"

She was interrupted by the sound of Mothra's wings flapping, sending herself into the air once more as she hovered not too far away from the base. With each flap of her wings, the light shone brightly off of its gossamer surface. Ghidorah's storm seemed to continue receding, as if it could not stand Mothra's light.

That was new. Even with Godzilla gone, Ghidorah didn't seem to have as much control as they thought. In that moment, something clicked within her mind. Those cave paintings Chen had shown them, they had all depicted the same thing. Godzilla and humans, fighting side by side with her.

For the first time in a while, Jodie felt hope.

She cupped Gill's cheeks, trying her best not to burst into tears.

"What are you - how are you here?"

She nodded to Mothra. "She knows how to help."

____

Jodie, Gill, Mark, and Ling were soaked by the time they reached the base's control room. But they found that everyone else's attention was glued to the display outside.

"Beautiful.." Serizawa murmured to himself.

Mothra was, in more ways than one, a light in the dark. Thinking back to all of his talk about balance, Jodie could see how anyone would deify a being such as her. But she was still the only one fighting against Ghidorah's influence. With all the other titans still under his control, what chances would she have against them?

"Mothra, queen of the monsters." Chen whispered, pride and reverence evident in her voice. She reached for her sister's hand as they both stared out the window.

Jodie's eyes flickered over to them. She knew that their family's involvement with Monarch dated back generations, but after all of this, she suspected that maybe the twins knew more about the titan than they let on.

"Are you recording this, Stanton?" Mark asked.

"I record everything, man." he said. "Everything."

Turning up the sound on the bioacoustics monitor, the room was filled with what sounded like a whale call mixed with crickets or cicadas. But somehow more musical than that. It sounded desperate, yearning.

"It's like a song." Jodie mused.

"You have no idea." Gill said under her breath, a small grin appearing on her face.

"Could she be trying to communicate with..?" Graham whispered to Serizawa.

"There's more," Stanton said, looking at his screen. "It's just outside our hearing range."

"I'll bet there's only one thing that can understand this." Mark commented.

"Gojira.." Serizawa said.

Typing away at his keyboard, Stanton pulled up a faint but visible reading. "Yeah, I got it," he confirmed. "I'm picking up a reply. Bringing it up."

Another sound joined Mothra's chorus, a familiar rumble, a pained moan.

"He's still alive." Jodie said in disbelieving relief.

Serizawa sucked in a breath, Graham letting out a breathless laugh as she shook his shoulder. Others, however, were not so reverent.

"So her and Godzilla, they like.." Barnes gestured to the goddess outside. "They got a thing going on?"

"Symbiotic relationships between different species aren't all that uncommon." Graham said.

"I think it's kinda cute." Gill commented.

"It's been this way since the beginning," Chen said. "A Titanus Gojira and a Titanus Mosura, working together to keep the balance."

"They are bound together by a sense of duty, and sometimes even compassion." Ling finished with a wistful smile.

"Still weird, if you ask me." Barnes muttered.

"Can you track him?" Serizawa asked Stanton.

As much as she'd rather debate the giant lizard's relationship status, there was no time to waste. The world was spiraling into chaos, and if there was a chance of stopping it, they'd have to act fast.

"No, signal's too weak."

"But she can." Chen said, still gazing out the window with her sister. She placed a hand against the glass.

"You wanted a miracle," Jodie said, glancing toward Mark. "I think we just got one."

"She knows where he is, but she can't get to him on her own." Ling said, hand closing around the space over her heart.

Thinking for a moment, Mark stepped toward Stenz. "How many nukes do you have?"

"Why?" Serizawa asked.

"I think I know how we can help him."

For the first time in a while, Serizawa smiled. Realizing what he was implying, Stenz turned to Colonel Foster.

"Contact Captain Brody."

_____

The plan had come together quickly.

Stenz' fleet was fueled, provisioned, and ready for anything Ghidorah could throw at them. Or as ready as they could possibly be. Ships, aircraft carriers, jets, and at least a dozen subs were all following Mothra's lead. She was their best shot - their only shot - at finding Godzilla.

It was odd, seeing Monarch and the government finally working together. But none of that would matter without Godzilla. Everything rested on a hacked-together plan and a good feeling.

Jodie studied the thermal map Foster pulled up, tracing Ghidorah's path as he tore his way through the east coast. It was the biggest storm in recent history, but that wasn't what made it creepy. Somewhere in the eye of the storm, she could barely make out a blob of electromagnetic and radioactive energy. Ghidorah.

"This Category six hurricane over D.C. is where Ghidorah is nesting," Foster briefed. "Working with all four branches of the military, this will be a joint operation to lure it away from the mainland so that we can continue the evacuations long enough for our submersible team to complete their mission."

"Uh, what do those nerds think they're gonna do down there with a bunch of nukes?" Griffin asked.

"Didn't you hear?" Barnes said. "They wanna bring Godzilla back from the dead."

Coleman, Foster, and Ling were staying with the Argo, keeping an eye on Mothra and coordinating the action against Ghidorah. Just outside, the titan had stopped in her tracks, hovering above a specific area of the ocean. As she flapped her wings, light still gleaming from her body like a beacon, dust-like particles spilled into the ocean. As they sunk to the bottom, it almost seemed like she was giving them a trail to follow. Looks like they arrived at their destination.

Sam looked scared out of his mind, and Jodie could practically feel his anxiety shooting through the roof. She placed a hand on his shoulder.

"See you soon, man." she said, pulling him in for a quick hug.

"Just don't be gone long, okay?"

She nodded, giving him a half-assured smile.

Jodie, Gill, Serizawa, Graham, Chen, Mark and Stanton walked through the docking bay to the sub.

"This plan," Stanton spoke nervously. "It's what you call a long shot, right?"

"No," Serizawa said, as serious as ever. "It's our only shot."

"Alright," he said, pulling a flask from his pocket. "Cool."

She had been in subs before, the depths of the ocean were no problem for her. Hell, she spent most of her time within Castle Bravo's walls, and that was more than enough to acclimate even the most thalassophobic of folks. But this felt different from all the other expeditions she had tagged along with. There was a sliver a dread that was slowly but surely creeping its way into her mind. She did her best to shake off the feeling. At the very least, it was reassuring that she had Gill with her.

As the hatches closed, engines coming to life, she already found herself feeling more than a little anxious. And they weren't even underwater yet. She grabbed Gill's hand.

In her whole life, she never would've thought they'd come all this way. To think that she was helping to revive Godzilla - that he was even real to begin with - was still hard to wrap her mind around. And that wasn't even scratching the surface.

Then, the sub began to move, nosing toward Mothra, who almost seemed to be beckoning them toward the space she hovered over. It was a hunch, but Jodie found that she trusted the titan. Something about her was just different from the others. Gill seemed to have the same thought in mind, and she'd trust her judgement more than anyone else in that room. Serizawa being the only exception.

Suddenly, the video feed from the Argo snapped on the sub's main screen.

"We'll be out of range while you're down there." Foster told them. "But a squadron will stay behind to keep an eye out for you."

"We appreciate it." Serizawa said.

"And Mark," Coleman said. "We'll keep listening out for Emma and Madison. Good luck."

"Thanks," he said. "We'll need it."

Ling shot them a thumbs up before returning to her post.

Finally, they dove, her ears popping from the sudden change in pressure.

Everyone around her was in motion. The sub's commander was busy plotting a course with Serizawa. Stanton and Graham were mapping Godzilla's vitals, trying to get just a sliver of an idea as to where the lizard was resting. Gill and Chen were looking over historical documents and folkloric artifacts. Mark was analyzing Godzilla's bioacoustics, comparing them to Mothra's, trying to decode the ORCA.

For once, Jodie felt like the odd one out, but for once that was okay. It seemed like forever since she was allowed to just do nothing. To just sit in comfortable silence, finally letting herself process the events from the past two days - soon to be three.

An hour had passed, and everything was quiet, the only sound coming from the water outside and the beeping of the sub's countless instruments.

Jodie was roused from her nap as she heard something clink on the desk in front of her. It was Mark, back from the mess hall and holding two cups of coffee. Handing one to Graham, he offered the other to her. Sitting up from her previous position on Gill's shoulder, Jodie happily took it.

Across the room, Serizawa was messing around with his pocket watch again. He looked nervous, or maybe thoughtful? Probably both, as the man wasn't exactly known for being able to relax.

"What time is it?" Mark asked.

A barely noticeable nostalgic smile drew across Serizawa's face. "Time to get a new watch."

Jodie observed the exchange, sipping her coffee.

"Andrew's favorite joke." Serizawa said, staring off at nothing in particular.

"You could never take that thing out without him asking.." Mark's voice trailed off. Suddenly he took a deep, shaky breath. "If you told me five years ago that I'd be trying to save the thing that took my son, that it'd be the only way to save the family I have left..."

"Sometimes," Serizawa said, considering the words in his mind. "The only way to heal our wounds is to make peace with the demons who created them."

"You really believe that?"

"Don't you?" Serizawa replied, taking off his glasses and cleaning them on his shirt. "Isn't that why you're here?"

Mark looked like he was at a loss for words.

"There are some things beyond our control, Mark." Serizawa continued. "The laws of nature are cruel, unfair. But they can also be beautiful. We cannot control these things or run from them. We must accept them and learn from them - because these moments of crisis are also potential moments of faith. A time when we either come together or fall apart. And nature always has a way of balancing itself. The only question is..what part will we play?"

Jodie, Gill and Graham sat in stunned silence. Even Mark looked a little floored. Serizawa was known for his wise quips, laconic though they were, but this was by far the longest she had ever heard.

"I'll drink to that." Jodie said, taking a long swig of her coffee.

She nearly found herself choking just a second later as the sub lurched violently, rocking like they were stuck in a whirlpool. Ear-splitting alarms blared throughout the sub. It couldn't be Ghidorah, could it? Jodie ran the names of all the other possible aquatic titans that could've been set loose. Leviathan? Ebirah? Titanosaurus? Surely they would've seen them in the tracking data, right?

But they weren't being rammed by a sea monster, or eaten. Since the initial bump it almost felt like they were spinning, twisting in some powerful current.

"Bowman, status of the ship?" the commander said.

"Some sort of vortex." he replied. "It's dragging us down."

Everyone clung for dear life as the hull of the ship groaned, metal straining against the pressure. Spiraling further downward into ever deeper water, Jodie felt ready to pass out.

"Still descending." Bowman said, counting down toward the sea floor. "Four hundred feet. One hundred. Fifty."

"Brace for impact!" the commander shouted.

_____

The bridge of the ship was nearly empty as all personnel was preparing to land.

They weren't even doing a whole lot of guarding or patrolling, and with the Regulator guiding them down the hall, nothing about it seemed out of place. But that didn't stop Madison's heart from hammering in her chest. She gripped her backpack.

Despite hearing that comforting voice not too long ago, Godzilla's vacancy had left her feeling different. Like a part of her was missing.

Worry not, young Speaker. He is old but he is strong, and you are smart. Just keep moving forward, the voice said. Madison could do nothing more than trust it.

Stopping in front of what looked like a supplies closet, the Regulator punched in a code. Inside were scores of rations and what she assumed were medical supplies, albeit strange-looking. And in the back of the space were rows of the small handguns everyone carried around. The Regulator loaded her backpack with the supplies.

In spite of their advantages, they had to work fast. Once the Controller realized they weren't anywhere on the ship, things would definitely heat up. And she didn't want to be around for that.

As they quick-walked toward the control room, the Regulator stopped them. The halls were clear, but if anyone saw them enter the room - with her backpack no less - it would raise more than a couple eyebrows.

"Wait here." the Regulator said in a low whisper, entering the room.

Suddenly, Elena pulled Madison to the side, flattening themselves against the corner of the wall. The Controller and one of his men came out, walking down the opposite side of the corridor. The Regulator stuck her head out of the room, waving them inside.

In the center of the room was the ORCA. Madison was worried they might've hid it someplace, maybe even destroyed it, but that didn't seem to be the Controller's style. She was starting to think he enjoyed mocking them like this, that he thought making her mother able to look at her creation but never being able to touch it was funny. A triumphant smirk grew on her face as she stepped forward to unplug the ORCA from its place. But she suddenly froze, feeling eyes on the back of her head.

The faint scuff of shoes and a shadow casting itself over them made her turn around. She had hoped it was her mother, but instead came face to face with one of the Controller's men looming over them. She had seen him around before, and she didn't know his designation but in her mind she had been referring to him as "The Mountain" due to his size. Madison gulped.

He wasn't given the chance to so much as take a breath before the Regulator's hand flew to her side, drawing her gun and shooting him square in the chest. It seemed to stun him, as he jerked on the floor like a fish before settling with a thud. A satisfied, mildly amused grin appeared on the Regulator's face.

As the Regulator grabbed the same pair of headsets from Antarctica, Elena grabbed the ORCA, tucking it under one arm as they moved on to the next phase of their plan. Walking a short ways out into the hall, the Regulator bent to the ground, fingers searching the fine seams in the floor before lifting up a thin panel. Gesturing for them to hop inside, Madison jumped in first, and then Elena. The Regulator climbed in afterward, shifting the panel back to its place. She and Elena followed her lead.

It was stuffy, and Madison could already feel herself start to sweat through her jacket, but she continued walking through the narrow, cramped space. Every now and then they would stop, hearing footsteps above them, and after a beat, they continued walking. The only light in the tunnel came from the dull glow of the pipes around them, running with a noxious yellow, odorless substance she hoped wouldn't kill her. She wasn't sure how long it would take to get to their destination, but it almost felt like they were spiraling downward. She felt a bit like Orpheus, but Madison didn't look back, knowing that if she really wanted to turn the tables, it was do or die.

We're gonna be fine, she reassured herself. By the time they figure it out we'll be out and away.

Every now and then they would pass in front of a grate, filtering light from above. They'd pause before then, the Regulator peeking through the slits and gesturing for them to scurry past when all was clear. Madison wasn't sure where they had ended up when she stopped them, peering up.

Next to the grate was someone sitting down at what looked like a table. Did these people even have a mess hall? If so, the room seemed to resemble one. Seeing that whoever the person was wasn't paying attention, she waved them through. But looking up, Madison caught a glimpse of the person there. It was her mother. Her breath caught in her throat, momentarily paralyzed.

She was just sitting there, and it looked like the events of the past day were finally catching up with her. She knew her mother could push her feelings pretty far down, so far that it was hard to gauge whether or not she could feel anything at all. But she couldn't erase them, and now they were finally coming back up like a geyser.

She knew her mother wasn't a bad person. She had definitely made some bad choices, some of which Madison thought she might never forgive, but it all came from a good place.

"Madison, come on." Elena whispered, impatient.

"Sorry." she muttered.

But as she turned away from the grate, something on her backpack snagged on one of the wires in the already crowded tunnel.

"Shit," she hissed, trying to get it unstuck as quietly as she could.

Elena helped her, the Regulator stopping in her tracks.

"What are you doing?" she murmured.

With every rattle of the pipes, Madison felt her stomach lurch with anxiety, hoping that the sound wouldn't carry to the floor above. At last, she wrenched the backpack free from the wires, sighing quietly.

"Madison?"

She jumped, swallowing a yelp. Blocking the view from the grate was her mother, staring down at all three of them with a quizzical gaze.

"I-I can -" she muttered, suddenly stopping to grab the Regulator's arm as she heard the whirring of her stun gun. "I can explain."

"What do you think you're doing?" she whispered harshly, seeing the ORCA in Elena's arms.

Madison breathed for a moment, her mind scrambled but finally finding a response. "Closing Pandora's box."

She said nothing. Gently nudging her to the side, Elena stepped forward. "Emma, you can still help stop Ghidorah..undo your mistakes."

Emma thought for a moment, eyes flickering to the side. She let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm not going."

"Mom -"

"Maddie, if I leave they'll find us. Just..Just let me buy you some time."

Madison felt tears appearing in the corners of her eyes. "I'll be fine." Emma continued. "Once we're in the bunker, I'll come find you."

After a moment, Madison replied. "Fenway Park. Stay safe, okay?"

Emma smiled sadly. "I think I should be the one saying that to you."

Her gaze lingered on her mother for another heartbeat before moving on, continuing on their path for just a little while longer. With each second, Madison expected to hear some sort of alarm or shouting from above. Surely the person the Regulator had stunned had recovered by now, or someone had found him. Either way, their time was as limited as ever.

Finally, the Regulator stopped, popping open a panel in the floor above them and looking around. Eventually, she climbed out, helping her and Elena out of the tunnel.

They were in the hangar, the banged up Osprey from Antarctica sitting in its center. They weren't planning on taking that, were they?

The Regulator approached a series of panels in the wall, accompanied by five separate tubes that connected to circular spaces on the floor. She punched in a code on three of the tubes, motioning for Elena and Madison to each step into one.

"Uh, that won't drop us in midair, right?" she spoke, hanging onto her backpack a little tighter.

"Well, yes, but not in the way you're thinking."

The Regulator stepped inside, shutting the tube's sliding door behind her. "Just press this button," she pointed to the one in the top right corner of the keypad. "And try not to breathe. I'll meet you on the ground."

Closing her eyes, she was engulfed in a thousand beams of light, her particles seeming to disintegrate before them. When the light disappeared, the Regulator was gone altogether. It was like something straight out of Star Trek. Shrugging, Elena stepped in. Madison was nervous, but she was trying her best to hide it. As she walked into the chute, she could feel her heart crowding up into her throat. And when the door closed, her lungs felt like they were growing smaller and smaller. Out of the corner of her eye, Elena was already gone. Pressing the button, she closed her eyes.

Madison couldn't quite explain how she felt.

It didn't burn, but it had happened so fast she couldn't really register what happened. When she opened her eyes, there were no tubes or wires or sterile-white walls. She was surrounded by trees and underbrush. Looking next to her, also slightly disoriented, was Elena and the Regulator, looking off into the distance. They seemed to be in a patch of woods, but as she followed the Regulator's gaze she saw swarms of aircraft flitting above a familiar skyline.

Boston. Home.

Without hesitation, the three began their trek. Madison hefted the backpack further up her shoulders as Elena hauled the ORCA.

It was going to be a long walk.