#i had to try /so hard/ to resist just drawing them onto another flat void background

[chase2452]

drawn for #zkweek2021 - day 5: "Mend". my fave niche fanfic trope is zuko doing extra chores when he joins the group.

katara has been the gaang's designated Caretaker™ for 3 seasons. and now all of a sudden this jerk shows up and he washes the dishes without being asked?? she's relieved but also Suspicious because /obviously/ he has an ulterior motive, right?

(basically... in that nebulous period of time between "The Western Air Temple" and "The Southern Raiders" katara really, Really wants to hate zuko, but it's becoming increasingly difficult.)

[screensirenfic]

Black Leather - Chapter 1

Life had remained largely the same, despite the obvious overhanging changes over the last year. I mean; life had always been hectic; disastrous even, taking turns and downright derailing at the worst times. We’d experienced loss again and again, been chewed up and spat on, but got up fighting; because that was what being a Hopper meant, being too damn stubborn to die. It was in the genes.

Life had gotten weirder. The discovery of real, living and fucking breathing monsters had been a big ole’ “fuck you” to logic, but science seemed to back it up with the uncovering of Hawkins lab and whatever sinister experiments they were running there. Of course; that wasn’t a concern any more, considering old Uncle Sam had shut that down quicker than the health inspector at Benny’s; God rest his soul.

But even with the finality of the death and burial of Hawkins greatest catastrophe/mystery; it still left a lot of bodies in its wake, one of which I was currently adjusting to calling sister.

Eleven. El. Jane. Whatever people preferred to call her; she was currently sharing a home with Me and my dad, as we all played happy families in the darkened depths of Indiana woodlands. I liked the kid; I’d admit it. She was sweet in her own way, and knowing she could toss shit around with her mind made her much cooler than the average thirteen year old. Of course; all of that was a secret. Everything about El was; as far as the government knew, she didn’t exist. It was the price that had to be payed for safety, and God knew dad valued that above all else: including our sanity.

So instead we stayed shut inside that little wooden hut forgotten by time and space, sneaking in and out at the rising and setting of the sun, like criminals or bats in the night. It was enough to drive you crazy; and trust me, dad was already half way there. Tensions ran high all the time; higher than they had at the height of his PTSD, and God; sometimes I just wanted to scream. For someone to address that shit wasn’t normal, rather than sitting around and pretending that it is.

The only true bit of normality was school and work. Mainly just school, as the arrival of a new dependant meant my work hours were seriously fucked. Wasn’t the kid’s fault; dad was a workaholic, didn’t know when to call it a day, and that left me picking up the pieces. It was Sara all over again. At least back then things were normal. There was still trauma, but it was the kind normal families had. A missing parent; semi-alcoholic father; that was shit everybody had to deal with, but this. This was the stuff that only happened in B movies.

—————————————

God; sometimes I really loved having a motorcycle. The wind slapping your face like a Californian wave; that rush of adrenaline when you take a corner a little too fast, when death seems just moments away. It was like flying; soaring through the air without limits. No; it was more visceral than that. Like free falling; the absolute relinquishment of control as you hurtle through the ozone, the earth rising up at you as the void closes in; death approaching at a hundred miles per hour.

You couldn’t compare it to any other sensation. I’d seen kids trying to mimic it on tiny dirt bikes painted up like NASCARS; their little legs spinning the pedals like turbines as they tried to reach just a lick of that speed. To feel the breeze on their face; the closest you could get to freedom in the tiny township of Hawkins, Indiana. That rush didn’t touch the one I felt when I rode my Triumph, hitting 80 as I threaded through standstill traffic; the reaper breathing down my neck.

But like all great rides; it came to an end too soon, the nondescript flat roofed shape of Hawkins High rapidly approaching. I pulled into the parking lot, cruising through row after row of dusty cars; from the beat up old Pacard, to the shiny new Chevy.

I parked a couple of rows before the school, swinging my leg over my saddle as I finally accepted my joy ride was over and I’d have to land back on earth.

“Hey; Lola!” A familiar voice rang out as I pulled off my helmet, shaking my hair loose, less the dreaded helmet hair take hold.

Nancy Wheeler; Hawkins High’s very own Miss Perfect, the princess of Indiana. She was the daughter fathers dreamed of; pretty in a girl next door kind of way, well behaved, a high achiever; the kind to bring home boys who got her back by ten and kissed goodbye at the door. I got called other things. Jail bait, wild child; a lawsuit waiting to happen. Well meaning grandparents used girls like me as a cautionary tale to expecting parents on what too little discipline did to ‘nice little girls’.

Not that I didn’t like Nancy. She was nice, and Steve’s girlfriend too. Besides, being a princess was hard; a lot of expectations to live up to, a lot of hopes to let down. I never had that problem, and with her cotton candy smile; I couldn’t help but give one in return.

“Hey Nance” I chirped, placing my helmet on the back of my motorcycle and knowing damn well no one would dare touch it.

“Steve was just wondering if you’d take a look at his college application...” She began, and I could see the flustered figure in question trailing behind her.

“He’s been finding it hard to find the right words, and we know how you never get tongue tied.” She joked, and I took it at face value; I was getting A’s, despite the perception that girls like me were only good at one thing and one thing only.

“Is that so, Steve?” I asked, unable to hide my smugness as I stared at him, despite his insistence on avoiding eye contact.

There was nothing I enjoyed more than really digging into him. It was just too easy; to push all his buttons. Of course; he did the same in return, but who really had more to lose? The self proclaimed king of Hawkins High, or his leather clad sidekick?

“Yeah, sowouldyoutakealookatit?” He mumbled, rubbing his nose as if he could hide the words as you would a cough.

“I’m sorry, Steve. I didn’t quite get that.” I purred with all forced sweetness and sacharine smiles. I could never resist the urge to really twist the knife.

“I said, would you take a look at it...” he sighed; a visible strain on the admission of inferiority.

“Please...” He added, drawing a smile to my lips. Sweet, stubborn Steve; too good to ask for help, and  just desperate enough to need it; but then what are friends for?

“Sure thing Harrington...” I grinned, finally plucking the crumpled stack of papers from Nancy’s grasp. “Would love to.” I removed my gaze from him, savouring the rare look of humbleness on his face, and turned it upon the paper.

——————————————-

Steve Harrington was many things. Charismatic. Caring. Rich. Good looking. A great guy with almost endless good qualities, but smart wasn’t one of them. I’d spent the best part of a quarter of an hour troweling through his paper with about as much joy as a prospector in a dry well, but was yet to strike gold.

It really was garbage, and that was treating it nicely, but still both me and Nancy tried our best to revive a corpse; not because we felt there was anything worth saving, but because it was Steve, and we cared about his future; even if it was doomed to culminate behind a deep fat fryer in a fast food joint.

My eyes trailed across line after line of smudged ink; much of it crossed out and rewritten in the margins, trying to make sense of whatever it was he was trying to convey in a comparison between WW2 and a basketball game between us and Northern.

“And did you...” I said; pointing out a particular eyebrow raising line, talking about the all American value of victory.

“Yeah; that’s what I thought...” She agreed, picking up off my tone and honing in on the line in question.

“Uh huh” I mumbled reading onwards on what was a virtual mine field of badly used metaphors and poorly linked  stories.

Steve didn’t seem to fare much better than his essay, pacing restlessly up and down a small stretch of parking lot, reminding me distinctly of an expecting father in the delivery room. However; his midwives were much more willing to take our time perfecting the delivery of his academic baby.

“And don’t you think...” Nancy trailed of, redirecting my attention to a sentence circled in red marker. Another misused simile courtesy of the genius that is Steven Harrington.

“My thoughts exactly.” I concurred, knowing that we were both desperately avoiding as coming across as purposely nitpicky with his work.

A loud, impatient sigh interrupted our conversation as Steve’s nerves finally reached their limit.

“I’m sorry, but are you girls anywhere near done?” He asked, drawing our attention away from the paper and up to his signature Steve Harrington pose; hands perched on his hips.

“We were just trying to find some constructive criticism to give you...” She began her tidy little avoidance bullshit; the kind that came with years of forced diplomacy beneath the perfect four bed suburban roof. The kind of bullshit I couldn’t stand; let alone tolerate. I had to put an end to it.

I strolled up to Steve, shoving the proverbial toilet paper he’d used as an application to his chest in a way that told him loud and clear what the truth about his efforts were.

“She means your paper sucks, man...” I translated; my words holding none of her polish, but all of the dirty intentions beneath.

“I wasn’t going to say that. I was...” She said; already backpedaling the hard truth I’d spilt onto the table.

Steve just gave her a look. He knew she was lying; if only to save his feelings. He may not have been smart, but he wasn’t stupid.

“Okay; it’s a little suckish, but nothing we can’t fix...” She offered in consolation; a weak smile the most she could offer in her lie.

I was about to object, knowing the hole she was digging the both of us was deeper than we could deliver upon, when a grisly roar overshadowed all thought. I knew the sound well; all eyes turning to it’s source, the newest arrival to Hawkins.

A Chevy Camaro; older, probably fixed up by some dedicated hobby mechanic with too much time on his hands. I’d seen hundreds of them in the shop in varying states of rustiness; most beyond repair, but still, some insistent gashead would insist it could be done, sinking fistfuls of dollar into what was essentially raising the titanic.

“Nice car.” Nancy remarked, and for a princess like her to notice, it must be true. It was in good shape. Baby blue with just the slightest of wear on the paint; someone took a lot of care with their baby. Fuck; if I had one, I probably would too!

“Yeah, but I bet the backseat is a nightmare.” Joked Steve; insecurity seeping into what was meant to be a light dig.

Not the only man with a nice ride on the block now.

His dig fell short when the driver stepped out, hard rock pounding in his stead.

Pretty; was my first thought. Like his car, he had all the well tailored ruggedness that created the perfect balance between pretty boy and rebel. Blonde haired, blue eyed; think James Dean if he had a mullet.  His clothes looked good too; double denim that clung to him like a second skin, with a white t shirt that really left nothing to hide.

Smoking a cigarette with movie star casualness, if I’d seen him in a movie, I’d be drooling. But this wasn’t a movie; this was Indiana, and I’d seen too many of his type roll up to Charlie’s in pretty cars with prettier faces thinking it meant the world owed them something. That that something was hidden somewhere down the denim shorts I wore so religiously.

I’d had it with pretty boys. They could all go jump off a bridge.

And as if he was already decided to live up to the cliche, he went and cemented it when he strolled past us, dripping sex and arrogance; his eyes trailing up and down me like I was something to be bartered for, like I could be bought.

“What an asshole.” Sneered Steve, taking the words out of my mouth, and I almost smiled; because of course he’d be the one to say it.

But I didn’t; not when the new kid was leering at me with all the restraint of a hungry dog.

I watched him lick his lips; that’s right, lick. his. lips. Pink tongue peaking out past too perfect teeth, running across a full bottom lip. I tried telling myself it wasn’t sexual. That it was just a private little tick that he couldn’t control. But his eyes had never left me; a dark grin that promised any number of sins stretched across a heartbreaker’s face.

“Yeah. An asshole.” I agreed; the word rolling off my tongue automatically, but I don’t think my heart was in it. That frightened me.

That, and the small itch in my stomach that grew every time his bright baby blues met my green.

Finally; those blues relented, tongue disappearing behind white teeth as he shot me a smile that could’ve sent knees buckling. A quick wink and he was done, strutting into Hawkins High like a stormy breeze that was sure to rock the entire school.

“Hey Lo. You listening?” Came Steve’s voice through a fog of cigarette smoke and gasoline; the smell reminiscent of home, despite its cause being far from homely.

“Yeah. Sure...” I replied, tearing my eyes from where the newcomer had disappeared into the school.

“Let’s get to class before we’re late.” I said, shouldering my bag as if it was any other Monday morning. And it was.

Just another manic Monday.

[crzcorgi]

A Dream Come True ~ part five

Catch up here!

My first attempt at a RPF! I love Norman, but am nowhere near an expert on him, like I am with Jeffrey. 😜 So excuse my writing of him.  Also, let’s pretend that Jeffrey and Norman are single, no SO’s, no ties.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan x Reader x Norman Reedus ~ This chapter features both men!

Word count ~ 2500

Warnings- NSFW, racy aesthetic

Tags~ @stileswolfi @magikat409 @jasoncrouse @nothin-after-79 @magpiegirl80  @omgitss0y @binegan @metal-xo @mypopculturediva @angelofthenite @hotfornegan @a-queen-and-her-throne @mwesterfeld1985

  I was cuddling into Jeff’s chest, his tiny chest hairs tickling my face. I was enjoying just sitting in his lap, quiet, feeling his big hands running softly up and down my back. So soothing that when I closed my eyes I began to fall asleep.

 “Doll? Want to get a bit more comfortable?” He whispered in my ear, those shivers running through my body once again.

 “Yes, I think I need to sleep some more!” I smiled up at him as he suddenly stood up, carrying me with him, causing a squeak to escape me.

 “Don’t worry sweetness, I’ve got ya!” He walked around to the head of the bed, placing me gently down and sitting beside me. He began running his hand up and down my arm, the hairs bristling and causing me to shiver. Jeff pulled the comforter up, pulling it up to my waist, stopping just below my naked breasts.

 “Sorry, I just can’t cover them up.” He laughed, leaning over to gently kiss a nipple, a hand gently rolling the other between his long fingers, causing me to close my eyes in bliss.

 “Is better stop darling, let you get some more rest, hmm?” Jeff leaned up placing a gentle sweet kiss on my lips, his tongue entering when he realized they were already parted. Pulling me over onto my side to face him, he brought his arms around me, pulling me tightly to him, our lips never parting.

 We began making out like teenagers, a moaning, growling tangle of legs, arms, hands everywhere, my fingers entwined in his curls, his running softly over my shoulder blades. It soon became apparent that this makeout session had become much more, as his now very erect cock began poking around. We both started giggling, our tongues still dancing their dance.

 “Sorry sweetheart,” Jeff mumbled into my mouth. “you know I can’t resist you. I can leave you be and take care of that by myself, you know, let you get your needed sleep.” He sounded disappointed, as if he was sure I would turn him away. But how could I?

 Reaching down between our bodies quickly, I grasped his hardened manhood, stroking him, letting my fingers tickle the damp head.

 “Fuck darlin’ please tell me I don’t have to go, that I can stay?” He moaned into my neck, his warm breath tickling.

 “That’s the plan.” I smiled as I guided his dick through my now drenched folds, letting it rest with his swollen head at my waiting pussy. I let go, dragging my fingers through his short hairs, up over his flat stomach, into his soft chest hairs.

 Moans were exiting from both of us, as Jeff entered me, agonizingly slowly. Throwing my head backwards and arching into him, I felt like a contortionist trying to draw his dick into me, chasing my craving. I felt so needy, so wanting.

 “You need me baby girl?” Leaning down, Jeff panted in my ear. “You want my cock sweetheart? I wanna hear you beg for it.”

 His words, words that might ordinarily cause me to blush, paired with his breathless deep whisper just made me lose all inhibitions once again.

 “Yes… good lord… yes, I need you… want you! I waaant your cock! Give it… to me… please!!!”

 I could hardly breath, much less speak. My hands were grasping for something, something to grab on to, to keep me grounded. I felt like I was going to float away, the pleasure becoming almost too much with a release.

 With his lips working my neck, kisses, licks, nips, he spoke. “How do you want me doll?” The vibrations flowing down my spine. “Hard…fast? Soft and slow? Whatever you want, you just gotta ask me baby girl.”

 I took in a deep breath, hoping my words would work. “Hard, I want it… hard and fast. Pleassse!” I tilted my hips up to meet his, his cock pushing in impossibly deep.

 Suddenly, he pulled out, causing an involuntary gasp. He backed up, straddling my waist. Moving quicker than I could catch on, he grabbed my waist and flipped me over onto my stomach, knocking the wind out of me. I could feel him moving down my legs, his hands caressing the way.

 With his hands on my hips, he growled. “Raise that fucking fine ass in the air baby.” And with no resistance, I did as I was told. And I gave it a little wiggle.

 “FUCK, that is” he grabbed ahold of my ass, squeezing it tightly. “one fine ass baby girl!” And then he slapped it, causing a not at all expected reaction from me, a very loud moan.

 “Baby girl enjoying herself, mmhmm?” He began running his fingers up my sides, his very erect manhood soon poking into my ass. He started kissing his way up my spine, reaching my sensitive neck in no time, a whisper escaping him. “Are you ready doll?”

 All I could do was nod, slightly pushing my butt into him. I was afraid I wasn’t going to last, my arms beginning to shake from the overstimulation.

 “Can you use your words sweetheart? I need to know this is okay with you? I’m not going easy.”

 I opened my mouth to just have a groan exit. Trying again, I was able to utter a simple sentence. “Yes, sir…please.”

 “Okay baby, that’s better.” He reached around to grasp my chin, tilting my face towards his. Leaning down, our lips meeting in a heated, yet gentle kiss. No tongue, no little bites, just a sensual connection. Letting go of my chin, his hands disappearing from my body. I whimpered from the loss.

 But not for long as I was soon thrusted upwards from his meaty cock filling me up in one plunge. The sounds coming forth from both of us were totally unintelligible, animalistic grunts, growls, moans.

 As I threw my head back from the sensation, I saw his arms, his hands braced on the headboard as his dick continued it’s assault on my overstimulated pussy. My arms began to buckle, but I held on, I needed my release, wanted it more than anything. I could feel his balls slapping against me, the tiny hairs from his groin tickling, his hot breath on the back of my neck. I heard our slick skin rubbing up and down, I could hear his sounds, the low grunts, the sexy growl emanating from deep in his throat. I knew this was it for me, I couldn’t prolong the pleasure anymore.

 “I’m gonna…come, can I…come?” I don’t know why, but I felt a deep need to seek permission.

 “Hold on…” his voice so deep, so gruff, I was almost done for right then.

 His lips found the back of my neck, licking, nipping, his tongue dragging up and into my ear, causing an exaggerated moan to exit me. One hand wrapped around my neck, giving enough pressure to cut off my air.

 “Come with me baby girl.” His rough whisper sending me spiraling into an orgasmic bliss that I never knew existed, a place I never knew I would ever go to. I was flying, upward, weightless, floating, spinning in a place void of all sight, sounds. Another time, another place. All I could feel was the warmth enveloping me, all around, inside me.

 I came to, came back, wrapped tightly in Jeff’s arms, nuzzled into his side.

 “Hello sweetheart, that was fucking something, huh?!” He laughed, that damn body shaking, leg quaking, pussy aching, laugh. This man was going to kill me.

 Kissing the top of my head, his hand lightly rubbing my back, I began to nod off. I didn’t feel or hear Jeff get up.

 “I’ll be back sweetheart, you fucking sleep tight, get some much need rest. Cause I am far from through with you.”

 When I woke up, i was startled to see I was alone. I sat up, feeling achy and a bit frightened. Swinging my legs off the bed I stood, stepping forward only to almost fall flat on my face, but two strong arms caught me.

 “Fallin’ for me now darlin’?” It was Norman. Looking up at him he was wearing that adorable shy smile of his, that always makes me damp.

 I starting giggling like a little girl. Feeling foolish, I couldn’t stop the blush from rising in my cheeks. Cheeks that his large hands came up to hold, to caress.

 “You’re so beautiful when you blush little girl. And you have gotta put something on or I’m not gonna be able to fucking control myself.”

 Looking down the best I could with his hands on my face, I realized I was still completely naked, which consequently caused the blush to rise again. Sigh.

 I wasn’t sure what to say or do. “I’m, uh I’m sorry?” I looked up at him hoping I wasn’t sounding as foolish as I felt.

 He didn’t respond with words just with a kiss that would have knocked my socks off if I was wearing any. His tongue entering and instantly dominating mine. I couldn’t just focus on the mind blowing kiss as his hands started trailing all over my body, through my hair, rubbing over my shoulders, tickling fingers down my spine. Grasping a hold of my plump ass cheeks, pushing my damp core into him, feeling his prominent clothed bulge poking at me.

 Backing me up, my knees hitting the bed and falling onto it, Norman’s tongue never leaving me, his hands squeezing my body impossibly tight to his own, he fell, rolling just in time to pull me over him. His hands now grasping my ass tightly. He sat up, gently bringing me up to straddle him.

 We had broken free from each other, he was now resting his forehead against mine. “I’m thinkin’ I’m a bit overdressed, wanna help with that sweetheart?” His voice, though not as deep and gravelly as Jeff’s, could still cause shivers.

 “I think I could do that.” I answered as my hands made their way to the hem of his tight fitting tee. Slipping each hand under, I slid them up his firm chest, his tee moving up. “Teasing me are ya?”

 I snickered, being coy and batting my eyelashes at him. “Maybe.” I drawled out. My fingers continued their upward motion, reaching his shoulders and giving them both a squeeze. I then snaked my hands through the sleeves, pulling his tee up and over his head, with a bit of his help.

 Leaning back, I took in his chest, he truly was a beautiful man, breathtaking really.

 “Like what ya see sweet girl?” A cocky smirk flashing across his face.

 “Mmhmm.”  I was speechless once again.

 “Lady of few words, I’m in fuckin’ love.” He grabbed my head, pulling me in for a quick rough kiss.

  I reached down, finding the waistband of his jeans, unbuttoning, unzipping them as fast as I could. Plunging my hand into his boxer fly, I was greeted by a very happy, very erect cock. Taking it gently, I teasingly swirled my index finger around the head, dipping into the sensitive slit. He moaned into my mouth, one hand now with a firm grip on my throat. Gripping his shaft, I began jerking him, not so gently, my free hand reaching behind and clutching his sack.

 Norman suddenly backed away. “Shit! As much as I fuckin’ love this, I don’t wanna finish this way.” His voice a breathless whisper, his eyes struggling to stay open. “Crawl up the bed sweetheart.”

 Doing as he asked, I watched as he hurriedly stood up, his remaining clothing flying off his body. Jumping back onto the bed and instantly on top of me in one fell swoop, causing a frightened gasp from me.

 “Didn’t mean to frighten ya sweet thing. Just needin’ you now.” He guided his more than ready cock in between my wet folds, he placed his hands on either side of my neck. Looking up into his now fully lust blown eyes, I blinked, a silent okay for him to fuck me into oblivion. He definitely got the silent message when he slammed into me, causing the bed to creak, crack and rock. My body shoved upward, my head tapping against the, lucky for me, padded headboard.

 My eyes were closed tightly, trying to take in every feeling, every marvelous sensation I was experiencing. I could have sworn his cock was traveling further than any cock had before, every thrust climbing further up into my oversensitized channel. I knew it wouldn’t be, couldn’t possibly be, long before I reached my highly sought out nirvana.

 “Open those gorgeous eyes baby, I wanna see them when I make you scream. Cause… I’m almost…there…fuckin’ come with me…sweetheart.” Between his panted words, one hand made its way down between our sweat coated bodies, quickly finding my swollen nub. He began slowly circling it, knowing exactly how to touch me like a pro. Leaning into my ear, he grunted,”scream my name baby doll…scream it loud.”

 And scream I did, although I could hardly hear anything, all senses muffled, except touch. I felt everything. The amazing euphoria spread throughout my whole body, little zaps of electricity traveling to my extremities. I could feel the soft creamy streams of his come entering my body, so warm, so freakishly wonderful. I felt his nose, nuzzling into the side of my neck, his tongue first darting out for a hesitant taste, then his teeth, nipping, pulling at the loose skin. I felt my fingers, gripping so tightly into his back that he surely would be left with the signs of this glorious lovemaking for weeks to come.

 As we both began to regain all our senses, Norman rolled off of me, pulling me with him. I situated my legs the best I could between his, feeling our mixed juices trickling down my inner thigh. I didn’t care, I just wanted to feel close to him. His arms wrapped tightly around my waist, one hand making it’s way up my back to begin softly stroking my hair.

 “This has been amazing, and I wanna thank you for going out of your comfort zone to be with both Jeff and I.” He placed a chaste kiss on the top of my head.

 I suddenly had a very uneasy feeling, how he was speaking, not the words, but the tone. It was if he was saying goodbye. I knew Jeff wanted more, and I was beginning to realize how I was falling for him.

 But what about Norman? Was there something there? We hadn’t spoken out loud about it, I thought I had the same feelings for him, and him for me.

 But I was beginning to wonder. Did Norman speak to Jeff when I was asleep? Had they made a decision about us, whatever us was, without me? As I listened to Norman’s soft snores I knew I would be confronting them both. I just needed to decide what I was going to say. I needed to make a decision.

[michaelmyersmalewife]

LEVIATHAN | 9. The Mass Awakening | MASTERLIST

words: 8k+

A/N: im back!! with an extra long chapter lmao (and i tried to fit as much as i could without this chapter becoming a novel in and of itself ;v; ); anyway this is more of an interlude than an actual chapter but id pay attention to certain sections in this one, they're important (and kudos to the ones that are gonna get it i hope i executed it well enough jsgksf)

you can also support this fic on wattpad & ao3

Sedona, Arizona - Monarch Outpost 55 - Titanus Scylla

Alan drove down the winding road through the canyon that lead to the oil fields, admiring the view as he always did.

For forty years, he'd been taking this same drive, and for forty years he still found something to love about it. He remembered his father bringing him here, telling him that the canyon's stone, carved by mother nature's hands herself, had existed since the Permian period. And he remembered taking his kids, playing in one of the nearby creeks and looking for fossilized shells from a land lost to time. Alan has always been a paleontologist at heart, but that wasn't as reliable a job as working at the pipeline.

When he reached the field, pulling his truck around the small metal shed that passed for an office, he stepped out into the Arizona heat. He stood there for a moment, fingers hooked in the belt loops of his coveralls as he watched the rig's pumpjacks bobbing up and down like the drinking bird toy he had as a kid. They were, of course, drinking oil rather than water - or as his daughter Lucy liked to put it, "sucking the earth's blood".

There were other workers around, and about half a mile away he saw the government guys that hung around the area running around like chickens without heads. He squinted, they weren't usually this busy. A couple years back, they had taken some land near the fields, the reason being some sort of bio-hazard. It didn't matter to him, just so long as they didn't interfere with his work.

"Hey, Alan." Sawyer said, sticking his head out of the shed.

He nodded, clocking in.

"You get my text?" he asked.

"No, why?" Alan asked, pulling his phone out.

"It's your seismograph. Was goin' nuts not too long ago." he led him inside.

"Huh.." Alan hummed to himself. That thing was something he had helped his son, Evan, build nearly thirty years ago. It was mostly for fun, as his son had a knack for that sort of thing. Looking at it now, Sawyer was right. The usually flat line was now a mess of scribbles, as if there had just been an earthquake. As he watched, waves continuing to spike, he felt a rumble beneath his feet. The shed had also begun to rattle.

"You think it's one of the rigs?"

"I dunno, but I don't like it."

Alan stepped outside, looking at the field with a more critical gaze.

"I don't -"

The ground beneath him exploded, and something long and dark jutted out of it, arching over like a giant hook. He stepped back inside so hard he banged his arm against the door.

"Holy mother of.." Sawyer's voice trailed off.

Outside, more of those things were sticking up, jamming into the ground. Jointed, covered in bristle-like hairs the size of the shed, the earth jumped as the thing lifted itself up. With a metallic groan, the pumpjacks slid into the hole it left.

It.

He was barely aware that he and Sawyer were about twenty feet away from the pit it was pulling itself out of. He felt paralyzed, his mind overwhelmed by a primal fear, an instinct coded deep within the brains of his ancestors when they were still prey to things like this. The giant spider legs rose hundreds of feet in the air, holding a bulbous body and a face full of squirming tentacles that hung below a pair of emotionless eyes. It was like a cuttlefish on stilts.

Lucy, Evan, he thought, picturing their faces.

"The goddamndest thing." Sawyer said in breathless disbelief.

It was the last thing he ever heard.

Munich, Germany - Monarch Outpost 67 - Titanus Methuselah

The cork sprung from the bottle with a loud pop, sailing across the meadow with the breeze.

"Don't litter, Hugo." Mila said, not looking away from her canvas.

He ignored her complaint as he took out various snacks from the cooler.

"It's biodegradable."

"Right," she said, looking at the mountain range ahead of her before going back and mixing more colors onto her palette. "Still littering."

With a roll of his eyes he poured the drink into two plastic cups, handing her one. Narrowing her eyes, she took it, taking a sip.

"This was where I grew up, you know." she said, pointing her paintbrush beyond the canvas. "See that mountain there?"

He didn't question the sudden change in subject, so instead he played along, glancing over at the mountain rising above the trees. The same one she was painting.

"What about it?" he asked, popping a cheese square into his mouth.

"My grandfather told me it wasn't always there, that there was a village instead. It was pretty average, you know, quaint. But," she stopped to take another sip of her drink. "They 'wasted the land', he'd say. That the river that ran through town and just down over there," she nodded to the clear blue stream that trickled not to far behind them. "Had turned brown, murky. You know why?"

Hugo chuckled, knowing where this was going. "Maybe. And what happened to this town?"

"No one knows. He says one day the village was gone, and that mountain was there."

"I see," he said, still waiting for the punchline. "How long ago was this?"

She shrugged. "Middle ages, maybe."

"Your grandfather must have been very old."

"My family's been here for centuries." she said, continuing with her painting. "But do you want to know one other thing about the legend?"

He leaned closer, listening halfheartedly.

"That anyone who litters will be gobbled up by the mountain troll that lives on its peak."

He rolled his eyes, taking a swig from his cup. She chucked to herself.

"Of course it was just some bedtime story made to scare me. But," she paused, staring at the mountain with an odd expression. "There were times when I could swear I heard something from that mountain. Like something sleeping."

Hugo said nothing, and neither did she as she knelt down and took a strawberry from the array of food placed on the picnic blanket he sat on.

"Probably just my imagination." she said.

Slowly, his eyes wandered past her, past her canvas, and somewhere behind her. She tilted her head to the side as she saw his eyes widen.

"Are you alright?"

"Th-The - The mountain.." he pointed a shaky finger over her shoulder. She crossed her arms.

"So you're mocking me now?"

"N-No, the mountain, it -" he didn't finish his thought before he shot up from his seat, a scream gradually growing in volume leaving his mouth as he ran back down the trail they came from. It was so sudden it left her uneasy.

"Aren't you taking this a little too far?" she called after him.

But then she felt the earth shift below her.

Turning around, she saw that the mountain was now standing up on four thick legs. It had a stout face like a bulldog but jutting from its head were a pair of horns like a bull. And as she watched, it put one lumbering limb forward, and then another. The patch of forest that sprouted from its rocky back shivered with each step.

Mila didn't scream, but her heart was beating in her ears just as loudly. The thing was about a kilometer away at least, but she doubted it would notice her even if she tried drawing its attention.

Instead, she took one long chug from the champagne bottle and kept painting until the creature was out of sight.

Tingua Preserve, Brazil - Monarch Outpost 58 - Titanus Behemoth

The woman crawled through the hatch and into an access tunnel. Every alarm in the facility was blaring, and everyone was running for their lives.

Behemoth was awake.

He had been sleeping deep in a cave in the Tingua preserve not far from Rio de Janeiro. After the containment was set up, she had volunteered to stay on the team that oversaw the facility. It was an alright job. Behemoth was, to her, one of the more interesting titans. And when she could find the free time, Rio and its beaches were less than an hour away. Her job payed decently, she'd made some good friends, by all accounts the future looked bright.

But now, everything was changing.

She reached her destination, a panel on the wall of the tunnel. She did her job quickly, then continued down the tunnel, opened another panel, and dropped down into the room beyond. Mounted high in the cave, the room jutted out of the wall. And it was mostly transparent, giving her a good view of the titan below.

His legs were folded under him, his tusks curving above him. As she watched, he struggled against the containment field, trying to stand up. He looked like he was in pain.

"Sabine? Why didn't you just use the door?"

She turned and found of the techs - Erik - staring at her, his eyes full of bewilderment.

"I was checking the wiring in the access tunnel." she said. "The meter downstairs showed some resistance. It looked okay up here, though."

"You could've asked me."

"Yeah," she said, staring down at the titan. "But I wanted the view."

"Are you nuts? He's trying to break out like the others."

"I know." she said, voice void of emotion. "So what are you still up here for?"

"Backup. Dr. Singh has us on standby to use the kill switch."

Behemoth roared, almost as if he could hear and subsequently understand their conversation. The titan pushed up hard, swinging his head through the containment field and shredding the equipment that powered it with his tusks. The field vanished, and the floodlights overhead snapped on. Toward the front of the cave, dozens of security guards took their positions.

"Erik?" the voice came from the intercom. It was Dr. Singh.

"Yeah?"

"We've had negative results here, we're not sure why. Go ahead and enable the kill switch."

"Will do, doctor." he said, punching in a code and flipping up the cover. "Enabled."

After a short bout of silence, the doctor's voice rang out. "Do it."

Erik reached out flipped the switch. Nothing happened. He flipped it back, and then again. And again.

"N-Nothing's happening," he reported, trying not to sound nervous. He checked the diagnostics.

"There's no power!"

"No...there isn't." the Sleeper said.

Erik looked at her, eyes wide, then glanced at the hatch to the access tunnel. His confusion turned to anger. "You were in there, you cut the line to the kill switch - y-you traitor."

"Please, I was never with Monarch."

"Oh my god," he said, voice dropping to a whisper. "You're - You're one of -"

"Look at him!" she nodded toward Behemoth. "You think you have the right to just kill a god? He was here long before you were. You've seen the cave paintings of him in here. They're thousands of years old, and that's just after your people got here. This place's indigenous groups still have a name for him, you know - Mapinguary. You heard Dr. Russell. You have to let him go."

"You're insane - how long have you been working with her?"

"That's not something you need to know. If anything, you should be grateful. This planet's seas are dying, rainforests nearly gone, thousands of species exterminated. I'm only trying to help."

"You've killed us all." Erik said.

"..Maybe."

Below, Behemoth rose to his full height. Or at least his full height on four legs, as there was a running bet on the base about whether he could go bipedal or not. The Sleeper was in the "yes" camp. His tusks and shaggy hair made him look superficially like a mammoth, but he was really built more like a giant ground sloth. His limbs were longer in the front than they were in the back, and he rested on the knuckles of his paws with thick, sharp claws. The only way he could use those claws was to stand up on his stubbier hind limbs.

Behemoth leaned back, and his forelimbs came up from the floor. His tusks scraped across the ceiling, and the entire cave shook. He swatted at the soldiers firing rounds of bullets at his hide with his claws. It almost looked funny from a distance, like he was knocking over toy soldiers. She felt a little twinge of sympathy, but this was how it had to be. If the Controller asked her of this, then it had to be done.

"I was right." she said.

"About what?"

"Bipedal."

With a puzzled, fearful look, he climbed into the crawlspace she came from. It didn't matter. There was no way he could fix it, not in time at least.

Suddenly, a blue-white flame spilled toward him. As Behemoth turned away from the gunfire, the titan screamed. He was facing her now, and she could see his eyes. The eyes of a god. An angry god, whose sanctuary had been invaded, defiled.

The same fire spewed at him again, but this time she saw where it came from: a nozzle protruding from the ceiling. The Sleeper hummed to herself. She hadn't known about that. Behemoth saw it too, roaring as he lunged forward.

"Come on," she whispered. "You know what to do."

The ceiling of the cave was high, but as he stretched to his full height, his face was just a few feet away when his tusks smashed into the ceiling. Huge chunks of stone tore loose, followed by an explosion as the reservoir of napalm spilled to the floor.

"Sleeper to X Base, requesting immediate extraction." she spoke into a device she pulled from her pocket.

Behemoth turned back toward the cave's entrance, covered in flames. But the fire seemed to find no purchase on his fur, and soon enough it burned itself out. He didn't look hurt at all. The cave, however, was filling with fire, and debris from the ceiling were still falling. The observation room shook, wobbled and tore loose from the cave wall.

The Sleeper had one last sight of Behemoth, crashing through the barriers at the cave entrance.

Loch Ness, Scotland - Monarch Outpost 64 - Titanus Leviathan

Dr. Noe paced back and forth within the control room.

The Monarch alerts had just began pouring in, and at this point everyone was on edge. Everyone, it seemed, except for Dr. Reid. She sat comfortably at her desk, lukewarm mug of coffee in hand as she stared at her screen through a pair of a large glasses. He had no idea how she could remain so calm in such a dire situation, knowing that hundreds of fellow operatives were falling at the hands of titans - and possibly even terrorists. He looked over her shoulder at the screen, eyes darting between the fluctuating bioacoustics and the murky water just outside the room.

"Relax, even if the containment field fails we still have the blockade." Dr. Reid reassured him, leaning back in her chair as she took a swig of coffee.

"And where does that leave us? We wouldn't have the time to evacuate if she decides to attack the base once she's figured out she can't escape." he said, nervously running a hand through his short, black hair.

The outpost sat a couple kilometers underwater, situated on the side of a submerged rocky outcropping on one of the lake's cliffsides. Nothing much happened around there, as Leviathan (or "Nessie" as the world had unknowingly dubbed her) was usually dormant, unbothered by the traffic the lake saw each year. Which made Noe's job much easier on his overly cautious nature. His colleague, however, wasn't so concerned.

"She won't, she barely even notices us. Why would she think of attacking this place?"

"I..I guess you got a point."

"Besides, it's her getting out that we should be concerned with, and even then we got a backup plan for the backup plan."

"I dunno," he mused. "The lake's far from shallow, and the level of radiation at its deepest point is a little suspect."

She let out a tired chuckle. "God, have you been talking to Rick again?"

"Wh - No! I'm just saying we can never be too careful."

He was a little hesitant to admit that he did, in fact, somewhat buy into the hollow earth theory. Or at least Dr. Brooks' vision of it. It wouldn't be too out there. He was in charge of looking after the goddamn Loch Ness Monster after all. At this point he was ready to believe just about anything.

"Uh oh." Reid said in a steady tone, hiking her glasses farther up the bridge of her nose.

"'Uh oh' - what do you mean 'uh oh'?"

She gestured to the screen with her mug.

"Looks like 'ol Nessie isn't taking to the field so well."

Looking at the security feeds, Noe could barely make anything out - a long, paddle-shaped tail whipping about, kicking up mounds of lake muck into the water around her as she thrashed within the field, maybe a plesiosaur-like fin or two.

"What's got her all worked up? She was fine just a second ago." he said, getting increasingly nervous.

Reid shushed him, turning up the volume on the bioacoustic feed. The room quieted, only the sound of Leviathan's rapid heartbeat thudding through the walls. And something else.

"What is that?"

"Not sure. But it's not Leviathan."

Her fingers flew across the keyboard, trying to search for the source of the sound as the titan continued to struggle within the field.

"Uhhh, Reid?"

"What." she replied impatiently.

Hearing no answer, her eyes flicked up from the screen. "Spit it out, I don't have -"

Noe was pointing at something beyond the window, eyes wide. Looking up from her post, she saw that the struggling had stopped. As the dirtied water settled, she could see that the containment field was now empty.

"What the h -"

Noe let out a surprised shriek when a massive fin leisurely passed in front of the window. Leviathan made another pass at the base, her long neck bending as she peered inside with an indescribable expression. Slowly, he backed away from the glass. Reid was paralyzed at her desk. The titan let out a throaty grumble before turning away from the base with the flick of her tail. The tail made contact with the room, shaking it so roughly the lights flickered for a moment. But somehow they remained unscathed.

"Reid.." he gulped. "Blockades."

"Got it."

Across the lake, massive steel doors closed, damming off the lake from the sea. Leviathan wasn't going anywhere.

"How is she?"

"Looks like she's on the move, but..she's not trying to leave."

"Th - That's good, right?"

"Hold on, I'm picking something else up. Sending a probe."

Both of their eyes were trained on the drone's feed as it cut through murky clouds the titan had left, the floodlights illuminating the dark water. It was slow-moving, and Noe didn't doubt that they had long lost Leviathan's trail.

"Anything?"

"I'm still getting her radiation signature. Bioacoustics too but she's on edge. Like she's looking for something."

After what felt like forever, the probe came across a sudden dive in the lake floor. The radiation readings spiked. Reid raised her brows.

"Well," she said, taking a sip of her - now cold - coffee. "That's new."

"What is?"

"Was that cavity always like that?"

Soon enough, Noe could see what she was referring to. They had followed Leviathan to the deepest part of the lake, where the radiation was far more prominent anywhere else. But this was different. It was an underwater tunnel, going down - much, much deeper than anything their scanners had picked up. It was almost like something had carved it out themselves. Reid led the probe through the pathway, jolting when its speed increased as something like a vacuum pulled it under.

"Jesus -!"

"Damn, guess I owe Stanton those twenty bucks."

Noe gave her a puzzled look before realizing what she was talking about. The screen in front of them was showing a sudden increase in O2, and CO2 - an air pocket.

"You're kidding."

An incredulous smile grew on Reid's face as the probe's camera was picking up a dim, yellow-orange light. But the closer it got to the source, more static appeared on the feed.

"Shit, radiation's already taking affect."

"Can you get closer?"

"Dunno. I can try." she said with a shrug.

As the probe's camera breached the surface of the water, the floodlights barely illuminated what looked like a large cave. And on its shore was Leviathan, slowly turning to face the small probe that bobbed on the water's surface. Noe felt a chill down his spine.

The titan bared her teeth in a snarl, and in one swift movement Leviathan's tail whipped toward the probe, and with that the feed cut off.

"Aaand she's gone." Reid drawled.

After a long bout of stunned silence, Noe began pacing again. About a million thoughts were running through his mind but only one managed to make it past his mouth.

"What the hell are we gonna tell Castle Bravo?!"

Indian Ocean - Monarch Outpost 25 - Titanus Kraken

In his office beneath the sea, Dr. Ikande lay on his cot and watched the surface of the water ripple above him.

He had tried to take a nap - he hadn't slept in nearly a day - but sleep eluded him. He was too troubled. With the extremist attack in Yunnan to Dr. Russell's betrayal, it was too much to process. He knew her, his grad school dissertation had been based on some of her early work. He even had the privilege to meet her at a conference. It was there she recruited him for Monarch. And the fact that she had snapped like that was almost too hard to believe. Two titans were already on the loose because of her, and the running rumor was that she would try to release more.

He silently thanked himself that this underwater containment facility was probably one of the safest, simply from how far away it was from land. Anything that approached it would be noticed with ease. But that hadn't stopped him from worrying, of course.

He let the nap go, might as well get back to work.

He made his way out of the habitable part of the base - the living quarters, the control room, the labs - which were all relatively close to the surface. He kept walking until he came to an elevator - the one that took you straight down to the observatory, to Kraken.

They had discovered the sleeping titan on a seamount in relatively shallow water, curled around the remains of a nuclear sub that had been missing for decades. Monarch had ended up building the facility around him, but he was in such a deep hibernation he didn't seem to notice it at all. In the time since then they had learned quite a bit about him. Numerous x-rays, DNA analysis, and sonar scans had built a picture of what he must be like. His central brain was huge, far larger than it needed to be to control his body. And he had dozens of smaller brains associated with his limbs. Along with that, he had multiple hearts. There was no doubt in Ikande's mind that the creature held a certain amount of intelligence, possibly enough to rival a cephalopod's. Or a human's.

But unlike his octopoid cousins, his head was protected by a dense, curving shell not unlike a nautilus'. And his camouflage abilities were far superior to any of his smaller relatives. DNA suggested he could also change the color, pattern - even texture - of his skin and shell. When they found him he was nearly invisible, only being able to pinpoint his location by his radiation signature and bioacoustic emissions. But one of his more fascinating features - at least, in his opinion - was his ability to regenerate limbs, or virtually any part of his body.

As the elevator came to a stop, Ikande stepped out. One of the techs, Dr. Harris, looked up from her post and gave him a wave. Otherwise, the lab was empty.

He walked up to the window, and just outside lay one of Kraken's eyes. It was closed, and they had been closed for god know's how long. Dr. Jin, their resident paleobiologist, theorized he was in the middle of a sleep cycle that might last another decade at least. Unless he was threatened, of course.

They had taken great care to make him as comfortable as possible.

"Anything new?" he asked.

Harris shook her head. "Same as always. Bodily functions are normal, but at fairly low levels. How's topside? Any more titans on the run?"

"If there has, we haven't been informed. I almost feel slighted, why wouldn't our friend here be invited to the party?"

"Don't even say that." she replied, frowning. She leaned closer to the screen in front of her.

"What?"

"Nothing, I guess." she shrugged. "There was a little spike, but it went right back down."

Suddenly, the com light blinked on. He answered it.

"Ikande here."

"Doc? It's Teresa. We just got a flood of reports, titans have been released in at least four other outposts. Simultaneously."

"Released? By who, those extremists?"

"It's unclear. Things are kinda chaotic at the moment."

"'Course they are." he muttered, looking back at Harris, whose brows were deeply furrowed in confusion. "What is it, is he waking up?" he demanded.

If he was, at least the containment field still functioned. At least it was supposed to, there was no way to be certain, really. As much as it hurt him, their best bet was to use the kill switch. He was determined it wouldn't come to that.

"No, the opposite." she said. "His hearts are shutting down...he's dying."

"What - why?"

"No idea. It's like he's having an allergic reaction or something. Everything's dropping off, even his radiation signature."

Ikande stared at Kraken's lidded eye, trying to decide how he felt. The titan was put under his charge, and he had failed it. He knew how many Monarch scientists - Serizawa, Emma, Chen - felt about them. And even now he felt a twinge of sympathy for them. But on the other hand, if he died naturally, he wouldn't have to pull the kill switch.

"I..I don't understand." Harris whispered as she continued to watch the titan's vitals plummet.

"Call it in," he said. "Tell Castle Bravo we'll be sending them our data. Maybe whatever happened to -"

His mind stopped, voice catching in his throat. Kraken's eye was open, and it was staring right at him.

"Harris.." he said slowly. "Turn on the containment field."

"D-Done." she said. "But doc, I'm still getting nothing. All our scanners, they say he's dead."

"His eye just opened!"

"Maybe some postmortem reaction -" but then her voice broke off too.

One of Kraken's tentacles was suddenly right at the glass, pushing against the containment field - no, pushing through it. Effortlessly.

"Harris.." he said urgently.

"Th-The field, it only works on living titans," she said, getting up from her station so fast she knocked over the coffee cup that sat on her desk.

Ikande's skin prickled with goosebumps, suddenly feeling very cold as he pieced it all together. Shit.

The tentacle was already reaching for them as he sprung for the kill switch. But with a force greater than he ever could've anticipated, the pane of glass shattered as gallons of water poured into the room. Along with a river of limbs. He tried to swim toward the surface, desperately trying to reach the elevator but Kraken was far faster, grabbing the entire segment of the base and dragging it down to the depths.

Karnak, Egypt - Monarch Outpost 74 - Sekhmet

Chief officer Nadia Zaahir drummed her finger against the desk.

Surrounded by techs that busied themselves with their work, she was restless at the sudden gap in action. It wasn't that she was bored, but looking at the thing in the facility filled her with unease. The big cat in the heart of the temple had been sleeping like a baby for the past couple decades, but it wasn't until earlier that day that they were forced to use the emergency sedatives under Monarch's orders. As the hours passed, and the alerts poured in, it became startlingly clear as to why. At least they had taken affect, the titan's vitals holding steady. But in the blink of an eye something seemed to snap her out of the medicated haze.

With another rumble that shook the temple and its surrounding facility, everyone's panic only increased.

"What's going on? What woke her up" she asked one of the techs - Ibarra, if she remembered correctly.

"Nothing out of the ordinary, everything's working fine." she said. "It's like something told her to wake up."

Zaahir spoke into her earpiece. "Squads, you see anything?"

The aircraft that hovered around the facility reported negative, and the scanners remained empty. The entire desert was quiet.

"It's Sekhmet." Dr. Halla said. "The sedatives, weren't they enough?"

"Containment field?" Zaahir said.

"On it." Ibarra said, switching it on with the flick of her wrist.

In that moment, the giant feline roared - yawned? - as saber-like teeth unsheathed like swords the size of a car. The titan struggled against the field, quickly rousing herself from hundreds of years of sleep. The coarse fur on her back raised itself in alarm, eyes darting around the temple at the scrambling security personnel below.

"What the hell's going on now?" Zaahir shouted.

"She wasn't happy about that," Ibarra said. "And I'm getting something else, something on the bioacoustics monitor."

"Is it her?"

"Yes, and no. Her heartbeat's definitely increasing but I'm getting something else. It's out of our range but just barely detectable."

"Uhh, Zaahir?" Ibarra interrupted.

"What?"

She motioned toward the temple. Behind the glass, Sekhmet looked ready to pounce, repeatedly ramming herself against the field and yowling in frustration.

Zaahir spoke into the intercom. "All security personnel, ready your weapons."

"The field's collapsing," Halla said, nervous.

Outside, the containment field flickered the more she rammed into it. As if figuring out it wouldn't budge, she clawed at it, her massive claws sinking into the earth through the field and uprooting it from the temple.

"Shit, shit - all personnel, evacuate immediately." Zaahir shouted into the intercom.

The moment the words left her mouth, the field was torn apart, a rumble shaking the entire temple. Zaahir didn't have to tell them to get out before they all began scrambling for the exit.

As they ran through the hall of the facility, the ceiling was caving in on itself, pieces of stone falling all around them. Dozens of Monarch operatives were crowding the halls as well, pushing past each other for the exit as the big cat was undoubtedly ready to break out at any moment.

Looking behind her, she lost Ibarra and Halla in the stampede. Above the heads that sped past her, she found a hand flailing in the air. With a grunt, she pushed back, tugging up the tech by her arm before she was trampled.

The lights in the facility had already begun to flicker, the deep rumbling behind them getting louder before exploding altogether, sending debris flying their way. Everyone hit the floor like dominoes, and as Zaahir finally came to, she found many that had been similarly flattened. Chunks of wall and ceiling had crushed a good portion of the people in the hall, but that wasn't what caught her attention.

Eyes wandering to what remained of the containment field, Sekhmet was slowly rising to her feet. Zaahir was only a meter or two away from the exit when Ibarra started screaming next to her.

Immediately, she covered her mouth, shushing her as the cat's eyes zeroed in on them. Ibarra's leg was swallowed by a chunk of stone, and it didn't look like she could walk any time soon. So she stayed still. Not moving, her breath was caught in her throat as the creature's eyes assessed her form through the ruins. Not a creature, she thought. A god.

In her eyes, Zaahir didn't see the malice she had expected to find. Instead, it was something tired, irritated at most. The titan turned away, tail swishing behind her as she lowered her body, coiling to pounce.

Frantic, she pushed the stone from Ibarra's leg, the other biting down so hard on her lip to hold in the pain that a drop of blood dribbled down her chin. It was broken, a splinter of bone jutting out from skin, and she was bleeding pretty badly. Not wasting any time, Zaahir lifted her in both arms, running out of the ruined outpost as fast as her legs could carry her.

Outside, wind and sand whipped around them as one side of the remaining temple suddenly burst into nothing but crumbling stone. As they both scrambled through the burning sand, they could see the cause of the sudden explosion - Sekhmet, her matted fur flapping wildly as she shook herself free of the debris. Zaahir turned and stared.

She definitely resembled something like a smilodon - a slightly hunched back with a scruffy, mane-like crown circling her neck and fading down her back, long claws poking out from heavy-looking paws, a long whip-like tail with a thick wisp of fur at its tip. And of course, her two long canines. But her fur was far from any of her native cousins. Spots and stripes melded together like a natural camouflage, her sand-colored fur blending into the environment around her. Standing at her full height, nearly dwarfing the temple that had been built for her, she looked like a sphinx statue come to life.

The cat looked down at her feet, a confused hum building in her throat. Parts of the facility were still somehow intact, almost like the titan was trying to be careful. Nevertheless, survivors were scrambling from the building, screaming and tripping over one another in sheer panic. Sekhmet watched them like mice, and with a low careless sweep of her tail she knocked over at least a dozen people.

Just then, a squad of Ospreys flew over their heads, ready to unload what they had on the titan. But before they could even focus on her form, Sekhmet's ears flattened, hissing at the flying objects before pouncing on one. The rounds that landed didn't seem to bother her at all, but it definitely pissed her off. With an earth-shaking growl, she swatted an Osprey, easily knocking it out of the air like a fly. The barrage only continued, but it didn't last long as Sekhmet's claws shredded the aircraft with ease, splitting another in half with her teeth. Tired of the unwelcoming welcome party, she bounded away into the desert - straight toward Luxor. The remaining Osprey followed her trail.

Ibarra passed out in her arms before she could flag down an emergency evac.

Jebel Barkal, Sudan - Monarch Outpost 75 - Titanus Mokele-Mbembe

The ground twitched beneath Sergeant Carole Deschene's feet.

She almost didn't notice, but then she saw that nearly everyone in the control room was looking around, puzzled. Then the floor lurched, and everyone began to scream.

"Satellites?" she snapped.

"I've got nothing." one of the techs - Larson - said.

"Squads," Deschene spoke into her headset. "What are you seeing out there?"

None of the helicopters they had sent out had seen anything approach the outpost from the air, nor had they seen anyone on the ground. Nothing on any of their radars, either. The desert was quiet.

"It's M&M," Dr. Keller said. "He's moving."

"Hit the kill switch." Deschene said.

He shook his head. "We still have the containment field."

"Way ahead of you." Larson said, turning on the field.

In that moment, the floor kicked up hard, overturning tables, sending people and equipment into the air.

"What the hell's going on now?" Deschene shouted.

"Radiation levels are rising," Keller said. "And I'm getting something on the bioacoustics monitor."

"Mokele?"

"Yep. His heartbeat's speeding up. But there's something else - something more distant."

"Sir, he's pushing against the field." Larson interrupted.

Deschene switched on the radio. "I want all choppers back here, now. Recon units, you too - be ready to fight."

"He can't get through the field," Keller reassured her. "He can push all day but that thing won't budge. Yunnan was sabotaged, ours is still intact."

"Well, I call bullshit. He's trying to break out - you know what you have to do, and if you don't, I will."

"Sergeant, these creatures -"

Suddenly, the lights dimmed.

"Jesus.." Larson muttered.

"What?" Deschene snapped.

"The containment field, it just overloaded."

"Evacuate the base. Now." Deschene demanded, pushing past Keller and bolting toward the kill switch.

It was only a few feet away before the entire building flipped. Flailing through the air, she hit a wall so hard she swore her lungs would tumble out. She came to with the taste of blood on her tongue, the smell of something burning, and a sound like a rockslide that just wouldn't quit.

Bodies littered what used to be the containment facility, and the whole place was still shuddering. The power was dead, but light poured in through cracks in the metal ceiling.

As she rose to her feet, the room tilted again, slower this time, until it steadied itself. She was only a meter or two away from the exit. But as she made her way towards it, the door burst open with sand and debris pouring inside. The facility was sinking.

"Everybody out!" she called.

Keller was clearly dead, half-swallowed by the sand that had begun to fill the room. Larson was still moving, but dazed. Blood leaked from an ugly gash in her temple. Not wasting any time, she ran to her, throwing her arm around her shoulder as she lifted her out of the room.

Outside, the once level ground was now sloping down into a cavity in the earth. As they both scrambled up the mound of sand that was quickly forming above them, the building dropped another few feet, burying the door. Deschene turned and stared.

It was like watching a plant sprout from dirt, Mokele-Mbembe emerging from beneath one of the pyramids that surrounded the facility. Most of the outpost was still somehow intact. Monarch personnel were scrambling from the building, screaming and running with their arms flailing in fear.

The titan's back emerged first, pebbled like most lizard's hide. But then enormous five-clawed limbs pulled at the edge of the pit he created, and a long curved horn jutted out like a knife from the sand, followed quickly by his head. He looked like somewhat of an earless elephant, except his tusks turned down rather than up. His tail uncoiled like a snake, it was twice as long as his body. Then his trunk flared out, trumpeting an awful noise as if announcing his own arrival.

An Osprey whizzed over their heads, and then another, shooting out rounds of ammunition at the titan. Deschene looked back in time to see one of them hit Mokele on his back, but it didn't seem to bother him at all. Still, he whipped his trunk about, like swatting flies. In seconds he had knocked over dozens of people, taking out at least one Osprey in the process. As he stepped out of the pit, lurching forward on four strong legs, his tail sliced through a pyramid.

This world never belonged to us, she thought. Now they've come to take it back.

Skull Island - Monarch Outpost 33 - Titanus Kong

Alone. Quiet. Peaceful.

Kong sat on the mountain ridge, gazing upon his territory. The water around him glimmered with the rising sunlight, the waves crashing on the shores below. The grasslands and the jungles between the mountains were all hushed in the mellow morning. Creatures chittered to themselves as all began to rise. He scratched the space along his ribs, feeling the first rays of sunlight warm his fur. The last of his most recent wounds were already beginning to heal, and for the first time in a while he felt at ease.

Once the sun had reached its peak, he climbed down from the ridge, walking down his old paths, to the places where the world of night and day crossed into twilight - the hollows where the crawlers lived. He found that they were quiet too, their scents faint and old. He did not feel the rumble of their burrowing, so he went from valley to valley, searching. Maybe they had already made their way above ground to hunt.

He passed by the little ones that spoke to him in voices like wind, but they hadn't seen sign of the crawlers either.

Kong huffed, returning to his ridge and watched the colors of the sky fade from blue to orange to red, eventually fading to a deep purple. The sun burned behind the clouds until it too started to vanish, the moon rising in its wake. But there was something else in the evening breeze, something from a distant place - a place he did not know.

That was when he heard the call.

He had heard calls before. Not from the enemies who had slain his parents - the crawlers. Others somehow more like him in ways he couldn't explain. When he was young, he did not hear them often, but in recent seasons the calls were more frequent. Once he had heard one very near - too near - the island. His island. But it had wanted nothing of him, so he did not care.

But this one wanted something. Wanted him to leave his island. To hunt with it.

And from that call he heard responses. Dozens of them.

For decades upon decades, each season had been the same. The rains came and went, the island's subjects lived and died. And he went on as always. But something had changed now, made him restless, like an itch he couldn't scratch. It made him a little angry. He knew change was good, that was the way of nature. But this change wasn't good, wasn't right.

Let them hunt, he thought. He did not care about their islands, their kingdoms. Best they did not come after his.

But then he felt a familiar rumble in the stone beneath him, and his anger grew stronger. The crawlers had heard the call too, and they were waking.

Alone. Quiet. Peaceful. All of that was over.

With an irritated chuff, Kong began to hunt.

Yunnan Rainforest, China - Cocoon Site - Titanus Mosura

Dr. Houston Brooks woke up to a humid, misty morning in the Yunnan Province's highlands. Taking a science team and a squad of soldiers with him, they drove down to the waterfall.

The storm continued to roll above them, high winds bending the tops of the trees. Rain thundered down in nearly solid sheets, and he nervously gripped the radio in his hand. There had been another titan released - Rodan. And now all hell was breaking loose. They had lost contact with Monarch HQ, and all outside communications were sketchy as hell.

By the time they reached the camp, the road was close to being a river. As he pushed his way into the command tent, Brooks was met with chaos. He pushed through the rabble to Dr. Gillian, who stood hunched over a radio.

"Castle Bravo? This is containment team Mosura, do you read?" she shouted into the radio. She looked worried.

"Anything?" he asked.

"No, sir, we've been completely cut off." she yelled over the cacophony. "We've been trying for hours but we haven't been able to make contact with the Argo, Castle Bravo, and the other containment sites."

"Which ones?"

"All of them." Brooks hadn't known Gill for being easily spooked, but hearing the fear in her voice gave him a chill. "Angkor Wat, Skull Island, Stone Mountain - all the titans, they're escaping."

Gill played back the last transmissions they had received from the other outposts: Behemoth shattering buildings in Rio de Janeiro, Methuselah stomping through Munich, Scylla stalking through Phoenix - among dozens of others.

"Jesus.." he murmured.

Only one monitor was different - Monster Zero, the three-headed dragon, sitting atop a volcano in Isla de Mara. They were roaring. And then something clicked in Brooks' mind.

"It's him," he said. "He's the one doing this. They're all responding to his call."

Out of nowhere, the power within the tent flickered for a moment, then fading out altogether. He turned to Gill.

"Where's Dr. Ling?"

_____

Ling stood before the waterfall, staring through the glistening curtain of water at Mothra's cocooned form within. Feeling her presence.

From the moment she arrived at the site she had not informed her superiors of everything she knew. She felt a little bad about it, but there were simply some things she could not explain with words. If she were being honest, she wasn't sure of all the facts herself. Only what her mother and aunt told her, and her grandmother and her great-aunt. The stories they had passed to her and her sister were not collected from their culture, but instead passed down from an endless line of mothers and daughters.

We're connected to her, she'd been taught. Connected for numberless generations.

She had wondered if it was true. How much of her matriline's mythology was real, and how much was mere fantasy created by time? Her sister had always been one to easily believe such things, but Ling needed more proof than what was essentially a long game of telephone.

But there was no denying that Mothra was real, she could never deny that. She had learned of her existence at a very young age, and not just from stories. Firsthand. It was so long ago, and it was so strange that sometimes she thought she had dreamed it. But the connection was tangible. She'd felt it then, and she felt it now, growing ever stronger.

In the past couple hours, something had changed. In the cocoon, Mothra shivered, as if she felt a jolt of some sort. All scanners within the camp confirmed that her metamorphosis had quickened in response.

In the back of her mind, Ling felt a presence pushing through. She let her in.

In an instant, she was met with a flurry of images - lightning, fire, death, the sea, light. It took all of her concentration not to fall unconscious right there, but her lineage had prepared her for this moment. But unlike the stories she had been told, she was alone. Dr. Ilene Chen was half-way across the world, but Ling couldn't fail the sleeping goddess, not now.

As the typhoon continued to swell overhead, she stood in the rain, ignoring the chill - listening, urging Mothra to hurry toward her second birth.

_____

Gill had known where Ling was, although it wasn't hard to guess. Since arriving at the site she was almost always at Mothra's side. Running out into the rain, Brooks following close behind, they found her kneeling with her backs to them. Rain pelted her from all sides, and her coat was more than soaked. And yet she remained as still as a statue.

"Dr. Ling?" she shouted, trying to cut through the howling wind. "We've lost contact with Monarch!"

She didn't turn around.

For a brief moment, the rain slackened, winds dying down to a harsh whistle. Above, the clouds seemed to part, and somewhere beyond the treeline creatures of all sort began to stir with unrest. Or in worship. A trail of what looked like fireflies began pouring from the jungle and the roof of the grotto that held the waterfall, flickering in tune to a rhythm Gill couldn't hear. And the cocoon flickered too, rippling, glowing with bioluminescence. Tears began to form in the fabric of the chrysalis, the fireflies dancing around it like a thousand tiny supplicants.

But as they passed before Gill's eyes, she could see that they weren't fireflies at all - but rather hundreds of bioluminescent moths. And they were all converging around Mothra's cocoon, almost as if they were assisting her entrance like minuscule handmaidens. A tiny smile grew on her face as they fluttered past her, watching in awe.

"Dr. Ling?" Gill said as she got closer to the woman.

Over the sound of the waterfall and Mothra's increasing thrumming, she heard a voice. It was soft, faint, and it almost sounded like someone singing. It was Ling. As she knelt before the cocoon, hands clasped together, a stream of words in a language she didn't understand streamed from her mouth. Though Gill didn't know the words, it almost sounded like a prayer, a plea.

In that moment, the cocoon split, one long insectile leg stretching out. Ling's singing became louder, more passionate.

Everyone in the camp was outside now, bathed in the light that encompassed the waterfall, watching in wonder at the goddess' rebirth. Despite knowing that she should feel afraid at the thought of another titan breaking free, there was something different about this one. Something more important.

From one second to the next, a head slowly broke through the curtain of water, more legs landing on the ground almost gracefully. Carefully.

Ling rose, lifting the hood of her coat as her gaze followed Mothra's rising form. As she sang, her words seemed to harmonize with the titan's own vocalizations, until they both seemed to be singing the same song. But much bigger and far more meaningful. Gill could only watch in reverence as the titan unfurled her wings, a wave of light surging from Mothra's body to its gossamer tips. Gill could almost feel her throat want to close up at the sight of it, instead taking a deep steady breath.

She was beautiful.

The other titans were free, and Mothra had heard their cries. Now it was her turn.

As Mothra stepped from the waterfall, looking down at the tiny beings all staring back up at her, Gill felt something stir in the back of her mind. Mothra leaned down, antennae twitching as she locked eyes with Ling. The doctor looked a little otherworldly in the blue light, and her expression was nothing short of reverential. Slowly, as if asking for permission, she outstretched her hand, placing it on a patch of the downy fuzz that covered the titan's head. But then Mothra's gaze went past her, towards Gill, and Ling's followed soon after.

Ling brought out another hand, gesturing to Gill. Confused, it took her a moment before she pointed a finger at herself, questioning.

"It's alright," she said. "She remembers you."

Remembers?

Gill nearly gasped. All those times back in the temple - where she would examine the pupating larva with Ling, Chen, and Emma - she would talk to it. She thought that maybe, it would comfort the larva, prepare it for the strange new world she would surely be born into. She never would've thought it'd have any impact. Sheepishly, Gill took Ling's hand, letting her guide it to rest on top of Mothra's head. It was soft, if not a little damp from the waterfall. Gill let out a breathless laugh.

Suddenly, one of Mothra's forelimbs raised itself, stopping just between Ling and Gill. Ling hoisted herself upon it, sitting on the rough chitin.

"Wh-What are you doing?"

"There's no other way to contact Monarch HQ, right?" once again, she extended a hand. "She knows how to help."

"I-I don't - um.." nervously, her head whipped around at Brooks. He looked just as clueless.

"Well?"

She knew there wasn't any time to waste, so with a giddy smile, Gill took her hand. Mothra lifted them closer to her head, allowing them to climb comfortably to the space just between her antennae. Jodie's not gonna believe this, she thought to herself.

With a loud, melodious cry, Mothra pushed herself off the ground and took flight.