Godzilla vs. Kong by Greg Keyes (read people like a book .txt) 📕

nourished Kong—it’s gone, and it isn’t coming back. And there is no place like it on Earth, at least not above ground. You always believed Skull Island was like the Hollow Earth come to the surface. This could help him find a new home. And it can save ours.” He glanced meaningfully at Jia. “And hers. That power source may be our only hope. Please, we’ve gotta stop Godzilla. This is our only chance. We have to take it.”

She sighed, then turned her gaze up to where Kong’s makeshift spear was still hanging from where it had punched into the dome. Nathan was right. This place was and had always been a temporary measure. And Godzilla was on the move again, which meant there was a good chance politics was about to become involved once more. Walter Simmons and Apex had a lot of political clout, maybe enough to have Kong taken away from her whether she agreed or not. Worse, there were plenty of people in important positions who still held to the idea that the Titans should all be summarily executed. Godzilla’s seemingly heroic actions had muted their voices, but now that Godzilla was public enemy number one, they would be heard again. Some would demand Kong be put down while he was still Monarch’s captive.

Nathan was right about another thing. Skull Island was ruined. Even if things returned to normal this afternoon, it would take decades for its ecosystem to recover.

“Okay,” she relented.

“Yes!” Nathan said.

She stuck a finger in his face. “But when it comes to Kong, what I say goes.”

Nathan’s face lit up. “You name the terms!” he said. “Thank you! You won’t regret this!”

His kissed her cheek and then sprinted off, presumably to radio Walter Simmons the good news.

“I already regret it,” Ilene said.

She looked down at Jia.

This is our home, Jia signed. Ours.

“Our home is together,” Ilene replied. “You and me.” In the distance, Kong grunted, then growled, very low. Agitated.

You have no idea, big guy, Ilene thought. However things turned out, in the immediate future Kong was going to be a very unhappy Titan.

Russell House, Pensacola

Madison’s dad showed up late, looking tired and carrying a pizza, which he laid on the table. She acknowledged him with a bare nod. It had been a full day since she had seen him, since their fight at the aid site. She had spent the night with her aunt, but had received a text to return home after school. The pizza said he might be trying to make amends, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to play along.

“Look, Madison,” her dad said. “I’m sorry. Just when you showed up, things were—you saw. And you’re down a letter grade in three subjects.”

Right, she thought. This isn’t about Godzilla at all. It’s about homework.

“Two,” she said. “I took the make-up quiz in Chemistry.”

“You shouldn’t be down in any of them.” He sighed and pulled some plates from the cabinet. “You know that,” he said. “I don’t have to tell you.”

“Then don’t,” she replied, and was immediately sorry she’d said it. “I shouldn’t have bugged you the other day,” she said.

“I get it,” he said. “After last time. But I just… If I could have kept you away from all of that, I would have. And maybe I could have, if I had been around. I wasn’t. But I’m here, now, Maddie. I don’t want to see you pulled into this mess.”

“I just know I can help,” she said. “I have as much experience as anyone with these things. I learned a lot from Mom. I know you may not want to hear that…”

“Maddie, I loved your mom. I still love her. But that situation—with Jonah and his men, all of those murders, Ghidorah … you shouldn’t have been involved with any of that. You were a kid. And as much as you may hate to hear it, you still are.”

“Dad—”

He bent his head down. “For me, Maddie,” he said. “I can’t … the idea of you getting hurt, or worse. I can’t take it. So please.”

That sounded suspiciously like he was leading up to something.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“They want me at command and control,” he said. “I’m supposed to fly up there in the next couple of days.”

“Great,” she said. “I’ll go pack.”

He shook his head. “You’re staying here. Cassidy is going to sleep here and keep an eye on you.”

Madison stared at her plate for a moment, torn, angry, and at the same time on the edge of tears.

“It’s not fair,” she said.

“You need to keep up with school,” he said.

“No, not that,” she said. “You’re blackmailing me. With your fear. I’m supposed to cower at home for the rest of my life because you’re afraid something might happen to me? It’s not fair.”

“Maddie…”

“No,” she said. “That’s fine. You go to command and control. Save the world. I’ll stay here and … go to school. But you’re going to owe me.” She forced a smile.

Her dad nodded. “Are we through fighting?” he asked.

“Truce, for now,” she said.

“Pizza and a movie.” “That sounds good,” he said.

But secretly, she was already making plans. No more asking permission. She would just have to count on forgiveness.

Skull Island

The goal was to put Kong on a ship and sail him to Antarctica. Finding a ship that could carry him and restraints that could hold him turned out to be the easiest part of that equation. Getting him on that ship and in those restraints—that was the quandary.

Nathan grew increasingly nervous about the huge task as the day approached.

“We learned a lot from the disaster of 2019,” Araya said, studying the feed from Kong’s enclosure. “We had a one-size-fits-all approach to Titans, and put far too much trust in our containment fields.”

Araya was the head engineer on site. He had read her profile; she had a list of degrees and accomplishments as long as Nathan’s arm. She almost as tall as he was, powerfully built. Her eyes were a remarkable