Godzilla 2000 (32 page)

She didn't know how yet, but she knew she would figure it out eventually.

Hiram and Wanda Roper returned to Kansas, too. They rebuilt their farm with the help of federal disaster relief funds. They adopted Ronette Carry, the little girl who saw her whole family slaughtered by the Kamacuras.

The nine-year-old hadn't spoken yet, but with love and care, the Ropers were hopeful.

* * *

Captain Jerry Tilson returned to Pennsylvania, and to his wife, Sandy. She had a little boy in March, and they named him Michael Pederson Tilson.

A decorated war hero in his small town, Tilson was promoted to district manager and dabbled in local politics. He finally resigned his commission in the Air National Guard and stayed home on weekends.

* * *

Dr. Craig Westerly published a scholarly paper about his research with the native Alaskans. The dissertation won him a spot on the faculty of Columbia University, though he still spent most of his time in the far north, with the old Native American shaman.

The ancient shaman continued to relate amazing folk tales of his people to the eager anthropologist.

* * *

Billy and Zelly Whitman went to college on the money they earned from their story. Billy majored in marketing and girls. Zelly studied art.

* * *

Captain Charles Dingle retired and moved to Bermuda, where he sails, fishes, and enjoys his golden years. He doesn't even miss being the skipper of the
Texas Star
.

Not much, anyway.

* * *

Dr. Carl Strickler was appointed the director of the Mishra Foundation for Scientific Research, established in honor of the late Dr. Chandra Mishra.

The foundation funds scientific research and higher education for promising students of science.

* * *

Linda Carlisle, Mike Timko, and Robin Halliday remained a team. Robin hosts INN's young adult news show,
Teen Beat
. Mike is still her director, and Linda has been promoted to producer.

Before the show's debut, Linda took several months off and filmed a documentary about people in Kansas who were trying to rebuild their lives.

She was nominated for an Academy Award.

* * *

Slowly, with time, money, sweat, tears, and tenacity, the nation rebuilt itself. In New York, the World Trade Center was mostly demolished. Only one of the original Twin Towers remained.

George Steinbrenner finally got a new stadium for his Yankees, though he had to pay for it himself.

And Donald Trump built a complex of office towers, highways, and apartment buildings in lower Manhattan. During the project, the developer had to travel a lot, so he hired a former Navy pilot named Kathleen "Dale" Delany to fly his personal helicopter.

They were married six months later.

* * *

Oakland, California, after years of neglect, was rebuilt as a shining example of successful urban renewal. The infamous ghettoes vanished overnight. In their place, business and shopping centers were constructed around middle-class, upper middle-class, and luxury housing.

In one tranquil corner of the city, near the rechristened Jack London Square, a lovely little park was built. The peaceful area of shady trees, grassy knolls and playgrounds was named Dennis Flynn Park, after the policeman from San Francisco who crossed the bay with other emergency workers after Godzilla's attack. Flynn died rescuing an entire family trapped in the rubble of their home.

A few weeks after the park's dedication ceremony, a young woman who worked for an ad agency began jogging there. Her name was Annabel Maguire, and for some reason, she really loved Flynn Park.

One Sunday morning, while she was having breakfast under a tree there, Annabel met a charming policeman who'd just been promoted to detective. It was love at first sight.

The couple were married a few months later, under the very same tree where they first met.

Dennis Flynn Park was a happy place that day, and forever after.

Life in America and on planet Earth continued.

WILL THE END OF THE 20TH CENTURY BRING AN END TO HUMANKIND?

As the millennium approaches, a cloud of asteroids plummets toward Earth and unleashes a plague of monsters. A swarm of mutant insects devours the grain fields of Kansas. Rodan, a giant winged reptile, builds a nest on Mount Rushmore. And the terrifying Varan ravages Mexico and texas.

In the midst of this chaos is teenager Kip Daniels. Along with an elite group of young computer whizzes, Kip is trained by G-Force, a top-secret Pentagon operation. But even their new high-tech weapons are no match for the blistering destruction of King Ghidorah, the three-headed space monster.

Only one force can forestall this fiery apocalypse - Godzilla. But as the roaring behemoth rears his head from the ocean's depths, one question remains:

IS HE FRIEND OR FOE?