Godzilla at World's End (31 page)

As the three of them rushed for the exit, Leena spoke. "What will happen?" she asked.

Michael smiled. "I
think
I woke the Ancient Ones up," he announced proudly. "I tried everything else, then I figured out that Zoe wasn't using electricity to knock them out - she was controlling the voltage so that they couldn't wake up."

"I don't get it," she cried.

"I sent enough electricity through the Ancient Ones to shock them awake ... I
hope.
"

Leena turned. It looked as if Michael's idea
was
working. She sensed movement behind the wall. To Leena's surprise, Zoe Kemmering remained paralyzed, kneeling before the entombed remains of her dead father.

They reached the exit, and Brennan thrust Michael's wheelchair into Leena's hands. "Go!" he barked. "I'll cover you."

As the corporal turned, a Kamakite rushed him. He pulled the trigger, and bullets ripped into the insect's body. The creature continued on. As Sean ducked, the dying Kamakite rushed right past him and plunged over the edge of the crystal bridge.

Then Brennan felt a cold pain reach into his guts. His body was yanked backward. As he hit the crystal floor, he tried to rise, but couldn't. He looked down to see the point of a Kamakite's spear jutting from his abdomen. Blood gushed around the shaft. Brennan finally managed to raise himself to one knee, draw his handgun, and shoot the creature that had stabbed him.

Then the corporal dropped his gun and slid soundlessly to the floor of the chamber. Through a haze of pain he saw several more Kamakites scrambling across the smooth floor toward him. Their spears were raised above their ugly heads ...

***

Godzilla grappled with Biollante as the creature's many tentacles wrapped around him once again. One tendril wrapped itself around Godzilla's neck. But the monster seized the pod at the end of the tentacle and ripped it open until the jaws separated and dropped into the bloody water flowing around their feet.

The plant monster, which was at least 120 meters tall, shuffled forward awkwardly on thick, twisting roots. Biollante slammed its full weight into Godzilla, sending the monster flying backward. More tentacles reached out, closing on Godzilla's neck again.

Thrashing and struggling helplessly in Biollante's grip, Godzilla felt his strength ebbing as the life was literally choked out of him.

Godzilla raised his forepaw in defense, and Biollante lashed out. A thick, thorny point ripped through Godzilla's hand and burst out the other side to penetrate the monster's throat. Godzilla opened his eyes wide in surprise. As he gurgled, bloody foam flecked his jaws.

But still Godzilla battled on, yanking on a single tentacle until it finally gave. Ripping the arm free from its root, Godzilla bellowed as the pressure was released from his neck. Rising with a snarl, Godzilla faced the plant monster, his lips curled to bare a mouthful of long, sharp, uneven teeth.

Blue lightning danced along his dorsal spines, shimmering eerily in the deep underground cavern. Then a blast of radioactive fire burst from his powerful, slavering jaws and washed over Biollante.

The plant monster howled in pain ...

***

"Where's Sean?" Shelly demanded when Leena stumbled into the airship, pushing Michael's wheelchair through the narrow airlock.

"He's right behind me," Leena cried, turning. "He -"

But the teenager fell silent when she saw that the bridge behind her was empty.

"I've got to go - " Shelly bolted, but her words were cut off as Captain Dolan dragged her back inside the airship.

"You and Michael have to help me launch this airship!" Dolan declared.

"But what about Sean?"

"You are responsible for the lives aboard this ship, Shelly. Remember that! They need you ...
I
need you."

"But what about Sean?" she cried again.

"He's a soldier. He knew the risks," Dolan replied. "Do you think I wanted to leave Zoe back there? I didn't, but I had to."

Shelly nodded finally as tears streamed down her face. But suddenly a figure raced past them.

"Get the ship up and running," Nick Gordon cried as he rushed by. "I'll go fetch our American hero!"

With that, Nick raced across the crystal bridge again, clutching a fallen soldier's M-16. Robin watched him go, shaking her head.

"You magnificent idiot," she whispered.

***

Sean Brennan lay in a pool of his own blood. He knew he was dying, but he couldn't take his eyes off the tableau unfolding before him.

The Ancient Ones, trapped behind the translucent wall, were moving now. They glowed brightly and then began to throb. Soon the chamber was filled with a terrible whine, like a thousand bizarre and unearthly machines starting up at once.

Finally, the three creatures were awake. As one, they focused their unearthly eyes on the wounded soldier. Brennan sensed somehow that the Ancient Ones meant him no harm. He was sure it was they who had fried the Kamakites that were going to kill him. Even now the burned and smoldering bodies of the insect creatures lay sprawled on the floor in front of him. As another Kamakite burst into the room and approached him, another bolt of pure energy lanced out of the floor, burning it to cinders, too.

"Thanks," Sean muttered, realizing that his death was only postponed, not prevented. He closed his eyes and tried to relax. Suddenly he felt very warm. Sean knew he was slipping into shock.

The end was near.

Then he felt someone tugging on his shoulders, shaking him awake. The corporal looked up and saw Nick Gordon standing over him.

"Let's go, soldier boy," Nick said as he slung the helpless and wounded man over his shoulder. As Nick turned and ran toward the exit, Sean Brennan took a last look at the Ancient Ones.

This time, they were looking back ...

***

Blue fire continued to stream from Godzilla's open jaws. The King of the Monsters poured a steady flow of radioactive fire over the creature called Biollante. Tentacles burst into flames, but the plant creature quickly doused them in the rushing water.

The plant monster bellowed and opened its own maw wide. From the depths of the creature's throat, a flood of glowing, acidic sap spewed out, raining down on Godzilla.

Where the drops touched, Godzilla's hide sizzled and smoked.

The monster ceased his radioactive blast when the sap hit his eyes. Burning with rage and pain, Godzilla bellowed and blindly charged ahead. The massive jaws of the plant creature snapped shut like a steel trap on Godzilla's upper body.

The King of the Monsters struggled helplessly, like a man whose head was trapped in the jaws of a crocodile. Biollante closed its jaws even tighter, squeezing the life out of Godzilla. His tail lashed angrily and his legs kicked, but even as he hissed in rage, Godzilla was powerless in Biollante's powerful grip ...

***

"Look!" Shelly cried from the helm, where she readied the airship for takeoff.

Captain Dolan, at the engineering control, looked up. Michael saw it, too, and gasped in surprise.

The crown on the ancient structure they had just fled was beginning to glow brightly in the cavern's gloom. The object began to throb, and a shrill, unnatural sound filled the city. The irregular arms that projected from the mushroom-shaped top of the building began to wave unnaturally.

Then the lower portion of the structure began to crack and split apart. Shelly looked at the crystal bridge, hoping to spot Nick and Sean coming across it, but the disintegrating span was empty.

She feared that they both were dead.

"Here they come!" Michael cried, pointing. Shelly gazed out the window and saw Nick Gordon carrying Sean Brennan as he raced across the crystal bridge, which crumbled beneath him. Pieces of the span seemed to fall away with each running step he took. At the airlock, Johnny Rocco threw open the door and ushered them in, just as the entire bridge fell away and shattered onto the plaza below.

Then the mooring tower shattered as well, and the airship was floating free.

"Right starboard rudder!" Dolan cried. Shelly turned the wheel, and the
Destiny Explorer
moved away from the plaza and toward the shattered iris.

Just then, the radio, which had long been dead, crackled to life. An eerie, inhuman voice issued from the speakers audible all over the ship from every intercom, on every deck.

Everyone listened intently as the Ancient Ones spoke to them.

"Do not fear, humans," the voice said. "This city is about to die, and the creatures who invaded your world are already gone. We will soon depart, as well ...

"Once this was our world ... now it is yours." The voice paused.

"Take care of it."

The throbbing crown of the huge central structure broke free from the rest of the building. The structure beneath it splintered. As the irregular crystal arms on the floating structure waved as if to say farewell, the object literally passed through the stone roof of the cavern as if it were thin air.

Suddenly, the lights blinked inside the
Destiny Explorer
.

"Something's grabbed us," Captain Dolan said evenly.

Then the airship was dragged upward. No matter what they did, nothing could stop their ascent. Finally, Shelly released the control column.

If I'm going to die, I'll die with Sean
, the woman decided.

Shelly rushed back to the stateroom, where Dr. Grace was fighting to save Sean Brennan's life.

When she reached the room, Shelly was told by the other Rangers that their commander was unconscious. The ship's doctor had patched Brennan up as well as she could. Dr. Grace couldn't promise that Sean would even survive the night.

Somehow, Shelly Townsend knew that he would.

***

On the observation deck, Ned Landson and Peter Blackwater observed the furious battle still raging below. As they watched, Godzilla broke free of Biollante's jaws. Now the plant monster was burning from Godzilla's fiery breath, but the tentacles still grabbed at the King of the Monsters, dragging him toward those terrible jaws once more.

"What about Godzilla?" Ned cried. "We're leaving him behind. He'll be trapped at the center of the Earth forever!"

"Don't worry about him," Nick Gordon announced as he stepped onto the deck with Robin.

"It would be just fine for the human race if Godzilla stayed right here, buried in the center of the Earth forever."

A haunted look crossed Nick's face, and Robin reached out and took his hand.

"Godzilla might look like a hero now, boys. But I wasn't much older than both of you when I saw the terrible things he is capable of doing." Nick Gordon shook his head. "Believe me, the world is better off without Godzilla."

Then the airship was dragged through the roof of the cavern by the weird vehicle of the Ancient Ones. The
Explorer
moved through the Earth as if it were water. During the passage, the view from the windows went black for five whole minutes.

Then, suddenly, they were in the daylight, floating above the surface of the Antarctic. Beneath them the ground sagged, and the ancient ice shelf shattered and caved in. Tons of rocks and ice collapsed onto the underground city. The lost necropolis of the Ancient Ones was buried forever.

And so was Godzilla ...

As the airship flew toward the coast, the skies cleared over the Antarctic for the first time in many weeks. As the clouds parted, Leena peered out of the window, suddenly unafraid.

In lazy circles, Mothra wheeled through the sky on colorful, gossamer wings. As Leena watched, the Protector of the Earth chirped once. Leena was certain that only
she
heard Mothra's cry.

"Thank you, Mothra," she whispered.

High above their heads, and above the sky where Mothra floated, the Ancient Ones and their mysterious ship disappeared into the depths of outer space.

The human race held uneasy sway over the Earth once more ...

All over the world ...

Hours after departing the necropolis of the Ancient Ones, the
Destiny Explorer
made radio contact with the outside world. With the exclusive use of one of the few remaining broadcast satellites in orbit, Robin Halliday and Nick Gordon told the dramatic story of the airship's voyage to the center of the Earth to an eager world.

The story they told posed more questions than it answered - but that was to be expected. The events were unprecedented in the history of mankind, and would no doubt be debated for generations to come.

In a massive attack by the combined military forces of the United States and Peru, Megalon was driven into the depths of the Amazon jungle. Gigan, according to an eyewitness, had been dragged into the Caspian Sea, and to its apparent end, by the mysterious creature called Anguirus.

Battra was never seen again. Nor was Manda. And according to reports, Godzilla was now trapped in the center of the world - perhaps forever.

The people of the world took a collective sigh of relief and went on to rebuild their nations.

Communications between towns, cities, countries, and continents were slowly restored in the hours, days, and weeks after the Ancient Ones departed Earth for parts unknown. The communications breakdown, which came to be known as the Babel Event - an allusion to the biblical story of the Tower of Babel - ceased as mysteriously as it began. But its effects continued to be felt for months.

The United States, Great Britain, France, Japan, China, South Korea, and India were the first nations to restore social order. There was destruction and loss of life everywhere, but citizens of these and other nations agreed that it could have been much worse.

Surprisingly, after only a few days of social chaos, order was restored in much of America, despite the communications blackout. Local authorities and the common people banded together to keep civilization going. In amazing ways, Americans were able to accomplish in mere weeks what their government could not in more than a year.

When satellite communications, telephone lines, television and radio stations, and computers and the Internet came back on-line, the people discovered that, by and large, they had done amazingly well - and they'd done it all by themselves, in their own communities.