Mothra: Return of the Goddess

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Godzilla2004
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Mothra: Return of the Goddess

Post by Godzilla2004 »

Prologue: Echoes of the Past




Near the East Indies, 1944.

The man clinging to the bit of wood opened his bloodshot eyes and squinted in the overbearing sun as he drifted on the sea. Despite his best efforts, he’d swallowed a good deal of salt water as he had hung on for dear life. He was thirsty, hungry, tired, sore; but worse than all that were the scars on his soul.

He was one of many Japanese soldiers on that ship the Americans had sank. He had seen his friends and burning in the fires. He had seen others torn apart by sharks in the water afterwards. Others had just given up and let go, choosing merciful death in the abyss. At this point, his anger and his hatred were the only things keeping him alive; the only things giving him strength to swim towards the tantalizingly close shore and throw himself onto the sands of the beach. There he lost consciousness as the waves hit him and he slipped into the sweet embrace of sleep.

He awoke when he realized people were carrying him. He opened his eyes, saw the blurred figures of men holding him up as they walked, then found he didn’t have the strength to move. The next thing he knew he was awakening on a mat as a beautiful woman offered him cool, fresh water to drink.

He drifted in and out over the next several days. Sometimes he awoke in screaming fits, but the people tending to him calmed him and stayed by his side. He realized they were a simple people, a tribe tucked away in what ever remote corner of the world he had arrived at, but they cared for him so deeply and went to such great lengths to nurse him back to health, that slowly he came to hold them and their vast capacity for kindness in awe.

Slowly his strength returned, and one night he joined the villagers outside for food and music. He couldn’t understand anything they said, but still he laughed and clapped along. And then, suddenly, his eyes opened wide in amazement as he saw the secret of the village revealed to him.

After that, his life changed forever.



***




Veracruz, Mexico. Present day.

A jeep stopped in a field at the edge of the jungle and a gray haired woman in khaki stepped out of it. A thin man wearing glasses ran towards her from the forest where a crowd of people had gathered.

“Dr. Reeves, you have to see it.” He breathed, sweat pouring down his face. “It’s just like it was described to us.”

“Is it Olmec?” Dr. Reeves asked, following the man past the crowd of local farmers and residents into the forest.

“Could be.” Her colleague said. “Although in my opinion it looks to be even older. Watch your step by the way. Snakes are common here.”

The two made their way down a freshly cut trail until it ended before a great wall of gray stone. The wall was ancient, the rock eroded from hundreds of years of rain and wrapped in vines and massive tree roots emerging from a bank of soil that threatened to swallow it. In the middle though were chiseled images, still perfectly preserved through the ages.

“Remarkable.” Dr. Reeves whispered, drawing closer to the ruins. “They found it as they were clearing away the forest?”

“Yes, for farming. It’s just like we found in the Yunnan Rainforest in China.” Her colleague agreed.

“And in Peru, Cambodia, India, and Egypt.” She concurred, taking pictures. “And like the rock art we found in Australia.”

“What does it all mean?”

Dr. Reeves studied the detailed stone image of a moth and the carved figures of two women and the symbol of the cross over a circle within a larger circle, with radiating lines like the rays of the sun between the circles, before she answered.

“None of us are sure yet.” She said. “But I have a colleague in Japan who will be very interested in what we’ve found.”



***



“What you’re seeing below is one of the largest iceberg’s yet recorded in the Tasman Sea.” The Australian film maker said over the whirling of helicopter blades as his crew recorded the image of the jagged white mountain of ice floating in the ocean below.

“This iceberg broke off of Antarctica some time ago and as it’s moved north pieces have started melting off of it, but as you can see this thing is just so big that even as it sheds away those big chunks of ice there’s still plenty of mass left. Normally an iceberg this big wouldn’t be this far north this time of year, especially not one this size, but as the climate warms and the polar icecaps are heated up this has become more and more frequent, and that’s a bad sign for the environment. Most people don’t know this, but the Earth is actually losing 1.2 trillion tons of ice each year! Just try to wrap your mind around the scale of that!”

“What’s that!?” One of his crew shouted.

The filmmaker turned and looked down at the iceberg. A massive wall of ice was sliding away and from beneath it an eerie glow could be seen. As the ice slid away, something was revealed beneath it; a massive, round thing, red as blood and banded in dark green rings, pulsing with that eerie glow that seemed in some strange way to signal both life and danger.

“It…It looks like a giant egg…” The filmmaker stammered. “Please tell me you’re getting this!”

Then, as suddenly as it had been revealed, the enormous object slid free of its frozen prison and rolled into the sea, vanishing into the deep.

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Re: Mothra: Return of the Goddess

Post by Godzilla2004 »

Chapter 1:
The Mystery of Infant Island




Long ago and far away…

A woman cried out into the night as she lay on the straw mat in the little grass hut, her legs bent at the knees and spread apart, sweat pouring down her face as she labored to bring new life into the world. All around her, the other women in her tribe assisted in the magic that was unique to their sex, some doing as the eldest of them ordered and others praying and chanting magic charms to protect both mother and child in the dangerous process of birth.

Another cry from the mother and then the cry of a child answered. All the women rejoiced as their white haired elder lifted the crying babe with a wide, bright smile on her face as the healthy child wailed in her arms.

The exhausted mother smiled up at her for a moment, gasping for air and wanting to reach for her child. But something was wrong. More pain came and she cried out again. The elder’s face flashed with alarm and then grew stern as she handed the child to one of the younger women and returned to her place before the ailing mother, alternating between words of comfort and orders snapped at the other women. Wizened, weathered hands reached out, and as the mother screamed and pushed one more time those hands caught and held another new life.

The elder woman looked over the crying baby in her arm and then to the other that had come first. Two girls, as identical to each other as a reflection in water would be. The women in the hut were all whispering to each other and muttering prayers. It was not unheard of for two children to come into the world at once from the same mother, but all knew from the lore of their people that it was a sign of powerful magic and of great destiny. What forces, the old woman wondered, did this signify at work in the world?

The exhausted mother of the twins didn’t care about any of this. She reached up for her children, breathing hard and holding out shaking hands. The elder nodded, smiled kindly, and handed the first child to her. Then, when the second wasn’t immediately given to the mother, she spat out the command and saw to it that both came to lay together in her embrace.

“Moll.” Their mother said with a smile, kissing the head of the oldest girl.

Then, turning to the youngest and kissing her as well, she said “Lora.”

The old woman patted her arm gently, smiling and nodding in approval at the names. Then she stood and turned her gaze on the other women. She didn’t need to utter a single word of warning to them. All knew from that fierce glare that they were to go about their duties as normal. Words would need to be saved for the men and it was to them that the elder went as she left the hut. They feared her and the power she had, more so the power she let them think she had, so much that she could guarantee the children and their mother safety for many years to come. But the wise woman believed as all her people that the forces of fate could only be delayed and never thwarted.

Still, the happiness of a young mother and her children was worth delaying whatever might come as long as possible.



***



Tokyo, Japan.

Dr. Shin’ichi Koizumi sat in a waiting room, turning a small, round, silver object over and over in his hand. Lost in his thoughts, he didn’t notice the young woman approaching him until she spoke to him.

“Dr. Koizumi?” She asked, causing him to jump. “I’m Masako Kobayashi with the Global Environment Commission.”

“Oh, I see.” Dr. Koizumi replied, greeting her and pocketing his little trinket. “With the United Nations then?”

“Yes.” Ms. Kobayashi replied with a smile. “I’ve been asked to join the same expedition you’ll be going on.”

“Oh, so we’ll be traveling companions then.” He said with a polite smile. “I wasn’t aware that this was an environmental study.”

“Well, not originally.” Ms. Kobayashi looked around quickly, noting that the secretary seemed to be busy, and then leaned in to talk in a hushed tone. “Actually, I suppose now’s a good time to ask you how much you know about…”

A door opened and a dark haired American stepped out of his office. “Dr. Koizumi, Ms. Kobayashi, why don’t you both come in.”

Ms. Kobayashi gathered herself, looking sternly at their host, and led the way. Dr. Koizumi followed, shaking the hand the businessman offered him, a little ill at ease to be meeting one of the richest men in the world.

“So,” Clark Nelson began as he shut the door and went around to his desk, “where shall I began?”

“You should probably begin by dispelling some of the mystery around this expedition of yours, Mr. Nelson.” Ms. Kobayashi said sharply. “Especially since, whether you like it or not, we will be accompanying you and your team on this trip.”

Nelson stared at her for a moment and Dr. Koizumi was sure he was angry. Ms. Kobayashi seemed to be staring him down, defying him to snap back at her. Instead, he smiled at her.

“Of course.” He agreed. “And once that’s out of the way, I believe you’ll understand why I’ve kept everything so quiet.”

He reached into his desk and pulled a series of photographs from the drawer before passing them across to them.

“Those photos were taken by one of my company’s satellites of an island near the Indonesian side of New Guinea. We think they may show some sort of new energy or mineral supply. After some negotiation with the Indonesian government, I secured most of the rights to any extraction that we might be doing and volunteered to cover the full cost of an exploratory expedition.”

The two of them looked at the strange, round, blue and white image pressed against the green and brown of the island.

“But of course,” Ms. Kobayashi said with a rather unkind smile, “not everyone in the Indonesian government was so quick to turn a blind eye and let you do whatever you want, no matter how much money you offered. Hence why they insisted on a biologist, an anthropologist, a linguist, and a monitor from both their own government and the United Nations to go along on the expedition.”

“Yes, but mercifully my friends in Indonesia saw enough sense to reduce the cost and number of people I’ll be responsible for.” Nelson replied with a grin. “Dr. Koizumi is both an anthropologist and a linguist. You are both a biologist and work for the United Nations. And don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to have the two of you along. But of course there are conditions.”

“Conditions?” Dr. Koizumi asked.

“Yes, secrecy first and foremost. I don’t want any competitors rushing to exploit the island. Beyond that, any data or observations you gather must be reported directly to me and cleared by me before publishing it or otherwise releasing it.”

“Absolutely unacceptable!” Ms. Kobayashi snapped, jumping to her feet and slamming her hands down on the desk. “I don’t work for you, I work for the United Nations and I’m going to be on this expedition to make sure you don’t exploit or otherwise damage the ecosystem there. Besides, how could you make sense of any data I collect? You’re not a scientist.”

“No,” the billionaire said with a grin, “but I’m brilliant enough to be one.”

“Er…” Dr. Koizumi interrupted, trying to redirect the conversation before tensions boiled over, “Can you confirm for us the name of the island we’re going to?”

“I believe,” Nelson said, looking vaguely thoughtful, “that I was told the local name for it translates to ‘Infant Island.’”



***



At the bottom of the Tasman Sea.

The egg that had fallen from the melting iceberg glowed and pulsed. Bubbles rose as the shell cracked, the light pulsing inside it illuminating the deep.

In the near total darkness, a glowing, golden horn pierced through the shell of the egg, followed by a massive, dark form. In the endless, watery night, two great red eyes full of malice glowed and the creatures of the abyss fled in all directions. He was born again at last and it was just as he had feared. He could feel how the planet had changed and sense how it was growing more unstable.

Something would have to be done.



***



“I can’t believe the arrogance of that rich jerk!” Ms. Kobayashi snarled as she and Dr. Koizumi left the building of Clark Nelson’s office in Tokyo.

“You had his number from the start in there didn’t you?” Dr. Koizumi asked. “What’s all that about? If I may?”

“Oh not much. I can’t stand rich jerks that think they can get their way just by throwing their money and names around. Meanwhile the planet and everyone else on it just has to suffer the consequences of their actions.”

“Well, I do think he’s jumping to the conclusions he wants to see.” Dr. Koizumi said thoughtfully. “Whatever’s in those photographs could just as easily be an archeological discovery.”

“Is that why you volunteered to go on this expedition?” She asked him. “I’d heard you jumped at the chance. Or is it that you think there might be uncontacted tribes on this island?”

“Something like that.” Dr. Koizumi said with a smile. “It’s a bit of a long story.”

“Well if you like long stories you should look into the biography of our friend Mr. Nelson.” She told him. “He’s not someone we should take our eyes off of while we’re out in the jungle.”

“And you might want to do some reading on Infant Island before we head to it.”

“Oh?” Ms. Kobayashi asked. “Any suggestions on where I should start?”

“It doesn’t really matter.” Dr. Koizumi assured her. “There hasn’t been much written about it because so little is known about the place.”

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Re: Mothra: Return of the Goddess

Post by Godzilla2004 »

Chapter 2:
A New Threat




In the distant past…

The twins’ mother watched with the other women as the girls played with the rest of the village children. She smiled as she weaved the straw bedding. Moll and Lora were as happy and cherished as any of the children and the rest of the village had grown accustomed to the twins. The elder woman had seen to that before she died and for her doing so their mother would always be grateful. Years had passed since then and the two of them were growing quickly and becoming a bright source of happiness for everyone, especially when they showcased their shared talent for singing. A few of the other villagers were even beginning to be able to tell them apart, though not as readily as their mother of course.

Suddenly a strange sound echoed over the little island they lived on. The villagers all stopped what they were doing and looked up to the sky. It sounded again; a high pitched, chirping cry. Then another sound echoed it. This one deeper, raspier, and more threatening. The distant clap of thunder signaled an approaching storm, but the strange sounds that rang through the air were something altogether different.

Together the villagers rushed to a hillside where they could look out at the sea. Once there, many of them screamed. Others simply looked on, wide eyed at what they were witnessing. Moll and Lora looked up at their mother, who put her arms around them as she watched, as frightened as the rest.

Out over the ocean, before the gathering storm clouds where rain fell and lightning danced, two huge winged creatures were battling. Streaks of red and violet light lashed back and forth between them, their battle cries repeatedly sounding as they clashed.

The villagers fell to the ground and prayed, begging to be spared the wrath of the two great gods fighting in the distance. Moll and Lora watched as their mother joined them and held one another’s hands as they looked on, terrified by what they were witnessing.



***


Dr. Koizumi sat in a chair on the deck of the boat Clark Nelson had arranged to transport the expedition, looking out at the waves and turning his little silver trinket over and over in his hand. Beside him, a small radio alternated between music and static as they sailed to their destination.

“Enjoying the view?” Ms. Kobayashi asked as she came and sat beside him.

“Hmm? Oh, just lost in my own thoughts.” He replied, slipping the object of his fascination into his shirt pocket.

“Well, did you ever do your reading on Mr. Nelson?” She asked directly.

“Oh, yes. Interesting fellow. I’d forgotten he was one of the billionaires that took a trip into space.”

“I’m not interested in that, or the various circuses he stirs up wherever he goes.” Ms. Kobayashi said, a bit of sharpness in her voice. “He’s got a long record of abusing workers’ rights, attempting to fix stock prices, disregard for environmental protections, misogynistic comments, and outright lying.”

“Yes, I’d found something about how he claims a rags to riches story despite his mother’s family owning some sort of mining operation in South Africa. What was her maiden name? Rolisica or something like that?”

“Yes and he’s founded, bought, and invested in various industries all over the world, not all of them honest businesses either.” Ms. Kobayashi added. “His office building in New York was destroyed during Godzilla’s last rampage. It’s my understanding that he got caught making insurance claims that were outrageous, even considering the circumstances if you can believe it! I wouldn’t be surprised if he has hidden financial issues and he’s hoping whatever he finds on this island can fix all that.”

“You might be right.” Dr. Koizumi told her. “And for whatever it’s worth, I agree with you. He’s someone we need to keep an eye on. Especially considering you and I are probably the only people not on his payroll. He and the representative from the Indonesian government seem surprisingly friendly.”

“You noticed that too I see.” Ms. Kobayashi replied with a knowing, sardonic smile.

“I don’t know what he’s up to, but I promise you, Ms. Kobayashi, I’ll help you make sure that anything that needs to be reported back to authorities makes it there if the need arises.”

Ms. Kobayashi smiled warmly this time. “Please, we’re the only ones each other can count on here. We might as well be on a first name basis, don’t you think?”

Dr. Koizumi chuckled. “As you wish, Masako.”

“Of course, Shin’ichi.”

“This just in.” A voice said over the static of the radio between them. “A monster has appeared in the waters near Sydney, Australia. I repeat, a monster has appeared near Sydney, Australia.”



***



The massive creature undulated through the water at a rapid pace. Sailers in Sydney Harbor saw the massive, worm-like creature speeding toward them, noting an armored hide of dark green and red marked with brighter yellow. Thorny spikes ran down the creature’s head and back, and from its head a huge, golden horn jutted out and upward. But it was the glowing eyes just beneath the surface of the water that conveyed the real menace of the beast. In the water below that massive horn, two great red orbs glowed like fires from hell.

Boats floating in the water tried to move out of the monster’s way but its speed quickly overtook them. Those directly in its path were smashed to pieces. Those caught by the waves of its wake capsized. As the waters churned, people on the surrounding shores where the city stood and on the Sydney Harbor Bridge stopped and looked out at what was happening, watching as the monster neared the Sydney Opera House.

In the waters outside the Opera House, the creature lifted its massive, horned head from the sea and let out a thundering, gravelly cry from between a pair of horrific mandibles. It looked to everyone like some sort of mammoth armored caterpillar, but an intelligent ferocity blazed behind those red eyes that was belied by its insect-like appearance. And as those eyes focused ever so briefly on the Sydney Opera House, violet bolts of energy lashed like lightning from them, engulfing the structure in flame.

The monster turned back to the water and again let those bolts of energy tear out from its eyes, destroying boats and sending water surging high into the air. Then it looked to the bridge and its horn crackled with golden light before a blast of energy shot from it, destroying the entirety of the bridge before the monster turned to the far shore and alternated between the bolt from its horn and the blasts from its eyes to bring devastation and death.

Finished with the far shore, the monstrous worm turned its head back towards the towering skyscrapers before it. Energy lanced from its horn, striking building after building and sending the remnants of them raining down on the screaming people in the streets below. Again and again it fired, then let loose the twin, wild firing blasts from its eyes again to destroy the closer buildings. Its terrible cry rose above the den of explosions, and then the monster crawled onto the shore.

In the chaos of Sydney, people ran from the burning, falling remains of the buildings that surrounded them on all sides. Through the smoke and fire, they heard to roar of the creature, then to their mounting horror saw it crash through the burning buildings before them, moving through the city without any heed to what was in its path. It passed from street to street, setting ablaze the cars and buses that crowded them, moving deeper and deeper into the heart of Sydney.

Suddenly the creature dove towards the ground, its clawed, caterpillar like legs tearing away at concrete and dirt with tremendous speed. In almost an instant, the monster had vanished and was moving beneath the surface. Buildings swayed and toppled over. People screamed as the earth shook and slabs of brick and pieces of glass and metal cascaded down on top of them. The burrowing monster moved so fast underground that the devastation spread rapidly. And then, in a great plume of dirt and debris, it emerged once more.

Again the monster cried out. Energy flew from its horn and shot from its eyes in succession, the creature turning as it fired blast after blast, surrounding itself in a ring of fire. Then, with another cry, it ventured further into the city. To those watching, it seemed the irrational rampage of a maddened beast. To a keen observer though, it would seem as if the devastation and death were dealt out methodically and deliberately, as if the monster had some sinister higher intelligence and purpose behind its rampage.

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Re: Mothra: Return of the Goddess

Post by Godzilla2004 »

Chapter 3:
The Expedition’s Discovery




One long ago day on the island…

Moll and Lora had grown into young women. Now instead of playing idly with the other children they assisted in the work of the community. This day they were helping to carry water from the nearby spring. They had just returned to the village where everyone who could work was busy with their tasks when they heard the familiar sound.

The villagers looked to the sky and screamed as the enormous, multicolored insect chirped and descended from the sky, creating a massive gust of wind and coming to rest on the hilltop above the village where it gazed down at them with two brilliant, blue, compound eyes. They islanders all fell to the ground, praying hysterically as they prostrated themselves before what they recognized as a powerful god.

Only the twins did not.

Calmly, the two of them sat the jugs of water they were carrying down and walked through the chaotic scene, coming to stand between the villagers and the great creature atop the hill. Their mother cried out for them and tried to rush forward, but the village chief caught her arm and forbid her. He wanted to see what the girls would do.

As both the villagers and the winged deity looked upon them, the girls bowed their heads respectfully and then, hands clasped together, looked up into the bright blue eyes staring down at them and began to sing.

“Ala alaya wansara Mosura,” They sang together. “Iba hati hatinnbaya. Kama yakumo garansayan manitu, duma chupa churin gagamo.”

Hand in hand, the two started to dance as they sang the prayer they had long ago composed together, offering the deity the gift of song. The frightened villagers looked up from where they had fallen in their fear and saw the blue-eyed deity looking down and turning its head slightly as it watched, seemingly pleased with the act of devotion the twins were engaged in.

“Waku wakumo ganyan kita Mosura, tiika sama sayanncha ri. Wara kai tu kasa hayan dariko, iba dua dua suntiri.”

The chief gestured to the villagers and at his urging they joined in, praying through song and dance and the beating of drums as the god looked on. The girls’ mother looked on, relieved. Beside her, the chief stroked his long white beard, looking thoughtfully at the spectacle.




***




“This is awful.” Masako groaned as she surveyed the eroded hillside before them.

“It’s from the big storm that swept through this area a few months back.” Nelson said as he hiked past her with the rest of the expedition. “Biggest one on record to hit these islands so I hear.”

“That storm was the work of climate change.” Masako retorted.

“Was it now?” Nelson said with a condescending smile before turning and walking away from her.

“Don’t let him get to you.” Shin’ichi said as he approached her.

“A little late for that.” Masako muttered.

“So, all this damage is the work of a storm?” He asked, conversationally.

“Yes, a massive typhoon. The latest in a long trend of superstorms created by climate change. That’s not the only way it’s impacting this island. Look at the vegetation and the soil. The typhoon came months ago and now it’s showing clear signs of a larger than normal drought. It’ll be fires next at this rate and not just on the island either. It’s happening all over the world.”

Shin’ichi nodded. They had arrived on the island expecting a tropical paradise. What they had found instead was dying greenery in a dull brown expanse, a seemingly ruined Eden.

“You’d think someone would do something by now.” He marveled.

“People have been trying to do something for decades.” Masako sighed. “Money and power though work to protect the profits of the polluting industries though in country after country and things just get worse and worse.”

“Doesn’t sound like you have much faith in things changing for the better.”

“In my job I advocate for change.” Masako said solemnly. “Between you and me though, no, I don’t have much faith in people anymore. Doesn’t matter where they’re from, most people are greedy, lazy, and stupid. With more than seven billion of us behaving like that it won’t take much longer for us to turn the planet we live on into a hell hole.”

“Hurry up you two.” Clark Nelson called from up ahead with the rest of the party. “The map says we’re almost there. You wouldn’t want to leave me alone unsupervised.”

Again he flashed that condescending smile before turning his back on them.

“Come on.” Masako sighed. “The sooner we get this over with the sooner I get away from him.”




***



Dr. Kenichi Yamane sat in the center of a long table across from the assembled delegates of the United Nations Security Council who looked back at him from the other side of a U-shaped desk that nearly encircled him. It was a trying time for the world. Barely a year had past since Godzilla’s last rampage and now yet another monster had appeared and wrought devastation on a major world city. Dr. Yamane had gathered other scientists from around the world to form the United Nations Monster Task Force to address situations like this, but he had hoped it would be a very long time before they would have to set their minds to solving such a crisis again.

“Dr. Yamane,” the delegate from the United States began, “can you shed any light on what this new monster is? Where it came from? What we can do to stop it?”

“At this point,” Dr. Yamane said carefully, “we know very little. The creature seems to be some sort of giant armored worm or caterpillar some ninety meters in length. As to where it came from, our task force was sent footage of what appears to have been a massive egg emerging from a melting iceberg that broke away from Antarctica. We think it is probably a safe assumption that the monster emerged from that egg.”

“You think it is an Ice Age survivor?” The delegate from Norway asked. “Unleashed by climate change then?”

“I can’t say that it is something prehistoric with certainty.” Dr. Yamane replied hesitantly. “There’s nothing in the fossil record that we know of that resembles this creature. However I can say that if the creature did emerge from that egg as seems most likely then the melting of the polar ice caps is likely the cause of its sudden appearance.”

The delegate from Vietnam spoke next.

“Is it your view that the monster poses a regional threat, Dr. Yamane?” He asked.

“Very much so.” Dr. Yamane said quickly. “The creature is very aggressive, having not only attacked Sydney without provocation but now having attacked several Australian towns and cities along the nation’s eastern coast. What’s most alarming to me is the totality of the devastation. It is, frankly, bizarre, but it seems almost deliberate in the destruction it is causing. It’s as if it means to destroy and kill as much as possible. In that sense, it is behaving less like an animal and more as if it were a weapon of mass destruction. Or perhaps I should say, it’s behaving as humans do when we go to war.”

“So what can be done to fight back?” The delegate from China demanded.

“It is my understanding that the Australian navy is preparing to engage the monster.” Dr. Yamane sighed. “If our experiences with Godzilla are any indication however, that may not be enough.”

“Would you endorse the use of nuclear weapons?” The Russian delegate asked.

Dr. Yamane hesitated.

“At this point, no.” He said finally. “At least not until we know more. A nuclear weapon, as you all know, was used against Godzilla and proved to be counterproductive. Until we are certain that a nuclear strike would work, would not cause more devastation than the monster itself, and would not make our situation worse than it already is, I must advise against deploying one.”

“Forgive me, Dr. Yamane,” the delegate from India said, “but it doesn’t seem as if you are offering us much in the way of solutions.”

“At this point in time,” Dr. Yamane said grimly, “I’m afraid we don’t yet have any.”




***




“Looks like this part of the jungle is a lot denser and greener.” Shin’ichi observed as the expedition trudged deeper into the island.

“So it would seem.” Masako said, looking thoughtfully at the flora around her. “I don’t recognize many of these plant species. I wonder if some of them could be new species.”

“That could be a very profitable discovery.” Nelson said as he listened to their conversation. “Who knows, this island could be full of new wonders to bring back with us.”

Masako’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the back of his head as he walked on.

Suddenly an ominous sound reached the ears of the expedition’s members. A repeated clacking, as if stones were being banged together, was ringing through the jungle. All other noise, down to the sounds of birds and insects, seemed to have stopped. And then, as they looked about them, the party realized what the source of that sound was.

All around them, partially hidden in the foliage of the jungle, were men, clothed in loin cloths, their skin painted and tattooed, wearing bows and arrows on their backs and carrying spears tucked under their arms. In each of their hands they held two stones, banging them together seemingly to announce their presence. The expedition members drew their guns but the native people did not flinch or halt what they were doing. They simply stared at them and kept clapping the stones together, seemingly waiting for them to make the first move.

“Don’t shoot!” Shin’ichi ordered. “No one shoot!”

“That’s my decision to make!” Nelson growled. “Everyone, on your guard.”

“No, Nelson!” Shin’ichi argued. “Everyone has to show they’re not a threat! This is perhaps the first contact these people have ever had with the outside world. We have to handle this carefully or someone, namely us, could get hurt.”

Nelson considered his options for a minute then reluctantly agreed. “Everyone, do what he says. Now!”

Nelson’s men obeyed. Shin’ichi gestured for Masako to step behind him and she quickly obliged, then watched him step forward, slowly raising his hands to where the stone clapping tribe could see them. Shin’ichi was wracking his brain, trying to figure out how best to approach the situation. There were perhaps eight hundred and fifty different languages spoken on New Guinea and at least another seven hundred spoken in Indonesia. He was a gifted linguist, but he could count on one hand how many from these islands he spoke. For that matter, this tribe of people had likely never seen outsiders before, so their language could very well be entirely unique.

Before Shin’ichi could try to communicate though, the men surrounding him and the others dropped their stones and extended their arms each in the same direction, their eyes never moving from the strangers in their land.

“What does that mean?” Masako asked cautiously.

“I think they want us to walk that way.” Shin’ichi said.

“Well,” Nelson chimed in, “should we humor them?”

“Yes.” Shin’ichi replied with a careful nod. “I think so.”

The group proceeded in the direction the native people had indicated, accompanied now by their new guides on an uneasy walk. In short time, the jungle parted, revealing a clearing where a village of thatch huts and stone idols sat at the foot of a great hill. And there, half buried in the earth of that great hill, was the large blue and gold striped thing that Nelson’s satellite had revealed in the pictures.

“Look at that!” Nelson wondered, staring up at the massive round object.

“What is it?” Masako wondered.

Shin’ichi pondered the sight for a moment.

“It looks like some sort of exciting new archeological discovery.” He finally said. “Maybe something these peoples’ ancestors built.”

“You’re sure it’s man made?” Nelson asked.

“Something like that would have to be, wouldn’t it?”

They turned and saw a man in a tall, white-feathered headdress with an equally white beard covering many necklaces of beads and bones approaching, followed by men and women of the village.

“Looks like the chief.” Shin’ichi said.

The man in white garb looked at them all sternly for a moment, then gestured to his people and said something in their language. Immediately, small clay bowls filled with a red juice were handed to each of the expedition members. Again the chief said something that none of them could understand, but all of them knew what he was telling them to do.

“Let’s drink up.” Shin’ichi said.

“Are you crazy?” Nelson demanded. “What if it’s poison?”

“A better question is what if you offend them?” The anthropologist retorted. “It’s not likely that they would poison us all. They could have killed us in the forest if that was their intent.”

Leading by example, Shin’ichi drank first, followed by the rest of his party, eliciting a nod of approval from the chief and other members of the tribe.

“There, I think we made a little headway.” Shin’ichi said with a smile.

“That was downright brilliant.” Masako told him.

“Not really.” He said modestly. “Someone hands you a drink you’re supposed to drink it. It’s universal.”

“To men, maybe.” Masako muttered.

Suddenly the chief stepped aside and gestured towards a stone slab in the center of the village. The tribe closed in around the group, seemingly pushing them in that direction without actually touching them. Slowly, the expedition members walked forward, then gawked in amazement.

There, on the small stone slab, stood two identical women, robed in beautiful garments, and neither of them more than thirty centimeters tall.

“Impossible!” Masako gasped, struggling to believe what she was seeing.

“But there they are right in front of us!” Nelson said, bewildered. “It can’t be some kind of trick. Not way out here in the middle of nowhere.”

“Amazing…” Shin’ichi muttered, dropping down to his knees to look at the girls who stared back up at him cautiously.

He smiled warmly down at them, his amazement turning into pure wonder as he looked at the two of them. As he did, they looked to one another, then back to him, and returned his smile, neither of them saying a word.

“How is this possible?” Masako asked, kneeling down beside Shin’ichi, her voice almost a whisper.

“I have no idea.” He told her. “But it’s miraculous isn’t it?”

A smile formed on Masako’s face as she looked down at the girls, taken by their beauty and the strange innocence that seemed to radiate from them. It seemed, she felt, as if the world was suddenly a place of magic and mystery again, and it hadn’t been that in a very long time.

Nelson knelt down beside them next, a smile forming on his face as well. As he did though, the smiles left the faces of the girls, their expressions slowly turning to fright. Masako, seeing this, looked over to Nelson and saw something worrisome in his eyes and grin, a burning greed that couldn’t be contained any longer behind his face. The billionaire lunged forward and in an instant had seized both girls in his hands, causing them to scream.

“Nelson! What are you doing!?” Masako demanded, trying to stop him only to be elbowed to the ground.

The natives started shouting all at once, seemingly both in panic and anger. Some of them rushed towards Nelson and his men fired their guns, killing them. Pandemonium broke out, the women of the village screaming and fleeing in terror and the men grabbing their primitive weapons, only to be mowed down by gunfire. Nelson meanwhile was shoving the two tiny women into a bag and zipping it up, trapping them inside.

“Nelson! No!” Shin’ichi shouted, grabbing his arm. “Stop this! Let them go!”

“Are you kidding!” Nelson growled back, his face twisting in anger. “This is the discovery of the century! Do you have any idea how much money there is to be made here!?”

“They’re not yours to take!” Shin’ichi shouted over the gunfire and screaming.

And then one of Nelson’s paid men hit him in the head with the butt of his rifle and Shin’ichi fell into blackness.

Godzilla2004
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Posts: 31
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Re: Mothra: Return of the Goddess

Post by Godzilla2004 »

Chapter 4:
Mothra Reborn




One fateful night, long ago…

The village chief had explained everything. The elders of the village were all in agreement. The old deity was dead and its offspring would soon be maturing. The villagers had to appease their god, and so Moll and Lora were to be sacrificed when the moon was full again. As they were twins and as they had pleased the last god with their worship, it would be powerful magic that would bless the village for generations to come.

Their mother had cried and protested angrily, but Moll and Lora had reassured her, sitting on either side of her in their hut and placing their hands on her shoulders. Fate, they reminded her, could only be delayed. The protection of the elder woman who had brought them from their mother’s womb had run its course. Tearfully, their mother embraced them both, crying out in despair as the chief ordered everyone to give them time together.

The night of the next full moon came and it was time.

Dressed in beautiful clothes and wearing silver jewelry with the symbol of their deity carved on each piece, Moll and Lora walked towards their destiny, the entire village looking on. Their mother, looking at them sadly, placed flowers in their hair. They smiled lovingly back to her, then, without a word, joined their hands together and walked toward the hill where their god waited.

Now an impossibly large, crawling thing, the deity looked down on them beneath the light of the full moon and let out a long chirping cry. Whether it understood or not, the two girls could not fathom at that moment. The being raised its head to the sky and a string of silk, stronger and faster holding than any material the residents of the island had any knowledge of, shot high into the air before drifting down in streams. Weaving its head about to craft the falling of the strands, the great creature continued, until the silk fell as heavy rain.

Moll and Lora cast one last look to the village they had grown up in, to their mother struggling to stay strong, and to the friends and loved ones who had chosen to let the twins die for them. Then they turned to each other. They were scared. Terribly scared. They clasped each other’s hands between them and knelt to the ground, the massive threads of silk falling all around them as they closed their eyes and prayed.

And then they were gone, vanishing into the silken cocoon with their god.



***



Shin’ichi woke with a start and immediately became aware of his throbbing head. His hand went to it, and he found it bandaged.

“Easy there.” Masako said, kneeling beside him in thatch hut where he found themselves. “One of Nelson’s goons gave you quite the bump.”

“Nelson…What happened!? What happened to the girls!?”

Shinichi jumped to his feet from the straw mat he’d been laying on, got dizzy, and then found a pair of hands reaching up to steady him. He turned around to find an older woman with long, flowing hair and the simple clothing the natives wore holding him by the arm and pressing a hand gently against his shoulder to guide him back down to the floor.

“Nelson took the girls.” Masako said sadly. “He and that entire bought off crew left us both here. I guess they figured the people of this tribe would take their anger out on us, but they seem to realize that you and I tried to stop him.”

“Seems like it.” Shin’ichi said, looking to the woman and placing his hand on hers. “Thank you.”

The woman of course didn’t understand his words but smiled, perhaps getting the gist of his gesture and expression.

“So,” Masako sighed, “what should we talk about first? The fact that we’re stuck here for a little while? The things I’d like to do if I ever get my hands on Clark Nelson? Or the fact that we actually saw with our own eyes what looked like two tiny fairies?”

Shin’ichi was silent for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

“All over the world there have been a series of strange artifacts found containing pictures of twin girls.” He said. “The same carvings in places as far flung as Egypt, China, and Peru. Before I came on this expedition I’d heard that some were found in Mexico. It’s part of why I came on this expedition, to see if there was anything like that here.”

“You think those two were the inspiration for those carvings?” Masako asked. “Or maybe a race of tiny people like that?”

“Yes.” Shin’ichi sighed. “And now Nelson has them.”

“And he’ll probably do whatever he can to exploit them for profit.” Masako snarled.

Suddenly a commotion in the village drew the woman attending to Shin’ichi away. From outside, Masako and Shin’ichi heard drums and singing. Masako helped her companion up and the two went to investigate.

Outside they found the villagers gathered at the foot of the hill where the large, round object had been partially unearth. They were singing and dancing feverishly, banging away on drums and shaking rattles, reaching out with their arms in gestures of worship to the thing in the side of the hill.

“What do you make of all this?” Masako asked.

“I’m not sure but,” Shin’ichi replied, “it looks like they’re praying to that thing.”




***



Singapore. Clark Nelson’s office building in the Central Business District.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I reveal to you an astonishing discovery found on a tiny island near New Guinea, an island called Infant Island.”

Nelson smiled broadly as he spoke, a bit of theatricality shading his voice and mannerisms. He sat at a table with a bright red curtain behind him, the cameras of the press clicking away as he spoke into his microphone. Beside him was something draped in red and gold silk, the object of mystery he had drawn everyone here to see today.

“When I organized an expedition to that tropical isle, I had hoped to find a new energy or mineral source that might benefit mankind. Instead, I found something much more miraculous. Something that shows that there’s still mystery in this world and things which defy the expectations of science. Unfortunately a number of our expedition team lost their lives in order to bring this discovery to the world, but for the advancement of mankind I believe they thought it was worth the risk. Now, allow me to show you all what we found on Infant Island.”

With a bit of flourish he snatched away the silk cloth and revealed a large bird cage beside him. But what was contained within were not caged birds but instead two caged, sad looking, tiny women. The gathered members of the press gaped and gasped, the girls shielding their eyes from the flashing lights. A chorus of questions were shouted out as Nelson beamed at the attention and did nothing to control the room, instead basking in the glory of the moment. And then the girls stood and began to sing.

“Mosura ya, Mosura! Dongan kasakuyan indo muu, rusoto uiraadoa, hanba hanbamuyan, randa banunradan tounjukanraa! Kasaku yaanmu!”

A hush had fallen over the crowd as they watched, recording the spectacle. Nelson beamed as he watched. He couldn’t have asked for a better show from his new possessions. People would think he’d planned this as well as it was going. The girls were repeating their song and throwing in perfectly mirrored gestures as they danced in their cage, repeating it over and over again to the joy and astonishment of everyone watching.

None of them knew that the song was a prayer, and that far away something heard that prayer and would answer.




***



Shin’ichi and Masako watched as the natives danced and prayed, singing their ancient hymn to the thing in the hill. They were working themselves into an almost feverish pitch now, sweat pouring down their bodies and many of them collapsing on the ground in exhaustion. Still they persisted in their devotion, unrelenting in their urgency.

Then, above the den of the ritual, a cracking sound echoed out.

“Look up there!” Shin’ichi gasped, pulling Masako close to him and pointing up to the great thing the villagers were worshipping.

To their astonishment, the surface of the thing, whatever it was, had cracks spreading across it. Something was pushing from within against those cracks, a dark brown form becoming visible as a few of the massive pieces broke away and came crashing to the ground below. Then, all at once, the head of a huge blue eyed creature broke free and squealed out to the world.

“It’s an egg!” Masako gasped. “A giant egg!”

As they watched, the creature inside hauled itself free of its shell, revealing itself to be a giant worm perhaps eighty meters long with a plump, soft-looking, and vaguely segmented body and comparatively tiny legs that were still large enough to crush a man beneath them. Tiny appendages wiggled on either side of its mandibles as it raised itself up and cried out again, surveying the worshipping villagers before it. Shin’ichi and Masako pulled closer to each other, fearing that the monster might attack, but instead it turned and began to crawl away as the natives cried out, breathlessly, what Shin’ichi realized must be the name of their deity.

“Mothra! Mothra! Mothra! Mothra!”

“Mothra?” Masako wondered, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Must be that thing’s name!” Shin’ichi said, nodding towards the giant worm now crawling over the hillside.

“You don’t think…it’s connected to those two tiny girls somehow…do you?”

Again Shin’ichi nodded. “I’d be surprised if it wasn’t. Strange things like that in the same place and time, entirely unconnected? That’s more unlikely than their existence should have been considered, don’t you think?”

“The natives began praying to it after the girls were taken. If that’s the case…”, Masako’s eyes widened. “Then wherever Nelson took them is in serious danger!”

“If it can track them somehow.” Shin’ichi agreed.

Suddenly the whirling of a helicopter caught their attention and they looked up to see a craft descending in the nearby clearing, sending the villagers into a panic at the sight of something they’d never witnessed before.

“Where’d that come from?” Shin’ichi wondered.

“Come on now, you know I have connections at the U.N.” Masako said with a self-satisfied smile. “You didn’t think that as much as I distrusted Nelson I wouldn’t make sure we had a backup plan for something like this did you?”

“Masako,” Shin’ichi beamed, “you’re remarkable!”

“Enough of that. We’ve got a potential disaster to try and stop.”

Masako led the way to the helicopter, the natives watching but doing nothing to stop them from leaving. A man in a blue U.N. helmet and vest opened the door for them.

“Ms. Kobayashi!” He gaped. “Over the hill! We saw it!”

“We know but never mind that for now.” Masako said quickly. “We need to find Clark Nelson as quickly as possible.”

She and Shin’ichi climbed aboard the helicopter rose into the air. Looking out at the island below, they saw the great length of Mothra crawling through the jungle, bulldozing trees as it crept towards the sea, headed west. Without hesitation, the monster plunged into the surf, undulating through the water towards some far off destination.

“That thing’s big enough to wreck a city.” Masako said, determination gripping her voice. “And if that happens because of what Nelson’s done believe me I will find a way to make him pay.”




***




Three Hobart-class Destroyers sat on the surface of the sea, waiting for their target. In the distance, the giant, armored, worm that had attacked Sydney and then further ravaged the Australian coast was coming into view, swimming towards them at incredible speed.

“Ready!” The officer in charge shouted. “Fire!”

A barrage of missiles roared into the sky from each ship and arched through the air, descending down directly on top of the titanic monster. For a moment the surface of the sea glowed red with fire and the air turned black with smoke as the creature vanished within the explosions, but to the horror of the naval officers watching it soon emerged, unscathed and still charging towards them at full speed.

In the sky above, a fleet of jets swooped down in formation, each unleashing their full armament against the monster in an attempt to pierce its armor. The missiles and bombs exploded against it, harmless to the giant creature that continued on, unfazed. It aimed straight for the center most Destroyer, it’s horn pointed at the ship like a javelin as it sped forward and then impaled its target. The crew on board struggled fruitlessly to keep standing as the sound of tearing metal echoed, the horn having pierced straight through the hull of the ship with ease. Then the monster let out a low, raspy growl and jerked its head up. The vessel was flung into the air, the metal tearing like paper as the nearly five hundred foot long ship broke in two.

A wrathful battle cry escaped the monster’s mandibles as the broken ship and its screaming occupants came crashing into the sea behind it. It turned its head rapidly and fixed its menacing red eyes on one of the other ships. Instantly bolts like purple lightning flew out from them, consuming the Destroyer in fire. An instant later, the monster had turned on the other ship and let the bolts from its eyes destroy it as well, rearing back and crying out again between the two rising columns of fire and smoke.

Suddenly a swarm of streaking shadows beneath the water caught the creature’s attention. Too late to react however. Again the creature vanished in successive explosions as a total of thirty-six torpedoes exploded against it. The flames cleared away as water thrown into the sky rained down all around the angry beast, its vision cleared just in time to see the second wave of torpedoes streaking towards it before they made contact.

Again the creature emerged unharmed and this time it saw the source of these attacks. Six black submarines had risen to the surface in the distance, but not so far away as to be safe. Energy danced around the monster’s horn and then lashed out, bouncing from one sub to the next until they had all exploded, leaving it victorious.

The sea boiled as fire drifted atop it. The sky rolled with black clouds rising from the wreckage. The monster cried out, triumphant but unsatisfied. There was so much more to do, so much more he had to destroy. Time was of the essence. The Great Mother herself was in danger and the threat to her had to be stamped out. This wasn’t destruction for destruction’s sake. The monster’s goal was nothing short of the extinction of the entire rogue species that was devastating the world.

He had to work quickly though. He could sense her now. His ancient foe had stopped him once before, back when what he feared would come to pass was only a distant vision on the horizon. Surely she would not try to stop him now when the danger was now so obvious. Still, he had to complete as much work as possible before they met, just in case.

If it came to pass that they must fight again, then he would see to it that they did so after there was nothing left for her to save.

Godzilla2004
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Re: Mothra: Return of the Goddess

Post by Godzilla2004 »

Chapter 5:
Rescue in Singapore




A long ago night, when something in the world changed forever…

The villagers stood in solemn reverence, torches lit as they stood in silence, the ceremonial vigil for the sacrificed. One among them wept uncontrollably, some of the other women trying to comfort her to no avail. The village chief looked on, stone faced. It was terrible what they had done, but necessary. Everyone in the village loved Moll and Lora dearly, but so had their deity, and gods had to be appeased.

As the people of the village looked on, the silken cocoon spun atop the hill began to open, and with a shrill cry their goddess reemerged into the world, transformed. As the deity tore itself free however, a brilliant speck of light, bright as a star, emerged from within as well and slowly descended towards the villagers.

The villagers gasped and muttered amongst themselves, wondering what they were witnessing. They could hear singing coming from within the light. There were tiny, familiar voices calling out in unison as it came slowly towards them. Was this the ghosts of the twins come for vengeance? The chief had to hold up his hand to contain the fear and trembling of his people as the light stopped before him and descended to the ground where it revealed its secret at last.

The light faded, and from within it, two tiny women appeared, looking up at the people they had known and loved all their human lives. Wide-eyed recognition appeared on the faces of the villagers as they recognized them. These were the twins they had sent into the cocoon, and now like their goddess they too had emerged transformed.

Their mother flung herself to the ground before them, weeping terribly as she crawled to them, overwhelmed with a torrent of emotions. But they spoke to her, smiled at her, and told her not to cry. There would be no more sacrifice. Their goddess commanded it would be so. Mothra’s cocoon had worked its magic, and now the twins would be her priestesses, her link to their people and the human race. In exchange, Mothra would live here with them, teach them the ways of peace and love, and watch over the island.

The twins were now her Shobijin.



***



Papua New Guinea.

The enormous horned warm crawled onto the shore and into the forest. This was as good a place as any to rest and prepare for what was next. He was ahead of her, but he had to take advantage of his time.

Slowly, the colors of his armored body began to fade, turning into paler greens and yellows with specks of red. He stiffened up, becoming unmovable and even more densely shielded than he had been before. Beneath his golden horn, the fire vanished from his blood red eyes as they turned white as marble.

Rest came. Transformation would follow.

And after that, destruction.




***



Singapore.

Clark Nelson massaged his temples. The tiny women were singing again. That wasn’t a problem when they were on stage at the shows he’d organized or before the press, but they seemed to do it almost all the time. They refused food of all sorts offered to them and even water. They hardly seemed to sleep. Yet they didn’t seem to be losing any strength so he wasn’t terribly worried about his new cash cows. He just wished they’d give the singing a rest.

“Grubs”, his current girlfriend, seemed more intrigued by them and that annoyed him as well. She surely had a different name once, but whatever it had been had been lost in her attempts to become “a social media star” and Nelson didn’t care enough to have committed such a detail to memory. Currently she was standing over their cage trying to learn their song and butchering it terribly as she attempted to imitate it. Mercifully the tiny beings trapped in the cage seemed to be ignoring her rather than bothered. He didn’t want them unnecessarily aggravated less it affect their ability to produce money for him.

Eventually growing tired of trying to learn the song, Grubs flicked the bleach blond hair Nelson insisted she keep dyed and came over to massage his shoulders.

“You know Clark, sweetie,” she cooed, “I’ve been thinking, maybe I should do some TikTok videos with those little fairies. Maybe we could even make a full music video with them!”

Nelson grunted noncommittally and took a swig of his whisky. Their time in Singapore was almost done. It was time to take his little discoveries out to see the world, and to make money and bring him publicity all across it.

His phone rang.

“Nelson here.” He said after answering it, brushing Grubs off as he stood. “A what?”

He went to the window of their suite in the Stamford Hotel and looked out.

“I can’t see it from here yet. Out in the ocean? Are they doing anything about it?”

“What? What is it?” Grubs asked repeatedly as her billionaire boyfriend waved her off.

“What do you mean they’re shutting everything down and telling people to seek shelter!?” He thundered. “How soon can I get out of Singapore!?”

He turned off the phone and threw it across the room.

“A monster has appeared in the ocean south of Singapore.” He said at last. “It’s just like when Godzilla came through New York. What the hell is this!? It’s like the universe is punishing me for being successful or some bullshit like that!”

He stormed across the room to the cage where his prisoners were still singing and shook it. The two of them gasped and held each other close, looking up at him in terror.

“Stop singing!” He snarled through clenched teeth. “Save it for when you’re before the cameras!”




***




As many as twenty ships blocked Mothra’s path to Singapore. Guns and cannons fired, exploding against her seemingly soft body. Still she swam forward, undulating through the water, undeterred by the explosions. Her priestesses had stopped calling to her but she could still feel their fear and distress. She had to hurry to their rescue.

The Shobijin weren’t the only beings she could sense in the world. He had returned. Her urgency wasn’t just a matter of saving the priestesses that were bonded to her. Once that was done she would have to rush off to battle. The longer she was unable to do so, the more devastation and death would come.

One of the ships was in her path and Mothra crashed right into it, capsizing it as she climbed over it and swam on. She was here with a purpose, and she would not be stopped.




***



Dr. Yamane viewed live footage of the naval battle against the creature in Singapore intently from the U.N. Headquarters in New York.

“Well, it’s not the same creature that attacked Australia.” He said thoughtfully to the gathered team of scientists and officials. “They’re similar in that they both appear to be worm-like, but their appearances seem to be very different. Also, I need to see more of this creature to be sure, but it seems far less aggressive than the other one. The only vessel it attacked was the one directly in its path. It ignored the others even as they fired on it.”

“Do we think this one emerged from melting ice as well?” Someone asked him.

“We don’t know where it came from.” He replied. “Still, two similar creatures appearing at the exact same time in relatively close proximity on the globe can’t be a coincidence. We need to figure out what’s going on here.”

“And the other monster? Where is it now and what’s being done about it now that the Australian navy failed to destroy it?”

“Apparently it came ashore in New Guinea and seems to have pupated.”

“Pupated?”

“Yes, part of the life cycle of many species of insect. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s going to change into a new form.”

“And do you think this new monster will do something similar?”

Dr. Yamane looked at the screen, thinking about the similarity the creature shared with known, smaller insects and their larvae.

“That’s possible.” He said. “That’s very possible.”




***



Masako and Shin’ichi drove through the streets of Singapore. With the monster Mothra at the doorstep, the city-state had entered a state of near total lock down to prepare for the creature’s landfall, leaving the streets deserted. Shin’ichi was amazed at how Masako’s connections at the United Nations had come in handy. Then again, perhaps it was more her preparation for Nelson’s act of betrayal that had insured they’d have the resources needed to get back to civilization and track him down.

“I still think we ought to go to the police.” He protested.

“Oh? Right now? Think they’ll have time for us with the giant monster wrecking their city?” She asked. “You and I both know that the reason Mothra is here is because Nelson took the twins. The fact that he’s here in Singapore as well should prove that much to you. The only way we stop this from getting worse is by getting those two little fairies away from him and hoping against hope that will appease Mothra and it won’t level everything just to teach us a lesson.”

“We don’t even know where he is though.” Shin’ichi argued. “And don’t you think a rich man like that will have guards?”

“I know exactly where he is.” Masako said smartly as she drove. “My sources confirmed he’s staying in the Stamford Hotel building. They were even able to get his floor and room number for me. As for any guards, well, leave that to me.”

Their car stopped near the Stamford, with its multiple towers reaching into the sky around the central structure, the largest one reaching higher than two hundred meters into the air. Not far away, they could see tanks and soldiers moving into position in the open green space of a public park and playing field, across from St. Andrew’s Cathedral. Singapore was preparing for war, and inside the hotel was the key to stopping it.




***



Mothra crashed through Marina Bridge into the bay without any difficulty, a surge of water following her in from the sea. She pressed on, into Marina Bay and into Singapore. She could feel her Shobijin. They weren’t far from her now. Just a little longer and they would be safe. Then she could turn her attention to the true threat.

Were she not no focused on her two missions, Mothra would have stopped and marveled at the strange and massive structures built on two shores to either side of her and another directly before her. Singapore was full of towering buildings and novel architecture, the likes of which the ancient goddess had never seen. The world had truly changed much in her absence, just as he had feared it would. Now though she couldn’t stop to ponder the new things human beings had built. For now, she could only pass them by.

From both sides guns and cannons fired. The water boiled with turbulence as they struck all around Mothra and the air filled with smoke. Many of them exploded against her and she cried out as they did, but still she swam forward, undeterred even as Marina Bay’s serenity and beauty turned to chaos.

She crawled ashore, brushing against the mercifully unoccupied Singapore Flyer and breaking the giant ferris wheel free of its confines and sending it rolling into the bay. She crashed through an overpass, crumbling it with ease, and then continued on towards her destination, crawling along the path provided by Raffles Avenue. As she scuttled along, her body crushed parked cars, tore up vegetation, and damaged the buildings she brushed past. She was almost there though. Almost to the towering structure ahead that she could feel her priestesses calling from.

Then, as she neared the Stamford, Mothra reared her head and surveyed the landscape before her. Tanks had gathered in the street and green space between her and her and destination. In the air, a swarm of helicopters was descending. Mothra cried out, hoping for passage and to avoid a conflict. Instead, she was greeted with rocket fire.




***



Nelson and his girlfriend watched the scene unfolding from their hotel window, the feeling of oblivious invulnerability their money gave them slowly being pierced by the realization that the enormous creature that was coming nearer and nearer to their hotel could easily topple it with them inside.

“They can’t just make us stay here can they?” Grubs asked him. “I’m not going to go hide in that crowded basement! Surely we can take a helicopter or something!”

“Shut up, I’m trying to think.” Nelson growled. The twins were singing again and he couldn’t concentrate.

A knock at the door interrupted Nelson’s fuming long enough for his personal guard to enter. “Mr. Nelson, there’s two people here that say they’re from the government here to evacuate you.”

“Ah, it’s about time.” He said, turning to smile pompously at Grubs. “See there? I knew they wouldn’t leave someone as important as me here with everyone else.”

Shin’ichi rushed into the room behind the guard and hit him over the head with the chair he’d been sitting on in the hallway. The guard fell flat on his face and didn’t move as Nelson looked on wide-eyed and Grubs screamed.

“Nelson!” Masako shouted as she burst in behind Shin’ichi.

“You two!?” Nelson growled. “How’d you get off that island?”

“You have to let the twins go!” Masako shouted, ignoring his question. “They’re the reason Mothra has come here!”

“Mothra?” Nelson asked. “You mean that thing out there?”

“Yes and what she’s telling you is true.” Shin’ichi said. “Think about it. Do you think you bringing them here and that monster coming here from their island is just a coincidence? If you don’t give them back this whole city could be destroyed and we could all be killed.”

Shin’ichi was moving slowly, putting his body between the cage with the twins and Nelson. Grubs and Masako were both moving as well, Grubs inching towards the door and Masako easing along the far wall, eyeing the decorative items of the hotel room in search of a makeshift weapon if she needed it. Only Nelson seemed calm as he walked away from the window and stood behind a desk.

“And what are you going to do if I say no?” He asked.

Masako saw his hand open a drawer and the hint of silver catching the light inside. Before anyone knew what had happened she had sent a small statue sailing through the air and smashed it against Nelson’s forehead. The billionaire fell backwards and Grubs screamed and fled the room. Nelson tried to rise, clutching his bleeding head, but Masako was quicker. In an instant she was standing where he had been, pointing the gun from the desk directly at him.

Nelson looked up and laughed at her even as he clutched his head. “Like you would.” He sneered.

Without hesitation, Masako pulled the trigger. A pot containing a small plant shattered behind Nelson and rained dirt all around him, sending him flailing to the floor in a panic.

“Go on!” She shouted. “Get out of here!”

Nelson fled, leaving Masako and Shin’ichi alone with the twins.

“I can’t believe you shot at him!” Shin’ichi gasped.

“I missed on purpose.” She replied, throwing the gun down on the desk. “It felt good though.”

She looked out the window. “We have to hurry! Mothra’s close!”

They turned their attention to the twins. The two of them had stopped singing and were cowering together in the cage Nelson had put them in.

“They seem to be alright.” Shin’ichi said, looking them over. “But now what do we do?”

Masako looked at him, her expression both baffled and worried. She then looked down at the two little twins staring up at her, both of them cautiously rising from where they had been huddled together at the bottom of the cage. Masako couldn’t help but feel sorry for them and tried to smile reassuringly.

“It’s alright now.” She said softly as one would to a child or a small animal. “I know you don’t understand, but we’re going to get you out of there. I promise.”

The twins seemed to be struggling to speak, twisting their mouths around seemingly unfamiliar syllables and trying out the sounds.

“Thank you.” They said together in unison at last. “We are very grateful to you both.”

“You can speak!?” Masako gasped as she and Shin’ichi looked down at them in amazement.

“We understand thoughts and feelings.” The two of them replied with increasing confidence. “If you can hear the mind and feel the heart, the means to communicate come easily.”

“Oh, I think I understand.” Said Shin’ichi. “You mean mental telepathy.”

The twins nodded.

“Well then,” Masako said, “can we ask you to stop Mothra? If we let you go, will it stop destroying the city?”

“Oh yes. Mothra doesn’t wish to destroy anything. She only came here to save us. Since you are helping us, she will be glad to stop.”

Outside, explosions sounded.




***



Mothra wailed as the tanks fired, a wall of fire erupting around her body as the shells hit. She turned her head about, her body convulsing from the sheer amount of explosions. Around her the street, grass, trees, and buildings all suffered in the shelling, debris flying into the air in all directions. Again she cried out, loathe to attack, but her patience being tried.

Missiles streaked down from the sky, adding to the onslaught. Mothra cried out and rolled around the street as they exploded, leveling the nearby buildings that were still standing. Still the attack continued and the inferno of the fires increased around her, and then a hint of warning sounded in her cry.

Righting herself, Mothra raised her head and parted her mandibles. A stream of silk, stronger than steel chains, shot from her mouth, arched into the air, and then fell like light rain. Swinging her head from side to side, the silk cascaded down, tangling in the blades of the helicopters and bringing them crashing to the ground in fiery explosions.

Mothra then turned her attention to the tanks shelling her and aimed the spray of silk at them. The cannons clogged. The hatches were webbed shut. The tanks themselves were anchored to the ground and could not break free. Soldiers unlucky enough to be outside the protective shells of the tank were knocked to the ground and trapped there, struggling in vain against the silk. In a short time the entire platoon had been immobilized and rendered passive, leaving Mothra to crawl past them towards her target.

As Mothra neared the hotel she lifted her head to study the building that towered over her, searching with her mind for her priestesses. She could feel them. They were close. Now if she only concentrated she could pinpoint where inside the building they were.

Movement from the corner of her eye caught Mothra’s attention and she turned to look down at the street. Clark Nelson had thought that if he slipped out of the building he could escape its apparent looming destruction and get away, both from the monster and his human pursuers. Now though, as he looked up at the monstrous worm staring down at him, he realized the futility of having tried to do so. Then, to his horror, the blue eyes of the monster seemed to redden as they glared at him.

Mothra recognized him. In the eyes of her priestesses she had seen him as their tormenter. She had felt the fear and sadness he had instilled in them. Through them, she had sensed the greed and cruelty that festered in his heart and twisted his mind. Now he was at her mercy, and for someone like him the goddess had little to spare.

Silk spat from Mothra’s mandibles again, knocking Nelson to the ground and covering him almost entirely. His hands flailed about as his body and face were covered and bound to the street he lay on, his mouth and nostrils cut off from breath as he gasped and choked under the web, his eyes covered so as to render him blind as he struggled and let out muffled screams. Then his hands fell limp beside him and it was over.

“Mothra!”

The goddess turned her attention back to the hotel and looked up. A window was open high above her. There were two humans standing there in the room beyond it and with them, now free of the cage that had held them, were the Shobijin.

“Mothra, we are safe now.” The Shobijin said in unison. “Thank you for coming to rescue us. These people freed us. There’s no need for you to hurt anyone else or destroy anymore.”

Mothra let out a long, low cry that echoed with the sound of relief. Then, to the surprise of Shin’ichi and Masako, she crept towards the center surrounded by the hotel’s towers, collapsing the central structure as she did, and nestled herself in amongst them. She raised her head, parted her mandibles, and began to spray her silk over her own body.

“What’s Mothra doing?” Masako asked.

“She is cocooning herself.” The Shobijin answered. “Mothra will soon transform into her adult form.”

“Adult form?” Masako gasped.

“I see.” Shin’ichi said. “Like a small insect, she has a life cycle.”

The Shobijin nodded. “Mothra will soon be more powerful, and ready for the fight to come.”

“The fight to come?” Shin’ichi asked. Then his eyes flashed with recognition. “You mean against the other monster that appeared recently!”

“Yes.” The Shobijin nodded grimly. “And we must tell you, your civilization is in great danger.”

Godzilla2004
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Re: Mothra: Return of the Goddess

Post by Godzilla2004 »

Chapter 6:
The Angel of Destruction, Battra




Countless lifetimes ago, one more human life was coming to its end.

The Shobijin held each other and wept as they watched. Their mother lay on her woven bed, her face anguished and beading with sweat. The village’s current medicine woman tended to her, attempting to comfort her as she writhed in the ghastly confusion that often comes in the final hours of such long life.

Outside, Mothra wailed. She could feel the sorrow of her priestesses through their bond and so shared their pain. Whereas humans had once been distant, curious things to the goddess, now she was bound tightly with them through the twins that had gone into her cocoon with her many lifetimes ago. That had been a different Mothra and several had lived and died since then, but she and all her ancestors and descendants were one, bound together by a mind and memories they all shared. Now these two humans had become a part of that mind that transcended the ages, their human hearts tied into the consciousness of Mothra forever.

Back in the hut the old woman thrashed about and had to be gently restrained. Prayers were being uttered and gentle songs sung. The way was being prepared forward for her. Still, she clung to life, fighting against the gentle and welcoming hand of death in confused fury. Then, suddenly, her eyes widened and she turned her head to the Shobijin, looking at them in shock as if she was seeing them for the first time.

“Moll.” She rasped out. “Lora.”

The Shobijin clutched one another’s hands. They didn’t need their powers to understand her expression. The confusion had parted like a torn veil, allowing her to see through it to her daughters, but only just so much. Gone were the memories of those distant events and their transformation. In her confused state she was seeing what had been done to them, what they were now, as if for the first time and with no understanding. It was not tears of relief their mother wore on her face as she did when they’d emerged from the cocoon. Now it was the pale mask of stunned horror, her wide eyed look piercing the hearts of the twins like a dagger.

Then their mother fell back on her bed and breathed her last.

The Shobijin held each other close and cried openly. The people of their village gathered around them, grieving with them for their lost elder, but it was different for them. It was not only that they had loved their mother so dearly. The Shobijin had seen so many that they had known all their lives grow old and die. Their mother had clung desperately to life, living perhaps for their sake so they would not be left alone without anyone who had known them before the sacrifice in the cocoon. Now, their last link to their human lives, the only link they had to who and what they had once been, was gone. In her last, dementia ravaged moments, she had looked on them with comprehension that reminded them of the fact that, regardless of their acceptance of their fate and of the essential benevolence of the goddess they were bound to, there was an underlying cruelty in what had been done to them. And in what they had become, they would now and forevermore be something alien and apart, curiosities at best.

Mothra wailed again outside, feeling the overwhelming sadness, anger, fright, and despair that the twins felt. And yet, despite their bond to her, despite the supernatural closeness the two sisters now shared regardless of any desires for space or expression of individuality, the Shobijin, once called Moll and Lora and never to be so named by anyone again, felt utterly alone.




***



American bombers soared high over the jungles of New Guinea where the massive pupa formed by the horned worm sat like a great mountain among the trees. Bombs fell and in seconds the jungle was ablaze. An endless cascade of explosives rained down on the giant pupa, ringing with metallic clangs as they struck against it and exploded. And yet it stood, undamaged.

More bombs fell, over and over. The jungle became a hellish inferno, the towering pupa looming over the burning landscape as smoke rose into the evening sky. And then, cracks began to form.

The cracks glowed with crimson light and spread across the shell of the pupa. The light from within it grew brighter and swelled outward. Then it exploded in a blinding flash and from within the monster emerged with a wrathful cry, fully formed.

A body armored in black and dark green chitin hung in the air between two great wings, marked with jagged patterns and bristling thorns of dark red and gold. Six hardened, segmented legs dangled from the giant insect’s thorax, the claws at the end of each one flexing as if ready to ensnare prey. At the end of the creature’s black and red dotted abdomen, a set of pincers clicked together. Gone was the single horn that had jutted from the larvae form’s head. Instead a crown of small, golden horns glowed above the eyes, but those eyes were the same as they had been before. Fierce, malevolent, glowing, and red.

Despite its fierce appearance, this being was, in fact, an angel; a guardian of Earth. But it was the Angel of Destruction.

The creature’s mandibles parted and it let out another angry cry as it surveyed the burning rainforest. Power seemed to overflow about its body and wings. The monster looked up, seeing the bombers that had created the hell-scape it was surveying, and within moments its great wings had carried it high into the air in pursuit.

The bombers attempted to escape into the clouds, but the monster overtook them in an instant. Bursting out of a cloud, the avenging beast shrieked and reached out with its long, clawed limbs, slashing at the planes it dwarfed and destroying all of them within its reach. The other jets attempted to pull away, but the downbeat of the giant insect’s wings struck them, crushing several and sending the remainder spiraling down to the earth below.

The immediate task dealt with, the creature turned its glowing eyes to the northern horizon and flew onward, planning to complete its mission that had been thwarted long ago.




***



Night had fallen over Singapore and a crowd had gathered around the blocked off Stamford Hotel building where Mothra had spun an enormous, peanut shaped cocoon out of her silk. Searchlights illuminated the sight and helicopters circled overhead. Inside the building, Masako was calling every contact she could to keep the military from attacking; pleading, bargaining, arguing, and threatening one person after another on the other end of her phone. Shin’ichi and the Shobijin meanwhile looked out the window, watching the scene.

“This is incredible.” Shin’ichi said. “So Mothra will emerge in a stronger form soon then?”

“Yes she will.” The Shobijin assured him. “She will be much more powerful.”

“Well I bought us some time I think but I don’t know how much.” Masako said, setting her phone down. “Now can the two of you please explain all this to us?”

“We are sure it must be very confusing.” The Shobijin said, nodding in unison. “Human beings have not seen the likes of beings like Mothra in thousands of years after all.”

“Did you say, ‘thousands of years’?” Shin’ichi marveled.

“Yes.” They continued. “Long ago, Mothra was one of the guardians of Earth and all creatures that lived upon it. She was born from the Earth itself and protected the entire world from forces that threatened to make life here impossible. We are her Shobijin, the Priestesses of Mothra.”

“You said she was ‘one of the guardians’?” Masako asked.

“In those times, there were two guardians.” The Shobijin explained. “They were born of light and dark, what you might call Yin and Yang. Both protected the planet, but in their nature they were very different.”

“Hold on a minute.” Shin’ichi interrupted. “That creature that appeared in Australia…”

The Shobijin nodded grimly before continuing. “He is the other guardian; the Black Mothra. But we know him by his true name, Battra.”




***



Jets roared over the Davao Gulf, streaking towards the monster that was flying towards the city. A low rumbling sound like a growl escaped Battra’s mandibles as he glared at them. They were no threat to him. Let them try to stop him if they liked.

An onslaught of missiles tore through the sky towards the great insect, exploding against his chitin armored body to no effect. Battra cried out in mocking triumph and increased his speed to meet the jets. They tried to swerve out of his way but he rolled in the air, his vast wings striking them like waves and ridding him of their nuisance in fiery blasts. They hadn’t been worth his time or expending any of the vast power that flowed and pulsed through his body. But what lay ahead was.

Battra had followed the pains of the planet in an arching path that had taken him to the Philippines. Davao City was up ahead, a festering nest of the little vermin that were threatening the planet and all its other inhabitants. Battra would destroy their nest, then move on to the next one and the next one. These creatures depended on the civilization they had built to survive. Destroy that and the elements and other forces of nature would eliminate the rest.

Then the planet could heal. But first, the ugly wounds of concrete bleeding light and toxic fumes all across its pock marked surface would have to be cauterized.

That was to say, all the cities of humanity would have to first be burned.




***




“I don’t understand.” Masako said. “If Battra is a guardian, why is it attacking cities?”

“Battra and Mothra both protect Earth from serious threats that could wipe out life or cause terrible devastation.” The Shobijin explained. “Not long after human beings began to develop civilization it became clear to both Mothra and Battra that they had a power no other creature did-the power to change the world around them rather than have to change with their environment. Battra saw this as a threat to the planet and sought to destroy human beings before that threat could be realized, but Mothra disagreed. She saw that human beings had the power to do good and learn from their mistakes and thought they should be given a chance. The two fought a series of terrible battles all across the world that finally ended with Battra’s egg sealed in ice far to the south.”

“But the ice caps are melting.” Masako realized.

“Yes.” The Shobijin nodded sadly. “Human beings have indeed changed the world just as Battra feared they would. If something is not done to reverse these events the disaster that befalls Earth will be tremendous. Yet human beings know this and have long had the power to stop this horrible process but don’t. To Battra, this is confirmation of his worst fears and now that he has been released from the ice he intends to drive humanity to extinction.”

“What does Mothra intend to do then?” Shin’ichi asked. “Will she protect us?”

“You can’t honestly ask that of them!” Masako snapped.

Shin’ichi blinked at her, confused.

“Our species created the mess that Battra feared would happen. That same mess is what revived Battra and opened the door to our own extinction. On top of that, they were just shown first hand what human greed looks like and when Mothra came to save them she was met with gunfire. How can we possibly ask them to step in and help us after all we as humans have done? How can we expect them to be willing to help us when we repeat the same mistakes over and over?”

Shin’ichi reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, round, silver object like a small coin. Masako and the Shobijin looked at it, seeing the cross over a circle within another circle and the radiant rays like the sun.

“Because I know Mothra’s ways.” He said. “My grandfather taught me them.”



***



Violet beams of light streamed out of Battra’s eyes as he circled over the sprawling urban landscape that was Davao City. The concentrated prism beams his adult form possessed combined and intensified the power of the energy blasts he had used in his larval form and he could now deliver them with pinpoint accuracy. The result was a being that could unleash devastation on a nearly unparalleled scale.

In the city below, people were screaming and running through the streets. Some were seeking shelter, others were simply trying to get away. It was all futile. Wherever Battra aimed his prism beams massive explosions erupted. Turning his head, Battra fired them over and over again, forming rings marked by raging fires that would creep and spread, trapping people within their deadly confines. Then Battra’s wings fanned the flames, spreading them further, all the while continuing the rain of purple light on the doomed city.

Battra’s war cry echoed in the night sky over the sounds of explosions, wailing sirens, and screams. Human beings had built their cities-their civilization-to escape the wrath of nature and now that wrath had come manifest in its most terrible of forms. They had forgotten how cruel nature could be, how life and death were intertwined, how living meant struggle, pain, loss, and sacrifice. In so doing, they had unleashed cruelties that natural forces could never rival, both on the rest of the world around them and on each other. They had given rise to evil in the world, and now their angel of death had come to collect the wages of their sins.

Battra created a burning ring around the edge of Davao City as he circled, slowly spiraling inward as the prism beams fell endlessly from his merciless red eyes. It would not take much time to destroy the entire city this way, not with his speed and power, the accuracy of his deadly rays, and the wind from his wings. He would continue this from city to city, traveling the globe, and within a few short years human civilization would lie in total ruin. From there, it would not take long for the world to change for the better. Without their climate controlled shelters, their energy sources, and their medicine human beings would be at the mercy of the planet, a planet raging with the fruits of the catastrophe they had created. The last surviving humans would see the planet restored and know the beauty and wonder they had nearly ruined, right before those last members of their species closed their eyes for good.

Battra looked over the glowing sea of fire he had created and decided his work here was done. He turned and flew towards the north again, headed for his next target.




***



“Me o samashite Mosura…Hana ga hiraku yo ni Mosura…Min’na matte iru no…Aozameta sora e…Hikaru tsubasa de…tonde…okure…Mosura…”

The Shobijin stood at the window and sang out to Mothra in her cocoon. It was a song of awakening, a prayer for help. Far away drums were beating and the people of Infant Island singing and dancing, spurred on by the psychic call of the twins. People across the world were in danger and Mothra was the only hope.

Masako and Shin’ichi looked on, Masako staring at the silver medallion Shin’ichi was turning over and over in his hand.

“What was all that?” She asked. In the moment he had showed them that trinket the Shobijin had looked up at him and he had looked back at them. There had been something silent exchanged there, as if something was understood that she was not privy to. “You said your grandfather taught you about Mothra?”

“Back in the war my grandfather was on a Japanese ship that was destroyed by the Americans.” Shin’ichi explained. “He told me many years later that he had washed ashore on a beautiful island where the natives had cared for him and tended his wounds. But the most remarkable thing was that me had met two tiny women there who taught him all about their goddess, Mothra. My grandfather said that their ways were of peace and love for nature and for other people, and that their religion and culture of that island were so beautiful that they’d changed his heart and his whole outlook on life.”

“So that’s why you joined the expedition.” Masako realized. “To see if you could prove your grandfather’s story was true.”

Shin’ichi smiled and shook his head as the Shobijin sang. “I already knew it was true. He brought Mothra’s symbol back with him and one day I learned that such symbols were being found in archaeological sites all over the world, complete with images of twins and a moth. I studied them but kept what my grandfather had told me a secret. I knew without the proof I’d be dismissed as a crank. No, I just wanted to see them for myself.”

“Me o samashite Mosura…Asa ga akeru yo ni Mosura…Min’na matte iru no…Namida no yotsuyu o…Haya ku hoho kara…keshite…okure…Mosura…”

“The ways my grandfather taught me, the way he teared up when he spoke of how they’d changed who he was…Their desire for peace and love, their faith in the power of kindness and compassion, in the importance of holding onto hope, I knew neither these little women nor Mothra could let go of that so easily. Human beings might grow cynical and hopeless, but I couldn’t believe that beings like these would.”

“Me o samashite Mosura…Kumo ga utau yo ni Mosura…Min’na matte iru no…Hate mo nai yami no…Sakebu inori o…kii te…okure…Mosura…”

Godzilla2004
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Re: Mothra: Return of the Goddess

Post by Godzilla2004 »

Chapter 7:
Clash of the Imagos




The song of the Shobijin ceased and they bowed their heads. Outside the hotel, Singapore was bustling with the sound of helicopters circling over head and onlookers standing in awe of the silken cocoon propped against the hotel. The night felt pregnant, as if all the world could feel something tremendous was ready to occur. And then, from the cocoon, came movement.

It was slow at first, a gradual bulging and shifting of the silk so subtle that Shin’ichi and Masako both wondered if they had imagined it for a moment. Then, gently, a huge, round, fuzzy white head with bright blue compound eyes and two fuzzy, twitching antennae pushed its way out of the silk and cried out from between parted black mandibles. Steadily, as people surrounding the cocoon looked on in wonder from behind the barrier erected by the police, the enormous body of a giant, fuzzy white moth pulled itself free and unfurled great wings of swirling red, black, and yellow like a great cape. Mothra rested, letting her wings dry as she clutched the cocoon with six hook-clawed feet, then let out a calm chirp as her blue eyes gazed down at the people watching her, somehow reassuring them as she did.

Inside the hotel, Shin’ichi and Masako both gaped.

“That’s Mothra’s adult form?” Masako asked.

She and Shin’ichi looked at each other, realized suddenly that they were both smiling, and then both beamed even brighter at the beauty and majesty of this wondrous creature they were blessed to see as no one had in thousands of years. Just looking at Mothra, both could tell that she was nothing like Battra. This was a being that radiated gentleness.

The Shobijin turned. “Mothra would like to thank you for helping us.”, they said. “She says now that she is strong she will face Battra and try to defeat him, but in return human beings must do better in the future. You must stop spoiling the world and learn to live peacefully with each other and all the other creatures of the planet.”

Shin’ichi and Masako both looked worriedly at each other for a moment, knowing that the Shobijin could surely read what they were both thinking, then Masako leaned forward, closer to their level.

“I don’t know that this is a promise I have any right to make.” She said. “I certainly don’t know that I could keep it for anyone but myself. But I know I can promise you this. I will do everything in my power to spread Mothra’s message and try to make sure the rest of the world hears it. I don’t know what it will do, but I do promise I’ll try.”

Shin’ichi nodded beside her. “And I promise that as well.”

The Shobijin smiled. “Since you have helped us, Mothra will agree to what you say.”

As if to agree, Mothra chirped and began to stretch and flap her wings, generating gentle gales in the vicinity of the hotel. Her wings extended to their full, magnificent span, perhaps two hundred meters across. Slowly the huge insect began to rise into the air and drift over the tallest buildings of Singapore as the people below her looked up in amazement at what they were witnessing. Steadily, Mothra increased her speed and raced off into the night, heading east for the fated confrontation.

“Well, let’s get going.” Masako said, dialing a number into her phone and putting it to her ear.

“To where?” Shin’ichi asked. “What are you talking about?”

“You want to see how this fight comes out right?” She replied. “I’m getting us a plane.”




***



Dr. Yamane hung up the phone and returned to where his staff was working in the room they were borrowing in the United Nations Headquarters. His Monster Task Force was new and had only just been cobbled together. Without a budget or anything in the way of resources, they were being shuffled around the building and left largely to figure out what they needed to do or could do on their own. It was maddening, but Dr. Yamane knew that if they kept at it and proved their worth in the face of crises like these their situation would improve.

“That was Masako.” He told everyone. “The second insect emerged from its cocoon and is heading east. Much of what Masako told me sounds too incredible to believe, but for now what’s important is the two creatures appear to be enemies. She also provided names for the creatures and to avoid confusion, I think we should start using them. The first one, the creature that attacked Sydney and Davao City, will be called ‘Battra’. The second creature, the one that appeared in Singapore, we will call ‘Mothra’. Apparently Mothra is heading to intercept Battra and will try to kill it. As such, we need to let the government of the Philippines know that they must attack Battra to the exclusion of Mothra. To do otherwise would be to jeopardize the chance of stopping Battra’s rampage.”

As he said this he realized how unlikely what he was saying sounded. The task force had no direct control over any government or military. All they could do was make recommendations and it was extremely unlikely that any country with two giant monsters battling in a major city would be inclined to look at one more favorably than the other. He was sure that when he made this call he would be lucky to be laughed at.

“Based on the last known sightings of the creatures and their apparent trajectories,” he continued, “it looks as if Mothra will intercept Battra over Manila. Let’s hope what Masako says is right, and that Mothra will not only defeat Battra but will leave us in peace afterwards.”




***



From the clouds, Battra descended on the city of Manila, wings spread wide as he surveyed the doomed city from above. Down below him people were screaming and rockets were firing into the sky, but none of that was of any consequence to him. The rockets could not hurt him. The people could not escape. One more piece of human civilization was about to burn.

Red eyes flashed purple and Battra’s prism beams fired. The Angel of Destruction turned his head as the first tower of fire rose from their impact and fired again. Then again. Slowly, almost lazily, he began drifting over the vast expanse of the city, adding again and again to the destruction and death. He wanted to conserve his energy here. He knew that she was coming. There would be a battle in this place and he intended to prevail. But when Mothra arrived he wanted her to be greeted by a funeral pyre.

The roar of jets sounded in the air, rushing over the devastation and towards the dark moth. Missiles fired and streaked towards Battra, exploding against his chitin armor. He ignored the jets, focusing instead on the city, letting them exhaust their weaponry in their futile effort. More jets came and still he paid them no attention, focusing on growing the fires and consuming the city. Soon the jets were out of fire power, helpless in the face of the monster’s unyielding destruction.

And then, on angelic wings, hope arrived.

From the inside of their jets the pilots stared wide-eyed at the huge, white entity that flew over them, looking in at them with bright blue eyes. The creature only considered them for a moment before diving forward, propelling itself with lightning speed towards the other monster faster than any of the jets could fly.

Crimson beams flew from the tips of Mothra’s antennae, rocking Battra’s body with tremendous blasts far stronger than any rocket or missile could. The dark guardian shrieked and turned to face his foe, only to have her collide with him and send the two of them rolling through the air together. In an instant they had parted and pulled back away from each other, never breaking eye contact as they hissed their warnings. Then Battra fired his prism beams and Mothra flew up into the air, dodging the fire with Battra in pursuit.

Battra fired repeatedly and each time, to his ire, Mothra dodged and weaved, just barely being missed by the purple light. She was fast, even faster than he was, but he could be patient. He knew all it would take to ground her was one hit and then the battle could be his.

Then he realized what she was doing. They were leaving the city, heading out to the sea. She wanted to engage him where there were no people to get hurt and she could fight without restraint. But he was not about to give her that pleasure. With a mocking cry, Battra turned and flew up into the air, returning to the sky over Manila. Mothra squealed and turned, chasing after him, firing her antennae beam as Battra avoided them, hissing in delight at the now turned tables and waiting for his chance to strike as he rose still higher with Mothra in pursuit.

Battra waited for his chance, luring Mothra up into the sky, dodging her attacks as easily as she had dodged his. She was gaining on him, but that was what he had hoped for. Then, once she had almost caught him, he turned and dove down towards the earth below.

Mothra squealed in surprise as Battra rushed past her. The pincers at the end of his abdomen grabbed hold of hers and pulled her down behind him as if he were an anvil dragging her from the sky. Energy surged from Battra’s vice like grip into Mothra’s body, causing her to cry out in in agony as it traveled through her frame. They were dropping faster and faster, descending towards the city below, Battra’s power ravaging Mothra all the way down. Then, just before they hit the streets, Battra pulled up so that Mothra’s back slammed hard into the pavement. But the black moth did not stop there. He sped on, still gripping Mothra’s body as he dragged her along the street, her wings folding against her as she dug a deep groove in the concrete and smashed cars and buses in their path as she cried out. Then, finally, he released her and rose up into the sky, crowing down at her as she flailed on the ground.




***



The Shobijin gasped as they saw Mothra, beating her wings and flailing her legs on a pile of rubble as Battra hovered over her. From the plane Masako had ordered, they, along with her and Shin’ichi, looked out the window at the distant scene in burning Manila, all of them horrified to see Mothra apparently on the ropes.

“Is Mothra going to be alright?” Masako asked, afraid to know the answer.

“Mothra hasn’t given up.” The Shobijin said. “We shouldn’t give up either.”

“They’re right.” Shin’ichi agreed. “It’s not over yet.”

Masako nodded and prayed, for the sake of the entire human race, that they were right.




***




Battra glared down at the fallen goddess, giving her a chance to give up and let him finish his necessary work. Mothra was struggling to right herself. He could kill her now if he so desired, but he preferred that his counterpart recognize the threat the planet faced and, if she could not bring herself to help him, then at least stay out of his way while he did what needed to be done.

Rockets rushed through the air, exploding around the two giant insects. Battra hissed in anger and disdain, energy crackling about his golden horns as power surged through his body alongside his fury and he turned his attention to the tanks and soldiers. How dare they interrupt. This was a battle between gods and such vermin had no right to intervene.

Battra rose higher to a vantage point where he could see all his targets. Prism beams flashed from his eyes, two after two as he turned his attention to every corner of the surrounding city streets where the filth had gathered. Explosions sounded one after another, adding to the glowing red light that illuminated Manila. In a short time the rocket fire had stopped, but Battra’s attack had not. He continued, unrelenting, determined that their fight would not be interrupted again. In the far distance, a tiny plane caught his eye, and Battra turned to direct his fire on it.

Inside the plane, Masako and Shin’ichi ducked down, Shin’ichi pulling Masako close in a protective embrace. It was futile. Both of them knew that. It was pure instinct in the face of impending death. The Shobijin held each other close as well, knowing better than anyone else what the Angel of Destruction was capable of.

The attack never came though.

Mothra had righted herself and rose into the air above her enemy to bring her full weight crashing down on his back. Surprised, Battra had plummeted from the sky and crashed hard into the street below, collapsing it into a vast crater that pulled in several of the surrounding buildings. Mothra sprang back into the air just in time to avoid being buried by the collapsing structures and leaving Battra to take the full force of the raining mountain of debris.

The goddess circled in the air above, watching and waiting. She could feel the relief and gratitude of her priestesses and received the thanks of the humans who they said she had just saved, but she couldn’t take her focus off her dark twin. Her instincts were right. Battra exploded from beneath the rubble, a wrathful cry sounding as he flew toward her. Mothra fired her antennae beam, striking his armored body again and again to no avail. Battra fired his own attack, blue lightning dancing around the purple beams from the tremendous power he poured into them, striking Mothra in the very center of her thorax between her legs and sending her flying backwards with a shriek.

Battra lunged and gripped his enemy with his claws, beating his wings furiously to push her backwards all the way to Manila’s Grand Hyatt building and slamming her hard into the structure. A huge section of the building caved in, making way for Mothra’s body as Battra embedded her in the side of it. And there she remained, pinned and trapped, as he leaned his face close to hers, their eyes locked, and parted his mandibles to hiss.

In an instant Mothra’s antennae beams had fired, only to miss. Battra had moved too quickly, allowing himself to drop and then rise back into the air to loom over her from a greater distance. She had been aiming for his eyes, and if she wanted to fight like that then he was done giving her a chance to retreat. He prepared his attack at Mothra struggled, beating her wings in an attempt to get free of the confines of the enormous building he had embedded her in, and then he stopped, realizing it would be a grave error.

Shimmering gold dust seemed to be filling the air around Mothra as her wings beat, and Battra knew this technique of hers well. Mothra could shed the scales of her wings and any energy attack like Battra’s prism beams would be reflected right back at her attacker. Another trick from an enemy that had many. But this one, he knew, came with a price.

Mothra pulled herself free of the Grand Hyatt building and shrieked as she flew straight for Battra, the shimmering scales falling from her wings as she did. They collided, scratching, biting with their mandibles, flogging each other with their massive wings, and rolled through the air together, locked in combat amidst a shimmering bubble of light. They slammed together against skyscraper after skyscraper, raining glass and brick and warping steel frames as they did. Battra couldn’t believe that Mothra would be so desperate as to try this. His body was armored like a black knight, built for this kind of combat. Yet he had to concede that the goddess was fighting fiercely, giving it everything she had as she flailed against him. But he could feel her tiring. The longer she shed those scales the more exhausted she would become. Then the time to strike would present itself.

Mothra could feel her strength fading. She couldn’t take another direct blast from Battra’s prism beams but the shimmering scales couldn’t protect her forever. She was pouring every ounce of strength she had into this fight, looking for a weakness or an opportunity to present itself as she did, and all the while she could see the knowing gleam in Battra’s red eyes that told her he was certain she was about to lose.

Then Mothra spat, spewing a massive glob of silk right into Battra’s face, covering it.

Battra shrieked as they separated, mostly in surprise. Mothra wasn’t able to spray the strands of silk in her imago form that she did as a larvae, but she still retained some residual ability. Enough to cover his eyes and blind him at least. Battra tore at the silk with his claws, only entangling them as he did. He knew though this was a further desperate act. She had tired herself out shedding her scales so now was his time. Energy glowed and danced about his horns and around his covered eyes and fully charged prism beams burned their way out of the silk.

The Angel of Destruction didn’t immediately comprehend what happened next considering how quickly it came. A blinding array of purple and blue flashed all around him followed by pain and burning. Before he realized it he was falling, his wings torn and tattered with massive holes. Mothra hovered over him as he fell, staring down at him with those unblinking blue eyes, her head tilted just slightly. It had been another trick. She had planned this, fooling him into unwittingly using his own attack against himself. He wondered how long she had been planning to do so. Had she thought it up on the spot? Had she planned it from the beginning? He could never tell with her.

Battra crashed hard on the buildings below and collapsed them under his frame. He lay there, not bothering to move now that his wings were so badly torn. Instead, he simply raised his head to look up at the triumphant goddess in the sky above him and listen to her terms.




***



Mothra was chirping down at the fallen Battra as if she were talking to him. It was remarkable, Masako thought, as she watched. There was clearly some sort of communication occurring.

“What’s happening now?” Shin’ichi asked. “Is it over?”

“Mothra is asking Battra to leave human beings alone and give them time to learn from their mistakes.” The Shobijin said.

“Is he listening?” Masako asked.

The Shobijin watched as energy began to dance all around Battra’s body and the dark moth let out a vengeful cry from where he lay and shook their heads grimly.

“Battra refuses. He is going to destroy himself and the city with him!”

“No!” Shin’ichi and Masako cried out together, looking out the window as the monster insect began to glow. The Shobijin looked quickly to each other, then out to Mothra, all three knowing what they must do.

Mothra circled in the air over Battra, gathering the last reserves of strength that she had, working with her priestesses to stop the last act of destruction and death that her dark twin intended to unleash. In the plane, the Shobijin sang, raising power for the goddess to use.

“Mahal! Mahal Mosura! Tama! Tama Mosura! Laban! Guerra Labanan!”

Mothra’s body began to glow with brilliant orange light, bright like the sun as she circled above, gathering the energy into her body as Battra was readying to unleash his own in a devastating explosion.

“Laban! Guerra Labanan! Mahal! Mahal Mosura! Tama! Tama Mosura!”

From far away, Mothra and her Shobijin could hear in their minds the beating of drums and the cries of whirling dancers as the people of Infant Island chanted, reaching out through their link to their goddess the Shobijin had created and lending their power to her as well.

“Magutan gol, Magutan gol! Magutan gol, Magutan gol! Ipang anak, Manga anak! Ipang anak, Manga anak!”

A glowing light began to trail Mothra in the night sky. Soon she had connected that light in a ring and continued to circle it, strengthening it as she did.

“Mahal! Mahal Mosura! Tama! Tama Mosura! Laban! Guerra Labanan!”

“Magutan gol, Magutan gol! Magutan gol, Magutan gol! Ipang anak, Manga anak! Ipang anak, Manga anak!”

Battra exploded in a tremendous flash of light and flame, the blast shaking the city and threatening to expand out like the explosion of a nuclear warhead. Inside the plane, Shin’ichi and Masako shielded their eyes. Outside in the city, people were screaming and bracing for death.

“Mahal! Mahal Mosura! Tama! Tama Mosura!”

A halo reached down from the ring Mothra had created and within the wall of light that descended the fires became trapped, swirling like an angry dragon locked within a cage. The ring Mothra had created descended in turn, smothering the flames and pushing them down into the earth. In the crater created by Battra’s self destruction, Mothra’s symbol glowed on the ground, illuminating the night. A cross over a circle within a circle, with the radiance of the sun extending in all directions within it. The city had been saved.

The light that Mothra had glowed with vanished. The Shobijin exhaled deeply, looking exhausted. Mothra cried out, the sound weaker than before, and began drifting over what was left of Manila, eventually settling over the nearest airport, and there she collapsed in a great heap. Masako ordered the plane to land there and soon they did, carrying the Shobijin out to survey their battered and exhausted goddess.

The Shobijin gasped as they saw her state. They had sensed her pain but seeing her ravaged body still came as a shock. Mothra’s fur was burned and torn out in many places. Green hemolymph oozed from a number of wounds inflicted by Battra’s claws and mandibles. Her wings, while still functional, were ragged and weak. The goddess lifted her head as the two humans brought her tiny priestesses to her and let out a weak cry, then laid back down to rest.

Her rest was soon interrupted. Tanks were rolling in from all quarters, the ground rumbling as they did. One monster had been destroyed and another was weakened. The army would insure that it would be finished off. Soon Mothra was surrounded, the cannons raised and ready to fire on her.

“No! Don’t!” Masako shouted, she and Shin’ichi raising their arms in protest and trying to catch the attention of the soldiers.

Then, what seemed like a miracle happened.

From behind the tanks, people came running. Civilians, the survivors of the battle who had looked up as Mothra had fought, who had seen first hand that this creature had arrived to fight their destroyer and had protected them. They ran between the tanks and past the soldiers, out onto the air strip where Mothra lay. The soldiers held their fire, surprised and confused, and soon a large crowd of people had gathered close to Mothra, insuring she couldn’t be hurt.

Masako and Shin’ichi looked at each other in amazement, then down to the Shobijin who smiled, closed their eyes, and bowed their heads.

“Everyone, listen.” The words echoed in the minds of everyone present, even the distant soldiers. All of them looked around, alarmed and confused, wondering who was speaking and asking one another if they had heard it as well. “Life is a sacred spring from which we all draw breath. If you are thankful for what Mothra has done for you and the world, then please, we ask you share some of your strength to heal her. It is completely up to you, but we beg of you, please, listen and help her as she has helped you.”

Then the Shobijin began to sing, and those that were close enough to see them gasped in amazement and relayed what they were seeing to the people behind them before the entire crowd was lifted up in the beauty of the song they sang.

“Na-a-a-a intindihan…mo-o-o-o-o-o Na-a-a-a intindihan…mo-o-o-o-o-o ba…”

The lyrics flowed like water, nourishing the spirits of those that heard. Soon, almost instinctively, smiling people were lifting their hands, amazed and delighted to find little specks of light drifting from their fingers up towards the great moth, sharing their life force.

“Mayroun doan, maganda baron, pu-u-unta ka long dito…Ka long dito…”

Mothra’s body was shimmering as she absorbed the little bits of life force. To the astonishment of those watching, her wounds were closing, her strength seemingly returning as she moved and stretched.

“N-a-a-a intindihan…mo-o-o-o-o-o Na-a-a-a intindihan…mo-o-o-o-o-o ba…Mayroun doan, maganda baron, pu-u-unta ka long dito…Ka long dito…Halika at marupo, halika at marupo…Rurururururu….Rurururururu…”

Mothra’s body glowed as she stretched her wings and and flapped them gently, testing her strength and blowing a gentle breeze over the smiling, awe struck crowd. She let out a chirp, stronger now, a note of gratitude somehow shared in it. The song had stopped and the Shobijin were going to their goddess, ready to leave.

“Wait!” Shin’ichi called, causing them to turn and smile at him. “Please, there’s so much more we could learn from you and Mothra. Won’t you stay and help us make a better world?”

The Shobijin smiled and shook their heads. “That world is yours to build, our friend. But don’t worry, Mothra will be watching over you all. Please, remember what she has done for you and take better care of our beautiful world. It is never too late to make things better than they are so long as we are alive.”

Masako returned their smile. “Don’t worry, as I promised, I’ll convey your message to anyone who will listen.”

“Thank you!” The Shobijin said as they climbed Mothra’s fur and vanished into it, the enormous insect rising from the airstrip with strong, graceful flaps of her wings, causing a cool gale to blow as she did. “Thank you for all that your help! Good bye everyone!”

And with that, as people cheered and waved and the soldiers looked on without any intent of firing, Mothra flew towards the south, leaving the people of the world in peace.

Godzilla2004
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Re: Mothra: Return of the Goddess

Post by Godzilla2004 »

Epilogue:
A New Dawn




Masako and Shin’ichi sat together on the airstrip, collecting their thoughts and watching the sun rise higher into the morning sky. The fires were being put out and Manila had survived its hellish night. A new dawn had risen for the entire world and what it would signify for humanity was not yet clear.

“So, the world now includes Mothra.” Masako pondered aloud. “What are we to do with that?”

“Just what we promised to do of course.” Shin’ichi shrugged. “Spread her message and that of the Shobijin. Try to change our ways before it’s too late.”

“Oh I intend to keep that promise.” Masako assured him. “But I’m not sure if the rest of humanity will be so receptive. This isn’t the world of thousands of years ago where gods were feared. These days we have a tendency to destroy what’s sacred and beautiful.”

“I don’t think Mothra is defenseless if that’s what you’re worried about. I certainly wouldn’t want her as our enemy.”

“This could be our last chance you know.” Masako sighed. “The human race’s last chance to turn things around and do better.”

“Well then we better not waste it.” Shin’ichi said, standing up and offering his hand to help her up. “How about we see where we can be of help in the city?”

Masako smiled and took his hand, then the two of them set off towards where they might be able to help the victims of Battra’s devastation.

“Tell me something Shin’ichi.” Masako said as they walked. “Was it everything you hoped it would be? Meeting the Shobijin I mean? After all your grandfather told you?”

Shin’ichi flashed a wide, bright smile. “Everything and more. It’s good to know that there’s still magic in this world even after all this time. I hope that never changes.”




***




The people of Infant Island cheered and waved as Mothra descended on the hill above their village, squealing a greeting to her beloved worshippers. No one alive had ever seen this spectacle, and yet they had each seen it in their dreams and longed to one day see it in person. Their little village had suffered much, but they and the ways that they kept had survived to another day. And that, the people knew from the teachings of the Shobijin, was the essence of hope. Together, with the Shobijin leading from atop Mothra’s head, they all joined together in their hymn to their goddess.

“Mosura ya, Mosura! Dongan kasakuyan indo muu, rusoto uiraandoa, hanba hanbamuyan, randa banunradan tounjukanraa, kasaku yaanmu!”

The people sang and clapped and whirled about together. The Shobijin smiled down at them as they did, seeing the village come alive in a way they hadn’t in thousands of years. It reminded them of the old times that had long ago past by. But everything, they knew, came in cycles. Perhaps a little differently each time, but still in cycles like the turning of the seasons or the phases of the moon. Perhaps, they dared to hope, Mothra’s return would mark a new era of happiness.

“Mosura ya, Mosura! Tasukete yo te yobeba, toki o koete, umi o koete, nami no yo ni yate kuru, Mamorigami! Mosura ya, Mosura! Yasashisasae wasure! Arehateta hito no kokoro ironinagara utaitai ai no uta!”

Mothra looked on, delighted in the budding happiness all around her. The goddess knew that there were other struggles ahead. And as she knew, so did her priestesses. Humankind had changed the world and now monsters were stirring. There would be more battles to fight and the future was not assured for good or ill. Frightening as that uncertainty and the looming possibilities could be though, for the moment they could be happy. Life, they knew, was nothing without happiness, and happiness was found in the moment, even after thousands of years.

“Mosura ya, Mosura! Dongan kasakuyan indo muu, rusoto uiraandoa, hanba hanbamuyan, randa banunradan tounjukanraa, kasaku yaanmu!”




The End

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