TITANS 2150.4 - The Last Empire (Disney Monster Universe Phase 2)

Chapter 9 - Fury of the King

Upon entering the vortex, absolute silence fell, as well as absolute darkness, as if the very concept of sound and light had ceased to exist for a few seconds. If Kong and Elsa, in her ice dragon form, had been able to cross without problem, this was not the case for Monarch's HEAV and its passengers. Caught in the tumult of the vortex, spinning at the speed of light amid explosions and intense, jerky flashes of light, the crew was paralyzed in their seats. Ann and Jia closed their eyes, holding hands and trying to resist as best they could. James, tense, shook all over while Trapper laughed out loud, eyes wide, as if he was experiencing the most intense drug trip of his life. The two men's eyes met, James showing the experience with a thumbs down, which made Trapper laugh even more. The ship shook throughout its structure, as if it were on the verge of bursting into pieces. The pain in the body caused by the sudden changes in gravity was indescribable by mere words. James almost felt like he was melting as he looked at his hands, the illusion making him believe they were melting.

Then finally, after long minutes of ordeal, an intense flash of light erupted right in front of them, swallowing them and spitting them out in the next second into the Hollow Earth. Mikael had to quickly react and regain his senses to stabilize the flying machine and adjust the correct systems in order to adapt the flight to the ambient gravity, very different from that of the surface, but also to carry out aerial maneuvers to avoid the field of floating rocks full of earth energy in the area. The supernatural and prehistoric landscapes of the Hollow Earth presented themselves to everyone's eyes through the windows, leaving everyone speechless.

Elsa, in her giant dragon form of ice and water, appeared alongside the HEAV, as if making sure they were safe and gave them a nod before picking up speed. Trapper had to reassure James who remained tense in his seat and everyone checked to make sure everyone was okay, especially Jia as she was the youngest. Further ahead, Kong was running on all four legs through the hills and was joined by Elsa who was flying alongside him.

_"Kong is heading towards his home." Ann Possible said, looking at the holographic map of the area. "How far is the outpost?"

_"100 clicks." Mikael replied while piloting. "Still no response incoming."

This was far from reassuring and the silence which accompanied this response was more eloquent than the slightest words. Suddenly, the HEAV's motion sensors reported numerous life forms rapidly approaching the position. Very quickly, a swarm of reptilian flying creatures appeared, with multiple wings, yellow and black stripes and whose heads resembled the beaks of a pink flamingo.

_"Predators approaching, nine o'clock." Mikael said, preparing the ship's defense systems.

_"What are these things?" James asked, fascinated.

_"Vertacines." Trapper explained, happy to see some. "Don't worry, they are generally harmless, unless provoked. To defend themselves, they group together and are capable of generating powerful bio-electric discharges. But fortunately, this HEAV has the ultimate technique defense : biomimetic camouflage."

Trapper pressed one of the buttons located on the dashboard right in front of him, selecting the appropriate camouflage which gradually covered the HEAV in the same color as the creatures, making him pass for one of their own. Ann and Jia together watched the majestic flight of the creatures all around the ship. Meanwhile, Elsa continued to fly and accompany Kong towards his lair, wondering where Godzilla was at the moment and hoping that he was okay.

***********

On the surface, a new alert had just been triggered at the Middleton outpost. Without wasting time, Gretchen ran to the operations room.

_"I want the details, tell me everything!" she ordered, approaching the world map screen and indicating Godzilla's movement in real life.

_"This is not good." replied one of the operators. "Godzilla has just arrived in the south of France and is heading towards a place called Montagnac. The ground teams on site are five kilometers away."