Godzilla vs. Kong by Greg Keyes (e books free to read TXT) 📗

of lecturing people he hardly knew. Gloomy days were sort of his element.

He presented them his map of Hollow Earth and then got into the details. Maia Simmons was there, along with Admiral Wilcox, commander of the fleet. He was a stoic-looking man in his fifties with high, pronounced cheekbones.

“We’ll be at the Antarctic entry in forty-eight hours,” Nathan told them. “This path will get us into Hollow Earth. Once we’re inside, Kong should lead us to the energy source.”

“Is that all we have?” the Admiral asked. “The imaging drones didn’t survive the trip?”

Nathan shook his head. “Something down there pulverized them.”

“Hence the monkey muscle?” Simmons said.

“Only if we get there in the first place,” Nathan said. “The gravitational inversion is like nothing we’ve ever encountered. Our best guess is on entry it’ll feel like bungee jumping—just with the cord tied to your lower intestine. But if your helicopters are as good as you say—”

“HEAVs,” Simmons corrected.

“HEAVs are as good as you say, I believe we can do this.”

“They’ll do their job,” Simmons said. “You just gotta do yours.”

“Excellent,” Nathan said.

With that, she left the bridge, leaving Nathan with the Admiral. Wilcox ran his hand through his closely cropped black hair. Then his gaze rested intently on Nathan.

“Yes, Admiral?” Nathan asked.

“Do you have a military background, Dr. Lind?” Wilcox asked.

“Um, no,” he said. “I pretty much went from being a nerd in high school to a geek in adulthood. I never did the whole—no, I wasn’t in the military.”

“It isn’t for everyone,” Wilcox said. “Not even for everyone in it, if you take my meaning. I have been in the Navy most of my life, Dr. Lind. Just a sailor to begin with, you know. My parents immigrated from Nigeria when I was young. They had big plans for me. Doctor, or lawyer. But I wanted to serve, and that’s what I’ve done.”

“I admire that,” Nathan said. “I really do. I just don’t think I ever had the stuff for it.”

“You never know what ‘stuff’ you have until you’re tested.”

“Sure,” Nathan said. “That makes sense. I—”

“I see you as untested, Dr. Lind.”

“Oh,” Nathan said, now realizing where this was going. “I—ah—I have been tested, Admiral. It did not go that well.”

“People died under your command.”

“Well, technically, my brother was in charge so—” He stopped, cowed by the Admiral’s unwavering stare.

“Yes,” he said. “They did what I told them to do and they died.”

The Admiral nodded. “All those ships out there. You see them?”

“Yes.”

“Every man and woman on each of those ships, they look to me. They expect me to tell them what to do. They expect me to get them through this alive, if it is at all possible. I am sure you understand this is a great responsibility, Dr. Lind—one I do not take lightly.”

“I’m sure you don’t,” Nathan said.

“I, on the other hand, look to you,” Wilcox said. “You’re the civilian in charge of this expedition. I take my orders from you. But that isn’t all there is to it, Dr. Lind. That … Titan out there. And the others. These are far more your realm of expertise than mine. I rely on you. I am counting on you as these people under my command are counting on me. Does this make sense to you, Dr. Lind?”

Nathan regarded the other man for a moment, feeling that weight settle on his shoulders.

“I’ll do my best,” he finally said.

Wilcox shook his head. “You must do better than that, Dr. Lind. Much better. I expect it of you.”

*   *   *

Ilene stood on the bridge, looking past Kong, through the rain to the lights of the other ships and the dark interstices between them, looking for … nothing, she hoped. And so far, so good.

Admiral Wilcox, who had finished chatting with Nathan, joined her.

“Dr. Andrews,” he said. “We’re avoiding Godzilla’s known territorial waters, according to your guidelines.”

“Good,” Ilene said. Although it wasn’t. Godzilla’s patterns had changed in the past, usually in response to the presence of another alpha. His most recent activity was a bit puzzling, as his attack on Pensacola hadn’t been driven by the presence of another Titan, at least not in an obvious way. But that just pointed out what a volatile creature he was. How Godzilla could know Kong had left Skull Island, she didn’t know. But she was willing to bet he did. Avoiding his mapped patrol routes was the very minimum—and probably the only—thing they could do. She was keeping up with Monarch telemetry, of course, but as he often did, Godzilla had managed to drop off the map again.

The Admiral must have read something in her response, or perhaps her expression.

“Do I need to be concerned?” he asked.

“Yes,” she told him. “They have a way of sensing threats. And we believe that they had an ancient rivalry. The myths say they fought each other in a great war.”

The Admiral nodded knowingly.

“So if they meet again, who bows to who—is that it?”

“I spent ten years on that island,” she said. “Studying him. I know this for sure … Kong bows to no one.”

*   *   *

The ship lurched, snapping Ilene out of what had been an involuntary nap. She was wide awake now, wondering what could cause such a huge ship to jump like a canoe on whitewater. She was on the small bridge, along with Nathan and Maia Simmons.

“Should she be out there?” Simmons asked.

At first, Ilene wasn’t sure who the executive was talking about—or to, for that matter. Simmons was gazing through the window of the bridge, out toward Kong. It was night and pouring rain. She remembered the Admiral saying something about a squall on the radar, and apparently, they were now squarely in it. Kong had pulled himself into a sitting position against the platform at the bow and was yanking on the chains and manacles that held him. The chains were wound into winches, so that his movements would not translate directly to the ship, but the effect was still bone-jarring.

She, Simmons had said.

Then