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Indian Ocean. Monarch Outpost 236, Skull Island Ecological Dome. 9:46 AM.
"ROOOAR——!!"
Among the rugged mountain forests, a gray-black giant ape threw his head back and bellowed at the sky. Sharp fangs caught the light. His fists slammed against his chest again and again, a thunderous challenge hurled at the heavens.
Kong.
The towering trees around him swayed from the force of the sound alone. Rocks and soil tumbled down the mountainside. The hundred-meter Titan was furious, and it showed.
Roaring wasn't enough. His gaze swept across Skull Island's forests. He took two steps forward, bent down, and scooped up a boulder the size of a house that had slid off the mountain. Muscles bunched along his arms as he took aim at the false sky above. SWISH , the boulder screamed upward. Normally it would have come down somewhere in the distant sea, but when it hit a certain altitude, it punched straight through the "sky" and tore a ragged hole in the dome, exposing the sophisticated electronics hidden inside.
Kong stared at the breach and roared again, "ROOOAR—, !!"
His temper was considered reasonable by Titan standards. But he couldn't accept being caged, no matter who built the cage or why. Jia needed him. He had to find a way out.
His roar rolled across the island.
In a corner of Skull Island, inside an optically invisible building.
"Jia, your big friend is angry again." In the small, warm room, Dr. Ilene Andrews sat at the edge of the bed, speaking softly to the little girl curled against the headboard, her hands moving through the signs as she spoke.
Dr. Andrews wore her long hair combed back from her face, forehead clean and bare, features sharp. A capable woman.
Jia slowly lifted her head when she saw the movement. She couldn't speak , but her eyes said everything. Fear lived in them.
In 2019, Jia was eight years old. Last night she had dreamed of her people being slaughtered by a group of apes. The dream had been vivid and brutal, and it had followed her into the morning. She hadn't eaten. The fear had taken up all the room inside her.
They're all going to die... I don't want that to happen... Her eyes had gone red. Her hands moved through the signs slowly, like each word cost her something.
She had already lost her family once. She couldn't go through that again.
"I know." Dr. Andrews's voice was quiet. "I don't want that either."
"We're working on it."
"Dr. Serizawa and the others will be here soon. Don't worry." She reached out and gently wiped the tears from the corners of Jia's eyes.
It took a little while, but Jia steadied. She gave Dr. Andrews a small nod.
Monarch had surrounded the island, but Jia understood why. It was to protect Kong. And this woman, Dr. Andrews, had only ever been kind to her.
"Come on. Let's let your big friend cool off for a bit." Dr. Andrews smiled softly, took Jia's hand, and led her toward the door.
They walked the building's corridor, pushed open the camouflaged door, and stepped out into the forested interior of the Ecological Dome.
"ROOOAR, , !!"
Kong was still at it, THUMP! THUMP! THUMP! His anger hadn't dimmed at all , if anything, it had grown. He reached out and ripped two massive trees straight out of the ground, roots and all, hefting them like a pair of spears.
"Hey! Big guy!" Dr. Andrews cupped her hands around her mouth. "Look who's here!"
Kong stopped. He turned, and his eyes found them in the treeline , Dr. Andrews and Jia, standing side by side.
Don't be angry. They don't mean any harm.
Calm down. Okay? Jia held his gaze and signed.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the small Kong doll she carried everywhere, holding it up and giving it a little shake.
Titans were intelligent , far beyond any ordinary animal. Kong more than most. He could read every sign Jia made. He could feel the emotion underneath the words.
"Rooar..." His expression shifted. Something almost like exasperation crossed his face.
He scratched the back of his head. Held the trees for two more seconds. Then, with something between reluctance and resignation, he pushed them back into the earth.
He looked down at Jia.
Then he raised his enormous hands and signed , the movements unmistakably deliberate, unmistakably human.
I. Want. To. Help. You.
We. Will. Find. Them.
Last night, after the nightmare jolted her awake, Jia had gone straight to Kong. She had told him everything , the dream, her people, what she feared. She believed her kind were still out there somewhere, and she couldn't bear the thought of losing them. Kong had listened. Kong understood.
He was the only Titan on Skull Island. The other large creatures here weren't close to his scale. And somewhere in the island's old records, it was written that he had once had a family of his own.
Even now, that longing hadn't left him. He just didn't know where to look.
I believe you.
And they will help us find our people. Jia signed back. She glanced toward Dr. Andrews and gestured at her. We can trust them.
This place , they built it to protect you. Not to trap you. She explained the Ecological Dome as best she could. Monarch sounded like a threat from the outside. It wasn't. At its core, Monarch existed to find a way for humans and Titans to live alongside one another, and after Dr. Serizawa had risen through its ranks, that mission had only deepened.
THUMP! THUMP! Kong watched her signs, then beat his chest twice with one fist. His meaning was perfectly clear.
He did not need weak little humans to protect him. He was strong.
Jia let out a quiet, helpless breath. Her big friend was stubborn , there was just no getting around it.
It wasn't only Jia's people he wanted to find. He wanted to find his own.
Just then, Monarch's sky carrier appeared above the island.
Natsuki pressed close to the window, taking in the steel infrastructure sprawling across the island below , buildings and installations wrapping the entire coastline.
"A base this size," he said, a note of genuine wonder in his voice. "You really do take Kong seriously."
The manpower alone must have been staggering. The resources, beyond imagining.
"Because he is one of the few Titans that are genuinely friendly toward humans," Dr. Serizawa said. "And the only one capable of actively communicating with them."
The Ecological Dome wasn't finished yet , but it was close. Keeping Kong here, protected, was the only thing ensuring Godzilla would leave him alone.
"Let's go." The carrier settled down. Dr. Serizawa led the group off the ramp.
Kong was sitting on the ground with Jia when he went still.
Jia noticed immediately. What's wrong?
He didn't answer. His nostrils flared , once, twice , searching.
Something smelled extraordinary.
He turned his head, following the scent to its source, and saw a small group of people stepping out through the camouflaged door.
➤ Next: Damn, He's Coming for Me!
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