#(( AND THEN JUST PROCEEDS TO NOT UNDERSTAND ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT ANCIENT AMPHIBIANS OR THE WATER/LAND TRANSITION

[royalreef]

[michaelmyersmalewife]

LEVIATHAN | 3. The Folly of Man | MASTERLIST

words: 4k+

warning(s): N/A

A/N: saw kotm for the 3rd time yesterday :’) and also bought the novelization!! it’s a pretty interesting read and expands way more on monarch goings-on and other lore bits

you can also support this fic on wattpad & ao3

U.S. Capital - Washington, D.C.

Jodie's grip on her recorder tightened when the sound of Godzilla's distinctive atomic breath whirred throughout the room.

On the screen beside her, she found it difficult to look away from the archival footage of the carnage that had unfolded in San Francisco all those years ago. It was mesmerizing in some awful, morbidly fascinating way. Before she could lose herself in the sight of the giant amphibian going toe-to-toe with one of the MUTOs, the sound of her colleague clearing his throat snapped her back to attention. Squaring her shoulders, she pressed a button on her recorder.

"What we are witnessing here, Senators, is the return of an ancient and forgotten super-species. Godzilla, the MUTOs, Kong.."

Despite the confident tone in his voice, she didn't miss the way his hands fumbled with the projector remote as he began the presentation. She tensed, trying to reassure herself that they had both spent hours beforehand practicing his opening speech.

Jodie and the other three - Coleman, Serizawa, and Graham - were loathe to admit how nervous they were for this hearing. They were no stranger to them, and this was just one of many sure to come. But out of the dozens they had been forced to attend this was one of the more important ones. Tensions were at an all time high, and as the days went on it was only growing stronger between Monarch and the government.

"And they're just the tip of the iceberg. We believe that these 'titans' and others like them provide an essential balance to our world - a keystone species if you will. And while some may pose a threat, Monarch is uniquely prepared to determine which of these titans are here to threaten us, and which of these titans are here to protect us."

Exasperated, the head committee chair - Senator Claire Godine - rolled her eyes.

"Thank you for the 5th grade history lesson, Mr. Coleman."

With a curt nod, he smoothed his jacket, fiddling with his cuffs as he sheepishly looked around the room. Returning to his seat beside Dr. Graham, Jodie bit the inside of her cheek. This was already going about as well as she expected.

"But we still haven't heard one good reason why Monarch shouldn't fall under military jurisdiction. Or why these creatures shouldn't be exterminated."

Jodie's jaw tightened.

In front of her she could see Dr. Serizawa twitch, head turning ever so slightly to glance across at Admiral Stenz, who was already looking at him out of the corner of his eye. She hoped they would avoid conflict at least once during these types of meetings, but at this point such an event seemed highly unlikely.

"Monarch was tasked with finding and destroying these radioactive monsters," Godine continued. "But you either can't or won't tell us how many there are or why they're showing up. So, maybe it's time for the military to put them down."

"Killing them would be a mistake."

Shit.

"They returned because of us." the frustration in his voice was just barely contained. Jodie always wondered how he could always seem so collected. Though, it seemed she spoke too soon, as his tone was gradually increasing in intensity.

"It was our atomic testing that woke Gojira. Other creatures like the MUTOs? From strip mining and seismic surveys. But these are not monsters, they are animals rising to reclaim a world that was once theirs!"

"It almost sounds like you're protecting them, Dr. Serizawa," the senator retorted with a smug smile. "As if you admire them."

"I admire all forms of life." he said slowly through gritted teeth.

The room was silent.

But before anyone could break the silence the sound of Serizawa's chair sliding out filled the room as he stood as steadfastly as he always had.

Jodie bit at her nails before quickly placing her hand back on her lap. Out of all of Monarch's recent hearings this one was the fastest to escalate by far. It frustrated her, how these people wouldn't - couldn't - understand the gravity of the situation they believed to be dealing with. And they never could, not when their days were spent sitting safe and secure away from the problems a decision like this would inevitably cause. If she could only speak up rather than just document what was happening before her, those senators wouldn't be so bold.

"Senators..if we hope to survive, we must find ways to coexist with titans. With Gojira."

"A sort of symbiotic relationship, if you will. Like the lion and the mouse." Graham - ever his loyal protégé - chimed in, nervously looking between the senators and Serizawa as he settled back into his seat.

"Or the scorpion and the frog."

Stiffly, Graham folded her arms on the table in front of her. Behind her, Jodie's eyes were shooting daggers at the senator.

"So you'd want to make Godzilla our pet?" Godine said, looking to her colleagues incredulously.

With the straightest face possible, Serizawa spoke without missing a beat. "No...we would be his."

The senators laughed.

Deep in her heart she knew he wasn't joking. If there was anyone on the planet that took titans as seriously as one could, it was Serizawa. Yet, in subdued horror and just a twinge of embarrassment, Jodie raised her eyebrows, lips curling into each other. While she normally agreed with anything the man said, sometimes she wished he was able to reel in his more...passionate side during crucial events. Rubbing her eyes, she stared down at her feet. This couldn't get any worse. Her skin crawled when she heard Coleman's desperate attempt to salvage the hearing.

"Uhh...n-no, no actually," Coleman laughed with a jittery lilt to his voice. "That's not what Dr. Serizawa meant. No one's implying that we would be Godzilla's - or anyone's -"

Almost as though the universe itself could read her thoughts, she felt a soft vibration in her pocket. Quietly, she pulled out her phone to find a string of Monarch alerts.

Once again, she had spoken too soon.

Eyes wide, she shot up from her seat, rapidly tapping on Graham's shoulder while thrusting her phone between the two doctors. As Serizawa's eyes slowly widened in shock, all the color drained from Graham's face. Coleman, oblivious, remained stuttering after himself.

"Sorry, " she whispered to him under her breath. "We have to go."

As Jodie bolted out of the room, shutting off the recorder and stuffing it into the pocket of her blazer, she heard the quick shuffling of the two doctors behind her. Her heart was beating loud in her chest.

"Dr. Serizawa, Dr. Graham, this hearing is not adjourned. Dr. Serizawa!"

"Um -" Coleman nervously looked around the room, suddenly finding himself alone.

"I hope you understand the consequences of walking out that door!"

"You know what, senators? While I confer with my colleagues here," he spoke, pulling out the remote from his pocket. "I'm gonna set you up with a very brief - and pretty fun - documentary on titan reproduction. I think this is the one where the genitals are blurred out  - but if not you can leave a comment with my assistant."

"Mr. Coleman!" the senator called out as he quickly excused himself from the room, pace quickening as his colleagues left the room.

Godine sat back in her chair with a tired sigh. She could never figure out those Monarch officials. And maybe, she thought, she never would.

"So I suppose that gives us the go-ahead by default?"

Admiral Stenz turned to the man to his left, speechless with shock.

Looking ahead at the exit doors as they swung closed, the senator nodded coldly. "I suppose that does. Project O will proceed as planned. This hearing is now adjourned."

_____

If the throbbing headache hadn't woken her first, it would've been the hushed voices around her trying so hard to be quiet.

Elena's eyes opened one by one, squinting in the dim lighting of the room she appeared to be in. God, her head hurt. And if that wasn't enough, the bruise on her arm had definitely flowered into something nastier, as she braced her arm against the floor she was met with buckling nerves. With great effort she sat up with a grunt, wincing at the soreness that seemed to sink itself into every muscle in her body. The floor was cold, and wherever she was it looked like a storage room what with all the large crates all around her. After settling in the most comfortable position she could find against the metal surface, she looked around.

Suddenly, the voices stopped.

Locking eyes with the source of the voices that roused her from unconsciousness, she quickly dragged herself across the floor, close enough so that she could have a better look at the two figures.

It was a woman with short, wavy blonde hair with a child tucked underneath her arm. The woman gave her a curt, reassuring smile. The child only stared. Whoever they were, they didn't seem to be of any threat. Not yet, at least.

"Do you," she grimaced as she propped herself against a crate, laying against it uncomfortably. "Do you know where we are?"

The woman shook her head, a sullen look glazing over her eyes. "No, sorry."

Elena sighed in frustration, staring at a wall.

In the silence, the sound of something whirring beyond the walls of the room filled her ears. It was more than just white noise. Startled, she sat a little straighter.

"Are we in a -"

"Some sort of aircraft. I've never seen anything like it but, we're definitely airborne."

"I'm telling you, it's a UFO" the girl said insistently, tugging on the woman's sleeve.

"Madison.."

Crossing her arms, Madison leaned against a crate with a thud.

"Sure looks like one." she mumbled.

Confused, Elena leaned forward. "What does she mean..?"

"I'll be honest, I don't know what this is. It's unlike anything I've seen but the crew definitely seem human...appearance-wise." she said with the slightest acerbic tone.

If the people that had assaulted Elena were connected to this - and they definitely were, she had concluded - she couldn't argue with that.

"You with the military?"

The woman let out a tired laugh, shaking her head. "No, far from it. I'm a paleobiologist."

Elena's eyes narrowed slightly before dawning on a realization.

"You're with Monarch." she mumbled.

"Excuse me?"

"Monarch. You work for them, right?"

"....I do. How did you -"

"I was with them." her gaze wandered to the floor. "Long time ago but.." Suddenly, she snapped herself back into focus. "What do you think they want?"

"I have an idea but," she shrugged. "I don't know."

Elena released a tired sigh, the back of her head thudding against the crate as she leaned back. The woman said nothing, only staring with a twinge of sympathy. Working with Monarch wasn't for everyone, she knew that better than most.

"I'm Emma," she said, squeezing the girl's shoulder. "This is my daughter, Madison."

Elena looked at them, mouth quickly twitching to the side in a brief smile. Madison did the same.

"Elena."

Silence filled the room once again, and as Madison stared at the stranger sitting across the room, she couldn't help but get the feeling that there was something familiar about her.

Suddenly, the sound of buttons being pressed followed by the room's door sliding open broke the silence. Madison tensed, huddling closer to her mother. Defensively, Elena turned around crouching in vain behind one of the crates. The same pair that had assaulted her in her home walked into the room with the same eerily calm demeanor as before.

The tall woman's eyes scanned the room before landing on Elena's partially hidden form, eyes glaring from beyond the crate. With a smile that didn't reach her eyes, she walked closer, looking down at the trio with an unreadable expression.

"The Controller would like to see you."

With little resistance, the tall woman led the trio down a series of windowless halls. The further Elena was taken into the craft, the less she recognized it as anything familiar. If they were with the military, it was definitely nothing she had ever seen before. The halls seemed to twist and curve in an almost circular pattern. But what unnerved her the most was how sterile everything looked, like a doctor's office dialed up to 100. It was as cold and expressionless as the woman guiding them further into the labyrinth. Maybe there was some credence to that girl's comment after all.

Soon enough they neared a large room. Elena tried to subdue her surprise as she walked in to find herself face to face with a window about half as large as the room itself. Madison was not so subtle, her mouth hanging slightly agape as she tried her best to take in every inch of her surroundings. She couldn't blame her. Outside were nothing but bright orange and pink clouds brushing past them like balls of cotton. And beneath them was a rapidly approaching sunset. It was a welcome relief from the ship's empty halls.

That relief didn't last, not when a man who had previously been standing across the room staring out the window turned around. Off to the side were about 5 other people, standing as straight as a board staring at nothing in particular. They too wore the same all-black uniform as the tall woman.

"The assets, as you requested." she said in an almost robotic manner.

As she turned to leave, spinning on her heels in one swift motion, she shot a gaze down at Elena. It held something unreadable, not quite malicious but not quite benevolent. Elena's face scrunched into a slight frown. Odd.

"My Regulator." the man said almost too calmly, arms folded behind his back as he stepped closer to the trio. "She's tough, that one. My apologies if she brought any harm to you all."

The three remained silent, too on edge to even think about playing along with his friendly facade. He outstretched his arms like one would when expecting a hug. Without thinking, Elena stepped forward, standing between this "Controller" and the two women behind her. He forced a chuckle.

"Oh, come now, you won't be harmed here. In fact this is the safest place you could possibly be."

"Yeah, well we don't exactly feel safe."

His jaw set, expression changing from open and welcoming to distant and irritated in the span of a second. "You must be Elena."

Stepping just a little too close for her comfort, he stared down at her, his eyes boring deep into her own. They were cold, distant, like that of a shark's. And Elena felt like she was just another fish caught in its teeth. She glared back at him, teeth grinding just behind her lips.

"So bold. And for people you've just barely met." he spoke, tone unchanging as he walked past her and toward Emma. "Understandably so..they are your species after all."

Elena raised an eyebrow. What was this guy on?

"Evolution built you to care for them," he spoke softly, almost as though he was talking to himself.

"But no matter. That won't be a problem for us." he said, sharply turning back around, hands folded behind his back once more. "In fact, it's an advantage - our greatest asset."

Though Elena couldn't see for herself, the reflection that bounced off of the wide window showed his face, upon which was a smile - wide and distorted like a long, thin gash cutting across his head. "With you three, we can do everything we've so eagerly waited for."

Madison's face scrunched up in thought. Somehow, in some impossible way, she had a feeling she knew what the strange man was talking about. And somewhere buried deep in the back of her mind, Elena did too. Much to her relief, a voice sounded from behind her, promptly interrupting whatever monologue she was sure she'd be forced to endure.

"Sir," a man said as he entered the room. The Controller turned around, briefly looking irritated at the intrusion before calming down in less than a second. He nodded.

"We've retrieved the passcodes for the next outpost."

He gave the man a tight-lipped smile. "Let's go, then." His eyes wandered to the three women. "I believe we've gotten everything we need here."

Before Elena could respond, the Controller gestured to the man behind them. He stepped forward.

"I'm sure you three have many questions but I can assure you, they will all be answered with time." Raising his voice just slightly, he called out into the hallway. "Regulator, please make sure our esteemed guests are treated with utmost care."

At that, the woman swiftly escorted them out, all but shoving them into the hall and back down the long, twisting corridors of the ship. This walk had been much shorter than the last, but even then Elena's legs burned. Finally, they reached a room that seemed isolated from the rest. As the Regulator tapped symbols on what looked like a keypad, the door slid open with a light hiss. Inside were solely two sets of bunk beds on either side of the room.

Without persuasion, Emma hurried into the room, pushing Madison in before her. As Elena walked behind them, the Regulator leaned down, stopping her in her tracks. With the lightest of whispers, she spoke into her ear.

"Looks like you're not in Kansas anymore."

Elena grimaced, glowering at the woman. Too quick for her mother to stop her, Madison turned around, sticking her tongue out as the Regulator closed the door behind them with the faintest of smiles.

_____

Jodie was a bundle of nerves.

She hadn't stopped biting her nails since they left Washington, and since boarding the Osprey it had only gotten worse. Although her wife had reassured her that she was unharmed save for a bad case of shock, her mind couldn't quiet itself.

People had died. Friends had died.

There were so many questions to still be answered that it was giving her a migraine. As she held her head in her hands, she felt the feather-light touch of a hand on her shoulder. It was Vivienne, with the same warm and reassuring smile she always had when times were tough. But even then, there was a solemn curtain that hung just above her expression.

"We're approaching our destination in abooout 5 minutes." the pilot trailed off as she slowly descended upon a grassy field. "Get ready."

Jodie turned to Vivienne. "You sure he'll..you know..?"

She shook her head, eyes glancing to the floor as she sighed. "Wish I could say for certain. Ever since he went off the grid, we haven't been in contact. It could go either way."

"Alright, we're about to land."

Tugging the edge of her blazer, she sat up, helping Vivienne in the process as the Osprey shook with the landing. "Guess we'll find out."

As the four stepped out into the brisk Colorado air, Jodie could see a man standing amidst the tall grass, holding what looked like a professional camera in one hand. He didn't exactly look welcoming. The man advanced towards them, brows furrowing with every step.

"Not. Here." he hissed as he walked past Serizawa.

Oh, great.

"Mark, this is important, just li -"

Waving him off, he continued walking away toward a truck parked in the distance. Jodie's jaw tightened. From the failed hearing with the senators to the attack in China, she felt her patience threshold rapidly cracking under the stress.

"Hey, asshole!" she called, feeling a nudge on her arm followed by a quiet but stern 'Jodie' from Vivienne. He stopped, slowly turning around. "Not sure if you've heard, but there's been an incident. It involves your daughter." she said in a biting tone.

At that, Mark Russell fully faced them, his face turning a ghostly pale.

After a brief drive down a dirt road in a run-down chevy, he led them to an isolated cabin sitting right beside a lake. It was nice and quiet, with nothing but the sound of various birdsongs and tree branches shaking in the wind filling the gaps in silence. As she stepped onto the patio, she couldn't help but remember all those times she and Gill had talked about getting a cabin in the woods and living out the rest of their days doing nothing but hunting for cryptids and hosting their podcast. At least they had somehow gotten 1/3 of that plan down.

As Mark unlocked the door to the cabin, he ushered them all in. Vivienne had already pulled out a tablet, scrolling for a second before pulling up Outpost 61's security cam footage. Jodie shivered. She had seen it at least a dozen times on the way over here. It was chilling, how those people gunned down those Monarch scientists as if they were nothing but mannequins. As Vivienne played it for Mark, he watched with the same horrified expression. His hands curled into fists.

"The feed cuts out there." Vivienne said softly, wringing her hands. Mark was speechless, glazed eyes looking past her shoulder at something Jodie couldn't quite make out. "The survivors haven't been able to give us much more than what the footage shows, only that Emma and Madison were the only ones taken."

"I'm sorry, Mark." Serizawa said from the back of the room.

"I should've been there for them..." he whispered hoarsely. "Who are they?" If a stare could kill, the man in black on the tablet screen would've been long dead.

"We don't know yet," Jodie spoke. "But we think they were after this." Switching to a previous frame, she zoomed in on an image of Emma kneeling before a strange bulky-looking device. Mark's eyes widened with anger.

"You didn't.."

"That's the ORCA, isn't it?" Coleman said, a mix of awe and fear peppering his expression.

"Looks like it. Why else would they need Emma?" Jodie leaned forward, crossing her arms as she squinted at the grainy footage.

Turning to Mark, a stream of words spilled from Coleman's mouth "She believed that if we could somehow replicate the bio-sonar the titans use to communicate -"

"I know what the hell it is, I helped build the prototype!" Mark snapped. Doing a double-take between the four figures, he looked back to Graham. "Who are they again?"

Putting on his signature 'friendly' face, Coleman outstretched a hand. "Uh, Sam Coleman. I'm Monarch's head of technology, I joined shortly after you left."

Mark only looked down at his hand, his face looking more tired and done by the second. Coleman's hand quickly lowered itself before gesturing to Jodie.

"A-And this is my assistant."

She didn't bother uncrossing her arms.

"Jodie Lennox. Big fan of your wife..s work - and yours too, I mean -"

Not missing a beat, Mark seemed to ignore her completely. Jodie raised a brow. "Emma and I destroyed the prototype."

"And she decided to rebuild it." Vivienne chimed in.  "After..After San Francisco, she went back to Boston and spent years developing it. She thought it could help -"

"Help what, play god?!"

"N-No, help prevent another attack!"

Jodie shot a glance at Serizawa, who looked just as bewildered at the man's attitude.

"The ORCA was a grad school science project, it was meant to keep whales away from the shoreline not so you could talk to your little creatures out there!" Mark's voice only increased in intensity. The four couldn't bring themselves to dispute him.

While he had a point, Jodie couldn't help but feel as frustrated as she was back in that room filled with uncaring senators. She looked directly at Mark.

"Listen to me, they'll think it's one of them. You use the wrong frequency on any one of 'em and you're gonna be responsible for a thousand San Franciscos."

"No, you listen. The ORCA that was stolen is not the same one you worked on years ago, you don't even know what we've been able to accomplish since then!" Jodie cut herself off before she escalated the situation even more than it already had.

"Which is why we need to get it back." Serizawa said, the seriousness of his tone feeling like a weight on everyone's shoulders.

"And why are you telling me all this?"

"Emma always said no one knew the ORCA better than you."

"It shouldn't even exist." he hissed, walking away to stare out a window. Out of the corner of Jodie's eye she could see that his hands were shaking.

Exasperation evident in his tone, Coleman spoke up. "That may be, Mark but it's fallen into the wrong hands. And right now the ORCA is the only thing keeping Emma and Madison alive. Don't you want to help get them back?"

Not hearing anything but the man's silence, Vivienne stepped forward.

"Mark, we know you're hurting. But if we find the ORCA, we'll find your family." she paused, eyes searching for the slightest hint of a response. "I promise."

Lips curling with impatience, Jodie spoke "So are you coming or not?"

Slowly, Mark turned around.

"I don't really have a choice."