Chapter 15 - Finale, Farewell To The King

Date: May 24, 2014

Time: 0740

Location: San Francisco

—

The city was in ruins and the suns rays did nothing to bring any sense of relief or happiness to the city as it reeled from the chaos of the previous day. Godzilla's path of destruction through the area as well as the battle with the MUTOs brought forth billions of dollars in estimated damages and left thousands dead, dying, or missing. Godzilla's body was motionless where it fell not far from the docks surrounded by the debris of the building which fell on and around him after his collapse with seabirds flying about around him. Many of the people crowding the streets believed him to be dead, or they would not have been there in the first place.

Drs. Serizawa and Graham climbed over some of the debris to a vantage point and looked at Godzilla's lifeless form, and Serizawa fought back tears as Dr. Graham bowed her head and closed her eyes.

"You worthless lizard! You ruined our city!" A random person below them cried.

"We'll be cleaning and rebuilding for decades after this!" Another one screamed.

"The sooner they chop this pathetic carcass up and toss it into the sea, the better!" Came another angered citizen's voice.

Serizawa closed his eyes and tuned out the anger and the hatred for Godzilla which was spewing forth from the people around him as he looked then to Dr. Graham. She was beginning to tear up as she looked at him, and they both shared a moment of quiet sadness for Godzilla as those who did not understand him threw hatred at him like children throwing rocks at the neighborhood outcast.

Meanwhile, in one of the shelters, Ford had been reunited with his son Sam who was brought to him by Laura. They'd made it safely out of the city and rushed to find Ford, which had taken them hours to do. Ford had nearly broken down seeing his son alive and well, and he held him close as they sat together in the shelter. Ford was wearing medical wrapping on his right wrist from the sprain and had to walk with a crutch due to the injury in his leg. He looked up and saw Godzilla on the news broadcast, with the caption reading "Godzilla dead? World safe once more?"

"Hey dad?" Sam asked.

"Yeah? What is is big guy?"

"Is Godzilla dead?"

Ford looked up at the live feed and watched Godzilla, and shook his head.

"Nah. He's just sleeping," he told Sam, giving his son a smile and a kiss on the forehead.

"So he's going to be okay right?"

Ford nodded to him, though in his heart he was unsure. He knew that Godzilla was catching a lot of hate for the damages to the city, as he'd heard plenty of such insults and blames thrown at him here before his son arrived. But Godzilla was not responsible for the damage. Had the MUTOs never been allowed to live in the first place and their pods disposed of, Godzilla may never have surfaced in the first place.

No.

It was humanity who was responsible for this tragic affair. Mankind's interference with nature was what brought Godzilla and the devastation which followed to their world, and Ford grit his teeth as he heard yet another wrench thrown at Godzilla from a man standing next to him.

"That ugly lizard better stay dead," the man said.

Ford looked to him, setting Sam down on the side away from this man.

"Hey, you want to shut up?" He asked.

The man looked at Ford.

"What was that? You think the lizard should live after everything he did?"

"Like what? Destroy the creatures which were spawning in China Town and would have released hundreds of more like them to overrun our world?"

"Tch. Whatever. Even if it did kill those things, that ass ugly creature destroyed our city. There's no forgiveness for that."

Ford stood up with the help of his crutch.

"You have a family?" He asked.

The man nodded.

"I got a wife and three kids," he answered, unsure of what Ford was getting at.

"Where are they?"

"Safe outside the city."

"Why are you here?"

"I am here because I couldn't get out of the city in time to join them."

"Well that 'ass ugly creature' is the only reason you and your family aren't dead already. If he hadn't stopped those things, there'd be nowhere for your family to hide and be safe from those things."

"Hey, you watch your mouth!"

Ford stepped towards him.

"What are you going to do about it? Deny the truth and bury it away because you can't stop grieving for your wallet?"

The man looked appalled.

"I can tell by what's left of your suit that you're a business man, likely a CEO of a company which Godzilla destroyed. That's the real reason you want him to stay dead, isn't it? Because he destroyed your method of raking in the cash and living a life of luxury. Right?"

Ford was right. The man was in fact the CEO and owner of a respectful business which provided him with a near seven digit income each year. His face turned red with anger at Ford's comment, and he lashed out with a punch to Ford's head. Ford used his crutch as a balance point and leaned out of the way of the punch before grabbing it with his free hand and twisting it around, pinning the man's hand in the middle of his back before shoving him forward to the ground. The man shook it off and looked up at Ford as he slowly made it to his feet.

"Show a little respect for the creature who saved the world. Your money and the government who give it to you could never have pulled it off. Their method for doing so was to blow us all up," Ford said, clenching his fist.

The man stood up and bared his teeth at Ford before he stormed away. Ford watched him until he was completely out of sight before he sat back down next to Sam, who was a little scared about that scuffle.

"Dad, what's 'ass ugly' mean?"

Ford turned to Sam with a shocked look on his face.

"Um… Don't worry about it. It's just an insult, and a mean one at that so don't ever use it okay?"

"Okay."

Ford patted Sam on the head and pulled him into a hug. He looked up and eyed the crowd, searching and hoping to see Elle, but he couldn't. He picked up Sam and walked to the exit as a new batch of people returning to the shelter to look for loved ones began to arrive. He walked over and saw a few other families reunited, and while he was happy for them he was sad that he wasn't seeing Elle among them. He turned around and started walking back to the area where they were sitting before when Sam got out of his arms and started running back towards the exit.

"Hey, Sam!"

Sam ran passed a few people and through the crowds towards the exit as Ford started to follow him. With his crutch, it was slow going to keep up with a determined child though, and he struggled to keep pace with his son.

"Mommy!" Sam called.

In the entrance, heading into the shelter, was Elle. She heard Sam's voice, and she whispered "Sam?" to herself. She was dirty, exhausted, and overwhelmed emotionally and physically after everything that happened. She'd been inside one of the subway shelters as Godzilla fought above them in the streets and killed the male MUTO. The building which fell on him at that point had nearly collapsed the shelter she was in, and caused the deaths of nearly two hundred people.

She started to walk faster.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Sam called.

"Sam?!" Elle called back.

"Mommy!"

"Sam!" She cried.

Her eyes filled with tears as she ran for her son and embraced him. She laughed and cried at the same time clutching her son tightly to her chest. She stroked his hair and kissed his forehead and cheeks several times as she held her beloved son. She had been so worried since the moment she put him on that bus that something would go wrong, and she saw the reports of school buses being stuck on the Golden Gate Bridge before the MUTOs arrived and screwed up the television feeds with their emp abilities. She feared the worst for Sam, and coupled with her not being able to see or hear from Ford in that time she was beyond a wreck.

It was at that moment that Ford approached, but he kept a respectful distance to let her enjoy the reunion with their son. He smiled, nodding at the sight before her eyes opened and fell on him. She stopped sobbing, and stood up slowly. She began to walk towards Ford as Sam stayed right by her side with an innocent smile on his face.

"Hey Elle," Ford whispered.

Elle ran froward the last few steps and planted her face against his, kissing her husband in what felt like the first time in years what with all that had happened. The two embraced each other and shed a few tears together, happy beyond words that their family was finally back together again. They walked out of the shelter together just in time to witness something amazing.

Watching Godzilla's body, Serizawa and Graham were just about to leave when his nostrils suddenly flared and let out a puff of dirt and air.

The people around him scattered, and Serizawa and Graham watched in amazement as his eyes opened and began scanning their environment. The pair of scientists were brought out of their sadness and nearly to tears at seeing Godzilla's head slowly rise with a groan as his hands slid forward along the ground. He propped himself up and shook his body free of the debris and managed to get to his knees. His right arm collapsed for a moment, the gash in his chest still evident. Graham and Serizawa started in concern and made a single step towards him until they realized that they were too small and insignificant to help him.

Godzilla's eyes shut and his mouth curled into a snarl at the pain still pumping through his system. However, he opened his eyes again and forced himself up and to his feet as the people watching stared in awe. They were finally able to see Godzilla up close and personal without him involved in some kind of conflict. The might and majesty he exuded was inspiring to some, and horrifying to others. Godzilla looked down and saw the hundreds of people in the streets around him, and they all began to back away slowly as his eyes trailed a path through the crowds.

Ford, Elle, and Sam made it out of the shelter and saw Godzilla on his feet. Sam did a cheer for Godzilla as Elle held her husband's hand in fear. She was still shaken by her encounters with Godzilla, but Ford reassured her that everything was all right. It was hard for her to accept given how big Godzilla was that everything was just "all right," but she trusted her husband and forced herself to relax as the family made their way towards him through the streets. Godzilla stood motionless for a few solid minutes, and by the time he started moving again Ford and the others had made it to a small rise where they saw Serizawa smiling at Godzilla and nodding in approval of his return to the sea.

Then, Ford looked down the street and saw a familiar face.

"Dad!" He yelled out.

Sitting in a wheelchair about forty meters away was Joe. He looked over at Ford and smiled, waving at his family as they all rushed over as fast as Ford's crutch would allow.

"Ford," Joe said as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Ford gave his father a hug and a kiss before he was replaced by Elle and Sam doing the same.

"Hey, big man! Have you missed me?" Joe asked.

"Yeah grandpa! We missed you!"

"He's right Joe, we did," Elle said with a laugh.

Joe laughed with her and the family shared a moment before Godzilla appeared in the distance lumbering towards the ocean through the rubble of the city. Ford and his family followed Godzilla all the way to the docks where they saw him wade into the water. At the moment it was only up to his knees, but he continued his course as the Brody family watched from the shore.

"So, dad…" Ford asked.

"Yes Ford?" Joe responded.

"What do you think?" Ford asked, gesturing to Godzilla.

Joe looked back to Godzilla with a smile and a few silent nods of affirmation.

"I think he's a magnificent creature who has earned my respect Ford," was his simple and honest response.

"If more creatures like those MUTOs show up, do you think Godzilla will come back?" Elle asked.

Joe nodded.

"I think he will," he responded.

"You sure dad?" Ford asked.

Joe nodded again.

"Yes Ford, I'm sure. But it won't be for us."

"What do you mean grandpa?" Sam asked.

Joe chuckled.

"Well Sam, Godzilla is special. He can't be reasoned with. He can't be bribed. And he can't be controlled. He's a force of nature. A power which our planet uses to restore balance when it is threatened."

Joe nodded silently to himself.

"He's what you might call a God," Joe said quietly.

"His back looks like a crown," Sam said randomly as he watched Godzilla wade into deeper water and begin to swim away.

Everyone laughed at Sam's little statement, including Sam. They all nodded in agreement that from a distance Godzilla's spines almost reminded them of a king's crown from Sam's bedtime story books. Ford picked up his son and they all watched Godzilla stopped walking when the water was up to his waist. Godzilla looked up towards the skies and let out one final roar before leaning forward and submerging most of his body save for his spines beneath the surface of the water.

"Amazing, isn't he?" A voice asked from behind them.

Ford and the others turned around and saw Serizawa and Graham approaching.

"I'd say so doctor," Joe responded.

Graham looked at Sam with a smile and looked out to sea.

"It almost did look like a crown didn't it?" Graham asked.

"Yeah! Godzilla is like a king!" Sam stated happily.

Ford and the others all laughed together as the doctors came to stand next to them.

"Indeed he is," Serizawa said quietly, nodding a few times in affirmation.

"The King of the Monsters," he whispered.