I’m able to pinpoint Betty’s position when they launch the neural implant. I can’t hear the rocket propelling the device through the night sky, but I can see the plume of fire at its rear. As I watch the projectile’s progress, I’m struck by a realization. Whatever defense force that was assaulting these Kaiju, has stopped or pulled back.
“Endo,” I shout. “Find out where the military is!”
He looks at me, confused for a moment. I probably shouldn’t be focused on such things right before a Kaiju mind-meld. But then I can see he understands the significance. If the military is heading for the hills, maybe I made Beck a little too brave, and he’s willing to drop that nuke on his own head.
And ours.
And Collins’s.
Endo gets on his phone while I continue watching the implant’s progress. It slides through the air, a twinkling light.
Too bright, I think.
While Karkinos starts an emotion-fueled roaring match with Nemesis, the two long-tailed Kaiju squaring off, Typhon stands still, watching. His head is titled slightly, his eyes unwavering. I’m not sure Typhon feels much at all, beyond loathing. As the implant closes the distance toward the side of his head, he glances at it.
I breathe deeply, preparing myself for the connection. I’m not sure what to expect, aside from the agonizing pain Endo described.
Typhon slowly turns toward the implant, and the rocket adjusts its trajectory, remaining on course. But then the Kaiju proves his intelligence by raising one of his mighty hands and swatting the implant from the sky like it were simply an annoying bug. I don’t think he knew exactly what it was—there’s no way he’s that smart—but he recognizes it as a threat. He’s seen enough missiles to know they’re not friendly.
Although part of me is relieved that I’m not currently engaged in a mental scuffle with Typhon, this is a horrible development. Karkinos is naturally defended from the implant and it seems that Typhon won’t let anything strike his face. Even if the Air Force were bombarding the pair with missiles and the implant snuck through, it’s likely it would be destroyed by an errant explosion.
That’s when I realize we have an easier target. I turn my attention back to Scylla. The Kaiju looks like he’s lounging in the little water that remains in the Reflecting Pool. His upper lip crinkles over and over, revealing his long teeth. He’s still stunned, but for how long?
I’m about to dial Woodstock when my phone chirps. I accept the call without looking at the screen. “Scylla.”
“What?” a female voice says.
The voice is familiar, but it’s not Collins or Alessi. “Who is this?”
“Betty,” says the woman.
I feel like I’ve been slapped. “Girlfriend Betty?”
“What other kind of Betty is there?”
“How did you get this number?” I ask.
“Some guy named Watson,” she says. “But listen. With everything that’s happened, I’ve seen you on TV. I started thinking. Maybe I was—”
I say the only thing I can think of, “Click,” and then hang up, making a mental note to have a chat with Watson about security.
My phone rings again and I answer. “Betty, you better—”
“You can address me,” Alessi says. “Not the helicopter.”
Helicopter Betty. Thank God. “Target Scylla,” I say.
“I hear you,” she says. “I’m just not sure where to target her.”
“Endo,” I say, pulling him away from his conversation with whoever it is he called. “We’re going to try the implant on Scylla. Where should we—”
“Back of the head,” he says. “Behind the eye. Either side will do.” Then he’s back to his conversation.
I relay the information, and Alessi hands me over to Collins while she preps the second—and final—attempt.
“Hey,” Collins says, almost casually. “I just wanted to let you know that if you become a vegetable after this, I’m not going to sit around feeding you pudding.”
I can’t help but smile. “But I love hospital pudding.”
“It would make you fat, lying there all immobile,” she says.
“This is true. What if I give you permission in advance to take advantage of my vegetative body? Have your way with me?”
She laughs, which further dispels some of my tension. “You sure know what to say to a woman.”
“What?” I say. “Who wouldn’t want to fool around with a pasty white, atrophying, unconscious man?”
I’m laughing now too, and I’m starting to second-guess this plan. We could just walk away now. Let nature take its course. Sure, we might spend the rest of our lives in hiding from Gordon and his Kaiju, but we’d be alive and together.
Unfortunately for me, I’m drawn toward doing the right thing like Nemesis is to vengeance. I can’t walk away. No matter what the cost. Someone has to put an end to this madness, and I’m pretty much the only one who can.
“We’re almost in position,” Collins says, her voice sobering up.