The fearsome reptile towered above the airport, dwarfing even the MUTO. He was nearly two hundred feet taller than the winged creature and much heftier besides. Striding upright on two legs, he resembled some unknown species of dinosaur, but was at least thirty times larger than even a Tyrannosaurus rex. A rough scaly hide covered his stocky, imposing form. Two muscular forearms ended in viciously clawed hands. Rows of serrated fins ran down his broad back all the way to a thick, spiny tail that was nearly as long as the monster was tall. Ferocious eyes, glaring out from beneath the creature’s heavy brow, fixed on the MUTO with predatory intent. Fangs the size of a full-grown man gleamed inside the powerful jaws, which opened wide to let out a bellicose roar that rang out across the entire airport. It was a trumpeting roar with a deep bass reverberation that climbed to a chilling crescendo. Ford had never heard anything like it.

The MUTO accepted the challenge. Howling back at Godzilla, it swooped down from the sky at the legendary king of monsters. Amidst the flames and smoke from the burning jetliners, the primeval creatures collided in combat. Unable to look away, Ford clung to Akio as they gazed up at the titanic clash playing out high above the broken tracks.

Ford felt very small and insignificant.

* * *

Sam was curled up on the living room couch, where he’d passed out the night before. A comfy afghan had largely slid off him so that only his bare feet were covered. His sleeping face was lit by the flickering glow of the TV set, where a breaking news story had interrupted regular programming on practically every channel. The volume was turned down low, but the screen was consumed by startling images from Hawaii, where a fantastic clash between two unbelievable creatures was being captured by dozens of mobile phones from a variety of angles. The destructive battle played out upon the screen in fragmentary bits of chaotic footage, caught on the run by awestruck spectators all across Honolulu.

Hordes of terrified civilians, fleeing the disaster, ran toward the camera, all but blocking the view of a huge winged monster tumbling towards a high-rise hotel, which collapsed upon impact, raining broken glass and masonry onto the panic-filled streets below. An even larger monster, which bore a familial resemblance to the toy dinosaur on the living room carpet, came stomping in for the kill. The huge reptile opened his jaws wide, displaying the flesh-tearing fangs of the ultimate alpha predator. He took a deep breath, sucking in giant-sized mouthful of air, which suddenly rippled within his jaws like a heat-mirage on a summer day.

Sensing danger, the MUTO turned and fled from Godzilla, flapping its wings in a desperate attempt to escape.