Author: Elli Flowers | Banner: Elli Flowers & Andrew Sudomerski
Beneath the streets, in a secret facility, there lived a man whose cold heart had the worst of ability.
He made great machines that would guarantee his control. He would build and build a wall around his soul.
He made flies that flew, and forced monsters to dance. And a Chameleon, that would vanish within a single glance.
He built Lizard Slayers, three mechs, that could crush men like mice. And eventually sold them all off, for a high, high price.
Yes, the man was evil, that was for sure, all for the sake of wealth’s great allure.
He grew richer and richer, all very quick. And would rub it all in the face of his old friend Nick.
Oh Nick, how foolish, how naive was he! Protecting the world with an iguana, how twee!
He cared about life, even the worms? “Fair enough!” The rich man thought, “Let him rot in his germs!”
Meanwhile, look at himself, how bad could he be? Cameron Winter was just doing what came naturally.
Sure, people would die, but damage came with a purpose! To the governments of the world, he was doing a great service!
Hernandez was stupid for denying his work, that perverted hacker wouldn’t even make it as a clerk!
He’d make bigger weapons, bigger guns, Nick would see. “His friends and that lizard just can’t compare to me!”
“Are you sure about that?” A gruff voice interjected. Cameron looked around to see what had been prospected.
“Who is this?” He asked. “Show yourself, you loon!”
“When I’m done…” The voice answered, “You’ll be singing a different tune.”
Then, on his desk, as quick as a flash, was an orange little creature, with an impressive mustache.
His arms were crossed, but his heart was pure. To Cameron Winter’s actions, this thing was to abjure.
“I am The Lorax.” He said, “I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees, for the trees have no tongues, and I’m asking you, sir, at the top of my lungs…”
He was clearly upset, far from serene. “What, out there, is that infernal machine?!”
Cameron looked towards where the Lorax had pointed, and was not at all scared with where his men had been appointed.
Out the window was a great device, filled with smog and goop. It could best be described as containment for a pollution soup.
But it didn’t just gurgle, it roared, high pitched. It was a living creature that Cameron had refused to ditch!
“My dear Lorax!” The man answered, petting him with a hand. “That’s just the newest addition to my merry band!”
“An alien creature, from the stars, up high! Made to feed off of smog, less it goes dry. If you speak for the trees, why wouldn’t you speak for this? Are you willing to let an animal descend into the abyss?”
“I defend every creature,” The Lorax said. “I’ve been helping all along. But you’re a smart man, you should know this is wrong.”
“Hedorah is a beast that is too strong for this world. If allowed to go free, its madness will be unfurled. Smoke will fill the air, the birds will no longer peep! And the fish cannot live with the oil so deep! Why are you making this evil thing rise? If it is let loose, you guarantee the world’s demise!”
“Demise?” The rich man uttered, “Oh, Lorax, you trout. The only thing I seek to stop is Nickels running about. He’s irresponsible, with his “son” causing madness. My monster will bring about far less sadness. Once Godzilla is defeated, Hedorah can be contained. My Cyber Flies will ensure it doesn’t leave its domain. A perfect little reserve, where I’ll keep it in storage. Until the next enemy comes along, he won’t just hemorrhage.”
“Why?” The Lorax asked. “Do you hate that lizard so much? He’s mutated by arrogance, but has a gentle touch. He’s protected this world from so many threats. If Godzilla is destroyed, you don’t know how bad everything gets!”
“Now listen here, Lorax!” Cameron spoke in dismissal. “Any mutant can be stopped by a few good missiles. And if those don’t do the trick, Hedorah will save the day! I’ll handle things way better with Nickels away.”
“You won’t stop there, I know you won’t! You think I’ll believe all that rubbish, I don’t! You’re just trying to prove you’re better than your rival could ever be. Spite can only drive you so far, you’ll see!”
“Away with you Lorax, security is on their way!” The rich man ignored the Lorax’s clear dismay.
“You can try to deny it, I know you will. But if Godzilla doesn’t stop you, then your greed will go in for the kill.”
The guards entered the room, only to find nothing there. Cameron brushed them away, with nary a care. Did the Lorax think that he could stop him, when he was so close to succeeding? He was weak, he was old, all he could do was pleading. Cameron Winter would win at last, over H.E.A.T. and the mutant. All thanks to his super pollutant…
***
And so the great battle came, beams and fire clashed at last! He mocked Nickels over a monitor, ready to put him in the past.
“You won’t get away with this, Cameron, you never do!” The Solstice CEO never took that as true. He had won once, won twice, and now he would win again! He relaxed in his private jet, Godzilla out of his hair. And yet, somehow, on the wing, the Lorax was there!
“I’m going to say this once.” He shouted, “And I’m not going to repeat it!”
Cameron laughed at the little man’s plight, amazed. “Holy shit!”
“Greed is like a little pet! And the more and more you go and feed it, the more hungry it’ll get! But you can’t blame greed, no, it’s got a worm inside! That’s one that always needs to feed and feed, and is never satisfied! But the more you try to find it, the more it likes to hide! That is a nasty little worm, I call it envy, but I also call it pride!”
In the blink of an eye, against what Cameron expected, within the private jet the Lorax manifested. “You let that creature grow, you let it fight till you’ve won. But look at that monitor, Winter! Look at what you’ve done!”
Cameron leaned forward, his dream had come true! Godzilla had corroded into nothing but goo! He lifted his arms and danced in the plane, oblivious to the consequences of his mighty brain.
The Cyber Flies were gone, the neural transmitter was too. Hedorah, now free, knew exactly what to do. It fired a red beam, clipping right through the wing. The plane came crashing down, the two aboard the useless thing. Though they survived the crash, the pilot maintaining his grip, they had to bear witness from the damaged airstrip.
Hedorah destroyed New York, and everywhere else too. No weapon, no mutant, no defender could do. It spread, it multiplied, it was like a disease. All thanks to Cameron Winter and his attempts to appease.
To appease what? He wondered, as he reaped what he sowed. Forced to run, and hide, and live amongst the common crows. Perhaps the Lorax was right, perhaps this all was his pride. So obsessed with himself, an ego miles wide.
Soon, he sat, alone and depressed. The world was a hollow shell, thanks to his pest. Nickels was gone now, so too was all of H.E.A.T. Cameron could take no pleasure in their defeat.
The Lorax was right, he realized with a gasp. Of dirty air and sulfuric ash, he coughed and rasped. As soon as he realized, the Lorax did, in fact, appear. He was covered in ash as well, but his end was not near.
“Lorax.” The CEO gasped with desperation. “Please, tell me you can bring about this world’s salvation. I’m sorry for it all, the monsters and machines! Just help me fix things, I know you have the means!”
“Look at you.” The Lorax shook his head, “You miserable wretch. Only now you agree with me, in this planet’s final stretch? I’m tired of you Cameron, and all of your kind. Hedorah’s wrath is only because you were so blind.”
“Yes, I was blind, I admit it, I say! I hate that my heart has grown three sizes this day! For the planet is ravaged, there are so few left. All because of my hands, and my actions so deft. If I had realized sooner, I could’ve changed my ways. Helped Nickels, helped Godzilla, helped the world, before this haze. Just please, creature, tell me it’s not too late. Tell me that there’s still time to overcome this hate.”
Cameron cried and sobbed, his glasses askew. The Lorax, despite it all, pitied the man. “Maybe there is. But not enough for you.”
With a gentle, furry hand, he handed over a small seed. With soft, kind words, he explained what he’d need.
“The technology in this world is still strong, despite it all. Perhaps with this, you can recover after the fall. This, Cameron Winter, is a Truffula Seed. Another, like you, destroyed them all in greed. But give it to others, to treat it with care. Make clean water, and somehow, make new fresh air. It will take a long time, longer than you may live. But the Earth can survive, now that you’re willing to give. Protect it from the Hedorah, before they abandon their attack. And someday, somehow… I will come back.”
With that, the Lorax grabbed himself, by the seat of his pants. And ascended up high, with a sorrowful glance.
Through a hole in the smog, where there emerged a light. Leaving Cameron alone to keep up the fight.
And behind him lay a stone, with one simple word.
“Unless…” The man read, the message heard.
Unless someone like him cared a whole awful lot… nothing is going to get better. It’s not.
And so he walked off, resolute in his goal. Winter had come and gone, but in exchange for Spring’s toll. The bringer of Spring, he would come to be known. After centuries, none would remember his original tone.
He would simply give, and atone for his deeds. It was all he could do, giving to the world’s needs. Maybe the Lorax someday would come back. But for now, he would protect from the axes that hacked.
Cameron Winter had created. He was driven towards bigger things. But he never realized what was triggering that biggering. Now all alone, he would invent anew. Even if the planet had been torn askew.
He had to share. To care. To love. All of the things he had never dreamed of.
The Lorax’s world was ruined, and now this one was. But he would fight, as hard as he could, to preserve it from death’s jaws.
