Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

A board for users to display their created fiction. Creating a separate topic for comments is suggested.

Moderator: GodzillavsJason

Post Reply
mpsoldier
GPN Volunteer
Posts: 102
Joined: Wed May 19, 2021 3:37 pm

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by mpsoldier »

I also like how you have altered the timeline and really made the geopolitical situation your own. The US open to sharing the Maser technology with the Japanese would have been unheard of since the Japanese attack on the USS Panay in our timeline, but of course in this timeline things altered pretty sharply. The Masers themselves are well depicted, 50s era tech was horribly bulky. It's easy to see why they are so desirable for anti Kaiju usage. They would work well on heavy slow Kaiju like Anguiros or this new Igneous. But against a fast mover like Rodan it'd be almost impossible to line up a shot. Still it'd set up a base to build on for future weapon systems.

User avatar
Cryptid_Liker
Xilien Halfling
Posts: 5794
Joined: Wed May 22, 2019 8:53 am

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by Cryptid_Liker »

Oh shoot, wasn't expecting King Kong to come into this! Just comes to show I really need to read the chapters from before I started. And speaking of chapters, I liked this one a lot. You did another good

mpsoldier
GPN Volunteer
Posts: 102
Joined: Wed May 19, 2021 3:37 pm

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by mpsoldier »

I also really enjoyed the addition of the Godzilla vs Kong 1960 edition to the storyline. I parodied the Godzilla vs Megalon movie 2x but your work is more of a tribute to the early works instead of a parody. You stayed much more faithful to the original works. Of course that's probably a good thing given that Rodan, Matango and Godzilla vs Kong are much more serious films. Well ok, yeah Godzilla vs Kong is silly, but not compared to Godzilla vs Megalon.

User avatar
Ashram52
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 344
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:53 am

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by Ashram52 »



Thanks for the feedback MP and Cryptid.

I think maybe I stuck a little too close to the original script with this last chapter. I made minor tweaks to the story, but overall the plot still very much follows the movie until the end. I just really wanted to recreate some of the iconic moments of KK vs G with miniatures. I probably should have cut some of the sillier moments out, but I was thinking maybe a little more levity could be a nice change of pace. Still not sure I made the right call though. I tend to take things pretty seriously most of the time so this might clash a little with what came before.

Yeah, that comic cover is interesting. I put that in because that’s the particular one Inagos came from. It was his one and (I think) only appearance. He ‘may’ have had a cameo in the background of another comic, but it’s been quite a while since I’ve read through the Dark Horse run of Godzilla comics. But I agree, that’s one nasty looking interpretation of Godzilla. :lol:

Anyhow, the next three chapters are all going to be very interconnected and a little more creative/original. Nobody has come out and said it, but I feel like there was a little disappointment that my first chapter back after the break was a copy/paste of King Kong vs Godzilla. It had always been my plan to do it, but from a writing perspective, it could come off as a little lazy. That would be a fair criticism. Still, I don’t want to change things in the Godzilla franchise that worked well as is. I don’t think I’m going to be doing too many more that are so close to the actual movies. There’s definitely still going to be references and elements lifted from movies, but not so much straight up scene per scene parallels like this one.

We’ll be getting back to the regular formula for the next couple of chapters. Lots more monster introductions, including one of my personal favorites, and another monster that I think gets a lot of hate. I’m going to ‘try’ to reform his image a bit. It should be fun.

Thanks again guys.
Custom Godzilla Modeler

mpsoldier
GPN Volunteer
Posts: 102
Joined: Wed May 19, 2021 3:37 pm

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by mpsoldier »

Given how massive your narrative has grown I think borrowing the plot for one chapter is ok. As I said you were paying homage to a classic and it let you do some pretty impressive modeling. I think the main issue with it is not the using another movies framework to build your chapter it was how the portrayal deviated from your own. Kong had not been used so he had no canon personality but Godzilla has featured in the story. In your story Godzilla comes across as an angry unstoppable engine of destruction, earlier I think I described him as appearing evil or even demonic. He sounded positively spiteful in his earlier attacks. Whereas here he is in his 60s incarnation. Yes he destroys and is a danger to humanity, but he destroys because he's like 100 foot tall and can't help it. He's not intentionally malicious, it's like us stepping on ants. He's portrayed much more sympathetic and adorable, with a much more understandable thought pattern instead of a scary, almost alien destroyer. When I used your Rodan I gave a reason why he wasn't immediately hostile to the humans despite that being how he has been written. He was confused. The prey behaviour was completely and utterly different then what he was used to so rather then start eating them he paused to observe and try to figure out what was going on. Like if fisherman saw trout performing Shakespeare he would sit and have a "WTF?!?" Moment instead of trying to catch them. But it's ok to break character occasionally, especially for a really good payoff. Even despite the dichotomy I did see a way it could work, why Godzilla was off this chapter. You could just say the poison gas trap got him essentially drunk. Or infer that he suffered a concusion from the iceberg or Kong's rock. It's your story, have fun with it.

User avatar
Ashram52
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 344
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:53 am

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by Ashram52 »



Agreed on all points, save one.

I think 60s Godzilla still has a somewhat malevolent spirit to him. They tone it down in King Kong vs. Godzilla for sure, but it’s definitely still there. And they bring it back even more so in Godzilla vs. Mothra. He’s clearly the baddie in both movies, though more so in GvM. He has some moments of true evil in that movie. (The look in his eye when he goes after Mothra’s egg for instance.)

I didn’t realize how silly some of Godzilla’s actions in King Kong vs Godzilla were until I looked at it from the context of a writer and the overarching narrative of the first 4-5 movies. We tend to judge Godzilla movies individually and ignore inconsistencies of the long running continuity because there are usually more interesting/entertaining things to focus on.

The odd behaviors in King Kong vs Godzilla can probably be attributed to different writers. Because the ‘Godzilla vs Mothra’ version of Godzilla feels more in line with the character of the first two movies. But even in King Kong vs. Godzilla, he is clearly the ‘heel’ to Kong’s ‘babyface’. Kong is the underdog and we’re meant to cheer for him as the audience.

Even as far as some of Godzilla’s early scenes of Ghidorah the three headed monster, he still has maintains some of his sinister vibes. Of course, when he starts talking to Mothra… that feels like the proper turning point of villain to anti-hero, moving on his way towards proper hero in the movies that followed.

But anyways, I definitely should have cut more of the goofier stuff out in hindsight.

Let’s pretend a year stuck in the ice affected his brain/behavior for one chapter. :lol:
Custom Godzilla Modeler

mpsoldier
GPN Volunteer
Posts: 102
Joined: Wed May 19, 2021 3:37 pm

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by mpsoldier »

I don't know. I don't think "sinister" is the proper term. I mean yeah he wants to eat a giant egg, but he's a reptile. That's what they do. We don't consider Bears evil when they eat a fish. Even in Ghidorah when he has that conversation with Rodan and Mothra (nevermind how 3 different species speak the same language) he's not exactly wrong. Humans are polluting and screwing up the planet. It's very short sighted of him to dismiss the threat of Ghidorah but Godzilla has a point. And the fact that he can go from literally fighting with Rodan and recently trying to steal Mothras egg to having a civil conversation shows he can be reasonable. Godzilla is 100 feet tall and practically immortal. We've only been around a few hundred thousand years. He knew dinosaurs. When you consider that you can see how easily he dismissed humans. We don't think about the ants under our feet. To a Kaiju, really the only thing worthy of consideration is another Kaiju.

User avatar
Ashram52
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 344
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:53 am

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by Ashram52 »

Fair enough.

I’ve started preliminary writing for the next couple of chapters btw. Should…... have another chapter out around March 1st. Realized I have to do some more custom scenery work again already for this chapter. But I’ve started on that as well.

That’s really about it for now. I’d better get back to work.
Custom Godzilla Modeler

User avatar
MetalliSteveKaiju
Yojimbo
Posts: 40
Joined: Wed Jul 06, 2016 10:08 am
Location: London

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by MetalliSteveKaiju »

I love your story. So much time and effort put into this. Can I ask, where did you get your buildings from and small military vehicles?
Thank you for the amazing story.

User avatar
Ashram52
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 344
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:53 am

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by Ashram52 »

MetalliSteveKaiju wrote: Thu Feb 09, 2023 11:42 am I love your story. So much time and effort put into this. Can I ask, where did you get your buildings from and small military vehicles?
Thank you for the amazing story.
You absolutely may ask.

And thanks.

The answer however is pretty complicated. The regular military vehicles (for the most part) come from historic board gaming:

https://www.historicalboardgaming.com/

You may have to dig around a bit to find what you are looking for, but they have a ‘huge’ selection of military vehicles and are pretty much adding to the roster weekly. Reasonably priced, but fair warning, the costs can stack up quickly if you are trying to build an army. I’m usually dropping about $100 an order. :oops:

Many of my aircraft are just micro-machines I customized. We’ll be seeing more and more of those as the timeline advances. More ground units too. As far as my pool of miniatures goes, you guys have still only seen the tip of the iceberg. Unless I run out of steam, there is so much more coming down the line. So much of my stuff is just sitting in boxes waiting for the appropriate time to shine.

Anyhow, the buildings are the tougher part. Quite a lot of them I build myself using paper model building templates. If you’d like, I can try to track down some of my sources for those. They’re free and (for the most part) they’re not actually hard to make, but it can be a time consuming process depending on if you want to make an entire city. I think 5-10 mins a building is about right once you get the hang of it.

Some buildings I use I simply bought. I’ve been using a lot of ‘Ultraman luminous sets’ lately. They are very good quality, but…. (at least on eBay) they have become obscenely expensive. When I was buying them a few years ago it was like $20 a set of like 6 buildings. Now they range from $40-$80. However, I think they can be found elsewhere a little cheaper. Here’s an example:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/234881914440?h ... R6bWjIjHYQ

Another big source is Eyepop designs on eBay. They are slightly pricey, but again pretty good quality. I think generally $15-$20ish dollars is where he is at now per building. I think I got in on that near the ground floor. He used to sell entire sets of like 10 buildings for like $40. Sadly, I think I helped to raise the prices a bit over the years through demand. :lol:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_dkr=1& ... =10&_oac=1

Unfortunately, Eyepop has discontinued a lot of his older designs and what he makes now is kind of limited. I continually monitor his store waiting to see if he’ll create newer designs, but it’s been months since he produced anything I’ve been interested in. He kind of just keeps relisting the same 10-15 models over and over.

Altogether, I probably have at least 20 different sources of buildings. Ranging from free to yikes. :shock:

If you see a particular thing you’d like more info on, copy the picture and post it in a reply and I’ll let you know where it came from. I’m more than happy to do that that for you. It’s no trouble at all.
Custom Godzilla Modeler

mpsoldier
GPN Volunteer
Posts: 102
Joined: Wed May 19, 2021 3:37 pm

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by mpsoldier »

Hey Ashram, had an idea I had when I came across a video of these things. Have you ever heard of the "Giant Isopod?" Think potato or rolly bug but a version out of Lovecrafts nightmares. If you ever wanted to make a new Aquatic Kaiju (or given their relation to crabs) even a semi-aquatic one like Godzilla it'd be perfect to base something off of. Also it kind of fits your niche. Its so freaky and alien looking it really evokes some Cthulu like abomination, and yet in reality exists and in some form can be found in your garden. Also look at that armour and claws! Four mouths! A Kaiju sized version with be terrifying. They really give me that Godzilla esque monsterverse feel.

User avatar
Ashram52
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 344
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:53 am

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by Ashram52 »

mpsoldier wrote: Thu Feb 16, 2023 2:49 pm Hey Ashram, had an idea I had when I came across a video of these things. Have you ever heard of the "Giant Isopod?" Think potato or rolly bug but a version out of Lovecrafts nightmares. If you ever wanted to make a new Aquatic Kaiju (or given their relation to crabs) even a semi-aquatic one like Godzilla it'd be perfect to base something off of. Also it kind of fits your niche. Its so freaky and alien looking it really evokes some Cthulu like abomination, and yet in reality exists and in some form can be found in your garden. Also look at that armour and claws! Four mouths! A Kaiju sized version with be terrifying. They really give me that Godzilla esque monsterverse feel.
We could just say Inagos is an giant isopod Kaiju. In the comics, he was meant to be a “locust” or cicada based Kaiju, but he came from a remote island in the pacific and could swim. That never felt quite right to me. However, if you take a peek back at the figure I used for Inagos, there ‘is’ a certain resemblance to the actual giant isopods you are describing, (with some minor monstrous tweaks). I’m happy to go along with that as my head cannon.

The thing is, if I introduce a monster character, I need to have a corresponding figure to represent them. The best figure I could use to represent your idea is the same one I used for Inagos. He ‘is’ still alive in story, I could expand upon him in future chapters and flesh him out more. He was just supposed to be a cameo character for the maybe 5-10% of Godzilla fans who would actually get the dark horse reference, but his role could be reimagined to be something more significant.

Side note: On Fanfiction.net’s site I had one reviewer who was really mad that I wasn’t planning on using the ‘Ready Player One’ version of Mechagodzilla in my story. And it was pretty much for the same reason. They don’t make a version of that figure in my 3-4 inch scale. In fact, best I’m aware, they have only ever made one figure of that character (somewhere in the ballpark of 8-9 inches, and it is way too big to work with my buildings, military, and other Kaiju.

The other thing I didn’t say to him (but I probably should have pointed it out) is: For every one person who wants to see that version of Mechagodzilla, there’s probably one-hundred people who’d rather see Showa Mechagodzilla, Heisei Mechagodzilla, or even Kiryu. I could try to make him happy, but I’d most likely end up annoying way more readers I the process.

I’ll let version of Mechagodzilla (if I use him) be a mystery for now. :mechanikong: :Mechagodzilla74: :mechagodzilla1993:
Custom Godzilla Modeler

mpsoldier
GPN Volunteer
Posts: 102
Joined: Wed May 19, 2021 3:37 pm

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by mpsoldier »

Yeah I can see the resemblance with Inagos, but he's the locust king. But he's an insect. Giant isopods are not. They are like crabs and lobsters. Visually similar but in wildly seperate creatures. But yeah your right, I had not considered the modeling. You need a creature that not only has a model but one that's accessible and in a proper scale. That's pretty exacting so yeah hard to fit in. Of course you could always use a real potato bug for a larval form . In a way your stories remind me of happier times when I was a boy playing with my brothers and creating elaborate universes with our action figures, army men and whatever else we could get our hands on. Every new toy would somehow be set into an enormous ever expanding universe.

User avatar
Ashram52
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 344
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:53 am

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by Ashram52 »



Yep, one of the founding principals of the story is physical character representation on the board and then everything scaling up ‘relativity’ well. It’s a tougher feat than it sounds. It took me a long time to get everything I have so far, and it remains an ongoing process. I’m probably sitting around 98% of all Godzilla characters, but there are still a few very hard to find monsters on my wish list. Nothing the story can’t survive without though.

I think Toho has yet to license any toy company to make a line with every single character they have under their banner in a single scale. It’d be cool if they did. And they’d make bank on it.

Anyhow, on to some good news. I have the first draft of the next chapter completed, along with the newest necessary miniature work (physically building new things). So progress is being made.

It’s not a huge chapter, so hopefully the second draft and the editing will be a little quicker this time around.
Custom Godzilla Modeler

mpsoldier
GPN Volunteer
Posts: 102
Joined: Wed May 19, 2021 3:37 pm

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by mpsoldier »

Well you could always do a smaller Kaiju scene without accompanying model work. Just a few paragraphs could work. Best not to totally constrain yourself. And as I said if Godzilla never destroys a monopoly city or a popsicle stick vehicle are you really doing a *proper* Godzilla tribute? Even Dark Queen Wednesday Adams pays repeated tribute to her corny origins.

User avatar
Ashram52
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 344
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:53 am

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by Ashram52 »

mpsoldier wrote: Sat Feb 18, 2023 2:52 pm Well you could always do a smaller Kaiju scene without accompanying model work. Just a few paragraphs could work. Best not to totally constrain yourself. And as I said if Godzilla never destroys a monopoly city or a popsicle stick vehicle are you really doing a *proper* Godzilla tribute? Even Dark Queen Wednesday Adams pays repeated tribute to her corny origins.
Funny you should say that, I literally just finished watching that this morning (The Netflicks Wednesday show). Marathoned the whole thing in the last 24 hours. Friends of mine have been nagging me for weeks about watching it. Finally gave it a chance and I have to say, it was pretty good. I’d probably watch a second season. :D

But yes, you have a point. I shouldn’t constrain myself too much.
Last edited by Ashram52 on Sat Feb 18, 2023 6:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Custom Godzilla Modeler

mpsoldier
GPN Volunteer
Posts: 102
Joined: Wed May 19, 2021 3:37 pm

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by mpsoldier »

Pretty good? It was a Masterpiece. I loved it. Lessons to be learned there. You can take things in a wildly different direction and still acknowledge the original. The "kooky" comment and the fingersnap had me laughing.

User avatar
Ashram52
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 344
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:53 am

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by Ashram52 »

mpsoldier wrote: Sun Feb 19, 2023 1:43 pm Pretty good? It was a Masterpiece. I loved it. Lessons to be learned there. You can take things in a wildly different direction and still acknowledge the original. The "kooky" comment and the fingersnap had me laughing.
Suffice to say, I’m looking forward season 2 as well. :huge:
Custom Godzilla Modeler

User avatar
Ashram52
Monarch Researcher
Posts: 344
Joined: Sat Dec 01, 2012 9:53 am

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by Ashram52 »

...

Chapter 33: Fire and Ice.

Following the battle Between Godzilla and Kong, the Archimedes fleet set off to track the two monsters in the waters off of Japan. Unfortunately, they were unable to immediately sail out after them. Japanese civilians were still disembarking from the American ships as the chase on the high seas began. Admiral Malek was furious with the delay, but there wasn’t anything he could do about it.

The Japanese air force followed Godzilla and Kong as far as they could visually until the monsters exceeded their range and they were forced to turn back. Contact was lost before the day was out and Kong’s fate was unclear.

Image

The Archimedes fleet finally got underway four hours behind the monsters and set a course for the projected trajectory of their last known position. As the ships closed in, Marcus and Brock were once again sent out to scout, along with every other helicopter in the task force. They employed their Giger counters and zigzagged along the surface of the waves trying to pick up on Godzilla’s trail, but the trail was cold. After three hours of searching, they had come up empty.

“If we are actually serious about finding the Big Monkey and Big G, then maybe we should just try going to Farou Island?” Brock pointed out irritated. “Isn’t that the logical place for Kong to retreat to?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Marcus responded. “If Kong did indeed go back home, then that’s a good thing. He won’t be out causing trouble anywhere else that way. If we want him to stay on Farou, it’s best to leave him be.” He reasoned. “The fleet sailing there could be more trouble than it’s worth in the end. I’m sure Admiral Malek has accounted for that in his calculus. As for me, I hope Godzilla gave up and Kong made it back safely. None of what happened was his fault.”

“I’m not sure Godzilla would agree with you on that, but yeah, Kong kind of got dealt a rough hand.” Brock agreed. “At least that asshole Tako got what was coming to him. A little jail time should suit him well.”

“Well, considering that bringing in Kong into the fold lured Godzilla away from Japan in the end, I think the authorities might go easy on him.” Marcus replied. “The destruction Kong caused is very minor to what Godzilla might have done, if he was left unchecked.”

“I suppose you are right… as usual.” Brock sneered. “It’s a good thing you got that brilliant mind to offset those weak arms of yours.” He smirked over at Marcus.

“Hey, you’re lucky I’m flying, otherwise I’d pop you right in the mouth.” Marcus smiled joking and waving a fist in a comic fashion. Brock just laughed at him.

“How much longer until we are forced to turn around?” Brock asked. “We’re not really accomplishing too much out here.”

“Oh… not too much longer now.” Marcus said, peeking down at the at their fuel gauge.



Thousands of miles away in the Sollgel Islands, a team of scientists from the United Nations Agricultural Commission were conducting a series of climate experiments. They had constructed a sophisticated base which included four big colorful weather towers.

The impressive red and yellow pylons served dual purposes for the scientists. First, they had sensory equipment located at their tops to monitor weather conditions before, after, and during the experiments. Second, the towers had specialized injectors built into them which would release silver iodide into the atmosphere for the final testing of the project. The rest of the base consisted of a red and white candy-striped generator shed, various smaller living quarters, the yellow and orange Sonde-equipping laboratory, a blue and silver headquarters building, and finally, the defensive emplacements.

Image

The base had started out as a strictly scientific endeavor; however, several pressing factors had led to it becoming militarized. First, the local fauna had proven to be extremely dangerous. Second, Russians had established a military base of their own on the southernmost island in the chain. This made the UN team very nervous. The scientists assumed that the Russians had their eyes on their project. However, what the Russian’s actual interest in the area was remained a mystery.

The UN team was largely made up of Japanese men, professor Kusumi and his crew. Kusumi was a no-nonsense, by-the-book type of researcher. He worked his men hard and expected results. The Sollgel islands were tropical, located near the equator. The heat on them was oppressive year-round. That just so happened to make them an ideal location for the experiments, to the chagrin of several of Kusumi’s subordinates.

The professor didn’t much like the fact that his research island had been invaded by soldiers, but he recognized them as a necessary evil. Base security was becoming more and more of a concern as time went on. In order to avoid trouble with any language barriers, Japanese soldiers, mostly veterans of the second great war, were recruited for protection. They defended the base against any outside incursions and safeguarded the scientists while they worked.

One day, a mysterious aircraft showed up on the base’s radar, which put everyone on high alert. The whole base came to life responding to the intruder. The guards in the watchtower eventually spotted the trespassing craft visually through their binoculars. It turned out to be a small white commercial plane. Almost as soon as they saw it, the aircraft turned around and was going back the way it had come. In its absence, the soldiers could see a man parachuting into the shallow waters of the nearby beach.

By the time a security team rushed out to meet the man, the plane had already completely left the area. The recent arrival, who had just set foot onto the beach, was stunned to see a row of soldiers pointing rifles at him as a greeting. He put his hands up and tried to explain who he was, but the soldiers wouldn’t listen to him. The stranger was tackled into the wet sand and immediately taken into custody. He was brought to a makeshift holding cell and integrated.

After an hour, Professor Kusumi himself came to talk to the interloper. At first, he just looked him up and down, studying him carefully without saying a word. The intruder was wearing a bright yellow shirt, a red helmet with a white racing stripe down the middle, water goggles, and an orange life-preserver. It was hardly an inconspicuous outfit if he hoped to blend into the jungle.

“So, who are you, and why are you here?” Professor Kusumi asked, lighting up a match. “Toyo tells me you claim to be a reporter.” The grumpy looking security chief was standing behind the professor as he brought the flame to his pipe and began puffing out smoke. “He’s having a hard time believing that a reporter would jump out of a plane and expect to be welcomed when they are unannounced and uninvited. It seems a little far-fetched to me too.”

“Well, it’s true.” The reporter replied unshaken. “I’m Goro Maki, a reporter with United World News. I knew I wouldn’t be welcome here, but since I just dropped in, I knew you wouldn’t be able to send me away. There isn’t a way off of the island until your next supply ship comes in next month. Until then, you’re stuck with me.” Maki pointed out smugly. “Your security officers took my ID, but you can contact the UWN offices if you feel compelled to verify who I am. My boss is well-aware of where I am. I could smell a good story here and I don’t plan to leave until I get it.” He folded his arms stubbornly.

“We don’t want or need any publicity.” Professor Kusumi replied dryly, unimpressed with Maki’s antics. “We already have all the funding we could possibly need, and our work is top secret. We certainly will be contacting UWN. For your sake, I hope they know who you are. My security chief is not a forgiving sort of man.” Toyo eyed Maki malevolently. “I’m not really sure what he plans to do with you if you’re not who you claim to be. He thinks you are a Russian spy trying to infiltrate our operation. He is of the opinion that we should just shoot you now and save ourselves some time and effort. I’m willing to at least check your story out though. You will remain here until we can determine exactly who you are.” Kusumi walked away.



Back in the Pacific, the Archimedes fleet had finally given up actively looking for Godzilla and Kong. Admiral Malek decided to sail the fleet back to Pearl Harbor to resupply and wait for more information to surface. The Masers that had been mobilized during Kong’s and Godzilla’s battle were likewise re-routed to Pearl. It was just a matter of time before Godzilla would reappear and they wanted to be ready for him. Marcus and Brock were on their return flight back to the USS Independence and talking to pass the time.

“I feel like my kids are growing up without me.” Marcus lamented. “Every time we set out on one of these long missions; I’m missing some milestones at home. Don’t get me wrong, the kiddos are always happy to see me when I come back, but being gone for months at a time, it’s hard to make up for that kind of lost time, you know? Shauna has been a saint through all of this. Me being away has got to be driving her nuts. I guess I’m just glad I’m nearing the end of this ‘extended’ tour of duty.” He sighed.

“Well, for what its worth, I’ll miss you when you’re gone.” Brock replied. “But I get it, you want to do something more with your life beyond just chasing giant monsters around all of the time. It’s really not a job for a family man. We’ll have to make the most out of your last couple of months.”

“Just keep me from doing anything too stupid in the meantime.” Marcus said. “Getting short on time is making me nervous, like something bad is going to happen before I’m discharged. God forbid, if I should get myself killed. Shauna would probably come find me in hell just to chew me out for that.”

“Yeah, she’s a sweet lady, but I’ve seen her temper when provoked.” Brock smirked. “Even I want to stay on your old lady’s good side.” He laughed. “But you shouldn’t joke about stuff like that, it’s bad luck. What do you have left now, like eight months?”

“Yep, that’s about right.” Marcus answered. “Just got to stay out of trouble for another eight months and I’m free and clear. You think it’s too much to ask for Godzilla to take a break until then, and for no other new monsters to show up in the meantime?”

“Ha, you just asked for the moon buddy.” Brock replied.



“Well, it’s your lucky day.” Professor Kusumi announced, walking back in after leaving Maki to stew for an hour. “We managed to get through to the UWN office in Tokyo and they ‘do’ seem to know about you. Toyo still wants you gone, but that’s simply not an option for the time being.” Toyo crossed his arms, staring disapprovingly at Maki from behind Kusumi. “My assistant Fujisaki has suggested an alternative.” Kusumi went on. “We are a little short-handed around here. Our cook disappeared about two weeks ago and we could use a replacement. Your boss mentioned you used to work as a fry cook in a restaurant before coming to work for him.” The Professor’s implication was plain as day to Maki.

“And if I refuse?” He replied.

“Well, you have two choices.” Kusumi countered. “You can remain here in the brig for the next month, or… you can take on the chef role. You’d be cooking for about fifty men.” Maki looked to the side, thinking it over briefly. It was an inescapable fact that if he was confined to the brig, he wouldn’t be able to get his story.

“I’ll do it, but only under the condition that I can document your experiments.” Maki answered.

“I think I can agree to that, so long as the story isn’t released until the end of our project.” Kusumi replied. “And only upon my express permission. I’d want to review your report first.”

“Deal.” Maki agreed.

“Very well, I will release you to the supervision of Fujisaki.” Professor Kusumi gestured towards his assistant.



“Over the last six months we’ve been trying to conduct weather research here.” Fujisaki explained as he walked Maki around the grounds of the outpost. “If we can master control over the climate, then we could manipulate harsh conditions in places like Siberia, African deserts, and the Australian outback and make them more fertile for crop production. We have the opportunity to guarantee all mankind has enough food for the foreseeable future. We could virtually eliminate world hunger within a generation.”

Fujisaki continued the tour of the facility and began to explain the rules of becoming a member of the team. The biggest ones were related to where Maki could and couldn’t go. Certain areas of the base were off strictly limits, but even more so, the jungle beyond the fence were considered strictly out of bounds.

“What’s wrong with the jungle?” Maki inquired. Fuji got a strange look on his face. It was clear that he didn’t want to talk about it. But it was unavoidable. Sooner or later, he’d have to tell Maki.

“The jungle is an extremely dangerous place, particularly during the night.” Fuji noted grimly. “The previous cook didn’t just disappear. He was killed while trying to gather herbs outside the fence.” He paused, as if he were envisioning it. “Yuji thought that he’d be ok during the day as long as he stayed nearby the base perimeter. He was wrong.” Fuji simply remarked, grimacing. “He was my friend. He didn’t deserve to die like that.”

“What happened?” Maki asked confused.

“It’s getting more and more hazardous venturing out into the jungle.” Fuji went on. “When we first arrived on the island, there didn’t seem to be any threat here whatsoever, but after the first experiment, a huge species of praying mantis appeared out there in the wilds. They are roughly the size of a man and quite hostile. Aside from the Meganulon, they are the largest insect species discovered to date. They killed Yuji.”

“Have you seen them for yourself?” Maki asked. “Has anyone gotten a picture of one?”

“Yes, and no.” Fuji replied. “Trust me, when you see one of those things, the last thing on your mind is going to be pulling out a camera.” He warned. “When we discovered the Mantis’, there was talk of moving the base to a different island in the chain, but the towers had already been erected by that point. It would have been extremely expensive to dismantle them and relocate. So instead, the military was rushed in. A fence and guard towers were quickly built to keep the bugs out of the base grounds.”

“So we’re safe so long as we stay within the fence?” Maki asked.

“Yes.” Fuji answered. “The mantis mostly seem active during the night, and rifles have kept them at bay on the occasions when they have ventured too close. None the less, a number of men had been killed by the bugs over time. Team members have to occasionally leave the safety of the base defenses to check on the equipment in the weather pylons. That makes them vulnerable. Incidents have been on the rise, and it seems as though the numbers of mantis are too. Sightings are up. We’ve given them the name Kamacuras.”

“Ok, you’ve got me convinced.” Maki remarked apprehensively. “I’m not setting a foot outside of the base.”

“Good, because the Kamacuras aren’t our only problem.” Fuji went on. “The other main concern, though it seems almost pedestrian by comparison, are the Russians. Professor Kusumi is certain that the Soviets are trying to spy on our experiments. Some time ago, we heard gunfire out in the jungle. Upon investigating, our security patrols found the bodies of several men which were badly mutilated. They could only be Russian infiltrators.”

“Their uniforms?” Maki asked.

“No, they were wearing any identifying marks that gave them away.” Fuji answered. “But the corpses were built much bigger than us and what was left of their skin was Caucasian, and hairy. I don’t know if they knew about the Kamacuras prior to their mission, but either way, they found out the hard way the danger they posed. Those types of espionage missions stopped promptly afterwards, but a spy plane still flies over us occasionally.”

“Guess you got to give them credit for their persistence.” Maki observed.

“Spying is about the only thing those damned Russians are any good at.” Fuji scoffed spitefully. “Consider all of their outstanding scientific achievements in the last ten years: Nuclear weapons, stolen from the Americans. Rockets, stolen from the Germans. Jet fighter designs, stolen from the Germans and Americans. Masers, well they got their hands on the design specs a year ago from the Americans and have to be close to reproducing them too. Whatever they can’t achieve by their own merits, they steal. They’re like a pack of hyenas trying to sneak kills away from their betters. Now they want to get a piece of the weather control pie too? No sir, I won’t have it. Not this time. They keep an eye on us, we keep an eye on them.”

“You sound a little bitter.” Maki pointed out.

“You’re damn right I am.” Fuji replied. “They’re no better than parasites. Professor Kusumi is worried that the Russians are trying to steal the experiment so they can freeze any part of the world they want. And I think he is right to assume so.”

“Perhaps they want to use the technology to drive the Rodans out of their land?” Maki suggested. “If they make it inhospitable enough, the monsters might move on.”

“Yes, I suppose that makes sense.” Fuji agreed. “They’ve tried just about everything else, including, but not limited to, nuclear weapons. So, they’re desperate enough to try anything. For the record, I don’t personally think trying to freeze the Rodans out would work though. The monsters live underground in a volcano. They could simply outlast any changes in weather on the surface by staying underground. I’ll tell you what I do find interesting though.”

“What’s that?” Maki asked.

“The Russians have brought in a lot of heavy equipment lately.” Fuji went on. “We thought they were perhaps planning to expand their existing airstrip, but that’s not what they are doing at all. They are actually over there digging for something. What that could be… we have no idea. But we’ve seen it with our float plane. A whole apparatus rigged up around a mountain near the island center. This archipelago is not known for its mineral resources either, in fact, it’s quite to the contrary.”

“That is curious.” Maki agreed, growing more and more intrigued.

“We’ve been picking up on some odd interference since the Russians set up shop over there.” Fuji continued. “At first, I thought their goal may simply have been to disrupt our operations until they were ready to make a move on us, but I’m not so sure now. The interference just seems to come and go randomly. There’s not much of a pattern to it. If it is the Russians messing with us, they have been moderately successful. We’ve had to delay several experiments until the interference had died down. It’s been quite the nuisance.”



In Darwin, Australia, a seven-year-old boy named Cooper was walking down a dirt road after school. He was on his way to the power plant his father worked at. Cooper’s mother had been called into work to cover for an ill friend for the next two nights. As he was only seven, Cooper couldn’t be left on his own at home until his father was off from work, so for the next two afternoons he was going to join his father Ethan at the jobsite. Letting Cooper run around the plant was out of the question, so Ethan planned on letting him play inside his office until he was done for the day.

Ethan was the chief engineer at a recently completed power plant. His office wasn’t very big, but Ethan had an ace up his sleeve to keep Cooper entertained. He had the foresight and wisdom to buy a new package of army men for his son to play with. The set included some tanks, jeeps, and jets. Ethan had gone an extra step further and had also found an antagonist for Cooper’s army men to clash with at the toy store. It came in the form a fire-breathing dinosaur. Ethan was confident the new toys would please Cooper well enough for the next two days to keep him inside the office and out of trouble.

Image

The plant was located along the Adelaide River, drawing hydroelectric power from the water’s current, and helped to power the city of Darwin. Cooper arrived at the front gate and found that his father was already there waiting for him. Ethan was pleased to see that Cooper was in good cheer about the arrangement. He’d been worried about a potential tantrum since his son’s normal routine had been thrown off. Cooper however had never been to the power plant before, and it may as well have been a chocolate factory for all the sense of wonder the sprawling industrial complex inspired in him.

Ethan padded Cooper’s head through his yellow baseball cap and then picked him up, throwing him up onto his shoulders to carry him inside. Cooper’s hat nearly fell off after a gust of wind blew by them. The workers inside the plant smiled and waved to Cooper as they went by. Seldom did they have young visitors there. Cooper was shy, but he waved back energetically. As they reached the office, Ethan’s secretary gave Cooper a sweet and a wink. It was a good first impression.

Upon entering the office, Cooper was overjoyed to find his new toys waiting for him on the floor. Ethan would never admit it, but he enjoyed arranging the soldiers head of time to make it look like an epic battle was unfolding. Before Cooper got too engrossed, Ethan took a moment explain the rules of the office. Cooper had to stay inside and not wander off by himself. Ethan promised that if he did a good job, at the end of the day he’d to show him around more to look at the machines and tell him how they worked. This seemed to please Cooper. He nodded in understanding.

“Mr. White, Larry is calling from the substation.” Ethan’s secretary Marge knocked, poking her head into the office. “He says they are reading a lot of power fluctuations in the grid coming from the generators.”

“That’s strange.” Ethan replied. “We just inspected the entire system last week and didn’t find any problems. Maybe have Larry check to see if the gauges are reading correctly.”

“Larry told me he double checked that already.” Marge countered. “He said that for the last two days he’s seen a noticeable drop in the power output.”

“Alright, well I guess I’m going to have to take another look myself and see if anything is out of order.” Ethan sighed. “Do me a favor and make sure Cooper stays out of trouble while I start some diagnostics.”

“Can do boss.” Marge replied with a smile.



On Sollgel, night had fallen. It was Maki’s first evening on the island and the feel of the place had completely turned on its head in just a few short hours. When he had arrived, it was simply an island paradise. Sure, it was hot, but Maki liked it hot. He figured this assignment would be like an extended tropical vacation. He’d fought to get the job. However, now that it was dark, the island took on a whole new sinister persona. The jungle just outside of the basecamp felt forbidden and ominous.

Image

The biggest problem Maki was facing at that moment was the site's lack of any indoor plumbing. It was the middle of the night and he had to go to the bathroom, issue being the nearest privy was clear across the grounds of the camp. Maki felt like a five-year-old too scared to get out of bed and walk down a dark hallway at night. After sitting and thinking it over for about three minutes, he summoned the courage to climb out of bed and made his way outside.

Even at night, the island was fairly warm. The humidity clung to Maki. He looked around and saw dim lights providing speckles of illumination to the grounds, but only in patches. The scene was fairly spooky. Maki was used to Tokyo nights, where the overwhelming light pollution kept darkness at bay. Only then did he realize just how far away from civilization he really was. Out in the middle of the ocean, a small generator was the only thing keeping them from true natural darkness.

Upon realizing how encroaching the dark was, Maki considered just peeing on the wall of the bunkhouse, and then going back inside. But then he considered the ridicule he'd face if someone were to see him doing it. Maki’s pride started to whisper to him. He was an adult and a man, why was he so afraid to walk the grounds of a secure compound? The guys living on the base had been doing such things for months. Was he not cut from the same cloth as they were?

Maki stiffened his spine and marched out into the open area of the camp. The night’s sky was beautiful and specked with stars. It was the silver lining of having very few light sources. Maki could hear the pleasant chirping of some type of island insects as they sang to each other. They weren’t crickets, but the sound reminded him of them.

Maki’s path took him close to the outer fence which was covered by coils of barbed wire. It made him feel better. Anything trying to get through that twisted mess of razor-wire would be in bad shape afterwards. The outhouses Maki sought were clear on the far side of the compound. For obvious reasons, they were built far away from the other buildings. The camp layout was set up before they realized they had to be weary of natural hazards.

The fence had been installed as tightly as possible to the camp’s physical framework, meaning there was only a few feet between the outhouses and the fence. Maki did not like that fact too much. He felt pretty of exposed out there by himself as he got further into the open area. He looked up to see if the guard on duty in the lookout tower was keeping an eye on him. Maki didn’t see any movement above him. He hoped the guard hadn’t fallen asleep. The spotlight was on, but it was stationary, pointing at nothing in particular out in the jungle. Maki thought about shouting up to him, but he didn’t really want to draw attention to himself either.

Maki continued onwards towards the outhouses. He could already smell them forty paces away. Again, Maki briefly questioned his decision to come to the island. There was nothing for it though. That ship had sailed. He pulled up his shirt over his nose and continued until he was inside. Maki urinated just as quickly as he could, breathing through his teeth and then left again, pulling up his shorts as he moved away. Every step he took made him feel more relieved.

When Maki was about halfway back to the guard tower, he heard a noise out in the jungle. It was a rustling sound coming from the bushes. He instinctively froze, then stared out into the darkness trying to locate the source of the disturbance. Maki’s heart started to race, and he got the fight or flight urge. He didn’t see or hear anything else. He tried to tell himself his mind was just playing tricks on him, but in his heart of hearts, he knew it wasn’t true. There was definitely something out there, he just didn’t know what is was.

Slowly and carefully, Maki started to move again. He watched the limited amount of jungle he was able to see for anything stirring. There was so much more covered in shadow though, he wished he had taken a flashlight with him. The hair on the back of Maki’s neck was standing on end. He felt as though he was being watched.

Step by step, Maki moved without any incident, though he couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being stalked. He couldn’t decide if it was just paranoia or something more. All Maki knew was he wanted to get back to the comfort and safety of the bunkhouse as soon as possible. If he could just make it back there, he could calm himself down. His heart was pounding in his chest.

‘Only poddy breaks in the daylight from now on…’ Maki promised himself that he’d never drink water before bed on the island ever again. Little by little, he was putting distance between himself and the unidentified sound.

As Maki was nearly back to the guard post he heard another noise, some sort of crackling. Again, he came to a halt and looked around anxiously. This time Maki couldn’t tell where it came from. He seriously considered making a break for it or calling out, but then he decided not to. Sweat was starting to form all over his body.

In his gut, Maki knew something was very wrong. The ongoing tension was starting to make him feel nauseous. His hands started to shake. He couldn’t remember the last time he felt this scared. He needed any kind of security to give him comfort. Maki saw a shovel resting at the base of the guard tower. In his fragile state of mind, it looked like a promising weapon. At the very least, it would give him a fighting chance if he was confronted by an inhuman threat.

Maki quickly but carefully made his way towards the tower until he finally reached the shovel. He grasped it tightly, half-expecting something to come flying at him through the night. He put his back against one of the wooden pillars of the tower so that nothing could sneak up on him from behind. Then he raised the shovel upwards prepared to strike.

Maki stayed there in that position, too scared to move, for what felt like ages until finally he pulled himself back together enough to continue onwards towards the bunkhouse. It wasn’t so far now, and he had a weapon. He could always run the last leg if he needed to. He could be inside in less than thirty seconds if he went as hard as he could. Sweat was dripping from his face by that point. Finally, he had psyched himself up enough to make a move.

Maki stepped away from the pillar, looking behind him just to be safe. Nothing was there. Things were quite again. He rested the shaft of the shovel on his shoulder and stepped out from under the tower. As he did, Maki felt something wet hit his face. Then something dropped out of the tower, landing next to him onto the ground with a thud.

Maki brought his free hand up to his face and wiped away the warm fluid. He pulled it back and saw that his hand was covered in blood. He looked down and realized what had fallen from the tower was a severed human arm that had been chewed off at the shoulder. Maki was too horrified to make a sound. Chills shot up and down his spine. His chest felt tight, and his breathing became sharp and quick. He looked up and saw two bright-yellow bulbously eyes staring down at him. It was one of the Kamacuras. The creature had somehow gotten over the fence and killed the guard in the tower. Now it was eating him.

The fight or flight sensation came surging back to Maki. He reacted almost without thinking, taking up the shovel and using it like a spear. He twisted the handle around in his hands and launched it up at the giant mantis, letting out a furious primal roar. The shovel darted up and hit the Kamacuras in the face, damaging one of its compound eyes. The bug was caught completely off guard by the attack and sprang from the tower. It took flight and gliding over the fence and back into the jungle.

Maki’s shout had alerted everyone in the camp to the incident and everyone came running with rifles. Maki just stood there, still soiled by the blood, and breathing hard watching the jungle. He was on the verge of tears. The shock of the ordeal was starting to set in. Maki couldn’t explain what had happened to the others, but he didn’t need to. The remains at the scene told the whole story. Fuji softly put a hand on Maki’s shoulder, trying to calm him down and urging him to come back inside. They’d leave the rest to the soldiers.

For Maki, there was no question now. Coming to the island had been a big mistake.



The next morning was rough. Maki hadn’t slept a wink the rest of the night. He couldn’t, not after what he had experienced. He just sat in bed staring out the window. Such as it was, Maki got straight to work making breakfast for everyone as daylight broke. It helped him get back to a feeling of normalcy. Fuji stepped beside him at his station and started to talk.

“I want you to know, that’s never happened before.” Fuji began, almost apologetically. “The Kamacuras are obviously getting more aggressive.” Maki said nothing. He just kept working, watching the food below him sizzle on the skillet. “It sounds like you made quite the shot with that shove last night. Did you secretly get raised by hunter-gathers and we just don’t know about it?” He asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“I did the decathlon in college.” Maki answered. Fuji didn’t immediately pick up on the meaning, so he clarified. “I threw javelins regularly for about four years.”

“Oh… so that’s it.” Fuji replied genuinely surprised. “Still, I’m impressed you could be so accurate with a shovel.”

“Well, I just reacted in the moment.” Maki replied. “Guess my body did the rest on its own.” There was a moment of silence while each man thought about what to say next.

“So… why didn’t you just pee on the side of the bunkhouse last night?” Fuji asked. “I never go out there that time of night with those things running around.”

Maki stopped and looked over at Fuji with a look of betrayal, then grimaced when he realized Fuji was being totally serious.

“Well shit…” It was the only thing Maki could think to say in response. “Does everyone here feel like that?” Fuji tilted his head to the side and kind of just shrugged his shoulders nodding in agreement. Maki shook his head scoffing in frustration.

“The professor has decided to move up the timetable for main experiment to today.” Fuji quickly changed the subject. “He thinks an ice storm will likely kill the Kamacuras. A little revenge for the men we’ve lost to them of the last few months. He thinks delaying will just put more of us at risk. Conditions will be good enough by the afternoon. In the meantime, he said no one is to go anywhere by themselves anymore.”

“I have no problem with any of that.” Maki replied.



A few hours later, the Sollgel research station was alive with activity. Equipment was being prepared and the science team were all at their posts. Maki was running around taking pictures and documenting the process. Professor Kusumi even allowed Maki into the main control room. Inside, Maki discovered massive, computerized control panels with flickering lights. They were monitoring weather conditions such as wind speed, temperature, and humidity. The control environment was ideal, and the test went ahead as planned.

In the Sonde-equipping laboratory they were readying an advanced weather balloon. All over the lab, there were scientific gadgets Maki had no way of understanding. In particular, Fuji was readying a silver metallic sphere which had several antennas sticking out of it. The gizmo resembled a small-scale sea mine, but it was much more complex than that. The weather balloon was a little more straight forward. It contained a super-cold chemical agent in gas form which would freeze the air around it to negative one-hundred and fifteen degrees once it was exposed to the atmosphere. It was to be detonated once it reached eight-hundred meters in the sky.

When all was confirmed ready, a ten-minute countdown began. The recording devices inside of HQ were turned on. The towers around the base were activated and began to come alive. Their roofs opened up and the equipment inside of them raised up into operational position.

With five minutes to go till launch an alarm was raised to alert any of the remaining security guards who were still outside to get inside asap. It was their last warning. Remaining outdoors while the experiment was taking place would be extremely hazardous to a person’s health. The klaxons sounded a lot like a submarine’s dive alarm to Maki. Red warning lights flashed at all the key areas.

“Launch minus five minutes.” Fuji cautioned over the PA system. “All personnel to emergency interior stations. This is not a drill.”

Time slipped away quickly after that, and before everyone knew it, they were counting down the final ten seconds. When they finally hit the mark, the domed roof of the Sonde lab opened up and released the primary weather balloon. It floated higher and higher into the sky. Maki wanted to go out and record it, but the scientists simply wouldn’t allow that. Fuji caught his arm, shaking his head in disapproval. Maki met his eyes and nodded, understanding that it was an ill-considered idea.

Once the balloon reached eight-hundred meters, the team detonated it. The explosion spread the specialized gas far and wide into the atmosphere above the island. An updraft began to pull the warm air away from the island’s surface.

At that point, the injectors atop the weather towers were activated. The top portions began to spin rapidly, releasing silver iodide into the air. From a window, Maki could see a yellowish mist being emitted from them. Within seconds, the temperature on the island had dropped by nearly thirty degrees. As the minutes went by, the surface temperature on the island reached forty-degrees Fahrenheit, down from the base level of one hundred.

The team was ready to begin the next stage of the experiment. They prepared to launch the radioactive solar heat capsule. A secondary port in the roof of the Sonde lab opened and the pod drifted upwards through it. Only moments after they had released the capsule, interference from the Russian held island started up again. It disrupted communication between the capsule and the control transmitter.

Professor Kusumi became very agitated upon being informed of the situation. He demanded that they try to recall the capsule, but that just wasn’t possible. He warned that if they couldn’t gain control of the capsule in time that the experiment would have the opposite effect, producing intense heat. The team struggled with the controls, doing anything they could think of to regain control over the experiment, but the interference was the most intense it had ever been, and it wasn’t subsiding.

Communication was finally restored to the pod, but only after it had gotten much, much higher than it was meant to. The detonation signal got through at the worst possible time and an explosion occurred. Within minutes, the temperature on the island had shot back up nearly seventy degrees.

A radioactive storm was generated, and an unbelievable heat wave began to savage the island. At its peak, the temperature got up to one-hundred and forty-five degrees. The intense heat spread quickly, battering all of the surrounding islands in the Sollgel archipelago. To the north, many of the Russians were killed, caught out in the open without shelter. The heat simply cooked them to death.

On Sollgel proper, the industrial-sized air conditioning systems were working overtime to compensate and keep the science team alive. Fortunately, they had been designed with just such a contingency in mind. The temperature finally started to drop again as rain began to pound down in hot torrents, but it was still well-above what a human body could withstand. Fortunately, the roofs of the base were up to the challenge of keeping the water out, otherwise the men inside might have been boiled to death.

Four days of heat storms followed. Each day it got a little better, but it wasn’t until day number five before anyone could set foot outside. In four days, the island had been completely transformed. The grounds of the base were battered and soiled. The paint had started to peel off of all the buildings. A river of hot water had cut its way through the center of camp, leaving a huge, grooved channel of displaced soil. It had swept away a small section of the fence. Debris and mud were everywhere. Most of the vegetation around the base seemed to have weathered the storms well enough, except for those which had snapped in the wind. It had been quite an ordeal, but the men had survived.



In Darwin, an unexpected thunderstorm was brewing. The forecast at the beginning of the week made no mention of inclement weather, but none the less, a vast system was quickly approaching from the north. The storm hit the city with strong winds, heavy rain, and frequent lightning strikes. It was the worst tropical storm Ethan could recall in many years.

The next day, Ethan had a lot of fires to put out at work. Power lines were down everywhere and needed to be repaired. Most were simply down due to tree limbs falling on wires or the wind simply snapping them off, but one of the large power towers east of the town had taken a particularly bad hit from a bolt of lightning. The tower was located close to the power station hub, and thus, was preventing power from circulating to several sections of the city. Fixing it needed to be a priority. Crews were sent out and repairs quickly underway.

It was important enough for Ethan to go out himself to inspect the damage. The area nearby the power hub seemed to be hit harder than anywhere else by a wide margin. He couldn’t ascertain why though. The morning news said that over one-hundred lightning strikes had occurred in just this one area alone. They could have been exaggerating, but Ethan didn’t think so. The whole landscape had the hell beat out of it. It looked like a warzone. Numerous trees were cracked and charred from the impact of the strikes. There were pockmarks in the soil. The power tower must have been hit several times judging by the state of it. Some minor fires had started but were put out by the rain.

Image

Ethan discovered something else quite strange as he wandered around the area. His compass was not working correctly. He shook and then tapped it, figuring the needle had simply gotten stuck. This was not the case though. One of his workers had noticed him fiddling with it and came to see what he was wrong. Ethan showed it to him and the man pulled out his own compass. To both of their surprise, his was reading exact same incorrect direction. Perhaps they had both gotten turned around and were simply mistaken which way was north? More and more men joined in on the mystery until there was a dozen of them, and each getting the same results.

Ethan tried walking around to see if that would make a difference, and to his surprise, the needle did start moving again, but it still wasn’t pointing north. Ethan instructed his men to spread out and see what kind of results they would get. The group got further and further apart as they fanned out in the field. After they had all gotten fifty yards away from each other, Ethan asked each of them to indicate with their arms which way their compasses were pointing.

To Ethan’s shock, where they were pointing all converged in the center. He realized that they had discovered a magnetic field in the pasture, one strong enough to fool all of their compasses. Ethan had the men spread out even more to try to determine the size of the disturbance and establish the boundaries of its influence. In the end, they discovered the affected area was about fifty-eight meters long by about fifteen meters wide. The hairs on the back of Ethans neck started to tingle and stand on end. It wasn’t because he was frightened though. There was electricity in the air. Something was awfully wrong, and he knew it.

“Everyone get out of here!” Ethan shouted to his men. He didn’t really know what to expect next, but he knew he didn’t want any of them to be around for it.

The ground in the pasture began to rumble under the feet of the men as they ran away. Fissures in the ground started to form and an unnatural hill forcibility raised up from the earth. Finally, the grass split open, and the soil fell away rapidly revealing bulbous green skin underneath. It was a kaiju.

Ethan ran back to his truck and started the engine. He looked back to see the progress the monster was making unburying itself. The creature was pushing itself up with its outstretched arms. Within moments, it was climbing out of the hole it had created. Ethan stared mesmerized as the monster got on its feet and stood upright.

For a minute, Ethan thought it was Godzilla. The monster’s build was similar, but it was lacking several key features that set it apart from the King of the Monsters. Most notably, the new kaiju lacked Godzilla’s tail and was also missing his signature dorsal spikes. This kaiju had a flat back and stood upright much like a human would.

The creature did have a few features of it own which stood out. While it appeared reptilian in nature, the crown of its head had tufts of orangish-red hair. Also on its head were two pointy protruding ears and a single line of sharp spikes between them. The largest horn, at the very top, stopped just short of its brow. The monster had a pug muzzle, large nostrils, and sharp teeth. It also had piercing orange and yellow eyes. The face had an overall expression of cruelty on it. The monster’s chest, neck, and abdomen were covered by thin tan armored plates. Finally, it had clawed fingers and toes. The monster let out and throaty, gargled roar to announce its presence to the world before it started moving.

Image

The monster walked over to the recently repaired power tower and grabbed the top of it. Almost immediately upon contact, the tower exploded with sparks and energy began to surge. Electricity danced along the monster’s arm, but it wasn’t causing the monster any pain. On the contrary, it was seemingly drawing the power into its body. The horn on top of the kaiju’s head glowed. The monster was enjoying itself, but it gripped too hard on the metal frame of the power line. It toppled the tower over and broke the connection. Seeming unsatisfied, the creature roared moved on.

Image



Following the storms on Sollgel island, a damage assessment of the base’s equipment was necessary. The professor’s intention was to try the experiment again if that was feasible, but they needed to know what they had left to work with before anything else could be done. The radio had been knocked out during the storm, which made calling for help impossible. Until repairs could be made, they were on their own. The towers had sustained some damaged due to hot water seeping in and shorting out some of the electrical circuits, but they had the spare parts to fix them given a little time.

There was no sign of the Kamacuras around the base and they didn’t attack any of the scout parties on their way to the towers either. It seemed as though they didn’t survive the extreme heat and radioactivity of the storms, so perhaps the failed experiment wasn’t entirely a waste of time after all. Not having to worry about the Kamacuras from that point forward would certainly help things move along faster.

Maki went up with Fuji using their float plane to survey the damage to the rest of island chain and check up on the Russians. As they flew over the northernmost island, they made an interesting discovery. Apparently, some of the Russians had survived. But it looked as though they were packing it in after the horrendous storms.

A large cargo ship was anchored just offshore from their now ruined landing. A heavy-duty helicopter was approaching the ship from the island’s interior. It was carrying some type of secret cargo below, wrapped in a tarp concealing what it was. When it reached the ship, the payload was lowered into the cargo hold and then the heavy doors were shut. Whatever it was, the Russians seemed intent on keeping it a mystery.

And that was about it. The Russians were seemingly done with the islands after that. The helicopter landed on the deck and the ship weighed anchor, departing. Maki and Fuji flew over the remnants their abandoned base. It looked like they had left a lot of equipment behind. Fuji decided that they would make a return trip later to see if there was anything worth salvaging. They just might have a working radio down there, or at the very least some parts they could use. In the meantime, the Russians were no longer an obstacle for them moving forward.



Image

On the USS Independence, Marcus was sitting in the mess hall reading over reports about unusual storms popping up all over the pacific when Brock sat down next to him.

“I got something here I know is going to peak your interest even more than those.” Brock presented Marcus with a photograph and a brief report attached. Marcus could see a black and white photo of what appeared to be a Mothra egg floating in the water. “Yep, just like the last one they found, drifting in the ocean. This time near Japan.”

Image

Marcus looked over to Brock and smiled.

Custom Godzilla Modeler

mpsoldier
GPN Volunteer
Posts: 102
Joined: Wed May 19, 2021 3:37 pm

Re: Godzilla: Tactical Assault.

Post by mpsoldier »

Ah a new post! I look forward to reading it. But I have that Canadian scene done to post. Its much abridged but I decided that it worked better with brevity.


This scene can take place in practically any of the early chapters. Enjoy guys.


Fisnik walked through the woods, whistling a merry tune. The middle aged Albanian man felt he had much to be merry about. Despite sustaining some rather serious wounds in the Great War and losing most of his family in the Austro-Hungarian occupation things since then had been quite favourable for the stocky man. Weary of the constant war, tribal battles, invasions and chaos that seemed to infest his homeland and no longer possessing roots he had left Albania to settle in Canada. This had happened almost by accident; the first ship he had found leaving the Adriatic had been a British supply ship bound for ore in Quebec. There he had met a farmer who had sent all three of his sons to Europe for the great war only to receive three wooden caskets in return. A few months later and Fisnik had married the farmers daughter and now stood to inherit a sizable property. Trouble was the farmer and his daughter had spent their lives running their farm and were both quite capable at it so despite Fisnik’s impressive work ethic he often found he had more free time then he knew what to do with and spent at least one day a week fishing in the nearby bodies of water. He had a growing family to feed and they all liked fish, so here he was hiking the trail towards Lake Champlain.


Fisnik paused; spotting a commotion on the lake. Epic ripples spread out from the centre of the body of water, the sheer intensity of them enough to reach the shore despite the distance.
“What the devil is that?” He wondered to himself, reflexively shifting to the Albanian language despite English now being his standard language. He watched in interest, wondering what could cause such a disturbance.


He had half formulated a theory that perhaps a sunken boat or log had come loose from the bottom of the lake and was rising from the depths. It was rare but not unheard of for shifting gases and conditions to make sunken objects suddenly float, and it was the only explanation Fisnik could come up with that made sense. To his surprise the object that breached the water was no ship nor even wooden at all. It was a large creature; grey and reptilian looking. It’s head rose almost snakelike from the lake, ripples continuing to spread throughout the lake though it seemed very little of the body had broken the surface.


Fisnik paused, dumbfounded. He had read in his school days of large reptiles. Things like alligators and crocodiles could reach such impressive sizes...but that thought was immediately dismissed. Those creatures were cold blooded and could never survive in Canadian waters. Even aside from that fact their bodies were long and they did not have snake like necks. It was impossible for Fisnik to accurately judge its size; he was a fair distance from it and the lake did not offer any sort of reference point aside from the creature to use. But he was roughly estimating the creatures neck alone to easily be more then his own six foot height.


He sat and stared for several moments; simply trying to process what he was seeing into what he knew of the world. Trying and failing. The creature continued to slowly ascend, more and more of its body breaking the surface until Fisnik was certain he must be going mad. Reflexively his hand moved up to his Great war injury, fingers brushing the scar on his scalp that even his thick hair could never hide. But the scar was sealed over and lacking any new bleeding or tenderness he would have expected of some kind of head injury. He had eaten or drank nothing new, had no rational reason for this hallucination.


The creature shifted then, its head swivelling to face Fisnik as if sensing or smelling his presence. As it’s gaze settled upon him Fisnik suddenly felt a flowering of dread and fear he had not experienced since he had seen the artillery shell descending upon him. The creature’s head and neck rose still further; reaching an impossible height and seeming to tower above him despite the distance between them.


Fisnik felt powerless then, finding himself gripping the handle of the filleting knife that was the only weapon he was carrying. It felt impossibly small and ridiculously inadequate; but Fisnik had the feeling even if he was carrying his big bore .303 rifle that he had taken a pair of moose with last summer it would still have been ineffective against this...whatever it was.


He felt a primal panic surge through his body and it took every once of his willpower to not turn and run. He had encountered brown and black bears before, and knew fleeing usually triggered the predation instinct. So he simply slowly backed away, still facing the creature.


It’s eyes followed him, its head swivelling to watch his retreat though it made no move to swim closer. Perhaps it wasn’t carnivorous, or perhaps it was solely an aquatic predator without any way to follow onto land. Whatever the case it remained still as it watched him back away.


When he had gone far enough away to where his naked panic was finally calming Fisnik ducked behind a particularly solid looking tree and at last breathed in a deep sigh of relief. The creature had not moved towards him and their sight line was broken by the tree and other foliage. He couldn’t see it, and more importantly it could not see him. He at last turned to flee, feet flying down the trail in a mad dash towards safety. He didn’t stop until he had put a half kilometre between himself and the lake. Standing on Metis Hill he turned and viewed the lake. The creature was still there, still watching him, eyes still watching his retreat. Fisnik paused, surveying the animal that was clearly too big to exist and yet still existed. Fisnik took in another gasp, noticing that despite the increased distance between them it still looked like it dwarfed him. Strange, silly tales then came back to him, bizarre stories from the newspapers of gigantic dinosaurs and colossal beasts ravaging far off countries. He had discounted them of course, him and practically everyone else in this quiet corner of the world. But now suddenly Fisnik was sure the tales were true; and even Canada was suddenly feeling like a much less safe place to be.

Post Reply