Do not expect quick updates, but here's another story for your viewing pleasure. This is what happens when someone enjoys the 50s and 60s movie monster parody that is "Monsters Vs Aliens," has taken way too many science classes, and has some questions about what might have happened after the film. I don't intend to use anything from the television show (so no size-shifting Susan or aliens sharing the base with the monsters), though the bonus shorts "Bob's Big Break" and "Mutant Pumpkins from Outer Space" will be taken into account. And while I'll try to inject some humor at times similar to what was in the film, there will also be plenty of serious peril. Not to mention science, both of the real variety and the nonsensical variety that laughs in the face of the square/cube law. Oh, and world-building. There will be some world-building. Because that's fun.
Okay, traditional disclaimer time. I do not own "Monsters Vs Aliens" or any of the older films that gave inspiration for its creation in the first place. If I did own them, then the cartoon series would be replaced by an appropriate sequel that actually included Insectosaurus (who is male and still called Insectosaurus in this story instead of changing the name to Butterflysaurus just because he can fly now). Anything that seems vaguely familiar is probably from the film. If it doesn't seem familiar, that's probably the work of my deranged imagination. And anything that is my creation can be borrowed with permission if you're interested. Just FYI.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story even with the warning about slow updates.
Vulnerabilities
They were in a darkened room around a large table, as was to be expected for these types of mysterious meetings. There were no windows to the room and the small group of members was careful not to draw any attention when arriving at the location (a difficult challenge for one particular individual and his preference to be noticed). The only light in the room shone on the table itself while casting shadows across their faces. If they were going to have clandestine meetings to discuss the future of the world, they intended to do things according to the book.
Granted, the book in question was 'Secret Cabals for Dummies," but you work with what you can get.
There were five figure seated around the table. Four of them were wearing long robes with hoods to conceal their features better. The fifth refused out of concern that it would ruin his hair. Considering the fact all of them knew each others' identities anyway and the outfits were mostly for effect and because it was expected, they let him get away with the refusal.
One of the hooded figures, slightly hunched over, pushed a magazine to the center of the table. On the cover was a picture of a woman and several smaller shapes that weren't quite human.
"We all know why we are here," he said in a gravelly voice. "As troubling as the alien situation might have been, there is a far more concerning problem closer to home. And the public can't even recognize the danger. Now even the media is working against us."
"That could have been my story," the unhooded figure muttered. "But she had to be so overly-emotional and sensitive about everything. Those things ruined my career. They ruined me."
"Everything isn't about you," the third figure, female, said in a nearly frantic tone. "Do you realize how dangerous those things are? I do. I heard everything. They are horrible, destructive—"
"We do understand, Miss," the fourth member interrupted. "The rest of the county and even the rest of the planet are the ones who don't understand the magnitude of what is happening." She waved her hand towards the magazine. "I've read the interview with their leader and the other articles. The population will be lulled into a false sense of security by the media. They don't want to see the truth; that those crimes against nature and science are potential disasters waiting to happen."
"That's why we're here," said the fifth person, his voice suggesting that he was originally from the south-eastern part of the country. "Someone has to stop them. The president sure isn't going to. I told my neighbor not to vote for him, but he didn't listen. I said there was something I didn't like about the guy, but no one could see what I was talking about. Now look what happened to our country. Chaos and jumbo bugs."
"Jumbo bugs," said the first figure, his gravelly voice resonating with authority. "Living blobs. People twisted by science and chance." There was disgust and hatred in his tone as he spoke. "Fish-monkey freaks. Monsters are running free. And it is only a matter of time before they turn on us. Unless, of course, we take action first. We must protect the world from those things."
"And we got to do it fast," the fifth person said. "The magazines and alien-fighting will make them popular."
"That shouldn't be an issue," the fourth person figure remarked. "With my knowledge, your inventory, the information from two of our members, and our leader's guidance and funding, we should be able to deal with the problem quickly. That's why Humans Against Monsters was founded. Together, we can succeed."
"I still think I should be in charge," the unhooded member grumbled.
The third person patted his shoulder, "Cheer up. We need your insight in regards to the newest monster. I only learned about the earlier ones before being forced out of the room."
"I guess so," he said. "You aren't going to hurt her, right? I mean, she humiliated me for no reason and ruined everything, but she was kind of nice before she turned into a freak and I definitely wouldn't want to get tangled up into some kind of legal trouble if something happened to her."
"Of course not," the gravelly voice assured. "She used to be human and sane. I'm sure she can see reason. There's no need to resort to extreme measures to deal with her." He slid a few sheets of paper across the table to various members, "Here's a rough outline of the plans so far. I'll leave the details of how to make them work to the experts. Professor, do you believe you are up to the task?"
The fourth member nodded her head, "Ever since they printed that article, I've been considering what we know quite carefully and formulating a few possibilities. I might have to order a few specific ingredients for the reaction to work, but I think I have it figured out."
"Very good," the gravelly-voiced, hunched-over figure nodded before turning to the fifth member. "And do you think you can handle the larger problem?"
"Sure thing, boss. I deal with that problem all the time, just not usually on this scale. But you know what they say about how the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Getting enough in-stock might be a little expensive and distributing it whenever we track them down might be tricky, but you've got the cash and I know a guy who won't ask questions and will disappear after the job's done. He even has one of those crop-dusting planes he won in an auction a few years back that he likes to take for spin every now and then. He'll take it as a challenge."
"That is good to hear," he said. "The others will require more planning and might involve getting closer to our targets."
"No," gasped the second member, her voice sounding panicked at the very idea.
"I'm afraid so," he continued. "But that discussion is best saved for another day. For now, focus on those we can handle at a distance. Removing even a few of the monsters will leave those that remain vulnerable. The more we destroy, the easier it will become."
"United we stand, divided they fall," the fifth figure nodded.
"And so ends this meeting of Humans Against Monsters, also known as HAM," stated the gravelly-voiced man solemnly. "Everyone knows their role. I look forward to hearing the progress so far when next we meet."
The five figures then rose from their chairs and started to leave. Mere seconds later, there was a series of crashes and yelps that left at least one of the members shaking their head in pity.
"Could someone turn on another light before I break my neck tripping over the chair again?" the unhooded figure said. "Who's idea was it to huddle in a dark room like this anyway?"
General Warren R. Monger was probably the expert when it came to dealing with monsters. Not only was Monster Wrangling his minor in college, but he possessed enough hands-on experience in his ninety years or so of life that he could predict the probable equipment an operation might for any given situation. Like how he knew, to take a completely random example, that a giant hypodermic needle with a sedative and a trampoline would be useful when investigating a meteor strike. He knew what types of circumstances could lead to the creation or reveal of monsters and the best ways to handle their appearance. He also knew how to recognize those who were truly monstrous and those who worth saving.
That particular skill wasn't one he'd always possessed. Originally, his purpose was to locate, isolate, and destroy all monsters. They were generally a danger to the public and always something that the government wanted swept under the rug before they could be distracting to tax-payers. Destroying them was simpler. Of course, he wasn't a general back then. He didn't get promoted that title until years later. At the time, he was just good at his job and slightly scary to his superiors who found it easier not to argue with his suggestions. So he spent about eight years cleaning up all the monsters that came crawling out of the darkness.
Then 1958 happened. Specifically, Benzoate Ostylezene Bicarbonate came into existence and started eating a few blocks of the city. Monger and everyone else present that day came to the realization that they literally could throw every weapon and strategy at the blue blob of mass and it wouldn't cause any damage. For once, they couldn't destroy the monster.
Monger was proud to admit that he was the one who suggested that, since they couldn't follow their usual course of action, they could always imprison it for the time being. His superiors loved the idea. Not only did it mean they didn't have to admit defeat, but it also gave them an excuse to order Monger to remain in the top-secret underground base to guard the thing and not be around them. He didn't mind the assignment. It turned out he liked guarding monsters almost as much as he liked chasing them down.
Initially, there were a few more attempts to destroy their captured monster. The blob monster, quickly named Bob by those involved (but mostly Monger), simply them off. And it wasn't an evil or cruel laugh either. It was a cheerful and friendly laugh. He turned out to be friendly, sweet, innocent beyond belief, and dumber than a bag of rocks. And somehow that was enough to catch the man's attention. The chaos surrounding Bob's first moments of existence wasn't born out of malicious or aggressive intentions; he was just too brainless to know better. True, he couldn't let a random blue blob that could dissolve almost anything go wandering the streets of any small town, but Bob didn't need to be destroyed for simply being a monster either.
The next monster to really capture his interest was in 1961. There were others between those years, destroyed like those in the past since they weren't indestructible like Bob and certainly lived up to their title of monsters. Though the swarm of giant locusts heading towards Chicago was an exciting mission with a few close calls. But the year of 1961 was the one where he found himself on Cocoa Beach, staring at a scaled creature as it managed to fight off several would-be attackers.
He should have had it shot on sight. At the time, it would have made sense for him to make that decision. After all, the amphibious creature was kidnapping co-eds from the beach (...lots of co-eds...) and holding off members of the National Guard, the Coast Guard, and a very determined lifeguard. It was clearly dangerous. But Monger actually paused to notice the situation and realized that the long-frozen creature wasn't as aggressive as he first appeared.
After capturing the Missing Link, he interviewed those involved in the incident and found that most of the girls weren't traumatized by their experience. In fact, they claimed he actually seemed rather sweet after the whole kidnapping thing and almost seemed like he was trying to "protect" them from the would-be rescuers. One of the smarter girls who was taking a few science and history classes suggested that his species might have possessed a single dominant male protecting a large group of females in the same way that troops of gorillas did. They also said he seemed to find everyone screaming and freaking out to be amusing. In the end, the only people who really seemed upset about the situation were the boyfriends of a couple of the girls involved who claimed the fish-ape who couldn't even speak English was nicer and more considerate than they were. Needless to say, their testimony helped cement Monger's decision about keeping the Missing Link.
While his newest addition to the base started learning English by listening to Monger, the radio provided as stimulation for the prisoners, and Bob (how the blue blob knew how to speak from the start was still a mystery), the man continued to keep an eye out for other monsters that didn't seem quite as dangerous or aggressive. He couldn't let the monsters wander around free, even if he thought it was a good idea (which he certainly didn't). But he could at least spare those that seemed at least half-decent.
In exchange for funding to expand and run the top-secret base, they started handling monster issues across the globe. No government wanted to have their population distracted by the idea of horrible freaks of nature were running around and decided to pay America to fix their problems. So Monger met the self-declared mad scientist who decided to experiment on himself September 12, 1962. And while apparently the British people could deal with bad teeth and an obsession with tea, bug-headed geniuses were a little too creepy for them. But even with newly-renamed Dr Cockroach's tendency to laugh maniacally and the fact he wasn't necessarily the sanest person to ever hold a test tube, he was remarkably polite and considerate before he was informed about being locked up forever. Thus, Monger added another prisoner to the base rather than seek a way to destroy the former human.
Unfortunately, while having the educated monster there to finish catching Link up to the modern era and supervising Bob's dumber decisions was helpful, he also encouraged an era of escape attempts by the prisoners. It seemed that Dr Cockroach was not one to give up on his past freedom simply because he managed to give himself the head of an insect and even managed to hold a minor grudge about the entire thing. There was even a point where Monger was convinced the mad scientist would attempt to take over the world in retaliation if he ever escaped. At least the regular escape attempts kept him busy. Some of the other soldiers in the base started take bets on how far the monsters would get next time and how long it would take for them to give up.
Their next prisoner showed up in 1964. Or rather, he didn't show up. The Invisible Man wasn't exactly the easiest guy to catch, but they somehow managed. And since he was still fairly rational after his accident (who in their right mind thought going swimming in a vat of glowing purple goo for a bet was a good idea?), Monger moved him to the base with the others. From there, the Invisible Man spent the majority of his time mocking anyone and anything he wanted to while safe in the knowledge that he could hide from any form of retaliation. He seemed to particularly enjoy targeting Dr Cockroach. From his mad scientist tendencies to his insect-based traits to the fact he possessed a Ph.D in dance, everything was considered mocking material. Most of the people working at the base found him kind of entertaining. There was talk at one point of sneaking him out of his cell for the base's yearly talent show, though Monger quickly squashed that idea. Needless to say, Dr Cockroach preferred not to involve him with the escape attempts.
That was what clued Monger on to the fact that the Invisible Man wasn't quite accepted by the others. Sure, Bob was friendly towards him, but Bob was friendly to everyone. And sometimes Link would joke around or play cards with the Invisible Man. But while every escape plan that Dr Cockroach would devise would include taking Bob and Link with him, none of them seemed very concerned about the Invisible Man coming along with them. It was as if the trio had formed their own little collection of monsters and he was the outcast. Or rather, they were the group of outcasts and he was the closest to normal, minus the transparency thing. When he eventually died in the 1980s, they were upset about the loss (except for the oblivious Bob), but Monger had a feeling it would have been far worse if they were closer to the Invisible Man.
So Monger kept doing his job, even being promoted to general, and was eventually called in to deal with the biggest challenge yet. In 1969, the irradiated larva showed up in Tokyo, demonstrating its incredible size and mutation. He didn't know how the Japanese government explained the entire incident and the damage caused by Insectosaurus teething on the buildings, but Monger was simply thankful that he'd had the foresight to greatly expand the base. The income from handling international monsters was useful at times. Otherwise there wouldn't be room for the 350-foot tall grub with the rest of the imprisoned monsters.
After the particular challenge of guiding an oversized insect from Japan to a secret base in Nevada, the general was halfway concerned that he would be dealing with even more insane escape attempts from his prisoners. There was only so much they could do if the monsters decided to use the giant larva to smash their way out, no matter how much the walls were reinforced. Instead, the escape attempts essentially stopped. It took Monger about five months to figure it out. Since Insectosaurus really couldn't escape and hide with them, none of them felt they could leave. Link was far too attached to the radiation-mutated grub (apparently ancient fish-apes had a similar enough language to overgrown larvae that communication was possible) and that meant he was part of the group. And none of them would abandon the other.
It was almost a relief over the next few decades that the escape attempts stopped, though. Serving as the warden for the odd collection of individuals while still handling the less-cooperative monsters that popped up on occasion left the man wondering sometimes about his role. Was he guarding the world from the dangers of his prisoners? Or was he protecting the surprisingly-nice monsters from the world? Because if there was one thing he'd realized in his life, it was the fact that humans could be pretty monstrous to each other even without random mutation or radiation.
Still, there were days were he wished that things were different. But as long as the government wanted to keep monsters out of the public's knowledge, there wasn't much he could do to change things. All he could do was keep them from sharing the fate of the more dangerous and aggressive monsters.
And then 2008 rolled around and about fifty years of tradition was tossed out the window. The capture of Ginormica (who still insisted on being called Susan half the time) was fairly straightforward and simple. Dealing with large monsters was a piece of cake by now. There were some momentary doubts about putting a female monster with the collection of male ones, but Monger figured that the frightened and confused giantess would be better off with them than placing her in some form of solitary confinement. Social interactions were important to maintain well-adjusted monsters, after all. But what really threw a monkey wrench in everything was Gallaxhar's robotic probe. For once, Monger saw a way to bargain on his prisoners' behalf. He found a way to make them important and worth having around, ensuring they could get exactly what they deserved. Granted, he didn't expect his bargain with the president to result in the destruction of the Golden Gate Bridge, the near invasion by alien clones, or apparently being elected to the president's senior security staff, but it all worked out in the end.
So General Warren R. Monger was still an expert on monsters, but he was no longer their warden. They still spent most of their free time in their corner of the base (mostly because of size concerns for a couple of the members), but they weren't locked up there. They could come and go as they liked. The limits on access to outside objects were mostly gone (though Dr Cockroach still wasn't getting any plutonium or uranium for the foreseeable future), so their former cells and the common room were now properly decorated and stocked with belongings. The custom-built, large-screen television was particularly welcomed. Whenever they weren't out handling various disasters of the world (regardless of whether the source was natural, alien, or monster-related), they tended to relax in their former prison. For the monsters, this was their home.
And now that they were common knowledge to the rest of the world, Monger was beginning to see some of the results. Specifically, he was dealing with their mail.
There was a huge pile of mail on his desk at the moment. Some of it was fairly important paperwork. After all, Monger did take the time to make sure there was now documentation declaring every monster under his charge was officially US citizens and awarding them all the rights and responsibilities that status implied. Trying to convince the bureaucrats that a 350-foot tall mutant butterfly and a 20,000 year old fish-ape were sentient beings and to declare them citizens of the country they helped save now wasn't exactly easy, but he took care of it. He was actually looking forward to the day someone tried to summon one of them for jury duty because that was bound to be entertaining.
What he was less prepared for was the waves of fan mail and requests for interviews that were being sent at an alarming rate to his monsters. Granted, these letters and packages weren't mailed to the address of the top secret, underground base. They were sent to a P.O. Box maintained specifically for these types of occasions. But Monger never expected the sheer volume of mail. Not to mention all the patents for Dr Cockroach's inventions or requests from biologists and paleontologists who just wanted to speak to Link for ten minutes...
There were days where Monger just wanted to turn his jetpack on the pile of letter and packages, burning all them into ash. It would certainly make things easier for him. But he was never one to simply take the easy way. Otherwise, he wouldn't have five monsters living in the secret underground base in the first place.
When she was a little girl, Susan used to dream about getting married. She always pictured walking down the aisle in a white dress, ready to spend the rest of her life with the perfect man. He would be handsome and successful, but he'd also love her with all his heart and that was the most important part of her childhood dream. And they would travel the world, going to far off places and seeing amazing sights. It would be amazing.
That was her dream. It was the future her parents would always talk about, the one her friends would discuss, and the one that she believed was the only possible future for a girl to desire. All the fairy tales ended with the prince finding the girl after all those adventures and dangers, marrying her, and everyone living happily ever after. And since every happily ever after involved marriage, Susan knew that was her only true goal in life. After all, she wanted to be happy and marrying the perfect man was apparently the only way to be happy. So when a charming man came along, one who reminded her of those storybook princes and who promised to let her see the world while being his pretty homemaker, she figured that this was her happily ever after. She thought her dream was about to come true.
Of course, in her childhood dreams, she didn't end up being hit by a meteor. And her imagination never considered the possibility of turning huge on her wedding day. Not to mention that her future husband never turned out to be a horrible jerk when she pictured her happy ending. It turned out real life and fairytales rarely matched.
But in a lot of ways, her wedding turning into a disaster was probably one of the best things that ever happened to her. Yes, the immediate result was her being taken away from everyone she knew and locked up with a bunch of monsters. And she did end up face to face with a giant robot that tried to attack her. But all of this let her figure out the truth about the kind of man Derek Dietl was, gain some confidence in her own abilities, and realize that she could be anyone that she wanted to be and have any type of happily ever after she wanted. It also let her gain the best and most loyal friends she could have ever dreamed of.
Susan Murphy was no longer the little girl who thought the only future that made sense was one where she simply got married. She'd grown up. Granted, she'd grown up into a 49-foot-11 ½-inch tall woman who could punch through supposedly-indestructible force fields, but that was kind of amazing. She lived in an underground, secret base with a bunch of monsters who were equally amazing and they went out to save the day on a semi-regular basis. She was seeing the world by flying on the back of a giant mutant butterfly. She wasn't just a homemaker, depending on a husband to have a purpose. She was a capable hero who could make a difference. She was Ginormica.
Smiling slightly to herself, she pushed herself up from her custom-made bed. Everything in her room was custom-made and most of it was made of reinforced metal. It was the only way to have anything the right size for her to use. Her bed, side table, and the cabinet for her clothes were all crafted from thick steel. Her mattress and pillow were made of some weird substance that she couldn't identify, but at least offered a little bit of comfort when sleeping. She knew her blanket was made of rather thick and durable material, but it felt like a normal piece of fabric from her perspective.
She only had a few outfits, most of them the grey jumpsuits with orange stripes and the logo for the secret underground base and one black extraterrestrial leotard that she kept folded up in the back of her cabinet. She could probably put in a request for more clothes, but the fact that her job was fighting and stopping various problems across the globe meant she needed to consider practicality more than fashion when it came to how she dressed. Along with her clothes were a metal comb (hairbrushes didn't scale up very easily), a toothbrush, two towels, and a few other personal hygiene necessities.
On her walls were enlarged versions of photos of her parents and one of her friends in Paris (the kitten poster long since gone). On the side table was a clock they somehow made durable for her to use the snooze button on without breaking the thing. She tried to be careful with it, but some mornings she knew she was a little rough with the device.
Attached to her room was a (relatively) small bathroom. There was a sink, a toilet, and a shower constructed out of thick metal and a clear material that was probably used for spacecrafts or containing explosions. Rather than constructing giant bottles and containers, there were dispensers built into the shower for her shampoo, conditioner, and liquid soap. There were days she missed taking warm bubble baths, but that was kind of a minor concern.
It wasn't exactly a professionally-decorated space. In fact, most people would probably think it was kind of plain. Of course, it was amazing compared to how things used to be before Gallaxhar's defeat. She was happy with her room. While the rest of the world was now too small for her, this one room was made specifically to fit her.
Of course, she was getting used to seeing the world from her new perspective. She knew how to pick up and interact with people now without the risk of harming them on accident. She'd learned to pay close attention to where everyone was at all times so she didn't step on someone. True, sometimes there was collateral damage to her surroundings. She wasn't perfect and the world was pretty fragile in comparison to her. But she was getting better.
Slipping on her tennis shoes and pulling her comb briefly through her hair, Susan stepped out to the common room. Again, nearly a year of renovations since her first arrival left the space more comfortable and less like a prison. Part of the space was a large sofa-like structure she could sit on. The back of it was attached to a series of platforms and stairs, allowing her to be at face-level with her fellow monsters and interact with them without having to loom above them all the time. The platforms served as tables for her and floors for her roommates. There were even a few computer screens that could pop out of one of the "floors" for mission briefings.
Further alterations included a semi-conjoined room that was mostly empty that was perfect for spending time with Insectosaurus without worry about him accidentally destroying something (it was tough enough reinforcing things for a 49-foot woman without worrying about the 350-foot butterfly crushing them). There was also what she referred to as the mad scientist corner for Dr Cockroach to experiment on whatever caught his attention that day. Now that he wasn't a prisoner, he had access to real lab equipment, test tubes filled with various colored chemicals, and a collection of wires and mechanical parts. There was another corner had a built-in lagoon, complete with rocks and palm trees, for Link's enjoyment. There was also an area for Bob to play around on that was essentially a jungle-gym for indestructable blobs. Finally, on one wall was the recently-installed, custom-made, giant television screen. She was already planning movie night for the group.
She couldn't fit comfortably into their individual rooms, but Susan also knew that Link had another nice tank of water in his and that Bob's now included a fridge for his green jello. As for Dr Cockroach's room, all she knew for certain was that it held the dozens of science journals that he now subscribed to. And books. Lots of books. He'd obviously missed having anything to read other than pieces of newspapers that arrived in the garbage.
As she sat down on the sofa, she heard the distant roar of Insectosaurus. It was one of his more conversational roars, softer and shorter than normal, so Susan knew that Link would be chatting with the butterfly. She couldn't understand the giant insect like Link, but she could at least recognize what some of his roars indicated. Bob was staring at the television in wide-eyed wonder, apparently not even slightly concerned that the screen was blank. And as she expected, she could already hear the evil laughs coming from Dr Cockroach's workspace.
"Good morning," she greeted him, picking up the large metal mug of coffee already waiting for her.
"Good morning, Susan," called the mad scientist, stepping away from his work to approach her. "Did you enjoy sleeping in a little?"
Smiling slightly, she said, "Considering the fact we got in about two o'clock this morning after dealing with a pack of large killer rabbits, I think I earned an extra hour of rest."
"Actually, the correct term would be a colony of large killer rabbits," he remarked. "And we wouldn't have been out as late if someone just thought to contact us a little sooner. There would have been a smaller number to deal with."
"I guess we'll just have to cross them off the list of 'Oversized Monsters We've Encountered'," she said with a shrug.
"I always figured that giant killer sheep would show up before rabbits would," remarked Link as he came loping into the room. "At least some of them have horns. That makes them look kind of dangerous, right? Whoever thinks that the fluffy, long-eared rodents could be so violent?"
"They aren't rodents," Dr Cockroach began to correct, but Bob was already waving his arm around.
"I did! I did! I always knew they would be trouble. With their long furry tails, their chittery voices, and how they store acorns for winter, it was only a matter of time."
"Bob, that's a squirrel. Not a rabbit," Susan said.
"Oh... Then what's the one that lives at the North Pole with the white beard and delivers presents?"
"That's Santa Claus," she said patiently.
"He's nothing like a squirrel," said Link. "And he's not even re—"
"Why don't we save that particular discussion for another day," Dr Cockroach interrupted.
Susan nodded, "Right. We could start thinking about what movies to watch during our movie night this Friday. Assuming, of course, that no one decides to take a swim in radioactive goo that night and no UFOs decide to visit. You guys missed out decades of films, so you guys get first choice."
"I say we go for an action movie," said Link. "Something with explosions, fighting, and lots of people screaming in panic."
"I don't suppose there's any interesting documentaries about the mechanics surrounding a black hole, are there?" Dr Cockroach asked.
A brief roar from Insectosaurus prompted the fish-ape to yell back, "We are not watching a chick-flick for our first movie night. You can watch 'The Composition Book' another time."
"How about that movie about the cartoon animals that can talk and fight against the bad guys?" suggested Bob, sliding closer to the rest of the group. "Can we watch that one? Please, please, please?"
"You mean 'Martial Arts Bear'?" asked Susan. "That might be a good choice." She glanced at the other monsters, "Can you guys live with that?"
Link shrugged, "Sure. There's fighting in it, so it can't be too boring."
"I suppose spending the evening watching an anthropomorphic bear learn martial arts in order to defend his home and community could be entertaining," nodded Dr Cockroach. "Though I'm sure a documentary about black holes would have been fun too."
"If by 'fun', you mean it would put everyone to sleep, then you'd be right," smirked the fish-ape before frowning. "Wait, this movie doesn't have singing in it, right? Those singing cartoon movies always end up getting stuck in my head."
Susan smiled as Link and Dr Cockroach continued their argument/discussion about the movie choices, she couldn't help being thankful for how her life turned out. It was certainly a life that she could never have predicted. But she was happy here with her fellow monsters.
Some people looked at them and saw a mindless glob of goo capable of dissolving almost anything, a strong and savage fish-ape from a primitive and dangerous time period, a giant insect that could crush buildings and blow over objects with his huge wingspan, and a mad scientist who created deadly inventions and was insane enough to experiment on himself so that he was no longer human. Susan looked at them and saw sweet and innocent Bob, protective and loyal Link, playful and cute Insectosaurus, and smart and considerate Dr Cockroach. And she wanted the world to see them the way she did.
That was why she contacted Clark Lane about a month ago. He was a former classmate of Derek's. She remembered that he was a nice and honest guy who always seemed more concerned about integrity and fairness than publicity. So she gave him the story of a lifetime. The world wanted to know about monsters now that they were no longer a government secret, so (with the permission of her friends and promising Monger not to actually name the secret underground base) she told him exactly what the public needed to hear.
She talked about Bob's origins at Old Man Carl's snack food company and how, even when he was first created and started eating the surrounding area, he didn't actually hurt anyone. She talked about Link's original confusion about waking up in the modern age and how he assumed the humans around his old territory were just really weird-looking fish-apes (though she left out the part about how funny he eventually found freaking out everyone was). She talked about how Dr Cockroach's experiment was intended as a way to make humans more durable and protected from harm, a way to help people. She talked about Insectosaurus being just a baby when he showed up in Tokyo, confused and in discomfort from the fact he was teething (and grubs weren't even meant to have teeth). She talked about her first few days after becoming a giant. She gave detailed descriptions about the events in San Francisco and on Gallaxhar's ship, making sure to give everyone credit for their role. She told Clark Lane everything she could think of that would help the world understand her friends, to make them realize how special and amazing the monsters truly were.
She wanted them to be accepted. Not just by a few people, but everyone. She wanted the world to understand why she, Susan Murphy, preferred being a giant monster living underground to her childhood dream of being married and ordinary.
Because she could no longer imagine living in a world where she didn't have her friends around.
Fun facts time: 1958 is the year that "Attack of the 50-Foot Woman" and "The Blob" (the film that inspired the creation of Bob) was released. So I figured that 1958 would work as the year the Bob was created (almost everyone else had their inspiring films either too early or too late in the timeline to use for them).
As for Dr Cockroach, the date of his experiment can be seen in the footage that Monger shows the president. The clipboard reads "Test #78: Mutation Enhancement: September 12, 1962." That was a helpful detail. Coincidentally, 1962 is also the year "King Kong vs Godzilla" was released. Since "Bob's Big Break" has Bob, Link, Dr Cockroach, and the Invisible Man present and doesn't mention Insectosaurus during 1968, I used that to help figure out the rest of the timeline of when everyone would have arrived at Area Fift—argh!
In regards to Link, 1961 is the year "Mothra" (one of the inspirations for Insectosaurus) came out and it falls within the right time span for Link's arrival. As for the arrival of Insectosaurus, 1969 is the year the Godzilla movie "All Monsters Attack" came out.
As for when the Invisible Man arrived, I decided to use 1964. That is the year that a particular horrible B-movie was created. It is called "The Creeping Terror." True, that's technically an alien movie rather than a monster movie. On the other hand, anything that has the antagonist look like a clump of shag carpet probably isn't advanced enough to count as an extraterrestrial and deserves to be ridiculed. So the Invisible Man's arrival at the base will be 1964.
Yes, I didn't have to mention a monster movie for every year I used in regards to the monsters' arrivals. But I wanted to anyway. I'm just weird like that.
In regards to the description of Susan's room, I got a little too involved in considering the complications of a giantess living in a normal-sized world and what would be required for her to be comfortable. As for comment about giant killer rabbits, that's a reference to a movie called "Night of the Lepus." Basically, they'll use any kind of giant monster for a movie apparently.
So while Susan and the gang are pretty happy with life at the moment, someone is plotting against them. Hopefully things will start picking up in the next chapter. Of course, I have no idea when I'll have it written. Still, hopefully you'll enjoy the story regardless of how slow updates are.
