Chapter 1:
Anomaly
Kaiju-Jima or Monster Island; formerly called Solgell Island, a stretch of land part of the Bonin Island chain. It is strictly off limits and to trespass is responded with death. However, there is a very good reason for doing so. For humans stupid or unfortunate enough to risk visiting/wash up on its shores, it is a lost world too hostile to set foot on it. For those studying it, it is a golden opportunity to observe at an agreeable distance. For its occupants, it is home. There is a reason it is called Monster Island. That reason being the twenty to forty-story tall beasts that inhabit it called Kaiju (Japanese for 'strange beast').
Doctor Naomi Lee was currently watching video feeds from the several spider-drones deployed daily from the Calico research base which was anchored just a few kilometers away from Monster Island. The thirty-something Japanese-American woman had her left cheek pressed against her fist, laying her elbow on the button-covered control console while her right hand systematically clicked the button meant for each drone transmitting from every sector of the island. The first was Gamma (aka 'The Canyon) which was the territory for the arthropod Kaiju such as Kumonga (a giant spider), Megaguirus (a gigantic dragonfly queen with the emphasis on 'dragon') and Kamacuras (an enormous praying mantis). This was followed by Epsilon (aka The Valley), inhabited by Varan (a triphibian reptile capable of gliding like a giant flying squirrel), Rodan (an enormous pterosaur) and the two newest additions to the island; Femuto and Hokmuto (two prehistoric radiovores that shared insect and reptilian traits). After that, she checked on Delta (aka 'The Ruins') which was the usual stomping ground for Anguirus (a gigantic ankylosaur-like Kaiju covered in spikes), Baragon (a subterranean synapsid with the ability to loose a plume of fire from his jaws) and Gorosaurus (a giant theropod with the ability to kick just like a kangaroo). It was also called that due to what appeared to be ruins of a long lost civilization. Unfortunately, investigating them would mean stepping foot on the island and having to avoid the Kaiju as well as many prehistoric wildlife that also lived there.
Afterwards, she pressed the button again to check on Sector Beta (AKA 'The Beach') which just so happened to be inhabited by the Kaiju more suited for undersea life such as Ebirah (a giant lobster), Manda (an actual Japanese dragon), Gezora (a colossal cuttlefish so big he could walk on land), Kamoebas (a huge mata-mata turtle), Ganimes (a gigantic stone crab), Titanosaurus (an aquatic dinosaur not to be confused with a sauropod of the same name) and Zilla (another huge theropod). Finally, she came to Sector Alpha or, as her colleagues liked to call it, 'The Throne Room' and for good reason. Sector Alpha was stomping ground for the 'royal family' of the Kaiju: Godzilla, his 'queen' Daihime and their child Godzilla Junior. Of all the Kaiju on the island, Godzilla was the most feared and powerful. It had been a miracle for G-Force to corral him onto Monster Island, even with the aid of Mothra and Battra, two powerful moth-like Kaiju controlled by two priestesses that acted as the island's sentinels meant to keep the Kaiju from leaving and attacking other cities.
Four scholarship degrees and a certificate in Kaijuology and I end up as the Monster Island equivalent of a mall-cop watching cameras. Naomi thought to herself, Somehow I thought this would be as exciting as they made it out to be.
Naomi was about to call it a day as she cycled through the cameras once again. She got up until Sector Beta when something caught her attention from the beachside spider-drone cam. Not too far away from the beach, Zilla's boxy jaws erupted from the water, possibly filled with enough schools of fish to give three trawlers a field day. While she was far away, she was large enough to have her movements observed.
Usually, Zilla would have swallowed her catch, dove in and repeated it three more times. Today, she did something different. Instead of swallowing her catch, she began to swim to shore, her nine, reverse shark fin-like back plates protruding out of the waters like reefs before she lumbered out of the water and towards the jungle.
"Never seen her do that." Naomi muttered. The brown-haired Kaijuologist switched to the spider-drone cameras transmitting within Zilla's territory. She watched as trees crumbled and snapped in the Kaiju's wake before her T-Rex-like feet came into view followed by an ant's-eye-view of her.
"Hey, Spence." Naomi called out to her colleague sitting twelve inches away from her, an Irish-American named Spencer "Spence" Ashlyn, only to see him currently listening to rock music on his MP3 at full blast while doing air guitar so he didn't hear her.
Naomi groaned. "Spence."
No answer. With a growl, Naomi got up and yanked the earphones from her associate.
"Spencer!"
With a yelp, the Irish-American fell out of his chair and was greeted with the sight of Naomi standing over him, head phones in her hand, brown eyes narrowed into a frown behind her half-moon glasses, right hand on her hip and her high-heeled foot tapping the ground.
"You don't have to shout you know." he muttered.
"Apparently I do in order to get your attention. I want you to look at something on the cameras."
Spence rolled his eyes and got up, following his fellow Kaiju Watcher to the camera feed just in time to see Zilla to arrive in her domain. The Kaiju lowered her head, opened her jaws... and allowed the equivalent of two net-fulls of fish to spill onto the ground.
"Wow," Spence deadpanned sarcastically, "You brought me over here to watch Zilla lose her lunch. Thank you so much for that lovely image. Now if you excuse me-"
"Wait, wait. Hold up, none of those fish look eaten at all." Naomi mentioned. Spence looked again and realized she was right. Normally, Zilla wouldn't take her food and eat it out of the water, she would swallow her catch immediately. Why the sudden change in behavior? They watched as Zilla lifted her head and let out a shrieking roar not too dissimilar to Godzilla's. While the sound was muffled, Naomi swore she was calling something. At that moment, she saw movement from the corner of the camera.
Zilla began to step back as a small (for the Kaiju) figure slowly emerged from the foliage, picked out a fish and began to dig into it.
"Zoom in." Spence told Naomi, his green eyes narrowed as he tried to make out whatever details of this new creature. Naomi did so and, while blurry, they could make out traits such as what looked like...hands.
Unfortunately, they couldn't get far as Zilla began to lumber off, probably to catch her own meal. The last thing they saw from the camera was her foot that enveloped the screen before it was replaced by static.
"Dammit, lost visual." Naomi cursed, "Just what was that?"
Spence thought for a moment before tossing her a pair of boots and camo-gear.
Puzzled, Naomi held these items as Spence laced on a pair of his own, his tennis shoes to the side.
"What are you doing?"
"We're going on a little field trip." he answered.
Naomi's eyes widened, "You're kidding." she gasped.
"Naomi, you want to get a closer look, sometimes you gotta do it the old fashioned way and take risks. Also, if I seem to recall, you're always complaining about being on camera duty."
"Maybe not, if those risks involve getting stomped into a bloody pancake, eaten or incinerated." she snapped, "And I do not complain!"
Spence sighed, "Look, we'll just investigate and leave before the Kaiju even know we're there."
Naomi hesitated before groaning. With that, she took off her heels and slid her bare foot into one boot and the other to the next.
"If I die, Spence, I swear to God I will torment you from the grave." she growled as she tightened her laces.
"What if we both die?" Spence asked with a sly smirk.
"Then I will torment you in the afterlife."
The Irish-American shrugged. "Fair enough. Oh and by the way, you kinda do complain. You just can't bear to admit it."
"Shut. Up."