Author's Note: This story is a response to the reboot film Legendary Pictures are currently producing. It got me thinking about how a modern telling of the Godzilla story would work, with a darker tone and firm respect for the source material. Hopefully, this story will meet those criteria. Enjoy!
For the first time in decades, the Leviathan saw something approaching the island. He primarily lived in the water these days, endlessly circling his scorched home. He never ventured out further as he had no reason to believe anything was out there. As far as he was concerned, the entire world had been destroyed by the fire that destroyed the island and burned his body. Yet somehow, he felt as though the fire made him stronger. He only ate occasionally, preying on schools of fish, as the heat from the island somehow provided him nourishment. He was unable to die.
The figure approaching was large, slow, and grey. It rested atop the surface of the water, floating towards the island. Suddenly, feeling struck the Leviathan that he had not felt in a long time. The territorial urge to protect himself consumed his mind. Without even thinking he swam towards the figure at full speed. He tore his claws into the flank. The floating entity had hard, cold skin, but nothing he could not tear. His claws pounded into his prey and anchored themselves. With a small exertion oh his strength, the Leviathan ripped it apart, tearing it in half.
He felt a new sense of life invigorate him. Wherever this had come from, there were more threats like it. They might come in larger numbers and overpower him He needed to expand his territory in response to the new arrivals. The creature proved without a doubt that more of the world had survived than his island. After all these years, he yearned to see it, regardless of the potential danger. He swam through the seemingly endless ocean, looking for new creatures to dominate.
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Doctor Yamane flipped through an endless pile of paperwork. Being a nuclear physicist was not nearly as exciting or easy as his younger self had believed when graduating. His daughter, Emiko, entered the study. Yamane asked, "Why are you still here? Wouldn't you rather be on a date with your fiancée than stuck at the lab?"
Emiko replied, "Hideto is busy with training with the troops tonight. Anyway, I received an important message for you from the American Embassy."
She flipped through a stack of papers she was carrying and said, "They want you to be a consultant in the disappearance of an American fishing boat, the Fortunate Serpent."
"What could they need me for?" asked Yamane.
Emiko said, "The boat went off course near Lagos Island, and may have run aground. The island was an atomic bomb testing site, so they want someone with your expertise. They said you came highly recommended because of the Super-X project."
Yamane smiled. This could be just what he needed to break up the monotony. It offered a new source of information, and the possibility to save lives. He said, "I'll pack my bags."
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Yamane had slept through most of the boat ride, so he didn't get to know the American team very well. They spoke English to fast and were too excited. They were all glorified interns, fresh out of college and willing to risk life and limb if it looked good on their resume. Before he got the chance to really talk to any of them, they had reached the island. Everybody put on radiation suits, so there was no way he would be able to tell them apart.
Lagos gave a new meaning to the clichéd "desert island". The bomb dropped in 1954 had burned away all animal and plant life. The radiation made it impossible for anything to live there for the next few centuries. As Yamane stepped on the beach, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness. What lie had been so carelessly exterminated before the experiment?
IT didn't take the team very long to find the ship. It rested on the shore, looking quite appropriate in the barren landscape. He heard the team talking, but could only make out a few details. From what he could tell, they were postulating that the ship did not run aground, but sank at sea and washed ashore. Obviously! Yamane thought to himself. The boat's been torn in half! But he had the heart of a gentleman, and simply nodded whenever they looked at him.
Yamane noticed something interesting about the shipwreck. There were puncture marks on both sides, close to the line along which the boat split. He thought, this was not an accident. Some force, a creature, machine, or demon did this. This was a malevolent act of destruction.
The team came to conclusion that no sailors had survived, and that the wreckage was too irradiated to salvage. They linked the accident to malfunctions in communication equipment due to the radiation in the area. Their primary mission accomplished, they decided to split up and collect data on the island. Yamane walked through the wasteland, examining a seemingly endless sea of sand. A small green and red speck stabbed out of the desert. He walked up to it and saw a single, solitary rose. He was overcome with respect or the endurance of nature. Somehow this plant had survived the great energy of the atom. He plucked a small fragment of one of the leaves and put it in a sample container. Such perseverance deserved to be studied in a lab.
He heard yelling from one of the Americans. He had found a cluster of round, pale white objects. "What do you think they are?" he said.
Yamane bent down for a closer look and said, "They're eggs. Pretty big ones too. They look larger than any eggs I've ever seen."One of the investigators picked up the egg to get a better look. Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Yamane looked up, peering through a rising cloud of sand. A dark burgundy shape arose from the ground. It was thin and gangly, but its body took up a very large amount of space. Blood red eyes looked down at them while its jagged beak opened and unleashed shrill squawk.
The monster unfolded giant wings and took off in a flash. The massive gusts flung gusts of sand everywhere, completely obscuring it as it flew away. Yamane coughed and stared in shock. The creature was massive, several times the size of a jumbo jet. A humming sound filled the air as it flew away. Eventually, the sound died down and faded away completely. Yamane knew this island held more secrets, ll part of a puzzle revealing the truth about the shipwreck. But right now, he had to leave.
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Akira Watari was out fishing on a cold night when the screaming started. He thought he might find a relaxing evening, enjoy a nice view of the town, and maybe catch a fish for the first time since the 80's. Until a few minutes ago he had enjoyed a peaceful nap. He never expected to be able to view the devastation of his lifelong home. Buildings were crushed, fire blazed, and people ran through the streets.
He felt paralyzed. He wanted to help his neighbor, but he knew that whatever was destroying his home would only destroy him as well. So he simply sat in silence, taking in the mayhem. He looked, desperately trying to find the source of the destruction. Was an earthquake? Landslide? Undersea volcano?
His worst fears were alleviated and replaced with something far worse. He looked up and saw an enormous shape, obscured by the shadows. It towered above the mountains, with spike on its back that looked like they could stab the stars. A bright blue light surrounded the monstrosity, and descended onto the town below with violent force. The night sky lit up with flaming explosions that scorched the small community.
Akira Watari could not bear to watch anymore. He curled up in the boat and closed his eyes. However, the screams and blasts still reached his ears. They were briefly drowned out by a screeching roar, a sound of pure rage and madness that set his heart on edge. The fisherman burst into tears, unable to do anything else. He didn't know it, but he would be remembered in history as the first human being to witness the wrath of Godzilla and live to tell of it.
To Be Continued.