((I'm SO sorry about the incredibly long delay, but my life took a rather unexpected turn and it's been very difficult to find time to sit down and continue writing. Not only that, but I had to get back in the vibe as well, so hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint too badly!))
… Date: February 27th, 2016…
… Time: 0540 hours…
… Location: Omaezaki, Japan…
The television clicked on and the regularly scheduled shows had all been temporarily interrupted by an important media coverage broadcast concerning the appearance of Godzilla off the south central coast of Japan.
"Godzilla, the Kaiju most directly and largely responsible for the tragedies which Japan has faced over the last several years, has resurfaced yet again and is headed towards the nuclear power plant in Omaezaki. Its present speed is estimated to bring the creature to the city's power plant in less than three hours, and all citizens in the immediate and surrounding area are henceforth ordered to evacuate. The military has been alerted and are scrambling now to intercept the creature before it makes landfall. If Godzilla's advance can be halted, or better yet the creature brought down entirely, Japan may yet breath a large sigh of relief."
The television was turned off as a few men sitting at a nearby bar shook their heads and rolled their eyes.
"You really think the military can stop that thing?" One of the men asked, booze fresh on his breath.
"Nah… They haven't been able to stop a single Kaiju attack since they've begun appearing. What makes them think they can stop the King of the Monsters now?" Another asked, almost falling out of his chair from loss of balance and poor depth perception brought about by his alcoholic stupor.
"I hear ya. They don't got nothing!" The third man said loudly.
The bar they were in was empty and devoid of all customers and staff in the wake of the evacuation order, but it hadn't stopped these three from stealing they way into the bar and drinking themselves silly. Free booze for alcoholics was free booze, and if they had to wait for an evacuation to enjoy it then hey, why not?
One of them flipped on the television again just in time to catch a more interesting broadcast.
"We come to you now live from what is certain to become a battleground here on the ocean two miles offshore of Omaezaki. Though we are keeping what is hopefully a healthy distance from the site, you can see the military vessels already taking up defensive positions across our field of view as well as several aircraft flying overhead. The approach of Godzilla is being monitored closely, and it seems that he's only minutes away from the battle site. More on this exciting story as it develops."
The broadcast was cut and returned to regular scheduled programming, but they only muted the television instead of turning it off.
"Hey… Why did that news chopper have access to the battle zone?" One of the drunks asked the others.
One of the men shrugged and muttered an incoherent "I dunno" before leaning forward against the bar and burying his face in his arms and beginning to fall asleep. The other looked back at the one who asked the question and looked at the television.
"Maybe they know someone in the military? I dunno. But as long as the action is on the tube, I'm good. Best damn show I've ever seen!" He said, taking a large chug of his beverage before wiping his mouth with his sleeve.
The third looked at the television to see when the news would come back, and it did approximately four minutes later. The volume was returned and the two men who were still awake both nudged and patted the one who passed out to wake him up to watch the show unfold.
"We bring you this urgent update! Godzilla has just arrived! You can see the wake of his submerged form behind me right now!" The newswoman said as she moved to the side.
In the center of the camera was a large wake of water going out to both sides as if a massive invisible boat was pushing its way through towards the military vessels. There was no mound of water, as Godzilla was deeper than normal but swimming fast enough to create a wake none the less. A few loud "ping" sounds went out, and the wake slowly vanished before several underwater torpedoes exploded and sent walls of water into the air with loud but muffled explosive noises to accompany them. The television was showing large white walls of water and mist now, and very little of what was going on behind the veil until at last it began to clear.
From the center of the misty plume was a large dark figure looming out of the water, and the familiar growling of Godzilla could be heard. The camera's audio could barely hold the incoming signal and it was slightly distorted, but the sounds of Godzilla were unmistakable. The mist cleared further, and Godzilla's form became apparent beyond the screen as his silhouette outlined the jagged dorsal spines on his back and the muscular slopes of his shoulders and arms. The water was up to the center of his stomach, and as the mist cleared completely his entire form came to bear. His gleaming, rugged hide with water running off of it and the shining silver sheen of his spines cut through to the camera almost perfectly. His mouth opened and he let loose another low growl which mildly clipped the audio of the camera, but still came through rather nicely. It was a picturesque moment, and were it not for the military vessels before him it was a rather peaceful moment.
The peace, however, was not to last. The very moment the mists were gone the military sprung into action. Several of the aircraft began to dive bomb towards Godzilla who looked up into the sky at them and roared, distorting the audio entirely until his roar was complete and the audio signal could once again come through cleanly. A few of the planes launched their missiles at Godzilla, striking him in the chest which forced Godzilla back a tiny bit as he reeled from the blast. When comparing his reaction to the way he brushed off such attacks two years ago, it was almost as if it was an entirely different creature. Godzilla's hide was faltering, and though the missiles hadn't cut through his hide they left rather sizable impact marks and burns on the surface. Godzilla growled and looked at the planes which had just attacked him, but was then struck in the back by several missiles and artillery fire from three of the nearby ships which had opened fire on him. Godzilla turned to face the new threat, but was then struck in the back again by another barrage from ships on the other side of him.
Having attacks come in from both sides, Godzilla dove under the water to try and escape the onslaught. However, waiting for him beneath the waves were several submarines which began firing torpedoes at the King of the Monsters. The impact of the first few did little to Godzilla nor did they stop him, but as the next few struck him it became clear that he was beginning to feel the effects of the attacks much more frequently. Godzilla was forced up to the surface once more, and the instant he broke through the water he came under siege by the ships and aircraft in the skies above.
"Were it not for the horrible memories plaguing our hearts, it would almost be a sad sight to see this majestic creature slowly being destroyed before our eyes. However, in this reporters opinion, it is justice being done. Though difficult to watch, we will continue this broadcast."
The voice had to be subtitled as it was not coming through cleanly, and the three drunks were in awe that Godzilla was taking such a beating.
"He's always kicked their asses before… What could be wrong?" The first one asked.
"I dunno. But it's a good show!" The second one said.
The third, who had been the one to pass out before, watched the screen for a few seconds and then started to incoherently mumble to himself about what he was watching.
Godzilla had leaned down, almost as if to crouch in a fetal position, but then came that dreaded moment when his spines began to illuminate with a piercing blue aura as he began charging his most powerful and famous attack. Godzilla's head came up and he let fly towards one of the larger ships which was firing large explosive rounds and missiles at him, and the surface of the ship caught fire and a few small explosions could be seen as well. However, the ship's main body remained in tact despite Godzilla's effort, and those few guns which escaped his attack continued to fire at him. The .50 caliber bullets from those guns were nothing to Godzilla, so he ignored them and turned his attention to the second largest ship in the fleet as he charged his attack again. As he did so however, he was set upon by the aircraft from above who fired at the back of his head which threw his face down towards the water and made him stop his attack. Godzilla shook his head and looked up to see the aircraft flying by, and as he tried to charge his attack to strike them out of the sky he was attacked by another barrage of fire from the ships behind him.
Once again, Godzilla tried to dive, but this time he had a different tactic in mind. As he dove he charged his thermonuclear breath, and when the submarines began to open fire he unleashed his attack at them. Despite being underwater, his own attack was unhindered and cut through like a hot knife through butter. When it reached the explosive torpedoes the mechanical devices exploded on contact, damaging the submerged vessels and allowing Godzilla some breathing room while underwater. He made his way towards the nearest sub and dug his claws into its port side and tore it wide open. Irritating noises began coming from the wretched vessel, and so Godzilla continued to rip it apart piece by piece until it stopped making sounds and all of it sunk to the bottom of the sea. Godzilla's attention was turned to the other subs nearby which tried to resume their attacks, but Godzilla employed the same tactic as before and continued to damage them with the explosive forces of their own torpedoes until they were all out of commission. Without the ability to fire at him, they were helpless as he tore them apart one by one while safe from the attacks from above.
Godzilla made his way towards the largest vessel which he had attacked earlier, and as he came up underneath it he curved his head and neck down and raked his spines along the base of the hull. The jagged surface of his spines ripped massive holes in the bottom of the vessel, and it slowly began to sink into the depths of the sea as Godzilla took a moment to rest beneath the waves.
"I can hardly believe what I am seeing here ladies and gentlemen… Despite his weakness, Godzilla seems to be taking control of the battle. Already we've received word that all the submarines have been destroyed and the flagship of the fleet is now sinking before our very eyes. It's just… It's unbelievable…" The newswoman said sadly.
The drunks all began to cheer and toast each other with their chosen booze bottles as they continued to watch the scene unfold.
Godzilla surfaced a few moments later as his spines cut through the second largest ship. Godzilla didn't stop his ascent this time, however, and the ship literally broke into two halves on either side of his back as he emerged from the water. The King of the Monsters unleashed a roar of fury as he charged his thermonuclear breath and let fly on every ship within his line of sight. When the attack was over, most of them were no longer able to continue fighting and those that were still capable of battle were busy trying to extinguish the fires on deck which his thermonuclear breath had caused. Godzilla lumbered through the water and tore apart a few of the smaller ships before being attacked again by the planes above. Without the cover of their ships on the water, the planes all became easy targets for Godzilla's breath the next time they came around. Once they were dealt with, Godzilla destroyed the rest of the fleet and watched as each and ever vessel sunk beneath the waves until he was once again alone at the waters surface.
"I… I just can't believe it… All of those men, gone. And Godzilla now moves forward unopposed towards Omaezaki's power plant… More on this story as it develops." The newswoman said as the camera cut off and the regular programming returned.
The drunks turned off the television and walked outside with all the alcohol they could carry in a shopping cart they stole from a nearby convenience store parking lot, and as they walked away they heard and felt the rumble of footsteps in the ground below. As they turned towards the ocean, Godzilla was slowly trudging through the water towards the power plant nearby. They were out of his way, but still it wouldn't do to be close to the plant when Godzilla started tearing into it. The drunks all made a run for it as best they could in their rather pathetic state, and through their stumbles and trips they made it to higher ground a short distance away as they turned to watch Godzilla as he came out of the water towards the plant.
As the King of the Monsters approached, the desperation in his eyes and in his body language was apparent for any who knew how to spot it. The longer than average stride, the depth of his breathing, his mouth agape, and his arms hanging lower than usual. All of it pointed to exhaustion and the desire to refuel his energy, and as he came to the plant he nearly tripped on the power lines surrounding it. In his weakened state, even such usually minor annoyances were enough to momentarily make him falter until he reached the plant. With all the ravenous hunger of a starved animal, Godzilla began tearing into the plant. Ripping away the walls and ceilings and throwing large chunks of debris out of his path until finally, at long last, he held the core of the plant in his hands. The radiation began leaking from the device, and Godzilla's spines began emitting that same blueish glow he was famous for as his body absorbed the radiation.
Slowly, Godzilla's posture straightened and his mouth closed. His arms came up and held the core a bit higher, and his spines began emitting an even brighter glow as Godzilla's head came up and he unleashed an ungodly loud roar into the skies before dropping the core at his feet once it was completely drained of radioactive power. Godzilla looked around, examining the city for a moment before rearing his head back. His spines glowed ominously for a few moments, and as the drunks looked on they were completely helpless as Godzilla unleashed his thermonuclear breath upon the city itself. The brightness, the ferocity, the sheer power of it all was almost overwhelming, and the explosion which erupted upon impact with the first building it came into contact with was immense. Godzilla's breath was dragged from one side of the city all the way to the other before he closed his mouth and once again roared to the skies above in triumph before turning away and lumbering back into the ocean.
Now recovered from his long sleep, Godzilla disappeared beneath the waves… Once again ready to truly challenge the world and any who stood in his path.
