CH.2
The interrogation was long and grueling. Dylan and Akio were attempting the good cop bad cop routine. Dylan sat across from Mifune, who was handcuffed to the table. Akio was pacing behind him, doing his level best to intimidate the elderly Japanese madman. But it wasn't working. Dylan posed the question again.
"Dr. Mifune, we need to know. Do you have any other labs? Any more experiments?"
Akio slammed his fists down on the table. "Talk, damn you! Or I swear I'll…"
Dr. Mifune interrupted Akio by doing the unthinkable. He laughed. "I am a man who has devoted his life to killing Godzilla, the most threatening life-form ever to walk the face of our good earth." Then, looking at Akio he added, "So I'm certainly not afraid of you. I've come to a decision however. I will talk. But not to you, only Dylan here."
Dylan turned his head slightly. "Akio, leave the room."
"I don't know if that's such a great idea Dylan. This old man's shifty. Earlier he snuck a knife past our cavity search an tried to-"
"Akio!" Dylan shouted before turning again and looking his friend and comrade in the eyes. "Please."
"Very well" Akio responded, then looking at Mifune, "but if you need me, for any reason at all, I'll be on the other end of that door." And with that he left.
"Your friend thinks he's a real badass. But you, I see something, an all too familiar darkness just behind your eyes…you would make a much better bad cop."
Dylan looked at the old scientist, a mad glare in his eye. "Familiar darkness? Whatever do you mean?"
"I mean…that there's an obsession in you, the same obsession that has haunted me since 1954. We're a lot alike, you and I."
"How on earth are you anything like me?"
"Well isn't it obvious? We both want to kill Godzilla."
"Godzilla's a global threat. Everyone wants him dead…"
"Exactly. They want him dead for the same reasons that they want to avoid earthquakes and volcanoes, for you and me it's more personal. We don't just want him dead, we want to kill him ourselves. I'm talking about revenge."
"But why Mifune? You know all about me, but why do you want him dead so damned much?"
"Ah. Now there's a story. The year was 1954. I was a young man at the time, still trying to find my place and build some esteem within the scientific community. And I had just made a discovery. A new fossil, never before seen, of a dinosaur that had never been discovered before. I called it 'Titanosaurus'. You know why?"
Dylan shook his head at that.
"Of course not. I named it Titanosaurus because it was, and still is, the largest species of dinosaur ever to be discovered. This was my big break, with this sort of discovery I would be the most renowned man in the paleontological community, and famous worldwide. I came from a poor background; my intellect was all I had. But now there would be articles, books, interviews…I could finally turn my life around. But then another dinosaur, this one living and breathing, came walking out of Tokyo bay, and pushed my discovery into obscurity."
Dylan instantly understood. "Godzilla."
"Exactly. Now mind you, my Titanosaurus is far larger than the species of Gojirasaurus, but in its mutated form Godzilla was far more impressive. My little discovery was simply no match, couldn't compete. I instantly developed a personal hatred of Godzilla, and even after he was killed, the hate never went away. Still there was hope. With Godzilla out of the way, could my discovery come back to the limelight, given time? Alas, no. Because Godzilla was but the tip of the iceberg. There were now many kaiju, ravaging the globe. And I resented them all. So when G-force was formed, I immediately joined the science department and devoted my life to coming up with strategies for the destruction of these mutated freaks of nature. But no matter how many kaiju I helped to destroy, I was still not satisfied. Then there was Ghidorah, and…the new Godzilla, and all my old hate and resentments which had built up for over 50 years were released at once. And if it's the last thing I do, I will see the death of Godzilla- this time at my own hand."
It was an enthralling story, and for a second Dylan pitied this old man, and how the quest for revenge had affected him…but just for that moment. Dylan shook the thoughts from his head and responded, "A lovely story, Dr. now let's get to the reason we're here in the first place, tell me if there are any more experiments…"
"Not yet" Mifune responded, "I've just bore my sole to you, and you must return the favor. I will answer your question, but first…why you? Avenging the death of Dr. Everett is a fine motivation on paper, but you only knew the man for such a short time. Why did the death of someone you worked with for such a short time affect you so?"
The question took Dylan by surprise. "Alright, I'll bite. It's only fair, given what you've told me. Y'see, I never knew my father. I looked up to Everett, such a good man…and even though our relationship was just as short as you say, to me he represented the type of man I'd like to become."
"I see. So killing Everett was like killing an adoptive parent for you, one whom you only got to spend a very limited time with. A much simpler story than mine, but just as profound. Isn't psychology wonderful? Anyway, now I'll answer that question of yours..."
Akio, Smithson, Honda, and Jane stood in the hall waiting to hear from Dylan. Jane spoke.
"So, this Dr. Mifune…he's a renegade scientist. How come I've never heard of him?"
"Because you didn't need to know." said George Martin, who came down the hall and joined them. "After the death of Dr. Everett, Mifune stepped up and suggested that we study the G-cells that were left behind in New York. He wanted to determine the wealth of the G-cell's regenerative and mutagenic properties. His theories were fascinating, but after a few of his experiments went awry, we deemed them too dangerous and opted for Smithson's Moguera design instead. The rest, as they say, is history."
"But Mifune didn't take rejection very well." Akio said, "He was obsessed with his experiments, so he stole the G-cells and went on the lamb. We had an entire division working to bring him in, but needless to say when the Nebulans showed up our efforts had to be spent elsewhere."
Just then Dylan finally exited the room. As he walked down the hall, George asked the question "So?"
Dylan stopped, turned, and responded. "He has no more experiments; he used up all his G-cells. He appears to be telling the truth." Then Dylan continued down the hall, deep in thought.
George turned to Akio. "Go escort Mifune to be processed." Akio complied, and then George addressed Honda. "Dr. Honda, we appreciate your help in designing Mechagodzilla, but now that the machine is complete, we no longer need your assistance in that department. I want you to lead a team of scientists examining the remains of Biollante, similar to the work you were doing in New York before the Nebulan invasion." Dr. Honda readily agreed.