Yuma awoke with a splitting headache. He was sitting in the dark, he knew not where. He tried to move, but his arms and legs were strapped to his chair. After about a minute, a single dim light turned on. Yuma could see that he was in a small room of concrete, seated directly opposite from a metal door with no handle or latch.
The door slid open with an electric hum, and in walked a tall Japanese man. He wore an ash grey military uniform and a white officer's hat with a black bill and unfamiliar emblem: a golden shinai surrounded by red bamboo leaves and two gold horns. The skin of his face was leathery but not droopy, suggesting old age but not oldness. He wore a large patch over his left eye with an embroidered red Japanese dragon; long scars radiated outward from the eye.
The man smiled maliciously. "Doctor Yuma!" he said with a deep, gravelly voice. "I'm so glad you could join us. I have been watching you some time, and I must say you impress me. You took my work farther than I ever could."
Yuma blinked sleepily at his host. "Who…ugh…who are you? Where am I?"
The tall man took off his hat, revealing that the scars around his left eye actually continued beyond his ears, all the way up his forehead, and most of the way back to his scalp, leaving noticeable lines where the hair could never grow back. "My apologies, Doctor. I should introduce myself properly. I am General Shinzo. I took over the Gargantua program from Doctor Reisendorf."
Yuma gripped the arms of his chair tightly. He remembered Sanda and Doctor Mizuno's account of Shinzo as a brutal, sadistic man.
Shinzo chuckled at his captive's distress. "No need to fear, Doctor. I have no intention of hurting you. Maybe your little friend, but never you."
"Friend?" Yuma swallowed hard. "Who else have you abducted? And why-?"
Shinzo wagged a finger at him. "Later. I'll keep you in suspense. First, I'm going to show you some things, and I want you to pay attention…and not just for your own sake."
Two guards in beige uniforms entered and began undoing Yuma's straps, while Shinzo pointed a silver-finished high-caliber pistol directly at his heart. The guards stood Yuma up and prepared to cuff him, but Shinzo waved them off.
"No! Let our guest of honor roam freely. I think he has a good enough reason not to run. Now, would you like to see the rest of the base?"
Yuma wanted nothing more than to make a grab for Shinzo's gun, but he knew that so much as talking back could get him - or someone else - killed, so he simply sighed the word, "Yes."
Shinzo led him out and down a long hall. Yuma had expected to see grungy concrete walls or steel bars, but instead, the walls were freshly painted pewter and the floor was checkered with black and yellow marble tiles. There were many metal double doors painted cadmium red with blue borders, and as they walked along, Yuma could see through hallway windows into brightly lit laboratories and training rooms, filled with researchers in lab coats examining chemicals and materials, or shirtless soldiers performing elaborate martial arts exercises in perfect synchronization. The lack of outside windows suggested that the facility was somewhere underground.
"What is this place?" asked Yuma.
"Devil's Island," replied Shinzo. "After I escaped the atomic blast in Hiroshima, I wanted more than ever to get back at the Allies for what they had done to my country, but when I heard that Japan wanted to surrender, I decided to take vengeance into my own hands. Nobody outside my platoon knew that I had survived, so I have been biding my time here, building up an arsenal and sending out agents to find like-minded people who want to restore Japan to its former glory."
"Does this merry band of miscreants have a name?"
"The Red Bamboo, for the color and the plant are traditional symbols of Japan's strength, a strength that most of the country has forgotten."
"Funny. Major Clarke told me something about 'Seekers of Seatopia,' or some such business. I figured that would mean you."
"That is not the name of any one organization or entity. Rather, there is a demanding market now for ancient artifacts and alien technology, and it attracts many interested parties who use that title collectively."
Yuma remembered what Honda had told him about the Wise Ones and Nirai Kanai. He did not know if Shinzo had found out about them, so he feigned skepticism. "You don't honestly believe all that 'lost continent' business, do you?"
"Oh, we do, along with many others. Some of these 'Seekers' are mere collectors, others worshippers, but most just want to make money. The Red Bamboo, on the other hand, wish to master the ancient art of the gods: creating and reshaping life. Then we will have the power to accomplish our goal: all the world under one roof."
Yuma knew as he listened that his situation was more dire than he had previously believed. The phrase "all the world under one roof" was a slogan of Japanese supremacy during World War II, and if the Red Bamboo still had that outlook, then his position as a white man from a former enemy nation meant that he was that much less likely to ever be set free. He could only assume that Shinzo would have him disposed of once this was all over.
After walking a while longer, they stopped outside one of the double doors. Shinzo approached a keypad on the wall and entered a code. "I want you to see what we've been up to since the war."
The door opened to reveal a chamber filled with meter-wide and ceiling-height green cylinders. Shinzo stepped inside the room and pressed a yellow button on a wall-mounted panel. The cylinders opened to reveal cryogenic tubes, and inside, deformed human bodies. Yuma gasped as he recognized the effects of a failed attempt at recreating the Reisendorf formula: colorless skin shrunken tight against distorted skeletal frames, overgrown yet brittle hair, ulcers crusted over with fluid, bloody eyes, and faces twisted into inhuman expressions midway between agony and despair.
"I suppose," said Shinzo, "you know what these are."
Yuma nodded in horror and muttered, "Gargantua."
"We never could get the formula right. Eventually, we decided that we were wasting time and resources, but it wasn't long after that when I learned of your experiments with the G1."
"The G1! How did you find out about that?"
"We have connections. Right now, the world seems to be unified, but it's also more militarized than ever. A lot of new tech and weapons are being developed, and global power is shifting almost daily. We won't be fighting monsters forever, and once it all ends, we're going to be living in a very different world. I don't know about you, but I and many others want to be ready for that different world. And that's where you come in."
Yuma angrily protested, "But the G1 experiments didn't fair any better. The subjects all died."
Shinzo sneered. "I'm aware. I also know that their deaths failed to deter you from trying it over and over again." He took Yuma firmly by the arm and led him down the hall to their next stop.
As they rounded the next corner, they encountered three people: a tall Chinese woman in a black lab coat with glistening blue metal earrings, Hirano wearing a similar uniform to Shinzo, and a young man with heavily bandaged arms whom Yuma recognized. The woman greeted him with a sweeping bow.
"Greetings, Doctor Yuma. I am Professor Fang. I have been looking forward to meeting you for some time. I understand you have already met Agent Hirano and Lieutenant Rex."
Yuma thought back to the Adona expedition. Rex was one of the soldiers on the mission who had been paid off to capture him and plunder the natives' home. The rest of his group died of radiation poisoning during the expedition, but Rex was taken alive, albeit with a few bullets in him by which to remember the incident. "Adam," he grunted in contemptuous acknowledgment toward the doctor.
Yuma matched his glare. "How are the arms?"
"They'll heal, no thanks to you."
"I'm not the one who decided you should kidnap me."
"Enough bickering," said Shinzo. "Now, Doctor, would you like to see what we've been up to here?"
Nearby there was another dual door, but this one had titanium bars glowing green with some strange energy, a force field of some type. Shinzo entered a password into a keypad on the wall; the energy field deactivated and the doors opened, revealing a second set of glowing bars within. A second code was used to open both sets of bars. Inside was an antechamber leading to a large room with a wide, thick window covered by the same energy barricade as the bars.
"Go on," said Shinzo. "Take a look inside."
Yuma stepped closer to the window. The interior area was massive, about one hundred meters wide, tall, and deep. Within was an indeterminate organism that took up most of the available space. It had green, scaly skin like a reptile, but an otherwise plant-like appearance: a sturdy trunk wrapped in thorny vines, large roots that disappeared into a deep pool of murky water at the bottom of the room, and at the very top, a giant unbloomed rosebud.
"What is it?" asked Yuma.
"Biollante," said Shinzo. "My goal was to make a biological weapon, combining a highly invasive species of rose with the Adonian vampire plant and Godzilla's ORGA."
"His what?"
"Organic Regeneration and Growth Accelerator. I recall in your research files, you referred to the G1 organelle as its source. We have made several more of such hybrid creatures, but now we have something more ambitious in mind. We want your talents for working with the Godzilla cells and radioactive items, so perhaps you can help us reach our goals."
Yuma shook his head. "I don't care what your goals are. I want nothing to do with this."
Shinzo laughed mockingly. "I knew you'd say that, so I thought I'd give you some incentive."
A guard entered the room pushing a wheelchair holding a frail young woman in a hospital gown with a black bag over her head. Yuma's heart sank as he realized who she was even before the guard behind her removed the bag from over her head: Keiko. Upon seeing him, she burst into tears. "Doctor Yuma!" she moaned between heaving sobs. "What's happening?"
Overcome with rage, Yuma lunged for Hirano's throat, only to be struck from behind with the butt of a guard's rifle, knocking him to the floor. Rex sneered and kicked the doctor's side while he was down. Shinzo lifted the dazed Yuma to his feet and directed his attention to a corner of the room on the window side. Another locked door was there, which Hirano approached and entered the password for; the keypad lit up red, and a panel of the wall slid back to reveal a large, white button.
"Now," said Shinzo, "you will see what happens to those who fail us."
Shinzo's guards seized Rex by the arms and dragged him squirming toward the door. "Hey! Hey, wait! What are you doing? No! Stop! I didn't-"
Hirano pressed the white button and the sliding door opened. The guards threw Rex out into empty space, but as he fell screaming toward the bottom of the huge chamber, one of Biollante's vines uncoiled to reveal a wide, toothed mouth at the end. The appendage snatched Rex mid-descent and swallowed him whole.
"You see?" said Shinzo. "We have no patience for incompetence. The late lieutenant failed in his mission to acquire you, then nearly exposed our organization."
Hirano closed the door and walked over to Keiko, running his fingers through the trembling girl's hair. "Now, Doctor," he cooed facetiously, "I'm sure you wouldn't want anything so unpleasant to become of such a beautiful young lady!"
A quavery whimper escaped from Keiko's throat. Yuma's entire body still shook with anger, but he was powerless to act against their will.
A buzzer rang out over the base's intercom, followed by a synthesized voice announcing, "Titanosaurus has returned from his mission. Repeat: Titanosaurus has returned from his mission."
Shinzo smiled and gestured toward the hallway. "How excellent. Doctor Yuma, come and see what else we do here."
Yuma reluctantly followed Shinzo and Fang outside. The others accompanied them out, with a guard pushing the now openly weeping Keiko along. Yuma hated himself for getting her tied up in all of this. She had been too weak to walk for a while now, and she was getting worse. He estimated that she had a month to live.
Fang and Shinzo led him down a flight of stairs into an immense grotto filled with seawater. Just after they arrived, a giant reptile reared its head from the water. It resembled a Spinosaurus, albeit with a more elongated body and neck, a dorsal sail that ran all the way up to the top of its head, and a rudder-like fin on its tail.
"This," said Shinzo, "is the mighty Titanosaurus! We have the power to control monsters, and now we have several guarding our island. Titanosaurus is the fastest swimmer in existence, so he's perfect for sending out on missions that require monster-sized backup. I sent him to attack Hiroshima to provide cover for your abduction, and then to retrieve something for me."
Titanosaurus craned his neck so that his head was over solid ground, then coughed something up: a car-sized lump of Godzilla's flesh.
"A fresh sample!" exclaimed Shinzo. "Before, we had to send agents into cities after Godzilla's battles to obtain measly skin samples from the wreckage, but now we ought to have enough for you to work with for months, if necessary."
Yuma eyed the bleeding, throbbing mass in disgust. "And what am I meant to do with it?"
"Pick back up where you left off."
"But I told you, the experiment was a failure! I…" Yuma remembered that Keiko was present and his voice trailed off.
Fang stepped in. "We believe the mold you found may hold the secret. By suppressing the radioactivity, the solution will be more readily assimilated and assert itself less violently."
Shinzo said, "We want your creativity and experience. Every resource will be at your disposal, and Professor Fang has some ideas you may wish to incorporate into your work."
Keiko began to cough. Hirano pulled out a canteen and gave her a sip of water; she reluctantly accepted, glaring at him the whole time. Yuma looked on in concern. "Please," the doctor said to Shinzo, "you must allow me to treat my patient!"
"We will," said Shinzo. "You're not just working for us. Your solution will save her, too."
Yuma despaired. He had already destroyed his Gargantua research because he could not stand to think of what it might do to this patient, and this could be even worse, but he knew he had no choice.
"Now, then," said Shinzo, "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll let Professor Fang show you to your new workspace."
The laboratory Shinzo had set up for Yuma was as well-equipped for precise and demanding work as he had promised. All the tools he could ask for were present, including a large electronic microscope, but the first thing to grab his attention was a film projector with a reel in place.
"What is that?" he asked, pointing toward the player, dreading the answer.
Fang grinned nefariously. "I'm glad you asked! Just some old records of your previous work. Would you like to see it? How about you, sweet little Keiko?"
Yuma defeatedly slumped into a chair while Fang dimmed the lights and started the film, projecting the images onto a blank wall. Keiko looked at Yuma in bewilderment. "Doctor?" she asked quietly. "What is this? What's going on?"
He said nothing and averted his eyes as the film began. Keiko turned to watch and was shaken to her core by what she saw.
The film was monochrome and no sound accompanied the video. The picture quality was deteriorated, but not so badly that the events being captured were not easily understandable. There was Yuma, standing over a half-naked man strapped to an operating table in the lab of some unknown facility. He injected the man with a dark liquid from a hypodermic syringe, then stepped back and watched as his subject's veins darkened across his body and he started to convulse. Yuma looked frightened and stepped out of frame as dark fluid seeped from the subject's eyes, ears, nose, and mouth,
Yuma returned into view with a second needle and tried to inject his subject, but his spasms were too extreme to get it in clearly. Instead, the doctor turned and motioned to someone offscreen. A soldier entered the frame with pistol drawn; he pressed it against the convulsing man's head and pulled the trigger as the film ran out.
Fang flicked the lights back on and once again turned her sickly smile toward Keiko. "As you saw, Doctor Yuma has experience working with Godzilla's cells. The former General Martin wanted to make soldiers who could do battle with monsters, but all he managed to do was inflict horrible deaths upon twenty seven men."
Keiko gasped. "Twenty seven?!"
"Yes, child. And he only stopped when he thought he had found a better mutagen to use. It's too bad Yuma never proceeded with those experiments, but now he's back to pursuing his true life's work. Isn't that right, Doctor?"
Yuma still said nothing.
"Very well," said Fang, walking to the door. "I'll be back soon to start preparing for the new experiment. You two feel free to chat amongst yourselves until I get back!" Chuckling ominously and fiddling with her earrings, Fang left and slammed the door behind her.
Keiko stared at her doctor in shock. She felt so many emotions at once: anger, resentment, betrayal, disillusionment, but mostly sadness. "Why?" she moaned through chest-wracking sobs. "How could you? You're one of them! You're a mad scientist!"
Yuma remained silent. The truth was out. His terrible past had been laid out before the one person he feared more than any other to reveal it to. He knew nothing he could say would restore Keiko's faith in him, so he turned his mind to the problem at hand. Maybe, he thought, just maybe going along with the Red Bamboo's demands for now would buy some time to escape or for someone to find them.
There were three small bedrooms adjacent to the laboratory with a cot in each: one for Professor Fang, two for the prisoners. Late on the first night of their captivity, Keiko awoke to the sound of a woman's voice whispering to her out of thin air.
Keiko…Keiko, help me!
She whispered back fearfully, "Who's there?"
Help me, Keiko. Please. Come to me!
With some painful effort, Keiko raised herself to a sitting position. "Who's there?" she asked again. "Where are you?"
The voice carried on vaguely. Please help me! I'm so alone. Come to me, Keiko!
Keiko tried to get out of bed, but her legs refused to cooperate. She called out hoarsely, "I'm coming! Where are you?"
The door to her cell creaked slowly open. Keiko gasped as Fang entered, still wearing her black lab coat. "Feeling restless, little one?" She reached for her belt and touched something in a holster which Keiko could not see but assumed was a gun of some kind. "How about something to help you sleep?"
Keiko's teeth trembled as she lay back down in bed and pulled the covers tight around herself.
Fang grinned malevolently. "Good girl. Sleep tight!" She left and closed the door behind her, slowly sliding the squeaky bolt back into place.
Keiko nervously swallowed and tasted blood; her gums were bleeding. Too afraid to move or cry for help, she lay flat on her back and waited for the hemorrhage to cease, all the while weeping openly, forgetting completely about the voice in the night.