Super Tanker, Kaneko
150 miles south of Midway Island
June 15th, 2004
It was a very calm night. The sky was as black as pitch and there were thunderclouds building up in the northwest sky. A violent thunderstorm was forming, but it would be considered polite compared to what was on its way.
The crew of the Japanese super tanker Kaneko was hard at work, securing every single secure patch on their already faulty oil tanks that had just undergone emergency repair work. The ship's bow sliced through the choppy water at a speed of thirty-five knots. That was a speed that stressed even that mighty ship's hull under the terrible weather. The captain appeared rightfully worried about the condition of his ship.
"Can't we avoid this damned storm? It's very unnerving," said the captain.
"Sir, the storm is ten miles wide and long," reported one of the sailors. "We'll be lucky if we can keep the top deck in one piece."
"We'd better," said the captain. "I don't like these types of nights. They remind me of those old legends."
The young sailor seemed a little bit frightened.
"Sir, do you mean the stories of Goji..."
"Silence!" hollered the captain. "It's terrible luck to even say his name!"
The storm raged on, transforming the ocean's water from a tranquil trance into a vicious and violent killer. Crewmembers then activated a tape recorder. They wanted to record their drunken ramblings, just for something to laugh at later. In the middle of their fun came something unearthly, something indescribable.
It was a muffled, bell-like roar unlike anything that anyone had ever heard before. The sound made the entire ship vibrate with a chilling shudder. Before anyone could even say something, the water around the ship began to glow with an eerie neon blue light. Another sailor quickly approached the captain.
"Sir, my God, there's something.... something horrible in the water!!!"
Many sailors and workers rushed over to the ship's railings to see what was happening. The water was thick with a multitude of... of fish.
Dead fish.
They were all burned to a cinder and were now floating on the ocean surface. Most were now only skeletons. The ocean was becoming thick with them, piling up against the sides of the Kaneko.
Terrified, everyone looked around in fear and anticipation as if waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, they let out a sigh of relief... then screamed in utter horror as they were knocked around like rag dolls when something huge slammed against the bottom of the ship at a speed of at least forty knots. Emergency klaxons blared causing the crew to go into a mass state of panic, but still the tape recorder recorded on.
The oil tanks, which were already damaged, exploded. Oil and fuel spilled into the surrounding water from the gaping hole in the side of the hull. The ship began to take on water at a very rapid rate. As oil continued to spill into the water, a flash of the same blinding light illuminated the water around the ship and ignited the spilt oil. Every inch of the water surrounding the Kaneko burst into flames. The ocean was on fire while that same deafening roar tore through the night again.
Large numbers of the crew ran out onto the deck of the doomed ship and stared into the flaming sea. They all knew they were finished.
Something had reached up out of the infinitely deep ocean and destroyed them.
"Gojira," whispered one of the doomed sailors.
The last thing they would ever see was an apparition of incredible size, like a living mountain, rising from the ocean. The great vision was covered in the burning oil, but the sight of an almost unholy ray of flames that rained down upon them made them somewhat solemn in death.
Right before his imminent death, the captain spoke.
"It is karma. We yield to you, mighty one."
The Kaneko exploded in a mass of flames and debris, completely vaporized. As quickly as it had come, the enormous apparition slipped back into the depths of the Pacific, remaining unknown to the world. Debris from the decimated ship floated in the empty waters and soon began to sink, all except a small tape recorder in an insulated plastic wrapping. It contained a secret, a very important secret, one that would play a major role in the near future.
Military installation Osaka, Japan
Military and science personnel sat at a large table. These men and women were all from either Japan or France. They all sat in stone silence, staring at a small black box that was setting on the center of the table. It was the worn and busted tape recorder from the recently destroyed ship, the Kaneko. A young female officer reached out her hand and hit the "play" button on the small recorder. At first, it made scrambling noises, then began to play but with bad static. What could be heard on that tape told a story of its own; screams, explosions, officers barking orders, breaking glass, a tremendous thud, the shredding of metal, along with a sound that nobody could identify.
It sounded like the roar of a tremendous beast. It was too irregular and loud to be just a large animal. It sounded bell-like and feral, sort of like a low-pitched mix of an eagle's shriek and the roar of a lion. It definitely had the potential to shatter an eardrum or two. Every face in the room went blank and every back received a cold chill. What the hell made that kind of noise?
A young man in uniform decided to make his thoughts known.
"It doesn't sound like any kind of creature or weapon that I've heard of... more like my mother-n-law."
The whole room burst out laughing but the higher ranked officers were not amused. An officer of higher rank silenced him.
"Did any of us say that you could even breath, private?"
"No sir, captain sir!"
"Then shut the hell up!!!!!"
"YES SIR."
A younger man wearing a colonel's uniform and sporting a bad French accent held up a picture for everyone to see, especially the Japanese representative who was present.
"You people can't honestly say that something ALIVE did this!?"
The photo showed the remains of the Kaneko. It was nothing more than ashes.
"Torpedoes or mines are quite possible, but I don't think so. Besides, do any of you, so-called, experts know of a military weapon that roars like some over-sized beast of prey?" said the Japanese representative, eyeing the scientists who were present.
The researchers look up, puzzled expressions on their faces. They were just as baffled and frightened as everyone else.
"Do the Americans know?" asked one of the scientists.
"No."
"Good, nobody must become enlightened. The cause of this tragedy is still unknown, but I fear it's much greater of a danger then any of us can imagine yet."
"Take a look at this," announced a second scientist, inserting tape into a VCR and hitting 'play'.
The TV screen showed several aerial shots of the barely recognizable remains of the Kaneko. Men in, what appeared to be, radiation suits circled the ship slowly in a motorized raft, Geiger counters in hand.
"Our guess is whatever turned this ship into a few shards of charred steel was radioactive."
The room burst into a frenzy of discussion and shouting but was soon quieted down.
"What!? How can that be?" yelled the French colonel. "France and the U.S. have both ceased nuclear testing in that area for many years now!"
"We can't be for sure until we examine those remains more closely. For now, this is a top secret matter that is to be trusted with no person out side this room," said the Japanese representative.
Everyone nodded in agreement. The young female security officer who had been playing with the tape recorder suddenly spoke.
"Um, sorry to interrupt, sirs," said the young woman, shrinking back at the sight of several stern faces staring at her. "But I just heard something on the tape that might interest you."
"Alright young lady, let's here it," said the colonel.
She then activated the recorder at about the middle of the tape. The same chaos and static could be heard along with something else. It sounded like a single word being screamed over and over again. Everyone listened intently and started to understand the word.
GOJIRA.... GOJIRA.... GOJIRA.... GOJIRA.... GOJIRA.... GOJIRA!!!!
"Who or what the hell is Gojira?" said the army major.
"Beats me, sir," said the private.
"I remember Gojira as an ancient legend passed down for generations in my country and surrounding cultures." said the Japanese representative. "It was an incredible sea dragon of immense size that would destroy our ships if certain prayers were not recited before beginning a voyage. Yearly virgin sacrifices were also given to Gojira."
"Well, whoever or whatever Gojira ACTUALLY is, we all would like to know," said the colonel.
"How do you say this name, um, Gujira, Godjira, Godzira, Godzilla?" questioned the captain.
"Godzilla?" asked one of the scientists.
The French colonel spoke again.
"If any of this gets out to the press, there will be SEVERE consequences for the one who opens his or her mouth too widely. Let's just say that if word of 'Godzilla' gets out, it'll be all of your asses."
"Whatever." said the major. "What needs to be done is to investigate the wreckage of that damned ship better than we have been!"
The Japanese representative leaned forward in his chair, a steely look in his eyes.
"I'm going along with the investigation crew, keeping myself undercover of course. It was my country's ship... and I'd like to see for myself if the legends have come into reality."
The French colonel stood up and began to leave the room, then looked back at the group.
"Well then... Project "G" is underway."
Everyone in the room laughed nervously, but then drifted off into an uneasy silence.
It was a very calm night. The sky was as black as pitch and there were thunderclouds building up in the northwest sky. A violent thunderstorm was forming, but it would be considered polite compared to what was on its way.
The crew of the Japanese super tanker Kaneko was hard at work, securing every single secure patch on their already faulty oil tanks that had just undergone emergency repair work. The ship's bow sliced through the choppy water at a speed of thirty-five knots. That was a speed that stressed even that mighty ship's hull under the terrible weather. The captain appeared rightfully worried about the condition of his ship.
"Can't we avoid this damned storm? It's very unnerving," said the captain.
"Sir, the storm is ten miles wide and long," reported one of the sailors. "We'll be lucky if we can keep the top deck in one piece."
"We'd better," said the captain. "I don't like these types of nights. They remind me of those old legends."
The young sailor seemed a little bit frightened.
"Sir, do you mean the stories of Goji..."
"Silence!" hollered the captain. "It's terrible luck to even say his name!"
The storm raged on, transforming the ocean's water from a tranquil trance into a vicious and violent killer. Crewmembers then activated a tape recorder. They wanted to record their drunken ramblings, just for something to laugh at later. In the middle of their fun came something unearthly, something indescribable.
It was a muffled, bell-like roar unlike anything that anyone had ever heard before. The sound made the entire ship vibrate with a chilling shudder. Before anyone could even say something, the water around the ship began to glow with an eerie neon blue light. Another sailor quickly approached the captain.
"Sir, my God, there's something.... something horrible in the water!!!"
Many sailors and workers rushed over to the ship's railings to see what was happening. The water was thick with a multitude of... of fish.
Dead fish.
They were all burned to a cinder and were now floating on the ocean surface. Most were now only skeletons. The ocean was becoming thick with them, piling up against the sides of the Kaneko.
Terrified, everyone looked around in fear and anticipation as if waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, they let out a sigh of relief... then screamed in utter horror as they were knocked around like rag dolls when something huge slammed against the bottom of the ship at a speed of at least forty knots. Emergency klaxons blared causing the crew to go into a mass state of panic, but still the tape recorder recorded on.
The oil tanks, which were already damaged, exploded. Oil and fuel spilled into the surrounding water from the gaping hole in the side of the hull. The ship began to take on water at a very rapid rate. As oil continued to spill into the water, a flash of the same blinding light illuminated the water around the ship and ignited the spilt oil. Every inch of the water surrounding the Kaneko burst into flames. The ocean was on fire while that same deafening roar tore through the night again.
Large numbers of the crew ran out onto the deck of the doomed ship and stared into the flaming sea. They all knew they were finished.
Something had reached up out of the infinitely deep ocean and destroyed them.
"Gojira," whispered one of the doomed sailors.
The last thing they would ever see was an apparition of incredible size, like a living mountain, rising from the ocean. The great vision was covered in the burning oil, but the sight of an almost unholy ray of flames that rained down upon them made them somewhat solemn in death.
Right before his imminent death, the captain spoke.
"It is karma. We yield to you, mighty one."
The Kaneko exploded in a mass of flames and debris, completely vaporized. As quickly as it had come, the enormous apparition slipped back into the depths of the Pacific, remaining unknown to the world. Debris from the decimated ship floated in the empty waters and soon began to sink, all except a small tape recorder in an insulated plastic wrapping. It contained a secret, a very important secret, one that would play a major role in the near future.
Military installation Osaka, Japan
Military and science personnel sat at a large table. These men and women were all from either Japan or France. They all sat in stone silence, staring at a small black box that was setting on the center of the table. It was the worn and busted tape recorder from the recently destroyed ship, the Kaneko. A young female officer reached out her hand and hit the "play" button on the small recorder. At first, it made scrambling noises, then began to play but with bad static. What could be heard on that tape told a story of its own; screams, explosions, officers barking orders, breaking glass, a tremendous thud, the shredding of metal, along with a sound that nobody could identify.
It sounded like the roar of a tremendous beast. It was too irregular and loud to be just a large animal. It sounded bell-like and feral, sort of like a low-pitched mix of an eagle's shriek and the roar of a lion. It definitely had the potential to shatter an eardrum or two. Every face in the room went blank and every back received a cold chill. What the hell made that kind of noise?
A young man in uniform decided to make his thoughts known.
"It doesn't sound like any kind of creature or weapon that I've heard of... more like my mother-n-law."
The whole room burst out laughing but the higher ranked officers were not amused. An officer of higher rank silenced him.
"Did any of us say that you could even breath, private?"
"No sir, captain sir!"
"Then shut the hell up!!!!!"
"YES SIR."
A younger man wearing a colonel's uniform and sporting a bad French accent held up a picture for everyone to see, especially the Japanese representative who was present.
"You people can't honestly say that something ALIVE did this!?"
The photo showed the remains of the Kaneko. It was nothing more than ashes.
"Torpedoes or mines are quite possible, but I don't think so. Besides, do any of you, so-called, experts know of a military weapon that roars like some over-sized beast of prey?" said the Japanese representative, eyeing the scientists who were present.
The researchers look up, puzzled expressions on their faces. They were just as baffled and frightened as everyone else.
"Do the Americans know?" asked one of the scientists.
"No."
"Good, nobody must become enlightened. The cause of this tragedy is still unknown, but I fear it's much greater of a danger then any of us can imagine yet."
"Take a look at this," announced a second scientist, inserting tape into a VCR and hitting 'play'.
The TV screen showed several aerial shots of the barely recognizable remains of the Kaneko. Men in, what appeared to be, radiation suits circled the ship slowly in a motorized raft, Geiger counters in hand.
"Our guess is whatever turned this ship into a few shards of charred steel was radioactive."
The room burst into a frenzy of discussion and shouting but was soon quieted down.
"What!? How can that be?" yelled the French colonel. "France and the U.S. have both ceased nuclear testing in that area for many years now!"
"We can't be for sure until we examine those remains more closely. For now, this is a top secret matter that is to be trusted with no person out side this room," said the Japanese representative.
Everyone nodded in agreement. The young female security officer who had been playing with the tape recorder suddenly spoke.
"Um, sorry to interrupt, sirs," said the young woman, shrinking back at the sight of several stern faces staring at her. "But I just heard something on the tape that might interest you."
"Alright young lady, let's here it," said the colonel.
She then activated the recorder at about the middle of the tape. The same chaos and static could be heard along with something else. It sounded like a single word being screamed over and over again. Everyone listened intently and started to understand the word.
GOJIRA.... GOJIRA.... GOJIRA.... GOJIRA.... GOJIRA.... GOJIRA!!!!
"Who or what the hell is Gojira?" said the army major.
"Beats me, sir," said the private.
"I remember Gojira as an ancient legend passed down for generations in my country and surrounding cultures." said the Japanese representative. "It was an incredible sea dragon of immense size that would destroy our ships if certain prayers were not recited before beginning a voyage. Yearly virgin sacrifices were also given to Gojira."
"Well, whoever or whatever Gojira ACTUALLY is, we all would like to know," said the colonel.
"How do you say this name, um, Gujira, Godjira, Godzira, Godzilla?" questioned the captain.
"Godzilla?" asked one of the scientists.
The French colonel spoke again.
"If any of this gets out to the press, there will be SEVERE consequences for the one who opens his or her mouth too widely. Let's just say that if word of 'Godzilla' gets out, it'll be all of your asses."
"Whatever." said the major. "What needs to be done is to investigate the wreckage of that damned ship better than we have been!"
The Japanese representative leaned forward in his chair, a steely look in his eyes.
"I'm going along with the investigation crew, keeping myself undercover of course. It was my country's ship... and I'd like to see for myself if the legends have come into reality."
The French colonel stood up and began to leave the room, then looked back at the group.
"Well then... Project "G" is underway."
Everyone in the room laughed nervously, but then drifted off into an uneasy silence.