Honda and the rest were gathered in the main conference hall for the previously scheduled meeting. It was ten minutes past when the meeting was supposed to begin, but Martin, Yuma, Arkoff and Nicholson were noticeably absent. Eventually, Martin and Yuma entered together, the former shaking his head in aggravation; the two inventors never showed up. Martin took his seat while Yuma set up a projector.

"Ladies and gentlemen," the general began, "there's been a change in plans. Originally, we were going to discuss the beginning of Mr. Arkoff and Mr. Nicholson's next plan. However, in light of an unexpected development, that project is being postponed indefinitely so we can focus on a new strategy: Project G."

The lights were dimmed as the projector turned on. Yuma narrated as pictures flashed up on the projection screen. "What you're seeing here is the nuclear submarine USS Seahawk, which was destroyed in an accident last year."

Honda sat bolt upright. Had she been wrong? Were they going to consider her proposal after all? Or was this something completely unrelated and she was letting herself get worked up over nothing at all? She was mindful of her breathing and posture, trying to make sure that nobody saw her excitement lest she be disappointed all over again.

"Seahawk had been sent to the Arctic Sea to determine the cause of abnormally high water temperatures in the area. Unfortunately, she malfunctioned and crashed, coming to rest on the continental shelf. A helicopter was sent to locate the sub so that a rescue operation could begin. They found the crash site and took this footage. Watch the left side of the screen." A short reel of black and white film was played showing the crash site from above. Most of what they saw was a large, murky mass but there was another large area off to the left that was bright white over a dark shape underwater. "They also took one color photograph." The image showed clearly that the murky area in the center was a yellow dye marker discharged by the submarine as a distress signal, while the bright part showed a brilliant blue glow. "That light shows what is called Cherenkov radiation, commonly seen in underwater nuclear reactors. Finally, take a look at this enlarged image of the illuminated region." The image showed something huge beneath the water, a bulky central mass with a long tail coming off one end. "Ladies and gentlemen, we believe that the object you are seeing is in fact the creature known as Godzilla, feeding on the spilled radiation from the Seahawk."

As the lights came back on, people in the room chattered in hushed tones, unsure of what to make of this news. Honda, however, was dead silent, breathless with anticipation. Her hands both clinched and she could feel sweat on her brow. Martin looked directly at her as Yuma returned to his seat; then the general addressed the assembly.

"We have in our midst today one Doctor Kumi Honda, the woman who first observed Godzilla and claims to have been able to exert an influence over him. Doctor Honda and Doctor Yuma also observed that the creature has humanoid arms that give him terrific upper body strength, his tissues heal almost instantaneously after injury, and he can discharge extreme heat from his mouth, powered by the radiation that he absorbs. In other words, he would be an extremely deadly combatant, and Doctor Honda's proposal is as follows: we get him to fight on our side."

The confused chatter gave way to stunned silence. Martin rose from his seat and paced the front of the room.

"I ask you all to keep in mind the toll that this war has taken on us and on all of our nations. These monsters are deadlier than any other enemy mankind has ever faced. We kill one, it takes a fleet of battleships down with it and another monster seems to appear in its place. The Yellow Sea was once a vital center of fishing and trade for eastern economies; now it has become the roaming grounds for the sea serpent Manda, which destroys any ship that enters its waters. The great lizard Varan comes ashore at a different place two or three times a year to slaughter innocent people. And the giant insects called Meganula emerge every January to terrorize the people of Russia. The heat ray cannon is a viable option, but the weapon's mobility is limited, despite what its inventors may say. It is heavy and cumbersome to transport, meaning a slow reaction time. In Godzilla, we have not merely a weapon but a new kind of soldier who can react quickly and efficiently to any threat. Therefore, I intend to put Project G into effect immediately and to help Doctor Honda and Doctor Yuma find him by any means necessary."

Honda felt a swell of pride. Her patience and determination had paid off. She could see that there were many around her who were still skeptical of her strategy, but it mattered not; the leader of the UNMCC and all its operations had given her the green light, and however much Nakayama, Arkoff and Nicholson might complain, they could not stop her. She was so thrilled that she hardly noticed Nakayama was smiling proudly at her, as was Yuma.

By the end of the month, Project G had begun in secret. Yuma worked with army engineers to create a series of special buoys that could detect radioactive energy signatures. The buoys were strategically placed in areas where activity that could be attributed to Godzilla had been detected. The primary areas were in the Arctic Sea, the waters around Ogasawara, and the East China Sea. The buoys were monitored 24/7 from the UNMCC base in Okinawa, with a response team always on standby ready for an immediate pursuit. Honda was granted paid leave from the university, who were told only that the government required her assistance, so that she could be ready at a moment's notice to leave with the response team. Days passed uneventfully. Near the end of December, Honda began once again to doubt the strength of her plan, but she did her best to remain optimistic.

Yuma invited her to visit for a New Year's celebration; she said that she could not come because she had been told to stay in Tokyo so she could leave with the response team from Haneda Airport, but that he was welcome to come visit her, instead. He accepted and even insisted on picking up lunch for them both. He arrived in the late afternoon of New Year's Eve, surprising her with a bag full of cookery and another full of ingredients.

"Welcome, Adam. What's with all this stuff? I thought you were picking up dinner."

"I did. You see, madame," he said in his best faux pompous voice, "I have these last five years come to master the art of sukiyaki, so you will permit me to indulge you in my culinary artwork."

Honda laughed and helped him get everything set up. True to his word, Yuma cooked a delightful dish for them both. They tried to make casual talk over lunch, but the conversation inevitably veered toward Project G.

"I would've thought," said Honda, "that if the buoys would pick up something, they would have by now."

Yuma shook his head as he helped himself to a second serving. "Godzilla managed to go years without being seen until just recently. I don't think he comes to the surface much unless there's a good source of radiation to draw him out."

"I suppose that makes sense, but it does make me think he might not come out any time soon."

"He will eventually, I'm sure of it. Just have patience. Oh! I almost forgot!" Yuma produced a bottle of champagne from one of the bags. "I've been saving this for a while, and I suppose this is as worthy an occasion as any." He poured them each a glass and held his aloft. "A toast to the brilliant and beautiful Doctor Kumi Honda, and to the success of Project G."

"To Godzilla! And the new year of course."

"Well, that comes later." Yuma smiled and took a deep gulp of champagne. "I tell you, though, you really made those two fellows – oh, what were their names – Arkoff and Nicholson pretty jealous with that plan of yours."

"Really? How?"

"They were under contract to develop more high-tech weapons for the UNMCC, but if this Godzilla thing works out, they might have to scale those plans back a bit. That's why they weren't at the Project G meeting; they stormed out in a huff when Martin told them he was canceling Project M."

"Project M? What's-?"

The phone rang.

Honda sprang to answer it. "Kumi Honda speaking."

"Doctor Honda, this is Lieutenant Yazaki. We've got something in the East China Sea. We'll have a car at your address in five minutes."

"Thank you!" Honda hung up the phone. "East China Sea! Are you coming?"

"You can bet your bottom dollar, I'm coming!"

Just over an hour later, Honda and Yuma were in a helicopter on their way to the buoy that had been activated when the pilot received a radio message, which he then passed to them. "A second buoy was just tripped to the North of the first, so we'll meet the ship there instead."

Honda was caught between wanting to shout for joy at the thought of seeing Godzilla again and being terrified that something could go wrong at this next stage. What if he no longer recognized her? Would he become violent upon seeing the ship? She suppressed such thoughts, knowing they could do nothing to help right now and that the only thing to do was hope for the best.

They landed on the rear deck of a destroyer, Watatsumi Maru, fifteen minutes later. The ship's captain ran to greet them. "Captain Kawamura at your service. We saw something rise up out of the water right after we got here! You just missed him!"

Yuma turned to Honda. "Feel anything?"

"Nothing," she replied, trying not to sound disappointed.

Yuma addressed the captain. "Did you switch on the buoy's electromagnetic transmitter?"

"Yes, it's been on for at least five minutes now."

"Good. He'll sense the signal and think it's radiation that he can feed on."

A cry came from the lookout. "Object approaching at 10 o'clock!"

Honda and Yuma ran to the port side to get a glimpse. They looked carefully and, sure enough, could see a large, dark spot in the distance advancing rapidly.

"Is it him?" asked Yuma.

"I don't know! I still can't feel anything!"

The lookout shouted again. Yuma cupped his ear. "I can't make that out. What's he saying?"

Honda, too, had trouble understanding the word, though she could hear two short A's. She looked around and could see the crew scrambling to their stations, some of them shouting the same word. Finally she heard it clearly and cried out in horror. "Manda! It's Manda!"