10. Smoke on the Horizon

Two Japanese men in military uniforms gathered around a small wooden table. Resting on the table was a poster with the schematics of a complex molecule. The words "Weapon X" were written above the molecule in Kanji. Smaller labels named the various atoms in the molecule.

Everyone in the room had signed a contract stating that they would not release what they saw or heard here to the public. Not even the press knew of what they were about to discuss.

"Gentlemen," began a small, elderly woman in a lab coat. She bowed from the doorway before walking in and went right to business. "Explosives have no effect on Godzilla because his skin is practically impenetrable by conventional weaponry. However, one lucky shot to the mouth gave us a tissue sample. Observe." She turned to a high definition television screen and clicked "PLAY" on a DVD player. A rotating DNA helix appeared on the screen. The image stopped rotating and white text appeared to label the different proteins. "This is Godzilla's DNA." Then she clicked a button and another DNA strand appeared next to Godzilla's. "And this is human DNA."

Gasps and chatter erupted amidst the two military men. The youngest one, whose name-tag read Kazuma Ito, raised his hand. "Dr. Takeshi, is this a joke? Godzilla's DNA is identical to the human DNA!"

"We tested it several times. That is Godzilla's genetic makeup you're seeing onscreen." Dr. Takeshi smiled at the handsome young man. "I can assure you that this is no joke."

"A mutant dinosaur with human DNA...it doesn't make sense." Kazuma sank back into his seat, red-faced. "Why are you showing this to us?"

"Glad you asked. With this DNA, a geneticist in Saradia by the name if Rifat Salarjung has come up with this." Dr. Takeshi advanced the DVD and the complex molecule on the poster appeared in color on the screen. "A virus attuned specifically to Godzilla's DNA, delivered by aerosol so he breathes it straight into his lungs. Once inhaled, the virus will attack his lungs until they fail. Because the virus is made with his own genes, his body won't recognize it as a threat until the virus has already taken hold. The violent reaction of his own immune system will kill him." She faced the three men again, "It is estimated that he'll be dead within three to five months of being infected."

The senior officer, an older man named Hikaru Bessho, raised his hand. He was shaved bald and had a rather large mole on the left side of his jaw. "Doctor, is it safe to release this virus into the atmosphere?"

"Perfectly safe. Even if the general population breathes it in, the worst they'll get is cold symptoms. Their bodies will be able to fight off the pathogen. Only Godzilla will suffer the fatal effects."

Kazuma ran a hand over his short brown hair. "How will the virus be delivered to his location?"

At this, Hikaru turned to the younger man. "Godzilla never attacks civilian aircraft. Therefore, a remote controlled crop dusting plane will spray the payload directly in his face. Godzilla shouldn't even notice it until it dives, and by then he will inhale the virus."

"That will really piss him off."

"Yes," Hikaru replied, narrowing his eyes.

"We are also keeping this a secret. Even after the virus is deployed, we're telling the press it's a remote plane whose onboard computer experienced a flight error. The plane is programmed to crash into the ocean after making its delivery." Dr. Takeshi turned off the TV and DVD. "None of us want terrorists to find this formula and mutate it to contaminate humans. Even the doctor in Saradia destroyed his notes after sending them to us. We will do the same after this meeting is over."

Kazuma stood up, "I guess we-"

A woman burst through the door. "Godzilla just attacked the Tokai plant! He's consuming the reactor!"

"Shit!" Hikaru jumped to his feet. He looked to his colleagues. "Prepare Weapon X for deployment."

"Yes, sir!"

.o

Hideo wiped the salty sweat from his brow and watched the coastline. He'd just filled his nets to the brim with fish and he didn't want anything to happen to his catch. The waters were rough, making his small boat rock. He turned to shout instructions when he noticed Wagura staring open-mouthed to the north.

"Hideo! Look!"

Turning, Hideo squinted in the direction of the Tokai plant, which was just a dim shape in the fading twilight. The smoke parted to briefly reveal Godzilla. He held the reactor in his claws, his face like a heroin addict giving himself a fix. Blue light danced up and down his jagged dorsal fins. Hideo saw Godzilla's mouth curl up into a satisfied grin that bared his huge fangs.

"We should get out of here." Wagura tugged on Hideo's arm. "It won't be safe when the military shows up!"

Hideo shrugged Wagura's hand off. "Why isn't the military there already? Last time this happened, they had tanks, masers and airplanes going after him. Why not now?"

"I dunno." Wagura scratched his head. "Let's secure the lines and get out of here anyway."

Nodding, Hideo rushed to help Wagura tie the nets more securely to the sides of the boat. He heard an engine and looked up as a crop duster sailed over their boat. His eyes went to Godzilla. The monster was still enjoying the reactor. Hideo watched the small craft suddenly dive and spray a yellow mist straight in Godzilla's face. Before Godzilla reacted, the plane turned back the way it came.

Godzilla's lifeless white eyes flew open.

Wagura screamed, "Dammit! Hideo, GO! GO!"

Hideo jammed the boat into motion. Godzilla's roar of anguish drowned out the engines, but Hideo didn't dare look backwards. In his rear view mirror, he saw the blue glow in Godzilla's throat just a split second before his heat ray slammed into the tiny airplane. The crop duster exploded in an orange fireball. Debris rained into the ocean a mere ten feet from the fishing boat. Godzilla stomped into the water, his fangs bared in a horrible snarl. Then he noticed the boat and stopped.

"He...he's...he's going to attack us!" screamed Wagura. He was so terrified that his knees buckled and he fainted.

Godzilla came even closer to the boat. He looked straight at Hideo and growled, "Get out before they send subs." Then he dove and his enormous, jagged dorsal spines passed on either side of the boat.

Wasting no time, Hideo jerked the steering wheel and sped to shore. He prayed that Miki was all right.

.o

The house was incredibly lonely. Miki made up for it by doing laundry, washing dishes and setting up a nice steak dinner for when Godzilla got back. She knew how horrible he always felt about his rampages. Sometimes he'd grab the big bottle of vodka he kept in a cabinet and drink until he was shaking and crying. Perhaps a good meal would help Godzilla avoid the liquor altogether. It couldn't be good for him. She put one of his albums on the stereo while she cooked. The sound of Godzilla's singing made the home feel less empty.

Having the house to herself gave Miki a lot of time to think. Godzilla made her feel things she never felt before. Her face flushed as she remembered how gentle he was the night before. He knew exactly what he was doing and she was the one who didn't know what to do. Everything happened so fast. Miki always thought her first time would be painful and without fulfillment. Last night hadn't been like that at all. Godzilla was so gentle with her that she only felt pain for a few seconds when he...then it all dissolved into the careful pushing and pulling that tumbled into a feeling achieved only when two spirits were separated by the flesh holding them to their bodies. He kept his nose pressed to her hair the entire time, not letting her see his face. She'd closed her eyes and just listened to him-from his heavy breathing to the quiet whimper of completion-and not once did he sound like anything other than a human being.

Miki gritted her teeth and poured A1 sauce all over the steak on the pan. Its simmering, boiling surface reminded Miki of her turmoil. Sometimes she honestly forgot what Godzilla was, especially last night, and when she looked again and remembered-it hurt. She felt guilty when she saw his face immediately after and for one second didn't know whether to run away in shame or stay in his arms. That's what people would say if they knew what she had done. That it was shameful because she did it with a non-human. She'd be labeled as a freak. Then she found herself backpedaling that thought. The being she shared a bed with last night was another person altogether. She slept with G, the brilliant singer and songwriter...not the monster mankind knew as Godzilla.

Claws scraped on the doorstep. Miki heard the door creak open and Godzilla came up behind her. He sang the song playing on the stereo gently in her ear. She swallowed hard. Why did he have to be so wonderful?

"I smell food," Godzilla's silky voice grazed her ear.

"I'm cooking," Miki replied, glancing over her shoulder. "Steaks, your favorite."

His scaly lips nuzzled her earlobe, a sensation bordering on unpleasant that she was slowly getting used to. In time, she knew it probably wouldn't phase her.

"Awesome. Smells like you're almost done, too. I better hurry up and shower. I'm covered in sand."

Miki glanced up when he moved away, trailing footprints and sand across the house. His silver-white dorsal spines clattered together, making a sound like two elks fighting as he jogged up the stairs. When had the sight of him walking around start seeming so normal? When did his touch stop feeling alien? When did his voice make her pulse leap and her stomach itch? When did his musical laugh start filling her with joy? When did she stop seeing him as a monster?

Miki flipped the steak over and covered the top side in A1 sauce. Messy, but he loved his steaks drowned in the stuff, claiming that cooking it in the sauce cooked the flavor into the meat. Just remembering how he talked about cooking made Miki's throat knot up. She was falling in love with Godzilla-and it scared her. She didn't know whether to be elated or ashamed.

He was a great person...wonderful, talented, funny, sweet and caring...everything she looked for in a man. Just one tiny problem- he wasn't human. And that ruined everything, even prospects of marriage and children. The world would never understand. She'd have to spend her life on this island, away from the world. What about her future and her career? How would she explain this situation? Either she had to stay here and never model seriously, or break it off before she fell too far and move forward in her life. Both choices had benefits, both had risks and both meant somebody had to get hurt.

And I'll crush his happiness if I leave, Miki bit her lip and dished up the steaks and vegetables. I'd crush his heart, too. I know from last night that he's in love with me. I don't want to hurt him. Not after he's been so good to me.

Godzilla came back downstairs, the smell of seawater washed from his gray hide. He politely pulled Miki's chair out for her and seated her before he sat down himself. "This looks so good. I'm starved."

"Dig in," said Miki, smiling. "I cooked it in A1 sauce."

"Just how I like it." He cut a piece and shoved it into his mouth, swallowing without even chewing. "Mmm...delicious. Guess I'll have to pay you back with that sukiyaki you love." He proceeded to demolish his entire steak before Miki even ate half of hers.

She ate slowly, taking in the smell of the meat. The embarrassed look he shot at her half-eaten food made her giggle. "You seem happy. What happened out there?"

"Hm? Oh! It was weird...nobody attacked me. All I got was a screwy unmanned crop duster buzzing my face. I didn't hurt anybody today, Miki. It's the first time in a long while since I've gotten a fix without killing people." Godzilla licked the sauce off his fork and set it down. "Maybe they finally realized it costs less to just let me take the plant and fix it when I leave."

"Maybe." Miki finished her steak and stood up to do the dishes. Steam rose to dampen her face.

Godzilla glanced over when the next track on his CD started. "I feel like dancing."

She turned, drying her hands on the checkered dish towel. "I don't dance very well-"

"Aw, come on. I'll show you." He led her into the living room and showed her how to position her hands. Placing her right hand in his left and putting her left hand on his hip, he reached around to rest his claws on her back. "Now just feel the pulse of the music...now...just take a little half step back with your right foot while my left comes forward." He led her into a box step that had them in a half-turn by the third beat, "One, two, three...see?"

Miki glanced down at her feet while she followed his instructions. Godzilla's huge toes were going to be easy targets to step on. She blushed. "I'm going to step all over your toes."

He laughed in her ear. "You won't hurt my feet. Your one hundred and ten pounds against my seven-eighty. Don't worry about it."

"You're lucky I'm not wearing stiletto heels, big guy." Miki teased him. She followed his steps until the motions became natural. The music seemed to flow from her heels to her toes, causing her and Godzilla to rise and fall as they swept around the room. I'm ballroom dancing, she realized as the room spun around in ribbons of color. It felt like a merry-go-round with the horses that moved gently up and down. Godzilla never stepped on her feet once.

They waltzed for awhile, lost in the music. Godzilla laid his chin on the top of her head like they were made to fit together that way.

"Solo por ti
Caminaría
En la infinidad
Afrontaría
Contigo la eternidad
Solo por ti..."

The guilt returned to Miki's head like a weight pressing into her brow. She rested her head on his shoulder. If she wanted to stop falling, she had to stop doing things like this. "What's this song mean? Do you speak Spanish?"

"Not fluently...but I do my research." He began to whisper into her ear, "The chorus translates into 'Only for you, I would walk into infinity. I would face eternity with you. Only for you.'"

"That sounds so sad." Tears pricked in the corners of her eyes. She pressed her face against his shoulder so he wouldn't notice her crying, but the tears that dripped onto his ridged skin gave her away. He stopped dancing and moved her away from him.

"Miki, are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Oh, God," Miki wiped at her eyes and shook her head, embarrassed. "I-I think I'm just a little hormonal or something. You know how I get when that time of the month is coming..."

"Yeah. It's okay." He brushed another of her tears away with his thumb. "By the way, I saw your father on my way back. He had a full load of fish on his boat."

Her eyes lit up. "Really? Oh! He hasn't had good fishing in a long time. This should help him pay rent for a few months."

"If he ever needs it, I can always send him some money. Or maybe-" Godzilla parted his lips to say something else, but ended up yawning instead. He covered his snout with one hand. "Sorry...I guess I still haven't caught up on my sleep."

"Go to bed, then. I can finish the dishes." Miki stepped back out of his arms, smiling to show she wasn't offended. "It's all right with me. I know what it's like to run thirty straight hours without sleep. It's no fun."

"You're too kind." He grinned, flashing his fangs. "Oh! Don't worry about the mud I tracked everywhere. I'll clean that up myself."

"Sure." She patted his cheek, "Whatever you want."

His gaze softened. "Good night, Miki. See you in the morning."

"G'night."

Godzilla nuzzled her shoulder and headed for the stairs. Miki shut off the stereo and headed into the kitchen to finish washing dishes. Then she crashed on the couch to watch some TV. There was nothing good on any channel except for a documentary about Godzilla. It was so wrong. They believed he was an incredibly smart animal...if only people knew his intelligence was on par with a human's. And the mutation...Miki speculated it probably advanced his brain. How else could he live like a human, talk and sing with that beautiful voice of his?

Miki shut off the TV and went upstairs. Pausing at Godzilla's door, she gazed inside at his sleeping face. Godzilla was on his stomach, his face turned to her. He appeared to be smiling in his sleep. Miki closed his door and headed for her own room.

.o

Godzilla dreamed vividly all throughout the night. Mostly he dreamed of being human again. Doing something simple as brushing his hair brought him such joy...he really did miss his dark, wavy curls and pale skin. However, there came a point where he looked in the mirror and his face morphed into his hideous monster form. He smashed the mirror. The glass shattered silently, cutting into his throat.

Gasping, Godzilla jerked awake, but the pain was still there. His entire throat hurt as if he just swallowed a bunch of glass. He staggered into the bathroom and lapped some water directly from the tap. Not even water quelled the pain. Godzilla frowned and snagged the handheld mirror Miki forgot. He opened his mouth wide. The back of his throat was blood red instead of pink.

"Oh! You're up." Miki peeked around the bathroom doorway. She had her hair pulled up in a cute bun with white hair sticks. "I was just coming to check on you."

"I just got up." Godzilla's voice came out slightly husky. "Uh, best not to get close to me. I think I'm catching a cold."

She made a face. "I thought you didn't get sick."

"I don't get sick easily." He groaned and rubbed at his Adam's apple, which was responsible for his human voice. Another set of vocal folds near his chest allowed him to purr, roar and growl. Even those felt a little sore. "But I still can. Every so often I get colds. Ow...damn my throat really hurts!"

"I'll make you some hot lemon tea." Miki said. She smiled over her shoulder, "I heard singers use it."

Godzilla grinned, "You've done your homework."

She giggled and disappeared downstairs. A couple minutes later, she returned carrying a huge steaming mug of tea. It smelled of lemon and...honey. "My mom used to put honey in lemon tea when I caught colds. Just a little though."

"I've never heard you talk about your mother before."

"She...was a smart lady. She died because of MS when I was ten."

He blinked, "MS as in Multiple Sclerosis?"

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." She touched his arm.

He tried to recoil, "I don't want to get you sick."

Miki's hand held firmly to his bicep. "I had a cold last month anyway, so I doubt I'll catch yours."

"If you say so," Godzilla let her lean on him and sipped from the mug. As long as he kept his teeth closed and bit the lip of the cup, he could take sips just like anybody else. The heat soothed his throat better than cold water. "Wow, this is probably my first cold bug in about five years."

"I wish I could go that long between colds. A couple years ago, I caught three in the same month. Not fun."

"Even when you're sick-" He grinned and took another sip. "-you still look hot."

"Flatterer." Miki blushed when she took his empty mug. "I'll get more. You take it easy, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am..."