Chapter 10 - The Plan Has Not Changed

Date: May 22, 2014

Time: 2100

Location: On the train approximately twenty miles from San Francisco

—

Ford sat quietly as the night air began to grow a bit thicker as they drew closer to the bay. The smell of the sea crept up into his nostrils and was both haunting and reassuring at the same time. It felt good to know he was getting closer to his family, but it was a bit frightening to know that he was also getting closer to where the monsters were gathering. The thought of a nuclear warhead being so close to his family was also not a pleasant thought, but in order to destroy these things, they had to try.

As they continued along their journey towards San Francisco, sergeant Morales came over to Ford and asked him about why they had to use such a style of nuclear warhead.

"Well, the primary reason is because the MUTO's emp attacks can shut down and effectively disarm standard nuclear weapons which use any form of a timer system to detonate. You can't even get close to them without electronics going haywire. This however," he said, giving the nuke next to them a few pats.

"This is old school."

"Takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin' eh?"

Ford gave the sergeant a nod and they both laughed a bit, but they were cut short by the sound of gunfire in the distance. The train screeched to a halt, making Ford and Morales as well as everyone else grab hold of railings to keep steady as the train came to a stop. The master sergeant got off the train and started trying to establish communication about what was going on before telling Morales to get over there and check things out. Ford decided to go with him, and as they got off the train they saw the bullets and some explosions going off in the distance beyond the mountain and the tunnel which lay ahead of them.

Ford and Morales both went ahead, with Ford standing in the mouth of the tunnel and Morales not far behind listening to the master sergeant trying to get ahold of the teams that were ahead of them. Whatever was going on obviously was not good and required attention to ensure the safety of both the warheads and the team protecting it.

As he approached the tunnel and began to enter it, Ford flipped on his flashlight. Morales was right behind him, along with two other soldiers who came to back them up and check to make sure the train tracks were secure. Their steps echoed softly, and as one of them kicked a stone by accident it sent reverberations through the tunnel which startled everyone. They all heaved a sigh and continued on. As they walked out of the other end of the tunnel, they saw the tracks ahead. They seemed in good condition, but none of them were willing to call it on sight alone.

"What do you think?" Ford asked.

"You want to take the top?" A soldier in the back asked.

"Sure, you two take bottom. Sergeant Morales, you come with me," Ford said.

Morales nodded and stayed with Ford while the other two descended into the valley below the tracks via a ladder on the side of the support beams. Ford and Morales walked very slowly, taking one step at a time so as not to fall through them to their deaths. However, sergeant Morales' nerves were being tested in the silence of the valley, and his foot slipped on the edge of one of the cross beams and he fell down. Luckily he kept his body across the tracks so as not to fall through, but his flashlight fell to the earth below.

"… Shit," he muttered.

The flashlight struck the ground below and shattered, the light petering out as the source inside was crushed. The other two soldiers immediately turned with weapons at the ready until they saw the light and looked up, shaking their heads.

"Sheesh."

The two of them continued on, but as they began to relax they saw the reflection of a reddish light approaching them. They turned towards the river beneath the tracks and saw what looked to be the remains of a tank on fire rushing towards them. They both jumped out of the way as the debris struck the shore, but then continued on its way downstream along with a line of flaming debris including jeeps, trees, and a few other objects. One of the soldiers shouldered his rifle and brought up a whistle and let out two sharp calls to Ford and Morales. He then repeated the call through the whistle before dropping it and bringing his weapon back up.

Ford and Morales continued on, and as they stepped out to near the middle of the tracks, they both became confident that the tracks were okay. When they saw the other end in tact, that was the last piece of reassurance they needed.

"All right, it looks clear," Ford said.

"Got it. I'll let the others know," Morales responded.

He got on the radio and told the train to get moving, to which they responded by blowing the horn a few times to signal their approach.

Before Morales could say anything more, Ford had turned around and told him to hit the deck. Morales turned around and saw that the female MUTO was now standing up and walking towards them along the side of the tracks. He ducked down, laying flat on his back as Ford lay nearby on his side with his weapon pointed at the female's head.

The giant creature let out a few chirps and growls as she inspected the tracks and moved about. She walked underneath the tracks, turning her head sideways to see what was there, before continuing on. She rose up along the other side of the tracks next to Ford and Morales, and as she stood up higher they could see what appeared to be a large sack of eggs on her lower abdomen. The female was beginning to turn towards them, but was stopped when she heard a sound in the distance. It was the train, and the female moved towards it disappearing into the fog. There was a bit of gunfire and one large bark from the MUTO, and then there was silence.

Ford and Morales continued to watch the tracks until an orange and red light appeared. It drew closer and closer until it was clear that it was the train, now on fire, racing towards them.

"Run!" Ford yelled.

The two of them took off, and as the train closed in a massive form struck the tracks throwing sergeant Morales down into the valley to his death. Ford turned to the side and jumped into off the tracks and into the water below, just barely making it into a section that was deep enough to cushion his fall. However, the train came down nearly on top of him which created a shockwave in the water that stunned him momentarily. He began to choke on water and fought his way to the surface where he was able to see the female MUTO snap the train in half and consume one of the two warheads that was there. The other had fallen into the river below, and Ford could do nothing about it as he slowly lost consciousness.

—

Date: May 23, 2014

Time: 0840

Location: The river beneath the train tracks

—

Ford awoke the next morning covered in sand and incredibly weak from the experience he had. Earlier that morning, before the sun had come up, he had awakened on the shore. He was just barely able to haul himself to his feet and trudged through the sandy shores to where he found the rest of his team. They were all dead, and Ford was so tired and weakened from what happened that he collapsed against a fallen tree. He didn't even have the strength to clean his face of all the sand and dirt that was covering it.

He coughed for breath, spitting out sand and dirt from his mouth as he turned his body to look at the carnage around him. Trees, the bodies of his men, parts of military transports and weapons strewn everywhere. It was a mess. Ford then saw something he wasn't expecting to see. It was the body of sergeant Morales. He'd been so out of it the previous night that he never noticed that his body was so close by. He dragged himself through the sand over to the sergeant, checking his vitals only to find that he was dead. Ford's heart sank. Morales was a good soldier. Young and eager to please. And now he was a casualty of a war straight out of a sic fi movie.

Ford checked the sergeant's pockets and found a picture of a woman. From what he could make out, the girl in the photo was around Morales' age and was likely either a girlfriend or a fiancé. She didn't have a ring on her fingers in the shot, but that didn't mean that something may have changed. Ford clenched his jaw and put the picture in his pocket, determined to make it back and tell this woman once he found her that Morales had died honorably in the field trying to protect his country from these monsters.

It was then that a helicopter flew overhead, and Ford watched it for a moment before hauling himself to his feet. Ford made his way across the beach and found that the other warhead was in tact and being loaded onto the helicopter. One of the other soldiers who had been helping the loading of the warhead looked out across the beach, and then crossed his hands over his chest in an "X" shape and giving the signal that he spotted someone to his superior officer. The officer turned to see what was going on and saw Ford stumbling towards them.

"Medic!" He yelled.

A short time later, around 0940, Ford watched as the nuke was flown in another direction as his helicopter continued on its course.

"Hey, where are they taking it?" He asked the officer next to him.

"They're taking it to San Francisco to use it as bait for the MUTOs. We're on our way to Oakland. We have new orders."

Meanwhile, back at the new headquarters for the military's battle strategy in Oakland, admiral Stenz had arrived and began asking around as to the current situation.

"So where's the MUTO now?" He asked.

"The female has just reached San Francisco city limits sir."

"And the male?"

"He's approaching fast sir, approximately thirty miles out."

"And where is Godzilla?"

"Last contact was five hours ago sir, but we know he's been moving on a steady course for San Francisco Bay traveling at a speed of nearly sixty knots and a depth of close to ten thousand feet. He'll be here within the hour sir."

"And the warhead?"

"Successfully recovered and en route to our forces in the city now sir. It's going to be loaded onto one of our ships and taken out to sea once it arrives."

"Good."

"Admiral," Serizawa asked from his seat nearby.

The admiral walked over to Serizawa.

"Yes sir?"

"Please don't do this."

"I understand your concerns doctor, but right now my priority is to safeguard our citizens."

Serizawa seemed to admit defeat on the subject and remained silent.

"How is the evacuation going?" Stenz asked.

"Evacuation has begun, and those who cannot be escorted out are taking refuge in the shelters sir."

"And the hospitals?"

"In the process of being emptied with priority transportation sir."

"Good. Let's get this done before all hell breaks loose," he said as he looked at the screens before him.

—

Date: May 23, 2014

Time: 1120

Location: San Francisco General Hospital

—

"Hey wait a minute, what's going on? Where are you taking them? These patients are my responsibility," Elle objected as soldiers began to wheel out the sick and injured in the hospital around her.

"Sorry ma'am, but the hospitals are being evacuated now with priority to those who can't move themselves. Keep it moving people!"

Elle stopped and heaved a sigh. She unconsciously ran her fingers through her hair as a way to try and keep herself calm with all the chaos that was beginning to erupt around her. She was relieved when Laura came up to her a moment later.

"Laura, where are you going?"

"We're helping to evacuate the women and children while the military loads and transports those who can't move themselves such as the sick and injured. We're going to load up in the busses outside and get out of the city as fast as possible. If you want, I can take Sam."

"No, no. Ford's coming. He should be here soon."

"All right. But if you change your mind, let me know. The busses leave in ten minutes."

Elle nodded as Laura walked away leading other children around her outside to the busses.

"Come on, where are you Ford?" She asked, running her hand through her hair again.

It wasn't long before Elle broke, racing to find Sam before picking him up in her arms and carrying him outside to find a bus. She didn't see any though, and she began to lose hope as she looked around frantically. Then, a bus came up behind her and she desperately waved her hand to stop the driver before he opened the door and let her put Sam on the steps.

"Oh Laura, thank God," Elle said when she spotted Laura sitting in the second seat.

"All right Sam, this is Laura. You know here right? She's mommy's work friend. Listen, she's going to take you with her for a while. Daddy is going to be here soon, and as soon as he's here I will come to find you right after okay? Will you be a good boy for me?"

Sam nodded.

"Okay sweetie. I love you," she said, giving him a hug and kissing his forehead several times.

Laura reached for Sam's hand and helped him to find a seat as the doors closed. Elle stood outside looking in through the glass as she tried to force a smile for Sam. She could not, however, hide her tears as they started welling in her eyes and flowing down her cheeks as the bus took off heading for the Golden Gate Bridge. Elle watched the bus disappear and fell to her knees and began weeping uncontrollably. She crossed her arms in front of her body and grabbed her shoulders, sitting upright as best she could while she cried. It was bad enough that Ford was not here, but now she had been forced to let Sam leave her side to give him a chance to get out of the city before things went from bad to worse… If that was possible anymore.