Sea of Tranquility: The Best-Laid Plans

An undisclosed location…

To say that Seele was unhappy would be another understatement.

"How could we not foresee this?!"

"We thought Gojira was an ordinary Shinto spirit. There was nothing to prove that it was a living creature, let alone mountain-sized!"

"We control every single scientific and governmental organization on the planet! There must have been some evidence!"

Chairman Lorenz contemplated his next move as the other council members argued.

Then, he announced it.

"Gentlemen, it is with regret that I must order the immediate revocation and termination of Nerv. This development irrevocably proves that Gendo Ikari has lost control of both his allies and the Scenario. Our only hope for the Instrumentality Project to succeed is to act now while we still can!"

"What of the Angels and these new beasts?"

"Let them fight Ikari's misguided allies and eliminate each other."

"And Unit-08?"

"We'll dispatch the Mass Production Units to Alaska first under the guise of reinforcement. Once all the units are in Japan, we'll give them the order to mop up."

"But, we only managed to finish nine out of the twelve planned units!"

"The pilots will be fatigued by the intense fighting, especially if their comrades have been sacrificed. Besides, our only concern is Unit-01."

"Even if we fail, our fates are sealed anyway."

"The fate of destruction is also the joy of rebirth."

"As you command, Chairman."

"Very well, begin Executive Order 719."

Prime Minister's Official Residence, Tokyo-2…

Due to the threat of Operation Masakado and the ongoing threat of Angel attacks, Prime Minister Rando Yaguchi had retreated to an underground bunker.

It was there that he received Executive Order 719.

After the call ended, however, he contacted one of his secret confidants.

A certain JASDF general by the name of Norio Kato.

"They sent the order as you predicted."

"My sources predicted these events, Minister Yaguchi. I merely trusted them. If you send out the JSSDF as the Committee suggests, the coup forces will make their move with no one to defend you!"

"So what do we do? Disobey a direct order from the U.N.?"

"By the next few hours, the Committee will no longer represent the United Nations, Minister Yaguchi. You leave the complicated parts to me."

Yaguchi gulped.

"You have my permission to do whatever is necessary, so long as the nation of Japan is still intact by the end of this."

"I applaud your courage, Minister Yaguchi. But I must warn you that the stakes have never been higher than it is now."

The General hung up after that.

Yaguchi nervously chuckled and thought to himself.

"That's what they said after the Second Impact."

Autobot base, Aokigahara…

"Your contact is the Prime Minister?!"

Ratchet incredulously asked Megatron.

"Crime, once exposed, has no refuge but in audacity."

"Where did you get that from? A fortune cookie?"

Bumblebee snidely replied.

"Tacitus. I do appreciate philosophy, even if does come from a human."

Ratchet bitterly glared at Megatron.

"Oh, really? Well, my favorite Tacitus quote is 'They plunder, they slaughter, and they steal. This they falsely name Empire, and where they make a wasteland, they call it peace.' Sound familiar?"

Megatron smirked at Ratchet's insult.

"If this is because I've sent many Autobots and humans to their Maker, remember that we were at war, my good doctor. 'Once killing starts, it is difficult to draw the line!'"

Optimus drew his path blaster and held it to Megatron's face.

"Raise your voice against my men again, and I'll go for your head."

Megatron, now complacent, calmly responded.

"Very well, we'll discuss Tacitus later. Right now, you should focus on locating a certain Mr. Ryoji Kaji."

"Kaji? Is this version of him Gendo's spymaster too?"

"Yes, a trusted errand boy. Now that Seele's purging Nerv ahead of schedule, who do you think they'll start with?"

"Luna!"

"On it!"

With that, Luna teleported elsewhere.

"Funny how some things never change. Don't you agree, Orion?"

With that, Optimus paused.

"It's been a while since you addressed me by that name."

"All this time, I called you by your new name and rank as a reminder that our paths have diverged."

"You were trying to desensitize yourself. Now you're apologizing for that, of all the things you've done?"

"I'm not regretting everything I've done, Prime. Remember that it was I who started the revolution against the Council! It was my soldiers who sacrificed themselves in the name of a better future! You, on the other hand, did their bidding and waited for the right time to launch a coup! If it weren't for your charisma, you'd be no better than Starscream!"

Starscream laughed at Megatron's comparison.

"The great Optimus Prime a discount Starscream! Oh, that's rich! Haha!"

"Shut up, Starscream!"

Both leaders shouted in unison.

Starscream's laugh devolved into a chuckle.

"You have a point, though. Remind me, what were you two when the oh-so-glorious revolution began? A librarian-turned-cop and a poet-turned-gladiator! I was a Senator!"

He pointed at Megatron.

"Who smuggled arms to your side? I did!"

Then, at Optimus.

"Who stamped all your reforms? I did!"

Starscream waved a finger at all the Cybertronians present.

"Who assassinated the Functionist Council one-by-one? I did!"

"Technically, Tarn and his friends assassinated them. You just handed them the list of names."

Starscream aimed a null ray at Thundercracker's face.

"Interrupt me again, Thundercracker! See what happens!"

A bright purple flash interrupted the standoff before it could go any further.

"What was that?!"

Prime's commlink came online!

"Prime, this is Major Katsuragi! The Godzilla at Mount Asama just shot an Angel out of space! The others are flocking to fight him!"

"Major, are the Evas safe?"

"Yes, they only briefly engaged the Angels before they retreated."

"Listen, Tokyo-2 just issued Executive Order 719."

"What?! They're disbanding us now of all times?!

"But there's some good news."

"What could it possibly be?!"

"Masakado is still in effect. Just redirected is all."

"Who the hell is this?"

Misato demanded.

"Megatron, leader of the Decepticons, and your final hope for survival."

Underneath the Pacific Ocean…

Goro Maki rested in his monstrous form, dreaming of times past.

In his mind, he was back on his native Odo Island, admiring the summer beach and the blue sea.

"Shouldn't you be heading back to work?"

Maki gazed at his late wife, young and beautiful as he remembered.

"The boss let me rest a little after my ordeal."

"Really? How nice of him."

"It's just some small-time crooks, nothing he can't handle. If anything happens, he'll call his friend in Alaska."

"Alaska? I hope he can handle a summer breeze!"

"Or the guy in Okinawa. Either way, it's only for the worst-case scenario."

Suddenly, his cellphone rang.

Ms. Maki understandably grimaced.

Goro groaned at his tempting fate and answered.

"What is it, my lord?"

"Maki, my loyal servant, how's the army doing?"

"It'll be a while before we have enough troops to defeat Ghidorah. The good news is that quite a few Zillas survived the initial invasion."

"I see the humans have bolstered their defenses. Though I must admit, I never expected them to be smart enough to use the Enemies' own biology against them."

"You'll be surprised at what humanity can achieve after a sudden cataclysm."

"That said, what of the Other-worlds humanity has allied with? I see a Godzilla and a Mothra amongst their ranks."

"They might be a nuisance to our plans for now. But, I suppose Ghidorah's arrival will change their tune. I suggest we stick to fighting the Enemies for now."

"A wise plan, my servant. Enjoy your rest for now. If Ghidorah does appear earlier than expected, I shall call upon you immediately."

"And what of Gamera and King Caesar, my lord?"

"They shall awake when the time is right. After all, they wouldn't dare miss out on the fun!"

Goro hung up.

"What did he say?"

Ms. Maki asked.

"Just wanted an update."

"And your vacation?"

"Might be cut short. But not for a while."

"Then let's get back to enjoying ourselves!"

Goro smiled with content for the first time in ages.

"Of course, Saeko."

Somewhere in Tokyo-3…

Kaji pored over the secret files he stole in an abandoned building.

"Scientist boy meets an island girl and becomes a giant dinosaur. Hmm, Typical fairy tale."

He thought to himself.

The files contained profiles on Dr. Goro Maki and his wife…

...one Saeko Makinami.

Kaji heard footsteps behind his location.

He turned and faced the intruder.

"You're late."

A gunshot rang out…

To be continued…