Chapter 12: My Enemy, My Ally
It didn't take long to find where the other kaiju were being held.
Even from a distance, Ghidorah and Hedrah could make out a flood of bodies flying out of an area hidden behind a cluster of lunar mountains. The bat creatures laughed at their presence and dove down without hesitation, unleashing their sonic weaponry onto the two larger kaiju. A few bolts and Hedrah's smog was enough to drive the vicious predators away, not that they were a threat in the first place.
As the flock of the creatures took off towards the arena, thousands of leathery wings beating at once, the two kaiju soon landed in the so-called 'Containment Unit'.
The gargantuan building was exposed to space, bathed in the glow from a thousand red lights. The interior was massive, and dwarfed even the pair of kaiju as they descended deeper. Rows upon rows of metal chambers lined the cylindrical compound, most already broken open due to the power outage. Clean air began to fill back into the arena as the forcefield above repaired itself, causing Hedrah to stifle in disgust. As the two kaiju descended, Ghidorah could now faintly hear the disgusting squelch of flesh being ripped from its sockets.
"What do you think that is brothers?"
"I don't know and I don't care."
"Our goal is to find Orga- and leave."
At the mention of the pale white alien, Ni scoffed.
"Why are we looking for that coward anyway?"
"Orga said he had an easy way out," Ichi clarified, "and at this point anything is better then flying off into the unknown without a plan."
"Besides, we could use him as a shield if we ever get into an unfavorable-"
Before the middle head could finish his sentence, a sickening crunch echoed across the chamber. Now that they had drawn near to the bottom, Ghidorah and Hedrah could see a figure moving on the floor- hunched over and nearly identical to the chunks of metal that lay nearby. Had it not been for the smell and the slow rhythmic moving of its back, Ghidorah would have thought it was dead.
"Orga?" San tentatively asked in their language, forgetting that the alien couldn't understand them. But the sound alone was enough to wake the beast. As it turned to look at them, Ghidorah was caught off guard by the bloodshot yellow eyes of their fellow kaiju - and the green blood caking the pale alien jaws.
(Dragon)
(So we meet again) The alien broke into his equivalent of a wide grin, and with all the gore in his teeth, it sent a shiver of unease down the spines of Hedrah and even Ghidorah. Ichi squashed the unease in his mind as best he could, even as the alien continued to tear at the carcass as if he were no more than an animal
(You said you had a way out of here?)
(Indeed I do I do) Orga took another bite out of whatever he was hunkered over, causing the other two kaiju to rise slightly higher in the air.
(But why would I want to leave this food)
A sudden blast scorched the floor next to the alien's feet, inciting Orga to jump back with a clumsy thud. Ni's mouth smoked and crackled as he leered at the alien- daring him to defy the dragon again. The right head's glare was enough to shake Orga out of his feral hunger, and Ichi noted that the alien had regained his signature panicked fidgeting.
(Get a hold of yourself)
(Or we'll leave you behind) Ni threatened via their shared mental link.
Although Orga knew that Ghidorah had just as low a chance of escaping the planet undetected as he did, as gold didn't exactly blend in well with black, he elected to withhold this information from the kaiju now towering over him.
(Very well then) The alien took a moment to clear his mind before he continued. It was at that moment did Ichi feel the uncomfortable tingle of telepathy leave his mind.
"I have made it so that we can understand each other's languages, and that of any we may come across." Orga clarified, while he awkwardly shifted away from the meat he had just been consuming.
"What of the escape route Alien?"
"There is a gateway used for receiving kaiju or large goods located in a facility just a short distance from here, if you two could get me there I could use it to-"
Heavy footsteps suddenly resounded from a nearby doorway. All three kaiju paused at the sound, while the door began to heave with exertion as it slowly opened. With a puff of decontaminating fog, two familiar figures came into view. For a minute, all five kaiju stared at each other- bewildered and confused at each other's presence.
"Ghidorah." Gigan hissed venomously, his visor glowing a darker shade of red as he glared daggers at his old foe. His scythes glinted dangerously as the aquamarine cyborg lunged at Ghidorah at blinding speeds, sending both of them careening into a wall. The dragon was quick to retaliate, but their heads clamped down on air as Gigan flitted safely out of their reach. With a trill of rage, Ghidorah flew up into the sky in pursuit- only for the cyborg to keep the dragon back with his optic laser.
"What are you waiting for bug?!" Gigan screeched at the other figure as he dodged another trio of electrical blasts from Ghidorah, "Get him!"
A sudden buzzing alerted the dragon to another foe, and Ghidorah was just barely able to avoid Megalon's signature charge- sending the beetle careening into the wall.
"Why do I even bother with you." Gigan muttered, before the dragon sent the avian soaring away with an undignified squawk with a trio of electrical beams.
As Ghidorah and Gigan continued their dogfight, a sudden concussive blast from Orga managed to just glance Gigan's wings- causing the cyborg to strafe right into Ghidorah's waiting claws. The dragon slammed him into the floor, pinning the lighter kaiju down with their bulk. But Gigan quickly turned the tables- finding one of the scars left from the dragon's battle with Titanosaurus and reopening it brutally with a jab from the saw on his chest. The pain took the dragon by surprise, and as they were reeling from the bloody blow Gigan was able to fly back up to safety- dodging another concussive blast from Orga. Gigan let out a piercing screech as he shot a blast of his optic laser in retaliation, burning the pale alien's skin and distracting him from Megalon's oncoming tackle. With Orga sent tumbling into the lower levels- the fight was Gigan's to win.
But unbeknownst to any of the kaiju, another group was already making their way to the compound when their fight had started. They had been notified of a security breach in the kaiju holding cells by the flock of ravenous Gyaos that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the main arena, but a few missiles was enough to drive the disorganized horde off. They had been sent with one mission and one mission alone- to kill any kaiju left at the compound.
And now they were here.
With a synchronized roar, a throng of Silver Dragons began to file into the empty prison. They quickly began to shoot at anything that moved, countless missiles and lasers now filling the already limited airspace. At the sight of more enemies, Orga quickly shielded himself with the aid of a dislodged metal door- the metal taking the brunt of the assault- before scurrying off into one of the abandoned cells. The other kaiju took to the skies- doing their best to dodge the barrage of projectiles.
"Damn dirty apes," Gigan screeched in fury, "I'm on your side-"
A lucky missile soon found its way onto his side in the midst of his diatribe, and bored into the metallic armor before detonating into a fiery plume. The cyborg screeched in outrage, but it did nothing to prevent him from plummeting to the ground helplessly as he struggled to maintain flight. Megalon tried to dive down to help, but another volley of lasers reminded the beetle to put his own safety first.
Blasts ripped across Ghidorah's scales as the dragon fired off countless bolts, each one nailing the machines in the chest- but not halting their assault in the slightest. For as many Silver Dragons as Ghidorah incapacitated, there were still others to rain down fire as their fallen comrades recuperated. Even with Megalon's napalm and occasional blasts of lightning, the two kaiju found themselves hard pressed to win the fight against the machines.
It was at that moment that Hedrah made himself known once more, a sudden wave of sludge rising from between the legs of the Silver Dragons and bringing them to their knees. The acid ate away at their limbs as the machines struggled in vain against their new foe, their weapons unable to reach the cunning blob. Their thrusters were clogged with sludge and refuse, leaving them grounded for Hedrah to devour. With their foes distracted, Megalon quickly took the chance to charge- knocking down several Silver Dragons like bowling pins. Lightning bolts and a singular concussive beam rained down as the kaiju brought their fury upon the machines, whose pilots were faced with two options- the corrosive sludge below or a fiery death from above.
But the Simeons were a proud race, and as such the pilots chose the hero's death.
Spontaneously, a previously obscured light in the chest cavity of every Silver Dragon began to blink. The kaiju paused their assault, as the beeping continued to grow more panicked and frantic. The fatigued Megalon and Ghidorah could only stare, and by the time the smell of steaming metal reached them it was already too late.
"TAKE COVER-"
Orgas belated warning was quickly drowned by the cacophony of explosions, and the tremendous rushing of hot air to the ceiling. The raging wave of flames burst through the forcefield with ease, a volcanic eruption that splashed out a magnificent burst of oranges and yellows into the darkness. Between the dozen Silver Dragons and their reactors, the resulting explosion released enough energy to power a small town for a week- an energy that should have decimated any living organism standing in the blast zone.
But when the smoke cleared, a tangerine light could be seen shining from amongst the gray cloud of soot and ash. Ghidorah's wingtips crackled with static electricity, a series of lines extending from them to the newly formed forcefield. Nearby, Orga reappeared from his makeshift bunker - having used the blast-proof cell doors to shield himself without Ghidorah's help.
As soon as they realised they were safe, the dragon's three heads each let out a groan of exertion- before they collapsed onto all fours. Their shield disappeared soon after, revealing a charred but intact Hedrah and Megalon.
Sadly, those two weren't the only ones saved by the dragon's shield.
As soon as Ghidorah collapsed, a familiar figure lunged out from the darkness- with the intent to gouge the dragon's heart out. For a split second, Ichi saw the piercing red eye of Gigan- wild with rage.
Only for the cyborg to be batted away- Megalon shoving his ally off course.
"YOU DUMB! BUG!" Gigan shrieked out, his words fuzzed with static and crackling as he rose up from the newly made hole in the wall.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"
"Have you no honor coward?"
Megalon's voice was ancient like the stones and mountains, a stark contrast to the mechanical synthetic chirp that Gigan had. Apparently, he could also speak Dorat- presumably due to a translator all cyborgs possesed. It was only now, up close did Ghidorah notice the trickle of golden blood streaming down the beetle's head- as if something had fallen out from the inside.
"He saved us both-"
"Who the hell cares?!" The avian interrupted, his voice growing cold and metallic in response to his ally's betrayal.
"I will kill that dragon, with or without your help."
"Don't try."
San warned, while his sibling's jaws crackled with electricity. Ni let out a menacing hiss as the dragon rose to their full height- scars healing before Gigan's emotionless eyes.
"Or do try," the right head taunted, "and find out what that gets you."
Gigan scanned the room with his singular eye, smoke occasionally puffing out from the wounds in his armor. The green and yellow sheets of metal had been peeled open to reveal the jet black circuitry, it was a miracle that Gigan could even stand.
"Let's go."
The cyborg backed away from the group of kaiju, slinking back to the door from where he came- grumbling as he stepped over the corpses of the SIlver Dragons.
"Megalon?"
"I'm not going." The beetle straightened his back, as if trying to emphasise the full extent of his defiance at his former 'superior'.
"Suit yourself then, dumb bug."
Gigan let out one last haughty chuff, and the doors shut behind him with a bang.
"Thank you Megalon."
"We will not forget this so easily."
The beetle let out a small bow, and Ichi heard him mutter something about his headache.
A series of clangs and whirrs sent a jolt down the spines of all the kaiju. Even the usually ferocious Ni looked uneasy at the sound of even more of the Silver Dragons arriving.
"We need to leave." He said, drawing all eyes in the room to the right head.
"There's too many of them, we're going to lose eventually if they keep on coming."
"Let's get out of here."
It didn't take long for Hedrah to immediately take off barreling towards the forcefield, possibly with the intent of leaving them behind. All three of Ghidorah's heads let out a huff at the blob's cowardice, but a cough caught their attention before they could take off after him.
"What is it Orga?" Ichi asked, only for the alien to reply by pointing upwards.
"Ah."
The dragon gingerly picked up their ally in their gilded talons, and began to follow Hedrah up the massive chamber.
"Don't get used to it," Ni warned with a snarl, "This is a one time thing."
"I'm not planning to."
Orga had both of his hands on their legs, clearly doubting their strength as he held on for dear life. San glanced behind them to see Megalon, his attempt at tailing them discreetly ruined by the loud buzzing of his wings.
"So, you're coming with us?"
Megalon remained silent, though the fact he was still following them seemed to answer San's question for him. The beetle's head wound had closed on its own, San noted, but Megalon still had one drill on his head.
"You aren't going to betray us are you?"
The beetle briefly paused mid air, but before he could answer Ni had taken an interest in their conversation.
"Who cares what he's going to do," the right head suddenly burst out, uncaring of the fact that the beetle could hear his gloats, "Not like he can take us."
"Quit chatting you two."
Ichi's jaws crackled with lightning as they soon reached the forcefield, where Hedrah was waiting awkwardly in mid air, and they slowly broke through with their stored electrical energy. Meanwhile, Orga finally had begun to explain the details of his 'impeccable' plan to the two newcomers.
"The place we need to go to should be to the East, about a few kilometers away."
"When the forcefield breaks, I calculate we should be there in a few seconds."
"All you three need to do then is find a sufficient power source and hold off any enemies long enough for me to-"
Orga was cut off by a sudden bang, as all the air in the prison began to escape out into the void. As the air continued to spill out into the lunar skies, Ichi could briefly hear a loud 'what' from San as they made their way east. The entire moon shook as what felt like a full-scale war was occurring in the nearby arena, what could likely be dozens of kaiju venting their wrath onto their captors and each other. Who knew how many lives had been caught in the crossfire.
If there was anytime to escape, it would be now.