EARTH
EOCENE ERA
Even ages past the defeat of the Great Destroyer from the stars, the world was still a wounded child. Where life once flourished on this fragile blue planet now was reduced by a magnitude of destruction far beyond the comprehension of those who remained. In time it would heal; its biosphere reconstitute itself, living things would proliferate and replenish the land, air, and seas. And while it did so, there were those entities who would keep vigil over the blue and the green, and all the things that moved and flew.
And there were those who saw the vulnerable Earth and saw an opportunity to make easy prey of its inhabitants.
If any sentient mind had given the astral predator a name, it was not one that traveled with it. Always the rover, its territory the span of galaxies, hunting for the most precious resource in the vast universe to satiate its immortal hunger. Life. Its place of origin had long ago rejoined the elemental soup of the star-system that had birthed it, leaving this creature an orphan. Forced to wander the void in search of sustenance, it would forever be a nomad, a drifter.
A Stranger.
As the Earth grew larger in its view, expanding from a pale blue dot suspended in a ray of sunlight, it followed the scent of a living biosphere as it wafted through the cosmos. A draconic shadow passed over the moon, emerging from the darkside and letting the yellow sun's radiation warm its red-scaled hide.
Down on the Earth, another entity maintained a watchful vigil.
Death and catastrophe were not the only parting gifts left by the ancient destroyer. The great defender of the planet raised just in time to stave off the cackling maws of extinction survived the encounter just long enough to divide its power into two other beings. And so long as one remained, the other could not wholly be destroyed, preserving the lineage until such day as required the reunification of the halves. But the partition was not necessarily a balanced one.
In one of the beings was embodied the more compassionate aspects of the great protector; her dedication to the preservation of life, of things that grew and breathed. Her domain was peace, between the living things and the earth that sustained them, to guide her followers in the ways of harmony. In Mothra was gifted the light of benevolence.
The other being was the embodiment of the uncompromised principles, his was the dedication to the Earth itself, the virtue of its soils, waters, and skies, its geologic functions. The corruption or endangerment of these things incurred wrath instead of grace. His domain was justice, to avenge the grievances of the planet done to it by the careless and cruel. In Battra was vested the sword of punishment.
And while Mothra made her home among the verdant jungles, blue seas, and prayerful peoples, Battra remained secluded, undistracted from his connection with the grind of tectonic plates, the humming of the deep sea, and the voice of the wind. Roosted among the mountainous glaciers of the northern pole, the cold held little discomfort for the divine moth. Here he could sense the vital pulse of the world and reaching out with the atmospheric awareness, detect disturbances and threats to its precarious status quo.
Crimson eyes flashed open at the sensation of something penetrating the thermosphere, something alive. Genetic memories flashed of storm-filled skies and roiling seas, cries of war and destruction on a scale that leveled continents. A powerful rage swelled, and the icy chrysalis that served as a medium for Battra began to tremble, fracturing to the dark brother's ireful roar.
Explosions of purple energy tore the icy peak apart from the inside out as white fragments were cast in every direction. Black wings burst through the mist and rubble, and the sunlight was caught on the three points of Battra's jagged crown for the first time in more than a century. Blood-red streaks revealed themselves to the sky once more as the wings were unfurled, an arctic gale rushing to lift the membranes as if summoned on command.
A voice like thunder bellowed from the guardian as the last shards of debris were shaken loose and his six legs marched out of the crater. His attunement to the elemental forces of the world would guide him to the trespasser, and a single beat of his wings bore him into the sky.
Elsewhere in the world…
In what would one day become the archipelago of Japan, the Stranger touched down on Earth. Saurian-like hind legs bent as they took the weight in an atmosphere, four smaller forelimbs rolled in their shoulder joints, and its great red back arched against the pull of gravity. A low grumble emitted from its long, angular head, lips curling back along the prodigious length of the upper jaw. Pools of a glittering golden liquid served as its eyes without pupil or iris to telegraph focus, vertical eyelids snapping closed and open. The large horn atop its skull stood as a prominent indication that fighting for its goal was not beyond its capabilities.
The mountain slope was flush with trees, a green blanket over the topography as far as the horizon spread, save where the snowy peaks poked through. To the Stranger, all biological matter was food; from the algae scooped off water to the largest species of megafauna. A ribbon of saliva fell from its mouth as it took in the saturation of the air, carrying the particulates of living things on the breeze.
Lowering itself on its hindlegs and upper forelimbs, it began rooting about in the trees like an herbivore among grass. The teeth positioned in the foremost of its mouth taking them in by the bushel, a tongue lined with barbs dexterously drawing the pieces into the gullet. The sound of animals fleeing the area, avian squawks and bestial complaints at being displaced drew the Stranger's momentary attention, eliciting a deep sniff from its nostrils.
There was no rush. After a timeless life of roaming from one world to another, it had yet to encounter any real impediment to its feeding beyond the limitation of being a single creature. It was aware of only a few beings in the universe that posed a threat to it, none of which appeared to be available to interfere.
Movement nearby caught the Stranger's attention, a group of figures hurrying below the tree-tops, escaping to the adjacent valley. With a single short leap the astral dragon was on top of them, its four arms snatching up the herd of quadrupeds that squealed and wriggled in their terror. Within seconds blood was running down the jaw of the alien, its first taste of Earthling an agreeable one. It would have to locate more of these flesh and blood creatures, much more pleasing to the palate than the tough and fibrous things that grew from the ground.
For hours the Stranger continued this way, hunting down the things that moved and cried. None of them proving any obstacle to its foraging, the landscape was soon torn asunder in the process. So when an angry chirp pierced the air, The Stranger felt no hint of impending danger.
Swooping from the southern forests, Mothra too had felt the presence of the extraterrestrial, and fearing the return of the ancient destroyer, came to oppose him. While predation was part of the natural ecosystem, she applied the privilege only to those who were a part of it. Those from beyond were not welcome.
Mothra shrieked again, this time earning the Stranger's notice with a raised head and curious tilt as it gulped down another creature, a spurt of blood in the corner of its mouth. She came to a stop and hovered some distance away to appraise the alien, issuing barks and flashing different colors in her compound eyes.
With long sniffs, the Stranger could taste the sweet ichor of life emanating from this new creature, its jaw drifting open in anticipation of a divine meal. Forgetting the paltry snacks, it shifted position towards Mothra, tail swishing in preparation.
The guardian recognized the posture and was prepared to swerve when the star-born titan pounced. Launched by its powerful legs, the Stranger's four arms reached out to snatch her if its maw failed. But a well-timed blast of prismatic energy from her antennae to the broadside of his face and a roll served to avoid capture. Stranger crashed into the hillside, carving a gash into the slope with its momentum.
A mix of confusion and anger swirled in the Stranger, smashing its tail into the ground and snarling in a gurgling undulation. Mothra responded with two long shrieks, rearing back into an almost vertical hover and beating her wings in place. The alien suddenly found itself buffeted by winds strong enough to take the uprooted trees and repurpose them into projectiles. Forced to dig in with all six limbs, a thin translucent eyelid closed to protect the Stranger's eyes from debris.
Accustomed to the rigors of interstellar hazards, it was easy to weather the hurricane-force gale and march forward at a pace that would get its adversary within biting range swiftly. Seeing her foe undeterred, Mothra took to the air, hoping to lure it away if she couldn't subdue it. And when the Stranger thought his meal so desired might get away, it pursued. Massive wings spread, and it jumped into the sky with near weightless effort.
Climbing into the upper layers of the atmosphere, the Stranger had little trouble gaining on the terrestrial avatar, issuing an anticipatory roar. Mothra's abdomen flexed, and from her cercus was shot a barrage of grey darts that enveloped the alien as he flew right into the dispersment. They peppered his face, upper body, and wings, sticking where they hit. Initially it disregarded any danger the projectiles might pose. But after a few seconds, and the darts had a moment to apply their toxin, the Stranger felt the affected areas tighten and lock.
The hunter let out a pathetic groan as it lost momentum and eventually stalled, descending even as its legs and tail frantically tried to keep it aloft. It was more bewildered than anything by the sudden inability to overcome its prey and be put in such a helpless state.
A snow-capped peak was obliterated by the Stranger as it crash-landed into it, chunks of rock and ice flying and cascading down the slope in an avalanche. The paralysis was only temporary against its extraterrestrial physiology, control of its limbs returned as it tumbled. It had no precedent for the kind of pain it was experiencing, and its mind oscillated between fury and shock.
The Stranger did get its legs underneath, claws gouging the mountainside to grind its skid to a halt. Though this resistance was more than it would typically tolerate, this planet was too vibrant with life to simply abandon without a fight.
A pair of antennae beams raked the Stranger's back, Mothra strafing her enemy as she circled above. A second set of blasts burned into the side of its face, and the irate hunter responded with a roar that required the full extension of its jaws. It swerved the next beams, bounding like a panther off the slope before surging back into the air.
Mothra banked and set course to the east.
The Stranger pursued Mothra out to the open water of the vast ocean, the divine lepidoptera utilizing her superior mobility to evade snapping teeth and grasping claws.
But even she could not forestall the ambition of the cosmic drake forever and began releasing her precious scales in her wake to slow and confound him. But wise to avoid a new trick from the guardian, Stranger altered his elevation to stay above the particle stream. Mothra had gambled the loss of her scales and lost, the cost diminishing her flight capabilities. She chirped at seeing the massive shadow fall over her as the alien closed the gap, realizing she was running out of time. Electing for a bold new strategy, Mothra dove and sent herself plunging into the water.
With its prey only a moment away, the Stranger hit the ocean's surface at full speed. The sudden increase in friction in the density of the water was not concerning in the least for it, as some planets it had visited included liquid environments of varying elements. What those planets did not have however, was Mothra waiting below the waves.
As soon as the Stranger entered, he was inundated in a cloud of glimmering scales that stuck to his body. An aquatically muffled trill from Mothra preceded the oncoming of golden lightning bolts from her wings, refracting off the scales and intensifying their potency. The alien nomad shrieked, every fiber of muscle clenching in agony, its nervous system surrendering to the bioelectric assault.
After several moments of flailing, the Stranger's limbs fell slack, and its weight began to sink as a final moan escaped its throat. Mothra watched it slip into the dark depths, hoping that the pressure of the abyssal plains would incapacitate the invasive predator. She floated herself back to the surface, loosing a trill and feeling the weight of her water-logged wings. In time she could recuperate her spent scales, but for the moment her concern was exhaustion and mustering the strength to lift her wings.
The effort was made for her, however, when she felt her body taken in the clutches of several claws and extracted from the water. Mothra craned her head upwards and saw that her rescue had been the work of her dark counterpart. Roused from his hermetic meditation, Battra had come to her aid at this desperate moment.
She gave him a thankful series of chirps, to which he answered with a reproachful bellow. He held her in suspension as she beat the water from her wings, relieved to enjoy the assistance. They did not meet often, perhaps once in a millennium. But when they did, there was an unspoken camaraderie that gave both a sense of wholeness.
Battra was still holding Mothra when the Stranger burst from the water. The guardian of life had only enough time to cry out before her enemy's great horn clobbered her right wing and knocked her out of Battra's grip. Green ichor flew from the fractured limb as Mothra fell away, spiraling out of control down towards the ocean.
Having come from underneath, the Stranger hadn't perceived Battra until after its strike, and now the two glared at one another in surprise. The alien sensed another powerful source of life emanating from the dark imago, but after the experience with the other, was now much more cautious in dealing with the new entity.
Battra however entertained no such reticence, and unleashed violet prism beams from his eyes at nearly point-blank range with a thundering scream. The blasts took the Stranger in the ribs as it turned away, these possessing a greater degree of force in the impact. Unwilling to risk combat with a fresh and possibly stronger opponent, the alien banked hard to the south and fled.
With a god-like effort to sustain herself, Mothra managed to stabilize her tumble in time to avoid hitting the water. Injured and weakened, she watched her brother give chase to the invader, bidding him good luck with a long trill.
For miles upon miles Battra kept on the Stranger's trail, harrying the quarry with prism beams and cries of vengeance. Now the one forced to flee; the Stranger was beginning to conclude that this world was no longer worth endangering itself over. But it was unsure of how far this new adversary was willing to pursue, which meant it needed to create an opening for a clean break.
The Stranger circled back, putting itself on a collision course with the guardian of Earth. It would drive its horn like an axe into his foe at ramming speed, and if it didn't kill it outright, at least injure it enough to end the pursuit. Battra did not alter course. Waiting until there was no chance of missing, the dark avatar raked his prism beams across the top of the Stranger's head, causing it to tilt its horn forward.
At the moment of impact, Battra caught the blade of the horn in his legs and threw himself back in an arc, steering the alien and redirecting the momentum. Chaos ensued in the melee, furious roars and barks, scraping of chitin on scale. Battra scrambled himself onto the Stranger's neck, and discharged energy shocks directly along the nape as he rode.
With pain lancing into its brainstem, the cosmic drake reacted on instinct, turning its eyes upwards and seeking the safety of the stars.
Determined to give the invader a convincing reason not to return, the pincers on Battra's abdomen bit down on either side of the Stranger's spine and pierced the dermis. The alien loosed a scream of pain as such it had never felt, one of its legs going limp.
In the exosphere, Battra at last relented, breaking his hold and extending his wings to catch what little resistance remained at this elevation, allowing the invader to return to the infinite void. There he remained for a bit, watching until the red shape of the Stranger dissolved into the endless black.
Mothra collapsed on the shore of an island, finally able to let her injured wing rest. She lay there as the sunlight gave way to the shadow of twilight on the eastern horizon. Her fracture had stopped bleeding, the healing process fueled by her connection to the vitality of the planet.
And through another innate connection, she also knew that her other half, her dark reflection, was still out there.
PRESENT DAY
The innate connection was broken, he could no longer feel her.
If Mothra had been killed or destroyed, he would know, this was different, this was a severance with no lingering trace.
Man
He believed, a plague upon the beautiful Earth, Man had done something. Always too blind to their own hubris, arrogant in their abuse of the natural world, using their constructs to enslave the living Earth to their blundering ambitions. Man had done something, Battra cursed, done something to his other half.
The walls of his frozen chambers trembled with his anger, heightened by a growing sense of separation that filled even the immortal with dread.
But Battra would not keep his pain to himself. He would share it with the rest of the world until he found her.
AMERICAN KAIJU DEFENSE CORPS.
WEST COAST HEADQUARTERS
MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA
"Sir, you need to see this!"
Colonel Anthony Hicks had been going over the annual maintenance reports when the knock came at his door. He looked up and saw the alarm on the face of the subordinate officer sent to fetch him by the Watch Commander. Setting the papers down, he knew this kind of reaction only meant one thing: Kaiju trouble.
"What happened?" Was the first thing he said in his New York accent as he stormed into the control center down the hall from his office. A smaller version of the set-up used by the EDF, there was a theater-like room with a dozen computer stations in front of a large digital screen. In the back was a separate room for the command staff behind a glass window, a long table with several chairs and a private monitor for their use.
"Tell me it's not another gaggle of super-heroes screwing-around with the monsters again."
The recent encounter with the people from the other universe had ruffled a lot of feathers, not least because the anti-Kaiju mecha, Kiryu had been stolen, one of Earth's greatest defenders was still missing, and another had mysteriously become sedate.
"Negative, sir." Answered Major Robert Glenn, the Watch Commander, almost a spitting image of his famous astronaut grandfather, aside from the brown hair. Well-fit in his dress green uniform, he stood with arms crossed looking out over the control center.
"Battra's on the move." He said in a stifled Chicago accent. "Came tearing down from the Arctic circle, on course for Tokyo."
On the main screen was a live satellite feed of the north pacific, a window playing real-time footage of the larval kaiju plowing its way through the water.
"Mothra's last known location." Hicks spat, irritated by yet another headache caused by the meddling of the heroes. "Goddamn it. Have we alerted the JSDF?"
Glenn nodded, "They're already tracking, so is EDF NORCOM."
"What they say?"
"They're requesting help, Colonel. Kiryu is down for repairs, and they don't wanna put the Gotengo at risk in a fight with a pissed off Battra unless it's a last resort."
Hicks thought a moment, considering his options. "How long until landfall?"
"Approximately 26 hours. The Japanese are already mobilizing their fleet to clear endangered shipping lanes and spinning up the Super-X3 for deployment. EDF is sending over a squad from M-Organization to attempt an intercept."
Glenn put his hands out to either side for an irritated shrug. "But nobody knows what Battra's gonna do when he doesn't find her anywhere."
An option was taking shape for the Colonel, but he wasn't sure he liked it very much. "Lemme make a call." He said, before exiting the room.
A phone rang in an expensive office, and a hand that had been scrolling a touchpad device floated over and picked it up, holding it long enough to examine the caller ID.
"Colonel Hicks, I've been wondering when you'd get curious enough to dial me."
Reclining in his plush leather chair, American inventor and industrialist Cameron Winter smiled with self-satisfaction.
"If I'm not mistaken you've got a bit of a bug problem at the moment."
"We're still appraising the situation, Mr. Winter." Hicks informed him, swallowing his disdain at the smugness in the man's voice. "But our allies are in a bit of a bind, I was wondering it any of your projects were ready for a test-run."
Cameron's face practically exploded in glee, lunging forward at his desk to slam his thumb on a small glass square, summoning a computer screen that rotated out from the innards of the desk.
"As a matter-of-fact Colonel, I do have a little something." For a man in his mid-30's, his hair was already white, vanity keeping it well-maintained. A pale bang swung down over his face as he went through his system.
"But if I'm going to be as helpful as I can to our poor beleaguered friends across the way, I'm going to need something in return."
Anthony grimaced; thankful his scowl couldn't transmit over the phone. "Oh yeah? And just what would that be?"
The smile that snaked its way Winter's face that would make Machiavelli chuckle. "As I understand, our helpful neighbors from the other side were sporting some very impressive tech. If you could get me footage and any data of what they had, it could go a long way towards design and concept improvements for my mechs."
While he'd rather drink spoiled milk than do any favors for Cameron Winter, Anthony knew that the JSDF already had first-hand knowledge of what technology the reality-traversing heroes possessed.
"I'll see what I can do." Was all Hicks promised. "But there's no guarantee the Japanese government won't keep a thing or two to themselves."
"Understandable Colonel," An array of schematics appeared on Cameron's screen, the different sections of a multi-legged machine. "I'd do the same if I were them."
"Battra makes landfall in less than 25 hours, Winter, can you get something over there in time?"
"Isn't that what the AKDC is paying me for?" Cameron said, typing in another series of commands, prompting a window blinking with the word 'LAUNCH' to manifest. "Already scrambling the air-tow pilots now."
WINTER INDUSTRIES MECH LAB
NEVADA
A team of four pilots in white flightsuits jogged across the runway under the blazing desert sun, heading towards where their respective aircraft were currently being fueled. Inspired by the Kiryu Squadron's White Herons, Cameron Winter's Boreas VTOLs were designed with the capacity to transport their payload over much longer distances.
Observing the different stages of the launch on a dozen screens, Cameron could hardly contain his excitement.
"You know, Kayoco, it was so generous of the Vortaak to leave all that wreckage behind for me to plunder."
The room was styled in modern décor, a glass firepit in the center surrounded by a plush grey couch. Seated next to Winter was an attractive woman of Eurasian features in what could be described as 'business-sexy', holding a half-full wine glass.
"Yes," She said sarcastically. "Whatever Godzilla didn't blast out of the sky. Very considerate of them."
Winter lifted his glass, inspecting the Sauvingnon blanc. "Well, at least he left me enough of an intact energy drive from one of their saucers to reverse engineer."
"Almost." She corrected, taking a sip.
He nodded, biting the corner of his lip. "Almost."
On the screens, a huge length of red sand was moving. The roof of an underground hanger sliding back as the sun fell over an object rising from below.
The four Boreas craft lifted off in sequence, maneuvering with a semi-stable wobble into position at the corners of the opening. What arose from the pit was a large, purple, metallic dome, with a smaller dome attached at one end with three yellow orbs embedded along the forward-facing exterior. In similar fashion to the Herons, towing lines unspooled from the bellies of each, attaching magnetically to specialized ports on the hull.
"The Crew should reach Japan in about 15 hours, plenty of time to get ready for a big, mean, bug." Cameron put his feet on the shelf that encircled the coffee-table fire and tasted his drink.
Kayoco folded her legs underneath herself, snuggling into his shoulder. "You know, Battra's been guarding this planet for millions of years. They say that the oldest warriors are those to be respected the most."
Winter tilted his head to her with an amused smirk. "Well then I'd say he's earned a nice retirement. Time to let the new species on the block take up the mantle."
As the mecha was taken into the air and carried speeding off to the east, she had to respond with a controlled chuckle to his hubris.
"So you think you're going to replace the wisdom of an immortal being with a bond to the Earth's lifeforce with a bunch of robots you built scavenging alien wrecks?"
He straightened his back and fixed her with a faux glare of incredulity. "Just who's side are you on here, Ms. Patterson? You're the one who lobbied your father to get the government to contract with me."
"Because you're ambitious, Cameron." Kayoco met his gaze and pointed her glass at him. "And because you have the vision to compete with the JSDF and the EDF in the anti-kaiju game."
For the first time since she'd known him, the industrialist failed to comeback with any witty quip or retort.
"But don't let your ego get the better of you. You'll just look like an ass."
Winter clinked his glass against hers, growing another satisfied smirk. "See that's why I like you so much, Kayoco; you keep me grounded."
"Hmm." She leaned over and they shared a kiss as the Boreas began their long journey into the sunset.
HOKKAIDŌ
With the rising dawn still orange on the Okhotsk Sea, the waves crashed in a thunderous rhythm as Battra plowed through the surf with his horn. A furnace of rage behind each drive literally steaming the froth around him. Within sight was the northern prefecture of Japan, and the shortest distance between he and his destination led right through it. Woe betide anyone or anything that stood in his way.
"Target approaching Abashiri, request permission to engage."
"Super-X3, you are a 'GO' to engage."
Inside the aerial battlecraft, the three-man crew set about their tasks: the pilot, the gunner, and the battle captain preparing themselves to take on one of the most volatile known kaiju.
"Remember, we have to convince him to take the long way around Hokkaido." The battle captain called out as he checked and rechecked their ship's monitoring equipment. Sitting to the rear left of the pilot, his job was to manage the big picture of the fight.
The gunner nodded to himself as he took final stock of the energy reserves for the weapon systems. Knowing Battra was well adapted to the extreme cold, the Ultra-Low Temperature Cryolaser had been hastily retrofitted with a Type-4 Maser cannon, a smaller version of the kind once installed in Kiryu. Freezer missiles and cadmium shell likewise replaced with standard ballistic munitions and a salvo of kaiju-hide piercing Full Metal missiles.
"Maser cannon is one hundred percent; battery codes are green." Affixing himself into the periscope-like headset, the gunner brought his targeting reticle to focus on the rapidly approaching opposition.
"Target course unchanged," The pilot announced, his steady hand on the helm matched by his steady gaze ahead. "Speed, no change."
Battle Captain nodded firmly. "Then it's a collision course. We've got to push him east, past the Shiretoko Peninsula and into the Nemuro Straight with either the stick or the carrot."
"Hopefully the TA32'll give us enough protection to last that long." Gunner huffed.
"That's what it's there for." The Captain assured him. "Major Yashiro has put her faith in this machine and in us. Let's not disappoint."
"Aye, sir." The crew answered.
The wind carried the stench of the human's machine to Battra like a faithful scout, the elements themselves at his disposal. He issued a bellow of ire, warning that if the humans sought to make an obstacle of themselves, then he would smash them and their vile constructs without hesitation.
"Present the cannon." The battle captain ordered.
"Aye, Sir." The nose of the Super-X3 split open, allowing the conductor dish of the maser to move forward. Gunner flipped open protective toggle covers and knocked the switches into the 'on' position. A heavy thrum filled the entire structure with a subtle vibration, the power cells awakening.
"Bring us in on the left flank."
"Aye, Sir." The pilot tilted the helm, banking the craft to the left at an exponential angle designed to give him the space to come back on target from Battra's right side.
The battle captain pressed himself tighter against his seat, steeling himself for the fight he was about to provoke with a being many considered a demi-god.
JSDF COMMAND CENTER
Major Akane Yashiro always felt more nervous watching the battles than she did participating in them.
While ascending the ranks did have its share of perks, it also meant that the glory of being behind the controls of a mech was no longer in her job description. Watching the live feed from the Super-X3, part of her mind went back to that night in the heart of Kiryu, the two of them working together to reign in the feral Godzilla.
She'd made it her mission to revamp the JSDF's anti-kaiju capabilities instead of relying so heavily on the resource-consuming Kiryu. They'd been lucky enough to retain the engineering and scientific expertise of Kazuma Aoki, Yoshito Chujo, and occasionally Tokumitsu Yuhara for their division. They, along with many others not only restored the glory of the mech program, but 30 years' worth of weapons platforms into a fleet of anti-kaiju armaments.
And while her colleague Major Kuroki's drone battle group had a lot of promise, for the time being there was no substitution for on-site human decision making. But that also meant putting well-trained, brave soldiers in harm's way. The hope in a worst-case scenario, was that the Super-X3 would survive long enough for the Gotengo to provide support. Diverted to handle a Varan attack in Indonesia, the EDF warship was currently making its way north, just not quick enough.
Battra's roar boomed over the speakers, and Akane prayed for the lives of her men.
HOKKAIDŌ
"Let's give him a nudge." The Battle Captain ordered.
The maser cannon fired, artificial lightning lancing out and detonating the water at Battra's side before leading upwards to hit the chitinous flank. Wild retaliatory bolts from the kaiju's horn searched for a hit but missed, the arc too uncontrollable to nail the object in flight as it soared overhead.
"Come on, take the bait." Gunner snarled.
The pilot glanced to his rearview display as they passed Battra, anticipating a follow-up attack he'd have to dodge. A baleful glower in the crimson compound eyes and electric arcs spawning over its face provided that warning.
Purple energy snaked out from Battra's eyes, one of them raking over the SX3's hull. Inside the craft, lights flickered on and off, but the TA32 coating seemed to do its job and deflect the greater force of the energy.
The Captain blew out a breath. "Alright, we survived round 1. Bring us around for attack pattern Bravo-2."
"Aye, Captain."
Coming in from the opposite side, the SX3 fired a battery of rockets into Battra's left flank, a series of heavy explosions resulted in huge plumes of flame and smoke. The Earth's defender raged, pivoting with terrifying speed to cast angry lightning that ripped the fumes to shreds.
The arrogance of these humans. Battra's mandibles opening to bellow, his multifaceted eyes tracking the plane's path with an ancient cunning. Lurching up for a moment, he crashed into the water and disappeared under the surface.
"Shit! What's he up to?" The Captain snapped.
The SX3 peeled to the right, still trying to draw the kaiju's attention eastward, hoping it would resurface in pursuit.
Seawater exploded; a cleaving horn leading the way as Battra leapt shark-like clear of the surface.
"He breaches!" Yelled Pilot, pushing his controls forward with as much strength as he could apply against the mechanism. Instead of smashing into the armored hide as Battra had intended, the SX3 went into a gut-churning nose-dive. Sparks flew from the top of the fuselage as the craft scraped along the larva's underside. The crew were pressed into their seats by the G-force of the maneuver, bringing to mind the most unpleasant simulator sessions. But the plane managed to avoid disaster.
Battra hit the water with meteoric violence, his roar echoing into the deep.
When the SX3 leveled out, the men let out a collective sigh of relief.
"Alright," Captain began, bouncing his shoulders. "Prepare the FM's."
Distractions. Was what Battra considered them. He had no intention of wasting his time with these feeble husks' men built, not while his other half was missing.
"Target is back on course for landfall." Pilot announced, bringing the craft around as a compartment rose from the back of the plane; a battery of Full Metal missiles ready to be deployed.
"FM's on standby," The Gunner said, flicking switches at his station. "Waiting on target lock."
Captain grimaced, "Weapons free."
Like a ship's mast rising from a watery grave, Battra's horn cut through the surf, driven by an innate sense of direction towards his destination.
"Target Lock."
Tested on mountains and designed to pierce the hide of Godzilla himself, the 4-meter-long projectiles launched from their battery. Slicing through the air with barely any resistance, the ballistic arrows met their target with near pin-point precision, and not even the armor of a demi-god could refuse them.
Black chitin and green ichor were sundered, eliciting a sharp wail from the dark protector and forcing him to regard the mortal men much more seriously. His horn burned with golden fire.
As fast as the FM's could fly, lightning was faster, and the incoming salvo was shattered by a storm of divine bolts cast in a wide arc. The sky was afire with the thunder of hellish clouds. Pushed to the limit of his capacity as a pilot, the helmsman of the Super-X3 clenched his teeth as he swerved and pitched to remain clear of the chaos.
"Yeah, he's good and pissed-off now." He grunted.
"Then let's hope that means he'll chase." Glancing to the screen that informed him of the location of the still in-route Gotengo, the Captain also hoped to still be breathing by the time it reached them.
"Target is in pursuit!" Gunner yelped with excitement, switching his command to another weapons system.
As the Full Metal battery returned to its cavity, and the power coil of the maser cannon thrummed to life. Sparks flickered across the dish before a stream of white lighting cut into the water just in front of Battra, intentionally missing.
"Set course to the straight." The Captain commanded.
"Aye, Sir."
Brought in a wide arc to starboard, the SX3 began the precarious mission of leading the kaiju on a trail that would spare Hokkaidō his wrath.
TOKYO BAY
Admiral Taizo Tachibana had been on other business in the city when the alarm was put out for the arrival of Battra. The Iron Man from the other universe, Tony Stark had returned to his world for the time being to develop a plan to upgrade Kiryu, leaving Taizo with a promise to make right the theft committed by his colleague Henry McCoy. He'd remained to help coordinate defense measures around the capitol and spend some time with his daughter before heading back out to his primary post in Kyushu.
To substitute for the metal dragon, the American's had sent their own mech across the ocean, which now sat at the site of the momentous battle between the kaiju king and the super-heroes. Unlike Japan's construct, this machine was built in the traditional manner of on-board pilots. While the JSDF had come to regard this method as needlessly endangering the lives of the crew, it was a more efficient way of commanding such a large machine.
The All-Terraintula had yet to be field-tested against a high-tiered kaiju and many eyes were watching from a distance how Winter's invention would perform. But until the command came down to activate the mech, it remained a pair of metallic domes sitting on the ground where the crew were conducting last minute checks.
Taizo watched them from the roof of an evacuated building, an impromptu landing pad for the arrival of the team from M-Organization.
"Sir!" A men's voiced called behind him. The Admiral turned to his subordinate, who held a bulky tablet device.
"Battra has been diverted," He reported. "It's moving through the Nemuro Straight now."
Nodding his acknowledgement, Tachibana remained where he stood, gazing northward, waiting for the battle to come.
But after a few minutes, the whine of engines drew his attention to where a sleek aircraft was approaching from the east. It eased to a hover above the building as the wing turbines rotated vertically to control its descent. Built to be a fast-moving vehicle for squad-sized elements, the Super-X4 was the first of its breed designed after the Vortaak invasion, taking some inspiration from the alien tech.
Compared to a normal helicopter, the wind kicked-up by the propulsion system was negligible, imposing little more than a breeze against the Admiral as it touched down. He was grateful to have one of the finest teams from M-Organization on hand. Born with physical capacities beyond that of the normal human, these 'mutants' were recruited to utilize their abilities in defense of Mankind.
When the Super-X3 made itself apparent in the Tokyo airspace, a trail of black smoke fuming from its left wing, the joint forces prepared for battle.
Fueled by an unceasing motivation to smash through anything between himself and his other half, Battra maintained a relentless rhythm in his pursuit. He could feel it even stronger now, the connection to Mothra reaching a pitch. He knew the humans and their weapons awaited him, waited in the vain attempt to stand in his way. Still, they did have a talent for the unexpected.
With Tokyo Bay in sight, Battra was experienced enough to anticipate the insidious machinations of the humans. But there was a trick of his own to play.
"Huh…" Watching from the comfort of his luxury office, Cameron Winter sat against the thick glass pane of his desk. The floor-to-ceiling window before him doubled as a computer screen, displaying the drone feed of the excitement playing out overseas.
"What is it?" Kayoco Patterson asked, drifting in from the entrance as she ended a phone call.
"The monster's taking a dive." Tapping his own phone to his chin, Winter considered the possibilities. "What d'ya think the chances are he's willing to throw the fight and make my All-Terraintula look good?'
"Unlikely."
He smiled at her dry humor. Of course Cameron knew a kaiju could not be bought off, as delicious a prospect as he imagined that to be. Still, Battra's sudden move was a curious thing.
"Computer, thermal deep scan." He commanded.
Instantly, the window transitioned to a layered interpretation of the area, Battra once more visible as a polychromatic blob in undulating motion.
"He's going to the bottom of the bay." Kayoco said curiously, drawing her finger across the screen to introduce a vertical depiction of the bay's topography. A simulation, it generated a representation of Battra relative to the underwater terrain, showing a calculated descent to the water's floor.
Then the idea struck Camerson so hard he nearly slid off the table. "He's going to burrow!"
Hundreds of tons of silt and rubble exploded into a cloud as Battra struck earth, his legs working in tandem with sheer willpower to forge a path into the ground.
With a series of power surges, the All-Terraintula awakened to artificial life. The smaller dome extended from the main body via a segmented neck, its exoskeleton of mulberry purple metal rising from the ground atop eight legs that folded out from underneath. A trio of smaller bulbs protruding about the head alighted, the six-person crew working in tandem to coordinate the movements of the colossal vehicle. Its first two legs advanced warily, testing the competence of mobility. Then with a lurch, all eight legs went into fluid motion.
"Look at that sucker go." Finishing his remark with a spit of tobacco dip, James Eikenboom of M-Organization raised an impressed brow. Around him was the rest of the team; two younger men, and two younger women, all of them mutants trained to combat kaiju.
Their leader stood apart, watching the beginning of the excitement with attentive focus. Shinichi Ozaki, the hero of the Vortaak Invasion, pursed his lips and waited.
The All-Terraintula came to a stop. Centered on its underside, the energy-cannon pointed straight down. Inspired by the weapon aboard the Millennian ship, yellow particles began to accumulate in the cavity in preparation for discharge.
Battra burst from the womb of the earth horn-first with all the lighting and fury becoming of a demi-god. He was met with no margin for error by the energy cannon, which fired its beam directly between the eyes of the dark guardian.
Those observing the scene either in person or via video feed were forced to shield their eyes against the blinding flash of light that engulfed kaiju and construct alike. Like the wrathful smite of Biblical mythology, the beam roared with its nuclear song. When it was over, and the glare abated, the mechanical arachnid remained and Battra was gone.
Both Cameron and Kayoco were compelled to step forward, the exact details obscured by the still fading thermal flare. As the feed cleared, he reached out to grip her arm in baited anticipation.
Taking cover behind elements of rubble, Ozaki and his team exchanged stunned glances at the power on display.
"Is that legal?" Asked the pilot of the Super-X3 as they circled the bay.
Several moments went by in pregnant silence. The Mecha stepping in place, shifting its position.
A torrent of aubergine lightning shot out from the pit, raking the underside of the All-Terraintula with sparking claws and driving it staggering to the side.
He won't be defeated so casually. Taizo Tachibana thought to himself.
Battra sent soil and debris flying as he resurfaced, crimson eyes seething with a rage that found its metallic adversary. Golden fire consumed his horn and was cast forth at the machine. The armor of the mecha however was built with this kind of attack in mind. Rather than dealing damage, the lightning was channeled around the superstructure and collected among the several protrusions adorning the abdomen of the All-Terraintula.
"Gotta love that synthetic diamond coating." Winter grinned.
The dark guardian moved to charge, intent on demolishing the feeble machine with its tusks. With the skill of a matador, the mecha swerved out of the path of the attack with not a meter to spare. Three plates on the forward-facing side of the head slid down to reveal a small energy cannon behind each one, already charging to fire.
Before Battra could bring himself about, the rays struck him in the flank already injured by the Full Metal missiles. The demi-god bellowed in pain, bowled-over and sent crashing into the dirt.
She was here. Despite the immediacy of the battle at hand, Battra had not forgotten about his mission. This was it, he knew, this was the place where she had vanished. Something was wrong, he could feel it. Godzilla had also been involved, the unmistakable trace of his presence still detectable to the faculties of the guardian. But even if Godzilla had destroyed her, it would not account for the atmosphere of wrongness that lingered still in their absence.
"Seems like they won't need us at all for this one, Oz." The towering Eikenboom suggested to Ozaki with a shrug, his heavy Georgian accent reverberating.
But the Captain was not satisfied yet. "We will see." Was all he said.
Intending to finish the fight quickly, the All-Terraintula moved to mount itself over the fallen Battra, the main cannon accumulating a decisive blow. Its legs were already in spindly motion when Battra's tail lashed out and swept one side clear of the ground, successfully toppling the machine. With deceptive flexibility, Battra righted himself and finally managed to hook his tusks under the All-Terraintula and flip it onto its back.
This time the primordial kaiju understood the significance of the energy growing in the mech's abdomen and acted before it could strike the next blow. Battra unleashed his optical bolts directly into the well of the cannon just as it fired.
The two forces surged against each other violently for several beats, but the energy cannon inched onward by the second. It was then Battra who dodged the path of the attack, the armor that framed his compound eye taking a glancing blow as he moved aside. He needed to create distance. This foe was proving to be more formidable than he would have dared concede, but it was no excuse to continue this fight without taking the machine more seriously.
Another tail swipe battered the supine spider into a previously undestroyed building, rubble washing over it in cascade.
"What are they doing?!" Cameron Winter cursed, gesticulating with open hands towards his window-screen. "They had the thing beat!"
"Relax, Cameron," Kayoco advised him, taking one of his hands in hers. "The monster might be more of a fight than you expected, but it is hurt. The All-Terraintula is winning the battle."
Winter looked at her and licked his lips contemplatively before returning to the feed.
His armor debilitated and ichor seeping from the cracks, Battra let a trail of it drip from between the teeth of his mandibles. The humans were determined to drive him away, he was determined otherwise, and only one side could have its way. Knowing that his greatest advantage was already taken care of, he decided it was time to escalate the stakes.
Arcs of lightning emanated from his horn and crackled over his spiky chitin, and he loosed a piercing cry.
Ozaki understood what this meant and ordered his team to fall back.
The Super-X3, already limping, banked hard away to the south.
The black brother became a ruby flame, purple bolts and fragments of light streaming out in all directions. In one supreme crimson nova, the terrestrial avatar of the Earth's vengeance was transformed. Hovering in its place beat dark wings with fiery streaks, a crown of three golden horns atop an ireful visage. The deep bellow of the imago Battra returned to the world once more.
Now possessed of his full power, it gained a new perception of the phenomena that had occurred here, a clarity. And granted this understanding, he now felt a tether, if ever so faint, a connection to his other half.
Where Reed Richards' portal had once allowed passage to Godzilla and Mothra, Battra now turned his attention.
Metallic legs pierced through the rubble, human intelligence guiding the All-Terraintula into an upright posture with practiced dexterity. The crew had considered the possibility of facing the kaiju's evolved form and prepared accordingly.
On what might be considered the machine's 'shoulders', compartments opened on either side from which launched barbed harpoons at the end of cables. With Battra facing off to the side, one hooked itself among the creature's legs, the other around his neck. Like the crippling electro-shock cables installed in the MechaGodzilla, these conveyed a stinging power current that spiraled along the length of the line.
A tug-of-war ensued, the stubborn spikes of the All-Terraintula wrangling against the hurricane-gale force of Battra's wings. The cables tried to respool, drawing them both closer, but the strain on the lines forced it to cede ground instead. Having learned his lesson earlier, Battra knew his optical bolts would only empower the vile construct and be used against him. this time he knew he must wait for the right opportunity.
It came when the protective shields over the frontal beams exposed the triple cannons. This time when the energy beams were fired, they were met by the quasi-translucent shimmer of a spherical shield that deflected each ray in a different direction. One into the sky, another into the ground, but the third Battra managed to reflect back at the mechanical arachnid. The synthetic diamond attempted to absorb and funnel the energy but found itself overwhelmed by the intensity and surrendered to a blast that ravaged the exterior.
The disruption caused the current along the cables to short-out, reducing the lines to a neutral implement.
Cameron Winter could only scowl at the devastating blow delt to his machine, gripping his jaw in hand, hoping for some last-minute maneuver that might yet salvage victory.
The All-Terraintula buckled, its head lolling slightly. And while it wasn't down, Battra understood that it merely lacked a killing stroke.
With a single flap Battra began to ascend, dragging the colossal machine off the ground and into the air.
"Now we have seen." Ozaki said to his senior team leader with an amused smirk.
James put his hands on his hips, watching the pair rise higher. "Well, shit."
"This mean we're going to work, Oz"? The question came from a petite blonde who stood precariously but comfortably on a length of rebar protruding from a concrete block. She wore a technological helmet that came down over her eyes, leaving exposed her mouth and a blonde ponytail sticking out the back.
"It means; get ready." Plucking the miniature maser-bolt weapon from his back, Ozaki charged the power coil.
Literally hoisted by its own petard, the All-Terraintula protested vainly against its elevation, the crew now hesitant to employ any more of its energy projectiles in defense. Rising hundreds of feet by the second, the time for them to devise a counterstrategy was rapidly running out. With their ranged weaponry in a dubious state, they elected to close the distance, and the cable tethers once more engaged their spoolers.
Battra felt the tension on the lines shift, his foe drawing nearer. This suited him just fine, it would not alter his plan. He had tasted death many times over the course of millions of years. Sometimes due to age, other times in the midst of violence and blood. Measured against adversaries like Godzilla, King Ghidorah, or his sister, thus far he had found this artificial contender, unimpressive.
Thousands of feet above the ground, Battra traversed into an arcing swoop with the All-Terraintula in tow, folded his wings, and plunged into a dive.
Not unlike the downward trajectory of his machine, Cameron Winter saw hundreds of millions of dollars about to crash in a fiery disaster. His fists clenched as he glowered at the screen. Kayoco Patterson beside shrunk back against the desk with a sigh, knowing that he would be in a foul disposition for the foreseeable future. While her family's proximity to power had its many advantages, it would take some serious politicking to keep this from damaging the repute of Winter Industrial.
They wouldn't make it in time, they realized. The crew of the All-Terraintula abandoned not just their plan, but the controls as well. An octagonal central compartment of the mech's head dislodged from its position before blasting away in a spurt of rocket-propelled velocity. When it was far enough away to escape the slipstream, the roof of the escape pod disengaged to allow a parachute to bloom and catch the air that would deliver them with relative safety to the earth.
With remarkable little fanfare, all onlookers let their faces tilt downwards as they tracked the plummeting machine to its thunderous landing.
As the dust cloud cleared on the breeze, Battra remained perched atop the mangled wreckage of the All-Terraintula, not so much destroyed as it was a reckless heap of legs and twisted cables. With some work the machine would be serviceable, but for the moment, it was merely the dais upon which the semi-divine kaiju stood victorious.
"Oz?" Now much more sober, James Eikenboom hefted his own large-capacity maser-bolt weapon into a ready position.
"Let's see what it does."
Utilizing his claws to dispose of the harpoons, Battra's compound eyes once more found the epicenter of the suspicious flux in the fabric of reality.
Admiral Taizo Tachibana was disappointed, but not surprised. Still, the American's machine had shown itself to be capable enough. He moved to retire to the mobile command vehicle that waited for him on the street when a buzzing alert in his pocket halted him.
'GOTENGO INBOUND' The text read.
Attuned to the elemental forces of the world, Battra felt the distortion in space as one might feel the heat of a radiator. Hovering in place where he felt it strongest, he focused on his connection to Mothra, brought his vital life-force into harmonized synchronicity with that of his other half. Indeed, he sensed their bond strengthening.
"Approaching targeting range, Captain."
Commanding his ship from the chair around which the Gotengo's bridge revolved, the stern Captain Douglas Gordan measured his ship's method of approach.
"Bring the Zero-Cannon to charge and make ready the topside batteries." He ordered calmly and was answered with sets of acknowledgements. "I don't wanna fire first, but if shit gets hairy, I need hell to rain on that sunovabitch."
Yes… I feel her… Through the partition of realities, Battra's link to the Guardian of Life yet remained, and he bent all his will towards strengthening it. Arcs of lighting rose and spun between the peaks of his crown, and shimmers of purple energy went along his wings.
Visions now played before him, translucent and pulsating: those of a vast green jungle, expansive in all directions.
The mutants continued to observe the unexpected behavior, both enthralled and wary of what Battra was engaged in.
"There's nothing like this in the records." Said a raven-haired young woman to the man next to her.
"Always room for a new paragraph." He remarked in a tame Welsh accent.
The very air around Battra began to ripple like water in the shape of his body, each wing flap eliciting a pulse of rainbow oscillations.
It occurred to Taizo relatively immediately what was happening, having seen a similar spectral phenomena permit travel to the Earth of Iron Man and the other heroes. That Battra was evoking this capability via his own innate power left him wide-eyed in awe.
The fabric of reality warped, seeming to become elastic, pulling taut where Battra's wings moved. Now it was his opacity that began to vacillate, the purple energy washing over his body accelerating until they merged into a single sheen.
Then, as if yanked forward by an unseen force, Battra was enveloped in a polychromatic gush, his final roar carrying out after he had vanished.
Moving into the area at a casual pace, the Gotengo slowed to a halt. Inside, an incredulous Captain Gordon leaned forward in his chair.
"Where in the blue hell did he go?"
On the other side of the Pacific Ocean, Cameron Winter and Kayoco Patterson stood transfixed. No longer mad or even upset, simply dumbstruck, Cameron absently turned away from the window screen, processing.
"Honey," He began, eyes darting as he looked downward. "Can you give me a few minutes?"
"Sure." Without prying any further, she left the office, sparing him a parting glance.
When she had gone, Cameron snatched his phone off the table and tapped it a few times against his chest, contemplating something. Finally, he held it out and started manipulating it before putting it to his ear.
A few moments passed before his head tilted up and he spoke. "Yes… I think I have something."
/