Chapter 4: The Winter of Our Discontent
10 miles South of Albuquerque, New Mexico, March 2000
Nick stepped outside of the tent to find Roache standing just to the left of the entrance. His jaws were moving in circular motions, and Nick realized that he was chewing gum. A smile slipped onto Nick's face as he remembered the last time he had seen the French agent consuming that product.
Nick walked over to Roache, moving to stand by his left side. "Unless you're planning on sneaking into another monster-infested city," Nick said, "I'm surprised to find you eating that."
Roache looked over at Nick and smiled at him. "What? The taste's grown on me." He suddenly stuck a hand into a pocket, withdrawing it to reveal a packet of watermelon gum in his grip. "Want one?" Roache asked, reaching his arm out to offer the packet.
Nick shook his head and waved his hand away. "No, thank you."
Roache shrugged and returned the packet to his pocket.
The two stood there silently for a few moments, gazing out towards the form of Kumonga's giant carcass in the distance. However, Nick suddenly remembered what Monique had told him. Looking at the French agent, he said, "I heard you were retiring."
Roache looked back at Nick and chuckled. "I bet Monique told you, huh?"
"Ya, she did," Nick admitted.
Roache chuckled again but quickly became subdued. "I figured. But yeah, I'm retiring. It's been overdue for a long time now. Agents are allowed to retire when they turn fifty, or if they have at least twenty-five years of experience. Well, I was in my thirties when they bombed Mehetia. It's been thirty years since then and, well, as cliche as it is, I'm getting too damn old for this."
"Where do you plan on going? When you retire, I mean," Nick asked.
Roache considered the question for a brief moment before saying. "Ironically, I was thinking about going back to Tahiti. I know the place still needs some work after what happened, and I don't plan on staying there the rest of my life, but I almost feel obligated to go back, at least once."
"Why's that?"
Roache shrugged. "Well, I'm sure you know this, but I was there when they bombed Mehetia. I was overseeing the operation. I watched that island get blown to hell with my own eyes. I didn't know it at the time, but I was there when this whole mess started. I even feel sort of responsible for it."
"There have been over a hundred nuclear tests in the Pacific," Nick pointed out, "and that is only American tests. This mess would have occurred either way. Kumonga is proof of that."
"Yeah, but that was the test that awoke him," Roache said. "I oversaw the operation that created Godzilla, the worst mutant we've had to face so far. Not only that, but he's still out there, on that deserted island, only a thousand miles from Honolulu."
"There's nothing you could have done to stop that," Nick said in an attempt to comfort the agent. "It was your government that decided to nuke Mehetia, not you. If you had protested, they probably would have fired you, or at least kicked you from the operation."
Roache sighed. "Maybe so, but I still feel sort of responsible for what happened. I feel that I should give that island a visit, to pay my respects at least once before I die."
Nick nodded in understanding. Deciding to change the subject, Nick then asked, "Well, will you miss your job?"
"Of course," Roache said, "I've always loved my country. The secret service was the best way I felt that I could help defend it. If I had to do it over again, I would in a heartbeat." Roache sighed. "But, there's no use dreaming about it now. My country has no use for an old geezer like me."
"CCI could use you," Nick offered. "I'm sure I could get Hicks to bring you on as the head of security or something."
Roache glanced at him and laughed. "Sorry Nick, but as much as I would like to go on one last wild adventure, in truth, I've grown old. I came to terms with how that would happen long ago. I just never thought I would actually make it. When I joined the French secret service, I thought I would die for my country in a blaze of glory, fighting communists or terrorists, not watching from the sidelines as giant monsters began popping up everywhere."
"But you don't have to sit on the sidelines," Nick said. "You don't need to be physically fit to help out. You can still make a difference, even in your old age."
Roache seemed to consider Nick's point for a few moments, eventually nodding slowly. "I guess you're right," he said. "Maybe if I get bored of retirement I can always come back for one last adventure."
"I hope you do," Nick said, successfully getting a smile out of the old agent.
Nick returned his gaze to the carcass of the mutant, standing there with Roache for a few more silent moments before finally parting ways with his old friend.
A few hours later…
After speaking with Roache, Nick had joined up with his team and went into Albuquerque to check into their hotel, each of them getting their own room. Nick would have liked to start research on Kumonga right away, but he knew that certain precautions had to be put in place before anyone could begin their investigations.
LUMOs, having been mutated by radiation, also expelled radiation. When they were alive, this radiation was actually pretty minimal. You wouldn't want to stick around for too long, but you could get away with straying into a mutant's radioactive sphere or any area in which it passed through. This is because mutants absorb radiation for energy. Without it, due to their size, they wouldn't be able to survive. Thus, only a small portion of the radiation they absorbed was released. This radiation, fortunately enough, also dissipated at a relatively fast rate, meaning the affected area wouldn't necessarily suffer the same fate as a place like Chernobyl.
However, when a mutant died, all of the radiation being stored in their body was released, contaminating the area in which they fell. A perimeter needed to be set up around the corpse, portable decontamination stations needed to be set up, and hazmat suits needed to be brought to the scene before anyone could approach the fallen mutant. It was the area around a dead mutant that took the longest to clean the radiation from. Bryant Park, the place Zilla had died, still wasn't entirely cleansed of radiation, and Zilla's body had been removed last year.
But, Nick had the others had recently been informed that the area was ready for scientific investigation. Since their trip to Godzilla's island wouldn't occur for a week, it wouldn't hurt to study the giant spider for a while. And Nick was indeed curious about the mutant. Ever since Nick got mixed up with giant mutants and CCI, he had desired to discover more about them, both to advance human knowledge and to help keep innocent lives safe from them. This was, to some degree, probably the motivation of every scientist once they heard about giant monsters. But most scientists weren't in CCI. Most scientists didn't have the opportunity to study giant mutants. Nick, however, did have that opportunity, and he wasn't going to let it go to waste.
Upon arriving at the scene, Nick, Craven, and Elsie split up, agreeing to meet back at the new jeep in about an hour. Randy and Monique had decided to stay behind since investigating a dead mutant wasn't really a part of their profession. Once Nick had pulled on his hazmat suit and passed through the security checkpoint, he pulled out a Geiger counter from his bag and approached the carcass.
As soon as Nick turned the Geiger counter on, rapid clicks began to spit out of the machine. Of course, Nick already knew that the area around the monster would be radioactive. However, Nick wanted to see if there was any variation in the amount of radiation in the area. Walking up to the carcass, Nick began sweeping the machine left and right, waving it over the mutant's body. The Geiger seemed to remain consistent, but Nick wanted to walk a lap around the body to be sure. Of course, that wasn't as easy as it sounded. Kumonga was far from the largest mutant Nick has seen, but it would still take some time to walk a full lap around it. Fortunately, Nick wouldn't just be holding a Gieger counter for that entire lap. Every half a dozen yards or so, Nick decided that he would stop and collect some samples of the mutant. A slice of hair here, a shard of shell there; anything that can be put under a microscope.
About half an hour later, when Nick had made it about halfway around Kumonga's body, he heard the distinct noise of a camera snapping pictures. Nick looked over to see a Japanese man clad in a hazmat suit of his own, taking pictures of the carcass with a portable camera. Nick smiled when he saw the man, for he quickly recognized his face. He had worked with him before, specifically during the Manhattan Incident. It was none other than Shiro Miyasaka.
"Hey, Shiro!" Nick called out, waving at the Japanese scientist.
Miyasaka turned, spotted Nick, and gave a smile of his own. "Oh, hey Nick," Miyasaka greeted in English, waving in return.
Nick had first met Miyasaka during the Manhattan Incident before Godzilla fought the American fleet outside of Guantanamo Bay. They had crossed paths when Nick and the scientists with him were told of a floating rock a Japanese research vessel had discovered. Shiro Miyasaka was one of those on the boat. The floating rock, as it turned out, was the Millennian.
Nick quickly reached Miyasaka, shaking his gloved hand with Nick's own. "How have you been?" he asked.
"I've been good," he replied with a shrug. "How about you?"
"Same here," Nick said. "When did you get here?"
"About ten minutes ago," Miyasaka said. "I just got through the security checkpoint. I figured I would get a couple of photos and maybe some samples before I return to Japan."
"Good thing I caught you, then," Nick said with a smile. "Are Yuji and Mitsuo here too?" he then asked, briefly glancing around the area.
Yuji Shinoda and Mitsuo Katagiri were Miyasaka's partners and, as far as Nick knew, oldest friends. The three of them had been together for most of the Manhattan Incident, from when Nick had met them on that boat near French Polynesia to when Godzilla dove into the Hudson River and swam out to sea. With Miyasaka here, it was easy to assume that Yuji and Katagiri were here as well. Over the course of the Manhattan Incident, Nick had grown to become friends with them, and he was eager to see them again.
However, in answering Nick's question, Miyasaka shook his head. "Yuji and Mitsuo are still in Japan. I just came here to get some photos and samples for them."
"Oh," Nick said, a little disappointed. "Well, tell them I said hi."
"I will," Miyasaka reassured with an affirmative nod.
Suddenly, the screech of a car braking against the desert ground echoed from somewhere nearby, probably outside of the perimeter. Nick decided to ignore the sound, assuming it was just another scientist arriving to study the organism before them. Miyasaka, however, looked over at the epicenter of the noise.
"Who is that?" the Japanese scientist asked.
Nick looked over at the cause of the commotion, only for his blood to freeze at the sight. It was merely a jeep, but recognizing the man stepping out of the vehicle sent chills down Nick's spine. The man was tall, about a few inches more than Nick, and holding a briefcase. He wore a blue-colored shirt tucked beneath brown jeans and a darker brown belt. His shoes were black and his glasses were thin and rectangular. By far the oddest feature of the man was his hair. Both the ruffled hair on his head and the goatee on his chin were whiter than snow.
It was not this detail that shocked Nick. In fact, it was merely the recognition of the man that sparked shock within him, and this shock was quickly replaced by another emotion. Distaste and loathing. Nick was not unfamiliar with this man. Not only did Nick know the man's name, but he had met him in person before, and on multiple occasions, and none had left a good impression.
With a snarl, Nick said, "Cameron Winter."
Miyasaka glanced over at Nick, his face hinting concern. "You seem to know him," he said.
"Unfortunately," Nick muttered, watching as Winter approached the security checkpoint. Nick glared at the man for a moment more until he was distracted by a voice coming from his right, opposite of Miyasaka.
"Hey, isn't that Cameron Winter?" asked the voice of Elsie.
Nick glanced over to find Elsie and Craven walking over to them, with both of them looking over at Winter with curiosity. Craven eventually looked away to greet Miyasaka, but Elsie kept her gaze on the white-haired man.
Nick's frown deepened further before he curtly turned away, looking back at the mutant carcass. "It doesn't matter," he said snappishly.
Elsie gave him a shocked look. "Doesn't matter?" she said. "That's Cameron Winter. He's only the founder and CEO of Solstice Cybernetics, one of the richest men in America, and the biggest techno-guru!" Elsie glanced back in Winter's direction. "Not to mention that he's not bad looking either."
Nick rolled his eyes. "That still doesn't matter," he said. "We've got work to do."
"I don't think we have much of a choice in the matter," Craven said apologetically. "He's coming right towards us."
Nick whirled around, hoping that Craven, despite rarely doing so, was messing with him. Winter's workers were scattering off, heading towards the mutant but away from them. However, what Craven said was true. Cameron Winter himself was heading right for them, his classic smirk spread across his smug face.
"Great…" Nick muttered sarcastically. A few moments later, Cameron Winter was standing right before him.
"Hello, Nick," he said, his smirk widening slightly. "It's been a long time."
"Not long enough, for my taste," Nick spat.
"Now is that any way to talk to an old friend?" Winter said superciliously.
"You knew Cameron Winter?" Elsie said in shock, as if he had been childhood friends with a celebrity and decided not to tell anyone about it, which was hardly the case.
"We just went to college together, that's all," Nick huffed.
"So, you guys were school chums?" Craven asked.
"I wouldn't say chums," Nick said, giving Winter an icy glare.
"Perhaps," Winter admitted with an uncaring shrug. "Nickels was too busy dissecting garden slugs to hang out with the rest of us."
"Nickels?" Elsie said, glancing at Nick and releasing a small giggle.
Nick looked away, trying to hide his embarrassment. "I told you not to call me that," he growled quietly.
"Just an old name we gave him in college," Winter said dismissively. "We used to call him Nickels because we thought that was all he was ever going to make." Winter gave Nick a teasing look before he suddenly began to chuckle. "You know, Nickels," he said, "I never thought in a million years you would go from studying worms in Chernobyl to hunting giant monsters across the globe."
"I'm glad you had so much faith in me," Nick muttered sarcastically, glaring at Winter once more.
"Oh, I had faith in you," Winter said, hearing his remark. "I knew you would have a purpose. I just never thought it would be something so… significant." At that moment, conveniently before Nick could respond, Winter took notice of Miyasaka. "I don't believe I've met you," Winter said to the Japanese scientist, extending a hand in the process. "I'm Cameron Winter, CEO of Solstice Cybernetics."
"I heard," Miyasaka replied, shaking Winter's hand. "Shiro Miyasaka," he introduced.
"Ah," Winter said with a nod. "I thought you looked familiar. You were another one of those involved with the so-called Manhattan Incident, right?"
Miyasaka nodded in confirmation.
"I believe you have two other accomplices, right?" Winter then asked. "A Mr. Shinoda and Katagiri, I think."
Miyasaka nodded again. "Yuji Shinoda and Mitsuo Katagiri," he confirmed. "They aren't here right now, though," he added. "They're both in Japan."
"Shame," Winter said, "I would have liked to meet them." Winter then scrunched his eyebrow as he began to think. After a brief moment, he turned to Elsie and asked, "Aren't there two more in your party?"
"Randy and Monique," Elsie confirmed. "They're in Albuquerque right now."
"Well it's a shame I can't meet them too," Winter said.
Nick couldn't help but scoff at that. Through the duration of the conversation, Nick had been glaring at his old colleague. Nick knew that Winter didn't really care for the people around him. All of this small talk was just a show. A trick to make himself seem more caring and selfless. In reality, he was anything but. All he cared about was himself and his technology. With Cameron Winter, there were always strings attached.
Having had enough of Winter's drivel, Nick said, "What do you want, Winter?"
"I'm just here to get some samples, same as you," Winter replied innocently. "You didn't think you would get it all to yourself, did you?" he then accused.
"Of course not!" Nick snapped back. "I just don't trust what you would do with it."
"What I do is my business," Winter said. "I'm not going to stop my research just because you don't like it."
Nick sighed, knowing that Winter, as much as Nick hated to admit it, was right. Nick didn't trust Winter or his research as far as he could throw him. Winter wouldn't let anything get in the way of his research, not even ethics. The only thing preventing Winter from cloning humans was the American government. The idea of Winter getting his hands on mutant DNA was not a comfortable one in Nick's mind. But, unless there was concrete evidence of illegal activities, Winter was in the clear to do anything he wanted with his research as long as it was under the law.
"Fine," Nick said reluctantly.
Smiling victoriously, Winter continued, "Well, I've got to get going anyway. My workers should have collected plenty of samples by now and I have business to attend to." Winter turned to go, but then stopped, reaching down into his briefcase. He pulled out a collection of cards. "These are my business cards," he explained, passing them out, even sending one Nick's way (though it was probably less of an olive branch and more of a jab). "If you ever want to talk or visit one of my facilities, just give me a call." Cameron Winter then gave one final sly smile, turned around, and walked away.
The group watched the techno mogul until he had passed the security checkpoint and went into one of the decontamination stations. As he did so, Nick crumpled the card and threw it into the ground.
"Good riddance," he growled.
"I thought he was nice," Craven admitted.
"That's what he wants you to think," Nick said. "He wants to get your support, but he doesn't really care for you. If you get in the way of him and his research, he'll stab you in the back and throw you in the mud."
"Sounds like he would make one hell of a politician," Elsie observed.
"He would," Nick agreed, "but he loves his research and technology too much to focus his efforts on that. If he wanted to influence politics, he'd do it from the shadows." Nick sighed. "And the scary thing is that he easily has the resources to do so."
"I don't know Nick," Craven said hesitantly. "It's kind of your word against his. I trust you, don't get me wrong, but I think you're letting an old college grudge get in the way of logical thinking."
Nick opened his mouth to reply but stopped himself. Nick held great distaste for Cameron Winter, but Craven did have a point. Nick didn't really have hard proof evidence of Winter doing anything nefarious or illegal. All he had was his experiences with him in college, which was a time long ago. Not only that but, as much as Nick didn't want to admit it, perhaps his view of Winter was skewed by their past rivalry.
Nick sighed. "Maybe you're right," he admitted. "He hasn't done any serious harm - none that I know of - and he's left us alone… for now." Nick sighed again, this time more resolutely. "Come on, we've got our own business to attend to."
Craven and Elsie smiled, giving an approving nod. Nick then looked over at Miyasaka and asked, "You want to join us?"
Unfortunately, Miyasaka shook his head and said, "Sorry, but I have to get back to Japan."
"I understand," Nick said. "It's been good seeing you," he added.
"Yeah," Elsie agreed.
"Say hi to Yuji and Mitsuo for us," Craven said.
"I will," Miyasaka promised. "Goodbye."
Nick, Elsie, and Craven gave their goodbyes as Miyasaka began to head for the security checkpoint. When he got there, he turned around to send one final bow and a wave their way, both of which they returned, before he continued to the decontamination station.
When Miyasaka disappeared, Nick turned to Craven and Elsie and said, "Alright, let's get back to work."
Cameron Winter walked towards the jeep he had arrived in, several of his workers at his side carrying containers with numerous samples of the dead mutant. He couldn't help but smile as he walked away from the carcass and, more importantly, away from his old "friend" Nick Tatopoulos. Watching him silently stew over his mere presence had been quite satisfying.
Actually, their reunion had been satisfying in another way as well. Winter had heard of those who were a part of HEAT. He had actually considered seeking them out and inviting them to work for him. He still considered it even now. Craven's robotics and Hernandez's computer skills especially would be very valuable assets. In fact, Winter's biggest regret, even more so than being unable to taunt Nick a little more, was that he didn't get the chance to meet Randy Hernandez.
Of course, it wasn't very big of a regret. Even if every one of them decided to stick with Nick's insignificant operation, Winter's plans would remain unaffected. Winter had business to attend to, and none of it required the skills of anyone in Nick's little group.
As if summoned by this thought, Winter's phone suddenly began to ring. Winter already knew who it was before he retrieved the phone from his pocket. It was a phone he had designated for calls about a specific part of his research.
Flipping the mobile phone open, Winter lifted it to his ear, nodding at his workers to carry on with their work, and said, "Dale?"
"Yes," Dale responded.
"I assume you're calling for a reason," Winter said.
"Of course," Dale confirmed. "I've spotted the target."
Winter stopped. "Are you absolutely sure?" he asked with a serious tone.
"Positive," Dale replied.
Winter smiled. "Good," he said. "I'll be there in, let's say, a few days. You know what to do."
"Roger that," Dale said, and the call shut off with a click.
Winter returned the phone to his pocket and continued on his trek towards the jeep, his smile quickly returning to his face.
His research had just taken another step closer to completion.
Lafayette Park, Pacific Heights, San Francisco
The bright afternoon made for the perfect day for families and friends to visit the local park. The playground was filled with playing children and watchful parents. Couples walked the trail, families sat down for a picnic, and the tennis courts were filled with the sounds of the game. There was even a dog park, with about a dozen dogs frolicking while their owners either watched from afar or kept close.
It was here in which the focus of Miki Saegusa was drawn to, watching the dogs play from a curved bench up the path, a McDonald's meal in her lap. Miki, a Japanese girl of sixteen, didn't have a dog of her own, though that wasn't for lack of affection for them. She had considered numerous times about getting one of her own, but she always ended up deciding against it. This was because dogs required attention, and when you're a homeless teenager living off stolen goods, a loud animal doesn't make the best partner in crime.
But, even so, dogs were preferable to humans.
Miki took a bite out of her burger, watching dogs of all sizes play from afar. Miki had always liked animals more than she liked people. It was because of her distaste for people that Miki hadn't already ventured into the dog park to play with the animals. It would bring far too much attention to herself, and Miki preferred to keep as much distance from people as she could.
Miki only tried to get close to people when she needed to pick their wallets or steal their food. That's not to say that she didn't find theft to be a wrongful act. In fact, Miki's parents, the two people she loved most in the whole wide world, had made it crystal clear that stealing was bad.
Miki squeezed the dirty gorilla plushies that sat beside her as she thought of her parents. It was certainly a childish toy, especially for a sixteen-year-old. It was even childish for a fourteen-year-old, which was the age in which Miki had received the fluffy object. However, it had been a gift from Miki's parents, along with being - as Miki hated to remind herself of - their last.
Miki looked away from the dog park and down at the dusty path beneath her feet as she remembered that terrible night two years ago. In August of 1998, Miki's parents had taken her on a vacation to none other than New York City. However, this happened to coincide with the most destructive attack in American history. An attack that hadn't even been initiated by fighters from some foreign nation, but an attack from creatures no one had ever thought possible. Giant monsters born from nuclear radiation, the size of towers, and with an unquenchable lust for death and destruction.
Miki had an affection for most things that lived, from the most beautiful of plants to the ugliest of critters. Humans were an exception, but of all the organisms that exist on Earth, there were none that Miki hated more than him. The giant, fire-breathing dinosaur that had mercilessly crushed her parents underfoot, and who had escaped his crime unpunished. A creature so terrible that few dared to say his name, and justly so.
A monster named Godzilla.
Miki found herself squeezing the toy out of anger now, and in realizing this, she immediately loosened her grip, unwilling to damage that last and only reminder of the parents she loved so dearly. Even so, her hatred still festered. Godzilla had murdered both Miki's mother and father. With her home being on the west coast, and with no other relatives living in America, Miki found herself without a home and belongings. Miki would have dived to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and strangled Godzilla herself if she had the power to do so. But, of course, Miki didn't stand a chance of getting revenge if she ever ran into Godzilla again. In fact, she probably wouldn't survive her second encounter whether she decided to fight Godzilla or not. So, instead, Miki had decided on a different goal. One that she had spent the last two years trying to reach. The goal of returning to her old home.
And, at long last, Miki was finally here in suburban San Francisco.
After escaping the orphanage she had been initially sent to - which had actually been pretty easy, though it was thanks to some… special help - Miki had spent the last two years traveling across the country to return to her old home in mind. Now she is finally back in San Francisco. All she needed to do now was find her old home. That in itself would be pretty easy. The only issue was that, with everything that happened, Miki was having trouble remembering where her house was. But she easily remembered what it looked like, and Miki felt that she could remember the address if she searched her memory hard enough. Either way, Miki was in the home stretch - literally. Miki had decided to take a quick break at this park, eating a Mcdonald's meal and reflecting on the past two years before beginning the search for her home.
Though, it was a bit difficult with all the noise. The downside of being in a major city was that there were very few quiet places. Even peaceful parks such as this were full of noise. There were the loud barks of the dogs in the distance, the chatter between family and friends, the playful shouts of kids running about the playground, and the many thoughts from people walking by.
It's such a nice…
… I can't wait for the…
… with the other dogs.
Miki sighed as the jumbled thoughts floated into and out of her mind. She was going to have quite the headache tonight. Having not only your own thoughts but the thoughts of anyone within a ten-meter radius wasn't exactly easy on the mind. At the end of the day, Miki would usually have a mild headache, with severe ones coming after going through a heavily populated area. She probably would have gone insane by now if it weren't for the techniques she had developed to dull the noise and separate the foreign thoughts from her own.
She took in a deep breath and counted the ten, imagining every thought that was not her own get swept up in a gentle wind and get carried away. By the time Miki reached ten, the noise was relegated to a dull mumble at the back of her mind. Miki then reached down into her pack and pulled out a small notebook and a pencil. Miki found that she could distract herself from the noise, and she discovered that drawing was an easy way to do it. This was very convenient considering she always had a knack for drawing. Even before her powers mysteriously appeared two years ago, Miki was quite adept at the art. Now that Miki was in a major city, drawing would be an ever more common pastime, for it was another measure against the mental noise and the evening headaches.
Miki flipped through the notebook, which she had bought near Phoenix, briefly glancing at her past drawings as she searched for a clean page. Many of the drawings were simply things she had spotted on her travels. A building here, an animal there. Miki often drew pictures of plants, from outcrops of trees to bushes of roses. However, Miki decided to make this drawing something special. Finding a clean page about three-quarters through the notebook, Miki began to draw her home. It was an apartment building, and so Miki decided to draw the interior of her own apartment. She spent several minutes drawing the home she had once known, detailing the living room as she remembered it. A television set on a small table, a bookshelf in the corner, a comfortable couch set in the middle of the room.
And on it, Miki drew her mother, her father, and herself.
When Miki had completed the image, she spent several moments staring at her creation, focusing specifically on the drawings of her parents. Wide smiles were set on their faces, and their arms were wrapped around the young girl sitting between them. Once more, the pain of their deaths weighed heavily on Miki's soul. Miki loved her parents more than anything in the world, and their deaths hurt worse than any headache she could ever have. She had to try her hardest not to cry in public. Even so, she felt a single tear trail down her cheek anyway.
Wiping the tear away, Miki closed up the notebook and stuck it and the pencil into the backpack. She threw her leftovers into the McDonald's bag, and got up, walking over to a nearby trash can to throw the bag away. Miki missed her parents dearly, but now was not the time to grieve. She had to begin the search for her old home. She was in San Francisco, after all, so it wouldn't be easy.
But Miki knew that she would find it eventually. No matter how long it took, Miki would find her home. She would even if it was the last thing she did.
She had to.
From a bench on top of the hill that was Lafayette Park, shaded by a copse, a man watched as the girl got up to leave. The man was on the upper side of fifty, his hair already a silver-grey. However, a lifetime of outdoor adventures in wildernesses across the world had kept him fit. The man was a hunter, traveling the globe to hunt the most dangerous game he could find. Elephants in Africa, crocodiles in Australia, and jaguars in the Amazon were only a few of the creatures he had taken down.
However, this time he was hunting a different type of game altogether, and with a completely different goal in mind. Usually, he hunted animals, hunting them in deserted wildernesses, and he usually hunted them to kill them. This time, however, his goal was to capture his target and to do so in the middle of a major American city. But most of all, his game wasn't an animal at all.
It was human.
The girl seemed to fit the description given to him by his employer. A young girl at about sixteen years of age with black hair of Asian descent. She seemed to keep clear of other people, and she was even holding the toy gorilla she was said to carry. The man had no doubt.
This is Miki Saegusa.
Retrieving a mobile phone from his pocket, the man flipped it open and dialed his employer. The phone rang for a brief moment before, with a click, his employer's voice spoke through the phone, asking for his identity.
When the man confirmed it, his employer said, "I assume you're calling for a reason."
"Of course," the man said, a smile sliding onto his face. "I've spotted the target."
Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean
Gigantis felt the cool water rush past him as he swam through the open water, the surface far above him. His mind, however, was on his first target. The noclaw world, if his last two ventures into their territory said anything, was quite expansive. It seemed as if every major landmass had noclaw influence to some extent. Of course, Gigantis wasn't sure how large the world was. Perhaps there was a sanctuary somewhere where the noclaws couldn't go. While such a sanctuary, if one were to exist, would be a great place for the young ones to live, it was inconsequential when it came to Gigantis's mission. To destroy the noclaws.
However, Gigantis couldn't just attack the first noclaw community he came across. Theoretically, he could, considering how the noclaws couldn't really hurt him with their rock monsters. However, Gigantis could not allow the noclaws to find his home island, not unless he wanted the same thing that happened with his first home to happen to his current one. Only in this case, though Gigantis had been (and still was) furious about the second destruction of his first home, Gigantis's current home was also home to his adopted young ones, and their deaths would be as painful as the deaths of his parents. So, while Gigantis knew there was at least one noclaw community not too far away from his home island, he chose to stay away from it for fear that the noclaws would be able to locate his island and destroy it.
The past two times Gigantis had attacked the noclaws, he had passed through a noclaw-made river that cuts through a relatively thin stretch of land. Gigantis decided he was going to attack on the opposite side of the land, but instead of going through the fake river, Gigantis decided he would follow the land down to see where, if at all, the land ended. If the land didn't end, and he found himself back at the fake canal, Gigantis would go through the canal. If the land did end, Gigantis would go around the land and swim up into the open water on the other side. Either way, Gigantis would not attack the same side of the land again. This time, he decided, he would go across the open water, to see if there was land on the other side.
This would definitely be Gigantis's longest trek, but he needed to figure out exactly what the world looked like and how expansive the noclaws were on it. For all Gigantis knew, the world was flat, and he would only find the edge of the world. Of course, Gigantis doubted this was the case. The horizon always seemed to have a slight, barely noticeable curve to him. But there was only one way to find out.
So, with a burst of speed, Gigantis propelled himself through the open water, excited to discover the extent of this world and to continue his mission.
To kill the noclaws and to avenge his parents.
A/N - Hey guys! I'm back. Sorry for the wait, but I got caught up in some writer's block again and school started up recently. I can't really promise to get these chapters out on time. I can only promise that I will get them out eventually. So, for now on, I'm just going to say sorry in advance for any long waits. Trust me, I would like to get them out faster, but life is life. Even with the wait, I hope I was able to deliver with this chapter. Though I think it's shorter than some of the others, I finally introduced the person I introduced in the prologue: Miki Saegusa. Of course, she's a bit different from her Heisei counterpart. She's not only much younger but I'm trying to write her character differently. My biggest worry when writing her is if I am effectively portraying that character, and if that character remains consistent with herself (not with the Heisei one you are probably familiar with). If you would rather have a more Heisei-like Miki, you can check out my Heiseiverse story. Anyway, I also introduced none other than the devious Cameron Winter himself. I do plan to make him more than a cameo in this story, and if you're familiar with Godzilla: The Animated Series, you might know to what capacity. Unlike Miki, I'm gonna try to make him true to his source material counterpart. Lastly, as for Godzilla, that last scene was just to help explain why he won't be appearing as quickly as it might seem. We will still be checking in on him, but he won't be playing a major role in the plot just yet. But anyway guys, that's all I have for now. I hope you enjoyed this chapter of this story and that you have a great day.