AN/ Hey everyone, sorry for the long wait on this chapter, I've had lots of irl things which have diverted my attention from writing, the main one being that I am currently in the US atm visiting my partner which has been wonderful. Secondly the sheer length of this chapter has been obviously time consuming, so I hope you all are hyped.
Big thanks to my beta reader OddzandEnz on discord, he's been invaluable to my writing process.
Chapter 4: From the Mouth of God comes the Tempest
Deep within The Pacific Ocean
The blips of sonar and the subtle whirring of propellers echoed in the deep. The black abyss of the near desolate landscape quieted beneath icy waves by the weight of silent decay. As the nuclear-powered submarine, the USS Hammerhead scoured the depths in search of Man's atomic mistake.
"Captain, there's something on our sonar," a crew member called out, the captain's attention.
"Our target?"
"I believe so. It's over 100 metres long, and cruising at 5 knots at approximately ... um, let's see ... 1200 metres from the starboard side."
"Good work lieutenant; seems the fleet's depth charges plan is working a treat,"
he replied, a small, satisfied grin creasing his slightly stubbled chin. Fixing his glasses with an offhand, the captain directed his gaze to his communication officer.
"Hail the Admiral's fleet, tell him we've got that lizard bastard in sight." The resolute command sparked an electrifying sensation in the captain's veins, as his body geared towards combat.
The officer in question nodded and began to relay their coordinates to their fellow fleet members as planned. Whilst the crew loaded torpedoes and engaged various combat sub-routines in the sub's computers. As they all steeled themselves for battle.
Gojira could feel the pulse of the engines against his skin. He could smell by his own nature, by what he was and how he had been born; the energy powering the craft. He had tasted the bite of Man's firepower once before, that which craved for his blood. He would neither lick his wounds nor skulk in abyssal depths any further.
With a burst of speed from the Kaiju's muscular tail, Gojira propelled himself from the seabed, scattering debris like snow in a hurricane of his own making as the force of thousands of tons of water flowed around him. Claws pulled mud, rock and years of sea-rot as he dragged his colossal form up to speed.
His gills flexed, as he drew within what oxygen the Monster could from the deathly stale abyss. The knife wound, still grated uncomfortably against his throat, but it would not deter him from the execution of his wrath.
Misato's apartment
It was a lazy afternoon, and a heat-exhausted Shinji Ikari attempted to cool himself as he lay spawled amongst the bean bags. This was the type of balmy afternoon where everything had to wait as your brain attempted to exhaust the excess heat which was threatening to melt it into jelly.
'A cold shower sounds amazing right now; I'll get one after the news announcement.'
Shinji stretched out again, straining his limbs to wrench himself from the sweaty prison of his own flesh, at least temporarily. Switching on the TV he flicked to the news channel where various reporters drawled on about political meetings and mysterious missing ships at sea.
Misato had left in the early hours of the morning to the Prime Minister's office. This had been explained by his frantic guardian to him that morning, whilst she had buttoned up her fancy suit and uniform; and as she downed a double-shot espresso coffee before she raced out the door, she had thrown in a comment that Ritsuko would be joining her.
So, Shinji being as he was, wanted to show his support for his guardian, the woman who took him in despite having no reason to do so. Whether it was just pity, or a sense of actual responsibility Misato felt, he had no clue. But the boy felt the need to repay that support, albeit in a more 'Yeah let's go Misato!' encouraging kind of way, (even though the thought of saying that made Shinji internally cringe).
Shinji's thoughts danced about various topics before it landed squarely on the topic of Piloting and Gojira. A simple question plagued his mind and threatened to land on the tip of his tongue.
'Why should I pilot the Eva?' The answer seemed forever to evade him.
Misato always encouraged him to pilot for himself, but every reason he could put forward always dragged him back towards his desire for validation from those around him.
'Make Father proud?' He still didn't know why he wanted to.
'To save the world?' The world hadn't been so kind to him so far.
'Because I'm ordered to?' Simplest and easiest excuse. But that's what it was- just an excuse.
'Because I can't stand to see others being hurt because of me.'
That made the most sense to Shinji: he would fight, and he would take the pain so others wouldn't blame him for doing nothing.
'Maybe because I'm not so alone anymore.'
Asuka interrupted his thoughts, strutting her figurative stuff into view. She donned a towel around her red hair in addition to her yellow T-shirt and shorts. Shinji forced himself to look away, lest he gets some 'indecent' ideas.
'Too late,' he berated himself as various scenarios played in his hormonal teenage brain making his face turn as red as her hair for a moment.
"Gott, I couldn't imagine you'd be this boring Third, watching the news!" she accused, taking a seat on the beanbag next to him. She looked at his crimson face, and smirked.
"What, cat got your tongue?" she teased, sending him sputtering in reply.
"So, you are boy then Shinji. Wouldn't know it with your lack of spine." Asuka continued to smile that smug smirk as she let him ogle her legs just a tad bit longer.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Shinji cried out.
"Means you're a loser Idiot Shinji. Especially for watching the news of all things." Asuka bit back with her usual banter and teasing. She was, as always eager to drag a reaction out of the boy.
He responded with grumbles and noises of annoyance at her words, all which made the red-head chuckle more until eventually he managed to make a coherent sentence.
"I wanted to watch the press conference about Gojira, that's all- it's good to be aware of these things, Asuka."
"You do know they wouldn't be saying anything new to us. Plus, they'd have censor a tonne of stuff, so us Elite Eva pilots wouldn't even be mentioned." As she replied, she rolled her eyes at Shinji. Idiot just couldn't think sometimes.
"Well… well, well I don't know. Maybe I just think it'll be funny to see all their faces when Gojira is revealed," Shinji confessed, rubbing the back of his head. She paused, the thought churning in her head for a moment, until a small smile tug at her lips.
"That does actually sound funny. I can picture it already all their gasping faces like a bunch of blubbering fish," she chortled, before making silly shocked impressions which earned her some barely contained laughter from Shinji.
Asuka herself then began to laugh, and not even at Shinji this time; it was a genuine laugh that seemed to ease the tense feeling in his guts he had previously. Soon the two teens were laughing at each other as they progressively became sillier and sillier with the outlandish impressions of shocked journalists.
"Oh no it's Godzilla!" Asuka shouted in very bad English, making Shinji belly laugh at her terrible accent.
Their fit of hysterics was soon ended as the reporters on screen switched to a live feed of the Prime Minster of Japan, preparing to make his address.
Bridge of the aircraft carrier USS Massachusetts
Admiral Joseph Kurtz was stern man, a man who had seen too much bloodshed through the monstrosity of man's nature. Too many good men clawing at each other like dogs, for the scraps of unstable world.
Patting down his blue admiral uniform, he noted a shakiness in his dark hands… 'Too many bad memories to keep locked inside,' he thought as he took a furlong glance at the fleet at his disposal.
Up high on the bridge of the commanding aircraft carrier, he noted the frothing waves billowing against the bow of the ship. The blue-green sea of his battlefield stretched on towards his escort fleet: two torpedo and ballistics equipped destroyers and a Japanese cruiser helping to oversee their mission.
The waning sun cast golden reflections upon the water. Their search had been difficult to say the least, and he knew from the UN- or the organisation that ran it, didn't take kindly to failure.
His gaze fell to the carrier platform in front of the command tower. A complex spider's web of huge cables ran along the deck, drinking up every bit of juice the nuclear generator would give them.
Terawatts of power, surging into the "E.M.P.R" Electromagnetic propelled rifle. A railgun that held the potential to defeat both Gojira and The Angels. The colossal cannon sat waiting, itching to prove its mettle against the Monsters, the various tarps and covers appearing almost like restraints on something bursting forth to complete its duty. This was a good machine, predictable and effective- unlike the Evas. Kurtz had seen the world their discovery had wrought, and he'd fought to defend the scraps that were left.
'And perhaps, if Nerv ever oversteps their boundaries, the Evas would be its next target' he mused to himself, stroking his moustache while he continued to survey their progress on the weapon.
Trust in Nerv by the UN was already thin, though he guessed more plans were in motion than the surface may detail. Just like the oceans where untold depths held secrets which Man should never discover, so the surface of the global apparatus hid treacherous currents and eddies beneath a beautiful veneer.
Nerv could never understand that the depths should remain hidden from knowledge, and he sought to prove to them that humanity could fight the Monsters- and that they didn't need an Evangelion to save them.
"Admiral we have a call from the Hammerhead."
"Patch it through to the bridge."
Misato's Apartment
While many aspects of technology advanced after the Second Impact, television broadcasts still retained the somewhat grainy aesthetic of yesteryear; and so, Shinji found it difficult to make out the exact details of the man's face on screen. The wrinkles and furrowed brow of the old man reminded him much of stern appearance of Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki. Though, the man on screen held none of those sharp commanding features of the latter.
"I would like to first address the nation with some unfortunate news. Exactly two weeks ago, the fortress city of Tokyo-3 was attacked… attacked not by any nation or insurgent cell, but by a Monster," The Prime Minister's voice crackled through the speakers of Misato's cheap TV set.
"I regret to inform the public that this Monster has been confirmed as Gojira…"
Gasps erupted in the press gallery, Asuka chuckled as a few of the reporters even pressed towards the exit, while others jostled at one another to shout questions to a now sweaty PM.
"He looks like he's going to faint in a moment. What a wimp! I bet he doesn't really have a say in all this military stuff anyways," Asuka smirked, folding a leg over the other as she sat seemingly amused by the chaos.
"Please, I implore the public not to panic- the UN Security Council has assured to me their full support in this matter," The flustered politician babbled, trying to ease the heat.
"For your preliminary questions I first direct your attention to Major Katsuragi of NERV Japan, who coordinated the defences of the city, to explain the events of the attack."
Misato oozed authority, charisma and order, much like she did in battle Shinji thought. Her red uniform drew the room's attention with ease, and she marched to the podium with no small modicum of pizzaz.
"Wait, since when did Misato become a Major?" Shinji asked.
"Didn't you hear idiot, they promoted her for 'Exemplary Command' recently," Asuka chided.
"I don't get it really, it was my plan after all with Gojira but no, they give her all the credit!"
Asuka groaned and slumped back into the beanbag. She looked like she was itching to add something further but was interrupted by sounds from the broadcast.
"Thank you, Prime Minister. I would like to first establish a chain of events of the attack," Misato began an air of solemnity hanging from her words.
"At 12:36 pm Nerv detected an unknown target heading for the city. The target was confirmed visually as Gojira by a squadron of VTOL craft, pilots all who sadly gave their lives," she reported. Images of Gojira and the path of destruction he caused were projected on a screen behind her.
"Gojira reached the city 15 minutes later but was stopped by Tokyo-3's defensive capabilities. A combination Nerv and JSDF forces managed to repel the monster after… moderate damage," the stoic Major continued, whilst a photo of a large claw mark gouged from a building illustrated her points. Her breath hitched slightly, as if troubled by the images themselves before she continued.
"I'd like to thank all those involved in the defence of the city: the soldiers, the medics, the Pilots," she winked to the camera.
"To all those who gave their lives, thank you."
"Did she wink at us?" Shinji asked.
"Well of course dummkopf, she had to acknowledge us somehow despite all the censors hiding my amazing piloting skills," Asuka retorted with a snort of pride.
The cogs in Shinji's mind began turning again, while a plan began cooking in the oven of his consciousness. After letting it bake for a while, turning it over in his mind to ensure he could see it rising, he realized that there was no way this plan could work without a second set of hands to help prepare the 'ingredients'. He took a deep breath in, and turned to his bombastic roommate, resolve firming in his heart.
"Hey Asuka, I was- um- thinking that perhaps we could do something for Misato, something nice since she's been so kind to us- I, uh, well at least to me I think," Shinji suggested, stuttering the delivery somewhat as he hoped his idea wasn't as stupid as he thought it might be.
"If you think you're going to rope me into doing nice things for that drunken slob, forget it."
"No! No don't worry I'd do most of the work Asuka,"
"Fine, I'll entertain you Idiot Shinji," she spat.
'So melodramatic as usual' Shinji thought but elected not to say that out loud.
"Well since she's a Major now, we could put on a small party for her when she gets back. I could cook something nice for everyone and we could invite our friends maybe," he explained instead.
"No way am I letting those stooges here- those perverts would just ogle at Misato the whole time!"
"They're not that bad Asuka, but we also could invite Class-rep and Ayanami if you're worried?"
Asuka groaned in annoyance as Shinji racked his brain for ways to convince the fiery red head. Dealing with Asuka was like cooking with oil on a hot pan, one wrong move and you'll spill burning oil all over, but if all goes well the end result is deep-fried deliciousness. He had an idea.
"Well okay then Asuka if, you're sure then. I just thought you'd might like the chance to talk to Kaji-san more, since he'd be there too."
"Wait!" she called out.
"What do I have to do?"
The press conference was soon forgotten by the pair as they planned out their little 'Thank You'/ 'Congratulations on the promotion Misato' party, fussing over all the intricate details, Asuka obviously wanting to organise the whole event since she was obviously the brains of the operation- despite it being Shinji's idea,' he didn't claim ownership out loud, but in the kitchen of his mind he let it simmer away.
Bridge of the USS Massachusetts.
"Patch it through to the bridge," Admiral Kurtz responded, taking a deep breath he prepared himself for the upcoming trials of will.
"Admiral, we've got your big lizard boy on our sonar. It's beeping like crazy down here. But don't worry, my boys are sending through the coordinates now," The submarine captain reported over the screen, smirking brightly to his superior as his thick midwestern accent slurred his words a touch.
"Very well, stick to the plan. We're approximately-" he paused as he checked the various dials and computer mapping of their locations.
"- 32 minutes away from your position, we won't be long."
"Aye aye Admiral, but you're sure this big ol, launcher of yours is going to cut it against that Monster?"
Kurtz resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He'd personally had a hand in the design of the weapon; had surveyed its construction and personally tested it against everything the UN military would allow him to shoot at. Therefore, Kurtz had full confidence its ability.
"This Godzilla can stop missiles, bombs and giant robots, but a projectile hurtling at over Mach-4 speeds, that generates enough force to stab right through ten plates of heavy-duty armour and that- I doubt even God could withstand that? Rest assured captain, I am sure it will work."
Kurtz's biting words and steel-like glare silenced his subordinate, who recoiled as he wondered why he'd willingly kicked the hornet's nest with that question.
"Captain, the target has started moving!" one of the submarine crew called out.
"What course is he heading?" The captain asked frantically.
Kurtz's heart began to beat faster and faster, and a deep sense of unease crept over his mind as he observed various members of the sub's bridge-crew scramble with instruments and dials, while blips of sonar meshed with the disorganised shouts of the crew.
"Directly at us, the target is moving at 15 knots and increasing in speed Sir," another member answered this time, continuing to work at their console controls so as to make the identity of the speaker hard to determine for the captain and downright impossible for the Admiral.
"Impossible, we're utilizing passive sonar; the bastard shouldn't be able to hear us!" The captain cried out as he leapt into action, double checking the sonar himself.
'How could he have heard them…? The Monster must have evolved some form of natural sonar, like that of a sperm whale. Perhaps Man has yet again underestimated the tenacity of nature?'
The sonar continued to urgently ping as Gojira drew closer, the cold expanse of the depths providing no respite from the heat of his rage. Deep, rhythmic, rumbling sounds coursed into the bridge from the outboard microphones of the sub, and the noise bounced back into the black abyss where Gojira listened and homed in on his prey.
The rumbles crackled at the speakers, as much of frequencies were far too low for human hearing. It was an omnipresent sound of doom, penetrating flesh and steel alike; as the vibrations, churning and rattling and invading the consciousness without raising awareness of their presence, opened that deep seated fear of the unknown, of monsters that which man can never hope to discover.
Many suppressed shudders as the pulsing, rhythmic sensations which hurtled up their spines from all around grew in intensity.
"Target has speed up to 20 knots captain and is closing in at approximately 800 metres off starboard side! what should we do?"
The submarine captain looked frazzled and tense, returning to his position in front of the camera.
"Admiral, permission to engage target, sir?" The captain asked, sweat now visibly pouring down his face and his voice crackling and creaking in with the pulses.
"Request denied captain. Take evasive action and lead the target to our coordinates. Understood?" Kurtz ordered; he would not have a frazzled submarine crew risk the entire plan to save their own hides.
The captain looked incensed; the admiral's own steely reflection glared back on him through the captain's glasses.
"Admiral, I respectfully have to disagree, we can blow that fucker out the water just say the word- "
"I will not have my orders disregarded like this captain! There's a set chain of command here and so you will do as you're fucking told, do I make myself clear?" the Admiral thundered at his subordinate.
All the while the sonar continued its shrill cry, whilst the ever-present rumblings shook their bones. Mind hazed over from the constant stimulation of sub-sonic frequencies that buzzed painfully in the captain's chest, fear and obedience warred in the captain's heart and face.
"500 metres now captain!"
"Full speed, due west!" The captain ordered. Duty had conquered fear, no matter how begrudgingly, no matter what the panic in his brain nor shuddering of the submersible was telling him. The engines roared to life, the propellers hurtled the craft at 25 knots in the opposite direction of Gojira.
"I'd like to see that overgrown Lizard catch up to us now," the captain scoffed, his confident smirk returning to his face.
Gojira pressed on, snorting bubbles from his nose and gills. His eyes began to glow a soft blue hue, while his rage continued to boil up inside. Those that had put him through so much pain, would not, could not, escape him.
"Sir, the target has reached 30 knots; he's gaining on us!" the crew recoiled at the news, panic gripping them while the rumbling became an unescapable agony of vibrations. Man was not meant to fight such a force of nature. And while the captain's arrogance was proven misplaced, the sonar continued beeping like clockwork signalling their impending doom.
"300 metres!"
"God damn it, admiral, you're going to let us die here just to test your fucking science project!" he accused, while a concoction of fear, terror and hubris swirled in his mind.
The Kurtz's hands began to shake once again. The situation was spiralling out of his control. 'I don't want their blood on my hands.' He resolved to himself.
"Request granted Captain; use all force you deem necessary."
The captain's eyes widened after a nanosecond; the admiral's words acknowledged in the haze of panic.
"Thank you, admiral. Prepare to fire torpedoes one and two on my mark boys. I hope you're hungry for fried iguana." He laughed as his crew carried out his commands. Torpedoes loaded into place, along with the crews hopes to see the sun again and avoid a watery grave.
"Fire!"
The torpedoes launched, screaming into the gloom of the abyss…
Two flashes.
A shockwave hit the sub, along with the pained roar of the abyssal beast.
Gojira faltered in his pursuit, claws scrapping through the mud while he pushed himself back on course. The two explosions had only provided fuel for his own burning fury. He whipped his tail furiously, and his titanic claws ripped their way through rocky outcroppings and sea mounts on the ocean floor. Propelling the Kaiju forward while he clawed his way faster and faster towards his enemy.
"Target is still gaining on us sir!" the sonar expert called out, terror returning to crew- pouring into their guts as oil pours into fire. The rumbling grew louder and deafening, and the captain felt this deathly Monster breathing down his neck.
No escape. No salvation.
Kurtz could only attempt to control his own cracking composure, eyes glued upon the unfolding events, with no options to help or save his fellow sailors. He felt sick and helpless, An admiral like him, reduced to nothing but an observer as his men were lead to the slaughter.
"Fire all we got left at the bastard now!" the captain demanded, as the frantic crew tried all they could.
"100 metres sir, it's too close we'd blow up the sub!"
"God, damn it fire the torpedoes no- "
The captain had no chance to finish as Gojira's teeth and claws dug into the sub, ripping steel from hull, and sending water screaming into the cabin. Rapid decompression and internal pressure increased, causing the vessel to implode. The Admiral's feed was cut, and he prayed to whoever was listening that the men all met a swift demise.
His own bridge crew stared at him, many with pained or horrified expressions on their faces. Kurtz breathed in slowly. He knew he had to be strong, or this monster would be the death of them all. He had to be their rock and support. He then promised- he wouldn't fail them again.
"Set course for the last known coordinates of the USS Hammerhead, and god bless their souls. Let's not let them die in vain."
Conference Room Parliament House
Her hands were uncomfortable and clammy, though how much was caused by her nerves or by the eternal scorching heat she wasn't sure. Hopefully it was just the nerves: those she could hide with her knowledge of both science and the political machinations that landed her in this position.
For she was Dr Ritsuko Akagi: head of Project E (and shortly, to the Japanese people); the intellectual lighthouse that would illuminate through the fog that was the Gojira Problem. The what, when, and how of the whole operation- and the cover of Gendo's Scenario.
She craved a cigarette, but whether the desire to calm those nerves was because of her addiction or because of the situation she couldn't quite decide. The scientist in her knew that cigarettes were carcinogenic, but the woman inside couldn't care less. That inner woman especially didn't care in moments of trepidation and uncertainty, she was tasked to calm the panic of the nation, but unable to halt her own.
Ironic really.
As she brushed down her uniform and lab-coat, her que arrived at last. And then she went strutting into a blaze of camera flashes and the cacophony of humanity. She barely acknowledged the Prime Minister's address as her mind replayed the vistas of information, calculations, theories and unknown factors.
Ritsuko's task was to open the pandora's box, just crack, just enough to allow the promethean fire of understanding to flicker in the mind of Japan. Then close it before they realise, that the real Monsters were the ones that led them.
"Thank you, Prime Minister, I'll take it from here," she began, her voice feedbacked into the microphone momentarily.
"If you would look to the screen, you can see a few images of Gojira," she motioned to the projected screen behind her. The images stared back into the crowd, where the murmurs briefly flare before returning to a tense hush.
"Gojira is undoubtedly one of the greatest scientific discoveries of our age, but at the dawn of that discovery in 1954 came destruction and radioactive fallout from our hubris. War and the hubris of the 20th century brought this, but science will bring us a solution to defeat Gojira.
But no solution can be made, without first understanding what Gojira is," she explained, matter of fact-like. She couldn't resist her knowing smirk, which was played for millions of people nationwide.
"Our understanding of Gojira and Monsters like him progressed greatly in the six decades since the original's appearance, and fossils have propped up across the globe since the 60s in remote areas, indicating a large lineage of Gojira-like creatures. Specifically, Gojirasaurdae," the projection switched to a large family tree of known Gojira-like reptiles in the fossil record.
"All the species of this family of animals express, in various degrees a few key traits: great size; aquatic or semi-aquatic adaptations and an incredible ability to adapt to rapid changes. For they have survived all major extinction events dating back to their earliest descendants in the Permian age. Only to be cast from their former glory by the hand of God 65 million years ago."
A slide depicting an asteroid impact, was displayed on screen. Or at least one marked as such, in fact, the picture was of the Second Impact Event. Or at least an artistic depiction of such.
"Evidently Gojira has survived yet another Impact and has evolved due to high levels of radioactive exposure. This exposure comes from various leaks, meltdowns and thermo-nuclear… tests which followed the chaos of Second Impact."
As she explained, illustrated images of the Impact Wars. Fighting, chaos, destruction on scales which humanity begged to forget flew across the screen. Degradation of the natural world to the point of rapid climatic deterioration. Eternal summer for some, harsh winters for others.
Ritsuko continued, her breath performatively ragged but her voice uncomfortably relaxed despite the subject matter.
"Their recent evolutionary ability to consume and metabolise radioactive isotopes is likely the cause of Gojira's attack on Tokyo-3. To eat and consume like any animal would, not seek revenge or any human emotion we could attribute to it. Gojira is mortal, Gojira can bleed- and therefore he can be killed."
Flight Deck of The USS Massachusetts Aircraft Carrier
The light of day was replaced with the cold draft of wind and storm. They were close to him now; Kurtz could almost smell the putrid mutant's breath. Killer, animal, slaughterer. He promised to himself that those deaths wouldn't be in vain, but he feared what the storm might bring- the storm of canon fire and the storm of vengeance. Though whether it would be his own or Gojira's would be decided in battle.
Footsteps tapped behind him, but he didn't turn to address the incoming soldier- instead, his gaze fixed on the eb and flow, rise and fall of splitting waves. It calmed him but he knew it would not last and grey clouds loomed in the distance. The storm would come at last.
"Admiral, we're 15 minutes out from the Hammerhead's last known location, but the satellites are getting interference from the storm. We'll be going in blind sir- should we turn back?"
"Son, have you ever read Moby Dick?" Kurtz asked, not yet addressing the lieutenant's question.
"No sir."
"Well, the book is about this huge White Whale and a whaling captain's obsession with killing it. The Whale drove him mad as it would escape every attempt to spear the bastard. It destroyed the captain's ship and sent him drifting in the pacific.
"Ahab was his name, and I wonder sometimes if I'm becoming like that man, my White Whale being this Godzilla," Kurtz explained. His subordinate shuffled on his feet but was silent, so the grizzled admiral continued his speech.
"But we don't have a chance like this to kill him again. We're soldiers, aren't we? We die for a cause, and we die to protect those who cannot fight for themselves?"
Kurtz let his words mull in the mind of man behind him as he breathed in the crisp air, the salty cool sensation soothing old wounds and cooling the tempest.
"What do you think son, do you think we should turn back, so we can live to fight another day?"
"Sir-… I- uh- I'm not qualified to make that kind of decision- "
"I'm not asking for your qualified opinion Lieutenant; I'm simply asking from one man to another are you willing to die today? Because if we can't weather the storm what hope does mankind have against these Monsters?
Who do you think they will send as fodder to protect themselves next then? Children? And yet they force us to accept it as the only way forward," Kurtz argued with zeal.
The rain began to fall, its pitter pattered on the deck while rain dripped down Kurtz's steely features. Storm clouds crackled with white in the far-off distance and the rolling thunder sang songs of doom in his ears.
"I don't know about that last part sir, but I agree, I'd die to protect what's left in this world," The lieutenant said, his words cuing the Admiral's reaction. He turned to meet the younger man's gaze.
"Ready the weapon, put all hands-on standby for red alert, and signal the destroyers to maintain a battle formation. If we're going in blind, we need to lure the lizard bastard to us." Kurtz raised his hand to the man's shoulder.
"The world relies on people like you, to pick up the pieces after everything is said and done, so survive… keep living no matter what."
Kurtz turned away, leaving a stunned lieutenant to follow in his stead.
Conference Room
"We've been able to map Gojira's unique radiation signature and thus track his movements with acceptable resolution. As you can see here Gojira's last known location was 2000 metres down beyond the continental plate. That is where UN security fleet will be focusing their attack."
Ritsuko continued to drawl on about the various details of Gojira's anatomy and physiological makeup. It was an ideal smoke screen of information to cover up some glaring questions, a way to dazzle the masses with fancy words and previously censored information.
She hated this, it made her skin crawl and she'd rather spend hours working with the Magi back in Nerv than continue her seminar.
She'd never thought herself a good teacher, maybe aside from Maya. But that wasn't a fair comparison as Maya only needed a nudge in the right direction on the worst of days- as opposed to the dullards before her.
No, she wasn't picked for this due to what teaching skills she may have. Only that she was simply the brightest bulb in the room.
"You see, Gojira's heart acts much the same way as a thermonuclear reactor, converting radiation into heat and energy, which is then cooled by pumping blood through the cardiovascular system," she paused as if a stray thought itched annoyingly on the tip of her tongue never quite making its way out the way she wanted, too caught up in internal ramblings of nonsensical mysticism, that she had little track of the task at hand:
'Old memories from a dying world, can we really fight against such forces- God and Nature?'
Flight deck 20 minutes before the attack.
Gusts of wind howled as rain bucketed down on the frantic engineer Yuuki Honda, much of her uniform was drenched in rain despite the plastic raincoat she wore. This was also not helped by the constant rocking to and fro of the deck which sent wave upon wave of sea mist blowing in her face.
"When I said, this weapon could take any abuse the navy could throw at it, I didn't expect for this to be put to the test!" She grumbled to herself, readjusting her round glasses which were already fogged up after yet another clean.
"Geez, rain and storm. They can't make my life easy, can they?" she cursed under her breath while wrenching one of the magnetic capacitor relays open to double and triple check for flaws, since it would not be a good look for a magnetic reversal to jettison the whole ship under, before Gojira even showed up.
"I can see my mother scolding me now, 'see this where all that tinkering and military nonsense gets you. Should've stayed in Japan and got married'- I know mother, you tell me every time I call you." she mocked her imaginary mother, almost picturing the irate older woman floating over her shoulder.
Being alone most of the time with nothing but a huge hunk of metal for company granted Yuuki a sense of privacy and security so that she could speak her mind without consequences.
Usually.
Unbeknownst to her the Admiral had just entered her 'office' of wires and buttons: the control cockpit for the E.M.P.R. which was barely covered from the pouring rain.
"Am I interrupting anything Yuuki?" he asked amicably.
Yuuki launched up from her crouched position, knocking her head on a console due her surprise and instilled need to salute a superior. Through curses and nursing a small bump on her head, made the salute itself… entertaining for the Admiral.
"Ow… that fuckin hurts- uh- I'm sorry Sir, I didn't see you arrive- uh storm winds and all that, very hard to hear!" she defended herself, still trying to maintain a semblance of a salute.
"At ease solider, no need to be so formal. We're nearing the Hammerhead's last known location and we're not picking anything up on sonar yet, but I was wondering if we could locate him by his radiation signature."
Yuuki relaxed a touch, before heading back her element fixing whatever needed doing to get the "hunk of junk" functional.
"Well, that's the thing sir, the storm that you insisted on sailing through has blocked most of our satellites communications and scanning capabilities. Specifically in the Railgun's long-range automatic targeting system," Yuuki explained hurriedly while rummaging through the back panels of computers (which really shouldn't have had this much water next to them if the occasional screen flicker was anything to go by).
"Well, I have full faith in your gunner experience to pilot the weapon manually," Kurtz replied with a broad but mischievous smile.
Yuuki was not so amused.
"Why thank you Admiral, no pressure at all- I feel so inspired by your presence!" she shot back sarcastically.
Kurtz chuckled, despite the demonstration of minor insubordination.
"Is there any way to boost the signal?"
"Not without daisy chaining another satellite relay to amplify the signal strength. Which would require both more satellites and a supercomputer to- wait I think I know someone who can help," Yuuki added clicking her fingers in a minor eureka moment.
"Maya Ibuki, a good friend of mine from my college days- well maybe a little more than a friend but that's irrelevant. She works at Nerv Japan, and specifically works with the greatest super computers known to Man. And if she can't help, I don't think there'd be anyone more qualified outside her mentor Dr Akagi."
"Good, if she refuses, tell her it's for the UN's international effort against Godzilla and that any repercussions fall to me Admiral Joseph Kurtz, understood?"
"Yes sir!" she replied enthusiastically.
Kurtz saluted the young woman as he walked back into the storm.
"Call the bridge once you've got a precise location on the target, because I swear to you, we're going to kill that Lizard Bastard."
Nerv Japan, Project E laboratory
Maya stirred her third cup of coffee for that early evening- working the night shift at Nerv and running through system diagnostics and synchronisation algorithms certainly takes the toll on the brain. As she sipped at the hot liquid, she strained her eyes while she typed endlessly on the MAGI systems until something unexpected happened.
'Please not an Angel attack, or better still please not more work.' she prayed to whoever was listening, as she picked up the phone. Her brow furrowed as she noted the unfamiliar number.
"Maya Ibuki, who's this?"
"Maya! Hi, it's great to hear you again!" an instantly recognisable voice called out.
"Yuuki, what are you doing calling at this hour? You know I'm working right now," Maya replied, slightly annoyed but mostly excited to hear from her old friend again.
The phone line crackled and hissed, as feedback and interference clouded the signal.
"Where the hell are you, the line is getting a tonne of noise."
"Yeah, sorry about that. I'm currently in the middle of a storm on an aircraft carrier in the Pacific."
"Huh?"
Some more static, and then Maya's brain caught up with her (potentially helped by the caffeine hitting her sleep-deprived nerves).
"Wait, you're not doing what I think you're doing are you?" Maya asked.
"Don't mind that for the moment, I'll explain soon. I just need to ask for a favour Maya, a bit like how I used to ask for help on our computer science homework in college."
Maya snorted with mirth and couldn't help that teasing banter they both enjoyed, return like not a day had gone by.
"I don't think it's proper to be asking for those sorts of favours Yuuki, since you're out hunting Gojira in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with that giant Railgun. I still have no idea how you got it approved." Maya teased twirling in her chair.
"Oh, shut it, Maya!" Yuuki screeched back, eliciting a fit of giggles from Maya.
"It's not what I meant- and anyways you weren't complaining back then."
Maya failed to hold a blush from reddening her face.
"Anyways, what I've been trying to say is- well you know my big Railgun baby my pride and joy-
"Please don't name it that." Maya added deadpan.
"It's not called that, just stop interrupting me!" Yuuki chided before continuing.
"The auto targeting system on the E.M.P.R, isn't working due to the storm's interference with the navigational and radio-spectrum analysis satellites. This also includes the radiation signature tracker, which makes us sitting ducks."
"Done, Yuuki," Maya replied nonchalantly.
"What, I wasn't even finished explaining what I need you to do!"
"I'm not a psychic Yuuki. It's just, Nerv has already been working on satellite relays to better locate both Angels and Gojira. So, it was just a quick hack into the UN's tracking satellites-by the way, you guys need some better security- then link them into a 642 array to make sure Gojira has nowhere to hide."
"You didn't have to hack into the satellites Maya- there'll be some high-brow types who won't like Nerv's ability to do so." Yuuki intoned.
"But I guess, I should have guessed this was an option, coming as it is from the protegee of one of the greatest computer scientists of this century and the original MAGI supercomputer builders," she added with a few chuckles of exasperation
"I'm not a protegee- I'm her assistant at best. I just learn fast is all, and all these great machines around me, practically do all the work." Maya replied bashfully.
"Though I must admit, I think Nerv could always use special engineers like you- help with project E and help us protect humanity and all that," Maya added with sincerity.
"I'm flattered Maya. Perhaps when this is over and I've got military agencies around the globe showering cash on me for my Godzilla Killer Railgun design, I'll take you up on that offer."
Maya couldn't help but smile, it was rare moment in the hectic and complex world she lived in, working day in and day out. It makes you forget the small moments in the big picture that makes the hardship sweeter.
The line crackled to life with more clarity and as their laughter faded, Maya noted how silent her friend had become.
"Oh no- I need to go Maya, right now, he's right beneath us-
"Wait- Yuuki? Yuuki?!"
The line fell silent, perhaps that would be the last she would hear from her old friend. The smile turned to worry and then to small tears in her eyes, flickering against the cathode screens of her work, she drowned out the sorrow.
USS Massachusetts, bridge
The tempest continued into the dreary night from which the storm raged like a taunting mist, always too far to grasp. The frothing sea was a cruel mistress to the incoming fleet and the flotilla sailed over uncertain depths where their comrades had been viciously slaughtered under a sky which mirrored the darkness below. The bridge crew worked tirelessly and paid no mind to the rapidly setting sun on the overcast sky.
"Admiral we're over the last known location of the US Hammerhead- no sign of the target."
"Are the radiation readings picking up anything?" Kurtz asked, hoping Yuuki had gotten through to her friend.
"No sir, we're still in the dark with the satellites and the only thing is that the sonar is picking up a sea-mount 2900 ft below us," The sonar specialist reported over the radio from the "comfort" of her office.
Kurtz nodded as he furrowed his brows. 'Something doesn't make sense here- why would it hide if it's so far acted in a territorial manner? Are we missing something here?'
The admiral's thoughts were interrupted as his comms blared loudly.
"Admiral, turn the fleet starboard, now!" Yuuki shrieked.
"Why, what's wrong?"
"Do it now! Godzilla is right beneath us!"
'That's no seamount. It's an ambush.'
"Full speed starboard side and signal the fleet to turn and brace for attack!" Kurtz yelled, signalling to the helmsman who wrenched the ship to the side. Engines groaned and water sprayed up the sides of the vessel in gusts of tumultuous vapour.
As the command ship began to turn others soon followed but the destroyer in front of fleet, was too late to the task. Gojira erupted from waves, rising from the depths like an ancient sea serpent of yore. His spines jutted from the water in three rows of enormity, as waves flowed around the beast in great tsunamis, the destructive swells of the monster's wake.
Too late to turn, the destroyer was sliced in two by the monster's dorsal spines, explosions igniting across the decks as the military craft was torn through like paper. The leviathan was indifferent to the insignificant screams of those who were burned to cinders as the fuel stores erupted.
Indifferent to the hundreds who would certainly drown in the stormy waves beneath.
Indifferent to their bodies lost in a new sunken wreckage gifted to the cruel sea.
The bridge crew gasped at the harrowing sight. Above the waves the scale of their foe was unmistakeable, as the wake of the beast beat the ship's bow. The titan's tail swept through the waves whilst the ever-present spines stood proud and reached higher than ship's flight deck.
As Gojira swam to the right of the aircraft carrier Kurtz launched into action.
"Fire all artillery on target, concentrate fire on the head and tail to slow down it's movements!" Kurtz commanded, as the terror of the initial attack gave way to the adrenaline of battle.
The fleet's heavy guns fired, the 45-caliber shells crushing against the immense skin of the leviathan. Fireballs illuminated the creature through the mist and storm. Gojira roared but was unfazed by such meagre weapons against him.
"Launch the VTOL craft, give that bastard all we got!"
"But sir, what about the storm?" one of the crew asked.
"Damn the weather! A bit of rain won't stop that lizard bastard so neither will it us!" Kurtz berated, his fury boiling over as he was once again forced to watch his men die before him. He turned to his comms, putting Yuuki's channel front and centre.
"Yuuki, is the targeting system operational?"
"Basics are ready, but at such short distances it doesn't matter, I can manually aim it here," Yuuki called out.
"Well keep on it, we'll try and give you a clear shot- Fire the depth charges, keep that thing away from our defensive line!" Kurtz replied before he bellowed out more orders.
Cockpit of the E.M.P.R
Yuuki gripped the yokes of the manual controls. Of course, she wasn't trained for this kind of combat role, but desperate times called for desperate measures. 'That thing is so huge, it's hard to miss at this range anyways,' she thought.
Her brain painted pictures of terrible serpents from her homeland's folk tales, but more vividly showed the nuclear fire of destruction. She put such thoughts away. This wasn't fantasy- it was reality.
The display buzzed to life, and the thunder of heavy canons and the drone of bullets cascaded amongst the visuals of orange flares of fire. All the while, the deep roar of the monster continued to stalk the waves. Yuuki noted how the spines cut through the waves and gave her that instinctual fear, much like how the dorsal fin of a shark may inspire terror in the hearts of many.
Yuuki had never been afraid of such animals, but describing the leviathan as such was not comparable, not really. Her eyes couldn't help but be transfixed to the sheer size of the monster: it was akin to an ant looking upon a giant. Man against a typhoon; humanity against a cosmic force of nature.
But against these odds Yuuki could only smirk. With her big gun, she had a childish but plausible belief: that she could fight this thing. She believed that her weapon could let her fight the hurricane, and win.
"Yuuki, do you have your sights on the target?" Kurtz asked worriedly through the intercom.
"Adjusting the system to manual controls," Yuuki explained as the huge railgun began to turn on it's joint, while the potential energy sizzled gently in the 30 tonne capacitors.
"Admiral I have the target in sight, charging E.M capacitors."
Her heart pounded, while her hands struggled to maintain a steady grasp on the controls.
'Mind over matter, mind over matter' she recited to herself, a mantra of protection against the oncoming storm.
The leviathan's head cocked as the deafening battle cry of humanity's mechanical last stand sang like thunder across the stormy sky. VTOL's and missiles rained overhead, and their flashes sparked Gojira's fury but the building crescendo coming from the large ship, drew his attention.
Yuuki smirked at him, woman to monster. The creature's body undulated through the waves and the hailstorm of artillery fire. Waves thrashed around him as his mighty tail swept a wake that could capsize a fleet of ships with its ferocity- a few smaller craft did.
"Good boy, my lizard-y friend. Let's make this nice and simple," Yuuki said as the power indicators on the control panel read 900 Gigawatts of potential kinetic energy.
'Ten, nine, eight-' the capacitors sang their countdown with hissing vibrancy as the rain boiled to steam around the weapon.
'Seven, six, five-'
The E.M.P.R was almost primed, and the jerry-rigged N2 reactor provided the final boost of nitrous energy. The dials read 2000 Gigawatts of juice- not even a god could survive this.
'Four, three, two, one.'
The fired rod of tungsten steel, rocketed out of the barrel. This deadly missile created sonic booms as the it broke through to Mach Four. People too close had their eardrums nearly punctured at the cacophonic noise as the whole ship jolted with violent intensity.
The fleet watched in awe as blood spurted out into the sky like a geyser of crimson gore. But the cry of agony which followed, nevertheless chilled them to core.
Gojira writhed. The tungsten rod had impaled itself through hide and bone alike, and it had fractured and crushed into shards of grating agony in his shoulder. But despite the shot, and the burning pain, his fury burned greater as did the blue glow of his eyes.
"What?! I aimed for his head!" Yuuki cried out astonished that the creature was even able to stand after even a mere glancing blow from the railgun.
"Yuuki, he's still coming towards us; slower still due to the shot but he's heading directly for us," the admiral reported.
"I need another 30 seconds sir!"
"Then you'll get it. Fire all we got on those open wounds make that bastard writhe!" he admiral ordered to the rest of the fleet.
Yuuki frantically adjusted the telemetry of the controls. The previous shot had been off due to an error in the orientation algorithm.
The hailstorm of fire continued again, as did the roars of the wounded but enraged monster. Gojira dove beneath the waves. Nothing to state his location bar the red cloud of blood that bubbled against the salty sea waves.
A red mist clouded his appearance as the monster drew ever closer to his foe.
"Where is he?" the admiral demanded.
"200 feet down out of most of our firepower's effective range." an officer reported.
"Wait he's starting to surface! God- brace for impact!"
Gojira's massive arm leapt from the water crushing anything unfortunate enough to fall under his path. His claws tore at the carrier deck as the leviathan tried to wretch itself from the water.
The ship tilted forward, and the support structures and hull began to groan and buckle under Gojira's weight. Crew members screamed in panic as his head reared above the deck. He roared with a primal rage and gnashed his teeth at the human insects scurrying beneath him.
But at least one human insect wasn't scurrying for safety. One human was holding strong against the primal fear that screamed from the depths of every person's soul.
'Five, four, three,' the capacitors screamed to life once again and as Gojira dragged his chest above the rapidly sinking deck Yuuki saw her chance.
'Two, one, Fire!'
The tungsten launched. It was a direct hit through the chest, and the impaled rod jutted out the back of the monster. A gasp was choked in his throat, while blood painted the deck with acidic crimson rain. Men caught by the liquid screamed in agony as their flesh melted from their bones.
The Bridge
A groan sounded from the creature before it slumped backwards into the waves crashing in a majestic sight. The aircraft carrier jolted backwards as it was relieved of the mass, and Gojira drifted deeper into the watery abyss.
"Di- did, we, do it?" Yuuki stuttered through the comms.
The admiral couldn't tell. The bridge was in disarray, with officers and equipment strewn across the floor. Some of the crew were injured, and all were too shell-shocked to completely determine if they had won or not.
Kurtz nursed a large bump on his head and fought through waves of nausea that attempted to add his half-digested lunch to the mess on the floor.
"I don't know Yuuki- we're not in a position yet to check our sensors," Kurtz replied cautiously.
"His radiation signature is stable, but I don't know if that means he's alive or just heavily wounded," Yuuki said, patching through her own measurements.
Kurtz looked over at the graph displayed on his cracked computer screen. His eyes tried to focus but the nausea was difficult to keep down.
The graph flatlined for a few more moments than a small peak pointed upwards-. Something small and insignificant at first. But then it rose further and further.
Something was very, very wrong.
'Was the body releasing large amounts of radiation into the ocean from the wounds?' he thought.
"Yuuki, are you seeing this, please tell me I just hit my head too hard."
"No, no, No, no that's not good at all he should be dead by all measures! Nothing should be able to survive being shot twice!" Yuuki cried, but she was losing faith in herself, and panic gripped her with its icy hand.
"We're going to die, God help us…" she sobbed. Yuuki had given her all, we had all given it our all, but it was all for nought,' Kurtz mused.
'Was this all futile in the end?'
Blue light shone from the water around them, and steam rose from crimson waves as if hell was boiling over onto earth.
That was all that many of the crew saw last: a bright flash of atomic fury before being incinerated in the inferno. The ship split in two as the plasma sliced through layers of armour plating and hull like butter.
Fires erupted all around the deck of the ship and time seemed to slow around Kurtz. The dance of destruction punctuated in a blaze of glory so to speak. 'Poetic,' he thought to himself. 'I always thought I might die at sea.'
The waves washed over them. Many drowned although there were the lucky ones who were scalded by the boiling waves and killed quickly by the boiling waves rather than sinking into the black depths to be forgotten.
'Was this all that mankind could do against such monsters?' Kurtz asked himself. 'Perhaps the only thing we can do is try?'
The conference room Earlier that day
"And so, you see, despite the weapons at the disposal of this monster, Man will triumph through our will, and the gifts given to us by our technology," Ritsuko proclaimed with as much zeal as her façade could manage without bursting at the seams.
It all felt of useless to her, futile even. Hadn't the destruction of Man been planned all along? She thought back to all Japan had suffered through, the pain and deaths. Ritsuko looked back in apathy, the thoughts in her head more like flashes on the projector than anything visceral in her soul.
'From the flames of Tokyo burning, atomic fire and ruin. All to be washed away by the Third Impact and Instrumentality- what's the point of it all? Whether you burn in the fire of one or be dissolved into everyone by another, it makes little difference in the end.'
But despite this, she still wished to try and make a better world, even if she knew the outcome was rigged from the start. She would try like everyone to live in some form, in some way somehow.
This, Ritsuko resolved, even if nothing mattered anymore...