Godzilla vs. King Kong
By C. L. Werner
VI
The Storm Breaks
Lieutenant Delgado had been roaming the corridors of GARD's Nevada base for two hours. The officer spoke to no one during his lonely circuit of the facility. At last, Lt. Delgado found himself standing outside the door to his own quarters. The officer unlocked the door and entered the darkened room. He stared at the four walls, as if seeing them for the first time. Delgado's eyes at last settled upon the small oak writing desk which stood in the far corner of the room. Delgado nodded and clenched his hands. The officer walked over to the desk and removed a pad of paper and a pen.
His jaw set with determination, Lt. Delgado began to write.
Kong roared as the searing blue fire singed him as the giant ape leapt to the side of another of Godzilla's atomic blasts. Godzilla tried to follow the ape with the fiery ray, further reducing the structures of Kyoto's west ward to ruins. Kong maneuvered his way closer towards Godzilla, scrambling to try and circle behind the reptile. Once again, a near miss caused the enormous ape to keep his distance. Furious, Kong pounded the ground, flipping massive chunks of concrete and steel at Godzilla. The rubble bounced harmlessly from Godzilla's scaly hide, nothing more than a distraction. The reptile sent another gout of flame at Kong, forcing the giant ape to retreat once more.
Kong beat his chest, snarling at his flame-throwing adversary. Turning from the atomic dinosaur, Kong fled back into what remained of Kyoto's west ward. Godzilla shrieked his contempt, sending yet another blast of radiation after the fleeing monster. The beam again missed the swift ape. Godzilla roared as he stalked into the maze of buildings in pursuit of his foe.
Godzilla lumbered through the silent streets of Kyoto. Rubble and debris choked the streets, fires burned unchecked. A few twisted masses of metal were all that remained of the city's last line of defense. Oblivious to the carnage and ruin all about him, Godzilla's eyes scanned the avenues for some sign of Kong. There was no sign of the giant ape, only the devastation he had wrought.
Suddenly, Godzilla let loose a cry of pain. Searing, shocking agony surged into Godzilla's brain as an electrifying grasp crushed his tail. From behind the cover of a massive tenement building he had only partially destroyed, King Kong had emerged to ambush Godzilla. The ape's powerful hands were closed about Godzilla's tail, tendrils of sparkling energy snaking away from Kong's fingers to ravage Godzilla's nervous system. Kong roared, at last able to come to grips with the flame-throwing Godzilla. As Godzilla struggled to free his tail, Kong pulled on the appendage savagely, like a salve master cracking a whip, sending the enormous reptile's body crashing into a towering office building. The steel and glass structure shattered, raining debris on Godzilla's prone body. Godzilla shrieked angrily as he rose from the rubble, his atomic fire already leaping from his mouth.
Kong was waiting for the atomic dragon. The giant ape rolled beneath the sudden blast of fire and struck Godzilla's throat with a brutal blow of his fist. The reptile staggered back, his beam of fire licking into the sky. Godzilla roared as King Kong wrapped one of his massive arms around the monster's neck. His free hand, Kong closed around Godzilla's snout, forcing the reptile's mouth closed with sheer brute force. Godzilla's own claws drew deep furrows in Kong's back as the talons raked the ape's flesh. But with every contact, Kong's body sent tendrils of shocking electricity into Godzilla to further savage the mutant dinosaur.
Slowly, by degrees, Kong began to turn Godzilla's neck, forcing the other monster toward the ground. At last, Godzilla was forced to yield, or break his own neck. With an impact that sent a tremor rumbling through Kyoto, Godzilla fell. Kong maintained his grip on the reptile's mouth and neck, trying to keep the beast immobile. Roaring again, Kong leaned down towards Godzilla and sank his fangs into the other monster's shoulder. Godzilla struggled as the giant ape began to worry his reptilian flesh. The monster's massive tail writhed across the ground, smashing walls and splitting asphalt as Godzilla tried to lash his tormentor with the enormous appendage. At last, the tail connected with Kong's body, a powerful blow that sent the titanic ape rolling into a warehouse building. Kong rose from the ruin, shaking his head as he fought off the effects of a mild concussion.
Godzilla regained his feet, seething with anger. Ravaged by Kong's brute strength and the residual fury of the Thunder Beam, Godzilla's body was wracked by pain. But for Godzilla pain equaled rage and rage equaled power. The dorsal plates on Godzilla's back began to glow, a golden light growing about them. From the rubble, Kong watched as the golden light grew around Godzilla. The giant ape knew that his enemy had become somehow even more powerful. Kong also knew that he had only seconds to react.
With a roar of fury, Kong pounced at Godzilla before the reptile could fully concentrate the enormous radioactive power into another atomic ray of destruction. Kong struggled against Godzilla's body, pushing against Godzilla's jaw, forcing the monster's gaping maw up, away from Kong. Godzilla's entire form trembled as the furious blast of golden energy shot from his mouth to pass harmlessly into the smoky sky. Kong held the reptile fast as the gout of radioactive energy spewed from Godzilla's mouth. Kong waited until the atomic fury had fully passed before releasing his grip on Godzilla's jaw.
Godzilla blared a hate-filled shriek as Kong shifted his grip again to the reptile's neck. With a display of incredible strength, Kong flipped Godzilla's enormous mass over his own body, sending the reptile flying across the avenue. The black-scaled monster crashed into an already weakened skyscraper. The towering structure's base exploded under the impact, the upper stories hurtling downwards. When the dust cleared, the gigantic reptile had been completely buried beneath the rubble.
Kong watched the mound of concrete and steel, watching for any sign of movement. Finally, the giant ape moved forward. Placing a foot on the mound, Kong beat his chest furiously, roaring his triumph to the heavens above and the waters below. His victory proclaimed, Kong turned away from Kyoto, heading into the Japanese countryside to recover from the awesome conflict.
* * * * *
General Yamoto smiled at Colonel Nomura as the ex-GCC officer stepped away from the machinery. The Red Bamboo commander looked at the other members of the organization in the room.
"It is now time, I think, to let Japan know what we are going to do." The one-eyed officer met Colonel Nomura's gaze. "And what we want."
"King Kong has defeated Godzilla!" Capt. Wray announced to the other members of the Mechani-Kong's crew. The captain had been monitoring news reports from Japan all during the robot's long flight across the Pacific.
"Anyone in favor of turning this bucket of bolts around and heading back home?" Col. Armstrong joked. "We got lucky last time. If Kong can put up a good enough scrap to beat Godzilla, we really have our work cut out for us."
"Aw, GARD doesn't have much of a pension plan anyway," Capt. Cabot groused good-naturedly.
"Wait!" Capt. Wray interrupted. "Something else is happening now! Something to do with that cyborg, Gigan!"
For almost an entire day, Gigan had stood upon the slope of Mt. Fuji, as still as any statue. The surrounding Self Defense forces had been wary at first, uncertain of what the monster might do, how it might react to their presence. Now, after hours spent jumping at every noise, staring up at the frightening cyborg, an almost complacent mood had settled over the soldiers. The UNGCC continued to say that they would be able to fix whatever bug had worked its way into Gigan's control system, further lessening the tension. As a result, the JSDF lost precious moments when the cyborg suddenly returned to life.
One instant, Gigan stood immobile, in the next, a warbling, metallic shriek spilt the air. It was all the warning that the JSDF would receive. At once Gigan's solar cannon began to incinerate rows of tanks and howitzers. The monster strode forward, smashing fleeing soldiers beneath its clawed feet. A squadron of elite Maser-jets broke out of their holding pattern to strafe the rampaging cyborg, but found themselves too slow to match the monster's inorganic speed. Gigan turned away from the burning wreckage of the JSDF battalions to train its solar cannon on the attacking jets, burning all but one from the sky. The cyborg engaged its own jets and lifted into the heavens in pursuit of its fleeing adversary. The pilot desperately weaved from side to side, trying every evasive maneuver he had been taught to shake the pursuing cyborg. It was to no avail, Gigan kept coming. At last the cyborg was right behind the frantic Maser-jet ace. With a swipe of its adamantium claw, Gigan swatted the sole-survivor from the sky. The Maser-jet exploded in the soggy morass of a rice paddy, tendrils of oily black smoke rising from the burning wreckage.
Gigan shrieked a hint of malicious merriment in the monster's voice. The giant cyborg flapped its wings, turning in mid-air. Gigan flew away from the flaming wreckage of the JSDF forces meant to contain him. The cyborg began to wing its way towards Tokyo.
* * * * *
"They will not be able to trace the transmission," General Yamoto boasted. "We are using too many relays for them to find the source in time." The Red Bamboo commander laughed. "Besides, they would never think us bold enough to actually operate from within Gigan's target area!" The one-eyed terrorist laughed again as he turned away from Col. Nomura. "The Prime Minister did not trust you, Colonel. He did not have faith in your cyborg. Now he will learn the folly of his suspicions."
A pair of Red Bamboo soldiers finished their adjustments on the television camera. One of them motioned for General Yamoto to begin.
All across Japan, television broadcasts were suddenly interrupted. All across the island nation, people watched as the image of a red bamboo shoot on a plain black field filled their screens. The image faded to be replaced by a one-eyed man in a white uniform.
"I am General Yamoto, of Red Bamboo," the terrorist announced. "The monster Gigan is under our control." General Yamoto paused to allow the statement to sink in. "Our demands are simple - the corrupt capitalist regime currently governing Japan will step down. Free elections will immediately be held thereafter. Red Bamboo will supervise this process to ensure its legitimacy.
"In order that the people understand the seriousness of the situation, the monster Gigan will destroy the city of Tokyo. We will then wait twenty-four hours. If our demands are not met, Red Bamboo will be forced to send Gigan to destroy another city. Every twenty-four hours after that, if the capitalist regime does not step down, Gigan will reduce another city to rubble."
General Yamoto focused his eye on the lense of the camera, as if looking at the millions of Japanese citizens watching the telecast. "People of Japan, weep not for your dead. Look instead to a bright new future."
The Red Bamboo commander made a gesture with his hand and the cameras were turned off. General Yamoto smiled at Col. Nomura.
"Very dramatic," Nomura said dryly.
"They will listen," General Yamoto said. "After a week, the people will beg Red Bamboo to take over."
"Perhaps," Col. Nomura said quietly. "Perhaps."
The UNGCC helicopter hovered over the mound of rubble in Kyoto's west ward. Miki Saegusa looked down upon the mound, straining her senses to detect any life beneath the mass of concrete. At last she smiled and looked over at Director Segawa.
"He's alive!" she beamed. The woman returned her gaze to the window as the rubble began to shift. Slowly, a black-scaled claw emerged. By degrees an arm and then a shoulder followed. Godzilla roared as he freed himself from his temporary tomb. The titanic reptile glared about the ruins of Kyoto, looking for any sign of King Kong.
"He wants to finish his fight with King Kong," Miki reported. Director Segawa looked at her, his face grave.
"Kong is the least of Japan's problems now." The head of the UNGCC adjusted the small portable TV so that the psychic could see it as the Red Bamboo's ultimatum was rebroadcast.
The barrel of the pistol felt cold as Lt. Delgado placed it against the roof of his mouth. The officer looked one last time at the sheets of writing lying on his desk.
The sound of the report brought an MP into Delgado's quarters almost at once. Smoke rose from the wound in the officer's head. The MP started toward the body, feeling for a pulse, although he knew that he would find none. It was then that the soldier spied the pages of hastily scrawled writing on the dead lieutenant's desk. He scanned the pages rapidly and raced to the phone on the wall in the corridor outside.
"Put me through to General O'Brien!" the MP growled. "Lt. Delgado has committed suicide and the General has to know why at once!