Godzilla vs. King Kong
By C. L. Werner
VIII
A Tale of Two Kings
King Kong wiped a burnt and bruised paw across his mouth, wiping away the blood trickling from the corner. To punctuate the motion, Kong sent the bloodied fist hammering into the snout of his raging reptilian adversary. Godzilla shrieked in rage as the blow connected, shattering a pair of the monster's fangs. Godzilla retaliated with a powerful swipe of his massive tail, battering Kong's tail. Before Godzilla could withdraw his appendage, however, Kong's hands closed around it, sending more painful tendrils of electricity surging into the reptile's body.
Gigan watched the melee intently, awaiting the right moment in which to strike. There would come a point when both of the struggling behemoths were too fatigued by their struggle to survive Gigan's assault, and when that moment arrived, the cyborg would act. Gigan clacked its claws together and shrieked in anticipation.
The cyborg did not notice the shining metal object that swiftly approached it from behind. Indeed, Gigan did not realize that it had been marked for death until the plasma bomb impacted against its back, engulfing its tri-wings in a scalding inferno of jellied hellfire. As the Mechani-Kong drew nearer, the maser cannons hidden within the robot's eyes lashed out, blasting the cyborg. Gigan shrieked in pain, scuttling away from the attack. Gigan's solar cannon scoured the Mechani-Kong's armor, causing the stump of the robot's arm to steam and smoke. The metal ape began a slow descent, still tracking Gigan with its masers even as the cyborg rolled across the broken ground in a desperate attempt to douse the flames devouring its back.
Godzilla and King Kong lie upon the rubble-strewn streets of Tokyo, Kong's powerful arms locked about Godzilla's throat, squeezing the life from the monstrous reptile while ravaging his nervous system with a continual surge of electricity. By degrees, the reptile was loosing consciousness even as the spines upon his back began to glow. It was a race, Kong's stranglers grasp against Godzilla's nuclear power, and it seemed that the giant ape would win the race, choking the life from Godzilla before Godzilla could unleash a nuclear pulse to drive the mammoth simian away. Then something struck Kong's back.
Gigan's pain-wracked form rolled and writhed across the streets of Tokyo, the Mechani-Kong's masers chasing it across the rubble. At last, Gigan escaped the range of the masers, succeeding to some degree in shedding the jellied incendiary and the scorched flesh it clung to. But its agonies had carried it in the worst possible direction. Gigan rolled into the area of Kong and Godzilla's conflict, its cyborg body thudding against King Kong's back.
Kong roared as he turned his head and saw the cyborg monster slowly picking itself from the ground. The memory of this creature and the pain it had inflicted upon him was what had drawn Kong across the ocean, brought him to Japan. Kong could still remember the incredible pain Gigan had visited upon him. King Kong released his grip on Godzilla's throat.
Gigan shrieked wrathfully at the Mechani-Kong, blasting the robot with its solar cannon. With its solar collector tri-wing gone, the beam fizzled as it struck the robot, but even so, the Mechani-Kong took a few stumbling steps backwards. Gigan's metallic voice warbled in mirth. Then a hairy arm wrapped itself around the cyborg's throat.
Kong pulled against Gigan's neck as he battered the cyborg's head with his free hand. The colossal ape roared his fury at his enemy, the sound shattering what few windows had thus far survived the battle. Kong's body pressed against the scorched raw flesh of Gigan's back, the electrical charge in the simian's body racing through Gigan's, shocking and frying the cyborg's electrical systems. White foam began to bubble out of Gigan's mouth and its crimson visor began to dim.
But Gigan was a cyborg, and even with its robotic systems being ravaged by the current of electricity, Gigan was not wholly at Kong's mercy. The cyborg's organic components were still active. With a shockingly swift motion, Gigan swept both of its claws over its head and plunged them into the simian body of its enemy. The adamantium blades dug deeply into Kong's flesh, causing the monster ape to scream in pain. The grip about Gigan's throat lessened. It was all the opening the cyborg needed. With a strength beyond the merely organic, Gigan pulled Kong's impaled body over its own. King Kong crashed into the pavement at Gigan's feet. The cyborg warbled mirthfully and withdrew its claws and made to strike Kong's prone body again.
King Kong did not give the cyborg the chance. Kong's massive hands closed about Gigan's legs. Kong pulled the cyborg to the ground, using the motion to launch himself on top of Gigan. The ape's powerful fists hammered Gigan again and again, seeking to beat all life from the artificial beast. Then Kong's eyes closed upon the silent, watchful figure of the Mechani-Kong. The sight of yet another enemy was too much for Kong. The simian giant snarled, picking Gigan from the ground by the cyborg's neck and tail. With a tremendous effort, King Kong hurled the injured cyborg into the robot, sending both crashing into a block of storefronts.
Kong beat his chest and roared, advancing toward the two fallen constructions of man. A blast of radioactive fire impacted against the ape's shoulder, scorching his flesh and ravaging his body further. Kong turned, glaring hate at Godzilla as the reptile returned to the fray. Again, the two kings began to slowly pace around one another.
King Kong lunged at Godzilla even as Godzilla sent another blast of atomic flame searing into Kong's body. Blood roared from the hideous wound as Godzilla's flame passed through a ragged hole in Kong's stomach. Too maddened to notice the ghastly injury, the mortally wounded Kong crashed into Godzilla. Godzilla's claws again raked Kong's flesh, ripping ribbons of flesh and fur from his foe. Kong struck back, punching and biting his reptilian antagonist, but the streams of electricity were not so strong now. The store of power from the Thunder Beam was finally being used up. Soon Kong would only have his brute strength with which to combat Godzilla, and that too was fading fast.
Godzilla roared as Kong's hand gripped the bottom of his jaw. The ape was slowly trying to push Godzilla's head backwards, to snap his neck. Godzilla tried to twist and turn, tried to resist the ape's grip. But, like Kong, Godzilla too had his limits and he was also nearing the point of fatigue.
* * * * * *
Miki Saegusa watched the conflict, her eyes moist with anguish. Godzilla was taking an incredible amount of damage and the psychic's empathy with the monster she had once known as 'Baby' let Miki know exactly how intense that suffering was. She could sense that King Kong was fading fast, his life-force flickering like a candle in the wind, but it did not reassure her much. The monster ape had enough strength left in his body to still kill Godzilla.
Then, Miki's eyes grew wide with shock. She looked over at the smoking ruins that had collapsed around Gigan and the Mechani-Kong.
"What is it?" asked Director Segawa, noting Miki's sudden start.
"Gigan," the psychic stated. "Gigan isn't dead."
Gigan rose from the rubble, shaking stone and steel from its ravaged body. It swatted the metal body beneath it with one of its claws, warbling contentedly when the robot did not react. The cyborg's visor flickered back into life and Gigan scanned the terrain. Some distance away, Gigan sighted Kong and Godzilla, once again locked in a dance of death. Gigan shrieked malevolently and began to march toward the melee, the sawblades in its chest whirring into life.
Colonel Armstrong looked about the Mechani-Kong's cockpit. Here and there wiring had escaped the confines of computer banks and terminals while the interior lighting flickered fitfully. Col. Armstrong craned his neck around and looked over at the workstations of his fellow crewmembers. Each was groggily returning to full awareness after the violence of Gigan's impact with the robot. Armstrong shook his head again. He was hearing voices. Still somewhat disoriented the commander of GARD's chief anti-Godzilla weapon tried to find the source of the small tinny voice.
"… GARD control to MK-601… MK-601, respond… MK-601, sabotage has resulted in a bomb being placed within the robot…GARD control to MK-601, evacuate the robot at once…GARD control to MK-601…" the tinny voice sounded from the comms station near Captain Wray. The violence of Gigan's impact had served to jostle the comms array back into a semblance of functionality. The result was less than comforting.
"Jack, Ann, you hear that?" Col. Armstrong waited for a moment. A pair of moaned responses told him that his crew had heard the message from their headquarters.
"Sir, we can't raise GARD," Capt. Wray reported after fussing with the comms array.
"It doesn't matter, Ann," Col. Armstrong replied. "It's time to jump ship. They've made that much clear."
Gigan closed upon Kong and Godzilla. The cyborg's saw gouged Kong's side. The huge ape broke away from Godzilla, roaring painfully. Gigan lashed out at the fading simian with one of its adamantium claws, striking Kong in the chest. A gout of blood fountained from the wound and Kong fell to the street. Gigan turned away from the fallen ape as a blast of atomic fire struck it in the side. The ray was far less powerful than the one which had mortally injured King Kong and Godzilla's weakened breath did not even phase the cyborg. Shrieking with malevolent mirth, Gigan beat its claws together and advanced toward Godzilla.
Godzilla roared and blasted the oncoming cyborg again with his flame. For the second time, the weakened fire failed to penetrate Gigan's armored hide. The cyborg brought an adamantium claw crashing against Godzilla's head and pulled the reptile towards itself. The whirring blade of Gigan's saw nicked Godzilla's scaly hide. Godzilla tried to pull away from the cyborg's murderous blade, but his titanic struggle with Kong had been too much. Gigan clacked its metal mandibles as it strained. Inch by inch, Godzilla's body began to be pulled back towards Gigan's revolving cutter blade.
"Sir, Gigan has just finished off Kong and is now trying to bisect Godzilla with his cutter saw!" Capt. Wray shouted. The report froze Col. Armstrong as he rose from his command chair.
Col. Armstrong swore under his breath and sat back down, snapping his harness back in place.
"Jack, Ann, make your way to the escape pod," Col. Armstrong ordered, not looking at either of his subordinates.
"What the hell do you think you're playing at!" exclaimed Capt. Cabot, angrily marching toward his superior.
"We haven't finished our job, Gigan is still threatening Tokyo," Col. Armstrong stated calmly.
"Have you forgotten that this bucket is a walking bomb!" bellowed Capt. Cabot incredulously.
"No, I haven't," Col. Armstrong retorted. Capt. Cabot's eyes narrowed with understanding.
"Leave the kamikaze stuff to the Japs," Capt. Cabot snarled. By way of response, Col. Armstrong pulled the revolver at his side and pointed it at the insubordinate Captain.
"If that monster isn't stopped, thousands of people are going to die. Don't forget what that thing did in the harbor! If my life is the price to keep that devil from doing that again, then I would call that a pretty good bargain."
"But Colonel," pleaded Capt. Wray. Col. Armstrong shot her a wry smile.
"My minds made up," Armstrong declared. "We don't know how long we have until the Mechani-Kong goes up, so you two better get going."
"Not without you!" swore Capt. Cabot, rushing toward the command chair. Col. Armstrong did not hesitate but sent a bullet crashing into the man's shoulder. Capt. Wray raced over to her wounded comrade.
"I won't pull my next shot, Jack," Col. Armstrong promised. "If you stay here, you are dead anyway, so don't think I won't do it." He gestured toward the hatch leading from the Mechani-Kong's cockpit. Slowly at first, the two captains moved toward the hatch. Col. Armstrong smiled at his crew as the door irised shut behind them. He turned his eyes to the flickering image of the battle outside, watching as Gigan struggled with Godzilla.
"Now lets see if I can't send your ugly carcass back to Hell."
Godzilla screamed as his radioactive blood gushed from the deep cut in his midsection. Gigan shrieked and continued to pull Godzilla closer. The cyborg would let its blade cut deeper and deeper. Soon the saw blades would begin chewing through Godzilla's internal organs and bones. The cyborg would not stop until its enemy lie on the ground before it in bisected halves. The cyborg shrieked again as it pulled Godzilla a little closer.
Suddenly, Gigan's head was enveloped in flame as a plasma bomb impacted against its head. The surprise attack made the cyborg stagger away from Godzilla, releasing its captive. Blinded by the fires raging against its optics, Gigan did not see the massive metal form which rocketed awkwardly across the ruins of Tokyo and slammed into it. Mimicking the tactics of its flesh-and-blood namesake, the Mechani-Kong's arm wrapped itself around Gigan's neck and pulled the cyborg close to its own body. Gigan struggled in the implacable grip, even as it struggled to shed the burning incendiary clinging to its face.
Godzilla watched the two machine-monsters as they wrestled. The radioactive reptile was too fatigued to do any more. Gigan's attack had weakened Godzilla beyond anything the monster had felt since his defeat at the claws of the adult Destroyer. Godzilla knew that there was little he could do to effect the contest, knew that if the machine fell, there would be no chance of his beating off the cyborg.
Gigan brought its adamantium claws crashing against the shoulder joint of the Mechani-Kong's arm. By degrees, the powerful impacts were denting and warping the metal. By degrees the arm was coming loose. By degrees, Gigan was freeing itself. The cyborg shrieked as the powerful grasp at last lessened, as the arm fell lifeless from the robot's body. But the cyborg's cry went unheard, consumed in the terrible sound which followed it.
The explosion rocked structures across Tokyo, a bright flash of violence visible even to ships far out at sea. Where once had stood the towering figures of the Mechani-Kong and Gigan, there was a terrific fireball. As smoke lifted, a thirty-foot deep crater in the earth told of where the Mechani-Kong had stood. Shards of metal shrapnel were flung across the city. Only the closest of inspections would ever reveal to which monster they belonged, cyborg or robot.
Godzilla roared as the column of smoke rose into the sky. The injured reptile began to slowly lumber back toward the bay, back toward the sea. This was an evil place; twice it had nearly claimed Godzilla's life. The monster had no desire to prolong his stay.
Godzilla lifted his foot to enter the water when a powerful grip held upon his leg. Godzilla glared down at the mangled, bleeding shape of King Kong. The fading ape snarled up at the reptile. Dying or not, Kong was unwilling to concede the battle. Godzilla shrieked at Kong, pulling his leg from the simian's hold. Godzilla lashed out with his long, muscular tail, battering the wounded giant. Kong was too far-gone to evade the titanic blows and the mammoth tail smashed into his body again and again.
Finally, Godzilla stopped his attack. He looked at the still, charred, bloody body of his enemy. Godzilla roared his own triumph and set his foot down on the furry mass. The reptile kicked the body into the bay, watching as its mass sank beneath the water. Godzilla waited for a moment, as if waiting to see if Kong would rise again. But Godzilla was tired of battle. The mutant dinosaur soon followed the ape into the water and likewise sank beneath the waves.
There would be other battles, to be sure. But for now, Godzilla was going home, to Ogasawara and a much-needed rest.