Scourge of the Super-saurs
By C. L. Werner
Part VIII:
War of the Giant Dinosaurs
Commander James Brandon marched through the sterile corridors of the Nevada GARD headquarters. The marines standing to either side of the doorway he approached saluted the Commander sharply. Commander Brandon replied with a curt nod of dismissal and entered the door the two sentries were protecting.
Within was a large room crammed with monitors and machinery. It was here that tactical strategists analyzed every available recording of monster attacks, scouring the films for any strategic benefit they might contain. At present, every technician and strategist in the room was bent upon a single task. Every man was analyzing the few available recordings of the battle between Titanosaurus and the MARS robot Mechatron in New York City. Given the stubborn reluctance of the MARS corporation to even admit to constructing Mechatron, the recordings provided the only clue to what had occurred and what had finally driven the ravaging dinosaur beast of Dr. Mafune.
Army Major MacDonough turned away from the technician he was overseeing and saluted the GARD commander. Commander Brandon nodded again, clearly annoyed at being asked to personally witness whatever his Army subordinate had to report.
'I am glad that you could come, sir,' Major MacDonough said, punctuating his words with another sharp salute.
'Just show me what you have,' snapped Commander Brandon curtly. Major MacDonough swallowed nervously, obviously not expecting such surliness from his C. O. For his part; Commander Brandon could not stand being in the same room with the man. Not only was MacDonough Army, but he had spent the last fifteen years at the rank of major, clearly too incompetent to ever rise to the rank of colonel.
'It is not so much what I have to show you, but what I have for you to listen to,' replied Major MacDonough. He gestured for Commander Brandon to join him at the station. Commander Brandon marched over to the terminal, looking over the technician's shoulder at the battle playing across his video monitor. At Major MacDonough's gesture, Commander Brandon placed a pair of earphones to his head.
'What the Hell is that?' Commander Brandon snarled as he pulled the earphones from his head. The sounds of battle had suddenly been drowned out by a loud, undulating whine.
'We think that the sound you just heard was some sort of sonic attack the robot used against Titanosaurus,' answered Major MacDonough, puffing himself up with pride. 'Judging by the monster's reaction to it, we feel that it was this sonic attack that finally drove Titanosaurus out of New York.'
Commander Brandon's face grew reflective for a moment as he considered the Major's report. 'Do you think that we can reproduce this frequency?' he asked.
'Yes sir,' replied Major MacDonough. 'Knowing the sound, we will be able to reproduce the exact frequency used against the monster.'
'Good. Contact ordinance and get them to work on it,' Commander Brandon ordered, turning to leave the room.
Uh, sir,' Major MacDonough interrupted his commander's departure. 'Mafune's creatures are attacking Tokyo even as we speak. Shouldn't we contact the Japanese and let them know what we have discovered?'
'The Japanese?' Commander Brandon's voice was incredulous. 'They wouldn't know what to do with this information. It is the job of GARD to develop the technology to defeat the Super-saurs.' His piece said, Commander Brandon turned on his heel and marched from the room. Major MacDonough watched his C. O. depart.
'Sergeant,' Major MacDonough addressed a soldier seated nearby at a communications station. It was obvious to the major that Commander Brandon's decision was both arrogant and irresponsible. The Japanese had need of this information at once, not when Commander Brandon was finished with it. Plus, there was the fact that if he went above his superior's head in this matter, he could not fail to draw the attention of the Pentagon. Perhaps he would make colonel yet.
'Get me a line to the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. I need to talk to whoever they have that is in charge of their anti-kaiju measures.' Major MacDonough smiled. Commander Brandon would be furious at what he was doing, but by the time the Navy officer discovered what had happened, it would be much too late.
With a brutal bellow of ferocity, Baragon leaped across the shattered rubble, striving again to bury his horn in Godzilla's flesh. Godzilla turned, catching the brutish beast before he could strike Godzilla's body. The impact of Baragon's body caused Godzilla to slide backwards a dozen meters, but the huge nuclear powered monster remained standing. Godzilla hurled the much smaller dinosaur creature away from him, scorching Baragon's armored back with a blast of atomic fire as the stunned dinosaur slid across the cracked and ruined streets.
The attack had diverted Godzilla's attention, however, and Anguirus was quick to seize the advantage, scrambling forward to attack this new enemy. Anguirus reared upwards as he reached Godzilla, rising onto his hind legs for a brief moment before allowing gravity to pull his tremendous mass downwards, the monster's full weight smashing into Godzilla's back, forcing the other monster to the ground with a tremendous crash. Anguirus clamped his jaws upon one of Godzilla's dorsal plates and began tugging at the bony growth, trying to rip it from Godzilla's body.
Rodan sent a blast of crackling uranium energy sizzling into Anguirus, trying to drive the monster off of his beleaguered 'brother'. The sizzling energy licked into the fleshy side of the prehistoric mutation, but the dogged Anguirus refused to release his grip upon Godzilla. Rodan maneuvered awkwardly to score a hit upon the enemy beast's horned head. The roar behind Rodan declared that his attack was not to be. Gorosaurus reared back on his tail, kicking Rodan with his powerful legs, pitching the wounded pterosaur onto the spiked back of Anguirus. Rodan cried in agony as his mass was impaled upon Anguirus' spines. Gorosaurus retreated as Titanosaurus took up the attack, his cyclonic breath battering Godzilla and Rodan with the wrack and debris of Tokyo's destruction. The steel and stone savaged the already opened wounds in both monsters' hides. Safe beneath his armored carapace and the shrouding body of Rodan, Anguirus barely noticed his comrade's attack.
Suddenly, a brilliant glow surrounded Godzilla's dorsal plates. Anguirus released his grip upon the white-hot dorsal plate, his mouth burned by the radioactive energy. Godzilla harnessed the nuclear force of his body into a concentrated pulse of atomic fury. The glowing field of energy erupted from his body, gouging a huge pit in the devastated battlefield. Anguirus and Rodan were both blasted from Godzilla's body. The spiky dinosaur howled in pain as the atomic assault sent him flying, crashing back to earth kilometers away, the momentum causing him to roll through the foundations of several high-rises. Rodan fared much better, the atomic pulse carrying him not nearly so far. More, like Godzilla, Rodan was a creature of radiation. The pterosaur's body absorbed some of the destructive energy, setting it to repairing some of the damage visited upon him by Mafune's menagerie.
Godzilla rose from the pit his atomic power had created, his eyes glowing with fury. He turned, glaring at the still standing Super-saurs. Titanosaurus blasted the reptile with his cyclone breath, trying again to spill the black-scaled monster to the ground. Godzilla dug his feet in, refusing to be moved by the hurricane-like assault. A blast of atomic flame scored a hit against Titanosaurus and the warty dinosaur slipped away from his foe. Gorosaurus took the respite in Titanosaurus' attack to charge Godzilla, but was again repulsed when Godzilla's fire lashed out at the theropod, charring the scales on his chest black.
Baragon watched the furious attack, awaiting his opportunity. Again, the small, voracious beast leapt at Godzilla. This time Godzilla did not see the attack coming and the force of Baragon's assault drove the glowing horn of the monster deep into Godzilla's thigh. Baragon howled with triumph, scorching the ruptured flesh with his fiery breath. Godzilla shrieked in pain, tearing at the monster with his claws. Trying to pull Baragon from his body, Godzilla could do nothing as Gorosaurus and Titanosaurus began to once again close in upon him.
Rodan heard Godzilla's cry of pain, cackling weakly, trying to assure his alley that he would soon come to his aid. Rodan flapped his wings feebly. The surge of nuclear energy had given Rodan some strength, but not nearly enough to heal much of the terrible damage done to him by the dinosaur monsters. Still, the flying fiend was determined to help his 'brother'. Rodan tried again to pull himself into the air. Just as Rodan began to lift from the ground, a howl of challenge sounded from below him and sharp fangs lashed onto his taloned foot. Anguirus bled from scores of wounds, much of his scaly body burned by Godzilla's nuclear pulse. Yet still, the spike-backed dinosaur was determined to pursue the battle.
Colonel Sho Kuroki observed the soldiers as they fitted the bizarre looking device to the armored hull of the Super-X3. The JSDF officer had wasted no time in implementing Operation NY, almost as soon as he had received the communication from Major MacDonough of GARD, Colonel Kuroki had ordered one of Professor Hayashida's old sonic 'Godzilla lures' altered to reproduce the sonic frequency the robot Mechatron had employed to drive off Titanosaurus in New York. Colonel Kuroki only hoped that the Super-X3 could be dispatched before any further damage to the seemingly cursed city of Tokyo could be done.
'Sir,' Captain Fukuda saluted his superior. 'The latest reports say that the Mechatron robot itself has just landed near the battlefield. The other robot, Cybricon, is also back on its feet. Would it not be more prudent to allow the robots to finish off the monsters?'
'I have seen those reports also, Captain,' replied Colonel Kuroki. 'The two MARS robots have been standing immobile for the better part of fifteen minutes. They have made no move to attack any of the monsters. It seems that as long as the Hachiman building is not in jeopardy, MARS doesn't care if the monsters destroy the entire city.' Colonel Kuroki let some of the bitterness leave his voice. 'We have to try and stop them ourselves, we can't wait for outsiders to solve this problem for us.'
A JSDF engineer walked up to the two officers and saluted. 'Colonel, the sonic transmitter is in place. Shall we test it?'
'There is no time,' Colonel Kuroki stated. 'Tell the crew to have the Super-X3 lift off at once. Every moment we waste, we put more lives in peril.' The engineer saluted and raced away to implement Colonel Kuroki's orders. A grim smile settled upon Colonel Kuroki's face. If the sonic transmitter did not work, there would be no second chance. Yet testing the device could take hours. He had to assume that the modifications made to the 'Godzilla Lure' were enough.
Dr. Shinji Mafune sat in the high-backed straw chair on the veranda of his island hideout. The old scientist seemed to be in a daze, his mind far away, split between four separate beings, his ego prodding and pushing them to act as instruments of his will. Events in Tokyo had taken a dire turn, one which Mafune had not expected. He had been prepared for another robot, such as the one that had thwarted the destruction of MARS' New York headquarters. What he had not been prepared for was the arrival of Godzilla and Rodan. He had bent his monsters to the task of destroying the two nuclear mutations, even going so far as to allowing them to forget about destroying the Hachiman Building, but Godzilla and Rodan were proving very stubborn. The two beasts simply refused to die. In his mind, Mafune could see the battle unfolding, he could see Baragon ripping at Godzilla with his horn and fangs, Gorosaurus and Titanosaurus supporting Baragon's attack with brutal blows against Godzilla's body with their powerful tails. He could see Anguirus, his fangs locked about Rodan's foot, preventing the flying monster from rising far above the ground, his great weight preventing Rodan from coming to Godzilla's aid. If he could only delay Rodan long enough, Mafune was sure that he could direct the other monsters in a manner that would spell death for Godzilla. Perhaps if he suggested to Gorosaurus that he clamp his jaws about Godzilla's neck, rip his throat from his body…
Mafune struggled up from his chair, his mind suddenly no longer in Tokyo, but very much back in his real surroundings. The glint of a metallic object out at sea had arrested the mad scientist's attention, snapping him back to reality. It was unusual for a motor boat to stray so near to his island. Officially, the waters in this area were off-limits to the public; the dangerous nature of two nearby islands had been enough to force the Costa Rican government to prohibit the region. Still, boats did occasionally break the quarantine, though only Mafune's monthly supply boast did so with immunity. Other trespassers would find the prohibition enforced by Titanosaurus. But Titanosaurus was not here to swat the small boat, reduce it to flotsam and debris.
There was a loud crack and Mafune thought he could see a small bright flash from the prow of the speedboat. Certainly there was a figure standing in the tiny ship. Mafune looked downwards, surprised to find the front of his white plantation suit covered in blood. The sanguine fluid gushed from a wound just above his heart. Mafune looked up again, alarm and horror on his face. The look froze there as another loud crack echoed from the sea. Mafune's horn-rimmed glasses fell to the wooden deck at his feet, the nose piece broken in two. Mafune stood for a moment, blood streaming from behind his glassy eyes. Then, the mad man dropped, joining his ruined glasses on the warm wooden deck of the veranda.
Out at sea, in the little speedboat, Geoffrey Chow lowered his sniper rifle. He ejected the spent shell casing into one of his gloved hands, placing the shell in the breast pocket of his dark suit. With his other hand, he dropped the weapon into the frothing sea. Chow turned away from Mafune's island and started the speedboat. Soon, the boat was racing back toward the mainland, Chow's silk cravat streaming behind him, snapping in the wind.
Anguirus released Rodan's foot, dropping back into a large apartment building. Rodan cackled angrily at the fallen monster, but did not waste time to attack him, instead flying towards Godzilla and the other Super-saurs. Anguirus watched Rodan fly off, a dazed, confused look glassing over the mutated dinosaur's eyes.
Gorosaurus clamped his jaws about Godzilla's throat. Even as the theropod began to put pressure in his bite, Gorosaurus released his grip, staggering away from Godzilla, a confused look in the dinosaur's eyes. Titanosaurus stared at his comrade, the same bewilderment written upon the beast's reptilian face. Godzilla leaned downwards, ripping the equally befuddled Baragon from his leg, swatting the voracious reptile away from him with a slap of his powerful tail. Baragon crashed into a department store. The dinosaur quickly rose from the rubble, but the confused look remained upon his face. Godzilla glared at all three of his enemies, roaring his wrath. None of the monsters responded, still staring about themselves with confusion. Godzilla watched the dinosaurs; content for the moment to allow them to make the next move.
'The monsters are no longer being controlled by their master,' Moll declared to Lora as Mothra hovered closer to the battlefield. Even from such a distance, the fairies could detect the sudden change in the giant beasts.
'Perhaps now, Mothra can convince the monsters to stop fighting and leave in peace,' Lora said. The fairy Mothra was flying just above the gigantic shape of the vastly larger insect deity.
'Oh no!' cried Moll. 'The machines! The robots are going to attack!'
Tetsuo sneered as he watched Godzilla face off against Mafune's monsters. The beasts were disoriented for some reason and had broken off their attack. It seemed that they were not even capable of defending themselves in their present condition. Godzilla was clearly wounded, obviously he would prove a much easier foe to vanquish than before. Tetsuo smiled as he ordered Cybricon into position. He knew that Mechatron's controller was doing the same. Now it would be time to show the world what the technology of MARS could do! John Latos would have to construct a new mantelpiece for the trophy Cybricon was going to give him to hang above it. He would have to be careful to ensure that Godzilla's head remained in a presentable condition.