Part Three: CONTROL
Ogeshewara.
A burst of green light in the sky offshore. A flash of red, then back, and a strange and incredible trio materialize onto
the scene! A small, paranormal pooch. An alien superhero powered by the stellar energy of the galaxy, and an immense,
radioactive saurian engine of destruction! The Starman and the dog fly inland. The monster treads the surf. It is not yet
his time to strike.
"Godzilla can be quite agreeable once you know what motivates him," the Starman remarked. Mikki yapped and bared
her teeth. "What do you mean, 'It's different for dogs'?" He joked. "Come on, girl. Let's go save your people!"
In the valley, Starman and Mikki pause at the perimeter of the Kartanan base. The area was dim and quiet, with little
activity left outside. The man and the mutt share an unspoken signal, and Mikki takes off like a bullet!
The guards stand perplexed as the tiny terrier sprints past. She has caught her friends spoors, and locks on to track
them down! Through the halls she races deeper into the craft. Most of the Kartanans have little time to react to the
shaggy blonde blur. Then, she stops. She has reached her goal.
A large room, full of the alien beings. The soldiers stand unmoving at one end, Kenji and Kyoko at the other. Mikki
howls. The sound echoing through the ship, amplifying into the fearsome and primordial warcry of some angry
God-Beast! She springs, and launches snarling into the room!
On the shore, Godzilla cocks his head, as if trying to catch some half familiar sound. There! A cry of rage and defiance!
The monster knew he could wait no longer, and begins to stride inland...
Moving near the speed of light, the Starman shifts unseen among the soldiers. The control pods burn at the touch of his
hand, and slowly, the Markalite Squad begins to revive.
"Captain Tanaka," the Starman began. "You must take the Bradleys and escape from here!"
Tanaka stared numbly at the costumed adventurer, and the chaos the alien control room had become. The Bradleys' dog
was bounding about the place, snapping at alien flesh and playing hob with anything not nailed down! The tiny dog was
fighting like a dervish. For Tanaka it was pure inspiration! "The Bradleys," he gasped, regaining control. "Where?"
"I will free them now. Rally your men, Captain," the hero replied. "For battle!"
Mikki was tiring of the merriment, and took off when Starman made his move for Ken and Kyo. Many of the
Kartanans, now frustrated and bruised, followed the dog, enraged! The chase was a welcome relief from the close
quarters hit-and-run assault she had demonstrated for the aliens amusement, and she ran!
The terrier bolted through the ship, vexing the Enthrallers at every turn. Every turn save one. That one was a dead end.
Suddenly the air was filled with snapping pincers and alien curses as the Kartanans bore down upon the dog. Mikki
threatened and dodged, but was blocked from any escape. The claws jabbed closer...
"Well, this place could use a bit of brightening up!" The Kartanans turned at the voice, and Mikki hid her eyes, as the
Starman loosed a pulse of pure cosmic light! The photonic surge blinded the Enthrallers, and Mikki took advantage to
escape.
"Stop right there, defiler!" The Kartanan leader appeared, screaming. "Why do you strike against the children of Yog,
stranger?"
"Because you have struck first, against the children of the Earth."
"Bah! The humans and the monster are but a meager recompense for the death of a God!"
"Maybe so," said Starman. "But they are my friends." The hero stood confidently amidst the closing crowd of creatures.
"As with all truly sentient beings, you now have a choice; Leave here now, and we will have no further quarrel.
Continue these hostilities, and my friends and I will be forced to destroy you."
"Eeeyaaaahh!!" The leader screamed, answering the ultimatum with an all out attack!
Alien claws clamp down around him, and Starman flings the beasts aside. Wave upon wave of the invaders fall upon
him, the sheer number of them was forcing him to keep moving, to keep striking back. "Delightful," he thought. "I may
just break a sweat today."
*
Tanaka's squad blasts a path to freedom through the corridors of the slaveship. This would be one heckuva field test,
thought the Captain, as the Markalites burned down the creatures and into the hull of the craft itself! Sato's refinements
were effective indeed!
Kenji limped along as quickly as he could. His right leg still recovering from the injury sustained when the squad's
former leader, Nakano, had shot him. Not to mention his more recent lumps, thanks to Munabe. His head was
throbbing with every step now, only pure will keeping him moving. That, and his wife's supporting arms around him.
Kyoko struggled to keep her husband moving. She wished she had her Katana to strike at the beasts instead! Then, a
final burst of gunpower, and they were free! They raced through the valley and into the jungle beyond. They did not
stop running until they were deep among the trees.
Exhausted, Tanaka and Kenji stared at each other regretfully. There had once been room for a sort of trust between
them that was no longer there. The Captain broke the silence. "Bradley san, I apologize for the actions of myself and
my men while under the aliens influence."
Ken and Kyo shared a glance, and Ken spoke. "We know, Tanaka. It wasn't your fault. By the way, thanks for getting
us out."
"You're welcome. Now, would somebody tell me just what the hell is going on around here?!"
With that, a terrible roar splits the air, and the sky lights with arcs of Atomfire lancing back into the clouds. A great
black sillhouette is cast against the brief but brilliant flash. The sound of massive footfalls rumble through the terrain, as
high above the canopy rises the gigantic form of Godzilla!
"God, I hate my life!" Said Kenji.
*
Godzilla treads across the landscape of Ogeshewara, heading for the source of the unearthly stink that is the aliens nest.
This time, he would raze their ship before they could make him sleep. His power was his alone to command. This the
Kartanans would now learn!
Then, another scent cuts through the alien stench. It is subtle, but familiar, and keys the monster's curiosity to its
source.
There, among the trees far below, he sees them. A group of menthings, probably seeking refuge from the coming battle.
Four of them in metal skins, armed with energy weapons of some kind. Godzilla could smell the power they hold, and
roars! These beings, he knows, are abusers of such power. That is how he himself was reborn to become King of the
Monsters.
The other two have power as well. He remembers how the Spiritfire had spoken to him through the man, helping him
to destroy the energy beast called Yog. How the female had called upon it to summon the aid of the tiny Wild God that
now ran with them. These were the two the Enthrallers wanted dead, reason enough for Godzilla to leave them in
peace. He growled, the sound was a warning for the humans to remember. They were not his enemies now, but that
could very easily change.
Godzilla continues past them on his mission to reclaim the island from those who have already proven their evil natures.
Now, the Enthrallers would die!
*
The battle raged through the halls of the slaveship as the Cosmic Warrior called Starman held his attackers at bay! The
assault force was formidable by any planet's standards, taxing even Starman's powers in an effort to hold them back.
The hero was beginning to tire.
A powerful impact hit the warrior, and he found himself held fast in the grip of alien claws. Somehow, his stellar
strength was fading. This time, he could not break free!
Limping and bloodied, the Kartanan leader approached, a control pod held in its outstretched claw. "Feeling a bit
drained, Emissary? The children of Kartane are feared not only because we control the actions of other beings. We
control their knowledge as well." The creature lunged, grabbing the hero by the throat!
"Like yourself, our ship is also powered by stellar energy. That siphon array beside you is now absorbing yours. A
process we learned from the mineral creatures of your own homeworld."
"My world?" Starman asked in disbelief.
"Yes, warrior. Your world was but one of many, most still unknown even to you, where we exerted our control," the
creature moved the slave pod closer, positioning the device in line with Starman's antennae. "This small blue Earth shall
be no different."
A blaring scream born of agony filled the spacecraft, but it was not the Starman's scream. It was the Enthraller's. From
out of nowhere, Mikki struck! The dog's teeth and claws clamping deep into alien flesh! The Kartanan dropped the
control pod and released the hero's throat, the powerful claw now raised high to smash the tiny beast.
"Mikki!" With the last of his starborn strength, the Cosmic Warrior slammed his captor backwards into the wall, raised
his mighty fists, and brought them crashing down into the siphon array that was draining him! The array explodes in a
burst of static and flame! The twin antennae flare, absorbing the blast, restoring more of Starman's strength. Enough, he
hoped, to get the job done.
The descending claw is caught mid-strike, and the Enthraller catches a bare knuckled fist with its face! Reflexively, it
releases the dog as it hurtles off its feet, slamming into the shattered bank of equipment. The jagged edges pierce the
creature, pinning it dying to the wall.
The scene begins to shake. Tremors vibrating through the shp, accompanied by the tortured sound of metal being
wrenched apart.
Mikki prances and yaps at the hero. Starman nods, bending to retrieve the fallen control pod, and place it upon the alien
leader's brow. "You are my thrall now, animal!" The Starman spoke in anger. "You will now feel the pain you have
inflicted upon others for so very long. You all will, I command it!"
At his words, the pod begins to flare, sparking a psychic chain reaction. One by one the aliens fall before the discharge
of torment and pain! Feeling their very wills being ripped from them, the Enthrallers lose control.
Again the earth trembles, shifting the entire ship. Mikki yaps determinedly at her costumed comrade. It was time to go!
The Starman looked upon the crowds of Kartanans now writhing in defeat around him, the near lifeless form of their
leader pinned bleeding to the wall, and he wept, realizing it was he who had truly lost control.
The earth shook again.
He bent close to the Enthraller, and whispered something awful in his ear. Then the aliens all lay still. He scooped up
his canine ally and trudged wearily out of the doomed ship, and into the valley. Above them hung a star filled sky.
Godzilla stands defiantly before the spacecraft, the matter convertor now demolished at his feet. He watches as a pair
of familiar beings emerge, and he gestures, sweeping one gigantic paw before him. The meaning was unmistakable; Get
out of my way!
*
Ken, Kyoko and the soldiers take cover along Ogeshewara's stony shore as an enormous explosion rocks through the
island, and into the very sea around it! Tanaka and Kenji share a grim expression, Kyoko one of relief. They all knew,
Godzilla had reached his goal.
"Good. Good for them!" Munabe cried in anger. "I hope they're all dead!"
Tanaka considered the man for a moment. "So do I, soldier. So do I." On this, he found he had to agree.
"Hey, Bradley," called Kazuki. "That was the Starman who saved us, right?"
"You get an 'A' in post-war Japanese retro heroes, soldier. That was him."
"He had your dog with him," said Fuji. "She really gave those aliens a nasty turn! Where'd you ever find a dog like
that?"
"I summoned for her with a mystic conch," Kyoko stated flatly. "I just hope she made it out of there."
The squad looked questioningly at each other, then they all noticed the sky. It had rapidly begun to brighten.
Sheathed in a glowing nimbus of force, the Starman and Mikki appear from high above, drifting gently down to land
among the humans. The little terrier springs to her friends, kissing them both with glee!
"We missed you too, sweetheart," said Kenji, as he and his wife embraced their truest friend.
Spontaneously, Kyoko grabbed the Starman in a hug. "Thank you, Starman!" She squeezed him hard, and Kenji joined
her. The warrior laughed and hugged them back, the soldiers all smiling at the sight.
"Domo arigato, Starman sama," said Tanaka, giving a low bow.
Mikki squirmed in Kenji's arms, yapping for attention. The little dog seemed to speak to the superhero. She seemed to
be asking him something.
The warrior looked at those around him, his expression that of someone reluctant to speak.
Mikki repeated her signal.
"Mikki, I realized too late to change what I'd done. I acted in anger, we both saw the results." Again, he looked at his
human companions, and continued. "I did something back there I cannot be proud of," Starman admitted. "I gained
control of the Enthrallers, and I commanded them to die."
For a long moment, there was silence. Then Kenji spoke; "It must have been horrible for them, losing control like that."
"And we know Godzilla was going to destroy them no matter what," Kyoko added.
"I'd say you were being merciful, Starman." Tanaka agreed. "Perhaps too merciful."
Mikki yapped twice, and Starman allowed a brief grin to cross his features. "I have killed before, but I have never once
enjoyed it."
"We know that, Starman," said Kenji. "I don't know of another man on Earth who could do your job, or would even
want to try."
The warrior's smile returned, and he bowed low before them. Then, the twin antenae brightened. "I am recieving a
signal. Sadly, I must leave you now. The Emerald Council has summoned me, and I must go."
"Starman, we need to ask one last favor of you," said Kyo. "Can you please get us back home?"
"Oh, I had thought Captain Tanaka might aid you."
"On the contrary," the Captain replied. "I'm afraid the Bradleys are currently persona non grata here in Japan. If they
were to remain, I would be obligated to arrest them."
"Arrest them?!" The hero was shocked.
"It's a long story," said Kenji.
"Well, I don't normally do this, but..." Starman cupped his hands, and focused. Starforce flares from antennae to palms,
and a shining sphere is formed. "This sphere is a connection to the tip of a Cosmic String. Like a shortcut through
space and time. The physics behind it are a bit complex, suffice it to say, if you picture where you want to go, it will
take you there."
Kyoko grasped the object in awe. A shortcut through space and time! She had wished only to get back to the States
with Kenji, now that was but one of many possible destinations. "There is no way we could ever begin to thank you for
your help, Starman," Kyoko bowed. "We will always remember you."
"That alone is thanks enough! Be careful with the sphere now. It's intended to be a one way ticket, but there are 'safety
factors' you can trigger in case you get lost," the Starman reassured them. "Please give my regards to your dear mother,
Kenji. Oh, and congratulations as well!"
"Congratulations? For what?" Asked Ken.
"Kyoko is pregnant. You are going to have a child!" The costumed adventurer rose from the ground, smiling. His form
growing brighter as he floated higher aloft. "Farewell, my friends!" The Starman said, and was gone.
Ken and Kyo stared slack jawed into each others eyes. "We're gonna have a baby?" Said Ken.
Mikki yapped twice, and Kyoko smiled. "If Mikki agrees, then I guess we are."
*
The monster Godzilla raised his scaly head and watched the photon trail of Starman speed away from Earth, like a
comet in reverse. Til now, he had known only evil to come from the void between the stars, like that which now lay
burning at his feet. But that being was different, and Godzilla knew; he was not an enemy.
Here on Earth, however, his enemies abound. Not the least of which were the menthings. Specifically the modern folk
with their weapons and war machines. Godzilla could smell their lingering presence. He could smell their latent power.
He was sure the ones in the metal skins had come here to challenge him, but the aliens had beat them to it. The aliens
have been dealt with. Godzilla decides that now, it would be the humans turn!
*
"Avenging the Yog, eh? Fits with the story the ET's gave me. Still..." Tanaka remarked. Having gotten the explanation,
he found he was not wholly satisfied.
"All of it true, Captain," said Kenji. "Look, I can tell you're having a bit of a hard time trusting us. Believe me, we
would love a better explanation for all the weird stuff that's been happening as much as you would! I hope you'll agree
though, that your predecessor's viewpoint on it was a bit extreme." Kenji clutched his wounded thigh.
"Oh I agree with you on that! Do not worry, Bradley san. My methods and outlook are a far cry from the late Captain
Nakano's."
"Thank goodness for that!" Said Kyoko.
"Can we agree then, to reimplement the terms of your original release?" Asked Tanaka. "The two of you will remain
outside Japanese territories for the duration of one year, so that we may gauge Godzilla's reaction, if any, to your
absence."
"Of course, Captain. That was our intent all along," Ken agreed.
"Good. Tell me, where will you go now?"
"Far away from Markalites and monsters. We'll go back to San Francisco, my mom must be flipping out!"
"She did not seem pleased when we, uh, kidnapped you," said Fuji, a subtle tremor punctuating his words.
"Yeah, she did look pissed," said Munabe. Another tremor, stronger this time.
"Speaking of pissed," said Kyoko, as Mikki began to growl. "I think I hear some unwanted company coming our way!"
The tremors grew in both force and volume, like the footfalls of some titanic beast. That is exactly what they were!
Kyoko took Mikki, allowing Kenji to get maximum speed from his injured leg. Together, they scrambled down the
shoreline for cover.
"Get back to the ship," Tanaka ordered his men.
"But Captain, the Bradleys..." Munabe protested.
"I said fall back, soldier!" The Captain repeated, the words barely escaping being drowned out by the warcry of the
King of the Monsters. The men began to move!
Mikki growled a challenge of her own. Stirred by some primordial instinct, the canine leapt free from Kyo's grasp and
raced through the sand to confront the monster!
"Mikki, no!" Kyoko screamed.
"Mikki! Mikki!!" Kenji echoed, watching as the tiny dog stood barking at the monster's feet.
Tanaka watched as well, and reacted. "Prime the Markalites. Fireshields as well," he turned to his men. "I want you to
scatter, try to draw his fire. I'm going to go get that crazy dog."
The Captain primed his own plasma energy generator, and drew the discharge rifle from the sling on his back. Then he
began to run.
The triple dorsals flashed, Godzilla glaring at the dog. Kenji held his wife, forcing her back as she screamed Mikki's
name. It was the hardest thing he had ever had to do.
Tanaka deployed his collapsible Fireshield, polarizing it into a refractive, radproof barrier, and poured on the speed.
The Atomfire burned, a brilliant beam blasting forth from Godzilla's gaping maw! Tanaka dove blind, a yelp at his
impact told him his aim was true. He curled around the squirming dog, tucking them both tight beneath the shield as the
thermonuclear ray struck home!
"F, fire!!" Screamed Fuji, shocked at the scene. The laserplay danced over the monster's form, detonating in a unique
reaction to Godzilla's own protective field of Atomic force. The saurian staggered for a second, shook his head and
raged, then strode further onto the beach to press the attack!
"I think we made him mad," said Munabe, raising his weapon for another blast.
Godzilla's dorsals flashed again, and again the beam shot forth. Ogeshewara's shore was fast becoming a radioactive
inferno! Stone melting to liquid, sand fusing into glass. The surf itself begins to boil, filling the air with toxic, searing
steam!
"Kenji, where's Mikki? Where is she?!" Kyo shrieked in anguish.
"I don't know, sweetheart. I can't see her anywhere," Ken replied. "Tanaka got his shield up. I think they're okay." A
thick beam of Atomfire swept over the shore. The fight was getting closer. Too close. "Kyo, we can't outrun that
death-ray, and we don't have any fireproof armor. We've got to use the sphere, Kyoko. We've got to go now!"
"What about Mikki? We can't leave her behind!"
"I know, baby. I love her too, but we don't have to die here to prove it!" Kenji's voice was calm but intense, his heart
breaking at the thought of leaving his canine companion behind. He could never forget that dog had saved their lives.
High above the smoke and haze, Ken could see the Markalite beams burning around Godzilla. Power arced from the
great beast's form like lightning, dancing along the bony plates that line the monster's spine. The plates began to spark
and glow, heralding another blast.
"Kyo," Ken took hold of his wife's hand. The sphere now grasped between them, shining like a beacon. "Focus on San
Francisco with me. Let's do it."
"Kenji, I..." she began to speak as the beam burst forth, sweeping closer.
"Kyoko, now! Go! Go! Now!!"
The Atomfire swept the length of the shore, engulfing the Bradleys position and beyond. It passed, and the Bradleys
were gone.
Tanaka came running, Mikki in his arms, from out of the thickening wall of steam. Kazuki, Fuji and Munabe stared at
their Captain, his armor now blackened and singed, Markalite overloaded, its components fused into a useless mass.
"Everybody into the ship," he ordered. "This field test is over. Godzilla has won."
Interlude Three
Sato's Lab.
The dreams were getting worse now. Sato found he could no longer really sleep. He shook constantly as if in a
perpetual chill, yet his skin was hot to the touch. Too hot.
As the fourth sleepless night had come and gone, he found himself lapsing instead into what he could only think of as
out-of-body experiences. Strange and frightening periods when he could feel his body melting from him, his
consciousness somehow slipping away. It was a familiar feeling. It began the day he was caught in the Radion blast that
drove Godzilla from Dokowan Bay.
He found himself at the hospital, standing before the room wherein his father died. Komai and Masayo were there, still
bidding him to enter, but he could no longer bring himself to open that door. Not again.
A strange green liquid began to seep from beneath the door. It massed and flowed, creeping closer. Sato was frozen
with fear.
Then the glowing fluid began to change. It frothed and foamed, coalescing and building itself from a mound, to a pillar,
to a strange almost humanoid form. The still flowing mass stood before him, and spoke the words he dreaded most. "I
hate you, Maki Sato."
The creature reached for him, and Sato snapped 'awake'. He breathed deeply then, the sound harsh and rattle like, as if
fluid filled his lungs. Hesitantly, he looked at his hands. They were glowing green, with a flowing, liquid surface, and
Sato screamed!
This time, it was no mere dream...