Part Five: BARRICADE





Ogasawara.

Godzilla reeled as the liquid beast lunged, engulfing him in a wave of power and fury. The creature clung on, an enormous weight that toppled them from the rise. They hurtled down the slope, and fell grappling into the magma. The lava churned as the titans fought, beams of Atomfire blasting the roiling surface, joined by the pulse of the Radion Wave that was the power behind the H-Man. But what little remained of the mind of Maki Sato was lost, buried somewhere deep within the now gigantic form of what could only be called the H-Monster.

Godzilla's own power burned into the being, disintegrating its liquid mass. The H-Monster retaliated, coating its opponent with its slime-like form, eating into its armored hide. The creatures were fast reaching a standstill, their powers were canceling each other out.

Driven by instinct, the liquid leviathan grabbed hold of his saurian foe, channeling a massive discharge of force into the scaly beast. Godzilla screamed at the assault, he had tasted this energy before. It was the same power that had fueled the monster Dogorah, a force he could not absorb. The strange energy scrambled the monster's access to his nuclear might, leaving him stunned and unable to focus the Atomfire. With the last of his power, the H-Monster raised Godzilla from the magma and hurled him crashing into the temple. The ancient walls collapsed at the impact as Godzilla smashed through the structure, bringing the enormous facade down all around him.

The H-Monster howled, and turned to flow quickly up the slope. Below him, Godzilla lay buried beneath the crumbled ruins. Some dim spark of reason kicked in as the liquid beast began to diminish in size, its mass converted into energy in the terrible battle. It knew it had won but a momentary victory, and that to survive it must now escape. Nearly drained of power, the creature flowed shoreward, guided by the need to rest, and the desire to return home.



*

G-Command. "Gomenasai, General. May I come in?" Asked Anna, rapping on the door.

"Hei, Arrashimasse, Bradley chan," Iwa replied, reclining in his chair. Detective Tominaga snored loudly from the couch. "Sleep, it seems, is determined to elude me today, and I welcome your company. Please sit down."

"Domo. I have come to tell you, Miname and I have succeeded in our efforts. A crude but effective stabilizer has been developed, restoring the cellular integrity of the test subject to a great degree. The frog is almost completely returned to normal."

"I knew there must be a way! Thank you, Mrs. Bradley," Iwa reached out a shaky hand to grasp Anna's, and looked deeply into her eyes. "I thank you with all my heart."

"Don't thank me, General. I intend to see that you pay for my assistance, bearing in mind this formula is not a proven cure, but a stabilizer which seems to promote a state of remission."

"I understand, Mrs. Bradley. I am still greatly indebted to you for it."

"Yes, you are," Anna forced a smile.

"Would you care for some sake, Bradley San?"

"Call me Anna, Iwa sama. Yes, please."

Iwa could see the woman finally beginning to relax. She had already proven herself of invaluable aid, and he hated to burden her further, but he knew she was the only one of the team he could talk to. Shiro was too young, Tominaga too straight laced. But Anna Bradley was a stranger, a Japanese woman acclimated to the culture of the West. Only she might understand what it means to be so displaced, and so very old.

"Anna, there is something I must confide in you. I believe Commander Nakano was correct that the fate of your son and his wife are linked in some way to Godzilla. I believe the purpose behind that connection will soon be revealed. They will return, Anna. Only I will not live long enough to witness it. I have kept the secret for so long now, I find I have not the words to speak it..." Iwa downed the rice wine and swallowed hard. He closed his eyes, and spoke. "I'm dying."

"Honestly, I had already guessed as much. You have the same look about you as my husband did before he passed away, though he chose not to tell me until it was too late." Anna shook her head quickly, shaking the memory of that time long ago. She sipped at her drink and asked; "Why is it that you choose to tell me now?"

"Because you are safe. We are strangers to each other, and will not be hurt by the admission. And because I must beg from you one more service before this can all truly end..."

Just then, there came a knock at the door, and in walked Tanaka. He had a grim and desperate look, magnified by the now unbandaged scars that marked the left side of his face. "Gomenasai, General," he began. Tominaga stirred from his sleep at the intrusion. "Word just arrived from Naval Command, sir. The H-man has appeared in Tokyo bay."

Iwa gazed intently at his second in command, then back to Anna. He stood, and slowly approached his protege. "Alright, Captain. I want the Markalite squad there now, in case things get nasty. Tominaga, please make certain Masada is ready with her new formula and see her safely to the site. Mrs. Bradley and I will join you directly."

A brief flash of uncertainty crossed Tanaka's features, then he agreed. "I promise to make every effort not to harm young Sato, sir."

"You are in charge now, Shiro. You do what you must to succeed in your mission and to protect your people. I know you are the right man for the job."

"Yes, sir!"

"And, Captain, bring the dog with you. We both know that if she can aid us in any way, she will. Anna, I hope you do not object?"

"I understand. Take good care of her, Captain."

"I shall. Domo arigato ." Tanaka bowed and left, followed by Tominaga.

Alone again, Anna could see the fatigue seeping back into the General. Even so, he was still a most attractive man, and she knew he was wrong to think she would not be affected by his misfortune. She found herself wishing she could take away his pain, and make him happy again.

"Iwa sama, whatever you may ask of me, I shall give. I can see that you are a man deserving of such consideration from his friends." Anna led the soldier to a seat, and passed him the wine.

"One for the road, my friend?" Asked Iwa.

"Or as we say in California, 'Party on'." She replied.



*

Tokyo harbor.

The Metropolitan Police Emergency Response units line the piers, cordoning off the seaport. Patrol boats cruise the choppy bay, keeping order among the evacuating craft, and an eye on the strange intruder now rising from the water.

Chief Komai stood at the head of the barricade and faced the advancing horror. An immense wall of iridescent slime, nearly humanoid in form, was slowly approaching the docks. It was the same beast General Iwa described, only about twenty meters taller.

The 'H-Man' had not shown any hostile intent, and Komai was not about to start the fight by shooting at it! In fact, they had observed the creature growing smaller as it approached, giving them a better chance to hold it in the harbor. Komai was surrounded by a staggering array of conventional firepower, but the monster's nearly manlike aspect made him wonder if there could be some form of intellect within it. He could almost sense there was.

The mutant paused, rearing high over the dock. It seemed to scan the area, then settled its gaze on Komai. The old cop shook as the creature howled, a cry of pain and anger that could chill the soul and twist the mind to madness!

The beast spun left and right, as if seeking a route of escape. Komai bellowed; "Hold your fire! let it go!" The creature cringed at the sound of his voice, though not in pain. It seemed to Komai almost as if it were ashamed.

Without warning, the H-Man struck, hurling itself against the dock and smashing the boardwalk into splinters. The humans reaction was automatic, instinctive, and the noise of a hundred guns filled the air as the Police fired upon the beast, emptying their weapons into its liquid mass. The monster reeled under the onslaught, still advancing through the surf as the lethal barrage continued. It screamed as the shells ripped through its body, scattering its mass and speeding its shrinking process. Komai stood silent as the beast drew nearer, the drumbeat of the weapons intensifying in response. He stood as the mutant reached out, as if pleading to him, and then it called his name.

"KOH MAH YEE." The voice was resonant and deep, and filled the air with an almost liquid tone. Suddenly, the shooting stopped. Komai stared in horror at the thing's inhuman visage, and fell to his knees before it. Then the H-Man fell as well, its ten meter tall frame crashing onto the solid land. Komai alone moved to approach the wounded monster, and stare once more into the creature's face. "KOH MAH YEEE." It gurgled, and the old Cop was sure.

"I'm here, Sato San. I'm here."



*

Ogasawara.

The tortured earth trembles and cracks, shaking the island to its volcanic core. The Temple lay in ruins, crushed within the crater that was once a lush and verdant valley. Then the ruins begin to move.

The broken stones shift and slide, bursting outward as an immense nuclear fireball erupts from the shattered structure! Plumes of smoke and vaporized particles choke the air, billowing into a vast mushroom cloud rising slowly out of the heart of the valley. From within that cloud's black depths emerges Godzilla

The scene is quiet. The enemy has fled. But this fight would not be won so neatly. Godzilla caught the monster's spoor and followed, determined to assert his power and superiority over the attacker. Determined to make the creature pay.



*

Tokyo bay.

The G-Force convoy arrives, too late. Evidence of the massive firefight is everywhere. Tanaka steps silently from the Command car, with full armor and Mikki at his heels, and approaches the fallen H-Man. Komai kneels beside the inhuman being, and Tanaka knew, the old cop must already know the truth.

The dog joins Komai, and sits to watch the shift and flow of the creature's liquid surface. Up close it was almost prismatic, almost beautiful. Tanaka saw it too.

"Komai, I..." Shiro began, his words cut off by a shout from his partner Fujiko.

"Captain! G-Command on the line for you. It's Noto."

Shiro turned to take the call, thankful for the interruption. He saw that monster in action, and he bore the scars to prove it. What could he say to old Komai?

"Tanaka here. Is there a problem, Doctor?"

"Captain, I want you to listen to me very carefully," said Noto. "It's about Mikki."

"Doctor, I am in the middle of a situation here. Please make your point."

"Captain, the H-Man may be the least of your problems. I've finished analyzing the results of the tests we managed to run on Mikki. The findings are unprecedented, and unexplainable."

"What exactly did you find?"

"Mikki has a tricameral brain, Captain. Three lobes, not two. It is operating on levels and frequencies we cannot even begin to match! The real problem is that this cannot be explained by some kind of natural, or even deliberate mutation. The answer is so much more!"

"Doctor?" The Captain pleaded impatiently.

"The genetic analysis gave us something no one expected to find. The DNA from that dog is ancient, Precambrian in origin."

"Precambrian? But that's..."

"I know," said the doctor. "But these tests are accurate. The cells of that animal pre-date all other life on this planet! Whatever she is, Captain, that dog is not a dog."