Chapter 4: It finally begins.
Outer Earth Patrol Zone.
General Larry Arnold rubbed his tired eyes as he observed his subordinates in action. Ever since he had received the order to go to Defcon-3, he and the rest of the crew of NORAD had been on active duty almost constantly. Other agencies such as NSA and others that operated the US satellites sent in their information almost daily as if it meant life and death. Fortunately, the general could read minds and even though the message was vague, he felt as if it was explosive and hoped that this time his instincts were wrong.
The General took another sip of his coffee when suddenly one of the radar operators interrupted him, his face looking as if it saw a ghost, "Sir, one of our satellites has just picked up three identified objects approaching us at full speed".
As if feelings that the grim reaper had personally delivered him a message of death, Arnold immediately asked, "Do you have a fix on them yet"?
The officer replied, "We have a fix on their destinations and have already sent them to the following commands". He paused before adding, "We also should have visual coming in shortly"? Both men headed to the control room where others watched intensely as the three UFOs emerged on the view screen. Everyone who saw the images went through a full range of emotions but they all consisted of shock and horror of the threat now approaching them.
General Arnold was the first to shake himself out of the stupor and he immediately asked, "Has Washington been notified of this yet"? A subordinate nodded in confirmation and Arnold turned to the others and yelled out, "Send this to all theater commands and order them to be on the alert". The room darkened as the installation began to coordinate the aerial defense for the entire North American continent.
On the International Space Station, the crew hastily rushed to the escape pods that would take them back to Earth and hopefully out of harm's way. As the space station's commander set up the satellite link to NASA, he took a look at the place which had been his home for the last 8 months and despite finally going back to Earth, they all wished that it was under better circumstances.
As the last of the escape pods jettisoned off of the station, its passengers suddenly caught the sight of the three UFOs and as they got closer, the UFO's took the shape and form that would leave mental scars out of even the most hardened warrior.
The first shape took on the shape of a golden creature with huge wings that glided on the winds of the solar system, two long tails and three heads in the shape of ancient menacing Asian dragons. It crackled madly as it continued to fire off bolts of energy towards the Earth.
The second shape had a humanoid form but at the hands and feet, it consisted of claws. It had a buzz saw running at the center of its chest, a huge beak for its mouth and a huge blood red visor with a smaller eye above it. Smoke came out of its back as it flew towards its destination on Earth.
The third shape was mainly in that of jagged crystals but the crew could see clearly that a shape resided inside. It passed by them while firing a barrage of crystal missiles and an orange beam at the Earth's surface, explosions signifying targets being hit.
The three UFO's split off into different directions with one accelerating towards Middle East while the two others started unleashing energy bolts down towards the Earth's surface in the Northern Hemisphere even though they were still heading for it. They then turned to the International Space Station which seemed to be ignored by the UFO's until a stray gold beam impacted the structure, easily ripping it apart into millions of fragments which started to be pulled towards Earth due to its gravity.
Fortunately, all of the escape pods avoided destruction but if their occupants hoped for any sort of safety on Earth, the sight of the three UFOs heading into Earth's atmosphere as well as events on the ground soon bitterly disappointed them.
Shanghai.
It was another busy day for the residents of the Chinese port city as the day wore on. Traffic was at a fever pitch as the population moved to conduct the business of making enormous profits like every other day. Unfortunately for most, it would be the last day of their lives.
At the construction site of the subway system however, there was massive chaos as the water leaks that recently sprung began to spiral out of control. Though most of the construction crew managed to escape, a good portion drowned when the water caved in at an enormous rate. The enormous water pressure from the Pacific Ocean swept around men and materials like toys as they struggled to escape.
On the surface, chaos reigned as rescue crews struggled to get to the area. The survivors watched in horror as the tunnel caved in but then something else happened that chilled their bones. An enormous roar emerged from the destroyed construction sight and soon people started to panic as an enormous gray snake-like creature emerged from the rubble. It wriggled its head and its small hands before silterhting out of the rubble and into the streets of Shanghai.
Due to the fact of the traffic, there were many people stuck on the freeways and roads in the port city and therefore many people caught out in the open as the creature moved deeper into the city. Soon, riots started springing up as the snake smashed its way through the cars lining the freeway.
From the view of the buildings, people watched in horror as the destruction continued below them. Soon, panic started to seep in as the monster soon nicknamed by the older superstitious residents as Manda due to the legends surrounding the area Shanghai now stood on smashed its way through the suburbs of Shanghai, killing those that thought foolishly that it was better to stay inside.
Fortunately though, help was quickly on the way for Shanghai was also an important Chinese naval base and soon both the Chinese naval and air units scrambled to meet the threat. WZ-9 and AS 321 Ja Super Frelons helicopters along with Su-30 and JI-2 fighter jets hovered over the area with a Sovremenny and several Luhai destroyers and several other ships sailing in the harbor while on the ground Type 96 tanks and 122mm rocket launchers. As the monster made its way through Shanghai, the tanks immediately took up station while the rocket launchers prepared to dump their loads on the monster.
Manda made its way leisurely through the streets of Shanghai, its long thin body, smashing its way through cars trucks and small structures. At first, there was virtually no resistance but as soon as it made its way towards the center of the city, the Chinese military sprang into action.
First the rocket launchers opened up, raining shells all around the monster and devastating the area around it, though there were few civilian casualties. Then the tanks and helicopters joined in with guided missiles and 105 mm tank shells.
Though the firepower was immense, it did not stop Manda as it pressed its advance towards the Chinese defensive line. Soon, the tanks started to roll back as the monster nearly advanced upon them. The military forces soon regrouped to make their stand at the Pearl TV tower while trying to lure the monster out to the waiting guns of the warships. Unfortunately, Manda wasn't taking the bait and continued on its advance.
The monster was soon at the immense skyscraper and to the shock of all, it wrapped itself around the structure, trapping those still inside as well as forcing the Chinese military to destroy one of its grandest structures of the new economy. Missiles and artillery shells slammed into the tower in an attempt to bring the monster back down to street level. It did but the combination of the firepower and Manda's weight also brought down the tower, killing all of its occupants inside as well as devastating a good portion of Shanghai.
Feeling pleased with the destruction it had caused, Manda suddenly changed course and headed out towards the Pacific Ocean. Feeling the full horror of what had just happened, the Chinese forces launched an all out attack on the monster with their fighter bombers and warships in the hope of inflicting some permanent damage it. Due to the its hard grey scales however, that wish was unfulfilled as the monster slithered its way out of Shanghai and back into the deep waters of the Pacific Ocean unharmed even by the Sovremeny firing its SS-N-22 Sunburn missiles at point blank range.
Black Sea.
The Turkish City of Istanbul is often considered the gateway between Europe and the Middle East since it controlled the waterway between the Black Sea and the more important Mediterranean Sea. Though it has brought notoriety, it has also brought problems especially after Turkey's introduction into the European Union and reports of it being used as a funnel for terrorists seeking to infiltrate Europe.
Today though, the ancient city was deathly quiet as the population slowly made its way home, especially the fishing population. In their place, Turkish and Russian warships patrolled the waters in hope of spotting the object that had turned the Black Sea into a disaster zone.
On one of the Sovrenmeny class destroyers, the Russian captain scanned the sea with his binoculars while the rest of the crew scanned with the sonar systems of the destroyer. Alongside it was two Neustrashimy class anti-aircraft destroyers and several Krivak class missile frigates patrolled an area north of Istanbul.
The captain rubbed his tired eyes in annoyance as he continued to scan the water for any movement that might constitute a threat. He was about to call it a night when suddenly one of his radar operators screamed, "Sir I have a target bearing down on us at flank speed". The captain immediately walked over to the station to look at the sonar map himself and after a few moments, his face paled as he realized what the information meant. He immediately turned and ordered battle stations and a link opened with other Russian and Turkish units.
Under the water, the huge crab-like monster was busy feasting on a huge school of fish when it suddenly sensed an approaching threat. Finishing off the scraps, it changed course and headed straight for the approaching ships.
The captain watched intently as the target closed in on them. As soon as it reached a certain range, the captain yelled out, "Launch torpedoes". The Sovrenmeny shook as several 533cm and 633cm torpedoes leapt from its tubes and angled towards the underwater target. Torpedoes from the other warships soon joined in as the ASW helicopters such as the KA-28 Helixes took off to provide immediate air cover.
Soon the sonar turned white and water spouts emerged to the starboard side of the bow as the torpedoes impacted on their targets. For several long seconds the crews in the task force watched the scopes to spot any dead remains of the target. Unfortunately, the monster destroyed that hope as it emerged from the water unscathed but very angry and looking for prey to devourer on.
The task force opened up with all of its weapons but it was virtually useless against the monster's hard orange skin while using cruise missiles at this range was suicide. The ships also tried to maneuver, but with a speed that rivaled the now obsolete former Russian Alfa class submarine the monster was soon among them. Though it mainly used its claws to tear into live flesh, the claws were also capable of tearing into steel hulls and soon two of the Krivaks were sinking. A Turkish warship soon joined them as the monster continued its attack on the combined force.
The Sovrenmeny continued to pound away with its 130mm forward guns but all it did was to change the enormous crab's target and soon it brought its right claw up and then downward on the warship. Though the hull held, the upper superstructure suffered heavy damage and the resulting thrashing destroyed many of the weapons systems.
On the bridge, the commander of the task force watched in horror as the creature systematically destroyed his ships. He turned and roared, "Is any help coming in"? The communications officer replied, "Yes sir but it won't be able to reach us in time". The captain swore as the ship was battered again and yelled, "All ships retreat". It was too late for him and the rest of the crew though as the crab finally hulled the superstructure of the huge destroyer. As soon as the creature removed its claw, it slammed it into the bridge, killing everyone inside. Soon, seawater rushed in so fast that the crew could not even prepare to escape. Soon, the Russian destroyer joined its companions at the bottom of the ocean.
The ships soon started to scatter and fortunately for them, the monster ceased its attack. Unfortunately, the change in course put it straight towards Istanbul. Feeling a need to gain some measure of revenge, the ships turned around and launched a long range assault on the crab monster.
Bonin Islands.
The P-3 Orion flew in a south-easterly direction from Kanoya towards the Bonin Islands area. It along with several others patrolled the sea approaches to Japan though the crews found this to be boring work. All felt that most of the new threats came in from the west and some wondered why headquarters assigned here instead of the East China Sea.
After checking his systems, the pilot asked the sonar operator, "Anything new on the screen". The sonar operator replied in the negative and the pilot remarked to his comrade, "You know, the way we're conducting this, you'd expect us to find an enormous mutated creature". The co-pilot laughed oddly as the plane flew on over the vast Pacific expanse.
Suddenly though, the sonar operator screamed, "Sir, I've just picked up a sighting". He paused for a moment as the computer sorted through the information before yelling out loud, "It's a large object heading Northwest near Chichi Jima". Both pilots turned and looked at each other in concern before the pilot asked, "How large is the object"? The plane became deathly silent before the pilot replied, "The object is 40 meters in height and is moving at 30 knots on a course that will take it near Kyushu and Shiokaku".
That was enough for the pilot who yelled out, "Signal headquarters of the threat and all other aircraft in the area". The P-3 Orion suddenly accelerated downward as the pilot aimed the four Mark 46 torpedoes the Orion carried.
Below, the fish-like monster continued on its present course, totally unaware of what was approaching. The first scent of trouble came when the dinosaur picked up the sound of torpedoes heading towards it. The monster immediately sped up but the P-3 Orion hovering above had dropped the torpedoes at a level and range that the weapons could not miss". The monster roared as the torpedoes impacted on it one by one. Though disoriented, the monster was unharmed and immediately rose upward towards the surface.
As the P-3 Orion circled around the target area, the crew waited anxiously for either the sonar to clear or the target's remains to emerge. They all had the same hope that the target was destroyed but it was soon dashed as the surface started to bubble before the monster rose above the waves, roaring like that of a hyena. The pilot immediately increased altitude as the monster roared at the plane in challenge but seeing that it was of little threat, submerged itself back underwater and resumed course with the P-3 Orion in hot pursuit and latter joined by others as well as Seahawk helicopters.
Singapore, South East Asia.
The city of Singapore, at the tip of the Kra peninsula, is known as a huge metropolis and an important hub for international trade in South East Asia. That also made it an important target for terrorists, which was why its forces had been on high alert since nearby was a country with one of the largest Muslim populations on the planet and already, ever since 2001, terrible attacks have occurred with enormous casualties. Fortunately so far, Singapore had been spared but that still did not prevent its army from maintaining a high state of alert. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at it, it would face a new threat of which they could actually deal with if only belatedly.
As the citizens of the city hurried along home, the ground started to shake and rumble. Soon panic started to seep in as the residents started to scatter in all directions. The rumbling also created huge waves at the nearby ocean that slammed into the city flooding its streets, destroying many of the smaller buildings and killing many people. Though that managed to escape, wondered whether nature decided to declare war on them.
The unexpected earthquake suddenly ceased but then all saw why as a huge black shape suddenly jumped up from underground. Though there was smoke all around, some of the citizens could make out details of the shape and they soon started running for their lives as the shape approached them.
As a news helicopter arrived on the scene, the camera crew could make out the shape of the newly arrived monster. It had the shape of a large beetle with its hands in the shape of mechanical drills and a mouth that spit fireballs and a horn that shot lighting out at targets of opportunity.
Immediately, the military sprung into action and soon, tanks roared down the devastated streets to challenge the monster. Tanks, mainly Centurion Mk 13 and AMX-13 SM-1 started firing their shells at the monster only to see them bounce harmlessly off the monster's thick hide. The monster roared in anger and immediately retaliated with a lighting strike from its horn that ripped into the ranks of the tanks. Thirteen immediately turned into blazing wrecks and the rest tried to regroup but they had just become a target for the huge bug monster. It opened its mouth and spit out a huge fireball at the troops, killing them all in the blast.
The tanks immediately split up into groups in order to lure the newly arrived monster from the skyscrapers out to the outskirts but their efforts were futile as the destroyed buildings created enormous rubble and obstacles, blocking their attack routes. Above the smoke, the monster continued its attack, firing a combination of its lightning horn and fireballs at targets of opportunity. Soon the area suddenly transformed into a horrific war zone one usually saw in Sajeravo, Iraq, the captured territories or Grozny.
The army resorted to defensive measures with the use of its air and naval forces in order to evacuate the population from the monster's relentless advance. Not surprisingly, it created more casualties as the monster used its fearsome arsenal to unleash the type of damage onto Singapore that the Japanese army of World War II would have loved to inflict on the British. After feeling pleased with the destruction, the monster linked its arms together and within minutes, it burrowed itself underground, leaving the horrified residents to consider what had happened in the past few hours.
Tokyo/Washington.
It had been a sleepless night for both President Richardson and Prime Minister Hiragashi as they and their staffs tried to coordinate the defense of the world against the new threat. Immediately after their aides alerted them of the destruction of the ISS, both leaders called their staffs together for a conference and opened a satellite link to the other's capital. What they saw on the 3-D generated map of the world sobered them to the reality at hand.
All across the world, it seemed that a plague of red dots started to emerge. First in China with two attacks, one in Shanghai and one near Harbin with the Chinese forces scrambling to react to the threat. Then came in news of a battle near Istanbul between the combined forces of the Russian and Turkish navies with a crab-like monster and EU forces preparing to reinforce the beleaguered defenses and if that wasn't enough trouble for the Russians, reports started to come in of another monster with a spiked back attacking the oil installations in the Caspian Sea before it burrowed itself underground and heading northwards. South East Asia also had its own problems as Singapore and then Jakarta were soon attacked by their own monsters. The worst part of the news so far was that the UFOs responsible for the ISS's destruction now hovered in Earth's atmosphere and though they were not over any major population centers as of yet, they still unleashed horrific damage. Even though the air forces of the world were up and offering serious resistance, it cost them heavily.
Closer to home for Japan was the rumors of a large fish-like dinosaur sighted near the Bonin and Okinawa Islands area. Already, Hiragashi alerted Richardson and together their commanders coordinated the defense of their respective forces in the area against the threat.
In all of this, the Japanese seemed apprehensive whenever mention of the Bering Sea came up as if they were expecting something to happen. Hiragashi stood looking out at the window to the dark skyline of Tokyo as if memorizing the view and hoping to use this to remind himself why he would soon be sending many Japanese sons and daughters out to die against impossible odds for vague reasons.
He was so lost in thought that it took a while before he noticed his Defens Minister Nakamori arrive, his face grave as if he had seen the grim reaper, which considering the circumstances would have been starkly correct, "Sir, I've just been told that one of the satellites is about to pass above the Bering Sea area". Hiragashi nodded and replied, "I thought we had seen the last of him but it seems we'll be proven wrong". Nakamori, in an attempt to soothe his prime minister's worries, replied, "Perhaps this time we'll get lucky". Though it was a foolish gesture, Hiragashi appreciated the statement and said, "Let's just hope on". The two men heading back into the conference room where the American president was already on the screen, his staff behind him.
Richardson replied, "Already we have monster attacks going off in different areas of the world and some of my forces have already engaged them". Hiragashi nodded and asked, "What did you make of the threat".
The president on the other end of the line replied, "After discussing it with my cabinet, we all agreed that this takes as much importance as that of the terrorist threat if not more so in the future than in the present time".
Hiragashi was about to add something when the defense minister walked in, his face grave, "Gentlemen, the satellite has just arrived over the Bering Sea and it has taken images that you need to see right away". He pressed a button and both Washington and Tokyo instantly saw what the satellite saw and it was the one image that the Japanese recognized and feared ever since November 3, 1954.
Bering Sea.
The iceberg was already nearly melted and the energy around the area was at an all time high. As the upper area of the iceberg collapsed, a huge reptilian head emerged, opening its mouth in a huge roar against the world. It soon wriggled itself even further out and within seconds, the radioactive monster freed itself from the ice prison and soon observed its surroundings. Almost as if in instinct, the dorsal fins on the monster's back glowed with lighting arching off of it and a blue-white beam emerged from the monster's maw towards the water, heating the temperature up to an incredible extent and easily melting some of the nearby icebergs as well as lighting up the oppressive grey sky. With a grunt and an exhalation of the cold air, the great monster called Godzilla roared one more time before submerging and heading southward.
In the White House and the Diet building, both leaders and their respective staffs looked on in horror at the one darkness that the Japanese and truly hoped that they wouldn't be facing again soon headed south to join in the new war that suddenly erupted all around them.
Notes: As you can see, I've included a lot of monsters both Showa and Heisei and more will soon join the fray.
First see if you can guess the monsters I'm using and then if you guys want anymore, I'll try and see if I can accommodate them.