Author's Notes and Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of the 1978-79 Hanna-Barbera cartoon Godzilla: The Original Animated Series, Hanna-Barbera does, or should I say Warner Bros. does. This incarnation of Godzilla is owned by H-B and Toho. I only own my self-insert, Vicky, as well as the OC Army men (not their names, of course). I also do not own the story that is based on the second episode of this series. Also, anything in bold when a kaiju character is speaking/thinking means that they are speaking/thinking in their native language. Also, there a Japanese phrase in here, along with a translation of said phrase said by another character; if the phrase (and thus the translation) is inaccurate, let me know please.

Recap: The Calico crew arrives in San Francisco only to find that there's something going on that's causing deaths and the remainder of the populace to evacuate. The team calls Godzilla and he, along with Vicky and Godzooky, assist the evacuees. Now the crew prepares to go to the San Francisco shoreline to meet with an Army regiment to see what they can do in trying to figure out what is causing the destruction.

Warning: There is a discussion on smoking in this chapter. I realize this is one of those topics people go back-and-forth over, but I had D.A.R.E. lessons in the 4th and 5th grades that taught me that smoking is bad for your health and I'm keeping that stance on the subject until the day I die.

Also, for those of you who take time to read the credits of Hanna-Barbera cartoons or look them up as much as I have, prepare yourselves for a "Who's Who" as many of the names of the Army men may be a bit familiar to you. (Pay special attention to the Major and one of the Lieutenants).

With that out of the way, let's get on with the story.

CHAPTER 3

San Francisco Bay near the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco side, 12:06 hours

Once the Calico docked at the shore near the military command post, the crew disembarked with a red jeep that they used for traversing the land, with Godzooky following them, in that direction. However, Vicky's nervous features prompted a question: "Why are you so nervous about the Army men?" In response, Vicky had glanced at Godzooky, as if that was reason enough. Quinn had gotten the message, though; something that Vicky had told them when they first met: Giant monsters and humans never really got along. And when the former launched a rampage, the military men were the ones called to stop them until another organization centered around the creatures could. There was no way to tell how these men were going to react to Godzooky, or the whole crew for that matter, since it was pretty obvious that they had seen Godzilla in action. And if not in the present, then they heard about other incidents involving him, in which the Calico crew (minus Vicky at the time) was always present. But, they decided to bring the youngling along anyway, at Captain Major's request, no less.

Upon reaching the encampment, the crew was greeted with, of course, the perimeter guard. A couple of young privates, judging by their young faces and the lack of stripes.

"Hello there," Dr. Darien called brightly.

One private, face dotted with freckles began, "I'm sorry, folks. You're gonna have to-oo-oo-oo-OO-OO-OH-WHOOA!" his voice trailed into a scream at the sight of a medium charcoal-gray green colored, bipedal lizard with wings under his arms and an ample body type coming towards him from a few feet behind the jeep. "WHOOAA! WHOO-OA-AA! MONSTER! JEFF! MONSTER! HELP! MAJOR! ANYBODY!"

What followed was exactly what Vicky and Dr. Darien had been worried about: the young private's distressed cries sent the whole camp, not to mention poor Godzooky, into a frenzy. Rifles were cocked and aimed at the young kaiju, with frayed nerves behind the triggers. The grownups of the Calico crew tried to diffuse the situation before somebody got hurt while the two twelve-year-olds tried to keep Zooky calm so that he wouldn't summon Godzilla by accident. If that happened, things would get worse. A LOT worse.

"WHAT'S GOING ON OUT HERE?!" boomed a loud, bass voice from within the camp.

All heads looked to one of the tents where the voice had come from, rather shaken by it. Poor Vicky and Zooky had let out brief squeals of fright when the voice announced itself. The tent tarp was drawn back and a rather-tall human male stepped into the scene. The Calico crew looked at the man, who was, according to his decoration, a major and most likely the leader of this team, and were agape at how he seemed to dwarf the men and, just barely, the tents.

"WHICH OF YOU NINCOMPOOPS NEARLY GAVE THE ORDER TO START SHOOTING CIVILIANS?!" the giant bellowed. "WELL?!" he bellowed again when no-one answered, making everyone jump.

"Major Cassidy, sir," said a lieutenant with a rather raspy voice who quickly broke the rifle line. "I-I'm afraid one of those 'civilians' spooked Private Butler, sir. And, well, with the men still on edge from what's been happenin', and with what just happened…"

The major looked over at the new arrivals. He knew who they were on sight: The crew of the research vessel Calico. The crew responsible for solving many giant monster crises. The crew who harbored the King of the Monsters himself. As Quinn had figured, Major Cassidy was aware of the crew and their relationship with Godzilla from previous giant-monster-related incidents, most famously the rescue of an Egyptian village from a living sand-sphinx and (infamously) Godzilla's first in-city fight in years-to the public and military, that is-against a monstrous-sized rose with fangs that had resulted in million-dollar damages, a tremendous loss of life, and the one time the entire world saw Godzilla go seemingly out-of-character-one long look back at the aftermath after a long standstill with his opponent and the King of the Monsters, with a look of what could be only interpreted as remorse mixed with pure horror, ran off, eyes glowing bright red. Major Cassidy remembered being briefed on that particular event well, as well as wondering what could have caused Godzilla to have that reaction.

Now, he was facing that very crew. But, as he kept looking, he saw that they weren't just famous scientists, they were regular folks who had gotten caught up in a world where "kaiju"/"Titans" were the next hottest, controversial topic. And, right now, they were scared, because one of their own had been threatened. And he was going to treat them properly.

"Lower your weapons," Major Cassidy commanded in a tone of voice lower than the bellows he gave minutes ago.

Not wanting to face the major's wrath again, the soldiers obeyed, but remained wary. The three adults lowered their arms, seeing that the danger was passed.

"You'll have to pardon the men, gentlemen and ladies," the major spoke, touching the brim of his cap at "ladies". "With all the destruction that's been occurring and with Godzilla showing himself and saving all those civilians on the Golden Gate minutes ago, the men are a little on edge," he then explained, hoping to get off on the right foot. "I'm guessing you're all here to figure out whatever's going on?" he guessed.

"Yes, sir," Dr. Darien spoke, slowly walking from the jeep to the major.

As she did, her eyes widened and she involuntarily let out a gasp at just how tall the man was; at least six- or seven-feet tall. The major's face was wrinkled with experience and age, having seen many sights in his time in the service, including giant monsters. The major had a slight shadow on his face, meaning his beard was beginning to grow back in. His stance was military perfection and his expression was firm, but his eyes gave off a softness as the amazed biologist approached him.

"Don't let Major Cassidy's height scare ya, ma'am," chuckled the lieutenant with the raspy voice who had spoken out before. "It's just a major growth spurt he had when he was a kid. He's a nice guy, just don't get on his bad side," he casually remarked with a rather goofy grin, making Quinn smile and nod. "Name's Lieutenant Messick. Sorry about the rifle presentation there," he apologized, offering a handshake.

Dr. Darien accepted the shake then proceeded to introduce herself and the rest of the crew. "I'm Dr. Quinn Darien. And this is Carl Majors, captain of the Calico, Pete, my nephew, Brock Borden, my lab assistant and the first mate, our newest member, Vicky, and this is-"

Major Cassidy let out an amazed whistle, his eyes having landed on Godzooky, who was now standing up.

"Well. Whew! Do you know that this is the first time I've been next to someone taller than me?" Major Cassidy chuckled.

Godzooky, on the other hand, was confused and surprised to see a human taller than the Calico crew. While the tallest of them just reached his chest, this human seemed to come up to his neck, but he still had to look up to look Zooky in the eyes.

"And this is Godzooky," Quinn finished. "But we often call him 'Zooky' for short."

Major Cassidy chuckled warmly at the young kaiju's visible puzzlement and offered a hand in friendship. After an assurance from his friends and warming up to the Major, the youngling accepted the hand and gently shook it.

"I hope we can come to an understanding," Dr. Darien said.

"I think we just did, Dr. Darien," the Major grinned. "Kid's got quite a grip," he remarked, referring to Godzooky. "Again, I assume you're here to figure out what in the world's goin' on," Major Cassidy added, becoming serious and getting back on topic.

Quinn nodded. "One thing I do know is that we can rule out an earthquake," she said.

Lieutenant Messick let out an uneasy exhale. "Ma'am, 'earthquake' isn't the word for it," he said.

Major Cassidy began, "I think the word on everyone's minds for this is—"

"Carnage," a grave voice interjected.

All heads turned toward the voice's owner, a Japanese man about in his early forties, although there were wrinkle lines of worry present on his face, making him appear older. His dark-brown eyes seemed hard yet far away, as if he was looking back at terrible memories.

"'Carnage'," the man repeated with brevity. "That is the word for this. Carnage…and destruction not unlike the work of a kaiju," he finished, his eyes fixating on Godzooky.

For the second time that day, Godzooky felt uneasy. He had never met this human before, nor had he done anything malevolent to him, yet this man was looking at him as if the youngling had committed a grave injustice against him. Zooky showed a small smile and slowly extended a hand, palm up, for a handshake, just as the major had done with him, just to be friendly. He got nothing but eyes darting from his hand back to his face and a slight flinch.

"I apologize for Sergeant Takamoto," Major Cassidy sighed when Zooky looked at the others for an explanation of what he might have done wrong. "He's grown up on stories his family have told him about these…kai-ju," he enunciated that last word. "A member of his family and some of his family's friends were casualties of some giant monster attacks back in the day. One of them even died on Meltdown Night," he added gravely.

Looks of sympathy were immediately conveyed, and chills of horror and sadness were felt at the mention of Meltdown Night.

While Godzooky had no idea what the name meant and the other members of the Calico crew only had an inkling of what it was, Vicky and Dr. Darien both knew the story behind the name "Meltdown Night", a name first dubbed by the press for the night in Tokyo, Japan when Godzilla Sr succumbed to an overheat of his atomic heart after defeating a deadly foe. Dr. Darien knew the story from newspapers and documentaries. Vicky knew it as part of a legend told on Monster Island by Godzilla Sr's great-grandson, the grandfather of the Godzilla traveling with the Calico.

After about a minute of silence, Major Cassidy was the first to speak. "I…uh…I…hope that this doesn't affect our collaboration," he said to the crew rather softly. He was assured it didn't. "According to reports we've been getting from survivors," the major continued, bringing his voice back to its normal level, "there is some shaking, like an earthquake, then buildings disappear into the ground."

"Sounds like a sinkhole," Brock observed.

"That's what the geologists have been figuring," Major Cassidy said. "But if it is, it's the most unusual sinkhole occurrence I've ever heard of in my life. And on top of that, witnesses claim the 'shaking' felt more like…giant footsteps than a natural geological shift."

"Sore wa kaju," Sergeant Takamoto intoned gravely.

"What'd he say?" Pete queried, not knowing Japanese.

"I don't know Japanese that good, but it sounds like he thinks it's a monster causing all this," Lieutenant Messick replied.

"That's exactly what he said," Quinn confirmed.

"Well, despite that…unofficial…observation," Major Cassidy said, giving a warning glance to the sergeant, "we still don't know what's actually causing this. Remember, everyone was in a panic; they could've been imagining things."

"Maybe," Quinn murmured. "But we'll find out more when we go into the city. When are you all going in?" she asked the major.

"As soon as our eyes-in-the-sky give the all-clear," Major Cassidy replied. "But I don't know about bringing all of you with us; with all the wreckage and some exposed pipes and wires, it could be dangerous going through. Plus, there were a lot of lives lost before the evacuation got into full swing, so there might be…well…" the major hesitated, trying to figure out how to carefully explain the possibility of finding dead bodies with three children present. "For the sake of some of the present company," he continued, glancing at Pete, Vicky, and Godzooky, "let's just say the sights won't be pleasant."

"With all due respect, sir, you should know that at least most of us have seen just about worse."

The Major couldn't argue with that; this crew had seen the destruction caused by Godzilla's aforementioned fight with the monster rose. Even Godzilla himself had seen and been repulsed by the carnage he had partly caused. The major was more than a little tempted to ask the biologist about what happened that day, but he, reluctantly, gave the crew permission to join him and his men.

(About an hour and forty minutes later)

Ever since the accidental scare at the perimeter and the subtle rebuttal by Sergeant Takamoto, Godzooky was determined to show the other soldiers that he wasn't as scary as his bigger brethren, so he decided to try to socialize with the other soldiers. He had already had some luck with the younger and lower-ranked men, performing some harmless, childish antics that succeeded in making them laugh and forget about their troubles for the moment. Even Major Cassidy couldn't help but crack a grin or two at watching this young, saurian comedian.

At another time he listened to a conversation a few lieutenants and sergeants were having about their families. Godzooky listened with empathy and a sympathetic ear; he had an idea what it was like to miss his family. When his uncle Godzilla had run off after his first in-city fight came to a blood-soaked draw, he had disappeared completely. Godzilla had evaded the Calico's radar and sonar, he had ignored the signaler, and, worst of all, he never responded to Godzooky's calls, which had left the youngling absolutely distraught. To make matters worse, he had sensed the strong, terrified emotions his uncle had given off, and, like a certain biologist, grew worried that Godzilla had done something drastic when he didn't respond to any summons. Thankfully, 27 days after that, Godzilla appeared at the call of the signaler to defend the crew from danger, and from then on was never really too far away.

Later, Godzooky then decided to pay a visit to Lieutenant Messick at his tent, but when he got there, he instantly smelled some rather foul-smelling smoke. After coughing from the acrid fumes, he looked around the camp and let out a small call of alarm. Luckily, Major Cassidy was closer and answered the panicked call first.

"Whoa, settle down, Zooky," the major soothed. "Now, breathe, then tell me what's got ya scared."

Once the young saurian had taken a few calming breaths, he pointed at Lieutenant Messick's tent, then pinched his nostrils to say, "Something smells bad in there". Major Cassidy sniffed the air, letting out a few coughs himself, then sighed heavily.

"Again? Really?" he mumbled. "Lieutenant Messick-he smokes," the major explained when Godzooky cocked his head curiously.

Godzooky's face then did the "o-oh" expression, the one you make when you understand or think you understand something, and nodded. Godzooky then pointed at himself, then proceeded to tilt his head up and blow a few smoke-rings into the air, which was his way of saying, "So do I".

The major, however, knew that the youngling did not understand, and proceeded to explain: While blowing smoke was apparently natural for Zooky's kind, some humans, like Messick, used burning plant-sticks (he really know how else to explain cigarettes to the big-little guy) to breathe in and then blow out the smoke.

"Darn fool," sighed Cassidy, shaking his head. "The way he's goin', he won't be around to see another year of service."

Once again, Godzooky was confused. If humans could breathe smoke like him (although through artificial means), then what was the problem?

The problem, Major Cassidy stated in his gravest, most serious voice, was that doing so on a near-consistent basis, was deadly for humans. For one thing, once you started, you kept going, eventually ignoring everything and everyone else. And, as you kept going, it was soon no longer a matter of just enjoying the feeling it gave you, but a matter of just feeling like yourself because you had gotten so dependent on it. And don't even get me started on what it does to the inside of you, he continued, because the stuff from the "burning plant-sticks" that you'd breathe in would contaminate the lungs, making it hard to breathe right and lower your ability to battle diseases. Eventually, if you didn't quit early, your brain, your heart, your whole body would fail, and death would result.

The major's monologue brought the desired effect: Godzooky's facial features expressed fear, also covering his mouth in the same emotion. His eyes also started to wet with scared tears. Not once, not ever, had he considered something so natural to him, would be so harmful to humans. To his friends! To Pete!

"Why?!" Godzooky yelled in kaiju-tongue, his native language. "If doing it is so bad for humans, then why does he-?!" He cut himself off when he couldn't keep his sobs down any longer.

Major Cassidy was slightly thrown off by this sudden outburst. In the brief span of a second, in his eyes, Godzooky wasn't a young, scaly monster, he was an ordinary kid, learning about one of the hard facts of life for the very first time at a young age, and, like some kids that didn't understand serious, adult matters so good, wasn't taking it well. He had to calm Godzooky down, quick, before somebody else came over and started asking questions. Beckoning the crying youngling down to his level, Major Cassidy gently rubbed Godzooky's neck and dried his tears as best he could with his personal handkerchief.

After much shushing and soothing, the major gave the answer to Zooky's question in a rather resigned tone, "I'm afraid the lieutenant is one of those people who are that far along; it's become a part of their life. 'Course, the lieutenant promises that it doesn't get in the way of his duty, and, so far, it hasn't. But I worry about that man, I really do," he sighed, shaking his head sadly. "Another problem about this habit, is how ya start it. Commonly, it's through pressure through people who've been doin' it for so long, they don't know what they're talking about. Pressure comes from pressure, kid. We got free will, the ability to make our own choices, including the right to give it up, I'm afraid," the major continued. "Now him, it's been more on the 'therapeutic' side that's carried on for a while. It's true," the major affirmed to another of Godzooky's disbelieving looks. "A lot of people sometimes turn to the stuff to get whatever burden they've got off their minds. Wrong way to do it, in my opinion."

Godzooky couldn't agree more. If anything was bothering him, there had been three, now four, beings to turn to: his uncle Godzilla, first and foremost, Vicky, of course, Lina, his uncle's friend, and now Pete, the boy who became his best friend.

"Unfortunately," Major Cassidy sighed, "there's not much we can do about a man's habits, 'cept hope he'll gain some sense about what he's doing. You feeling any better, kid?" he asked Zooky after a pause.

Zooky's eyes were still a little moist, but he nodded in affirmation.

Major Cassidy grinned in relief. "Now, whaddya say we keep an eye on those neophytes-that's 'new guys'-over there and make sure they don't hurt themselves tryin' to do your routine?" the major said, glancing over to a group of young recruits who were holding some sort of "contest" to see who could do some of the tricks Zooky had been doing earlier.

Zooky followed the major's glance and grinned at the soldiers trying to duplicate one of his earlier antics; one of them trying to do a handstand, something Zooky had tried and really couldn't do well, the soldier doing multiple attempts to get his legs in the air before "accidentally" flipping onto his back.

The major and the youngling were halfway to the group when a soldier came running from the radio tent and told the major that the all-clear had been given.

"ATTE-E-ENTION!" Major Cassidy bellowed, making everyone jump in surprise, stop what they were doing, and pay attention. "LISTEN UP!" he continued. "WE'RE MOVING IN! GET THE JEEPS AND EQUIPMENT READY! WE LEAVE IN TEN! MOVE OUT!"

"YESSIR!" came the resounding response, even from the Calico crew.

With that, everyone scrambled to grab the appropriate gear and equipment and warm up the vehicles.

The major offered the Calico crew special uniforms with oxygen tanks to protect them from any contaminants.

Vicky accepted the suit and the oxygen mask, and, after explaining how her watch's oxygen bubble worked, was allowed to use it just in case the masks failed.

Lieutenant Messick pocketed a pack of cigarettes he'd been carrying, casting a glance over at Godzooky, having heard the major's conversation with him. He sighed, thinking back to when he heard Zooky's reaction; in the short time he'd known the youngster, he'd kind of grown on him a little. He hated hearing Zooky get so upset. Plus, Major Cassidy was his closest friend; they'd been through a lot together, and planned being through together a lot more. Maybe…maybe, once this business was over with, it was time to give up the habit. If not for his own sake, then for his friends, old and new.

Major Cassidy then gave his men and the Calico a speech to prep them for what they may find in the devastated city, even the possibility of finding a kaiju in there, although, at this point, he still thought it was unlikely. If they were ever going to solve this problem, they would all have to work together, he added, putting that in especially for Sergeant Takamoto to cooperate with Godzooky. The sergeant picked up the hidden message and lightly sighed, deciding to comply. As soon as the major's speech was over, the equipment was checked again and they all moved into San Francisco.

Well, there you have it. The Calico crew and Major Cassidy's regiment have gotten acquainted, and we've gained a little insight into a rather horrific and tragic event that I've coined "Meltdown Night". In my fanfic-verse, to the descendants of Godzillas Senior and Junior, that night was a pivotal moment for their kind; if Jr. hadn't been brought back to life, the Godzilla family bloodline would've ended right then and there. Unfortunately, this also means those in that bloodline are prone to it as well (a bit of grim foreshadowing for a very far into the future episode). We've also managed to get some details about Godzilla's first fight in a human city (care to guess who the "monster rose" is?). And apparently, there are some people who are blending Godzillas together, as shown by the train of thought that this Godzilla is the one last seen years ago (which would be this Godzilla's grandfather). Guess somebody better get over to those people and help them straighten their facts out, huh?

If you guys were able to connect the dots with some of the names, congratulations! If you guys figured out the connection with Major Cassidy and Lieutenant Messick, super job! I took that bit about Lieutenant Messick being a smoker because IRL, actor Don Messick smoked. I even read that when Messick stopped smoking and was at a convention doing voices, he couldn't do Scooby because when he stopped, Messick lost the rasp that smoking gave him to voice the character. When I learned that tidbit about him, I guess I took up the notion of Godzooky being an illustrator of his voice actor's IRL habit (Zooky puffs smoke, Messick smoked), and I felt a little sorry for the characters he voiced. I know, silly of me, right? (Just goes to show how much I love these characters).

Anyway, in the next chapter, the combined group of the Calico crew and Major Cassidy's regiment enter San Francisco. Along the way, we learn a little history of the kaiju world (the way it goes in my fanfic-verse, at least) and we finally learn the whole story about Godzilla's first fight in a human city. You won't believe where it happened, trust me.

Please read and review. Thank you.