Chapter 2: Amuro

The sound of explosions was defeaning as chaos and panic surrounded him. He could barely make out the blurring motions of his remaining comrades running for their lives. The only sound he could make out was that of his own shallow, ragged breathing. The higher-ups told him incursions such as this always ended in catastrophe, now he was experiencing the sheer brutality of said catastrophe. Suddenly, a strong hand slapped itself onto his shoulder and an equally strong voice called out to him, "Amuro, quit standing around!"

Amuro Nakajima was instantly launched out of his confused state and looked upon the gold-plated facial helmet of his platoon's commanding officer, his father Kenji. "Get to the boats, this is no time for spacing out!" Amuro nodded as he was thrust back into the clearer shouts and panicked cries of human, Liyari, and Devonian soldiers fled for their lives, having realized the futility of their actions as they rushed back to the drop-ships as fire and smoke blackened the mid-afternoon sky.

He could hear a sound very similar to a tesla-coil charging up, just in time to see a bolt of bluish-white light lance across the sky and strike one of the ships in mid-takeoff. The ship exploded almost immediately as molten pieces of its metal hull fell to the ground, crushing and burning anyone unfortunate enough to be underneath it.

Amuro looked to his father who was currently on the com-radio. He could make out a few words such as "Mayday", "Failure", and "Full retreat". However, he realized now was not the time to be standing around as he ran for one of the dropships. Suddenly, the ground beneath him began to shudder. At first, it seemed to be an earthquake, until he realized it wasn't the case. The vibrations were coming from footsteps of something rather large. Amuro slowly turned around... and his heart sank at the sight of an enormous body heading right towards them. Though the creature was shrouded by smoke and debris, he could make out enough details; a humanoid stance, a long tail, a boxy head, jagged plates on its back, and eyes that glowed a hellish orange as it narrowed its sights on the retreating masses. It was a sight very few could not recognize.

"Dad, turn around!" Amuro shouted out, forgetting it was the first time he had talked in a while. However, his father did not hear him or, if he did, it would probably be too late anyway. Amuro could only watch in horror as the spikes on the creature's back began to light up with a humming, blue sparks and bluish mist was exhaled out of its slightly open mouth. The moment his father finally noticed what was behind him, his arms just slumped to his side as if coming to terms with his inevitable doom. With a volcanic-sounding burst, Kenji Nakajima was bathed in silvery-azure light and vanished from the face of the Earth while his son could only watch in horror and shock. He lifted his gaze to the beast responsible for his father's death as it turned its eyes to his direction and let loose a sound more akin to the battle cry of an angry, vengeful god than a roar.

With a gasp, Amuro shot up from his bed, his body coated in sweat. After a few deep breaths, he sighed and lifted his body out of his bed. "Lights on." he ordered his computer. In compliance, the lights of his bedroom activated as he strode over to the bathroom. He turned on the faucet and splashed frigid water onto his face and stared at his reflection.

Amuro was a perfect blending of both his heritages; human and Liyari. He had the build of a human as well as straight, black hair but he also had features on his mother's side such as red and blue-hued coronas, tanned skin, and pointed ears. He sighed at his mirror's reflection, the face of a prince who believed his place was among the brave (or foolish) souls who fought to reclaim the Earth from Godzilla and the other Kaiju. However, his mother, Empress Kimala saw it more fit that he sleep in a bed room rather than a barracks despite allowing him to join with his fellow soldiers.

"Prince Amuro," one of his bodyguards spoke through the door, "is everything alright."

"Yes, I'm fine. Just had a- a bad dream." Amuro replied.

The bodyguard, named Jiaro, gave a nodding grunt, allowing the half-human/half-Liyari heir look at his reflection. He let out a sigh. The pain's still there even after so long. It had only been one year since he lost his father to Godzilla and it still felt like only yesterday. However, it was time to tuck the pain of loss away. He was to report to his commanding officer in approximately three hours. That at least gave him some time to carry out some errands before being deployed on the battlefield.

After washing up, Amuro dressed himself in his Earth Reclamation Force attire; a single black uniform with a badge which bore the symbols of the ERF's predecessor from the late 20th century to the late 29th century known as the UNKCC (United Nations Kaiju Counteraction Coalition) to represent humanity, the jagged, shark-like emblem of the Devonians, and the angular, diamond-like insignia of the Liyari. Just as he was preparing breakfast which consisted of a traditional Japanese breakfast of rice, miso soup, and toast with a bit of a Liyarian flair such as spices and herbs from their civilization, (on account of his commander, Haruo Takashi, always telling him and his brothers/sisters-in-arms, "It's best to eat like a king or queen before engagement, because you may never know if the meal you have in front of you may be your last") he heard the door slide open and noticed his mother walk in

Empress Kimala was as beautiful and elegant as being the leader of the Liyari inquired her to be. Due to her race's slow aging, she was at least forty-years old but she appeared to be no younger than a woman in her late twenties. She was garbed in a royal purple robe with swirling blue and green stitchings and patterns which seemed to glow in the right light. She wore her platinum white hair in a shimada style held in place with a pair of pins. She, like her son and late husband, had adopted both the traditions of Liyari and Japanese lifestyles and cultures. She sat down in a seiza motion and gave her son a gentle smile.

"Good morning, Amuro," she greeted him in her elegant, cultured, almost British-like voice, "I trust you slept well?"

Amuro nodded as he took a chopstick full of rice, "Yes, I did, Mother."

Kimala's smile faded slightly into a disheartened look as she let out a sigh, "I miss the days you weren't so formal and just referred to me as 'mom'."

Well, times change when your father is incinerated by the most powerful living thing on the planet. Amuro thought, keeping his thoughts as deeply hidden from his mother's telepathy as he could.

"I can't stay much longer, Mother," Amuro told her, "I need to report to Takashi in three hours.I wish we had more time."

Kimala nodded, "I understand, Amuro. We all have our duties. Some more important than others. It's just that," she let out a somewhat sorrowful sigh, "I fear you will meet the same fate as your father." She stood up and walked over to the kamidana in the corner of their room and placed rubbed the tips of her fingers on the photo of her, Kenji, and a young Amuro as they all stood together for a royal family picture. Amuro stood up waiting for his mother to speak again. He heard her let out another sigh as she continued to talk, albeit with her back turned to him.

"I don't fear losing you as an heir to the throne, Amuro," she told him softly, "I fear losing you because you are all I have left to remember the man I fell in love with." At that moment she turned to face him with the expression of a concerned mother, all but dropping her visage as dignified leader of the Liyari. "And because I fear losing the son I fell in love with the day I gave birth to you."

Amuro walked up and gave his mother a hug, "I know, Mother. But this is to honor Dad's memory. You said it yourself, we all have our duties, some more important than others."

With that, mother and son broke off the embrace, Kimala assuming a slight pose of her imperial status, "Right, well, you best not let your breakfast get cold, Lieutenant Nakajima." With that, the two continued their morning meal.

After breakfast, Amuro took the tube-train to ERF headquarters, flanked by human, Devonian, and Liyari passengers, some of which had children of their own with them. Once the cabin was full, he could feel the train lift up and begin to move. As the train moved, Amuro was given a good look at the city of New Tokyo. On a first glimpse, the city was a glittering beacon of hope, one of the many cities built to replace those that had fallen to Godzilla and the Kaiju. The buildings, composed of Liyarian nanometal technology, resembled chrome-plated versions of buildings and monuments such as the Tokyo Tower, the Sunshine 60, and the Tokyo Skytree. However, a closer look revealed the luster was slowly fading away as its people lived in the same kind of fear of anyone living in the squander of the makeshift villages all over the world: they were every bit as vulnerable to the wrath of the giant monsters that more or less ruled over Earth a millennium since Godzilla first appeared on Odo Island in 1954.

Amuro heard a slight ping as he had reached his destination, ERF HQ. He stepped off the cabin, and onto the boardwalk. He ventured into the massive, dome-like facility and was greeted with the sight of humans, Liyari, and Devonians garbed in military and scientific attire. In the center was a spherical, holographic radar; one of the most advanced of its kind and the only way to ensure no Kaiju caught New Tokyo offguard. Above it was a counter which had the number of days since a Kaiju incursion, its current number being thirty, with the most recent being on Old Edinburgh by Anguirus, resulting in it almost getting wiped off the map had it not been for Manda fending him off. Amuro remembered he still had enough time and he strode down the hall. He placed his hand on the outer radio and pressed on the button.

"Hey," he spoke, "it's me."

"Okay," replied the person behind the door, "come on in."

The door slid open with a hiss, allowing Amuro to enter. The interior was much more massive than it appeared to be. Inside, was a large panel of windows and a control panel with a single, stout, bull shark-like Devonian garbed in simple, blue robes signifying his place as a chief mechanic. currently toying around with several holographic number pads. "Didn't expect a visit from you, your highness." the Devonian commented, his back turned to the half-Liyari prince. Amuro shrugged, "I still have some time for a chat, Kli'Rak. It's only been, what, a year since we last talked?"

Kli'Rak looked over his shoulder and huffed, "Touché."

Amuro then took a glance at what stood behind the windows.

Behind the glass, rested among a massive holding platform, stood the latest in the ERF's arsenal in reclaiming the planet from the Kaiju: a second MechaGodzilla. The machine was a fusion of all three races' technologies pooled together. It had the heavy industrial vibe of humanity, the biomechanical feel of the Devonians, and the elegant, polished contributions of the Liyari. Unlike its fully man-made predecessor that had fallen to Godzilla and Rin in the last year of the 29th century, this was much closer in appearance to its namesake. Every detail right down to the maple-leaf spikes on its back to the segments of its tail were as if someone took a picture of the Alpha Kaiju and decided to turn his visage into a robot. All it needed was a coat of dark gray and brownish gray paints as well as bone-white for the spikes and it would've looked like a mirror image of the Monster King.

"So," said Amuro, "how's it coming along since we last met?"

"Well," Kli'Rak replied, his back still turned to the Half-Liyari, "construction-wise, MechaGodzilla is complete and has been complete as of last month. All that's needed for it to function is the right operating system. Unfortunately, therein lies the problem."

"Problem?"

Kli'Rak sighed and turned to face the Liyari heir. "I'm sure you are well aware of the... history between the Liyari and the Devonians, correct?"

Amuro nodded, "I've heard some parts here and there, but not the full story."

"Then I'm sure you're aware they did not, to put it in simple terms, have the best of relationships. In the time our two civilizations fought each other all the way to the rise of the first human empire, both Devonians and Liyari put the time and effort in make sure neither of their technologies were compatible with the other. Back then, this was a means as to keep Liyari tech from falling into the hands of Devonians and vice versa. To put it simply, that animosity is not something one can throw away in the course of a million years."

Amuro nodded solemnly as he turned back to the metal, saurian-shaped colossus before him, somewhat saddened that a marvel of three technologies from three of Earth's dominant civilizations designed to fight off titanic, god-like beasts, and serve as the beacon of their unity, would possibly never get off the ground due to a long-standing feud between two civilizations.

"All personnel, please report to the barracks immediately." boomed a pseudo-female voice. Amuro sighed, realizing he had to cut his visit short.

"Well," he told Kli'Rak, "duty calls."

Kli'Rak nodded, "Indeed, Amuro. Indeed."

The Liyari heir strode out the door, leaving Kli'Rak to his work. Upon arriving at the barracks, he was greeted to the sight of soldiers of all three races checking on their weapons and just shooting the breeze. One of them, a soldier named Murakami, spotted him enter and gave a mischevous grin, "Hey, whaddya know," he spoke up, "the royal son has graced us with his presence once again!"

There was a small collection of chuckles and a somewhat larger collection of groans and shrugs as Murakami walked up to greet Amuro who cast him a humorless glare as if reminding him, just because he wasn't acting as crown prince, he was still a lieutenant and outranked him. Murakami swallowed his joke and gave him a much nicer smile.

"You know I'm just joking, sir. It's nice to see that you made it."

Amuro just grunted as he walked over to his locker and pulled out his orange, green, and blue colored Com-Suit, a type of attire meant to serve as a somewhat as a more flexible suit of body armor, one-piece at a time. Just then, he heard the doors open and a firm voice declare, "Officers on deck!"

Amuro immediately turned around to see two high-ranking officers, Commander Kyoko Shaku and Major Haruo Takashi, enter the barracks. Kyoko was the stern-faced leader of the ERF human division. She was only thirty-two but she had the commanding presence to make people think otherwise about her age and youth. She had a deadly sense of beauty to her, from her eagle-like stance to her piercing, green eyes all to her bunned, night-black hair.

Major Takashi was a hardened looking man, the left side of his face decorated with a scar running right through a foggy, damaged eye while a stern, brown, right eye remained. He had an unkempt beard of brown, tangled hair which clashed with his shaved head.

"Alright, boys and girls," Shaku addressed the gathered soldiers, her sharp, dignified voice piercing through the silence, "I hope you've had your chance for some chit-chat, because chances are, it'll be the last chit-chat you ever have. I want you all suited up and reporting to the hangar bay, so hop to it."

"You heard the Commander," Takashi ordered, "let's get it moving. Suit up and head to the hangar! We got a big plan we want to show you and we won't start until everyone's accounted for so get to it!"

With that, every soldier got to work on applying their Com-Suits; the Devonians who wore Com-Suits resembling alien versions of Roman Centurions, Liyari with silver and red coated armor with looked more like liquid metal held in place by a gravitational field, and the humans whose armor resembled something akin to classic tokusatsu heroes from the olden days albeit with faceless visors. Amuro slid on his suit one piece at at time as if they were robotic clothing items, hearing a metallic click of the pieces connected. He fit on the last piece, a breast-plate with the helmet currently opened up in a floral pattern. As soon as he slid it over his body like a rain coat which connected on his body, the floral patterns of his disengaged helmet whirred as it slowly enveloped his face.