And now, ladies and gentlemen, the event you've all been waiting for: Round 1 of… Godzilla Vs The Gryphon!!!
Only the name for the Husks is © Me. Nothing else.
CLASH OF THE TITANS
Detroit, Michigan
The sky grew dark over Detroit, now long-since evacuated, the eerily still surface of the river flawlessly reflecting the darkened, starry sky.
On both sides of the river, rows of tanks, MRLS launchers and a single NT-20 Unit rolled into place, rows of attack choppers circling in the air.
"We're set," Plaqueze reported to Jill, "This thing… what are we calling it?"
"The Gryphon," Jill answered.
"The Gryphon oughta be here any minute. Oh, and by the way, we picked up a couple of stowaways."
"Oh Christ," Jill groaned, "Please don't tell me…"
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"Hi," Jack and Tina both smiled weakly as Jill stormed into the tent.
"Tina," Jill seethed, "The second everyone's back is turned, I swear…"
"Actually," Jack spoke up, "I think she's got something here. Long story short… you might want to not shoot at Godzilla."
"You snuck onto a Military transport," Jill snarled, "To say that?"
"Actually, I'm allowed here," Jack pointed out, "Since I do work for the same people as you."
"Just listen to us," Tina insisted, "Seriously, Godzilla's not…"
"Don't even start, young lady," Jill snapped, "God, I thought you had some sense. What do you think your father would say…"
"He'd say something to me," Tina muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing," Tina answered.
"I don't believe this…" Jill sighed, leaning on the table, "You won't be leaving the house for months after this, Tina. I can't even think what I'm going to do to you for this." She turned straight to Jack, "And you! You helped her do this?"
"Um…" Jack cringed, "Yes. Yes I did."
Jill gritted her teeth and made some inarticulate noise of rage.
"Just stay the hell in here," She snarled, "You are dead, Tina!"
She stormed out, leaving the two teens alone.
"Well I hate to say 'I told you so'…" Jack started.
"Shut up," Tina snapped.
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"We've got visual," Someone reported.
The dark shape moved across the sky, circling across the city with a low growl before, its wings open, it began gliding downwards, almost skimming the tops of towers.
"Fire!" Plaqueze ordered.
A wave of missiles shot forth with deafening noise, arcing up through the air as the Gryphon descended, swooping through the air even as some of the missiles exploded in burning fireballs against its hide. A pair of D-3's latched onto its skin, the drills whirring to life. Evidently surprised, the Gryphon turned its head to snap at the projectiles, only for them to explode, the blasts of the explosions mingling with the Gryphon's roar of fury, before it finally slammed down into the river, its wings stretching outwards as it bellowed its fury at the rows of tanks…
Only for its roar to be almost drowned out by another, a thunderous noise of unfathomable rage of power that turned every head, including the Gryphon, to its source.
The surface of the river bugled, white froth churning over as the enormous shape rose from the water, jagged spikes, charcoal-grey skin and the thunderous, ear-splitting roar. Godzilla's gaze turned round, his eyes blazing with fury.
He remembered this creature… the one that had torn apart his world, his pack, his young, the creature that had robbed him of his world. Its look was different, but the scent… this was it. The same reek of evil and death.
"What's with him?" Jack asked outside the tent.
"I think he recognises it," Tina answered, looking down at the pendant and feeling the heat spread from it again. "So that means…"
The Gryphon gave an deep, rumbling snarl, hunching back and glaring up at this new creature. What manner of foolish creature would dare to challenge it?
Godzilla gave another growl, stepping forward in clear challenge.
With a single flap of its wings, the Gryphon shot upward, the shockwave of its momentum sending water cascading in all directions as it slammed into Godzilla with insurmountable force, the impact knocking Godzilla backwards as he snarled furiously, digging his heels into the riverbed.
Godzilla's reaction was instantaneous. Grabbing the Gryphon by the shoulders, he spun round, kicking up a spray of surf and, shifting his weight, hurled the Gryphon across him into the water with an enormous splash of water and foam, the Gryphon snarling furiously, raising its claws to scratch at Godzilla's chest, cutting through thick scales and leaving thick, red trails.
Godzilla gave a snarl more of rage an anger. His enemy had drawn first blood.
As the Gryphon rolled over, pushing itself up, Godzilla raised one foot, pointed the bottom of it at the Gryphon and kicked forward, slamming his foot into the side of the Gryphon's head. The space demon snarled savagely, spinning round on one leg to leap up in a spray of water like a bullet of fangs and teeth. Even as it leapt up, Godzilla spun to the side, dodging the attack before charging forward, ploughing the Gryphon down into the water as the two beasts snarled viciously.
Even to the trained Military men, the sight of the two great behemoths locked in savage battle was nothing short of awe-inspiring. For that reason, all were silent as the two beasts unleashed their brutal fury.
The Gryphon leapt up, its fangs biting into Godzilla's arm as Godzilla gave a snarl of pain and anger. Heaving himself forward, Godzilla lunged down, the swing of his arm carrying the Gryphon clean over him through the air with impossible force and momentum, crashing into the side of the river in clouds of water and debris, growling angrily as it shook its head. Never before had its strength been matched by a single foe! It had underestimated this enemy, allowed itself to be taken by surprise by its strength.
Leaning down, Godzilla grabbed onto one of the Gryphon's wings, sank his teeth into the membrane and, with a single twist of his hips, pulled it away with a clean sickening, crunching tearing noise, the Gryphon howling in pain as the wing was torn messily from its body, gleaming, red-and-silver blood oozing from the ripped edge. The wave of energy shot up Godzilla's back and, drowning out the Gryphon's painful screech, a stream of blue fire erupted from his mouth, the wing bursting into flames as the blast carried into the air.
Falling back, the Gryphon's screech turned into an angry snarl. From the jagged, bleeding, gaping wound where the base of its wing had been, a red-silver sprout suddenly jutted out, forking out into the structure of a wing as the membrane stretched out across it. In seconds, a newly formed wing had taken shape, flapping down alongside its brother as the Gryphon snarled viciously, Godzilla stepping around the beast tentatively.
The Gryphon spun round, its tail swinging to strike Godzilla around the face, pulling back to jut forward and jab its pointed end into Godzilla's stomach. Godzilla suddenly howled in pain, stepping backwards and doubling over, his jaws snapping at empty air.
"What the hell was that?" Plaqueze shouted.
"Must be some kind of poison," Mike answered.
Shaking his head, Godzilla reared up, his spinal plates flashing blue before another stream of fire surged forward, just as the Gryphon turned to face him. The flames shot into the Gryphon's face, the demon howling furiously as the attack burned at its face.
Above the roars of the two warring beasts, Jill's voice suddenly shouted to the unit:
"Open Fire!"
A hail of missiles shot forth from the MRLS launchers, striking the sides of the monsters as they bellowed furiously.
"Mom!" Tina shouted, darting forward past the blockade (most of whom, fortunately, were still agape watching the battling monsters). "No!"
"Tina, get the hell back!" Jill shouted, "What's wrong with…"
"Stop!" Tina screamed as a pair of soldiers held her back, "Godzilla's not the enemy!"
The Gryphon suddenly turned, sniffing at the air even through the fire and smoke. This scent, the sense of this tiny being, there was something familiar…
Hunching back, the Gryphon caught sight of Tina, leaping forward as all eyes turned towards the snarling beast.
In the midst of its momentum, however, the Gryphon was yanked back as Godzilla grabbed its tail, slamming it back down into the water.
As Godzilla turned towards his attackers, the Gryphon fell back, opening its wings and, with a single boost, rising into the air.
This enemy was clearly a powerful one. It would need to regroup, be sure it was at its strongest. Continuing this fight could serve no further purpose, it decided. And anyway, perhaps these attackers would weaken it sufficiently…
With that, the Gryphon rose into the air and started to pass out of sight.
"Don't look now, but the Griffin or whatever the hell it is just made a break for it!" Plaqueze shouted.
"Then concentrate on Godzilla!" Jill ordered.
"No!" Tina yelled, "Will you listen…"
Before she could finish, Godzilla suddenly stampeded forward with a furious snarl.
"Move!" Jill shouted, before everyone moved at once. In the midst of the confusion, Godzilla spun round, snapping his jaws down and smashing rows of military machinery to pieces in his grip. Spinning round, a burst of flame shot from his mouth, consuming another assembly of tanks and launchers, before he turned and, lifting his foot, ploughed it into the side of the NT-20.
As one of the tanks fell through the air, a smaller shape leapt out of its way, skidding across the ground.
With one more angry bellow, Godzilla turned his gaze upwards, sniffing at the air, before leaping back into the river in a spray of surf, instantly becoming a dark shape moving away down the river.
"Jesus!" Jill shouted, "Everyone still breathing?"
"Define breathing," Jack groaned, wiping a layer of blackened ash off of his face. "Looks like I got a date with the decontamination room. We have a decontamination room, right?"
"Mike!" Plaqueze shouted, "You might wanna see this!"
"What?" Mike asked as he dashed over to him, "What is… Oh my…"
There, on the ground, covered in ash with a trail of blood down the side of her face, her clothes torn and her camera laying beside her, was Sara.
"Oh God…" Mike gasped, "Oh my God, Sara!"
"Shit," Tina breathed as she and Jack kneeled down next to her, "Is she…"
"She's alive," Mike shook as he checked her pulse.
"What the hell was she doing here?" Jill demanded. "Medic!"
All anyone could do was watch in quiet fear as Sara was lifted into the back of the medical truck.
"In case you were wondering," Jack turned to Plaqueze, "This did not at all go well."
Whew. Long chapter there. Lot happening. Particularly difficult, due to mild writer's block plus the fact that I went and sliced my freaking thumb open earlier. Anyway, we have one more human-oriented chapter next, after which there's just pure giant monster violence.
All Reviews Welcome.