Chapter V: The West Coast
Off the Coast of Washington State
August 29, 2002
3:00 PM
Godzilla pushed his massive body through the dark depths of the ocean, swimming like a giant crocodile. Anguirus had stayed behind near Monster Island to let its wounds heal because unlike Godzilla, he didn't have Regenerative properties.
Like any kind of creature, Godzilla was going to protect his territory at all costs. He'd done it in the past with King Ghidorah, Gigan, and Megalon; and now he'd be doing it again with this alien invasion. The entire Earth was Godzilla's territory…
The King of the Monsters was nearing his destination: America. The Vortaak had retreated back to the moon but Godzilla could sense that they were coming back. And the West Coast of America was their target…
G-Force H.Q
August 29, 2002
8:01 AM
"Kane, Benedict, Lean, and Blaze this is your new teammate Mack Otco, he's from Russia." Commander Masters said as he introduced the young scientist to the Kiryu crew at the base of the mech's giant feet. They were grouped in the chamber that held the giant robot; dozens of mechanical arms were welding together loose spaces while workers hand fixed some minor problems around the hull.
Mack Otco, a rather young scientist shook the hands of all the men. "I'm glad to finally meet all of you." He smiled.
"I wish I could say the same," Kane smiled back. The Commander shot him an angry look but Kane just shrugged.
"Mack Otco is here because he has discovered a breakthrough in cyborg design." Masters said. "He has agreed that he will help us to advance Kiryu into an even more feral war machine."
"We're turning Kiryu into a cyborg?" Kane asked, confused.
"Sort of," Otco replied, "Nothing of it will actually be noticeable. I'm not talking Gigan or Megalon cyborg, but a cyborg nonetheless. You'll see."
G-Force USA H.Q
August 29, 2002
3:02 PM
"Any news on the Vortaak?" Kaiser asked as he marched into the lounge to see his two teammates watching a Breaking News Story.
"No," Paul answered, "It's just another fire."
"Cursed desert." Vincent Crador remarked, referring to the fact that the underground Headquarters of G-Force USA was located in Nevada.
"We do know that the Commander and Chief has set up huge military forces in all major American cities in case the Vortaak come back." Paul said.
"Yeah, but that's old news." Kaiser waved his hand.
"How's it going boys?" Their new Commander asked them as he walked in through the doors.
"Good." They all answered. Commander Kyle was much more enjoyable to have around; unlike Masters who was much nastier with the crew.
"We just received a new shipment of DAG-MB96s, anyone want to come help to drive them into the storage rooms?" Kyle asked.
"I'll go." Paul got off the couch.
"I have nothing else to do." Kaiser shrugged.
"I'm going to keep watching this fire as it burns closer to this road." Vincent answered.
"Your choice." Kyle smiled, "Have fun."
"Oh I will." Crador said sarcastically.
Seattle
August 29, 2002
3:20 PM
General Alexander Smith stood tall and erect at the railing of the USS Survivor, an American Aircraft Carrier that was relocating him and his Armored Division to the city of Seattle from San Diego. He and his troops were being used by the National Guard to defend major cities from the very likely second attack of the Vortaak.
On the horizon he could see the busy ports emerging from the fog and behind the highway were the city and the futuristic-looking Space Needle. He turned around and marched across the huge deck toward the Command Bridge. He needed to talk to the Captain about the set time limit of unloading his men and tanks.
"General Smith!" Someone behind him called. Smith turned around to see one of the Apache pilots running his way.
"I don't believe we've met." Smith stated as the pilot approached him.
"I'm Britton Steck, I've heard a lot about you and the battles you fought in the War on Terror and the Gulf War."
"Both of which were not pleasant experiences." Smith stated.
"I know, but I was wondering if you could tell me how you won the battle of Saradia." Britton asked, "You see, a fellow pilot says you had air support but I-"
Britton was suddenly cut off as a spout of water erupted right next to the ship. The terrible groaning of a huge beast could be heard behind the immense wall of water. Godzilla's feral head had risen from the depths before crashing back down, pouring torrents of seawater onto the deck.
"Get out of here!" Smith yelled to the pilot as he pointed to the Bridge. Godzilla swam by the ship, his three rows of jagged spines cutting through the water. His tail brushed against the side of the USS Survivor, causing it to lurch to one side. Smith and Britton lost their footing and fell to the deck.
Meanwhile Godzilla's feet finally found shallow water and he began to wade toward the sprawling city before him. Hundreds of tanks, originally there to guard against the Vortaak, rolled onto the docks of Seattle and took aim at Godzilla. They all fired, sending a loud boom across the metropolis and each vehicle lurched back from the force of the shot.
Most of the missiles hit the target, but the King of the Monsters did not slow his advance. Instead his spines flashed red and his jaw opened to reveal a blazing inferno growing in his throat. The fire seemed to explode and a ray of Radioactive Energy washed over the docks causing them to detonate with dozens of fireballs.
Meanwhile, workers in the towers of the city pushed for the exits and the stairways were choked as men and women tried to get down to the lower levels. Drivers on the highway, which was very close to the ocean, either took the nearest exit and drove, or quickened their pace well above the speed limit. One truck driver, who was too busy watching the fireballs erupting at the docks, had failed to see a car coming right at him until it was too late.
The kaiju roared in triumph, but in doing so missed the threat swooping down from the skies right behind him. The other monster's talon ripped into the back of Godzilla's neck, sending grey chunks of flesh into the water, and the king bellowed in shock. He turned and grabbed for the other kaiju, but it was too fast.
With a powerful flap from its humungous wings Rodan was back in the clouds rushing for the city. Godzilla's figure slowly descended back beneath the churning waves as Rodan made a U-Turn in the air to face back toward its opponent. The King of Monster's form then reappeared silhouetted in the fire now breathing smoke across the ports of Seattle.
He roared his infamous roar and Rodan swooped down, both legs extended and talons ready to stab into Godzilla's neck. But the King turned and his massive tail flung through the air, smashing into Rodan and rocketing the giant bird into one of the nearby buildings.
Godzilla ripped apart the highway running around the perimeter of Seattle as he charged toward his enemy. Most drivers had luckily gotten all the motor vehicles out of harm's way. Rodan pushed itself back up and charged at Godzilla. Its two hands grabbed his shoulders and it reeled its head back before driving its beak right in between Godzilla's two hazel eyes. A river of blood flowed from the wound and then Rodan talons came up to claw into his stomach.
Godzilla's powerful hands grabbed onto Rodan arms and ripped the kaiju's claws from his flesh. He then proceeded to cough a fireball right into Rodan's face at point blank range. He still kept hanging onto the squawking flying monster and bit down on its neck. Rodan called out in agony while Godzilla's jaws drew blood from his enemy.
The Big G strained all his arm muscles to raise Rodan above his head. The kaiju was still struggling to get free but Godzilla had it locked in his powerful grip. With a mighty throw Rodan was hurled over the bay fires and into the ocean.
Godzilla's back plates lit up and he let loose a ray of Atomic Fire. It smashed into Rodan, pounding the monster below the waves while also super heating it. The beam stopped, Godzilla blinked, and Rodan rose from the waters set completely ablaze. Like a phoenix it dashed into the clouds at Super Sonic speeds, crying in pain all the way.
The King of Monsters had no time to lose; he stomped back through the freeway, through the fires, and fell back into the ocean…
America
August 29, 2002
4:00 PM
Godzilla's sudden and unexpected arrival in Seattle caught the media by storm. Mechagodzilla was put on full alert in Nevada in case the King of Monsters decided to show up again on American soil.
Also, the fight between Rodan and Godzilla gained a lot of publicity. Rodan had been under Vortaak control which raised a lot of questions: How did Godzilla know the location of Rodan? Why was Rodan in Seattle? Did the reappearance of a Vortaak-Controlled kaiju mean that the Alien's are coming back?
San Francisco
August 30, 2002
7:30 AM
The fog was just rolling in from the morning bay of San Francisco. It was a cold sunny day the last day of August and the cities transportation systems were in full swing during rush hour.
Unlike most days though, tanks had been patrolling the streets for four suns now, and helicopters had been buzzing all around the skylines. It was annoying, but nobody wanted to fall victim to a Vortaak invasion. But it wasn't the Vortaak specifically who'd be attacking San Francisco that day.
The Transamerica Building was a rather odd looking one; unlike most buildings, it was triangularly shaped. Some citizens had opposed the project when the building was first introduced, saying it didn't belong in San Francisco, but since then the building had become somewhat of an icon for the city.
That morning, as the beautiful Transamerica Building stood atop one of the many rolling hills of San Francisco, it began to quake. The tall blue structure swayed back and forth as workers rushed out, thinking it was an Earthquake. But it wasn't.
The street next to the buildings cracked and bulged upward. Cars and people were tossed through the air by the sudden disconformity. A gigantic iron drill suddenly burst from the ground, spinning as it went. Citizens screamed in terror as a titanic insect head followed it.
It was Megalon, a mutant and cyborg the likes of which the world had never been prepared for. Megalon had first appeared in 1993 in Mexico where it attacked various cities. G-Force and Godzilla luckily fended off the monster and it was later captured and sent to the Monster Island Chain.
But now, it was under Vortaak control and was here to level San Francisco to the ground. Its caged mouth opened and the kaiju cried out to the heavens. The monster's two toed feet slammed into the pavement and it was now fully above ground. The drills that served as its hands started to crackle with blue electricity, and then a bolt of lightning lanced from its star-shaped horn.
The projectile struck the Transamerica Building, sending pieces of it hurling through the air. An explosion rocked the structure and threatened to topple it over. Megalon's two drills slowly started to spin before picking up speed as it prepared to knock the huge structure over for good.
But before it could, the kaiju heard the sound of energy coming from the ocean. It turned and got a face full of Radioactive Fire, throwing it from its feet. Godzilla, now wading past an oil tanker roared to the fallen kaiju in anger. As soon as the giant saurian stepped onto land it rushed up the hill and toward Megalon who was just starting to get up.
Godzilla jumped into the air and spun, his long tail extended. Megalon screamed as Godzilla's attack sent him rolling down a grassy hill and into a group of buildings.
The dinosaur's spines glowed with red hot energy, but before he could fire his ray, Megalon's drills spun and it disappeared in a fountain of dirt and gravel. Only a muddy hole remained where Megalon had once been.
Godzilla swallowed his ray and glanced around the various buildings, wondering where Megalon could've gone. But then he heard the distinct sounds of drills behind him. He turned, and the giant bug burst from the ground and struck out with its weapons. Godzilla bellowed as pieces of his skin were cut from his hide.
Megalon's caged maw opened and a small black orb shot to the ground below Godzilla's feet. He tilted his head, curious to what it was. But then it detonated in a powerful explosion, throwing the monster from his feet toward the Golden Gate hill. He slammed into the buildings at the base of the green mountain and a powerful explosion erupted next to his face.
Megalon's two transparent wings vibrated back and forth, carrying the kaiju over to its fallen opponent. Godzilla tried to push himself up but Megalon's drills spun on and it drove them right into the king's back.
Godzilla cried in pain as his spine seemed to break. He could hear the deep laughter of Megalon behind him and the sound immediately gave him a surge of anger. He rolled onto his back and jumped up. Megalon's drills started to spin around again, preparing to attack, but Godzilla was quicker. He jumped in the air and thrust his two feet forward, slamming them into Megalon's skull.
The other kaiju yelled in pain as it did a back flip and slammed onto the pavement of the base of the suspension bridge. Godzilla stomped forward as Megalon jumped up to get back in the battle. It must've been on accident, but either way Megalon stepped back and onto the Golden Gate Bridge.
Godzilla continued forward and Megalon kept its distance, moving further and further onto the huge bridge. Once the dinosaur had the insect cornered he ran forward. The bridge seemed to sway to one side as Godzilla struck out with an uppercut. Megalon's skull cracked backward and it screamed in pain. Godzilla opened his maw and jumped forward, attempting to chomp at Megalon's two huge eyes.
But a flash of lightning lanced from the beetle's horn, stabbing Godzilla square in the throat. The saurian roared in agony as smoke rolled form his jaw, but he continued with his attack.
Confined by the suspension cables around them, Godzilla couldn't turn to swing his tail at Megalon so instead he grabbed the sides of its head and brought it down right into a powerful knee. Megalon screamed in terror again and spun its drills around in desperation. The speeding iron weapons caught the cables holding up the bridge and they began to snap.
The road cracked under the massive weight of the two kaiju and Megalon fell through into the cold waters below. Godzilla followed, jumping through the hole into the ocean after his enemy. Megalon must've been a horrible swimmer because it was waving its arms around in desperation and roaring in confusion. The King could tell, and he knew how he could use Megalon's weakness to his advantage.
Godzilla grabbed its head and Megalon fired a poorly aimed bolt of electricity at his skull; it missed. The King of Monsters dunked the giant mutant's head into the churning waters and struggled to keep it under the surface as Megalon squirmed to free itself. Its horn gave off volts of electricity in a desperate attack, but Godzilla worked through the pain and continued to force its face under the surface.
Finally, Megalon's movements slowed until no movement remained. Godzilla loosened his grip and Megalon's body floated like a rag doll to the surface. His spines glowed and he sent a ray of red fire into the sky, signaling his victory.
G-Force USA H.Q
August 30, 2002
8:00 AM
"This morning Megalon appeared in San Francisco." Commander Kyle read to the MG Crew in the briefing room. Unlike the briefing room back at the Mt. Fuji base, this one was much bigger and the table more neat.
"Godzilla emerged from the bay not long after and the two fought until Godzilla finally won by drowning Megalon." Kyle put the papers down and sighed.
"Two kaiju in a row!" Vincent Crador stated, "And Godzilla shows up to save the city both times!"
"Well, looks like we're out of the business boys!" Paul said happily.
"The problem is that the kaiju are appearing, and they're under Vortaak control." Kyle told them, "We can let Godzilla handle the kaiju, as he already seems to be doing. But when the Vortaak do return to snatch up more citizens we've got to be ready." He turned to Vincent, "I want you to run through the simulators, and keep doing so until Mechagodzilla isn't damaged even once."
"You're kidding right sir?" Kaiser asked the Commander.
"I assure you that I'm quite serious. Now get going!" Kyle pointed them all toward the door.
The West Coast
August 30, 2002
After 8:00 AM
The National Guard was set up all across cities, defenses were higher then they had ever been, and G-Force USA was put on full alert. All the cities that rested on the shores of the ocean were open to attack and the military wasn't going to risk anything. So far, three kaiju had shown up in two days, which was bad enough to start evacuations.
Los Angeles
September 2, 2002
9:10 PM
The huge metropolis that held such attraction such as Hollywood and Disneyland was in a state of emergency. Along the Pacific Ocean, hundreds of tanks and missile launchers stood as helicopters hovered over them. They were expecting Godzilla to appear. The monsters had been attempted to track, but the submarines following it failed to keep up. All they knew was that Godzilla was heading south.
Meanwhile, in the city, citizens were being evacuated. The main highway was jammed pack with local residents trying to leave. To make matters worse, a storm was brewing over the city. Every now and again, a bolt of lightning would strike down. A heavy rain began to fall, canceling all the flights scheduled to leave from the huge LA airport.
A few people along the highway started to notice that the clouds were spiraling. At first, a few people thought it might be forming a tornado, but instead the clouds formed a vortex upward creating a hole in the dark sky. A metallic squawking roar bellowed from inside the vortex as a blue and golden monster descended from the opening in the clouds, landing right in the middle of downtown Los Angeles.
It was Gigan, a space kaiju. Its two sickles that served as its hands struck out, slicing open a sky scraper. Workers fell hundreds of feet to their deaths as Gigan cut through the surfaces of more and more buildings. Machine gun fire riddles all around its body from circling Apaches, but the beast took no notice.
The only thing it finally took notice to was a bright orange beam that burst through the canyons of structures and impacted with its skull. Gigan was thrown into the face of a building which proceeded to topple down on top of it. Through the drizzling rain and darkness came Godzilla's roar. Charging through the pour of water he jumped into the clearing that Gigan had made in the forest of building.
The space monster spun around and waved its sickles as it got up. The point of one chipped barely missed Godzilla's chest but the other came around and knocked him in the temple. He was thrown off balance for just a tad bit too much time, because Gigan's pointed foot kicked Godzilla in his shin.
He lost his balance again, and this time Gigan's sickle sliced across his neck. The stinging of rainwater flooding his wound told him that he was bleeding. Once again, Gigan's sickle sliced at him and drew blood from his shoulder. The Regeneration was starting to kick in, the dinosaur could feel it. But he had to keep fighting.
He spun around and his tail came up to smack Gigan in the face…that was the plan. But the space kaiju's sickle batted it out of the way and it jumped up, coming down with both points of the claws stabbing into the back of Godzilla's neck.
He fell to the ground as Gigan's foot rose above him and crashed forward, slamming his jaw into the rubble of a fallen building. Godzilla spun on his back with his tail extended out like a tripping line. It caught onto Gigan's ankles and the alien kaiju was brought down as Godzilla jumped up.
Gigan got to its feet with incredible speed, spinning with its sickles stretched out. But Godzilla jumped away from the attack this time. His spines glowed and sizzled in the rain before his Atomic Ray burst forth and struck Gigan to the ground again.
From its fallen position the space kaiju rolled over and the tiny hole from its forehead flashed red, releasing a laser beam that struck into Godzilla's hide. But the projectile was far too weak and Godzilla rushed forward against its flow. Gigan eventually ran out of energy and its beam disappeared into the night.
Godzilla bellowed and then turned around to slam his tail over the space kaiju's head. It squawked in surprise as the huge mass plummeted down on it. The pavement rippled upon the impact and a terrible cracking sound emitted from Gigan's neck.
Godzilla grunted as he bent down and grasped Gigan's skull with his huge claws. The space monster's two pincers on its cheeks latched onto his wrist and started driving into his skin. The king of monsters knew he had to do something right now if he wanted to stop Gigan from puncturing his veins.
With his free hand, Godzilla pulled Gigan's head back in hope to break it off. The space kaiju kept its lock on Godzilla's wrist, but its tail and legs began to flail around in a desperate attempt to escape. Its two huge sickles smashed into nearby buildings as a flash of lightning illuminated the scene.
Warm rushing blood finally gave Godzilla the will to tear back Gigan's neck until the enemy fell to the rubble strewn ground, lifeless. The rain continued to pour as Godzilla watched the body of his opponent. As far as he could tell, it was dead, its neck had been broken and had cut off all circulation with its body.
But Gigan was a cyborg, and the machines inside its body kept its heart pumping, just barely keeping it from death. Godzilla looked up to the cloud packed sky and now noticed the helicopters buzzing around the battlefield. He roared a challenge and they quickly scattered away.
The King of Monsters turned to head back to the ocean where he would be able to rest for a while, leaving the carcass of Gigan laying in the rubble of Los Angeles.
G-Force H.Q, Kiryu Research Facility
September 2, 2002
Midnight
It may have been tiring to stay up this late after a full day of Simulator Training, but the Kiryu crew wanted to show respect to Mack Otco, even if the scientist hadn't been that kind to them by scheduling this meeting so late. The only thing that was good about this was that they would be having their first discussion with Commander Masters outside of the cramped Briefing Room in over nine months.
The Research Facility, where the best brains G-Force had to offer worked, was a huge white walled room that was usually filled with electronic equipment. But that night, the whole room was empty apart from a small platform and a table where something about the size of a bottle was being covered by a blanket.
"I still can't believe you forced me into this." Kane said to Lean after he had finished off a particularly long yawn. Two rows of seats were also there for the Kiryu crew and Masters to sit in.
"Mack Otco might as well be our new team mate, let's see what he has to offer." Lean replied, but he also had a strong hint of sleepiness in his voice.
"Look alive boys." Commander Masters said from behind their seats. "Mack Otco has been working on this little experiment for quite some time, and I have a good feeling it will help us to improve Kiryu's performance."
"I take it that you've seen it." Benedict Ciavo said to the Commander.
"I've heard some stuff about Otco's project." The man admitted.
The double white doors were pushed open and Mack Otco walked out, fully dressed in a white lab coat. He was holding a paper clipboard under his arm.
"Glad you could make it guys!" He greeted them.
"Can we go to sleep if the presentation gets too boring?" Kane asked. Masters smacked him over the head.
"You won't be; the presentation will be short and to the point." Otco replied as he took his position on the platform. "So without further ado, let me show you my little science fair project."
Mack pulled the blanket from the table, revealing a glass container sealing in a rather large green brain. It wasn't what the crew was expecting at all.
"What is that?" King Joe asked with a disgusted look on his face.
"This," Mack smiled, "is Kiryu's brain. Kiryu was designed with the intention of it being as close to Godzilla as possible. Well, now I have made that expectation come true. This brain is genetically identical to G-Cells that were collected during the 1984 attack on Tokyo. When I was granted permission to work with the G-Cells I designed this brain to be identical to all the properties in G-Cells."
"We'll be using Mack Otco's 'Replica Godzilla Brain' to enhance Kiryu's performance in battle." Commander Masters declared.
"I see." Kane Locke rubbed his chin, "So now we've been replaced."
"No," Masters corrected him, "This will just be making your jobs easier. Isn't that what you've been complaining to me about all this time?"