GODZILLA
THE ULTIMATE DUELS
Disclaimer: Godzilla and other characters are copyright Toho Co. Ltd.
I own only my original characters.
------------------------------------------
Chapter 5
Off to Hawaii
Atlanta, Georgia, USA; June 24th, 2011
Jim Hudson was sound asleep. He had had a good day again, but also a bit rough on one aspect. When he met his friend, Lisa, he had to explain again what he had heard from his mother. As much as he liked her as a friend to whom he could tell anything, he would sometimes get a little frustrated by her. They were both growing up, so their personalities weren't quite the same as they were in the 5th grade.
Then, he woke up. He opened his eyes and looked around, trying to find the source of the sound that had woken him up. He didn't need to look for it so much, though, as his cellphone was flashing on his night table. Once again, he thought it was Lisa. He reached out his hand to grab the cellphone and answered it.
"Hello. Mom?" He stopped to look at his alarm clock. "Mom, it is one in the morning. Why did you need to call now?"
The very next thing he heard from his mother shocked him. "You want me to come there?!"
Before he knew it, Jim was on his way to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Of course he had had to wake his father in order to get a ride there. His mother had given him instructions of what to do at the airport. They had to drive straight to the airside area, without going through any terminals. They drove to the ramp where the aircraft were parked.
It was no difficult task for them to find the Boeing 747-400 airplane of Japan Airlines. They saw a few Japanese soldiers standing near it, waving at them. As soon as they parked beside it, Jim said goodbye to his father and boarded the plane, guided by the Japanese soldiers. Jim was surprised that they spoke pretty fluent English. He was so relieved by that.
The trip took approximately 11 hours. That gave Jim a chance to get some more sleep, and also some worthwhile service from the soldiers. He was still wondering why his mother wanted him to go to Japan so suddenly. Of course he didn't deny the fact that he was anxious to see her again. As the plane was approaching Japan, he tried to catch a glimpse of Monster Island, but unfortunately for him the plane didn't fly over the Ogasawara Islands.
Since the plane flew over the International Date Line, Jim was well aware of the fact that the date wasn't June 24th anymore. He knew that when you were crossing the line west, you had to add 24 hours. Before landing he adjusted his watch so that it showed the date as June 25th.
Narita, Japan; June 25th, 2011
At around 3:30 am the Boeing plane landed on Narita International Airport in the city of Narita, Chiba Prefecture. There, guided by the soldiers, Jim got out of the airplane. As soon as he did, he was stunned. The first thing he saw was his mother, dressed in her best Lieutenant's uniform, waiting for him by her car at the ramp. Jim ran quickly to her and they gave each other a big hug, before getting into her car.
They left the airport and Narita, followed by another car, the one with the soldiers. The car trip gave the mother and son a chance to exchange news. All in all they talked about the common stuff, like school, which they didn't talk about so much on the phone. Both were so happy to enjoy being together again.
Tokyo, Japan; June 25th, 2011
As Susan parked her car near the EDF Command Center, she could see the astonishment on her son's face. Jim had never seen the building before. It was slightly different from the previous one, which was destroyed by the space cyborg monster Gigan. It still had black-and-white coloring, but it looked more futuristic this time. It was higher and wider, almost looking like a pyramid by its structure. Jim suddenly felt a little envious of his mother. He wished he could someday work in a place like that.
They got out of the car and entered the Headquarters. Jim felt even more envious and stunned when he saw the building from the inside. People could be seen everywhere, moving from one hallway or room to another. Of course they must've been busy since there had been a lot going on. Jim was brought back to reality again by his mother, who guided him to her office. Captain Gordon was waiting for them at the door.
"Douglas, I'd like you to meet my son, Jim", said Susan with a big smile on her face.
Gordon smiled and held out his hand to the boy. Jim, still amazed that it was all real, shook hands with the Captain. Then, all three entered the office. Susan sat down behind her desk while Jim and Gordon took their seats at the opposite side of the desk.
"All right, let's get this straight", said Jim immediately. "What's the deal with bringing me here?"
Susan looked straight in her son's eyes and said: "Well, I... I mean, we are going to need you on our new mission." Jim looked at her in disbelief.
She continued: "Perhaps I should tell you about what's been happening. The aliens' representatives, Kuronuma and Sakai, wished to see Prime Minister Daigo, so we agreed to hold a meeting. They said they've come here to look for a place where they could live in peace again, since their planet was wiped out. But they are worried about Godzilla. So they made an offer to help us with the Monster Resurrection Project. In exchange they would get a suitable place to live in."
"OK, this is all very interesting, but what have I got to do with anything?" Jim asked.
His mother smiled at him. "Interestingly enough, they said that they found Haleakala to be the kind of place where they could live. Of course we had our suspicions about that, but in the end we decided to give them a chance. They said they would help us with the project on one condition. Now, this is where you come in", she said and pointed at Jim.
"The aliens told us that they would need a group of people to assist them at Maui. People who know more than enough about monsters. After that meeting, we held an emergency conference here. We agreed that I should be on this team, since I have studied monsters for a long time. We also appointed Captain Sato, since he's the founder of the project. The final appointments were given to Miyuki Otonashi, and this guy here", she said, this time pointing her hand towards Gordon, who smiled in return to her and turned to face Jim. The boy looked at the Captain with great interest.
"Then, I thought that maybe your mother's knowledge has got a little rusty all through these years", Gordon said and turned his head towards Susan. "No offense."
She grinned and let him continue. "I remembered her saying that you know quite a bit about monsters yourself. Even some things your mother doesn't know. So, why not have you on the team as well?" said Gordon and patted Jim on the shoulder.
Jim was truly amazed by what he had just heard. He hadn't ever been asked to do something big and important like this in his whole life. He had done some assignments at school, but there was nothing that could've been compared to this. For a moment, he just looked at Gordon and his mother, trying to make sure if it was for real. For many seconds he sat with his mouth open but not saying a word.
Then he spoke again: "Wow! I'm really flattered, but...but I don't think I would be that much of help for you guys."
"Wait a minute now, Jim", Susan interrupted, "don't underestimate yourself. Gordon does have a point. You do know some things about monsters that I don't know myself. For example, while I'm an expert on their biological side, you are more of an expert on their psychological side. You can tell anything about a monster just by inspecting its behavior. I'm not kidding. There have been many times when you've proven that."
The young boy still looked at her in amazement. "You really think I could do it?"
"Absolutely. And besides, wouldn't it be nice to have a little adventure?" Susan asked a little playfully.
Grinning at her, Jim thought for some time until he managed to get his mind straight. "Well, I guess you're right. I thought I'd need some excitement in my life now. Hey, this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance, right?" he asked, showing obvious signs of cheering up. "I'm in."
Susan and Gordon were so happy to hear those words and shook hands with the newest member of their team.
"I'm so glad you accepted the offer, Jim", said Susan and gave her son a hug.
"Anything to help you, Mom."
"Well, you better get yourself prepared. In a few hours we're off to Hawaii!"
When he heard those words, Jim got even more excited. He hadn't ever been there before. He could already picture it all: the beaches, the palm trees, Hawaiian food, everything. He kept staring into the distance. "I'm going to paradise", he thought to himself. He knew this was going to be an "adventure" to remember.
At around 7 am, the team was getting ready to leave. For the first time Jim met Miyuki Otonashi and Captain Sato too. He felt so honored to be a part of a team of the EDF's most skilled members. Every time he thought about it, he also started to think if his mother was testing him somehow to see if he would be a good successor to her when she would retire. He tried to keep that thought away from his mind. "No, Mom would never do a thing like that."
The team left Tokyo and drove to Narita International Airport, where they took off with the same Boeing 747-400 plane that had brought Jim to Japan. The nine-and-a-half-hour trip, which included transfer time at Honolulu, gave the team a good opportunity to discuss their plan. They decided to sleep the next night in the town of Ka'anapali first, before heading to Haleakala, where the aliens supposedly were.
Kahului, Maui, Hawaii; June 24th, 2011
The Boieng plane landed on the airport in Kahului, Maui, at 10:30 pm. Susan, Jim and the others got out of the plane and were directed to two cars which had been reserved for their use. Susan and Jim got in one car, and Gordon, Miyuki and Sato in the other. Since Maui was a relatively small island, it would take only about an hour for them to drive to Ka'anapali.
On the way they drove past the sugar cane fields. The whole group found it fascinating that sugar could be seen growing in a place as "distant" as Maui. Especially Jim kept his eyes focused on the fields constantly. Suddenly he saw something among the canes. He hadn't felt so horrified for a long time.
"Stop the car!" he yelled.