The Real Deal

This was something new.

Definitely new.

Godzilla's lips curled into a snarl as he turned to face this new entity hovering towards him. It was not another animal like he. No, it was one of the machines crafted by the humans to combat him. Yet, it was gigantic, twice as long as he was. Vertically, it only reached up to his chest, but the massive length of the battleship easily made up for the lack of height. The ship was coated in a silver metallic armor, which shined brightly in the sunlight. The forecastle of the Karyu was where the men and women, who were putting their lives on the lines, maintained the mechanical defender. The control room was located on the bow of the main structure. The twin Electrical Particle Cannons were attached on either side of the Karyu, both brimming with electricity and humming with anticipation. On top of this, four pods on each of these 'arms' contained the Full Metal Missiles, in case the immense cannons were not enough. The most deadly weapon in the Karyu's arsenal was revealed as the ship ascended, allowing itself to look Godzilla straight in the eyes. Dubbed the 'Kaiju Cutter', it was, to put it bluntly, a single-edged blade of massive proportions. If the Karyu rammed forward full speed, it would no doubt be able to deal some serious damage to any giant monster that dared attack Japan.

"So…Godzilla…we finally meet," Kiriko murmured, the monitor in front of her displayed the world outside. Godzilla stood defiantly in the distance. Years of training had readied her for the moment she would face the ultimate killer, the radioactive reptile that seemed to stare right back at her with cruel unforgiving eyes. Her fists clenched tightly, nails digging into the flesh of her palm. Sweat began to form on her brow as she decided that the Karyu, man's greatest defense weapon, would make the first move.

"Hajime, let's see if he can handle a couple FMMs."

"Right on, Kiri!" She hated his little nicknames, but now wasn't the time to scold him for his childish antics. His usual gay demeanor shifted more towards a solemn one, understanding that their very lives and the city was at stake. He punched in a string of commands, muttering a phrase reminiscent of a prayer whilst undertaking his task.

The Karyu's real test had begun.

Two pods opened up on the sides of the Karyu battleship with a hiss. Two missiles peeked out, before popping out of their homes. They zoomed forth, swinging to and fro in the air as they honed in on their radioactive target. Godzilla did not have much time to put up much of a defense as the missiles crashed into his abdomen, shredding his flesh into tiny pieces, and coating the ground with his scarlet blood. He squealed in pain, reeling backwards. His wounds still had not healed from the encounter with the ancient winged creature, and these projectiles only made things worse. He flashed his fangs in anger at his attacker, the jagged spines on his back shifted a red-orange color and crackling with plasma energy.

"Perfect."

The powerful beam of radioactive plasma was unleashed from Godzilla's maw, speeding towards the Karyu. Yoshino needed no ordering as she turned the Karyu around, allowing the atomic ray to slam right into the left armament of the hi-tech battleship.

The diamond plating of the ship began to flash violently and glow a vibrant orange as it began to absorb and harness the energy from the beam. The cockpit was silent; a tense atmosphere clouded the room. Each individual waited nervously for the results of this insane experiment. Would the armor work, or would they be fried instantly?

Human ingenuity would prevail, it seemed, as the Karyu remained stalwart as Godzilla's atomic ray beat and battered the side of the ship, to no avail. Realizing that it was no use, the King reluctantly cut the attack short. The Karyu's armor once again flashed, before returning back to its normal steel color.

"Son of a bitch, it actually worked."

"Never doubted it at all, Cap'!"

The CCI helicopter, painted a brick red and dull gray, buzzed about, far from the battlefield. The entourage on board was absolutely stunned by what they had just seen. The epitome of human defense had just taken the full brunt of Godzilla's frightening atomic ray and had remained intact. Not only that, but the NT-20 alloy, combined with the special diamond plating, had actually absorbed its energy, storing it within the core.

"You seemed speechless, Yuji," Miyasaka shouted, grinning at the scientist, whose face said it all; He was clearly shocked and amazed.

"I can't believe this…it's unprecedented!" Io clung to him, unwilling to let go. She had prided herself on being fearless, but being so up close to the battle caused doubt to well up inside of her.

"Indeed. We now have a weapon to combat the scaly bastard. And…to finally kill him," he yelled with enthusiasm over the spinning rotors. His mouth then quickly changed back into a thin, firm line as he focused on the battle at hand. He tapped the pilot on the soldier and instructed him to retreat a few more meters.

"Oh, you've gotta' be kidding me. Freaking camera!" Yuki grumbled in displeasure as her camera no longer had any film. The first battle between Godzilla and Japan's newest hope and she had run out of film.

"Just my luck!" She felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned around, only to see Robert there holding up a cheap plastic camera, no doubt picked up at some super-store.

"It's not a Fujifilm, but-"The camera was quickly snatched out of his hands as Yuki resumed her documentation of the battle in the distance. His mouth was still agape, about to continue with his statement, but closed it after some thought.

"You're welcome," he replied, a tad bitter. He pushed aside the emotions that welled up inside him as he resumed watching the spectacle before him.

Outskirts of Kitamatsu Village, 2000

Nobody had ever gone into the cave. It was well hidden in the forest, the landscape providing the perfect cover. Inside, it was absolutely cavernous. Stalactites and stalagmites were everywhere, making it extremely hard to navigate on foot.

The inhabitants of the cave, however, were not human.

Illuminating the cave would reveal hundreds of pods stuck to the ceiling and walls. Each was oil black, blending in with the darkness. They had been here for several days, the entities inside growing and morphing into a new, larger form. The ground was strewn with the remains of animals, including the corpses of what were once human beings. A foul stench permeated from not only the gruesome scene on the floor but from the grotesque pods clinging to the walls and ceiling.

This haunting scene would no doubt scare anybody who walked in here away. However, if they were to stay just a bit longer, they would become witnesses to an event that had not occurred in millions of years.

A pod nearest to the cave entrance began to shake; gently at first, but as time went by, it began to rattle and roll until the ebony goop sticking it snapped off with a loud crack. The pod tumbled to the floor, shattering like a clay vase. Fragments skidded about, leaving a mass of black gel containing some sort of creature where it had impacted.

The creature, or to be more specific, the insect struggled and flailed at its amorphous captive, before finally managing to rid itself of the gel. It clicked its mandibles, cautiously approaching the mouth of the cave. The afternoon sun managed to reveal the new form of the Meganulon.

If one was viewing such a monstrosity, a giant dragonfly would be the first thing you thought of. It was a tad larger than its previous form, having the size to easily pin a full grown man to the ground. Its carapace was tan and mottled with mossy green splotches. The sides of its elongated body were covered with six spikes, three on each side. Above these were two sets of transparent, opaque wings, an elegant green design placed upon them. The ancient dragonfly had six legs, the back four used for landing. The front two were more akin to scythes, each serrated and no doubt deadly. The Meganula used these for attacking and for pinning their prey down. The head of this prehistoric predator was nothing out of the ordinary; mandibles used for ripping into flesh and two sets of emotionless green eyes. The head twitched to and fro, analyzing its surroundings. Satisfied that there was no danger, it let out a shrill cry, announcing the arrival of its kin. As if on cue, the hundreds of other Meganula began to free themselves from their cocoons, dropping to the ground and entering their new world. The screams of the refreshed brood began to rise in volume, and would surely deafen any human stupid enough to be at this event.

The Meganula who had first awoken turned to the reawakened hunters, and chirped and hissed at them, as if relaying information. The others received it with ecstasy, buzzing all about the cave, testing their newly formed wings.

Suddenly, they all froze. None of the giant insects moved, not even an inhuman twitch. The lead Meganula twitched, before letting out a squeal of delight. Its wings began to buzz to life and it zoomed out of the mouth of the cave. The rest of the swarm took to the air and swiftly followed.

The Meganula had found exactly what they needed; an energy source.

Left behind, in the deep, dark depths of the cavern, in a pool of murky water, lay an even larger chrysalis. One that contained a threat not seen on this planet since the age of the dinosaurs.

Outskirts of Kumamoto, 2000

"Activate the EPCs!" Hajime and Yoshino worked in unison as they readied the Karyu to unleash its destructive weaponry. The twin cannons on each side of the sleek battleship began to hum ominously, and sparks of golden light began to dance within the maws of the armaments. Yoshino plugged in commands and gripped the joysticks which controlled the movement of the Karyu. In order to become more accurate, she lowered the Karyu closer to the ground, which would enable them to strike the green creature right in the legs.

Godzilla wasn't going to wait. Roaring in anger, he charged forward, albeit noticeably slower due to his injuries. Thankfully, the blessing that was his Organizer G1 had finally begun to kick in. The tears and gashes in his flesh were slowly but surely beginning to patch themselves up. The muscles fused back together, every thread of flesh returning to its normal state. The blood leaking out slowly became a tiny trickle, and even Godzilla's scales were starting to grow back.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Realizing their predicament, the Karyu quickly elevated, catching Godzilla's war-face as he honed in on them. The Karyu performed a barrel-roll; narrowly dodging Godzilla's advancing body. The King of the Monsters sped by them before slowing himself down to a stop. He turned around, bellowing in anger. The open landscape played right into the Karyu's strengths. It could maneuver any way it wanted without having to worry about skyscrapers stopping it.

Godzilla grumbled, clenching his fists several times, attempting to formulate some plan to conquer his inorganic foe. The Karyu would not allow it. Despite the brief skirmish with Godzilla, the cannons had still been charging and were now ready to be fired.

"Let him have it," Kiriko roared, becoming increasingly more and more confident in their ship's ability to take down their deadly foe.

And perhaps their confidence was well-placed.

The twin cannons on each side of the Karyu began to rumble with rage, the golden energy now seeping out of each of the mouths. The Karyu lowered itself, stabilized its thrusters, and let loose a hellish double-dosage of electricity.

With a sound like thunder and the speed of lighting, the masers launched forth and struck Godzilla right in his already injured chest. He screamed in anguish as the electrical current surged through his body, every possible nerve on fire. His body began to shake violently and his eyes rolled back in his head. The torturous attack seemed to never end, with the masers continuing to electrocute the weakened monster king.

"The cannons are almost out of juice, Captain. Recommend we end the assault."

"Alright, do it." The EPCs were shut down, the yellow light darkening once more. The Karyu hovered cautiously in place; waiting to see what exactly condition the radioactive reptile was in.

Godzilla's torso was hideously charred and blackened. Thick smoke ascended from his fried body. He still stood; the King had not been slain. Godzilla took a few steps forward, eyes blank and glazed over. His jaws opened up, as if to let out a ferocious cry, yet only a weak growl was emitted. The leviathan then proceeded to fall to the ground on his side, his respirations slow and few. His claws gripped at the earth, carving gashes into the landscape.

"Ready the Dimension Tide."

"Ma'am…with all due respect, it isn't fully powered."

"I don't give a damn. Do it. Now!" Hajime gulped and readied the Karyu's ultimate weapon. Yoshino piloted the Karyu lower to the ground. From underneath the massive ship came a set of landing gear, three metallic prongs that impaled the ground and allowed the Karyu to prepare. A panel slowly slid open, and gigantic cannon ascended, a technological marvel. It was a goliath, comprised of the NT-20 metal and diamond plating. The core could be seen, hidden underneath the armor and wiring of the weapon, glowing a bright yellow. A tube connected to the back, leading to the inside of the ship, no doubt siphoning the Karyu's energy supply. The maw of the cannon stared out ominously, a faint light inside of the darkness. Six slabs of metal encircled it, and as the cannon began to charge, they slowly stretched outwards. The Dimension Tide, if staring at it, looked very much like a man-made sun, a metallic star.

"Dimension Tide charging. 33%."

Godzilla coughed, a wave of blood erupting from his maw. He growled painfully, clutching his wounded chest.

"56%. He's still moving, Captain," Yoshino barked. The Dimension Tide began to roar, eager to finish off the foe it was meant to kill. Kiriko gripped the ends of her seat tightly, whilst Hajime monitored the progress of the energy build-up.

The King rose to one knee, shaking the dust coating his brain. His chest burned intensely, the flesh charred and torn. The pain was immense, and the electricity from the maser cannon severely hampered his regeneration. His vermillion eyes caught sight of the Karyu, and his lips curled into a snarl.

"84%." Godzilla rose to his feet, an incredibly painful ache in every inch of his body. He limped forward, his claws clenching into fists, his spines shifting from a serene pink to a violent red-orange.

Things were looking up for the Karyu; their ace in the hole was about to end the nuclear menace once and for all. However, you can never count on machines. The Karyu sputtered and sparks flew out of the D.T. cannon. It choked and coughed, and the lights inside the Karyu began to flicker. The thrusters struggled to stay active.

"What the hell is going on!" Kiriko was bewildered and most of all furious that complete victory was slipping from her fingertips.

"Power failure! We used up too much. We can't sustain the Dimension Tide!" The power shut down momentarily, before the back-ups kicked in. The control room was bathed in a scarlet light. The battleship that had once been on the steps to victory now lay awkwardly upon its landing gear, teetering to and fro.

"Game over, man! Game over!" Things indeed looked bleak as the radioactive monster towered over the fallen aircraft. He observed it curiously, taking a measure of joy in seeing it fail.

"Can't we do something!"

"I've already alerted the JSDF. They're going to try and distract him," Miyasaka fired back. He spoke back into his radio, snapping at whoever was on the other line.

"Yuji…Yuki…look." Robert gripped the seat tightly as he reached out of the helicopter and pointed towards Kumamoto. The two followed his gaze, and they too shared his wonderment. A cloud of brown, flying objects were making a bee-line straight towards the combatants. They darted in between the buildings, cut through the trees, and navigated the underbrush.

"Hand me the binoculars, Io." Shinoda's daughter did as she was told, giving them to her father. He brought them up to his eyes and he peered into them, studying the swarm. He cursed loudly, and nearly dropped the visionary aid as he realized what he was seeing.

"Yuji, what is it," Yuki questioned.

"Meganula."

The high-pitched screeches even managed to drown out the helicopter's rotors as the swarm neared. The pilot yelled something, quickly turning the helicopter around. The civilians were jerked about inside. The civilian chopper was retreating from the fight, leaving the battlefield in order to find safety.

"What about the crew of the Karyu, Shiro?"

"I hope they make it." That was all he had to say about that as he stared blankly at the Karyu in the distance.

The Meganula swarm knew that there was an energy source nearby, but they did not expect it to be alive. The green animal before them turned its head, a feral face overcome with confusion. The insatiable swarm paused in the air, hundreds darting about, pondering the next move. Finally, within seconds, they knew what must be done.

Godzilla did not even have a chance to let out a roar before the hundreds of Meganula were upon him.