If You Would Only Listen...
Io awoke, shivering uncontrollably, feeling a since of dread about her. She awoke from another dream, the same dream over and over that she kept having. It was about the day where she saw her father being taken away by the CCI. That laugh that Katagiri had when he cuffed her father and dragged him away. She remembered her father screaming profanity at him, calling out for Io to escape. She began to feel that she would never hear from her father again. There was some sense of hope though when she heard Kiryuu state that Katagiri was now in the custody of the FBI. And her father was with him. Still, that did not help the feeling of some hopelessness. She could not sleep with the knowledge that her father was still in some danger. Kiryuu had made an attempt to contact Alan, but he was met many times by busy signals, phone clicks, and disconnections. Alan was still out there, her father was still out there and she was stuck here, feeling completely helpless. She got out of the bed that was made for her and silently walked out of the south quarters. The base was quiet now, not much was going on. She walked into the dark corridor, her way only lit by dim lights above. Io shivered again. Even with these nice people that have taken her in and cared for her, she had never felt so alone. These people were nice, they were never spiteful or rude, but she just could not connect with them as much. Mostly it was because of the language barriers. She liked what they were doing for her, she liked Katsura especially, but even then she could not connect with them. She wished she had gone to Yuki and visited her instead, but her father insisted that she remain with the Utah Foundation. She was safe here but she did not feel it. Io just felt alone.
Though there was a kitchen in her quarters, she did not feel much like getting anything from there. She needed a walk, no matter what they would say about it. She knew that she should not be wondering the halls of the Utah Foundation's main base alone, but she had to. She just needed a walk to collect her thoughts. Io felt sad, too sad to even cry; too sad to even care if someone were to catch her walking around alone. She just wanted her father back. That was all that mattered to her now. She scurried down the hall, remembering the way to the lunchroom. It was on the same level as her quarters. She supposed the foundation built it like that so that people staying could go to the lunchroom without any problems. She glanced around as she entered the dark lunchroom. The place was empty and only a few lights were on. From the clock on the wall she could tell that it was only 3 o'clock in the morning. No one was in the lunchroom for snacks. In a way she thanked that.
Io glanced around, swallowing her sorrow as she headed for the refrigerator. She saw a tub of chocolate ice-cream in the freezer and she got it out. She needed something to make her feel better and she suspected that ice-cream was enough to do it. She got it out and got a spoon out from the drawer below and proceeded to eat the ice-cream. Io sniffled as she began to eat the frozen treat, trying to allow the sweet taste help her forget her woes.
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" asked a deep, handsome voice behind her. She glanced around, seeing a glow come from behind her shoulder. And there he was, Kiryuu Mechagodzilla. He must have been watching her through the surveillance cameras. The light from the projector sparkled on his metallic green dreads, giving them an emerald sheen. Io sniffed again, sitting down in one of the comfortable, lounge chairs as she continued to eat the ice-cream. Kiryuu sighed, seeing what she had: "You know that's not yours."
"I know," she said. "I can't sleep. I had to eat something."
"There are sandwiches and milk to help you calm yourself," Kiryuu informed. "Why choose the sugary treat that will keep you up at night?"
"It makes me feel better," Io sighed, rubbing her nose.
Kiryuu saw the pain in her eyes. He could sense the sorrow that she felt. She missed her father.
"I know you miss him," he rumbled. "But I am working as hard-"
"I know you are," she interrupted him. "But I can't help to feel some sort of hopelessness. Katagiri's been captured and I'm thankful. This will mean that my father won't be facing any treason charges. But…"
"Things like this take time, Io," said Kiryuu. "I can't just snap my fingers and make everything better…"
"I know," Io said. "I know. I just wish that sometimes you could, Kiryuu."
"If I could do that," began Kiryuu with a slight chuckle. "Then this world may be worse off than before…"
"Huh?"
"Never mind," Kiryuu sighed. Io's head lowered again and she began to sniffle. Kiryuu turned around, seeing her begin to cry again. He did not know what to do right now about it. His mind began to drift as he watched her silently; another whimper came to his ears. His eyes turned away from Io seeing something else come into view. He saw a tiny reptilian creature kneeling down to the floor. He recognized the tiny reptile before him. It was a dinosaur; his own son. Kiryuu glanced over seeing another form walk into the scene. The form was much larger, and rather familiar. It was another dinosaur. Kiryuu recognized the golden eyes of this new being. The much larger dinosaur knelt down to the smaller one and took the youth into his arms. The whimpering young one stopped and looked up at his father. They embraced each other. Kiryuu closed his eyes allowing this vision to fade from his mind. He turned back to Io and knelt down to her.
"I am not your father," he began. "But I... I was a father once. I understand that Shinoda is important to you. You want nothing more than for him to be with you."
"You still are a father, Kiryuu," Io sniffed. "Just ask Gojira."
"Until you are united with Shinoda," Kiryuu sighed. "I want to take care of you."
Io sniffed again, her face twisted into a sob. This was all she wanted right now, someone to keep her company. For the first time she felt like she belonged. Io dashed towards Kiryuu, wrapping her arms around his waist. Kiryuu rumbled folding his arms around her. He just held her, letting her get her frustrations and feelings out on his holographic shoulder. He just wanted to hold her right now, to comfort her just like he would comfort Godzilla. It was the father in him. It would be always the father in him.
"I'm not your father, Io," Kiryuu rumbled. "But I'll do what I can in his stead."
"Arigato, Kiryuu-san," Io sniffed, burring her face in his green dreadlocks. "Arigato."
***
Manda relaxed himself in the corner of the lounge room, his lengthy body uncoiled, light playing off his glistening scales, casting a kaleidoscope of deep sapphires and emeralds on the off-white walls. The glittering, fine, fish-like scales shifted their gleam as his muscle rippled in his body. His finned tail tapped lightly on the carpet floor. To anyone who came in, the Dragon appeared asleep, but in reality, his mind was more alert than ever. He was in deep thought, his mental prowess attuned to motions going on outside the room. Manda listened to the sound of his own breath as it carried through the air. He extended his mind out beyond the lounge and into the bay. He could sense the frustrations of the occupant inside the bay area, Kiryuu Mechagodzilla.
Kiryuu Knight, perhaps… Manda thought, hearing that from some of the workers sometimes refer to the bio-mecha as that. Mechagodzilla had taken on Gordon's name now, nearing the time for him to take over the company. Gordon had said that when Kiryuu's greatest challenge had been defeated, his mind will be free to focus on running the company. He had always wanted there to be a Knight at the head of the Utah Foundation, and so Kiryuu had begun to accept the name Knight. To him, a last name was something to make him less of a commodity and more of a person; something to be respected.
Or to be feared…Manda admitted to himself. All empires must rise, and then fall. Gordon's time is near, and then someday it will be Kiryuu's time.
Kiryuu Knight was buying out the company, secretly taking the Foundation away from Gordon piece by piece right under his nose. Mr. Knight was a name now hardly distinguishable between Gordon and Kiryuu. Now Kiryuu was gaining the respect that he stated that he deserved and the empire that came with it, and it seemed Gordon was letting him as well. He was allowing Kiryuu to slowly take over, letting the company get used to being owned by an enormous, bio-mechanical creature.
Manda grunted when he sensed Kiryuu's frustrations growing. He heard the bio-mecha grunting every time something happened, something Kiryuu did not want. He could vision the first Godzilla in the centre of the bay, his brow crossed in frustration, the emerald green, fleshy syntech locks brushing against his cheeks. Kiryuu grimaced again, not from sensing Manda's prying mind, but from another dead-end he had met. Manda focused all his powers, delving deep into the machine's CPU, searching for what he was up to. He merely skimmed across the surface, seeing what occupied Kiryuu's mind.
Alan…
Manda took in a gasp as that name whispered through his head. His ruby eyes opened up when he sensed another presence upon him.
It grows close with every breath…
From that Manda replied: And grows stronger.
You are bargaining with fate, Manda, I am concerned.
I have seen the storm, Mothra. It must take its course. Who am I to stand against it now? What I've done, what you've done. For the good of all, it must take its course.Manda replied. For you are the one who brought him here in the first place. Mothra warned. Young, naïve, animalistic, no ambition, but manipulative. But he was happy then.Manda asked.
You believe that he has the power to stop it?
That is a question you must answer yourself,
He was just as manipulative then, Manda,
And he's not happy now?
You tell me. He has manipulated you as well, kept you here. For what?Manda said. Do not question my motives now. Question your own.
Perhaps it is not me he is manipulating, it I who could be manipulating him, conditioning him for the battle to come.
Without his knowledge?
I have my ways…
I must say, you are more sinister than Kraken was.
He was blinded by King Ghidorah, used as a slave. That dulled his mind. I will not let myself be come like he was; maddened by such frivolous lies and powers out of reach.
It is not you that I fear, Manda. It is Kiryuu that I fear. Something will happen…
This thing must take its course.
Then, this will be your head it shall fall upon.
Manda felt the presence leave him as his consciousness returned to the lounge. His eyes came in focus and he found two eyes staring at him. He saw Io staring at him with shocked eyes.
Don't be afraid of me, Manda spoke to her. Do you understand me?
Io nodded, not sure how she could. Katsura said that he did not know how to speak Japanese.
I'm not speaking in words, Io, Manda said. Rather in thoughts and feelings. They are universal even if words are not. I can understand you if you speak to me, no matter the language.
"Katsura was right…" Io began. "You... you are a dragon."
But that doesn't make me any less of a person, Manda said, rising up off the floor. His reptilian form melted before her until all that was left was a blonde-haired man wearing a T-shirt, some raggedy jeans, and Converse shoes.
"What were you doing?" Io asked.
Meditating, Manda replied. It is what a Dragon does. It is called Shal-Mor. A Dragon's 'dream sleep'. It is when our minds are the most alert.
"Like the samurai, meditating to hone their minds," Io said.
Something like that, Manda replied. It's difficult to explain. Sometimes in order to explain it, you must be there to witness it yourself.
"Finally talking to her?" came a voice in the doorway. "Breaking the bonds of speech?"
"The only way I can talk to her, Katsura," Manda said. "She finally saw me in my true form. I can't hide myself from her when she's seen a blue-green Dragon lying on the floor, sleeping…"
"You don't sleep," Katsura said. "That's the last thing you do."
"I've sensed Kiryuu's frustrations," Manda began. "What is he doing?"
"Being hung-up by Alan," replied Katsura. "He won't listen."
"He will," said the Dragon. "I know he will."
***
"Three days..." Kiryuu growled, running his metallic claws through his dreads. "There have been times where he even shut off his phone. I've left messages, emails... Nothing is working. He's stubborn."
"He's you," said Maria. "You cannot deny that."
Kiryuu sighed, taking in a deep breath: "Bring Io in here, she is the only one who may be my door into Alan yet." He closed his eyes and projected. Katsura, bring Io here.Katsura asked.
What for?
I need her to bring Alan to Utah, Kiryuu replied. Bring her in here, into me; my cockpit. Let Alan hear her voice. He will come if he hears her. Katsura protested. A child… Kiryuu said. I can't. I'm cutting it too close. I have my own war I must fight. I can already feel him coming. Shinoda wants me to protect Alan, but I can't do any of those things. I can't protect Alan, and I can't rescue Shinoda. It's too late for that, but I can set something in motion. I already have begun the destruction of the CCI, now I must leave it in the hands of Alan to finish it off. My grandson will do well enough on his own now that Katagiri is blind to everything else. Bound by forces he cannot control, his true nature will come out and the world will see him for the madman he is. He will take Shinoda with him, try to prove that I did it, and there Alan will be waiting to finish what I have started. But I must bring him here.
You're going to use her,
Io wants me to rescue her father,
He could tell that Katsura was frustrated; he could sense it through the link. She was sure that this was not what Shinoda had in mind when he asked Kiryuu to protect Alan. He was going to use Alan again.
Alan would want no less, Kiryuu said. Katagiri has taken his humanity away from him. Now is the chance that Alan must take to get it back. It is my gift to him.
Maria turned around when she saw Katsura bring Io through the control room. There were people missing right now, Gordon was back at the Foundation's headquarters and Will had his day off. For now, he was glad they were not here. Kiryuu's golden eyes looked over to Katsura, then to Io. Maria stepped aside, allowing the two Japanese to ascend the catwalk. Katsura helped Io up onto Kiryuu's shoulder. Kiryuu's eyes turned back to Maria.
"I have to do this," he said to her.
"I know," Maria nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly as she watched Io and Katsura disappear into the hatch. A single cord of silvery syntech flowed down towards her and grazed her cheek.
"What do you see when you stare out like that, Maria?" Kiryuu asked.
"A future that might end tragically," Maria sighed. "For us. I feel that we are reaching for something we can't have. There are limitations…"
"Don't see that, please," Kiryuu caressed her face. "That is the last thing I wanted you to see for us. Don't think I don't know this might end tragically. That is a future I've forbidden myself to see."
"You had a better chance with Katsura," Maria glanced up at him, pulling his tendril away from her face.
"I don't," Kiryuu protested. "It was forced. This isn't."
"I know," Maria said.
Kiryuu closed his eyes, turning his mind now inward as Katsura settled herself down in the chair. He could still feel Maria holding onto the tendril he extended to her. It was like she was holding his hand. He could feel her. Kiryuu focused on Katsura and Io through the cameras inside the cockpit.
"I am going to dial up Alan's phone," Kiryuu said. "He hasn't changed his number since I've been pestering him; not yet. He doesn't know that Shinoda is here. When Katagiri first started out searching for Alan with Shinoda, he didn't want to cause a fuss, and he didn't want me to be alerted to his presence. The FBI is doing well to keep the CCI's 'attacks' on their grids out of the eyes of the public. This hasn't hit the news yet. Io, when I call Alan, I'm going to try and get him to listen long enough for you to talk to him. All you have to do is speak. There is a microphone above the monitor."
"Hai," Io nodded. She glanced around as she heard a dial tone sound off inside the cockpit. Then, a touchtone dialing sound came after that. The phone was ringing.
"Hello," came an English-accented voice on the other line.
"Alan," Kiryuu began. "Don't hang up on me."
"Kiryuu…" Alan growled through the phone. It was obvious that he did not want to speak to the bio-mecha.
"Before you think about disconnecting," Kiryuu began. "I want you to hear the voice of someone that is here with me."
Katsura nodded to Io.
"Alan-san desu ka?" Io asked. Then, there was silence.
"You hear that?" Kiryuu asked. "It's Io, Alan. She's here with me."
There was silence for a few moments on the other end of the line. At first Kiryuu thought Io had been successful, but when Alan responded their hopes were dashed.
"How do I know that's really Io there?" he snarled. "After what I've seen you do, I don't think copying someone's voice would be a problem for you. You have a very sick sense of humour."
Clearly, he was looking for any excuse to avoid speaking to Kiryuu. On top of that, his speech sounded slurred. His mind was so clouded by alcohol that the thought hadn't occurred to him that Kiryuu may not have any idea what Io sounded like.
"Alan…" Kiryuu sighed.
"I kept to my end of the deal!" Alan roared over the phone. "I spread the word about King fucking Ghidorah. You told me you wouldn't speak to me again after that, now why don't you keep to your word and piss off?!"
"Alan!" Kiryuu growled. "You're drunk. Shut up and listen to me."
"No, fuck off," Alan shouted. "I've done what you asked, you heartless bastard!"
"Alan, please," Io called. "Don't hang up. Remember what my father said? 'Gojira is apart of us, in everyone's mind'! He's in you as well. My father is in trouble, Alan. Katagiri's captured him!"
There was silence on the other end of the line, punctuated only by Alan's ragged breathing. It seemed what Io had said had genuinely shocked him.
"Wha..." his voice could barely be heard, stammering. "What did you say?"
Io knew she had gotten Alan's attention. That had been a very personal conversation, never recorded anywhere, not even on the G-Chaser Network or her father's notes. Not even Kiryuu could possibly know about it. She swallowed, as she prepared to speak again, determined to persuade Alan to listen.
"Do you remember papa saying that to you, Alan-san?" she began. "I was there, remember? It was not long after we all first met. We were talking about Gojira after a G-Chase. You were fascinated by papa's research; you hoped you could understand Gojira better through talking to him. He was thrilled to meet someone else who cared about Gojira as a living being, even more so than him..." Io broke off slightly, as if she was finding bringing up these memories painful, given her longing to see her father again. However, on seeing an encouraging nod from Katsura, she tried her best to continue.
"That was when papa made that comment," she continued. "'Gojira is a part of us, in everyone's mind'. You asked him what he meant, and he replied... He replied by saying that Gojira should always be in humanity's collective conscience..." Io shook her head, unsure if she should be saying this in front of Kiryuu. "He... he felt humanity should share the blame for what they did to Gojira. He said he often felt that Gojira's attacks on us were justified...
"He said... he said 'Gojira should not be destroyed. Not only because he can't be destroyed, but because he is needed. Humanity will always remain so reckless in their pursuit of technology and power, their pursuit of domination. He felt Gojira is needed to keep us in check, remind us that we cannot control everything in this world..." Io chuckled slightly. "I remember what you said... You said 'Yeah, I know Gojira's a part of me because-"
"'Because..." Alan interjected, sounding like he was trying not to laugh. "Because my bits and pieces are covered in itchy grey scales'. I remember that."
At Io's age, she was still not entirely sure what Alan had meant, but she could hear Katsura struggling to stifle a laugh. Then there was another moment of silence before Alan spoke again.
"Io..." Alan said in a low tone, now sounding very apologetic. "I'm sorry... If I had known it was really you there... What are you doing with Kiryuu anyway? Is your father there?"
"I'll tell you later," Io said quickly. "Please, Alan... Right now, you need to listen to what Kiryuu has to say. If not for his sake, then for mine... for papa's. Please..."
A loud sigh from Alan could be heard on the other end of the line. It was clear he didn't want to talk to Kiryuu, but it seemed to be dawning on him that he would very much need to.
"Okay, Io..." Alan finally said after a pause, calmer than he had been before. "Put Kiryuu back on."
"Alan," Kiryuu began, taking his cue. "Do you believe me now?"
"Yes, I do," Alan's voice came out, resuming a more sarcastic tonee. "What do you want?"
"Apparently I've made a mistake, Alan," Kiryuu began. "A mistake that I'm afraid our dear friend Shinoda is paying for. I never meant for any of this to happen."
"What happened?" Alan asked.
Kiryuu paused for a moment, an audible sigh breezed across the auditory speakers within the cockpit. This was something even he had a hard time explaining. He slowly gathered the words together and finally was able to speak.
"My involvement in this has placed all of us at risk," Kiryuu began. "What's worse about this is that the CCI now knows who was behind the raid on their facility. Worst of all, they know about you."
"What?!" Alan exclaimed. "What do you mean?!"
"They... Katagiri…" Kiryuu stammered. "Possibly through Miyasaka, and also through Shinoda-"
"I don't fucking believe this!" Alan cried, interrupting Kiryuu. "You told me they wouldn't trace the theft back to us! You promised!"
"Alan," Kiryuu began, sensing that his anger was starting to peak again.
"No, shut up!" Alan interrupted. "You told me I wouldn't be getting in trouble, that you'd have everything under control. I even came to this God forsaken land because you said I would be-"
"They haven't found you yet, have they?" Kiryuu cut in. "Then, I'd shut up about it. This isn't about you right now. It's about Shinoda."
"How did they find him?" Alan asked. "Through the syntech? Is that it? I knew giving that thing to Shinoda would come back to bite me up the arse."
"They never found the syntech on Shinoda," Kiryuu replied. "They never knew he had it."
"Then how the hell did they trace it back to you?" Alan asked.
"Because they knew that only I would have the power to do something like that to their grids, Alan," Kiryuu replied. "Because I've done it before. They... they recognized my style in hacking. They've known my style since Yokohama; only I could work that fast. Only I would know where to hit them and how, because I've done it. I've delved too deep into the CCI, Alan. I knew I did when I said I'd push it to 40 minutes. I'm not used to pushing it any longer than five."
"So," Alan began, after a moment's silence, with a slight chuckle in his voice. Kiryuu recognized that chuckle; it was his own. Alan was using Kiryuu's famous, high and mighty chuckle against him. "So, they finally caught you."
"Alan," Kiryuu sighed, his sigh slowly turning into a growl when he heard Alan continue to chuckle. For once, Alan was laughing at him and he didn't like it. "I'm not done."
"Oh, I think you are," Alan said. "I know exactly what this is. You used me, you're using Io, and you use everybody! Even your own son! It's about time you went through some 'karmic retribution'; maybe it's made you realize just how full of shit you are!" At this, his chuckle became a roar of laughter. He clearly found this whole sorry affair highly amusing.
"Alan!" Kiryuu roared back at him. Alan heard a buzzing sound coming from the phone, building up into a loud squeal. Then, he felt it, a shock through the ear piece of the phone.
"Ow!" Alan cried. "What the fuck was that?!"
"Kiryuu!" Katsura cried. Kiryuu growled again, ignoring her.
"Now that I've gotten your attention, little human," the bio-mechanical dinosaur growled once more. "There is something I wish to inform you of. I am not finished, for one. In away, all of this has fit into another plan of mine. Which I will inform you when you arrive."
"What?" Alan asked.
"Who knows who could be listening in, right?" Kiryuu asked. "I'll tell you everything that I did when you get here. But I'll say this; because Katagiri has decided to make a move against me, I am now crushing him into oblivion."
"What does that mean?" Alan asked.
"I told you when we met," began Kiryuu. "That I had the power to crush the CCI. We I have. You don't have to worry about Katagiri for now. Per Shinoda's request though, I have been asked to take care of you and Io. I need you help, Alan. I can't save Shinoda on my own. So, I need you to come back to Utah for me. But this time, no desert will be our reunion. No, this time, you're coming to my base."
"Huh?" Alan asked, stupefied.
"I want you to come to the base, Alan," he continued. "Come as soon as you can; the sooner the better. For one, you'll get to see Io. For another, you can read Shinoda's note he's left behind. Some instructions…"
"Alright, alright…" Alan sighed. "I'll come through to Utah, but just to check on Io. That's all I have to say."
"Excellent," Kiryuu chuckled. "See you when you come. And when you get to Salt Lake, do check your inbox. I'll be leaving instructions for you."
"Whatever," he sighed again, clicking the phone off.
"Will he come, Kiryuu?" Io asked.
"I'm sure he will," Kiryuu said.
"Another one of your evil schemes?" Katsura asked.
"No," Kiryuu replied. "Not this time."