Chapter Six

It was time. Soon the final battle to decide the fate of earth would be waged and so that the battle might be won in favor of earth, its rulers sent the call to everyone. A few had lost hope but others refusing to give in stood ready to stand and fight at the call to arms. Such was seen in the Middle Eastern Republic of Saradia.

It was stiflingly, oppressively hot at the desert camp where the Emir of Saradia was, a far cry from the large, white columned rooms of his air conditioned palace. Even so, despite the suffocating heat and alkaline dust that occasionally blew into the large command tent, the Emir ignored them to focus on the task at hand. He looked to the British soldier at his side as he placed a map on the table, adjusting maps already there and moving aside a mortar shell that had been used as a paper weight. Saradia's leader thoughtfully looked over the charts and let the troop movements materialize in his head. He was watching the maps when he heard the British soldier at his side say, "Well, sir, the UN's been trying to compile a list of casualties and losses in the middle east but information for them and us has been sketchy at best."

The Emir remained impassive and nodded his mustached head as he put his finger to the map. "Well we know that we've lost the Belgian contingent in the Sinai but we might have some reinforcements isolated in the Golan straights."

With that, a bearded Arab man in military fatigues rushed into the tent and hurriedly began speaking. The Emir looked on intently before smiling. The military man at his side was confused and he asked the Emir, "Sir what's happening? What did he say?"

Saradia's leader moved his head towards the British man, the tassel on his fez tossing about as he did so. "He said something we all might want to hear. Follow me."

At that the two men walked out of from beneath their command post but the Emir winced at how the desert sand made the sun's glare that much more powerful. Shielding his eyes, he followed the bearded man and looked around at the dozens, perhaps hundreds, of military vehicles and equipment all around the dusty Saradian desert. Seeing them stretch as far as his eyes could see, he had a tremendous feeling of optimism about him and that was increased as he looked around to the multi-national DFE coalition that was there fighting for everyone. That wasn't surprising as Saradia for years had been one of the few countries able to reach out towards all sides in middle east conflicts. (Yes, there were the ugly rumors of the Saradia Institute of Biotechnology being a front for a ruthless spy network or of virtual warfare between it and Bio Major but neither could be proven.)

Indeed, as he walked he saw Palestinians to his right who held their rifles with one hand and used the other to raise their fists while shouting him encouragement. To his left he saw Israelis in the midst of checking their F-5 Freedom Fighter aircraft, the Star of David painted on their sides, stop and salute him. He greeted both sides and smiled his thanks.

He went past them and got to the merciful shade of the communications tent. There he saw the radio man at his post and asked him, in Arabic, of what was going on. He was told of what was happening and smiled. The British an looked to him and asked, "What did he say? What's happening?"

"We got a message from the United Nations. They say that G-Force has found a way to win and is planning an all-out counter offensive to defeat King Ghidorah!"

The British man looked at the Emir and said, "Well it's about time. Your Excellency, what do they plan to do?"

The call for help was sent to the middle eastern nation of Saradia but Saradia wasn't the only place that message was being sent; that was seen in one country nestled at the roof of the world...

In a spacious room of the Selginian palace, Princess Salno was kneeling in prayer before the memorial of her grandmother, Queen Sulna, as the scent of incense filled the room and wafted around the statue of the Buddha. Though the Princess had sought emotional detachment and self control in the path towards enlightenment, she had been plagued by great anxiety for a time now. Looking at her grandmother's portrait, Salno thought it was ironic that a theocratic ruler feel her religious faith waver. She knew that there had to be some way to defeat King Ghidorah, there just had to be… if only they could figure out what it was.

It was then that a furry Watchika stepped into his sovereign's private chapel. "Your highness, I am sorry for the intrusion but I have urgent news."

Salno got up from her knees and shook her head. Absent mindedly turning a prayer wheel as she walked towards the snowman, she said, "Nonsense Varga. You are my new Prime Minister, it's your job to tell me what has happened. What is the urgent news that you wish to tell me of?"

The ape face of Yetrigar's successor showed a large grin. "My uncrowned queen, the news has just come in that the United Nations has devised a way to destroy the accursed demon for all times and they are asking all member nations to help make it so! I admit that Selginia is not part of the UN but…"

"But nothing!" shouted the jubilant princess. "By the Wheel of Life and the Eightfold Path, if they can do it then Selginia will stand at its side. I want you to call Miguel, I mean Secretary General Santos, this very instant and tell him that we are there!"

Far from Selginia being the only other place the message, the call for help was being sent and heeded across the entire world. Many world leaders—at least those whose countries hadn't been destroyed—were skeptical and even cynical of the latest plan with the failure of Dimension Tide but on seeing what it was they were willing to give it a chance.

In the Defense and War Preparation Building of New Kirk City, Rolisica's leader walked across a dimly lit and crowded room towards a large screen. He stopped and saw on the screen an old tape of many a kaiju fighting and dying against King Ghidorah on the outskirts of Washington DC. Mothra was among them 'twas true but he felt no pleasure in seeing her injured so; instead the man looked to the image of Godzilla as he fought the three-headed monster with tooth and nail. His aides and statesmen looked to him and the leader said, "So the UN plans to have Godzilla fight King Ghidorah and they want us to help the lizard win. All right, when do they plan to attack?"

Watching the message as it was spread around the world from the UN's DFE command center, Secretary General Santos smiled. Watching from a second story tier that overlooked the large room, he watched the military men on the first story floor as they went about their work. He saw them and looked to the huge holographic projection device at the center of the room as it showed a transparent globe that flashed red where someone heeded the call. In place after place, city after city, country after country, despite all it may have suffered and endured, it was shown that there were combat ready divisions ready to help. That was when Santos saw China and its breakaway nation of Taiwan simultaneously appear as bright red bursts on the holo-globe; he would later learn that the two nations chose to offer their aid jointly. Strange, before the Monster Wars, the two countries had been on opposing sides but now it was different because politics meant nothing to a demon. As such, politics no longer meant anything to those people once divided by them.

Looking on this, Santos crossed his arms and for the first time in a long time felt a sense of hope. It was because everywhere, people were working together in a way unseen since the first days of the Monster Wars. It was because now people felt that Santos was right, that if they stood united in bonds of friendship and love, that they really could win, that there really was light at the end of the tunnel. He knew that G-Force was working like the well oiled machine it was and was already working on sight, even as the necessary equipment and generators was being manufactured in Japan and America. The battlefield had been chosen and been evacuated of what few civilians were there; the military people there were ready for whatever came their way.

Santos saw all this and felt a slight chuckle. China and Taiwan working together, who would have thought. Maybe so but he found out why when he learned of a Chinese general who went out of his way to help Taiwan in that time of need. He had done so despite the fact that his men asked him why, why help them if they're not on our side. The General's response was one true for every man, woman and child on Earth; we're all on the same side when it comes to saving the world.

However, while there were those that were in favor of Miki's plan, there were inevitably those who were against it. This was seen in the Twin Towers of Manhattan, New York, where the President of the United States made his residence.

"I can't believe this!" railed Emmerich. He paced back and forth in the Oval Office as he angrily began muttering to himself. "What are they thinking going through with this cockamamie scheme! They've already started it over in Greenland, and they want dollars from American taxpayers to finance it. Frank, it's bound to fail…"

The Vice President couldn't help but recall how he had been at St. Patrick's when Miss. Segeusa came up with the idea. Now, however, Vice-President Smith fought back a slight grin as his boss railed and shouted and stomped across the room. Yet while he did have to put up with his boss's tantrums, that didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy a joke at the man's expense. Speaking through a smile, he said, "Well sir, what if it does work? I'm sure it would be good thing and you'd probably still be congratulated for the sacrifices you made."

"Forget that!" whined the man as he pounded his fist against his desk. "I wanted to be congratulated as the man whose idea saved the world…" Pouting, he went to the window of his Twin Tower based Oval Office and turned to look at the Manhattan skyline "And now the credit's going to go some dumb Japanese women and some crazy lizard."

Smith slowly shook his head and let himself sigh. He had spoken with both houses of Congress in the floors beneath him and they all agreed that the only reason that they hadn't already impeached and fired that stupid sonuvabitch was that they were in the midst of a world war and the US didn't have time to waste scolding a bad president. (Yet it was war time that a good president was needed the most.) The Vice President went to the window next to his master and put a hand on his shoulder.

Thinking to play to the President's—any president's—weak spot, Smith said, "Maybe you could offer token support for Miss. Segeusa's plan. It would go well with the voters."

A devious grin ran across Emmerich's face. "Why should I worry about voters? I mean, with all the crazy things going on, I decided to declare martial law, can't be faulted for that. And since I am Commander-in-Chief of America's Armed Forces, that means that I can do whatever I want now, doesn't it? I can do things such as, oh I don't know… suspend elections indefinitely." On seeing the worried look on his right hand man's face, the President chuckled. "Just kidding! I don't plan on doing that… not right away at least."

Thinking to lift his boss from his funk, Smith said, "Cheer up sir, King Ghidorah might destroy the world yet!"

Emmerich looked to the ground and said, "I hope."

"So there I was, just some raw recruit of a tank gunner, at the front lines," said Aso. "The giant boar was beaten down by the Anti-Megalosaur Force but it was far from dead. Then he charged and since we were trapped, it looked like it was the end. But even though I saw that the commander was dead I knew that we couldn't let that rogue boar go and so I took command and had the crew drive the tank straight ahead. We then shot the damn pig at point blank range, right between the eyes!"

The beautiful geisha smiled at this story. The silk of her kimono rustling as she did so, she picked up a cigarette and placed in Aso's mouth and lit it. "So that was what set you on the road that you're at now?" On seeing the G-Force Commander nod, a seductive look came across the woman's face. "That was so brave… I bet you weren't scared at all not with your gun. Here let me pour you some saki."

"Thank you," said the military man. He bowed to her and toasted her as they both drank the rice wine. If there was something that Aso had a taste for it was the best, and as he, learned the Giyon geishas of Kyoto were the best at what they did. Preparing himself for the last battle that lay ahead, one that would make or break the world, he would need their charms to bolster his courage. It was not unlike how in the Pacific War kamikaze pilots were given last goodbyes by geishas before their suicide missions; this time, however, it was for a less… misguided cause.

She asked, "Tell me then, how was your day in the old city? I'm sure it's a relief from all the hustle and bustle of Edo."

"Very relaxing Machiko. I even had a chance to see a sumo match earlier today, it's been a while since I went to see one. It made me remember." He then grew silent and thoughtful. "When times like these come, you have to go home to remember just what it is you're fighting for. When you forget, that's that."

He saw the cool demeanor fade from her white powdered face for a moment before it was regained. Thinking about that, he shifted on the floor set pillow he sat and gave his cup to the geisha. Looking to the perfect curves of her body, Aso though of something to say and though for a while before he found it. "So Machiko, how is your daughter?"

Machiko the geisha looked to him and smiled. "It is very considerate of you remember to ask. Saeko is fine and has been doing exceptionally well in school, though I'm sure she's not doing as well as you did in your classes when you were a boy."

Aso chuckled. Sometimes he wondered who was in control in these situation, the man or the geisha who flattered him; he didn't know and frankly he didn't care because stroking the male ego was what geisha were trained to do. And if there was something that a regular customer knew was which geisha could make him feel better than the rest. "Perhaps I was a good student as a boy and that is why the plan that we've made to destroy King Ghidorah at G-Force is going to work."

"Really?" asked the geisha. "What is your marvelous plan.?

Aso had no fear of revealing a secret; what was said in a geisha house stayed in a geisha house. "It is simplicity in itself actually and we will wind up ridding ourselves of Gojira as well. We simply have the two monsters destroy each other and if one does survive, we just move in and finish it off."

The geisha snuggled against Aso's frame, the ornaments in her split peach hair rustling ever so slightly. "It is ingenious o great general but what of those who would take pity on Gojira?"

At that a slightly grim look came across the commander's face. He knew that his Machiko wasn't asking a rhetorical question; while the reality was that much of Nippon hated Gojira for all that he had done to them, those who most pitied the monster were, ironically enough, often of Nippon. Most famous of these was Miki Segeusa of course. "I have promised Segeusa that I would not harm Gojira and that I would let him go should he defeat King Ghidorah; I did that to secure her vow of getting the monster to help. It will be a breach of manners to do so but I suppose that I will just have to break my promise to her; after Gojira destroys the monster, we'll just move in for the kill. And no, I'm not worried about her seeing my inside my mind, she's too trusting to ever do that. May I please have more saki?"

"But of course," said the smiling geisha.

In southeastern Queens, New York, it was quite a different scene, though for the two there, a very familiar one. Overlooking the marshlands, they were saying goodbye at John F. Kennedy International Airport—with all the traveling they did, it seemed as if they were always saying goodbye at airports. With what had gone on it was a bit more difficult than before.

"Well I guess this is it Kyle." Miki picked up her bags as the air controller barked that the plane was going to leave in ten minutes. "It'll take me all the way the airport in Sondre Strofjord and from there, I'll take a chopper to King Christian Land."

"Are you sure you won't be needing anything, I mean I could stow away or I…"

Miki gave a weak smile as she hugged him. "No, I don't want you to get into trouble. I checked the plane, it's a eight passenger Cessna jet. You couldn't sneak in if you wanted to, just me and Tomas and his crew and Commander Raschen for the mission. Don't worry, Mothra and Battra have just finished regenerating and reaching imago form, they'll fly escort."

Kyle bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair as he struggled for words. Finally, "Miki about what happened back at the meeting, I didn't-"

He was stopped when Miki out her finger to his mouth silencing him. With a sad, yet patient look on her face, she said, "Oh Kyle, we've had this conversation a hundred times. We… we'll make a way and carry on."

Holding her hand, he nervously laughed. "Yeah, guess we always do. Just promise me you'll be careful."

Choking up, Miki weakly laughed. "I will if you promise me to not to get into giant samurai robots and start smashing cities."

Kyle rolled his eyes and covered his face. "Ha ha, that again. I promise Miki." Cutting through their conversation, they heard the traffic controller calling Miki by name this time. "Go on then, they're waiting for you."

Miki nodded and hugged Kyle a final time. Then, hoisting a large back pack over her shoulder and pulling a camping gear tow bag behind her, she went through the gates. But just before the gates closed behind her, she turned around and offered Kyle a final wave; he saw the Kyle and returned the wave.

Kyle stayed there at the terminal and after a while he went to the large window where he overlooked the tarmac. He spotted the tiny plane as it flew off and he followed its progress as it plowed through the sky. He kept watching it until it he could see it no more and when that happened he put his hands in his pants pockets and he walked away. He had to get back to Brooklyn, his grandfather was waiting for him there at their new house and the sick old man needed his attention, but he knew he could spare a few minutes.

He got out of the main building and walked the distance to get to the nearby marshlands of Jamaica Bay. Hiking along the trails he looked up to the sky and saw all the birds in the refuge and the hawks that kept them from the nearby airport. He let the sight calm him yet as he looked up he saw more than birds and saw a winged jewel and a winged piece of obsidian flying through the blue. "Gods of Lemuria and of Infant Island, take care of Miki for me."