Most of the crowd stopped swimming. Instead they tread water, looking up at Godzilla, then swinging their heads over to Titanosaurus. Like spectators at some sporting event, Ruffin thought. A few even lifted their cell phones, trying to get a picture.
The air grew tense as both monsters stared at one another. Godzilla emitted a low growl. Titanosaurus banged his hands together and roared.
"C'mon, Godzilla!" Jaelin raised a fist into the air. "Kick that ugly fucker's ass!"
As if responding to the sniper's cheer, Godzilla let loose a deafening roar and sloshed through the water onto dry land. Tremors rolled through the ground and into the bay with each footfall. Several buildings wound up flattened by Godzilla's massive feet.
Titanosaurus roared and charged. Buildings crumbled as he smashed into them. Trees fell over or were simply crushed. Clouds of dust and an occasional pillar of fire rose around the alien-controlled monster.
Godzilla roared and put his head down. He plowed into Titanosaurus. It reminded Ruffin of two football lineman crashing into each other. Two reptilian linemen in excess of one hundred feet and God only knew how many tons.
Titanosaurus fell backwards, his shoulder striking the side of a high rise. The blow tore out several floors. The top half of the high rise tilted to the right, then collapsed. More brown and gray dust clouds billowed up. Godzilla kicked at Titanosaurus. The monster's arms shot up. Godzilla roared and pitched backwards. Another quake rocked Port of Spain when he struck the ground, taking out an entire block of homes underneath him.
Ruffin forced himself to look away from the battle. He couldn't afford to be a spectator. He had stuff to do. Number one was account for all the members of his team.
He called out everyone's name, ordering them to rally around him. Jaelin, Best and Fetisov swam toward him. Less than a minute later he spotted JQ, Akua, Linc and Cheo. Gomez appeared shortly after them.
"Where's White?" Ruffin swung his head all around, searching for the big ex-Royal Marine.
Cheo lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry, Major. I found White floating face down. Some of the crowd must have fallen on him when they jumped into the water. His neck was broken. He's dead."
Ruffin swallowed. Disbelief gripped him. White dead? That couldn't be right.
He closed his eyes, forcing himself to admit that White was gone.
But mourning would have to come later.
"Nothing we can do for him now, people. We have a job to do."
"What job, Sir?" asked Akua.
"To get as many people to safety as possible." He turned back to Godzilla and Titanosaurus, who dominated the Port of Spain skyline. Godzilla whipped his tail around and nailed Titanosaurus in the chest. The monster stumbled back, but did not fall. Instead it charged. Godzilla grabbed Titanosaurus in a bearhug. Both monsters wrestled until they toppled to the ground. The world shook again. More clouds of brown and gray dust sprang up. The billowing dark mass spread through the city, consuming buildings and trees, like a living organism.
Ruffin turned back to his men. "There are civilians out there who are injured and scared. They're gonna need help, and we're gonna give it to them. Got it?"
They all responded in the affirmative.
The nine private warriors swam back to the docks and dragged themselves onto dry land, soaking wet. They were soon joined by Sergeant Jellicoe and six other soldiers from the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment.
"We are headed back into the city," Jellicoe told them. "To aid any civilians who are injured or were unable to evacuate."
"Great minds think alike," Ruffin replied. "That's what we plan to do. Lead on."
Jellicoe nodded and sprinted off. Ruffin's team and the Trinidadian soldiers followed him. Every few seconds mini-earthquakes tore through the city. Ruffin looked over at the monsters. Titanosaurus bit down on Godzilla's left arm. Godzilla let out short roars of pain and anger, all the while pounding Titanosaurus' long neck with his right fist. One blow caught Titanosaurus in the eye. The monster let go of Godzilla's arm and stumbled back. Godzilla roared and lashed out with his right arm. His clawed hand struck Titanosaurus in the snout. The two monsters slashed and punched and wrestled as a large debris cloud floated around their legs. Ruffin estimated them to be three to four miles away.
He and the others turned onto a block of stores and business offices. Vehicles jammed the street, many with their drivers and passengers still in them. Horns blared non-stop.
Jellicoe ordered two of his soldiers to scout ahead for buildings with basements or old bomb shelters. Ruffin had JQ and Cheo go with them. The rest hurried between the tangle of vehicles, banging on roofs and windows, telling people to get out and find shelter.
One of those people, a well-dressed man in his mid-twenties sitting in a bright red Lotus Elise roadster, told Ruffin, "I just bought this car. No way I'm just gonna leave it."
Ruffin scowled and pointed to Godzilla and Titanosaurus, still exchanging blows and knocking over buildings. "You see that? If you don't get out of that car, it's gonna be the last one you ever buy. In fact, it'll be the last anything you ever buy. Got it?"
The man eyed the battling monsters, watching as Godzilla shoved Titanosaurus into a tall building, which crumbled to the ground. He swallowed, looked to Ruffin, then threw the door open and ran off.
JQ, Cheo and the two Trinidadian soldiers with them guided the civilians into the basements they found. Quakes constantly rippled under Ruffin's feet as the monsters kept fighting. He bit his lip, watching the Trinidadians hurry inside nearby buildings.
Is that wise? How many buildings had Godzilla and Titanosaurus destroyed? If the offices and stores around him collapsed, or either monster simply put their foot right through the street, what chance would the civilians in those basements have?
Unfortunately, there was nowhere else for them to go. Their chances for survival had to be better under cover than in the open, so long as that cover didn't fall on top of their heads.
He wouldn't call it the best option. More like the least-worst choice.
The quakes intensified. Ruffin turned to the right. The monsters pounded and slashed and pushed one another, coming closer him. Maybe two miles away, at least.
He maneuvered around the vehicles or just ran over top of them. Spotting only empty cars, he led his team to the next block, where another traffic jam awaited them. Sitting in the middle of it was a school bus full with children.
"Great." He hurried toward it, joined by Sergeant Major Best and one of Jellicoe's soldiers, a private.
When they reached the bus, Ruffin pounded on the door. "Get out! Get everyone out now!"
The bus driver, a heavyset middle-age woman, looked at him with wide eyes, not moving. Probably afraid of opening the door to some strange white guy screaming at her.
Ruffin turned to the Trinidadian soldier. "What's your name?"
"Private Narine, Sir."
"Narine, see if you can convince her to open the door." He hoped the driver would trust a fellow countryman in uniform more than a shouting foreigner.
Narine, a lanky, dark-skinned man who couldn't be older than twenty, tapped on the door. "Ma'am. Private Narine, Trinidad and Tobago Regiment. You and your children must evacuate the bus and seek shelter. It is not safe here."
The driver hesitated, then reached for the handle with a shaky hand. The door slid open. Narine entered the bus, followed by Ruffin.
"Is he with you?" the driver nodded to Ruffin.
"Yes, Ma'am," Narine responded.
The driver nodded and relaxed a little. "I'm sorry. The way you were yelling I didn't know -"
"No time for apologies," Ruffin said. "We need everyone off this bus now."
"But-But where will we go?" asked the driver.
"We'll get you to a basement. It's the best place to be right now." Or the least-worst place.
Ruffin's eyes swept over the interior of the bus. He estimated twenty-plus kids. Most of the boys stared out the window watching Godzilla and Titanosaurus fight. From their open mouths and constant, "Wows," they apparently thought this was the coolest thing in the world. The majority of girls, however, cried in fright.
He also noticed one girl near the front with a plaster cast below her knee and crutches across her lap.
Wonderful.
The driver got out of her seat and leaned closer to Ruffin. "Leanda has a broken leg. And what if some of the children get lost looking for shelter?"
A tremor rocked the bus, followed by a roar from Godzilla. The boys "wowed," again. The girls cried louder.
Ruffin put his lips an inch from the driver's ear. "You're not going anywhere in this bus. If those kids stay here, they're dead. Got it?"
The driver stared back at him, eyes blazing with fear. Anger built inside Ruffin at the driver's inaction. Just as he opened his mouth to say something, the large woman nodded and turned to the kids.
"Children! Children pay attention. These people are with the Defense Forces. We're going to follow them to a safe place. Everyone hold hands and stay together. Do not wander off."
Ruffin went over to the girl with the broken leg, Leanda, and reached down for her. "C'mon, honey. I got you. You're gonna be fine."
He picked her up in both arms and carried her off the bus. No way would she be able to keep up on her crutches. He stood outside while Narine and the driver herded the rest of the kids off the bus. His attention split between the children and the monsters, now little more than a mile away. Ruffin held his breath when he saw a blue aura surround the plates running down Godzilla's back. A stream of blue flame shot out his mouth and struck Titanosaurus in the chest. Flames and smoke burst from its brightly colored body. Many of the boys around him cheered. Ruffin almost cheered himself when he saw Titanosaurus stumble.
Go down. Go down and stay down, you bastard.
But Titanosaurus remained on his feet. The beast turned back to Godzilla, roared and raised his right arm. Ruffin heard deep pops and saw white streaks flash from Titanosaurus' claws. A geyser of blood rose from Godzilla's right shoulder. He let out a high-pitched roar of pain.
"That's all of them, Sir," Narine reported.
"Where to now?" asked Best.
Ruffin looked around, wondering which building might have a basement.
Out the corner of his eye, he saw Titanosaurus turn his back to Godzilla. A fin popped up from the tip of his tail. The monster swung back and forth. Wind whistled past Ruffin, kicking up papers and other debris. It grew stronger by the second.
Just pick one and pray you're right.
"This way! Go! Go! Go!"
The wind continued to pick up. Ruffin gritted his teeth as he hurried to a nearby office building, the wind buffeting him. Leanda latched on to him tighter and screamed in terror. His arms and back burned from holding the little girl for so long. He ignored the pain and continued forward.
Narine opened the door for him. Ruffin stepped inside and watched as Best and the driver waved the children through. The wind blew with hurricane force. All manner of debris streaked through the air. Ruffin feared some of the children would be blown over, even blown away.
They all made it inside. Ruffin swung his head in all directions as the wind screamed outside, looking for a door that might lead to a basement.
Please have a basement.
"Here, Sir." Best called out from the end of a small corridor to the left. The Sergeant-Major tried to handle. Locked.
"Better cover your ears, everyone." Best drew his handgun and pumped four rounds into the lock. He kicked open the door, looked inside and nodded.
"We're in luck, Sir. One basement, as hoped for."
"Good. Everyone downstairs! Go! Go!"
The children filed into the basement. The howl of the wind outside turned deafening. Ruffin tensed, fearing the whole building would be ripped from its foundation.
Once all the children and the bus driver had gone down to the basement, Ruffin followed, carrying Leanda. Next came Private Narine, and finally, Sergeant-Major Best.
Ruffin set Leanda down against the wall. Tears streamed down the girl's face. "I want my mommy and daddy."
"I know you do, sweetheart." A deep boom filled the air, followed by a tremor. Screams erupted from the children.
"I don't wanna die!" Leanda cried.
"Hey. Leanda, look at me." He gently grasped the girl's shoulders. "It is Leanda, right?"
She nodded. Another tremor ripped through the basement. Leanda and most of the other children screamed.
"Leanda, my name's John. I used to be an American Marine. Have you heard of the Marines?"
"I-I think so."
Another tremor. More screams.
"Well our job is to protect people like you. So as long as I'm here, I won't let anything happen to -"
The world around him exploded.
XXXXX
The hurricane wind died down as Godzilla struggled to rise, the rubble of numerous buildings surrounding him. He rolled onto his side and started to push himself up when Titanosaurus rushed up and kicked him. Godzilla spun through the air and smashed into the ground. He rolled for nearly a half-mile, flattening buildings and vehicles and people.
Titanosaurus roared and kicked Godzilla again. And again. And again, leaving a trail of rubble in their wake. Titanosaurus ran in for another kick. Still on his side, Godzilla let loose a stream of radioactive fire. The blue flames struck Titanosaurus in the right leg. The monster cried out in pain. The nanobots immediately went to work, replacing the flesh and bone that had been burned and melted away.
Godzilla got to his feet, roared and charged. He swatted Titanosaurus on the neck. Titanosaurus swiped Godzilla across the snout. Godzilla moved in and clamped his jaws down on the other monster's neck. He felt scaly flesh give. The warm taste of blood flooded his mouth. Godzilla continued to bite harder.
Titanosaurus screeched in pain. He then jammed his right hand into the flesh just under Godzilla's armpit. Four high-speed talons blasted through the monster's body.
Godzilla stumbled away, a reptilian cry erupting from his maw. Blood poured from the gaping holes in his dark green hide. Titanosaurus roared and rushed forward. He rammed into Godzilla, sending him crashing through a tall building. A rain of steel and concrete fell around him as he slammed into the ground.
Titanosaurus stomped on Godzilla, again and again. Blood came out in gushers. Godzilla swatted at his attacker, his blows growing weaker by the second. Titanosaurus grabbed him by the snout and lifted him to his feet. He pounded the gaping wounds in Godzilla's sides, then got him in a bearhug. Titanosaurus reared back and flung Godzilla into the air. The monster soared for over a mile before crashing near the port. Buildings were flattened or collapsed. Huge dust clouds sprang up around him.
Godzilla pushed himself to his feet, wobbling from side to side. Titanosaurus raised both hands. Eight talons streaked through the air.
Six tore through Godzilla.
Torso covered in blood, Godzilla stumbled backwards, falling into the water. Huge waves washed over the port and through the streets. Godzilla turned around, staggering toward the open water.
Titanosaurus fired another barrage of hypersonic talons. Three struck Godzilla in the back, tearing off two of his plates.
Godzilla pitched forward. Gigantic white curtains shot up around him when he hit the water. Godzilla sank beneath the waves. Titanosaurus stared at the water for a minute. Two minutes. Three minutes.
Godzilla did not resurface.
Titanosaurus leaned back and let out a triumphant roar. He then turned around, surveying the fire and smoke and rubble before him. Despite all the devastation, hundreds upon hundreds of buildings throughout Port of Spain remained standing.
They wouldn't for long.
TO BE CONTINUED