September 3rd, 8:30 AM, Diet Building, 1954

"Several millions of years ago," Prof. Yamane started showing slides of dinosaurs to the gathered attendees, "There existed the Mesozoic Era. During this time, dinosaurs fought, lived, died, and coexisted in a primal ecosystem. The peak of these miraculous reptiles' reign came around the Jurassic Period and continued until the end of the Cretaceous Period."

"It is believed, that during the transition between these two periods," Yamane continued, turning the slide again to a diagram of the three periods composing the Mesozoic Era. "The creatures of the water would emerge and live on land. However, I theorize there might have been another type of lifeform that had adapted to life above and below the water. I have labeled these animals as 'intermediary organisms'."

He paused and turned over to another slide, this one a picture Hagiwara took of the beast of Oto Island, peaking over Hachiman Hill. Its orange-red eyes seeming to glare at the audience, eliciting a few gasps from the crowd. "One such intermediary organism was discovered living off the coasts of Oto Island. This creature, who I have dubbed 'Godzilla' after a dragon god of the island's folklore, was responsible for the destruction on September 1st as well as the sinking of the Eiko-Maru and Bingo-Maru in late August. I estimate his size to be approximately one hundred and sixty five feet in height or fifty meters."

"Professor," one attendee spoke up. "Why would such an animal take up residence in our coastal waters? Why is this... 'Godzilla' appearing now?"

Yamane nodded. "Thank you for your question. In answer, I believe that Godzilla isn't originally from Oto Island, but rather took up residence fairly recently. I theorize that Godzilla might have lived in air pockets deep beneath the Bikini Atoll where he fended for himself and possibly others just like him. However, I suspect the recent underwater H-bomb tests in the South Pacific either scarred, mutated, or simply awoke him and destroyed his original habitat and drove him to Oto Island's coasts where he established new territory. There is physical evidence of this such as a trilobite, a prehistoric ancestor of modern day horseshoe crabs, found within a footprint."

Yamane showed a container with the trilobite inside it to the audience before holding up a beaker full of sand.

"Furthermore, this sand, which was found on the trilobite's shell, could only come from Jurassic strata," he continued.

"Professor," spoke up one of the attendees "How can you determine that Hydrogen bombs are the cause of Godzilla awakening?"

Yamane nodded, "I was just about to get to that. On the island, our Geiger counters detected the presence of Strontium-90. My colleague, Professor Tabata, will explain that in full later. But, in summary, radiation was detected in high doses and could have only come from H-Bombs. Radiation, I might add, was detected in the sand from Godzilla's body."

The statement caused people to murmur with each other which caused Chairman Fukuda to call for order. Meanwhile, the projector turned off and the curtains were drawn, allowing morning sun to seep through.

"This physical evidence allows me to conclude that Godzilla is emitting high levels of H-Bomb radiation." Yamane stated.

More murmurs erupted from the crowd, forcing Fukuda to call for order once more.

"Chairman," Representative Oyama called.

Fukuda nodded in his direction.

"Given the grave repercussions of Yamane's report," he stated. "It should stand to reason that these findings should remain away from the public view until further notice. We don't want to start a panic, after all."

His announcement elicited claps from the audience... save a few.

"PRIVATE!?" a woman yelled, standing from her podium. "The people need to know that... THING is out there! They deserve the truth! It needs to be made public!"

"I agree!" yelled another woman. "The public needs to know!"

"Yeah, where do you get off like that!?" demanded a man.

"Please, please," Oyama stated. "We don't want the public to panic."

"The public's gonna panic either way once Godzilla realizes there's another country off the coast of Oto Island, you idiot!"

Oyama gestured her to be quiet.

Oyama continued, "If Godzilla is the result of H-Bomb tests-"

"He is!" yelled the people opposing the decision to make Godzilla private.

Oyama ignored them.

"If information about Godzilla goes public, we could see a further strain on our diplomatic relations."

"THE TRUTH IS THE TRUTH!"

"THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT SO SERIOUS!" Oyama shouted back, his patience starting to wane before he gathered himself back up and spoke slowly like he was a parent addressing a child. "We can't release this information so rashly!"

"YOU WON'T RELEASE IT BECAUSE YOU'RE A SPINELESS COWARD!"

At that moment, the conference room exploded into arguments; people arguing that information about Godzilla should remain secret on one side and people on the other arguing that Godzilla should be revealed to the public.

"Order, please, order!" Chairman Fukuda cried desperately, trying to get both sides under control.

In the midst of this, Emiko and Shinkichi could only flash sympathetic stares at Yamane who had cupped his hands on his face in sorrow or embarrassment.


Despite the attempts from the Japanese government to keep Godzilla a secret, news about him spread like wildfire across the island nation. News articles announced the establishment of the Godzilla Response and Intercept Division (or GRID for short). Soon, Godzilla had become the talk of the nation. It wasn't helped that, in the days that followed, seventeen ships had been reported sunk or missing, no doubt the handiwork of the monster.

"First Hiroshima and Nagasaki," mused Ami Tsukima as she and her fellow middle school students, Jiro Namazaki and Akio Makanshuku took the train home. "Then radioactive tuna, then the radioactive rains, and now this. This whole situation is turning into Hell. What if Godzilla comes to Tokyo?"

"Easy," Jiro piped up jokingly. "We could just throw Akio at him and run for the hills while he's busy eating him."

This joke earned him a slap across the back of his head by his friend.

"Very funny, jackass." Akio growled sarcastically. "If we're being serious, we might just end up being evacuated again."

"That'll stink if that happens," Ami complained. "I hate going into those shelters. They're dark, they're slimy, and they smell like something died in them."

Jiro shrugged, his joking mood long since vanished. "Well, we may not get a choice."

The three students then stopped talking, no longer wanting to think about what would happen if Godzilla ever turned his gaze toward Tokyo.


October 30th, 12:30 PM, Godzilla Response and Intercept Division main office, 1954

The main halls of G.R.I.D. were packed to the brim of fishermen issuing their grievances to the higher-ups. Just yesterday, G.R.I.D., with the approval of the Japanese government, had ordered all fishing vessels to remain in the harbor until further notice. Seeing as their main source of income was now under lock and key, they had a few choice words to say about it, some of them not very pleasant.

"This is our livelihood we're talking about here!"

"Godzilla isn't anywhere near Tokyo, why should the ships stay in the harbor!?"

The division's head tried his best to calm the crowd.

"I understand your complaints, truly I do," he told them. "But until Godzilla has been taken care of, all fishing ships are to remain anchored in Tokyo Harbor. I'm sorry, but that's what needs to be done."

The head had been called away by his communications officer, he nodded and followed him back.

"Please give me some good news," he whispered harshly to him.

"I wish I could," the CO replied. "But I've got anything but good news. We just lost contact with another ship, Longitude one hundred thirty seven to thirty eight degrees seven East, Latitude thirty four degrees four to thirty three four North. Not only that, but I've received word from higher-ups in the JSDF that a frigate armada will intercept Godzilla and hit 'em with depth charges."

The G.R.I.D. head sighed in relief. With any luck, the depth charges would do the monster in and Japan would be free of this nightmare.


October 30th, 8:00 PM, off the coast of Oto Island, 1954

He slept contently, surrounded by the wreckage of the iron animals that entered his territory. He thought about the small things he saw on the island, the... humans. In the past, he remembered a civilization that bowed to him and made way for a path for him to walk. While those days were long past, he could still remember them. Now, when the humans saw him, they ran. What had changed? Just then, he could feel the vibrations of the water intensify. Slowly, he opened his eyes and turned his gargantuan head to the surface; More human vessels! He tilted his head and slowly rose as they dropped things into the water that fell like stones. One such object fell a few meters from his head. Curiously, he leaned a bit closer to get a better look... and a sudden flash of light struck him.

On board the flagship, Ifukube, the crew let out a cheer as the charges detonated, send white sprays of sea water into the sky. It was almost like watching a fireworks show, albeit more morbid.

The military effort was broadcast to households all across Japan, with people letting out cries of triumph. With any luck, they would see a fifty-meter reptilian carcass floating up on the beaches. It was only a matter of time.


Serizawa watched the footage of the news with his one eye. He was currently sitting within his laboratory with the only sources of light coming from the illuminated aquariums filled with exotic fish. He could only imagine that his former mentor, Prof. Yamane, was reacting to this.

"Mr. Serizawa?" a voice called down from upstairs.

It was Okimi, his elderly maid.

"I'm heading home for the evening."

"Alright, Okimi." he told her, not once looking in her direction. "Be sure to lock the door when you leave."

Okimi nodded and head out, leaving him alone to his studies.


October 30th, 8:30 PM, Yamane residence, 1954

When Shinkichi was younger, he always imagined the Yamane house to be something extraordinary like a dark castle straight out of a gothic horror novel. He imagined Yamane garbed in a black cloak like Dracula. However, when he grew into his middle school years, he realized the Yamane house looked like every other house on Oto Island, just a bit more intricate. To say he was disappointed would be an understatement. Right now, he, along with Ogata, Emiko, and Yamane were watching footage of the fleet bombarding Godzilla with depth charges. It had been going on for a good thirty minutes. He was eagerly waiting to see the dead body of the monster that killed his family drift up to the surface.

Yamane, however, was different. He watched bitterly and sadly as the depth charges detonated, sending up sprays of white mist into the air. Eventually, he had enough.

"Godzilla shouldn't be killed." he grumbled. "He needs to be contained and studied. He's an evolutionary miracle; a creature from Earth's infant years that managed to survive into modern day."

Shinkichi looked to the man with a bewildered expression. He wasn't serious, was he? He saw the damage left behind on Oto Island, he saw the grave markers, especially those of his family, he had heard the reports of those ships being destroyed, and he nearly lost Emiko as a result. Was he SERIOUSLY sympathizing with the monster that had taken everything away from who knows how many people?

"The families of the people he killed might have a different opinion." he replied, a bit more bitterly than he would've wanted.

Yamane glanced at him with wide eyes and excused himself from the table without so much as saying a word. Emiko watched him leave before passing an accusatory stare at the young man.

"What?" he asked.

Emiko just stood up and glared at him, her hair flaring out like a cat.

"You are such an idiot." she hissed harshly.

With a huff, she walked off after her father, bare feet stomping against the floor.

"What?" Shinkichi stood confused. "What did I say?"

Ogata looked at the Oto Islander. "You've got to understand, Shinkichi," he told him gently. "Professor Yamane is a zoologist who cares about all kinds of animals, no matter their temperament. To him, Godzilla's just one big animal he doesn't want to see killed."

Shinkichi looked at him confused. "You too? Ogata, you know how much damage that thing caused. You know he killed all those people, on the ships and Oto Island, including my family?"

Ogata shook his head and sighed. "Shinkichi, I'm not ignoring any of that, but, put yourself in the professor's shoes; imagine if you discovered an animal that lived through multiple extinction events and managed to survive all the way into the Anthropocene and the first thing the big heads want to do is kill it. How would you react? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Shinkichi didn't answer, he just turned his attention back to the TV.


"Dad?" Emiko called for her father, knocking on the door to his studies. "Dad, are you in there?"

She creaked the door open until she saw her father sitting in his chair, a model of a Stegosaurus skeleton to his right and his back to her. He was currently staring out the window.

"Dad...?"

"I want to be left alone right now, Emiko." Yamane told her. His voice was void of any emotion. Emiko nodded and started to close the door.

"Emiko."

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Turn off the lights when you leave."

Emiko nodded and did just that before closing the door, leaving her father alone in the dark.