Kotoe felt secure as she settled back into the familiar control room of the Mecha. With her headpiece on, she confidently waved her hands to manipulate the various monitors that floated before her.

The Mecha soared over the water, its powerful boosters kicking up spray in its wake. It had been a week since the successful test, and two days since Godzilla had wreaked havoc on the Sidewinder, claiming the lives of 200 people aboard. During this time, minor repairs had been made to the energy core to ensure the requested power was available when the weapons were deployed.

Kotoe found herself hundreds of miles south of Japan, nearing Taiwan. She checked the fuel level, it was half full. Hirooki's fuel-to-propellant algorithm was off by about an eighth of a tank, more had been used than had anticipated. Kotoe couldn't ponder on that now.

The sea glistened under the afternoon sun, but Kotoe had her attention elsewhere. In the distance, she spotted him – Godzilla, with his unmistakable spiky back and menacing presence. His tail whipped down into the water, spraying water droplets through the air.

Godzilla snarled at Mechagodzilla, his glowing yellow eyes, betrayed an awareness of an approaching antagonist. The spines on his back were illuminating into a bright blue.

"Godzilla's beam will be released in twenty-five seconds. We should apply our counter-defense beam," said Mecha's AI in a matter-of-fact manner.

Kotoe nodded, feeling her spine tingle as she pressed a few buttons on the holographic display in front of her. Would the core handle it this time?

Hirooki's crackling voice came through, "So far the meters are stable."

"But will it stand against Godzilla's beam? That's the question." Kotoe voiced her concern.

"Our radioactive levels indicate it will." The Mecha AI said with assurance.

Godzilla tilted his head back, his eyes glowing ominously as his mouth ripped open, unleashing a torrent of blue energy. Simultaneously, Mechagodzilla fired its yellow beam, the two colliding in a fiery explosion.

The fireball struck Godzilla, causing him to collapse into a giant splash of water.

Meanwhile, the Mecha correctly absorbed the impact, its silver plating sparking in some areas. Inside the cockpit, Kotoe noticed the holographic panels flashing warnings at her.

"Shield is stabilizing. I will initiate anti-flame coating on the outside panels," the Mecha AI explained.

Kotoe could feel her heart rate increasing. "I didn't even know we had that. What else are you and Hirooki not telling me?" she screamed as the interior shook.

"This is a new one to me too," Hirooki admitted over the comm.

In the ocean, Godzilla resurfaced, his head towered above the waves. He snarled and let loose a deep roar of irritation.

"We should release the missiles. That won't cause a cooldown," Kotoe suggested as she waved her hand to activate her screens, displaying information on the Mecha.

"Or we could use the plasma grenade?" The Mecha AI responded.

"At these levels? No way."

"Missiles are ready to be released at your command."

Kotoe observed Godzilla through her display as he struggled to regain his attack position. He looked vulnerable; they needed to press the attack.

The Mecha raised its hand as it hovered over Godzilla and released the missiles, which shot off, leaving a trail of wispy smoke. The missiles struck Godzilla's thick skin, prompting a whimper from the massive creature. Although the barrage of missiles caused Godzilla to reel, he didn't crumble completely.

Kotoe was ready. "Alright, let's go in for the kill."

The waves around Godzilla's body thrashed as he reached to grab the hovering Mecha. Kotoe could feel she had lost manual control and the AI had taken over.

"Emergency override initiated as impact was immanent," the Mecha AI stated.

"Bullshit, I had that." Kotoe shook her head. "Give me back control."

"Fuel reaching a point of no return. I will fly us back," The Mecha AI declared.

"What we are still in battle?"

Hirooki's voice came through her headset. "Mecha AI is right. Too much fuel has been burned. This is a safety precaution."

Godzilla turned back toward the open Pacific Ocean.

"Besides he is turning around anyway." Mai chimed in. Kotoe had forgotten she was even there.

"We have cataloged pieces of this clash over the ocean. With this data, we can predict a better outcome."

"Fine." She was at peace with the fact that Godzilla had disappeared under the water heading east. He looked defeated, like a marathon runner collapsing after losing a 200-meter dash. Kotoe knew this wasn't over. Whatever the outcome, the Mecha AI and Hirooki were programmed to save the Mechagodzilla at all costs. She was programmed differently; she wanted to kill Godzilla at all costs.