Chapter Ten: Answers
/Downtown Los Angeles, October 11th, 2029…
It was late in the afternoon, the sun hung low in the winter sky, turning it a bright orange. Dianna stared out of the window of the car, silently hoping for things to work out. Dad, you better be there. We need you in this fight. She thought. Looking down at her watch, it was half past four and they had only just reached downtown LA. It would be ages before they reached San Francisco.
Looking over at the speedometer, they were only going thirty miles an hour. "Max, can you drive any faster?" she asked bitterly. "Don't be a twit." The man replied, "I'm conserving gas, we're runnin' on fumes here." At that moment, the cars' engine suddenly cut off and the vehicle slowed to a stop.
"Great job, Einstein!" Maz shouted from the back seat. "Now what are we gonna do?" Max simply shrugged. "I dunno. At least I got us this far, right!?" Maz shook his head as he got out of the car. "You're a bloody idiot, Max. You know that?" He slammed the door hard as he stepped onto the sidewalk and tugged at the lapels of his labcoat. "Sometimes I wonder if its' because you never lear-…" The man cut off as he looked across the street and his eyes widened as a large grin grew across his face.
"Oh you beauty! How could anyone leave something like you here?" he mumbled, blindly stumbling across the empty street to the other side as Max and Diana looked on. Maz was approaching a black Lamborghini Countach that had been parked on the sidewalk across from them and abandoned. "Gotta at least be worth a few hundred thousand bucks, this thing!" He called out to the others. "It's an antique." Max began to laugh as he climbed out of the sedan. "So much for him not wanting to take someone else's car." He said to Dianna, chuckling.
Maz was so close to the car he could see his approaching reflection on the black shiny hood of the vehicle. "Oh, C'mere you…" He trailed off when suddenly, a giant dark shape descended from above, completely flattening the Lamborghini. Rather than jump in fright or fear, Maz slowly fell to his knees, crying out in despair at the destruction of the car as one of the buckled wheels rolled past him.
Looking up, Dianna froze with shock as an insectoid face growled back down at her. The MUTO roared as it repositioned itself to face the trio. It was the same one that downed their plane earlier. It was so close that Dianna could see all of the scars and marks around the creatures' mouth as saliva drooled from its' fangs. She was about to turn and run when suddenly, a gunshot rang out. It sounded powerful, more like an old school pirate canon than a gun.
The air whistled as the round punctured the neck of the creature, erupting in a small explosion which threw the creatures' balance. Several more gunshots boomed as the monster was peppered by tiny explosions which spattered its' dark blue blood on the nearby buildings. The MUTO howled in pain before falling forwards, its' giant head landing right in front of Dianna and Max.
"US Army!" A voice cried out as three soldiers emerged from the nearby buildings, weapons raised as they advanced. "Don't move!" The lead soldier shouted at them. "Don't move!" He was extremely tall, with hazel eyes and long dark blonde hair covered by a combat helmet. He was carrying a huge, shoulder-mounted sniper rifle which he quickly lowered and the twos' gazes met. "Uncle Zack?" Diana gasped. "Not just me." The man smiled, slinging the rifle. He gestured to two more people behind him, both of whom Dianna recognised instantly.
They were also armed with the gigantic weapons, which they promptly put down. The first of the two to approach was Zack's younger sister, Angel Storm. "Diana? How'ya doin'?" the second, former Counter-Godzilla Force engineer Jackie Jay, asked, smiling. "And how are you two idiots still coping?" she asked as she walked over to Max and Maz. "Good. We're good." Max beamed innocently. "I see. So, back with the two M n' Ms." Jackie laughed. "Just like old times."
Dianna and Zack were looking at the downed MUTO in front of them. "How'd you get here?" Dianna asked. "We were with a convoy led by Colonel Jefferson." He replied. "We were sent out on a reconnaissance mission." He gestured to the MUTO, "We've been following him for a good few hours, now."
The creature grunted, blowing up small dust clouds beneath its' huge nostrils. Alert, the three soldiers immediately went for their guns, but Dianna raised her hands, gesturing them to stop. "Wait, wait. I want some answers." She said as she approached the creature. Looking around, she set her sights on a small tech shop across the street. "Uncle Zack." She said, turning to the man. "Go in there and get me a sound system, I've got an idea."
….
"So what exactly are you going to do again?" Jackie asked as she watched Dianna pull open the stereo system, ripping up a handful of wires. "Ever since I was a kid, I've had limited psychic capabilities, allowing me to communicate with living things around me." She explained. "That's' how I got Godzilla off our backs in 2014." She made sure the wires were connected to the stereo at one end as she grasped the other end in one hand, wrapping the wires around her forearm. "I don't know if this will work, but I'm going to use myself as a conduit to this MUTO so we can all find out what he's thinking." Jackie simply nodded awkwardly in response. "Uh, okay. Do your thing."
Raising her free hand towards the MUTOs' head, she closed her eyes and concentrated. Suddenly the stereo system came alive with a deep, monstrous growl. "What are you?" Dianna asked aloud. There was no response. She asked again and the stereo flared up in a low, almost demonic voice. "We are alive..." The creature replied. "Where are you from?" She asked. No answer.
"Is there a way we can put aside hostilities? Can there be peace between our kinds?" Dianna asked. There was a long pause. "No…" the monster replied. She looked around to the others, who grimly exchanged glances as they thought about the creatures' response. She looked back to the MUTO. "Then what are our options; what do you want us to do?" she asked. Again, there was a long delay. "Die… All die..." The wounded MUTO bared its' teeth, grinning evilly. "Yargh!" Dianna groaned, stumbling back, clutching the side of her head as the monster fought back against her psychic interrogation, pushing the mental strain onto her.
"Right, I've had enough!" Angel said, stepping forward. Shouldering the huge rifle, she looked down the scope at the MUTOs' face and pulled the trigger. There was a deafening BOOM as the armor-piercing round struck the creatures' head, blowing black-blue brain matter everywhere as the creatures' head jerked upwards, striking the pavement as it fell again. "Boring conversation anyway." She said, lowering the gun. Dianna slowly got to her feet, eyes wide in revelation as her bond with the MUTO instantly shattered. She turned to the others. "It's…Its' a hive mind." She exclaimed. "Every single one of them is connected by a bond…. And they're being controlled by a leader…"
Maz nodded. "Yeah, like a bee hive. They're all run by on big one. She's badass, man. I mean big." He gestured the size of a queen bee with his finger and thumb."They knew where to attack." Dianna continued. "The database at Birth Island. It give them access to the Global Defence Initiative Network. They targeted military bases and major cities specifically." She paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "They were a nest of dormant MUTOs under Birth Island. When the nuke fell in 'fourteen, it woke them up. They were feeding on the radiation ever since, growing in strength and numbers…waiting to attack." She turned to Zack. "Have you got a vehicle?" She asked. The man nodded. "Yeah, we can regroup with the rest of the convoy." Dianna looked worried. "We have to get to San Francisco as soon as we can."
"What do you mean by a leader?" Jackie asked. "Colossus." Dianna replied, "He is the one in charge, running the show. We haven't seen him yet, but now he knows that I know." The woman shook her head. "There's not much time."
Yes, I know. My Independence Day is showing. I enjoyed both ID4 and Resurgence. While many people HATE the new movie, I love it, Its' definitely gonna be one of my top 3 films of the year (I have high hopes for Shin Godzilla and Rogue One) . It brings back the nostalgic feels but in a more modern visual style. Sure it wasn't the same without Will Smith, but Brent Spiners' Dr Oken stole the show for me and kind of made up for it. In Resurgence, Dr Oken was an awesome character IMO, even though bringing him back to life from his obvious death in the first film was a bit retcon-ish. I hope it doesn't take another 20 years for an Independence Day 3 if they make one.
Anywho, I know you're probably getting tired of reading this since we're TEN chapters in and Godzilla hasn't made an appearance yet. Don't worry. He's coming within the two chapters. I promise.
Stay Tuned. Stay Epic ;)