Chapter 25: Double Dragon
The port city of Magadan, the second largest seaport in Northeastern Russia, and an important export hub for trade goods. The region surrounding Magadan was rich with mineral resources, but in particular, had some very lucrative gold mines. The city was surrounded by mountains, which gave the metropolis a beautiful backdrop, in addition to natural resources. Thanks to icebreaking ships, the port was able to operate all year-round, despite the long and harsh winters of the province. That time was nearly upon them once more. It would be perhaps one more month before the icebreakers would be necessary to open up the bay again. The population of Magadan was doing all they could to enjoy their last remaining warm days of the year.
Alexei, a teenage boy, was one such resident. He was walking the streets of the city. His mother had sent him on an errand to the fish market to buy the catch of the day for dinner. The market was down near the port, so it was about a ten-minute stroll from his house. The morning breeze was cool but refreshing.
"Enjoy the weather while you can Alexei, it's going to turn on us before the day is out!" One of his neighbors called out in greeting.
"I will!" Alexei called back, waving.
The whole city was going about its regular morning routine. Women were hanging freshly scrubbed laundry out on wires. They acknowledged Alexei with warm smiles as he went by. Alexei could smell the local baker pulling out his first batch of vatrushkas for the day. Alexei considered grabbing one on the way back from the market. If he could save enough money getting a good deal on the fish, then he might even have enough for two.
Alexei passed one of his schoolmates, Sarah, who was returning from the post office with a letter for her father. He had a crush on her, but never worked up the courage to say anything to her about it. One day, he promised himself he would. Sarah said nothing to Alexei as they passed on the sidewalk, but she flashed him a mischievous smirk while tossing one of her long blonde braided pigtails at him. It almost hit Alexei on the shoulder. He was tempted to turn around and talk to her, but then thought better of it, losing his nerve.
As Alexei turned back around, he saw a big black dog running towards him. He stopped in his tracks, bracing while preparing to protect himself. He thought for sure the animal was going to attack him. But the dog flew past him and continued onward down the street without any signs of slowing. Alexei stood there confused. The dog wasn't chasing anything, and it wasn't being chased either. It was quite odd.
Alexei shrugged and just decided to get on with his day, dismissing the incident, and continuing onwards towards the market. When he arrived, the shops along the pier were already bustling with activity. Customers were shuffling from stall to stall picking out their goods. It was crowded. Alexei realized he should have gotten there sooner to beat the morning rush. Now it was going to take him twice as long to take care of his business.
There was something very off about the market that morning, and it wasn't the customers. Something was missing from the usual mess of movement and noise that defined a standard trip to the market. It didn't take Alexei a long time to figure out what it was. He didn't see any seagulls. Usually by this point in the day, the obnoxious birds would be swarming all of the fish market trying to snag scraps of food from unwary shoppers. But there wasn't a single one to be found that morning. Alexei didn't particularly miss the pests. Most people regarded them as rats with wings, but it was quite odd not to see any.
Alexei stepped out near the water to see if he could spot any gulls flying out over the bay. None were there either. Where could they have gone? While there were no birds to be found, Alexei did, however, spot something in the sky beyond the bay. It was a white dot floating on the horizon out at sea. Whatever it was, it was pretty far out but getting closer.
As Alexei stood there watching, he discovered that it was an aircraft. A white helicopter. It was still miles out at sea, but it had nearly entered the airspace over the bay. It had stopped and turned just short of the shallower waters. Alexei struggled to get a good look at it while it was at profile. It didn't appear to be a Russian design.
Alexei's attention was drawn away from the aircraft as a disturbance on the water took its place. A section of water in the middle of the bay was turning white as it churned and roiled. Suddenly, an enormous dark form exploded up from the middle of the swirling water, making its presence known to the people along the harbor. All of the shoppers in the market turned to see what was going on. They looked up to find Godzilla staring back down at them. The monster eyed them menacingly. Most of the people froze in fear.
The force of Godzilla surfacing sent a wave of water barreling towards the shore. When it hit, the surging current overran the breakwater and poured into the market area, bowling over the majority of the people who were there. Alexei himself was forced to grab onto a signpost to avoid being swept away by the wave. The cold rush of seawater snapped him back into reality. He could hear women screaming all around him. It was the most terrifying noise he had ever heard. Adults were crying out like children.
Then Godzilla roared, drowning them out. Alexei was so close to the monster that it felt like his bones were shaking from the reverberation. With that, there was a new most-terrifying sound he had ever heard. It eclipsed the previous one by a very wide margin.
As Alexei picked himself back up from the surge of water, the crowd of people in the market began pouring past him in an attempt to get away from Godzilla. A man carelessly knocked him back down to the ground. Alexei rolled out of the way as feet stamped past him. No one stopped to help him up. It didn't matter to anyone that he was a kid. Everyone was solely out for themselves.
As Alexei picked himself back up for a second time, he heard the sound of thuds getting closer. He looked back to the bay and found that Godzilla was moving. The monster was closing in on the harbor. The closer Godzilla got to the waterline, the louder the thumps got. By that point, the whole city was already aware of the monster's impending attack. Alexei shot up to his feet and joined the mob of people trying to get away.
The crowd fleeing in front of Alexei was turning into a catastrophe all on its own. People were falling down and getting trampled by those following behind. An old woman came out of her front door to see what was happening and got run over by the crowd in the panic and confusion. There was blood in the streets. It was awful. As Alexei started to catch up with the group, he saw flashes of light reflecting off of the buildings in front of him like a thunderstorm. He didn't dare turn to see what was causing it.
Soon after, a blue stream of fire shot out above Alexei's head. It struck the tallest building in town near its base. The beam sheered the top floors clean away from the rest of the structure. Without being connected to the bottom supports anymore, the top floors of the building collapsed over sideways. They fell into the street and crushed people who were trying to escape. The resulting wreckage was burning out of control and spread to the surrounding area.
The pleasant smell of the bakery was rapidly replaced with smoke and the odor of cooking human flesh. Like so many others, Alexei was cut off by the flaming rubble and had to detour around the blocked off street. He was beyond frightened, and the only thing he wanted to do at that point was get home and find his mother.
By the time Alexei had gone around the debris, the fires had spread to the block where his house was located. Fortunately, the fire had stopped just short of his own family's home. He dashed as fast as he could, nearly out of breath and coughing because of all the smoke filling the air. He was frantic and in tears from his ordeal, but relief was at hand. As Alexei approached his house, he saw his mother waiting for him. He was only a block away from her now. Once he got to her, she'd know what to do.
Alexei heard a crash from behind him and saw the specter of a shadow passing over him. Godzilla had kicked an oil container in the harbor area. It landed directly onto the burning house next to Alexei's own. The burning structure immediately collapsed under the weight of the tank, kicking up embers. The container rolled slightly before wedging itself in the building's remains and coming to a rest.
Alexei stood there stunned. The metal at the base of the tank was slowly starting to glow from the intense heat of the fire, but he didn't notice it. His mother was shouting for him to turn back, but he couldn't hear her. He unwittingly stepped forward towards the danger, his hand reaching out. The tank finally exploded and showered burning oil down onto Alexei. He walked onward on fire for about ten additional feet before succumbing to the flames and falling over.
From above, Marcus watched as an explosion ripped through a neighborhood below. The Archimedes fleet had been tracking Godzilla's movements under the water through the Sea of Okhotsk and across the narrow gap between the Kamchatka Peninsula to the city of Magadan using a Giger counter.
Godzilla was marching into Magadan virtually unopposed. This was primarily because the Rodans had been rampaging all throughout the northeast parts of Russia and the Soviet military already had their hands full. Most of their resources were focused on trying to contain them. As a consequence, there was no help coming to Magadan.
The Rodans had been quiet for about twenty-four hours after their battle with Godzilla, but then they descended upon the Russian people with a great and powerful vengeance. They were downing aircraft all over eastern Russia, far outside of the established no-fly zones. According to intercepted Russian radio chatter Ling translated, the two monsters were pushing out further west than they had ever done before. Nothing that moved was safe.
Below, Godzilla continued to march through the city on his own path of destruction. His foot clipped the edge of a building at the base, causing the floors above to crumble over and collapse. Marcus could see through the windows that people were still inside. Godzilla's attack had been so sudden and without warning that many people simply did not have the time to get out. No evacuation had been put into effect ahead of time; thus, the streets were overflowing with people desperate to escape.
Godzilla lumbered forward mercilessly, knocking over a steel radio tower which crushed people as they scrambled to get out of the way. Those who were not outright crushed by the falling tower, were trapped and unable to escape the monster's massive footfalls that were inevitably going to follow. The panicked people could do nothing but stare up and scream as they were trampled.
Out ahead of the horror, other people were witnessing what was going on and scrambled in terror to avoid the same fate. Godzilla was advancing faster than expected. In the next building over, people were forced to jump out of their windows to escape, having no time to exit through the stairwells. Many people jumped from too high though and injured themselves in the resulting falls. Some even landed badly and died on impact.
The people living in the apartment across the street weren't given the luxury of deciding their own fate. Godzilla unleashed another powerful stream of his atomic breath upon the structure. The residents on the side nearest to him were vaporized as the fire cut through their homes. The people on the far side weren't instantly killed, but undoubtably suffered a worse fate. Those individuals lived for several more agonizing moments as their fleshed melted away from their bones in Godzilla's nuclear fire. A few souls jumped through the glass windows in a desperate attempt to flee. They burned on the way down but found their peace on the pavement.
It was dead quiet in the chopper as they witnessed the terrible scene unfolding. For the small fraction of people who still remained alive in the apartment building, mostly just those who lived above the blast zone, they were left with a tough choice, risk burning to death by remaining in the building or risk death hitting the ground by going out a window. Two very unenviable options.
Godzilla meanwhile had turned his attention to a grand multi-domed orthodox church near the center of town. More than a couple of the city's inhabitants had taken refuge there, looking to the heavens above for help. Godzilla lumbered towards the church ominously. Finally, the monster got right up next to it and raised one of his feet up high. Godzilla then brought it back down, stepping onto the church. The domes collapsed and the entire structure gave way under his weight.
"You destroy everything you touch…" Marcus whispered to himself, breaking the silence.
The words seemed to echo in Marcus' head after he said them. A golden flash of light streaked across the center of his vision. He saw another city somewhere off in a hazy distance. The buildings there were on fire too. It seemed as though that city was also under siege. Just as quickly as it had come, it was gone. Marcus was back flying over Magadan again. A bead of cold sweat rolled down his face.
"You'd think God would strike him down with a bolt of lightning for doing something like that!" Brock remarked, incensed.
"I don't think a bolt of lightning would be enough to do the job." Admiral Malek replied. "Marcus, if your radar picks up any Russian aircraft, we're getting the hell out of here." Marcus meanwhile was still a thousand miles away, and not listening. "Marcus, you with us?" Malek nudged his shoulder to get his attention.
"Yeah, roger that sir." Marcus agreed, reacclimating to his surroundings. "I'm not planning to take any unnecessary risks. I'm going to keep this bird above and behind Godzilla's head. If he even starts to turn in this direction, we're bugging out."
"Alright… good." Admiral Malek seemed to sense Marcus was not quite himself, but he just attributed it to the scene unfolding below. "Ling, are you picking up any Russian radio chatter that says what the Rodans are up to?"
"It's surprisingly quiet." Ling answered.
"Good, I doubt they will show up down here, but I hate surprises." Admiral Malek noted.
"Jeezz... the Russians have both Godzillaand…the Rodans to deal with." Brock said in an uncharacteristically sympathetic tone while shaking his head.
"The Russian's attack must have really pissed the Rodans off." Ling remarked. "They have never been this aggressive before."
"Well, they did try to nuke them." Brock pointed out. "That would probably make me pretty grumpy too."
"I imagine the Russians will think twice before trying to use another nuclear weapon on their own soil." Ling pointed out. "Look what it brought them. They managed to attract Godzilla's attention, and now he's rampaging through one of their cities. Best I can tell, there's not a damn thing they can do to stop it. Hell, any country should have second thoughts after this debacle."
"Aren't we going to help them out like we did with the Japanese?" Marcus asked. There was once again silence in the helicopter. No one else seemed to want to broach that topic. "Think what it might mean politically if we were seen to be lending a hand to these civilians. Innocent people whose own government is powerless to help." Marcus pressed on, looking over to Admiral Malek for support, but he seemed unmoved by the suggestion.
"Communism is a disease to be wiped out." Malek finally replied coldly. "We're just soldiers. We don't set policy; we simply follow it. But if it's any comfort to you, if our roles were reversed, they would do the same to us, or worse."
"I know it doesn't seem fair Marcus." Brock chimed in. "But the Russians are not our allies. And we can't really be seen here."
"What about them?" Marcus motioned down to the citizens of Magadan.
"I doubt anyone who is left down there after this will remember anything else but Godzilla's attack." Brock replied.
By that point, Godzilla had nearly made his way to the far side of town. Most of the remaining citizens were fleeing into the mountains for safety. Magadan was slowly burning to the ground. The helicopter shifted in the air as the wind changed direction. A cold front was coming in through the north, bringing a frosty bite with it. As the air current hit Godzilla, he stopped his attack. He paused briefly, and then turned southward towards the coastline.
"I've seen enough, get us out of here." Admiral Malek ordered as Godzilla turned in their direction.
…
Akira sat on a pile of railroad ties in the early morning sun. He watched as squads of soldiers came and went from the mines at Kitamatsu. Tunnel by tunnel, they were clearing out the few remaining giant insects from the mine and destroying their eggs.
Akira was tired, cold, and beaten up, but he was also stubborn, and he didn't want to move from that spot until he had heard an all-clear given by the officers in charge. He'd be able to rest easier after hearing it. Such as it was, he just sat there sipping from a warm cup of tea. The medics had stitched him up and rebandaged his wounds. Akira was a hell of a pilot, but he was a shit nurse. The wrapping job he had done on himself was abysmal. As a result, he was a little pale from the amount of blood he had lost the night before.
"You look terrible boss." Haruki rejoined Akira, now wearing a sling on his arm.
"You should see the other guy." Akira quipped.
"I have." Haruki pointed out. "There's still bits of them over there, and some there too." He pointed with his good arm.
"Yeah…. you're right." Akira smirked devilishly. Pieces of the monsters were being collected for scientific analysis. A soldier was strolling up to the pair in a rigid military fashion. He stopped just in front of them and then saluted.
"Sir, you've been waiting for confirmation." The soldier began. "I've been given authorization to inform you, the mines are wholly under our control now. We've wiped out the enemy." Akira slid his way off the wood pile, saluted back, and then finished his tea in one final gulp.
"Good, now get me the hell to a hospital." Akira ordered wearily.
"Yes sir, we have an ambulance ready to take you back to the airbase immediately." The soldier had to resist the urge to smile from Akira's antics.
"Alright Haruki." Akira turned to him. "Let's get out of here."
…
Marcus piloted his helicopter back to the Archimedes task force. The fleet was using light signals to communicate back and forth. They were doing so, to avoid both detection by the Russians and the Rodans. A second helicopter had been dispatched to take over tracking Godzilla as he moved south through the Okhotsk Sea.
The fleet turned and gave chase from a safe distance. Godzilla was moving at forty knots, and his present heading put him on a collision course with Korea. Admiral Malek figured that was a development the Japanese would be interested in. He intended to inform them through a coded message just as soon as they were out of Russian waters. It could secure him support from the Japanese fleet if they felt their interests were at risk. That, and Godzilla would be skirting the waters off of Japan's west coast. That would certainly grab their attention if nothing else.
Captain Lennox was on the flight deck to greet Marcus' helicopter as they landed. Ling and Admiral Malek went directly back to the bridge, but Brock and Marcus lingered on the flight deck with Lennox, catching him up on what they saw while on the mission. They described the annihilation of Magadan and Admiral Malek's apparent indifference to their plight. Captain Lennox was able to offer up some explanation for his cold attitude.
"During the last war, Admiral Malek was part of an American task force that went north to hit Soviet military facilities that were bordering the Rodan's territory." He began to explain. "The Russians were using those bases as supply depots and staging grounds. They figured those bases would be pretty secure since both the American and Japanese fleets had kept well away from them up until that point. Malek was a Captain at the time, in command of the task force's flagship, the USS Ticonderoga. His mentor, Admiral Morris, was in overall command of the fleet, and was aboard the Ticonderoga with Malek. It was for that reason the Russians specifically targeted it. Somewhere along the line, there was an intelligence leak, and the Russians were up there waiting for them. The Rooskies could not even begin to compete with our naval power, so instead, they sent hundreds of planes to attack the fleet while they were in route to their first target."
"That sounds bad, what happened next?" Marcus asked.
"Well, our fleet was far from defenseless of course." Lennox continued. "Admiral Morris was the cautious type of commander, so he always had plenty of fighters on combat air patrol over the fleet. It was a good thing he did. Those fighters fought the first wave hard and delayed them enough for the task force to get more planes up to engage them. A fierce battle ensued. The fleet was able to coordinate their firepower effectively and downed a lot of enemy planes, but for every one they downed, there were two more to take their place. The fleet started to take hits. Admiral Morris was killed in a strafing run on the bridge of the Ticonderoga and Malek assumed command of the fleet.
"Did Malek withdraw?" Brock inquired.
"No, he fought back like hell, and eventually destroyed the attacking planes, except for the few that retreated." Lennox went on. "Malek turned back their attack, but the Ticonderoga was badly damaged during the fighting. The damage control teams made a valiant effort to save the ship, but it was hopeless. Fires were put out and holes in the hull were patched, but the engines were too badly damaged to be repaired while at sea. Without some TLC in a drydock, the ship wasn't going to get back underway under its own power. The Ticonderoga had to be scuttled to ensure the Russians wouldn't get their hands on her. Malek had to watch his ship sink while being motored over to one of the nearby battleships, and he had to leave a quarter of his men behind when it went down, most having been killed during the fighting. There just wasn't enough time to collect all the bodies."
"That had to have been hard." Marcus noted.
"Yes, I imagine he's still very bitter about that to this day." Lennox agreed. "His crew were like his family back then. Malek was a very different man at the time. Anyways, he pressed on, and the fleet hit their targets. After the battle, he was promoted to Admiral, in part due to his actions during the fighting, but also because someone needed to be elevated to fill the shoes of his mentor. Malek hasn't been the same man since then. He's colder and more calculating now. He also doesn't get too attached to his subordinates anymore."
"How do you know all of this?" Brock asked.
"I was on board the Ticonderoga during the battle." Lennox answered. "I saw it all go down. I followed Admiral Malek to his next assignment. So, I can tell you, afterwards he carried out some particularly brutal attacks on the Russians. Some of them being fairly questionable. He's good at covering his tracks. Take my strong advice, and don't ever cross the Admiral."
…
Akira was brought back to the airbase at Yokota and taken to the infirmary to rest. The staff doctor decided it was best to give him two units of plasma due to the blood loss he had endured the night before. After that, Akira started to regain some of his color and strength. Haruki on the other hand had only suffered a moderate strain to his rotator cuff. It was hardly life-threatening, but it was fairly painful, so they kept him overnight too after giving him some pain medication. Haruki saw it as a small price to pay to mend some bridges back in his village.
As the night set in, the ward settled down. Haruki and Akira were the only patients there, and they were both very stable, so the on-duty night nurse went out for a smoke break, leaving them on their own. Akira was tossing and turning on his cot. It was dark, and he was tired, but he still couldn't sleep. He decided to hit the lavatory and take a short walk to help settle his nerves. He was happy to hear that all of the giant insects were dead, but all of the things he had seen the night before kept coming back to him. He couldn't get them out of his head. So much death and carnage.
After Akira was finished in the bathroom, he returned to the ward. As he was walking by the empty nurse's station, the phone rang. The timing of it made him jump. He was right next to the phone when it went off. Akira stopped and stood there, staring at the ringing phone. The black phone had a polished finish and gleamed in the light from the hallway outside of the ward. He had the strangest feeling that he should answer it. Akira reached down, telling himself he'd go out and fetch the nurse after he found out who was on the line. Undoubtably, they were trying to reach her. He guessed that she simply couldn't hear it from outside.
"Hello… This is the nurse's station." Akira said, not knowing what else to say.
"Akira?" A familiar voice rang out on the other side of the line.
"Ah… yes." Akira confirmed, slightly surprised, and confused.
"This is Kiki." Kiki announced. "I just wanted to check and see how you were doing."
"Oh… Kiki, I'm a little banged up, but I think I'll pull through." Akira informed her. "Probably going to be here a couple of days."
"That's good to know." Kiki said warmly. "I had heard there was some trouble..."
"You've got a gift for understatement." Akira smiled, nearly laughing. "Fortunately, that's all over." He reassured her. 'It's strange that she has already heard about what happened in Kitamatsu.' Akira thought. 'The military was trying to keep that quiet for the time being.' They had in fact sealed off the town to outsiders when he left. 'She must have friends or family living there that told her about it.' Akira deduced. "Hey, how did you get this number anyway?" He asked. "It's unlisted."
"Oh, the base operator transferred me over when I asked for you." Kiki answered.
"Huh, I'm surprised they'd do that for a civilian." Akira noted. "Don't tell anybody about it. You might get someone in trouble."
"You don't have to worry about me." Kiki promised. "My lips are sealed." Just then, Akira could hear the nurse returning from the outside.
"Hey, I had better get going." Akira told her. "It was nice talking to you though."
"Okay, do me a favor though, and get some rest." Kiki requested. There was an odd tone to her voice.
"Yeah… sure thing." Akira answered and then hung up the phone. He resumed his path back to bed and put his head down on the pillow.
The nurse came around a moment later, and peered down the aisle to ensure her patients were still doing ok. Haruki smiled to her, and she smiled back. The nurse soon turned her attention to doing some paperwork sitting on her desk. As soon as she was good and distracted, Haruki turned to Akira.
"Hey Akira, who were you talking to?" Haruki inquired. Akira didn't answer, so Haruki slipped out of his bed and crossed the aisle. He came around to find Akira was already fast asleep in his bed.
…
The Archimedes fleet had tracked Godzilla all the way down into the Sea of Japan. Their present position put them just off of Korea's territorial waters. Admiral Malek had been busy overnight, communicating with Korean officials with Ling's assistance. The Korean Government eagerly consented to allow them to enter their waters. Mostly because they wanted the extra protection of the fleet. The Koreans had no great navy of their own to speak of and were very concerned about Godzilla landing at one of their coastal cities like he had at Tokyo or Magadan.
The Koreans prepared the best they could, scrambling army units to the coast and making plans for civilian evacuations. There was some very bad news though. The Archimedes fleet lost track of Godzilla around noon as he was nearing the Korea Strait between Japan and Korea. The monster must have dived too deep for the Giger counters to detect him anymore. Whether he had done so deliberately or not was unknown. From that moment on, however, Admiral Malek could only make an educated guess which way he had gone.
Some weeks back, US Naval Intelligence reported that they suspected the Chinese were secretly building a heavy water plant on the mainland, though the report was far from concrete. There was no way to know how accurate the information was. It was based on circumstantial evidence and speculation, not irrefutable facts. In the end, Admiral Malek elected to follow the projected course Godzilla had been on and hoped to reestablish contact with him between their present location and China. It was the only lead they had. Meanwhile in Japan, the fleet was put back on full alert and their western coast braced itself for another possible attack.
By the next morning, the Archimedes fleet rounded the Korean peninsula and came out on the other side into the Yellow Sea. That's when they came up against a potential roadblock. Roughly half of the Yellow Sea was controlled by the Chinese Government, and they would also have to give permission for the Archimedes fleet to enter their side of the sea if they wanted to continue the pursuit.
Ling was there to make the formal request go more smoothly, but he was quite irritated about it. He didn't even want to speak to someone who represented the communist Chinese Government. Marcus tried to break the tension by jokingly offering to talk to them instead, despite not knowing a single word of Chinese. It helped loosen Ling up. In the end, he made the transmission. Unfortunately, they were still denied permission to enter Chinese waters. It wasn't much of a surprise. The level of enmity from the Chinese Government towards Americans was still very high following the war. Considering the absolute pounding American carriers delivered during the war the last time they sat off the Chinese coast, it really wasn't a shock that they were opposed to it now.
Such as it was, the Archimedes fleet was restricted to patrolling the Korean side of the Yellow Sea. They launched all of their search craft and swept through the best they could. It was all in vain though, there was no trace of Godzilla to be found. Soon after, it became apparent why that was the case.
Godzilla was detected the very next morning, but it was off of thenortheastcoast of Korea. At some point, the monster had changed course and headed north, shaking off his pursuers. Now the entire landmass of Korea was between the Archimedes fleet and Godzilla. Soon after appearing, the monster made landfall and continued north. Strangely, Godzilla did not appear to be heading for any major coastal cities. That being the case, the Korean military did not try to impede his progress in any way. The monster had come to shore at the northeast tip of the Hamgyong Province. That particular location was just a narrow stretch of sovereign Korean soil between the sea and China. Once Godzilla had crossed through it, he would be in Northeast China and no longer their problem.
In just a few hours, Godzilla did precisely that, traversing the Tumen River and marching into China. The Chinese military command was caught completely off guard. Much like Admiral Malek, they had anticipated a landing somewhere much further south somewhere along their proper coastline. Instead, Godzilla was in the Jilin Province after cutting through Korea. The monster was headed in the direction of Changchun, the largest city in the area. Oddly, the city wasn't anywhere near the sea and there had been cities Godzilla could have more easily hit on the coast that he bypassed along the way. So, everybody's question was, why Changchun?
That was a question Admiral Malek wanted answered too, and he gave Marcus orders to go find out. The mission was straightforward enough. Enter Chinese airspace, locate Godzilla, and find out what had taken him so far inland. Carrying out the mission, however, was not going to be so straightforward. If the Chinese didn't want them in their territorial waters, they certainly did not want them violating their airspace either. The markings on Marcus' helicopter were painted over to avoid easy identification as an American aircraft. He was to land in Korea to refuel and then press on through the border and shadow Godzilla.
"Just stay below their radar and you'll be fine." Admiral Malek assured him, downplaying the danger. "They'll be so distracted with Godzilla they won't even notice you." He saluted Marcus before turning to leave the flight deck. Brock stepped up next to Marcus and leaned in.
"Don't let him fool you with that crap." Brock muttered in his ear. "If they discover you, they'll shoot you down. Don't take any unnecessary risks and protect yourself above all." He put a hand on Marcus' shoulder. "You're sure you don't want me to go with you?"
"No, I think it would be best to minimize the risk." Marcus answered. "No sense in gambling more lives than we already are."
"Alright, good luck out there." Brock pulled in Marcus, embracing him, and patting him on the shoulder.
"I'll be careful." Marcus was moved by Brock's apparent concern. He hadn't really expected it from the big man, but it must be a sign that he was really worried about the mission. Marcus stepped back to salute Brock, but he decided that didn't feel like the right thing to do, given the situation. Instead, he held out his hand and then shook it. "Thanks for everything Brock."
With that, Marcus entered his helicopter and prepared for takeoff. A good portion of the deck crew showed up to see him off. They waved to him as he lifted off. Dr. Orsini watched him from the carrier's island. Marcus nodded to him when he was high enough, then moved the stick forward to start the mission.
…
Hours later, Marcus was over Korea and approaching the agreed upon location to land and refuel. Once he started the second leg of his journey, he would have to be on his toes.
"Are we there yet…?" Ling asked from the back of the cabin.
"Ling, what in God's name are you doing here?" Marcus asked astounded. "You should be back with the ship. Does Admiral Malek know you are here?"
"Yeah… he does not." Ling replied sheepishly. "I thought I could be more useful to you here though. It's too late to turn back now, right?"
"Yes… very." Marcus noted. "That's why you waited until now to come out, isn't it?"
"Yep." Ling smirked like the devil, joining Marcus in the co-pilot seat at his side. "I thought you might object, so I took the choice out of your hands."
"Well, I guess since you're already here, settle in." Marcus conceded. "We still have aways to go."
After landing, Marcus and Ling were talking to the Korean ground crew as the helicopter was being refueled. The Koreans told them that the weather to the north was turning overcast, which would be to their benefit if they wanted to fly through undetected. The terrain Godzilla was passing through was mountainous, which would help screen their presence from Chinese radars and avoid visual detection from the ground.
…
At the northeast border, a Chinese armored division was preparing for Godzilla's arrival. They were setting up a defensive line on the far end of a long open plain. Engaging Godzilla on the plain would give them several key advantages. Chiefly, there would be no obstructions. They'd have perfect line of sight for all of their units, meaning they could focus down on the monster with overlapping fields of fire all at once. Ideal conditions for any defensive position.
The plain was miles long and miles wide, so there was plenty of room for the Chinese to dig their forces in. They could fortify well-prepared positions and then just lay in wait for Godzilla to arrive. Their side of the valley was wooded around the edges. The woods gave them perfect cover to hide their numbers and vehicles until the monster got into range.
The troops in question were the Chinese border guard units meant to challenge any invasions through the Korean Peninsula. They were the first line of defense. During the last war, Japanese and American forces had pushed their way through the area after China's initial invasion into Korea had floundered. Korea was a strong strategic foothold for them back then and would remain so for any future conflict. It was vital that the corridor was protected.
It just so happened that Godzilla was following the same path, though it was hardly a coincidence. The topography of the area funneled any land-based army marching northward through the mountain passage and would lead them into the area the Chinese were using as a staging ground for their ambush. The Chinese knew Godzilla would have to pass through the region unless he wanted to climb over several mountains.
The border force's goal wasn't to kill Godzilla, but to simply change his direction. They were hoping to deflect his march out of their territory and force him to go back south where he would be Korea's problem again. To that end, they were going to hit the monster with everything they had. The division had about two hundred tanks at their disposal. They were supported by various artillery pieces, one brigade of infantry, and a number of rocket trucks. Perhaps more importantly, the defense would be additionally bolstered by the Red Airforce. There was a forward airbase only a couple miles to the north which would further augment their firepower with around forty Mig-15s.
In charge of the defense was General Feng-Lu. He was an experienced officer and a veteran of the Second Great War. Though his side lost in the end, he was still held in high esteem, having served well, and distinguished himself on a number of occasions. Feng saw it as his great honor to defend his country's borders from any would be attackers, including giant fire-breathing reptiles. Chinese folklore was full of dragons, though they were usually powerful and noble beasts who brought good luck to mankind. The one they faced now, however, was simply dark and dangerous. Feng-Lu had an opportunity to write himself into legend, like the Chinese heroes of old, if he could defeat Godzilla.
Feng-Lu didn't take Godzilla lightly though. He knew pushing the monster back would be no easy task. He would need to employ all of the might he had at his disposal. Feng used every spare moment he had, preparing and strengthening his position, and he called for additional reinforcements. A heavy bombing group had been put on alert and were being loaded to bear. If Feng's ground forces and air wings were insufficient to deal with Godzilla, he would decimate the entire valley as a last resort. The bomber's base was much further to the west though. They would have to be summoned at the right time to be properly utilized.
The weather conditions were perfect. If it wasn't for the impending battle looming over them, it would have been a nice day to go into the plains for a picnic on the grass. Sadly, that wasn't an option. Instead, Feng-Lu was having his infantrymen bury landmines in the valley. The mines weren't likely to do much more than annoy Godzilla, but maybe a lucky explosion right between his toes would be enough to make the monster retire from the field.
Feng-Lu ordered his men to mark the spots well so they could remove the mines afterwards. Godzilla wouldn't be able to see where the markers were anyways, and Feng wanted to ensure that they could find and remove the explosives afterwards. No sense in leaving a deathtrap for civilians to set off after the fact.
General Feng's second in command, Colonel Xu-Tang wasn't so confident in their chances against Godzilla. He had taken a great deal of interest in studying the previous military skirmishes with Kaiju. Whether it be on land, sea, or air, they almost all universally shared the same outcome: defeat for the military forces in question. Even the sparse successes had one thing in common: heavy losses in men and material. A pyrrhic victory was the best outcome they could hope for, but a crushing defeat was much more likely.
Not a single Kaiju to date had been killed by conventional military forces, and Godzilla was arguably the most formidable one of them all. The odds didn't seem too good to Xu. The two officers walked up and down the defensive line together, assessing its strength. Feng-Lu could sense the apprehension of his subordinate and sought to bolster his resolve.
"Don't look so glum Colonel." General Feng-Lu began. "The Japanese were able to turn back this beast's attack, and they were employing outdated American equipment. Using Shermans… what were they thinking? Those tanks were under-gunned and under-armored when they were brand-new twelve years ago. We will be utilizing state of the art T-10s, fresh off the assembly line. Superior in every way. However, the real key to winning is our jets." Feng-Lu went on. "The monster retreated when the Japanese attacked with their Sabres, but they waited too long to deploy them. If they weren't so afraid of damaging their own capital, they may have managed to save it. We aren't burdened with any such dilemma. We have plenty of Mig-15s at our disposal, and we will act more quickly than they did. Out in this field, our pilots can rain down fire as they see fit. We'll have close air support the whole way through the battle."
"Yes sir!" Xu replied, feigning confidence, though in his heart, doubts were still alive and well.
…
Marcus and Ling were back in the air, following Godzilla's trail through the Chinese countryside. In sharp contrast to the relatively calm flight into Korea from the sea, Marcus was now on high alert. He kept a wary eye out for threats. He was employing the terrain to his advantage as planned and stayed intermixed amongst the hills and mountains. While still on guard, Marcus and Ling started to talk to help pass the time and keep their anxiety in check.
"You know, at first I got into the Navy just because I thought I wanted adventure, but now I think it's because I have a broad love of the ocean." Marcus explained. "There's something magical about it. All life began in the ocean. Maybe that's what I'm sensing when I look at it and feel that tingly sensation. I think I get that from my father. He loved the water. It was his second home. Some might even say it was his first. He took to the water like a fish. I don't remember much about him, but I do remember that. Looking back, I realize my lust for adventure was pretty childish. All I really want at this point is to get through these missions in one piece so I can get back to my wife and kids." He thumbed at a picture of Shauna and his children that he had taped on the instrument panel.
"That helps you get through missions?" Ling asked.
"Yeah, it helps remind me what's really important in life." Marcus answered. "I can't help but wonder if the Admiral is punishing me for speaking up during the mission in Magadan. He seemed pretty annoyed with me."
"I don't think he'd throw away one of his best scouts over something so trivial." Ling observed. "I'd say he's just a little over-zealous about keeping up with the latest intelligence. The man doesn't give up once he has decided on something."
"You're probably right." Marcus grumbled in distain. "There are times when the Admiral doesn't seem so bad, but then he does stuff like this, and reminds you of who he really is. I'm only here, because of him fucking around with my terms of service in the first place. This mission just serves as a reminder of how ruthless he can be when he wants something." Marcus sighed and then decided to change the subject. "So, how does it feel to be home? Danger aside, these mountains, and the land in general, are beautiful. I think when we first met, you said you were from the northern regions of China, right?"
"China will always be my first home." Ling smiled. "Though I doubt I will ever be able to return to her in my lifetime. No, I think my family is going to have to make peace with the fact that your country is our home now. And that isn't so bad. Despite the differences, there are a great many things I like about America. Where else can you have so many people from so many different backgrounds come together for the common good? The men who took power in China did so under the guise of doing it for the people, but those same common people have suffered greatly under their rule. People are dying of starvation here. And they are repressed. Those men in power have proven themselves to be no better than the warlords who ruled before them. In your country, my family can truly be safe and free."
"Well, let's hope this all goes smoothly." Marcus replied. "I'd hate to see what your former countrymen would do to us if we're shot down here. Brock used to tell me some pretty gruesome stuff about being captured and interrogated. I hope he was just trying to mess with me back then." As he finished the sentence, Marcus was becoming acutely aware of a developing problem out ahead of them.
The sunshiny day that they had started out with, was quickly disappearing as a cold front was moving in, along with a wall of moist air. Condensation was already starting to build up as the water vapor thickened in the air close to the ground. Fog was starting to form. The natural humidity of the mountainous region just accelerated the process. The further they flew into the sky ahead of them, the worse the conditions were getting. Pretty soon, the foothills around them started to melt away into the mist forming around them.
Marcus' plan of sticking to the mountain pass was starting to look more and more suicidal as time went on and the sky around them grew hazier. He realized that he needed to climb up higher to avoid crashing into a hidden peak. Marcus was concerned about the exposure, but he figured the fog was thick enough to where they couldn't be spotted by the naked eye from the ground anyways. He pulled up on the stick and took them out of the rocky corridor.
"Okay, hopefully we'll be alright here." Marcus noted nervously.
"Shouldn't we just turn around at this point?" Ling asked. "We can't follow Godzilla's trail anymore, and if we can't see that, we certainly won't be able to gather any intelligence."
"You make a good point Ling." Marcus agreed. "This does give us the perfect excuse to head back. Maybe we should quit while we're still ahead, eh?" Just then a voice rang over the radio. It was sharp, demanding, and Chinese. Marcus looked over to Ling and asked. "What did they say?"
"They said:Unidentified craft, this is Hu fighter patrol, identify yourself." Ling answered.
"Oh shit, we've been detected!" Marcus realized, considering dipping back down into the mountain pass. "They must only have us on radar, otherwise they probably would have shot us down by now."
"Let me have the receiver." Ling requested. Marcus gave it over to him without question. Ling began to speak to them in Chinese. Marcus simply sat there waiting, keeping a steady course forward. Ling spoke back and forth with them for a while and Marcus could only guess at what they were saying. Finally, Ling put the receiver down.
"Just keep your course for now." Ling instructed Marcus calmly. "I told them we were a Chinese patrol helicopter that got lost in the fog trying to keep tabs on Godzilla." He went on with a smirk. "I think they bought it. But if they see us try to turn around now, they're going to know something is up..."
"…And they'll try to shoot us down." Marcus finished for him. "Ling, you are beautiful! You saved our asses. If you weren't here, I would probably be a pile of burning ashes already." Ling smiled, perhaps slightly embarrassed. "We'd better hope those fighters are out of range before the weather clears though, or we're going to be in trouble all over again."
…
Down in the valley passage where the Chinese armored division was waiting for Godzilla to arrive, the fog had already taken the visibility down to only about sixty meters. Colonel Xu-Tang was on the verge of a mental breakdown. The benefits their positions had given them earlier in the day were gone now. He was reading the most recent reports from their search aircraft, and he didn't like what he saw.
"Aerial recon has nothing for us sir." Xu turned to tell General Feng-Lu. "It's soup up there. They lost track of Godzilla thirty miles ago and haven't given us anything useful since. The monster was last spotted to the southeast of our position and heading this way." Xu leaned in so the rest of the officers couldn't hear him. "General, I recommend that we make a strategic withdraw from the area immediately. As it is now, our aircraft are of no use to us. They will not be able to support the ground attack." The General stood there thinking. Xu could see that he was giving his recommendation serious consideration.
"Gather the brigade commanders here." Feng-Lu relented, seeing Xu's assessment of the situation was correct. "We need to hurry but remain organized. If we do not retreat in good order, no one is going to get out of this valley anytime soon." Just then, the two officers felt a tremor off in the distance. It could only mean one thing. Xu got a cold chill up his spine. Feng-Lu straightened his back and turned to him. "Cancel that order, it's already too late to retreat. We have no choice now. We must stand and fight here. Prepare the men."
As Feng stood there waiting for his orders to be carried out, he felt another impact and then another. They were gradually getting louder. By then, every man in the division could feel them approaching. The soldiers in the line struggled to see through the fog, but it was of no use. They were sitting ducks. Panic was starting to set into the ranks. The men had been ready to stand against an enemy that they could see, but now they were being asked to fight completely blind. The target scopes of the tanks were just as useless as the naked eye. The pressure was building with each passing moment. An unseen terror was coming for them.
Individual units began requesting permission to open fire, but to do so would reveal their positions. The officers shouted them down while waiting for orders from the General. Feng-Lu himself was divided over the next best course of action. Some probing shots might actually help them locate Godzilla in the mist, but it would also reveal their presence to him. Their only remaining advantage was the monster didn't know they were out there waiting for him. If they waited for Godzilla to get closer, they might be able to open up on him with one large, coordinated volley. As Feng-Lu sat there thinking, it occurred to him that they had placed mines in the valley. If he just waited for Godzilla to start setting them off, it would reveal his position to them. He relayed his orders to continue to hold fire until that happened.
The soldiers received their orders and couldn't believe what they were hearing. They were to just sit there and do nothing while the monster continued to close in on them? The tension in the air was as thick as the fog. Chinese military discipline was being put to the ultimate test as the giant footfalls continued to come closer. Dirt was starting to fall back into the trenches from the impact tremors and the only thing the soldiers could do was sit there and sweat it out. Men inside of their machines were literally getting rattled by the vibrations. Finally, one of the tank commanders couldn't take it anymore and fired off a round. That was all the excuse other units needed to start opening fire themselves.
The rocket artillery sprang into action, letting loose with their volleys of missiles. They had no choice but to make an educated guess as to where to fire. Their rockets shot up into the mist and flew off into the unknown. The artillery spotters closely observed the red-flamed tails of the rocket's engine mounts streaking through the fog, hoping to see an impact and detonation before they hit the ground. Before long, there were many, many, explosions glowing off in the distance, but no way to be certain if any of them hit their intended target.
There was a pause in the action as the rocket crews scrambled to refill their tubes. The tanks held their fire as well, trying to get a sense of what was happening post barrage. Everyone could see the glow of fires through the mist, but they couldn't make out their target any better than they could before. The soldiers knew one thing for sure though, the first assault had failed. They could all still hear the thumps of Godzilla's steps coming towards them.
The tank commanders started using the machine gun mounts on top of their turrets to probe the valley ahead of them with tracer rounds. They swept through the void, desperate to locate Godzilla. After a time, the second salvo was ready. The tanks started to fire their main guns again while the rockets were launched by the hundreds behind them. The regular artillery joined in too. They managed to put on quite the fireworks display. When the thunder of the second salvo had died down, the fog started to thin out slightly, perhaps due to all the flames burning across the battlefield. There was still no sign of Godzilla, however.
Suddenly, there was a great deal of shouting from the right flank of the defensive line. The men there had spotted a dark figure moving through the mist. Only trouble was, it had emerged from behind their lines. Godzilla had flanked around their position in the fog and was coming at them from the side. All of the firepower they had unleashed was completely done in vain. None of it had landed anywhere near him. The monster had been approaching from the side the whole time. Now that they could see him, he was only about two-hundred yards away from the edge of their right-wing positions. Godzilla was practically on top of them.
It was too late to reposition. Godzilla was only a few steps away from them by that point. Chaos descended upon the Chinese armored division as fear swept through their ranks. Soldiers began to panic and abandoned their positions in droves. Unit cohesion was faltering as individual courage wavered.
"Get back here and fight, you cowards!" Xu-Tang shouted to a squad of infantrymen who were dashing away from the trenches.
The left flank and the center of the formation tried to come to the aid of the right. Their tanks opened up with fairly accurate supporting fire. The shells did very little against Godzilla's tough hide though. In their desperation to get away, several squads of infantrymen ran into the open field. Some of the unlucky ones tripped mines and blew themselves to pieces.
The mist surrounding Godzilla began to glow blue, revealing his exact position to every soldier on the field. Not that it was going to do them much good. Godzilla's mouth opened wide, and he spew flames down upon the tanks closest to him. He worked the stream of fire up the line until he had wiped out half of the vehicles in the division with one overwhelming strike. The woods the tanks and artillery had been concealed in burned intensely around the surviving men. Ammo stockpiles were exploding up and down the line. Many of the infantrymen had been instantly vaporized by Godzilla's heat beam, but it must have felt like a living hellscape to the few survivors.
The heat of Godzilla's breath had been so intense that it evaporated much of the mist surrounding him. The fighter patrol aircraft in the area could finally spot the monster from the air and dove down to attack him with their rockets. The whining of their jet engines clued Godzilla in to their approach, and he looked up to the sky. The fighters launched their weapons, but they were greeted in kind by a second blast of Godzilla's breath. He swept both jets from the sky, resulting in two falling fireballs. More mist was vaporized, and more fighters targeted Godzilla.
What was left of the Chinese ground forces tried to rally under General Feng's leadership. It was either win or die for them now. Godzilla had advanced to the point where he had cut off their escape route out of the valley…
…
Marcus and Ling could see a light up ahead on the horizon. The fog was starting to lift, so they had the option to resume the more cautious approach of dipping down into the mountain pass to avoid Chinese radar. After their previous close call, they decided to take that opportunity. If the fog continued to thin out the way it was, then the next fighter patrol they ran into wouldn't have to radio them to identify who they were. Marcus guided the helicopter through the narrow canyon pass, making adjustments when needed. As they got closer to the end of the passage, they could see bursts of bright orange over the mountain peaks.
"The Chinese must be trying to fight off Godzilla." Marcus observed.
Marcus piloted the helicopter around the final bend of the mountain between themselves and the battlefield. Slowly, Marcus and Ling both started to understand what had happened. They found a field of fire and destruction. Plumes of smoke dominated the landscape. Burnt-out trees, husks of obliterated tanks, and countless bodies were everywhere. The battle was already over, and Godzilla was gone, leaving behind only the dead and dying in his wake. It was wholesale destruction as far as the eye could see. The explosions Marcus and Ling had seen at a distance were just random ammo stockpiles going up from the spreading fires.
Ling teared up upon seeing it. He wasn't used to viewing such overwhelmingly horrible sights. There were thousands of men dead, slaughtered without a chance to fight back or escape. This transcended any differences in politics. The fallen soldiers were still men, and they had suffered just the same, regardless of what banner they followed, or which beliefs they held. Marcus wanted to say something to Ling to make him feel better, but he couldn't come up with a single word to make what he was seeing any less terrible. It was simply an ordeal to endure.
Having seen enough, Marcus steered them away from the battlefield and followed Godzilla's path of destruction out of the area. They followed the monster's trail for miles and discovered that he had changed direction away from the city of Changchun after clearing the mountain pass.
'He's changed direction…?' Marcus thought to himself. 'If he's not going after the city, then what the hell did he trek all the way up here for?' He checked the fuel gauge to see how much further they could go. The tanks were still well-above half, so they could afford to follow Godzilla's route a little further to see where it led.
…
When Marcus and Ling finally caught up with Godzilla, they found that the monster had stopped and appeared to be staring at a clump of green wooded hills ahead of him. Godzilla's tail was flailing around lazily, as if he were waiting for something. Marcus guided the chopper closer, while still maintaining a healthy distance.
"What's he doing?" Ling asked. "He's just standing there." Godzilla lifted his foot and stomped the ground, roaring at the empty hill. "What is that about?"
Birds flew up from the trees ahead of Godzilla. Then there was a rumbling, like an earthquake was shaking through the green slopes. The trees swayed back and forth before giving way. The hillside split open, and began to crumble as a mass rose from under it. A monster was emerging from underground. Soil poured off from its back as it rose up to meet the challenge of Godzilla. As the monster pulled itself out of the hole, its reddish-brown skin was revealed to the world.
"Baragon…" Marcus announced as the monster's identity became clear.
Baragon shook off the remaining dirt from its back, and then poised itself on the hilltop in defiance of Godzilla's presence. Baragon's ears were angled up and forward aggressively. His back plates were frilled up to make himself appear larger than he was. His nose horn was burning bright yellow. Small torrents of fire passed between his teeth as he hissed out a warning. Baragon's red eyes were intensely sharp and fixated on Godzilla, who had invaded his territory. Baragon's threat display didn't seem to intimidate Godzilla though. He roared back at him thunderously.
"Maybe we should get out of here." Ling suggested.
"Are you kidding?" Marcus asked incredulously. "I'm about to see Baragon take his medicine." Marcus still held a major grudge for what happened during the Zao Ming conference. "I'm staying to watch this."
Back below, Baragon made the first move. He leapt forward in an impressive display of agility. His back legs were strong like a frogs, and he sprang up into Godzilla's face before he could react. Clearly, Godzilla hadn't been expecting it. Baragon bit into Godzilla's left arm with his sharp teeth and latched on to it. Godzilla was visibly pained and roared in anger. Gravity brought Baragon back to the ground, but he maintained his vice-like bite, which forcefully yanked Godzilla's upper body down from the extra weight.
Godzilla tried to counter by kicking Baragon in the stomach. However, because of the way he was bent over, his kicks couldn't get much strength behind them. Baragon was simply too close to him to build up much force anyway. Seeing his efforts were fruitless, Godzilla changed tactics, trying to use his free hand to pry open Baragon's mouth. That too proved to be of little use. Baragon's jaws were stronger than his one free hand. Godzilla next resorted to clenching his fist and pounding it against Baragon's head like a hammer to get him to let go, but Baragon still clung on to him tenaciously. The spikes on top of Baragon's head were damaging Godzilla's hand more than he was damaging Baragon's head.
Godzilla employed one final maneuver to break the stalemate. He spun around, lifting Baragon completely up off the ground. It seemed to catch Baragon off guard and he loosened his bite grip just enough to start slipping free. Baragon hung in the air for several seconds before he completely slid off Godzilla's arm. He landed on his stomach, which temporarily knocked the wind out of him. Godzilla meanwhile was regaining his footing. By the time that Godzilla turned back around to face him, Baragon had recovered and was already thinking out his next move.
Baragon turned and made his way back to the hole that he had emerged from. Godzilla gave chase and stomped up the hill after him. Baragon was faster though and jumped inside of the pit. He quickly began to burrow back inside of the earth. Godzilla was just a few steps behind him, and he got a face full of soil and debris for his trouble. Godzilla took a step back down the hill and tried to wipe the dirt from his eyes.
Baragon used the opportunity to pop out from under Godzilla and knocked him over. Godzilla went tumbling down the hillside blindly. Godzilla cleared his vision and then quickly got back to his feet. He scanned the ground angrily for any signs of Baragon. He could feel his opponent moving around underneath him somewhere. Godzilla unleashed his atomic breath out of frustration, scorching the earth around him.
While Godzilla's attention was diverted by his breath attacks, Baragon popped out of the ground behind him and slashed at his back with his front claws. Godzilla responded instantly by knocking Baragon over with his tail. The attack struck Baragon on the side of the face and he was sent rolling. Baragon decided to get himself back underground before Godzilla could turn to face him once more. Seeing what Baragon was doing, Godzilla utilized his tail to attack again. He reached out with it and hit Baragon as he was only halfway in the hole. Baragon's back legs were still sticking out and took most of the punishment. The impact only did superficial damage to Baragon, but it would slow him down a smidge for the remainder of the fight.
Once Baragon had disappeared underground again, Godzilla watched, listened, and waited to see what he would do next. He could hear Baragon moving away from him, so he moved to give chase again. It was a mistake. Godzilla's foot sunk into the ground as he caved in one of Baragon's shallow tunnels which had been left there as a trap. Godzilla fell forward but broke his fall with his outstretched arms.
As Godzilla pulled himself back up, Baragon sprang from the ground once again and unleashed a fire attack of his own. His orange flames swept over Godzilla's body, engulfing him. The heat seared the top layer of Godzilla's epidermis and stung his eyes. Godzilla closed his lids to protect them, then reeled back and struck Baragon in the face with his clawed hand, knocking out one of his teeth in the process. The force of the strike drove Baragon back down into his hole, dazing him.
Godzilla took the opening to get back on his feet and then he reached down to pull Baragon out of the hole. Godzilla held Baragon up, face to face, and prepared to use his atomic breath at point blank range. Baragon recovered and saw what was about to happen to him. In desperation, Baragon resorted to using his most powerful attack. He charged up his horn until it was glowing with energy and then slashed it down at Godzilla's chest in a yellow streak of light. The attack cut down past Godzilla's skin and into his flesh. He immediately dropped Baragon. Godzilla actually backed off, assessing the damage. His chest had a massive cut carved into it. There wasn't much blood, but that was only because the heat of the attack had cauterized the wound.
Baragon charged forward, trying to take advantage of the situation. He powered up his horn again and aimed to gore Godzilla's stomach like a rhino. Godzilla however, had no intention of letting that happen. He reached out with his arms and stopped Baragon dead in his tracks. He then grabbed Baragon by the horn and threw him into the side of a mountain. Godzilla stayed right on Baragon, kicking him in the side of the gut. Baragon tried to fight back by biting Godzilla's leg, but Godzilla saw it coming and stuffed a bolder into his mouth. Godzilla kicked again, catching Baragon under the jaw. The rock in Baragon's mouth shattered as he was forced to bite down on it.
Baragon fell back into the mountainside onto his back. That left his vulnerable underbelly exposed to attack. Godzilla sensed an opportunity to strike a decisive blow. He brought up his foot, intending to stomp on Baragon's wide open stomach. Baragon looked up and saw the sort of trouble he was in. He rolled to the side to get out of the way. Godzilla's foot only just missed, and he followed up with a tail whip. Baragon continued to roll and managed to avoid the second attack too.
Godzilla was not giving up though. He was hot on Baragon's heels. Baragon wasn't beaten yet either though. He saw a chance to regain the initiative. Baragon rapidly changed direction and then jumped over a patch of soil he knew he had passed under earlier in the fight. As Godzilla stepped on to the spot, the ground completely collapsed and his whole body plunged down into it. Godzilla ended up flat on his face down in the tunnel. Baragon meanwhile had wheeled back around and jumped onto Godzilla's back. Baragon bit into the back of Godzilla's neck, going for what he thought would be a killing blow.
The only trouble was, the back of Godzilla's neck was lined with rows of hardened armored spines and Baragon's teeth could not penetrate them. Godzilla used all of his strength to stand back up with Baragon hanging onto the nape of his neck. Godzilla then lurched forward, flipping Baragon free from him. Baragon tumbled head over heels in the air, crashing into the field ahead of them. Baragon was slow to recover. Being tossed around the battlefield was starting to take its toll on him.
Godzilla climbed out of the hole to face up with Baragon again. He was relentless. Baragon was running low on tricks and being overpowered. Trying to match Godzilla strength to strength was pointless. Baragon saw one last opportunity to gain the upper hand. He dived back down into one of his previously dug tunnels and made his way towards a cliff Godzilla was standing next to. Baragon emerged from the top without Godzilla noticing him. Once there, Baragon pushed a large boulder down onto him. The boulder caught Godzilla in the shoulder and stunned him for a moment but failed to do any serious damage.
Seeing that the surprise attack had not put Godzilla down, Baragon shoved every bit of loose rock he could down on Godzilla trying to bury him, but it was no use. The gamble had not paid off. Baragon looked down and saw that Godzilla was already spinning in his direction, looking for some retribution. Baragon was running out of options, so he leaned down, getting himself as close as he could to use his fire breath once again. He let loose and lost sight of Godzilla as the wall of flames hit him.
A moment later, Baragon could see something through the flames. It was a blue light. The light grew until it eclipsed his own. Godzilla's atomic ray cut right through the center of Baragon's own fire and struck him in the chest, knocking him backwards. Baragon's tail kept him from barreling over as the ray burned into his chest. The pain was intense. Baragon didn't know how much longer he could endure it before falling.
The ray finally died down, giving Baragon a reprieve. Baragon peered down at Godzilla who was staring back up at him coldly. Baragon decided from that moment onwards he wanted no further part in continuing the fight. He was outmatched. Baragon backed away from the cliff face and retreated back inside of his tunnel.