Chapter 40: Hearts of Iron.
On Mondo Island, four days had passed since Kong's battle with Gorosaurus. Food was once again starting to become a concern for the survivors. Brock set out towards the beach to comb over it, hoping to come across a crab, or even one of the crab-like creatures that had attacked the camp. Since the battle, they had become scarce. Brock was starting to come to terms with the notion that the group might not be able to hold out long enough for help to arrive. They were just scraping by, and every day on the island was getting tougher. If it really came down to starvation, Brock knew what he would do. He'd go out looking for Kong or Gorosaurus and start a fight. Brock wouldn't just let himself waste away. He might as well go out like a warrior.
As Brock came around a grove of trees and into a clearing, he found a woman standing there alone only ten paces away from him. Brock came to a halt, shocked. She was a beautiful blonde wearing a tan naval uniform top, a hat, and a skirt which cut several inches above her knees. It was almost like he was daydreaming her being there. She looked like a pinup girl that aviators would paint on the side of their planes. As Brock stared at the woman, he noticed that her hat had an Archimedes' emblem sewn into it. At that moment, Brock knew he wasn't just imagining her. She had to be part of a rescue party. Brock stood there for a moment longer, almost disbelieving that a rescue party was actually there looking for them. Then it occurred to him, why was this woman just standing there all alone?
By that point, the woman had noticed Brock too and she froze, speechless. She was only able to stare back at Brock, perhaps even more shocked to see him than he was to see her. It suddenly dawned on Brock that he wasn't wearing his regular marine fatigues. He was in fact still clad in the salvaged armor they'd taken off the derelict ship. He must have been a sight to her. The woman started to reach down for her sidearm to defend herself.
"Wait!" Brock shouted with an outreached hand, which took the woman off guard. She flinched, and then froze again. She had fumbled around with the holster but failed to grasp her weapon. "Just wait a damn moment, missy. Before you decide to start blowing holes into me, you should know I'm one of the guys they sent you here to save."
"Oh, thank goodness..." The woman sighed in relief, recognizing that Brock was an American. "What in the Sam-hell are you wearing, soldier?" She asked, perplexed. Brock hesitated, perhaps a little embarrassed. He must have looked ridiculous to her. She couldn't know or even begin to understand everything he'd gone through to lead to such a thing being necessary.
"It's a very long story." Brock simply replied. "Just know that it is necessary to survive here." With that said, Brock quickly remembered where they were, and realized that they were standing out in the open, totally exposed. "Come with me, it's not safe here." He commanded. The woman looked a little annoyed. Brock could see that she was a lieutenant, and she probably didn't appreciate taking orders from someone who was undoubtably a grunt. "There's no time for that now." Brock recognized her look of distain. "Hurry up!" He said firmly. The lady officer obeyed without further protest and the two of them retreated underneath the cover of the trees.
"Okay, we're here now." She remarked, irritated. "What's the big deal? I'm Lieutenant Susan Watson, Chief Medical Officer of the USS Odysseus. Captain Carl Nelson and Lieutenant-Commander Jiro Nomura just went over that ridge looking for the crash site." She pointed.
"And they just left you here alone?" Brock asked in disbelief. He couldn't imagine two naval officers being so reckless with the life of a lady. Of course, after everything he'd been through on the island, Brock's default state of mind leaned somewhat towards guarded paranoia. Captain Nelson and Commander Jiro couldn't possibly know how dangerous Mondo Island was yet. Still, leaving a woman to fend for herself in a strange place didn't sit well with him. "We need to get you back to your ship as soon as possible." Brock told Susan. "Send back a security detail in your place. This is no place for a lady, trust me." Susan looked a little troubled by that statement.
"Hold on, we need to wait for Captain Nelson and Commander Jiro to come back." Susan protested. Brock frowned. He couldn't help but think how stupid these officers were. Instead of sending an away team of expendable peons, the captain, the first officer, and the chief medical officer set out on their own to explore a mysterious island where a whole shipload of soldiers had disappeared. He knew he should be grateful that they came at all, but Brock already wasn't very confident in the competence of his rescuers.
"I'll go find your men." Brock assured Susan. "But I'd feel a whole lot better if you were out of harm's way first." Susan glared at Brock, not fully appreciating the situation for what it was, or Brock's apparent attitude about women operating in the field.
"I'll have you know I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself mister!" Susan scolded. She couldn't help but feel insulted. "I'd remind you, we came here to save your butt, not the other way around!" She raised her voice, perhaps a little too much for Mondo Island. There was a horrid screech from above which cut into their conversation. The Giant Condor was gliding into the area.
"Damn…" Brock cursed quietly, giving Susan a side-eyed glare as he readied his weapons. With just the one laser rifle, he didn't like their odds if they got spotted. Susan had wisely stopped talking, and just gaped up into the sky, frightened. She was finally starting to grasp the danger lurking around them. Brock took Susan's arm and led her further into the trees, not taking any chances.
The Giant Condor circled the area, watching for any signs of movement. Susan saw it through the trees and began to understand why Brock was being so cautious. She'd never expected to see such a thing. Her concern suddenly turned towards her crewmates. They were out there somewhere, potentially in peril themselves.
"Hey… big guy." Susan realized she hadn't learned Brock's name yet. "What about my comrades? They are sitting ducks out there." Brock turned to her and frowned. There probably wasn't much he would be able to do for Captain Nelson and Commander Jiro if they got spotted. It was harsh, but true. His weapons just weren't powerful enough to stop the Giant Condor. When Susan realized that Brock wasn't going to do anything, she decided to make a move herself. She bolted away from him through the tree line, wisely choosing to stay under cover.
"What is that damned woman doing?" Brock said to himself angerly, seeing no other choice but to go after her.
Even through the trees, the Giant Condor picked up on the movement below. He dove down and buzzed over the top of the jungle canopy. The force of his body mass displaced air, whipping the treetops back and forth. He spotted prey hiding beneath them. Brock could see that the jig was up. He immediately began firing his rifle up at the Condor. Maybe, just maybe, he could fend it off on his own, but he didn't think so. At the very least though, he could distract it from Susan. Draw the monster to himself instead of her.
Brock's plan worked only too well. The Giant Conder began to follow the bright bolts shooting up at him right down towards their source. Brock managed to score a couple of hits, but they didn't stop or even slow down the huge bird of prey. Brock drew his sword and prepared himself as best he could. He knew that he was dead, but if the Giant Condor picked him up in his talons, he could at least get a few good licks in. Maybe he could even hack off his foot. The resulting fall would probably kill Brock, but that was just how it was going to be. Brock took a deep breath in and watched as the Condor came down at him.
Brock, however, was spared his terrible fate when a stripped-down tree came sailing through the air like a javelin. It disrupted the Giant Condor's flightpath and forced him to redirect away from the ground. Such an event could only mean one thing: King Kong was on the scene and looking for a fight. Brock couldn't see him, but he heard Kong's roar echo off in the distance.
Surprisingly, the Giant Condor didn't immediately beat a hasty retreat. Instead, it recovered from its dive and flew in towards Kong. From his perch on the crest of a hill, Kong also seemed surprised that the Condor was willing to engage him. The bird was perhaps only one-eighth his size. The Giant Condor was on top of Kong in an instant, before he could even react. The enormous bird-of-prey landed on Kong's face and tore at him relentlessly with its talons, trying to gouge out his eyes. Kong reacted by bringing his hands up to shield his face from the worst of it while also trying to grab the Giant Condor.
The Condor backed away and everyone could see that Kong had been bloodied by the first assault. He had claw marks raked deep into his face. First blood went to the Condor. The enormous avian gave no quarter to Kong. Before he could recover, the Condor swung around again and dug his talons into the back of Kong's head. The bird of prey clamped down hard and perched there, pecking down on to Kong's forehead. He got three hard pecks in before Kong reached up for him. Sensing imminent danger, the Condor took flight again. The last thing he wanted was for King Kong to get his hands on him.
Kong was now good and angry. He had no intention of letting the Giant Condor have a third opportunity to inflict more damage. Kong took up a handful of rocks and threw them up towards his opponent. The rocks tore through the right wing of the Giant Condor, blasting away a number of his feathers like buckshot. The Condor was in real trouble. He couldn't maintain his altitude anymore. He flapped his wings frantically, but to no avail. He was sinking down towards the ground and Kong positioned himself to be there waiting for him.
Once the Giant Condor was low enough, Kong reached up and plucked him out of the sky. Kong seized his adversary by both wings, holding him away from his body. As Kong had anticipated, the Giant Condor lashed out with his talons, attempting to slash at his exposed underbelly. Only, he didn't have the reach to do so. Enraged, Kong roared right into the Condor's face and then used all of his strength to snap the bones of its left wing in half. Kong then flung the Giant Condor away from him into a grove of trees where it got hung up in the branches.
The Condor struggled at first, but with both of its wings damaged, it was trapped and had no avenue of escape. Kong was satisfied with that and turned to leave. He was willing to let the Giant Condor die on its own from there, but then Kong hesitated. He sensed something in the air. The scent of a woman as it turned out. Brock and Susan might not be out of the woods just yet after all. They may have simply traded one threat for another. Kong, however, was still bleeding pretty badly from his face. Instead of investigating, he elected to move on to treat his wounds.
With Kong withdrawing and the Giant Condor disabled, things were finally looking up. Brock wasn't quite done though. He saw an opportunity and he was going to take it. Brock aimed to finish what Kong had started. He was going to get some measure of revenge on the Giant Condor for killing his men and stranding him on Mondo Island in the first place. Brock made his way to the grove of trees where the bird of prey was trapped and readied his sword. He came in with a head of steam and cruel intentions. However, when he reached the Condor's head, he hesitated. The giant bird was staring right at him, not fighting or struggling. Brock could see that the Condor had been partially impaled by some of the tree branches it was resting on. The animal looked to be dying on its own already, but it was clearly in pain and suffering. Brock couldn't believe it, he actually felt sorry for it. For a moment, he wasn't sure what to do. Finally, in an act of mercy, he took his sword and ended it. Brock then turned to see that Susan had followed him there. She was fighting back tears.
"Alright, let's get you back to your ship now." Brock said quietly.
"Okay." Susan replied, making no more brash protests.
…
Less than an hour later, Captain Nelson and Commander Jiro returned to the beach. They had made contact with the other survivors at the camp and were guiding them towards the USS Odysseus. By the end of the morning, most of the men were safely inside of the submarine. Brock knew there were a few missing yet. Stragglers who were most likely still out foraging. Brock elected to go back to camp to collect them, along with the rest of the salvaged technology which remained buried there. If that equipment was left behind, all of their sacrifices would have been for nothing. Brock wouldn't have that.
Captain Nelson and Commander Jiro offered to go back with Brock, but he brushed them off and asked that they simply protect the other survivors while he was gone. Brock felt he could handle it on his own. The USS Odysseus was a very advanced submarine. It was much larger than any standard U.S. submarine in service at that point. The Odysseus was nearly as large as a heavy-cruiser, and it housed an experimental hovercraft they utilized to taxi men to and from the shore.
There was a compartment on the dorsal side of the Odysseus that opened up and allowed the hovercraft to make quick excursions. Brock started to understand, at least in part, why Captain Nelson chose to go to the island himself. Being taxied around in the hovercraft was a pretty unique experience, and though Brock would never admit it, fairly fun. He was too focused on the task at hand to really enjoy it, however. Brock just wanted to retrieve the rest of his men and complete the mission. Everything about Mondo Island had well worn out its welcome with him.
The hovercraft left the Odysseus and whizzed over the water without ever touching it. The vessel made a constant hissing noise which Brock assumed was related to the release of some type of gas which allowed the craft to hover. The vessel was soon across the bay and moving inland through the beach. The hovercraft made the transition from water to land seamlessly, which was a feat that even impressed Brock, despite his sour disposition.
Within minutes, the hovercraft made it to camp, and to Brock's pleasant surprise, all of the missing men were there waiting for him, including Dr. Reinhart. It was quite a relief. He wouldn't have to go out looking for them individually now. A huge burden lifted off of Brock's shoulders. The other survivors were in awe at the sight of the hovercraft. Brock explained the situation to them, and they got to work packing up anything of value. The Hovercraft wasn't large enough to take all of the men and supplies back in one trip. The salvage was the first priority, and then, as many men as possible were packed into it for the first run.
In the end, only five men were left standing in the camp. Reinhart and Brock were among them. Neither of them wanted to leave any of their men behind. They sent the hovercraft back with the first load of men and supplies to the Odysseus and elected to wait for it to come back. The other remaining men were already exhausted from their day's excursions. They didn't want to start walking to the beach, so instead, they sat around the campfire and talked. The men were in a jovial mood. Everybody was happy that their nightmare mission was almost over. They laughed, they ate, they drank, indulging themselves since they no longer needed to ration anything. Brock, on the other hand, hadn't let his guard down. He still wore his armor and carried his weapons. Until they were safely away on the Odysseus, he wasn't taking any chances. Reinhart watched him, feeling more at ease himself, but well-understanding Brock's position. Both men had seen a lot on the island, and just as much beforehand.
Minutes rolled by while they waited for the hovercraft to return. Brock reflected on his time on the island. Had he done the right things as the group's leader? Was it his fault that so many had died? He didn't know. Those questions would follow him for a long time after leaving the island. Brock's inner thoughts were interrupted by the whooshing sound of the hovercraft returning. He was pleasantly surprised by how fast it had come back. Finally, it was all over. The burden of command could rest on someone else's shoulders now.
The men all stood up and waited for the hovercraft to pull up next to them for pickup. Just then, off in the near distance, there was a rumbling. It was the sound of trees being felled. On the far side of the clearing, across from the crash site, Kong was marching out of the woods. He was sniffing the air, perhaps looking for the scent of Susan. His timing couldn't have been any worse. Most of the men panicked and rushed towards the hovercraft, which had just come to a halt nearby. They crammed into the small craft frantically.
"Come on Brock!" Reinhart shouted as he noticed the big marine hadn't moved from his spot next to the campfire. "We can still make it!"
"No…" Brock shook his head. "…we can't." Kong had already spotted the hovercraft and was coming to investigate. Brock realized if they took off now, Kong would just follow them to the Odysseus. They'd never be able to get underway before he was on top of them. Brock pulled out his weapons and started to move towards Kong. Reinhart could see that there was no stopping him. He was set on a confrontation.
"Go!" He instructed the pilot. The hovercraft quickly sped away.
Brock fired his weapon repeatedly at Kong. The first few shots didn't register with Kong at all. His eyes were still focused on the hovercraft. It wasn't until Brock adjusted his aim towards Kong's face that the monster stopped and took notice. Brock managed to get a lucky shot into one of Kong's fresh wounds from the Condor. It stung him sharply. Kong stopped paying any attention to the retreating hovercraft and focused on Brock alone.
A cold chill ran down Brock's spine when Kong made direct eye contact with him. He'd gotten what he wanted, now he had to face down the consequences. Kong grimaced, and advanced slowly on Brock, each thumping footstep bringing him closer. Brock shouldered his rifle and drew his sword. He didn't see any way out now. He was going to die, but at least it was going to be a good death. All he had to do now was buy as much time as possible for the others. Brock felt a little sick and started to sweat as the fifty-meter-tall Kong got within one hundred yards of him. He just hoped it would be fast when it came.
Kong wasn't sure what to make of Brock. He didn't understand what he was trying to accomplish. No man had ever stood his ground with him like this before. Any other time he'd approached a human, they had always fled at the mere sight of him. Why was this one different? Was this bravery or was he simply frozen with fear? Kong reached down to poke curiously at Brock with his finger. Brock swung his sword defensively, hitting only air.
Kong's lips rolled back into what appeared to be a sort of smile, but it exposed his teeth, including his sharp and elongated canines. The sight of those was immensely unsettling for Brock. He had visions of being gnashed between the big ape's giant teeth. Kong hooted, amused, poking at Brock for a second time, waiting to see what he'd do. This wasn't going as planned for Brock. This wasn't turning out to be the dignified death he was expecting. He was just being toyed with. Still, it was buying precious time, nonetheless. That's what was important.
Kong's play time was interrupted by the sound of helicopter blades chopping through the air. Both he and Brock were confused by it. Had the Archimedes Organization dispatched other warships to the island? The USS Odysseus certainly didn't have any patrol aircraft. Soon, an entire fleet of helicopters were invading the valley from all directions. There were dozens of them, and they had a very unusual design. Definitely not American made. They were a two-propped, heavy-duty chopper design. The color scheme of the helicopters was an odd mishmash of red and yellow. It didn't scream military, and Brock had never seen anything like them before.
Kong instantly viewed the invaders as a threat, and he was correct to do so. The helicopters had bomb bay doors built into their bottoms, and they meant to use them. The hatches opened up as the helicopters closed in. Just as they got overhead, the choppers began to drop bombs onto Kong's position. Brock ran as hard as he could to avoid being caught up in the blast zone. Kong was still standing right next to him.
The first bomb hit the ground and exploded, knocking Brock forward off of his feet. But there wasn't any fire or shrapnel. Instead, a dense fog of compressed gas shot out in every direction, engulfing the surrounding area. The gas seemed to be specifically designed to float up to around fifty meters in the air, around Kong's height. Brock held his breath until the gas had lifted out and away from him. None the less, when he did breathe in, he got a whiff of the remaining residue and felt the effects. Brock suddenly felt dizzy and unsteady on his feet. It was some kind of knockout gas.
Kong did not take the attack sitting down. He uprooted a tree and cleverly used it to swipe the gas away from his face. He was partially successful with that method, but more bombs were dropped, each spreading even more gas into the area. Kong changed tactics and launched the tree at one of the helicopters. He connected with his shot and the helicopter fell out of the sky. Kong quickly repeated the process and took down a second chopper.
'He's getting to be pretty adept at throwing shit.' Brock thought to himself as he tried to escape the scene.
Unfortunately for Brock, the second chopper Kong destroyed still had a bomb inside when it crashed in front of him. The gas bomb went off, taking Brock by surprise. The cloud quickly overtook him, and he dropped to the ground immediately after inhaling the vapors. Kong wasn't fairing much better by that point. He'd destroyed two choppers, sure, but there were still so many more of them, and every time Kong was forced to take in a breath, the effects of the gas were accumulating more and more. He was starting to stagger and missing most of his projectile attacks, which were becoming less and less frequent. Kong had put up a valiant fight, but it was over. His drowsiness had reached terminal levels. He simply had no defense against a chemical attack like this. Kong let go of the tree he was holding and fell over in a heap.
The attacking helicopters dropped one final bomb and circled for a minute, ensuring that Kong wasn't just playing possum. Once their leadership felt confident Kong was really unconscious, the helicopters came in close to the ground in what looked like a well-choreographed maneuver. They dispelled the gas until it was all out of the immediate area. Then some of the choppers landed and their crews, wearing gas masks, disembarked to closely examine their quarry. The men wore black uniforms without any sort of identifying marks.
The rest of the helicopters spread out and began to lower steel clamps on cables in what looked like some sort of twisted version of the claw game. The men on the ground guided the clasps onto strategic areas of Kong's body, such as his arms and legs, where they were secured to him. Dozens of huge barrage balloons were brought out of the cargo holds of the helicopters and they too were attached to Kong's body. It appeared that they were planning to airlift King Kong in the same manner the Japanese had done in Tokyo.
While that process was being completed, one of the men in black uniforms noticed Brock passed out nearby and brought it to the commander's attention. They both noted his strange weapons and armor. The officer had two of his men grab Brock by the shoulders and take him along with them as well. Kong and Brock were both prisoners of these men now, whoever they were. Before long, Kong had been secured and the fleet of helicopters began to lift him up off of the ground. Reinhart and the hovercraft, along with Captain Nelson, came back looking for Brock during the final stages of the process and witnessed Kong being abducted. They were shocked by the scale of it. The similarity of the method wasn't lost on them.
"Somebody was definitely paying attention in Tokyo." Reinhart noted ominously to Nelson.
Reinhart and Captain Nelson sped around the camp and didn't find any trace of Brock. They quickly came to the conclusion that either Kong ate Brock during their confrontation, or perhaps, he'd been taken away with Kong by these unknown assailants. Either way, the next best thing they could do is try to ascertain who these people were and what they wanted with Kong. They followed the slow-moving air fleet as best they could through the jungle and to the sea.
Once there, Reinhart and Nelson saw two huge ships waiting offshore. One of them was a modified oil tanker which had been converted into a makeshift aircraft carrier to transport the fleet of helicopters. The other was a massive freighter with one enormous, customized cargo hold. The colossal doors on the deck opened up and Kong was lowered inside the ship. It was an oddly good fit. Either it had been specifically designed for Kong's measurements, or something of similar dimensions. It was too precise to be a coincidence. One by one, the helicopters detached their lines and began landing on their carrier. Once each of them had completed their task, the balloons attached to Kong were cut loose and floated away.
With their mission accomplished, both ships prepared to move away from Mondo Island. Reinhart and Captain Nelson watched them just long enough to be certain of their heading before getting the hovercraft into gear and moving back towards the USS Odysseus. They aimed to track these unknown vessels back to their home port and try to determine their intensions. What could these men possibly want with Kong? And why would they kidnap Brock? Both urgent questions that needed answers. They had certainly gone to an awful lot of trouble.
On the way back to the Odysseus, the hovercraft passed through the survivor's old fishing grounds and picked up a tail. The Sea Serpent was very interested in finding out what was inside of the pod. Reinhart immediately noticed it following them and recognized the danger it posed. He quickly informed Captain Nelson of the impending threat. The hovercraft was fast, but the Sea Serpent was just a little faster. The monster was slowly closing in on them. If they did nothing, it would reach them before they could make it to the safety of the Odysseus.
Captain Nelson instantly came up with a plan. He contacted Commander Jiro on board the Odysseus and ordered him to launch a full spread of torpedoes at their position. Jiro didn't understand, but he didn't argue either. He followed his orders, quickly maneuvering the Odysseus into firing position and then launched the torpedoes.
"Fish in the water!" Jiro reported over the radio to Nelson.
Captain Nelson saw torpedo trails forming in the water a couple hundred yards out ahead of them and corrected the hovercraft's course to ensure that they were in the path of them. The Sea Serpent stayed right on them and did not see the danger coming until it was already too late. The torpedoes passed harmlessly under the hovercraft, but the Sea Serpent took one of them directly to the face. The torpedo exploded right inside of his mouth. Reinhart was watching the whole thing, and he saw a huge gush of red water. Half of the monster's face had been blown off. Just a second later, blood and seawater rained down onto the hovercraft.
The Sea Serpent's corpse sank beneath the waves, never to victimize anyone again. Reinhart hoped that Brock was still alive so he could tell him about it. He'd be happy to hear that the sailors had finally been avenged.
…
Days later, the USS Odysseus was still quietly following the pair of unmarked vessels that had taken Kong. They had not changed course since starting their journey. The Odysseus was much faster than the modified civilian craft and had no trouble catching up to them. The enemy ships did not appear to have sonar or any other method of detecting the submarine whatsoever. Whoever had modified the ships for the purpose of capturing Kong, apparently had not foreseen the need to ensure they weren't being shadowed.
Even if the crews of the tanker and freighter did realize they were being followed by a submarine, there was no indication they'd be able to do anything about it. The merchant ships did not appear to have any offensive weapons of their own, and it was unclear if their helicopters were capable of dropping depth charges. The Odysseus stayed with them at a safe distance and kept Archimedes HQ informed of every development. Admiral Malek at HQ was very interested in these developments, and informed Captain Nelson that he was dispatching additional warships to support them.
After many more days of sailing north, the merchant ships seemed to arrive at their destination. They had reached a patch of artic islands and were breaking their way through surface ice. Below the waves, the Odysseus didn't have to worry about such things, but they were constantly on the lookout for icebergs. The two merchantmen stopped their engines and dropped anchor. The Odysseus came up to periscope depth to see what was happening. As it turned out, the ships were preparing to move Kong from the cargo ship to some installation onshore. Captain Nelson could see lights twinkling off in the snowy distance.
"Thank god, we're damned near at the North Pole." Captain Nelson grumbled. The journey had been quite long. "I just about guessed that Santa Claus was going to be behind all of this." He jested, getting a small round of laughs from his bridge crew. Captain Nelson could see the helicopters beginning to repeat the procedure to lift Kong up and out of the cargo ship.
"What do we do now, captain?" Commander Jiro asked.
"Well, I think we need to get a little closer to this base." Nelson answered. "Scope out their defenses and try to get an idea of what we are dealing with before we go barreling in there guns blazing. We have superior firepower enroute. It might be wise to wait for them to arrive. In the meantime, we can send out some scout groups to get the lay of the land. Are you ready to stretch your legs a bit commander?"
"Yes sir!" Jiro replied.
…
Brock came-to with a black bag over his head. He couldn't see much, but he could tell he was on a helicopter mid-flight. He'd been on enough of them to know the feeling quite well and the sound was unmistakable. He tried not to move much. He didn't want his captors to realize he was awake just yet. The front of Brock's mask was meshed up right against his face. There was an opportunity in that. Brock's hands were shackled behind his back, but he realized he was positioned right next to the window. Brock slumped over to it, holding a portion of the fabric against it. Then he reached out with his tongue and pulled a bit of the cloth towards his teeth. Brock bit down hard and wrenched the fabric slowly until he could hear the stitching at the top of the hood begin to tear. Suddenly, he had a little sliver of vision. Brock stopped there. If he tore the mask any more than that, it could be noticeable. He just wanted to have some idea of where he was.
"Almost there." Brock heard one of his captors say in English. He looked out the window and saw a snowy plain.
'Where the hell am I?' Brock thought perplexed. This was quite the switch from the tropical jungle of Mondo Island. His first instinct was that he was somewhere in Russia, but if that was the case, why was his guard speaking perfect English? Brock looked out and saw that the chopper was landing inside of a snow-covered bunker. Once the helicopter had settled on the platform, he could feel it moving downwards. Brock looked out to see the walls moving by. They were on a giant elevator. The hanger ceiling above was closing up. 'Good.' Brock thought. He'd been stripped down to just his pants, and he didn't fancy walking outside in the snow being so exposed. Before long, the elevator stopped.
"Get the prisoner on his feet." Brock heard one of the men on the chopper say. He could hear someone coming towards him and then his shoulder got shaken vigorously.
"Come on, wake up." He felt the man's arm start to pull him up to his feet. Brock kept quiet and pretended to still be out of it, but he walked with the man. The rip in his hood was on the opposite side, so he couldn't see the man's face. They stepped out of the helicopter, which was a bit of a challenge for Brock without being able to see where he was going. Then he was led down a dark corridor. The air in the tunnel was still cold from the hanger doors having been left open for so long, but it was getting warmer as they walked.
Before long, Brock and his guide came into another huge room. Brock could see that the ceiling was at least sixty meters high. Brock's escort stopped to let a vehicle of some sort pass ahead of them. It felt like they were in another hanger of some sort. Since they were stationary, Brock had a better chance to look around, though he had to turn his shoulders to do so. The first thing Brock laid his eyes upon was stunning. He glimpsed the face of a huge mechanical monster. It had silver skin, and its features vaguely resembled that of King Kong. The longer Brock looked at it, the more similarities he noticed. The body was built in almost exact proportions. The vehicle had passed, and Brock was forced to move on again, still not sure what he had just seen.
"So, this is our special prisoner." Brock heard a voice coming from the side.
"Yes Doctor." Brock's escort replied. "We found him on the battlefield near Kong." Brock could see the man approaching out of the side of his hood. The character walking towards them had a very sinister look about him. He wore an all-black ensemble, complete with a long out-of-fashion cape. He had Einstein-like grey hair, sharp eyebrows, and a menacing smirk. The most off-putting thing about him though was his teeth. The man looked like he enjoyed chewing on charcoal. Many of his teeth were blackened and broken in the back. His mouth hung open widely while he spoke, making noticing them entirely unavoidable. One thing was quite plain to Brock, this man was an eccentric.
"Good, take him to a cell so we can start processing him." The doctor ordered.
…
Over the next few hours, Brock was interrogated by his kidnappers, but he didn't say a single word to them. He recognized that he needed to play for time. Brock deduced that he'd be killed once they'd gotten all the information they could out of him. As a grunt, he held no real value as a hostage. Interestingly though, Brock's captors didn't seem to have much of a clue as to who he really was. They certainly had no idea that he was an American. That much was obvious. They tried to speak to him in several other languages before even trying English.
As Brock's captors had found him in the armor of a soldier from the derelict ship, they assumed he was a survivor of the crash. Suddenly, Brock's value as a hostage went up dramatically. He realized they couldn't risk killing him. There was way too much information he could theoretically share with them. At that point, Brock's unwillingness to respond was probably being interpreted as an inability to respond. A simple language barrier. As long as Brock could keep up the charade, he was safe.
Over and over again, the men in black tried to engage Brock in conversation in at least three-dozen different languages. He could tell that the interrogators were really starting to get frustrated. They must have been running out of languages to try. They didn't seem to be experts in linguistics. Eventually, the interrogators resorted to drawing pictures before finally giving up.
After a long session, Brock was taken to what he figured was a holding cell. It was dark inside. The chair was surprisingly cushy though. Perhaps his captors just weren't used to visitors at the base and were forced to improvise. Unexpectedly, the lights flickered on. Someone else was inside the room with Brock and he could hear them moving around. He couldn't see them, but he could tell that it wasn't a man. Brock could smell the sweet perfume of a woman. Through the slit in the bag, Brock could see what appeared to be fancy wallpaper. He was suddenly very confused. Had they drugged him?
A nimble finger found its way into the tear Brock had made in his hood. Whoever was out there, they had immediately picked up on the fact that Brock had made a hole and could see out of it. The woman grasped the bag and pulled it all the way free from Brock's face. For the first time in a long time, he could see the world around him in its entirety. The light bothered Brock at first, but he quickly adjusted. It looked as though he was in a fancy apartment decorated by a stylish lady. There were exotic plants, expensive paintings, and marble statues. All pointing to one thing: Whoever lived there had a lot of money backing them up. Soon, Brock saw his host. She was an extremely attractive Asian woman wearing a flowing black dress made out of silk. She was pouring Brock a drink. It appeared to be an expensive brand of brandy. She came over holding a glass for each of them.
"Oh, how silly of me, I forgot." The woman casually set the drinks down on the coffee table in front of Brock and then went around behind the couch he was sitting on. She gently encouraged Brock to lean forward and produced a key to unlock his shackles. "There, much better."
Brock looked around the room. The two of them were seemingly alone. He was amazed that this woman felt secure enough to be around him by herself while he was completely unrestrained. She might be a woman, but she had big brass balls hiding underneath her dress. The woman came back around and offered Brock a glass. He didn't immediately take it. In part, keeping up the act of not understanding, and in part, not trusting that the liquor had been dosed with something. The mystery woman understood his position and instantly took a good long sip out of each glass. Brock just watched her for a moment, trying to decide if she was clever enough to have dosed both glasses. As long as it wasn't poison, she might be willing to suffer the effects of a drug, just so long as he did too.
"Oh, so very cautious." The woman noted with a smirk. "Very good… I can tell I'm not dealing with an idiot." She sat down next to Brock. Again, very bold of her considering his hands were now free. She was apparently certain that he wouldn't immediately attack her. As it turned out, she was right. She just sat there patiently for a few moments, continuing to sip at her brandy. She was surprisingly self-confident for an Asian woman. She lacked all of the typical shyness and modesty that Brock had come to expect. He tended to intimidate most of the men he came across, let alone women. This lady didn't seem a bit bothered by him. After a while, she leaned forward and offered him the cup for a second time. "That's long enough to buy me a little trust, I hope?"
Brock accepted the glass and took a sip because he was in fact awfully thirsty. His captors hadn't given him anything since they had arrived at the base.
"That a boy..." The woman smiled. "You can stop pretending by the way. I'm not as stupid as the rest of them here. I know you're not who you appear to be." She said confidently. "I lived in America for several years. I know a Yank when I see one." She smirked in a flirty sort of way. Brock did not react. He was not trusting this strange woman, charming as she might be. "Oh, don't worry, we are not being monitored in here. You can speak freely." She offered. "I don't plan to tell them who you really are. It can be our little secret for now. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that you are a member of the Archimedes Organization." Brock was a little shook when she mentioned that. He had no idea what gave him away. "You don't have to tell me your name. It's not vital at this juncture anyways." She went on. "I would like to talk to you though. So, to get the ball rolling, how about I tell you something you'd like to know, and then you can tell me something I'd like to know?"
Brock did not reply, continuing to keep up the act.
"That's okay, I was planning to go first anyways." She continued, undeterred. "First, an introduction. My name is Mia, but I'm more often referred to by my codename: Madame Piranha. But you don't have to call me that. In fact, I'd prefer that you didn't. I've always found it to be a little… distasteful. Looks like you are getting a little low, let me get you some more." She noted that Brock's glass was nearly empty.
Madame Piranha took his glass and rose, going back to the kitchen to retrieve the bottle. As she was walking, she glanced back at Brock and managed to step on her silk dress. She tripped, falling forward, and went down in a heap. She knocked over a vase that was sitting on the end table and it broke against the tile floor along with the crystal glass she'd been carrying. Brock jumped up to his feet and ran over to check on her. It appeared that she had hit her head and cut herself on the glass. He could see blood.
"Are you okay?!" Brock asked concerned. He went into the kitchen and grabbed a towel and began to wet it in the sink. When he turned around, Madame Piranha was back on her feet and smiling at him.
"Got ya!" She said with a charming smirk and a wink, producing a small vial of red liquid she'd use to fake the blood. "I'll take that towel though. This red ink is going to be murder on the carpet if I let it set in." She crouched down to get a better look. "Damn, I tried to keep it all on the tile." Brock felt very stupid, he had just been played. All of it had been an act. She'd managed to lure him into talking by appealing to his sense of duty. Clever of her. "Oh, don't look so glum. I told you, I don't plan to tell anybody." She reassured him. "I just needed to… break the ice, so to speak. Hand me the towel please and go sit and relax. Once I get this taken care of, we'll have lots to talk about." Instead of sitting, Brock knelt down and started to help her clean the carpet quietly. "And a gentleman to boot… I really scored big with you, didn't I?"
"I suppose you did at that." Brock finally dropped the act. The game was over.
Within moments, the pair were back on the couch with their alcohol.
"I know you think that you're a dead man right now, but you're not." Piranha assured Brock. "Your situation is much better than you think it is. I've been on the level with you this whole time, well, aside from that little stunt I just pulled. But that was necessary to get you to open your yap. Now that your secret is out, and you can see that you're not being tackled by an army of armed guards, maybe you're feeling a little more open to discussion? What were you doing on Mondo Island? You can tell me that much."
"We were sent to investigate a crashed ship there." Brock replied. He didn't see any risk in giving up that information. "It contained advanced technology."
"Oh… I get it now." Piranha replied. "You found one of their ships." She said knowingly.
"You know who they are…?" Brock asked, surprised.
"Yeah… I do." Piranha answered. "They're my worst enemies…" She noted ominously. "That would explain how you got your hands on some of their gear. Would you like to know who they are?"
"Definitely." Brock responded.
"Well, just so you know that I'm actually a credible source, I'm a high-ranking agent of the Red Bamboo Organization." She began. "I'm positive you're familiar with us. Sadly, I'm one of the few survivors at this point. The bastards you encountered on Mondo Island are responsible for that. For the longest time, we weren't exactly sure who they were. For a time, we actually thought they were part of your group. Later, much too late, we figured out that they weren't. That was only after they had smashed their way through most of our bases. We did get something in return out of it though. In China, we captured one of them during their last raid. Part of a building fell on him, one of their soldiers, I mean."
"Pretty shocking to find out they're human, huh?" Brock speculated.
"Yeah, that was quite the surprise." She admitted. "We all figured aliens until we saw him."
"You saw him yourself then." Brock surmised. "That's how you were able to determine that I was not one of them."
"Clever boy…" Piranha replied, impressed by his deduction. "What's your name by the way? I think we've gotten to the point where that is relevant now." She smiled at him.
"It's Brock." He answered.
"Nice to make your acquaintance Brock." She gracefully took his hand and shook it. "Anyways, their soldier got left behind, presumed dead by his people. We learned a lot of things from him. First, they're not all part of one big empire. Second, they come from the ocean floor. They're actually a lot like us surface dwellers." She took a sip of her brandy. "There are various factions and alliances, but there is one thing that unites them all. Fear. Fear of us. They're afraid of the weapons we are developing. Nuclear Weapons and Oxygen Destroyers, they're terrified of them. And rightfully so if you ask me. Against such a threat, they're all willing to work together. The strongest faction among them is called the Empire of Mu. They are the ones primarily responsible for the attacks all around the world. They either pulled off the attacks themselves or pressured other smaller factions to do it for them."
"Which other attacks are you referring to?" Brock asked curiously.
"The Monster ones mostly." Piranha replied. "Best we can figure, they've found a way to gain control over several Kaiju. Manda and Gezora for sure. Mu controls Manda directly. He's like their capitol's guardian monster. We think Gezora belongs to a separate faction in the Mediterranean. Each faction controls at least one monster. Gezora's attack was in response to a depth charge test performed nearby one of their settlements by the Italian Navy. Gezora's attack on Taranto was meant to destroy the Neptune depth charges, which were able to threaten their underwater communities. The bombing at the Japanese naval base was carried out for similar reasons, but by one of their agents, not by a monster. They don't want anyone developing those types of weapons. A portion of their fleet also destroyed the Italian's when they got too close to one of their settlements looking for Gezora."
"How could they control a kaiju?" Brock asked.
"We suspect they control them in a manner similar to how we do." Piranha answered. "The scientist I'm working with here, Dr. Who, has created a new form of hypnosis. It involves a control chip implanted into the subject's ear canal. From there, we can transmit instructions. What they are using is most likely a more advanced version of the same technology. Or something very similar to it."
"Why did you seize Kong?" Brock inquired. "To fight these Undersea peoples?"
"No, it's for something much less conventional than all that." Piranha answered. "The idea of my foolish scientific partner, Dr. Who. He wants to use Kong to mine a highly radioactive rock he refers to as Element-X. It has a more scientific name, but I don't recall what it is at this moment. It puts out a brilliant amount of light. It almost looks like diamond, but even more sparkly. It's quite pretty, but it'll kill you quite fast too. No one can get near it. Dr. Who built a robot for that purpose, but it failed, like everything else he touches." She added contemptuously.
"I saw that robot as they brought me in." Brock noted. "Seems like a lot of effort for nothing."
"Tell me about it." Madame Piranha agreed. "My superiors back home are furious about it. Dr. Who built that thing on our dime, but it can't withstand the intense amount of radiation that Element-X puts out. The robot malfunctioned and collapsed in the tunnel while trying to extract the mineral. Its circuits simply couldn't handle the interference put off by the intense radiation, as well as the magnetic field. It's a miracle they were able to get it back out of the tunnel again."
"What other monsters do you think belong to these Sea people? Brock asked, bringing the conversation back around to where they started.
"The Lorde Howe Monster was one of Mu's." Piranha replied. "But he was killed by the Oxygen Destroyer. That really opened up a can of worms. The deployment of the Oxygen Destroyer must have been a big redline for them. After that, they perceived the Red Bamboo as such a grave threat that they were willing to openly move against us with their warships and ground troops, dropping their routine tactic of subterfuge in favor of more direct military action. They risked being identified, exposing themselves to the world at large. A thing that was unthinkable to them up until that point. Your organization saw the results of their wrath firsthand at our remote airbase installation. But that was far from everything they did to us. They hit us everywhere. Even regular Chinese merchant ships weren't safe. They set their fleet about attacking and obliterating every ship they could find. Only Mothra's intervention seemed to calm them down. They have kind of a special history with her. We're not entirely clear what their relationship is yet though."
"What about Godzilla?" Brock asked. "Do they control him as well?"
"It's possible he is under their control, but we don't think so." Piranha answered. "While it's true that Godzilla destroyed our primary nuclear research facility, we think he did that all of his own volition."
"How can you be sure?" Brock pressed.
"Because the amount of radiation Godzilla naturally produces is more than enough to disrupt the electronics of implanted control devices." Piranha pointed out. "That's the very reason we've had so much difficulty in securing Element-X. Not only has it disrupted our command signals to our mechanical version of Kong, but also to the real Mccoy. The earpieces we put in him can't hold up under the strain of the interference. It's annoyed Dr. Who to no end, the material is always just beyond his grasp."
"You seem to be getting a somewhat perverse satisfaction from that." Brock noted.
"Oh, I do." She admitted. "Dr. Who's incompetence has finally caught up with him. In any case, for that reason, as well as Godzilla seeming to have his own obvious motivations to attack nuclear sites, we doubt he's under anyone's control. He's just doing what is natural for him."
"Why are you telling me all this?" Brock asked. "Isn't it going to piss off your boss?" Madame Piranha chuckled, amused at such a notion.
"I don't have to worry about Dr. Who." Piranha said as she recovered. "And neither do you. I don't work for him. He works for me. The good doctor is the one who has to worry about keeping me happy, not the other way around. Dr. Who is not one of my countrymen, and he's not part of the Red Bamboo. We just fund his research. Since Godzilla knocked out our nuclear base, it's been my job to restart the program. Element-X would not only allow us to catch up but surpass everybody else in the arm's race. It is a building block to more powerful types of nuclear weapons. It has the potential to give us unparalleled nuclear dominance. But that's looking less and less likely. I have no faith that Dr. Who can deliver on his promises now. Taking Kong was his last-ditch effort, something he resorted to out of desperation. Since that has failed, he's pretty much finished. But to your larger point, he's assuming you're going to be dead by the time this is all over. So, he doesn't particularly care what I tell you between now and then."
"And are you…?" Brock asked. "…going to kill me?"
"I have no such plans." Piranha replied. "In fact, I have an alternate proposal. Something mutually beneficial that I'm ready to discuss with you. Before that though, did you have any other questions for me?"
"These ocean dwellers, they were fighting with Battra recently, do you know what that is all about?" Brock inquired.
"Your people were at the Temple of Mothra, so I'm certain you have some idea about this already." Piranha began. "But legend has it that Battra was created by the Earth's own life force to counter the machinations of the first advanced human civilization. They were the ancestors of the Mu Empire, Atlanteans, Seatopians, and even us. Their society had developed a powerful weather control device which was perceived as a threat to all life on the planet. Battra was sent to destroy it. When he did, the earth was flooded as a result. Ninety-five percent of the world's population was swallowed up in the great flood. Those who survived that calamity either lived in the highest mountains, or in underwater colonies. The people in the mountains were our ancestors, and they were forced to start civilization over from scratch. Those who lived in the colonies, were the ancestors of these sea-peoples. They managed to retain some level of their technology, which is why they are ahead of us now. Battra scoured the Earth looking for them after the flood, but in his Imago form, he couldn't follow them beneath the waves. Eventually, Mothra intervened, stopping Battra's rampage and defeating him."
"If that's all true, why didn't the sea peoples return to the surface at that point?" Brock asked.
"For a long time afterwards, they were too afraid to return to the surface." Piranha answered. "They were fearful that Battra would return for them if they did. Under the water, they could hide from him indefinitely. Even now, with all their advanced weapons and monsters, they're still struggling to fight Battra on equal terms, and he's only in his larval form at this point. Once he's transformed, he'll be even more dangerous. The Kingdom of Mu is the strongest and most belligerent of the undersea factions, but they've been weakened. The loss of an entire battlefleet to Battra and a monster being lost to the Oxygen Destroyer has put them at a major disadvantage. Those losses can't just be replaced. Also, Manda, their pride and joy, is wounded, recovering from his fight with Battra. This gives the other undersea powers an opportunity to flex their political strength. Things could get interesting…"
Brock and Madame Piranha's conversation was cut short by a rumble, followed by a flickering of the lights, and finally a crash which shook the entire facility.
"What the hell was that?" Brock asked alarmed.
"Another one of Dr. Who's failures, no doubt." Piranha said sarcastically, trying to sound calm, but a slight trembling in her voice betrayed her legitimate concern.
After a moment, four of Dr. Who's guards burst into the room, intent on returning Brock to his cell. Judging by the look on their faces, something was awfully wrong. Brock turned to Madame Piranha, expecting that she'd give him away for who he was on the spot, but she was oddly silent. She just gave Brock a knowing smirk and watched quietly as the guards led him away. She gave no indication that they'd just had a full-fledged conversation.
…
Elsewhere in the complex, Kong was trying to tear his way out of his cage. He'd come out of his hypnotic trance and was dead set on escaping. He grasped the huge metal bars of his cell and pulled at them with all of his strength. The metal bent but did not break. The doorframe on the other hand wasn't holding up so well. Kong's constant pounding was not only loosening the hinges, but also destabilizing the stone walls and roof of the entire section around him.
In a last-ditch effort to stop Kong, Dr. Who had his men lower a flashing mechanical orb that was meant to loll him back into a hypnotic trance. The shiny, flashing lights of the apparatus caught Kong's attention for a moment, but he quickly covered his eyes. He'd learned from his earlier mistake and realized how treacherous the pretty little bobble was.
Kong realized that he still had an earpiece in each of his ears when Dr. Who tried to transmit orders to him. The electronic impulses were being sent to inhibit his aggressive behavior. Before they could work though, Kong pulled each device out and shattered them against the stone wall of the cave. Then he resumed working on the doorframe, struggling to knock it down. The walls within the mine finally started to give way. Rock, soil, and snow began to pour into the tunnel Kong occupied. Within seconds, Kong was half-buried in debris. He'd caved in a significant portion of the base. However, after all was said and done, Kong could see that the ceiling had opened up and light was shining through it. It offered Kong the freedom he so desperately needed to taste again.
Kong pulled himself free from the rock and snow and climbed out of the pit he'd made. Once he reached the surface, Kong was more than a little shocked to discover the icy landscape that surrounded him. He glanced around puzzled, not sure where he was or which way he should go. He wasn't used to the chill in the air, but his heavy fur coat kept him warm enough. Kong picked a direction and started moving. He correctly assumed that he was going to be pursued before long.
Down below, Dr. Who was furiously giving out orders to his men to send up his mechanical monster to retrieve Kong. All of his hopes for a future relied on recapturing Kong and creating a stronger control device which would allow him to mine Element-X. If King Kong escaped, he was as good as dead. The Red Bamboo or the regular Chinese Government would hunt him down like a dog for his failures.
Soon enough, Kong heard a noise behind him. He turned to see Mechani-Kong rising up out of an industrial-sized elevator hidden in one of the base's many hangers. Kong did not like the look of him. After pausing only for a moment, Kong continued to retreat. Behind him, Mechani-Kong started to receive electronic instructions and began moving after him.
Not far from the base, Kong saw just what he was hoping to find, the coastline. Though the waters were frigid and unappealing, they put true freedom within Kong's reach. The ocean was his best avenue of escape. Kong didn't think his metal counterpart would perform well in the water. He'd either short-circuit or sink to the bottom. There was something else nearby the coast though. Amongst the artic peaks, Kong saw a gigantic walrus-like kaiju just sitting by the water. It was blocking Kong's path.
The walrus monster spotted Kong approaching, and then Mechani-Kong coming up behind him. He quickly decided he did not want any part of either of them. He slipped off of his perch and into the water. Kong stopped for a moment, startled by the sudden movement. He anticipated an attack and braced himself for it. It never came though. Waiting to see what the Walrus kaiju was doing in the water turned out to be a major mistake. Kong suddenly got the sense that something bad was coming his way from behind. He looked back just in time to see a huge hunk of ice hurdling at his head. Kong tried to move out of the way, but it was already too late. The piece of glacier struck him in the shoulder, and he went down hard. The successful attack gave Mechani-Kong just the opening he needed to catch up. Running away was no longer an option for Kong. He had to confront the machine enemy that was rapidly bearing down on him. Kong stood up and turned to square off with his silver doppelganger.
Mechani-Kong made the first move, commencing his assault by using flood lights built into his eye ports to flash and blind Kong. A ruthless and unfair tactic, but Mechani-Kong had no intention of fighting fairly. He had no pride or honor to be satisfied. No ego to bruise by cheating. His onboard computer couldn't even understand those concepts. He just needed to win. To it, Kong was simply a target to pacify as Dr. Who directed. To that end, it hoped to end the fight in the opening moves before either he or Kong were unduly damaged. If Kong was crippled during the fight, he wouldn't be any use to them. Fortunately for Mechani-Kong, Dr. Who had installed a hypnosis node on top of his head to make the job easier. While Kong was recovering from being blinded by the lights, Mechani-Kong activated the module.
Kong's vision came back just in time to see the flickering lights in front of him. Understanding his opponent's strategy, Kong quickly reached down and found a boulder. He used the rock to smash the node on top of Mechani-Kong's head before it could have any effect on him. The module shattered and sparked as Kong crushed it. Mechani-Kong instantly counterpunched and knocked Kong on his butt. Kong was stunned for a moment. Mechani-Kong's steel fist hit him like forty-tons of bricks. He really packed a wallop.
Mechani-Kong came forward and tried to tackle Kong, but Kong reacted just in time and Mechani-Kong missed him entirely, somersaulting forward onto its back. Mechani-Kong could hit harder, but King Kong was still faster. None the less, Kong was facing an uphill battle. Mechani-Kong was stronger, more durable, and would never tire out. Kong learned a lesson in his opponent's strength when he locked hands with Mechani-Kong. Each of them tried to overwhelm the other. For a few moments, it seemed as though they were evenly matched, but over time, the robot was able to overpower Kong by outlasting him. Mechani-Kong simply did not have muscles that would falter when overtaxed, and Kong did.
Kong let go when it was clear that he couldn't win the test of strength. Instead, he used his speed to get around behind Mechani-Kong and put the metallic behemoth into a waist lock. Kong stayed there for a moment, taking the time to think over his next move. Mechani-Kong wasn't immediately able to counter him. His advantage in strength had been negated by superior positioning. Kong decided to lift the robot up off his feet and then threw him into a nearby frozen mountainside.
Upon impact, many tons of snow and ice fell upon Mechani-Kong in a cascading avalanche. The robot was buried beneath it. For a minute, it looked as though King Kong had prevailed over his automated counterpart. However, Mechani-Kong soon powered its way free, much like Kong had done earlier. With that, Kong's thoughts of an easy victory melted away.
…
Below in the base, Brock had been returned to his cell. He sat listening to the rumblings of the battle above. The action had moved far enough away from the base to where there was no longer any danger of the rest of the roof collapsing, but Brock could still feel the tremors when a hit was landed. Most of the base's garrison was preoccupied with the ongoing fight. Their fleet of helicopters were being prepared for takeoff. The choppers were being loaded up with more knockout gas to subdue Kong with. It was a sound tactical move since Mechani-Kong would be completely unaffected by it while Kong had been proven to be quite susceptible to it.
As most of the base personnel were occupied, there was only one guard posted to keep an eye on Brock. Brock figured this was his time to act. He could use the confusion of the emergency to escape his cell and hopefully find a way to flee from there. Perhaps he could hijack one of the helicopters. Just as Brock was starting to formulate a plan, Madame Piranha entered the cellblock. Her presence would complicate things. She was quite the clever woman. Any scenario Brock might concoct to trick the guard, she'd be able to see right through. Piranha smirked at Brock as she approached his cell and took stock of the situation. The guard stood up to greet her, but instead of a warm reception, she pulled out a pistol with a silencer and plugged the man twice in the chest, taking both him and Brock completely by surprise.
"What is the meaning of this?" Brock asked, uncertain of Piranha's intentions. She still had her gun out.
"Relax, if I wanted you dead, I wouldn't have waited this long." She assured him. "I thought you were a smart enough guy to recognize a rescue. It can't be lost on you that this is an ideal opportunity to escape. I have my own private plane here. It's ready and waiting in one of the nearby hangers. If we are swift, we can be gone before anyone even realizes anything happened."
"Why should I trust you?" Brock asked suspiciously. "Would I really be better off in Chinese hands than this lot?"
"We wouldn't be going to my country." Piranha began to explain. "We'd be going to yours. I wish to defect to the United States. Your Archimedes Organization specifically. I could be very useful in providing sensitive intelligence to your superiors, and I'd be an excellent field agent. However, I suspect it would go a long ways if I had a friend on the inside to advocate on my behalf. I'd like you to be that friend." Brock was genuinely surprised. "As a show of good faith, I've brought documents to prove everything I told you earlier, and more. I have the blueprints for Dr. Who's robot. For an organization that fights against Kaiju, having the ability to build your own version of Mechani-Kong could come in handy, right? All you have to do to make that happen is say yes."
"Why are you so eager to turn your back on your countrymen?" Brock asked skeptically, believing the deal sounded too good to be true.
"As I told you, my organization has been gutted by the Kingdom of Mu." Piranha explained. "The Chinese Government is blaming us few remaining Red Bamboo Officers for the many catastrophes that befell our organization. It's true, there have been so many lost opportunities and outright failures. We're on the threshold of another one even now. With what is going on above us, the Red Bamboo is all but certain to be disbanded. And in this case, I'm personally responsible for it. Dr. Who was my assignment. I alone am to blame. I messaged my direct superior, the first commander of the Red Bamboo, and told him the mission to obtain Element-X was turning into another fiasco due to Dr. Who's incompetence. I asked him for instructions. He told me that the leadership of our organization would likely face execution if we failed in this. He is my closest friend, so he advised me to get out now if I could." Piranha started to get emotional. "It's actually pretty lucky that I'm stationed so far away. They can't reach me right away here. He's not going to be so lucky." Piranha seemed genuinely saddened by that fact. She wiped away a tear. "So you see, my government betrayed me first." She started to regain her composure. If what she was saying was true, her back was up against a wall. Her whole life was turning upside down. "I know the reputation of your commanding officer, Malek. He doesn't treat prisoners well, but a defector with valuable information for him to exploit… that might be a different story."
"Yes, that could change things." Brock agreed. "He's very ambitious. With what you are bringing to the table, he might just hear you out." He stood there for a moment, considering everything she said. "Alright, I'll do what I can to help you Madame Piranha."
"Good, let's go then." She took the keys off of the dead guard and briskly unlocked Brock's cell. "And call me Mia from now on. I've never been Madame Piranha, and I'm certainly not now."
"Sure thing, Mia." Brock took the dead guard's sidearm off his body. "Lead the way."
Brock and Mia swiftly exited the cellblock. She took the lead as Brock suggested. If the two of them ran into any more guards, they wouldn't immediately see her as a threat. For that reason, she entered every room first, and then waved Brock in once she determined it was clear. Eventually, they did run into one of Dr. Who's men, but they made short work of him. Mia got his attention while Brock got behind him and then snapped his neck. Mia was startled, but also a little impressed at just how easily Brock was able to do it. His extended stay on Mondo Island had done nothing to diminish his strength.
After traversing another empty corridor, Brock and Mia were nearly home free. Mia's plane was in the hanger just down the next passageway. However, they ran into a rather serious problem. At some point during the battle above, the section of hallway ahead of them had collapsed. It was completely caved in. There was no getting through there.
"Shit… is there another way around?" Brock asked.
"No, not without going to the surface first." Mia answered. "We'd have to fight our way to one of the main elevators. They're all certain to be heavily guarded at this point. If we go to the security room, we can check the cameras to see which one of them is the safest choice. Maybe we'll get lucky."
"It seems like our only option." Brock remarked. "I'm not afraid to fight my way out, let's do it."
On the way to the security room, Brock and Mia were forced to take cover. A whole squad of Dr. Who's men were running down the corridor armed to the teeth. However, they blew past Brock and Mia without even noticing them. The soldiers were urgently on their way somewhere.
"I get the impression they're not after us." Brock observed. "Something else must be happening."
"I think they were heading to the surface." Mia noted.
The pair made it into the security room and took out the officer on duty who was monitoring the cameras and directing Dr. Who's forces. Brock pushed his body away from the console and Mia sat down to start cycling through the security cameras on the monitor. Surprisingly, the hangers and elevator shafts only had token security forces remaining. The majority of Dr. Who's men had already gone up to the surface. The squad they'd just encountered were also heading up at that very moment.
"What's happening…?" Brock asked as Mia kept switching cameras looking for answers.
They could see the battle between King Kong and Mechani-Kong continuing to rage. Mechani-Kong was advancing on Kong menacingly. Kong used his agility to grab Mechani-Kong's arm and judo throw him in an impressive feat of strength. Mechani-Kong flew through the air and crashed hard into the snow. As the robot got up, its movements were stiff. Perhaps the cold was starting to freeze up Mechani-Kong's joints? Kong moved in to resume his attack, but Mechani-Kong lowered his head and drove it directly into Kong's gut as he charged. Kong got the air knocked out of him and he backed away to recover.
Mechani-Kong took advantage and moved in to grapple with Kong. The robot got a hold of Kong's shoulders and tried to lift him up in the air for a slam, but Kong countered by ducking down and grabbing Mechani-Kong around the waist tightly. Mechani-Kong gave up on lifting Kong and instead threw him down forcefully. Kong rolled away, managing to keep his balance all the while. When Kong came to a stop, he noticed a metal pin hanging around his index finger from where he had been holding on to Mechani-Kong. Kong had inadvertently pulled the safety pin out of one of the grenades on Mechani-Kong's weapons belt. The robot registered the object in Kong's hands but was too slow to react to it.
A large explosion erupted from Mechani-Kong's side. The robot was blown off its feet and disappeared into a cloud of smoke as secondary detonations burst in a rapid chain reaction. One by one, each of Mechani-Kong's mining grenades went up. Kong stood up, disregarded the pin, and then beat his chest in triumph. He sensed victory was his. Unfortunately, Kong couldn't be more wrong. Mechani-Kong sat up eerily and rose out of the smoke like a demon. The machine was largely undamaged by the explosions. Its silver hull was charred around the waist where the explosions had occurred, but his armor plating had held up against the punishment. Kong's confidence dissipated in an instant and turned into fear. The situation was only getting worse.
From the monitor inside the base, Brock and Mia could see that Dr. Who's helicopter air force had launched in mass and was now moving towards Kong. The choppers all had gas bombs aboard and were preparing to put Kong back to sleep. As the helicopters approached, Kong looked over and understood what was happening. He just couldn't do anything about it. While he was distracted, Mechani-Kong got around behind him and put him in a full-nelson. Kong struggled, but he wasn't able to break away. It seemed as though he was doomed to become Dr. Who's slave once more.
Just as the first helicopter got into position over Kong, it was struck down by a missile. The machine and gas bomb inside went up in a red-hot fireball. The second helicopter in line tried to take evasive action, but it too was blown out of the sky. One by one, all of Dr. Who's air-fleet was being destroyed. They were big fat targets that were hard to miss, and simply too clunky to escape. They were sitting ducks. A squadron of F-4 Phantoms thundered over the heads of Kong and Mechani-Kong. They were fighters dispatched from the Archimedes' fleet.
"Your people have arrived!" Mia declared excitedly. Brock just nodded in agreement. There was no need for them to escape now. If there were fighters present, that meant the Archimedes Organization had committed a sizeable strike-group. At the very least, it indicated the USS Independence was in the vicinity. Brock switched the cameras to another exterior view. He could see a second fleet of helicopters approaching the area. There was an Archimedes ground assault force inbound and Dr. Who's guards were already being massacred from the air. Their positions were being pounded by airstrikes from the Phantoms who had already finished with Dr. Who's air forces.
Dr. Who's men couldn't possibly win a conventional fight against the military might that was being arrayed against them, but they still had one trump card to play. Mechani-Kong was given a new set of orders. He let King Kong slip out of his grasp and picked up a boulder to throw at the attacking Archimedes jets. Fortunately, the nimble Phantom fighters Mechani-Kong was aiming for were able to dodge out of the way, but if the robot chose to target the formation of approaching helicopters, they would be decimated by such an attack. One of the F-4s targeted Mechani-Kong with its missiles, but its rockets exploded against the armored plating harmlessly. Machine guns were equally ineffective. The helicopters weren't going to be able to get near the base with Mechani-Kong roaming around.
"Tell them to jam his command signal." Mia advised Brock.
"Yeah… that's good thinking." Brock smiled to her, whirling around to start working the nobs on the radio, switching them to an Archimedes' frequency. "This is Sargent Brock calling from the ground base. Repeat, Sargent Brock calling from ground base. If you want to take down that big metal monkey, turn on all of your jamming equipment. Repeat, turn on your jammers. That sucker is radio-controlled boys. It can't operate independently. Shut off the signal and you'll shut off his brain."
"Nice to hear your voice again Brock." Marcus' voice acknowledged, crackling over the radio. "Happy to see you're still with us buddy. That's a roger to your suggestion. Just sit tight big guy and we'll come in and get you. We're preparing to jam the signal. We won't be able to talk again until the fight is over…" The signal was cut abruptly as interference flooded every channel.
Brock turned back to the monitor and could see, in a strange turn of fate, that it was now King Kong holding Mechani-Kong in place while he was being immobilized by a force of helicopters. Mechani-Kong's arms suddenly slumped down and the whole machine went limp. Without orders to guide him, the robot was now just a humongous paper weight. King Kong wasn't taking any chances though. He took the opportunity to grasp Mechani-Kong's head and used all of his strength to wrench it clean away from the body.
The fight was over for Kong and the struggle for the base was nearly over too. Archimedes shock troopers landed and began to mop up what was left of Dr. Who's guards who were outnumbered, outmanned, and outgunned. It was just a matter of time before the base was taken. Kong had no interest in any of that though. He turned, dropped Mechani-Kong's head into the snow, walked over to the coast, and then dove down into the icy waters of the artic. He began swimming towards some unknown destination. Likely someplace much milder.