…
Chapter 42: Gamera's Revenge.
Two-hundred and thirty miles above the Earth, a NASA shuttle was on a mission conducting a series of gravitational experiments. They were in the process of launching a specialized capsule containing several organic specimens. Their goal was simple: To assess the effects of Zero-G on a number of animals and plants over the course of a one-month period. Among them were a dog, a cat, a rat, and a wide variety of other birds, reptiles, and even one fish. The plan was to let the pod orbit the Earth like a satellite with a caretaker astronaut named Annie to look after the animals during their journey. The shuttle would rendezvous with the capsule later to check on their progress.
The crew of the shuttle opened up the bay doors and sent the pod on its way, watching as it drifted weightlessly away from the Pegasus, its mothership. The capsule floated above the bright blue horizon, gliding serenely above the heavens.
"How we doing, Annie?" Commander Morrison radioed over to the pod from the Pegasus.
"Just fine Allen." Annie replied back. "Everybody over here seems to be adjusting… mostly." She smirked, watching the cat flail around nervously. "Faring much better than blastoff anyways. Garfield just about came unglued, but he's starting to settle down now."
"Are you sure you're going to be able to handle being on your own for a whole month?" Commander Morrison asked. "I'd get a little stir crazy myself."
"I won't be alone." Annie answered cheerfully. "I'll have all of my animal friends here to keep me company. Even if it's just cleaning up their messes, I'll manage to stay busy."
"Okay, if you start to get cold feet, just give us a holler." Commander Morrison replied. "Your radio is clearly working, are all of your other systems online?"
"Everything is reading in the green." Annie briefly double checked her boards. "I think this is about as good as it's going to get."
"Alright Annie, good luck and God's speed." Commander Morrison said. "Give Sparky one last pet for me…"
"Can do Allen… s`~%#*zxz^s." The signal abruptly broke up.
"Annie, I didn't copy that last part." Commander Morrison leaned in towards his mic. "Could you repeat…?" He got no reply back, only garbled static. Commander Morrison looked out of the porthole to ensure that the capsule wasn't in trouble. It looked just as it had before. There were no signs of distress.
"OH GOD ALLEN, LOOK OUT!" Annie's panicked voice suddenly shouted a warning over the radio. Commander Morrison tried to look to see what she was talking about, but he couldn't spot anything from his vantage point.
As Annie's pod got about three-hundred meters away from the shuttle, it was struck by a meteor and exploded. The impact sent shards of metal and all of the specimens spilling out of the craft, drifting downwards. The crew of the Pegasus could only watch helplessly as all the debris entered the atmosphere and began to burn. Annie had somehow survived the impact and was falling right along with everything else. Commander Morrison was forced to listen to her last moments, which consisted of heavy breathing and a blood curdling scream. Then her spacesuit finally gave out. It was a fate he wouldn't have wished on his worst enemy and Annie had been his good friend.
More bright flashes passed by the shuttle Pegasus in very quick succession. It dawned on Commander Morrison that they were caught in a meteor shower, and the rest of his crew may yet share Annie's fate if they weren't careful. If one of the rogue space rocks hit the Pegasus, they'd be dead in the blink of an eye. Unfortunately, there wasn't much they could do aside from pray that they were luckier than Annie had been. Each passing flash frightened the crew as it went by. Commander Morrison started to sweat and nearly hit the thrusters to try to maneuver the shuttle away, but he decided not to risk it.
Finally, as if their prayers had been answered, the meteorite shower passed. However, the cosmic event wasn't quite over yet. As things started to calm down, one final hunk of enormous space rock passed very close to the Pegasus. It seemed to be moving much slower than the cluster of meteors. The stellar body was too big to be considered a meteor. Its mass easily qualified it as an asteroid. The asteroid passed by the shuttle slowly, leisurely enough for each member of the crew to get a good look at it.
Commander Morrison noted that the asteroid was brightly colored and had an almost luminescent look to it, though that could have just been the beginning of the Earth's atmosphere starting to eat away at its surface. Morrison's blood turned cold as the deadly space rock went by. He could sense his own mortality in his bones. The universe was reminding him just how small, insignificant, and vulnerable human life was to the galaxy at large. Perhaps it was safer and wiser just to stay within the protective bubble that was the cradle of humanity.
The asteroid sank into the atmosphere and started to burn its way down towards the surface of the planet. Burning rock started to chip away from the exterior of the asteroid all along its trajectory while it continued to plummet. It left a bright burning trail that could be seen for thousands of miles in the night sky.
Eventually, the asteroid plunged through the stratosphere, hurtling its way towards the western seaboard of the United States. Along the way, it set off every early warning system the military had at its disposal. The U.S. Airforce thought that they were under attack by the Russians and began to scramble all of their bombers. For a few minutes, it seemed like nuclear Armageddon was at hand.
Finally, the asteroid made landfall, crashing into the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in California, about one-hundred and three miles southeast of San Francisco. The rocky terrain of the area contained much of the impact, but there was still a great explosion which set trees aflame for many miles and sent soil soaring high into the night sky.
…
Out in the Pacific, Brock and Marcus were having a conversation, blissfully unaware of what was happening on the other side of the world.
"Don't you think it's a little strange that this new monster Gamera was frozen in the ice out in the middle of nowhere?" Brock asked. "Antarctica of all places, how do you suppose that happened?"
"Well, I might actually have a satisfactory answer for you on that." Marcus began. "The marines who seized Dr. Who's base found some ancient stone tablets tucked away in a research laboratory. According to some of the stolen documents Mia provided us, the slabs were initially discovered close to Gamera's resting place, right at the shore of the frozen lake in fact. The tablets are much like the murals we found in the Temple of Mothra. There are pictures and glyphs carved into them. Ling and Dr. Orsini have teamed up to see what kind of sense they can make of them. The good doctor already thinks Gamera must have been there for a very long time though. He's going to send the tablets off to a professional archeologist for further study, but he thinks they might even predate the artifacts that were found at the Temple of Mothra."
"So, they likely go back to before Battra flooded the world then." Brock keenly observed. "What does Ling think?"
"He won't comment on an estimated date, because there just isn't anything specifically mentioned on the tablets which would lock that down." Marcus replied. "The science boys might have to do some carbon dating to figure it out for sure. However, based on what he has been able to translate, Ling says the best he can tell, Gamera was, and is, some sort of genetically engineered bioweapon. The civilizations that existed at the time must have been technologically advanced enough to create their own monsters. This Gamera seems to be particularly associated with Atlantis."
"Wait a second… if that's true, then why didn't they use this Gamera to defend themselves from Battra?" Brock interjected skeptically.
"I think Gamera came and went before the catastrophic incident with Battra occurred." Marcus answered. "Best Ling can tell, Gamera was created to exterminate another bio-engineered species called Gyaos. These Gyaos were created first, only they rejected their master's programing and turned on them. They apparently multiplied very quickly and got out of control. It got to the point where they threatened the entire way of life of these ancestors of the Mu, Atlanteans, and Seatopians. They had to act fast to save themselves from their own creation. Gamera was that answer, and he apparently got the job done. He is said to have vanquished every Gyaos he could find and eradicated all their nests."
"How did he end up in the ice then?" Brock pressed impatiently.
"Another monster emerged and defeated Gamera." Marcus responded. "The tablet was not specific as to who and how though."
"Huh, interesting…" Brock grunted, somewhat disappointed in not getting a solid answer. He wasn't a big fan of unsolved mysteries. "Well, they get an "F" for thoroughness." He scratched at his beard stubble. "If the Atlanteans knew Gamera was there at the North Pole, why didn't they try to dig him out of the ice afterwards?"
"I think maybe they just assumed he was dead." Marcus observed. "Not many creatures could survive being frozen solid. The tablets read like a memorial placard. Simply there to tell Gamera's story and pay homage. It's also possible the people who put the slabs there aren't the same people who engineered him. Maybe Gamera dropped off the map and the Atlanteans simply didn't know where to look for him. I don't think we're ever going to know for sure though."
"Swell…" Brock grumbled. "Any sign of Godzilla or the Gargantuas yet?" He asked, changing subjects.
"Unfortunately, no." Marcus answered. "There's been no solid leads since they left Tokyo. Admiral Malek is about ready to call off the search. The fleet is getting spread too thin looking for them."
…
In the city of Saynshand, Mongolia, nearby the border with China, two security guards for the Natural History Museum were taking a break from their busy day. The museum had an extensive collection of valuable artifacts, ranging from taxidermy animals, relics from lost civilizations, ancient fossils, and precious gemstones. The museum's latest acquisition was a rare fire opal. It was perhaps the largest one in the world, or at least the largest one found. The new exhibit attracted a lot of attention and drew large crowds. That meant Batu and Altan had to be on top form to keep visitors in line. There was always at least one person who didn't practice proper museum etiquette, and a gem so valuable was bound to attract thieves.
Batu and Altan sat down on a bench in the garden behind the museum to eat lunch and get a few moments' peace. Earlier in the week, the weather in Saynshand had been pristine, but as of the last couple of days, it just seemed to be getting colder and colder. It made very little sense. It was summertime in Mongolia after all, so the cold stint was very unusual. Stranger still, the unseasonable cold only seemed to be affecting Saynshand in particular, and not the rest of the surrounding area. Meteorologists were stumped by the bizarre phenomenon.
Despite the chill in the air, Batu and Altan needed some time outside of the museum. They wanted to get away from the noisy groups of school children on field trips and rowdy teenagers. The massive exhibition halls of the museum served as echo chambers when the decibel levels got too high, and just now, they were about at their peak. They figured the third security guard, Enkh, could handle things on his own for a little while. He was always a little more patient than they were anyways.
Batu set aside his sandwich and walked over to the garden's water fountain to quench his thirst. He turned the handle and leaned in, but no water came out of the spout. Batu pulled back confused, looking around and inspecting the works to see if he could identify the problem, but there was nothing that was obviously wrong with it. Everything appeared normal. Batu heard a metallic groan coming up from the pipes below. Altan saw that Batu was having an issue, so he came over to investigate. The two men looked over to one another puzzled. Then they both noticed something very peculiar. There was a layer of frost starting to form at the base of the water fountain. The pipes were gradually icing over, and the cold was spreading upwards. Before long, the entire mechanism had frozen up.
The air around Batu and Altan had gotten noticeably cooler in the brief period they had been standing there. They could actually see each other's breath. Altan got a shiver and put his security jacket back on. The two men decided to retreat away from the fountain, aiming to find a warmer spot to stand, but there was no warmth to be found nearby. They could see the windows of the museum starting to frost up too. Batu and Altan suddenly realized that the cold wasn't coming from the air. It was in fact emanating from the ground below them.
Batu and Altan were both very unsettled. Nothing that was happening made a whole lot of sense to them. It seemed to go against the established rules of nature. It just got colder and colder the longer they stood there. It finally got to the point where they were forced to retreat indoors, but even that didn't seem to help all that much. The museum was nearly as cold as the exterior grounds. Before long, pipes inside the building were starting to burst from freezing over. Nobody knew what to do, but everyone was starting to panic.
Batu looked over to a wall thermometer and could see that it was reading around twenty degrees Fahrenheit and continuing to drop. Outside, the ground began to rumble and crack open. A deadly chill rose up and spread rapidly over the landscape. The moister in the air above Saynshand froze, and it began to snow. The whole city block around the museum had frozen by that point. Batu and Altan had seen enough and pulled the fire alarm to get everyone inside the museum to evacuate. Whatever was happening, they both knew they didn't want to stick around for it.
Everyone ran outside and tried to put some distance between themselves and the epicenter of the disturbance. Batu, Altan, and Enkh quickly checked to ensure everybody was out of the building before following behind. As the three men darted down the street, Enkh slipped on a patch of ice that had resulted from a burst fire hydrant. Batu and Altan stopped and looked back at their friend. For a moment, neither of them was sure what they wanted to do. They could sense something very bad coming, and their fight or flight instincts had kicked in. Every fiber of their being told them to leave Enkh behind. Batu couldn't bring himself to do it though. He simply couldn't abandon a friend like that. Batu sprinted back to Enkh and helped him to his feet. Altan had followed suit and assisted as well. It had been a grave error though. Their moment of humanity would cost them both dearly.
Just down the street fifty yards away, the concrete road shattered, and a long yellow horn pierced through to the surface. Batu, Altan, and Enkh could only sit there staring in horror as the shaft of the horn continued to spiral upwards. They soon saw that the horn was connected to a brown reptilian snout. Shortly after the snout appeared, an awful maw filled with sharp teeth became visible as a giant head pushed through the ground. The last thing Batu, Altan, and Enkh saw was a great red eye staring down at them.
…
The monster in Saynshand went on to destroy most of the city and then moved southeast towards the Chinese border. Mongolian authorities reported that the monster was none other than Baragon. After all, the creature had appeared from underground and closely matched the physical description of the monster that had once terrorized neighboring China. They were certain that was what they were dealing with. What else could it be?
For their part, the Chinese had no interest in letting Baragon go back on the rampage in their territory again. They organized an airstrike as quickly as they could, remembering that Baragon had no real defense against airplanes. With modern jets, they could strike Baragon with rockets before the monster could even hear them coming. It seemed as though they had a good chance of repelling Baragon. All they had to do is locate him.
…
In the Solomon Sea, nearby the port of Rabaul, Gamera had landed on a beach and sat there to rest. He had not gone unnoticed by the local population. Most of the people cleared the area, expecting an imminent attack by the monster, but it never came. Gamera simply rested there sunning himself, finding the tropics to be a vast improvement over the frigid climate of the Artic. A local news team was bold enough to go out and shoot live video of Gamera. They were the first people to ever capture clear footage of him. The military would later step in and pay good money to get their hands on the tape, particularly because of what would come next.
A few hours after Gamera landed at Rabaul, a small craft emerged from the ocean. It was not unlike the Black Shark warship Brock and his marines had raided, only this vessel was much smaller, had a gold-plated hull, and instead of a shark design, the exterior layout was more akin to an angel fish. The vessel didn't appear all that imposing. It was an airship though, hovering just above the waves instead of gliding through them.
The craft came up to Gamera slowly and stopped about three-hundred yards from the shore. Gamera saw it coming and was roused from his rest. The Angelfish ship began to put on a sort of lightshow with sound that seemed to be entirely for Gamera's benefit. The monster stood still and just watched, fixated on the ship. This went on for several minutes before Gamera started to lose interest and began to move on. The crew of the tiny craft was persistent though, and again, darted out into his path. They repeated the tones and blinking lights. It seemed as though they were trying to elicit a particular response from Gamera that they simply were not getting.
Whatever they were selling, Gamera was not buying. He withdrew into his shell and flew away. The ship could not follow him and had no other alternative but to retreat back into the ocean and disappear into the waves, having failed.
…
Elsewhere, a second major meteor shower occurred just days after the initial one. This time however, there was no singular massive rock, but rather a hail of smaller meteorites that were somehow robust enough to make it all the way through the atmosphere intact. They made planetfall off of the coast of Britain in the English Channel. The series of impacts were relatively mild and didn't cause any undo damage or seem to disturb the environment much. While the incident went mostly unnoticed by the world at large, the space rocks contained the seeds of future turmoil. They just needed time and the right conditions to grow.
Meanwhile in California, the forest fires that had been caused by the first asteroid's impact were contained and brought under control. Fortunately, it had been a very wet year by California standards, so the fires had not gotten completely out of hand. In the aftermath of the strike, NASA sent out a science team to investigate the interstellar visitor. They wanted to determine what types of metal it was comprised of. They wanted to see if there was anything special about it.
The area where the asteroid crashed was very remote, rugged, and hard to get to. The science team was forced to take a helicopter to enter the valley where it rested. Upon arrival, Dr. Murai and his team were shocked to find that the impact zone wasn't nearly as devastated as they expected it to be. Based on NASA tracking information, the asteroid should have collided with the Earth at a dizzying speed of forty-five thousand miles per hour. An object the size of this particular rock should have pulverized everything around it for miles, and yet, the mountains and the valley seemed relatively undisturbed. There was simply a small crater and a lot of burnt-out vegetation from the fires. The only explanation Dr. Murai could come up with was that some force managed to slow down the asteroid on its final approach. What possibly could have done that, he had no idea. Something about it really scared him though. The laws of physics appeared to have been circumvented.
After their helicopter landed, the team began to set up camp. Tents were hastily erected, and equipment sorted through. It didn't take long for odd events to start happening. The asteroid was apparently giving off a strong magnetic field. The needle of every compass in the camp was pointing straight towards it. That by itself wasn't so strange. After all, other heavenly bodies that had previously fallen to earth had been magnetic before, but what was pretty unusual was that the asteroid wasn't consistently magnetic. It fluxed between being strongly magnetic and completely inert. Dr. Murai thought perhaps it was this unusual feature that might explain how the asteroid seemingly slowed down prior to impact. Maybe it had a last minute polar-opposite reaction to the Earth's magnetic field. It was the best explanation Dr. Murai could come up with at that point anyway.
The science team quickly realized that they needed to be mindful of their gear. Unattended watches, lighters, belt buckles, and other tools were rapidly pulled in by the asteroid in one particularly powerful magnetic disturbance. Anything lost to it was simply gone. It wasn't entirely clear if the asteroid was dangerous or not. It might be radioactive. The team never had the opportunity to use their Geiger counter to check it out before it was dragged away. Thus, Dr. Murai didn't want to take any chances by getting too close. The asteroid was giving off heat and pulsed with an eerie glow, which worried him. Much like the magnetism, the temperature was also inconsistent. It seemed to wax and wane. An average asteroid would have long since cooled off by then. In what was becoming a regular and unsettling pattern, something was clearly different about this hunk of space rock.
Dr. Murai's assistant noticed something else pretty peculiar on the second day at the site. He thought the asteroid looked slightly bigger than it had the day before. The team hadn't attempted to measure the asteroid on the first day, so there was no way to know if he was right or not. He was simply eyeballing it. Dr. Murai couldn't see a noticeable difference himself, but from that point forward, he decided that they'd check it every day.
…
Over northern China, twelve Mig-21s were scouring the landscape in search of Baragon. They were just one of over a dozen squadrons patrolling the Mongolian border trying to locate the elusive kaiju. The Chinese pilots had learned from previous encounters with Baragon and came down low to scan the terrain for signs of disturbed soil. Baragon spent at least as much time underground as he did on the surface, if not more. Thus, the aviators figured they were more likely to find a dug-out trail than the monster himself.
In the mountainous area the squadron found themselves in, their jets had to fly through several rocky canyons. It was a slightly risky maneuver for the pilots, but also pretty fun. They wouldn't ordinarily have an excuse to do such a thing, so the aviators felt like they should take advantage while they had the opportunity. Rapidly banking around the tight corners was exhilarating. The pilots were having the time of their lives. Their comradery was at its peak. The fun was coming to an end though. The jets were mere moments from reaching the end of a ravine which would lead to a flat plain.
In the front of the pack was the flight leader Lieutenant Zhang. It seemed to him that the fun was far from over. Just as he was coming out of the end of the canyon, he spotted their intended target. He could hardly believe it. Directly in front of his plane, dead center in the channel, Baragon was crouched down like he was ready to pounce. There was no doubt that it was him. Baragon's floppy ears gave him away. Oddly enough though, Baragon wasn't facing the approaching aircraft. His attention was focused on something else that the pilots could not yet see. As a precaution, Lieutenant Zhang ordered his group to pull up and out of the canyon. He wanted to get a better idea of what they were getting into before acting. As the aircraft climbed up, Zhang radioed into HQ that they had located Baragon. When the Migs were out of the ravine, they could see that Baragon was actually squaring off with another monster. Something new, though oddly similar to Baragon from a physical standpoint.
The creature in question might have been what actually attacked Saynshand, though the Mongolians could hardly be blamed for misidentifying it as Baragon. The number of aesthetic similarities between the two monsters was striking. Each of them had a great yellow horn protruding from their snout. Both had menacing red eyes. Both had smaller spikes protruding from the top of their heads. Both had brownish reptilian skin. Both had sharp predatory teeth, and both monsters crawled around on four limbs with claws. The two easily had more similarities than differences. Baragon's ears however set him apart from his doubleganger. The newcomer also had spikes on his back instead of armored plates, but otherwise, there were only modest differences between the two monsters. Each had similar features, only in different proportions. The new monster had a longer tale and a bigger head, and generally, its body was built a little sleeker. Baragon's body was simply more compact by comparison.
Despite their apparent resemblance, the two monsters were not kin. And they were clearly not friendly towards one another. Baragon snarled and snapped at the recent arrival, warning him to stay away. The new monster ignored Baragon's threats, continuing to advance on him. Baragon's mouth burned with red hot embers. He was clearly gearing up for an attack. The new monster sensed it coming and stopped, preparing for the assault. Baragon opened his mouth, and an intense stream of fire poured out of it. The other monster was ready for him and countered with what could best be described as blizzard breath. Ice and cold shot out in a vaporous cloud which vaguely resembled the stream of a snow-blower. The intense heat and cold collided in the space between the two monsters and cancelled one another out.
Baragon was not pleased with the outcome. He had not been expecting his strongest attack to be so easily neutralized. Some of the excess cold had managed to reach his feet and the tips of his toes frosted over, adding to his discomfort. Baragon took a few steps back, seeming to consider his options. It was around that time that he noticed the jets circling above the standoff. This also made Baragon uneasy. He well-remembered the last encounter he'd had with bombers. Baragon quickly made the decision to withdraw. The conditions were not to his advantage. The rocky terrain would hinder his ability to dig, his opponent had a strange ability he'd never encountered before and it proved capable of countering his fire-breath, and the Chinese military would likely be there in force before the fight had concluded. Nothing about it added up to benefiting Baragon in the long run. It was better to play it safe.
Baragon turned tail and made a hasty retreat, leaving the battlefield in the hands of his opponent. Lieutenant Zhang decided that the new monster was the greater threat out of the two kaiju and elected to remain on station to monitor it. Headquarters had gotten back to him and insisted that his flight group immediately attack the newly discovered monster. Zhang would have preferred to wait for some additional backup to arrive, but his orders were clear. He armed his Mig's weapons and alerted his men that they were going in.
The squadron flew to the far side of the valley between two mountains, and then wheeled around, preparing for an all-out rocket assault. The monster on the ground watched, studying the planes with its big red eyes. The Migs dove down and let loose with all their rockets at once in a heavy barrage which left dozens of thick smoke trails in their wake. Soon after, a cluster of explosions enveloped the monster as the jets thundered over him. The first attack seemed pretty successful. Much like Baragon, this monster didn't seem to be able to counteract airstrikes very effectively. The fighters came around for another attack, this time planning to utilize their cannons.
The monster waited patiently, not attempting to move out of the way. This time, when the Migs got close, the monster opened its maw and unleashed its freezing breath at the cluster of planes. The pilots didn't see it as much of a threat. Afterall, what could a little cold do to their aircraft? The answer soon became clear. The planes at the center of the formation were enveloped by the ice blast and began to drop out of the sky. Their turbines were iced over and had stopped turning. Without any means of propulsion, the jets crashed into the mountain behind the monster, including Lieutenant Zhang's own craft. None of the men were able to punch out. Their canopies had been frozen shut.
Only two out of the twelve Migs, the ones at the edges of the formation, had managed to avoid engine shutdowns and climbed into the sky to escape. Luck alone had spared them. The two survivors ceased their attack and began to return to base. They broadcast a warning to the other flights of Migs which were quickly closing in. More rocket attacks followed, but they were less effective since the pilots couldn't risk getting too close to the monster. The creature's hide was sufficiently strong to repel the missiles in any case.
The new monster was quickly given a name to distinguish it from the others. In the initial reports, when the Chinese still thought it was Baragon on the prowl, a clerk in the commanding general's HQ had misspelled the name. He had typed in 'Barugon' by mistake. It was an error that was replicated in many of the follow up reports as they were passed along. In an act which could probably be attributed at least in part to laziness, or possibly an unwillingness to admit that they had made such an oversight, the Chinese decided to just keep calling the new monster Barugon. Later, Chinese authorities claimed it was due to the fact that the two monsters were so superficially similar that they went with the name. Whatever the case, Barugon was now at large in China and making his way southeast.
…
Onboard the USS Independence, Brock and Marcus were discussing the developing situation.
"Have you read this report about Gamera?" Brock asked.
"Yeah, I have." Marcus answered. "It sounds to me like the Atlanteans showed up and were trying to reassert control over Gamera. Didn't seem to work out for them though. At least Gamera didn't smash their ship to pieces."
"I can understand why they'd want him back." Brock noted. "Gamera seems formidable. Having a monster like that under their influence would greatly increase their power. It's a small wonder they were willing to appear so publicly and expose themselves like that. High risk, high reward, I suppose."
"Yeah, I guess it was important enough to them to make a gamble." Marcus agreed. "There's another new monster in China too. Did you see that?" He asked, changing subjects.
"Good lord, I'm starting to lose count of all the emerging Kaiju lately." Brock groaned. "It's a good thing some of them are being killed off by their own kind, otherwise we'd be overwhelmed. We'd never be able to keep up with all of this."
"Yeah, it's like a turf war with a lot of them." Marcus replied. "A fight for territory and dominance."
…
Within days of appearing, Barugon was at the doorstep of Beijing. The Chinese military were prepared to make a tough fight for the city. They had built up a force of twelve divisions to defend their capitol. Defense in depth was the order of the day. Mine fields had been laid, overlapping fields of artillery fire had been measured out to the meter, Kaiju-sized obstacles had been erected to slow the monster down, high-altitude bombers were on standby, and most notably, the Chinese had developed a type of heavy Maser tank that was almost identical to the Russian design. The only real differences were in minor cosmetic details. Under the hood though, the mechanics were exactly the same.
The Chinese had either bought the blueprints from the Russians through official channels, or more likely, they acquired them through espionage. The Chinese had stolen several weapon designs from the Russians over the years, and the Soviet military was so thoroughly corrupt by that point, a rogue officer could have easily sold it to them just to make a profit for themselves. For that very reason, the Maser tank design could have been sold to and put into production by the Chinese nearly as fast as the Russians themselves.
Though the two communist countries were allies on the surface, it had never escaped them that the biggest regional threat that either of them faced was each other. They shared a wide border, and their spheres of interest overlapped in a number of areas. In truth, it was only their mutual fear and hatred of the Western Powers that kept them so closely aligned.
However, with a disaster of their own to contend with, and perhaps for other reasons, the Russians offered no aid to their communist brethren. The Soviets were still dealing with the literal fallout of two nuclear explosions on their western frontier. No other world power was rushing in to help the Chinese either. They were seemingly on their own. Even if the political red tape could be cut through, the Archimedes Organization wouldn't be physically able to help China for weeks. Their forces were too far away and spread out to be of much use. The Chinese would just have to contend with Barugon on their own.
As Barugon approached the rugged defenses of Beijing, a thunderstorm blew in from the southwest. Heavy rains and strong winds swept over the battlefield, obscuring the monster from the military's sights. Aircraft were grounded, but even if they could launch, the conditions were so poor that locating Barugon was next to impossible. They'd just have to wait for the visibility to improve. Meanwhile, the ground forces watched and waited. They anticipated the monster would make a play for the city while they were at a disadvantage. Nervous frontline soldiers scanned the area with binoculars in the downpour. The tension was high, but hours went by without a sighting.
The night came and went, and still, no Barugon. As the storm passed and the sun rose the next morning, Chinese commanders realized that Barugon had entirely bypassed Beijing, and he was moving onward towards the port city of Tianjin. The Chinese military had overcommitted to protecting the capitol and there was practically nothing between the monster and Tianjin. Worse, many people who had evacuated Beijing went to Tianjin for safety. The Chinese Army scrambled to give chase, but they'd never be able to catch up to Barugon before he hit Tianjin. The people there needed a miracle.
…
Hours later, Barugon was making his final approach to Tianjin. Anyone in the city brave enough to stop and look could see cold puffs of icy breath huffing out of the monster's mouth. A chill entered the city ahead of Barugon's arrival. The warm streets began to turn cold. One platoon of tanks and a single brigade of infantry was the only significant resistance Barugon faced as he entered the outskirts. The soldiers did their best, but it was a hopeless fight. They didn't stand a snowball's chance in hell of stopping Barugon. Guns and cannons roared but they were quickly silenced as Barugon used his blizzard breath against them. The infantry froze in place like some kind of horrific statue garden and the tanks ceased up with their crews trapped inside, slowly freezing to death within their machines.
Just like that, there was no longer any defense for the city. The people were entirely at the mercy of Barugon's whims. The monster raised his head and let out a long stream of his icy breath into the air. It came back down and settled onto the city. In the blink of an eye, summer turned into winter. A fresh layer of snow covered everything. Windows froze from the cold and then cracked as Barugon came close, the impact of his footsteps rattling them to pieces. Just for fun, Barugon whipped his tail into an apartment complex, leveling the building and killing almost everyone inside of it.
It was only the beginning of what could be a terrible day of carnage for Tianjin. However, before Barugon could advance any further, a great ball of fire impacted directly in his path, burning the street, and bringing him to a halt. The fireball had fallen from the sky. Barugon sneered and looked up to see Gamera flying down towards him. Gamera was propelling himself in a new way. Instead of spinning around like a flying saucer with his whole body retracted within his shell, Gamera's head and arms were poking out, and only his back legs were emitting blue jets of fire, giving him thrust. It was a strange sight to be certain, but it was far from the only surprise Gamera had in store. The giant turtle apparently had a projectile weapon of his own. He unleashed a second plasma fireball. This one was even more powerful than the first, and it was aimed directly at Barugon.
Barugon seemed to understand the threat and turned to ensure that his back would absorb most of the impact. Barugon's dorsal spikes lit up and glowed, emitting a strange energy. As Gamera's fireball hit, a sort of forcefield shimmered, repulsing it. The energy shield looked somewhat like a protective bubble with a distinct rainbow gleam to it. Gamera landed in front of Barugon with a thud, his legs quickly shooting out and replacing the blue jets. The two monsters stared each other down, both with hatred in their eyes. This was not the first time they had faced off. Indeed not, for it had been Barugon who sealed Gamera up in the Artic Lake so many ages ago. Only in those days, Antarctica had a more hospitable environment and there was a human civilization living there. Gamera clinched his teeth and balled up his fists. He was ready for some long overdue payback.
Barugon was frightened by the unexpected return of his supposedly vanquished rival. It must have been like seeing a vengeful ghost from his past. He unleashed his blizzard breath reflexively and Gamera responded with another plasma ball. The two attacks mostly cancelled each other out, though the core of the fireball cut through the center of Barugon's stream of ice and hit him in the shoulder, scoring minor damage. The outer fringes of Barugon's breath frosted Gamera's arms in return. Neither of them enjoyed the outcome. Gamera's reptilian nature made him more vulnerable to Barugon's blizzard attack and the chill served to remind him of his long and cold imprisonment. On Baragon's end, as a general rule, most creatures did not so much enjoy being set on fire.
Barugon charged at Gamera, hoping to impale his enemy with the long pointy horn on his snout. Gamera turned and sidestepped the horn, but Baragon did catch the edge of Gamera's leg with his shoulder, knocking him off balance. Gamera used his tail to brace against the ground and regain his footing. The monsters locked up, each of them wrestling to gain an upper hand. Barugon had the leverage of being closer to the ground, having a lower center of gravity, but Gamera had the leverage of being able to lean his weight onto Baragon's back and control his movements to some degree. They found themselves in a stalemate.
Barugon broke the deadlock by biting Gamera's left arm and using his blizzard breath to freeze the limb. Gamera pulled his arm out and was angered by what he saw. He reared back and used the hardened appendage to beat against the top of Barugon's head. The ice around Gamera's arm cracked, but it did not shatter. Barugon definitely felt the impact of the blows. He responded by whipping his tail around and tripping Gamera, once again gaining an advantage. Gamera fell forward onto his hands and knees. Barugon used his long horn to get under Gamera's shell, and then, with a strong flick, flipped him over onto his back. Once there, Gamera had a hard time righting himself. He was vulnerable and Barugon could see it. Barugon took several steps back to gain space, and then charged forward, aiming to put his horn into the soft exposed area between the front and back sections of Gamera's shell to skewer him.
Barugon took too long backing up though, and that gave Gamera enough time to think of a way out of his predicament. Gamera's back legs retracted into his shell and blue jets took their place. The dorsal section of Gamera's shell scraped against the pavement as his whole body rocketed out of the way. Barugon had closed his eyes to protect them from the impending collision and hadn't noticed Gamera moving out of the way. He missed Gamera entirely and crashed headfirst into a skyscraper. The whole building collapsed onto Baragon as he barreled through it.
Gamera meanwhile took to the sky. While he was flying, he pulled his frozen arm back towards his shell and fired off his blue jet to melt away the ice. Within moments, the process was complete, and he was free of it. Back on the ground, Barugon was emerging from the ruins of the building, discombobulated. Gamera decided to take advantage of the situation and turned around, aiming his body at Barugon. Gamera waited until he was almost on top of Baragon, and then he pulled his head into his shell at the last minute. Gamera's shell struck Barugon hard in the side, sending him flying. Barugon only stopped when he collided with a nearby bridge, smashing it over.
Barugon was bloodied in the attack. It was unclear if that was due to Gamera ramming him so hard or if it was crashing into the bridge that had done it. Either way, he'd been damaged in a significant way. An odd shade of purple blood was trickling from his nose. Gamera again tried to use his plasma fireballs, launching two of them in Barugon's direction. Barugon saw the fireballs coming and was able to bring up his rainbow shield at the last second. The fireballs bounced off and set the city on fire.
Much of the fight had been knocked out of Baragon, and Gamera recognized it. He came down low and landed next to Baragon. Baragon swatted at Gamera with his front paw, but the giant turtle was able to brush the blow aside. Gamera came forward and dug his clawed hand into Barugon's face. More purple blood flowed from the wound and Baragon was stunned for a moment. Gamera didn't stop there though. He pressed the attack, savagely sinking his tusked jaws into the side of Barugon's neck. Barugon had a sharp spike growing there which prevented Gamera from biting down too hard and inflicting a fatal blow. However, he had a firm enough grip to pull Barugon towards the water. Barugon fought against him, but Gamera had a secure hold.
As they entered the boundaries of the pier, Gamera knocked over a huge harbor crane with the edge of his shell, sending it crashing into the water. Barugon heard the splash and did not seem keen to be dragged into the ocean. He wasn't the strongest swimmer. While Gamera could breathe underwater just fine, Barugon could not do so whatsoever. Gamera's intention to drown him seemed clear.
In a last-ditch effort to avoid that fate, Barugon used his ice breath one last time. The cold stream poured into Gamera shoulder, forcing him to release his death grip. Barugon saw an opportunity and lurched forward with his horn, goring Gamera in the abdomen. The attack penetrated the front of Gamera's shell, but only slightly. Just the tip of Barugon's horn had pierced through the plating, but it was enough to wound Gamera. Green blood poured out of the gash.
Barugon pulled back and Gamera's hand immediately went to cover the laceration. Barugon thought he had won, but Gamera instantly retaliated and finally scored a direct hit with one of his fireballs. Barugon was sent reeling by the plasma ball bursting against his hide. Barugon's skin was scorched, the top layer of scales had been burnt away in a twenty-meter section where the fireball had hit him. Barugon was coughing up blood from the impact. Bruised, burnt, beaten, and bloodied, Barugon was on the verge of defeat. Sensing the danger, he used what little energy he had left to start retreating.
On the other side of the battlefield, Gamera was in better condition, but not by a wide margin. His shoulder was completely frozen over and he was bleeding from his abdomen. The Chinese Army had entered the city and was quickly closing in on the harbor area. In the lead were the heavy Maser tanks. Their guns were already starting to turn and take aim. Gamera could continue the fight, but not without taking a great risk. In the end, he decided it would be wiser to take the lesser win and come back to kill Barugon another day. For now, he needed to retire and heal his wounds.
Gamera ignited his leg jets and began to fly towards the open ocean. He could easily avoid the Chinese military. Barugon on the other hand, being landlocked as he was, might not. Gamera left his rival to his fate. Maybe, just maybe, the humans would finish the job for him.