Kaiju World

by R. F. Blackstone

  She spins her head and she could strangle Lloyd Behm for screaming her name. The new recruit waves enthusiastically at her, trying to show her where the rest of the team is. Her heavy boots thump on the wood and many fishermen have to duck out of the way before being trampled.

  Lloyd stops waving and looks at the three other men who are trying not to laugh. "What..." The realization hits him and he too laughs, "Fuck you guys!"

  Rick Shaw is the first to stop laughing, his girth swaying with each convulsion of his body. The large smile is easy-going and relaxing, but it is when he speaks that surprises people. A voice that rumbles from deep in the chest, "You're not one of us--"

  "--Gooble Gooble! One of us!" the dwarf, Christopher Michael sings gleefully.

  Shaw shakes his head and kicks the foot, instantly shutting up the small man. He clears his throat and continues, "Ignore him, his size makes him more annoying than anyone else."

  "I hope you get fucked by a fish."

  Lloyd blinks. "That's a little unnecessary." He gasps and smashes into the water without warning. Ellen stands on the pier, murder in her eyes, and grunts as the young man splashes about trying to find the ladder to freedom.

  "Howdy boss," Shaw says happily, acting like nothing has happened. "Glad you could make it."

  "Whose idea?" she says, her voice filled with curiosity instead of anger.

  With a groan, Shaw gets to his feet and begins throwing tactical bags onto the deck of the small schooner. "Both of us. Gotta have some fun in this hole."

  Ellen turns as each bag thuds heavily onto the deck and she studies the small vessel. "Get him out of the water."

  Christopher finds a length of rope and tosses it into the water. Lloyd thrashes over to it, his hands trying to grab the now slippery material. "Do I need to get one of these fine gents to fish you out?"

  Lloyd is panting heavily as he finally grabs the rope and slowly pulls himself up, all the while coughing and spluttering.

  "Stop," Ellen's voice freezes Shaw who turns slowly. "It won't do."

  "Huh?" Shaw says, not fully comprehending.

  The woman points in the direction of the water and the large man follows. His eyes widen slightly at the sight of the waves and the dark clouds forming. "Ah," is all he can say.

  Ellen nods, "We're going to need a bigger boat."

  "Is that a Jaws reference?" Lloyd says with a slight shiver.

  Their boss shakes her head firmly. "Shut up." She looks at Shaw and Christopher, "Get us a bigger boat, something that'll stay afloat."

  "That's going to cost extra," Christopher says.

  "I don't care," she says. "We have limited time to get to the island, so stop wasting it and get working."

  The two men don't bother arguing; instead they turn and walk away, looking for the next best thing. Ellen looks at the drenched man and shakes her head. "You ready for this?"

  Lloyd nods though with the shivering it looks like he isn't sure about what he has signed up for. Ellen notices this and places a reassuring hand on his wet shoulder. "No matter what happens, we are on the side of right. It doesn't matter what the animal is, we will do everything we can to save them."

  "Even kill?"

  #

  "What a surprise," James McTiernan says as yet another 'system failure' warning message pops up on one of the multitude of monitors in Security Control. Last count this was the fiftieth warning to appear in the last hour and it probably will be the fiftieth time S&P will tell him, "We're on it," and then promptly ignore everything except what Pryke says. He rubs his face as monotonous beeps sounds loudly. "What is it now?"

  JR Handley casually looks to the monitor on his console and chuckles. "It's that woman...Mako something or other." McTiernan raises an eyebrow and follows the gaze to the main entrance. The metal sliding door is opened with a combination of ID card, retinal scanning and voice recognition; no way are they going to let just anyone enter his domain. "Must be having trouble with the system," Handley says with a shrug.

  Mako Ikari stands outside and is getting frustrated with the people staring at her from inside the hi-tech room. It's rare for her to make the trip from Asset Containment to Security but so far the only times has been when the data transfer systems have failed. She taps on the bullet proof glass and waves.

  McTiernan shakes his head and slowly gets up. He straightens his uniform with a sharp pull that reminds his people of Captain Picard from 'Star Trek Next Generation', though none would ever say so. It takes the man seven large steps to make it to the door. He presses his left thumb to the reader and the door slides open with a faint whoosh. Mako bows her head in thanks before looking up at the man. "What can I do for you Miss Ikari?"

  She bristles at the lack of Professor but tries to ignore it. "The message system is on the blink again." McTiernan raises an eyebrow at her, waiting for the next part. "Well," she sighs "I've got all of the data on the Cat 5." Mako holds out a large manila folder with the words CATEGORY 5 - CODENAME 'ISHIRO' written on the front.

  "Ishiro?" McTiernan asks with a chuckle.

  Mako nods. "We always give them names. Can you try to send it to the other departments and to Mister Pryke?"

  "Naturally," the ex-military man says as the small Japanese woman turns and walks away. McTiernan shakes his head as the doors close behind him, his eyes staring at the file and he sighs. "Winder, get in touch with S&P once again and find out what is going on with the systems. Please." He doesn't bother looking at the man as he walks into his office. The moment he lands in the seat the file is open and McTiernan's eyes scan the pages rapidly. He won't admit it but like everyone else James McTiernan is curious about the Category 5 Kaiju, what can it do? How does it look?

  Size - 250 meters tall.

  Weight - 160,000 tonnes.

  Abilities - X-Ray from eyes, high amounts of radiation, possible wings forming, no signs of atomic breath capabilities.

  When he gets to the section for 'Description' there is nothing but a hand written note: SEE PHOTOS. Which is what he does and as he looks at each photo, he cannot believe the amount of new problems that the A.R. Team has brought them. Due to the sheer size of the thing, the photos only show sections but the image that McTiernan gets in his mind's eye is enough to make him drop them; the claws on the four toed feet are larger than buses and look like they could tear a tank in half easily, the muscular legs are full of power and the man has no doubt that it could get across the USA within two hours. But what gives him the chills is the head. It looks just like a Rottweiler's head, the same shape and width but it is missing certain things; such as the floppy ears and the splotches of brown fur, in fact the entire body is covered in nothing but leather and armour plating. McTiernan wonders what it would take to bring the creature down quickly but his mind goes blank.

  "We are truly FUBAR'd," he mutters, using the old lingo. He grabs his phone and finds the number for Pryke's direct line.

  "James!" Pryke's voice is jovial. "Are you getting ready to come and say Hi to our guests?"

  "No...Wait, what?" McTiernan didn't agree to that. "No, Mister Pryke I've got the breakdown of the Cat 5. Can you talk?"

  "Certainly m'boy! Our guests are just getting comfortable and cleaned up." His voice is slightly slurred which means he's already cracked open a bottle of Glenlivet 30 years old. "So, the Cat 5 eh? What do we call the tyke?"

  McTiernan rubs the bridge of his nose. "That little tyke is bigger than the one that attacked Tokyo."

  "Wow! So more than 150 meters?"

  "Yes. At least 250 and they haven't figured out all of its abilities. Which has me worried."

  Pryke laughs. "That's your job James. So, what's his name?"

  "Ishiro," McTiernan says softly. There is something about the name that gives him the same feeling he used to get just before an operation; a mixture of fear, nervous excitement and that knowing idea of ensuing chaos. He loves it and hates it at the same time.

  "Ishiro," Pryke rolls the word around his mouth. "I
like it! When can he be ready for a show?"

  "No idea Mister Pryke--"

  "--Gideon."

  You can keep telling me that, McTiernan thinks as he says, "Mister Pryke, looking at this report I don't think that Ishiro is a prime candidate for the park--"

  "--Pish tosh! We have the best people and Mako knows what she's doing!" Pryke's voice leaves no room for argument. "Now, when can I expect you and our expert for lunch?"

  McTiernan steps outside his office and throws the file down onto the console in front of Handley. "Get this onto the system and sent to everyone."

  "James?"

  A sigh comes from the Head of Security and James McTiernan knows better than to try and argue. "I'll pick up Miss Ikari and head on down to the restaurant."

  "Bully!" and without another word the owner of Kaiju World hangs up.

  McTiernan stares at the main screen and watches the various security camera feeds cycle through. His eyes focus while his mind wanders; he knows for a fact that there is no way they can contain Ishiro if it decides to go on a rampage...That's the last thing we need, he thinks. If that happens who knows what the other Kaijus will do or how we can keep everything under control. He looks at the majority of his team. Every man and woman in this room are the best and his most trusted, each one perfectly trained and willing to do whatever it takes to finish the job, no matter the cost. We could call Tokyo for a nuke, he muses then quickly pushes that idea away. He knows that not only would the Japanese government never agree to it but also Gideon Pryke would have a coronary even contemplating the idea. Gideon Pryke...

  "I'll be back later," he says, then turns and exits without another word.

  #

  "Gentlemen!" Pryke says cheerfully as each of the investors walk down the grand staircase in the middle of the hotel/guest resort. "I hope you are refreshed and ready for a delicious meal before setting out on the first ever tour of Kaiju World." His smile says it all; you better be ready.

  "Are you married to the name?" Tull says softly.

  Pryke blinks, "Huh?"

  Tull nods as he casually pushes his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Yes. The name, 'Kaiju World'. Don't you think it sounds like...Oh, I don't know, like something from a bad TV movie?" He looks around at his partners, hoping for backup. He has never been good at confronting the eccentric billionaire but the name is important to the man.

  "Interesting," Pryke says with complete disinterest. "We'll come back to that." His eyes scan the faces of the men and he claps his hands excitedly. "Are there any other questions?"

  Hands hit the air and Gideon Pryke smiles in the exact same way that a child with a secret to tell does. "Follow me gentlemen and all shall be revealed."

  He takes off at a brisk walk that forces the five men to jog to keep up with him. Walking around the staircase, Gideon Pryke pushes on two large wooden doors with ornate carvings in them, the shapes are of monsters and various demonic looking animals. Inside they find themselves in a gigantic conference room. The lines and flow is definitely reminiscent of a Japanese temple, there is a small waterfall that provides a soothing counterpoint to whatever is going to be discussed. Along the circular table are bonsai trees and the entire room is peaceful.

  "Gentlemen, take your seats," Pryke says with a grand sweeping of his arm.

  "Why should we?" Emmerich says suspiciously.

  Pryke chuckles, "You don't have to, but trust me, you'll want to." There is something about his voice that makes each of the powerful men sit down. Pryke watches and his smile says it all; hold onto your butts. Walking over to a large panel that has a stylistic piece of art on it, he gestures at it grandly. "I had this commissioned by one of the best Japanese artists. Do you know what it is?" Of course they don't and Pryke would have been surprised if they did. Outside of their world each man has no interest in other cultures.

  Each man looks at the painting; the brush strokes are fluid and the parchment mixed with the paint has an amazing level of contrast that is at the same time beautiful and horrific. The painting shows the destruction of Tokyo city, buildings are being toppled, people stomped and burning from flames. The actual creature stands on the left side of the painting and towers over the buildings. Pryke smiles at it in admiration, "This was the very first Kaiju to ever be discovered on Earth, and it was gloriously terrible."

  "How can you say that?" Crichton is repulsed by the joy Pryke shows. "Millions were killed."

  "Yes!" Pryke says with a snap of the fingers. "They were killed, but that is life. And life is terrible and glorious." He leans against the wall smugly. "Which is why we love horror movies, ghost stories and anything that scares us," he taps the canvas. "Ten years ago I saw the carnage and my charity helped with the reconstruction. Then the idea came to me, how could I take this naturally occurring phenomenon and make it so that we need not be scared?"

  "A theme park?" Beacham scoffs.

  Gideon Pryke nods. "Yes. Just like Sean Drummond's Dino Park but instead of cloned monsters masquerading as dinosaurs we would have the real deal. The paying public could get up close and see that these monsters are nothing more than animals. And unlike Drummond's house of horrors I would not cut corners or rush to open."

  Winston nods, "Which is why it has taken you so long?"

  Pryke smiles, "That brings us to now. In two weeks, we shall open and already the first month has sold out." He chuckles. "You'll make your investment back within five months."

  Emmerich stands "Enough of the sales talk! Show us why we are here."

  A man who has never been able to handle demands, Pryke stares at Emmerich, his face unreadable. Then, "Certainly." He taps a small square wooden panel right next to the frame and it pops open, the owner of the park presses a button and the entire room lurches sharply.

  The five investors grab their chair arms tightly and stare at the room, hoping that it is not an earthquake. There is a hydraulics sound which is followed by the room beginning to move.

  "Drummond's plan was to have the biggest and most impressive dinosaurs roaming his park. Think T-Rex, Apatosaurus, Brachiosaurs and any others that you can think of. Here? Everything is impressive, the biggest and the best. Nothing small and cute for the children because they don't want cute. More teeth, more power, more everything," Pryke says with grandeur as the lights dim. "What do earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes all have in common? Humans cannot do anything to stop them." He speaks faster and faster as light begins to fill the room. "But what if we could stop the full power of nature? Capture it? Harness it? Make it our slaves? That is the question that we, here at Kaiju World have answered."

  He ignores the snicker from Tull and pushes on, "Gentlemen, this is the future of theme parks. This is Kaiju World!"

  The men gasp as the meeting room clears the building and light floods in. The room is completely surrounded by the plains of the island. The plants, trees and view are awe-inspiring. But what sucks the air out of the room are the three gigantic monsters roaming the area. Each one is completely different to the last. A smooth sphere rolls past and the men all clamour to see it better.

  Pryke looks at it happily, "That's Anno, one of the weaker ones." He walks over and stands next to them. "So, why have other theme parks trying to corner the extreme market all failed?"

  "They don't have these," Beacham sighs.

  Anno, the sphere stops and it seems to turn. A gigantic eye slit opens in the middle and the blood-red iris stares at the men behind the barrier. It roars and slams into the room. The men scream and leap back as the Kaiju splits in two; the gigantic mouth filled with teeth tries to bite into the meeting room.

  "Don't worry," Pryke says cheerfully as the men get to see the massive scaly tongue trying to grip the smooth Perspex. "All of our buildings have been completely reinforced to survive everything these beasties can throw at us."

  After a few seconds more, Anno growls then rolls away again. The men cannot believe it, for their entire lives they have spent it mostly in the safety of
the boardroom. Now they are staring death in the face and they love it!

  His point made, Gideon Pryke claps his hands and says, "Any questions?"

  #

  "I've been looking forward to this," Dutch says as he pops open the cold beer and takes a long gulp. The moment the beverage leaves his lips, he releases a long, "Ahhhhh."

  Unlike Security, Containment or the main control area, the Asset Recruitment Team or ART for short, have their own separate little hole-in-the-wall that they call home. Located out in the middle of the island, the bungalow is hidden nicely in the middle of a forest that is too thick for the monsters to get through. And though it is separate to the main compound, Dutch and his team have no problem with moving across the island thanks to a monorail system and underground tunnels.

  The large man looks around and smiles; they've been cooped up together for almost five years and yet every time he sees them all together, Johann, Roxie and Lawrence, Dutch feels like he is home. Right now they are getting ready to eat and it's Lawrence's turn to cook.

  "Here ya go," his deep voice booms. "Lasagne." He puts down on the table a large casserole dish that is over-filled with steaming hot pasta.

  "Wow," Roxie says. "That looks like the dog's bollocks!"

  "How many times," Johann laughs, "have I told you to use proper English. Not that Australian bastardization."

  Dutch can't help but join in the laughter. He is always glad to be back after a hunting expedition. But, part of him knows that sooner rather than later, they'll get the call to pack up and head out for the next recruitment. His eyes watch as Lawrence slices up the pasta and begins serving it. "I'll get the drinks," he says, standing with ease.

  Before anyone can stop him, he goes over to the small wine cooler and opens it. His finger slides down the cool bottles until he finds the perfect one.

  "Not the Rosé," Roxie shouts from behind.

  "I know," Dutch shouts back as he grabs a bottle of Leeuwin Estate Art Series Chardonnay. He knows the others aren't that fond of whites, but it is his favourite. As he turns back and looks for the cork-screw, his phone starts to vibrate.