Kaiju World

by R. F. Blackstone

  As Mako opens her mouth, the wall mounted phones and the hand-held radios in the room scream to life, the sudden onslaught of tones startles the researcher, professor and scientist. Without a word, Mako Ikari answers the closest phone. "Kon'nichiwa..."

  "Mako?! Thank god." It's Pryke. He sounds relieved but his voice still shakes slightly.

  "Mister Pryke?"

  "Gideon," he says. Even during a cataclysmic disaster he still prefers a casual atmosphere.

  Mako grunts slightly, her eyes refusing to leave the still whimpering creature. "Gideon we have a --"

  "--We're evacuating the island," he talks over her. "The Kaiju are on the move and..."

  Her mind drifts as it all makes sense. Ishiro wants out, Mako thinks with a small gasp. The Kaiju can sense the movement of each other!

  "Mako? Mako!" Pryke screams into the phone.

  "We're trapped, for now," she says calmly. The sudden realization of what is happening and the opportunity she has fully relaxes her. "Don't send anyone."

  "Are you out of your mind?" Pryke is genuinely concerned and slightly confused at the same time.

  "Not in the least, but they might say I was," Mako's answer is cryptic but Pryke can hear the smile in her voice.

  "What are you planning?"

  "Project Robinson," is all she says. Carsten and Julayne exchange inquisitive looks, but neither speak.

  Pryke whistles, impressed. "Are you positive that now is the time?”

  “No Gideon,” Mako says, looking at the writhing beast below. From the pustules she can see what looks like the beginning of tentacles begin to push forward. Each one pops the bulb and thick blood mixed with golden white pus flows freely. “But what other choice do we have? The Mechs will surely fail, then what?”

  She can hear Pryke nodding on the other end of the line. “Fair enough, which one?"

  "Anno or Higuchi."

  "There might be a problem with that," Pryke says as Ishiro screams in panic. The remaining lights hanging from the roof swing wildly as dust drifts to the floor and more cracks begin spider-webbing across the ceiling.

  "Don't tell me," Mako sighs, the calmness slowly leaving her. "They're dead?"

  "Pish!" Pryke is dismissive as he continues. "A.R. Team is fetching us the Mechs."

  "You have got to be kidding?" Mako says as Ishiro's roar shakes the room. The lights darken and there is a hiccup in the phone's connection which cuts them off. The woman hangs up the phone then picks it up, trying to hear a dial tone but getting nothing but a steady clicking.

  "Everything okay?" Carsten asks, his voice full of concern. He and Julayne have been trying to clear some of the rubble so they can get out of the room.

  Before their boss can talk, Julayne almost shrieks, “What’s Project Robinson? Is it a way out of here?”

  Mako sighs. “It’s just something that Pryke and myself have been working on. A just in case if anything should go wrong.”

  “What could possibly go wrong?” Carsten laughs. “Spit it, boss. What are you planning to do with the Kaijus?”

  Mako Ikari looks at her people then to the thrashing gigantic beast. She wants to tell them everything but she knows what their reaction is going to be. It will be the same as when she first told Gideon Pryke, he had said she was mad. But in the end Mako was able to convince him. Now though, there is no time so instead she sighs and talks, "We need to release him--"

  "--What?!"

  "That is the second stupidest idea after cake in a cup," Carsten says with a snort, both instantly forgetting all about Project Robinson.

  Their boss shakes her head and stumbles as the compound shakes and trembles violently. Another shrieking roar from Ishiro shatters the remaining windows, glass screens and shields.

  Julayne’s eyes are wide, panicky and her voice trembles slightly as she says, getting to her feet, "What good could it do?"

  "The others are coming, probably to attack us and Ishiro," Mako says using the same tone as Dutch or McTiernan. It surprises her, this reservoir of strength. "We don't have enough time to get out," she says while glancing at the panic filled Kaiju. "But there should be enough to..."

  "No," Julayne declares as she redoubles her efforts to clear the rubble. "We can make it!"

  A tearing, shredding, cracking, deafening cacophony of destruction forces the three humans and the Kaiju to stop what they are doing; Mako races over to the edge of the smashed opening and holding onto a hanging cable she watches, mouth hanging open as large jagged cracks begin to spread across the walls and roof.

  "We can make it!" Julayne screams again as a large slab of the roof above her crashes down. Her scream is cut short as the heavy concrete lands on her, the weight crushing her bones and her face being shredded by the edges. Her eyes go blank as the life is pushed out of her and the immediate area is splattered with her blood.

  Brad Carsten howls and races to the ruined body, he grabs the dead woman's hand and pulls, trying to save her. He pulls and the limp limb comes off with a hideous sickening wet rip. Carsten sobs, dropping the hand and then collapses onto his back. His tears mix with the blood of Julayne’s and his vision is blurred by his sorrow. He does not see the exposed wire that is flipping and whipping about, moving closer and closer to his leg.

  The death howl of Brad Carsten causes Mako to spin her head and she gasps at the sight of her comrade convulsing about. He looks like he is doing an involuntary breakdance demonstration but the smoke rising from his body says otherwise. Carsten’s mouth clamps down and his tongue drops to the floor in a bloody mess. Mako steps towards him but stops as another loud smash makes her flinch as the cracks in the walls split open.

  Shafts of light show the true amount of destruction caused by Ishiro in his panic. The entire hangar is never going to be rebuilt. Mako sighs then screams as she falls through a fresh hole just as a gigantic red eye glares in through the new cracks and a series of snarls and growls fill the chamber. The Professor can make out Ishiro’s body, it is now covered in writhing and undulating tentacles. The sight makes her want to vomit.

  Ishiro's eyes become slits as it stares at the red eye and it snarls as the jowls around the mouth curl into a smile.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  "We really going for the Mechs?" Roxie asks as they near the Mechs Vs Kaijus arena. They haven't seen any sign of Murata since he ambushed them about an hour ago. The Kaiju had become distracted the moment they got close to the wrecked generators.

  Quickly, Dutch glances at the small ragtag group and counts the odds. It'll be close, he thinks then shrugs saying, "We're paid to do one thing."

  Roxie knows what's coming and doesn't bother letting the man finish. "Obey orders."

  "Atta girl," Dutch says with a friendly pat on the arm. "Besides," he says, "would you rather go after Anno without one?"

  “I’d rather be on a Cuban beach with a mojito and not a care in the world,” Roxie says. “But if wishes were horses--,” both tense up as the sound of pounding footsteps crushing dried leaves comes up behind them. They spin, weapons springing up ready to annihilate the would be attacker.

  "Scheisse!" Johann curses, breathing heavily while adjusting his pack. "You trying to kill me?"

  "Apologies," Dutch says lowering his gun. "It's getting hard to see without the lamps," his apology is weak but honest. With the approaching darkness and no power to provide light, any sudden movements or loud noises amplifies the tension everyone is feeling.

  "What's up?" Roxie uses her question to stare at Ellen, Christopher and Jeremy; each one is trying to wipe away fresh blood from deep gashes or trying to figure out how to stop blood flowing. "Our friends causing problems?"

  The Austrian shakes his head dismissively while catching his breath. "Not yet." He holds up a couple of Polaroids making both Dutch and Roxie raise their eyebrows, they cannot remember the last time a Polaroid had been shown to either of them. Johann ignores their surprise, "Not a word.” He clears his throat. “It wasn't a Kaiju or a power surge.
"

  Dutch takes the photos and quickly scans each one. In the distance they hear roaring and the tell-tale sounds of a building being demolished. The bearded man purses his lips. "You positive?" It's a redundant question to be sure and Dutch is almost positive that Johann is correct, but he is and always has been a firm believer of better safe than sorry.

  The look Johann gives is priceless. "See these dark marks?" He points to four dark circular patterns that have jagged edges that look like clouds. "IEDs or C4," he says with the authority of a seasoned professional.

  "C4?" Roxie asks, taking the photos.

  Dutch stares at the sky then to the newcomers, he has this nagging felling at the back of his mind. It is similar to an itch that, unfortunately, the man cannot scratch. "Do you really think it could be an IED?"

  Johann nods and shakes his head at the same time as the distant roars and crashing draws their attention. "Is it her?"

  Both Roxie and Dutch nod, their faces grim. "We get the Mechs then split up," he says. "Roxie, you and Johann will go back to Control and save the day." He's moving fast now and the others have to race to keep up with him.

  "What do I tell Larry?" Johann asks as he tries catching his breath again while almost running at full speed.

  "Nothing," Roxie says. "Just give him a warning but nothing too overt." She glances at Dutch. "What about you?"

  As they come into the clearing that is overshadowed by the ancient Aztec-inspired looking temple and the four railgun armed security towers that are powered down, the wind dies leaving the group in nothing but eerie silence and stillness. Dutch is wary as he steps out into the open, he knows that they are going to be exposed to an attack and if one of the Kaijus is in the area then they are all well and truly fucked.

  "Boss?" Roxie asks. She and the others are standing at the tree line, waiting to see if any gigantic monsters rampage over and tear the man to shreds.

  He waves for them to follow as he takes off at a fast jog over to the almost ridiculously sized hangar. Dutch looks at the industrial automatic roller door then grabs the bottom with both hands and pulls up. His muscles bulge but the door barely moves an inch. Grunting, he bangs on it with his fist in frustration.

  "Problem?" Ellen asks. She is pressed flat up against the wall and seems to have been re-energized by the sight of the temple.

  He grunts before answering, wondering where Roxie is. "The door." He doesn't want to waste time since he still doesn't know what to do with these three.

  "We can get it open," the woman says and without another word Ellen, Christopher and Jeremy take off running around to the backside of the hangar.

  "Shit!" Dutch curses, part of him wishes that there was one of the smaller monsters waiting for them. He smiles slightly at the thought of them being torn asunder by the giant teeth. If wishes were horses, he thinks as from inside the hangar he can barely make out the sounds of feet running across the hard cement floor.

  "What the hell?" Lawrence demands as he stalks up to his CO. "Where did they run off to?"

  "When you got to go," Johann says with a chuckle. He flinches from the hard hit to the shoulder from Roxie. "What?"

  She rolls her eyes. "Any excuse to make a Jurassic Park reference."

  "What can I say?"

  "Quiet!" Dutch hisses. He has his ear against the shutter and his eyes are slits of pure concentration.

  "What? Did we get fucked?" Roxie asks as her finger flicks the safety on her weapon off.

  "Possibly," Dutch says as he forces all of his auditory facilities to focus on the hollow nothingness inside the Mech hangar.

  "Why are we even here?" Lawrence asks impatiently.

  "Because the man who signs the checks says so," Roxie responds.

  The answer isn't good enough by any standard for Lawrence. "But doesn't he know that--"

  He is cut off as the metal roller door buckles with a bone chilling creak then is ripped apart as if the steel was nothing more than tissue paper. The man looks up, mouth agape at the gigantic plate covered robotic arm that has punched through the door.

  "Move!" Dutch orders as the plated gear driven hand grips a sharp edge and begins pulling.

  Metal scrapes against metal and the sound pierces the ears of A.R. Team. Each member of the highly specialized unit running, trying to get as far away from the hangar as possible.

  "How?" is all Lawrence can say when they reach one of the towers.

  "It doesn't matter," Dutch is in combat mode. He knows that the Mechs are almost as deadly as the Kaiju, almost; after all they had been built to fight. But, luckily for him and his team there is a ten millisecond delay between a command being given and the robot performing it. This is more than enough for them to do some real damage. "Can you get this going?"

  Johann and Lawrence both look up at the railgun. "Give us time...Yeah!"

  Dutch watches as the two men begin the climb. Then he turns to Roxie as they hear the door being torn from its tracks. "Let's go hunting."

  She nods and quickly checks her weapon; the ammunition counter reads as having a full clip. Roxie smiles slightly and raises the gun, tucking the stock under her shoulder and holding it tight. There is no need to do this since lasers produce no recoil at all as there is no combustible powder in the rounds, but old habits die hard. "What's the plan of attack--"

  The gun slips from her fingers as she stares at the three slowly rising robots. Each one has a distinct style to the armour plating and shape; the smallest of the three has a small loping gait and the way the body is shaped is reminiscent of a sumo wrestler. For some reason the designers gave it a rotund mid-section. The second one is tall and lean with a swimmer's body shape. Its head has a small fin on top of it giving it the appearance of a shark hybrid. As for the third and tallest of the lot, its body is covered in thick plates of armour, just like a knight.

  Each one struggles slightly to get to its feet, the size and weight giving the inexperienced pilots inside some trouble as the joints and gears are stiff from non-usage. The groaning from the movements is loud and reminds Dutch of an antique clock that needs oil. His hands shake slightly; there is something off-putting about the faceless mechanoids as opposed to the Kaijus. The monsters have faces that grin, grimace, frown and show emotions, the blankness of the robots is unnatural.

  "Boss," Roxie whispers. "Do we have a plan?"

  The Knightbot's head turns slowly; the blank staring visor for eyes seems to focus on the two small people. There is a crackle of static and a loud booming feminine voice erupts from the built in speakers. "Thank you kindly, Sir!" The Mech performs a very awkward bow as the voice continues, "Animal Alliance wishes you all the best, and...well...Toodles." A shaky hand gesture and the three twenty-five story tall robots turn and begin heading towards the ocean.

  Dutch raises his weapon, the gun begins to hum and the barrel slowly glows. "Aim for the ankles." He doesn't wait for Roxie to answer as his finger squeezes the trigger.

  The smaller Sumo-Mech stumbles as the lasers ping and bounce off the armour, it turns and raises one arm, the limb slowly rotating and transforming; the fingers slide back as the palm opens, revealing a cannon. "Fuck!" Roxie screams as the plasma blast hits the ground just in front of her, the pale blue plasma vaporising the ground, the grass and the dried leaves.

  Dutch’s eyes dart to the tower where he can just make out the two men waving their arms and pointing at the three robots. At least they haven't been spotted, he thinks as another plasma blast sends him flying.

  He lands hard and he gasps for breath, his left hand searching for the gun as the other prods his chest and ribs. Nothing feels broken. The sounds of lasers being fired makes him focus and the man can't help but smile.

  Roxie stands prone, her legs slightly apart and at right angles. Her face is a defiant roar and the lasers bathe her in a hazy strobe effect. Each hit does little to no damage but she groups each shot perfectly, aiming at the plasma gun on the hand. "Are they ready yet?" she hollers as her thumb hits t
he recharge button while she leaps out of the way of yet another blast.

  The answer to her question is a high-pitch whining that is quickly followed by a bolt of lightning that takes out the midsection of the attacking Mech. Its arms swing limply and the head twitches moments before the robot topples forward, collapsing on the ground.

  From the tower, Dutch and Roxie can hear their teammates cheer. They watch the railgun swivel, the two men manually aiming the impressive weapon.

  "Clever!" Ellen's voice booms from the Mech in Knight's armour. "But it won’t save you." The hand leaps up, pointing.

  Dutch is able to duck, yanking Roxie to the ground as a Kaiju crashes into the clearing. It's a round ball that wobbles slightly. "Anno," the man whispers. He hopes that the Category 1 is strong enough to take down the remaining Mechs.

  Anno growls and the same slit in its mouth begins tearing across the body as large nasty sharp teeth become visible. It roars then moves with surprising speed, the monster leaps into the air then comes crashing down on top of the downed robot.

  "Christopher! No!" Ellen's voice rings out as the Kaiju rolls back and forth, crushing the mechanoid into the ground. It stops and a large ruby red wet tongue slithers out and licks the face, savouring the flavours and taste of victory. “Damn you!" Ellen sneers and unleashes her Mech's weapons.

  Anno shrieks in pain and panic as blue flames engulf it. The creature tries running but the flames hold it in place.

  "Jeremy!" Ellen barks.

  The Sharkbot slams into the crying Kaiju, lifts it up high then with a mighty throw hurls the living ball into the air.

  Everyone freezes, eyes tracking the blue flaming monster as it sails, a trail of burning flesh carried by the wind following. It seems to hover in the sky, like an odd star, then Anno smashes, colliding into the stone on top of the temple with a dull squishy wet thud.

  "Shit fuck," Roxie softly curses after recovering from her shock.

  "I'm going to keep this," Ellen Scott booms.

  Dutch is smiling and chuckling as he dusts himself off. Roxie glances at him. "What?"