Kaiju World

by R. F. Blackstone

  "There's a reason," the man is laughing hard now. "I wasn't too happy with--"

  The shriek is distorted and Ellen's Mech thrashes as a leathery engorged head sucks and nibbles on the robot's own head. Claws dig into the shoulder joints and the air is filled with the foul stench of melting metal.

  "Higuchi," Dutch says happily as he and Roxie watch the dislocated jaw working the head and torso. Acidic drool drips and instantly begins melting away the plate armour.

  Jeremy's Mech stands there awkwardly, unsure of what to do about this new attacking Kaiju currently trying to eat his boss. Over the comms he can hear her screaming and crying out for help, but the man is too afraid of his Gods. Never in his life did he think he would ever see something like this up close. His mind cannot handle it anymore.

  There's a loud hissing of gas as coolant is blasted from vents and the head opens, revealing a cylinder cockpit that is then launched, projected high into the sky.

  Roxie cannot believe her eyes as the escape tube slams into the temple and explodes in a small ball of flames. She laughs then quickly remembers where she is and what has just happened.

  "Boss!" Johann calls as he and Lawrence run up to the two while Higuchi starts shaking its enormous head. The monster is trying to rip off the domed head of the robot so that it can continue feasting on the innards.

  "Good men!" Dutch says and claps hands with Lawrence and then Johann. Behind them, the Category 1 lifts its head in triumph and roars. It is muffled by the severed head in its mouth. The gigantic throat begins pulsating as the muscles work, then with a wet popping sound both it and Ellen Scott inside disappear.

  "Fucking Mechs," is all the bearded man says.

  #

  "Oh god," Mako Ikari whimpers as she cowers behind a section of fallen roof. Covering her ears, the woman squeezes her eyes shut tightly. She forces her mind to go to her happy place and not let the memory of her family's death come to the front, which is impossible as all around her Ishiro battles the Category 3 Tanaka and Category 2s Kayama and Nakajima.

  The thunder of the heavy beasts mixed with their roars and shrieks of pain cuts through Mako's hands and her memories fight to be relived; her father had heard on the news about a coming eruption from Mount Fuji. He wasn't worried, he never was and that would be his downfall. The Japanese Authorities had closed public transportation and the schools so little Mako had a few days off from school. There they were, all playing and having fun when the first earthquake--

  "No!" Mako screams, forcing herself to look at the Kaijus.

  The only other times that she's seen these mighty gargantuans battle has been via the drones, security cameras and the movies of her youth. It's always looked exciting but up close and in real life?

  Each of the smaller monsters launches itself onto Ishiro's sides and back. Claws dig into the flesh and act like hooks while fangs and horns try to cause as much damage as possible. All that Ishiro can do is roll, using its own immense weight to crush the attacking beasts.

  The newly birthed tentacles, meanwhile, whip and flick the more pedantic Kaijus. Each one is launched with a wet sucking sound as the suction cups let go. The rest are pummelled into the ground until they are nothing but masses of bloody orange pulp.

  Kayama squeals and thrashes on the ground, impaled by a large column of steel, wires and cabling. With surprising speed one of Ishiro's tentacles whips about, grabbing the wounded Kaiju, then tears it from its stake and hurls the screaming beast across the hangar where it crashes through one of the cracked and fragile walls.

  The impact rips the wall from its foundations and it topples, exposing more of the outside world in a thick cloud of dust.

  With a deafening roar that shakes the building, Ishiro's back begins to glow a deep red that pulses and slowly grows brighter and as it does the skin begins to heat up and steam rises from the body.

  The lights erupt from the cracks in the skin, beams of light that cuts through any and all that gets in the way. Nothing is safe from the beams as steel and concrete melts away, instantly making the building shake and groan.

  The slightly smaller Kaijus leap away, narrowly avoiding the beams. Limbs, tails, horns are all disintegrated and the Category 5 is washed in orange blood and viscera.

  Mako crawls, trying to avoid being crushed by the massive bodies or the falling debris. She feels the intense heat from the light beams and knows that the room and probably the hangar and most of the compound are being exposed to dangerously high levels of radiation.

  What were you expecting? she asks herself as Ishiro's head thrashes about, the limp bloodied head of Kayama in the powerful jaws. There's something about the way Ishiro's eyes dart about, not erratically but they move as if they are looking for something...or someone.

  Ishiro howls as claws tear at one side of the humongous face, scratching and pulling at the skin. The orange blood oozes slowly at first as the claws dig in under the skin becoming jagged hooks, then with a sudden exploding release a large chunk of flesh is torn from his face.

  Tanaka howls in delight, watching the blank stare on the Category 5's face. It takes a few seconds for the beast to register the attack and when it does, the howl of anguish almost breaks Mako Ikari's heart.

  The woman risks standing and her mouth drops open; the eyes...two of the eyes are missing, all that is left are bloody clumps of flesh with exposed bones. The tendons, veins and shreds of muscles throb as the blood oozes and seeps out. Ishiro shakes its massive head and stumbles about as a fountain of blood erupts from the open wound, spraying the walls, rubble, other Kaijus and Mako.

  The beams of light shooting out of the massive back dim then disappear, while the eight legs, gigantic claws and tentacles all scrape then rip up the rubble and knock down more of the structures with a terrible screeching howl of pain.

  Mako ducks and prays that she will make it out alive as her instincts take over and she runs, making a beeline for the belly of the thrashing monster. This is crazy, she tells herself as the shadow of the beast covers her.

  Please don't collapse, she prays as her legs keep her dancing about, keeping under the Kaiju and not slipping on the pools of bright orange blood.

  The tail whips about, knocking down the other Kaijus and then the feet stomp them, shattering bones and forcing them to pierce the scales and thick leathery skin. Ishiro is slowing down, calmer but now the attacks and the way it is actively trying to bring down the Containment Hangar is methodical.

  The power begins to falter causing the lights to flicker, the destruction finally taking its toll.

  Mako ducks and weaves as the eight legs constantly move, rising and falling in an erratic rhythm. To her it seems like the Kaiju is looking for something or someone--

  She yells as her foot gets caught and the blood catches her, smothering her in its gooey grasp. Mako can feel the air being pushed out of her and panic sets in. Around her she can feel the Kaiju fighting, the thundering and the roars are muffled and everything is distant to her. This isn't my time, she repeats to herself as she struggles to move, trying desperately to find a way out.

  Then the weight of the world comes crashing down on her back and Mako Ikari wants to scream, has to scream but now her world is only one thing.

  The orange blood.

  Everything is now the suffocating, sulfuric smelling, orange Kaiju blood.

  And there is no escape for her.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Teresa Hernandez looks around the medical ward of Kaiju World. It wasn’t what she was expecting at all, but then nothing she has witnessed today has been anything she could ever expect to see, except for in a movie.

  If she had to describe the large oval room she is standing in, the only image that comes to her mind is the Sick Bay from the latest Star Trek movies. He really outdid himself with this, Teresa thinks as she has to squint slightly. Every single surface is polished white and shines blindingly in the bright overhead lights. The entire Medical Ward is the perfect definition of
Ultra-Futuristic. Teresa cannot help but wonder how much it all set him back.

  “What’s going on?” a young doctor asks frantically as security guards, each of them dressed in light blue coveralls with a utility belt, begin to wheel out patients. With the constant shaking and power fluctuations, the place has been having more customers than any of the medical staff had expected, especially since they haven’t opened yet.

  “You can’t move him!” the doctor shouts, trying to stop the guards from removing the covered mass that was formerly Winston.

  The guard shakes him off then expertly unlocks the gurney’s wheels. Crichton grabs the large man’s arm. “Who do you think you are doing this?”

  “Robert Buckels. We’re evacuating and this corpse is not on my list,” Buckels says before shoving the other man out of the way.

  Teresa helps Crichton off the floor. “Did he say we’re evacuating?”

  “I believe so,” he says as his eyes watch the scene. There are more security guards who are busy removing the valuable equipment. The doctors and nurses follow demurely, nobody wants to be left behind.

  “What’s that?”

  Teresa cocks her head. “What’s what?”

  It’s coming from outside. Faint. Almost undetectable to the ear, but it is still there. A deep rumbling that could easily be mistaken for thunder. The only problem is that the rumbling is getting closer and louder. “That,” Crichton says with a slight shiver in his voice.

  The people scream in fright as the lights flicker on and off as a high pitch whine threatens to deafen everyone.

  “Alright people!” Buckels barks. “We got word of a possible incoming bogey. What I need all of you to do is--” he stops midsentence and his mouth does nothing but flaps open and shut.

  A second later the wall behind him explodes as a bright beam of light cuts through the tiles, wiring and steel support structures.

  Crichton grabs Teresa and pulls her down to the floor as more beams slice through the Medical Ward. All that they can hear is the whooshing of the beams mixed with the terrified wailing of the staff.

  A terrible roar stops every man and woman in their tracks. The noise slowly fades away and both Teresa and Crichton have heard something very similar, even though they don’t want to admit it.

  “We’ve got to get out of here,” she whispers to the man.

  “You think I don’t know that?” he snaps as his eyes dance across the room, trying frantically to find a way out that doesn’t include leaping across a fiery chasm.

  Metal shrieks and groans as something large pushes on the walls.

  “How thick do you suppose—” Teresa’s voice is drowned out as a large claw tears through the wall. It is quickly followed by another claw that rips another section of the wall.

  High shrieking winds blow the paper and loose bits of debris about as both Teresa and Crichton try running from the gigantic monster.

  From the corner of her eye the woman can see five security guards with large long cattle prods that have been customized. They attack the claws, shoving the sparking tri-pronged ends against the hard skin.

  From outside they can hear the monster shriek as the claws disappear.

  “Stay sharp,” one of the guards orders as the small team moves into the middle of the wrecked room. They form a small circle, back to back so that they cannot be taken by surprise.

  Unfortunately, none of the highly trained personnel notice the tips of the Kaiju’s tentacles slowly begin to creep in through the fresh scratches.

  Crichton and Teresa do and they want to, they have to, they must shout a warning. But one of the guards spots them and gestures for both to be quiet and stay where they are, completely oblivious to the wet death creeping towards them.

  “What the…” one of the guards says as he feels suction on his leg. He looks down and screams at the horrid sight.

  The rest of his team spins and each instantly starts to attack the slippery tendril. Their weapons sparking each time they make contact with the thick wet skin. At each contact the guard howls and dances about, his body being thoroughly filled with enough electricity to power a small city.

  The body cannot take any more of the power and explodes in a bloody pulpy mess. Bones shoot across the room and impale people, stabbing into the chest or face and nailing them to the walls.

  The security team are thrown to the ground and some roll, trying to put out the fires that are covering their bodies. The others feel nothing except for the tentacles. They wrap around the bodies and slowly begin to squeeze.

  “Now’s our chance,” Crichton mutters while pushing Teresa. They jump over the bodies and tentacles as they race for the door.

  Behind them Teresa can hear the men cry out and she hazards a glance back. For the rest of her life she will never forget the sight; the tentacles are dragging the men back towards the openings. The poor souls can do nothing but moan and sob at their fates.

  The fat of each tentacle bulges slightly as it has to fight through the gouges but they eventually pop through. This speeds up the retreat and soon the first man is being pulled, the suction cups gripping tightly and the pressure slowly building. Their faces swell up and turn maroon as all of the blood is forced to the heads.

  Their eyes bulge and the tiny veins all begin to explode. Every single one of them in the poor man’s body all rupture then explode, flooding the cavity with red and white blood cells.

  The tentacles have to fight with the body and the constant back and forth is too much on the bones, which snap and crack. The organs are all being displaced and forced up into the rib cage, compacting the lungs and suffocating the men. Their sobs become hoarse and they can do nothing but pray for the release of death.

  Teresa Hernandez doesn’t see the bodies collapse or explode from the tentacles but she does hear the muffled cries.

  #

  "Professor!"

  "Professor Ikari?!"

  "Fuck, she looks dryer than a dead dingo's sack."

  The voices are becoming louder now, like someone is slowly turning up the volume on a TV. The woman's voice is the loudest and most clear, cutting through everything else and forcing the darkness, that suffocating darkness which is so welcoming to her, reaching out and embracing Mako Ikari to retreat.

  "This looks like the aftermath of a Michael Bay movie," an accented voice jokes and the darkness is replaced by a bright burning light.

  "Professor Ikari, are you injured?" that voice! Mako knows that voice, it's soothing and commanding at the same time. The voice is masculine and reminds her of her father.

  Slowly Mako opens her eyes and smiles before wincing; she is lying on her back with her head in the lap of a smiling black man. She squints and begins coughing.

  Dutch helps her to sit up and gently pats her back, helping to force the remnants of the sticky blood to be heaved up and expelled from the small woman's lungs. "Glad to have you back," Dutch says with a big genuine smile.

  "Not sure about that," Mako sputters, trying to spit and get rid of the taste. Never in her life has the Kaiju expert ever tasted anything like it in her life. The only way she can describe the flavours is a mixture of cigarette ash, boiled cabbage, stale milk and dried blood. Mako knows that it is going to be a long time before she will be rid of it, but for her it is totally worth it.

  "You'll be right as rain in no time," the woman, Roxie, says as she watches the short man go through the wreckage.

  "Boss," the accented man, Johann, speaks as he stands. "I don't think it's a good idea to hang around. Know what I mean?"

  Dutch nods, everyone knows what the man is talking about. "Not until we finish our delivery."

  "What on earth happened here?" the bald man, Lawrence, asks as he stares at the clumps of flesh.

  Mako rubs her head and feels her body scream in pain, she gasps and begins to lie back down on the hard floor. The three people around her quickly grab her arms and gently pull her back up. Roxie says, "Can't have you going back down Prof, nee
d to check you out."

  Dutch and Lawrence walk over to Johann while Roxie begins to examine Mako. One of the first rules set down by Dutch when everyone was brought into A.R. Team was that nobody asked about past jobs or lives. What mattered was the skills everyone has and how it can be utilized in the capture of Kaijus. But the fact that Roxie has the skillset of a world-class doctor at her age has the rest of the team questioning her past continuously.

  "Bet she killed a man in surgery," Johann says with a smile.

  "Nah," Lawrence shakes his head as his boot kicks a blank staring eye that is bigger than him. "Nobody died--"

  "--Is this really the time?" Dutch's voice makes it clear that this is the last time they bring it up.

  "You're probably right," Johann says as he stares at the scorch marks that cover the majority of the cement, steel supports and light fixtures. "What the hell happened?"

  That's the question that is bugging Dutch, he hasn't seen this sort of destruction since Burma and the randomness of it all sends a shiver down his spine. "An escape," he mutters.

  "The Cat Five?!" Johann gasps as he stares at all of the mounds of flesh and pools of blood.

  Lawrence is nodding. "Isn't it obvious?" He gestures at the carnage around them. "The others probably came to visit him and...well..." He doesn't need to finish the thought as the other two men have already put it all together.

  Johann whistles, "How did she survive then?"

  "That's the sixty-four dollar question," Dutch says. His instincts are screaming at him to check on their prize for the Professor, but something about all of the destruction and carnage makes him pause. “Check on the delivery," he orders as he strides over to the women.

  "You don't remember a single thing?" he hears Roxie asking for what he thinks is the tenth time; the exasperation in her voice makes that perfectly clear.

  Mako shakes her head. "Just the fighting."

  Roxie nods then glances at Dutch. She shakes her head slightly before speaking, "A mild concussion. Nothing serious though."

  "Professor," Dutch's voice is low. "A word please." He turns to Roxie. "Make sure it's ready."