During his conversations with these groups, one type of UFO that was frequently a topic of discussion was the black triangles. One of the prevailing theories in the UFO community was that these UFOs were actually man-made crafts that some people referred to as TR-3Bs. Not that he would be allowed to say it on any of his forums, but Nick could now confirm that the black triangles were not only real, they were a top-secret project.
As more lights came on, huge cannons and other futuristic-looking weapons came into view. Nick could see something that looked like a giant megaphone that he could only guess was some manner of sonic weapon. A huge door opened on the opposite side of the hangar and teams of workers began rolling in large bell-shaped objects that had what looked like Tesla Coils wrapped around them. Nick could actually see the electricity moving around the coils.
Jerome and Miki were slowly drifting toward the TR-3Bs when the ceiling projector turned on and revealed the faces of several Instructors including Timothy, Clarissa, and Thomas. Michelle’s personal Instructor Susan was noticeable by her absence.
Nick, Jerome, and Miki all stopped moving and looked up at their Instructors. Nick felt his stomach tighten even more as the moment approached where he would receive his first mission and go to off to fight some world-threatening horror.
Timothy cleared his throat and then addressed the group. “Kaiju Corps, as I am sure you know, the time that we have dreaded has come to pass. Your team is being activated in an attempt to secure some manner of future for the human race.” Timothy brought up a quick feed of a satellite in space. “Approximately three hours ago, an alien Signal hit Earth’s satellites and immediately overtook their programming. This Signal used our satellites to relay itself to virtually every computer system across the planet. In a matter of less than an hour, this Signal was able to overtake nearly every personal and commercial computer system on Earth. Military and National Security firewalls are still currently holding, but we expect them to fail within the next twenty-four hours. The Earth’s military forces will be totally shut down before they even have a chance to respond to this threat. We are reasonably sure that our systems will be able to hold out against this Signal for several days, which will allow us a brief window in which to mount a defense strategy.”
Timothy took a deep breath. “This is the type of threat that you have been created for and trained to fight. However, this is not the type of war in which we imagined that you would engage in.” Timothy started to tear up. “We had hoped that the Kaiju Corps would be able to fight to save our civilization, but sadly, that is no longer an option.” The view on the screen changed to show four giant robots that were constructed from car parts laying waste to the city of Detroit. Nick saw a street full of people trying to run away from one of the robots. The robot turned away from the building it was destroying and began walking over the crowd of people, crushing them beneath its feet.
Timothy continued to talk even as the robots continued to raze the city to the ground and crush people to death. “Detroit is only the first of what will be many casualties. The main function of this Signal is to override all of the planet’s manufacturing and electronic resources and then divert them to create these giant robots. We are getting reports of other factories slowly being taken over where their assembly lines are creating giant robots as well. Within the next five hours, robots like the ones in Detroit will canvas the entire globe. These robots are destroying most of the population as well as freezing and collecting some people. Based on their current mode of operation, we suspect that these robots will kill off roughly seventy-five percent of the human population. Once our civilization falls, they will start collecting and freezing other examples of animal and plant life. These frozen specimens will be sent back to the planet that the Signal originated from. The rest of the human population and other sources of protein and chlorophyll will be bred in manageable numbers and then regularly frozen and shipped back to the Signal’s home planet as well.”
Miki’s eyes widened in horror. “They are not just here to destroy us. They are turning us into a farm.”
Timothy shook his head. “As far as we know, protein and chlorophyll are only produced here on Earth. It’s likely that there are other Earth-like planets which also produce these resources, but they are scarce. Sending out a Signal which could corrupt another planet’s technology and then create collection units which could send those resources back to the home planet is a very efficient way to assure that the civilization which sent out the Signal has a never-ending supply of resources. The only good news in this situation is that whoever sent out the Signal wants our resources and it wants us. That means even though the Signal will soon have control over our nuclear and biological weapons, it won’t use them against us because doing so would also destroy the resources that the Signal’s creators covet.”
Jerome yelled up at the screen, “Break us up! Send each of us to a different part of the world! We can fight these robots off in our kaiju forms. We can turn the tide of the war!”
Timothy shook his head. “This is the end of our civilization and our way of life as we know it. The Signal will produce the giant robots in numbers and at a rate that you could never possibly match. Splitting you up is not the best way to address this issue. There are already four robots in Detroit and likely more by the time we reach the city. You will need to work as a team in order to not only defeat the robots but to survive. You must defeat the robots, and you must survive because you three and Michelle are the keys to a second future for the human race.”
Timothy moved the projection of his hand so that he was pointing at the weapon with the Tesla Coil wrapped around it. “This is an EMP bomb. We are currently working as hard as we can to develop these weapons in mass for the purpose of dropping them on our own cities. The intel that we are receiving from Detroit suggests that the Signal is constructing robots with rubber shielding inside of them to protect them from an EMP, but these bombs will stop the creation of any more robots by knocking out the electrical systems of each city that we bomb. This will, of course, shut down everything in the cities that we bomb. Power, water, electricity, medical supplies, and transportation will all grind to a halt. Between cutting off the power and water, people will be forced to flee the cities or to hide in the most remote recess such as sewers and subway tunnels. Under those conditions, only the strongest and most intelligent people will survive.”
The screen suddenly changed to show images of wars in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan. As the images moved across the ceiling of the hangar, Timothy began filling in the Kaiju Corps on the parameters of their mission. “The history of warfare on this planet has taught us two things. The first is that a war against a population of insurgent guerilla fighters can never truly be won. If the insurgency remains resolute in its cause, the war will eventually reach the point where the attacking force finds that the cost of fighting the war outweigh the benefits.”
The images of the war faded and the faces of the Instructors returned to the screen. “Insurgencies are particularly successful when they have leaders who can rally and inspire them. You will be these leaders. Through our EMP bombs, we will end the production of these robots and you three and Michelle will lead humanity in the revolt against them.”
A map of North America came onto the screen. “You will target areas near bodies of water as they will provide the most-needed resources for humanity to survive. We have designated two areas in the United States on which you should focus your efforts. Start from Detroit, fight the robots off there, then move to cities like Chicago, Toronto, Cleveland, and Buffalo. Use the Great Lakes as the first outpost from which the next generation of humanity will originate from. The major natural obstacle that humans will face near the Great Lakes is the cold. It will be a difficult first winter as humanity regains its footing. Many people will die as winter sets in without power, but the strongest and most resourceful people will survive. Once you have secured the Great Lakes, move along the Saint Lawrence River to the
East Coast and secure areas along the coastline. Clear the coast from New York City to Atlanta. When America was first colonized, settlers used this land because of fertile soil, abundant rivers, and access to the ocean. The next wave of humanity will use this area for the same purposes. This part of the operation could take years, if not decades. Even if you are able to defeat the robots that are currently attacking these areas, you will be under constant threat from robots moving from other cities and attacking the human population that has escaped them. That is why it is vital that we are successful in using our EMP bombs to stop the production of new robots. If you are dealing with a finite number of robots, this becomes a war of attrition rather than humanity’s last stand against an army that is able to renew its numbers daily.”
Timothy took the images off the screen and his image looked down at Jerome, Miki, and Nick. “If you are able to reach the point that the robots are no longer attacking the remaining free humans because their numbers have dwindled, you can then focus on attacking the farms that they create and look to free the humans that are captured there.” Timothy took a deep breath. “Again though, I reiterate, reaching the point of attacking the farms could be a part of the plan that is decades from now and that opportunity will only arise if the first parts of our plan are successful.”
Jerome had an intense look on his face as he was doing his best to remember every detail of their rough plan as he could. Nick was shaking his head in disbelief while Miki did her best to remain stoic and avoid breaking down into tears. It was Nick who finally asked the question that they were all thinking. “The way that you are making this sound, it almost seems as if you won’t be there to see this war through with us. What will your role be in this conflict?”
A solemn look appeared on Timothy’s face. “We and all of the Horsemen will be staying at our facilities and working as hard as we can to create and deploy as many of the EMPs as possible. Unless we stop the production of the robots, you will never be able to win this war. We are also faced with the inevitability that within a two-week period, the Signal will break our firewalls and find our locations. Currently, the reports that we have indicate that the robots are being created from car manufactures, construction vehicles, and commercial airlines plane pieces. These robots are deadly enough, but once the military firewalls fall, the robots will begin to be constructed out of tanks, jets, and combat helicopters. This second generation of robots will be even more dangerous for you to face than the first. The third generation of robots will likely be created in the engineering factories that make our space shuttles and probes. The Signal will use these drones to send the people they are freezing back to its planet of origin. These probes will likely be launched from locations that humans already utilize to send probes and shuttles into space. Our primary concern should be to save people who are still alive, but any launches that we can stop would be a benefit to us. If the civilization that sent out the Signal is not receiving any supplies from Earth, then they would have no reason to send anything or anyone to check on their operation here.”
Timothy moved his hand again so that his image on the screen pointed to the weapons on the hangar floor. “We built all of the weapons that you see before you. All of the Horsemen’s facilities have manufacturing capabilities on site. Once our firewalls fail, the Signal will be able to create a fourth generation of robots using the technology that we possess. This potential fourth generation of robots would then possess the most powerful weapons on the planet. If that were to occur, the chances of the robots overcoming any form of insurgency that we would create would greatly increase.”
Timothy turned his head so that his face was no longer on the screen as he delivered the next piece of information to the Kaiju Corps. “Susan and I will work as long as we can on constructing new EMP bombs. Clarissa will work on coordinating our attack and deploying the EMPs around the world as efficiently as possible. Thomas will lead a think tank that will work to find alternative methods that we can utilize to combat the threat as well. We need you to understand, however, that prior to the moment that it appears the firewalls are about to fail, the Horsemen facilities around the world will erase any information we have on our weapons and then they will self-destruct. That moment could arrive at any time. There is a high probability that we will have to enact the Horsemen self-destruct sequence. Once the self-destruct sequence is activated, it will travel via closed circuit connection around the world in seconds, destroying every Horsemen facility on the planet simultaneously along with everyone inside of them.”
At hearing this information, Miki finally broke down into tears. She had been trained to be soldier, but like all soldiers, she was still human. She shouted at the monitor, “You are going to send us to fight for a doomed world and then you are going to just leave us? You are the only family that we have ever known! If we are not fighting to protect you, then what are we fighting for? You want us to lead people and to inspire them to fight, but who are we fighting for? We won’t have anyone!”
Clarissa stepped in front of Timothy so that her face was taking up most of the projection. “Miki, I love you. We all love you. Just as we are the only parents you have ever known, you are the only children that we have ever known. We do not want to die and we do not want to leave you, but more than anything, we want to give the three of you and Michelle a chance at surviving. Any parent would gladly give their lives for their children and we will do the same for you.” Clarissa started to tear up. “We are so proud of the young men and women that you have grown into. We have total confidence that you will be exemplary soldiers in the war to save humanity. Most importantly, you will not be alone. You will have each other. That is why you cannot split up and address these threats separately. You will not only need each other’s physical support in battle, but you will also need the emotional support that you can provide for one another in the times in between battles.”
Timothy shifted his body back in front of Clarissa. “Every moment that we continue talking, more people are dying in Detroit. We could have briefed you on the flight out, but there was something that we needed to do first.”
The screen on the ceiling went blank and a door opened on the wall across from where the Kaiju Corps members were standing. Timothy, Clarissa, and Thomas all walked out of it. Nick, Jerome, and Miki all ran over to meet their personal Instructors. Hugs were exchanged as well as words of pride and love between the Instructors and their students. After a quick but highly emotional goodbye, the members of the Kaiju Corps boarded one of the TR-3Bs. As the super jet took off into the sky, Nick and Miki took one last look at the facility. While they were in the air, a report came over the radio that another giant robot attack was occurring in New York City.
Miki shook her head. “I always guessed that one day we would have to fight. I was ready for it, but I wasn’t ready to lose everything that we had. I wasn’t ready to lose our homes and our loved ones.”
Nick reached out and pulled Miki toward him. He hugged her as she placed her head into his shoulder. He wanted to say something reassuring to her. He wanted to say some line that would inspire her, but his mind was a total blank. He squeezed her tight and all that he could think to whisper into her ear was, “I know. I know.”
Chapter 6
The Hudson River, New York City
Bearadon was making her way up the river and back toward the Catskill Mountains. She was several miles outside of New York City when she saw smoke and dust rising from the city. Her first thought was that another terrorist attack had occurred and that was why she was being called into Hangar 18.
As she came closer to the city, she could hear the sounds of buildings crumbling to the streets below. Her acute sense of smell was assaulted by the stench of what could only have been streets literally filled with blood. Bearadon began to wonder if perhaps she and the other members of the Kaiju Corps were going to be sent after the people who had caused this horror as a form of retaliation. From the amount of dead people that it smelled
like were littering the streets, she truly hoped that she would be sent after the people who had done this so that she could personally make them pay for their actions.
Bearadon had just reached the outer limits of New York when she lifted her long white neck out of the water and peered into the city to get a better look at what had happened. She was shocked when she saw a large robot that appeared to have been constructed from various construction vehicles destroying several buildings. Assuming that she had found the threat, she had been in called in to address, the kaiju decided to forgo returning to base first and put an end to this threat here and now.
She placed her two colossal white paws on the shores of the Hudson River and then she roared a challenge at the strange giant robot. The robot ignored Bearadon’s challenge and simply continued to demolish the buildings around it. Bearadon walked out of the river on all fours, and then she started making her way toward the robot.
As she was walking toward the robot, she heard one of the Instructors give her a command through the radio inside in her ear, “Bearadon, do not engage the hostiles. These robots are part of a worldwide attack. An alien Signal has taken over most of Earth’s technology. The Signal is using our tech to create giant robots which are wiping out the human population. We are trying to organize our efforts to create safe zones for a small percentage of the population. The other members of the Kaiju Corps are heading toward Detroit to engage hostiles there. We have plans to send the entire team to New York after we secure the Great Lakes. Report back to base so that you can rendezvous with the other members of your team!”
If she were in her human form, Michelle would have told the Instructor to go to hell. There were people dying right in front of her and saving them from threats like a giant robot was exactly what she was bred and trained for her entire life. Bearadon roared in defiance of both the robot and the Instructor who had told her to leave millions of people to die at the hands of this soulless construct. The kaiju broke into a sprint as she charged the robot. While she was down on all fours, Bearadon was roughly half the height of the mech she was running toward. When Bearadon reached the robot, she drove her horns into its waist. The impact caused the giant mech to tumble backward onto the pile of rubble from the building it had just destroyed. Bearadon climbed on top of the fallen robot and pinned it to the ground beneath her massive weight. The glistening white kaiju lifted her right paw into the air, unsheathed her claws, and then raked them across the robot’s face. Bearadon’s claws cut through the steel that composed robot’s head as if it were made of paper. The robot was lifting its hands up to try and push Bearadon off itself when the kaiju slashed it across the face with her left claw, destroying what was left of the mech’s head.
Kaiju Corps Page 4