He turned back toward Miki and Michelle. “Have we ever seen the battle robots moving through the cities searching for survivors?”
Michelle shook her head. “No. They seem to just wait for a threat to show up and then they spring into action.”
Nick pointed to the robot. “I think that in our human forms, we can just walk up to Blackbolt. It is programmed to protect this site, so as soon as we change into our kaiju forms, it will attack us, but it isn’t programmed to do anything with humans. We will walk up to it just as we are now. When we reach Blackbolt, I will position myself next to its arm with the sonic cannon. Michelle, you stand next to its other arm. Miki, you position yourself behind it. When we are in position, we will change into our kaiju forms. Bearadon and I will restrain Blackbolt, and I will knock the sonic cannon off its hand.” He placed his hand on Miki’s shoulder. “The mech’s primary propulsion system is on its back with its secondary navigation systems on its triceps and quadriceps. As soon as we have the robot restrained, you will change into Chagon, slither up Blackbolt’s body, and destroy the main propulsion system on his back. With that gone, it won’t be able to fly. Once you destroy that, start working on the back-up systems in its arms and legs that propel it forward and backward and help it to steer.”
Michelle looked directly into Nick’s eyes. “We are taking a big risk by not approaching that thing in our kaiju forms. With the speed it can move at, if it decides to attack us in our human forms, it could kill us before we even have a chance to change.”
Nick shrugged. “If we change into kaiju this far away from Blackbolt, it will take to the sky and cut us down before we can lay a hand on it. I think that approaching it as humans is our only chance.”
Michelle nodded. “All right then. We approach it as humans.” She then turned and started walking toward Blackbolt with Nick and Miki trailing her.
When they had covered about half the distance between Garudasaurus’s body and Blackbolt, Miki slipped her hand into Nick’s and she kissed him on the cheek. “He would have been proud of you. The way that you stayed calm, assessed the situation, and determined how we can best operate as a team. Those are exactly the things that Jerome would have done.”
Nick looked at Miki and smiled. “I know he would be proud of me. Now let’s make him proud of all of us by destroying Blackbolt.”
Nick’s heart was pounding in his chest as they walked toward the monolithic robot. He had already lost Jerome, and if he was wrong about Blackbolt not be programmed to attack humans, he would watch Michelle and Miki die, and then he would perish himself. With each step that he took, he became less afraid of that occurring as the robot simply continued to stand still and stare at the horizon.
When they reached the robot itself, Nick breathed a small sigh of relief. The robot had not killed them on their approach, which meant that they would have at least have an opportunity to battle the mech. He walked underneath Blackbolt’s sonic cannon and stared up in disdain at the weapon which had killed his brother. He then looked at Michelle and nodded. When she nodded in reply they both changed into their kaiju forms.
Leviathan wrapped his arms around Blackbolt’s right arm and Bearadon did the same to its left. Before Blackbolt had a chance to react, Leviathan swatted the sonic cannon off the robot’s arm. Blackbolt ignited the boosters on its back, and Leviathan and Bearadon could feel themselves being pulled off the ground with the robot. Leviathan looked down at Chagon and roared, urging her to hurry up and destroy the rockets on Blackbolt’s back.
Chagon slithered up Blackbolt’s body then carefully wrapped herself around the robot’s propulsion system, positioning her body away from its exhaust port. She was starting to constrict around the boosters when Blackbolt activated the propulsion ports on its arm. The extra force provided by the boosters allowed the robot to break free of Leviathan’s and Bearadon’s grip. The robot then took off into the sky with Chagon still wrapped around its primary booster.
Blackbolt flew to an altitude of over two thousand feet then it turned on its boosters and shattered the sound barrier. Chagon could feel the skin being flayed off her body by the tremendous winds that were whipping around her. The heat given off by Blackbolt’s thrusters was enough to burn and blister Chagon’s body. Despite the pain that she was experiencing, the serpentine kaiju continued to apply pressure to the robot’s propulsion system. The robot cleared the twenty-five-thousand-foot mark and it was approaching Mach 2 when Chagon felt the thrusters crack. A second later, Chagon felt the jet pack attached to Blackbolt’s back crumble beneath the pressure she was applying it.
The robot immediately angled its arms so that its directional thrusters were slowing down its descent. As they were in freefall, Chagon wrapped her body as tightly as she could around the robot’s midsection without applying enough pressure to crush it. As much as it would have pleased her to end Blackbolt’s existence, she needed the robot to cushion her descent as well because even in her kaiju form, she would not have been able to survive a fall from their current height.
The robot’s directional thrusters were keeping it from falling straight to the ground, but even with them operating at maximum capacity, they were still falling at a speed of several thousand feet per second. When the entwined monster and robot finally hit the ground, they did so with such force that it threw a cloud of dust into the air and shook Chagon loose from Blackbolt’s body. The robot quickly stepped away from Chagon then it reignited its directional boosters. While the boosters were not powerful enough to let the robot fly, they did allow it to skim across the ground at blazing speeds.
Leviathan and Bearadon were still staring at the unsettled cloud of dust when a black blur shot out of it and struck Leviathan in the face with enough force to knock the huge monster to the ground. Bearadon was able to roar in the direction of the blur, but before she was able to do anything else, Blackbolt rocketed over to her, drove its shoulder into her ribs, and knocked her to the ground as well. Chagon had just rolled back over onto her stomach when Blackbolt darted over to her, picked her up over its head, and then tossed her a half a mile away from where it was standing.
Leviathan managed to return to a sitting position when he saw a black mass moving toward him. He then felt a metal fist connect with his jaw at a velocity near the speed of sound. The blow sent Leviathan falling onto his back once more.
The instant that Chagon hit the ground from where she was thrown to, she began burrowing first into the earth and then along it. When she burrowed the complete length of her body, she started moving back toward the surface. As she made her way back above ground, she wrapped her body around every large rock and root that she could find. When her head and the top of her neck popped back above ground, she saw the quick-moving Blackbolt glide across the ground and then deliver a crushing blow to Bearadon’s skull that knocked her back to the ground.
Chagon shook her head and hissed at Blackbolt, drawing its attention to her. The swift-moving robot turned toward her, and when it did so, Chagon tightened her grip around the rocks and roots that her body was wrapped around. A second later, Chagon felt Blackbolt grab her by the throat and pull her forward with the momentum of its directional boosters. Chagon wriggled her neck around the robot’s wrist to secure a grip on it. She then felt her body being stretched to its limits, and for a brief second, she thought that she was going to be torn in half. She then felt her body snap back like a giant rubber band as Blackbolt was slammed into the ground face first. Chagon had torn several muscles inside of her body, but she had at least managed to temporarily ground Blackbolt and hold it in place.
Blackbolt looked over at Chagon then it stood. The mech began pulling on Chagon’s neck and head in an attempt to free itself from her grip by either yanking her out of the ground or by tearing off her head. Once again, Chagon felt her body being stretched beyond its limits, and she hissed in agony, but she refused to release her grip on the robot.
Leviathan stood to see Chagon risking her life to keep B
lackbolt in one spot and he ran over to help her. The saurian kaiju slammed into Blackbolt’s back and tackled the mech to the ground face first, allowing Chagon to release her grip and slither back below ground. With the robot pinned beneath him, Leviathan unleashed a wave of flames onto the back of the robot’s arms. While his flames were not powerful enough to damage the mech’s TR-3B outer hull, they were more than hot enough to melt and sear shut the robot’s thruster exhaust ports. Using some of the freestyle wrestling moves that the Horsemen had taught him, Leviathan spun around and directed his flames at the thrusters on the robot’s legs, sealing them shut as well. Leviathan was about to start pounding on the mech when Blackbolt’s fist struck him in the back of the head and knocked the kaiju off its body.
Leviathan rolled away from the robot then they both stood. Leviathan was facing Blackbolt while Bearadon had regained her feet and was now standing behind the robot. The ground to the left of the mech started to rumble, and then it exploded into the air as Chagon returned to the surface. When Chagon emerged from below ground, Leviathan shifted slightly to his left and Bearadon slightly to her right so that the three kaiju formed a triangle around the super robot.
The Kaiju Corps had taken away Blackbolt’s ability to fly and to attack them at high speed. With the robot now trapped between them, they sought to not only win a battle that could shift the outcome of the war but also to avenge their fallen leader. Leviathan roared giving then signal to attack, then all three kaiju charged the mech. Despite being outnumbered and without his two greatest advantages, Blackbolt was still far from an easy target. The mech delivered a sidekick to Leviathan’s stomach that doubled the kaiju over. It then threw its elbow back to strike Bearadon in the face and stop her dead in her tracks.
Chagon had managed to wrap her injured body around the mech’s left leg, and Blackbolt responded by bending down and landing a crushing chop to the dragon beast’s spine. The blow rocked Chagon’s body, but the monster ignored the pain and forced her body to maintain its hold on the robot’s leg.
With Blackbolt’s foot restrained by Chagon, Leviathan sprang forward and hit the robot with a roundhouse punch to the face that knocked the mech off balance and into Bearadon’s waiting arms. The mammalian kaiju wrapped her arms around the mech and then bit down into its shoulder. Blackbolt reached under Bearadon’s right arm with its left hand and then it shifted its body and free leg into her as well. Blackbolt then pulled forward and hip-tossed Bearadon directly into Leviathan, sending both kaiju sprawling to the ground.
Blackbolt then reached down and wrapped both of its hands around Chagon. It was starting to squeeze her when Bearadon’s spiked tail swung around and smashed through Blackbolt’s right hand above the wrist. Leviathan then sprang up and delivered an uppercut to Blackbolt’s head that forced its body back into an upright position. Bearadon then pounced on the robot’s right hip and started tearing into it with her teeth and claws. Leviathan roared as he delivered another punch to the mech’s body that knocked it to the ground. Leviathan then jumped on top of the fallen robot where he began slamming his fists into the robot’s chest.
With the Blackbolt on the ground and unable to resist her, Chagon continued to increase the pressure on the mech’s leg until she felt it crumble beneath her. Bearadon dug her claws into the back of the mech’s damaged right leg then she pulled it up and towards the mech’s body until it tore off at the hip she was mauling. Leviathan continued to pound on the crippled mech’s chest until he punched clear through its body and was striking the ground beneath it. When Blackbolt was completely destroyed, Leviathan stood and roared and Bearadon and Chagon joined him in a victory call.
Leviathan then looked toward the launch site to see dozens of small machines working to prepare another ship to carry the frozen remains of countless people into deep space. Leviathan looked at Chagon and Bearadon who both nodded at him. The three kaiju then made their way to the launch site and razed it to the ground.
After the destruction of the launch site, the remaining members of the Kaiju Corps walked back to the body of their fallen leader. The three monsters then sat down to rest and look at Garudasaurus. As they waited for their bodies to heal, they said their last goodbyes to their fallen friend.
Russia
Captain Okafur landed in Russia then he and Thomas pulled the last of their warheads out into the wilds of northern Russia. They attached the deflated weather balloon and detonator to the warhead then they walked back to the TR-3B for warmth. When they were sitting inside the craft, Okafur looked at Thomas, “How long do we wait?”
Thomas looked at his watch. “Williams and Brian have one hour to reach the last drop point in India.”
India
Williams, Brian, and the rest of their team had managed to make the drop and move on to India with fifteen minutes to spare before the designated launch time. Brian quickly prepped the balloon, warhead, and detonator for launch then he looked over at Williams. “Everything is ready to go. Now we just wait.” The exhausted Williams simply nodded as he leaned against his TR-3B. Brian watched as the seconds ticked by, and when his watch hit zero, he filled up the balloon and let it go. He watched as it rose into the air.
Williams yelled out to him, “Are we safe out here?”
Brian nodded. “We should be fine. The explosion will take place so high above the Earth that we should be safe from any fallout.” Brian shifted his eyes to the ground. “I would avoid looking directly at the explosion though.”
Both men cast their eyes to ground, and then a few seconds later, a bright flash of light appeared overhead. Brian waited for the light to dissipate. “We did it. If everyone else was successful, there will be no new robots created from this point on. Now to backtrack on our journey and see if the others were successful with their launches.”
The two men climbed back into their TR-3B and started backtracking their journey halfway around the world.
Epilogue
Chicago – Six weeks after the Battle of Cape Canaveral and the execution of Program 437
Clarissa stood at the head of the table where she had previously led the discussion on initiating Program 437 and freeing the major cities along the US East Coast from robot occupation. Seated at the table with here were Nick, Miki, Michelle, Captains Okafur, Granderson, and Williams, as well as Thomas, Brian, and Susan. Clarissa took a deep breath before addressing everyone. “I want to thank you all for your exemplary service to mankind over the past two months. As you know, the execution of Project 437 was a success. We have stopped the production of giant robots across the planet and as far as we know severely hampered the robots’ ability to send resources into space. Captains Okafur and Williams were also able to retrieve every volunteer who set off one of the warheads and bring them back here to basecamp.”
She unrolled a map of the US across the table. “We have also secured the areas along the Great Lakes and the United States eastern seaboard. Susan and Thomas have been working tirelessly to set up food production, medical, and water purification systems in these areas. With winter approaching, we expect to lose a good deal of the population over the next few months, but we will do all that we can to help keep these losses to a minimum. The other good news regarding our two settlements is that Brian and a small team of electricians and mechanics he has put together are constructing a telegraph system that we can use to communicate between the two camps and that the robots will not be able to hack.”
Clarissa pointed to three dots she had marked in the Midwestern US. “Surveillance from our two remaining TR-3Bs suggest that the three dots indicated here represent the human farms that we thought the robots might construct. These farms will be the next targets for the Kaiju Corps. If we can destroy the farms in these spots, we can liberate the people within them and add them to our numbers. The Kaiju Corps will attack them in teams of two with one TR-3B for transportation and support. The other TR-3B and Kaiju Corp member will stay back at one of the two basecamps to serve as protection against
a potential attack. Once we free these three farms, we will continue to attack farms in North America, and eventually, the rest of the planet. Utilizing this beachhead attack on the farms across the planet will take a long time to prove to be completely successful. Our latest estimates are that there are still over two thousand robots active across the planet.”
Miki raised her hand. “If the robots are still holding people in the farms, does that mean that they still feel that they have a way to launch them into space and send them back to where the Signal originated from?”
Clarissa shrugged. “We honestly do not know. It is possible that the robots who were programmed to carry out specific duties on the farms are simply following their programming. We are, however, having our TR-3B pilots make periodic flights over known launches sites around the world to see if it looks likes the already-existing robots are trying to construct new deep-space transportation vehicles. If we find a launch site that appears to be active, we will send in the Kaiju Corps to destroy it.” She looked around the room. “Is there anything else that we need to cover with the group?”
Nick stood up. “I just want everyone to know that Garudasaurus’s body has been buried and that Miki, Michelle, and I have constructed a memorial above it. The area is currently secure so that if anyone wishes to visit to pay their respects to Jerome, they can do so.”
Clarissa nodded. “Thank you, Nick.”
Michelle quietly stood and reached into her pocket. “I have never been good at saying things like this, but there will be another way to remember Jerome as well.” She pulled out a pregnancy test and placed it on the table. Miki was the first person to see that the test was positive. She jumped out of her seat, wrapped her arms Michelle, and hugged her.
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