“The whole ceiling is going to come down,” Cooper said.
Watson slapped the elevator’s emergency stop. The doors slid open, halfway between floors. He rolled out, followed by Cooper. Fiona whispered something, and the walls of the elevator melted to form a temporary shield. She ducked beneath the already melting shield and dove out.
Wet thumps followed Fiona’s exit, as three larvae fell through the melted ceiling. Watson scrambled, but slipped.
One of the larva puffed up, ready to spray its deadly fluid.
A rumble shook the floor around them, and then a jet of stone launched up the elevator shaft, carrying the car and the larvae with it. In the silence that followed, Fiona’s words could be heard, but not understood.
Watson picked himself up off the floor and turned to thank Fiona, but before he could, the floor exploded. A body leaped through the debris, landing in a cloud of dust.
It was Freeman. He held an M4 in each hand, and had baby Ted strapped to his chest in a baby carrier.
“I saw what happened to the elevator,” he said, “And heard your voices above me. I hope you don’t mind the hole.”
“Not at all,” Cooper said, brushing Spunky’s brown hair out of his face. The little boy smiled upon seeing his mother, and then laughed, slapping Freeman’s chest. “You’ll keep him safe?”
Freeman nodded and handed one of the M4s to Cooper, and the other to Fiona.
“What about me?” Watson asked.
Freeman turned around and crouched. “Your heartrate is still elevated. I believe this is called a ‘piggyback ride.’”
“So embarrassing,” Watson said, but he climbed on Freeman’s back anyway. The man seemed to barely notice the extra two hundred thirty pounds.
Fiona’s whispering continued, and the stone now filling the elevator shaft crumbled into the hallway. Then it reformed into a humanoid shape with a broad chest and oversized, anvil hands. “Let him lead the way,” Fiona said. “The acid won’t hurt him.”
Moving in a line, they entered the stairwell and started back up. They could still hear gunfire throughout the base, but the larvae hadn’t reached the stairwell. With the golem leading the way, and Freeman carrying both Teds, their progress was smooth.
That was, until the Mountain shook.
“What was that?” Cooper asked.
“Outside,” Watson said, looking up as dust fell from the ceiling. “The kaiju.”
Fiona closed her eyes, whispering. Then she said, “The mountain is solid. It should be able to take a beating.”
As the shaking continued, they pushed onward, rounding a corner that would take them to the command center. The golem took the corner first, staggering for a moment as a thunderous barrage of gunfire tore into its body.
As Ted Jr. began crying, Cooper shouted out. “Cease fire! Cease fire! We are friendlies!”
Fiona spoke to the golem and it came apart, falling to the floor as loose rocks.
Cooper peeked around the corner.
“Ma’am. I’m sorry, ma’am. We didn’t realize—”
Cooper stepped around the corner, waving for the rest to follow her. “It’s fine. Give me a sit rep.”
The guard looked relieved when he saw the group coming around the corner. “Ma’am. We took some losses. Those things are melting their way inside. But they’re not very mobile. We’re keeping them contained to the top floors for the most part, but they’re sneaky. Some are finding their way in.”
We know, Watson thought as he tapped Freeman and pointed to the floor, not really wanting the men to see him getting a piggyback ride.
“But the command center is secure,” the man said. “No way in except through us.”
“And him,” Fiona said, whispering to the crumbled stone at the end of the hallway. The golem reformed and strode toward them. Then he turned and took up a defensive stance that the soldiers could shoot around. Knowing the animated stone man was on their side, the men smiled and took up positions on either side of the golem.
The group entered the command center, where Zoomb and FC-P personnel hurried about, keeping track of the battle outside, and around the world.
“Ma’am!” a woman said, rushing over.
“What’s the situation outside?” Cooper asked.
“Not good.” The woman pointed to a large screen showing a security camera’s view of the mountainous region surrounding the base. The five kaiju, Typhon, Karkinos, Drakon, Scylla and Scrion, stood together, ready to fight.
They did it, Watson thought, knowing that his friends were inside the monsters, controlling them. Despite their success, he felt no joy over it.
In addition to the five kaiju, and the GUS, the video feed revealed two Gigers and three Lovecraft.
A flash of light blanked out the video for a second. When it faded, a third Giger stood ready to fight.
And then another.
“Do you need me anymore?” Fiona asked.
“We’re good,” Cooper said. “Why?”
Fiona ran for the door. “I’m going to help.”
Watson turned back to the screen as Fiona exited, watching as two more kaiju appeared, both variants of Lovecraft and Giger.
Ten Aeros kaiju, Watson thought, trying to think of something encouraging to say.
Cooper beat him to it, saying, “Shit,” prompting Freeman to cover the baby’s ears and give her a stern look.
25
HUDSON
Okay, so, the fight just became some kind of freaky WWE scenario with new wrestlers rushing in to join the standoff. Now all we need is one of these Lovecrafts to rip off their tank-top—or since these are kaiju, its skin—and say, ‘Oh yeah, let’s get it on!’ We could televise this shit. Would probably get record numbers, even as the world burns.
There are now ten Aeros kaiju, including the GUS, still spewing its living Chunky Soup atop the Mountain.
I take a step back and motion for the others to do the same, waving my hands as I backtrack into the valley, crushing cabins and cars as I go. The others follow suit, feigning intimidation, drawing the Aeros kaiju up and over the Mountain. If the fight to come takes place atop the Mountain, I’m not sure even its reinforced structure could hold up.
Our enemies follow us into the valley, the standoff continuing. The lead Lovecraft takes a single stride forward, the muscles in its massive forearms twitching. For a moment, I imagine what it will be like to be punched by that anvil of an arm, and then I’m snapped back to reality by the sudden appearance of Hyperion and Nemesis.
The duo has appeared at the center of the valley, teleported by Hyperion’s Rift Engine. The giant robot takes a knee, its power temporarily drained by the effort. And Nemesis, true to form, turns to face the lead Lovecraft, leans forward, bellows a roar and charges in to attack.
Something about the way Nemesis is moving strikes me as different, though. She’s less primal. More intentional. She’s always been fast, but she now seems fluid. And she solidifies these observations, by juking to the right like a football player. When Lovecraft swipes its massive fist toward her head, she bounds back to the left, avoiding the blow and swinging out with her large claws.
Lovecraft flails back, roaring as the mass of tentacles dangling from the lower half of his face falls away, spewing purple gore. Flashes of red flicker over his bulbous head. The rest of the Aeros kaiju spring into action. We’re still outnumbered, and Hyperion isn’t yet ready to fight, but Nemesis has kicked things off in the right way.
Collins takes Karkinos in first, leading with her massive spike-covered body. The Aeros are going to have a hard time attacking her without injuring themselves in the process. Hawkins sprints into action on my right, fists clenched and ready for an old fashioned brawl. Joliet moves behind him, slipping back and forth, covering his back. And Rook... Where the hell is Rook? I see him far to the right, running away like a scared dog.
What the hell?
Collins meets a Lovecraft head on. Literally. She drives her head into he
r opponent, plunging her spikey forehead deep into the Lovecraft’s flesh.
Hawkins meets his Lovecraft head on, but he’s caught off guard by the thing’s massive wings, which unfurl, striking him hard and sending him tumbling back. As Hawkins sprawls through the air, Joliet surges forward beneath him. Hidden from view by Typhon’s body, the Lovecraft doesn’t see her coming, and fails to prevent her jaws, split open in four directions, from clamping down on its leg and shaking viciously.
I don’t remember Scylla being particularly slow, but despite my effort, I arrive to the battle last. While the others have engaged the larger Lovecrafts, I’m stuck facing Giger. Five of them.
While having half the bulk of Lovecraft, the lithe Gigers are fast. Really fast. They can dash quicker than I can track them, though Scylla’s broad range of vision is helping some. They close in as a pack, spiraling around me, getting me on the defensive.
I try to think of some way to attack, but Scylla has no ranged attack. She doesn’t even have a tail. Just an ugly, flat head and really long needle-like teeth that won’t do me any good unless one of these Giger’s wants to hug. They come at me as a group, some of them feinting attacks, while others strike hard.
On the plus side, I kick out hard and manage to punt one of them in the leg. A satisfying crack, like a tree being felled, tells me I’ve managed to break its thin leg bone. On the not so plus side, all three attacking Gigers land whip-hard tail strikes on Scylla’s body, using the line of sharp spikes running from head to tail. The serrated strikes carve through Scylla’s fungal flesh, finding softer skin beneath. Skin that bleeds. At first, it’s a broad, dull pain, like I’d been punched. Then the sting sets in, burning my senses.
Beyond the pain, I feel surprise. Mostly that kaiju experience pain just like people. Then I feel worried. How much more of this can Scylla take?
Get angry.
It’s Maigo, using our connection like Obi Wan Kenobi.
Get angry or we’re all going to die!
I glance back at Hyperion. The big robot is just getting to his feet, one of the three circles on his chest is lit, revealing he’s got basic power back. It’ll be another minute or two before he’s at full ass-kicking strength. And I don’t think this fight is going to last that long.
Joliet is grasped by the Lovecraft into which she’s sunk Drakon’s teeth. The Cthulhu-like kaiju wrenches her up, paying no heed to the damage being done to its own leg, as her teeth carve trenches through its pale skin. Once Drakon is peeled away, Lovecraft delivers a crushing blow to the much smaller kaiju’s head and then tosses it away.
Hawkins arrives a moment later, clearly enraged, throwing punches the way the man would outside of a kaiju body. The first blow staggers the Lovecraft back, toppling it over. Hawkins then dives into a second Lovecraft, driving Typhon’s bulk into its gut. Despite the size difference, the Lovecraft is lifted up off the ground and then slammed back down with an earth-shaking body slam. Hawkins straddles the monsters like an MMA fighter and goes to work on the kaiju’s tentacled face.
His rage made Typhon stronger. Maigo is right.
I face my five Gigers, one of them now limping severely, its leg bent at an unnatural angle.
Okay, you xenomorph-looking sons a bitches, I think, let’s do this.
‘Let’s do this?’
Maigo again. And she’s right. Despite the fact that the Aeros are here to destroy not just one world, but infinite worlds, I’m still not reaching an ape-shit level of anger. It’s part of my jolly nature, I guess.
I can help, Maigo tells me, her voice like an echo in the recesses of my mind. But you’re not going to like it.
I think she’s talking about helping with Hyperion, so I’m on board, one hundred percent. Whatever you’re going to do, do it now!
I’m sorry, she says, and then I’m struck by something that staggers me.
Raw, unhinged agony wracks my body. It’s sharp and electric, coursing through my body, folding my thoughts into chaos. My bones are broken, healed and broken again. My skin is peeled away, over and over. A hundred years of tortures beyond imagining cascade through my psyche, tearing me apart and leaving me empty.
I am nothing.
And then, I’m filled anew.
My cup runneth over.
With rage.
The new and awe inspiring depth of emotion triggers a realization, as my mind resurfaces. This is Nemesis’s pain. Prime’s torture. Maigo’s torture.
My God, this is what you keep inside you? I want to weep for my child, but I’m too damn angry.
Use it, she tells me.
And then I do.
The five Gigers seem taken aback by the roar that erupts from Scylla’s throat. Their cat-like eyes squint, and their nostrils flare. Four of the five scatter while I charge forward, but the fifth, with the injured leg, fails to outpace me. Scylla’s long arms reach out and plunge her thick, hooked claws into the Giger’s flank. I drag the creature in, and sink Scylla’s long needle teeth into the base of its skull. The Giger falls immediately limp. I feel a moment of confusion through the rage, but then I realize that I didn’t just slay the kaiju, but the Aeros voice inside it. That’s their weakness, just as it is ours.
Tell the others, I think.
Maigo’s voice booms through Hyperion’s speakers. “Base of the head. Kill the Voice, kill the kaiju.”
I don’t know if the Aeros will understand that message, but since I did, I hope the rest of my team will as well.
In a fury, two Gigers rush me at once, probably hoping to overwhelm me with their combined girth. But they don’t know the depths of the rage now powering my kaiju. I barely feel their tails thrashing against my sides, or their short secondary arms scrabbling at my forearms. I’ve caught them by the throats, and blinded by rage, I do the unthinkable. Rather than simply enduring their assaults and strangling them, I plunge both of their faces into the bright orange membranes on either side of Scylla’s chest, like I’m nursing the world’s most grotesque twins.
Suck on this! I think, and then I realize what I’ve done. White hot flame jets out of the ruptured membranes, scorching the flesh off of the two Gigers’ faces, but not exploding. Their faces are keeping most of the fluid from coming into contact with the air. But for how long? They’re basically melting in my grasp. I slowly withdraw the two heads, which are very nearly skulls at this point, allowing the membrane to cauterize as they’re pulled away.
That’s when the two remaining Gigers decide to take advantage of the situation, lashing at my arms with their tails. Pain doubles my rage. I can barely think. How does Maigo do this?
Then the pair run in front of me, swooping in for an attack. Their jaws open up, each going for a side of Scylla’s hammer head. They’re going to blind me, I think, and I let the rage guide me again.
I pluck the two limp Gigers from my chest, and like a flasher, I expose my bosoms. The resulting explosion is directed away from the others, still battling the Lovecrafts, but it catches the Gigers full on, hitting them with untold megatons of power, sans the radiation. Scylla’s thick claws hook into the ground, rooting her in place while the fuel in her chest runs dry.
When the flames clear, the two Gigers are on the ground, steaming and shedding black skin, but not quite dead. Like Nemesis, Gigers can shed into a second form. But I’m not about to give them the chance. I slam my heavy claws into one Giger’s neck, killing it and its Voice, and then I stomp on the second until it’s done moving.
When I look up, I see what other damage I’ve wrought. Stinson Mountain is in flames. Hundreds of acres.
But there is something else there. Something fast.
At first it looks like a giant fireball rolling down the mountain, but then the flames clear, and I see it for what it is.
Scrion.
Rook.
And he’s running straight for me with great leaping bounds. During one of his leaps forward, he reaches out with his clawed hand, forces it into a fist, and extends a single dig
it.
He’s pointing.
I follow his direction, looking behind me and up. The GUS. Its dangling body is still shedding atop the Mountain. Still trying to kill the people inside. As bad as the remaining Lovecrafts might be, the GUS is still our mission, and Rook, thank God, never forgot that. And I think I know what he wants me to do.
I reach out with Scylla’s big hand and wait. Rook continues on his collision course, building speed. And then, a few hundred feet before colliding with me, he jumps. Scrion sails toward my head, but I’m ready for it, and instead of colliding, my hand comes up beneath the pug kaiju and shot-puts him into the air. I swear I hear another howled, “Super Hero Squad” as Rook flies over the battlefield.
One of the Lovecrafts sees him and reaches up, but he’s too fast and too high. Then he collides with the GUS’s dangling lower half, sinks his teeth in, clings on with his claws and proceeds to shake the living shit out of it. His added weight is also pulling it down to the ground.
Look out! Maigo shouts the warning in my head, but it’s too late. The airborne body of Typhon is impossible to avoid. The behemoth crashes into me, and we both go down in a tangled mess of kaiju limbs.
From my position beneath Typhon, I can see our last man standing. Except in this case, it’s not a man. It’s my wife. But she’s not alone. She’s standing side-by-side with Nemesis. Collins and Endo. In human form, I don’t know anyone without powers that could stand up to them. In Kaiju form...
The pair stands toe-to-toe with four Lovecrafts, two of which have seen better days, while the other two look right as rain. Nemesis spins with a tail attack, striking one of the injured pair in the side, the thick bony trident at the end plunging deep. The wounded Lovecraft vacates itself, shedding countless tons of oily blubber, muscle and fluid all over the campground. Its wings unfurl and beat toward the ground in a futile attempt to escape.
Karkinos catches the Lovecraft’s head in her massive hands and then, instead of trying to crush the skull, leans forward and pulls down, shish-kabobing the Lovecraft’s head on one of the massive spikes rising from her back. As the monster falls limp, its injured compatriot swipes at Karkinos. Instead of trying to avoid the hit, Collins ducks and twists so that the open-handed strike hits the large spike on the other side of Karkinos’s back, severing both fingers.
Project Legion (Nemesis Saga Book 5) Page 16