McClare watched the sky grow darker over the horizon. The light was dimming all across the clear skies. He watched as the stars started to come out in the sky above him.
The night began to grow darker. The sound of animals in the surrounding forest perked up. Many of them cried out. After several moments McClare realized that the animals were acting unusual. The cries of the animals trailed off then came back louder than ever. The sound was getting closer.
His eyes adjusted to the night. He looked out at the tree line. Flocks of birds scattered into the air. Then McClare looked out past the fleeing birds. He looked at the sky. It was dark. Too dark.
There were no stars shinning in the sky over the horizon. Something was blocking the way.
The night grew quiet. McClare walked out of his post to investigate the strange matter. He slowly took steps closer to the forest edge. For the first time since starting his duties at Anazako he could not hear any wildlife. There were no insects, birds, monkeys, the entire forest was silent.
A dark shadow hung over the nearby forest. Whatever the presence was it was smart. It kept its distance from the wooden fence surrounding the village. McClare watched as the air swirled around in the darkness. The smell of burnt wood and spoiled eggs filled his nostrils. It was putrid and McClare wanted nothing more than to puke up the smell. He couldn’t breathe through his mouth. It only let him taste the unpleasant odor.
“Who’s there?” McClare asked.
“Who’s there?” echoed the shadow in a higher pitched voice.
“My name is Randal McClare. I represent the UN and Anazako Village. Reveal yourself or you will be brought down under penalty of law.”
“You will be brought down under penalty of law,” copied the voice.
McClare held his gun steady. It felt near useless in his hands. There was no target to fire at. All he saw was shadows swirling through the forest.
“This is the home of Tengi,” began McClare. “This is her land. It is under her protection. If you trespass beyond that fence you will be violating her law.”
“Her law,” echoed the voice. “But she’s not heeeeeeeere.”
McClare took a step back. He could still not see the assailant.
“Arikura!” McClare yelled out.
Tengi might not have been at the village, but Arikura was. She was the caretaker and voice of Tengi. She was older than most people realized. Her magical powers were blessed by the kaiju.
“Arikura!” McClare yelled out again. “Get over here!”
“ARIKURA!” echoed the voice in the shadows. “Please come saaaave us from the darkneeeeeess! The hollow of the night scaaares me to my bonessss.”
“Shut up!” McClare ordered the voice.
“Shut up!” echoed the voice yet again.
“What is the meaning of this?” asked Arikura. She appeared from behind McClare as if from out of nowhere.
“What is going on?” McClare asked the old mystic.
Arikura looked out into the swirling darkness. It was quiet for a moment. There was no sign of any other movement.
Then two glowing eyes appeared in the distance. They were big eyes, twenty feet in the air. They pierced through the dark shadows that filled the forest.
“Now, who do we have hereeee?” asked the voice. “Has Tengi found a new pet? Does she make you bow to her awesome power?”
“Kest,” revealed Arikura. “What are you doing here?”
“IIIIIIIII heard a party was going on. I wasn’t… invited,” said Kest, still hiding in the darkness. “Of course, I haven’t been invited to a party in suuuuuuch a long time.”
“You do not belong here,” said Arikura. “I command you to leave this land.”
“I don’t think so,” said Kest. “I’ve been cooped up in a little hole in the ground for far too looooong. AND LOOK! Now that I’m back, all of my friends are on their way out. Tengi sure is busyyyyy.”
“Raisha is approaching,” said Arikura. “This is not the time to squabble.”
“I know, I knoooooow,” said Kest. “Then why is it that the world is teaming with life, yet my friends are the ones going?”
“The culling has begun,” said Arikura. “The world has to be cleared for Raisha.”
“Then cull the others,” growled Kest.
“Tengi has decided-”
“Then Tengi is WRONG!” barked Kest. “She will lead this world into extinction. Her people will destroy it.”
“These are not her people,” said Arikura.
“Then sheeee cares too much for them,” said Kest. “The kaiju should nooooot die for them. They should live for the kaiju.”
“Things have changed,” said Arikura.
“Then I will change them back,” decreed Kest.
“Do not harm anybody on this world.”
“I will not harm them,” said Kest. “I will show them the true ways of life. I will bring this world crashing down and then let it rebuild… under my feet.”
“Tengi will stop you,” said Arikura.
“Raisha willllll guide me,” said Kest. “Good-bye pet.”
There was a gust of wind and just like that the shadows disappeared. The two giant glowing eyes vanished into the stars behind it. Then Kest was gone.
McClare looked over at Arikura. “What the hell was that?”
“Kest is an old one,” said Arikura. “He was locked away.”
“Not anymore,” said McClare.
“We will have to be weary. Kest will return. Tengi will keep an eye out for him, but she still has other matters to attend to now. The culling has to continue.”
“For Raisha? That’s the danger that is coming?”
“Yes,” said Arikura. “Raisha will destroy this world if we are not ready.”
“How can we help?”
“You can’t,” she said. “Your people will only cause more problems with your weapons. Tengi can still oversee the situation.”
“We’re just trying to help,” said McClare.
“Yes, and all you will do is get more people killed,” said Arikura. “Let Tengi take care of it. That is her duty.”
Chapter 6
Vladivostok was heavily guarded after the attack from Lord Tatsumi. The Russian leaders kept a lid on the aftermath of the attack. There was very little media coverage of the incident in the first few days. The only thing that was known was that an attack had happened.
The incident had not only piqued the interest of the people across the world, but also the people of Mu. Lord Tatsumi had not yet returned from his attack on the city. Many of the citizens of Ryugu-jo were growing restless. They wanted their kaiju-god back.
The Doiar sent out a squad of his soldiers to investigate the situation. They were to report back what they had found to him and only him.
The team of Mu caudata soldiers moved quickly under the cover of night. Their sleek black skin blended in perfectly with the darkness. They were able to break through the Russian guard’s ranks on their approach to the city.
Bullets could not harm the caudata soldiers. Their bodies could withstand pressure from the depths of the bottom of the ocean. They were stronger and faster than humans.
It did not take long for the caudata to reach the outskirts of the city. A giant electric fence had been put up as a perimeter of the entire area. It reached twenty feet in the air graced with barbed wire at the top.
One of the caudatas struck at the fence. Sparks danced off of his clawed hands as electricity flowed through his body. The soldier fell to the ground dead, but with pieces of the fence in hand. His mission was accomplished.
The others walked through the gap in the fence their brother had created. It was dead quiet on the other side. Nothing stirred in the moon lit night. Life was as usual on the outside of the fence, but inside was the touch of death. The outside world continued unaffected by Lord Tatsumi’s attack.
The caudata walked deeper into the quarantined zone. Russian soldiers were doing their rounds and they wo
uld be around soon. The Mu soldiers had to be quick to find answers.
The darkness grew even deeper up ahead of the soldiers. Even the moon light could not penetrate through the hollow shadows. The sky above was clear. There was nothing blocking out the stars: no clouds or even buildings.
The night did not relent up ahead as the soldiers walked forward. Their eyes began to adjust and the sight was becoming clearer.
They were looking at nothing.
It was dead space where the city once was. The Mu soldiers approached a drop off of the ground. Pebbles stirred under their feet and fell over the edge. The rocks echoed in the air as they fell and fell and fell. The Mu soldiers gasped at the realization.
Vladivostok was gone. In its place was a giant crater. The earth was smooth as glass in a perfect half-sphere.
Nothing had survived inside of it, not even a kaiju-god.
PART 2
ANGER
Chapter 7
Babel 4 stood guard over the Japanese facility around the clock. Gone were the days that it could take shifts with its compliment, Robo-Kong.
The worrying began on the first day. Babel 4 could not operate without a cool down period. It needed to take a break and be given the chance to properly recharge, not to mention basic maintenance on the giant machine.
Traditionally, the facility was protected by either Robo-Kong or Babel 4 at any given time. It also allowed the opportunity to travel around the world or beyond whenever needed.
Babel 4’s constant running kept it in a weaker state. It had not been at 100% after the first couple of days. Many of the officials were simply hoping for a miracle.
The threat of a Mu attack was still looming. The news of Lord Tatsumi’s touchdown in Russia raised a lot of questions. The Russian President was not divulging many details about the situation. The only thing he was saying was, “The situation has been handled.”
Then there was the new development brewing in Japan. Tengi was on a rampage across the country. To everyone’s surprise she was attacking the other kaiju.
Every day there was a new attack. Each time Tengi overpowered the other kaiju. Then she would carry the carcass to the north into her territory. The land in north Japan was off limits to the UN. They had no eyes in the area and had no idea what Tengi was doing.
Their only hint was McClare’s message from Arikura. She warned them that death was coming, and that Tengi would take care of the situation.
No word from Arikura had come down since Tengi started her culling. It put many officials further on edge. Their alliance was held together by trust. Tengi threatened to topple society if they did not follow her rules. She was the reason the kaiju did not rampage across the world. She allowed them to live on Japan. This was her domain. Now, mankind feared that perhaps they were on her list to eliminate.
Kaiju across Japan were in an up roar. Over the years the kaiju had created their own territories on the island. Now, those territories were in disarray. Kaiju were on the run. They were trying to hide from Tengi.
Many of the kaiju started to get dangerously close to the facility’s perimeter. If they broke past the fence the UN had every right to attack. They just did not want to. Using Babel 4 was now a last resort.
Keeping watch of the facility was now the duty of every person on the base. Everyone had to keep an eye out for any kind of attack. It was only the official duty of a portion of the soldiers at the facility but everybody else took up the practice because their duties and jobs had been halted and they feared what would happen if somebody else missed something.
This time around there was nothing to miss.
Flames shot up into the air before anybody actually saw the kaiju. The sky lit up a brilliant orange then died back down. The process repeated several times. It was enough of a warning to summon the pilots needed to operate Babel 4. In a desperate situation only seven pilots were necessary to run Babel 4 at its most basic level.
Over a dozen pilots were sent out to secure the facility and aid the pilots that were already onboard Babel 4.
Cassandra Weathers ran across the runway with her fellow pilots. She was being regulated to back up. She had been ever since her skirmish with Macy. It drove her crazy that she had to be onboard the machine, but was not able to actually pilot it. Every now and then an opportunity arose, but they were few and far between these days.
Once on the bridge, she was one of the first to be strapped in. The others took to their stations. Captain Serling was leading the group. He sat down in the captain’s chair in the center of the bridge. In less than a minute his pilots were ready to go. Babel 4 was active on the field.
“Where is it, Gable?” the commander asked his pilot.
“Still on approach,” Gable answered.
“Breathe easy everybody. It could still turn away,” he tried to reassure his men.
Weathers sat calmly in her seat. Her fingers moved across an imaginary control panel. In her head she was piloting Babel 4. She kept the giant machine at a cool idle. She would not attack until she saw the kaiju break through the line.
The flames flared out once again only this time it was accompanied with the roar of a furnace. The kaiju was getting closer.
The pilots in Babel 4 and all of the residents in the facility could finally see what was on the approach.
Basaan, the bird of flame, was rapidly approaching. After every few steps it fluttered into the air with its proportionally small wings. Its skin was leathery. Bright feathers spread down the kaiju’s back beginning with a spike on its head all the way down to its long elevated tail. Talons dug into the ground as it ran trying to get traction to reach the sky. On its ankle was a fourth claw larger than the others. It hung in the air clean from the dirt on the ground. Teeth were visible inside of Basaan’s beak every time it shrieked. Then flames came huffing out of the feathery beast.
“Do not engage,” ordered Captain Serling.
It became apparent to everybody watching that Basaan did not notice the perimeter line. Its attention was turned behind it. Basaan’s head was constantly looking back at where it had come from. It left behind a trail of fire every time it turned around.
“It’s speeding up,” reported Gable.
Basaan fluttered over the perimeter fence without notice or hesitation. As soon as it hit the ground the blaster cannons scatter across the field fired. Just as quickly, Basaan’s attention was turned to its attackers. Every strike from a blast caused Basaan to grunt and shriek, but it did not stop the monster.
In retaliation, Basaan stomped across the field of blaster cannons. The tanks were sent flying into the air as Basaan’s talons swept across the ground. The ones that remained on the field still became targets for Basaan’s deadliest talon on its ankle.
The kaiju stepped down on a blaster cannon and struck its talon down. It pierced through the cannon’s armor straight to the ground. With it structure compromised it was easy for Basaan to crush the rest of the machine with its own weight.
“Engage,” ordered Serling.
Weathers felt the motion of Babel 4 moving across the field. She kept her hands at her imaginary control panel. Every move Babel 4 made she made with her hands.
Babel 4 approached Basaan. The kaiju stood level with Babel 4’s chest plate. If there was a window it could have looked directly at the pilots on the bridge. Basaan’s full attention was now on Babel 4. It swayed back and forth from right to left, but its eyes never turned from the giant machine.
“Let’s keep our distance,” said the commander. “Fire One.”
From the shoulder blade of Babel 4 came a missile. It fired straight for Basaan. The kaiju was quick, but not quick enough. The missile struck Basaan on its left side. It knocked the kaiju back several steps, and left with a charred mark against its leathery skin and feathers.
“Fire Two.”
A second missile erupted from Babel 4. With Basaan stunned from the first strike the second missile was able to get a direct hit. Basaan cried
out. Its shriek echoed through the air.
Debris filled the air. Dirt and feathers drifted to the ground. The pilots waited for any kind of confirmation from the target. As the dust started to clear they could start to see the shape of Basaan’s body.
It was still standing.
“Fire Three!” the commander yelled.
Babel 4 fired, but Basaan was ready. It jumped into the air dodging the attack. Basaan glided toward Babel 4. Its talons were ready for retaliation.
“Brace for impact.”
Basaan crashed into Babel 4. Its talons dug deep into the machine’s metal shell. One talon grabbed hold of the chest armor. Inside Babel 4 the pilots could see the metal bending inward from the force of the impact.
For a second the two combatants stood balanced, but Basaan’s weight was too much for Babel 4 to hold up. The machine teetered backward bringing Basaan down on top of it.
As they fell the pilots began to fall back in their seats. Weathers immediately knew what was wrong.
“The bridge stabilizer is stuck,” she yelled out. Her information went mostly unnoticed as the pilots fell back with their ship.
Normally, the bridge stabilizer would balance out the difference in movement against the ground. This time Basaan’s talon broke through the metal guard and interfered with the shift.
It was a harsh landing. Babel 4 hit the ground with a loud thud that sent earth crashing toward the facility. The pilots violently jostled in their harnesses.
Basaan took the advantage and began to strike several times with its talons. It stomped across the chest of Babel 4.
“Hit it!” ordered Captain Serling. The entire crew of Babel 4 lay sideways on the bridge. They could feel gravity trying to pull them out of their seats.
“End this now,” he said. “Bring down the hammer.”
The pilot controlling the upper torso of Babel 4 activated the close range weapons of the machine. On its right arm was an extendable hammerhead. On its left was a sickle.
Realm of Kong: The Culling Page 3