The only words that came from his lips when he was found—and for a long time thereafter—was Kyowama. It would soon be learned that the strange word was a manic contraction of “giant worm” in Japanese. And thus was the second kaiju to appear in the world inadvertently christened.
As for Kyowama itself, the giant worm slithered across the surface of the island like a frenzied snake, back toward the water to undulate across the sea at high speed towards the location where the far more captivating prey it detected was simultaneously approaching. That location was the nearby atoll of Lago Island.
CHAPTER 24: Clash of the Titans
A nervous Koji continually turned his head to look at the shimmering ocean surface behind him as his “borrowed” motorboat sped towards Lago Island. He also strained his ears, hoping to catch the slightest sound over the whirring racket of the motor that might indicate that Megadrak had surfaced close behind him.
The young naturalist knew the reptilian leviathan was just beneath the water and in fast pursuit, and this caused his body to tremble while his stomach churned in knots. The constant realization that one can die at any moment is apt to cause such symptoms.
Koji had already admitted to himself that he was terrified of dying, yet he had to play the role of a hero even though he believed he was no Yamato Takeru by any stretch of the imagination. Nevertheless, he rose to the occasion to play that role anyway so as to spare the people of Japan and its surrounding islands from suffering the same losses and danger he had over the past few days. The young man knew he wasn’t perfect, but he did believe in sacrifice for the greater good, as the culture in which he was born and raised had instilled into the core of his moral center.
The radio receiver around Koji’s neck released a crackle of sound, and a voice he was eminently familiar with came through. “Go aisatsu, Koji-san.”
“My dear gods!” the young man cried. “Itaru-san? How are you coming through the receiver? Were you killed without my knowledge?”
“Remain calm, my friend. I am in the third jet fighter overhead. I hoped to put you at ease by letting you know I was among the pilots looking out for you.”
“Well, you did quite the opposite of that! I thought this was your spirit voice intercepting the radio waves of my receiver! I have heard tales of ghosts communicating with the living in such a fashion. You scared me within an inch of meeting my ancestors!”
“My apologies. But you can breathe a sigh of relief now. You are but two miles from the shore of Lago at this point, and you should soon be seeing the atoll in the distance.”
“Begging your pardon, but we both know the Megadrak is somewhere close behind me under the surface of the water. It would be a fatal error to ever presume otherwise. That damned thing is more relentlessly vengeful than a double-crossed Daimyo!”
As if on cue, the mighty dragon-like beast rose its titanic head from the surface a mere five meters behind Koji’s motorboat. It released an angry hissing roar before opening its gullet wide and emitting the initial unsettling wheezing sound that signaled it was about to release a spray of its deadly radioactive oral mist. And that stream would be aimed directly ahead at the small boat and its lone occupant.
“Dear gods! Itaru, do something!”
“Koji-san, veer to your left now!”
The youth did as instructed without so much as a second of hesitation. He heard the beast’s exhaling sound drowned out by the whining engine of an F-51 swiftly descending from the sky. Itaru’s jet soared at a carefully controlled rate above Megadrak’s surfaced head and dropped a volley of bombs from the platform beneath its fusillade. The objects exploded in various places both on and around the kaiju’s dinosaurian skull, effectively distracting it from its quarry.
However, the creature still managed to spew the stream of mist as per its intention. What’s more, the flammable fog caught the sparking flames from the explosions to create another enormous blowtorch that tore across the surface of the water.
Koji’s fast-moving motorized boat had swerved far enough to be out of the direct range of the concentrated firestorm, but he remained sufficiently close to the large streaming inferno to literally feel the heat. He screamed in both terror and pain as the skin on his back, despite the thin shielding of a light-colored shirt, felt as if it were leaning against the open pane of a blazing oven.
He steered the boat around and back in the direction of Lago just before placing the orange microphone to his mouth and pressing the “send” button on the radio.
“What the hell are you trying to do, Itaru-san? Help that monster to kill me?”
“My apologies again, Koji-san. I was not informed the kaiju’s oral mist was flammable in that manner.”
“Well, now you know!”
Koji found his body charged by a surging flow of adrenalin, and his heart was beating so fast and hard it felt as if a rapid pumping device was sequestered behind his rib cage.
As he swerved the boat around again, he made a point to carefully scan the surface of the water for Megadrak’s current position. He saw nothing, as the monster had apparently submerged again. This brought no comfort whatsoever to the young man, as he was aware this creature, despite its size, had a penchant for stealth and taking its quarry by surprise.
Hence, Koji remained deftly aware that the reptilian monstrosity was still close behind, and would never give up its pursuit until it either finally caught him, or he managed to get far enough away that it could no longer detect his spoor. The latter option was an order taller than the kaiju itself, and he had to keep reminding himself that his successful escape was not the main priority. If accomplished, it would simply be a fringe benefit to the self-chosen mission at hand.
The young man allowed himself just the slightest tinge of satisfaction when he saw the verdant dot of Lago Island appear on the horizon before him.
***
Please, please, please let me make it to the shore were the pleading thoughts racing through Koji’s mind as if in a repeated streaming psychic loop. He turned the motorboat around as he approached the white sandy shores and shut down the loud device as he finally struck land. The young man jumped out the side of the shore side boat and took a quick glance in front of him to get his bearings.
At initial glance, Lago Island seemed like any of the other atolls comprising the Ogasawara chain. The incessant squawking of various species of exotic tropical birds could be heard echoing in the canopy expanse of the trees. A few crabs could be seen lumbering awkwardly about the sandy environs. The vegetation was lush and extensive, giving the location somewhat of an antediluvian veneer, resembling the entirety of the world’s land when the planet was a younger, simpler, and even more savage place, albeit subject to a form of savagery that was crafted without the hand of human civilization.
Nature may play up the folly of Man, but it can do a good job of wreaking destruction without the artificial intervention of its most intelligent creation. Koji couldn’t help that musing from passing through the tapestry of his thoughts.
The center of the island had an immense craggy mountain near its center, and it was that gigantic chunk of granite that gave the Imotojima native the sudden idea of a possible means of taking even the mighty Megadrak out of commission.
Koji put the hanging microphone near his lips and pressed the “send” button on the small radio receiver hanging around his neck like a square black medallion.
“I have made the shore. I am going to head toward the mountain in the center of the island. May I presume its strategic presence is giving you the same idea that I have?”
“Hai,” Asuri’s clarification came through.
“Damn bloody straight it does,” Innes’s voice came in next, doing his best to articulate fluent Japanese with his cockney accent. “Lead that walking nightmare over there, mate. Then do your best to get clear and leave the rest to us fighter boys.”
Within seconds, a huge splashing sound caused Koji to turn around. The source was exactly what he fe
ared it was. The titanic cerulean form of Megadrak surfaced fully from the ocean depths in all its titanic majesty, and the great beast bellowed forth a reverberating hissing roar.
Its keen visual acuity and olfactory senses immediately spotted its tiny quarry on the sand before it, and the kaiju strode from the water and onto the atoll in pursuit. Koji turned and ran towards the mountain in the center of the landmass, hoping the large number of tightly situated trees would slow the pace of the kaiju’s approach.
“Koji-san, keep moving towards the mountain,” Itaru’s voice came through the receiver. “We shall provide you cover.”
All three jets descended from high up in the clouds and unleashed a barrage of machine gun fire on Megadrak. The beast hissed at its airborne attackers and swung its massive arms upwards in protest, but the trio of craft made sure to stay out of range.
“Be wary of that thing spewing another toxic cloud at us!” Asuri reminded his cohorts through the communications system.
“No need to worry, Lieutenant,” Innes responded. “You better believe I’m keeping an eye out for that!”
Before another word could be spoken, though, Megadrak suddenly changed tactics, once again proving it was more than a mere animal of exceptional size. The reptilian giant bent down, plunged its enormous fingers deep into the sand, and hurled a huge pile of grit upwards and directly in front of the jets’ path. As usual, the monster displayed an uncanny knack for accurately in guessing the trajectory of the fast-moving craft.
“What the bloody hell!” Innes screamed as he flew into a whitish-tan cloud of silicate. “That goddamned sand is clogging up my engines and it’s all over my canopy! I can’t see worth a damn!”
“Ascend immediately!” Asuri commanded as his own jet swerved far to the side to avoid being engulfed by the cloud of sand particles. “Do not eject in the vicinity of the kaiju!”
Innes attempted to do precisely as ordered, but the silicate-compromised engines made his craft less than responsive. To make matters worse, the pilot’s front and peripheral views were obfuscated. And since the sand was wet, it formed thick clumps all over the canopy that resisted being torn off by the jet’s wind shear.
After a moment, just enough of the sand was blown off the transparent enclosure for Innes to see a scaly, bluish wall in front of him. That turned out to be the palm of Megadrak’s giant hand, and it grasped the disoriented pilot’s craft in a crushing grip.
“Oh, bollocks!”
The British fighter barely had time to scream before he was crushed into a contorted mass of flesh and bone as the powerful kaiju crumpled the hull of the jet as a human may do to a tin can. The dragon-like titan then roared in defiant triumph as it tossed the distorted remains of the fighter craft into the span of the leafy jungle.
“Damn it!” Asuri shouted into his mic. “It got Innes! That creature has the capacity to strategize and make use of its environment in ways that no simple animal can. We underestimate its mental capacities at our peril.”
“Acknowledged and agreed, Lieutenant,” Itaru replied. “We must avoid being taken out of the sky; Koji stands no chance without us. And our rockets will be required to carry out the plan.”
“Hai,” Asuri said. “We must ascend and allow the monster to pursue Koji into the jungle and toward the mountain. Be prepared to do what must be done once he gets there. If he should get there.”
As Koji had hoped, the thick alignment of verdure in the jungle slowed the pace of Megadrak somewhat as the creature pursued. He could nevertheless hear the large wooden trees being broken and knocked aside by the dozens as the kaiju continued its unyielding chase. The young man soon realized that to reach the mountain, he would have to take a trail that moved him out of the canopy of foliage and back onto the eastern side of the beach.
The young man disliked having to leave the limited barrier provided by the trees, but he accepted this as necessary to his goal. He further hoped the abundant flora would obstruct Megadrak’s progress just enough to allow him to make it across the beach and into the jungle trail that led to the mountain.
Koji was unaware, however, of the new horrific factor that was about to make its presence known—a factor that would prove a major threat to him and Megadrak alike.
***
Koji huffed for air as he ran along the eastern edge of the Lago Island beach. He did his best to avoid stepping on rocks and crabs present in the sand, as he could not afford to stumble, receive a debilitating painful abrasion, or anything that may slow him down for the barest of seconds.
The sound of Megadrak rapidly approaching by the combined reverberations of its thunderous footsteps and its smashing of trees served to further spur the youthful naturalist on. He prayed the resulting adrenal surge lasted long enough to enable him to keep running at full speed without being overcome by muscle fatigue or short windedness.
As Koji covered three-quarters of the distance required to reach the jungle trail leading to the central mountain, his attention was caught by a sudden violet churning in the water about a dozen meters from shore. The foamy agitation on the ocean surface was so intense and unexpected that he was unable to completely ignore it despite the severity of his situation.
The island-born student of the biological sciences turned to see the top portion of a bizarre creature surface from the depths, one that defied his professional knowledge of the animal kingdom. It somewhat resembled the mutant Glyceracon annelids he was all too familiar with, but with notable differences, the most glaring of these being a size that rivaled that of Megadrak itself. The terrifying Kyowama had arrived on Lago Island.
The enormous coelomate bobbed its grotesque, squarish head in the air, the four elongated polypodia on its neck writhing about as if providing a hideous sensory aid. The worm-shaped kaiju then opened its round yawning maw and emitted an ear-splitting screech of seeming delight as it seemed to detect a source of nourishment directly in front of it.
Koji stood in shock for a moment, his eyes wide open and his body evincing no movement save for his trembling legs. Nevertheless, the young man was by then no stranger to witnessing horrors of colossal size. Hence, he managed to conquer the freeze-inducing fear in time to dive aside. It wouldn’t enable him to avoid the astoundingly fast motion of the Brobdingnagian Behemoth.
This would prove to be a moot point, however, as Kyowama undulated directly past Koji, who lay sprawled on the sand a dozen yards to its side. Though the giant annelid was by no means averse to preying upon tiny humans for its raw organic nutritional needs, it instinctively preferred much larger sources of sustenance if available.
And Lago Island presently harbored a far more enticing culinary prize: the tremendous repository of radioactive blood contained in the gigantic form of Megadrak. The radiation acted as a necessary and empowering source of nourishment for a spawn of atomic energy like the super-worm.
A few seconds later Megadrak came thrashing out of the tightly compacted jungle flora in pursuit of the prey it had trailed there, only to find itself confronted by the first true opposition the modern-day dragon would face since atomic forces bequeathed its god-like form.
The cerulean titan stood its ground and bellowed a roaring and hissing challenge to the unexpected antagonist. The giant reptilian would not tolerate Kyowama’s encroachment upon an atoll it claimed as territory, nor could it allow its targeted human quarry being devoured by any creature other than itself.
Kyowama, however, was motivated not so much by a territorial coup as it was the acquisition of a delectable meal. The über-coelomate thus darted forward with amazing speed for a creature so large and heavy, lunging at Megadrak with its yawning gullet salivating in anticipation of the bounty it was about to feast upon.
Unfortunately, it turned out its intended prey was amply capable of resisting the worm’s act of predation. Moving with equally impressive speed and reflexes, the reptilian kaiju managed to grasp its attacking adversary by the neck in both hands before it could sink its four teeth
into the target’s scaly hide.
The giant worm’s strength was formidable, but its would-be prey wasn’t lacking in that regard either. Hence, Megadrak held Kyowama fast in its eight mighty fingers, aided with the gripping power provided by its sharpened talons. The monstrous annelid was still driven by an unyielding desire to have its meal, however. To this end, it attempted to cover the distance between its teeth and the flesh of its prey by projecting its fanged proboscis from its gullet.
Megadrak nevertheless managed to hold the tubular monstrosity just far enough away to keep its externally projected bowel out of the range of its hide. Kyowama exerted all its substantial might to thrash its anterior section violently about in a forceful attempt to break its enemy’s powerful grip. For a moment, it seemed as if the two battling daikaiju had reached an impasse.
Koji was back on his feet by then, and he had run many yards further before again transmitting another audio message through his radio’s microphone.
“Have either of you seen what just crawled onto the island? It looks like a Glyceracon but differently colored and a hell of a lot bigger! That thing is actually attacking Megadrak!”
“We see it,” Itaru responded. “But consider how this new monster may provide you with a better distraction than we can. Proceed to the mountain as planned.”
“Of course, I will! I am certainly not going to stay here on the beach with those two!”
“With any kind of luck,” Asuri squawked in, “those monsters will destroy each other. We do not need to deal with two of their number in the Pacific, or anywhere else on this planet.”
“Those damned atomic weapon tests,” Koji whispered loudly before resuming his trek towards the central mountain.
Itaru and Asuri each heard the young man’s remark, and both silently agreed.
***
The seeming deadlock between the dueling kaiju suddenly took an unexpected turn when Kyowama extended a curved, ultra-sharp fang from each of the four long polypodia attached to its neck. The annelidian monster plunged two of these skewering talons deep into the flesh of Megadrak’s lower left forearm, and the other two into the same place on its opposite limb in a grisly attempt to break its opponent’s steely grip.
Megadrak: Beast Of The Apocalypse Page 28