Kaiju Wars

by Eric S. Brown

  The last thing Duvall ever saw was a geyser of fire that shot forth from the impossibly wide, open mouth of the dragon-faced kaiju he turned to face. The beast had flanked him and caught him utterly by surprise.

  Peter watched as the fire breath of the dragon-faced kaiju melted away Nuke Fist’s head, right shoulder, and a good chunk of its upper right side. Streams of molten metal ran down over the curves of Nuke Fist’s legs as the dragon-faced kaiju continued to hose the mech with its breath.

  Hulking Diablo’s axe flew straight and true, spinning end over end through the air as the mech threw it at the dragon-faced kaiju. With a thunderous thunking noise, the axe embedded itself in the center of the dragon kaiju’s forehead, splitting the top of the kaiju’s dragon-like snout in the process. The dragon kaiju reeled about for a moment and then toppled over to lay dead near Nuke Fist’s molten remains.

  There would be no retrieving of the weapon in the immediate future. Three more kaiju had come forward to engage Hulking Diablo. The red mech bent over and swept up the axe that had fallen from the hand of its disabled arm. A kaiju with the head of a toad and human-like arms rushed towards Hulking Diablo as the mech rose back up with the axe in hand. Hulking Diablo swung the axe as it rose, smashing the weapon into the lower portion of the toad-headed kaiju’s face. The blade cut through flesh and bone alike, severing the toad kaiju’s lower jaw in half. Spitting blood and pieces of the long tongue that had been curled up inside its mouth, the toad kaiju retreated, clearing the path for the monster behind it. The kaiju that sprang forward as it moved aside looked like a giant rat. It moved on all fours, its teeth snapping as the creature tried to bite away part of Hulking Diablo’s right leg. Peter wasn’t having it though. Hulking Diablo’s axe blade came down the topside of the rat’s neck. The blow didn’t have the force to sever the rat’s neck completely but it did cut through rat kaiju’s spine. The rat kaiju flopped onto the ground, its legs giving way beneath it as it lost the ability to move anything below the spot where Hulking Diablo had hacked through its spine.

  Ignoring the rat kaiju, with no time to finish it, Hulking Diablo yanked its remaining axe from the rat kaiju as a kaiju with horns covering the entirety of the top of its head roared. The monster lowered its head like a charging ram as it came, full out, at Hulking Diablo. Peter managed to dodge the attack, pushing the giant red mech to its limits, sidestepping it. The horned monster sped past Hulking Diablo. Keeping Hulking Diablo’s systems pushed beyond the red line, Peter poured on even more speed as the giant red mech whirled about in time to strike a blow with its axe before the monster was completely out of range. Hulking Diablo’s axe thudded into the meat and scales of the horned kaiju’s side with the mech’s arm extended to its max length. The kaiju howled in pain, the blade sliding free of its body, unable to bring itself to a halt.

  Peter didn’t even have time to curse as he brought the giant red mech around and saw still two more kaiju moving to engage Hulking Diablo.

  ****

  Campbell, in Ragnarok Valkyrie, and Dundee, in Boomerang Charge, were holding their own against the pack of kaiju that they were engaged with. Boomerang Charge’s right arm was covered from wrist to shoulder with long, razor-like spikes which the mech used to tear the kaiju apart when it charged them. So far, the mech hadn’t actually charged anything, but spikes were already dripping with blood from various kaiju that had made the mistake of trying to charge it. Dundee had been using the mech’s spiked arm as a shield and bludgeoning weapon to great effect. When the chance presented itself, Boomerang Charge also hurled giant, razored boomerangs into the ranks of the kaiju. One kaiju had lost an arm to one of the weapons and another kaiju had the rear of a boomerang protruding from its chest where the weapon had sunk into the side of its ribcage. Streams of bubbling pink gore ran from the wound along the curves of the monster’s body and down its legs.

  The left arm of Boomerang Charge bore five of the boomerangs at the beginning of the battle. Now, the mech only had two left at its disposal, and with the kaiju’s having surrounded them at close range, it was unlikely that were going to be any further use.

  Thankful that the repair crew had been able to reattach and reload Ragnarok Valkyrie’s wrist cannons, Campbell made good use of the weapons. Ragnarok Valkyrie bobbed and weaved like a boxer as the kaiju around it took swings at its body. The mech managed to avoid the bulk of the blows as its wrist cannons blazed away at the beasts at point-blank range.

  The two mechs had wounded a great deal more of the kaiju than they had actually been able to kill. They had been fighting a defensive battle and primarily trying to just hold the kaiju back from the other mechs up until now. With so many of their friends dead despite their efforts, Campbell figured it was time to change things up. He activated the switch that caused the charges that disengaged Ragnarok Valkyrie’s wrist-mounted cannons to be blown from where they were attached so that he could sling out the long, chain-mace weapons underneath them. The chain of the right mace extended, spilling out of the mech’s arm so that its spiked head swept around in an arc to smash into the skull of a kaiju with glowing blue eyes. Bone caved inward as blood splashed from where the head of the mace made contact. A hair-covered, bipedal, dog kaiju hurried towards Ragnarok Valkyrie, snarling as it came. Campbell lashed out with the mech’s other chain mace. Its chain wrapped around the dog kaiju’s lower left leg, and with a mighty yank, Ragnarok Valkyrie jerked the dog kaiju off its feet. Before the monster could recover, Campbell slammed one of the mech’s massive, metal feet downward onto the center of the dog kaiju’s chest. The foot went through the monster’s body in an explosion of blood, shattering its ribcage in the process.

  “We can’t hold these things much longer, Campbell,” Dundee yelled at him over the comm.

  “We don’t need to hold them anymore,” Campbell spat back. “We just need to kill them all before they kill us!”

  “Right,” Dundee shouted. “I hear ya, mate. I think I’m gonna bloody well give that a shot. You better stay the hell out of my way.”

  Campbell watched Boomerang Charge bash a kaiju away from it with its spiked arm and start running towards the center of the pack of kaiju in front of them. He realized at once what Dundee was up to.

  “Don’t do it, man!” Campbell screamed helplessly. “It’s not worth it!”

  If Dundee heard him though, the actions of Boomerang Charge gave no sign of it. The yellow-streaked mech built up speed as it raced towards the kaiju. Its spiked arm was braced and ready to plow into them, but Campbell knew that didn’t matter if he was right about what Dundee had planned.

  “All remaining units,” Dundee cried on the comm. “Take cover if you can!”

  Ragnarok Valkyrie’s armored hands snatched up the body of the dog kaiju it had just killed and held the corpse up as a shield in the direction of Boomerang Charge just as the mech rammed into the mass of the kaiju. Boomerang Charge self-destructed in a blast that shook the entire field of battle. The mech and seven kaiju vanished in the flash of a fusion-powered explosion that was so bright, it nearly blinded Campbell despite Ragnarok Valkyrie’s protection systems and the mech turning its head away from the blast.

  It was enough to bring a halt to the battle. The surviving kaiju pulled back to regroup as the remaining mechs did the same.

  ****

  Hulking Diablo, one arm dangling at its side and its body marked terribly by kaiju claws and teeth, stumbled over to stand at Ragnarok Valkyrie’s right side. Four-Arm Fury limped up to take a position to Ragnarok Valkyrie’s left. The mech didn’t have four arms anymore. One of its two primary ones had been broken off at its elbow joint and its two lower arms were gone entirely. Sparking wires and circuitry spilled out from jagged tears along over Four-Arm Fury’s torso. Campbell was shocked to see that the three of them were all that as left and equally as shocked that Lillian’s mech was even still standing given the apparent amount of damage it had suffered.

  Battlegroup Alpha’s hover tanks had only taken
minimum losses and Captain Merrick had them form up to the rear of the group of mechs. Of the six, smaller Wolf-class mechs, there was no sign. Campbell presumed they had been lost as well.

  “That did not go as planned,” Peter growled over the comm.

  Of the thirty-eight, true kaiju, sixteen of the monsters remained. A few of the creatures were wounded but their snarls, roars, and hisses left no doubt that they were all still in the fight.

  “What do we do now?” Campbell heard himself ask.

  “Saying a prayer wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Captain Merrick answered.

  “Screw that,” Lillian raged. “Let’s kill the rest of those fraggers and be done with this.”

  “What in the devil did they all come from anyway?” Peter asked. “I thought this place was supposed to be empty of those things. I mean, isn’t that why we’re here? To take advantage of how weak they were supposed to be?”

  “The rumors were true,” Captain Merrick said, his voice strangely calm given what they faced. “The Greenery has found a means to mass produce kaiju like nothing we’ve ever seen before. We all need to hope that these are the only ones they have ready or we’re dead no matter what we do.”

  “I’d say we’re dead anyway,” Peter snorted.

  A noise from somewhere above and to the north of the field of battle turned the heads of the mechs and the kaiju alike skyward. A mech with giant straight wings stretching out from the sides of its body came streaking through the clouds like a guided rocket. It slowed at the last instant as it brought its legs forward to land on them directly in front of Ragnarok Valkyrie, Hulking Diablo, and Four-Arm Fury. Once on the ground, it drew a giant-sized, glowing broadsword from a sheath positioned between the engines on its back.

  Peter whistled in appreciation of how smoothly and human-like the flying mech moved.

  “This is Colonel Jaeger piloting Samurai One,” the colonel’s voice boomed over Battlegroup Alpha’s comlink. “Captain Merrick, you are relieved of command. I’ll be taking over things from here on in.”

  “I stand relieved, sir,” Captain Merrick answered happily. “Glad to have you with us, sir.”

  “That mech can’t be legal,” someone, likely in one of the captain’s tanks, muttered over the comm.

  “Belay that kind of talk, soldier!” Campbell heard Colonel Jaeger snap. “All that matters right now is that we live through this fight and that city over there is burnt to ashes.”

  “Sir,” Captain Merrick spoke up.

  “What is it, Captain?” Colonel Jaeger asked, sounding as if his patience had already been stretched to its limit.

  “Something is happening with the kaiju, sir,” Captain Merrick informed him.

  Campbell tore his attention away from the gleaming mech that Colonel Jaeger was piloting. He looked over at where the kaiju were licking their wounds and getting ready to charge at them again to see over half the monsters simply melting away where they stood. Flesh liquefied and flowed from their bones. The unaffected kaiju were mewling and backing away from their dying brethren in abject horror.

  “What the hell?” Campbell heard Colonel Jaeger exclaim.

  ****

  Duala Mate Denkirch’s mind had been nearly torn asunder as the largest of the kaiju had died. His mind had been one with the creature’s in that moment. The psychic backlash was so intense that he lay, sprawled out on the floor with blood leaking from the corners of his eyes, mouth, nose, and ears. Denkirch’s sanity had always been questionable at the best of times. Now, he was stark-raving mad and Grand Duala Minerva saw that in his eyes as he painfully got to his feet. She realized with a start that the psychic backlash wasn’t all that was wrong with him and turned her gaze away from him.

  “What have you done, Denkirch?” she rasped as he gave her a crooked smile.

  “I’ve done what you never dared to do, Minerva,” he spoke softly, his voice almost a whisper. “I have performed the rite of transference.”

  “You’re insane,” Grand Duala Minerva stammered, retreating from him.

  “Am I?” Denkirch shrugged. “Look at me!” he yelled.

  Grand Duala Minerva didn’t need to look at him to sense that he had drunk the power of several of the true kaiju into himself. He had stolen their lives and taken their power through the rite of transference. The rite was ancient and only she was supposed to know how to perform it. Somehow, Denkirch must have touched her own mind at some point and raped it for the knowledge that came with the title of Grand Duala.

  “I said look at me!” Denkirch hissed. The very walls of the chambers shook and cracked from the power of his voice.

  Slowly, she turned her gaze upon him once more. Denkirch’s body bristled with pure, unadulterated power. He had grown to twice the size he had been, now standing over fourteen feet tall. The top of his head brushed the high ceiling of the room as he moved about.

  “You’ve destroyed us all, Denkirch,” she spat at him. “You can’t possibly control all that power. It will drive you mad.”

  Denkirch laughed. It was a loud and horrid sound like nails running across the surface of an Old World blackboard. “What does that matter? According to you, I am mad already.”

  “Stop this now and release what you have taken,” she ordered him, finding the courage to stand in his path as he started for the window of the chamber that looked out over the walls of the city to the battlefield beyond it.

  “I think not.” Denkirch grinned. “Not until Steel Heart is broken and we of the Greenery rule supreme once and for all.”

  Summoning up all the power that resided in her as Grand Duala, Minerva shoved her hands forward in front of her body as arcs of crackling, burning energy leaped from her fingers at Denkirch. They struck him without any real effect.

  Denkirch looked down at his chest where the bolts had struck him and then back at her as the grin he wore grew wider.

  “That was a mistake, Minerva,” he cackled wildly. “I was going to let you live if no other reason than the amusement of doing so. Now, however …”

  Denkirch’s jaw disjointed, extending impossibly wide, as a geyser of vomit-like fluid burst from it to splash over her where she stood. The bile burned away her flesh and dissolved her bones, leaving nothing more of her than a pool of bubbling liquid upon the floor in her place.

  As his jaw snapped back into place, Denkirch ran towards the chamber’s window facing the battlefield and jumped through it. He took flight, the strength of his telekinesis propelling through the air.

  ****

  Colonel Jaeger stared at the ten puddles of gore and liquefied meat that had moments before been giant kaiju. He didn’t have a clue what had happened to the monsters or what was keeping the remaining six from moving forward to attack Samurai One and the other mechs.

  Movement in the air drew his attention. Something small but far too large to be a man despite its shape came flying out of the Greenery capital, over its walls, to land in front of the remaining kaiju. Whatever it was, it was registering at a power level that dwarfed even Samurai One’s.

  “I am Grand Duala Denkirch,” an inhuman voice hissed inside Colonel Jaeger’s head. He knew all too well that the soldiers and citizens of the Greenery possessed varying degrees of psionic abilities, but in all his years, he had never had one of them address him telepathically like this.

  Colonel Jaeger had no doubt that the telepathic voice was coming from the nearly fifteen-foot-tall man who stood among the six kaiju that had survived whatever had turned the others into piles of goo. The six kaiju had stood up to their full heights as the man landed among them as if they were acknowledging the man as their leader.

  Flipping on the external megaphones of Samurai One, Colonel Jaeger responded, “Well, Grand Duala Denkirch, did you come out to make your surrender on behalf of the Greenery personally?”

  Denkirch’s laughter echoed inside Jaeger’s mind.

  “Hardly,” Denkirch growled. “I’ve come to end this.”

  As Lillian s
creamed a rage-filled battle cry, Four-Arm Fury lumbered forward at the best speed the badly damaged mech could muster. The man, Denkirch, made no move to flee from Four-Arm Fury’s path or did the six kaiju move to stop it. Instead, Denkirch merely raised a hand in the mech’s direction. Shimmering tentacles of telekinetic power lashed out from his hand to strike at the mech. One wrapped around the mech’s last remaining arm, snapping it from its body. Another sunk into the guts of the mech like a spear, a large section of the Four-Arm Fury’s back exploded in a blossoming exit wound of flames and debris as it passed through the mech’s body. A third tentacle finished what the second had started and cleaved the entire mech in two. Four-Arm Fury’s top half slid away from its bottom as both halves fell in different directions to thud upon the ground.

  “Lillian!” Campbell heard Peter howl over the comm. He knew Peter respected Lillian a great deal, though he would hardly call the two of them friends. Peter didn’t really have friends, only colleagues and enemies.

  “I’m okay,” Lillian’s pained voice spoke up over the comm. “Kill that bastard for me.”

  “Consider it done,” Peter laughed. Hulking Diablo’s good arm drew back and flung the mech’s last axe at … whatever the Hades Denkirch was. An invisible force of some kind caught the spinning axe halfway to him and flung it back at the giant red mech. Hulking Diablo had no time to attempt to dodge the unexpected counterattack. Its own sword sliced into its chest and Hulking Diablo’s upper body exploded in a blast that shook Campbell where he sat in Ragnarok Valkyrie’s pilot compartment.

  “All units,” Colonel Jaeger shouted, “engage that bastard and take him out! I’ll handle the kaiju!”