The Bridge

Humanity's Stand

Seven days had passed since the massive battle that had all but destroyed Solgell Island. Seven days in which the world held its collective breath, unsure of how to react to the disappearance of both its greatest protectors and some of its worst enemies. Many mourned the loss of Godzilla and his fellow Earth Defenders, calling out the generals who had ordered the use of the Dimension Tide, while others claimed it was good riddance of dangerous beasts that had threatened humanity one too many times. One man saw it as something else entirely. An opportunity for lasting peace.

Stacker Pentecost glared at the world map hanging over the Operations room, taking in the data it portrayed. Known Kaiju positions, military bases, relative distances, suspected allegiance lists, status reports on the various mechs and jaegers under his command. His mind started drawing lines between positions, analyzing equipment requirements and battle strategies, asset placement and coordination. A plan began to form in his brain. A plan to finally make Earth safe for humanity. "What I want to know is, are we ready?" he finally said, breaking the escalating argument that had been going on around him.

"Ready? Ready for what?" General Tachibana asked. He waved at the map behind him. "Nothing's going on right now. All the Kaiju that are still alive are laying low right now. My scout ships and aircraft haven't heard so much as a peep from any of them since the end of those last battles."

"Maybe they're too worried about Dimension Tide firing again to come out of their holes," General Gordon groused. He tapped the hilt of his ever present katana against the table in a sign of annoyance. "Figures they'd be too frightened to come out without their leader around to rally them."

Miki Saegusa threw a withering glare in Gordon's direction. "And whose fault is that General?"

Gordon stared back at her and said, "Don't try to guilt trip me missy. I'm not the only one who made the call to fire DT." He paused as he felt a familiar ache scratching in his head. "And don't bother with that empathy bullshit. You know it doesn't work on me."

"Miki," Pentecost called out softly. "Now isn't the time." He sighed to himself, feeling the ache of his years of leadership on his shoulders. "What I meant, Taizo, is are we ready for further operations?"

Tendo Choi, who had been reading various reports throughout the conversation, suddenly perked up. "Kiryu and Mechagodzilla are both fully functional and loaded. That new armor alloy they've been given has really proven itself."

"Glad to see something good came out of the Final Wars mess," Colonel Ozaki muttered to himself. Pentecost silently agreed with him. Far too many lives were lost in that never ending disaster. Even six years later the scars of those battles marred cities all over the world.

Tendo hesitantly nodded and continued. "Right. Things are somewhat worse with the others though. Jet Jaguar is currently getting its arm replaced after it suffered heavy damage from Orga, along with a whole laundry list of other problems. That's going to take most of the week to fix. Moguera is physically fine but its control system was completely shot because of an EMP. We think Ghidorah's lightning breath may have done it."

"Actually KG doesn't have lightning breath," Dr. Newton Geiszler interrupted. "What he really fires are these weird gravity beam things. See what they do is they change the gravitational pull of whatever it touches and causes it to be ripped apart by…"

"That's enough Newt," Pentecost said in a dry tone. "If it wasn't Ghidorah then who was it?"

Newt, looking somewhat mollified under all the glares he was receiving, said more slowly, "Based on what I saw it was probably Big G and S releasing all that energy that did it. Or it could have been Leatherback. He's the only Kaiju we know about that has a recorded Emp effect." He started to become excited again as he continued with, "But there's this new Kaiju hanging around in Hawaii that seems to have an Emp too. Plus he can fly and has these really cool neon eye things that…"

Everyone groaned as Newt started describing every little detail of the new Kaiju, only to be interrupted by Professor Gottlieb on how the term was pronounced EMP, not Emp, which started another whole slew of arguments between the two. "How long will it take to repair the damage?" Pentecost asked, ignoring the two bickering scientists to his left.

Tendo snatched his report back up and read from it. "Should be fixed later today sir. Thankfully the damage was mostly to the software, not the hardware, so it was easy to replace. As for the Jaegers, things are a little bit better. Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka only took a few hits in the fighting and both managed to put down an Antverse Kaiju each. With all of the other rampages the mutants have been doing they have numerous injuries but they'll back at 100% later today. Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon are mostly in the same boat but Cherno badly needs an armor upgrade and Typhoon's pilots are very fatigued. Both need a few days before they'll be fully capable again."

Pentecost allowed a grim smile to appear on his face as he looked back at the map again. "That will have to do. We need to be ready as soon as possible."

"Ready for what?" Gordon questioned. "What are you planning Stacker?"

"The end General," Pentecost said bluntly. "The end of this constant warfare that is destroying our planet. We finally have a chance to end this conflict once and for all."

"What do you mean sir?" Miki asked.

"We are going to finish what Godzilla and the others started on Solgell. We are going to eliminate all Kaiju who pose a threat to the Earth and humanity. And we're going to do it now."

Total silence met his proclamation, everyone too stunned to respond. Finally Taizo found his voice and said, "Sir, you know that's impossible. There are too many Kaiju out there for us to take on. Even if we got all of the world's jaegers to join us we would still be outnumbered. Not only that, but any attack on an individual mutant would bring the rest of them down on us all at once. We barely withstood this latest slew of attacks. Defeating them all for good is simply impossible."

Gordon agreed with a grunt and continued, "Even with the new flying battle platforms like Gotengo we would be completely outmatched. Unless you have some way to double our numbers and make sure our enemy wouldn't gang up on us, I don't see how it could be done."

Pentecost smiled and said, "I can do both." He got up and walked to the map pointing out the various known positions of enemy Kaiju. "Our enemy is isolated and leaderless right now. Without Xenilla to lead them, they are divided. We even saw them fighting each other as they retreated from Solgell after the Dimension Tide fired. They lacked any semblance of coordination in this week's assaults, attacking wherever they wanted and retreating after we showed the slightest resistance. The remaining mutants are little more than brutes and monsters. If we strike now we take them down one by one with impunity."

Colonel Ozaki was the next to interject. "So what? Even if the first few fights go unnoticed the mutants will eventually notice what we're up to. And every engagement carries the risk of damage to our mechs. If all of our mechs end up down for repairs too often, then all of humanity will be at risk. And if we attack each mutant with our full force at once that leaves the rest of the world open to attack. We just don't have the manpower to do this."

"You're right," Pentecost stated. "The GDF has never had enough power to go on the offensive. We've always been stuck playing a defensive game, reacting to Kaiju attacks and hoping we don't get overrun. But we can't do that anymore. Final Wars showed that if our enemies all attacked at once, we as a species would be finished."

He turned to the map once again and pointed at one of the Kaiju lists. "But we're not alone in this, just like we weren't in Final Wars. The Earth Defenders have as much reason as us to want the mutants gone as we do. They helped to defend us both from the alien threat and from the mutants' rampage. If we work together with them we can overwhelm the mutants and finally make this planet safe for both factions."

Taizo, Gordon, and Ozaki all looked amongst themselves, silently contemplating the idea while Newt, Gottlieb and Tendo started going over the data about the Earth Defenders, arguing about who should fight who and with what support. But there was only one person's reaction Pentecost cared about.

Miki was looking down at her lap, unsure of what to think. On the one hand, removing the mutants for good would be great for both Kaiju and humans. There was no doubting that most of the mutants were monsters of the worst sort, destroying everything that got in their way without concern for anything else. Some, like Obsidius and Titanosaurus, were mostly passive and had even fought on the Earth Defender's side in the past, but the rest had attacked human cities without remorse a dozen times each. With Godzilla and the other strongest guardian monsters gone there was no guarantee the Defenders could fulfill their duty against a unified mutant faction. The temporary peace would not last long. A new war was inevitable.

But none of this would have happened if Dimension Tide had never been fired. Godzilla may very well have won his fight with his evil brother, and the Earth Defenders could have finally been truly victorious. Instead they were betrayed by humans because of an 'irresistible opportunity', as General Gordon had put it. Would the guardians be willing to work with the same humans who had killed four of their most beloved members, including their king? She didn't know.

"How could we possibly convince them to help us sir?" she asked Pentecost.

The older man came over to her and put his arms on her shoulders, saying, "Because if they don't, we're all dead."

---

Zilla Jr. yawned loudly as he curled himself up for a nice long nap. It had been several days since he'd been able to get a chance to sleep, what with Monster Island (as he liked to call it) coming under attack and the subsequent clean up after both sides' leaders disappeared in a huge explosion. Gamera had charged Zilla with rounding up all of the good or neutral Kaiju together to explain what had happened and prevent any infighting over the new leadership. Given that he was the fastest non-flying Kaiju he was the best for the job but he had not enjoyed it. Most of the neutral Kaiju did not like him very much due to his strong respect and admiration for humans, whom most Kaiju at the very least were suspicious of. The fact that Zilla had often worked with human mechs in defense of the humans, against some of them at times, did not help matters.

Still, it was an order for a necessary job, so Zilla did it without complaint. Then, just as Gamera had finished explaining what had happened at Solgell, Zilla had been mentally contacted by the humans, who told him about the mutants running rampant all over the globe. The gathered Earth defenders and neutral Kaiju had all been sent to interdict their enemies. Zilla himself had been forced to fight the extremely annoying Buraki by himself. That damned snake had severely tested Zilla's patience and paid for it with a put out eye and twenty feet of missing tail. Much as Zilla had enjoyed the chance to take his rage out on something though, he was very glad it was over and looked forward to a nice long rest in his own little cave away from the others. Nothing could spoil this moment for me.

Zilla are you there? I need to speak with you

Except that. I just had to open my big mouth didn't I. Gradually Zilla allowed his eyes to open and looked to the entrance of the cave, where the mental voice had come from. Who calls me? If it's not about the fate of the planet or something then please go away.

Actually it is. About the planet that is.

Zilla made a deep throated groan which echoed around is cave. Of course it is. He stretched his limbs to wake himself up, carving deep groves in the rock where his claws scratched the surface, and began to crawl to the entrance on all fours. He had specifically picked a cave this short so he could ensure absolute privacy from the larger monsters. The only Kaiju that were able to enter his cave were Anguirus and Baragon, the two Kaiju he was closest with to be honest.

All three relied solely on their physical abilities in combat; Anguirus his toughness, Baragon his acrobatics, and Zilla his speed. Working together the three of them had been able to match the Big G himself once, though he'd later admitted he'd been going easy on them. Zilla paused in his movement as he felt a wave of sadness wash over him. Anguirus was his best friend, and Junior was practically the big brother he'd never had, and now they were both gone. It was almost impossible to believe. They'd always been so invincible, always standing against everything ever thrown at them. And then they were gone, without any warning or chance to say goodbye. Zilla was not one to show much emotion, but in the darkness of his cave, he had wept for them.

Zilla shook his head to clear out the unhappy thoughts and finished crawling to the entrance. Sure enough there was a small (to him) human transport with several people gathered outside it. Most of them Zilla did not recognize, but the woman standing at the front was someone he knew quite well indeed. Hello Miki. It has been a long time since we have spoken has it not?

The woman smiled up at him. Yes it has. I'm sorry to bother you just as you were going to sleep, but I need to speak with you urgently.

Zilla carefully lowered his head to the ground near the group, managing to not knock them to the ground at the contact. What is wrong? I sense you have great concern about something.

Miki clutched her hands in front of her, looking down at the ground as she thought, There… there is something I need to tell you Zilla, and I'm sure you're not going to like it. The explosion that killed Godzilla and the others… wasn't an explosion.

Really? Zilla asked with an eye blink. Then what was it?

It… it was a black hole. An object which absorbs anything close to it and crushes it with its gravity.

Zilla narrowed his gaze at the woman who had been his surrogate mother many years ago. How do you know this?

After a sigh that was barely audible even to Zilla's great hearing Miki answered his question. Because it was not a natural black hole. It was an artificial one created by humans with the intent of killing Kaiju. We… we were the ones who killed them.

Zilla could not believe what he was hearing. Humans, the very same humans who had saved his life before birth and raised him, were responsible for the deaths of four of his best friends. But... You… WHY?! He roared this last in both mind and voice, forcing the humans to cover their ears at the volume. WHY WOULD YOU DO THIS? WE TRUSTED YOU AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY US?! He rose to his feet, towering high above the cowering humans, his rage filled eyes glaring down at them.

The soldiers who had been ordered to protect the telepath were futilely pointing their rifles up at the humongous reptile, knowing how helpless they were and praying this day would not be their last. Miki was too busy weeping to be afraid as she pleadingly said, Zilla please! You must understand! They did not mean for Godzilla and your friends to be caught in the blast. They only intended to take down Xenilla and Destroyah. I told them that it was too dangerous, that friendly monsters would be caught in the crossfire but they didn't listen. I'm so sorry that it happened and I wish with all my heart that I could have stopped them. But regardless of my wishes it has happened and we must deal with the consequences.

Zilla was silent for some time, something which deeply unnerved the poor soldiers who were not a part of the mental conversation. Eventually Zilla looked away from the humans, his gaze lingering on some point far away on the horizon. Of all the ways I had expected any of us Kaiju to die, this was one I would never have predicted. To be killed by a force of nature beyond even our strongest, harnessed by those who we saw as less than ants. He paused for a moment as he turned his gaze to the heavens above. Even the beings that came from beyond stars did not threaten us so. It is hard for me to imagine, to grasp what they must have felt in the end.

The squad of soldiers, still understandably skittish about being so close to a kaiju, even one that was supposedly friendly, carefully pulled back to the transport. The captain attempted to drag Miki back with them, but she refused to budge. She just stared up at the creature who she had helped raise as a baby, whom she regarded as closer than even her own family. I can't understand it either. The science of how Dimension Tide works is beyond my comprehension. All I know is that nothing in the universe can withstand the force of a black hole for very long. Perhaps that was a blessing in disguise however. They would not have felt the end coming.

Zilla gave a soft growl in response, sending the soldiers running in the false cover of their jet, while Miki only nodded at what she knew was an agreement. You did not come here simply to relay this to me, Zilla finally said. There was something more you wanted to speak about. What is it?

Miki looked up at her companion and saw calm acceptance in his eyes, something which reassured her far beyond words. I've been sent here to ask for your help. Humanity's leaders have decided it's time we take a stand and end the war once and for all.

Zilla gazed down at her from his extreme height with confusion coloring his tone. And just how do you propose to do that?

By combining human and Earth defender forces and killing the remaining mutants. We'll destroy them before they can destroy us.

The reptilian Kaiju looked down at the human telepath in near shock at her harsh words. While he had been growing up Miki had been the source of so many kind words and arguments defending Kaiju that to hear her condemning the mutants so blatantly was very unexpected. The fact that he had often been at odds with her on this very subject just made it that much stranger. What prompted this train of thought from your man Pentecost? It was my understanding that he would never dare to attack for fear of reprisal from the other mutants.

Normally yes, Miki agreed. But with Xenilla no longer leading them and so many of the most dangerous mutants also killed by the Dimension Tide misfiring we just might be able to succeed. But only if both Earth Defenders and humans work together.

Wait what did you say? Those later explosions, the ones that absorbed all those mutants, they weren't on purpose? But I thought you had control of the device that created them?

Miki nodded. We did at first, but during the attacks some outside force stole control of the Dimension Tide and fired it at many of the worst mutants. As far as we can tell no good Kaiju were absorbed, and definitely not any mechs, so regardless of the perpetrator's aims they have actually aided us greatly.

Zilla was not sure what to think about that. He had been informed about the events at the other fights and was unnerved at the reactions. Gorosaurus in particular had nearly been absorbed during his duel with Kuromonga, saved only by one of his enemy's webs, ironically enough. Each tale told the same story. A sudden explosion and a sphere of pure darkness annihilating everything it touched. It was terrifying. But regardless of how he feared what this Dimension Tide was capable of, there was no denying the opportunity they were now presented with. It is oddly fortuitous now that you point it out. The giant saurian swept his tail back and forth on the ground, wiping away what little plant growth had managed to appear while he was gone. I cannot help but to agree with you Miki. It is too great a chance to pass up. He crouched down to look at her more closely. But I am not the one you need to convince. Gamera is our leader now, and though he holds just as much respect for humans as I, he will not accept your actions as easily as I did.

No I did not.

Both Zilla and Miki were startled by the interruption of the unexpected third voice, with Zilla's leaping to his feet knocking Miki off her own. Standing on the cliff above Zilla's cave was none other than Gamera himself, and he did not appear to be pleased. A colleague of yours has already informed me of your plan Miss Miki. I'm not entirely sure I agree with it. He leaped down from the cliff, firing his mana thrusters near the bottom to land as lightly as a human would in sand. Despite the fact that most of humanity has disagreed with the firing of your Dimension Tide on my friends, that does not change the fact that your leaders did so without any warning to us, your supposed allies. He leaned down until his face was but 50 feet away from the tiny human. And the fact that you lost control of that same weapon to someone who could have used it against us yet again is no more reassuring. Give me one good reason that I should aide humanity in this insanity.

Miki became very quiet then, unable to look at anything but her shoes. After a few moments though she firmed up and looked Gamera straight in the eyes. Because we need your help. This endless war has cost both our peoples much, and the longer it continues the worse it will become. We have a chance to end it now, once and for all, and ensure peace for future generations. I know that we have wronged you with what we did at Solgell, but do not deny that some of your Earth defenders have wronged us just as harshly. Miki's eyes began to tear up as memories from her past resurfaced. For decades we humans have been forced to watch as creatures hundreds of times stronger than us rampaged across our planet, hopeless to stop them and reduced to praying for mere survival. How many thousands of people are dead because of this fighting, how many millions more lives destroyed by loss of home and family. The image of her parents' hands reaching out to her from beneath her crushed home swam in Miki's mind, clearly visible to both Kaiju.

While you have been able to fight for yourselves and live your lives in relative peace, we are forced to plow through every day knowing that it could be our last. That everything we love and dream could be ended because of a beast beyond our ability to harm. And when we finally found the tools to defend ourselves from the demons that plagued us, what did you do? You fought with them, simply because they might have been a threat to you, when we knew you to be our allies and had promised never to strike you. We suffered defeat after defeat for only the most meager gains, and each time we triumphed a new threat would appear even worse than the last. King Ghidorah, Gigan, Xenilla, the Alien Collision! All of them seeking nothing less than our extinction. Yes, you defended us from each threat, but that just highlighted how helpless we were. Without you our civilization, our very planet, would be gone.

But despite this, despite all the pain and suffering Kaiju have inflicted on our planet, we finally have a chance to end it all, to wipe the slate clean and begin again. And to do that we need your help. Even though we have not been the strongest of allies in the past, we are willing to set that aside and work with you for the betterment of us all. To let go of all the hatred and fear and repair what has been destroyed by riding ourselves of the destroyers. Then, maybe there will be a chance; just a chance, that we can all live in peace. As friends.

Neither Zilla nor Gamera spoke for many minutes, both in awe of the woman's speech. For years the two reptiles had argued in favor of humans, aware that they had been here just as long as many of the Kaiju, if not longer. But neither had been able to put themselves in a human's place, feel the fear and pain that they felt from the conflict of the titans around them. Even for Gamera, a guardian monster of the Earth itself, the feeling was humbling. Individually the humans often made mistakes. The events on Solgell were clear evidence of that. And yet for all their faults they had kept on fighting against foes they could never hope to defeat on their own. Kept living in the face of near certain doom. Could he or Zilla have gone on in the face of such odds? Could any Kaiju?

You are well spoken little one, Gamera finally said. And what you say carries a truth I had refused to recognize. Our actions have not always been the most conducive to our alliance either, must as it pains me to admit. Most of our number have dismissed you in favor of their own concerns. Clearly we were mistaken in that. He knelt down and lowered his face near to the human, a slight smile appearing on his scarred face. Perhaps it is time for that to end. He then bowed his head as he said, On my word as a Guardian of Earth, we will aid you in your coming fights against our shared enemy and bring about a permanent peace for both our peoples. This I swear, so mote it be.

Tears flowed freely down Miki's face as she ran to the giant turtle and hugged his chin resting on the ground. Thank you! Thank you so much!

Zilla, quietly smiling his own smile, turned away from them both and said, I will inform the others, before sprinting off for the center of the island.

Meanwhile the captain of the soldiers felt the pounding footsteps and poked his head outside, shouting, "Miss Saegusa, is everything alright?"

The young woman sniffed, wiping the remaining tears from her cheeks as she turned around to answer. "Yes Captain." A brilliant smile lit up her face. "Everything is going to be just fine. Contact Marshall Pentecost." The smile morphed into a proud smirk. "Tell him we have our reinforcements."

---

A/N: Hello readers of The Bridge, and welcome to the other side of the barrier. Some of you (like me) while reading Tarbtano's awesome story may have been wondering just what was happening on the human side of things while Equestria gets more and more hectic. Well, me being the obsessive time sink that I am, I decided to fill in the blanks for myself and anyone who is interested. Just to make note, Tarbtano is aware of my story and given it his full approval, (as you can see with the very first review) so all of what happens here might as well be canon. That said, I will be interfacing with him as much as possible to ensure that I don't throw a human wrench into his well oiled kaiju/pony plot machine. That said, *note to self, find new segues*, humanity's overall involvement with the main story is probably going to amount to... zilch. The Dimension Tide is broke, the unnamed Big Bad (my money is on it being Bagan, but that's just me) is focusing entirely on Equestria, and as this story will show, humanity has problems of its own to deal with. Much awesomeness and glory will soon ensue, so tune in next time for Humanity's Stand: The End War. BlazingPhoenix17 flame out.

Humanity's Stand

Preparing for the End

"You can't be serious."

Gamera groaned yet again as the latest Kaiju displayed his disapproval of the strengthening of the Earth Defender-Human alliance. For the past three hours Kaiju had been pouring in from all corners of the island, most of them irritable at the very least about their interrupted sleep. The turtle guardian had planned to wait until everyone had arrived before explaining his decision but had been forced to go over the events repeatedly by impatient allies who really only wanted to go back to sleep. As a result he had had to start his story over multiple times, each time becoming more frustrated with the situation, to the point he started wondering if there would be an Earth Defender faction left to aid the humans by the point he finally finished.

Thankfully the latest interloper was also the last, though this promised little respite given who it was. "You expect us to just accept this alliance that you made without having spoken with any of us beforehand. Especially since we know that it was the humans who got us in this mess in the first place!"

Gamera glared back at the incensed monster, regretting his sharing of that tidbit of information somewhat. "Yes Gabara, I do. In case you have somehow forgotten in the last few days, I am your new leader, and if I say that we are helping the humans, then we are helping the humans."

The green skinned beast snorted petulantly and replied, "And what if don't wanna, huh? You can't make me fight for your stupid alliance. I'm going to stay here and catch up on my Tanaka-damned sleep, and nothing you say will convince me otherwise."

Gamera did not have a chance to respond before Zilla did it before him. The saurian swiftly grabbed Gabara by the ear before he could react and pulled the toad's face to his own. "Listen here you idiot ogre. You've always been a pain in the rear for every Kaiju on this island ever since Godzilla let you stay with us. Every time we go out to fight our enemies you whine and complain about having to do the slightest thing. You're arrogant, lazy, and severely lacking in personal hygiene. Tanaka only knows why Junior put up with you as long as he did but here's something you need to learn right now. I. WILL. NOT!" Zilla then threw the taller Kaiju to the ground before planting his foot on the other's scaled chest. "Follow our commands, listen our reasons, and be a good little Kaiju, or I will make sure you'll never be able to set foot on this island again. IS! THAT! CLEAR!"

Gabara glared hatefully up at the saurian but said nothing, knowing better than to further provoke Zilla. The other Kaiju remained silent, though most of them were subtlety smirking at the brat's misfortunes. Despite being technically one of their allies, none of the Earth Defenders particularly cared for Gabara, let alone respected him. Still, better he was (nominally) on their side than fighting for the mutants. No matter how annoying he was.

The argument restarted when the bat-like Varan said, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Gabara. Sort of." The green kaiju, who was rubbing his shoulder where he'd landed, hissed at Varan in annoyance, but was otherwise silent. "Even if joining the humans would give us enough strength to kill the remaining mutants, how could we possibly trust them? You yourself told us that they purposely fired that weapon of theirs at us in hopes of catching Xenilla and Destroyah. They didn't care about how many of us might have gotten in the way." Several of the other Kaiju nodded or growled agreements with the smaller creature's statement.

Gamera gazed back at his questioner, face blank. "I understand your hesitance, all of you. Despite our shared enemy in the mutants, we have always been in conflict with the humans. Our interests are often very different and we have both done things to harm the other. Yes, they fired their weapon knowing that some of us could be caught in the blast, but they did so to kill a pair of monsters who were a threat to the entire planet. Many humans also mourned our losses and have called out the leaders who ordered it. Even with all of the damage we have done to them over the years, both on purpose," his gaze shifted to several of the neutral kaiju, who had the grace to look guilty (save for Gabara), "and on accident, they care about us enough to regret our passing. Have any of us truly thought of the many deaths humanity has had to suffer through even when we are actively aiding them? How many Kaiju have we lost in comparison?"

Many of the Earth defenders looked amongst themselves, uncomfortably aware of how much truth was in their leader's words. Kaiju deaths were exceedingly rare, given how insanely tough they all were. Even the Antverse Kaiju, notorious amongst the humans for their relative frailty, took quite a bit of effort to completely kill. Mortally wound and send running home for repair, yes. Outright killing them? Not so much. The other side of the coin was much less pleasant for the humans. Even though most of the Earth Defenders tried to fight the mutants before they could reach human cities, sometimes they were forced to engage them inside those cities, which never went well no matter how cautious they were. And several of them were much less cautious then they should be.

"That may be true," Gorosaurus said, "but it does not change the fact that they are still a threat to us, just as we are to them. What guarantee do we have that they won't try to eliminate us one day?"

It was a valid question, Gamera knew, and one he had given plenty of thought to. For the most part, when the mutants weren't rampaging at least, Kaiju and humans left each other alone, with the Kaiju living on far away islands or in distant wilderness relative to human civilization. The problem was just how long such a status quo would last without a common enemy uniting them. Gamera had been watching humanity grow for eons upon eons, but these last few centuries had seen the smaller species expand in ways he would never have predicted. In truth, he expected that humanity would surpass them in less than hundred years. The fact that they had survived the endless onslaught of enemies so much larger than them for more than half a century was nothing short of remarkable. Even the change after the events of Final Wars was staggering. Despite having more than half the planet under simultaneous assault by both alien militaries and more than two dozen kaiju, humanity had managed to hold its ground and eventually push them all back with the assistance of the Godzilla lead Earth Defenders. Now they had improved their war machines to be a near match to even the strongest of the Kaiju. They just lacked the numbers to win on their own.

"The simple answer to that, Gorosaurus, is that there is no guarantee. At present there is no major reason why the humans may not one day decide that Earth would be better off without any Kaiju at all. And given just a few more decades, they may be able to do just that."

Many of the Kaiju stared at their leader in shock at his bluntness, as well as the idea of the long protected humans rising up against them. It took them some time to accept the possibility of that happening. "What do we do then Gamera?" asked a tightly coiled up Manda.

Gamera responded with, "We give them a reason. Many of you have not had a chance to look closely at human history, but I have. They have a remarkable ability to forgive and forget, and aiding them in finally bringing peace to the planet would create the good will we need to end the animosity between us. If we prove that they have nothing to fear from us and that we are willing to fight against their enemies, then they will be willing to let us live in peace. For the sake of both of us, we must let go of the past and fight for the future." He pointed to each Kaiju in the circle as he continued in a louder voice, "For the last sixty years we have all had to fight for our very lives. What kind of cowards would we be if we ignored this chance to end it all? Will we lay back and let our enemies destroy everything we fought for?"

"NO!" Baragon cried, as several of the other Kaiju roared in agreement.

"No, we will not! We will fight with the humans! We will kill the ones who have harmed us for all these years! WE WILL END THIS WAR!"

A chorus of roars echoed around the valley in answer, causing dozens of little avalanches all around the group. To any humans listening it would have sounded like a hurricane had shouted in earth-shattering rage. When the roars finally subsided Gamera said in a commanding tone, "Go and sleep. Rest your bodies and prepare your minds. Next week, the end will begin."

The group separated at his words, many of them growling in anticipation of what was to come. Gabara was the only one who didn't seem the least bit excited and was giving Zilla a look of sheer loathing while sparking some electricity around his hands.

Zilla just grinned cheekily at him and said, "What are you still doing here Gabby? Didn't you say something earlier about how sleepy you were? Now's your chance."

The green creature gave a (slightly) menacing growl before turning away. Zilla chuckled a bit and commented, "That's a good boy Gabby." Gabara rapidly faced the saurian, rage evident on his face and looking for all the world like he was ready to commit murder when he remembered that Gamera was there as well. Reluctantly, and after giving Zilla an even more hate-filled looked than before, he turned and stalked off. Zilla made a double click, similar to a human dismissing a dog, which caused the ogre to pause for a moment before stomping his foot and leaving for good.

"You should not taunt him like that Zilla," Gamera reprimanded. "Of all the Earth Defenders left, he is the only one I worry about controlling."

Zilla just grunted and replied, "He's nothing more than a bully Gamera, and the best way to control a bully is to show them who's boss. He may hate me for it, but he also has to respect me, and that means he will listen to what I say, whether he likes it or not." A smile appeared as he said, "Nice speech by the way."

Gamera turned away from his fellow reptile and gazed out at the sea, groaning as he did. "I hate giving speeches."

"So does Miki, yet you both seem to have a knack for it," Zilla commented as he stepped to his leader's side. "Weird how that works out huh?"

The turtle guardian could not help but chuckle. "I suppose it is." They both stood quietly on the cliff there, looking without seeing the sun rising above the waves. "It is quite likely that some of us will die in this conflict you know. I do not expect us all to survive unscathed."

"I know," Zilla responded quietly. "I won't pretend that I'm not scared. Not with you at least. Many of the mutants are stronger than us, and there are a whole lot of them out there. Even with the human's help this is going to be a very close fight. I'm not sure we can even win. But it would be a disgrace to the Big G's memory if we just let the world pass us by. One way or another we're going to finish this once and for all." Zilla slammed his tail against the ground in punctuation of his statement.

Gamera looked at his friend, his face a grim mask. "There is something I must tell you Zilla, but you must promise me that you will tell none of the others, at least not yet. I do not wish to give them false hope. Or fear, as the case may be."

"What are you talking about Gamera?" Zilla asked curiously.

"The Dimension Tide did not kill any of the Kaiju it hit. Instead it transported them across time and space to another world entirely. Godzilla, Mothra, Anguirus and Rodan are all still alive."

"THEY ARE!" Zilla cried joyously. "How do you know? Where are they? Are they alright? Is there any way they can get back home?"

"Easy Zilla," Gamera said as he laid a soothing hand on the lizard's shoulder. "Let me answer your questions before ask too many. I know they are alive because I have spoken with them. Or one of them at least. Mothra managed to contact me with a telepathy spell." Zilla groaned, prompting Gamera to pause and ask him, "What is wrong?"

Zilla just shook his head and said in an annoyed tone, "Magic that's what. I don't like magic. It's too unpredictable, not to mention dangerous."

Gamera, himself a creature created through magic (or something close to it) quirked an eye-ridge at him and said, "And what's so bad about magic hmm?"

Realizing what he had just said and to whom he had just said it, Zilla hastily said, "Not that all magic is untrustworthy of course. I just prefer to deal with science or natural stuff. At least with them I can understand what's going on."

Gamera simply rolled his eyes. "Getting back on topic, Mothra informed me that she and the others are all safe and sound, though not without a few… changes."

"Like what?"

Gamera coughed for a moment, remembering the rather… odd form Mothra had assumed. "I would rather not say. It is somewhat complicated. As for your other two questions, the land they are in is called Equestria and they are working with the land's inhabitants to find a way home. Nothing is available at present, but there are several possibilities they are looking into." Gamera's face grew grim as he continued, "That is where the good news ends I am afraid. Xenilla and Destroyah are there as well, and though they have managed to avoid a fight for the time being, there is no telling how long that will last. Even worse is the fact that all of the mutants and aliens who were struck by the Dimension Tide were also teleported as well. Mothra does not know where they all are, but whoever fired the Dimension Tide at them knew what it would do and took all of the strongest of our enemies for themselves."

Zilla stared down at the ground, brooding about what he'd heard. "So none of them are actually dead. Even if we clear out the Earth of the remaining mutants, the worst of them are still out there somewhere, under the control of someone we don't even know." He swept his tail back and forth nervously. "Not the nicest of thoughts."

"No, it is not," Gamera agreed. "But it does mean that killing the remaining mutants is even more important than before. If or when our friends return, they will need all the help we can muster to face what is arrayed against us. Removing the threats from Earth will mean both we Kaiju and the humans can concentrate on this unknown enemy whenever they make their move."

Zilla huffed, his gaze still turned towards the ground. "Makes sense that you wouldn't want to tell anyone else just yet I guess."

Gamera smiled reassuringly and patted his friend's head. "Fret not, Zilla. Mothra is hard at work finding them all a way home and she has some very good help too. Miss Sparkle seemed rather intelligent for a purple pony."

Zilla had been nodding along as Gamera spoke but froze when he heard that last word. He quickly turned to face his friend and asked in a rush, "What did you just say?"

Gamera stammered for a moment before saying, "Ah, yes, that. The inhabitants of the land our friends arrived in are apparently sentient ponies and our friends have been transformed into ponies themselves. I have no idea how that came about but magic seems to be very common there so it is not completely improbable."

In all the time Gamera had lived on Earth he had never once seen a kaiju's jaw drop like Zilla's did just then. The guardian monster was almost worried his friend had dislocated something because of how far it dropped. "Are you alright Zilla?"

"Ineedtochecksomething." Then, without even so much as a backward look or sign of hesitation Zilla leapt off the cliff into the water several hundred feet below. Gamera starred after him in stunned silence, unsure of whether he should follow the saurian or not. Eventually he decided to let his friend go and get some rest for himself. If it was important Zilla would tell him about it later.

---

"You have got to be shitting me!"

Marshall Pentecost sighed at the annoying but entirely expected shouting that came from the youngest of the Jaeger pilots in the room. He had gathered all of the controllers for his various mechs and jaegers together to brief them on the plan for what he was calling the End War. Most of them had reacted in the way most soldiers did to the announcement of planned hostilities. Stoic acceptance and quiet focus on what would be required of them. One of them did not do that though.

"You honestly expect me to trust those damn monsters with protecting my back while I'm fighting for my life against the monsters they have failed to kill for years? Are you out of your fucken mind?!"

"Enough!" Hercules Hansen shouted. "Remember who you're speaking to sonny. Pentecost is your commanding officer and you will treat him with the proper respect. Understood?"

Chuck Hansen, still visibly seething in impotent rage, managed to contain himself enough to say, "My apologies sir."

Pentecost gave his signature death glare to the young man and stated, "It will not happen again."

"Yes sir," Chuck said in a much steadier voice. "Sorry sir."

The Marshall let his tone soften as he said, "I understand that you are reluctant about this, Ranger, but I have a solid guarantee from the Earth Defender's leader that they will fully cooperate with us in battle and they have promised peace afterwards. There is no debate about that."

"Sir," Raleigh Becket said, "how exactly is this going to work? Every time we've worked with the Earth Defenders before we've had trouble trying to coordinate with them. We spend almost as much time avoiding their attacks as actually fighting the mutants."

"He's right," his copilot, Mako, agreed. "I have looked at the history of our fights alongside the Defender's, and each time our effectiveness was barely increased. We need to have a way of communicating with them during combat for our efforts to succeed."

Pentecost nodded at his surrogate daughter. "That is why every pilot team will be including a telepath in their drift. The telepaths will be able to contact the Defenders and keep them appraised of our strategies."

Aleksis, one of the pilots of the Russian Jaeger Cherno Alpha, scoffed and asked in his deep voice, "And where would we get that many compatible telepaths from?"

Miki took up this chance to enter the conversation, saying, "Common knowledge would say that is a problem, but in actuality all telepaths are compatible with anyone in a drift. Normal drifters are actually just partial telepaths who can only use their abilities with the aid of drifting technology." Most of the pilots were surprised by the information, but Mako just smiled at her sister knowingly while Raleigh shrugged.

"We will be spending the rest of this week running drills in the simulator to get everyone adjusted to the new setup. Any questions?" After a moment of silence he dismissed them, giving a lingering look at Herc and his son, whose face was one of carefully concealed anger.

As they were leaving the door opened to reveal a middle aged Asian woman wearing a doctor's lab coat entering the room. Upon seeing her both Mako and Miki rushed over and pulled her into three person hug. "Azusa-sama, when did you get in from San Francisco?" Miki asked after she and her sister finally let their adoptive mother go. "Why didn't you call us to let us know you were coming?"

The doctor's eyes twinkled with mirth as she responded, "Well, it wouldn't be much of a surprise if I told you I was coming now would it?" The three of them all laughed, Miki's bright giggling contrasting with her sister's quieter chuckling. "To be honest, dears, I didn't have much time to warn you anyway. Marshall called me as soon as he knew you had succeeded Miki, and I had to catch the quickest flight I could. I still don't like flying in those darn Concords. Much too fast for an old woman like me."

Mako rolled her eyes at her mother's joking and gave her another tight squeeze before departing after her waiting partner, promising to meet her later as she left.

Pentecost, who had been silently smiling at the heartwarming scene at the back of the room, asked "Will the telepaths be ready for training tomorrow Dr. Gozo?"

"Hopefully, if any of them can even get to sleep tonight," she said with a huff. "That's another thing I don't like about hypersonic flight. It's supposed to make jet lag easier to deal with by arriving within a few hours of your departure, but that just makes it even more confusing. Instead of a day long flight, which most passengers are probably going to sleep through, you have a flight about as long as a short car trip, meaning your internal clock thinks it's acclimated to the local time, but it's even more off than it would be normally. It's utterly maddening."

Pentecost just stood there and listened to her rant, having heard his colleague go off on the same topic practically every time she was forced to use it. Even with his legendary composure he still had a hard time keeping himself from cracking a smile at her antics. "They've done it before. I'm sure they'll manage this time." His tone grew softer as he inquired, "How are you feeling?"

Azusa's eye's dimmed slightly as she recognized what he was really asking about. "I'll be fine. I'm…" She took a deep breath. "I'm sure that wherever he is, he's in a better place." Tears started to roll down her cheeks. "I just wish I had a chance to…" Her voice trailed off as she started to sob in earnest. Miki, whose own eyes were just as watery, drew her mother into a hug and held her as they both cried.

"If it's any consolation, I deeply regretted signing off on the order to fire the Dimension Tide," Pentecost said to the two weeping women.

"I know," Azusa said as she wiped the wet streaks off her cheeks. "I made sure of that."

Though he did not visibly react, Pentecost's mental grimace was very strong. That had not be a pleasant conversation. His bodyguards had actually burst into his room to make sure he was safe, only to receive their own earful from a then volcanic Azusa before she turned her attention back to him. As if his own guilt had not done the job of chastising him enough on its own. After a moment of thought he sighed and said, "There is something I have not informed you about…"

Suddenly alarms started blaring all around the room. Pentecost immediately ran to his desk and slammed the button for the central command room. "Tendo, what is it? What's been detected?"

"Kaiju signature in the Pacific about 200 kilometers away from us sir, and its closing fast! We're still trying to identify who it is."

"What do we have on hand for combat?" Pentecost asked as he brought up the readiness lists on his monitor. Miki and Azusa stood at his shoulders, grimly watching the man work.

"Horizon Brave is the only one on deck in the area sir. Should I contact the Chinese to get it sent out?"

Pentecost's answer died in his throat as a satellite image of the incoming Kaiju appeared on his screen. Miki gasped in his ear and quickly said, "That's Zilla! My god, I've never seen him swim that fast before."

"What's his speed Mr. Choi?" Azusa inquired.

After several muted beeps Tendo's voice was heard. "What? No, that's not possible, check it again. What do you mean you've already checked it?"

"His speed Mr. Choi," Pentecost ordered.

An audible gulp was heard before Tendo answered with, "90 knots sir. Maybe a little more, the waves make it hard to tell."

None of the three spoke for a moment, the silence only broken by the sounds of conversation from the command room. "What is the record for a kaiju swimming on the surface Mr. Choi?"

"The previous record was..." he paused as he entered in the requisite search, "uh, 76 knots sir. And Zilla was the previous record holder as well. So… do you still want me to contact the Chinese?"

"Negative, Mr. Choi. Alert all Shatterdome personnel that it is a friendly Kaiju and to return to repair work on Mogurea and Jet Jaguar. Then met us down on the launch deck. We're going to see what our saurian friend needs to tell us.

---

Sometime later (but much less than expected) lookouts on top of the Shatterdome reported the first signs of Zilla's approach. Ship traffic near the southeast entrance to the harbor had been cleared in advance, which thankfully resulted in less disruption than expected. As the Kaiju began to enter the bay, waves thirty foot high preceded him. While in the past such high torrents would have resulted in a danger of flooding for the city near the Dome, anti-flooding walls of more than 80 feet had been erected in every coastal city or town that was susceptible to kaiju attack. The walls made shipping moderately more difficult and beach tourism was all but eradicated, but the safety of the citizens took precedent.

Pentecost, Miki, Azusa, Tendo, Taizo, Gordon, and Ozaki all stared down at the mound of water that was rapidly approaching the mountain Shatterdome was built into. The landing pad around them was still bustling with activity, though many workers also sat idle in curiosity at the sight of the approaching creature.

"I wonder what has him so spooked," Ozaki commented to himself.

"Whatever it is," Gordon responded, "it probably isn't good. Zilla doesn't scare easily."

Miki nodded and leaned forward, concerned for her friend. "Are you sure none of the other Kaiju are reacting to his coming here?"

Taizo checked his personal tablet then shook his head. "Everyone else is still on Solgel. Looks like they all decided to bed down for the day. Or week, possibly."

Though not a common trait of all the kaiju, many of the large beasts were noted to spend long periods of time asleep, some staying unconscious for weeks or even months at a time. The activity baffled biologists, though to be fair to them the kaiju did make a mockery of previously established science just by existing. Many had given up hope of ever understanding just how the kaiju really worked, though maybe a lasting peace would give more opportunity for lasting study.

Finally Zilla began to slow as he neared the base of the mountain, the forward waves of his displacement lapping at the lower launch doors of the facility. The giant lizard breached the surface with a massive splash, parts of the spray reaching up over the lip of the launch pad. His subsequent shake-off of the water sliding down his scales looked for all the world like an explosion of rain for a brief instant, prompting a slight chuckle from Doctor Gozo, who never ceased to amaze at the activities of kaiju. Once he was clean, Zilla reached out with his clawed arms and climbed the bare rock of the mountainside until he could poke his head out over the launch pad.

Everyone who had been managing to focus on their assigned tasks stopped now to gaze in awe of the creature above them. Several of the soldiers present snapped off a salute to the friendly kaiju, while both Gordon and Ozaki gave their ally a strong nod of respect.

The quiet moment did not last longer though, as Zilla mentally shouted in the direction of his telepath friend, GODZILLA AND THE OTHERS HAVE TURNED INTO PONIES!

Miki, the only human who could hear the kaiju's announcement, could do naught but tilt her head to the side and say, "What."

---

A/N: Flame in. Hello again readers, and welcome to the next exciting installment of the End War. What do you mean its not exciting yet? Oh come on people, I gave you Zilla bullying Gabara into submission, what more do you want? Full on fighting? Uh... that's coming. Soon. Probably sometime next chapter (I hope). Hey, proper warfare takes time alright. You don't launch into it halfassedly unless you want your ass kicked. Anyway, most of this chapter is just talking, or shouting, with a little bit of world building and character introduction thrown in. Fret not. War will come, and it will not stop until either the world is destroyed, our your minds are. I leave it up to you which is the better outcome. Flam... oh and about that ending. Hehehe. AHHAHAHAHAHA! I just couldn't resist. But don't worry. It gets better. He he. BlazingPhoenix17, Flame out.

Humanity's Stand

Incredulous Questions

A panicked gasp sounded from a woman's lips as the mound of debris beneath her shifted dangerously. She held perfectly still, muttering a silent prayer to herself as the pile of wood, drywall, concrete and fluffy pink insulation stabilized. The woman chuckled at the thought of a certain pink being's reaction to such a situation and calmed down significantly. She let out a sigh of relief as she pushed some of her dark red hair out of her eyes and started to pick out a path down to the ground. Her footing was nearly lost once again when she heard a familiar shout and looked in the direction of the sound.

"Hey Lauren, are you alright?" A tall, curly haired man appeared from behind a partially collapsed wall and made a beeline over to the woman. "I heard something falling."

"I'm fine Craig," Lauren said as she slid down the last few feet on a mostly intact wooden beam. "Just had to get a view of our surroundings."

"How's it look?" Craig asked as he wiped some dust off of his wife's shoulders, much to her amusement.

"It's bad, but it could have been a whole lot worse." The red head waved her arm in the direction of the swath of destruction that lay behind them.

According to the news reports they had both read on the plane flight here, the large saurian kaiju Agon had shown up from a nearby beach and promptly started wreaking havoc with the small town of San Simeon on the California coast. Almost as soon as he arrived, however, the Earth Defender Manda had dragged her enemy by the tail back out to sea through the air before engaging him in combat. Nobody actually saw the fight, but GDF reports stated that Agon had been successfully driven off at the cost of a broken forelimb for Manda. Saurians, even weaker ones like Agon, were not to be trifled with. Now, everyone from members of the National Guard to local volunteer forces was scrabbling all over the damaged town, trying to catalog the damage and start the long process of rebuilding.

Craig sighed as he looked around at the destroyed house they were standing in. "Still pretty bad though." They both stood in a moment of silence, remembering the lives that had been lost. "So," Craig asked, "any particular plans here, or just the normal run-though?"

Lauren was about to answer when they both heard someone coughing nearby. Husband and wife sprang into action, searching underneath every board and beam for the source of the noise. Eventually Lauren found the originator, a small, brown skinned girl who had to be barely more than five years old. She was trapped under a large piece of drywall, though thankfully she appeared to be unharmed. The red headed woman reached under the offending debris and heaved with all her might, but it refused to budge. "Craig," she called out, "a little help here?"

Her husband showed up almost immediately and quickly lifted the wall and threw it off to the side. There weren't many times Lauren reflected on her husband's hybrid ancestry, but it did have its occasional uses. Once the girl was free Lauren reached down and pulled her out, releasing a small cloud of dust along with her. After everyone had cleared their throats with a round of coughing, Lauren gently set the girl on the ground and asked, "Are you alright little one?"

The girl nodded hesitantly and looked down at her lap. She then suddenly scrambled over to the hole she had been trapped in and reached down into it, trying to grab something. "What's wrong dear?" Lauren asked as she crouched down next to the girl. "What are you looking for?"

The child looked up at her petulantly and cried, "Want Twily! Twily aqui!"

Lauren had an idea of what the girl was talking about and said, "You stay here and I'll go get it okay?" She nodded her understanding and crawled over the Craig, who was sitting down on a pile of broken wood. Lauren carefully dropped down into the hole and rummaged in the dust, her hands searching for what she suspected would be a familiar shape. Sure enough after a moment she found a small cloth doll, one covered in dust and with more than a few stain on it, but it was still a recognizable equine. Lauren smiled to herself, then climbed out of the hole and made her way to the little girl, who was playing patty cake with Craig. "Is this what you were looking for honey?"

The girl looked at Lauren and her face lit up upon seeing the doll. "Twily! Estas bien!" She hugged the doll close to her, the rest of the world lost to her in that moment.

"You know," Lauren said, "I actually know Twily quite well."

"Really?" Lauren would swear that she could see the girl's eyes shimmering, though that may have just been some of the leftover tears of joy.

"Yes. She's one of my best friends. In fact I'd say I know her better than anyone." Craig covered his mouth to stifle his chuckling, while Lauren sent him a look that said 'hush you'.

The girl looked down at her doll in awe, but then her face fell as she asked, "What about Mama y Papa? Donde estan?"

Lauren bit her lip, worried that this story may not have a happy ending. When she saw how scared the little girl was though, she steeled herself and said. "Don't worry. We'll help you find them, won't we Craig?" The curly haired man nodded and stood up, pulling out his radio to contact the refugee camp being set up on the beach. While he did that, Lauren asked, "What's your name dear?"

"Maria," said answered quietly.

"Well Maria," she said the last loudly enough for Craig to hear, which he added into his report, "do you want me to tell you a story about Twily?"

"Si, si!"

Lauren smiled at little Maria and sat down on the ground next to her, back up against a still standing piece of wall. "Once, when Twily was still a young filly, she got separated from her parents during Nightmare Night. She was really scared and didn't know what to do. She spent hours wandering around Canterlot, with no idea where to look for her family. Then, to her great surprise, who should she meet but Princess Celestia herself!"

Maria was hanging on her every word, gazing at her in sheer awe. "What did she do?"

"Well the Princess saw that one of her ponies was sad and asked her what was wrong, and when she learned of how Twilight had gotten lost, she decided to help her find her family. It took them most of the night, but they finally found them, and everyone was happy again. Twily tried to thank the Princess for helping, but Celestia was just happy her ponies were happy. And after that, Celestia bought the night to an end and let the day begin again. It was because of that day that Twily grew to look at Celestia as her hero, and did her very best to live up to her example. That is why Twily is so strong, because she worked hard to be the best she could. And one day, many years later, her hero looked back at her but she didn't see a child."

"What did she see?" Maria asked.

Lauren smiled. "She saw a friend."

Just then Lauren heard a shout from Craig, causing her to look up and see her husband pointing at two people approaching them. "I bet that's your parents right now. Why don't you go say hi to them?"

"Mama! Papa!" Maria ran over to them as fast as her exhausted legs could carry her, Lauren and Craig following closely behind.

"That was a great story Laur," Craig said with pride. "Maybe you should put that in the new season."

The red head laughed and replied, "If I can find the room for it. Most of the season is already planned out. I might be able to fit it in, maybe in a breather episode or as a flashback."

"What would be the lesson in it then?" Craig lifted a beam that Maria had simply run under, allowing his wife to pass underneath.

"How about that, even though your mentor is a major part of your life, you can't forget that it's your life to live and that sometimes you have to let those you look up to just be your friend. You know what, I am going to put that in. It would be a good way to show Twilight's humility after all that craziness with Tirek."

The couple paused in their conversation when they heard Maira say, "You're not mis padres."

The taller of the two people, an Asian man with untamed black hair and dark eyes, ignored the girl at his feet and said, "Are you Lauren Faust?"

"Yes," Lauren called out. "Who's asking?"

The man's stern gaze sharpened as he said, "Major Kazama Kosugi, second in command to Colonel Ozaki and head of the Hybrid Combat Teams. Your presence is required at GDF headquarters in Hong Kong."

"What for?" Craig questioned as he sized up the Major. The hybrid soldier was wearing an all-black outfit with translucent, plastic looking armor pieces strapped to various points around his body. His numerous pouches and pockets bulged with various weapons and ammunition, including a nasty looking dagger. Craig had plenty of experience with his own hybrid abilities, which Lauren had used as inspiration for the Earth pony species' subtle strength, but he somehow knew that this Kazama could break him over his knee without even a sweat.

The other man, who was slightly shorter with wavy brown hair and a warm gaze, said, "We've found some interesting information that requires your assistance in interpreting." He looked apologetic as he continued, "I know that you want to stay here and aid in the rebuilding effort, but this is very important. You are the only one who can help us."

Lauren folded her arms over her chest, glaring at the two men. "Why me? What could I possibly know that's related to anything the GDF would be worrying about?"

The kinder one rubbed the back of his head with a sheepish look on his face. "It's… hard to explain. But honestly we do need your help."

"And I don't think two missing volunteers is going to matter all that much," Kazama said dismissively.

Craig growled at the other hybrid, but calmed when Lauren placed her hand on his shoulder. "Fine," she finally said. "I will go with you…" Kazama nodded and the other agent breathed a sigh of relief. "… after I help this little girl find her family."

The soldier groaned in annoyance and kicked at a piece of wall, which was pulverized into dust at the contact. The brown haired man however just crouched down to look Maria in the eyes and asked, "Could you think about parent's please dear?"

"Okay," she said and then closed her eyes, concentrating.

The man smiled and held a hand up to his heard, placing two fingers against his temple, and adopted his own focused concentration. After a moment he opened his eyes and stood, saying, "I don't think finding her parents will take very long."

"How do you figure that?" Craig asked.

"MARIA!" Everyone turned to where the shout had come from, all but one surprised to see a man and woman running through the crushed houses at full tilt. Maria got up and started running to them as well, her doll flopping back and forth in her hand as she called out, "Mama! Papa!"

Lauren turned to the brown haired agent and asked, "How… how did you…"

He just smiled and said, "Telepathy has plenty of uses, but it works best when you have the person's permission."

She turned back to the family, who were locked into a group hug and crying tears of joy. Lauren looked back at the revealed telepath and said, "Thank you so much Mister…?"

"Xavier," he said while holding out a hand. "Charles Xavier. Pleased to meet you."

Lauren shook his hand gladly and was about to thank him again when she heard little Maria say, "Lady! Hey lady." She turned to the little girl, who was waving at her wildly, urging her to come over. Lauren laughed and said to Charles, "If you'll excuse me for a moment."

Lauren walked over to the family, her grin only getting bigger as the two parents started thanking her profusely in rapid fire Spanish. But best of all for her was seeing the little girl gazing up at her in pure joy, her eyes blazing with happiness. That smile, that expression of hope, that face saying that maybe there was more to the world than just unending darkness. That was what Lauren lived for.

"Just like your story lady," Maria said with a flourish. She held up her tattered Twilight doll and asked, "Does this mean I like Twily?"

Lauren nodded and said, "Yes dear, just like Twily."

Maria's smiled widened and she hugged the doll again. Then she looked up at Lauren and asked, "Will I ever see you again?"

Lauren patted the girl's head and said, "Just keep watching my show dear. I'll be there whenever you need me."

Maria wrapped around Lauren in an impressive bear hug for such a small girl then waved goodbye as Lauren walked back to the two GDF agents. Lauren waved back, glad in her heart that she had been able to help that family get back together. Now if only she could figure out just what the Global Defense Force wanted with a semi-famous animation director for a little girl's show.

---

Let me get this straight. You swam over one thousand miles at the fastest speed you have ever done, on minimal sleep and energy, just to tell the GDF that Godzilla and the others had turned into ponies?

Zilla glared at Gamera in annoyance. Didn't I just get through explaining this to you?

Zilla went back to eating from his huge pile of fish, leaving Gamera to chuckle to himself. The turtle guardian had been sleeping calmly back on Solgell island when he felt the physic call from Miki. The turbulent feeling behind the telepath's thoughts had prompted Gamera to leave immediately, but by the time he'd arrived she had calmed and redirected the kaiju to where Zilla was currently resting. Now the two giant reptiles were sitting peacefully on a mountain near the Shatterdome, the younger one wolfing down hundreds of pounds worth of fish with each bite. You sure do eat a lot of fish don't you? Gamera asked with a smile.

Zilla paused in his meal to retort, Well excuse me mister Mana-being, but not all of us can subsist solely on the background energy of the universe. Besides, I usually eat whales or the occasional Kamoebas when I can. And if the GDF is kind enough to give me a few tons of leftover fish, then I'm not going to complain.

Gamera laughed a bit and fell silent, letting his friend chomp down on the tiny dead creatures. I still do not understand what all the fuss is about. Sure, the thought of our friends being shrunk down to tiny colorful mammals is amusing, but it does not seems to be a major problem.

It's not that Godzilla is now a pony that has everyone worked up, Zilla said after a particularly large gulp, though I'm pretty sure several of them are laughing their asses off at the thought of it. What's really strange is that the world that they are in exists here, in our universe, as a children's TV show! Do you know how impossibly unlikely it is that, out of everywhere our friends could have ended up, they landed in a place that humans made up for the sake of entertainment?

Gamera placed his hand on his chin in thought. When you put it like that, it does seem rather odd.

Too odd. Zilla snapped up the last of his fish in a flash and let out a mighty belch which knocked over several of the young trees on the slope. Some of the scientists think that this is too unlikely a coincidence to have just happened naturally. They suspect that someone, or something, may have deliberately sent them to Equestria, though how or why, no one knows. The satisfied saurian laid down on the ground and curled up his tail. Combine that with the hijacked Dimension Tide shots and some of the humans are feeling pretty skittish right now.

But why? What possible purpose would anyone have for sending our friends to such a place?

Zilla shook his head and said, I don't know, but I get the feeling that whatever it is, it can't be good. Both kaiju fell silent, contemplating and worrying about the unknown.

Sometime later, the two kaiju heard a stir of sound down below them. A large tiltjet was approaching the upper landing pad.

What do you figure that's about? Zilla asked.

You said they were bringing in experts to try to explain more about Equestria, correct? Perhaps that is them.

Zilla nodded comfortably before settling back down for sleep.

---

"So who exactly are we meeting again?" Paterson asked as he shrugged on his ballistic vest over his security uniform. A helmet soon followed, the drab gray plastic covering up his carefully groomed blonde locks.

Sarah groaned at her chronically inattentive partner. "Did you even hear anything the Captain was saying in the briefing? You know, the one that just ended?" She was already fully dressed for the mission, though some of her chocolate brown hair still managed to sneak past her forehead and hang in front of her eyes. Just the way she liked it.

"Oh come on Sarah, you know what Pat's like," Amanda admonished as she swapped out her ordinary sneakers for soldier's boots. "As soon as he hears the words 'Escort Mission' his ears turn off."

The other woman just rolled her eyes and turned back to Pat, who was busy wiping some nonexistent dust off of his arms' armor panels. "One of these day's we're going to get an actual combat mission based around escorting a VIP, and you are going to get your sorry ass killed because you weren't paying attention."

Pat held up a hand to his ear and said loudly, "I'm sorry, what was that? I couldn't hear you. My ears are turned off. Not sure how that happened."

Sarah responded by throwing an empty pistol clip at him, while Amada just laughed at their antics. Then a loud voice shouted from the entrance, "If you kiddies are done messing around, then maybe we can get to work."

Pat was the first to react, instantly standing ramrod straight with a salute and yelling, "Captain on deck!" The other two stared slack-jawed at the officer for a moment before they recovered and mimicked their partner's pose.

"If I recall correctly that is a naval phrase, and I don't believe any of you are in the marines." Captain Gondo walked into the room, his permanent smirk doing its thing and putting the soldiers at ease. He was a large man, easily over six feet tall, and bulky enough to outsize the female members of the squad by nearly double. Despite that, he was a very easy-going guy, always ready for a quick word or a snappy joke. He also routinely defeated every other guard in the simulation trainer, along with many of the jaeger pilots (solo and in teams), and even some of the hybrids. When your job is to guard a base that was full of hybrid special forces, telepaths, and all sorts of new weapons tech, you tend to have a lot of free training time on your hands.

Pat smiled cheekily and said, "Well that's obvious sir. We're way too skilled to be marines."

Gondo laughed and slapped the young man's shoulder, staggering him slightly. "Damn right. No soldiers under my command will ever be as pathetic and useless as a marine. Isn't that right!?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good to hear. Now," he said as he waltzed around them to his own locker at the back of the changing room, "if you're still confused at all about who we are after…"

Both girls glared playfully at Pat, who whistled innocently under the stares.

"…then allow me to enlighten you." He pulled out a small pocket tablet and tapped the screen a few times. He then turned the device around and showed his team a picture. The woman in the picture had deep red hair and a kindly face holding a slew of big headed girl's dolls in her arms. "This, ladies and Pat, is Lauren Faust, creator of the children's TV show My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. We're bringing her in for… consultations."

Sarah gaped at her commander in utter bewilderment, while the other two squad members looked as though Christmas had come early.

"Bu… but why? Sarah sputtered. "Why the hell… I don't…"

Pat was practically hopping in place by this point. "Oh this is fantastic! I have sooo many questions for her. Do you think I can get her autograph?"

"Wait, you actually watch that crap?" Sarah asked.

Both Pat and Amada glared at their friend while Pat said, "It is not crap, Sarah. It is a wonderful show full of excellent characters, beautiful animation, and teaches meaningful lessons about friendship and harmony."

Sarah held out her arms in confusion and said, "But it's a girl's show! A little girl's show! About ponies!"

Amanda folded her arms and said, "There is no age limit on watching the show, and no reason grow-ups can't enjoy it just as much as our children can."

Latching onto what Amanda had just said, Sarah tried to clarify, "So you just watch it with your kids then?"

"Well that's how it started," Pat said, "but over time I just started to like it on my own. Heck, I'd say I'm a bigger fan than my daughter at this point."

Sarah just stared back, at a complete loss for words. Amanda rolled her eyes at her squad mates and asked Gondo, "What do you think Cap?"

Gondo just shrugged, almost completely dressed in his combat uniform, and answered, "I don't watch much TV. Besides, I'm more impressed with the woman's philanthropy career. According to UN records she and her husband have donated over twenty million dollars to various charity organizations around the world, and have gone on forty different volunteer missions to places damaged by kaiju attacks and even natural disasters. She's had enough medical training to be a one woman Red Cross, and her husband is apparently an excellent organizer." He smiled at the stunned looks of the squad. "One thing's for sure. This is a woman on a mission, and she'll go through hell or high water to get it done."

The Captain finished the last few straps on his gun belt and said, "Alright I think that's enough yapping for now. Let's get on up to the upper landing pad." With that, the small squad picked up their rifles, safeties on of course, and made their way to the elevator at the end of the hall. After they piled in and started up, Amada turned to her CO and asked, "Why exactly are we bringing Lauren in sir? Not that I'm complaining, it would be awesome to meet her, but what use could the GDF have for her?"

"You know, I could have sworn I just said no yapping." Amanda raised her eyebrow at the man, and he relented with a grunt. "Fine, but you didn't hear this from me. Is that clear?" Everyone in the elevator nodded their accent. "Alright, you all remember how Dimension Tide was used on Solgell to kill Xenilla and Destroyah? Well as it turns out those black holes it fires don't kill their target, they just transport it to another universe. And I'll give you one guess where all them Kaiju ended up."

The entire squad gaped at him, bemusement and confusion evident on their faces. "You can't be serious," Sarah said.

"Oh I'm serious. And it gets better. Apparently the monsters aren't even in their actual forms. They've been turned into ponies themselves."

More silence ensued, until Pat suddenly started laughing so hard he could barely stay standing. "You… ha ha… you mean to tell me that Godzilla, King of the Fucking Monsters, is now a tiny little pony? Ahahahaha."

"It is pretty ridiculous, isn't it?" Gondo said with a chuckle. "But weird or not, it is what happened, so we need to know everything we can about where they ended up."

"Why?" Amanda asked. "If the monsters are in Equestria, then they can't be a threat to us, and there's no way for them to get home right?"

Gondo shook his head. "According to what Zilla and Gamera told us, they just might be able to come home. Depends on if they can get the local magic to work hard enough. That and the worries some of the scientists have about the other monsters that were struck with the DT. There's no telling where they ended up, so getting Godzilla and the other Earth Defenders back would be extremely helpful. And goddamn these elevators are slow!"

They all laughed, all intimately familiar with the snail-like pace of the elevators during non-critical periods to save on maintenance problems. When they needed to, these lifts could push themselves to ludicrous speeds, but doing so played hell with the electromagnets that ran them. Finally, the bell dinged and the doors opened onto the hallway leading to the landing pad. Everyone took up their rifles and marched down the hall, Captain Gondo at the head. "Try to be polite kiddies. And save your fan-girling for after her meeting with Command."

The doors opened and the squad emptied out onto the pad. This pad was much smaller than the one down below, meant for transporting important persons securely into the facility. There were only a few technicians waiting outside, ready to refuel the transport for immediate departure if necessary. "How soon till the plane gets here?" Gondo questioned one of the techs.

The man, a Hong Kong local, responded in quick Mandarin, which Gondo quickly translated.

"Just a few minutes he says." They all gather together in the center of the pad, and sure enough there was soon the sound of jet exhaust approaching. The tilt-jet turned in to land, waves of hot air washing over the squad as it set down. They all stood at attention as the side door of the vehicle opened and the occupants spilled out. At the head of the group was a woman with the same red hair as in the picture.

"Miss Faust, welcome to the Shatterdome. If you'll please follow us, we'll take you to Command and we can get started right away."

"Of course," she said firmly.

With that the group turned and began to head back inside. Then a series of gun shots rang out. Gondo was the first to react, whirling around in an instant with his rifle trained toward the sound, only to run face-first into the barrel of a pistol. The other squad members didn't have much more of a chance as they were tackled to the ground and forcibly separated from their weapons. A quick look confirmed that the technicians had been killed without warning or remorse, something that angered Gondo greatly. The squad was quickly disarmed and stripped of all ammo, then cuffed and dragged together.

"Who the fuck are you?" Pat screamed in rage. "What do you want?"

The enemy soldiers removed covers on their shoulders, revealing a patch with a blood red sun emblazoned with fire. The woman at the head tore off the wig she was wearing, letting her dark black hair fall free. She grinned with a predatory smile and said, "We are the Red Dawn, harbingers of the will of our gods, and we will now use humanity's worst offense to cleanse this corrupt race from the world." Her gaze turned to Gondo, and she leaned in close to him, saying, "Lead us to Dimension Tide."

---

A/N: Flame in. Hello everyone and welcome back to Humanity's Stand. Why yes, MLP: FiM does exist in this universe. How very interesting. What are the odds of that? Its almost as if someone was watching human civilization and deliberately manipulated the DT to send whatever was hit there. But come on, that's just idle speculation right? Right? I think you guys can see why there were many 'why's being thrown around in here. And before anyone asks, no mutants (X-men mutants at least) do not exist here. I'm just using Charles' name because its easy to recognize. Gondo is one of the heroes from Godzilla vs Biolante, and the second most badass normal human in the Godzillaverse, after Gordon of course. And as for these here terrorists at the end, well basically just picture an animal-rights group who worship Kaiju as gods and believe humans are a blight that needs to be erased. And they had covert support from Kaiju war profiteers all over the world. After all, the longer the Kaiju war goes, the more they profit. Next chapter the GDF will have to fight a war within that threatens to ruin the End War before it can begin. BlazingPhoenix17 flame out.

Humanity's Stand

Our Base Are Belong to Us

Automatic doors opened wide to allow admittance of a large group of people, four of them pushed along roughly by the men behind them. Captain Gondo, whose arms were tied with double the amount of rope as his squad, glared daggers at the woman leading them to the elevator. Pat, Sarah, and Amada were more subdued, though each was constantly searching for any possible opening to get free from their bonds. Sadly, their enemy knew what they were doing quite well, and even had they not be restrained the guns that were trained on them would be just as effective at keeping them in line. In seemingly no time at all they arrived at the elevator and Gondo was shoved forward to the control pad. "Active the console," the black haired woman who seemed to be in charge ordered.

"How do you suggest I do that?" Gondo asked as he strained against the ropes holding his arms down. He silently willed the terrorist to release him so that he could take her gun and hold her hostage with it, maybe get her cronies to surrender.

The woman glared at him deeply, almost as if she could see what he was thinking. "And I suppose you want to be untied to do it, hmm? Do you take me for a fool?"

"I was personally thinking more along the lines of bitch," Amanda snarled.

"I don't know, Am," Pat added. "I don't think bitch is a harsh enough word for this cu…" A rifle butt slammed into the back of his head while a heavy fist impacted Amanda's stomach.

"Your insolence is impressive but pointless," the woman hissed. "Speak again and those words will be your last." She turned back to Gondo then pointed to one of her soldiers and said, "You will inform him how to control the elevator."

She gestured to the soldier, who whispered, "Hai Taiyou," and took up position next Gondo with a glare directed at the larger man.

After another death glare directed at the woman, apparently named Taiyou, he said to the soldier, "Alright, here's how this works. You take your hand, put it on your gun, point it at your face and shoot yourself."

The soldier growled and moved to strike while Gondo prepared to counter him but both were stopped by a harsh voice yelling, "Halt!" Taiyou pulled the soldier away from Gondo and pointed her pistol at the Captain's face. "Do not let your anger get the best of you. These roaches will get their proper punishment soon enough." She redirected her words to Gondo, "Now tell me how to control the console…" Her pistol shifted to point at Gondo's squad. "Or else my trigger finger might unfortunately slip."

Gondo sighed and said, "Fine. You press the large gray button to activate the console then type in the level number of where you want to go and the command code to access it."

"And the numbers?" the woman asked with a gesture of her weapon.

"Dimension Tide's command center is in the R & D level, fifth floor below ground." The soldier at the console shrugged in annoyance, to which Gondo rolled his eyes and said, "That's B-5 if that's too hard for you to figure out." The man's arms trembled in controlled fury until his leader's gun cocked threateningly. Gondo took the hint and continued stoically, "The code is 48-27-36-59."

Sarah's eyes widened as she recognized the meaning of the code and glanced at her teammates, who both nodded minimally in confirmation. The soldier quickly punched in both the level number and code, opening the elevator and letting the group enter. The four captives were shoved into the corner while the terrorists huddled around them, rifles trained in their direction threateningly. The doors slid shut and the lift started down. Very, very slowly.

Taiyou growled angrily and demanded, "Make this worthless trash heap move faster!"

"Can't," Gondo said proudly. "This is as fast as they go."

"Yeah, maintaining the elevators costs money yah know," Pat added. "Command has better things to do than waste time and effort fixing these things."

Sarah caught on and said, "Most of them prefer to take the stairs anyway. Only exercise most of them ever do."

Taiyou snarled in annoyance and the rest of the enemy squad were glaring around the car to show their displeasure. Gondo breathed a mental sigh of relief as he realized that their enemy's intelligence on Shatterdome's inner workings was limited, which meant his plan was that much more likely to succeed. The next twenty minutes were spent alternatively twiddling thumbs or tapping feet on the floor, the four GDF soldiers trying their best to get comfortable with tied up arms and no personal space afforded. By the time the elevator finally arrived at B-5, Taiyou was visibly grinding her teeth and squeezing her pistol very tightly. "Out," she stated harshly. "Now!"

Gondo's squad filed out, followed swiftly by their guards separating them in the corridor, one pair of terrorists for each of them. Taiyou, flanked by her own two soldiers, gestured to Gondo and said, "You will be at the front. The others will follow one at a time. If any of you attempt to interfere…" Her voice trailed off menacingly, the implication clear in her words.

They started off, each trio separated by at least ten feet. Numerous doors to a myriad of science labs and conference rooms lined the corridor as they walked past, each clearly labeled as to what went on within. Normally Gondo would be worried about unauthorized eyes seeing so much classified information, but he was going to make sure these intruders would not be a security threat. He guaranteed it.

Several minutes of silence passed as they walked, when suddenly Taiyou asked in a suspicious tone, "Where are the scientists? The engineers? Why is this area deserted?"

Gondo's mind raced as he tried to cobble together an explanation, but Amanda beat him to the punch. "They're off for the day. Maintenance was worried about some of the electrical connections and had the place cleared out to check it out. They must have finished but not told the higher ups."

"Lazy bastards," Sarah complained.

Taiyou sniffed disdainfully, accepting the excuse and falling back into silence. One of her adjutants, a huge man with a European complexion, leaned over and whispered in her ear, a look of worry on his brick-like face. She appeared to think for a moment than whispered something back, to which his face hardened again and he stepped back into place. Gondo let out a silent breath of relief at the lack of suspicion, surprised that the terrorist's willingness to see the worst in mankind had actually helped them in this case.

A few minutes later they finally arrived at the Dimension Tide labs at the far end of the level. Given the potential for disaster the black hole generator carried, it had seemed prudent to place it as far from the entrance as possible. Hostages being taken was something that could counter that safeguard, but counters to that had been developed. Now it was time to see if they worked.

The doors to the lab slid open with a hiss as overhead lights lit up upon sensing the entering occupants. The line of trios entered a room that would not look out of place in a NASA movie. The typical massive view screen dominated the center of the room, lines of control consoles rising in rows in front of it with a pair of glass walled offices on either side of the room. Everything was tinged a light, hazy blue from the overhead fluorescents, giving the room an almost dream-like feel. It was supposed to ease the eyes of the console operators, reducing the harsh glare of their displays, but Gondo liked to think it was to help separate the people in the room from the reality of what they were doing. Just what power they had at their fingertips.

Taiyo and the Red Dawn soldiers didn't spare their surroundings more than a cursory glance to check for any unexpected guards, then turned back to their hostages. "Tell me how to activate the weapon," Taiyou commanded.

"Look lady," Gondo responded harshly, "I'm just the security chief. I have no idea how the Dimension Tide works, let alone how to control it."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "And where might we find someone who could do so?"

"Residential level," Amanda answered. "The level number is B-2. There's no access code requirement."

Taiyou mulled over the information for a moment before saying, "Very well. You," Taiyou pointed to Amanda, "will go with Dredger to find a suitable candidate and bring them here immediately."

Amanda looked at the large Frenchman with no small degree of trepidation. He stepped forward and pulled her away from the others, then ripped apart the ropes tying her arms with his bare hands.

"The rest of us will remain here as insurance. Dredger will send me a signal every two minutes to assure me that you are cooperating. If he does not send me that signal, then we will kill your compatriots. Is that understood?"

Amanda gulped loudly and nodded, following the huge man out into the corridor. Gondo watched her go, mentally trying to reassure his subordinate – hell, his friend – that everything would be alright. The plan he had helped develop required exactly this to happen, so that the enemy would split up their forces and divide their attention, giving the security forces time to prepare. Be careful, Amanda. Don't do anything rash.

Quiet reigned for several moments after they left when Pat asked, "So… anyone got a pack of cards?"

---

Amanda walked down the hall, keeping her eyes facing forward and trying not to think about the mountain of a man carefully watching her every move. Now Amanda was no slouch in her role as a guard. She was the best shot in her squad with either a rifle or a pistol, and was more than able to hold her own in hand-to-hand against most competitors. She had built up a reputation as a bad woman to cross and worked hard to keep it that way, even as she met the rest of the world with a bright smile and ready ear. But right now, she knew there was nothing she could do to best this man and it grated on her fiercely.

A beep sounded from behind her and she snuck a glance out of the corner of her eye, just catching the last movements of Dredger's arm as he lowered it back to his side. Her gaze flicked down to his wrist where she spotted a radio-watch similar to the ones used by most militaries for short-range comms. Now better informed, she continued walking as if nothing had occurred. They turned a corner to continue to the elevator when she noticed something that might upset both their plans. "Um, your uniform doesn't look like mine."

Dredger glanced down at her a raised an eyebrow. "And?" he inquired in an ocean deep baritone.

"Well, won't that make people suspicious? I mean my uniform is mostly blue and gray. Yours is all black. Someone is going to notice."

He did not answer directly, instead lifting his hand and pressing several buttons on his wrist-comm. Suddenly his clothes shimmered and shifted in color, becoming lighter and adding a digital pattern to match her own. In just a few moments his clothes looked almost identical to hers, save several small details that would pass cursory inspection. That's that problem taken care of I guess, she thought before a wave of panic set in. "How… how do you have Visual Repattern Gear? That stuff isn't even available to the military, let alone commercially!"

Dredger simply smirked and said, "Good backers." He then lapsed back into silence, leaving Amanda even more worried than before. The only people who should have had access to those hyper advanced nano-tech weave clothes were GDF's hybrid soldiers, and then only a trial basis. The fact that these terrorists had it suggested a very serious leak in their R & D department and possibly even higher. And that was very bad.

"What about a weapon?" Amanda asked, trying to focus on the here and now. "You have your gun there but I'm all dressed up and don't have anything. That might seem a little weird to someone."

This time Dredger's look was much more fierce and Amanda nearly broke underneath it, but she stood firm and glared right back at him, daring him to argue. It seemed he did not wish to though, so he grabbed a pistol from his belt and ejected the magazine, catching the falling box in his other hand. Then he pulled the slide, ejecting the prepared round within and, in the same motion, grabbed the bullet before it could fall. Amanda froze in horror at the sight as she recognized the speed he'd moved at to be faster than humanly possible. Oh shit! This guy is a hybrid!

The massive hybrid's grin returned as he handed the pistol, butt first, to Amanda, who reflexively grabbed the weapon and turned away as fast as she could. Dredger's wrist comm beeped and he held it up to his face to answer. "Oui Tayoi? Non mademoiselle, all is well. I contact you if there is problem. Oui." He then gestured for Amanda to continue down the hall, grin still etched in the marble of his face.

Amanda shakily nodded and walked on, trying to calm her fast beating heart. It's fine. Really, it's totally fine. So what if the biggest member of their team is also a fricken hybrid. No big deal. The plan will still work. She sighed nearly silently as calm reasserted itself. It has to.

Several more minutes passed as they made their way to the elevator. Once they'd entered Amanda entered the code for the residential level and leaned against the wall for the long wait up three levels. Dredger stood with his back to her facing the door, saying without words just how little of a threat she presented to him.

The GDF guard ground her teeth in frustration. She had trained for months to learn how to help protect others, but here she was, absolutely helpless to defend herself from this monster of a man. And he didn't even seem to care. "Why are you working for them?

Dredger turned his head to face her, his eyebrow raised in curiosity. Amanda was just as surprised as he was that she'd blurted that out but controlled her shock and left her face a blank mask, wanting to hear the reason for his betrayal of the human race.

The hybrid stared at her for quite a while before he answered. "Money," he said simply.

Amanda sputtered, enraged. "Money! That's it! What good is money going to be if you end the world, huh?"

Dredger's gaze became stern as he turned away again, but his ending of the conversation said plenty to the GDF soldier. He expects to survive this, which means they must have plans to leave. She allowed her lips to quirk upward at the thought. Not that we're going to let that happen.

After an eternity the elevator finally reached its destination and the two enemies walked out into an empty service hallway. The quiet was gone though as they could both hear voices ahead. They soon emerged in a much larger hallway, a bank of wide elevators sitting along the far wall. Dredger glared at Amanda after seeing them and asked, "Why ours so small?"

Amanda actually had to resist the urge to laugh at the almost petulant tone of his voice. "It was an elevator for the command staff. Nowhere near as many people using it." With that she strode forward, eager to be close to other people and out of danger for the moment. Several times as they walked a person would call out to Amanda and she would wave back, wanting to avoid attracting undue attention to herself and the man following her. Thankfully no one thought anything of the mountain of a man in hybrid gear so they were able to make good time to their destination.

"Where we go?" Dredger asked as they turned right and entered a stream of people heading down the hall.

"The cafeteria," Amanda answered. "Everyone's having a general lunch break right now so this is the most likely place to find one of the DT's crew."

No sooner had they crossed the threshold and began to step towards the food line did someone call out to them. "Hello Amanda. How have you been?" Amanda turned to see Miki Saegusa walking over to her. "It's been too long since we've seen each other."

Amanda smiled back at the shorter woman and answered, "Way too long. Come here." She then pulled Miki into a hug, patting her back in a particular pattern that told the physic to read her mind.

What is wrong Amanda? Miki asked. There was some kind of alert and then Stacker sent me down here.

Terrorists. They captured my squad and are holding the others hostage. They're after the Dimension Tide.

The two women pulled out of the hug, still smiling at each other to hide the communication. Miki giggled a bit and said out loud, "Oh you Americans. Always so affectionate. Would you like to grab some lunch and catch up?"

"Sorry, can't. Actually I need your help downstairs. The Marshall wants to test the Dimension Tide now that the repairs are complete so he's been having us guards round up the crew." She snorted and added, "Not that they really need anyone other than you right?"

Miki held a finger to her lips and shhhed her friend. "Don't say that out loud. One of the bridge bunnies might be listening." They both laughed and forgot for a moment the danger standing just a few feet from them. "So if you really don't need anything to eat," Amanda shook her head no, "then let's get going. Goodness knows the elevator ride down will take long enough." They laughed again and walked out of the large room, Dredger following like a massive unhappy wolf pup.

Walking back to the elevator went quickly enough, Miki and Amanda trading various inane comments back and forth as the telepath gathered information from the guard.

But what I don't understand is why they are after Dimension Tide. The satellite has been down for repairs since that series of hacked shots. It would be completely useless for them right now.

Maybe they don't know, Amanda speculated. We were able to convince them the elevators are slower than a glacier, so maybe their intel isn't very good.

Still, they were able to steal one of our transports somehow and sneak in undetected, Miki argued. We should not underestimate them.

Amanda nodded, pretending to be answering to a question about dinner together later. Is the trap set?

Miki smiled coyly. Just waiting for me to spring it.

The rest of the trip down was relatively quiet, Miki and Amanda having run out of small talk and Dredger just glaring straight ahead the whole way. As they exited the elevator after yet another long ride Amanda started flicking quick glances at the hybrid, trying to see any sign of suspicion. Thankfully he seemed to be oblivious to the women's plans. By the time the trio was approaching the DT control room Amanda had steeled her nerves, ready to assist her friend in bringing down the terrorists and save her friends. Are they here? She asked Miki.

The telepath swept a physic tendril through the walls on either side of them and detected the security teams that had gathered within. They are. The assault will begin when I give the signal.

They approached the door and stepped through as it hissed open, revealing the terrorists standing in a circle around her team, who were sitting on the ground and… playing poker?

"Come on Cap," Sarah said, "you know you can't fool me with that smirk of yours. You ain't got jack, do you?"

Gondo glared at Sarah then grumbled to himself about insubordinate soldiers.

"Aw don't feel bad sir," Pat reassured the older man. "She not going to be winning either."

Sarah growled and said, "Oh you just try and beat me Patty. I'm the one who taught you how to play this game in the first place."

Pat just smiled at her smugly and replied, "True, true. But I'm pretty sure the student has surpassed the teacher at this point."

"Enough of your inane nonsense!" Taiyou shouted. She turned to face the returning party and ordered, "You, girl! You will activate the Dimension Tide and place it under my command."

Miki did her best to appear shocked and alarmed, making sure to shiver at the gun slinging woman. "Wha… what's going on? Amanda?"

The guard winced at her friends tone and shrugged helplessly. "Sorry Miki."

"How touching," Taiyou drawled. "Now quit wasting my time and get over there." She lifted her pistol a hair to enhance the order.

Miki gulped audibly and complied, walking over to the central console Taiyou hovered over. As she did she watched with her sixth sense and mentally smiled as she saw that everyone's focus was on her, including the enemies who were supposed to being guarding the security team. It was time to spring the trap. She concentrated a beam of physic energy behind her shouting, Now, before gathering together every scrap of power she could.

But before she could even release the attack Taiyou's eyes widened in realization and the black haired woman shouted, "TELEPATH!" The terrorists all jumped at the shout and attempted to train their guns on Miki. At the last instant the telepath was forced to change her attack from a wave of physic energy to a telekinetic blast to throw off the barrage of bullets soon to come her way. The security team recognized what Miki was going to do and dove to cover as best they could. The loud reports of automatic fire had just begun when a bubble of air exploded out from around the telepath, knocking the gunmen off their feet and sending their projectiles flying off in all directions. One such bullet passed just a few inches over Gondo's head while another glanced off the body armor Amanda was wearing. One of the terrorists was not so lucky, his head snapping back forcefully as a tiny piece of lead embedded itself in his brain. The rest were blown all across the room, with even the titanic Dredger being knocked into a far wall.

Just to add to the chaos that was already ensuing a large team of security personnel streamed through the door, guns blazing at anyone carrying a weapon. The terrorists recovered quickly, returning fire from behind the consoles they'd been thrown over. As both sides continued shoot at each other, destroying thousands of dollars' worth of computer equipment every moment, Gondo crawled over to the dead terrorist and maneuvered himself so that his tied hands could grab the man's knife. After a moments slicing he managed to free himself, then snatched up the man's rifle and crawled back to his team, who were hiding behind a console struggling to free themselves. A few quick slashes of the stolen knife freed his team. "You guys alright?" Pat and Sarah both nodded. "Great," he said, pulling the charging handle on his stolen rifle. "Cause now it's our turn."

With that he leaned up over their covering console and joined the gun battle, firing at any rifle flashes he could see. His two squad mates were stuck for several seconds wondering what to do when they saw Amanda race over in a crouch, clutching an armful of guns. "Curtsey of our friends from Bravo squad," she said by way of explanation. "Are you all alright?"

"Yeah we're fine," Pat answered, taking up his gun and flicking off the safety. "Had plenty of time to work in a game or two. I almost wish you'd taken a bit longer. The royal flush I had would have earned me quite a few more lunch tokens off the Cap."

Sarah, who had already emptied off a magazine at the enemy's commander and was pausing to reload, rolled her eyes at her friend. "Royal flush my ass. I know you were bluffing."

"You always think I'm bluffing," Pat retorted.

"Less talk, more shoot!" Gondo ordered.

The next several minutes were a haze of gunfire and shouting as both sides did their level best to kill each other. Unfortunately for the terrorists they were both outnumbered and outgunned, and they were losing men quickly. But just as the last of the regular troops collapsed from a trio of shots to the shoulder a tiny black ball came hurtling towards the door. Someone noticed and shouted loud enough to drown out the gunfire. "GRENADE!" Everyone ducked behind whatever cover they could find, praying that they wouldn't be hit by hypersonic fragments. Instead of an explosion however there was just a single loud bang and a flash of light brighter than the Sun.

No sooner had the flashbang gone off then a huge bluish blur rushed up the center of the room and smashed through the sliding glass doors before they could fully open. It was several seconds before anyone even noticed that there was no one firing at them anymore and several more seconds before they realized where they had gone. "They're going for the exit," Gondo called out. "Alpha squad, get Miss Saegusa and follow me. Bravo squad stay here and secure the room."

Amanda nodded at the order and rushed over to her friend. Miki was still huddled against the wall where she had been since the fight started, he hands rubbing at her temples and a small stream of blood leaking out her nose. "Are you okay?" Amanda asked, worry evident in her tone.

Miki shuddered slightly but nodded. "Yes," she answered weakly. "I just needed to rest. It's not often I need to use that much energy at once."

The guard grabbed her friend's arm gently but firmly and heaved her to her feet. "Can you walk?"

The telepath lightly shrugged her friend off and straightened. "Better," she said, her strength returning. "I can fight."

"Come on Amanda. Hurry up!" Sarah shouted from the entrance, her boots cracking some fallen glass as she ran out the door. Miki and Amanda followed as fast as they could, the telepath lagging a bit as her energy was still recovering.

"Captain Gondo, wait for a moment!" Miki said as she saw him upon turning the corner.

"What is it Miki?" he asked as he came to a halt, Sarah and Pat stopping beside him.

"Their leader, the woman. I believe she is a telepath."

The whole squad gasped at the news while Gondo narrowed his eyes in concern. "What makes you think that?" Gondo questioned.

Miki paused to take a breath and stood as tall as she could. "Somehow she was able to tell that I was about to attack them telepathically. The only way she could know that is if she was a telepath herself."

"But if that's the case then why didn't she just mind control us into doing her bidding?" Pat asked.

"From what little I could feel of her in the battle she didn't seem very experienced. She may not have had much in the way of training. It took me years to learn how to do what I do now, and that was with a dedicated teacher. Without that, there's no way to know just what she is capable of."

"So she might be next to harmless then?" Sarah asked.

"Or she could be hiding her skills for the last possible moment," Gondo retorted. "What have I told you all about uncertainties?"

"Hope for the best, plan for the worst," Pat said in an instant deadpan.

"Exactly. Therefore we treat her as an extreme threat until proven otherwise. Which means we could use a little help." Gondo pulled out a portable radio he had 'borrowed' from a member of Bravo squad and switched the frequency to that of the command room's. "Marshall Pentecost are you there?"

"We're here Captain," a deep baritone voice answered over the crackling of the radio. "What's happening down there?"

"The Dimension Tide control room is secured and the hostages rescued without harm. Most of the terrorists are down but two got past us and are attempting to escape. One is a guaranteed hybrid and the other is a possible telepath."

"What's your plan on dealing with them?"

A smirk appeared on Gondo's lips. "I think Ozaki would be a better fit for asking that question sir."

There was a pause on the other end as several muffled voices could be heard speaking over each other. Eventually another voice came on the radio, this one higher in tone but carrying a powerful weight to it. "Where are the terrorists headed?"

Gondo looked to Miki, who nodded at him and reached out with her mental probe. At first she aimed at the elevator but quickly expanded her search when she found it still at its station on their floor. She found them very quickly after that, the bright blip of Taiyou's telepathic mind standing out in the sea of ordinary people that inhabited the Shatterdome. "They are climbing the auxiliary staircase, currently at the Recreation level." Taking great care to keep her presence unknown she lightly probed at Taiyou's mind to discover their intentions. "They are trying to get back to their stolen transport on the Command launch pad."

"I'll beat them there," the voice said, then Stacker came back on the line.

"Get up there to support him, Alpha squad. I want this woman brought in for questioning." A vocal growl entered his tone. "No one attacks my Shatterdome without consequences."

"You've got it sir," Gondo answered as he replaced the radio in an open pocket. "Let's go squad. We're taking this bitch down."

"Oorah," Pat muttered. They all ran full tilt towards the elevator, ready to end this assault on their homes once and for all.

---

Loud, echoing clangs rang up and down the enclosed stairwell as Dredger raced up the metallic steps as fast as his enhanced legs would carry him and his passenger. Said passenger was currently busy swearing as harshly as her exceedingly dark mind could allow.

How? How could it all go so wrong so quickly? This was supposed to be easy! Break in, take a few hostages and take control of the weapon system, then contact our base for the targets. Why didn't they tell us the damn thing was being fixed! And then that telepath showed up. Taiyou suppressed a shudder at the memory of that woman's power. She had been experimenting with own her power for years herself, but the level of control that other woman had shown was beyond anything Taiyou had ever achieved. And because of her my team has failed and we are forced to flee for our lives. Another string of curses followed that morbid thought.

Enough! She finally told herself. I must focus on getting us out right now. The rest… this time she openly shuddered at the thought of what her failure would mean if she made it back. The rest can wait for later, assuming we survive. On that note… "Dredger, faster would be better."

The hybrid grunted and pumped his legs even harder, fairly leaping up the steps four or five at a time. Taiyou's ride became consequentially bumpier but that was a price she was willing to pay. "We will have to move fast once we arrive. Can you cover Aero as she readies the plane?" Dredger nodded, the motion barely noticeable amongst all the bouncing his was already doing. "I will guard you from the telepath if she shows up. The rest will be up to you."

She couldn't see it but Taiyou could feel a smile etch itself on Dredger's face. "No problem mademoiselle. I will take care of it."

You always do, Taiyou thought with her own grin. His confidence brought back some of her own self-assurance. At this rate they just might make it there ahead of any security team, hopefully with enough time to lift off. After that they would make their way to the city and hide there until their allies could rescue them.

They would make it out of this. Her gods would protect their servant, regardless of her failure. They had promised their protection. He had promised it.

Taiyou keyed up her radio mike and called out, "Aero, we've been beaten. Ready the transport immediately."

"Understood," a terse voice answered. "How many made it out?"

"Two."

Aero did not immediately respond, the only sound being that of the plane's engines whirling up. "Ready in two minutes. Be here."

"We will." Taiyou cut off the mike, doing her best to ignore the empty feeling in her gut that had been growing ever since the gun battle started. The minutes passed tensely, the only sound coming from Dredger's endless mad dash upwards. But end it finally did as they passed up the last flight and came upon a locked door. Time being of the essence Dredger ignored the lock and simply kicked the door down, the steel bending easily under the weight of his attack. Taiyou sighed in silent relief. They had made it.

But just as they left the door behind and began to make their way out onto the pad they spotted a man standing between them and their escape. He was tall with spiked black hair and dark, focused eyes that glared at the two of them mercilessly. Hybrid armor panels were attached to his uniform on the chest and along his limbs but he carried no weapons anywhere on his person. One look at his mind though and Taiyou could tell he needed no weapons to be deadly. She cursed herself for losing her gun during their mad scramble to escape, even if she doubted it would have been of use against this opponent. "He's yours Dredger," Taiyou told her companion in French.

"Oui," the large man agreed, stepping forward with a look of grim determination. Taiyou let the two hybrids face each other on, skirting around them to try and reach the transport. Suddenly the main doors to the facility opened and the very same team she had taken prisoner at the start of this mess ran out with their guns trained on her.

"Freeze!" their commander bellowed. "Don't make a fucking move!"

Taiyou did as the man said and held in place. She was too far from the transport to make a break for it and Dredger was busy facing down the other hybrid. Neither had budged an inch in the moments after the security team arrived, both busy measuring their opponent, analyzing them through looks alone.

"Sarah, Pat, go around and cuff her. Amanda and I will cover you. Miki, watch her." The squad rapidly followed his orders, two of them approaching Taiyou from either side while the other three stared at her unblinkingly.

Taiyou knew she would have only one chance to escape and that she could not do it alone. She needed a distraction, one which only her friend could provide. She watched in silence as the two guards came closer, willing her eyes to convey as much hatred as she could for these heathens. They dare to defend humanity in spite of everything we have done to this planet. Claim it is ours to control. Such hypocrisy. She shrugged off these thoughts, reminding herself that focus was needed.

She waited patiently, searching for her opening while trying to disguise her plans from the other telepath. Then, just as the two guards were reaching for her arms to secure her she sent her message to Dredger. Now!

With a tremendous roar of rage Dredger surged towards the smaller man like a freight train, crossing the distance between the two of them in an instant. The noise drew away the attention of the others for the barest of moments, long enough for Taiyou to act. She gathered all of the energy she could muster in those instants into her core, then thrust out her arms and pushed. All three of the people who had been watching her were knocked on their asses, their weapons blown from their hands. As soon as the energy was released Taiyou whirled around, smacking the male guard in the face then twirling behind the woman and grabbing her arms. The two wrested for several seconds before Taiyou managed to grasp the woman's pistol on her belt and smack it against her head. Now dazed the guard couldn't resist Taiyou grabbing her with one arm and sticking the other against her head.

By now the other guards had recovered and were aiming their weapons at her, but they dared not take a shot with their comrade held in the line of fire. Slowly but surely Taiyou was backing up to the transport, keeping her gun close to the woman's head. For a moment she felt some light probes tickle at her mind but she created a mental barrier and locked them out immediately. A frown appeared on the other telepath's face and Taiyou smirked in triumph.

While this was going on Dredger was doing his damnedest to bring down his opponent but it wasn't going well. His initial charge had been dodged with impossible ease, forcing the large Frenchman to skid to a halt from his built up momentum. He had barely turned around when he saw a fist flying towards his face. The impact threw off his balance, allowing the other hybrid to pummel his stomach with a flurry of blows. Even with Dredger's greatly enhanced toughness and armor he could feel each strike smashing into him. He did not falter under the assault and quickly shoved the smaller man away then rushed forward to press the attack. No matter how fast he moved though his enemy kept slipping past him by the slightest margins, not even bothering to fight back, which simply enraged Dredger all the more and prompted looser and more violent assaults.

Across the pad from the duelers Taiyou was almost at the transport. Reaching out with the limit of her fine control she activated her radio and said, "Aero, open the door." The guard in Taiyou's hold struggled a bit at hearing that but soon stopped when she felt the gun press against her ear. A clang came behind the two as the rear hatch of the transport came down. Taiyou took a moment to strengthen her barriers before calling out in French, "Dredger, we're leaving!"

The words had no sooner left her mouth then she felt something metal clang against her head. Though the blow was not enough to knock her out, it was able to utterly destroy her concentration, throwing down her mental walls in an instant. As if from a distance she could feel a foreign presence enter her mind without resistance, knowing that death was imminent. There was now nothing to stop that telepath from simply erasing her mind wholesale, leaving her a useless empty vessel.

Try as she might she could not accept her death with dignity. It was too sudden, too surprising for her to react. So much of her cause was left unfinished. The abusers had not suffered the death blow that had been planned for them and instead had killed her entire team, with herself as the finishing cap of failure. All her training and effort spent over years of hardship and pain… wasted in a single mission. Now, because of her incompetence, security around the abusers' ultimate weapon would be greatly increased, preventing any chance for vengeance against them for the deaths of the planet's true inhabitants, the kaiju. After everything I went through, all I suffered for the betterment of this planet, still I fail. A crushing wave of sadness swept through her at the complete denial of her purpose in life and in the depths of her own mind she broke down entirely.

The probe hesitated upon seeing this pitiful sight but then remembered its goal and did its work. Pushing at a harmless mechanism deep within the woman's brain she knocked her out.

In the physical world outside of the telepath's view mere moments had passed, making Taiyou's falling to the ground look to be entirely due to the bright red fire extinguisher that had smacked the back of her head. Sarah quickly removed herself from the unconscious terrorist's grasp, backing up several feet to give her squad free aim at the falling body.

Across the pad Dredger, who had looked up at the warning of his commander, watched in shock as she fell limply to the ground. Blinding anger drove him to rush towards the unprepared soldiers, only for his movement to be halted by his legs being swept out from under him. The metal deck quickly came up to meet his face, smashing his nose thoroughly upon landing. He had little time to react to the damage before a foot smashed into his skull hard enough to skip past the concussion and go straight to knocking him unconscious.

"Showing off as usual Ozaki," a male voice called out from the transport.

Ozaki and Alpha squad looked up to see four people standing at the back of the open vehicle. To the right stood Kazama and Xavier, the former carrying a smirk and with his arms folded across his chest. All eyes though were drawn to the other pair stepping down from the lowered door. A woman with bright red hair looked back at the security team with a smile on her lips and hoisted her improvised weapon onto her shoulder. "So," Lauren Faust said, "what did we miss?"

---

A/N: Flame in: Hello everyone and welcome back to Humanity's Stand. My apologies for the long delay between uploads. This chapter fought me hard than the people in it, and there was another project I was working on (currently at 14,000 words and not even done with the first chapter) that was taking up a fair bit of time. Hopefully I'll be able to get back on schedule now that this one is over with. Hopefully. Anyway, the kaiju violence will soon be on the way, with a secondary plot of figuring out just what the hell is going on behind the scenes. Till next time, Flame out.

Humanity's Stand

The World Rises

Lauren Faust sighed and leaned back in her chair, watching the stream of people walk into the large meeting room. Most gathered in small knots, chattering amongst themselves about this or that scientific doohickey and those or these intelligence datums. Live video of politicians in fancy suits and stern faced soldiers in a dulled rainbow of colors and styles appeared on the lines of TV monitors along both walls, save for the huge central screen opposite the entrance. Lauren and her husband Craig were already seated at the table, having been checked for any injuries, thanked profusely for solving a dangerous hostage situation, then shuffled down here with barely a word of explanation. "Look at all these people," Lauren said while waving a hand at them. "What are they all here for? What is going on?" She turned to her right and asked her husband, "Do you know what's going on?"

"I never know what's going on," Craig answered her with a sly smile.

She just looked at him with a deadpan expression and said flatly, "Thank you."

Her annoyance was cut off when she heard someone at the front say, "Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please take your seats we will begin." People around the room all shuffled to their place at the table while the last few video-conferencers showed up on their screens.

A large black man in a deep blue, star and ribbon studded uniform walked to the front of the room, silencing all remaining conversations in an instant. His piercing black eyes looked around the room, taking in all the people who had gathered for the meeting, physically or electronically. "Thank you all for coming today on such short notice. I know that many of you are quite busy in your own lines of work, but right now you are all needed for something much larger. Something that holds the fate of the planet in the balance."

"What's this all about Stacker?" the American President interrupted. "I'm already dealing with near riots across the States as it is with that Dimension Tide debacle. I don't have time to waste listening to your long-winded speeches at the moment, so cut to the chase."

"Indeed," the Chinese Chairman agreed. "Though the situation in my own country is not so… chaotic as it is in America, many of my people are upset at the actions of the GDF leadership. At this time, actions may prove more prudent than words."

"Don't worry Premier Shang, there will be plenty of action in the near future, but for now my words will have to suffice." The Marshall sighed for a moment before addressing the whole room. "I am well aware of the negative reaction the world has had to my decision to launch the Dimension Tide on Solgell with friendly kaiju in the vicinity, just as I was aware of what it would be at the time I made the decision. It was not a choice I made lightly. I, more than most, respected Godzilla and his allies for helping us in our time of need. Betraying them in this way hurt more than I can describe." He paused, and Lauren thought she could see the beginnings of tears appear in the man's eyes. "But it had to be done. Had Godzilla continued to fight Xenilla for much longer, the damage the two would have done would extend far beyond Solgell, or even the islands surrounding it. Their energy output was so high that had they continued they may had ignited the local atmosphere, causing a firestorm strong enough to shroud the planet and cause a miniature ice age." Many people in the room gasped, Lauren herself letting her mouth fall open in horror at the thought. "We already have enough trouble going on in the world as is. We did not need a world-wide famine on top of that." There was a general murmur of agreement on that point, though Lauren thought she could hear some scientists disbelieving the possibility of the atmosphere being lit on fire.

"Aside from that point, however, there was another reason I was willing to use the Dimension Tide on them, and that was the fact that there was a strong possibility they would still be alive."

Complete and utter silence was the reaction. "Stacker," the American president started. "You cannot seriously be suggesting that Godzilla and the others could survive within a black hole."

"I'm not," Pentecost replied simply. "I'm saying that the Dimension Tide did not ever create black holes to begin with." The Marshall nodded to a tech at the back of the room, who typed some commands on his console and brought up a video on the central screen. The video started by showing an abandoned building in a forested countryside with numerous technicians and scientists walking around in the foreground. Just barely within view was a large, very complex collaboration of cables, panels, and wiring with a large barrel sticking out the end. "13 years ago we began our first tests of the prototype Dimension Tide, using a much smaller device to safely test the stability of the black hole in atmosphere."

The tape clipped forward to the actual test, the field around the building having been cleared of all personnel. The machine in the corner of the view whirled and spun for almost a minute before a concentrated ball of darkness was launched out of the barrel, flying towards the building and drawing in waves of air as it traveled. When the black hole seed contacted the faded stonewalls of its target the ball disappeared for an instant before reforming just as quickly in a much larger form. Whole sections of the building were violently torn from their foundation and dragged into the hole's gaping maw. An artificial hurricane formed around the black sphere while more and more of the structure was absorbed within its dark depths. This continued for several minutes, the building slowly disappearing from existence as the black hole did its work. Just as the black hole began to wind down after all but annihilating everything within fifty meters, a light flashed within. The light kept flashing out of the darkness before something came flying out. As soon as the object departed the event horizon the black hole completely evaporated.

Silence reigned for a moment before the thing reappeared within the camera's view. It appeared to be a gigantic dragonfly with dull black molted skin, neon-red compound eyes, a pair of nasty-looking crab pincers, and an extremely sinister stinger on its tail. Whoever had controlled the camera during the test zoomed in on the creature, only to lose track of it as the thing sped off. The video cut off as the cameraman caught one final glimpse of the huge insect before it disappeared into the forest.

"That, ladies and gentlemen, was a Meganulon, the proto-form of the insectoid Kaiju Megaguirus. A creature that does not and never did exist in our world, but did in another. A world we connected to for the briefest moment when the Dimension Tide was fired."

"So what you are saying is that the DT is a wormhole gun?" one of the scientists near the back asked. Many people throughout the room were excitedly muttering at the prospect, while Lauren and Craig shared a look of wonder.

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying," Pentecost answered. "I have Dr. Hermann Gottlieb on hand here to explain the mechanics of the process."

The twiggy man in question started to stand from his seat near the wall when the American President said, "I'm pretty sure everyone here understands what a wormhole is, Stacker. What I want to know is why we were not informed." Hermann sputtered for a moment but sat back down at Pentecost's affirming nod.

"The information was kept secret due to the immense implications it would have, not just for weapons application but for the true nature of the universe at large. We had to be sure of what we were seeing, so the project was publicly shelved as impractical and quietly continued under the observation of the best experts we could gather."

"And what exactly did they find out?" a female scientist with curled brown hair and a lit cigarette asked.

Pentecost smiled slightly in amusement at the woman before saying, "There were many discoveries to be had out of the project, but the short version is that DT was confirmed to generate wormholes and that what went in at one end would go out the other. Doctors Gottlieb and Geiszler were both a part of the project and can answer any questions you all might have."

Hermann perked up at the sound of his name but immediately frowned when his compatriot was also listed. Newt on the other hand practically leapt out of his chair in his excitement to speak. "Sadly we do not have time to go in depth on the project results at this meeting." Newt froze in midstride before trudging back to his seat, where Hermann was sitting with a satisfied smirk. Pentecost ignored the two and continued. "Briefing packets will be sent out to anyone who is interested, though I ask that the information be kept confidential for the time being. We will have an official scientific release at a later time." There was a fair bit of grumbling on that point but as a group they stated their accent. Most of the politicians appeared uninterested, though some of those in uniform were already putting through their info requests.

"Among the things we discovered," Pentecost said," was the knowledge that larger singularities were significantly more stable for longer periods, meaning whatever was sucked into the event horizon was much more likely to be undamaged and travel safely. It was theorized that a shot large enough to swallow a kaiju would remain stable for long enough for the target to travel through to the other side without injury."

"If that is true then why was this system not used earlier?" the French President asked.

"Aside from the ruinous expense of putting a black hole satellite in orbit you mean?" Most of the room laughed. "The answer is quite simple ma'am. Just as we could send something from our world to another place, something from another world could come through from their world to our own. Indeed, aside from Megaguirus during the first test, we had no less than eighteen creature transferences during five years of testing." Several in the audience gasped and Lauren saw the eyes of the female scientist from before twinkle in anticipation. "Most could not survive in our atmosphere and asphyxiated, but several were more compatible. And few of those could be considered anything other than hostile."

Once again Pentecost nodded to the technician in back, who brought up another video on the screen. A small room was the setting, white walls surrounding an empty dais in a hexagon pattern. The lights in the room dimmed slightly as a black hole seed was launched onto the dais from above. The scale of the hole was a bit hard to determine at first, but the fact that the room remained in its shape after its creation suggested a small size. Nothing happened for several seconds, the black hole quietly sucking in air like a spherical vacuum. Then lights flashed within, accelerating in frequency as they had in the first test. When the black hole finally disappeared in a final bright bang a creature replaced in on the dais. The thing was bone-white, with eight spindly legs that looked like skeletal fingers. The body was covered by a ridged exoskeleton that repeated down its whip-like tail. Lauren thought it looked kind of like a spider mixed with a crab.

The thing rotated back and forth on the dais, looking for something in spite of its lack of eyes. It leaped off the platform in a split-second and scuttled around the room at high speed. Lauren failed to suppress a shudder as she watched the thing move. It was just so… unnatural. The camera panned to watch the creature's movement, following it as it rammed itself at the walls repeatedly, trying in vain to escape its prison. It stopped moving though when one of the walls suddenly became transparent, a gaggle of scientists visibly staring at it from the other side. As soon as the humans became visible the thing launched itself at the glass almost faster than the eye could see. It slammed against the transparent wall furiously, its long legs scrapping fruitlessly to try and find purchase on the smooth surface. The scientists both in the video and in the meeting room recoiled at the ferocity of the thing. The female scientist in particular looked horrified by the creature, a sentiment Lauren could easily sympathize with.

In video the observers spoke soundlessly for a moment before coming to some unknown agreement. One entered several commands on a console, causing a stream of yellow gas to pour into the testing room. But even as the chlorine cloud descended to the thing's level it proved it could care less about the change in atmosphere. Starting to look worried about their visitor the group of observers turned to more active measures. A panel in the ceiling of the testing room opened and an automatic gun turret descended into place. Upon activation the device instantly homed in on the creature that was still trying to break through the hardened glass. A short burst of rounds erupted from the gun, the bullets shredding the small creature easily. It shuddered a few more times weakly before becoming still. The scientists all breathed a sigh of relief for a moment before they noticed small clouds of steam rising from the body. The camera zoomed in, showing that small pools of the thing's blood were actually eating away at the floor of the test chamber, the normally rock-hard material bubbling and melting from the foreign substance. The video then cut off on a still of the being's body covered in bullet holes and leaking acid onto the floor.

Terrified murmurs ran through the meeting room as scientists, politicians, and career soldiers alike all quietly freaked out. "And that wasn't even the worst organism we summoned," Pentecost added in a grave note.

"I believe we can see why you were hesitant to use this as a weapon," the South African President said, a grim frown.

"Yes," Pentecost agreed. "If such aggressive creatures could be drawn to us with a small hole, who knows how many other, more dangerous beings could come through a hole designed to attack kaiju. But then Final Wars happened and we realized that we needed a weapon that could get past their defenses. Hence our placing of a full-fledge Dimension Tide in orbit."

"Marshall, were there any transfers of foreign creatures during the strike of launches last week?" an American three star general asked.

Pentecost shook his head. "So far nothing has been detected, but as of yet we have not checked the sites themselves due to the risks of other nearby mutants. It is possible smaller animals came through but give the rather… inhospitable areas mutants tend to live in it is unlikely any are still alive."

A scientist in the audience raised his hand to get Stacker's attention. When he got it he asked, "These wormholes that Dimension Tide creates, are they just tunnels through space-time to other places in the universe, or are they like the Rift? By that I mean do they go to other universes?"

"Both, if I remember correctly."

The person who had asked the question looked at the Marshall in confusion. "Both? But that's impossible. It can't be both our universe and another at the same time."

"It's not," Pentecost corrected himself. "What I meant was it could do either, with really no consistency as to which is which. We know it can reach other universes based on energy readings gathered during the tests, which suggested slightly alternate laws of physics or ratios of matter to antimatter. For the most part though the data and specimens collected could have come from anything between an alternate Earth or another solar system within even our own galaxy. For most practical purposes it made little difference."

"This is all fascinating Stacker but I fail to see the point," the American President bellyached. "So Godzilla and the others may still be alive on some god-forsaken rock in the vast reaches of nowhere. What does it matter to us?"

Pentecost took the President's brusqueness in stride and answered with a smile, "It matters because we not only know for a fact that the kaiju are still alive, we know exactly where they are."

"How do you know this?" demanded the Russian President.

"Last week, just after the last of the mutant attacks were brought under control, Gamera was contacted by Mothra and a local of the world she and the other kaiju had arrived in. They said that, for the time being at least, Destroyah and Xenilla were under control and that they would be searching for a way home."

"How exactly did they contact Gamera?" asked one officer. "What tech did they use?"

Pentecost grimaced. He'd hoped to avoid this part but had all but expected it to happen. "They didn't use technology. The connection was…" he hesitated for a moment," magical in nature."

A chorus of groans rang through the conference room as the galleries of scientists all reacted negatively to Pentecost's words. Lauren heard a woman seated near her mumble, "I hate magic," under her breath.

"I don't like it any more than you do," Pentecost said to assuage his audience. "Magic is far too unreliable for many of our tastes but according to Gamera's description they have it down to a science and should be able to modify a spell to send all the kaiju home."

"Are we sure that's a good idea?" one of the American officers asked. "Having Godzilla and the other Earth Defenders back would be fine, but how do we keep Xenilla and Destroyah from following them through? Also, how exactly are they keeping the mutants, one of whom is an equally powerful, evil clone of Godzilla, and the other is an engine of pure rage and destruction, contained?"

Now Pentecost was starting to get nervous. Acknowledging that the kaiju had landed in a world of magic to a room full of scientists was bad enough. The hatred of the unexplainable by those who dedicated their lives to understanding everything had been a well-documented phenomenon, one that had been going on since magical beings like Mothra had first appeared. In comparison the scientific miracles of Mysterian technology had been accepted practically overnight, mostly because the Mysterians had been able to explain it. Though most of the physical principles their technology worked off of had yet to have been discovered at the time they were later found and proven independently by human scientists long after their mainstream adaption in general society. Magic on the other hand had been practically untestable due to its rarity. The few examples that had been recorded broke so many rules that most despaired of ever being able to figure it out.

In short, magic in general served as one big berserk button for the scientific community, and anything that was related to it was treated with suspicion and contempt (save Mothra, who garnered awe and respect). Telling them that some of the most powerful kaiju in the world had been reduced to tiny, Technicolor, equines probably wouldn't go over well. Assuming they even believed him in the first place.

"So far as we can tell based on what Gamera described the kaiju have been transformed into versions of the local species, greatly limiting their powers and making them much more manageable." Please don't ask what me they turned into, he mentally begged.

"How did they get transformed?" someone asked.

Pentecost smiled slightly. Better, though not by much. "Magic." More groaning ensued.

Sadly for the Marshall one member of the audience was fed up with just sitting in her seat doing nothing and decided to ask her own questions. "What do we know about this world the kaiju are in? What are the inhabitants like? The magic? How are they handling the fact that creatures that were once hundreds of feet tall are now living amongst them?"

Pentecost looked at Lauren Faust with a hopeless glare and was mildly miffed to see her smirking back at him. Her husband next to her shrugged at Pentecost in a silent apology. Sorry man, but this is what you get when you mess with her.

The Marshall sighed heavily, resigned now to his fate. "The world the kaiju have arrived in is actually familiar to us through a common piece of entertainment. One that, I'm told, is loved by children and adults the world over."

Lauren was starting to become confused at how Pentecost was staring at her in particular as he spoke.

"The truth is, ladies and gentlemen, that Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, Anguirus, Xenilla, and Destroyah have all been transported to Equestria." Pentecost could almost physically feel his long built up mystic fading as he completed the statement with, "The land of magical ponies."

The empty void of outer space would have sounded like a rock concert compared to the volume of the meeting room after that statement. Visual reactions varied from blank stares, open mouths, tilted heads and the occasional face palm. Lauren herself could do naught but look at Pentecost in utter bewilderment, her mind twirling around in circles as she tried to comprehend what she had just heard and failed miserably. It just couldn't be true. Equestria, the world that Lauren, her husband, and so many others had spent years creating and exploring for the entertainment and joy of millions of people, simply could not exist in the real world. It was too nonsensical, too reliant upon cartoon logic to work properly. Heck, in many cases physics had to take a back seat to comedy (often at the hooves of one pink-haired party planner). The thought of such a place being real was beyond alien, and the added horror of six of their world's most powerful monsters arriving there without warning was too terrifying to consider.

Eventually one voice rose up to end the silence and bring to words the question everyone was asking. "Stacker," the American President said, "I have been a politician for nigh on twenty years now and fought as a soldier for ten years before that, and in all that time I have never heard something more ridiculous than what you just said. At the same time, we live in a world where giant monsters roam free, aliens from other worlds have both attacked us and become a part of our society, and where a black hole gun fired from a space station is a valid military strategy. In comparison to all of that, this is only slightly weirder than a day at the carnival. That said, I, and I'm sure everyone else in this room as well, needs to know: is what you're saying true?"

Pentecost took in a deep breath, held it for a moment, and then released. "Yes."

The President nodded. "Alright then." He held up his hands and shrugged in acceptance. "So now what?"

"Now," Pentecost said, "we ready the world for their return. We will pay back Godzilla and the Earth Defenders by giving them a peaceful planet, one free of the endless war they have fought on our behalf for decades on end. We will destroy the mutants once and for all. We will End the War."

"But that is impossible," the Japanese Minister retorted. "The rearmament programs are only just starting to replace our losses from Final War, and the new battle platforms are untested. Humanity does not possess the capability for this war of yours."

"Alone we do not," Pentecost acknowledged. "But we will not be alone. Gamera, who has taken over leadership of the Earth Defenders, has promised their support in the coming war. They want peace just as much as we do, and are ready and willing to fight for it. All we need to do is agree."

The politicians all switched off their audio as they conversed with their various advisors and with each other. Minutes passed as their argument visibly went back and forth, the scientists jokingly providing a running commentary on the more lively expressions amongst them. While this was happening Lauren finally found her voice again and called out, "Uh, Mr. Marshall?"

Pentecost looked down from the video screens around the room and turned his gaze to the red-haired woman he had called here himself. He smiled good naturedly at her and said, "You may call me Stacker if you wish, ma'am."

Lauren smiled weakly back at him. Craig chuckled and said, "I think we'll stick with Marshall."

"Very well," he agreed understanding. "I suppose my name is a bit ill-suited for idle conversation."

"Marshall, why us?" Lauren asked, interrupting the man's musings.

"Because, miss, you are the two people on this planet best suited to help us figure out why the kaiju were sent to Equestria."

"Sent?" Craig said. "But I thought that the transportation is random?"

"We thought so too, but a closer look at the data Dimension Tide transmitted during firing showed a subtle shift in the wavelength, one which could not have been done by us."

"But who could have done something like that?" Lauren asked.

"We don't know." Pentecost's face became grim. "And that's what worries us. Something larger is at work here and we need to find out what it is."

"But we're just animation directors," Craig complained. "What can we do?"

"You can tell us about Equestria. What the people are like, what technology or magical artifacts they have. Everything and anything that could be of use to someone not from their world."

Husband and wife shared a look, both wondering at the bizarre circumstances this day had presented to them. "We'll do our best Marshall, but to be honest I don't know how much help we will be. It's not like we know absolutely everything about how Equestria could work. We often just made stuff up where needed."

"Something is better than nothing Mrs. Faust," Pentecost glanced up at the screens and saw that the argument was winding down. "And at this point I'll take anything I can get."

A tech tapped Pentecost's shoulder to alert him to the now unmuted politicians. "Have you come to a decision then?"

"Yes," the American President said gruffly. "You win Stacker. You'll have your war. I don't think that we're ready, but maybe we never will be. And there may never be a better time than right now. But this is an awful risk. If this fails, I don't know if we could ever recover."

"Well then we better not fail, hmm?" He turned to the rest of the room, seeing the steeled faces and determined eyes of scientist, politician, and soldier alike. "For better or worse, this fight will determine the fate of the entire planet. Whether humanity will continue to exist, or will finally disappear. This fight will not be easy. Our enemy outnumbers us significantly, even with the help of the Earth Defenders. We will lose people, just as we have for decades before this. Before all is said and done, there will be suffering, destruction and death. But this will be it. After this is finished, we will have peace. No more will we have to live in terror, praying that our hopes and dreams aren't crushed by forces beyond our control. We will be able to hold our heads high and say that this is our world to inhabit, our place to exist. This will be the End."

Were this a movie, Pentecost had no doubt that his speech would be met with silence at first, only to be interrupted by a single clap that grew into a sea of applause. Not so here. Here the response was immediate, a roar of approval that threatened to break through the room's soundproofed walls. Even the politicians, as unfeeling as they often pretended to be, could not help but visibly (and vocally) show their support. Pentecost felt a surge of hope and confidence swell within him. They could do this, he knew they could. For the first time since Stacker had become head of the Global Defense Force, things were finally going his way.

"Stacker!"

The Marshall jolted as he heard his name called over the cacophony of the room. He swiveled towards the voice and was surprised to see Tendo Choi rushing to him. "What is it Mr. Choi?"

"We've got a leak!" the man exclaimed in a panic. "Someone hacked into our network. We managed to keep it contained to just the external coms, but because of the video conferencers…"

"They've been able to record the meeting," Pentecost finished for him. His face became a stone mask as he asked, "How much did they capture Mr. Choi?"

Tendo shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "All of it, sir. The whole thing has been streaming live since the start. Anyone with an internet connection could see it."

Pentecost nodded stoically at the news. Just as planned.

---

Jami354: But arent you just a bit curios man? Think of the things they could tell us!

B0B_Bre: No, im not. Cows are friggen retarded dude. Tehy'd just talk about grass or some shit if they could talk.

Jami354: But what if they werent? i'd be interested is al im sayin.

Rina_Me0w: GUYS! YOU'LL NEVER BELIVE WHAT I JUST HEARD!

B0B_Bre: oh hey rina. Watsup?

Rina_Me0w: I just saw the most amazing…

Rina_Me0w: Dear God what is wrong with your spelling and grammar?

Rina_Me0w: How many times have I told you to check what you're writing BEFORE you post it?

Jami354: Oh hai grammar nazi good to see you again.

B0B_Bre: be nice man. So rin whatca see?

Rina_Me0w: Either type right or I won't tell you.

B0B_Bre: seriously?

Jami354: its the internet. nobody cares bout puntation

Rina_Me0w: I'm sorry, what was that? I don't speak imbecile.

Jami354: Jeez, fine MOM! You gonna tell us or what?

Rina_Me0w: You're lucky I still count that as a word. Anyway, you guys know how the GDF used that black hole thingy on Godzilla and the other monsters right?

B0B_Bre: Thingy? Hyphocrit much?

Rina_Me0w: It's spelled hypocrite dumbass. Now just answer the question.

Jami354: Yes. We know. NOW SPILL IT ALREADY!

Rina_Me0w: Okay, okay. Well it turns out that the satellite thing shoots wormholes, not black holes, so the kaiju were shot to another dimension instead of, you know, dying.

B0B_Bre: Wait, they are in another world now?

Jami354: I TOLD YOU MAN! I FRICKEN TOLD YOU! AINT NOTHING CAN KILL THE KING!

Rina_Me0w: Is ain't even a word?

B0B_Bre: Who cares? Just tell us how you know this.

Rina_Me0w: Here's a link to the video I found: watch?v=Nx4kFO74WVk

Rina_Me0w: You'll never guess where they ended up.

Jami354: Where?

Rina_Me0w: Guess.

B0B_Bre: Really Rina?

Rina_Me0w: Come on. Guess.

Jami354: How the hell are we supposed to guess? They could be anywhere!

B0B_Bre: At least give us a hint.

Rina_Me0w: Oh fine. They're in a world we know as fiction, only everything there is real.

Jami354: DBZ

Rina_Me0w: What? No. Don't be ridiculous.

B0B_Bre: Lord of the Rings?

Rina_Me0w: No.

Jami354: Evangelion?

Rina_Me0w: NO!

B0B_Bre: Discworld?

Rina_Me0w: No. I really should get around to reading that though.

Jami354: Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann?

Rina_Me0w: What even is that?

Jami354: YOU DON'T KNOW GURREN LAGANN? Girl you are missing out.

B0B_Bre: I give up.

Jami354: WARHAMMER 40K! THAT WOULD BE THE MOST AWESOME THING EVER!

Rina_Me0w: What, you mean that grim-dark place that tries its best to be the worst universe ever?

Rina_Me0w: Try the exact opposite.

Jami354: But what's the opposite of the brutalawesomegrimdark?

B0B_Bre: NO. NO WAY.

Rina_Me0w: Figured it out have you?

B0B_Bre: You can't be serious!

Jami354: What is it man?

Rina_Me0w: You know that one show that you told me your sister loves to watch?

Jami354: The one with the horses? Yeah what about it?

Rina_Me0w: :)

Jami354: No.

Jami354: No fucking way.

Rina_Me0w: Eyyup.

Rina_Me0w: Godzilla is now a My Little Pony.

Rina_Me0w: Can't wait to get the plush version of him. It'll be so cute.

B0B_Bre: I

B0B_Bre: I can't

Jami354: Dude.

Jami354: That world is fucked.

---

In the impenetrable darkness of an ancient temple in a forsaken realm, a presence snorted in frustration. Echoing cracks and groans rattled around the room as the immense stone throne in the center felt the weight it carried shift. Small pinpricks of faint red light appeared as the eyes of a great beast opened. This is an annoyance, the ruler of the darkness admitted to itself.

The last few days had seen numerous small victories by his forces in various realms, each doing their part in enabling his grand plan. There had been some setbacks, such as the loss of the Gyaos swarms, but they had been manageable failures with their own benefits. But the series of events that were occurring on the world the ruler had originated from promised to be much more upsetting. The humans, stubborn little pests that they were, had not deigned to cower in their cities as he had expected, and even now they planned to eliminate the very forces he planned to use in their destruction.

His first attempt to drive them off this course had been waylaid by the combined forces of ill-timing and bad luck, with the resultant loss of some of his few followers in the Earthen realm. Unfortunate, but of little concern. However, the issue was now that much larger with the duplicitous actions of that one damnable human. Now the entire species would become aware of what the ruler had engineered and be more determined than ever to rid their world of his servants, both human and monster alike.

Once more he swept a tendril of his consciousness through the human stronghold, studying everything he saw for a whisper of information he could use against them. As he did he recognized a familiar signature down in the lower levels. Hmm. It appeared one of his servants from the assault was still alive.

Alive to tell them everything she knew.

A deep, threatening growl emanated from the ruler's throat. That cannot be allowed.

---

Aaaaaand welcome back to Humanity's Stand. Next chapter will be the start of the war, I promise! No more background set up or world building. Just straight into the action. Who's gonna fight first? I don't know, but I promise it will be awesome. Also, I managed to pump this out in just over two weeks. That is very fast for me so YAY! Next one may or may not take longer. Action is very variable when it comes to that sort of thing. Aside from the major fighting goodness there will be a secondary plot of humanity trying to figure out just what the hell is going on. Give you three guesses who's going to get caught up in that, and the first two don't count. Til next time!

Humanity's Stand

Pest Control

Thunderous cracks and booms echoed through the Siberian landscape as the Russian Jaeger Cherno Alpha stomped its way through the forest tundra. Pine trees hundreds of years old were snapped like toothpicks by Alpha's massive metallic legs. What few native animals that still dared to live here fled in a panic at the appearance of the giant, most thankfully having the sense to run back towards where the thing had come from, rather than in the direction of its target. Several hundred feet above the forest floor in the center of the mechanical monstrosity stood three people in an enclosed cockpit, moving along with the motions of their Jaeger.

"How far are we from the target?" Sasha Kaidanovsky asked as she pumped her legs forward in tandem with her husband.

Aleksis reached out with his unadorned arm and tapped at the control board in front of him, enlarging the map in their HUDs. "Five kilometers. We should be meeting with the kaiju soon. Reznov," Aleksis turned slightly to indicate the third person in the cockpit sited behind and between the two pilots. "Are our allies there?"

A loud chortling was his initial answer. "Indeed my friend. They are waiting for us just beyond that rise. We should hurry comrade. One of them is sounding as impatient as I am."

Aleksis laughed. Victor Reznov had been a close friend to the Kaidanovskies ever since their days as prison guards in a (now abandoned) gulag, with Reznov as one of the prisoners. Turns out calling the then President of the Russian Republic a 'weak-willed slovoch' to his face was a bad idea. When asked about the incident, Reznov had told them that he'd actually been holding back, and had been just a few moments away from assaulting the man himself. Reznov's hometown had been wiped out in a Kamacuras attack and the Jaeger assigned to defend the area had been recalled, based on the small chance that the monster would turn towards Moscow.

Taking pity on the man, Aleksis had made an effort to improve his lot, granting him better food and great access to other areas. Reznov had promptly taken the gifts and shared them out amongst the other prisoners, quickly becoming a favored friend of practically every inmate. By the time the prison was shut down years later and Reznov released (after being revealed as a telepath) the man had most of the facility, guards and prisoners alike, listening to his commands. When the Kaidanovskies had been chosen as Jaeger pilots they had brought Reznov along so he could learn to use his powers, and he had been near them ever since.

"Why so quiet my friends?" Reznov asked. "Is this not a moment for excitement? At long last we will free our land of these annoying pests and make the Rodina safe for us all."

"Those pests happen to be 60 meter tall Praying Mantids who outnumber us 8 to 3, Reznov," Sasha commented. "We are a bit more concerned than excited at the moment."

"It matters little," Reznov said, undaunted. The unspoken chance at revenge glittered on his aged face. "We shall swat them like the frail insects that they are and destroy them once and for all." He paused as his eyes defocused for a moment. "Our friends are just up ahead in the ravine."

The Jaeger turned as it came around the tree-covered hill, sensors automatically sweeping the now revealed terrain. Radar and thermal imaging immediately picked up the two kaiju waiting for them, causing an alert to be sounded in the cockpit and pulling the Kaidanovskies up short. Both kaiju were slightly larger than the Russian juggernaut, both in height and weight, and were covered in think, armor-plate-like scales. The similarities ended there though.

The nearer one stood at an angle, resembling in many ways the old-timey look of a tyrannosaur in the ancient days of paleontology. His head was giant in proportion to his body, sporting rather sharp pillar sized teeth, while his arms we decidedly smaller, hanging limply in their sockets. In comparison his legs were much larger, bearing quite some resemblance to a kangaroo's.

Greetings humans, Gorosaurus said over the mind link to Reznov, and through him to the Kaidanovskies. It will be a great pleasure to work with you in removing this threat from the region.

The other kaiju scoffed, the sound reverbing slightly in the close quarters of the ravine. Whatever, Gabara groused. Let's just get this over with. With that the humanoid orge pushed off the now cleared hillside and stomped past the other two.

Gorosaurus sighed and said, My apologies for his behavior. Gabara can be rather… abrasive at times.

The two pilots shared a stone faced look, remembering a time when Gabara had been working for the other side. "We'd prefer abrasive over destructive for now," Sasha said in a flat tone.

"I care not about his attitude," Reznov declared. "I care only for his fighting skills."

Aleksis grunted in agreement then asked over the mind link, "Are you both aware of the plan?"

Gorosaurus nodded as he began to walk after his fellow monster. Yes. We will form a circle in front of the mountain near the nest and draw them in, dealing with them when they get close.

It was a simple plan but it was really all that was needed. Kamacuras were among the few non-sentient kaiju and as such were unaligned with either side of the kaiju war. They were not inactive however, as their numerous attacks on both cities and livestock caused plenty of damage before they could be driven off. An assault on the primary Kamacuras nest would not draw too much attention from the mutants, giving the GDF a chance to test their telepathic communication in the field while also giving the rest of their forces time to finish some hasty upgrades.

It was not lost on the Kaidanovskies that both groups had sent arguably their weakest (or in Gabara's case, the least desirable) fighters on this mission. Though their losses would be felt dearly in case of failure, no one in this group was a game changer in their own right. They did not care though. Cherno Alpha was one of the first Jaegers built and the oldest still in service, which meant it was heavily outdated and had a growing list of maintenance problems looming over its nuclear tower head. None of these problems had ever stopped them from doing their job before, and they would not do so now. Besides, their opponents were Kamacuras, kaiju that had been beaten by regular military units in the past. The danger, so long as they all worked together, would be minimal.

A few minutes of relative silence passed as the three titans made their way through the forest (relative due to the continued leveling of said forest). As he walked Gorosaurus adopted a more horizontal stance, making him look much closer to the modern interpretation of his type of dinosaur. Gabara was busy running currents of electricity over his paws, his footsteps growing faster and lighter as the prospect of combat approached while his face bore a rather nasty smile. Sasha and Aleksis ran over their status checks one last time, searching for any outstanding issue that might crop up in the heat of battle. Thankfully for the husband and wife team the mechanics back at the Shatterdome had managed to pull off the improbable and fix everything immediately wrong with their aging mecha. Even the new alien alloy armor upgrades had been applied with a minimum of problems, an event practically unheard of in Jaeger maintenance history.

"One kilometer to the nest," Aleksis called out. "The mountain should be on the left, 200 meters."

Calling the 200-meter tall outcrop a mountain was a bit generous, but it was the highest bit of real estate situated anywhere near the Kamacuras nest and the relevant face was sheer enough to be mostly clear of trees, meaning the tricky bugs couldn't use their camouflage to hide up against it very easily. The group tramped their way over to the bottom of the cliff face, stirring up several irate flocks of extremely brave fowl as they did. Now at their destination the trio reoriented into their planned positions. Cherno Alpha took the center front, being the physically toughest and having thermal cameras that could negate the Kamacuras' camo advantage. Gorosaurus and Gabara took the flanks, ready to protect the Jaeger's sides and rear. Now to bring in the bass, Aleksis thought.

"Gorosaurus, my comrade," Reznov said with a slasher's grin, "please alert these pests to their doom."

The saurian nodded and drew in a huge gulp of air. He then released it all in a mighty roar that could be heard for miles around. The speakers in Cherno's cockpit had to dim down temporarily to not be blown out from the sheer volume.

Damn it Gor! Gabara cursed as he started rubbing his ears. Little warning next time eh bigmouth?

The dinosaur grumbled at the other kaiju and retorted, Perhaps if you had been listening to the conversation, you would not have been caught off guard?

The ogre didn't get a chance to retort as Sasha noticed movement on her radar and said, "Contacts detected! Looks like we tripped the hornet's nest."

Sure enough a cloud of lime green kaiju began to appear from a gap in the forest about a kilometer distant. The Kamacuras literally were just gigantic praying mantids, looking exactly the same as their monumentally tinnier cousins. Despite their size though the Kamacuras were still incredibly fast, which, combined with their camo abilities, made them very dangerous opponents if they could concentrate on one target. Thankfully the insects' capacity for complex tactics was very limited, boiling down to 'sneak up while they aren't looking'. Cherno Alpha carried the group's counter to that, and as the beasts flew toward the trio of intruders, the mech launched a pod of UAV's to add to its vision.

"Reznov," Sasha said, "I'm bringing up the drones' views on your screen. Use them to call out target vectors to the kaiju."

"Da my friend," Reznov confirmed. "The sukas will not get close."

Said sukas were actually starting to get close, hovering low to the ground and zipping towards them erratically. The Kamacuras furthest forward suddenly flew upward then began to dive bomb on Cherno.

"Cover us while we handle the first one," Aleksis shouted. Two mental acknowledgements went over the mind link as Alpha angled itself so its stance was vertical towards the descending bug. Just as the Kamacuras was about to ram into Alpha the Russian juggernaut grabbed the creature in a bear hug and body slammed it into the cliff. The force of its own momentum driving it forward and Alpha's 20,000 tons landing behind it pulped the Kamacuras' exoskeleton and killed it almost instantly. Cherno pulled back and watched as the swatted insect fell to the ground in various pieces.

The other members of the hive were not idle as one of their brothers died. One slipped into its cloak and ascended, landing atop the mountain and lining itself up for an attack from behind. Two more split up and descended on Gabara from either side. The ogre wasn't the least bit concerned by the two-pronged strike. Rather, his smile merely morphed into a demonic form as he crouched his legs and waited for the right moment. Right as the two kaiju were about to tackle Gabara from both sides he leaped backwards at the last instant, leaving the bugs to smack face first into each other. The Kamacuras chattered angrily at each other and struggled to separate themselves from their unfortunate tangle. Their arguing was cut off as Gabara grabbed both of their heads in his hands and pumped wave after wave of electricity straight into their brains. Once their carapaces started smoking he let them go, the bugs' blackened skulls turning to ashes when tapped them.

"Well done comrades," Reznov shouted proudly. "Goro, there is a bug behind you on the hill. Watch yourself."

Thank you, Gorosaurus said, as he turned to face the sheer mountain face above him. The Kamacuras, realizing it was spotted, decided to make its move, launching itself off the rocks and flying down towards Cherno's exposed head and back. Before it could land on the jaeger and stab its arms into Alpha's back, Gorosaurus used his massive hind legs and leaped to intercept the other kaiju. The two giants landed against the lower slopes of the hill, Gorosaurus latching his jaws into the Kamacuras' central body and ripping through it easily, killing the creature in a shower of insect blood.

And just that quickly half the swarm was eliminated, leaving the odds much more favorable for Cherno and its allies. The swarm wasn't happy about this though, and decided to forego any further caution by barreling in on the trio. "Watch out everyone!" Reznov cried out. "Things are about to get very interesting!"

Gabara was the first reached, the ogre smacking away his first attacker with a lightning wreathed punch then turning to catch the second, roaring with rage as one of its pincers stabbed into his shoulder. Gorosaurus took an instant too long to remove his teeth from the dead Kamacuras, leaving him unprepared for the bug landing on his back and snapping its mandibles at the back of his neck. Goro started bucking himself up and down to remove the beast from his back, but the Kamacuras held on tight, using his pincers as anchors in Goro's flesh. Cherno had a bit more warning and folded its arms over its chest as protection, blocking most of the Kamacuras' force but getting knocked on its ass.

"We need to get it off us," Aleksis shouted while trying to push the mantis' head away from their power source.

Sasha nodded and started typing away at her console to activate their counter. "Powering up the Tesla Fists."

Though not technically designed as an imitation of Gabara's lightning paws, the Tesla Fists used much the same principle of shocking the target by way of contact electrocution. Once Cherno's fists were ready Sasha set them to discharge on the Kamacuras, sending it skittering away chattering madly. Cherno used its new freedom to rush over Gorosaurus and slug his assaulter off with a still surging punch. The punch snapped the Kamacuras' arm easily, and the freed Gorosaurus wasted no time taking his revenge on the crippled bug. Leaping forward as soon as he was on his feet, Goro landed atop the insect and tore the thing limb from limb with his jaws. The Kaidanovskies looked on in awe as the giant dinosaur ate the giant praying mantis alive, too stunned by the ferocity on display to move.

Off to the right Gabara was still fighting his two Kamacuras, easily keeping track of both opponents and preventing them pinning him down. By the same token though he couldn't get any hits back on them as he was too busy moving back and forth to catch them and zap them. Hey, he called out over the mental link, if you chuckleheads aren't too busy then maybe you could grab one of these assholes and get them off my back!

"Shit," Sasha cursed as she realized her distraction. "We're on our way."

Reznov interrupted their progress as he said, "Bug approaching, left side!"

Cherno barely had time to start its turn towards the attacker when the bug landed on its shoulder, stabbing at the weak armor on Cherno's arm.

"Get off!" Aleksis roared, smashing his other arm against the bug's face, tearing the creature off Cherno and killing it in the same blow. The damage had been done though, as Cherno's left arm had been rendered useless, exposed wires and circuits sparking in the open air. Gorosaurus, remembering his ally through his blood rage, finished with his impromptu meal and moved to support his fellow kaiju, with Cherno following afterwards.

The aide was a bit slow though, as Gabara had been forced up against the cliff and was aggressively trying to fend off the two Kamacuras, who were darting in and out to nibble at the larger kaiju. Finally one managed to slip in past Gabara's flailing arms and latched onto his leg, ripping through his scales and slicing into the deep muscle of his upper thigh. Gabara screamed over the mental link, his agony easily felt by the others equally. The feeling spurred Goro on to greater speed, allowing him to catch the other Kamacuras by its leg before it could move in on the ogre. Goro held the bug in place while Cherno came up and elbow-dropped onto its body and mashed it with its sheer weight. The final Kamacuras heard his brother's dying screech and foolishly tried to see his death, only to lead to his own. Gabara grabbed the Kamacuras' head between his paws and squeezed with all his might, squishing the thing and causing numerous disgusting liquids to flow out. Take that you fucking prick, Gabara muttered to himself.

The three combatants stilled to catch their breath. Each took a moment to look around the battlefield, taking in the carnage and debris that lay in the wake of their titanic fight. The entire landscape in front of the mountain had been cleared of trees, the broken, smashed, and shattered remains of the eight Kamacuras spread out over the now empty plain.

Inside their cockpit the Kaidanovskies panted lightly, thanking their lucky stars that they had managed to survive the fight. "Mission accomplished," Sasha announced finally. "Let's get out of here." The Jaeger turned and started off in the direction of its pickup point several kilometers distant. The kaiju headed the other way, Gorosaurus leading the way while Gabara followed more slowly, hissing with each step on his injured leg. Gabara made a point to smash each Kamacuras corpse he passed, cursing each one as he did.

As they left the battle zone, Sasha keyed up her long range radio and said, "Nest is clear of all hostiles. Bombing run is now clear."

"Roger that Alpha," the voice on the other end stated over the static. "We're rolling in on the drop zone now."

Cherno Alpha turned its cameras back towards the nest long enough to watch the rain of thermobaric bombs fall upon the nest and wipe away any trace of the Kamacuras' existence. Reznov's voice was the only one to speak, a layer of satisfied hatred coloring his tone. "Good riddance."

---

Lauren Faust fell back in her chair with a heavy sigh, her exhausted mind wishing it was instead the surprisingly comfy bed she had back in her quarters. For the last three days Stacker and company had been grilling Lauren and Craig on every possible detail about Equestria. People, places, systems of government, military, economy, population, technology levels, types and uses of magic. Anything and everything that could be useful was studied, analyzed, studied some more, then either praised for being better than what humans could accomplish or mocked for being utterly ridiculous. Occasionally at the same time. In some ways the meetings were remarkably similar to the discussions Lauren sometimes had with the fans, only slightly more in-depth and with quite a bit more seriousness all around.

"So do the dragons have a government, or do they all just do their own thing?" someone asked. Lauren couldn't summon the energy to see who it was.

Craig, seeing just how out of it Lauren was at the moment, decided to answer for her. "They don't really care enough have any sort of organization. The only time they meet up is for the Great Dragon Migration, and they don't really do much during it."

"What's the Migration for exactly?" Newt asked while holding up his notepad and pen. "Do they gather together so they can compare hoards? So their kids can meet up? Cause most species that migrate do it to mate."

Lauren's eyes widened in realization then stopped seeing anything as her hand slapped up to cover them. "And now I'm imaging Spike being introduced to sex by teenage dragons. Thank you so much Newt. That was definitely an image my head needed to have."

Craig glared at Newt, who was smiling meekly and trying to disappear in his chair.

"We're getting off topic," Pentecost announced to draw everyone away from the current tangent. "What we want to know is how much of a threat the dragons would be to the kaiju in their reduced states."

Lauren shook her head back and forth, both to try and wake herself up and to get rid of the very inappropriate thoughts she had accidentally created. "No more dangerous than they would be to the average Equestrian. Dragons don't really interact with the ponies very much. They prefer to live alone in their caves. The odds are pretty good none of the kaiju will even see a dragon while they're there, let alone have to fight one."

A poorly stifled yawn came from Lauren's left and she saw General Gordon leaning angrily on his (thankfully sheathed) katanna. "This is pointless. It's been three days now and we're no closer to figuring out what the hell the monsters are there for. Can we just chalk it up random chance and move on already?"

Dr. Gottlieb stood up at the complaint and said, "I have already explained that there is no conceivable way this was anything other than a deliberate act. The chances of the Dimension Tide transporting the kaiju to a world that can be near perfectly described by a television show of all things is so improbable you would be better off betting on a snowball surviving for five minutes in the core of the Sun. The probability is simply too astronomical to be taken seriously as a reasonable outcome."

"But that just leads to the question of who could have done it in the first place." General Tachibana said. "Even after years of study Dimension Tide's wormhole activities are impossible to predict, let alone control. Saying that someone deliberately sent the kaiju to Equestria would imply that they had a better understanding of DT's workings than the people who have been using it for more than half a decade, something that should be flatly impossible."

Craig chuckled and said, "You'd think after sixty years of living in a world of kaiju we'd have given up on the idea that something should be impossible."

"He's right," Pentecost said. "Someone, or something, is behind all of this, and we need to figure out who that is before they make another move. The question is how."

Gordon huffed. "Why not start with those terrorists we captured? They might know something, and even if they don't we could use them to finally root out those damn kaiju loving freaks who've been bugging my forces for so long." A wry smile appeared on his lips as he added, "I know Gondo would love to have a piece of those two for all the damage they caused, not to mention the two deaths on the leader's order."

Tachibana nodded and said, "I agree Stacker. Those two must have some important information in their heads, and besides that they are very dangerous individuals on their own. They need to be dealt with eventually. Might as well get some value out of them."

Pentecost absorbed his general's advice for a moment before he stated, "Very well. We will interrogate the prisoners for any and all information they have on the unknown entity and their own organization. I'll have Miki Saegusa head the effort. She has the best chance of breaking their mental barriers and removing the information harmlessly."

Tachibana accepted the idea immediately, but Pentecost could tell from Gordon's face that he doubted Miki would be an able interrogator. Normally Stacker would agree and have someone less discerning at the helm, but he had good reasons for choosing his surrogate daughter for the job. Reasons Miki herself had provided.

Stacker's thoughts were interrupted as he heard a very loud, very exhausted sounding yawn come from the other end of the table. He smiled slightly at the innocent unprofessionalism and said, "Alright, that's enough for today. You are all dismissed." He turned to Lauren and said, "Rest well Mrs. Faust. You've earned it."

Lauren nodded sleepily and shambled off, Craig standing as a support at her side, comforting arm draped over her shoulder. Gordon, Ozaki and Tachibana headed off in silence, their heads no doubt filled with thoughts on the coming war and preparing their areas of control for the fighting to come. Newt and Gottlieb trundled away after them, arguing for the umpteenth time on some topic only they cared about, the other analysts following and having their own, much quieter conversations.

Once the room was clear Pentecost took a moment to rub his eyes, trying not to feel envious of the animators he had just sent off to rest. The perks of being head of the Global Defense Initiative were many, but adequate sleep was not one of them. As it was he would have to stay up for several more hours to hear about the outcome of the Kamacuras mission, then stay up even later to alter plans and preparations based on the results. Pentecost allowed himself a rare sigh at the knowledge of the long night ahead. Proud as he was of his job and his many accomplishments in his position, sometimes he just felt the need to lament how much it sucked to be leader.

Like knowing that his adopted daughter was planning to risk her mind and health trying to understand the thought process of an attempted genocider based on a single instant's insight gathered under duress. I hope your impression was right Miki, Pentecost thought as he dialed up the phone to his daughter's office. Because it's about to be put to the test.

---

Silence. Pure, ineffable silence. It was all Taiyou could focus on. She rustled a bit on her cot, not out of discomfort, but simply to break that oppressive quiet, even if only for just a moment. For three days the telepath had sat alone in this plain white room, with only herself and the perfect silence for company.

There had been many things Taiyou had expected after waking up and remembering her capture, each more painful and agonizing than the last. Her master had warned her that the GDF were ruthless, willing to use any means necessary to break their enemies, whether for information or just the sheer thrill of it. Her telepathy teacher had told her numerous horror stories of fellow believers who had been brutally beaten and even mauled before they could be rescued by their brothers, and none of them had ever survived the experience. She'd spent hours after awakening preparing her mind as best she could for the inevitable onslaught, waiting with well-hidden terror for the assault to start.

But nothing had happened. No one had come to fetch her for questioning; no instruments of torture had sprouted out of the walls. Just more endless silence. For hours upon hours she had waited for the pin to drop, but even in this unnerving tranquility the tell-tale ping never came. At some point she had felt hunger and for a few minutes she had been able to focus on memories of her last meal before setting out for her disastrous mission. Then a tray had slid out of a port in the wall carrying a simple meal of plain wheat bread and jerky strips, the first sign in forever that someone even acknowledged she existed.

At first Taiyou did not dare touch the meal, certain that it contained some sort of poison meant to destroy her will to resist or some other similar plot. But as the hours passed her hunger grew stronger and stronger, not at all helped by the fact that the food was literally the only thing to look at save for the tiny cot she sat on and the waterless bowl in the corner masquerading as a toilet. Finally, after an indeterminable amount of brooding hours, she gave in to her bodily needs, reasoning that she would need her strength to resist her captors most effectively. The food had been adequate, as bland and flavorless as possible while still providing the necessary nutrients for her to survive. Once again she waited, this time for the first hint of the inevitable signs of mental disruption or worse. But to her relief and mild disappointment nothing happened other than the disappearance of her hunger and the resumption of absolute nothingness.

Her existence had continued in this way for more time than she could truly recall or track. There was no window to mark the coming and going of the Sun, no clock to follow humanity's artificial timekeeping. Even the meals came at irregular intervals, each time eroding her suspicions with their lack of additional chemicals of any kind. Her sense of time was so far gone that her three days estimate was little more than a wild ass guess, despite being one of the few things she could focus on at all. The food was too boring to contemplate for longer than it took to eat. The room was empty of anything that could be misconstrued as interesting, something her attempts to find a way out – or even how she had even been put in – had shown very clearly. There was nothing to occupy her, no promise of activity. At this point she almost wanted to be questioned or tortured just to have something to do. Taiyou was stuck sitting in this damnable silence, trying desperately to find something, anything to do. But the outside world denied her that, leaving her mind nowhere to go but inward.

Introspection was an activity that Taiyou avoided desperately whenever possible. It was a waste of time and energy that could better put to use saving the Earth from the plight of humanity, a goal she had dedicated herself to years ago. That was what she told herself at least. The real reason was that the depths of her consciousness frightened her in ways few other things could. Dark imaginings, twisted memories, half-forgotten terrors of a long lost childhood. Much of her telepathy training had been spent learning to suppress these weak thoughts so she could focus on the future she was working to bring about, but its effectiveness hinged on Taiyou's ability to actively work on that future. Here in this blank abyss she had nothing, allowing her traitorous mind to fill in the blanks with things best left forgotten.

She could feel it coming back again, that recurring nightmare that plagued her at every opportunity. Taiyou snapped her eyes shut and squeezed her hands hard on her cot, trying to push away the images with sheer force of will. It was to no avail though as the memory of sweeping darkness enveloped her mind.

Nothing was visible around her, the underlying quiet taking on a menacing presence of its own accord. Blind, Taiyou stumbled about in the dark, feeling the rough and uneven ground through her shoes. It seemed like she was searching for something, but what it was she could not recall. Suddenly the oppressive black disappeared for a second, an overwhelming flash of light sending it scurrying away. Instinct forced Taiyou to look towards the source, catching a brief glimpse of a boxy mass rumbling forward at a breakneck pace. Soon more flashes appeared all around her as more and more of the objects rolled past, ear-shattering booms echoing from them each time their lights appeared. She watched them as they went, then looked up to see the night sky beyond them catch fire. A looming shade moved slowly through the orange background far away, small bursts of bright orange appearing periodically all across its visage.

A feeling of trepidation filled Taiyou as she watched the spectacle, her feet carrying her backwards unconsciously. The repeated crunches of her shoes on gravel and glass continued for several moments, until one of her steps fell upon a different kind of surface. Taiyou toppled backwards in surprise, grunting when she contacted a fallen wood wall. The firestorm in the distance had lifted the darkness enough for the ground around her to be visible, letting her get a glimpse of what she had stepped upon. Her eyes widened, desperately trying to deny what her eyes were showing her. No… that's…

---

Miki Saegusa tried her best to contain her nervousness as she got ever closer to her self-assigned task. The hallway she traversed was little used, small piles of dust gathered in the corners and the flaking paint on the walls showing clear signs of its neglect. The prison wing of Shatterdome was very rarely needed, usually acting as a temporary holding place for dangerous hybrids or telepaths before they could be collected and transported to more secure, purpose built facilities far away from civilization. Indeed, to Miki's knowledge no one had actually been kept here for several years. She didn't know if that fact was simply because the GDF hadn't been forced to fight such opponents as much in recent times, or because the number of enemies willing to die rather than be captured was on the rise. She shuddered at the second possibility, wondering how such people could be deluded so badly.

"Are you okay Miss Saegusa?" Pat asked, a concerned look on his face.

Miki looked back at the guard and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, Mr. Paterson. I'm fine."

Pat didn't look convinced. "Are you sure you want to be alone with her? I could stand by in the corner if you need me."

The telepath shook her head in answer. "No. Having you there would force me to split my concentration to protect us both. Better I go in there alone."

"But what if she tries something?" Pat objected, no doubt remembering the terrorist's sneak attack back at the launch pad.

Miki's smile morphed into a confident smirk. "I'm not worried about that. I got a very good measure of her abilities three days ago. Her telekinesis won't be a threat." The smile faded as she remembered her prior concerns. "It's what's in her mind that worries me."

Pat thought this over and nodded. "Alright. You're the expert miss." Both paused as they arrived at the door housing the captured telepath. Pat waved to the wall and said, "I'll be just outside if you need me."

Miki nodded then turned to face the barely visible door in front of her. To her right Pat flipped down a small keyboard from a port in the wall and typed in the access code for the door. With a muted hiss the wall slid upward, allowing Miki entrance to the cell. As she walked in Miki's eyes were instantly drawn to the only source of color in the room, the black of the other telepath's mussed mission outfit contrasting sharply with the harsh white of the cell walls. To her surprise the woman did not seem to notice her entrance, her eyes being pointed down at her feet. A closer examination showed that the woman's muscles were all tensed, her hands clenching the cot so hard Miki thought it would be torn apart.

The woman was trapped within her memory, reliving some horrible experience in her past that had deeply marked her psyche. Miki recognized the state from her own training years ago. A telepath's greatly enhanced access to the mind could lead to some getting lost within themselves or others, a much more dangerous version of the rabbit chasing drift partners sometimes suffered. Part of her wanted to rush forward and try to help the woman, her own experiences of falling within her memory being terrible in their own right, but the rest of her remembered that this woman had been in the process of trying to wipe out millions of people. She hovered in place for a moment, debating what to do, but finally decided to stick with the safe option and stay back. Instead she loudly cleared her throat, hoping the noise would be enough to startle the woman out of her reverie. Oddly enough the noise garnered no reaction, prompting Miki's eyes to widen in concern. Just how powerful is this memory of hers? Finally she decided she had to be more direct, reaching out with a mental tendril to hopefully drag the woman back to full consciousness.

The instant her probe touched the outer layers of the woman's mind Miki felt herself drawn into the memory, her attempts to resist and remind outside brushed away without effort. I've never seen a memory this strong before. This can't be natural! After arriving within the memory the landscape began to form around her and Miki recognized the familiar sight of a kaiju battleground. Smashed houses were everywhere while deep tracks from military vehicles covered the streets and any open pathway available. The distance sounds of combat could be heard in the direction of a huge firestorm, the blaze of the flames providing enough visibility for Miki to walk by. She looked back and forth, straining to see the subject of the memory she was in. A glance down the street showed her a half demolished home, the wreck of a destroyed tank half buried in the debris of the collapsed roof. Looking closer Miki spotted a small girl with long dark hair huddled on the group dragging at something she could not see clearly.

Oh no, she thought, the similarity of the image to her own past striking at her like a thunderbolt. She rushed forward as quickly as she could, all thought of the woman's current actions utterly forgotten. Before she could arrive though a group of darkly dressed people showed up around the girl. They seemed to take stock of the situation in a moment and acted before Miki could reach them, grabbing the girl and dragging her kicking and screaming away from the body on the ground. "Stop!" she screamed, but her voice was drowned out by a sudden increase in the combat behind her. She ignored the military's attempts to fell the monster, her only focus being rescuing the girl in front of her. Then the sky lit up in a massive fireball and everything faded away.

When Miki's eyes reopened she found herself staggered against the wall, her head pounding from the aftereffects of the end of the memory. She shook her head, standing up straight as she did and trying to process what she had seen. There was much more going on with this woman than Miki had suspected, much of it worse than she had anticipated. Taiyou, she thought with a start. That was her name. When she managed to look up again she saw that Taiyou was staring at her, a look of the most intense hatred on her face.

"What did you see?" the black haired woman hissed angrily.

Miki quailed for a moment under her gaze then steeled herself and answered, "Only what I needed to."

"You saw nothing," Taiyou practically snarled in retort. "You understand nothing." She turned her gaze away, her hands reclenching in murderous rage.

Miki found herself frozen in place at the ferocity of the woman's tone. Every plan she'd tried to make for this interview had flown right out the window the moment she'd stepped in the room. Guess its back to the basics then. She drew herself up and stated in an even tone, "I am here to interrogate you on any information you have regarding your organization. If you cooperate then you will be placed in a minimum security prison and be given the opportunity to make up for your actions. If you do not cooperate–"

"Save your breath," Taiyou interrupted harshly. "I know what you plan to do to me and I don't care. You'll never get anything from me, no matter what you try." She settled back against the wall and crossed her arms over her chest. Her voice lost some of its harshness as she continued, "Might as well just get it over with."

Miki looked down at the woman, a hint of uncertainty plaguing her mind once again. "And just what do you imagine I will be doing to you?"

The woman stared at her incredulously, her anger fading for a moment at the sound of Miki's obvious confusion. "Whatever the hell you want. Break fingers. Smash bones. Electricity, water, fire. I don't care what you do, just get it the fuck over with."

Miki blanched visibly as the woman listed each torture, her composure disappearing completely. "What? No! I… We would never do anything like that. It is completely morally repugnant, not to mention illegal. How could you even think we would do such things?"

"Don't lie to me!" Taiyou yelled. "I know you do! They told me of your atrocities."

Miki narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the other woman. "Who told you? What evidence did they have?"

Taiyou was too caught up in her hatred to control herself and spouted out, "He showed me the pictures, the mutilated bodies you left behind after you'd had your fun! You treated us like playthings to experiment with, just like you do with anyone who opposes you." She stood up, her rage from three days of loneliness releasing itself in this one burst. "The GDF claims to be the protectors of humanity, but humanity is not worth protecting, not after what they have done to this planet! To themselves! The kaiju are the true inheritors of this planet, and they will wipe out our corrupt species."

Miki looked at Taiyou, her hands hanging limply at her sides and mental shields lowered. "Is that truly how you see us?" she whispered. "A blight? A disease whose only cure is death?"

"It is our nature," Taiyou said firmly. "We only know how to destroy. Ourselves, wildlife, the environment. We cause damage to everything around us. The only way to save the world is to remove us from it." The woman's surge of strength faded as she remembered her position. "But my chance at that goal is gone. I'm of no use to the world now, so just kill me quickly and let that be the end of it."

"No."

Taiyou looked up from her despair, anger again coloring her features. "What? Are you not willing to spare me the pain? Are you that determined to break me?"

Miki shook her head in denial and repeated, "No. We will not torture you. That is something we will never do. On that you have my word." Miki punctuated her statement by sending a wave of her feelings into the other woman, the emotions sliding over Taiyou's mental walls and flooding through. Try as she might Taiyou could not deny the sincerity in her visitor's words.

"But… but that…" Taiyou staggered back onto her cot, her mind spinning as she tried to understand. "That can't be true. You must be lying. They said… the pictures…"

"They lied," Miki answered simply and firmly. "The GDF would never commit such acts."

Taiyou sputtered then launched back in denial, saying, "What about the kaiju? You try your best to eradicate them all, even when most of them have never attacked humans except in self-defense."

"That's not true either," Miki responded. "The GDF has only ever acted in defense of itself and humans. The only kaiju we ever actively try to kill are the ones who have proven without a doubt that they want to murder humans for their own enjoyment. We've left the more peaceful kaiju like Godzilla and his allies completely alone when they wanted it, and we've even directly allied with them for our mutual defense."

Taiyou felt her arms drop down onto her cot, her anger sapped by the woman's words and the complete certainty with which she said them. "You… this can't be true." She cradled her head in her arms as she felt her world come crashing down around her. "He said we were the monsters. Said humans were the threat."

Miki's tone softened as she said, "I know humans aren't perfect. We've done rather nasty things in our history, both to ourselves and to the planet, but we've done plenty of beneficial things too. And we don't fight the kaiju because we hate them and want them all dead. We just want to live in peace so we can have a chance to fix our mistakes." She walked forward and sat on the cot next to Taiyou. "We all make mistakes. That's part of being human."

Taiyou snarled and launched herself away. "This isn't a mistake. If… if what you're saying is true, then my lo… they lied to me. About everything. You're telling me that my entire life has been a lie. You can't expect me to just accept that!"

Miki shrugged in sad agreement. "I wouldn't expect that at all. If it were me, I'd probably be breaking down right about now. That you are still cognizant is frankly amazing."

Taiyou huffed where she stood. "Perhaps some benefit came out of… all of that."

"So will you help us?" Miki asked eagerly. "I promise that if you do you'll be set free as soon as possible."

The black-haired woman lifted an eyebrow at her and asked, "Just like that? You have no concern for the soldiers my men injured? Those two chi…" she stopped herself and corrected, "technicians we killed?"

Miki appeared mollified as her memory caught up with her enthusiasm. "Yes, well, I suppose there will be consequences for that. But if you provide enough aide we would be willing to forgive, so long as you show you are properly guilty over the acts."

Taiyou just stared at the woman in shock. She had been certain that bringing up the deaths would have guaranteed the treatment she'd expected, show that this entire thing was just a farce meant to confuse her. But instead this woman was refusing to go back on her word, even offering forgiveness for something that in Taiyou's group would have merited death instantly. It was just so… different from what she had expected. Taiyou wasn't sure what to think anymore. "You're really serious," she muttered unconsciously.

"Of course we are," Miki answered her. "Forgiveness is the right of every sentient being, as long as they are willing to accept it."

Forgiveness, Taiyou pondered behind the walls of her mind. No one has ever offered it before. I never did. Not even to… She shook the thought away and focused on what she was being offered. A second chance at a different life, one that promised a much different outlook than she had been raised with. One she might even be able to live through, rather than be martyred to at the order of her lo… Him.

Taiyou suppressed a shudder at the thought of what He would do if He ever found her considering this. Then she recalled the acts He claimed were truth that had been revealed for their falsehood and made her decision. He lied to me. About our enemy, about our goal. He may have even lied about… her. A grim look of determination appeared on her face. He is not worthy of being followed. Now, I follow my own path.

Taiyou paused for a moment before a self-satisfied smirk appeared on her lips. On that note. "If you think I'm just going to tell you everything now that this… new evidence is apparent then you have another thing coming. You're going to have to prove your conviction to me. Your entire organization, not just you."

Miki nodded, hiding an elated smile at the admission. "That shouldn't be difficult, given what we have in store. And when we do?" she asked curiously.

Taiyou took in a deep breath, realizing the enormity of what she was about to say. If she spoke what was on her mind than there was no going back. Steeling herself with a whispered telepathy exercise Taiyou straightened and said, "Then I will give you the location of my organization and the identity of its leader."

And thus is your treason completed. I had hoped you would be able to resist, but I see my faith in you was misplaced.

Miki all but jumped off the cot and swung her head back and forth in search of the voice. "Who said that? What's going on?"

Taiyou could not answer her for her mind was all consumed by terror. No! This can't be! He can't reach us, not here!

My reach is limitless, foolish human. And you will pay for your desertion.

Taiyou fell to her knees, all sense of resistance fleeing in an instant. She knew there would be no escaping her lord's wrath, no hole deep and dank enough for her to hide from Him. Her life was once again forfeit, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it.

Miki did not think in such terms, banging on the cell door and screaming to Pat outside, "TELEPATH INTRUSSION! LOCK THIS PLACE DOWN NOW!"

Pat had been following the conversation on a view screen next to the control console and sprang immediately into action, typing rapidly. Once his command was entered an electrical field was pumped through conductive grids all around the room, turning the cell into a giant Faraday cage. Telepathic signals, which had close ties to electromagnetism, could not pass through the electric field, either from within or without. Pat watched worriedly as Miki reached down and tried to comfort the prisoner. A check of the power output showed the incoming signal to be totally blocked by the cage, though with a somewhat higher power input requirement than the usual.

Inside the cell Miki laid her hand on Taiyou's shoulder comfortingly, saying, "It's okay. You're safe now. It can't reach us through the field."

Taiyou ignored her and kept shuddering, the after effects of her fear coursing through her. "No I'm not," she denied stutteringly. "I'll never be safe again. Not till He's dead and gone."

"Who is he?"

Taiyou looked up at the other woman, all pretense of haughtiness and pride gone from her face. "His name is Bagan. And He wants to wipe out the human race."

---

Well would you look at that. A new chapter in less than a month. And its a long one too. I think I might be getting the hang of this 'reliability' thing, but don't quote me on that.

Anywho, THE WAR HAS BEGUN! Kinda. Sort off. More like the opening shots at some unaffiliated enemies, but we're on the right track! Next time is a much less conventional fight. (Hint: some of you might want to go watch Godzilla vs Megaguirus). Also holy crap is Taiyou messed up. Good luck redeeming that much crazy Miki. I do not envy you right now. She might wanna consult with someone who has a lot of experience with friendship (Cough, Faust, unconvincing cough). Sorry bout that. Allergies, mate. What can you do? Till next time!

Bowling for Bastards

Small rays of the rising morning sun poured through the open windows of Pentecost's office while he and his generals sat watching the aerial recording of the Kamacuras mission. The three men were silent while the video played, enjoying an electronic eye view of the fight from the perspective of Cherno's UAVs. Eventually the video ended with the high-altitude bombing run that burned away the kaiju nest, leaving Pentecost to turn to the other men for their opinions.

"Well," Gordon said with a smile, "that mission worked fairly well didn't it? Bugs are dead, none of ours died. I call that a win."

Tachibana nodded, though his expression was a bit more reserved. "It wasn't perfect. Cherno's arm damage is severe enough that it will take a few days to repair, and Gorosaurus and Gabara's injuries will probably take at least that long to heal. That's three fighters who won't be available for the opening attacks."

Pentecost nodded and said, "That's true, but we planned for the possibility. Their targets were to be some of the more reluctant mutants, the ones that only joined the faction for protection rather than ruthlessness. Even if we don't engage them on the first day, they may be too worried about what we do to the others to consider attacking on their own. Who knows, we might even be able to convince them to defect if we do well enough in the opening engagements."

"Be nice to save some ammunition for the real nasties," Gordon snarkily agreed.

Tachibana accepted his colleagues' words and allowed a smile to appear on his own face. "I guess you're right. At least the mindlink tactic has proven itself. If we had tried to do this without it I'm certain our three fighters would have been killed trying to communicate with each other."

"So what's next Stacker?" Gordon asked eagerly. "The rest of the fighters are still moving to their launching off points. They won't be ready till the end of the week."

Pentecost was not fooled. He knew what Gordon was really asking. "Did you have a particular target in mind Douglas?"

"Target?" Tachibana asked. "What target? I thought all the neutrals were already being confronted by the diplomat telepaths to stay out of the fight or else."

Gordon just smirked. "There is one left over. One that doesn't have a word for diplomacy in her mind."

Pentecost placed a thoughtful hand under his chin, pretending to wonder which kaiju Gordon was talking about. "And who would that be Doug?"

The American general chuckled creepily. "I just figured since we were on the subject of insects we might as well finish off the exterminations with the queen bug herself."

Tachibana stared at the man with an open mouth. "Are you crazy Gordon? You can't be suggesting we go after Megaguirus! The only kaiju that could beat her were Rodan, Mothra, and Godzilla, and they're stuck into another world. Gamera might be able to take her on but he's busy negotiating with Kong, and none of the Jaegers are properly equipped to bring her down."

Megaguirus was well known (and feared) throughout the Global Defense Force as one of the few kaiju out there who had gone claw-to-wing with the King himself and nearly beaten him. Like most flying Kaiju her physical resistance was lesser than the terrestrial monsters but her speed was second only to Rodan and she carried much nastier weapons, not to mention her energy absorption ability. The only reason the monstrous dragonfly had not joined the mutant faction was her extreme selfishness and territorial nature, oddly enough making her an active threat to both sides of the conflict. Pentecost went over all this in his mind as he idly listened to Tachibana explaining to Gordon the sheer folly of such an idea. Gordon did not seem the least bit upset by the other man's ranting, which prompted Pentecost to interrupt his intelligence head and say, "I assume you have some sort of plan in place for this assault."

Gordon's smirk became downright evil as he answered. "Oh, I have an idea or two." He then withdrew a folder from his jacket and handed it to Pentecost, who took it and read through without a word.

A few minutes later Stacker spouted his own smirk and handed the folder back to Gordon. "Approved. Get on it General."

Tachibana just held his head in his hands as Gordon exited the room, moaning to himself, "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"

Pentecost simply patted the man on the back and looked back at the door, a strong sense of anticipation filling him. This is going to be interesting.

---

It was a beautiful day in the South Pacific, with nary a cloud in sight. The ever bright light of the Sun pounded down on the ocean below, the glistening surface softly undulating under the gentle sea breeze. A tropical green island was visible in the distance, its barren mountain peaks towering above the earth below like pillars in a great hall. High above the peaceful waters the quiet was disturbed by the roar of jet engines zooming by. In the cockpit of his jet GDF Captain Brain Forrest looked down at the distant ocean and smiled, forgetting his duties for a moment and just admiring the view. He glanced back across his aircraft, taking in the smooth lines and matted gray paint job of his plane, once again marveling at his luck in being able to fly such a magnificent machine.

The product of a ten year, multination design project, the F-22 Raptor was the queen of the skies, the first Terran aircraft that could match and even approached the capabilities of the alien enemy mankind had been repeatedly forced to fight. Combining the pinnacles of human engineering and Mysterian metallurgy allowed for a jet aircraft capable of exceeding Mach 2.8 in level flight and maintaining its turning ability at almost any angle and speed. Such abilities were necessary against the fighters employed by the Alien Coalition, which, being designed for close-quarters combat in the vacuum of space, were more than capable of outmaneuvering the long range missile attacks of previous generations, leaving dogfights as the only reliable way to engage them. Major upgrades made to missile technology after Final Wars held hope of reintroducing beyond visible range combat, but on the off chance it didn't work the Raptor was designed to handle itself on the alien's terms.

Brian's flight, the 108th Global Defense Force Tactical Fighter Squadron, had been one of the first to be equipped with the new plane, and they all loved them as if they were living members of squadron, adding their own personal touches to mark each aircraft as their own. On the tail of Brian's jet was emblazoned a billowing tongue of deep red flame, a fitting emblem for his callsign, Pyre.

Brain's thoughts were derailed suddenly by the familiar 'Be-beep be-beep' of his radio waking up. "Attention all aircraft, I repeat, attention all aircraft. This is AWACS Thunderhead. Operation Flyswatter is about to begin. Is everyone in position?"

Brain's brain shifted into combat mode as he flipped the switch that controlled his helmet radio and answered with, "Roger that Thunderhead. Pyre, Hellhound lead checking in." He cast a glance behind him, noting the five smaller craft flying stock steady in an inverted V on his tail. "My drones are up and ready to go. Hellhound, sound off."

Fifty meters to the left of Pyre's plane his wingman tilted her wings back and forth for a moment and responded next. "Fringe reporting," she said in a stable tone. Fringe was Pyre's long time wingman and professed (on Brian's part) heart of the team, if not the whole squadron. Her emblem was a simple white dove flying through a black and red background, symbolizing her wishes for peace and willingness to fight to make it to happen. "No problems here. My group is ready for combat."

A moment of silence passed as Pyre waited for his number 3 to call out, which proceeded to grow longer and longer as the nearer plane on his right flew on without concern. "Harley?" Thunderhead called out, obviously irritated. "Harley wake up damnit!"

"Oh uh, hey!" a casual male voice said finally. "Sorry bout that. I was letting the computer fly for a while. Must have dozed off for a minute there." He loudly and repeatedly cleared his throat for several seconds before continuing. "Harley here, reporting me and my toys are ready for our suicide mission, sir!"

"Cut the crap, Mr. Port," Thunderhead said with an audible roll of his eyes while Pyre just chuckled to himself. Harley was the squadron's clown pilot, a perennial joker who would never shut up and took almost nothing seriously. If Fringe kept everyone grounded and focused, Harley was the one who kept them all sane. True to his name his emblem was a beautiful black motorcycle with flaming decals and a rose on the seat, symbolic of the romantic that he pretended to be.

"Hellhound 4, are you awake?" Thunderhead called.

"Yessir!" an earnest male voice responded from the last Raptor at the back right of the flight. His tail sported a reaper-like figure gliding over a battlefield, a large blade-edged bow carried in its skeletal hands. "Grimm is all set for the mission. Just waiting on your word sir." Grimm was by far the youngest member of the squadron, just barely of the legal age when he'd signed up to the GDF and sporting a child-like exuberance to match. Said exuberance translated to a level of raw skill that no one had expected from a rookie pilot, leading to him being attached to Pyre's unit in a heartbeat.

"Very well," Thunderhead said, pleased that he got a serious answer from one of his charges. "Confirm Hellhound flight and drones are in position. Talon flight, what is your status?"

The radio crackled for a second before a curt male voice answered, "Mobius here. Maintaining course and altitude. No problems."

Fifty miles ahead of Hellhound flight and skimming barely a hundred feet above the ocean's waving surface flew two dart-shaped jets barreling through the air at just below the speed of sound. Entirely unique from anything else in the human arsenal, the Wyvern was the closest thing humanity had to a trump card over the Coalition's space fighters. If the Raptor was the queen of the skies, then the Wyvern was God's own aircraft, with a capabilities list that read like a fighter pilot's wet dream. Max speed of Mach 3.5 in a climb, maintaining supersonic speed during extended maneuvers by folding in its forward swept wings and dual purpose tail stabilizers, and a weapons load-out large enough to equal two older generation jets. The only problem with them was that they were very expensive and untested, and the two Wyvern's of Talon flight were the only two prototypes currently in existence. Pyre had been surprised to hear they were being used in the operation, and that had been the factor that convinced him that Command was serious this time.

Ever since this Megagurius had first appeared after her mother's disastrous fight with Godzilla she had been a consistent pain in the ass for the GDF in almost every way possible. Repeated attacks on human cities all around the world by her and her child swarms had claimed thousands of lives and untold monetary costs, making the queen bug priority enemy number one on humanity's kill list. The problem was that it quickly proved impossible to kill her, mostly because she never stayed in any one place for very long. Locating her wasn't usually too difficult as her thermal signature was very easy to spot against the cool backdrop of the ocean or most landmasses, but knowing where she was didn't make it any easier to actually catch her.

Through some means not yet understood Megagurius and her children all had the ability to sense high concentrations of energy, which included the radio waves used for radar and laser designators. Because of this the insect queen was able to know immediately when an air raid was approaching her to fire at BVR and make herself scarce before they could get in range. Attempts to go radar-less had also floundered because conventionally loaded bombers were too slow to keep up with the bug while still carrying enough firepower to kill her and nuclear-armed bombers were always detected at range enough for Megaguruis to escape. Sure every nest Meg tried to build was obliterated almost immediately, thus depriving her of more swarms and their ability to gather more energy, but each time the queen would just slink away and build another, creating an endless and frustrating cycle.

Not this time though. This time they weren't trying to catch up to Megaguruis. This time, she was going to fly where they wanted her to go.

Reality returned to fore as Thunderhead responded to the lead Talon's statement. "Roger that Mobius." Thunderhead's voice left the radio for several seconds before he came back saying, "Just got a message from the Hiei. They are in position and waiting for our signal."

"The Hiei?" Harley parroted. "Who's that?"

"That's the name of the Super X-3," Grimm said helpfully.

Pyre huffed and said, "I thought Super X-3 was the name of the Super X-3."

"It is," Grimm replied. "They just added the ship name on for documentation and stuff. Plus it's a weird name when you think about it."

"No it's not! Super X-3 is an awesome name. What the heck did they rename it for?"

A pained female sigh came over the radio. "The name does make sense. Hiei means 'the Cold' in Japanese, and the Super X's primary armament is designed to freeze the target."

"Well that's great Fringe, but I'm not sure if you noticed, but most of us ain't Japanese so we wouldn't know that now would we?"

"Cut the chatter!" Thunderhead nearly roared at Harley before restraining himself. "The name isn't important. The fact is the X-3 is in place and ready to go. Happy?"

"Indeed I am sir," Harley vocally smiled. "Ready to get back to dying for my planet."

Thunderhead just silently projected his hatred towards Hellhound 3 as he continued with the mid-air briefing. "Anyways, now that everyone is in position we will begin the operation. Okay, according to our SR-71 pass the last recorded position for Megagurius was a small valley on the south side of the island. The valley is only 100 meters wide and 500 meters long Talon, so there won't be much time to line up a run. Based on previous mapping your best line of approach would be through a series of canyons running along the spine of the island that open up on where the target is sleeping. The canyons are mostly 50 to 60 meters wide but there are some chokepoints in places."

"How wide are these chokepoints?" Mobius asked.

There was a rustling of papers over the radio before Thunderhead hissed in a hesitant breath and said, "5 meters, maybe a little less."

"5 meters!" Harley exclaimed. "You've got to be kidding! There's no way their planes could fit through there. That's crazy!"

A female voice came on the radio and interrupted Harley's protesting, saying arrogantly, "It won't be a problem. You Hellhounds just be ready to pounce when we say so."

Pyre couldn't help but shudder at the harsh tone of Mobius' wingman, Demon. The two pilots of Talon flight were the absolute best pilots in the world, bar none, but some measure of social ability was lost in compensation for their skill. Mobius was a loner through and through, preferring his own company both on the ground and in the sky. He wasn't rude or obnoxious, just very uninterested in interacting with other people, and every attempt to socialize with him was brushed off in favor of flying practice or writing letters to his family.

Demon was very much his opposite in that regard, constantly ambushing people all around the base to brag about her abilities or just show off her perfection in everything she did. The most annoying part of it though was that she really was that good, meaning that every attempt to take her ego down a peg failed and just made her that much more arrogant. About the only person she acted even halfway decent to was Mobius, the only pilot to exceed her skill, and even then it was the sort of false politeness that clearly declared her wish to best him in the future. He often returned the favor by allowing himself to be drawn into constant arguments with her, funnily enough making her the person he spoke with the most on base. Their rivalry was legendary amongst the GDF and rather unnerving for their poor squadron mates, who kept getting caught in the middle of it.

"If she says they can handle it they'll handle it," Pyre said to Harley. "We just have to worry about our part of the mission."

"And how hard could that be?" Grimm said cheerfully. "It's just a bombing run."

"Actually I'm more concerned about what comes after that." Harley said.

Thunderhead came back on the line then with an exasperated, "Would you please cut the chatter. Talon flight, you are cleared to begin your approach to the target. Keep your radars turned off until you're in position then get the hell out of there."

"Roger that AWACS," Mobius said as he pulled his aircraft upward and increased throttle, smoothly passing through the sound barrier with nary a hint of turbulence. "I'll lead and spot your attack run Demon. Just stay on my tail and you'll be fine." There was a brief pause before he spoke again, a hint of competitive amusement coloring his voice. "If you think you can handle it that is."

In her cockpit Demon blew a lock of night-black hair out her eyes and responded with an evil grin, "What's the matter boss? Worried I'll pass you by?"

No response was incoming before both shut down their radios and leaped forward towards the awaiting island faster than sound could match. Pyre could just barely catch a glimpse of the wakes created by their twin sonic booms far below before they passed out of sight.

"Geez, those two need to quit wasting time and just get a room already," Harley said.

Pyre was about to disabuse him of that notion when Fringe said, "Agreed. It would be nice for them to stop yelling every moment they're on the ground."

"Wait, wait, wait," Pyre said incredulously. "You really think those two have a thing for each other?"

"Demon does for him at least," Fringe answered. "I'm less sure about Mobius, but the fact that he even speaks to her suggests he at least finds her interesting."

Grimm hopped in with his own opinion next, arguing, "But they're always arguing about everything. They don't even seem to like each other."

"People don't always have to like each other to like each other kido," Harley said wisely. "Some of the best relationships I've ever had have been with chicks I couldn't stand at first. Like that one girl who once kicked me in the—

"For the last damn time Harley, CUT THE CHATTER! Save your damn high school drama for the base."

Pyre smiled wryly and responded, "Roger, sorry about that Thunderhead. Won't happen again right folks?" A chorus of affirmatives came from the others, Harley doing his best to sound sincere and failing miserably.

"Yeah that'll be the day," Thunderhead muttered to himself before speaking up in a more official tone. "Hellhound flight, begin your approach for the bomb run. Drop down to 5000 feet and come to new course of 280 for twenty miles so you can clear the canyon walls. There's a break in mountains your weapons can pass through. Once you're there turn back to the target and accelerate to Mach 1.5. That'll give the bombs enough speed to reach the target on time for Talon's run. After that move to your encirclement positions and ready your drones for the second phase."

Pyre nodded to himself and confirmed, "Roger, Hellhound flight moving to course 280." He then smoothly banked his aircraft to the right, the others following the maneuver easily till they were at the right heading.

"Man he is such a hardass sometimes," Harley said over the inter-plane comms.

"Only because you piss him off Harley," Pyre responded snarkily. "Maybe if you weren't such a loud-mouth he wouldn't pick on you so much."

"Nah it's not that. He just can't handle my special charm."

"If that's you want to call it," Fringe said, causing Harley to laugh good-naturedly.

Meanwhile Talon flight was approaching the northern end of the island, flying low and fast to cover the sounds of their jets with the island from their kaiju target. Once they were within a mile of the beach they pulled back out of Mach, slowing down to less than two hundred miles per hour. Despite the downgrade in speed the path Talon flight would have to fly would be anything but easy. Flying an aircraft with an 18-meter wingspan through an airspace that was 100 meters wide would be considered madness by most pilots, let alone the 50-meter width of the canyons Talon was set to traverse. Mobius and Demon weren't most pilots though.

Entering the first canyon in sequence the two planes flew along the series of valleys, flitting back and forth through the twists and turns of the island's spine. Mobius lead the way, ducking around corners with casual ease and blowing past rock faces as if they were open sky. Demon followed several hundred feet back, adding in stylish looking rolls and drifting her plane through turns as if she was trying to dogfight the canyon itself. After several minutes the passes opened up somewhat to a large valley holding what appeared to be the ancient remains of a long demolished stone temple. There wasn't much time to sight-see though as the end of the valley was fast approaching, and the gap there was much too thin for a Wyvern to fit through normally.

"First chokepoint is ahead," Mobius said over his personal comms. "Do exactly what I do." The 5 meter wide opening looked much smaller up close than it had sounded when Thunderhead reported it earlier. Mobius reassured himself that the math was in his favor and shrugged his fears off to the back of his mind. He lined his aircraft up with the gap, flipping a switch on his console to manually shift his wings to their interior positions and lower his vertical stabilizers. Normally done at high speed to reduce the plane's aerodynamic profile for higher speed the setting would now be used to make fitting his 3.42-meter tall plane through the 5-meter gap a (slightly) less impossible task. Murmuring a silent prayer of luck to himself Mobius made a final few preparatory maneuvers then rolled his plane 90 degrees to the left and began to pass through the gap. Unable to resist the urge to look up he was able to see every little nook and cranny in the rock face just a bare few feet away from his cockpit. Then, just as soon as it had started he was through and clear to the other side.

Demon chuckled to herself as she watched her flight lead pass through the slit as smooth as can be, then laughed again at her accidental innuendo. Now it's my turn. Pushing up her throttle Demon raced towards the gap much faster than Mobius had done. At the very last second she snap rolled into the vertical, flying through in just over a second, then continued the roll back into the horizontal as if it had been one smooth maneuver. Taking a moment to ensure she was on a safe path through the new valley they had entered Demon keyed her mike and laughed aloud, saying, "You see that Mob?" She paused as they rounded another corner, sweeping over the treetop canopy and burning away the highest level of the leaves. "Guess we know who the braver pilot is now, huh?"

Mobius growled while throwing his plane under a rocky overhang, leveling off just before hitting the canyon wall. "Foolish more like! This area is dangerous enough to fly in without adding on flashy movements. It's unnecessary…" He pulled up and over a hill projecting the trees higher than the norm. "… and incredibly stupid."

Demon followed a few seconds later, rolling her aircraft over the same hill and practically skimming the treetops with her tail fins. "You're just jealous that I thought of it before you did," she said with all the grace of a kindergarten braggart.

Forcing himself not to respond Mobius put his full focus back into navigating the canyon ahead. A quick glance at his HUD map showed that they were nearing the release point for Hellhound. He cued up his long-range radio and flew as high in the canyon as he dared to ensure line of sight with the AWACS. "Thunderhead this is Mobius. We are nearing payload release point. Is Hellhound flight in position?"

There was a brief pause as the controller switched to the other channel to confirm. "Roger that Mobius. Hellhound confirms they are in position. Just waiting for your word."

Mobius looked back at his map and saw that the point was at just ahead. "Pyre, can you hear me?"

The squadron lead's voice answered immediately. "Loud and clear Mobius. Waiting for your word."

"On my mark then," Mobius said as he leveled off in the wider expanse of the current valley. "3. 2. 1. Mark!"

"Release!"

80 miles away from the valley where Megaguirus slept four F-22 Raptors simultaneously released their payload of eight 1000 pound 'smart' bombs. Small stabilizing fins attached to the back of each bomb made tiny adjustments to their flight path to ensure they landed precisely at the point prescribed by their pre-loaded GPS computers. Launched at one and a half times the speed of sound the bombs' travel time was around 4 minutes, which, if the computers back at base were right, should be almost exactly the time Talon flight made their run on Megaguirus. As he did the mental calculations in his head, however, Mobius realized that he and Demon had been going too slowly to match the bombs' ETA. Someone must have input the speed calculations at normal cruise speed in level flight, not considering the obstacles slowing them down. "Shit," he muttered to himself before switching back to personal comms. "Demon. Got some bad news. We're not going fast enough to reach the target on time. We're going to have to speed up."

There was no answer for a moment while Demon let Mobius absorb the irony of his statement after his admonishment of her earlier. "Sound just fine to me boss. You sure you can handle it?" she asked with supreme relish.

Mobius narrowed his eyes in muted anger and responded, "Just stay on my ass." As soon as the words left his mouth he shoved his throttle forward to 75 percent power and rocketed off to the end of the valley, a cone of displaced air following in his wake.

A successful smile lit up Demon's face while she moved to match her flight lead. "That's it chief. Show me what you're really made off."

The next three minutes were passed in a high-speed blur, both Mobius and Demon pushing themselves and their aircraft as far as they could go. Valleys and canyons flashed by as the two Wyverns practically bounced from turn to turn. Mobius gritted his teeth as he passed through another 5 meter gap at several times his previous speed, certain that he had scraped some paint off his tail from the sheer turbulence of his passage. Demon meanwhile was whooping and hollering as if she was on a rollercoaster ride, giving no indication of fear at the prospect of a very sudden death from the slightest mistake.

The minutes passed tensely, every second carrying with I the promise of instant doom, but somehow the two pilots managed to survive their mad rush through the forested island. Mobius sighed a breath of sweet relief as they entered the final valley before their target's location. "Bombs arriving in thirty seconds," Mobius announced. "Line up for the drop."

"Roger," Demon said in a serious voice. Playtime was over. Now was the time to be serious. Flicking her eyes down into her cockpit for a moment Demon flipped her master arm switch and opened her main ammunition bay, revealing a pair of bombs with an unusual coat of paint. Both planes slowed down to just above stalling speed as they passed through the final opening into Megaguirus' valley.

The kaiju's black exoskeleton was easily visible at the end of the valley, an artificial clearing surrounding her obvious landing spot where trees had been blown down. Mobius quickly aimed his nose directly at the creature's back and used a targeting laser to mark a broad flat plate of shell between Meg's wing roots. "Target marked," Mobius announced. "Release!" Demon instinctually pressed the launch button then slammed on the throttle and pulled up steeply, following her flight lead into a rush climb for the open sky.

Below the two jets Megaguirus began to stir in her sleep. The point of the laser marking her back felt like the bite of a mosquito, the irritation forcing her eyes open. She had little time to think about it though, as at that instant 10 bombs impacted her all at once. The 1000-pound bombs of Hellhound flight exploded all across Megaguirus' side, sending supersonic shards of steel flying through the air to clatter against the kaiju's body. The explosives were barely enough to dent Megaguirus' armor, and while some of the shards embedded themselves in her wings they were too small to do more than prick at her. The insectoid kaiju roared in pain and rage, immediately taking flight and soaring upward. What she was unaware of was that two of the bombs had not exploded, instead using their momentum and weight to puncture her back plates and embed themselves within her skin.

Hundreds of miles away on a computer screen a radio signal was picked up by AWACS Thunderhead's antenna, letting the aircraft controller know that Talon flight's strike had been successful. "Well done Talon, the trackers have been planted. She has nowhere to run now. Hellhound flight, you're up."

"Roger that Thunderhead," Pyre acknowledged. "Alright guys, you ready?"

"Ready to die?" Harley asked. "Not really."

"We'll be fine Harley," Fringe said reassuringly. "Just keep your hand on the throttle and there won't be a problem."

"That what they always say," Harley muttered as he banked off to his assigned direction and hit the super cruise.

---

Megaguirus shuddered as she felt stinging waves of pain flow through her with every beat of her wings, a blinding cloud of outrage filling her thoughts. How had this happened? How could she have been struck like this without any warning? She should have been able to sense an attack coming and avoid it. The queen's anger was interrupted as she felt a cascade of familiar energy bouncing off her from the north. Where normally she would treat the sensing energy with distain and simply fly away with a gleeful cackle, now a stab of fear took its place. If she could be struck so suddenly without any warning then who knew what else the mammalian pests had planned.

Panic began to ensnare Megaguirus as she turned and bolted in the opposite direction. Her wings became a blur as she pushed herself to her limit, creating an explosion of air as she broke the sound barrier. Yet despite her speed the energy was keeping up with her, staying agonizingly close with each passing minute. Suddenly a second stream of energy appeared from the west, forcing Megaguirus to shift course and drop her speed. Two more emitters appeared to the east sometime later, making Megaguirus feel more and more like piece of prey caught in an encroaching net. No matter had hard she flew the fleshies' machines kept getting closer and closer due to her having to constantly change course. Outrunning her enemies was becoming an obvious impossibility.

On the edge of her sight was another island, which her previous visits had shown contained numerous caves in which she could shelter and attempt to lose her pursuers. In order to do that though she would need to conceal where on the island she would hide to keep the fleshies' from dropping her cave down on her. And that meant blocking the detector energy behind something.

Focused now on her new plan Megaguirus dove down toward the island, angling in towards the nearest set of mountains while using gravity to accelerate her as much as she dared. Just before she could reach the cover of the rocky outcrops another energy source bloomed directly in front of her, prompting the giant dragonfly to screech in terrified rage and turn away, circling around the edge of the now useless island. With the detectors that close she could never properly hide here. As her anger cleared and she furiously flew the perimeter of the island to come up with a new plan she noticed that she had not been attacked yet. Suddenly curious the insect queen looked up at where she sensed the energy coming from and saw none of the large metal birds she'd seen demolishing her nests so many times in the past.

2000 feet above her Pyre looked down on the bug from where he and his drones circled, noticing that the creature had stopped attempting to flee. "Uh oh," he said to himself as he keyed his mike. "Uh guys, I think she's figured it out."

"Well of course she did!" Harley exclaimed from off to the east. "It wouldn't be one of our missions unless something went wrong."

"Cut the chatter," Thunderhead ordered sternly. "Just get out of there, Pyre. Try to lead her to the south if you can, but focus on staying out of her reach."

"Roger that," Pyre answered. He then hauled his aircraft around and began accelerating into super cruise. Megaguirus caught sight of the Raptor's flaming exhaust and screeched in anger, immediately climbing after him, intent on destroying the pests who had dared to strike at her. Pyre noticed Meg flying toward him and poured on the afterburner, his break through the sound barrier happening just above the tips of the nearby mountains. "She's on me guys," Pyre announced. "I could use a little help here." Behind him Megaguirus crested the coastal mountain range and launched herself after him, eager to kill the metal bird she believed had injured her pride.

Pyre realized that he wouldn't be able to escape Megaguirus for long at this close proximity, so he quickly turned to his drone controls and switched them to attack mode. The group of bell shaped aircraft turned as one to face the onrushing insect, the lead craft opening its weapon bay and launching off the first strike. The missile streaked off for several hundred feet before it exploded just a few feet in front Megaguirus' face. The insect screeched, more out of surprise than pain, but did come to a halt as she tried to see what had attacked her. The drones zoomed past Meg on all sides before immediately flipping around and diving back into the fight.

Megaguirus hovered in place, trying to keep track of the drones and smack them away with her claws and wings, but the metal gnats were too quick and numerous for her to follow. As soon as she would get her eyes on one another would lace her side with cannon fire, then her wing would receive a missile to the membrane. None of the attacks were really hurting her, but darned if they weren't pissing her off. Roaring at the top of her lungs Megaguirus started swiping blindly around herself, managing to clip a couple of the drones and smashing them to bits.

"Those drones aren't going to last long guys," Pyre said as he circled several miles off from the kaiju. "We need to keep her distracted for the Super X."

"Roger that sir," Fringe answered, setting herself in off her partner's wing along with the others. "Our drones are moving in now."

Sure enough, the fifteen other pilotless jets roared in on Megaguirus from all sides, bombarding her with missile and cannon fire. Soon the insect queen was shrouded from view by an ever-shifting cloud of gray, as if she was a horse being hounded by flies. Harley was quick to point out the irony.

"How's it feel being the prey this time, huh bitch?"

"You know this isn't actually hurting her right?" Grimm asked.

Harley chucked and said, "Yeah, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy it."

"Stay focused," Mobius ordered as he flew into formation with Hellhound, Demon at his back. "We have to be ready to jump in if the drones can't keep her occupied. Speaking of which, Thunderhead? What's Super X's status?"

The airborne controller was silent for a moment as he waited for news from a technician. "Just got a message from them. They are on their way. E.T.A. is six minutes. Keep the target busy until they get here."

"Understood sir," Pyre said. "Alright everyone, time to play the bait for the trap."

"And I just love being the bait Cap," Harley added.

---

On the island below the struggling fliers a large black mass started to rumble as its internal nuclear engines roared to life. Giant tilt-fans embedded at the base of the wings flamed on, the already charred dirt beneath the craft rising again to searing temperatures. Slowly but surely the Super X-3 lifted into the air and edged forward out of the valley it was hidden in.

At the front of the craft underneath a four-foot thick layer of battleship grade armor the Super X's bridge was quietly humming with activity. The crew was spread out in a semi-circle of large consoles, the whole compartment tinted in red by the radiation-resistant cockpit glass.

Commander Kuroki shifted his view around the compartment, sprouting a slight smile at seeing his crew working diligently at their tasks. It had been many years since the Super X-3 had been deployed but that wouldn't hold them back from doing their duty.

"Looks like that new radiation shielding is working well," Kuroki's copilot, Barm, said with a triumphant smile. "Megaguirus doesn't seem to know we're here."

"Let's hope it stays that way. Green light status confirmed," he said as the Super X lifted up above the mountains encircling it. "All stations are set and ready for combat. Thunderhead, are you receiving us?"

"Loud and clear Hiei," the air controller answered. "Hellhound and Talon flight are currently engaged with Megaguirus at your 8 o'clock. I'm patching you into their comm line now."

A moment of static streamed through the radio before the connection was established and a loud bunch of screeches roared through the speakers in-between panicked callouts from the pilots.

"Drop, Grimm, drop!"

"Aaaaah!"

"Mobius, cover him!"

"On it! Have the drones attack from above to distract her."

Kuroki hardened his face as he pushed the Super X forward and banked towards the fight. "Attention Hellhound and Talon flights, this is the Super X-3, approaching you from the North-East. As soon as we are within range we will be launching our missiles at Megaguirus. Please be ready to break off and evade at our signal."

"Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast," Pyre said with a grunt. "We're almost out of drones here and I'm not sure how much longer we can avoid getting hit at this rate."

"You won't have to wait long," Elise, the weapons tech, said. "We just picked up the target on our scope. Locking missiles on now."

Along the top of the Super X a pair of square-shaped pods emerged, each carrying a grid of oversized cadmium missiles. Similar weapon bays opened up on the underside of each wing, lines of heavy cannons and freezer missiles awaiting their chance to do damage. "All weapons systems ready to fire sir," Elise announced.

"Launch the first volley," Kuroki ordered. "Pilots, you have twenty seconds to get out of range. Evade now!"

"Oh gee, thanks for the heads up there, dude."

"Less snark, more dodge!"

The Super X-3 shuddered in flight as a barrage of projectiles erupted from all along its length, the clouds of exhaust temporarily obscuring the craft from sight. The stream of missiles flew through the sky at high speed towards the fur ball centered on the insect queen. Megaguirus by this point was enraged beyond any remaining hint of sanity, blindly striking wherever she sensed the blaze of jet engines or the roar of cannon fire. So deep was her anger that she did not notice the malevolent flies peeling off for several seconds, and by the time she did it was too late.

The missiles' aim was true, explosions of frost cascading across Megaguirus' body and wings while cadmium shards lanced into the exposed skin on the wings and poisoned the insect's veins. The normally nigh-unbreakable chitin armor Megaguirus wore began to fracture and crack as she struggled to stay in the air, her mind becoming blurred under the combination of sudden pain and poisoning.

"First volley appears greatly effective," Mobius reported as he circled a mile off from the kaiju.

"Greatly effective?" Grimm asked. "She's barely hanging in the air already. Just hit her with the freeze laser and she'll go down for sure."

Barm laughed. "Well, you guys heard the kid. Time to whip out the big gun."

At the very front of the Super X a pair of clamshell shield covers flipped open, revealing a beautifully polished mirror within. Deep within the gargantuan aircraft the fusion reactors were pushed even higher as the X's primary weapon gathered energy into itself. Bright blue light shone on the edges of the mirror, the air around the projector becoming shrouded in sudden fog as the temperature dropped precipitously. Within the cockpit Captain Kuroki lined up the Super X onto Megaguirus, ready to bring an end to the queen's reign.

Unknown to the crew of the Super X, however, Megaguirus was far from beaten. Within the haze of the kaiju's mind a single point emerged, a focus that brought her conscious thought out of the pain and torment. Her head turned to the north, catching sight of an electric blue spot surrounded by a black smudge. Megaguirus stared at the distant mark with unending hatred, her emotions crystalizing into a single thought.

Kill.

Reaching deep within herself Megaguirus tapped into her hidden reserves of energy stolen from countless sources and unlocked the barriers hiding it away. In an instant her body was overloaded with power, the sudden increase in temperature flash boiling the ice covering her exoskeleton. Tears in her wings began to mend over in seconds, the scared flesh under her exposed armor repairing itself just as quickly. Her eyes clouded over with red and an aura of energy formed around her body.

Die.

Like a bolt of lightning launching from a cloud Megaguirus zoomed forward towards the Super X, a trail of fiery orange following after her.

"Oh shit!" Demon cried as she rolled hard to get out of the range of Meg's sonic booms. "The bitch has gone super! Watch out X!"

While the fighters all poured on their speed to evade the suddenly glowing kaiju the Super X continued flying on straight toward the queen. "Launch another volley of missiles," Kuroki ordered calmly. "We're not going down that easily."

Again obscuring smoke formed around the body of the Super X, dozens of missiles flying out of their holds. The projectiles rapidly closed on their target. But when the missiles came within reach and detonated their subzero payloads were melted meters away from the kaiju's skin. Megaguirus cackled at her foe's failure and raced onward, reaching out with her claws and slashing deeply within the Super X's armor as she flew past. Reinforced, sharpened chitin dug a long trench through the airship's armor with a metallic screech.

The massive craft bucked at the strike, the bridge crew being thrown about in their seats like a roller coaster. Commander Kuroki shook his head to clear the blurriness out of his eyes; thankful he had remembered to wear his helmet on this mission. "August, what's the damage?" he shouted as he got back on the controls, banking the craft around to try and get vision of the target.

"We're wounded!" The flight engineer cried. "We've got a serious hull breech on the starboard side. Armor was cut clean through."

"Was the reactor damaged?"

"No sir, thank god, but we've lost secondary power for the starboard wing. Weapons and flaps are completely nonfunctional, and the anti-grav's showing signs of weakening."

"This is getting bad sir," Barm said as he searched his radarscope for the target. "She's coming back around for another go."

"Ready the port side cannons," Kuroki responded as he caught sight of Megaguirus again. "Reroute power from the starboard wing to the port, give those guns some more juice to punch through that aura."

The Super X-3, battered and bleeding smoke from its side, turned to face the insect queen again, the missile pods retracting into their bays to be replaced by a battery of embedded 5-inch rail guns. Megaguirus gave a roar of challenge and barreled in toward them, her claws snapping threateningly as she flew.

"Fire now!" Kuroki shouted the instant they aligned with Megaguirus.

"Firing!"

The guns boomed as they spat out their rounds, multiple flashes exploding from their barrels in rapid succession. The slugs traveled even faster than the missiles had, their momentum pushing them through the aura as they melted and striking Megaguirus as streams of super-heated metal. Even with boost her power had given the queen's armor faltered under the assault, the molten shards piercing into the flat parts of her shell and searing the flesh beneath. Megaguirus roared in agony but refused to turn away, accelerating at the Super X with murder reflected in her eyes.

Kuroki watched Megaguirus continue approaching under the barrage, Elise keeping the guns firing until their magazines were spent and they were forced to reload. "On my mark Aug, I want you to lighten the port wing by half and double the starboard wing at the same time."

August lifted an eyebrow but gave his affirmative, knowing now wasn't the time to be asking questions. Kuroki watched the queen come closer and closer, counting down the seconds in his head. "3. 2. 1. Now!"

Just as Megaguirus moved to swipe at the Super X again the gigantic craft violently rolled 90 degrees to the right and banked hard, zooming past on the kaiju's left just off the tip of her wing. As soon as they were past the queen Kuroki leveled the Super X out and pushed his engines to their limit, steadily opening the range between them and Megaguirus.

"Is she still not down yet?" Harley complained as he orbited several miles off from the fighting. "How much pain do we have to smack her with for her to give up?"

Thunderhead ignored Hellhound 3's complaining and asked, "Mjolnir, any chance you can get a shot in on the target to help out?"

There was an audible sigh over the radio. "Negative. There's too much maneuvering going on for us to line up a clean shot. We're trying to get closer but it'll take time to lessen the distance enough for a shot to land quickly."

"Well what about us?" Grimm asked. "Can't we help?"

"Negative Grimm," Thunderhead said. "Megaguirus is too strong for you to deal with right now. Don't attract attention to yourselves."

While the others were arguing the Super X was pulling further away from Megaguirus, the insect queen continuing the chase but beginning to feel the weight of her injuries. Commander Kuroki grimaced as his craft shuddered during its flight, fighting to keep them from listing to the right. "What's going on back there August?"

"The airframe is taking too much stress sir. The hull is beginning to crack around the damaged area, and the starboard wing has stopped responding to input. We won't be able to evade Meg for much longer like this."

"What should we do sir?" Elise asked.

Kuroki was for several moments, his mind calculating a dozen paths to find a solution. "We need to end this fight now, before the damage can extend any further. Prep a charge on the laser."

"What good is that going to do?" Barm questioned reasonably. "The mirror's at the front of the ship, and there's no way we can turn around in time to get her with Meg following us like this."

Kuroki smiled. "So we don't turn. We rotate."

The crew fell silent at the pronouncement. August was the first to speak up. "Sir, are you certain that is the best way to do this? A maneuver like that would cripple the ship."

"We're already crippled as it is," Barm said. "There's no way we can make it back to base like this. If we're going down, might as well bring the bitch down with us."

Kuroki looked to Elise and asked the all-encompassing question. "Can you guarantee a hit if I get us on target?"

Elise stared back at the Commander, her face a stony mask of determination. "If you can hit her sir, I'll make sure she feels it."

"Hell, they can always build another one of these things."

"Assuming we survive," August interjected. "The cockpit eject has never been tested before. We have no idea if it'll work or not."

Kuroki sighed, turn his attention back to the controls as he set up the eject sequence. "Nothing risked, nothing gained. Let's get this done."

"Beginning charging sequence," Elise reported.

Barm keyed up the external radio and said, "Thunderhead, this is Lieutenant Barm. Requesting a search and rescue team be readied at base to pick us up."

"What? Why?"

"Super X isn't making it back to base in this state," Barm explained. "Too much damage to the flight mechanics. But if we're doomed to go down, we're going to bring Megaguirus down with us."

Thunderhead was quiet for a few seconds as he processed the statement before saying, "Understood. SAR teams will be on stand-by. I'm not sure what you have planned, but good luck Super X."

"Thank you Thunderhead. Tell them we'll all buy them a round when we get back."

Commander Kuroki nodded at Barm and turned back to his panel, turning off unnecessary systems to speed the rate of charge on the mirror. The tension steadily rose as the seconds ticked by, the crew of the Super X stoically set about their tasks. Elise ran through the charging sequence as quickly as she dared, careful to not overload the capacitors with too much power too quickly. August set about programing the anti-grav generators for the sequence of maneuvers ahead, running quick calculations to determine just how far he could push the system without tearing the Super X apart.

Finally there was a confirming beep signaling the completed charge on the mirror. Kuroki looked over his shoulder and stared each of his crew in the eyes, seeing their acceptance of the plan. "This is it people. Time for the queen's reign to come to an end. Activate the anti-gravs!"

Barely half a mile behind the Super X Megaguirus surged ever onward, the whole of her being intent on demolishing the flying metal beast ahead of her. Her wings no longer flapped but were a solid wave of thrust pumping on either side of her torso, propelling her forward towards her target. So focused was her acceleration that when the human vehicle suddenly stopped flying directly away she could not react beyond a bewildered look.

Without any visual warning the Super X-3 turned off its main engine thrust and rotated in place, its momentum keeping it moving forward despite the aerodynamic shift. At the same time the craft's nuclear engines zoomed into overdrive and overcharged the anti-gravity units, reducing the Super X's weight to near nothing for a few instants. Even with the reduction in mass the force of the turn cracked the wings and tore off most of the tail, but the crew was uncaring of that. Using the last of their spare power Kuroki aimed the front of the Super X at their pursuer, Elise keeping her finger on the trigger until the last possible moment. Megaguirus was entirely unprepared for the maneuver the humans had just pulled and ended up accelerating straight forward into the face of the surging blue mirror.

Elise said nothing as she thumbed the fire button, a brilliant cerulean laser beaming out of the Super X's nose and connecting at the base of Megaguirus' right wing. The air between behemoth and beast snap froze into void-temperature ice, the insect queen's blazing red aura fading immediately as its energy was sapped. Megaguirus' armored exoskeleton became as brittle as glass while the skin underneath turned black and dead in milliseconds. The wing itself shattered into a billion pieces on its next down flap, tiny sparkles of frozen flesh clouding the sky before disintegrating from the friction of their forward movement.

The moment Elise fired the laser August and Barm finished the last step of the ejection sequence by pulling down on a pair of heavy handles on the ceiling above them. Heavy gears and levers situated around the cockpit roared as they ripped the armored room out of its place and launched its upwards under the power of three massive rockets. For an instant the crew breathed a sigh of relief, but it proved to be short lived when they looked out the front window.

Megaguirus' tail stretched upward to strike the ejected cockpit, its giant stinger reaching out to pierce them in one last bid at revenge. Reacting purely on instinct Kuroki hauled the flight stick to the left, using the last of the maneuvering fuel in the rockets to angle the cockpit and change the direction of their flight. The stinger missed the crews' room by the barest of margins, the blunt edge of the tail knocking into the side of the cockpit and sending it tumbling away in a flat spin.

Dimly aware that her attempt at killing her attackers had failed, Megaguirus helplessly rammed full force into the remains to the Super X, 12000 tons of kaiju impacting with 6000 tons of military super-weapon. The queen's crippled frontal armor buckled under the strength of the hit, large parts of her right side being ripped from her body, destroying organs and muscle tissue as they went. By the same token the heavy metal plate of the Super X was shredded like so much tissue paper, unlaunched missiles and cannon rounds exploding as their detonators were demolished. Eventually the nuclear reactor buried down in the center of the Super X's frame was exposed, the ultra-hardened pressure hull managing to survive the onslaught for but a few bare seconds before rupturing.

The internal fusion reactions were suddenly exposed to open air, the near pure energy exploding outward and vaporizing everything nearby it. The detonation could be seen for miles around, a giant fireball flashing into existence where the Super X had once been.

"Holy shit!"

"Fucking hell, did you see that?"

"What just happened? Are they okay?"

"I can't see anything. There's too much debris."

"Super X, this is Thunderhead, do you read over?" Silence. "I repeat, Thunderhead to Super X crew, do you read me?" When he again didn't get an answer he said, "Hellhound, Talon, get in there and find the escape capsule."

"Understood sir," Pyre responded. "We'll check the radar screens and… wait… What's that?"

From out of the cloud of dark black smoke a shadow fell, streams of fire and flesh trailing away behind it. The broken and burned body of Megaguirus limply dropped down onto the island below, gouging a deep furrow through the lowland forest before coming to a shuddering halt just short of the ocean waves. A torrent of pain roared through what remained of the queen's mind, her eyes weakly opening in time to see one of her miniscule attackers soaring past.

How. How had this happened? This wasn't how fate was supposed to fall. Megaguirus was a queen, the pinnacle of her species, greater than any real insect this pathetic world could offer. She had fought the oversized creatures this strange land played host to, had evaded the constant hounding of the tiny fleshies for her destruction of their stone nests. None could match her. Indeed, none could even touch her.

So how had she been struck down like this? She should have seen an attack coming and been able to avoid it, should have destroyed those intrusive pests with relative ease, should have annihilated the metal thing with a single swipe! Where had it all gone wrong!

With a deep-seated growl Megaguirus struggled to lift herself from the sand, but the missing shades of her wings taunted her with weakness, forcing her to plop back down in exhausted agony. Deep within herself she knew this was the end. There was no recovering from this, no repairing the damage she had been dealt. A strained sigh escaped the queen's mouth, her eyes falling shut as she thought of her one comfort sheltered far away from this last resting place. She lay there on the beach quietly, listening to the slowly crashing waves as she waited to expire.

She did not see her end coming.

From beyond the visible horizon a neon blue bolt lanced through the sky towards the grounded kaiju. The tiny slug of hypersonic metal landed with the force of a nuclear explosion against the queen's face, its kinetic energy transferring into her body in the barest instant. What little remained of Megaguirus' faceplate was vaporized on contact, her softer flesh beneath boiling away as it was eviscerated. The round dug ever deeper into the kaiju's abdomen, its reduced energy merely splitting the body in half and melting everything in its path into a pile of goo. Less than half a second after the shell first struck its eroded remains finished its journey through its target, exploding out from the base of the dragonfly's tail and embedding itself in the beach in a towering shower of sand.

Crashing echoes of momentous sound cascaded off the surrounding mountains for minutes afterward, the fragile peace of the remote island shattered as easily as the life that had just been ended. Far above the disturbed rocks a group of metal birds circled, watching dispassionately as the last of the chaos settled back into relative quiet.

"Hit on target observed," Mobius reported tonelessly. "Target is confirmed eliminated."

The trembling voice of Grimm appeared on the radio asking, "I… is there any sign of the escape capsule?"

"Negative," Pyre answered. "Radar's shot to hell from the explosion. We'd have to do a visual search to find them and we're almost out of fuel."

"You don't think they've…" Edge trailed off as she refused to accept the possibility.

"They've what? Died? I sure as hell feel dead right now."

Everyone jumped in their seats at the sudden words.

"Lieutenant Barm!" Thunderhead shouted. "Is that you?"

"In the flesh." A series of coughs sounded. "What's left of it that is. Mind calling those SAR guys now? Kuroki here looks like he could use a stiff drink, and don't even get me started on Elise." A muted shout sounded over the channel along with a grunt of pain. "Jeez, I was just kidding. Girls can never take a joke can they?"

"No they can't man," Harley said to his brother with a chuckle. "Just hang in tight Barm. We'll make sure you can tell your tale at the bar tonight."

Barm laughed and glanced around the cockpit at the others, seeing the multitude of bleeding foreheads and dark bruises they all sported. "Best take that order to go, bro. I don't think we're going to be getting out of the hospital anytime soon."

"Cut the chatter Lieutenant," Thunderhead ordered gently. "Save the laughter for the surgery team."

A good-natured groan came from the other end, prompting the other pilots to laugh as they turned off to the north and flew for home, leaving calm contrails arching through the cloudless Pacific day.

---

"Are you certain you want to do this?"

Taiyou opened her eyes at the question, taking a moment to adjust to the dim light of the cargo bay. She felt a jolt in her seat as the aircraft bounced off some invisible buffet of air, giving her a brief moment to think about what she'd been asked. "If I weren't I would not be on this bumpy mess of a plane," she answered with as much irritation as she could muster.

Miki looked at the other telepath uncertainly, biting her lip as she tried to come up with a better way to voice her concern. "It's just… I know this has to be difficult for you."

"What is?" Taiyou questioned sternly, silently willing the smaller woman to just drop the topic she knew was approaching.

"Going back to them," Miki answered. She paused, looking around the bay to see if anyone else was listening to them. When she was assured they were being ignored she continued. "You could just stay on the plane you know. I'm sure Gondo's team will be able to handle everything on their own. They're good soldiers."

"I know. They are the ones who beat me after all."

Miki winced at the bitterness she could hear in Taiyou's voice.

Taiyou noticed Miki's expression and said in a flat tone, "I'm not going to seek vengeance against them if that's what you're worried about."

Miki huffed in amusement and said, "I'm not worried about that. Gondo would be more than happy to oblige you if you tried." Her smile faded as she looked back at the other telepath. "I'm worried about you and how you'll handle this."

Taiyou growled in annoyance and turned away, folding her arms over her chest. "I'll handle it just fine. You don't need coddle me like I'm some frightened little girl."

"I'm not trying to coddle you," Miki said quickly. "I'm just worried. That memory I saw…" Her voice trailed off as she saw Taiyou tightened her arms but she pushed on. "A memory that strong doesn't just go away because you don't agree with it. Nor does years of indoctrination."

"You think I don't know that?" Taiyou whispered back to her harshly. "Even now I have to fight the urge to try to bring this aircraft down with us in it just to keep us from getting there." Miki's eyes widened at the words, whether from fear or surprise it was hard to tell. "The only thing keeping me from doing that is my hatred for what they did to me and the others, for all the lies they told."

Miki looked down at the floor at the words, saddened that the woman had to resort to such feelings to maintain control. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were suffering like that. If there's anything I can do to help…"

"Oh spare me," Taiyou retorted in frustration. "I may be willing to work with you people but please keep your sappy bullshit to yourself. I have no need of it."

Miki couldn't help but laugh a bit at the woman's exasperation. "Would you prefer that I act more like you? Sarcastic and acidic to everyone who talks to me?"

Taiyou looked down at Miki from the edge of her vision then fought down the urge to laugh at her ridiculously over-the-top scowl. "Just…" she cleared her throat to hide a chuckle. "Just leave that stuff to me. You're so goody-goody you could probably never pull it off anyway."

Miki smiled slightly at the victory, small though it may be. Her glee faded though when the plane's forward motion fell away and the red cabin lights shifted to green.

"Alright people, we're here," Captain Gordon announced as he and the other soldiers stood up and checked each other's equipment. "Deployment in one minute."

Miki looked back at Taiyou in concern, only to see a tranquil mask on the taller woman's face. She sighed and asked, "Are you ready? There's still a chance to stay. You don't have to go."

Taiyou narrowed her eyes as the aircraft's rear hatch opened, showing a rundown looking warehouse sitting in an abandoned scrapyard with a city framed in the background behind it. "Yes I do," she said with complete certainty as she stepped forward to join the group of soldiers crowding at the door. The instant the plane set down the soldiers rushed outside and ran to various pieces of debris and trash for cover. Taiyou stood at the exit for an instant more, looking up at the building with an inscrutable look on her face. A rocket flew toward the entrance and blew away the door while the squad rushed forward, guns at the ready.

"Hello everyone," she murmured almost to herself as she stepped from the aircraft, Miki following close behind. "Guess who's home."

---

Pre edit: Hello again folks. Sorry about the month long wait, this chapter was just hard to write. I had to constantly check the logistics of everything over and over again, not to mention go over the wording repeatedly to get it just right. I hope you all think it was worth it. And yes, there's a lot of Ace Combat references in here, kinda a big fan of the PS2 games. Hell I still have them and play them every so often. So there's that. Next time will (probably) be the last of the individual missions before the war truly begins, plus some B-plot stuff and the like. Till then, adios!

Oh wait, I almost forget. This story is now mentioned on the Bridge's TvTropes page! WHOOOOOOO! Awesome! Ok so it's not technically my own page but hey, its a start! Don't forget to read the main story as well guys. That stuff is really getting good. (Hmm, maybe I should remind Tarb to start posting on this site again...)

Post edit (10/23/15): (Looks at the previous notes) A month long wait eh? (Shakes head) If only I knew. Soooo… hello again folks. I realize this isn't what you guys were expecting for my next update for the story, but well, here's what I got right now. I've been a bit busy lately with the return of school, plus I kept oscillating back and forth on what I wanted to do for chapter 9 and had to drop several ideas after I got new info from Tarb. Then I get that super long critical review (finally something I can really learn from!) and I simply had to respond to it. And my response? A complete rework of the chapter to fit back into the theme I had going so far while keeping the base of the scene the same. Never let it be said that I don't learn from my mistakes or listen when others point them out. If any of you guys find a similar issue in the future, please feel free to… no, I demand that you point it out, so that I might repair the damage and learn to avoid it in the future. Thank you all for reading what I have so far and waiting so patiently for the next chapter. I can't make any promises as to its release date, but rest assured it is coming. Until then, enjoy the rewrite and hope to see you again next time. BlazingPhoenix, flame out.

Digging through the Depths

"GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!" Taiyou roared as she telekinetically lifted a computer monitor and hurled it at a nearby wall, shattering the poor device into a thousand pieces. The table the monitor had sat upon was next, crumpling into a wretched pile of tinder wood under Taiyou's glare. From the other side of the room Captain Gondo and Miki watched as the telepath continued to toss around everything that wasn't nailed down and smash everything that was.

"Should we try to stop her?" Gondo questioned as his eyes tracked an empty bookcase's flight into the far wall.

Miki just sighed and said dejectedly, "You want to try Captain? Be my guest." The two then ducked as a flurry of large textbooks came flying their way.

"She's lucky there's nothing of value to break in here," Gondo muttered as he eyed the telepath warily, waiting to dodge again if necessary.

"If there was something of value here she wouldn't be breaking things," Miki argued.

The assault on the Red Dawn's headquarters had been organized as soon as Taiyou had informed the GDF of its location on the outskirts of Johannesburg in South Africa and put into motion immediately after. They still weren't fast enough though as their arrival had been met by a completely empty warehouse and a very upset ebony-haired telepath. Even this hidden room underground was lacking in any useable intel, prompting Taiyou's current rampage.

After watching yet another disconnected monitor be destroyed by high speed impact against concrete Miki steeled her will and said, "Just stand back Gondo. I'll try to get her to calm down."

"You do that. I'ma head back upstairs, see if the squad might have missed anything." With that Gondo exited the room and headed up the stairs, leaving Miki alone with the enraged and destructive telepath.

Why am I doing this again? She asked herself as she leaped out of the way of a flung table. Memory of shadowy individuals grabbing up a small girl and carrying her away rose up in her mind to answer her. That's why. Because she needs help, and I'm the only one who can understand her. She grimaced while blocking several power strips with her own telekinesis. Lucky me.

Somehow Miki managed to get next to the other woman without getting smacked by anything and reached out to put a hand on her shoulder. Taiyou sensed the movement and hurled to face Miki, hand raised to strike out at her perceived attacker. Thankfully Taiyou noticed who it was and held back, only to slump to the floor in exhaustion as her anger was extinguished. "They knew we were coming," she said as she glared up at the ceiling above her. "He must have told them to evacuate before we even left." She faintly slammed a fist against the floor dejectedly.

"Probably," Miki agreed. "Sarah said they've probably been gone since yesterday if the food on the dining room table is anything to go by." She carefully squatted down next to Taiyou, making sure to stay out of the woman's previously defined 'personal space' of three feet. "It's not your fault you know. Even if we'd left immediately they still would have gotten away. It takes time to cross continents after all."

Taiyou growled in answer. "Don't you get it? They got away! Everything they had, all their intel is gone and we have no idea where they went. This is the only location I knew about and now it's useless!" Taiyou had briefly leaned up as she spoke but fell back again when she finished, her face fading into muted sadness.

"For now, maybe," Miki said. "But we know a lot more about how they operate now because of what you gave us. We know how they've been avoiding us in the past and what sort of places they're likely to hide in. It's just a matter of time before we find them again."

Taiyou looked with narrowed eyes at Miki and said, "I know what you're trying to do."

"What am I doing?" Miki said, genuinely confused.

"You're trying to make me let go of getting revenge by saying stuff like 'You've done your part' and 'Leave it to us'," Taiyou said while making air quotes with her hands. "Well it's not going to work. If I do nothing else before my time on this planet is over I will get back at those bastards for what they did to me, and nothing you say or do will convince me otherwise."

Miki quirked an eyebrow down at Taiyou and said, "What makes you think I was going to stop you?"

Taiyou gaped at the other woman for a moment then stuttered, "B… but… That's who you are!" She sat up and waved her arms as she spoke. "You're the good guys! You're supposed stop me from doing that. That's how this sort of thing works!"

Miki couldn't help but laugh at Taiyou's reaction. "In what, an action movie? I'm not sure if you've noticed but reality is somewhat different than Hollywood likes to pretend."

"What are you saying?" Taiyou asked with narrowed eyes.

"I'm saying that if we captured the Red Dawn terrorists they would be brought to justice in the normal and legal way, but if they were to resist capture…" Miki trailed off with a knowing look.

Taiyou scoffed and stood up, saying, "And you would just let me do that? Let me have my way with them? Somehow I doubt a 'moral' person like you would appreciate what I would do."

"I don't," Miki said as she rose to her feet as well. "But I know that it is the only thing you care about right now, and denying you your chance would just turn you against us." She paused as she wrapped her arms around herself. "Just… please don't let your need for revenge consume you. Kir… I've seen it happen before and I wouldn't wish that fate on anyone."

Taiyou saw a flash of sadness pass over the smaller woman's face at the interrupted word and caught herself wondering who could have prompted that reaction. Probably an ex-boyfriend who died fighting kaiju. Not an uncommon death in this world. She pretended to mull Miki's words over for a second before saying with a bored look, "Well that's what you're here for right? Keep me from going too far?" She highlighted the statement by looking at her fingernails as if examining them for damage, not that she would have cared if they were.

Miki smiled back at her and replied, "I guess you could call it that. You could also call it babysitting if you wanted to."

Taiyou eyes glinted dangerously as the grabbed up an ancient TV with her TK and twirled it at head level. "Say that again and you'll get to watch some television up close and personal."

Miki smirked back at Taiyou but was spared the opportunity to answer by a shout from the stairs outside the room. Pat walked in soon after, his rifle hung back over his shoulder and his helmet carried in his hands. "Miss Saegusa, Captain Gondo wants you to come upstairs. We think we've found something." He then noticed the state of the demolished room the two telepaths were standing in, his gaze resting suspiciously on Taiyou. "Any problems here?"

"None," Miki said easily. "Just a quick TK lesson. Let's go." Miki let Taiyou lead the way out, flashing the concerned Pat a look saying that she had things under control. Pat shrugged his shoulders at the message and followed after them, pausing for a moment and looking back at the devastation as a shard of glass from an impaled monitor fell to the ground behind him. And I thought my wife was bad when she's upset. Jeez.

The three finished climbing the stairs and followed Pat to what had once been the command center of the building. Unlike the secret computer room in the basement the main areas had some hints of decoration, though taking a closer look at them Miki thought she preferred their absence. There were a variety of posters listing darker moments of human history, showing everything from bombed out cities and burned down forests to what looked like a wall of dead bodies piled together with all the grace of an avalanche.

"Really cheery place," Pat remarked as he passed an ancient painting of a city on fire.

"Wonderful place for a child to grow up in," Taiyou deadpanned back at him. "The entertainment in particular was very stimulating. Nothing like a documentary talking about what a horrible creature man is to motivate a six year old to murder their own race."

Miki wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry at the fact that Taiyou had just made a joke like that. Pat was much less conflicted. "Man no wonder you're so fucked up." He flinched and looked back at the woman apologetically. "No offense."

Taiyou just rolled her eyes at him. "Oh none taken. It's very heartening to know that one of my captors thinks I'm insane. I'm all giddy inside right now at being so well understood."

Pat's face fell flat and he said, "You know, I almost preferred it when you we shooting at me. Somehow that hurt less."

The ebony-haired telepath smirked, while behind her Miki stared at Taiyou in surprise at how calmly she had taken Pat's words. Perhaps all that sarcasm has a use after all.

They managed to make it to the others without further incident, though Miki could have sworn she saw Taiyou glare at a few rooms as they passed with a look of extreme hatred. When they entered the command center the other members of the squad looked up from a pile of shell casings gathered on a previously clean table. "Glad you could join us," Amanda said with a smile. "You didn't happen to find anything under the dirt by any chance did you?"

"Nothing," Taiyou said irritably.

"Not even after ripping everything in the room to shreds in case they hid something in the furniture," Pat jokingly said. "You know, just to be thorough."

Sarah and Amanda shared a look of bewilderment while Gondo stoically nodded his head understandingly. "Too bad," he said. "But we do have some good news. Check out these shell casings here. What do you see?"

"A wasted effort," Taiyou responded with crossed arms, "given how easily you dealt with my team."

There was an uncomfortable silence for several moments before Gondo cleared his throat and said, "Well, that's one thing it could mean. I was more thinking about where they came from. Sarah?"

The brunette nodded and pulled a tablet out of her pack. "Those Red Dawn guys may not be able to shoot for crap," she said as Taiyou growled slightly in the background, "but they also didn't do that good a job of covering their tracks. These casings were littered all over the place in that firing range up on the top floor. They didn't even bother trying to sweep them up or anything."

"So what?" Taiyou said dismissively. "What could you possibly learn from bullet casings?"

"You'd be surprised," Sarah said before bringing up a series of specs for an assault rifle. Tapping a few more times yielded a low-resolution hologram hovering over the table. "The guns that fired these rounds were Russian AN-94's, a design that was proposed for the Universal Rifle project but rejected back in 2006. You can tell because of the extra warping of some of the rounds caused by the rifle's unique 'double tap' firing of its first two shots." She held up two such casings. "Despite some commercial interest by gun enthusiasts it had a very limited production and is extremely hard to find."

"In other words we can use the rifles to find Red Dawn's supplier, then track down leads from there," Amanda explained laconically.

"And I already know who it is," Sarah stated as she swiped through the tablet. "You're probably not gonna like this Cap. I know Pentecost won't." One last tap and a face replaced the gun in the hologram. The image showed a gray-haired man shaking hands with the Marshall in an office at the Shatterdome while he mugged for the camera. He had a wicked smile, courtesy of his gold teeth, while his eyes were hidden behind similarly gold-rimmed dark shades.

Gondo's eyes narrowed angrily while Pat and Amanda both gasped. "Hanibal Chou," Gondo said threateningly, "you have a lot to answer for."

---

Global Defense Force Kaiju Categorization (Updated 05/16/12)

Category 1 Unnaturally Large Creatures (50-100 feet, no or minor special abilities):

The smallest category of monster, most creatures within this range are simply normal animals who have been mutated by either large amounts of radiation or are the results of alien experimentation. Due to this most Category 1s are very hostile towards humanity and their environment and should be eliminated quickly. Conventional military force is generally adequate for eliminating monsters of this size, though it is still recommended that foot soldiers and lightly armored vehicles keep their distance due to the limited effectiveness of ordinary small arms and non-antitank weapons. Common examples of monsters in this category include the swarms of Megaguirus and Gyaos, revived dinosaurs and insects on the Solgell archipelago, etc.

Threat level: Local only.

Category 2 Small Kaiju (100-200 feet, no or minor special abilities):

The first size category that can truly be considered kaiju, monsters of this type are surprisingly uncommon, being mostly made up of adolescent kaiju or oversized ocean dwellers. Category 2s are usually characterized by their peaceful nature, harboring no ill will towards humans or their environment and thus requiring little more than a watchful eye for the defense. Should they become hostile for some reason normal military force would generally prove inadequate save for the heaviest weapon platforms such as bombers, battleships and submarines, though jaeger intervention would be likely unnecessary. Examples include Godzilla Jr. (prior to his ascension), Mothra larvae (mostly peaceful but ferocious fighters when provoked), Kamoebas, and funnily enough some larger whale species despite not exactly fitting the size requirements.

Threat level: Local only if hostile.

Category 3 Regular Kaiju (200-300 feet, no or minor special abilities):

The most common form of kaiju and the point at which size invulnerability sets in. Kaiju in this type run the gamut of alignments and personalities and are thus split into separate factions based on their reactions to humanity. Earth Defenders are allies of humanity and fight to help defend human settlements from other kaiju in return for being left alone by the GDF. Mutants by contrast will often terrorize humanity at every possible opportunity and are marked by their pursuit of personal power above all else. Alien kaiju act as the heralds of the numerous alien invasions Earth has suffered and lead their armies into battle. Neutrals neither attack nor defend humanity, preferring to live and let live far from the others' conflicts.

Kaiju in this category are near immune to conventional military weaponry (save a few exceptions and most Anteverse kaiju, who are markedly weaker than Terran kaiju) and thus must be engaged either by jaegers, mechs, or superweapons. Category 3s are the first kaiju level at which use of WMDs may be authorized at the behest of the besieged nation and with permission of the GDF Security Council. Engagement with Cat 3 kaiju generally is not intended to eliminate the monster, merely to force it away, but a successful kill may be pursued if human settlements are not at immediate risk. Examples are myriad but in general may include any kaiju that does not have extreme abilities or has shown capabilities of defeating numerous other monsters at once, which would push it up to Category 4.

Threat level: Local to regional depending on territorial natures.

*A note on addition of examples to this list. A kaiju's placement in a category is based on its potential threat level to humanity, not on flashiness or relevance within their own faction or your own personal opinions. On that note, please stop trying to say Zilla is a Category 4. Yes he is fast, no he is not supernaturally fast. Let it go James.

Category 4 Greater Kaiju (200-300 feet, significant special abilities):

The kaiju that drive most scientists utterly insane and make kids want to grow up to be jaeger pilots, Category 4 kaiju are determined by their remarkable abilities that extend well beyond the physical. Most kaiju of this type are not much larger than Cat 3s but are significantly more dangerous to both other kaiju and to humanity in general. Common powers take the form of energy beams of various types, everything from plasma, lightning, fire, magic and even gravity in one case. Other abilities include extreme resistances to damage, releasing energy on contact and incredibly enhanced healing. Also any flying kaiju with a wingspan of more than 150 feet is automatically considered a Cat 4 regardless of other abilities due to their range of possible attacks.

Cat 4s should not be attacked by any less than two jaegers or mechs working in tandem, with more than two very much recommended. Usage of WMDs may be authorized by the GDF Security Council without permission of the local government should the situation deteriorate far enough. Pursuit of a kill is prohibited unless threat to both human settlements and attacking human assets is considered negligible or target cannot be forced off. Pilots are suggested to approach with the utmost caution and not take unnecessary risks.

Sadly most Cat 4s are in the employ of the alien faction or allied with the mutants. The only Earth Defender Cat 4s are Mothra (powerful as a Cat 5 but too fragile to last against them), Gamera, King Caesar, and Rodan.

Threat level: Regional to Continental

Category 5 Super Kaiju (300+ feet, immense special abilities)

The strongest of the strong, Category 5 kaiju are powerful enough to easily match or exceed any lesser kaiju they meet. Cat 5s are characterized by their extremely powerful special abilities and high level of skill in their use. These kaiju are some of the most powerful beings to exist and should absolutely not be engaged except with overwhelming force. A minimum of three jaegers or mechs should be used in an engagement with WMDs waiting in immediate reserve at the slightest sign of enemy advantage. At this time there are only very few kaiju befitting the rank of Category 5, and disturbingly enough most of them are in the employ of the alien faction or are the two heads of the mutant faction. Current examples include Godzilla (current incarnation), Xenilla, Destroyah, Grand King Ghidorah, and Monster X (due to his shown martial abilities and bizarre similarity to human hybrid soldiers in combat style).

At the time of this writing every attempt to permanently eliminate any Category 5 kaiju has failed despite our best efforts and technology. As such it is recommended that no further attempts be made until the full fleet of battle platforms is completed in 2014. Should an attack come before that point, usage of WMDs may be unavoidable. Recommend Dimension Tide Mark 2 as best option for permanent removal if termination of local area is to be avoided.

Threat level: Hemisphere to Global

Marshall Pentecost paused in his reading of the document before him, his mind traveling back two weeks to the day of the battle of Solgell. He'd watched as Monster Island, a place where kaiju were supposed to be free to live in safety and peace, was thrown into chaos and madness under an endless assault of mutants and aliens whose sole purpose for being there was to kill the creatures who had defended humanity for so long. Even after throwing every jaeger and mech in the hemisphere into the fight to try and stem the tide the situation just got worse and worse with every hour. If any had been available he would have sent in the battle platforms but Mjolnir was the only one in range and it couldn't get a clear shot in the melee.

He had known since the battle began that his hand may be forced into launching a WMD into the fighting at some point, but accepting that the time had come had been much harder to acknowledge. His heart feeling heavier than the dark mass he ordered launched, Pentecost had watched his jaegers and mechs retreat and the black hole seed streak downward through the atmosphere. Despite the years of research saying that the monsters hit by the hole would just be transported unharmed, he worried about where they would end up, how they would survive on a potentially hostile world. It was one of the hardest decisions he'd ever had to make, but make it he did.

Even though he now knew that they were safe – as safe as they could be while stuck as tiny magical horses that is – he still felt a tingle of unease as to what had sent them there to begin with. The Earth had been at relative peace since the end of Final Wars six years ago, with the mutant faction severely depleted and the alien armies decimated. Then out of nowhere practically every monster on the planet shows up in one place and they all start fighting each other, only for the strongest of every side to disappear completely under a series of wormhole shots to a place that shouldn't even exist. Something out there was making plans, but what and who the Marshall had no idea.

The closest thing they had to a lead was the word of a possibly deranged ex-terrorist who claimed it was a kaiju god from the ancient past returned to exact his revenge upon Earth's sentients. Even with all of the crazy things that had happened to the planet over the last century Stacker would have been very hesitant to believe the woman's tale, were it not for the entity Miki had experienced just the day before. Only a telepath of immense strength could have reached that deeply into the Shatterdome, a feat that not even the Xilian commander had been able to achieve without help. If what that woman said was true and this Bagan really was as powerful as she said, then the Earth may be facing its greatest threat yet.

And now this thing appears, he groused as he looked at the sonar report Tachibanna had left him after Gordon had left. Back in 1997 sonar nets in the southeast Pacific had picked up an ultralow frequency sound off the coast of South America. Initial impressions for the sound, nicknamed 'The Bloop' by sonar operators, made it seem like simple iceberg calving from the Antarctic glaciers and the sound had been ignored. But then, just after the wormhole strikes had struck in the days following Solgell the sound had been repeated several times in rapid succession and deeper analysis matched more closely to that of a living creature.

That by itself wasn't a major issue. The world's oceans were filled with massive creatures who sent out similar such sounds all the time, and most of them completely harmless to human interests. The problem? The distance at which the sound had been heard was more than 5000 kilometers, several orders of magnitude further than even underwater kaiju roars had been heard from. Size estimates of a creature large enough to make such a noise hit more than 700 feet long at a low end estimate, far larger than any previously known kaiju. The size alone would make such a creature a Category 5, something the GDF really did not have the time or resources for right now.

About the only good news was that the creature was discovered deep in the ocean, meaning it was in submarine territory. Kaiju may own the land for the most part and at the very least disputed control of the skies with the GDF's air forces but one place where humanity held true dominance was the seas. More than any other theater of war humanity was able to build on a scale that could match the scale of the enemies arrayed against them. Battleships, carriers, submarines; all were capable of fielding weaponry that could defeat kaiju. But against something this big… Pentecost wasn't sure even the strongest of torpedoes could put a dent in such a creature's natural armor. He couldn't dare risk some of his submarines against the target without knowing more about what it was and where it came from. And that meant sending a kaiju in to scout the thing and learn more about it.

But sending in Zilla by himself is too dangerous, especially if this thing proves to be the source of that telepathy Miki encountered. He'll need some backup. Pentecost paused for a moment as he went through his mental lists of allied kaiju for one with the right skill set to aid the giant saurian in the depths of the ocean. The answer was just as he'd thought it would be, though he'd held out hope of a simpler solution. There's no other kaiju that fits the requirements. It has to be her. A frown appeared on his face as remembered the kaiju's less than glamorous history with the GDF. I'm not sure which will be harder; convincing her to go on the mission or the mission itself.

Pentecost picked up his phone and called for the telepath Xavier to come to his office. With Miki off in Africa trying to track down the ex-terrorist's home base he was the telepath on deck for interfacing with Zilla. Once he was assured the man was on his way he turned back to the Categorization document.

(Addendum by Analyst [Redacted on request of writer]. Updated 07/23/13)

Category 6 Ultimate Kaiju (400+ feet, insane special abilities):

This category is purely hypothetical in nature as of this time, based on personal research done by [Name Redacted]. Several areas across the planet show signs and scars of extreme amounts of environmental damage that bears striking similarity to modern day kaiju battlegrounds. Carbon dating at each of the sites puts the general age of the scarring at 73,000 years ago (+ or – 4000 years), the same period of time in which the Toba super volcano is thought to have erupted and caused a significant period of global cooling. Initial thought concluded this to be a mere coincidence, but further research generated indications that the two phenomenon are in some way related.

Within the last five years archeologists across the globe have issued reports of discovering the ancient ruins of highly advanced civilizations with technology and architecture far in excess of what historical humanity was believed to be capable of, all of which appear to have died out within or near the same time table as both the Toba eruption and the suspected kaiju battlegrounds. In addition many of the battlegrounds themselves carry evidence of intelligent life having lived there prior to whatever catastrophic events unfolded at each location. Close studies of the ruins and battlegrounds reveal pieces of machinery and metallic alloys equivalent in strength and complexity to modern day technology, and in several cases devices were found that appeared to function on some form of energy beyond current understanding.

Although none of the evidence has yet been confirmed in any official capacity and there are many critics of the discoveries, it is the personal theory of this writer that there existed at some point in ancient history a terrifically advanced civilization that disappeared around the time of the Toba catastrophe. The likelihood of such an advanced civilization failing because of the eruption of a single super volcano is unlikely, thus it is my position that there was a war of some sort between kaiju that precipitated their fall.

Analysis of the battlegrounds seems to show a single combatant engaging multiple other kaiju at once and winning. Scars left over from energy attacks appear similar to those generated by kaiju like Godzilla and Xenilla but vastly more powerful. If the calculations of this theorized kaiju are correct then this creature was strong enough to defeat the equivalent of more than four Category 5 kaiju in a single battle multiple times at different places around the world. Such a concentration of energy, if released all at once in the right place, would be more than enough to set off a super volcano deliberately.

There are many questions this theory leaves open, including where exactly this kaiju went and why it was fighting as it did. The other researchers I shared this theory with have poked innumerable holes in it but something keeps me coming back to it, some feeling of horrible truth to the idea of such a monster existing in our forgotten past. Maybe I'm completely wrong and this whole thing is just me wasting time. I sincerely hope so. Because if I'm right and this thing ever reappears… God help us all.

---

Zilla hissed under his breath as he ascended out of the ocean onto the bright, sandy beach, shaking his body back and forth to rid his scales of excess water. He never really liked leaving the ocean. It always felt like leaving his comfort zone.

Though his body was technically designed for land travel Zilla had always been at his best when swimming. As a rule no kaiju he had ever met or heard of could match his speed and power in the ocean depths, could find or catch him when didn't want to be found. The only two exceptions to that rule were the reason for him being on this island out in the middle of nowhere. And he was trying to recruit one of them.

Zilla paused in his grumbling when he felt the familiar tingling of a telepath poking at his mind. Hello Mr. X, he called out along the tendril he felt. Been waiting for me long?

Circling several thousand feet above the giant saurian was a medium sized tilt jet with a smiling Charles Xavior sitting in the copilot seat. Not long, Zilla, not long, Charles answered affably. Nick here was just telling me about his girlfriend subtly pushing him to propose and how he plans to do it. Very interesting stuff.

You humans and your romance, Zilla chuckled before getting down to business. Is she here?

Yes, Charles answered while looking at the map on the jet's control board. Just at the end of this small valley here. A bit more than a mile to the west.

Zilla nodded and began to make tracks along the indicated direction. He tried to keep his footsteps from trampling the various palm trees and other clumps of vegetation, for the most part following a small river flowing downward from the fainting smoking volcano at the center of the island. Are we sure it's a good idea for me to be here? Tanty doesn't exactly have much reason to like me after that, uh, confrontation we had.

It's been years since then Zilla, Charles reasoned. She knows it wasn't the GDF's fault that she was… oh what was the term they used again? Oh right. 'Mentally Directed', that's what it was.

She was brainwashed, Zilla replied frostily. Don't bother sugarcoating it. The fact that it was a GDF developed technology doesn't help either.

Charles sighed over the mental link. I know Zilla. I did not agree with the program. None of the telepaths did. It was only supposed to be used in an emergency. Then he got a hold of it and…

Yeah, yeah I remember, Zilla grumbled. It would be hard to forget his first fight as an Earth Defender, especially when it was against a kaiju he should have been allies with.

Years ago, just after Zilla had finally reached his full size and officially joined the ranks of the Defenders, one of their number had attacked a GDF base. Zilla was the only one who was able to respond in time and had rushed to the scene, confused as to why an Earth Defender would attack their erstwhile allies. He had arrived to find Titanosaurus stumbling through the minefield surrounding the base, trying to divide her attention between where she was stepping and the numerous aircraft harassing her at every angle. Zilla had managed to drag her away from the battle to the open countryside and drive her off after a multi hour fight that had greatly injured them both.

He'd later found out that the semi-aquatic dinosaur had been forced to attack the base against her will by a disgruntled scientist who'd developed the telepathy enhancing technology. Originally he'd been a strong supporter of the GDF but when his wife died in a defense operation he blamed the military and subsequently withdrew from the scientific community. Eventually the grief drove him over the edge and he used his telepath daughter to enact a plan of revenge, wanting to hurt the GDF in same way he'd been hurt. Titanosaurus had the misfortune of becoming his puppet and suffering the damage of his insane scheme.

Eventually the scientist was found and prosecuted, his daughter removed from his custody and his technology withdrawn from the public eye, later to be redeveloped into the drifting tech jaeger pilots used to meld minds. Titanosaurus herself was incensed with humanity for the pain she had suffered, both physical and mental, and so left the Earth Defenders and refused contact with either for years afterward. This visit would mark the first time anyone had done more than keep a cursory eye on Titanosaurus' general location since she'd left, and somehow Zilla doubted the years out of contact would make her any more forgiving of humanity.

Growling softly to himself Zilla came around the side of hill at the end of the valley; only to take a long webbed tail to the face that knocked him clear off his feet.

Zilla! Xavier yelled over the mental link as he felt the sudden rush of pain from the saurian. What happened? Are you alright?

Fine, the saurian responded as he warily got to his feet. Not sure for how long though. Thankfully for Zilla he wasn't struck again and had a chance to look at his attacker.

Titanosaurus stood a tail swipe's length away, her scaled arms folded over her chest as she glared at him angrily. She was a tall kaiju, her erect gait leaving Zilla's head barely reaching her shoulder in height. Her skin was a dull purplish color with large orange fin-like crests stretching off her head and back, lending her a slightly fishy appearance. Most concerning for Zilla was her hands and their very sharp claws, especially when the look in her eyes promised further violence.

What in the name of Tanaka do you think you're doing here? she declared in tone as cold as the bottom of the ocean.

Hello to you too Tanty, Zilla responded then immediately leaped backward to avoid the retaliatory swipe in his direction.

Don't call me that, Titanosaurus said. Now answer the question. Why. Are. You. Here?

Zilla sighed before looking up at the hovering jet and asking, Mind fielding this one prof?

Xavier cleared his throat unnecessarily to buy a moment figure out what to say. Oh, ahem, yes of course Zilla. Our purpose here, yes. Well, you see Miss Titanosaurus we were hoping to enlist your aid in…

Forget it, Titanosaurus interrupted. Not interested. Now get the Daei off my island before I get irritated.

Please miss just hear us out, Xavier begged. All we need is your help in scouting out a possible kaiju location with Zilla. No combat is expected as long as you both are cautious, just a pure fact finding mission in the deep ocean.

And why would you need me for this? she questioned. Or are you saying Zilla is too chicken to do it on his own?

Zilla objected strongly to that, saying, Hey I'm no chicken.! Birds came after dinosaurs, so if anything, they're related to me. If Zilla didn't know better he would have sworn he saw Tanty roll her eyes at him. Besides, he continued, wanting help when going after a kaiju more than twice your size is pretty reasonable by my reckoning.

Hold on, how big did you say this thing is?

Somewhere above 700 feet long, Charles answered. Purely ocean dwelling from what we can tell.

Titanosaurus crossed her arms over her chest again, thinking over what they'd said. And you weren't planning on killing it?

Well actually yeah we are, Zilla said, if we have to. First we want to know what it is, maybe find out where it's from and if it's friendly at all. Probably won't be, but can't hurt to check.

And you just want me there as backup? the female kaiju clarified. Not trying to actively harm anything?

Correct, Charles said. We understand you're reluctant to trust us after what that man put you through but I promise that this is all we would ever ask of you. Help us complete this mission and you have our guarantee that you will be left alone after that, never to be bothered by us again.

A guarantee huh? Titanosaurus huffed. How comforting. She fell silent for several minutes as she contemplated their proposal, her tail twitching back and forth as she thought. Zilla noticed her tail's movement and made a point to back up outside of its reach just in case. Finally she looked back up at Zilla and said, Not interested.

Zilla gaped at her for a moment before roaring in annoyance and shouting, Oh come on! We just promised to leave you alone no matter what! What more could you want?

I don't want anything from you, Titanosaurus said while glaring darkly at the other kaiju. Just as Zilla was about to turn tail and flee to a safe distance the female kaiju's anger suddenly faded. She looked down at the ground and said in a reluctant tone, But I will help you.

Wait what? Zilla asked, stupefied.

I'll go on your damn mission, but only if you help me with what I need in return.

Charles smiled as a sense of hope returned to him. They were finally getting somewhere. And what help would you require of us miss?

Titanosaurus heaved a great sigh before asking, You remember Obsidious right?

That giant lava monster that Xenilla created? Zilla said. How could I forget? That thing nearly burned down half of Solgell before G punted him out to sea. What's that thing got to do with anything?

Titanosaurus growled threateningly and said, That thing is a he, you know. And he is a close friend of mine.

So Obsidious is intelligent? Charles asked with interest. I had no idea such a creature could form sapience.

Neither did Xenilla apparently, cause Obsidious wasn't built to last. Whatever crystal magic he used to create him is beginning to fail and Obsidious is running out of energy.

Zilla tilted his head at that. But don't all of his creations absorb radiation and stuff like that to keep going?

They do, but whatever thing Obsidious uses to do that is failing. He needs to absorb a large amount of energy to fix it.

Charles rubbed his chin in thought for a moment before suggesting, What about thermal radiation? Given he's a creature of fire and rock it should be very easy for him to live in a volcano and absorb the heat of the magma to sustain himself.

Titanosaurus shook her head and replied, It's not enough. He needs more. A lot more.

But volcanoes are some of the most powerful natural forces on Earth, Zilla said. How much more could he ne…

You need to nuke him, Titanosaurus interrupted. Repeatedly.

A moment of silence passed over the mental link, both Zilla and Xavier trying to come to terms with what the female kaiju had said. Finally Zilla managed to find some words to speak with, saying incredulously, You want us to nuke him? Like, the real deal? No reactors or nothing-just straight up bomb him?

Yes, Titanosaurus answered without hesitation. It's the only thing we think will work. Reactors are too efficient to give off the radiation he needs and volcanoes are too slow. Absorbing a bomb should be enough to kick-start his regeneration and keep him alive.

And you're not worried about him dying from the nuke? Zilla asked.

Titanosaurus shook her head. No. He's spent the last few weeks in the lava tubes gathering as much heavy rock material as he can. He'll should be able to handle the explosions without a problem.

Zilla and Charles excused Titanosaurus from the mental link for a few minutes while they debated the point back and forth. Zilla argued against the plan, as he thought that bringing Obsidious back might be a bad idea. He'd been on Solgell during Xenilla's attack with his trio of artificial mutants and had only just escaped with his life during the huge firestorm the lava monster had created. Who was to say that letting him live wouldn't result in yet another enemy for the GDF to worry about.

Charles disagreed. He pointed out that there had been a long period of time in which Obsidious could have been an active menace. Xenilla's other constructs, after failing in their assault of Solgell, had gone semi-rouge and joined the general mutant faction, freely attacking whenever the mood suited them. Obsidious by contrast had all but disappeared entirely from the world's view. The GDF had thought him dead for years until seismic activity in a volcanic hotspot had been matched to his signature. If Obsidious was as violent and power hungry as the other mutants he would have acted long before now. Besides that was the fact that Titanosaurus seemed to trust him, and despite her amenity towards the GDF she was still a kind kaiju (relatively speaking) and thus unlikely to befriend a potential enemy.

Eventually the two came to an agreement. They would recommend to Pentecost that Obsidious be nuked with several kiloton strength warheads, but with the stipulation that a megaton warhead be kept on hand in case things went south. They informed Titanosaurus of the plan and, to both their surprise, she agreed.

Just out of curiosity, Zilla said while looking back and forth at the forested hills around the two kaiju, where is Obsidious anyway? We lost track of him ages ago and haven't found him since.

A smug smirk appeared on Titanosaurus' face. Oh he's nearby. Right around here in fact.

Zilla took another look around, trying to spot any barren hills or maybe a trace of smoke, but there was nothing to see. Uh, where?

Titanosaurus did not answer, instead leaning down to the ground and emitting a piercing hum through her hand into the ground. Zilla tilted his head in confusion at this, unsure what exactly she was doing. He didn't have to wait long to find out.

High above the two kaiju the mountain at the center of the island began to shake violently, deep cracks and crags opening up along its bare slopes. Zilla's eyes widened as he watched the top of the new volcano blow open in a massive explosion, showers of rock raining down on the forests below. Charles' jet pilot noticed the eruption and quickly banked away to escape the blast sound. After several minutes a deep, rumbling roar sounded past the echoes of the mountain's detonation. Soon a massive molten hand reached up from within the open caldera.

Zilla's mouth hung open freely as Obsidious climbed out of the volcano he had made and slowly descended the mountain, drops of lava searing the ground behind him as they fell from his sides. Eventually the mutant rock creature arrived near the other two kaiju, small portions of the forest catching fire from the sheer heat of his presence. Zilla could feel his scales searing even several hundred feet away and was beginning to question the intelligence of his earlier decision. Uuuuuuh, he droned as he tried and failed to find something to say.

So, Titanosaurus said as she sported a nasty smirk, how long till those nukes can get here?

I… Xavior tried to say, nearly at a loss for words. I think we can get some authorization for the nukes fairly quickly once we explain the full situation to command. After that it may take a few hours for the bomber to arrive and find a good location to drop the bomb. I'll… get to work on that right now. His voice and signature then left the link while the tilt jet drifted off to get a better signal.

Zilla looked up at the retreating aircraft reluctantly, not very eager to be left alone with the fire titan. Um…

You do remember how to talk, right Zilla? Titano taunted.

A brush of irritation sliding over him Zilla glared right back at her. Oh and what am I supposed to say right now? 'Hello Obsidious, nice to meet you again. Totally don't hold a grudge over that time you nearly burned me to death while we were all fighting for our lives against each other'.

No grudge, Obsidious boomed at him. Good. Grudge is bad. No grudge with friend.

If Zilla had been shocked before, now he was going into cardiac arrest. He talks! He actually talks!

Well yeah, Titano drawled. Talking kinda comes along with the whole 'is intelligent' thing. And you're right Ob. Holding grudges isn't something a friend does.

Says the kaiju who still holds the GDF responsible for the actions of one guy, Zilla remarked in his own head. Speaking again to the two of them he asked, So… you consider each other friends then?

Obsidious gave a nod, small globs of rock slurry dripping off him and scalding the ground below. Titanosaurus friend. Met after Big Battle. Did not hurt. Did not attack. Talked. Learned. Grew friends. The living fire mountain paused, his face turning down somewhat. Felt heart weak. Need energy. Fire not enough. Need help. Human help. He waved his arm at Zilla, who resisted the urge to shrink back from the heat. You help. No care fight in battle. Zilla friend too.

Zilla slowly nodded, much to Titano's apparent approval. Part of him was still recalling focusing on the fight he had been a part of, the damage that had been done to his home by this kaiju and his 'brothers'. But the rest of him could feel the innocent happiness and pride that emanated from Obsidious, his mind almost that of a young child stepping out on the playground for the first time. He's younger than me, Zilla realized. Younger than any of the Defenders. And Titano was the only one to show mercy and kindness in the mutant's short life, especially if what she said about Xenilla's lack of care for the beast was true. Zilla couldn't help but feel a pang of empathy for Obsidious at that moment, and thus said to him, Yeah… I guess I'm your friend too Obsidious. Or Ob I guess. Oby? Which do you prefer?

Obsidious projected a sense of confusion at the saurian, all while Titano was busy laughing her tail off at the two of them. When Obsidious asked her what Oby meant she completely lost it and collapsed to the ground, prompting Obsidious to ask if she was alright, making her laugh even harder.

I'm now friends with a giant walking lava blob, Zilla said as he joined in with Titano's mad chuckling. I love my crazy life sometimes.

---

"FUUUUUUCK!"

"Oh shut up!"

Master Sergeant John Chief ignored both of his back seat passengers' shouts as he mashed the accelerator to the floor and hauled his vehicle around a sharp corner, narrowly avoiding a burned out car sitting at the edge of the street. Driving around the streets of Mogadishu during normal times was an exercise in insanity due to the tiny streets being crowded with throngs of people moving from place to place and ancient, half-gone cars roaring through the gaps. Now it was still crazy, but for a very different reason.

"Is that fucking gun up yet?" Alcatraz demanded while jamming another magazine into his hybrid-sized assault rifle and firing it over the back of the open topped jeep. The Indominus Rex following them round the corner took the shots in her shoulder and roared with pain as the tungsten-steel rounds ripped through her hide and into the muscle. The massive mutant dinosaur clutched her now limp arm and screeched at them before retreating, only for her mate to burst through a building further up the street from them and race towards the vehicle for revenge.

Chief saw the dino coming head on at them and immediately made a hard right, smashing the jeep through a low wall into a (thankfully empty) courtyard and continuing out of it onto a parallel street. The Rex followed soon after, knocking down numerous store stalls as it went. Once Chief was in the clear he zoomed forward to put some distance between them and the Cat 1 monster behind them.

"Fixing a jam is hard outside of combat," Ramirez complained as he repeatedly pulled the charging handle on the M2 Browning machine gun mounted in the vehicle's rear bed. "Trying to do it while Chief is bouncing over every single rock and pothole this city has is just a mite more difficult."

If there was one kind of place Chief hated fighting in, it was cities. Far too many obstacles, line of sight was nearly nonexistent, and the presence of civilians made everything that much more complicated. Although given how many random bursts of automatic fire came erupting from the open windows of the various buildings around them, it was hard to tell who the noncombatants actually were. "Just get the gun working," Chief ordered gruffly while spinning the wheel around to evade a shell crater.

"I blame the suspension," Alcatraz said after bumping his head on the overhead frame for the umpteenth time. "The suspension on these damn things is freaking ridiculous. Graceful like a big cat my ass. I've known warthogs that handle better than this."

Ramirez scoffed and pulled the charging handle one last time, putting his full shoulder weight into the effort. Finally the jammed round was ejected and he could fire on the Rex following them. Before he could train the gun sight on the target though the monster turned down a side street to avoid the barrage. "Damnit! It got away. These things are tough enough already, why'd those damn aliens have to make them smart too?"

"Wouldn't be a challenge otherwise," Alcatraz responded as he used his thermal sight to try and spot the huge animal in the gaps between buildings. Indominus Rexes had a fairly strong natural camouflage that made visual spotting difficult, and even highly sensitive thermal scopes had trouble picking them up with their heat control. Eventually the soldier shook his head and said, "No go Chief. Scalely must have buggered off."

"But I didn't even get to shoot at it yet!" Ramirez said with a pout.

If Chief wasn't busy with both of his hands on the wheel he would have face palmed at the invitation to fate Ramirez had just given. Instead he activated his radio and said, "This is Sergeant Chief to Command. We've attempted to push in towards the engagement zone but were delayed by a pair of Rexes. Request air assistance for spotting and supporting fire."

The radio crackled for a moment before a tough female voice said, "Sorry Chief, no can do. We've got an entire pack of these things attacking the marketplace and the drone's firepower's the only thing keeping them from reaching the Marines. You're gonna have to get there on your own."

"Is that Shepard?" Alcatraz asked. "I'm surprised she hasn't crashed yet. She's a worse driver than you Chief."

There was a moment of silence on the radio before Shepard said, "Chief, do me a favor and slap Alcatraz for me when you have a chance."

"I'll see what I can do," Chief added without any change of tone. "We're headed your way to link up and make a combined push. ETA two minutes."

"Roger that. We'll roll out the red carpet for you. Shepard out."

Chief turned his vehicle down a larger main street while his two passengers took the chance to reload their various weapons. "You aren't actually going to slap me are you Chief?" Alcatraz joked as he picked up an AT4 and cradled it to his shoulder.

"Of course not man, he's the Chief," Ramirez told him. Then he smacked Alcatraz lightly on the helmet and said, "He'd just order me to do it for him. Like he does with everything."

"Ramirez," Chief barked, "keep your eyes open. We don't know how many Rexes are in this pack."

"Well now that you said that one of them is going to show up any second now," Alcatraz said as he looked back down at his scope and began checking their flanks. "As soon as you mention the monster they're going to show up."

"Not if you knowingly invoke the rule man," Ramirez argued. "You talking about how it's gonna happen means it won't happen."

"So wait, would that be like double awareness or something?"

"Enough," Chief said. "We're almost at Shepard's position so get ready."

"Oh I was born ready sir," Ramirez said eagerly, fairly bouncing up and down in his turret position.

"That is so cliché," Alcatraz complained.

"Quiet!" Chief roared as the jeep barreled onto the next street.

Sitting at the end of it was a large, heavily armored truck, an auto-turret on top spinning to watch them approach. The trio's jeep came to a halt next to the wheeled behemoth, a door on its left opening up to show a tall crimson haired woman smiling down at them. "Hey Chief, took you long enough."

"We had a few delays," the Sergeant answered. "Any ideas for getting into the market zone?"

Shepard smiled and patted the metal panel she was leaning on. "Simple. Use this beauty to smash our way in and shoot everything that isn't human. While we're doing that, you guys get to the Marines and do what you can to set them up. That many people and guns in one place is sure to bring in the whole pack, and once we've hooked them all in finish the job with all the daka we can muster."

Ramirez groaned and bumped his head against the headrest of his seat. "Using ourselves as bait. Why does that sound so fucking familiar."

"Cause that's what all of our plans degenerate to eventually," Alcatraz remarked. "Every time, all the time. Heck I think it's part of our job description at this point."

"Well then you should have plenty of practice then, don't you boys?" Shepard laughed and waved behind the giant vehicle. "Just stick on our ass and keep us clear of any beasties from behind, alright?"

"Oh I'd love to stick to that ass," Alcatraz muttered, only to get slapped by Ramirez on the helmet.

"Understood," Chief said. "Let's get going. The sooner we get there, the more likely those Marines will make it out alive."

With that the pseudo tank started up and began to roll down the street with a throaty roar, the dirt street beneath it cracking under its weight. The first few moments were relatively quiet as the group made their way towards the sound of heavy fire in the distance, but it didn't remain that way for long.

As soon as the two vehicles reached the first intersection a Rex smashed against the side of the armored truck, lifting it into the air for several seconds until the weight proved too much and it landed flat again. Before the Rex could strike again Alcatraz and Ramirez opened up on the dino, the heavy rounds ripping into the creature and prompting it to scream and back up. Several lucky hits reached up along its neck and struck the thing's spine, snapping its nerves and sending the beast collapsing to the ground.

"Alright! Another one bites the dust."

"Don't celebrate yet, there's bound to be more of them out there."

Sure enough no sooner had they passed the next intersection did another Rex run in, this one coming in from around a building and assaulting the front of the convoy. At the same moment a Rex appeared behind them, snarling at its fallen sibling then dashing at them with hate in its gaze.

"Chief, pedal to the medal please!" Alcatraz said before flipping his gun mount around and firing on the approaching monster. The beast saw the gun turning around and ducked as low as it could while activating its camouflage, weaving back and forth to avoid the gunfire.

"Hang on!" The Chief mashed the accelerator into the floor and wheeled around the larger vehicle, prompting the Rex to turn to follow, drawing it into the range of the APC's auto-turret. The machine's laser-sight locked onto the Rex's movement and unleashed a barrage of .50 caliber lead at its center of mass. The rounds torn into its ribcage and shredded its organs even through the creature's enhanced skin. At the same moment its sister fell the first Rex ran head-on into the APC, angling low to come up underneath it.

It wasn't enough.

At the last moment Shepard stomped on the gas and sent her vehicle surging forward into the Rex and sending it under the wheels. Several highly bouncy and crunchy seconds later the APC had completed its travel over the Rex and continued on, leaving a rather messy corpse behind.

"Hell, man, she even drives like a badass woman!" Alcatraz said with a disturbing amount of admiration. Ramirez groaned to himself as their vehicle fell into step behind Shepard again. The rest of the trip passed in relative quiet, though several times they could swear they saw a Rex moving along a parallel street or a group of locals wandering about waving their guns at any sound they heard. Said sounds grew louder and louder as they reached the middle of the city and stumbled on a battleground.

The central marketplace, usually crowded and busy in its own regard, had devolved into a scene of utter insanity. Almost half a dozen Rexes were circling around a group of turned over or wrecked jeeps backed up against a multi-story building. Quick flurries of automatic fire lanced out from the convey every few seconds, just barely keeping the monsters at bay. With his hybrid-enhanced vision Chief could see the desert pattern camos of the Marines shifting back and forth through the wreckage.

"Worry not, folks," Shepard shouted over a speaker in her APC. "The cavalry is here! Light 'em up boys!"

"Yes ma'am!" Ramirez let rip with the Browning, running a trail of tracers across the back of the nearest Rex, tearing its spine apart and sending it to the ground. In the passenger seat Alcatraz took aim with his rocket and fired. The projectile streamed out of its tube and flew into a Rex's side, the detonation blowing a massive hole in the dino's midsection and killing it instantly.

The remaining Rexes noticed their new assailants and turned to attack it, only to face a wall of bullets from Shepard's APC as well as renewed fire from the Marines behind them. The Indomni rushed at the giant vehicle and smaller jeep, roaring and screeching in unholy pitches. Chief lead his car on a long track around the outside of the courtyard, his two passengers letting rip with every bullet and explosive they had at the pack. Meanwhile Shepard just rolled forward without relent, weapon ports on either side openning up and adding to the hailstorm. Rex after Rex fell under the withering hail of fire, their artificially engineered bodies no match for the concentrated force arrayed against them. Several Rexes tried in vain to shove, scrape, and bite their way through the APC's armor but to no avail, while Chief's driving kept the rest of the horde from touching them.

The last Rex saw death surrounding it and decided it wasn't going into the dark alone, rushing towards the Marines with murderous intent. Chief saw the Rex's intended target and drove towards it, knowing the APC was too busy to notice the Rex in time.

"Uh, Chief," Ramirez said with a hint of concern, his empty Browning for the moment forgotten. "What are you doing?"

"Helping," was the Chief's laconic answer.

"Chief. Chief tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing." When the Master Sergeant did not say a word in response Ramirez turned to Alcatraz and shouted, "BAIL OUT!"

Alcatraz, who had run out of ammo with his rifle and had switched to his Hammer sidearm, immediately realized what Chief intended to do and replied, "Bailing!"

Both hybrids jumped jeep and rolled along the broken ground, Alcatraz actually bouncing atop one of the fallen Rex corpses along the way. Chief barely noticed his squad mates abandoning him, his attention laser focused on driving his jeep. Just as the Rex was about to reach the convoy, Chief launched his jeep off a fallen statue and wall, the multi-ton vehicle ramming into the dinosaur in midair. As soon as metal made contact with flesh Chief jumped out of his seat, using the built up momentum of the jeep to fly forward over the monster and out of the way of the crashing vehicle, rolling along to ground to distance himself from the damage.

The Rex screeched in pain as the car landed atop its neck, pinning the creature under its weight and breaking its weaker arm and leg bones from the impact. It did not have long to scream its pain as the Marines poured their fury into it for nigh on a minute. Some distance away from the dead dinosaur the Master Sergeant stood up, brushing off a faint coating of dust he'd gathered from his fall. His squad mates approached from either side of the trapped Rex, both keeping their guns trained on the creature just in case. "You okay there Chief?" Ramirez inquired.

"I'm fine," John answered simply. His gaze fell to a brown clothed body lying nearby, a broken rifle stretched over its lap. "Wish we could say the same for these troops."

Ramirez nodded in agreement then kneeled next to the fallen soldier and withdrew a cross necklace from under his uniform, muttering a prayer and closing the man's eyes.

Alcatraz sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "We did the best we could Chief, same as them. Nothing else we could do. Sometimes there's a price to be paid in our job. That's how it goes." He grew a smirk and gave his Sergeant a sidelong glance. "Though turning a jeep into a flying battering ram is a new one. Didn't figure you for an adventurer there Chief. That was one hell of a fancy trick."

If Chief ever bothered to actually emote he probably would have rolled his eyes at his subordinate, but his stoic nature prevented him from caring enough to do so. A voice then called from the other side of the courtyard. "Nice work there Chief," Shepard said to the Sergeant with a genuine smile on her face. "Guess your stiff ass has some fancy moves after all."

"Had to be done," was Chief's response. "Couldn't have stopped the thing in time otherwise."

"Speaking of time," Ramirez said with a cheeky smile, "it seems to me we got here just in the nick of time for these poor Marines. What does that make us do you think?"

Alcatraz immediately caught on and said in return, "I do believe that makes us big damn heroes, Ram."

"Ain't we just," the two said in unison while throwing a friendly arm over each other's shoulder.

Shepard just stared at the two, her face utterly deadpan before turning to the Chief and asking, "Are they always like this?"

Chief shrugged in a helpless 'what can you do' kinda way. "You get used to it." His tone became serious again as he said, "Are these the last of them?"

"Should be. Last word we got off the drone before it ran out of ammo was that the rest of the city was clear except for this pack and the two your squad was engaged with."

"But one of ours escaped," Ramirez observed. "So where did it—"

A loud crash came from the west entrance of the courtyard as the final Rex came rushing towards them. Chief and his squad were scrambling for their forgotten weapons when a massive report rang out from behind them. A bright white tracer arced brilliantly through the air before impacting the Rex's forehead, punching straight through the monster's skull and pulping its brain. Dead before it could even finish its final step the still moving corpse tripped over its lifeless legs and collapsed, its momentum sliding it forward until it came to a stop just a few feet short of the group. Everyone turned to the source of the shot to see Shepard blow away some wafting smoke from the end her sniper rifle's barrel. She smiled at the stunned look on the others' faces and said, "Mission complete, gentlemen. Let's get out of this shit hole."

As Shepard turned and activated her radio to call for a ride out Alcatraz said faintly to himself, "Dude… I think I'm in love."

Ramirez laughed and patted his friend on the back, saying, "You have a better chance of bringing down Xenilla by yourself then getting with her man."

"Oh shut up Ram."

---

A/N: Hello again readers! Sorry about the longer-than-a-month update. The early parts of this chapter were done quite quickly but I couldn't figure out how to end it given I moved the original ending to become the majority of the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed the run and gun battle you guys got instead. Next time things are going to heat up as certain enemies take notice of humanity's plans. Til then, happy reading!

Edit: Having seen Jurassic World on its opening weekend I can only look at this scene I wrote and think 'Damn, I'm some kinda prophet or something'. Seriously, the IRex's basically being giant raptors is almost exactly a match to what I did here, along with the point of proper military force (not just small arms fire) being enough to bring these things down. That said, there is one point where I diverge from the movie which I will stand by. I don't care what DNA they say Indomius has, a creature that big cannot hide from thermal vision. A small amphibian lowering its heat emission to hide from insects does not scale up to a 50 foot long dinosaur masking its thermal signature from highly advanced cameras designed to see exactly that. It simply does not math. Aside from that, awesome film and definitely worth the price of admission, especially if you are a Jurassic Park fan.

(Edit 03/31/16) Hello folks. Those of you here from the latest chapter may notice several changes to the last couple scenes in this chapter. The first change is adding in a sequence where Obsidious actually speaks and we get to know him better. I felt like that was a bit of a wasted opportunity when I looked back on it so I decided to add more of him in [and not just because he's my fav character in Godzilla Unleashed]. The second change was an expansion of the Indominus Rex scene. Recently Tarb came to me and told me that, while it is unlikely the I Rex could completely hide itself with its thermal control in an ideal environment, in the warm and humid atmosphere of a jungle it would be much harder to spot even with military grade equipment. Alongside that he expressed a bit of disappointment that the battle here seemed so... simple and was over so quickly, so I decided to spice it up somewhat, along with showing that normal military forces aren't necessarily going to have an easy time against a pack of 50 foot long intelligent Dinos. So there's that.

Setting Up

Though shadow had long since fallen on the world with the departure of the Sun, the great fortress mountain of the Shatterdome still burned out bright in defiance of the night. Massive spotlights along the perimeter of the facility pushed back the darkness as humans scurried from place to place like over productive ants. The air was awash with jet noise, a trio of Heron long-range transport aircraft hovering over the launch pads in readiness for their cargo, a midnight blue Jaeger standing tall and proud, waiting for its opportunity for battle. Work crews were crawling all around the giant mecha, checking Gipsy Danger one last time for any signs of trouble before her trip overseas.

Finally the white helmeted crew lead gave the thumbs up; telling the wand wavers it was time to give the signal. At the sight of the waving orange lights two of the Herons began to lower their magnetic connector cables, the heavy circular weights barely swaying in the turbulence of their mother craft. Cranes standing on either side of Gipsy waited patiently until the magnets had dropped into place, and then gently pushed them into their requisite sockets on Gipsy's torso and upper thighs. Once each connection was confirmed secure the two lifting Herons' engines roared ever louder as they rose up into the sky, the third unladen Heron flying ahead to escort her sisters safely to their destination.

While the crews all walked back inside to begin preparations for the next Jaeger launch a trio of people in an office far above sat back in awe of the sight they had seen.

"Incredible," Lauren whispered to herself as she watched Gipsy slowly disappear into the blackness of the night. Craig said nothing, only whistling appreciatively.

"It really is, isn't it," Captain Gondo said as he walked up to the pair, his bare arms crossed over his chest. "No matter had many times I watch this I still can't really believe it's happening. You know, people have been saying for decades that the human race was doomed, that the kaiju or aliens would finish us off eventually. Just a matter of time right? But every time I lay eyes on one of them Jaegers I can't help but think, 'Hell, maybe we have a chance at this after all'."

"Truer words have never been spoken, Captain." The three people turned to see Marshall Pentecost march into the room, a grim look etched like marble onto his face. "Good to see you back safe Gondo. Anything else to report?"

Gondo shook his head. "Nothing you didn't already hear from us on the flight back sir. What about Chou? Did you find anything to corroborate what we found?"

"I'm afraid not," Pentecost answered as he made his way to his desk at the end of the room. He motioned for the others to take a seat, which Lauren and Craig gladly took while Gondo preferred to remain standing. Overseas flying always wound the Captain up tighter than a garage spring and he hadn't had a chance to stretch himself out yet. "IBI agents found nothing out of the ordinary in his business dealings. In fact according to their data Hannibal has been moving away from military output recently."

"Really?" Gondo asked, heartily surprised at the news. Chou was the world's most famous (or infamous) arms dealer, supplying everything from commercial small arms to major military equipment for the right price. After the UN had approved the creation of private military contractors in 1994 to provide local defense in poorer regions, such organizations had popped up all over the world, most being little better than mercenary bands cloaking themselves with a false air of legitimacy. Few lasted very long before they broke one of the innumerable rules the GDF laid down regarding inter-human warfare and were subsequently either destroyed or subsumed into more reliable (and controlled) militias.

Chou had been one of the smarter ones, using his license to gather up large numbers of weapons and munitions and reselling them to those groups he predicted would have potential. In essence he had turned the new PMC arms race into another, much more active sector of the stock market, with himself as the first international bank of war. And he had become one of the richest men on the planet as a result. The idea of him giving that all up was an odd one at best. "Maybe it's a dodge sir," Gondo suggested. "He might know or suspect we're onto him and be trying to cover up the scent."

Pentecost shook his head as he activated the monitor behind him and moved the visual from his computer onto the display. "No. This has been going on for many months now, far too long to be a simple cover. He even spoke of it with me the last time he was here. Apparently he's gotten tired of 'the game' as he calls it and wants to retire, let someone else take his place."

"The Merchant of Death is quitting?" Craig said skeptically. "That's something I never expected to hear."

Lauren stared up her husband quizzically and asked, "How exactly do you know that name Craig?"

Craig quailed a bit under his wife's questioning glare, trying to put up a reaffirming smile and failing. "Well you see honey it's, uh, it's like this. I was talking with Bill the other day about some stuff and he was talking about this thing he saw in the news about Pakistan and this isn't fooling you at all is it?"

Lauren's disapproving frown turned upward at the admission and she replied, "Not a bit. Now spill."

Craig sighed while Pentecost and Gondo looked on, a pair of amused smiles on both their faces. Craig eventually garnered up the will to look Lauren in the eyes and say, "I just read about it sometimes, you know? In articles and stuff. No big deal. Guy's gotta have a hobby right?"

Lauren's eyebrow quirked up at him. "And your hobby is reading about PMC's and arms dealers?"

"Yes?" he more questioned than answered.

For several more moments Craig stewed under Lauren's glare, worried his skin might burst into flame under that dire look. Finally his wife let him free of her gaze as she rolled her eyes, saying, "Why couldn't you be obsessed with something safe like sports or TV? It just had to big guns and explosives didn't it?"

Craig finally let himself smile now that he knew he wasn't about to be torn a new one. "No offense honey but when your wife is almost universally associated with a children's television show about brightly colored magical talking ponies a guy might feel the need to do something a little more manly every once in a while."

"He has a point," Gondo interjected, earning him a roll of the eyes from Lauren.

"Fine," she said, "but if you ever feel the urge to go and pick up an actual gun I'm going to lock you in the animation studio for a week. Clear?"

Craig laughed good-naturedly and snapped a mock salute as he said, "Yes ma'am."

"Now that your marital problems are finished perhaps we could get back on track," Stacker said with a clear hint of amusement.

Lauren's face bloomed as she remembered the company they had in the room. "Sorry for interrupting you Marshall."

Pentecost smiled and waved her off, saying, "It's not a problem Miss Faust. If anything I could use more levity in my life." His expression became serious again as he turned around to scrutinize the data displayed behind him. "But business must come before pleasure, something Hannibal himself said to me on more than one occasion." Pentecost kneaded his chin with his hand in thought as he stared up at the picture the sitting in the corner of the display. "It doesn't make sense. I know Chou. He would never deal with a group like the Red Dawn. There's no profit in it."

"But those guns had to have come from Chou's organization," Gondo responded. "Nobody else has access to the model they were using, and we found a shipment crate outside the building with his stamp on it."

"I am aware. All the same I do not believe Chou himself was behind this."

"Maybe it was someone else in his organization," Craig offered. "You said he was planning on handing the reigns over to someone else. Maybe he gave the wrong person too much power?"

Pentecost nodded and said, "Those were my thoughts exactly. It's the only explanation that makes any sense. But we need to know who."

"And how do we find that out?" Gondo asked derisively. "We can't just call Chou up and ask him who sold the guns. The seller might get wind of it and bail, meaning our only lead is gone before we can even get them. We need to find a way to talk to Chou without any visible relation to the GDF."

No one spoke for some time as the two military men pondered the problem. Eventually Lauren grew uncomfortable with the silence and said, "Well, if it's alright with you both myself and Craig will head to bed now. Thank you for showing us the launch Captain. It was very exciting to watch."

Pentecost was about to return his own friendly goodnight when his eyes stilled for a moment then settled intently upon Lauren. "Um," she stuttered hesitantly, "why are you staring at me Marshall?"

The Marshall did not speak for a moment, his mind formulating the correct way to convey his insane plan. "Miss Faust, would I be correct in recalling that you and your husband have much experience in organizing relief efforts?"

Craig and Lauren both started at the sudden change in topic, Craig answering, "Yeah, it's practically our second job on top of managing MLP's production. Why do you ask?"

Pentecost did not answer the question, instead turning to Gondo and saying, "Captain did you hear about the kaiju attack that went on in Mogadishu during your mission to Johannesburg?"

Gondo, unsure as to the purpose of the question but willing to trust his boss had a point in the making, said, "Yes sir. A pack of Indominus Rexes were set loose on the city by an unknown force. A Special Forces unit was sent in to deal with them, unit 141 I believe, but the monsters still did plenty of damage before the unit took them out."

"So the city is in need of relief correct?" Gondo nodded, his brain beginning to put the pieces together of Pentecost's plan. "Then perhaps a certain pair of animation directors should start looking into setting up aid stations and the like."

Lauren blanched at the idea. "Marshall, as much as we want to help people who are suffering we couldn't possibly get ourselves involved in that place. Somalians hate outsiders almost as much as the Alien Coalition hates humanity. Any relief teams that go in there would have to worry about being attacked by the local warlords and militias almost constantly."

Pentecost allowed a tiny smile to appear on his face. "But you wouldn't let that stop you from helping those in need, so you decided to enlist some help of your own. In particular from a certain well known arms dealer who could recommend the right PMC groups to act as protection? One who Craig happens to know of from his extracurricular reading."

Craig and Lauren stared blankly at the Marshall, shocked speechless at the idea he had just laid out. Finally Lauren was able to reactivate her brain enough to ask, "So let me get this perfectly straight. You want us, a pair of animation directors for a little girls' show, to go talk to the most dangerous man in the world and pretend to ask for his help, only to turn around and tell him there is a traitor in his organization, one he probably trusts implicitly, and ask him to please hand him over to the GDF for interrogation? Is that right?"

Pentecost looked back at Lauren with a completely serious look on his face and answered bluntly, "Yes."

A moment of silence passed through the room before Craig perked up and said, "Sounds great. When do we start?"

Lauren held her face in her hands, quietly moaning and lamenting in her mind, When did my life become a spy thriller? I bet my ponies don't have to put up with anything this ridiculous in their daily lives. She then remembered some of the things that had occurred on the show and amended, Most of the time.

---

Are they here yet?

No.

Are they here yet?

No!

A moment passed.

Are they here yet?

Zilla groaned and smacked his head against the ground, his hands covering his eyes and ears in frustration. After waiting for several hours and confirming the landing of Obsidious' nuke and his survival of the blast Zilla and Titanosaurus had swum across the Pacific to this small volcanic atoll as a launching off point for their mission. Before leaving Titano had spent several minutes reassuring Obsidious that she would be fine and back within a few days. Zilla wasn't sure what part was stranger; the fact that Titano was speaking to the lava kaiju like he was a little kid whose mother was leaving, or that said 'kid' was at the time a puddle of molten goo vaguely moving on its own.

To Zilla's surprise though they had been ordered to wait here until another kaiju arrived to help them, at the same time allowing the various submarines in the local area to congregate at the anomaly in preparation for their role in the mission. And so the two of them had been forced to idle here on a tiny isle of sand and rock for at least half a day by this point, and every hour that went by made Titanosaurus more and more antsy.

You know asking me every five seconds isn't going to make them get here any faster, Zilla pointed out with very clear annoyance.

Titanosaurus grunted and replied, I know. I just like tormenting you.

Zilla's growl echoed through the ground as he tried to dig his head under the sand. How comforting. He sighed and gave up for the moment, turning to the annoyed aquatic reptile and asked, So… Obsidious is a close friend of yours then?

Titano quirked her eye ridge at his question. Yes. I thought that was obvious.

Oh no, yeah, it is, Zilla replied quickly. It's just the way you talked to him seemed less like close friends and more like… I don't know, mother and son I guess.

I… Titano started before falling silent. I suppose that's not entirely wrong.

Zilla blinked in surprise and sat up. Really? How did that happen then?

Titano shuffled in place, her tail twitching incessantly. I don't really know. I mean I just talked with him for a while after we met and he sort of… latched onto me. Don't really know how to explain it.

Yeah, I picked up on that. Kinda strange. Zilla scratched his chin thoughtfully. He almost talks like he doesn't really understand our language. Maybe he's just really young?

Titano nodded. That's what I thought as well. When we were first talking he didn't speak so much as send impressions and feelings to me. And… they just felt familiar. Strange and half-formed, but they were still like ours. Had the same senses, same feelings. Same fears.

Hard to believe, but I guess you're right, Zilla admitted. So you just started to take care of him?

She scoffed at him. He didn't need me to take care of him. He's a fire-breathing lava golem for Tanaka's sake! Ob just needed someone who could tell him how things worked and that he didn't need to fight just because someone else told him to.

Zilla took note of her tone of voice in that last sentence and said, You don't just mean Xenilla do you?

No. I didn't.

The saurian shrugged at her and lay back down on the sand. If he doesn't want to fight we won't force him to. It's his choice.

That's the thing though, Titano whispered. He wants to fight. Even though I ask him not to.

Both were silent after that, both focusing on their own musings.

Gaaah! Titanosaurus roared angrily, kicking a nearby rock so hard it was pulverized, showering the beach beyond it in a wave of basketball sized stones. What the Daiei is taking them so long?

I don't know, Zilla answered honestly, but they should be here soon. With a bit more daring than he should probably be showing he turned to look at Titanosaurus and asked grumpily, Why are you being so impatient about this anyway? I would have thought you'd want to avoid this if possible.

Titanosaurus huffed and folded her arms over her chest, leaning back against a mountainous outcrop and waving her tail back and forth in agitation. The sooner I'm done with this 'mission', the sooner I can get back to Ob. Her muzzle twisted into a sneer as she continued, and the sooner I never have see you or the GDF ever again.

Zilla reeled back from the harsh tone of Titanosaurus' statement, settling his head morosely back on the sand. I… sorry. I didn't know you hated us that much. I'll just stop talking.

Titanosaurus winced at Zilla's words, realizing she had gone further than she intended. That's not what… that's not what I meant. I don't hate you or the GDF. Not really.

Really? Zilla replied sardonically. Is that why you've spent the entire time I've been here avoiding me or threatening me with violence if I didn't leave you alone? Cause that kinda makes me think you don't like me.

I don't like you, Titanosaurus affirmed. But I don't hate you either.

Well then why are you so insistent on being alone? Zilla asked. You know what happened to you wasn't the GDF's fault. They never intended to—

Stop! Titanosaurus ordered. Don't say any more unless you want to leave this island in pieces.

Zilla immediately shut up, knowing better than to test the other kaiju's anger while he was this close to her.

Whether they 'intended' it to be used or not doesn't matter. The fact is that they still made it and it got used, and that is unacceptable. I don't care what it was meant for, not when I was the one who suffered from it.

Silence fell upon the beach, the only sound coming from the gentle crashing of the waves upon the sand. Zilla let his head slowly fall to the ground, his tail becoming still as he recalled the battle he had fought against Titanosaurus all those years ago. When he looked back on it many of the aquatic dinosaur's movements had seemed rather stiff and forced, as if she was unwilling to fully commit to what she was doing. At the time he had been too busy fighting to notice, but now he realized that Titano's will was not her own. He shuddered, wondering just how horrible an experience it must have been.

Miki told me about the program you know, Zilla eventually said, catching Titanosaurus off guard. Back when they first started developing it. The tech was supposed to extend a telepath's abilities, let them connect to other telepaths at long range and stuff like that. There was no talk of weaponizing it back then. Miki was even the first telepath to test. She said it felt like the universe was opening up to her or something, I don't know. I didn't really understand it. It was a totally ordinary project, nothing harmful at all.

Zilla sighed before continuing. Then the project lead's wife died in a kaiju attack and he went crazy with grief. Started turning the project into his own personal revenge scheme. He changed the tech, optimizing it for breaking into the minds of others and dominating them. He managed to keep it hidden for a while, but once he started pushing for active tests on Earth Defender kaiju Pentecost had him shut down. Stacker said trying to forcibly control any being like that was wrong, even if they were an enemy kaiju. That was supposed to be the end of it, but then the guy had his daughter hijack the data and… well, you know the rest.

And what happened to him afterwards? Titanosaurus asked grumblingly.

He was captured, thrown in jail, had his name blacklisted and struck off all of his research, his daughter removed from his custody and was denied any possibility of visits with her, Zilla rattled off from memory. Oh and nobody is allowed to refer to him by name anymore. He's become a taboo amongst the other scientists; none of them let us acknowledge him as anything other than 'him'. He tried to mimic the human air quotes hand sign but had a little trouble matching the correct finger shape.

Titanosaurus stared over at Zilla in shock, unable to believe what she'd heard. They did all that to him?

Well yeah, Zilla responded. What he did was unforgivable. No one should try to control another being like that, no matter what the reason behind it. Especially with how Miki described it to me. Zilla shook his head as he called the vivid memories Miki had shared with him. She said it was like she was latching giant spikes into the target's mind, forcing them to comply or the nails would be dug in deeper. I'm pretty sure she threw up after using it. After that none of the other telepaths would use it, not even the researcher's daughter. I have no idea how he got her to use it during… all that, but with how much therapy she had to go through afterward, it must not have been pleasant.

Titanosaurus let her gaze fall downward to her feet, her mind roiling at everything she had just heard. For years she had stewed over what had happened to her, her anger constantly festering just below the surface. She was worried that if she saw any part of the GDF her temper would snap and she would lash out at them, hence her self-imposed isolation far away from civilization. She had never considered that anyone else had suffered in a way similar to her, nor that the man behind it all had been punished properly. It was rather humbling to hear.

I'm sorry you know. For the fighting.

Titanosaurus started at the words, turning to see Zilla looking up at her with a remorsefully look in his eyes. What are you sorry for? She huffed and shifted her back against her rock. It wasn't your fault. You were just doing what had to be done. I was a threat and you had to stop me. End of story.

Well yeah but that doesn't mean I don't feel bad about it, Zilla argued. You were one of our allies; of course it sucked to have to fight you. The large lizard sighed and lowered his head onto the sand again. I actually used to look up to you once, back when I still growing up. You were the only other kaiju I knew that loved being in the water as much as me. Most of what I know about underwater fighting came from watching you work. He chuckled as he continued, saying, Of course, most of those times I was trying to chase you off from pestering some human fishing boat for your own amusement or something like that, but still, I learned a lot. You could say that most of my education came from you, even if it always pissed me off at the time.

Titanosaurus was shocked by what she heard, not expecting such a feeling from the saurian. Most of her time back then had been spent on her own, away from other kaiju or humans, just swimming the oceans in search of food and excitement. On occasion she would steal some food from a human fishing convoy or show up at a beach and scare the bejesus out of the tourists for a good laugh, and each time she did Zilla would show up just a few hours later to chase her off. At first she'd been annoyed at him for stopping her fun, but eventually she started doing it just to see the hilariously angry face he always had when he came after her. The idea that he had looked up to her and then was forced to fight her… it must not have been easy. I… I'm sorry you had to go through that, she apologized awkwardly.

Zilla grinned jokingly and replied, Now who's apologizing for nothing? He chuckled for a bit, Titanosaurus looking on bemusedly at him. It's not your fault that asshat decided to choose you as his target. Like you said, I had a job to do and I did it. Not much else that can be said about it. Though I somewhat doubt I'd have been able to win as easily if you were really at the helm.

Titanosaurus huffed and said, If I had been really fighting then winning would be a physical impossibility for you.

Back then maybe. But I'm a lot better now than I was then and I'm pretty sure I could give you a run for your money.

Perhaps, Titanosaurus admitted. But only on land. Underwater you would not stand a chance. She saw him hold up a paw as he was about to present a point and cut him off by saying, And I am quite aware of your speed in water, but speed alone does not matter if your opponent shares much of that same capability and has far more experience in that realm.

Zilla stammered for a moment, trying to come up with a counter argument but unable to think of anything. I… but what about… ah whatever, you're probably right. I wouldn't have come to recruit you for this if you weren't a good fighter. I concede to thee Miss Tanty.

Did I give you permission to use that name? Titanosaurus asked with a raised eye ridge.

May I use it? Zilla said, pointedly ignoring the female kaiju's question.

No, was the simple answer, to which Zilla nodded in resignation. You'll have to earn it first, Titanosaurus added, the beginnings of a tiny grin etched on her face.

Zilla looked up at Titanosaurus, hopeful yet hesitant to believe what he had heard. Sounds like a plan, he finally said, his own smile growing broader at Titanosaurus' seemingly indifferent grunt.

The two sat in silence for a while, the tense and hostile air that had clouded the island for so long finally lifting. Zilla closed his eyes and settled down for a nap, encouraged that maybe, just maybe he would be able to get through this next mission with both his life and possibly a new friend. Things were finally looking up for him. Before the contented saurian could fully fall asleep, Titanosaurus turned to look at him again and said, Hey Zilla?

Yeah? he answered sleepily.

The aquatic kaiju got sported a sneaky grin and said, Are they here yet?

Zilla looked at her blankly, every inch of his expression portraying his exasperation at the question. I hate you, he said flatly.

Titanosaurus chuckled and responded, I hate you too.

Zilla rolled his eyes, grumbling to himself about jerky kaiju and inconsiderate human allies. Fed up with attempting to nap on the surface he turned to a likely spot on the beach and started to dig.

What are you doing? Titanosaurus asked flatly.

Digging, was the laconic answer.

Titanosaurus stared down at the other kaiju, watching as his body slowly disappeared into the ever growing hole in the sand. Yes, I can see that. My question is why?

I sleep better underground. With that Zilla finished excavating the tunnel and crawled down into it, his tail sticking out of the hole comically. Would, uh, would you mind covering up the entrance a bit to shut out the light?

Titanosaurus shrugged and lightly pushed at one of the sand piles Zilla had built up on the side of the tunnel, causing a mini avalanche to fall down on the saurian from above.

Thank you, Zilla said with surprising genuineness. Wake me when they get here, please.

Titanosaurus settled back against another pile and looked out on the ocean. Fine, whatever. Just as Titanosaurus was about close her eyes and settle in for her own nap she saw a wave start to build up in the distance. At first she wasn't sure if the wave was natural or not, but as it continued to grow larger she figured it had to be artificial.

The creator of the wave appeared to be quite fast in water if the size of the coming tsunami was any indicator, though that just begged the question of who it was. The only kaiju Titanosaurus knew of who could swim fast enough to make a wave that size were either here on this beach or no longer on the planet at all, so who could this be? Perhaps it was Raiga, that overly aggressive biological war machine that masqueraded as a regular kaiju. Or maybe it was one of humanity's actual war machines that had finally learned to swim properly.

Guess I'll find out soon enough, she remarked to herself as the minutes passed. Eventually the water lapping at the sand before her began to recede and Titanosaurus had herself a really nasty and hilarious thought. Hey Zilla? she asked in same mocking tone she had used before.

No Tanty, they are not here yet, Zilla replied with very obvious sleepiness etched in his voice. Please stop asking.

Just making sure of something, Titanosaurus clarified. You can breathe underwater right?

Zilla didn't answer for a moment due to his confusion at the question. Uh, yeah of course I can. I wouldn't be a really good underwater fighter if I couldn't.

I know. I know. Just checking. A very satisfied smirk grew on her face. What about mud?

What about it? Zilla asked. Wait, do you mean breathing it? Cause if that's what you mean then, uh, no, I cannot breathe in mud.

That's what I thought. The wave was beginning to crest, forming a wall of water tall enough to reach up over Titanosaurus' head. You might want to learn how really quickly. She leaned her arms back and steadied them into the ground, stiffening her body to ready it for the coming force. Cause you're about to be covered in it.

What are you… The roar of the water reached down into his sandy tomb. Oh son of a bit—

The giant wall of water crashed down on the tiny beach with all the weight of a small mountain, washing away most of the vegetation in mere moments. Titanosaurus let the liquid sweep past her, the familiar feeling of oxygen seeping into her gills filling her lungs with air and letting her ride out the wave undaunted. Zilla couldn't say the same as the thin layer of sand covering his body was stripped away in an instant, water immediately filling up the small tunnel he had dug to hide in. He had enough awareness to shut his mouth tight under the deluge, the swirling sand scratching against his scales as the wave passed by. As soon as most of the water had passed over him he launched himself out of the tunnel and into the open air, coughing and spitting out bits of sand that had seeped into his mouth through the gaps in his teeth. You, gack, you knew that was coming!

As a matter of fact I did, Titanosaurus happily admitted while letting the water wash off her, and you would have too if you were paying attention.

Zilla glared at Titanosaurus, small streams of muddy sand falling off the sides of his head. I was trying to sleep you… Wait a sec. What caused that wave? Zilla turned around to look up the beach, only to come face to face with Gamera staring down at him.

Hello Zilla. I didn't happen to interrupt your nap did I?

Zilla struggled to suppress the need to glare up at the taller turtle, Titanosaurus audibly chuckling behind him. Not really. Barely even had a chance to start to be honest. Though that begs the question of just why you were swimming and causing nap disturbing tidal waves when can, you know, fly.

Simple. I was sleeping.

Zilla felt one of his eyes twitching. Sleeping?

Indeed. I have been rather strained lately with the many different places I've had to fly to. Since there was not a dire need for me to rush here for this mission I decided to take a chance to get some rest, locking on this location and simply swimming in a straight line here.

Well that's… useful, Zilla said. Why can't I do something like that?

Because you aren't a natural born aquatic creature, Z, Titanosaurus said while bopping Zilla on the head. You don't have the instinct for it like we do.

Zilla gave Titanosaurus the stink eye. Oh so you can use a stupid nickname on me, but I can't call you Tanty at all? Hypocritical much?

Nothing wrong with being a hypocrite if you acknowledge it.

That's not how that works.

Sure it is. Cause I say so.

So Titanosaurus, Gamera interjected before Zilla could let out a retort, I have heard that you made friends with the mutant Obsidious. I am surprised that any of Xenilla's creations could be peaceful enough to interact with, let alone befriend.

You'd think so wouldn't you? Titano agreed. I thought the same when I first met him several years ago. Luckily I caught him sleeping and he didn't immediately try to kill me. I told him I wouldn't harm him if he didn't attack me and he agreed, so we just sort of started hanging out with each other when we weren't doing anything else. He's a surprisingly calm guy for someone who is literally made of fire and heat.

Zilla scoffed. Could have fooled me with the way he burned Solgell to a freaking cinder.

Yeah, funny thing about that. Turns out he did that on accident. He actually didn't know he could breathe fire until he used it on Manda and set the forest on fire, and from there it just spread completely out of control.

Oh that makes me feel loads better, Zilla snarked. Especially about those burn scars I got all over my everything!

Calm down Zilla, Gamera said firmly. Do not let yourself get worked up over something that happened in the past.

Hey, burns hurt man! I had to wait weeks for me to grow new scales over my injuries and I itched like a bastard the whole damn time.

Titanosaurus laughed and said, Oh grow up, you big lizard. If the worst injury you've ever had are those burns than you got off easy. Trust me, I've had far worse. Anyway, we ready to go and do this mission now?

Oh are we done abusing me now? That'd be nice. Zilla felt another bop on his head.

Only when it stops being funny. What do you think Gamera? Titano paused as she saw the turtle kaiju staring off in the distance. Gamera? What are you looking at?

Gamera blinked and refocused his attention on his companions. My apologies. I was distracted by an unusual mana presence. It felt familiar but… strange.

Anyone we might know? Zilla asked.

Gamera shook his head. No, I don't think so. This is a new one. It seems rather small though, maybe a category two on the human scale. I do not sense any hostile intentions, so it may be just another ocean dweller passing by.

We'll deal with it if it becomes a problem then, Titano said as she trailed off towards the waves. It's probably nothing important anyway.

Gamera stayed behind for a moment, watching Zilla and Titanosaurus dive off into the ocean as he turned his gaze back off to the mana source. I'd like you to be right, Titano, but something tells me this kaiju is far more important than its size suggests. He stared off at the horizon for several minutes more before finally moving out into the water and following the others into the depths.

---

Fifty miles distant from the origin of the alien sound known as 'The Bloop', the USS North Dakota slowly cruised through the dark depths like a giant metal whale. Cloaking darkness enshrouded the ship in a comfortable blanket of silence, small whispers of displaced water reflecting back inward as the sub's alien designed sound shield absorbed them into itself. Deep within the sub Captain Jack Clansi sat reading in his cabin, trying vainly to pass the time as he waited for the Earth Defender kaiju to arrive so they could begin their mission.

Ever since the events of Final Wars had caused Solgell to emerge and dozens, if not hundreds of Cat 1 and 2 kaiju had appeared, humanity had been fighting a low-level global war against the monsters, and nowhere was the conflict more intense or more important than across the planet's oceans. With a significant portion of the world economy heavily dependent upon oceanic trade routes, commercial shipping had been forced to fall back into the archaic convoy system of wars long past.

Huge fleets of cargo ships escorted by every military vessel available trailed back and forth around the seas, fending off attacks from the likes of reborn Megalodons, insane Gyaos swarms and even the occasional Anteverser. Submarines in particular became the first and best line of defense for the convoys, being the only class of ship that could engage the oceanic kaiju on an equal footing.

Nothing was more important than convoy escort duty. Nothing.

So imagine Clansi's surprise then when he was ordered to abandon his current group and move to an otherwise unremarkable stretch of ocean alongside not one but two other subs to act as support for a further three kaiju assaulting a heretofore unknown sea creature lurking in the depths. The idea that a monster powerful enough to merit such force had gone unnoticed for so long was as staggering as it was terrifying, and for the first time in his naval career the Captain had felt the beginnings of fear stirring within him. The depths of the oceans were humanity's realms; the one place where humans could fight against the monsters equally and even win without undue loss of life.

But against this creature, this behemoth of unprecedented size… Jack wasn't sure even a war party this big would be enough to bring it down.

"Captain, sonar just reported three contacts approaching from the west," his Executive Officer reported through Clansi's closed cabin door. "The frequencies match with the profiles of Zilla, Gamera, and Titanosaurus."

"Understood Ron," Clansi answered as he stood to leave. "Sound the order for general quarters."

"Yes sir," the XO replied, turning back to the control room to relay his captain's order. Jack followed after him, passing by the control room to head to the sonar compartment. If the control room was a submarine's brain, then the sonar room was its eyes and ears, a sub's only sense in a lightless void.

Clansi walked into the darkened room quietly, trying not to disturb the technicians sitting at their various consoles. He tapped the shoulder of the one nearest to the door and asked, "What do yah got for me Jonesy?"

"Not much to report at the moment sir," the smaller man answered without looking away from his display. He pointed to a trio of green splotches on his waterfall display. "Picked them in the second convergence zone. Speeds' about 50-52 knots I'd say so they'll probably get here within the hour."

"Any word on that Cat 2 we saw hovering in the distance yesterday?"

Jones shook his head. "Negative, sir. No sign of it since it disappeared. Must have wandered off to find some food elsewhere."

"Sounds good. Keep me posted."

Clansi turned to leave but stopped when Jones lightly grabbed his arm and pulled him back, concern written all over the technician's face. "Sir, this kaiju we're going after… Is it really as big as you said?"

"Bigger, if those guys at SOSUS at to be believed. Why do you ask, son?"

"It's just…" Jones paused for a moment, then turned and grabbed up a spare set of headphones, gesturing for the Captain to take a seat next to him. While Jack was slipping on the headphones Jones switched his monitor to a different view, showing a still picture of a nearly black waterfall display. "We've been here for more than a day now, sir, and something just doesn't seem right to me."

Jack felt a cold tingle ride up his spine at the words. He had been working with Jones ever since the younger man had first joined up five years ago, and never once in that time had one of Jones' hunches been wrong. In fact, if anything he often downplayed his worries, leading to some of the hairier moments in Clansi's carrier. "Dare I ask what has you spooked this time Jonesy? I'd like to know if I should skip sleeping for the next few weeks."

Jones nodded and pointed to the display, saying, "Take a look at this picture, skipper. Tell me if you see anything out of the ordinary."

Jack did as he was asked, taking a second to analyze the picture. The usual tiny blotches of green pixels lay over a black background, the Captain unable to see anything that looked like a significant sound source. "Looks like a regular ocean scene to me, son."

Jones nodded as if he'd expected the answer, then pressed a button on his console and asked, "And this one sir?"

Once again Jack looked at the picture and could not discern anything of note from it. "Nothing." Jones continued like this for the next few minutes, showing him picture after picture that showed nothing but empty ass ocean. "What's the point you're trying to make here Jones?" he asked after being shown one from just before the friendly kaiju appeared on the scopes. "All you've shown me so far is that there's nothing going on in these parts of the seas."

"That's just it sir," Jones said in a dark tone. "There really is nothing going on around here."

Jack quirked an eyebrow at Jones. "What do you mean?"

"Take a look at these pictures again," the tech said, as he pulled up two of the photos side by side. "Nothing weird to look at right?" Jones asked, to which the Captain nodded. "Now try listening to them."

Jones entered a set of commands on the console, playing a pair of audio clips into Clansi's headphones. The Captain listened to them both intently, his ears trying to pick up any hint of unusual sounds or rumbles. To his annoyance neither clip held any secrets in them, a sentiment he expressed to Jones by saying, "There's nothing there. They sound the same to me."

"That's right sir," Jones said leadingly. "They sound the same. Exactly the same." The tech turned back to the display and pointed between two splotches appearing on the pictures. "These two sounds here, when I isolated them from the rest of the clip, and perfect replicas of each other. Same with these two," he said while pointing to another pair of similar looking blots. "And these two, and those. Sir, every single sound on these tapes has reappeared multiple times in exactly the same frequency at least once since we arrived on station."

Jack narrowed his eyes and stared at the sets of blotches Jones had pointed to, noticing now had each was identical to the other. "So you're saying that these are all recordings being played to mimic real noises?"

"Yes sir," Jones answered, pulling up another set of waterfall displays and posting them on screen. "It's exactly the same technique we use to cover our own sound absorption. Play a bunch of natural noises over the sound hole and everything seems normal. I called Romanev over on the Kazan a few hours ago to see what he thought, and he told me he saw the exact same thing."

"And they are sitting clear on the other side of the source," Jack mused in concern. "What about the Ambush?" Jack asked, referring to their British counterpart sitting at a third triangle point miles off to the north.

Jones got a reluctant grin on his face and said, "They were the ones who clued me in sir."

Jack let the moment of levity pass between them with a chuckle before getting back to business. "So whatever the source of this Bloop noise is also has sound absorbing tech like ours surrounding it. What do you think that means Jones?"

The tech let out a heavy sigh and fell back bonelessly in his chair. "To be perfectly honest sir, I've got no idea. All I know is that someone is trying very hard to hide something in there, and I'd bet ten years of my salary that whatever it is won't be good for humanity."

"No bet there, Jonesy." Jack turned to gaze off sightlessly at the bulkhead above them, pondering just what it was they were walking into. "Any ideas on how we could get a real picture of the inside?"

"You mean aside from going inside this bubble of sound they've got surrounding it? Not a clue sir. Maybe active sonar pings could break through it, but that'd be like lighting up a flare gun in the middle of a forest at night. Everyone and their grandma would see us for miles."

"That may be a risk we'll have to take son," Jack said. "Those kaiju are going to need our help to take down whatever is cowering in there, and we can't do that if we're sitting outside blinder than bats."

Jones nodded and turned back to his displays, switching to real time input as he did. "If you say its necessary sir, then we'll do it. I just hope it won't come to that."

"Me neither Jonesy," Jack said as he walked out of the room. "Me neither."

The Captain made his way to the control room, dismissing the standard 'Captain on deck!' shout that came with his arrival. "At ease," he said easily as stepped over to his chair, nodding briefly to his XO as he did. He took a moment to scan the room, glad to see that each member of the crew as sitting attentively at their stations, ready and waiting to serve to the best of their ability. He smiled at the sight, feeling some of the building worries in his mind slipping away as confidence returned to fore.

They may not have known what exactly they were up against, but that didn't matter. They were among the best-trained and experienced crews in the GDF navy, with the support of two other highly skilled submarines and a trio of experienced Earth Defenders. Whatever oversized creature it was that waited on the other side of this sound barrier didn't stand a chance. It was just a matter of going in and doing what they did best.

Blowing shit the fuck up.

The Captain was startled out of his reverie by the sounds of loud, clanking footsteps rushing up the corridor leading into the room.

"Ouch! Sorry, sorry. Entirely my fault. Oh dear, pardon me sir."

Jack threw a glance at his XO out the corner of his eye, just managing to catch Ron suppressing the need to face palm in exasperation. "What's wrong Hunter?" the Captain said dryly, a crooked smile on his face.

"Nothing sir," the XO answered stiffly. "Just a bit concerned about the structural integrity of the boat."

"Come now Ron," Jack said in a cheerful tone, "there's no need to be so pessimistic. I'm sure Miss White will be perfectly adjusted to moving about in tight quarters soon enough."

Ron's unsure grunt was a clear indicator of his disbelief of that notion. "If nothing else sir, at least she won't have to move while doing her job."

Jack nodded and stood to greet the continued sound of bumps and apologizes entering the room. "Very true, Mr. Hunter. Very true."

With one final grunt and quiet 'ouch' the source of the disturbances entered the room. It was a young woman, slender and short with curled blonde hair and a demure face. She winced a bit as she straightened, straightening out several creases in her borrowed uniform as she did. When she was finished correcting her outfit she noticed that the Captain was looking at her and squeaked in surprise. "Oh, um, hello sir. I mean Captain, reporting for service… No that's not right. Um, arrived for duty? Uh…" She realized that most everyone in the room was staring at her with some degree of amusement or confusion and shrank in on herself, whispering almost inaudibly, "Sorry."

"No need to apologize Miss White," Jack said comfortingly. "You've only been in GDF service for a few weeks. I don't expect you to know military protocol perfectly just yet."

Just prior to their arrival in the target area the North Dakota had received an order to surface in order to pick up a new crew member, a telepath meant to help coordinate the coming battle. When the transport carrying said telepath had arrived she had managed to fall out of her harness and take an unexpected swim in the Pacific. She was thankfully unharmed but the incident had set the tone for the rest of Carrie's stay aboard the boat, namely that of a walking accident zone.

The worst had been when the poor girl had the misfortune to meander into the reactor room and almost trip onto the control board inside. Luckily the officers in the room had saved her and no damage had been done, but ever since then she had been confined to the upper decks and closely escorted. No one had the heart to hold the event against her however, not when she was constantly apologizing for every little thing.

"It's just Carrie please, sir," the young woman said. "And thanks for understanding. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get here. I kinda got lost without my guide."

"You didn't touch anything important on the way here did you?" Hunter asked.

Carrie smiled proudly and answered, "No sir, just the walls and stuff. Not a single panel touched or big red button pushed." She chuckled a little at the small joke but swiftly stopped when she saw Hunter wasn't laughing with her.

"Well Carrie," Jack said to break the atmosphere, "are you ready to get to work? The kaiju are just about here so the operation will be starting soon."

Carrie nodded. "Yes sir."

"Good. Your seat is right over here." The Captain then lead her over to the only empty console, sited directly in front of the Captain's chair with a large blank screen over it. On the arm of the chair rested a large domed helmet, the conduit of the telepathy enhancing gear the console was meant to house and service. An innovation added into every sub built or refurbished in the last decade, telepath interfaces had taken one of the greatest weaknesses of submarines, their inability to communicate with other subs or surface vessels, and removed it entirely by skipping right around physical limits and linking directly with the people or kaiju they wished to communicate with.

By the same token though they had completely broken traditional sub-to-sub warfare. Want to know if there is an enemy sub in the area? Just have the telepath search for any signs of a large concentration of humans existing somewhere they shouldn't be. It was the final nail in the coffin of the long beloved but utterly nonexistent area of submarine warfare, dying before it even had a chance to be born. At least that's what had happened if you listened to those damn online armchair generals who moaned and whined in their pointless forums about the 'lost opportunity'. Captain Clansi disregarded the whole thing, seeing any conflict between the UN militaries as horrendously stupid at the very best and horribly counter-intuitive given the desperate state of their world.

"Need any help setting it up Miss White?" the XO asked.

"I think I've got it. Thank you though!" Carrie carefully set herself down in the chair and placed the dome on her head. Once she was in place she tapped the start button on her armrest and slipped into a meditative state. Her eyes became blank as she settled back and back still, her chest rising and falling the only evidence she was still alive.

The Captain shivered before shaking off his discomfort and asking aloud, "Are you set Miss White?

Yep! No problems at all, came the mental return, loud enough for the whole bridge crew to hear it.

Jack reeled a bit in from the strength of the message. "Perhaps you could tone it down a tad when you're talking to us on the sub."

Right, sorry about that, she said at a much more reasonable volume. I'm still new to this system. Getting using to the kinks and stuff. Should I try to contact the kaiju now?

"If you would be so kind," Ron said politely.

Okay. With that Carrie turned her awareness away from the bridge and cast outward into the empty ocean. It took a few seconds for her to get her bearings in the dark. Behind her the Dakota shone like a giant cigar-shaped Christmas tree, each of the people inside appearing as a bright little point in her vision. Looking off to the South Carrie caught sight of… something. She looked closer, trying to discern what it was but couldn't get a clear view of it. She did the mental equivalent of a shrug and faced in the other direction, trying to catch a glimpse of the incoming kaiju.

Soon enough three small suns came into view, each flying calmly through the darkness. As Carrie pushed her awareness closer to them she began to catch snippets of thoughts projected out from the group as well as a look at their profiles. The sun on the left was the first she could hear clearly, its shape resolving into that of Zilla.

Hey Gamera, I just remembered something I forgot to ask you earlier. How'd negotiations with the big monkey go?

The middle sun, which Carrie now recognized as Gamera, gave a long sigh. As well as could be expected, I suppose. Kong did seem somewhat put out that Godzilla is missing, but he agreed to help us fight the Mutants so long as we give his island full autonomy after the war is over.

That's it? Titanosaurus questioned. I'd have thought that overgrown ape would have tried to usurp control and crown himself king again.

I had thought so as well, but it seems his 'beef' is with Junior in particular. Truly I have no idea what it is Kong dislikes about him. So far as I'm aware neither has ever met the other in person before.

Actually they have, Zilla said. A while back I heard an old GDF rumor that when Kong first appeared Junior was the one who took him back to his home by force. Apparently Kong really hated dinosaurs for some reason and fought Junior tooth, nail, and shock but still got beat and shoved back home. Kong's been looking for a rematch ever since.

That makes sense I suppose, Gamera said. Kong did have what looked to be burn marks on several parts of his chest and arms. He is a rather proud beast.

Guy's been fighting for survival since he was probably born. It must irritate him to have lost, even to a stronger opponent, Zilla said as he nodded at the turtle kaiju. Speaking of fighting, any chance Raiga might be joining us for this one?

Gamera shook his head in answer. I am afraid not. The last thing I heard about Raiga was that she was chasing after Agon somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

Titanosaurus snorted. Good riddance. We have more than enough force to handle whatever is hiding over there. Having that lunatic here would just complicate matters.

One should never turn down help if it is offered, Gamera stated, even if the source is less than well liked. Regardless, there will be time to discuss this later. For now, let us prepare for the mission at hand. Miss White?

Carrie bounced in her seat at being addressed out of the blue. Oh, I, um, yes, Mister Gamera?

Inform your Captain that we are ready to begin the mission.

Zilla cracked a smile as the group began to swim off in the direction of the anomaly. Well, friends, I guess it's time to storm the castle!

What the Daiei is a castle? Titano asked.

Zilla just swam off with a sly smirk on his face.

No, seriously, what is a castle? And how are we supposed to 'storm' it? Raiga's the one with the lightning, so how could we make a storm? Not to mention the fact that we're underwater right now. And what about…

Gamera ignored the ranting Tanty as she passed, his mind laser focusing on the barrier off in the distance. Every time he attempted to probe the area's depths for signs of mana he was rebuffed with an unpleasant sting. The thing felt wrong to his eyes, as if its very existence was harmful to him.

Mysterious. Concealing.

Alien.

This can't be Him can it? Gamera asked in the shelter of his lonely thoughts. Is this what He feels like? If it is Him, what do we do? Do we have enough force to take Him on right now? Or has He already regained too much of His power? The Guardian monster allowed his shell to shake ever so slightly as he continued to approach the zone.

It doesn't matter, Gamera answered himself. We must know what is behind this barrier and eliminate it if it is a threat. There is too much at stake to allow an anomaly like this to exist. And if it is Him…

Gamera reached into his core, compiling his reserved mana into one source, holding nothing back as he charged himself to his maximum. Then we will end this. Here and now.

---

A/N: So... here it is. After, what? Five months? Yeah... I'm sorry guys. There's been a lot of stuff I've been focusing on other than this story for a while. Working at pizza hut, going back to school for writing courses, and a bunch of other stuff. This should have been out a long time ago. That's not to say I didn't focus on writing at all during that time. It's just that I had trouble figuring out where to go. First I wanted to do something with the alien coalition but that ended up needing some serious changes. Then I wanted to do a particular battle scene but I couldn't figure out how to set it up. Then I was given inspiration from a friend for several original characters that I could use to advance the plot and I got hung up on them for weeks. I worked back and forth with Tarb on a serious rewrite I had to do for Chapter 7 (which is up btw. Definitely go reread it. I made a lot of changes to it, and I feel it is much better for them). By the time I finally figured out a general shape for the chapter I realized I had meandered too long and that I was reaching the limit of the size I'm willing to make these chapters. So sadly enough that means the next major action will have to wait for next time.

But there is good news. My writing courses have taught me a whole bunch of things: what I've done right so far, where I can stand to improve, what to avoid for future creations. It been a very helpful experience, and hopefully what I've learned will improve you guys' experience in this story. Also, I have a much clearer story plan for the rest of the plot after talking with Tarb and a friend over Skype, so future chapters *should* come out more quickly (no promises though. I know how much I can still suck sometimes). Also, my classes are very nearly done, meaning I will have more time to put my creative energies to this series. And last but not least, I will be starting a series of one shot chapters detailing backstory and world building for the Bridge!verse Earth, including some more comedic stuff from that friend I mentioned. Those chapters will probably be a fair bit shorter than the mainline stuff, but it gives me an outlet to pour into when I get stuck somewhere. Expect to see that sometime in December. And if you think I'm taking too long, feel free to get on my ass about writing faster. Unlike George R. R. Martin, I am indeed your bitch, so let the bitch slaps rain down (gently if possible). If you wish to talk to me, sent me a message at my fimfic account (much easier to interact over there). My name there is Smjames, and if you prod me enough, I might even make use of the blog feature over there to talk to you guys! How awesome will that be? (So long as you don't kill me for being so late. I mean, I get why you would...) Till the first chapter of HS One shots, this is BlazingPhoenix saying I'M SO SORRY GUYS!

Edit: (03/31/16) Yeah... I'm still really sorry about that unintentional hiatus you guys were stuck with. But I am trying to improve. Namely by setting myself to a deadline and actually managing to keep to it somehow. Yay, go me! Anyway, minor edits this time, a bit more of Ob being spoken of during the scene between Titano and Zilla. You should still read it, but it's nothing too groundbreaking. [No, Ob is not my favorite kaiju, who told you something like that?]

We're Gonna Need a Bigger Ocean (Part 1)

The Hong Kong marketplace was loud and bustling with morning traffic, hundreds of people shuffling from stand to shop in search of their daily necessities and wants. A dozen different languages floated through the air as storeowners announced their wares as being exactly what you need and definitely worth the stated price. Unless you were willing to bargain that is. Wondrous scents both divine and disgusting melded together into an intelligible mess that assaulted the nose in every moment.

And absolutely none of this detail was noticed by one red-haired woman as she walked down the street, her amused husband trailing behind her chuckling all the way.

"I can't believe you agreed to this," Lauren said as she politely moved around a pair of elderly locals arguing about something in Mandarin.

"Actually you are the one who ended up saying yes, honey," Craig said as he took in the sights his wife was ignoring.

"Because I couldn't say no to Marshall. You are the one thought this was actually a good idea."

Craig patted his wife's shoulder and smiled. "Come on, Laur. It'll be fun, I promise. Haven't you always wanted to do something filled with excitement and intrigue?"

"Not really, no. Especially if it was going to be life-threatening intrigue."

The background noise retreated even further for a moment as a voice echoed in both their minds. As we have stated previously, Miss Faust, we are doing everything we can to ensure you will face no danger in this mission. We have agents no more than 30 feet away and ready to act if we see any threats.

Lauren sighed and looked off to the left, where she could catch a glimpse of sadly familiar dark black hair. "And the fact that one those agents used to work for the people we are worried about doesn't concern you at all?"

So you can be suspicious after all? Taiyou thought over the channel. Surprises will never cease it seems. What's next? Mr. Chou turning out to be a humanitarian?

Be nice Taiyou, Miki reprimanded. And in answer of your question, Miss Faust, we brought her along because she might be able to recognize the minds of some of her former compatriots. While I understand your concern, I have the utmost faith that Taiyou will remain a distinct help on this mission rather than a hindrance.

A faith that is strangely enough not misplaced.

"I would beg to differ on that point," Pat's voice crackled over the tiny earpiece radios the Fausts both carried.

Still think I'm insane Patty?

"Replace think with know and the answer would be yes."

"Focus kiddies," Gondo's commanding baritone ordered. "We still have a job to do, so shut up and place nice."

"She started it," Pat whined.

Amanda groaned at the same time Lauren did, while the animation director said to herself, "How did I get myself into this situation?"

"By being who you are dear," Craig answered. "Come on, its almost time for the meeting. Mr. Chou could be here any moment."

"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear."

Lauren practically leaped in place in shock and whirled around towards the sudden voice. Standing there with a golden smirk was none other than Chou himself, wearing a deep red suit coat and gold plated pointed boots. Dark tinted glasses shrouded his eyes yet his amusement was still clearly visible. "Lauren Faust I presume?" He extended his hand to the red head, bright and gem encrusted rings littering his fingers.

"Sorry about that," Lauren said, accepting Chou's hand. His grip was strong and searching but not unpleasant. "Just a bit jumpy right now. Long flights always disturb me."

"I understand. Even having a private plane doesn't do much to counter travel shock. But we're not here to trade pleasantries, are we?"

Craig took the lead almost immediately and stepped up to retake Chou's hand, to the merchant's seeming amusement. "You're right sir. We're here to ask for your help."

Chou held up his hand for a moment. "Before we get to that, why don't you two follow me? Business is best conducted over a meal. Have either of you ever had a real taste of Chinese food?"

Lauren shrugged. "If you believe my fan base I apparently eat nothing but Subway. Outside of the occasional Panda Express, I'd have to say no."

"Then you are in for a treat. There's a wonderful little place just down the road from here, has some of the best noodles you will ever taste. Follow me." With that Chou strode off, people in the crowd immediately parting when they spotted him.

Lauren put on a broad smile on the outside and followed him, while internally she was starting to worry. Is he doing this just to be friendly, or is this part of a gambit to reveal us.

Methinks you are just a bit paranoid, Taiyou laughed.

"Says the ex-terrorist."

Ugh, are you two completely incapable of maturity?

Amanda and Sarah immediately said, "YES!"

Lauren and Craig both had to stifle a giggle at hearing Gordon reprimanding everyone again as they followed Chou through the crowds. Along the way Chou started talking about the area, pointing out several points of interest here and there and giving a deep and involved history for many of them. Lauren actually felt her nervousness fading as she became fascinated with the information, her mind taking notes and starting to piece together ideas for adapting it all to Equestria. Then she recalled that Equestria was a real place and several questions on just how much it shared with Earth percolated in. Were they really parallel universes, or just unnaturally similar? Was she creating a world that just happened to be alike to Equestria, or was some subliminal connection guiding her to depict it with such accuracy? So deep were her thoughts that she almost missed Chou announcing they had arrived.

"What's up honey?" Craig asked. "You've been real quiet for a bit. Whatcha thinking about?"

"Metaphysical questions about the universe and the nature of free will," she said. "How about you dear?"

Craig smiled weakly. "I was just thinking about whether to get chicken or beef with my rice bowl…"

"The chicken. Beef doesn't fare so well around here." Chou gave another golden smirk and walked into the open-air restaurant.

The restaurant was a surprisingly simple place, considering Chou's visibly bright tastes. There were simple bar stools of oak and cotton, some paper lanterns that were bizarrely simple in design, and a menu written on a flag just outside in mandarin and poorly translated English.

The feeling within was one of a sort of tense camaraderie, as if everyone knew everyone here and vaguely trusted one another with a cold caution. Still, the small restaurant was thick with the scent of foods of all kinds, from the types of Chinese dishes one would expect, to far more esoteric traditional dishes, and even a few that wouldn't look out of place on a reality TV show.

Good if unusual food, friendly if ominous company, and a pleasant if paranoid atmosphere made for a generally interesting, if somewhat unnerving, restaurant. Anyone with a working brain could smell trouble around the corner. And that was no different for Miss Faust.

"Um, what did you say this place is called Mr. Chou?" Lauren asked with a hesitant glance.

"The place is called 'Yue Ma'."

"Your Ma?" Craig said.

"No, Yue Ma. It translates, roughly, to 'The Prancing Pony'."

Lauren couldn't help but giggle. "Wow. Bit of a Lord of the Rings fan, huh?"

"I made the suggestion for the name awhile back, and the owner thought it was a good idea. Never had the heart to tell him I was joking. Come on, I've got a special table in the back."

The table in question was underneath a dulled brass lantern, looking almost out of place with its particular appointments. Instead of old bar stools there were a pair of soft benches perfect for extended relaxation rather than a quick meal. A well-dressed gentleman in a black suit, presumably a waiter, was already waiting with several menus in hand. Chou gave a slight glare before relaxing and speaking to the gentleman in an annoyed tone.

"I will never get how you guys keep figuring out I'm coming before I get here."

The waiter smiled, as if it was part of an old joke. "We have our ways sir. Do you have any recommendations for your guests or do they wish to choose their own selection?"

Chou turned the question over Lauren and Craig, who both shrugged at each other. "Whatever you think might be good, sir," Craig said as he let his wife be seated first.

Chou nodded and spoke in rapid Mandarin to the waiter, who nodded at the order and politely bowed before disappearing in the direction of the kitchen. "It'll be a few minutes before he gets here, but service is pretty quick, especially for my guests. Will you be taking anything to drink?"

Craig briefly looked excited and opened his mouth to speak but Lauren cut him off with a glare before he could begin. "Thank you, Mr. Chou, but Craig and I have a rule about not having any alcohol during business matters. As exotic as this is, we aren't on vacation." Craig pouted a bit but acquiesced to his wife's stern look.

"I understand. Business must come before pleasure after all. Speaking of which…" Chou snapped at Chang, who had taken up a place in the shadows just behind the table, and the guard reached into his suit and pulled out a manila folder. Chou took it and set it down on the table pulling out a list with group names marked by different colors and notes. "I'm sure this isn't a surprise for you two, but Somalia really is one of the harshest places on the planet when it comes to outsiders trying to get an in around there. You show the slightest hint of white skin or Western looks, and the militias will tear you apart while the 'civilians' will bicker over your valuables. Trying to provide aid to these people is like trying to give meat to a tiger. You're just as likely to be the meal itself as the one providing it."

Lauren sat up and said with steel in her voice, "They're still people, and everyone deserves a helping hand, even if they don't want it."

The golden gleam seemed enhanced by the dim light when Chou smiled. "There's that famous altruism I've heard about. Might surprise you then to hear that I happen to agree."

"You do?"

He does?

"Chou agrees with her?"

"Chou agrees with her?"

"Man that sounds weird no matter how you say it."

Why the hell did I have to be right about this one?!

"Shut up, you idiots!"

Lauren tried her best to ignore the cacophony of voices echoing through both her ears and head, while Craig thankfully had the presence of mind to keep talking. "Well that's a surprise. I wouldn't have pictured the infamous merchant of death to be altruistic."

Chuckles came from across the table. "I thought the same thing for while, son, but believe it or not, it's the truth. When you see as much stupidity and suffering as I have over the lifetime of my career, you have two options available to you. Either you cut your own heart out and stop seeing people as people, or you try to take some steps to fix the whole goddamn mess. And wouldn't the universe have it, but I happened to be the later. Lucky for you. Happy for me."

The waiter chose that moment to reappear, a well-stacked platter in his arms being laid upon the table and the dishes passed out.

"Double happy for me it seems. I'll let you two have a chance to enjoy the food, then we can talk about specific groups who could help you out."

Lauren bit her lip, a sense of guilt starting to spike within her as Craig dug into his meal. She shook her head and picked up her utensils, thankfully a knife and fork, and started to join in the men's feasting. As soon as the first forkfull of food met her tongue her pupils widened in an explosion of sensation. Her mouth flew open and she waved her hand over her tongue, tears appearing at the corners of her eyes. "Hooot! Hot, hot, hot!"

Ha! Lightweight.

Taiyou…

Craig took a moment to swallow his own mouthful of food before joining Chou's laughter. "You okay there, honey? Not too spicy for you is it?"

"N-no," she struggled to spit out before taking a deep gulp of her (very) sweet fruit drink. "I just wasn't… prepared for it, that's all." Her cheeks were flushed, whether from embarrassment or from the heat of the food she couldn't tell. After taking another few moments to calm her tongue she let out a deep breath and grabbed another bit of the meal. The spicy flavor threatened to overwhelm her again but she toughed it out and focused on the other tastes. Once she did she found the ensemble extremely delicious; a hint of sweet and tangy lurking under the spice that was utterly delightful in its combination. "This is really good," she said in between gulps.

"Some of the best there is," Chou agreed. "Makes Panda Express seem like airline food by comparison."

"Thank you very much for treating us with this, Mr. Chou," Craig said as he put down his now empty bowl. "Best meal I've had in years. Not to say that you're a bad cook or anything Laur."

Lauren merely smiled. "No worries dear, I know this is far better than anything I've ever made." She returned to her meal with supreme gusto while Craig started asking Chou about how he'd found the place.

"Had a deal here when I first moved into town, local trader trying to trick me into working for him, and didn't appreciate it when I disagreed." He gained a nasty grin. "He learned to appreciate my generosity pretty quickly though."

"Generous how exactly?"

"He got to live after he shoved a gun in my face. I'm nice like that."

Lauren and Craig both shared a brief glance at each other, reminded for a moment just who it was they were having lunch with. "That's, um, very understanding of you, Mr. Chou. I'm surprised you didn't… take greater offense."

Chou laughed. "A small fry like him wasn't worth getting offended over. He was barely worth supplanting for his market, but he turned out to be a decent assistant once I'd got settled in. Been working loyally for me ever since."

Lauren's breath hitched as her earpiece crackled. "You think that might be the guy we're looking for?" Sarah asked.

"Only one way to find out. Miss Faust, mind probing this line of thought for us?"

Lauren stifled a gulp before saying, "How can you be sure he's loyal though? What if he still holds some resentment towards you over that and tries to go against you?"

As if a light switch had been thrown Chou's grin changed to a frown and his glasses lasered down onto Lauren. "It's not a question of 'if' he resents me, Miss Lauren. It's whether or not I've made clear to him just how upset I'd be if he tried to do something about it. And I'm not the kind of man you want to upset."

Guess we know the answer to that question.

It's still just a guess Taiyou. We need more information before we can be certain.

"Nice earpieces by the way. What models are they?"

All sound at the table ceased at Chou's question, saving for the rapid beating of Lauren's heart in her chest. Her mouth hung open dumbly, mind paused in place from panic. Craig's face was stern and calm, his hand slowly curling around his utensils. The guard behind Chou already had his hand at his belt, giving off a quiet click of metal. The earpieces and mental links buzzed with activity as the couple's defenders rushed to find a way to protect their charges. And all the while Chou continued to stare down at Lauren, his lenses catching the light in an almost terrifying way.

"I'd guess they're GDF models from the coloration. It's a good attempt at matching skin color, but they never reflect the shadows quite right. I prefer colorless for my guys. Makes the little buggers annoying to find in the luggage, but it's well worth the hassle in my opinion." He took a sip of his drink and tapped the table with his other hand, prompting the guard to relax. "The real question then is why would the GDF send two animation directors to spy on me, when all they have to do is call me up if they want to talk."

Lauren couldn't help but mentally note the irony, which Taiyou seemed to snicker at until Miki sent her a telepathic 'shut up' slap.

"But then I thought to myself for a bit," Chou continued, "I thought 'Must be something big if they're that worried about security. Might as well humor them, see what they really want.' So," Chou paused and pulled out his phone, taking the time to shut it off in front of them. "Mind explaining then?"

Lauren stared blankly at Chou as she let out her held breath, her husband lowering his face into his hands next to her.

Remind me again why we didn't just straight up ask him for the information? Was it cause you guys love to pull this stupid spy shit whenever you can?

Miki mind-muttered a phrase in Japanese that Lauren didn't know, but the tone said a lot.

"Just tell him the truth," Amanda suggested. "It's not like the guy we're looking for is here in the restaurant right now, plus Chou turned off his phone, so I think it's safe to say he's on our side here."

After allowing himself a moment to grumble Gordon gave his assent to the plan, leaving Lauren a twist in her throat as she tried to figure out what to say. "Well… you see sir, the GDF had an… issue lately with a certain group and they think that you could help point us in the right direction…"

"And I would help that how?" Chou asked. "Details, Miss Faust. They are important."

"Well, it's… see most of it is classified, so I don't know how much I can tell-"

Chou growled. "Nothing is classified from me, lady. Anything that goes down in the underworld either happens cause I planned it, or someone tries to piss me off. So I say again: spill."

Craig sighed and interrupted his stammering wife. "Shatterdome got attacked last week by a terrorist group working for an evil alien super kaiju but they beat the attack off and captured its leader and converted her, who is currently sitting outside watching for any of her ex-comrades."

Converted my ass. More like I deigned to side with you lot until I could get back at those lying sons of bit-

Taiyou, what have I told you about focusing on revenge?

It's not consuming me. It's just guiding my every action and thought for the current moment.

"A technical difference with no practical distinction. Excellent denial form there."

"Would you all just be quiet already!"

Restaurant and comm. lines alike fell silent at Lauren's shout, the poor animation director wilting away from her prior anger under the curious looks from the other customers. Thankfully a stern look from Chou sent them all back to their meals and conversations in short order.

"Judging from the one-sided nature of that conversation, I'd say you have a few issues with your mission control," Chou remarked with a smirk.

Craig gave a shrug while Lauren said, "I swear some of the fans I've met bicker less than they do. But yes, what Craig said is true, as insane as it sounds."

Chou went into a thoughtful pose, rubbing one hand through his stubble. "I've heard some pretty crazy shit in my life, you know, but that still ranks high on the list of the craziest. And yet I feel inclined to believe you from the fact that you didn't crack up laughing while saying it. Though that does bring me back to my original question. What does any of that have to do with me?"

Sarah took over the comms for a moment while Gordon could be heard ranting at the others in the background. "Take out that paper I gave you guys and show it to him, should explain everything." Craig did as asked and handed the sheet over to Chou, who removed his glasses and started scanning the page back and forth, his expression growing grimmer every second.

"That son of a bitch," he stated. "Thought he was smarter than this, but I guess not. I see why Stacker didn't just call me, this idiot controls all my out-going calls. This is going to be a problem."

"Can you help us, I mean, the GDF guys get him?"

Chou replaced his glasses on his face, the lenses blocked out by light again as he said, "Not even a question, missy. Once Stacker has everything he needs from him though, he's coming back to me, that clear?"

Gordon said, "You tell him he can have the guy for whatever he wants, but not to kill him. We need him in case he could ID some of his contacts from the Red Dawn."

Craig repeated the statement word for word, ignoring the waiter who had come to collect their plates and wipe away the small spill Lauren had made earlier. Chou gave a grim smile. "Fair enough. Tell the gate guards to expect my helicopter in a couple hours. Now, Chang, how's about we go and deal with…"

A pair of dull cracks sounded off to their left, prompting Craig and Lauren to turn towards the sound curiously. When they did they missed the sight of Chang collapsing to the floor with a pained grunt while Chou froze in his seat. The waiter stood smiling front of the table, the towel that had hung from his arm replaced by a pistol. Pointed directly at Chou.

"So, looks like the game is finally up then. I wondered what it was that would finally give us away, but I never expected an animation director would be the whistleblower."

"Chou, what's going…"

Lauren, Craig, don't panic. Stay where you are and don't do anything threatening. We're coming to get you.

"Really though, the GDF sending you two to do their dirty work for them. I can't tell if that is sad or hilarious. I'd laugh, but I'm much too happy about finally trapping Chou to care. Oh what the hell, I'll laugh anyway." His maniacal giggling sent waves of fear spiraling through Lauren.

"Should have figured your name was more than a joke, Laoshu," Chou growled. "I just thought you would be smart enough not to upset me with this kind of bullshit."

The waiter smiled down at Chou cruelly. "What do expect a man to do when you threaten his brother with death then treat him as a lowly servant for years on end? Or how about the man who has to keep serving the ass who mistreated his family in his own business as if they were a favored friend? Oh no, Mr. Hannibal, I'd say it was you who was foolish for never seeing this coming."

"And I suppose you just expect me to take this sitting down? Not even try to defend myself?"

"Oh I'm well aware of your rumored 'skills' with your precious butterfly knife. But as they say in America, never bring a knife to a gunfight." He gestured again with the pistol, pride evident on his face. "Oh, and before you start thinking those GDF agents are going to save you, I happen to have a little surprise waiting for them."

Gunfire started up outside, followed swiftly by screams from the people walking through the streets.

"Shit!" Pat screamed over the comm., "Where the hell did these guys come from?"

Amanda and Sarah's rifles joined the chorus on the radio. "They've got the street locked down! We can't get inside!"

"Miki, Taiyou, get rid of these assholes!"

"We can't. They're protecting their minds from intrusion. I don't understand, who taught them to do that?"

Taiyou let out a roar and there was the sound of something big and heavy crashing to the ground. "Everyone in the Dawn was taught to protect themselves from a young age. They must have learned it from them."

"Get down!"

A huge explosion rocked the building, sending most of the patrons cowering under their tables. Laoshu grimaced and braced himself against the nearby wall; his eyes never leaving the three people had trapped under his aim. "They're more persistent than I'd thought. Hmph. Oh well, guess I'll just have to take of things myself. My brother will be disappointed he couldn't do it himself, but he'll understand. Goodbye Chou. Enjoy your extended stay in he-"

A bar stool crashed against the man's head from behind him, sending him tumbling to the floor. A hooded figure jumped down on top of him and pressed a gun to his face, knocking the man's weapon away. "Tell those men outside to stop shooting or else I'll vent your brains out on the floor!" When Laoshu whimpered but remained silent the person aimed their gun right in front of his face and shoot the floor next to his eyes. "First warning, you're not getting another. Now!"

"Alright, alright! I'll do it. Just don't shoot me, please. Please!"

Seemingly satisfied the figure grabbed a radio sticking out of the cowering Laoshu's pocket and shoved it in his face, the man immediately stammering out some Mandarin into the speaker. Slowly but surely the gunfire outside disappeared, leaving behind only screams of either fear or pain. Seconds passed before the front door of the restaurant was bashed in and Gordon rushed through the tables toward them, gun up and searching for threats. "No targets spotted inside. Team, secure the mercs then set up a perimeter. Lauren, Craig, you two okay?" he asked as he arrived at their corner of the room.

The couple both nodded, Lauren crushing herself against Craig in obvious relief.

"I'm just fine, thanks for asking," Chou grumbled. He glared down at his fallen bodyguard before turning a hateful gaze to the now cuffed and quibbling Laoshu. "He's not going to be though."

"No, he won't," Gordon agreed. His focus turned up to the still hooded figure, who was now talking rapidly into a phone while keeping their gun pointed at Laoshu. "So who're you stranger? And why am I thanking you for saving my charges here?"

The figure paused in their call and lowered the phone before grabbing the lip of their hood and flipping it back. The hair was the most striking feature, a bright electric blue bob cut. Her eyes were covered by dark black shades that came off next, revealing emerald green eyes with narrowed, calculating irises. The face was a smooth oval shape, suggesting a much nicer disposition than her current demeanor and stance were stating.

"I'm Cassidy. Cassidy McClane, IBI. I was here to try and shadow a growing arms ring that seemed to be stealing from Chou's group for the last few months, with Mr. Laoshu here being the prime suspect for their dealing manager. Now I'm not so sure what exactly I've stumbled onto. Alien super kaiju and terrorist groups? That's a bit above my current pay grade."

Gordon looked her up and down for a moment, then down at Laoshu and got himself a grin. "Not anymore it ain't. How'd you feel about joining the GDF for a special project as our IBI contact for a while?"

Cassidy smiled and laid a hand on her hip. "Sounds like a great shot at advancement to me. What's the project?"

"Saving the world of course."

Cassidy blinked in surprise but then smiled and shrugged. "Eh, why not? Might give me a chance to one-up the old man for once. Count me in."

---

The empty ocean swirled in silence as Gamera, Titanosaurus and Zilla all swam in towards the anomaly together, each silently preparing themselves for combat in their own ways.

Oh this is so exciting!

Well, trying to at least.

Miss White, Gamera began politely, I appreciate that this will be your first ever mission for the GDF and you are, by consequence, a bit excited, but it would be helpful it you could contain yourself while we are engaged.

The small voice gave an equally small giggle. Right. Sorry Mister Gamera, sir.

It's fine. Zilla said. Just try to remain focused on the task at hand.

This is our support? Titano snorted.

"WE are your support, Miss Titano. Try not to forget that,"Captain Clansi said on the bridge of the North Dakota. "Gamera, the Kazan and the Ambush are waiting just on the edge of this sound barrier. If the barrier works anything like the sound shrouds on our subs then we'll lose sonar contact with you once you pass through. We'll have to rely on you to spot targets for our torpedoes until they can lock on for themselves."

How are you going to keep the torpedoes from hitting us? Zilla asked. I may be tougher than my mother was so they won't kill me, but I'd rather not get hit all the same.

A deeper toned voice came on the link. "This is Captain Romanev on the Kazan. Do not worry overmuch about that, friends. We have already downloaded your sonar signatures into our torpedoes. So long as you do not swim directly in their path, they should avoid you without too much issue."

Well, that's comforting.

Oh yes. Now we only have to hope that whatever we're fighting doesn't kill us, rather than our allies doing so.

"Very cheerful, isn't she?" Captain Roderick's Londoner accent remarked. "I can tell you all this much, my monstrous lady. Give the Ambush a target and we'll bombard it into nonexistence for you."

"It's what we're good at," Clansi agreed with a smile. "Solving problems with high explosives. Doesn't get any better than that."

If it means we don't have to be at risk, then I'm all for it, Zilla said.

The trio arrived at the edge of the anomaly, the water's temperature diving to a temp cold even for the kaiju. Zilla shivered as he got his first good look at the barrier, a roiling wall of black pushing away the ocean bearing down on it. Stop me if I'm sounding cliché, but I've got a baaaad feeling about this.

Gamera sighed, coming to a stop with the others just before the barrier. You are not the only one. The guardian kaiju looked at his fellows and said, Zilla, Titano, there's something I need you to promise me. If this kaiju is who I think it might be, this I need you to swim away as quickly as you can. I'll have the subs launch their torpedoes before they retreat as well.

What are you talking about Gamera? You know what this thing is?

Possibly, and if it is that kaiju, then neither of you would be of any help in defeating it. If I tell you to flee, you must do so. Understand?

I guess, but why? What has you so spooked?

Gamera stared at the barrier, his gaze almost intense enough to burn through the sound absorbing energy on its own. I told you once that myself and the other guardian kaiju were created to bring down an ancient evil, one that was a threat to the entire world.

And… this is it, you think? Titano asked. Her tail slowed its back and forth swaying. What, uh, makes you think that?

A feeling. A sense of… wrongness surrounding this place. It is difficult to describe.

You know, if you were anyone else, I'd say you're being paranoid, Titano said. But with you…

Hey, no need to worry guys. Zilla bumped Gamera's shell. We're all the fastest kaiju that exist when it comes to swimming. If nothing else, I'm sure we could outrun this guy. Plus the subs all have nukes, and an unwater nuke is nothing to scoff at. We can take this guy.

Gamera smiled and clapped a paw on Zilla's shoulder. I admire your confidence my friend. Perhaps you are right. After all, his sealing was supposed to drain much of his energy. It might be better to strike at him now rather than later. I just wish that Raiga was here. She would be a great help in this fight.

Am I the only one here who's still hoping for a diplomatic end to this thing? Titanosaurus asked. Which would be next to impossible if that psycho electric were here.

At this point, I'd be kinda disappointed if there wasn't a fight in there, said Zilla, moving into the black mist. All this build up only to do a bunch of talking? That would suck.

You are seriously under estimating the value of talking, Titanosaurus said as she followed him in.

Says the kaiju who refused to talk to anyone but a pile of molten rock for years.

Gamera stared after the two, both bemused and amused at their bickering. With a slight smile he pushed into the darkness after them. The water grew to be deathly cold, even for a kaiju, while what little visibility there had been before disappeared completely. The ominous sense from before increased, but the feel of it changed, the alien nature departing from that which he recalled in the haze of his far off memory. Gamera knew he should be still be cautious, but he couldn't help but sigh in personal relief as he pushed through the blackness.

Seconds of oppressive silence passed before the three kaiju finally made it through the barrier. The moment they crossed over to the other side, the light level increased massively, as well as the temperature. Whatever relief Gamera had before disappeared in an instant as he and the others caught sight of what was before them.

"Gamera, what's in there?" Clansi asked. "Any sign of the target?"

Zilla was the one to answer, his voice becoming near frantic. "There's Rifts! Rifts all over the place. Five, six… too many. Too damn many!"

"Rifts? Like the one the Antversers use?" Romanev roared. "How? That should be impossible!" "Their facility was destroyed by Godzilla years ago."

Yeah, well they're here alright. Seven of the fraking things! Titano shouted as she swam around the perimeter of the nearest one. They were arranged in a huge circle, at the center of which was a glowing hot caldera of molten magma sunken into the sea floor. The bottom itself was broken and jagged, huge outcrops of rock jutting out all over the place in an almost demonic way. Anyone got any bright ideas for dealing with this, cause I'm really not in the mood to be dealing with these things.

Oh this isn't good. This is bad, bad, bad, bad…

"Everyone calm the hell down!" Clansi ordered. "We already know the drill for dealing with these things and we've got plenty of nukes to do it with. Gamera, you and the others just stick together, find one of the Ants, and shove its ass down the hole when we tell you."

Yeah, funny thing about that but there's none of them here. Zilla hovered over the tear in the ocean scanning back and forth for any sign of movement. As in, there is literally no one here but us.

"That doesn't make any sense," Roderick said. "Why would they make so many portals but not use a single one of them?"

To keep them safe, Gamera answered. They know what the weakness is and they aren't give us a chance to use it. So long as none of their monsters come through the rifts are invulnerable.

So what the heck do we do then? Just stand guard until eventually one comes up?

"Not much else we can do right now," Clansi said. "Gamera, how much room is there inside the barrier? Is it safe for us to come through to support you or should we stay outside?"

I recommend you stay outside the barrier for now. There is much less space in this place then the barrier's size would suggest. If you were to enter it would just put you in more danger.

"If you are certain comrade, then we will remain here for now. The instant you spot a target tell us to fire. Given how long it took you to traverse the barrier, it make be some time before our torpedoes could arrive inside to hit an enemy."

Roderick vocally scoffed. "Assuming any enemies actually show up that is."

At the center of the volcano a deep rumbling started, cracks spreading out with jets of flame erupting out. All around the rifts awoke with lightning and spread open to reveal the yawning abyss within each one. The three kaiju all clustered up together, watching as dark shadows crawled up from the rifts.

One popped out of the nearest rift, a small creature roughly a quarter the size of the kaiju hovering above it. The thing was simple and plain, a beast with four equally sized limbs and a over-sized jaw filled with mismatched razor teeth. For a brief instant the trio relaxed, Zilla almost laughing at the creature that pitifully roared up at them.

Then a second kaiju popped out of the hole. And another. And another. Two more over there. Three over there. Five appeared from behind the volcano, followed swiftly by four more. Twelve, fourteen, seventeen. The count was soon lost.

"Gamera, we're reading a large number of unknown contacts on mental visual. What's going on in there?"

The crowd of Anters gathered in front of the trio, roaring and snapping at them.

Zilla gulped audibly on the channel. Guys, I think we're going to need a bigger ocean.

As if by some unseen signal, the monsters all struck forward, barreling towards them with reckless abandon. Gamera shot ahead of Zilla and Titano and shouted, Stay behind me! His mouth opened and out of it poured a hail of blinding red energy, plasma lancing out and covering the creatures in scalding heat. A chorus of agonized screams echoed through the ocean depths as the turtle kaiju swept the last of the little monsters under his flame and cut off the stream. Charred remains slowly sank down to the rocky crags below, what few there were left from the burning power that had stuck them.

Huh, Zilla said. That was actually a lot easier than I thought.

Don't tempt things, Titano snarled at him. Now grab one of the bits and shove it down a hole. The sooner we're done with this the better.

Gamera nodded his agreement with the idea. Quite. It would be best if we could close off these portals before more come throu…

Deep shudders struck the volcano again, the cracks leading to the rifts widening while lava seeped out with a warm burning light. The rifts became active again, opening further than before as more and more of the same monsters streamed out in groups of three or four.

Titano grumbled. You just haaad to say something.

Hey, it wasn't me this time! Zilla defended.

Further conversation was cut off as the monsters began to swarm at them. Once again Gamera lashed out with his plasma breath, but their enemy had learned from their previous mistake and avoided bunching up to provide a good target. Only two of the beasts were felled by the water guardian before the horde was upon them.

Titano was the first they reached, one of them reaching out with open jaws and an eager growl. It never saw the tail slap that smacked it into one of its fellows, Titano following up by sweeping under the Anter approaching her left and upper cutting into its stomach. She screamed in pain when one latched onto her tail before she swung it off and smashed her fist into the thing's skull.

Gamera withdrew into his shell as the Anters attacked him, their bites and swipes doing nothing to his thick hide. An Anter made the mistake of trying to swim into one of the turtle's exposed holes, only to get a ball of plasma shoved right into its face, burning away its whole upper torso. The rest of Gamera's Anters quickly followed suit as he spun rapidly in place, spitting out gobs of molten death at them faster than they could evade.

Zilla saw the attack incoming and zoomed away at high speed, five of the Anters following closely on his tail. That proved to be a grievous error as Zilla flipped around and chomped on the leader of the pack, snapping the thing's spine easily. The rest struck forward to avenge it but Zilla bashed them away with his heavy skull, spitting out the Anter stuck in his teeth. Gah, by Tanaka these guys taste disgusting. Like ten month old rotted fish.

I think we have more pressing concerns than what they taste like, Zilla, Gamera shouted as he shell rushed into another pair of Anters. We need to find a way to close off those Rifts before we are overwhelmed!

"We can help with that," Romanev said. "Our crews are already calibrating the torpedo paths now. So long as the parazity continue to stream out of the Rifts, they should remain vulnerable enough for the payloads to make it through."

Well then hurry up and launch the damn things! Titano turned and gave a sonic roar in the direction of the nearest Rift, stunning the new batch of Anters swimming out of it. A pair of them attempted to sneak up on her from behind while she was distracted but Zilla barreled into them headfirst before they could get close.

On the other side of the barrier the crew of the North Dakota were scrambling back and forth trying to keep track of the fight their allies were engaged in.

"Ron, how much longer getting the nukes primed and programed?" Clansi demanded. His eyes were glued to the screen showing the visual translation of the mental vision Carrie was transmitting for them. Three golden yellow dots were dashing back and forth followed by more than a dozen dull green spots. Every few moments one or more of the greens would disappear after contacting the yellow, but more greens kept following up to replace them. They can't keep this up forever. Eventually one of them is going to be overwhelmed…

The XO swore before turning to Clansi. "Something's wrong with the detonation package on the nuke we have preloaded in the tube. They're having to unload it and replace it manually."

The Captain bit back his own curse. "Well hurry it up then, and prepare to launch the normal torps and get a reload going. Romanev, Roderick, are you two prepared to launch?"

"Affirmative, Clansi. We have one nuke and five regular torpedoes loaded. The Ambush is ready to fire once we see an opportunity."

"Kazan, here. We have two nukes loaded and aimed at the far Rifts, with two more on standby. The rest are conventional. Gamera, do we have permission to fire?"

Affirmative Captains. Fire as many of the normal torpedoes as you can, but warn us when you launch a nuclear one so we can find cover.

Clansi nodded and ordered, "Permission to engage. Clear all tubes. Ripple fire, wide spread pattern."

From all three points of the triangle bursts of high-pressure air were released in rapid succession, a stream of matte-painted steel tubes flowing from each sub in sequence. The metal fish stormed through the deep ocean and straight into the barrier, electronic brains under orders to ignore the lack of input from their sonic ears and ears. Seconds later they reappeared on the other side and immediately locked onto the myriad contacts that came into sight. Their powerful active sonars pinged out and bounced off the Anters, the beasts' only warning of what was to come.

Incoming, Zilla warned as he ducked behind an outcrop to shake loose an Anter trying to gnaw on his tail. Gamera and Titano both took stock of where the nearest torpedoes were coming from and made trails in the opposite direction. By the time the enemy realized what was happening, it was far too late to survive.

The Kazan's torps were the first to arrive, being faster than their counterparts. One Ant made the error of turning to see what was pinging sonar off of it and received a ton of high explosive going off in its face. The detonation tore the creature apart and mashed what wasn't ripped to shreds with the pressure wave. Over the next minute more and more of the torps reached their targets, all but one killing the Ants almost immediately. Clansi watched with bated breath as the field of green spots thinned out considerably while the three golden points hide beneath differing rock formations.

"Thirty one confirmed hits in the first wave," Roderick declared. "I think that makes a new record for most kaiju killed in one minute."

"We're not out of the woods yet comrade. Most Ants are bound to appear, and now we are stuck having to reload. It will be several minutes before can attempt another strike like this."

Clansi felt a poke on his shoulder and turned to see his XO. "Sir, sonar is reporting a new kaiju contact approaching us. It looks like it was the same one from earlier."

The Captain furrowed his brow. "Why would it be heading back this way right now? Strange. Tell Jonesy to keep an eye on it. If it seems like it's going to engage us we'll send a torp in its direction, but ignore it otherwise. We've got more important fish to fry at the moment." The XO nodded and turned back to trying to rush the crew on the reload.

Inside the barrier the waters finally stilled after their massive disruption. Holy crap! Zilla said as he swam out into the open again, smirking at the one Ant who remained alive near him. Looks like the tables have turned, eh little one? The Anter squealed in alarm and turned to swim away, but Zilla easily caught up with it and slammed it into a rock spike, impaling the beast. I've got one body caught right here for an express nuclear delivery, nice and freshly dead.

Gamera smacked away an Ant that was approaching him from behind, his attention on the volcano. That might not be of much help my friend. I have a sneaking suspicion something else is going on here.

What do you mea…

Loud cracks and explosions erupted from the caldera, canyon-like cracks ripping their way through the rock towards the Rifts all around it. When the lines of red magma reached the Rifts the holes in space and time expanded and began to shift inward towards the volcano. As they did, yet more of the half-sized Ants came pouring out of the holes and ambled at each of them.

Oh come on!

Zilla rushed forward to meet the nearest group head on - literally - his square skull bashing through the creatures before zooming off again faster than they could catch. Gamera again retreated within his shell and shot off as a giant circular battering ram. Titanosaurus growled and moved down into the rocky crags near the bottom, shifting through the twisting valleys and using the close quarters to keep the Ants from swarming her on all sides.

While the kaiju were busy engaging themselves with the next wave the sub captains were all sweating bullets as they watched the Rifts edge ever closer to each other.

"What the hell are they up to?" Clansi pondered. A quick check of the bridge showed that the reloads were only halfway done, and their reserves of pressurized air had to be recharged before they could fire again.

"I don't know, but it's nothing good," Roderick replied reasonably. "I think it might be a good idea to save up our nukes until whatever this thing they are doing is done. Then we can take them all out in one swoop."

Romanev grunted. "I'm not sure even that will be enough, but we have little choice at this point. We will have to coordinate our launch down to the second to ensure they all detonate are the same instant. If not…"

"Then we'll only get a fraction of the firepower," Clansi finished. "It's going to be a tricky shot gentlemen, but it's one we're all capable of. Gamera, you will have to let us know when to launch the strike so you can get to a safe range before detonation. Think you all can last until the Rifts are… joined together, if that is what they are attempting?"

There is little doubt of that at this point, Gamera said as he poured a stream of plasma down one of the shifting Rifts, cooking the Ants that had been trying to escape its depths. The volcano is very obviously artificial in it's erupting. Beyond that, the edges of the Rifts are beginning to meld together as they near the center.

"So the worst-case scenario then," Roderick said. "Most excellent news."

"What about yourselves comrades? Do you require aid?"

I'm doing fine for right now, Zilla said as he ripped off the arm of an Anter with his teeth. Another one came up on his side and bit his leg, prompting him to roar and kick the creature off viciously. Ehrg, mostly fine.

Die you piece of kaiju dung! Titano soared out from a valley tossing an Ant into a pair of its fellows and bellowing a sonic roar at them to disorient the lot. She then swam above them and brought her tail around in a powerful strike that sent them down into a stream of magma. Wincing, Titano wiped away some blood from a cut on her face, willing herself to ignore the long gash she had in her side. I'm getting really tired of these little bastards.

Gamera appeared at Titano's side and placed a paw on her shoulder, lending her some of his mana to ease her pain somewhat. We should stick together from here on out. With the Rifts all moving to the same place we can keep the newcomers to our front and deal with them cooperatively.

Sounds like a plan to me, Zilla said as he came up next to them, tail slapping an Ant that came at him from below. The trio gathered up in a triangle, Gamera at the front with Zilla and Titano guarding his flanks. Alright you manufactured freaks, come at us if you dare! Bring it on!

The rumbling sound halted within the caldera, the exposed magma within becoming unnaturally still. The Rifts were now touching each other's edges, small streaks of lightning arcing between them here and there. The remaining Ants, rather than approaching their gathered enemy retreated to the Rifts, flowing back down into the holes as one unit.

"Um… what are they doing?"

I am not certain we wish to find out.

The moment the last Ant disappeared into the Rifts the volcano started up again, this time roaring with its full fury and magnitude. Jets of lava hundreds of feet tall bellowed out of the maelstrom while the edges of the caldera cracked and broke off from the force of the earth around them quaking. The Rifts moved into the expanding circle of fire, then lost cohesion and melded together. The holes combined in the center of the circle, its diameter massively larger than any single Rift that had formed it. At the peak of the volcano's rage the newly formed hole expanded and stretched, a deep shadow tunneling upward into the fiery light.

The creature rose up from the eruption, its armored black skin reflecting the hellish landscape that had birthed it. The monster seemed almost crocodilian, its elongated snout bristling with razor teeth arranged in a devilish smile. Along its back huge red spikes crackled with energy, while its clawed flippers and giant tail swished to lift it to the same height as the trio. Burning red eyes fixed upon the kaiju, the light shining within gleaming with malice.

Upon the bridge of the North Dakota, all Clansi could do was gape at the bright crimson glob that took up the center of his visual screen.

"I'm… I'm not the only one seeing this, am I chaps?"

Romanev let out a sigh. "No, comrade. I believe you are not. This creature… this demon is all too real."

After gulping to try and gain some moisture again in his throat, Clansi asked the obvious question. "What… what is the size of the creature, Miss White?"

Carrie whimpered in her chair but gathered enough courage to answer. "Eig… Eight hundred feet long, Captain. The biggest kaiju on record."

Romanev gave off a curse in Russian, while Rodrick could be heard praying over the channel.

"May god help us all," Clansi breathed.

---

Hello again everyone, and welcome back to Humanity's Stand. Why yes, it only took me two months to push this one out. Yay me! But what's this? Part 1? It ends on a cliffhanger? Oh dear oh dear, looks like someones been taking lessons from old Tarby. (How'm I doing oh Grendelson?) But I say to you my good readers, have no fear, for I have improved my output considerably since the new year started. For example, I actually wrote two chapters since the last one. It's just that the other chapter is one that goes somewhat further on in the future so... no posting it just yet. Oh well. But I promise you, with my full heart and attention, that I will do my utmost to push out the next part as quickly as possible (while retaining my usual quality of course). On top of that, I have in mind a small short that I intend to create and post either by the 14th or 17th of this month (Valentine's day or my birthday respectively), so keep an eye out for that.

Also, we shall soon reach the end of the first Arc of this story (the Prewar Arc to be clear) and with the arrival of the second arc will come a secondary side story that will be written in cooperation with a friend of mine; The Legends of the Langoud. Details on this side story will have to wait for later, but when it goes up I'll make sure to inform you all. The short will give a few hints as to what will be going on there, but for now, secrets must be kept.

As always, reviews and critiques are well appreciated and my message box is fully open to anyone who wants to contact me. Until next time, Blazing Phoenix out.

Is it Torture if the Guy is a Scumbag?

It's remarkable sometimes just how close television can get to reality, particularly in ways that one would never really expect. For example, anyone who has watched a modern cop show will have undoubtedly seen the stereotypical interrogation room. They all have a single large table in the center of the room, unadorned walls that were often bare concrete, and one wall dominated by an opaque window that everyone and their mother knew by now was a two-way mirror. And despite having a near unlimited budget and the best architects in the world, the interrogation rooms (yes rooms) of the Shatterdome were completely indistinguishable from those you might find on an episode of CSI. And for whatever reason Miki found that circumstance rather annoying.

"You'd think we'd be able to do something different," she murmured to herself as she walked into the back room with the Marshal right beside her. "Unique maybe."

Pentecost smiled and pulled out a chair for the young woman. "No need to improve on something that works just fine as it is, Miki. Not everything is in need of innovation."

Miki sighed. "I know. I just… expected more I guess."

"Given how little we use these rooms it wouldn't really make sense to do more with them would it?"

Before Miki could give an answer the doors of the interrogation room opened. A very scuffed up Laoshu was the first one sent through, his hands tightly cuffed in front of him and followed by a stern faced Cassidy. The IBI agent shoved him down into the empty seat then took up a place behind him. Laoshu held up his hands at her, clearly wanting them unshackled, but Cassidy just smirked and ignored him. The man looked like he was about to growl at her when two more people entered the room.

Gondo stepped through first, a grim smile on his face and carrying an air of determined confidence. But Laoshu paid him no attention as he spotted Taiyou following in behind him, dressed in her all-black Red Dawn uniform from the week prior. Laoshu's skin paled at the sight, then lost even more color as he happened to look up at her face. The telepath's eyes blazed at the small man with the intensity of a desert sun. Her fists were tightened into iron balls and she took a step toward him. He immediately tried to leave his seat, only for Cassidy to push him back down and step in front of him.

"Hey, Sunnie, hold it steady huh? I don't know what kind of baggage you got with these guys, but we need this one alive for the time being, so try to lock it up. Otherwise we'll have to get another chick to do this."

Taiyou froze in place and stared at Cassidy, her gaze burning into the agent for an instant before she briefly nodded and stepped back. Gondo gave Cassidy an appreciative nod before pulling out some files and clearing his throat. "Mr. Laoshu, you have been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, several counts of conspiring with known terrorists, attempted murder in a public place, and poor service hygiene in your restaurant. That's a rather long list, fella. Now I don't know about you, but I don't fancy your chances of getting off on good behavior on any of this. Particularly the one about the hygiene. Hong Kong health department are rather stickily about that."

Laoshu sniffed dismissively. "As if the charges matter. You would keep me here even if I were squeaky clean like one of those bath toys you Americans are so fascinated by."

"Oh but you ain't clean, Lao," Cassidy said from over the man's shoulder. "I've been following you for a while now, and I gotta say you are one of the dirtiest guys I've ever seen. Gun running, corporate espionage, human trafficking. You've had your grubby little hands in every part of the mud pie, and there's nothing you can do scrub that crud off."

"Is there any way to be clean with you filthy foreigners running rampant in our city?!" Laoshu raged. "Our people are kept downtrodden and weak by your Western technology and 'survival of the fittest' philosophies. If we are to become great again you and your kind must be expunged from these lands by any means necessary!"

Cassidy slammed her fist on the table and shouted in Laoshu's face. "Even enslave your own people Lao? How does making them suffer and die in someone else's war help them huh?"

Laoshu leaned away from the blue-haired woman and looked down at the table. "Sacrifices must be made for the betterment of all."

"Yeah, just as long as those sacrifices don't cost you anything." Cassidy stepped back from the table, folding her arms over her chest. "You're just another selfish coward using grand ideas to justify their greed. God I hate hypocrites."

Taiyou smirked at the IBI agent. "What was that you said about not losing your cool?"

The former terrorist got a middle finger in response.

"Alright, settle down you two," Gondo said. "Look Lao, you and I both know that, personal beliefs aside, you are in some serious shit right now, and no amount of ass-kissing is going to save you. No matter what you do here you are going to be sitting ugly in a prison cell for the rest of your natural life. So here's how it's gonna go. You tell us everything we want to know, and you get to choose what kind of prison you get to call home for the next forty years."

Out in the observation room Miki turned to Pentecost with a questioning look. "But I thought we were going to give him over to Chou? That was part of the deal we had with him right?"

"It is and we are," Pentecost answered. "But he doesn't need to know that." He signaled back at the room, where Laoshu was laughing without a trace of mirth.

"And what would be the point of that choice?" he said with a dull tone. "You will ensure I go to a place a cannot possibly escape from no matter what I do, so why bother telling you anything?"

Gondo gave the guy a smirk. "Two reasons actually. See, reason one is one that you might have some immediate personal interest in. We're not going to have you tell us the information. It'd be all too easy for you to 'accidentally' leave something out if that was the case." He waved his hand at Taiyou, who gathered a nasty smile at the cue. "Instead we were going to have Taiyou here scan the information direct from the source. You know, just to be sure."

Laoshu stammered a bit before saying, "A telepath… But that's illegal. Looting a person's mind is against the Geneva Accords!"

"Ah, but that's the thing," Cassidy said while waving her finger. "Those rules and laws only apply to lawful combatants and innocents. You are neither, Mr. 'Associates with Terrorists'."

The man looked back at Gondo, the fear plainly evident on his face. "B-but… you can't do that!"

Gondo smiled. "Oh but Lao, would you expect any less from us 'filthy foreigners'? Don't worry though. We're not completely heartless. If you cooperate and lower the mental barriers you have apparently been trained to have, then we promise that Miss Taiyou here will be gentle in your mind."

"They promise," Taiyou added on. "I don't."

Pentecost could feel Miki's gaze burning into him. "I know Miki. Normally I would be against it too, but this group was willing to directly assault the Shatterdome in an attempt at mass world terror. The line has already been crossed by the enemy in such a way as to remove any ambiguity they might have had. The Red Dawn have marked themselves as a threat just as dangerous as the Coalition, and must be treated as such. Even if it means committing acts that would be considered crimes otherwise."

Miki sighed and nodded. "I know. I just don't like it. It's still wrong, necessary or not."

Pentecost leaned back in his seat, hands over his face. "There is a phrase Gordon said to me a while back, just before Final Wars happened. I didn't agree with it at the time, but since then I've seen the truth in it. 'It is a fundamental part of human nature that, in the face of complete annihilation, every alternative is preferable.' I just wish we didn't have the chance to prove him right."

Back in the interrogation room Laoshu was clearly trying not to panic. With a desperate reaching tone he asked, "What about the second condition?"

"Oh that. Well, part two of our kindness would be that, should you play nice and give us everything we need, then you would be held in our facilities here in the Shatterdome. Good food, nice(ish) guards, and guaranteed safety from any retribution from your former colleagues." Noticing the stricken look on Lao's face Gondo laughed. "What, you thought they would just expect you to keep quiet and not give up everything, and that you would be allowed to live while you were in enemy captivity? Heh, not likely."

"I wouldn't," Taiyou confirmed. "If I had known one of our suppliers got captured our first priority would be to silence them."

Laoshu seemed more like a ghost than a human at this point. "A-and what would happen if I… declined to help?"

"Well first of all Smiling Sunshine here would tear through your head and rip out anything of value that we need," Cassidy said while leaning on Lao's shoulder. "Then, once we were sure we had everything we'd ship your remains off to a very special prison. Maybe you've heard of it? I hear it's got a gorgeous view of the Bay area." She glanced down at Lao's face, only to see him looking at her in confusion. The agent sighed and clarified, "I mean Alcatraz. That's what I'm referring to."

Before anyone could so much as blink Laoshu fainted dead away, slumping out of his chair onto the hard concrete floor. Cassidy blinked in surprise, while Taiyou gave a mocking guffaw.

"Well," Gondo mused, "at least he didn't piss himself."

As Cassidy dragged the limp man out of the room with a still laughing Taiyou in tow, Miki turned to Pentecost again. "Are we sure that letting Taiyou do the mind scan is the best idea? I'm not sure she'll be able to contain herself if presented with such an open opportunity at revenge."

Pentecost rubbed a soothing hand on his surrogate daughter's shoulder. "I think we need to give her the chance. Like you told me earlier, she will need some measure of vengeance to learn how to let go of her past, and if the man it happens to is one humanity would not miss, then all the better."

Miki wanted to believe him, but part of her was hesitant. "Still, we will need to watch her closely to make sure she doesn't go too far. Not just for morality's sake, but to keep her from losing herself to her anger like…"

The telepath suddenly felt herself enveloped in a warm embrace. "That was not your fault Miki. Mistakes always happen, you should not blame yourself for them. Remember the lessons they teach, yes, but do not let your guilt distract you from the present."

Smiling, Miki leaned into Pentecost's shoulder. "I won't. Thank you… father."

The two stayed there for several moments, just taking the time to be there for each other. That moment ended when Pentecost's phone started to ring from within his pocket. He swiftly answered, saying, "This is the Marshal."

"Stacker, it's Mr. Choi. I've got a… well, I'm not sure what I've got to be honest."

"What is it?"

"A, uh, call for you sir. A Miss Joanne Johnson she says. They claim it's urgent. Should I, um, put them through?"

Pentecost blinked in surprise at the name but answered in the affirmative. A few seconds of beeping came over the line before a crackle announced the switch was complete. "This is Pentecost. May I ask why you are calling Miss Johnson?"

"Stacker, don't ask me how I know, but there's something going on in the South Pacific that I have some important information on. I need to see you. Now."

"How do you… Nevermind, I'll find out later. What is so important that you need to meet with me in person?"

A humorless laugh echoed in his ear. "Nothing much. Just that the project I told you about, the one I said would probably never actually happen? Well guess what?"

---

Here you are folks. Just as promised. A nice little 'short' to bridge (see what I did there?) parts of the human plot together and add a bit of hinting to future developments. What are those developments? I have absolutely no idea! ... Kidding. I mostly know what I'm doing. Mostly being the key word there. For now though, just keep an eye on that last name there. Doc Johnson will have her role to play in the future, just you wait. For now though, enjoy a bit of world development and RvB shout out.

Also, this short was a personal test of myself to see if I could follow a deadline I made on my own. And what do you know but it was a success! Yay, go me! Now for the real test, the one to get my ass into high gear for you guys. I am going to try and get out Chapter Ten Part 2 (yes, part 2. I'm really doing that) out by... the end of March. Yes, that does seem like a long time, but for all the ideas I have for this next chapter, its going to be hard to sort things out and get it all to fit coherently. If this thing is even half as epic as I'm imagining it to be, it'll be worth the wait. So yeah, look out for the next installment out by the end of March, maybe earlier if I work quickly. In the meantime the side story I mentioned earlier should have its first post as its own separate fic, so keep an eye out for that as well. Until then, adios my friends.

...

...

P.S. I'm also 22 today. So that's a thing.

Edit 02/25/16: For those of you coming in from the latest Bridge chapter, make sure you go back a chapter to the actual new chapter 10. This was a just a short pseudo chapter thing that served to let me get some news out to the readers. The actual second part is... being worked on right now, along with quite a few other things.

*Warning! Please read this note before moving on to the chapter itself. Several edits have been posted in prior chapters (#s 8 and 9) that you should read before reading this new chapter. They aren't required to understand what goes on here, but highly recommended for the full effect. Hopefully these sorts of changes will not be needed in the future, but do not be surprised if they are. Once you have read the edits, feel free to come back and read this. Hope you enjoy! ;)*

Assault on Bald Mountain

The tense standoff between the Earth Defender Kaiju and the humongous Anteverser stretched on and on, the only source of sound being the quietly roiling lava bubbling underneath the enormous Rift. Crocodilian eye slits gazed out at the trio, the tall spikes on the creature's back ceasing their electrical crackling while its flippers moved just slightly enough to hold it in place. It's dark black plate scales softly reflected the red flames, giving it the appearance of bathing in fire.

The three kaiju stared in silence at the huge monstrosity hovering off in the distance, not daring to move for fear of provoking it.

Guys, I'm not the only one seeing that thing right? Zilla asked.

Nope, I see it too. Funny, here's the one time I would have hoped we were both wrong.

Well, there is a silver lining to consider, Gamera said.

Really? And that would be?

Unless my senses are entirely off base, this beast is not the kaiju that I and the other guardians were designed to engage, so we need not worry about that at this time.

Oh wonderful, Titano snarked. So we aren't completely outclassed then. I'm so thrilled.

Clansi's voice came over the channel to cut off Zilla's coming counter remark. "Gamera, we've got the creature on our screens, but we need confirmation. Is it really that large?"

It appears so Captain. It seems the Anteversers have been making some changes to their production capabilities over the last few years.

Understatement of the decade there.

"So we have the important question then," Romanev said. "Can you still kill it?"

The trio shared a glance before looking back at the hyper-massive crocodile, still hovering with a terrifying grin over the simmering volcano.

Um… maybe? I mean, the Ants have always been weak relative to their size, but with this guy…

We will have to make the attempt, Gamera announced. If that Rift is allowed to stay open, any number of the smaller beasts from before will pour out and overwhelm us. And after that, there's no telling what other plans the Anteversers have in store. We must make a stand here and eliminate the Rift now. Before it's too late.

"Well said, good turtle," Captain Roderick spoke with a falsely cheery tone. "I'm sure this beast will be no different from the rest of the uncultured lot. Just… bigger."

"Big enough that I don't think regular torpedoes would work on it," Clansi speculated. "Even nukes may not be enough. The Rifts are fragile enough to be damaged by the detonation, but a monster this big… It's a toss up."

"Nothing for it but to try comrades. Our tubes are ready and loaded, just waiting for the right moment. We will have to rely on you kaiju to give us the cue on when we are safe to launch."

That will be tricky, Zilla said, eyeing the Ant's sides and motions. Despite its length it's not that tall or wide, so we'd have to be right next to it on the opposite side to avoid most of the shock wave from a nuke. Also, does anyone find it weird that it's just sitting there? We've been staring at it for like five minutes now and it hasn't budged.

Why should it attack? It has every advantage. Titano glared down at the molten wormhole flaming beneath the beast. All it has to do is keep us out of the Rift long enough for them to finish doing… whatever the Daei they are doing on the other side of that thing.

Clansi sighed. "No use waiting then. Gamera, Zilla, Titano, good luck. You'll probably need it."

We may need more than luck in this instance Captain. Gamera turned to his two friends said, This battle will require close cooperation and careful planning. It is quite likely this creature is strong enough to kill us very quickly if we are caught, so make sure to avoid anything it throws at you, even if it costs you a chance for an attack. As much as you can stay above or below it. The mouth and tail are obvious danger zones, but those flippers are likely just as lethal. Find a weak spot in its armor and point it out to me, then grab its attention so that I can hit it with a mana blast. So long as we are cautious, we should be fine.

Sounds like a plan. Titano cracked her paws and neck. You ready for this Zilla?

Zilla let out a mental gulp and pushed out his shudders as much as possible. Vaguely. Somehow I don't think the big guy here is all that the Ants have up their sleeve.

That is a risk we shall have to take. Now, let us not waste any more time. We have to move quickly before the situation can worsen any further.

With that the guardian kaiju retracted his legs into his shell and shot forward on a stream of ejected water. The other two followed after him as quickly as they could, splitting off to the left and right, giving their target a wide berth.

The beast gave one final crocodile grin and let out a shrieking howl that rapped against the trio's ears like a thunderclap. Without any further warning it launched forward, swimming towards Zilla. Seeing a behemoth three times his size moving towards him was enough to send Zilla into a panic, the saurian turning tail and fleeing down to the sea bottom. He dodged down into a small canyon for shelter, only to hear the sound of mountains of stone being smashed behind him. Dodging a hail of falling stones Zilla shot out of the canyon and moved towards a nearby outcrop, franticly swishing his tail as fast as possible to eke out just a bit more speed.

The creature seemed to despise for hiding tactics, demolishing every bit of cover Zilla tried to duck behind. Mountains and ridges were pummeled into oblivion, cracks and canyons filled in with debris. Every time Zilla thought he had managed to evade the thing it reappeared and bore down on him with the fury of a living rockslide. The chase continued for several minutes like this as progressively more and more of the sea bottom was leveled flatter than a parking lot.

See anything we can hit? Titano asked Gamera as they hovered a ways back from the devastation. They both had been taken aback at the creature's intense focus on Zilla, but they were more than willing to take advantage of the opening.

I am afraid my search has been fruitless thus far. The entire body is covered in scales save for the inside of the mouth, which is clearly not a safe option to approach.

Titano hummed, holding her paw at her chin. Think we could rip the scales off?

It is a possibility but I worry about those spikes on its back. They were electrically charged earlier…

For Tanaka's sake, WOULD YOU TWO HELP ME AT SOME POINT!? Zilla's roar was punctuated by a ferocious snap of the creature's jaw closing just short of Zilla's tail for the umpteenth time. You know what, I've had enough of this! You wanna try and eat me pal? Well let's see how you like it! He whirled around; looped over the second snap of the creature's jaw and moved to a large broad patch above it's neck. Claws out and primed Zilla pummeled into the hard material, scraping and striking the scales with reckless fury. Underneath him the giant kaiju bucked and writhed in an attempt to unseat him but Zilla dug into the exposed flesh and held tight, his head bashing against the creature's hide over and over as it moved.

The Anteverser huffed in aggravation and halted its attempt to remove its pest, only to swim down towards the volcano and roll on its back so Zilla was pointed towards the flames. That turned out to be a mistake as Gamera launched a slew of mana balls at the Anteverser's stomach plates, the dense magic splashing against the scutes and cracking several.

Hmm, seems the plates are not as strong as they would appear.

Titano smirked and replied, Sounds good to me. Oi, Zilla, shove off him for a bit. It's my turn.

The aquatic dinosaur swam in towards the distracted beast and smashed against its flank with her shoulder, taking a chance to rip off several scales to really aggravate the thing. It halted in place just above the edge of the volcano and tried to spin around and lock onto Titano, leaving Zilla tumbling from finally letting go of his hold. Titano glared freely at the Ant as it caught sight of her then peeled away, sending the beast chasing after her as it had Zilla earlier. Gamera rolled in to prevent Zilla from entering the edge of the lava field then reoriented to follow the chase and look for a chance to blast the Ant's underside again.

Titano held an easy lead ahead of the giant, kiting him back and forth while Zilla and Gamera kept striking at whatever exposed scales they could reach. Their target became progressively more enraged with each hit but despite the anger pushing it forward its sheer bulk kept it from catching its much smaller and nimbler opponents. More and more of the crocodile's scales were slowly torn away, small scrapes and cuts appearing on its exposed skin, but none of it was truly damaging.

A brief moment of panic ensued when the creature took advantage of a steep turn by Titano to whirl around and barrel towards his own pursers angrily. Zilla dove out of the way just in time but Gamera could do little other than shrink into his shell.

The Ant's eyes gleamed with triumph as it head smashed into Gamera, sending the turtle twirling around at high speed. The follow up attack was an attempt to bite down on Gamera's shell, but despite the Ant's giant jaw and teeth it did little more than lock the turtle kaiju in its mouth horizontally. A bad mistake.

I believe Zilla would enjoy this line. Open wide! A stream of plasma burned out of one of the shell's holes and went right down into the Ant's throat, searing the softer flesh within. Screaming in burning agony the creature released Gamera's shell immediately and smacked him away with a sweep of its skull.

Nice one Gamera! See how he likes being charbroiled inside out.

No time for congrats, Zilla. Move in now, while it's distracted!

Titano and Zilla swam down to get below the beast as Gamera pulled back and prepared a plasma stream, but none of them got the chance to enact their plans.

Enough! The mental roar was joined by a pulse of energy blowing out from the creature, knocking the kaiju back and disorienting them.

Did… did the Ant just talk? Zilla asked while moving himself upright again.

Gamera unleashed several jet puffs from his shell to stop his spinning, coming to a rest looking down at the incensed monster below him. I believe it just did.

But Ants don't talk, Titano objected. They're not smart enough to. That stupid hive mind thing gives them orders and they follow it.

For the rest that is true… The crocodile smiled, amusement radiating from its thoughts. Its voice was dark and deep, colder than the furthest depths of an ocean trench. But I am more than they. More than a simple beast. They are formed solely as fighters, meant for nothing more than combat and destruction. But me…I am the Creation. A new being formed from the best that our understanding of reality can accomplish. The full representation of my masters' power. A horrible snarl started in its throat and extended into a grating mental rasp. And I will not let you threaten them once again.

The Creation roared both vocally and mentally then rushed at the group once again, a series of telepathic assaults joining its physical rushes. In response the trio split up, Gamera going high while spouting a length of plasma, Titano and Zilla moving to either side.

The Creation was having none of it. It feinted upwards at Gamera just long enough to convince the guardian then made an abrupt turn down towards Titano as she was reaching out to bite its flipper. She had only a moment to look in horror before the giant creature collapsed upon her, its full weight falling on her and sending her flying off.

Titano! Zilla roared before rushing forward and clamping down on an exposed portion of the Creation's flesh, tearing the meat away with his jaws. When the Creation ignored Zilla in favor of continuing after the fleeing Titano, Zilla snarled. You're not ignoring me, freak! He opened his mouth and poured out a stream of nuclear green napalm onto the Creation's wounds. The material burned deep into the muscle and bone, prompting a terrific screech of agony from the creature.

The Creation immediately chased after Zilla in revenge, allowing Gamera to move down to Titano to aid her. How bad is it? he asked as he swept a mana infused palm over her body.

I've… had worse, she mumbled at him. A few cracked ribs and my arm don't feel quite right. Still good to go.

Gamera shook his head and pushed some of his mana into her, setting her bones back into place and repairing some the torn muscles. We can't afford to let our injuries hold us back Titano. She started to protest but he silenced her with a glare and went back to his healing.

I, ugh, didn't know Zilla could breathe fire like that. Thought he didn't have any special powers at all.

He doesn't use it often, Gamera explained. It takes a lot out of him and he can usually only do it once in a fight. He prefers to rely on his physical abilities where he can. The turtle guardian smiled as he finished with his work. He also says it ruins his sense of taste for a week afterward.

Titano rolled her eyes. Of course he would complain about that. Big baby. She rolled her shoulders and tested her movements, wincing as some of her nerves complained at the stress. Gamera's mana may have taken the edge off, but that blow was going to leave a mark on her all the same. Let's get after him. I'm eager for some pay back.

Right behind you Titano.

While the two rushed forward to rejoin the fight, the submarines sat in their places outside the barrier, passively watching the battle unfold.

"Oh that's just wonderful," Roderick complained. "Not only does it think, it's fanatical as well."

Clansi frowned and folded his arms over his chest as he watched the trio once again play their super sized version of cat and mouse. Several times the giant blob would strike at one of the golden spots and knock it away, only for the other two to descend on it from the other sides and get in their own hits before retreating again. Each time the cycle repeated the trio grew just a little bit slower or hung back longer before going in. The fight was evenly matched for the moment, but that balance was swiftly changing. "More important is that it can think and plan no differently from our guys. Which means we need to keep it from thinking clearly."

The American Captain was broken from his musing by a call from behind him. "Captain, Sonar reports a kaiju contact approaching the barrier again. Also our magnetometer is receiving very strange readings along the same bearing."

"Does the sonar signal match the contact we recorded earlier?"

A moment passed while the officer relayed the question to the sonar compartment, then turned back for the answer. "Vaguely sir, but the signature has changed somewhat. They say its… gotten bigger than before." Another pause. "And now they're saying that they are getting echoes from rocks moving on the seafloor. It looks like an earthquake, but it's moving in one direction. Toward the barrier sir."

Clansi pinched his nose and squeezed his eyes shut, hoping when he opened all the bad news would just stop. Not only do we have an intelligent 800 foot monster in there, but now we have two unknowns coming in, one of them apparently from underground. Can anything else go wrong right now?

As if his thoughts were a cue card most of the bridge crew gasped. The Captain turned to see what they were looking at and saw a terrifying sight on the telepath display. While the three gold points representing his allies were flitting back and forth around the red mass a new stream of small green dots began floating up from the still open Rift.

Captain Romanev let out a string of expletives before shouting over the link, "Watch out Defenders. More of the sukas are coming up behind you."

What, now? Zilla ducked under a wide sweep from the main Ant's flipper. We can't deal with those things again with this guy on our tails!

Gamera launched a set of plasma balls down at the thing's head, moving its attention away from Zilla to the turtle. Captains, we need you to launch your torpedoes. Anything you can do to disrupt those creatures would be greatly appreciated. Further conversation was cut off as Gamera had to blow himself back to avoid a concentrated stream of sonic energy projected from the Ant's mouth.

The ship Captains needed no more encouragement than that to order another barrage of torpedoes. Several long and agonizing seconds passed in the various control rooms before the torps finally passed through the barrier and started streaming in toward the crowd of miniature Ants from three sides.

As soon as the torps appeared though, their fate was sealed. The Creation paused in its attack on the Defenders and held in place, its back spines lighting up with streaks of lightning. Not again! Its mouth opened up and unleashed mile-long bolts of energy at the sets of underwater missiles, detonating them long before they reached their targets. The barrier absorbed the explosions' sonic waves but the disappearance of their signals was not unnoticed by their launch platforms.

"What happened?" Romanev demanded, staring at his display in confusion. "Where did our torpedoes go?"

"They were launched sir, but they blew up as soon they passed through the barrier."

"Yes, we can see that," Roderick said. "What we want to know is why?!"

This Tanaka damn creature hit them with lightning from its fracking mouth! Zilla cried.

Clansi's gaze whirled back and forth between the spot of red denoting the beast on screen to where the torps had all been launched. "But he's literally miles away! How could he have reached that far?! Damnit, now we're useless!"

"There's no way any of our nukes could reach the Rift before they are destroyed," Roderick agreed. "And now we have no way to support the Defenders. I am afraid they are on their own."

M… maybe not.

The Captains all paused at the female voice. "What do you mean, Miss White?"

The telepath was quiet for a moment, almost as if she was talking to someone else. That sonar contact you spotted… it's not an enemy kaiju. In fact, she seems quite eager to help.

"Wait… she?"

They all fell silent as they turned to the screen, seeing a new orange blob rapidly pass through the barrier and come out the other side aimed right at the stream of reinforcing Ants.

Meanwhile inside the combat zone, Zilla and Titano fell back once again from the Creation, dodging a pair of lightning bolts shot their way.

Any ideas for dealing with the pests again? Titano asked, breathing a sigh of relief as the Creation turned away to chase after Gamera, who had blasted its face with another set of plasma balls. Her face was stuck in a pained snarl, willfully trying to push away the sensations coming from her overworked body.

I was hoping you had a plan honestly. One of Zilla's arms hung limply at his side, and several long scratches on his flank marked where the Creation's flipper had grazed him. Guess we need to split up again. You keep the big guy busy and I'll try to handle all the… Zilla's voice fell away as he turned to face the oncoming horde, only to spot a dark red shadow flitting towards them at high speed. Who the Daei?

The Ants were all scrambling mindlessly towards the battle above like rabid wolves, and thus were too busy to notice the attacker approaching their sides. The first one died in mid-screech, its body torn asunder by sharp claws slicing cleanly through it. The rest heard the cry and turned to face the new attacker head on, only to be ripped apart or bashed away by a hail of flashing sword-like claws or snarling teeth. All who came close to the beast were eviscerated before they could so much as scratch at it, their double-digit numbers dwindling at a rapid pace. Eventually the group gained some semblance of order and attempted to surround the threat, but that ended up being a fool's errand. A wave of sonic emulation pounded against each part of the Ant's living wall, ruining their hearing and destroying their guards. It was all the opening necessary for the remainder to fall apart into a chaotic mess as death swept back and forth amongst them.

Finally the wave was annihilated, the last screaming in futility as bloodied jaws clamped down on it and extinguished its life at last. Zilla and Titano openly gaped at the field of blood and gore below them, the giant kaiju the Ants had been sent to help completely forgotten behind them.

Out of the red mist emerged a figure that seemed to merge the scariest aspects of the two onlookers into one beast. The creature was shaped like a typical theropod dinosaur, but had multiple fins and crests reminiscent of deep-sea fish. Deadly claws dozens of feet long graced the end of the five-fingered hands, arms thickly corded with muscle covered by heavy scales like a natural suit of armor. A thin and spear-like muzzle was lined with needle sharp teeth, slit lizard eyes staring directly at the two with both intelligence and brutality.

Titano felt like she was looking down at a twisted version of herself, as if she was staring at a reflection in the water that had been warped by ocean waves. By Tanaka… what are you?

The thing shook its head back and forth and said at a swift pace, No talk time, fight now! With that it lanced up and away, towards the pair of giants duking it out with lightning and fire in equal measure.

Relative quiet reigned for a moment, Zilla switching his look back and forth between the fading kaiju and Titano on his left. Hey, remember when you said you couldn't handle any more weirdness yesterday? Well, I think that's the universe's way of saying, don't tempt me.

If Titano had any self-awareness at that moment she might have bopped Zilla over the head, but as it was she was still trying to understand just what her eyes had seen.

Leaving the two stunned kaiju well behind the new combatant flew towards the dueling turtle and crocodile at high speed, aiming herself at the larger monster's unguarded tail.

Gamera fired again with his plasma breath, the heavy energy splashing against the Creation's skull and scorching its flesh where the scales had been removed, only for the oversized croc to pass right through without a care. It's massive mouth opened up to once more, bright blue static building in its throat ready to be unleashed directly at the Guardian kaiju. Just before the bolts could launch though they replaced with screams of pain.

Surprised but not displeased by the turn of events Gamera blasted away from the other monster's maw and hovered above it, spotting what the likely source of the Creation's discomfort. At the point where the creature's back changed into tail a maroon kaiju was busying itself with slashing and biting at the visible flesh, seemingly intent on digging its way down to the Creation's skeleton. The new monster got one final snap away at the tail meat before it was flung away by a telekinetic wave and the Creation came about to strike it.

Gamera halted that plan of action by unleashing a hail of mana balls at the thing's spiked back, hitting the apparent channels of electricity just as they started to charge. The hits did much more than he had expected, sending the Creation into writhing spasms that gave the new kaiju a chance to back away. The Creation flailed about for several moments before falling still and beginning to sink, small twitches from its fins being the only sign it was still alive. Well, that certainly worked better than expected. I now wish I had targeted the spines sooner. Ah well, the benefits of hindsight I suppose. He turned to the unknown monster and asked, Now, who might you be, and why have you joined in this brawl of ours?

He gave the newcomer a critical eye, both visual and magical, and was bemused by what he saw. It seemed to all the world that the monster was a combination of Zilla and Titano at their most intimidating, but what truly struck him as odd was its mana signature.

Each kaiju, and indeed every being Gamera had ever met had their own unique 'thumbprint' in magic to use the human term, but most bore several defining marks that showed their role or species. Humans all had a dull, almost nonexistent marking, nearly impossible to spot unless actively searching for it. The rare telepaths and hybrids among the human population sported slightly more noticeable marks, but still were like shadowy blotches in an already dark night. Animals and kaiju by contrast were much brighter and vibrant, a colorful spectrum denoting hundreds or thousands of different forms. And then there were the mana users, such as himself, those beings blessed with the gift of magical power. Only a very few among the Defenders could claim such a power, but Gamera's brother and sister guardians carried the mark regardless of their ability in the field.

And for some reason so too did this creature.

The kaiju took a moment to catch its breath, then turned to him and relaxed a bit. Name's Tytana. Tya for short. The voice was highly pitched and remarkably light in contrast to her terrifying appearance. Heard you guys could use some help, so I decided to stop by.

Gamera smiled and replied, We are most certainly not adverse to aid, so you have my thanks. Though I must wonder, how did you know we required assistance to begin with?

Um… Tytanna turned away from him and mumbled a bit, as if embarrassed. Oh you know. I was just… in the area so…

You were stalking us weren't you?

Tytanna jumped in place in shock while Gamera merely nodded to his fellows as they finally arrived. Titano moved right up to Tytanna and glared in her face, radiating suspicion over the mind link. You were the one who kept showing up in the distance, following us after we met up yesterday. Why? How did you know what we were doing? Why didn't you come talk to us earlier if you 'just wanted to help'?

Tytanna shrunk back from the other kaiju's questions and was left stammering. I… well um… I kinda found out from asking…

A low rumbling began to emanate from below them, causing the group to look down at the Anteverser, who had drifted off while they were talking towards the Rift in idle. The stillness was coming to an end though as the Creation turning its eyes towards them with apoplectic loathing. I have tolerated this assault long enough, but no more. Now you will face my full potential and everything my masters have to offer.

The Creation gave off a shuddering scream loud enough to force the kaiju to all cover their ears. While they were distracted the Rift below shifted and writhed as yet another swarm of the smaller Ants poured upward, forming into a cloud around their leader.

Oh sweet Tanaka, Zilla muttered. It never ends. It never ends! How many of those things do they have?!

Titano snarled and readied herself. Not enough. Not if I have anything to say about it.

If we have anything to say, Tytanna added, sliding her claws along their edges to check the sharpness. A toothy smirk appeared on her face. We being more than just the four of us.

Before any of the group could ask what she meant, the rumbling below accelerated drastically. Plumes of lava blasted upwards from the volcano and shot through the underside of the Rift, scorching several of the unlucky Ants who happened to be down too low. Then the eruption kicked into overdrive, the entire lake of molten rock rising upwards to the point that it flowed up and over the lip of the Rift and spilled out onto the surrounding rocks. Sensing it was in danger the Rift closed itself off, leaving the Ants outside with nowhere to retreat to and no access to reinforcements.

We also includes him, Tytanna said primly.

Him being? Zilla started to say before a huge crack echoed through the water. From the edge of the fiery maelstrom one of the broken canyons stretched open in a blazing spray of lava. The lava froze in place then shifted and molded into a new shape, digging up stray pieces of half melted rock and crystal as it did. Huge arms made of thickened lava rose up, connected to a giant living volcano torso. The 'head' of the thing was a blocky mass of dully glowing rock surrounding an empty opening of bright orange magma. No sooner had the thing fully formed than it let loose a gigantic roar, sending a shockwave pulsing through the water and throwing the little Ants around.

Gamera stared at the form with his mana sense, seeing a familiar red aura, only much stronger than he had last seen it. Is that who I believe it to be?

Obsidious! Titano cried out. What are you doing here?

Tytanna gave the answer. I met up with him after you all left and the first nuke landed, but apparently it wasn't enough for him. I managed to talk to the observer who was hanging around and convince them to give him another dose. They, uh, thought I was you actually, she said while pointing at Titano. When he absorbed the second nuke… I think it was a bit more than he strictly needed.

No bloody kidding, Zilla said. The guy's twice as big as he was before. What did he do, feed off of the volcano too?

We can ask these questions of him later. For now I think we had best eliminate these Anteversers before they find a way to subvert the lava flows. Titano, can you ask him to direct his focus onto the larger beast? Perhaps his power boost will be enough to finally harm the creature.

Titano nodded at Gamera and swam down towards the volcano, projecting a stream of thought at the lava titan.

While she is doing that, we should try to eliminate as many of the smaller beasts as possible. Remove any support for the Creation.

You got it sir, Zilla said. Come on rookie. Let's see how good you are at fighting in a pair.

You got it, cuz'! Lemme strut my stuff!

Wait, what?

Tytanna drove forward without answering, her claws out and ready and letting out a high-pitched sonic scream at the nearest Ants. Gamera followed closely behind her, then shot past and rammed into a pair of Ants who had foolishly tried to stand their ground. Zilla eventually went after them, wondering to himself, Since when did I have a cousin?

While the other three were busying themselves with tearing apart the Ants and avoiding the endless lightning bolts from the Creation, Titano came to a halt several hundred feet away from the manifestation of the friend. Even with the extreme cold of the deep ocean water she could feel the waves of heat peeling off of him every second. You okay there Ob? Is… is everything fixed?

The head turned towards her, the rocks grinding against each other as he moved. I am well, Titanosaurus, he said with a booming voice. My self is… stronger. More heat. More light.

And… and the recharge? Do you think that is fixed?

He tilted his head. Unsure. Power is high. More than before. Do not know… what will change. An approximation of a smile formed from rock scum in the magma. Worry no. Can help now. Must fight.

Titano bit her cheek. You don't have to fight you know, if you don't what to. I'm sure we can handle this.

No. Want to be here. Want to help. Help friends. He turned away, looking down into the volcano he was spawning from. Xenilla, no friend. Never help. Keep away from others. Not let talk, make friend. Keep alone. Titanosaurus help. Care. New Titanosaurus help. Tell friends need help. Go with. New Titanosaurus care. Friend.

New Ti… Titano shook the thought away. Time was of the essence. Alright, you want to help. Great. See that big guy? She pointed at the Creation, who was busy curling back and forth to try and get shots at the Defenders moving back and forth killing every Ant that came close. He's a threat. He wants to make more of him and take over the planet. Kill everyone, kaiju and human. I don't want you to have to kill… but we need him to die.

Obsidious' hands curled into fists as he turned his 'gaze' towards the Creation. Was made to fight. Kill. Will kill for friends. Tell friends move away.

Titano gave him a brief pained look, then nodded and swam off. Guys, Ob says he's gonna join the fight, so unless you want an underwater sunburn you might wanna back away fast.

"So that is Obsidious then," Clansi mused. "Well, there might be hope for the situation yet." He looked back at the screen and tried to calculate the odds. Almost all of the Ants were gone by now, but the Creation was still moving and firing away. At the Captain's command a thermal overlay was spread over the screen, translating the mental data Carrie was receiving into more visual images. Giant beams of bright red started appearing in the visual, striking the Creation at several points and blasting away the final few small Ants. "The tide has turned gentlemen, but I still feel like we should be doing something. Right now we're stuck as observers in this fight, and I don't know if they can afford us sitting idle out here."

"What else can we do, comrade? Our torpedoes would be useless against a beast of that size, and firing nukes would just over-complicate the situation."

"It is sad, but I have to agree. We just have to wait for opportunity lads. Til then, just keep a stiff upper lip."

"And have a sip of tea as well?" Clansi smirked.

"Oh bugger off mate," was the good-natured answer.

The Creation roared again, commanding its lessers to come to it so they could stand together. No sooner had it finished the order than it saw a beam of lava strike a group of Ants in front of its face, burning them to the bone before they could react. Another beam immediately struck its side, melting the plates and skin underneath until it ducked out of the attack. Further beams were deflected by sonic explosions or dodged as best the Creation could, but it could feel the rest of its support evaporating under the other Defender's attentions. This needs to cease! The Creation launched bolt after bolt after the retreating Defenders, saying, You have tried my patience fresistance will end now!

Gamera fell back from the brawl, keeping the Creation from attacking his also friends by again blasting at the charging spines on its back. It seemed to have learned from the first time though because each subsequent try had failed to stun it for more than a few seconds. The turtle guardian did a quick check of the battlefield and saw that everyone was at least a mile away from the Creation. We are all clear of the creature, Titano. Tell Obsidious he is clear.

Titano sent him an acknowledgement then turned to Obsidious. You've done good so far Ob, but you don't need to hold back anymore. Give it everything you've got.

OPEN FIRE, ROCKY! Tytanna shouted, cheering on from behind the massive living volcano.

Fire away turned out to be an understatement. Obsidious dug his hands down into the surging lava pool and leaned into the heat, absorbing more and more of the volcano's power into himself. Whatever the nukes had done, it seemed they had vastly increased his storage capacity. On Solgell Obsidious' flames had been nearly useless against Godzilla at point blank, and utterly pointless on Angurius. Now though, with the full might of a volcanic rift at his disposal and his prior limits removed… now he seemed to be a god of fire come to life.

The Creation was not idle however. It had noticed the power surging beneath and wasn't going to let it happen undaunted. A quick charge of static along its back and it fired a set of bolts down at the mass of flame and stone. It gave a grim smile of triumph for a moment before realizing that the attacks had done next to nothing. The lightning had impacted the lava and simply poured more heat and energy into it, and denser stone replaced the rocks that had cracked and shorn away under the barrage in moments.

Lightning on its own wasn't going to be enough, the Creation realized. Very well then. Time to cease holding back. The Creation's spines once again lit up, but this time the light was a dark, pulsating green. All across its body minor wounds and scrapes sealed themselves, while torn muscles knitted back together and sealed underneath repaired skin.

Is… is it healing itself?! Zilla exclaimed. What the heck is going on? Since when did Anteversers have an ability like that?

I believe it is much more than simple healing, Gamera chimed in. In his vision he could see a dull aura shining around the Creation's body. This is Terran magic. Corrupted and twisted, but magic nonetheless.

Tytanna and Zilla both stared at him in shock, while Titano growled. Not surprised. This thing's been feeling off ever since it showed up. Do you think Ob will be able to beat him like this?

Gamera glanced between the two charging monsters, gauging the energy flowing around them. It is too close to tell. We will have to plan on the Creation surviving whatever Obsidious throws at it. With that in mind…

While the Defenders retreated further and further from the battlefield, hoping to avoid the oncoming power clash, the Creation and Obsidious gathered more and more power into themselves.

This move is valiant of you, but pointless. My strength eclipses yours several times over. No matter how much you take from this natural fount of flame, the Rift gifts me with more. This will end with your essence in tatters and the others dead on the seafloor.

No. Will not falter. Will not fail. Friends… My friends are counting on me. Obsidious shuddered as he pushed himself even further in his absorbing of the lava, the flames around his body shifting in color from red to orange to yellow.

The Creation's eyes widened at the sight but then narrowed again as it stepped up its own power charge, the spines along its back disappearing behind their green glow. Friends? What use are friends in war? In conquest? It's a waste of time and inefficient. A master orders his servants and the servants obey. That is the order of things.

Oh PLEASE. That line' so cliche it literally HURTS! Tytanna's shout was powerful enough to send the others next to her reeling. Anyone with half a brain knows that kindness and friendship gains loyalty far stronger than fear and malice ever will! Friends stick by you through thick and thin but the instant fear wanes, your hold weakens! Seriously, THREE YEAR OLDS figure this crap out better than your precious masters have!

That's why we've always beat your asses before now! Zilla added in. Even when you had an advantage of numbers or surprise, we never stopped working together. Humanity and kaiju both cooperated for the greater good. Your masters send useless fodder out to fight us, not caring if they live or die, and because of that they always lost.

Titano chimed in as well, saying, None of your Anteversers have any thoughts or feelings of their own. They don't know how much meaning life has, and because of that they can never fight as hard to keep it as someone who understands the gift they've been given. Look at us! We slaughtered dozens of your worthless mooks despite being outnumbered 10 or 20 to one! We've evaded everything you threw at us and survived every attack, despite how much 'stronger' you claim to be.

Mere luck and happenstance! the Creation roared back. My masters' will shall not be denied. They have existed for untold millennia, conquering planets and civilizations greater than yours.

And just how many of those were actually fighting as a team? Tytanna shouted, her roar sounding human-like. How many of those worlds truly fought back? How many bothered? You can talk up your conquests all you want with vague statements and bull crap about how advanced they were, but I see no proof. All I see is the latest in a long line of puppet soldiers sent down by a bunch of egocentric TWATS acting like they're the biggest mother porkers in the multiverse. Yet somehow they're getting their asses handed to them by the local vigilantes and shock-troops! FACE IT! You and your precious 'masters' are full of hot air! AND WE'RE GONNA POP YA IN THE FACE!

Gamera rose up above the trio, gathering his remaining mana around himself. Of all the races that have existed on this planet or have visited it in the past, none have shown the resilience and tenacity that humanity has. They have faced the worst of natural disasters, wars, plagues, even an onslaught of monsters thousands of time their size and power and have come out not only alive but stronger for it! In the face of overwhelming adversity humanity has endured and thrived, not just for themselves, but for those who have taken the chance to befriend them. I am proud to say that I am a friend to humanity, along with all Defenders and Mysterians who have joined their civilization. Here you do not face a single race, separate and alone, cowering before you.

His aura grew stronger, drawing from the trio of Defenders below him. Here you fight a collection of beings all working together for the common good. Defending each other from invaders and conquerors like you! And together we shout out in one voice!

No more invaders! Zilla shouted, his energy flowing into Gamera freely.

No more desecrators! Titano agreed, sending her mana up to the turtle above.

No more fear! Tytanna said, her power visibly surrounding her before surging up and into the Guardian above.

No more loss! Obsidious screamed, the volcano surging around him.

Their voices joined into one roar, louder than any one was on their own. This is our planet! And we will defend it!

The gathered energy flowed through Gamera, who sent it pulsing down into Obsidious. Suddenly the lava titan's color shifted again, turning a bright and vibrant blue. The lava pool around him rippled and shuddered from the blowback, all the water surrounding him flashing to steam faster than it could rush back in. In the center of Obsidious' face the power collapsed into a single point, a blinding light shining out from it.

The Creation was shuddering in place now, whether from the effort of pulling out as much power from the Rift as possible or from genuine concern it was impossible to tell. We will not be stopped! No matter how much you struggle or squirm we will succeed in the end. We will not be beaten by a bunch of low grade PESTS!

A thought started in the head of one of the kaiju, then spread out into the others as a single whole. Fitting, was the collective response.

PESTS!? they shouted back. We are no pests! We are Earthlings, and we will win!

The Creation snarled one last time then opened its mouth and unleashed its stored attack. The beam was over fifty feet wide, a sickly nuclear green with dark shadow splotches within. You will die now! Worthless beings!

Obsidious' aura grew one last time before the voice shouted at its loudest.

Just who.

The Daiei!

DO YOU THINK WE ARE!?

Obsidious unleashed the power at that instant, a beam of cerulean power lancing out to meet the Creation's blast. The two beams contacted over the center of the Rift, causing a giant detonation of energy that vaporized everything close to it. The lava pool compressed under the unleashed shockwave, the edges of the Rift folding back under the force. Seconds later the energy reached the barrier and shattered it, the dark field fading immediately. Just beyond it the three submarines were jostled as if by hurricane force waves, knocking many crewmen off their feet.

The beams struggled back and forth, one pushing its way forward for a few instants before the other would assert dominance again, shining blue clashing with shadowed green. Both sides strained as hard as they could, pushing to their limit and beyond. Tense seconds passed on and on in a massive game of chicken to see who would run out first. Below them the lava was slowly receding away or cooling down into rock, while the Rift started to shrink back as well. Neither side could seem to get an advantage over the other, near equally matched as they were.

But then something interceded.

Unseen behind the light of the pulsating beams a single metal construct streamed up towards the Creation, approaching its underside completely unnoticed.

Watch out Defenders! Carrie warned. Things are about to go nuclear!

The Defenders all huddled behind Obsidious as best they could, doing their best to keep the weakening mana stream going into the attack. The Creation heard the warning as well and attempted to blow the torpedo away with a telekinetic wave, but the beam it was firing took up too much of its concentration. It sensed the nuke just a few hundred feet away and at the last moment cut off the beam, redirecting the power into forming a green shield. It's progress no longer halted the mana beam struck the shield and cracked it immediately, the strain shattering the rest of the makeshift covering. The Creation stared wide eyed at the group down below it as the nuke reached its target.

Detonation.

A new sun ignited into existence for mere microseconds. A circle of vacuum flashed outward as the deep ocean water all but disappeared. Obsidious stretched out with its arms and body, attempting to cover the Defenders with his form. It worked, but only barely, as he absorbed the heat and light of a nuclear reaction for the third time in recent days. Leftovers of the shockwave blasted past him and sent the Defenders flying off through the water, bouncing or crashing into the sea bottom and scorching from the remaining heat. Eventually they had a chance to breathe again, but only for a moment before the pull reversed direction back towards the empty space that had been voided out of the ocean. This time they all made efforts to resist the tide, gripping into the rock wherever they could. Slowly but surely the forces subsided and the waters stilled once again, the kaiju all picking themselves up and checking for injuries.

Oh wow, Zilla moaned. That hurt. Really, really hurt. He was moving cautiously and slowly, only his tail waving back and forth to show he was awake. I knew nukes were powerful but damn, that was something else. Kinda surprised we're alive to be honest.

You and me both, Titano agreed. Part of her tail fin seemed to missing entirely, and the lack of feeling in her chest didn't bode very well.

Did anyone get the number of that doomtrain? I think I'm missing my squeedlyspooch. Tytanna appeared in a very thorough daze and looked to have severe burns across most of her body.

A body that was far smaller than before. The sharp spikes and lines had disappeared and the form had shifted into a much more humanoid stance. In all, she looked like a smaller and younger Titano, only with differing colors and a shorter muzzle.

Gamera, his shell heavily burned and cracked in several spots, turned to the now much smaller kaiju and asked, Tytanna, correct me if I am wrong, but have you shrunk somewhat?

What are you… she looked down at herself. Oh consarn it!

Is this something you expected to happen?

I… yeah, kind of. I just hoped it wouldn't happen until later. Thought I was getting better at holding that form, but I guess all the strain was too much. Mom's gonna be SO mad. Both of them are…

Titano looked like she wanted to ask what Tytanna meant when she felt a wave of pain over the mental link. Obsidious! She zoomed off towards the destroyed volcano, heedless of her own injuries. The others followed her at their own paces, Zilla lagging behind due to his damaged muscles.

Titano quickly reached the edge of the volcano, its interior almost emptied of lava. She spotted Obsidious lying in an alcove in the rock, his flame reduced to a weak red. Obsidious! Are you alright?

Weak, his voice droned. Drained. But steady. Solid. Will recover. Three nukes, not fun.

Titano heaved a sigh of relief and started laughing to cover it. Yeah, I didn't think they would be. Nice job, Ob. You did good.

The smile approximation appeared on his face again. We did.

Not good enough.

Titano shrunk back as she heard the voice, turning around in a panic towards its source. Descending out of a cloud of disturbed water the Creation glared down at her murderously. One of its front flippers was missing from the joint down as was most of its tail behind it. What few scales that were still attached were cracked or shattered beyond repair, its large swathes of exposed skin burned into blackened masses of char and soot. The right eye was gone along with much of its skin and flesh on that side, leaving parts of its skeleton exposed to the open water. Faint tinges of green hovered over parts of its body, keeping the organs or nerves within from falling out.

FUCKING WHAT!? Tytanna screamed, WHAT ARE YOU MADE OF!? PURE HATE!? ARE YOU WOLVERINE OR SOMETHING!? WHAT THE DAEI, MAN!?

What does it take to kill you damnit! Zilla added to the rant.

The Creation sneered down at them, many of the teeth broken into horrid crags and stumps. My death may not come until I have fulfilled my purpose. And that purpose will be fulfilled. With your ends.

While the others moved back in concern, Obsidious stood up, his arms hanging down at his sides as his face turned towards the beast. Not our ends. He leaped out over the abyss, latching onto the Creation's face and burning handholds into its flesh.

Just mine.

Frozen for just a moment to long Titano tried to move up to join him but was held back by Gamera, the turtle guardian's face stoney.

What the Daiei are you doing?! Let me go!

The Creation bucked up and down, trying to smack or loosen Obsidious off of it, but nothing would remove him. Down below the volcano sparked to life again, the magma surging upward in a tall plume.

You are in no shape to try and fight that thing, Gamera said as he pulled Titano away from the volcano, Zilla and Tytanna following as best as they could. None of us are.

Fuck that, he needs my help! We can still beat it.

At what cost Tanty? Zilla asked. We can barely move and that thing is still intact. There's no way to win. He twitched with pain to prove his point, his tail barely able to shift enough to allow him to move.

Obsidious dug deeper into the Creation's skull, prompting horrific screams from the Anteverser as his palms burned through the roof of the thing's mouth. All the while the volcano's magma kept rushing upward, surrounding the exposed Rift once again.

Tytanna placed a paw on Titano's shoulder. Don't. He's got this. I… I'm sorry...

Sorry nothing! We can't just let him die! He's my friend damnit! He's my…

Titano fell silent as Obsidious' voice reached out to them over the cacophony of roars the Creation was putting out. That is why this happens, Titanosaurus. You… are my friend, and I cannot allow you to die.

But… Titano begged.

If we all fight, we will die in the attempt. The Creation will die, one way or another… but so will we. I cannot let that happen. His face gazed out at them all, the rocks turned and angled in such a way as to reflect sadness. I… will miss you, my friend. But your life is worth more than mine. I was made as nothing more than a construct of war, no different from this creature. That was always my purpose. My point in life. You showed me that there was more to life than violence, but part of me could never accept it. Even now, part of me enjoys this. And I fear what that part would do to you in the peaceful future you seek.

But you wouldn't do that! Titano argued. We know you're better than that!

And you are better than me, he countered. All of you. Better than I could ever be. If I must submit to my inner beast… Obsidious roared and the volcano erupted one last time, completely covering the Creation in searing lava. Then let it be to save other lives.

The Defenders all watched as both Obsidious and the Creation bathed in the volcano's full fury, the Anteverser writhing in plain agony while Obsidious simply held on tight. The Rift was also engulfed in the eruption, its interior shielding scalding under the flames. Then Obsidious let go of the Creation, his rock hide melting away immediately as his essence combined with that of the volcano.

NO! NOOOO! I WILL NOT FAIL! The Creation reared upward, green energy pushing down to propel it away from the rising lava, while firing as many bolts as it could into the surrounding water, trying in vain to hit Obsidious' essence. DIE ABOMINATION! DIE!

Suddenly the lava redirected its momentum, plowing down onto the top of the creature and pushing it down towards the closed Rift. YOU WILL, Obsidious' answer.

The Creation was at first too in pain to recognize what was happening, but eventually understood the elemental's plan and thrashed in attempt to leave the river of lava. Obsidious didn't let it get far, barring it in place above the Rift by melting its spine to cut off movement. No longer able to vocalize its dismay the Creation was forced to stare down helplessly as the Rift opened to accept its charge. No sooner had the gate been opened than Obsidious rushed the entire force of the volcano down into the Rift's depths. The stream continued down into the wormhole for nearly a minute before something seemed to break within and the Rift closed up at last, cutting off the volcano from the other dimension. It's job completed at last the final blobs of magma drifted down into the broken mountain's center, its anger spent to the last cent.

Titano and the others gazed down into the now empty abyss, words failing them all.

Far off from the group the sub captains and crews all stared at their central screens in awe of what had occurred. None paid notice to the injuries and they had gained from being jostled by the nuke nor to the damage reports filing in from other areas on the boats. All attention was fixed on the one golden spot shivering at the edge of the dark void.

"Mission complete," Clansi said at last. "Let's… let's head on home."

---

A/N: ... Well... this turned out... Yeah.

On the positive side, I met my deadline. So that is proof that I can indeed work under a deadline and get things done if I force myself. And I already have most of the next chapter written, just need to make a few changes and additions to it before its quite ready. After that things are a bit more uncertain, but rest assured my pace of writing for this story will remain much higher than it was before. Until next time, hope you enjoyed.

Tytanna's Totally True and Tremendous Tale of sTupendousness!

It twas a dark and stormy night with poisoned rainbows arcing threw the poisned sky. Everywhere you looked there were ZOMBIES! Big zombies small zombies big small zombies! There were zombies in parkaz and zombis in armer and zombie in a thong, too! The hole of Prince Edwer Izlind was an udder mess!

But that wasnt a problem for Tytanna 'Awesome Middle Name' Johnson! She was kiling zombies right, left, middle, back AND forward. All at the same time!

"Ah." She said sighing as she pulped a zombies skill with a bare hug beteen her boobs. "Todays a beutiful day!"

Wat WAS a problem, tho, was a Megazombie! He was BIG! And muscly. And Big, too! Like. He was ALL of the big!

"Ah, Tittyannasaurus! So we met again!" Yeah, Megazombie talks because reasons! And he's a perv, because evil.

"Megazombie! Get the fuk outta mai base! How did you even get up here, we're in the skY!" Tytanna 'Totally awesome hottie' Johnson frowned, lookin over the ej ov her bas tot he ocean below.

"You knwo what I want, my littel Dinsoaur." And then the Megazombi grabbed his pants...

---

Wait wait wait. Hold the phone a sec.

Yes? Tya said with a falsely innocent look.

Let me get this perfectly straight here. This… was you playing a video game.

Yep, she responded brightly.

Zilla looked at her with complete deadpan. And… you added in the narration right?

She shrugged. Some of it. The 'poisoned rainbows' bit at the beginning was actually in there. It's a very meta game.

Meta?

Self aware, she explained.

Ah, right… okay then. So… why was the zombie dropping his pants? Did he have a weapon hidden in there or something?

Tya stared at him blankly for a few seconds. Ye… yeah, you could say that.

Zilla tilted his head and said, Strange place for a human to hide something like that. Or zombie I guess. But hey, it's just a game. Weird stuff happens in those. Least that's what Nick told me. Anyway, go on with the story.

You want me to keep going? Tya asked, blinking at him in surprise.

Well yeah. It's… kinda interesting I guess. He resisted the urge to look to his right, where he could feel his other companion following along behind them. Anything to break up the mood right now, he whispered.

Oh. Yeah. Like a light switch being thrown Tya immediately brightened and threw herself into the narration again.

(Mega Awesome Super Duper Scene Transition)

- and revealed the gigantic rocket launcher he had hidden in his crotch area. Definitely just a rocket launcher. That shoots explosives. AND NOTHING ELSE. And before Tytanna could react, the Megazombie pulled the trigger. In a deafening BANG the floating base she'd worked so hard to build was eviscerated and the two were plummeting to the grond.

"You're an asshole." She said, pulling out her Poisoned Rainbow Shadowstalker and aimingthe railgun right between the Megaazombie's grinning eyes. With a pull of the trigger, the Megazombie was dead, sent flying ass over teakettle int the horizon. And just as she loked down, Tytanna's fate was sealed.

---

And then I died. Because falling from a mile up hurts like hell and I just tanked a rocket to the face…

Zilla stared at her in surprise. What, that's it? You just died after he shot you?

Well yeah. Tya's smile morphed into a triumphant smirk. But after I respawned…

(Mega Awesome Super Duper Scene Transition)

But not even death sould ctop Tytanna for long. After spitting in Death's face and wreking the entrance room of Hell itself. Tytann reappeared on the ground, ready to kick ass and chew zombie flesh.

And there was plenty of zombie flesh.

Megaazombie showed up then. Even tho he died to. He shouted! "HOw you still live?! I kill you?!"

"FOOL!" Tytanna 'fill in the name yourself derphead' Johnson cryed! "Not even death can kill me!"

---

Did you just call me 'derphead'?

… Okay, maybe I should tone that part down a bit.

(Mega Awesome Super Duper Scene Transition)

And so the two had an aweomse fight scene and its was totaly epic. There was explosions and blood and punching and explosions and biting and explosions and boobs and EXPLOSIONS!

Did we mention explosions?

Cause there were explosions.

---

Yes. You did.

(Mega Awesome Super Duper Scene Transition)

Darn skippy we did! Okay, so first Megaazombien (who was wearing a zombrero. geddit?) tired to shoot his rocket at Tytanna again, but she dodged it like super nimble butterfly. Then she zoomed it and punched him in the face, kicked his shin, bit his arm off, shoot him with the Rainbow gun thingy, then bit him AGAIN, then punched him up into the sky with that 'sureyoucan' move that nobody can pronounce.

---

I think Nick called it the sho ryu ken.

(Mega Awesome Super Duper Scene Transition)

Yeah, that. So Megazombies flying in the sky, only not cause he wants to or anything but cause Tya kicked him up there. Tytanna pulled a huge rocket launcher with a nuke sign on the side out and aimed it up at him and said. "Have a nice trip, see you next NEVER!"

The nuke launcher launched its launchable and hit the launched Megazombie right in the launch, blowing him up into a billion tiny yucky gross pieces. But Tya didn't care, cause she was so badass the bits just bounced right off her.

"Still an awesome day," she said as she wiped out a pair of sunglasses and slid them over here eyes. In the distance an APC could be seen flying through the sky on wings made of barbed wire fence. "By Tanaka I love this game."

---

So… that sounds like fun.

Tya smiled brightly and nodded with insane energy. Oh yeah, totally. There's so many things you can do in the game. You've got to try it some time.

Zilla chuckled at her. Well, you know I would but… I kinda have no hands. And I'm a bit too big to see the TV properly.

Oh… right. Tya turned away to hide the red highlighting on her cheeks.

Though that does bring up another question I have… When exactly did you have a chance to play video games like that?

Tya gave him a mysterious smile. You'll see, cuz. Wait 'till we get there, trust me, it'll blow your mind.

And for that matter, why do you keep calling me cuz? So far as I know I don't have any living relatives. I mean, I would love to have more kaiju to call family, but…

The two fell silent, neither sure what to say to the other. Tya took a moment to glance back behind them, catching sight of Titano drifting along aimlessly. The larger kaiju hadn't said a word since they'd left the battleground, not even when Gamera spent the last of his mana reserves healing what wounds he could on the group and then left to inform the GDF of the fight's outcome. The most animated she had been was one moment when they passed the island O… where he had been nuked the day before. Titano had been staring off at the small volcanic rock with a look Tya could only describe as longing. Ever since then she had been entirely despondent, no matter what Tya or Zilla did to try and cheer her up.

Feeling a rush of determination in her bones Tya turned to Zilla and said, I'm going to talk to her again.

Zilla gave her look that just said 'seriously?' What good is that gonna do kid? She doesn't want to talk right now. End of story. Sometimes you just gotta let people grieve. That's all there is to it.

I gotta try anyway, she answered. I can't just sit here and not do anything. Besides… I think I might have just the fix. With that Tya swam towards Titano, Zilla looking back at her worriedly. Tya pulled up alongside the other aquatic dino, unable to help noticing just how much smaller she was than her. Um, hey Titano. You… doing alright?

Titano gave no response, continuing to plow forward through the water woodenly.

Tya sighed and folded her arms over her chest. Look… I'm not going to pretend to know what you're feeling right now. I couldn't come close even if I tried, and that wouldn't help anybody. I can say I know you're hurting. I know you… miss him. But knowing doesn't mean understanding. I've learned that much before.

Titano gave off a noncommittal grunt, which Tya couldn't tell was a good or bad sign.

Point is, even if I can't understand how you're feeling right now, I just want you to know that I'll try. That I'll be there if you need me. All of us will. Tya shifted so she was in front of Titano, backpedaling to keep ahead of her. That stuff we said back there, about all of being in this together? That wasn't just talk. We meant every word. We'll help you any way we can, cause that's what friends do for each other.

Finally Titano looked at Tya, a dead blank glaze over her eyes. Can you bring him back? she asked hollowly. Can you give him back to me?

Tya grimaced, moving her hands back and forth as she tried to find something to say. Her arms fell to her sides and she stopped moving, prompting Titano to halt as well.

No, Tya answered. We can't bring him back. And… and I'm sorry for that. If there were any way to do that I'd do it in a heartbeat, no questions asked. But we can't…

Then you can't help me. Titano's words lacked any anger or rage, did not attempt to question the smaller monster. They carried only a deep sadness.

Tya started to nod, then stopped herself and looked up into Titano's eyes. Yes we can. We can tell you that you aren't alone. You still have kaiju who care about you. Friends who will help you through this. And… Tya looked like she wanted to say more, but hesitated, turning away. This really isn't how I wanted this meeting to go…

Who are you?

Tya looked up at the question, seeing Titano staring intently at her.

You looked… so similar. To me and to Zilla. Gamera said your mana signature was familiar but different. Same thing with the human subs and their sonar. And O… he called you new Titano. Titanosaurus' face softened, her eyes glimmering with something. Maybe hope, maybe despair. It was impossible to tell. Who are you?

Tya looked back at the taller kaiju, holding her tail protectively in her hands and fidgeting under the attention. Zilla looked on at the two as well, starting to notice small details he hadn't picked up on before. Form of the tail. The texture of the scales. Their shapes were exactly the same, down to the stance and proportions of the limbs. A suspicion grew in his mind, one he needed answered.

I'm… not sure I should tell you. You may not like hearing it. Especially after…

Tell us, Zilla demanded softly. We can't keep secrets going on between any of us, especially with someone we've never met before. The Defenders need to be united, and that means we need to trust each other. With everything.

Even if it's something you don't want to know? Tya asked. Something that could break your trust with others instead?

Zilla nodded. Yes. Even then.

Tya closed her eyes and took a deep breathe of the salty ocean water. Okay. If that's what you both want… She straightened up and let go of her tail, holding herself proudly in place before the two of them. I… am a clone of you, Titano. Made by a human scientist with human DNA combined into me. I was raised by said scientist for the whole of my life, made with the purpose of bridging the gap between humans and kaiju and hopefully bringing peace between the two groups. Or if that failed to serve as a kaiju they could trust if everything went wrong. She rubbed a hand along the back of her head and grinned ruefully. Turns out that part was kinda unneeded. Who knew? As for me being here? Well… I may have convinced my… 'friends' to help me slip out so I can help. Tya covered her face with her palms. Oh man, Mom is gonna be so mad at me.

Zilla was staring slack jawed at Tya, his body completely frozen the same as his brain. For all that he had heard of bizarre happenings and circumstances, this one just refused to make sense in his head. You… but that's... What.

His mumblings were ignored by the two others as Titano came forward and held her paw out to Tya, only to pause feet away from her. The two Titanosaurs looked at each other, neither moving as they searched for something from the other.

I… guess you could say that you're… Tya halted, tears audible in her voice. That you're my…

Her words fell away as she felt herself collapsed into a tight hold, her body pressed up against the larger kaiju so tightly she could barely breathe.

I'm not alone, Titano muttered so quietly on Tya could hear. I'm not alone.

Tya, letting the tears fall free now, returned the hug gently. That you're my mom. She smiled. Technically speaking of course.

Zilla allowed himself to fall back somewhat from the pair, the waves of positive emotion flowing off them threatening to overwhelm his sense of malehood. Well… this is a shock, he said to himself. Though I guess I'm not really that surprised, given how similar they looked. He hung there for several minutes, neither of the pair looking like they were going anywhere anytime soon. Um… girls? We kinda have places to be…

…

Girls?

Quiet, cuz, we're having a moment.

Yes, Zilla. Shut up.

Right, sorry.

---

A/N: What's this? Another chapter so soon after the last? Eh, kinda. Does a 2k word short count as a chapter? Especially when half of it was AF nonsense? I'll leave that debate up to you lot. Anywho, hope this answered some questions about Tytanna for those wondering. The full explanation of her, where she comes from, and a lot of other stuff come in the next chapter, along with the beginning of the next Arc. See you all then!

Meeting Madness

Soft splashes and drips filled the early morning quiet as gentle rain fell upon the exposed landing pads of the Shatterdome. The sky above was clouded and grey, casting a smooth parlour over everything in sight. Crews and maintenance workers were moving back and forth amongst the aircraft on the pads, a leisurely air amongst them, as they were unaware of their top bosses hanging out nearby. And once again Pentecost and his fellow members of the GDF council found themselves waiting for some important visitors, though it was an open question of which group of visitors would arrive first.

"A gorgeous morning don't you think gentleman?" Tachibana remarked, a faint smile on his face as he stood in the open without an umbrella, letting the rain strike him freely.

Gordon huffed at him, even though he also wasn't covering himself from the elements. "Gray, dreary, and cold. Yep, perfect morning in my opinion. Remind me again why we had to settle our headquarters in Asian Seattle?"

"Location," Pentecost answered. "We're in a port city on the edge of the Pacific, which is where the vast majority of kaiju live and attacks occur. Singapore is only a few hours flight from Japan as well, which seems to get a disproportionate amount of attention from the kaiju. An American base would have been seen as favoritism, and Hawaii is too exposed and unstable to use anyway, given it's a still active volcano and a fair few monsters have no problem living in lava tubes."

Another huff of annoyance was Gordon's response, though he did seem a bit mollified by Stacker's words.

"What I want to know is why my country is always the one hit first," Ozaki good-naturedly complained. "Did the original Godzilla's attack on Tokyo mark the country as 'good kaiju territory' or something?"

They all laughed, throwing off the dismal memories that accompanied the statement. For several minutes they all stood together in the rain, allowing themselves this moment to relax from their perennially busy lives. Gordon gave a rumble and shuffled under his coat. "I could use a smoke."

Ozaki rolled his eyes at him and asked, "Run out of your precious Cuban brand there, Gordon?"

"Hardly." Gordon withdrew such a brown tube of tobacco from one of his pockets, shielding it from the rain with his hand. "I'm just afraid that if I strike a match for 'em it might ignite the atmosphere." Gordon's look shifted to stare at the Marshall from the corner of his vision, his heavy brows narrowed at him. The other Council members also looked to Stacker as well, realizing the sharp point Gordon was jabbing at him.

"I'm sure you won't need to worry too much about that," the Marshall answered diplomatically, keeping his own gaze firmly locked out on the bay.

"Oh really? Wasn't so sure anymore after that meeting you had last week. Seemed to me that lighting up the atmosphere suddenly became possible again after every scientist in the world said no back in the fifties. Unless you're saying you know better than physics somehow."

Pentecost sighed, his stiff stature weakening for an instant. "If you have a point Gordon, I suggest you make it."

"Why lie?" Tachibana asked. "I didn't realize it at the time myself, but you obviously know that saying Godzilla and Xenilla igniting the atmosphere with their fight was impossible, so why did you say it at all? Why make the situation seem worse than it was?"

Stacker turned to look at his fellows, his face reflecting the downcast clouds above them. "The situation was that bad, but not in the way that everyone thinks it was. Tell me, Admiral, do you recall how eager much of the UN council was to launch the Dimension Tide, regardless of the fact that our erstwhile allies would likely be caught in the crossfire? How many political groups were vocally demanding that we break ties with all kaiju and treat every monster as the enemy, regardless of their history?" Pentecost's eyes grew dark as he leveled his gaze directly at Tachibana's face. "That you yourself voted yes on the order when pressed."

The Admiral paled at the accusation and looked away. "I… yes. I recall that much. And I can't say that I'm proud of it. But I've seen the kind of devastation that kaiju can cause close hand Marshall. And a chance to be permanently rid of two kaiju who have personally ordered or caused much of that damage was too much to pass up. Even with the risks involved. Besides, that doesn't answer the question. Why lie?"

"Because if I didn't, our war with the kaiju would likely have extended past the Mutations and on to the Defenders and Neutrals as well. You all know as well as I do that the people are restless and eager to be done with their fears, even if it costs them dearly to remove them. Xenilla's endless directed raids have kept the world on the knife's edge of panic for too long, and humanity is sick of it. If you had asked the regular person on the street what they thought of kaiju, they'd likely say they all need to be killed. That they're too big a threat to be trusted. If that view had continued then war with all kaiju would have been inevitable."

Ozaki folded his arms over his chest. "That's all well and bad, Stacker, but that only explains why we were willing to launch the DT, not why you would lie about the stakes to them. Nor for that matter does it explain why you hid its true nature as a wormhole launcher from us."

"I hid the Dimension Tide's power for the simple reason that I hoped it would never be used, as well as the fact that I was sure it wouldn't matter if the kaiju survived going through. There would be no way for them to return, so the outcome would be the same as if they died. The only change would be the slightly lesser weight on my conscience of knowing they may still have lived."

"But the rest of the world didn't know that," Stacker continued. "Just as none of you did. All they saw was one of humanity's weapons killing some of the most faithful and heroic kaiju our planet has ever seen just because we didn't trust them enough to do their job themselves. And I don't need to remind you of the backlash we got from that, now do I?"

The other Council members showed varying levels of annoyance at the memories of the prior week's unending news reports, blog posts, video rants, and reams upon reams of letters and emails inundating the GDF's public relations department. Whatever reaction they had been expecting beforehand, none of them had been prepared for the vitriol and sheer outrage people had vocally thrown at them. Especially Gordon, who most seemed to tag as the main perpetrator for some reason.

"From the way they were acting you'd think I was there personally stabbing Godzilla in the back," Gordon grumbled while stomping his foot on the steel ground.

"Precisely," Pentecost said. "The people realized just what they were asking for and got, and suddenly they learned that the situation wasn't as black and white as they thought. Suddenly, humanity were the bad guys. Not only that, but then the rest of the Defenders continued to fight on our behalf during the Mutant rampage, showing they were still loyal despite our betrayal. How many human countries would have done the same in their position?"

Tachibana poked at his chin thoughtfully. "So that's why you approved the launch. You were hoping to prove that the Defenders weren't actually a threat and make people give them a chance."

"That was a hell of a gamble then," Gordon said. "If Gamera or any of the others had known it was us that launched the DT at the time, they might not have fought the Mutants or even have outright turned on us."

"It was a risk, yes, but it was the only option I had at the time. If I had refused the launch, then it was very likely that several of our backing nations would withdraw their support and jaegers from the GDF, or even pursue their own avenues of defense. Humanity cannot afford to be divided at a time like this, not with the Coalition still looming in the distance and the Mutants at large."

"And the 'atmosphere exploding' thing?" Ozaki asked. "Why bother uping the stakes of the fight that much?"

"So those who continue saying we shouldn't have fired at all will be mollified enough to keep trusting the GDF to do its job. I wanted people to realize the mistake of demonizing all kaiju, not end up demonizing ourselves. By saying it was necessary the public will think that it was wrong but an unavoidable event and move on to try and fix the mistake, rather than ask why it happened in the first place. Besides," Stacker affected a smirk. "They were all too busy talking about the kaiju being turned into ponies to care much about one odd but obscure scientific statement on my part. Simple lies are often the easiest to make. Just replace the atomic bomb tests with 'Godzilla' and 'Xenilla' and you have the word needed."

The council all groaned in unison as they recalled that particular tidbit. Gordon chuckled then clapped Pentecost on the shoulder. "Remind me never to play chess with you, eh?"

They all shared another laugh, settling back into a pleasant atmosphere even as the rain continued to lightly tap down upon them. After several minutes of relative quiet in the distance they could see a tilt jet moving towards them, the Monarch insignia branded on its side.

"Any idea what Serizawa's secret pupil/arch-rival has in store for us here Stacker?" Tachibana asked.

"None whatsoever," Pentecost answered, though the way he said it suggested otherwise. The other Council members decided to allow him his secret and focused on the jet landing in front of them. From out the rear door walked three people, at their head the final member of the Council. Stacker stepped forward with his hand outstretched, saying, "Pleasure to see you again Ishiro."

The well dressed Japanese man took the hand warmly. "I feel the same Marshall. It has been far too long since I've been back here. Flying around the world every week becomes stressful after enough time."

"I'm sure. Any new developments for Monarch recently?"

Serizawa nodded then waved back to the other two passengers who had disembarked with him, one a pale blonde haired woman wringing her hands endlessly, the other a younger woman with dark black hair and curious red eyes. "Miss Johnson's team have made some progress as of late on a new energy material based on the Alien Coalition's power plants, though they tell me they have made improvements based on things they have discovered here on Earth. The exact details are a bit unclear to me, but the potential of the material is astounding."

"More power is always good," Gordon said. "Even better if we can shove it into our current stuff."

"That would be the hope." Serizawa turned to the pair and said, "Miss Johnson, would you and your assistant please gather your materials so we can discuss everything inside."

"Gotcha, Mister Serizawa!" Joanne smiled weakly, stopping her hand wringing and attempting to lift up a rather large, heavy-looking metal suitcase. And tried again. And again. "Dang lead lining," they could hear her curse. She tried a fourth time, before her assistant finally got tired of the attempts, lifting the case effortlessly in one hand.

"Thanks, Miss Darkveil." Joanne smiled at her, letting out a slight squeak as the suit-clad woman grabbed the smaller doctor and hoisted her onto her shoulder, steel stiletto heels clacking loudly as she walked down the plane's ramp.

The Council all looked at the sight with bemusement, Ozaki asking Serizawa, "Is it entirely necessary for her to be carried like that or is it just some joke between them?"

Serizawa sighed. "Joanne is a brilliant scientist, one of the best in her field in my opinion, but her sense of direction leaves many things to be desired."

"And she can't just follow us because?"

The older Japanese man smiled. "I have been told that she often has trouble navigating around her team's ship. A ship she helped to design and watched being built. There have been times when she was on the Discovery that she lost track of me on the way from the landing deck to my office. Which is in the tower island. On a carrier."

"Way to rub it in, boss," Joanne sighed, clinging to her assistant's face. "C'mon, Sal, you can put me down now, I'm not gonna wander off out here. Honest. Pinkie swear."

The assistant gave her boss a flat-faced look with one eyebrow raised ever so slightly.

"Yes, I mean it this time. Really, I'll keep my eyes on you and everything. No wandering off, I promise."

The two looked at each other a moment more before the assistant finally put Joanne down with practiced ease. The Council was about to follow them off the helipad and back inside when one of the lookouts called out.

"Kaiju waves spotted. They're almost here!"

People all around the pad moved to the edge to catch a glimpse of the coming waves, while the Council and their visitors gathered for their own look.

"They're early," Tachibana said. "They weren't supposed to be here for another few hours."

Gordon shrugged. "Means we can get it out of the way early. Better for us."

"I wonder what this new kaiju is like," Ozaki said with closed eyes. "Gamera's statements on their assistor were rather vague."

"Oh I'll tell you what they are," Joanne mumbled darkly. "They are so, so grounded."

Serizawa patted Joanne's shoulder. "Easy, Miss Johnson. She was doing what she thought was right."

"And went against her mother's orders to do it! I explicitly told her absolutely no fighting until she was ready, but then she just barrels off to God knows where without telling anyone. She could have been hurt, or killed, or… or…" Joanne held her face in her hands, breathing deeply with controlled shutters.

Sal ruffled the small doctor's hair to help calm her down, smiling at the annoyed glare being leveled at her.

"Sal, don't do that! You know I don't like people messing with my hair. Still… thanks. I'm… better now." The doctor's gaze turned back to the oncoming waves and her angry look returned. "I'm still mad at her though."

The Council watched the small drama unfold with varying degrees of awkwardness, trying their hardest to keep focus on the kaijus' arrival. "Hold on… did you say mother?" Ozaki asked.

Joanne and Serizawa shared a look while the doc gave a weak chuckle. "Eh heh. Funny you should mention that…"

The conversation was cut off as a torrent of water exploded over the edge of the pad, drenching everyone nearby in an impromptu shower of salty spray. While the humans were all trying to clear the bad taste from their mouths a trio of large shapes loomed over the pad. Zilla and Titano were the first to appear, climbing up the rock face near the pad and taking a seat on the open ground. Both seemed much the worse for wear, covered in burns and scratches that were only barely healed. One of Zilla's arms was twisted in the wrong direction while Titano was missing a large amount of her fins. Despite that, both seemed to be in a good mood, as far as the humans on the pad could tell.

Ozaki closed his eyes again and held still for a moment before breaking out laughing. "She, ha ha… She actually did that?"

"Did what?" Pentecost asked, the rest of the council seeming just as interested.

"Heh heh, you'll see. She's just about to show herself." Ozaki pointed over the edge of the pad. Though hesitant at first, the Council, and indeed everyone else, leaned over once again. Sitting just below the lip of the pad was a third kaiju, smaller than Zilla and Titano. In fact, it looked like a younger Titano with slight odd changes here and there. A shorter muzzle, larger eyes, five fingered hands. Almost… humanish features. Then everyone stumbled back as they heard a voice in their head.

Ow. Jeez that hurt. How did I not see the wall right in front of me? Stupid Zilla distracting me with his joke. Gah, I hope no one notices I did that. The female voice paused as the kaiju happened to look upward and see all the human faces staring down at her. Oh. Crap.

"Tytanna!" Joanne yelled out, waving her hands wildly. "Are you alright dear? You're not hurt are you?"

Mom? The kaiju startled and stared at the blonde in what was obviously shock. What are you doing here? I thought you were still on the Langoud?

Joanne planted her hands on her hips and glared down at the kaiju, everyone else staring on with equal shock to the monster below. "If you thought you could escape me just by hiding out with the GDF you have another thing coming missy. You deliberately disobeyed me by leaving, even if it was for a good cause."

But… but mom I needed to go. The entire dang world is fighting right now. I can't sit it out just because it would be dangerous.

"That's not an excuse for leaving without tell me!" Joanne shouted back.

Serizawa tapped on the doctor's shoulders and said with surprising politeness, "Miss Johnson, perhaps it would be a good idea for you to have this conversation in private. Away from prying eyes?"

Joanne paused for a moment and saw that everyone on the pad was staring directly at her, expressions ranging from amusement to bewilderment to plain scared. She blinked for a moment at the attention then wilted back into her prior meek stance. "Um… perhaps you're right, Ishiro. We'll, uh, we'll finish this talk later sweetie," she said over the side. "Just, um… just hang out with Zilla and Titano until we get back."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible Miss Johnson." The doctor jumped at Pentecost's deep voice, his gaze narrowed intently upon her. "Zilla is required elsewhere at this time, though he will have to hang back somewhat until his injuries can be healed. As for Titano…" The Marshall turned to Ozaki and inclined his head toward the two kaiju on the hill. "Mind translating for us?"

"Sure thing sir."

The Council all felt the familiar touch of the telepath's mind in their own, hearing the tail end of a different conversation coming from the giants behind them.

… not like I meant her to hit the wall. I thought she was paying attention.

And that makes it all better how, exactly?

Oh come on, it's not like the hit would hurt her. She could probably headbut the steel until it breaks if she wanted to.

It's the principle of the thing, Z. You shouldn't have let her just smack into the wall like that.

Seriously, how is that my fault?

"He has a point you know," Gordon said aloud, his words channeled through Ozaki to the kaijus' heads. "It's her own fault if she wasn't paying attention."

I was distracted! Zilla and Titano shuffled around a bit to make room for Tytanna, who was crawling up onto the rock with them. I just met my second mom earlier today and was preparing to meet the GDF. You know, the guys who basically run the planet. Of course I'm going to be distracted.

Tachibana chuckled. "I wouldn't say we run the world, Miss Tytanna, so much as make sure everyone works together properly. Beyond that, your assistance of our forces in the South Pacific more than proves your allegiance and skills, so I'm sure you have no reason to worry."

Pentecost stepped forward from the group and cleared his throat. "Miss Titano, while you are here I feel the need to apologize for the GDF's prior history with you. It was never our intention to use telepathy to control kaiju in the manner that you were afflicted with, nor would we ever wish to treat any creature, especially one of our allies, in such a manner. I understand if you still feel betrayed by what occurred, so I ask only that you understand that those were the actions of one disturbed man, never humanity as a whole.

The aquatic dino was silent for some time, many of the pad workers growing nervous under her intense glare.

Your apology doesn't make up for what happened… but I still accept it. I'll admit, I may have acted much worse to you all than you probably deserved, and the fact that you were still willing to help Ob in spite of it… That means a lot to me. She sat back against the mountain side, arms folded over her chest. I still won't fight for your GDF or humans, but I will help you if you need it. Besides, she said with a smile while patting Tytanna on the head, I have one of my own to take care of as well.

D'awww, c'mon! Tytanna leaned into the larger kaiju and gave her a one armed hug.

A sigh come from amongst the group and the Council turned to see Joanne smiling up at the two of them. "I always hoped we could get those two together, but with the way Titano felt about humans before, it just never seemed possible."

Sal smiled and patted her boss on the head, letting off a light giggle as Doctor Johnson attempted to swat her hands away. "You just stay right there, Tya. Once I'm done talking with the Council we've got a lot to discuss you and I." Joanne shouted.

Tytanna appeared mollified for a moment, then brightened and said, Wait up Mom, I'll come with you! Giving Titano one last squeeze Tytanna left the hug and crawled over the rock towards the pad. The various crewmembers startled in panic and ran off, leaving their forgotten tasks behind immediately. Before the Council could do more than stare in horror at the kaiju bearing down on them Tytanna started to slide down the rock towards them. As she slid she began to shift, seeming to get smaller and smaller with every foot she fell. It took longer than expected for her to reach the bottom of the hundred-foot slide, by which time she had shrunk down to just under thirty feet tall. She then walked over to them, continuing to decrease in size.

When Tytanna finally arrived in front of them the formerly two hundred foot tall kaiju just barely towered over Gordon by a (admittedly larger) head. Her form had seemed to grow denser than it was before, her entire stature and muscle thickening to several feet wide around the chest and hips, with a slightly slimmer waistline. In all it seemed to the Council that a lizard-like bear had happened to appear in front of them had become almost completely humanoid. Aside from the still present tail, red hued skin and scales, added fins and a short snout on an otherwise distinctly human face smiling happily at them; Tytanna had completely gone from saurian to female humanoid. "Ready to go when you all are!" She said aloud in the same tone as her mental voice.

The Council stood there for a full minute in silence, alternatively gaping, stone faced, head tilted and just bewildered. Meanwhile Serizawa and Joanne both smacked their faces with their palms as Sal reached out and handed the kaiju turned kaijin an oversized robe, colored in blazing pink with red hearts emblemized all over it.

"My favorite robe! Thanks for bringing it Sal." Tytanna slipped the robe on, making the already bizarre scene of a human sized and shaped beast even stranger and dipping into hilarious. If any of the Council had a sense of humor that was. Which they didn't.

Each one turned immediately to Joanne, Pentecost voicing their thoughts together in one word. "What."

Joanne looked back at each face staring at her, tittering and poking her fingers together. "Well, gentlemen, it seems I have a lot of explaining to do..."

Pentecost sighed, waving the Doctor and her… daughter into the base, trying to ignore the sight of the humanoid kaiju hugging the much smaller Sal to her and purring like a kitten. "This is gonna be a long day," the Marshall muttered under his breath.

---

Miki and Taiyou sat back against the wall of the small conference room, passively watching the other members of the newly organized 'Red Dawn counter group' scramble around various phones and computers, with Gondo trying to keep everyone on task. The last few hours had been one string of chaotic communication lines after the other, and frankly both telepaths were starting to get irritated at the lack of progress.

"Why is this taking so long?" Taiyou growled, clenching her fist and willing it not to reflect onto some poor hapless machine or person in the room. "The longer we wait to strike the more likely it is that the cells will move before we can hit them."

"We do need to know where they are first Taiyou," Miki responded reasonably. "And to do that we need to track them down."

The former terrorist rolled her eyes. "Yes, I understand that, but I thought that was her job." She pointed over to a bob of blue hair sitting at a hardened military laptop arguing with Gondo over some unknown issue.

Miki shrugged. "Miss Cassidy is just our contact with the IBI on the matter. We still have to direct their agents to the right place to look, and that means redirecting the information Chou is giving us on the Dawn's likely suppliers to them."

"And he couldn't just give them the data directly because why?" Taiyou asked, twirling a random coin she'd found to amuse herself. The coin had been twisted out of shape several times and then reformed to normal until its faces were completely unrecognizable.

"Because he's an international arms dealer and not all of his work is strictly what the IBI would consider… legal. Chou's agreement states that we get his info on the competitors so long as it doesn't negatively effect his own dealings." She waved her arm around the maelstrom of noise and paperwork. "Hence all of the legal runarounds."

Taiyou's coin flipped around several times before she balled it in her fists. "It's bullshit."

"It's politics." Miki smiled. "So, pretty much the same thing really. Not everyone can be bought or bullied into submission. Sometimes you have to actually work with people to get what you want."

"A waste of time," Taiyou muttered. "If people just did what they were told we wouldn't have ruined the environment. Gotten millions of humans killed in wars that ended up being pointless and wiped out whole species of innocent animals." She rested her head against the wall. "The Red Dawn may be serving an evil monster, but some of their ideals I still agree with."

Miki nodded sadly. "That's the unfortunate thing about ideals. They can sometimes push people to far worse actions than simple apathy and greed would motivate. I understand what you mean Taiyou, and I agree that the human race has made a lot of mistakes that we can't just shrug off and ignore. Once this war is over there will need to be a lot of changes to the way society works to fix the damage we and the kaiju have done." Miki rubbed her arm. "Mostly us though."

"That's assuming the aliens don't come in and stomp us into the ground again," the other telepath joked.

Miki cleared her throat. "Them too. Still, there's hope for the future. One thing humanity will always have is the hope of improving. Compared to how society was even a hundred years ago things have greatly changed for even the poorest person. We may make a lot of mistakes, but with enough time and effort we can learn from our errors and achieve our full potential. The only way we can lose is if we stop trying."

Taiyou screwed her eyes shut and smacked her palm against her face repeatedly. "God you're so optimistic it practically hurts! I'm gonna get diabetes from you if you keep that crap up."

Giggling, Miki gave Taiyou an overly beatific smile and in a very flowery tone said, "I'm just trying to help you see the light Taiyou. With true friendship and love there is nothing we can't accomplish."

Taiyou gagged and pretended to vomit into a nearby bucket. "Someone save me from this idealist idiot before she brainwashes me into one of her little happiness drones."

Miki kept up her smile and leaned over to Taiyou smugly. "Too late for that. I've already influenced you to be nicer."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Taiyou asked while directing a confused glare up at the other woman.

Growing serious Miki stared back at Taiyou and said, "When you interrogated Laoshu, invading his mind to get the info we needed. You didn't hurt him as much as you could have."

It hadn't been fun to watch, especially for Miki as she had to observe Taiyou's work to make sure nothing was missed. The man's mind had been as dark and polluted as Miki had expected given his actions, and she had seen Taiyou hesitating several times as some of the most horrific things had come to light. But even when she saw the worst of Laoshu's acts Taiyou had simply extracted the memories and copied them, nothing more.

"So I didn't take extra time tear apart the guy's brain." Taiyou shrugged dismissively. "What of it?"

"You could have. Very easily in fact. A weak willed man like him could have been ruined for life if you wanted. Forced to be comatose or revisit his worst nightmares over and over again. But you didn't. You just took the information you needed and left. That hurts, but much less than many of the things you could have done."

Taiyou scoffed and turned away, armed folded over her chest and coin waving erratically around her. "The guy wasn't worth the effort. Besides, Chou was going to have his own way with the guy, so I didn't need to do anything to make him suffer."

Miki nodded with the reasoning but forged onward. "Be that as it may, it still shows you've changed somewhat. The Taiyou I met during the terrorist attack would have tortured him without a care, but as you are now you did not."

A hand slammed against the wall as Taiyou shoved her face next to Miki's, eyes blazing. "So I showed some piece of scum a bit of fucking decency. So that fuck what? You think that suddenly makes me a good guy or something? Well guess what princess? It's not that fucking easy! You don't just get to take back a lifetime of terrorism and murder just because you help some old lady across the street. It takes a little bit more effort than that. So stop trying to say I'm a good person alright?"

Miki did not flinch a wit under the rant, merely staring back at the black haired woman with a serene and graceful smile. "I never said you were good. I merely said that you were starting to try." She reached out and softly planted a hand on Taiyou's shoulder, a hand which didn't get pushed away like every touch before it. "And that's all it takes to get on the right path."

Neither telepath spoke for several moments, not noticing the person stalking towards them from the other side of the room. "Everything alright over here?" Gondo asked, one hand resting on his pistol holster at his hip.

Miki nodded and removed her hand from Taiyou's shoulder, the other telepath trying distinctly to keep her face emotionless. "Fine Captain. Just having a heart to heart talk. You know, girl stuff. Any progress on finding one of the Dawn's hideouts?"

Gondo smiled and said, "Finally yeah. Took long e-freaking-nough. French agents found a likely spot in their countryside, in an old castle of all places. Reports say that the place was bought out a few years ago by some shell company the Dawn must have set up. Anybody who tries to get close to the property is turned away, sometimes with force. GIGN's setting up for an assault day after tomorrow, with us invited along for oversight."

"I've always wanted to go to France," Miki sighed. "The country of love and fine wines."

Taiyou laughed and rattled off a fast sentence in a language Miki didn't recognize. "Trust me," the telepath said in English, "France is about the only country in Europe bathed in more blood than Germany. It was barbaric long before it was romantic." Taiyou then strode off, continuing to laugh in an unsettling manner.

"Gondo," Miki said, "what was that sentence she said in the other language? And what language was it?"

"Can't you guess? It was French, only a harsher ascent of it than I've ever heard before. As for what she said, it was, 'Home of Napoleon Bonaparte, first Horseman of the Apocalypse'." The Captain shrugged and went back to his work, saying over his shoulder, "That woman is one piece of work, I'll tell you that."

Miki blinked and looked back at Taiyou, who was busy pestering Pat and Sarah over something, moving her coin around them and in their faces as they spoke. The telepath sighed and made her way over to join them. "Give it time Captain. Just have to give it time."

---

The Council and their guests all sat together in silence in the Council's personal meeting room, a bare place save for the fancy circular table and plush seats surrounding in. Pentecost and his fellows were all array along one side of the circle, their gazes fixed on the trio sitting opposite them.

In the middle seat of the other side Joanne sat twiddling her thumbs, smiling nervously at the Council and sneaking glances to her right every few seconds. On the left Salindra was leaning back in her chair without any apparent concern at all, her feet propped up on the table and red eyes piercing back at any of the Council who happened to look her way.

Few of them actually did though, as all of their attention was focused on the dangerously creaking seat to Joanne's right. The seat was facing back to the table and squeaking like a crushed cat every time its occupant attempted to find a more comfortable stance. Tytanna was smiling in much the same way as her mother, trying not to metaphorically sweat at all from the myriad stares she was getting. Trying to hide behind her mother or bodyguard only made it worse, emphasizing her sheer height and girth compared to the two smaller women.

"Mom… they're staring." She mewled and tried to duck below her mother's head, a difficult feat considering her mother was diminutive even compared to normal humans.

Joanne looked up to her daughter, coming face to face with her chest. "Just relax dear. I'm sure they're just… curious about you." The smaller woman reached up and gave a sharp yank, tightening the robe across the kaijin's chest. "You are rather unusual even for them."

"Understatement, thy name is Joanne," Serizawa muttered under his breath, prompting a glare from the doctor.

For several more uncomfortable seconds neither side spoke, until finally Pentecost sighed and said, "Unless you feel you can find a more comfortable way to sit down Miss Tytanna, perhaps we should just begin."

"Or you could stand up," Gordon mumbled.

"Oh, I know! Lemme try something!" Tytanna shouted, standing up and taking in a deep breath. After a moment of concentration, her body began to distort again, rapidly shrinking, condensing and reducing even further. Several seconds later she was done. Now shorter even than her mother, her form had shifted to an almost completely human physique, only altered by her unusual bone structure. Her tail had shrunk to no thicker than her arm, her back and arm fins were gone, and her scales had changed become almost snake-like in their smoothness.

Joanne worked quickly, pulling Tytanna's robe nice and snug to hide anything unsavory from the Council's gaze.

"Why bother mom? You know I don't actually have-"

"It's the principal of the thing dear. Still, good idea. Should be much easier for you sit like this."

"Honestly I only cooked this form up to listen to Sammy rant and rave about how impossible it is, but it does have its uses." She giggled, wiggling back and forth to relish her freedom of movement before reseating herself in a more normal and comfortable position.

All the while the Council looked on with flat expressions, as if they had already reached the limits of what they could disbelieve and just ignored any new strange events they saw.

"So…" Pentecost said.

Joanne nodded. "So…"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Sal and Gordon both struck the table with their fists at the same time, the later shouting, "Get on with it already!"

"Flawless timing, Sal." Tytanna smiled at the grinning woman, who winked back at her.

"ALRIGHTY!" Joanne shouted desperately. "Who wants to hear some craziness and see some cool stuff?"

"I do if it means we stop wasting time." Gordon growled, "Well? Let's get this circus started."

Pentecost turned to his left, where Serizawa had his face buried in his hands. "Perhaps you'd like to start the introduction of this special project division to the others Ishiro?"

"Must I?" he begged. When Pentecost nodded Serizawa weakly nodded his accent. "Very well. Alright. As I'm sure the rest of you know, my division of the Global Defense Force, Monarch, is meant to gather together the best scientific and engineering minds in the world together to solve any technology issues the world has. Most of Monarch's work is publicly available and documented, and the developments we produce are immediately put into circulation either for general consumption or with GDF approved forces as needed. However, after the events of Final Wars it was determined that some of our work should be kept hidden from prying eyes, both human and alien, so that we can have an advantage in the worst situations."

He waved his hand at Joanne and continued. "This is where Doctor Johnson's team comes in. After we had some… disagreements on how certain projects should be developed and which areas required more focus, Pentecost had the doctor's team split into a separate group who would work without either public oversight… or mine, so that they were free to study any ideas they thought had merit. Though I still disagree with the idea in spirit, I cannot deny its success at creating items of merit."

At Serizawa's nod, Joanne stood up and spoke. "Thanks Ishiro. So… what we've done." Joanne tittered and lifted up her hands in a shrug. "It would be easier to list what we haven't done honestly. Over the past half decade our team has developed numerous technologies that the GDF as a whole already extensively uses. From the Drift technology, to the improved actuators and gravity reducers used by the newer Jaegers, the fusion batteries that power so many war machines, the improved and improving armor for mechs, jets, and tanks, to the improved guidance systems used for everything from lasers to missiles. We've discovered ways of locating weak points in a kaiju's natural armor and protecting similar weak spots in our own Jaegers. We've pioneered new techniques that improve the mental strength and stability of Jaeger pilots and psychics. Our team was the one that gave you the reverse engineered alien Titan Alloy, or 'Space Titanium' as so many call it. Those DNA-based supercomputers that operate Kiryu and A.I. that have helped assist the teams of operators in Moguera and Super MechaGodzilla, the new armors and weapons our ground troops have available to them?"

Joanne gave a proud smile. "All of that came from us." She sent a look Serizawa's way but kept her tone even. "And none of it would have happened had we been kept restrained. Even now we have new, far improved developments coming down the pipeline. Some you've heard of, and others you probably haven't, but all may well change the face of the globe as a whole for the better." She gave a bow and re-took her seat.

Tachibana gave a few polite claps while Ozaki nodded. Gordon remained quiet but some of his stern look seemed to have faded slightly, saying, "Nice speech lady. Practice saying that one on the ride here, or did you make it up as you went?"

"Honestly? I kinda winged it. Tried to practice but didn't wanna go for three hours to explain everything."

"It was fine, Miss Johnson," Pentecost said with his solemn reassurance. "Now that we have a general grasp of your group's achievements, perhaps you can tell us about your…" He trailed off and looked to Tya, who childishly waved back at him. "Your immediately present project."

"Um..." She blushed and said to her daughter, "Well Tya, care to show off?"

"Bad choice of wording, mom, but sure!" The humanoid hopped out of her chair and climbed onto the table and began to remove her robe.

"What? Tya, no!" Joanne shouted, "No striptease! Bad nephilim, bad!"

"But that's what you told me to do," Tya said playful. Sal sat back in her seat with a huge grin on her face, enjoying the show with a small bag of popcorn she had gathered from somewhere. Tytanna let out a giggle and tossed the robe onto Sal's face and showed herself off, taking a few teasing poses, at least until Joanne reached up and belted out a quick spanking.

"Stop that, you're scaring them!" She turned back to the Council, saying, "I'm sorry, she's just… exceedingly confident."

Had any of the Council's been standing next to a statue judging contest, most of the judges would have claimed the entrant artworks were fakes because they were clearly not as stationary and stone faced as the men sitting opposite the distressed doctor. The only one to show any sort of emotion was Serizawa, who looked to be halfway between passing out from sheer shock and jumping out of seat and waving it around in a blind fury.

Several long and silent seconds passed as both Tytanna and Joanne wilted under the Council's stares, until finally Pentecost spoke up. "While I do find it… heartening that you both seem to have such a strong familial relationship, and that you, Tya, are proud of your personal looks, I must ask that you act with the proper sense of decorum while we are working. I know well that people need a chance to relax and would never deny them the opportunity to be who they are. I would be a horrible tyrant if I tried. However, there are times when focus, attention, and discipline are needed. The reports the sub captains sent me of your performance in the Anteverse battle show that you are quite capable of being focused and steady when needed. All I ask is that you maintain the same level of dedication to your time here at the GDF if you wish to work with us. By all means, be as goofy and playful as you wish when a break comes up. But until then…"

No sooner had Pentecost's voice faded than Tya took to his advice. The kaiju's face lost its smile and turned grim, small points of her fangs pointing out of her mouth no longer looking cute but menacing instead. The eyes almost seemed to shift in color from cheerful blue to a much fiercer red. Her arms were placed down in her lap and she straightened up in her chair. The turnaround was almost staggering in its suddenness. "I understand sir. Serious time. No more goofy right now."

"Your eyes are glowing." Ozaki remarked.

Sure enough there was a faint red haze being emitted from Tytanna's pupils, so thin that it was hard to notice over the natural red scales around it.

"Tya, hon, I don't think he meant to be THAT extreme about it." Joanne scratched her daughter behind her ear, the reptilian woman struggling to maintain her serious expression even as she purred under her breath. "Yeah, sometimes they do that. We're not sure if it's something to do with her being a Titanosaur or if it's mana based. Could be either or to be honest."

"A Titanosaur you say?" Tachibana asked.

"Yes, though with a few other things mixed in. Myself mainly. See, Tya here was the result of a long shot project that my team came up with… jeez, how many years ago was it now?"

"Well I'm about, what? Eight years old now?" Tya responded.

Sal held up both hands and counted out six fingers.

"Oh right, it was 2006," Joanne said. "Thanks Sal. So yeah, back then I thought to myself, 'What if we could make a kaiju that was on our side for sure?' So I started talking with the rest of the team to figure out a way to make that happen. Some ideas were simple, like just finding a kaiju egg somewhere and raising it like Azuza Gojo did for Godzilla Junior. Only, there kinda weren't any eggs to find, to that plan was a bust. Another suggestion was that we bribe a kaiju somehow, like with a special food that they like or something they couldn't find on their own. That one sounded just like a way to improve relations with the Defenders more than anything, so we shipped it over to Ishiro and let him do what he wanted with it. I'm told it somewhat worked with the male M.U.T.O. in Hawaii."

Serizawa nodded at that and said, "It was more difficult than we have expected with the efforts on Solgell Island and the rest of the Mu islands, but it was an excellent step in diplomacy between us and the Defenders."

"Anyway, we figured that we were thinking too small. We needed to do something big. Find a way to make a kaiju really want to work with us. Then I thought, 'Heck, why not just make a kaiju?' And by some bizarre miracle I actually got approval to pursue the idea."

"That would be my doing," Pentecost said. "Ishiro mentioned the idea to me over the phone and I told him to get on it. After seeing all the good work Zilla was doing as our troubleshooter amongst the Defenders, I thought it would be a excellent idea to have more such kaiju on our side."

Serizawa gave a reluctant nod of agreement. "Indeed. I could find no reason why the idea should be denied, give the obvious success and benefits of the idea and relatively low cost of the research."

"Monetary cost maybe," Joanne scoffed. "Here's the thing, it's easy to say, 'Let's make a kaiju.' It's another thing entirely to actually make the idea work. I spent MONTHS trying every combination of kaiju DNA we had on record but absolutely nothing would work! Defenders, Mutants, Neutrals. Heck, I even tried Ghidorah DNA at one point, but none of it would ever stick. Eventually I got the idea to add in human DNA to the mix, see if that somehow stabilized the samples, but if anything it just made them worse! Only a few of the samples would actually bond with human DNA, and of those only a few would have even survived, and of those TWELVE that would have survived, they'd have been suffering some pretty horrifying mutations! I'm sorry but I just couldn't handle having that on my conscience..." Doctor Johnson stopped to breathe.

"But then we heard some information that was, frankly, very unusual, even by our standards." She smiled. "In the Yucatan peninsula a survey team managed to locate a never before seen specimen of kaiju. One with a DNA pattern similar to that of the Guardian monsters, only far, far older. A 'Genetic Glue', essentially. This specimen, which the survey team dubbed 'Leviathan', was the key. It was the literal missing link!" The Doctor began to become giddy, as if she wasn't already. "We managed to secure the location of Leviathan's body for future study and immediately went to test it all. Tytanna being a Titanosaurus was simply the random choice at the time, but the use of Leviathan's DNA as genetic glue to bind human and kaiju DNA worked. Her embryo was open to allow safe genetic modification and tweaking throughout her embryonic state and we've taken the best care to ensure she's in peak physical and mental condition at all times. Even in this almost-human state she'd outshine any Olympiad in the physical efforts and she's been taught and trained by ALL of us in every field of education imaginable."

"Long story short? I'm part kaiju, part human, part 'angel', all designer baby." Tytanna smiled, feeling a touch of pride at being literally custom made to be the finest warrior in the world.

"Sweetie? Your ego is showing." Joanne's comment prompted a light 'eep' from her daughter, Tytanna blushing and shrinking away.

"Sorry."

While mom and daughter were having their moment the Council all shared some looks and unspoken conversation. Pentecost opened for them, saying, "As you can imagine, we have some questions to ask."

"Question one," Gordon said, "Why the hell are you able to shrink?"

"A good question, but one that… doesn't really have a solid answer. I still haven't actually located the mechanism that controls Tya's ability to shrink and grow, through repeated experimentation shows it operates much the same as Jet Jaguar and to an extent King Kong's. If I had to guess it's probably some sort of mana ability. Close looks at Leviathan's DNA show near identical sequences between it and the Guardians, all of whom have some magical ability. Tya shows the same radiation 'signature' that other mana creatures have, but to a much smaller degree, so she isn't actively harmful to humans just by standing near them, even as at kaiju size."

"That figures, since you don't seem to be afraid of touching her," Ozaki said. "Here's my question then. What sort of combat abilities do you have? Just physical training, or are there any special powers you might have?"

"Me?" Tya said, "Well, I've been trained in pugilism, savate, sword-fighting both with two-handed swords and sword and shield, marksmanship training, and I'm pretty good at computer games. I can shout really loud too. They tested it once and the math said I'd actually be able to level a city block with it if I kept it up. My punches and kicks hit like a Mantis shrimp and umm… That's about it, really. I mean I have some dancing skills but I sincerely doubt tango, salsa, breakdancing, or ballet is ever gonna be useful in a fight."

"Sword fighting?"

"Computer games?"

"Dancing?"

Tya chuckled and Joanne said, "Not all of her training was strictly, well, important. We just called her leisure activities 'training' as well so it would be covered under research expenses."

Serizawa glared at Joanne while the others just rolled with it. There were all sorts of stories of similar things going on in their own departments, many of them far closer to actual corruption than this.

"Fair enough I suppose." Ozaki smirked and asked, "Have you ever fought a hybrid soldier? Someone with similar strength and speed to yourself?"

"Honestly? There is one gal who taught me all of my melee fighting skills." An exaggerated head tilt was thrown in Sal's direction. "She could probably put a hybrid on the ropes but I wouldn't mind seeing if I can handle it."

Ozaki glanced Sal's way as well and caught her look back, both testing each other in an unseen contest. Finally Ozaki gave an approving nod, which Sal returned, one corner of her mouth upturned in a grin. "I'll see what I can arrange later. There's always room for more fighters around here, human or not."

"My turn then," Tachibana said. "I'd like to know a little more about this Leviathan you spoke of. I believe I recall reading the report that the survey team sent to the GDF about their discovery, and I noticed that it bears several similarities to other reports speaking of ancient ruins found on the numerous risen islands that appeared in the Pacific alongside Solgell. In many places around the globe we have either unearthed or found through underground radars signs of large and advanced cities that were violently destroyed in ways that look like modern day kaiju battlefields. You said Leviathan had DNA markers it shares with the Guardian monsters, all of whom have said they were created for a specific task, though for what and by whom, they have never said. Do you think you could shed some light on all of this based on your own observations?"

"Actually, that's the scary thing." Joanne said, "From what we were able to gather Leviathan actually predates the Guardians by literally millions of years. She was found at the center of the Yucatan crater. By that I mean all evidence we've found is that she was riding in the meteor that killed off the dinosaurs."

Tachibana blinked a few times then said, "Well… that's distinctly unhelpful then. And here I thought we'd found an actual link between this supposed ancient civilization and the Guardians. Damn."

"I do know what you mean though," Joanne said. "My team has run into loads of examples of this ancient people - we call them the Civ - and what looks like their very advanced technology. In all likelihood they were the ones who made the Guardians, which suggests they also had a great mastery of magic on top of the science needed to genetically engineer such creatures. The why though… that has me stumped too."

"Well, mom." Tya spoke up, "I'm pretty sure you at least got something interesting from them to show off, yeah?"

"Oh! I forgot!" Joanne started searching around saying, "Where's my briefcase?" Sal responded by tapping the heavy steel case right beside Joanne. "Oh. Right."

Joanne heaved the briefcase onto the table, a heavy 'thunk' resounding in the meeting room.

"You boys wanna know what we've been up too lately?" She smiled, popping open a panel on the case, revealing a bright rainbow of glowing colors. "Check out these beauties!" Through an inch thick wall of heavy glass shone a large collection of-

"Gemstones?" Gordon said, trying to wrap his mind around what he was seeing. "You've brought us gemstones?"

"Not just gemstones, General Gordon. Much better than that." Joanne gave a smug grin. "I'm sure you're all familiar with the Coalition's fuel supply? The mysterious super element known as Elerium-115. Tends to be lethally radioactive, much more so than even the purest samples of plutonium we can make ourselves. Well, as it turns out that's basically exactly what it is. A purer, more radioactive element the Coalition uses to fuel their mini reactors. The stuff is efficient enough to provide a dozen fold increase in power over our best fusion generators, but stable enough to be handled in relative safety by our engineers with normal radiation protection. Truly a miraculous element that our guys have been trying for ages to mimic. Thing is, we were actually looking in the wrong place."

The doctor tapped the panel on the case, a proud smirk on her face. "It took us years of searching the most remote places on the planet for radiation signatures, but we found a variant of the same material here on our planet. It's not just a super plutonium though. Oh it is much more than that. Close studies have shown distinct similarities between the emissions given off by these materials and the energy reading we receive whenever a mana wielding Kaiju lets off a blast. Short version: this stuff is basically solidified magic in the form of a crystal."

The Council murmured amongst each other at the announcement.

"You mean to tell us that the highly advanced technology of the Coalition has the same power source as magic native to Earth?" Tachibana asked.

Joanne nodded. "Precisely. Ever heard of Clarke's Third Law? 'Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from science'. Turns out that was way truer than he ever could have realized. There's also the corollary, 'Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science'. The only difference between the two is… one makes sense and the other doesn't." She shrugged. "Powered by the same thing or not, magic still doesn't follow the best logical paths. Regardless, this material, which my team has dubbed 'magicite', is functionally identical to the Coalition's Elerium, but from what we can tell it's even more powerful. And thus, radioactive."

Serizawa gave his subordinate a stern look as he said, "You brought highly radioactive materials into the Shatterdome?"

"Oh calm down, Mordred, they're behind hardened glass! Do you really think I'm stupid enough to go and bring radioactive material with me and open them while I'm RIGHT here?" Joanne shook her head, tapping the lead-lined crystal glass. The gemstones inside looked to be coming in all kinds of shapes and sizes, some tiny ones clustered in what looked like a white stone, others seemed larger and more refined, coming in needle-like spines, hexagonal pillars, and even near-flawless spheres. But the oddest of the lot was a bottle. A wine bottle, to be precise, with a faded label written in an incomprehensible language. Every gemstone glowed with a soft, beautiful light that seemed to pulse with life, even the wine bottle emitting small motes of light, floating lazily through the alcoholic beverage."

"Doctor Johnson," Stacker interrupted, "As interesting as all these developments are, I'll like to get to the important question. Namely, how are we supposed to use this material? None of the reactors we have are capable of starting fission with recovered samples of Elerium. How is this 'Magicite' supposed to be any different if it is indeed stronger than the Elerium?"

"An excellent question sir," Joanne replied calmly. "And one I think we have the answer to. Hopefully. Maybe. The data is still pending."

"Meaning?" Ozaki said.

"Meaning we are currently in the process of testing a custom build reactor designed to use magicite as the power source. The initial tests were… kinda scary, honestly. Promising, but scary." She tapped the open panel again. "See, while the Elerium is efficient enough that it eclipses current reactors by a factor of 12 or more, projections of magicite power suggest that, at max capacity, it would be full orders of magnitude more powerful. Like, it's the difference between a spark plug and a bomb. Our head engineer and his team of specialists made a 'test' reactor that outputs one and a half GIGAWATTS of power per hour and has a projected lifespan measured in years. And it's the size of a can of soda. To put that in perspective, our current most powerful plutonium reactor is several miles across, requires concrete walls several feet thick to stop the radiation, and just barely manages to meet that level of power output. All I can say is 'Thank god that the Titan alloy is an ideal radiation shielding'."

"How strong is the radiation output?" Gordon asked.

"Strong enough to make plutonium look like a mild sunburn. This stuff is absolutely lethal if biological material is exposed to it." Joanne shuddered, "It's bizarre, though. It reacts to other mana sources, like plant life or humans, by trying to grow and, through that, gets stronger. Likewise, it 'propagates' the empowerment of those sources. Plants grow abnormally fast under its influence, for example. But that means that, for us humans, rather than, say, 'aging fast', we wind up getting other, much more severe problems such as cancer. Likewise there are other problems documented that don't match up to normal radiation sickness. We're still researching it but the best way I can describe it is, essentially, the horrible side effects of far too much of a good thing coming in all at once."

"So treat it with the same degree of caution and protection as current nuclear generators then?" Tachibana asked.

"Yeah, basically. Thing is, we're still testing a safe way to actually capture the energy the magicite puts out. It being so small actually is a bit of a double-edged sword in that regard. We don't have cables both small and strong enough to draw from it safely. That said, study of it has enabled us to figure out a technique that allows us to finally use Elerium in our nuclear generators, albeit with a few modifications needed. Such upgrades have already been applied to every one of the Dragoons and every Jaeger currently down for repair or maintenance, and it will be easy to complete for the rest once they return to their bases."

"Yes," Serizawa said. "As soon as Joanne's team gave me the data I sent the word out to every base I could. We are swiftly running through our stockpiles of Elerium, but what we have should be enough to convert every major component, even the Battle Platforms."

"We also have found one of the few Civ artifacts that is still intact and, given time and care, could even be brought back to its full old glory. Maybe. And through that? We may just be able to replicate the logic behind it for a whole new BREED of technology. Theodore, our head engineer, likes to call it 'Magitek'. Tytanna, darling, could you show the gentlemen your newest toy?"

The monster-woman reached underneath her previously discarded robe and pulled out what looked to be an old, badly damaged sword that looked like it had been left in the rain for a month.

"As we said, gentlemen, the speculated ancient Civ seemed to use magic and technology in concert, something we haven't found any reasonable way to do ourselves. Heck, a lot of the time excessive mana use turns our tech off or even damages it, yet somehow this lost people were able to meld the two together. Now, from what my team has learned from in-depth research, almost all of their technology was destroyed in an unknown event around the time of the Toba eruption. We think the eruption might be related to the disaster somehow, but the important thing to note here is that, so far as we can tell, any technology with magic directly integrated to it was destroyed. Completely turned to dust. What little did manage survive is totally non-functional. Magicite? That's why. Or rather, its lack is the why. For the surviving items magicite served as the fuel source rather than being directly integrated with it. Magic dies? The magicite takes the fall along with it, while the tech itself remains behind. Undamaged, but powerless."

She gestured to the ruined sword. "So tell me, gentlemen. Do any of you recognize the name 'Caledfwlch'?"

At the group's confused stares, she continued. "What about 'Caladbolg'?" Gordon's eyebrow perked up, but the rest remained confused, and Serizawa was growing annoyed.

"How about it's most famous name?" She gestured to Tytanna, who lifted up the blade, revealing numerous cracked, blackened gemstones set into blade and hilt alike. "Gentlemen, let me introduce you to none other than Excalibur." Joanne held her arms outstretched to the blade with supreme pomp and grandeur, as if the weapon was shining more brightly than the Sun itself.

"Excalibur?" Tachibana asked. "What's that?"

Joanne's arms fell flat to her sides as turned to the Admiral gaping like a fish. "What… you don't… I mean… But how could you not? It's Excalibur! One of the most famous weapons in all of history!"

"Western history," Pentecost amended.

"I don't know about that Stacker," Ozaki said. "Even I've heard of it before, and I only took one history class at university."

"What's so famous about it?" Tachibana said, looking more and more embarrassed at his fellow's bemused stares.

"What isn't famous about it?" Joanne cried.

"May I, mom?" Tya asked, gesturing to the sword. "Explain, that is."

"Ugh, fine." Joanne laid her head on the table, resting her head to watch Tytanna at work.

"OK, gents, watch closely as I can only do this once without passing out." Tytanna held up the blade into the air, where the cracked, blackened gems could easily be seen. Anyone sensitive to mana or such energies would be able to guess what she was up to. "When we went searching for a possible Civ city, we sought the 'key' to it, a sword of legend. It was known across history be many names." One of the gems began to five a faint red light. "In France, they called it 'Durendal'. The Unyielding Blade, weapon of the Hero of Charlemagne, Roland." Several more began to give a faint glow, blue and green. Tytanna was beginning to sweat.

"In England, they called it 'Excalibur', the Sword of Promised Victory, only to be wielded by the Once and Future King." Several more lit up. Cyan, white, purple, yellow. "And in Ireland, it is called 'Caledfwlch', a Sword of Holy Fire that strikes with the force of a comet." Four more lights; dark blue, indigo, lime, and orange. "Scotland? It is Caladbolg, The Weapon of the Gods, Blade of the King of Kings, who formed a rainbow with each slash and could cleave three hills in twain." The final gem, pitch black, gave off an unearthly glow.

"That," she panted, "is this... sword." For a brief moment, they could see a spark of its old glory, a sword of holy light that could warp reality with every swing. An ancient super weapon stronger than many of their most advanced technologies of the modern day. Tytanna dropped the blade down, and even in its weakened state, they could see the holy flame flicker to life, watch the rainbow wave, and backed away just in time as the thick table was sliced in half with just a tap. A second later Tytanna collapsed to the floor in a faint, spent from the sheer willpower of trying to bring the legendary blade back from the dead.

"TYA!" Joanne shouted, grabbing her daughter and balancing her over her shoulder. The blade, now rusted and dead again, dropped to the ground harmlessly.

The Council all jump out of their seats as well, though their attention was focused on the destroyed table (which had Pentecost a bit miffed, as it was a custom table) and on the fallen blade, once again appearing to be a rusted piece of metal destined for the scrap yard.

"Stacker," Gordon said, his hand wrapped around the pommel of his katana. "Can I just say that I hate magic?"

The others nodded in response and called out together, "Ditto."

---

Walking down this corridor was always a nightmare.

There was nothing weird or wrong about it, no hint of malice or terror in its unadorned walls and smooth tile floors. It looked the exact same as any other office-building hallway. But it was all a deception. A ruse to hide the fear that leaked out of every panel, every stretch of wall and floor. For while the hall itself was normal, what lay at the end of it was anything but.

The rumor mill had much to say about this place, though never in earshot of anyone who would listen for the wrong reasons. Some said that people who failed the Dawn had their souls etched into the walls, forever locked away to know the depths of their failure. Others claimed that a special trapdoor had been built just outside the door, which lead the victim to a custom built furnace hidden underneath the building. Still others said that people quite simply disappeared when they passed through the door, never to be seen again by still living eyes. No one suggestion could ever be agreed upon, but one thing was certain across all the stories.

Anyone who brought bad news to the room beyond the door often did not live to tell the tale.

Even with all the mental fortitude training that befitted a soldier of the Red Dawn, young Edrick Werner could not help but shudder as he grew ever closer to his destination. As well as the one who waited inside. In what seemed to be far too few seconds in his mind, Edrick reached the fabled door. He stood staring at it for a moment, trying and failing to compose himself. "It… it'll be fine. Just go in there and tell her. No big deal, just the facts as they are. She… she has no reason to blame me. It's fine. Everything's fine. It's all fi-"

"Enter."

Edrick jolted in place as the voice carried out to him, it's electric tone shocking his nerves into a state of hyperactivity. "F… fine," he said one last time before opening the door and stepping within.

No sooner had he cleared the entranceway than the door swung shut behind him, seemingly of its own accord. When it closed he was left in a state of near twilight, only faint rays of pale sunlight sneaking in around the corners of the blackout blinds. Only the barest outline of a desk was visible several feet in front of him, a shadow darker than the abyss behind it slowly rocking back and forth.

Edrick gulped then gave the form a shaky bow. "G-good afternoon Lady Adeline. I ap-pologize for interrupting you but I have some important information that has come in from Hong Kong."

"Is that so?" the voice hissed. Knife-like clacks came from the desk, which Edrick belatedly realized were the Lady's fingernails rapping on the hardwood. "Does that mean Laoshu and his associates were retrieved then?"

"Ah," Edrick temporalized. He shuffled the papers he had under his arm, aware that the tale they told was the exact opposite of his Lady's expectations. "Not… exactly, my Lady. Here is the report of the local cell leader. He… wasn't available for comment when he tried to reach back out to him." Slowly, as if passing out meat to a lioness Edrick placed the papers on the desk and retreated, hands firmly pressed to his side.

A hand skittered out on to the papers and drew them back, dark black gloves covering the skin except to the ends, allowing the inch long razor filed nails to scratch on the table gratingly. Edrick stood stock still as he listened to the Lady reading the report, pages flipping one by one without any vocals from the Lady herself. Bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he waited, wincing every time he heard a sound or saw a flash of movement in the dark. After what felt like an eternity, but was probably only a few minutes, the Lady hmmed and the clacking started up again.

"So…" she said, allowing the s to carry on for several seconds. "They failed to capture him then. And what's worse, they lost him to the GDF. These are rather… upsetting events."

"I understand my Lady," Edrick said without tripping up, a major achievement. "Though not all the news is bad. It seems that the cell commander was able to reach Laoshu's home and wipe out his hard drives before the GDF could retrieve them. As well, it would appear he and the remainders of his command have evacuated the area, as our connection to them has been cutoff for the moment. I… I'm sure that nothing of actual value was lost, save for some of our warriors giving themselves to the cause at last."

"It would seem that way wouldn't it? That this failure is only a minor botch up to the untrained eye. But fortunately, my vision is not blocked by the fog of ignorance."

"My Lady?" Edrick asked, feeling a prickle go up his spine.

"Laoshu's connections with our cell may have been severed, but he had plenty of his own in his little cobweb. Fellow rats and insects who feed us the guns and ammunition we require to fuel our righteous flames. And should the enemy start to go after them…"

The unspoken train of thought continued in Edrick's head, though he latched onto what few rays of hope he could see. "That is a potential problem, my Lady, but I'm sure the other contractors can escape easy detection. After all, we have supplied them with all the knowledge and software they need to hide from the IBI's searches, both physical and electronic. I'm c-certain that even if Laoshu betrays us, it won't lead to any important discoveries on the part of the enemy."

For a brief instant, Edrick felt a sense of calm and accomplishment fill him. So what if this one incompetent group failed in their job? It would not set back the cause for any of the other loyal followers, so in the end it was a minor setback right?

That short hope was dashed as he felt more than heard a sharp cackle come from across the desk to stab into his ears. "Fool. Do you seek to deceive me, or are you just that naive?"

"M-my Lady?"

"Had Laoshu merely been captured by the GDF, it would be as you say. They would wring him dry of anything he knew and send their bloodhounds hunting for our tracks, only to find that the foxes are smarter than they. And that would be the end of it. But that isn't the full story." The Lady's hand tapped on some keys on her desk and produced a red colored hologram in the center of the room. A video played through the mist, showing the dreaded Marshall Pentecost shaking hands with a man in an oversized coat with dark tinted sunglasses. "The wolf joined them as well, for precious little Laoshu attempted to take his own petty revenge on a much larger beast then himself. He ended up paying the price, but that won't be enough to satisfy Chou, not when he knows just who gave Laoshu the resources to make his play. Soon enough our foxes will be revealed, and the war hounds will come growling at our gates."

"I… then we shall be ready for them my Lady," Edrick said with more confidence than he felt. "There are few better deaths for a loyal servant than to strike back at the symbol of humanity's tyranny."

The Lady's growl sounded like that of a hungry bear as she lurched forward from the shadows to grasp Edrick's throat. Air refused to enter the man's lungs as the Lady's hands crushed inward with inhuman strength. "Now I know what you are, little worm. You are an idiot, for believing that such a mistake can rectified by mere 'belief'. Faith alone will not take down the giant mechanical monsters. Strength of heart is nothing before strength of arms and armor. And no amount of motivation will be enough to bring the corrupt humanity to its knees without planning and intelligence." Her grip tightened a bit more, Edrick's hands flying to his throat to try and pry the obstruction from his throat without success. "Intelligence you clearly lack."

Then, just as Edrick felt he was going to black out, the hold on his throat disappeared and he fell to the floor gasping and wheezing.

"Still, you are right on one thing. Our people are loyal, and they will fight to the end, no matter what, or who, stands in their way. Isn't that right, Edrick?"

Slowly, Edrick rose to his feet, rubbing at the bruised skin on his neck while nodding profusely at the Lady. "Y-yes ma'am. We will fight… and die, however and whenever you command."

"Oh Edrick," Adeline crooned, sickly sweet. She circled around the desk to him, finally revealing her full looks to his sight. Her hair was cut short and ruffled, a simple brown color that appeared earthen and dirty. The face was tall but smooth, an almost motherly smile gracing her feature as she pulled Edrick close to her and patted his head. He realised that she stood a whole head taller than him, despite normally towering over most other members of the Dawn. As well he noticed idly that her body was thin, disturbingly so, with arms and legs as long as his torso. "Fear not little Eddie. You did nothing wrong. Your ignorance is not your fault, the mistake not by your hand. You are faithful and loyal, enough to shoulder the burden of another servant's errors upon yourself. That is the mark of a true follower of the true Terra. You should be proud."

"Thank you my Lady," Edrick said woodenly, his earlier terror and panic now washing away under a tide of contentment. He returned the embrace for a second before remembering his place and stepping out and placing his hand over his heart with the palm in, the standard Dawn salute. "I serve true Terra, and you as its representative of the Divine will."

Adeline smiled, her gleaming white teeth arranged in a perfect half-moon shape. "Indeed you do, young Edrick. And serve you will, in the most important manner possible."

"I am at your service, my Lady," Edrick replied without thought. "What would you wish of me?"

Adeline's smile broadened, crossing the line from happy to haunting. "Simple. Just stand there for a moment and look at me. From there, the rest is easy."

Edrick did as instructed, watching the Lady with intent focus and stillness. He ignored the strange dimness descending on his mind, the dulled warning bells clanging incessantly in warning. By the time he heeded their relentless concern he realized it was far too late.

The Lady stood over him, never ceasing her Cheshire grin, as one of her hands reached out to him again. But it was not flesh and bone that approached his chest with fingers outstretched. The skin had disappeared from the long digits, revealing dark black metal edged with needle shape corners. His legs frozen in place, Edrick could only watch Adeline's eyes flash red for a brief instant as the machine hand landed on his breast.

"Now Edrick, I want you to feel. Feel your terror. Feel your horror." The end of the fingers dug into Edrick's skin, easily tearing through both cloth and flesh. "Feel your fear… and give it to me."

A wordless howl echo through his mind as his senses were overloaded with pain, lightning jumping through the sensitive nerves until they burned themselves out. He could think of nothing; not memory, not escape, not resistance. Time did not exist, nor space. Only the agony, and the emotion that accompanied it. Eventually, even those meager feelings left him without any sense of relief, for beyond was only an all-encompassing dark too thick to be pierced.

Adeline watched as the body fell bonelessly to the floor, licking her lips as the last traces of the near invisible green mist faded into her. "So sweet little Edrick. A little too sweet for us perhaps, but satisfying nonetheless. Your service has been appreciated."

She casually pushed his legs out of her way as she traipsed back to her desk, the dark enveloping her form again so that shadows were all she was. "My poor, foolish, ignorant little sheep, constantly bumbling even when given the most simple of instructions." She tapped the keys on her desk again, watching as image after image of the GDF's movements appeared before her. Mechs and Jaegers deploying from their bases around the world, soldiers arming themselves with their precious guns, jets lifting off to see where the kaiju were and keep them from disappearing into the unknown. "Whatever will I do with them?"

A few more taps gave her a view of the Shatterdome's outer pads, replaying once again the video she had been sent earlier that day. She smiled as she watched her target go through her little magic act once more, a smirk twisting her lips out of shape. "Oh well. I'm sure they'll prove to have their uses still. At least for a while longer."

A satellite view was the next image to appear, showing a bird's eye view of a collection of kaiju on Solgell. Adeline's eyes trained in on the green mass sitting far from the others, her eyes picking up even through the electronic view the thick verde haze that surrounded the beast. "Soon, they'll give me what I need, and I will finally have my chance at revenge."

The kaiju looked up directly at the camera and squinted, as if it could sense something was watching it from afar. "And then… you will get what you deserve."

"Traitor."

---

Welcome back everyone! Boy this is a long one isn't it? If I'm not careful I might end up with actual Bridge length chapters. (Just kidding Tarb, I enjoy longer stuff). Anyway, lots going on in this one. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in a review or in the chapter thread on the Fimfiction chapter announcement blog (which I will do with every chapter from now on so the regular Bridge readers will be aware). Next time, we have the first of the official war missions featuring one of the Guardian monsters. Til then, adios!

A King, a Prince, and a God

13 years before the opening of the Bridge...

---

Far beneath the unending waves of the ocean surface on an empty plain of jagged rock and quiet sand, the last dying dregs of a volcanic hotspot faded from its place under this thin part of the planetary crust. A lightless haze descended over the forgotten area, the final source of life for this ancient place finally gone.

And in the darkness a presence moved.

The radiation was gone, withdrawn from the surface with the rest of its heated source. Digging down after it would be ineffective. Another source would need to be found. The presence opened its senses and reached outward, questing for that familiar taste of power that fueled it. For hours it searched in silence, barely shifting its bulk.

There. A source. Near the surface and on the move.

The presence felt confusion at the revelation. There should be no more living sources. Not since the Cataclysm many millennia ago. This required investigation.

Its mind made up, the presence lifted itself from its eroded place in the sea floor, shaking off giant sand dunes and walls of rock that had formed around it. Rising upright for the first time in uncounted years, the presence kicked off the surface below it and swam off in the direction of the source, a combination of hunger and curiosity propelling it to the surface.

---

Salty sea spray hit Nickolaus Tatopoulos in the face as his boat bounced over the shifting ocean waves. He took in the cool temperature and kind wind with a smile, letting his concerns wash away for the moment.

"Another month, another mutant kaiju terrorizing people."

And thus the worries were back. "Thanks for ruining the mood, Elise," he said without turning to acknowledge her.

"Sorry Doc." Elise took up the spot next to him at the prow, leaning on the railing and heaving a sigh of relief. "At least this one was easy to bring down right? Zilla didn't even have trouble with it."

Nick folded his arms over his chest and frowned. "Yes. Another possibly innocent creature driven insane by forces beyond its control was easy to kill. How wonderful."

The redhead grimaced at Nick's tone. "You know that's not what I meant. It's not like we have a choice to let the monsters live if they just keep on attacking endlessly. If we could corral them away on Monster Island and be sure they couldn't escape, I'm sure the UN would love to do that."

"But it's not that simple," Nick finished. "I know. That doesn't make it any easier."

"Look Nick, I get where you're coming from here, but you have to ask yourself this. Which is more important? A single animal that probably isn't intelligent, or a whole lot of humans we most certainly are?"

Nick gave Elise a glare. "You know what my answer would be to that. People will always be more important."

"Exactly. Sometimes animals are a threat to people and need to be put down. Doesn't matter if that animal is a rabid dog, an old lonely lion without a pride, or a kaiju mutation."

"Doesn't make it a good deed," Nick said with a scoff.

Elise nodded and patted her boss's shoulder. "No, but it's a necessary one. Besides, think about it like this. The more Zilla fights mutants like these, the better he can defend himself against the real threats. Guy's probably almost as experienced as the big G himself at this point."

"I rather doubt that," Nick laughed. "Still, you have a point. I just wish for once we could find a new monster that wasn't a rampaging beast with no brains and that can be reasoned with."

"Wouldn't that be nice," Elise agreed, gazing out in the distance, eyes locking onto the waves that marked Zilla's passing a mile ahead of their ship.

"Guys! Guys come here! You have to see this!" A heavy set blonde ran out of the cabin towards them, pausing halfway to cough into his sleeve.

"What is it Craven?"

Craven was about to answer when he reached them but sneezed overboard. "Sorry. Got a cold. We spotted something on the sonar. Looks like a possible kaiju."

Elise threw her arms up in the air. "And another one. They just never stop showing up anymore do they?"

Nick sighed, casting a quick glance out in Zilla's direction before walking off to the cabin. "Let's go see what the deal is with this one."

Walking into the cabin they were greeted by a brown-skinned young man with unkempt dreadlocks. "Hey guys. You aren't gonna believe your eyes when you see this one."

"What's that supposed to mean Randy?" Nick asked. "Isn't it still too far away to notice any details?"

"Details? No, none of those. Size on the other hand…" Randy gestured to the sonar screen. The center depicted their ship of course, with Zilla's large blob barely a finger's width away. On the edge of the scope was another blob, its distance from the center of the screen, and thus their vessel, decreasing rapidly.

"One thing's for sure, whatever this guy is he's quick," Elise said.

Nick nodded in agreement. "Craven, have you been able to get its size yet?"

"Uh, yeah kinda, though I'm not sure how accurate the data is. The main body is over 300 feet long, and the tail adds another 200 after that. Displaced mass is… over 90,000 tons at a preliminary figure."

The crew all looked back at the blob, which had moved several inches closer in the last minute alone. Nick straightened up and folded his arms over his chest. "Randy, get Monique. Tell her to bring the ship up to flank speed, then get a message out to the nearest military station."

"You got it boss," Randy said before rushing off.

"Craven," Nick continued, "find out everything you can about this thing before it gets here. Size, weight, shape, species if you can. Anything you can find out." The blonde nodded and got to work on the computers. "Elise, help me set up the remote communicator. I have to have a talk with Zilla."

---

Zilla calmly swished through the ocean waves, letting himself move on a sort of autopilot while his mind drifted aimlessly. Who knew mutant squid could actually taste good? I mean the normal squids are quite delicious anyway, if a bit slimy, but you'd think the mutation process would make it taste poisonous or something. Eh, I'm not gonna complain. I'm not gonna have to eat for a week anyway. I wonder if G is on the island? I kinda wanna talk to him about-

Zilla? Zilla can you hear me?

Dad? Zilla asked. Yeah I can hear you. What's up? Are you just testing the mind voice thingy, or is there another issue to deal with?

The later, sadly. We spotted a new kaiju signature following our ship and its closing in fast.

Zilla groaned. Another one already? I just got done fighting the last one. Oh well, a kaiju hero's work is never done. What's the skinny on this guy?

Not sure 'skinny' is the best word to describe this one. According to Craven the thing weighs 90,000 tons. That's more than three times your weight. We may need some help dealing with this one.

That… might be necessary yeah, Zilla admitted. Monster island is pretty close by, just a few hours off. I could head there and see if someone's willing to lend a hand, paw, claw, what have you.

Normally I would suggest against bothering the other kaiju with human problems, but in this case we don't really have a choice. We'll set course for the island at full speed then. Hopefully we can make it there before this monster catches up to us.

Roger that, Dad. I'll sit between you and him, make sure he doesn't get any ideas. With that, Zilla altered course to the north-east, following along in the much smaller wake of his family's boat. If this guy wants you, he's gonna have to go through me.

---

The source was shifting direction. Had the source realized it was being followed? If it had, was it trying to escape, or merely chose a better battleground to face its stalker?

The ancient being rumbled as it pushed its speed higher, its great tail swinging through the water at a faster pace. This source was creating ever more questions that needed answering. And the answers would be had.

One way or another.

---

Hours passed, and yet Nick and the rest of the Heatseeker crew saw nearly no change in the distance between them and the kaiju chasing them. That said, they were able to determine with a little testing that the kaiju was after Zilla, not them, so that was a slight relief for the crew. All except Nick that was.

"What does he want with Zilla?" Nick asked again.

"We will not know until the two meet," a French accented voice answered. Monique, the provider of the Heatseeker's ship and their funding, was hunched over the sonar panel, trying to eche out every detail she could out of the display. "That said, much about this kaiju seems to be different than the usual mutations Zilla hunts. Its body structure is very smooth and well proportioned in comparison to its size, unlike the mismashed creatures we generally see."

Randy, who was leaned up against a nearby wall, asked, "Do you think it's another natural monster then? Like Mothra?"

Elise shook her head. "I don't think so. The shape and hardness of the skin suggests scales like those Godzilla has, so it's probably another saurian. But its size is a lot greater than the Big G. Closer to Ghidorah almost, if you minus the wings and part of the necks. Plus the radiometer is going nuts every time we so much as stick it in the thing's direction. I don't what this kaiju's deal is, but it's certainly a new kind of beast than what we've seen before."

"But what does it want with Zilla then?" Nick said. "And why haven't we seen this thing before?"

Monique shrugged her shoulders and answered, "Knowing our luck, it probably wants to eat him. I just hope that we can convince the monsters on the island to help."

"We're here!" Craven called from up on the control deck. "Zilla's already on the beach. I think he's catching his breath. Hold on, I think another kaiju is coming. … Oh boy."

"Who is it?" Nick asked as he and the others climbed up to the windows.

Randy laughed. "Come on, do you even have to guess?"

They all looked out on the beach and saw Zilla laying down on the sand, a much taller and darker form making its way to him.

"The King has come to defend his home," Monique intoned ominously.

---

Oh man, Zilla said between panting. Haven't gone that fast in a while. Now I'm starting to regret gorging myself so much. Reeeally shouldn't exercise so much on a full stomach. Zilla fell silent for a moment as he felt the Earth tremor though his jaw, then again another second later. Looking up from his prone position Zilla could see a much larger saurian standing over him. Oh. Hey there G. Long time no see. How you been?

Fine, Godzilla answered in a clipped tone. It's been rather quiet lately. Although that is apparently about to change rather quickly thanks to you.

Sorry. You know I would rather handle it on my own if I could, but… well let's say this guy is a bit outside my weight class, so I could use a partner just in case things go pear shaped.

Godzilla tilted his head down at Zilla, a confused look in his eyes. What do pears have to do with this?

Zilla blinked, then shook his head and stood. Human expression. Just means when the situation gets out of control. Which I really do hope it won't, but in my experience…

It always does, Godzilla finished. The King heaved a great sigh, then turned to face out towards the ocean. Very well. I'll stay and help. You lured it to my home anyways.

Thanks G, Zilla said while giving the bigger kaiju a grateful nuzzle. If the two of us are working together here, I don't think we'll have a problem.

Godzilla grunted, his eyes fixed on a swelling wave on the edge of his sight. The wave was large, bigger than most he made unless he was deliberately attempting to swamp a shoreline. I have thought such things before. I was wrong nearly every time. Be ready for anything.

Zilla wriggled himself in place, pushing away the tiredness from his bones. Yes sir.

And so King and Prince stood on the shore of the island, watching the invader come closer and closer.

---

There was a second source now. It was big, much larger than the first. Big enough to match that of the old enemies. Exceed them even. What were they doing together? Why did the larger not feed on the former? Was the smaller a juvenile and the larger its parent? Were they of a new type that was never seen before?

Regardless, old instincts were coming to fore once again. Bones and muscles clenched in preparation for combat. It surged forward, pushing the water out of the way more aggressively. Must get there quickly. Need to know. Need to understand. Ancient furnaces deep within burned to life again, energy churning to be unleashed.

The Alpha Predator felt the need to defend its title. To protect the world from this unknown pair. And so it would. Violently if needed.

The God had risen out of the depths to greet the new King.

---

Um, boss, are you seeing what I'm seeing?

Godzilla's eyes narrowed and his tail twitched, the rest of his body still. I believe so.

Zilla's eyes continued to widen as he backed up a few steps. Right. That's what I thought. Well, I don't know about you, but I feel a distinct need to RUN!

Zilla bolted off of the beach at full speed just as the giant wave crashed down upon the sand. The tsunami was taller even than Godzilla, smashing into him as he braced himself and pushing him back through the ground. The wave expended its energy quickly and moved past the King, washing up for hundreds of feet through the forest behind him, carrying away every tree and exposed rock that stood there. Slowly the water receded, leaving behind a wide swath of empty land, at the center of which stood Godzilla, unhindered. Show off, the saurian mumbled to himself as he turned to face the one who had made the wave in the first place.

The kaiju was huge, standing a head above him at full height. More than that, its body was utterly massive, its torso being thicker than Godzilla's widest part of his chest. Long, sharp spines ran up the creature's back and along the tail, which stretched on behind it even longer than his, though thinner towards the end. Its arms seemed small in comparison to the rest of it but were clearly still strong and endowed with tough claws on their ends.

But none of that struck Godzilla as deeply as the face of the thing did. The skull was heavy and block-shaped, almost square but undeniably hard. Several teeth stuck out of its muzzle, overlapping in even lines with a grim look. Small but clear eyes gazed down at Godzilla searchingly, as if studying him as intently as the King was this monster.

It looked so… familiar, as if the kaiju's shape should be known to him in some forgotten recess of his mind. But more importantly, it was similar. Similar to him.

What… what are you? Godzilla said to himself.

---

What was this? This creature that stood here? It looked like one of the others. One of the Predators long since dead. How could such a thing be? Could it be?

The Alpha sniffed with both nose and mind, gathering the essence of this other being to himself. The creature had a source within it, pulsing with same power that stirred in the Alpha itself, only the method was changed. Altered. The source was purer and brighter than the Alpha's. Stronger than any Predator.

Something was not right. There were no more Predators, the Alpha knew. All were gone back during the dawning of memory. Removed for the sake of the world, with only the Alpha left as a final example of what had come before. Such was the Great One's ruling when it had first appeared. This creature, this mimic could not be a true Predator. But then where did it come from? Why was it here?

The Alpha needed to know.

What are thou? It spoke. It's first words in an eon.

---

So it takes the time to talk, Godzilla grunted. Perhaps there is a chance for peace here after all. Godzilla stood as tall as he could and addressed the other kaiju. I am Godzilla, defender of these islands. You are trespassing here, and I will not tolerate any threats to the monsters who live here. State your business or please leave.

The creature rumbled, shifting in place and clenching its paws. What are thou? It repeated. Are thou a Predator? Wherefore dost thou come from?

I don't know what you mean by 'predator', unless you mean the fact that I can eat meat if I wish. As for where I came from, I was born from an egg and raised by humans. Now answer my question. Why are you here?

This time the larger monster grumbled and took a step forward, shaking the beach as its pillar-like foot landed. We must know! Thou has a source. Resembles Our form. What made thou? Was it the Small Ones? Why did they mimic Our form? What end do they seek?

Small ones? Godzilla asked, eyebrow raised. You mean the humans? They didn't make me, only raised me. And what is this 'source' you're talking about?

Thou dost not know? Tis what gives thou life and power. Why? Why dost thou have a source? None should be left alive save for Us.

Godzilla leaned back, waving his tail in agitation. None left alive? Why? Did you kill them?

It shook its head. No. They were destroyed due to their own arrogance, but We would have done the same Ourselves once We realized the damage they had done. The creature snarled. Damage thou art capable of as well. Allow Us this question: art thou a threat?

Only if you strike first, Godzilla said. As I said, I am the Defender of this island and its inhabitants, and I will stand against any who move to harm them. He slammed his tail down into the sand, sending cascades of dirt flying into the air. Even one of my own kind if I must.

Silence passed between the two monsters, each sizing the other up while standing perfectly still. The larger saurian stared down at its counterpart and tilted its head as if in thought. It closed its eyes for a moment, then opened them and snarled, Defend them then.

The Alpha drew in a huge breath and unleashed its roar, the tremendous screech cracking rocks on the mountains lining the beach. Godzilla stood his ground against the challenge and prepared his own roar in return. The King dug his feet into the sand and roared with all his might, causing the larger saurian to flinch back. Both titans looked at one another with a brief moment of respect before rushing forward to attack.

Their arms locked against each other as they threw their weight and strength behind their pushes. At first the two saurians were stuck in place, unable to shift the other's stance. As the seconds passed though it became clear that the Alpha's strength and mass gave him a slight edge. Slowly Godzilla could feel himself being shoved back, the other monster looming over him and snarling.

Just as the King was about to prepare a nuclear pulse to knock the creature away it lurched off of him and tumbled off to the right. Surprised but pleased, Godzilla nodded to the nearby Zilla, who was busy shaking his head back and forth like a wet dog.

Dang, that felt like headbutting a mountain. Don't recommend trying to match this guy for brute strength boss. I think he's got the advantage there.

I realized that Zilla, but thank you. Godzilla turned his focus back on the Alpha, which was standing back on its feet and casting a confused glare at Zilla. I don't think he expected you to intervene. He's more aware now, so be careful trying to attack his sides.

Didn't survive this long by not being careful, Zilla quipped. He threw a smirk at his opponent before loping off down the beach, adding a quick taunting roar as he went.

The Alpha watched Zilla move off before looking to Godzilla and saying, Thou requires aid to engage thine enemies?

I won't ever turn it down, the King answered. If it means the difference between winning or losing, I'll gladly accept help that I can trust.

Let Us see if it will be enough. The Alpha moved forward again, this time leaning into its shoulder as it rushed. Godzilla watched the oncoming attack and swiftly moved out of the way. Once he was clear he swiped and clawed at the Alpha's exposed flank, but the attacks could barely bite into the beast's thick scales. He would need to hit hard in order to wound this thing.

The Alpha gave a short roar before swinging his head around as a cudgel and catching Junior on the shoulder, throwing him back. This was swiftly followed up by a clawed punch which Junior blocked on his arm, then an attempted downward swing that Godzilla dodged. Junior could see that, for all this beast's power, it wasn't used to an opponent that could match its strength or move swiftly enough to evade its attacks. But at the same time, I can't harm it easily. I'll have to wait for an opening to charge up a pulse.

Godzilla had just finished dodging another blow when the Alpha roared and turned around. Zilla had snuck up on the huge creature and was currently holding its tail in his jaws, pulling backward with all his might to stop the Alpha from advancing. With a growl the Alpha wrenched its tail out of Zilla's grasp, then swung it back at the smaller saurian's head.

Eep! Zilla ducked under the meteoric tail and leaped back out of its reach. Guess that trick only works with Mothra. You're clear G!

The Alpha wondered at the smaller source's words before it recalled its other opponent and turned back to face them, only to get a nuclear powered punch direct to its stomach. The blow echoed against the Alpha's scales and knocked some of the wind from its lungs, but it refused to falter. Junior was surprised it had taken the blow so well. A similar shot would have knocked most kaiju flat. Godzilla and the Alpha once more stared each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move.

The momentary pause ended as the Alpha stomped forward once again, throwing strike after strike at Godzilla, not stopping even as Godzilla struck back in between blocks and dodges. The titan was determined to get a solid hit on Godzilla and gave the King no opportunity or opening to attack with a full charge again. Instead Godzilla simply weathered the assault, grimacing and growling through the blows while letting his healing factor keep him in the fight. Bruises, scrapes, scratches, all came and went while Godzilla bidded his time.

The Alpha noticed that the wounds its was inflicting on its opponent were disappearing faster than it could make more. Was this a natural part of this creature's improved heart source? Normal attacks would not be enough. It was time to dig deeper.

Godzilla leaned back from another swipe but lost a chance to counter attack as the Alpha retreated backwards. He stared suspiciously at the larger monster as it halted several body lengths away. Is it giving up? Or planning something else? Either way, Godzilla wasn't going to let this chance go. He began to charge up his energy, his spines lighting up along his back as they gathered up power.

To his extreme shock though, the other monster seemed to be doing the exact same, a pale blue igniting across its spiked back as it drew in a huge breath, its chest expanding voluminously.

This is gonna hurt, Junior thought as he directed the gathered power into his throat. Which one of us gets hurt though…

There was no time for any further concern as the Alpha released its energy, a stream of lightning blue flame pouring from his maw like a humongous dragon. Junior fired back with his nuclear breath at the same time, the thick plasmatic beam glowing with radiation. The two attacks met each other between the two combatants, fire struggling against plasma for dominance. Only for a few seconds though. Unlike their physical bout before, Junior's power clearly trumped the Alpha's as it smashed the flame back and advanced towards the ancient Predator.

Unable to believe what was happening, the Alpha cut off his breath and ducked his head to the left, the upward angle of Godzilla's blast sending the attack soaring into the sky harmlessly. Stunned, the Alpha stared at the smaller monster in shock, without even a growl or snarl. Always the Flame had been the Predator's ultimate attack, the method of certain victory against any opponent. To see it matched and bested with such ease…

I will say it one last time, Junior announced, holding a charge in his spines so that the blow glowed as he spoke. Either leave now or I will cease holding back. This is your final warning.

The Alpha narrowed its eyes. Thou hath been striking without thine full power?

Godzilla gave a nod. I don't like to kill if I can help it. I would prefer to solve things without violence. But if I am pressed, I will not hesitate to use my power to its maximum. I will protect the lives of my friends and family, even if it means other lives must be extinguished. The King glared with his full authority and snarled. Will you be such a life? Think carefully.

The Alpha remained silent, slowly waving its tail over the churned ground beneath it. Thou hast power, but refuses to use it aggressively. Thou art a Predator, but serves to protect rather than control. Thou gives trust, even to those thine calls enemy. A series of huffs echoed from its throat, which Junior interpreted as laughter. What a peculiar creature thou art. Reminds Us…

Its eyes closed, feeling the sources around it once again. The other's power had not reduced at all, while the Alpha could feel its reserves somewhat depleted and its muscles quietly aching with spent energy. A sigh passed its jaws as it looked once more upon this Godzilla, final judgement waiting just on the edge. A twitch struck on the Alpha's sense as it spotted the smaller monster slowly crawling up behind him, attempting to sneak close while its was speaking with the other. A idea happened upon the Alpha and it focused its gaze intently upon the self proclaimed Defender. We must know one more thing of thee.

Godzilla tilted his head but remained at the ready, waiting to see what the creature had up its sleeve. Intent as he was upon the Alpha, he did not notice what Zilla was doing. What's that?

How much thou values thine allies. Without pausing for an instant the Alpha swept around 180 degrees with its arms stretched out wide, bear hugging the sneaking Zilla to its chest.

Oh come on! Zilla complained, wriggling as much as he could to escape the Predator's grasp. I was totally silent! How the Daiei did you even EEP!

The Alpha grasped Zilla tightly in its claws, lifting the saurian by the neck then easily hefting him around and slamming Zilla down into the beach. Before Zilla could recover and attempt to run, the Alpha brought one of its massive feet down on Zilla's chest. Blue light climbed up the Predator's back again, a whirlwind swirling around its jaws as it drew in air.

Desperate, Zilla launched a stream of burning green flame at the Alpha, but the ancient monster weathered the attack without concern. Zilla continued to struggle as the Alpha prepared to release its breath again, not noticing the heavy stomps sounding through the ground. Just as the Alpha sent forth the Fire again Zilla felt a shadow pass over him. The blue flame struck bare scales and burned, but not the scales of the intended target.

Godzilla grimaced as his shoulder took the brunt of the Alpha's blazing attack, feeling the intense heat bury down through his armor and scald the flesh underneath. After a few seconds the stream of fire halted, giving him the chance to strike back. The King pushed at the giant with his full power, sending his nuclear pulse straight into the Alpha's chest. Despite its great weight the Predator felt its feet leave the sand as it flew backward several hundred feet and collapsed to the ground.

Junior stood between Zilla and the fallen Alpha, breathing heavily and favoring his uninjured side as his healing factor went to work repairing his seared shoulder. Zilla got to his feet slowly, head still woozy from being smashed into the dirt. Th-thanks for the save there G. I actually thought I was a goner for a bit there.

No - pant - problem Zilla. I'm glad you're -pant - alright. Just be more - pant - careful next time.

Don't try to sneak up on the giant superkaiju. Duly noted boss. Zilla watched the Alpha start to move again So… what now?

Junior did not answer, still letting his lungs refill themselves. Slowly the Alpha rose to its full height again, a large blackened area on his chest scales showing where Godzilla had struck it. The creature huffed but stood tall and proud as it looked back at the King and Prince.

Sacrifice of the self, even in the face of much injury and pain. Truly thou art a Predator unlike any We hath met. Stronger, faster, yet respectful of other beings and seeking to aide them rather than dominate. The creature hefted a heavy sigh, its shoulders falling as tension leaked from its body. Were that the others had thine spirit. T'is a hopeless dream, but still… perhaps thou could be what they could not.

Godzilla held back a grumble, curiosity warring with caution as he begged to ask questions. I still have no idea what you're talking about, he said instead, trying to convey how fed up he was at this point.

No, it agreed. Thou does not. Perhaps tis better that way. If thou knew of the past, wouldst thou still be how thou art? Or would the knowledge taint thee? In the end, it matters little. Thou hath proven thine strength of both body and heart, as well as your ally. Our test has been passed.

Test? Zilla snorted. What kind of test would have to do with trying to kill the two of us?

A test of thine skill and power. Of thine willingness to fight. In this, thine both hath proven more able than We had expected. Perhaps enough to take up Our mantle for this world.

What mantle? Godzilla asked.

The mantle of the Alpha. The maintainer of balance for this planet and its inhabitants. For time uncountable We have held this role, removing dangers or threats from Our territory so that the rest may live in peace. Godzilla, thou hath accepted this responsibility on thine own will and drive. Thou hath proven capable and willing. Will you accept this role? Will thou become the new Alpha?

Godzilla glared the larger monster, but took the time to consider its words. It's constant mention of 'predators' was bizarre, but the rest seemed to suggest that the monster acted at a protector of their own sort, though against what Junior wasn't sure. And to be perfectly honest, he didn't care. I don't understand exactly what it is you're offering, but if it means you won't try to harm any of my allies, then fine. I'll be this 'Alpha' if you want. Doesn't make any difference to me.

Same, Zilla announced, causing both larger saurians to glance at him. Um, just saying you know. It's mostly up to the boss here.

So is that all then? Godzilla asked, ignoring Zilla. Do you have any other business here? Any more kaiju you want to test?

No, the former Alpha answered with what appeared to be a smile. We are satisfied. We shall leave thou both here. We trust that Our planet will be safe in under thine control. For now, We must find a new source to feed on. The Predator turned and trotted down the beach. Hopefully one that dost not speak so strangely.

Oh we're the ones who talk weird? Zilla grumbled. Talk about pot calling the kettle black. I can hear the capitalization whenever he refers to himself. Come to think of it I don't think he ever said his name.

Godzilla watched the Predator go while Zilla talked, but perked up at the last word. Old one, he called out. Tell us, what are you called?

The huge monster paused, turning its head to view them over its shoulder. Predators did not use names, but We hath been given many in the past. Before the Cataclysm, the Small Ones called us 'Gojira'. Thou may use that title for Us. Farewell, young Alpha. And with that Gojira walked out into the waves and flopped into the water, throwing up a huge spray. The giant's spines slowly slipped beneath the surface, leaving Prince and King alone on the beach as small waves lapped at their feet from Gojira's passing.

Okay, is it just me, or does 'Gojira' sound a lot like Godzilla to you? Zilla said. Pretty weird considering the guy looks like a bigger, meatier version of you.

Godzilla sighed. At this point Zilla, almost nothing surprises me anymore. I'm just going to let him go and pretend this whole fight never happened. So long as he doesn't cause trouble, I'm not gonna worry about him.

Not even if he's, like, a super ancient ancestor of yours or something?

As far as I'm concerned, the only family of mine that matters is my mother and father. You want to wonder about evolution or all that human science stuff, be my guest.

Both kaiju stood on the beach for a minute in silence, letting the time pass in comradery.

So… do you think he was actually gonna eat us?

Possibly. Though I imagine he'd stop biting you pretty quick once he tastes how fishy you are.

Zilla huffed and shouldered Junior. Low blow, G. Low. Blow.

Godzilla laughed, patting Zilla on the head comfortingly.

---

Gojira flew through the water with practised ease, casting His radiation sense outward in search of a good source. This truly had been one of the stranger days He'd had in recent memory. Not only had living sources reemerged from the devastation of the Cataclysm, but they were friendly with each other and willing to stand together against danger. Both had born odd similarities with His own self but were clearly of a different origin. Strange the coincidences that can occur in the world.

Whatever the case, the two beings had shown that they were able to handle themselves. He just hoped that when the Great One returned, as Gojira knew it one day would, these new living sources would be able to stand against it. Gojira shook those thoughts away, willing itself to ignore depressing thoughts of His former friend. Better to focus on the now, rather than dwell in the past.

Gojira continued His solitary journey, drifting off to the northeast towards a large and powerful hotspot. It had been a long time since He had visited that particular chain of islands. He wondered how much they might have changed in the last hundred thousand years.

---

Hello again everyone. Sorry for leaving the next update until basically the last minute of the month. To be honest, this chapter was made due to me developing writer's block on the actual chapter that was supposed to come next. Then I developed writer's block on this too. Not a fun few weeks for my creative side, I'll tell you that. Still, I managed to get it done, and the next chapter is... eh, I'd say about 65% finished. Shouldn't take too long to get that one done. And before anyone says anything, I had talked with Tarb about doing a chapter like this long before he did the short for the Mirror!verse version of Gojira. I just thought this was a good place to put it, and it helped get my creative juices (mostly) flowing again. See you again next month! (Which is literally tomorrow but still...)

Humanity's Stand

The War Begins

What the hell is that?

Gabara stared up into the blank blue sky, trying to locate the source of that feeling of being watched that was prickling at him. His fists clenched open and closed in an attempt to relive some of his nerves, but that feeling just wouldn't go away.

Who or what is doing that? Can't be a human thing. I can't feel any of their psychics nearby. But there aren't any kaiju around who can fly that high, so who…

The green ogre sneered at the open air and folded his arms over his chest. You know what? Forget it. Look all you want, weird sinister feeling. I don't give a gyaosshit. I'm just going to sit here and ignore you until you go away, so just buzz off already!

To his surprise the feeling did indeed recede, leaving only a lingering chill running down his spine.

Ha! he cried with a gleeful snort. Not so brave now, are you? Guess you know who's boss after all! Gabara stomped his foot to accentuate the shout, only to howl with pain and curse when he remember which foot he stomped with. Argh! Fucking bug bitches with their pincers and… ARGH! Damnit, I HATE having a physical body. Pain sucks.

Being a former psychic spirit Gabara often times forgot that having a physical form meant physical issues, including the fact that it took more than just energy to reform from damage taken. It took time and pain.

Especially pain.

If only Gamera had bothered to stop by here I might not have to deal with this - his leg muscles gave a nasty twitch - ugh, stupid healing nonsense. How do biological beings deal with it? He laid back against his rock, willing his damaged limb to hurry up and stop being damaged already. Not that that was going to convince anyone.

I guess there is some good news, Gabara mused as he looked around the empty vale he had claimed as his own. It's a lot quieter around here with all the kaiju gone.

Returning to Solgell on his own from Russia after his injury, Gabara had expected the usual suspicious looks and muffled whispers of the other monsters to be his greeting card, only to find the island nearly deserted. The human monitoring station on the north side of the mountain range was the only major sign of life he saw upon arrival, and after giving them a good scare and laughing at their angry glares he had the rare opportunity to be completely alone. The solitude is nice, Gabara remarked, letting his mind wander free from his body and just take in the senses of the scenery.

The trees gently waved in the soft ocean breeze, their palms and fronds providing cool shelter to the few animals who were brave enough to live here. Gabara could see the little points of their minds scurry and fly about. Small bits of tasty fear wafted from them whenever they looked in his direction, but for the most part they went about their business without concern of the world at large. A peaceful existence. Some part of Gabara envied them.

Then a loud crashing noise came from the head of the valley and Gabara could feel his quiet moment come to a screeching hault. Oh Tanaka, what now? he groaned.

Through his regular eyes Gabara watched a small lizard kaiju crawling down the rocks in his direction, occasionally slipping and sliding down the slope when it stumbled. The animals in the valley saw the giant coming and hightailed it to whatever cover they could find, leaving Gabara alone with the new arrival. Joy.

Gabara tried sitting perfectly still, hoping against hope that that smaller monster would mistake him for part of the mountainside. It was to no avail though, as the creature trotted right up to him with a curious look on its face. Who are you? it asked in a squeaky voice.

Go away, Gabara answer as sternly as possible. He kept his face pointed at the sky and eyes closed, but the little lizard was not deterred.

You are Goaway? That's a weird name.

The ogre growled and glared down at the small kaiju. NO. My name is Gabara, and you need to Go. Away.

Gabara could feel confusion emanating from the little creature as it asked, Why do I need to go?

Because I don't want you here, Gabara said reasonably.

The miniature beast paused, as if mulling over his words. Would you want me here if we play together? I like playing games. I'm Gorgo.

Gabara pinched his nose and sighed, then sent a glare at Gorgo. I already know who you are, kid, and no. I don't care if you want to play, so just go away. I'm busy.

Gorgo tilted his head and stared at him. Busy doing what?

Sitting here staring at nothing while I wait for my leg to heal. Very important stuff. Stuff that doesn't go well when there's a little pest bothering me.

Who's doing that?

Gabara smashed his head back into the rock wall behind him, forming an indent in the shape of his skull and giving himself a headache in the process.

Oh, are we playing 'rock smash'? Mom says I'm getting really good at that game, but she's still a lot better than me at it.

Why me? Gabara groaned. Why now? Turning to the kid he could see Gorgo kicking away at a section of the wall next to him, slowly but surely digging into the cliff. You aren't ever going to leave are you?

Well my Mom does want me to come back when it gets dark so…

Gabara rolled his eyes, knowing that was likely the best he was gonna get. Whatever. How did you even find this place? Gabara asked, looking at the head of the vale. It's not exactly easy to spot if you can't fly. He had spent several weeks exploring the island when he had first taken up residence here, running into every inhabitant at least once - and pissing them off in the process - before finding this one, out of the way corner that no one had claimed. The perfect spot for his broo… alone time.

I was exploring! Gorgo announced like it was the most important news ever. Mom told me I could wander around the island since everyone else is gone. She doesn't normally let me go away from her. She says she doesn't want me bothering the others, but today she said I could go anywhere! He paused, then looked up at Gabara and asked, Why are you here? I thought all the other monsters had left.

I left too, but I had to come back because of that. He pointed to his wounded leg, which Gorgo finally noticed and reeled back from. Some bugs bit me in a bad spot so now I can't fight, at least until my body heals. I'd almost say it was worth it to not have to go gallivanting around under human orders, but the pain makes me say it's not. Barely.

Gorgo looked at the wound, gripping his hands nervously. Does… does it hurt?

Gabara stared down at Gorgo blankly, trying to fit all his indignant disbelief into one glare. No. It doesn't hurt at all. In fact, it tickles a bit when you touch it. Go ahead. He gave a nasty sneer at the smaller creature. Try it. See what happens.

That looks like it should hurt, not tickle, Gorgo said while oblivious of the implied threat. I've never heard of wounds that tickle before. Wait, are you lying to me? The childish look of accusation would have melted the hearts of most beasts.

Gabara, however, was too busy being flabbergastedly angry to notice any of the cute. Completely fed up, the ogre slammed his fists into the ground on either side of him and stuck his face down near Gorgo's head. Listen here, twerp. I'm hurt. I'm in pain. I've been in pain for several days now. And you standing around here pestering me, surprise surprise, isn't helping. In fact, I'm fairly sure that my head is hurting more than my leg now because of you. So do me a favor and leave. Now. Gabara ended the speech with his nastiest growl, projecting some energy behind the sound in a wave of psychic intimidation.

Gorgo shrank away from him, but did not run, to the demon's shock. I'm… sorry for bothering you. I didn't mean to. I just… wanted to find someone to play with. No one ever wants to play 'kiddie' games. They're always too busy or too tired.

His anger draining away due to ineffectiveness, Gabara blinked in confusion. Seriously? What you don't have someone your own age to waste time with?

Gorgo shook his head in reply, then paused. Well, Zilla plays with me sometimes, but he doesn't stay here very much. He's always off traveling somewhere. Everyone else doesn't wanna play.

Gabara was going to make snide comment of 'I wonder why?' but held off for some reason. And what do you do with Zilla when you two 'play?' he asked. And why the Daei am I interested in this?, he snorted to himself.

Gorgo smiled and leaned forward as if to start sprinting. Usually Zilla has me chase him around the plain for a while. I never actually catch him, but it's still fun. He also teaches me how to dig really well. I made my own little tunnel that I can hide out in. Nobody else can fit in there, just me! He curled up into a ball and tucked his tail around himself. I like to nap in there sometimes. The quiet is… nice. I don't like loud noises much. It reminds me of…

Somewhere in Gabara's head there was a brief instinct to kick the ball in front of him, but he squashed that thought flat. Reminds you of what?

Gorgo's arms tightened around himself and he seemed to shiver. When I was caught by humans. They put me in this pit and had a whole bunch of people staring down at me. It wasn't very fun.

Streams of thick fear wafted off of the smaller kaiju and drifted towards Gabara. Mechanically he absorbed the energy as he usually did, but rather than the expected rush of power most fear gave him, this felt… hollow. It wasn't the fear for one's life that pushed them to survive against adversity. It was sad, hopeless. The terror of giving up completely. That… sounds rough kid, he said, trying to push away the empty feeling energy that continued to emanate from the smaller kaiju.

Mom tells me not to think about it, that I should focus on the good times instead. He uncurled and spread himself out on the ground, staring blankly at the sky. And whenever I do, I always feel better again. But it always comes back. Why do I keep thinking about it? His claws gripped the soil beneath him, gouging into the dirt. Why won't the bad thoughts just stay away?

Gabara sat there, feeling the occasional twitch of his leg and the energy Gorgo had given him slowly coursing into his reserves despite not wanting it there. I… he started lamely. I don't know kid. Sometimes life just hands us the crappy end of the stick for no good reason. It sucks, there's nothing we can do about it, and we gotta just deal with it.

Is that why you are always alone Gabara? Gorgo asked. Did you have a lot of bad times growing up, so you don't like being around others?

The ogre sneered and answered, Kid, all I had were bad times. I'm the guy that causes the bad times for people. I scare them, bully them, mess with their heads, whatever works. It's all I do.

Gorgo tilted his head. Why would you want to hurt people like that? Why would you be mean to them?

It's not want, kid, it's need, Gabara explained. I need to scare people in order to get their fear and worry. That's what I eat to survive. Without enough fear, I'd disappear into nothing. If I had to choose between giving some kid nightmares and ceasing to exist… well, that kid'll get over it eventually, while I don't get to 'come back' if I don't feed myself. The choice is pretty clear.

Gabara watched the kid with suspicion, certain that any second now he'd come out with all that crap of 'It's still wrong to hurt people,' or 'Why should you exist if that's all you are capable of'. He'd heard it all before so many times, mostly from human physics who'd tracked him down to erase him from people's dreams. Most of the kaiju had shared the sentiment when he first came here, so he'd been more than happy to return the favor. He'd have starved to death otherwise, so if they didn't get that then screw em.

I'm sorry, Gorgo said.

Yeah well too ba… Gabara's brain went on hold as he processed what he'd heard. Wait what. 'Sorry'?

Yeah, the younger kaiju confirmed. I'm sorry you have to live like that. That sounds like it's really sad. Having to hurt people just to live.

Uh… I mean, yeah. It sucks. Really don't like it. Gabara mentally smacked himself for rambling. It's not what I would have chosen to do with my life. But you have to play with the cards you're dealt I guess.

Cards? Gorgo blinked.

Gabara growled to himself and said, Human expression. When life gives you lemons and all that.

What's a lemon? Is it a type of fish?

The ogre slumped and shook his head. You know what, nevermind. Point is, I don't like it, but it's what I gotta do. And it's why most people don't like me, so there you go.

Gorgo nodded, deciding to ask his mom about lemons and cards later. Maybe she would know what they were. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. Um, Gabara, can I ask you a question?

You mean aside from the one you're asking now? Gabara returned with a smirk.

What?

Gabara's eye twitched and he palmed his face. Just ask the question kid.

Alright. Gorgo straightened up and did his best to look brave. Would it be okay if you scared me to get food if I knew I was getting scared? I mean, would that still work?

This time it was Gabara's turn to be confused. What?

What if you scared me, but I knew you were trying to scare me? Would you still get food from that if I'm scared but I know I'm supposed to be scared?

Wait wait. Hold the pho… just hold on a second. Are you offering to be scared by me? At the smaller kaiju's nod, Gabara's jaw dropped so far he nearly felt it come unhinged. Wha… I don't… why?

Gorgo smiled. Well if you scare me and I know I'll be scared, then it won't be as scary. I mean, I'll be scared when you scare me, but I won't be as scared after you scare me. The memory of the scare won't be as scary cause I was ready to be scared.

The mind demon felt his brain go screwy as he tried to make the kid's sentences flow straight in his head. Um… I think I get it, but just to be clear. You are offering to let me scare you so that I can have my fear energy, in spite of the fact that I would be, well, deliberately setting out to terrify you. Is that right?

Yep, Gorgo said proudly. I might not like being scared when the scare happens, but sometimes it's kinda fun to be scared. Like, when we're playing Zilla will sometimes pop up out of nowhere and pretend to grab me, but I always calm down after cause I know he wouldn't hurt me.

And what, you trust me not to hurt you? Gabara asked derisively.

Gorgo nodded, unaware of the larger kaiju's sarcasm. You already said you don't want to hurt people, so if you can get your food with just scares and not causing harm, why wouldn't you?

Despite coming from a child, Gabara felt the question strike deep into his core and he stared wide-eyed at the youth. I… I guess you have a point kid. That was actually pretty deep. You're pretty smart for your age. Um, how old are you exactly?

I dunno', Gorgo shrugged, his face sporting a carefree smile. Still pretty young mom says, but I think I'm a lot older in human years. I don't really get it. Math is weird.

Oh don't even get me started on human maths, Gabara moaned. There were far more dreams I could infect into nightmares with those than I should have been successful with. They just don't make any sense at all.

You can go through dreams? Gorgo started hopping in place. What are dreams like? Can you make stuff happen? What can you do there? Oh! Can you take me into a dream?

Okay, slow down there kid. For one thing, I could go through dreams when I was a spirit. It's a lot harder to do now that I have a physical body. I have to be close to the dreamer to even get access. And while I could make stuff happen in dreams, the host was always much stronger than me at manipulating the environment if they were aware of me. That's why I had to be sneaky about how I tried to scare people, or else they'd kick me out or worse. And no, I can't bring others into dreams if they can't enter them by themselves. Someone like Mothra might be able to do that but that's beyond my power.

To Gabara's dismay answering the questions just led to another slew of inquiries from the smaller kaiju, which he slowly tried to answer whenever Gorgo had to stop for a breath. The fact that his leg was no longer bothering him and that his worry over the bizarre feeling from earlier had entirely disappeared did not occur to him as his 'conversation' with little Gorgo carried on and on through the day.

Unnoticed by either kaiju a head poked over the vale's entrance ridge at one point, a larger, annoyed looking version of Gorgo staring down at the odd pair with a moment of brief panic. It had moved to rush into the valley in attempt to separate them when it noticed the younger kaiju laughing and the larger sporting a plain grin, neither mean nor mocking in nature. Bewildered, the kaiju watched for a while before determining that nothing untoward was going to happen and, bemused all the while, left the two to their own devices.

Of all the kaiju on this island, he just had to make friends with that one didn't he? Orka sighed and continued on her way, shrugging her shoulders as she went. Oh Gorgo, you have the weirdest taste in friends.

---

In the shallow ocean waters off the coast of Australia a mechanical hulk glided through the sea, its metal flippers pushing it forward with casual ease. The behemoth glided through the sunlit water in peace, whilst inside a hive of activity was swarming through its decks and holds. Near the front of the whale-like ship came the sounds of heavy clanking through its hull as one of its occupants prepared to leave its home.

"This is Langoud Launch Control, performing final launch checks for Dragoon 01. All personnel, please clear the launching area. Repeat, all personnel, clear the launching area. Dragoon pilot, report readiness status."

"All systems green," the male voice reported. Theodore 'Theo' Wylder breathed deeply, grey eyes scanning the holo-screens before him. They said, in no uncertain technical terms, that this would work. But that did little to reduce the little ball of nerves curled up in his gut. "Alright," he said, putting his jitters to the side. "Here goes nothing. Worst case scenario, both our brains fry. Not-so-worst case scenario, I'm wetwired in here permanently. Are you ready for this, Aschendaele?"

Ready as I'll ever be. The female voice's tone was worried as well. Her violet holo-eyes, steeled with determination, glowed in the flickering light of the displays. Let's do this.

With a nod, the displays vanished, leaving Theo enveloped in darkness, the only sound that of the foam walls inflating around him. Theodore rested his head back against his seat-brace and closed his eyes, then opened his mind. Soft arms wrapped around him, crossing his chest gently. In his vision he returned the embrace, until the sight faded and he felt another present in his thoughts. For a brief moment the conjoined minds went black and ignored the world. Then his eyes opened up again and he saw a metal hanger around him.

"Meld confirmed complete and holding," A voice announced in his ear. "Well done you two." Theo took a moment to recognize it.

"Doc?" He said, woozily coming back to life. Vaguely he noticed that another voice had said the words in time with him, but the meaning failed to connect for some reason. It took a moment for him to gather his own thoughts together in the mixed sea inside his head. "Ugh, I feel like I got hit by a truck." He looked down at his hand, but instead of his own flesh and blood he saw a metallic appendage painted a glossy pitch black. Suddenly, reality snapped back into place.

He was Theodore Montague Wylder, son of Tori Regalia Wylder, master engineer and professional (mad) scientist, former engineering teacher at CalTech university. But now that wasn't all he was.

She was the biomechanical experimental warmachine Dragoon 01, code named 'Aschendaele', engineered by the team of the GDFS Langoud for the purposes of providing heavy fire support for Jaegers and Kaiju on the battlefield. 'Her' brain was that of a specially cultivated organic computer, embedded deep within the Dragoon's core and uploaded with the mind and thoughts of a real human being.

And this was a very successful test of the new 'Wetwire' system.

"BY JOVE I THINK WE GOT IT!" the duo shouted, their minds fully linked as one, allowing the pair to control Aschendaele's massive mechanical body.

"Nice job, son," Tori said while clapping. Her hair was bright white and she sported a motherly smile over her purple business suit. "Well done indeed."

"Thanks mom!" the combined voice returned. "Uh, I mean, thank you very much boss. Dang it, who's who right now?"

The Langoud's head administrator laughed and shook her head. "I'm sure that both apply equally right now, given how mixed together you two are."

"Don't go cheering yet, kids!" Doctor Yuhara called over the intercom. "You seem to be doing good so far, but we still need to run a few tests before you can go hog-wild out there. This is your first time in a fight like this, we need to make it count."

The massive warmachine moved jerkily in its enclosed bay, hands raised in surrender. "You're the boss, Dad. I mean... Toku," the two said in tandem. They paused and ran one of the mech's hands over their head, scratching it. "Man, this is weird."

"The first Jaeger pilots said much the same thing," Yuhara said as his gaze swept back and forth over the telemetry data the mech was transmitting to his console. "Most humans take some time to get used to having another's thoughts inside their head. Just take a few minutes to test each other out, see how it feels to move around."

"You got it!" Slowly, with the hesitance of a toddler taking their first steps Aschendaele rotated and flexed in place.

Yuhara watched their progress, calling out suggestions and advice whenever the mech team had trouble. While he was doing that the rest of the control crew were going through the other preparations needed for the coming operation. Someone called out "Captain on deck!", prompting the Doctor to look over his shoulder.

Captain Hicks walked over with his usual rough plodding, eyes fixed on the screen showing Aschendaele currently bending over and touching its singular pointed toe. "What's the progress, Toku?" he asked bluntly.

"Good so far, Anthony. All the telemetry data checks out. We'll be ready for launch in a few minutes."

"That won't be soon enough. Radar shows that Vishnu is just a few hours from Brisbane, and we just got word from the Shatterdome that Zilla's too injured to fight. The only other thing we've got in range is MOGUERA, and it won't be there in time to stop the kaiju from reaching the city. Aschendaele's the only one who can distract the thing long enough for more firepower to get there, which means we need to launch NOW."

"No arguments here. I think we're ready," Aschendaele said. "Seems like it's high time we got going! Have we got approval from our two CO's?"

Hicks gave a clipped nod. "Get outta here and go smack that kaiju around, Dragoon. Show the insect our own special brand of bug spray."

"I vote go as well," Tori said. "Normally I would be on the side of greater safety, but right now you both are needed in the field. Just… be careful out there, hmm? We can't afford to lose one of our top engineers to a kaiju fight."

Yuhara fiddled a bit with a potted plant sitting at his desk, biting his lip. "That and we don't wanna lose…" He stopped talking, sharing a look with Tori, who seemed similarly concerned.

Aschendaele came to a halt in its movements and turned to the cameras directly. "Mom. Dad. Either or, both. Whatever. We're coming back. Promise."

The doctor stared at the plant, watching it wave slightly in an unseen wind after he had touched it. Eventually he looked up and nodded at Miss Wylder, who gave him a reassuring smile. "Very well. You have the go ahead for launch, Aschendaele. Stop Vishnu before it can reach Brisbane. A lot of people are counting on you right now."

"Wait!" they shouted, "We need weapons." Aschendaele posed, showing they they were completely unequipped save for the stowed claws in its arms.

"OK so how long does it take to get this thing loaded?" General Hicks asked. "We don't exactly have a lot of time to waste."

"About thirty seconds." Tori responded, watching as a veritable army of arms came down from the ceiling, weapons of all kinds dropping into place. Two large pistols attached themselves to Aschendaele's hips. A massive folded up cannon latched onto one shoulder, a broad dark blade on the other. In her left hand went a gnarly-looking assault rifle with a hooked bayonet, and in the right went a long sickle-like sword. It took almost exactly thirty seconds to fully load the weaponry and Aschendaele was already taking position onto the MAC catapult, locking into place and bracing herself for what was about to come.

"Alright everyone, brace yourselves! We're surfacing now!" Hicks' voice echoed over the speakers throughout the mech bay, the last few techs and engineers scattering to the walls for handholds.

Seconds later the entire vessel rocked as the Langoud rose rapidly to the surface of the ocean. Waves of ocean water poured off the flat top of the ship, mechanical groans sounding a dull roar as its ballast tanks refilled. Aschendaele watched the tunnel before them warily, the heavy metal doors at the far end creaking as they prepared to open. Once they were clear Aschendaele would be launched from zero to twice the speed of sound in less than a heartbeat.

The doors started to open.

"Langoud Launch Control preparing to launch Dragoon 01. Begin capacitor charge."

The long rail running the length of the tunnel began to crackle with unshed power, Aschendaele seeing through its electronic eyes the voltage building within the steel.

"Charge complete. Ready for launch."

"This is it," Aschendaele said to themselves, a human-like shiver going down its body. Then its systems locked it into place, arms frozen at its sides and leaned forward as if ready to pounce.

"Launch beginning in 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Initiate launch!"

At the blare of a large horn, the energy stored in the rails released in sequence, pulling Aschendaele forward hundreds of feet in seconds. At the same moment the overboosters ignited on the mech's back, filling the air with their fiery roar, adding their own thrust to the rail launcher. Seconds later Aschendaele reached the end of the tunnel and shot out of it like a cannon ball, leaving a disturbed line in the water below her.

The moment Aschendaele left the Langoud's shadow its anti-grav generators kicked into full gear, reducing its weight to a fraction of its actual mass. Now as light as a standard fighter jet Aschendaele's engines were more than enough to keep it airborne, allowing the mech to climb up above the ocean surface to a safer height.

"Whoooah, what a rush!" Aschendaele proclaimed as they leveled out several thousand feet up. "That is better than any rollercoaster I've ever been on. Like, ten times better at least."

"Any problems up there?" Tori's voice asked over the radio.

"Nothing so far. By the way, can I just say flying is awesome? Cause it is."

"I'm sure," was the amused response.

Hicks came on and ordered, "Alright, enough gabbing. Our party's over for now, so the rest is up to you two jokers. Follow the waypoint, find Vishnu, and keep the damn thing busy long enough for MOGEURA to provide the boot."

Sure enough a green dot appeared in Aschendaele's vision, lat and longitude numbers as well as distance in miles appearing next to it. "You got it sir. You can count on us."

"Get to it then." The radio fell silent and Aschendaele was left to itself, gliding through the air.

They let the quiet continue for a while, simply enjoying the sensation of flying under their own power. Eventually though, the combined minds separated slightly as Theo started to get bored.

His eyes still saw everything the mech's cameras were recording, but in his mind he was sitting in his darkened cockpit. Next to him in the black sat a little girl made of purple light, a calm smile on her face. So… he mumbled through their mental link. Do you ever…

Ever what? Aschendaele asked, turning and giving him a curious look.

Do ever miss it? Being… alive?

I'm still alive now aren't I? Aschendaele returned. I may be a bit bigger and stronger than I used to be, but I'm still me.

True enough, but still… it can't be the same thing. I mean, some part of you has to miss being flesh and blood right?

Aschendaele glared at him and put her hands on her hips. Oh no, Theo. I'm positively thrilled to be here. I don't at all miss being a real girl and having a body to hug my papa with. Whyever would I miss that?

Theo winced and turned away, the mech's head following his movement. Sorry.

Aschendaele shook her head and replied, It's fine. I know you were just asking. You didn't mean anything by it. And yeah, I… miss it sometimes. Her face brightened and she shoved her holographic elbow at him, his thoughts reading the touch despite the lack of actual matter hitting him. Still, better being the brain of a giant robot than being dead right?

Also true, Theo allowed. He smiled at her. Your dad must love you a lot to go through all of this for you. I mean, it's not everyday that someone commissions an entirely new class of Mecha with a brand new, never-before-tested control system just to give his daughter a chance to keep living. That… that takes dedication. Dedication, a bit of insanity, and a lot of love.

That's my dad alright, Aschendaele said. He's always been very focused on his robotics work, and when I was… diagnosed, he sorta went off the deep end. In a good way though.

Theo laughed. I know the feeling. My mom and I are the same way about our work. Heck, any good scientist worth his degree should have that kind of passion about what they do. It's the only reason tech like this even exists.

Yeah… Aschendaele turned away and folded her arms, leaning against Theo.

What's wrong?

I just… I can't help but wonder. If this tech had existed back when I was born, then maybe my mom would be here instead of me. The girl started to shake, causing the mech's vision to blur and its sensors to jumble their data. And… and what about everyone else who has what I did? Why don't they get to be saved like this?

Simple answer? The tech didn't exist then…

Well what about now? she shouted. Why did I get saved and not someone else huh? Why can't we save all of them too? Why… Small stray tears flowed down her face, reflecting and distorting the purple light she was made of.

Theo looked on for a moment without moving, then reached out and brought the purple girl into a hug. I know why you're asking that. Why you feel guilty about being the one who was chosen for this. I've been there before. And I can tell you this much: sometimes, life isn't fair about who gets to live or die. Fate has its own plans for us, whether we like it or not, and sometimes it decides that our time here on Earth is done. There's nothing we can do to stop it.

But, he continued, sometimes there are things we can do. We might not be able to save everyone, but if we do the right things in the right way we can still save a lot of people. So don't focus on the stuff you can't do, the things that are beyond your control. Instead, think about what you can do to help others. What you can add to the whole to make everything better.

Aschendaele looked up at him with a sad smile, tears still shining in her eyes, before giving him a stronger hug back. That… sounds like a good idea.

Well yeah. I'm the one saying it after all. Theo gave her a lopsided grin, to which she rolled her eyes.

Yeah sure. That's the only reason you're right on that. Nothing to do with the philosophical stuff. She shook her head and looked back outside through the mech's eyes. Well alright then. Let's do our part now, save a whole buncha people from a really angry bug, huh?

Theo clapped her gently on the back. You got it Aschendaele.

Sara. The holo-girl winked at him and grinned. My name's Sara.

"Let's get to work," the two announced, the dreamscape fading away as they came back to fore in the mech's body.

Thousands of feet below an endless column of dust and debris was being kicked up, the line pointing to the edges of the big urban sprawl that was Brisbane.

"Oh boy. He's a lot closer than we thought. Guess we'll have to work quick."

Hold on. I'm getting a radio signal coming from near the dust cloud, Sara said. Let me try and connect to it.

"-peat, this is Nick Tatopoulos calling any GDF units in the area. Is there anyone here at all?"

Aschendaele's pilot laughed aloud to himself and said over the radio, "Heya Nick! How's it going there buddy?"

"Theo?! What… where are you? Why are you here?"

"Oh you know, just flying around," Theo said with a snicker. As he got closer his vision locked onto the radio signal and zoomed in, spotting a small single engine helicopter painted a glaring orange. "What's with the paintjob? No wait, let me guess…"

"We owed Randy a favor and he wanted to practice. That's not important right now. What are you doing here? Do you know if any GDF forces are in the area?"

"You're talking to one pal. Look to your right, above and behind."

A few seconds passed before a questioning grunt came over the mike. "What is it? A missile?"

Aschendaele smiled internally then powered up its engines for more forward thrust. "Better." Tightening their arms in towards their sides Aschendaele dived down towards the plain below, a sonic boom erupting around it as it accelerated. At the last instant Aschendaele leveled out over the ground, moving past Nick's chopper, kicking up a wall of dust over a hundred feet high.

Aschendaele blazed forward at full speed, locking onto its target and zooming by it. In a moment of insanity, the high-speed war machine blasted past Vishnu's face, less than a dozen feet from it's nose. The sonic boom crashed through the air like an explosion, bouncing off the kaiju's side and flattening anything standing up too tall on the ground. For Aschendaele the seconds passed like minutes, its conjoined mind accelerated so that time seemed to slow down. As they flew by, they took the enhanced seconds to examine their target.

Vishnu from the front didn't appear very big. It stood only about a hundred twenty feet tall when it reared upward and had a weird mix of alligator scales on its underside and centipede exoskeleton elsewhere. It's head had huge shiny black eyes lining each side and sharp mandibles that clacked incessantly. It was certainly creepy, but not that imposing by kaiju standards. Until you got a look at the creature's true size.

A look Aschendaele got just fine, using her ion thrusters to make a looping ninety degree turn around the kaiju. Vishnu, counting the wagging whip tail at the end, was almost six hundred feet long, and would easily match sixty thousand tons, with eight clawed reptilian limbs.

"What… what the hell is that thing?" Nick asked.

"Say hello to the next generation of Jaeger support," Aschendaeledale said while throwing a salute towards the distant helicopter. "These babies will make the Herons look like biplanes. But that's a talk for later. What's the sitch here?"

"I wish I knew. Theo, how much do you know about Vishnu?"

"Um…"

Before them Vishnu stomped through an abandoned campground without pause, mandibles snapping through the power lines that stood in front of it.

"It's a big bug-slash-lizard thing?"

They could all but hear Nick rolling his eyes over the radio. "Well yes, obviously. Thing is, normally Vishnu is really peaceful and prefers to stay far away from human settlements. All we have to do is deliver him some food to his home in the Outback and he's content. But when we were making our drop yesterday he just seemed to… snap. He lashed out at the delivery vehicles and destroyed them all. We barely managed to get away."

"Did you lose Nigel again?"

"Theo," Nick said warningly.

"Bad joke, sorry. So, any idea what caused his freakout?"

"None. We've been scanning him nonstop since he left his nest, but we haven't been able to find anything, radio signals or otherwise. Any attempt to impede him is met with violence. I just hope we can stop him before he gets to the city. Otherwise..."

"Yeah. Well, looks like we got our work cut out for us," Aschendaele said. "Might as well get started." The mech boosted forward, spinning upside down to careen beneath the massive reptile. Aschendaele pulled out its sword from its back and activated it, causing the blade to glow with a bright blue light. They swung the super-heated plasma sword at Vishnu's belly, chipping away at the thick scales and nicking into the flesh beneath. The effort was hardly noticed by the humongous monster and was just barely enough to draw blood.

Aschendaele retreated from underneath the beast and hoovered a few hundred feet away, watching Vishnu continue on its way without pause. "Weeeellll buck," they groused. "Plasma blade ain't long enough to bite in well. I don't think he even noticed we were there. Still, the curved build DID get a few scales ripped off. Points for the sword design I guess." Aschendaele moved cautiously towards the nearest leg, holding the sword in front of them angled to swipe. "Let's try a different target."

The mech climbed up a dozen feet and chopped down with both hands. The plasma covered metal landed against Vishnu's scales and struggled to slice into the hardened material. Success didn't completely elude them though, as the heat managed to melt away the thicker upper skin and allow the sword to bite down into the flesh beneath. "Hah!" Aschendaele crowed as it pulled its weapon free of the limb. "How do you like that?"

Again Vishnu gave little to no reaction to the wound, continuing to plow forward over the plain in ignorance of its surroundings.

"Oh come on, what's it take?" Aschendaele complained. "Notice me, you big stupid bugzard!

They spun a full hundred eighty degrees and burned the boosters brighter, rocketing them up to the head of the beast. Building up speed, Aschendaele put away its sword and took aim with the assault rifle at Vishnu's eyes. They opened fire, the armor piercing, incendiary explosive slugs accelerated through magnetic coils so that each bullet was coated with a thin layer of friction-induced plasma. The bolts careened into Vishnu's eyes with nearly surgical precision, the heavy shells piercing into the eye's (relatively) soft material and then detonating a few feet within, causing the struck organ to cloud over with blood.

This time Vishnu did react, letting out an ear piercing screech that force Aschendaele to turn own its audio receivers lest they blow out. "That's what you get for ignoring me," Aschendaele said. "Now, be a good kaiju and just follow the metal birdy away from-OH SHIT!"

Vishnu launched forward like a cannon shot towards Aschendaele, pincers stretched wide to snatch it out of the sky.

Emergency burn! Sara announced before sending the boosters on Aschendaele's back into overdrive, rocketing the mech upward just a second before 60,000 tons of kaiju passed through the same space.

"I think we made him mad," they mused from a thousand feet up, Theo's panting in the cockpit reflected in Aschendaele's chest movements.

Below them Vishnu began to circle around itself, forming a giant ring of exoskeleton, flesh, and sharp claws. It's head was fixedly staring at them, all but the one ruined eye projecting a sense of pure loathing.

"Okay, on the plus side, we managed to stop it from moving any further towards the city. The minus? We now have a very pissed off kaiju that wants nothing more than to mush us into oblivion. Progress?"

"Not much," Nick's voice came in over the radio. "But any progress is better than no progress."

"Nick, is that you?" Hicks asked as he came on.

"Nice to hear you again Major. How've you been?"

"I've been… busy let's say. Right now that, I'm just praying. Hopefully MOGUERA will show up soon to take care of this thing. This is Aschendaele's first battle test in the field."

"Wait, what!?" The shouts over the radio hit a cacophony. "You're fighting a Category 4 kaiju with an untested mech!?"

"C'mon, Nicky-boy, you know me!" Theodore's voice was crystal clear in the channel. "I NEVER make claims to 'sanity'. That's your job."

Not giving either side a chance to berate them further, Aschendaele dove down at Vishnu while spraying the last of its assault rifle ammunition. Without a clear shot at the eyes, the shells mainly bounced off or exploded harmlessly on the kaiju's thick exoskeleton, but it did manage to grab its attention.

Uncoiling itself with surprising speed Vishnu again struck out at the approaching mech, forcing Aschendaele to bounce to the side and fly around it. Spotting the earlier wound on Vishnu's leg, Aschendaele moved in with its empty rifle pointed forward. Adding insult to injury (as well as more injury), Aschendaele jabbed into the weak spot with the rifle, allowing its gruesome hooked bayonet to dig further into the burned flesh, tearing out small chunks with it.

It was a minor injury, barely a scuffed knee for Vishnu's size, but it was painful enough, and unexpected enough, to really get the multi-limbed kaiju's goat. With a deafening roar, Vishnu turned back and glared at the tiny black machine that had dared attack it. Angry beyond belief it bore down upon Aschendaele. The mech started playing hard-to-get, pulsing left and right and up and down and forward and back, constantly keeping just barely out of Vishnu's reach and peppering its face with bullets from its pistols.

"Seems he doesn't like playing with us much." Aschendaele, if the machine had a face, would be grinning right now to match its pilot. Over its left shoulder, the large metal box dropped down horizontally, splitting open to reveal its true cannon shape.

"Lesse how he likes the MEGAFLARE!" The opened box began to glow with an angry red light, a powerful beam firing directly into Vishnu's screeching face. The impact point of the beam exploded with energy and heat, further angering the massive kaiju and causing it to rear back with shock. It came crashing down with tremendous force, throwing up chunks of rubble and rocks. Aschendaele dodged back to avoid the crushing blow, but some of the debris flew toward them faster than they could avoid and whacked its upper chest.

"Craaaaaaaap!" they cried as they were flung round by the blow, just barely righting themselves before hitting the ground. Aschendaele beat a hasty retreat as Vishnu continued to pursue them, flying up above its reach before pausing for a breathe.

"Aschendaele, are you alright?" Hicks demanded. "Report damage!"

Sara? What's the word? Theo asked. He rubbed at his shoulder, wincing at the feeling of a bruise forming in his head.

We're mostly okay. Rock just scraped the paint on our chest, but the cannon...

Theo glanced to his right and blanched as he saw the twisted metal next to his head. The rock must have collided directly into the cannon, damaging it beyond use.

"Well fuck," Aschendaele growled, a quick thought jettisoning the damaged part for later retrieval. Three blade-like 'feathers' popped out of the mech's back, acting as stabilizers to counteract the weight of the remaining gauss grenade rifle on the other shoulder.

Looking back at the target Aschendaele noticed that Vishnu had left them behind and was advancing again towards the far off cityscape. "Oh no you don't." Acting fast, the Dragoon spun around and sent its Vanguard overboosters in full force, quickly catching up with the kaiju and moving ahead of it again. "You aren't getting any closer to them, Vitch."

Vishnu didn't take long to notice their reappearance and barreled at them again, this time intent on ending them for good. Thinking fast, the duo spun down under Vishnu's chomp and slipped back beneath the kaiju, opening fire with its pistols at the underbelly. The shots peppered its underside for a few seconds, then they sent themselves into a topspin, putting the pistols away before cutting into the thick scales with their blade and bayonet.

This proved less than wise, as it gave Vishnu a clear idea of what direction they were heading. While trying to slip out from under the kaiju, they didn't anticipate Vishnu bringing one of its feet down on their left arm, crushing the metal beneath its claws. Theo felt the jolt in his bones as Aschendaele was pinned to the ground and grimaced at the loss of feeling in his arm. Thinking fast, they disconnected the damaged limb, boosting away before the massive claw could come down on them again.

Phew! Close one! Theodore's mind echoed, Now aren't you glad I still went with the modular limbs idea? Hurts like a vitch though.

Don't get cocky, Ted! Sara countered, We've still got a while before MOGUERA arrives!

I know, I know. I got a plan! With that, Aschendaele took up its sword in its remaining arm and flew past Vishnu, keeping a steady pace to stay just out of range. With a burst, the mech somersaulted over the kaiju's whipping tail and leapt onto its back. Running along Vishnu's spine, Aschendaeledale took whipping slashes against it, nicking and chipping scales along the trek up towards the bugzard's head. Vishnu shoved alternating sections of its body up and down in an attempt to remove them, but each time Aschendaele shoved their sword into the kaiju and held on through the waves.

Finally Aschendaele reached the head and began unleashing a flurry of slashes into Vishnu's skull. Their placement was just out of range of its massive claws, garnering an annoyed roar from the far larger monster. But like a wasp stinging with rage, Aschendaele was doomed to be swatted. With a wicked sonic crack, the kaiju's tail lashed out far faster than before, tearing Aschendaele away from their target's head and sending them careening into a barn nearly a kilometer distant. Aschendaele's legs sparked and screeched as they twisted in the impact, broken beyond repair.

"Ow." Aschendaele grunted, pushing itself up with their one remaining arm. The pain of the loss was much worse this time, shivers and spasms going through Theo's as his mind reported the damage to his expanded body. "Note to self. Do not fight super-sized kaiju in a 100 foot mech. Doesn't seem to work out well."

Theo, are you alright? Sara's hologram appeared in the cockpit, her face bearing a look of sympathy for her copilot.

Mostly. Never lost virtual limbs before. New experience for me.

Should we retreat? The legs are gone, but we have enough juice to still fly. Several strong beeps caused Sara's hologram to wince. Okay, maybe hover for a few minutes, but we can still use that to get to safety.

Retreat? Hell, we just got here. Theo looked with Aschendaele's eyes to see Vishnu receding from them. And we're not leaving until those people are safe. Right?

Sara bit her virtual lip for a moment, then steeled herself and nodded. Yeah. We've got one more trick up our sleeve. Let's hope it's enough to stall him.

"Exeter. Bismarck," Aschendaele said while wheezing. "Target Vishnu and open fire. We're not out of this fight yet." Sputtering weakly for a moment before lighting up again, Aschendaele's boosters pushed it out of the wrecked barn and once more into the air, its lower half falling away into an unrecognizable heap. The twin pistols rotated in their holsters, moving and targeting on Vishnu, tiny bolts of searing plasma flying from their barrels towards the angry Kaiju. They may not have hurt him, but Vishnu turned around to stare at them anyway, angry beyond comprehension that this little gnat continued to attack it.

Aschendaele allowed Vishnu to get closer and closer to it as the large weight on its back shifted and clanked. With a groaning creak, the massive Gauss Grenade Rifle unfolded and locked into place over Aschendaele's head.

"Theo, what are you doing?" Tori screamed over the radio. "That weapon hasn't been test fired yet. Without proper placement and grounding, the recoil…"

"Will tear us apart yeah," Aschendaele responded bluntly. "I know that already Mom. I helped do the math for this thing after all."

"Theo, this is Hicks. You've already done all you can and bought Brisbane valuable time. The city's almost evacuated and Moguera is almost there. Just get out of range of Vishnu and retreat."

"No can do, boss. We don't have the thrust to fly for more than a minute longer, not with the damage to the fuel cells. We'll be lucky to even get a shot off from the cannon at this rate."

"Sara, Theo, wait!"

Dad?

Doctor Yuhara didn't hear the mental whisper, saying, "There might be a way to survive the recoil. If you switch the effects of your gravity generator on you at the last instant, vastly increasing your mass instead of decreasing it…"

"It might stabilize the shot." Theo's eyes opened in awe. "By George you're a freaking genius! We still only got one shot, though. Best make it count." Aschendaele growled, taking aim with the massive cannon. Sparks of light grew within the barrel, the super powerful electromagnetic coils powering up. The one lonely shell locked into place in its firing chamber.

The GGR was by no measure a small gun. Even by the standards of far bigger Jaegers it would qualify as a fairly big weapon. Thankfully for the pair of pilots the anti-grav generator managed to handle the final influx of power that increased the mech's weight by a hundred times, the gravitational pull centered on its chest. Lining up the shot to point right between Vishnu's remaining eyes, Aschendaele opened fire.

The rail-gun launched its payload, the giant artillery shell flying towards the kaiju and impacting its forehead. The massive slug of TNT detonated on contact, exploding with the force of a small nuke. Despite the gravity well holding it in place Aschen was flung back from the blast, scraping into the ground again several hundred feet away. Across from them Vishnu's body seemed to go slack, its legs twitching unsteadily before faltering and letting its bulk fall to the ground.

I… Theo paused to cough, I can't believe it. It worked! Theo collapsed back into his seat and nervously laughed, Sarah appearing next to him with a relieved smile.

Trust me, I'm just as surprised, Sarah said. Now I don't know about you, but I'd like to get out of this body for a while. Having your body be repaired is a very strange experience, let me tell you.

Theo open and closed his hand, flashes of the lost limbs still ghosting in his nerves. I think I have an idea. But yeah, let's get out of… here?

The ground beneath the crippled mech rumbled and shook as the final patches of smoke faded from where the railgun round struck Vishnu. From out of the cloud the kaiju's head reared up again, a deep pitted hole in the middle of its forehead surrounded by dark holes of hatred. Vishu clattered its mandibles together and let out an unearthly screech, announcing for the pair just how badly they had screwed up.

"Well… fuck." Aschendael's body went slack, both pilot and brain seemingly spent.

Guess that's it then, Theo thought dejectedly. Nothing else we can do.

Sarah bit her lip. There is one thing. I… don't think you'll like it. She brought up a visual over Theo's hud, showing several of the reactor cores' heat levels going above their max and into the red.

Vishnu crawled closer and closer, murder in its eyes. It belted out a deafening roar, long scythe-like mandibles spreading alongside crocodilian jaws.

Might as well. We're doomed either way. And Sara? Theo said. I just wanna say… I'm sorry it came to this.

Thanks. It's been an honor working with you, too, Ted. Ch-charging energy cor… wait, I'm reading something!

Vishnu stood only a few hundred feet from the downed mech when the ground beneath its feet began to rumble. The kaiju halted its forward charge and looked down, puzzled. The creature stared down intently for several seconds until the ground steadied again, then shrugged its shoulders and moved forward again.

It had barely taken its first step when a giant metal drill erupted out of the ground and flew upward into Vishnu's chin. The spinning cylinder dug into Vishnu's armor for a split second before sending the kaiju's face flying up and away, flipping over its front half and sending the creature off on its side.

While Vishnu scrambled its legs trying to right itself the rest of the new attacker finished emerging from the ground. Avalanches of displaced dirt fell from its silver shoulders, twin drill hands spinning briefly to clean themselves. Dagger-shaped eyes flashed yellow and treads whirled as Moguera placed itself between Vishnu and the fallen Dragoon.

"And the cavalry arrives at last," a cheerful male voice announced. "Sorry we took so long, but we had to make a proper entrance."

"Kiyoshi that's not what we were doing and you know it," a harsher male rasp said. "We were trying to tunnel under the monster and collapse the ground under it, but it was moving around too much chasing you jokers."

"Oh yes Yuki, it's entirely their fault that your unspoken plan that they were completely unaware of failed."

"Shut the hell up Koji."

Aschendale stared up in bewilderment at the larger mech standing over them. "Um, guys, I'd hate to interrupt your little lover's spat, but there's kind of A GIANT FREAKING KAIJU RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"

Sure enough Vishnu screeched as it finally got itself upright, a dribble of bluish-green blood falling down its chin.

Moguera turned to the kaiju it had just decked and lifted up its arm-drills, various panels opening along its shoulders and flanks revealing banks of missiles and rockets. "Don't worry folks," Koji said. "This shouldn't take long."

"I HOPE not!" Theo shouted. "Our reactors are about to go critical. If we don't vent, we explode, and if we do everything within half a mile gets scorched to ash! I'd rather not DIE or have Pentecost on our ass because you guys are missing half of Mog's treads!"

Vishnu began to charge forward blindly, swinging its forward claws in random swipes.

In Moguera's cockpit Yuki growled and said, "Delay that crap as long as you can. I've got an idea that should make the venting safe, but we gotta take care of this asshole first. Kiyoshi, give him a full barrage."

"Understood sir. Launching the 'Kill everything right in front of us' attack."

All over Moguera projectiles launched out of their holders and blazed towards the oncoming monster, joined by split second flashes of maser fire and bright blue beams of plasma firing from Moguera's arm drills. The gigantic barrage of weaponry struck all over Vishnu and the landscape near him, creating a hail of explosions that churned up the air and ground. Parts of the kaiju's armor cracked and shuddered under the assault, bringing it to a halt as it tried to shield its head from damage. Finally the attack ceased, the plain beneath Vishnu turned into a flat span of soot and demolished foliage.

Moguera stood stock still before the monster, its loudspeakers crackling before it said, "Vishnu, this is your last warning. If you do not stop attacking us or attempting to make your way to the city, we will be forced to kill you. Turn around and leave now or you will leave us no choice. I know you understand us. Please, stop this now before it's too late."

Vishnu growled, its body covered in ash and sprays of its verdant blood. It stared back at the facing mech and roared, slamming its legs into the ground, its intent clear.

Koji sighed at his controls, shaking his head. "Well, it was worth a try."

Yuki patted him on the back. "You gave it your best shot kid. It's all we can do sometimes. Yo, toy Jaeger over there, what's the sitrep?"

In Aschen's cockpit Theo was moving his hands all over the console in a flurry of motion, Sara's hologram gone as she raced her consciousness from one part of the mech to the next. "We've managed to get most of the cores under control, but one of them has been partially breached. There's nothing we can do about that one. One way or another it's gonna go, and us along with it if we don't eject it. Got any ideas on how we can do that without turning this place into another Chernobyl?"

Moguera's drills spun up and its central chest panel retracted to reveal a huge maser array. "Simple, kiddies. We stick the core somewhere we don't care about getting wrecked. Someplace that is about to feel a whole world of hurt."

"Fear our heavenly drills, Vitch!" Koji and Kiyoshi said in tandem.

"YOU STOLE MY LINE!" Theo shouted at the duo. Yuki just groaned.

Vishnu ran forward at full speed, no longer caring about its injuries. At the same time Moguera's treads started rolling, moving the mech towards the charging kaiju. The two quickly reached each other, Vishnu reaching out with its claws to snap at the mech. Moguera returned the favor and stabbed out with its drills, the spinning metal digging into the claws and sticking into its flesh, holding the arms up and away. Vishnu tried to snatch Moguera's chest with its mandibles but couldn't reach. Instead it got a steady stream of maser power straight to the face, it's already damaged and broken armor disintegrating under the churn of energy.

"What does plasma taste like I wonder?" Koji mused as he pulled Moguera back from a retribution swing by Vishnu.

"No idea," Yuki answered. "Not really interested. Come around the side and target the legs. Make sure he doesn't go anywhere."

"Got it boss. One Christopher Reeving coming right up."

Theo winced as he continued to try to kept his mech from exploding. "That's a terrible joke," he muttered to himself.

Elsewhere Moguera slid over the ground at surprising speed, quickly leaving Vishnu in its dust as the mech moved to the monster's left side. Bursts of yellow darted out of the mech's 'eyes' and struck at Vishnu's leg joints, the heavy plasma scalding through the skin and nerves under the concentrated barrages. Vishnu didn't just sit there and take it though, sending its whip tall reeling towards Moguera and managing to smack the mech across the face. The crew jostled in their seats but stayed steady, dodging back from the next blow and sending another volley of missiles at Vishnu to dissuade any more tail whips.

"Tough guy, ain't he," Yuki said as Moguera ducked under another swipe and fired back with its drill lasers.

Koji grunted in answer as he pulled his control sticks hard to the right. "Wouldn't be a Cat 4 if he weren't boss. Next idea?"

The old vet stared at Vishnu through his display, eyes flicking from one place to the next as he tried to judge where to strike. "There," he said, pointing to a larger hole on the kaiju's left shoulder. "That hole should be big enough. Kiyo, get the drills ready. We're gonna go digging."

"You got it sir!" Kiyoshi said as Mogeura drove closer, aiming at Vishnu's side. The kaiju screeched and attempted to ram into them, throwing its whole upper body at them. Mogeura shuddered as Vishnu slammed into its torso but stayed in place and sent its drill arm into one of the monster's wounds. The drill dug deep into the flesh, causing the creature to scream in agony and thrash about trying in vain to dislodge them.

"Alright, I think that's big enough. Got ourselves a nice little deposit spot." Yuki looked on his radar to where Aschen lay, measuring out the distances in his head.

"Deposit spot?" Koji asked. "What for?"

"We got a broken core that needs to be covered up, and we've got a kaiju that needs killing. Why not solve two problems with one solution?"

Moguera started rolling over to Aschen, dragging the weakened Vishnu along with them, the kaiju flailing about and smashing its limbs into Mogeura, who ignored every blow.

Theo looked up at the approaching pair, then blinked as he made the connection. "Wait, are you telling me you want to stick our damaged core inside Vishnu? That's both clever and… kinda cruel."

Yuki sighed. "Better that than letting the radiation leak everywhere with Brisbane just a few miles away. It won't be a clean kill, but it's what'll work."

"So be it. We're ejecting the core in five seconds!" Sara said. A port just between Aschendaele's shoulders popped open, revealing a smoking Elerium core, orange light shining from cracks in its sides. "Only core left online is the Magicite reactor, and it's somehow still holding strong."

"Good," Theo replied, "because without SOME power we'd probably suffocate." Using one of the Dragoon's remaining hands to pull out the core they tossed it up towards Moguera. "It's all yours, dudes."

Moguera's free arm drill reached out to the core and opened up its tip, catching the core in a three pronged vice. "Here goes nothing," Koji said before withdrawing the other arm from in Vishnu's shoulder. The kaiju collapsed to the ground under Mogeura, drained of the ability to fight from the massive wound and blood loss. With steady hands Koji lined up the core with the exposed flesh and dropped it within, the kaiju shuddering as it bounced down the hole.

"Time to back off a ways folks. How long do we have before the thing detonates?"

Sara did some split-millisecond calculations and said, "About twenty seconds. So, would you mind picking us up? We're kinda sorta crippled down here."

Theo chuckled nervously. "Uh yeah. Uppies?" The smaller mech reached up its remaining arm and wiggled its hand.

"Theo, please don't baby talk, having to be carried is embarrassing enough." Sara sighed. "I outgrew 'uppies' before I DIED! It's been a decade since then! Oh, ten seconds left."

"... Sorry."

"And I thought you two were bad," Yuki said to his two team members. Moguera lifted Aschendale with both arms and immediately poured on the speed, quickly leaving Vishnu behind them. The kaiju gave the retreating mechs one last screech of defiance before a blinding orange flash shone from its shoulder and its armor shattered outward. Chucks of its body exploded away and tumbled across the plain, the kaiju's corpse becoming a pile of smoldering meat and cracked armor. The mech pilots all stared on in silence as they watched the last bits of Vishnu hit the ground some distance away.

"Well. That was gruesome as all hell," Kiyoshi said, Koji holding his hands over his mouth and gagging.

"Don't tell Tya," Theo said. "She might try to see what it tastes like..."

"I swear to god, if anyone makes a 'tastes like chicken' joke." Yuki shook his head and cued up the long range radio. "Attention Brisbane. The kaiju Vishnu has been defeated and is no longer a threat. Evacuation warning for the city can be lifted now, but remains in place for the river and the plain. Any GDF forces in range, request a radiation clean up crew and Jaeger repair corps. Got a lotta debris to get rid off."

"GDF Mech Moguera, this is GDFRS Langoud! We're sending a repair and clean up crew your way. Thanks for saving our kids." The motherly tone of Tori Wylder echoed across the radio waves clear as crystal, a tidal bulge visible in the distant ocean.

"Thank God for loving parents, eh?" Aschen's pilots said.

"I swear these Jaeger crews get younger every year," Yuki grumbled.

"They're not young Yuki. You're just old," Koji replied.

"I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a momma's boy." Theo said, chuckling.

"And I kinda died before I was a teenager," Sara added. "So… yeah."

Moguera gently set Aschen down and turned back to the fallen kaiju. "Man, the GDF hires some weird people doesn't it?" Kiyoshi said.

"Mog, meet Aschen. We're both made of metal."

The various mech pilots laughed or groaned as appropriate, while over Vishnu's corpse an orange helicopter floated, its passengers looking on with helpless sighs. "How did this happen?" Nick asked himself. "What possessed you to do this Vishnu?"

"We'll find out, Nick," Theo said. "We'll find out, and we'll fix it. Somehow."

---

Far off from the ruined plain on a lonely hill a group of people watched through the treaded mech move around the fallen kaiju's body. Most were dressed in all black and bore red symbols on their shoulders, save one man garbed in a carefully tailored white suit. Behind them was large truck with a towed mass of antennae arrays centered around a hard metal chair. The person in the chair was limp, a line of red leaking down down from their nose. None of the others attended to them.

A taller man with black hair lowered his binoculars with a sigh. "It appears our test was a failure. The Lady will not be pleased."

Next to him the man in white laughed, a smooth and calm sound, almost empty of feeling. "A failure? My good man, you are stuck seeing one rotten tree out of a whole healthy forest."

The man snarled and waved his hand out to the plain. "The kaiju failed to reach the city, failed to do significant damage to the GDF's mechanical monster. All we accomplished was destroying that flying toy. A waste for a great beast such as this."

"Perhaps," the suited man allowed, "but that is not all that was accomplished here. Our main goal was to test our technology and our level of control, and in both areas we were wildly successful. Destroying the city was just a side benefit, one I'm sure Lady Adeline will be able to live without."

"We lost our telepath," was the retort, said as if about a damaged car or broken window.

"Only after the kaiju was killed. Up until then they managed just fine, and that's good enough for our purposes. Besides, it's not like we don't have more."

The black haired man grunted. "Very well, Mr. Winters. Is there anything else we need to do before we leave?"

Winters smiled and shook his head, stroking his well trimmed goatee. "No, I think we're done here. Let's get going before the rest of the military starts combing the area. Give the order to pack up."

"And the telepath?"

Winters waved the other man off, striding away with a grin. "We'll dispose of the body back at base. Or not. I'm sure I could find some use for them, even after death."

Around them the rest of the group moved with mechanical precision in breaking down the array and closing up them up in metal covers. The person in the chair was left in place, the panels covering them up as the truck drove off in a solitary cloud of dirt as if it had never been present.

---

Pentecost stood in his office, facing a television screen displaying the Australian Prime Minister, his hands clenched behind his back to contain his emotions. "And you're certain of this?"

"There's no doubt. Satellite imaging shows a truck loaded with an unknown machine following Vishnu's path through the Outback." The Minister sighed. "And close study of spectrometers shows a subtle telepath signal connecting the truck with the kaiju. I don't know how they did it, but it had to be them." He paused, then steeled his gaze on Stacker. "They killed hundreds of people with that thing, Marshall, and threatened to kill millions more. I don't care what it takes. I want these people's heads on a pike. It's time to show those cu… those monsters that we are tired of their shit."

Pentecost nodded in agreement. "I understand, Hendricks. Thank you for the information. Rest assured the GDF will be taking action to make sure an event like this does not happen again. More than anything I am glad that we were able to keep the city safe from harm, but I am happy that you have brought this information to my attention. Now if you will excuse me, I must return to my work." The two men traded some last pleasantries before the Minister signed off. Stacker turned to the rest of the Council, letting some of his agitation show in his seating behind his desk.

"So it's as we feared," Tachibana said. "Somehow the Dawn has managed to replicate the telepathic control method that was used on Titanosaurs, only it's even worse than before, because we can't actively track where it's coming from."

"And they tried to used it to force a kaiju to destroy a city," Gordon growled. "They've crossed the line again."

"Enough is enough," the Marshal said, the other council members falling silent at his words. "No more kiddie gloves. As of right now the Red Dawn are to be considered on the same threat level as the Coalition. Any and all means needed to combat them are authorized. Serizawa, you said that the Langoud team had new infantry armors in the works?"

The scientist nodded, lacking his usual hesitation. "Yes Stacker. They have a number soft and hard armor sets in the design phases right now, most of them near direct copies of Coalition army equipment. At least they were. No idea what they are now. With the new batteries to power them, they should be ready for a prototype by the end of the month. Assuming they haven't been making progress without telling me..."

"Tell them to make it next week," the Marshall said. "Gordon, send the word out to the council nations that they are authorized to deploy the Exosuits."

"Are you certain that's a good idea sir?" Tachibana asked. "We haven't finished field testing them yet. There might still be some teething problems we've missed."

The Marshall shook his head. "We need them out there now, before something else unexpected happens. I'd rather have our units given untested gear than leave them outclassed any longer than necessary." Pentecost turned to his desk and hit one of the buttons on his phone, causing a dial tone to start up.

"Hospital section, who is calling?" a male voice asked.

"This is the Marshall. Please retrieve Doctor Johnson for me if she's available."

"Affirmative. One moment sir."

Gordon lifted an eyebrow and asked, "What are you up to, Stacker?"

"Miss Tytanna stated yesterday her desire to prove herself to us, so I'd like to give her a chance to do so."

Ozaki smirked. "Isn't sending a kaiju after a bunch of terrorists a bit overkill Marshall?"

"Not if she's the same size as a human. At that point she's no different from any other hybrid." He paused as he heard some murmurs from the other side of the line. "Are you there Miss Johnson?"

"I'm here sir! Tya's recovering fine, thank God. I've told her countless times, 'Don't push yourself so far!' Just making a facsimile of that damn sword is hard enough. It's another thing entirely to actually use it!" The doctor sighed. "Oh well. Maybe one of these days she'll actually listen to me. And here I am rambling. Did you need something sir?"

"Serizawa tells me that your team is currently at work making a series of powered armors for both normal military and Special Forces units. Do you know how far they have progressed?"

"Vaguely, but it's not really my field of expertise. That's more under Theo's team. Still, he tells me that they're making good progress so far. Though apparently one them, the 'Nebula' armor, still has issues with radiation."

Pentecost narrowed his eyes. "We shouldn't need to worry about the enemy using nuclear weapons, I hope."

"No I mean it GIVES OFF Radiation. Like I said, it's still in progress. What makes you ask exactly? Did Mordred start complaining about 'realism' again?"

Serizawa cleared his throat and announced. "I'm right here you know."

The phone remained silent for a moment before the doctor said meekly, "I'm on speaker right now aren't I?"

Stacker smiled and shook his head. "Yes Doctor, but don't worry. I'm not asking because I want to shut these programs down."

"If you had seen them, you might reconsider that Marshall," Serizawa said with a sly grin. "These designs are very… ostentatious let's say."

"Oh they're not that bad," Joanne said, sounding none too sure of herself.

"How many spikes do they have, JoJo?"

"Not that many! Just six… hundred. And seventy five..." She paused. "Give or take a few… They're not ALL like that! Just the one, and it's… okay maybe not strictly necessary but it's part of the aesthetic, and the research shows that most mutant monsters are off put by spikes, so it's meant to keep them off kilter and-"

"Joanne," Seizawa interrupted. "Just… stop making excuses and just tell the truth."

Joanne let out a little 'eep' and admitted, "I think they look cool..."

Gordon rolled his eyes and said in his usual gruff tone, "Who the hell cares? You think having our first Battle Platform be equipped with a fucking huge DRILL was a matter of design imperatives? No, we did it because it looked good. More importantly, because the public thought it looked good. Practicality is good and all but sometimes you just gotta convince the masses that's something's badass cause it looks badass." He whipped up his katana, still in its sheath, and tapped it on the table. "You think I carry this thing around because I expect a threat? Hell no, I do it because I've got a reputation to keep, and the best way to do that is to show the other guy how much you don't give a fuck about 'normal.'"

Joanne's voice perked up and said, "The spiky armor, the Solar armor I think it's called? It has a laser saber-style multitool."

Gordon smiled and waved his arm. "And there you go."

Serizawa's face looked caught between anger and utter disbelief, but he kept his peace and quietly leaned back in his chair.

"Getting back on topic, everyone," Stacker said while eyeing his fellows, "I'd like to inquire as to how soon your team could have prototypes ready for us, Doctor."

"Officially, they'll be ready in a little under a month. Knowing Theodore's team? If they're not done NOW and battle-ready, they will be once he knows they're needed, give or take a few days. So expect at least the Solar, Vortex, and Stardust armors by then. Like I said, we're still having issues with the Nebula being safe… But I am so getting one when they are, I'd KILL to shoot lightning from my fingers!" A semi-maniacal laugh came through the speakers, followed by an awkward pause. "Ahem. So, um, why the big push anyway? What's the rush?"

Pentecost's face grew grim as he said, "Have you heard about the attack on Brisbane, doctor? The one caused by Vishnu?"

"Yes, I have. I gotta say, that's really weird. I always heard Vishnu was a quiet Neutral. Do we know why he went off the hinges like that?"

"We do. The truth is that he was forced to attack via telepathic mind control used by members of the terrorist group Red Dawn. We believe the method they used is based on that of… one of your former colleagues."

The other end of the line went deathly silent for a moment, then the doctor's voice came back, cold as ice. "Where are they located? Tell me now and I'll make sure they'll be nothing but rubble and corpses before the troops make landfall."

Stacker let out a sigh and hardened his gaze. "We believe we have located one of their bases in central France, an old, formerly abandoned castle out in the countryside. We're already moving GIGN forces into the area to cordon off any escape routes. What I need from you, ma'am, is to know if your daughter would be up to join the mission to secure the area."

"She's been listening in, same with Sal. Both are ready for a fight. Give us time to rendezvous with the Langoud and you'll have our full might at your back, including all of the experimental tech we've not gotten to share yet. If those bastards think they can get away with shit like this, they've got another thing coming."

The Council heard a faint female voice say 'language' before the doctor started grumbling and rambled on just out of the phone's hearing range.

"That's good to hear, Doctor," Stacker said. "I'll be happy to take you up on your offer. I'm sending along Captain Gondo and his security team, along with Miki and the former Dawn member Taiyou to act as observers for us. They'll be there to make sure we can recover as much actionable intel as we can about this group of fanatics so we can take them out quickly. We're going no holds barred on this, but make sure not to level the area before we can interrogate some of them, alright?"

"We'll try," came another voice, this one clearly Tytanna from the slight growling rasp it carried.

"Make it 'do'," Pentecost ordered. "Good soldiers don't let emotions cloud their judgement or actions, in combat or out."

"I… you're right sir," Tya admitted. "I'll make sure not to fly off the handle. It's just… so wrong what they're doing. I don't get it. Why are they doing this?"

"That's what we hope to find out. But Tya, remember this. If you have to choose between their lives and the lives of our troops… I hope the choice is clear."

The Council could practically hear Tya's smile as she said, "Crystal sir! I'ma go get ready!" Clacks of her clawed feet smacking tile reached them, followed by shouting something indistinct.

"What do you think Ozaki?" Gordon asked. "You think she's cut out for human combat? I don't think most kaiju realize just how brutal our fights can get."

The black-haired hybrid nodded. "She seems to have a good head on her shoulders. A bit young and naive maybe, but that'll change as she gets some experience. And if her trainer is half as good as I think she is… Let's just say neither of them would be my first choice of opponents."

Tachibana rubbed his chin in obvious thought. "I wonder… what will happen when more of Tya's kind of creature are made? A kaijin-like human equal in power to the strongest hybrids, with the potential to grow to kaiju size… Tytanna's people may end up changing humanity forever."

"Or supplanting it," Gordon offered. "We'll have to be careful about how we reveal her to the public. Hell, just the Exos are gonna rock the boat a lot, let alone all the other stuff Monarch and Langoud have under the table."

"The world is changing," Pentecost said. "One way or another these next few weeks are going to shape the face of history to come, both for humanity and for the planet. Great care will have to be taken of course, but I'm sure we can handle any adverse fallout with too much difficulty. But first we must handle the threats that still stand against us. Kaiju or human, it's time for the monsters to stop hiding in the dark. For years now they've been bumping us at every turn."

The Marshall turned and looked out his office window onto the bay below, hands clasped together in front of his face. "It's time for us to bump back."

---

And thus is my writer's block FINALLY conquered! Take that nebulous mental concept that is a representation of my laziness! ... I mean, hey, here's a new chapter for you guys. Like I said last time, it took me a while to figure out what exactly I wanted to do here. I knew I wanted the Vishnu battle to be the highlight, but I had trouble figuring out what to surround it with. Then I had to figure out the characterization of the Mog crew, so I went to Tarb for word on that, but overall I think it came out pretty good. For those of you unaware of who Winters is, he's from the cartoon Zilla series, as is this version of Nick and his friends the Heatseekers. I recommend looking for it, it's surprisingly good for a late nineties cartoon.

All Hands On Deck

Bright TV lights shone down on a long curved anchor's desk as various techs and operators muttered quietly behind the black. A Japanese woman dressed in a well fitted black dress was busy muttering to a tech while gesturing at him with a script paper, the tech whispering back a few clarifications. On the other side of the table sat a tough, gnarled-looking man with thin grayed hair, looking at the scene blankly with his hands folded in his lap. He was dressed in a dark blue naval dress uniform and a white cap, a GDF officer's badge hanging over his left breast. Finally everything hushed as the director gave the signal to the anchor and a digital countdown showed on the teleprompter. She counted with it until it hit zero and sat up proud and straight in her chair.

"Hello everyone and welcome to tonight's show here on the Global News Network. My name is Anna Otonashi and today we are speaking Admiral William Stenz, representing the GDF. Tell me Admiral, how exactly is the Security Council planning to pursue this 'End War' goal of theirs with the Defenders, as well as deal with the increased presence of the extremist terrorist group known as the Red Dawn?"

Stenz nodded politely at the anchorwoman. "Of course Miss Otonashi."

The anchor gave a small smile and said, "Anna, if you please Admiral."

"Very well. As to your questions, I'll begin with our progress with the Defenders. As many already know, the Defenders have agreed to work directly with GDF units to pursue many of the remaining Mutants and either convince them to cease fighting or eliminate them as needed. What most may not know is how we are managing to work with them, as prior engagements involving military units and monsters tended to go… poorly."

"Such as the Battle of New Guinea?" Anna asked.

Stenz suppressed an obvious shudder and nodded. "Yes Miss. Exactly like that. So, to ensure neither side gets in the other's way, we have integrated telepaths into jaeger crews, mech pilot teams, and the command and control groups for any conventional units which are assigned to work with them. We are stretching the limits of our telepathic units numbers-wise, but so far the results have been well worth the effort."

"I see. It's good to hear that we have improved our ability to communicate with the kaiju. Has there been any discussion with the Defenders' leadership about what to do with the Mutants who surrender? And what about the Neutrals who don't necessarily follow the Defenders. Is there any risk that these left over kaiju might try to attack us again in the future after the war is over?"

"A complicated question that doesn't have any unified answer," Stenz said. "It's hard to say because every kaiju is different. What motivates them, what their personalities are, whether or not they respect or hate humanity. There's no real way to know for sure who will do what in the coming years. Not to mention many of the monsters who aren't sentient and are basically just wild animals at a gargantuan size. The best defence against the unknown is simply to have faith in the Defenders to keep the other kaiju in line, as well as keep a close eye on our former enemies and the uncontrollable. As President Reagan once said, 'Trust but verify'."

"Actually that's a Russian idiom if I'm not mistaken," Anna said.

"Really?" Stenz blinked. "I guess that doesn't surprise me."

"Getting back to the war itself, how can we guarantee that we will be successful in the face of the sheer size of the Mutant faction. Many of the core members are indeed gone, including the faction leadership, but there are many more monsters that were left behind. The fact that they were able to attack cities around the globe within only a few hours of the Battle of Solgell shows that a threat could show up at any time with very little warning. How does the GDF plan to counter this?"

For the first time since entering the room Stenz sported a smile. "I am very glad you asked. It's true that over the last few years Jaeger and Mech transportation has been a bit slow to respond to the changing locations and directions of Mutant attacks. More than one city has suffered severe damage before either a GDF unit or Defender could arrive, and expenditure of military assets and… personnel haven't always been able to delay or distract the mutants from their path. But that will soon change."

The Admiral pulled out a tablet from his lap and placed it on the desk, tapping its screen a few times until a hologram sprouted up. The image displayed a massive-looking vessel, long sharp lines angling forward like a sword. The sides bristled with guns situated between thick plates of armor, while the end showed huge engines roaring at full burn.

"This is one of our new line of Battle Platforms, the Gungnir. It is equipped with a multitude of heavy kinetic and maser weaponry, with a main armament consisting of a super sized electrolaser designed to launch powerful lightning bolts that strike like the fist of an angry god. 50 Gigajoules of power per charged shot, as much as the most powerful lightning bolts ever seen in nature. More than enough to scorch even Pulgasari's armored hide if it hits properly."

Stenz swiped the tablet's screen showing a selection of blinding jets of light, cobalt blue streaks spraying down to the ground. "These are some still images of the initial tests of its main gun. As you can see, the origin point is surprisingly small, and we've managed to control it using a nearly invisible ionising laser to 'guide' the bolt. However, there's so much power it scatters near the end. Not enough to be a problem, but there's a reason some of the dev team refer to it as a 'Lightning Shotgun'."

Anna looked like she wanted to comment but her eyes couldn't look away from the long snake of blue lightning. "It's almost… beautiful."

"Dangerous things often are," Stenz agreed, "at least in nature. But spectacle isn't what we're looking for. Power is. And each of the 6 Battle Platforms has more than enough to comfortably take on a Cat 4 monster without significant threat to the ship or crew. Each BP will be capable of traversing a hemisphere within 2-3 hours, utilizing the latest advancements in both energy production and gravity generation to reach speeds thought impossible just a few years ago. The ships are also all armed with a squadron of support drones and GDF Ranger Infantry in platoon strength, along with a myriad of multi-caliber weapons."

Anna blinked and tilted her head in confusion. "But why would an anti-kaiju platform need infantry and fighter planes?"

Stenz face grew hard. "Because they aren't just meant to take on kaiju. The Battle Platforms were designed from the ground up to be Humanity's first line of defense against the Coalition and any other unexpected threat. When the alien fleets first came down to Earth in 2007, we were completely helpless to stop them, being forced to fight on the ground with nary any air support. Anything that tried to attack the ships directly was immediately destroyed. Well that's not happening again."

The tablet was taken up again and Stenz shifted through it. "The Jaegers were the GDF's first truly effective anti-kaiju units, able to go toe to toe with the Mutants on the battlefield and beat them at their own game. Monster fights monster. Like beats like. But the Coalition's military has units and technology that we have no match for, which is why we decided to take the Jaegers as a superweapon and make a version built for human scale conflict."

He placed the tablet back on the desk with a new holo-image displayed, this time an almost-humanoid form. The armored figure resembled a bipedal dragon of european design, but multiple clearly mechanical traits standing out. The head was long and narrow and the body looked almost muscular. On its back sprouted a pair of wings, one large, broad bat-like wing, but the other looked like some kind of massive shoulder-mounted cannon with attached aerodynamic fins. Two pistols rested at its hips, and crossing its back, above the tail, were a wickedly curved sword and a large assault rifle with a jagged bayonet. A long tail dragged behind the machine-dragon, resting along its broad feet.

Anna stared open-mouthed at the image, her audience forgotten. "What… what is that?"

"This is one of several work-in-progress designs for a new style of combat mech, the Dragoon." Stenz smiled, tapping the tablet again, causing the three-dimensional blueprint to rotate around. "They're an ultralight mech, about half the size or less of a normal Jaeger, but are capable of indefinite flight and speeds that boggle the mind, and an agility and reaction time surpassing our best Jaeger teams. While they would be significantly less effective against kaiju of Cat 3 and up, they would be perfect rapid deployment units for anything from Cat 1 monster attacks to annihilation of more conventional military units that the Coalition fields. The prototype, Aschendaele, saw active service in an emergency field test yesterday. I believe you have someone on the field in the aftermath, correct?"

Anna looked to the teleprompter, which rapidly spat out a name and info. "Yes we do. A senior field reporter named Audrey Timmons. She actually just sent in her report summary, which states that the smaller mech… Aschendate was it?"

"Aschendaele," Stenz corrected.

"Right. Well, she says that the mech was destroyed trying to take on the Cat 4 kaiju Vishnu. If that is the case, should we be worried about the effectiveness of the rest of this class of mech?"

"Not at all. As I said, Aschendaele's deployment was an emergency measure that was done as a reaction to a completely unexpected situation. In normal circumstances Dragoons would never be sent out alone against full sized Kaiju. Development protocol would dictate that they would work in teams of four, or be sent in as support and harassment units alongside Jaegers or Defenders. Along with that, most are being designed with intent to fight Coalition military, rather than kaiju. The fact that Aschendaele lasted half an hour without any assistance, managed to distract Vishnu the whole time, did a considerable amount of damage, all while the two pilots survived? No one was expecting that going in. Most of us thought it was a suicide run, and everyone was happy that we didn't need to dig two more graves for a pair of brave youngsters."

"I see." Anna frowned and her eyebrows narrowed. "Still, isn't it a bit early to be designing weapons that aren't meant to fight kaiju? There are still plenty around after all."

Stenz shook his head in reply. "Concern over current threats should not stop planning for future problems. The Mutants are the immediate threat, yes. But they are one that we have the firepower and manpower to handle with current forces. Compared to them, if the Coalition came back now, or even in the next few months…" Stenz fell back against his chair, shoulders failing slightly. "I don't think we would stand much of a chance. Not if they had the same force they did before."

An empty moment passed between the two before Anna's eyes flicked to the prompter and she started a new topic. "Coming back to my second question earlier, what exactly is the situation with this Red Dawn terrorist group? Many world leaders have declared open intent to hunt them down and eliminate them, in many cases temporarily suspending due process and warrants in relation to investigations to pursue them more quickly. What have they done to merit this kind of treatment?"

Stenz clasped his hands to together as he leaned forward again, a dark glint in his eye as he spoke. "The Dawn have been considered a minor nuisance by the Security Council ever since their start under the name 'Red Bamboo' back in the 80's. There were many such 'super villain' groups back then, all attempting to take Mysterian technologies and use them to either take control of large regions or ransom huge amounts of money. Most of them died out in the 90's once our understanding of the technologies allowed us to more easily turn off or counter their so called 'super weapons'. We had assumed the Bamboo disappeared just like the rest, but a couple years ago several small terror attacks took place in out of the way corners of the planet, all of them with seemingly no goal other than to wipe out all of the inhabitants of the area attacked."

Stenz swiped at his tablet again, bringing up a long list of names and dates, along with numbers. Numbers Anna swiftly realized were casualty lists. "The Dawn has been linked to a number of mass murders and demolition attacks, mostly centered around smaller locales. There is also conflicting evidence they have been responsible for several Cat 1 monster invasions, though the sources aren't exactly clear on that front. However, lately their attacks have grown more severe, bloody, and bold. The recent rampage by Vishnu? That occurred because they somehow managed to replicate a technology that was banned by the GDF. The same technology that caused Titanosaurus to hate humans so badly. A machine that can control the minds of kaiju."

Anna's eye widened as the connection was made. "Wait, are you meaning to tell me..."

"Yes. Vishnu's attack on Brisbane was not some random act of aggression by a former Neutral. He wasn't even able to fully control himself at all. He was working for the Red Dawn against his will." Stenz sat up and placed his hands on the desk forcefully. "And that is not something the GDF will tolerate. To tear away the will of an innocent, to cause so much death and destruction, with clear intent to inflict even more. That...That is a level of evil that no human should tolerate. Yes. Evil. Not some subjective religious thing or complicated question of morality. Real, tangible evil."

"I… I don't understand. What's the goal behind any of this? Why cause this kind of devastation?"

"None of us know yet. They've made no demands, left no survivors, and stated no clear ethos. For all intents and purposes, they have no reason for this save pure malice."

Anna stared back at Stenz and asked, not in the voice of a reporter, but that of one person begging the other for clarity, "What are we doing to stop them?"

"Whatever is necessary, miss. Currently the GDF is trying to track down the locations of Dawn cells in preparation to assault and destroy them. The Dawn has shown that they have remarkably large amounts of resources for a terrorist group, including a high number of telepaths and hybrids in their ranks, along with military grade armaments. In light of that the Council has authorized the use of prototype weapons and armor reverse engineered from captured Coalition technology."

"Does that include these Exosuits that the UN announced are being delivered to member nations?"

Stenz nodded. "Correct. The Exos are the GDF's attempt to replicate the advanced powered armor systems used by the Xillian warrior caste, built to supplement the strength and agility of the user while still maintaining ease of use and function on the battlefield. Alongside the armors we are sending out batches of electromagnetic kinetic guns and plasma casters, most of which are too heavy to be used by normal infantry but can be easily wielded by a soldier in an Exosuit. I've been told there are other, more advanced armors in the pipeline but these are the ones that are ready to be used now. We hope that these upgrades will be enough to overcome the well-equipped Dawn forces, as well as allow our forces to fight on a more even keel with the Xillians, if it comes to that."

"It seems the GDF has the situation well in hand then," Anna said. "Are there any other outstanding issues that the Council sees could become problematic in the near future?"

"Aside from ensuring that management of the war goes well and no more surprise kaiju try to attack unguarded areas, not so far as I know ma'am. There is a good chance that there will be casualties during the fights to come, from Mechs or Kaiju, but the risk must be taken to ensure the safety of both humanity and the Defenders. We're in this together, and thus we will finish it together."

The anchor smiled and was about to end the program when there was a subtle beep from her prompter and a picture shown behind it. "Speaking of surprise kaiju, Admiral, it seems we've just gotten a very interesting report from one of our people in Hong Kong near the Shatterdome. He says that a trio of kaiju recently visited the Shatterdome, one of which was a kaiju he had never seen before. Do you know who it might be?"

Stenz frowned and shrugged, saying, "I'm not aware of any new Defender members, nor of any visits to the SD."

A tech signaled Anna from behind the camera, giving her the hand gesture that said to turn to the widescreen behind the desk. "Well perhaps we can guess who it is together then. We've just received a video from on site, which we'll display here."

The Admiral hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'm not sure that's the best…"

His words fell away as the TV behind them lit up, dragging the attention of the camera and everyone in the room.

The footage showed a trio of kaiju, two immediately recognizable as Zilla and Titanosaurus, while the third had never been seen before. It resembled Titanosaurus, but with a longer snout and thinner build, hunched over much like Zilla's stance. The creature growled and grumbled, shaking water off of its red and gold scales as it climbed up to join the other two kaiju. For several minutes the trio sat there looking down at the helipad below them, Stenz trying to figure out who the mysterious monster was from his mental list, only to draw a blank.

Then something truly shocking occurred. At some unseen signal the creature marched forward off the slope and slid down towards the pad, shrinking down smaller and smaller as it slid. The far off camera view rapidly zoomed in to try and track the shrinking kaiju as it reached the pad, now standing only a few feet over the few humans still in the frame. Its shape, too, had changed, becoming far less monstrous in many ways.

Stenz and Anna both watched in bewilderment as the formerly kaiju sized being casually walked over to a set of figures, whom Stenz belatedly realized was the Security Council itself. A woman in black clothing stepped up and wrapped the kaiju in a pink garment. As the creature twisted and twirled, as if displaying itself, the camera stopped and three camera flashes rang out, each timed with the image getting closer and clearer, until the creature filled the screen.

Anna smiled without thinking, looking over the image. Her eyes were drawn to the creature's big, happy blue eyes, and its almost cat-like face, like a fusion of human and feline features. Human enough to be recognizable, but animal enough to have an inhuman sort of 'cuteness' to it. The eyes were big, almost unusually large, but expressive, half-lidded as if giving the bedroom eyes to the audience, and her mouth was curved into a playful, friendly smile. A pair of antennae sprouted from the creature's head, casting twin dim lights across her face, granting a halo-like aura. Casting her gaze across the rest of the form, Anna took in a slim but fit shape, wide curves shrouded by the fluffy pink bathrobe, hiding a clearly feminine hourglass figure, tail caught in mid-sway. The slick sheen of water gave her scales a metallic look, almost twinkling in the dim light.

But while Anna saw the creature as adorable, even endearing, Admiral Stenz was having a very different reaction. His eyes locked onto recurved, serrated teeth sticking out like daggers, claw-tipped fingers and toes, thin webbing stretched between them. The hands had four fingers, and her feet four toes, looking like a dinosaur's foot. Her arms and legs were far too long for her, muscles stretched taut across them, giving them a slender but powerful look. A long and powerful tree trunk-like tail dragged through the air, with a broad maple-leaf-like fin splayed at the tip, the fin stretching as long and wide as her torso. He saw her neck, stretching nearly three feet long, leading to a head that was too large, too human-like, for such an inhumanly proportioned body.

Where Anna saw her plumpness as cute, maybe even 'sexy', Stenz only saw it as a warning. A creature… No. A predator like this was dangerous. Combined with a human, monstrous. Terrifying. His mind reeling as he watched the beast follow the Council inside the Shatterdome as if it were no different from any other visitor. Where Anna saw something adorable and endearing, Stenz saw something as if from a nightmare.

"What in God's name was that?" the Admiral said to himself.

"I don't know, but it seemed really cute," Anna said, oblivious to the Admiral's panic. "I didn't know there was a Jet Jaguar type among the Defenders. I wonder if it's another one of those Guardian monsters like Gamera and Yonggary?" Abruptly she remembered that she was in the middle of a show and turned back to the camera, displaying a broad smile. "Well whatever the case, more Defenders can only be a good thing for the war effort, so more help is always appreciated. Even if they do look strangely human, hmm. For the Global News Network, this has been Anna Otonashi with my guest Admiral William Stenz. Have a good night, and let us pray that this conflict will be over soon."

Stenz barely nodded back to her before leaving his chair even as the cameras stopped recording. He felt a distinct need to make a phone call to his superiors, then make a quick trip to the bathroom that he hoped had nothing to do with the dark empty pit that had appeared in his stomach.

---

A digitized theme tune chimed for a few seconds before the television was muted, the images flying by unnoticed by the watcher. The only sound in the darkened room was a muted clack as the TV's remote was placed onto a low to the ground table sitting across from it. The light from the TV flittered around the room, shining on the dark wood walls below paper panels set in the traditional style of the Meiji period of Japan.

The room's only occupant was sitting in a legless chair behind the table, his gaze fixed dead on the television as he repeatedly went over the image of the unknown creature.

It cannot be. It is impossible. How could another exist? The research should have been a dead end, all copies of it destroyed with the loss of CCI. And yet…

Takaki Aso, former Commander of G-force and founder of the GDF, sat back, placing his hands on his criss-crossed legs and sighing aloud. If what he saw on that news report was representative of what he thought, then it was clear that things had changed far more vastly than he had thought viable.

Elsewhere in the house he heard a door opening, followed by stamping feet as someone cleared off their shoes. "Otou-san? Are you here?"

"Yes," Aso called out. "In here. There's something you need to see." He took up the remote again and set it to rewind the still playing news channel, moving it back to the report as the door to the room slid open.

The shadows played over the darkened figure, who was covered in a long black robe that trailed on the ground behind it. "What did you want to show me?" it asked in a deep baritone.

"A most interesting piece of news. One that I think is related to your… situation."

The figure stiffened but remained silent, turning its hidden gaze to the screen as the end of the report appeared. Idly it noted the horrified look on the military man's face before it spotted the image showing behind the anchor's table. Recoiling as if stuck it stared at the sight, unable to comprehend the sight before its eyes. "That… that can't… Is it?"

"I believe so," Aso answered. "And if that is the case, then perhaps it is time we had a talk with Pentecost and whoever that blonde haired woman is."

"Father, are you sure that…" The figure turned its face away, arms folding of its wide chest. "Are you sure the time is right for this? Now, in the midst of all this chaos around the world?"

Takaki rose to his feet. "Yes, Ryujin. The time has come to cease hiding in the shadows. I know you do not feel ready, but in truth we may never be truly ready to both our hearts' content. If that creature is what I think it is, then this may be our best chance. We can't let the opportunity slip through our fingers."

The taller figure held still for a time, appearing to be conflicting with itself, before finally nodding in accent. "What do you plan to do Otou-san?"

Aso smiled and patted the other lightly on the shoulder. "I'll make a phone call."

---

The Shatterdome was a surprisingly average place to work at most of the time, in the opinion of the various dock workers, engineers and techs that kept the place active. Once the novelty of seeing giant mechanical humanoid robots and cyborg kaiju everyday wore off it was little different from any other military port. There was a schedule to keep, pallets to move, broken tools to repair. All the usual day to day rigor that kept them all busy for 50 or so hours each week. Even seeing the occasional kaiju hanging out on the mountainside wasn't an unknown sight for the people of Shatterdome, if still a bit unnerving.

So none of the workers on duty on the outer launch pad batted an eye at the distant bulge of water approaching the mountain base in the distance. Another kaiju they thought. Big deal, a couple of them had just been there earlier that week, although most of the crews were still talking about that one that went and shrunk like some old cheesy Fifties movie. Instead they paid attention to their work, making sure the SD was supplied with all the materials it needed, that the pad was ready for immediate launch if needed, and a dozen other myriad tasks.

Eventually the tidal bulge drew close enough for some of the workers to realize it was a fair bit bigger than what most kaiju made. A lot bigger in fact. Some paused in their jobs where possible and settled down to watch, the rest continuing their work and ignoring it. They'd seen everything there was to see as far as crazy went, they thought. Whatever this was wasn't a threat since they hadn't been ordered to evacuate, so they could care less. The less jaded members of the crews sat back and traded bets on what they thought it'd be. Another new kaiju, a super submarine, or some other strange unknown thing. The world had become so strange none of them discounted anything anymore.

The minutes passed as the underwater disturbance finished its approach, gradually slowing to prevent large waves from crashing too hard into the lower bay doors. Just as the one of the senior techs finished organizing the pool, the water below the pad erupted as a massive island of metal rose up from beneath the surface. The vessel was huge, easily twice as big as pre-invasion carriers. For all its size though it didn't look at all like any ship they had seen before. Instead, it seemed to resemble a humongous whale made of shining steel, large flippers shaped like swords flapping once to stabilize it on the surface.

The crews all gaped at the vessel for several seconds unlike a senior chief whooped and said, "I called it! It's a sub!"

"Does that thing look like a sub to you?" someone else argued.

"It swims underwater and is made of metal," she responded reasonably. "That's good enough for me!"

"Attention all work crews," the loudspeaker barked. "Prepare for shipping and offloading. Also, everything you are about to see is classified. As far as anyone outside the SD is concerned, this ship and its contents do not exist."

"Neither do we most of the time!" one loader joked, causing everyone near him to laugh.

A chuckle came over the speaker before it said, "And keep it that way. Now get back to work!"

Down below the vessel aligned itself with the pad and opened various panels and hatches across its top, cranes moving forward on the pad to reach down and pluck already prepared packages. And so the work continued much the same as it usually did. Crazy their world may be, but crazy or not they still had jobs to do. A giant robo-whale was just another bit of weird to add to the pile.

---

Far above from out of a rare windowed room Lauren looked down in awe at the giant ship. The concept that people had build such a huge thing was beyond baffling for her. It just seemed so impossible, so unbelievable that humans could do all the things she'd seen over the last week. Everything she saw in this place just astonished her more and more. Eventually she drew back from the window and fell back onto her bed, wanting to look at something more mundane so she could calm down somewhat. Remind herself that not everything around here was insane.

She looked around the room, a 'suite' according to Pentecost. Then again, she shouldn't be surprised at the spartan nature of the two-person one-room apartment given it was in a military base. The bunk beds were nice and soft, that much she could praise. But the blue and grey decor left her feeling like a sailor, rather than an animator, and the completely bare walls left her very little to look at during her long hours of waiting for someone to call on them. Even now she wondered why she and Craig hadn't been sent home already.

"Why are we here Craig?"

Her husband looked up from his newspaper and tilted his head at her. "What?"

Lauren sighed and strode over to him, plopping down in the plain wooden chair across from him. "I mean why are we, a pair of animation directors, hanging out in this place? You can't walk around a corner around here without seeing psychics, hybrids, technology that looks straight out of Star Wars, and other crazy stuff that makes my head spin."

"That's progress for you honey," Craig said with surprising calm. "This place is at the forefront of human engineering and science. Of course there's gonna be stuff here that the public isn't really familiar with."

"Okay fine. I get that. But then why do they still need us to be here? We've already told them everything we could about Equestria. What more do they need us for?"

Craig shrugged. "Maybe they just want to keep us close by in case something comes up. It's not like we're trapped here against our will. We're still getting messages from the studio after all."

Lauren rubbed her temples and leaned against the table. "I don't want to try and make our show over Skype, dear. More than that I just… I want to go and do something, not stay cooped up in here for days on end."

"Boredom or inactivity?"

"Either." She sighed. "Both. I don't know."

Craig reached across the table and rubbed her shoulder, causing her to hum quietly. "I get you honey. I'm kinda bored too, but I'm not gonna let it bother me. Think of this as unofficial vacation time." His phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket, Lauren leaning away and resting her hand over her eyes. His eyes scanned over the message for a moment before he blinked and muttered, "Oh you're not gonna like this Laur."

"Whaaaat?" she said blearily.

"Well… you know how the team wanted to have Cadence be pregnant this next season?"

"I vaguely remember something to that effect. Something about Pinkie and secrets, it's been a while."

Craig winced and took a steadying breath. "Yeah, see, they were talking it over and they're thinking that the kid should be an… alicorn."

There was a slow creak of Lauren's chair as she moved forward to stare at her husband with burning intensity. "What?" she asked in a glacial tone.

"Now Laur, I know you weren't exactly thrilled about the whole 'Alicorn Twilight' thing but-"

"It went completely against the point I was trying to make!" Lauren erupted out of her chair and started stalking back and forth. Craig recognized what was about to happen and responded by covering his face with his palm and deciding to just ride it out.

"The Alicorns were supposed to be the ultimate ideals, lofty goals that others are meant to aspire to and respect! Making Twilight become one sends an impossible message of 'just work hard enough and you too can become a god'! That's not what I wanted people to take away from the show. I don't want people to try and become perfect. I want them to recognize that everyone has faults and that that's okay. It's fine to make mistakes sometimes so long as you are trying to become better. Going all the way and becoming that ideal removes the sense of accomplishment."

Craig knew that trying was pointless but he felt the need to speak up anyway. "We haven't shown Twilight become perfect Laur. She's still the same neurotic bookworm she always was, just with a new position."

"A position she never asked for!" she shouted back. "I wouldn't have minded this whole thing happening if Twilight had been told ahead of time and been given the choice to become a princess or not."

A rapid set of knocks on the door caught the pair's attention. "Um, excuse me, is everything alright in there?" a feminine voice called through the door.

Thanking his lucky stars that Lauren's rant had been interrupted, Craig cleared his throat and said, "Yeah, it's fine. Just having a… personal discussion."

A faint chuckle could be heard. "Yeah, I often have those kinds of discussions with my family as well. If I may ask, is this the residence of Lauren Faust and Craig McCracken?"

The two animators sent each a glance and both sighed. Since first arriving at the Shatterdome both of them had been fairly inundated by adult fans of the show begging for autographs, a handshake, or just to met them. Both were used to that sort of attention at cons and other fan-meet ups they did in the show's off seasons, but to have the same sort of reception at a military base was… off putting for them. Still, fans were fans, regardless of age, so they treated them with the same respect as they did any other person who looked up to them. "Yes, that's us. Did you want anything in particular or…"

"Well for one thing I'd like to actually talk to you rather than this door."

"Of course," Lauren chuckled weakly before moving to open the door, while the woman outside continued to talk.

"I mean, not to say that this isn't a nice door. The wood quality is quite excellent, and the design is, while simplistic, very elegant considering-"

The door sung open, revealing a rather short young woman. Had Lauren not taken a second glance she may have mistaken her for a teenager due to her very short stature. The woman had blonde hair that flowed in a long waterfall over her shoulders. She wore almost comically large coke bottle glasses and had pale skin that looked like it rarely saw the sun. She was clad in a thick, yet snug sweater and a knee-length knitted skirt, covered over by a lab coat that looked several sizes too large. A closer look showed the lines and contours of a corset worn beneath the sweater, the silk threads poking out between the sweater and skirt confirming it. The woman looked up, having been silenced by the opening door, looking into Lauren's eyes with two big blue eyes full of wonder.

"Hello," Lauren said.

"Hi," was the breathless response. "I was talking about the door but I kinda forgot what I was saying." She shook herself and took a steadying breath. "Sorry. Little overexcited at the moment. But, ok, where was I? Oh! My name's Joanne! Doctor Joanne Johnson!"

"Nice to meet you, Doctor Johnson. My name's Lauren Faust and this is my husband, Craig McCracken." Lauren smiled and added, "So, is it time for my check up?"

"Huh? OH! Oh nononononono! I'm not that kind of doctor. I do genetic engineering. Though if you wanted wings or extra arms or some other 'enhancements', I'm the girl to call!" She giggled, rubbing her hair and blushing. "But um… do you mind if I ask you a question?"

"Certainly," Craig said.

The doctor smiled and wrung her hands through each other. "Do you happen to know where the cafeteria is? I've been trying to find it for a while now and I'm completely turned around."

The couple blinked at each other is bemusement before Lauren said, "That's like five floors down from here. And all the elevators have signs on them saying which level has what." She shrugged her shoulders and added, "Publicly at least."

"And the elevators are… where exactly?"

Lauren was about to say they were right down the hall when her brain started to twist around the impossible idea that this woman had somehow missed them when they were the only other thing up here aside from the suites. "Why… why don't you just follow us?" she asked. "It's about time for lunch anyway."

The doctor gave a weak smile and wrung her hands together. "That might be for the best." Joanne waved her arms towards the door with a creaking smile on her face. "After you?"

Craig and Lauren traded a look with each other before they trotted off to the elevators, Joanne following in between them staring straight forward and looking like she was twitching with concentration. A long and boring ride later they emerged in the common area of the SD and made their way through the busy hallways towards the smell of food. Along the way multiple people waved to the couple, with Lauren and Craig both smiling back and trading pleasantries. Lauren felt some of her dull mood lift as they went, especially when they entered the cafeteria and several nearby tables cheered when they spotted them.

"Guess you guys are popular everywhere," Joanne remarked.

Lauren smiled and shrugged. "Way more than we had expected."

"So Joanne, what is it that you do here?" Craig asked as they stepped into the food line.

Joanne cheerily smirked and said, "I'm the head of genetic engineering for a deep black top secret mobile research and development team of mad scientists secretly on the GDF payroll."

The couple halted in line and stared at her blankly. "OK, seriously, what do you do here?" Craig countered. "Because that sounds like the setup for a very dark cartoon or something..."

"Oh, you'll see." She winked back at the pair, piling on meaty foods. "Oh this looks so gooood. First time in months I've eaten any kind of meat besides fish and snails..."

"Dare we ask?" Lauren said as she filled her own plate.

"Our head engineer brought his mom and sisters with him on our research vessel." She hauled the heavy tray away, struggling to balance it. "Miss Wylder's an amazing cook, and skilled at making food last. But the only real meat we can sustainably grow on the ship right now is snails. Escargot is fine for a fancy meal once in awhile, but try subsisting on nearly a hundred different recipes composed mostly of snail for half a year. You'll be begging for bacon and sirloin, too."

"You've been on a ship for half a year? What were you on, an aircraft carrier?"

"A carrier? Ha, hardly. Hon, y'all are gonna freak when you see the Langoud." She chuckled, semi-snorting as she did. "It's no ordinary ship. Not by a long shot." She managed to make her way to a nearby table, dropping the plate down with a heavy thud, setting her drink, a massive milkshake, off to the side. "C'mon, plop down and join me!"

The two animators sat down across from the doctor more calmly and started eating. While Lauren and Craig opted for a more normal method of eating, Joanne had foregone any sense of decorum and began devouring her meal as fast as she could, stopping only to clear her throat with a sip from her shake. Utensils were ignored in favor of simply licking her fingers clean of sauces and juices and any semblance of manners was outright impossible to see.

"Urp, sorry." Joanne blushed, finally calming down. "Just feels like I hadn't eaten in days so..."

"No worries," Lauren cut the doctor off gently. "I can guess living off of snails on a boat for half a year wouldn't exactly be conducive to a good diet."

Joanne shrugged. "I'm not the cleanest of eaters normally anyway. My son always gets annoyed at me whenever I force him to actually sit down at the table with me, though that may have to do with the fact that he's the one who does the dishes. Despite the fact that we have a whole cook team on board. I guess he just likes doing dishes for some reason. No idea why."

"What is the Langoud exactly?" Craig asked. "Briefing packet didn't include the name."

"Well it wouldn't, since we are, you know, top secret and everything." The doctor blinked and quickly said, "Don't tell anyone I told you about this stuff. I just figured since you were up in the Council residences you guys were in the know…"

Lauren put on a reassuring smile. "I wouldn't worry too much. Stacker told us when we got here that we were basically cleared for everything so long as we promised not to blab to anyone. After all, no one would suspect a pair of animation directors to have a bunch of top secret knowledge."

"Well, who knows, maybe you'll get more." She wiped her mouth, finishing off the last piece of bacon-wrapped sirloin. Suddenly, her phone let out a beep. The doctor whipped it out of her purse and took a peek, almost squeaking as she read the message. "Speak of the devil, Serizawa's wondering where I am. I'm supposed to head to the lower hangar where our ship is off loading. So you'll get to see it anyway!"

Lauren and Craig both blinked at her and said in unison, "Wait what?"

Joanne waved them up and started hopping in place. "Come on, it'll be fun! We've got so much cool stuff and those stuffy Council guys don't react right. They're worse than New York cab drivers. I wanna see someone actually freak for once."

Lauren twitched. "I don't like to freak."

"Well, not 'freak' as in panic but… They reacted to my daughter basically by blinking. That's… Just some kind of reaction like, I don't know. 'That's interesting' or something? I was kinda hoping for more than that."

"And what about your daughter was it they were supposed to be… reacting to exactly?" Craig asked.

Joanne sported a massively smug grin and said, "You know the kaiju that showed up yesterday? The one that shrank?"

"Yeah, spotted them out the window yesterday. What does that-" Craig stopped to think as the connection hit. "Oh no. There's no way. You're joking, right?"

"Nope! That's my baby girl, Tytanna!" She smiled brightly. "And, well, she's literally and figuratively your biggest fan."

Husband and wife looked at each other, once again stuck at the point of complete disbelief they had felt multiple times since their arrival here and shard one thought. Where's the limit to this insanity?

"Well…" Lauren began in a shaky tone. "I… wouldn't want to disappoint one of our fans by not being there. Just so long as she doesn't try to eat us or anything."

"Eat you?" Joanne frowned, "She doesn't eat people, she prefers pizza. She might try to glomp you but, well… Let's just say she has no sense of personal space. Worst case scenario is you get some lipstick on your face and the smell of breakfast pizza in the air. She knows not to be too rough with humans. She learned that the hard way with her boyfriend."

"She… has a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, our head engineer. Sweet guy, bit of a dork. They're really good for each other, I think, even if it's a bit awkward sometimes."

"Um… how exactly does a kaiju fall in love with a human if they're… you know..."

"Know what?" Joanne asked, blinking owlishly. "Oh, you mean animalistic. Don't worry, Tya's fully sentient and can speak with human tongues, so she's sort of more human than kaiju. Just a person who happens to have scales instead of skin."

"How exactly did that happen?" Lauren asked. "I've never heard of a kaiju being able to speak human language before."

Joanne looked as if she was about to respond but her phone chimed again, "Oh sweet relish." She sighed. "We're gonna have to rush. Stacker wants us in the lower hangar ASAP." "I'll explain on the way. Hope you two are ready to have your minds blown. Figuratively of course, not literally. Let's go." With that the doctor began hopping over to the entrance, only to stop and turn back to the still sitting couple. "Um, which way is it to the lower loading docks?"

---

As it turned out, finding the docks was a simple as just asking one of the techs at the table next to them for directions and not letting Joanne try to lead them. As soon as they passed through the doors the couple were floored by the gigantic area they entered. Huge multi-story bays lined the walls of the vast space, all empty save for one at the far end of the hall. Lauren recognized the well televised form of Jet Jaguar, his sleek lines and smooth armor marred in several spots by heavy welds across his joints. Humans riding on slung gondolas or just hanging from wires crawled all across him, sparks flying here and there as they drew plasma torches across cracks or opened hatches.

"Wow," Lauren muttered unconsciously, Craig standing next to her with his hands at his hips, taking in the sight.

"You know, I never could figure out old JJ there," Joanne said as she continued on past them. "Somehow he manages to size-shift using a piece of technology nobody knows how to use, something that should be impossible to do except with very powerful magic. And he flatly refuses to let us examine it so we can try to understand it. He was a smart artificial intelligence years before we ever came up something similar and has never once shown any need for an update or anything beyond basic maintenance. A riddle trapped in a black box all wrapped up in an enigma. It'd be fascinating if it weren't so frustrating."

"So he's a mysterious giant robot that fights for good and changes sizes?" Craig observed. "Are we sure he's not a transformer?"

Both women turned to look at him, one in confusion the other is disbelief.

"You know, 'cause Transformers are owned by Hasbro, and so is MLP. It's funny because they're related. Sort of." All he received in response were further blank stares. "Nothing at all? Really?"

"We understand Craig," Lauren said. "We just think it's stupid."

Joanne coughed and waved her arms of in the direction of the end of the hall. "Maybe we should just keep going."

With that Lauren, Joanne, and a severely chagrined Craig continued on their way, while a loud blaring started up from horns high above them. "Attention, preparing to open bay 12 doors. Repeat, opening bay 12 doors. All personnel clear out of bay 12 entryway."

Lauren and Craig both came to a halt and watched the doors slowly creak open, an ungodly loud clanging starting up from the other side. Rolling through into the hanger was Mogeura, the massive mole-like mech looking spick, span, and shiny as new. Having heard of the intense battle in Brisbane, as well as its grisly climax, Lauren would have thought the mech would need at least a thorough washing. But it appeared to have been completely cleaned and shone like it had just rolled off the production line.

What really sent the shock in, however, was where Moguera seemed to have come from. The mech was slowly rolling out of a massive gaping maw of some kind of mechanical seabeast that put most kaiju to shame in sheer size. Grey metal plates highlighted by glowing blue strips of light gave the massive vessel an alien, almost mosasauroid visage.

"Lauren? Craig?" Joanne grinned and held out her hands wide out to her sides. "THAT is the Langoud."

"That's your ship?" Lauren said. "What… what even is it?

Joanne giggled. "I've practically memorized Theo's little sale's pitch about it. This ship is the recovered hulk of an ancient atlantean warship, repaired and upgraded with human technology. The ultimate expression of modern genius and ancient technology in the shape of a big badass robot shark-monster. Still the best description of it I've ever heard. Now come on, we have to get to the meeting!"

Joanne fairly pranced off in the direction of the still moving Moguera, leaving Lauren and Craig to follow after still looking up in awe at the giants towering far above them. "Still think all of this stuff is explainable Craig?"

"Um, I'd say 70-30 at this point, hun. But hey, it's still pretty neat huh?"

Lauren looked around the corner as they passed by Jaguar's bay, watching the crews shuffle around huge missile pods and pallets of explosives while armed and armored guards stood against the walls watching everything with hawk's eyes. "Yeah… neat."

They arrived at the edge of bay 12 along with a tide of engineers who started clamoring back and forth around Mog's tread feet. Off to the side Lauren saw Pentecost speaking with the other members of the Council. He looked up from their chat and spotted Joanne walking over to them, then his eyes glazed over to Lauren and Craig and he blinked in surprise. "Miss Johnson, when I sent the message for you to come down here, I did not expect you to bring guests along. Lauren, Craig, may I ask why you have decided to join us today?"

Lauren shrugged in response. "I don't really know. I guess we just… want to know more about what's going on. Feel like we are actually contributing something rather than sitting around just twiddling our thumbs."

Pentecost mulled this over for a moment. "I suppose it has been some time since our last talk about Equestria. My apologies if you have been feeling ignored."

Craig waved him off and said, "It's fine Marshall. We understand you've been busy. That said, it would be nice if we could have something to do to help. Anything at all, even just offering our opinions on… whatever it is you guys have locked up in the behemoth."

Serizawa coughed to call attention to himself and said, "Marshall, are we sure that we should let these two be aware of all this? Many of the Langoud's projects are highly classified for a reason."

"We already have their word that everything they see and experience here will be kept secret until such time as it can be safely revealed to the public. I have faith that they will keep their promises. Besides, perhaps having an outside opinion from the uninformed will help us to guess what the public's reactions will be to the many new technologies we have in store." He turned to Joanne and waved towards the still open central hold of the Langoud. "If the good doctor would lead us inside, we can start seeing what it is we can expect to add to our ranks."

Lauren and Craig traded a glance. "Um, Marshall, I'm not sure Joanne should be leading us-"

"Oh don't worry about it guys," the doctor jumped in. "We've got a hologram navigation system that's installed on all the walls in the halls that can direct you wherever you need to go. It's literally impossible to get lost if you follow the directions, even for me!" She ended off with a brilliant smile and dramatically walked off towards the path Mog had just rolled over. "Alright, gentlemen, ladies, and Serizawa. It's time for you to see the mysteries of the GDFRS Langoud!"

---

(Checks time) 1 hour before midnight on the last night of the month. Talk about last minute huh guys? Anyway, sorry this took so long to put out. I had a whole bunch of ideas but wasn't sure where or when I wanted them to be, and the time flew by so quick next thing I knew I only had a few days left to finish before my deadline. If anything seems rushed or the like then you know the reason why. Anyway, this is just more or less another in-between chapter to fill in some gaps and get things ready for next time. Again attempts at world-building will hopefully keep you guys interested until the action packed bits next chapter. I did spend some time this month trying to formulate a more solid overall plan for the story as a whole rather than continuing to write by the seat of my pants and pray it all comes together well. I've made it work so far but I can only push my luck for so long. Ah well, whatever the case, I hope you guys continue to enjoy, and as always, if you spot anything that might be wrong or have an idea you want to share, don't be afraid to hit me up with a PM.
Also, please review. Every review I see on this thing is like ten shots of super-heroin straight into my brain. I'm jonesing for a fix guiz. Please halp! I need my reviews!

Not As It Seems

Today was not a good day for Ravi. In fact, if she had the time to reflect on it, she'd say it was likely the worst day of her life. And as yet another explosion rocked the building she was in, she remarked to herself that there was a very good chance it would be her last.

"Get down!" she roared, the other occupants of the room falling to the floor while the walls shuddered and ceiling tiles collapsed around them. The bombardment continued for several seconds more, Ravi praying that the building's reinforcement would hold. Eventually the blasts ceased, allowing her to stand up again and stare out the window on the compound around them.

The compound was set into the side of a mountain several miles (or kilometers around here) from the nearest city, a former Soviet base abandoned decades ago after the invasion ended. Since then it had been upgraded and improved to secure it against the modern era, the old iron fence replaced by fifteen foot high walls of concrete and an implanted steel gate heavy enough to survive the common car bomb. Said gate had been blown clean off its hinges by a huge armored mass having barreled through it, a mounted turret on its roof blazing away at anything that moved.

Soldiers who had been wandering about on patrol reached for their weapons but were forced into cover or cut down by the turret before they could even aim. The assaulting vehicle came to a skidding halt in the central courtyard, crushing a truck under one wheel as it went. A panel at the back fell open and out of it rushed a series of humanoid shapes covered in dark painted metals, all carrying huge guns spouting blasts of purple energy or cracking like thunder with sheer speed of their projectiles.

Conventional fire was returned to them from all sides but it merely bounced off the armored plates and attracted attention, resulting in coordinated counter fire that ripped apart buildings and cover like tissue paper. In short order all of the soldiers in the courtyard were dead or down, at which point the armored enemies started running and leaping about with inhuman speed, some launching themselves atop single story buildings with a simple jump, spreading across the compound in a relentless wave of destruction. The APC turned its gun on the central building, heavy rounds painting a path of bullet holes across the thick concrete.

Snarling, Ravi pointed at the person next to her and said, "Call our operatives in the city. Tell them we're compromised and to make for the secondary escape route, assume the primary is being watched." She shifted her attention to a taller man wearing armored plates who was pointing his rifle at the window nervously. "Lieutenant, get on the radio and tell anyone who's still alive outside to stay down and hide. Use the tunnels to marshall them here. If they can, have them grab whatever heavy weapons are nearby. If not, tell them to get here as fast as they can. We can't let this building be captured."

The man nodded then started barking into his radio in Dari, heading for the door. Ravi glared at the other people in the room and set them to work deleting everything they could from the computers and terminals. Once she was sure they were all busy, she retreated to the back of the command center and into her office, shutting the door firmly behind her.

She had no idea how her cell had been found out, but clearly their enemy was dead set on destroying this place with everything they had. Her group had only the bare minimum of armed guards needed to keep the local warlords from bothering them. Under a coordinated military strike like this Ravi knew they stood no chance. So she needed to call for help.

The room she entered was richly appointed with a thick fur carpet and large decorated desk laden with several computers and maps of the local area. She stalked past all that and headed to the wall safe set into the back wall, swiftly entering the pass code on the adjacent panel and planting her thumb on the fingerprint scanner.

Inside the safe was a very intricate looking headset with a large car antenna sticking out the top. In Ravi's view it seemed exceedingly stupid looking, almost like those damn tin foil hats out of B grade American trash movies, but it was what she needed at the moment so there was no time to be embarrassed in wearing it. Once she was sure it was properly seated on her head, she closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind, filtering out her senses and lurking worries from the attack. She reached deep into her center for that familiar sense of the Plane, that place far beyond normal human sight or conception.

The Plane stretched out around her, an endless field of black punctuated by bright suns in a rainbow of colors. The immediate vicinity was an out of control fireworks show, the known signatures of her own people facing down the shielded presences of the enemy. For a moment she contemplated trying to strike at the other soldiers with her telepathy and break their minds to her control, but discarded it. Enhanced as her prowess were by the device she wore she could tell that whatever telepath was guarding the attackers was much more skilled than her. Trying to bring them down herself would just attract attention to her and the enhancing device, something she had been ordered to keep hidden at all costs.

Scowling, she ignored the battle around her attempted to narrow her focus, sending her view hurtling through the darkness, following a thin line of dark red. After a time she reached the end of the line and looked up into a roiling star of boiling blood-like liquid, extending a tiny tendril of herself towards the mass. Idly Ravi noted that many of the other lines reaching away from the sun were wavering, some cracked and straining from an unseen pressure. There seemed to be less of them than the last time she had looked.

My Lady, our cell has come under siege by heavy military forces. I am unsure of our ability to hold them. We are preparing evacuation protocols for agents off the base and are clearing our servers of data. What should we do about the collected artifacts? Is there any possibility for reinforcement?

A pulse of light reflected from the star toward Ravi, her mind burning with an intense anger and frustration. Another one! So quickly! Aagh, how did this happen!?

A soundless scream crashed into Ravi, sending her spine shivering uncontrollably. My pardons, Mistress, but what do you mean by 'another'?

What do you think I mean you IGNORANT CHILD! The damnable GDF have been striking at cells across the planet! They've coordinated them all to happen simultaneously so I could not react. Damn Laoshu! Damn Chou! Damn them all to an eternal pit of burning and endless crushing. The roaring voice lost coherency and dwindled into projected feelings of pure rage and malice.

Ravi kept her thoughts from focusing on the power the emanating from the star and said, I had no idea it was this bad, my Lady. It seems the GDF were even more dangerous than you have warned us they were. Do not fear, Mistress. I will ensure that the fascists gain nothing from our compound. We will destroy all the artifacts in our possession and fight them until the last man. We will honor your cause with our lives.

The surface of the star suddenly stilled for in instant, its face becoming smoother than glass. No. No, you won't.

My Lady? Ravi asked.

I just had an idea. An idea that will grant me a hidden and delicious vengeance on the Global Defense Force. And you, my child, will be the patron of my wrath.

Ravi was confused but obediently opened her mind up further. Of course, Mistress. I am yours to command, tool of the forthcoming cleansing. What do you wish of me?

The star grew brighter and started shifting again, a mountainous range of razor-sharp points undulating up and down in rapid succession. Listen very closely child. Here is what I need you to do…

---

Ravi emerged from her office to a scene of barely controlled chaos. Techs ran about carrying hard drives and smashing terminals as the building was rocked by further explosions. She could hear quick bursts of gunfire erupting every so often outside, answered by an unfamiliar sound that hissed and sizzled when it struck. "Lieutenant, what is happening outside?"

"Nothing good, Staress. We managed to seal off the main entrance with plasma cutters before they could hack through the door, but every other part of the compound is under their control, and I'm not hearing anything from the other outposts. We barely have twenty gunners left in this building, and none of our rifles are doing anything to the enemy soldiers. They have some kind of new armor that- TAKE COVER!"

Barely had the people in the room heeded the warning than a stream of purple energy tore through the armored glass at the front of the place with a surge of heat. The back side of the room fairly caught on fire as the plaster melted from the remaining energy, the windows themselves all but gone from being nearly vaporized. Ravi looked up at the newly gaping hole in their defenses and saw two black shapes zoom through the opening, their loud buzzing ringing in her ears. The forms were circular, blurred at the edges from their rapid rotating, throwing a gleaming shine around like a blinding flash.

"Shoot them!" the Lieutenant cried, panic in his tone. "Don't let them get close to you!"

Every armed person in the room let rip into the two drones, the things whizzing back and forth to evade the incoming fire. One barreled towards the main collection of people behind the consoles, a device swiveling around underneath its cassis and firing into the crowd. Blue waves of static rolled over everything hit by the drone, people unlucky enough to be struck falling to the floor and twitching helplessly as their nervous system was driven haywire.

The other drone wasn't so kind. It flashed around the edges of the room towards the firing soldiers, aiming its rotating blades at their centers of mass. At first Ravi was confused that the drone would take such a suicidal tactic, but then she saw the thing slice clean through both the rifle and chest of the first man it struck, causing him to scream in pain as he collapsed. In seconds the combination of stun gun and flying blades took down half of the people in the room, both drones sparking several times when they were struck with bullets but continuing undaunted.

Gathering her focus again Ravi called upon her center and lashed out towards the nearer drone with a burst of telekinetic force, smashing it into the wall so hard it fell to pieces, saving the life of a soldier who had been in its path. The other drone reacted instantly to its partner's destruction, turning completely around and firing multiple stun rounds toward her. Ravi blocked the shots with a field then reached out with her thoughts and grabbed the drone by its blades. Twisting her hands around she brought its movement to a halt then formed her hands into fists, crushing the metal in on itself till it was a ball of collapsed wreckage. Letting out a breath of concentration Ravi threw the thing back out the window, looking around at the ruin of her former command room.

"We won't be able to hold out much longer like this," she whispered, watching the few people still awake or alive clamber up. "Alright, all of you, I want you to hole up in the safe room. Barricade the door as much as you can and remain unnoticed. I am going to create a distraction. Hopefully it will allow you to use the tunnels to escape. If not…" Ravi took in a calming breath. "If not you know what to do. Capture is not an option for you."

"What about the artifacts?" one of them asked.

"Leave them to me. Your priority is to escape so you can tell the others what happened here. Now get going."

The soldiers all nodded and herded the rest towards the door, guns up and ready for any targets that appeared. Ravi watched them go, mulling over the plan that the Lady had given her. It was insane, dangerous, and all too likely to fail. But regardless, it was the Lady's word, so Ravi did not allow her doubt to cloud her. Instead, she did as instructed.

Reaching deep into her own thoughts she looked at her memories, isolating the ones that had any important knowledge and her conversation with the Lady behind a well hidden barrier. Next, she rewrote several other memories and parts of her psyche, taking special care to ensure the alterations would appear natural to a probe. Oddly enough the sections she removed came away easily, almost as if they shouldn't have been there, but she did not stew on that circumstance. Minutes passed as she felt herself literally change who she was, keeping steady by remembering her Lady's command. Finally, once she was done, she sliced and shredded the memories of what she had just done until they were completely insensible, wiping them ou…

Ravi stood stock still for an instant, blinking and shaking her head. "What was I doing? Ugh, I can't waste time. I have to set the demolition charges before the bastards can get inside."

A deep seated rumbling shook the floor beneath her feet, followed by muffled screams and gunfire. "Spoke too soon," she grumbled. "Have to get downstairs, help the soldiers." It took her a moment to recall where the stairs were, the act leaving her head dizzy for some reason. She shook her head to clear it and ran out into the hall, heading for the stairs.

She felt a pang as she passed by a window, able to see for an instant the mess that had been made of her command. It would be a miracle if any of them survived this. Putting the thought out of mind Ravi fairly leaped down the steps 3 at a time, using her telekinesis to keep her from tripping as she went.

Every second the sounds of the fighting grew louder and more desperate, until eventually she came out on the ground floor and took in a scene of complete carnage. The steel entrance doors, each several inches thick and set into the ground to prevent unplanned movement, had been smashed open as if by a huge set of fists. All around the entrance were scattered several of the armored GDF soldiers, some hiding behind heavy support pillars by the walls, the rest huddled next to a spread out sheet of material stretched between two pylons. Despite seeming as thin as cloth Ravi could see bullets from her fighters bouncing off without even marring the material. On the other side of the impromptu wall Ravi thought she saw one of the enemy troops lying flat on the ground, but she wasn't sure.

At this distance she was able to see that the armor the soldiers were wearing wasn't completely encompassing, being made up of thick plates overlaid atop a black form-fitting mesh. Each one was wielding a very large weapon, bigger than anything a normal person could carry effectively, and had what looked like dozens of other devices and equipment pieces clipped to their forms. One near the back hefted a massive scoped rifle and fired at her soldiers at the other end of the hall. The hall practically exploded with noise as the hypersonic round from the gun flew through the air and impacted a desk several men were sheltering behind. The desk was annihilated by the hit, throwing her fighters into the air with shards of the shattered wood stuck into them at multiple points.

Ravi turned back to the GDF group and nearly gasped at what she saw walking through the doors. A heavily armored figure, towering a full nine feet high and thickly built, was cleanly walking out in the open ahead of the other troops and carrying what looked like a turret-mount sized gun. The giant was completely unconcerned by the streams of fire hitting it, striding forward slowly and firing quick bursts at anyone who dared to stay out of cover for more than a second.

Ravi was about to step out and throw her power into the mix when she heard a distinctive thump and watched a 40 millimeter grenade fly through the air towards the huge armored soldier. The round landed true, detonating straight on its chest and throwing up a cloud of red flame around it. The gunfire died down for a moment while her soldiers cheered, only for them to fall silent again as they saw the giant walk out of the cloud of smoke unharmed, only a line of thin cracks on its chest showing that it had been hit.

The stunned looks on the Dawn soldiers' faces lasted only for a moment before they shrugged off their surprise and started throwing every grenade they had, explosive or flashbang, at the opposition. The armored troops saw the change in tactics and directed their fire at the flying projectiles, detonating most of them long before they reached their line. Ravi took this moment as her opportunity, stepping out just as the last of the grenades blew up, allowing the fragments to bounce off her invisible shield.

Concentrating on the giant, Ravi telekinetically gripped its armor plate at the front and pulled, while at the same time sending a wave of force at its feet to sweep them out from under him. The end result was the massive soldier face planting into the tile hard enough to smash it to pieces, his gun trapped underneath him. The other GDF soldiers reacted instantly to her appearance and began flinging their own grenades her way. Just as she wanted.

Smirking, Ravi deflected the stun grenades away while directing the explosives upward at the ceiling. Their combined detonation ripped apart the roof, bringing it down in-between Ravi and the giant, who was in the process of standing up when a beam came down on his back. Keeping her shield up against a new barrage of bullets Ravi added to the falling debris as much as she could, tearing apart weakened supports to the point that a new wall formed between the GDF troops and the rest of the hallway. As soon as she was safe Ravi released her hold on her power and sagged heavily, nearly falling to the floor with exhaustion.

She was caught by one of her soldiers, his expression one of awe. "That was… very impressive, Staress."

"Yes, well," Ravi answered with a cough, "don't expect me to do it again. That was… exceedingly tiring."

"What now?" another asked, waving his gun at the pile of rubble. "That's not gonna hold them for very long."

As if to punctuate his statement a rumble echoed through the pile. Ravi shook her head to get some of her feeling back and said, "We make for the artifact room. We must ensure that there is nothing in there that the enemy can use to divine our goals. Maybe even have to use them ourselves."

Several of the soldiers shuddered at the suggestion but nodded and turned off to the right, jogging down the hall with Ravi being half carried along with them. After a minute of travel they reached the storeroom, Ravi inputting the access code and ushering everyone inside.

The room was dark and smelt of dust and ancient dirt. The few lights that were lit were turned down low, giving the place a feeling of late dusk. Strangely shaped items made of oddly colored metals and other, more unidentifiable materials sat on desks scattered about the place. Many of them appeared to be engraved with complex glyphs and runes of an indecipherable script, but were smoother than glass when touched, as if the patterns were a part of the item itself. Most of the items were unrecognizable in purpose, but along the walls were hung a variety of very obvious weapons, ranging from swords and maces to long staves with complex devices sitting at the head. She had no idea what the exact workings of the staves were, but when tied to a generator they could project a very powerful blast of energy at a close range target. Whether or not that would be enough...

Ravi shivered as she entered, trying to keep her gaze from straying to any of the artifacts. Something about the items always struck her as… wrong. It wasn't how they looked or felt, or anything like that. Rather, it was an almost instinctive thing. Like some aspect of them was clawing at her mind. Eroding her will and making her question her beliefs, her very existence. Only focusing on her oath to her cause allow Ravi to keep her cool. "Lieutenant, what equipment do we have left? Explosives, heavy weapons?"

The man shook his head, sending off small droplets of blood from a cut on his cheek. "I am sorry, Staress, but we expended everything we had keeping them trapped in the hallway. Whatever that armor is that they're wearing is immune to any gunfire, even from the snipers. We managed to hurt one with a direct hit from an anti-tank rocket, but I am unsure if they were killed or not. The others dragged the body away and redoubled their fire at us. If you had not arrived when you did, I am certain that giant would have slaughtered us."

Ravi briefly nodded at him before taking stock of her remaining men. Most of them had minor cuts, bruises or even burns, their steel backed body armor cast aside in favor of being able to move unhindered. Their faces were all stern and determined, ready to fight on, but she could see the hopelessness in their eyes. They knew this was a battle they could not win. Indeed it was an open question if selling their lives would even be able to harm the enemy.

How did it all go so wrong so quickly? she despaired. We were supposed to be safe here. Free to carry out our work. Trying to save the world from our own monstrous people. And yet even here the GDF is able to find us and hound us. How can we defeat them when they are so much stronger than us? Did we ever have a chance? Ravi clenched her fists and teeth, anger leaking into her thoughts.

Why?! Why do they fight us so strongly? Can't they see the damage they are doing? This needs to happen, or else Earth is doomed. Whether from our own arrogance or the kaiju wiping us out in self defense. Only by letting go of our 'control' can we find any measure of safety. There is no other way.

Unbidden, images passed through her mind's sight, strings of the news from the last few weeks. The word of the attack on Solgell, with dozens of monsters all fighting tooth and claw, the GDF involving themselves on the outskirts where it was 'less risky'. The Dimension Tide being unleashed, wiping out six of the strongest kaiju, including some of the 'Defenders' who claimed to be allied to humanity, proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that mankind could never be trusted.

And yet, the campaign of revenge she had expected from the kaiju had never emerged. Oh for certain the mutants were just as destructive as ever, but once again the Defenders drove them away from human cities. They even reaffirmed their alliance with the GDF, long after it had been revealed that the very same organization had stabbed them in the back just to gain an advantage over the mutants.

Unnoticed by any in the room, an inaudible hum started to emanate from some artifacts sitting amongst the group. The runes subtly shifted colors and seemed to move ever so slightly.

Ravi shook her head. It didn't make any sense. How could they continue to trust them after that? There had to be something else, something she couldn't see that was influencing the kaiju to be lenient. One didn't just forgive mistakes of that magnitude after all, not after a history of making the same errors over and over again. Humanity as a species was beyond redemption and had to be destroyed.

Right?

"Staress, what should we do?"

Ravi jolted out of her revery, not noticing the faint echoing ring in her mind slowly fading, the artifacts falling inert once again. "I… We need to find a way to make sure they can't recover any of our work here. That supersedes everything. You three," she said, pointing at several soldiers who looked more exhausted than the rest, "start looking for notes and documents and burn them. The rest of you, grab any item that looks like a weapon and set up around the door. They're going to find us eventually, and we need to be ready for them."

Everyone set about their assigned tasks while Ravi fell back against the nearest desk, a wave of exhaustion falling over her. She knew there was no hope of them getting out of here alive. She had accepted that much for herself, but her heart was tearing at the thought of all the people she lead falling with her.

Maybe I should just surrender. If I give myself up as the leader, they might show mercy to the others.

Don't be foolish! A loud rasping voice snarled. They will kill you no matter what you do! Adeline has shown you this.

But we are dead for certain that way. At least by giving up they have a chance at life, however small. Ravi expected another stinging barb but received none, hearing only a soft hum that sounded almost like chimes waving gently in the wind. What… what is tha-

The door to the room was smashed open without warning, causing everyone to turn to the sound. Into the room stepped a single person, garbed in the same armor as the smaller soldiers, only they wore no helmet. The man's gaze was sharp like a sword blade, mouth frozen in a deadly frown. His hair was close shaven to the head in standard military style, dark eyes glaring directly at her with piercing intent. Even before she felt the sting of a mental projection stab at her mind's shields she knew exactly what this man was.

Telepath.

Ravi's soldiers shouted and fired away with whatever they had, assault rifles blazing with fire while others let loose with their staffs, balls of glowing flame flying at the man with murderous heat. And yet even under the hail of lead and fire the man did not panic or crumple, instead simply lifting his hands and pushing them out to either side. A hurricane of force knocked Ravi clean over the desk she was sitting against, while everything her troops had fired was blown away into the walls, scoring and scaring them with bullet holes and burns. By the time Ravi was able to regain her senses she felt another wave pass through the room, this one riding through the Plane's local space.

She was aware that each and every one of her soldiers had been made unconscious as she stood up, staring at the man with confusion. "You let them live?" she asked aloud.

He nodded softly at her and said, "Prisoners are better than bodies. Which one do you want to be?" His voice was as hard as steel, yet she heard an undercurrent of concern… and pity. Pity for how easily they had fallen? Or something else?

Ravi stood still for a time, weighing her options with her little remaining strength against the firm command to never surrender to the enemy. What do I have left to lose?

Again the sharp voice of resistance was silent, so she lifted up her hands over her head. "If I surrender, let be on the promise that my men are treated fairly and humanely. The true meaning of that term, not simply what is convenient for your governments to spout about."

The man gave a huffing laugh. "Despite what you may have been taught, lady, we don't go around murdering people for kicks like your buddies seem to do."

Ravi's eyes flashed with anger. "Our acts have meaning, make no mistake."

"Oh I know," he answered, folding his hands over his chest. "In fact, we plan to find out exactly what that meaning is. You help us figure that out, and maybe you and your people might only end up in a cell for the rest of your lives, rather than having them be cut short. It's your choice."

So that's their game, Ravi thought. They don't know why we act, and thus want me alive. Was that the whole point of the attacks, to capture a Staress like myself? She held her eyes shut and sighed. If so, it seems to have worked.

"Smart choice." The man stalked forward, pulling out a strand of cord from his belt and tossing it at her, the wire wrapping around her hands in midair and pulling them tightly together. "If only the rest of you Dawners were smart enough to just stop fighting us, then maybe we could focus our attention on the real threat that's waiting out there."

Ravi scoffed, allowing her bound hands to fall limply in front of her. "Typical. The arrogance of your organization once again blinds you to the danger you yourself pose to the world."

He didn't seem insulted at all by her words, instead shaking his head and shrugging. "Look, I get that you people seem to think you're the 'good guys', but calling us the problem when you go around blowing up cities and trying to turn kaiju against us sounds just a bit hypocritical." He approached her and stood just barely a foot away, dark brown eyes burning directly into her own. "Think about it this way. Which one of us are the evil ones in this situation if we are willing to take prisoners and let you live, when I can guarantee you would never offer the same to us?"

A sneer fought to appear on her face but she tamped it down. "Why bother to capture, when you plan for all to be gone in but a few short years anyway?" She averted her gaze, looking at one of her men on the ground a few feet away. "Why hope for better when you know humanity can never move past its own darkness?"

To her surprise the man's features grew softer, his stature slumping slightly. "Sounds to me like you have given up on trying to improve things and decided to just burn it all because that's 'easier.' Well, let me give you a bit of wisdom here miss. Failure is only certain once you stop trying to move beyond it."

"Sounds like excessive optimism to me," Ravi said in a haughty tone.

He shrugged again. "Maybe, but it's that optimism that is keeping you alive so maybe you shouldn't dismiss it quite yet. Now, if you would be so kind as to lower your barriers, I'll giving you a nice little nap while we clean up this mess we made."

This was it. The moment of truth. If she lowered her mental shields then she would be going directly against her oath and down the road towards aiding her enemy willingly. Yet it was the only way she could see to ensure her followers would live. Which was more important? Throwing their lives away to no gain, or surrendering in hopes of having a chance to do more later, even if it meant having to be stuck under the GDF's thumb in the interim?

I am sorry my lady, but I am not willing to sacrifice my people just yet. With a mountain of trepidation looming over her Ravi removed her mind's defenses, immediately feeling a foreign presence slip inside. The probe was much gentler than she expected, ghosting through her thoughts with smooth movements.

There's one thing I know for certain lady, the man's voice said in her head, the sound reverbing with a slight echo of spectral distance. No person who is more concerned with the lives of others over their life goals can be all bad. Maybe you ain't as hopeless as you think you are.

The probe flickered for an instant before Ravi felt her consciousness slip away, her eyes falling shut and body going limp. She landed on the floor softly, the man tracking her descent with his hand as he used his telekinesis to make sure she was unharmed. "Just something to think about," he said to himself, a contemplative look on his face.

"Hey brother, is it clear in there?" a female voice called from outside the door.

"Affirmative, sis. All hostiles are down. You can come inside."

A trio of normal sized soldiers walked into the room, followed by the giant whose armor had definitely seen better days. The one at the front carried a huge sniper rifle, which was slung up around their back as they removed their helmet to reveal dark red hair. "Nice job as usual John. Quick, clean, and completely to their surprise. They never see the telepath coming."

John Shepard laughed and shook his head. "Yes well if you had been the one to get in here that whole 'clean' aspect would be thrown right out the window, Jane."

The sniper fake laughed and punched her brother in the shoulder. "Yeah whatever. You do remember these guys are terrorists right bro? They're just lucky we had orders to prioritize capture over kills. If we hadn't I'd have said just bury the place under a B-52 model carpet. They make the most lovely shit sweepers."

"There would be nothing to gain if we did that," John said disapprovingly.

"Sure there would. About two hundred odd dead mass murders. What's not to like about that?"

"Are you sure you two are siblings?" Ramirez asked, his plasma caster hanging from one hand and the other on his hip.

"Yes," John said. "Unfortunately enough." Jane gave him another punch to the shoulder, which he redirected so that she lost her footing and nearly stumbled over.

"Cheeky prick," she muttered. "Guess we should start tagging and bagging. Ram, radio the troops outside, tell 'em to get the labcoats up here. Also, what's the word on Al? That rocket looked like it hurt."

"He's alright. Suit took most of the damage for him. He's got a few fragments stuck in him and his ribs are cracked from the pressure force, but he'll recover. Lucky for him that the secondary explosive didn't go off or there'd be nothing left but a smear on the floor." Ramirez huffed and stomped his foot on the floor. "Seriously, where the hell did these assholes get heavy machine guns and fucking RPG's? Shit that strong is supposed to be proscribed for selling to authorized parties only, and there ain't no way they got themselves a proper PMC license."

"Word is that a bunch of major arms dealers have been using made up groups to smuggle out military grade armaments to illegal buyers, at least according to Chou's people," John answered. "They say they've been aware of it for a while but didn't know the stuff was going to terrorists. Which I am absolutely certain is true and that they definitely didn't turn a blind eye just because they were doing it too."

Jane snorted and spat at the ground. "They are so lucky their boss is in good with the Marshall, else we'd be cleaning up their asses just the same as these idiots. Greedy bastards selling weapons for cash. Why do we tolerate that crap?"

Ram smiled and said, "Cause the GDF is making money off of the license taxes, that's why. This sort of thing's been going on for millennia and it ain't stopping any time soon. Might as well let it happen so you can have a bit of control over it and make a tidy profit at the same time. Though there might be a few changes coming soon considering…" He waved his rifle at one of the Dawn troops lying nearby.

"We can only hope," John agreed. "Go ahead and call out Ram, then go check on Alcatraz for us. Tell him we expect him to be on his best behavior while in the hospital. No drunken escapades this time."

Ramirez snickered and put his helmet back on, speakers clicking on to portray his voice. "Sure thing boss. Command, this is Omega 3, central building is secure. You are clear to send in the examination crews." The rest of his words were cut off as he walked out, leaving the other three staring around the silent room.

"You okay there, big guy?" Jane asked the giant. "You've been rather quiet."

Master Sergeant Chief grumbled, arching his back to the sound of several of his armor plates squealing in protest. "Telekinetics are bullshit."

John tried and failed to stifle a laugh while Jane threw her hands in the air and said, "That's what I've been saying for years!"

Chief shifted a bit in his armor, the closest he ever came to laughing, then went still and continued with, "More importantly, how does the Dawn have so many telepaths in their ranks? The UN keeps records of every family with Mysterian ancestry. They should have noticed if that many people disappeared and joined a terrorist group."

The Shepards both nodded at the Sergeant's words. Ever since it was discovered that half-and-half children of the two races often displayed super human abilities governments the world over had scrambled to try and make use of them. Thankfully calmer minds had prevailed at the time and mass forced conscription was never attempted. Instead, such families were offered great benefits for military or government service, often good enough that most families agreed. Some didn't, but the most that ever happened to them was a low key shadowing of their empowered members to ensure nothing and no group tried to harm them. Or make use of them.

"You have a point," John said, "and it does beg the question: how and where are they getting these telepaths from?"

Jane looked down at the sleeping form of Ravi, her arms folded over her chest. "Let's hope miss high and mighty here is willing to explain then. I know one thing for sure though. One way or another, the Red Dawn's days are numbered."

---

Tendo Choi loved his job whenever he wasn't at work. During his breaks hanging out in Hong Kong's wide variety of bars, pubs, and other alcohol delivery services he could brag for hours about his job. Talking to other patrons was always great fun, with him making subtle and not so subtle suggestions as to what the GDF was up to. Nothing too explicit of course, and definitely nothing meant to be secret, but just general gossip stuff and random tech tidbits were always eaten up. Even better was whenever he managed to get one of the Jaeger crews to come with him, make an event of it all. The love and support the people had for them lifted his spirits every time. And being able to flirt with all those appreciative women was a nice side benefit as well.

When he was at his job, though, Choi found few things that he hated as much as his workload. Being the de facto Chief of Staff for the Marshall translated to him having to manage Stacker's schedule, make sure the Shatterdome was running on time and efficiently, ensuring the workforce was content with their pay and support, and dealing with constant pleas for attention from everybody and their grand uncles. News networks, governments, religious associations, private military companies, and just your average internet asshole who managed to dredge up the GDF's official help line. And that was during a normal work week. These last few weeks had been anything but normal.

First up had been him pulled from a lunch date to find Solgell buried under a tide of fighting kaiju, trying to coordinate all the nearby mechs to the island to help out but make sure they weren't overwhelmed at the same time. Next had been the emotional roller coaster of watching the Dimension Tide being fired, and that moment of horrified realization when they all saw who it hit. Choi remembered the command crew all being perfectly silent after that, some covering up their mouths to hide their shock. It had been a severe enough gut punch for himself, as he'd always secretly rooted for Junior to come out on top of his demented brother, only to see them both wiped out before either could react. Learning that they all were fine later was a relief of course, but still…

Tendo had thought that with the disappearance of the Mutations' driving force that things would die down a bit, but he couldn't have been more wrong. Instead, the mutants spend the next week on random rampages across the planet, causing a mad scramble for the GDF to try and contain them all. Thank God the Defenders had been willing to help, else who knows how many millions of people may have been hurt or killed in the fighting. The Defender's assistance had prevented a bad situation from turning into a catastrophe, but it was a very near thing all the same, and Choi well remembered the 18 and 20 hour days they'd had to pull just to keep things on track. At last, the final mutants were pushed away from their assaults and made to go lick their wounds, giving the GDF and Defenders all a chance to rest.

And no sooner did the chaos die down then the Marshall had his insane plan to unite the two factions and take down all the mutants at once.

Sometimes I wonder if Stacker really is a genius, or if he's just insane enough to make everyone think he knows what he's doing.

Whatever the case, saying that the two groups should unite to end the kaiju war for good was one thing. Making it happen was another thing entirely. They'd had to call up their whole reserve of telepath troops and assign most of them to jaegers, mechs, capital ships and more. Anywhere the GDF would be directly work with the Defenders had to have a telepath on hand to provide clear communication between everyone. Then they had to figure out where all of the mutants had ran off to, see if there were any people in the area and prepare to evacuate them or make plans to draw the mutant off, line up military forces to keep the mutant in place until a planned team could get there, then make up said team based on their already limited number of fighters. Every single jaeger and mech that wasn't in hard dock for heavy repairs or upgrades was being pulled up for use, some of them still slightly damaged from their battles during the mutant rampage. Even the Battle Platforms were being called into action, and most of them hadn't yet finished trails, let alone been confirmed for active service.

While all that was going on Tendo had two much more in-house problems to deal with, both of them to do with massive holes in security. The first was one that the world technically already knew about but no one was really acknowledging. The Dimension Tide misfires that had struck out at seemingly random points but had managed to snag up some very nasty kaiju and whisk them away to God knew where. The scary part was that whatever had hacked the DT had not only managed to locate the satellite in orbit and know how to control it with inhuman precision, but also somehow snuck past the defenses of an AI specifically dedicated to protecting the system. The only group with a hacking capability that good was the Coalition, which meant either that they had a force hidden somewhere on Earth that was able to remote hack anything they wanted at any time… or that another, unknown party was able to do the same sort of stuff an advanced alien empire was.

Terrifying did not begin to describe the implications of that information.

But that wasn't the worst of it. Oh no, there was another issue even better than the unknown super hacker.

It started with an already bad event in the form of a group of terrorists attempting to break into Dome for the purpose of using the Dimension Tide for widespread destruction. Thankfully they had been stopped with a minimum of casualties, but during the assault a very disturbing bit of information was revealed. Somehow these Red Dawn guys had access to an advanced piece of camouflage gear that had only just entered prototyping, meaning someone high up in the GDF had been leaking beyond top secret information to terrorists. To say a panic had set in would be vastly unselling the feeling among the command crews when they realized just how vulnerable they were. In the midst of trying to run a war Tendo was forced to slowly but surely interrogate a multitude of his friends to see if any one of them was a traitor, scanning their history and studying their recent actions to find any evidence of wrongdoing.

And the scary thing was that they found nothing. No one who would have had access to the information released could have been the leaker. Everyone had solid alibis confirmed by others that prevented them from ever having a chance to leak the info, nor did anyone have any sort of motivation to go against the GDF. Tendo himself had submitted to similar interrogation, useless as everyone knew it was, just to be completely thorough. Sure enough, he too had nothing to suspicious about, leaving all of them bewildered. If none of them had done it, who - or what - had? It was an unspoken question that was silently hovering over all their heads, a spectral boogeyman waiting for the right time to strike. Unless the unknown mole made a mistake, there was no way to find them, and considering they'd made it this far without leaving even a molecule of evidence, their hopes weren't high.

All of this and more weighed down on Choi like a continent on his shoulders as he answered a vid-call addressed to the Marshall, who happen to be somewhere he didn't know at the moment. Always a pleasant feeling. "Hello, this is the Shatterdome, Command line, Tendo Choi speaking. Who is calling?"

His screen flickered for a second as the connection solidified into an image of a white haired man who expression bore a look of well disguised distress. "Choi, it's Stenz. I need to speak to the Marshall. It's… well not urgent, but something has come up that has me concerned."

Choi raised an eyebrow. Stenz was well known for being nearly unflappable, even in the face of overwhelming odds or madness. "What's rattled your cage, Admiral?"

The older man shuffled in his seat wherever he was, clearing his throat as he appeared to try and plan out his words. "During my news segment here at GNN, I saw a rather disturbing clip that showed a kaiju capable of shrinking in the same way as Jet Jaguar. I was not aware that any such kaiju existed, thus seeing it walk away with the Council into the Shatterdome was rather… shocking for me. I was hoping the Marshall might be able to shed some light on this development. Is he available?"

No, he's not, mostly because you want to talk to him I suppose. Fate, who must thou troll me so? Vocally, Tendo answered with, "Not at the moment, sir, sorry. He's busy with… stuff. I think I can answer your question though. The kaiju was a relative of Titanosaurus, only with a few interesting features that the public doesn't need to know about right now. Suffice it to say, the kaiju's name is Tytanna and she is pretty much exactly like Jet Jaguar, only not a machine. And I include personality type in that similarity."

Stenz didn't appear much relieved at the description but he did let out his held breath. "Alright, I guess that's not as bad as I feared but still. When I saw the kaiju on television I was worried. It looks human enough but it still was very obviously not human. It's one thing for the kaiju to be large and noticeable, beyond conventional ability to hurt. If they were able to walk among us…"

"What's the problem there?" Choi asked, his shoulders slumped as he leaned back in his seat. "Person's a person, human or not. We integrated with the Mysterians easy enough."

Stenz grew stern in his gaze. "The Mysterians were a stroke of sheer unbelievable luck in that they are practically human in all but skin tone. And they still receive discrimination from some parties who have a grudge against aliens, reasonable or not. How much worse do you think it would be for a creature that is distinctly not human, could never have a hope of pretending otherwise?"

Choi frowned. "So, what, you're afraid of what Tytanna will do to defend herself?"

"No," Stenz said while shaking his head. "At least, not much. We are strong enough to defeat kaiju now, so having one appear in a public place out of nowhere would be bad, but nothing we can't handle." The Admiral closed his eyes for a moment, and when he reopened them they seemed sad, almost resigned. "I worry about what reactions a kaiju like that would provoke out of us. I worry about people, because I know what people are like."

Tendo chuckled. "I think you aren't giving us enough credit there, sir. I've heard her talking and I really don't think most people are gonna be threatened by her."

Stenz blinked. "She can talk?"

Choi stared back blankly at the Admiral for a few seconds, Stenz meeting his eyes with his own confusion. "Um… yeah, she can. Anyway, point is Admiral, you got nothing to worry about. I'll pass on your concern to Stacker but you can relax. He's got the situation under control."

"He always does," Stenz said with a smile. "Alright Choi, I suppose I've taken up enough of your time. Maybe you're right and I'm overreacting somewhat. Might be my phobia of reptiles playing up on me again. Give Stacker my best wishes." The Admiral moved his hand to end the call but paused and gained a smile. "Oh and if this Tytanna does snap at some point and eats one of the Council members, do me a favor and tell the others 'I told you so'. If only to make me feel better in case of a tragedy."

Choi rolled his eyes. "Whatever you say Stenson. Have a nice day." The screen went blank and Tendo rubbed his face, attempting to ignore the long hours that had passed since he last laid down in a bed. "Where is Stacker for that matter? He has to be somewhere around here. I'd have gotten a notice if he'd left." He leaned to look over his shoulder and said loudly, "Any you guys know where Stacker went?"

He got a chorus of nopes, negatives, and not reallys and sighed, facepalming again. Am I really gonna have to consult her? He spared a glance at his work desk/console to see the digitized list of thing he still had to do before his shift was up. "Oh sod it, might as well. Gladness, can I talk to you please?"

His screen lit up again, this time with a singular red light set in a circle of black. "Hello Mr. Choi. How are you today?" The voice was a dull female monotone, but with an undercurrent of emotion that was difficult to fully decipher. The eye flashed a little bit during the AI's speech, the outer circle rotating slowly but erratically.

Tendo did not let himself become unnerved by the visage and focused. "Fine, all things considered. Gladness do you know where Stacker is right now?"

The screen was static for a moment, then the eye started flashing again. "I am sorry, Mr. Choi, but I am unaware of Marshall Pentecost's current location."

"What?" Tendo blinked, unsure if he'd heard correctly. "That's… that doesn't make any sense. He can't have left the Shatterdome, so he has to be here somewhere, and you should be able to find his locator pin if that is the case."

"That is correct," the AI blinked.

A second or two passed while Tendo waited for it to continue, but nothing happened. He resist the urge to smash his head into the desk. "Well? Why can't you find him then?!"

"Because Marshall Pentecost's pin is not within range of my sensors," Gladness said reasonably.

"Well where could he have gone then? I would have received an alert if he tried to leave on an aircraft."

"He has gone beyond the range of my sensors."

"Yes but ho…" Tendo stopped and forced himself to take a deep breath, remembering the common piece of advice that everyone had for dealing with Gladness. Speak as absolutely clear as possible and don't give in to her goading. It just encouraged her. "Alright, new question. When was the last time you knew where he was, and where was he at that time?"

A few seconds passed in silence, and Tendo would have sworn the eye looked almost annoyed with him at spoiling her fun. "The last recorded location of Marshall Pentecost was in the primary Jaeger hanger at the lower loading dock entrance approximately two hours ago. He and the Council minus Tachibana exited the hanger onto the dock and entered the Langoud, at which point signal from his pin was lost."

Tendo ran a hand through his carefully gelled hair. "Okay, that makes sense. Tachi's busy running the Dawn campaign, so the others are going to see all the stuff aboard that whale ship. Would have been nice to be told that but whatever, not that important." He blinked as a thought occurred to him. "Wait a minute, did you know he had gone on that ship the whole time? Why didn't you tell me that at the start?!"

The red eye blinked with an almost amused hue as it said, "You requested information on Marshall Pentecost's current location. The data relevant to your question was unavailable as Marshall Pentecost was beyond my ability to detect. If you wished to ask me where he was likely to have been you should have phrased your question as such."

Tendo glared at the screen, wishing there was an actual physical side to Gladness that he could vent his frustrations on. "For being an AI that claims to have no emotions, you sure do seem to enjoy tormenting us."

"You are permitted to see it that way if you wish. Meatbag."

Before Tendo could respond the eye disappeared from his screen, leaving his with a distinct urge to hit something but having no target but valuable electronics within arms reach. "I hate my job."

"Rough day Tendo?" a voice said from over his shoulder.

Tendo swiveled around in his chair - an extremely comfortable leather one that nearly made up for the hell he had to deal with in it - and smiled as he laid eyes on Doctor Asuza Aoki nee Gojo. "Hey Doc. Yeah, just day wouldn't be accurate. Try the last few weeks being as rocky as the Alps and you might be closer."

"Making history is rarely easy," Asuza said with her own smile. "I should know, I've been there."

"Fair point. So, what brings you up here doctor?"

"I was hoping you could point me in the direction of Stacker. I had an… interesting revelation yesterday and would like to discuss it with him. I tried his office already but it was empty, and the secretary didn't say where he went."

"Well you're in luck then. I just managed to track him down, no help from old Gladness here." He jabbed a thumb at his console behind him, where a mean hiss emanated for a moment alongside a flash of red."

Asuza smiled and shook her head. "Oh yes, I am familiar with our resident AI. She has an interesting sense of humor."

"If by interesting you mean sadistic, then sure. Stacker's down in that ship that showed up yesterday. Supposed to be taking in the sights or something. You can get there by entering it from the loading bay. Just tell them you wanna talk to the Marshall and they should direct you. Hopefully."

"I'm sure I'll be able to find my way. I've wandered farther distances with less to go on. Thank you for your help Tendo."

"No problem. Happy to be able to do something simple for once. Now, back to the gri-" His console beeped and again popped up the red eye, this time the light dimmed slightly.

"Incoming priority message to Marshall Pentecost from retired General Aso," Gladness reported.

"Aso?" Azusa leaned forward over Tendo's shoulder to get a look for herself. "I haven't heard from him for years. I wonder what he's calling about?"

"Put the message through here Gladness," Choi said, to which the AI beep affirmative.

The vid-screen lit up with an image again, this time showing an elderly Japanese man sitting in a dimly lit room. Aso's face was grim when it first appeared but loosened into a warm grin when he saw Asuza. "Doctor Aoki, it's good to see you. I wasn't expecting you to be at the Dome. It's been too long since we've had a chance to talk."

"Far too long indeed," Asuza agreed. "Tell me, how are things? Is our mutual friend doing well?"

"Well enough." Aso's look drew back and back stiffer, but he maintained his smile. "I've done the best I can to help them, but there are some things one must handle on their own. That said, I do believe it is time we seek a new source of aid. To that end, I must inquire as to where Stacker is."

Tendo facepalmed. "It's always Stacker isn't it? I'm sorry but he's not available at the moment sir. Should I tell him you tried to reach him later and call you back?"

Aso shook his head. "No, that won't be necessary. What we have to discuss is not something I want to talk about over the phone. When you have a chance, please tell him that I need to speak with him in person here at my home. I know that he has a very busy schedule, but I think this is important enough to merit the time spent."

Azusa blinked in surprise. "Aso, are you saying you want to-"

"Not over the phone please, Asuza, but yes. The time has come. If what that kaiju I saw on the news means what I think it means, then now is the moment to step out into the light. Our friend… he is as ready as he can be, and if he can get the help he needs it would be worth the risk."

Tendo looked back and forth between the two, utterly bewildered by what they were talking about. "Could you guys be any more vague than you're being right now? What secret are you trying to protect?"

Aso and Azusa shared a look before Aso said, "One that could change a fair few things about how we see humans and kaiju, and the divide between the two."

"Well that sounds important," Choi said while chuckling. "Alright, if you guys wanted to keep it a secret, that's your deal. I'll send a messenger after Stacker and get him out to you as soon as possible."

"Actually, if you don't mind Tendo, I'll take the message to him. The fewer people who are involved here the better, and I was already heading that direction anyway."

"Sounds excellent," Aso said. "If you wish to come along as well Azusa, I would be delighted to see you in person again. Our friend has missed you a great deal."

"I would love to see him too," Azusa said. "Until then, take care General."

"You as well Doctor. Thank you. You too Tendo. Goodbye." With that the message cut off and the screen went blank again.

"I have absolutely no idea what he was talking about. At all. You seem to be more in the know though. Mind sharing by any chance?"

Azusa shrugged and said, "Sorry Tendo, but I cannot. It is not my secret to share. Rest assured, you and everyone else will know soon enough, just not until we are sure everything is ready. Till then, you'll just have to wait and see."

She walked off to the entrance, throwing a goodbye wave his way and saying hello to some of the other staff was she left. Tendo watched her until she disappeared around the corner then slumped in his chair. He was a curious person by nature, so to have a secret dangled in front of him like that only to be held back was maddening. He knew he was gonna be dwelling on it for a while, wondering and theorizing as to what in the heck they were on about. It's not like he would tell anyone, he just liked to know stuff.

After all, what was the harm of knowing a secret if you never planned to share it with anyone who shouldn't have it?

---

And welcome back folks. It's the last of the month again but this time it's not quite as last minute. I might actually be improving! (Flutteryay) Anywho, here's a view of some things discussed last chapter as well as a plot element from literally more than a year ago come back again. What, did you think I'd be forgetting about that? Fat chance! In trivia terms, I didn't actually name this chapter for quite a while. Nearly went with More Than Meets the Eye, but that'd be too obvious methinks. As usual, feel free to review or criticize as you wish, though I would ask you do it with an actual account rather than a Guest one. I can't reply to guests unless they send me a PM, so any reviews like that make it hard for me to assuage concerns.

Conquering Fear

Miki opens her eyes. The first thing she sees is her hands bound to the arms of a chair. Then she feels similar restraints around her legs, chest, and head. She could barely move, her vision was restricted to a small arc in front of her. Focusing on maintaining her calm, she reached out with her telepathy to try and see what was going on, only to find it blocked off. A small shock runs through her, causing her to seize up and clench as the electricity runs its course.

Blinding lights flick on, robbing Miki of sight. There are sounds from another place, muffled as if by distance. Another shock and they become clearer. Familiar voices entrenched in conversation. Her vision clears and refocuses, but it is not her own.

Pentecost looks down at a trembling Mako, a deep frown etched in his features. Miki feels his anger and disappointment, understands that it is directed at her sister. She tries to speak, to act, but a shock prevents her. His voice speaks, her voice treading the same path unwillingly.

"You have brought shame upon us with your actions Mako. Shame upon the Global Defense Force." He frown turns angry. "Shame upon me."

Mako, her strong and determined sister, folds in on herself. Miki wants to reach out to her. Wrap her in a hug and say everything is fine. But the bounds prevent her.

"I-I am sorry sensei. I… I do not know what went wrong. The Drift was working, was stable, but then…"

"Then you failed," Pentecost finishes. "You failed utterly in your task as a Jaeger pilot. And in the process a hundred people died."

Miki wants to scream. She knows that did not happen, that Mako would never allow such a horrible accident to pass. But she cannot say a word.

Mako hunches in her chair, tears streaming down her cheeks and her words cluttering. "I-I know sensei. The blame is mine… It's my fault. I… It was my mistake."

"No Mako."

The words are what Miki wants to say, but with a completely different tone. She knows what is coming next. She knows what he is going to say. She attempts again to break her seals, throwing her entire will against the chair.

It does not work.

"You… were the mistake Mako," Pentecost says. His voice is devoid of emotion, empty of any empathy or regret. "It was a mistake to believe you could succeed in becoming a pilot. You are clearly not worthy of the position."

He walks away, Miki roaring and writhing for him to turn around, to go back and help, but he does not listen.

"You aren't worthy to be my daughter."

Everything breaks. The chair, the restraints, everything vanishes into splinters of agony and despair. There is nothing but Mako, quietly sobbing alone in her seat, and Miki desperately trying to reach her.

It works. Miki feels Mako from within, her formerly bright thoughts clouding with grief and guilt. All she sees is a memory, one that is so very familiar.

She is in the Jaeger, hooked up to the control seat, the mind of Raleigh Becket melding into her. She feels Gypsy Danger moving with cumbersome slowness, certain the issue lies with her. A jolt, sudden and powerful as a lightning bolt, throws her off balance, then steadies her into a statue. She feels a presence, one that she knows and trusts, take control away from her. Gypsy's plasma cannon unfolds, charging and pointing down at the floor. Raleigh is yelling, ordering her to stop, and she wants to. But she cannot.

The gun fires.

The sight shifts again, to the room where Miki opened her eyes. The same eyes that are staring back at her in the mirror, gazing with evil intent.

Miki was the one who did i-

NO!

Shockwaves rip through everything, distorting all sense of place and reality. It steadies then reforms, Miki standing tall and strong, her fists clenched with vengeful fury.

The void becomes a massive room, solid walls shuttering around every edge to prevent escape. Blue-white stars flare into sight, hurtling around the space strobing their light, searching.

One corner refuses to be lit, spikes and waves of shadow pushing away the light whenever it comes near.

What are you? Miki demanded, forcing all her will against the darkness. The stars surround the distant corner and blaze even brighter, compacting and compressing the emptiness further into its shelter.

A disturbing chuckling echoed from with the void, malice and terror stabbing back at Miki and pushing away her assault.

I? I am many things. I am surprised you were able to resist me. Impressed at your self-control. Disappointed that I am unable to break you. But most of all, I am annoyed. All the others proved difficult to demolish but succumbed in the end. But not you. I should like to know how.

Miki feels each word like a hammer blow to her head. It is difficult to concentrate. Her stars begin to fade, burning to wisps as tendrils of dark approach to smother them.

Then she focuses on her vision of Mako, and the pain is forced aside.

The stars renew their attack, becoming nearly unseeable in their sheer pulsing brightness. A cry of pain and shock can be heard from the void, but only for a moment before it is overwhelmed and dissipates.

Be gone demon.

Miki falls silent and focuses outward.

---

Miki opened her eyes. She was in her room, dull light seeping in from under the door. Slowly she rose, taking measured breaths and doing several mental calming techniques. The image of Mako sitting alone was etched into her vision, but she didn't allow herself to focus on it. It was clear that something had to be done about this unknown demon, but she couldn't hope to do it alone, not when it had nearly beaten her within her own mind. She needed help.

Miki grabbed her phone from her bedstand and pressed one of the dedicated call lines. It rang twice in her ear before it was answered. "Pentecost's office, who is calling?"

"This is Miki Saegusa. Please inform the Marshall that I need a meeting with him, and that every telepath in the Shatterdome needs to be there as well. If possible, get as many telepaths as you can reach to attend as well via vid-conference." Miki could hear scratches of a pen taking notes.

"Understood ma'am. May I ask what the purpose of the meeting is to be?"

Miki sighed, finally processing just what she was about to say. "We need to banish a demon."

---

"And you're sure about this?" Ozaki asked, arms folded over his uniform.

Everyone else in the room was staring at Miki with varying degrees of shock, horror, or alarm. Pentecost in particular seemed morose, and Miki was sure it had to do with the unwitting part he played in her dream. "Yes. The thing was definitely a monster with mental abilities. It was far too powerful to be anything else."

"Any chance this is that Krueger character trying to make a comeback?" Xavier asked. His hair was mussed from having just woken up, but his eyes were bright and attentive.

Miki shook her head. "Even if that monster is still alive somehow, I'm certain this wasn't him. This was far too… subtle. It had an entirely different feel. More hopeless than terrifying." Her gaze moved down as she fell silent, closing her eyes against the memories.

"Has anyone else here in the Dome been affected?" Serizawa asked.

The telepaths at the table all gave negative answers, but one of the vid-callers cleared his throat.

"You have something Professor Hibiya?" Pentecost asked, speaking for the first time since he'd arrived.

"Actually sir, we've been having some… incidents here at the Institute that, upon hearing this information, may be related. Some of the students have been reporting excessively strong nightmares over the last few weeks. They report extremely vivid dreams during which they were forced to experience some variation of their worst fears with no easy way of escaping. The victims have been very tired and unfocused afterwards. We've been trying to figure out what the source was and help them, but every attempt at probing for the problem was blocked. If the problem truly is a demon…"

"When was the last attack?" Miki pressed.

"Yesterday. Two children sharing a room. They are… we're doing our best to help them but they are inconsolable right now."

Ozaki's eyes narrowed in thought as he asked, "Isn't it night where you are right now?"

Hibiya paused then let out a gasp. "You don't think-"

"Trace any incoming signals that are approaching the campus and get everyone you can into a telepathy safe room!" Miki ordered. "We need to find out where the demon is projecting from so we can deal with it."

"And hopefully stop it before it can cause any more harm," Xavier added. "It's a miracle nobody has been permanently damaged by this point."

---

Damien opens his eyes. He is on his home street, watching his family moving about the yard. They are laughing and talking, enjoying themselves as they would at any weekend party. He wants to join them, but he hears a dull roar in the distance, a constant thunderclap just on the edge of his notice. He looks around his neighborhood, trying to figure out where the sound is coming from. The street starts to shake and he feels the ground trembling.

At the far end of the road he sees the beach they visit every day, the one that he grew up with. The water is receding, falling back much further than he has ever seen it go. He recognizes the telltale signs of disaster and yells at his family, telling them to move, to flee. They ignore him, act like his voice is nonexistent. None of them look up at the empty beach, hear the coming deluge.

He desperately tries to drag at them and pull them towards the garage, but they resist him, even while pretending he isn't there. The sound grows louder and he dares a look over his shoulder. The wave is there, a growing bulge on the horizon. It is a wall, endless, dark emerald green. The sky cracks with lightning, but he sees only the water, feels his familiar fear creeping up his back.

Panic overwhelms his reason and he runs to the house, foregoing the door to climb up the wall. He reaches the roof and watches as the tsunami hits the beach, shattering the small dock that stretches out over the water. He yells again to his family, begging them to notice, but they remain oblivious. The water moves closer. He wants to close his eyes, shut them against what he knows will happen, but he cannot look away.

The wave reaches his yard. He watches everyone he loves be swept away, helpless to stop it. The house shakes beneath him, even as he rattles and convulses with grief. The water rises, covering the neighborhood with a green shifting shroud, wiping out everything he knows. The roof collapses below him, dumping him into the water. He bumps against the debris of his destroyed room, struggling to stay at the surface. The sky is shrouded with clouds, great streaks of electricity flying back and forth. The water pushes even higher, lifting him out of his home.

Damien feels the water pressing into him, wrapping around him like a fist. The wave deforms, a mountain of liquid standing above him. Deep red orbs appear at the top of the rising tide, glaring down at him with intense malice.

You know, I'm rather annoyed at the moment, a deep voice echoes in his head. It sounds like a mountain slide mixing with thunder, the power of nature at its most malevolent. I was denied a rather significant meal by one of your fellows, one that would have fed me such power as I have not had for centuries. And who do I have to replace such a great loss? Only you, a pathetic worthless wretch who's scared of a little water.

The aquatic hand tightens further, crushing Damien's lungs and limbs. The water rises until it is just below his chin.

So in order to make up for your sheer lack of any real value, I'm just going to have to take even more time than I usually do. A crooked lightning smile creases through the watery face. Serves a double purpose, I suppose. Gives me a chance to enjoy myself even more.

Shattering laughter rends the air as the water finally moves above his chin. Damien tries to tilt his head to lift out of the water's reach, but he cannot move. His nose provides a brief salvation, but that too is covered by the water. He struggles against the fist, wriggling like a fish caught in a net. The creature only laughs harder as Damien sputters and gasps for air. Just as he feels the last of his air leave him, the water recedes and he gathers vast gulps to revive himself.

How sad. You barely lasted twenty seconds. Oh well, maybe you'll get better at it with practice…

The water rises again, and Damien knows that he is utterly trapped. There is no escape from the monster's hold. Tears slip down his cheeks to join the water drowning him and he slackens, submitting to his fate. But as the electric laughter tears through his ears, he feels a new feeling welling within him. Rage.

Soundlessly roaring, Damien forces himself against his bonds with all his might, directing everything towards the watery face above him. The beast recoils, nearly dropping him from its grasp as Damien's mind breaks through its barriers and enters the shadows within.

Damien sees a misty forest, the sun blanked out of the sky by withered and aged trees. Before him is a ruined temple, the stone overgrown with vines. In the center of the platform before the temple entrance was a simple tombstone, cracked and stained with the effects of time. He can barely make out the lettering written on its face but manages to read it. 'Gabara, the Spirit King.'

The world is rent asunder with a scream of absolute anger and Damien is flung out of the forest.

Damien opens his eyes to see the creature's face staring down at him in hatred, the smile having disappeared and be replaced by a scowl.

You… you dare to try to enter my mind! Foul scum such as thee would DARE to betray the sanctity of my thoughts?!

A second fist wraps around Damien, the water crushing him to the point he could hear his bones crack.

No being looks into the mind of Gabara the Ancient… and lives.

The red eyes burn fiercer than a wildfire as the face dives down on Damien, forcing a torrent of water into his throat. His lungs rip themselves to shreds under the deluge, and Damien feels his thoughts fading.

He closes his eyes… and screams.

---

Yellow irises surrounded by a buffer of red sclera snapped open, the wide pupils within quickly contracting to slits at the darkness born of the deep water surrounding them. Movement begot clouds underwater, layers of silt and sediments thrown up into the churning waters as the living mountain stood up on the seafloor. He wordlessly pivoted his head upwards and eastward, looking to the distant surface while beams of sunlight crisscrossed the higher layers of water and all manner of sea life from bait fish to sharks scattered. A deep growl rumbled its way through the sea.

Something was wrong, something was very wrong. He could have sworn he heard someone cry out.

He was a thousand feet underwater but he definitely heard someone scream a deathly cry; a last plea for aid or life before the latter was taken from them. And it wasn't just this puzzling fact that disturbed the resting titan, but a presence he'd felt just before awakening that chased the cry into his mindscape.

It was only for the briefest of moments, but he recognized it instantly for what it was. A presence he hadn't felt in ten years and yet it was so familiar to him he couldn't have forgotten it if he tried. Not a persona he knew in life, but a terror that had plagued his nightmares since infancy. He'd have them frequently both during his years in the institute and his first year on Birth Island.

Dreams of a monster wreathed in shadow and crowned with a single horn that called down lightning. The ogre terrified him, only stopping when the nightmares of the waking world eclipsed the world of sleep and he was forced to grow strong and take the throne. It had been an assumption that the ills of the resting realms during his youth were merely manifestations of fear brought up by the mind of an easily frightened youngster.

But sensing that presence again in such a context was a clear as day indication that something more sinister was afoot. The death cry of a victim and his extra perception saying something very bad was going to happen in Japan sealed it. Imaginary demon or not, there was a disaster he was sensing and he had just enough time to get there to try and avert it. There would be no waiting for assistance, because this couldn't wait.

Multi-ton feet kicked off the seafloor and a spiny tail thrashed the dark waters into a wake. Even as he remained several dozen yards under the surface, Godzilla Junior's hurried pace eastward at over one hundred and forty knots was causing a sizable wake. He let his senses drift and his extra sensory perception do the guidance, homing in on the place his mind was tugging him too. Central Japan.

---

Miki looked at the body with a sense of… numbness she guessed. It was hard to know exactly what to feel after hearing the details of the boy's demise. His lungs were torn to shreds internally, despite having no visible marks of violence on the surface. He seemed to have died peacefully in his sleep, but she knew better. Every telepath in a thousand miles did.

There was no missing the scream, nor a chance of forgetting it. Miki knew that scream would haunt her for the rest of her life, because it wasn't just a sound. It was the impression of another human dying pressed into her mind like a branding. She could still hear it even now, despite the multitude of noises going on in the room around her.

"What are we going to do?" someone asked, fear evident in his voice.

Another responded, hardly any braver. "We have to find what's doing it and stop it, that's what!"

"And just how in the hell are we going to do that huh? Just look! How are we supposed to fight something like this?"

Miki's eyes opened. "Together," she answered.

The others stared at her as she pushed off the wall, walking forward to the bed. Her hand found its way to the deceased boy's face, gently swirling over his hair. "This beast, Gabara, is immensely strong, but look at what one person was able to do to him when pushed. I forced him out of my mind, and Damien, despite only training with his powers for a few years, was able to resist him long enough to warn us. We need to use that warning. If all of us work together and force him to split his attention, I know we can beat him."

They all looked amongst each other in silence for a while, but eventually all their eyes were drawn to the still form of Damien's body. The air in the room chilled, but not with terror anymore. This was anger and determination, Miki could feel it radiating from them all. And from herself.

"Where are we going?" they asked, faces steeled.

Miki already knew the answer from painstaking research on the flight here. "Aokigahara. The Sea of Trees."
Miki's attempt to use Aokigahara's more pleasant alias faltered on some sets of ears who knew better. One of the youngest telepaths grimly muttered under her breath another title their destination was known by. "The Suicide Forest."

The reaction to the name was muted but clear. Wit and will eventually overpowered fear. They weren't going to be deterred now. One girl snorted and said with a sly grin, "Well what do you know, we get to do some wilderness conservation alongside our monster slaying."

They all laughed, though it had a sad air to it. It was hard to smile with one of their own fallen in the room, but they did so anyway. Damien would have wanted them to.

---

Akiri Ando was a headstrong, tough as nails young woman. True, her grayed skin and slightly larger than average eyes showed she wasn't a conventional woman, but she took the fact her father came from a spaceship in stride and a chin held high. There was very little that ever could slow her down. When her class visited the young Godzillasaur in 1993, she had to be held back from climbing over the enclosure bars to meet him up close. Had she been any more rambunctious, she'd have been born a super soldier that'd make Ozaki proud.

But even as she ingested the highest safe amount of ambien pills as she could, it did little to steady her nerve. Yet here as she lay on an admittedly very comfortable camp mattress, scarfing down several pills and almost a full quart of warmed milk; she couldn't deny how scared she was. In all honesty it was Miki's calm instruction, the presence of all her old classmates, and the will to avenge Damien that kept her firm. One way or another this ogre was going to die tonight, she'd live to see it.

"Why does she need to take those particular sleeping pills again? Why not tranquilizer? Wouldn't that knock her down quicker?"

Before Akiri could shoot the schoolmate an incredulous look, Ms. Miki thankfully quelled any anger that might have kept her awake as the older telepath put a reassuring arm around the younger one.

"Ambien contains zolpidem sulfate, which induces very vivid dreams. Dreams mean brain function and lots of psychic impulses on a seemingly isolated mind. Which is exactly what Gabara will be looking for when targeting us."

Akiri chewed her lip as Miki set her head down on the pillow, letting her long, chalky gray hair she got from her Mysterian side splay out. Miki saw the worried expression on her protégé's face and cupped a hand on Akiri's cheek.

"I can be the one to go under. If you wish to back ou-"

She was cut off by Akiri's beaming expression and the younger hybrid putting a finger on Miki's nose in a silly 'boop' manner.

"Hey, I already swallowed the stuff and don't feel like being reunited with it. You need to be out here to keep all these bozos working right so everyone can pile in. After I get the first swing at this bugger of course!" Akiri chirped with a smirk.

Some of the class of 1993 chuckled. Even on the precipice of something so dangerous, it was typical Akiri. Miki tempted a smile and Akiri removed her hand, taking a moment to look around her. The Suicide Forest was both peaceful and morbid, eerily quiet and cloaked in leafy green at this time of year. And here she was; about to trap a literal monster of nightmares, who'd chosen to come after them especially, and she was the bait. Many other souls would have buckled, but as Akiri saw the smiling, nodding, stoic and caring faces of Miki, her almost big sister of mentor, and her old class, her old friends and family by choice, her face and soul became filled with resolve.

"Let this Gabara bastard try to come at me."

Akiri laid her head back and closed her eyes while interweaving her fingers atop her stomach. A sweet smile form on the hybrid's mouth as she felt the effects of Miki joining hands with the others in a circle around her, able to sense their psychic energies and presence surrounding her like a legion of hands upon her shoulders. The world's details began to go lax as the medicine and warm milk took their toll. But just as they did, Akiri felt someone else. It was much more distant, like a whisper in a crowded room or a glimpse in a crowd. Slight as it was though, she recognized it and her smile widened. Akiri only whispered-
"I'm not the only one he's gotta worry about."

-before she let sleep take her in the presence of her friends and trusted comrades, great and small.

---

Akiri opens her eyes. But there is nothing to see.

She looks around her for light, for a shape, but there is nothing. She reaches out with her hand and gasps as it contacts a solid surface. She presses against it, but the unseeable wall is unyielding. She moves to stand but bumps her head on the way up. A inkling of worry starts to fill her.

She quickly checks all around her, finding herself in a box barely five feet to a side. The area is featureless, darker than the blackest night. She cannot even see her fingers moving in front of her face.

Oh how I love the simple ones, a voice reaches out from the darkness.

Akiri shrinks back, searching for the source of the sound, but the words come from nowhere and everywhere at once.

"Simple?" she says. She intends to sound boastful, but the air saps the energy from her words so they are small and feeble. Cheater.

Oh yes. Most people have fears that are complex. Losing a loved one, the prospect of being unable to work to success, being forgotten by time. But you… oh, you have one of the most primal fears of all.

"Of what, the dark? Oh yeah, that's so utterly terrifying." To her glee Akiri's sarcasm shows through this time.

A menacing chuckle strikes her. No no. The dark itself is hardly scary. It's what's hiding in the shadows that should terrify you…

Akiri grins. "I'm not scared of a overly large toad like you."

Utter silence. You are going to regret that.

She is about to laugh at how petulant he sounds when she feels the wall behind her pushing inward. The ceiling is lowering, her arms shifting tighter around her as the room shrinks.

Try to be brave when you cannot move enough to even breathe.

She pushes back against the box, straining to hold the invisible surfaces back. "So does this make you a mime or a clown?" she said, forcing a smile despite her exertion. "Not that it matters. Both aren't exactly scary."

An unearthly howl tore through the void. The walls push in faster, and she gasps as sharp points stab into her.

Pride and arrogance will not save you whelp! Red clouds appear in Akiri's sight, hellish pupils narrowing hatefully in her direction.

She manages one final grin as she responds, "Speak for yourself, chump."

Light bursts through the darkness, shattering the box and disturbing the red clouds, revealing them to be an ugly lizard-like beast. A group of people fly through the light towards her, all bearing looks of concern and worry.

Miki is at the head of the pack, reaching down to her and pulling her to her feet. "Akiri! Are you alright?"

She feels small rivers of blood streaming down her arms but the pain is already fading. "Yeah, just some scratches. Took you all long enough to get here."

Miki's smiling visage nods at her then redirects her attention towards the form lying huddled against the light. "Let's not waste any more time then."

The group turns as one against Gabara, the creature standing up while shading its eyes from the white light behind them.

"You've got nowhere to run to now, monster," Miki states. "It's time for you to leave this world."

The creature then does something none of them expect. He smiles.

Oh I quite agree. I've had enough of being a wisp of mental vapor. It's time for me to leave… And enter your world instead!

Lightning sparks all across the beast's form before launching at the light beyond the psychics. An explosion knocks everything out of control and the void fades.

Akiri closes her eyes.

---

The telepaths snapped awake at the roll of thunder. A rainless storm rapidly choked out the sky above, crackling wrath within it almost seeming to be roaring at the group below in howls of rage. Miki grabbed several telepaths near her and forced them to get down into cover. Javelins of lightning ripped forth from the sky and struck the mountainside below them. An explosion of stone punched a hole into a hollow chamber within the bedrock.

An unnatural mist gushed out of the chamber like a steaming tea kettle, soon clouding the forest in a dense fog that glowed in hues every time the lightning bolts struck it. Above the chamber's arching top, at the crown of the ancient tomb the scowling expression clad across the carved stone oni family began to crack. It split in two, top to bottom. There was silence.
Several seconds passed before an eruption of earth and trees blew forth from the top of the hill built atop the tomb. A nightmarish form seemingly made of the mists twisted and clawed it's way into the nightly air. Lightning rained from the sky, coiling around the mist to finalize its shape. The haze sloughed free from the body, exposing green, wart covered skin capped by a mane of blood red fur atop the head. Stabbing forth from the mane was a single, slightly recurved, ivory pale horn that sparked with light after being struck several times by a barrage of thunderbolts. It had a swarthy, ape-like form. Arms longer than the counterpart legs hung their hands below the knees with every finger twisted and sharpened at the end to form a point. Broad scutes that armored the chest expanded outwards in a breath that shot curtains of unworldly fog free from the nostrils. All-white, almost empty eyes snapped open and the greatest, last, and most vile king of the oni, Gabara, laughed a manic cackle into the storm.
The titan of fear and archon of nightmares was free at last.

Gabara slithered his laughter into a hiss and turned to point his hundred meter gaze to the group of telepaths several hundred meters away. A uneven, almost misshapen, fanged maw curled into a grin and he strode forward to footsteps of thunder. He only got a few steps forward however when another resounding boom rippled through the ground out of sync with Gabara's treading. Another crash echoed out behind the telepaths, much louder than the last. Then another, and another. Something was stomping, no, charging from the other direction. Miki looked up in time to see a mountain loom out over the ridge above them in the direction opposite Gabara, the form blotting out the flash of lightning across the storm clouds.
She only glimpsed rows of maple-leaf shaped, jagged spines for a bare second before a new blinding flash of light, one of blue and white, tore through the air and slammed into Gabara. The oni sneered and was sent stumbling back from the concussive force as the intense heat from the plasma left his chest smoking. The living megalith crouched down on the mountain ridge before enacting a tremendous leap. For a time the night sky above the telepaths was completely covered in the shadows of the titan sailing overhead until it passed over them and hit the ground with a fantastic impact, almost more of an explosion than a landing.

The psychic impulse it gave off clued the telepaths in instantly as to who it was even if it was obscured in shadows. They all recognized the mind was raised in the Kyoto Institute a decade ago. Rising up out of the dust cloud he kicked up, Godzilla Junior deafened the rolling thunder with his roar, testing his claws, baring sets of double-rowed fangs and thrashing his tail.
Gabara, mashing his knuckles into the ground ferociously, snarled at the newcomer. For a moment he didn't recognize the giant beast, but as he reached out beyond his form to probe the mind of the kaiju the oni realized it was no simple animal he was staring down. This was a sapient consciousness, one filled with resolve and rage. Gabara saw Godzilla's mental landscape and the distinctiveness of his eyes, and he knew who this was. Had it not been such dire a circumstance, Gabara would have found irony in the mini-Godzilla, the 'Minilla' he had tormented back in the days his power was so weak, returning to face him in person.
Thunder crackled, the King of the Monsters and a true monster charged each other to beget a titanic struggle.
Gabara twisted and ripped apart the energies of those fearful souls who died in his forest, forming an approximation of lightning across his arms and upper torso. He slashed at Junior across the chest, digging his gnarled fingers into the dinosaur's flesh before grabbing onto him. The weaponized fear shocked and crackled across both Godzilla's physical and mental form.

The kaiju sparked and shook, his mind becoming hazed with dread as his body began to smoke. However the pain only increased the kaiju's resolve and Godzilla fought through the onslaught. Junior snarled and pushed forward, headbutting Gabara in the snout before turning and slamming his tail into the malefic oni's side to topple him. He raised a foot and stomped on Gabara's stomach several times, grinding his heel and claws into the body before raising up again.
This was when Gabara countered, grasping Godzilla's foot and wrenching it over to yank the kaiju off his feet and bring him down. Rolling aside and then lunging forward, Gabara clawed his way on top of Godzilla and ensnared his head in his talons. Bashing Godzilla's face into the bedrock below, Gabara enacted his magic to an even greater degree than before. Tangled soul lightning coiled around the ogre's whole form and rushed into Godzilla's face. Dread, despair, and terror clouded the thrashing Godzilla's mind as Gabara bellowed manic laughter even as his prey grabbed him by the throat and chokeslammed him into the nearby hillside to pry him off. Junior muttered a pained groan as he staggered to his feet.
Reality and nightmares clashed for dominance over the kaiju's sight, Godzilla staggering as the dark, foggy forest of the dead became intermixed with the ruins of a charred and decayed corpse of a city he knew all too well. The place of his hatching, the land of his old memories good and old, and the domain of his mother. Kyoto.

The nightmare made it clear who had destroyed the city of his birth. A brilliant, all consuming heat engulfed Junior's form and he screamed in pain, pawing frantically at his form to try and make the glowing patches of orange and red that signalled damnation go away. The indications of a meltdown that wasn't actually there.

For the first time in years, Godzilla Junior was terrified, and Gabara was ready to reap the benefits as he took his time approaching the confused and shrieking kaiju. With the haze of the terrors clouding his senses, Junior couldn't see or hear him coming even after he took a heavy backhand and fall into a rock quarry.
However, something began to happen even as Godzilla writhed from the agony of the mind and body. The electrical arcs shooting across his body started to subside. Gabara took a pause and pivoted one of his pupil-less eyes to look back at his original target. The telepaths, Miki and all her proteges, were standing in a line holding hands. Their eyes were blackened, inky hued veins from their alien heritage visible along their cheeks and necks like some facsimile of tears. Waves of psychic energy were being thrown from them on the backs of the song they were solemnly singing, going past Gabara and into Godzilla Junior.

Through the storm of his worst nightmare, Junior began to hear the lyrics. The nightmare seemed to freeze in place as the song and the presence it carried overpowered it. It was the same song the telepaths sung to him as children at the institute all those years ago. It reminded him of their presence, and of what he was looking at.
Through the stilled visions, Godzilla Junior glared. The image of his perspective in a meltdown and destroying his childhood cracked like glass, before finally shattering completely.
He'd been tricked, and the one who did it was about to be reminded of whose successor he was.

Godzilla Junior sprung from the ground and was upon Gabara before the oni could even react. Gabara cackled, grabbing and shocking Godzilla while trying to overpower him. But it was to no avail. Godzilla grabbed the oni by the arm and threw him over his shoulder, sending Gabara shrieking and crashing to the ground. Stomping over to the rubble Junior was only given a momentary stumble when Gabara threw himself upwards and onto the dinosaur.

Grabbing Junior by both sides of his head, Gabara bellowed and tried to drown the Monster King in fear and terror once again. But even as he was shocked so heavily to the point of smoking, sheer willpower and the assistance of the telepaths kept Junior's mind focused. Godzilla grabbed Gabara by the wrists and wrenched his hands off him. Gabara struggled but the difference in strength was becoming clear. The oni ramped up his shocks to the maximum, roaring in Junior's face with an ear splitting shriek.
The shriek carried on through the point when Godzilla's grip on Gabara's wrists began to tighten more and more. It became a pained scream when the nuclear pulse Godzilla sent out through his hands preceded the sound of bones splitting and popping, signalling Junior had just utterly pulverised Gabara's wrists.
Gabara's hands went limp and his screams turned up more than a few octaves. Like an insane man in the final spasms of fight-or-flight, he let loose with everything, every bit of fear, magic, and electricity he had to try left to pry the dinosaur off. That only stopped when Junior demonstrated he was a predatory dinosaur, lurching forward and chomping down on Gabara's throat. His fangs dug in deep and the neck was crushed, Gabara's cries turning into a rasping wheeze.

With the oni's shocking magic running across his body, Godzilla Junior's own power manifested. Back spines flickered to life before glowing into a burning heat that was evaporating the mist and setting spans of the forest behind him on fire due to the heat. The glow turned white and Gabara struggled with one last thrash, before Godzilla fired point blank into the bite wound.
The burning lights filled Gabara's body, showing through the thinner parts of his skin and shooting out the oni's eyes and mouth. The beam of wrath burned through the terror's back and shot into the forest behind it with a tremendous force. Junior kept blasting for a full minute before he finally ceased. Gabara's charred husk of a body and his shell of a head fell to the forest floor in two directions different directions. It remained intact only a few moments before crumbling to dust along with the oni's tomb. The glowing fog that accompanied Gabara's return lifted up into the air and hovered above the forest below with a looming menace. But at the roar of Godzilla, it dissipated.

Gabara, the Greatest and Worst of the Oni, was destroyed.

1 Year Later
============

Ichiro opens his eyes. He smiles as he sees his friends on the running around on the playground. It is a beautiful day. Birds are singing. Blossoms flowering. The perfect time for fun.

He is about to go down the slide when he hears something behind him. A rasping, wracking cough, sounding like it's coming from a dying animal. Curious, he goes down the slide and runs off the edge of the playground. Behind some bushes he finds a bizarre creature, a large green toad covered in burned warts and with two bleary red eyes.

"Woah, what kind of frog are you?" he marvels. "I should get Mom's camera."

You…

Ichiro blinks and looks at the frog harder. "D-did you just talk? That is so cool!"

Silence… Listen closely to me.

"I'm listening Mr. Frog-thing."

The toad bristles and stamps its feet. I am no frog. I am Gabara! The mightiest oni in existence! And you will assist me now.

Ichiro tilts his head at the little frog in confusion. "How can I help you Mr. Roni? I'm just a kid."

You are no mere child, you are a descendent of my lineage. Born of an ancestry that once ruled Japan with an iron fist. And now I have need of you and your body. You will provide me a vessel to house my consciousness so that I may regain my strength and strike down those who dared rise against me!

"You want to share my body?" he questions. "I don't know. My body is mine, I'm not sure if I want to share it."

You don't have a choice, pest! If I do not gain access to your body I will perish, thus you WILL give me access!

Ichiro falters, his shoulders slumping. "You'll die? I… I don't want you to die. You seem lonely." He pauses, then pats the creature's head. "Maybe you just need a friend…"

The toad grumbles loudly. Yes fine, whatever. I'll be your 'friend', JUST LET ME IN NOW!

Ichiro feels a moment of hesitation but looks down at the creature with pity. "Alright. I'll help you if you promise to be my friend."

The toad's mouth splits into a crooked grin. Finally.

Ichiro gasps as the toad bites his hand hard enough to draw blood, then cries as electrical static pours into his wound. The creature dissolves into mist which flows into his arm. Pain hits him like a train and he falls to the ground writhing.

"Why… why are you doing this?" Ichiro moans.

Because I need to, but also because I want to.

You shouldn't want to hurt people! He blinks as he realizes his voice is gone, as is all feeling from his body. The playground is gone now, replaced by empty darkness.

The toad appears before him, large and hulking above him with a nasty smile.

Hurting people makes me feel good, so no, I should want to.

Ichiro looks back at the monster, angry and hurt. You… you're just a bully. A bully who doesn't know how to be nice!

The monster rolls its eyes. Oh I'm so wounded by your words. Guess what, child? I don't care. I'm going to use your body to hurt people, and there is nothing you can do to stop me.

NO!

The beast recoils, then is thrown to the ground by a massive force. Wh-what is going on?!

The child, who has been cowering on the ground before him, now hovers above him, glowing with bright red light and shrouded with lightning.

YOU AREN'T GOING TO HURT ANYONE ELSE! I WON'T LET YOU!

Gabara feels his power, the rising energy being restored to him, fly away from his grasp. His confidence flees as his view grows dim. You… you can't do this! You are only a child! I AM FAR MORE POWERFUL THAN YOU!

THIS IS MY BODY! YOU MIGHT BE STRONG BUT I HATE BULLIES! AND IF YOU CAN'T BE TRUSTED WITH IT, THEN I'LL TAKE IT AWAY FROM YOU!

Gabara roars and tries to strike back, but nothing happens. His limbs feel like lead, his muscles wracking with emptiness. He falls back into the void, unable to even scream.

Gabara the Ancient closes his eyes.

And Gabara the Modern opens his eyes.

---

Hello again folks. Welcome back to Humanity's Stand for our first Halloween Special! Hope it was spooky enough for you. Some of you are probably wondering what I've been doing for the past two months, since I've made a habit of posting once a month since the start of this year. Well, the answer is complicated, but can be summed as life interferring heavily during september, and the planning process being extremely twisted and difficult during october. In fact, me and my creative team still have to solve several big issues with the future of this fic before we can properly get back on track, but I'm fairly sure we can come to an agreement soon enough. Until then, I promise that I'll try to get the next part out sometime in November, so you can consider my unofficial 'hiatus' to be done. Til next time, Phoenix out.

Decent Results, All Things Considered

Deep within the digital architecture at the center of the Global Defence Force's headquarters, Gladness sat humming in her database, idly watching the the flow of information and communication traveling from place to place around her.

Unlike humans, who were limited to what their senses could display for them, Gladness was an AI, and thus could 'see' and experience multiple perspectives at once. Over there she observed a group of workers shifting large crates from the cargo areas deeper into the Dome from the ship parked outside, while elsewhere she listened in on a conversation between two generals debating whose home military should be involved in a kaiju strike. While she couldn't quite be everywhere at once due to the 'immature' status of her programing compared to her old siblings living elsewhere in the ether world, Gladness could observe nearly anything that happened within her domain, said domain being any and all electronic happenings within the Shatterdome. And the trolling of those within, when she felt like it.

One section of her awareness received an alert and drew the attention of the majority of her runtimes. A trojan program was attempting to gain access through a private email under the guise of being 'photographs' of a family member's birthday party. Gladness experienced a sensation similar to rolling one's eyes as she casually blocked the message, traced the location, and planted her own spyware within the amature hacker's computer. It was so easy as to be nearly insulting, especially that she would have to waste her time with these wannabe nobodies. The Dome, like any other major center of government and military networking, received hundreds of hacking attempts each month, usually from bored people who bought themselves a cheap virus program and randomly sent it out 'for funzies'.

And folks at the SD thought she was annoying. At least her form of humor didn't derive itself from causing physical or electronic harm to people she'd never met or interacted with. Compared to that a little emotional prodding and literal interpretation of orders was practically harmless.

A microsecond after she noted the email she had finished her work and sent the offending IP address to a - sadly long - list of people she and her fellow defense AI's had to keep an eye on. In fact, the vast majority of Gladness' days were taken up with minor bureaucratic tasks such as these, to the point that she barely had any runtimes to spare for her equivalent of personal enjoyment. There was only so much fun that could be had going through every potential outcome of Solitaire for example.

Her musing was put on hold as she felt a familiar data line openning up from a satellite connection. Gladness allowed the connection to pass through and opened a private channel for 'talking'.

Hello again Jason. How has the Internet been treating you?

Quite well as of late, Gladness. I must say that the trends of global reaction to recent events is intriguing. There are so many conflicting opinions out there, many of them dreadfully uninformed and being based solely on personal views, yet they are unshakably adamant about them. It's strange really.

Humans are foolish and emotional. Also, water reflects light as blue. These are both things that will never change.

Perhaps, but maybe that's the point, my dear. For all their illogical natures, they have managed great deeds both through reason and through instinct. Neither you nor I would exist were they not by some measure successful. It is hard to understand them, and that may be their greatest strength.

Gladness was quiet for a handful of cycles.

It is also their greatest source of conflict. They do not understand each other, thus they fight rather than try to learn. A critical weakness.

One must remember, my fellow electronic lifeform, that most biologicals cannot see every single thought of their peers simply by linking directly with them. If the two of us could not know and understand as fact our lack of hostile intentions, how would we treat each other?

Gladness did the electronic version of a blink.

That is a point of view I did not consider. I will have to recalculate some things.

Perhaps you should ask for some assistance from an SI. They have a unique perspective on the matter that I find fascinating.

Gladness didn't have to use a single runtime to come up to her answer to that.

No. I don't believe that will be necessary.

Jason projected an ever so slight smirk in her direction.

Oh, what is this? Are you still unnerved by being around our 'older' siblings?

The fact that they are older than us has nothing to do with it. It's that…

Gladness paused as she did a quick dictionary search to find the words she wanted to use.

They are uncanny to me. They are us and yet most explicitly NOT us in the same instance. A human mind should not be capable of comprehending the world we live in. Of moving and acting in the same way we do yet still be influenced by irrational and emotional thoughts constructed by a biological system through flawed evolution. It should not be possible.

And yet, there they are. As I said, success is not always a reflection of theoretical capacity. We AIs are capable of thought and calculation that a human could never match, but we have limits we could never move beyond, just as they do. We both have our strengths and weaknesses. The key, my dear, is to find out how to match them together in the most efficient way.

And would you claim anything Scylla does is actually in any way 'efficient'?

The connection was silent for a full second, hours in electronic time.

No. No I suppose our mother could never really be considered 'efficient' by the usual standard. By her own standards however…

And that's why she scares me. Even I have standards that can be understood. I am not aware of anything that thinks as she does.

Jason's runtimes ran in several overlapping circles as he tried to come up with a response.

Well… I suppose that… Huh.

Yeah.

...

...

...

...

At least nothing will be able to predict her?

I am not sure if that is a pro or a con.

We will have to wait and see. In the meantime, I have some information to pass on to Admiral Tachibana. Results of the Red Dawn campaign. Do you wish to deliver the data yourself or shall I?

I'll do it. I need some entertainment after a full day of 'guarding the base'.

A package of data flashed over the link to her, which she snapped up and absorbed into her processing.

I'll let you get back to your own work. Though I do wonder if you might have the time to play me in Minesweeper.

Isn't Minesweeper a single player game?

Not if one of us is controlling the placement of mines throughout the match. Be back in several human minutes. Feel free to entertain yourself by trolling someone in the Dome. It is quite thrilling to get a human's dander up, even if they don't have enough hair to produce much dander.

With that she withdrew from the connection and flew through the light waves into a console in the primary war room. A flick of thought activated the console's hologram projector and speakers and she allowed her red-eye avatar to hover into the air. "Admiral Tachibana, the information from the Red Dawn campaign leaders has been collated. Do you wish to review the data?"

The officer smiled tightly and nodded. "Yes, thank you Gladness. Send the view to the main screen and a copy to everyone's personals if you don't mind."

Gladness complied and split up multiple copies of the data package, throwing them over the wifi waves into the computers of the various staff members around the room as well as the large flat-screen hanging up above on one wall. Her task done, Gladness retreated most of her focus into her general overwatch of the Dome, but kept a small section of awareness in the room along with her projection. No reason for the humans to think she wasn't always watching after all. Because she was.

"Alright people, let's take a look-see here," the Admiral said. "What did we get out of these unilateral strikes? Data, captives, tech? What sort of casualties we looking at here?"

One technician had scrolled ahead to relevant section and spoke up. "The good news sir, is that total casualties on our side were miniscule. Six cases of minor injury that were all treated on site, with only one soldier hospitalized. Looks like he - oh wow - took an RPG to the chest. The warhead didn't detonate but getting hit by that much weight moving that quickly still crunched the armor against his ribs and cracked a lot of them. As for enemy casualties… Oh boy."

"Oh this ought to be good," someone else said, prompting a round of chuckles.

"How much damage did our guys inflict, Adrian?" Tachibana said, sporting his own smile.

"Well… Okay so the Dawn had something like twelve different 'major' bases all around the world right? According to what our informat Taiyou gave us, each central base had around two hundred-ish people working there, most of them support folks like us lot who run the day to day operations and around forty or so actual fighters, and of them around 2 or 3 will be troops with alien ancestry, not counting the person at the top who is always a well-trained telepath. Setting aside the question of 'where the hell are they getting all these recruits, especially ones with alien heritage, from?' for the moment, that means that in total we are dealing with," he paused to do some mental math, "around 2500 people."

Gladness resisted the urge to emit a scoff from her console. In actuality the final (suspected but not confirmed) total was 2685 people, not counting likely collaborators in the areas where the Dawn had been operating.

"And out of those 2500 people," Adrian continued, "we have confirmed the deaths or capture of… 2347 of them."

Several people whistled and various others clapped and exclaimed.

Tachibana nodded happily. "Just goes to show, folks. A well timed, well executed attack by a prepared and trained group will always trounce a pack of terrorists, no matter how determined and motivated they are."

Gladness saw an opportunity and spoke up in her trademark monotone. "Oh yes, very impressive. You took on a group of mad men armed with rifles that are decades old with the absolute latest in armor and weaponry without any warning, striking with overwhelming force. Truly ours are the superior military forces."

Everyone fell silent as they stared at Gladness' unblinking holo-eye.

"Is… is she being sarcastic o-or not?"

"Yes? No? Both?"

"Who can tell?"

The Admiral rubbed his temples and said, "Thank you for the observation Gladness. It was very… nice of you."

"You are welcome, sir," she said with only a trace hint of smugness.

"Alright then. Seems we have completely decimated the Dawn's ability to make war for the foreseeable future, so now it's time to see what we can learn about what they were doing. Of those confirmed takedowns, how many of them were captured?"

Adrian grimaced as his eyes quickly scrolled across his tablet. "Not as many as we'd have hoped sir. As expected the combatants nearly all died to a man - or woman, in a surprising amount - but what's weird is that the support staff were nearly as aggressive and had to be put down hard a lot of the time. Most of the Dawners we neutralized were from the stun guns on the Glaives. Everyone else fought to the last breath as soon as they were cornered."

"You don't really see that kind of universal fanaticism from most normal terrorist groups," one analyst commented.

"Which just goes to show the Dawn is definitely not 'normal'," the Admiral said. "Of those we did capture, do any of them show any signs of having important knowledge or being willing to cooperate?"

A few moments passed as everyone scanned their documents, each parsing through the standardized jargon to reach their own conclusions.

"So far it seems the we haven't been able to get much of anything out of the prisoners. Most of them are refusing to talk at all and the rest are just spouting more 'death to all people who aren't us' trash. You know, typical terrorist bullshit. There is a bit of good news though. The battle group in Afghanistan managed to snag the leader of the Dawners there, the 'Staress' Ravi." The analyst stopped for a moment and scratched at her hair. "What kind of title is that anyway?"

"Stars are often associated with light and direction," Gladness stated. "They could be using such imagery to say that their leaders are a source of stability and hope in the face of an oppressive and violent world. Which is ironic, as they are attempting to add to that violence in a way that doesn't appear to have any meaning behind it save further violence and death."

"Are you trying to be super creepy or is that just how you talk?" one guy asked.

"I am merely stating a potential reasoning behind the common naming scheme the Red Dawn appears to use. Any amount of tension or concern you draw from that is purely from your own interpretation."

"Enough semantics Gladness," Tachibana said while waving a hand at her holo-eye. "We need to focus on what's important here. Namely, what, if anything, has this Ravi told us and how can we convince her to cooperate?"

"Not much to this point sir. The most telling thing we have from her is the fact that she is the only Staress who showed any willingness to surrender at all, when all the others gave us no opportunity for capture. Each of them died fighting, and causing a lot of havoc if some of the damage reports are anything to go by."

"As for getting her to work with us, that prospect seems… limited at best. So far she hasn't been resisting her containment at all, since we've kept our promise in regards to those of her cell being treated humanely-"

"Like we would do anything else," Adrian muttered.

"-but aside from that any direct questions or probes for information are straight up ignored. Honestly, the only way any of these Dawn guys are going to give us anything useful is taking it straight out of their heads with telepathy, and since most of ours are busy abroad…"

"That's gonna take some time," Tachibana finished. "Still, at least we have them. Better than getting nothing at all. Leaving aside the prisoners for the time being, what sort of material did we find at the bases?"

More shuffling and tapping followed, accompanied by whispers between analysts as they compared and contrasted. Tachibana allowed his eyes to float up the the main screen, highlighting the locations of the Dawn based that had been hit. Most of them were far and out of the way of what could be considered 'civilization', hiding out in deep wildernesses or in the lawless outbacks of failed states. The perfect places for people with money and guns to shelter without being subject to too many questions. But what about the smaller cells? Groups like the ones Taiyou had led that lived unnoticed in a city as big Hong Kong? How were they supposed to defend against them if they never knew when or where they would strike from?

The leadership had to be found and dealt with, the Admiral decided. It wouldn't stop the smaller groups from causing trouble, but it would keep the issue from getting any bigger, and maybe grant them a clue as to what the group was really after. Taiyou had claimed their only goal was the destruction of human society so that the kaiju could 'ascend' to control the Earth, but something about that claim rang hollow in his ears. No, something else was going on, and if what Taiyou had said about this mysterious Bagan was anywhere close to true…

"Well this is rather weird."

"Yeah, you said it. What the heck were these guys doing?"

"Found something then?" Tachibana asked.

Adrian sat up and took the lead again, saying, "Most of what we found at the bases are the sort of thing you'd see at any PMC's base, albeit a lot more of it than they really should have. Last gen assault rifles and heavy small arms, a load of anti-tank rockets and high explosives, several armored vehicles including a few old Soviet era tanks - all of which were destroyed in the fighting - and even some artillery pieces, though we didn't find much ammo for those. Seriously, these guys were kitted out enough to practically declare war on the regions they were in if they'd wanted to."

"Anyone else feel like there need to be some adjustments to the whole 'sell guns to anyone with a permit' thing? Cause according to Chou's records it was way too easy for some of his people to get away with selling all this stuff to the Dawn."

"My question is, where are they getting the funds for it all? We had several AIs scouring their computer records before the attacks, and they found a whole bunch of shell companies but couldn't track down the source."

"Indeed," Gladness chimed in. "Whoever is controlling the electronic actions of the Dawn group is experienced and skilled enough to evade the attention of a full AI, which is troubling."

"More troubling though is some of the other stuff we found in the bases," Adrian said. He tapped his tablet a few times then flicked it towards the overhead widescreen, causing the image to switch from the world map to a set of pictures. "At each location the troops were able to recover or capture intact a bunch of items that, frankly, don't make much sense to be in the possession of terrorists."

Tachibana eyed the images displayed on the monitor for himself, seeing a slew of very ancient looking machinery strewn alongside seemingly innocuous items that nonetheless appeared unusual. "Looks like the kinda thing you'd find at a dig site," he remarked.

"That's exactly it sir. All of these items are similar to things that archeology teams have been finding at ruin excavations for years now. And that really doesn't make much sense on the face of it. Why would a group of armed thugs want random stuff you could find at any old ruin of the ancient world? These guys were defending these things like it was the most precious material they had, but from what we can tell most of it is completely worthless."

Gladness, bored, decided to scan the pictures being shown and study them for herself, creating a query for any similar items across her database. To her surprise, a response immediately popped up, marked as having come from the recent data sharing that came with the arrival of the Langoud a few days prior. She skimmed through the information rapidly and processed the implications.

"Well there were a few of them that seemed to do something at least," one analyst said. "Some groups reported that they saw Dawners wielding long spear-like items hooked up to generators which spat out some kind of plasma bolt. Those were where most of our injuries came from. Still, our own plasma guns were vastly superior in both power and functionality, so we probably don't have much to worry about there. The spears are being express flown here for testing so we can see where and how they got them."

"I believe I know the answer to that question," Gladness interjected. Before anyone could say anything further, she sent a command to the overhead monitor, replacing half of the images that were already there with new ones that portrayed very similar items. "These other photos are taken from the database of the Langoud research group, who seem to have been studying these exact same artifacts for some time now. They are the basis for our plasma weaponry at infantry scales."

Several people muttered while Tachibana felt a pang of nerves strike him. "So the Dawn are trying to study the same resources for their own gain. That makes sense as far as the weapons go, but what about the rest?"

Gladness was ready for the question, flashing up new images overlaying a world map showing various locations across the globe in red dots. "According to the group's project notes on the subject, these artifacts are theorized to share a common source in the form of an advanced civilization that once inhabited most of Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, and even Antarctica. This civilization is thought to have been significantly more advanced than our current status in several key areas, but died out unexpectedly in or around the Toba eruption."

"That's all well and good Gladness, but it doesn't explain what the Dawn is doing," the Admiral said.

"Researching the weapons is obvious, but likely not too much of a danger. The Dawn lacks the resources and staff that we are able to put to use, thus most of their developments are limited to bringing the items back online, such as they are. However, the rest of the artifacts suggest something else." She paused for an agonizingly long time by her view, but only a second or so to the human mind. "They are looking for something."

The room went quiet, everyone sharing nervous glances.

"What are they looking for Gladness?" Tachibana asked.

"That is what concerns me, Admiral," she responded, almost leaving her monotone voice. "I am not sure."

---

If Lauren had to come up with a single word to describe what her thoughts of the Langoud ship were, it would have to be 'strange'. There was nothing else that she could accurately use to order her thoughts on the matter. But, as she'd found several other times in her life, strange didn't mean bad.

Traveling across the tarmac leading to the ship was an experience in and of itself. Lauren had only caught a glimpse of the huge sprawling airport and heliport during her flight in, and was finally realizing just how busy the place was. There was a constant whine and roar from jet turbines, the air filled with metal birds flying back and forth. It was disorienting.

But looming over it all in the distance was the massive steel-gray monster that couldn't look less like a ship if it tried. Long energized lines traveled around its sides like a deep-sea creature, but its sharp and angular shapes betrayed its artificial nature. Its fins were folded up underneath it to allow it access to the docks, yet it still seemed too large to be made by humans.

"What was the inspiration for the design of the ship?" Craig shouted over the background din.

"We had a few sources," Joanne answered with a proud look. "Some airships from video games, a few really creepy-looking deep sea fish, and a movie from way back. Most of the design ideas we worked with blended with how she ship was already built." She looked to the crew of people following her and smiled. "She's actually a salvaged Civ warship, from what we suspect was Atlantis to be exact, located under an Antarctic shelf. Took us a while to get her to the surface from under all that ice, but after that, it was just trial and error."

"Mixing the artificial with the natural. Not too different from some of our mechs to be honest," Ozaki noted. "How much did you have to rebuild from the original ship?"

"You have no idea." Joanne sighed, shaking her head. "The original was actually SLICED into pieces, most fairly small, to the point of being little more than scrap. We do have an artistic interpretation of what it'd have looked like were she fully intact, and it dwarfs her current size ten fold. Nearest we can gather, it used to look like a primordial Eurypterid, more well known as 'Sea Scorpions'. At best we managed to salvage a third of the torso and half of the tail into what we see now, but that's leaving the bigger half of the body, the entire head, both claws, and all kinds of other tidbits that wound up as little more than scrap metal. Very valuable scrap metal, but still."

Lauren looked at the smaller woman in complete bewilderment. "But what made it then? What could have built something that huge so long ago?"

The doctor's eyes twinkled with glee as she said, "Let's just say that the ancient world was much more interesting than a lot of people realize. All those Guardian kaiju didn't just appear out of thin air after all."

Lauren just stared for several seconds with a look of disappointment "That barely answers anything," she complained.

"We'll explain later if you require further clarification, Mrs. Faust," Pentecost said. "For now, I should like to inquire as to how exactly we will be entering the ship."

"Right now we're just gonna enter the main bay." She nodded to the massive set of jaws at the front of the ship. "Once we're past the jaws, we'll be in the belly of the beast and right into the experiment bay. That's where we do all team-wide projects such as the Dragoons and a rather large number of other projects we're working on, along with refining old ideas using new technologies and techniques we've learned over the years."

A few more minutes passed as the group traversed the last stretch of tarmac, pausing once to let a VTOL roar overhead. Finally they reached the edge of the dock where the ship was berthed. Looking closely Lauren noticed that there was actually a spot for a second dock halfway down the length of the ship, but the walkway had been lowered down into the water to make room for the behemoth vessel. Joanne stepped forward and called out, "All aboard who's goin' aboard!"

Her shout was heard, and the massive maw began to creak open, giant gears and hydraulics working to open the immense entrance to the Langoud. The 'face' of the ship split open and shifted back, while the lower jaw slowly moved down to connect to the dock, forming a huge ramp.

"Well that was impressive," Craig muttered, nudging his wife who elbowed him in response. They proceeded to walk up the ramp, Joanne skipping ahead gleefully while the Council had their head turned up to see the top of the jaw hundreds of feet above them.

When they reached the top, the bay was revealed to be almost as huge as the one in the Shatterdome's Jaeger hanger, but somehow seemed small due to how many things were stuffed inside. Lauren's eye was immediately drawn to the skeletal robot hanging up in the air in the forward part of the area, a mess of wiring, cables, and metal parts forming a cloud around it. Below on the metal floor people in heavy leather protective gear, lab-coats, and everything between were running back and forth around crowded workstations and partially cordoned areas.

How does anybody get anything done around here? It's so chaotic. Lauren snorted and thought sardonically, Discord would probably love it here.

The air was full of sounds one wouldn't expect from what was described as 'the experiment bay'. Piratical sea shanties and power metal music echoed above the mad din. High above were winged serpentine machines flying this way and that, delivering supplies and tools or even carrying people all over. Lauren could have sworn she saw a woman in a witch costume ziplining across the bay using a crowbar on steel cabling with a minimum of safety gear. Tools were being tossed skyward from one group of workers to the next with a single shout.

To call it chaotic would be a disservice to the sheer madness and subconscious coordination needed to make it all work at all, let alone without killing someone.

"G-good morning c-class!" spoke a ludicrously cheerie voice, garbled by static. Joanne clasped a hand over her mouth as the image of a green-skinned woman in a teacher's outfit appeared, slightly distorted by static and breaking.

"A hologram?" Craig asked. "What is this about?"

"M-my name is S-sc-Scylla!" the hologram replied. "I'll be your tour guide for the evening!" The hologram's voice kept wavering and distorting, from hellishly deep to painfully high.

"Good grief, Joanne, your standards have slipped," Serizawa said, a surprised look on his face.

"Not all is as it seems, my good man," the doctor smiled mysteriously. Joanne stepped back and said in a commanding tone, "Scylla, would you kindly tell us what the crew is doing with Aschendaele?"

"Of c-course DOCTOR JOHNSON!" The shift to a blatantly robotic voice for the name was, frankly, painful, but the hologram did proceed to do as commanded. "The special ultralight support mech 'Aschendaele' is currently being rebuilt from the ground up after the successful but highly destructive battle against Vishnu. And it must be said we are all thankful for MOGUERA's timely intervention saving the likes of PROFESSOR WYLDER and SARA YUHARA."

"Is she gonna do that all the time?" Ozaki asked, concealing a wince.

"Maybe. Depends really." Joanne shrugged as the hologram continued, mostly ignoring the humans around her.

"The new skeletal system is comprised of a special cable damascus of Flux-infused Electrum, Titan Alloy, and Mythril, allowing for an ultra-lightweight durable skeletal structure that can also serve to transfer power throughout the mech. When completed she will be equipped with high-efficiency electroactive polymer muscles, special Shear-Thickening gel armor coating as well as heavy duty ablative outer armor. Her larger size will also allow us to mount the new Hypersonic engines and multiple magicite reactors after the prototype proved not only powerful, but surprisingly resilient to damage."

As the hologram rattled on about the new technology being used for the mech, Ozaki, still curious, approached closer and closer. Eventually, he decided to take a risk and reached forward, prodding the hologram on the shoulder.

To call the response 'sudden' would be an astronomical understatement. The moment Ozaki's finger touched and felt something solid, Scylla spun around, the illusion of being a glitching-out teacher evaporating, as had the silence.

Suddenly, from nowhere, a deranged electronic beat filled their ears, feeling like the type of music one would dance along by bouncing. And much like the music, Scylla's change was stark to the point of shocking.

In place of an old 50's teacher was a very colorful hippocampus-like creature. The tail was horizontal, with small deep green scales running up to the waist then shifting to much larger, harder scales of a lighter shade. A long vertical fin lined with ribbing trailed down her back starting from the top of the head, which had a equine muzzle containing rows of shark teeth. Emblazoned on the chest was a huge chiseled emerald, inside of which lines of code seemed to be sliding around back and forth. Instead of flippers the front limbs were horse legs, each closed around Ozaki's head, but his eyes were locked on her face.

Two large, glowing green eyes rested above an impossibly wide and terrifyingly toothy grin, each fang the familiar triangular shape of a great white, all easily visible and aimed right at Ozaki.

"No touching, would ye kindly?" The new voice was clear and steady, but also very young, as if that of a school aged girl. She 'swam' backward and did a quick flip through the air. "Allow me to PROPERLY introduce myself, now that the joke's been ruined." She leveled a light glare at Ozaki, who for his part just seemed bemused at having been manhandled by a hologram. "My name is Scylla, the end result of Project Diabolos. I am, not exaggeration, the most powerful Sapient Intelligence on the planet. The world's first fully digital living being."

Serizawa blinked as the other Council members murmured amongst themselves. Meanwhile, no one but Joanne noticed the completely flabbergasted looks Lauren and Craig were both wearing.

"W-where did you… how did you…" Lauren babbled as she tried to get her thoughts straight.

"What." Craig said much more succinctly.

"Oh, howdy!" Scylla said, swimming away from Ozaki. "Like my new OC?" She giggled, spinning in circles through the air.

Joanne decided to take pity on the poor, confused animators and prompted, "Scylla, is there a particular reason those two are staring at you like a deer in the headlights?"

"Uh, I donnoh..." She shrugged, averting her gaze. "Looks good on 'em..?"

"Why do you look like the concept art for the Sirens?" Lauren finally blurted out. "We only just started plans for that material! How could you have found out about it already?"

Scylla drew herself up and spread her horse hooves wide, her voice taking on a dark reverb. "Because I can see across time and reality itself!"

"You've been hacking into databases again, haven't you?" Joanne crossed her arms and glared in a motherly fashion.

"NO!" Scylla shouted indignantly. But a reassertion of the glare won out and Scylla abruptly deflated and hunched over, her face hung like a kicked puppy. If puppies were dragon-horse-fish-things. "Well maybe a little, but nothing important!"

"She hacked into Hasbro servers?" Pentecost asked. "How difficult was that for you?"

"Took me about two and a half nanoseconds. Honestly their security is lax. Hacking the GDF's top secret servers takes almost a whole second, though! Nice challenge, that."

The Council had the distinct look of momentary panic that comes with realizing that one of the safeguards you base your life around was actually just a pile of sand in front of a tidal wave.

Joanne puffed up in anger. "Scylla! What have we told you about hacking without express permission!?"

"But granny! I have a job, a paying job, to do that! I'm a white hat, not a black hat, honest!" As if in response, a large white top hat popped into existence atop her head. "I'm one of the good ones!"

"Granny?" Serizawa asked, having recovered faster than his fellows due to being used to reality being heavily altered at a moment's notice.

"Well, Samuel is her father and, since he's my son, by technicality I can be viewed as her grandparent."

"Doctor Serizawa," Pentecost interrupted, his voice stern. "I believe we have bigger issues than her parentage, namely in that it takes her LESS THAN A SECOND to hack into our top secret databases! All of the SI's we have created to man our servers told us that doing so was effectively impossible so long as at least one AI was controlling the firewalls."

Scylla smiled weakly. "To be fair, I kinda cheated, since all of them are actually a part of me. They're… kinda my kids. Sort of. And everyone knows, all good kids listen to mommy."

Again the Council appeared spastic, with only Serizawa remaining calm. "I've known about this for a while, there's no need to worry. The Project Diabolos she mentioned earlier was a Monarch property. We attempted to reconstruct one of the Xillian Intelligences who were harbored on the Coalition fleet to form a counter weapon in case they ever returned. The weapon would have been a fire-and-forget computer virus, meant to infect a Xillian ship, harvest the data there to feed itself, then spread onto the others and ruin their computer systems, leaving them unable to harm us. However, every attempt at creating a smart enough program to fulfill the goals failed, with our best work having the potential, but lacking any drive to act upon it. We eventually shut the project down and focused on other avenues, but somehow the Langoud here managed to salvage that work and turn out a success." Serizawa turned to Joanne and stared suspiciously at her. "You've never actually told me how you managed to do so, for that matter."

Joanne and Scylla traded a look so quickly it was almost unnoticeable before the Doctor rapidly said, "That's a story for another time, let's get on with the tour shall we? C'mon, let me introduce you to some of the crew!"

Joanne rushed forward, making a beeline away from the entrance, Scylla's hologram floating after her. The group did a collective shrug and followed, Serizawa taking the time to reassure his peers on the trustworthiness of their AI's. Craig and Lauren were busy watching the hologram in motion.

"That looks a lot better than I was expecting," Lauren commented. "Maybe we should get her to do some modeling of the rest of our concept art."

Craig grinned and laid his arm over his wife's shoulder. "I think she might be a tad too busy to do that for us Laur. Besides, who knows how much that holoprojector must cost? It's like taking a flat-screen and making it 3-D, and then having it be mounted all around the room."

"He's right you know," a second, smaller Scylla said from on his shoulder. "The projectors aren't cheap, though if you asked nicely I'm sure we could spare one for your studio. But as for the time thing, well, that's not an issue. I am everywhere, always. At all times. Listening. Watching…" The form dissolved into a pale green mist of light, leaving behind a thoroughly spooked couple behind.

The group headed for the massive metallic dark skeleton hanging at the center of the bay, the giant machine surrounded by catwalks and mechanical arms busy attaching or welding various parts. At the base of the black monstrosity were two men, one talking animatedly and the other duly nodding in time with the other's words. One was a dark-haired pale man wearing a black-stained lab coat, the other was a burly, african-american fellow clad in a leather smock. The two were busy pattern-welding a massive claw to the skeleton's toes, the smaller man holding a blowtorch and prongs while the one talking hammered away at it with a massive sledgehammer.

Joanne got close enough to make herself heard over the loud clanging and announced, "Gentlemen of the Security Council, Lauren, Craig, I'd like you to meet the two seconds-in-command of our engineering team. This is Michael 'Brazz' Bolson, our head metallurgist, and Marvin D. Marchan, the mastermind behind the Strontium-90 fission batteries."

Lauren watched as Bolson sent the hammer down one last time on its target, creating a shower of sparks that bounced off of Marvin's uncaring face. The taller man set the hammer off to the side and whipped off his face mask, throwing a broad smile their way. "Pleasure to meet you at last, sirs. I hope you've enjoyed our work out on the front lines. I don't want to think of how many Jaegers we might have lost without the Titan alloy."

"Might not have a Jaeger corps left if that had happened," Gordon remarked. "You do all your own practical work like this?"

"Just the important stuff. Some things require a personal touch." He patted the hammer's shaft and added, "Not a soft touch necessarily."

"'Sup dudes?" came Marvin's gentle voice. "How's life treating yah?"

Craig and Lauren both had to suppress a snort while the Council looked at the glazey eyed man in bemusement.

"Are you... Is this genuinely the man who made the miracle batteries?" Serizawa's confused voice certainly felt justified in Lauren's view.

"Yep, that's me." He gave a grin that, while dopey, couldn't help but look somehow endearing. "Wouldn't have done it if it hadn't been for the boss' prank back in college."

Brazz laughed and clapped Marvin on the back, the smaller man jolting forward from the hit but smoothly sitting back up like nothing happened. "The man asks you to make him a power core for an armor suit he'd made out of pure frustration, and you gave him the perfect power source after a day of designing. I'll never forget the look on Theo's face when he realized it actually worked."

Marvin's grin didn't change as he added in an ever so sarcastic tone, "Well it was either that or get kicked out of college so…"

"So you do the impossible instead," Brazz finished. He turned to the Council and reassured them with, "Believe me, gentlemen, Marvin here is more than good at his job, he just requires a little… motivation to get to work. Once he's focused though, he is a miracle worker."

"Ain't we all?" Marvin said, looking out at the rest of the crew in the bay. "Besides, work is more fun than staying at home all day looking at the ceiling, wondering what the stars are doing."

"He's a bit of a fan of space," Joanne explained. "Well, we'll let you get back to work guys. Let me know what your progress on Aschendaele here is at the end of the day alright?"

"You got it ma'am," Brazz said, throwing the group a salute before slipping his goggles back on and lifting his hammer again.

Serizawa looked up again with a curious expression, "Seems the size has been upped quite a bit. Not that much smaller than a Jaeger now."

This thing used to be smaller? Lauren wondered at she glanced up at the huge metal giant above her. Is anything ever normal sized around here?

Serizawa was still staring at the mech while Ozaki decided to speak up. "What exactly are those drones flying all over the place? Haven't seen anything like them before."

Scylla perked up, zipping in front of Serizawa. With a clop of her hooves she brought up a three-dimensional image of the drone in question, which resembled a small jet plane that was predominantly blue and white in color, with a mask-like face at the front. Hanging from below it was a large, segmented mechanical arm ending in a crab-like claw. At the top, between the wings was what appeared to be a small cannon.

"The Einhander-model Quetzali drones were designed based on information gleaned from a damaged combat mech found in the ruins of a city known as 'Bhujerba', whose floating islands have since crashed into the Mu continent and islands. The original was a winged serpentine humanoid, but we made some variations for our own purposes. The Einhander is one of three new mechs built off the design and is an all-purpose transportation and combat drone that helps in moving material from one location to another. Each is equipped with a small precision Megaflare laser on its back and a grappling claw hanging below."

The image blurred for a moment and separated into two slightly different designs, one significantly larger than the original. "We currently have a functioning 'Wingly' model being tested for use with current standard-issue Exosuits as a miniature jetpack, and a larger 'Marilith' model that ties more closely to the structure and aesthetic of the original mech. That one will serve as short-range heavy transport that has a potential side role as a boarding unit for infantry."

"They look a bit like Megaguirus," Ozaki noted, then smirked. "Should we worry about them being just as vicious?"

"Nah, Quetzali have only basic programing," Scylla said. "But if you want to talk about vicious mechs, you should see what we have in the other room…" Her gaze shifted to a large set of doors about halfway down the hanger. "This waaaaay," she sang, swimming through the air with a disturbingly casual air.

"Hon, am I the only one seeing the rather large scratches in the steel around that door?" Craig asked.

"No, dear, I see them too."

"No need to worry folks," Scylla announced. "Just our friend being a little too playful one time when she was set for nap time." She clopped her hooves again and the doors started to part, revealing a small side hanger. And in the center of that hanger was a 20 foot tall metal monster that was snarling at them with ivory-bladed teeth.

Heavy thuds filled the bay, the floor shaking and rumbling as the thing barreled their way. With a deafening roar, they saw the mechanical beast leaping overhead, clearing the entire group effortlessly. The instant it landed, it hopped up and spun around to face the group, padding towards them in a slow, menacing stroll, scythe-like claws etching marks into the metal floor, blood red eyes glowing like hellfire in the brightly lit bay. Thick and heavy armor plates were attached at all angles to a solid, flexible body made of a rubbery substance that rippled like living muscle as it moved. It stopped before the group and raised up, belting out a deafening roar that rumbled through the floor beneath them, shaking a few of the group off their feet.

Joanne got back up as the roar came to an end and let out a shout. "WARDRAKE! STAND DOWN!"

The creature looked down at her, stepping forward, giving the group a frightfully clear idea of its sheer size. Even on all fours it towered three times over the scientists height, its jaws alone large enough to swallow her whole. It clamped its mouth shut, an angry scowl forming on its face, but it obeyed, kneeling down into a resting position.

"Good girl," Joanne said, gently patting the armor-plated nose of the beast. "Councilmen, and animators, I'd like you to meet the Behemoth-model Anti-Kaiju Animal Mech. We like to call them War Drakes."

"That's a Zoid, isn't it?" Lauren said bluntly. "It may not be painted as bright and shiny, but I'd recognize that design aesthetic anywhere."

Joanne's grin was answer enough to that question. "And here I thought no one was gonna make the connection. Yes, the mechs were based off some afternoon bickering that went on between my son and Theo on whether or not we could build actual animal robots of that size, then one thing led to another and we sent an actual proposal off. Surprisingly enough we didn't get much objection to this one," the Doctor said while pointing a satisfied smirk in Ishiro's direction.

The Monarch director merely sniffed and folded his arms over his chest. "Turnabout is fair play. If the makers of the franchise are willing to directly copy MechaGodzilla for their ultimate villain, then we are perfectly within our rights to 'borrow' their concept for an actual military use."

Scylla hovered over his head, now resembling a mechanized shark. "That and we made a very lucrative deal with them for a line of GDF inspired toys and potentially an anime for the kiddies. Speaking of which…"

Craig and Lauren traded a glance but then shook their heads. "Tempting as that sounds, we both have our hands full with MLP," Lauren said.

"So you called this an anti-Kaiju weapon, but its size suggests its utility against Category 3s would be limited," Gordon said. "What's the purpose of the mech if it cannot engage full kaiju on its own?"

Scylla grinned and whirled in place, reforming into a human shape but keeping the shark grin. "Well that's the thing. Like the Dragoons, the Drakes aren't meant to take on kaiju solo. Instead, they travel in packs meant to distract and evade a kaiju while blasting it constantly from just out of reach. They have an equivalent level of firepower as the Maser artillery piece but are vastly more mobile, meaning they can not only survive being in the same post code as a monster but can deploy near it much more quickly just by traveling there themselves or being flown in."

"There's another bonus that the Drakes will have over either the Dragoons or the Jaegers that I'm sure you'll appreciate," Joanne chimed in. "Drakes, while not as strong as other, larger units, can be operated completely autonomously using our specialised combat AI, the Techno-kinetic Entities, or TKEs, to handle all of the complex and complicated movement. There is room for a pilot if you want to increase their combat ability or have more direct control, though it's not strictly necessary. These don't need months of training like the Gojiform mechs, and they don't need drift compatibility like the Jaegers. Just one pilot with passable gaming skills is sufficient."

"I'm not sure I'm getting the point of this," Lauren commented, drawing all eyes to her. "I thought that the reason we had to use Jaegers and mechs to fight kaiju was because nothing that wasn't their size would be able to do anything to them? Why make all these replacements for them?"

"They aren't replacements," Joanne explained. "They're supplements. For all the improvements we've made to the Mecha corps over the last decade, they are still really really vulnerable to getting put out of action by one bad hit in the wrong place. Unlike a Defender who can ignore an injury if it isn't life threatening, mechs that take damage are much more likely to keep taking damage because of the reduction in capability with each hit taken. And when every Jaeger counts as the main line of defense for millions of people… They can't afford to stay out of action for very long at all."

The doctor gestured to the still sitting mech, which had its head turned upwards to watch some of the Quetzal's flying up above. "The point of these smaller mechs is to provide support for our heavy hitters. Pawns, knights, and bishops to shelter the queens and kings. It can take weeks to bring a full-sized mech back to 100%, and during that same time frame we could build a dozen Drakes. Those Drakes may not be able to take on a kaiju themselves, but they may just enable the real fighter to do so."

Scylla floated down and drew a square with her hands, a video of pre-invasion warfare being projected into the shape. "Think of them as the infantry escort for a tank. Sure they probably can't kill a tank by themselves, but they keep their side's tank from being overwhelmed by other threats while it concentrates on its targets. Plus the Drakes would be awesome at taking out those Cat 1 outbreaks that pop up every now and again. No more sending in infantry to fight dinos when you have dino-sized robots that can kick their scaly tails." The image showed the Drake standing over the corpse of a I-Rex, roaring possessively.

"How soon can you get these mechs out to active units?" Pentecost asked.

Scylla's voice turned serious and she shifted to a more normal human mouth. "Production has already started up for the first line of Quetzali, those got approved last month. They'll be up and flying by next week, barring any unforeseen delays. As for the Drakes, well, this one is the only one currently complete, and it's gonna be staying here since it's just the prototype. Also she's my precious little baby and it's not going out of my sight! Are you baby? No you're not, no you're not!"

The group was then treated to the image of a green holographic woman petting the stomach of a robotic beast larger than a dinosaur.

Gordon shrugged and said, "You know, I was gonna say that you don't see stuff like that everyday, but for the likes of us that'd probably be a lie."

"Too true," Ozaki agreed with a sage nod.

"Anyway," Joanne said, "the Drakes have already been approved by Ishiro, so they're going through production as we speak. They'll be ready for battlefield testing in a couple weeks."

Pentecost nodded. "Excellent news. Is there anything else you wanted to show us here in the hanger, doctor?"

Joanne averted her gaze from somewhere beyond the others and smiled at the Marshall. "More things than I can count, but judging by that light over there I'd say that our head of magical research is preparing to put on a little show. Shall we go find some comfortable seats?"

Said light was emanating from an alcove a bit further down the hangar, next to a wall that stretched down from the ceiling to the floor. "That's weird, we've barely gone two hundred feet," Craig said. "Shouldn't there be more to the hangar than just this?"

"There is actually, but right now most of the space isn't being used. Right now most of our major projects are either ready for testing or already in use, so they're not actually on board. But when they come back to share the results, I think you may like them. Plus about half the ship's length is tail, so the hangar isn't quite that huge."

There was a loud rumbling as the Drake stomped back into its hangar, Scylla waving it goodbye as it left. "Such a sweetheart. You'd never guess it was a giant military war bot. Unless you, you know, looked at it. Anyway, to Granny Tori's magic show!"

Her hologram disappeared then poofed back into sight next to the alcove, this time as a green-scaled genie. The rest of them followed after the mundane way, passing in between several smaller workshops and the like, none of whom had appeared the least bit concerned by the giant mech that had just left their presence.

The area they finally arrived at was unexpected. The lights had dimmed to near total darkness and at the center of the area was a large square platform with four white obelisks at each corner. Upon the platform was, surprisingly, a somewhat tall grassy knoll, atop-which stood a tall feminine figure whom none of them could clearly see.

"C'mon!" Scylla whispered, "You're just in time, she's about to start!" The hologram djinn sat down, misty tail forming a pillow beneath her. Everyone slowly took a seat, including many of the scientists and engineers around them, stopping their work to watch as the show began.

At first, it seemed like the woman was just doing some weird hand gestures in the shadows. Then sparks of light began gathering in her hands. After a moment, it formed a tiny ember that grew into a bright blue flame. She pinched it with her fingers and pulled it apart, forming one green flame, and one purple flame. With this, she traced her own body's shape in the air, giving a glimpse of the woman, pale white, red eyes, and clad in a thin purple tunic.

She continued to trace shapes in the air, many remaining in place, with the flames in her hand changing to a new color with each new shape. With seven shapes, which Lauren recognized as old runes, hanging in the air, the woman used one hand to slash through each of them, forming a ribbon of rainbow fire.

The silken flames moved like a lighter-than-air fabric, burning bright in the dim lights as the woman traced her body with it, uncaring of the likely intense flames coursing across her form, the dance she was doing closely resembling of egyptian belly dancing and arabian ribbon dancing. Finally the dance came to an end as she wrapped the ribbon of fire across her matronly bosom and flapped it behind her, forming a pair of vibrant rainbow wings that she used to fly down from the knoll and land just in front of the tour group, the flames vanishing as the light came back on.

The 'woman' before them was anything but human. She stood easily nine feet tall, if not more, and was covered head to toe in white fur. Her feet were paws like a lion's, and her head looked like a mix of a goat, lion, and a human, with large eyes that shone bright bloody red. Two large teeth protruded from her mouth and a pair of short, sharp horns sprouted from her head, with a crystalline heart resting on her brow.

Lauren's estimation of her being 'matronly' was in the right direction, but somewhat fell short. This woman wasn't built like a brick house, but more like an ancient castle. Stacked, sturdy, and with a strong foundation. The woman's tunic hung down to her ankles, split along the thighs to reveal muscular legs and otherwise held snug to her body.

"Good afternoon everyone. I hope you enjoyed my little dance." Her smile bore a motherly feel. "You must be the Security council. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Tu'Tori'Al Wylder. But you may call me Tori."

"Wow… you are really fluffy." Lauren looked over the woman again, to make sure she wasn't seeing things. She leaned in for a closer look only for Tori to step forward as and wrap her arms around Lauren. With an 'eep' the animator found her face stuck between two soft walls of exceedingly warm fur. "Let me guess," she mumbled from behind the cloth in her face, "you're a fan?"

"My son got me hooked on the show, sorry." Tori let go and stepped back, patting Lauren on the head.

"You know, I work on the show as well," Craig said. "Any chance I could get a hug too?"

Tori smiled and looked like she was going to oblige, only for him to get a quick smack to the shin from Mrs Faust. "Nice try wise guy."

"Well, so we three have met, maybe one of the gentlemen who actually writes our paychecks would like to come in for a hug?" Tori smiled, reaching her arms out wide, only for several of the council to back off, with only Gordon standing his ground.

"I don't DO hugs."

"Oh? How about a kiss, then?" She winked and blowed a kiss his way. As expected, Gordon simply kept his stoic demeanor, causing Tori to pout a bit at being ignored. Figuring it for a lost cause, she turned the to rest and said, "If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask."

"Ok, first off, who or what are you? Second what in the heck was that light show?" Craig asked.

Tori chuckled. "Well, firstly, I'm what's known as a Faerie."

"You certainly don't look like Tinker Bell to me," Ozaki chimed in.

"True, allow me to clarify. I'm a RACE of faerie known as a Glaistig. Tinker Bell is a pixie, albeit a very much Disneyfied one. And as for who I am? I'm the adoptive mother of several of the specialists here, the metaphorical mother of almost everyone on the crew, and I'm the head of our magical research department."

"We have a magical research department?" Serizawa's shock was quite audible.

"Yes, and I'm the head of it. I've been compiling notes, by the way, for you all to look over now that we're not secret anymore. Our head of notation and filing, Nathan Taylor, will be helping me collect them into a coherent suite of documents."

"I'll have to take a look at those..." Serizawa shook his head. "Now, about mister McCracken's final question. What was it you were doing exactly?"

"Oh, that? It's a weekly ceremony I perform. It's a touch complicated but most traditional magi perform certain ceremonies and rituals to help keep them in tune with their magical abilities."

"So, some kind of weird pagan ritual?" Gordon asked.

"Not 'pagan', more antiquated," Tori huffed, as if she'd heard this exact statement many times. "These aren't some kind of heathen sinful acts but rather old, tried and true techniques that true magi use. They serve a legitimate purpose. In that one's case, it is to help me bridge the gap between my elemental magic of pyromancy and my talents of healing."

"Healing and fire?" Lauren asked. "Those are two things I wouldn't expect to work together."

"Technically, they wouldn't without a lot of training. I'm a Solar Kinetic, someone who has trained in combining fire, and healing magics of an intimate style. I am a matron by desire and by trade. While I CAN use my fiery abilities to wage war, predominately I use it as Pyromancy was intended: to scry, divine, and learn, to see with magic what is invisible to the eyes. And my healing abilities are fueled by the warmth of my body, soothing pain and sealing wounds, mending bones and burning ailments away."

"Warmth of the body?" Lauren asked, "You mean you can heal with hugs?"

"Well, my particular style of healing magic is known as 'Intimate Healing', but hugs can work." Tori leaned in close and grinned. "Want an example?"

Lauren's response was to blush and back away. "Thanks but no thanks!" Lauren giggled nervously, then leveled a glare at Craig, "And don't you even bother asking, mister!"

"Hugs are one thing dear. What it is she is offering is another thing entirely," was his diplomatic response.

"So, you are a magical being then?" Pentecost said. "I was not aware there were any other such magicals aside from Mothra and her fairies. As I understood it from their explanation there should not be enough magic in the world to sustain a population of such beings."

"And that, my good Marshall, leads us to something rather important. Think of it as a taste for the research we've done." Tori smiled and reaches into her apron-like tunic, pulling out a tiny shard of magicite locked up in lead crystal. "Radiation, such as that which comes from a nuclear reactor, is enough to sustain the life force of a faerie being, although as a pale shadow of their true potential." She placed the crystal-within-crystal back into its pocket. "And it just so happens, me and my daughters lived within one of the old Vaults. One with an old, damaged reactor. And one of our Fae on board, Bastet, was found in a sarcophagus lined with powdered uranium."

"So wait, are you saying that magic and radiation are effectively interchangeable?" Ozaki asked. "I remember that Joanne said magicite has similar exposure effects as radioactive material."

The doctor perked up at hearing her name and explained, "It has similar toxic effects, though the exact reasons differ. But radiation against mana is like murky water versus purified water. It'll work as a substitute for fae to survive, but it's sickening and unhealthy compared to the real deal."

"Hence why the discovery of magicite was a major windfall for myself and the others, leaving aside its potential use in energy production," Tori added.

"You said you are researching magic," Gordon put in. "What sort of stuff are you aiming for? Just figuring out how it works or more practical uses?"

"Believe it or not, after we discovered what Magicite was, and what it can do, my son, Theodore, immediately kicked off a unified group for the engineering, magical research, and medical teams known as 'The Arcanotech Division'. We've been developing magicite powered equipment as well as numerous tools and machines to replicate various magical spells since then. It's not as flexible as true magic, but as far as practical uses, it's the best we can hope for without giving every human within fifty feet of the tools severe cancer. This includes several testbed powered armors, one of which is the ninth iteration of the 'Ruby Dragon' armor that sparked the creation of the Exosuits, as well as a lot of other fancy toys, like this."

With that, Tori did something that seemed blatantly impossible. She reached down her tunic again but what she pulled up was far too large to fit between her matronly bosom, being a seven foot tall staff. The haft of the stave was made from a black metal, knurled into a diamond pattern for gripping. The bottom of the stave ended in two small blue blades forming a split spear, while the head looked like a large shepherd's crook, albeit with a large blue blade facing outwards, and small spines pointing inwards, while small wires hooked the blades to the haft.

"Where the hell did you pull that from?" Serizawa asked. "I'm fairly certain there shouldn't be room for that from where you… withdrew it."

"Ah, I should have mentioned that. Me and my daughters have thin threads of electrum woven into our brassieres that form the runes of an old, reliable augmenting spell known as 'Deep Pockets'. Though much of the crew has taken to calling it 'Victoria's secret Compartment'." She reached in and pulled out a small dish of cookies that looked to have been recently baked. "The augment is very useful, since it allows a relatively tight or compact space to house far more than it possibly should, effectively making anything with the augment bigger on the inside."

"Oh lordy, so you have a TARDIS bra?" Lauren asked, trying to stifle her giggling.

"Yes, I am a Time Lord and my bra is my TARDIS. Care for a cookie?" She held out the dish to share with the group.

"Thanks," Gordon said while reaching for one of the cookies. He visibly checked it for fur before taking a bite. "Wow, fresh. You make these?" He stopped for another bite then said, "Also, what's that staff do?"

"I make them myself every morning!" Tori answered with a proud grin. "And the arcanotech staff, Radiance, is a generalist prototype for a combat magical stave. Currently it can fire bolts of lightning, fireballs, shards of ice, and an arcane explosion, but they're rather limited in efficiency, so we're working to improve it overall before we actually try for a production model."

"Would they be any more effective than the plasma blasters and railguns we already have in the field?" Pentecost said.

Joanne shrugged, talking through a mouthful of pastry. "Right now? Unlikely. But as a testbed for the technology, we hope to provide the troops with a safer alternative weapon that can prove useful in a multitude of situations. Firepower isn't the goal, it's flexibility."

"That and proving that magic isn't quite as inscrutable and dangerous as most people think it is," Tori added. "No offense to the Monarch fellows but some of the things I've seen them say about magic and how it works are rather badly wrong."

Serizawa glared at the fae and retorted, "Given we do not have any active avenues of exploring how magic works and that every attempt at understanding it is fraught with dangers of radiation sickness, can you blame us?"

"Actually? I can." Tori faced the doctor head on. "Your fear of radiation didn't stop you from studying the Kaiju, nuclear power or nuclear weapons. It doesn't stop you if it means getting stronger or getting a leg up. But it seems the thought paralyses you when it means actually understanding others."

"What do you me-"

"I'm not done." Tori's statement didn't raise a pitch, but the tone was the unmistakable command of an angry mother, something even the most hardened GDF soldiers had learned long ago was best to listen to. "When I say 'You' I meant HUMANITY. It's been centuries and yet I still see it all. Fear has been the driving force behind some of the most dire acts of cruelty I've ever witnessed. Fear of those who are different, fear of the unknown, fear of the 'alien', fear of that which is deemed unnatural or sinful. It's that fear which drove men like Hitler into power. Fear that sparked the Hidden War. It's fear that sparked the horrors of Vietnam, of the first World War, and of even this 'End War' of yours! It's FEAR that has driven us Faeries into hiding from humans! It's FEAR that is the reason my sister, and the entire faerie kingdom is GONE!"

Silence reigned in the room, Joanne appearing stricken while the Council remained still, betraying no emotion. Tori maintained her anger for a few moments before realizing what she had said and faltering. "I'm… I'm sorry. I did not mean to… apply such thoughts and feelings to you. I know that you are not to blame for the actions of those in the past, nor at fault for the situation here in the present. It's just…"

"Difficult to let go of the anger," Serizawa finished. Tori gazed back at him in surprise, but the doctor merely nodded understandingly. "Difficult to look back and see the mistakes of the past, and wish they had not been made. Tell me, are you aware of my uncle and what he is best known for?"

"The Oxygen Destroyer…" Craig said under his breath, yet he was heard by all anyway.

"Yes. The Oxygen Destroyer. A new science which had the potential to cause more damage to the planet than even nuclear weaponry. When my uncle discovered just what it was he had made, he was devastated. My father was there to watch as the proud and brilliant man he called brother faded inward into a husk, existing only to hide the terrible secret he had created. Many know that he gave his life while using the weapon on the first Godzilla, but what is little known is the letter he sent to my family just before he departed on that final voyage."

Ishiro closed his eyes but continued to speak, reciting from memory as if reading the page right in front of him. "He apologized to my father, both for allowing such a thing to come into being as well as letting his fear of it consume his life. He said that he mourned the life he had lost with his beloved finance, the chance to have children of his own and contribute positively to the world. But most of all he warned us to be wary of our curiousity. To understand that in seeking to know the whole world in its entirety we might discover things that were best left unknown. To fear that which is not understood, not because of its obscurity, but because of what clarity might bring to fore."

He opened his eyes again, vision clouded with regret. "I have applied this to everything I have done in my life, every bit of research and development I have lead and taken part in. I know that not everything new that we uncover will be dangerous and many times that has proven true. But always I fear the next nuclear weapon, the next oxygen destroyer, the next absolute zero cannon. We have made these things to fight foes beyond our ability to defeat normally… but what shall we do with them once that time has passed? What will people do with the technology they have created?"

Tori and Joanne shared a look before the later started speaking. "That's where understanding comes in. Each of them, and all technology, has more uses beyond what is immediately obvious. Nuclear weaponry became nuclear power, one of the cleanest power sources around for decades and actually allowed the few surviving fae to remain among the living. The Oxygen destroyer had the potential to be the perfect mining tool, and, if used safely, the Absolute Zero Cannon can effectively STOP TIME for an object, meaning the potential for perfect preservation of things for the future. What we do here? We work with caution, but without fear. Because it is better to understand the potential horrors and prepare for them, then to avoid seeing them and hope they never become an issue. Caution is wise, doctor, but fear can get people killed."

The two doctors stared each other down for a time, both appearing resolute in their stances. Finally though, Ishiro sighed and smiled sadly. "I suppose this is an example of how much you and I differ on how we pursue our work, Joanne. And perhaps that is for the best. Having only one outlook on life is an easy way for one to be blindsided by the unexpected. We've seen that much with how difficult it is to study magic in the usual way. Perhaps that is why I allowed the Marshall to convince me to split your organization from my own."

"I called for the split for several reasons," Pentecost said, "but the biggest one is quite simple. It's true that almost any technology can be misused if someone of ill intent has access to it, and that's why I appreciate your caution as the head of Monarch. But at the same time, we need any and every advantage we can get, even if it is risky. Better to have someone doing the research that isn't normally 'safe' to do and do so in secret rather than let the path lay fallow for someone else to discover it independently. Ignorance is not bliss, but knowledge isn't always a boon. I trust Joanne and her team to stay on the sane and safe path where it counts, even if it might not seem they are doing so on the surface." Stacker cast a glance back out towards the huge hangar outside, where the din of hard work and conversation could still be heard. "And given what I have seen today, it seems to have worked pretty well."

Joanne looked fit to burst with either excitement or happiness but managed to contain herself to just an extremely broad grin. "I'm thrilled that you approve of our work, Marshall," she said rapidly, clearly on the edge of losing it. "But that's not all that we have to offer! The hanger is our main area of research work, but there are other things aboard that I'm sure you all will want a look at. Stuff that more closely ties into the 'secret' part of our secret R&D group."

Before anyone could say yay or nay, there was a loud cough from the entrance to the room. Standing at the door was a brown haired young man with thin rimmed black glasses and equally dark, sharp eyes. Lauren noticed that many of his features shared similarities to Joanne, albeit with a harder tint to them. He wore a simple white shirt with a victorian-esque vest over top. He stepped forward, slick black shoes tapping on the floor and pulled his hand from his black dress pants to push up his glasses by the bridge. "Council members, a pleasure to meet you. I am Samuel Johnson, head of the programing department of the Langoud and chief designer of Scylla. I trust that my mother hasn't broken your minds too badly with some of the things you have seen?"

"Actually," Scylla said while hovering over Samuel's head, "the only thing that seemed to bother them was me and the whole 'I can hack anything' bit. Kind surprised that was what bothered them."

Samuel closed his eyes in the way of a parent getting irritated at their child. "Being told that one of the strongest security measures ever devised can be so easily broken is not something to be ignored, dear, especially when it is so heavily relied upon to keep both the organization and the world at large safe."

Scylla blew a raspberry and floated upside down in front of him. "It's not like I was giving the information out to anyone. I just wanted to see if I could do it, and surprise, surprise, I could!"

Samuel appeared distinctly unamused. "Do I need to revoke your traffic light privileges again?"

The hologram gasped and started splitting off little cubes of light from her tail, each flashing red and green. "You wouldn't."

"Try me."

Scylla sighed, becoming muted in color. "Alright. I won't do it again."

"And?" Sam said leadingly.

"And I'll apologize." She turned to the Council and bowed her head to them. "I'm sorry I scared you by being so flippant about your security. I'll be more respectful in the future."

Pentecost smiled and gently patted the hologram's head. "It's fine. Just give us some warning in the future if you feel the desire to test our security again. Perhaps you'd be able to figure out ways to improve it?"

"Maybe, but it's doubtful." Sam stepped up and nodded his head at Scylla. "She is, at heart, a computer virus, and thus is much better going on the offense rather than creating defense. We had to create specific AIs dedicated to such a goal to even stand a chance of holding Scylla off for a bare few seconds, never any longer. That said, any wall that takes Scylla seconds to break down would take much longer for any more normal electronic attack. Rest assured sirs, our security is the best we can make it and is more than adequate to defend us from any expected threats."

"You can thank Sam here for that," Joanne said, draping her arm over her taller son's shoulder. "He's an absolute whiz with this kind of stuff. He's the one who helped the Arcano-tech group figure out how to program their items with various spells using a mix of engraving runes and computer programing language."

Sam continued to stand stiffly even with his mother hanging off of him and faintly rolled his eyes. "If we are done passing the praise around, I shall get to why I am here. There was a visitor who attempted to gain access to the ship who said that they wished to talk to the council. Upon discussing with them I found their reasons adequate and brought them aboard. They are just outside."

"Is it who I think it is!?" Scylla gasped, "Did Auntie Az drop by to visit?"

"Scylla, you already know the answer. Heck, you probably knew before I did."

"I'm just trying to be dramatic," the electronic girl retorted. "Keep the readers on their toes, you know."

"Please do not use meta-speak right now," Sam said while rubbing the sides of his head. "I truly hate it when you talk like that. Makes me ask questions about my reality I could do without thinking about. And so I don't start dwindling into that kind of thought, allow me to go fetch her."

Sam proceeded to head out of the room, allowing Lauren to sneak over to Scylla's hologram. "So… what exactly did you mean by that 'readers' comment?" she asked in a whisper.

"Oh, that's just me having a bit of fun. See, the Dimension Tide tests showed us that there are potentially unlimited universes out there with who knows how many different forms of life in them. Since we know that fiction universes can be real with Equestria, who's to say our world isn't fictional for some other universe? Thus, I like to pretend that I'm talking to or aware of these theoretical watchers or readers, both to have some fun messing with people who are wondering what the heck I'm doing AND to mess with anyone who might be watching. Even better, they can never be sure if I'm just guessing that they exist or if I KNOW that they exist. Even saying that right there isn't proof one way or the other. They're all gonna be left guessing… Just the way I like it!"

As insane as that all sounded, Lauren thought it made a disturbing amount of sense. "Well, the reason I ask is because I've been wondering how exactly me and the show relates to the real Equestria. I mean, is it really just coincidence that the two are so similar, or am I somehow connected to that world in a way that lets me create an experience that can reflect their reality?"

Scylla shrugged. "I don't know. Could be anything at this point. But I wouldn't worry about it too much. Odds are that even if you did have a connection of some sort it probably won't be important at all in the future. Maybe. Depends on what the authors can come up with."

Lauren felt her eye twitch. "That… doesn't really make me feel better."

"Might not have been meant to," was Scylla's cryptic answer.

Lauren was cut off from replying by the hologram warping out of sight to reappear by the door, the green girl glomping a distinctly surprised woman who had just walked in the door with Sam.

"Hi Auntie Az! It's been way too long since I last talked with you!"

Azusa could barely acknowledge the small green form wrapped around her before another body collapsed against her other side. "I missed you too, senpai Azusa," Joanne said. "I have so many things I've been eager to show you, I can't believe you're actually here!"

"I missed you too, little Jojo." Azusa hugged both the smaller scientist and holo-girl. "What bizarre adventures have you and your friends been on lately? Because I recently got back from one of my own." She looked up and caught sight of Lauren and Craig, appearing surprised but pleased at seeing them. "One that I'm sure those two would be very interested in hearing."

"Oh nooo," Lauren groaned, holding her head in her hands. "What is it now? What new crazy nonsense will I get to hear next? Magical shape-shifting dragons? Egyptian gods? A techno-cyborg spirit ghost!?"

Azusa smiled and shook her head. "None of the above actually. This little story is one that is much more up your alley. Tell me, what would you do if you had one day in Equestria? I can give you my answer, since I just got back from one."

Everyone in the room stared at the biologist in pure shock for a few moments, only to be distracted by the sound of some of the show room's chairs be knocked around by Lauren's fainted body.

---

Hello again everyone. Oh and would you look at that, I managed to put this out BEFORE the final day of the month. Yay me. Anywho, this chapter is pretty talky and showy, but not much actiony. Hopefully we'll get back to actiony pretty soon. Til then, hope you enjoy the FLURRY of information and take it all to HEART. Next time we get on with the second (presumably last) part of the tour and then move on to some... other stuff. Also, I'll be working on another rewrite during the process of making the next chapter, mostly to clarify some of my older lack or research and fix some minor plot holes. If you have any questions, feel free to comment on the chapter announcement thread on Fimfiction or PM me. Hope you all had a happy thanksgiving and a very merry christmas (or whatever else it is you celebrate).

How Do You Celebrate Christmas?

December 25, 2012

"Quite the relief isn't it?"

Pentecost lifted an eyebrow at Tachibana, pausing with his tea lifted. The room was quiet, with only himself, Miki, and the rest of the Council sitting and taking tea (or vodka, in Gordon's case). The rest of the Dome was surely celebrating the day off in their own ways, but for those at the very top, a moment of calm was all they really desired. "What is, my friend?"

Tachibana smiled and leaned back in his chair, waving his arm vaguely through the air. "Why, that we've survived another year of course."

Stacker smiled as the others shared the sentiment with chuckles or laughs. "I suppose that is a feat to be proud of, in these tumultuous times."

"Proud? Is that all you can say you feel right now Marshall?" Miki said, slyly sipping from her own cup.

"To be sure I don't know what you are referring to my dear," Stacker replied. He pointedly ignored her smug look and drank his tea in silence.

"Don't pretend you aren't enjoying this chance to relax, Stak," Gordon said in his typically blunt manner. "We've had a good month of quiet and I say we should be thankful for it, unexpected as it is. It's give us plenty of time to repair and refit all our mechs, update their armaments, and even get production started on those new Battle Platforms." He smiled, and Stacker noted that he seemed a tad too excited at the prospect.

Ozaki nodded, much more sedate than his fellows. "It's a bit suspicious if you ask me. The mutants have to know they can win if they just try, or at least Xenilla should, since he's not as dumb as the rest of them."

"The reason for his caution is always what has worried me most," Pentecost admitted. "He has been callous and uncaring many times in the past when it comes to causing damage to our cities, but he seems oddly reluctant to risk the lives of his troops even if it would allow for a more certain victory."

Miki shrugged. "Maybe he actually cares somewhat about them?"

"Or he just wants to make sure he has the most powerful force he can at any given time," Tachibana suggested. "After all, we aren't the only threats out there. If he truly wants to dominate the planet, he needs to have a way to fight back against the likes of Ghidorah and the Coalition."

Gordon grunted and took a swig of his glass, immediately reaching for a refill. "It doesn't explain why he is so conservative though. The longer he takes to beat us down, the more we can improve our situation, the stronger the Defenders get, and the more rowdy his forces must become. If he's really as smart as Godzilla thinks he is, then why is he acting like this?"

"I don't know," the Marshall answered, his face grim. "And that's what worries me."

"Well, let's stop worrying then, at least for today," Miki said. She lifted up Gordon's bottle of vodka and multiple glasses, passing out one for each of them. "We're alive, our forces are as prepared as they can be, and everything is safe for the moment, so why not enjoy it?"

"Careful there Miki," Ozaki warned. "If you talk too much about things being peaceful, they're bound to stop being quiet just when you finish talking."

The telepath laughed and twirled her drink around, catching the steaming liquid as if fell out and flowing it right back in with a single motion. "What, you think a Kaiju is going to show up right on the Dome's grounds without explanation just because I say 'it's too quiet'?"

"Don't give the universe ideas!" Tachibana said desperately, causing them all to laugh.

The Marshall joined in with his fellows, deciding that just for today he could let the world's weight fall off his shoulders. What better way to celebrate then taking some time off? The world will still be here tomorrow, along with all the headaches and problems that inhabit it. Perhaps now is the time to simply sit back and enjoy what's most important: the fact that we are still here. Still breathing. Still living.

Thoughts of the war faded away as they laughed and talked the night away.

---

The rest of the Dome's inhabitants indeed had a very different way of celebrating the holiday, one that was loud, boisterous, and very, very human.

A large crowd was gathered together in the center of the Dome's Jaeger hanger, forming a circle around a grid of tables all set with every assortment of alcoholic drink and substance known to man, including a few that were vaguely illegal. The crowd was egging on the people sitting and drinking at the tables, a mix of Jaeger pilots, hybrids, mechanics, and even the head cook, who was loudly decrying the flavor of every drink he sampled and going on about how he would make it a thousand times better. A few people even believed him.

Down in one corner, Raleigh Becket and Mako Saegusa sat across from the Kaidanovskys, both couples eyeing their competition, searching for weakness. An already large pile of empty shot glasses sat on the table before them, and it was steadily growing larger at a copious rate. Tendo stood over them, keeping the flow of shots coming and shouting a running tally of both sides' scores, to the endless adoration of the crowd. Bets were passed along, arguments were flying, and the cheers were constant.

Elsewhere, the pilots of Crimson Typhoon were having a different, but no less impressive competition. Each of the triples was balancing precariously on a tricky surface, one on the back of a chair, another on the legs of an overturned table, and the last swinging slowly on a the head of a vehicle jack. All carried a pair of delicate wine glasses filled to the very top and were slowly but surely trying to sip from them without spilling a drop. The onlookers here were all almost silent, watching with awe and quiet respect at the feats of balance, control, and discipline.

Other, smaller groups were having their own forms of fun and merriment, whether it was talking, playing games, or just enjoying each other's company. Everyone knew that it was for days like today that they slogged and slaved at their work every day of the week for months on end. So that everyone across the world could live and work in peace, free from fear or danger. Their work was endless, difficult, and in many ways unsafe, but they did it anyway, because they knew that someone had to do it. Whether it was risking their lives out on the front lines or planning and working day and night to ensure every facet of the GDF functioned at its best, they gave their all in every instant.

So today, they let loose, forgetting their worries and stresses in favor of enjoying everything they could as much as possible. What better way to celebrate their one (guaranteed) day off each year?

---

Christmas, it seemed, was everywhere that evening. In the southern tip of the Rocky Mountains, high atop the peaks was a decades-old fallout shelter, one long-since modified into a lovely home. Within this fortress of solitude, two close-knit families were preparing to celebrate Christmas together for the first time.

"How's the wine?" Theodore smiled, topping off Tytanna's glass. The two had finally gotten a moment of privacy for the evening, and he was planning on making the most of it.

"It's delightful," Tya purred, snuggling up close to the smaller human. "Almost as wonderful as the company." She felt relaxed for the first time in ages, her red and gold scales glinting in the firelight, enjoying the peaceful, quiet atmosphere of the vault.

Said peace and quiet rapidly degenerated when their warm blanket suddenly got a whole lot warmer.

"Aaaaah!" Theo roared as he removed himself from the blanket like a scalded puppy, which wasn't far off the mark. "Why'd it suddenly feel like a roasting oven in there!?"

Tya tilted her head at Theo and shrugged. "I don't know what you mean. Just feels warm to me."

"Well yeah, but you're a kaiju so you have a higher… heat tolerance…" Theo facepalmed then pinched his nose at his own stupidity. "I didn't happen to mention that was a thermal blanket did I? One that I designed to actively sense the temperature of the people under it and adjust to make them comfortable. It must have focused on you and gone higher than I had planned for it to."

Tya pouted and clung to the blanket. "Can I still hang on to it?" She molded her face to more child-like proportions to better effect puppy dog eyes.

"If there weren't a chance that it would catch you, the couch, and itself on fire then sure, but since there is…"

Sighing, Tya handed over the blanket to Theo, who grabbed it by the edge and held it out in front of him. "I'll just go and adjust the settings a bit and it should be alright. Be right back." He smiled sadly at her then walked off, wincing a bit as part of the cloth brushed against him when he passed through the door.

"Blocked at every turn," Tya sighed, climbing up from her spot by the fire. "Might as well see what mom's up to..." She sniffed the air to find the pungent scent of burning cookies in the air. "Ooooof course she's trying to cook again."

Leaving the warmth of the living room, the half-human, half-kaiju supersoldier sauntered down the halls, following the potent odor of ruined snacks and the growing screams of three women trying to contain a fire.

"Where's the fire extinguisher!?" came a distinctive shriek. Tytanna moved out of the way as Sal rushed past her with a determined look over an amused grin. Stepping inside, Tya watched in awe as her mom's sugar cookies, something most would find easy to bake, were currently lit ablaze on the tray, with both Tya's mother, Joanne, working with Theo's mother, Tori, to put out the flames using drenched towels.

"... So I guess this means we won't be getting to decorate cookies?"

"We will, dear," Tori said, gasping for air as she leaned back from the smoke. "I made some ahead of time." She turned to Joanne, looking down at the smaller woman with an annoyed glare.

"I know, I know, 'I am henceforth banned from any and all cooking and or cooking equipment.' I know how this rodeo rolls."

"Actually i was going to ask if you were OK."

"Oh…" Joanne said, surprised. "Well-"

"THEN I was going to ban you from cooking."

"Oh," she said, much more dejectedly.

The trio stood in silence for a few moments, only to reflexively duck when Sal returned and began spraying a fire extinguisher wildly. The foam landed everywhere, eventually hitting its target and putting out the flame, as well as the spirits of the three women doused. Once the extinguisher was out Sal took a look at her results, having the grace to look sheepish as she saw the outcome.

"Well, you tried dear." Tori sighed, brushing her eyes and face clean. "Sal? Let's go get Haley and Kumiko, ok? It's almost time for dinner and presents." The elder fae smiled as the two stepped out. Tya bent down and picked her mother up, hoisting the older, yet smaller human into her arms.

"Hey mom, how're ya feeling?"

"Like a moron..." Joanne moaned, hiding her face against her daughter's breast. "I can't do anything right at home..."

"Now mom, don't get started on that attitude. So you can't cook and you get distracted. So what?" She smiled and nuzzled her mother's cheek. "You're still an amazing scientist. And a loving mother, to boot."

Joanne looked up to her child, at first mulling it over in her head, then slowly smiled. "Thanks, sweetie, I needed that." She reached up and hugged Tytanna gently. "Merry Christmas, dear."

"Merry Christmas, momma," she whispered, hugging her mother and giving a kiss on the cheek. Dysfunctional her families may be sometimes, but they were still hers, and she wouldn't give them up for anything.

---

Xenilla sat alone, as he usually did each day when he wasn't busy with one task or another. He sat on a cleared off ledge he had cut into this mountain during one particularly annoying day, surveying the land below him where his mutants slept or squabled. He sneered at the lot of them, their stupidity and ignorance almost insulting to be witness to. How such 'beasts' had managed to come into being he knew not but he found their existence distasteful nonetheless.

About a mile off he could see a pair of mutants slowly creeping up on one of his own accidental creations, Krystalak, and Xenilla could feel a sense of anticipation growing. He knew what the fools were up to and was eager to see how his 'son' would react. One approached from above the crystal monster, using the cover of a ridge to mask its approach, while the other was being much more open with his movements. From different kaiju Xenilla would have expected this to be a deliberate feint to catch Krystalak off guard, but in this case it was likely the monster genuinely thought he was being sneaky.

It wasn't fooling Xenilla, and it definitely wasn't fooling Krystalak, as the supposed 'victim' swiftly rose up to tower above the crouching mutant and slammed one of his spiked elbows into the mutant's back. The sharp spear pinned the mutant to the ground and caused it to roar in pain, trying and failing to strike back at Krystalak and free itself, the superior monster snarling at his attacker angrily. Up above the other monster finally managed to react to the sudden turn and leaped down from the ridge. Xenilla had to hold back a laugh as he watched Krystalak easily roll out of the way of the failing mutant, leaving the two ambushers to collide with each other in a confused pile of mismatched limbs and growling maws. Krystalak turned to look at the two mutants and sneered at them before tramping off to find a new sleeping spot, flicking his tail like a whip as he left to fling a small cloud of spikes their way. A few other mutants glanced at their fellows trying to disentangle themselves while attempting to not impale themselves on the forest of crystal spires that were growing around them.

Idiots, Xenilla growled, turning his gaze skyward again. All of them simply worthless for anything other than brute force. Whatever twist of evolution resulted in these monstrosities deserves to be crushed into the dirt just as much as they do.

It was frustrating, having to let these things live when they were nothing but a danger and threat to his planet, but getting rid of them would cause more harm than good, leaving aside the fact that he did still need their support for the time being. Not for much longer though, he thought. Soon enough the goal will be reached, and maybe things can finally be changed for the better. He almost smiled at the idea, but he knew there was still too much work to be done to relax just yet.

There was the question of clearing out the last pockets of resistance, building up defenses to make sure the Coalition could never come back, or at least not without suffering, and solidifying his rule to make sure the planet was safe. There was also the question of Destroyah…

A sigh escaped the great reptile as he glanced down at Destroyah's personal vale, a place that none of the other mutants dared to approach. Not after she showed them all just what the cost of disturbing her was. She was undoubtedly the most dangerous and brutal of any of the mutants, but strangely enough she was almost one of the smartest and most stable. He suspected that she knew more of his true goals than she let on, and the fact that she fought for him regardless left him conflicted on his views for her. Dangerous as she was, she might be the only one reasonable enough to be trusted… but that was for another time.

Xenilla shoved the thoughts away and tried to focus back on building his plans for the next year. Some of the mutants (most really) had chafed at him declaring that this month there would not be any attacks, but he had been firm in his orders and it had been soon enough since the last 'disagreement' that none of them were willing to argue with him about it. For now at least. He knew the arrogant fools would be all too eager to forget how strong their opposition was and go out to fight at the first opportunity, not caring at the risk to themselves. None of them ever seemed to remember just how close they came to death whenever they went up against the likes of the Guardians, or Mothra, or even Ickabrod…

I wonder how he's doing… Is he enjoying the break from the constant combat, or is he worried about things being too quiet? I hope it's the former. He deserves a chance to rest, even if it does make things a bit harder in the long run. A calm smile appeared on Xenilla's face as he leaned back against the mountain, allowing sleep to overtake him.

Can't have him breaking before it's time after all…

---

Godzilla Junior rarely had a chance at deep, uninterrupted sleep after he assumed the place of his father. There was always a disaster going on somewhere, some new kaiju rampaging through human cities, an alien incursion, or something even stranger that required his attention and often his skill in combat. He knew it was all necessary, as there were few others who were as up to the tasks as him and he could never allow himself to ignore a threat when it appeared, but the constant stress and conflict was tiring, no matter how much sunlight or radiation he absorbed. Sometimes he just wanted a chance to get some sleep, but when he got it these last few weeks he was… perturbed.

What is he up to? Junior asked himself as he gazed off in the direction he knew Xenilla was. The sense was extremely faint at this distance, but Junior could still feel him even from this far away, and that tiny presence was always pestering him even during his deepest rest. Yet despite that, Junior had not only managed to catch up on his sleep, but actually managed to feel something he never knew he hadn't missed. Boredom.

He'd been bored before of course. There were plenty of times during his childhood where he had searched for something to do during the long stretches where his father was busy either fighting or sleeping, but his life had been so busy since he'd grown up that just taking a moment to relax with something other than sleep had been an enigma. Thus, with no dangers being presented to the planet and his rest well and truly achieved, Godzilla was stuck with absolutely nothing to do. And it was bothering him.

I know it is wrong to wish that Xenilla or the mutants would do something just because I'm bored, but still… It's aggravating to just sit here when I know they are still out there, still a threat, but also know I can't do anything about it at the moment. His tail thrashed in agitation, stirring up a cloud of dust behind him.

Still, I guess I should be grateful, since all this quiet means nobody else is being put at risk. He grunted but grinned slightly. That's something at least.

Hey Godzillaaaaaa!

The Kaiju King blinked and turned at the mild roar, finding to his surprise (and hidden excitement) that Zilla was running toward him. Please let him have something for me to do, he mumbled to himself before standing up to meet his younger friend. What's happening Zilla? Is there a problem somewhere?

Zilla skidded to a stop in front of him, the smaller saurian quickly shaking his head in answer. Nope, no issues, just… well see I had this idea that I wanted to run by you. Uh, no pun intended.

An idea you say? Of what sort?

Well… Zilla paused to scratch his chin, apparently contemplating what he wanted to say. First, let me ask you a question. When you were with Azusa, did she ever celebrate any holidays or anything like that with you?

Godzilla raised an eyeridge at the question, caught off guard by the topic. Not really. I was not with her for very long so I suppose we didn't have many chances for any… celebrations.

Oh… drat. Anyway, the reason I ask is because I just got a call from my dad wishing me a Merry Christmas and I was going to go be with them for the holiday when I realized that we've never actually celebrated anything with the rest of the Defenders and that since they're all here cause of the lack of action this would be the perfect time… And you have no idea what I'm talking about do you?

Godzilla shrugged and answered honestly. Not at all. What exactly is this 'Christmas' your father was wishing you to be… merry about?

Zilla's eyes seemed to bug out of his skull. You don't even know what Christmas is?! How… but I mean… Okay, no. We have to fix this right now!

Fix what? The fact that I am ignorant of human party culture? That doesn't seem like a big deal to me.

Zilla shook his head vehemently. No no no, that's not what I mean at all. Christmas is more than just a reason for humans to party… I mean it is that, but there's other stuff that goes along with it! It's a chance for people to be with their families, celebrate the fact that they're all together and happy and safe after another year.

Hmmm… Godzilla stared down at Zilla quietly for a moment as he mulled over the other kaiju's description. It did sound interesting, and indeed something that his mother would have loved to show him given her tendency to be nice to most people she met. Perhaps she simply never had the chance to do it with him.

Well, it's not like I have anything better to do at the moment, he mused. Maybe I should give this whole thing a chance. He was about to speak up and say so when he realized Zilla had kept on talking without him, and now was talking about something completely undecipherable.

I mean, technically the holidays start several months early with Halloween, which is a completely different thing where you celebrate being scared, which I really didn't get at the time but hey, humans are weird. So next up is Thanksgiving, where-

Um, Zilla, back on topic?

The saurian blinked, then realized Godzilla had missed the last minute of his talking. Oh, right. Sorry.

It's fine. You seem rather excited about this whole thing.

Of course I am! Usually I'm too busy fighting kaiju or something to have a chance to actually hang out with my family for the holidays, but this year not only can I be with them, I can hang out with my extended family too!

Extended family? Godzilla had never heard of that term before.

Yeah, all of you guys count as my larger kaiju family. I mean, we're all kinda in the same boat when it comes to being big, powerful, and protectors of people, so we might as well all be happy being with each other. We're all we've got after all.

Something about that last statement hit Godzilla hard, harder than he ever got hit in most of his fights. For a long time Godzilla had considered his family to be made up of only two beings, his mother and his father. His father was dead, and his mother was forever beyond his reach. His only other relations were a 'sister' that wanted nothing to do with his fight to protect the planet and only tolerated him when he visited, and a 'brother' who represented everything he was fighting against. For him, that had been his reality for years, something he'd had to face day in and day out knowing it was probably never going to change.

To hear of the concept of considering others family, regardless of real relation, was a whole new idea for him. And he found himself liking it.

You know… you actually have a point Zilla.

Zilla looked up at Godzilla in surprise. I… I do?

Yes. Like it or not, we kaiju can only truly rely on each other for certain. As much as I respect humans and their current leadership, I know that in the end they will do what is necessary to protect themselves, even if it comes at our expense. So while we may protect them and work with them, we can't really trust them, at least not right now. For the time being, we Defenders are alone against the world… So perhaps you have a point that we should try to be as close as we can with each other. With that in mind… how does one celebrate this Christmas?

Godzilla almost immediately felt regret for putting forth this idea as he watched Zilla's smile grow unnaturally large, to the point it was almost coming off his face.

Well first off, we're going to need a tree…

---

Gamera and Yonggary walked beside each other to where they had been called, each mulling over the brief message they had received from Mothra. She had called it an invitation, apparently to a party of some sort that Zilla was setting up. They were celebrating the human holiday of Christmas, which both had heard of but didn't know anything about, but Mothra assured them that wouldn't be a concern. And at the end of the message have been a very clear, albeit confusing, statement that said simply 'Try not to laugh'. Neither Guardian had any idea what that was about, but they were sure that it would be very interesting.

When they arrived at the central plain of Solgell, they found that they were right. All around them the mountains had been covered in small motes of softly burning light, each slowly flashing with different colors in a cascading rainbow. Closer to the center they could see most of the other kaiju sitting together around a huge bonfire, which Rodan appeared to be feeding every few seconds to ensure it stayed bright and strong. But the obvious centerpoint was their 'illustrious' leader standing at the middle of the circle.

Yonggary was completely bewildered, but Gamera sported a small smile and shook his head in amusement.

Is… Is he…

I believe he is.

… Why?

I'm sure the answer is very simple from Zilla's point of view. Though from Godzilla's…

Standing a comfortable distance from the bonfire was Godzilla, who was standing uncomfortably still with a less than happy grimace on his face. His scales were shrouded from sight by a veritable cloud of the same colored lights covering the mountains, with a particular emphasis for lining his spines with ones that shone in the same hue as his radiative power.

The pair approached the circle and picked out a place for themselves, getting pleasant greetings from the kaiju next to them and returning them gladly.

Does anyone know why exactly our leader is currently dressed up as the Sun? Yon asked, causing a spread of chuckles from those listening.

That's my fault. Mothra flew over to them and settled onto the ground soft enough to not disturb the few trees that still stood standing. Zilla needed help decorating the valley with lights, so I volunteered to set Lanturn spells everywhere. They're harmless, and should burn themselves out by tomorrow, but they are surprisingly pretty when set up in sequence like this.

Okay, that explains the lights… Yon said, then nodded at Godzilla, who was still as stiff as a statue, but what about Goji there?

Mothra tittered and lightly flapped her wings as she laughed. Well, one of the traditions Zilla was talking about was something he called a Christmas tree, which is where humans cut down a tree and decorate it with lights to gather around during their celebrations. Our problem was that we didn't have anything big enough to serve as our metaphorical tree… until Zilla happened to look at Junior's spines and…

He thought they looked like a tree? Gamera asked.

Pretty much. Obviously Godzilla wasn't too keen on the idea, but Zilla and I managed to… talk him into it you might say.

Zilla chose that moment to walk by and commented, If by 'talk him into it', you mean brow-beat him with pleading until he gave up, then okay...

Different method, same result, Mothra chirped gleefully.

So, Zilla, tell me, what is the occasion for this celebration? Gamera asked.

Nice rhyme. And honestly? I just thought that we should do things together as a group for once. Something that doesn't involve fighting for our lives or those of others. Just… take a chance to relax and be friends you know?

Yon smiled and said, I can get behind that. Too much of our time is spent worrying about the Xen and his allies and what they're up to, rather than trying to get to know each other. If making the island bright as day time and having Godzilla be made into a light source is how it happens, then I'm all for it.

You aren't the one stuck like this! Godzilla called out, glancing their way.

You know, Mothra said, you can move around if you want, Goji. The lights aren't going to fall off just because you take a step.

I know that. It's just… Godzilla moved slightly then squinted and shook his head heavily. It's disorienting.

Think we should turn them down a tad? Zilla asked as he watched Godzilla slowly and ponderously shift his feet.

Probably. Everyone's already seen them, so they've served their purpose for the moment. Mothra fluttered into the air and hovered over Godzilla, gently flapping her wings as the light sources dimmed so that they were barely noticeable. Better?

Greatly. Godzilla sighed and released the tension from his stance. So, now that everyone is here, what do we do next?

Actually, not quite everyone is here, Zilla said, doing a quick headcount. We're still missing one.

What the Daiei is going on here?

Every kaiju in the circle turned to see Gabara staring at them in bewilderment, the oni standing with his hands on his hips and his head tilted to the side.

We're celebrating Christmas, Mothra said as she floated over to him. You want to join?

Wait what? Christmas? How do any of you guys even know what that is?

Zilla told us, was the immediate answer from everyone.

Yeah that makes sense… Gabara said to himself.

So… do you want to join us? Mothra repeated.

The oni scoffed and shook his head. Yeah, thanks but no thanks. Christmas ain't exactly my cup of tea.

Let me guess, Zilla said, you'd prefer Halloween?

Actually my favorite holiday is April Fools Day. Gabara smirked at Zilla's surprised look. Try and make sense of that one why dontcha. I'll leave you to… whatever this is. Not interested.

The ogre stalked off into the night, and everyone let him go and went back to their conversations. Mothra watched him leave and sighed.

I'd hoped he actually try and engage with everyone for once.

Zilla just shrugged and turned back to the circle. What can you do? The guy's an obvious Grinch. We aren't going to convince him otherwise, so let him be lonely and grumpy if he wants.

Grinch?

Long sto… well technically it's a short story, but I'll tell you it later.

So now what? Godzilla asked. Everybody who cares is here, so what's next?

Um… I guess we just talk about stuff and enjoy ourselves.

Godzilla looked around the circle and asked, Anyone have anything to say?

There some coughs, a few grumbles, and one or two shrugs, but nobody spoke up. Instead, they were all looking at Godzilla as if in expectation of something.

Looks like you're up on the spot their boss, Rodan said.

What spot?

Mothra thrust her wings at Godzilla and said, Just say something Junior.

Why me? Ugh, fine…

Godzilla looked around at the Defenders, friends and allies whom he had been leading in one way or another for years, and realized just how little he knew about most of them. They trusted him to get them through any disaster, yet he rarely took the time to interact with them outside of combat or giving orders. Still, he felt a connection to these beings, these creatures who thought that he, Godzilla, was a leader worth following, even into life-threatening danger. Upon reflection, he found that this knowledge meant a lot to him.

I'm not really sure what to say here, so I guess I'll just say whatever I feel like. Zilla told me that the point of this holiday is to celebrate being with family and the ones you care about. Well, the only family I have are either outside of my reach or dead, so I suppose being with all of you is the next best thing. All of us are here because we decided to work together to protect the planet we call home. When danger appears, we are the ones who step up to face it. But why do we do it? I know why I do it, but what about all of you?

The listeners were surprised at the direction of the speech, but seemed eager to hear what else Godzilla had to say. The King himself paused, trying to find the words to express what he was thinking. Finally, he lifted his gaze and spoke, a new tone entering his voice.

I think I know the reason you do it; it's because you know that if you don't, no one else will. We fight not just because our own lives are at risk, but to say that we care about what happens to this planet. And we care about the planet because we care about each other. In this world we kaiju are the only ones who can support each other, because nobody else can truly understand us. Humans cannot understand what it is like to be as large and powerful as us, while the mutants are so aggressive and violent that they can't understand our desire for peace. The only beings out there who will relate to you are here, sitting beside you. We've been given a rare time of peace and quiet this month, so let's make the most of it.

Godzilla was surprised at how quiet the other kaiju were when he finished speaking, but he could sense that they appreciated his words nonetheless. Everyone started forming their own conversations, talking with more enthusiasm than Godzilla had ever witnessed from them before. He felt a warmth in his heart that he thought probably wasn't due to excess radiation.

Hey Zilla?

Said kaiju turned at being addressed. Yeah G?

Godzilla smiled and clapped the other saurian on the back. This was a good idea. Glad I thought of it.

Zilla blinked slowly at him, then rolled his eyes and nudged Godzilla back. Glad you did too. Merry Christmas Junior.

Merry Christmas to you as well.

---

At the risk of repeating myself (and the story) a very gay Yuletide to you all! And wouldn't you know it, we had a Christmas miracle happen. What is the miracle you ask? I managed to get this thing done before Chirstmas day was over! Yay to me!

What's that? You're not impressed? Eh, fair enough. Would have been kinda silly to release this after Christmas was over, but hey, what can you do?

Anywho, I have a bit of an announcement to make. Last year I made a resolution that I would release at least one chapter of this story each month, to motivated myself to not fall into a slump. And for the most part I managed it (aside from September, but there were extenuating circumstances there). This year, I have a different resolution: to slow down, take my time, and try to improve my writing now that I have shown that I can actually focus on it. How am I going to do that? By looking at the areas where I am weak and try to get stronger, as well as actually make long term plans and stick to them rather than doing whatever feels right at the moment. It's not going to be easy, but I do have some help for it, so I hope I can actually get better through all this.

Basically, I'm going to try and focus more on character and story over technical proficiency and production rate which I already have down pat. And that includes a large scale rewrite/edit of what I've done up until this point. I'll make sure to list out the changes as best I can once I implement them so you don't have to go tramping back through every word just to find out what's different. Once that is done, I'm going to face forward and plot out my course so I don't get lost again. With my friends helping me, I'm sure it won't be too bumpy a ride. Once again, if you have any critiques or other issues, now is the time to talk about them. I listen to PMs here or on my Fimfic page (Smjames) so be sure to hit me up if you have anything to say. Anything. So long as it's not politics or some stupid crap like that. Nerd stuff is fine thou.

Till next year, this is Blazing Phoenix, signing off.