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.

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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?]