The Yukan'na Ryoshi was one of the many ships from Japan that went fishing in the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean, as it's temperatures were one of the places where schools of fish could gather like in the days of old. Unlike others though, she was more readily built for the vicious storms that could build up suddenly, and still fish without having to turn back. This came from the technology developed from mechs of older days, and was experimental for ships when she was launched years before. She had weathered many a storm before, and survived with a good catch.
It was coming in handy now, as she fought against one of the nastiest storms that had been seen in years. Tumultuous waves crashed against the ship's side, pushing and pulling her to and fro as if a rope in a game of tug and war. She remained steady, while her crew scrambled about, preparing for the next catch to happen. One held on to a railing, his face queasy from the way the boat rocked. Another stopped for a second, and called out to him.
"You alright there Ichiro? You're looking a little green at the gills."
The man's eyes shot daggers towards his coworker, but he spoke as he really felt. His friend could always be a pain, couldn't he? But he was loyal, Ichiro could give him that thing.
"I'm fine Gabara. I'll catch up in a little bit. Just need to get balanced."
His friend simply gave a shrug, and returned back to scrambling for the next catch. Ichiro stayed though, looking outwards to try and stop the churning of his stomach. He wasn't a sailor, so why had he come out here? There were plenty of other things that he could've been doing right now that would've paid better than this right now.
As Ichiro stared out, his eyes caught something, a flash of movement beneath the waves. Not the usual fish, who would have been more erratic, but solid, with a length that was confusing . Perhaps a whale he thought. A bolt of lightening flashed, revealing something that terrified the man. He backed away from the railing, a childhood memory flashing before his eyes that identified the creature before him in the swirling waters. He began to scramble towards the bridge, to sound the alarm for the threat. It was hard work, with most of the way being soaked in water and full of people. It was inevitable when he slipped near a railing, crashing down to the slick floor of the deck with a crack. He winced, pain wracking the spot in his forearm had split upon the deck. Luckily, it hadn't punctured his skin, and he could get it treated in the medical bay below.
As he pulled himself up, an alarm rang throughout the entirety of the Ryoshi, things halting immediately. As Ichiro turned away from the main deck, knowing that they had seen it as well, he stood shocked with the rest of the crew, eyes falling upon a form long thought to be gone. Only the sound of the siren came from the ship as it towered above them, exuding a power from nature that Mankind had forgotten could exist. Yellow eyes leered down towards the ship, and a scream from the past reverberated throughout the air, angered that this thing issued a challenge. It quickly lunged at it, with the workers giving a scream of fear as it crashed into the ship.
It was a small office in the GDF Building in Kyoto where Kaito Yamamoto sat reading a file, a cup of tea slowly cooling on a nearby end table. It was a cloudy spring day outside, with enough light coming through the window to illuminate the files without the need for a lamp. His eyes scanned the file carefully, his eyebrow raising slightly as he continued on in silence. The only noises were those of outside traffic
It was soon broken by the sound of the door opening, and an elderly man in a gray suit entered. Kaito stood up quickly, standing at attention. The arrival simply waved it off, and the two shook hands eagerly. The elder man set down a briefcase and spoke, a tone of casualness in his voice.
"How are you Kaito? I hope that your last mission wasn't too difficult for you. Americans can be rude at times."
Kaito gave a smile, and answered.
"It wasn't that bad. Mostly just dull talks and uneventful rides. Glad to be back in more familiar places. I am sorry that I could not come to the inauguration speech because of it. I heard it was excellent."
The elder man gave a nod and a slight smile to it, before taking a more serious face and talking again. It pained him to do this to his friend, but it was needed.
"It is alright. But for now, don't get comfortable. We have a new mission for you, and a more risky one than before."
Pulling a folder out of the case, he handed it to the agent before making his way to the window, looking out over the city. Tokyo had grown in the years since he had first joined, and was the technological center for the world. Skyscrapers reached taller than any kaiju had ever been, and hadn't seen one in decades. In fact, few had been seen in ages, with the battle between Kiryu, Godzilla, and Mothra being the last main kaiju event. There were generations that had not even known the threat of kaiju, and yet troubles were not gone with them. One of them was the focus of the folder, which Kaito brought up after quickly skimming.
"The Red Bamboo? I thought they were gone, long since dissolved."
The leader shook his head, not looking back to his colleague.
"No, they are not. While many groups had been eliminated in the wake of events of the years of terror, they survived and are back in full force. A few bombings have been claimed by them, several hacking events left with their logo everywhere, and the normal underground activities such as the black market have been falling under their control. We don't know why, we don't know how. And that's where you come in. They're recruiting hard for people, and we want you to go in and join. We need intel, and that's where you come in. It'll be a solo mission, and reports will have to be clandestine. You know what's likely to happen if they catch you, and it is all up to you if you wish to go."
Silence filled the room as the younger of the toe quietly mused, until Kaito made his choice.
"I'll do it. I'll head out tonight, as to get a head start on it. No need to worry Yoshito. I'll be fine."
Yoshito gave a grin, and turned back to face his old neighbor and friend. Giving him a pat on the shoulder and moving him towards the door, he spoke.
"Excellent Kaito. Now go home and relax, as you'll need it."
Sharing a laugh, the duo left the room together, the door swinging shut. Little did either know that their future was about to change abruptly, for better or for worse.
The morning's light shown down upon a jeep, barreling down the road faster than it should have, one of the only vehicles on the paved road towards the coastal edge of Watari. The driver was a woman with silver hair and a determined and slightly bored look to her, both hands on the steering wheels. Akane had not wanted to come look at some wreck, but it beat sitting in the office like she was some worker and not an ex-pilot of the most fearsome machine ever made. Her companion was a quieter girl, and Akane couldn't remember when Yuri had spoken besides introducing herself. She hadn't seemed like the type to, so Akane adapted. It was something she was becoming used to, almost fully adjusted to a world without kaiju.
So they rode on with the radio blaring some American song, eventually reaching the coastal edge. The sight that greeted them wasn't what either had really expected from the news reports and the simple reports had said. The Yukan'na Ryoshi had gone missing about a week before, and what was left had finally washed up to shore. And there wasn't much to talk about. Gashes in the metal had left metal scattered, and parts of it seemed to be torn off. Swathes of the main body of the ship had seemed to be crushed on top of it all, leaving it looking like a torn apart tin can. She rolled the jeep up to the tent city, parking it in the makeshift lot. This was going to be a lot harder than she thought.
The duo walked in the tent city, gear for the different tasks both would be set out to do. Yuri headed towards the ship, looking it over behind her rimmed glasses before stepping in to the wreck, following the crews of Japanese coast guard and JSDF. Akane meanwhile, headed to a medical tent. A survivor had been pulled from the wreck, and it was her job to interview him. She entered the white and red tent, and quickly found the man sitting in a wheelchair, staring out the plastic window. She gave a slight cough, and began to speak.
"Mr. Ichiro? I'm Akane Yashiro, from the Global Defense Force. I'm here to see if you are alright, and if you have any idea as to what happened to the Yukan'na Ryoshi. Could you possibly answer some questions?"
The man mumbled something, Akane missing it.
"What did you say sir? I couldn't hear you."
The man turned around, and gave a look that chilled Akane to the bone. She was all too familiar with the stare, one of fear and trepidation that something much more powerful than a lone person had come through. His voice was a mere whisper, but seemed to reverberate throughout the room and her skull.
"They're back," he mumbled, "and we're not ready. We've forgotten them, tried to move on, and they're back with a vengeance. It tore it apart like a sheet of paper, and now it's headed here."
He turned back, and Akane did not push him to answer more. She of all people knew the risk of what he meant, and his mind was fragile. There was no need, and it was time to regroup with her partner. As she did, she ran into a strange sight. Yuri was walking to her split off from a group that surrounded a large tank. Inside, the ex-pilot could see a large segmented form scrabbling along, ramming itself into the glass. Before she could ask, Yuri answered with an almost computer like voice.
"It's a Shockirus. A common parasite of many different types of kaiju, but commonly found on the more reptilian ones. I believe that we may have an active kaiju for the first time in twenty years."
