Godzilla (Redux)

[Mothra Freak]

So I restarted my fanfic from last year, but this time I've put more thought into the characters and decided to only go with characters similar to ones from the movies, rather than outright lifting them from the films and dropping them into my stories.

Anyways, this is a reboot of the series as a whole, and is what I would do if I was in charge of the Legendary Pictures project. I'm taking pages from the original Godzilla, the 1984 reboot, and a few other movies, too, so there's that. But one of the most overlooked things in monster movies I feel is the ramifications of the simple existence of a creature like Godzilla, which would be felt in the stock market, and generally in our day-to-day lives. I really hope that comes through here.

Enjoy!

Chapter One
The deep, brilliant blue ocean below rolled like a veil in the wind, obscuring the mysteries within her depths from the scanning and prying eyes watching from above. It roared, ceaselessly and forebodingly, as any such behemoth would. But today, the watchers roared back, louder.

A white helicopter moved southeast through the air, the thumping of its blades drowning out the sounds of the Pacific Ocean to the passengers inside. One of them, a young woman with dark brown hair tied back in a pony tail, surveyed the other passengers and decided she was most definitely under-dressed. She was wearing a white t-shirt and tan cargo shorts, and a pair of tennis shoes. The middle-aged man next to her, whom she was vaguely familiar with, was wearing a white buttoned shirt and black jacket, khaki pants, and a pair of black boots. Next to him was a slightly younger Japanese man, wearing a black suit with a blue undershirt and a red tie, and brown leather shoes. Next to him, another Japanese man, who looked to be about the same age as the young woman, who was also dressed in a black suit. Directly across from them were a few soldiers of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, dressed in camouflage-patterned field uniforms. One of these soldiers was Captain Tadao Iwata, the man in charge of this... whatever it was.

Search and rescue was what she had been told when the Secret Service came knocking. She had no idea why a Cornell biologist was required for a search and rescue mission in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, but they had had proper identification and rushed her into a limousine and then to the airport, where a private jet was awaiting her, and from there, she had arrived in Tokyo approximately half an hour ago.

But the man sitting next to her convinced her entirely that something was being kept quiet. He was Dr. Sven Brandt, a rather accomplished nuclear physicist from Germany, who had been brought all the way from the CERN headquarters in Geneva. He looked rather frail, too. The young woman had never seen him in person before, and he seemed somewhat larger on television.

“Pardon me, Dr. Brandt,” she said, tapping him on the shoulder.

“Yes, madam, may I help you?” he answered in a light accent, turning his head to look back at her.

His face was lined deeply with age, and his hair had grayed since she had last seen him on camera.

“I was just wondering if you knew what was going on,” she said, folding her hands together in her lap.

“You know as much as I; in fact, I was hoping Captain Iwata would be so kind as to inform us of the situation driving these odd circumstances,” Dr. Brandt said, prompting the man sitting in the center seat opposite them to respond.

“I suppose we have ascertained that no one is bugged,” the captain said, wiping his palms on his pants. “Over the past several weeks, the Navy has received many distress calls from ships to the southeast of the mainland. As the number of calls increased, the Prime Minister became more convinced that some anomaly was causing these... incidents.” He looked from the young man at the other end of the row, who was scribbling on a note pad, to the young woman.

“Each of these incidents occurred in a straight line pointing directly at the mainland. The latest of these incidents occurred only a few hours ago, and we are en-route to the site as we speak. A large fishing vessel was run aground in the middle of a small atoll. Troops are already on the ground.”

“Sir, with all due respect,” the young woman said, “I don't understand how this is a matter for a biologist and a world-renowned nuclear physicist.”

“Well, Ms. Holt, I can assure you that you will be able to solve that mystery yourself. We should be close enough for you to see the wreck if you look out the window,” Captain Iwata said.

She furrowed her brow for a second, but then turned to look out the window, half-expecting to see the hull covered in sucker-marks, as if it had been attacked by some kraken from the depths.

What she saw, however, made her gasp. Similar helicopters to the one carrying her were circling around the ship in question, and several small boats darted back and forth across the surface of the water, and a destroyer floated, pointing northwest, as if on guard against some unknown threat. And the ship's hull wasn't covered in the marks of a colossal squid's suckers. There were two gigantic gashes in its side.


The gashes in the hull were utterly huge. A man standing on the shoulders of another man could easily pass through them. The ship itself looked like it had been pushed almost all the way out of the water. Aside from the twin holes, the hull was dented in a few places and much of the railing around the deck had been crushed.

Jessica Holt, now dressed in a bulky orange radiation suit, watched men dressed similarly walk by as the ocean slapped at the black rocks they were all standing on. They held small black boxes that issued static as they waved wands connected to the boxes by wires. Geiger Counters.

The bodies of dead fish floated at the surface of the water, totally at the mercy of the wind and the current.

“The Prime Minister has been given charge of this operation by the United Nations. It is his wish that you inspect the wreckage, and take preliminary evidence, such as sediment deposits or DNA, of the cause of these incidents,” Captain Iwata explained, leading the group into the ship's interior through one of the holes in the hull.

Something the Captain had said puzzled Jessica. DNA? Surely no living creature had done this. Of course, there were the holes they were passing through, but it was entirely possible that they had been made by some natural force, like a mine or an underwater volcano. This area was, after all, known for its constant geological activity.

The holes led to a cargo bay that reeked of dead fish. Sure enough, more dead, slimy bodies of hundreds of tuna and other Pacific fish littered the floor, their lifeless eyes staring blankly into space.

Several more soldiers wearing radiation suits were patrolling inside, walking up the metal steps that led higher, possibly into the ship's quarters.

“Captain, are we allowed to go anywhere inside the ship?” she asked, avoiding the glazed-over expressions of the dead fish.

“Yes. But the Prime Minister wishes to have a debriefing in one hour, so you have thirty minutes to gather evidence,” Iwata said.

“Thank you,” Jessica said. Immediately, she started toward the stairs, stepping carefully over the fish.

“Do you mind if I accompany you, ma'am?” the younger Japanese man asked, carrying a notebook in one hand, and a pencil held behind his ear.

Jessica paused, looking at the man. She guessed he was a reporter.

“No, not at all,” she replied.

“Thank you. I am Takashi Maki, and I am a freelance reporter,” he said, confirming her assumption and offering his hand.

“Jessica Holt,” she replied, shaking his hand firmly.

“Can you tell me anything about yourself, ma'am?” he asked, grabbing his pencil and holding it poised over his notebook.

Without even waiting for an answer, he continued: “Where are you from?”

Jessica took a moment to compose her response, taking several steps up the stairs, her footfalls causing the metal steps to ring out. “Well, I live in Ithaca, New York. I'm a biologist at Cornell University.”

“Interesting,” Takashi mumbled, clumsily scribbling Jessica's words on a page in his notebook. He didn't seem used to writing while wearing a such a bulky suit. “Do you know why the United Nations saw fit to include you in this investigation?”

“No,” Jessica said. “I didn't even know this was UN business until Captain Iwata brought it up.”

“I see, so it seems like the UN is being very secretive about this whole thing,” Takashi said.

“Yes,” Jessica said, reaching the top of the staircase. She looked down, seeing Takashi just a step behind her, and the older Japanese man about halfway up. “It's strange, though. A biologist on an investigation into what is probably being caused by tectonic activity.”

“So you think the damage to the Eiko-maru's hull was caused by seismic occurrences?” Takashi asked, still scribbling.

“Yes. That's the only thing I can think of as a possibility. It was certainly no shark, or even an aggressive whale,” Jessica said, chuckling to herself at the thought of such a massive shark doing that much damage. It would have to be far larger than a Megalodon to be able to create such marks, and those were extinct. No, such a shark would have to be even larger than a blue whale. And that was even more ridiculous.

A million different images flashed through her mind at this, however. Cheesy science fiction movies about impossibly huge sharks snatching airplanes from the air, and battling equally-large crocodiles over territory. She imagined such a crocodile lurking beneath the surface of the Pacific, ambushing ships and capsizing them before tearing them apart with its jaws. She remembered several different b-movies from the 1950s, featuring ancient creatures awoken by nuclear testing and rising to terrorize the surface world. Then she remembered the Geiger counters being carried around by the soldiers. She started to try and think of something else.

“Then how do you explain the increase in ambient radiation levels?” Takashi asked.

Jessica thought for a moment, passing through a doorway leading out of the cargo hold and into the cabin, which had stained wooden walls, and a cheap carpet with several dark spots on it. A few soldiers passed, carrying a stretcher with a white sheet draped across what was, no doubt, the body of one of the sailors who had worked aboard this vessel.

“I'm not sure, honestly, but I think it could be a result of the leak at the Fukushima power plant last year, or even North Korean nuclear test launches,” Jessica answered. “If you want something more concrete, you should talk to Doctor Brandt. He's the expert there.”

“Yes. Thank you. I was planning on talking to Doctor Brandt as well,” Takashi said.

“Anything else?” Jessica asked, coming to a closed wooden door and stopping in front of it. Might as well start collecting somewhere.

“Not yet, but I would like to ask you a few more questions after you finish collecting evidence,” Takashi said.

“All right,” Jessica said, grabbing the brass doorknob and turning it. Somewhat to her surprise, the door creaked open slowly, apparently having not been closed completely.

The room inside looked completely untouched by the patrolling soldiers. It was lit rather dimly by the sunlight filtering in through a dusty window on the opposite wall, next to some red-painted lockers and above a small wooden table.

There was a desk to the right of the door, covered in communications equipment. In front of this desk was a chair bolted to the floor, and Jessica could see a man sitting in it, his back turned to her. She walked cautiously over to him, stepping lightly so she didn't startle him. He was probably in shock, after all.

She said softly, “Sir? Can you hear me?”

The man made no reply, and only remained silent and still.

“Sir?” Jessica said again, tapping the seat gently. The seat spun on a well-greased axle, and Jessica's stomach twisted in horror at what she saw. The man sitting there was most definitely dead. His skin had been drained of all color, and the skin hung loosely from his bones like a blanket. His eyes stared forward in an expression of terror.

She crumpled to the floor, breathing heavily, holding her face in her hands. The man looked like the victim of a vampire. She glanced up again, steeling herself.

And then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of movement. Her head instinctively jerked to face the direction of the motion, finding one of the locker doors swinging open slowly. Inside it was another man, but this one's face was full of color, his skin tight. His bare chest moving ever so slightly.

He was sitting inside the locker in what looked like a defensive position, with his knees pulled all the way up to his chest. In one hand was a hatchet.

Jessica rose to her feet and stepped over to the man, squatting down in front of him. She grabbed his wrist, pressing her thumb against the skin just below his. There was a weak pulse.

Her heart leaped at this, and she grabbed the man by his shoulders, shaking him gently to wake him up, hopefully without startling him.

And then Jessica heard the most terrifying sound she'd ever heard. An unearthly screech erupted from somewhere behind her. She spun on her heel to see a large black mass sailing through the air toward her. She grunted as it landed on her chest, knocking her onto her back.

She screamed, seeing the... creature, whatever it was, swiping at her with a wicked siphon-like appendage that protruded from what seemed like its mouth. She grabbed at the section closest to her shoulders, trying to push it off of her. Its skin was cool to the touch, and very hard, like an exoskeleton. Despite her efforts, the creature had latched its many feet onto her suit, jabbing into her abdomen and chest with what felt like clawed feet.

Her stomach felt like it was rising into her throat and she couldn't scream any more but still, she tried to force her voice out of her throat, to shout for help, to alert somebody of her predicament. The harder she pushed, the harder the thing pushed back, and its pincers were getting closer and closer to her neck, and she felt her heart rate skyrocket, and she knew that this was what had killed the man in the chair, and what the man in the locker had been hiding from. This was why she had been brought onto the investigation team, and somehow the United Nations already knew about these monsters. This was going to kill her.

The thing shrieked again, but this time it was cut off with a hard thump, and it fell limp, loosing its grip. The siphon slacked, falling against her neck. She pushed it off, more out of instinct than realization.

Because it wasn't until she saw the fisherman, standing over her with his hatchet, the blade dripping with some odd dark liquid, that the realization dawned on her. The thing was dead, whatever it was.

Jessica stood, gazing down at the thing with a look of disgust on her face. The thing was a dark brown, almost black, comprised of two sections and a thin rectangular tail. The first section was elliptical and encased in a shiny, hard shell that also covered part of the second section, which was shaped like the letter “u”.

“My God,” Jessica said, putting her hands on her hips.

“What happened in here?”

Jessica turned around to see the older Japanese man stepping through the door way. He looked at the fisherman, and his jaw dropped.

“Toshio... you're alive!” he said, putting his hand on the fisherman's shoulder.

“Oh, Professor... What are you doing here?” he said.

“We need to get you some medical attention,” the older man said, reaching up and wiping away a streak of blood from the man's face. “You're not hurt, are you?”

The fisherman hesitated. “I'm not sure.”

“Come on, I'll explain what I know on the way back to Tokyo,” the older man said. Then he turned to Jessica.

“Ma'am, are you hurt?” he asked, looking her over with his dark eyes.

Jessica half-consciously shook her head. All her mind could process was one thought: What the hell was that thing?

[Mothra Freak]

Sorry for the massive delay. Luckily, the hardest part should be over.

Chapter Two
The hospital room was small and very plain, with white walls, and a white tile floor. Fluorescent lights overhead washed the colors out of the room even further, leaving it a stark, barren place, isolated from the rest of the world, even though one could look out the window opposite the door and see the towering skyscrapers of the Shinjuku district in the distance.

A bandage was wrapped around Toshio Shimura's head, concealing a cut on his forehead. Tetsuya Sakai watched silently as a doctor leaning over him asked questions about how he felt, if anything hurt, if he was seeing spots, and so on. Then the doctor stood, turned, gave Sakai a bow, and stepped out the door.

Sakai's jaw nearly dropped when he saw one of the men who entered next. Flanked on one side by Captain Iwata, and on the other by a man Sakai had probably seen on television, was Prime Minister Kazumi Ota. He smiled, and Sakai bowed respectfully. Ota returned the gesture.

“You are the boy's relative, Professor Sakai?” he asked.

Sakai looked down at his suit for a second. “Not technically. I have known him and his sister for quite some time. She attends the University of Tokyo, and does a lot of volunteer work in my laboratory, sir,” Sakai explained. “He works hard to put her through school.”

“I had heard, Professor. Thank you,” Ota said. He wasn't a small man, but he seemed shrunken, and his usually jovial face was rather grim.

Shortly after, the three men were followed by the American biologist, Dr. Brandt, and the reporter. Sakai felt his eyebrow rise slightly when they entered, but he forced it back down. This ward was restricted, special access only, so it was obvious that they had clearance to be here.

“All right, Captain, I believe we're ready,” Ota said, wiping his sweaty hands on his slacks.

Captain Iwata nodded.

“Ms. Holt, would you please explain your findings on the creature that attacked you on the ship?” Ota said, ushering the American girl into the center of the room.

“Of course, Mr. Prime Minister,” she said. She cleared her throat. “Dissection began immediately after we disembarked from the helicopter. The creature had a hard exoskeletal shell, and possessed six legs and a double-segmented body. The, err, anatomy... of the creature was, surprisingly, consistent with that of the common sea louse. I believe that it fed by draining the vital fluids of its victims-”

“You mean my shipmates?”

Sakai's gaze diverted to Toshio, whose face was red. He finally seemed to be coming to life again, after having spent the evening in silence. “Those men were more than just victims,” Toshio said, glaring at the American girl. Sakai could hear the reporter scribbling hastily.

“I'm sorry,” the girl said, lowering her gaze to the floor.

There was an awkward silence that lasted for almost thirty seconds, when the Prime Minister broke it: “A sea louse, you say?” His face remained exactly as it had been when he had entered the room.

The girl seemed to jerk back to reality. “Oh, yes, sir. As I was saying, it had a long mouth ending in a sharp knife-like structure, which is odd, but makes sense. The size was weird, obviously. It was a meter long, and normal sea lice don't grow to even a centimeter. But the weirdest thing was that the louse had several large malignant tumors, and the whole thing was spewing radiation.”

“Of course,” Ota said, nodding as if it made complete sense. Sakai began to feel uneasy, with a pressure on his chest.

“Now, Toshio,” the Prime Minister said, turning to the man in the bed, “can you tell us what happened?”

Toshio folded his hands together and stared at them for a long time. His eyes looked distant, and his breathing slowed. He pursed his lips together tightly.

Finally, he said, “It happened last night, I guess.” Sakai could hear the reporter scribbling again.

“I don't really know how long it's been. The nets had been empty for days, and the fish we did find weren't going to last long, so the captain decided to head home. We'd been out at sea for a week, maybe two. I'm not sure,” Toshio said, still staring at his hands.

“On the way back, we picked something huge up on the sonar, coming straight for us. We were all afraid. We thought it might be a submarine, or something. A big one. Maybe terrorists, maybe even Chinese. The captain decided to go full speed ahead, to try and outrun it. But we couldn't. Whatever it was, it was fast.”

Toshio paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “There was a loud noise below deck. Like metal against metal. Some of the guys screamed, and I could hear water pouring in. Then... I could see it through the windows.”

“What did you see, Toshio?” Ota asked, tilting his head forward slightly.

Toshio looked directly into the Prime Minister's eyes. “A monster.”

Silence fell over the room. Sakai looked to Ota, who was nodding. The American girl was standing, wide-eyed. Dr. Brandt was stoic. Iwata, Ota, and the other man exchanged glances. The reporter began writing again.

“And what happened then?” Ota pressed.

“It pushed the ship onto the rocks. Like a toy. And then it left, dove under the waves. Not long after, the bug started coming after us.”

“The sea louse?” Ota asked. Toshio nodded.

Ota turned to Captain Iwata and the other man, all three nodding alternately. Sakai had an idea of what they might be communicating. Iwata placed several photographs into Ota's hand.

Ota held one of the pictures up. In it was a gorilla standing on its hind legs, in the middle of beating its chest. “Was this the monster you saw?”

Sakai saw the American girl's eyebrow furrow. Toshio shook his head.

Ota dropped the picture, and held up the next one, of a large tarantula crawling on the litter on the floor of a jungle. “What about this one?”

Toshio shook his head again. His hands were lying on top of his thighs.

The next photograph was something Sakai didn't recognize. It was a black and white photo of a lizard standing upright on two legs, with scales like the bark of an oak tree, and three rows of jagged white spines running down its back. It looked massive, with one foot poised over what looked like a hut.

Toshio's fingers were digging into his thighs, and he was visibly shaking, but his gaze was transfixed.

Ota nodded. The next photograph was the lizard's head, with visible, slightly-pointed ears, baring rows of razor-sharp fangs and a thick tongue.

Toshio was breathing hard and fast. There was an irritating beeping sound coming from one of the machines he was hooked up to, evidently monitoring his pulse or heart rate.

Ota let the photographs drop to the floor. He let out a sigh as Toshio's breathing slowed, and a nurse and a doctor entered. The Prime Minister shook his head at them, and they turned around and left again.

Ota folded his hands together behind his back. “It's as I feared.”

“What do you mean, Mr. Prime Minister?” Dr. Brandt asked, stroking his wisp of a beard.

The Prime Minster took his own deep breath. “What I'm about to tell you is strictly classified. Before you can understand what's going on now, you must know what happened in the mid-nineteen-fifties.”

Sakai knew then exactly what the Prime Minister was going to say. Everyone in the room was giving him their undivided attention, even Toshio, who was still clutching his thighs. Even the reporter, who had stopped writing to listen.

“It happened in nineteen-fifty-four, not long after the Castle Bravo hydrogen bomb test,” Ota said, shifting his gaze from person to person as he spoke, wringing his hands together. “A monster came out of the ocean on one of the remote Bonin Islands. The United States sent in air support from Okinawa, and many Defense Force soldiers were deployed. Most of them were killed, either trampled under the monster's feet, or swatted out of the air. Nothing could faze the monster, though. Bullets didn't kill it, rockets didn't kill it, even missiles didn't kill it.”

Ota shifted his weight. “We had no choice but to let the United States use nuclear force on the creature to subdue it. Hardly anything was left afterward. Many people died, and a lot of money was spent keeping the whole thing quiet. If word of that monster got out, it would cause a panic. People would flee their homes for the mountains all over the world, the stock market would crash, because if there's one, there could very well be another.”

“And I assume we've just encountered another, am I right, Mr. Prime Minister?” Dr. Brandt asked.

Ota nodded. “We fear so, yes.”

“So what do you want us to do?” the American girl said, spreading her hands in a helpless gesture.

Prime Minister Ota looked straight at the girl. “The investigation isn't over, Ms. Holt.”

“What do you mean?” the reporter asked. “If this... thing is really heading straight for the mainland, shouldn't you be setting up your defenses? What if it lands in Tokyo?”

The Prime Minister stood silent for a few seconds, apparently considering the reporter's words. “The existence of this creature has been a secret for more than half a century. At the present time, I see no reason to change that. As I said, news of the monster would be detrimental to the entire world.”

“With all due respect, Prime Minister,” the reporter pressed, “you have your fears, which may become reality, and you have this monster, which is reality.”

The Prime Minister nodded. “I know. That's why I'm deploying the navy as a safety precaution. It'll be reported as a training exercise. Pyongyang won't like it, but it's better than the alternative. What I need, however... No, what we all need... is for some sort of weakness to be found. We need a way to effectively combat the monster.”

“Combat?” the American girl said, a look of shock on her face. “I'm still having a hard time believing all this, but I understand wanting to defend your nation from a direct confrontation with this animal, but you can't seriously mean to kill it!”

The Prime Minister looked directly at the girl. “Ms. Holt, this is a matter of global security. The monster must be destroyed in order to protect both human life and the economic stability of the world. It's no different than putting down a rabid dog.”

“But a rabid dog is not the last known member of its hypothetical species. With all due respect, sir, I was called in as an expert, and it is my opinion that the animal should be captured and contained for study,” the girl said.

“And how do you expect to accomplish that, Ms. Holt?”

The American girl sighed, putting her forefinger and thumb to her mouth.

“Now, please, we need information as quickly as possible,” Ota said. “And Mr. Shimura needs his rest.”

Professor Sakai stood, bowing to the Prime Minister. “It's been a pleasure, sir.”

“Sakai,” Ota acknowledged curtly.

The reporter did the same, and Dr. Brandt and the American girl shook the hands of the Prime Minister and Captain Iwata.

However, just before he stepped out the door, he heard something that made him turn, and saw the reporter and Iwata tugging at opposite ends of the reporter's notebook. “Sir, this information is being confiscated until further notice.”

“Let go, I need this!” the reporter said, tugging back. “We have to be ready to print at any moment!”

“Mr. Maki, if you do not let go, you will be arrested for treason,” the Prime Minister said. “Until such a time that I feel our situation is resolved, it will be returned for publication.”

The reporter huffed, and let go of the notebook.

Prime Minister Ota smiled. “Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Maki. Your notes will be safe in our hands, but the official story is that the ”


Takashi Maki couldn't shake the rage from his system, so he clamped his mouth shut. Jessica Holt, Doctor Brandt, and Professor Sakai were ahead of him, walking silently down the empty, dimly-lit hallway. The red-orange lights of Tokyo reflected on the white tile floor through the window at the end of the hall.

Professor Sakai led them to a plain white door with a small, rectangular window in it, produced a key from his pocket, and unlocked it, before stepping inside. The others followed, and Takashi shut the door behind them.

Inside was all manner of devices for measuring seismic activity around the world. Seismographs, both antiquated and up-to-date, lined the many shelves arranged in the room. The professor led them around the shelves, and to an area where the room opened up wider. To one side was a small sort of den area, with a few chairs and a sofa arranged around a coffee table and a flat-screen television hanging on the wall, and on the other was a library, with more shelves, identical to the ones in the first section of the room, but lined with books rather than machines.

A young Japanese girl with short, curly black hair looked up from one of the books. “Oh, Professor, you're back,” she said, standing up and closing the book, before bowing respectfully.

“Naoko,” Sakai said, returning the bow.

“I made some coffee earlier, hoping you'd return before it cooled too much,” she said, walking to a counter in the den area. Next to a sink was a nearly full coffee pot. She reached into a cabinet just below it and produced a plain white coffee mug and filled it before handing it to the professor.

“Thank you, Naoko,” Sakai said. He took a long, slow drink.

Takashi nudged Doctor Brandt. “Is that the man's sister?” he whispered. Brandt nodded.

“I think so.”

“Naoko, would you check the local reports?” Sakai asked.

Naoko nodded. “Of course,” she said, turning and disappearing into the library section.

Professor Sakai gestured to the den area. “Please, friends, sit,” he said, taking his own seat in one of the plush chairs.

Maki sat at one end of the sofa across from Doctor Brandt, and Jessica Holt sat in the other chair.

“Naoko's such a sweet girl. She volunteers as my lab assistant. Her brother's the man we found on the ship, you know,” Sakai said, taking another drink of coffee.

“They knew,” Takashi said, dropping his pencil on the table.

“Yes, Mr. Maki, they did,” Sakai said, shrugging.

“Then why did they send us to investigate?” Jessica asked, leaning forward, placing her elbows on her knees.

“They wanted to make sure. There could be no shadow of a doubt before the countermeasures are put together,” Sakai said. “This monster is possibly the most powerful form of life in the universe if what the Prime Minister said was true. And it is true.”

“But Professor, how can you know that?” Takashi said.

Sakai furrowed his brow, apparently contemplating something.

“I suppose it will not cause any further harm to reveal the truth.”

Sakai paused, draining the last of his coffee.

“I never saw the creature myself, but I heard rumors. My brother participated in the attack on the monster. He died a few years later of cancer, and on his deathbed, he recounted the tale to me. If this monster really is the same as the last one, then there is no way to stop it. Atomic weaponry is out of the question, especially with it on a direct course for the mainland.”

There was a short silence as Takashi and, as he assumed, the others, let Sakai's words soak in.

“So, this creature,” Dr. Brandt said, “is... radioactive?”

“That would explain why the sea louse was as well,” Jessica said. “And might explain its size.”

“But where did it come from?” Sakai asked no one in particular. “I have heard of a legend of a similar creature, from the Bonin Islands. Odo Island is the closest inhabited site to where the creature was killed, and they tell a story about a vengeful god who preys on mankind when he is enraged. They call him 'Godzilla'.”

Takashi swallowed. “So you think this creature is actually... a god?”

“No,” Sakai said, leaning back in his chair and placing his hands on the chair's arms. “But I do think that Odo Island would be a good place to begin our investigation into the nature of this creature.”

“What do you expect to find investigating a legend?” Jessica said.

“The United Nations will want every bit of information they can get on this Godzilla,” Dr. Brandt said. “Like the Prime Minister said, maybe they will be able to discover an Achilles' Heel of sorts.”

“Exactly,” Professor Sakai said. “Tomorrow, we will leave for Odo Island.”

Takashi was about to say something when Naoko returned with a slip of paper.

“Normal readings, mostly. Some machines in the islands measured slightly above-average activity,” she said, handing Sakai the paper.

“Excellent, thank you,” he said, giving her a grateful smile.

“You're welcome, Professor,” Naoko said, smiling back. She looked up at everyone else. “And these must be the United Nations team. That's very interesting work, I'm sure.” She went around, shaking hands with and introducing herself to everyone.

“Well, Professor, is there anything else you need?” she asked.

“No, thank you,” Sakai said.

“Then I'll be off. Good night, Professor. Good night, Miss Holt, Doctor Brandt, and Mister Maki,” Naoko said, before turning and slipping out the door.

“Poor girl,” Dr. Brandt said, shaking his head.

“She's much too driven to let her brother's disappearance get her off course,” Sakai said.

“You mean she doesn't know?” Takashi said, raising his eyebrows.

“No. The government hasn't even told her,” Sakai said. “It's being kept very quiet, like the Prime Minister said.”

Takashi stood up, but he didn't know why, and threw his arms open wide. “So the Japanese government thinks its a good idea to keep Godzilla a secret from even the people affected by him?”

“It's in the public's best interest, according to the Prime Minister, yes,” Sakai said.

“It would not be wise to cause a panic,” Dr. Brandt agreed.

Jessica Holt said nothing.

Takashi could feel the knowledge of Godzilla, of Toshio's survival, inside him, boiling like water on a stove, trying to escape. He had to tell someone, so who better than Naoko? It was stupid, he knew it, but it wasn't something that was going to subside in an hour or so. He was a reporter, one who told the truth. He was very bad at keeping secrets.

“I think I'm going to bed,” he blurted, and sped out the door.

He found Naoko just outside of the building, walking down the steps and approaching a sidewalk. The night air was cool and a light breeze was causing the neatly-manicured bushes to wave. He kept up a brisk pace until he was in step right beside her.

“Oh, Mister Maki,” she said, looking directly forward.

“Hello, ma'am,” Takashi said. “You can just call me Takashi.”

“Oh, well, then, Takashi, do you live nearby?” Naoko asked, still staring directly ahead. Her red leather purse swung at her side.

“Uh, yes,” Takashi lied. “Well, no- It's just...”

“Just what, Mister Maki?” Naoko said.

“Nevermind,” Takashi said, blinking and shaking his head. “Do you walk home every day?”

“Yes, it's not a long walk, and I can't afford the cab fare, especially with my brother...” she trailed off.

Takashi swallowed, called himself stupid in his mind, and said, “Your brother's all right.”

Naoko stopped and looked and Takashi for the first time since she'd left Professor Sakai's room.

“Really?” she said. It was hardly a whisper. “My brother's alive?” She sighed in relief, closing her eyes.

“Yes. When were you told he was missing?”

“I got a call early this morning. They told me they received an SOS from his ship, and then lost the transmission shortly afterward,” Naoko said. “Why wasn't I told earlier that he was okay? I've been worried sick all day.”

Takashi swallowed. “We found your brother this morning on board his ship, but the ship had been attacked by...” He closed his eyes.

“By what?” Naoko asked.

“I can't say. I've already told you more than I should have.”

Naoko furrowed her brow. “What do you mean?”

Takashi sighed. “Look, I'll tell you where he is. You can't see him yet, though. And I can't tell you what happened to him. The Prime Minister says it's a matter of... security.”

“Oh,” Naoko said, looking down. “I see.”

“I'm sorry I can't tell you anything else. You'll find everything out soon, though. I promise,” Takashi said, beginning to walk again. “I have to go now, though! Maybe I'll see you again!”

“Oh... okay,” Naoko said, as Takashi left her behind.