Emergence: Kaiju Invasion

[MinorBone Good]

Suigam Village, India

Darkness. Darkness was all around him when he woke up. Dekkin brushed himself off after falling into the giant sinkhole, wishing he never even came to this village. He looked up above to the night sky through the gigantic sinkhole, with only a few stars in sight. He groaned as he felt great pain in his left arm.

Out of every town that had a disaster, it just HAD to be this one didn't it? He quickly took off his backpack and tried to find his flashlight. After about 20 seconds, he took out a small flashlight and turned out and grinned. He turned it on, and... nothing. Oh come on! he thought. He tried turning off and on again, and still nothing. No no no no no! He tried again and again, but still, nothing happened. He groaned out of frustration and threw the flashlight against the caves walls out of anger.

And like that it suddenly turned on.

"Wow. Cool.." he said in a sarcastic manner.

He picked up the flashlight and looked around his surroundings. Nothing looked too out of the ordinary for an underground cave.. Besides the massive sinkhole above him of course. He swung his flashlight to where he fell, spotting a few other people lying still. Dekkin smirked to himself. Free loot, as long as they're not awake. B-But.. please don't let them be dead. He walked over to them and saw at least 25 bodies, creeping over to them, trying not to make a sound. He started to rummage through one persons pockets, finding only a small silver coin. Small, but still can be used for a quick buck. He moved to an elderly lady, turning up nothing. He silently moved a teenage girl. He reached into her jacket pocket and- her eyes opened.

Well. I'm screwed.

The girl then grabbed onto his hand and started to speak in a whisper in Indian. Unfortunately for Dekkin, he had no real knowledge of the language, for he was just touring around the country to steal items from other people. Sweat started to pour from his head, out of fear and embarrassment. The girl again spoke, which he didn't respond. She then took out a golden watch and put it in his hand. Shocked, Dekkin looked at the watch and back at her, then at the watch again. She pointed at her watch, then to the sky above. Then suddenly her arm went limp, her eyes rolled back into her head. Speechless, Dekkin just sat there for minutes, not believing what just happened.

10 minutes later...

Dekkin just picked the last one their riches, though he didn't exactly feel good about it anymore. He always shivered at the thought of grave robbing. He'd thought he would never be doing it himself. How could he live with himself after this? At least on the bright side, he saw most of them were breathing..But it didn't really make him that happy. He shined his flashlight up above. It looked like a 500 foot drop! How did he even survive the fall! Whatever, it's just best not to question things anymore.. After all, giant monsters are now popping up faster than chickenpox. He was lucky for it not to be some kaiju that caused the sinkholes! He then felt the ground start to shake, making him go off balance and fall to the ground.

He shined his light all around, hoping to find the source of the problem. It wasn't long the his bright beam shined into a cave to his right, which he saw.. something big. He moved his flashlight to the top of the monster, which seemed to look like a giant bird skull, with black tears going down it's face. He was afraid to even keep his flashlight up, but nonetheless, he kept moving down to see the rest of the monster. He saw more of body, a black, pulsating, shiny and blob-like body. He screamed right then and there. This wasn't any normal kaiju he'd seen on the news. This looked more like an alien devil sent to devour people! He quickly turned off the flashlight and stayed quiet, hoping the alien like creature didn't see him.

Another rumbling came from the other side of the cave, and he prepared for the worst. KRRRAAACK! The other side of the cave busted open, and a bright light enveloped the entire cave. Dekkin had to squint his eyes to adjust to the new source of light. It was then his heart sank even further than before. Another kaiju entered the cave. Why does everywhere I go, something bad happens!? The new monster looking like a giant, crystal like bunny. Despite the bright glow coming from the rabbit, the eyes were black. Making it seem like it was sucking in all the light and it's body reflecting all of it from out it's body. The two kaiju looked at the other, staring each other down. And all Dekkin can do is hope the two don't come near him...

[MinorBone Good]

The shiny rabbit hopped towards the the skull faced creature, it's giant ears moving forward while running. Due to the bright light of the bunny, Dekkin could see what was carrying the first monster before. What looked no less than 10, skinny, barbed legs were coming out of the slimy body. It's legs looking more like flexible wires than any animals legs he's ever seen.
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The bunny was too focused on charging, not noticing two of the legs from her opponent quickly wrapping around her ears. She was surprised when she suddenly stopped moving. All the sudden, she was pulled into the side of the of the cave by her ears. BOOOM! She felt the right side of her body shatter a tiny bit. Even one of her ears was ripped off by the big bird squid! The other creature let go of her body, dropping the severed ear. Angered, she quickly rose back up and swung her paw against it's face, knocking the other creature down to the ground.
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This bright, bright creature is strange.. thought the 12 legged creature. I just hope I don't have to kill it. He tried to get up from the ground, but the bunny pinned down 4 of his legs! He quickly used his other 8 to push the rabbit to the wall, causing some boulders to crash down on top of the both kaiju. Some crystal shards crashed to the ground, shattering to a million pieces, along with some boulders. The bunny started to struggle against the legs and tried to free herself. She the used her sharp paws to cut off one of his legs, making her land right on top of him!
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Dekkin looked on in awe. He'd never thought he'd see two kaiju fighting each other in person! He was feeling a mix between hope, shock and terror. Maybe he could get lucky and both monsters would kill each other. Helicopters could fly down here and save him and the other people! He doubted it though.. The monsters would probably trample him and they wouldn't even tknow it. His mind then drifted back to the kaiju fighting. Maybe.. He could sell the leftover crystals and get rich off it! He would just have to blend in and not get seen by the monsters..
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Yes! I recovered! She crashed onto the weird monster, part of her belly going into it's belly. But she didn't pay any attention to that, she needed to get rid of those long legs coming off the body! She quickly grabbed four of the legs and tried to pull the best she can. She felt it's other legs starting to wrap around her back legs. In a panic, she tugged as hard as she can. With a satisfying POP! The 4 legs were ripped right off. The creature on the ground gave no scream or yell. Instead, he grabbed a nearby boulder and smashed it into her chest, breaking through many layers, almost hitting her heart! She quickly grabbed it's other legs, once again grabbing four of them. With all her strength, she pulled them out again. She planted her paws and feet onto the remaining legs, pinning him. Her heart crystal flashed red and white rapidly. Was she going to win her first battle after she woke up!? All she had to do wa-

[MinorBone Good]

SPLAT!
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He fired some of his body slime through it's eye sockets into the bunny's face! The crystal rabbit lifted up one of her paws to wipe of the black slime from her face to see. This could be his chance to take out that red crystal! Maybe it is the thing that gives that thing it's life? With his leg now free, he whipped it into the bunny's chest. His leg coiled around the crystal heart and ripped it out of her body, throwing it against the ground, making it shatter. The bunny quickly froze like a statue, still in the process of wiping off the quickly drying muck. He pushed the heavy kaiju off of him, the frozen kaiju now laying on it's side.
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Dekkin couldn't believe it! He thought that the shiny one was going to win for sure! Nonetheless, he had to move to get the crystals quick. He didn't want to be killed by the winner. He started to gather as much of the red crystals as he can. While he was picking them up, He saw the victorious monster lay down.

"C-Could it be dead?" Maybe his hope was right! They killed each other! Maybe they would be a rescue today! He quickly picked up some of the normal white glowing crystals and put them in his bag. He sighed in relief, looking at the bird skull in front of him. Maybe we can beat kaiju! He turned back to meet with the rest of the people, but he felt the ground starting to shift. He turned back to see legs bursting out of the wet sludge of a body. One by one, legs that were once lost were quickly regained. He screamed and tried to run away, but the Kaiju quickly bent down and gobbled him whole!

Darkness. Darkness was all around him all over again. Dekkin started to cry. Was this it? After everything, I just get eaten? He'd figure he'd be converted into that black slime once this thing digested him. He then felt part of the creature's mouth starting to open. He looked out to see the other people that were knocked out or dead. The kaiju began to put them in it's mouth, just like what it did with Dekkin. He figured it was the end as well for the others. Until he felt shaking. He began to hear numerous of rocks falling. He wondered if the sinkhole was growing larger. Then all the sudden, he heard screaming, not from inside of the creature, but outside.
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He let go of everyone inside of his mouth, dropping all of them to the ground above the sinkhole. He looked at all the humans making noise, causing him to tilt his head in confusion. I remember there kind..How nice to see they're still around. He looked over the small village, appreciating the unique structure that humans have made. He made his last steps climbing out from the sinkhole and shook off the some dust that was still on his skull. He began to walk Northeast. He looked back one more time at the town and came up with an idea. He began to dig in the dirt. 5 minutes later, he stopped and walked away.

1 hour later..

Dekkin was interviewed by a news team after being saved by the kaiju. He told them about how the two fight to the death, with the one victor saving the people. The village was soon praising the new monster for rescuing most of their people, even naming the beast "Suigam." Dekkin was given the honor of naming the other kaiju. He decided to give it the name "Kuma", after his mother's first name. Kuma was given the blame of causing the sinkholes by the town, but happy that it was killed. As the news team started to pack up and leave, Their helicopter caught what Suigam was digging. It was Suigam drawn into the ground, along with multiple stick figure around him.

Dekkin started his car and stretched. He looked back at the town, the buildings, the people... He looked in the back seat, where he has his backpack full of looted goods. He sat there for a minute, pondering what to do.He sighed, making his final decision. He got out of his car and opened the backpack. He gave all the loot he stole back to the respectful families, and apologized for attempting to steal. Though some were angry, they accepted his apology and thanked him for giving them back their treasure. Dekkin smiled as he started his nearly broken car again and drove off. At least I still have those Kuma crystals.. He didn't notice when he was driving, a small, soft glow was coming from inside the bag. Flashing like a heartbeat...

[KaijuCanuck]

Location: Marianas Island - the dead centre

They had arrived. As the sounds of battle raged to the north, the direction they were headed, the mysterious armed force had steadily crept forward. These were some of the best soldiers in the entire world, and the noises left them entirely unfazed. Now they had made it, in excellent time as well, and their target stood ahead of them.

Major Cromwell chomped a cigar as he took regarded the 'temple'. A very generous name for what looked to him like an old shack. From a distance, the small grey, square structure looked to be made of stone, but it was so overgrown with vines that Cromwell couldn't say for sure. It stood at the top of a steep hill - taller than anything else nearby, but still short enough to remain hidden beneath the high jungle canopy.

"Oooof!" A skinny, bespectacled man tripped over a vine and landed flat on his face to Cromwell's right. Cromwell shook his head as he helped the man up. Babysitting Doctor Prescott was certainly not his favourite aspect of the mission.

"Thank you," replied Prescott in an Irish accent. Prescott was relatively young, only in his early thirties, but it was clear to Cromwell he wasn't typically the most adventurous, thrill-seeking sort of young man. Cromwell had known Prescott for a long time - and still, the pampered young scientist annoyed the hell out of him. "It's not exactly what I was expecting," he said, motioning towards the temple.

"If it's anything like Site A, it'll be plenty," replied Cromwell darkly. He turned to face his men. "Alright boys, we made it. I want a full defensive perimeter set up in twenty minutes, and camp in an hour. And then tomorrow... tomorrow the fun begins."

Location: Marianas Island - scattered throughout the northern half

UNEIS was utterly scattered by the stampede, and now many of the small groups that had congregated were further blocked from one another by the deadly electric tendrils of Ragnarok. It had not gone unnoticed.

An Indian private, the lone deserter, finally stopped running. Boy had he run. Finally, the ground was not shaking. There was no sign of any rampaging metallic cattle. He breathed a sigh of relief, then looked up into the trees. The last thing he saw were five pairs of primate canines, opening wide.

...............................

A little further to the west, a group of eight scientists protected by three Egyptian privates and a Uruguayan corporal, ran into two more scientists and another Egyptian private. The Egyptians hugged their comrade, but their celebration was cut short by the Uruguayan's barking voice. "All right boys, cut the celebrations. We should head back north and see who else we can find."

"Says who?" replied one of the Egyptians.

"Says who 'sir'," the Uruguayan retorted. He walked up close to the Egyptian, staring him in the eye. "I outrank you, soldier. I'm in command here." He gestured to his corporal's stripes.

The Egyptian spit at the Uruguayan's feet. "I don't care if you're a bloody general, you're not my CO. We don't take orders from you." The Uruguayan let out a big sigh, and then pushed the Egyptian over. Instantly, the other three Egyptians leapt up and piled onto the Uruguayan, dragging him to the ground and punching him, as he defiantly hit back. The ten scientists looked at each other in utter alarm, unsure of what to do.

The fighting was so loud that none of them heard the Paladins descend until it was too late. Two minutes later, and the question of who was in command was settled - the Uruguayan was torn apart first, followed quickly by the others.

...................................

Back at the former Camp Anomaly, Semaj opened his eyes, gasping for air. His face and uniform were drenched in mud, and his chest hurt like hell... he was surprised to find the camp deserted, except for Ewaschuk towering over him.

"What happened?" Semaj demanded.

"I saved your life, is what happened," the Ukrainian said bluntly. "You're welcome."

"Where are the men? The scientists?" Semaj said, still entirely disoriented.

"You're... order was not taken very orderly," replied Ewaschuk. "Everyone fled. The metal cattle stampeded through here and one of them clipped you and knocked you unconscious. And then there was a giant plant."

"Um... excuse me?"

"Tak. I stayed behind and did CPR. At great personal risk. So again. You're welcome."

Semaj looked at Ewaschuk. The salty old slav couldn't even be gracious about saving a life. "Thank you, doctor. My family will be very appreciative." With a great, painful effort, Semaj got to his feet.

"We must now find the others," said Ewaschuk, a little obviously. Semaj blinked a few times in the sunlight, getting his head on straight. "By now they will be all over the place. And your radio is broken, I already checked," Ewaschuk went on.

Semaj considered their options. The quicker he no longer had to be alone with Ewaschuk, the better. "Our best bet is to find the nearest high ground. It is very likely that people will congregate there. The question is where, exactly. Are the kaiju still around?"

"I am not sure," replied Ewaschuk. "Their battle took them a ways a bit... I don't know what has happened with them - I do not think they are close. But if you listen, you can still hear the stampede." Semaj closed his eyes and concentrated. Ewaschuk was right. In the distance was the distinct, low rumble of hoofs stomping on the ground.

"Damn," said Semaj. "So we have no idea which direction to-" he was cut off by the distinct sound of gunfire. "That might be somewhere to start," he said. Wasting no time, the two bolted off in the direction of the gunfire. They ducked through foliage, jumped over rocks, lashed vines out of their way - only to be stopped in their tracks by a gigantic, thick tentacle extended directly in their path. No way under it, no way to climb over it.

"Ragnarok," Semaj said spitefully. "We have to go around."

"Look!" Ewaschuk said, pointing. On the other side of the tentacle, they could see the shapes of soldiers through the trees, accompanied by flashes of gunfire and large, leaping dark shapes. They were all shouting at each other, some screaming in pain.

"I think it's the Egyptians," said Semaj, restless. "They're under attack... we need to figure out a way around." The two looked around desperately for any clue of where to head - then the scene ahead of them went eerily quiet.

"I do not like this silence," said Ewaschuk. As if in answer, a shrill, animalistic scream went up, and out of the trees a Paladian came flying at them, it's bared teeth and metal torso stained red with blood. Before Semaj or Ewaschuk could react, the Paladin slammed into Ragnarok's tentacle, having leapt from too far away - there was the BZZZZT of electricity, and they heard the Paladin's charred corpse collapse on the other side of the tentacle.

More screams went up, and Ewaschuk and Semaj could see Paladins, dozens of them, rushing towards them through the trees.

"GO!" yelled Semaj, and the two ran for their lives, along the line of Ragnarok's tentacle.

Location: The House of Commons, Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada



"The honourable Leader of the Opposition," said the Speaker.

Defense Minister Alan Brady watched with drooping eyes as parliament's emergency session entered its 21st hour. He, and most of the MPs in the room, was exhausted, yet somehow the firebrand Alfred Poole, the leader of the opposition party, was as energized as ever. A true busybody jerk, in Brady's opinion. The Emergency Military Measures Act had just passed thanks to the government's majority in the house, authorizing the release of billions in funds to the military, and also introducing conscription for the first time since the Second World War. But Poole was not ready to call it quits.

"Mr. Speaker, this entire house recognizes the gravity of the present threat, and no-one is questioning the need of our service-people to have all possible resources made available to them," Poole began. He was a somewhat short, overweight man in his early 40s, with a youthful face and a small crop of brown hair that always began session neatly combed back. His hair became more and more untidy every time Poole became incensed and passionate in the House, swinging his head around as he energetically spoke. This happened a lot on a normal day. Now, at this late hour, Poole looked positively like a mad scientist as he sweated and pounded his desk whilst shouting in his broad Newfoundland accent. "At issue here is the question of conscription, and the wisdom with which the government has decided upon it. This bill that has just passed into law belies the inappropriate secrecy with which this government is operating, keeping information away from parliament and ultimately Canadians at a time when unity should be our highest concern. Will the Prime Minister confirm whether or not a secret meeting took place with General Klein prior to drawing up the Emergency Military Measures Act, a meeting that no-one outside of the cabinet was supposed to know about, INCLUDING General Klein's immediate subordinates?" Poole sat down, as the opposition members erupted in applause.

"The honourable Prime Minister," said the Speaker.

Prime Minister Marsha Wayne, Alan's boss, stood up. "Mr. Speaker, I thank the Leader of the Opposition for his question." She had to speak loudly, over the din of boos and insults lobbed at her from the opposition. "As I'm sure he is aware, issues of national security often involve secrecy so as to best ensure the safety of all Canadians."

"Order! Order!" interjected the Speaker, vainly attempting to cow the rowdy opposition.

"Were I to confirm anything that may or may not have taken place-" As the Prime Minister went on, an aide silently approached Brady from behind and spoke in his ear.

"They're ready, sir." Brady nodded in response and got up, more than happy to be leaving the chamber.

Location: UN Building, New York City, New York, USA

Archie sat with his mentor and the leader of the Canadian delegation, Jean Grenier, in the small conference room that he and Rachel had managed to sequester earlier. On the table before them was a laptop open to a live video stream to an office on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, though right now all they could see was an empty chair. Then they heard footsteps, a door open and close, a cough, and then a tie dangled down across the screen as Defense Minister Alan Brady awkwardly seated himself.

"Mr. Grenier, Mr. Fletcher," Brady greeted them briskly. "The Prime Minister is busy in Question Period right now, so she's sent me instead."

"Of course," replied Jean. "Good to see you, Minister Brady."

"First thing, since I have you," said Brady. "Our final answer to India is a firm no. Of course it is. A ridiculous request. Is their government not aware that Vancouver is practically underwater? That we have three kaiju inside our borders right now?" The topic seemed to make Brady angry.

"Three kaiju?" Jean asked.

"Trintaurus has changed direction, just all of a sudden. Total mystery." said Brady. "Lucky for us, he's making a beeline straight through some of the least densely populated territory on planet Earth. So for now we're just letting him walk, evacuating anyone who might be in his path."

"I'll go inform the Indian-" Archie began to say.

"No need, we've already sent their government our response in writing," cut in Brady. "You two have much more important things to worry about. You've been quite the little troublemaker, haven't you Mr. Fletcher?" Archie blushed. As if on cue, his phone vibrated, and he glanced down - a new voicemail from Rachel.

"I'm sorry, sir. I thought-"

"It's fine," said Brady, cutting Archie off again. "Actually, we're intrigued. You've raised the possibility of us taking a leadership position in this crisis. But from here on in we want to be in the loop, understand? No more cowboy diplomacy."

"Yes, sir."

"Now, what the government needs to know is if this is a viable plan. Otherwise we risk international embarrassment, and alienation from our allies," Brady said. "So how's it going? We have Japan on board... anyone else?"

"Uhh..." Archie was at a loss for words. Japan was all they had.

"The plan is more than viable," Jean said, saving Archie. "We are engaged in several different negotiations at the present time. Brazil and Australia have expressed a strong interest. We know you are incredibly busy back in Ottawa - we will forward you the details as they develop. Do not worry, Minister, we are working very hard."

Brady smiled. "Really? Well that's... that's excellent. The Prime Minister will be grateful to have her concerns allayed. I won't keep you two any longer. Good work!" Brady waved goodbye, and then the feed cut out. Archie looked at Jean, flabbergasted. Jean was already aware the talks with Brazil and Australia had both failed. Jean winked at him.

"Don't worry, Archie," he said. "The eggheads just need to know enough to let us do our jobs." Archie nodded, grateful. Jean Grenier was a legendary bureaucrat within the Canadian government, having held all kinds of different positions over his long, 40 year career. His opinions and experience were taken very seriously, and the old Francophone had just used his influence to save Archie's ass. He put a hand on Archie's shoulder. "You've done well. Do I wish you had informed me of what you were doing?" Jean laughed. "Yes. But you've done well all the same. You should be proud. We still don't know the status of the UNEIS team - this alliance may prove to be our only hope."

Archie's thoughts drifted back to the drama that had captivated the entire General Assembly just before he and Jean left for this meeting. For once the petty squabbling in the GA had subsided - replaced only by a stunned, stupefied, relative silence. Thanatos tearing through the combined power of three navies, the brief feeling that everything was beyond hope when Ragnarok swelled into his monstrous second form - only to reveal it was just a glorified parade float - and of course, the kaiju that came from space. What NEWTON had named 'Epizona'.

A kaiju had come from space. SPACE. Only now did Archie realize how hard he had been trying not to think about that. The past few days had been filled with so many earth-shattering revelations, it was like his brain just didn't have room to accept one more.

"Do you think they all come from space?" Archie asked. Jean seemed to almost flinch at the question - a surprising response, but Archie supposed maybe Jean had been burying the event as well.

"I... many of them appear to be derivatives of known wildlife," Jean said slowly. "But, I suppose, it is too coincidental for an... um, alien one, to show up right now. There is likely a connection." The two sat in silence for a moment. "Get some sleep, Archie," said Jean. "It's late." Archie nodded, and got up.

Stepping into the hallway, Archie got out his phone and listened to Rachel's message. She had gotten Brazil on board! And... Slovakia? He groaned. Truly, a mighty alliance indeed. Oh well, it was better than nothing. He hoped she could get Israel on board. He wandered down to the lobby, intent on finally leaving and going to his hotel to sleep for a while. Probably not for very long, but even a little sleep would do him good. He was a little wary of being out for too long with the situation developing as fast as it had - in five hours there would probably be a zombie kaiju, or something.

As Archie made his way through the lobby, heard a voice chatting in a low tone. Perhaps against his better judgement, Archie curiously moved towards the voice. He passed a thick pillar - only to almost run into the ever mysterious Hayden Jones, who was one the phone with someone. Jones lowered the phone, giving Archie a piercing, suspicious look.

"Oh... sorry," Archie said awkwardly. "I wasn't watching where I was going. Everything that's happened has muddled my head a bit... you know, 'kaiju from space' and the like..."

Location: East coast of Newfoundland

Fennikusu's eyes shot open.

He had only been asleep for a half hour, but the rhythm of millions of primate heartbeats beating in abject terror jolted him awake. The Kroaken was moving much faster than he had anticipated - she was once again approaching a heavily populated area.

This new world had put some doubts in Fennikusu's mind about the humans - their current dominance seemed to set the world off of the natural balance that Fennikusu so instinctually fought for. But, by the time he had finally made his mind up about that, the Kroaken could have killed thousands. With a great cloud of dust and howling of the air, Fennikusu beat his gigantic wings and set off south-west at top speed.

His presence would be known on this continent again. Like the Ghagon, the aggressive kaiju needed to be reminded - the Kroaken, Sangrasotz, Tyrosus, all of them - this world and its innocents had protectors.

Location: CFB Trenton, Ontario, Canada



Helen stared longingly at the F-15. Requiring a distraction from the still aching shock of her brother's death, and from the overwhelming saturation of her name across world media, she had left her new barracks at CFB Trenton and strolled down to the hangars to take a look at Shrike Squadron's planes.

The F-15 was an older plane then her own, the CF-18 Superhornet, but that only proved it's prowess - if the United States Air Force had wanted to replace it, they were more than capable. It was one of the most successful fighter aircraft in history. To this day it boasted zero losses in air-to-air combat, and over 100 wins. An incredible, legendary piece of hardware. She hoped one day she'd get a chance to fly one, although she was such a plane nerd that truthfully she wanted to fly just about every fighter there was. That was one drawback to the RCAF, proud of it though she was - not a lot of variety, and not a lot of turnover either. Perhaps the new conscription and emergency funding bill that parliament had just passed would change that.

She heard foot steps approaching from behind and whirled around to see Pete Bradshaw, her sort-of-but-not-really commanding officer. As a major he outranked her, technically, but she'd been informed not to call him 'sir' in front of the squad. This whole propaganda arrangement - and it was propaganda, she wasn't stupid - of putting her in charge of Shrike Squadron, while Pete remained in the background as a 'liaison' so that the cadet (as she'd still been only three days ago) didn't make any big mistakes, was awkward, unusual and uncomfortable. She didn't really know how to talk to him.

"Can't sleep?" he asked by way of greeting.

"Not a wink," replied Helen. "Things have just been moving... fast, for me."

"Yeah. I can't imagine what this has been like for you," Pete said. Helen looked up at him, a little surprised at his sympathetic tone. She was sure he was as perplexed and unhappy with the command situation as anyone. "This is kind of an impossible situation for a rookie. All the up-and-ups are just making quick, short-term decisions to make everything seem a little less awful, without considering the full implications. But I'm here to help."

Helen smiled and nodded in thanks, then looked back at the F-15, a little embarrassed. "Is that what you came over to tell me?"

Pete grinned. "Not quite... bad news. We're wheels up in twenty minutes."

"What?!?!"

"Yeah... they're sending us after the Kroakan."

"What." was all Helen could respond. This was supposed to be a plum assignment. Make it look like she was doing things, put her somewhere she could get her picture taken. Away from danger. At the time it had felt demeaning, but already she could feel dread rising through her body as the perceived sense of safety melted away.

"I know," replied Pete. "Both our top brass are meeting in Washington right now, planning continental strategy. Shrike Squadron is the closest group with the most kaiju fighting experience... meaning, I guess, everyone here has fought one and not died. From what I gathered, the Canadians were hesitant, but the USAF pulled rank and they folded."

"Holy crap," Helen said. I'm going to fight another one. Already. I'm going to be in charge and I'm going to fight another one. "Okay. Um, okay I'll inform the crew. Wheels up in twenty minutes."

"Uh... I already told them," replied Pete. He went to return to barracks, then turned back. "FYI, Parker. If you're going to be in command, maybe not a good idea to go for random strolls when orders might be coming through." Helen blushed. "Don't worry," Pete continued. "You'll get this." He left, walking briskly back to barracks and gather his gear. Helen waited a moment before following. Yeah... sure.

[SuperPawnageGigan]

The Pacific Ocean
Dirannosaurs swam his way to Hawaii and was close to the one of the Islands. His Dorsal fins rose from the water creating a Tsunami heading for Honolulu.
Dirannosaurs raised his head above the water and roared loud. ShKRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAon!

[Zarm]

Ragnarok’s tentacles flashed past with the speed of a bullet-train, and about half the size of one, too. There was one ahead of him, pinning down Reed; another couple behind him- and through the closely-clustered trunks, he could see at least four more snaking through the jungle, turning the place into a deadly, electrified maze.

One of the things had taken out a corporal while Blade was still turning around, and from the sound of the screams to the west, it had to have taken out at least a couple of the Egyptians, too. Plus, they were immobilized, with no idea if they were still in the path of the stampede or not.

Blade tried to vent his frustration and helplessness with a hail of gunfire at the blurred, gelatinous wall rippling past, every undulating motion threatening to whip it across the path of another helpless victim- but even if the bullets were having an effect, which he doubted, the potentially-damaged sections whipped past him and out of sight before he could tell if they’d taken any wounds.

One thing was for sure- the tendrils were going back the way the evacuees had come from, and if the body was following on, it would only be a minute or two before they were all deluged in an oncoming wall of electrified protoplasm.

“Not how I plan to go out,” he growled to himself, ejecting the spent clip from his machine gun and pulling his pistol out of its holster…

***

Closer, closer... the farthest of the tendrils entered the clearing. The Sphere was there, within its grasp. Ragnarok strained, the gummy matter of its protoplasm a cat's cradle, stretched and torn- strands of mucus between the trees that had shredded the tissue with Ragnarok's passage. Its body was torn and strung across a mile of jingle, like festive, quivering streamers.

But it would be worth it. Fifty feet away. The tendrils quested.

Survival.

Forty feet.

Ragnarok sensed vibration; movement, growing...

Thirty.

***

Ewaschuk looked behind him- and nearly froze in his headlong flight. A clear line-of-sight down the tendril along which they ran…

The tendrils were headed back the way they’d come- snaking into the clearing that had been Camp Anomaly.

Slithering like serpents along the ground, straining, stetching… toward the Anomaly itself.

Ewaschuk held his breath. The introduction of biological material. The one thing they hadn't yet dared test. The corpse of a fallen bison seemed to have prevented any of the stampede from causing this, either. And now, the first living thing that it touched... would be Ragnarok.

***

The ground shook beneath Ragnarok. Half a mile away, distended tendrils groped for the glistening black surface.

If the sphere accepted life...

Twenty feet.

It wasn't just one vibration, but many, in sympatico.

Ragnarok's body began to drip in thick globules, quivering with anticipation.

Ten feet. Five. The surface of the sphere seemed to ripple in anticipation-

Then the thundering crest of the stampede broke from the treeline like a wave, dozens of charging maranasium-hybrids in a panicked, headlong rush-

They ripped through the webbed strands garlanding the trees in their path like a hiker through an unseen spider-web, tearing Ragnarok apart.

***

Elizabeth screamed as the deadly, suspended tendril beneath which she'd been cowering fell atop her, a smothering mass as heavy as a walrus. She thrashed and struggled futilely under the flaccid gelatin, as if sheer animal panic could hold off the lethal volts- and it was only when Blade Harrison's brawny hand closed around her forearm and yank her none-too-gently out from under the smothering tissue and to her feet that she realized but there was no charge left in the massive form.

The relief, the revulsion at the clinging slime that now covered her, the scientific interest in preserving a sample of it, even gratitude for her rescuer, were immediately shunted aside by the now-audible sound of gunfire, and men's screams.

Blade wasn't even looking at her as he released her arm- his focus was on the sound of imminent battle.

"Let's go," he growled.

***

The straining tentacles spasmed, and dropped limply to the ground, and lay still... two feet from the sphere's surface.

Ewaschuk shook his head as he ran.

"Stupid Ragnarok," he growled.


Location: Conference Room 21D, U.N. Building, New York, USA

Aditya Khatri’s eyes raised slowly from the paper clenched in trembling fingers- white-knuckled and trembling with rage.

“You’re going to regret this, Canada,” he murmured to himself, rising swiftly. “When the story’s wells-pun and everyone sees you as monsters worse than the kaiju, marching your civilians at gunpoint to their deaths… you’re going to regret this.”

But as he fast-marched down the emptying hallway to deliver the news to Laghari, he had to admit to himself that he suspected the nation of India might end up regretting it even more. He feared both what decisions his superiors might make in light of this… and how much of India would actually be left by the time they did…


Location: Delhi Graveyard


Carnaris thrashed in the serpent’s grip, feeling more of the venom flow into her. A moment to catch her breath had helped, but she hadn’t yet been ready to muster her sonic ray again when the beast ad leapt up and closed the distance. Now, they held her head fast, keeping her mouth shut; they’d even thought to pin her tail- and, exhausted, she hadn’t been ready to stop them.

The fanged, gaping mouth of the serpent grew larger, and closer, venom dripping from it-

And Carnaris’ lips curled up over her tusks. It was crafty- but it didn’t learn from its mistakes.

Her long limbs were sinewy and slender, surprisingly fragile-looking and narrow where they jointed- but they had one advantage that belied their lack of bulging muscle; flexibility.

Carnaris brought her leg back and up, curling at the hip and the knee until it looked as if the spike on the back of her heel would plunge into her own neck- and with the pirouette, drove it into the cleft where both feline heads diverged from the body.

And as she did, she shot another stream of blood from her eye- now mixed with her foe’s own toxins to an alarming degree- straight into the serpent’s open mouth. It coated the tongue and poured down the throat- let’s see you scent the air now!, even as her own venom poured into the felines, in a much higher dose than her quills had delivered to the serpent.

All three heads reared back, hissing and roaring in pain, and Carnaris backpedaled, gaining dis-tance.

She fell to all fours as her foe writhed. Her veins were chilled, her body feverish with the effort to fight the poison that slowed her. Her own venom would do the same to them… but in a race of poisons, she was losing. Her breath came more rapidly, and pain stitched her side. Her paws ground into the ashy soil. A low growl built in the back of her throat.

As her opponent shook itself, recovering, Carnaris wrenched a girder from the skeletal frame-work of a ruined building beside her- and charged. Her loping strides carried her past the heads, to the center of the beast where she’d struck before, and she stabbed at it with her implement, jaws lashing out and claws flashing, battering at the scaly surface with weapon and bit and eve-rything that was in her…

Behind her, the heads curled his, snarling, closing in a loop about her until she was wholly within its mass. She struck and scored at the belly of the beast, a snarling, berserker rage as the heads raced in at her unprotected back-

And at the last second, she dropped the act, spinning and unleashing her sonic ray. It washed across the startled faces, pummeling them with bruises- and the packets streaked out, one, two, and three- slamming into the heads of the beast as the carrier swept across them, knocking each to the ground with shattering force.

Snarling, a trickle of blood leaking from her lower lip, Carnaris raised herself to her full sight as the heads collected themselves, her forepaws clutching her weapon, its belly at her back. Here, she would make her stand.

[JAGzilla]

CNN

A thunderous croak boomed out of viewers' speakers as the camera tracked the Kroaken's lumbering progress, the image shaking a bit as the helicopter shifted course, the pilot making sure to stay well clear after what had happened the last two times choppers had closely approached the beast. They were technically inside the no-fly zone the military had imposed around her, but the crew and their superiors had decided to prioritize covering this momentous event over personal safety. Reporter James Setter's narration continued.

"As you can see, the kaiju is currently crossing I-94, which is still covered in standstill traffic... I think most of those vehicles she's stepping on are empty, hopefully all of them. We saw a lot of people abandoning their cars and making a run for it a few moments ago, and we can only hope everyone made it out."

The frog continued past the road, passing a small lake and entering a residential area. Houses were crushed to splinters with each step she took.

"From what we can tell, the evacuations at the edge of town here are mostly complete, though the major roads are obviously still jammed. Further in it's a different story, unfortunately. For those of you just tuning in, we're over Michigan City, which is still filled with at least ten thousand people as the Kroaken approaches. Her path has been erratic over the last few hours as she sought out sources of water and attempted to fight off the military's efforts to stop her. As a result, analysts misjudged what her destination would be. Given the strange tendency of most kaiju to target major cities thus far, it was assumed that she would head for Chicago, fifty miles to the west; evacuations were begun there, and many refugees unfortunately tried to seek shelter here in Michigan City, further complicating belated local evacuation efforts once it became clear that this was where she would end up. Now she's within the city limits, and there seems to be no hope of clearing the crowded center of town before she plows through it."

The Kroaken was now approaching a small shopping center. She zeroed in on the line of blue-roofed stores, swiping a clawed hand through them contemptuously and sending the entire complex (now in several thousand pieces) crashing through a stand of trees and onto a dental clinic next door. She continued on, kicking over a flagpole and shifting course a bit to head for another line of businesses down the street.

"We're recieving word that the Air Force is going to attempt a final, last-ditch effort to redirect the Kroaken before she reaches the highest concentration of civilians. The squadron being sent is apparently the same one which survived a typically unsuccessful attack on another kaiju in the Yukon yesterday. And commanding the pilots is Canada's newest celebrity, the young Lieutenant Helen Parker, already world-famous after she concocted a plan which saved a town from the bear monster Tyrosus only hours ago. I suppose her commanding officers are hoping she can pull off a repeat performance here, and I'm sure we all echo that sentiment. Good luck, Lieutenant!"

A ruptured gas line exploded, sending a fireball rolling into the air as the Kroaken obliterated a Dollar General and began trampling another cluster of houses beyond it.

"If she fails, it looks like America's luck will also run out. Some people have been controversially saying that the continental US has been unusually fortunate in avoiding large amounts of death and destruction thus far, despite having at least four kaiju within its borders right now. I guess it says a lot that 'only' having a death toll half that of 9-11 is what good fortune looks like these days. I-"

He hesitated a moment, as the kaiju's march through a decidedly unfortunate residential area continued.

"Okay, things may be about to get even worse. I've just been told that Fe- Fessiko.... um, Fennikusu... uh, is approaching the city as well. Sorry about that. If you're like me and can't keep all these kaiju codenames straight anymore, this one is the eagle which Emerged from Mount Fuji a day or two ago. The creature is flying at an astonishing rate of speed, radar has clocked it at Mach 5, impossible as that sounds, and it is passing over Lake Erie as we speak, heading this way. If Michigan City didn't look doomed already, this seems like the final nail in the coffins of several thousand civilians, along with the hundreds of brave military personnel trying to evacuate them. But we can only wait and see. Unfortunately, you won't be seeing any of it from our camera; with an aerial kaiju incoming, our 'safety' at high altitude just went out the window, so my crew and I will have to leave the area now. Our hearts go out to all the innocents who aren't able to do the same, and once again, we hope that Helen Parker somehow finds it in herself to pull off a miracle here."

........................................................

Michigan City, Indiana

The lake was very near, now, and the birds had given up their attack some time ago. In short, things were starting to look up for the Kroaken. The forest of little wood boxes crunched pleasantly beneath her feet as she walked, and ahead, she could see a few tiny creatures fleeing along trails. More humans, she noted. That was a benefit she was discovering of having hibernated for however long she had. The soft little bipeds had mostly been smart enough to avoid the lakes in her territory over the years, but now they were suddenly everywhere. She was realizing that these odd, unnatural nest structures must belong to them, and many of them actually seemed to be built along the lakeshores. That always did happen, though. If a predator left its territory for a time, the local prey became stupid, complacent, and easier to hunt.

Her tongue snapped out, seizing one of the mammals and drawing it into a her mouth, where she happily gulped it down. Delicious. They'd been a rare treat before, so she was glad to have so many available now. As eager as she was to get into the water and take a well-deserved nap, a snack first sounded appealing. Anyway, passing up easy prey was just dumb. Who did that?

In the back of her mind, though, on some deep, instinctive level, warning bells were going off. With a low grunt of irritation, she stopped and turned her gaze away from the rest of the stumbling humans, allowing them time to disappear into cover. She looked to the northeast. Somehow... she didn't understand how, but it didn't matter- some sense was telling her that she shouldn't get too comfortable. Something, a fellow kaiju, was trespassing somewhere in her territory. That was a problem.

She'd have to address said problem soon, but... well, her territory was quite large. As deeply as she loathed the idea of some filthy stranger (or worse, anyone she actually knew) befouling her land and threatening the security of her unborn offspring, she really didn't have it in her to go charging off to kill a distant challenger right now. She had immediate, visible priorities to attend to. Once she was fed, watered, rested, and maybe watered a bit more, then she'd sort the fool out. It'd keep for a few hours.

No, the first item on her to-do list was seeing to dinner. Returning her attention to the sea of box-nests ahead, she continued her advance.

[MinorBone Good]

Outskirts of the Suigam village, India

Dekkin exited his near broken car and stretched his arms out. It was a 20 minute drive from where the giant sinkhole was. He looked through the window of the car to see the time. 1:27 AM. Damn. Has it really been that long? He slammed his car door shut and yawned. He looked at small hotel across the street. "After all that...I'm still alive. Heh. Maybe I can be lucky sometimes." He began to his walk to the hotel, feeling the cold breeze of the night. Right on the door step, he had a feeling he forgot something. The Backpack! He looked back at the car and started to jog back to the car, but stopped. Wait. But what if they check that bag..What would they do with me? He decided against bringing the bag in. With that, he walked back to check in after a long day.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2 Miles from the Suigam village, India.

Suigam was taking his time walking through India, enjoying all the sights and strange new structures he's never seen before. His legs slowly stepped into the lake, washing off all the dirt that had collected onto them. How long was I gone for? His body slowly descended into the lake, continuing to bathe. There was so much dirt on his head, that it was completely brown. After a quick bath, He rose back up and went back onto land. I wonder if there are more creatures out and about in this world..

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Kuma began to tear apart the backpack with her sharp claws, breaking herself free out of the tiny prison. Where am I? She hopped to the floor of the car, inspecting her surroundings. Kuma starting to dig her way through the floor, but was met with a strange material she couldn't get passed. Kuma looked out the windows, and hopped in place. She dug her back legs into the floor and jumped towards the window.

Bink!

She bounced off the strange thing and fell back onto her floor. She felt one of her crystals fall off and hit the ground. What IS this? Some trap? She hopped to the front of the car and searched again. Digging, once again, she found an impassable material! She jumped onto the drivers seat and inspected the buttons on the side. Kuma tilted her head and pawed at them. The buttons made several clicks, and entranced Kuma. She began to keep pressing the buttons for 5 minutes straight. Quickly getting bored after that, she jumping on top of the dashboard and looked out the front window.

She tapped her paw on the window, testing how strong it was. Kuma felt something inside her start to change. Her crystal skin started to flash multiple colors. Oh no.. Growth spurt.. More crystals began to grow around her skin! She had to act quickly to get out of this trap quickly! Or else it would be a very uncomfortable transformation. Kuma began to scratch at the windshield, trying to weaken it. Another flash, and again, more crystals began to grow. She looked at the windshield and charged straight ate it.

Dink!

She bounced back off again, almost falling off the dashboard. She looked at the windshield and noticed a big crack from where she hit. Filled with confidence, she leaped into the window and-

DONK!

Kuma, backing up, shook her head in anger. Crystals began to fall from her face from the impact. The entire windshield now had cracks throughout. One more should do it. Her body flashed again and she felt herself grow bigger once again. With one last jump-

CRASSHH!!

She broke through! She crashed onto the hood of the car and slid off. She fell face first into the dirt. She flashed again, except this time, more rapidly. She stood up and quickly hopped away from the car. Kuma began to quickly grow in size. 6 feet, 10 feet, 17 feet. The rainbow pulse in her body started to slow. 20 feet, 21 feet, 22 feet..The pulses finally stopped. Kuma looked down at herself and hopped in place. Small. But will do for now. Sun should be up soon. Regain my size then..

She then looked to her right, noticing a dark figure. She raised her ears in surprise and jumped back. Hmmm..A fight? She saw the figure had many arms, reminding her of the foe she fought beforehand. The red glow in her chest beat faster, kicking up dirt behind her like a bull would. She then sped toward the figure, her ears facing forward like antlers. Kuma rammed straight into the brown being, knocking it to the ground. She felt tentacles wrapping around her back feet a bit, but she wasn't focused on that. She wanted to win! Kuma grabbed the thin arms, and began to tear them off. One after another, more and more arms were being ripped them off. Then, there was no more of them. She leaped off of it and hopped in place.

I did it! I beat that treacherous tree!

With great pride, she stomped on the dead tree on final time. Her heart beat slowed down, making her question something. How did we get brought back..No sun yet. So what happened? She then looked back at the hotel in the distance, wondering what happened..

[Dawsbfiremind]

Blue Loop Facility

Mateo blew out a puff of smoke, watching a rare rainstorm wet the sands.
"Mr. Marcos?"
Mateo turned to see a man with dark rust-colored hair standing behind him, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "What brings you out here Quentin?"
Quentin squinted at him. "Your report. I was sent as the UN's representative."
Mateo shrugged. "They still don't have enough to do then, eh?"
"We do whatever we can," Quentin said flatly. "Now why don't you show me what's going on here?"
Mateo beckoned, stowing the dying cigarette in a portable ashtray. "Right this way."
Quentin frowned as he entered the facility behind Mateo. "What's that sound? You got a group of monks in here?"
"No," Mateo said. "Those are the Djinns offering prayers."
"They do that often?"
Mateo nodded. "So far they've done it five times a day: at sunrise, just before and after noon, at sunset, and at midnight."
Quentin blinked. "What are they like, besides religious?
"Stubborn yet benevolent," Mateo said. "They only talk to each other and the translator."
"Kiara right?" Quentin asked, following Mateo down a broad hallway. "I heard she's working with something that didn't make it into your report."
"You have sharp ears," Mateo muttered.
"Quit dodging everything," Quentin growled. "What is it?"
Mateo sighed, swiping a keycard on the side of a door. "Something that will alter our perspective on the kaiju entirely."
Quentin's face bunched up. "Look you. I have to tell a group of men and women who are already past their necks in kaiju trouble what's going on here with the bugs and the metal people and a giant snake-headed kaiju from another planet, so you better-"
The door hissed open and Quentin jumped back, inadvertently shouting a crude expression.
Mateo nodded, looking up at the large creature with a slight smile. "He came out of the Gate just after the Swarm reached Luxor."
Quentin glared at Mateo. "Did I ever tell you I hated bugs?"
"Yes," Mateo said. "I didn't care."
The kaiju made a complex series of hissing sounds resembling an imitation of human speech.
"The Djinns call him Ba-Pef," Kiara said from beside them. "He's apparently seen as the Swarm's patron deity."
"Really," Quentin said, looking up apprehensively at the calmly sitting cicada-like humanoid with the iridescent blue exoskeleton.
Mateo sighed. "Fourty-nine foot eight inch tall insect humanoid with a marianasuim exoskeleton. He's like no kaiju we've ever gotten a close look at."
Quentin raised an eyebrow. "Anything else I should know?"
Ba-Pef leaned forward, pointing a finger at Quentin and vocalizing more of the strange sounds.
"What's it doing?" Quentin asked, backing away quickly.
"Stop!" Kiara shouted. Turning to Ba-Pef, she waved her hands in small motions.
Ba-Pef looked down at the floor before extending both metallic hands. As if driven by a breeze, stray traces of sand began to gather beneath them.
Quentin approached slowly. "What the-"
"Just watch," Mateo said.
Quentin's knees buckled inadvertently at the shapes the sand had made. "No way..."
"Yes way," Kiara said, smiling up at the kaiju.
Mateo nodded. "I give you the first kaiju confirmed to be sentient."
Quentin looked back at the writing formed by the sand, nodding weakly.

[KaijuCanuck]

Location: Over Lake Eerie



Shrike Squadron jetted out over the massive lake below them, their engines shining bright through the clouds of the night sky. They formed an arrow shape, with Helen and her CF-18 Superhornet at the very tip. The squad had been relatively silent since take-off from CFB Trenton - Helen felt like she should be saying... commander type things? Did Major Chang do that? She wasn't sure. He was dead. And this was only her second mission. Ever.

At that moment more than ever, the realization of how ridiculous this was hit her harder than Tyrosus' shredder breath. Down at their meeting in Washington, she was sure her superiors were kicking themselves over how their little promotion plot had backfired on them.

She looked down at the electronic map display below her. "Alright, we're about to buzz Detroit and officially cross the border. Welcome home, squad!" Helen said. She knew they all had similar displays in their F-15s and were probably well aware, but saying something made her feel better. Like she was actually knew what she was doing.

"Roger that, Captain," replied Lieutenant Shannon Mitchell. "I can smell the apple pie already."

"Think we'll have time to catch a cubs game after?" joked Lieutenant George Perkins.

"Anything to get out of the de-brief, eh Perkins?" crackled Major Pete Bradshaw over the radio. He was back at CFB Trenton, serving as Mission Control.

"Evening, Major!" shouted Captain Nick Fairfield. "How's life on the other side? Fast enough for ya?"

"Faster than your flying Nick, that's for sure," replied Pete. At the head, Helen smiled in spite of herself. She still hadn't really had a chance to get to know these people yet - they were pretty fun, it turned out. She peered down at the surface rolling beneath them, just in time to see the lights of Detroit.

"Listen Squad, I got some bad news," said Pete. Just then, for a split second, a gigantic shadow rushed over the squad - between blinks, Helen just managed to spot a gigantic red blur disappear without a sound over the horizon ahead of them, the biggest vapour cone she'd ever seen trailing behind it. "Fennikusu is headed straight for the Kroaken. We're having a hard time keeping a lock on him, but there's no question he's gonna beat you there."

FWOOOMMMMMMM!!!!!! The sound of Fennikusu's passing blasted Shrike Squadron as if Heaven itself had just exploded.

"Holy crap!" exclaimed Nick.

"What the... what the hell was that??" said Shannon nervously.

"Yeah," said Helen. "I think we may have just spotted him. Don't suppose there's any chance he's just passing through?"

"Sorry Captain," came Pete's disembodied reply. "We're starting to get a stable lock - he seems to be reducing speed pretty quickly, probably getting ready for a landing."

"Alright..." Come on Helen, say something, be a leader! "Okay Shrike Squadron... this changes nothing. Mission remains the same - redirect the kaiju and protect life and property. Between all of us here, we've fought two different kaiju already. They're not invincible. Let's show these overgrown pets what the human race is made of."

Location: Michigan City, Indiana

A father and his daughter clutched each other, trembling with terror as the Kroaken's heavy footsteps drew louder and louder, the monster frog's enormous form coming closer and closer, illuminated in the night by the fires raging in the path of destruction behind her. The father had fallen and twisted his ankle, and despite his pleas the little girl was unwilling to leave him - now they held each other close, resolved that if their last moments had to be spent in horror, at least they would be together.

The Kroaken's eyes zeroed in on the tiny, wounded, all-too-easy prey. Leisurely she opened her mouth, lazily rolling her tongue in her mouth to get ready for the killing snag...

fwooOOOOOOOO-! A heavy thunder sounded in the sky, rapidly getting louder. With an annoyed grunt, the Kroaken turned her head just in time to see the clouds part-

-TOOOOM! A huge, red shape slammed into the Kroaken, knocking her into the air to land with a crash on a small collection of houses in the opposite direction. As the dust around him cleared, Fennikusu let out a great cry and turned to face the tiny pair of humans that had narrowly escaped being dinner. He flapped his wings with a gentle puff, and the two were sent floating back, landing safely on the gust of wind a few hundred yards away. CHOOOF! With the immediate area clear, a brilliant blue fire burst to life on Fennikusu's back and danced along the feather-tips of his wings as he ignited himself into his battle-mode. He turned to stare down his old 'friend' with a grim, determined expression. The Kroaken had seen this look before, and knew the sentiment it communicated.

Enough.

[JAGzilla]

Michigan City

The Kroaken sucked in a deep breath, slightly winded by the impact, and blinked to clear her swimming vision. The red blur could hit, whatever it was... she wasn't hurt, but she'd lost her bearings a bit. No, the idiot that thought it could get away with something like this was the one about to be hurt.

Heaving herself to her feet amid a cloud of billowing dust and smoke, she turned to look in her attacker's direction- and her already-large eyes bulged with furious shock. So. He was the trespasser. She should've guessed.

Looming before her, wings spread wide and a bit taller than she was on all fours, was Fennikusu. The usual stubborn glare burned in his yellow eyes, and blue flames crackled on his wings and back, indicating his readiness to fight. She assumed the spectacle was supposed to be impressive. On someone else, it might have been, but on the most inexplicably stupid coward she knew, it was just an obnoxious light show.

Inflating her throat sac slightly, she leaned forward a little, opening her mouth wide and letting out a long, rumbling bellow of hatred. All thoughts of food and rest left her mind. Her dry skin was still uncomfortable, but that just helped fuel her anger. It was no coincidence that the bird had shown up now, of all times. He must've known that she was nearly ready to lay eggs again, and was here to murder her tadpoles like he'd done several times in the past.

He never even ate them. She'd have still had to kill him for that, but at least it would've been understandable; she knew as well as any predator that helpless young made for easy meals. But Fennikusu just burned them to ash and left, every time. Just as he regularly did with large prey species like the Ghagon or spiders, any time their numbers grew high enough for the Kroaken to enjoy them on a daily basis.

He ruined her efforts to reproduce, wasted perfectly good food, couldn't even understand concepts so basic as staying out of someone else's territory... he seemed to go out of his way to infuriate her. And now, here he was yet again, in her face, protecting prey. She couldn't even begin to imagine what hoops his warped mind had to jump through for a concept like that to make sense to him.

This was it. He'd usually fled from her counterattacks in the past, but if he wanted to stand and fight now, she was more than happy to oblige. She'd kill him this time, and never have to give him a second's thought again.

Gathering her limbs beneath her, she fired her mighty hind leg muscles and leaped, sailing through the air toward him. She collided with tremendous force, receiving a face full of feathers as his light bird body toppled to the ground beneath her. Her claws scrabbled at him as he flapped and struggled, fighting to pin his wings down even as she twisted and reached, trying to clamp her jaws around his head...

[Dawsbfiremind]

Blue Loop Facility, Ba-Pef’s Chamber

Ba-Pef sat silently, focusing. He could hear the sounds of the Djinns' chanting echoing through the halls, the dripping of the rain on the ground far above, and the sounds of a group of people arranging things in a room.
He focused harder.
Then it came, the small glow of warmth in his chest, accompanied by a faint blue glow in his exoskeleton. Now he sensed everything with perfect clarity.
Everything.
Island...Millions dead...kaiju...
He extended his senses to where he could feel the presence of the others. Immediately, they turned their attention to him. One spoke with distorted words similar to Ba-Pef’s own speech, though tinged with a warble instead of an insectile hiss.
“Where are you?”
“Earth,” Ba-Pef answered, his voice echoing off the walls of his chamber. “and it appears the resonance was from the bell.”
“So the purge has begun,” a much clearer voice, female this time, muttered.
“Yes,” Ba-Pef said. “Anything from the other worlds?”
The owner of the warbling voice sighed. “Siva and Ganesh have been receiving messages from Kali saying at least one of the Titans is trying to get to Khepri.”
Ba-Pef shook his head. “He’s the last thing we need. The people here were fighting with a large number of meta-organisms even before Tiamat started on the warpath. We need to get her on our side if possible.”
“What side?” the female voice’s owner asked. “Bringing our forces together and fighting isn’t going to save anyone this time. Relocation is our best option.”
“Relocate then,” Ba-Pef muttered. “They will find you wherever you go.”
“I agree with Ba-Pef,” a new, rumbling voice entered the conversation. “If we run, they will chase us down. Our best option is to stand and fight.”
“And who will fight with you?” the female voice asked. “Sobek? He lies at the bottom of his river, only stirring to devour those who disturb his slumber. Ra and Anubis? They’ve been gone for centuries, hiding who knows where.”
“We have those from the other planets and the Delphics,” Ba-Pef said. “They will fight.”
“But they will not win,” the female growled. “Not against Khepri. Remember what happened to Olympus when he struck it and it bacame a sea of molten metal orbiting a dying star. That could be Earth, Shambala, Valhalla, or even Duat.”
“We’re fighting, Thoosa,” the rumbling voice growled. “even if all we have are a few from the other planets and the Delphics.”
Ba-Pef cocked his head, listening to the sounds from the room the people had been arranging things in. “We may also have the people of Earth.

Blue Loop Facility, Conference room
“Allright,” Quentin said, bending over a laptop. “We should be connected in a moment.”
Mateo leaned back in his chair. “Been awhile since I’ve made a report straight to the UN. Makes me nostalgic.”
Kiara took a deep breath, rubbing the back of her neck as she stood in front of the room.
“You’re okay,” Mateo reassured her. “Just talk to them like normal people.”
Kiara frowned. “I’ll...do my best.”
“Here we are,” Quentin said. “Hello everyone. We have a very interesting development on the Egyptian kaiju that we need to share with you.”
“Proceed,” someone said over the laptop’s speakers.
Quentin turned the laptop so its camera faced Kiara at the front of the room, nodding at her.
“Hi,” she managed to choke out before bringing an image of Ba-Pef up on the white board behind her. “This is the Duatian kaiju the Djinns call Ba-Pef. He stands almost fifty feet tall, is covered in a marianasium exoskeleton, and is verifyably sentient.”
“Sentient?” one of the officials asked. “Sounds like a bad joke to me.”
“It isn’t,” Quentin said. “Just watch.”
Kiara pulled up a video showing the top of Ba-Pef’s head and Kiara standing a short distance from him.
“So you know about the UN?” Kiara asked in the video.
Ba-Pef extended his hands and the sand responded, forming a single word.
Yes
“Can you tell me who they are?”
The sand rearranged itself into the names of the UN members.
“My gosh,” somebody said.
Kiara turned to look at the computer. “He says he knows what he does thanks to an object in his chest he calls the ‘eye of Ba-Pef’. It apparently-”
“You can stop the video recording now,” Kiara said in the video.
The video continued.
Kiara whirled around. “Why didn’t it stop?”
“Regulation,” Mateo said. “It films 24/7.”
The Kiara in the video sighed. “This is crazy.”
Kiara frantically tried to pause the video.
“Stop!” someone shouted over the computer speakers. “Leave it playing.
Ba-Pef spoke in a series of vocalizations.
Kiara sqeezed her eyes shut.
“No, I’m okay,” the Kiara in the video said. “I just never expected a new Gate to be opened.”
Ba-Pef spoke again.
“Ransacking Luxor last time I saw her,” the Kiara in the video answered. “The whole swarm was being routed, or at least Nieth said that’s what had happened.”
Kiara stood as still as she could, drawing in ragged breaths.
“So you can understand them,” Mateo muttered. “How?”
Kiara tapped her neck. “The metal.”
“I thought you said she got that from a car wreck in your report,” one of the UN accused.
“I did,” Mateo said. “That’s what she told me.”
Kiara straightened. “It’s specially formed marianasium. It was implanted in my neck when I was four.”
“And it lets you understand that thing’s speech?” Quentin said.
“All of the sentient ones,” Kiara whispered.
“Who implanted it in you?” one of the UN asked.
“Only other person within the last fifty years to have one of these,” Kiara said. “The oracle of Kukulkhan. I don't know where he got the marianasium for it.”
“Oracle,” Mateo mused. “Is that what they call people with that?”
Kiara nodded.
“Who are you the oracle of?” Quentin asked.
A wave of sand shot under the door, rising to form words in front of the whiteboard.
The oracle of Ra
There was silence for a moment.
“Detain her,” one of the UN said.
The sand re-formed. No
“Then what do you want us to do?” another UN member asked.
Fight alongside us
“We’re already fighting our own war here.”
We fight the same war
“Who’s we?”
We “sentient kaiju”
“Well then you should watch yourself. We’re trying to kill kaiju.”
Good luck
Kiara closed her eyes. “Listen to him.”
“Why should we? He’s one of the enemy.”
I am no animal
Kiara glared at the computer screen. “Decide what you’ll do yourselves. You’ll need them eventually.”
“That, oracle, is something I’m willing to bet against.”
The computer screen went black as they ended the call.
“Don’t take it personally,” Mateo said. “They exist to be suspicious.”
Kiara looked at him. “What do you think about this?”
Mateo considered her for a moment. “I think it sounds like we could use more sentients.”
The sand re-arranged itself.
Try looking at the headwaters of the Nile
“What’s there?” Quentin asked.
Death incarnate

[Godzilla165]

Hayden gazed at Fletcher from the corner of his eye, growing noticeably stiff from the presence of the young diplomat. There was an uncomfortable quietness in the air now, enough to have heard pitter patter of an ant’s footsteps if it skittered past. After an eternal stint of silence, Hayden finally turned back to his phone.

“Hey, I gotta go, give the twins each a kiss from me. Alright... Love you too... Bye.” Hayden then fiddled around on his phone for a second, before slipping it into his pants pocket, and turned to give Fletcher his full attention. He gave Fletcher the same, toothy grin that he gave to everyone. It was pleasant, but almost, “too” pleasant. Robotic even. “Oh, it’s quite alright, Mr. Fletcher; we all have our little off days here and there.” Hayden casually replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

The man studied Archie carefully, his smile fading a bit as he remembered what the kid had said a minute ago, something about a, “Kaiju from space”. While there had been three so far, two of which were UN knowledge, Jones couldn’t help but question if Archie had somehow overheard his previous conversation. He needed to know for certain; he couldn’t risk letting knowledge of this caliber getting leaked to the public.

“Everything that’s going on right now, it’s crazy, isn’t it? Beasts who we thought only existed in legends and folklore, now popping up in every corner of the world, two from space even... Are waging war with us. Honestly, I’m impressed by how you’ve managed to remain levelheaded throughout all this, Mr. Fletcher.” Hayden poignantly affirmed.

******

Delhi graveyard

Ryōmen no Hebi saw stars twinkling in his vision. He laid there, toppled on his back from the concussive force of those rays brutalizing his leg less form. The serpent’s mouth was on fire, feeling as though he had swallowed gallons of acid. His scaly face thumped and ached something fierce, his bones moaned with discontent, and his eyes were bloodshot. On the other end, the overgrown felines slowly picked themselves up, groggily shaking the dizziness from their heads. One of them now had an eye swollen shut, an unflattering shade of purple, and oozing droplets of puss. They faced Carnaris, baring their titanic canines far enough for the pinkness of their individual gums to show. The tigers barked and roared harshly, telling their other half to get up. Eventually, the cobra acknowledged the rude request, and righted itself back up. Blood dripped from its mouth, a combination of both it and the thorny dragon’s. Its tongue flicked out spitefully, albeit slower and more lethargic now.

Ryōmen saw red in all six of his eyes. This was more than just a battle for territory; it could be wiped off the planet for all Ryōmen cared. He wanted blood. The felines squatted down low into a hunters’ stance, and began to circle Carnaris back and forth, while the serpent covered her flanks. In a flash, the tigers rushed Carnaris in a fit of rage, bellowing a thunderous war cry while doing so. They pounced, slashing, clawing, and biting blindly. There were many instances where their paws would collide with the razor sharp thorns, drawing and flinging blood everywhere. However, Ryōmen didn’t care, nor did he feel it; he just wanted Carnaris dead. Soon, the serpent joined in the fray, striking repetitively at any spot it could land. The scales of its face were getting punctured and stripped off from the thorny protrusions, but again, that didn’t matter.

Blood, venom, and flesh were flung in all directions as Ryōmen kept up his assault. Carnaris would feel the pain that he felt at the very moment, Ryōmen would make certain of that.

[KaijuCanuck]

Location: UN Building, New York City, New York, USA

Archie's eyes narrowed somewhat, peering into Hayden's pleasant, well-practised grin, and his noticeably stiffer composure. The run-in had been a genuine accident, but cutting through Archie's tired, exhausted brain was the well-trained feeling of being sized up. Not an uncommon feeling in this line of work, but still... so far as Archie knew, Hayden was merely a bureaucrat for the UN itself and therefore not partisan to any specific interests. Curious.

"Well, I've certainly had my moments. We'll work to do our best now, and then catch up to the fact it's actually real later," Archie replied. "Speaking of which... what exactly is it that you do, Mr. Jones?"

Location: Michigan City, Indiana, USA

Pain shot through Fennikusu's light body as the Kroaken's heavy form crashed on top of him. The Kroaken clawed at him, scraping Fennikusu as he desperately flailed his flaming wings. The Kroaken stretched her neck out - SNAP! Her massive mouth lined with dozens of sharp, wicked looking teeth tried to clasp itself around Fennikusu's head. SNAP! Fennikusu just barely twisted his neck out of the way as the jaws came in for another go. Fennikusu took in a deep breath, harsh and pained with the Kroaken leaning all of her weight on him, and his smoking eyes flared up an even brighter blue. The jaws came in again - only this time they were met with a stream of intense blue fire. The Kroaken reeled backwards in pain, making deep, wheezing sounds as she choked on the flame. Fennikusu leapt back to his feet. He opened his beak again, letting out another searing blue stream of fire, the fire on his back and wings flaring up in concert. Not a great feeling for an amphibian, Fennikusu knew. If he could dry her out and force her into the nearby water, and keep her there, perhaps the humans would have time to escape and there would be no more innocents for the Kroaken to harm.

Then he smelt it - the pheromones were unmistakable. She was pregnant. That complicated things greatly. It would be Fennikusu's duty to ensure few of the offspring survived. He did not enjoy killing; indeed, had he the chance he probably would not kill the Kroaken, dangerous as she was. Fennikusu understood the role predators played in keeping the natural balance. But this species were a particularly effective predator, and with this much excess prey now covering the planet, even a handful more of them would be an ecological disaster. No, as usual Fennikusu had the unfortunate task of making sure the Kroaken's tadpoles never grew so much as a leg.

Problems for later. Right now, he had this settlement to protect. Fennikusu flapped his wings and took off back into the sky, circling the battlefield, as the Kroaken glared hatefully up at him.

........................................

Shrike Squadron remained in high altitude, surveying the scene below them with astonishment as the Kroaken was bathed in Fennikusu's blue flame. Helen took in a short breath in as Fennikusu took to the sky, but he remained below them, and so far had not taken any notice.

"You think he hurt her?" asked Perkins over the comms.

"No idea. She just looks kind of pissed off," answered Shannon.

"You can say that again," replied Perkins. "I mean, the bird breaths fire, sure, but just look at her. That's a monster."

Helen thought hard, options cycling through her mind at lightning speed. None of their weapons would do damage, that was a given. That meant the only thing to do was to either use the environment, or direct their movement. She looked from one kaiju to the next, prioritizing. If they could knock Fennikusu into the lake, that may stand a chance at doing something to the flaming bird. But for all they knew, Fennikusu could fly off any second and no longer be putting Michigan City in imminent danger. The only thing he seemed to be here for was the Kroaken anyways. That meant eliminating the Kroaken was priority number one, but nothing in the environment seemed helpful. The buildings and hills were low, nothing to topple. Her eyes were caught by Fennikusu's blazing blue black, and she stared into the fire for a moment...

Maybe incendiary bombs could entice her to move? Helen hadn't been much of a biology student but she was pretty sure amphibians needed to keep wet. No guarantee that was the case here, or that the bombs would be enough, as the Kroaken clearly had no issues with starting fires all over the damn place when she stomped through town. But it was a starting point.

"Shrike Squadron, lock in incendiary bombs," Helen said. "Sending over impact co-ordinates now - we're going to create a ring of fire around the Kroaken and see if we can trap her. Everyone ready? Okay - release!"

The bombs fell, guided by lasers to land with precision all around the Kroaken, fire leaping up to encircle her.

........................................

Fennikusu looked up, his eagle-eyesight spotting the human contraptions above. What were they doing??? They stood no chance against her. They would flee immediately, if they knew what was good for them.

Location: Marianas Island

Ewaschuk and Semaj continued to run, now thankfully no longer limited by Ragnarok's tendrils.

"Is it dead?" Semaj yelled out, awkwardly running with his shotgun gripped firmly in both hands.

"Maybe..." replied Ewaschuk. "I will be sure to investigate at a more convenient time." Stupid Ragnarok.

The sound of the Paladins was getting closer and closer. There was an ear-splitting howl, and one landed directly in front of Ewaschuk, it's blood stained face viciously baring its fangs. Ewaschuk skirted to a stop, staring wide-eyed at the snarling little monster.

"Ewaschuk," said Semaj quietly. Ewaschuk tenuously turned his head, fighting the urge to keep his eyes on the Paladin, only to find that they were now surrounded. Paladins were creeping towards them from all directions. Semaj brought his shotgun to his shoulder, sweat beading down his face.

"Why don't I have a weapon," Ewaschuk said in his typically blunt tone. "It is quite stupid that I did not pick up a weapon."

"The ground is gradually sloping upwards," said Semaj, motioning in the direction they had been running with the tip of his gun, his arms not slackening for a second. "If I'm right, we're near a low ridge the satellite maps showed us. If there is anywhere people will congregate, it's there. On the count of three... we run."

"Tak."

"1". Semaj slipped one arm out from his gun barrel, his trigger arm straining to keep the gun up. He reached for his grenade belt. "2". Semaj pulled a grenade out, and brought it up to his mouth. "3!" In a single, deft motion, Semaj fired his gun, demolishing the face of the Paladin directly in their path, while yanking the grenade's pin out with his teeth and dropping it just as he sprinted through the new hole in the Paladin circle. Ewaschuk followed. Reactively, the Paladin's leapt for where their prey had been standing, their strong arms clasping at air. It didn't take them long to turn and take in the new chase - KA-BOOM!

Too long. Ewaschuk and Semaj dashed madly up the hill, not turning to see how many Paladins the desperate ploy had taken. By the sounds of the whooping calls and snapping foliage behind them, it was not enough.

[Zarm]

Location: Marianas Island

Feet pounding across the matted vegetation, Blade charged the gaggle of glittery apes that had just appeared over the tentacle he'd vaulted. Behind him, Elizabeth Reed and the rest of the company were scrambling over the obstacle- but Blade, winded, was already racing up the incline.

Through the knot of shiny freaks, he caught sight of flailing limbs, bobbing heads- someone fleeing before them.

It didn't look like they were going to make it. Running uphill was a punishing challenge even for someone in the peak in the peak of physical conditioning... and the monkeys seemed to be better at it than any of them.

Even as he recognized the distant pair, he saw one of the Paladins lunge ahead of the pack- slicing deep into Ewaschuck's leg, and pinning him up against the tree-trunk.

Well, that was it. The man was practically hamstrung. Even if he managed to get free of one attacker, he wouldn't be able to run any longer. He'd fall behind, and they'd tear him to pieces- and the best he could manage was to delay the Paladins eating him while everyone else ran ahead.

Blade Harrison knew he wasn't a good man. The first impulse at this very moment to celebrate a useful distraction reminded him clearly of that. But he was trying to a better man... and for a good guy, there was only one thing to do.

He aimed as he ran, drawing a bead dead-center in the middle of Ewaschuck's forehead, and pulled the trigger.

The bullet struck right in the middle of the man's terrified expression... only there was a Paladin in the way. It jerked back and tumbled violently down the hill, a hole clean through one eyeball.

"Oh, sure, now I can make that shot," Blade grumbled to himself.

Ewaschuck took off running, faster than Blade had expected- it looked like the leg wound wasn't nearly so bad as he'd thought. Reed surprised him by sprinting ahead- she was fast- and getting under Ewaschuck's shoulder, helping take the weight off that leg as they hobbled together. But the Paladins were still closing in...

And then a fusilade of gunfire tore into the pack as the squad, now past their obstacle, claimed the hill. There was a spontaneous roar, a wordless battle-cry as they charged the hill... and from atop the ridge-line, the sounds of Mike Robbins' mini-canon drowned outthe rest of the Brits' artillery as they caught the clanky orangutans in a crossfire.

Under fire from.two directions, the Paladins- a few of which Blade only now noticed looked half-mangled and scotched, beat a grudging retreat, losing several of their members in the process.

Blade grinned.

Nothing like the cavalry coming in...

Blade passed the hobbling Ewaschuck on his way up- and as he did, the scientist reached out to squeeze him on the shoulder.

"Thank you," he whispered. Even Reed didn't have the usual complete disapproval in her expression.

Blade nodded in acknowledgement, heat rising to his cheeks. He was just a not-so-good man that had selflessly chosen to sacrifice a potentially-useful diversion. Beyond that... no one ever needed to know the details.


Location: Delhi Graveyard

Carnaris snarled under the onslaught- more painful than it had been at the start. The serpent's blows were trifling to hear scaly armor... but that armor had many more chinks in it now than it had.

Her opponents were learning to use their superior mass, too; something sharp and broken rattled and tore within her for every body blow it delivered.

But she was not without her victories- as one of Ryōmen's heads drew in close, Carnaris grinned at the bruised, bloody eye. As her teeth found their mark against the lunging paw, she slapped up at the mauled visage, hissing with amusement as she saw blood splattering all directions. Had she gored the eye, or simply crushed bone around the socket? She wasn't sure, but the grisly parody of her own power filled her with a grim satisfaction, and took her mind for a moment off of her own throbbing temples, the ragged raap of her breath drawn in through hot, seared lungs, and the dizziness that assaulted her in increasing waves.

Her arm snapped back, raking a lion's torso with the sparse spines that still covered it, then her claws lashed forward to catch the serpentine body, scratching at its scales-

The laughter died in her throat as the thing seems to be inspired by the same idea. The other lion lunged past her slowing defenses, its jaws fastening around the oblong protuberance of her eye.

Carnaris screeched a ragged cry, and laid in to the offending head with all her might. Her elbow-spine sunk deep into its flesh, her spines and claws raked its furred flesh into a bloody ruin- but it would not let go. The pressure of its jaws began to tighten.

In serious pain, her vision beginning to blur, she spurted poisonous blood out of the conical aperture. But the serpent had learned, and held her eye-cone at an angle that kept the blood spraying uselessly against the skeletal remains of the boxy shapes that had once made up this city.

Carnaris bellowed and raged, her balled fist pummeling against the torso, bruising the muscle beneath the torn and bloody flesh. Ryōmen was paying a heavy price- but with a sickening crunch, its jaws came together, and she lost vision out of her right eye entirely. The channel of poisoned blood backed up and washed into her skull, bringing a pain both dull and searing and more intense than she had ever experienced flooding through her cranium.

With a savage backhand, she finally dislodged the offending head, nearly useless, lolling... its teeth bared in a satisfied grin that dripped with her own blood and chunks of the eye-cone that had been torn out in the dislodging.

Roaring in rage, she threw herself at it, wrapped her arms around and dragged it to the ground. She pinned the helpless head with foot and tail- and for the brief moment before the serpent could flex its sinewy coils to snap its trapped head free, she laid into the other head with teeth and claws.

It grappled with her, sought to block her, bit back and fought and snarled. She knew that the third and final head was coming in behind her, and didn't care. She fought with the second lion alone, venting her rage, her voice fluctuating as her roar faltered from exhaustion and weakness.

The two of them, their systems filled with poison, weak and dizzy and faltering, tore into each other like savage, primeval deities. Forces of nature colliding with thundering blows that shook the ground as they made impact. Glass shattered, the remains of buildings were ground to powder beneath them as they danced and struggled and fought. Their teeth dripped with blood, each-other's and their own. With furious savagery they lashed at one another, took chunks out of each-other. Her spines were left behind in its flesh, her scales ripped free in its teeth and claws.

They ripped and tore at one another. Muscle was exposed, and bone- Carnaris saw her own skeleton, streaked with trails of gore, heaving with the labor of her breath- saw the same ribcage exposed in three different places along the lion's torso is it panted, as it howled for help. Not yet as ruined as its mate, but badly hurting.

Then, without warning, she released the pinned mammal and spun to meet the cobra's strike- a moment too slow, a moment too late. It bobbed and weaved as it struck- less an evasion then the drunken deterioration of its equilibrium. But Carnaris was in little better shape. As she'd fought the savage dance with the lions, Ryōmen had closed in about her.

Avenues were cut off, her options for footwork narrowed down to a few shallow steps that it's coils were even now encroaching on. She was caught fast, and meeting the best strike that the serpent could still maintain face-first.

But even with the advantages she had yielded, she would not yield. She would meet its worst with her best. As the cobra struck, there was still a smile on her teeth, seeing the mewling lions retreat to lick their wounds, the one shaking its insensate companion.

Carnaris yet left her mark.

[JAGzilla]

Michigan City

Fixated as her attention was on the circling eagle, to say nothing of her painfully seared tongue and throat, the Kroaken was caught by surprise as new fireballs erupted in a ring around her. She gave an undignified yelp and jerked in shock, particularly when one of the small blasts struck her back, also blistered a bit by Fennikusu's second stream of flames. The heat wasn't quite enough to hurt; under normal conditions, she'd hardly have felt it. But with her skin now dried to the point of cracking open in some spots, the persistent flames were highly uncomfortable, and she shook herself, putting her back out as best she could. She moved away from the crackling ring's edges, as far to the center as she could get.

Fennikusu hadn't produced these fires; her eyes had been on him the whole time. So where had- ah. She belatedly noticed it, that endless, rumbling roar made by the annoying metal birds. So they'd returned, thinking to add to her problems while she dealt with a larger enemy. A low growl built in her throat as murderous thoughts filled her mind.

Fennikusu swept across her vision again as he circled, and her anger intensified. Coward. He was just high enough to stay out of reach of her tongue and sonic croak, and he moved too quickly to leap at accurately. And he knew it. He was taunting her. But for as little as she thought of him, she had forgotten how those blue flames of his stung, particularly when she was dried out. He had the capacity to seriously hurt her, whether she liked it or not.

And that admission only infuriated her further. No part of this situation was tolerable. He and his tiny allies were not going to continue to violate her airspace, would not be allowed to hurt or annoy her any more. Restraint be damned: she was going to annihilate them.

With a croaking roar of pure rage, the Kroaken gave in and triggered her body's 'battle mode.' The colors of her formerly slimy skin intensified, her muscles bulged a bit. She felt the scorched tip of her tongue become hard, sharp spikes erupting from the flesh. Most importantly, her horns began to glow with bright blue energy, only a few shades off from Fennikusu's flames.

Roaring again, longer and louder, she swiveled her head a bit, eyes scanning the night sky for- there! The metal birds streaked along in their formation, no longer safe at their great height. She focused on the flight's leader, concentrated the energy in her horns....

ZZZZAK!

Twin beams of lethal kinetic force screamed skyward. To her irritation, the first shots missed, disappearing harmlessly into the high reaches of the atmosphere. No matter. An instant later, she snapped off another shot. The birds had begun to scatter, now, but too slow: she missed the leader, but watched with satisfaction as she clipped another of them, its right wing blown to dust. It was sent into an involuntary barrel roll by the impact, and then angled inevitably downward, falling toward the earth in an uncontrollable nosedive. With any luck, it would survive the crash and live just long enough to suffer.

Her point made to the pathetic annoyances, she returned to the real target. Fennikusu was no fool; he knew what was coming, but his evasive maneuvers came too little and too late, as her next shot caught him full in the gut.

[Godzilla165]

“My position is... Complex, Mr. Fletcher. Let’s just say I make sure that things run... Smoothly, around here.” Hayden replied, narrowing his eyes. He was a bit caught off guard by the question at first, causing him to fumble a bit. Quickly regaining his composure, Hayden positioned himself to be within arm’s reach of Archie, but discreetly enough to where the latter wouldn’t think anything of it. Such was an old trick taught to Hayden at the start of his, “colorful” career.

“Why do you ask? Did curiosity suddenly get the best of you?” He continued in a light-hearted tone, but keeping note of Archie’s mannerisms.

*****

Delhi Graveyard

Ryōmen was slumped, his breathes stifled and wheezing, trails of dark red blood trickling down from his maws and exposed chest, and pooling in front of him. The serpent glared searing hot daggers at his thorned opponent. His rib cage visibly flexed in and out with each, pained breath. The remaining tiger was panting heavily, its entire form shaking with every exhale. The fur covering its forehead had been split apart, red liquid trickling down into his swollen eyes. His comatose partner lay slumped beside him, their head dangling each and every direction with any slight movement that Ryōmen made. Pieces of brain matter were exposed to the elements, their visage a bruised, bloodied, and unrecognizable mess.

The twisted chimera groaned on both sides in anguish, whilst teetering from side to side, in danger of collapsing in the same vain as a towering tree. Still, whether through sheer determination or his body keeping him up, Ryōmen didn’t falter. As blood was regurgitated from his ruined maws, the serpent suddenly stiffened up. With a howl of blind rage and overwhelming suffering, he forced himself to his full height once more, bones inside of him creaking and rubbing together as he did so. Ryōmen saw the condition that Carnaris was in, and the sight of her pulverized form seemingly granted him a newfound passion, a passion to kill her right where she stood. With the last of his energy stores, Ryōmen hurled himself at the dragon, tackling her into the dust covered earth. As quickly as he could, he bound Carnaris within his muscular coils and squeezed as hard as he physically could.

There was a dry, “THUNK”, as the bones in her rib cage were cracked and fractured in two. While the serpent held her in place, the remaining tiger head sunk its canines deep into the back of Carnaris’s neck. Upon tasting her salty blood, it proceeded to bite down even harder, puncturing through until its teeth could feel the wet, thumping mass of muscle hidden within. A wet tear of flesh separating from bone sounded, as the voracious feline ripped its head out and to the left, carrying with him a mouth full of flesh and sinew, and showering them all with the blood of his victim. His white face was drenched with red plasma, jaw full of still beating meat. The tiger threw its head back and swallowed it whole, whilst sinking its broken claws into the newly made hole in Carnaris’s neck.

The cobra hissed with pleasure, tasting the cruel torture that Carnaris was being put through on his behalf. It was then that the serpent struck her face, and struck once more, and again, and again. One after the other, Ryōmen brutalized her hardened visage with strikes that sounded akin to TNT being set off with each successful impact. There was no venom behind these attacks; Ryōmen just wanted to see Carnaris bend and suffer.

This was bloodlust.

[JAGzilla]

Marianas Island

Wiping a mixture of sweat, mud, and blood from his forehead and holstering his empty sidearm, Mike Robbins trudged to the top of the ridge. He turned around once he got there, helping to haul one of the limping, injured soldiers onto relatively level ground. The man sank down with a sigh of relief, muttering his thanks. Behind him, the rest of the British platoon's remnants and their six surviving charges completed their own ascents. Corporal White began barking orders, getting some of the less battered men spread out on sentry duty, while detailing the rest to tend to the wounded. The scientists were tasked with taking stock of the group's dwindling supplies.

Satisfied that they were in the clear for now, Mike looked to the other group they'd linked up with. Major Semaj and Doctor Ewaschuk were among them, he noted with mingled relief and resignation; he was glad to have competent authority figures around again, but now it was time to inform them of his failure. The remainder consisted of the mercenary, two other scientists, and what looked to be most of the Uruguayan contingent. Over half the expedition was still unaccounted for, then.

Squaring his shoulders, Mike approached Semaj. "Sir! Good to see you've made it. I wish I could say the same for my unit, but we have seven KIA, including Captain McDonnel, all three sergeants, and Doctor Conde." He started to automatically apologize, but stopped as he realized how pathetically inadequate "I'm sorry" would sound. Seven people were dead. "The error was mine, Major. I was in command. I have no excuse."

[Dawsbfiremind]

Tanta, Egypt

The maddening hum grew louder as the large cloud rapidly approached the city, the residents of Tanta scurrying inside to avoid what they thought to be a sandstorm.

And leaving a solitary person standing in the center of the streets. A young, green-eyed girl, a single iridescent green feather standing on the diadem holding her short black hair in place.

She watched the approaching Swarm calmly, hands laced behind her back.
Should I or shouldn’t I?
She weighed her options as the mass of dark purple insect humanoids surged closer.
I should.
Having decided, the girl’s eyes began to glow a bright green. She focused until she could detect a certain woman with a marianasium implant.

She felt Kiara stop suddenly as she felt her presence, turning to see if she was nearby. “Nieth?”

“Hiya,” Nieth said, still watching the Swarm. “I’m in Tanta right now and I thought you should know the Swarm’s headed this way.”

Kiara paused. “Why? What’s in Tanta?”

Nieth watched the first of the Swarm flying overhead. “Chickpeas.”

“What?”

“Just kidding,” Nieth said, grinning. “They’re headed beyond the city, towards the swamps.”

“And towards the Gate to Icluvys,” Kiara said. “You think they’re going to try and activate it?”

Nieth ducked slightly as the Swarm tore overhead, a few of them looking her way with their beady black eyes.

“Delphic,” one said in his buzzing language.
“Delphic,” another confirmed
The word went through the Swarm’s ranks until all of them had identified Nieth at least once.

“Why would they?” Nieth asked. “That’s Thoosa’s territory, she won’t be any help.”

Kiara remained silent. “Maybe...I don’t know. We need someone beyond Ba-Pef and the Swarm.”

A cluster of the Swarm smashed into a nearby building, scattering shards of bricks.

“Well most of the Ogdoad’s going to stay put for now,” Nieth said. “They’re all worried Khepri’s going to be sent to Duat first. Looks like we have to look for other help.”

“Ba-Pef is sending us to Sobek right now,” Kiara said. “We’ll see how that works out.”

Nieth raised an eyebrow. “It won’t. Unless Tiamat starts swimming around the Nile he’s not going to lift a finger.”

“Who else do we have to look for?”

Nieth shrugged. “I dunno. Ra?”

Kiara sighed. “He’s still not talking to me.”

“Then...you heard anything from Tala?”

“Not since Kukulkan took her into Tamoanchan.

Nieth chewed her lip, watching a whirling ball of Swarmers fend off a group of armed police officers. “Just do what you can, it’s about to get ugly here.”

“We will,” Kiara said. “What about you?”

Nieth looked away as one of the Swarm dove for the nearest officer. “I’m heading for Italy. I picked up a fast-moving signal there, probably Nike. I’ll see if anyone from her planet can help.”

[KaijuCanuck]

Location: United Nations Building, New York City, New York, USA

An wide, uncharacteristic smirk slowly crossed over Archie's face as he clued to into what he'd accidentally revealed to himself; the guy can't even just give him a job title? This was someone with something to hide.

"Times like these, it pays to be more than a little curious," Archie replied, intensely staring Hayden directly in the eye. I got your number, buddy. Or at least, I know you have a number. "I have to say, you seem remarkably composed as well. More than me, frankly. Maybe next time we meet, you'll let me in on your, um, secret. Good night, Mr. Jones."

Archie headed for the doors, exiting the UN building for the first time in hours. He hailed a cab. Perhaps it was a little childish of him to leave and just claim the last word like that, but he was on a bit of a high after the successful call with the Defense Minister and the good news from Rachel. Probably it was something small... Jones likely just had the inside scoop on some diplomatic drama that the smaller countries weren't supposed to know about. Security Council representatives getting on each other's nerves, or something like that. But that one comment rung in his head... "Let’s just say I make sure that things run... Smoothly, around here".

As Archie got in the cab, he dialed Rachel, only to get her voicemail. "Rachel, it's me," he said. "Got a hunch. While we're shoring up alliances and, you know, trying to save the world and stuff, let's keep an eye on that Hayden Jones guy. Just seems like he knows something. Probably nothing but... I just don't want some left field power-play derailing our plans. Okay. See you tomorrow."

Location: Langley, British Columbia, Canada



Dusk, and Dracochelys had finally crossed over into the countryside. The giant turtle lumbered through trees and fields, pressing ever onwards until...

...She halted. Around her head buzzed the giant dragonfly things, having chased her all the way out of the strange rocky forest that had sprung on the coastline. She had been ignoring them, but now that she was close to laying her eggs the maternal instincts were kicking in and she was slowly starting to give them suspicious, sideways glances. Two of them - the olive-green ones who had dogged her the entire way - seemed to be flying aggressively toward a newcomer, a white and blue one.

Using her massive forelimbs, Dracochelys began to dig into the Earth. The soil came away with a satisfyingly perfect tug - not to soft, not to hard. Finally. She was much more inland than she would have liked, her new-born children would have far to walk back to the sea once they hatched. But there was no helping it, and now she was out of time. Dracochelys poked her head into her newly dug hole, ensuring it was up to standards. Then, with a great heave of her gigantic, hulking frame, she stepped over the hole and squatted into it, ready to lay her eggs.

...........................................

"For those of you just tuning in, Dracochelys has finally stopped," shouted Emma Sanchez as she fearlessly peered out the open side-doors of the CBC News helicopter. Her camera man dutifully moved his shot back and forth from her to the kaiju, trying to suppress his queasiness. Sanchez went on - "We believe 'she' is beginning to lay eggs, confirming the theories of some pundits that this is in fact a fe - oh no, not again!"

The CBC helicopter had made a sudden swerve to avoid the aggressive maneuvers of one of the military CH-146 Griffon helicopters, thrusting Emma to hang dangerously out the side - she was safely strapped into her seat, but that didn't make the experience any more pleasant. The griffon buzzed past, a minigun-toting airman waving his arms dismissively at them. Emma turned to look into news-copter's cockpit, just able to hear over the din of the rotor blades the griffon broadcast something angry.

"They're REALLY not happy with us this time, Emma," the news-copter's pilot yelled to her. "They just told me they could open fire on us."

"Open fire?!?!" exclaimed the camera man.

"Grow a pair, Ted," Emma shot back, making sure to silence her mic first. "They can't fire on us, this isn't the movies, that's probably just something they say." She turned to the cameraman. "You getting this Eddy? We're still live, you freaking amateur. I'm not losing another broadcasting award to that Tanya Munroe down in the States. Come on, the military has been this close for hours and haven't had a single problem."

Eddy the Cameraman made a silent groan and reluctantly brought his camera back to his shoulder, just in time to film Dracochelys turn her gargantuan, sharp beak towards them and leer forward with gaping jaws open wide. Ted desperately shoved the joystick and just barely swerved the news-copter out of the way in time - Dracocheyls' jaws came together with a sharp CLACK! that cut right through the sound of the three helicopters.

"Woah... hey Ted, maybe we should pull back a bit," said Emma.

"Great, Emma," came Ted's deadpan response. "Great idea. Let's do that." The CBC helicopter pulled back. The griffons followed suit before assuming a much wider holding pattern around Dracochelys. Emma switched her mic back on.

"As you just witnessed, Dracochelys has exhibited a startling change in behaviour. It remains to be seen exactly how the military will respond, but it's clear that she has finally picked a spot to set up camp, and she will not be moved easily. If you're just joining us..."

.................................................

Dracochelys watched triumphantly as the buzzing metal bugs fled. Laying all of these eggs would take several hours, and during that time she would defend them with her life. Her immediate space clear, she looked around and took note of her surroundings. This was more what she was used too - large, grassy fields, tall, green mountains. And yet, something about it was still wrong. Something in the air. It was just... empty. Her kind were a solitary sort, accustomed to vast stretches of time completely alone. But typically the birth-season was an important exception, as she and her sisters gathered around the traditional nesting sites in a kind of ancient, reptilian ritual. Dracochelys took a long breath, a deep, instinctual sadness coming over her. Even she had been alone for too long.

................................................

The CBC news crew watched Dracochelys from a distance as the sun set behind her. Eddy zoomed in with his camera, just as Drachochelys threw back her head and let loose a long, sorrowful howl. It was an eerie sound, a kind of trumpeting wail, and a striking image, her prehistoric form silhouetted against the clear, crimson sky. The crew's petty internal squabbles melted away as they took it in. Emma stopped her commentary, lost for words, and Eddy simply filmed, broadcasting live as Drachochelys' moans continued to echo across the landscape. Finally, Emma addressed the camera and spoke up again.

"Dracochelys has just started vocalizing a startling sound. A touch of emotion we've not yet seen from any kaiju," said Emma. She spoke slowly, choosing her words to the nation with care. "It's a complicated thing to witness... this beast has just torn it's way through one of our biggest and most beautiful cities. Thousands have lost their homes, friends, family... And yet..."

Drachochelys howled again, this time louder, more insistent. The giant turtle looked around, uncomfortable. Then, resigned, she hung her head and continued with the matter at hand.

Emma went on. "Is she calling out to a mate? A lost herd? Or is she simply disoriented and upset by a world clearly not her own? In spite of all the tragedy, this reporter can't help but feel a pang of compassion for Dracochelys. This is clearly not Carnaris, not Thanatos, but a creature entirely different. Something that more than likely never intended us any harm. I don't mean to offend our viewers who have lost loved ones today, but there even is a sense of raw, natural beauty in the incredible scene unfolding before us. A scene from another age. This is Emma Sanchez, CBC News, Vancouver."

Eddy switched the camera off, and gave Emma a big thumbs up. "'A scene from another age'? Were you saving that one? Eat that, Tanya Munroe!"

"What?" said Emma, her fiery disposition somewhat diminished. "Oh, right." She'd entirely forgotten about Munroe.