Age of Monsters

[Godzilla The King]

SHATTERDOME, JANUARY 23 2059
MORNING

Tyler Cameron, the Ranger Ace, a title he shared with Dirk Martinsfield. For over 30 years he had defended the world from countless threats and even made a name for himself. Many people think of him as a legend, someone to see as a wise mentor.

The reality is either greater or disappointing depending on one’s viewpoint on the matter, Tyler was not a very serious man, not in the slightest. He’d joke, he’d do silly things and yet he was a very disciplined Ranger. And when things got serious, people could count on him to get the job done.

Tyler had changed so much and so little in the 30 years he has been doing this, his body type remains the same, lean but strong muscles. His hair has now grayed and on his face a beard has grown. His eyes have a more seriously look despite him still possessing his jokey nature.

And on this day, he had to deal with his son. Kaz, who was a troublemaker. It was like him in his younger days but a little bit worse, meaning he was difficult to deal with.

And there he was, talking to his son.

“Just what were you trying to do with that, Kaz?” Tyler said with his arms crossed.

“Just some lighthearted fun.” Kaz said with a smile.

“I dunno ‘bout you but starting a fight does not sound fun.” Tyler said with his eyebrows raised.

“You and Uncle Dirk did it all the time.” His son laughed.

“Yeah, and we were just as stupid as you.” Tyler chuckled a bit. “I still have the pizza guy outfit…”

HONOLULU, HAWAII
2 HOURS LATER

It had been a long time since Emiko Cameron had been home and it was a welcome change from naval life, which was very stressful for her. Looking at her now, you’d never guess she was part of the military. Her hair was short-ish and had blonde highlights, she wanted to honor her father. Her facial features were her mother's but she was always told she had her father’s smile and overall stance. Not to mention his eyes. And here she was, lounging on a couch in her pajamas.

Though she was usually more disciplined, she had decided to go the way of her father and goof off. Father. She remembered that she promised to call him when she got back and she had gotten back 3 days ago. Laughing to herself she reached for her cellphone and dialed his number.

“So, you finally decided to call? What took you so long?” Tyler spoke into the phone, annoyed.

“I was waiting to see if you’ve fossilized yet.” Emiko laughed. “Not even a ‘hi?’”

“Not that old, not yet…” Her father muttered.

“You’re that old, Dad, still a badass though.” She said cheerfully.

“Damn straight, soldier.” Tyler laughed. “How’s the Navy?”

Emiko looked to her Navy uniform, hastily piled up on a bed and not even cleaned before answering her father.

“Same as usual.” The younger Cameron spoke, trying to clean up her clothes. “Uh, how’s Mom?”

“Same as always, ” Tyler said. “She misses you and worries about your brothers. She’s not unwarranted in the case of Kaz…”

“Oh God, what’d he do now?” Emiko said, half laughing and half worried.

“Let’s see, messed with the temperature control in some guy's room, nearly got into a fight with said guy, purposefully clogged the toilets, got into a fight AGAIN.” Tyler laughed.

“Sounds right.” Emiko sighed.

“So, Captain, thinking of meeting us at some point?” Tyler asked his daughter.

“Thinking on it, leaning towards a ‘yes’” She said, looking at a picture of the Shatterdome crew. “Family’s important.”

[NSZ]

MONSTER ISLAND RESEARCH FACILITY, KAIJUSHIMA

Ryan ran a hand through his graying hair as he eyed the object in front of him in frustration. He's been employed at this facility for 30 years at this point, has seen just about all there is to see, and yet what was possibly the greatest puzzle ever presented to him simply sat there right on his desk.

It was a large photograph, a photograph of a fossilized femur that, according to what was written on the back, belonged to an adult Alamosaurus. The photograph had arrived in the mail two days ago, having been sent by an old childhood friend, and Dr. Hudson was confused as to why this was sent to him.

He sighed and leaned back in his chair, "What the hell did you want me to see, Forrest?"

He cast a glance over to the wall of monitors to his left, each monitor presenting a live feed of Kaijushima's rather notorious inmates, the monstrous beings known as kaiju. He took notice of how most of the monsters were sleeping, basking in the warm sunlight, "Heh, not a whole lot going on today, is there?"

His eyes then fell upon the monitor that was broadcasting footage of a now vacant section of the island: Kaijushima's former radiation pit, the former home of the titan known as Godzilla. The radiation pit had been completely drained by Godzilla in secret, which triggered a chain reaction that led to the beast's demise. Ryan remorsefully closed his eyes, "Maybe you'd still be alive if we hadn't foolishly stuck you in there without thinking."

Sighing, Dr. Hudson got up from his chair and left his office.

[2009MECHAGODZILLA]

Blinding lights.

Faded noises.

Blurred vision.

Unbearable cold.

These are the first memories of a man with no name. The noises kept getting louder, the lights closer and the blur started to disappear. There’s nothing there for him, no one there to see he’s woke up. The poor man couldn’t even move if he wanted to, his body is a prison for his distressed mind. And then sharp pain in his chest, as if something was stabbing into his heart. He couldn’t move to feel what it was. All he could do is lie there and suffer.

And then he heard the voice.

“Ah...so you finally woke up” said the voice. To the man, the voice sounded distant, but was clear enough for him to understand. The voice spoke again, “It’s been a while, Mr. Cromwell.”

Cromwell.

This name was unfamiliar to the man. Was the voice talking to him? He tried to move his head, but couldn’t. Then he realized he couldn’t remember his name. He tried to speak, but again, his body wouldn’t allow him.

“Can you move?” The voice said. He waited a moment for the man to respond. When the man didn’t answer, he heard the voice mumble something, and then his arm stung. After a couple minutes passed, the man could feel his muscles straining as he tried again to move. He slowly raised his arm and just stared at it. He waited a moment and then felt for whatever was causing his chest pain. There was nothing there. But he did notice something. Unlike the rest of his body and the room he was in, the center of his chest was warm.

“Do you remember anything?” the voice asked. The man looked around until he saw the source of the voice. It was a doctor. He wore a white lab coat and appeared to be in his late 40’s. The man tried to remember. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t remember anything. He slowly shook his head.

“Just what we had feared, memory loss.” The doctor sighed.

[M.U.T.O.]

Monster Island Research Center
Kaijushima
January 23, 2059

Justin Felix Banner was up later than usual.
Sunlight beamed down upon his face from outside, only to be quickly blotted out by the shadow of a giant flying beast. He smiled, pushing himself off from the bed and rubbing his eyes.

"Morning to you too, Rodan."

He looked up towards the winged kaiju, circling high above the crater before diving towards into the oceanic water directly north of the island's westernmost point and catching a whale in his beaked jaws.
He sighed as he remembered the denizen of that region. The now-deceased denizen of that region.

"I got cocoa, Felix."

He snapped out of his somewhat bereft and drowsy state and turned to face his wife Dana, standing in the doorway with two mugs on a small tray. The head kaijuologist smiled and set the tray down on a small table.

"Thanks, sweetheart," he said, taking a very quick sip of the cocoa before putting the mug down -- it was very hot. "Good morning, by the way."

"How'd you sleep?" Dana said, taking a drink of the hot chocolate.

"I slept...alright, I suppose." Justin said, looking away. Dana's gaze grew concerned, and the kaijuologist sighed. "Bad dreams again."

Dana sighed, taking his hand in hers. "Walk?"

"Yeah," he said. "Should take...that, off my mind."

[UltramanGoji]

1,2,3...1,2,3...

As far back as Simon could remember (not that it was very far), counting while he swam helped him relax. And when you're swimming off the coast of Monster Island, you need all the relaxation you could get. Even if his diving suit gave off that horrible red berry stench, he still felt weary of any sea-dwelling kaiju nearby. His colleagues assured Simon that he'd be fine, but something about their giggling demeanor made him think they were full of it. Nevertheless, this was possibly the biggest heist of his career and he wasn't going to mess it up now.

"Just a few more...you can do it...", Simon told himself.

Eventually, the panting diver grasped onto a rock wall and shimmied his way to shore. He pressed a button on his suit and instantly the temperature of the outfit increased, turning the salt water into steam.

"Clothes dry" said a metallic voice. Simon took a deep breath and made his way toward the jungle.

[gigan72]

Monster Island Research Facility, Kaijushima

Colin walked around the halls. He remembered the first day his father had brought him there, and how uninterested he had been until he saw the kaiju. He never thought he would end up with the same job his father had, but there he was, on that same island with some of the same monsters still remaining. Most of the people who worked there previously were still there, excluding some like his father, who had gone missing after a fire at home.

He walked along further, then went outside. He sat down and looked around. He heard the sound of Gorosaurus as he walked along, his favorite of the kaiju. He didn't really have any special abilities, and was really just a large dinosaur to most, but Colin still appreciated his presence for some reason.

Colin debated going over to see Gorosaurus. "Eh, why not."

Colin got up and walked around a corner of the building which led to some railing where the ground slowly declined into a slope. The kaiju was looking around and caught sight of the Colin. The monster didn't advance, but just looked at him. Gorosaurus lifted his head slightly and sniffed the air for a second, then lowered it and laid down. He wondered if the monster recognized him. Colin often went outside during his breaks and would eat or read in the same area as Gorosaurus was. Whether Gorosaurus did recognize him or not, it didn't matter. He looked at his watch, realizing it was about time he should be getting back inside the building.

[Godzilla The King]

Emiko had gotten off the phone 20 minutes ago and she was ready to get some stuff done today. She got into the shower and cleaned up, dried up and got dressed. An open light blue jacket and a purple shirt with some jeans. She dressed simply and for that reason she tended to blend in with crowds.

She turned to find a picture of Gojira, Godzilla as most called it, her father gave it to her. The monster king was an interesting creature to her, neither friend or foe. Yet for most of her life she had heard of him, the strongest monster on the planet. And now he had been dead for 5 years, she should feel happy about it but it still felt bittersweet.

She missed fighting monsters.

[UltramanGoji]

Simon hacked his way through the Monster Island jungle, a tree branch smacking his outstretched hand every once in a while. He had never been in a jungle this thick, even in Malaysia during that whole jewel heist fling. This was something else.

Eventually he made his way to a clearing, ahead stood the tall infrastructure that housed all of MI's operations. Simon put away his machete and quickly scanned the area. Patrolling the building were two guards, each had an automatic rifle in their hand.

"Easy prey", Simon thought to himself. He quickly rolled behind a large boulder as the first guard walked past him. Before he came back, Simon bounded across the open area and stopped at a nearby wall. Looking up, he hoisted himself onto the fire escape and carefully laid down on the cold metal. Guard Number 2 walked right around the corner and directly underneath Simon, missing him completely. Simon breathed a sigh of relief and quietly made his way up the fire escape towards the fourth floor door.

[NSZ]

*FWOOOOSH*

The flamethrower roared as it incinerated a cluster of Vampire Plants. Kyle sighed, it seemed that he was out here every other week incinerating these carnivorous vines. Dr. Hudson, his father, wasn't kidding when he said that these plants were difficult to eradicate entirely. If only they could find the root of the problem...

"Yo, Kyle," one of his co-workers called over the radio, "You done out there, yet, over?"

The flamethrower shut off as Kyle released his grip on the trigger, and he tapped his headset, "Yeah, just about. Let the Marshall know that Shed 17 is now vine free, over."

"Great, I'll be sure to inform him," his co-worker responded, "Uh, you guys might want to start heading back soon, over."

"What's up?"

"Oh, nothin' too problematic... well, save for the fact that Varan's apparently done with his little nap and he's now up and about, over."

"Ah, fuck," he groaned. He motioned for his partner to quickly spray the area with the fire extinguisher, ensuring that the blaze wouldn't erupt into a full-scale out of control wildfire, "C'mon, we gotta snuff this fire out and head back."

His partner raised an eyebrow in concern, "What's wrong?"

"Varan's up and about."

That was all the motivation Kyle's partner needed to spring into action, causing Kyle to laugh slightly. Once the area was thoroughly extinguished, he and his partner began to sprint back to base.

[DinoMaster]

SHATTERDOME, JANUARY 23 2059

Standing with a duffle bag slung over his shoulder and his camera hanging from his neck, Gray was in all words and senses lost. Having arrived by helicopter to the Shatterdome, he had been bluntly dropped off and occasionally pointed this way and that. Besides that, he had been left to wander back and forth through the hallways and rooms on his own in deep confusion. He had been handed a map at one point, but after a glance at it and the obvious chinese symbols on it he discarded it to the side. No point in using something that would only confuse him more.

He had somehow gotten himself stuck in a new hallway, and pulled out his phone. He took a glance down it only to find it had died and was more of a brick than anything else. He gave a snort and shoved it back into his pocket, angry a little at not charging it more beforehand. Leaning up against the wall, the photographer gave a sigh of frustration as he began to give up.

"First day on the job, and I got lost. Just fantastic."

[Godzilla The King]

SHATTERDOME

"You're that photographer, Summers, right?" A monotone voice spoke from behind him.

Troy Cameron, the son of Tyler Cameron was right there. His dark hair and eyes gave off the impression of a very serious man and his glasses only heightened the image. He walked over to the other man. Troy was hard to read, his facial expression was very flat and unchanging. Though he was not a bad person, just not a very expressive one.

"Troy Cameron, I take it you're looking for my father?" He asked.

[DinoMaster]

The sound of someone talking in the once silent hall made Gray jump slightly, turning to see one of the stiffest faced people he had ever seen talk to him. The way that he seemed to stare out towards him with total disinterest was unnerving, but he barely showed it. Better to make good first impressions than go and make a bad impression with the boss's kid and a potential coworker.

"That'd be correct. Call me Gray, Summers is a bit more formal than I'm used to. Can't believe I got lost on the first day."

[2009MECHAGODZILLA]

“Your name is Walter Cromwell.” The doctor explained, “You were born July 17, 2027.” Walter just stared at the ceiling, desperately trying to remember who he was.

He looked at the doctor and weakly asked, “...Why am I here?”

The doctor, anticipating the question, answered immediately. “You were in an accident; a plane crash, to be exact.” The doctor paused for a moment before continuing, “The plane was nearing its destination when what we presumed was a kaiju collided with it-”

“Kaiju?” Walter asked. He’d never heard the word before.

The doctor took a deep breath. “Worse than I thought. Kaiju are giant monsters, do you remember anything? Does the name ‘Godzilla’ ring a bell?”

Walter shook his head.

The doctor continued, “Well, when the plane crashed, it was because of Godzilla. There were other survivors, but they died shortly after. The doctors were able to revive you, but as a result of a severe concussion, you became comatose.”

Walter waited a few minutes to let all of this sink in. And then he asked the question.

“How long?”

The doctor sighed. He looked at Walter and said, “I’m afraid it’s been...12 years.”

[Godzilla The King]

"Well, Gray, my father would be this way." Troy said, pointing to a set of stairs not far down the hall. "Don't be surprised if you hear any loud music."

Troy walked up the stairs to talk to his Father, just as emotionless as before. He step seemed to serve a purpose, he seemed to be a man of business. There was indeed some loud music, music from even before his father's time. Classic rock blared throughout the office of Tyler Cameron.

Tyler was there, rocking out before noticing his son was there and lowering his music (though it still could be heard) . He laughed to himself before looking at his son.

"The photographer is here." Troy said.

"Good, let him in!" Tyler said cheerfully.

[2009MECHAGODZILLA]

1 hour later

Cromwell was alone now. The doctor had left for whatever reason. Cromwell didn’t know why, but he didn’t believe a word of the doctor’s story. He could somehow tell he was being lied to. His vision became blurry again.

And then he sluggishly sat up and got off the bed. He didn’t know what he was doing. He didn’t know why he was doing it. He didn’t feel in control of his own body, yet it was moving. Minutes must’ve passed when the doctor came back. He saw the doctor say something to him, but he heard nothing.

Next thing he knew, he had the doctor in a chokehold.

He was strangling him.


Then all he saw was red.

[MysticalDL]

10 Miles Away From Copenhagen, Denmark

In a underground laboratory is Maxwell King hard at work. He has been working for hours trying to update a complicated systems program, electrical wiring of a secret project. Currently he only has frustration and mild burn marks on his fingers, but knows that if finished then he'll finally be done. All other systems are properly working, except the electrical wiring which is being upgraded. Maxwell stops for a moment to reflect upon his grandfather, this had been their project before he died two years ago.

It was a small funeral because his grandfather had stated it's what he wanted in his will. Maxwell grew up listening to tales about Jaegers, Monster Island, Godzilla, The Marshall, and many others his grandfather had worked with at Monster Island. Maxwell especially loved the stories about his grandfathers friends and Godzilla, he loved that his grandfather had helped save the world atleast twice before retiring. It's a legacy that Maxwell hoped to surpass, he was sad when news of Godzilla's and The Marshall's death was announced. Maybe someday Maxwell will visit Monster Island, he just hopes that his grandfather had exaggerated Rodans ego though.

[UltramanGoji]

The hallway of the Monster Island Research Facility echoed with Simon's footsteps. If he wasn't nervous before, he sure as hell was now. The lack of security in the building both shocked and terrified him; if he wasn't caught yet, it would only be a matter of time. Nevertheless, he raced through the corridor, searching each and every door for any sign of his objective.

Finally, Simon came across a door that read "AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY!". This wasn't an uncommon sight, he had seen this sign many times before, but the sound of heavy machinery behind it beckoned to him. Slowly, he opened the door and let himself in. Simon stared in awe and staring right back was one of the biggest computer rooms he had ever seen. Every wall was lined with terminals, all ready to be accessed. Simon searched through the pocket on his vest and pulled out a flash drive.

"Hello, biggest score of my life..." he declared through his mask.

[2009MECHAGODZILLA]

And then he woke up.

Walt was sitting up against a tree and was out of breath. He looked around and noticed he was covered in blood, sweat, and dirt. He tried moving and felt something cutting into his shoulder. He reached for whatever was stabbing him. It was a shard of glass. He tried pulling it out, only for it to break off. He got up and looked around.

“What the hell is going on?” He asked himself.

And yet no one was there to answer him or even notice him, he was alone. He didn’t know where he was. He didn’t know who he was. He didn’t know what he just did to end up where he is.

Walter waited for a moment and started walking away.

[Godzilla The King]

20 MINUTES LATER
Emiko locked her door as she walked out of her house and got into her car...or started to before she saw something interesting. There was a man, passed out across the street from her, covered in dirt and blood. There were glass shards in him and from what she could tell he was from the hospital.

"Holy shit..." She said to herself.

She ran out to the unconcious and checked for any other injuries, finding a few more than she saw before. She then lifted the man up and carried him back to her house. Unlocking the door, she dragged him to the couch and looked for her medical supplies.

"I'm in for a long day, aren't I?" She sighed to herself.

And she got to work.

[2009MECHAGODZILLA]

Cromwell woke up in another unfamiliar place. He’s bandaged, and the glass is gone from his shoulder. The lights were not as bright and the air was less cold but it was still unfamiliar and sinister. He heard another voice; this time it was a woman.

And faced with this he was untrusting of the voice, choosing to look for some sort of weapon. He noticed a backpack opened on the floor next to him, drained of its contents. Of those contents, the one he was drawn to was a knife. He reached for it and held it close to him, slowly getting off of the couch. He was no longer concerned about his past, at least not at that moment.

He moved silently as he could towards the woman, who was talking on the phone. Her voice was calm but had a sense of urgency to it. She was talking about him, at least from what he could gather. He raised the knife in preparation for his next move...