[continued from Match 151]

Demonic eyes stared at Nick in the empty void as it revealed itself to be Gyaos. Nick’s eyes widened with terror and he dashed away from the flying terror. The sound of the beast flapping its wings caused Nick to glance back, watching the menace close the distance between the pair, merely to strike a large form. Nick shook off the impact, and looked up in horror. It was not an obstruction, it was a body. Zilla lay in front of him, a large hole through its head from a sonic ray. With nowhere to go, Nick turned around merely to see the Gyaos observing him, deciding the best way to kill its prey. Then another scream alerted the Gyaos as well as Nick that someone else was inside the abyss. The scientist looked in the pitch black void to his left to see Audrey’s lone figure. The giant fiend dashed toward her while Nick sprinted with his arms helplessly stretched to grab her. As the beast closed its maw around the reporter, Nick screamed with terror causing the world to dissolve and a new one to appear.

Nick jettisoned from his bed and scanned the room for any sign of the Gyaos, Audrey or Zilla. His heart pounded, and his head felt extremely light, but these symptoms he knew all too well. The scientist grabbed a tiny black box on his dresser and opened it to reveal something that brought a smile to his face even as his mind still raced with panic. With a few calm breathes, the event ended and Nick placed the small box back on his dresser.

“Glad this thing finally has a use,” he commented before he laid back down in his bed.

---------

Nick moaned as he wandered into H.E.A.T. Headquarters. His vision was blurry, his hands shaking, and his head pounding, but all the symptoms diminished as he took a deep breath and exited the elevator. Inside the heart of the facility he found Mendel, Monique and Randy already up in addition to working on their assorted tasks.

“And I thought I sleep in late,” Randy joked as he watched Nick slowly make his way toward the coffee maker.

“I had a bad night,” Nick moaned as he acquired his coffee and then sat down at his computer to drink. “Neighbors are still playing music… only connection between the songs is that it wakes me up every time.”

“What is this?” Randy inquired, “The third time this week you have used the same excuse.”

“Seems like it,” Mendel responded in his usual congested tone. “And if they’re that bad don’t you have Audrey’s apartment? You can always stay over at my place if you wanted too.”

Nick looked away from Mendel as he processed his statement then gulped down his drink. “I’m fine, but thank you. Honestly, haven’t see her much as of late.”

Monique raised an eyebrow at the comment and walked closer to Nick. “And this music, is it the cause of this distance too?”

“Didn’t realize we were playing twenty questions,” Nick lamented as he stood and walked to grab more coffee. “But changing topics to more important matters, has Elsie improved?”

“I checked on her yesterday and she is still recovering from pneumonia,” Mendel replied. “With regular medication, I can’t see her being sick too much longer.”

“You just love the fact you actually have a reason to check up on her, don’t you?” Randy inquired of Mendel.

Mendel blushed before countering, “I am just being, uh, a good friend, and uh, want her to have company.”

“Which reminds me!” Mendel proclaimed. “Elsie asked me to pick her up breakfast so I will be seeing all of you later.”

“Did you imagine her saying this or did she actually ask because they are two different things?” Randy questioned but Mendel either did not hear him or just ignored him as he left.

“He has no sense of humor,” Randy joked before asking aloud, “So Monique, I’ve been meaning to ask how your trip was?”

The intern waited for a reply but as none came, he looked around the room to find out that she had disappeared.

“Where did she go?” Randy asked only to look at Nick for answers but the scientist just raised his shoulders in response and took a sip of his coffee.

---------

Mendel walked up the stairs to Elsie’s door. He had acquired Starbuck’s premium coffee, and one pastry for each of them. Randy might have been right about Elsie not asking him to pick up breakfast but the Mendel thought it would be a nice surprise for her. He thought about how this would help to impress his crush as he knocked on the door only for it to creek open.

“That’s strange,” Mendel murmured before he shouted, “Elsie, are you here?” With no reply and curiosity overcoming him, Mendel entered the residence. After setting down his breakfast surprise, Mendel walked into Elsie’s family room to find it an utter mess. Books were scattered about, with tissues covering nearly everyone. The sight caused Mendel to recall with disgust.

“Egh,” Mendel moaned as he inspected the cluttered room. A slight creaking from another room caused Mendel to instantly turn around as well as slowly move toward the sound’s origin.

“Elsie, is that you? I thought you would like breakfast and the door was open!”

As he cautiously entered the room where the noise had come from, Mendel felt relief and sorrow when he found no one. An empty bedroom the only thing greeting his curious gaze.  

“I guess she just left and forgot to lock the door,” Mendel sadly stated to himself.  With no reason to stay any longer, Mendel turned around to leave only to see the muzzle of an irregular gun.

“You will come with me,” the man who was holding the weapon stated.

Mendel looked around the room in panic to see three other men along with Elsie who appeared unconsciously hung over one of the men’s shoulders. The engineer mumbled a few sounds before he feinted and hit the ground with a large thud.

“Take him as well,” ordered the mysterious intruder with the gun before he along with his team left Elsie’s home.

“Once we get these two back to the ship, our next stop is H.E.A.T. Headquarters,” the man stated to his team as they made their way silently through the building.

---------

After finishing his tasks on the Seeker, Nick entered the main office of H.E.A.T. Headquarters only to find Randy still on his computer but watching videos.

“Don’t you have any work you could be doing?” Nick inquired as he investigated what Randy was watching.

“All finished Jefe. Now just watching my favorite show,” Randy countered. “You might like it actually. Mendel binged the first eight seasons last weekend.”

Nick didn’t ask what it was considering it had people in different colored armor bobbing their heads up and down in some type of CGI programming.

“What about N.I.G.E.L.?” Nick questioned.

“Already done. He’s in the H.E.A.T. Seeker with my custom new modification.

“What now, a new speaker to make him sound like Elvis?” Nick asked before Randy retorted, “Please… I don’t repeat performances. Just, ugh… don’t shake him.”

Nick just shook his head, deciding that the less he knew the better, and was about to start work on his computer when the elevator started its ascent.

“Mendel was rejected or Monique is back from her newest mission,” Randy joked before he got up and walked toward the elevator. “My guess is that our lovely agent is back.”

Nick smirked from Randy’s usual humor before the elevator door reached their level and opened its doors to reveal no-one.

Both men looked inside before Randy proclaimed, “I guess it was a glitch.”

Nick, paranoia on his brain, backed out slowly.

“What’s the problem jefe?” Randy comically asked Nick as he looked at his boss. Randy’s natural smile then suddenly disappeared and his eyes widened before the intern raised his hands over his head in response to what he noticed behind Nick.

Realizing what had happened, Nick put his hands on his head, turned around and backed into the elevator with Randy to see what was behind him. Four men with strange guns were now aiming their weapons at the duo. The sight prompted Randy to ask, “Is there any way this is just a huge misunderstanding?”

One of the men, larger and holding the largest weapon of the four, stepped forward as well as announced, “Are you two Randy Hernandez and Niko Tatopoulos.”

“Yes but I go by Nick,” the scientist answered before the man pulled out a small strange device.

“I want you two to say ‘Elsie we are alright, do what they say’ into this device and we promise to make your death’s quick,” ordered the commanding intruder. “We already have one motivator. Your cooperation is not necessary.”

“Is there an option B we could do instead?” Randy inquired.

In response to Randy’s comment, the man punched the intern in the gut, causing him to fall in the elevator to his knees. Nick helped Randy back to his feet but the intern, like in most cases, showed his inability to keep his mouth shut.

“So was that Option B? Just checking,” Randy proclaimed as he recovered to his feet. “If so I’ll take another. Been hit worse by a special someone I know.”

Another fist struck Randy across the face. The intern bounced off the back of the elevator yet refused to fall. “So…we good now. I’ve got a show to watch, and it’s about to get to the part where the badass agent kicks the crap out of four idiots.”

Annoyed and tired of waiting, the man angrily stated, “Considering you two are un-willing to comply that leaves us with just eliminating you two.”

“Hold on, I don’t remember that in your demands,” Randy countered. “Did you change option A or did you…?”

“Enough! We shall start with you first since you are the more resistant of the two of you,” the man said directing his words at the intern.

“Hey you shoot me and you’ll have to deal with the G-Man… ah, I mean the Z-Man… or, I mean uh…”

Now amused the group’s leader retorted, “Zilla you mean?”

“Yah him,” Randy confirmed before he looked over at Nick. “Man I hate that they changed his name. Not only is that a loss of pride but a loss of some awesome nicknames.”

“Randy I think we have more pressing issues then names wouldn’t you agree,” Nick countered.

“Silence!” the man ordered pointing the gun. “Your creature is being dealt with as we speak and since you two are not going to do as I ask then my men shall have to dispose of you.” The leader then walked away and yelled, “Kill them!”

The other soldiers aimed their guns and right as the men were about to shoot, a small device rolled over to the feet of the three men. All three of the intruders looked down in confusion at the device until a familiar female voice screamed, “Shut the door!”

Nick scanned the elevator and after finding the emergency seal button, the scientist pressed it during the distraction. The elevator’s vertical doors slammed shut before a loud bang occurred on the opposite side.

Nick let out a sigh of relief then looked at Randy. “How’d you know about Monique?”

Randy’s body remained still, his mouth open, before he grabbed the back of his head. “What if I told you Jefe, I didn’t…”

The flash bang disorganized all four of the intruders before the French agent made her move. The agent first rammed one individual, sending the intruder flying out of a near window. With one down, Monique spun and struck another dazed intruder with a spin kick to the head. The individual’s head struck a series of beakers causing him to scream in pain as glass shards punctured his face. As Monique turned to face the other two she noticed one running for cover as the largest intruder aimed his weapon at her.

Monique dashed forward, barely dodging a red energy bolt as it zipped by her head and spun again. Her left elbow collided with the individual’s bald head, her left arm released a blade and her right arm aimed the laser gun of the man she just struck toward the individual’s screaming teammate. The leader pulled the trigger from the impact, silencing the man on the ground, as the blade Monique threw hit the back of runner’s head.

The leader pushed Monique away, and raised his right arm to fire only to discover the weapon now gone. Two laser blasts struck the figure’s knees, and the leader fell to the ground in agony before he noticed one of his associate’s guns in front of him. As he reached for the weapon, Monique’s foot crushed his hand before she picked up the other weapon and aimed it at his head.

“What are you?” Monique calmly asked the intruder as she continued pressing her heel on the man’s hand.

The man angrily stared at her before he lifted his arm up with incredible strength and knocked Monique off her feet. After falling to the ground, Monique aimed the two strange weapons and fired one shot each. The two bolts blasted the top of the intruder’s head off causing the rest of his head to crack down the center revealing a strange non-human being. The French agent stared with disgust at the dead figure until movement in the back of the facility caught her eye. Adrenaline pumping and with lightning fast reflexes, Monique aimed her guns at where the movement had come from only to find Nick as well as Randy exiting the elevator.

“What are you two doing up here?” Monique angrily questioned as she recovered to her feet.

“We thought you would need help?” Nick responded before he in addition to Randy then noticed three dead intruders. “And… I appear to be wrong.”

“Santo de dios,” Randy commented before he moved in closer to examine the bodies. “How’d you figure they weren’t human?”

Monique quickly responded, “I did not until the weapon fired. Then I was sure.”

“So what exactly is our head case?” Randy asked before Nick responded, “It’s a Xilien.”

“Precisely,” Monique commented as she inspected the other dead attackers.

“Heh, not ringing bells. What did we do to these guys again? I only recall us stopping one global invasion,” Randy questioned as he scratched his head in an attempt to remember.

“They attacked the planet when we were dealing with Cameron Winter and by the time we got back it was over?” Nick responded as he helped Monique move the bodies. “They really didn’t invade, but raid a few cities.”

Randy still continued scratching his head.

“We got the negative press because they replicated Zilla,” Nick clarified to no avail. “I was sued for damage in Australia.”

Randy kept thinking until he jumped and shouted, “Oh, got it! Cameron was trying to control a sludge thing so the G-Man fought a lobster and then teamed up with an ape and… I think there was more.”

“That would be the incident,” Nick stated with sarcasm. “But I doubt he did this since he’s in jail, and isn’t a Xilien. If he was that might explain the superiority complex.”

“So back to the aliens, why did they want us dead if we never picked a fight with them?” Randy inquired as he refocused on the dead aliens in the room. “Unless… you think the leviathans put a hit on us?”

“They didn’t want us dead but us to talk into a voice recorder that we were alive for Elsie,” Nick replied. “Unfortunately, that means they have Elsie captive somewhere and maybe even Mendel since they said ‘They already have one motivator’. I will contact Hicks and tell him of our un-invited guests,” Nick commented before he looked at Randy and ordered, “I want you to get eyes on Zilla. Our guests said he was being taken care of so find out if he is acting strange or if there is anything abnormal in his den.”

Randy nodded before he hurried over to his computer as Monique went to the elevator.

“Where are you going?” Nick curiously inquired as his cell phone began to ring.

“I will acquire some answers. I left one alive.”

Nick titled his head before Monique pointed in his direction. The scientist followed the invisible line until he looked at the broken window.

“That’s… one way to do it I guess.”

---------

“What do you mean they failed!?” X yelled to his officials from his command room in the Xilien ship orbiting the Earth.

“Our agents recovered the person of interest as well as someone to keep her in line and after dropping them off here they were sent on their second task,” a Xilien official noted. “They have not checked back in which means they have either been eliminated or discovered by the earthlings.”

X’s furry diminished as rational thought overcame him before he ordered, “Well if they have failed then we must launch now while we still have the element of surprise. Send our new asset from Seatopia to destroy what our agents failed to do. I also want us to move to the human city of New York and deploy everything we have to secure it immediately.”

“But sir,” interrupted a Xilien, “We have not acquired what we needed to make the site useful, the humans still possess many defenses left in the area, the creature from New York is still alive and we gave word that Megalon was only to be used for excavation purposes.”

X just stared at the Xilien before he silently walked over to him. The Keizer looked into the Xilien’s eyes before asking, “So you would consider my action’s poor?”

The Xilien remained silent but that did little to change X’s mind. The Keizer raised his hand, electricity dancing around his fingers, before unleashing a blast of pure energy on the Xilien. The strike was sudden yet powerful and killed the alien instantly. As the corpse struck the floor, every other Xilien became rigid with respect in addition to fear.

“Does anyone else disagree with my order?” X inquired. With no one moving, the Keizer then proclaimed, “Then move as we have a city to conquer!”

---------

Major Anthony Hicks, from his office in Washington D.C., looked at the fifty two page report he had just finished about the incident in the pacific. “Damn how I hate these things,” Hicks stated before his phone started ringing. Wanting to get some rest and go home, the major ignored the call until he realized the number.

“Hello Nick. That trick helping out or…?”

“Hicks, we have a major problem developing in New York!” Nick interrupted over the phone causing Hicks to sigh.

A severe migraine then came over the Major as he heard the bad news. “You know… I think I almost prefer giving you more advice.” Hicks warily noted. “I just finished the paperwork from what happened a week ago, and have not slept much since so what’s the problem now Tatopoulos?”

“To get straight to the point Major, we have a possible Xilien invasion occurring in New York,” Nick bluntly explained.

Major Hicks stayed silent as he absorbed what the scientist had said fully until he asked with is foul mood gone, “Details?”

“A team of Xiliens confessed to kidnapping Elsie in addition to Mendel before trying to kill me,” Nick replied in a serious tone.

Sure that the scientist was telling the truth Hicks stated, “I will tell my superiors and get all military bases on alert but without proof I can’t do much. Do you have any physical evidence I can pass along?”

Nick looked at the three dead Xiliens, and heard the scream of the one outside before he explained, “Three bodies, and one captive sufficient Major?”

“That will be more than enough, just get…” Hicks replied before the line went dead.

Nick stared at the phone and then tried to call the Major back only to be knocked off his feet by a massive tremor.

“What was that?” Nick inquired as he lifted himself up.

Randy and Nick looked out of the closest window to see a massive eruption of water followed by the reveal of a giant roach like creature on the opposite shore line. The massive insect, realizing he was on the wrong side of the river, started moving across the bay toward H.E.A.T. Headquarters.

“We’re going to need a lot of bug spray,” Randy commented before Nick yelled, “We need to go! Randy call Zilla! I will grab us some equipment! We won’t be able to out run it but we might be able to throttle past it in the H.E.A.T. Seeker. Meet up at the ship in one minute. Go!”

“What about Monique?” Randy retorted.

“She’s probably already at the seeker!” Nick yelled as he ran for the armory.

---------

Megalon stared at his target with his large bulbous eyes. Its people had lent him to the Xiliens like how they had barrowed Gigan all those years ago. Though orders were orders in its mind and who told it what to do was of no difference to the dimwitted Seatopian god. As it closed in on what it had to destroy, a loud repetitive cry started playing around the insect. Confused at what was happening, Megalon stopped moving and looked around for what was making the noise. Seeing no threat, Megalon continued until he finally reached H.E.A.T. Headquarters.

Nick, Monique and Randy all prepped the H.E.A.T. Seeker to move at full throttle only for Megalon to block their escape route.

“Were trapped!” Nick proclaimed as he took control of the immobile vessel’s controls.

All three of them then watched as Megalon raised his massive arms to smash H.E.A.T. Headquarters. As the insect readied to crush the building, a massive tremor occurred and a familiar roar filled the air. Monique, Nick in addition to Randy then realized what was truly happening when Megalon was rammed by a familiar figure into the bay.

“Alright the Calvary has arrived!” Randy shouted.

“Hold on!” Nick yelled as he roared the Seeker’s engines to life. The vessel flew out of the building and away from the fighting duo that had moved there fight next to H.E.A.T. Headquarters.

Zilla had heard the calls and had come from the ocean, where it had been feeding, only to find a large intruder about to crush its adopted father. With an unmatched fury, Zilla had sent Megalon stumbling onto dry land. Though the insect now knew that he had a sparring partner and took a fighting stance as he waited for Zilla to attack.

Megalon waited only a second before Zilla was back on the attack. The lizard chomped down on the god’s shoulder but a powerful swing with its drill arm sent Zilla sliding into some local structures.

Covered in a massive dust cloud, Zilla burrowed as Megalon started discharging lightning bolts into the cloud. As the debris settled, Megalon searched the area for Zilla only to discover fire along with large piles of rubble where the lizard had been. Megalon screeched into air, thinking it had won, only for green fire to engulf its being. The insect slowly backed away from the reptilian flamethrower, using its metal arms to take the full force of the attack, as Zilla exited the ground and continued his flame breath. To stop Zilla’s assault, Megalon fired two napalm bombs over the green ray and detonated the bombs around Zilla. Slightly stunned, Zilla ended his ray allowing Megalon to tunnel under the Earth.

After putting out the fire with a powerful roar, Zilla returned his attention to Megalon only to discover his enemy gone. The lizard searched the area to see where Megalon had disappeared but the ground shook attracting its full attention. Zilla jumped out of the way as the ground underneath of him caved in before catching a glimpse of Megalon. The insect then disappeared under the earth before it repeated the action multiple times against his foe. Each time with Zilla showing Megalon how agile it was. Tired of dodging and wanting to go on the offensive, Zilla rapidly dug under the ground. Adept at digging under the earth, Zilla dug at full speed toward Megalon’s position only for the insect burrow past the lizard at high speed. The drills slashed the reptile’s left side causing blood to leak from the wound.

Zilla, realizing he was facing an opponent that was even quicker than he was under the earth, tried to follow the insect by using Megalon’s own tunnels but it was hopeless as Megalon dug past Zilla multiple times. With severely poor aim the lizard took no harm from Megalon’s attacks until a close encounter with Megalon’s arm drills deepened the gash on his left side. The lizard bellowed in agony from the hit and decided to try a different tactic. Zilla immediately started digging downward, cutting through the terrain with ease with Megalon right on its tail. For the first time in its life, Zilla knew he had been out done in his element. The only way to win was too bring Megalon somewhere where he would have an advantage and that place was his home.

Zilla dug as fast as he could through the Earth toward his destination while Megalon drilled at an incredible speed directly behind the lizard. As Megalon was about to impact him, Zilla burst through the ceiling of his den before landing safely on the ground below. Megalon burst through the ceiling at full speed as well only to slam into the ground below with its head.

Megalon lifted himself up as he tried to figure out where he had fallen merely for Zilla to slam the bug against the wall. Megalon screeched with pain before the lizard started swiping the insect’s face with his claws. After a painful claw to the insect’s eye, a massive bolt of electricity discharged from Megalon’s horn and impacted Zilla. The lizard bellowed in anguish before Megalon smacked Zilla’s chest with his arm. Ribs cracked from the impact which sent Zilla flying into the opposing wall. Both monsters slowly stood up from the opposite sides of the den but Zilla shuttered as he stood.

He was growing tired, his wounds were starting to take hold and Zilla could fell himself slowing. Megalon on the other hand had wounds but it showed no sign of stopping, an advantage the insect unintentionally possessed due to being an unintelligent brute. These factors though were not enough to stop Zilla from dashing toward Megalon.

Megalon charged as well simply for Zilla to swipe the insect with its tail. Megalon stumbled though it did not fall only to counter by swinging one of its metal arms right into Zilla’s head. Zilla skidded across his den from the strike and after recovering, struggled to remain standing. His vision had become blurry, and he could barely keep himself up. Megalon assisted his foe up by pinning the lizard against the wall with his right metal arm. Zilla used all of the strength he could muster in his arms to push Megalon’s metal arm so it would not crush his wind pipe. Megalon, while pushing the one arm closer to Zilla, retracted its left arm to jab Zilla’s head and permanently finish the lizard off.

Zilla watched as Megalon prepared to finish him off. Even with certain death facing him, Zilla still would not accept his fate and channeled all the flames he could muster into his mouth. Megalon propelled his jab at full force only for Zilla to unleash a powerful green heat ray, not at Megalon, but at the ceiling above. The green flash in the dark room blinded Megalon long enough for gravity to affect the unstable ceiling.

Massive chunks of rock as well as debris started falling in addition to impacting both monsters. Megalon readied to drill his way out of the forming death trap until a massive boulder fell on his head. The insect stood motionless a few moments until a few more rocks caused him to fall to the ground unconscious. Zilla quickly crawled into a nearby pool of water to the ocean only for the cavern to collapse on him as well. With little oxygen in the water and his body under extreme duress, Zilla, like Megalon, fell into unconsciousness.

---------

After watching Zilla in addition to Megalon disappear under the Earth, Nick settled the H.E.A.T. Seeker in an abandoned port to discuss his team’s next move.

“Randy, can you call in Hicks?” Nick asked considering that his phone had no service.

Randy hurried to the nearest computer on board the vessel and after a minute, the intern replied, “Everything is offline. There is nothing for me to connect to. There is no Wi-Fi, no satellites, nothing.”

“Could someone be jamming us?” Monique asked.

“Definitely and it’s not just us. They’re jamming the entire city and maybe more,” Randy commented before he continued to work on the computer.

“So the Xiliens have kidnapped Elsie as well as Mendel, sent Megalon to finish us off and have now blocked the entire city of communications,” Nick proclaimed as he thought about their situation aloud.

“I thought Mega-thingy belongs to Oceantopia,” Randy inquired only for Monique to reply, “Seatopia might have given them the creature. The enemy of my enemy is my friend and all of humanity is still their enemy.”

“An invasion is most likely their next step and it will probably be very soon,” Nick stated as a massive shadow enveloped the H.E.A.T. Seeker.

Randy moved from his computer to look outside only to watch a massive round sphere, which was blocking the sun, slowly descend from the sky. “Correction jefe, I think it just started.”

---------

The Xilien Mothership stopped its descent over the Empire State Building as tens of thousands of people stared with horror at the sight. Then, like a bee hive, thousands of Xilien fighters started pouring out of the sphere before beginning their attack on the city. Smoke, fire along with laser blasts filled the air as the fighters instantly took control of the airspace and began their attack on the streets of New York.  The three smaller Xilien UFOs that were attached to the Mothership, Alpha, Beta as well as Gamma also detached and moved toward the massive bridges around the city. The ships used their teleportation rays to remove the structures before they teleported them into the bay and surrounding rivers. X and a few other Xiliens of lower rank from the Keizer’s command room, watched in satisfaction as New York, one of the greatest cities in the world, became a Xilien fortress.

“How long until we have full control of this pitiful city that our prize resides under?” X questioned as he watched happily as the city was sieged.

The Xilien leader in secondary command rose from his spot and announced, “We have control of the air and are now hitting major targets of interest as we speak. Our UFO’s are destroying all major structures and shipping vessels around the bay before they begin clearing all the debris from the road ways in the city. Lastly, we shall deploy our monsters in addition to our ground forces once the city is completely in our grasp which should be about twenty earth minutes until we reach total dominance over the area.”

“Good,” X stated with a grim smile before he asked another official, “Have our guests awakened yet?”

“No,” the Xilien replied.

“Well what are you waiting for?” X snapped. “Our entire invasion rests on our hostage so awaken her so she can begin her work!

“Yes sir,” responded the Xilien before he ran out of the room.

With that dilemma resolved, X returned his attention to the screens to watch the horror being inflicted on humankind.

---------

Elsie slowly opened her eyes as she awoke from her unconsciousness. As she weakly stood up, the biologist scanned the small room she was in. It was a perfect cube, no distinction on any wall except for a clear metallic barrier that kept her inside and her last discovery was that she had a roommate. A roommate that she was both glad in addition to annoyed to see and that person was Mendel Craven.

“Rise and shine,” Elsie stated as she started shaking Mendel to get him to awaken.

“Five more minutes,” Mendel moaned until he finally opened his eyes. A flashback of what had happened in Elsie’s apartment caused him to jump to his feet in fear only for him to realize his surroundings.

“Where are we? Why are we here? Why are you here? What’s going…” rambled Mendel before Elsie interrupted and said, “Easy there Mendel, going crazy isn’t going to help us yet.”

Mendel then focused his attention on Elsie before asking her, “Are you okay?”

“Fine all things considering,” Elsie stated as she studied the cell she was in. “Though the last thing I remember is making breakfast and then a major headache. What about you?”

Mendel’s face went blank before he replied in a nasally tone, “I was… on my way to visit you when a guy, actually four guys, jumped out. I tried fighting them off but I was outnumbered and they knocked me out.”

“Uh huh,” Elsie skeptically answered before the barrier behind them suddenly opened only to reveal two men in black outfits with guns.

“You two shall come with us,” ordered one of the men.

A sense of bravery came over Mendel as he got in front of his crush and replied, “We are not going anywhere…”

The men interrupted the scientist by aiming their strange looking guns at his head which caused Mendel to then continue, “Anywhere without us thanking you for these gracious living conditions.”

“A compliment, nice strategy,” Else whispered as she along with her teammate started walking with a guard in front as well as behind them. Moving through the hallways, Elsie slowly realized that the place they were being held was not a man-made construct. Their trip stopped suddenly though as the guard opened a door before he said, “Get inside now the both of you.”

Elsie in addition to Mendel stepped into the room which had a massive amount of science equipment. Some types the duo recognized while others made them stare with wonder as well as curiosity.

“What is this place?” Elsie asked but the guards remained silent.

Before Elsie could anything else, another older gentleman with no hair entered the room and by his clothing she could tell he was of high rank. The other two men stood to attention as the official readied to speak.

“Hello Dr. Chapman and Dr. Mendel and welcome to your new place of work,” proclaimed the mysterious man. “So as long as you comply with us you will not be harmed. Do you understand?”

Elsie looked wide eyed at him before she examined her surroundings and sarcastically asked, “So what are you Xilien, Kilaak, Mysterian, Leviathan, Seatopian or another extraterrestrial race I have not mentioned?.”

The official stared at her dumbfounded until she explained, “Not really new to the whole, alien abduction thing.”

The official smiled before he replied, “Well my dear you are on a Xilien ship and I am X-2 but that is all I can say. Ms. Chapman my species needs your skills in biology and it is a request that you cannot deny.”

“Trust me I know the scenario well,” Elsie responded in her usual comical tone. “If you need a cybernetic creature from the corpse of another monster, I am somewhat an expert.”

“A sense of humor and those skills will not be needed only your biological knowledge,” swiftly responded the Xilien. “Your task is to combine the M-base and another set of cells without causing any alteration to the original cell’s overall traits. The cells have been… resistant, to our methods and most of our scientists died in the prior invasion so a replacement was needed. You, Ms. Chapman, are our second choice.”

“Great… Prom all over again.”

Mendel looked at Elsie and then at the Xilien before he asked, “So why do you need me?”

“You were ascertained by accident at her residence after you feinted but you will be of great help as an assistant as well as a motivator if she does not cooperate,” the Xilien replied as he turned around to walk out of the room.

“So what type of cells do I have to deal with?” Elsie inquired to the high ranking Xilien.

“G-Cells,” the Xilien shouted as he continued walking away before he said, “And good luck doctor considering you have one day to finish it.” The Xilien then disappeared out the door and the two guards took positions at the corners of the door.

“So now what are we going to do?” Mendel inquired as he started looking at all the equipment around the room.

“Unfortunately, exactly what they said we should do unless you want to face off against the two guards in the room considering you took on four no problem,” Elsie commented before wide eyeing Mendel. “I built a cyborg with minor assistance so perfecting a few cells should be cake.”

The two guards then looked at Mendel as if he was about to become a grave threat before the mechanical scientist replied, “I think I will pass.”

---------

Nick, along with Randy, watched in horror as the Xilien fighters along with Xilien UFO’s assaulted New York with no mercy. A few hours into the assault and the aliens showed no sign of slowing.

“Where is the army, navy, air force or any force for that matter,” Randy yelled as he watched helplessly as his home city was sieged.

Nick, without taking his eyes of the invasion, said, “Most likely over run as well as destroyed by Xilien forces. Any operational unit will be headed to the outskirts of the city to deploy a defensive perimeter if I had to guess. We must consider this is part of a global invasion.”

As the scientist finished speaking, Monique exited the H.E.A.T. seeker.

“So what are the Xiliens here for?” Nick inquired as Monique entered the peer.

“Our guest does not know much about the large picture, but he knows a few details” Monique responded before she sat down, not blinking an eye at the chaos in the background. “The Xiliens will be staying a while and will be putting down infantry to protect, clear out and hold the city. For how long is uncertain, what is not is that they want something under the city.”

“What do you mean, clear out?” Nick inquired with fear in his eyes.

Monique looked at the scientist before exhaling in addition to responding, “Eliminating all inhabitants of the city or using them for cattle. He also stated that Elsie and Mendel are onboard the Mothership in addition to the position of his ship.”

Nick shook his head at all the information revealed as he concocted a plan.

“Well if you two are up for it, I think I have a plan to throw a major wrench into our invader’s plans,” Nick commented as studied the Mothership.

Randy’s face lit up before he said, “So what’s the plan jefe? A little pay back sounds good to me.”

“You and Monique head to the fighter and prep it for flight to infiltrate the Mothership. You might need N.I.G.E.L. to hack into its systems and luckily Mendel had him on the Seeker so take him along with any supplies you might need. I will head into the city, specifically toward the Channel 8 news building. Once I make sure the structure is secure and Audrey is okay, I will clear the rooftop and set down flares. That way after you two grab Mendel as well as Elsie, you will have a safe place to go that isn’t filled with invaders.”

After giving his small speech, Nick waited for any type of backlash or negative response only for Monique to ask one question, “What about our guest?”

“Tie him up and lock him in the vessel unless you warrant him a grave threat,” Nick noted. “We might need him later.”

Monique nodded before she headed back into the H.E.A.T. Seeker to gather supplies as well as arms.

Nick and Randy then followed her into the vessel before they started grabbing supplies for themselves.

After retrieving one of the strongest guns on board the H.E.A.T. Seeker, the laser that his team had used to kill the D.R.A.G.M.A.s before they grew, Nick exited the vessel and started his voyage inland. As he began his journey, Randy shouted, “This better be considered overtime jefe!”

A smile appeared on Nick’s face as he heard Randy’s joke but he decided not to reply. They both needed the good feeling to last as they readied to enter the war zone of New York.

---------

The sound of gunfire and rockets firing filled the area as Hicks chopper landed on a football field near the Henry Hudson Bridge.

“What is going on?” Hicks asked the pilot.

“Xiliens are trying to destroy the bridge but our forces are giving them a run for their money,” commented the pilot before Hicks left the chopper.

Multiple tents lined the field and Hicks went straight to the command tent so he could assist with the current operation. After a few wrong guesses, Hicks finally found the correct tent which held a police officer as well as a military officer. The unknown military officer turned around only to ask, “Who are you sir?”

“Major Anthony Hicks at your service…” Hicks stated as he searched the man’s uniform for his rank only for the officer to reply, “Sorry sir but it seems you are now in charge. Captain Jeremy Dollish at your service?”

“A Sit-Rep would be helpful then Captain.”

“Okay… well… first off I should also introduce you to Officer Henkes,” stated Jeremy as he pointed to the police officer. “He has helped us with the use of local buildings in addition to gathering supplies for our units as well as the local displaced civilians. Civilians are fleeing in droves over the bride and we can’t afford to lose it.”

Henkes went to shake the Major’s hand only for Hicks to say, “As much as I like introductions what is happening Captain.”

“Sorry sir,” Jeremy apologetically stated before he said, “The Xiliens as you may know have been destroying all the bridges to the island. We were ordered to hold the Broadway Bridge along with the Henry Hudson Bridge. We were close to a military base which happened to house some Bradley Linebackers as well as some Humvee Avengers so we have kept the sky clear for the most part. The Xilien fighters are on the retreat for now and the local police along with a few military units under my command have kept the bridges clear incase Xilien infantry arrive. They have been rumored to have taken garrisons in the main city though we haven’t seen them yet. Also, we are running low on ammo for both the guns plus the anti-air rockets. I have tried to call in reinforcements but I have only received one message and it said that some major assistance was on its way from Detroit. Details, unknown. That was a few hours ago and nothing has come yet. Owe and lastly, reports are coming in that all other bridges have fallen to the island and the Xiliens are bringing one of those big ships here to teleport the last bridges, our bridges, to hell. That’s the situation Major.” 

“Okay Captain, I will take command from here,” Hicks ordered before he yelled. “I want you to pull all of the anti-air into cover around the Henry Hudson Bridge. Tell them to load every rocket they have left and to wait until I give the order to fire. Understood Captain?”

“Yes sir?” the Captain replied before he moved to the radio to transmit the orders.

Ten minutes passed and the gun fire that had filled the skies had dissipated. The airspace was clear only then for Xilien UFO Alpha to appear in the skyline. The UFO first moved over the Broadway Bridge before teleporting it up to the ship and then back down as rubble. With no resistance, UFO Alpha moved over the Henry Hudson Bridge. A massive white light started building at its front tip before it picked up on a transmission from below. It was from Hicks who yelled over his radio, “OPEN FIRE!”

Every rocket that could be ignited rocketed into the sky before impacting the focal point of the light. Hicks, from the Kennedy Knights football field and through his binoculars, watched as the smoke from the impact zone dissipated to reveal no damage to the vessel.

“Damn!” Hicks yelled before he then ordered, “Retreat. I say that again, Retreat over!” Hicks shouted over the radio as the ship’s white focal light reappeared.

As if things could not get any worse, at least twenty Xilien fighters appeared on the sides of the UFO and began firing at the defenseless units from the UFO’s altitude.

Hicks, still on the field, started ordering all those around him to move only to receive a message over his radio.

“Major Hicks, can you respond over. You asked for reinforcements and I will be at your location in t-minus thirty seconds over,” stated the mysterious female voice over the radio.

“This is Hicks,” the Major replied. “No use moving in. The Xiliens have overrun my position and my men are in full retreat. I can’t hold the bridge repeat, I can’t hold the bridge.”

“I will be there shortly to engage, tell your men to hold their ground with whatever they have left,” ordered the unknown person.

“What are your reinforcements made of?” skeptically inquired Hicks only for the voice to respond, “Single unit from the Japanese Self Defense Force Major.”

Before Hick’s could ask what the Japanese Self Defense Force was doing on American soil, a massive tremor caused the military officer to fall to the ground. As Hicks rolled onto his back, he slowly opened his eyes to notice the Xilien fighters attacking something behind the stadium. Hick’s tilted his head back to see what it was only to discover a giant Godzilla-like robot. The soldier jumped to his feet before watching it open its chest cavity. The Major then looked back at the Xiliens to see their response only to watch the alien’s craft retreat toward New York City. A massive blue sphere erupted from the silver machine and impacted the UFO along with a couple fighters that had accidentally flown too close. The massive Xilien ship turned blue before falling, shattering as well as disappearing in the distance. Hicks just stared at the location of the UFO’s shattering in disbelief before he heard the female voice over the radio.

“I think I just stopped their advance Major,” explained the voice over the radio. “Your men should be fine for the moment.”

Snapping out of his shock, Hicks then asked, “Who is this and what the hell are you piloting?”

“This is Self Defense Force Lieutenant Akane Yashiro piloting Kiryu,” Akane replied over the radio.

Excited in addition to glad to have reinforcements, Hicks happily stated, “Good job Lieutenant but you need to work on your timing.”

---------

“Sir, we have achieved total air superiority, our forces have destroyed all military bases that could harm the city in a fifty mile range, the water ways surrounding the city are now filled with debris from our UFO’s so there is no chance of an amphibious assault and lastly our ground forces are now being deployed to clear out the buildings, subways as well as the surrounding landscape,” exclaimed, X-2 the bald Xilien second in command to X. “Should I give the order to release our two creatures from their containment?”

X smiled before he turned to the high ranked Xilien and said, “Deploy our monsters but what about that deity we borrowed?”

“It’s still missing sir,” the Xilien replied. “No word since it engaged Zilla.”

“Godzilla is here off the coast,” exclaimed a suddenly worried X as he turned in shock.

X-2 shook his head no before stating, “No this monster is similar to Godzilla but because of its smaller size, weak durability along with its cowardliness when first found; mankind named it Zilla. Megalon should have no problem killing it considering the original Godzilla killed the creature in a few seconds after coming in contact with the original invasion’s duplicate. The old Keizer called it a tuna head because of its sole instinct to eat fish. An elite team of specialists follows the creature around and they have shown to be trouble considering they stopped the Leviathans.”

X laughed at the lizard’s nickname before returning his attention to watching New York burn. “Well when Meglaon surfaces send him to the front lines with the other creatures to defend the city,” X ordered. “This team that you mentioned might be impressive but they will not pose us any harm. The Leviathan’s poor tactics with their creatures caused their failure not the human race. Lastly, once our UFOs cleared the main streets of the city for our infantry as well as destroy the last bridges, tell them to begin the excavation immediately. Once we unearth it, the creature will be our newest weapon against mankind and nothing will be able to kill it.”

“What if it fights Godzilla?” inquired the second in command.

X turned his attention to the official and angrily yelled, “It was nothing but a dumb beast when it fought Godzilla! Under our power, this miserable planet will fall to the Xiliens. Then I shall become the ruler of this miserable rock and reunite this system with the Xilien Empire! The failure of our great ancestors, my predecessor and all those still on Planet X shall be amended!”

“Of course my Keizer, your brilliance knows no bounds,” X-2 stated humbly before he exited the commander’s room to relay the orders.

X returned his gaze on the burning city only for the official to re-enter the room.

“I thought I gave you orders to report,” X proclaimed in annoyance.

“You did but a new report states the humans shot down one of our UFOs,” the Xilien stated to his leader.

X turned around and inquired, “How have the humans done this?”

“It seems that a mechanical monster similar to that of Godzilla appeared and instantly disintegrated it. Our forces have remained hesitant about engaging the machine, for fear of more losses to our limited fighters.”

“Another Godzilla clone?” X questioned in a fury. “So the humans have built another Mechagodzilla have they? Send Gigan to hold off this cyborg at the cities limits. Tell Monster X to defend the inner city. Lastly, inform our UFOs to begin excavation immediately!”

“Understood,” X-2 responded before he ran out of the room so he would not become the target of X’s newest rage. A response he learned well for being the new Keizer’s right hand Xilien for so long.

---------

Nick, after checking to see if the street was clear in the darkness of night, slowly moved down the abandoned road. His senses on full alert, Nick searched for any signs of Xiliens only to discover the horror the Xiliens unleashed on the city. The streets were clear but the walkways were littered with the burnt remains of cars, debris from buildings in addition to corpses. Then as he reached the end of the block while blocking his sight from the gruesome scenes, the scientist checked his phone to see it pass the eighth hour in the afternoon.

“At this rate I should be there in less than two hours,” Nick assured himself but then stopped as he felt small tremors.

As the quakes magnitude increased with every second, Nick ducked into a nearby Starbucks at the corner of the street and hid in the back of the business. Curiosity overcoming him, Nick peeked over the counter to discover two large skeletal feet and then a massive group of Xilien soldiers at the massive unknown creature’s sides. The monster stopped its advance as the soldiers spread out and started looking into the surrounding buildings including the Starbucks. After hearing the sound of gunfire from the neighboring structures, Nick then contemplated his next move as the Xiliens moved into the establishment. Outnumbered, outgunned and with no chance of winning; Nick stayed completely still as well as quiet as he waited for the aliens to leave. Every sound they made increasing his heart rate. As the footsteps grew closer to the counter, Nick readied his weapon to fire. Then as one of the aliens ordered, “Check the back!” Nick decided to act. The scientist jumped to his feet and aimed his energy weapon at the closest Xilien he could find.

Without saying a word, Nick fired upon the surprised trio of Xiliens. The surprise caught all three off guard allowing him to silence the trio, yet the sudden sound of dozens of footsteps alerted Nick he wasn’t an unknown entity any longer.

“I guess it’s time to leave!” Nick exclaimed as he ran into the back of the shop and out the back door into a corresponding alley way. As he ran for his life through the alley and with the Xiliens surely almost through the Starbucks, the scientist searched for an escape until he noticed a subway entrance at the end of the alley. A showcase of the speed he developed working on H.E.A.T. or luck considering it was night, Nick entered the subway without the Xiliens spotting him.

Flickering lights from a backup generator kept the station somewhat lit as Nick rushed down its multiple flights of stairs. The scientist reached the subway platform quickly but then exhaled vigorously as he regained his breath. After subsiding his breathing, Nick lifted his head up to catch a glimpse of the subway’s underground map. Nick scanned the map and discovered a subway entrance close to the Channel 8 news station. A smirk appeared on his face before he heard the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs of the subway platform. With the Xiliens still on his tail, Nick jumped down onto the tracks and ran into the darkness before ducking into a maintenance room. As soon as the Xiliens left he would be on his way, it was only a matter of time.

---------

“So why would they park their ship so close to H.E.A.T. Headquarters?” Randy asked Monique as the two of them along with N.I.G.E.L. arrived at their base using the cover of night to evade the invaders.

“Accessible exit point,” Monique commented as she then pointed at a nearby warehouse. “The vessel resides there.”

“It’s about time,” Randy proclaimed as he stretched. “I could sure use a rest.”

Ignoring the intern’s remark, Monique slowly made her way to the far off building. As they moved closer, its features became clear. It was an old, abandoned warehouse which explained to Randy why the aliens would choose it to hide their ship. Monique tried to open the front door only for the doors to not budge. The French agent then backed up before kicking the rusted door wide open.

“Did I ever mention how much I enjoy it when you do things like that?” Randy sweetly questioned to Monique merely for her to reply, “Unfortunately, you never stop.”

As the three made their way into the structure, they walked into the middle of the warehouse to discover an empty void along with the Xilien ship.

Randy scanned the ship in amazement before he said, “Nice ride but I wonder how they got it in here.”

The intern looked at Monique for an answer only to see her pointing at the ceiling or specifically the massive hole in it. Monique then sarcastically said, “I believe that is the entrance point, no.”

Randy smirked in amusement before he edged his way to the ship with N.I.G.E.L. and used Mendel’s robot to begin hacking into the vessel’s systems. Massive waves of unknown code appeared on N.I.G.E.L.’s screens filling Randy with wonder as well as dread.

“Ugh,” the intern moaned as he watched the code overflow the screen.

“Can you access it?” Monique asked, worried about the mission’s integrity.

“Yah,” replied an annoyed Randy. “Unfortunately, I am going to need N.I.G.E.L. to translate all of this code for me.”

“How long then?” the French agent inquired as she looked around the warehouse for anything else of significant importance?

Randy looked at the code then explained, “Maybe three hours until translations done and then one minute to override everything else. Unless you know how to write Xilien which would totally rock my mind.”

Monique wide-eyed Randy before she said, “I shall keep watch while you work.”

“So I really can call you my angel now then,” Randy noted causing Monique to shake her head with disgust. Hearing a beep off N.I.G.E.L., Randy looked down at the massive waves of code and exhaled before he sarcastically said, “Unless you would like to stay here by my side?” The intern looked to observe her reaction simply to find that she had disappeared.

“I have to learn how she does that,” Randy remarked before he began hacking into the Xilien fighter.

---------

“A three headed dragon?” Hicks remarked. The Major turned to Akane who stood a few feet away in his command tent. The small feature held nothing more than a desk, a table, and the two yet it was all that the duo needed to prepare for the next day. “Didn’t hear about that one. Well thank god it showed up and put you close by.”

Akane nodded and turned her attention to the table between the two. On the representation of New York it showed the three pronged assault to be launched in the morning against the Xilien threat.

“Yes, it seems that was the only fortunate thing to happen today. Let us hope it continues into tomorrow.”

Hick’s chuckled before he pulled out a small canteen of alcohol. The Major motioned it toward Akane, who refused the drink, before he took a sip himself. “We’ll just keep your sights on the Xiliens, I am sure you have been briefed about our other ace that resides in New York.”

Akane looked up from the map. “Yes, but is this… monster why you are not worried about tomorrow?”

“No the worry is why I drink, and it’s not Zilla. Well… not completely, but there is a group inside the city I would put my life on especially in a hell like this.”

“Are you not worried it has been taken control or this team may be dead?”

Hicks nodded. “Yup, and they might be, but we might also die tomorrow. I’ve seen them whether every type of storm you can imagine… well… almost everyone.”

 “Horror happens throughout our lives. Sometimes without us….” Akane took a deep, almost painful breath. “Sometimes by our own hands, but it’s the choices we make after that truly matter.”

Hicks raised an eyebrow at the statement. “Yeah… well… the guy in charge of it. Goes by Tatopoulos. He’s been through hell to save those around him. He and I went through a special type of hell recently. Unlike the other times though, this hell won’t let him be.”

Hicks took another sip of his drink while Akane looked back at her map. “No one can fight forever. There is a time where we all need to rest.”

“Get some rest then Lieutenant. Oh, and try not to step on any of my men tomorrow!” Hicks sarcastically noted merely for Akane to become rigid. The pilot remained silent, her gaze remaining at a 45 degree angle before she walked out of the tent.

As she exited the tent Akane looked up at Kiryu, its large silhouette lit up by high grade military lights. A slight tear rolled down her face, before she quickly wiped it away and removed the dark memory from her mind.

“Tomorrow isn’t our time, either,” Akane barely mumbled as her fists clenched. “I’ll make sure of it.”

---------

New York City after the devastating invasion fell stagnant as the night wore on. The only activity was from the two remaining Xilien UFOs which were excavating a large hole where large manmade structures use to challenge the skies. Then as the sun began to rise in the distance of the sieged city, the U.S. forces launched their attack from the Henry Hudson Bridge with Kiryu at its front.

X, from his command room, watched New York’s skyline glow with the rising sun and the massive trails of smoke forming in the distance. “So the humans make the first move,” X commented as he watched the smoke intensify. As the Keizer witnessed the attack, the X-2 rushed in.

“We have just reached the crash site two thousand feet below the city my leader,” asserted the Xilien.  

X smiled before he asked, “Good, retrieve the biological specimen and tell our human scientist to hurry with her work. The humans will try but fail against our might and our newest creation will crush all of their resistance into dust.”

“Understood my Keizer,” the Xilien exclaimed before he hurried to relay his orders.

---------

A familiar horror awakened Nick as the sound of footsteps echoed in the subway. The scientist jumped to his feet, dropping a tiny box from his pocket as a mass of refugees passed his spot. Nicks breathes were long, his heart raced and he scrambled to grab the item merely for a hand to reach down and pick up it up.  A police officer scanned Nick before he handed the box back to him.

“Are you having a panic attack?” he asked merely for Nick to open the box and calm down.

“Something like it,” Nick noted before he stood. “Friend of mine by the name of Hicks recommended to look at something important to you. Apparently he doesn’t need it anymore, but…”

“Wouldn’t be a Major would it,” the officer asked.

Nick’s curiosity raised. “It would, but why do you ask?”

“My name is Nick Henkes. I’m… or was an officer on the outskirts of the city and I ran into him yesterday. I’ve been evacuating civilians, because he’s leading the military to retake the city. If you follow me, I may be able to take you to him.”

Nick felt the item in his palm, closed the box, and placed it back in his pocket. “I can’t. I need to get to the Channel 8 news station.”

The figure nodded his head with understanding and then pointed down the tunnel where the track split into a fork. “Go left and the nearest station is your destination. By the way, good luck.”

“Thanks,” Nick responded before he started running toward the tunnel.

After a long run to the nearest station down the fork, Nick discovered he had arrived at his destination. The Channel 8 news station was directly above him. With little time to waste, Nick sprinted up to the surface to find the streets empty. No Xilien infantry were in sight so with the coast clear; the scientist dashed into the news skyscraper. The main lobby was empty with random items scattered across the floor but the lights still on.

With the elevator’s safety unknown to him, Nick decided to run up the stairs. Audrey’s desk and her station were on the thirty eighth floor of the forty four floored building so Nick began his long sprint up the stairs. Then after the twentieth floor passed him by, Nick’s run turned into a walk as the staircase quickly exhausted him.

“Should have gone with the elevator,” the scientist panted as he passed the thirty seventh level.

A female scream of pure terror suddenly erupted from the next floor, Audrey’s floor, causing Nick’s energy to flare. Nick sprinted up to the thirty eighth floor before peeking through the door’s glass window. A black suited figure wielding a gun was in the distance before he disappeared behind a corner at the end of a hallway. Nick quietly opened the door before he silently moved down the hallway and looked into the news department. About seven Xiliens surrounded seven people and were yelling at them.

“Anyone tries to escape again and you all die,” one of the Xilien shouted before he signaled to someone out of Nick’s view. Another Xilien walked into view, the person the original Xilien signaled, with a female in his grasp before he tossed her toward the other hostages.

“You’re messing with the wrong reporter,” the hostage exclaimed before Nick realized that the hostage that had tried to run was Audrey.

“Silence!” the Xilien shouted while he aimed his gun at her. “It’s time to move to the roof now so everyone go to the stairs. Anyone disobeys and they will be shot along with the person next to them.”

Audrey as well as her fellow prisoners, surrounded by their Xilien captors, made their way toward the staircase. With few places to hide, Nick moved quickly into a close by closet before waiting for the Xiliens to pass. After the Xiliens left the floor, Nick quietly pursued the aliens up to the roof of the structure. To avoid detection the scientist just peered through the oblong glass window of the door. There the scientist found a Xilien fighter awaiting the Xiliens and their captors on the flat, empty rooftop.

There was only one reason why the Xiliens would take prisoners. Nick shivered as he thought of the Xiliens using innocent civilians along with Audrey as cattle. A new sense of urgency filled Nick’s being before his rational mind went into overdrive considering every possibility. In those moments he decided on one important fact. It was that the Xiliens would have to die or risk losing the love of his life. After coming to this conclusion, Nick opened his gun up and reprogrammed it to fire one overcharged shot. Then he waited for the perfect time to strike.

Four Xiliens boarded the vessel to prepare its return flight back to the Mothership while the other three prepared the captors to board the vessel.

“Since you gave us trouble before why don’t you come aboard first,” a Xilien proclaimed before he grabbed Audrey by the arm and started dragging her toward the ship. “I will enjoy skinning you most of all.”

“Let go of me!” Audrey screamed as she struggled to free herself to no avail.

As they were half way toward the ship, Nick sprang into action. The roof’s top door swung wide open to reveal the scientist to the three stunned Xiliens before he unleashed a massive burst of energy on the Xilien fighter. The energy discharge knocked Nick off his feet while also detonating the fighter. A massive fireball erupted from where the fighter had been and while the three surviving Xiliens recovered, they found Nick back on his feet with his depleted gun aimed at them.

“Move and I will do to you what I just did to your ship!” Nick bluffed as he aimed his energy depleted gun at the Xiliens.

Two Xiliens dropped their guns, kicked them aside and put their hands in the air while the Xilien holding Audrey aimed his gun at the reporter after he scanned Nick’s gun thoroughly.

“Drop your weapon or I shoot her,” the Xilien demanded as he continued to study Nick’s gun.

“If I do then you will just kill her anyway,” Nick retorted as he aimed his useless gun at the Xilien’s head.

“Only one way to find out,” the Xilien commented as he put the gun to Audrey’s temple.

His bluff called as well as not wanting Audrey to get hurt, Nick lowered his weapon as the Xilien raised his at the scientist.

“Like the Keizer said, weak beings,” the Xilien commented before Audrey elbowed the alien in the gut causing him to drop the gun. As she in addition to the Xilien holding her started brawling for the gun, Nick sprinted toward the closest Xilien gun which was lying next to the edge of the structure’s roof.

One of the Xiliens got to it first and aimed it at Nick only for the scientist to ram into the alien with his depleted weapon a second later. The full force of the blow sent the Xilien falling over the edge of the structure as well as causing him to drop his gun onto the roof top. With a usable gun in his hand and only two Xiliens left, Nick turned his attention to the Xilien not struggling with Audrey to see him, now with a gun, aiming at him.

With no usable cover the scientist turned his original gun vertically to act as a shield as the Xilien discharged his weapon. The alien got three shots off, the first two hitting the gun while the other grazed the scientist’s shoulder, before Nick countered with two blasts from his own energy gun. Nick’s shots impacted the alien’s abdomen causing the alien to stumble. After a few steps backward, the alien fell to the ground dead. Then Nick turned his attention to the Xilien struggling with Audrey for the gun.

“Audrey move!” Nick shouted to his girlfriend.

The reporter jumped out of the way as Nick fired three shots at the Xilien. The alien stumbled backward in shock as well as anguish. The Xilien refused to fall and Nick lowered his gun, deciding best not to say anything to the Xilien. He wasn’t worth it.  Slowly gravity took control of him causing him to trip over the edge of the structure. With the roof top safe, Nick slowly made his way over to Audrey.

“Are you okay?” Nick compassionately inquired as he put his hand on Audrey’s shoulder.

Audrey remained mute before she immediately grabbed him and whispered, “Thank you Nick.”

Nick said nothing but held her tight as his reply until one of the other people on the roof top asked, “Are you Special Forces?”

Nick separated from Audrey to respond, “No, I am just a scientist.”

As the rest of the group snapped out of their shock, Nick as well as Audrey led them slowly down the building’s stairs.

Curious at what Audrey experienced in the last day, Nick inquired, “What happened?”

“Well you know me… I always get my story and I stayed behind to cover it. Animal is still at his relatives so it was just me here until some survivors came in under the cover of night to avoid the Xiliens. Unfortunately, the aliens followed them into the structure, crushed my computer when I tried to escape and that is pretty much the entire story.”

“I’m glad to see you are alright,” Nick sweetly responded.

Audrey paused, her arm scratching the other as she thought about Nick. “But are you… doing better?”

Nick stopped as well, his gaze dropping slightly. “Yeah… Hicks had a few tips, so it’s getting better.”

Audrey smiled, moved in close and gave the rigid Nick a kiss on the cheek. Her arms grabbed his own, comforting him enough for a smile to form on his face.

“You know you don’t have to do this by yourself. I’m right here, I always will be.”

 Nick looked into her eyes, and felt his heart slow. Time seemed to almost pause as he looked into her eyes. Ever beat of his heart shook his body, and the scientist neared his love only for a tremor to shake his body that did not originate from within. A few inches from Audrey’s face, Nick stopped. His eyes widened as the rhythmic tremors increased. 

“Oh no,” Nick whispered before he pulled away from Audrey and yelled, “Everyone hurry! GO! GO! GO!”

The group of survivors further down the stairs broke into a panic while Nick grabbed Audrey and ran. The shaking grew with every step, the tremors affecting everyone’s movement.

“Nick what is…?”

A massive skeletal hand suddenly swiped through the lower floors, killing all those below them, and stopping the pair cold as they witnessed the destruction. Destroyed stairs and pieces of the building fell from the gaping hole as an imposing roar echoed from the cause.

“We have to get higher!” Nick yelled as the hand came back as the hand turned to reveal its palm.

Audrey and Nick ran up the stairs as fast as they could while the hand tore upward through the structure. Roars continued to echo as the pair raced for their lives until they reached the roof. The duo then looked down to the street floor to discover a massive skeletal creature slowly tearing apart the building.

“I should have… guessed,” Nick gasped as his mind identified the beast. “The creature attacking… it’s called Monster X.”

“Why is it attacking us?” Audrey inquired as she braced along the edge of the structure to keep herself from falling off.

“The Xiliens most likely noticed the fireworks and think some type of military unit is in the building,” Nick explained to Audrey as he watched massive chunks of the structure get ripped out. “If Monster X brings down the building then their problems are solved. My guess is he’s only doing it slow to draw out other units they think are nearby.”

With a new fear surging through her, Audrey asked, “So how long until the building comes down?”

Nick remained silent as the building shook below him. “A few minutes… at the most.”

---------

Monique awakened from her very light sleep to hear the sound of distant explosions in the background. She turned to see smoke billowing through the clouds and multiples fire balls falling from the sky. Rejuvenated, Monique returned to Randy only to find him slouched over N.I.G.E.L. in addition to drooling on the machine. A soft kick in the side only caused the intern to moan, “Five more minutes.” Monique then pushed Randy causing him to impact the cold ground which instantly awakened him.

He jumped in surprise merely to find Monique standing right next to him with a small smile of satisfaction on her face.

“Did you finish hacking into the ship?” the French agent questioned.

Randy rubbed his eyes, yawned and then waited a few more moments to fully awaken before he said, “Let me check.”

A quick look at N.I.G.E.L.’s screens and Randy stated, “Yeah it just finished the translation code I installed so it is ready to fly captain.”

Monique nodded with approval before she declared, “Then let us not waste time here.”

The French agent entered the alien craft before Randy dragged himself on board, still very tired.

“How come you are awake if you kept watch all night my little angel?” Randy questioned as he sat down next to Monique in the pilot seats.

“Training and discipline allows me to work with just a few hours of light sleep,” Monique explained as she looked around the control room. “So how do you plan on flying this?”

“As much as I would love to demonstrate my impeccable and rad skills, N.I.G.E.L. will be flying us into the Mothership,” Randy proclaimed as he ran back out of the ship and brought the robot into the control room. “He can access their systems when we enter the Mothership as well as fly us into the docking station.”

“Then activate him so we can leave,” Monique asserted to Randy before the intern connected N.I.G.E.L. into the ship’s systems.

“Flip this, press that and we should have…”

The ship shook as its anti-gravity thrusters engaged. The back door sealed shut, and Randy used N.I.G.E.L. to lift the ship slowly from the warehouse. As the skyline of the city appeared, the pair witnessed the fires engulfing the city and the hundreds of other Xilien fighters patrolling its skies. Then with the destination in sight, Randy slowly flew the craft into the city revealing the horror that lay on the streets below.

Monique looked at her friend and watched his usual uplifting grin disappear.

“Let us not waste time,” Monique reassuringly said brining light back into Randy’s disposition.

Randy shook his head, and accelerated the vessel toward the Mothership which large figure eclipsed even the Empire State Building below it. As the capture vessel breached the shields and entered inside, it quickly found a docking platform and docked.

“Tada!” Randy cheered merely to turn and see Monique already armed for her venture.

“Stay here and keep the ship secure while I go retrieve our friends,” Monique announced before the back door opened. “I will not be long.”

“No pregunta,” Randy acknowledged before he sat back in the pilot seat and watched Monique disappear.

---------

Explosions detonated in the sky as Kiryu unleashed a massive barrage of its wrist lasers in addition to its shoulder rockets on the Xilien fighters. The enemy ship’s energy weapons detonated harmlessly over Kiryu’s metallic exoskeleton which made the robot the perfect object to attract enemy fire. As Kiryu advanced through the waves of incoming energy blasts, Hick’s division followed close behind attacking anything that the machine accidentally missed.

“You and your robot Lieutenant aren’t doing half bad,” Hicks joked over the radio as he watched the android slaughter the fighters.

“Thanks for the complement Major,” Akane stated while she continued Kiryu’s assault toward the main city. “How close are we to the Xilien Mothership?” Kiryu’s pilot asked since she was not familiar with the surrounding area. She could clearly see it but the distance was hard to judge.

“We just passed the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal so I would say about another hour until we reach the city at this rate,” Hicks replied over the radio from his Humvee. “We are moving at a pretty good pace since the divisions moving along our flanks are wiping out anything you miss.”

A sonic shriek then filled the air and the Xilien fighters dispersed for a few seconds for a large creature to fly through as well as land in front of Kiryu. Massive arm blades along with a single red eye were the creature’s trademarks and to all of humanity it was feared as Gigan.

After witnessing the creature land, Hicks yelled over the radio, “All forces move around Kiryu but give it a few blocks of space. Form a defensive line to stop all fighters from moving in so Kiryu can fight this thing.” The major then changed his radio signal so Akane could hear. “Give it hell!”

Hick’s division suddenly split around the motionless Kiryu while Akane prepped the machine’s weapons. “Just a Gigan, this shouldn’t take too long.”

Gigan was the first to attack with a powerful cluster ray. Kiryu staggered back from the energy burst only to then to unleash its shoulder rockets. A massive plume of fire covered Gigan before the android dashed out of the cloud toward Kiryu. While the Xilien controlled creature was about to bring its two blade like arms down on Kiryu, two blades ejected from the android’s wrists just in time to stop Gigan’s scythes. A volley of sparks cascaded as both monsters tried to force the other backward only for a standstill to occur. Then Akane, after realizing that the stalemate was going nowhere, activated Kiryu’s blades electrical feature.

Both of Kiryu’s swords suddenly discharged electricity causing the Xilien android to screech in severe anguish as its own blades became conductors. Gigan retreated backward from Kiryu before the alien cyborg started swiping furiously at the Mechagodzilla. Kiryu blocked each strike with its blades, causing electricity to flow into Gigan with every block.

Gigan, tired of his constant failures, fired a direct cluster ray at Kiryu’s right shoulder. Part of the android’s right shoulder pack detonated sending the Mechagodzilla recalling from the shockwave only for Gigan to slash a massive chunk of metal from the left shoulder pack. As Gigan was about to send another swipe at Kiryu, the android discharged a twin maser at the Xilien puppet’s face. The cyborg staggered from the unexpected attack for a short second merely to return its attention and discover Kiryu hunched over.

“Try this on for size!” Akane shouted before she activated the missile pack’s thrusters.

The rocket pack fired off Kiryu before slamming into Gigan at high speeds. Kiryu followed the launch, while Gigan skidded backward from the pack’s thrusters, with its wrist lasers targeting the shoulder pack. The pack exploded expelling a massive shockwave that even Akane could feel within Kiryu. As the smoke cleared, Gigan appeared out of the dust still standing but its frontal bio-armor severely deteriorated.

With its programming still edging him to fight against the pain the cyborg was feeling, Gigan fired its cables around Kiryu. The Godzilla doppelganger, after becoming entangled, tried slashing through the ropes with its blades but the cables proved to be made of an extremely dense material. With his prey unable to escape, Gigan began reeling in Kiryu before it activated its chest blade. Kiryu struggled to stand its ground and fired its twin maser as well as arm canons to stop Gigan but the cyborg proved to be too resistant as it continued to reel in Kiryu. With little other options left, Akane decided to activate Kiryu’s main thrusters.

Kiryu blasted into the sky but not without Gigan as the two climbed high into the atmosphere. Gigan, after a shocking take off, activated its thrusters and slashed Kiryu as it flew past the android. The cyborg, in a display of its aerial superiority, flew around Kiryu and continued its chest saw in addition to blade slashes. Though as the rope tangled around Kiryu, Gigan’s flight became more restrictive until there was nowhere for Gigan to fly. Seizing the opportunity, Kiryu grabbed onto Gigan’s throat as well as its left arm before changing its trajectory to the direction of the ground on the opposite side of New York City so not to interfere with the Major’s advance.

“Let’s see you survive impact!” Akane yelled.

Kiryu’s claws tightened around Gigan’s neck, and as the pair neared impact a massive burst of thrust jettisoned from Gigan. The duo leveled out at the last second sending the two into a wall of man-made mountains. 

From his vehicle, Hicks felt the ground suddenly shake. A plume of dust so large it peaked over the other structures suddenly filled the horizon, and Hicks in response grabbed his radio.

“Lieutenant Akane Yashiro do you copy?”

The line remained dead. An eerie static the only reply to the Major’s call.

“Akane Yashiro do you respond, over?”

 Static continued to echo across the channel, and after a minute of its constant buzzing the Major changed the channel to address his troops. “We just lost our biggest asset gentlemen so everyone re-group on me. Once we do reunite, let us show these alien bastards hell.”

---------

Two reptilian eyes opened after Kiryu’s tremor. As consciousness took hold of the mighty lizard, Zilla began tunneling toward the surface until a familiar yet dreaded sense overcame it. He could feel that somewhere, his father was in dire trouble. With a sense of loyalty like no other monster, Zilla burrowed at full speed toward his adopted parent.

---------

The Channel 8 news building started creaking as the massive recent tremor finally caused enough damage for its supports to fail. Nick in addition to Audrey felt the structure creaking, breaking as well as bending under their feet and with nowhere to go; Nick could only think of one escape. After surveying all of the sides, Nick discovered a smaller structure with a large pool on the roof. With the Channel 8 building leaning in that direction, Nick knew it was their best bet for survival.

“Audrey when I say go run with the falling building off that ledge,” Nick commented during which he walked to the opposing end of the structure.

“You want to jump?” Audrey skeptically inquired while she followed her boyfriend.

“It’s our best shot but we have to time it perfectly,” Nick retorted as he stopped his movements as well as started waiting for the building to fall.

Audrey paused and tried to think of some way to denounce or at least come up with her own strategy only to grab Nick’s hand and say, “Okay but we go together.”

“Wouldn’t want it any other way,” Nick proclaimed before he shared a kiss with Audrey. A massive crack then sounded signaling the building’s supports finally giving way.

Monster X, seeing the building in a slow free fall, quickly moved out of its path to avoid injury.

As the building tilted further, Nick held onto Audrey’s hand while he repeated to Audrey, “Wait.”

Adrenaline levels built up in both of them until Nick finally yelled, “Run!”

The duo sprinted across the roof of the falling building until both of them jumped of the edge. The building stopped its fall, a support beam stubbornly refusing to break, as Nick and Audrey continued their free fall.

Both of them clung to the other, hoping to land in the water, until Nick opened his eyes to see the intended structure continue past them. Anger built up in his frantic mind as he knew the next stop was the pavement below. With certain death in his and Audrey’s future, Nick positioned himself so he would take the full impact of the fall in a desperate move to save his girlfriend whose eyes still were shut. Still convinced that he would save her, that he could save. The scientist closed his eyes, the panic from his nightmares returning as his head thrashed, and his heart raced. Nick readied to feel the acute pain of impact merely for a screeching sound along with a gust of massive air to meet him in addition to Audrey first. The screech was so loud the duo was forced to let go of the other to cover their ears. Nick as well as Audrey then looked down as they hovered to see a massive familiar maw before the creature under them grabbed the duo out of the air.

Heart racing, adrenaline pumping and expecting to be dead; it took a few moments for Nick as well as Audrey to regain their composure in the claws of their savior.

Two loyal eyes looked at Nick before a major cracking caused Zilla to look up at the leaning structure. The final supports of the Channel 8 News Station had just broken and it was beginning its final fall.

Still in Zilla’s hands and knowing all three of them had to go, Nick yelled, “Zilla run! Away, away!”

The giant lizard looked back at its adopted father before it turned to begin its run only to face a new threat. Monster X wasted little time in observing his foe before he smacked Zilla backward. Zilla screeched and staggered backward but not without closing the hand both Audrey as well as Nick were in to keep them safe.

The reptilian then glanced at slow falling structure and then at Monster X before Zilla charged at the fiend. Monster X tried another claw swipe simply for Zilla to dodge and swipe Monster X’s feet out from under him using his tail. Monster X fell to the ground whereas Zilla continued running. With no damage taken, the space creature rolled over merely to see the Channel 8 news station fall right on top of it. A massive dust cloud enveloped the area as the building’s impact tore the news station apart.

Zilla easily outran the cloud before stopping in addition to dropping the pair off at a safe distance. Zilla took one last look at Nick before running into the dust cloud.

“Where is he going?” Audrey asked as she regained her composure and bearings.

“He is going after Monster X,” Nick replied before he accompanied Audrey to the entrance of an abandoned McDonalds. Safe for the moment, Nick proclaimed, “Stay here and stay hidden.”

“Where are you going?” Audrey inquired with frustration.

“Monique, Randy, Mendel and Elsie need a secure landing site after they break out of the Mothership,” Nick explained. “I have flares so they can decipher where to land and right now, they plan to land where Monster X is.”

“Sounds like you need help,” Audrey countered.

“No you are going to stay here where it is safe!” Nick shouted demandingly. “I almost lost you twice today and a few times earlier this week.”

Audrey stared into Nick’s eyes as she was about to explode with fury only to see compassion, and fear in her boyfriend’s eyes.

Audrey exhaled deeply to relive her fury before she said, “I was worried about you the entire time I was at the news building. I had no idea what had happened to you and was hoping the entire time you were safe Nick. But let’s be honest, we both have a knack of getting into things we shouldn’t. So I am coming with you for better or worse.”

Realizing he had lost the argument, Nick sighed and gave Audrey a small Xilien hand gun of the two Xilien guns he had in his possession. Audrey reached to grab the weapon merely for Nick to reach for her hands and say, “Well if you are coming then take one of these, follow me and stay close.”

“I’ve been around you long enough to know this,” Audrey retorted only to take the gun and walk toward the tallest structure on their block.

---------

After hours of working tirelessly; Elsie felt like she was going to jump as the cells in her petri dish multiplied with the M-base. Knowing as soon as she showed the Xiliens her results both she along with Mendel were dead, Elsie pretended to keep working. Shortly after her success and before she could warn Mendel, who fidgeted with machinery in the corner, X-2 returned.

“Your day is up!” the Xilien proclaimed as he walked toward her.

“Still some minor problems but I should be done in oh, another day,” Elsie replied as she pretended to work.

“By our scans you seem to be done,” the high official countered before he waved the two Xiliens that had kept watch for some time to gather Elsie’s work.

“What are you doing?” Elsie demanded as she watched her work be taken by one Xilien as the other restrained her.

“We have been monitoring your progress through the microscope,” the Xilien explained as he was given the cells. “Thank you Ms. Chapman. You and your assistant’s services will no longer be needed.”

Then as he left the room X-2 shouted, “Kill them!”

The two Xilien guards that had watched over the two then drew their weapons and opened fire. Mendel tackled Elsie down to the ground behind a line of desks during which laser fire erupted above them. Shortly after the initial blasts, a series of cracks, yelps along with more energy fire then erupted before the room went silent. To see what was going on, Mendel signaled Elsie to stay put before he awkwardly crawled across the ground to peek around the corner. While the engineer looked, someone stepped in front of him.

Mendel then looked up, expecting to see a Xilien with a gun, only to discover Monique.

“What are you two doing?” Monique asked the duo before they jumped to their feet.

After looking at the two down Xiliens that had previously been shooting at him, Mendel suddenly hugged Monique and said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you for rescuing us.”

Monique pushed him aside as Elsie whined, “About time you showed up. But where’s Nicky and Randy? They off sabotaging the ship?”

“Randy awaits us on the ship. Nick has secured us a landing zone once we escape the Mothership,” Monique explained.

“Wait why would he need to get a landing space?” Mendel inquired only for Monique to counter, “Because they have invaded.”  

With the question taken care of, Monique headed to the exit with the duo before Mendel yelled, “Wait a second!”

“What is it?” Monique demanded who turned around only to see Mendel grab a computer sized mess of machinery. Wires stuck out of every side, tubes easily protruded and at its core lay Mendel’s phone.

“The Xilien fighters might detect us before we get to Nick but if they can’t fly they can’t interfere with us,” Mendel explained in his usual nasally voice as he re-joined his teammates. “I built a crude EMP device while Elsie worked so all we need to do is set it on a minor junction that is connected to the main reactor and it should overload the shields in addition to cause an EMP. The chaos will let us escape once we are far enough away.”

“Why did you build an EMP?” Elsie asked in confusion as she exited the doorway.

“To knock out the lights and then run!” Mendel retorted.

“And a gun wouldn’t have helped?” Elsie countered only for Mendel to say, “That…may have actually.”

---------

The ruins of the Channel 8 news station lay scattered across the streets New York. The rubble remained perfectly still, encased in a cloud of brown dust, until a skeletal hand erupted from the debris. Monster X rose from rubble and stood back on his feet. The building’s collapse had only stalled him as he began his search for the creature that attacked him. Monster X did not have to wait long though as an all too familiar bellow echoed around New York. Monster X closed its eyes, listening for the sound’s source. Footsteps suddenly resonated across Monster X’s body, and the fiend crossed his arms in front of his chest as Zilla slammed its bulk into the alien. The two slid backward until the pair ruptured the basin of a nearby structure. A cloud of dust first exploded out the back of it before the building fell down upon the two.

Zilla shook off the debris that covered his form before he roared at the fallen alien monster. Six swirling lasers blasted from the debris. The attack detonated across the reptile sending it staggering back as Monster X rose.

The alien brushed the rubble off his body then turned to face Zilla. Monster X did not roar at his adversary nor did he look upon him as a worthy foe. The creature that stood before him would die, and if it gave even the slightest challenge to him it would have served some purpose in its pitiful life.

Zilla’s eyes closed with annoyance and he burst toward the creature that dare attack his father. The lizard closed the gap between the pair in almost a second, yet Monster X struck first with a powerful backhand. Zilla stumbled backward before its spines flashed. Green flames engrossed Monster X’s form causing a minor detonation to occur across the alien’s body. Zilla roared in triumph yet as the flames dispersed Monster X reemerged unfazed.

Monster X exhaled in frustration. No… Not even a challenge.

Monster X sprinted toward Zilla again. The alien grabbed Zilla’s head; however, Monster X was far from finished. The alien continued sprinting forward then plunged the reptile’s head into the line of man-made structures. A line of destruction cut across the city until Monster X spun. The alien tossed Zilla away with ease, sending the lizard to impact the heart of Time Square.

Dozens of screens shattered from Zilla’s landing, raining metal and glass upon the beast. Zilla screeched in pain, and as he heard Monster X walk toward him; the beast burrowed under the ground.

Monster X stopped moving as he watched Zilla flee. The action did not surprise him, but it disappointed the alien Keizer. With no further enjoyment to be had, Monster X turned away.

As the fiend began to walk, a blast of green atomic fire impacted him from behind. Monster X quickly spun around and fired a gravity beam merely to destroy the center structure of the square. Monster X growled in annoyance at the act until another beam struck him again from behind. The alien stumbled, and opened growled for Zilla to confront it. With no response Monster X backed himself against the wall of manmade structures. With nowhere for Zilla to blitz him from, the lizard would stupidly fall into his trap. As the Xilien creature prepared to unleash a trifecta of gravity beams, a low growl hummed from above its head. Monster X slowly looked up in shock to see Zilla, looking straight down at him from the top of the structure. Monster X grinned at the sight. He would have a true fight after all.

“So that is Zilla,” X commented as he watched Monster X battle the reptile. “What a pathetic creature but I guess it means the Seatopians won’t be getting their monster back.”

With monsters on his mind, X moved to his command telecom and asked, “How much longer until it is alive?”

After a few seconds of waiting, X asked the same question again but still no one responded. Then, anger consuming his mind, X shouted, “Is anyone there?”

Static then came over the device before X-2 replied, “I apologize my leader. The prisoners have escaped. They finished the formula, which I am delivering to the site, but I have my men searching for them now. The guards claim that they were attacked by someone of great agility and strength.”

X’s scowl turned into a smile before he replied, “Is it that half breed fool? The one that killed my predecessor?”

“It is…possible. The Japanese are definitely in the city,” the alien replied.

“Kill the guards for their incompetence but I shall begin searching as well,” stated X as excitement came over him. As he made his way out of his command room and down the endless halls of the Mothership, X knew of only one place where the Keizer could escape and that place was the Xilien fighter bay.

---------

Nick looked at his deployed flares as well as the Xilien fighter filled sky.

“Think they will see it?” Nick asked Audrey in curiosity.

“Yeah but I think a lot of other things will see it as well so we might want to hide,” the reporter stated as the duo made their way to the roof’s top door to avoid detection.

---------

At least a hundred Xilien soldiers surrounded the alien dig site. They were ordered to hold the area at any cost considering the entire invasion centered on what was under New York. Then a Xilien fighter landed and X-2 exited it with a large bottle in his grip. The high ranking Xilien moved to one of the infantry and asked, “Have you found the organism?”

“Yes,” replied the alien soldier. “We have found some small traces of it throughout the ancient ship.”

“Good. Now expose the organism to what is in this container.”

The Xilien infantrymen grabbed the container before he nodded in approval.

X-2 quickly returned to his ship and watched the area as the solider he had given the capsule too entered the dig site. A minute passed and the Xilien official watched as soldiers quickly flee as something grew. Three hand burst from the hold and tore into a nearby structure causing the building to fall and blanket the area with dust. The Xilien smiled though at the destruction as a massive dark grey blob emerged from the cloud.

“A perfect new addition to our invasion,” the Xilien stated before he sent a message to the Mothership. “The organism is now under our control. It is ready to achieve perfection.”

---------

Mendel fidgeted with his custom Electro Magnetic Pulse device as he rigged it to one of the Xilien power generators.

“How much longer?” Monique insisted as she watched the door for Xiliens. “We cannot stay much longer.”

“And it is set,” Mendel asserted before he activated his phone’s timer which acted as its heart. “How long do you want me to set it? Twenty Minutes? Thirty?”

“Five minutes,” Monique replied as she set up a personnel timer on her phone.

“Cutting it a little close considering everything in New York that is electronic will be shut down including our ride and Newton won’t be on our side then,” Elsie commented only for Monique to glance at her harshly.

“Any longer and we risk discovery,” Monique retorted before she signaled the two to follow.

The trio slowly moved down the halls while avoiding the fast moving Xilien troops. Then after three minutes of movement, Monique felt a large relief as the ship’s docking door was within her sight just down the hall way. The trio, with the coast clear, moved to the door and entered their captured fighter only to find Randy working on the ship’s systems.

“N.I.G.E.L.!” Mendel exclaimed before he hugged his robot as Elsie just sat down in the back and said, “So can we get a move on!”

“Good to see you two are okay but I am just doing fine, no need for a thank you,” Randy sarcastically explained while the duo took their seats.

As Monique entered the ship, the sound of footsteps echoed throughout the hallway. The agent quickly peeked outside of the door as Randy started up the fighter to see a single Xilien wearing all black and sunglasses walking down the corridor.

“Time to move,” Monique shouted before she opened fire using her Xilien energy weapon. The Xilien was quick as he ducked into a fighter corridor while under laser fire. With her target suppressed, Monique closed the back entrance and yelled, “Time to move!”

“Roger captain,” Randy quipped as he piloted the Xilien fighter from its bay and took off toward the Mothership’s exit. Unlike their entry however multiple Xilien ships also detached as well as started firing at the captured fighter.

“How do they know were not one of them?” Randy inquired as he dodged enemy fire through N.I.G.E.L.’s control system.

“The Xilien I shot at must have alerted them,” Monique explained as she bounced around the confined space.

“Doesn’t this thing have any guns?” Mendel questioned as he grew queasy from the rocky flight.

“Unless you ask them nicely to move in front of us I really can’t do much!” Randy yelled.

The captured fighter weaved and dodged the laser fire before racing out of the Xilien Mothership but five Xilien fighters were still on its tail as the fighter bay doors closed.

Now in the New York skyline, Randy activated the ship’s scanners to pick up Nick’s flares.

“What did you do to N.I.G.E.L.?” Mendel questioned as the roof tops of New York buildings appeared on his screen.

“Added a new feature which is telling me our parking zone is… here,” Randy countered before he aimed the ship toward the roof top.  “Though how are we going to park while not getting shot?”

“Glide it in!” Monique quipped only for Randy to burst into laughter causing her face to turn red.

“First off, phrasing! Second, how do I glide in a diamond!” the intern retorted before Monique’s countdown timer beeped.

Mendel’s EMP device detonated turning the Mothership’s own defensive shields into a massive Electro Magnetic Pulse. The shield expanded rapidly in all directions, shutting down everything in or above New York. Anything electronic instantly deactivated from the pulse including the hundreds of Xilien fighters still flying over the city. Then like a powerful storm, the powerless fighters fell from the sky and impacted the city below.

“I would suggest holding onto something!” Randy screamed as the fighter lost power.

The fighter, after a few seconds of skillful falling by Randy, impacted the roof of the flared building. The vessel skidded across the flat surface until it came to a stop at the edge of the structure sending pieces of rubble off its top.

“Ladies and gentlemen, you may now run toward the exit!” Randy joked as he checked to see how everyone was doing.  Everyone moaned to announce they were okay before Monique kicked the back door open. The four teammates stumbled onto the roof before Randy began to laugh again.

“That’s what happens when you mess with us,” Randy commented as he pointed to a Xilien fighter that had been firing at them only to crash into the building next door. A ring of fire now surrounded the craft which slowly tilted out and fell to the streets below.

The sound of his teammates, specifically Randy’s laughter, caused Nick as well as Audrey to exit the stair well and walk to the roof top.

“Still worried about them?” Audrey quipped merely for Nick to stare at her.

“No… No, they’re good,” he retorted only to walk out with Audrey by his side to his team’s delight.

“Well, well. Nicky I see you’ve been busy,” Elsie commented while she walked over to the pair. “I would be mad that you didn’t come personally to save us, but I think sending the assassin was the right call.”

“Yeah Jefe, not like we didn’t just kick a second round of alien butt!” Randy yelled as he scanned the surrounding area for other fallen ships. “This is why you don’t mess with the New York!”

Elsie chuckled before she noticed Audrey and said to Nick, “So how was it this side of the invasion?”

“Nothing too exciting,” Nick commented before he signaled his team to follow him to the roof’s exit.

“Well played humans!”

The group turned to find out who was talking only for the person to jump over their heads and land in front of the exit. Wearing black sunglasses, a black cape and with spiky hair; the mysterious individual looked like a punkish young adult of Japan. Monique instantly recognized him as the Xilien she had shot at in the fighter bay corridor but everyone else just looked at him with confusion. Nick as well as Monique aimed their guns but the Xilien laughed at the act.

“You honestly think those will help you,” the Xilien proclaimed. Audrey, Elsie in addition to Mendel backed away toward the landed Xilien fighter as Nick and Monique fired their respective weapons. The Xilien easily deflected the energy blasts with the palms of his hands before he exclaimed, “You don’t realize who you are messing with do you.”

The Xilien then shouted, “I am a Keizer! I am your race’s destroyer! I am the leader of the Xiliens! I am X!”

“Someone has an ego problem,” Elsie whispered as she watched the situation from afar.

Monique along with Nick then readied to fire another salvo as Randy watched behind them only for X to dash. His movements were like lightning as he knocked all three teammates to the ground while he retrieved their guns.

“You won’t need these,” the Keizer proclaimed as he crushed the two weapons in his grasp. “I was warned by my advisors of a group in New York which I assume you are but I never would have guessed you would destroy most of my invasion force. For your involvement you all shall die. Slowly, painfully, and I assure you by my hands.”

“You two get everyone away,” Nick explained as he recovered to his feet. “I’ll… hold him off. If I don’t win, Zilla will surely come.”

“That is suicide,” Monique stated as she moved in front of Randy and Nick. “I will hold him off as all of you fly away.”

“No way!” Randy commented as he moved beside Monique. “I’m not going to back down to some alien Jet Lee wannabe. Besides… pretty sure our ride is scrap anyway.”

“Touching,” X laughed as he scanned his opponents. “You humans are so pitiful, but I assure you your pet is being taken care of and without him… well… we all know how this is going to play out.”

---------

An Abrams Tank detonated in a fiery explosion as continuous laser fire finally broke through its armor. Two RPGs rocketed down the street in response to the attack, blasting a half dozen Xilien soldiers to hell in the process.

Hicks dropped the weapon and looked at the men all around him. They were growing tired and after Kiryu’s destruction, losing too many men with every block. As Hicks readied to order another advance, a few dozen Xilien fighters prepared a bombing run.

Hicks readied to duck merely to watch a large blue wave pass across the fighters and send them crashing. As other Xilien craft continued this trend, Hicks watched in amazement as well as relief.

“What the hell is going on sir?” one of the soldiers near the Major asked as he watched the fighters fall to the ground like meteors.

Hicks smiled before he said, “I think one of my friend’s just saved our ass’s soldier. Though we can’t waste the opportunity so get the air force on the line! They have their opening!”

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Monster X staggered and smashed Zilla into structures to make the reptile release its grip as Zilla desperately held onto Monster X’s backside. With every strike Zilla held strong until the alien jumped backward through another structure. After the impact, the reptile recovered quickly and rose to its feet only for Monster X to fire three powerful gravity beam blasts at Zilla.

Monster X grabbed the shell shocked Zilla by the head and smashed it into the closest structure. Zilla’s body fell limp as Monster X lifted the creature to eye level with it. As the fiend scanned Zilla while holding its mouth shut to ensure it could not breathe fire, Zilla’s eye opened and two plumes of concentrated fire burst from its nostrils. The two blazes melted two of the Xilien creature’s own eyes causing Monster X to drop Zilla. Monster X roared in agony from the underhanded attack before refocusing on the lizard who was nowhere to be found. Monster X slowly rotated in preparation for the eventual strike merely for the ground to begin to shake.

The Xilien creature stood its ground as the tremors strengthened before a familiar roar echoed from under him. Before the fiend could move, the two buildings on each side of him collapsed in his direction as the ground beneath him caved in. Debris and rubble covered the skeletal monster before Zilla surfaced farther down the street.

The reptile scanned its quickly made grave but roared at the position to get Monster X awake. He knew that it was still alive but waiting for Zilla to wonder closer.

An irritated growl echoed beneath the mound of superheated debris. A hand quickly burst out of the pit and with it Monster X’s form rose as well. The fiend snarled at its failed ploy yet it mattered little. The outcome of the battle was clear.

Without wasting any time, Monster X dashed at full speed toward Zilla. The reptile did the same except it positioned its head so it would hit the fiend like a battering ram. The two creatures collided causing a sickening crack to follow their impact. The sound was misleading though as both monsters, without slowing down, traded blows. Zilla clawed and chomped while Monster X slashed as well as sent powerful jabs. A strong uppercut from Monster X caused Zilla to skid backward, and the reptile unleashed a concentrated green inferno. The Xilien blocked the ray with its arms only to uncover its face to find Zilla gone. A large hole apparent where Zilla had been, Monster X waited patiently for the reptile to emerge.

A slight tremor behind the fiend caused Monster X to turn around quickly and unleash a gravity bolt. Dust filled the air along with a bellow of pain from Zilla before the dirt settled to reveal another hole. Monster X than waited patiently until he felt another tremor. As he did before, Monster X turned around and fired at where he felt the quake. Dust covered the ground for a few moments and a familiar screech echoed. Unlike the last attack, the dirt settled to reveal relatively untouched ground. Confused, Monster X looked closely at the un-breached area only for a massive strike of pain to originate from his twin tails.

Monster X turned only to feel a sickening snap where the end of its tail had been. The fiend watched as Zilla retreated back underground with a massive chunk of the alien’s tail it had bitten off.

Fury pulsated through Monster X. It dare to injure him. To defy its place. The very idea brought fury to the alien whose eyes now glowed with pure power. Monster X unleashed gravity bolts in every direction. Cement and concrete exploded upward as Monster X tried to bring Zilla up from the underground. As dust as well as rubble clouded his vision, Monster X subsided his attack and let the dust settle around him merely to find Zilla directly in front of him. Zilla triumphantly roared in the face of Monster X, a cry that reverberated across the entire city.   

The reptile jumped and chomped down on the fiend’s left arm simply for Monster X to bash Zilla’s skull repeatedly against nearby structures. After multiple blows, Zilla released its grip simply for Monster X then to discharge a gravity bolt. Stunned by the energy blast, Zilla was unable to move as Monster X rammed into the creature to the ground. The ground cracked from each blow Monster X pounded across Zilla’s head to reveal its strength. Blood began to flow into the streets, yet the feature did not interest the alien nor did the screeches of agony. Only the beast’s demise would satisfy Monster X’s pride.

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 In a massive crater on Long Island filled with the debris of dozens of structures, Kiryu and the remains of Gigan laid motionless. Then a wave of electromagnetic energy washed across his metal shell. Systems reactivated in the face of the burst of energy, and slowly Kiryu returned to consciousness.

Camera’s moved inside the cockpit of the cyborg, and looked over Akane. Blood seeped from her helmet, and her breathes were present but weak. Deciding it best to reactivate rather than wait for her revival, the ghost in the shell took hold. Kiryu rose from its fresh grave and scanned the city in the distance. Whether it be from Man, Monster, or Alien it would accomplish its purpose there.

The machine took a few steps before a new roar echoed across the city and attracted its attention. The machine opened its jaws as if inhaling before it returned the roar with a mechanical version of its own. 

Akane slowly came out of her unconsciousness from the battle cry and movement. The pilot at first thought she was mistaken or that she was suffering from a concussion as she wiped the blood off her face only to look at the screens to see Kiryu actually moving.

“You’re…awake,” Akane weakly spoke causing Kiryu to stop.

Cameras inside the cockpit readjusted, and a harsh static filled the metal room. Akane winced from the noise, before it stopped and the screens in front of her changed from Kiryu’s optical sensors to a few lines of text on a black screen.

It read, “I was unable to reach peace even in my tomb. Eternal peace was out of my grasp as long as I stayed in this shell. I shall be your shield and your sword until I am but dust. Then I shall rest eternally once again.”

Akane, still waking up, at first was confused by Kiryu’s statement until something clicked in her mind.

“So you can’t rest until you are destroyed?” Akane inquired to Kiryu.

A single line appeared on the screen which read, “Correct.”

Akane nodded as she understood Kiryu’s plight. Its only way to rest was to fight and that was why the cyborg had returned. Japan would never have allowed an expensive deconstruction so she understood why Kiryu had done what it did.

“I promise then to help you. So are you ready for one final mission Kiryu?” Akane questioned only for Kiryu to suddenly roar into the sky and continue toward the city.

“Where are we going?” Akane asked only to get another message on the screen.

It read, “To help a friend.”

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Monique sent a volley of jabs at X only for the alien to dodge them with ease. A final kick sent the alien evading toward Randy who tried to ram the Keizer.

“Are you humans even trying?” X inquired as he caught Randy, lifted him and tossed him to the ground.

Nick leapt over Randy and threw a punch only for X to catch it. Unable to get out of X’s grasp, Nick threw another punch with his free hand only for X to catch it as well. Before Nick could do anything else, X released his grip and delivered a powerful punch to the scientist’s gut. Nick flew backward before impacting an air conditioning grate. The metal bent around him before the scientist fell to the ground in anguish.

With two teammates down Monique pulled out a knife and lunged at X. X deflected each killing blow using a few fingers before he caught the blade an inch from his face. Monique pressed the knife do