Project 731, page 26
part #3 of Kaiju Thriller Series
He’s right, I know. After Maigo and Endo jumped, he took us down to an altitude of five hundred feet. We’re dealing with three-hundred-fifty-foot-tall Kaiju, with hundred foot reaches and who knows how high of a vertical leap—not to mention the possibility of another explosive immolation. We are definitely in the danger zone.
The view outside is like a swirling desert with a blue sky above. The tan dust and smoke cover the city to an altitude of four hundred feet, hiding both Kaiju and any remaining buildings.
“There!” Alessi says, the desperation in her voice matching my own. As much as I care about Maigo, Alessi cares for her half brother. She points to our port side, where the dust cloud swirls, rises and disperses, revealing the Tsuchi. It stands tall, flexes its four upper limbs back and turns in a slow circle. Then it stops like it’s detected something we can’t see.
Like how it can find people without seeing them. Part of my mind considers that it might be able to detect electromagnetic fields like a shark, or a platypus, but the rest of me just doesn’t give a rip. Right now, all that matters is that it’s found something and is already closing the distance.
And then I do see it. A half mile away, smoke and dust billow up and away. A moment later, Nemesis stands, her head cutting through the smoke, facing away from us. Away from the Tsuchi.
She’s too far away for us to see Maigo, if she even made it. “Get us closer to Nemesis.”
“I’ll try,” Woodstock says. So far, all he’s done is lower our altitude. Flying a UFO-like aircraft that moves fluidly in three dimensions isn’t exactly the same as flying a helicopter. But he’s an experienced pilot and—
“Whoa!” The X-35 tilts sharply to the side, but goes nowhere.
“Figured out how to roll us,” Woodstock said. “Sorry ’bout that. This’ll be easier when both arms are working.”
We start moving sideways a moment later, without any detectable tilt.
“There we go,” he says, petting the console. “Good, Future Betty.”
The Tsuchi closes the distance in time with us, but thus far is ignoring our presence. Nemesis stands still, her back to the approaching Kaiju spider.
She doesn’t know it’s there. Is she still stunned?
“Turn around,” I say, but I lack the connection to the beast that Maigo has. I look for the girl, but between the smoke and filtered sunlight, I can’t see the back of Nemesis’s head clearly.
“I see someone,” Collins says. “On the back of her head.”
I squint, trying to see. Someone is definitely there, but it’s just a small, black-clad shadow moving over Nemesis’s skin, quickly scaling the neck. I place my hands against the large touch screen, pulling them apart to zoom in. The cameras mounted around the ship’s hull obey the command, focusing in on the action. I catch sight of the figure’s legs, but I moved too fast past it. When I sweep back, I stop at the sight of a thousand thin, black tendrils wrapping around the figure and pulling it back into Nemesis’s head.
She made it. God dammit, she made it.
The Tsuchi crashes into view, slamming into Nemesis’s back, driving them both to the ground and kicking up a fresh bloom of dust. Woodstock pulls up, keeping us above the cloud. The dust swirls beneath us, kicked up by furious movement I can’t see.
Is the Tsuchi still attacking?
Is it killing Nemesis?
Is it killing Maigo?
Maybe she’ll be expelled again?
Too many questions, and no answers imminent.
A flash of light filters out through the dust.
“Hold on!” Woodstock shouts, accelerating straight up.
The explosion isn’t as big as the previous immolations, but it kicks the dust cloud away, giving us a clear view of Nemesis, and giving Nemesis a clear view of her adversary.
That was smart, I think. Too smart for Nemesis.
Maigo...
Kick its ass, kid.
The Tsuchi, being of small mind and infinite aggression, isn’t impressed by the explosion, or the way Nemesis is flexing her body, opening and closing her fingers, like she’s just getting warmed up—or simply getting used to her body.
Dropping down and scurrying over the blackened battlefield, the Tsuchi darts forward, standing suddenly and spinning around. Its massive tail swoops around, moving at incredible speed, directed at Nemesis’s side.
The ancient goddess of vengeance just stands there, calm as can be. And then with a burst of speed of her own, she snaps her hand up and catches the stinger, which looks small in her gargantuan hand’s grasp. The Tsuchi, perhaps thinking it has struck flesh, spurts a rhinoceros-sized larva into the air. The glistening white super-slug arcs toward the ground, where Nemesis grinds it under foot.
The Tsuchi attempts to pull its tail back for a second strike, but Nemesis holds it fast—and squeezes. There’s a moment of resistance, but then the stinger snaps and crumbles, spraying blood and viscous white fluid.
The Tsuchi writhes and shrieks, yanking its tail, but failing to free it. And then Nemesis pulls, dragging the Tsuchi back. But the Tsuchi falls forward, digging all eight legs into the ground. The two Kaiju have reached a stalemate, but Nemesis is already shifting tactics.
Thinking.
Adapting.
The berserker rage is gone, replaced by a cold, calculating logic.
Nemesis twists her body without letting go of the Tsuchi, pulling the tail tight and swinging her own tail, heavy and tipped with three large blades. She brings her tail down like an executioner’s axe, striking the Tsuchi’s long tail at the half-way mark.
The blow doesn’t sever the tail, but cuts half way through. The Tsuchi reacts by running forward. Nemesis leans back, her powerful fingers locked onto the tail as the sliced open wound stretches, and then tears. The Tsuchi, suddenly free, spills forward, while Nemesis falls back, the tug-o-war coming to an abrupt end.
The Tsuchi, still on its feet, spins around and scurries back at Nemesis, who is rolling over and climbing to her feet...too slow. The spider lunges, catching Nemesis in the side. Its four rear limbs cling to Nemesis’s leg while its mandibles bite into her shoulder, shuddering her body with a stunningly bright lightning display. All the while, the four forelimbs become a blur of frenzied strikes, shredding Nemesis’s thick skin and drawing blood from the softer flesh hidden beneath. Not even our most powerful bomb was capable of inflicting that kind of damage.
C’mon, Maigo. You can do this!
And then, she does.
Nemesis flexes her arms out, dislodging the Tsuchi and flinging it away. But before the Tsuchi can fall all the way back, Nemesis reaches out and catches the spider Kaiju with both massive hands. What is she doing? I wonder, and then all four occupants of the X-35 lets out a loud “Ooh!” like we’ve just seen a spectacular football hit. Nemesis pulls the Tsuchi in closer while thrusting her head downward, slamming her head into the Tsuchi’s face, delivering the world’s most brutal headbutt.
“Where did she learn to fight like this?” Collins says to me. I have no answer. I thought Maigo rejoining Nemesis might give the Kaiju a boost of intelligence, but this is more than I expected. Even if they’re sharing their brain power 50/50, Maigo is adding some serious fighting skills that none of us knew she had.
A burst of electricity flings Nemesis’s head back from the headbutt, but she doesn’t slow. She snaps forward, quickly biting one of the two mandibles and yanking. The small limb snaps and peels away, robbing the Tsuchi of its electrified abilities.
That was purposeful, I think. A calculated move.
The Tsuchi turns its half crushed face skyward and lets out a pained shriek. The tide has officially turned. And Nemesis proves it by raising both of her massive arms above her head and bringing them down hard, locking her fingers together as massive blades. The downward swipe catches the Tsuchi’s arms on both sides, severing all four and sending thousands of gallons of blood spraying over the landscape.
And then, strangely, Nemesis backs off. The Tsuchi makes a feeble attempt to strike Nemesis with its tail, but the phantom limb hits nothing. Nemesis circles her opponent, keeping a watchful eye on it. The Tsuchi attempts to retreat, dragging its limbless front through the ashes.
Nemesis lunges to the Tsuchi’s side, lifts her gargantuan foot and slams it down on the Tsuchi’s back.
The giant spider kicks and struggles, but can’t break free.
What’s she doing? I think, and then I voice the question. “What’s she doing? Why isn’t she killing it?”
Collins shakes her head. “Maybe Maigo’s conscience is kicking in? Feelings of mercy?”
“No...” Alessi says. “That’s not it.”
Nemesis moves, cutting off Alessi’s comment. We watch as Nemesis slowly, torturously impales the Tsuchi’s back, and peels off a layer of armor. The Tsuchi quakes and squeals as the armor plate is torn from its back.
Maigo, no... Just kill it!
And then she does. Slowly. Nemesis slips her claws into the Tsuchi’s soft flesh, moving painfully slow, exacting her vengeance in a very personal way. Maigo is giving in to the rage now, giving in to the thirst for vengeance. She’s going to lose control, and then where will our plan be? I’ll have to order an attack on Nemesis and my daughter? I’m not sure I can handle that.
The Tsuchi spasms once, twice, and then falls still.
“How could she do that?” Collins asks, no doubt sharing my concerns for the girl who might have become her daughter.
“It wasn’t her,” Alessi says.
Collins looks exasperated. “Nemesis doesn’t—”
“Wasn’t Nemesis, either.”
We both stare at her.
“I’ve seen that before,” she says. “Once.”
The earbud in my ear crackles to life. “Dad?”
My heart skips a beat, and I jump to my feet. “Maigo?”
“I’m okay,” she says. “I’m two blocks east of the Tsuchi. Falling back now. Wouldn’t mind a ride.”
“But...” I’m stymied, my brain slowed by the revelation that Maigo is alive, well and not inside Nemesis.
“It’s Endo,” Alessi says, looking down at Nemesis. “He gave himself to her.”
Endo?
Endo!
My jaw drops. That sonofabitch! This is what he’s always wanted—proximity to Nemesis. A relationship even. He’d been jealous of my connection to her when Maigo was part of the Kaiju. And now...he’s got all of that in spades. I should have seen it coming. The question is, can he control it, and if he can, will he play nice?
“Take us down!” I shout to Woodstock. “Right in front of her face.”
I’m a little surprised when Woodstock complies without complaining. The X-35 drops down as I open the cargo hatch. Nemesis’s massive head slides into view, standing above the Tsuchi. Her giant eyes, no longer glowing orange, but reverted back to their brown, almost human gaze, stare back at me. I’ve stood here before, but I’m still unnerved by her size. That does nothing to stop my outburst.
“You asshole!” I shout. Nemesis just stares back at me. “You were a pain in the ass when you were a person, and now I have to deal with you as...” I motion up and down at Nemesis. “...as this? Fuck you, Endo.” We stand there, eye-to-giant-eye for a moment. My shoulders sag. “And...thank you. For everything.”
Nemesis stands still for a moment, and then huffs, the rank air nearly knocking me over. With an almost indifferent air, she turns west and strikes out, following the plan. Just go, I think. All the way to the coast and stay there. Eat whales and enjoy being a monster.
I step back and raise the cargo hatch. “Woodstock, do me a favor and pick up my daughter.”
The thick mustached man looks back with a grin. “You got it, boss.”
I turn to Collins, who has remained unscathed during the last few days. She’s looking fine in her armor, red curls hanging on her shoulders. I feel like crap, and probably look worse, but I find myself smiling, perhaps fueled by relief, or adrenaline. “Hey.”
She turns to me, smiling.
“Wanna get hitched?” I ask. “Like right now?”
She nods, and laughs. “Let’s do it.”
I turn to Woodstock, but the man reads my mind. “First stop, Maigo. Second stop, Vegas.”
44
We didn’t quite make it to Vegas immediately after finding Maigo in the blackened city. We escorted Nemesis west as she followed her direct path back to the coast. She moved at a steady 70 mph clip, not quite a run, but she wasn’t taking her time, and I suspect she wasn’t moving faster because of the injuries to her side, her hands and all the internal injuries we couldn’t see. But she never slowed.
Military jets swarmed around us the whole way, eager to take a crack at the city destroyer, but it was easy to see that Nemesis wasn’t attacking, and no one wanted to be responsible for setting her on a rampage.
Like Boston, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, several suburbs of Salt Lake City, and the central part of the city itself were a total loss. But the early evacuation efforts saved several hundred thousand people, including the suburbs to the north and southeast. The loss of life, combined with the destruction of Los Angeles, Lompoc and everything in between has been estimated to be upwards of five hundred thousand, most of them lost during the battles with the Tsuchi or consumed by the Tsuchis, fueling their rapid growth.
That number makes this the most deadly Kaiju attack since Nemesis first appeared. The FC-P, once again with Endo’s help—and sacrifice—managed to aid Nemesis and stop the Kaiju threat. Strangely, despite the loss of life, and previous actions in Boston, Nemesis is getting a reputation for being mankind’s protector, even if she’s also our judge, jury and executioner. She’s now, very publicly, stopped seven other Kaiju whose threat to the planet was even more severe. The question I have is this: will Nemesis, bonded with Endo, be content to remain in the ocean?
Not a chance, I think. When you come right down to it, Endo was a very serious, very deadly fanboy. He’s not going to want to swim around the oceans munching whales. He’s going to want the full experience. Maigo says that he’ll feel Nemesis’s thirst for vengeance just as strongly as the goddess. He’ll just process it differently...and I hope, differently enough to show a little restraint and maybe avoid casually strolling through cities while en route to his targets. Of course, the hardest part is that it’s going to be my job to stop Nemesis.
It was night when the Queen of the Monsters reached the ocean and slipped into the waves without a look back. We parted as allies, but if she returns for anything other than putting the hurt on another Kaiju...and puts people in danger, I’m going to have to hit her with everything we have. And yeah, despite Endo being a part of the Kaiju now, Nemesis will always be a ‘she’ to me.
It’s been two days since then, and we’re back in Beverly, most of us walking around the joint like it’s a geriatric home. But we’re not complaining. While Woodstock, Lilly, Hawkins, Joliet and I are bruised, broken and perforated, Maigo, Collins, Cooper and Watson are doting on us, and Buddy makes the rounds licking people’s feet, and arms, and hands, and pants—his stubby tail wagging madly the whole time. I think he’s losing his mind, or just really happy to see us alive. Even Lilly is letting the dog lick her.
I’ve talked to the President and briefed representatives of every agency involved in investigating and responding to the aftermath, which, thankfully, isn’t our job. The last few days have been a blur of phone calls and meetings. And right now, sitting on the deck of the Crow’s Nest, hard cider in hand, sun on my face, it all feels a million miles away. With my eyes closed, head tilted back, I try to forget the horrible things I’ve seen. But I can’t.
Of all the things I’ve seen—destroyed cities, people eaten whole, genetic monstrosities—my thoughts keep wandering back to Area 51, and what’s hidden beneath the sands. What it means for all of us.
The sound of a shifting deck chair pulls me back to the here and now. Collins sits down beside me, beer in hand. We look at each other, sharing words without speaking until we both smile. I hold my bottle up in a mock toast. “Hello, wife.”
She clinks her bottle against mine. “Husband.”
Yeah, we eventually made it to Vegas. The brief ceremony was conducted by a stunned justice of the peace, who watched us land in what was essentially a bona fide UFO—which we are definitely keeping. The service was attended by Maigo and Woodstock. Alessi had been with us when we set down, but she had quickly disappeared into the city. The wedding was a quick and simple affair, followed by a flight back to the East Coast.
“I’m trying to think of a good honeymoon location,” I say. It’s a white lie, but a good subject to distract me from the truth.
“Someplace not marred by Kaiju attacks,” she says.
“Siberia? I hear it’s nice in the summer. We could spend a few weeks in the gulag. Just the two of us.”
“I’m thinking Rome,” she says. “And Greece.”
“Pretty sure that part of the world saw its fair share of Nemesis back in the day.”
“Good place to start if we’re going to find Atlantis,” she says.
I freeze, hard cider tilted, almost at my lips. “Are you serious?”
“This is our life now, Jon,” she says. “We might as well embrace it.”
The bottle lowers as I smile. “It would be a pretty epic honeymoon. But...we’re not roughing it. Search by day, fine food and four-star hotel at night.”
“Deal.”
“So,” Maigo says from above us. “We’re going to Greece?”
Collins and I look up. Maigo and Lilly are clinging to the brick wall above us. Lilly is healing quickly, but still acting like her bold self, despite the cast and bandages. She’s giving Maigo pointers on being super human, and Maigo is officially out of her shell.
She no longer feels the connection to Nemesis. Endo’s bonding to the monster seems to have broken it. At first, I thought she might be disturbed by the loss, but it really just set her free. She keeps her hair tied back now. She laughs more. And she’s embraced the parts of her that aren’t human. Lilly has taken to the task of schooling her ‘sister’ in how to push the limits of their abilities.
