Godzilla Returns (14 page)

"Yes." Lieutenant Takado nodded. "Godzilla is now moving into the most populated area of Japan." A map of Japan appeared on the television monitors. A red line traced Godzilla's possible path, through the Shimonoseki Straits and up along the Inland Sea. Lieutenant Takado continued.

"The monster will likely pass the cities of Ube, Tokuyama, Hiroshima, Kure, Okayama, Kobe, and Osaka - as well as Matsuyama and Takamatsu on the island of Shikoku. If Godzilla comes lo land near any of these major cities, many thousands will perish.

"Worse still, there are dozens of nuclear power plants along the creature's route. Plants with reactors that could attract Godzilla. If the monster destroys just one of these facilities, he will feed on the radiation and grow even stronger."

Admiral spoke up for the first time. "Even now,
Yuushio
-class subs of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force are trackin' Godzilla. They'll serve as an early-warning system if the S.O.B. decides to come ashore."

The admiral paused. "There is, I'm sad to say, no way to stop Godzilla's progress."

"You mean that we've found no weakness to exploit?" one of the Japanese scientists asked. "No way to halt or kill the creature?"

Admiral Willis said nothing. It was Dr. Nobeyama who replied in a quavering voice. "I am afraid that all of my theories about Godzilla have been proven," he said, shaking his head. "There is nothing humanity can do to stop Godzilla - short of vaporizing him with a nuclear weapon."

The room exploded into a babble of contentious voices. Dr. Nobeyama raised his quaking hand and called for silence. "Please look at the television monitors," the old man said when everyone calmed down. "Watch the tape we have prepared."

All eyes turned to the screen. The map disappeared, to be replaced by an image of Godzilla. The picture showed the monster facing the camera as he moved ponderously through the Sea of Japan.

"The creature's bones are denser that titanium steel - they are perhaps the hardest material in the universe, capable of carrying his entire weight without shattering." The picture froze. A computer-generated image of internal organs was superimposed over Godzilla's body.

"Godzilla is, of course, highly radioactive. But the amazing thing is that the creature somehow controls the amount of radiation he gives off," Dr. Nobeyama continued, his voice gaining strength.

"When Godzilla is angry or threatened, he gives off increasing amounts of intense radiation. This energy surge is climaxed by the ray that he fires through his mouth. The creature has a heart, lungs, a stomach... but he also has this..."

A red pointer appeared on the tape, highlighting a strange bundle of tissue between the heart, lungs, and stomach.

"This organ acts much like a nuclear reactor," the aged scientist said. "Radioactivity is generated there in much the same way as it is generated in a nuclear reactor. This organ is connected to the lungs, and is the origin of Godzilla's destructive ray."

More startled voices were heard. Brian looked at Nick, who seemed stunned at the revelation.

"As amazing as all this seems, it pales beside our next discovery." Dr. Nobeyama paused. Lieutenant Takado handed him a cup of green tea. He drank, then set the cup down slowly.

"Please look at the monitors," he said.

The image had changed. Now Godzilla could be seen taking hits from the guns of the Japanese fleet. Explosions erupted at various points on the creature's arms, torso, and legs. The picture focused on a small section at the base of Godzilla's neck. As that portion of the creature expanded to fill the screen, a shell struck it, exploding.

Suddenly, the picture went into reverse, then forward again, but at very slow motion. "When this 127mm shell from the Iwase struck Godzilla, it caused a massive wound - look." The picture froze again.

Yes
, Brian thought.
I can see it. And so could everyone else.

When the shell detonated against the monster's body, there was a fountain of blood, and gouts of flesh were blasted from Godzilla's neck. But before the smoke cleared, the wound was gone - healed completely - as if it had never been inflicted.

"Godzilla's greatest defensive weapon is his amazing regenerative powers," explained Dr. Nobeyama. "The radiation that created Godzilla also mutated the creature's molecular structure. Whatever damage our weapons can cause actually heals in microseconds."

Admiral Willis suddenly spoke up. "That means that nothing in our arsenal - short of a nuclear bomb - can destroy Godzilla."

Dr. Nobeyama nodded, then spoke again. "Godzilla is capable of complete regeneration of damaged tissue instantaneously. It seems that my theory was correct - Godzilla cannot be killed unless he is completely disintegrated."

The old man slammed his fist against the table in a rare display of emotion. "
If the authorities had listened to me, then all those men would not have died!
" he cried, anguish in his voice.

It was Nick who spoke first. "You mean you told the military that Godzilla was capable of this... regeneration?"

The old man looked at Nick and nodded.

"Then the Japanese and American military sent those men to die for nothing," Nick said, his voice rising. "They
knew
all along that their weapons wouldn't work!"

"Hold on, boy," Admiral Willis interrupted. "Don't jump to conclusions. Before today, all this was a theory. Neither Dr. Nobeyama nor I had any
proof!
"

"Well, you have it now," Nick replied. "So what are you going to do to stop Godzilla?"

Neither Dr. Nobeyama nor Admiral Willis answered his question.

June 6, 1998, 5:23 A.M.
Onomichi, a small town on the San-yo plain
The Japanese island of Honshu

"Where is Ken?" Goro asked yet again, slapping his pudgy arms on his shoulders for warmth. "He promised us some hot tea!"

"He's coming, don't worry," Shiro said, throwing another sliver of charcoal into the tiny metal stove that provided scant warmth. "And anyway," Shiro added, "with all that fat,
you
should be warm, at least!"

"Bah," Goro spat. He gripped the edge of the stone wall and looked over. His eyes followed the trail that led up, through the woods, to the town's century-old tower.

"Ken's not even on the trail yet!" Goro whined. "By the time he gets back with our tea, it'll be time to go home."

"This cold is unnatural," Shiro complained, looking out across the coastline. "It's
rokugatsu
- June - and it's freezing cold this morning!"

"
Hai
," Goro agreed with a nod. "Since Gojira has returned, the whole world is going crazy. What can you expect?"

Shiro nodded and scanned the horizon. Goro gazed through binoculars at the city and shoreline that spread out beneath them.

The tiny town of Onomichi, on the shores of Japan's Inland Sea, had been a fishing village for three centuries. But with the progress that Japan had made since World War II came industrial pollution and overfishing. The fish had mostly died out, and now fishing in the inland Sea was illegal.

The town of Onomichi had withered.

But nine years ago, when Ohashi Motors had chosen the flat mud plain at the outskirts of Onomichi as the site of their new automobile assembly plant, everything changed. Ohashi Motors brought new jobs - and new residents - to Onomichi. Now the old town wasn't big enough to hold all the people who were moving there. The fishing pier had been transformed into a mall with fashionable shops and restaurants. Expensive pleasure craft rested in docks that once held fishing boats.

The old stone tower of Onomichi, built on the small, forested hill at the edge of the city, had once been used to watch the movements of the town's fishing fleet. Lately, it had fallen into disrepair. But that was before the coming of Godzilla.

When the people of Onomichi heard the news that Godzilla had defeated the Japanese Navy and was moving into the Inland Sea, they were thrown into a panic. The town officials held a public meeting and decided that emergency steps had to be taken.

As a precaution, the old stone tower was manned by volunteer spotters twenty-four hours a day. The tower was equipped with radios and a warning siren so the spotters could provide early warning to the villagers if Godzilla came ashore anywhere nearby.

In a burst of public-spiritedness, Shiro had volunteered to man the tower one night a week. Now, shivering in the cold, he regretted his decision.

"Oh, look at that!" Goro cried, pointing out to sea. Shiro saw it too.

"I've never seen fog move in like
that
before!" he exclaimed. "It's eerie." Goro nodded, shivering again. This time, however, it wasn't from the cold.

For the next few minutes, the two men watched in silence as tendrils of mist rolled over the town below. Soon the end of the pier, and then the shoreline, was invisible. More fog billowed in, and the entire town was slowly covered in a gray-white blanket. It was as if a cloud had fallen to earth.

"What do we do?" Goro asked. "We're spotters, but we can't see a thing!"

"We stay?" Shiro shrugged. "At least until our watch is over and we are relieved."

Then they heard a tiny voice calling their names from the bottom of the tower. In the fog, it sounded very far off.

"Shiro... Goro..." the voice cried.

The two men peered into the mist, listening, but could see nothing.

"
Shiro!
I'm
lost!
" the voice cried again in audible panic.

"It's that idiot Ken!" Goro concluded finally. "He's lost in the fog." They shared a laugh.

"I'd better go down and get him." Goro said. He grabbed the flashlight and disappeared down the stone stairway.

Shiro gazed out into the fog. He shivered yet again, hoping that Goro would return quickly with Ken - and the hot tea. He listened for either of their voices, but the fog seemed to consume all sound. He could see nothing but the gray wall of fog. He felt like the only human in the world.

Shiro turned his attention to the stove. He opened the tiny door and threw in some more charcoal. He tried to warm his hands, but in the fog, the heat seemed to dissipate before it reached the tips of his fingers.

At that moment, Shiro froze. He was sure he heard a sound. It was far away... like distant thunder. He strained his ears.
Yes!
he thought.
A rumble... and it's getting closer.

Oddly, the sound was not coming from the shore, but from inland. He turned around, his eyes vainly trying to pierce the fog. The sound grew louder.

Soon it was a steady beat - a vibration - that shook his chest. He continued to face the direction of the noise, but involuntarily took two steps backward. Now he could see a dull glow in the middle of the fog.

The glow seemed to approach him, shining through the fog eerily. As it got closer, the glow seemed to divide into two points of light, floating side by side.

Shiro was shocked to realize that the two lights were high up in the sky, even with his own line of sight.
But I'm in a tower
, he thought fearfully. He took another step back. Still the lights came forward. Closer and closer. To Shiro, they looked like two giant, gleaming eyes peering back at him from the murky haze.

"It's
Gojira!
" he screamed, falling against the desk. "The monster is here!"

Blindly, he reached out and fumbled with the radio, which was connected directly to Onomichi's only police station. Flipping the switch, he grasped the microphone. Suddenly, a powerful gust of air battered him. The wind increased, tearing at his hair and clothes. The rumbling sound grew to a roar.

While Shiro watched, open-mouthed, a Pave Low helicopter, heavy with guns, swept aside the fog. Its windows, slick with morning dew, shone like the eyes of an insect. The helicopter's twin fog lights focused on Shiro. He stood, still frozen, in the spotlights. The microphone in his hand was forgotten.

Shiro could see the pilot as he reached down and flipped a switch on his control panel. A loudspeaker outside the helicopter crackled to life.

"Sound the alarm!"
the voice over the loudspeaker commanded.
"Godzilla has come to land... The monster is coming this way... Everyone in Onomichi must evacuate immediately!"

Just then, Shiro's own radio came to life. "Calling lookout tower," the voice demanded. "Answer immediately."

He lifted the mike. "Shiro here," he replied, shouting over the noise.

Even over the chopper's roar, Shiro could hear the fear and urgency in the policeman's voice. "Godzilla is coming," the policeman said. "Sound the alarm, and then get out of there." The transmission ended abruptly.

Shiro dropped the mike and pressed the alarm switch. The moan of the emergency siren swelled, deafening him. As Shiro ran to the stone stairway, the helicopter veered away from the old tower and headed down over Onomichi, its loudspeaker still blaring out the warning.

Below, the townspeople were awakened by the sound of the tower's sirens and the blare of the helicopter's loudspeaker.

"Godzilla is approaching Onomichi... Leave all your belongings and flee immediately... Evacuation routes are being established along the main highway...

"Repeat... Godzilla is approaching Onomichi."

* * *

Nick's alarm clock had just gone off when he heard the telephone ring. He answered.

"Get dressed," May McGovern's voice said briskly. "Godzilla has just come ashore."

Less than half an hour later, Nick and Brian entered the INN newsroom. It was already crowded. Yoshi was there, along with May, and he waved them both over.

As always, Nick was uncomfortable in May's presence.

"The monster has come ashore on the mainland!" Yoshi informed them both. "The Self-Defense Force is being mobilized."

"How close to Tokyo?" Nick asked.

"Very far, fortunately," Yoshi replied, pointing to the television monitor.

On the INN network, Max Hulse was reporting on Godzilla's present movements.

"Sadly," Yoshi added, "the monster's rampage is taking place at the very heart of Japan's industrial base."