EPISODE 3: BLUE ALERT! OPERATION MANDA BEGINS!

 

               On the surface of the Pacific Ocean, the Monarch team was in hot pursuit of the massive serpentine Kaiju. The dark waves broke across the bow of the trawler with powerful splashes as the ship moved full throttle after its target. The research team monitored the beast on sonar and underwater cameras. Though the view on the cameras was slightly murky, the bristly end of the beast’s tail was still visible as it whipped back and forth, propelling it along.

               “Where do you suppose it’s going?” Akira asked Ken as they watched it on the monitor.

               “I don’t know,” Ken said. “Hopefully, it surfaces again soon though.”

               “What do you plan to do?” Sarah asked.

               “When it surfaces again,” Ken explained. “We’re going to attach a device to it that will get a temporary reading on its thought patterns and will serve as a tracker as well. I’ll have a 2-minute window to get a good look at its intentions. If the Kaiju means no harm to humankind, then we will call in a special team to relocate it somewhere it won’t run into conflict with humans.”

               “If it means no harm, why relocate it?” Sarah asked.

               “Sadly, most humans are not as enthusiastic about creatures like this.” Ken said.

               At that moment, the cloud cover started to break, and some warm rays of sunshine began to rain down over the area. Around the same time the creature began to move towards the surface.

               “Ken!” Akira said. “I think its surfacing!”

               “Let’s get the equipment ready!” Ken declared.

               Akira and Ken hurried to two large black cases. Akira opened the first and removed some sort of breach-loading rifle with a wide barrel.

               “You’re going to shoot it?” Sarah asked with a hint of concern.

               Akira tightened his posture and took on a more heroic stance, despite being flush, and said, “Fear not. I shall bring no harm to it.” He then loaded a fist-sized round into the weapon. “As intimidating as this may look, even something like this won’t hurt our friend.

               He closed the chamber on the weapon and made his way to the door of the cabin. Though he tripped over the case in the process, he quickly recovered.

               Just before stepping out, Akira said to the man at the helm with another heroic stance, “Keep her true, Captain!”

               He then let out a purposefully deep sounding “Ha HA!” as he ran around the side to the bow. Everyone looked on with awkwardly clueless expressions. Ken embarrassingly rolled his eyes.

               At the tip of the bow, Akira rested the weapon on the railing and got into a good firing position. 40 meters ahead of the ship’s starboard-bow, the Kaiju’s horns began to rise out and cut through the water like large shark fins.

               “Good, good.” Akira said to himself as he lined up his weapon’s sights. “Keep coming, keep coming…”

               As the leviathan continued to rise, the waves from its sideways undulating began to rock the boat. Akira struggled to remain steady amidst the turbulence. The monster’s head began to rise further out of the water but to Akira’s dismay, the combination of the waves and the thick fur on the creature’s scalp made getting a clear shot on the monster’s scales difficult.

               “Come on!” Akira shouted in frustration.

               Every time he thought he had a good shot the monster’s head would sway or the boat would rock.

               Back inside, Ken approached the Captain, and asked, “Can you get us closer?”

               The Captain replied, “I can try.”

               He proceeded to throttle the vessel up further and steered cautiously towards the monster’s head. This gave Akira just enough of a better perspective that the moment the boat leveled out between the waves he was able to fire off a shot. The large bullet struck almost dead center on the creature’s temple; the tip of it lodged into its scaly skin. A fraction of a second later, the back of it blossomed open into a metallic flower with a small antenna at its center that blinked with a blue light.

               “Got it!” Akira cheered.

“Good.” Ken said before turning his attention back to the second case.

He opened the black case to reveal a strange mechanical head band with three small gold-antenna protruding from the front.

“What’s that, doctor?” Sarah asked just as Akira re-entered the cabin.

“The device I’m going to use to read the Kaiju’s thought patterns.” Ken said as he took it out and placed it on his head.

“You see, my friend here,” Akira interjected, “Like his aunt, has ESP ability. It’s not as strong as hers but this device gives him a helpful boost.”

Ken rushed out onto the bow of the ship. Once in a good spot he pressed a red button on the right side of the halo and closed his eyes. The moment his eyelids shut, he immediately became flooded with visions from the perspective of the Kaiju. At first it was very chaotic but with a few seconds of concentration, he was able to sift through the images. First, he saw the monster chasing and devouring various forms of sea life, primarily whales, sharks, and giant squid. The vision then shifted to the creature basking in the sunlight on a deserted island. Then Ken saw himself, in the moment that the group first encountered it; getting a look from its perspective as it observed Ken, Akira, and Sarah on the boat. Then suddenly Ken saw a memory of a group of people appearing to worship the Kaiju in a large temple of sorts with a strange glow over the whole area. It was unclear of the culture or the time in which the memory took place. Before Ken could concentrate further the halo on his head beeped and the visions stopped.

The monster began to disappear back into the depths shortly thereafter as the sun faded from view as well. Ken opened his eyes to the sight of Akira’s excited grimace standing before the rest of their colleagues.

“Red or blue!?” Akira asked with the glee of a child.

Ken replied, “Blue.”

Akira cheered, “Yes! We have another code blue!”

“What’s code blue?” Sarah asked.

One of their colleagues answered, “The Kaiju is clear for relocation.”

Ken sat down, removing the halo, and catching his breath while Akira cheered, “We got another one!”

The following morning on Ogasawara Base, Akane was walking down a corridor with another military officer; a sturdy faced Japanese gentleman at forty years old with short dark combed-back hair.

In Japanese, she asked, “Lieutenant Johnson still needs more training sir.”

“I’m aware of that Captain.” The gentleman said. “We will have to make sure that we make effective use of the time we have until we deploy to make her ready for battle.”

“If they have us ship out tomorrow…” Akane started to say.

“I doubt Director Saegusa would rush an operation that quickly for a Capture mission.” The man said. “We only received the Blue Alert a couple hours ago so let’s not make any assumptions yet.”

“Forgive me, Colonel.” Akane said.

The Colonel replied, “Everything will be all right, Captain. If I recall, your first mission began only 8 days after your arrival. I’m sure our new Lieutenant can manage it in seven if need be.”

The pair arrived at a door in a T-intersection at the end of the corridor. They opened the door to reveal a room where four men sat at a long table. There was Master Chief Barnes, a Caucasian US Naval Officer with white and grey hair, another Japanese Officer in a burgundy uniform with brown hair, and a large similarly dressed, African American man with a scar down that stretched from his hairline down to the middle of his left cheek.

Captain Akane and the Colonel took a seat next to Barnes, across from the other 3. Shortly after sitting down, Miki entered from an opposing door. She proceeded to the end of the table.

“Good morning, everyone.” Miki said in English.

“Good morning, Director.” The group collectively said.

“Captain Yoshiro,” Miki said, “Captain Shaw; welcome.”

“It is an honor, Director,” The African American man said.

“I know this is very short notice,” Miki said. “However, as you all know, our mission seldom works on a convenient time-table. I am sure most of you notice that General Kuroki is not here. He has yet to leave Tokyo. I did receive word that he has successfully recruited his son to be Moguera’s new pilot. He will be reporting to you by day’s end, Captain Shaw.”

“Understood.” Shaw said.

“To more pressing matters,” Miki said, “my nephew and Doctor Sahara, have confirmed the kaiju discovered off Canada’s coast as a Code Blue. I ask that you now direct your attention to the monitor.”

Miki pressed a button on her end of the table. She then stepped aside as the wall behind her rose to reveal a large screen. The screen blinked on revealing a web-cam view of Ken and Akira in the Monarch Team’s main tent.

The two scientists bowed their heads in greeting.

“Good morning, everyone.” Ken said. “Doctor Kenpachiro Saegusa, Lead Kaiju ESP Analyst for Monarch.”

“And Doctor Akira Sahara.” Akira said. “Chief Monarch Kaiju Yokai Investigator.”

Ken went on to explain, “The new Kaiju we are about to brief you all on has been given the designation, Manda.” The screen cut to a 3-D model of Manda swimming; maintaining the same features witnessed by the crew but revealing it has two pairs of short, clawed limbs a quarter and three-quarters down its body. “Named for the ancient sea dragon spoken of in Samoan Folklore, the ESP scan revealed it preys on sea-life and gets further nourishment from ultra-violet radiation. Additionally, it was at some point worshipped as a deity. Judging from its appearance and the nature of hits memories we can deduce that it is both ancient and very likely the source of various eastern dragon myths.”

Akira then stepped in and said, “Early in our investigation we located a scale from Manda and were able to learn much about its biology. The scale itself is three inches thick and it’s made up of the same natural alloy of calcium, iron, zinc, copper, and crystalized carbon. As you all know this is the same chemical make-up of Kaiju bones which is why they can move with ease without breaking under their immense weight. This provides Manda with superb protection over most of its body. Further analysis revealed its higher-than-normal copper content makes it a good electrical conductor meaning it is resistant to electricity and possibly can even absorb it. Its greatest attribute appears to be in its muscular strength. The entire length of it is lined with nothing but muscle. Simply put, imagine an Anaconda thirty times larger than the largest on record and thirty times strong; an outstanding swimmer and with a constricting power that would put even Gojira in serious trouble.”

Ken took over again and explained, “As Doctor Sahara mentioned we got a decent amount of knowledge from the scale we found. Most importantly, we discovered traces of sediment imbedded in it that is likely from the Earth’s mantle. This would suggest that the Hollow Earth theory could very well be true and serve as the origin for more Kaiju like Manda. The sediment combined with the ESP scans revelations of cultures worshipping Manda could also give credence to myths and legends of lost civilizations such as Atlantis, Muu, Lemuria, and more.”

“Is Manda, strictly Aquatic or is it terrestrial as well.” Master Chief Barnes asked.

“Manda has yet to make prolonged landfall but during the ESP scan it was shown to rest on land at times to absorb Ultra-Violet radiation from the sun.” Ken replied.

“What of its aggression level?” Colonel Hayashida asked.

“It’s difficult to say.” Akira said. “So far it’s displayed no aggression. We actually had a close encounter with it, and it seemed more curious than aggressive.”

“You mentioned it has the ability to conduct and possibly absorb electricity,” Akane asked, “Can it weaponize it as well?”

Upon seeing Akane, Akira’s face went bright red.

“Well, uh… good question.” Akira stammered.

Ken quickly cut in, “It’s possible but unknown at this time.”

“Any more questions?” Miki asked to which there was no reply. She then asked the Naval Officer, “Admiral Stanz, how soon until the Saratoga is ready to go?”

Admiral Stanz replied, “We are currently going through our annual maintenance inspection. I would estimate 3 days if all goes smoothly.”

“Very good.” Said Miki. “Colonel Hayashida and Captain Yoshiro, I understand Kiryu’s new pilot arrived earlier this week. Do you feel that will be enough time to train her for this mission?”

Akane and the Colonel looked at each other for a moment.

Colonel Hayashida then said, “We will see to it that Lieutenant Johnson is battle-ready in that time, Director.”

Miki looked at them for a moment, she sensed worry and at the same time hope in both.

Trusting their faith, Miki said, “Very well, in 3 days, Operation Manda begins. I will contact the Canadian and American governments to inform them of the situation. Meeting is adjourned.”

In Vancouver, Ken closed the laptop that he and Akira were conducting the video chat from. It was at that moment that he realized that Akira’s was trembling and sitting with a very stiff posture, his face still bright red.

“Akira-san?” Ken asked in Japanese. “Are you still there?”

Akira, with a tremble in his voice said, “Captain Yoshiro…”

Ken immediately threw his palm against his face and shook his head, “What am I going to do with you?”

“She’s so hot…” Akira said in a hazy fever-dream like manner. “She is the hottest person in G-Force’s combat section…”

Ken snatched a textbook and began hitting his friend in the arm with it repeatedly.

Back on the Ogasawara Reserve, while the Capture Division’s High Command was beginning their initial planning for Operation Manda, the Kiryu Squadron was on another one of the four islands that made up the site. This was the southern-most island, Anijima, set aside for housing G-Force’s personnel. Much of the island was set up like a paradise city.

Though there were necessary institutions such as a hospital and schools, much of it was set up like a vacation destination. There was a boardwalk on the shore of an inlet that was lined with crystal blue shallows on one side and amenities on the other. Amenities such as shops, restaurants, a movie theater, and even bars; albeit with MP units watching over them. The sandy beaches and the boardwalk were only lightly crowded; mostly with families of the G-Force members and those who were not on duty.

Bri was walking along the board walk with the rest of Kiryu squadron in civilian attire. The Lieutenant was particularly taken back by the area. As she looked around at the various establishments, she could barely believe her eyes and wondered if they were still on a military installation or had somehow been transported to Hawaii or Miami Beach.

“Where should we eat?” Peterson asked the group.

“How about Blue Lagoon?” Nakajima suggested.

“Yeah, Blue Lagoon.” Mizaki said.

In agreeance, the group diverted to a restaurant known as the Blue Lagoon. Its sign had an LED-Neon hybrid look to it.

“Ah, welcome, welcome.” The kind owner, a kind elderly American gentleman with plenty of energy, said as the group stepped inside.

The atmosphere was like that of a tropical resort with a slightly 60s vibe: complete with Elvis Presley music playing on the speaker system.

“Table for five?” The owner asked.

“Yes sir, Mr. Presley.” Peterson said.

“Mr. Presley?” Bri asked.

Hayama explained, “Mr. Luis Presley.”

“Oh, well that explains a lot then.” Bri commented.

“Best burgers and even some classic drinks you can’t find any more in the world.” Peterson said.

Mr. Presley led the group to a table out on the patio where they sat down and immediately began looking over the menus. From where they were they had a beautiful view of the beach where the waves gently crashed against the sand and a number of people were diving in and out of the water.

“How do you like your quarters Bri?” Nakajima asked.

Bri was a bit distracted still by their surroundings, but she answered, “I’m… still trying to process it all.”

“So were the rest of us the first week we arrived.” Mizaki said. “You will get used to it as time goes on.”

“I’ve been here for five years now and I’m still in disbelief.” Peterson commented.

“How long have the rest of you been here?” Bri asked.

“I’ve been here for 12 years.” Hayama said. “I came on board at the same time as Captain Akane. Funny enough, we got off on the wrong foot.”

“You two didn’t get along?” Bri asked.

“Not for a while.” Hayama said. “Not until our first mission together.”

“That was Varan, wasn’t it?” Peterson asked.

“Yes, it was.” Hayama answered.

“What about you two?” Bri asked Mizaki and Nakajima.

Nakajima answered, “we joined together 8 years ago.”

“Welcome back Kiryu squadron.” A 23-year-old female server with blonde hair said appearing at the table.

“Hello Penny.” Peterson said, the other men echoing his greeting.

“Oh, you must be the new pilot.” She said to Bri.

“Yes, call me Bri.” Bri said.

               “Penny,” Penny said with a delightful tone. “Welcome to the group. About time you got another girl in the squadron.”

               “We told you that you need to join.” Peterson said.

               Penny joked, “No way. You have my husband on the ground crew, that’s all you’re gonna get from us.” She took out her notepad and asked, “What will you have to drink?”

               “Blue Mountain for me.” Peterson said.

               “Same.” Said Nakajima and Mizaki.

               “Water.” Hayama said.

               “Sweet Tea.” Bri said.

               “Alright, I’ll be back with those in a few minutes.” Penny said before walking away.

               As Penny walked away, Bri shook her head in disbelief.

               “What’s the matter?” Hayama asked.

               “See even that there.” Bri said. “You don’t have people like that or any of this with any of the places I’ve been to. This is like a vacation destination, not a military base.”

               “It was the UN and the high command that made this possible.” Hayama explained. “They purposefully made this place to be a vacation spot to make all of G-Force’s members and their families as comfortable as possible. After all, we’re stuck here until our contracts are complete.”

               “The sad truth behind that reasoning is that most G-Force members have a short life expectancy.” Peterson said as he looked out across the beach, his tone taking on a shade of somberness. “Especially anyone in the Termination Division.”

               Bri sensed something troubling Peterson. Looking around it seemed as though all of them were hit with a hint of sadness in their expressions.

               Before Bri could ask another question, Peterson said, “Excuse me gents and lady, just going to use the latrine.”

               Once Peterson was out of earshot Nakajima spoke up, “Peterson’s brother was a part of a Maser battle group attached to the Termination Division. He was killed two years ago when they were sent to combat a Kaiju that awoke from a Uranium mine in the Philippines.”

               “A lot of good men have perished battling Kaiju over the years.” Mizaki said. “We’ve all lost at least a couple good friends during our time here.”

               Bri said, “I know the feeling. I never lost anyone to Kaiju, but with the 2^nd Civil War, I lost three good friends.”

               “It’s a tough feeling to carry at times.” Hayama said. “However, in time, you learn to use it as motivation to see the mission through, so that others don’t suffer a similar fate.”

               “Agreed.” Bri said.

               “Hai.” Mizaki and Nakajima said in acknowledgement.

               At that time, Penny returned with everyone’s drinks.

               “Here you all are,” Penny said as she handed everyone their drinks. “Would you all like a few minutes to order?”

               “That’d be great,” Peterson said as he rejoined the group.

               “Take your time.” Penny said before stepping away again.

               Bri, in a good attempt to change the subject, asked, “So, who are all these civilians that live and work here?”

               Peterson answered, “Family of G-Force Members mostly. However, there are also former members and their families who enjoy life here so much that once their duty is fulfilled that they elect to stay.”

               “Enough new people come in and enough old people stay behind that the island is able to maintain itself.” Hayama said. “The Security and Containment branch’s protective measures prevent the Kaiju from entering the area so except from the occasional passerby, there’s no interaction between them and us.”

               “It’s extremely rare for Kaiju to venture this way anyways.” Nakajima said. “They are perfectly content with the life G-Force has provided them on the other islands that they have no desire to come this way.”

               Just then there was a tone over the speaker system getting everyone’s attention.

               “Attention.” A voice said. “Attention. Blue Alert. I repeat. Blue Alert. Kiryu Squadron, report to pad one no later than 1500.” Peterson quickly began chugging his drink. “I repeat. Kiryu Squadron, report to pad one no later than 1500.”

               “So much for lunch.” Peterson said after finishing his drink.

               The group proceeded to remove some cash from their pockets and left it for Penny before leaving.

               Within just three hours, Kiryu Squadron was landing via Helicopter back at the main compound. As they hurried off the chopper, back in uniform towards an uncovered HMMV, they happed to run by another pilot that was waiting for the same helicopter they had just arrived on; Goro Kuroki.

               Bri traded stares with Goro as they passed each other and got a strange vibe from his serious state. There was something unsettlingly cold and angry about him.

               As she climbed onto the back of the HMMV with the others she asked Nakajima, “Who was that guy we just passed?”

               “I don’t know.” Nakajima said. “He looked like he had a humungous chip on his shoulder though.”

               “That was Lieutenant Goro Kuroki.” Hayama said. “General Sho Kuroki’s son.”

               “THAT was Goro Kuroki?” Peterson asked as the vehicle started to move.

               “Guess Moguera has a new pilot then.” Mizaki said. “If the rumors are true, then they found the right man for the job.”

               “Why’s that?” Bri asked.

               “He’s got a reputation for a seriously bad attitude.” Mizaki said. “They call him. Gekido Suzumebachi; The Mad Hornet.”

               Hayama then said, “I’m surprised he’s even here. I heard he gave up being a fighter pilot and joined the Sky Sharks.”

               While the others continued to gossip and speculate, Bri turned her attention to all the activity stirring up around the compound. Trucks were being loaded with supplies and aircraft were being inspected. In the distance an aircraft carrier was moving into port along with a massive cargo ship and several escort vessels. Then, an alarm sounded from the airfield they were driving past.

               Bri whipped her attention in the direction of the noise to see the ground slide open and reveal a deep shaft. Slowly, up from the darkness rose a familiar figure; Kiryu. It was the first time she got the full view of the Mechanical Titan; the clawed hands and feet, the segmented tail, and the 3 rows of dorsal plates.

               “Quite a sight, isn’t it?” Nakajima asked.

               Bri replied, “Yes… I can see why it was called Mecha-Godzilla.”

               Once Kiryu was in place on the platform a quartet of Shinnok Helicopters carried what looked like a strange U-shaped vehicle at first with jet-engines on the back end, vents, and then tubes in the tips of the U. The helicopters carefully placed the device onto Kiryu’s shoulders; it was now outfitted with additional thrusters on its back and shoulder-mounted projectiles.

               Operation Manda was about to begin.