EPISODE 11: MOGUERA SQUADRON ATTACKS! ALPHA ROPEN EMERGES!

 

OGASAWARA BASE, 0730

The airfield was alive with activity. Yellow and red lights flickered brighter than the rising sun around 2 launch pads and an angry buzzer sounded as warning to any unsuspecting nearby personnel. The only ones standing by were ground crew in bright yellow and orange vests. On the first pad, the asphalt began to split open to reveal a deep well. A heavy, metallic humming began to echo from the dark hole. After a few moments, what at first looked like the tower of a submarine began to emerge. Then the tips of deck cannons came into view as well. It was a massive ship that did have the appearance of a Submarine but as it continued to emerge it was revealed to have a large drill at its front, wings to its sides, and a combination of jet engines and boat propellers to its stern.

Inside the giant ship, its central control room was operated by a dozen crew members. Ten of them were lined up along port and starboard sides at consoles, the 11^th sat towards the bow with a yoke in his grasp. Sitting in a rotating chair in the center, was Captain Shaw.

“Gotengo on deck,” The lead crew member said.

               “Preflight check status?” Shaw asked aloud.

               “Preflight check complete.” Another crew member said. “All systems are go for takeoff, Captain.”

               “Ground crew is clear.” Said another.

               “Gotengo…” Shaw said “Launch.”

               On the under belly of the ship, there was an eruption of smoke and dust from twelve thrusters that ignited. Slowly, it began to lift off the launch pad. Once at a height of roughly 500 feet, the rear engines ignited, and the ship took off into the sky.

ARTWORK SUBMITTED BY ANITA HERNANDEZ

               Offshore, the Saratoga was leading the fleet into port with the Venture in-tow. Onboard its flight deck, Akane was addressing Kiryu Squadron.

               “Once we we’re docked, the herons will begin the unloading procedures for Manda.” Akane said. “Bri, while they’re doing that, I want you to dock Kiryu so maintenance can begin right away.”

               “Yes ma’am.” Bri said.

               Just then, they heard the distant sound of the Gotengo’s engines roaring. They all turned to see the small silhouette of the ship as it rocketed into the sky and vanished into the sky, leaving a long white smoke trail in its wake.

               “Was that the Gotengo?” Bri asked aloud.

               “Yeah.” Nakajima answered. “Looks like they got the code red.”

               Suddenly they heard the roaring engines of a second craft. After a few moments they glimpsed another craft, roughly the same size, appear from behind the hilly horizon. This one seemed more jet-like in its appearance with a pointed tip. As Bri focused closer, she noticed that the tip had a flat head-like shape to it.

               “Moguera.” She uttered to herself.

               “Time to see what the Mad Hornet has to offer.” Hayama said.

               On board the Gotengo, Shaw observed a forward view of their flight path on a large screen at the front of the control. A schematic of the flight path overlapped with a live feed.

               “Course laid in Captain.” One of the crew members said.

               “Steady as she goes, Kane.” Shaw said to the lead pilot.

               “Roger,” Kane said. “Approaching cruising altitude now, sir.”

               “Link in with the Moguera.” Shaw commanded.

               One of the other crew members pressed a few buttons at their console before turning to him and saying, “Radio link patched in now, sir.”

               “Kuroki.” Shaw called out. “Do you copy, over.”

               “Roger,” Goro’s voice replied over a speaker system. “Reading you loud and clear, over.”

               “Reduce your speed.” Shaw replied. “When we arrive, I want to assess the situation before having Moguera engage. All-copy, over?”

               “Understood sir. What would you like me to adjust ETA to, over?” Goro asked.

               “Drop it down to 10 minutes after ours. Over.”

               “Roger, adjusting speed now. Over.”

               “Gotengo, out.” Shaw said.

               MEANWHILE IN NEW GUINEA…

               Ken and his team we analyzing the quills recovered from the Ropen attack that occurred the previous night. Dakota was going over one with a magnifying glass while Paul and Ken were looking through microscopes.

               “It looks to be some kind of condensed fiber, calcium, and protein content.” Paul said.

               “Yeah, the core has the same compressed carbon and calcium make-up of a Kaiju bone structure as well.” Ken said.

               “If it has that kind of biological make-up, then wouldn’t that suggest that they don’t grow back or at least not for a long time?” Dakota asked.

               “Doubtful.” Ken said. “If that were the case, they would not have resorted to using them so soon. The metabolic rates of Kaiju in general is still a mystery to us. For all we know, they could grow back these quills in a matter of hours.”

               “Doctor Saegusa?” Lieutenant Joyce called from outside their tent.

               “In here, Lieutenant.” Ken responded.

               A few seconds later, Joyce peered in through the tent’s entrance.

               “Are your things all packed up?” Joyce asked.

               “Yes, we were just taking some last-minute analysis of the samples your men brought us.” Ken said.

               “Any new intel that you can share with us before leaving?” Joyce asked.

               “A lot actually.” Paul said with a sarcastic laugh in his voice.

               “Dakota, show him the one you have over there.” Ken said.

               Dakota picked up the quill in front of him and showed held it up for the Lieutenant to see. Joyce stepped into the tent and crossed his arms in an inquisitive manner.

               “So, what we have here, is a quill.” Dakota explained. “Simply put it is actually a hair follicle with a lot more density, making it much harder and durable.”

               “Like a porcupine.” Joyce said.

               “Exactly.” Dakota said before continuing. "Our guests, or rather the Ropen, have these lined up along their wings and a few on their shoulders as well. When they lock onto a target, they dislodge and then launch them with a whip or clap of their wings; thus, turning these quills into darts. They aren’t toxic but the density and the amount of force used to launch them makes these lethal weapons.”

               “Yeah,” Paul interjected. “If any of the men caught one of those in their chest or their head, then lights out. Their helmets and Kevlar wouldn’t be any help either.”

               “Regardless of there being no deaths, they still left us with quite a few injuries.” The Lieutenant said. “Thank you again, for letting us get our wounded out first by the way.”

               “No problem,” Ken replied.

               “So, all in all we got a bunch of 30-to-45-foot bats roosting in the caves around here that can shoot spines at people like blunderbusses of colonial times.” Joyce said. “Shouldn’t be any problem once the Gotengo arrives then.”

               “I wouldn’t say it will be that easily for the Gotengo.” Ken said.

               Joyce looked in his direction a little concerned and asked, “What are saying doctor? It would take an army of those things to be any trouble for the ship.”

               “Well, a typical bat colony can have up to a thousand individuals.” Ken said.

               “There’s a colony in Mexico that who’s population is estimated to be in the millions.” Dakota said.

               “But it’s not their numbers to be worried about…” Ken said. “It’s one we found when we first arrived.”

               He directed Joyce over to the large quill on the table at the opposing side of the tent. The two of them stood over the table to look at the quill.

               “None of the Ropen quills we gathered last night were more than 8 inches long.” Ken said. “The one we have here, is 3 feet long.”

               Joyce’s eyes widened noticeably when he realized the implication.

               “Yeah.” Ken said. “The Ropen that shot this quill, we estimate to be between 200 to 250 feet long weighing roughly 50 tons.”

               Astonished, all Joyce could say was, “That’s a big bat…”

               Ken merely smirked and nodded.

               “As we’ve seen this morning and in the first team’s notes, they haven’t shown themselves during the daytime so that could be our saving grace for now.” Paul added.

               “Well we can only hope then.” Joyce said. “I’ll pass this all up to HQ so that the Moguera Squadron can be notified.”

               Just then they began hearing the low progressive thumps of helicopter propellers approaching.

               “Sounds like our rides are here.” Joyce said. “Let’s get ready to get out of here gentlemen.”

               All around the camp, the platoon was hurrying about, getting their things together and hurrying towards the clearing where 2 Shinook helicopters were touching down. They were escorted by 2 Apache Attack Helicopters which hovered overhead as security. Ken’s team boarded one of the helicopters with the Lieutenant along with Sergeant Sanchez and Sergeant McCall’s squads. Everyone got into their respective seats and buckled in. There was an anxious wait as they waited for the rest of the platoon to board the second chopper.

               As they sat waiting as patiently as possible, Ken started getting an uneasy feeling. He looked around at all the serious and anxious faces of those around him. Though he could feel their relief, something was making him feel as though it was a hollow hope. However, he could not figure out what it was that was causing this uneasiness, nor did he know how to communicate it. Slowly he could feel the chopper lifting off the ground. The feeling grew worse to the point that he went completely still and trembled.

               “Hey are you ok?” Sergeant McCall said, taking notice of his uneasy state. “Doc?”

               Ken couldn’t move, he couldn’t speak. He could just feel something terrible.

               Just as the choppers got over 200 feet in the air, they began to move over the horizon back to their home base.

               “Doc!?” McCall said louder trying to get Ken’s attention and in-turn getting everyone else’s.

               Suddenly Ken snapped out of it as it finally became clear what he was sensing, and he shouted, “STOP THE FLIGHT!”

               His shouting was so loud that the pilots actually heard him and stammered. Just at that moment they saw something graze the windshield, leaving a long scratch.

               “We’re taking fire!” The one pilot shouted.

               Just as they got the attention of the Apaches, there was suddenly a massive gust of air from an unknown origin that rocked all four aircraft. The Apaches were hit especially hard to the point where the two of them nearly crashed into each other. Just as the Apaches stabilized themselves, something began to emerge from the forest, resembling a swarm of wasps at first glance.

               “The Ropen…” Ken said as he peered out of a side window.

               “Jesus, there’s hundreds of them.” McCall added.

Without wasting any time, the Apaches unleashed a barrage of missiles and machine gun fire into the cloud of giant bats. Explosions roared across the swarm and their bodies fell by the dozens with each burst and against the line of machine gun fire, but it was not enough to quell the growing cloud of darkness. From the Shinooks, they watched as the swarm moved as one towards the two attack choppers and engulfed them. In the cockpits, the pilots could hear their comrades screams of horror before they went silent just as their aircraft crashed to the earth and exploded.

With the swarm focused on the two Apaches, the two transports seized the chance to flee. Before they could, the strange gust of wind struck them once again; harder than before. Though the second chopper was at a high enough altitude to avoid most of it, Ken’s chopper was hit with the full force of it. Onboard, the men screamed and howled in fright as the aircraft spun about; the pilots struggled to maintain control. Though they managed to regain control of the Shinook, it was still plummeting down towards the forest canopy.

               The other helicopter continued back. The troops onboard looked back in shock at the sight of their comrade’s chopper crashing into the trees. At the moment of impact, 1500 miles away at Ogasawara, as Miki observed the Gotengo and Moguera’s approach from the control room, she felt a sudden wave of fear and desperation overcome her. It overwhelmed her to the point where she suddenly became short of breath. Even onboard the venture, as Akira was overseeing Manda being lifted out of the massive freighter by the herons, he suddenly felt a strange wave of discomfort come over him.

               Miki’s sudden gasp caught the attention of General Kuroki who was sitting next to her, who asked what’s wrong in their native language, “Do shita no?”

               Miki took a minute to calm down and answered, “Ken-san…”

               On board the second shinook, the pilot radioed in, “This is Sierra November-2, Sierra November 1 is down. All escorts are down. Need immediate rescue and retrieval. I repeat, Sierra November 1 and all escorts are down! Need immediate rescue and retrieval! Over!”

               “Roger, Sierra November 2, passing notification on to the Gotengo. ETA 15 minutes.” A voice said over the radio.

               Back at the crash site, the swarm of Ropen continued gathering overhead. There were so many of the giant bats that they blotted out the sun; covering the area around where the shinook crashed in an ominous shade. On the forest floor, amidst shattered tree limbs and tree trunks, the helicopter rested in a tattered and smoking state. The blades of the propellers were either completely broken off or mangled. The engines were still running but barely with a garbled and wheezing hum.

               Inside Sergeant McCall and Sergeant Sanchez were the only ones still conscious and save for a few bruises and a scratch across McCall’s temple, they were uninjured.

               “Holy shit…” Sanchez uttered in a slight daze as he undid his seatbelt.

               McCall, also slightly daze said, “Check the cock pit, I’ll check on the docs and the LT.”

               It took a few seconds to regain their footing but the pair of them began going about to check on everyone to see who was still alive. Sanchez checked the pulses of both pilots, neither one of them were alive. He then removed one of their headsets and put it on; there was nothing but static coming through the audio.

               “Bushmaster 1-1 to HQ…” Sanchez said, “Does anyone copy, over?” Still only static coming through. “Does anyone copy? This is Bushmaster 1-1, over.”

               There was still nothing but a static fuzz coming through. He sighed with exhaustion and yanked the headset off. He returned to the hold, where McCall had brought Nguyen, Lieutenant Joyce, Paul and Dakota back to consciousness. The lieutenant has a stream of blood running down his nose from a cut on his forehead and was rubbing his jaw. Nguyen was up checking on the others with a slight limp. Paul was helping Dakota who had a bad limp.

               “Doc?” McCall said, gently smacking Ken’s cheek.

               “Radio’s out and both pilots are dead.” Sanchez said to McCall and the Lieutenant.

               “Shit.” The Lieutenant said as he stood up. “Get what weapons and supplies we can and let’s clear the area.”

               Nguyen approached them with his weapon at the low ready, “Nobody else made it and radio’s smashed.”

               “Son of a bitch…” Sanchez said.

               “Doc,” McCall said still trying to revive Ken.

               Ken winced a little and started to slowly open his eyes. Though dazed and confused, he tried to move.

               “What…” Ken started to say. “Where…”

               “The chopper crashed; we need to move.” McCall said. “Do you have any pain, and can you move?”

               “Head’s pounding.” He said, before clenching his toes and his hands. “Everything else seems to be fine.”

               “Ok good,” McCall said, “Let’s get you out of here.”

               He proceeded to help Ken to his feet then helped him stay stable as they proceeded to move off the downed aircraft, behind Joyce, Nguyen, and Sanchez. Just outside, Dakota was resting against a tree while Paul was wrapping up his injured leg with a bandage.

               Paul looked back and uttered with relief, “Jesus, thank God you’re ok too.”

               “Yeah, mostly.” Ken said as McCall helped him rest next to the tree.

               “Well…” Dakota said before wincing. “So much for our nocturnal theory about the Ropen.”

               Ken looked up in the sky and said with awe and anxiety, “Look at them all…”

               “As soon as the docs are patched up, let’s try to make back for the campsite.” The Lieutenant said as they huddled next to the doctors under the canopy. “Nguyen, how’s your leg.”

               “Mild sprain by the feel of it.” Nguyen replied. “I can make the trip.”

               Ken still stared up at the swarm as Paul examined the side of his head, and pondered, “Why are they just massing?”

               “Who knows,” Paul said before checking his eyes, “Are you experiencing any dizziness or blurring vision?”

               “Not anymore.” Ken said.

               “Good, bump on the head but serious damage then.” Paul said. “No serious injuries, no paperwork. Now let’s get ready to move before they realize we’re here.”

               “Are your guys good to go?” Sanchez asked.

               Before Paul could answer, McCall shouted, “Oh shit! Move now!”

               Sanchez and Paul looked up and saw the swarm beginning to descend up them. The group started to pick up and move further into the forest. Suddenly the Swarm was intercepted by a huge stream of gunfire and explosions.

               The group first ducked at the sounds of the unexpected ambush and then looked up towards the direction from whence it came. Their faces grew more and more relieved as a familiar shape appeared over the hillside; it was the Gotengo.

               Onboard, Captain Shaw ordered, “Get the swarm clear of the crash site. Deck cannons, missile launchers, lock onto targets; machine guns fire at will.”

               The massive ship began unleashing a thunderous barrage of fire at the Ropen swarm that eliminated at least a hundred of them in the first wave. Changing tactics, the giant bats began to spread out and move in a more erratic manner to reduce their losses. Still, the Gotengo was devastating in its assault. The dozen forward-deck cannons shot massive flack bursts into the swarm, gradually creating its own black overcast. The rear-deck’s missile launchers fired clusters of guided missiles at the Ropen and eliminated with perfect accuracy; the explosions sometimes powerful enough to wipe out three to six of them at a time. On both sides of the ship's hull, two dozen automatic sentry turrets shooting four 50-caliber machine guns each, spewed thousands of rounds a second into the scattering horde of giant bats: cutting them to pieces. The Ropen swarm was still massive but sustaining heavy losses against the giant war-machine. Their only hope was to target the ship’s engines, but the armor plating was too thick for their projectile quills to penetrate.

A group of them managed to get in past the umbrella of covering fire and latched onto the sides. As they proceeded to hurry across the ships surface towards the guns and the engines, special sensors set off an alarm at one of the control panels.

“Captain, we have bogies on our hull!” The crew member said at the panel.

“What are you telling me for?” Shaw replied. “Roast the bastards!”

The crew member lifted a red plastic covering to a switch and flicked it. Just as the Ropen were nearing the guns and the engines, the surface of the ship let out a powerful electric current that stunned them in place before causing them to ignite in an explosion of sparks.

On the ground Nguyen and Paul cheered at the sight of the Gotengo’s onslaught against the swarm.

“Shred those bastards!” Nguyen shouted.

Their cheering was infectious to the others as Sanchez and McCall laughed slightly in relief. The Lieutenant and Dakota also cracked hopeful smiles as well. However, Ken still had a strange feeling of concern. Despite the heavy losses, the Ropen still numbered in the thousands. That wasn’t what Ken felt unsettled about, though. He could sense something enormous was still on the way.

Back at the Ogasawara Reserve Command Center, Miki watched the battle unfold between the Gotengo and the Swarm. She was still unable to shake her feeling of concern for Ken’s safety but like her nephew, she too felt something odd about the battle unfolding. By that time Akane and Bri had joined the others in the command center as well to watch the battle unfold. For several moments the group watched in silence, analyzing everything; most of whom were hopeful about the Gotengo scoring a major victory.

The silence was then suddenly broken by a door opening, and the rushing feet of someone entering the room: Akira.

He immediately caught sight of Miki and called out, “Miki-sama!”

Miki’s attention broke with a slight startle at the sound of his voice. However, when she saw it was Akira she stood up from her seat. He hurried over to her and with both respect and urgency he bowed his head in a customary manner, to which she returned the gesture.

“Ken-san?” He asked.

Miki did not know how to answer for a moment, before responding with a heavy sigh, “Wakaranai.”

Bri quietly asked Akane, “She doesn’t know?”

Akane nodded.

“Shosai wa sugu ni wakarimasu.” Miki then said to him. “Watashitachi wa ima shika nozomenai.”

Bri looked toward’s Akane once more, to which Akane translated, “She told him to remain hopeful, they’ll know more soon.”

Bri a little embarrassed then said, “Domo Arigato.”

Akane smirked and responded, “You’re welcome.”

               “What’s that?” Someone said at one of the consoles, drawing the attention of everyone else in the room.

At the crash site, a powerful wind seemed to pick up out of nowhere. Those in the group who were standing, were almost knocked off their feet by the sudden gust.

“What the hell!?” Sanchez shouted.

Ken, while shielding his face from the dust and debris it was stirring up, called out, “It’s the same burst that knocked us out of the air!”

Just as quickly as it hit, the powerful wind suddenly subsided. Even with the distant sounds of explosions and gunfire coming from the Gotengo, the calm that followed as the wind settled was eerily silent. The men looked around with an uneasy and tense feeling overwhelming them. Suddenly a massive shadow streaked across the area. They looked up in time to catch a quick glimpse of a massive wing.

               The swarm of Ropen then suddenly dispersed and descended back into the forest, much to Shaw and his crew’s bewilderment.

               “What’s happening?” Shaw asked.

               “They seem to be giving up sir.” One of the crewmates responded. “All bogies are taking refuge in the forest.”

               Shaw tightened his stare on the screen ahead. His instinct was telling him something else.

               “Scan the area.” Shaw ordered.

               “Scanning now sir.” Another crew member said.

               For a few seconds Shaw and his crew waited.

               “Bogie!” the crew member at the scanner declared. “Bearing 245 off the port bow! Elevation 300 meters! Closing in fast!”

               “Kane!” Shaw ordered. “Reverse!”

               Kane pulled the yok back hard. The crew swayed forward as the massive ship quickly moved backwards in an evasive maneuver. Suddenly the screen showed a large shadow dropping down from the sky right in front of them. The giant object crashed into the forest, stirring up a massive cloud of dust and debris.

               “That was close.” Kane uttered.

               Shaw stared at the screen, waiting for the reveal of his new foe.

               The cloud slowly settled. A form resembling one of the Ropen began fade into view. It was different than its small brethren though. Aside from being much larger, it also had a black mane that ran from its forehead to the middle of its back. Instead of a white patch of fur around the neck, it had a yellow patch on its chest in the shape of concaved triangle. The quills on its wings and shoulders were much more pronounced as well.

               McCall, as the group watched from the crash site, commented, “That must be the granddaddy of them all…”

               “An alpha?” Dakota asked.

               Ken merely nodded, as he was too stunned by the monster’s appearance to say any actual words.

               The Alpha Ropen let out a high-pitched screech that could be heard even in the confines of the Gotengo’s control room. Everyone, even Shaw, winced at the massive bat’s cry.

               “Activate drill and forward Maser cannons.” Shaw ordered.

               The giant drill on the front of the Gotengo started spinning. Additionally, 4 hatches opened just behind the drill and some communication-disc like objects emerged.

               Using a targeting system on a screen directly in front of him, Kane locked on to the Alpha’s chest, head, and wings; marking them with red crosshairs.

               “Masers.” Kane said. “Firing!”

               Suddenly the 4 discs lit up and shot bolts of bright blue energy at the targeted areas on the Alpha Ropen. The Monster felt a horrible burning sensation from the maser energy which caused it to reel back in pain. With the Alpha flinching, Kane quickly thrust the Yok forward and the rear engines let out a giant jet of flame. The Gotengo rocketed forward, the drill spinning at maximum velocity. The Alpha, seeing the tactic at the last instant, flapped it’s mighty wings together with a thunderous clap and propelled itself up into the sky. Just in time, it dodged the Gotengo’s drill, and then came back down towards it.

               “Incoming!” One of the crew members said, seeing the Alpha’s marker on the radar screen coming at them.

               Kane acted and steered the Gotengo upwards into the clouds. The Alpha was in hot pursuit of the massive ship as it went up into the sky.

               “Aft missiles, lock on and fire!” Shaw ordered.

               The missile launchers fired, almost simultaneously, a dozen missiles at the Alpha. The giant bat was hit hard by the force of the explosions in hits chest, enough that it began to fall from the sky.

               “Direct hit!” One of the crew members declared.

               Just as it seemed like the Alpha was out of commission, it suddenly came back to life and thrusted one of its wings in an uppercut like manner. The much larger quills on its wings, resembling missiles of its own, darted at the Gotengo and truck its underside and one of its rear engines; causing it to backfire with a black plume of smoke.

               “Engine five is out and six is damaged Captain!” One of the crew members shouted.

               “Top speed’s been reduced by 30 percent!” Another said.

               Shaw quickly ordered, “Take her down to the deck!”

               Kane steered the Gotengo down. The Alpha was back in pursuit, and with the loss of engine power, it was gaining on the ship rapidly. The chase took them back down to a very low altitude where the Gotengo began relying on quick maneuverability as its pursuer got close enough to begin attempting to knock it out of the air with by either ramming it or smacking it with its wings. Kane was able to dodge the attacks but on occasion the ship would get grazed by one of the attacks.

               Then just when it looked like the Alpha would get in a decisive blow, it was suddenly struck in the back by two blue beams of energy which hurt it enough to send it crashing and tumbling into the forest.

               Seeing the Alpha’s crash on the rear-view screen, Shaw smirked and said, “I was wondering when he’d show up.”

               The Alpha regained its footing and shook the dirt and debris from its head. It looked up in the direction of where it was shot and caught sight of its new adversary. Circling around for a landing was the giant Mech, MFS-2; Moguera. Giant jets of flame from its blocky legs and thick tail like rear engine lowered it carefully down to the ground. The head, with its eye-like laser cannons and beak-like drill, and its two-pointed armatures were all aimed in the Alpha’s direction.

               In its cockpit, Goro was powering down the thrusters to land the mech. Although the landing was relatively smooth, Moguera still landed with a thunderous and metallic boom.

               “Moguera on site.” Goro said. “I can take things from here Captain.”

               “It’s all yours, Kuroki.” Shaw replied.

               Just like with Kiryu, Goro had an AI Assistance Program on his screen. However, unlike Bri and Akane, he did not have his with a custom avatar; instead, remaining a digital polygon face.

               “Auto, pre-battle check complete?” Goro asked.

               The AIAP replied, “Pre-Battle check complete. All systems are go. Shall I begin locking on to vital points?”

               “No, I’ll handle it from here.” Goro said. “Just remain on diagnostic and maintenance.”

               “As you wish Lieutenant” Auto replied.

               The Alpha got into an intimidating stance, crouching and bearing its fangs with its wings out.

 Goro, using the right control stick, he manually targeted a red crosshair at the Alpha’s face. Once in place, he pulled the yellow trigger under his right index finger. The eyes of Moguera lit up a bright yellow and then fired a barrage of what looked like bullet shaped pulses of light. The pulse lasers struck the Alpha in the face. It reeled back in pain as sparks erupted from every impact.

While the pulse lasers forced the kaiju back, Goro used the left control stick to target the monster’s wings. Just as the pulse lasers pushed the Alpha to take the air, Goro squeeze the blue trigger under his left index finger. The pointed ends of the armatures suddenly lit up as and fired bright blue beams of energy; the same ones that shot the Alpha down before. Though the Alpha was able to get into the air, the arms followed the kaiju with the beams shooting at both wings. Once again, the arm lasers grounded the monster, and it crashed down into the forest.

Infuriated the Alpha quickly sprang back up and hurled itself at Moguera; successfully clinging onto the Mech’s torso with its wings and claws. It then proceeded to thrust itself against the mech, knocking it off balance and onto its back. In the cockpit, Goro was shaken a little by the takedown. He attempted to fire the pulse lasers at the monster’s head, but it foresaw the attack and dodged the burst of fire. Clutching the Mech with its clawed feet, the alpha flapped its wings and was able to lift its foe off the ground and then slam it back down.

               “Decompressions in tail engine and back saws.” Auto said.

               Goro was discombobulated by the slams and was attempting to reach a nob-like switch to his right. Just then the Alpha was struck in the back by a barrage of missiles. The barrage of missiles pushed it forward on top of Moguera. The Gotengo then swooped back just over head.

               “I believe thanks are in order.” Shaw said, “Now blast that damn thing.”

               Goro grabbed the knob and rotated it 90 degrees. The semi-sphere on the center of Moguera’s torso, opened up to reveal a large satellite-disk-like object. The Alpha looked down at the last instant, right before Goro slammed his fist onto a red button below the knob. The kaiju had no time to react as it was suddenly hit at point blank range by a multi-colored ray fired from the disk. So powerful was the ray that it actually propelled the Alpha upwards into the sky for the duration of the time that it was being fired. Once the attack was over, a giant patch of burnt bear skin was left on the monster’s torso.

               As the Alpha began to fall back down towards the Earth, seemingly unconscious, Captain Shaw saw an opening.

               “Kane.” He ordered, “Fire maser!”

               Kane targeted the Kaiju’s center mass and then squeezed a trigger on the yok. The Gotengo’s drill suddenly began to emit a glow as its rpm picked up. It then fired a blast of maser energy at the Alpha. The monster was hit by the full force of the attack and was sent plummeting into a hillside. A few of its younger brethren flew out of the way at the last instant and somewhere crushed.

               “Get ready for another volley.” Shaw said with a triumphant and almost sadistic smirk.

               Kane took aim once more while the Moguera used its tail thrusters to stand back up. Goro also took aim with the mech’s chest cannon.

               “Alert.” Auto suddenly said popping up in the corner of his screen. “New signal detected.”

               “Nani?” Goro asked.

               Just as Kane was about to fire another blast from the Gotengo’s maser, the ship was suddenly rocked hard by an impact. The some of the crew knocked out of their seats. Shaw himself was almost thrown from his chair.

               Most of those watching from Ogasawara were shocked to the point of gasping.

               “What the hell was that?” Bri asked aloud.

               The Gotengo’s crew could feel the ship beginning to crash. They scrambled back to their places to assess and regain control.

               “What the hell hit us!?” Shaw shouted.

               “Something just pounced on our starboard side!” One crew member shouted.

               “It's still on us!” Another added.

               “Captain the engines are being strained; we’re going down!” Kane then said.

               “Pulling up visual now sir!” A fourth said.

               Shaw turned toward that crew member who opened a video feed at his panel. At first it wasn’t clear what they were looking at, a white orb with a green bubbly frame. It wasn’t until it blinked that they realized they were looking at an eye with no pupil.

               Goro turned Moguera towards the Gotengo and saw the ship slowly going down with a large creature clung to its side. Whatever the new attacker was, it had the body shape of a panther but with warty skin like that of a toad; emerald-green in color.

               He took aim with the arm lasers at the new kaiju and once he had at lock, fired. The kaiju’s directionless white eyes seemed to glimmer before leaping from the Gotengo down to the ground before the lasers could hit it; nearly causing them to hit the ship instead. The Gotengo’s engines were failing, and it slowly began to make a crash landing into the forest floor, while the arm lasers followed the kaiju as it raced through the forest and over the hills on all-four. The lasers were setting fire to the forest as they pursued the monster but never managed to reach the creature during the duration of its attack. Eventually it ducked behind a pillar of rock that the lasers couldn’t reach.

               “Kuso!” Goro cursed.

               Meanwhile the Gotengo’s crew, rattled and thrown knocked about by the crash, were picking themselves up and scrambling to see if they could get the ship airborne again.

               “Kuroki!” Shaw said into his mic, “Can you hear me?”

               “Yes sir.” Goro responded.

               “We’re all alive but Gotengo is out of commission.” Shaw reported. “You’re going to have to handle them until she’s operational again.”

               “Roger.” Goro said. “I’ll hold them off.”

               Just then the monster appeared on top the pillar. It had a Frankenstein like combination of grotesque features; the body silhouette of a predatory cat, but the forelimbs had hands like an ape, a face like a baboon, a horn that protruded from the middle of its brow. Aside from the warty skin it also had tree-bark-like armored scales at various spots on its back, shoulders and fists. Along the back from the shoulder to its thick tail that whipped back and forth, there were sickle shaped spines.

               Ken, watching from the ground, and Akira, watching from the base on Ogasawara, both looked on in awe at the mix-max of features on the new kaiju.

               “Remarkable…” Akira said to himself.

               “This must be the other guardian from Mu that the Shobijin told us about.” Ken said to himself as well.

               “Salunga…” The pair said hundreds of miles away but in perfect sync.

               Just as Goro got a clear view of the new opponent, the alpha Ropen screeched from behind. Goro turned Moguera’s head 180 degrees to see that he was surrounded, for the Ropen had recovered from the dual strike the Gotengo and Moguera had conducted. It was now crouched on the top of the hill it crashed into, its wings back up in its intimidation display.

               “Kuso…” Goro said frustratingly.

               From Ogasawara, General Kuroki watched from Moguera’s perspective on the main screen and from the crooked angle of the Gotengo’s view on a secondary screen, the dire situation his son now faced. The normally expressionless and serious face of the hard-as-nails leader now showed a slightly wide-eyed look of concern.

               “Goro-san…” He said his mind, quietly encouraging while also feeling a rush of anxiety. “Akiramete wa ikenai… Makenaide…”

               Miki, her ESP hearing the worry in Sho’s mind, looked over at him briefly. The scope of the situation was becoming all too clear. She then looked over at Akane and Bri who were looking anxiously at the screen as well.

               “Kiryu Squadron.” Miki suddenly said in a powerful and authoritative voice rarely heard by her organization; instantly getting Bri and Akane’s attention. “Deploy immediately and give Moguera some back-up!”

               Akane and Bri did not waste hesitate and responded together, “Roger!"

               The pair hurried out of the control room, while one of the people at the various panels in the control room spoke into a mic, “Attention! Attention! Kiryu Squadron red Alert, report to MFS Hangar. I repeat, Kiryu Squadron red alert, report to MFS Hangar.”

               Meanwhile on the battlefield, Goro was starting to feel a little on edge. The two kaiju stood their ground and watched their prey.

               Over by the helicopter crash site, Ken and the others watched in stunned silence.

               “Damn it…” Nguyen cursed.

               “You got that right.” Sanchez said. “Hopefully the Gotengo can get airborne again.”

               Joyce then ordered, “Let’s get moving, see if we can aid the crew and get our injured to their med bay.”

               The men began to move. Ken and Paul were in the process of helping Dakota to his feet when suddenly they heard a noise from the trees to their right. Just as they directed their attention a Ropen violent came crashing through the branches and landed right in front of them.

               “Shit!” Paul cursed.

               The giant bat stood crouched as if it were ready to pounce on them. The three of them stood still and unsure of what to do. Strangely though the monster stood its ground. Ken then realized that the soldiers were not shooting at it. He turned back towards the others only to have the sharp end of of a spear or javelin like weapon waiting for him mere inches from his face. The whole group was at the pointed ends of spears and strange crossbow-like weapons. Their ambushers were human, but their nationality was hard to gage as they had appeared to be of both Asian and Caucasian decent and uniforms that seemed militaristic and somewhat tribal in appearance.

               “Guess I spoke too soon about no paperwork.” Paul sarcastically remarked; prompting one of the assailants to move his spear-tip closer to his throat.

               Ken looked around with his eyes and counted no fewer than a dozen of them.

               Joyce attempted to speak up, “Listen, I don’t know if you can understand me but-”

               “Quiet!” the man aiming a crossbow at him said.

               “This is ridiculous.” Nguyen said attempting to move, only to have his guard jab his arm with the weapon with the end of a spear; and unexpectedly shock him. “Son-of-a-bitch!”

               Suddenly the dozen armed men were joined by another man. Like the others he didn’t appear to be of any particular nationality. He was very well built, with a shaved head, neatly kempt goatee, thick but sharp black eyebrows and very dark eyes. He was clearly the leader of the group given the way the other men seemed to move around them and his unique arsenal of kunai that lined his belt and the pair of shorter javelins that were strapped in an X on his back. The most interesting feature about him was a strange silver band that sat on his head like a flat tiara or crown with two diamond shaped green emeralds at the center; top points and sides touching to form an up-pointing arrow.

               He stood looking at the seven prisoners with fierce yet analytical eyes. Ken did not have to read his mind to tell that he was deciding to whether or not to kill them.

               “Drop your weapons.” The man said in perfect English. “You are now prisoners of Mu.”

               McCall, Sanchez, and Nguyen looked to the Lieutenant. Joyce looked at his men and then the three doctors. He then looked back at his soldiers and reluctantly nodded. Just as reluctantly they dropped their weapons. One of the Mu Soldiers quickly ran up and gathered their weapons.

               “Take them to the tunnel.” Their leader said.

               Seven of the Mu soldiers each came around the backs of the prisoners with their weapons aimed at them. The others lead the group into the Forrest. Their leader did not join them immediately. Instead, he looked out to the battlefield where Moguera was now standing with its front to the Alpha Ropen and its back to Salunga. Its head was spinning every four-to-five seconds between the two Kaiju, which were still holding their positions.

               In the cockpit, Goro watching the screen transition between his two attackers.

               “Auto!” he suddenly said. “Target the bat’s weak points with the Auto Lasers and activate the blades!”

               “Roger.” Auto said.

               Blue crosshairs began popping up on the screen on the Alpha’s head, its wound, and its wings. The giant sawblades on Moguera’s back began rotating, letting out a very loud whistling-buzz upon reaching maximum RPM.

               The lead Mu Soldier watched and smirked. He then closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate. Suddenly the two Kaiju lunged forth at Moguera.

               Goro grabbed tightly onto the control sticks, and with a samurai-like war cry he shouted, “KAKATTE KO!”

TO BE CONTINUED…