Godzilla Lives!
A Godzilla fanfiction by Travis J. DeSantis
Chapter Thirty-Four
"Miki!" Sho snapped.
She nodded, having the same thought. If they were going to have a chance at figuring out where the crocodile kaiju had come from, she would have to search his thoughts before he died. The psychic's mind shot out across the battlefield and pushed into the croc's fading consciousness. Miki watched as the Ogakor's life literally flashed before his eyes.
To a human, it was all just a jumble of instincts and senses that could not be comprehended. But there was one image that had long been burned into the crocodile's mind. It was wavy and monochromatic, like a photograph taken underwater in poor lighting. But she could still make out what floated on the surface: a small ship, old and rusty. On the side, white lines that meant nothing to the croc could be read: 'Jodie Ley.' Standing on the ship's prow was a somewhat dumpy man with greasy hair and a scar on his chin. He sneered as he looked into the water.
And then there was nothing but light and pain.
In the Super-X2's cockpit, Major Kuroki held the shaking woman next to him, but his vision was directed towards the view screen.
Exhaling one last blast of thermonuclear energy, Godzilla poured the last of his stored power into Ogakor's maw. The hot plasma seared right through the crocodile's internal organs and he was blown apart in a series of explosions like a line of firecrackers. The kaiju that once rivaled the mighty Godzilla now lay scattered across Ariake District as chunks of messy gore. The saurian raised his head to the darkening sky and roared his triumph.
"GGWWWWEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHRRRRRRRRRRRUUUUUU!!!"
~~~~~
"SHIT!"
"What's the problem now!?" Amane demanded, looking up to the control booth.
"So much of the power is going to the laser that we can't get enough for the crane," Tanaka replied, fighting with the levers. "The damn thing won't move!" Frustrated beyond explanation, the old man swore a string of curses that were incomprehensible to lesser men.
Higa clenched his teeth, trying to fend off the wave of bitter disappointment that was welling up in him like bile. They were so close! It seemed so perfect! Choosing to vent his own anger physically, the redhead kicked the crane, stubbing his toe in the process. But that minor jolt triggered something in the heavy machinery that caused the Fire Mirror to drop that crucial inch.
Everyone stared at each other for a moment. One of the tech's tapped at his laptop computer, checking the angle. Finally, he raised a thumbs-up. "That oughtta do it!"
The young soldier dug into his pocket and pulled out Sho's lucky rabbit's foot. Amane signaled to the technician with a thumbs-up. "Punch it!"
~~~~~
As the setting sun cast its last fiery radiance on the battlefield, Godzilla's head turned to regard the grey steel mass of the Super-X2. Memory whispered in his ears, reminding him how this thing was such a nuisance. The atomic beast slowly lumbered over to where the craft sat, silhouetted against the setting sun like a specter of death.
Sho and Miki looked up into the monster's red eyes, which glowed with the same brilliance as the sunset. As the fiery orb finally ducked below the horizon, Godzilla all but disappeared from view. Tokyo was dark tonight. Heavy clouds of smoke and soot still lingered in the air, blocking any exterior illumination. Only two points of ruby light that were slowly coming closer gave any indication of what was to come.
Small hands reached up and framed the Sho's face. In a rush of movement, Miki pressed forwards and kissed the major on the lips. Caught off guard, the soldier could only blink in surprise. When she finally released him, the young psychic was blushing fiercely. "I-I-I'm s-sorry," she stammered in a small voice. He eyes cast around the ship's dark cabin, doing anything but meeting the major's questioning gaze. "I wanted k-kiss a man one more time b-before I die."
Kuroki nodded dumbly, suddenly forgetting his impending doom. "Right... Er, Ms. Saegusa...I..."
"Sho..." came a groan from below. Yashiro, still groggy and sore, raised himself up on his elbows.
"Yashiro, I'm sorry for getting you into this," the older man apologized. He laid a hand on the teen's shoulder, trying to ignore the increasing trembling of the cabin.
"Listen to me, Sho," interrupted the programmer. "If you still want to me throw up one more time, keep it up with the mushy stuff." The pilot and the young woman laughed despite themselves. "I built a self-destruct mechanism into the Super-X2," he added gravely, cutting short the poorly-timed mirth.
The soldier nodded. "That's right. It's the last thing we can do to stop Godzilla." Sho turned to the psychic next to him. "I'm sorry about this, Ms. Saegusa, but I must ask for your help again."
"Of course," Miki replied bravely. She was shaking slightly and tears had welled up at the edge of her eyes, but she still tried to act brave. "What do we need to do?"
"The key in the left breast pocket of the flight suit has a special key. We all need to turn these keys at our consoles in tandem." Miki helped Yashiro back to his seat and Sho settled into the pilot's chair. He stared at the small silver chunk of distorted metal in his hand. "All right, on three."
Yashiro, you should have grown up to be a good man. But I wouldn't have anyone else with me now.
"One."
Ms. Saegusa... Miki... It's my fault you're here. I take responsibility for that, in this life and the next.
"Two."
Sergeant Higa, I'm afraid I won't get the chance to humiliate you on the shooting range. Sorry.
"Three!"
*click*
