Horrified screams were drowned by the din of shredded metal and shattered concrete. Tons of debris, mixed with falling bodies, crashed down onto the tarmac, more than two-dozen feet below. The rest of the train continued over the edge of the splintered track, but caught on mangled steel supports and dangled precariously over the rubble below. Gravity seized the survivors who tumbled helplessly out the severed end of the train, screaming all the way, even as the recorded voice kicked in automatically:
“Please watch the gap…”
Ford struggled to hold onto Akio while simultaneously anchoring himself to one on the upright metal poles in the middle of the aisle. Shrieking men and women tumbled past them, nearly knocking Ford loose. Gravity tugged on Akio, briefly yanking him from Ford’s grip. Screaming, the boy started to slide away…
No! Ford thought desperately, scrabbling to reach the boy.
He grabbed the boy’s wrist and held on tight. He hauled Akio up into his arms and the boy clung to him for his life. Ford wondered how long they could keep from falling, and whether it made any difference with the MUTO several yards away, perched on the other side of the severed tracks, snapping angrily at the buzzing helicopter. Ford stared at the creature, which had already been responsible for his father’s death, not to mention his mother’s fifteen years ago. Was this same monster going to kill him now — and leave Sam fatherless as well?
Would Sam even miss him?
Ford waited tensely to see what the MUTO was going to do next. The creature tracked the Apache ‘copter with its crimson eyes, appearing eager to swipe at it once more, but paused as a series of loud booms, approaching from the east, echoed across the tarmac. The sound instantly captured the MUTO’s attention; it hunkered down, as though actually unnerved by the noise. Still hanging onto Akio, Ford shuddered to think what could possibly frighten the giant winged terror.
Maybe an even bigger monster?
The MUTO let out a fearsome howl, then launched itself into the air. Its sudden flight caught the chopper pilot by surprise. The creature’s extended wing swiped the Apache, knocking the helicopter from the sky. Spinning out of control, the chopper crashed into a row of parked jetliners. The ‘copter and jets alike burst into flame, the blast shaking the dangling train. Billowing fireballs erupted from the wreckage. Ford could feel the heat of the flames even from so many yards away. He choked on the burning jet fuel. The light from the newborn inferno lit up the night, revealing the source of the booming noises that had alarmed the MUTO. Seismic footsteps pounded upon the tarmac, which cracked beneath the tread of two gigantic clawed feet.
Oh my God, Ford thought. He instantly recognized the legendary beast the two scientists had told him about, the one the Navy tried to nuke sixty years ago. It’s really him.
Godzilla was here.
The fearsome reptile towered above the airport, dwarfing even the MUTO. He was nearly two hundred feet taller than the winged creature and much heftier besides. Striding upright on two legs, he resembled some unknown species of dinosaur, but was at least thirty times larger than even a Tyrannosaurus rex. A rough scaly hide covered his stocky, imposing form. Two muscular forearms ended in viciously clawed hands. Rows of serrated fins ran down his broad back all the way to a thick, spiny tail that was nearly as long as the monster was tall. Ferocious eyes, glaring out from beneath the creature’s heavy brow, fixed on the MUTO with predatory intent. Fangs the size of a full-grown man gleamed inside the powerful jaws, which opened wide to let out a bellicose roar that rang out across the entire airport. It was a trumpeting roar with a deep bass reverberation that climbed to a chilling crescendo. Ford had never heard anything like it.
The MUTO accepted the challenge. Howling back at Godzilla, it swooped down from the sky at the legendary king of monsters. Amidst the flames and smoke from the burning jetliners, the primeval creatures collided in combat. Unable to look away, Ford clung to Akio as they gazed up at the titanic clash playing out high above the broken tracks.
Ford felt very small and insignificant.
Sam was curled up on the living room couch, where he’d passed out the night before. A comfy afghan had largely slid off him so that only his bare feet were covered. His sleeping face was lit by the flickering glow of the TV set, where a breaking news story had interrupted regular programming on practically every channel. The volume was turned down low, but the screen was consumed by startling images from Hawaii, where a fantastic clash between two unbelievable creatures was being captured by dozens of mobile phones from a variety of angles. The destructive battle played out upon the screen in fragmentary bits of chaotic footage, caught on the run by awestruck spectators all across Honolulu.
Hordes of terrified civilians, fleeing the disaster, ran toward the camera, all but blocking the view of a huge winged monster tumbling towards a high-rise hotel, which collapsed upon impact, raining broken glass and masonry onto the panic-filled streets below. An even larger monster, which bore a familial resemblance to the toy dinosaur on the living room carpet, came stomping in for the kill. The huge reptile opened his jaws wide, displaying the flesh-tearing fangs of the ultimate alpha predator. He took a deep breath, sucking in giant-sized mouthful of air, which suddenly rippled within his jaws like a heat-mirage on a summer day.
Sensing danger, the MUTO turned and fled from Godzilla, flapping its wings in a desperate attempt to escape.
Electricity sparked at the back of Godzilla’s throat and the super-heated air ignited. A blast of bright blue flame sprayed from his jaws, scorching both the MUTO and the beach below. Palm trees and abandoned cabanas burst into flame. White sand turned black in an instant.
But the MUTO survived.
Screeching in pain, its wings singed and smoking, the smaller monster fled. Abandoning Oahu, it soared out over the open sea, with Godzilla marching relentlessly in pursuit. Cameras on shore caught the fearsome leviathan wading back out into the bay and slowly sinking out of sight.
“Sammy?”
Elle entered the living room, already dressed in her hospital scrubs. She needed to report to work in a few hours and still hadn’t managed to find a babysitter. She found the boy still sleeping on the couch, looking so cute it hurt. He had seemed so peaceful last night that she hadn’t had the heart to disturb him. Glancing at the TV, she saw a morning news anchor intoning silently behind a desk but she didn’t pay attention. She had a job and a child to look after, not to mention an absent husband that was theoretically on his way home. Current affairs would have to go on without her.
She still had some time to kill before she had to head over to the hospital, so she drew the afghan back over Sam to keep him warm. He stirred slightly as she adjusted the blanket. His eyes fluttered briefly, looking past her, and then opened wide. All of a sudden, he was wide awake and staring at the TV behind her.
“Mommy! Look!”
Puzzled, she turned toward the television…
FIFTEEN
The sun rose over the beach at Waikiki, which now resembled a refugee camp more than a vacation spot. Both civilian and military medical tents had been erected along the scorched coastline, while scores of stressed-out first responders coped with the wounded, the homeless, and the traumatized. Most of the major blazes had been extinguished, despite the heaps of rubble blocking the streets, but smoke still rose from scattered small fires between the beach and the airport. Once-luxurious hotels and condos were now just larger mountains of debris, which emergency crews were desperately excavating in hopes of finding trapped survivors beneath the collapsed buildings. The press was already on the scene, interviewing survivors. Rumor had it the president had declared Oahu a disaster area.