Godzilla Returns

by Marc Cerasini

  * * *

  In the town of Kakegawa, less than a hundred miles from Tokyo, a single-engine Cessna sat alone on the runway of the local airport. Light spilled from a nearby hangar, where two men busily worked on an electronic device the size of a small suitcase. A burst of weird, high-pitched sound sometimes filled the hangar as they tinkered with the machine.

  "How's this?" Admiral Willis asked as he adjusted the frequency again. He threw a switch on the side of the device and another burst of noise echoed throughout the huge enclosure.

  Dr. Nobeyama looked at his notes and nodded enthusiastically. "That's perfect," he said. "According to my data, the lure is now set at the precise frequency of Godzilla's own brainwaves."

  "Then I think it's time to go fishin'," the admiral said, shutting off the sound machine. "Let's install this baby in the airplane and get out of here."

  While Admiral Willis lifted the device, Dr. Nobeyama closed his notebook and placed it on a table piled with papers, graphs, and blueprints.

  As the two men left the hangar and approached the Cessna, a jeep suddenly appeared at the other end of the airport. The vehicle, which had the markings of the Japanese Self-Defense Force painted on it, raced across the tarmac. With a final squeal of tires on pavement, the jeep skidded to a halt in front of them.

  Lieutenant Emiko Takado hastily exited the vehicle and blocked their way. She put her hands on her hips and stared at the two men.

  "Emiko, what are you doing here?" Dr. Nobeyama asked, surprised by his assistant's sudden appearance.

  "I'm here to stop you both from killing yourselves," she replied, her eyes flashing. "I know what you're planning."

  Admiral Willis, still holding the device, stepped up to her. "It's the only way to stop Godzilla," he said evenly.

  "NO!" she cried, shaking her head. "If the lure really does work, then you must tell the government... or the military.... Surely someone will listen?"

  "There is no other way," Dr. Nobeyama said. "We have tried to convince the authorities, but they would not listen. Now it is up to us."

  Admiral Willis walked past the young woman and approached the airplane. He climbed into the Cessna's cockpit and began bolting the device to the dashboard. Lieutenant Takado and Dr. Nobeyama followed behind.

  "Please, Admiral," Lieutenant Takado persisted. "This plan is suicide!"

  "The lure works," the American replied as he continued to install the device. "Dr. Nobeyama and I intend to use it to draw Godzilla to the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean. As I said before, it's the only way..."

  "But why don't you just lead the monster out to sea," she argued. "Surely, when the military knows that the device works -"

  Dr. Nobeyama put his hand on her shoulder. "No, Emiko," he said, interrupting her. "If we hesitate, more people will die..."

  "Then just throw the device overboard when you're out to sea," she said. "Turn the plane around and fly back to Japan."

  "I'm sorry, Emiko. It's a one-way trip," Admiral Willis answered. "We have enough fuel to lead Godzilla all the way to the Mariana Trench. But not enough to get back."

  Emiko's eyes filled with tears.

  Dr. Nobeyama sighed. "Don't be sad," he said. "We've made our decision, and have no regrets.

  "My notes are inside the hangar. Give them to the military when we are gone. Whether we fail or succeed, perhaps they can use this knowledge in some way."

  Lieutenant Takado was silent for a moment. "I will miss you both," she whispered finally.

  Dr. Nobeyama smiled. "I think you've wasted enough time working for an old man like me. I also think that Yoshi Masahara is a fine man, and you will both be very happy."

  The Cessna's engine sputtered to life. Dr. Nobeyama climbed into the cockpit next to Admiral Willis. The two men waved good-bye as the airplane began to move across the tarmac.

  Lieutenant Emiko Takado watched as the Cessna taxied down the runway, its running lights blinking. Then it shot into the sky and disappeared in the darkness. In less than a minute, the sound of the engine faded, too, and Emiko was alone.

  CHAPTER 22

  HELICOPTER ATTACK

  June 19, 1998, 1:23 A.M.

  Somewhere over Tokyo

  Lieutenant Ogata in Apache One radioed his squadron.

  "The creature is below us now," he said. "Prepare to attack!" The other pilots acknowledged his command and formed up behind his aircraft.

  When all was in readiness, he spoke to his weapons officer, who rode in the cockpit behind him. "I will sweep low, between those two rows of skyscrapers," he said. "Fire when you are certain you will not miss."

  Lieutenant Ogata hoped that the missiles would be effective, but despite his commander's assurances that the tranquilizer in their tips was powerful, and posed no danger to the human population, he wanted to take no chances.

  "Make every shot count!" he said. Then he guided his helicopter down toward Godzilla.

  * * *

  "May!" Nick shouted. "Can you hear me?"

  He stumbled through debris and tripped over chunks of concrete. He looked all around, searching for any clue to her whereabouts. His search was unfocused and unplanned - it was born of desperation, not logic.

  I have to find her! a voice inside his head screamed.

  Nick heard the sound of rotors overhead but ignored them. His only concern was finding May. As he climbed over the rubble, Nick's foot caught in a long steel cable and he tripped. He landed hard, falling against a huge steel box.

  No! Not a box... it's the elevator. For a second, hope surged. He grabbed a piece of concrete and banged on the side of the shattered elevator.

  "May!" he screamed. "Are you in there?" He dropped the chunk of concrete and put his ear against the steel door.

  Yes! He almost cried out loud. Someone is definitely inside.

  Nick put his fingers on the door frame and tried to slide the doors open. It was impossible. The doors were partially crushed, and seemed to be frozen in place. He kicked the door in frustration.

  And someone cried out from inside. It was a woman's voice, muffled and indistinct... but alive!

  He thought fast. There must be an escape hatch on top of the elevator!

  Nick jumped to the roof of the steel box. He kicked dirt and debris away and searched for something that looked like a door.

  Yes! There it was!

  The hatch was secured in place by four screws in each corner. Nick didn't have a screwdriver - and he didn't have time to look for one. He fumbled inside his pocket until he found a coin. He fit it into the groove of one screw and began to turn. His fingers were soon sore and bloody, but one by one, the screws were coming off.

  * * *

  Lieutenant Ogata's Apache attack helicopter dived out of the sky toward the lumbering monster called Godzilla. He depressed the button on the control stick and the whole aircraft shuddered as the chin-mounted chain gun erupted. A stream of steel-jacketed shells slammed into Godzilla's body.

  Behind the lieutenant, the weapons officer depressed a trigger and, one by one, all sixteen missiles left their pods and struck.

  Godzilla bellowed in rage. Fire danced across the creature's chest as the missiles hit his hide. There was no explosion - nor did Ogata expect any.

  When the missiles reached their target, Ogata swerved the Apache and shot up and over a row of buildings. He put the skyscrapers between his aircraft and the monster.

  But Godzilla would not be stopped once he had spotted his prey. Without hesitation, he slammed against the steel-and-glass structure and crashed right through the center of the block-long building.

  But Godzilla was too late. Lieutenant Ogata had flown his Apache out of harm's way.

  As the monster roared and bellowed, another Apache took the first one's place. It too fired its missiles, all of which struck Godzilla's thick hide. But this time, Godzilla opened his mouth. Blue fire shot up his dorsal spines and a hot jet of flame engulfed the second Apache. It vanished in a huge fireball.


  Undeterred by the fate of their comrades - or the fact that the tranquilizer was having no noticeable effect - the pilots of the third and fourth Apaches dived down for the attack.

  * * *

  His fingers slick with sweat, Nick Gordon ripped the emergency hatch off the top of the elevator car. "May!" he screamed as he peered down into the dark elevator.

  "Nick," a voice from the darkness sobbed. "Is it really you?"

  Nick scrambled through the hatch and lowered himself into the elevator car. As his eyes got used to the darkness, he saw a form huddled in the corner. He reached down and lifted May in his arms. For a few moments, they did not move, they did not speak. They just held each other.

  "Hey!" Brian cried from outside the hatch. "Is anybody in there?"

  "Yeah!" Nick replied, relief in his voice. "It's May... and she's all right. Help me get her out of here."

  * * *

  Over Tokyo, and between the high buildings, a battle raged. It was human and machine against monster. The monster was winning.

  "Situation report!" Lieutenant Ogata demanded from his Apache high over Tokyo.

  "We lost Two and Five," a voice crackled in his headphones. "We've fired all of our missiles into the monster. The tranquilizer is not working."

  Lieutenant Ogata cursed.

  "Should we attack with machine guns?" the other man asked his commander. Lieutenant Ogata shook his head bitterly.

  "No!" he cried into his microphone. "Break off the attack and regroup over the city. There is nothing more we can do now."

  * * *

  As Brian and Nick helped a shaken and bruised May down from the ruins, the Apaches flew overhead again. This time they were going in the opposite direction.

  The two youths exchanged glances.

  "Another attack has failed," Nick said. "I guess there is really no hope now..."

  But Brian did not reply. Instead he cocked his head. He could swear he heard the sound of an engine. Yes! As he turned his eyes to the sky, a light aircraft flew overhead, heading directly for Godzilla's location.

  "Maybe we do have a chance, after all," Brian whispered cryptically. Nick and May both looked at him with puzzled expressions.

  "Let me tell you about a letter I got earlier today." Brian said.

  * * *

  Inside the private airplane over Tokyo, Admiral Maxwell Willis peered out the window at the city far below. He banked, dipping his wing. The airplane turned and flew right over the location of INN headquarters. The admiral could see that the whole block was in ruins.

  "It's time to activate the lure," Dr. Nobeyama said from the seat beside him.

  The admiral smiled at his old friend. "Are you ready to do this?" he asked.

  The Japanese scientist shrugged his shoulders. "It's bushido - our duty," he replied.

  "And our honor, too," the admiral said simply.

  The airplane banked low and made a pass over Godzilla's head. The monster seemed oblivious to their presence.

  "I will activate the lure." Dr. Nobeyama flicked a switch. "Now!"

  A keening, high-pitched wail that was barely audible to human ears filled the air from a dozen speakers embedded in the fuselage. The admiral banked the aircraft again and made a second pass over the monster.

  To his amazement, Godzilla froze in mid-stride. The monster looked up, scanning the sky for the source of the sound. As the aircraft turned again, Godzilla turned with it.

  "It's working!" the admiral cried.

  "You are surprised?" Dr. Nobeyama said, lifting one eyebrow.

  The admiral chuckled. "And why shouldn't I be?" he said. "I remember that little wind tunnel experiment a few years back..."

  "Your design was all wrong!" Dr. Nobeyama insisted.

  "Oh, no." Admiral Willis shook his head. "My design was fine. Your calculations were wrong!"

  "Never!" the Japanese scientist said indignantly.

  As they argued good-naturedly, the admiral banked the airplane, turned, and headed toward Tokyo Bay and the Pacific Ocean beyond. And like a fish on the end of a fisherman's line, Godzilla followed.

  * * *

  Nick shook his head in disbelief. May, too, had a look of wonder on her pretty face. Everett Endicott, still suffering from a mild case of shock, stared vacantly at the sky as the airplane, carrying Admiral Willis. Dr. Nobeyama, and the lure, flew over their heads.

  Like a docile lamb, Godzilla walked along behind. The ground shook as the creature, drawn compulsively to the lure devised by the two men, increased his pace to keep up with the airplane.

  "I can't believe it worked!" Nick exclaimed.

  "That's my uncle," Brian replied.

  "You've got to tell the world!" May insisted.

  "I sure would like to," Brian agreed. "But all communications are out."

  "Unless you've got a satellite truck, the hottest story of the year is going to remain our little secret," Nick said with disgust.

  At that moment, a most amazing thing happened. Brian heard another engine - a truck engine. Nick, who was whispering to May, looked up when he heard the sound. Even Endicott snapped out of his stupor.

  They looked down the block as a huge white van with big INN letters on the side rounded the corner. Behind the wheel sat Yoshi Masahara; the blond network producer from Alabama was in the passenger seat.

  The van pulled up to the curb and the side door swung open. Six technicians hopped out and stretched. Yoshi and the woman also jumped out. Yoshi ran up and greeted them.

  There was much backslapping, and high fives all around. Brian told everyone about his uncle, the airplane, and the lure that even now drew Godzilla farther and farther from the shores of Japan.

  The mood of celebration was suddenly shattered as a commanding voice broke through the conversation. All eyes turned to see Everett P. Endicott on his feet and glaring at them.

  "What is going on here?" he demanded. "We have a satellite truck, a power generator, uplink capability, a damn fine cameraman, and a producer - and two honest-to-God reporters - here."

  He paused. "Let's get to work, people! We have news to report."

  Everyone jumped into action. Within minutes, they had established communications with INN stateside and established a satellite feed. Yoshi manned the camera, and Brian and Nick prepared statements.

  The woman from Alabama cleaned the two youths up as well as she could. She even produced some makeup from her purse.

  Finally, all was in readiness.

  "Okay, we're going on the air worldwide - live - in sixty seconds," the woman said. "Get to your places."

  "You've got the big story." Nick said to Brian. "I'll go on first and set the stage... Then you can tell the world about Dr. Nobeyama's invention - and your uncle's courage."

  "It's a deal," Brian said, feeling a little nervous.

  "Ten seconds!" the woman shouted.

  Nick took his place in front of the camera. He gripped the microphone and cleared his throat. Then he stole a glance at May and Brian.

  "Three... two... one... go!"

  Nick stood up straight, looked into the camera, and spoke.

  "The ruins you see behind me were once a great city," he said in a somber tone.

  "The creature that caused the destruction is gone for now, but the damage Godzilla left in his wake will take decades to rebuild..." Nick paused dramatically.

  "This is Tokyo..."

  EPILOGE

  June 19, 1998, 9:11 A.M.

  Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean

  High above the Pacific, hundreds of miles from the nearest shore, the tiny airplane's engine sputtered and died. Its fuel exhausted, the plane glided for a few more miles, then drifted down until it finally hit the waves and broke apart.

  The pieces floated for a few minutes, then sank.

  The lure that compelled Godzilla to follow the airplane continued to function. Powered by batteries, the device was designed to emit the sound for many, many weeks - perhaps even months.

  As t
he lure sank beneath the waves, Godzilla happily went with it. Soon, the monster was following the machine to the very bottom of the deepest part of the ocean.

  Perhaps the monster will rest there forever. Or perhaps, at some future time, Godzilla will return again...

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  MARC CERASINI saw his first Godzilla movie at the age of seven and instantly joined the ranks of obsessed Godzilla fans the world over. Through the years, he has lived out a quest to collect everything and anything Godzilla and has amassed an impressive menagerie of rare Japanese Godzilla figures.

  In addition to being a giant G fan, Marc is a writer and screenwriter of diverse abilities. He is the author of numerous fantasy short stories as well as the New York Times best-selling biography O. J. Simpson: American Hero, American Tragedy. He has co-authored the best-selling Tom Clancy Companion and the critically acclaimed title Robert E. Howard. In addition, Marc has written a number of children's books, including the Random House Bullseye adaptation of Victor Hugo's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

  Marc is a native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and now makes his home in New York City. He will soon be writing a Godzilla page for an Internet site on the World Wide Web.

  From back cover:

  DESTRUCTION BEYOND THE LIMITS OF HUMAN IMAGINATION.

  1954. Tokyo, Japan, is leveled by a gigantic rampaging monster - a force more powerful than a tsunami, more devastating than an atomic bomb. The creature is supposedly killed. But the few who survive his attack are forever haunted by a paralyzing fear that he could rise again...

  1996. Brian Shimura, a Japanese-American college student, has just arrived in Tokyo to work as a newspaper intern. His first assignment is to help investigate the so-called "return" of some legendary dinosaur monster. But when the fiery destruction begins, Brian's skepticism is quickly transformed into awesome dread. This mythic monster is no myth...