Megadrak: Beast Of The Apocalypse

by Christofer Nigro

  “Not to suggest we deserve exceptional treatment among all these people here,” Koji told the lieutenant, “but if that kaiju gets through the Self-Defense Force’s blockade—and trust me, it will—then the monster will head this way looking for Goro-san, Risa-san, and myself.”

  “That thing is an animal, Sagawa-san,” the soldier snapped. “A really big animal, yes, but still no more than that. Do not mistake it for one of your Shinto gods just because it’s so damned powerful.”

  “Begging your pardon, Lieutenant,” Risa interjected, “but Koji-san is correct. That kaiju has more than once displayed a sense of ‘carrying a grudge,’ as you Americans may put it. It might look like just a giant animal, and it may not think exactly like a human, but it is not a mere over-large animal. It is something we have never seen before on this planet. At least, not outside of legend.”

  “Like I said, Kimura-san,” the soldier noted, “you may have been to one too many Shinto ceremonies, or whatever.”

  “Lieutenant, if I may,” Goro stepped forward, “but you should not be putting all that on Shinto. What is your religion, if I may be so bold to ask?”

  “I’m Catholic. What’s your point?”

  “Since you are American, I did figure you would almost certainly be a Christian (no offense). And I have read portions of your holy book, the Bible. And before you ask, there are indeed copies of it available here in Japan; we are far from ignorant of Western culture. And of those portions of the Bible I have read, similar daikaiju to the likes of the eight-headed dragon Orochi in Shinto legend have been described—give or take the number of heads, but every bit as reptilian. I believe your Bible referred to the main two in your religious legends as Leviathan and Behemoth.”

  “Yes, but come on now,” Donaldson stammered, “that was the Bible, not whatever the Shinto holy book may be.”

  “There is no ‘holy book’ as such in Shinto,” Risa interjected. “And of course, you put more validity on legends from your religion than you do those from ours, but I shall not waste a single second arguing over your Western bias. What is of relevance here is that your Bible mentions similar creatures to Orochi and others that have appeared in our own stories. So, think of Megadrak as a spawn of your Leviathan and Behemoth. You can do that since I do believe those Biblical daikaiju were described as being of opposite gender, hai?”

  “They were,” Goro clarified, “but the story goes that the Hebrew God—the Christians make it simple and just call him ‘God,’ right? While the other deities are called angels or saints, hai?”

  Risa half grinned. “The point, Goro-san?”

  “The point being,” the fisherman continued, “is that despite Leviathan and Behemoth being of separate genders, the Hebrew God ensured they would never spawn by instilling a powerful mutual hatred in the beasts. That way, they would fight if they met, and not… well, you know.”

  “I am a married woman, Goro-san. I know what you mean.”

  Goro’s face took on a dour expression. “Oh. Right.” You would have to find a way to remind me of the intimacy you share with that man, wouldn’t you, Risa? Just as I was hoping to impress you with the fact that I am as well educated as you are, despite being a mere fisherman.

  “But it would appear,” Risa continued, “that Leviathan and Behemoth moved past their hatred just long enough to… ‘you know,’ as Goro-san put it. Much as many human couples do. If the Hebrew God did not want them to ever ‘you know,’ then why did such an all-powerful being not simply make them of the same gender, or sterile, etc.? After all, the common garden mole hates and fights every other mole of either gender it may encounter… except during the brief mating season each year, when such hostilities are put aside for… well, ‘you know’.”

  Must she continuously make light of my awkward moment like that? Goro thought. Maybe she can never love me, but can she not at least respect me?

  “All right, this is getting silly now,” Donaldson snapped.

  “Is it?” Risa queried. “I was trying to explain it metaphorically, in a way your religious worldview could accept, Lieutenant. My main point, however, is that Megadrak is no mere over-sized animal. It is something we have yet to confront on a scientific level, and it can think vengeful thoughts, or however you may want to describe it.”

  “She is right,” Koji agreed. “We have observed Megadrak for longer than you have.”

  “So, we need to get out of here as fast as we can!” Risa concluded.

  “Listen,” Donaldson responded, “I’m not sure how I can get you to the front of the transit line here without the other civilians going ape over it.”

  “Do you outrank the other soldiers on the scene here?” Koji asked.

  “Well, yes, I do, but…”

  “Then there you have it,” Risa snapped.

  Donaldson released an exasperated sigh. He knew how dangerous the Megadrak was, and he couldn’t reliably refute the possible veracity of what those people were saying, as they were all obviously well-educated folk who did not lack for power of observation.

  He also received the impression that Koji and Risa, at least, were far from cowardly, and not the type to resort to lying to have their welfare placed over that of so many others. His years in the military enabled him to develop a masterful talent for reading people, and he just didn’t get that from these two. He had less respect for Goro, but the man didn’t seem like a liar either.

  Finally, they had already been through so much, and he somehow felt responsible for them on a personal level, as his superior officer Captain O’Reilly’s last command was to get them to safety after delivering Nakamura and Rickard to the medics.

  “All right,” he acquiesced. “I’ll pull some strings. Follow me over there.” He pointed to a section of the transit a few meters ahead, where only a small number of citizens stood. “Those civilians over there are up for the next arriving train on the schedule.”

  “Domo arigato, Lieutenant,” Koji said. Risa and Goro bowed their heads in agreement.

  “Just walk all nonchalant,” Donaldson said as they followed him to the front of the transit line. “Try not to get noticed by any of these other civilians.”

  Luckily, the officer was able to lead the trio to the designated section of the transit line without incident. He knew he would have to escort them all the way to Yokohama once they boarded the train, to ensure they would stop for a debriefing at the nearest federal building.

  First, however, he would have them admitted to the government medical facility to receive treatment for their various injuries. He was concerned about the burns and various abrasions that Risa and Goro had sustained, for instance. They were in obvious pain, but Risa was enduring it like, as his fellow Americans would describe it, a real trooper. And for his part, Goro was doing his best to behave in similar fashion, so as not to look weak in front of the woman he was obviously smitten with.

  Through it all, Donaldson wanted to believe that the air and ground forces he regretfully had to leave behind on orders from a superior officer would prevent the kaiju from making it back to Akihabara. But Koji assured him that wouldn’t happen, and the young man sounded more than merely cynical when he made that assurance.

  The soldier could not help but notice that the troika of civilians under his watch looked extremely nervous while standing in wait. He felt he could almost hear their thoughts loudly praying, or even begging, for the next train to arrive before Megadrak did.

  Goro was the first to verbally articulate this anxiety. “Lieutenant, can we not simply bypass the train and take the truck out of the prefecture?”

  “Negative, Takiguchi-san,” Donaldson reluctantly replied. “The truck is too spent on fuel, and we’d be lucky if it got us another thirty kilometers before croaking on us. The train is also much faster.”

  “I see,” Goro said quietly just before putting his head down and continuing to self-ruminate.

  The beleaguered triage continued to look about nervously, while intermittently h
aving their attention drawn to the sounds of frustration-borne scuffles that would periodically erupt among the waiting lines of passengers. These would always be followed by firm reprimands from the police officers as they broke these skirmishes up. Other sounds cropping up during the wait included young children starting to cry over the various frustrations caused by waiting in the lines, to be followed by the voices of their adult guardians doing their best to calm them down.

  Every time an adult waiting in the transit lines raised their voice, or a child started crying, Donaldson noticed that the three civilians at his side would look around with a panic-stricken expression, obviously concerned that the intermittent raucous commotions were in response to Megadrak suddenly appearing.

  The tension and fear in the air could not help but manifest in such an utterly palpable state. Consequently, the lieutenant likewise found himself praying for the quick arrival of the train as much as the civilian trio beside him.

  The people besides the quartet at the front of the transit line were also demonstrably on edge despite being ahead of everyone else.

  A young boy of about seven happened to glare in the direction of Donaldson’s party, interested in the new people who suddenly arrived at the front of the line. Risa’s haggard but still attractive form caught the boy’s eye, and he directed a wide beam at her as she caught his gaze. Risa smiled back politely despite the extreme anxiety now afflicting her.

  The boy’s mother—no other adult or child was among their party-noticed this minor interaction and pulled on his arm. “Haruto, I told you many times, it is impolite to stare at others.”

  “It is quite all right,” Risa said reassuringly. “He did not mean anything rude by it. I know I must look horrible right now, and he was just curious.”

  “Thank you for your understanding,” the boy’s mother responded, “but I taught this boy better.”

  “No harm was done,” Risa replied with a slightly forced smile, hoping to assuage the woman so she didn’t get overly harsh with her child.

  The woman did indeed seem calmed by Risa’s words. “I do apologize for my outburst more than anything else. We are just very anxious, and I allowed that to get the better of me.”

  “I truly understand,” Risa said gently, managing another smile despite her own state of mind.

  “I am very appreciative of that understanding,” the woman said. “My name is Ichika.”

  The housewife observed that Ichika was a tall woman wearing a cream-colored head scarf in a classic Machiko maki look, and garbed in a cheaply tailored steel blue Cosette dress; this “swing” outfit looked truly mismatched with the woman’s hair adornment. Risa found herself feeling badly for the woman due to her apparent lack of sartorial finesse, along with evidently having to act as a single parent in a circumstance of this nature. In fact, Risa suddenly no longer felt so bad for looking as wretched as she did, considering she had a very understandable reason for doing so.

  “I am Risa,” she returned the introduction, hoping to make Ichika feel at ease. “A pleasure to meet you and little Haruto-chan.”

  After a few minutes of casual small talk between the two women, the train finally arrived, and the ease of tension in Donaldson’s party felt akin to Atlas being allowed to let the Earth off his shoulders after a thousand years of supporting it.

  The entourage promptly boarded the railway car nearest them on the line. Ichika and Haruto made a point to sit close to Risa, as if they needed to have a connection to someone besides themselves during this unsettling situation. Risa didn’t protest, as she felt bad for the woman being alone in this situation with a child to look after. Goro and Koji sat beside her, with Donaldson taking a seat directly across from them where he could keep a direct eye on the people under his watch.

  Another huge pang of relief was felt when the doors to the train cars finally shut after several seconds following the boarding, albeit seconds that seemed an eternity from their harried perspective. The train then moved off towards parts outside the Tokyo Prefecture altogether, and the quartet allowed themselves to believe that their horrendous experience was finally over.

  They would soon find out how wrong they were.

  ***

  “Perhaps we can exchange phone numbers once we get settled?” Ichika queried Risa with a hopeful countenance. “Haruto and I do not have many people in our lives since my husband moved on, as most of our friends were his. And, well, we really could use some friends right now.”

  Haruto smiled with enthusiasm after his mother made the request. “Please say you will, Risa-san!”

  “It is best if you address Risa-san properly,” Ichika firmly but calmly reminded her son. “Risa-san, your last name would be…?”

  “It is Kimura,” she replied with a smile.

  “If I may be so bold, are you married?” her new friend asked.

  “Of course, you may, Ichika-san,” Risa replied. “Hai, I am married.”

  “Is this gentleman your husband?” Ichika asked, pointing to Goro.

  “No,” Risa corrected. “My husband is a member of parliament, and is currently away tending to urgent matters of state.”

  Goro sulked at hearing that, but there was nothing to contradict. He thus remained silent while striving to keep his emotions in check.

  “And Haruto-chan is free to call me ‘Risa,’” the well-read housewife added. “I would never take offense. No need for strict formalities here.”

  “Arigato, Risa-san!” Haruto said with enthused glee.

  Ichika responded with a strained smile. “That is generous of you, Risa-san. I do believe it is only proper that Haruto respect those formalities, though. I want him to grow to be a polite and decent man… and not like his father.”

  “Of course,” Risa said, hoping to simmer down tensions. “And I would be pleased to exchange numbers once we are able. I am sorry about your estrangement from your husband.”

  “Arigato,” Ichika replied. “But it was likely for the best, considering how…”

  The conversation was abruptly halted when the train car suddenly jerked so violently that a few people were actually thrown from their seats.

  “What in the hell…?” Donaldson said as he sprung from his seat and looked out the window.

  Upon hearing the screams from fellow civilians, both in the other cars and out in the streets, Risa had no questions as to what the cause of the situation was.

  “Dear gods, no…” she whimpered while covering her face.

  “Get up and run to the front car, pronto!” the lieutenant screamed to all fellow passengers, but particularly to the three people under his charge. “We need to exit this train now!”

  Everyone was quick to jump from their seats and attempt to do just that, but the eight passengers in addition to Donaldson’s party in the carriage ended up obstructing each other’s progress in their struggle to rush to the sliding doors. They were two carriages down from the cab where the driver’s station was, so the lieutenant was unable to issue an order for the man to open all the exit doors.

  Within a moment the car tilted over, and most of the passengers fell downwards in a pig pile at the far edge of the carriage. Donaldson, Koji, and Risa managed to grasp onto the metal handle bars and remain in a precarious standing position; Goro avoided becoming part of the pile only because Koji grabbed his shirt sleeve as he fell.

  It was clear Megadrak had arrived on the scene in all its nightmarish grandeur. Though its superior olfactory senses had successfully tracked the spoor of its targeted quarry to these constructs, the metal and glass prevented it from detecting precisely which box car they were in. Hence, it first lifted the car closest to it, which happened to be about four cars away from the one its main quarry was sequestered in. The gigantic beast resolved to ensure they were destroyed by killing every human in each carriage.

  The civilians who had not yet boarded a train were rushing from the vicinity in a screaming frenzy. The police officers did their best to direct the frenzied cr
owd away from the area, while the three soldiers stationed there endeavored to buy them time by aiming their Browning automatic rifles and opening fire on the towering kaiju.

  The creature didn’t even seem to notice the multiple leaden projectiles bouncing off the hide of its massive legs as it pushed one of its fingers through the window pane of the first train cart. This was done so it could sniff the interior to determine if its targeted prey was among the screaming little people inside.

  Upon discovering the trio wasn’t in this segment of the construct, Megadrak resolved to vent its anger by killing all inside before moving onto the next car in the line. One man managed to leap out the broken window made by Megadrak’s finger, hoping he would land on something soft enough to break his fall. He didn’t, and his hip bones were literally shoved up into his torso upon hitting the pavement fifty meters down.

  Megadrak carried out its ghastly intentions on the carriage by placing it between its teeth and exerting the full force of its incredible jaw strength. The thick metal car crumpled into a distorted mass within seconds, accompanied by a wrenching sound reminiscent of an automobile under a junkyard compressor. Everyone inside was crushed into jellied splotches of skin, bones, and internal organs within seconds.

  The kaiju then decided to deal with the miscreants who had dared to fire upon it with their paltry weapons. Though the beast never felt the impact of the bullets, its keen hearing had come to recognize the sound of guns being fired and surmised they were implements intended to inflict harm despite their inability to accomplish that with a creature of its size and power.

  Megadrak responded by hurling the crushed train car at the triune of soldiers firing at the giant beast. Two managed to leap clear, but the third wasn’t so lucky; he was pulverized as the car bounced off the ground and landed on him as he attempted to flee. Over half the bones and organs in his body were instantly minced into a flattened mass of gore.