Marvel Monsters Unleashed: The Gruesome Gorgilla!

by Steve Behling

  “Well played,” Amrita said. Then she punched Kid Kaiju on the arm. Hard.

  “Ow! What was that for?!”

  “What was that for? For running off! For leaving me with those creeps! For letting me get captured! For not telling me you had some kind of plan in mind! For…for…for everything!”

  “What was I supposed to do? Get captured with you?” Kid Kaiju stumbled. “I had to get away so I could summon Fireclaw. I brought him with me in case we needed his help…which we did!”

  “And you couldn’t have told me any of that earlier? Like, before the goon squad showed up?” Amrita said, fuming.

  Kid Kaiju held up his hands. “What, I was going to tell you, ‘Don’t worry, I brought my own monster’? I mean, it’s not like I could have just brought him to school with me. I think your teacher might have noticed if I showed up at your classroom door with a twenty-six-ton tiger.”

  Amrita smiled at the thought of Kid Kaiju walking into her classroom with a monster. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by banging, coming from the van atop the roof of the donut shop. The people in white were hammering on the glass, kicking at the doors.

  “We should get out of here,” Amrita said. “Even if they can’t get out of that van, I’m sure they already called their friends. I don’t think we want to be around here when they show up.”

  “Then let’s motor,” Kid Kaiju said. He motioned to Fireclaw, who moved next to the kids. With one of his massive paws, he grabbed Kid Kaiju and deposited him on his back.

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Amrita said. She took a huge step back.

  “What is it?” Kid Kaiju asked. “We have to go NOW, Amrita!”

  “No, I get that. But just give my brain two seconds to register that a giant tiger man is going to pick me up in his big furry paw and put me on his back.”

  Fireclaw turned his head and looked at Amrita. He sniffed. It was almost like the beast was amused by her.

  “Okay,” she said, taking a deep breath. “I’m good, let’s go.” She motioned to Fireclaw, and he picked her up gently and placed her on his back. Amrita held on tight as she could.

  And then the giant tiger ran down the road and headed toward the woods.

  IT’S BEEN A WEEK OF firsts, Amrita thought, as she started ticking off a mental checklist. It was the first week she’d ever encountered a giant monster, let alone two of them. It was the first week that she’d uncovered some weird operation going on outside her town. It was also the first week where she had been chased and captured by strange people in white suits. And it was also the first week where she’d ever come home late for dinner and gotten the speech to end all speeches from her dad. So, yeah. There were probably a whole lot more firsts, but those were the ones that stood out in Amrita’s mind.

  Oh! There was one more. It was the first time she had ever held on to the back of a giant tiger monster as it ran down a deserted road and into the nearby woods. That was definitely a first.

  “How long is the big guy gonna keep running?” Amrita shouted over the sound of breaking tree branches as Fireclaw thundered through the woods.

  “Why? Do you want him to stop?” Kid Kaiju replied.

  Amrita shook her head. “No,” she said. “This is a lot to take in.” Fireclaw was starting to slow down as the forest became thicker. “And it’s pretty scary, honestly.”

  Kid Kaiju turned to look at Amrita. “Yeah, I guess Fireclaw can be a little frightening, especially if you’re not used to the whole monster thing.”

  Amrita laughed. “You think I’m scared of Fireclaw? Are you kidding? He’s awesome!” she said. “It’s all the other stuff that has me spooked. It’s like some huge monster conspiracy is going on right outside my own town.”

  Kid Kaiju smiled. “Well, yeah, when you put it that way, I get it.”

  “How did you even find me?” Amrita asked. Just the act of asking one question like that brought out the reporter in her. She fixed her most serious gaze at Kid Kaiju. It was her reporter’s look, designed to make a person spill their guts and tell the truth. Amrita had been working on it for months.

  “That’s a story for another time,” Kid Kaiju said. “Let’s just say that the minute you mentioned finding that government installation, I knew you were in trouble.”

  “I knew it!” Amrita exclaimed, loudly. It was so loud, it actually took Fireclaw by surprise, and he let out a gruff growl. “Sorry, big guy,” Amrita said. “Didn’t mean to startle you. But I knew it! I totally got you to tell me who’s behind this! It’s just like one of those movies where the government comes into a small town and does some kind of experiment and then everyone in the town turns into zombies!”

  Kid Kaiju raised an eyebrow.

  “Wait, that isn’t what’s going on here, is it?” Amrita asked.

  “That is pretty much the exact opposite of what’s going on here,” Kid Kaiju said. “But I guess I should tell you everything I’ve found out so far.”

  About a half hour later, Fireclaw put down Amrita and Kid Kaiju. They were still in the woods, not very far from where Amrita had first spotted Gorgilla or whatever the big monster was called. Kid Kaiju took the big sketchbook he had clutched under his arm and opened it up to a page featuring a drawing of a large apelike beast.

  “Gorgilla, I presume,” Amrita said, staring at the sketch.

  “Gorgilla,” Kid Kaiju agreed. “They found him on an uncharted island years and years ago. No one’s really sure when. The expedition that discovered him wanted to bring Gorgilla back to our country. Supposedly, one of the scientists on the expedition believed that Gorgilla should be left on the island, where he would be content.”

  “Sounds like a good guy,” Amrita jumped in. “But let me guess. The people in charge of the expedition had other ideas. They probably wanted to turn Gorgilla into some kind of weapon. Right?”

  “What are you, some kind of reporter?” Kid Kaiju asked. “That’s exactly what happened. More or less, at least from what I’ve been able to find out on Tales to Astonish. That weird place you ran into, that dome? And all those people in the white suits, they’re all part of some big experiment that has to do with Gorgilla. I think they’re training him.”

  “Training him?” Amrita asked. “Training him to do what?” She knew that every good reporter needed to ask the tough follow-up questions.

  “I’m not sure,” Kid Kaiju said, closing his sketchbook. He pulled out his cell phone. “But I think you were on the right track when you mentioned a weapon. What if Gorgilla was being trained as a military weapon? You know, to attack…”

  “That’s garbage!” Amrita said, jumping up. “Forcing an innocent thing like Gorgilla to hurt people? No way. We’ve got to help him.”

  “Absolutely,” said Kid Kaiju. He looked at the way Amrita was standing, as if she was prepared to go into battle right then and there. “We are gonna help him, that’s why Fireclaw and I are here.”

  “I thought you were here to help me,” Amrita said, teasing.

  Kid Kaiju blushed. “Oh, yeah, definitely! I mean, sure, that’s why I’m here. To help you!”

  “Relax,” Amrita said. “I’m down for this challenge. Let’s find us a Gorgilla, and save him. It’ll be the scoop of the century!”

  Just then, Fireclaw swiveled his large head from side to side. He sniffed the air. Something was there with them.

  There was the sound of snapping trees.

  Fireclaw pushed Amrita and Kid Kaiju behind him.

  At that precise moment, the “scoop of the century” burst through the trees!

  THE AIR WAS completely still. For a moment, no one was breathing. Not Amrita, not Kid Kaiju. Not even Fireclaw, Amrita thought.

  Amrita had never seen anything like him before in her life. There he stood, living, breathing, chest barely even heaving from the exertion of uprooting two trees from the very ground before them.

  Gorgilla.

  Amrita figured he had to be at least twenty feet tall, probably more. He was cov
ered from head to toe in brown fur, like a bear. He had a long tail that moved back and forth behind him, like it had a mind of its own. And then there were those eyes—the ones she had seen staring at her from the woods just the other day. She looked at those eyes and tried to see the feeling behind them. Was it anger? Fear? No…his eyes looked more…curious than anything.

  Gorgilla grunted at the group. He snorted, baring his teeth a little.

  “Gorgilla?” Amrita said. She was doing her best to remain calm, but inside, her reporter’s instincts were screaming, THE BIGGEST SCOOP OF ALL TIME IS STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU, SO DON’T BLOW IT!

  “Don’t make any sudden moves,” Kid Kaiju whispered. “We’re here to help Gorgilla, but he doesn’t know it yet! We don’t want him to react badly to anything we might do.”

  Amrita ignored Kid Kaiju and walked slowly around Fireclaw, and over to Gorgilla. She took small, careful steps, and was sure not to move too quickly. The enormous beast looked at the tiny girl and cocked his head to one side.

  “Grrrraarrrrrrrr?” came the sound from his fanged mouth. Was it Amrita’s imagination, or was Gorgilla curious about her? The monster tilted his head again as he looked Amrita up and down.

  “What did I say about not making any sudden moves?” Kid Kaiju said through clenched teeth. “I said DON’T make any, right?”

  “Who moved suddenly?” Amrita said quietly. “That was practically slow motion. Besides, he’s a big softie,” Amrita added as she continued walking toward Gorgilla. “He knows I didn’t try to hurt him the last time I saw him. And the same bad guys that are after him are after me, too. That makes us friends. Isn’t that right, big guy?”

  “Aarrrhrrrrrrggg,” Gorgilla growled gently, almost as if in response to Amrita. The creature bent down on his haunches, staring at the girl. Amrita stared back into his huge eyes.

  “What’s the old saying? ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend,’” Amrita said. “And you could use all the friends you can get, I’ll bet.” There was something in the creature’s eyes that got to Amrita. The way they looked at her. Like a person. Amrita raised her right hand and held it out in front of her.

  Gorgilla shifted his weight and raised his right hand, too. The motion happened fast, and Amrita felt a slight breeze as Gorgilla’s arm went up.

  “Fireclaw, no!”

  Fireclaw had moved forward, trying to put himself between Amrita and Gorgilla. He must have thought that Gorgilla was trying to harm Amrita! Fireclaw didn’t make any move to attack, though. He was just trying to keep the kids safe. Just in case.

  Of course, Gorgilla had absolutely no way of knowing that! In his monster mind, all he knew was that something big, something threatening was moving toward his new friend.

  In one swift move, Gorgilla thumped his chest with his mighty fists, roared, and rushed at Fireclaw! Amrita dived out of the way, rolling on the ground, as the two titans faced off.

  “Kid!” Amrita yelled. “Tell Fireclaw to back off! Gorgilla doesn’t mean any harm! He just doesn’t know you guys! He probably thinks Fireclaw is going to attack me!”

  Kid Kaiju raised both his arms and tried his best to get Fireclaw to stand down. But by then, it was too late. Gorgilla swiped at Fireclaw with an enormous hand, striking the first blow.

  A knock-down, drag-out monster meltdown had just started right before her eyes, and Amrita had a front-row seat!

  IT WAS A SIGHT that stretched the limits of believability: two giant monsters going toe-to-toe. It was amazing, frightening, and if she didn’t get crushed or stepped on or otherwise smashed, it would be the biggest news story of Amrita’s young career! She pulled out her cell phone to snap a picture.

  “Get out of the way!”

  The voice belonged to Kid Kaiju. He grabbed Amrita’s left arm and gave her a hard yank, pulling her out of the way of Gorgilla’s giant tail. The cell phone flew out of Amrita’s hand, landing on the dirt. Gorgilla’s tail swiped the ground, heading right for Fireclaw’s fur-covered feet.

  WHUMP!

  The tail collided with Fireclaw, and the tigerlike creature hit the ground, kicking dirt up into the air. The earth shuddered. It felt like a tremor! Gorgilla snarled at Fireclaw, opening his mouth and unleashing an angry roar. Fireclaw returned the roar in kind.

  The tiger beast rose to his feet quickly and glared at his opponent. He looked at his paws for a moment, and fiery claws suddenly emerged from the backs of his hands. At least, that’s what they looked like to Amrita. Blades of flame that seemed to grow right from Fireclaw’s knuckles. “Whoa! Add that to this week of firsts,” Amrita said. “Flaming claws? What else can this guy do?”

  “Well, his name is Fireclaw,” Kid Kaiju said, his eyes warily glued to the two monsters.

  Amrita followed his gaze, furrowing her brow. “Oh, yeah. I guess that makes sense.”

  Gorgilla seemed to sense the fiery claws meant danger, and backed off. But only a little. He raised both arms, ready to defend himself.

  “We have to get them to stop fighting!” said Kid Kaiju urgently.

  “That sounds great!” Amrita shouted. “You’re the monster expert. Any ideas? Is there like a secret word we can use?”

  “Just one,” Kid Kaiju replied. “MOVE!”

  Both kids jumped out of the way of a gnarled tree stump that Gorgilla had tossed at Fireclaw the way Amrita would have tossed a crumpled piece of paper into the recycling bin.

  “Move. Move is good,” Amrita said, rolling in the dirt to her feet. “But I think I might have another idea.”

  Without waiting for Kid Kaiju’s response, Amrita ran right between the dueling monsters. As the behemoths circled each other, Amrita maneuvered behind Gorgilla. Summoning all her courage, she put a hand on the beast’s leg, letting him know that she was there, right next to him.

  Without any warning, Gorgilla stopped circling Fireclaw. He looked to his side and saw Amrita standing there. She smiled at the great monster. She stroked the fur on his leg, just like she would have pet a dog or a cat. She had to let Gorgilla know that she was okay—she was safe, and Fireclaw wasn’t going to hurt her. Would he understand?

  It was working! Gorgilla was calming down!

  “I think he was just trying to protect me,” Amrita said. “See? Now that he knows I’m safe, he’s not attacking!”

  Kid Kaiju scratched his head, smiling. He looked at Gorgilla and Amrita, then at Fireclaw. Fireclaw did exactly the same thing.

  “What do you think, Fireclaw?” Kid Kaiju asked. “You guys gonna be friends, or what?”

  Fireclaw huffed, letting out a purr-like sound. The fiery claws on the backs of each hand disappeared as quickly as they had come.

  Amrita rubbed the soft fur on Gorgilla’s leg and looked up at her new friend. She noticed something she hadn’t seen before. Something on his back. It was small and circular and white—it stood out on his brown fur. How had she not noticed it before? It looked almost like a smoke alarm or something.

  “What is that?” she asked.

  “What’s what?”

  Amrita pointed at Gorgilla’s back. “There’s something on Gorgilla….”

  “Don’t move a muscle!”

  Amrita whirled around, only to see the people in white suits standing behind them. There were at least ten of them, not that there was time for Amrita to count them all. They were brandishing strange-looking weapons.

  Gorgilla roared, angry. Fireclaw responded with his own bellowing roar. But by then, it was too late.

  The people in the white suits fired their weapons right at Gorgilla and Fireclaw. Bolts of electricity arced from the weapons to both monsters. There was a burning smell in the air. The monsters were rooted to the spot, unable to move, as the electricity coursed through them. There was smoke everywhere.

  It seemed like forever, but the whole thing only took two seconds. In those two seconds, both Gorgilla and Fireclaw were knocked unconscious by the Taser weapons. Amrita ran to Gorgilla’s side, Kid Kaiju to Fireclaw’s. As
far as they could tell, both creatures were still breathing.

  One of the people in white walked over to Amrita.

  “Kids,” he said, “you are in a world of trouble.” The man in white opened a vial in front of her, releasing a cloud of purple gas. Amrita’s mouth dropped open in surprise.

  Amrita’s world went dark, and she fell asleep.

  REPORTERS ARE TRAINED to take in every single detail of their surroundings and remember them. They try to notice everything, so that when it comes time to write about their experiences, they can relate everything to their readers. Reporters need to be as accurate as possible. After all, they’re the keepers of the truth.

  So it was particularly frustrating for Amrita to wake up and find herself inside a large, blank, featureless white room. There were no details whatsoever. The walls were white. The floor was white. The ceiling was white. The door—if she could even figure out where the door was—was white, too. There was no furniture. No nothing.

  There was just her and Kid Kaiju, who was asleep on the floor next to her. She noticed that his monster journal, the one he always kept with him, was missing.

  As Amrita turned her head, she noticed there was something else in the room with them.

  Rather, someone else.

  A really, really old dude with a scraggly beard and white-blond hair was sitting on the floor, watching her and Kid Kaiju.

  “Good, you’re awake!” said the old man. “I was getting bored, sitting here all by myself.”

  “Who are you?” Amrita asked, questions bubbling out of her. “Where are we? Are we inside that big dome? Where’s Gorgilla? And Fireclaw? Who are those jerks in the white suits?”