“He comes without warning, the crimson demon.
Cities will crumble and burn in the wake of his rage.
Hail the Fractured King!” Dr Klaus Emmerich
Sheung Wan District
Hong Kong, China
MDF Team Members
- Karl Walker: Team Leader - Alice Neeman: Pilot and Engineer
- Brian Carson: Combat Tactician - Ishiro Takarada: Combat / Science
- Katherine Petrov: Tech Expert
The street markets were a swirling mixture of sounds and scents from the people wandering about and the different foods that were being prepared, vendors tended to woks and frying pans in a sizzling, crackling symphony of fried meats, noodles and a whole array of other dishes. It was always the beating heart of the district this time of day when everyone had been working hard and needed time to destress to enjoy good food with good friends, many of the tourist visiting the city were trying a bit of everything wanted to get the full street food experience.A figure Caucasian in appearance with short slight greying hair was carrying a rugged backpack wandered through the crowd of locals and tourists he looked to each person that he passed with a hint of sombre in his expression as if he was wandering a field of graves, it was somewhat true because he knew what was coming. After getting a takeaway dish of Jianbing and graciously thanking the vendor the man wandered out of the market, he came to the edge of the city that looked out onto the bay. The man saw several large tables and benches on the waterfront and he found somewhere to sit and started to eat, whilst eating the backpack was placed on the table and from inside he pulled out a black box. Unclipping the locks the lid creaked slightly as it opened, inside was a panel covered in buttons and dials when it was activated a screen lit up with red lines flickering wildly the man shook his head “Dammit I thought there would be more time to warn them”.
Out into the bay black clouds began to loom as red lightning struck from the sky down to the sea, everyone had stopped when a loud bang of thunder cracked through the air bringing the city to a standstill. The man stood up watching the vortex swirl the clouds and churning the water as lightning strikes became more frequent and erratic, as the cracks and rumbles continued something began to form, first skeletal, then the muscles wrapped around them and eventually followed by charred black flesh a pain infused roar filled with anger and rage tore into the air. Gigarrah stood hunched over heaving its body from the exhaustion from the formation process, the process was hot not only did it boil the water steam wisped from the surface of the blackened hide and up into the air hiding a lot of his body from view, his head slowly rose up revealing the two large mandible protrusions on the sides of the lower jaw, giving a deep growl Gigarrah erupted another loud roar which made the windows in every building across the city shake. Still enveloped by a vale of steam he began to move towards the city each footstep stomped the ground beneath the water, the path towards the city had several ships in its path the smaller boats managed to rev their engines and get far away from the creature but the cruise ship and tankers were going to be too slow to escape.
The cruise ship was the first victim, Gigarrah loomed over it then grabbed the front of it and started to lift it vertically, people tumbled, falling and screaming in panic as the ship was being lifted some of them on the outer decks began to plummet off the sides of the ship into the molten water below. Gigarrah leered down at the people on the ship, he listened to their cries then reared up to the sky with another bellow then with one of his forearms his claws slashed through the cruise ships gouging out a massive chunk of the hull and multiple decks. The ship was let go and water began gushing into the exposed wound it had sweeping through all the decks and corridors causing the cruise ship to capsize, Gigarrah marched on with one of the long cargo tankers was next in his path he growled as if taking pleasure in remembering a similar moment in Japan.
With a groan of metal and a cascade of water everyone watching the chaos began to flee as a tanker sored through the air then collided which one of the skyscrapers then fell to the ground below and spewed into a massive fire ball shattering glass and hurling debris into the crowd of screaming people. The man had gathered his gear but before leaving he stood watching as Gigarrah picked up another ship in its jaws and with one bite he cleaved it in two, the man wasn’t fazed by the sight of the infamous titan “Are we meant to be paying for the sins of your curiosity Father?” he continued as Gigarrah roared shaking the earth followed by the wail of air raid sirens “He comes without warning, the crimson demon. Cities will crumble and burn in the wake of his rage. Hail the Fractured King”.
MFD Outpost
‘The Hanging Garden’
South Emerald Rainforest, Australia
Deep in the forest amongst the lush green of the wildlife the facility was stood in a partial clear in the trees, made from mirrored glass and wood panels it fit perfectly amongst the jungle. Walker was in his office typing away at the computer reading several emails from the head offices of the MFD Headquarters in Paris one email in particular was a denial of a request funding an expedition to the South Pole due to apparent lack of funding, Walker gave a weary sigh “God dammit” at that point Carson walked in “Everything alright Walker?”. Walker leaned back in his chair rubbing the fatigue from his face “No, HQ have denied that proposal to Antarctica again” Carson sat in the chair in front of Walker’s desk “You still wanting to see if the stories of the Southern Wolf are true?” Walker nodded then replied “I do and that is that aim of this organisation is the study of these creatures and the discovery of new species…but HQ have said they can’t afford it because there isn’t any concrete evidence to warrant sending a team down there”. Carson gave a sympathetic look “I’m really sorry Walker” Walker turned in the chair at stared out of the window “Every year they tighten the strings which restricts our work” Carson agreed with him “We shouldn’t be that surprised that we are being restricted” Walker turned back “But we need access to better equipment and manpower rather than having to request help all the time, look what happened back with Thunder Wing last year we were stood there waiting and they did nothing until it was too late”. Carson leaned forward “What can we do? Unfortunately we barely get funding and the UN knows how vital we are but the rest of the world are too focused on political values than dealing with big ass monsters which is why the MFD is becoming an afterthought” Walker let out another sigh then looked to Carson “But how are we supposed to do our jobs when they don’t care?”. Carson could only shrug his shoulders “At least we have it and that’s what matters, maybe one day they will realise that this division is important” Walker mused on the words Carson said for a moment then he replied “It’s usually me that gives the team these types of pep talks” Carson smiled “Well I know that this job has been giving you stress lately, like you said the whole incident with Thunder Wing and the fact that we missed Gigarrah’s resurgence in Japan completely it’s enough to take its toll on anyone”. Walker rubbed the tension on his temple to try and alleviate the slight headache he was getting “It just makes me feel like I’m failing sometimes” Carson felt supportive to his friend “Boss if there is one thing you are not that is a failure” Walker smiled “I really appreciate the help Brian” Carson smile in response “Hey it’s what friends are for” Walker got up from his chair “Right I need to check up on Kit” the two of them heading out of the office to find the rest of the team.
Outside in the jungles Walker trudged through the thick undergrowth until he came out upon a massive lake which sat at the base of a small range of mountains which were peculiar in nature they curved over created a canopy of rock looming over the trees and the jungle had grown up the rock with it reaching the top of the curve and would hang down hence why the outpost got its name as The Hanging Garden. Kit was at the edge of the lake she was crouching down at the water’s edge Walker called out “So how’s our baby girl doing?” Kit stayed crouching “Oh we are playing a game” Walker stopped as he stood next to her “What game Kit?” the water at the lake erupted Kit darted to the side and a gush of water hit Walker completely soaking him. From the water a creature emerged from the water looking like the cross of a sloth and a grizzly bear, a squeaky grunt of happiness came from its mouth, Walker turned sterned faced to Kit who was huddled over laughing “Good job Fida!” she walked back over to Walker “Sorry Boss but she loves to splash people”. Walker turned to the bear hybrid which was waddling over to him being only a baby she was only around 50 feet high she nuzzled Walker gently with her nose, he smiled slightly and nuzzled her back he looked to Kit “So how is the new dad?” Kit rubbed the fur on Fida’s nose “It would appear that being a first-time dad with this delight is a hand full so Atigass is taking a nap, but other than that he’s doing well” Fida bounced off back into the water swimming around in circles as a much larger version rose up above the trees to the right of Kit and Walker’s position. It was over 200 ft and covered in scruffy matted fur with very long forearms and hooked claws, its slight elongated neck turned and looked at the young creature in the lake its face was more bear like but it had two protruding fangs, Atigass gave a low grunt followed by a deep bark which caught the attention of his young offspring who barked happily at the sight of her father. Kit smiled watching Fida swim towards Atigass then both of them stomped away into the forest to look for food, Kit turned to Walker looking off into the distance “Can you hear that?” Walker concentrated then eventually he heard it; it was the sound of a helicopter.
The chopper touched down on the landing pad next to the facility, as Carson approached a man got out of the passenger door it was Nicholas Shannon the director of the MFD Carson shook his hand and spoke loudly over the rotor’s engine “Director Shannon we weren’t expecting you!” Shannon shook his head “Sorry but this is urgent is Karl here?!” Carson gestured him towards the steps on the edge of the pad. Making their way towards the main entrance they were called by a voice coming from behind them they turned to see Walker and Kit approaching, Walker looked curious “Sir what brings you here?” the two shook hands “Grim news I’m afraid, from the testimony of Mr Takahashi you asked if you could conduct research should Gigarrah ever reappear to learn about this apparent ‘god form’ that he mentioned after the attack in Japan” Walker gave a bit of a sigh “Has this request been rejected too?” Shannon locked eyes with Walker with a sense of worry “I am sorry about the South Pole expedition but this time you may have your chance, Gigarrah has made landfall again” the three team members felt a lurch in their stomachs at hearing the name Walker responded “Where is he this time?” Shannon replied “He hit Hong Kong a couple of hours ago, I thought this was something to say in person and to ship you and your team to the USS Hamilton which is en route to Hong Kong now” Walker paused for a moment “Uh two members of my team are not here Sir” Shannon raised a hand to interject “Alice and Ishiro are already on board the Hamilton, now gather whatever you need we will as soon as you are ready” Walker, Carson and Kit rushed inside to gather whatever they need.
USS Hamilton
South China Sea
En Route to Hong Kong
It had already been a full day and Gigarrah had hit Hong Kong hard, the Chinese military were keeping him at bay but eventually he would breach the defences and sweep through Sheung Wan, this was the task to aid in the evacuation of the people in Sheung Wan. The hangar bay of the Hamilton was in action stations deck hands preparing the ospreys and fighter jets, Walker was stood with others of the MFD giving them directions “Alright I want the drones charged and ready to be up in the air as soon as we land…the surveillance equipment needs packed up and onboard osprey three!” Walker saw the ship’s captain approach “Agent Walker we almost upon Hong Kong” Walker nodded and replied “Captain once all is deployed get the Hamilton to a safer distance until extraction is complete” the captain nodded and headed back to the bridge. Carson was with a mass of the soldiers that had arrived on the Hamilton before the MFD teams he spoke with a stern voice the military experience kicking in “There will be three teams Bravo, India and Echo. Bravo and India will help with the Chinese military in engaging Gigarrah and team Echo will aid in the evacuation and rescue of survivors. Now have spare magazines on hand now bullets are not likely going to hurt him but they have certainly been known to piss him off which is why we will be using M60s and M249s, but if things seem to get out of hand no one play the hero just get the hell out of there” the soldiers nodded then marched off to gear up. Amidst all the hectic rushing around Walker had managed to gather all of his team “Ok we are set and ready, Carson by on the landing craft and head the rescue with the soldier teams” Carson nodded in agreement “Neeman are you and your squadron all set?” Neeman replied “The last of the F-22s are being fuelled now so we will launch in a few minutes” Walker nodded in response and continued “Kit, Ishiro you two will be with me and the other MFD members with the equipment we need to document as much as we can. We need video, infra-red, energy or radiation readings anything that we can use to learn about him…now let’s move!” the team split to their stations to wait to be deployed, Walker took Ishiro to the side “From the reports of the last encounter both yours and Takahashi’s we only have brief details on the abilities that Gigarrah has, is there anything that we need to know?” Ishiro was quick to recall the details “We only witnessed that red beam that his fires from his mouth, there’s usually an early warning parts of his body begin to glow brighter but if you are not out of the way when it happens it’ll be over for you in seconds. Other than that one attack I don’t know if he’s cable of anything else” Walker nodded and put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him “Thank you Ishiro now let’s get ready” the two of them walked over to the ospreys.
Victoria Harbour, Sheung Wan
Hong Kong, China
Smoke billowed high into the air across part of the city, the black swirling masses tinted orange from the fires burning below as the carrier approached a roar echoed out from somewhere on shore followed by the cracks of distant, frenzied gunfire and flashes from cannon fire from artillery.
The landing crafts with troops and gun mounted Humvees slid out of the rear hangar bay door and swept across the side of the Hamilton heading for the city, Carson spoke over the radio “Landing teams are deployed see you on the mainland!”. The ospreys had been loaded onto the deck of the carrier and began spinning up the rotors, Walker responded to Carson “Hit him hard and hit him fast, get as many people as you can to the evac points, see you when this is over” Walker looked to the pilot “Take us out” the pilot nodded. Taking off from the ship’s deck the ospreys rose into the air and made their way after the landing craft, after they had cleared the ship the fighter jets roared passed them Neeman’s voice came over the radio “Blue squadron we’ll do a sweep over the city, once the target has been identified we will swoop around and prepare to engage” the other fighter pilots acknowledged her lead. The squadron of ospreys chuffed loudly heading towards the city, Walker looked to his team they all looked nervous especially Ishiro and he knew why he got up and spoke “I know we’ve dealt with dangerous situations before it’s part of what we do, but this is the worst of the worst only one person here has ever faced Gigarrah before however there are people in that city who need our help so we need to get the job done” despite getting a little bit of confidence everything was still terrified.
The landing craft crossed the bay first managing to unload the troops and Humvees at an abandoned pier front, Carson saw several troops of the Chinese military with large groups of civilians he marched over and spoke to one of them “Wǎnjiān… Shuō yīngyǔ?” he replied “Yes I can speak English” Carson apologised “You must excuse me, my multilingual skills are limited…I’m Agent Carson with the Mega-Fauna division, what is going on here?” the soldier indicated to the civilians “We are waiting for the ships to evacuate these people to safety and more are due to come” Carson nodded “Ok me and my troops are going to help with your forces in halting Gigarrah to help give you and your men time to get the people to safety” the soldier shook his hand “Thank you…your help is appreciated” Carson gave a reassuring smile and made his way over to the Humvees. He stepped into the lead car and took the radio “Bravo leader, India leader Gigarrah is heading to the central area of Sheung Wan, both teams rendezvous with the Chinese forces and hold off him off as long as possible, Echo team we need help to evacuate civilians via the ferry terminal at Shun Tak Centre. Let’s move!” the troop transports and cars zoomed down the streets heading to their positions in the city leaving two cars for Walker and his group. Only moments later the ospreys touched at the piers the rear doors opened and Walker and the others rushed out with their gear and loading everything onto the Humvees, Walker stopped for a second then looked to Kit and Ishiro “Ok you guys ready?” the two of them reluctantly nodded Walker was uneasy too “Right then let’s roll out” the other soldiers and Walker’s team boarded the Humvees and made their way to towards the chaos and destruction.
‘The Hanging Garden’
South Emerald Rainforest, Australia
Deep in the forest amongst the lush green of the wildlife the facility was stood in a partial clear in the trees, made from mirrored glass and wood panels it fit perfectly amongst the jungle. Walker was in his office typing away at the computer reading several emails from the head offices of the MFD Headquarters in Paris one email in particular was a denial of a request funding an expedition to the South Pole due to apparent lack of funding, Walker gave a weary sigh “God dammit” at that point Carson walked in “Everything alright Walker?”. Walker leaned back in his chair rubbing the fatigue from his face “No, HQ have denied that proposal to Antarctica again” Carson sat in the chair in front of Walker’s desk “You still wanting to see if the stories of the Southern Wolf are true?” Walker nodded then replied “I do and that is that aim of this organisation is the study of these creatures and the discovery of new species…but HQ have said they can’t afford it because there isn’t any concrete evidence to warrant sending a team down there”. Carson gave a sympathetic look “I’m really sorry Walker” Walker turned in the chair at stared out of the window “Every year they tighten the strings which restricts our work” Carson agreed with him “We shouldn’t be that surprised that we are being restricted” Walker turned back “But we need access to better equipment and manpower rather than having to request help all the time, look what happened back with Thunder Wing last year we were stood there waiting and they did nothing until it was too late”. Carson leaned forward “What can we do? Unfortunately we barely get funding and the UN knows how vital we are but the rest of the world are too focused on political values than dealing with big ass monsters which is why the MFD is becoming an afterthought” Walker let out another sigh then looked to Carson “But how are we supposed to do our jobs when they don’t care?”. Carson could only shrug his shoulders “At least we have it and that’s what matters, maybe one day they will realise that this division is important” Walker mused on the words Carson said for a moment then he replied “It’s usually me that gives the team these types of pep talks” Carson smiled “Well I know that this job has been giving you stress lately, like you said the whole incident with Thunder Wing and the fact that we missed Gigarrah’s resurgence in Japan completely it’s enough to take its toll on anyone”. Walker rubbed the tension on his temple to try and alleviate the slight headache he was getting “It just makes me feel like I’m failing sometimes” Carson felt supportive to his friend “Boss if there is one thing you are not that is a failure” Walker smiled “I really appreciate the help Brian” Carson smile in response “Hey it’s what friends are for” Walker got up from his chair “Right I need to check up on Kit” the two of them heading out of the office to find the rest of the team.
Outside in the jungles Walker trudged through the thick undergrowth until he came out upon a massive lake which sat at the base of a small range of mountains which were peculiar in nature they curved over created a canopy of rock looming over the trees and the jungle had grown up the rock with it reaching the top of the curve and would hang down hence why the outpost got its name as The Hanging Garden. Kit was at the edge of the lake she was crouching down at the water’s edge Walker called out “So how’s our baby girl doing?” Kit stayed crouching “Oh we are playing a game” Walker stopped as he stood next to her “What game Kit?” the water at the lake erupted Kit darted to the side and a gush of water hit Walker completely soaking him. From the water a creature emerged from the water looking like the cross of a sloth and a grizzly bear, a squeaky grunt of happiness came from its mouth, Walker turned sterned faced to Kit who was huddled over laughing “Good job Fida!” she walked back over to Walker “Sorry Boss but she loves to splash people”. Walker turned to the bear hybrid which was waddling over to him being only a baby she was only around 50 feet high she nuzzled Walker gently with her nose, he smiled slightly and nuzzled her back he looked to Kit “So how is the new dad?” Kit rubbed the fur on Fida’s nose “It would appear that being a first-time dad with this delight is a hand full so Atigass is taking a nap, but other than that he’s doing well” Fida bounced off back into the water swimming around in circles as a much larger version rose up above the trees to the right of Kit and Walker’s position. It was over 200 ft and covered in scruffy matted fur with very long forearms and hooked claws, its slight elongated neck turned and looked at the young creature in the lake its face was more bear like but it had two protruding fangs, Atigass gave a low grunt followed by a deep bark which caught the attention of his young offspring who barked happily at the sight of her father. Kit smiled watching Fida swim towards Atigass then both of them stomped away into the forest to look for food, Kit turned to Walker looking off into the distance “Can you hear that?” Walker concentrated then eventually he heard it; it was the sound of a helicopter.
The chopper touched down on the landing pad next to the facility, as Carson approached a man got out of the passenger door it was Nicholas Shannon the director of the MFD Carson shook his hand and spoke loudly over the rotor’s engine “Director Shannon we weren’t expecting you!” Shannon shook his head “Sorry but this is urgent is Karl here?!” Carson gestured him towards the steps on the edge of the pad. Making their way towards the main entrance they were called by a voice coming from behind them they turned to see Walker and Kit approaching, Walker looked curious “Sir what brings you here?” the two shook hands “Grim news I’m afraid, from the testimony of Mr Takahashi you asked if you could conduct research should Gigarrah ever reappear to learn about this apparent ‘god form’ that he mentioned after the attack in Japan” Walker gave a bit of a sigh “Has this request been rejected too?” Shannon locked eyes with Walker with a sense of worry “I am sorry about the South Pole expedition but this time you may have your chance, Gigarrah has made landfall again” the three team members felt a lurch in their stomachs at hearing the name Walker responded “Where is he this time?” Shannon replied “He hit Hong Kong a couple of hours ago, I thought this was something to say in person and to ship you and your team to the USS Hamilton which is en route to Hong Kong now” Walker paused for a moment “Uh two members of my team are not here Sir” Shannon raised a hand to interject “Alice and Ishiro are already on board the Hamilton, now gather whatever you need we will as soon as you are ready” Walker, Carson and Kit rushed inside to gather whatever they need.
USS Hamilton
South China Sea
En Route to Hong Kong
It had already been a full day and Gigarrah had hit Hong Kong hard, the Chinese military were keeping him at bay but eventually he would breach the defences and sweep through Sheung Wan, this was the task to aid in the evacuation of the people in Sheung Wan. The hangar bay of the Hamilton was in action stations deck hands preparing the ospreys and fighter jets, Walker was stood with others of the MFD giving them directions “Alright I want the drones charged and ready to be up in the air as soon as we land…the surveillance equipment needs packed up and onboard osprey three!” Walker saw the ship’s captain approach “Agent Walker we almost upon Hong Kong” Walker nodded and replied “Captain once all is deployed get the Hamilton to a safer distance until extraction is complete” the captain nodded and headed back to the bridge. Carson was with a mass of the soldiers that had arrived on the Hamilton before the MFD teams he spoke with a stern voice the military experience kicking in “There will be three teams Bravo, India and Echo. Bravo and India will help with the Chinese military in engaging Gigarrah and team Echo will aid in the evacuation and rescue of survivors. Now have spare magazines on hand now bullets are not likely going to hurt him but they have certainly been known to piss him off which is why we will be using M60s and M249s, but if things seem to get out of hand no one play the hero just get the hell out of there” the soldiers nodded then marched off to gear up. Amidst all the hectic rushing around Walker had managed to gather all of his team “Ok we are set and ready, Carson by on the landing craft and head the rescue with the soldier teams” Carson nodded in agreement “Neeman are you and your squadron all set?” Neeman replied “The last of the F-22s are being fuelled now so we will launch in a few minutes” Walker nodded in response and continued “Kit, Ishiro you two will be with me and the other MFD members with the equipment we need to document as much as we can. We need video, infra-red, energy or radiation readings anything that we can use to learn about him…now let’s move!” the team split to their stations to wait to be deployed, Walker took Ishiro to the side “From the reports of the last encounter both yours and Takahashi’s we only have brief details on the abilities that Gigarrah has, is there anything that we need to know?” Ishiro was quick to recall the details “We only witnessed that red beam that his fires from his mouth, there’s usually an early warning parts of his body begin to glow brighter but if you are not out of the way when it happens it’ll be over for you in seconds. Other than that one attack I don’t know if he’s cable of anything else” Walker nodded and put a hand on his shoulder to reassure him “Thank you Ishiro now let’s get ready” the two of them walked over to the ospreys.
Victoria Harbour, Sheung Wan
Hong Kong, China
Smoke billowed high into the air across part of the city, the black swirling masses tinted orange from the fires burning below as the carrier approached a roar echoed out from somewhere on shore followed by the cracks of distant, frenzied gunfire and flashes from cannon fire from artillery.
The landing crafts with troops and gun mounted Humvees slid out of the rear hangar bay door and swept across the side of the Hamilton heading for the city, Carson spoke over the radio “Landing teams are deployed see you on the mainland!”. The ospreys had been loaded onto the deck of the carrier and began spinning up the rotors, Walker responded to Carson “Hit him hard and hit him fast, get as many people as you can to the evac points, see you when this is over” Walker looked to the pilot “Take us out” the pilot nodded. Taking off from the ship’s deck the ospreys rose into the air and made their way after the landing craft, after they had cleared the ship the fighter jets roared passed them Neeman’s voice came over the radio “Blue squadron we’ll do a sweep over the city, once the target has been identified we will swoop around and prepare to engage” the other fighter pilots acknowledged her lead. The squadron of ospreys chuffed loudly heading towards the city, Walker looked to his team they all looked nervous especially Ishiro and he knew why he got up and spoke “I know we’ve dealt with dangerous situations before it’s part of what we do, but this is the worst of the worst only one person here has ever faced Gigarrah before however there are people in that city who need our help so we need to get the job done” despite getting a little bit of confidence everything was still terrified.
The landing craft crossed the bay first managing to unload the troops and Humvees at an abandoned pier front, Carson saw several troops of the Chinese military with large groups of civilians he marched over and spoke to one of them “Wǎnjiān… Shuō yīngyǔ?” he replied “Yes I can speak English” Carson apologised “You must excuse me, my multilingual skills are limited…I’m Agent Carson with the Mega-Fauna division, what is going on here?” the soldier indicated to the civilians “We are waiting for the ships to evacuate these people to safety and more are due to come” Carson nodded “Ok me and my troops are going to help with your forces in halting Gigarrah to help give you and your men time to get the people to safety” the soldier shook his hand “Thank you…your help is appreciated” Carson gave a reassuring smile and made his way over to the Humvees. He stepped into the lead car and took the radio “Bravo leader, India leader Gigarrah is heading to the central area of Sheung Wan, both teams rendezvous with the Chinese forces and hold off him off as long as possible, Echo team we need help to evacuate civilians via the ferry terminal at Shun Tak Centre. Let’s move!” the troop transports and cars zoomed down the streets heading to their positions in the city leaving two cars for Walker and his group. Only moments later the ospreys touched at the piers the rear doors opened and Walker and the others rushed out with their gear and loading everything onto the Humvees, Walker stopped for a second then looked to Kit and Ishiro “Ok you guys ready?” the two of them reluctantly nodded Walker was uneasy too “Right then let’s roll out” the other soldiers and Walker’s team boarded the Humvees and made their way to towards the chaos and destruction.
Blue squadron soared over the city Neeman leading them over the smoke and fires “Any sign of the target?” over the radio was several ‘negatives’ there was nothing to see yet, the planes passed over a large area of the city that had been decimated with a large cloud of dust when slowly a large shape moved out of the smog rearing up it’s long, square broad and black-skinned head which had red quills running along the top of its head and down its neck and two long mandibles that protruded from its bottom jaw, the mouth filled with crooked teeth opened and released a loud deep dreadful roar. Neeman couldn’t believe what she was seeing “Holy shit!” other pilot also spoke with shock “Jesus Christ!” the planes swooped passed Gigarrah then circled back, as the dust cleared they could get a better look at him. Over 300ft he had black obsidian skin and a hunched back the deep red quills continued along its neck onto the upper part of its back, with a long thick tail that swept around behind his hulking shape. Neeman spoke “Alright Blue squadron focus and prepare to engage, with his size he will be an easy target but so will we” the planes did another loop preparing for the attack run Neeman flicked the weapons to missiles “Target in range, weapons-free” her other pilots all replied with ‘weapons free’ Neeman looked at Gigarrah she couldn’t believe that she was seeing him in real life, she took a deep breath “Fire at will” missiles launched from the F-22 side bays and they streaked across the air impacting across Gigarrah’s back and left side, he roared angrily and snapped at one of the planes narrowly missing it.
Walker’s team arrived about a quarter of a mile away from the fighting with the military they got out of the Humvees, Kit and one of the assistant Harrison ran to the back and opened the rear door and took out the crates containing the specialised drones “Kit pass us the command console” Kit picked up the console and passed it to Harrison who began booting it up as she turned on the drones. Walker and Ishiro slowly looked to the city seeing the flashes of light from explosions and cracks of gun fire Ishiro spoke calmly “This seems horrifyingly familiar” Walker glanced at him with concern “Come let’s get the equipment ready”. Harrison did the drone start up “Ok Walker the drones are ready” Walker gave the nod “Launch them now” the five drones whizzed to life and rose quickly into the air Harrison and Kit operated the drones whilst the other assistant Paulson monitored the data readings and Walker was watching the video feed. The drones swept through the skyscrapers until they reached the clearing in the buildings and there in all terrifying glory was Gigarrah, Walker gasped in awe “Oh my god” Ishiro remained silent at seeing the creature again, he was on all fours then jumped up on his hind legs shifting his body to adjust standing upright Kit was amazed “Highly adaptable, he’s actually altered body morphology to become bipedal” Walker continued watching but gave Kit a quick glance as she spoke again “Utterly incredible, it’s unlike anything we’ve come across before in the field” Walker looked to the other assistant Sawyer “How are the data readings?” Sawyer was puzzled and indicated to the screen “It’s unbelievable infra-red, ultraviolet and radiation levels are fluctuating as if this thing can alter every known spectrum, but we are picking up an energy signature that I don’t recognise but it is a very strong reading, off the scale of what we can calculate” Walker looked at the readings “Get as much information as you can it may help us in dealing with him” Sawyer nodded and continued with his work as Walker took the radio to contact Carson “Carson what’s the situation on your end?”.
A tank crashed down hard onto the ground near to Carson’s right side causing to unknowingly flinch “Christ! Tanks are holding him back and the ground troops are maintaining distance and holding the line, but this bastard is getting pissed at us” guns cracked and tanks boomed as they unleashed a barrage of metal against the titanic animal which roared in anger rather than pain. The planes swooped down low over the city and a volley of missiles flew through the air with each one hitting its mark across Gigarrah’s hulking size, the ebony beast slumped hard onto the ground his claws carving into tarmac of the street and Gigarrah’s body began to shake violently cracks in his back split open and the glow from underneath the skin began to shine brighter. In the air just above his back red orbs started to form, there was eight orbs in total that formed Carson and the soldiers ceased, the air was heavy with dirt and dust and the world was silent for the briefest moment when in a flash of red the orbs burst into a flurry of flaying vines of light (The Crimson Tendrils), they flicked outward several struck the nearby buildings cleaving many into pieces which crumbled to the ground. Carson reeled backwards in surprise “HOLY SHIT! FALL BACK!” before the ground forces could react two of the Chinese tanks were destroyed by the tendrils along with some men Carson bellowed “FALL BACK NOW!’” one of the Chinese yelled the translation “Dàotuì!”, Neeman had to bank hard to avoid one of the tendrils although one of her squadron was not so lucky, “Christ! Blue team we need to pull back keep clear of those things!” the planes had no choice but to leave the fight until they could get close.
Walker’s team arrived about a quarter of a mile away from the fighting with the military they got out of the Humvees, Kit and one of the assistant Harrison ran to the back and opened the rear door and took out the crates containing the specialised drones “Kit pass us the command console” Kit picked up the console and passed it to Harrison who began booting it up as she turned on the drones. Walker and Ishiro slowly looked to the city seeing the flashes of light from explosions and cracks of gun fire Ishiro spoke calmly “This seems horrifyingly familiar” Walker glanced at him with concern “Come let’s get the equipment ready”. Harrison did the drone start up “Ok Walker the drones are ready” Walker gave the nod “Launch them now” the five drones whizzed to life and rose quickly into the air Harrison and Kit operated the drones whilst the other assistant Paulson monitored the data readings and Walker was watching the video feed. The drones swept through the skyscrapers until they reached the clearing in the buildings and there in all terrifying glory was Gigarrah, Walker gasped in awe “Oh my god” Ishiro remained silent at seeing the creature again, he was on all fours then jumped up on his hind legs shifting his body to adjust standing upright Kit was amazed “Highly adaptable, he’s actually altered body morphology to become bipedal” Walker continued watching but gave Kit a quick glance as she spoke again “Utterly incredible, it’s unlike anything we’ve come across before in the field” Walker looked to the other assistant Sawyer “How are the data readings?” Sawyer was puzzled and indicated to the screen “It’s unbelievable infra-red, ultraviolet and radiation levels are fluctuating as if this thing can alter every known spectrum, but we are picking up an energy signature that I don’t recognise but it is a very strong reading, off the scale of what we can calculate” Walker looked at the readings “Get as much information as you can it may help us in dealing with him” Sawyer nodded and continued with his work as Walker took the radio to contact Carson “Carson what’s the situation on your end?”.
A tank crashed down hard onto the ground near to Carson’s right side causing to unknowingly flinch “Christ! Tanks are holding him back and the ground troops are maintaining distance and holding the line, but this bastard is getting pissed at us” guns cracked and tanks boomed as they unleashed a barrage of metal against the titanic animal which roared in anger rather than pain. The planes swooped down low over the city and a volley of missiles flew through the air with each one hitting its mark across Gigarrah’s hulking size, the ebony beast slumped hard onto the ground his claws carving into tarmac of the street and Gigarrah’s body began to shake violently cracks in his back split open and the glow from underneath the skin began to shine brighter. In the air just above his back red orbs started to form, there was eight orbs in total that formed Carson and the soldiers ceased, the air was heavy with dirt and dust and the world was silent for the briefest moment when in a flash of red the orbs burst into a flurry of flaying vines of light (The Crimson Tendrils), they flicked outward several struck the nearby buildings cleaving many into pieces which crumbled to the ground. Carson reeled backwards in surprise “HOLY SHIT! FALL BACK!” before the ground forces could react two of the Chinese tanks were destroyed by the tendrils along with some men Carson bellowed “FALL BACK NOW!’” one of the Chinese yelled the translation “Dàotuì!”, Neeman had to bank hard to avoid one of the tendrils although one of her squadron was not so lucky, “Christ! Blue team we need to pull back keep clear of those things!” the planes had no choice but to leave the fight until they could get close.
Walker’s team watched from the drone footage as the tendrils continued to cause devastation, Kit was in disbelief “Has he always been able to do that?” Ishiro shook his head “No…this is something new”, Walker was silent for a moment and muttered to himself “He’s evolving…adapting” he quickly snapped back into now when Carson came over the radio “Walker we are falling back those things are slicing “Right load up into the truck with the equipment, we need to move when Carson reaches us, Kit can you keep the drones in the air? ” Kit nodded to him “We can keep the drones online and still be in range from the docks should we need a quick exit”, Walker got in contact with the USS Hamilton “Captain how is the evacuation coming?”, the Captain was on the bridge watching the boats coming in and his crewmen scurrying about the deck “The are a few more areas of the city that need evac, how much time can you give us?” a massive explosion cracked from behind Walker’s position which made the ground tremble “Not enough Captain”. Carson and a small handful of the ground forces turned the corner and ran down the street heading towards Walker’s team, Carson stopped and caught his breath “Walker he’s headed this way, the Chinese and the rest of our troops have regrouped near Man Mo Temple on Hollywood road with the tank battalions, but if he hits us again now he’s got those tentacle things there’s nothing stopping him tearing through to the evac point” Walker gave a quick a nod then turned to Kit “Take the others back to the harbour and await evac keep the drones going as long as you can” Kit shook her head “Boss we’re not leaving you behind!” Walker placed hands on her shoulders “Kit I need to see this, we need to find a weakness”. There was another large explosion from somewhere close by which made everyone jump Walker ordered Kit with authority “Go…Now no discussion, we’ll be at the harbour soon” with much reluctance Kit got into the SUV and watched Walker, Ishiro and Carson charge off down the road before they began heading towards the waterfront.
Gigarrah was stood firm as the tendrils continued whipping around in every direction the entire perimeter surrounding him had been decimated, his body shook and the tendrils suddenly faded away Gigarrah reared upward standing on his hind legs and looked over the swirling mass of smoke and dust and out to the harbour and could see the boats leaving heading towards the larger ships. He snarled angrily the red hyper beam burst from his open maw skyscrapers crumpled as the beam carved through the city and out into the bay which struck one of the large ships near the Hamilton the Captain watched as the ship split in half then erupt into a ball of fire and scattering debris “CHRIST!!!” he rushed to the radio and contacted the team on the mainland “Walker we need to start preparations to leave we’ve just lost one of the ships”. Walker stopped running “We can’t leave there are still thousands of people in the city, we can’t abandon them” the Captain replied “Like you said there’s not enough time we are sitting ducks if he decides to attack like that again! We can take whoever is left at the harbour but that’s it we need to leave!” Walker stood silently he thought they would have a better chance to get as many people as they can out of the city. Carson turned and walked over to Walker looking concerned “Walker what’s wrong?” Walker felt his stomach churn “We’re out of time, Gigarrah is attacking the ships the Hamilton is only taking those waiting at the docks and no one else” Carson took a moment he looked to Ishiro who nodded to him, Ishiro then spoke firmly “Then we hold the line…now come on” they continued running as Carson radioed Neeman “Neeman! Gigarrah is targeting the evacuees we need some rain” Neeman replied with “Copy that Carson bringing the rain”.
The fighter jets had been circling the city Neeman signalled to her squadron to commence with another attack, she pushed on the throttle swooping up high to get a better visual of Gigarrah away from all the smoke the other following close behind Neeman checked her gauges she was had only missiles for a couple of runs but was almost out of fuel “Shit…Ok we only have a couple of chances to hold him back before we have to retreat back to the Hamilton, so let’s make them count”. The planes had gotten a good distance and could see Gigarrah firing it’s hyper beam out to the bay attacking the ships again, the target was set and the jets whizzed down towards the city Neeman radioed the squad “Alright everyone this is going to get rough!” the machine guns spun round and began the first of the barrage to get Gigarrah’s attention. Bullets pelted across the monsters neck and face which made him turn from the direction of the harbour, as he turned the bullets stopped then the missiles followed. One after the other they hit their mark striking across the entire body, the jets began to fly passed Gigarrah Neeman spoke “Watch your distance” sadly this instruction was too late as one of the jets was caught when Gigarrah lunged forward and snagged the fighter jet within his jaws. Trapped within the mangled rows of teeth Gigarrah revelled with his prize he watched the other planes which could hear the static screams of their friend who was still trapped in his cockpit Neeman grimaced with heartache hearing the desperate pleas of her comrade, she saw that Gigarrah was scowling at them but Neeman was convinced that it was smirking, then he slowly bit down crushing the plane and silencing the pilot permanently. The planes swarmed around Gigarrah as each one passed by close they would give a discharge of bullets and missiles which exploded randomly around Gigarrah who bellowed in anger at the nuisance of jets buzzing around him, Neeman checked her gauges they needed to return to the Hamilton otherwise they wouldn’t need Gigarrah to fall out the sky she radioed to Walker and Carson “Walker, Carson we can’t hold on anymore we need to head back to the Hamilton”. Carson, Walker and Ishiro had reached Hollywood Road near Man Mo Temple the tanks were positioned all along the streets, the guns were all aimed at the massive creature which loomed in the distance Carson took his radio “Get out of there Neeman we’ll hold the line now” Neeman felt a sense of remorse for leaving her friends behind with that monstrosity destroying everything, but she had no choice she recalled the squadron and they made their way back to the boat.
Walker stood on top one of the tanks and stared at Gigarrah and its rampage, over the years of working with the MFD Walker had seen many different types of Mega Fauna but nothing, absolutely nothing compared to Gigarrah. Finally being able to see him in real life instead of just archive footage it was what he was expecting to feel, outright terror. Ishiro was right these were not animals they were dealing with but Titans something from legend itself and Gigarrah was something different from them, he wasn’t like the other’s all this destruction and death it served no purpose he wasn’t pursuing anything or defending himself. Gigarrah was destroying and killing for just the sake of it, was it enjoyment? Hatred? This sort of behaviour gave more intelligence and malevolence to Gigarrah which meant it was different from the natural order. Ishiro wandered along the line of tanks until he reached Walker “Walker? We’re ready” Walker jumped down from the tank as Carson joined “I doubt we will hold him for long there are SUVs in the next street for when we need to get out of here quickly” Walker looked over his shoulder to Gigarrah “We need to find something, anything that can show us how to defeat him. That god-form that Akira mentioned I believe there is something there that must hold a secret to stop all this destruction from Gigarrah and end all the misery he wreaks” Ishiro was not feeling the same desperation as Walker but he sympathised that his friend was feeling defeated lately “It’s a long shot to take but it’s too dangerous to be so close” Walker replied “I need to see this Ishiro”. Before Carson could speak there was a massive crash coming from the direction of Gigarrah, the three of them turned to see one of the larger skyscrapers collapse with a deafening crash and the shatter of clash, Gigarrah was moving slowly in the swirl of dust but getting closer Carson quickly turned to the soldier and yelled “FIRE!!!” the soldiers signalled to the tanks.
Each canon from the tanks cracked out a volley of artillery Walker, Carson and Ishiro ran up the street to regroup with the soldiers that were positioned at the temple, Gigarrah struggled to see with the impacts from the shelling impeding his vision it caused him to roar in anger. His deep red glow began to get brighter he stood higher then slammed his front arms hard into the ground, the road began to split apart spitting up dust and chunks of debris as huge jagged shards of red crystals burst up through the ground, the shards reached a nearby building close to the tank battalion and larger shards sprouted outwards tearing through the first three floors.
Carson and Walker flinched from the building exploding Carson yelled “HOLY SHIT!” more shards tore through street and shredded two of the tanks in front of them, Ishiro was in disbelief “That is something new as well!” the soldiers began to fall back from the monster’s attack but they maintained their engagement. Walker was frozen not from fear but from determination to see this mission through his gaze was fixed on Gigarrah who lumbered slowly towards them, smoke billowing from fires burning amongst the city, Carson grabbed Walker by the arm “We need to get out of here!” Walker was adamant about staying “I can’t leave Carson, I need to find a weakness” another building collapsed shaking the ground Walker kept watching Gigarrah. Carson took Walker by the shoulders “KARL!!!” Walker was shocked Carson rarely called him by his first name “Karl I know you want to find a way to stop him, but if you stay here you are going to die!” Carson looked at his friend with a strong determination “Please we need to go now” Walker was silent but nodded woefully. Carson yelled to the soldiers “Fall back to the harbour!” one of the Chinese leaders repeated the order “Dàotuì! Tuìhuí hǎigǎng!”, the tanks were abandoned and everyone ran through the city using any street or alleyway closest to get bet to the harbour to be evacuated.
Kit was stood next to the entrance of the harbour with Sawyer and Harrison still at the Humvee as the last of the civilians were being dispatch to the ships, she looked at the city from her position she couldn’t see Gigarrah only the massive curtain of blackened smoke and the orange glow from the fires. Sawyer came over to her “Kit they are starting to evacuate military to the ships, we have to go” Kit shook her head “We can’t leave them here” Sawyer looked to the city as a deep roar bellowed out amongst the buildings “We may not have a choice Kit”. Kit was resolute that she was not going to leave Walker and Carson behind, from amidst the nearby buildings across the way she heard the sound of shouting Kit gave a smile when she saw Ishiro, Walker and Carson running towards the harbour followed by what soldiers remained from the battalion.
The group stormed into the building to escape, Walker staggered over to Kit and the others struggling to catch his breath Kit spoke with concern “Are you guys alright?” Walker nodded “Let’s get out of here” as their gathered their equipment and boarded one of the ferries. As the ferry left the port for the Hamilton they heard a shrieking roar coming from Gigarrah Carson was curious “What the hell? Sounds like that thing is hurt” Ishiro remembered the sound, he remembered it vividly “It’s happening, just like last time” the team looked to Ishiro who was almost paralysed with dread.
Gigarrah shrieked again he could feel the pull again, the pain was beyond agony every cell screaming in unison, he shook his head from disorientation the torment was splitting his skull in two h wouldn’t be able to hold this form any longer. Kill as many as possible, this was a final moment Gigarrah hunched over feeling the surge building in his chest, he reared up on his hind legs and with a roar up the sky the crimson hyper beam burst forth and with a sweeping arc from right to left the red beam of energy carved through the sky then sliced through any building in its path, glass shattered, concrete ruptured into dust, fires roared into infernos as the city burned. Roaring in pain Gigarrah could feel it, it was time, slumping to the ground he clawed at his neck and back splitting the skin as the glow of red light got brighter, this form couldn’t sustain him anymore the body heaved as the red translucent flesh began to emerge. The final form was emerging bursting from the blackened husk, glowing with a pulsating beauty Gigarrah was something of a fusion of powerful elegance and mighty ferocity that with every roar that thundered as he transformed felt like it could shake the Earth to the very core. The heat from Gigarrah had become intense what was left of the surrounding area was enveloped and beginning to melt or burn, the body was free and stood upright lightning struck as a rift split open in the sky above him, it was time to leave, Gigarrah was raised upward and vanished into the void giving one last terrifying roar before the rift closed leaving on the sound of silence in his wake.
The team stood from the deck of the Hamilton watching the city on fire which glowed against the thick black clouds and the yellow of the setting sun, there was nothing they could do until the fires had been extinguished, as the rest of the team went to go over the data they collected Walker was alone when Ishiro came and stood alongside him “This isn’t a failure my friend” Walker replied “Certainly doesn’t feel like a win either” Ishiro placed a hand on Walker’s shoulder “There are many lives on all this vessels that are because of what we did today” Walker glanced at all the ships in the bay and nodded “If only we could do more” Ishiro nodded in agreement but then said “For us mere mortals what can we do when facing a gods wrath” he gave Walker a gentle pat on the back then turned to go and get some much needed rest leaving his friend to watch the city.
Days had passed and the fires had finally gone out, the MFD members and the remaining Chinese forces had returned to the mainland to look for survivors. Wandering slowly and cautiously through the rubble and ruin; the district of the city once filled with towering skyscrapers now charred, jagged moments to the death and misery as the sounds of sirens echoed in the night. Walker stopped when he came across a sight of a figure that was ashen huddled over trying shield something, trying to protect something, as Walker got a closer look he noticed that the figure was a woman huddled over the remains of two smaller bodies…two children, he dropped heavily to his knees his eyes fixed on the family frozen in that last terrifying agonising moment. Walker huddled over clutching the ash strewn ground clenching his fists tightly, he grit his teeth trying to hold back the anger as Carson wandered over behind him “Walker?” he crouched beside to the right of Walker and placed a hand on his shoulder “Karl come on we need to finish with the evacuees” Walker kept looking at the mother and her children “We could have saved more” Carson also looked to the burnt bodies “Karl there was nothing we can do” Walker stood upright speaking with an aggressive tone “There was everything we could have done, we should be more prepared that just sitting around waiting for the head office to call us like GOD DAMN IDIOTS!!!” he picked up a piece of rubble and threw it into the windshield of a trashed car “With all the creatures we’ve uncovered over the years yes there has been destruction from them but Gigarrah he is something else he understands what he is doing, he’s malevolent an evil force of pure devastation, how many cities have to fall before we can do something to prevent this?!” he pointed to the bodies as Carson stepped over to him “Karl we can only do what we can, Thunder Wing, Nomad and even Gigarrah these things are forces of nature we can’t fully control them when they decide to run rampant…but we do…the job, your words Karl like you say this job is hard but we brush ourselves and get back to it” Carson placed his hand on Walker’s shoulder again “We have a job to do Karl…Are you with me?” Walker paused for a moment then took a deep breath and gave a defeated nod, Carson gave him a smile as their continued down the street a voice came from behind “Excuse me are you with the MFD?” Walker and Carson turned to see a middle aged man standing holding a black box, it was the man with the backpack who knew that Gigarrah was coming Walker looked at him curiously “Yes, are you a survivor?” the man shook his head “No I managed to escape on the ships but I needed to speak to you” Walker looked to Carson who shrugged his shoulders “Who are you?” the man slowly approached “My name is Doctor Klaus Emmerich, and I know how to kill Gigarrah”.
END
EPILOGUE – The Fractured King
The tiltrotor swooped in low to the top of the mountain range, the base was hidden high up in the mountain and there was an opening to the hangar bay on the side of one of the peaks and the rotor landed safely inside. The bay door opened and Carson stepped out first he was cautious and armed with an M4 Carbine which was standard issue for the MFD team members, Carson gripped tightly to the rifle’s foregrip and aimed the flashlight which was mounted on the right siderail he looked around at the battered remains of the hangar he shouted to his team mates still onboard the rotor “All clear” Ishiro came down he too armed with the same style assault rifle then followed by Walker and Dr Emmerich then Kit and Neeman, they wandered across the hangar and towards a large metal door which was partially open and entered the base.
Deep inside the team navigated through empty rooms and abandoned labs, Walker spoke to Dr Emmerich as they walked “So what was this for?” Dr Emmerich replied “It was through private funding but the men and women along with my Father were a collective of researchers and scientists from all across the world, after the Second World War and then during the Cold War they wanted to find an alternative energy source so we were no longer relying on the destructive power of nuclear energy” Walker glanced at all the delipidated hallways “Is this what caused the base to be evacuated?” Dr Emmerich shook his head “No…this was caused by something else”. Going further and further into the ruins of the facility they eventually came upon a massive room that was completely exposed to the outside world, it looked like there had been some kind of explosion which had just ripped through everything and out to the sky above them. The team shone the lights around looking at the gaping wound in the mountain Walker looked to Dr Emmerich “Alright Dr, what the hell is this place?” Dr Emmerich knew this place from what he found out from his father all those decades ago, he turned to Walker “Agent Walker all legends have origins a real truth behind the myth, flesh and blood ascended into an immortal pantheon…this my friend, is where Gigarrah was born” Walker couldn’t comprehend what he had just heard, he struggled to find words after a minute he croaked out “What did you just say?!”.
To Be Continued in:
‘The Fractured King: A Titan Story’
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