As the description says, a story inspired by the original script for TriStar's Godzilla. This is basically "what a Godzilla remake would be like if I made it". There'll be little references in the plot to various Godzilla films if you look, especially "Ghidorah, the three-headed monster" and "Godzilla 2000".
Godzilla is © Toho
PRELUDE: ANTARCTICA, 1997
1997, Northern Tip of the Antarctic Peninsula
The sound of the Chopper blades was the only thing cutting through the cold silence of the Antarctic air, the silvery full moon beaming down through veils of icy clouds as the tiny craft neared the field of lights and concrete before it.
Jason Lampard bolted upright as the man beside him poked him in the arm, rousing him instantly from his sleep.
"Hunh?" He snorted, blinking at the shock of waking so suddenly.
"Seatbelt," His companion nodded to him, "Looks like we reached the end of the world."
Jason pulled the straps of the seatbelt over his body, covered in thick clothing to protect against the cold of the Antarctic. Though a physically fit man in his early 20's, he still knew the dangers of the frozen continent. No scientist in his right mind went out into the field without knowing what he was doing. As he fumbled, a small camera fell to the floor besides him.
"Sorry," Jason apologised as the man handed it to him, "Promised my daughter I'd bring back some snapshots."
The chopper descended, landing on the 'H' near the centre of the Military base that surrounded the huge crack splitting the frozen ground.
"Professor Lampard," The Sergeant outside greeted him as he stepped down from his transport, "Sergeant Michaels, welcome aboard."
"Thanks," Jason nodded as he hauled the cases of clothing and equipment, "I was hoping we could go over the situation one more time?"
"Not a problem," Michaels nodded as he led the professor toward the elevated platform that hung over the edge of the crevice, "As you know, a nuclear submarine was recently sunk in this area, without giving us any idea of why it decided to explode." The platform started moving down, past the edge of the crack and moving down sheer walls of ice. Then we get in touch with the eggheads… sorry, scientists… and we found that there was geological activity about two days before. We set up here, and before long we found the 'sample'."
"Sample?" Jason parroted as the platform stopped. The area before him was filled with soldiers and scientists going from one small research station to another. The chasm was truly vast, hundreds of feet in height and width, lit by the chains of lights evidently set up in a hurry.
Michaels turned, nodding toward something behind Jason.
"That sample."
To say the thing was 'big' would be an understatement. It reached up to an impossible height, frozen within a wall of ice.
The jaws of a saurian head were parted within the ice, a slightly elongated neck above muscular shoulders and a lean, well-built torso. The beast was built like a prize fighter, with well-developed arms, each ending in four spread-out clawed fingers, were held close to its chest like a boxer. Thick, muscular legs hung down in the ice below it, with massive spikes the shape of Japanese maple leaves jutting from its back and rows of smaller spines visible on the back of its neck and the top of its head. A long tail was curled behind the leviathan.
"Sweet Mother of God…" Jason stared up with wide eyes, "What… what is it?"
"That's what you boys are supposed to be telling us," Michaels explained, "We found the thing when we got here, and nobody's been able to pin it down to any known species. Something like that, anyway. Looks like we've got us one hell of a dinosaur fossil."
"No," Jason shook his head, "That's no dinosaur. How big is it?"
"About 180 feet head-to-toe," Michaels recited, "270 if you count the tail, and I think it's about 90 feet wide at the hips. Big, any way you slice it."
"Big doesn't cover this," Jason breathed, "There's never been a species on this planet anywhere near that big."
On elevated platforms at the side of the gargantuan thing, groups of scientists started assembling and raising pieces of equipment, applying them to the ice.
"They're cutting it out," Jason realised. "It looks like it's in suspended animation. How long's it been in there?"
"About 50 years, according to the science boys."
"Only 50?" Jason visibly shook, "Good God… where the hell could that thing have come from?"
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The industrial saws kept cutting, slicing clean through the ice around the still and unmoving leviathan.
"This is unbelievable," Jason turned over the page of the report, "There seems to have been no cellular degeneration whatsoever. It's perfectly preserved… hell, there's even a chance that the… the uh…"
"Gojira," The scientist next to him finished for him.
"Godzilla?" Jason repeated
"Gojira. But that's good too. That's the name we came up with for this thing. It's a mix of the Japanese words for 'whale' and 'gorilla'. We though it sounded good."
And then, it happened.
On the ice covering the body of the great beast, a crack appeared.
Then another.
And another, until the sound of the splintering surface drew the attention of the people below.
Each one of them watched agape as a spider-web pattern of cracks spread out over the monster's form, the ice weakening with every passing second, until…
A blazing, orange eye moved, its pupil dilating.
A chest covered in dark-grey scales rose and fell.
Finally, the ice smashed, the creature's form swinging round as it broke free.
A thunderous roar sounded from the creature's throat; a high-pitched, earth-shaking scream of untold fury at its imprisonment.
The cavern filled with screams of shock and terror as the behemoth freed itself, immense three-clawed feet slamming onto the icy ground.
With another ear-breaking roar, the creature turned, clawed hands digging into the side of the chasm as the frozen floor cracked apart beneath it, falling into the abyss beneath.
Jason Taylor could only watch as the floor fell beneath him.
As he fell toward the abyss, feeling the rush of air slam into his body and falling with what had been his foothold, Jason Taylor profoundly understood that his life was over.
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The Antarctic ground smashed open, the huge form of the leviathan bursting upwards as it hauled itself up into the air, roaring into the air in its freedom.
Sergeant Michaels looked up in utter amazement at the freed creature, watching its parted jaws bellow into the night air. Even a man such as he, trained and disciplined and commanding, could not help but be awestruck at the sight of the great beast.
He managed to shout only a single word, at the top of his lungs, before the monster's foot descended upon him.
"Fire!"
The beast shot forward faster than anyone could expect, its foot slamming into the middle of the base as the soldiers scrambled beneath it. One man raised his assault rifle and squeezed the trigger, the impact utterly unnoticed by the huge creature.
Its tail swung to the side, striking the guard tower with earth-shattering force as the tonnes of manmade material descended through the air, those who dived out of its way able only to watch powerlessly as the monster stormed toward the shore.
A beam of light streamed through the air behind it, the beast's orange eyes turning as the flying masses of metal rose. The guns and missiles of the three Apache attack choppers trained on the mountain of scales and spines before them.
The foremost chopper fired, a pair of missiles illuminating the night sky before exploding in spheres of flame on the monster's chest.
Godzilla's jaws snapped forward, catching one chopper between them as they closed, the machine exploding into a shower of burning metal as the creature turned to the second craft. Even as it fired, the great beast's tail smashed into it, the machine smashing to pieces in one fell swoop.
The monster leaned back, the row of spikes on its back flashing blue and lighting up the night sky. The light flashed from its hips, up its back and through its eyes in a split second. A stream of flame burst forward, consuming the chopper and, when it ceased, leaving nothing where it had stood.
With one last, deafening roar, Godzilla turned, diving down into the water, the immense splash subsiding as it shot away through the water.
Godzilla was awake.
And thus, the story begins! There'll be about 17 chapters in the story, as this is the first time I've actually planned what'll happen in each one. One of my longer opening chapters there, too. Anyway this chapter was a reference to "Godzilla Raids Again", "King Kong Vs Godzilla" and "Godzilla: Final Wars". Expect to see some themes from the films, including aliens, psychics, hi-tech weapons and, of course, giant monsters beating the crud out of each other.
All Reviews Welcome!