Here There be Monsters

Chapter 1: The Beast/The Goddess

Mei Xing questioned her sanity again as she herded more people to the waiting transports. Terrified and helpless people swarmed the area, desperate to reach the waiting helicopters. Most were barely keeping enough sanity not to trample each other while the others only keep their calm by forcing it to protect others. She and a few other volunteers were the only military personal here, keeping some order in the mayhem. The rest…

Off in the distance, the rest of Baltimore burned. Barely three hours ago, the city had been picturesque and bustling with activity. Now its entire northern section was either flattened, burning, or both. And the cause of it towered over the wreckage, roaring so loud it shook the ground, even from this distance.

"Keep calm and keep moving! Don't look back, just keep going!" Mei yelled over the noise, trying to keep the Beast's visage from breaking the tiny bit of sanity still left in the crowd. The others of her ad-hoc unit did the same and kept blind panic at bay for a little longer. But they were only buying time, same as the rest of their comrades. Time to get a few more people out of the path of that walking Armageddon.

As if summoned by her thoughts, the rumbling of the Beast's roar was drowned out as jets roared past. A few people started to cheer as they raced toward the massive monster, but Mei knew better. She had seen the reports on what the Beast could do, what it had taken, and knew those jets weren't going to stop it. Nothing could. It was why their commander had asked for volunteers for this job. And why an exit strategy for them had never even been considered.

"KEEP MOVING! Don't watch, just go!" Mei ordered, pushing a few forward to keep the line moving. Her sole job was getting as many people on those choppers as fast as possible. Because sooner or later the Beast would start moving and, if it held to its usual pattern, it would be heading straight for them. And once that happened, everyone who wasn't already in a helicopter was dead.

Despite herself, Mei couldn't help but watch as the jets roared past the Beast's massive body. Missiles flashed out before exploding on its snake-like lower body. Whether they did anything was hard to say, but the Beast didn't seem fazed as it roared in fury at them. A swipe of its claw caught two while the other three banked away. Far below, more explosions erupted on its body as an armored column began shelling it as well. The Beast roared in fury before its mouth opened wider and spewed a stream of plasma. The affects of the steam were blocked by the ground and still standing buildings, but the explosions dropped off noticeably... An entire column…

"That's it, we're full!" a crewman yelled, drawing Mei's attention away from the horror. She nodded to the crewmen and started to push people away from the copter. Many pushed back and she only lost ground rather than gain it. Pleas, angry yells, and cursing filled her ears as the copter spun up its blades and drowned all of it out. With the help of the down-draft, Mei pushed the people back and the copter took off into the air.

Mei glanced back to find the next waiting helicopter. She spotted it and turned to le- fear flooded her body as she froze in place. The Beast's huge form was moving again... and heading straight for them. Other’s followed her eyes and a sudden, horrible silence took over the area. The living mountain was moving toward them…

"Oh God, EVERYONE RUN!" someone yelled, and the last bit of sanity shattered. Mei tried to keep some calm, but it was futile as people shoved her out of the way and rushed the remaining transports. Their crews boarded in record time and started them up as people fought to get aboard.

One never got off the ground as it was swamped by people. The craft tipped over and its blades dug through the concrete, and people, that were in the way. Debris cut apart still more as it whined before exploding in flames.

Two more managed to take off though a poor man who had grabbed on at the last second plummeted to his death before anyone could pull him in. Another was about to takeoff when someone shot the pilot. He might have been about to demand being let on but was set on by a mob and killed. The area around the pilot-less helicopter turned into a brawl.

 Mei watched all this and part of her screamed to go stop this... But the rumble of the Beast's approach was getting louder and a glance back at its 2500ft frame bearing down on her silenced that voice. Primal instincts took over and Mei joined the crowd in fleeing the area. There was nothing she could do now, save try and save herself.

Rushing through the abandoned streets, Mei could see they had no chance on outrunning the Beast. Worse, the press of people was getting tighter and tighter. She noticed a few go down and never saw them again. Pushing her way out, she slipped into the doorway of a skyscraper and ducked inside to escape the mass. A few others joined her, and they all took a moment to catch their breath.

Before any could so much as talk, the entire building began to quake, groan, and splinter. Two of the group rushed out immediately. Mei was about to join them when, suddenly, the wreckage of a transport smashed down into the doorway, killing the two that had exited. Outside, screams of agony and death echoed out as glass rained down. The doorway was ruined and the flaming wreckage of the copter, with a massive boney spike speared through it, blocked the exit.

Mei didn't wait as she sprinted further into the building, desperate to find another way out. She didn't bother bringing the others with her, focused solely on herself, as she sprinted through the back rooms of the first floor. The noise from above grew worse and the ceiling began to shake, driving Mei to search faster. She broke down doors, smashed through glass, whatever, to get to an exit. Finally, she found an emergency exit and practically dived through.

Landing outside, Mei stumbled to a stop and gasped in relieve. She glanced up... and her mouth widened as she saw the entire top half of the skyscraper simply gone. Mei had no idea what had happened to it, but it was simply... gone. And then a shadow moved from beyond it... No, not a shad- Oh God....

Far, far above her was the Beast itself. So massive was its size that she had thought it was the night sky, but no it was simply looming above her. Mei tumbled to the ground as her mind tried to process how impossibly huge it was, but all she got was vertigo. She barely even registered the jets flying toward it, the missiles that hit it right above her. And the huge glob plummeting towa- no, NO!!!

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Gesila awoke with a slight jump as the dream faded away. She groaned in annoyance as she cursed her own mind. It had been twenty years since that had happened... and it still haunted her when she least expected it. Dammit...

"Good morning, Gesila. The time is 7:45 AM. Would you like to begin your morning activities?" a male voice said from nowhere in particular.

"Morning to you, Al. And yes, might as well," Gesila answered as she pushed herself out of her sleeping area. She stretched her arms up, hearing and feeling her scales creak at her movement, before pushing herself onto her feet. She stretched her legs and tail out and her scales creaked some more. She might be molting again soon... great.

With most of her weariness stretched out, Gesila moved out of her room and into the exam area. She sighed as it hummed to life and its various tools and machines came out of their storage areas. Various mechanical arms moved them into position as they circled around her, collecting various information for her "caretakers".

"I am sorry, but pro-" Al started, but Gesila cut him off.

"It's fine, Al. I know who to blame for this constant annoyance," Gesila said, as she glanced to her side. Staring back was her mutated reflection, sent back by the one-way window.

Some part of Gesila still found it odd how used to her twisted look she had become. She still remembered when she had seen her... changed self for the first time. Her face and hair hadn't changed too much, only a few scales scattered about and her skin darkening in tone. Her eyes, though, had turned yellow and became slit like a cat's. The biggest change, though, was her teeth, now huge and razor-sharp. Oh, the terror that had filled her face all those years ago... Now, all she saw was herself. Or rather Gesila, the new her. Mei Xing was long gone.

Gesila snapped back to now as the most offensive of the various tools appeared in front of her. It was a syringe and it patiently awaited her to allow it to take a blood sample. Grumbling, and with another glare at the window, Gesila raised her scaled arm and took hold of a scale next to where the scales stopped and her "normal", as normal as skin capable of taking tank shells without so much as a blemish were, meet. She grunted as she pulled the scale back, causing a bit of her blood to dribble out. The syringe acted quickly and took a sample before withdrawing. For good reason as the small wound had healed before it had even returned to its birth. With all the tests finished, the door leading to her proper home was opened.

"Al, can you get a bath ready for me? Got a lot of gunk stuck between my scales," Gesila asked as she left that damn chamber behind. She rubbed her arm and found her scale already fitting back into its proper place and the pain mostly gone. Truth be told, the blood withdraw was nothing but a mild annoyance, but she still hated it. She wondered, not for the first time, what they would do if she just refused to give it. Nothing they had could get through her skin so... Well, nothing that wouldn't cause collateral damage anyway.

"It is already prepared and set to your preferred temperature," Al responded.

“I should really learn to just not bother asking,” Gesila said with a smile.

“Your morning bath is the most adhered to morning routine you have. Outside the required exam,” Al responded, though Gesila had already stopped listening. Instead, she was rushing toward her bathing area. Al was great when it came to getting things done and being punctual but left a lot to be desired in conversations. Though, being an AI, that kinda came with the territory.

Gesila moved into the airlock leading to her bathing area and willed it to hurry up and cycle. She was eager to wash off the crust of sleep and let herself be properly relaxed before the, inevitable, annoyance arrived.  Finally, the airlock opened, and she practically pushed her way inside.

Before her was a bubbling pool of boiling acid, its fumes giving the area a sickly green glow. A normal person breathing in the stuff would be lucky to ever get another breath, but Gesila's enhanced lungs barely even registered the acidic fumes. She rubbed her clawed hands together before dipping a toe in. Ohhhh, fuck that was perfect~!

Gesila, slowly, lowered herself down into the warm, ticklish acid and let out a satisfied gasp as she submerged everything save her head. She enjoyed the tingling of it eating away all the dead skin and old scales as the warmth soothed her muscles into relaxation. Ahhhhhh, once again Al had worked magic.

"Is it to your liking, Gesila?" Al asked as Gesila began to lower herself fully into the welcome liquid.

"Perfect as always," she answered before letting herself fully submerge. Now completely under the liquid, she ran her hands over her body to help loosen the various refuse stuck between her scales and skin. She ran them over her powerful arms, large toned legs, and chiseled abs... It was tempting to really enjoy her soaking, but she had no interest in giving her caretakers a show. She did, though, run her hands over her breasts and make sure they were cleaned as well. OK maybe a little show.

Gesila stayed under the liquid for a few more minutes, letting the acid do its work. She could have stayed under for longer, her changed form allowed her to hold her breath for hours, but decided to come up for a quick breath. She emerged from the acid and whipped the hissing liquid from her face. As she was leaning back to relax, a tiny, familiar form began to move toward her. Ugh, already?

"Just five more minutes, Nancy," Gesila asked as she keep her head above the acid. Emerging from the green gas was Nancy, her handler, dressed in her usual suede business wear with her large snake-like tail trailing behind. Her jacket and hair were put up like proper business attire, but her undershirt was a bit too flashy for either. And her tail was anything but, covered in artwork that wouldn’t look out of place on a hippie van. Nancy always was a bit… different and she made sure everyone knew it. Even when it was just a projection of her made by a small hovering machine anyway.

While Nancy was a changed, the nice term for people mutated by Echidna’s Blood, she would be just as dead as an unchanged human if she breathed in the fumes. Or, God forbid, got any of the acid on her. So, her entering the bathing area was out of the question. But even then, it was unusual for them to talk face to face considering the massive size difference.

"Sorry, Gesila. The Commander made it clear you were going to do the tests or else. And before you threaten me, remember I'm just the lowly messenger no one cares about," Nancy said as she typed a few things onto her notepad. Gesila rolled her eyes before shifting to stare down at the tiny lamia girl projected in front of her. Had they been in the same room, Nancy would barely be bigger than Gesila’s eye, but the projection enlarged her to about head-size.

"You're lucky I'm not keen on killing messengers. Or breaking toys," Gesila said with a toying smile. Anyone else would have been less than relaxing staring into Gesila’s teeth-filled maw, but Nancy was used to it. And on the other side of a projection.

"Also helps that I'm the one who gets all your little... distractions put in," Nancy said with a smirk of her own.

"That it does. Alright, I'-" was as far as Gesila got before an alarm blared throughout the area. Immediately, the warm acid began to drain away and Gesila lamented its sudden absence. And yet was ohhhh so glad for that sound.

"Kaiju threat detected. US forces have requested aid of MCP. MCP aid has been approved. Gesila, prepare for sortie," Al said as the lingering gas was pumped out as quickly as possible. The immense wind was nothing to Gesila, but the projector began to be sucked in. Gesila plucked the machine out of the air and moved into the airlock as it sealed and cycled open.

"Good catch. Just set it on the counter, I'll get Al to send a drone to make sure nothing broke on it," Nancy said from the projector. Gesila nodded and, once the airlock opened, sat the device on the counter. She left Al to take care of it as she headed out toward the massive doors slowly opening. Sunlight filtered in as the doors opened and Gesila blinked the light away as her eyes adjusted. Stepping out, she took in a huge breath of fresh air and stretched one last time. Finally, free again!

In front of her was the base that administered to her containm- sorry, "living quarters" spread out before her. Being 550ft tall, Gesila towered over all of them and everything else around, save the large mountain her quarters were built into. Various people and vehicles rushed through the center of the base, clearing the huge, reinforced concrete road that lead out of the base. She waited till a light near the massive doors turned green before moving forward. Gesila followed the concrete road out of the base and toward the waiting transports. Four massive VTOLs, each larger than many of the buildings in the base, were waiting for her with a massive clamp-like harness hanging between them.

Gesila hooked herself into the harness before giving a thumbs up to the pilot. All four transports, controlled by a single pilot through a master-slave computer program, rose up and lifted Gesila into the air. Gesila leaned back as she was lifted away from her prison and toward her next bout of freedom. And her next battle.

Monster Containment Protocol Information: Section A

Mutations: Class- Kaiju

A very rare, point of contact mutation that has become a constant threat to reclaimed Contaminated Zones and those bordering them. A great deal of misinformation and false-research has been done regarding Kaiju mutations, so we will focus on dispelling many before all else.

Kaiju mutation is ONLY a point of contact mutation. There have been no reported cases of any mutated people or organisms spontaneously becoming kaiju. This is a myth spread by organizations with political and social interests. A mutated creature will either become a kaiju when they are first mutated, or they will not. PERIOD. Anyone found spreading this misinformation WILL be punished up to and including termination.

Second, a mutated organism does not immediately become a kaiju. The actual change can take days, even weeks, to fully complete and has clear warning signs that can be observed before it happens. These signs will be discussed below. Again, anyone spreading misinformation of this kind WILL be punished. Our mission is hard enough without these constant social misunderstandings.

Finally, all kaiju are stable mutations and do not undergo secondary mutations. They may seem to gain new abilities or powers, but this is usually simply down to learning what their mutated bodies are capable of, not additional mutations.

With these myths dispelled, we can discuss the actual mutation itself...

Chapter 2: The Calvary/The Pilot

Baltimore was gone. Even from here, many miles outside its limits, Micheal could see the city was leveled. The many gleaming skyscrapers, busy subdivisions, and congested roads were nothing but ruins and broken rubble. Only a small handful of buildings were still standing and even those were heavily damaged. Smoke from still burning fires covered much of the ground while pools of that green shit congealed in various places. The entire area looked like a warzone from a sci-fi movie, not a city.

"We're really going down into that? The fuck do they expect us to find?" Martin, the airmen next to Micheal, said.

"Survivors. Some of our people. Someone who saw some weakness to that monster. Jesus himself, if we are really lucky," Micheal said, trying to lighten the mood. It didn't work. Doubly so because they really could use divine intervention.

The entire home guard, along with much of the northeast's National Guard, had been sent to try and save Baltimore. The fact that the only unit even capable of search and rescue was them; airmen, flight crews, and even some desk jockeys, said everything about how that went. Thousands of soldiers, hundreds of tanks and planes... and the Beast shrugged them all off before crushing them. His Jesus comment had been a joke, but they really could use his help about now.

"We're ten minutes from the drop site. Check your weapons and seals. Make sure you are airtight. Remember, that shit gets on you and you'll wind up like those poor bastards in Rhode Island," Captain Stal ordered as he moved through the helicopter. Micheal made sure his suit was sealed and then did the same for Martin, who then did his. Both were fully sealed and Micheal went back to staring out the window.

That freaky green shit... that was the worst part of this mission. Seeing the destruction was terrifying, and the thought of having to dig through it to find what was left of people turned his stomach. But imagining being mutated like some of the people who survived Rhode Island... Micheal let a shudder go through him as the horrors flashed back through his head. As if the Beast's size and power wasn't bad enough...

"Everyone checked? Good. Alright, keep your weapons ready and your ears out for survivors. Remember, that green crap can mutate animals too and they might not be so friendly after the change. You see one, put it down. I don't care if it looks like someone's dog, put a bullet into it. As for any people..." Stal trailed off as everyone looked at him. He gulped before putting on a determined face.

"As for any people, contain them or... or put them down."

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The helicopter sat down in what had been the southern evac area. Almost nothing was left of it save a few wrecked helicopters and some leftover signs. Dead bodies were scattered about the area and a horrid silence hung over the place, only broken by the occasional metallic groan of the rubble. Micheal climbed out along with the rest of the group, leaving the helicopter pilots to start setting up a joke of a triage center. It was the best they had, though.

"Alright, everyone split up and start searching. If you find someone, stabilize them as best you can and move on. If their buried, you can try to dig them out, but if you can't manage it just mark them and move on. Remember, we're just here to find as many survivors as we can as quickly as we can. The real clean-up crew is following us, so don't get bogged down helping just a few people," Captain Stal ordered as everyone nodded. No one was thrilled by the idea, but they needed to cover as much ground as possible. And if they kept having to come back together to save one buried person, well...

Heading off in his assigned direction, Micheal couldn't help but gape at the destruction all around. Seeing it from the ground was just...surreal. Entire buildings had been flattened like pancakes while skyscrapers had been torn in half like paper. Dead bodies littered the entire area, some half-buried others only half there. Moving through the carnage, Micheal began to wonder if they were being sent on a mission of futile hope. How could anyone have survived this?

"Hello! Anyone out there?!" Micheal yelled, forcing his mouth open despite his failing hope. There had to be SOMEONE still alive... right? Sadly, there was no answer save the wind and shifting rubble. Micheal felt his spirits fall as he continued forward, but yelled out, nonetheless. He needed to at least try. Had to, at least, pretend there was some hope.

Micheal was about to yell out again when a bit of rubble shifted. He was about to rush over when he remembered the warning of mutated creatures. Taking out his gun, Micheal moved a bit closer while flicking the safety off.

"Hello? Is that someone? Please let it be someone and not something," Micheal said, mumbling the last part to himself.

"Y- He-" a female voice said, much of it drowned out by the rubble. Holy shit, someone had survived! Putting his gun away, Micheal rushed over to the rubble and started to toss bits of debris off.

"It's OK! I'll get you out!" Micheal said as he got most of the rubble off the shifting part. However, the shifting part was a massive slab of concrete and Michael, even with his suit helping, was unsure if he could lift such a huge thing. He wasn't about to give up without trying, though, so he grabbed the slab and started to lift. He grunted in effort as his suit whined in strain, but the slab barely moved. Dammit!

"Hold on. Let me try again," Micheal said before shifting around. His suit groaned as he pushed it to its limit, but the slab only moved a bit. Come on, he wasn't going to leave the first survivor he found buried alive!

Suddenly, a strange cracking and groan came from inside the rubble. Micheal was about to stop to ask what that was when the slab began to shift. Seeing his chance, Micheal threw everything into one last pull and felt the slab shift. He held it up as his suit blared warnings, but a figure slid out from under and into freedom. With a gasp of held breath, Micheal let the slab crash back to the ground and stumbled backward to fall onto his back. He stayed there a minute before looking over to who he had saved.

Beside him was an Asian woman in the uniform of an army soldier. The uniform had several tears and cuts on it, but she looked to have avoided any scrapes herself. She gasped to regain her breath before glanced over to him.

"Th-Thank you..."

"No problem. Private Micheal Young," Micheal introduced himself, holding out a hand. The woman accepted it.

"Private Mei Xing," she answered as they shook hands. Micheal had recovered enough, and let his suit cool, to risk standing and he offered to help Mei up. She took his hand and rose up, and up, to be almost eye level with Micheal. Damn, she was huge for an Asian girl!

Mei seemed a bit confused about something, but never got her question out. Another muffled yell came from their left and Micheal rushed over to find it. Mei and whatever was on her mind would have to wait.

"I hear you, keep yelling so I can find you!" he said as he tried to track down where the yelling was coming from. The uneven rubble made that a complicated task as the voice distorted and bounced off the various debris.

"Over here, she's right here!" Mei yelled and Micheal hurried over. She was right as the woman's yelling was clearest at that spot.

"Good job. You can stop yelling, we found you! Stay calm and we'll get you out!" Micheal ordered before tossing more rubble away from the spot. Mei joined in and proved surprisingly strong. With her help, Micheal cleared most of the rubble save a large block. Thankfully, it was much smaller than the one Mei had been under. Micheal was sure he could move it in his suit, but Mei got to it first.

"Mei, le-" was all Micheal got out before Mei started to shift the thing. But that was the least shocking thing as that strange cracking noise came again, only now it was obviously from Mei. Mei grunted as her head started to rise and her arms covered more of the rock. Her arms expanded into toned, modest, biceps and her legs filled with muscle they lacked seconds before. Her torn uniform ripped a bit more as she lifted the boulder and tossed it aside. As if to hammer the truth home, a few spots of scales began to appear on her arms and her legs. Oh no...

The woman crawled out of the hole and dived into Micheal's arms. She thanked him like mad before planting a big kiss on his helmet, but Micheal barely noticed. The woman followed his eyes and went wide-eyed as she saw Mei as well. Micheal glanced over to where Mei had been buried and, finally, noticed the green glow coming from it. Dammit, no!

"Oh God... a mutant! Keep away from me!" the woman yelled as she took off running. Micheal was going to grab her, but stopped as he remembered that was the hand he had used to help Mei up. He turned back to Mei and saw her watch her the nails extend to resemble thin claws.

"No... NO!" Mei yelled before falling to her knees. Micheal thought of moving to comfort her, but the scales expanding along her arm checked him. Fuck, what if his suit had a breach? What if he got that... that horror on himself? He cou-

Micheal's thoughts were interrupted as he heard more yells and calls for help. Mei's yell must have been heard and got others to start calling out. Putting Mei to the side, Micheal moved toward the closest and started to dig them out. It wasn't long, however, that he found his progress stopped by another large block he couldn't move. He was about to go to the next when he heard that strange crackle from Mei. Glancing over, he caught the tail end of her latest growth as she neared ten, maybe more, feet. God, she was getting big and stro- wait…

"Mei! Mei!" Micheal yelled, but the mutating woman paid him no mind. He swore under his breath before getting another idea.

"Private Xing!" Micheal yelled in his best imitation of a drill sergeant. Reacting like any soldier, Mei snapped to attention. Her sudden movement caused most of her uniform to rip apart leaving only tattered remains to cover her crotch and some threads clinging to her chest, but not covering a damn thing.

"Sir, Yes-" Mei stopped as she realized Micheal was the one who had yelled at her and gave him a confused look.

"Stop staring and help me, dammit!"

"Help? You wan... but I'm turning into a monster! Look at me!" she said showing the scales that were spreading over much of her arms and legs. And her swollen breasts, though Micheal did his best not to stare.

"Who cares?! These people are dead if we don't get them out, and I can't do it. YOU can, though, so get over here and help, dammit!" Micheal said as he tried, and failed, to lift the slab of concrete. Mei looked unsure and mouthed something only she heard. Micheal swore at her before focusing on moving the block. He was starting to make a bit of head way when it, suddenly, was lifted away. The man trapped under the block crawled out and flopped to his back, sputtering out thanks between breaths. Micheal smiled as he looked up to see Mei put the block back down.

"There are more over here," she said and Micheal nodded as they headed for the next voice.

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Night was starting to fall on the ruins of Baltimore. The ruined evac site was beginning to return to its original state with various tents and jury-rigged landing pads scattered about. Help had, finally, arrived a few hours ago and the next wave of troops came with dozers, jackhammers, and other tools to help clear the area.

A few survivors were being led through the area to various craft to airlift them out. All of them were wounded in some way, but most were still capable of walking. Those that weren't had to be kept in the tents as they were stabilized and made ready for more specialized transportation. However, the vast majority were kept well away from the area...

Micheal sighed as he looked down at the less... well put togeth- oh fuck it, the prison most of the survivors had been put into. The "walls" were nothing more than stacked up rubble and debris, but did the job well enough to keep those mutated penned in. Most of them were less than happy about it, but the soldiers guarding the only exit were armed and unmoved.

Micheal understood the need to keep the contaminated away from those lucky enough to avoid it but putting them into an ad-hoc prison seemed a bit much. Doubly so when most of the mutated were only minor changes like hair color or skin color. Yeah there was that guy who looked to be turning into some kind of bull-human hybrid and the woman who had like seven arms, but still, they were people! And it really wasn't fair to someone who was most responsible for there being so many survivors... Mei.

Mei's changes had yet to stop and neither had her growth. She was now at least twenty feet tall with arms that would make a weight-lifter jealous and legs to match. Scales had spread over most of her arms and legs, save for their inner areas, and even her breasts had seen their lower half scaled. While this did mean her nipples were hidden away, she kept legs drawn up and her hands covering her crotch. It was about the only way she had to stay somewhat modest.

Micheal wanted to say something to her to cheer her up, something to make that worry fade from her eyes, but couldn't think of anything. The only reason she wasn't in that pen too was simply her size. That and no one being brave, stupid more like it, enough to try and force her inside. Instead, she'd been left to sit off on her own, with nothing but stares and whispered words to keep her company.

"I'm not stopping," Mei, suddenly, said, breaking the silence. Micheal snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at her.

"Huh?"

"The changes... They’re not stopping. I can feel it," Mei said as she looked at her hand. As if summoned by her words, Micheal watched it expand, scales move further along its length, and her nails grown closer to claws. She let out a long, depressed sigh as she buried her head into her knees.

"I... Lo-... It's not so bad. I mean... you're not a freak o-" Micheal stopped as Mei gave him a withering look.

"Not a freak? LOOK at me! What am I if not a… a mutating freak?!” Mei said motioning toward herself. Micheal winced at her anger and had to fight not to back off. He knew that would only make her feel even worse.

"That-... OK yes, you look like a monster on the outside, but what does that matter? You're still you on the inside!" Micheal said, trying to find the right words and thinking he had failed. Mei scoffed and had a mini-spurt as she shook her head.

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one still growing and mutating," Mei responded with a snarl.  Micheal swore as he was proven right. Of course, that old cliché wouldn’t work. Besides, she wasn't wrong, HE wasn't turning into a giant monster so what comfort could he really provide? He cursed inwardly before turning back to the evac are- Of course!

"I'm not. But I'm not the one who saved all those people. I'm not the one who ignored their body mutating to pull survivors out of rubble. I'm not the one who nearly everyone down there owes their lives to, even if they don't want to admit it," Micheal said, finally finding the words he had been looking for.

"And... and even if they do ignore that fact, I won't. I'll know you were the one who saved them. And you aren't just some monster. You’re… You’re Mei, the girl who saved hundreds from being killed," Micheal finished. Mei unburied her head and looked down at Micheal. She gapped as if to say something before looking out over the area as well. She lowered her head and a she sniffed as tears started to flow down her face. She buried her head again as she wiped her face off.

"Just... just leave me alone," Mei said. Micheal wanted to say something, but Mei shifted away. He sighed and swore as he started to walk away. Dammit, he had been su-

"Thanks," Mei whispered out. Micheal turned to see Mei smiling at him, before turning away again. Micheal smiled to himself before leaving Mei to her tears.

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Micheal did a few last-minute checks as Gesila hooked herself into the harness. He waited for her to give the thumbs up before beginning their ascent. Looking over the readings of the four crafts, Micheal eased them upward, keen to keep them all level with each other. Even a slight difference between the craft could cause major problems once they got going as the differences piled up. It wouldn't take long for the off-aligned craft to veer completely off-formation leading to a near unavoidable disaster. But Micheal was an expert at the process and done hundreds of flights, he wasn't about to make a rookie mistake. He corrected and re-corrected each craft as they ascended making sure each stayed in proper alignment and his transmitted controls would properly translate.

With the four VTOLs at cruising altitude and all four properly aligned, Micheal switched them to flight mode and they began their slow acceleration to cruising speed. With the dangerous part taken care of, Micheal activated his headset and let the computer take control for a bit.

"Welcome to MCP flights, uhhhhhhh, please keep your arms, legs, and tails close to the harness and don't, uhhhhhhh, rock the planes too much. We'll be flying through beautiful Maryland to the, uhhhhhhh, coast an-"

"Please stop before I throw myself head first at the ground," Gesila said, interrupting Micheal's horrid mimicry of an airline pilot. Unlike Micheal, who needed the intercoms hooked to the VTOLs to be heard, Gesila was more than loud enough to be heard without any assistance. Micheal let out a chuckle before he answered.

"Alright, alright. Wouldn't want to have to explain to the Commander why you decided to imitate an ostrich," Micheal said as a call appeared on his instruments.

"Speak of the devil," Micheal said before patching the call in. Commander Maxwell's stern face appeared on the screen and on a projection between the VTOLs so Gesila could see as well.

"You can fool around when you are back on base, Pilot," Maxwell said giving a stern eyeing to Micheal. Micheal nodded but rolled his eyes inside his head. Damn sourpuss...

"We received a request for aid from a US recovery team near the coast of Maryland. A kaiju, code named Promethean, has been spotted north of the ruins of Baltimore. Containment teams have already engaged, but we need this kaiju put down ASAP. This Red Zone is well on its way to being downgraded to Yellow and I don’t want us being blamed for slowing that effort. Kill the kaiju with as little contamination as possible, understood?" Maxwell said as he shifted back to pure business. Damn, a Red Zone being downgraded to a Yellow. No wonder MCP were sending their best to deal with this.

"Yes, sir. Target will be neutralized with minimum collateral," Gesila answered and Maxwell nodded in approval.

"Good. Pilot, I'm sending all the data we have on this kaiju. Brief Gesila on it while I coordinate evacuations. Maxwell, out," Maxwell finished as his image vanished. No sooner had it gone did a mass of information appear on the screen. Ugh, Micheal hated when he dumped this part on him.

"Always dumping this part on me. Oh, for fucks, would it kill him to at least try and organize the data! Fucking, bastard," Micheal said as he started to try and get the information in some kind of order.

"You know he can still hear you, right?" Gesila asked as Micheal scoffed.

"Good! Besides, he knows damn well he is a BASTARD every time he does this," Micheal said yelling the bastard part to make sure Maxwell heard it. He was sure to but wouldn't care in the least. Doubly so as he would gladly admit to being a bastard and dumping the job onto Micheal.

"Alright... Think I got these reports in order. Let's see... OK. so, this Promethean looks to have been a shellfish before it mutated. Maybe a crab or a lobster from the look of it," Micheal said as he started to go through the reports, making some corrections with their flight here and there as needed.

"Any natural weapons?" Gesila asked.

"Yeah. Got the obvious big pinchy claws you would expect, but with serrated spikes lining it for extra nastiness. Its backside has expanded out kinda like a spider, only with a giant spiked plate to cover its big butt. I thi- oh wait, here's one saying it spits out bubbles that might be corrosive. Pretty vague on details, though. Think that's it," Micheal said, not seeing anything else important in the various reports and transcripts of frantic calls for help.

"Doesn't sound too bad. Would have preferred a straight fish, though. Shellfish doesn't have enough meat," Gesila said as Micheal chuckled.

“It does have a readymade plate for the feast, though," Micheal countered as Gesila shrugged. Her shrug turned into a full on stretch and Micheal couldn't help but stare. It was still hard to believe that tall Asian girl he had pulled out of the rubble twenty years ago had turned into Gesila.

Little of that Mei was left now that her kaiju mutation had reached completion, physically anyway. The most obvious changes were her size and muscle mass which had both increased exponentially. Her skin had changed radically too as most of her body was covered in hard, black scales now. Only her face, parts of her chest, and inner arms were still skin, and even that had a darker tint to it. Her crotch had been plated over with scales as well, though they could be opened to reveal her pussy. He was a bit embarrassed how he had found that out and hoped Gesila would never learn that he did know. Her nipples were the same way and were hidden away. She had, also, let her hair grow out and it hung down her entire back like a second layer of plating. It wasn't too far off, either, as her hair was insanely strong. But nowhere near as strong as she was as her powerful arms and legs attested too. Her hands and feet had become true claws with massive talons on each and her teeth were like something out of Jaws. All in all, Gesila would have been absolutely terrifying if she wasn't on their side.

A small alert shook Micheal out of his thoughts and he saw a new distress call had arrived. He read through it and swore as it painted a bleak picture. Seemed Maxwell hadn't been such a bastard dumping the briefing on him considering how badly the evacuation was going. Shit, they needed to be there yesterday.

"Gesila, did you see that new call?" Micheal asked.

"Just read through it. Do it," Gesila said, already guessing Micheal's intentions. Micheal smiled as he sat up in his chair and cracked his knuckles. He took a deep breath as he grabbed the throttle and began to push it to the max. Each VTOL sped up as Gesila's harness swung further and further back. Going full out was stupidly dangerous, but it would get them to their target in a few minutes rather than nearly thirty. It also meant any course corrections were almost out of the question and made it all but certain the VTOLs would start to drift out of sync, hence the stupidly dangerous part.

Regardless of the risk, Micheal pushed the VTOLs past their safe operating speed and ignored the various warnings and alarms blaring. His hands and eyes flew across his controls and readouts, making adjustments here and there as the VTOLs began to get unbalanced or out of formation. It was a constant, and losing, battle but the goal wasn't to keep it up forever, just long enough to get Gesila to the operations area. He knew he would get an earful from Maxwell for doing this and the crews were going to be more than a bit annoyed, but they'd get over it. People couldn't get over being killed by a rampaging kaiju.

As the alarms and alerts began to pile up, Micheal finally saw their target in sight. The massive crab-spider kaiju was rampaging through a large open plain near a clean-up operation, explosions blossomed over it. The weapons were ineffectual to the huge thing but weren't meant to be. They were simply to distract it and keep it chasing the speedy vehicles till Gesila got here to deal with it properly. Sadly, there were quite a few wrecks where some of those vehicles hadn't been quick enough...

Knowing it was now or never, Micheal activated the drop sequence and the countdown appeared before Gesila. The VTOLs were become more and more unaligned and Micheal swore as the countdown seemed to take forever. Finally, it hit zero and the harness de-hooked dropping Gesila to the ground far below. While it was massively high up for a person, it was nothing for Gesila who landed and skidded to a halt through a small forest... and a road that had been hiding in it. Fuck...

Gesila glanced up at the VTOLs as they zoomed past and pointed at the road accusingly. Micheal would have flipped her off if she could have seen as she tossed him squarely under the bus. Fucking dammit, Maxwell was going to have his hide for this... Ignoring speed regulations AND trashing a road. Dammit, dammit, dammit!

Still, Gesila had arrived in the area and the various vehicles near Promethean sped away. The kaiju looked about to pursue them, but Gesila let out an earthshaking roar and it, instead, turned to face her. The crab-spider thing answered back with slamming claws and a roar of its own before moving toward Gesila. Gesila slammed her tail against the ground as she got into a fighting stance, an eager grin spreading over her face.

 Monster Containment Protocol Information Section A

Echidna Blood: Currently the greatest threat to human life. Echidna blood; called Typhon Blood in Europe, Mutagenic goop to laymen, or corruption to some, is the blood of the original kaiju to attack the Eastern Seaboard of the United States. Originally called the Beast, it was renamed Echidna after the effects of its blood on complex organisms was found.

Echidna Blood is a highly mutative, highly contagious, liquid capable of mutating any multi-cellular organism it comes into contact with. The result of this mutation varies wildly from simple changes to outward appearances (changed skin/hair/eye tone) to mutations so violent and wild as to be lethal. So powerful is the agent that simple skin contact is enough to cause its full effects.

Due to the use of conventional weapons when fighting Echidna, much of the Eastern seaboard has been contaminated with Echidna Blood, spread via the many missile, shells, and other weapon impacts. The result is a wide spread of its mutagenic effects to a wide variety of creatures, including people. Worse, these same mutated organisms can spread the mutagen with their own blood as well, making a situation that could, in theory, spiral out of control. Thankfully, this threat was contained after the death of Echidna and the quick response of various groups, including our own MCP.

Due to the self-defeating nature of using traditional weapons on Kaiju-level threats, as these will simply spread more Echidna blood, MCP controlled Kaijus have become the go-to response for kaiju threats.

Chapter 3: The Captain/The Fight

Finn stretched himself out as he groaned in weariness. It had been a long boat ride back to the States and the chance to sleep on a bed that wasn't bobbing was very welcome. He tossed his uniform's jacket onto the nearby chair and climbed into bed. No sooner did he lay his head on the welcome pillow, though, did hurried footsteps come from outside. Of course...

A knock came from the door and Finn, now going back to Captain Maxwell, pulled himself from the bed's welcome embrace. He should have just stayed in the HQ tent and not bothered even trying to sleep…

"Come in," Maxwell said as he debated killing the messenger. Maxwell decided against it; poor kid was already on someone's shit list if they sent him to wake their Captain up. Which was why Maxwell was taken aback as First Lieutenant Gideon entered the room, half-dressed himself.

"Sir, it's Admiral Spire. He just reported their radar has inbound," Gideon said, his face pale and eyes wide. Maxwell blinked once in confusion. Inbound? Who would be inbound that would make the Admiral wor-...? Dear God no...

"Get everyone up, Lieutenant. Get them all up and armed. I want full combat readiness five minutes ago. GO!" Captain Maxwell ordered as Gideon took off in a full sprint. Maxwell grabbed his jacket and quickly put it on as he rushed out of the building.

Outside, the docking area was coming alive with activity. Sergeants were bellowing for privates to get out of their tents, weapons and ammo were being passed out to everyone, and vehicles were being warmed up or smashed out of their shipped containers. Under normal circumstances, Maxwell would have chewed out the crews for being so destructive. Right now, though, he was making a note to tell all his crews to do the same. Of all the times for that thing to show up…

Arriving at his company's HQ, Maxwell pushed aside the flap and entered the din of activity. He waved off the salutes before moving straight to the map where 2nd Lieutenant Bars was starting to get some order to what they were hearing.

"Captain, Spire just sent out an update before you arrived. It's the Beast, sir, heading straight for us and Boston," Bars said, keeping calm despite what he had just said. Inwardly, Maxwell cursed and felt terror run down his back. They had just made landfall not a few hours ago and that damn monster was already heading straight for them. Most of his Marines were still tired from the trip and much of their equipment still stored away. The damn thing couldn't have arrived at a worst time. But Maxwell made sure none of that showed through. His soldiers needed him to be a bastion of strength more than ever.

"Seems we'll be getting our shot at that monster sooner than we thought. Lieutenant get our heavy weapons out and deployed ASAP. I don't care if we’re forced to rip the damn containers apart, I want our big guns deployed before that thing gets into range. Comms, get the other companies on the line. And someone else get as much coffee as we have, we're in for a long night," Captain Maxwell said as he took charge of his 217th Marine Company.

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Maxwell and his first Lieutenant had moved up to the outer limits of the docks to watch the Navy’s attempt to stop the Beast. Bars had remained behind to make sure everyone was ready, but Maxwell needed to see what they were up against, see just what sort of hell he was asking his soldiers to try and stop. No report or eye witness accounts or grainy video had prepared him for the horror of the real thing, however.

It took all of Maxwell’s willpower not to gap in horror at the sight beyond the docks. The Atlantic Fleet was fighting for its very survival as the Beast ripped ship after ship apart. At first, things looked to be going well, but once the Beast closed the distance everything had fallen apart. Three entire battleships and the Admiral’s own aircraft carrier had vanished beneath the tides along with most of their escort vessels. The Beast had ripped them apart like paper bath toys, save the aircraft carrier which it had melted with a spray of acid. The surviving parts of the fleet were making a run for it, desperate to gain some distance, as a few brave vessels held their ground so the others could escape. Not one had survived more than a passing interest from the Beast.

Captain Jackson had taken over command now that Admiral Spire had gone down with his carrier. He was sending out constant updates and warnings of what the Beast was using against them despite barely keeping his command together. Maxwell had made sure only he heard the reports, however, as the terror, screams, and mayhem on the other side couldn't be totally blocked by the Captain. Morale was sinking low enough without hearing their Naval brothers begged for help...

Aircraft from the surviving carriers and various bases were still screaming into the battle, but their numbers were shrinking with each attack. From here, it was impossible to say which of the explosions near the top of the Beast were missiles or poor bastards caught by its various tentacles, but it was obvious they were dropping like flies. Both the Navy and the Airforce had thrown their best at the Beast... and both were now limping away, defeated. 

"Sir, I really think w-" Gideon started, but Maxwell cut him off with a wave. Maxwell had no unrealistic beliefs in their chances or diehard no retreat doctrines. No, he simply understood that behind them was a city of hundreds of thousands of people. And every moment they keep that... that walking disaster away from the city was another moment for those people to escape.

"We're holding this ground, Lieutenant. I won't abandon Boston and its people to that monster," Maxwell said as Gideon sighed and nodded in understanding.

“Then let’s at least get back to the Command Post. The Navy won’t be able to keep it away for much longer,” Gideon insisted, this time making it clear he wasn’t going to back down on this. Maxwell sighed, but knew Gideon was right. No sense for him to be in front of their frontline when that monster started toward them.

“Alright, Lieutenant, I’ll go back to be safely stowed away,” Maxwell said with a rare smile. Gideon returned it as they turned to head back. They got a few steps along when Gideon glanced back for some reason. Maxwell was about to turn as well, but never got the chance as Gideon, suddenly, grabbed Maxwell and shoved him to the side. Maxwell swore as he stumbled into an alley between two warehouses and turned to yell at Gideon. But his voice caught in his throat as a massive rogue wave came barreling toward them. Maxwell cry of annoyance turned to horror as it smashed into the dock and blasted him back into the alleyway. He hit his head on something as he flew back, and the world spiraled into oblivion.

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“Cap-… we… Capt…. Finn pleas…. Captain, please!” a voice said as Maxwell felt himself drift back into focus. Bars was knelt over him along with a few other soldiers and he blinked a few times as things seemed to go in and out of focus.  And then the headache slammed home.

“Ba- AHHH! Dammit…” Maxwell said as a female medic shoved Bars aside and started to grab Maxwell’s eyes and pull them open. The light made the pain worse and he would have swatted her away if he felt he had any control of his body.

“Please be still, Captain. You took a nasty blow to the head and, most likely, have a concussion. Just rest for now,” the woman said as she started to grab some stuff from her bag.

“Concussion? Fucking… that wave mu- SHIT GIDEON!” Maxwell said as he tried to sit up, but Bars forced him back down.

“Sir, Please! Gideon is… is alright. Everything is alright! The Beast retreated once we engaged it. Boston and all of us are… are fine,” Bars said. Maxwell’s shaken head tried to process that. The Beast… had fled? How had… It… it had taken a lot of damage and his command had a lot of firepower, but… And… and why was no one cheering or celebrating or…

“What are you not telling me, Bars?” Maxwell demanded as his mind started to come back into focus.

“I’m telling you everything, sir. Boston is safe! Don’t worry about the rest, just get some res-“

“Don’t give me that shit, Bars, what the hell happened? Bars, BA-“ he didn’t finish the question as the woman injected him with something. Maxwell turned to yell at her, but the world started to spin again. His yell turned to a slur and he drifted back into nothing.

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Gesila hid her eager smirk as the crab-spider thing started towards her. The thing was a big one, easily bigger than Gesila and built like a tank. Its massive backside was, like Micheal had described, a giant spiked slab of chitin and its huge pincers were covered in small spikes. Its beady eye-stalk things slipped into ready built slots in its chitin and turned much of it into a nigh-impenetrable fortress. Gesila, though, was not worried in the least. The only thing she was, was hungry.

The kaiju let out another ground-shaking cry before charging Gesila. Gesila answered its roar and made to hold her ground. She waited till it was almost on her before diving to the side, avoiding its fury-driven charge. The kaiju rushed past her and tried to stop, but its massive bulk made changing direction a difficult task. Just like Gesila had hoped. She rolled back to her feet before charging herself, coming in at the kaiju's side as it attempted to reorient.

Caught off-guard, the kaiju lashed out with one of its pincers. Gesila was ready for it, however, and dodged it as it clamped shut on air. She raised both of her arms and slammed them down on its arm, shattering the chitin covering it and causing it to scream in pain. The kaiju attempted to flee backwards, but Gesila followed and grabbed its injured arm. Licking her fangs, she ripped the broken chitin off the creature to reveal its tender, juicy insides. Gesila's fanged mouth opened wide as she went to try a taste but stopped as a strange goop slammed into her face.

Stumbling back, and losing her grip, Gesila felt the goop starting to sizzle as it tried to burn her face. It failed utterly but might cause some damage to her eyes. Rather than take the risk, Gesila whipped it off before blinking her eyes open. Fuck, she had gotten overeager and forgotten that it could spit.

Regaining her sight, Gesila saw it had retreated a good distance away. The arm she had been about to rip apart hung loosely at its side while its other snapped at her. Well, at least she had managed to put one of its arm's out of commission. The rest would be easy now. Moving after it, Gesila started to break into a charge when the thing lowered itself to the ground. Gesila slowed as the spiked plate on its butt slid forward to point at her. She barely had time to wonder what it was doing when, suddenly, the spikes shot out and toward her.

Gesila slowing her charge saved her life as she flung herself backward and to the ground. Even with her quick reaction, several spikes slammed home. One smashed into her right shoulder, another scrapped by her head, a third hit her right in the side of her hips, and a final one smashed into her left hand. Gesila couldn't help but cry out in pain as she writhed in pain. Fuck, that had broken her hand and the damn spike was still stuck in her shoulder. Gesila knew she had to push through the pain, however, as the thing wo- fuck it was already charging her!

Unable to get to her feet, Gesila prepared for the impact. She caught its charge with her legs and swore as it drove her through the ground, digging a trench with her body. It’s still working pincer tried to clamp around her neck, but she managed to hold it off with her still working hand. It kept pushing her back, however, as it screamed in rage and pain-driven fury. Worse, Gesila couldn't get an attack back with it pinning her like this.

Gesila still had one last weapon, however. She sucked a breath in and felt the warmth spread through her chest. The tips of her hair began to glow before spreading upward as the warmth moved to her mouth. With most of the, now intense, heat concentrated there, Gesila opened her mouth and let out her own "spit", in this case pure energy, smash into the thing's face. Immediately, it’s on rush turned to a howl of pain and it tried to pull away. Gesila, however, was ready and her legs wrapped around it while her working hand snatched up its pincer. Holding on to continue her attack, Gesila forced more of the heat out and into its writhing face. It screamed and thrashed as its chitin began to melt, but Gesila held strong. Her hair drifted upward as the wind from the heat took it upward and she pulled herself closer to its face. With one last massive burst, Gesila let out a scream along with her breath, incinerating the thing's face. It collapsed to the ground with an earth-shaking thud while Gesila gasped for much needed air.

It wasn't long before Gesila's stomach took priority. She used her tail to spring back to her feet and licked her eager fangs as the freshly killed meal laid before her. Some small part of her, that part that still viewed her as just Mei, recoiled at what was about to happen. But most of her gave in to the ravenous hunger beating at her sanity. She kept her senses long enough to make the first bite, ripping into the arm she had damaged before. The meat was juicy and naturally salted giving it a wonderful taste. She enjoyed the taste as she rolled it along her tongue before swallowing it down. Ohhhh, she needed more, more,mOrE, mORE, MORE MORE MOREMOREMOREMOREMOREMREMEMEORMEORMEORMEORMORMEORMROEMROREMREORMRORMRORMROREMRIKROREKMRORMRJFJG

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Flashes of memories appeared before her. Delicious lingering tastes of salted meat. Sprays of blood quickly licked up. Licking a strange solid... plate? No, she... she couldn't use plates any- ohhhh....

Gesila felt herself coming down from her ravenous rampage. She blinked a few times before looking at the "plate" she was licking. Her memories from before losing herself returned and she frowned at the backplate of the crab-spider kaiju. Her damn hunger hadn't left so much as a drop of meat behind, licking the chitin cleaner than a washed dish.  Dammit...

Setting the chitin down next to her, Gesila took a moment to get herself fully back in control. An unbidden burp erupted from her mouth and released a bit of aftertaste from her meal. Mm mm, it was good, and she cursed her inability to control herself once she got a taste of kaiju meat. Oh, how she would love to be able to ENJOY a fine meal. Slowly sampling each part, finding the best chunks and saving them for last, teasing a few of the onlookers as she slowly turned the nightmarish monster into just another meal. Instead, all she did was shovel it down her throat like a crazed beast leaving no time to enjoy anything. She couldn't even really enjoy being full as she didn't remember eating a damn thing.

Thankfully there was one part of her meal that she still got to enjoy. Gesila felt the warmth and soothing energy spreading out from her stomach. She sucked in a breath and smiled as her body warmed still further. It was hard to notice, but Gesila knew she had gotten bigger. Not much, maybe a few inches or even a foot, but nothing truly noticeable. At least to someone her size. But inside... oh she could feel the changes there all too well. The warmth reached her legs and she felt them absorb the soothing warmth. Her muscles might have grown a bit, but she could tell they had gained more power. Her arms followed suit and even her lungs seemed to gain in power. A blast that long had left her breathless before, she doubted that would happen now.

Standing up, Gesila flexed her newly improved body and smirked at the new power coursing through her. It was tempting to try it out, but various vehicles were moving toward the area and clean-up copters were beginning to arrive. Gesila wanted to help, to have a nice chat with them, or even just like a photo-op or... SOMETHING, just human contact! But she knew it was impossible. They'd never get out of their vehicles with her nearby... and she couldn't blame them after watching her lose it seconds before. Ever from way up here she could see the fear and apprehension hanging around her like a fog.

With a resigned sigh, Gesila moved back to let them start their work as she moved to an open area. The VTOLs and their damn harness were already taking up position, ready to take her back to her pen. Gesila was tempted to blast one and call it an accident... but was unsure which one Micheal was in. And after the road thing, he was unlikely to entertain any... distractions.

With another sigh, Gesila hooked herself into the harness and gave the thumbs up. The VTOLs lifted her into the air and started the slow flight back to her enclosure. Gesila leaned back against her harness and stared outward to the vast world she could only see like this now. Small towns off in the distance, worksites repairing various damage, tiny cars traveling about to and fro, lakes and rivers slowly being cleaned of Echidna's blood... all of it just landscape she flew past but couldn't interact with. Not anymore...

Of course, Gesila understood why. Micheal, Nancy, and the others at her base all knew who she was, knew she meant no harm. But out here... out here she was just another kaiju, a giant monster to be fled from. What kind of real interactions could she ever have like this? Gesila liked being able to use this... changed form to help people, she enjoyed defeating monsters only she could, she loved helping to make sure no one else got changed like her... but she missed her freedom, she missed meeting new people, she missed... she missed her humanity. And she knew it was never coming back.

“So, how did it taste?” Micheal, suddenly, asked. Gesila had to fight not to jump but managed to keep her cool. Good thing too as Micheal would have mocked her for the entire way back.

“Salty, but not too salty. Just enough to give it a nice kick. Could still do with some water, though,” Gesila answered.

“Well, I’m sure they got some back at base. I might have made a pitstop, but…” Micheal trailed off and Gesila knew what he was implying. She couldn’t really blame him as she was sure he had gotten a earful from Maxwell already.

“It was mostly your fault.”

“What?! Who was it that said it was cool to go that fast? And who’s big ass feet bulldozed the road?”

“Big ass feet?! You little prick, my feet are normal sized for someone this big, thank you!”

“Like anything about you is normal.”

“Says the guy who is starting at my not normal chest right now.”

“Hey, you could put on a shirt to cover those things!”

“Where the FUCK am I gonna find a shirt big enough for me?“

Article from Washington Post: The Failure at Boston

While viewed as a victory at the time, it is now clear that Boston was an abject failure for the US military. While it did succeed in pushing Echidna back, thus saving the city from the fate of New York and Baltimore, it failed to recognize the threat Echidna's blood posed to the city or its own soldiers. Thus, the defense doomed the city to fall to a far more insidious threat.

Let me be clear, I am not saying the brave men and women that took part failed in their duty. Far from it, they performed above and beyond an expectation. The fault lies with those above them for not warning or explaining the full scope of the threat Echidna possessed. Therefore, the acted with faulty information and engaged Echidna like any other enemy, not realizing their weapons were spreading the contamination far and wide.

The effects of this folly were immediate as a large portion of the ground forces, having been exposed by the waves washing over the docks, mutated along with several civilians. Panic and terror cause many tragic outcomes as comrades turned on one another for fear of spreading the disease, as it was seen to the soldiers. Worse, some of the blood managed to leak into Boston's water supply contaminating the entire city and spreading the panic. While Echidna did not destroy the city, its blood and the people inside did the job just as well.

MCP addendum: It is imperative that the truth of what happened in Boston is not revealed. Too many questions will be raised that have unpleasant answers for our organization.

Chapter 4: Mother/ Mothest

Madison clutched her children to her as the elevator made its way to the roof, and the helicopter waiting on it. Far below, Madison could see the city of New York going about its normal routine. No evacuation order or call to flee had been given to any of them. In fact, most of them probably thought the threat was over. After all, the Navy had won and saved Boston from the Beast. But the news had left out that it was still alive… and that the Navy was in shambles… and the infectious horror running rampant through Boston. That ignorance was not gifted to Madison. 

Being one of the best biological scientists in the country meant Madison had been brought on the study the Beast from the very beginning. It still filled her with wonder and horror. How something so large could survive was… impossible and the rate at which it mutated and adapted… Madison wanted, NEEDED, to learn its secrets, to classify it, to understand it, to… to… KNOW it. And with Boston now a treasure trove of test subjects and samples, it was all Madison could do not to be at her desk 24/7. But, no matter how devoted to work she was or wanted to be, her kids came first. Always. And they needed to get further inland.

With a soft ding, the elevator reached the roof and its doors slid open. A well kept and polished helicopter awaited her and the others as they filed out. Her children clung to her even tighter and Madison smiled down at them both. She had already told them she wasn’t going with them and neither was happy with that fact.

“I don’t wanna go to Grammy’s,” her daughter pouted as her son tightened his grip on her pants. Madison sighed and took them out of the line before kneeling down to them.

“I know you both want to stay, but you need to go see your grandparents once in awhile,” Madison said, not daring to tell them the truth of why they were leaving. 

“Then why aren’t you coming?” her son asked with a pout. Madison ruffled his hair till he slapped her hand away.

“Because mommy has to work and make sure she can buy you new toys. I know it’s boring out there, but just put up with it for a week. And when you get back I’ll get you both a new game, alright?” Madison said. Both brightened a bit at the prospects of new stuff, but still looked annoyed. It would have to do as she hefted them up and headed for the helicopter. 

Madison made sure each was safely buckled in and made sure one of her co-workers going on the trip would keep an eye on them. The door slid shut and Madison gave one last wave as the helicopter roared to life and turned away. She watched it go till it had almost disappeared before turning back. She had work to do.

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“You sure you want to stay? I mean, if it comes here…” Travis, Madison’s lab assistant asked. Madison didn’t even glance at him as she moved a sample into a new petri dish.

“I could ask you the same thing. You have kids, too,” Madison shot back.

“True, but I also have a wife so it’s not like my kids won’t have a parent,” Travis answered as he labeled the dish and filed it away. 

“I’ll be sure to tell your wife of the many joys of single parenthood,” Madison said as she started another sample. She shot Travis a smirk to dispel any fear of upsetting her and he chuckled to himself. 

“Guess I should have figured you are here for the same reason I am,” Travis said before his humor faded away. Madison was sure he was seeing the same pictures and reports she was seeing in her mind. The death… the mutated people… the projected numbers if the attacks continued… The final one still gave her chills and it was made before they knew what the Beast’s blood could do.  

“Running won’t be an option for much longer,” Madison said and Travis let out a sigh.

“Yeah… Guess we better hurry up and save the world then,” he finished, trying to liven the mood. It might have worked it both didn’t jump out of their skins from a sudden noise. Madison glanced down and cursed as her phone buzzed in her pants. Getting her arms out of the sealed testing area, Madison rolled her eyes at the caller ID.

“Mom’s always have the best timing,” Travis said and Madison gave him a withering look. He turned away as she stepped off to answer her mother.

“What did they forget?” Madison asking, already assuming what her mother was calling her back for. It had been hours since her kids had arrived and her parents had picked them up. Far too soon for a check-up so...

“Forg- No, baby, you need to leave! Get on the first subway or plane or or SOMETHING get out of there!” Madison’s mother said, her voice quivering.

“Leave? Mom wh-”

LISTEN TO ME! YOU NEED TO L- Tom sto-” her mother said, interrupted as a scuffle started on the other end. Madison sighed as she  thought of hanging up, but her father came over the line before she made the choice.

“Madison, listen closely,” her father said using a tone he hadn’t used with her since she was a kid, “That thing is coming. It was just spotted off the coast heading for New York. You need to get out, understand? I don’t care how, just get out of there. Don’t worry about anything or anyone else, just get OUT.” For a second Madison didn’t understand what her dad was talking about. And then it clicked into place and her heart sank to her feet. Oh God…

“OK, dad. I’ll talk to you later,” Madison managed to say calmly before hanging up. That charade shattered as soon as the phone clicked off. She sprinted toward the door and slammed her keycard into the reader, she was about to throw the door open herself, or at least try to, when Travis spoke up.

“What the hell are you doing?” he asked. The door was now open and Madison could flee through it, but Travis had a child too. Her father would have to forgive her not listening to him.

“The Beast is coming. My parents just told me. We need to leave, now!” Travis looked at her in confusion before realization dawned on him.

“Oh God…” Travis said as his face turned deathly pale. He let the dish he was holding fall to the ground as he rushed to join her. Both of them sprinted out of the lab and toward the elevator.  The moment the doors opened, they practically slammed the bottom floor button. Finally, the doors closed and it rumbled downward going agonizing slow. Dammit, why didn’t it go faster!?

They were halfway down when a massive quake rocked the building and sent them both tumbling into the walls. The elevator’s light flickered off before the entire thing slammed to a halt. The doors opened and no amount of button mashing made it move.

“Dammit, a safety feature must have kicked in. Come on!” Travis yelled as he left the elevator. Madison followed and they sprinted to the stairs. A few people were milling about with some going to the windows, but the two ignored them. Madison felt bad about it, but a mass panic would make it impossible to escape. Even if the building had only a skeleton crew thanks to the quiet evacuations.

The two made a beeline for the emergency stairs and Travis tossed the door open. Madison followed him in a mad flight down the seemingly endless stairs. Another massive quake forced them to grab the railing for dear life, but both got back to their feet the second they could. The quake had been far closer and the reason was obvious. Screams and panic started to leak in from other floors and Madison pushed her body to go faster before they were pinned in.

They had reached the sixth floor when another quake sent them both tumbling. Madison tried to grab the railings, but missed and smashed into Travis. Both of them tumbled down to the fifth floor landing and crashed into a heap. Madison groaned as she untangled herself from Travis.

“Sorry… I lost-” her voice trailed off as she noticed someone running up the stairs. Travis groaned as he got back to his feet and made to keep going. Madison, though, stopped him with an outstretched arm as another person took off going upward. Both looked at each other in confusion.

The two of them walked into the office and moved toward the windows. People were fleeing down the streets and various accidents had blocked normal traffic. Bit of debris had been knocked loose by the quakes as well, but Madison didn’t see any-

“Holy shit…” Travis said spotting something. Madison turned and her eyes went wide as she saw what had driven those two up rather than down. A huge wave of water was moving toward them, growing larger as it came. The massive tidal wave must have been kicked up by the Beast and had grown to nearly seven stories tall. And they were on the fifth floor…

“RUN!” Madison yelled as they both sprinted back to the staircase. She took them two at a time as both tried to get to higher ground. Another quake, though, sent both spilling to the floor and lost them precious seconds. Seconds that cost them everything as the dull grumbled of the water turned to a roar. And with a massive crash, flooded the building and the fire escape. Madison’s last thoughts were of her kids and how sorry she was…

Suddenly, the light returned and she heard echoing coughs. Someone was above her, pressing her chest and turning her head. Something spilled from her mouth and Madison felt sweet air filled her lungs The person said something, but the world spun away again as Madison fell back, not into oblivion, but rest. Her breathing was the sweetest feeling in the world. 

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The soft ping of an alarm roused Madison from her slumber. She let out a soft yawn as she sat up, greeting the night. The lights in her bedroom switched on, but only dimly, as she stretched her arms and wings. With a second yawn, she fluttered up and out of her silk hammock before gliding to the ground. She landed so softly as to barely make a sound and tucked her wings back behind her. A third yawn managed to escape as she arrived at the bathroom. 

“Good night, Doctor Madison. The time is 23:01. You have no appointments today,” the AI assigned to her, Harvard, said. Madison nodded a silent thanks as she stepped into her air shower.  

Spreading her wings and arms out, Madison let the huge vent below her whirl to life. A huge rush of air blasted through the cylinder shower and Madison let herself relax as it caught her wings, allowing her to float. She floated on a cushion of air, spinning in place to make sure every part of her was properly blasted as cleansing powder was mixed into the air. Madison made sure to spread the powder over her body and gave anyone who was watching the show of a lifetime. Madison, though, had long stopped caring about modesty. Besides, her change had made her into a curvy paragon of motherhood so why not show it off from time to time? 

After about ten minutes of letting the air and powder do its work, Madison gave another nod and the air died down. She fluttered back to the ground and shook her hair out, now a tangled mess of knots. The rest of her, however, felt refreshed and clean with the grime of yesterday blasted away.

“Thank you, Harvard. I will be in the testing area in five minutes. Please have my experiments and data ready for inspection,” Madison said as she moved to her mirror to finish her waking rituals.

“Of course, Doctor,” Harvard said as he went silent leaving Madison to turn to her reflection… And find Mothest’s staring back at her.

Mothest… Madison despised that name. Not because it was a constant reminder of her change, or how she was forever disconnected with the rest of humanity, or how she was now nothing more than a living weapon. No, she hated it because it was a stupid pun of the fact she was a mothER… and looked like a human-moth. Oh how she wished she could find who had thought of it and give them a stern talking to. With her hand.

Pushing the annoyance of her callsign aside, Madison focused back on herself. Her blonde hair was a tangled mess thanks to the air shower and combing it out would be vexing. Still, there was no better way to get clean now that water had become an… issue. Mostly that was due to her fur, but there were other reasons. Thankfully, the large clumps of white fuzz around her neck, down her upper arms, and around her chest didn’t need combing. They were best left alone to do their job.

Picking up her comb, Madison began to straighten her hair back out. A few years ago she would have needed help for such delicate work. The chitin that covered her arms and much of her legs made it nearly impossible to feel anything. That made delicate tasks near impossible as she couldn’t feel resistance or slight changes very well. But she had learned to cope with it when it came to her hair. It was far quicker if she did it herself and that gave her more time to focus on her research.

Having finished straightening her hair, Madison put her comb away and left the bathroom. Back in her bedroom, Madison walked under her self-made bed of silk and grabbed the lab coat hung up on the hook by the door. Some part of her knew the thing was pointless and did nothing to help her in anyway. Hell, she couldn’t even close the front thanks to the two monsters on her chest. And yet she just couldn’t seem to focus as well without it, couldn’t get her mind in the proper space for research. Besides, Hoover went to all the trouble of making it for her, the least she could do was wear it. So Madison put on her lab coat and moved to the door leading out. It hissed open and she strode out into her massive greenhouse.

The colossal greenhouse was big even compared to Madison. Plants the size of skyscrapers lined the various rows of the greenhouse and their roots made virtual roads twisting all around.  Each one was a kaiju-infected specimen and a constant source of data for Madison. The information she had gathered from them was unrivalled anywhere in the world and it wasn’t an overstatement to say nearly all kaiju knowledge came from them. It also helped that her size and… condition made gathering the data far safer than it would be otherwise. Which was why her “employers” allowed her to keep them in her housing area. And provided her with lab equipment fit for someone 500+ft tall.

“And how are all of you tonight? Have a good day in the sunshine?” Madison asked as she checked on the various plants, most far less lively now with the sunset. Just as well as a few could be a bit… feisty. As she inspected each, Harvard piped up with various information about them. Their rate of growth, water intact, nutrient levels, current experiments, any new mutations, those kinds of things. None of them showed anything too anomalous, well any more than usual, and Madison moved on to her lab proper. 

Her computer was already waiting for her along with the new data her various tests had given. She gave another silent nod of thanks to Harvard as she started to pour over it. Sadly, most of it seemed rather bog-standard and nothing ground-breaking. Still no sign of a cure or means of reversing the mutation, though Madison had mostly given up on such a thing years ago. Still, she couldn’t quite force herself to give up the search completely. She still had two huge reasons to- 

A small ding sent every thought flying from Madison’s mind. A call was coming through and Madison was sure who it was. She brushed her hair back and pulled her coat closer around her to make sure she looked more presentable. She even grabbed a fake pair of glasses and put them on, trying to conceal how mutated her eyes had become. Now looking far more normal, comparatively anyway, Madison accepted the call… and deflated as an owl appeared on the other side.

“Sorry, Madison, I normally wouldn’t call at this time b-” the owl-man started to say, but she cut him off.

“It’s fine, Hoover. What’s the emergency?” Madison said, taking off her fake glasses and getting her mind back into work mode. Hoover was her handler, a changed who had taken on owl-like features. His head was mostly that of an owl, even capable of the full head turn, while his body had stayed mostly the same, save for a few feathers along his arms. He was dressed in his usual business suit, save the arms due to said feathers, and was polished to an almost shine. Even the feathers on his head looked properly groomed, cleaned, and placed just so. 

“A report has arrived from a clean-up crew near the Scar containment area. One of their storage tanks had a leak they didn’t notice until they were sucking out blood from the area. It spilled out and onto an unprotected crew member. Said member mutated and has already grown several times. Full kaiju status hasn’t been granted yet, however,” Hoover said, in his usual all business tone. Madison sighed at the news and cursed to herself. Of all the times…

“How big is the subject?” Madison asked as she took off her coat and hung it on a nearby hook that appeared. Harvard had it whisked away.

“Last report was somewhere in the fifty foot range and still growing, though that was about thirty minutes ago,” Hoover said, a rare crack of sympathy showing through his usual rigid face. No doubt about it, they were going kaiju… Damn...

“Understood. Harvard, inform MCP that I am making a preemptive sortie. Hoover, keep me posted on any changes. And…” she trailed off, looking back at the screen of her computer.

“I will tell them their mother is busy saving lives,” Hoover said with as close to a smile he could make with his beak. Madison nodded with a smile of her own before looking up. Above, a massive glass hatch was beginning to slide open to allow Madison to leave her glass home. With another sigh, Madison closed her eyes... and let Mothest loose.

A rush of energy flooded Madison as her antennas, hidden away in her hair, sprange upward. Her moth-like wings shot outward and flapped as they grew bigger and thicker. Her eyes shifted and their iris’ split before turning into hundreds of new ones. Her furry thickened and began to glow as small sparks leapt between the hair. With a groan of pleasure, Madison let her kaiju form fully come to the surface and her head rose upward another fifty feet. Now standing over 600 ft, Mothest turned her head upward.

“Mothest, moving out,” she said, voice shaking the area, before leaping into the air. She easily cleared the dome of glass and rocketed hundreds of feet off the ground. No sooner did she start to fall did her wings catch the wind and lock her in place.

Far below, Mothest could see the base around her greenhouse starting to come alive. The sky was nearly pitch black with only a small slit of a moon, but it might as well have been day to Mothest’s eyes. She watched the trees rustle from the wind, people in the base look up at her, the hatch slowly close, and even Hoover heading for the command center. She saw it all at once and yet could make perfect sense out of it all. That had taken the longest to perfect as she mastered her kaiju form. And mastered it she had, which was why the MCP let her leave of her volition. 

“The location of the leak is north, north-east of your current position,” Harvard said, his voice being sent out on a wavelength only her antennas could pick up. Madison nodded.

“Understood,” Madison said before diving forward. She caught the wind and pulled up before soaring off toward the Scar. As she flew, her eyes scanned the horizon, picking out anything that might get in her way. Planes, balloons, birds, anything at all she spotted, adjusted for, and avoided. It took focus, but Mothest had plenty to spare. Even if sh- No, no time to think about that.  

Back in the lab, a small ding came over her computer as a new incoming call was detected. 

Monster Containment Protocol (MCP)

Created after the death of Echidna (referred to as the Beast at the time), the MCP is a semi-independent organization made by the United States. With the massive amount of tainted land, mutated wildlife, and mutated citizens, the government realized the crisis was far too much for existing departments to deal with. Attempts were made to make another department, but the scale of the disaster, and the appearance of multiple kaiju-level threats, prompted a more drastic answer. The MCP was this answer.

Made from personal taken from various departments, from the military to the treasury, the MCP sole goal is the containment and cleaning of Echidna’s blood from US shores. To this end, it has been granted near autonomous control over itself with very little oversight as to its methods. While this has come under attack in recent years, the ongoing crisis and constant kaiju threat has made such issues minor and rare. 

Currently, the MCP’s main focus is on anti- kaiju operations. With most traditional weapons only adding to the problem, the MCP took an unusual approach of turning kaijus against kaijus. While the scale of such operations has been financially stressing, the results so far have silenced nearly all dissenting voices.

Three days had passed since the Beast had attacked New York. “Attacked”… no it hadn’t even attacked the city. It had simply walked past it, moving up the Hudson River to West Point. But even that had left New York in ruins. The Beast’s massive form plowing through the bay had created titanic waves which had obliterated everything at street level. Entire buildings had been washed away and only the tallest and sturdiest had survived. Anyone who didn’t reach higher ground was simply gone and those not quite high enough were drowned in stairwells, rooms, and lobbies. Madison had almost been one of them. 

Despite nearly drowning, Madison had recovered quickly and found herself with an abundance of energy. She put it to use helping the wounded and sick as best she could as they streamed into the buildings still above the new waterline. Some part of her had known something was wrong, that she didn’t feel… right. But the chaos of the situation and constant stream of survivors pushed such thoughts away.  

It was two days after the when Madison realized what was wrong. She had gotten up to use the restroom when a wave of vertigo had hit. It wasn’t until she reached a mirror did she notice her sudden growth. Her small 5’2 frame was closer to 6’ and, worst of all, part of her arm was starting to be covered in organic plating. She had been exposed…

Madison didn’t help anyone after that, she couldn’t risk it. And even if she had been willing to the others were not. People kept away from her, terrified they might change too. Even those who also were mutating were afraid to get too close as her changes, and size, seemed unending. Only Travis risked getting near to her even before his own changes began to appear.

Help arriving did nothing to help Madison. She knew the military had no idea how to fix anyone who was mutated. If anything they made things worse as they herded her away from everyone and looked increasingly worried as she continued to grow. For her part, Madison simply did as she was told. Her mind was still too stuck in a state of shock and disbelief to be outraged by their distrust. Everyday saw her grow further and further from her humanity… and her children…

Such thoughts raced through Madison’s mind as she stared out toward the ruined city. She was on the roof, the only place large enough to fit her huge form, and alone yet again. The only person who checked on her was Travis, though his visits were becoming infrequent. He had changed as well, but only his hair. Suddenly being a redhead would take some getting used to, but he could fit back into his life easily enough. Her? How could she ever go back looking like this?

Most people were closer to kid-sized compared to her now. Her arms were fully covered in… chitin and large growths of hair were sprouting around her neck and down her arms. Two nubs of some kind were starting to sprout from her forehead and her eyes constantly seemed to twitch and lose focus. But the worst was her damn back which seemed to constantly itch and twist for no reason. As uncomfortable and worrying as all of it was, however, it was was secondary to what her change meant for her and her family.

Madison felt tears forming in her eyes again as the thought returned. She was never going to be able to touch them… never be able to hold them, to soothe them, to tuck them in, to comfort them when they were sick, never… never even see them. She didn’t give a damn about her humanity compared to losing her children. And she had lost them. Madison buried her head in her hard, unyielding hands before cursing and simply curling into a ball. Even her own hands were no refuge now.

“Excuse me, ma’am. I need to speak with you,” a male voice, suddenly, said from beside Madison. Madison didn’t so much as budge as she turned her head away from the source of the voice, trying to curl even more inwardly. She didn’t know where this unwanted person had come from nor did she care. She just wanted him to leave.

“Ma’am, please this is important,” the man persisted. Madison was tempted to swat him away, but fear of what her size might due to him keep her from doing it. Instead, she turned still further away hoping he would take the hint. The man let out a long hooting sigh.

“Ma’am, I know how hard this is and ho-” was as far as Madison let him get. He knew… he knew, HE KNEW?!

“You don’t know a damn thing. You haven’t lost your family. You haven’t seen your life collapse, you aren’t turning into a fucking MONSTER!” Madison yelled as she looked up at the offending bastard. Her voice shook the area a bit by its volume and Madison heard cries of alarm from below. She ignored them as she glared at the fucker who da- who… who dare-...

The man… owl… thing took her bellow in stride. He brushed his feathers back into place and straightened his armless suit. Madison felt her face turn red as she saw the man fully now. His head was that of an owl, beak and all, and his arms were covered completely in feathers. For all Madison knew his legs were bird-like as well, just hidden in his pants. And she had… 

“I… I’m sorry. I should have… I-I didn’t-” Madison stammered out trying to find the proper words. The man, however, brushed off her apology.

“No apology necessary, Ma’am. As you can now see, I am quite familiar with your state of mind. Wasn’t that long ago I would have reacted the same to someone claiming to understand this… plight we are both in. Though my yell wouldn’t have been so… powerful,” the man said as he rubbed the spots where his ears should have been. Madison’s blush only deepened.

“Sorry, I’m still not used to having weapon grade yells. Let’s uhh, let’s start over. Hi, I am Madison. You said you had something important?” Madison asked, trying to move past her embarrassment. 

“Hoover, a pleasure. And yes I did. I work for an organization that is interested in your… mutation. One that is willing to help you transition into your new… form,” Hoover said in a worryingly business-like tone. Madison eyed him a bit closer as she sat up.

“Do they? And how do they know what form I am going to be taking?” Madison asked, with a forced neutral face. Inside, Madison was furious and intrigued. She and her team were supposed to be on the leading edge of the mutation’s research and she didn’t have a clue what her final form would be. But this other group was claiming to know that. It was annoying… and so damn exciting! What had they learned? Did they actually know her final form? Did they have a cure?!

“Because we have seen it before. It is rare, but follows the same general pattern. I am afraid you are not done growing, Madison. Not even close. I am sorry,” Hoover said causing Madison to feel the floor drop out from under her. Not even… not even close… Dear God how big was she going to get?! Was she… no, no she couldn’t get to the size of the Beast… could she?

“How big?”

“Madison, I thi-”

“HOW big?”

“...The current average is in the 500ft range.”

Madison nearly passed out at the number. The building she worked in wasn’t 500ft. This roof wasn’t even 500ft up. Oh God she really wouldn’t see her kids again. And even if she did the size difference. No… no… Madison lowered her head as tears began to run down her face again. No…

“I know this is a lot to take in, but as I said we can help you. Help you come to terms with this and… and give you a chance to help,” Hoover said, placing a hand hidden by feathers on her thigh. Madison looked down at him.

“Help? Who could I help as a giant monster?” Madison said sucking in a wavering breath.

“Anyone threatened by a real giant monster, Madison. People are not the only ones being mutated and the source is still out there,” Hoover said, his eyes staring up at her. Peo- The coin dropped as Madison realized the implications. Madison’s tears began to dry as she looked out toward the city. 500ft…  It was still nothing compared to the Beast, but… And if wild animals mutated like this the damage they could cause, not to mention the distraction from the real danger. With one last sniff, Madison felt her despair turn to determination. She might not be able to be there for them, but she could make sure this never reached them.

“Tell me more about this organization.”

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Madison slowed her flight speed as she closed in on the worksite. She was still a few miles away but her enhanced sight let her see some of what was going on. The place looked in utter chaos as various vehicles and bits of equipment were littered around like discarded toys. Tiny figures were darting about, workers desperate to escape, as cables snapped and pumps malfunctioned. The only silver lining was all the humans she saw still had hazmat suits on, making further infections unlikely.

Above the chaos engulfing the clean-up site was the cause of said chaos. The newly kaiju-class infected towered over everything in the area. Madison was stunned by how large and mutated the infected person had become. They were already passing oak trees in size and looked to still be growing. And they were so mutated Madison wasn’t sure if they had been female or male. All she could tell was they were some mix of lizard, insect, and… other things. She had never seen anything like it. 

Her shock was quickly dispelled, however, as the infected showed their mutation had affected their mind as well. They laughed as they crushed a vehicle in their claw and tossed the remains into a group fleeing the area. A tentacle lashed out from their back at a pump and sent more Blood spilling over the area, ruining the clean-up work. Their chitin plated legs plowed through transformers and various equipment sending sparks and life wires flying in all directions. Fires were beginning to spring up and more and more bodies were piling up. This had to stop.

Seeing how bad the situation was, Madison increased her speed and prepared for the worst. She didn’t want to kill this newly infected person, but if this was any indication of their dispossession she might not have a choice. Madison blasted over the worksite sending a large gust of air smashing through the area. Most of the people were bowled over, but the worst of the flames were doused. The new kaiju was barely affected but it did draw their attention and that was what Madison was really after.

Landing outside of the worksite, Madison dwarfed everything including the kaiju. The tiny kaiju, no higher than her ankle, staggered backward as they suddenly found themselves far, far outsized. With the size difference clearly demonstrated, Madison knelt down to talk better.

“Your playtime is over, little one. Surrender now and the MCP will show you mercy,” Madison lied knowing there would be no mercy for them. Now that she could see the damage up close, the brutality of it and the scope of it was… Still, she would much rather this end without further conflict to make sure there wasn’t still more damage.

The new kaiju backed up a few paces as their eyes stared up at her in horror. They glanced backward as if looking to escape, but a quick shift by Madison made it obvious that was hopeless. With no escape and no chance of fighting off Madison, the kaiju looked about to surrender. At least until they began to shiver.

The kaiju groaned as the shivering got worse. They held up their clawed hand as it twitched and pulsed before, suddenly, expanding. The sudden growth sped up as the claw surged outward growing so large as to slam to the ground, the kaiju unable to lift it. A bit of fear went through the kaiju’s eyes until the arm attached to the hand began to grow as well. Their other claw pulsed and creaked as it started to expand and their fear turned to laughter. And all Madison could do was start in horror… and awe.

This… this was impossible! The kaiju mutation had never grown anyone or anything this fast! The process had always been weeks sometimes months of slow changes and growth. And yet the kaiju in front of her was surging past the size of buildings and showing no sign of slowing. 

The un-uniform growth continued as the tentacles spouting out of their back seemed to explode in size. They surged outward and buried entire trees under their mass yet still demanded more room. The shivering kaiju seemed to reach a sudden crescendo and its laughs turned to a moan. Madison withdrew as a wave of apprehension hit her. And it was a good thing too as the Kaiju let out an earth-shaking roar as it blasted upwards to rival her in size. Madison had to fight to keep her feet as she found herself nearly face to face with what had been at ankle level. And while she stared in shock and horror, they stared in shock and eagerness.

“I don’t think I will be surrendering, slave,” the thing said, its voice distorted but understandable. More tentacles erupted from its chest as the claws morphed into three digited versions. It’s jaw seemed to come unhinged and descended to reveal a massive maw full of new teeth and a new set of insect like wings sprouted from its back. The abomination was terrifying to behold and it let out an unnerving scream-like roar. Madison recoiled instinctively before taking to the air, her mind trying to process what had just happened. 

Everything she knew about the Blood, everything she had spent the last twenty years studying said this was impossible. And yet here it was, staring at her with only the barest hint of humanity in its eyes. This wasn’t how kaiju mutations happened… this wasn’t how ANY mutation happened! What the hell w-

“Madison! What is happening out there?” Hoover’s grounding voice suddenly said through her antenna. Pulled back to reality, Madison noticed the kaiju’s legs bending and darted to the side. It was a good thing as it blasted toward her at insane speed, barely missing her before attempting to fly. Its wings appeared too weak, however, and only slowed it as it crashed down further away, tearing apart a nearby hill. 

“Hoover we have a full kaiju alert! A full kaiju alert! Tell Commander Holt to send a full decom unit here ASAP and every damn agent we have!” Madison “said” back sending the message out through her antenna. 

“What? Madison wh-” Hoover started to say, but Madison didn’t have time to explain as the kaiju began to twitch again. The thing grew still further as its wings expanded noticeably. God, it was still mutating!

“Just do it, I can’t talk!” Madison sent before bracing for a renewed attack. The thing rushed in before its tentacles whipped out. Madison dodged most, but one grabbed her leg. She swore as it pulled her in with insane strength and saw the abomination reeling back with a claw. Thinking fast, Madison stopped flying and dropped, causing the claw to swipe past her head. She landed with a thud before grabbing a random thing on the ground and stabbing it into the tentacle. It released her leg and Madison flew backward to avoid a massive stomp from the beast. A huge crater erupted from the impact leaving nothing of the worksite intact. 

Madison swore as she saw the extent of the damage. She prayed the surviving workers had all fled and hadn’t gotten caught in the shockwave. But more importantly than them was any evidence of what was happening. This wasn’t the Blood’s doing, not the kind Madison knew of. This level of mutation, the rapid change, the constant growth. Whatever had caused this was different and now any evidence of it was gone. Save for one place. 

Seeing the monster beginning to twitch and grow, AGAIN, Madison realized there was only one way to stop this madness. Doing this with no warning was dangerous and would cause loads of problems, but if this thing kept changing and growing like this… The old memory of a devastated New York City flashed in Madison’s mind and she made her choice.

“Judgement is being called,” Madison sent out before shutting out all signals. Taking in a long, calming breath, Madison began to rub the fur by her chest. Sparks of electricity started to jump between the hairs as she distrubed them. She rose off the ground as the fur on her legs and arms began to spark as well. Flashes of lightning began to arc off her feet and into the ground. 

The beast seemed heedless of the display. If anything human was left in it, it was now buried too far to do anything. Instead, it let out another screaming roar before charging her head first, its jaw dropping past its chest. Madison was not intimidated, however, as she felt her power surge higher. Her hair rose above her head as her wings no longer needed to keep her in the air. A constant stream of lightning arced from her feet and the ground as the charge built to levels unimaginable. The beast rushed forward as Mothest raised her hand.

“God’s Judgement be upon you,” Mothest said as she unleashed the charge.

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No amount of time would ever have been enough to warn everyone about what was about to happen. A few moments was definitely not. A sudden second sun erupted out of the Scar turning night into day for but a second. Entire cities were jolted awake at the sudden flash leaving people confused and wondering if they had imagined it. The ear-shattering soundwave told them otherwise. Cities were shaken to their core as the soundwave blasted through like a tsunami leaving broken windows, blaring alarms, and cries of pain from shattered eardrums. 

Even in space the effects could be seen. A massive flash of light before a wave of force erupted from it, pushing clouds miles away. And all that power had been targeted at one thing…

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Madison crashed to the ground as her senses screamed from overload. Her eyes saw nothing but white while her ears heard nothing save ringing. She stayed where she was, letting her enhanced body do its work. Slowly, the light faded and the ringing dulled. Finally, her vision cleared enough to see the beast. Its entire front half had vanishing, blasted into dust by the bolt. The back half was a smoking husk of charred and flaking away meat. Not a single bit of surface wasn’t burned or cooked through and not a bit of its blood was left to leak onto anything. This, whatever it was, wouldn’t be infected anyone else. But Madison wouldn’t be getting any samples from it either. 

“Still can’t control it…” Madison grumbled to herself. She let out a weary sigh as she got comfortable. After using her judgement, the MCP would want her in the area for a full debrief. Leaving would only have her seen her sent back. Besides, she wanted to be here if they did find something. She doubted they would, doubly so now that much of the ground had been turned to black ash as well, but there was still a chance. 

Looking back at the still smoking corpse, Madison felt her apprehension coming back. That level of growth and mutation… She had thought she had never seen it before, but now that she had calmed down she realized she had. And how apt her calling it a beast had been...  

Your experiment seems to have failed.

Perhaps in your measures of success. In mine, it has performed perfectly.

Haha, is that so? Well, I suppose congratulations on succeeding on your own terms.

Your snideness is unneeded and unwanted. The new mutagen works as effectively as I wished. Now I can focus on controlling the change. But I will need more samples. Large samples.

Then I guess we will need to get a new recruit. Though I think one already all grown up wll serve better, never was good with kids.

Do as you wish, just bring me the samples.