"Godzilla Vs Godzilla" - Part One

 

Prologue

            The day Jake Pentecost feared the most had come: the day when the greatest Titan of the multiverse – Godzilla – would turn on the human race. It happened so suddenly; Godzilla had decimated London within the span of three minutes. The destruction was reported all over the news, citing the first Kaiju ever to ally with the Jaegers to now be just another threat to humanity.

            When it was projected that Godzilla’s next target would be New York City, Jake and his co-pilot, Nathan “Nate” Lambert, would drift together in Gipsy Avenger and – along with several other brave Jaeger pilots – combat with the rogue Godzilla. It was a task much easier said than done; much of their army of thirty Jaegers were no match for Godzilla.

            Gipsy was the last one standing in the end, while all the others were lying among the rubble, dismantled or charred with their pilots. Jake tried not to panic, although he wasn’t certain if it was his own anxiety or Nate’s he was feeling. “Keep it together, Lambert!” he said for them both.

            “I am together!” Nate barked. “I’m not dying to this thing!”

            Nate put as much into the fight as Jake. For the longest time, he suspected Godzilla of being a “Kaiju turncoat.” There was a theory he shared with the Marshal (Jake’s father), Stacker Pentecost, about Godzilla’s aim to be “king of the monsters,” removing all the other Kaiju from the playfield. For the longest time, there had been peace with so many of them destroyed, thanks to the aid of both Godzilla and another Titan that recently emerged from the rift – Kong.

            The gargantuan ape entered the scuffle over New York, just as Godzilla had Gipsy on the ropes. He tackled his former ally, shattering through several landmark buildings; thankfully, the city was evacuated before Godzilla arrived. With multiple left and right hooks, Kong pounded Godzilla into a crater. For a moment, it looked as if Godzilla’s reign of terror had ended, as it laid unconscious beneath Kong.

            That was until Godzilla unleashed its atomic breath, nearly incinerating Kong; it triggered an explosive chain reaction across a ten-mile square radius. Godzilla fled in the chaos, leaving Jake and Nate to douse the flames with Gipsy’s built-in extinguisher, saving both the gravely wounded Kong and whatever buildings they could.

            “Do we still have eyes on Godzilla?” Jake heard his father over the comms, assisting from the New York Shatterdome with Mako.

            “Negative, Marshal,” the despondent Jake replied. “He’s in the wind.”

            Nate’s fists clenched in rage. “We lost a lot of good Jaeger pilots today.”

            “And they will be avenged, Nate,” Stacker reassured. “Return to base, gentlemen, so that we can regroup.”

            “Regroup for what, Dad?!” Jake retorted. “We got nothin’ that can beat Godzilla!”

            “We do have one thing, Jake,” Stacker said. “We got the Gladiator of Gallifrey.”

------------------------------

            Alan had spent so many Christmases in Gotham City that he forgot what it was like to spend them aboard his mother’s TARDIS. The day he decided to be on his own was the best and most terrifying day of his young life. He made the choice, after so many events transpired that led to his decision; chief among them being that he witnessed his mother’s first regeneration – changing from a tall, white blonde in her fifties to a short Asian woman in her forties. It was something that he had great difficulty adjusting with at first, but with a bit of intervention from his grandfather (who himself was a Time Lord), he learned to accept it.

            Of course, as he admitted to his mother, her change wasn’t why he decided to start a life of his own outside the TARDIS – away from the hustle and bustle of the Infinite DC. During their first time in Gotham, he fell in love with a young detective named Erica Harvey, who eventually found out about the Infinite DC, his mother, and how he was from another dimension. He could imagine that was how Erica grew to love him back and not because of his charming looks. Their relationship blossomed into marriage and a child – a healthy, normal boy who they named “Alan Junior” (“A.J.” for short).

            The Harris family would spend their holidays at Wayne Manor, a favor from Bruce Wayne for keeping his identity as “Batman” a secret, as well as for Erica assisting him on Gotham’s crime-ridden streets. They both worked on patrol on the night of Christmas Eve, while Alan and Wayne’s butler, Alfred Pennyworth, kept A.J. entertained as he wrote his letter to Santa in the study room.

            “You are going to be home before eleven, right?” Alan asked Erica, over the phone. “Wayne and Gordon can’t keep you out there all night.”

            “This is my job, babe,” Erica told him. “I have to keep these streets clean, so that others can go home to their families.” He admired her dedication, much as it sometimes got in the way of her personal life. “But I promise that I’ll be back in time to tuck in A.J. and take a bite out of that cookie he’s leavin’ for Santa.”

            Alan chuckled. “Alright, babe. You be careful out there.”

            “Dude, I’m workin’ with the Batman,” Erica said. “I’m more than safe.”

            After exchanging a quick but affectionate “Love you,” Alan hung up at the moment Alfred entered the study with a tray of hot cocoa for Alan, A.J., and himself. “You have nothing to worry, sir,” he told Alan. “She’s in safe hands with Master Bruce.”

            “Yeah, she just told me,” Alan sulked. “I just wish that she didn’t have to work such a dangerous shift, the night before Christmas.”

            “I did it!” This happy proclamation came from his eight-year-old son, who stood up from his belly-down position on the floor of the study, enthusiastically waving his letter to Santa in the air. “I’m finished!”

            “Awesome, lil’ man!” Alan applauded. “Let’s take a look.”

            A.J. handed the letter over to his father, who smiled at the penmanship done entirely in blue crayon. There was a little artwork at the bottom of the Harris family, including Alfred and Bruce, the latter of whom was drawn in his Batman suit. “Quite a fine letter, Master A.J.,” Alfred complimented.

            “Right on, lil’ man,” Alan praised. “Santa’s definitely comin’ to town to see this!”

            A.J. had a big smile on that assurance. He was so excited that he jumped at the sound of the doorbell ringing. “It’s him! It’s him! It’s him!” he cheered, hopping up and down and clapping his hands.

            “Hold up, A.J.,” Alan soothed. “Let Alfred answer it first, O.K.?”

            Alfred did just that, heading out of the study and to the adjacent foyer. Opening the door, he saw a young woman who looked to be Chinese, wearing a Santa hat, a festive Christmas sweater, and black leggings. She was accompanied by a tall, spiky-haired man dressed as Santa Claus (lugging a red sack with no beard) and three short, yellow-skinned individuals wearing their own sweaters and goggles over different sets of eyes.

            “Merry Christmas, Alfred!” The Chinese woman exclaimed with arms wide open. She had a distinct accent that was native to her ethnicity.

            Past these jolly visitors, Alfred spotted a domino-shaped monolith on the Wayne Manor property, snow already accumulating over its flat structure. Seeing it, he was able to deduce the identity of the Chinese woman and announced to Alan, “Master Harris, your mother has arrived with…um…guests.”

            Alan curiously walked into the foyer with A.J. When he saw the Chinese woman and the animated guests she brought with her, the only thing that crossed his mind was, Well…here we go again.

            “Merry Christmas!” She repeated, this time for Alan and A.J., kneeling for the junior Alan with the anticipation of receiving a hug.

            Unfortunately, A.J. was more thrilled to see the spiky-haired Santa, squealing with excitement as he rushed over to the man and gave him the hug that the Chinese woman had expected for herself. “You must be A.J.,” the spiky Santa warmly said. “I’ve heard you’ve been super good this year, so I brought ya these.” He opened his red sack for A.J., showing him a bagful of large, orange crystalline spheres – each with five-pointed stars that ranged from one to seven. “These are called ‘Dragon Balls’ and you can make any three wishes you want with them! Cool, right?”

            The Dragon Balls glistened in the captivated eyes of A.J.

            Watching his son interact with the spiky Santa, Alan leaned in towards his mother’s latest incarnation and asked, “So who’s this Santa really?”

            “His name’s Goku,” she identified. “A powerful warrior of a race called ‘Saiyans’.”

            Alan nodded. “Uh-huh. And, for my next question, who are you now?”

            “Suri,” the new incarnation referred to herself. “I’ve passed through quite a few regenerations since I was last here.”

            “You mean that time you visited during A.J.’s second birthday as that brotha in the tie and hoodie?” Alan reminisced. “Yeah, that was…interesting. It really confused the heck outta Erica though.”

            “Where is Erica?” Suri inquired, noticing the young detective’s absence.

            “On patrol with you-know-who,” Alan winked. “Mama, don’t get me wrong – I am really happy that you stopped by, but I gotta be real with you. Erica and I have talked a lot about how to explain to A.J. why his grandmother keeps showing up here with a different face and body every time.”

            “And what did you tell him?” Suri asked.

            “Nothing. We decided it was best not to tell him anything, especially after that last visit. Luckily, he was too little to remember anything.”

            Suri sadly gazed at her grandson. “So, he…really doesn’t know who I am?”

            Alan placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Mama.”

            She appreciated his comfort, reaching up to her shoulder to place her hand atop his. “It’s O.K.,” she accepted, fighting back tears. “It just makes me happy to see everyone else is happy.”

            Alan suddenly caught a glimpse of the trio of short yellow men Suri brought along with Goku. They were bickering in a strange language that sounded like garbled French to Alan’s ears. Opting to pay no mind to it, he focused on asking his mother, “So, uh, how long are you guys stayin’?”

            “Until New Year’s,” Suri said. “You think Erica would be alright with that?”

            Alan shrugged. “I can’t make any promises, but we’re just guests ourselves in this big ol’ mansion, so it’s really up to Mr. Wayne. And if he’s cool with it, then we are, too.” He then questioned in concern, “Would the multiverse be safe though? Long enough for you to enjoy your holiday?”

            “Of course, it will be,” Suri verified. Just as she did, her wristwatch pinged. Alan assumed it was a regular wristwatch that helped her to tell the time; however, a closer examination showed that it was more alien than that. The metallic band didn’t have a clockface of any type but a glowing green dot. “Green means ‘safe’,” Suri explained. “Yellow is ‘mild’ and red is ‘danger’. It’s all interfaced with the TARDIS computer.”

            “Cool,” Alan nodded comprehensibly. “In that case, let’s party!” He immediately went to the stereo inside the study to play Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas” at full blast, initiating the Christmas party.

            The music was so loud that it kept Suri from hearing the two other pings she received from her wristband, not a minute after the first one. Ultimately, the last ping registered a glowing red dot.