onto Tilson's windscreen, limiting his vision, until the air rushing over his cockpit blew it away.
As he banked to the left, Tilson saw Nail Four open up with its cannons, and two insects blew apart in midair. Then another Kamacuras appeared in front of him, and Tilson fired again. The monster exploded, cut in half by the Avenger's killing shells.
Tilson flew through a cloud of gore. Pieces of flesh bounced against his fuselage. Tilson prayed that his turbofan engines wouldn‘t suck up any of the creatures' guts. He didn't want to stall at such a low altitude. If he did, there was nothing to do but eject - and Tilson didn't want to end up like Pederson. He'd rather stay on top of the food chain.
Through his headphones, Tilson could hear the excited cries of the pilots in the second string. They, too, were in the fight of their lives.
"I got one on my tail!" Nail Four cried. Tilson looked sideways and spotted the other A-I0. A huge creature was flying behind it, its mandibles snapping at the warplane's already damaged tail fins.
"I got him," Tilson replied. He pulled back the stick and did a high, arching loop, barely missing a smaller Kamacuras flying above him. He came down right behind the bug chasing Nail Four.
Tilson aimed and fired. The stream of explosive shells cut the monster's wings into tatters. The Kamacuras dropped out of the sky and was dashed to bits on the earth below.
"Thanks, Nail Two." The other pilot's voice crackled in Tilson's helmet.
"Any damage?" Tilson asked. There was a pause before the pilot of Nail Four replied.
"The controls are sluggish," he radioed. "The rear stabilizers are heavily damaged."
"Let's get out of here," Tilson replied. "I'm out of ammo, and there's nothing more we can do now."
Before he turned and banked away, Tilson watched as the second wave of A-10s attacked the swarm. With each bomb dropped and missile fired, more of the ravaging Kamacuras died.
But not enough , Tilson thought bitterly. Not nearly enough.
Then he and the only other survivor of the first wave headed their battered and stained aircraft back to Hays Municipal Airport for refueling and rearming.
And then I'll be back , Tilson vowed.
* * *
On the banks of Big Creek, a line of M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks waited for the signal to fire. The swarm was moving toward them, and though more air attacks were inbound, the swarm would almost certainly reach the river in another fifteen minutes.
It was up to the tanks to stop them, to hold the line. If they couldn't, then the rest of Kansas, and maybe the rest of America, was doomed.
* * *
Thousands of miles away, alarms began to blare on the Japanese research vessel Kongo-Maru .
Still in her nightclothes, Dr. Emiko Takado emerged from her cabin and rushed onto the bridge. Quickly, she scanned the instruments. What she saw chilled her, even in the warmth of the South Pacific air.
"What's the matter?" a sleepy technician asked as soon as he reached the bridge. Without taking her eyes off the radarscope, Dr. Takado answered.
"It's Godzilla. He's fully awake now, and moving."
The crew of the research vessel immediately went to work, manning all stations.
Emiko felt as if she'd been caught off-balance. Her data had suggested that Godzilla would awaken eventually, but not nearly so soon. Nor so quickly.
"We must get clear of Godzilla -" she began, but she was interrupted by the sonar technician.
"Dr. Takado!" he cried as an image burst upon his screen. "Godzilla is rising to the surface - he's coming up right under us!"
"Send an SOS -" But Dr. Takado's command was again cut short as something rammed into the Kongo-Maru .
Helplessly, Dr. Takado was thrown across the bridge. The control panel in front of the sonarman exploded in a shower of electric sparks.
Then the entire ship was lifted out of the water.
A thunderous roar slammed against the crew's ears and echoed throughout the vessel. Then the ship lurched again and the lights went out. This time,
As he banked to the left, Tilson saw Nail Four open up with its cannons, and two insects blew apart in midair. Then another Kamacuras appeared in front of him, and Tilson fired again. The monster exploded, cut in half by the Avenger's killing shells.
Tilson flew through a cloud of gore. Pieces of flesh bounced against his fuselage. Tilson prayed that his turbofan engines wouldn‘t suck up any of the creatures' guts. He didn't want to stall at such a low altitude. If he did, there was nothing to do but eject - and Tilson didn't want to end up like Pederson. He'd rather stay on top of the food chain.
Through his headphones, Tilson could hear the excited cries of the pilots in the second string. They, too, were in the fight of their lives.
"I got one on my tail!" Nail Four cried. Tilson looked sideways and spotted the other A-I0. A huge creature was flying behind it, its mandibles snapping at the warplane's already damaged tail fins.
"I got him," Tilson replied. He pulled back the stick and did a high, arching loop, barely missing a smaller Kamacuras flying above him. He came down right behind the bug chasing Nail Four.
Tilson aimed and fired. The stream of explosive shells cut the monster's wings into tatters. The Kamacuras dropped out of the sky and was dashed to bits on the earth below.
"Thanks, Nail Two." The other pilot's voice crackled in Tilson's helmet.
"Any damage?" Tilson asked. There was a pause before the pilot of Nail Four replied.
"The controls are sluggish," he radioed. "The rear stabilizers are heavily damaged."
"Let's get out of here," Tilson replied. "I'm out of ammo, and there's nothing more we can do now."
Before he turned and banked away, Tilson watched as the second wave of A-10s attacked the swarm. With each bomb dropped and missile fired, more of the ravaging Kamacuras died.
But not enough , Tilson thought bitterly. Not nearly enough.
Then he and the only other survivor of the first wave headed their battered and stained aircraft back to Hays Municipal Airport for refueling and rearming.
And then I'll be back , Tilson vowed.
* * *
On the banks of Big Creek, a line of M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks waited for the signal to fire. The swarm was moving toward them, and though more air attacks were inbound, the swarm would almost certainly reach the river in another fifteen minutes.
It was up to the tanks to stop them, to hold the line. If they couldn't, then the rest of Kansas, and maybe the rest of America, was doomed.
* * *
Thousands of miles away, alarms began to blare on the Japanese research vessel Kongo-Maru .
Still in her nightclothes, Dr. Emiko Takado emerged from her cabin and rushed onto the bridge. Quickly, she scanned the instruments. What she saw chilled her, even in the warmth of the South Pacific air.
"What's the matter?" a sleepy technician asked as soon as he reached the bridge. Without taking her eyes off the radarscope, Dr. Takado answered.
"It's Godzilla. He's fully awake now, and moving."
The crew of the research vessel immediately went to work, manning all stations.
Emiko felt as if she'd been caught off-balance. Her data had suggested that Godzilla would awaken eventually, but not nearly so soon. Nor so quickly.
"We must get clear of Godzilla -" she began, but she was interrupted by the sonar technician.
"Dr. Takado!" he cried as an image burst upon his screen. "Godzilla is rising to the surface - he's coming up right under us!"
"Send an SOS -" But Dr. Takado's command was again cut short as something rammed into the Kongo-Maru .
Helplessly, Dr. Takado was thrown across the bridge. The control panel in front of the sonarman exploded in a shower of electric sparks.
Then the entire ship was lifted out of the water.
A thunderous roar slammed against the crew's ears and echoed throughout the vessel. Then the ship lurched again and the lights went out. This time,