Godzilla Returns by Marc Cerasini Page A

mission over Baghdad.
    "How do you feel, Doris?" he asked his backseater.
    "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous," she confessed. "But I know I can do the job."
    I know you can, too , Reagan thought. Or I wouldn't go up with you.
    "Speaking of which," Captain Day continued, "I'll make you a wager!"
    "Oh," he replied. "And what would that be?"
    "I'll bet you that I can hit Godzilla right in the heart - with both smart bombs!" she stated with confidence.
    "Just what'll you bet?" he asked.
    She thought about it for a second. "If I miss the big lizard's heart, I'll do maintenance paperwork for a month."
    "Whooo!" Captain Reagan whistled. "And what if you don't miss?"
    "If I don't miss, you let me land this plane when we get back!"
    Captain Reagan sighed. Why do all backseaters want to be pilots? he asked himself. "All right," he agreed finally. "But it's against regulations."
    "Hey," she replied confidentially. "If I take down Godzilla, they'll wave medals in our faces when we land, not regulations."
    Just then the tower came on-line again. "Stalker Flight, prepare for takeoff," the voice on the radio commanded.
    * * *
    Brian Shimura sweated in his tiny bunk aboard the Kongo-Maru . He turned over with a moan and threw the sheets off his body.
    It's hot in here, he thought. Then he thought about it again. No, it isn't... I'm scared.
    The revelation depressed him. Rationally, he knew he had a right to be scared. After all, I'm nineteen years old, I'm only a student intern, and I'm going into a sea battle with a monster. Who wouldn't be scared? he argued with himself.
    But neither Yoshi nor Nick seemed afraid, he noticed. Nick was snoring away on the top bunk, and Yoshi seemed exhilarated by the whole thing. But Yoshi's the kind of guy who wants to go to Bosnia and shoot combat footage , Brian thought bitterly.
    Why am I so afraid? he asked himself for the hundredth time. I'm not a coward - I've surfed, skied, bungee-jumped, and even went skydiving once. It was fun. Why is this so different?
    Maybe became the whole thing is so... primal. Hunting for some freak of nature, a giant beast that could kill us all. The thought made Brian feel like some caveman, on the hunt for a dinosaur, like in that movie where Raquel Welch wore a fur loincloth.
    Maybe that's it! he reasoned. Maybe it's such a primitive, basic fear, a fear of natural terrors that still lives at the core of all of our beings.
    It's man against nature, that's what it is. But suddenly, Brian felt a chill wash over him. He shivered and pulled the sheets back over himself.
    Nature almost always wins , he thought glumly. Nature - in the guise of a bad heart - even beat my mother. And, at that moment, he realized that there was another reason why he was so afraid. Brian had watched his mother die, and he'd learned what death really was.
    * * *
    When Nick, Yoshi, and Brian came on deck that morning, they were surprised by the vision that awaited them. Somehow, overnight, the Kongo-Maru had become surrounded by warships. Two destroyers, four frigates, and an array of support vessels steamed through the waves on either side of them. It was an impressive armada.
    The day was clear and cloudless, the weather cool, and the Sea of Japan was mostly calm. with only a light chop.
    When they reached the ship's bridge, Admiral Willis greeted them. Lieutenant Takado was there, wearing a combat uniform this time. Dr. Nobeyama was present, too. It was the first time any of them had seen the older man aboard the Kongo-Maru .
    The bridge was impressive. Windows lined the front, but on either side were huge television screens feeding live pictures of the action from a dozen remote cameras. Other instruments lined the walls. Many men in white lab coats manned these monitors.
    "Good morning," Admiral Willis greeted them. "Did you all have breakfast?"
    They nodded their heads politely, but in truth, they had all been too nervous to eat. Nick claimed he felt seasick. Yoshi said he wanted an empty