An Eventful Friday Night

As a belated birthday present, Nicholas Sato had been given his own air car - it was not a flashy model, and had more safety features than, well, features, but it was HIS. And he was going to take his friend Sandra (and his parents) out to dinner, and then go with just Sandra to a school dance. This was more exciting, and maybe a little more frightening, than fighting giant monsters had been!

He tried on four different outfits before his dad came in, picked out a dark pair of pants, nice shoes, a white shirt, a red bowtie, and a jacket that matched the pants and helped him put it all on. “Yeah, that’s good,” he said as he finally got the tie right, on the third try. “Thanks, dad.”

“I remember how hard it was deciding what to wear the first time I took your mother out. My sister, Keiko, was visiting and saw my distress. She grabbed almost the same outfit for me - the pants and jacket were red, as that was in style then, and the tie black, but this should be timeless.”

“You know I love you, right, dad?” Nicholas asked.

His dad just hugged him and said: “We'll meet at your car in five, Okay?”

Nick just smiled at him.

Twelve minutes later, he parked in front of the Cummings house… and sat. He knew it was silly - he and Sandra had been friends for years, and he had fought giant monsters, for crying out loud! Why would he be afraid NOW? His parents simply sat there, exchanging knowing looks. He finally took a deep breath and stepped out of the car.

The walk to her porch seemed ten times longer than usual and he kept hoping she’d come outside so he would not have to finish this endless trudge. He finally reached the front porch and was out of breath. He stood there, breathing deeply, for a few seconds before finally knocking on the door.

William Cummings opened it and smiled. “Nick! Good to see you boy! Come on in, I think Sandra is almost ready...”

“Uh, good evening, sir,” Nick said, bowing slightly, and followed him in.

He then heard something on the stairs to the second floor and looked up - and felt his heart stop. His friend Sandra was a pretty girl, nobody could deny that, but the woman who came down the stairs, his date Sandra, was gorgeous; more beautiful even than her mother. Her short hair was lightly curled, she wore expertly applied make-up, and a silky teal dress that set off her pale skin and red hair magnificently, even as it showcased the spectacular figure that her normal clothing tried, with limited success, to conceal.

Mister Cummings saw his reaction and leaned close. Very quietly, he said; “close your mouth, son, you’ll attract flies.”

“Oh! Uh… Sorry,” Nick answered, almost as quietly, and then managed to smile at Sandra, who was now almost at the bottom of the stairs. “Wow. You look… wow.” Was all he could manage, his head shaking slightly as he said this.

Sandra smiled. “You’re not so bad yourself, Nick. Ready to go?”

“Go? Oh yes, right, go. Dinner…yes. Ready!” He fumbled for words.

Nick took a deep breath and opened the door to head out. Then he saw Sandra’s mother at the top of the stairs and waved to her.

“Have our daughter back before eleven unless you get caught in a shelter in place alert - and then call to let us know where you are, Okay?” Sandra’s dad declared.

Nick felt he could control his vocal cords again. “Yes sir. Have a good night, sir, and you Senator. And Janet if she’s around. I will have her back by eleven if at all possible and call if it is not.” As he was saying this, she brushed past him, close enough for him to realize she was wearing perfume, something subtle, sweet and fruity. He felt a little dizzy inhaling it.

As he tried to regain his balance, William Cummings leaned close: “Remember, before I became a writer, I was military police. Take GOOD care of my little girl.”

Nick snapped to attention at this. “Yes, sir!” And hurried to the car, as Sandra had almost reached it already.

He opened a door for her.

“Sandra! You look wonderful. More like your mother every year!” Nick’s mother said. “Doesn't she look wonderful, Hakama?”

“She does, my dear. Not as wonderful as you, of course, but wonderful.”

“Oh, stop being silly!” She teased her husband, as Sandra took her seat and fastened her seat belt. Nick got in the driver’s side, took one more look at his date, half expecting both her and the car to suddenly disappear, as all dreams seemed to do upon waking, and then turned his attention to the road and started the car.

Traffic was a bit messy, but they were only two minutes late for their reservation at ‘Gaia’s Bounty,’ a ‘European Fusion” restaurant that Nick and his mom both loved. As that was within the restaurant’s ten-minute window, they were seated promptly. They each ordered regional samplers to share - Nick ordered the Italian sampler, his father the German one, Sandra the French plate, and his mother, though nobody ever quite understood why she loved it so, her favorite, the British platter. They each wound up with an assortment of pasta, with and without sauces, different types of crepes, several kinds of sausages and a few potato dishes to share. Dinner went well, and conversation was lovely, though Nick still found himself freezing up every time he met Sandra’s gaze - a fact she seemed aware of and even appeared to be enjoying.

Hakama suddenly looked embarrassed. “I have a phone call,” he announced and left the table.

As soon as he was in a quiet area, he accepted the call. ‘Sato speaking.”

“Sato Hakama? I am Edo Takashi,” came the reply from the other end; he spoke haltingly, as if having difficulty finding words.

Hakama considered this for a moment, then replied: “I have heard the name, but cannot place it."

There was a dry chuckle from the other end. “I am the man credited with creating the Ultimate Warrior,” the voice said.

“Ah,” Sato replied, hoping the other would get to a point.

Again, in halting English, Edo asked: “You are the one who named the kaiju and one who is covering the story of the giant, correct?”

“Yes,” Sato replied, increasingly curious as to where this was going.

There was a slight pause, and then: “Do the terms ‘Titan Project’ or ‘Experiment M-Seventy-Eight’ mean anything to you?”

“Let’s just say you have my attention,” Sato replied cautiously, his eyes wide.

“Can you come to Kyoto? I have documents I think you should see,” the voice stated.

“On the record or off? If off the record, I’ll have to handle everything myself and this could take a week or more, but on the record my bosses might cover it and could only be a day or two.”

“Come, see what I have and hear my story and decide for yourself if it should be on the record or not,” Takashi said.

“I will make some calls. How do I get in touch?”

“I will text you my son’s number and you can work out details with him. I am confined to a wheelchair, sadly. This number takes texts, right?”

“Of course,” Sato replied.

“Then I will let you go. Hope to speak in person soon.” The line went dead but a number popped up almost immediately on Satto’s text message app. He called his boss, spoke for a few minutes, and then returned to the table to finish dinner.

Once they were done eating, Nick’s parents escorted the teens to Nick’s car and watched them drive off.

“Well, let’s get the valet to find your car and… one moment,” Hakama began as his phone once again vibrated. This time it was a text and not a call. “Huh. Looks like I’m going to Japan tomorrow afternoon,” he said.

His wife wrapped her hands around his shoulders. “Then let’s hurry home and do some things that we would get mad at the kids for doing at their age,” she said, with a twinkle in her eye.

Hakama kissed her and said: “I can agree to that.”

***

Nick drove up to the school. “Should I let you out at the gym, or do we walk in together?”

She put her head on his shoulder. “Together,” she said.

He felt an odd, energized feeling at that, like he could take on a kaiju without the suit. He quickly found a place to park, got out, and helped her out of the passenger’s seat. As she stood up, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and he blushed furiously. She then slipped her hand into his, and they walked into the dance together.

At the door, a very large young man named Paul Pugh was checking people in. Paul was the kind of guy everyone picked on when they first met him, but once they got to know him, they felt guilty about and wound up liking him despite everything after that. His parents were both military, and rarely home so he spent most of his time volunteering for stuff at school. A general consensus was that he would be fairly good looking if his complexion ever cleared up. Paul seemed worried about something, and Nick leaned in to ask what was up.

Paul looked around to see if anyone was listening and then, very quietly, said: “my parents were tracking a Dreadswarm but lost sight of it about thirty kilometers from here. Have not heard anything from them since.”

Dreadswarms were one of the lesser kaiju - typically five to seven meters long, they looked like an unholy blend of praying mantis and hornet, with striped yellow and black bodies, powerful forearms, and stingers on their abdomens. They were capable of functioning underwater, in the air or on land; though physically the weakest of the known kaiju, they were among the most feared as they rarely appeared in groups of less than ten and sometimes in swarms of nearly a hundred specimens. That, and their presence usually drew out some of the major kaiju types, especially the Arachdyl, a winged spider-thing with a body about ten meters across, six legs each slightly longer than the body, and a pair of bird-like wings roughly the same length. Oddly, Dreadswarm were also the only kaiju type known to be semi-vegetarian; though this meant they would devour entire fields of plants along with any animals tending to, feeding on or trying to protect the plants as well. They left huge swathes of destruction every time they appeared. Nick could understand his worry. “Did you hear which way they were headed?”

“No,” Paul said, sadly. “Nothing but that they sighted it.”

Nick patted him on the shoulder. “I’m sure they’ll be okay. They’re both good at their jobs, right?’

Paul gave him a weak smile. “Don’t mind me - just go enjoy the dance. And, Sandra, you look amazing!”

She thanked him and the couple headed into the dance. Nicholas stopped at the threshold, acting as if he was scanning the crowd, but internally he asked: “Sensei, do you have any way to check Paul’s story?”

“I would require Internet access...”

“I heard that,” Sandra whispered. “Can it use our phones?”

Sensei replied before Nick could: “I had not considered that. One second. Yes. It may be a while before I get anything though.”

“Good. Let’s try to enjoy the dance, until we hear something…” Nick replied, as much to himself as to anyone else.

“Nick!” He heard Peter shout out over the music, and they turned to find him and his date sliding through the crowd towards them.

“Hey Peter,” Nick said.

“Wow - you both look great. Especially you Sandra,” Peter said. His date stated agreement. “Dan is out there, somewhere. Judy is being very … territorial tonight.”

The loud song that had been playing as they entered had stopped, and now a slow song began. Sandra dragged Nick out on the floor; he protested that he did not know how to slow dance, but she made sure his hands were in the right spot and just started swaying to the music. He followed suit and found his eyes drawn down to the top of her dress. He immediately blushed and looked away. Then his eyes went to her face. She smiled and again he blushed. He felt her laugh.

“Am I making you nervous, Nick?” she asked.

He laughed. “No, but I feel like you should be,” he replied. She leaned close, her head on his shoulder. He was just starting to enjoy the moment when:

“Nick. I have news,” Sensei announced.

“I heard it too,” Sandra said in his ear.

“Yes, Sensei?”

“I also heard that,” she said, surprised.

“The submarine was trailing one group of Dreadswarm when it encountered another. They seem to still have a location beacon and life support but no communications. The swarms merged and appear to be headed this way. If they do not change course, they will be here in about an hour at their last recorded speed “

“So, is this time to test the Aquatic Mode?” Nick asked.

Sandra and Sensei replied at the same time: “Yes.”

“Nick! You made it! And you brought a supermodel as a date?” He heard Dan’s voice from behind him.

Nick loosened his grip on Sandra and turned to face his friend: “Hey, Dan!”

“Oh! That’s Sandra! Guess she won’t get jealous, then,” Dan said with a wink. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Sandra, but you look a lot like your mom “

She laughed. “You should see her prom pictures. I was shocked how much I look like she did then, tonight. I believe Nick needed to go use the bathroom, so would you mind taking his place until the song ends?”

“I think Judy can spare me that long,” Dan said, and Nick passed her over to his friend - with more reluctance than he expected.

He hurried quickly towards the bathrooms. “We have cameras everywhere. Can you get me past security?”

Sensei replied: “Now that I know about the cellphones, that is simplicity itself. Just go through the emergency exit straight ahead.”

Nick passed through the door without the alarm sounding and ran down the stairs. “We should check the sub first and then engage the swarm, I think.’

“You will have to fight through part of the swarm, regardless, unless you want to take a very long route. The sun has set so I will not be able to recharge quickly,” Sensei warned.

Nick considered this for a moment. “Is there a way to recharge you other than solar?” he asked as he transformed.

“I could tap into the electrical grid, but that could place you at risk. You would have to keep the armor active, remain still, and risk getting a serious shock,” came the reply.

“We may have to keep that in mind if this horde draws an Arachdyl,” Nick said, as he launched himself into the air. “I think I should stay above water until we are near where the sub might be?”

“Coming up on several aerial bogeys,” Sensei replied momentarily.

“Can Turbolasers be set for a wide dispersal, something like a shotgun?” Nick asked.

“Yes. Do you wish that adjustment?”

“Yes, at least temporarily,” Nick replied, as he eyed the mass of creatures his flight was about to intercept. He clapped his arms together - almost crashing into the water as he lost his lance in the process - and then swung his arms out to lock the guns into place. He leapt up into the air and flew towards the center of the approaching mass of Dreadswarms. “This is less than one third of the total swarm,” Sensei warned.

Relying on both his Martial Arts and acrobatic training, Nick dropped down and “skimmed” the water; his aim was awful, due to the bouncing movement, but he still saw a handful of the alien bugs explode from Turbolaser fire, and then leapt up into the air, making a series of awkward but high-speed strikes with his hands and feet. The formation of the Dreadswarm was disrupted - some dove between the waves, some flew off in different directions. A handful remained and attacked, but they were as clumsy in flight as Nick was and his flight speed was higher. He bobbed up and down, making occasional fist strikes while doing his best to dodge the swings from their “preying” claws and the occasional venom blasts from their abdominal stingers.

“Your previous armor upgrade should be enough to block the venom,” Sensei said, “But those claws can damage the armor.”

As he continued his clumsy aerial dance with the insectoid monsters, he thanked Sensei and had the Turbolasers return to standard blast pattern, but single shot mode, to conserve energy. Sensei complied, and quickly he cleared the skies.

“You have reached level five,” Sensei intoned just before the last Dreadstorm died. After Nick punched into the creature’s torso, killing it, Sensei added: “You may choose the Advanced Sensor Array, Electrical Aura, Speed Burst or two upgrades. You may also access either Basic Star Sword or Recruitment Drive.”

“Explain those two new ones, please,” Nick said.

“The Star Sword is your main offensive weapon or will be. At Basic or Standard Level, it is a melee only weapon - it takes energy to summon, and to increase damage. At Advanced and Master Level, it can also be used at range. Recruitment Drive is … unclear. It was meant for the Prime Candidate to activate other Candidates. Without the project in place, I am not sure how it will work,” Sensei admitted.

“Hmm. I have an idea but - have you located the submarine?”

Sensei replied: “I believe so. It seems stuck.”

“Could I move it in Gargantua Mode?”

“I believe so but the only way to find out is to try it," Sensei informed him.

“Okay, I will take the Electrical Field as it seems better against the Dreadswarm, and, to test a theory, Recruitment Drive. Let’s rescue a sub!”

***

“Commander Pugh,” a bald, dark-skinned man in a military uniform called out, “we have good news and bad news.”

A very large, powerfully built woman with long, black hair in a uniform similar to the dark-skinned man’s but with many more decorations on the sleeve and left breast, called out: “the bad first then, Ensign Palmer” she replied.

Two other people in similar uniforms turned their attention to the man identified as Ensign Palmer, who replied: “well, we can either try to move the ship, or recycle the air”

“So, the good news is that the engines are partially repaired?” Commander Pugh asked.

“Yes, ma’am,” the Ensign replied cautiously.

The blonde man beside him said: “I think I can reconfigure the sensor arrays to broadcast a signal out so we can at least let Command know we are alive … for the moment “

“Wait, Lieutenant,” the other uniformed person in the cramped chamber replied.  She was a slender woman with close cropped brown hair and a harsh face who declared: “the sensors are picking up something much larger than the Dreadswarm heading our way.”

“Visual on,” the Commander replied. A screen that had been powered down to preserve energy needed for life support blinked to life.

A hush went around the command chamber,

The Commander was the first to react: “Is that a giant armored man?”

“That is what it looks like, sir,” the woman at the scanner replied.

“Maybe it is that Protector I was reading about this morning?” Ensign Palmer asked.

“He seems to be signing something? Looks like… is that miming fastening a seat belt?

The Commander nodded and hit a switch, and then, her voice amplified to echo all through the sub she commanded: “All personnel, strap in. We may be facing a bumpy ride!”

The giant outside made the same motion, like a person fastening a safety belt around their waist again, and then held up a fist and, one at a time slowly raised each finger, and then finally his thumb. Then he moved closer to the sub and the image blurred. The entire vessel suddenly shuddered and metal creaked and groaned ominously.

The blonde woman read gauges beside the scanners: “Sir, we are ascending very rapidly. We are … On the surface! I think he just saved us!”

The commander replied: “Thanks, Lieutenant Carter. Get damage reports and see if we can get back to port on our own.”

Palmer interjected: “Now that we are free, yes - we just have to stay on the surface and open the air intake.”

“Good. I’m going up," the Commander said. “Notify Chief Medical Officer Pugh, please.”

***

The effort of lifting the sub and pushing it to the surface left Nick exhausted. He was treading water while trying to catch his breath when he saw the hatch on top of the craft begin to move and a very large woman stepped out. She waved at him and, cupping a hand to her mouth, shouted: “I don’t know if you can hear me, but you just saved us. Thank you, whoever you are,” and she followed this with a sharp salute before turning around and returning to the interior of the craft.

Nick returned the salute, took a deep breath, shot up into the air, and waved at the sub.

“Not to dampen this moment,” Sensei interrupted,” but I have identified the course of the Dreadswarm. If they do not change course, they will come ashore two kilometers short of, and on a direct path to, the dance.”

“Then let's get back there as fast as possible.”

“We won’t have the energy to take on a larger swarm than the one we already faced.”

“Again,” Nick said, “I have a plan…”

A gray streak shot back towards New San Francisco as the submarine began its relatively sluggish progress back to a nearby Naval base.