[b]JUNE 6, 2016 MONDAY 11:10 AM, JAPAN STANDARD TIME[/b] The phone call still evaded explanation, but for the most part had dropped from public notice. The prevailing theory in the media was that it was some sort of elaborate prank, and most people had gone along with that- it beat the uncomfortable thought that perhaps it was a serious ultimatum. The government had promised a full investigation and tighter cybersecurity, the people had nodded and gone back to watching baseball over the long weekend. Monday morning came, and though there were a few empty desks in workplaces (normally occupied by the eccentric and the crackpots, good riddance to them), life carried on as normal. And yet some found themselves making the occasional anxious glance at the clock. . . In his offices in Tokyo, Prime Minister Ueda sat down at his desk, as the last few minutes of the promised forty-eight hours melted away. Naturally, he had not announced a surrender- to do so would be political suicide. And so, he had carried on with his work, the usual Monday morning papers arriving. Even so, some sick dread in his stomach had made him clear the lines to Defense Minister Homma and Koyanagi, the Chair of the Public Safety Commission. General Onodera had the JSDF ready to go. If nothing else, this little scare was nothing more than a good test of Japan's mergency preparation protocols. If pressed, of course, Ueda would claim the mobilization was completely unrelated to the phone call. A coincidentally timed exercise. He was already beginning to feel a little silly. 11:14 became 11:15. Ueda smiled as Watanabe handed him yet another document requiring a signature. There was nothing to worry about. He had been a foolish old man to be concerned. [i]LAKE MASHU, HOKKAIDO[/i] The Ainu had called it “the Lake of the Devil”. Now, in summer, the water was often covered by a thick layer of fog, something of a local attraction- the fog was said to bring good luck. But to those nature lovers idly enjoying the lake, it seemed to do the exact opposite. The fog had a biting odor and burned to the touch, like acid. The general unpleasantness was only reinforced by the thousands of dead fish washing up, more with each wave lapping at the shore. The few at the lake this Monday morning beat a hasty retreat as the smell and irritation grew more unbearable by the moment. No one was present to see the two crimson oval eyes glaring malevolently through the mist, no one was present to see the enormous saucer-like creature rise slowly from the waters and begin a leisurely flight towards the city of Sapporo, plants wilting in its wake. [i]MOUNT ASO, KUMAMOTO PREFECTURE[/i] No one could be sure where the sound was emanating from. Japan's most active volcano covered a huge area, littered with unexplored crevices and fissures reaching to the deepest reaches of the earth. Today, the entire range seemed to be filled with a strange sound, a deep and sonorous droning, so loud that people had to shout to be heard by those within arm's reach. It was only when the twelve forms rose from out of the several craters in the area that anyone realized the source of the noise- the beating of twenty-four blistered wings. Fingers were pointed, cameras deployed. The more sensible fled, an appropriate reaction to the sight of twelve praying mantids grouping in the air, each nearly sixty meters in length. As if acting on some unseen signal, the hovering insects immediately rocketed in one direction, flying in a tight formation. One dipped in altitude, gave a casual flick of the foreleg at the steel cables holding up the Mount Aso Ropeway before rejoining its brothers. It was enough to sever the sole means of support for a crowded tram car suspended hundreds of meters above the ground, condemning the thirty passengers inside to be crushed in the twisted wreckage when it landed. Those were the first to die that day. The observant could see the giant insects were headed directly for Kumamoto City. [i] UMEDA, OSAKA[/i] The attack truly began in the business district of Japan's second city. It was preceded by a rumbling, a shaking that was felt even in the tallest and most modern buildings. A few offices even began earthquake protocols, rehearsed diligently by the salarymen until they knew exactly what to do in an emergency. Those who survived would bless this foresight. The street cracked and broke under the impetus of a gigantic spinning drill thrust upwards towards the sky. Bits of asphalt, vehicles, and even people were hurled aside by the spinning motion, smashing through the glass fronts of adjacent buildings. A bellowing screech could be heard from underground. As the drill extended ever further upwards, it became clear it was merely the extreme end of two arms, held over the insectoid head of a truly bizarre creature. Panic broke out, the ensuing stampede killing and injuring dozens even before the creature climbed out the hole it had made and shook the dust off. It was huge, a staggering 115 meters from toe to the tip of the star-shaped crest on its beetle head, covered in a thick exoskeleton in mottled yellow and black. The creature clashed its two drill hands together, and the ringing of metal on metal echoed through the concrete canyons of Umeda. And then it went to work. The buildings that weren't simply smashed by the abomination lurching into them were lit ablaze by the red lightning emanating from the horn atop its head. The mandibles of its mouth opened, and a flaming jelly sprayed out, clinging to any surface or unfortunate person unlucky enough to be caught in the way. It clung and burned, resisting all efforts to extinguish it. The massive office buildings were packed full of workers, most of whom were unable to evacuate in time. Thousands died in panic, fire, and rubble as the creature began its march. [i]PORT OF KOBE, HYOGO[/i] A scant few miles to the west, a similar situation was unfolding in Kobe. Even as dockworkers pointed across the bay at the smoke beginning to rise over Osaka, something was speeding towards them- not from below, but from above. It descended without warning, bladed feet sinking into the pavement at Merikin Park. Witnesses would have trouble describing it, the words “bird” and “robot” often being thrown about. With its steel hooks in lieu of hands, single malevolent red eye, and the buzzsaw in its abdomen, it bore no resemblance to any earthly creature. The creature screeched, almost a giggle as it lurched towards the world-famous Port Tower. The saw began to rotate, cutting through the steel latticework of the tower in a shower of sparks. The Kobe Port Tower split and collapsed, falling into the water of the bay. Roaring in triumph, the creature turned its single eye on the buildings of downtown Kobe. With a look some survivors would later describe as a smile of anticipation, it began towards the unprepared city. [i]NAHA, OKINAWA[/i] It was an idyllic, warm day in Okinawa, sunny and beautiful, the streets full of idle window shoppers, and the occasional wide-eyed American serviceman from the nearby military bases, drinking in the exotic sights of a foreign country. News of what else was occurring in the country was beginning to get out, more and more people were gathering around televisions and radios to keep abreast of events. Flights that normally would have continued on to the Home Islands were beginning to be grounded or turned back out of safety concerns- the city's seaside airport was much busier than usual accommodating the rerouted traffic. The roiling water in the water off the airport was accompanied by a sudden chill in the air- almost as if heat was being drawn to whatever was causing the disturbance. And then it rose, a huge cuttlefish with pale flesh and piercing yellow eyes, pulling itself ashore with its grasping tentacles. Panicking pilots attempted to take off without authorization or clearance, resulting in the runways being choked with taxiing planes. The giant cuttlefish tossed airplanes aside with impunity, leaving what it did not completely crush covered in a thick layer of frost. Air traffic controllers desperately tried to sort out the mess even as the monster smashed through hangers on a slow route to the terminal building. JASDF and USAF personnel from the military portion of the base rained machine gun fire onto the creature, but small arms did little against the dense rubbery flesh of the ninety-meter tall cuttlefish. The vital warplanes were unable to take off, and were smashed beneath tentacles even on the ground. Leaving fire and ice in its wake, it moved on into densely packed Naha. [i]KYUSHU UNIVERSITY, FUKUOKA[/i] “I believe it may be a Titanosaurus. The largest theropod on record,” the graduate student said thoughtfully, handing the binoculars back to the professor of paleontology. Around them, students and faculty raced about, climbing onto buses waiting to evacuate them from the city. The appearance of the gigantic biped standing in the harbor and the trumpeting elephant-like sound of its cry had sent the city into something like panic. These two, however, had seen an opportunity for academic advancement. The older professor nodded his assent as he looked through the binoculars himself. “I think you may be correct, young lady. Look at that swan neck, the pointed snout- oh! And the webbed tail,” he said excitedly as it flicked out of the water. “105 meters tall, at a guess. This is incredible!” the man enthused as the creature began to step ashore. “I never dreamed I would see a living specimen with my own eyes!” “Professor, perhaps we should go?” the student asked anxiously, watching yet another evacuation bus fill up and speed off. “And miss this exciting find? Why, I should think. . .” The old man's voice trailed off as the Titanosaurus trumpeted and smashed its talons through the walls of the Fukuoka Dome. The crash of tearing concrete could be heard for miles as the dinosaur methodically began to tear the baseball stadium to rubble. In seconds, the roof collapsed inwards onto the field, and a dense cloud of dust rose. The elephant-like cry could be heard amidst the chaos, even as the smoke and dust obscured the monster itself. “Yes,” the professor said after a moment. “Yes, perhaps we should in fact leave.” [i]MOUNT FUJI[/i] Here, as elsewhere, the rumbling began from deep beneath the earth. In this part of the country, it was not uncommon, of course. But his was something new, something rhythmic and deliberate. At the base of the mountain,, near Highway 180, the hard volcanic soil broke and sank in on itself. Eight madly waving claws broke free, stretching high into the air before setting down with a reverberating crash. A body was lifted free from the gaping hole, and eight black eyes glinted in the late morning sun. The eight legs began pumping into a blur, and the enormous spider was running south at an unbelievable speed, comparable to a bullet train. At the summit, the only thing the rumbling could be compared to was a gigantic heartbeat. From out of the crater came something huge, larger than any of the other beasts attacking Japan. Despite its sheer size, it was ethereal, transparent, seeming to float softly upwards like a balloon. Hundreds of thick tendrils emerged from the main body, waving without direction in the air. It was a soft and gentle blue, almost indistinguishable from the sky as it hung delicately in the air over Mount Fuji. For a long moment it simply hung there, filling the area with a soft humming noise punctuated by a deep, regular throbbing. And then, as though floating on the breeze, the jellyfish-like creature began to fly, tendrils trailing in the air behind it. It was headed west. Towards Nagoya. [i]CHIYODA, TOKYO[/i] “-eyewitnesses just called it a green shaggy ogre. Look here, Nippon News has footage of it destroying Okayama Castle with one blow-” “-giant snapping turtle, sir, it capsized the Maizaru-Otaru ferry-” “-twelve praying mantises. The media has named them Kamacuras, for some reason-” “-a snake or Chinese dragon, reports are sketchy at best. 200 meters long. We have nearly seven hundred dead in Matsuyama-” “-enormous lobster battering the support towers of the Kurushima Kaikyo Bridge-” “-radar has something huge in flight headed for Sapporo-” “-giant octopus in Kagoshima Bay-” Ueda's head was spinning. The Security Police had burst into his office, pistols drawn (for all the good it would do against a giant monster) and dragged him and Watanabe into this bunker, somewhere deep beneath Tokyo. His Cabinet was still being escorted to this “undisclosed location”, and in the meantime his staff seemed to be competing over who might give him the worst news. Most of the televisions seemed to be split between the carnage in Osaka and the same replayed footage of the huge new creature emerging from the crater of Fuji-san. Ueda removed his glasses, unable to bear the sights and sounds. His shaking hand reached up, loosened the knot of his tie. “Pardon me for just one moment, please,” he said softly, edging his way through the crowd of uniformed JSDF personnel and staffers, his eyes intent on the men's room on the far side of the room. He willed himself to remain confident and in control until he was safely inside and the door locked behind him. It was then that he allowed the tears to come to his eyes.