Chapter Text
Connor Hughes thought nothing could really faze him anymore. He had survived the Blitz at the age of ten, and then had been privy along with the rest of mankind to all sorts of monsters and beasts from pulp magazines suddenly appearing all over the world and laying waste on humanity just as the Soviets and the Americans were at each other’s throats. That’s why he had decided to join Monarch, believing himself to be steely and rational enough to handle such a position.
He really should have guessed something was wrong when Johnny burst into his office just as he was preparing to go home for the night, completely out of breath.
“Heavens lad, what’s the matter?” Connor asked, walking over to Johnny as he bent over, trying to catch his breath.
“There’s-” he wheezed, wiping sweat off his brow. “There’s a situation at the harbour. You really got to come see this.”
That was the second red flag that should have told him something was really wrong, but still he went to the harbour anyways expecting… Well he wasn’t sure. It was certainly not seeing a giant dinosaur tied up to a ship’s deck .
Connor simply stared at the thing. It must have been bigger than a bloody T.rex and by a long shot! The animal simply grunted, staring at the policemen surrounding it as Connor climbed aboard and walked over to them.
“What the hell ?” The Monarch scientist mumbled, looking straight at the beast’s huge red eyes. A police officer cleared his throat and stepped forward.
“Sergeant Willes at your service, sir. I assume you’re the Monarch operative we were told was coming?”
Connor blinked, still unable to keep his eyes away from the animal. He really hoped after opening his eyes the creature would be gone but nope, still there, staring at him. “Yes, yes I am. I am Doctor Connor Hughes, director of the European division of Monarch.” Connor shook his head, trying to focus on the conversation. “Excuse my language, Sergeant, but what the fuck is this?”
Willes just raised his eyebrows, expression akin to something like ‘you tell me ’. “We got a report from a dock worker about a vessel carrying some… Strange cargo. As soon as we saw the bloody thing I sent word to your organization. It’s no Godzilla or Varan but uh-”
“Not exactly some counterfeit iguana, aye.” Connor mumbled, looking at the dinosaur again. It looked rather calm for being tied up on a ship deck for God knows how long. He didn’t know if the thing was sedated or it had just accepted its fate, although those large, inquisitive eyes told him it was completely aware. Those large… puppy-like… He pushed those thoughts away, vehemently refusing to acknowledge where that train of thought would lead him. For now. “What about the crew of the boat?”
The sergeant shrugged. “Most are just as wary as we are from what we can gather. They were… Offered a hefty reward by the two masterminds of the operation, the captain Joe Ryan and one Sam Slade, but uh, apparently a crewmate was killed by the beast during the voyage.”
Connor sighed, already feeling a headache growing. “And where are the ‘masterminds’ in question? I’d like a word with them.”
“Up on the bridge, sir.”
Connor nodded. “Thank you, sergeant. Keep an eye on the beast for now while I… Deal with the situation.”
And so he went up to the bridge, leaving the dinosaur behind to face something way worse: Wannabe Carl Denhams. He saw the two on the bridge, the captain pacing around while the other man sat with a thunderous expression. The duo turned towards Connor as he stepped inside, and if looks could kill he’d definitely have dropped dead right then and there.
“Gentlemen.” Connor said, forcing a smile on his face. The captain, Joe, just huffed.
“And now who the hell is this?” The man said, clearly not happy with all the strangers on his boat.
Connor simply raised an eyebrow, completely unimpressed. “Doctor Connor Hughes, head of the European Monarch division. I suppose you’re Captain Joe Ryan?”
Joe guffawed. “What, now we got the bloody monster hunters up our arse too?!”
Connor felt his jaw clench. Oh it was gonna be one of those . “Well, seeing as you gentlemen have a monster tied up on deck, I’d say it’s rather appropriate, isn’t it?”
“And what are ye gon’ do, hm?” The other man, Sam, suddenly said. “We’ve got a permit for operating off the coast of Ireland. Perfectly legal, nothin’ sayin’ anything against monster hunting.”
Connor felt his eye twitch. “Is that so?”
Joe nodded. “Aye! This is a free country, is it not? We even got a contract with Dorkin's Circus to display the beast! All these coppers and shite, what is this, Soviet Russia?”
Now Connor felt something snap. “If this were Soviet Russia you idiots would already be on your way to Siberia!” He yelled. “Bringing a bloody dinosaur to the heart of London to sell it to a CIRCUS?! What, you remembered how Denham got a giant gorilla rampaging through New York and you lot wanted to take a go at it?!”
Connor took a deep breath, satisfied with the way the men’s bravado had completely evaporated. “Now, I’m gonna get in contact with the pertinent authorities and afterwards I’m confiscating the… Animal for its return to its natural habitat. And you two are gonna go with the police and you’ll be lucky if they don’t throw you in jail for this.”
And so the scientist turned to the bridge’s door, ready to put all of this behind him when Johnny suddenly walked up to him, face completely pale and looking like he’d seen a ghost. “Uh… Doctor… We may have another situation…” He said, handing him a telegram.
Connor sighed, reading the note over. Then his eyes widened and read it again.
Unidentified kaiju sighted off the coast of Ireland
Last seen off Cornwall
Expected trajectory: River Thames
He was gonna have a heart attack tonight, Connor was sure of it.
Connor stood off the shore of the Thames Estuary, the cold early morning sea breeze biting his skin as he sipped on his coffee. A large International Kaiju Defense Force and Royal Armoured Corps line stood behind him at the road, along with some authorized press broadcasting live to the entire nation.
Down at the estuary, a large specialized truck had dropped off a sedated Gorgo as the creature had been named. Over 20 meters long and near 30 tonnes, the creature was an impressive sight, especially for an island whose biggest predator was the mighty badger. Connor bit his cheek, looking off to the ocean. He hadn’t told the press, but he had a feeling Gorgo was still due for a growth spur. God he hoped his hunch was correct, cause otherwise it was gonna be hell on Earth soon.
Suddenly, the dinosaur huffed, big red eyes blinking open as the sedatives wore off. He felt everyone behind him tense up as Gorgo stood up, legs still wobbly from the chemicals in his bloodstream. The beast turned to look at the crowd and war machines, quizzically turning his head before perking up and looking off to the ocean.
Or more specifically, to the swell of ocean water speeding right towards them.
“Hold your fire!” He shouted as he heard all the war machines behind him take aim at the incoming kaiju. Gorgo chirped happily, taking off in an almost comically drunk-looking run to the water, which soon turned into a swim.
Then the kaiju revealed itself, and Connor damn near dropped his precious coffee. An enormous reptilian head much like Gorgo’s emerged from the ocean, letting out a mighty roar that he felt in his bones despite the distance.
That damn thing must have been the size of Godzilla himself at the very least!
The adult let out a rumble, looking down at Gorgo before it (she?) nudged the infant with its snout. Gorgo let out a happy warble, enthusiastically rubbing himself against his parent’s snout until it raised its head to stare right at them .
The kaiju’s maws parted slightly, showing its car-sized teeth as the ear-like fins to the sides of its head fanned out in what Connor would bet his life savings was a threat display. The man gulped as time screeched to a halt, giant red eyes freezing everyone present in place.
Then the kaiju blinked, looked back at its son once more and with a loving nudge dove back beneath the waves, a happy Gorgo eagerly following behind. In just a moment, both were gone and Connor let out a breath he had been holding.
Carl Denham? Those two morons had almost made London go through its own ‘54!