The GNP Presents:
The Return of Godzilla
Based on an original story be Tomoyuki Tanaka
Adapted from the screenplay by Hideichi Nagahara
Novelization by Daniel DiManna
………………………………………………
This novelization is dedicated with love to the memory of Teruyoshi Nakano: tokusatsu genius, master of explosions, and a creative powerhouse who truly blessed the Godzilla franchise with his passion, skill, and dedication to the craft of handmade special effects. Thank you for sharing your artistry with the world, and for making so many childhoods that much more special.
………………………………………………
“Every thinking person fears nuclear war, and every technological state plans for it. Everyone knows it is madness, and every nation has an excuse.”
-Carl Sagan, Cosmos (1980)
CHAPTER 1
This is no place for man.
Hiroshi Okumura had thought those exact words many times over the last year of his life. As a fisherman, it seemed to him a natural thought to have. But neither his profession nor the thought’s repetition made the words any less untrue.
The sea was a wild beast, a force that could never hope to be tamed. Like any beast, it was both alluring and dangerous, more than capable of enticing unsuspecting adventurers with its beauty and mystery, only to lash out with white claws of relentless, angry waters.
Unfortunately, the sea was particularly enraged on this night.
The Yahata-Maru #5 was a relatively small craft, and the storm had caught her crew completely off guard. Massive swells tossed the ship from near-vertical highs to plummeting lows. Rain pounded the hull and deck as vicious winds threatened to tear away the weakening sail. Lightning split the sky, its jagged arcs seeming to inch closer to the waterline with each strike.
As the storm raged, Hiroshi found himself with his back pressed against the rear storage wall on the bridge, his hands and shoulders shaking with a ferocity he’d been desperately attempting to hide from his fellow fishermen. It was a battle for dignity that he was quickly losing. It wouldn’t be long before his fear was spotted.
Hiroshi closed his eyes, attempting to calm his nerves. The ship was currently drifting off the coast of Daikoku Island, which meant they were a mere two kilometers from the mainland. It wouldn’t be much longer before he and his crew made landfall, and they’d be safe. Besides, the Yahata-Maru had surely seen worse storms than this in its time. At least, that’s what the young fisherman was dearly hoping. Surely, fate hadn’t placed him on duty during the fiercest weather the veteran trawler had ever sailed through.
But what if it had…
The thought sent a shiver up Hiroshi’s spine, adding a fresh layer of sweat to his already damp shirt. He found himself scanning the bridge, his eyes searching for as many of the Yahata-Maru’s 18 crew members as he could see. Only three came into his immediate view, including the captain and his first mate, who stood at the helm, hands firmly gripped on their respective wheels. Both were good, experienced men. Brave men. Braver than me, that’s for damn sure.
Hiroshi tried to banish the self-deprecating thought, but his mind was in no fit state to think clearly. It was true, and he knew it. All around him, the crew was rising the occasion, each sailor bravely standing their ground against the storm to protect their fellow man. Waves smashed into the deck and swept their feet out from under them, yet they found the strength to stand again, like warriors defending their palace from a mighty dragon.
Hiroshi was no warrior. With a mere nine months of experience to his name, he was barely even a fisherman. But he did have a mission. A reason to be there. Someone to protect…
If I can survive the night.
As yet another wave threw the Yahata-Maru off kilter, the captain’s eyeline finally intersected with Hiroshi’s. The sailor craned his neck behind him, his forehead glistening under the brim of his white cap.
“Hey, you okay?”
Hiroshi nodded, his eyes drifting to the floor in embarrassment. “Yes, I’m fine.”
The captain’s inquiry had been sincere, with no underlying sense of judgement or disapproval. Hiroshi knew the man had surely seen many panicked fishermen in his lifetime. This was nothing new. Still, the thought offered no comfort. No amount of understanding could change the fact that he was afraid, and that his crew knew he was afraid. Perhaps his bosses would pull him aside once they’d arrived safely in port. “You’re not cut out for fishing,” they’d say. They’d send him on his way with a half-hearted wish for good fortune, and he’d once again be looking for work.
Perhaps it would be for the best. Perhaps another opportunity would…
“It’s no good, captain.”
The first mate had spoken, and Hiroshi’s attention immediately snapped back to reality. The man was straining against his wheel, unable to turn it an inch in any direction. “The helm won’t budge,” he continued, turning to face the captain. “There’s something strange about this tide.”
“What? Don’t be a fool.” The captain’s retort was decidedly less friendly than his question to Hiroshi had been. “These waves aren’t enough to…” His voice trailed off as he checked the ship’s bearings. He’d seen something that had silenced him, but it was the first mate who spoke his observation aloud.
“We’re being pulled toward the island!”
Hiroshi instinctively turned his head to the bridge’s starboard-side windows. Beyond the sheeting rain, he could see the rocky coastline of Daikoku Island looming close to the ship. Too close. The volcanic landmass had experienced an eruption only three months prior, and while the surrounding waters had long since been deemed safe for fishing, a sense of foreboding still lingered in the area. The island felt… dead, appearing for all the world like a great black corpse rotting in the sea. Worse still, its decaying shores offered no safe harbor. If the island truly was drawing them in, the ship would surely be dashed to ribbons against sharp spires of volcanic rock.
Hiroshi’s breath caught in his throat. The tension on the bridge had risen to almost unbearable levels. The captain and first mate were once again straining against their wheels in a desperate bid to steer the ship back to sea. Beneath him, Hiroshi could hear the radioman transmit a desperate mayday. “This is the Yahata-Maru #5. I repeat, the Yahata-Maru #5. Our ship is in danger of wrecking! We are currently due west of Daikoku Island. I repeat, we are…“
Light.
Hiroshi had seen it clear as day. A sudden shine of bright, white light from the starboard windows. It had been brief, like the flash of a camera, but he’d seen it.
Then, he saw another. And another.
The young fisherman rushed to the window. Behind him, the captain and first mate turned in his direction. They’d seen it, too. Before their eyes, Daikoku Island had suddenly become awash in light. The flashes were growing quicker, each seeming to emerge from the massive cliffs and outcroppings of the island itself. Through the darkness and rain, Hiroshi could make out a thick layer of mist – no, steam – enveloping the landmass. It seemed to spill from cracks and chasms between the rocks. Cracks and chasms that Hiroshi swore hadn’t existed a few seconds prior.
And then, the ocean began to shake.
A great trembling overtook the ship. Hiroshi felt himself stumble, and quickly righted himself in front of his window. He was just in time to see the center of Daikoku Island begin to rise.
The landmass’ central mountain stretched forth from the surrounding terrain, pulling itself upright as the flashing lights increased their intensity and massive rocks tumbled into the boiling sea. The mountain slowly turned, looked down upon the Yahata-Maru, and roared.
A final light sliced through the night, banishing the darkness with a blinding blue intensity that shone bright as a sun in Hiroshi’s eyes. The fisherman lifted his arms to his face, blocking out as much of the light as he could. Then, a shockwave hit the ship, and the screams of 18 frightened men echoed through the cabins and bridge of the Yahata-Maru. Hiroshi, the captain, and the first mate were blown back against the storage wall of the bridge, each hitting hard and slumping down to the floor.
Hiroshi’s’ consciousness faded to black, and beyond the cracked starboard windows, a great, dark shape passed silently through the raging storm.
NEXT CHAPTER COMING SOON!
The Godzilla Novelization Project 