Jörmungandr

[Willowfang]

I wrote this one for the Spring contest last year over on BD, came in 2nd place with this one. I wrote it some time after the Tsunami in Japan. The theme I used for this story was Atomic Horror. Please feel free to comment.

Jörmungandr

The news helicopter hovered over the nuclear reactor at what the pilot felt should be a safe distance. That didn't stop the reporter from constantly urging him to fly closer. And it's not as if they could see things any better unless they got a hell of a lot closer. There was obviously lots of damage and debris everywhere. Cars, trees, mud, a long twisted train could even be seen amid the wreckage.

He inched a little closer, hoping to appease the reporter as she rambled on about how “tragic” her big break was. He hoped the reactor would be fine, but it was clearly damaged, the walls of the buildings were cracked, steam leaked from many of the pipes, flooding all over, and the water was still shifting the train around. Except it wasn't shifting any of the other stuff that got washed up around here he thought as he scanned the area.

He started listening for the reporter to pause so he could point the train out.

“Down below you can see the extensive damage to the facility, but there's no signs that reactor is in any immediate danger, how long it stays that way remains to be seen though. The grounds here are flooded, there are cars, trees, the roof of a house and what looks like a train twisted up around one of the reactors, can you get a better shot of the train there, Kira?

She pointed to head of the train and tapped me on the shoulder, obviously wanting me to get closer. I moved in a little and swung around for a better shot. But from this angle it was beginning to look less like a train and more like... a whale? I could see teeth, and an large eye socket, too big for any whale.

“It looks like there's a whale tangled up in the wreckage. Are you getting this? Oh my god!!! Is it still alive, I can see the eye moving, it's mouth is gasping for breath. You can see it's fangs, it's tongue hanging out as it tries to breath.

Kira then spoke up. That was gonna get him in trouble I thought, especially with this reporter. You never want to step on her commentaries. “Whales don't have fangs, or long, thin tongues for that matter.”

The reporter didn't seem to notice his interruption as she now noticed the same thing we were all looking at. Whatever it was, it was bigger than most whales and something far different. As I followed the body back from the head, this thing went hundreds of yards back towards the sea. I suddenly heard her scream as I looked back out the front of the helicopter and there was the thing's mouth right in front of......

* * *

Takahashi was overseeing the clearing of debris from a major roadway leading in to the tsunami devastated area when he was waved over by his secretary, Yuna Kon, to come take a call as she held up the radio headset linked to the network they were using to coordinate the rescue and relief efforts.

“Hello, Takahashi here,” he said as he settled the headset over his ears.

“How far are you from the reactor, do you have it in sight?”

“No, we're about six miles away still, and a few hills and bends between us.”

“How fast can you get someone there? Never mind clearing everything, I mean just to get a visual on the site.”

“Dunno, depends on the debris between here and there. If it was just a matter of climbing around over some of it, maybe two hours, but if we had no choice but to cut through, there's no telling. Who is this anyway, you never said?” Takahashi asked as he considered what he felt were rather odd questions.

“I'm Major Kurosaki with the SDF assigned to overseeing assistance to the reactor. We need a visual report on the nuclear facility as soon as possible. We also need to know if there's any sign of a news helicopter that has also disappeared in the area. I need you to get someone there right away. Contact me on this channel the second you have anything to report.”

Takahashi thought it was an odd request as he handed the headset back to Kon. He was already clearing the road as fast as he could, why not just send an SDF helicopter to get a visual? Could radiation levels be so bad as to prevent a helicopter from getting close enough? He didn't know what conditions lay on the road ahead, but he told two of his men to start suiting up try walking to the reactor as soon as they could get around the pile of debris they were currently working on and report back by radio.

* * *

Captain Thomas was going over his orders once again. He'd been told to set sail for Japan at once, no reason as to why or what to do when he got there, not yet anyway. So the aircraft carrier, USS Theodore Roosevelt, was now under way to Japan with an ETA of almost sixteen hours. He wasn't worried as such, he'd known about the recent tsunami and figured his mission would be related, but why nothing more as of yet, and what exactly did anyone expect a carrier to do that other ships could do far better as far as helping any survivors?

* * *

Sometime later, Takahashi saw Kon calling him urgently as she waved the headset at him. He hurried over, wondering if it would be his men, having made it to the reactor, or Major Kurosaki looking for a status report.

“Takahashi here,” he spoke into the mouth piece.

“I'm here at the end of the road, the reactor is gone,” Hanaka responded, he really didn't know what else to say.

“How bad is it, are you picking up any radiation?”

“No sir, no radiation. And by gone I mean gone, there's no reactor, no buildings, no rubble, ruins, or even a sign of them. It's as if a giant hand just scooped it all up. There's just an empty field of dirt here, sir.”

“Say that again? Are you claiming that where the reactor is supposed to be there's just an empty field and no sign of any radiation or the news copter?” Takahashi didn't think it was possible, but thought he should at least say what he thought he heard so Hanaka could either confirm or deny it.

“That's right, sir,” Hanaka said nervously. He could hardly believe it himself, and figured he wouldn't be believed until several more people got here to look at the same empty field he was seeing right now.

“Hanaka, are you sure that's the report you want to give right now? We'll be up there ourselves before long you know.

“Yes, sir, I confirm the report I've already given.”

“Okay then. While we're still on the radio, I want you to completely check over your Geiger counter and rescan for radiation, please confirm.”

“Confirmed, sir. Checking the detector over and will rescan. Give me a minute.”

Takahashi stayed on the radio for a few minutes to let Hanaka recheck. When he came back, his story was the same, no radiation present. He'd have to call and give Major Kurosaki the report he just heard, but he saw no reason for the major to believe the story any more than he did as he told the radio operator to get the major on the line.

* * *

[Willowfang]

“That's right, no sign of the reactor, helicopter, or even any radiation. I wish to state I haven't seen it for myself, we're still at least a few hours from getting there, but that's the report from the men I sent ahead on foot. I can't imagine it to be true, but I trust those men otherwise. They were quite insistent. So I thought it best to tell you that much, you did say to contact you the second I had anything to report. I can't give you any other news for the time being, but as soon as I see for myself, I'll be sure to tell you what's there in greater detail.

“As strange as this is, shouldn't someone fly by for a closer look?” Takahashi had been wondering why they hadn't already done so. He thought the question might be a bad idea since it pointed out something they should already have done, but he felt he had to ask since he was started to get worried himself.

“We'll send someone as soon as we can,” the major said and then disconnected.

Takahashi noticed the pause. He could tell the major didn't like the question, perhaps they'd already sent a plane or helicopter and lost contact with it just like they did with the news helicopter?

* * *

Major Kurosaki passed on the report he got from Takahashi. His superiors were no happier than he was. And indeed he did already send a plane as Takahashi must soon assume he did, but they lost contact with it and their own satellite recon could get any clear images of the area for some reason. Hopefully the Americans would be able to provide some aerial data on the situation soon.

* * *

In another four hours Takahashi made it to the end of the road. The asphalt just seemed to have rotted away into dust and then disappeared altogether, the nuclear facility was simply not there. No buildings, no people, not even the guard post, fencing, parking lot or any of the worker's cars or any sign of the news helicopter that had supposedly gone down here. Looking around, even the debris that had washed up here with the water that had flooded the grounds was in the same state as the road. It seemed to sort of fray off like the end of a broken rope.

He saw him men walking towards him, moving slowly and checking around them with the Geiger counter. As they walked up, Hanaka began to speak.

“Sir, we aren't actually detecting much of any radiation. Even the background radiation you'd expect anywhere is almost non-existent here.”

That made no sense, Takahashi thought. He even had a few more workers scan the area with other Geiger counters with the same results. He reported his findings back to Major Kurosaki, but could offer no explanation.

* * *

Since they were still unable to get any images of the area, Captain Thomas was listening in as a recon place with escort approached the site of the nuclear reactor. As they got closer they began to pick up a 'non-signal.' A blind spot in all their monitoring equipment. Though they could certainly track the lack of data, they could tell nothing about what was going on otherwise.

“Still detecting nothing, no sign of the nuclear plant or that it was even once there. Just reduced background radiation from where it should be and no other data. There isn't any white noise as if the area was somehow cloaked, sir. That we would surely pick up. It's as if the area has been drained of it's electromagnetic radiation would be my guess.”

Captain Thomas then snatched up a headset and spoke to the operator himself. “Say again, and how do you reach that conclusion?”

“Well, sir, if there was a cloaking field, it should have lit things up like a Christmas tree, sure it would block signals, but not itself, and we aren't reading any such field. So then any lack of data would have to mean that the data just isn't there to be picked up.”

“Do you have any visual data on the area yet?”

“Not yet, sir. Cameras still aren't picking up any clear images. We'll have some visuals ourselves any moment though.”

* * *

“We've been circling the area for thirty minutes now, sir. No change in the readings, we do have visual confirmation of no buildings or wreckage at the location in question though.”

“Noted. Please change course to North zero-zero-eight degrees. We have a call for assistance. Delta Air Lines Flight 819 reports they are under attack by a strange aircraft. You are to render any possible aid at once. We estimate your ETA at just under seven minutes.

* * *

“We have radar interference as reported, but are starting to get a visual. We can see a trail of smoke coming from the Delta Air Lines flight. I can't make out the other aircraft at this range. It seems to be highly acrobatic and at least five times larger than the 767 airliner.”

“Give them a warning to break off their attack.”

“Unidentified aircraft, this is the U.S. Navy, you are hear by ordered to break off your attack. I repeat, this is the U.S. Navy, you are ordered to break off. Please respond.”

“Sir, the aircraft is not responding. It's going to destroy the airliner if we don't stop it. Permission to open fire?”

“Permission granted. Fire a single shot, see if that will break off their attack.”

“Acknowledged. Using heat-seekers. Locking on. Missile fired.”

The bridge of the Roosevelt listened quietly for the results of the missile, wondering what the effect would be on such a large aircraft. The didn't have to wait long.

“Direct hit to the midsection. No sign of smoke or debris. We have it's attention, the aircraft has broken off it's attack and is heading our way. It doesn't seem to have any wings, just one long fuselage. Hard to estimate the size, but it's easily much thicker than the 767 it was attacking.”

“No wings at all? Any signs of bombs, missiles, or other weaponry?”

“None sir. Permission to continue our attack?”

“You're clear to engage.”

“Still no radar lock, using heat-seekers. Missiles away. Three more hits. No visible effect.” Could this thing be armored? How could anything still fly with this much protection?

“Try to maintain visual, we'll send more planes with the appropriate missiles.”

“Acknowledged. Flight 819 has now turned back for Haneda Airport. They keep saying it wasn't an aircraft though. The pilot isn't making any sense, he keeps yelling 'Manda, Manda', I have no idea what that is.”

“The word isn't familiar, it must be Japanese.” Thomas replied. Speaking to the bridge he asked, “Anyone know what 'Manda' means? Someone try to find out.” Speaking back to the pilot, he continued, “Try to get closer for a visual, we need to know what this thing is in any case.”

“Understood, commencing flyby.

Sir, the only hit on 'Manda' I'm getting is some sort of dragon, but it's from the Godzilla movies..."

* * *

[Willowfang]

“OH FUCK!!! SNAKE, SNAKE, BIG FUCKING SNAKE!!!

“Did he just say snake?”

Captain Thomas barely heard the comment from behind him as he winced at the shouting coming over the headset he had on. “Calm down, say again?” Looking up at the radar, he saw one shapeless blob on the radar screen for all three planes. “I repeat, say again, what's your status?” All he got back was static though.

“I think we lost radio contact with the fighters, sir, I've lost their IFF signals, I still have the recon plane though. They report that the... thing, whatever it is just crashed head-on in to one of the fighters and then turned and crashed into the other one as well.”

“Keep trying,” Thomas said as he watched the radar screen. But as the moments ticked by, the interference on the screen kept them from seeing any of their planes at all, showing only Flight 819 far to the North and still heading back to Haneda Airport. The recon plane's IFF still showed it in the air, but no other IFFs were being displayed anymore. And what the pilot he mean by snake?

“I want that last transmission rechecked and cleaned up ASAP.” Maybe they heard the pilot wrong, but what could possibly take out two planes within seconds and sound like 'snake'.

“I want drones launched and flown over the area. I want two wings twenty-five miles to either side of those drones watching them. This is Captain Thomas to the recon plane, do you have any visual sighting on the unknown aircraft to report, over?”

“Recon place here, sir, this is Major Cole,” the pilot said nervously. “We have visual and are trying to evade it now,”

“Report then, what kind of aircraft is it?” he ask as he started to lose patience.

“Well, sir, it's ah, well, it's not an aircraft. Ah, shit! That was close. Sorry, sir, um, permission to speak freely?”

'What the hell was going on,' thought Captain Thomas, how hard can it be to describe the thing whatever it was? Taking a moment to try and calm down, he continued. “Permission granted, tell us what you see.”

“It's a dragon sir, like one of those you see in a Chinese parade or something. About fifty to sixty feet in diameter, and eight hundred to one thousand feet long. It bit each of the fighters, destroying them, sir.”

* * *

Though they were unable to get any electronic images. Chemical emulsion film within the visual spectrum still worked, but infrared, or other special films that took pictures outside the visible spectrum could not produce any clear images at all. Captain Thomas put together his After Action Report, along with the images and sent it to Washington. Reports of what was sighted were already circling the globe. The crew of Flight 819, as well as all the passengers had seen the creature and gave similar reports of the flying serpent.

A Norwegian reporter that was first to hit the air with interviews from disembarking passengers and had dubbed the monster Jörmungandr, after her country's mythology and the name stuck. It was as good a name as any at first, but whether by fact or coincidence, the pictures of the creature matched old artwork of the Norse legend dating back nearly a thousand years.

There was much debate of course if the creature was proof of Norse mythology, or if the stories were instead built around a beast they encountered. Many supported the idea they simply encountered the monster as Asian cultures must have done in the past, citing the many stories of similar monsters in their own mythology.

Irregardless, the question remained, where could such a creature have been unseen for so long and how could it have survived? Some pointed out the tales from sailors throughout the years could have been sightings of such a serpent and not ones of seals, squids, or other such miss-identifications. In any case, there was photographic evidence of the huge and hostile monster here and now. Hibernation? Maybe. Or always active, but far outside common shipping lanes and other human activity?

In addition to the creatures origins, there were many questions as to how it could fly. It had no wings, and as maneuverable and as quick as it was, the idea of any gas bladder like organs were dismissed just as quickly as they were brought up. In the end, the idea of magic was just as popular as 'quantum anti-gravity' or 'psychic propulsion.'

With all the reports, pictures, and commentary coming in, there was no time for Washington, or their 'Top Men' to question the existence of the creature or the claims of what it had done. In the days following the attack on Flight 819, Jormungander, as it was now being called had attacked two more nuclear power plants in Japan, destroying them as it did the first one, as well as destroying the dozens of fighter jets that had tried to kill or wound it.

Working with both the Japanese and other international counterparts, the Washington based task force found it obvious that the creature could certainly be lured by radioactive, distant, and/or hostile bait. The next problem was then where exactly to lure it to and what amount of bait would be needed to keep it's attention over any other targets it might sense. And even once the creature was lured to some destination, what could be done to contain or kill it?

It was decided that a high speed, long range fighter would carry a radioactive payload that the creature would follow once it's attention was gotten. The location chosen to lure the creature to was Bokak Atoll, some 250 miles North-East of the now inhabited Bikini Atoll where various nuclear devices were tested over a period of twelve years back in 1946. It was there they hoped to bombard the creature with naval artillery and even use nuclear missiles as a last resort.

The aircraft to which they finally gave the job was a quickly re-modified Japanese VF-X1 Valkyrie with pod capability. In addition to it's normal armaments, it would be carrying extra fuel as well as powdered uranium which could be injected into the fuel exhaust ports to leave a superheated radioactive trail of “breadcrumbs” for the creature to follow.

Naval forces from many countries were now in route to Bokak Atoll. The total force would be over sixty ships from nine countries as well as over a dozen bombers with nuclear weapons flying in the area on standby. It was hoped the bombers would not be needed, but this was not an operation anyone wanted to carry out a second time. Although it was hoped this would not be a suicide mission, only unmarried pilots were allowed to volunteer. The mission was eventually give to Major Kenzo Takarada who had also flown the VF-X1 as a test pilot.

* * *

As luck would have it, the creature was sleeping on the side of Mount Kasatori on Sato island, off the Eastern cost of Japan in the Niigata prefecture. Coming in low, Major Takarada dropped a laser guided bomb on Jormungander that was being guided in by ground troops nearby. Not waiting for the bomb to hit, he quickly turned south-west for the roughly three thousand mile journey and released some of the uranium dust to give the monster it's first 'breadcrumb'.

Like a shot, the serpent quickly took off after the bait. Takarada climbed fast while watching his second radar screen that was set to only display a small footprint of the creatures large interference pattern. A third view screen gave a reflected fixed rear view of a fairly wide area directly behind him, the image being more useful the farther back the creature was, but too far and the creature might stop following him. The goal was to keep the creature within five thousand feet of his position if possible, increasing that if need be. Depending on maneuvers, the trip was expected to take ninety minutes give or take.

Takarada soon realized that even though Jormungander was both very fast and aerobatic, it's reaction time to his evasive maneuvers were not up to his plane's abilities. It was still not going to be an easy task. He didn't want the creature to give up the chase.

He was also careful not to become predictable after he was almost hit at one at one point. He'd been flying a repeated pattern of maneuvers for over ten minutes when a sudden burst of speed almost got him.

Communication with the waiting fleet had been minimal, but after passing the halfway point, everyone began opening channels to listen in on his approach. Slightly ahead of schedule, he dropped his now empty extra fuel pods, increasing his speed and maneuverability. He also starting using the uranium dust to make sure Jormungander would stay on his tail.

“Takarada here, Jormungander is still in pursuit. I'm now less than one thousand miles away. My fuel supply in the green as is the remaining uranium powder. Skies are clear, weather good. Well be beginning my decent over the target point on Bokak Atoll soon, over.”

* * *

[Willowfang]

Tension was high as navel crews checked and rechecked their weapon systems. They would soon be firing full barrages of all weapons at maximum ranges. The elevations and wind speed for all guns had already been checked and factored in. No one wanted to be any closer than need be if the decision was made to start dropping any nuclear weapons on Jormungander if all available artillery didn't look like it was doing enough damage.

The plan was for Major Takarada to fly in low over Bokak Atoll and release the last of his uranium powder at the target point where over ten thousand pounds of explosives were waiting, hoping to stun the creature as the ships rained their artillery down upon it.

* * *

Takarada now came in at just two hundred feet over the atoll, releasing a trail of the uranium powder behind him as he passed over the explosives. Jormungander then came in right behind. Takarada hit his afterburners as the explosives went off right after. The creature fell to the ground and rolled right past the target point, but at least he was stunned for the moment. The gun crews adjusted their aim even as the firing began. Shell after shell hit around or landed directly on the monster, quickly obscuring it in plumes of smoke, dust, water, sand, and other debris. It's cries of pain and roars of rage could be heard throughout the fleet.

The bombardment seemed to last forever. Jormungander himself was obscured from view within the huge clouds of smoke and dust. Once the firing stopped, it still took several minutes for the winds to blow it all away. There lay Jormungander, still thrashing about, coiling over on itself in pain. Although he was broken and bloody, with chunks of flesh and hide missing, the damage didn't look critical.

It was then decided to use the nuclear weapons after all. Since Jormungander wouldn't be going anywhere soon, the ships were given an hour to pull back before any bombs were dropped. As the sun set, three nuclear bombs would be dropped and their effects analyzed before any more action would be taken. Most found it hard to believe more than one would even be needed, but not opposed two extra as a 'precautionary' measure.

Two neutron and one fusion bomb were then dropped at the same time. This made it impossible to see what had become of Jormungander for several hours. As the time passed, the world watched to see what had become of the creature. But to their horror, as the plume of nuclear smoke and ash cleared, there was Jormungander, even larger than before, it's eyes glowing, turning very angry eyes on the ships that had just tried to destroy him...

“Now I am become death, the destroyer of worlds." - Bhagavad Gita, Hindu scripture.