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Gorg, Master Mutator Incumbent of the Gargan Hegemony hovered back and forth before his computer's input relay station, rubbing his third and fourth tentacles together in an unconscious display of nervous agitation. He'd been happy enough with his current line of shark warrior kaiju, overly pleased with Saur as well as Squidling, the downsized clone of his original Squidlorr Titan-Class kaiju much easier to feed, control and transport. He wouldn't have had reason to worry if his hubris hadn't once again gotten the best of him. Traveling back to Gargan Prime and showing off the original Squidlorr had secured him the title of Master Mutator Incumbent but several of his ilk had followed him back to Earth, among them his underhanded, thieving brother Krog, hoping to duplicate his mutaniginic success. They’d had similar results as he with the local aquatic-based carnivores, though he'd managed to keep Saur's origins under wraps so far, much to the consternation of his fellow Overlords, it wouldn't last forever. Even now they were running continuous experimentation, if the power consumption readings of their ships were any indication. Gorg would need to make a breakthrough, and soon, if he were to maintain his lead in the gladiatorial pits.
Thankfully he'd finally managed to make a recent breakthrough. His initial success in securing the surrounding area from these so-called Red Star Nationals had hit a major stumbling block: what their local news broadcasts he'd intercepted were calling Dinoborgs. Gorg had minor worries when his force had encountered their Cyborg Legionaries, but these new, massive beasts with integrated armor and weaponry were stopping any and all attempts to push further outward; he'd actually been slowly but steadily losing ground since the Dinoborg's initial appearance. What vexed him most of all was the obvious signs that it had been his own stolen mutagen used in the creation of these fantastical beasts. Gorg wanted them, coveted them with every fiber of his being. To that end he'd issued a proclamation to all of his creations that he wanted one of these Dinoborgs brought back to him alive. Unfortunately, very few of his minions had much in the way of anything beyond the most basic intelligence. By simple happenstance though, one of his shark warriors had returned from a recent raid and vomited up the partially digested rear hind quarter of a Raptorborg. Gorg accepted it as a blessing in disguise and managed to extract a fragment of useful DNA from it. Not nearly enough to recreate the beast but definitely enough to add onto the code-strands of some more recent aquatic acquisitions. Throwing in a bit of DNA in the mix from Squidlorr completed the puzzle.
A chiming tone drew Gorg from his reverie, the indication that the creation process was complete. Turning his attention to the status screen Gorg found that of the 15 pods, only 6 contained live specimens, though there were several whose readouts indicated that simple tweaks of the genetic combinations would produce successful results on his next try. Six was enough for a test against the Dinoborgs if they were led by a tried-and-true warrior. If Gorg were capable he would have smiled with a most feral grin as he summoned Saur, beginning the decanting process.
*****
Saur was far from pleased. The Gator Warrior enjoyed being among the most successful and powerful of Gorg's creations, a veteran of many battles and gladiatorial exhibitions. Gorg's Shark Kaiju were weak, their stable DNA making them effective bodyguards and somewhat competent during raids against the Red Stars if they grouped up. Saur was confident in his abilities as a military commander, had put in enough time-in-service for his creator that he was very much looking forward to enjoying his retirement, a rare luxury that was occasionally granted to a Master Mutator's progeny. If these new Shark Kaiju, bolstered with Dinoborg and Squidlorr DNA proved to be everything Gorg dreamed of, Saur may quickly find himself replaced as his creator's favorite, the opportunity of retirement slipping through his claws like so much sand.
Enough of the Mk. Two Shark Kaiju had survived the mutation process that, with himself added to the mix, a competent strike force could be assembled. Gorg had armed these Shark warriors and given them names: Gorger, Thresherlord, Chomper, Ripper, Piranha and Deepsea. Usually, Gorg personally oversaw all combat actions, preferring to witness his creations and directing their attacks, but that was when most of his forces had been composed of weak-minded last generation Shark Warriors. This new breed appeared far more capable, allowing Gorg to take the back seat on this acid test. Their success or failure rested squarely on Saur's shoulders, leaving the Gator Warrior of two minds: lead the new Shark Kaiju to victory and risk his position and favor with Gorg, or defeat and the possibility that Gorg would consider him past his prime, a bad investment. He felt backed into a corner and damned either way. There had to be a third option...
*****
Saur hurled the car he'd scooped up at the gunship, dodging as he did so to avoid the missile it had fired at him. The action partially threw off his aim, but not enough to cause him to completely miss, the vehicle striking a glancing blow on the helicopter's tail. The hit wasn't particularly damaging, but in the tight confines of the packed city it had lowered into, it was enough. The pilot overcorrected, the blades of the propeller dug into the side of a tall building, sparks and shrapnel flying. Saur dove around the corner, his great form smashing to the street below to avoid the inevitable crash and following explosion, the impact he caused blowing out the glass of every window in the area. As the twinkling shards rained down around him Saur raised his head, an ominous groaning sound echoing around him. The building the gunship had crashed into had taken nearly as much damage its shoddy Soviet construction could withstand.
In the distance he could hear the roars of Shark Warriors and Dinoborgs as they clashed in battle. Rhythmic thumping shook the street as Saur climbed to his feet, the telltale footfalls of the Earthquake-inducing Brontoborg drawing closer. It was surprisingly fast for a beast of its size and quite deadly. Grasping his wicked combat ax tightly he peeked around the corner of the crumbling building, jumping back in surprise as his snout nearly collided with the Brontoborg's head. Hissing in surprise and cursing himself for forgetting how far the beast's head was from its body due to its elongated neck, Saur jerked as a blast from the head-mounted lasers on the Brontoborg fired, hitting him squarely in the shoulder. Saur fell back to the street, the cannon on his ax triggering as it hit the ground. The shot hit a support beam in the already weakened building.
As the Brontoborg raised itself up on its hind legs, preparing to bring its considerable bulk down on him in its devastating earthquake attack, Saur had a flash of brilliance. Mustering all of his strength he sweaped his great tail into the ground floor of the crumbling building, pulverizing the remaining support structures nearest him. With a sound like thunder splitting the sky the massive building began to lean and drop, smashing into the now unbalanced Brontoborg. Wanting to avoid the falling debris Saur whipped his tail up then slammed it into the street, using the momentum to leap to his feet and beat a hasty retreat. He had no illusions that the falling building would finish off the massive Dinoborg, but it did allow him a bit of space and time to gather his wits about him.
A great billowing cloud of dust and smoke blew past him in an ever-expanding ring as the building finished collapsing. Across the plaza he could see Thresherlord and Gorger squaring off against the mighty and fearsome Tyrannoborg, the remains of Ripper laying in pieces here and there around its great clawed feet. Thresherlord swung his combat ax, striking one of Tyrannoborg's gun arms, Gorger taking the opportunity to step close with his sword raised to deliver a punishing blow. A mistake the Shark Kaiju paid for dearly as the wide, toothy jaws of Tyrannoborg slammed closed over Gorger's head. The great Dinoborg twisted its thickly muscled neck, a sickening crunch all the proof needed for Saur and Thresherlord to know that if Gorger wasn't dead, he soon would be.
Piranha sprinted into the square, snapping off wild shots from his twin choppers over his shoulders as a flying Pterraborg gave chase, blasting at him as it made great circling arcs around him now that it had more room to fly. Piranha's shots continued to go wide, the Kaiju unaccustomed to hitting a quickly moving target. As the Pterraborg flapped its great wings as it made another circling pass at Piranha it was suddenly and permanently brought to ground as Deepsea leapt off the roof of a building and swung its great two-handed cleaver in a brutal overhead blow.
As Piranha roared an unearned taunt at the dead Pterraborg there was a great thundering crash, accompanied by the ground-shaking pounding of a great set of legs as a Tricaborg exploded through a small building, its head lowered and steel shod horns thrust outward as it charged the Shark Warrior, Piranha impaled upon those wicked barbs. The heavy Dinoborg skidded to a halt and shook its crest shielded head, throwing the Kaiju corpse off its horns, switching its attention between Deepsea and Saur, deciding upon its next target.
The Tyrannoborg dropped Gorger and bellowed at Thresherlord in challenge, the Shark Kaiju taking an involuntary step back before tightening his grip on his ax and roaring back in reply, more than willing and ready to engage in mortal combat. Across the square Saur was slowly edging around, drawing the Tricaborg's attention as he attempted to allow Deepsea the opportunity to strike the Dinoborg on its less protected side. A ploy that might have worked had Saur not heard the deep base of the Brontoborg's call as it finally worked its way free of its confines and began to stomp down the street towards the plaza. The unmistakable growl of Vezdekhod engines was rapidly approaching from the south, meaning that in mere moments Saur and his dwindling force of Shark Kaiju Warriors would soon be surrounded.
Coming to a command decision, Saur signaled the retreat, calling the remaining Kaiju back to Gorg's ship. Deepsea was more than happy to comply, but Thresherlord wasn't so eager to give up the battlefield. Growling in frustration as the Brontoborg's head emerged from the avenue, Saur squeezed off a pair of shots at the Tyrannoborg, both striking home and allowing enough of a distraction that Thresherlord was able to easily attack, swinging his combat ax in two sweeping strikes, fatally wounding the great beast. As it fell to the ground Thresherlord stood over the Dinoborg, taking a moment to gloat before striking the final blow. A moment he didn't have, for as he began to raise his ax one final time a pair of Vezdekhod attack vehicles rounded the corner and immediately opened fire with their massive rotary cannons, spraying the square with heavy caliber explosive shells. Deepsea and Saur flanked the Tricaborg, confusing it with a moment of indecision, slashing their blades along its flanks as they dashed by. Thresherlord, finding himself trapped between a warrior's honor and survival made the decision to live to fight another day, leaving his pray wheezing in pain on the ground behind him as explosive shells whistled by.
*****
Saur didn't know what to expect when he returned to Gorg's ship with half his force missing, but the last thing most certainly was cruelly joyous laughter. Having watched the entire encounter from his fleet of remote camera drones, Gorg appeared more than happy with the outcome despite the losses and their forced retreat.
"Those old Mk. One shark warriors would have been chewed up in moments by those Dinoborg forces! I'll keep their genetic templates on file; who knows, they might make decent bodyguards or warm-up matches in the arena. These new Kaiju though, oh...now THERES a spectacle! My title of Master Mutator Incumbent is now ensured without question!"
As Gorg set about generating more mutagen to clone the fallen and regrow the other Shark Warriors that had needed genetic correction, Saur turned away to head to his quarters, the battle having taken more out of him than he cared to admit. Lost in thought he missed Thresherlord glaring at him from across the room, incensed at Saur's interference and spoiling of his clean kill. A warrior's kill. Thresherlord may have been freshly vat grown but already knew that a true warrior entered the arena with all his strength and power at the ready. This Saur was obviously cresting his prime. He may be Gorg's favorite for now, but there could be only one Alpha. Thresherlord was on the ascent. The time would soon come when there would be a reckoning and he would be ready. All he had to do was wait for the perfect moment.
*****
Krog's drone scuttled through the rubble-strewn streets, dodging patrols of Red Star troopers until it finally came upon its quarry: the carcass of the Shark Kaiju Ripper. Using a laser scalpel it cut off a piece of its hide then returned to Krog's ship with its prize, unaware that the other Overlords on Earth were doing the same with the other fallen Kaiju...