The Time Dragon's Arrival

[Vader]

Location: San Francisco
Time: 5: 51 PM

A golden streak of sunlight stretched across the renowned Frisco Bay as the afternoon dwindled to a close, evening quickly approaching. Word was quickly spreading about the sighting of some kind of massive beast in Japan, the first registered kaiju attack since Godzilla’s death in 1995. Curiously, the monster was unlike any that was being held on the containment islands, a completely new creature that had apparently remained hidden the entire time.

Little did any of the San Francisco natives know that a million years in the past they were being observed. The gargantuan Aeatas had scoped out the bay to be one of his homes through time, a familiar place he would go when visiting a particular epoch. The leviathan stood in water that lapped at his thighs. From some kaiju, this would be above their heads but not for this towering beast. The massive sauropod dragon’s eyes were closed as he observed the future as though he were standing right there.

San Francisco was like any other big city in North America under the shadow of the Madness. Infected people ran about, murdering people at whim. Despite the beauty of the San Francisco sunset, the city was nearly under police control as the Clean attempted to bring the Infected under control. Already, the Infected had barricaded themselves into a slummier part of town while “raiding parties” snuck into the Clean parts and murdered whoever they could before being presumably gunned down.

Aeatas could sense the terror running through the Clean. He could see perfectly well how Clean people were surrendering to their fears, becoming consumed by the allure of the Madness. They would reach for the closest weapon and the turn on those closest to them. This had to stop!

The spikes on Aeatas’ back began to glow blue as he opened his eyes. In one moment he stood in the San Francisco Bay millions of years before humans would find the area. The next, he stood in the busy bay as ships of every size made their way past him. He lifted his head high into the air and released a trumpeting call to signal his arrival to this time. He was wary of how the humans would react.

The reaction to Aeatas’ arrival wasn’t really one of surprise. Police officers who weren’t busy taking care of the Infected rushed to the waterside, taking cover behind their cars and drawing their side-arms. Aeatas glanced down, releasing another trumpeting cry. As he waded through the bay’s waters bizarre creatures, and boats from centuries past would manifest for brief moments before disappearing, glimpses into the past or the present. Above head, ancient pterosaurs cried out before vanishing as quickly as they came.

Slowly, Aeatas began to climb ashore. The concrete pavement would transform to sand underfoot before fixing back to their present state. The massive sauropod looked down at the barricade of police cars and quirked his head. He lifted his head up once more and released another powerful cry. The officers began to open fire, their small bullets doing nothing to the massive beast.

“Back up! We need back up now! Call the military! This thing is huge!” screamed one of the senior most officers into his radio as he ordered the rest of the officers into their car. They quickly followed suit and started to drive away, staying slow enough to track Aeatas as he marched ashore.

It didn’t take long for a trio of Firewryms to scream overhead. Aeatas seemed unfazed, as if he had seen them coming before they were even there. The lumbering sauropod just trumpeted another cry as he started to march down the San Francisco streets. His massive bulk was too much to cause no damage and plenty of buildings or cars were crushed underfoot.

“Uh yeah, base? This is Crow’s Nest. This thing is huge…It doesn’t seem aggressive but it’s absolutely gigantic. At least 500 meters long.” radioed one of the Firewrym pilots as they circled overhead.

Aeatas continued his march ahead. Ancient trees would arise out of nowhere before disappearing again, long gone dinosaurs charging ahead with Aeatas before returning to their own time.

“There’s something…well…I can’t explain it. The landscape…it’s changing. You’re gonna just have to see it for yourself.” radioed another of the fighter pilots.

Aeatas trumpeted another blasting cry as he plowed through an unfortunate building. He looked to be moving as gingerly as possible, but at his massive size there was only so much he could do.

[Omegarex24]

CEEHQ, Arizona
6:59 PM (Local Time)

----

"General Williams, I think you'd better take a look at this!"

"What is it," the General asked, setting his paperwork down and heading to the control center.

"We picked up a massive energy anomaly in San Francisco Bay, and then, out of nowhere, this monster just pops up. The Air Force already has Firewyrms over the area, and their sending us back some disturbing images, sir. I think you'd better look for yourself.

The technician moved to a nearby console and put the image on the main display screen. The view swtiched to a live feed from a Firewyrms' gun camera as it circled overhead. The creature below them was massive, potentially even larger than the reported sighting in Japan. All around it, the air shimmered and warped, like it was some sort of giant heat mirage.

"What is that thing?"

"We tried to clean the image up as best we can, sir. As far as we can tell, it's some sort of temporal anomaly. We're not sure if the creature is generating it or whether the anomaly brought it here. It's causing widespread destruction, but it doesn't seem to be doing so intentionally."

"Either way, we can't let this thing lay waste to a major US city. Contact the CO out there, let them know we're coming in. And get Davidson down to the launch bays. I want him airborne in 5."

"Yes sir, I'll get right on it."

----

Within minutes, Ben Davidson was in his flight suit and situated in the cockpit of Riptide, going over the final pre-flight checks. Everything seemed to be in order, as the matinence crew drew back to a safe distance.

"Control, this is Riptide. Requesting clearance to launch."

"Clearance granted. Once you're airborne, set waypoints to 215 and 224. Recon only for the moment. If the creature attacks first, you have clearance to engage and destroy. We have backup on standby."

"Roger. Now activating turbolift."

The powerful hydraulics hissed and squealed as they began to lift Riptide's titanic frame topside, as the doors opened wide to the desert above. The sun was beginning its descent, and, by the time Davidson reached the target area, it might even be low enough to mask his approach somewhat. The lift ground to a halt at the top, exposing Riptide to the world.

"Activating thrusters."

Bluish white jets erupted from Riptide's back and legs as the machine lifted off, ascending to 20,000 feet before leveling off and heading for San Francisco, unaware of what truly lay ahead.

[Vader]

As the sky shifted from the gold of sunset to the crimson of dusk, Aeatas exited San Francisco on the north side of the city. He made his way back into the Pacific waters, entering just next to the renowned Fisherman's Warf.

Police boats tracked his movement as the giant made his way towards the Golden Gate Bridge. All the while, steam billowed off his back so that from a distance it looked as though some old steamship of old was in the harbor. Aeatas certainly wasn't going to hide, his massive size and the trail of steam making that impossible.

Aeatas came ashore just to the east of the Golden Gate Bridge, though his massive tail scraped against one of the towers as he exited the water. Cars came to a screeching halt on Redwood Highway as the leviathan crossed the street, his massive legs crushing suddenly evacuated cars underfoot. Crossing over the highway, the time dragon now found himself in Mt. Tamalpais State Park. He looked down to the scores of people who had - for one reason or another - abandoned their cars and began to run on foot for the closest form of shelter. Suddenly, there was a crack of what sounded like thunder as an explosion engulfed part of the bridge.

Aeatas had seen this without even looking. One of the Infected had filled a van with explosives and detonated it near the end of the bridge. The Golden Gate would survive the blast but already a few dozen people had been caught in the blast. Aeatas turned and released a loud trumpeting call as though he were condemning the action taken by the Infected. It was for reasons like that that he had come here after all.

Moving on, Aeatas continued to follow the highway, mostly staying off of the road and lumbering his way through the park. Soon, a machine would come to observe him, he had foreseen this. The future, however, was hazy beyond that. The Madness had done enough damage to this world already to hinder his clairvoyance from time to time.

[Omegarex24]

Riptide cruised in high overhead before diving in closer to the behemoth working his way through the park. People scattered all around the monster, trying to get out of its way. The creature was unusual in and of itself, appearing like a giant dinosaur with rivers of sand puring off its sides. Around it, explosions rocked the air as Infected took advantage of the chaos to cause as much destruction as they could.

"HQ, this is Riptide. I'm over the target now. Requesting further orders."

"Don't engage just yet. See if you can lead it away from the city somehow. A creature that big would end up causing a lot of damage if it were provoked. But the moment it starts attacking, you are free to engage."

"Roger that. Now commencing operations. Tell the Firewyrms to get clear."

Riptide dropped in low and landed on the ground several dozen meters away from Aeatas' slow advance. The machine loosed a harsh mechanical cry as Ben stood his ground, seeking to divert Aeatas. The monster towered over him and probably weighed more than twice as much as his machine did. But Ben wasn't willing to back down, not from this creature, or anything else.

"Don't make me open fire. I'd rather not have to risk more lives," Ben muttered to himself as he locked on to Aeatas and waited.

[Vader]

Aeatas was silently at first as Riptide landed in front of him. The massive sauropod dragon continued its slow march until it stoped only a few dozen meters away. He was like a train, his whole body having to slow down almost gradually before he come to a full stop and even then it seemed like the momentum wanted to keep him moving. Aeatas just looked down at Riptide, not even raising his head.

Suddenly he reared himself up on to his back legs, resting his tail on the ground to guide him in his movements. Raising up, Aeatas virtually lifted his head into the clouds and released an ear-splitting blast similar to a whale's. He could only hold the position for so long before gravity resumed and he slammed his fore feet back on the ground. A minor earthquake shook through the surrounding area as nearby cars were flipped over. Aeatas' tail lifted into the air now as he followed up his wail with a trumpeting cry.

"Let me pass..." came a voice in Ben's head so soft that it could have nearly been mistaken for some kind of illusion.

[Azure_Ghidorah]

'Looks like there might be some trouble...' Kisara thought as she saw the two titans in the distance, one of flesh, the other of steel. The former dominated in size, but the latter was surely able to out manuver it.

'Although... with the H.U.D. tuned to find those affected by the anomaly active, I can tell neither of these or afflicted with it, this fight will bring nothing but ruin if it breaks out.'

The draconic human drifted within two hundred feet of the two titans, eyes widening when the sauropod reared up.

"That... is one big Kaiju..." She muttered slightly, landing on one of the buildings and observing the fight. Meanwhile, she flipped her H.U.D. to a radar-like status, seeking out any Infected with in several hundred feet of her, though it'll take several sweeps to bring back any positives or negatives.

'I just hope they don't start fighting here, that'll bring a lot of unwanted destruction. Not to mention the mech might get totalled... it looks like it could be a real good ally if we can convince its owners to work with us... That'd take Solranous' help, though...'

[Omegarex24]

"Come again HQ. Repeat previous transmission, over."

"This is HQ. We didn't say anything, over."

"Let me pass," the voice whispered again. This time, Ben knew it wasn't coming from the radio. It was almost like it was inside his head. Could it be...

"HQ, I think I might have made contact with the creature. Either that, or I'm going crazy. I can hear a voice in my head."

"Repeat again, over."

"Hang on HQ. I'm gonna try something." Although he refused to budge an inch, even with the behemoth towering overhead, he tried to make contact with this creature, assuming that was what was speaking to him. "Can you hear me?"

[Vader]

"Not in sound but in thought, yes." replied a surprisingly gentle voice in return.

Aeatas continued to look down at Riptide. His massive tail gently waved side to side as the two just stared at each other. The different time anomalies around him had stopped for now, perhaps they would only manifest as he moved. Steam continued to billow off his back, forming a huge column that rose up to the evening sky. All the while, sand poured off of his back like rain. Already underneath him there was an impressive mound piling up.

"If you mean me no harm, I mean none to you. I have come to help this time..." the voice murmured in Ben's head. It sounded more like a little old man speaking than presumably the leviathan before him.

[Omegarex24]

"I'd like to avoid a fight too, but I can't have you stomping through the middle of a major city. The military won't fight back now, but if you stay here, they will open fire. So, if you're really here to help, you need to find somewhere else to be, preferably one less crowded."

"Riptide, this is HQ. Who are you talking to, over?"

"Presumably this thing in front of me HQ. Unless I really am going crazy, I'm pretty sure this thing is talking to me with telepathy or whatever you call it. Like that lady in Japan a couple of decades ago. Miki Whatshername."

"Roger that. Standby for further orders, over."

"Acknowledged. Standing by."

The seconds ticked past as Aeatas and Riptide continued to stare one another down, before the radio crackled again, this time with the General himself on the other end.

"Riptide, this is General Williams. Your orders still stand. If it starts to attack, you are free to engage. Otherwise, try to get it out of the area, over."

"Roger that HQ. I'll try." Ben turend his focus back to the titan before him. "If you're really here to help, you need to get out of the city. We both know how costly a battle here would be in terms of human lives. You may or may not care, but I do."

[Vader]

Aeatas was silent for a moment save for the sounds of his massive lungs filling with air as he breathed. He then released another of his more whale like cries. He peered at Riptide's head, understanding that inside was most likely who he was talking to.

"Very well...where you lead I shall follow..." Aeatas murmured gently in Ben's head. "If I may ask, who am I speaking to?"

[Omegarex24]

"The name's Davidson. I'll lead you out of the city. We don't mind you being here, we just have problems with you trampling over our buildings and whatnot."

"I...understand."

"Good deal. HQ, I'm gonna need a new set of waypoints giving me a clear exit from the city, over."

"Roger. Now calculating course."

Withing moments, new coordinates were uploaded to Riptide, giving Ben a route of escape.

"Alright pal, follow me and I'll get you out of here."

And with that, Riptide's boosters engaged, sending the machine airborne before heading out of the city, taking pains to follow to the pre-chosen route to avoid property damage, or, at least, minimize it.

[Vader]

Aeatas lifted his head up and released another trumpeting cry. Slowly, his massive bulk began to shift forward before he finally moved his first leg. He slowly began to speed up, gradually moving across the land as he kept his eyes on Riptide. Trying to move through the city as gingerly as possible, Aeatas followed Riptide.

In terms of welcomes, this had to be at least somewhat pleasing. He had come to this time prepared to fight from the get go if need be but Aeatas was thankful that he had encountered someone free from the Madness. This "Davidson" would most likely become a powerful ally. He closed his eyes for a moment, looking into the future; indeed it seemed that way. But true to the very reason why he came to intervene, the future was difficult to decipher.

This troubled Aeatas immensely. He used to be able to see events thousands of years past this one, even warping to those times to ensure that his visions had been accurate and they were. He controlled time; that was his power, his gift. Now he began to grow more and more concerned. The Madness was somehow hindering this ability gradually. If he could no longer see into the future as clear as he could, how well could he control it was things got worse? And if he could not control it, what would happen then? Aeatas shuddered at the thought that perhaps time could become undone if he lost his power.

A few unfortunate cars were crushed underfoot and some buildings had damage done to them as well but it was nothing horrendous, nothing that couldn't be fixed relatively quickly and with not much in terms of cost. The damage he had caused really paled in comparison to the damage being done by the Infected running about the city. As he moved, once again the ghosts of the past and the future appeared with him before disappearing again. The massive funnel of steam pouring from his back rose miles into the air. His massive size was one thing to draw attention, the giant smokestack on his back was even more of a red flag.

As Aeatas looked to Riptide he suddenly saw a few red flares surging towards it from the rooftop of a building. He didn't have the sharpest eyes in the world, but his time-seeing abilities fixed that. A minute ago, four Infected had climbed on to the roof with rocket-propelled grenades and fired them at Aeatas. Most likely a very foolhardy gesture by the Infected but Aeatas should his good faith to the Clean.

As the missiles flew towards Riptide, the ring of spikes on Aeatas' back began to glow an icy blue. Time began to slow-down, feeling as though the gravity had just tripled and everything was being held down by some great weight. Aeatas, however, seemed unaffected. He plodded along at the same slow speed he was moving before. The missiles too began to move slower and slower and with another flash of blue from Aeatas' back they suddenly flew into a set of portals that opened before them.

With a whale like cry, Aeatas returned time to its normal flow. He had already gained some ground between himself and Riptide, looking up to the machine. The four Infected stood on the rooftop still, confused as to what happened. Without any warning, Aeatas' portals opened in front of them and the four diseased people were killed by their very own weapons.

Aeatas was silent, he didn't want to do that but they had to be punished. He looked up towards Riptide, his eyes boring into the machine as if he was looking straight into Ben's. He reflected on what he had done, he would have to atone for it later. He had come to do the work of a warrior and that meant he had to kill if need be.

[Azure_Ghidorah]

Kisara balked with surprise, having readied to take off with dealing the infected she'd picked up. She never expected things to start slowing down, for Aeatas' portals to open up and swallow the rockets, for those same portals deploying the rockets against their sources.

"He... just controlled time, didn't he?" the draconic inter-dimensional warrior wondered. "I need to look into that, see what we can figure out... A beast that can control time would be a great asset... Especially because it seems sentient. No animal could have concocted that kind of a plan..."

Kisara jumped off her perch, flying into the sky and tailing Aeatas and Riptide in a more direct fashion, closing distance between her and them until she fell into 'step' with the sauropod time warper, several meters to his left. She had little doubt she'd be detected by both of them, but at this point she felt it was necessary. She couldn't stand and watch, letting such a great opportunity pass her up. Another as great as this one likely wouldn't present itself again.

[Vader]

Aeatas' sagely voice echoed gently in Ben's mind as the two exited the city. "We are not alone."

Aeatas' hidden turned slowly on his long neck until he was looking straight at Kisara. He had felt her presence earlier, but now that she was out and out following them she was an easy mark to find. He glanced towards her before looking back towards Riptide, continuing to make his way out of the city.

"Hello there little one. Why risk yourself by following me?" Aeatas' gentle voice sounded off within Kisara's very psyche.

[Azure_Ghidorah]

Kisara nodded to herself, now understanding how Aeatas could converse with others.

"I feel that you are by nature a peaceful being. You didn't attack the mech on sight, and you only killed those diseased people because they attacked first. We're kind of alike in that way. I'll fight if I have to, but I prefer to reason with others. However, I reveal myself like this because I'm seeking an alliance. I believe you know this, but it has come to mine and my companion's attention that there is a psychological anomaly that is twisting the residents of this planet. My companion went to do some reconasince on a large gather of this anomaly, and he had me travel here to try and find allies. We can't eliminate it on our own, no matter how powerful we are, one of us just can't be in two places at the same time." she thought back to him, familiarized with telepathy because of Solranous.

"We have much to discuss once we reach a less crowded area... I'll answer any questions you have and ask my own once we get there..." Kisara continued, sighing to herself.