KILL ALL KAIJU

This is for the good of the human race Ryker. The survival of humanity itself is at stake. Just… get in there and get it done already! Ryker thought to himself as he wrinkled his reptilian features as much as he could at the smell emanating from the dumpster in front of him. The plan he had come up with to ensure a steady supply of calories and protein had seemed like a great idea back in the cave he’d turned into his temporary base. If he decided to raid all the buildings with meat and food inside them in the same night then there would be no doubt that he’d bring down a massive amount of attention on his head for a comparatively little gain. Even if he had gotten access to a new DNA ability because of it and the attention of authorities on the threat of Kaiju as a whole. That just meant that they would be hunting for him first. And Ryker had no illusions about how well hiding would work as he was now. Even his best attempts at subtlety and stealth would be barely better than nothing at all against satellite imaging and other modern technologies.

So the plan was to slowly work up to breaking into the buildings that had the meats and foods he needed. He’d scout out the areas in the dead of night as best he could and satisfy himself by just eating whatever was available in the dumpsters behind buildings that dealt with food. That scouting part had worked better than expected. Even as a seven foot tall monster Ryker was easily able to creep through the long shadows cast by the lone street lamps that illuminated the town’s main drive. The majority of the town having tucked in for the night as there wasn’t any reason to stay up late aside from a dimly lit bar bar that Ryker steered well clear of.

Everything about sneaking into the town had gone well, but the one thing Ryker hadn’t anticipated was just how utterly foul some of the dumpsters might smell. With the heightened perceptions of his new body and upgraded senses Ryker literally gagged and dry heaved as he got close to the first dumpster he’d found behind a local deli and bakery. The smells of sickly sweet baked goods comingling with the rank stench of decaying meat.

He was still near the dumpster ten minutes later. Trying to hype himself up to make the leap of faith and dig into the “food” waiting for him. Intellectually he knew that Kaiju were nearly impervious to illness and poisons unless they were produced by other Kaiju. So eating straight out of a dumpster wouldn’t harm him in the slightest.

It was just… difficult to process.

I… Am going... To kill so many Kaiju with the abilities I gain from this dump… food source. Ryker tried again for the umpteenth time in as many minutes. Finally edging closer towards the dumpster. His hind claws clicking across the concrete of the dark back alley he found himself in.

I am going to unlock an awesome ability that will give me the edge I need to kill Kaiju and save humanity. Future generations will learn of my sacrifice and build schools named after me or statues or… something. Ryker tried cheering himself up but even his own thoughts betrayed the disgust he felt at what he was about to do.

Finally in front of the dumpster Ryker hooked a claw under the lid and carefully lifted it up and against the wall behind it. Holding his breath all the while as he peeked into the Dumpster, finding exactly what any person expects when they open a dumpster.

There were some things that were recognizably food at least. It was just the fact that they were spilling out of garbage bags that ruined Ryker’s mood. With a low growl of frustration, Ryker leaned into the dumpster easily due to his height. Closing his eyes as he bit into the first thing he could reach. Hearing the flies buzzing as they flied around his head as he hesitantly chewed and…

Wait. Ryker thought cautiously. Chewing with one eye open now as he stared at the dumpster stupefied. This doesn’t taste that bad. How am I not throwing up and gagging into another dimension?

As if he was sure the dumpster was pulling a trick on him Ryker leaned down and took another bite of the mysterious something or other that had been thrown out with the other trash. Finding the mystery dumpster food to actually be rather palatable.

There’s no way. Ryker thought as he tried biting into different rotting shapes in the dumpster and found more and more success as time went by. Is this because… Kaiju actually have shit taste for food?

He didn’t remember Beck ever mentioning what Kaiju felt or tasted in his research on the subject but it did make sense the more he thought about it. Even as motivated as he was as a person he doubted he’d be able to force himself to do anything like this in his human body. Hell, he doubted he would have been able to stomach eating and biting into other hatchlings like he’d been doing before if it weren’t for the nature of his new body.

Huh. Ryker thought mystified. Well how about that. You know if this is how all of this is going to taste then this might not be as unpleasant a task as I thought.

With a renewed sense of purpose Ryker devoured everything in the dumpster. Even going so far as to hop inside to tear open trash bags and eat what was inside those. He was careful not to make a mess in the way an animal would. Keeping everything he was eating within the limits of the dumpster’s four walls. When he was done there was a very obvious drop in the level of trash and waste that was within. Leaping back out of the dumpster Ryker hooked a claw under the lid again and gently guided it back down over the top of the dumpster.

One down and another… well I don’t really know how many dumpsters there are total but let’s hope its a lot. Ryker thought somewhat excitedly. If he kept this up he might be able to score enough fuel to purchase a whole DNA ability tonight.

The night progressed rather smoothly after that first dumpster. Ryker still had to be careful moving through the town. Ducking between alleys and only crossing the streets when he was sure he was unseen and he could move directly from shadow to shadow. Despite himself he did feel a bit strange having to keep himself hidden in such a quaint little town. It was the kind of place that just seemed to be a nice place to visit overall. Living in the outskirts of a major city growing up made the small town feel like an exotic vacation destination. Hiding within it felt almost wrong. But there was no helping that.

Ryker had just managed to get to his fifth dumpster that night. A large one hidden behind a Garden Olive, which was part of a well known chain of Italian restaurants. When he began to feel the reserves of energy within himself grow closer to the threshold necessary to unlock his next DNA ability. He wasn’t there yet, but feeling the progress he was making was a good feeling regardless.

Yes! Ryker thought triumphantly. Glad that his plan was finally bearing fruit. Alright, almost there. What should I get next when I have the calories?

Taking a nice break inside the dumpster that just barely hid the top of his head if he crouched low, Ryker focused. It was a bit easier going this time around when he drifted down into himself and pictured the different segments of his DNA. Even his own mental projections of his DNA seemed brighter somehow. A bit more life to them then they’d had when he first felt out his new body’s potential.

The red segment came into focus as he pictured it. The five rungs of the double helix bright in his mind with the bottom most rung that represented his Increased Muscle Fiber Density upgrade lighting up with its own internal light. Focusing on the next rung of the double helix above that Ryker felt out what the ability was. There was a sense of… Condensing there. Not unlike the tightening of his muscles for the first upgrade. Only the feeling was deep, bone deep even.

Increased Bone Density? It’s not flashy or anything but I can see the usefulness. Ryker thought as he pondered how useful that new ability might be. It was almost a bit boring considering his fantastical situation and possible abilities he might be able to acquire as a Kaiju. But boring was exactly what some situations called for. As he was now without any means of getting support, if he was wounded and one of his bones was broken in combat that would drastically reduce his effectiveness. Maybe even to the point where he would succumb to the next Kaiju to find him in a weakened state.

He was still a ways from getting the levels of regeneration and defense the later stages of Kaiju had access to so until then it was best he reduce his chances of serious injury. Though with him being so removed from combat maybe he should hold off instead?

Deciding he would put off choosing any ability for now, Ryker looked to his other gene segments to feel out the next abilities they offered. The blue segment that represented his Neurosensory functions and upgrades came into view as Ryker felt for what the upgrade did. It was focused to his brain from what he could sense. It felt like there was streaks of lightning zipping between his neurons. Zipping from one corner of his brain to the other. As if his normal neural impulses were amplified with a high voltage electric current.

Neural Amplification? What would that even do for me as an upgrade? Let me think faster? Increase reaction times? Ryker thought. Wondering about the ability. Comparing the feeling of his brain increasing in efficiency to electricity wasn’t just a fancy metaphor. It had actually been a major hurdle for Militaries across the globe. As they grew in strength and size the sheer amount of bio-electric energy coursing through Kaiju actually began to affect nearby technology and equipment. To the point where some Kaiju almost acted as living electromagnetic jammers.

Ryker grimaced as he let a growl slip from himself. That particular quirk of Kaiju biology had meant that a lot of people in the early days of the conflict hadn’t been able to call for help when a more developed Kaiju came near. He could still remember…

No, damnit Ryker. Pull it together. Ryker shook himself before he could lose himself in his memories again. Wanting to move away from those memories he moved onto the yellow segment of his DNA. The one that puzzled Beck for so long and had the widest range of abilities and functions.

Feeling out the next ability above his Hemodynamic Augmentation Ryker got a sense of… pain? No, that wasn’t right. It was a kind of itching almost. Focused along points in his upper and lower jaws. It was the first time feeling out an ability’s effects threw Ryker for a bit. He tried racking his brain for what that could mean for himself when it suddenly dawned on him.

Venom glands? It’s got to be. Ryker thought with a malicious grin at the damage such an ability could cause other Kaiju. The venom that Kaiju had produced was almost a non issue when Ryker had fought against Kaiju in his Mech. Without any organic material to inject venom into besides the human piloting the machine. Plus if you ever got close enough to a Kaiju for it to bite you, there wasn’t going to be enough of you left to worry about the venom.

After reviewing the possible upgrades Ryker made some slight changes to his plan. If I can hit a few more dumpsters before daybreak I might be able to unlock my next ability tonight. I’ll play it as safe as I can for the next day or two. Eat from these dumpsters again while I’m casing out the best place to break into for food. Somewhere that won’t cause alarm and freak anybody out. Last thing I want to do is have people running screaming for their lives though town because of me.

With a nod of approval at his plan. Ryker rose to his full height, turning towards the restaurant to find the back door open for some reason. Before Ryker could puzzle out why that was the answer became clear as a small squeak below him made Ryker look down towards the ground and the young man who was standing next to the dumpster with undisguised terror in his eyes.

He was holding a trash bag that he looked like he had been preparing to toss into the dumpster before Ryker stood up. Donned in an apron and uniform that marked him as an employee of the Garden Olive, with a small name tag near his heart that read “KENNY” in all capital letters. He was literally trembling in fear as he and Ryker stared at each other, frozen still as the moment stretched on.

Ryker’s first instincts were to calm the boy down. But unfortunately for him, he forgot for a moment that he was in the body of a giant death lizard. “Don’t freak out.” He tried to say calmingly. But instead it came out a low warbling screech as Ryker tried to raise his hands placatingly in front of him.

Kenny, seeing a giant dumpster dragon raising it’s claws up to strike as it cried out. Staring into his soul with those horrifying yellow eyes did what any other rational minimum wage server did when they knew they were alone and no help was near since they were forced to close up the restaurant by themselves.

He fainted.

With a small groan, Kenny crumpled to the ground in an unconscious heap as Ryker winced. Still holding out his claws out as if to catch the guy. Heaving a distinctly reptilian sigh Ryker stepped out of the dumpster and fussed over the first human in town to spot him.

Damnit Kenny. Ryker thought worriedly as he crouched down to check on the guy. Grimacing as he kept his claws away from anywhere it could stab into the man as Ryker felt for his exhaling breath. No blocked airway, thank goodness. I don’t even know how I’d move someone into the recovery position with these things. Ryker thought as he cursed his claws inferior of dexterity compared to his human hands.

It was unfortunate to be discovered like this on the first night but on the other hand, it was also incredibly fortunate that the guy had simply fainted instead of running away and screaming bloody murder.

I’ll just dip out of town for tonight and- Ryker started until the sight ahead of him froze him still. At the back of the Garden Olive was a wide open door held open by a small stone serving as a door stop. The inner light of the restaurant spilling out the door, almost inviting in its glow.

Ryker looked towards the door, then down to Kenny. Then back to the door. Then down once more to glance at Kenny before Ryker tilted his head at the open door. Don’t… Don’t restaurants have large walk in freezers?

Feeling like he just stumbled on the first bit of good luck he’d had in a long while Ryker took a hesitant step towards the Restaurant’s back door. Almost imagining that he could smell the wafting fragrance of food and not the rotting things he’d been eating most of the night. Unconsciously licking his lips at the thought of food, Ryker remembered himself before turning to the unconscious Kenny. Clasping his claws together and dipping his head towards the crumpled guy on the ground Ryker silently and passionately thanked Kenny. Like a farmer thanking a benevolent spirit for a great harvest. Only the benevolent spirit in question was an unconscious, undertipped server half laying on the trash bag he’d meant to throw out and the farmer was a scaly seven foot tall scientific enigma being driven around by the mind of a Mech pilot from the worst possible timeline.

Almost skipping to the backdoor Ryker eagerly ducked his head to get inside and nearly swooned at the smell of actual food. Cooked food. As much as his new body helped when he had to eat raw Kaiju and raw wild animals, the human part of Ryker had longed for the normal things he’d enjoyed in his old life. Maybe it was the dumpsters he’d eaten in earlier that made him want real food more but Ryker nearly tore through the kitchen area to get to the shiny metal door that marked the walk in freezer. Almost knocking over some small kitchen items in the process.

It might not be full. Ryker warned himself. Trying to brace himself for any disappointment he might feel if the freezer wasn’t utterly loaded with food like he wanted. It might be really unkempt or dirty. With rotting fruit in the corners or something. A big fat frozen petri dish of bacteria and other gunk. With bated breath and shaking claws Ryker reached for the handle to the door and pulled it open. Feeling a rush of cool air blow over him as he looked inside in wonder.

Shelves upon shelves of perfectly organized fruits, vegetables, and meats met Ryker’s gaze. With tubs of prepped dishes, soups, and pasta dotted around the freezer as Ryker stared, eyes going wide. He didn’t even notice the line of drool leaking from his mouth as the heavenly scent of everything drew Ryker inside the freezer. The door shutting behind him with a click as the interior light came on.

For a heart stopping moment Ryker was almost paralyzed by the overwhelming amount of choice before him until a freshly written label on a large bucket practically stole all his attention. The plastic wrap covering the top reflecting the interior light and shining like the halo of an angel.

Oh my God is that… Chicken Gnocchi soup with dumplings?

Outside the Garden Olive almost a full half hour later, the first thing to hit Kenny was the stench of bad pasta and risotto. Jerking awake with hands clamping shut over his nose Kenny shuddered at the smell first and then shuddered even more deeply at the greasy wetness on the back of his neck that had leaked out of the top of the trash bag. Jumping to his feet Kenny made all the appropriate noises as he vainly smeared the ick off his neck with the outside of his shirt. After a moment of frantic cleaning and even more frantic swearing Kenny finally got himself back together enough to remember the reason he was even outside in the first place.

Ricky had been feeling especially bitchy today after that full party of twelve that afternoon. What did he expect him to to do? Ask them to wait for their food even longer? It wasn’t his fault their best chef quit for that construction job a couple towns over and left everyone with twice the work. Kenny almost envied the man. No wait, scratch that. He did envy that man.

Turning to look around himself, Kenny was just beginning to question why he’d been on the ground a minute ago. It couldn’t have been a bad reaction could it? Weed was supposed to be the safe shit for crying out loud! How the hell else was he supposed to cope with working for tips under a guy like Ricky? Multivitamins?

It was only when Kenny’s eyes landed on the dumpster that his addled mind, which had never been very cognizant in the first place, supplied the appropriate memories for him to start panicking.

“Shit!” Kenny cried out. Scrambling away from the dumpster so fast he tripped over the trash bag still lying on the ground. Whipping his head back and forth down the alley as if he expected an attack to come from any direction. With a fearful shriek Kenny practically leaped back inside the garden Olive and slammed the back door shut. Locking the thing in place as he panted and backed away from the door back into the kitchen. Eyes roving over everything as if he expected the monster to come through the very walls.

Where could it have gone? It must have gone somewhere. Kenny had seen enough horror movies to know exactly what happened to the guy who was caught alone. There wasn’t any way in hell he was gonna be the chump that died to the monster first. If anyone deserved to be eaten it was Ricky damnit!

Crouching in the corner of the kitchen Kenny got out his phone and after a half second, decided it was absolutely an emergency worth calling 911 over.

“911, what’s your emergency?” Said a female voice on the other end of the line.

“Hello, I’m Kenny Olsen.” He began in a quivering whisper. “I work at the Garden Olive off of Wendell Avenue. There is a monster outside in the dumpster.”

“There’s a monster outside in the dumpster.” The operator said. Sounding immediately skeptical.

“Yes!” Kenny whisper shouted into his phone. Gripping it tighter as he brought it even closer to his face to speak. “It was huge! With claws and fangs! It was going to eat me before I-” Kenny cut off. Realizing he was about to say ran away. But hadn’t he passed out?

“You what sir?”

“I, uh. I got away.” Kenny lied. No way he was ever gonna admit he passed out.

“Are you safe now sir?”

“No!” Kenny said immediately.

“Are you inside a building sir?”

“Well, yes.” Kenny said lamely.

“Why would you not be safe after entering a building sir?”

“Because it was huge?” Kenny said. His answer sounding way too much like a question for his liking.

“How would you describe the animal you saw sir?”

“It was a giant green scaled dragon. With massive claws and teeth.”

“A…dragon.” The operator said flatly. “Sir, are you sure you didn’t see a bear?”

“It wasn’t a bear!” Kenny whisper shouted again. “It was huge! It was going to eat me!”

“Sir, I’m sorry to ask, but have you taken any alcohol or illegal narcotics tonight?”

“N-no.” Kenny stuttered. Now afraid for an entirely different reason.

“Okay.” The operator said. Now sounding much less urgent than she had before. “I’ll send an officer down to your location to make sure your safe sir. Please stay on the line until the officer arrives.”

“But what about the monster?” Kenny said scared. Almost believing he could hear a sigh through the other end of the line.

“Is there anywhere more secure in the building you can stay until the police arrive sir?”

“I don’t-” Kenny said hastily. Thinking about the office that Ricky always holed up in and its thin walls before getting a bright idea. “I know a place I can hide.”

After a long indeterminate amount of time rushing to stuff himself with every raw ingredient and prepped dish he could find Ryker placed the empty tub of red spaghetti sauce back on its shelf. Licking his claws happily and wanting nothing more than to find a comfortable spot to go comatose until he could stop thinking about Italian food. Unfortunately for Ryker he wouldn’t be able to indulge in that desire. He could already feel his body reach the threshold necessary to unlock his next ability and then some. Ryker was almost regretful how efficiently his Kaiju body broke down fuel for itself.

No rest for the wicked. Ryker thought whimsically. Feeling out his DNA segments instinctively and selecting his next upgrade.

The choices he had were between Increased Bone Density, Neural Amplification, and Venom Glands. Right off the bat Ryker wanted to go for the Venom Glands. Poisoning other Kaiju mid fight would do wonders for his ability to take down equally sized opponents or even tougher ones if he needed to. Not only that but if any poisoned Kaiju ran away like before he could count on the poison slowing them down or finishing them off. It wasn’t as flashy as the breath weapons and other unique abilities Kaiju developed but as long as it was effective at killing Kaiju Ryker couldn’t be more happy with it.

The Neural Amplification was more of a gamble than anything else. Wasn’t he already as smart as a regular human would be? Wouldn’t any kind of brain augmenting upgrades be the most beneficial for stupid Kaiju? The Increased Bone Density on the other hand was a solid increase to his durability and survivability. As reluctant as Ryker was to pass up on Venom Glands he had to admit that as the only chance of preventing the coming apocalypse, he did have a responsibility to make sure he survived more than anything. If he died this early, it wouldn’t matter how many Kaiju he killed. There would still be more that survived and grew to reach their potential and destroy the world.

Mentally accepting the upgrade Ryker felt his body immediately begin changing as the gene lock on the DNA ability released. His body burning the fuel he just spent all night accumulating in one go as his bones strengthened. Opening his eyes Ryker straightened and immediately bumped the top of his head against the ceiling. Surprised, Ryker took a step back and then bumped into the metal back wall. The whole room seemed closer to Ryker than it had been just a moment before.

Ah shit. Ryker thought as he struggled to turn around in the now tight space. How the hell do I not notice myself growing when I focus on my upgrades? That shouldn’t be something that just goes unnoticed right?

Shifting within the now tight space, his body brushing against both shelves on either side of him. Ryker tried to get a feel for his newly upgraded skeleton. Even knowing that he’d physically grown larger he definitely felt thicker now, heavier too. In his last fight against the hatchlings he’d been bowled over by the three Kaiju in their scrabble near the end. Now, he doubted five of the hatchlings could knock him down. Even if he’d still been only seven feet tall instead of eight.

Am I eight feet tall? I definitely feel like this is an eight feet tall problem. Ryker huffed internally as he finally got his body turned around. Almost knocking off an empty vegetable pallet off a shelf with his tail as his hind claws clicked on the cold tile floor.

He was just about to reach for the door handle when the freezer door opened and a shape quickly moved inside and shut the door.

“I’m inside the freezer now.” Kenny whispered into his phone as he pressed his ear against the closed door as if he could listen for movement outside through the insulated metal.

“That’s great sir.” The operator said in a suspiciously bored tone. “Help should be arriving in another few minutes.”

“Good. Good.” Kenny muttered, nodding his head. Stepping away from the door with a flicker of hope in his chest. “I’ll be safe in here.” He said softly to himself as he kept his eyes forwards and backed up into a wall.

A warm wall? Kenny thought quizzically. One hand going behind him as he felt out the weird pattern that made it up. The cooler isn’t broken. So why would-

Kenny’s thoughts froze just as his hand reached a part of the wall that curved and thinned above his head. Slowly. Ever so slowly. Kenny looked up above his head where the dragon’s head was looming above him. It’s piercing yellow eyes burning above him as jaws covered in red parted before his very eyes.

“Sir is everything alright? You got very quiet all of a sudden.” The operator said completely unaware of the peril Kenny was in.

Ryker on the other hand, tried to look as nonthreatening as possible as he loomed over the kind stranger who had unknowingly left the door open for him. But even as Ryker tried not to say anything that would inevitably be mistaken for a feral growl his monstrous features betrayed him once again. The sheepish smile he tried to don causing the man’s expression to morph into one of abject horror. The red spaghetti sauce still spattering his teeth and snout giving the man beneath him the exact opposite impression of his intentions.

Then the screaming started.

Utterly terrified, Kenny somehow managed to fumble the simple latch for the door’s release in his panic. Even as Ryker tried and critically failed to calm him down. Falling to the floor and screaming bloody murder, Kenny frantically flapped his hands in front of his face to ward off the monster before him as said monster calmly reached a claw above Kenny’s head to open the release on the door. Blubbering as he scrambled out the door on his hands and knees Ryker watched the server with an almost bone deep sense of exasperation as he finally got his feet under him and ran out of the restaurant like a bat out of hell.

Still standing in the freezer Ryker put both claws on his face and shook his head, groaning loudly. How the hell is this my life now? Ryker thought wearily as he pulled on the scales of his face. Stepping out of the freezer and hearing the distinct sound of screaming fade into the distance. Ryker looked around tiredly.

I’m just gonna… I’m just gonna go home and sleep this off. He thought entirely unamused as he padded to the back door. Opening it easily and only having to partially crouch to exit at his new height, Ryker made his way back towards the direction that would lead him to his cave as the sounds of sirens drifted between the surrounding buildings. Deciding to put off any further dumpster dives that night. Wondering all the while how someone who would do anything to save humanity could feel so utterly done with people.