Nemesis flexes her arms out, dislodging the Tsuchi and flinging it away. But before the Tsuchi can fall all the way back, Nemesis reaches out and catches the spider Kaiju with both massive hands. What is she doing? I wonder, and then all four occupants of the X-35 lets out a loud “Ooh!” like we’ve just seen a spectacular football hit. Nemesis pulls the Tsuchi in closer while thrusting her head downward, slamming her head into the Tsuchi’s face, delivering the world’s most brutal headbutt.
“Where did she learn to fight like this?” Collins says to me. I have no answer. I thought Maigo rejoining Nemesis might give the Kaiju a boost of intelligence, but this is more than I expected. Even if they’re sharing their brain power 50/50, Maigo is adding some serious fighting skills that none of us knew she had.
A burst of electricity flings Nemesis’s head back from the headbutt, but she doesn’t slow. She snaps forward, quickly biting one of the two mandibles and yanking. The small limb snaps and peels away, robbing the Tsuchi of its electrified abilities.
That was purposeful, I think. A calculated move.
The Tsuchi turns its half crushed face skyward and lets out a pained shriek. The tide has officially turned. And Nemesis proves it by raising both of her massive arms above her head and bringing them down hard, locking her fingers together as massive blades. The downward swipe catches the Tsuchi’s arms on both sides, severing all four and sending thousands of gallons of blood spraying over the landscape.
And then, strangely, Nemesis backs off. The Tsuchi makes a feeble attempt to strike Nemesis with its tail, but the phantom limb hits nothing. Nemesis circles her opponent, keeping a watchful eye on it. The Tsuchi attempts to retreat, dragging its limbless front through the ashes.
Nemesis lunges to the Tsuchi’s side, lifts her gargantuan foot and slams it down on the Tsuchi’s back.
The giant spider kicks and struggles, but can’t break free.
What’s she doing? I think, and then I voice the question. “What’s she doing? Why isn’t she killing it?”
Collins shakes her head. “Maybe Maigo’s conscience is kicking in? Feelings of mercy?”
“No...” Alessi says. “That’s not it.”
Nemesis moves, cutting off Alessi’s comment. We watch as Nemesis slowly, torturously impales the Tsuchi’s back, and peels off a layer of armor. The Tsuchi quakes and squeals as the armor plate is torn from its back.
Maigo, no... Just kill it!
And then she does. Slowly. Nemesis slips her claws into the Tsuchi’s soft flesh, moving painfully slow, exacting her vengeance in a very personal way. Maigo is giving in to the rage now, giving in to the thirst for vengeance. She’s going to lose control, and then where will our plan be? I’ll have to order an attack on Nemesis and my daughter? I’m not sure I can handle that.
The Tsuchi spasms once, twice, and then falls still.
“How could she do that?” Collins asks, no doubt sharing my concerns for the girl who might have become her daughter.
“It wasn’t her,” Alessi says.
Collins looks exasperated. “Nemesis doesn’t—”
“Wasn’t Nemesis, either.”
We both stare at her.
“I’ve seen that before,” she says. “Once.”
The earbud in my ear crackles to life. “Dad?”
My heart skips a beat, and I jump to my feet. “Maigo?”
“I’m okay,” she says. “I’m two blocks east of the Tsuchi. Falling back now. Wouldn’t mind a ride.”
“But...” I’m stymied, my brain slowed by the revelation that Maigo is alive, well and not inside Nemesis.
“It’s Endo,” Alessi says, looking down at Nemesis. “He gave himself to her.”
Endo?
Endo!
My jaw drops. That sonofabitch! This is what he’s always wanted—proximity to Nemesis. A relationship even. He’d been jealous of my connection to her when Maigo was part of the Kaiju. And now...he’s got all of that in spades. I should have seen it coming. The question is, can he control it, and if he can, will he play nice?
“Take us down!” I shout to Woodstock. “Right in front of her face.”
I’m a little surprised when Woodstock complies without complaining. The X-35 drops down as I open the cargo hatch. Nemesis’s massive head slides into view, standing above the Tsuchi. Her giant eyes, no longer glowing orange, but reverted back to their brown, almost human gaze, stare back at me. I’ve stood here before, but I’m still unnerved by her size. That does nothing to stop my outburst.
“You asshole!” I shout. Nemesis just stares back at me. “You were a pain in the ass when you were a person, and now I have to deal with you as...” I motion up and down at Nemesis. “...as this? Fuck you, Endo.” We stand there, eye-to-giant-eye for a moment. My shoulders sag. “And...thank you. For everything.”
Nemesis stands still for a moment, and then huffs, the rank air nearly knocking me over. With an almost indifferent air, she turns west and strikes out, following the plan. Just go, I think. All the way to the coast and stay there. Eat whales and enjoy being a monster.
I step back and raise the cargo hatch. “Woodstock, do me a favor and pick up my daughter.”