This weeks challenge was a mash-up of genre’s.  I pulled Time Travel and Kaiju.  Enjoy.

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Standing in the lab, Brady’s breathing became rapid as he stared at the device before him. It wasn’t what he expected. Instead, it was hardly large enough to fit a man his size, and colored a listless silver. His muscular chest rose and fell, and his solid frame rattled. Wearing a white coat, the scientist placed a consoling hand on his back. Swallowing hard, he took pensive steps forward, and stepped into the machine.

“Is this going to hurt?” he asked.

“I’m not really sure. I would assume so,” Dr. Stone answered as he checked the readouts. 

“You’re not certain of much with this project, are you?” Brady asked, shifting uncomfortably.

“While it’s true that we have not yet recovered any of the people that we’ve sent back in time, and therefore don’t know much about the process, one thing we are certain of, is that this is our best hope for survival against the monsters that have overrun the world. There is no more fighting, not now. We’re out of time.”

“How do you even know I’ll arrive alive?”

“The math is clear,” he said, “you’ll be alive.”

This answer did not satisfy Brady. He was beginning to have second thoughts. Weighing the options, he came to the same conclusion as before. You’re dead either way. You might as well try his commander had told him.

The scientist lugged weapons and placed them around Brady. He couldn’t hold them, but they would make the journey. Grenades, laser guns, and something he had never seen before.

“You know your mission?” Dr. Stone asked.

“When you go back, find the eggs. Destroy them before they hatch, so we won’t have to deal with these giant, city destroying beasts.”

“Got it. Good luck.”

Dr. Stone turned dials and flipped switches. A loud, whirling noise erupted from the machine. It shrieked and groaned. The building began to shake.

“Is it supposed to do that?” Brady yelled over the sounds.

“The noise, yes. The building, I’m not sure what,” he was interrupted as the ceiling began to crumble. The far corner fell away, exposing the cause of the vibrations. A dark blue creature, taller than the structure, angrily clawed at the steel and brick. It resembled a reptile, scaly and sleek, with taloned toes and a bad attitude.

It rampaged, tearing into the building until it created a hole big enough to stick it’s head in. Lashing out a wicked tongue, it grabbed the Dr. He held on to his desk, and it began to slide with him. He pressed the final button in the sequence. Brady watched in horror as the Dr. released the desk, and was bitten in half.

The monster turned his rotating eyes towards Brady. His last vision as the world got blurry as the noise peaked. The beast started towards him, and he closed his eyes in anticipation.

There was silence. The noise had stopped. Daring to peek, he opened one eye, then promptly both. He was in a field. There was no creature, no building. Just tall, dry grass, a bright sun filled sky, and his weapons. The trip worked. He had gone back in time.

He was relieved to realize that the journey hadn’t hurt. In fact, aside from a slight disorientation, he hadn’t felt a thing. He breathed deep the fresh air, which was cleaner then he had ever experienced. His chest burned slightly with the abundance of oxygen. He wanted to lie in the grass, throw away his mission, and live his life in this time and place. Peaceful.

However, he was a soldier, and he had a mission. He would not forsake his people for his own happiness. Snatching up his weapons, he looked at his preprogrammed GPS, and headed to the nest.

They had landed him near enough to it that the trip would be short, but far enough away that he wouldn’t be in danger. He waited for sunset, when the parent beasts would be out hunting.

They suspected that the parents were waiting for their children to be numerous and strong before they made their presence known to the world. They had always been here, biding their time. Numerous they were he found as he descended into the dimly lit cavern. In front of him were a plethora of eggs numbering in the thousands.

Shocked at the numbers, he contemplated his plan of attack. The grenades would take too long, and cause so much sound that the parents would return at once. He removed the unknown weapon and read the instructions. It said it could clear a 1/4 mile. That was enough, but it was no good, he couldn’t find a remote trigger.

He chose the laser gun. It would take time, but he would blast every egg one by one if need be. He started. A burst of blue light erupted as he struck the first egg. It exploded a mess of dark reds and yellows. Another, and then another, he moved cautiously destroying them. A shriek came from outside.

He wondered, had they seen the light? Could they feel their babies die? He couldn’t know, but he did know that they were coming. He heard the sound of their wings first. In the growing darkness, he couldn’t see. They were atop of him. He fired as one clutched his leg. The light bounced off the tough skin without causing injury. Again and again he tried, but it was no good. It bit into his flesh. He cried out in pain. He grabbed at the other weapon. He thought of his commanders words again You’re dead either way.

Holding it in his hands, he pulled the pin. With his last thoughts, he wondered, if by saving the world, he would be born again in the future, and live a full life. A burst of energy spread through the cave. It disintegrated all in its path. Brady, the beasts and their clutch, all decimated. His mission was a success.