A cutting sea wind whipped across the deck of The Ghost as Falk Hansen stood before the crew of his ship near its bow. The state-of-the-art vessel rode smooth in the choppy waters despite its near full-throttle speed as they pursued Durontus towards the area of the tidal wave disaster.
“--and that’s all we know so far. Those are the facts as reported to us,” Falk explained to the gathered crew. “Officially, this is still being classified as a natural disaster scenario and emergency crews are only now mobilizing, but we’ve all been through this a time or two and we know the signs.”
Hansen turned his gaze and pointed to a bulk on the horizon line like a jagged mountain range. “Old boy’s in pursuit mode. Something’s caught his attention. And we all know there’s really only one thing that gets his attention.”
“And if it is a new Gargantua,” he continued, “then we’ll be going to work very soon.”
The small crew of dedicated men and women shuffled uneasily, a natural reaction for anyone faced with interaction with creatures bigger than buildings. Counting Hansen and Krieger, they numbered twelve and consisted of two basic camps: the science team and the field team.
The research and monitoring team, dubbed the “science” team by non-members, was in charge of all interactions the G.W.G. had with Durontus. Biology, Oceanography and Meteorology were but a few of the fields the science team specialized in. Headed up by Dr. Emma Perry, a pioneer in the field of Gargantua study, these dedicated scientists were responsible for providing the world with nearly all the known knowledge of the Gargantua species.
The field team, headed by Krieger, was something altogether different, more akin to a group of storm-chasers than anything else. As part of the detailed rules and regulations enforced upon the G.W.G by the United Nations, Krieger was officially appointed as an arbiter between the two groups. He was also given the task of recording and reporting real-time data of every Gargantua encounter, streamed directly to the UN’s own data centers.
This was accomplished in a way that most people would describe as a death wish, but the men and women of Krieger’s crew would more likely describe it as the best job on earth.
Krieger’s team utilized cutting-edge technology in the form of personal vehicles that operated on both land and sea. Each craft contained onboard data-monitoring equipment and rugged video rigs, all meant to be used up close and personal which often put members of the field team within hundreds of yards of ground zero during a Gargantua battle.
While the UN made it no secret they were learning as much about Gargantua and Durontus as possible, Hansen was no fool. He couldn’t confirm it, but it was likely that the type of data Krieger’s team was gathering was funneled to various weapons labs around the world.
Information such as the durability of the serpent’s armor-like scales, his biting force and the chemical makeup of his acid breath were being used to build weapons to combat other Gargantua, Durontus included, he guessed.
Having turned his life upside down and inside out for the sake of the creature, Falk hoped he never lived to see the day when those weapons were needed.
“We’re still a few hours out from Durontus’ projected destination,” he said. “ Per usual we’ll send in drones to gather our initial intelligence and then see what we’re dealing with.”
Hansen dismissed the crew to their respective preparatory duties, but lingered on the deck for a few moments. Looking seaward, he wondered what mighty beast awaited Durontus. But, as no single Gargantua thus far seemed related to another in any way biologically, he had no way of knowing. All he could do was hope that Durontus was the victor.
Falk’s phone vibrated in his coat pocket, signaling that Dr. Perry was ready to be synced up via satellite with her team aboard The Ghost.