Subtitles by explosiveskull
You're gonna owe me one, Cherise.
Looks like a dead end here.
Let's pack it up.
Whoa, wait, wait, wait, wait.
What's that?
12 o'clock.
We've got active fumaroles
and volcanic debris on the sea floor.
Ford was right.
Take us forward 20 degrees.
Ford's live right now.
How would you categorize putting 500-ton machines
on the seabed, digging and tearing up the sea bottom,
obliterating everything in their path
to obtain a small amount of minerals and metals?
It's not a small amount.
What about the sea life?
From what I understand, the metals you seek
are found on volcanic sea mounts and hydrothermal vents,
hot spots for hundreds of life forms,
many of which are completely new to science
and exist nowhere else,
life forms that may vanish before we even identify
what they are if your mining is allowed to go forward.
On the contrary, we're ideally situated
to allow for the discovery of new life forms.
Take us over that ridge.
Your detractors say you are planning to tear apart
unique marine environments that exist nowhere else.
If mankind is to continue using technology
- like we have today... - Keep going.
...we have to find new sources of raw materials.
- Ocean mining is the answer. - Keep going.
Look at that.
Polymetallic nodules, hundreds of them.
Not all nodules contain manganese.
Ones on volcanoes do.
Let's do what we came here for.
Collect a sample.
We only have permission to survey.
Come on. You know what Ford would say.
"Rather ask for forgiveness than for permission."
But we're not him.
Riley, you know the next step
will be to collect a sample, okay?
And permitting is gonna take weeks!
I mean, why go through all that if this claim is a dud?
Let's dig! Let's bring up some of that nugget!
The fines would be a lot less than what it would cost
to bring us back out here.
Why can I never say no to you?
Yes!
Now I can show you what this digger can do.
Here we go.
That's the motherlode.
Riley?
What is that?
Experts agree that this part of the ocean
needs to be left alone.
We've lost contact.
Today, we're inviting viewers to our remote operating facility
to take a look at the ocean floor
in a way that's never been done before.
Follow me.
There you have it.
Iconoclastic billionaire, Billy Ford, going his own way
as his legions of fans and detractors will agree.
Love him or hate him, he's pushed boundaries on land.
Now he's doing it in the ocean.
- I'm still on the call. - Of course.
So this kind of mining, it can be done remotely?
That's right.
Our machines are tethered to surface buoys
and linked by our satellite,
technology pioneered here at Benthic Prospecting.
Our operation represents the future
and not just here on earth.
Benthic Prospecting are gonna be in the vanguard
of those expecting these materials
to safeguard our future. Let me show you.
It only takes a team of two to run one of our machines.
The rest is fully automated.
Now, Cherise, why don't you load up one
of the live feeds from our deep digger?
Uh, sir...
Now there's gonna be about a one minute delay.
But given the fact this machine's over a mile deep,
it's a great achievement to get a feed from one of our relays.
- Sir? - Yeah?
We don't have the video feed.
So I can see. James, you on this?
When are we gonna get that feed back online?
Mr. Ford, sir, it's Riley.
Can we speak to you for a second?
These cameras go down all the time.
It's just one of the hazards of working near volcanic rifts.
We're currently surveying a newly discovered volcanic area.
- Isn't that right, Cherise? - Yes, sir.
Sir, we have a problem.
A very big problem.
Uh, we have a slight glitch here, Susan.
Let's reconvene this conversation.
And when we come back,
we're gonna have something really big for you.
I take full responsibility for going into the caldera.
No. It was me. I take full responsibility.
- I pushed the issue. - But I went along with it.
Yeah, but you didn't want to.
You didn't exactly put a gun to my head.
Don't give me any ideas, Riley.
- Ooh. - Cherise!
Riley, you're new, but, Cherise,
you've been with me from the beginning.
You're both too valuable to me to be sitting around
playing blame games.
My mom always told me you can't make an omelet
without breaking a few eggs.
Of course, her omelets didn't set me back quite so much.
Tell you what.
Depending on what we find, you can pay me back in installments.
That's a joke, Riley.
We'll salvage it.
Prepare for departure.
We're heading out for the trench.
Billionaire mining magnate, Billy Ford,
and his Benthic Prospecting Company
deal with a major setback as their premier
deep sea mining robot, the Deep Digger, goes offline.
This 500-ton and billion dollar robot was apparently surveying
an unexplored region of the Pacific when it vanished.
International environmental authorities,
including the ISA, are looking into his operations.
And experts indicate this could be a death blow
for Benthic Prospecting and its dreams of mining the deep.
Ah, mon ami. Ca va?
Listen. We have this woman here.
I tried chasing her away, but she has these official papers.
What type of papers, good papers?
Billy, it's not a bad thing we an extra woman on the vessel.
Thanks, Captain.
Good luck.
Mr. Ford, Sarah Murray, marine observer
from the International Seabed Authority.
Our office put in a call?
- We've been preoccupied. - I see.
My job is, by government mandate,
to ensure that environmental regulations are
upheld on any maritime mining expedition.
This isn't a mining expedition.
According to your ship's manifest,
you are on a salvage operation of a deep mining R.O.V.
in international waters.
Listen, we need to leave.
Get your office to call mine and we can set up an appointment
to discuss future Benthic Prospecting operations.
Mr. Ford, I am authorized to inform you that,
by refusing a government observer,
you and your company are subject to fines.
We'll pay the fine.
Fines and/or government impoundment of your vessel
and equipment,
not to mention any future applications
will be heavily scrutinized.
I see that you have a permit for geological survey
and your mining permit is still under review.
Correct.
Your cooperation with the ISA
is one of the conditions of the permit.
And this includes an onboard environmental observer.
Like I said, this isn't a mining expedition!
One last thing. I'm curious.
How did you identify the Kermadec Trench
as a source for mining?
All right, answer me this.
As a member of the ISA, can you tell me who else,
what companies, nations, other interested parties,
might have been looking at claims on that area
of the sea floor?
I can do that.
Well, in that case, welcome to Benthic Prospecting.
I can assure you my team follow all maritime rules.
We're groundbreakers, not lawbreakers, Miss Murray.
Ms.
Well, according to our records, your company is
the only one who's applied for a permit to survey that area.
It's kind of off the radar.
I'm curious.
What brought you into this field?
Marine environmental observer?
Can't be the pay.
Unfortunately, not.
Frankly, there weren't a ton of jobs
for a graduate with a degree in geomythology
that didn't involve sitting at a desk.
Do you know what that is?
It's a wooden platform with four legs, isn't it?
You put things on it.
Very funny, Mr. Ford.
I know.
Yes, Ms. Murray, I know what it is.
The use of stories and myths to corroborate natural disasters
in the historic record.
That's right.
I told you my team and I use every resource to our advantage.
If a geomythology treatise proposes an eruption in an area
without previous volcanic activity,
we take notice.
I'm impressed.
Would you like me to leave the room?
How far are we?
We'll be approaching the coordinates shortly.
How's the prep going on the R.O.V., Riley?
Ready to deploy at your command, sir.
Okay, let's take a look at this terrain.
Initiating sonar scan.
What was the source that led you to survey this area?
Subsonic tremor.
After the one at Madagascar, we started keeping our eyes out
for something similar.
That turned out to be an underground magma chamber
collapsing and emptying out.
That brought us on to look for other similar unrecorded events.
We started picking up signals from the Kermadec Trench.
Turns out they'd been there all along, just no one had ever
noticed because the frequency of vibration was too low.
Oh, there's no telling what you can find out there.
I've been out at sea for 20 years
and I'm still surprised.
St. Elmo's Fire, Fata Morgana, Phantom Islands.
We know more about the surface of Venus
than we know about our own the ocean floor.
Maybe we should be looking there for the Digger.
- What? - Nothing.
Okay, we're coming up to the area where we lost contact
with the Deep Digger Rig.
Can you enhance the view?
From this distance, we wouldn't be able
to make out the Digger.
I know. Look at the sea floor.
What do you see?
The caldera?
Look again.
These readings show massive surface subsidence and erosion.
Something's taken off the top third of this volcano.
What kind of mining rig can do that?
That wouldn't be corporate-owned.
Something that size would be state-sponsored.
Chinese or Canadian?
Or the CIA?
Ah, so you know about the Glomar expedition.
I like you.
Project Azorian.
Everyone in ocean mining worth their salt knows about that.
Said they were looking for manganese.
Turns out they were bringing up nukes from a sunken Russian sub.
No, that wasn't nukes.
You've seen the film, "The Abyss"?
Based on a true story.
Oh, come on.
No, it's true, really.
They are down there.
Something is there.
You sure no one else has applied to mine this region?
Nothing on our books.
Well, it wouldn't be, would it?
I mean, look at the scope of that destruction.
I'd say they bypassed the mining regulations altogether.
Let's scrap the R.O.V.
We need to get down there and check this out ourselves.
Prepare the submersible.
Sir, under the circumstances, I would suggest using the R.O.V.
It's much safer, sir.
I want to check this out with our own eyes.
Yeah, I feel it's my duty to inform you.
Riley, if you want to stay on the surface, that's okay.
No, sir, I'm... I'm with you.
- Cherise? - I'm in.
Ms. Murray, hope you don't get claustrophobic.
All right, let's get this show on the road!
Au revoir.
All-righty.
Okay, Captain, lower us in.
Aye, aye, sir. We are dropping you in.
How deep we going today, Cherise?
3400 meters.
How deep have you gone before in this thing?
3000 meters.
But it's been tested way beyond spec.
This thing's designed to take the pressure
at at least 4000 meters.
We could run into a mountain and still be okay,
not that I'm planning on running into any mountains.
And we can communicate with the surface
if you fancy ordering a pizza.
I'm vegan.
- Oh, you and Cherise both! - Oh.
Welp, vegan pizza, we can't do,
but we can...
Oh, someone's beaten me to it.
Normally we have some vegan cheese.
I've had a few problems with milk products onboard.
It's not the milk or the cheese that's the problem.
It's the after-effects.
You know, ventilation's a problem...
Yeah, I get it.
You ever heard of the Cheetos incident?
- No. - On the shuttle?
Really bad.
Almost took out the entire air ventilation system.
Not good if you're in space.
Should be getting a reading now.
Any sign of the Deep Digger?
Negative.
I am getting something weird, though.
When we were surveying the area,
it was covered in polymetallic nodules.
Now they're gone.
The entire topography is different.
If it isn't a rival mining conglomerate, then...
what is it?
Go in for a closer look.
See there?
The entire surface of the seabed has been scraped away.
What's that?
I don't know.
That ridge was not there before.
Is it volcanic?
Hey, is it safe to be going in this close?
I was about to ask the same question.
I'm not picking up any volcanic activity.
Anything coming up on the lidar?
Image coming in now.
Surface is hardened volcanic silica.
Move in for a closer look.
Okay.
I wanna get some still shots of that.
Activating the forward lights.
- Oh! - We've been hit!
- Hang on! - What is this?
Riley! Full throttle! We gotta get clear of this!
I'm giving it all we got!
We're stuck!
The momentum is too strong for us to break free!
We gotta keep trying! Use full thrusters!
The motors are gonna blow!
Okay, okay, you're right! Shut it off! Shut it off!
Our rate of ascension is increasing!
I thought you said there was no one else down here!
I didn't say that!
I said there were no other mining applications!
Looks like someone missed something!
I don't think this is a mining rig!
We're heading for the surface! Everyone hang on!
Wh-wh-what is that?
The Captain was right.
They're here!
No, no, that's not it.
That's a Kaiju!
You're right.
"Born of fire... from the sea..."
What did you say?
"Born of fire from the sea".
Indigenous lore tells of a giant creature...
born of fire, a volcano...
coming from the sea.
We gotta get off this thing.
We gotta get off this! We gotta...
We gotta get off this!
Ford? Can you read me?
Ford, come in!
We read you, Captain.
We are having a close encounter with...
I don't know what this is. Are you reading this?
I doubt it's closer than ours.
We're stuck right on top of it.
Do you see us?
I see you.
What the hell are you doing there?
I do not have a good answer to that.
Can you communicate with them?
It's not a "them".
Our scans indicate it's a single life form.
Kaiju?
Yeah.
We're wedged in pretty good.
But I think if it submerges, we can float free.
Something's happening!
That's not good.
Captain! You will not be able to outrun that thing!
I know.
If that thing hits you broadside, you'll capsize!
Not on my watch.
Prepare for impact!
If it does that again, I don't think we're going to make it.
Do whatever you have to to get safe!
That wave was 40 meters.
Imagine what it's gonna be like when it hits land.
This is Billy Ford of the Benthic Explorer
reporting a tsunami wave at my position.
36 degrees, 41 minutes east, 178 degrees, 37 minutes south.
It is headed due southwest.
I expect it to impact the land in one hour.
Uh, copy that, Benthic Explorer.
Is that a rogue wave?
We don't have any seismic activity in your position.
Negative. It is something different.
Listen carefully.
Something alive and very large is headed for the coast.
Could you repeat that?
Some kind of gigantic aquatic life form not seen before,
a Kaiju, is headed for the coast.
Sorry, is... Is this a joke?
I wish it were.
Can you get General Horne of the Coast Guard to radio us back?
We supply tech for his research vessels.
If this Kaiju carries on at its current rate,
it'll make landfall in four or five hours.
Sound the tsunami warning
and get General Horne to call us back.
We'll be standing by.
Copy that.
Come on.
Oh, thank you, Mary.
- Cherise? - Yeah?
Do a system scan.
See what we've got in terms of power.
General, you need to see this.
Scramble to intercept!
Tell the FAC they'll be getting their feet wet.
You need get eyes on this.
- Yes, sir. - Pronto.
How are we doing?
Power is at 85%.
Oxygen depletion rate is high.
We're not gonna last long at this rate.
- How long we got? - 45 minutes.
Oh, we're stuck on top of a Kaiju
and now we're running out of oxygen!
I'm feeling weak.
Anybody feeling that way?
To hell with that.
Where are you going?
Sir, if this thing submerges again with the top hatch open,
it will flood the chamber.
Oh, we're running out of oxygen
and now we're about to be flooded.
I did suggest taking the R.O.V.
Why does no one listen to me?
I hear you, Riley.
I need to see what we're dealing with.
That is not good.
Is that...
It's magma.
It's got magma for blood.
Sir! We got a problem!
I don't know what's causing it,
but the heat from this thing is off the charts!
I know what's causing it. Molten magma.
I'm sorry. What?
It's got magma for blood!
M... m... Magma?
We need to get off this soon.
There's a chance we'll lose structural integrity.
Mayday, Mayday, this is the Benthic Explorer
calling the Coast Guard! Come in!
This is the Coast Guard. Go ahead, Explorer.
You are bombing our position!
Could you repeat that, Explorer?
We are directly in the strike zone!
I repeat, we are in your target zone!
Call off your air strike!
You need to clear the area, Benthic Explorer.
That is not possible!
Repeat, clear the area.
Our vessel has stranded on your target!
We have run aground!
Stand by.
Come in!
They're coming back!
This is the Benthic Explorer!
I say again, halt your bombing run!
Please!
Pull the hatch!
Riley, prepare to dump the ballast tanks!
Gotta get the water out!
Emptying the tanks will affect our control under water.
We won't be able to maintain natural buoyancy.
We'll deal with that once we're in the water.
Riley!
You can help, too.
We're gonna flush the tanks on my mark.
Okay.
Three, two, one! Now!
Reverse thrusters now!
Back it up! Back it up!
Keep the pedal to the metal!
I am, but without water in the tanks,
positive buoyancy is killing us!
We gotta get clear of that thing!
We're maxed out, full power!
Okay, bring it around, bring it around!
What's that?
It's a submarine.
It's a Class Four.
Prepare to fire torpedoes on my command.
They're not seeing us!
Cherise, get us outta here!
Fire!
Hard to port! Dive!
That thing's coming right down on top of us!
- We need to move! - We can't go any faster!
Yes, we can!
Initiate evasive maneuvers!
Yes, sir!
Steer hard to starboard! Full throttle ahead!
Yes, sir!
We're clear of the Kaiju, 600 meters out.
Cherise, do a sonar scan for the sub.
I'm doing it.
Anything?
It's gone.
We need to be sure. Take it deeper.
Sir, we can't keep diving.
Without water in the tanks, we'll burn the motors out.
Take it down another 500 meters.
Are you sure with this heat damage
we can sustain this kind of pressure?
If that hull is intact, we need to get a read on it.
Sir, we don't have any rescue capabilities.
I understand that, Riley.
But if the hull's intact, we can at least inform the Navy.
They can take over.
We have to do what we can.
Anything?
It's gone.
Are you sure?
I'm not getting any kind of signature from the hull.
If it was intact, I'd be getting something.
Bring it up.
Cherise, where's that Kaiju headed now?
It's tracking away from us at 50 knots.
How long before it hits the coast on its current trajectory?
If it keeps going, under six hours.
Well, but we don't know that that's where it's going.
I know. We don't know a damn thing about it.
We know it has magma for blood.
Yeah. How does that thing even exist?
Life forms that live on volcanic vents
can exist outside of known biology.
What did you say earlier?
"Born of fire"?
"From the sea".
Where'd you get that?
Legend tells of a gigantic creature born of fire,
a volcano, coming from the sea.
According to the lore, this creature wreaked havoc
on their coastal civilization.
We had always attributed this devastation
to earthquakes, tsunamis.
There is evidence of massive destruction
in the historical record.
It wiped them off the map.
This is General Horne calling for the Benthic Explorer!
General Horne, this is Billy Ford, sir.
Sir, our vessel was onsite for the submarine attack.
I'm sorry to have to inform you that...
our scans indicate that the hull was breached on impact.
They stood no chance, sir.
I know. It's a tragedy and a disaster.
We're initiating a salvage operation.
We'll help in any way we can, sir.
What can you tell me about this thing?
It's some kind of gigantic sea life form.
It's a Kaiju, something we've never seen before.
To say it's a large creature is an understatement.
We have a geomythology expert onboard
and she claims that something like this
has happened in the past.
It's responsible for massive coastal destruction.
What else do you know about it?
It has molten magma for blood.
It seems to have a hide made out of some kind of volcanic silica.
Any attempt to breach this results in an upwelling
of this magma that seems to heal it.
It's quite a defense mechanism.
Sir, I'm not sure if you've heard of us
at Benthic Prospecting, but we have a vessel onsite.
We have underwater drones and R.O.V.s
that can get right up close to that thing.
We can help stop it. Anything we have is yours.
I appreciate the offer.
I advise you to stay clear of the area.
Sir, my company literally moves mountains.
We're experts at underwater demolition.
And, believe me, this thing needs demolishing!
This is a military operation. Stay out of it!
Sir, my company designed the Marine Mammal Avoidance tech
on your ships.
We pioneered subsurface to satellite
communication technology.
We've received three consecutive grants
from the Department of Naval Research.
We can help!
You get your people to safety.
If you want to send advice to my staff officers, go ahead.
I'll tell them to leave a line open.
And, Mr. Ford, I want you to know we're gonna be looking
into the origin of this thing.
And if we find even a hint of your involvement,
the only mining you'll be doing is for bit coin to pay off
your lawyer fees and fines levied by my department!
And you'll be doing it from a prison cell
where I guarantee you'll be spending a long, long time.
Now get off the playing field
before you become collateral damage!
That is not a request!
Yes, sir.
Son of a bitch.
If we were to mount our own operation against this thing,
who's with me?
I'll stay.
- Me too. - I'm with you.
Thank you.
Oh, God.
The Coast Guard tried to run us off.
But I'm not gonna leave you there, huh?
Thank you.
You got eyes on the Kaiju now?
Where's it headed?
Heading towards the Cape, maybe 12 knots south.
Okay.
Let me know if it changes course.
Ms. Murray, can your geomythology
tell us how to kill this Kaiju?
We need modern science to fight that thing, not myth.
I have to agree.
This thing's biology is completely new.
We need science to fight it.
In geomythology, the myths of monsters are just ways
to describe natural disasters.
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
the Kaiju was just a way to describe this.
But you did study Kaijus similar to this one?
Yeah, but Kaiju were not really deemed
a subject worth studying.
In fact, it was discouraged.
There was one professor, Rena Hangaroa.
She believed Kaiju were real,
but it caused her to be driven from academia.
So this professor Hangaroa is the only living person
that knows anything about these monsters.
Well, we should go to her and ask her how to kill it.
I don't know about that.
Why not?
She lives off the grid as a recluse.
She lives in a cabin in the mountains on the South Island.
It's impossible to get hold of her.
You can't just call her up.
Why not? Just go to her and you can use my chopper.
- I can't do that. - Why?
Rena was my mentor in college.
And I was the one who challenged her theories.
I contradicted her in my thesis.
I thought that her classes were wasting my tuition.
I didn't go to university to learn about monsters.
I didn't see any point in that.
I was vocal in my complaints.
I'm afraid I was the straw that broke the camel's back.
My complaints set a ball rolling which led to a landslide.
I was the one who sent her packing.
Well, if you want to help, this is the way to do it.
Go to her. Find out what she knows.
Otherwise, you're just getting in the way.
Look, you're the one who knows her!
You're the one who should be able to talk to her!
Her time is now.
We're heading back to the labs.
Radio the chopper to pick us up!
What's the latest on the Kaiju?
Uh, still heading south at a steady 12 knots.
I recommend staying at sea until we know where it's headed.
I wouldn't want to be in port with that thing around.
No, definitely.
And, Mr. Ford, next time you charter my vessel
for a Kaiju hunt, please give me a heads up, huh?
I might be in Fiji with big bottom girls.
- Good luck, my friend. - Merci.
Hey, Sam, crazy legs.
Based on my estimate of the size of the Kaiju
and the amount of destruction left behind
on the sea floor caldera, this life form
has tremendous energy requirements to sustain it.
I mean, I'm talking several million kilojoules of energy
just to maintain its metabolism.
Based on its size and its energy requirements,
I believe it's seeking a new place to feed.
And it feeds on volcanoes?
Or the byproducts of volcanoes, yeah.
So where's the nearest volcano?
I'll have to do an analysis.
The sea floor here is home to the greatest concentration
of submarine volcanoes in the world.
What if it's not going somewhere to feed?
We have no idea what its motivation is.
I don't have enough information
to speculate on its motivation.
But what I do know is that its energy requirements are huge.
Something like this doesn't emerge for nothing.
Listen, we need to deal with what we do know.
We need to figure out how to stop it
before it reaches the mainland.
Ms. Murray, go find this Rena Hangaroa.
Find out what she knows.
That thing's gonna reach the mainland in under five hours.
Tell her we need your help.
I will.
Good luck.
What's the operational status of our underwater lidar drone?
I want to get a full scan of that creature
to see what we're up against.
We've only got two more underwater R.O.V.s
that are operational.
How long 'til we get more online?
Half a day.
We'll have to go with what we've got.
Prepare to send one up.
All right, let's see what we can see.
How long before we're in range of that thing?
This is Desolation Valley. Not much to it.
Are you sure this is where you want to go?
I'm sure.
There it is.
If you're looking for me to change your grade,
you're out of luck.
I wish that was it.
I was wrong...
About everything.
Tea?
You were right. Kaiju exist.
Where is it?
So you would say it has many legs on all sides?
How many?
At least six.
It's hard to say. Most of it was underwater.
It also had armored plates on top like a pangolin.
Like this?
Yeah.
Are you sure?
What's wrong?
The record is very precise on this kind of Kaiju.
It's called a Tengu.
The name roughly translates as The Destroyer.
The Tengu lives under the earth's crust in the mantle.
They feed on volcanic substrata
and that's part of why they are so powerful.
They can use the stored up volcanic material as a weapon.
It's considered a being of the underworld.
The arrival of the Tengu has always coincided
with a civilization's downfall.
Ancient people didn't have the technology we have today.
This will not matter.
The power of the Tengu is fire and earth.
Has man ever stopped a volcanic eruption?
Man is insignificant against the power of a Tengu.
Then how do we stop it?
Only...
...another Kaiju can.
The Living Mountain.
The Kaiju Killer.
It is said that it lies into slumber
waiting for the Tengu to return.
This is the only thing that can stop it.
The Living Mountain?
We already have one Kaiju on the way to the mainland.
Are you sure there's nothing else we can do?
Humans cannot defeat a Tengu.
Come back with me. They need to hear this from you.
Take it down a little deeper.
I want to get a look at the underside of that thing.
Copy that. Descending to 50 fathoms.
We should be within range. I wouldn't go any closer.
Okay, we're close enough to initiate the scan.
Is that the highest resolution?
At this range, that's the highest I can go.
We need to get closer.
Sir, I would advise against it.
We need to get a better image.
Sir, I can't guarantee the structural integrity
of the R.O.V. if we go any closer.
I understand, but we need to get a better image.
Now move it in!
If we lose this R.O.V., we only have one left.
It's not about the R.O.V., Riley.
It's about the people in the path of this thing.
Now move it in!
Initiating scan.
Oh, look at that.
That is one heck of a mouth.
We need to get closer.
- Sir... - I know.
Oh, man, look at that thing.
The entire surface of the creature is armored.
That's a vulnerable spot.
- Give me a scan of that. - Yeah.
The teeth are amorphous metal or a metallic glass.
It's one of the hardest substances on earth.
This is one tough mother.
What makes you think it's a she?
With deep sea life, extreme dimorphism is the norm.
Females are usually larger by a significant factor.
Well, let's hope she's not here looking for a mate.
She could be emerging to rendezvous
with another of her kind
and we can't even contain one of these things.
Just imagine what might happen if...
Okay, let's bring up the R.O.V.
It would be better if it were a he.
We lost it.
Yeah, but now we got a target.
We found a vulnerable spot.
Yeah.
Based on our scans, I'm revising my total estimate
of the mass of the Kaiju.
The energy requirements of something of this size
are vastly higher than my initial hypothesis.
Based on these new parameters,
she must be headed to a substantial volcano to feed.
Oh, there's nothing of that size
on the ocean floor around here.
What if it's not going to a submarine volcano?
What if it's going to one on land?
Where's the nearest volcano home for the amount of material
that thing needs for feeding?
The Taupo supervolcano complex beyond Auckland.
It's a rhyolitic volcanic caldera.
It's also home to the most recent supervolcano eruption
in human history.
By recent, I mean like 70,000 years ago.
Thank goodness, because it covered the North Islands
with nearly 200 feet of ash.
We need to get General Horne on the line.
You should work up a simulation based on the consequences
of that thing reaching the Taupo supervolcano complex.
Hello! Who am I speaking to?
We have solid evidence that this Kaiju is headed
for the Taupo supervolcano complex!
Do you understand the significance of that statement?
If Taupo erupts, the resulting ash cloud
could throw the earth into a nuclear winter scenario.
That is not an overstatement!
You need to convey that to the General!
In addition, we believe we found the Achilles heel of the Kaiju.
Repeat what?
Achilles heel! You know, like a weakness!
How do we know this?
We were the first to encounter the Kaiju!
Who are we?
We are a marine scientific and exploration outfit.
What do we want?
We want to convey the severity of the threat to the General!
Look, this isn't about the Kaiju getting Auckland anymore!
It's gone way beyond that!
If Taupo were to erupt, it could be the end of humanity itself!
Thank you.
So you know where to find this Living Mountain?
The lore is very precise on this.
There is only one candidate where it can be found.
There!
It's called Motu Taniwha.
The rough translation would be "Monster Island".
There are many different kinds of taniwha.
They can be destructive,
but they can also be our guardians and protectors.
Now if this Kaiju feeds on volcanic compounds
like sulfur dioxide, manganese sulfate,
I think it's reasonable to infer there may be
a potential explosive mix of chemicals inside its stomach,
a reverse volcano, as it were.
Now if we were to get the right compounds into that stomach,
then, boom.
Internal explosion,
hopefully enough to kill the creature.
But how do we get past its teeth?
If they are metallic glass,
we're talking one of the toughest materials on earth.
Well, we need to design a delivery system that triggers
the payload on being crushed.
Use the creature's own defense mechanism
to provide a pathway inside.
Yes, Mrs. Prime Minister, I'm not saying you should
forego coastal evacuations.
We will stop it before it reaches the coast.
You have my word.
But, ma'am, none of us have dealt with
this type of threat before.
Who? Billy Ford?
Look, I don't want to tell you what to do, but if it were me,
I'd steer clear of that dog and pony show.
What?
No, I'm not being combative. I will talk to him.
Yes, ma'am.
I'll get back to you as soon as I have anything to report.
That piss-ant publicity hog, Billy Ford,
has got some friends in Parliament.
If he calls again, put him through.
Yes, sir.
How long before the blockade's in place?
We should be there by 1400 Zulu.
Our ship will be in position long before the Kaiju
reaches the continental shelf.
Okay. Forget what the tree huggers say.
I want to use a sonic weapon!
I mean, it is a national emergency, right?
Everything is in place and ready for your command.
It better be.
I've got too many years under my belt for my epitaph to read,
"Presided over the destruction of Auckland."
I'm with you, sir.
Mr. Ford, I got an interesting call from the Prime Minister.
Why didn't you call direct like I requested?
Oh, you did, huh?
Who was it? Media Relations?
Okay, well, don't take it personally, but if I spoke
to every civilian who has an idea
on how to deal with this thing,
our phone bill would bankrupt the Treasury!
Go ahead, Mr. Ford.
General, we've got some new intel to share with you
on the Kaiju.
We believe it's heading for a new volcano to feed on.
And we think it's got its sights set on
the Taupo supervolcano complex.
That is kilometers inland.
What indication do you have
that this creature can even go on land?
I wouldn't limit your views on what it might be capable of.
My people say the weight of that thing is too high
to support itself on land.
We've done the calculations and, yes, there would be
liquefaction of the soil.
But that's only going to add to the collateral damage.
Once the soil is in a liquid state,
it's going to allow the Kaiju to move easier.
My job is to protect the coastal cities,
not worry about a volcano 250 kilometers away.
Sir, its armored skin is made of hardened silica,
volcanic glass.
Its teeth are made of a polymetallic alloy.
Both are nearly indestructible.
However, we believe we found a weak spot.
If we can get a shot down its throat,
obviously, we got to get past the teeth.
But if we can get a shot down its throat,
we think we can start a chain reaction
in the volcanic materials of its digestive tract.
It's our only chance of taking it out.
I'll send over our findings.
You do that!
And, listen, stay out of the operating theater!
The last thing your friends in Parliament want to hear is
that you and your people were taken out by friendly fire.
You got that? You got that?
I do, loud and clear.
I'm not gonna let that thing destroy our planet!
We got one remaining R.O.V., right?
Yes, sir.
Cherise, let's do some calculations.
I want to see how much explosive we can pack onto that thing
and still be able to maneuver it to the target.
I want to get the maximum we can
and still be able to fly that thing.
Riley, we need to design a secondary drone module
as part of the payload.
It'll deploy when the Kaiju inevitably crushes it.
I want to use the creature's own momentum
against it to deliver the kill shot.
Copy that.
We need this operational pronto.
Cherise did assure me it'll still fly.
But I think this is the safest place for us to be
during the launch.
Take her up.
Deploy the sonic weapon!
Send another pulse!
It's moving toward the line, sir.
Battle stations! Prepare depth charges.
Yes, sir.
Release charges!
Take her hard to starboard!
We got men in the water! Everyone hold your fire!
We need to get 'em out!
Approaching the drop zone.
Watch your speed.
We need to drop it nice and easy.
What? You don't want it to detonate when it hits the water?
As soon as that thing gets clear of our positions,
I want total air and sea bombardment.
Stand by for my command!
In the meantime, I want all hands on
getting our people out of the water.
No one gets left behind.
That's not one of ours, is it?
Negative.
It looks to be some kind of remotely operated
underwater drone from the signature.
Aw, Ford!
Look, get a squad of MPs over to Benthic Industries headquarters.
Shut it down.
Arrest anyone you find on their premises.
Use extreme force if you have to.
This is not a day to operate in my theater!
Get to it! On the double!
Yes, sir.
Somebody let me know when it's clear to fire on that thing!
We need to take it out now!
We're almost within range.
Initiating deep scan now.
All right, approaching target.
This is it.
We got one chance at this.
Steady!
Keep it away from the legs!
Back on track.
Okay, Cherise...
Initiate scan for final targeting.
Initiating scan.
Triangulating target.
Oh, crap. Oh, this is it.
Listen, Riley, Cherise, go!
I'll distract them while you get away!
I'll take the blame for this. Now go!
You need us to complete the mission!
I'll guide it in on my own! Now go!
Takes two to do this. I'll stay.
- Cherise, you go. - No! We're in this together!
Okay, let's do it.
Nearing target.
Nearing target in five,
four, three,
two, one...
Everyone! Hands up! Away from your stations!
Did it work?
I don't know.
Now I'm sure you understand the Posse Comitatus Act
prevents our detention.
Call up General Horne and we'll sort this out.
Take that up with the General! My orders are to bring you in.
Dead or alive?
What was that?
Nothing.
We're happy to cooperate.
Oh, maybe that's the General now.
May I?
Hello, Billy? Where are you?
We'll take that for evidence.
He hung up.
Why don't you call up your boss and we'll sort out
whatever misunderstanding this is?
Your coming with us.
Move!
Something blew up the underbelly of that thing.
Call the MPs for a report.
I need to talk to Billy Ford.
It's for you. General Horne.
General, there's been some kind of a mistake!
You can bet your britches there is!
The Kaiju!
I don't know what you did, but it keeled over here
and started laying eggs.
Eggs?
When I say laying, it would be better to say shooting eggs.
I never seen anything like it.
They been shooting out of the carcass
like it's Guy Fawkes Day!
Sounds like some kind of terminal preservation reflex.
Yeah. We got a hell of a mess on our hands.
General, if these eggs start hatching,
they're gonna need a source of food.
And if they're anything like the mama,
they're gonna want to feed on volcanic materials.
I'd say the biggest threat we face right now
is they start feeding on the Taupo supervolcano.
If that complex erupts,
it's gonna send the earth into a nuclear winter.
I'm talking a new Ice Age!
Release me, and I can help you contain these things!
I can't do that,
but I will direct them to bring you here to me.
In the meantime, we're scrambling to bring
the Air Force and the Royal Marines in
to contain these things.
General, I gotta go.
Stay here. Victor!
They're big.
Really big.
Go! Go! Go!
Back it up! Back it up!
Get us out of here!
Go! Go! Go! Go!
Out, out! Go! Go! Go!
Shelter in the tunnels! I'll do what I can!
Come on!
Go!
Riley!
He's gone! Come on!
Go!
Hello?
Billy, where are you? We got some big news.
So do we.
I hope yours is good.
I'll send you my location. You can come and pick us up.
Where's Riley?
He didn't make it.
I'm sorry.
So you predicted all this?
How do we stop them?
The Living Mountain.
The Kaiju Killer.
It has to be awakened to fulfill its destiny.
Well, how do you know this Living Mountain
is not gonna make things worse?
Because this is what has been passed down
in the ancient stories.
People knew it was so important that they managed
to pass it down generation after generation
without the benefit of written word.
The stories from the past
are passed onto the future to protect us.
They survived because they contain the knowledge
that will save them.
To ignore them is to ignore the wisdom
that has enabled man to prosper and survive.
The lore is very clear.
The Living Mountain is our only hope.
If ancient people managed to defeat the Kaiju,
then so can we.
But we have to trust what they have chosen to pass down to us.
We have to awaken the Living Mountain.
And if we don't?
All that we love will perish.
So how do we awaken the Living Mountain?
The blood of the Kaiju will cause it to awaken.
The blood?
Great.
It's got magma for blood.
How are we gonna get that anywhere?
The eggs.
The eggs will have blood.
If we can jettison everything that's nonessential
from the chopper, we might be able to lift it.
And you say you know where this Kaiju Killer is?
Yes! The lore is very clear.
Monster Island.
General?
Ford, you were right!
Those things are all over the volcano!
Yeah, they're digging into it like you said.
Some of them have disappeared beneath the surface.
We're engaging them, but we discovered something else
- that's hampering our efforts. - What is it?
If you even scratch a hair on one of those things,
the whole swarm will attack.
Some kind of pheromone response like killer bees.
If you wound one of them, the whole group swarms to attack.
We've lost half a dozen choppers already.
And we can't just carpet bomb the volcano!
It's too volatile!
My people tell me that it's primed to blow at any minute.
Look, pal, I hate to say this, but I need your advice.
I have some, but you're not gonna like it.
There!
Warm.
- What do you think? - I don't know.
I can't hear anything inside.
It could be a dud. There's no guarantee.
We need to move... now.
We're good to go.
Okay, Rena. Tell us where to go.
We're going to Motu Taniwha.
So what are we supposed to do with the blood?
The lore says when the blood of the Kaiju
falls on the eye of the mountain, it will awaken.
So what is this eye of the mountain?
Could it be another caldera?
The closest one to Motu Taniwha is White Island.
It's an active andesite stratovolcano.
Eye of a volcano. It sounds like a crater.
There's an active crater on Motu Taniwha.
On Monster Island.
Well, that makes sense.
So we need to get the blood into the crater.
But we can't just drop the egg in because,
from the way it falls, it'll probably be able
to withstand a direct impact.
And those creatures can survive in a volcano.
We need a plan to get the blood out.
What if we use the volcano to open it?
Temperature difference.
So what you're suggesting is that we...
We can heat the egg using the volcano's thermal vents
- and then we.... - And then dip it in the ocean
so the cold water cracks it.
I've seen lava reduced to rubble once it contacts the ocean.
And then we drop the broken egg into the eye of the volcano.
Blood in the eye.
This could definitely work.
We're not gonna be able to stay here long.
How much heat you think we should give it, Cherise?
As much as we can withstand.
This is the limit.
Any more heat, and we lose structural integrity.
Copy that. Let's take it for a dip!
Yes, sir.
It's hatching! It's hatching!
Get us to that volcano!
Abort! Release the egg! Release!
We're gonna crash! We're gonna hit the water!
Everybody bail out!
Oh!
Everyone all right?
Anyone hurt?
The temperature difference. It worked.
That's a distress call!
Remember what the General said!
They'll come to its aid!
We're sitting ducks out here!
But what about the blood? We can't give up now!
We need to get it more on land.
Hey! Hey! Here!
Even if we get the blood,
how are we gonna get it on a volcano?
We'll have to improvise something.
Get it out in the open first!
- Hey! - Hey! Hey!
- Here!
- Come on! - Here!
- Come on! - Come and get it.
Oh, go!
Go! Go!
What is that?
The Living Mountain.
But we can't stay here.
Billy!
I'm not leaving him!
Me neither.
Come on.
Billy, can you hear me?
Don't move.
Sarah...
Billy? Billy?
It's okay.
I think it's only a rib...
Ah!
Or maybe two.
It's okay. It's okay.
Let's go.
It's winning.
That Kaiju's a killer.
As you can see, the waterfront is jammed with onlookers
who have come down to get a first person look
at the creature responsible for sinking the Navy's Destroyer
and submarine in what is being called
The Battle of the Bay of Plenty.
It is unclear how the government plans to deal
with this now dead menace.
Call it a monster, a Kaiju or what you will.
It is now a quarter million ton nuisance.
Officials have told me they are planning on
taking proposals on how to remove the carcass.
There is no telling how long it'll take
to remove from the harbor.
For now, there is a new attraction at the port,
one we are hoping we never see again.
This is Susan Meyerhold reporting for Channel 7,
live at the waterfront.
My God, Oh my God!
This is Susan Meyerhold reporting!
The Kaiju has awakened! I repeat!
The Kaiju is alive!
It has taken to the air!
Anyone within it's flight path, take cover!
The Tengu!
I thought it was dead!
We gotta go! We're too close!
Oh, no.
It's killing it!
Come on, come on...
Get up! Get up!
Don't give up!
Rena?
What did you say about awakening the Living Mountain?
When the blood of the Kaiju falls in the eye
of the mountain, it will awaken.
What if it wasn't a metaphor about the volcano,
but it was literal?
We gotta get Kaiju blood into that thing's eye?
It could be interpreted like that.
Guys, that thing needs our help, not lava in its eye!
What other choice do we have?
It's worth a shot.
This is highly unorthodox.
But some of the petroglyphs
could be interpreted to support this.
Blood in the eye.
I have an idea.
The injured Kaiju?
The hatchling. Come on.
We need to find something to stab it with,
something that'll withstand lava.
Look for obsidian, volcanic glass.
Here!
We'll use the knowledge of the ancients.
Let's do this.
I don't know how long this will last.
Let's go.
If we survive this, I'm changing my methods.
I vow to protect the earth.
It's going out!
Now!
Oh!
That's a...
An egg.
I didn't see that one coming.
What are we gonna do with that?
We protect it, like it protected us.
I think we're all in agreement.
Rena, you got room for some new students?
If you give up your mines, yes.
Done and done.
We'll start with the mining
and then look at your manufacturing facilities.
Don't push it.
We're still gonna need some money
if we're gonna save the planet.
Rena? Any more of those Kaiju out there?
Oh, yes, there are many still,
friends and foes, slumbering still.
You will see.
The whole world is Monster Island.
Then we have a lot of work to do.
Subtitles by explosiveskull