GTAG Chapter 57: Reconstruction
By now, Godzilla had mastered the blazing heat of his fusion core.
With a single thought, the last trace of red light faded from between his scales. The searing temperatures radiating from the fusion furnace were absorbed by the G-cells.
Though this time he had not gained a new offensive ability, the survivability of his G-cells had reached a new peak.
This meant that if Godzilla allowed them to replicate without restraint, a single drop of blood could eventually cover an entire planet. The terrifying part was that, during this process, no one might even notice the spread of G-cells.
Before, their proliferation could still be detected and countered. Now, perhaps no one would find a trace at all—so long as the nuclear reactions triggered by the G-cells went unnoticed. That was the only obvious sign.
Godzilla thought for a moment. Had he left any tissue behind in other places? If so, most would have been from before his evolutions, hardly worth concern.
Satisfied, he lowered his head and sank back into slumber.
His new scales had been formed almost by accident, but he planned to modify them further.
The so-called reconstruction was simple: beneath the scales, he would add another thick layer of hide.
Another line of defense.
Scales, skin, muscle, bone—layer upon layer of protection. To reach his vital organs was now almost impossible.
He pondered how thick this new skin should be.
What he had forgotten was that he had already left traces of himself across different worlds: a piece of "scalp" in the world of Pacific Rim, and tissue in the world of The Thing.
In that other world, he had roasted his own flesh in a metal box until the outside charred black, then cracked it apart and reclaimed the intact tissue inside. But had he truly cleaned away every fragment?
When Godzilla awoke again, the new inner skin had formed, and his defenses were greatly improved.
The price was his body appearing bulkier, as if he had put on weight.
There was no other way—defense required not only structure, but thickness. Reducing muscle was out of the question, so he had no choice but to bulk up.
The result, however, was worth it. And being only slightly larger hardly mattered. It was like wearing a heavy coat—one simply needed time to get used to it.
When he rose, he noticed a thin layer of sediment clinging to his body.
Shaking himself did little to clean it, so he summoned the "Engineers" to scrape and scrub the grime from his scales.
From that day forward, he resolved that whenever he entered long hibernations, the Engineers would clean his body afterward.
He was no perfectionist, but even he found such filth intolerable upon waking. In sleep, it mattered little, but once awake, the discomfort was too great.
As the Engineers scoured his massive form, Godzilla connected with the Monster Factory's main brain to check on its status and the progress of the large-scale monster under development.
With no current threats and the base relocated underground, the Monster Factory thrived.
Production of small monsters like Engineers and Sentinels had ceased; their numbers were already sufficient.
Nearly all remaining energy was now devoted to creating a large monster.
Unlike the Precursors, who forged pieces and then assembled them, the Monster Factory grew a complete creature and modified it afterward if needed.
Now, one such monster was nearly ready, only days from birth.
Its design drew from the Precursors' kaiju templates. This particular creation resembled a reptile, unremarkable save for a single massive horn jutting from its head.
The horn had no special power—it was simply a weapon for ramming.
Inside, however, the beast carried an electromagnetic pulse generator and the ability to discharge electricity.
This was intended as a guardian for the Monster Factory.
With a single EMP, no weapon could approach from above, ensuring the Factory's safety. The electric discharges added an extra layer of offense beyond raw melee strength.
But Godzilla's plans did not stop there.
He envisioned more types: monsters that could fire electromagnetic cannons, others designed solely for defense, and still others specialized in brutal close combat.
Unlike the mobile guardians, the cannon-beasts would be built like living turrets, their mobility irrelevant so long as their firepower sufficed.
For the defensive type, inspiration was scarce. For melee fighters, too many templates existed, making it hard to choose. In the end, he decided to make several of each.
At first, he considered the turtle as a model for the defensive type. Its natural shell was strong, but it could not shield what lay behind it, so he discarded the idea.
After further thought, he settled on a new template: a six-legged monster with crab-like upper limbs, capable of joining together into a powerful shield.
Whether the Monster Factory could produce it was another matter.
The Factory was still too small—producing even one large monster required great time and energy, let alone several simultaneously.
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