Galaxy of Monsters (Godzilla/Steven Universe crossover)

Chapter 2: The Bionic Monster

Walking only a foot or so behind Pearl, Emerald took note of the shifting condition of their surroundings. The closer they got to the center quarry, the greater the corrosion, the decay. Traces of acidic ooze stained the floor and walls. It made the captain sick to her core.

"How much further?" she asked, gazing off at the larger clumps of slime. 

"We're getting close," even with an illuminated gemstone, Pearl had trouble seeing very far ahead. "Wait a minute..."

Before Emerald could press her on, Pearl froze in her tracks. Amethyst let out a groan of frustration, kicking the wall closest to her, creating a dent in the rusted metal. 

"Holly Blue Agate never gave me clearance for this area. Almost no one was permitted access. I-I can stay here, and maybe keep watch..." Her tone posited the suggestion as an inquiry. The door itself was long gone by now. Bits and pieces remained, albeit scattered everywhere.  

"Amethyst, keep an eye on her. I'll keep moving."

"You sure about this, captain?" Amethyst was perplexed. 

"Positive." 

With that out of the way, Emerald cautiously stepped foot on what appeared to be a bridge. It was thin, but intact. She found it terribly odd, considering how the rest of the station was barely standing. She advanced slowly to minimize the chances of a sudden collapse. 

"Hey!" a booming voice called out from her left, causing Emerald to fall onto the rail in shock.

It was then that the captain caught a full view of a monstrous face, causing her to scream. 

Enormous metal teeth hung from adamantine jaws, and the mechanical beast had two glowing orange eyes. Upon further inspection, Emerald saw a lone Peridot behind the right eye. She was utterly dwarfed by the artificial behemoth.

"What is that?!" 

"What a clod..." Peridot mumbled. "This is a cybernetic war machine! Listen, I can explain everything later, but first, I need your help. This machine can't function unless the power is restored. There's a circuit breaker at the bottom of the excavation, you have to fix it!"

Emerald got back on her feet. Showing fear would be detrimental to the crew. 

"Why can't you fix it yourself?" the captain snapped. 

Peridot raised an eyebrow. "Are you insane? The contaminant life form is still down there, and this machine is the only thing that can stop it. Space titanium is immune to Hedorah's acidic composition. Thanks to you, it's only a matter of time until the creature finds out that more Gems have arrived. It'll flood the station again if you don't hurry!"

She didn't make a very compelling case. However, Emerald understood that Hedorah was a threat that needed to be taken care of. Swallowing her pride, the captain spotted a ladder on the far side of the bridge and she marched towards it. The risks were immense. 

"Uh... captain," Rutile said over the intercom. "What if the creature is attracted to power sources? That might be why it attacked in the first place." 

It was a plausible theory. Nevertheless, Emerald was determined to avenge the countless Gems that perished here. Retrieving the machine and the Peridot contained within was also paramount to the success of the mission. A slight change of plans.

"I'm detecting an unknown electrical signal!" declared Ruby on the same channel. "Wait, there's a console somewhere at the base of the chasm. It's offline, but still intact."

Emerald took note of the fact as she climbed down the ladder. It was a slow descent, as she kept looking down for any sign of the creature. Organic life was repulsive. Finally, she reached the bottom and looked around for anything worthwhile. The floor was dissolved in many areas, leaving only the planet's stony surface to walk over between small islands of metal.