POV: Jason Brooks (Kong Actor)*
Jason could feel the weight of the camera on him as the director called for action. His heart still raced from yesterday's unnerving encounter, but he did his best to put it aside. Today, the focus was supposed to be on Kong, and that meant him. But there was no escaping the looming presence behind him.
Godzilla—*Quest*—still lay there, motionless, like a sleeping dragon at the heart of the set.
"Alright, Jason," Alan's voice came through the headset. "Just stay in character. You're recovering from the first battle. We'll get a few shots of Kong checking the aftermath, okay?"
Jason nodded and tried to steady himself. He was wearing Kong's motion-capture suit, and though it wasn't the most comfortable thing, it was nothing compared to the nightmare of what Quest had become. The cameras rolled, and Jason threw himself into the performance, crawling through the rubble of the mock city they'd built for the scene.
He could feel the weight of it all—the devastation, the loss of the battle. Kong was supposed to be weak, exhausted, having just been thrown across the city by Godzilla. It was all there in the script. But as Jason moved, he couldn't help but feel that exhaustion bleed into reality.
The camera zoomed in on him, focusing on Kong's beaten-down form. Jason glanced over his shoulder, expecting the director to yell "cut" any moment.
But then his gaze shifted beyond the rubble—to where Godzilla lay.
Still. Silent.
Sleeping*.
Jason quickly turned back, his heart skipping a beat. For a moment, it almost seemed like Godzilla had shifted, like its enormous body had settled deeper into the floor, but no one seemed to notice. The crew carried on, their focus squarely on Jason as he played out his scene.
Occasionally, the camera would pan over to Godzilla, capturing its still, hulking form as it "slept" through the aftermath of the battle. The idea was that Godzilla, too, had taken a moment to rest after the ferocious clash, but for everyone involved, the scene felt far more ominous.
No one said it out loud, but the tension was palpable. Every time the camera pointed at Godzilla, there was a collective pause, as though everyone was holding their breath, waiting for something to happen.
"Keep going, Jason," Alan called out, his voice a little too calm. "Just focus on the battle aftermath. Godzilla will wake up soon."
Jason gritted his teeth, feeling sweat pool at his temples. How was he supposed to focus when he knew that wasn't *just* a suit anymore? Quest was gone—there was something else inside that thing now. He didn't know how to explain it, didn't know if anyone would believe him if he did. But every instinct screamed at him to stay away.
For now, though, he had no choice.
He followed the director's cues, moving as Kong would—slow, lumbering, defeated. Every few minutes, the camera panned back to Godzilla, always catching it in the same position. Sleeping. Waiting.
And with each pass, Jason's unease grew.
By the third take, Jason couldn't take it anymore. He stole a quick glance at Godzilla during the shot, his nerves getting the better of him. It was still there, unmoving—but those eyes, the ones that had stared him down the day before—they weren't closed. They were open. Just barely, but they were open. Watching.
Jason's throat went dry.
"Cut!" Alan called out, satisfied with the take. The crew began to reset for the next scene, but Jason stood frozen in place.
He wasn't imagining it. He knew he wasn't. Godzilla had been watching him. Its eyes—Quest's eyes—were locked onto him, unblinking, filled with something far darker than exhaustion.
Jason took a shaky breath and turned away, willing himself to focus. But he knew, deep down, that whatever they were filming wasn't just a movie anymore. Godzilla wasn't just a character. And Quest—wherever he was—was no longer in control.
The crew reset the cameras again, and the next scene was about to begin.
But as Jason got into position, readying himself for the next take, he couldn't shake the feeling that Godzilla was about to *wake up* for real. And when it did, the film they were making would become something else entirely.