As you know, I do not own Pacific Rim or the characters. If I did, they would have gotten a lot more screen-time together and it would probably have been a very different movie.

1. The Lab

Newton has been very excited about meeting the man who is going to be the other half of the K-Science Department.
All the oh-so-serious people that used to look down on him have abandoned the Jaeger Project, following the orders of the World Council. Only someone like him, someone with a real personal interest in learning about the kaiju, would be mad enough to join this so-called Resistance.
Which by the way sounds pretty cool.
He's part of the Resistance now and he is finally going to meet someone he can relate to.

When the Marshal shows him to the lab he is surprised to find it looking so neat and sterile.
Surely there has to be another room where the real work is done: dissection, experimentation.
This place looks more like an ancient schoolroom. It makes him feel a little constrained and when the words "Don't touch anything." ring out behind him, he fully expects to be hit around the ear with a ruler. If only for a second.

"Ah, Dr. Gottlieb." the Marshal exclaims. "May I present your lab partner, Dr. Geiszler."

Newton turns, arm rising for a handshake, and meets the disbelieving glance of a stern-looking man wearing his grandfather's wardrobe fresh from the attic.
This is his work partner?

He has imagined his kindred spirit very different. And by the looks of it the other man is just as disappointed.
Well, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover, right? He always hates it to be pigeonholed like that.
So he hastens to finish the gesture and, taking a few steps towards Dr. Gottlieb, he holds out his hand: "Great to meet you!"
The other man narrows his eyes, shoots a glance at the Marshal and then back at Newton and his outstreched hand.
Finally he takes it, gives it a short and slightly cramped squeeze and pulls back quickly.

"Well, I'll leave you two to it." the Marshal announces his voice slightly strained. "Good Day to you."

With that he is halfway out of the room already and Newton has to fight an infantile impulse to run after him. Allowing only his eyes to follow, he watches the door close with a pang of regret and turns at the sound of a throat being cleared.
Gottlieb is giving him a tight smile. "So, - Doctor-, do tell me about your work. I've been told your research into the nature of the beasts is – quite unique."

The way he pronounces the word "Doctor", followed by a subtle little twitching in the corners of his mouth, suggests that he does not think his new colleague is deserving of the title and Newton feels his heart sink.
But the man who is to be his future lab partner looks at him with a fake polite interest and some very real arrogant challenge and he hurries to answer.
This guy obviously has no patience for nervous breaks in the conversation.

And he can tell, as he explains, that he will find no like-minded enthusiast in this man.
Far from it.
Recognizing the signs comes easy to him, he's seen them far too often, and Gottlieb's reaction to him is discouragingly familiar: He does not take him seriously, thinks him a weirdo, worse – a joke.
The disappointment he is trying to keep down makes him speak faster, more desperate until the words start tripping over each other on their way off his tongue.
And under Gottlieb's stone-cold look, the unmoving face, he finally falters. "Well, that's basically it, um, I hope that with the equipment that's available here I will be able to delve somewhat deeper, but, right now, that's the, uh, state of the art, so to say, hm."

"I see."
It's a miracle that these tight lips managed to pronounce something, but that's what must have happened, unless the guy's a ventriloquist and that idea is oddly disturbing so Newton doesn't follow the thought.
Instead he tries to give a polite smile as the other man throws a "Well, Dr. Geiszler, it was a pleasure, but there is much to do I'm afraid." at him, nods curtly and turns to get back to his desk.

As he is left standing on the other side of the room, feeling a little forlorn, Newton gets this feeling that it's going to be a tough last days of the world.

TBC