"Battle not with monsters lest ye become a monster and if you gaze into the abyss the abyss gazes into you." - Friedrich Nietzsche
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Wynonna Earp
"Whiskey. On the rocks. None of that shit you have sitting out. The good shit."
"Nothin' else?" The bartender grabbed a clean glass from beneath the counter.
"Not until I finish this one."
"Whatever you say, ma'am." He filled the glass with a few ice cubes before pouring a few fingers worth of whiskey in. "Usually you military types don't show up to drink at ten in the mornin'. 'Specially after one of them Kaiju tramps over to the coast and 'specially this far off base."
"We don't? Well maybe I ain't one of those types." She drained the glass in a few quick gulps before nudging the glass back to his side of the bar. "Another."
"Second thought, maybe it's exactly what you Kaiju-fighting types need to get through the day."
"Yeah? You don't know the half of it."
"Can I get yer name for your tab?"
"Wynonna."
He refilled the glass. "Need a last name or my boss will have my head. Marshal's orders."
Wynonna's lips quirked into a frown, "Look buddy, I'm gonna cash out anyway so it's really not a big deal." She shrugged, "My name? Nope."
The bartender placed the glass down on the bar, his hand still wrapped around it. "Last name."
She let out a sigh, "Earp."
"Earp?" His eyes went wide. "As in the Earps, pilots of Peacemaker?"
"Yeah…" she reached over and pulled the glass out of his hand. "That'll be me."
"Didn't know there were more of you out there. Ain't Peacemaker been without a pilot since—"
Now she regretted not making up a cheeky lie. Last name? Nonyabusiness or something like that. Yeah, there was a downside to the "family business." The fame that Jaeger Pilots got meant that everyone knew. They knew that her daddy and sister died in a Kaiju attack, and Peacemaker wasn't though to save them. Nope, Wynonna Earp couldn't have been born into a long line of teachers or doctors. No, she just had to be next in line to the Kaiju-fighting, borderline alcoholic nuts. Just great. It was a whole bunch of trouble that she never really thought she'd return to. The rest of the world wasn't so bad, that is, if you got over the crippling eternal threat of Kaiju attack looming.
They called it Purgatory for a reason. But the suits and power-players of the world called the Vancouver Shatterdome.
"Look, I'm here to drink, not chit chat."
"Jeez lady…" the bartender stalked off without another word.
Wynonna slapped a few bills down on the bar in response.
The story was simple.
Ward Earp was one of the first Jaeger pilots. His Mark-1 Jaeger that he dubbed "Peacemaker" was one of the first Kajiu ass kicking robots on the front lines of the Pacific. He and his co-pilot fought side by side as her father trained Willa, her eldest sister, to take his place. But that didn't all go so well. Nope, a Kaiju barreled into Purgatory, their base itself, killing her father and Willa. Now Peacemaker had no pilot, and sat dormant." Jaegers were funny; because of the neural link and the Drift, they were picky. Peacemaker rejected every pilot thrown at it while it was upgraded. Everyone had looked for her. After all, she'd be the Earp heir to the "throne."
It wasn't so hard to see why she had run away. Why she had made a choice that was hers and hers alone. As far as Wynonna was concerned, she was heir to nothing but a last name that followed her too goddamn well across the globe.
Some people inherit money. Well, Wynonna Earp got a Kaiju-killing giant robot instead. What a load of shit.
Why come back? It was a question Wynonna grappled with herself every mile she got closer to Purgatory. Uncle Curtis was a good man turned dead man, and Wynonna wasn't about to run from a funeral that she should be attending. For all he had done for her, it just felt right. Sometimes it just felt right to finally put things to rest, to bury them in the ground and take a gulp of air knowing that dead men don't rise and neither do the problems you bury with them.
If only it were that easy. Wynonna took a swig, mentally toasting herself. At least she had made it this far. Redeye flight from Europe to the east coast of the United States, followed by another flight to Sacramento, and an overnight bus to Vancouver. Pain in the ass? Yes, but it was a hell of a lot cheaper than direct, and she wasn't exactly rolling in cash.
"Wynonna Earp."
A deep voice sounded from across that room.
"That's my name," Wynonna swiveled around on her bar stool. "But if you say it again, you're gonna wear it out."
"I have orders to ensure that you make it back to base."
Wynonna looked the man up and down. His uniform was pressed perfectly, ever single little asinine detail attended to on his uniform. "And who are you, tight-ass?"
His lips curled into what could barely be constructed as a smile. "Marshal Dolls. Vancouver Shatterdome."
She rolled her eyes, "Since when do they send Marshals out to pick up mourning family members?" Wynonna peered at him over her almost-empty whiskey glass. "What? Do they have you drive the hearse too?"
"Funny," Dolls deadpanned. "I'm a busy man, so I would appreciate if you would come outside with me."
"I'm not finished yet," Wynonna drained the glass before spinning back around to the bartender. "Another? Just a shot?"
"You've cashed out," the burly bartender crossed his arms.
"If you have any mercy, you'll give me a shot." Wynonna pleaded. "I mean, look at me. I'll be back."
The bartender poured one more shot into Wynonna's empty glass.
"Lieutenant," Dolls pulled out his radio. "Would you please make sure that Wynonna makes it to the landing pad. I'll call in the chopper."
"Yes sir."
"Lieutenant?" Wynonna eyed the tall, red-headed solider up and down, her eyes stopping on the MP, military police, logo on her shoulder. "Really, you brought an MP?"
"It's Lieutenant Nicole Haught," she walked up to the bar next to Wynonna.
"That's a fake name, right?" Wynonna laughed, picking the shot of the bar.
"No."
Wynonna shrugged, downing the shot quickly in one go. The burn down her throat rooted her, urging her forward. "Well girl scout, I hope you weren't planning for a fight, because this ride means I don't need to Uber out to the base."
"There's no Uber on military property," Nicole crossed her arms.
"Jeez," Wynonna slipped off the barstool, leaving it spinning, creaking with every rotation. "You need someone to lighten you up, and I'm guessing Dolls over there isn't going to cut it."
Nicole's frown deepened.
Wynonna rolled her eyes as she headed for the door. "I wasn't going to miss the funeral."
"I know," Nicole pursed her lips. "That's not what the Marshal's concern is."
"Figures."
The landing helicopter kicked up the dust around them, swirling and whipping around them. Wynonna rose her hand, blocking her eyes as well as she could. She had already given it all to get away from this life. Away from Purgatory, away from her dead father and sister. But of course, she knew she had left things behind. Waverly, her living sister, alone. Honestly, Wynonna had done her best not to think of her during her travels to avoid succumbing to any more guilt than she already carried. And then there was the Kaiju mess to consider. People looked at Peacemaker like Excalibur, and she was supposed to be some Arthur, liberating it from the stone and chasing away all of the evil. Like that was going to happen. Reality was reality, and fiction was fiction.
Wynonna climbed up on the helicopter skid and hauled her duffel bag onto an empty seat next to her. Nicole jumped up across from her, pulling the door closed with a hard slam. She dropped into the seat, buckling the harness over her head and pulling a headset on.
Nicole motioned to Wynonna's headset, miming that she put it on.
Wynonna complied, struggling as she pulled on the cord, only to realize that she was sitting on it. She shifted in her seat, slamming the headset on after a few seconds of awkward untangling.
"Buckle up?" Nicole reached up for the bar on the door as the helicopter lifted off.
"Nah," Wynonna looked out the window. "I like to be able to make a quick exit."
"Hmff," Nicole's response resembled a laugh.
(Because who the fuck makes a quick exit out of an airborne helicopeter?)
Wynonna watched the bar beneath them grow smaller and smaller out of the helicopter window. The Vancouver Shatterdome, unlike Hong Kong's, was outside the city. She watched as the land gave way to water beneath them, its heavy waves and currents visible even visible from her vantage point. Vancouver itself was well protected. With the Salish Sea and it's northern straits a long passage from the Pacific, leaving only the Strait of Juan de Fuca as a direct avenue of attack. Even then Kaiju had a long way to navigate. The Vancouver Shatterdome was located in what was once the Pacific Rim National Reserve. The bae was cut into beautiful, ancient forests, and surrounded wilderness. It was easy to lose a sense of the base's purpose.
But with Seattle and Vancouver at risk, two of the most protected (and now inhabited) cities along the Pacific Ocean, the work was essential, Wynonna had no doubt. The question remained; was it essential for her do it?
Wynonna didn't have rosy memories of Purgatory. School on base was hell, especially after the death of her sister and father. No one knew the truth, just her and Waverly. So being the outcast that "killed her daddy" didn't play off well. But she had Gus and Curtis, who stepped in when no one else would when her mother disappeared without a trace. Kaiju, Peacemaker, or anything else be damned, Curtis' funeral was something she had to see through.
"How is Purgatory these days?" Wynonna broke the silence.
"I wouldn't know."
Wynonna turned to Nicole, tearing her thousand-yard stare off the seemingly endless green treetops of Vancouver Island. She noticed Dolls sitting ramrod straight in the front passenger seat, only his silhouette visible. The guy probably did have a stick up his ass.
Nicole quirked an eyebrow, "I guess you could say I'm the new sheriff in town. Or well, deputy."
"Fuck, this would make a shitty western…" Wynonna grumbled.
"I'm a transfer," Nicole clarified. "I was hoping you'd have insights on this place we're both headin' to."
Wynonna smirked, shaking her head. What kind of local flatfoot had they pulled in here? "All you need to know is that it's a shithole, and that there are no good men."
"Second thing won't be a problem," Nicole shrugged.
Part of her was impressed with how Lieutenant Haught was willing to go toe-to-toe, jab for jab with her. The other part was unimpressed with her apparent stiffness. Maybe her French braid was in too tight or something.
"We're almost there," Dolls' voice sounded over their headsets. "Earp, Captain Nedley will escort you the funeral service."
"Just great, more cops…" Wynonna grumbled, crossing her arms. "You're treating me like a flight risk or something."
Dolls turned around with what resembled a genuine smile, his white teeth showing from between his lips. "Flight risk? You are Earp. You're the definition of one."
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Waverly Earp
Waverly couldn't help but pause to look at Peacemaker rising in its bay as she rushed out of the hanger. She knew everything about it that there was to know. Manufacturing location? Pan Pacific Defense Force base in Ellensburg, Washington, USA. Number of confirmed kills? Seventy-seven to be exact. Drop-dates, drop locations…Waverly Earp had each carefully documented. After all, Peacemaker was practically a family heirloom in a way. Mechanics and engineers around base liked to joke that Peacemaker was holding out for an Earp and darn did she hope they were right.
She wanted nothing more than to take up the mantle of Peacemaker. She was more than ready. Hours in the Kwoon Combat Room, years of research…she just needed one thing: a co-pilot. Someone Drift compatible to fight at her side. Maybe then they'd give her a chance. It was hard to keep up hope; the new commanding Marshal, Dolls, was a man who seemed to have a hidden agenda. Ever since Wynonna left three years ago, she had been begging for a chance. But three years later, no Wynonna and a new Marshal meant that she was in square one.
Waverly began her walk again, taking a few last glances at Peacemaker. There was a rustic quality to the jaeger that she loved. One of the last original Mark-1 line, Peacemaker was tall. Its distinguishing feature was a long-barreled Plasmacaster that emerged over the shoulder of the Jaeger. No Jaeger in history had killed as many Kaiju as Peacemaker. During its dormancy, Peacemaker received many upgrades. Radiation shielding was added as well as a full, digital update to all control systems. Frankly, if daddy hadn't been killed along Willa during the kaiju attack on base, the radiation damage would have caught up with them. Regardless, Peacemaker was now a Mark-4 jaeger with a history and a heart of gold.
Leaving the bay, Waverly moved quickly, pulling her long black cardigan closer around her body. She fiddled with her hair, that was pulled back in a loose bun as she walked. Being late for Uncle Curtis' funeral wasn't acceptable. Waverly steeled herself and she turned the corner into the living quarters. She had already cried plenty of tears over Curtis. He and Gus had raised Wynonna and her when there was no one else. And after Wynonna left…well they became her one and only family.
She moved through the base quickly. After all, she had been born here. It was her home since day one. Cut through the kitchens and out the delivery blast doors got her into the gardens quicker than any official route. Most Shatterdomes didn't have gardens. Facilities like Hong Kong's were crammed into the cityscape; every inch of space was valuable and needed to function. But out here, with the Pacific Rim National Reserve serving as a natural buffer between them and the civilian populations they protected, space was not constrained. A mechanic like Curtis could work hard all day, welding and sweating away, and walk out into the wilderness and let the reality of humanity's dire situation melt away.
"Just in time girl," Gus gave her a nod as Waverly turned the corner.
"Of course," Waverly pulled her into a hug. "You know I wouldn't miss this for the world."
"It's gonna be short and simple, jus' as Curtis would wanted it."
It was a small gathering. Just two dozen or so people gathered round the small garden. Curtis' urn sat on a level stone in the center. Gus stepped up next to the urn and cleared her throat.
"Curtis was not a handsome man," Gus began. "When I first lay eyes on him…"
Waverly kept her eyes downcast, breathing deeply. She knew what Gus thought of Curtis. She loved him no matter once. She hoped one day that she could share that with someone. A life partner. There weren't exactly many choices in Purgatory. The base in many ways was like a small town; everyone knew everyone, and everyone knew everyone else's business. Apart from a few dozen transfers, many of which were only stints for a few months before they were moved to another base, the core center of personnel remained much the same. There had been Champ, the supply truck driver and failed Military Police officer (he failed the exam over three times), but breaking it off with him made her feel freer than she had been in a long time. Growing up on base, it felt like she would never find someone and well…Champ was there. If only she had realized earlier that she didn't need him at all, the last few years would have gone differently.
A murmur in the crowd caught her attention and she looked up, following the gazes of the family and friends as they turned towards the back of the gathering.
Had Waverly's jaw not been attached to her skull, it would have dropped into the dirt.
Wynonna? Wynonna was here? Last she heard, her sister was in Italy or Greece or something, far away from the Pacific Rim. Yet here she was. MP Captain Nedley standing close behind.
As Gus finished her eulogy, the older woman pushed through the crowd, making a beeline towards Wynonna. Waverly followed close behind.
"What're you doing here?" Gus frowned, crossing her arms. "Salt of the earth, you're late, as usual."
"I'm so sorry, Gus," Wynonna didn't meet her gaze.
"I thought you were in Spain."
"Greece, actually…when I heard."
Gus sighed, shaking her head. "I've got hungry folks and a reception to get to. I expect you to catch me up later," she didn't wait for a reply to follow the other guests inside.
Waverly waited until Gus had moved away before launching herself at Wynonna. She punched her in the shoulder. "Hey!"
Wynonna recoiled, "God! Ow! What?"
"It's been three years!" Waverly didn't know how she was feeling.
It was all a jumble really. Happy? Yes, Wynonna was her sister and three years was a long time to go without seeing or really hearing from family and she was glad to see her sister alive and well. Angry? Yes, same reasons. It would be impossible to detangle one emotion from another.
"God! Come here!" Waverly pulled Wynonna into a hug. After a second or so, Wynonna gave in and hugged her back, giving her an awkward pat on the back before settling into the display of affection. "You couldn't tell me you were coming?"
"I wasn't," Wynonna pulled away. "Then, Uncle Curtis sent me an email."
"What? What did it say?"
"He said, 'They've caught up with me,' and that was it."
"I knew it wasn't a stroke!" Waverly crossed her arms.
A stroke? Uncle Curtis hadn't missed a day of work in years. He was in good shape and still as strong as an ox. Waverly had already looked into medical records, under the table of course. Nothing had seemed to indicate that Curtis was anything but healthy.
"Who's they? We're going to get to the bottom of this." Waverly stepped forward.
Wynonna held her arms out, "We're not getting to the bottom of anything."
"What do you mean?" Waverly froze. "Uncle Curtis was Peacemaker's primary mechanic. He spoke out against those Revenant folks who want all the jaegers disassembled and scraped."
Her sister rolled her eyes. "Those Revenant bozos are still around?"
The Revenants. What could Waverly say about the Revenants. Well for one, it was an almost cult-like group that believed that the kaiju and their destruction of human civilization was destined and not to be stopped. They were relatively small, but seemed to have the capacity for violence.
"Yes," Waverly hissed. "This might be connected."
"I'm not doing this," Wynonna began to walk away.
"Not doing what? Waverly followed her, giving a brief glance to Nedley who began to follow at a five or so yard distance.
"Any of this!"
Waverly grabbed her sister's arm, forcing her to stop. "This is our chance. If it's these Revenants, then we figure it out. And really the only way to truly stop them is to stop the kaiju."
"I couldn't handle it then, and I won't handle it now," Wynonna hissed. "I was just a kid. I wasn't supposed to have to handle some giant robot and—"
"Your bratty little sister?" Waverly cut in, frowning.
"That's not what I…" Wynonna winced. She took a deep breath before continuing, "Leaving is one of the only things I got right."
"Seriously? Leaving me alone to deal with everything alone?"
Wynonna sighed, rubbing her hand over her face. "It gave you a chance."
"Right…"
"Because without me here it means they probably couldn't try to shove you into Peacemaker and make you fight!"
Waverly shook her head. She just didn't get it. "Yeah, well I'm not six anymore. Look, I can help. We could fight this thing, the kaiju, the damn curse our family seems to have…we can do it together!"
"They have Rangers for that," Wynonna stepped back.
"That's what our family does!" Waverly's voice was strained.
"Just because daddy did it, doesn't mean I have to, or you have to."
Waverly felt tears spring to the corner of her eyes. She just couldn't make Wynonna see. "You know, of all the things I've ever wanted to call you…you're such a coward."
Wynonna shrugged. "Come on Nedley. If you wanna follow me, you better move quick. Hope y'all haven't had too many donuts at the station. I'm out of here as soon as cop man here lets me go."
Like that, she was gone.
Waverly turned around, walking back towards the woods that lay just beyond the garden. She stuffed her hands in her pockets as she walked further and further to solitude.
Why couldn't Wynonna see? Abandoning Purgatory and everything they had here wasn't going to solve anything. She hated how Wynonna literally ran from her problems over and over again. If Wynonna stayed, they could face down the Revenants and the kaiju together. It wasn't a stretch to think that she and Wynonna would be highly Drift compatible. They were sisters. They were connected by blood.
A rustling in the bushes snapped Waverly out of her thoughts. How far had she walked?
"Who's there?" She called out, on guard.
No answer.
Waverly turned around. Getting back to base seemed like the best course of action.
The rustling intensified behind her. Frenzied and scared she turned quickly back around, looking in every which direction.
She turned around again. She couldn't react quick enough. She was chest to chest with a man.
Everything went black.
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Author Note: This is going to be a slow-burn Wayhaught, action-packed, Pacific Rim AU. Hold on to your butts folks.