Shaolin Rogue: Phoenix

by Frontline

Shanyuan and Mingxia are Shaolin Monks and the pilots of Shaolin Rogue. On a mission to deal with a Kaiju in the East China Sea, they are captured and forced to fight for a PMC that wants to combat the Kaiju.

PACIFIC RIM WAS CREATED BY GUILLERMO DEL TORO AND TRAVIS BEACHAM, BEING ALSO THE PROPERTY OF LEGENDARY PICTURES AND WARNER BROS. NO PROFIT IS MADE FROM THIS STORY, NOR ANY COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED.
'Shaolin Rogue, Strike Group approaching Target Zone. Prepare for drop.' 'Acknowledged.' Shanyuan said, glancing over at his Sister. Like him, she was dressed in her orange PlugSuit, standing next to him in the Comm-Pod. Underneath her helmet, her hair was cut short like his, sygnifying their status as Monks.

'Cables away in 3, 2, 1. Drop.'Shanyuan felt his stomach drop as the cables detached, the Jaeger falling towards the waters of the East China Sea, the impact easily being absorbed by the powerful leg servos.

'Shaolin Rogue to Strike Group Four. Deployment successful.'

'Acknowledged, Shaolin Rogue. SG-4, withdrawing from theatre.'

The Jumphawks peeled away and Shanyuan glanced left at his Sister, clearing his mind as he entered the headspace. When he opened his eyes, he was looking through the eyes of the Jaeger, feeling it's metal body as his own. He could also feel Mingxia's mind connecting with his, her enthusiasm feeling like a rush of warm water. Through the Bridge, they became a Gestalt, with the whole being greater than the sum of it's parts. Her passion merged with his discipline, strengthening and tempering them. They had trained to fight together for years in the Temple, long before they joined the PPDC and enlisted in the Jaeger program. The Drift became complete and Mingxia and Shanyuan did not exist anymore. There was only Shaolin Rogue, advancing through the water, watching for any sign of the enemy from amid the waves. Approximately two hours ago, the Hong Kong ShatterDome had detected sonar activity from beneath the East China sea, suggesting that something large was moving through the ocean and that could only mean one thing; a Kaiju. With Horizon Brave and Crimson Typhoon already deployed to the Hong Kong Bay to deal with the recent Kaiju attack there, Shaolin Rogue was the only Jaeger left to respond to this emergency. While it was unusual for two Kaiju to attack in such quick succession, it was possible and Marshal Pentecost wasted no time. Reaching the deeper waters, Shaolin Rogue activated it's sonar sensors, the HUD showing a large, indeterminate mass moving through the waters towards them.

Kaiju approaching.' The Jaeger's AI announced in it's monotone voice. 'Estimated contact in fifteen seconds.'

Shanyuan took a deep breath, feeling Mingxia's enthusiasm through the Neural Bridge and he drew strength from it, just as she drew strength from his discipline. Responding to their thoughts, Shaolin Rogue drew the staff from the holster on it's shoulder, extending it with a flick of the rest.

'Kaiju contact in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.' The AI said, just as the sonar contact vanished from their screens.

'Shaolin Rogue to SG-4. Kaiju signature lost. Do you have a visual?'

Shanyuan said, receiving only static on the radio and he turned to Mingxia. 'Our communications have been jammed!' He said, just as their radar sprang to life with a strident alarm, showing numerous contacts closing in on them. He glanced at his Sister, the thought running between them even without the Neural Bridge. It's a trap!

Commander Naomi Williams stood in the hatchway of the Sikorsky helicopter as they circled around the Jaeger, which was under the guns of ten Apache helicopters. She had her qualms about this mission, but she would carry it out. She lifted the microphone to her mouth, her voice being amplified from the helicopters loudspeaker.

'Attention, Pilots of the Jaeger. We have you surrounded and under our guns. Surrender immediately.' The Jaeger didn't move for a second, then it's arm snapped up, a beam of plasma lancing out.

'Evasive manuevers!' She yelled, as the beam struck one of the Apaches, which detonated in a fierce fireball. A cold sensation settled into her stomach, as she watched the wreckage strike the ground, but she pushed those feelings aside. She could mourn her people later, but, right now, she had a job to do.

'Alpha Team, engage, engage, engage!' She ordered, ducking back inside as the pilot closed the hatch and she strapped herself into her seat. She'd hoped this would be easier than this. Outside, she heard the sound of the Apache's opening up with their chain guns, the staccato blasts audible over the rotor blades.

Shaolin Rogue rolled left and came up in a crouch, launching another plasma blast at the closest Apache, the blast going wide and Shanyuan bit back a curse. Their weapons had been developed to fight the Kaiju, not small mobile targets like these helicopters. They had already taken a pounding and their performance was suffering as a result. Another missile impacted against their armour and the Jaeger dropped to it's knees, an error message flashing up on the HUD. Warning. Pons System Compromised. Neural Bridge destabilising.

Shanyuan tore of his helmet and disconnected himself from the interface, moving over to his Sister.

'Mingxia, come on. We need to get out of here.' He yelled, over the klaxons. Together, they made their way to the rear of the Comm Pod, scrambling into the escape pod. Shanyuan fastened his harness and rested his hand on the launch button, making eye contact with his Sister, who nodded. He slapped the button and he felt the rockets fire, launching them away from their crippled Jaeger. This isn't over!

Naomi jumped out of the BlackHawk as soon as it touched down, staring up at the mechanical titan before her, a chill running through her. These Jaegers were impressive machines. Without taking her eyes off it, she activated her radio

'Beta Team, commence recovery. We don't know how long it will take for the PPDC to launch a search party and we need to be gone by then.'

Closing down the link, she marched over to the ten Marines that stood at attention in front of their BlackHawk.

'We have the Jaeger, but it's practically useless without the pilots. Kincaid, take your squads and bring them in.

'Yes, Commander.' Kincaid said, ordering his men to board their helicopters. Naomi watched them go with a faint smile on her face. Phoenix choose only the best and she knew that they would not fail her. She turned back to the Jaeger to see the tugboat approaching shore, while Technicians scrambled to attach flotation devices to the stricken machine.

Shanyuan staggered out of the escape pod, followed closely by Mingxia, who dropped to her knees. The landing had been rough, but they were alive. Glancing around, he saw that they were on a hillside, several kilometres in land. That bought them some time.

'You alright?' He asked Mingxia, who nodded and he helped her to her feet. 'Good. Come on, we need to move. Get your gear off while I get our supplies together.' He ducked back inside the escape pod, quickly discarding his armour and bodysuit, leaving him in his underwear. Working quickly, he grabbed the two survival kits from inside the escape pod and lugged them outside, dumping them on the ground. Mingxia knelt next to him, unabashed at being as naked as he was. They had grown up together, often swimming naked in the waters around their temple with their other brothers and sisters of the order. Opening the survival kits, they quickly dressed in the camoflage fatigues that were inside, strapping on their backpacks. These contained everything that Jaeger pilots would need to survive if stranded in inhospitable terrain. Shanyuan pulled out the last item from the case, checking the safety on his pistol and slipping it into his holster. Hopefully, they wouldn't need these weapons. He glanced up when he heard the staccato sound of rotablades in the distance, to see three dark shapes against the bright sky.

'Come on.' He said. 'We need to get out of here.' Together, they turned and sprinted up the hill, leaving the escape pod behind, heading for the treeline.

Mingxia crawled to the edge of the outcrop, looking down at the ten soldiers below them. They moved with military precision, each one constantly looking around him, with no chatter or idle conversation. Clearly, they were professionals. Each was dressed in cryc camoflage, their uniforms bearing the stylised emblem of a bird on their shoulders and they carried a baton and taser on their belts. Clearly, they were intending to take them alive. Too bad for them. Mingxia launched herself from her hiding place, soaring through the air to land straight into the middle of the soldiers. Before they could react, she kicked the nearest in his chest, lifting him off his feet to send him flying backwards. To their credit, the soldiers recovered, with two lunging towards her, snatching their batons from their belts. She ducked the first blow, casually sweeping his legs from under him and parried the second, grabbing his wrist and flipping him off his feet. She took no joy in inflicting pain, but she relished the chance to fully test her skills on the edge, despite the danger. Shanyuan, for all his strengths, took things too seriously sometimes. She vaulted over another soldier and drove her elbow into his stomach, grabbing his arm and flipping him over her shoulder. The remaining six men surrounded her, drawing their tasers and aiming in one precise movement, which was when Shanyuan struck. His butterfly kick took down two more with deadly efficiency and they swung to face him, but he had already vaulted over their heads. Mingxia flung herself back into the fray, throwing one man into his luckless comrade, the impact driving both men to the ground, when something pierced her shoulder and then every nerve felt like it was on fire. 'Mingxi...arghh!' She struggled to raise her head as she heard her brother scream, seeing him drop to his knees, a taser hitting him in the chest, before darkness claimed her.

Naomi stood outside the cells in the back of the modified Black Hawk, looking at the two prisoners that were now lying on the floor. Both had been stripped of their fatigues and thoroughly searched, being left in only their underclothes. While part of her regretted inflicting that indignity on them, the pragmatic part of her knew that it was necessary and she had always prided herself that her she did what was necessary. Having studied their files thoroughly, she was well aware of how dangerous these two were, as if the six marines still being tended by the medics weren't evidence enough.

'Ready for take off, Ma'am.' The pilot said and she reluctantly moved away to take her seat, strapping herself in as the Helicopter rose from the ground. Once they were in the air, she turned to the pilot.

'Daniels, patch me through to the Director Macias aboard the Phoenix.' She ordered and the young pilot nodded, speaking quietly into his headset. While she waited, she schooled her face into her professionally neutral expression. In truth, she was becoming increasingly concerned about Director Macias. When she'd joined him in founding Phoenix, she'd found him pragmatic and level-headed, traits that she admired. However, all that had changed when the Kaiju war began, when his family had been killed during the first attack. As time went on, his grieving turned to anger and he became obsessed with fighting back against the Kaiju, however he could.

'Director Macias on the line, Ma'am.' Daniel's said, bringing her out of her reverie and she acted her headset, hearing his cool, composed voice. 'Report, Commander.' He said, brusquely.

'All targets acquired, sir, and we are en route to the Phoenix. ETA is twenty-five minutes.' She replied.

'Excellent, Commander.' He said.'Report to me when you return.'

'...Yes, sir.'

Rafeal Macias stood in the Command Deck, watching as the cargo lift took the Jaeger down to the maintenance deck and he picked up the radio receiver from his desk.

'Chief Marin, are your people ready?'

'Yes, sir.' Marin said, his voice crackling over the radio. 'Personally, I can't wait to get my hands on this beast.'

'Your enthusiasm is understandable.' Macias said. 'The PPDC guards the secrets of these machines jealously. But, your curiousity will have to wait. I need that Jaeger repaired and operational.'

'Yes, sir. We won't let you down.'

'I have no doubt, Chief.' Macias said, closing down the link. 'Director!' Macias turned to see Commander Williams standing at attention before him.

'Yes, Commander?' He said, reluctantly turning away to give her his full attention.

'The prisoners are with the medics now, sir, and then we'll transfer them to the holding cells.'

'Excellent. Was there anything else?' He asked, seeing the tight-lipped expression on her face.

'Yes, sir. Six of my men are in the infirmary with concussions and broken bones.' She said, her eyes hard and Macias smiled, placatingly.

'I'm sure I don't need to explain the fortunes of war to you, Commander. They will be fully compensated and given the best medical care.' He said and Naomi met his gaze for a second.

'...Yes, sir.' She said, turning on her heel and marching smartly away. Macias turned back to his desk with a tight-lipped smile and activated his monitors, watching as the Technicians swarmed over the Jaeger. Everything was coming together, just like he'd planned. Now, it was time to talk to the pilots. Hopefully, they would be amenable to his proposal. He much preferred to do things the easy way.

Shanyuan awoke, finding himself suspended in a dark cell, his wrists and ankles manacled to the floor and ceiling. A faint groan made him turn his head and he saw Mingxia in the next cell. Like him, she was restrained and stripped down to her underwear. She appeared calm on the surface, but he knew her well enough to recognise the anger simmering in her eyes. However, he was more concerned with their current situation. The dark cells, the separation and the restraints, as well as their near nudity all pointed to one thing. Dehumanisation. Standard interrogation tactic. Not shifted in his bonds, testing the range of them and found that he neck felt strange. Not exactly sore or stiff, but not right, either. Hopefully, it was just a side effect of the taser. He was about to ask Mingxia if she felt the same sensation, when the door outside the cells opened and a man entered, flanked by two Marines who trained rifles on them. The man, who had a goatee beard and was dressed in a dark blue suit and tie, stood casually in the doorway. When he spoke, his voice was clipped, with a trace of a Spanish accent.

'My name is Rafael Macias, Director of Phoenix Military Operations. I apologise for the methods used to bring you here, but, frankly, I am a business man and I doubt you would have come of your own free will.' He stepped closer to the cells, showing no sign of fear or bravado.

'Let me cut to the chase. My Company has defended our clients from numerous threats over the years. Terrorists. Organised crime. Even foreign powers. And with great success. But, there is a new threat now. The Kaiju. I want to enable Phoenix to offer protection from these monsters, but the PPDC guards the secrets of it's Jaegers well and I have neither the time nor resources to produce my own. At least, until now.'

'What do you mean?' Shanyuan asked and Macias turned towards him.

'Quite simply that my technicians are studying your Jaeger so that we can reverse engineer it and create our own models without any costly R&D. But, that is not my principle goal. Even with their most conservative estimates, my engineers tell me that it will be a least a year before they can produce working prototypes. As I said before, I do not have the much time. So, I have a proposition for you. Fight the Kaiju for me, as you do for the PPDC.'

'Why would we do that?' Mingxia demanded, fiercely and Macias smiled.

'Because I will pay you well. Much more than you ever receive from the PPDC for risking your lives for all humanity. Such devotion is worth... $60,000 each per year, with bonuses, of course. '

'We are not Mercenaries.' Shanyuan said. 'We fight in defence of others, not for our own gain.'

'Very noble of you, to risk your lives for no reward.' Macias said, with a hint of sarcasm.

'In truth, I suspected that you would say as much. Whether you call yourselves Monks or Soldiers, the result is the same. You are indoctrinated with words like honour and duty into dying for others. Fortunately, I always plan ahead.

'He produced a small black device from his pocket and pressed a button. Pain engulfed Shanyuan and he strained against his bonds, feeling like every nerve was on fire. Even through his haze of pain, he was aware of Mingxia stiffening in the cell next to him, clearly suffering the same torment. As quickly as it came, the pain passed, leaving Shanyuan hanging from his bonds. He took a deep breath, calming and centering himself, as Macias started speaking again.

'My medics have implanted subcutaneous Neural Inhibitors in your necks that stimulate the pain receptors in the brain stem. One of our inventions for ensuring the compliance of...dangerous individuals. Now, will you accept my offer?'

Shanyuan and Mingxia said nothing, so Macias sighed, pressing the button and Shanyuan stiffened again, focusing on his breathing until it passed. Macias slipped the device back into his pocket and stepped back from the cells, with a slight shake of his head.

'I see that the reports about you are true. You have incredible tolerance for pain. But, everyone has their limits. The Inhibitors are now set to trigger randomly over the next hour. Perhaps, after that time, you will feel more co-operative.'

He turned to leave and the pain spiked again for a brief instant, the Marines following him and the door closing behind him. Shanyuan glanced left at Mingxia, seeing that she had already closed her eyes and was breathing deeply. They had both been trained to accept fear and pain, by living from second to second. There is no past, no future. Shanyuan thought to himself. Do not think of when you were not in pain or when you will not be again. There is only now.

Naomi swiped her access pass through the reader outside the cells and stepped inside, looking at the two pilots. Despite the pain that they were experiencing, both were quiet, their eyes closed and their breathing so shallow that, for a moment, she feared that they were dead. She heard the tales of ancient warriors that could put themselves outside their bodies to endure pain, but she'd always dismissed them as fanciful. Until now. Even her counter-interrogation training hadn't covered anything like this. This isn't right. She thought to herself. Interrogation was one thing and sometimes necessary, she knew, but part of her rebelled at this. Forcing them like this would...

'Commander Williams.'She turned when she heard Macias' voice, coming to attention smartly.

'Sir.' She said.

'What are you doing here?' He asked, watching her with a measure of...concern? Suspicion?

'Checking on the prisoners, sir.' She said, quickly, keeping her voice professionally level. 'The Marines called me when their breathing became shallow. It seems the intelligence reports on them were accurate.' She added, meeting his gaze levelly and he held her gaze for a long moment.

'Indeed, Commander.' He said, walking past her towards the cells, just as Shanyuan and Mingxia opened their eyes and turned to face him with eerie synchronisation.

'Now that you have some idea of the strength of my conviction', he said, 'will you reconsider my offer? I would much prefer to have your willing co-operation, so...'

'Red alert, red alert. All hands to battle stations. This is not a drill. Repeat, this is not a drill.'

'Keep them covered.' Macias said, striding over to the intercomm.

'Tac-Ops, this is Director Macias. What's the situation?'

'Sensors have detected a large mass heading towards us, sir. Profile suggests a Kaiju, sir.'

'Estimated time to contact?'

'Less than 30 minutes, sir. Our fighters are on alert and Techinal Division reports that the Jaeger is ready for action.'

'Understood, Lieutenant. Deploy your fighters and prepare to engage the Kaiju.'

'But, sir, without the Jaeger...'

'You have your orders, Lieutenant.' Macias said, closing down the link and turning back to the cells.

'You've sent those pilots to their deaths!' Mingxia snarled and Macias nodded.

'Indeed. That is what they signed on to do, secure in the knowledge that their families will be well compensated. I am not in a position to save their lives. You, however, are. You said yourselves that you fight to defend others. Well, here is your chance. And, if that is not enough, then fight to defend yourselves. You know as well as I that my pilots will not be able to prevent the Kaiju from destroying this vessel. Would you rather die in these cells or in your Jaeger?'

Shanyuan looked across at Mingxia, seeing her slight nod and he turned back to Macias.

'Alright. We'll do it.'

Shaolin Rogue stood on the cargo lift as it rose to the Flight Deck, Commander Williams' voice filling the Comm Pod.

'Kaiju contact estimated in two minutes. Codename is RazorSpine. Fighter squadrons are commencing their attack runs, now. Stay on station until the Kaiju is in range.'

'Acknowledged.'

Shanyuan said, as the fighters roared over head, heading towards the location of the Kaiju . Even though he couldn't see from this distance, he knew that they were dropping torpedoes at maximum range. While previous experience had shown that conventional weapons were of limited use against the Kaiju, it would at least soften it up before they went in. The calm surface of the sea was rocked by the explosions and RazorSpine surfaced, it's razor-tipped head turning towards the Aircraft Carrier, opening it's mouth to issue a roar of challenge as it launched itself towards them.

'Second Line, deploy.' Williams ordered, twelve Apache helicopters lifting off from the deck and surrounding RazorSpine, launching a salvo of rockets that detonated against it's leathery hide, making the creature roar in pain. From beneath the waves, it's tail lashed out, smashing one of the Apaches from the sky like a human might swat a fly.

'Second Line, withdraw!' Williams shouted. 'Shaolin Rogue, clear to deploy.'

'Copy that.' Shanyuan said, turning to his Sister. 'Mingxia, let's go.'

Shaolin Rogue pounded across the deck and leapt, sailing over the water to land on RazorSpine's back, behind it's head. Shanyuan and Mingxia extended their hands in perfect synchronisation and Shaolin Rogue raised it's arm, the plasma cannon charging.

'Evasive action.' Williams yelled, as RazorSpine's tail lashed out, catching them in the chest and sending them flying backwards towards the water. Shaolin Rogue's arm shot out, grabbing hold of one of the spines and stopping their fall. They regained their feet, drawing their staff as the tail shot back in. The end of the staff glowed blue and they swept it round in a precise arc, neatly slicing off the end of the tail, making RazorSpine roar. Vaulting into a somersault, Rogue soared forward to land behind the Kaiju's head, plunging the end of the staff down before it could react. The plasma discharge tore through it's skull and RazorSpine gave a great roar, thrashing madly as it started to sink below the waves.

'Evac! Now!' Williams used and Rogue leapt towards the deck of the Carrier, just as they Kaiju sank beneath the waves. They landed deftly and Rogue twirled the staff before, slipping it back into it's shoulder holster. Inside, Shanyuan focused, marshalling his thoughts.

Need to do this quickly, while we've still got time.

He focused on his Sister, reaching across the Neural Bridge to her and he felt her respond. The Bridge was a melding of minds and, on a certain level, she knew what he knew. Even so, it was difficult to transmit an idea of this complexity.

'Mingxia, we need to break free off these Neural Inhibitors. I have a plan, but...'

'I know, Shanyuan. It might kill us. And, if we die today, then I have no regrets. I'm with you.'

Shaolin Rogue turned towards the control tower, drawing their staff again and advancing, Macias voice coming over the intercomm.

'Stop where you are!' He ordered, but they continued their advance, pain flaring through their bodies as the Inhibitors activated. Shanyuan focused on his breathing, reaching out to his Sister, the pain becoming distant. Through the Bridge, they each shared what the other felt, but it was more like a memory or an echo and that made the pain bearable.

'Sir, the Inhibitors are overloading.' Williams yelled. 'The Safety shutoffs have activated.'

As suddenly as it had started, the pain ceased and Shanyuan activated his radio.

'It's over, Macias. By authority of the PPDC, I'm placing you under arrest.'

He said, his voice steely, focusing their sensors onto the Control Tower, zooming in on Macias and Williams, close enough to see his arrogant expression.

'You may have overloaded the Inhibitors, but I still have the advantage.' Macias responded. 'Commander Williams, order our fighters to acquire a target lock on the Jaeger and wait for my command to fire.'

'Sir, our people are still on the deck. If you give the order to fire...'

'Exactly. They will die, unless they surrender. And, if they don't, well, they are only resources. Now, execute my order.'

Williams was still for a moment and then she stepped back, drawing her pistol and aiming it at the Director, clicking the safety off. Without taking her eyes off him, she pressed a button on the console behind her and spoke.

'Attention, all hands. Director Macias has been relieved off his authority and I am assuming command. Marine Squad Alpha, report to the Tactical Centre, immediately.'

She released the button and half turned to Shaolin Rogue.

'Once we have him secured, I'll call in the PPDC and they can take him into custody. You can stand...'

Without warning, Macias pulled a small pistol from inside his jacket and aimed it at Williams, his finger tightening on the trigger. Next second, Shaolin Rogue's fist smashed through the window of the Control Tower, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off it's armour. Macias turned and ran, only to come face to face with the Marines that were pouring into the Control Tower, their rifles trained on him. Macias dropped the pistol with exaggerated care and was handcuffed by the Marines who held him upright as Williams approached. She stared at him for a second, before slapping him across the face, his eyes widening with shock. She stood back, still thoroughly composed and gestured for the Marines to take him away. When he was gone, she turned back to Shaolin Rogue and saluted. Shanyuan grinned, he and Mingxia focusing and Shaolin Rogue stood to attention, returning the gesture benesth the setting sun that was turning the ocean red.

THANK YOU FOR READING. ANY REVIEWS, COMMENTS OR CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM WOULD BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.