Ever since the Pacific Rim breach was sealed three years ago, the rangers responsible for closing it, Raleigh Becket and Mako Mori, had managed to find plenty of other things to do to keep themselves and their jaeger, Gipsy Danger, busy. The kaiju that came through the breach were not the only giant monsters in the world that needed fighting, what with genetic experimentation, atomic induced mutations, and just your average everyday evolutionary anomalies running rampant throughout the world.
Presently, though, the two partners were on down time. They were stationed in Honolulu now, on the island of O'ahu along with many other members of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps that they had worked with at the Hong Kong Shatterdome. Since this new Shatterdome was opened in Hawaii, mostly as a research center, it had basically become the place where anyone worthy of something like a vacation was put, and heroes who saved the world certainly fell under that category.
The beaches of O'ahu were beautiful all year round, so Mako and Raleigh took full advantage of that during their time off from combat training. Mako, an asian woman with brown eyes and short, dark hair with blue streaks in it, would lounge on a blanket in the sand wearing her black, one-piece bathing suit, usually reading a book on ancient weaponry or the history of war, while Raleigh, a blonde, athletic American, surfed the waves just off shore.
On one particularly warm day in July the two of them were in their usual routine when Raleigh paddled his board in, stuck it in the sand, and approached Mako. He wore blue and white Hawaiian print trunks, no shirt, and dog tags around his neck. He came up beside Mako, blocking her sun.
"Hey, you want to do something fun?" he asked.
She knew what his idea of fun was, but looked at him and nodded anyway out of morbid curiosity.
"Let's take Gipsy out later and patrol the island," he said.
Mako frowned and looked down.
"You know we cannot," she said quietly. "We are not allowed to pilot unless there is a genuine threat."
Raleigh groaned loudly, like a little kid denied the chance to play their favorite game.
"I don't care anymore," he said. "It's been ages since we've piloted. I need to do something besides just work out all day and turn into a beach bum," he complained.
"I grow tired of the monotony too, but it is the rules," she said, turning a page in her book and paying more attention to it, than to him.
"You know how I feel about rules," he said.
She looked up and found him smiling at her. In spite of herself, she smiled back. She knew if this conversation continued further she'd be piloting Gipsy Danger out of the Shatterdome against orders within the hour, but thankfully at that moment something interrupted them; a fat, old bulldog came running up and went right for Mako's lap.
"Hello, boy," she said as she pet it.
Raleigh rolled his eyes. He still wanted to argue his case.
That would not be possible, however, as the dog's owner came up behind him. It was Captain Hercules Hansen, their commanding officer and head of the new Shatterdome.
"Hey, I need you two to get dressed and head to sector five within the hour," he said to them both in a stern, yet friendly Australian accent. There was no preamble.
Raleigh and Mako both looked hopeful. Sector five was where their jaeger was kept.
"What's goin' on?" asked Raleigh.
"You'll find out when you get there," said Captain Hansen. Then to his dog he said, "Come on, Max, leave the lady alone." The dog obeyed and followed its master back up the beach towards the Shatterdome.
"You may get your wish after all," Mako said to Raleigh as she closed her book and stood up. She walked past Raleigh, who ran his fingers through his damp, blonde hair. He smiled as he watched her walk away and then said, "Yeah", and followed her in the direction of their captain.