"This has got to be some form of trespassing." A young woman breathed as she crouched behind a slightly older man than herself.

The both of them had the same blonde hair, green eyes, and lean forms. The only difference between them was their height and the dyed streaks they had running through their hair. Rachel, the girl, had light blue streaks while the boy, Nick, had deep navy blue running through his hair. Their combat boots were sinking into the mud as they lingered in the shadows.

"This is trespassing." The boy said with a huff as he shifted a little. They'd been crouching for awhile now and his legs were cramping. "You scared of getting caught?" He asked her as he turned his head to get a good look at her. Now it was her turn to shift on her feet, but their crouching had nothing to do with it.

"A little bit." She admitted. "I mean this is Government Property. If they find us we could get into some serious trouble."

Nick laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. "I just want to get a look at the Jaegers up close and then I'm gone. If you don't want to come with me sister you do not have to." His words had very little effect on her. Rachel was not about to let her brother sneak into a Shatterdome by himself. They were siblings and that meant that if he was going to be caught then so was she.

"No." She shook off his hand and steeled herself. "I want to see them as well." She assured him. "I just want us to be careful. A life behind bars is not something I want as my future, or yours."

Nick nodded his head before turning around and slinking off into the shadows. Rachel lingered behind for a moment as she thought about what they were doing. They weren't going to harm anything, but no doubt if they were caught by a pilot they would be labeled with the title "crazy fan" or something along those lines. The mere thought made Rachel want to puke, but instead she stowed off in the shadows behind her brother.

They were careful with their timing. The lights and guards seemed to run on a strict time table and because of that they were easily predicted. Nick was the first to slip through the wall of the Shatterdome, but before Rachel could follow a light flashed right in front of her. Panicking she threw herself back in the shadows and laid down flat on her stomach. The grasses and bushes around her scrapped her face and made her want to itch, but it covered her and she knew she had to be silent.

Footfalls and voices followed the light, but what made Rachel's blood run cold was the panting. They had a dog! Rachel pressed herself even further into the ground as she sent up a silent prayer that the animal would not catch her sent. As the footfalls came dangerously close the young girl recognized the voices. The men were Hurc and Chuck Hansen, Australian Pilots of the Jaeger Striker Eureka, and they were now at a standstill in front of her. Their tones were obviously showing that they were in some kind of argument.

The sniffing was right in front of her now. The dog had found her! Holding a breath Rachel watched the head of a pit-bull appear in front of her. Her bright green eyes stared deep into his brown ones. The dog cocked its head to the side in question before moving a little closer and letting out a small whine. The men in front of her stopped their conversation and turned to their dog.

"What are you doing Max?" Hurc asked his dog. "Found something that caught your interest?" Hurc was now on one knee and Rachel was sure her heart was about to stop. If he got any closer the shadows would not be able to hide her from him. The dog must have smelled her fear because he backed away from her slowly, giving her space.

"He probably smelled a squirrel or something... lets get back to the mess hall. I don't want cold food, again." Chuck was agitated and it was showing. Rachel recalled most of the interviews he'd been forced to have with reporters. That man had a sharp tongue and even sharper words. Herc grunted, stood up, and followed his son down the path they'd been walking. This time they didn't speak.

"Oh god." Rachel breathed out as she let her tense body relax a fraction. Her entire front was cold and caked with dirt now, but she brushed that to be back of her mind because she had to find her brother. Getting to a crouch she looked around to make sure it was clear before jumping through the hole in the wall of the Shatterdome. Her brother was white faced as he saw her approaching.

"Are you ok? Your face..." He reached out to touch the small cuts that littered her face but she swatted his hand away.

"A little cold but I'm fine. Let's go see those stupid robots so we can get the hell outta here. That was too close of a call Nick." She told him as she chewed slowly on her bottom lip. When she mentioned the Jaegers her brother perked up and took off again.

It felt like ages before they'd made it to the Hangers but Rachel knew it couldn't have been more than twenty minutes. Everyone seemed to be eating because there were no mechanics or techies running around. The silence was haunting and with the Jaegers staring down at them it only added to the effect. Nick was staring up at each of them in child-like wonder.

"Imagine what it must be like to control one of these things..." He breathed out. All four legendary Jaegers stood before them: America's Gipsy Danger, Russia's Cherno Alpha, China's Crimson Typhoon, and Australia's Striker Eureka. However there was a last hanger holding another Jaeger. This one was much like a cross between Gypsy and Striker because it had the design of the American model though it was lighter and stood as tall as the Australian model.

"Nick!" Rachel called her brother over and together they examined the huge mech. It was definitely new, but where did it come from and who were the pilots? They'd never seen this bot before and suddenly both of them felt like they had stumbled across some hush-hush secret.

"What do you think they call it?" Nick asked her as he edged closer. The paint on it was different shades of blue starting from the deep, almost black, blue at the feet and curling up the machine to a fine light blue around the Conn-Pod. All in all the machine was a beauty with its cold-killer look.

"We call her 'Blue Tundra'." Both of the siblings spun around to see none other than Stacker Pentecost, Marshall of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. He was staring at them intently with his hands folded behind his back. His posture screamed danger and Rachel edged closer to her brother, who in turn wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Now the real question is what do we call you two." He told them as he took a step forward.

"We were just-" Nick tried to explain but the Marshall cut him off with a hand.

"Who are you?" Pentecost asked sharply. His tone wasn't necessarily cold, but it was a no-nonsense tone. Nick, in shock, was left gaping like a fish out of water.

"I'm Rachel O'Neil, and this is my older brother Nick." The girl told him with as much as a voice as she had left. Stacker turned his attention from the boy to the girl, aware that she would be the one to give him the most information.

"What are you doing here?" This question Rachel had to think about for a moment.

"We wanted to see the Jaegers up close. Since the program closed down we figured it would only be a matter of time till they completely disappeared." Her honesty shocked her and her brother, who let his arm fall off his shoulders.

Pentecost hummed lowly as he walked forward. Both the sibling tensed as he got closer. What was he going to do? Was he going to make them disappear? Were they going to be thrown in jail? He stopped before them and eyed them both calculatingly. It seemed he was trying to decide something in his head, and clearly it was giving him some difficulty. Finally he let out a slow breath through his nose and gestured for them to follow him.

"You must be freezing." He eyed Rachel's dirt covered clothes and she couldn't help but nod her head. She would do almost anything for warmer clothes. "I don't know how you two got into this Shatterdome, but that doesn't matter right now. Depending on how you answer some of my questions will depend on if I'll turn you in or not. Keep close." He told them as they entered the Mess Hall. The clatter of dishes and talking stopped when they came into view. All eyes were on them as they walked down the line of tables.

"Mako." He called. A girl with black and blue hair jumped up from beside Raleigh Becket and walked over to them. "Find some clothes for Ms. O'Neil here and meet us in the Training Room." She shot a quizzical look to the man but did as she was told. Now a stream of mutters and whispers started up and all the pilots seemed to be shifting in their seats.

"Eat these and follow me." He told them as he tossed them both a muffin. Rachel had banana and Nick got stuck with blueberry and after a mental conversation they switched because her brother despised blueberry. Eating while walking Rachel pondered why they were going to the Training Room. What was the Training Room? And what the hell were they going to do there?

Mako handed her some form fitting clothes and Rachel was excused to go change. When she came back her brother was also wearing the same black fabric she was. A wooded stick in his hands. He was in conversation with the Marshall and his eyes were alight with a fire she'd only seen him have on few occasions. This wasn't going to end well for her.

"What are we doing here?" She interrupted their conversation with her question. Pentecost was about to respond but her brother was almost bouncing on the balls of his heels.

"He wants to see if we're drift compatible with each other Rachel. They don't have a team for Blue Tundra yet." He told her as he twirled the stick in his hands. Rachel turned to stare at Pentecost.

"You can't be serious." She said with disbelief in her voice. Nick's face fell as he knew what was coming. Turning his back he walked away to warm up on the mat. "Not to down myself or my brother but I think you are making a mistake Marshall. We are fighters, no doubt about that, I'm sure my brother has told you many of the stories of our past. However we are not soldiers. I've never... he has never been placed in a situation like this." Rachel was now standing right in front of the older man as she gestured wildly in the direction of her older brother.

Pentecost seemed to weigh her words before he placed a wooden stick in her hands as well.

"I wouldn't risk putting people in a Jaeger unless I thought they had the mentality to handle it. You and your brother single handedly broke into a Shatterdome, made it into the hanger, and convinced me not to put you in jail for the rest of your lives. The scarring on you knuckles proves that you are a fighter, and yes, your brother has told me many accounts of your battles. What stuck me though is that you do not seem like a person who would enjoy fighting, so why have you?" He asked her. Rachel shifted on her feet.

"Because he is my brother and I have to protect him. Nick is an idiot sometimes and his mouth doesn't know when to shut up. Sometimes it is his heart that gets him into trouble but no matter the reason... I won't ever let him face anything alone. Me and him... we are all each other have now." Rachel's voice dropped low as she glance over to her brother. "Why choose us, sir?" She asked him.

"Because I knew." His answer confused her and she sent him a glance. "I knew that you would do anything for him. That bond is extremely strong and the stronger a connection the better the Jaeger preforms." He explained, letting his hands clasp behind his back. "We need a good team to pilot Blue Tundra. And I think that you two showing up beneath her is a sign. Normally I don't believe in signs, but with times like these I have to take it into consideration that this is an opportunity for me to take." His eyes got distant for a moment as he got lost in his own thoughts. "And I'd like to add that I believe you are wrong. A fighter fights because they can. A soldier fights because they are able and have the will to protect. Now report to the mat so we can test your connection."

With those words Rachel walked onto the mat and faced her brother. Mako explained what they were to do and slowly the siblings took note that all of the pilots had shown up to watch the both of them. Nick seemed to be on cloud nine while Rachel was wishing the Earth would open up and swallow her whole.

"Do you understand?" Mako asked them.

"Understood." They said in unison. Nick smiled while Rachel winced.

Then they began. Nick's blows were parried and blocked swiftly by Rachel. She knew her brother's moves better than he did, but at the same time she couldn't get a hit on him. All her blows were knocked away with enough force to push her backwards. She was careful not to be pushed off the mat by ducking and rolling away at times. Other than the knocking of the wooden sticks, the scribbling of the pen on paper from Mako, and the pants coming from the fighters, the room was silent.

Finally Pentecost interrupted them by blowing a whistle. "Enough. We've seen enough." The mumbling that had started up died quickly as they waited for Pentecost to continue speaking. "You two are drift compatible with each other, however if one of you choose not to become the pilot for Blue Tundra then we must search for another co-pilot. So speak now if you have any objections." His eyes landed on Rachel, almost piercing her with their gaze.

"I'm in." Nick's eyes were brighter than they'd even been. His blonde hair was tossed from the fight and a flush on his cheeks. He looked so happy, happier than he'd been in a long time. Rachel sucked in a deep breath and tried to calm the storm in her mind. She was the realistic one. She knew the dangers of being a soldier in this war, but Pentecost trusted them and Rachel was not about to let someone else in her brother's mind.

"I'm in too." She said softly as she gave her wooden stick off the Mako. Nick flashed her a toothy smile. "When do we start training?" She asked the Marshall.

"Now." And with that he lead them away from the other pilots who'd started talking among each other.


Rachel and Nick had been in the trainers Conn-Pod for awhile now. Their training was beginning to drain them to the point where Nick was starting to doze off after the sequences.

All the practices had them ducking, punching, firing, jumping, and slamming into Kaijus. Not to mention the Kaijus slamming into them. Even though it was only practice, it felt as if they were actually fighting the horrid beasts. Nick and Rachel's bodies were screaming bloody murder as their muscles and bones were tried time and time again, practice run after every practice run. A voice broke the silence of their panting telling them to report to the Control Room.

"Nick." Rachel punched him in the arm. "Wake up. We need to go talk to Pentecost in the Control Room." She was already unstrapped from her controls, but Nick was still halfway strapped in. He'd taken the left side while Rachel had taken the right. Their first drift had gone flawlessly, but there were a few things Rachel had seen that she hadn't wanted to. Seems like the Marshall had been right when he said they had a strong bond.

"Help me." Nick said as he fiddled with the arm piece. Rolling her eyes Rachel quickly helped him free before supporting him on one of her shoulders. Together they walked down the hallways and the girl was careful to read the maps. The last thing she wanted was to get lost in the Shatterdome and look like a fool. After a ten minute walk they finally entered the Control Room. All the teams were there. All of them were staring as well.

Rachel let go of Nick once he was seated. His energy was almost completely gone and from all the events that had happened today she couldn't blame him.

"Your sessions show that you are ready to be deployed, however in the event that you are deployed you will stick close to Gypsy Danger on the defense. We want to make completely sure that you are ready for an attack before we allow you to engage in one. I'm sure you know about the teams but it is about time that you are all introduced properly seeing as you will all be working side by side." With that Pentecost stepped to the Russians first. Nick seemed to be more alert seeing as he picked his head up off his sisters arm.

"This is Sasha Kaidanovsky and Aleksis Kaidanovsky. They are the pilots of Cherno Alpha, the Russian Jaeger." Pentecost allowed Rachel to shake both of their hands while Nick only gave a respected nod. He'd tried to get up, but Rachel had pushed him back down and gave him one of the sharpest of her glares.

"Nice to meet the both of you. It will be nice to have another Jaeger out in the field." Aleksis told them, his wife nodded her agreement.

"Moving on. This here is Cheung, Hu, Jin Wei. They are the triplets that pilots Crimson Typhoon, the China Jaeger." Each boy introduced themselves and shook hands with Rachel. She told them that she would have to take time to learn each of them personally.

"I'm sorry ahead of time if I confuse your names. I'm bad at remembering." She confessed. The triplets merely gave her a gentle smile in return, showing that there would be no harm if she did mess it up. Nick again gave them respected nods.

"I'm sure you have heard of Raleigh Becket. He is the current and former pilot of Gypsy Danger, the American Jaeger. His newest co-pilot is Mako Mori." The two of them were close enough to Nick that he could shake their hands. Rachel did as well and she looked over the male pilot. She'd heard stories about him. How he single piloted Gypsy back to shore after his brother had been killed. Her heart went out to him. Rachel couldn't think of a world where her brother didn't exist.

"Lastly Herc and Chuck Hansen. They are the pilots of Striker Eureka, the Australian Jaeger." Both the men nodded their heads. But only Herc extended his hand to shake with Rachel.

"You must be what Max got so worked up about out there on the path." He said knowingly, and for a brief moment Rachel wondered if Herc had seen her in the shadows when he'd taken a knee. The girl brushed it off quickly because if Herc had seen her he would have said something... right?

"Yeah." Rachel admitted as she glanced at the snoozing dog at her brother's feet. Nick was silently scratching the dog behind the ears. He'd always wanted a dog but with the siblings not having a home they never got the chance to adopt one.

There were a few more words exchanged before the pilots settled down. Everyone took a seat except for Rachel, Pentecost, and Herc who were now facing three other men. The first to speak was someone she'd recognized almost instantly. He had dark brunette hair that could have been mistaken for black and his eyes were a deep warm brown... this was the man who would be talking to them from within their Conn-Pod.

"Hello, my name is Tendo Choi." His voice was light, as if there was nothing wrong with him, but the slightly dark shades under his eyes and the coffee mug in his hand gave him away. This man hadn't slept in quite some time and it didn't look like he would be getting any sleep soon. "After this group meeting I'll need to speak with the two of you about Tundra. You'll need to know all her different weapons and how she operates." He took a sip of his coffee before glancing to one of the men to his right. "Your turn." He muttered as he took a step back.

"Oh." Said the man beside him. The man had brown hair, green eyes, and lots of tattoos. His white long sleeved shirt was rolled up to his elbows which exposed the ink that tattered his arms. Nick and Rachel picked out that different Kaiju before he continued. "My name is Newton Geiszler, but some prefer to call me Newt. I don't mind since it is much easier to respond to. I work with my... partner... in the K-Science Lab here at the Shatterdome. If you have any questions about Kaiju don't hesitate to ask." His smiled that followed unsettled Rachel. She didn't like how 'into' he was about the monsters, or how hyper he was.

"My name is Hermann Gottlieb. I am, unfortunately, the partner of this one here." Hermann sent a glare sideways at Newt and it looked like a brawl was about to start between them. As much as Rachel would have loved to see the two duke it out this was not the time nor place for that. So she opted to interject.

"Nice to meet the both of you. A pleasure it will be to work beside you." Her flattery worked wonders as the two men bowed their heads in appreciation. It seemed like they were not used to being noticed, but that was to be granted. After all, the real 'heroes' were the Jaeger pilots.

"Now that everyone is introduced and acquainted we can move on to other things. Tendo, if you would." Pentecost moved so that the Chinese-Peruvian man could stand before the pilots.

"Blue Tundra is the newest and last Jaeger that has been added to the war against the Kaijus." The room lights dimmed around them as a digital screen appeared before them. "Before its creation the Jaeger Striker Eureka was the only Mark V. Now there are two." Herc and Chuck leaned forward at this. Now there was a mech on the same scale as them. "Tundra has the standard Plasma Cannon that most Jaegars do. It also has a two blades that can be extended over the hands for close combat. The chest holds 4 missiles for long distance. Over all the Jaeger is a lighter build than Striker, allowing you to move quicker." While he was speaking Tendo was flipping through the scans, pointing out each object with ease and confidence.

"Your reactor is the only thing that differs from Striker." He finished by letting the scans fade to show Blue Tundra.

"We have a nuclear?" Rachel asked. Her voice seemed to shake some of the pilots from their thoughts. Tendo was shifting on his feet nervously.

"Yes. After the creation of Striker the United Kingdom did not was to shell out any more big bucks. The digital core that resides in Striker costed a small fortune to them so the Kingdom decided they would place a nuclear in their last creation. But be assured the the Conn-Pod is sealed off from the reactor. There is no way that you or your brother will be affected from it's radiation." Tendo seemed sure that he knew what he was talking about, so Rachel let the subject drop.

Nick let out a long yawn and Rachel smiled fondly at him.

"I think we've all had quite a day. Tomorrow we will continue. Mako, will you show the siblings to their respective rooms?" Pentecost asked her, though they knew he was silently telling her to. She nodded her head, seemingly unaffected by the request. "Do you two need help retrieving your things? You will be living in the Shatterdome from this point on." Pentecost was speaking directly to Rachel seeing as Nick was slumped forward in the chair.

"No. We having everything." Rachel didn't meet his eyes when she said this. She didn't look at anyone as she turned to the door.

"No clothes? No pictures? No belongings at all? What did you have before you showed up here O'Neil?" He asked, pressing into a matter that he was not welcome in.

"We didn't have anything, Sir." Her control slipped as she snapped the remark. It was a personal issue to her, a rather touche one and everyone seemed to pick up on this. "Now if you'll excuse me I need to take care of my brother." She said, her voice returning to her as if nothing had happened.

Throwing his arm over her shoulder she hoisted him out of the chair with a little bit of effort. He was heavy and she was tired. For a moment she lost her footing and almost fell, but another person grabbed her brother from her and allowed her to steady herself. Raleigh Becket was now holding a sleeping Nick and looking at Rachel in slight worry. Mako, before anyone could say anything ushered the three of them out of the Control Room and down the hall.

"Thank you. I'm sorry you had to be bothered, but I can take him now if you want." Rachel told the older pilot as she extended her arms to retrieve her brother.

"Don't strain yourself. I've got him. Just worry about keeping yourself on your feet." The blond haired man flashed her a smile that made her insides flutter. The young girl could admit that the Becket brother was quite handsome. He'd always been, and the dark look that laid behind his eyes was something Rachel wished she could erase. Ever since the loss of his brother, his co-pilot, he'd had that look. It might never go away, but hopefully it will fade in time as he is mended. The thought surprised Rachel and she glanced over at Mako, who was leading them down the hall. She was good for him, she would help him, and he would help her.

Finally they made it to Nick's room and Mako unlocked the door. Raleigh, with the help of Rachel, removed his gear until he was down to boxers and a wife beater. They laid him on the bed and Rachel tucked him in silently. Mako placed a small map and the key to his room on the nightstand beside him. The map would help him get to the mess the next morning. Stepping out of the room and closing it behind her Rachel walked down the hall further with the two pilots.

"This is your room." Mako said pressing the key into Rachel's hand. "Beside you is Raleigh and across from him, myself. If you need anything just come and knock." Mako gave the girl a light squeeze on her shoulder before leaving them. Rachel turned and opened her door. Stepping inside her room and left it open for the other to enter, which he did after a moment of hesitation.

"We share a bathroom together, but both sides lock from the inside so remember to lock both doors. It'll prevent us from walking in on each other." The man told her as he rubbed the back of his neck. "And what Mako said. If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." He was standing next to the door as he watched her start to remove her gear.

"Can I ask you something right now?" Rachel inquired as she unbuckled the plating around her arms.

"Of course."

"Were you scared? I mean when you first joined this program. Did you ever feel out of place?" Rachel was trying to reach behind her to unclasp her back, but her fingers kept slipping and she couldn't get a hold on the buckle. The sound a feet shuffling were followed by a pair of warm hands batting her's away. Rachel gave up and let the other assist her in getting the damn plating off.

"I was. My brother was always the one who lead. But after awhile I got the hang of it, of the fame, the glory, the rush. After awhile it all comes natural and you just... adapt to it." Her told her honestly as the breast plating fell away. Her white tank beneath now visible. Rachel hummed as she removed the rest of the plating. Picking it up she placed it carefully in the small closet she had.

"Thank you." She told him softly. Instead of shaking his hand and sending him off she enveloped him into a hug. While she was so close she moved her mouth to press into his shoulder, the one that had been injured many years ago. The blonde tensed beneath her hands.

"You know how you told me if I ever needed anything to call on you? Same with me. Ever need to talk and I'll be here." With that she let him go and walked him to her door. He flashed her one of his smiles, but a darkness hung behind it and then he moved into his own room. The door closed with a echoing ring.

Closing her own door Rachel locked it and flicked the lights off before crawling into bed. As soon as her head hit the pillow she was gone.


Sooo... what do you think? Review and let me know!