Bless my soul! Herc was on a roll!
Striker Eureka was carefully docked back in the last bay in the Shatterdome, along the walls with Echo Saber and Vulcan Spectre.
The head of the Jaeger was carefully removed and raised to the operations dock. The hatch was unsealed and the pilots walked out.
What a pro - Herc could stop a show
Hercules Hanson and his son Chuck stepped on to the platform, welcomed by cheers and congratulations.
Chuck soaked in the attention like a sponge. He smiled and took the pats on the back like a champ.
Herc smiled and waved, nodding his way through the mass as he made his way to get his suit taken off.
Point him at a monster and you're talking S.R.O!
Finally getting through the crowd, Hercules Hanson took a deep breathe.
Stepping into the gear room, he relished the silence.
With every monster, with every Jaeger that squares up against a Kaiju, come the crowd.
He'd lived through it in his MARK I days. Interviews and crowds. Kissing babies and shaking hands before bright flashes and eager journalists.
He became a pilot to save people. He became a Jaeger pilot to save people. Didn't mean he wanted those people in his Jaeger bay, shouting at him about how it felt to kill a Kaiju.
It wasn't about the Kaiju. Or killing the Kaiju. It was about saving innocent people like he saved his son. Like he failed to save his wife.
Now he's a honcho - he's a hero!
The technicians started with by draining the drift suit of the Neural Relay Gel.
Relay Gel used to be hard to clear from the suit. In the MARK I's everyone had dreaded getting it on their skin or in their hair.
After the MARK I's it'd been the MARK II's.
Australia had chosen him to headline their MARK 5 Jaeger, Striker Eureka. Suggested his son would make a great co-pilot considering blood relations made for stronger Drift bonds.
Herc had his own level of skepticism after his brother Scott was dismissed from the program.
Certain things about your family that you just didn't need to know about them.
Hercules himself had been frightened of what his son would find in his head upon their first drift. Turns out being in the PPDC for the last 20 years meant he didn't have a whole lot of time for unsavory secrets.
Here was a kid with his act down pat
Chuck finally stepped into the room, handing his helmet to a technician. His face bright with pride and lipstick smeared across his cheek from one of his adoring fans.
Herc had warned his son not to get tied up in the politics and headlines of this job. He'd been there too once. Learned his lesson before he left the Royal Australian Air Force.
He knew Chuck had seen the memories. Seen his mother screaming about the lipstick on his cheek after a successful mission. Screaming about his long nights with his co-pilots in bars and clubs.
Herc had nearly lost his family to the flashy and shiny world of celebrity.
Chuck's answer to that had been to never have a family. His father swore there was a new woman for every deployment they'd gone on together. Chuck remembered them by the names of the Kaiju he'd killed prior to meeting them.
Zero to hero - just like that!
The fame of the Air Force was nothing compared to the fame of being a Jaeger pilot in the MARK I days.
He'd had enough fights with his wife when he was a fighter jet pilot. Part of him was relieved that she wasn't here now. He'd have ended up retired or divorced before he ever made it into a MARK II.
Part of Herc Hanson's heart still mourned his wife. Still missed her from time to time. Killing the first Kaiju, being there to save the people of Australia, didn't bring his wife back. Didn't make Chuck a better man for having a mother instead of a war-hardened, heart-broken Ranger as his only influence.
It only took a handful of headlines and interviews before he told the PPDC to leave his name out of things. Before he started leaving the Jaeger and going straight back to his son.
When he smiled the girls went wild
When he'd brought Chuck to live with him in the first Shatterdome, he'd been an increasingly popular man.
He never had to worry about finding someone to watch his son while he trained or fought, but rather how to get them out the door once the kid was asleep and he returned to his room.
He'd offended more than a few of the females on the base before he figured our which ones genuinely wanted to help him and Chuck, versus the ones who felt a handsome widower Jaeger pilot with a motherless child was an investment.
Say amen - there he goes again!
The technicians brought out the bolt guns, removing the spine out of his suit.
After the spine they set on removing armor panels from his body.
Sweet and undefeated and an awesome 10 for 10!
Rank followed wins, and while he was given choices of relocating to any Shatterdome of his choice, he stayed in Australia.
The country funded incredible, top of the line Jaegers and the world's only MARK 5.
He felt more comfortable having his only family close to home. He hadn't intended to leave Sydney once he joined the Royal Air Force, he didn't want to leave it for the Pan Pacific Defense Corps.
From zero to hero - a major hunk!
Once the last armor panel was removed from his upper torso, Herc began to flex.
The suit was worth it, it was incredibly designed.
The connection to the cradle had saved pilots from being thrown across the cockpit.
The design of the suit prevented drastic climate changes when anything went through the cockpit, and there were numerous times when claws and teeth broke through the cockpit of a Jaeger. The armor panels mounted up and prevented bone breaks and enabled the relay gel to accurately communicate with the nervous system of the pilots.
The suits were also very tight on your muscles to get that connection with the nervous system. They were also heavy. The spine attachment assisted in even weight distribution of the upper body panels, and there were shocks and hydraulic systems in place to take the jarring caused by numerous strikes.
The suits for the MARK 5 were a lot lighter than the suits required to pilot any other MARK of Jaeger. The suits were more comfortable than any of the others had been. Still, he hadn't noticed an effect on his 20 year old body, at least not to the extent that it had on his 40 year old body.
Zero to Hero - and who'd have thunk?
Stepping out of the drift suit boots, Herc made his way over to the locker rooms right off the gear room.
Chuck was still getting his armor torn down, yammering on to the technicians. They had gotten used to his expectation of nods and responses, but it slowed their pace in breaking down his suit.
Shutting the door behind him, he began to unzip the insulated under layer of the suit.
The suit reminded him of the ones they'd used to surf on the beaches in Australia. Only the technology running through this suit cost more than the jets he'd flown in the first part of his career. And surfing wasn't a popular sport now that Kaiju were appearing on the coasts surrounding the Pacific Ocean.
Who puts the glad in gladiator? Hercules!
Peeling the suit off, he set it in the locker at the end. The technicians would inspect it for damage and clean the sweat out of the fibers.
Chuck stepped into the locker rooms just as his father got into the shower.
Whose daring deeds are great theater? Hercules!
Is he bold? No one braver!
Pulling on his jacket, the older Hanson headed for the door of the locker room. The nice thing about the setup of the Shatterdome was that it was easy to go from the Ranger locker rooms straight to their living quarters without interference from anyone.
Stepping out of the locker room, Herc ran into a girl.
She looked up from her book, smiling at him. Getting up, she rushed over, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as his own arms closed around her back.
Max huffed off to the side of them, going to scratch at the door to the locker room.
Is he sweet? Our favorite flavor! Hercules!
The Ranger pulled back, kissing her hair as she laid her forehead on his chest. Crouching down, he hooked his arm in the small of her back, picking her off of the ground as he turned to let the bulldog into the locker rooms.
Hercules!
Setting her back on the ground, he tangled his other hand in the hair at her neck. Kissing her hair again, he stood there in the empty hallway holding onto her.
Hercules!
When his grip on her slackened, she looked up at him. The relief in her eyes was obvious.
His fingers caressed her chin while he kissed her softly on her lips.
Bless my soul, Herc was on a role - undefeated!
Linking his fingers with hers, he began leading her down the hallway towards the living quarters.
Now he's a honcho - he's a hero!
The Ranger opened the door to his room, letting her step inside before he shut the door.
Stepping down into the room, Herc turned, lifting the girl off of the top step.
She wrapped her legs around her waist, putting her head against his as he backed up.
The back of his legs hit the bed and he tightened his arms around her and together they fell onto the bed.
He hit the heights at breakneck speed!
Long brown hair tumbled around Hercules's head and shoulder.
She smiled, light peeking through the strands to paint abstract lines of shadow across her features.
He smiled up at her. A laugh working its way up from his chest.
Running her fingers through his wet hair, she leaned down to catch his lips with hers.
His hands started on her hips, running up her shirt across the skin of her torso.
From zero to hero... Herc is a hero!