I have not written anything in a while, but after seeing Pacific Rim, I couldn't get the story ideas and the movie out of my head. Just as a warning: This has not been beta read so there will be mistakes and I'm not 100% sure of the eventual path of the story. Any reviews are appreciated.
Tap. Tap. Tap. The hollow sound of a pen hitting wood filled the small conference room. Tap. Tap.
"Raleigh!" Mako's sharp hiss of annoyance and disproval cut through the empty room for a brief moment, stilling Raleigh's pen an inch from the table top. Under the heat of Mako's glare he slowly placed the pen onto the blank pad of paper sitting in front of him and pushed both away.
Both Rangers were exhausted and despite their growing friendship and drift connection, they had spent far too much time together in the recent weeks following the end of the war. It started out as media interviews and an extended victory tour throughout the Pan Pacific region after the clock had been stopped before devolving into a series of debriefings, meetings, and interviews with every government who could get an official in the same room as the pair of heroes. It was difficult for both. Neither had been given enough time to grieve and celebrate during the long hours and numerous flights. The world needed to see strength and stability from the two living jaeger pilots and both were aware of this. They fulfilled their duties admirably with assistance from Marshall Hanson but now they were sitting in a quiet room with no explanation.
"I still think it will work!" Newton bustled into the room, a wall of energy that effectively stopped any further confrontation between the two pilots. "No." Hermann followed a moment later at a much more sedate pace. His cane thumping a steady rhythm across the room as he took a seat next to Mako.
Newton dropped heavily into an empty seat across from the calm pair, next to Raleigh with a wounded sigh. "But what…"
"No." Hermann stopped him cleanly. "The last time you had a revolutionary idea, we were forced to repress the apocalypse."
Herman slid farther into his chair with a second sigh and crossed his arms, settling for glaring at his lab partner. Silence descended on the room. Just as Raleigh was reaching for the pen sitting in front of him, the door swung open a third time.
"Gentlemen. Mako." Herc Hanson entered the room with a nod. Max trotting alongside his feet before dropping to the ground as Herc took a seat.
"So…" Raleigh broke the silence a moment later with a look at Marshall Hansen.
"Not yet." Hansen shook his head.
After a few minutes of near quiet, disrupted by Hermann and Newton continuing their vague argument at just above a whisper, Tendo Choi walked into the room followed by a woman Raleigh only vaguely recognized, each carried a tablet. The pair took the final seats at the long table. "Tendo. Angel" the Marshall greeted them before placing his own tablet on the table.
"Ladies and Gentlemen." Hansen addressed the room. "We're here because I wanted you to hear the news from me first. I have just finished a very long meeting with representatives from the Pacific nations and other parties. The Pan Pacific Defense Corps, specifically the Jaegar program, is being reinitiated."
Silence followed his words for a brief moment before a mass of voices fought for attention in the small arena. After a moment of trying to be heard over Newton, Raleigh glanced over at Mako and realized how withdrawn she had become with just a few brief words. Giving up the battle for attention, he reached an arm across the table and rested it on her wrist. She brought her eyes up from the table in surprise. Grief filled her steady gaze before being suppressed then replaced by resignation. He knew what this meant to her, just what it meant to him though it held a much stronger grip on her as her wounds were still raw and gaping. Restarting the program meant that all the sacrifices of Jaeger pilots; Chuck Hansen's, Yancy's, and Pentecost's efforts had been in vain. Mako offered him a grim smile before both turned back to the Marshall.
While they had been distracted, Herc had succeeded in subduing Newton and had begun answering the numerous questions in the room. "A second rift has not opened yet to our knowledge. But knowing the capabilities of the Kaiju and their masters, it is foolish of us to assume that that it will not happen eventually. The PPDC has realized the flaws in the Pacific wall plan and because Jaegers are the only successful defense humanity has, we will be on standby status until we can ascertain the validity of the remaining threat through whatever means necessary though discretion is vital." This last part was followed by a pointed look at Newton.
Marshall Hansen turned his attention to Raleigh for a moment. "Due to your…" he hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Leave of absence. I don't believe you ever met Angel." He gestured at the woman next to Tendo Choi. She gave Marshall Hansen an unreadable look for a moment before turning to Raleigh and offering a hand across the table. "Nikki Reese." Raliegh took the offered hand and shook it once before her name and features registered in his brain. He had never met her but Yancy had. She had been in one of the Jaeger support teams at the Shatterdome in Anchorage for a short time.
Herc continued after a moment. "Mako, Raleigh. You will be working with Tendo and Angel. We have no functioning Jaegers and no pilots. The four of you will be addressing this issue. Hermann, Newton. I have other jobs requiring your attention."