There had been twelve Jaegers in total at the funeral for Mako. Jake had already lost his ability to shed anymore tears by the time everything commenced. Liwen had not been present. Jake just couldn't care about that; not half as much as trying to figure out what to do. They needed to find that rogue. They were calling it Obsidian Fury and the name was perfect. It was probably serving as the perfect coup for Liwen to assert that her drones would not have failed to stop the threat. Jake knew better than to believe such a silly idea. Nobody had been ready for such an occurrence at the council meeting. The council would probably approve the drones only out of the desperation born of a new, undetermined threat. Saving lives was the point but, doggonit, you couldn't stop people from dying.
Jake was wandering the halls aimlessly after finding something of intrigue in the lab. Mako had managed to send a piece of info to the Corps just before the crash. It had been a challenge thanks to the jammers, but it had been received, albeit, fragmented. Gottlieb had managed to begin restoring it and the image that appeared was an odd one. It looked like a Kaiju image from the database they had but the search came up empty when it was compared to everything they had. It was important, but until properly identified, all he could do was wait, and think about his position in life. Nate had not condemned him, in fact he had simply been quietly by Jake's side at the funeral, and then vanished to somewhere else in the facility.
After an undetermined amount of time, he suddenly received the news he had been waiting on. The image was not about something, but rather a place. The message pointed towards a location in Siberia: Severnaya Zemlya. It was a factory from the old days back in the war, but it was now decommissioned. According to Gottlieb, they made old power cores there once, but why the message pointed there was the mystery. Jake didn't care about that, it mattered to him that Mako's message pointed to that location. Mako never acted without a reason. He knew that from experience.
At his request, they had been airlifted to Siberia, and now they were moving across the ice towards the facility to see what was there. Gypsy Avenger could help them see what their human eyes could not through her sophisticated sensors. Plus, it gave Jake more practice at being inside Nate's head, and this was a personal mission anyway. If it lead them to answers, and bringing down Obsidian Fury, Jake would be able to make some peace with this whole turn of events.
As they were on route, Jake asked for Nate's take on the rogue. Designed for battle, lots of time and effort went into it, no half-baked parts or armor. Obsidian Chrome, nothing cheap about it, and it covered the upper half so the power core and over vital points were difficult to get at; this also made it heavier and difficult to unbalance at the cost of speed. To compensate, the pilots must have trained religiously to anticipate their opponent in order to maximize their combat potential, especially since it moved and fought like one of the older models. Its weapons were nothing to sneeze at and it was built for combat on a heavy scale. AKM Salvo-Launchers built into both shoulders. Six barrels that were simplistic in design, but made up for it with honed skill and the element of surprise. Arm-mounted Particle Guns, probably for precision targeting since it was not as fast on the reload. The Dual Plasma Chainsaws, now there was a problem. Just about every Jaeger in existence had a weapon for close range combat, some built only for close quarters, while others had the tool as an alternate to their fists. Each was different but dual-wielding was a bit special and required no small degree of skill, especially something as heavy and wieldy as a chainsaw. The Plasma was a bonus making it cut deeper and sharper than it would normally. The worst part was the Particle Charger. Its blasts were powerful and had enormous force in them. All in all, it was a well-designed machine when it came to the threat it presented. "It's nothing special," Nate said, "buts its not outdated by any means. Whoever designed it had a clear idea in their heads. The thing that really hurts it that Jaegers don't usually end up fighting other Jaegers, and those that do are usually half-baked."
Jake could agree on that one. He knew from experience that Jaegers built in secret never amounted to much in terms of threat to those made by the professionals in Shatterdomes; it was simply too difficult to get the necessary parts and equipment without risking exposure. Whoever had done all of this was a pro. The pilots were good to by Nate's calculations. The element of surprise had not worked against Fury either. They had a plan, they executed it, and then they left in order to make sure the mystery remained. It was odd though that it came from the sea and then returned to it without any airlift. Jaegers almost always arrived at their destinations by airlift and then taken out the same way. It conserved fuel and kept the impact of the Jaeger's movements to a minimum. When Jaeger's walked, the ground was disturbed, and collateral damage, however unintentional, was a constant.
As they walked the snow-covered plains of ice, Jake was quiet. Nate had commented his surprise at how easily Jake had slipped into the Drift. Jake had carried one thing with him: ice-cold determination, and that lent him focus. His thoughts weren't drifting everywhere nor did he have any desire to be anywhere except in the now. Nate was focused to, though his mind was processing some of the best ways to engage their opponent, and what the message could mean. Jake shared his curiosity; and he wanted to rip open that Jaeger and get answers for why his sister was targeted.
Finally, lights blazing full steam, sensors sweeping, they found themselves within visible range of the facility. Nate swept his hand over some the virtual buttons. "Scanning," calmly stated the AI. He sighed with disappointment.
"It looks like Mako's message was a dead end." He looked over at Jake who said nothing. "This place is abandoned and probably has been for some undeterminable amount of time."
"Wait a second," Jake said. He noticed something and enlarged the 3D virtual image of the buildings with a sweep of his hands bringing it into sharper focus. He looked back to Nate as he gestured at the image. "I'm getting some rather strange readings."
Nate's eyes narrowed in curiosity. Whoop, whoop, whoop! "Incoming!"
They had partially turned when the first one struck and they went down kneeling on one knee so the others missed. Missiles. The first was direct hit and the rest hit the facility igniting explosions and erasing the whole area. Whether intentional or not was irrelevant. Gypsy turned back towards the source and saw it instantly. The orange visor was the dead giveaway.
Found you! They were immediately on their feet and charging despite continuous, spaced shots their way. Most missed, while others struck them on the shoulders but Jake didn't feel it, did not even notice it; all he saw was the killer. He was in charge of the bond, his superior feelings and focus driving everything with Nate riding along and providing backup through his superior experience and knowledge. He instantly recalled his sessions with Mako. Never be predictable; the moment you do that, the opponent gains the upper hand on you.
They were closing in, and that meant it was probably coming. "Take out his legs!" Jake didn't hesitate. They took a short hop and landed in a metallic belly flop just as the Particle Charger fired. To deploy the weapon meant Obsidian Fury had to stand still in a braced stance lest the force of its own weapon knock it off balance. This was ice which meant they kept moving beneath the beam of energy. A quick twist and they hooked Fury's leg. The rogue was swept off its balance and went down hard. With a quick roll Gypsy was on top. A clean blow to the "chin" but Fury managed to guard the double fisted slam they attempted with its forearms and gave a quick counter. Then they plunged into open air, a crack in the glaciers they were fighting on. Ice fragments flew everywhere and refracted the light of their weapons as they crashed against the sides and stray icicles. Zzzrrrnnnnkkk! Obsidian had brought one of the chainsaws into play as they tumbled back and forth down the crevice with Gypsy bringing out the chain sword. Back and forth they viciously thrust and parried at the other seeking a killing stroke the other could not dodge under such circumstances.
KROOM! The wall of the glacier shattered with a resounding sound of thunder spilling both Jaegers on to the pack ice. Fury slid farther out on to the flat open area, both chainsaws deployed, flat on its back. It sat up but then its torso twisted a full 180 degrees backwards. It planted both fists down on the ice and pushed off in an inhuman, disturbing motion. V-v-vzzzrrrkkk! It spun back into full forward position on its feet now. The blasted Particle Charger ignited with its fury again, only to be sustained. Nate's experience was the only reason they blocked the beam with the sword, but it was a poor defense at best. The rogue kept beam firmly fixed on them and with long, bracing strides, it was slowly closing the gap, the pulses down the beam keeping them off balance.
"We gotta get outta here!" groaned Nate over the strain of intense effort. They promptly used the elbow rocket but took aim downward. The ice, already weakened from the intense heat, gave way with ease at the hefty blow. Obsidian's target fell out of sight beneath the pack ice. It strode over to the hole but stopped looking down. It almost appeared unsure of what to do next. There was flash followed by a rumble. A small tube popped up out of the ice like a rocket into the air. It popped open and a number of needle-like missiles spat fire and zoomed down at the Jaeger. It shielded its face, but the explosives struck in a circle around its feet. It to fell through the ice, but belly flopped so that it remained stuck like a sub venting on the surface. Suddenly, the shape of Gypsy Avenger filled its vision and tackled it in a rocket-propelled charge from below. The two exploded out of the water in a blast of freezing droplets and ice with Gypsy on top. Pinning the rogue Jaeger, they threw a right down at the "face". It narrowly dodged left and managed to get its long arms on their back shoulders, slamming them face first against the ice and leaving a hole. It got itself braced, and rolled them over. Now it was on top and it couldn't possibly miss. Go for unexpected.
"Plasma cannon!" yelled Jake furiously. The left arm reconfigured its shape and blasted right in the face of Obsidian Fury. The sheer impact of the blast force knocked Obsidian clean off them and left its feet dancing absurdly on the ice as it flew backwards for about a mile. Finally, it hit the ice and managed against all odds to roll with the blow on to its feet. Still it did not stand back up with much speed. The battle was taking a toll, and it had not received any repairs or attention since Sydney.
"I think we've hacked 'em off," said Nate breathlessly, looking over to Jake.
"Good," he said without batting an eye. Emotion would compromise their opponent's fighting ability. They gestured and the sword sprung from its sheath to full length, blue energy glowing along its length. They stood ready, waiting for their opponent to respond. It did not disappoint. Zrack! Both chainsaws deployed, bright energy surging over them. The two combatants charged each other. "You remember our old move?"
"Oh, heck yeah," Nate smiled.
The idea was simple in form, yet a little complicated in execution. Complicated if the opponent saw it coming, but the pilots of Obsidian would not be able to see it coming. They kept going forward as if going for a lunge or momentum-enhanced swing, but instead they went into a crouch and spun. The ice helped. Fury's swing missed completely while they spun around and swung the chain sword in a one hundred eighty degree turn that took advantage of the charging opponent's momentum. The rogue ran straight into the blade, which cut deeper as Gypsy kept sliding past Obsidian, and then was torn out by the force of their slide. Obsidian slowed to a halt, almost stumbled in fact, while Jake and Nate remained crouched watching for the next action.
The rogue partially turned exposing its torso. A long glowing orange line several feet thick, crossed its entire midsection right at the Particle Charger. "He looks hurt," observed Jake. Still, he didn't dare charge unless Nate thought it wise. Recklessness would get them killed out here.
"Go for his power core!" yelled Nate sensing victory and the only opening they might get. One chance, it was now or never! Gypsy charged and Obsidian weakly swung its right saw. Crack! went a strong right fist to the chest. Obsidian convulsed on that one like when a person was hit in the diaphragm. They stabbed it in the left quad, took out its mobility. Crack! Obsidian broke it off at the wrist with a clever upward swing of the right hand. The saw's superior weight did the rest. They received two blows, one on each shoulder while they were reeling. It scissored its weapon arms in an X designed to cleave them at the neck or right on the face. Desperately they caught it, but Obsidian was strong and they were off balance. Its weight, the position they were in, the blades, it was all against them. Jake strained and Nate gritted his teeth, growling in effort, as the virtual image displayed inched closer and closer. The left saw began to scrape on the hull of Gypsy. Jake gasped at the sensation, how it felt, and then his vision went red with determination. Mako.
Everything else blacked out except a whole lot of willpower. Noise ceased in his ears, he felt nothing. A quick jerk of his head and suddenly he reversed the hold so that Obsidian's arms were crossed in the wrong position so it lacked the proper leverage. The right saw was scraping them on the shoulder but now Jake had 'em by the head and he was pulling them closer, forcing Obsidian where it did not want to go. He got his hands just right, and suddenly Obsidian was the one being threatened with decapitation by its own weapons. No more chances, no more anything. It all ended now! Jake landed a head butt on Obsidian rattling its conn pod and then promptly crouched and gave a nasty, soaring left that caught Obsidian right on the chin, staggering it. The rogue attempted a counter swing but it was too slow, movement impaired. They ripped out the blade from the thigh of Fury and promptly got it right in the exposed areas of the neck, crippling the wiring and mobility. Jake and Nate reared back. NOW! BWASHT! The left fist punched straight through the back of the Jaeger, the spherical power core clenched in hand, then it yanked back out. They both stood there breathing hard from the intensity of their last efforts.
Obsidian Fury stood there with the hole in its chest as if somehow refusing to go down, strange growling sounds emanating from servos and gears that had to bow to the laws of inevitability. With a mighty groan, the fearsome Jaeger collapsed with a crunch on to the ice, the orange fire in its helm going dark. "Pilots of Obsidian Fury," Jake said through the comm, his voice booming over the ice with authority, striding towards the fallen machine, "get the heck out of your conn pod, now!"
They placed a firm, authoritative foot down on the body to emphasize the point. Jake then promptly got his hands on the helm and began to squeeze, digging and pulling against the helm. His patience was at an end. No more hiding whoever you are. With Nate's careful aid, they yanked it off exposing…
"What the blazes is that!?" Jake said in shock. Nate looked back down at the pod and grimaced in disgust and bewilderment. There were no humans inside the pod, just a blob of flesh that was pulsing like a heart, but seemed to be dying, really quickly. It almost resembled a Kaiju brain; and it was wired to the whole of the pod, meaning that they had been fighting a hybrid of Kaiju and machine this whole time. If it was Kaiju. "Gypsy to Command, Obsidian Fury is down, I repeat, Fury is down. But, you better send an airlift for two. And tell doctor Gottlieb to have his lab and equipment ready. We've got ourselves our little riddle here that needs a more scientific approach."
As they waited for the choppers, "You did good. Real good." Nate was complimenting him, but it didn't help to ease the confusion either of them felt. What had they gotten into and what was happening? The shadow behind all of this, who did it belong to? Had they actually managed to come back without them knowing?
