Chapter Three: Young Blood


A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short! It's mainly because of some revelations that I'm saving for next chapter - such as more about Chuck and Piper's past relationship, Robbie's conception and its consequences, and the mysterious Asher.


Raleigh watched Piper as they sat down for lunch in the mess hall. The young woman was speaking with Mako in a low voice, raking her hair out of her eyes every now and then. He forced his gaze back to his own table, where Herc was in the middle of a conversation – or by the sound of it, a chastising – with Chuck. The younger man was rolling his eyes and shaking his head, clearly not pleased with what Herc was saying. Raleigh leaped into the conversation, listening closely.

"…stop being such a jerk to her."

"I'm not being a jerk," Chuck grumbled, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back. Raleigh knew that they were talking about Piper, and he decided to keep his silence for now. It wasn't really his business, and he'd intervened enough on matters concerning Piper. However, he had a suspicion about the father of Piper's child, and Chuck and Herc's conversation seemed only to confirm that suspicion.

"So you visited Robbie?" Herc demanded.

"Yes," Chuck seethed, before darting a glance at Raleigh and noticing that he was listening intently. He scowled and offered the fellow Jaeger pilot a glower. "What are you looking at, Becket? Mind your own business."

But Chuck seemed to have had enough, because he shoved himself to his feet and stalked off, Max closely following on his heels. Herc sighed and ran his hands through his hair as he watched Chuck make his agitated departure, before he turned his attention on Raleigh. The younger man raised his eyebrows.

"Chuck is Robbie's father, isn't he?"

Herc smiled wryly. "Doesn't take a genius to figure that out."

Raleigh found himself wondering who else knew that Robbie was Chuck's child. It didn't seem like the Jaeger pilot spent much time with his son. Piper's eyes followed Chuck as he left the mess hall, before they quickly glued back to her tray. Raleigh turned away, concerned that she might see him looking at her. He wondered vaguely whether the young mechanic was one of Mako's candidates, but dismissed the idea. After what had happened to her parents, why would Piper aspire to be a Ranger?

"So has Piper been living with you since '23?" Raleigh inquired, "She mentioned…"

Herc gave him a puzzled look. "Since '23? No, she's been living me with Chuck and I since '19. Why do you ask?"

Raleigh shook his head, finding it slightly odd but deciding not to question it. Maybe Piper's parents had been piloting since 2019…but then again, so had Herc. Stop thinking about Piper! She's none of your concern. Pushing his mind away from the subject, he decided to approach another topic.

"Chuck doesn't seem too fond of me."

Herc laughed, but the sound held no mirth. "Chuck doesn't like most people. Don't take it personally. You'll prove him wrong. He should have more respect for his fellow Rangers, but…he seems to care more about machines than other human beings."

Raleigh looked up to see Stacker Pentecost approaching them. It was a rarity in itself to see him about the mess hall. Herc offered Stacker a smile and it was apparent that the two were on good terms as he rose to his feet and shook the other man's hand. Stacker's gaze, however, was fixated on Raleigh.

"We have a press conference this afternoon."

"Press conference?" Raleigh jumped to his feet, immediately alert. He hadn't faced the press since Yancy's death, and he wondered if they would still have questions concerning that, buried under five years of avoidance and keeping to himself. "What for?"

"They want to talk about the last Jaegers, Hong Kong Shatterdome being the last stand." Stacker shrugged his broad shoulders. "I would advise you to clean yourself up. You don't yet have a copilot, so there's every chance that you will be a hot topic of conversation. I've allowed some of the reporters restricted access within the Shatterdome, so they'll be able to take some pictures of the Jaegers…you know how the media is."

Raleigh understood the sudden rush of the press, and it haunted him slightly. They all thought that this was it. The Jaegers were a dying ideal, they were no longer required in a world desperately seeking other options to combat the growing threat of the kaiju. The media wanted one last look before the doors closed forever on a legacy that had dwindled down to four remaining Jaegers. All of a sudden, he felt extremely nervous.


Piper was not extremely happy about having cameras and reporters around the Shatterdome. They were so quick to bombard the Rangers, asking any question that came to mind no matter how personal it might be. Folding her arms, she pursed her lips and realised that with so many reporters around, there was no way she was slipping past to work on Gipsy Danger without being hounded by them. The last thing she wanted was reporters on her back, especially after last time.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who's camera shy."

Piper turned and smiled in relief when she saw Herc striding towards her, hands in pockets. Of course, Chuck was up there and centre of attention, just how he liked it. Some things definitely never changed. He was also doing his dad a favour though, because Herc had never been one for the limelight. Chuck's presence in front of the cameras meant that Herc could stay out of the way without question.

"I never want to go near them." Piper hugged herself tightly, biting at her lip. "I'm always scared that they'll ask about Asher."

Herc's expression immediately became one of sympathy, and he reached out to her. Piper stepped away, eyes finding the ground. She didn't want to be one of those girls who wanted people feeling sorry for them. Of course, Herc understood the situation better than most, but Asher was a name she rarely mentioned nowadays. The memories were still painful, glass shards embedded in her heart even after all this time.

"Piper…"

"No, I'm okay," Piper assured him, even offering him a fleeting smile despite knowing it wouldn't satisfy him. "Herc, really. I just need to forget about it – but the media never forgets, damn them."

Piper thought about Raleigh Becket. The cameras wouldn't forget him either, or his brother Yancy's death. It had been five years, but they never forgave, and they never forget. She noticed that poor Raleigh was right in front of the reporters as much as he looked like he wished he could be otherwise. From what she could hear, they were definitely grilling him about Yancy a bit, and Raleigh appeared lost for words.

Steeling herself, Piper resolved to intervene. She wasn't a Jaeger pilot, just a technician. They wouldn't want to talk to her. She kept telling herself that as she took a deep breath and crossed over, flashing a smile and taking Raleigh's arm, deliberately putting herself in the spotlight in order to draw him out of it.

"Sorry, guys. Raleigh here has a very busy schedule, so you'll have to cut the questions – sorry."

They turned on her like a pack of rabid wolves.

"Miss Derby! How are you coping after what happened to Asher?"

"How old is your son now? Robbie, isn't it?"

"Are you and Chuck Hansen still together?"

Piper gritted her teeth and was met with no resistance from Raleigh as she tugged him away from the flashing cameras and excited reporters. Once they were in the corridor, Piper breathed a sigh of relief and raked her hands through her blonde hair, turning to glance at Raleigh who was looking grateful.

"In case you were going to ask who Asher is…"

"I wasn't." Raleigh held up his hands as if in surrender. "You've already been hounded enough by them. It's nothing I need to know about."

"They weren't interested in me," Piper murmured, despite knowing that it was a lie. Sure, she was only a technician, but the past always came back to haunt you when you least expected it. She had been involved with Jaeger pilots, and she had been a fool if she thought that it wouldn't come back to bite at some stage. "I just heard them asking all these questions about Yancy and…well, I thought you might want to get out of there."

"Yeah, I did." Raleigh offered Piper a wry smile. It was thoughtful of her to think about bailing him out, and she seemed intuitive to tell that he was only forcing a smile and wasn't really enjoying the spotlight as Chuck did. "I do actually have a question, though."

Piper sighed heavily, bracing herself. "Yes, Raleigh?"

"I was wondering if I could meet Robbie. Properly, I mean."

Piper was a little astonished. She had only briefly introduced Raleigh to her son, but she hadn't been aware that he was interested in dealing with kids. She couldn't help but laugh a little. Finally, someone who didn't judge her for being a young mother with her child at a Shatterdome.

"Sure."