Disclaimer; I OWN NOTHING ...
Except the weird shit my mind like to put these characters in.
Chapter 2 – Explanations
"So, that's why you disappeared?" A few days later, the pilots were finally able to sit down and catch up in their usual gear. Raleigh and Mako had settled in well, considering, and they'd gotten their logo sorted. Skye had given them a tour of the facilities, completely skipping the only restricted area in the place. She was tight lipped about it and didn't see the need to go down that road until they were up to speed on everything else. They'd rarely seen Herc, hadn't seen Tendo and couldn't, for the life of them, figure out why. The base was a world all on its own. There were always people rushing around, in the training room, running the simulator. It's as if no-one slept, at all!
"Yeah, thought I was being prank called at first. After the thirteenth, or fourteenth call, I can't remember which; Chuck was standing in my quarters, in the dark, with this little brunette thing. Almost shit myself when I turned the light on." Herc had never been the type to talk so much, unless he was on duty; it was weird to the newcomers. "I thought I was seeing things until he gave me that smug fucking grin of his, then I socked him one in the mouth."
"An' it fucking hurt, thanks!" The corners of Herc's mouth threatened a smile, the spark in his eyes unmistakable. That annoying but completely relieving voice, again. Everyone who wasn't a pilot, friend or J-tech gave them a wide berth; not wanting to disturb them until Skye came rushing over. They'd barely seen her since their tour and she knew she was going to be needed for this conversation because... Well, because she's the one that saved that wankers life. "So, anyways; Pentecost was about to detonate and the next thing we know, there's three of us in th-"
"Mom owed him a couple of favours. S'not as if she liked asking me to go down there, she didn't want me down there! But from the way she spoke about him, I had to meet him." Skye couldn't help butting in. She busied herself with more hacking, algorithms, firewalls and begun her explanation, "What I'm about to tell you is classified to the highest degree, but in order for plans to go ahead, I gotta tell you and uncle Nicky will have to up your clearance." Looking around the small table, she saw that some of the others had joined the group, all looking around them to make sure no-one that wasn't cleared was out of hearing range. "Don't worry about it; I've got the shields up. Only specific people can pass through this one." She stopped her typing and faced the other pilots. Seeing Mako and Raleigh across from herself and Chuck made her head spin a little. She shook it off and continued, "See, the thing about aliens, big or small, they walk among us, you. Some will try to take over, some won't. Resident alien, right here. I was born in '89 on this planet, it's home! Asgardian. Not entirely. Like three-quarters... And I age at a rate that's much slower than completely human, but not as slow as full Asgardian. Odin All-father couldn't keep it in his pants the last time he was here and fell for my Grandmother, which explains Mom! He doesn't do that very often, being married to Lady Frigga and all but everyone has their moments. So, uh, I dunno. Thor's my uncle?" She truly seemed confused.
"Mom fell in love with The Watcher and that explains me. Something to do with an enchanted uru sword, made him seem human but mom could sense the Asgardian in him. His sense of duty to his world is more than his love for us, and believe me, he loves us very much. Only time that guy smiles is when he sees us, I can feel his eyes on us now." She let her head fall back and stared straight at the ceiling, "We love you too, dad!" She resumed her tales, "Checks up on us every so often. Lived up there for a while when I was a kid, Uncle Loki - whose dead now by the way, shame really but that's what happens when you try to take over our world four fucking times - was always really nice to me. Showed me a tonne of stuff, taught me some magic along with Lady Frigga and so, there you have it. I can shadow walk, among other things. For shadow-walking, it's gotta be real dark or I can't because, well, it's done in the shadows? I dunno how to explain it but, ah, fuck! That's how I got down there." She stared Mako straight in the eyes, "Your old man was stubborn! And dare I say, downright scary. Looked a bit - fine, a lot - like dad too. Now, I'm not saying he's my dad's brother or clone or my cousin or anything. It's just weird, staring into the face of someone that looks like he could be your father's twin. I dunno what's up with that. I mean, mom or Hill always dealt with the PPDC and I'd never seen him in anything but the picture in his file before then. The way she talked about him though, I felt like I knew him. Dad won't tell me if he is his brother or anything but I didn't get the Asgardian vibe. Some do opt for the completely mortal choice, that decision's never light or as easy as it sounds. Mom went back up there before shit hit the fan in Striker; the Watcher's post can pretty much see everything over the Nine Realms. Now, we're kicking ass and taking names... Or, people to jail. Aaaaaaand we're gearing up for another Kaiju war." The others looked at her as if she had three heads, which wouldn't particularly surprise anyone considering she's full of personalities.
Man! That girl can talk, Raleigh couldn't keep the laugh in. "I believe you. I just, after the Kaiju coming from the oceans, people coming from up there seems so..." He trailed off and looked to Mako. They had tried to drift once since the breach and that ended up the worst drift they'd ever had. Some say that the drift is silence, but it's not. There were way too many RABIT's to chase, too many raw emotions, but it didn't mean they didn't know what the other was thinking. Their drift was strong and the ghost drifting faded after a while but as drift compatible partners, they'd always be able to read each other.
"Ya know, my cousin Hela, Queen of the Dead, she's spoken with him. He'll live out the rest of his existence in Valhalla, as will the majority of fallen Jaeger pilots. Only those who are honourable in their life reach Valhalla. If not, they go to Hel, unless they were dishonourable. In that case, they go to Niffleheim and spend their existence in punishment. It's weird, but it works and she doesn't take kindly to dishonourable souls. It's mainly murderers and people like that but now I'm rambling and I'mgonnashutupnowbecausepeoplearelookingatmeweirdandIdon'tlikeit!" Losing herself in the weird and wonderful thought processes of her cousin, she didn't notice more people joining the table, with clearance of course. Finally sucking in a deep breath, she held it for a few seconds before releasing it and let her head connect with the table top.
"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," He flashed a heatless glare in Skye's direction, "Next thing we know, there's three of us in there." He stared off, eyes glazed, reliving the memory.
Flashback-
"Mako, listen! You can finish this, I'll always be here for you... You can always find me in the drift!" He doesn't tell her how proud he is. He doesn't tell her that he loves her. He doesn't tell her the things he should. She already knows! In the smallest ways, he's shown all that and more, and the fact that he finally kept his promise, says more than words ever could and he knows that she knows. The hull has been breached, electronics sparking, water spraying in, dark red lights screaming warnings here, there and everywhere, most systems are down. There is a sense of dread that falls over those in the water and the hundreds more in the Shatterdome. Both Kaiju waiting until in position and converging on Striker. Panic had gotten under their skin, they didn't want to die but if they had to, they'd go down swinging. "What can we do, sir?" Turning to stare at his superior officer and knowing the things that ran through both their minds, forming only one answer; detonation of the payload, the payload being a thermonuclear bomb that is equivalent to 1.2 megatons of TNT and strapped to Strikers back. Both Jaegers were thoroughly fucked, to say the least. The bomb release had been damaged and Striker couldn't take a Cat4 and a Cat5 on at the same time. It'd be idiotic. Gipsy could barely walk and was without her right arm, using her left GD6 Chain Sword as a crutch.
"We can clear a path, for the lady!" Breathing hard, staring into the face of a boy who'd become a fine and honourable young man in the short time it took to get from the Jaeger drop zone to the Breach. Chuck was once thought to be – simply put - a complete arsehole, but in all fairness, the boy had grown up in a warzone with only his emotionally constipated soldier father, he knew no other way. He'd had his life turned upside down when his mother was killed at a young age, either by Kaiju or nuclear missiles, no-one knew which. All five pilots and those friends in LOCCENT can feel their hearts drop into the pit of their stomachs. Chuck removed his helm and straightened up.
"Well, my father always said... He said if you have the shot, you take it. So let's do this." Looking into the face of a man on death row, even before Operation; Pitfall, Chuck couldn't help the thoughts running through his mind. Like how Mako would cope with the loss of her Sensei, her only family. How his father had never been overly emotional, but what did it feel like to lose a child? A child that you put above the love of your life? How his father would cope with the loss of a son, a friend and all of said friends duties. How he'd explain the loss of the two remaining Jaegers and possibly both sets of pilots to the Council. How his father would be able to pet and feed Max and barely force the tears away. Would his father crumble in the immediate aftermath of the breach closure? Or would he wait until the victory party and tour were over and done with? Thinking of how he'd been so hateful towards the one man who always had his back, always looked after him and always, always loved him no matter how hard he tried to push him away. How he could now see why his father had chosen him instead of his mother, because the love a parent has for their child is rivalled by nothing and his mother would agree to that. Besides, she'd have killed Herc if he hadn't saved Chuck, and it wouldn't have been pretty. Standing as close to attention as he could, "It was a pleasure, sir!" Receiving a small nod of reluctant acceptance and another of equally reluctant confirmation, he turned to the centre console, lifted the cover and flicked the first switch with the Marshal following suit.
And then there were three.
Time stood still outside the Conn-pod, comms went down and their hands rested on the last two switches, meant for detonation when a voice sounded from Chuck's left, "Marshal..." Both men's heads whipped around and Chuck missed the Marshal's grin. "Agent May here, as promised, sir, and right on time, I see." The woman stepped up to Stacker, looked him up and down, and embraced him like old friends would. Chuck didn't have a clue who she was or why she was here and he was beginning to get impatient. How did she even get here? They were thousands of feet below the surface and that swim would've killed her, but she wasn't wet. Her hair was still dry and now that he thought about that, the rest of her was too. When they pulled away from each other, she spoke again, "We can get you out too, and we can help with the sickness. Come on, I can get both of you out of here and still detonate, please? Mom can't bear to lose you and Gods know she's up there with him, watching. Please?" she looked up at him almost pleading, until he shook his head. It was his time and nothing would change his mind. "We'll look after her, Stacks. We'll keep an eye on all of them! But I'll leave mom or One-Eyed-Willy to deal with the Council." The contortion of her face into a look of disgust brought mild amusement to Chuck but the impatience and anxiety were building, higher than he'd ever tolerated.
Pentecost laughed – he actually laughed - and cupped her face in both hands, "You look so much like her, tell her she still owes me one and I'm cashing in on that now too." He pressed his lips to her forehead and gave her another tight, short embrace before pushing her away. He'd only ever hugged Mako in private, as her father instead of her superior officer. "Give my girls hugs from me!" He sighed, "I once asked a man where he would rather die, on the wall or in a Jaeger. The sickness will take me and I won't let her see me like that. Now, get him out of here, it doesn't take two to push a damn button. But don't let him be a dick and don't let this eat at him. I won't take him down with me!" It finally clicked in Chuck's mind and he paled considerably.
"What?! How can she get me out of here? I'm going nowhere, you can't do that, sir." He couldn't breathe, he couldn't think straight. It was all a jumbled mess upstairs and whether he'd jockeyed with Stacker once or a million times, you never leave your co-pilot! It wasn't just an unwritten rule, it was the unwritten rule. Sure, the med teams had protocol against separating co-pilots after combat but if you bailed, you were as good as dead anyway. The Council would hang you out to dry. "Dammit Stacker! We're co-pilots and I'm not leaving you behind. If you're staying, I'm staying. I can't...I won't...Dad...Mako...The Council...The world," He didn't know how to back up his argument. He was never good with words considering his only other co-pilot was his father, and they only ever took a swing at each other, unless they were in the drift. The fact that the Marshal would rather save his life said a lot about how much the man valued his fathers' friendship, but it didn't change the fact that pilots died together.
He didn't even realise he was crying until the unknown woman stepped up to wipe the tears away. She was gentle and understanding, and she was trying to take his right to die with his co-pilot away from him. He understood why the Marshal wanted him to live, but he didn't understand why his choice was taken from him. "Chuck! You are a great pilot and even though you're a complete arse at times, you have a life to live. You are your father's son, as I've already said, but don't waste it this time. Tell your father that you love him and hug the man for Christ's sake. Tell Mako and Raleigh that you value them as pilots, allies, acquaintances and friends. Tell the people you care about, that you care about them. And if these bastards come back, bring them hell!" He gave a small apologetic smile and turned to the woman, nodding, "Get him outta here! Herc will kill me, again, if he doesn't survive. Don't make me make that an order." The woman stepped up and put her hand out in the hopes that it'd go easy. Chuck had other ideas and batted the hand away. He disengaged his harness and that's when she pounced. The fight or flight instinct kicked in but he couldn't really go anywhere and so, the fight took over and she gave as good as she got. "It's been an honour, Ranger Hansen!" She finally had him cornered and with a watery farewell nod to the Marshal, they were gone and time started ticking again.
Opening his eyes in a dark room, he felt the anger bubble to the surface but he couldn't move because she was still wrapped around him. Someone opened the door, light streaming through and he couldn't do anything other than break down into a blubbering mess. She kept her arms around him and followed, lowering him slowly. He lived because that jerk had made it happen and the then unknown woman held onto him, shushing and whispering small comforts in his ear, and he clung to her just like he did with his dad when he found out his mother had been taken.
"I didn't speak to anyone for weeks after that. I didn't know how long had passed and after a while I'm guessing, someone taunted me into sparring. I used that to sort through the clusterfuck." He felt Skye's hand on his knee, squeezing, comforting. He dropped his head to look at her, adoration and tears brimming. Lifting his head back up, he saw that Mako hadn't been able to contain her tears and that sent his over the edge. Through blurred vision, he could see Raleigh trying to comfort her while Skye rested her head on his shoulder.
"And when he was finally functional, like no more drone-bot, I tried calling Pops umpteen times. Really rude man! But hey," she caught the pointed looks from Coulson and May. "Where's Fitzy? Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!" Skye face-palmed herself as she remembered what she was supposed to be doing today. After looking at her watch, she realised she was already half an hour late.
"Who's Fitzy?" Pretty much everyone at the table asked.
"Leo! He throws a fit every time I go into the lab, claims I damage his tech. Raleigh, Mako. We've set Gipsy up for a trial run, but with how bad your last drift went, we'll take it slow, get you accustomed to the Conn-pod again. Erm, quick question..." She looked unsure but she had to do this, "You remember when Captain Hook told you we had eight Jaeger but only seven and a half lots of pilots?" Receiving affirmation, she continued, "If all goes well over the next few days, how'd you feel about meeting the biggest, baddest and sexiest Jaeger there ever was?" Okay, that might have been a bad choice of words but it got the message through and she sounded like a kid that'd just been told to get anything and everything they wanted in a candy store.
"Sure."
A/N; Erm, so I haven't explained the Drift or RABIT's just yet but it will be explained in the next chapter, to the best of my ability. I don't fully understand it all but I am doing major research for it and it might take a little longer to post. Although this chapter is slightly shorter than the last, the next will be considerably longer if I can put what's in my mind into black and white... So yeah, Hela is the Queen of the Dead. I know that Odin rules over Valhalla but what's writing if you can't have a little fun with it?! Her ruling is much like that of Hades and the Underworld. Think Percy Jackson... You have the Fields of Punishment as Niffleheim, dishonoured dead. Elysium as Valhalla, honoured dead. Last but not least, Hel as everything in between. Hope you enjoyed!
