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…..

I had stepped out of the Dome for a bit. Looking out at the sea gave me mixed feelings. What I once admired and was fascinated by now made me feel uncertain and fearful. The fresh air did me some good. I headed back to my room quickly. I wanted to talk to Mako, but I decided to let her have her own time as well. Pentecost was being over-protective of her. I knew Mako wanted nothing more than to prove herself to Pentecost and the others. Everyone would always assume she got treated better because Pentecost had taken her under his wing. Mako earned all her respect. I heard Tendo's voice on the intercom.

"All crews ready for Gipsy Danger neural test!" Oh boy. I didn't know what to expect. I knew that Alex was going to head straight over there. My few minutes of relaxation were interrupted by a knock. I got up and opened the door, it was Pentecost.

"Aren't you going to witness Gipsy's reawakening?"

"Yes sir, I wouldn't miss it."

He simply nodded and walked away. Something was different about his step. I noticed all these slight changes because I've been around him for so long. I could tell when he was upset, overburdened, amused, etc. Right now, I couldn't describe what exactly was different about Pentecost, but there was a change. I made my way over to the command Mezzanine. When I arrived, Tendo was assisting Raleigh.

"The suits are different from the ones you used five years ago. How does it feel?" Raleigh turned around surprised to hear my voice.

"Well it's definitely sleeker. The all black is cool too." I smiled a bit. When he had his drive suit fully on I came up to him and double checked everything was good to go. Before he walked away I grabbed his arm.

"Uh…Good luck, she missed you…" I don't know why I felt so shy all of a sudden. I felt my cheeks burn up. He was going to turn around, but I spoke again.

"Thanks."

"For what?" I crossed my arms.

"If it weren't for your stupid input during the combat…" I wanted to say something, but the right words didn't process in my mind.

"Just…thanks." He smiled and this time I let him walk away. I really hope everything goes well. Tendo turned to look at me with a smirk on his lips.

"We're gonna really see how much you helped fix Gipsy up." I was getting excited now. I felt goosebumps form.

"Good to go. Can you hear me Tendo?" Raleigh's voice came in through Tendo's earpiece. Everything needed to be checked today. Communications were good.

"Five by five." Tendo responded to Raleigh. He was a lover of outdated slang. I couldn't help but laugh at his enthusiasm.

"Okay then…So am I piloting this thing by myself or…?" I also was wondering who was going to be his co-pilot.

"Look behind you." Tendo said. I also took the direction and through the screen I saw Mako emerge all suited up. My mouth went open. I couldn't contain my happiness.

"Atta girl!" Even through the screen I could see the shock on Raleigh's face.

"Mako looks nice right?" I turned around to face Alex.

"Yeah… she's rocking it."

Pentecost then looked down at them.

"Engage the drop, Mr. Choi."

"Engaging drop." Tendo had pressed a few buttons and before my eyes the massive Jaeger head jerked. A series of clangs and booms echoed. The head had reached the shoulders. Gipsy was online.

"Lining up nicely. Get ready." Tendo continued to monitor everything. I heard Raleigh's voice.

"Good job on my old girl." I know his comment was directed toward Mako and I. I didn't respond but Mako did.

"Mr. Choi was the leader of the project." I took my attention away from the conversation and Gottlieb came storming into the Mezzanine. He looked paler than usual. He called for Pentecost. Whatever Gottlieb told Pentecost, it grabbed his attention. He swiftly turned around to face us.

"Herc you're in command, Tendo proceed without me."

"Yes, sir." Before the doors closed, Chuck came barging in. He came walking over to the very front pushing me out of the way. I would've said something if this wasn't such a crucial event.

"Rangers, three minutes to neural bridge calibration." Herc then went next to Tendo and spoke.

"All we are looking for today is neural handshake, and some baby steps. No pressure." Herc backed away a bit. Chuck was right behind him smirking.

"We should sell tickets to this. It's gonna be a barrel of laughs." I turned to look at him and gave him the dirtiest look I could. Everyone was watching them. Tendo began his countdown.

"Initiating neural handshake in ten…nine…" I began getting nervous. It reminded me of the first time I piloted.

"One…" Eventually Gipsy Danger was lifting her right arm. I was clapping to myself. C'mon guys! Cheers were heard coming from the assembled crews and tech.

"Neural handshake one hundred percent. Holding strong and steady." Tendo's words eased the nervousness.

"At least he remembers how to turn it on." Chuck said. "It's the driving part I'm more concerned about."

"Show some respect." Herc continued. "When his brother died, he got the Jaeger back to shore. On his own. Only know another pilot who was able to do that." Chuck didn't respond he simply glared at him. My attention went back to Gipsy. She was moving according to the prescribed initial move set, and beautifully. Call it a sixth sense or weirdness, but I knew Gipsy felt happy to have Raleigh back on, and she was welcoming him. A few minutes passed and no real movement occurred. That's when I noticed the neural handshake display was showing some distortion. I turned away from the screen and prayed Mako and Raleigh were feeling okay. I could hear Gipsy moving and I turned back to see her moving in spasms. As if she was fighting an invisible Kaiju. Please don't chase the rabbit.

"You are both out of alignment!" Tendo shouted. Now everyone was beginning to back away. I could hear an alarm in the distance. I could hear Raleigh trying to soothe Mako. I could see in the Conn-Pod, Mako had raised her arms. On the screen "WEAPON SYSTEM ENGAGED." Tendo scrambled off his seat. None of us left the mezzanine yet. The crews began to scatter. The windows of the command mezzanine were shaking from the storm in the Shatterdome. Tendo began telling everyone to get out. My feet were glued to the ground. Alex hadn't moved either. Herc asked Alex to haul out all the heavy conduits. I stared out…those plasma cannons were fully charged.

"Come on Raleigh, Mako…" I began helping the guys out by tearing the cables out. Pentecost rushed in.

"Take them offline!" I hint of desperation in his authoritative voice. As they continued removing cables, I noticed Gipsy swiveled to position the plasma cannon at the LOCCENT. She halted. Her lights began to fade until they died. I let go of the breath I was holding in. I went running down alongside Pentecost. It was eerily quiet. I spotted Chuck. He actually stayed? He looked up at Gipsy with pure disgust. His jaw was tight and his mouth twisted. I ignored him and walked closer to Gipsy. By now Raleigh was aware of everything Mako had gone through. There was only silence, but Pentecost stormed back to the Mezzanine. I looked up at Gipsy. She had responded to Mako's fear. I was going to wait here until they emerged out. I knew Chuck had left because his heavy footsteps faded off. I was the only one here. Several minutes passed and they still weren't out. I heard my brother from behind me.

"Hey…Go up to the mezzanine, they'll be there."

Without hesitation I made my way up and that's when I saw Raleigh with Mako leaning on his arm. She looked stunned. Raleigh saw me, but looked away almost immediately. I took it as a signal that he wanted to be left alone. I looked to the floor and walked out. I walked around the direction to Pentecost's office. I had walked slowly just to let everything that had happened sink in. I by no means thought it was anyone's fault. Both Raleigh and Mako had some intense memories. I heard shouting in the distance. I went running over to where it was coming from. Raleigh, Mako and Chuck were close to Pentecost's office. Raleigh and Chuck were face-to-face.

"Looks like you heard me." Chuck said. His nose was dangerously close to Raleigh's.

"Good. Saves me from repeating myself." He was staring Raleigh down. There was no way of avoiding a fight. They both wanted it. Heck, I could even see Mako form her offensive stance. I stepped a little closer to the scene, but they still hadn't noticed me.

"It's been five years since you jockeyed! That's a bloody lifetime in Jaeger tech and you know it. And here's the thing, I actually want to come back from this mission. I want a life."

His last statement made me shiver. Despite the fact he was unbearable a majority of the time, he was human. He too suffered so much and his innocence was torn away from him. None of us had a chance to live an even close to "normal" life. However, it gave him no right to take it out on others.

His finger was pointed at Raleigh.

"So, do us all a favor and disappear, yeah." He didn't end it there. "It's the only thing you're good at."

"Enough!" I finally blurted out. The three turned to look at me.

"Who in the hell would defend you on the mission if he was to leave?" Chuck was glooming over me now, and unlike Raleigh I had to look up at him. That didn't mean I was going to let him step over me. I felt Mako move closer to us. That's when Raleigh put his hands on both of our shoulders. He was attempting to calm us down.

"That's right, hold your girlfriends back; both your bitches need leashes." Before I could throw a punch at his face, Raleigh's fist collided with his face. Chuck was not made of glass; he instantly regained his composure and hit Raleigh back. I knew better than to step in, this wasn't my fight, yet. The full out brawl created a spectacle, it seemed like everyone was expecting this to happen. The series of punches continued. By now blood was dripping out of both their noses, and plenty of bruises were forming. Raleigh eventually drove Chuck into the wall. Chuck probably got the wind knocked out of him, but that didn't stop him from throwing punches. Again the sound of being slammed into the wall resonated. Raleigh was twisting his arm. One small pull and it would pop out of the socket. I rushed over to Raleigh and Chuck. I removed Raleigh's arm from his grip. He probably thought I was going to help Chuck. Not quite. I turned to look at the bloody Chuck. I looked at him and got close to his face.

"This bitch runs without a leash." With that I gave him one swift punch in the face. Despite being utterly beat, he returned a punch and hit me in my jaw. That made my blood boil.

"Stop!" I put my arm back down. We all turned around. It was Herc.

"What in the hell is going on?!" Raleigh shoved away from Chuck and I did the same. Chuck wasn't done yet. He was going to punch Raleigh again, but he ducked in time. Herc then shoved his son against the wall and growled straight at his face.

"This is over!" There was a battle between both of them that stemmed far beyond what Chuck had just done. I turned to look at Mako who was still in her offensive positions, fists tightened and she was close to where the fight took place. I guess I punched Chuck with more impact than I thought because my hand was beginning to throb, and my jaw began to hurt. I wasn't broken down easily, but it's been a long time since I've had a physical fight with another person.

"Mr. Becket, Ms. Mori and Ms. Hidalgo!" That bark could only come from Pentecost. "Into my office now!" As we passed the Hansens, Herc let Chuck go. He was daring him to do something stupid. He remained still, staring hard at Raleigh, then at his father. He walked away from the scene.

….

We all remained silent, mentally preparing ourselves for the bullets Pentecost had ready for us. I kept my gaze firmly on Pentecost, who was pacing back in forth. I could tell this wasn't only about the fight, but about the drift gone wrong. Raleigh moved onto the bridge and across the water.

"I went out of phase first." He was going to confront the issue about the drift. "My memories must have triggered hers. It was my mistake." He was defending her. A small smile formed on my lips.

"No." Pentecost said and then continued on. "It was mine. I never should have let you two in the same machine." Raleigh was going to say something reckless.

"What?" He was challenging the Marshal. "So you're grounding us?" Suddenly I felt I didn't belong in this conversation. I felt like an intruder. Pentecost looked at Raleigh in the eye.

"Not you." I saw where this was heading. I looked over at Mako and could see her eyes shining. She would not shed tears here.

"Permission to be dismissed, sir?" She spoke softly, as if it would release her tears if she spoke any other way. Pentecost nodded.

"Permission granted Miss Mori." She glanced at Raleigh, but then walked swiftly out with her head hung low. I was going to go after her.

"You stay put, Miss Hidalgo." I looked up at him.

"Sir, Mako has a connection to the Jaeger." Raleigh cut me off.

"She has the strongest neural handshake I've ever felt. Even stronger-" He paused.

"Even stronger than Yancy." I believed him, but Pentecost remained unimpressed.

"This is not a good moment for insubordination." Pentecost was making his way outside while telling Raleigh that Mako was inexperienced.

"I don't think that's why you grounded her." Raleigh said.

"I didn't ask for your opinion." Pentecost said. That's when Raleigh began telling him of what he saw. He knew that Pentecost had rescued her as a little girl.

"You raised her, but you're not protecting her. You're holding her back." Those words were enough, but on top of that Raleigh was grabbing Pentecost by the shoulders. To say Pentecost was annoyed was an understatement.

"First, never touch me again." "Second never touch me again, and third: you have no idea where the hell I came from and I am not about to tell you the story of my life. I, on the other hand, know the story of yours. All I need to be to you and everyone in this dome is a fixed point. I don't need your admiration or sympathy. All I need is your fighting skills and your compliance. And if you don't give me that…well you can go back to your damn wall." Raleigh was tense. Pentecost continued to look at him.

"Is that understood." Pentecost was daring Raleigh to go out of line. He was waiting for his response.

"Yes, sir."

"Good" and with that he entered the elevator, before the doors closed he spoke again.

"Tend to his injuries Miss Hidalgo." The elevator doors shut and I was left alone with a Raleigh who looked ready to punch something. I decided to let him regain his composure, I stepped away from him. Raleigh turned to look at me; his blue eyes had a hint of determination in them. I moved my head in the direction of the infirmary and began walking. He followed. We got there in a few minutes. Meanwhile everyone kept staring at him. I rolled my eyes. There was no one in the infirmary and I told Raleigh to take a seat. I quickly grabbed rubbing alcohol, gauze, and a cream that could be applied to bruises. I went back up to him and began looking at the mess on his face. Dried blood was running down his nose, the sides of his head. I worked in silence and quickly put alcohol on a cotton ball. I began wiping the blood off his face and noticed he had a few scratches here and there, but nothing needed stitching. I checked his nose for damage, but it was fine. As I was putting some anti-bacterial cream on his scratches I felt a finger gliding down my jawline. I looked down at him.

"He left a heck of a bruise." I saw a flash of anger in his eyes. I glanced at a nearby mirror and saw a large bluish bruise on my face. I shrugged it off.

"No big deal…I can't say I regret punching him." He had a smile on his face.

"That was one mean punch. You don't look like the type to fight like that." I laughed as I finished up.

"Are you trying to say I'm weak? In case you hadn't figured it out I fought in a Jaeger because I could pack a punch and then some." I re-lived my short moments of glory in the simulations. My thoughts were cut off.

"So why don't you get back on one?" A simple question, with a complex answer. I walked over to the sink and washed my hands. As I walked over to him he kept his eyes on me.

"Everyone has been asking me that lately, and I really don't know how to answer that." I grabbed a seat and sat across from him.

"I don't mean to sound harsh, but you do realize this is the eleventh hour? We're limited and you heard what Pentecost said. How am I going to fight when I don't even have a co-pilot?" Slight annoyance evident in his tone.

"Are we really? I wasn't informed." I didn't intend to sound so cynical, but it was too late. He gave me a look. I sighed.

"Sorry…I didn't mean to sound so…" I stopped to look at him; he wanted me to continue on. My leg was shaking.

"I just don't want to lose my brother. I've already lost my whole family, I can't even begin to imagine…" I felt the tears. I looked up at the ceiling.

"I'm a product of the new age. Molded with fear and doubt. We've all suffered, I know that. But I've gone too many nights without sleeping, involuntarily I'll recall the moments I felt my brother slowly losing life. I didn't do a damned thing. If it weren't for my primitive instincts I would've killed us both and Hong Kong would've been damaged critically." I had finally let that out. A single tear ran down my cheek.

"Feel free to call me a coward. A bull-shitter." I was awaiting that, but it didn't come. He shifted in his seat.

"You're far from that. But you need to realize that products of the new age are also molded with determination and vigor. Your fear is the only thing holding you back, but I promise you it's possible to break. I can see it in your eyes, you have longing. You want to go back on a Jaeger. We need you. The world needs you." I've heard similar words come out of Alex's mouth and Mako's, but not from someone who had only known me for a few days.

"Hey, don't get all teary eyed on me. I hate seeing people cry." It wasn't said with malice, but with sincerity. He had gotten up from his seat and was making his way over to me. I got up and wrapped my arms around him. I then felt his arms wrap around me. It had been awhile since I hugged someone. Even my brother. I wasn't overly affectionate, and I shared my appreciation through words, not as much with actions. I pulled away.

"Sorry about that…" He probably thought I was strange for doing that. He pulled my chin gently so I could face him. A smile plastered on his face.

"What are you sorry for? Didn't I tell you if you ever needed someone to talk to I'd be here?" I smiled. I had gained another friend. We were much closer now, our foreheads touching. I felt like a little girl, butterflies in my stomach. All the clichés. I had avoided forming relationships. My twenty one years of life were dedicated to trying to accomplish my dreams. I closed my eyes taking in the newly formed connection. It wasn't exactly a neural connection, but there was something flowing between us. A bond without being in a Jaeger. I heard someone clear their throat. We pulled apart quickly. I looked up to see Alex. He gave Raleigh a look. Don't go on overprotective mode now.

"I'll see you later Raleigh. Thank you." I then followed Alex out the door. We walked in silence; I had no idea where we were going.

"You are aware he's six years older than you." My brother had a serious look on his face.

"Oh gosh. You think me and Raleigh are together? No!" My brother and his assumptions.

"FYI I'm actually dating Chuck, he's my age." I laughed to myself but my brother wasn't too fond about the joke. I decided to stop irritating him.

"Hey…Alex…I was thinking…." He stopped and looked at me, arms crossed.

"I…think I'm ready to go on Aguila again." His eyes instantly went wide.

"What the hell did he do to convince you?" His tough demeanor returning. I shook my head at his rashness.

"We didn't do anything. I just told him about what had happened four years ago…he made me realize something about myself. Besides this is it. This is the apocalypse Alex. Mami and Papi would've laid down their lives right now if they were here. It's time I start putting into practice all that they taught me." I felt so much more braver. A part of me was brought back to life. My brother pulled me into a hug and kissed the top of my head.

"That's the Meztli I know."