The Familiar Sensation
After the war ended, the lab saw no shortage of hopefuls working as assistants for the two residing scientists. On that particular day, however, the lab was empty, devoid of all personnel except for Dr. Newton Geiszler. Newton sat in his chair, hunched over a piece of paper bearing a list of hypothesis relating to how he might safely spy on the Kaiju Masters – an assignment given to him nearly two months ago.
Being none the wiser, he scrapped the list and threw it across the room in frustration. The thought of going to sleep sprang into his mind. Slowly he walked to the storage room where preserved Kaiju remains were kept; seeking the newborn Kaiju's remains, desiring to look upon it again.
Newton laid his gaze upon the carcass, fascinated by the fact that even a fetus with undeveloped lungs had just as strong a connection to the hive mind as the adults. With curiosity, he examined the preserved remains; for the fetus, being the first and only premature Kaiju they had encountered, piqued his interest.
Wearing protective gloves, Newton ran his hands over the Kaiju from head to tail – from the mouth that nearly swallowed him to the hole that Hannibal Chau cut himself out of, and the tail of the beast. Then a hunch came to him along with a feeling of dread; he had left the carcass for hours before having PPDC personnel retrieve it – hours that other men could swoop in like vultures and win parts of the carcass. He speedily examined the remains, hoping that everything was intact; it was not.
The second brain was missing; cut clean off. On the underbelly, there was a small hole that one could trace back to where the second brain should be.
Newt was devastated, as he needed the second brain to drift with the Kaiju, having damaged the first two months prior. He sped to the control room, in haste to report the anomaly to Marshall Hansen.
"Marshall," yelled Newt, as he entered the control room, "The newborn's carcass is missing a second brain. Someone scavenged the Kaiju and took the brain on the day of the assault."
Hercules was shocked, "What? And have we no other way to gain information about the Anteverse?"
Newt could only shake his head and answer: "No, sir."
Having had his answer, Hercules Hansen barked orders to nearby officers, ordering a search for the missing brain. "Our first suspect is Hannibal Chau," he said.
The next day dawned and saw the riots of many in protest of the spending paid to fund a defense program during peace time.
The UN was forced to halve the funds for restoring the Jaeger program. The PPDC soon found themselves reliant on propaganda – various posters were posted in the Rim and Inner Countries; ones asking for donations along with ones that had goals to sell many technologies to the public. Some of the less important Shatterdomes were converted to museums. The latter caused fits of laughter in the younger Rangers, claiming that they had seen groups of schoolchildren running amok.
"Not even two months passed," said Herc, weightlifting. His arm had healed and he made sure that it stayed as strong as ever, "And the suits are changing their minds. I guess we might as well start using our know-how to make and sell new products."
"Can't really blame them, though," said Raleigh, running on the treadmill, "They've got mouths to feed, cities to restore, and shelters to be made; they can't afford to fully fund a defense program against Kaiju when there are no damn Kaiju, even if it's the best option of fighting them if they come back.
"If this had never happen, and they kept on fully funding us, what would happen? Shall the Jaegers be activated and maintained while the threat of war is non-existent? Shall we get enough Jaegers made in time for another invasion, only to find that we cannot stop them? Shall we push back the second invasion and take the fight back to their homeland and, there, find our graves? Or shall we desolate their world, only to find our own starving and in strife, civilization crumbling? And then, shall we raise our hands with pride, and say 'At least we have stopped the Kaiju forever'? Or would then we watch the world suffer and say 'We are sorry for your condition, but the Jaeger program needed money'?"
Hercules could only nod; Beckett's words were close to the truth. "You're right," he said at length, "The Jaeger program was started to save the world from an immediate threat, a threat that destroyed millions of lives. If we blindly continue this program in a world where no threat is present but starvation, we may no longer have a world to save."
When he had finished, Raleigh took a stroll in the labyrinthine hallways of the Shatterdome, and stumbled upon the Jaeger Combat Simulation room. The room was busy and full of people; new technologies were being installed. Mako was there, overseeing the operation.
"There you are," she said, "I was about to go find you. We're upgrading the simulation room, and Mr. Choi would like us to test it once it is finished."
Her voice was happy, and her face full of mirth; she had missed drifting with Raleigh – after all, who would not wish to learn more of their lover in the most intimate manner?
The upgrades were finished, the Rangers suited up, the AI started the countdown. The two pilots drifted; a flurry of memories and emotions flooded them. Mako saw memories of her time with Marshall Pentecost flash past her; visions of the past. Then the simulator started; the shaking and sounds were more realistic - closer to an actual battle. The simulation was intense, scarce less than in an actual Jaeger. And though it was not real, Raleigh and Mako thoroughly enjoyed the experience; drifting and combat, the two things they had missed the most. They learn new things about each other's routines after the simulation, but if Mako indeed had reasons to refuse telling Naomi why she had dyed her hair blue, Raleigh did not find it.
"Want to take this elsewhere?" said Raleigh, grinning.
"Sure," Mako answered, "My room."
This chapter was more of a filler than an actual chapter. I still appreciate it if you readers review it, though.