Author's note: I pictured Tom Hiddleston's performance as Loki as I created the character of the Priest. Loki is perfectly stable and logical, but totally bughouse nuts. Just like how I wanted the Priest character.
To be honest, this chapter was a pain to write. I went through three major versions and countless minor changes over how to approach the interrogation. Should Herc give in to a darker side he hid from everyone, including Chuck? Should Herc hand him over to Hannibal Chau for a more hands-off and dirty interrogation? Should he hand him over to the Hong Kong police? It took me nearly a day of literary head-bashing before finally getting something I was happy with.

Enjoy!

Forged in Fire, Chapter 14

Hong Kong Shatterdome

Brig

May 17, 2025

0900

Herc sat in a chair and watched the Kaiju cult leader wake up. "G'day, mate. You took a decent hit to the head. Frankly, you're lucky to be alive. A little further towards your face, and it could have cracked your temple like an eggshell and killed you on the spot."

"Who shot me?"

"Rule one when fighting with paired Rangers: ALWAYS keep an eye on the other Ranger."

"What?"

Herc shook his head. "Your other target, Mako Mori, was hunkered under Raleigh's desk with a 12-gauge shotgun loaded with beanbag rounds. You have the tactical skills of a sea slug, mate."

"Sea slugs can be lethal."

"If you're stupid enough to try and eat one, yeah. But they're not hunters by any means." Herc pulled out a tablet and paged through some of the records he had put on it for the interrogation. "Quite the record you have, Charles Peterson. Numerous charges for narcotics possession, petty theft, fraud, trespassing, public indecency, possession of stolen goods, tax evasion… The list is extensive. And that's just in the US. I have warrants for your arrest from 10 Pacific Rim nations, many of them related to your "pilgrimages" to Kaiju corpses." He set the tablet down. "I could hand you over to the local authorities and be rid of you forever. However… I have some questions first."

"Let me guess: Why attack the two 'Saviors of Humanity'?"

Herc glared at Peterson. "No, that is beyond my ability to comprehend, and I don't want to hear your religious bull about it. The big question I have for you is this: How'd you get two hundred of your followers to perform a bloody foolish raid on a military base?"

Charles Peterson smiled. "They drank the Kool Aid."

"What did you spike it with?"

"A mix of drugs and chemicals. I apparently didn't put enough painkillers in the mix, though. They obviously felt the pain of being hit."

"Says the man who was hit in the side of the head by a beanbag round."

"I feel no pain. Why shouldn't I grant that gift to my followers?"

"Where'd you get the breaching charge?"

"I have… sources."

"The fact that you used that makes you a terrorist to the US. I'm highly inclined to hand you over to them, if the Peruvians don't get hold of you first."

"Ah, yes. Peru. I had such a wonderful time there."

"They want your head. Preferably on a pike."

"That was 8 years ago. I have… matured in my methods since then."

"Like your tribute for Yamarashi to, how'd you put it?" Herc picked up the tablet again. "Ah, 'ease the passage of the noble Kaiju's spirit back through the Breach'?"

"My first encounter with Raleigh Beckett's handiwork. Quite brutal. And inhumane."

"The same could be said for you. You have the blood of three dozen people on your hands from your 'tributes' to the Kaiju."

"A necessary evil."

Herc rubbed his temples. "To be honest, mate, I'm half tempted to strangle you on the spot. But that's not the example I want to set. It would make me no better than you."

"Oh, but you would so like to do it. It would feel so good!"

"Instead, I'm going to let the local authorities take care of you."

"I have friends in very high places. How else do you think I've been able to continue my ministry?"

"So that's what you call it." Herc shook his head. "The charges. Who gave them to you? Who trained you?"

"Friends in high places, remember?"

"Was it China?"

"Perhaps."

"North Korea?"

"Possible."

"Russia? I've heard that Putin is still alive, and escaped the prison camp he was being held in."

"That is an option."

I'm getting nowhere with this guy. Herc stood to leave.

"Done so soon? I expected more from you. You're not worthy of the title of Marshall."

Herc walked out. He turned to face the next interrogator with a smile. "Newt, your turn."

"With pleasure. I had wanted to meet with this guy for a while… Then I found out about his darker aspects. Now I want to make him squirm."

"Good luck, and don't let him get under your skin."

-.-.-

Newt walked into the room and sat down, pulled out his tablet, and rolled up his sleeves to show his tattoos. He began to doodle.

After a few minutes of silence, Peterson began to fidget against his restraints. Newt continued to doodle. More silent minutes passed. Finally, Peterson ran out of patience. "Why did they send you in here, to keep an eye on me? I'm not going anywhere." He rattled his restraints as proof.

Newt continued to doodle, apparently ignoring Peterson.

"Why are you here with the PPDC? I can see that you're a fan of the Kaiju."

"Hmm?"

"Your tattoos. You're a Kaiju fan."

Newt paused in his doodling, looking at Peterson, his face carefully neutral. "I grew up idolizing Kaiju, yes. I loved to go watch Tokosatsu movies. So when Trespasser attacked San Francisco, I was excited. Then I saw the death toll. I've been conflicted about them ever since."

"So, why the PPDC?"

Newt paused for a moment. "Because then I could study them to my heart's content, while helping save innocent people in the path of the Kaiju. However, once I realized that the Kaiju were grown as clones, and the pace of attacks picked up, I realized something had to be done."

"And what was that?"

"Drift with a Kaiju."

Peterson looked as if he'd been hit with a cattle prod. "No… that's not possible. You couldn't possibly do that. Our brains are so different…"

"That's what the brass here thought, too. But I did it."

Peterson's will was obviously crumbling. "What was it like?"

"The first time was weird. It was only part of a brain, and it was nearly dead. But I managed to Drift with it. What I saw…" Newt shook his head.

"Tell me. Please."

"It wasn't like I was able to gather whole thoughts or memories. More like a series of emotions and impressions." He looked at Peterson. "It was… awesome."

-.-.-

Outside the room, Herc listened to the feed from the mic. Keep him going, Newt. You're cracking him.

-.-.-

Newt looked at Peterson. Time to lay on a question.

Peterson was staring at Newt in adoration. "What did you see?"

"Now, I can't just sit here and answer your questions all day. I do need to get some answers for myself. But I'll make you a deal: If you answer one of mine, I'll answer one of yours. Two if you provide some really useful info."

Peterson was clearly conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to keep his secrets. But the other side of him, the Kaiju worshipper, wanted to learn from the man who had melded minds with a god. After much struggle, the cultist side of his personality won. "Deal"

"Awesome. Okay, first of my questions: Where did you get the breaching charge from?"

Peterson paused. "There was this Chinese guy, maybe part of their internal security? He gave me the charge. What were the Kaiju's makers like?"

"Creepy. Sorry, but your response is vague, so mine is too. The more detailed your response, the more detailed mine are."

Peterson sighed. "Okay, his name was…"

-.-.-

Herc grinned. Gotcha.

-.-.-

1145

An exhausted but elated Newt left the cell where Peterson was being held. He turned to Herc. "Did you get all that?"

Herc gave a wide grin. "Every last word. Well done, Newt. That was an impressive bit of work."

"Aw, it was nothing. In fact, it wasn't fair to him. He wanted to learn about the Kaiju so badly, he'd probably sell his first, second and third child for an opportunity to Drift with a Kaiju."

Herc looked at Newt.

"I mean, not literally, but…"

"I get the picture, Newt. Go get something to eat while I figure out what the bloody hell to do with this guy."

"Okay."

-.-.-

Newt felt good. He'd been worried about his former fascination… Okay, Newt, admit it. Hermann was right, I loved them. His former love of the Kaiju had been a liability to Newt. Now, however, he had turned it into an advantage.

Newt walked into the mess hall and saw Mako and Raleigh sitting across the table from each other. Raleigh was fixated on Mako. Mako was avoiding looking at Raleigh. Raleigh had apparently been waiting a while, because he said something and reached out and put his hand under Mako's chin. Mako jumped at the touch.

Wow… Normally they're really big on the gentle, subtle contact. Wonder what the story is behind that. Probably something this morning. Newt moved on to get himself some lunch. He was planning on running some sims that afternoon of Mako and Raleigh's brains as part of his ongoing effort to find out a few vital things. Why was their handshake so strong? Why did Mako take the brunt of the neural damage from Raiju's attack? How come Raleigh was able to pilot a Jaeger solo for brief periods of time? And were all of these somehow connected? Food for thought… but food first, thought second.

-.-.-

Mako had refused to look at Raleigh all morning. She hadn't spoken, and she wasn't eating. Ever since the early morning raid, she'd been… distant. Unreachable. "Mako, what's wrong?" He put his hand under her chin in an attempt to lift her gaze off her plate. She jumped as if he'd touched her with a cattle prod.

Mako looked at Raleigh, her eyes bloodshot from her crying. She barely spoke up above a whisper. "Can we talk about it somewhere more… private? Please?"

"Sure. Where do you want to go?"

Mako looked around. "Anywhere but here for starters."

Raleigh walked around the table and put his arm around her shoulders. "Come on, let's go to the spot where we ate after our first Drift."

Mako smiled slightly. "Okay."

-.-.-

1200

Mako sat down looking at Raleigh. How can I tell him? How can he understand what I'm going through?

Raleigh sat down next to her. "Whenever you're ready, I'm here."

Mako looked at her feet. "Raleigh… I can't begin to explain my feelings and thoughts."

"Do you best anyways. You leave the feelings bottled up, they'll build pressure until you snap. And I'd hate for anyone to be on the receiving end of that."

"Raleigh…" She paused and looked at him. "What if I'd missed?"

"Huh?"

"What. If. I. Missed." She looked at her feet in shame.

"Mako… that was one hell of a shot."

"I just pointed the shotgun in his direction and pulled the trigger hard."

"So?"

"I nearly killed you this morning. If I had hit you in the temples, or if I hadn't knocked him out, or it had been loaded with a Taser round, or if it hadn't been ready to fire, or…"

Raleigh put his index finger on her mouth, silencing her. "Mako, don't beat yourself up over could haves or what ifs. Trust me, it's not healthy. I did it for five years. Besides, I did make sure it had beanbags in the magazine."

"Raleigh, I'm so sorry."

"Why? You saved my life. It's good to know I have someone who would do that for me." He drew her close to him. "Besides, I now owe you some shooting lessons. Just so you will know what to do the next time."

"Will there be a next time?"

"Would you rather be prepared for it and be pleased when it doesn't happen, or scared out of your mind when it does happen and you're not ready?"

"Point."

They sat together for a while, totally silent. Eventually, they noticed that their breathing was perfectly synchronized. They laughed and got up, looking down at the work space on the floor below. Without a word, they made their way down to the workshop and began to heat the skin and heart steel for the katana. Both had been folded, and were now ready to be joined into a single piece. Soon, they were ready. Mako took the pieces of steel and fitted them together.

Perfect, they both thought, perfectly in unison. They looked at each other and smiled.

Raleigh took up the hammer and began the process of welding them together, guided by Mako's feelings flowing through the Ghost Drift.

Ting.

Ting.

Ting.

Ting.