Author's notes: This chapter has some… darker elements to it. So, if thoughts of self-harm or suicide are a turnoff, I'm sorry in advance. It's a topic I've been trying to avoid, but I felt I should touch on it. Again, I'm sorry if you're not comfortable with the subject. Just… skip over the flashback.
Also, if you've never heard of Miranda Schaeffer, I strongly advise that you read "Herc's Holiday" to get a better understanding of who she is.
Forged in Fire, Chapter 26
Mako and Raleigh's hotel room
Sacramento, CA
Sunday, June 8, 2025
0657
Raleigh woke up to Mako twitching in her sleep, caught in another nightmare. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. She stilled, and then slowly woke up.
"Hey, you okay, Mako?"
She closed her eyes and sighed. "I was dreaming of that first day after Pitfall again…"
Raleigh didn't say anything, instead hugging his copilot close. Those were tough days for her… just like it had been for me after Knifehead.
Mako just grabbed her pillow and wrapped her arms around it, crushing it against her chest as she recalled that first day of the rest of her life… and how she almost threw it away.
-.-.-
High above Gipsy Danger Repair Bay
Hong Kong Shatterdome
January 13, 2025
0721
Beedlebeedle.
Beedlebeedle.
Mako looked down at the floor of the Shatterdome, so far below. She took another step towards the end of the girder she stood on.
"MAKO!"
Raleigh… "Please, Raleigh. Go back to the party."
The girder wiggled a little. "No." His voice was firm, and closer. "If you go, I go too. We're in this together, Mako. I didn't give you my oxygen and eject you from Gipsy just to let you throw it all away."
Mako slowly turned back to face Raleigh. Tears streaked down his face, and he was clearly upset.
"Mako… I've been in your shoes. You know this better than anyone."
"Raleigh… Sensei was the only family I had left. He and Gipsy were my life. I just want to go be with them again."
"Mako… this isn't the way to do that. Do you think Pentecost would be proud of this?"
Mako didn't respond.
"Come on, Mako. Let's just talk for a bit like adults. If you still want to take that jump afterwards, then I will respect that."
She looked up at him. "Okay."
Raleigh sat down on the edge of the girder, feet hanging into the abyss below. Mako sat down next to him. "You saw this in the Drift, didn't you? Me, in the Icebox, on a beam over Gipsy's old home."
Mako nodded.
"Do you know what pushed me back from the edge?"
"No."
"Pentecost came out on the beam with me. He had me sit down, just like you are now. And we talked it out."
Mako looked Raleigh in the eyes. "I didn't know. It wasn't in the records…"
"Because he insisted that it not be recorded."
Raleigh pulled out a battered old iPod, scrolled through the tracks, and selected a song. He put one of his earbuds into Mako's ear, and the other into his. Then, he hit play. It started with a little bit of piano, then other instruments began to play.
Then, the lyrics began, and Mako began to cry.
Well, I know the feeling
Of finding yourself stuck out on the ledge
And there ain't no healing
From cutting yourself with the jagged edge
I'm telling you that, it's never that bad
Take it from someone who's been where you're at
Laid out on the floor
And you're not sure you can take this anymore
Raleigh took her hand in his.
So just give it one more try to a lullaby
And turn this up on the radio
If you can hear me now
I'm reaching out
To let you know that you're not alone
And if you can't tell, I'm scared as hell
'Cause I can't get you on the telephone
So just close your eyes
Oh, honey here comes a lullaby
Your very own lullaby.
Raleigh began to sing along, his voice cracking with emotion.
"Please let me take you
"Out of the darkness and into the light
"'Cause I have faith in you
"That you're gonna make it through another night
"Stop thinking about the easy way out
"There's no need to go and blow the candle out
"Because you're not done
"You're far too young
"And the best is yet to come"
Mako looked at Raleigh, tears pouring down her cheeks.
"So just give it one more try to a lullaby
"And turn this up on the radio
"If you can hear me now
"I'm reaching out
"To let you know that you're not alone
"And if you can't tell, I'm scared as hell
"'Cause I can't get you on the telephone
"So just close your eyes
"Oh, honey here comes a lullaby
"Your very own lullaby"
Raleigh stopped singing, but he let the song continue.
Well, everybody's hit the bottom
Everybody's been forgotten
When everybody's tired of being alone
Yeah, everybody's been abandoned
And left a little empty handed
So if you're out there barely hanging on...
Just give it one more try to a lullaby
And turn this up on the radio
If you can hear me now
I'm reaching out
To let you know that you're not alone
And if you can't tell, I'm scared as hell
'Cause I can't get you on the telephone
So just close your eyes
Oh, honey here comes a lullaby
Your very own lullaby
Oh, honey here comes a lullaby
Your very own lullaby
Raleigh shut down the iPod, wiping away tears of his own. "Mako, I'm not going to let you do this. Think about everyone here that cares for you. Tendo. Herc. Max."
Mako giggled at the mention of the Hansen's bulldog.
Raleigh gently held Mako's chin in his hand and lifted her face to look at his. "Me."
Mako's body tensed as if hit by lightning. "You do?"
"Mako… You and I fought Kaiju side by side. We know each other's deepest secrets. How could I not care for you?"
Mako looked down at her feet as Raleigh stood up and walked off the girder. He turned to face her.
"Besides, both of us have been given a second chance at life. How many people these days can say that they've been so lucky?"
Mako smiled as she looked at Raleigh. "Quit using the guilt card, Raleigh."
"Why? Because it's so effective?"
"No… because I don't need any more convincing." Mako stood up, brushed herself off and walked to the end of the beam, looking down. "The singer was right. This was the easy way out."
Raleigh's heart jumped into his throat. Please… no…
Mako turned around and walked back to Raleigh, smiling. "And I never back down from a challenge."
Raleigh broke out in tears as he hugged her tight. "Don't ever scare me like that again, Mako."
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Mako shook her head as she returned to the present. "Raleigh, do you still have that song you played on the girder?"
Raleigh pulled out his iPod. "I've made sure to have it with me ever since that day."
"Can you play it again?"
"You okay?"
"Yes. I… I just want to hear it again."
Raleigh offered her an earbud, then hit play.
-.-.-
Kaiju Sciences Labs
Hong Kong Shatterdome
Monday, June 9, 2025
0048
(0948, June 8, 2025, Pacific Daylight Time)
Hermann awoke to a chime from his computer. "About time." He activated the display… then immediately reached for the phone and dialed Herc's number. I don't care if he's in flight… it'll go to voicemail and he needs to know this as soon as possible.
Newt walked in right as Hermann began to speak. "Marshall, this is Dr. Gottlieb. I've been running an analysis for that project you wanted me to do… call me back when you get a secure line. It's urgent." He hung up, then turned to face Newt.
"Okay, Hermann. How bad is it?"
Hermann spun the holographic globe around to display the Pacific Ocean. More than two dozen slashes of red blinked around the Pacific Rim. "These are areas that could support the formation of a Breach."
Newt looked closely. "I see that you've still got Challenger Deep marked."
"Yes. It's still the best spot to create the Breach, from both an energy and security standpoint."
"Hmmm… Wait, just off Seattle? I didn't know that there was Trench there!"
"There isn't a Trench. It's the Cascadia Subduction Zone."
Newt expertly "grabbed" the highlighted area and blew it up for a closer look. "Wait a second… The most stable spot for a Breach is miles underground, right in the heart of the fault line." He looked at Hermann. "There's no way a Kaiju could get through that."
"Who says they have to release a Kaiju through the Breach? If my math is right…"
"Which it almost always is the first time 'round…"
"The formation of a Breach there would be enough to trigger a catastrophic earthquake there."
Newt, for once, was totally silent as the gravity of the situation sank in.
Hermann then pulled the view back to a global scale and pointed at the Atlantic. "Then there's this…"
Newt looked closely… and saw a red slash appear near Puerto Rico. "No… We don't have any defenses there. No shelters, no evacuation drills…"
"Indeed."
"So… what do we do?"
Hermann shut down the projector. "I don't know. We can't build a Wall on the Atlantic coast. It's not effective."
"Then I guess we need to set up sensor nets all around the world, watching for the Breach."
"It's a good place to start."
Hermann's phone rang, and he looked at the number. "Shoo, Newton. It's Vanessa."
To his credit, Newt didn't protest. Instead, he decided to go for a walk while Hermann talked with his wife and infant daughter, both of whom were in Europe, where he had thought they would be safe.
Now, with the revelation of the Puerto Rico Trench being a viable point to open a Second Breach… nowhere is safe.
Newt snapped out of his reverie and found himself in his quarters, holding his phone and about to dial. Wait… why was I about to call that number? She's never answered before. Never even responded. So what could I possibly get from trying to contact Dr. D'onofrio now?
Still, Newt put the call through. It rang a few times before a tired male voice came through. "Hello?"
"H-h-hi. I'm Dr. Newton Geizler. With the PPDC."
The man on the other end perked up. "PPDC?"
"You know, the Pan Pacific…"
"I know what the PPDC is, son. I was in it for a while… until my Jaeger fell."
Oh… snap. It's Sergio. "I'm sorry, sir. I didn't recognize your voice."
A rough chuckle came from the other end. "The chemo hasn't been nice to me, I'm afraid. At least Caitlin is still cancer-free. Thank God for small miracles."
"Actually, she's the reason I called."
"Well, it'll have to wait a few days. She's currently taking part in a technical conference in Washington, D.C."
"When she gets back, can you have her call the Hong Kong Shatterdome? We'd like her expertise on some systems."
"From what I've heard from her, Dr. Geizler, you've got a pretty good grasp on the systems she's an expert at."
"Well…"
"I'll have her call you."
"Thank you, sir."
Click.
-.-.-
The song Raleigh played was "Lullaby" by Nickleback, if you're wondering.