Author's Notes: A thousand thanks to my readers for the long wait you've endured! I can't promise that updates will resume as frequently as they were before, but I'm several chapters ahead again. This chapter is a tie-in to the last two chapters of Tales From The Front Lines, which told of Mako's adventures in boarding school. They're not required reading, but useful for context. This fic headcanon has Mako graduating high school at age 16 in late 2021 (I rather suspect she'd be very advanced for her age if her accomplishments at the time of the movie are any indication.)

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The View from the Gallery

November 17, 2021...

Vanessa Gottlieb was right. K-Watch still hadn't replaced its equipment, so a network of submarines and mobile sonar stations that moved in to surround the Breach. They sounded the next warning: a Category III kaiju was moving due north from the Breach site.

It was smaller than the last few, if still more than big enough to take out two of the subs and a number of oil platforms without even slowing down. Tizheruk's path took it away from the blast radius of the failed attack and into the more heavily monitored, relatively shallow shelf off Japan and the Okhotsk Sea. He skirted the Japanese coast without attacking, much to the relief of Admiral Yamamoto and Colonel Okita. The Jaegers deployed in pairs, spreading out along the population centers, and in the end, Shaolin Rogue and Bering Tigress took it down as it attempted to cross the half-built Siberian Wall in the Kuril Islands.

December 25, 2021…

The highest-stakes test yet came on Christmas Day, 2021. The Breach monitors had been replaced, but the web of detectors spreading out from the Breach itself was still under construction, and once a month had passed since the last attack, the crews pulled out.

Some of the UN even grumbled at that, wanting the work to continue, but K-Watch's Major Bingham retorted, "It is highly specialized work for a submarine construction crew to install this equipment. Since the K-Watch Breach Monitor system began, we have lost dozens of workers, and if the rate of attacks continues to accelerate, the safety margin will decrease. Even if you're not moved by the deaths of these men and women, consider that replacing their skills will be increasingly difficult if the oceanic engineers of the world get the impression that accepting these jobs is accepting a suicide mission."

So K-Watch knew when the biggest Category IV yet emerged from the Breach itself - but as luck would have it, the monster charged to the east and vanished from the monitors.

Tamsin sent Stacker a private e-mail the minute K-Watch declared the direction. I pulled a few strings and got the girls on the first plane to the US. They will land in Nevada, and Liling's mother will get them back to Pennsylvania. Mako actually made some noise about staying, but General Liang already called to insist that Liling leave Hawaii immediately.

Stacker wasn't surprised, but he was relieved. Mako and her best friend from school had been in Hawaii with Tamsin for the holidays, but now with an event under way, all of K-Watch would be on duty, and Tam would need to go to work. Those civilians who couldn't evacuate would probably be safe enough up in the Hawaiian mountains, especially in K-Watch's family housing on the Big Island, but given the size of this kaiju... Stacker would just as soon cut the holiday short and send the girls back to the mainland now.

Far, far away from anywhere this attacker could reach. How soon do they leave?

They just took off. I saw them to Hilo myself. Heading back to base.

She forwarded him the plane's information, and Stacker checked it himself, breathing a sigh of relief knowing the girls were airborne and away. He sent a message to General Liang himself, bending the rules to use the official PPDC email to ensure it would go through. Electronic communication traffic - as well as air traffic - always jammed and clogged when a kaiju was on the hunt.

The girls are on American Flight 1701 to Las Vegas. They have already left and will land in six hours. Liling's mother will meet them at the Las Vegas airport.

Liang's short response spoke volumes: Thank you, Stacker.

He was as formal a man as Stacker himself, especially on official channels, and he and Stacker had been barely getting on since the Shaolin Rogue incident a year ago. But when it came to looking after their family - Stacker's daughter and He Liang's granddaughter - they were unbreakable and permanent allies.

He dashed off an email to Mako. I am glad that Tamsin got you both safely on your way home. Stay in touch with Mrs. Gáo if you land before she reaches the airport, and I'll join you as soon as the engagement is over.

Not that Mako needed reminding on instructing, having just obtained her high school degree nearly two years ahead of most students, and almost always firmly meticulous in following direction - especially during alerts. But it would ease her mind to know that Stacker was thinking of her even now.

The trio of Cherno Alpha, Shaolin Rogue, and Nova Hyperion were rushed to Hawaii, and the Western Rangers scrambled every Jaeger available. Crimson Typhoon had been cleared to resume combat only ten days ago. "If we re-form the A-Team, that's another experienced trio to put in front of this bogey," said one of the Tacticians.

"How many simulations have you done since returning to duty?" Stacker asked.

The Wei triplets were calm on the vid comm, none showing any sign of the injuries they'd sustained eight months ago. "Only one with the team," said Hu. "The score was ninety-three. We have done two partner simulations with Coyote Tango separately, and eleven with others. We are comfortable with reforming if Vulcan and Coyote are also."

"Absolutely no qualms here," said Gunnar Tunari. "We're ready to roll."

"But that leaves Striker Eureka without a partner," said Marshal Ketteridge. "I was going to suggest moving Striker into the A-Team."

In Sydney's war room, everyone looked up, and Stacker saw scowls on many faces, including the Hassans, Herc Hansen, and most of the crew. Most (but not Herc) hid their disgust when Ketteridge looked over his shoulder. Admiral Yamamoto wisely kept the discussion on more objective details. "But I see that Striker Eureka has not had any triple simulations with Crimson Typhoon. It would not be wise to deploy an untrained team against the largest kaiju yet - not to say that you are in any way lacking in ability, Rangers Hansen."

Chuck had looked hopeful, but couldn't miss the resistance of his fellows or his crew, so he dropped his eyes and shrugged.

"I'll run Chrome Brutus to Los Angeles," said Stacker, motioning to the crew in question. Flint and Amarok stood and exchanged looks with the Gage twins. Stacker considered the map and addressed Panama City's Marshal Quijano. "Where do you want to deploy D-Team?" The Western Hemisphere's best trio would go to the next most sensitive target.

"If the bogey bypasses Hawaii, are you expecting him to head north or south?" Quijano asked K-Watch.

"South, but not far." K-Watch's cone projection appeared on the map. "Put the red alert on the coast from Los Angeles to Guayaquil, Ecuador. Orange alert as far as far south as Lima, as far north as San Francisco." Major Bingham stepped into view and gestured to Marshal Quijano. "The conditions are very good for an approach to Panama. I recommend you have a team waiting there."

Quijano nodded. "Give me Romeo Blue and Matador Fury. I'll send Puma Real to Acapulco and Rio Sentry to Guayaquil."

"Done." Team Romeo and Team Chrome bolted for the doors, and Stacker told his remaining crew, "For now I want Cascade Victor to remain here. Once we're certain this target will not be heading north, I'll deploy you."

"Understood, sir." Cascade Victor's crew, the Girard cousins, were disappointed, but took it with more grace than Chuck Hansen was taking Striker Eureka being held back. Admiral Yamamoto was dispatching Tacit Ronin to join Striker Eureka in the southern portion of Micronesia, just in case the kaiju veered, but although none of the spotters had him pinpointed, K-Watch was convinced he was heading due east. The reformed A-Team, Crimson Typhoon, Vulcan Specter, and Coyote Tango, were being posted further north, on Majuro in the Marshall Islands.

When a submarine crew picked up the monster's echo noise and sonar signature in deep, murky water east of the Marshall Islands, K-Watch codenamed it Screed. "He's not making much effort to hide his tracks," reported K-Watch.

December 28, 2021…

Passed by (much to the relief of Micronesia), the A-Team relocated to Kiribati, a thousand miles or so due south of Hawaii, and the two trios waited to see whether Screed would head for the islands or move on towards the Americas. After thirty-six tense hours, in which Jaeger crews and K-Watchers slept badly through their rest shifts, the echo sounder network in the broad expanse of ocean between Polynesia and the Americas began getting pings.

"He's passed through the Polynesian channel, still moving east-southeast. Hawaii and Polynesia can stand down." K-Watch narrowed the alert zone to Central America, Colombia, and Ecuador. "If he hits Galapagos, he'll have a direct runoff trail straight back to the Panama Canal."

The Mexican government was complaining about Matador Fury being deployed to Panama instead of their own shores. "Tell them to go to hell!" snapped an increasingly-frazzled Marshal Quijano. "Matador is part of the strongest Western trio. I need them here. We have the E-Team in Acapulco, and they're more than competent if the bogey even runs that far north."

"I am putting Cherno, Nova, and Shaolin in Quepos, Costa Rica," announced Colonel Rabinov. "If target approaches the Gulf of Panama, I will relocate them closer."

"Do you have any idea the damage a kaiju that size will do if it reaches the canal?" Quijano hissed. "If it even gets anywhere near us?"

"And Marshal Quijano has a meltdown before the kaiju even gets there," muttered Sergio D'onofrio.

Caitlin cuffed him on the shoulder. "Be nice. And she's not wrong. If the team can't make the intercept well out in the gulf, the infrastructure damage from a fight in the shallows will be catastrophic, to say nothing of the Kaiju Blue contamination in the world's busiest shipping lane."

Stacker nodded and contacted Marshal Morais in Lima and Marshal Ramirez in Los Angeles. "This is the most critical port under our defense. I think the situation merits more back-up in the Gulf of Panama, as far from the canal as the Jaegers can safely stand."

"Once he's parallel to Nicaragua, I'll send Chrome Brutus and Yankee Star," said Marshal Ramirez. "In fact... strike that, I'll send Yankee Star now. She and Diablo Intercept are our long distance shooters. We should have them on site."

"Agreed."

Solar Prophet and Amazon Delta went from Lima up to Acapulco to form up the E-Team with Puma Real. With Diablo Intercept in Panama, that left Lima open, so Crimson Typhoon, Vulcan Specter, and Coyote Tango headed there from French Polynesia to hold down the fort.

Stacker took a deep breath as he considered the red bogey blip turning ever-so-gradually more to the south, following the path K-Watch had predicted, ever closer to Panama. It would probably still be at least a day before landfall, but multiple Jaeger teams were already on the ground and prepared for deployment. The largest cities in the alert zones would have triple teams on-site. The sharpshooters were being stationed on the islands, Taboga and Taboguilla, eight miles from the canal, ready to bombard Screed before it even hit the miracle mile. Behind them, Matador, Romeo, and Hydra were waiting to defend the canal.

"We're as ready as we've ever been."

This is as ready as we'll ever be. What if it's not enough?

Las Vegas International Airport…
December 29, 2021…

"This is the kind of defense humanity needs!" a CNN commentator declared. "Active defense up and down the coasts by the most powerful and intelligent weapons in existence while first responders in the vulnerable cities work on evacuating the population and getting them to shelter. No wall is going to substitute for this!"

"They're right about that," muttered an American man in the crowd around Mako and Liling, watching the reports in the airport.

Tamsin had sent Mako and Liling out of Hawaii at once when it looked as if Screed was heading towards the islands. They had flown unchaperoned to Las Vegas, and Liling's mother would meet them there to make their way back to Pennsylvania. But as always during a kaiju alert, air traffic was soon a snarled mess throughout both hemispheres as flights were canceled, rerouted, and diverted to accommodate frantic evacuations and rushed movement of emergency personnel to their posts.

Even far inland beyond the reach of any kaiju, travel became difficult. Road traffic was sluggish, and Mrs. Gáo was still several hours from the airport, driving south from Salt Lake City. Mako and Liling gathered with the other stranded travelers in the airport terminal, waiting for space on a flight to open, and watching the reports from the Central American coast.

Until this year, Mako's chaperones and teachers – and Sensei – had insisted that she turn off the television and the Internet when an engagement was being broadcast. "You will have more nightmares," Dr. Schneider and the other therapists from Mako's school told her.

Mako knew they were right. Even without watching the videos, the kaiju that followed Onibaba also found their way into her dreams, into the shadows of her room at night, and into the corners of her eyes when she traveled city streets. When she smelled smoke or heard car alarms or sirens, wherever she was, it wasn't only Onibaba that stalked her.

But now she was finished with school. Sensei had promised that she could apply to the Jaeger Academy when she would be of age at graduation – Class 2023-A, eighteen months from now. She had studied with a single-minded focus on preparation for the screening tests and the first cut.

So today, when Dr. Schneider urged her via Skype to go to the part of the terminal where the broadcasts from Panama City weren't playing, Mako refused. "I want to see."

Dr. Schneider hesitated, as did Liling. Liling had watched attack tapes before, once she started doing research projects on K-Science for her advanced biology courses, but Mako had never resisted until now when the teachers and therapists wanted her away from the footage of the attacks.

But to Mako's relief, her longtime therapist didn't stand firm. "Are you certain? Attack broadcasts can be very triggering."

Mako nodded. "I will go to the Jaeger Academy in less than two years. I must start facing reality now so I will be ready."

Slowly, Dr. Schneider nodded, and at Mako's side, Liling nodded too. If Mako found herself unable to go on looking at the televisions, she could always walk away.

As K-Watch had predicted, Screed was making straight for the Gulf of Panama. Flocks of news and military helicopters were hovering on the approach to the canal as military boats and barges swarmed the shipping traffic, trying to get as many people and vessels to safety as they could. But the kaiju was speeding up.

If I am to be a pilot, I'll have to listen to the emergency channels during an engagement. I'll have to hear what the Rangers do and say, even if the fight goes badly, Mako thought. It was unnerving enough hearing the chatter and speculation of the reporters on the television.

Mrs. Gáo arrived shortly before the Jaegers were expected to make intercept, but there were still no open flights for Mako and Liling to take back to Pennsylvania. Liling could have gone somewhere else in the airport at that point. She and Mako had realized years ago that her severe asthma would keep her from passing the strict physical requirements for Jaeger pilots at the Academy. But she held out hope of working in K-Science, even though Reckoner had left her with similar nightmares to the ones that plagued Mako. So she stayed with Mako in front of one of the airport's televisions.

The crowded airport terminal grew very quiet even with people packed shoulder-to-shoulder as the reporters breathlessly zoomed in on a huge disturbance in the water of the Gulf of Panama. It was moving steadily towards the mouth of the canal and its heavily-populated coastline.

"No less than five Jaegers are guarding the entrance to the canal. Pan to your left… on Taboguilla Island, there's Yankee Star, the sharpshooter Jaeger who has helped kill two kaiju and repelled two more. Next to her is Diablo Intercept. This island is about ten miles off the entrance to the Panama Canal, and the two Jaegers are waiting on the northeast shore as Screed passes to try and drive him back."

"What happens if they miss?"

"Off Port Amador, we've got three more Jaegers spread out in the shallows to try and stop Screed from actually entering the Panama Canal. You can see them now: Romeo Blue and Matador Fury with Hydra Corinthian just a little in front and between them – WHOA!"

The onlookers around Mako shouted in chorus with the reporters as Yankee Star opened fire. Water erupted into the air, and Liling grabbed Mako's hand. The largest kaiju either of them had ever seen or imagined surfaced, roaring so loudly that the audio of the television buzzed.

It was chaos from then on, with the reporters only able to babble out what they could see. The red lights of Yankee Star's lasers were barely visible in the froth and smoke from her missiles. Screed seemed to be in no hurry to close with her…but it was retreating straight towards the canal.

"Diablo Intercept and Yankee Star are giving chase, firing on the kaiju, but he's moving northeast! The pilots of the other three Jaegers know they have to stop him; Matador Fury is advancing, looks like he's arming one of his spears, there it goes!"

Even in tight quarters with five Jaegers closing in, the shots that missed the kaiju also missed the other mechs. Mako found herself clutching Liling, and the two girls barely managed not to shriek in horror as Screed wrenched away from Diablo Intercept's snare and lunged towards the other three Jaegers.

Diablo Intercept and Yankee Star suddenly broke off their pursuit and dropped like marionettes whose strings had been cut. The spectators gasped and shouted in alarm, but Mako had already worked out why the Jaegers had dropped: to keep them out of Hydra Corinthian's line of fire.

The view from the helicopter-borne cameras wobbled wildly as the chopper pilots suddenly veered away, and again, the sound from the speakers was just a painful buzz. But when the image steadied, Screed was reeling back, flailing his massive upper limbs as kaiju blue sprayed.

"I didn't actually see anything, but it looks like one hell of a hit!"

Mako had all the Jaegers' principal weapons memorized. Hydra Corinthian packed a pressure pulse cannon, the most powerful non-incendiary weapon that J-Tech Munitions had ever created. It could level buildings in its path for nearly a mile and shatter windows for a wide radius. The hovering helicopters had to veer off in a hurry to get out of the damage zone. In controlled settings, it was only barely visible, the ripple in the air like steam. In the froth and smoke of the battle, nobody could see that it had fired at all, but for the reaction of the kaiju.

Matador Fury followed up with another of his sizzling bullfighter spears. Loaded with blue-neutralizing acid and incendiary charges, they buried themselves deep in the kaiju's torso to create scalding, venomous wounds. Mako growled approval as Screed recoiled again, clawing at the shaft in vain.

Yankee Star and Diablo Intercept were plunging through the reasonably-shallow water of Panama Bay, closing in, when the monster rallied and unleashed its counter-attack. People shouted and screamed as Screed plowed through the water, its roar buffeting the helicopters, and Liling stifled a cry as Hydra Corinthian went staggering back.

"She's hit! Hydra Corinthian is hit!"

Mako didn't see the blow, but the Mark-4 fell heavily to one side. If there had been fewer fellow Jaegers close at hand, Screed might have reached her, but Romeo Blue and Matador Fury were already charging, and Romeo slammed his bulk into the kaiju's.

Diablo Intercept unfurled his famous Devil's Lash and wrapped it around one of Screed's arms, hauling him back. But the kaiju used its free arm to inflict some brutal punishment on Romeo Blue, pummeling the Mark-1 until another of Matador Fury's spears landed right in the kaiju's throat.

Now the kaiju fell, and Romeo retreated while the three undamaged Jaegers pressed their advantage. Yankee Star stayed just outside the range of the monster's flailing limbs, her shells and lasers striking precision shots even as Matador Fury and Diablo Intercept moved in. Another salvo from Yankee Star bombarded Screed right in the face, and Matador unsheathed one of his titanium swords, to the gasps of the people in the terminal around Mako.

Then the crowd bellowed excitedly as Matador slashed into the kaiju's upper arm, disabling the one that Diablo Intercept had caught. Screed flailed at them with his free arm, only for Diablo to suddenly release the damaged arm and snare the good arm with his second lash so Matador could go to work on that one.

"I think they've got him! I think they're winning!" cried a watching reporter.

They were definitely winning. Mako was breathing hard, but with something like glee as Matador's sword cut straight through Screed's upper arm and all the kaiju could do was writhe. Yankee Star closed in and ripped out one of the bullfighter spears, then fired her lasers at closer and closer range into the kaiju's face, putting out at least three of its four eyes. Finally, Matador sheathed his beautiful swords and brought out his three remaining spears, one after the other, one into Screed's head between the eyes, the second into its throat, and the third straight into its mouth.

At last, the monster lay motionless between the three Jaegers. They circled it warily, their weapons still brought to bear, but amid the chatter of the reporters, voices began to shout: "That's confirmed! The PPDC has confirmation, the kaiju Screed is destroyed!"

And the Las Vegas International Airport terminal erupted into cheers, and Mako and Liling were jumping up and down, arms still wrapped around each other. They let go only long enough to fling themselves at Liling's mother, who laughed as she embraced them. Random strangers, Americans, Europeans, Africans, Japanese, Chinese, Latin-Americans, all gathered here in this airport applauded and shouted with joy in all their languages.

People finally hissed for quiet enough to stifle the celebrations as the cameras turned to Hydra Corinthian and Romeo Blue. Both Jaegers were upright, and the reporters announced breathlessly, "We have good word on the American Rangers. The PPDC is reporting injuries, but says all four pilots are conscious and communicating with their spotters."

Exclamations of "thank God!" rang out, and people breathed sighs and prayers of relief and gratitude.

The fight with Screed itself hadn't been as terrifying to Mako as she'd half-expected, but now, for the first time since it began, she felt herself shiver.

Many pilots came through their fights "conscious and communicating." But that didn't necessarily mean they were unharmed. Mako of all people understood that.

To Be Continued...

Coming Soon: External pressure on the Jaeger Program is growing with frightening news from K-Science about the kaiju's changing abilities. But internal pressure poses an even greater threat when the next kaiju takes aim at Australia, and tensions between the crews and commander of Sydney Shatterdome come to a boil in Chapter Thirty-Eight: Spinejackal!

PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!

Original Character Guide

Major James Bingham: head of K-Watch and PPDC Tactics, British Army, late 60s.

Liling Gáo: Mako's boarding school roommate and best friend, same age as Mako, born and raised in Hong Kong, China, granddaughter of General He Liang, who is commanding officer of the Hong Kong Shatterdome. Her family moved to the inland United States in 2016 after Reckoner attacked Hong Kong. Liling enrolled at Nittany Valley Preparatory Academy in Pennsylvania in spring 2017, and met Mako when Stacker Pentecost enrolled her in autumn 2017.

General He Liang: Commanding officer of Hong Kong Shatterdome, Chinese Army, mid-60s. He and Stacker Pentecost clashed when Stacker intervened on behalf of the pilots of Shaolin Rogue, but because Liang's granddaughter is close friends with Mako, the two men are irrevocably connected.

Marshal Columbina Quijano: Commanding officer of Panama City Shatterdome. Panamanian Public Forces officer, early 60s. Married to a Chinese national with one daughter and three grandchildren who also attended Nittany Valley Prep with Mako and Liling.

Dr. Tanja Schneider: Mako's therapist, British German, late 40s, hired by Stacker when he first adopted Mako, she traveled with Mako and remains in close contact with her.