Chapter 13
A/N: Hell yeah! It's go time baby! Welcome to a brand new installment in the story. This time, our Doom Slayer is about to get colossal! By that, I mean he is about to find himself in the Pacific Rim franchise. Doom Slayer, giant robots, giant monsters, I think we all know where this is going. Enjoy! Remember I own non of this stuff!
23 March 2020, 1300 hours, Los Angeles Shatterdome, Pacific Coastline
Marshall Stacker Pentecost stood up straight with his hands behind his back. Such a posture was becoming of an individual who held a leadership position, and Stacker knew he had to set a clear example for those beneath him.
Currently, Stacker stood in the Local Command Center, codenamed LOCCENT, of the Los Angeles Shatterdome, one of the nine beating hearts of the Program. The massive facility existed just outside the city, giving it easy access to the coastline. Since K-day, this facility, as well as eight others served as a catalyst for the deployment of mankind's most advanced weapon yet. Jaegers, their pièce de résistance in the war against the giant monsters of the breach. Stacker thought back to the first time mankind had encountered its greatest foe in 2013.
Had it really been seven years since then?
Stacker had been in the Royal Air Force back then and had been virtually as far from ground zero as possible, but the dread that these monsters imparted had been felt by every human around the globe. Everyone lost something that day. Whether it was the mirage of human superiority on the food chain, the comfortable sense of peace, or the ones you held dear…
Stacker shook his head to dismiss his thoughts and berated himself internally. He was chasing the R.A.B.I.T. That was a huge no-no. Had he had still been a pilot, that would have been enough to ground him for a solid while, but as a high-ranking officer of the most expensive program in existence, it meant the survival of humanity. Stacker took a deep breath and brought his mind back from the past into the L.A. Shatterdome.
This Shatterdome in particular was of interest to Stacker. Of the nine stationed on the Pacific coastlines of the world, there were only three located on the Eastern coastline. The Pan Pacific Defense Corps' reasoning for an imbalanced placement stemmed from the massive population difference on the two coasts. The population of North America stood at around six-hundred million people, while Asia's was at least six times that number.
Apart from L.A., the other two Shatterdomes were located in Anchorage, Alaska and Panama City, Panama. That was cause for concern for Stacker, as that stretched the L.A. Shatterdome's reach pretty thin. Over eleven thosand kilometers of coastline was under their jurisdiction, which left little room for mistakes. If Stacker had his way, there would be at least two additional Shatterdomes put into place on both sides of the ocean, but this was the Jaeger Program, and an expansion like that did not come cheap. So here they were.
Today, Stacker felt rather emotionally drained. It had been less than a month since he had lost his star Jaeger team. Yancy and Raleigh Becket had been the cream of the crop, smashing records left and right ever since they had first entered the Jaeger academy. Both had scored in the top of their class and had shown incredible promise in the simulations. In action, they had proved to be even better, as they alone had been responsible for putting down a majority of the Kaiju that had emerged from the breach since their graduation.
All that had quickly come to an end when Yancy was killed in the line of duty. A Kaiju battle. Stacker had been at the Anchorage Shatterdome when it had happened. Even the thought of the event gave him chills.
After Yancy's death, Raleigh had left the Jaeger program, and Stacker couldn't blame him. He had been drifting with Yancy when he died, and he had witnessed his brother's death as if it was his own. That alone would've driven most men insane. To see someone die was hard enough, but to FEEL it in their mind…
Stacker could think of no worse burden to bear.
Stacker was once again jolted from his thoughts as the piercing shrill of an alarm sounded throughout the compound.
"Sir!" The Operations Officer shouted from his console at the front of LOCCENT. "Activity in the breach detected!"
Stacker strode up to the console as the Ops continued.
"It's a category-lll!" he said as a holographic projection of the beast appeared in front of them.
"Codename: Sheargrip!"
That was a rather fitting name for this Kaiju. As Stacker studied the projection of the creature, he saw that in addition to the standard hunched-over dinosaur look that most Kaiju had, this one had scissor-like claws instead of fingers at the end of its primary arms. Long and powerful, Stacker had no doubt that those things could take the arm clean off from a Jaeger if they wanted to.
"Size?" Stacker asked the Ops.
"Approximately ninety-five meters tall and 2,650 tons, sir!"
"Christ…" Stacker cursed under his breath. This Kaiju was massive. It now was the second largest Kaiju they had seen so far, and according to the trend, they were going to keep getting bigger.
"Where's it headed?"
"Sir, it'll be in Seattle within two hours."
Stacker shook his head and accessed the facility-wide intercom.
"All personnel! A Category-lll Kaiju just emerged from the Breach! It's target: Seattle. We have less than two hours until it gets there! Romeo Blue, intercept and neutralize the hostile. Mammoth Apostle, standby for reinforcement if necessary! Evacuate the city, shutdown all major roadways, and get every civilian to safety!"
At once, the Shatterdome kicked into overdrive. Technicians and pilots alike ran this way and that to report to their stations. A Kaiju had emerged, and it was once again time to fight for humanity's future.
Behind him, Stacker heard the doors to the control room open. He turned to see Mako Mori rushing in.
Stacker always felt a touch of pride when he saw Mako. At seventeen years old, she was already showing signs of extreme brilliance. Stacker knew that she would be amazing at whatever she put her mind to. Unfortunately for him, she wanted to be a Jaeger pilot.
It was a constant conflict inside Stacker's mind as to Mako becoming a pilot. On one hand, Stacker would never let her place herself in harm's way like that, he doubted he could bear the stress. On the other hand, should Mako make it into the program (with her current grades, she would in a heartbeat) Stacker knew that she would probably become the best damn Jaeger pilot on the face of the Earth. Of that he had no doubt.
"Mako," Stacker began speaking in Japanese. "What are you doing here?"
"I want to see the Kaiju, and I want to see Romeo Blue in action. I've only ever read battle reports of this Jaeger before," she responded.
"Mako…"
"I won't make any trouble, plus I want to study how a heavier Jaeger fights."
Stacker was silent for a moment, then nodded once to Mako, who smiled and took her position at his side.
…
Less than half an hour later, Stacker watched from LOCCENT as the Jaeger, Romeo Blue, was hoisted out of the Shatterdome by a squadron of twelve super-charged helicopters. Normally, only eight choppers would be needed to carry the weight of a Jaeger, but Romeo Blue was an exception, as it was second only to Horizon Brave as the heaviest Jaeger on the planet. Weighing in at 7,775 tons, the massive death machine weighed almost three hundred tons more than Tacit Ronin, which was in third place. The extra weight was mostly in part due to the extra armor that had been implemented in Romeo's structure. Every joint, limb, and weapon had been reinforced with the hardest alloys known to man, making it ideal against a Kaiju that had pincers for hands. Stacker tried not to show it, but he was just as interested in watching the battle as Mako.
Piloting the Jaeger were the Gage twins, Bruce and Trevin. Both were outstanding pilots and had known considerable success piloting the almost unwieldy Jaeger. 7,775 tons didn't move around easily, but the Gage twins worked seamlessly to achieve victory with every Kaiju they clashed with. They were the best that Stacker could ask for.
"LOCCENT," came Trevin's voice from the transmitter on the console. "This is Romeo Blue, testing connection from the conn-pod, do you read?"
"Loud and clear, Romeo Blue," the Ops responded from his position at the console. "All systems are green, neural bridge is stable, you are ready for action."
"Copy that, LOCCENT. Let's hope the Kaiju is in the mood to tango."
Stacker leaned down to the transmitter.
"Romeo Blue, this is Pentecost. Be advised, this Kaiju has pincers attached to the end of its primary arms. Don't let it catch hold of you. If that monster gets inside the miracle mile, the damages could be devastating."
"Noted, sir," came Bruce's voice over the static. "Although, I very much doubt it'll wanna grab onto us after we knock a couple fillings loose."
Stacker inwardly smirked. Mako smiled next to him. Although Romeo Blue was slowed down by its immense bulk, it made up for it by using that bulk to batter its opponent into submission. When a blow from the Jaeger landed, it landed hard. Stacker recalled when Romeo Blue had fought the Kaiju, Hardship. It had killed it by using a piece of a bridge as a club. Reports showed that the finishing blow had not only cracked the Kaiju's skull, but had also shattered at least three vertebrae at the base of the neck.
In short, the Jaeger packed a punch.
Stacker hoped that it would be enough.
"LOCCENT, we have visual on the Kaiju. It's already made landfall."
Not good.
Stacker immediately turned his attention to the viewing screens located above him. Both the Jaeger and the helicopters were equipped with video cameras to give a visual and record for later study. Stacker watched as the Kaiju, Sheargrip, came into view. It was waiting for them.
Every time Stacker saw one of those monstrosities, his stomach dropped. He despised that reaction, even though it was only natural when staring at a colossal doomsday monster.
It's hide was a dark gray, accentuating its piercing blue eyes that stared with malicious intent at the Jaeger that was approaching it. Stacker saw it flex its pincers a few times in anticipation.
Thankfully, the Kaiju had not reached the city yet. If Romeo Blue could dispose of it not, casualties could be minimized.
Trevin's voice came through.
"Romeo Blue reaching the target zone! Disengaging transport!"
The massive Jaeger then fell from its restraints, landing hard on the Earth beneath it.
"Engaging!"
The hulking metal behemoth then stood up and charged at the Kaiju, which ran forward in return.
Romeo Blue drew its arm back as it ran, then jumped at the last minute and slammed its fist down hard on the beast's head as they met. The Kaiju roared in pain and stumbled hard under the Jaeger's crushing blow. Stacker glanced over to Mako and saw that she was watching intently.
Romeo followed up by catching Sheargrip under its jaw with an uppercut as it stumbled down. The monster's head snapped backward, and the force of the blow caused it to stagger backward as well.
"Yeah! Eat it, ugly!" came Bruce's voice from the conn-pod.
"Sir!" The Ops cried out. "I'm reading some sort of anomaly near the combat zone!"
Stacker immediately turned to the Ops. "What do you mean anomaly?"
"Sir, it's…it's like a miniature breach! Its energy signature matches closely with interdimensional waves that are emitted when the breach opens. Only now, it's smaller, barely even human-sized!"
"Ignore it," Stacker said. "The equipment may be faulty."
The Ops seemed hesitant but nodded once and returned to the console.
Stacker turned his attention to the screens. At the very corner, Stacker thought he saw a flash of blue appear for a moment, but he dismissed it as a trick of the light.
"You saw it too," Mako said next to him.
"Faulty equipment, Mako," Stacker said. "We must focus on the task at hand."
Mako bowed her head for a moment. Then looked back up at the screens.
Sheargrip had recovered from the initial blows. With an agitated roar, the monster threw itself against the Jaeger and drove against the massive weight. In response, Romeo Blue planted its feet and balanced as the Kaiju continued driving against it with its bulk.
"Piledriver!" Bruce yelled over the COM.
Stacker watched as the Jaeger brought both of its arms above its head, then drove them down hard onto the Kaiju's back. Sheargrip's legs buckled under the force of the impact and the beast went down. The two colossal fighters skidded to a stop. Stacker allowed himself a sigh of relief.
"LOCCENT! We've got 'em on the ropes now! All that's left is—"
The twins were abruptly cut off as Sheargrip reached out and clamped Romeo's left arm in one of its pincers. It had grabbed just above the elbow, effectivity controlling the limb.
"GAAAGH!" one of the twins yelled as the Kaiju clamped down even harder. Sparks flew from the metal as the arm began to give.
"LOCCENT! The left arm is compromised! Systems are failing!"
Sheargrip suddenly roared and lashed out with its other pincer. Reaching high, it latched onto Romeo Blue's conn-pod.
"Romeo Blue! Get out of there!" Stacker yelled into the transmitter.
"Conn-pod is compromised, sir!" the twins shouted. "It's coming through the wall—"
What happened next was something out of Stacker's nightmares. Sheargrip bellowed loudly and simultaneously tore through the conn-pod and the left arm of Romeo Blue. The COMs went dead as Romeo Blue fell to the ground, lifeless. Its severed arm landed nearby.
"Romeo Blue!" Stacker yelled. "Romeo Blue, can you hear me?!"
"We've lost them, sir!" The Ops yelled from his seat. "I've got no life signs from either pilot. Neural interface is gone too!"
Mako gasped. Stacker immediately accessed the intercom.
"Mammoth Apostle! Get ready to deploy! We have to intercept the Kaiju to minimize damage."
"Sir! I'm reading neural activity from Romeo Blue! It's faint, but it's there! Once of the pilots must still be alive!"
Stacker whirled around and stared at the screen. The Kaiju had turned away from the fallen Jaeger and had begun lumbering away.
At first, the Jaeger was still. Then its right arm began to move. It was getting up! It was slow going as the heavy machine was attempting to right itself with just one arm, but it soon stood back up on two feet.
"Romeo Blue, what's your status?" Stacker yelled.
"Sir, COMs are still dead. They were knocked out when the hull was compromised."
Stacker shook his head and took a good look at the Jaeger on the screen. Not only did it only have one functioning arm, but it was also missing half of its conn-pod. The top of its head was completely sheared off, giving a full view of the pilot house inside.
Stacker squinted to try and get a good look at the remaining pilot, but the picture was too grainy. Stacker realized that with one of the twins gone, the other was now piloting Romeo Blue without help from a neural link. Attempting to pilot one of the heaviest Jaegers in existence solo was suicide. In fact, the simple task of getting up was an impossibility in its own right. It was doable in a lighter Jaeger, but with Romeo Blue's weight, the mind would snap under the load. And yet, somehow the Jaeger was standing.
Stacker accessed the COMs.
"Helicopter pilots, what do you see? Who's piloting Romeo Blue?"
The pilot's voice crackled over the radio.
"Sir, it's not one of the Gage twins. Whoever it is, he's wearing some kind of suit that isn't ours."
"It can't be," Stacker said back as the Jaeger took a few test steps forward. "Piloting the Jaeger would be impossible without the suit. There's no way to interface!"
"I can't see much detail, sir!" the pilot said back. "But he's definitely hooked up. His suit must be able to connect with the Jaeger."
By this point, the Kaiju had become aware that the Jaeger had righted itself. At first, it a look of surprise seemed to be on its features, but it quickly got over it. Sheargrip turned with an almost annoyed bellow and faced Romeo Blue yet again. Suddenly, Romeo Blue charged forward again.
It was faster, way faster than before. Romeo Blue's lumbering slowness had been its trademark since it had been first launched, but now, its movement seemed to be on par with a Mark-lV Jaeger, at least. In fact, Stacker thought it may now even be as fast as Striker Eureka, the first Mark-V Jaeger that had launched not one year ago. A Mark-l now had speed on par with a Mark-V that was a sixth of its weight. How was that possible?
"Sir! You're gonna want to see this!" the Ops yelled.
Stacker turned away from the screen for a brief second and stared at the console. He couldn't believe his eyes.
Neural activity was off the charts. Information from the Jaeger to the pilot was flying back and forth in droves. Stacker's eyes widened in surprise. That should not have been possible.
During the first testing of the neural bridge, experiments had been conducted on the possibility of connecting not just two, but three, four, or even five minds at once. That had been proven dangerous, as the flood of memories and events quickly overwhelmed the subjects, but neural capacity had exponentially increased with each mind that was added to the pot. And from what he saw on the screens, Stacker guessed that it would take no less than six minds working together to rival what he was seeing. And yet, it was all being done by one mind alone.
Whatever what piloting that Jaeger, it was no ordinary human.
Stacker watched as Romeo Blue reached the Kaiju and punched the creature square in the jaw, with its remaining fist. Stacker swore he could feel the shockwave through the video feed.
The beast bellowed in agony and staggered backward, but Romeo Blue didn't let up. Using its newfound speed, the Jaeger reached out and grabbed Sheargrip's right arm with its own. The Kaiju was still concussed from the first punch, so Romeo Blue had little resistance as it pulled the right arm across the monster's body. With a heave, Romeo blue shoved the open pincers around the beast's left arm, clamping the monster's left arm tight between the pincers.
Stacker heard the Ops mutter something. "He can't possibly be…"
Raising a fist high above the its body, Romeo Blue brought thousands of tons of force down on top of the pincers, which closed around the Kaiju's left arm and sliced it clean from its body. The Kaiju screamed and blood poured from the wound as the left arm landed on the ground with a massive thud.
"Holy fuck…he did," the Ops' jaw dropped open and stayed there.
Stacker's eyes widened. A move like that had never been attempted by Jaeger pilot in the history of the Pan Pacific Defense Corps. To use a Kaiju's own body against it, that was unheard of. His eyes widened further when he saw that Romeo Blue was only getting started.
Next to him, Mako had taken out a notepad and was now furiously scribbling notes down.
With its one remaining arm, the Jaeger reached down and picked up the Kaiju's dismembered limb. Sheargrip tried to reach out and stop it, but the Jaeger was too fast. Clutching one end, the Jaeger swung the meaty arm in a wide arc that struck the Kaiju on the side of the head. The weight of Romeo Blue's arm combined with the weight of the makeshift Kaiju club was enough to knock Sheargrip off its feet. The Kaiju screamed and fell onto its side, not even having time to land before Romeo Blue was upon it again.
Stacker watched in a mix of awe and shock as the Jaeger struck the downed Kaiju with its makeshift club over and over again. Each time the Kaiju tried to stand, the Jaeger hit it with another earthshattering swing. Sheargrip tried to shield itself with its other arm, but a few hits from Romeo Blue broke its shoulder and forearm, and now the limb flopped around on the ground, useless as the Kaiju took blow after repeated blow.
For the first time, Stacker almost felt sorry for the giant monster. He had never seen one brutalized in such a way before. When the Jaeger's fought against the Kaiju, the battle was usually down to the wire. Never before had it been so one-sided like this. The Kaiju's screams of agony began to grow weaker.
After a few more blows, Romeo Blue switched its grip on the arm, such that the pincers were open and facing downward towards the Kaiju.
Right above its neck.
"Maji…" Mako said from beside him.
With a final heave, Romeo Blue brought the arm down hard, clamping the Kaiju's neck tight between the pincers. The beast didn't even have enough energy to scream.
The Jaeger than swung its foot back and then crashed it hard into the claw, closing the pincers shut once more. There was a sickening noise of flesh being sliced apart, then the kaiju's head detatched from its shoulders. It rolled a small distance away from the body, and then fell still.
The shatterdome fell silent.
Then all at once, everyone cheered. A great roar of victory reverberated from the walls of the shatterdome. Another Kaiju had been defeated, and that meant that humanity would live to see another day. Stacker stood tall for a moment, allowing the thrill of victory to wash over him, but then spared a moment of silence. They had lost another Jaeger team today, and the damage done to Romeo Blue was nigh unsalvageable. With great victory, great sacrifice had been paid.
Stacker looked at the screens again. Romeo Blue was now bending over and examining the Kaiju's carcass, and Stacker saw just how much damage had been sustained during the fight. In addition to missing an arm and half of its conn-pod, there were also dents and gouges where the Kaiju had landed a few glancing blows during the battle.
Stacker addressed the helicopter pilots over the COM.
"Pilots, link up with Romeo Blue and bring it back here. It's time we asked a few questions."
…
A chorus of cheers and applause greeted Romeo Blue has the helicopters set it down in the shatterdome. The noise of applause continued as what was left of the conn-pod was disconnected from the Jaeger and transferred to the staging area. Stacker was waiting there. Mako stood beside him.
When the conn-pod arrived, Stacker got an up-close view of the pilot for the first time.
The helicopter pilot had been correct, this figure was dressed in a dark green suit of armor that showed no skin at all. Its helmet was also opaque, so Stacker couldn't see its face either. The pilot eyed Stacker as it stepped out of the conn-pod.
Stacker stood still with his hands behind his back. Mako clutched her notebook to her chest. She looked as though she was staring at a rock star or superhero. Stacker supposed she probably was.
"I am Marshall Stacker Pentecost. This is Miss Mako Mori." Stacker gestured to Mako, who bowed her head politely to the pilot. Her eyes never left its form.
"There are a few things we need to discuss…"
…
Stacker assessed the information he had been given. Attempting to get any information out of the pilot proved to be troublesome as it didn't speak at all. Therefore, their line of questioning was rather limited to yes or no questions only. At first, he considered using the drift to see the memories of the pilot, but given the massive neural power that he, Stacker had learned that it was a he, emitted, a normal human brain could not handle the load. After nearly two hours of questioning, Stacker had learned that the pilot had come from another dimension, but not the same dimension that the Kaiju had come through. His means of doing so was a breach-like tech that had been built into his suit. Though he could activate the breach, he had no control of where it took him. He was effectively dimension jumping willy-nilly in the hope that he could get back to his own dimension.
In exchange for his information, Stacker and Mako had told him of all that had occurred since the Kaiju had first arrived. The breach, the Jaeger Program, the growing frequency of Kaiju attacks, all of it had been laid out for the pilot. Upon hearing the story, the pilot seemed not that disturbed by any of it, which caused Stacker to question if such dire situations were "normal" to him.
Once all the necessary questions and information had been drawn from him. Mako had eagerly taken control of the conversation and was now questioning the pilot on his fighting techniques as well as how he had made Romeo Blue so agile all of a sudden. Her progress was limited again due to the barriers in his communication abilities, but Mako's enthusiasm did not waiver. Stacker was certain that she could have asked the pilot questions all day long, but they did not have time for that. He let her have her fun for a few minutes more before stepping in.
"As for the events that transpired today, it's obvious that you would make a formidable asset against the growing threat of the Kaiju. I'm extending to you an offer to stay with us and help us fight against extinction."
The unnamed pilot shook its head no. Stacker's heart sank.
"I understand, there is evil in your dimension that you must return to. We cannot burden you with ours."
Mako appeared to be downtrodden at the pilot's decision. Stacker couldn't blame her. This pilot had the mental capacity to make their slowest Jaeger into their fastest. He could only imagine what he could do in a Mark-lV variant.
"Before you go…" Mako said. Her voice shook slightly. "I…maybe you could show us a few rounds in the simulator? Just to help us understand your techniques a bit more?"
Stacker wanted to reprimand Mako, but he stopped himself. Truth be told, he wanted to see the pilot in action a little bit more as well.
The pilot looked from Mako to Stacker, then nodded its head once. Mako's entire being lit up in response.
"Domo…ah thank you. Thank you!"
The pilot nodded again and stood up from the table. Mako hid her emotions well, but Stacker knew that she was basically jumping for joy as she led the pilot from the room. Stacker smirked slightly and followed.
…
Stacker sighed at the massive crowd that was watching the simulations from the viewing room. He had tried to keep the information quiet, but as soon as word got out that the pilot from Romeo Blue was in the simulator, nearly the entire shatterdome had showed up to watch. Mako was at the front, watching the screens like a kid in the candy store.
So far, the pilot had run three simulations. Each time, he had fought three different Kaiju. So far, he had fought the Category-ll Kaiju (codenamed Ragnarock), and two Category-lll Kaiju, Yamarashi and Knifehead. He was currently fighting Knifehead, and Stacker found himself watching with interest, as this was the Kaiju that had cost him is star Jaeger team, the Becket brothers. All around him, members of the shatterdome cheered, placed bets, and watched with enthusiasm at the show they were receiving.
Interestingly enough, the pilot had chosen the Jaeger, Cherno Alpha, each time that he battled.
"Why does he choose a Mark-l every time?" someone asked from the crowd. "And why Cherno Alpha?"
"Cherno Alpha can deliver very powerful blows," Mako answered without looking away from the screen. "Not quite as powerful as a heavier Jaeger, but still very strong."
"But why doesn't he just use a heavier Jaeger then? We all saw it, he's fast enough even when in Romeo Blue. Why not use it? Or maybe a different heavy Jaeger, like Horizon Brave or Tacit Ronin?"
"It's because of the hands," Mako replied without missing a beat. "Cherno Alpha has proportionally large hands and fingers, allowing him to grapple more. He likes to rip and tear at his opponent."
Stacker nodded subconsciously, Mako was right. The pilot seemed to enjoy mangling his opponents in every way possible. As he said that, the pilot tore one of Knifehead's secondary arms from its body before delivering a solid uppercut to the Kaiju's sharp-ended nose. The beast's head snapped up, and Cherno Alpha followed by punching its massive fist straight into the Kaiju's mouth. Its "roll of nickels" was activated, and the Kaiju reared backward as all of its teeth were shattered.
Using the fist in Knifehead's mouth to hold it steady, Cherno Alpha then delivered one more crushing blow to the speared nose that gave the Kaiju its name, and this time, the nose broke off from the Kaiju's skull. The monster howled in pain, but it came out muffled due to Cherno's fist blocking its airway.
With its other arm, Cherno Alpha picked up the now dismembered nose and stabbed it deep into Knifehead's neck. The Kaiju bucked and tried to free itself, but it was now choking on its own blood. It gurgled and thrashed for a few moments more, then went limp. Cherno Alpha wrenched its fist from the beast's mouth, and Knifehead fell into the water. Dead.
Scenario Concluded. Calculating Score…
The gathering cheered at the victory. Stacker shared their enthusiasm. This pilot was insanely good at killing these things. His methods, however, would have required work, as Kaiju Blue would run rampant across the planet at the rate he made these things bleed. That was not a good thing.
The pilot stepped out of the simulation conn-pod and was instantly surrounded by a mob of shatterdome members. Many were congratulating him or patting him on the back, while others fired a barrage of questions.
Stacker immediately took control of the situation and everyone fell in line under his authority. Stepping up next to the pilot, he addressed the crowd.
"While this pilot's skills are indeed formidable, as well as his unique ability to pilot a Jaeger on his own, I'm afraid he cannot stay."
A murmur of discontent echoed through the crowd, but Stacker silenced them with a look.
"He is from another dimension, and he came here in a way similar to how the Kaiju do, but he is not affiliated with them. His own dimension suffers, and he must return. He only agreed to stay to run a few simulations to help us improve our fighting techniques against the Kaiju. And for that, you have my thanks. You've made us stronger today."
He then turned and offered his hand to the pilot, who nodded and shook it in return. The pilot then took a few steps back and gave the crowd a thumbs up. With a loud bang and a flash of blue light, the pilot was gone.
Stacker turned back to the crowd.
"He may be gone, but our work is far from over. Recall the evacuation, secure the Kaiju remains, and salvage anything you can from Romeo Blue. This war is not over yet."
A/N: There's another chapter done. For those that may be curious, "Maji" is a slang word used for disbelief in Japanese. It's similar to "No way". As always, make sure to like the video and subscri- wait... wrong platform. My mistake! (Ok, it's a terrible joke but I felt like making it.) But anyhow, if you love/hate the chapter, please tell me so by dropping a review so I can continue to grow as a writer. Until next time!
-ImpulsiveWeaver