Much to the surprise of the Jaeger crews, none of the three Jaegers currently stationed at Hong Kong made so much as a sound as the fourth Jaeger was lowered into its new bay. Normally when a new arrival came to the Shatterdome, all the older mechs immediately began acting up, their engines and power cores growling or humming and raising a racket for at least several hours, if not days. Some joked that they were welcoming the newcomer, while others complained that they were envious of the attention the new arrival was getting and were acting out like little kids jealous of a new sibling. Still others figured it was nothing more than coincidence, and that it was silly to anthropomorphize the Jaegers in such a manner.

But today was different. Cherno, Crimson, and Gipsy didn't utter so much as a sound as Striker Eureka came to rest in his hangar, all clean lines and sharp angles, so new that his paint still shone with a high gloss in most places. Scratches and dents marked his arms and torso from previous fights, but he still practically screamed newbuilt, and the highly advanced weaponry built into his chest and arms further confirmed his status.

Cherno finally broke the silence, giving a soft coo of awe. Mark V! The most advanced Jaeger to date! And if the rumors were true, this Mark V had the highest kill count in the entire PPDC! He was standing in the presence of a legend…

A firm mental nudge from Crimson broke him out of his reverie. The Mark IV was less than impressed with the newcomer. He might have a high kill count, but he hadn't spent years defending coastlines like Cherno had. Cherno was far more deserving of being hailed as a legend than this upstart rookie.

Cherno nudged back irritably. What was wrong with admiring another Jaeger? And what business was it of Crimson's? Was the red Jaeger just jealous that a newer mech was being stationed at their Shatterdome?

Crimson seemed to balk at that for a moment, then dismissed it. He was most assuredly NOT jealous. He simply didn't see the point of fussing over a Jaeger who had yet to prove himself in his optical sensors. He would wait until he saw Striker in action for himself before making any firm judgments, but for now he was going to remain neutral on the subject. And he suggested Cherno do the same rather than acting like a fawning fanboy.

Cherno's engines snorted at the red Jaeger. Fawning fanboy his exhaust vents… Crimson was just jealous, even if he wouldn't admit it. At least, that was his theory.

Gipsy remained silent throughout the exchange. Only very recently had the blue Jaeger finally opened up to the others, if only to talk about her Rangers. She spoke of them quietly, in almost reverent tones, and it was obvious that she regarded them quite highly… as her family, as brothers. And though she had accepted that Yancy was beyond her reach, killed by the Kaiju that had nearly junked her in the first place, she clung to the hope that Raleigh would come back for her.

Cherno had offered quiet encouragement, but Crimson was less sure that her surviving Ranger would return. He had suggested, as tactfully as possible, that if Raleigh Becket had intended to come back to the Jaeger program, surely he would have done so by now. And perhaps, if she wanted to see combat again, it would be in Gipsy's best interests to accept another set of pilots.

To say that hadn't gone over well had been an understatement – Gipsy had erupted into an unholy shriek that had nearly ruptured the humans' eardrums before they could shut her down. It took her weeks to stop sulking after that, and she still gave Crimson the silent treatment.

At the moment, Gipsy was withdrawn and a little moody from the day's events – Tendo and Pentecost had tried introducing a new set of Rangers to her, and she had responded to their efforts by shutting down the neural handshake the moment they tried to activate it. Eight times the Ranger candidates tried to drift with her, and eight times she firmly rejected them. She wasn't happy with their choice and would have nothing to do with the new Rangers.

An unfamiliar presence "poked" at Cherno at that moment, and he turned his attention from Gipsy to Striker. The Mark V had finally noticed his fellow Jaegers, and seemed curious.

Cherno hesitated, then gave a thrum of welcome. It was an honor to meet the Mark V, and he hoped Striker would feel at home here.

Striker thrummed back, preening at the attention. He was the first, and so far only, Mark V, the pinnacle of Jaeger technology, the most advanced of their kind to date. He was glad someone could appreciate his finer qualities, and perhaps now that he was here the Shatterdome stood a chance against the Kaiju onslaught.

Crimson gave a cough of his engines. Striker growled softly in response, taking the sound as an insult. Did the red Jaeger have something to say?

Crimson coughed again, the sound almost like laughter. He had nothing to say. He simply thought it was amusing that Striker thought himself to be superior to the other Jaegers in this base.

Striker growled again, a long, low sound that made his Rangers stop bickering and turn to stare at him in confusion. What was Crimson's problem anyhow? Was the Mark IV jealous of him? After all, he wasn't the newest mech in the program anymore, and Striker had managed to beat his old record easily. Crimson's dismissal of his accomplishments sounded like sour fuel to him.

Cherno whined softly and tried to interpose his presence between the two of them. He didn't want any fighting. There were too few Jaegers left anymore, and he didn't want them to be spending their final days arguing and insulting each other. Who cared who was newer or who had the highest kill count? The important thing was that they were all in good repair, and all had their Rangers still by their sides…

He stopped right there, feeling a pang of guilt. Striker sensed that and turned his attention to Gipsy, who had remained silent all through the exchange. A hint of smugness crept into his presence. He'd heard of Gipsy Danger – what Jaeger hadn't? And he'd heard of the stupid mistake on her Rangers' parts that had gotten one of them killed and sent her to the junkyard for awhile. Kind of a stupid way to get put out of commission in his opinion…

Gipsy's engines rumbled ominously, and she lashed out at Striker in a blazing rage. No one – NO ONE – talked about her Rangers that way. Not Pentecost, not other Rangers, not other Jaegers, and most certainly NOT an arrogant, stupid, cold-cored newbie like Striker. Raleigh and Yancy hadn't been perfect, but they were HERS, and if she heard one more derogatory word about them from Striker, the first thing she'd do once Raleigh came back and drifted with her again was punch his Conn Pod flat.

Striker went silent at that, and had he been capable of facial expression Cherno was sure he would be staring at Gipsy in stupefied shock. Gipsy withdrew into herself, engine grumbling grouchily as she tried to get settled again. Crimson, for his part, practically beamed in satisfaction, both at seeing Striker taken down a peg and at Gipsy standing up for herself.

Cherno drew into himself as well, wanting no part in the bickering. Well, at least with Striker Eureka on their team, things weren't going to be boring.

"What do you mean, terminated?" demanded Newt, blinking at Tendo in shock. "You're not meaning, like, fired, right?"

"Call it what you would like, but yes," Tendo replied, folding his hands on his desk. "The two of you are being released from your duties in the Shatterdome. If you can give me letters of resignation before you go, I can at least make sure you get some kind of severance package. It won't be much, but it'll be something."

"This is absurd!" Hermann snapped, raising his cane and brandishing it at Tendo as if it were a sword. "The two of us have contributed too much to the Jaeger program to be packed off like this!"

"I agree with Mr. Grumpy-Pants for once," Newt added. "Dude, without us Operation Pitfall wouldn't have worked! And this is how you thank us?"

"The Shatterdome is grateful for all you've done for us," Tendo replied, an apologetic expression on his face. "But this has to be done. Our funding has run out, and we have to cut corners somehow. And since we already know enough about the Kaiju to be able to defeat them and close the Breach, it's only logical that our research division be trimmed back."

Hermann narrowed his eyes. "Something is wrong here, Mr. Choi. You've never spoken of cutting back staff before, not even when finances looked their bleakest. What's changed? What are you playing at?"

"Mr. Gottlieb, don't argue with me," Tendo replied firmly. "This has to be done, for the good of the Jaeger program."

Newt tried another tactic. "Yeah, but without a research division, how you gonna study the Jaegers? We don't know jack about them, and what happens if Mustang comes to life or Oblivion Bay gets hit with a Jaeger-zombie apocalypse or something? If anything, you need a research division more than ever!"

Tendo raised an eyebrow. "A xeno-biologist and a theoretician as a Jaeger research team?"

"Hey, we're better than nothing!" Newt countered. "And at least we're actual scientists!"

"The continued study of Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon will be made by Bailey Rossi and Mako Mori," Tendo continued. "Both of them will divide their duties as necessary, and continue to gather information as needed."

"You'll replace us with an ex-Ranger and an inexperienced engineer?" demanded Hermann. "Not even proper scientists? This is outrageous!"

"Hermann Gottlieb, I don't like this any more than you do," Tendo said firmly. "But we have no choice. You have until 1800 tonight to pack your things and leave the Shatterdome."

Newt went for his last-ditch tactic, putting on his most mournful expression. "Sir… this is practically our home. You can't just throw us out on the streets. Where are we supposed to go?"

"You won't be without resources," Tendo replied, voice sympathetic but his tone final. "Again, if you agree to resign without a fuss, we can give you a small severance package. It won't be a great deal of money, but it can at least buy you a plane ticket out of Hong Kong. Unless you think you can find employment in the city, in which case you're welcome to stay... provided you don't contact the Shatterdome again."

Hermann pulled himself to his feet, wincing at the pain in his bad leg, and delivered his most venomous glare at the Shatterdome Marshal. "Pentecost would never have done this. He understood that it took more than big machines and headstrong men and women with death wishes to win this war! It took intelligence, logic, and sharp minds driven to uncover as much about our enemy as we could in order to defeat them! Pentecost understood-"

"I'm. Not. Pentecost." Tendo didn't raise his voice, but he emphasized each word as much as he could. "I'm sorry if you expected me to be his clone, but unfortunately you're stuck with me and not Pentecost 2.0." He pulled a file out of his desk and pushed it toward them. "You'll find the standard procedures for cleaning out your quarters and workspaces in there. And Newt, take your pet with you when you go. I doubt anyone here is going to want to adopt him in your place."

Hermann glared at Tendo a little longer, then grabbed the file and tucked it under one arm. He swiveled around on his good leg and made for the door to Tendo's office as quickly as possible. Newt scrambled after him, wanting as much distance between himself and their leader as possible at the moment.

"What just happened back there?" Newt wondered aloud. "I thought we were buds with him."

"I knew he was changing to fit his new station," Hermann replied, some of the venom draining from his voice. "But not like this… not this cold. And I can't help but feel there's something wrong about this."

"You think he's got other reasons for giving us the axe?"

"I KNOW he has other motives. And if I had a little more time, I might be able to deduce them. But time is a luxury we don't have at the moment."

Newt shook his head as they stepped into the lift. "Makes me wonder if we did something to piss him off somewhere along the way. You don't think this is because of Spike peeing on his desk last night, do you?"

Hermann rolled his eyes. "If that's all it took to get fired, Hercules would have been ejected from the Shatterdome months ago."

"Maybe dogs get more slack then skin mites do," Newt said with a shrug. "So what's the procedure for getting our asses fired anyhow? Didn't know we even HAD procedures like that."

"Presumably it's something you only discover once you're terminated." Hermann pulled out the folder and flipped it open, scanning the single sheet of paper inside. Immediately the anger drained out of his expression.

"Newton, hit the stop switch!"

"Wait, what? Dude, you know everyone hates it when people play with the elevators-"

"Stop this lift car at once!"

"Okay, okay, geez…" Newt reached over and slapped the control panel, and the lift lurched to a stop. "What's the problem anyhow?"

"Get over here and have a look at this."

Curiosity overcame irritation, and Newt went to have a look at the contents of the folder. He'd been expecting a boring list of things to do before getting his ass out of the Shatterdome, but instead it looked like a letter… from Tendo.

Dr. Geizler and Dr. Gottlieb,

Before you continue reading, find a private place to read this message, and destroy it before you leave the Shatterdome. Both Hannibal and the Kaiju Cult have informants in the Shatterdome, and I'd rather this information didn't fall into the wrong hands.

I owe both of you an apology for recent events – both your terminations and not being able to explain the true reasons for them. I'm sorry it's come to this, but this is for both your own safety and the continued safety of the Shatterdome, its crew, and especially the Jaegers.

The termination of our research division for financial purposes is indeed a cover story. The true purpose for this was to get the two of you out of the Shatterdome as quickly as possible. Due to your drift with the Kaiju brain, it's no longer safe for you to remain here – the Precursors can possibly see what you see, and find a way to manipulate it for their own gain. Whether they know about the Jaegers' sentience yet I can't say, and we likely won't know the answer until the next Kaiju attack… but until then I would rather play it safe.

This isn't just for the safety of the Shatterdome and its Jaegers, however. It's to keep you safe as well. Not many know about your drift with the Kaiju brain, but if that knowledge was made public… it could be nasty for you. And given that almost everyone in the Shatterdome has a grudge against the Kaiju, we judged it safest for you to be away from it for the time being.

The final reason for your termination is a more practical one. You're not going to like this, Dr. Geizler, so I apologize in advance.

Given the Kaiju Cult's recent attack on Mustang Omega, we have to consider them a viable threat – maybe not as big a threat as the Kaiju themselves, but still capable of causing great harm if we don't keep an eye on them. The Shatterdome needs eyes in the Kaiju Cult… and given that the two of you have links with the Kaiju, that makes you the best candidates.

Consider this a reassignment rather than a termination. Once the two of you leave the Shatterdome, go to the temple in the Bone Slums and ask for asylum. If what Newt's told us about the cultists is correct, you'll be welcomed there with open arms. Stay with the cult for the next little while, and report back to the Shatterdome if you learn anything of interest – use the encrypted e-mail address at the end of this letter.

Sorry I couldn't tell you this in my office, but I wanted to play it safe in case Hannibal or the cult had planted bugs in my office. If we're able to find a way to eliminate or block the link between you and the Kaiju, I'll re-hire you on the spot. Because it's impossible to imagine the Shatterdome without the two of you.

Again, destroy this message before you leave the Shatterdome. Be safe. And drop us a line once you're situated within the cult.

Marshal Tendo Choi

The two scientists exchanged a long look. Then Newt burst into laughter.

"I KNEW he didn't mean it!" Newt whooped.

"Keep your voice down!" Hermann barked, and hit the stop switch to get the lift going again. "How can you laugh at a time like this? The very implications… that we might have Precursors using us as organic spy cameras…"

"So we go hang out with the cult and give 'em nothing but weirdness to spy on," Newt replied. "Maybe they'll be so creeped out by the fact that some of us worship their attack dogs that they'll figure this planet's not worth the fuss and leave."

"I highly doubt that," Hermann muttered, then made an abrupt cut-off motion as the doors to the lift opened. They pushed past the Rossis, ignoring their complaints about the lift being held for so long, and made for the labs. Newt snatched the letter from Hermann, took a quick photo with his phone to preserve the text, and fed the paper to Spike before going to pack his things.

Within half an hour a taxi pulled up to the Shatterdome, and the scientist tossed their bags into the trunk and climbed inside. The vehicle pulled away, taking Newt and Hermann to their new assignment… and new lives.

Sasha bit her lip to hold back a chuckle as she watched Crimson Typhoon. After seeing him stand stoically in his hangar for so long, it was both strange and amusing to see him as fidgety as an eager child right now. He rocked back and forth, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, and clenched and unclenched all three of his hands in anticipation. Soft chirring and keening rose from his chassis, as if they stood in the presence of a giant kitten instead of a titanic war machine.

"Can someone get him to hold still?" Bailey asked at last. "He's going to yank out an important cable if he isn't careful."

"Cherno," Sasha murmured. It was only one word, but Cherno read its meaning anyhow, and he reached out to rest a massive hand on his fellow Jaeger's shoulder. Crimson turned to look at Cherno, then gave a droning sigh and stopped rocking, though he continued to fiddle with his hands.

It seemed like nearly the entire Shatterdome had turned out to view Crimson Typhoon's drift with his Rangers. Techs, mechanics, and other crews packed the bay to watch, some eagerly, others with a healthy dose of skepticism. Herc was up in the LOCCENT to oversee the neural handshake, his stern expression rather absurdly softened by Bruno's face poking out of his jacket. Mako, ever-present clipboard in hand, stood near the wheeled beds that held the Weis, while Raleigh lurked near the Kaidonovskys and looked on with interest. Even the Rossis had deigned to show up, though the two were whispering to each other and giving disdainful looks to the red Jaeger and his unresponsive pilots.

Newt, Hermann, and Tendo were conspicuously absent, Sasha realized… but before she could dwell on that, Mako spoke up.

"Medics, status report. How are the triplets?"

"Heart rate's a little lower than we'd like," the head medic replied. "Brain activity picked up on all three when we moved them into the bay, but not significantly."

"Are they stable enough for a drift?"

The medic frowned. "Under normal circumstances I'd strongly advise against attempting a neural handshake with one or more comatose subjects," he told her. "But seeing as these aren't normal circumstances in the least… yes, they're physically stable enough for a drift. Though I still have reservations against this procedure…"

"We have permission and even encouragement from their family for this," Mako reminded him. "If it helps, then wonderful. If it fails to help, then we have lost nothing for trying."

"What if it kills them?" Lexie piped up, a scowl marring her pretty features. "People have died drifting before, and those were healthy and mentally stable people. Trying to do a drift between three human vegetables and a machine is just asking for disaster!"

Sasha snorted. Vegetables indeed… the Weis might not be responsive at the moment, but there was no need for her to be rude when talking about them.

A deep rumble filled the room, making the floor vibrate beneath everyone's feet, and Crimson moved one hand protectively over the Weis. His Conn Pod swiveled to glare at Lexie, as if daring her to mock his Rangers again. She backpedaled quickly but glared right back.

"I doubt Crimson will let any harm come to his Rangers," Mako replied in a mild voice. "Whether inside or outside the drift." She looked up at the LOCCENT. "Ready?"

"We're ready up here," Bailey reported. "Or as ready as we'll ever be."

"You ready, Crimson?" asked Herc. "Think you got this?"

Crimson rumbled again and nodded, pulling his hand back. He straightened up, squaring his shoulders back like a soldier standing at attention. He looked as if he were preparing for a normal drift, with his Rangers safely in his Conn Pod instead of lying on beds in front of him.

"Then let's do this before we talk ourselves out of it," Herc said firmly. "Pons sets on?"

The head medic checked the fit of the Pons cap on Hu, then nodded. "On and set."

"Initiating neural handshake," Bailey announced. "All systems online… handshake in three… two… one…"

Sasha reached over and clasped Aleksis' hand, feeling a sudden thrill of nervousness. While they had not been close to the Wei Tang triplets, they had still considered Crimson Typhoon's Rangers friends. And Crimson and Cherno had been close friends for a long time. If this drift were to go sour somehow… if the Weis failed to wake up, or even died from a neural overload…

"Don't think about that," Aleksis advised. "It won't happen."

She nodded, though privately she couldn't help but continue to worry…

"Handshake's live!" Bailey shouted. "Got one, two, three… four links! Handshake's secure!"

Raleigh whooped in triumph, and Sasha gave a relieved smile. Perhaps she'd worried for nothing…

"Got some elevated brain activity here," the head medic announced. "Still not enough to indicate they're about to regain consciousness. But they're at least aware that something's going on."

Mako looked down at the tablet that had been fastened to her clipboard, frowning. A readout of the drift activity was visible on the tablet, and while Sasha wasn't sure what exactly it represented, it obviously wasn't to the young Ranger's liking. Perhaps this experiment wasn't going to be as successful as they hoped.

Crimson gave a low whimper and moved, crouching down to hover over his pilots. He raised a hand, as if about to touch them, but then lowered it with another whimper. Sasha wanted to say something to comfort him, but the words wouldn't come. How did one console a Jaeger whose Rangers weren't going to come back?

"Give it up already," muttered Lance. "They're not gonna wake up. Geez, talk about beating a dead horse…"

Crimson's Conn Pod jerked up sharply, and despite having no proper face his glower was enough to shut the young Ranger up in a hurry. Cherno didn't appreciate the remark either, and he outright snarled at Lance.

"Can't the two of you keep your mouths shut for five minutes?" Raleigh groaned.

"We're just stating facts!" Lance protested. "Why are we doing this anyhow? Does he really still need his Rangers when he can move on his own? Besides, I thought they were pretty much brain-dead."

That set Crimson off. He gave a high whine that quickly escalated to a full-blown wail, scattering the crowd that had gathered to watch the drift. Raleigh and the Rossis clapped their hands over their ears and staggered back, and Mako dropped her clipboard at the shock. Sasha reeled, hands over her own ears, but the quick glimpse she had gotten of the drift readout showed Crimson's side of the drift going ballistic, energy spiking through the roof.

Cherno!

He's calling out for them! Cherno replied, voice frantic. Louder than ever! He's angry… get Mustang's pilots out of here before he does something rash.

"What the hell's going on?" demanded Raleigh, eyes wide. "He's not going to flip out again, is he?"

Sasha quickly relayed what Cherno had told them. To his credit, Raleigh didn't question what she said but instead rushed to the Rossis and grabbed each of them by an arm to pull them out. They protested and swore but didn't resist as he dragged them out of the bay.

"For God's sake, tell him to shut up!" the head medic shouted. "He's going to wreck delicate equipment here!"

Cherno reached out to grab Crimson's shoulder, but the red Jaeger ducked out of his reach. His eerie cry continued to ring through the hangar, until Sasha thought she might pass out from the intensity of it. The LOCCENT was a hotbed of activity as the techs rushed to do something to shut Crimson up, but all their efforts were in vain – Crimson was in full control of himself, and was beyond their ability to control.

Then it happened. One of the Weis – Jin, Sasha realized – shot bolt upright in his bed. His eyes were bleary and unfocused, as if he were still asleep, but his expression was one of utter shock. He blurted something in his native tongue, then paused and shook his head, as if only now realizing where he was.

Crimson's cry cut off at that moment, and he stared at Jin for a long moment, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Sasha couldn't exactly blame him. After being completely unresponsive for so long, Jin was awake, awake and moving. And even as the gathered humans and Jaegers continued to watch the young Ranger turned slowly around to meet his Jaeger's gaze.

"Crimson…"

Crimson whined softly, but somehow the sound was full of joy and relief. He reached out with his right arm, both hands extended, but then drew it back. He wanted to touch his Ranger, reassure himself that he was all right, but neither did he want to hurt him.

Jin's face broke out in a joyous smile. "You called me back… you brought me…"

The covers of the bed on Jin's left stirred, and Cheung groaned softly. On his right, Hu sat up, blinking as if he'd just woken up from a nap instead of a coma. Crimson whimpered softly, then emitted a low hum of pleasure.

"Good Lord," the medic gaped. "This shouldn't be possible…"

"We're Rangers," Mako said with a smile. "We are used to doing the impossible."

Crimson finally lowered one hand toward his Rangers, until it was within their reach. Jin responded first, patting one massive finger with a gentle fondness. The red Jaeger's humming intensified, and he practically radiated pleasure and relief at the touch. Cheung reached out next, resting his hand on the tip of a finger, and finally Jin joined in, placing a trembling hand on Crimson's.

"Knew you could do it," Jin said with a bit of a chuckle. "Knew you could move on your own if you just tried hard enough. And you didn't believe me."

Crimson's engines coughed slightly in a laugh at that, and before anyone could stop him he had reached out to scoop up all three of his Rangers in his hands. They gave startled cries at the sudden move, but laughter quickly replaced shock, and they kept up a steady stream of chatter as Crimson carried them off.

"Hey!" the medic shouted, waving his arms. "Get back here! We have to give them checkups! They just woke up from comas, you can't just haul them off like that!"

"He's a Jaeger," Mako noted. "Good luck telling him what to do." And she giggled at the look of frustration the medic shot her.

A hand brushed Sasha's cheek, and she turned to find Aleksis looking worriedly down at her.

"You're crying," he murmured.

"How can I not?" she replied. "We saw a reunion happen… one not so different from ours. Another family has been brought back together."

He smiled, then looked away quickly to rub at his eyes.

Cherno watched Crimson go, making absolutely no move to stop him. He beamed happily, exuding an aura of content at seeing his friend finally reunited with his Rangers.

I think he'll be okay, he said. He has his Rangers back… his brothers. He's going to be all right now.

Sasha nodded, feeling the tension run out of her body. Crimson might have made enemies of the medical team during this procedure, but he had what was most important to him now. And somehow that seemed entirely worth it.