Three months, that's how long it had been since Hermione and Daphne took Issei Hyoudou and Asia Argento under their wings. Three long, tiring months to get the recruits up to where their peers were in Jaeger knowledge, school and combat training. Hermione was sure that Issei would have quit by now, the kid didn't have the makings of a Jaeger Ranger in the slightest. Though she reprimanded herself, the Becket Brothers were the same way. However, both Issei and Asia had the most powerful Drifting compatibility ever seen within the PPDC.
That was until the computer tried to separate them due to other factors; Age, sex, health, you name it. Issei gave the computer the finger, quite literally in this case, and both teens went to the Jaeger simulator to do their first, controlled, drift exercises. The first time they drifted, the AI system went berserk, trying to disconnect them immediately. Finally, it took the new Marshal, Son Hew, to override the clearly broken computer program. AI was useful but when it came to Drift technology, it didn't work out.
She remembered the pair's first Drift, the computers had thought they had started chasing the R.A.B.I.T. (Random Act Brain Impulse Triggers, or Memories in short, layman's terms) until Colin bypassed the computer's systems and proclaimed that both Issei and Asia had gone Drift Silent. It had been a theory during the Kaiju War that if two people were so compatible with one another that upon entering the Drift, they would become one person in two separate bodies. The phrase, "Stay in the Drift, the Drift is silence", was quite literal to these near non-existent people.
Drift Silent, Hermione couldn't help but watch the pair as they had brought up the Simulation of Gypsy's mission against Knifehead. Both acted as one, each movement so perfectly synchronized that Hermione couldn't be sure who was leading so both knew what to do. For ten minutes, Hermione watched as Issei and Asia beat down the largest category three behemoth before blowing its head off. She winced, realizing that she and Daphne could have done the same thing back then too. Just angle the plasma gun up so the shot hit the neck, not the chest.
The simulation ended, ending the Drift between the two before both took heavy gasps of air. Hermione had rushed in as both teens collapsed out of the harnesses, both looking very pale and terrified. They both were checked over and given a clean bill of health but both were shaken from their first Drift together. Hermione kept an eye on the pair as she looked into both's backgrounds, not finding much besides the summarized histories.
That hadn't gotten her anywhere, so she tried to talk with Harry himself but he was busy dealing with a problem at a Jaeger manufacturing plant in Utah. She grumbled but only shook her head, she barely reconnected with her Brother in all but blood after the War. He had changed drastically since his Fifth year at Hogwarts and she wasn't sure if she could adapt anymore to the new Harry. After her parents' deaths, she had joined the Jaeger Program to forget about it all. Then Daphne came into the picture and forced her to relive those memories again, to face her demons.
She soon realized she had been a stubborn fool and Harry had changed for the better, he hadn't become different. He had matured and grown while she had regressed and stagnated until Daphne forced her to review her life. Now Hermione was doing better but nightmares of the War kept coming back to her, she hadn't gotten PTSD but the nightmares were not helping her sleep at night either.
Below the Earth's surface, in the space between the Hollow Earth and the Earth itself, was the section of the planet home to the race of beings known as Devils. While it looked like Earth to anyone outside of it, everyone inside knew the sky above was only an artificial creation that gave the appearance of the sky so far above them. The long lived species of humanoids were also, unconsciously, cowering from ever returning to the surface ever again.
They previously had lived above without worry or care until the past started to catch up with them, the Titans rising and the Mass Awakening event. They were driven into their real homes down below when the long thought dead war between the Gojira and Kongs started up again. After that, they hadn't gone back up since the Kaiju War began. Many believed the Earth surface was pretty much gone, of course most knew the Earth was fine or the Kaiju would have gotten to them.
Sirzech Lucifer, current Lucifer and one of the Leaders of the Devils, grimaced as he looked at his office television. He saw his younger sister on the news today, which had been droning on about all the new recruits until the news reporter came up to the Veterans Herc and Chuck Hanson.
"Excuse me," She said, causing both to look at her, "could I ask a few questions about your new apprentices?"
Herc raised an eyebrow before looking at his son, who spoke up, "Go ahead, but make them quick. They got training in a few minutes."
The reporter nodded, "Just a few simple ones, first, Rias Gremory and Akeno Himejima are under your tutelage, correct?"
Herc nodded, "They are."
"And that you and two other Ranger Pairs are training four others in, what is called, "Legacy Training"?"
"Yes," Chuck said before rolling his eyes, "Most of the Ranger recruits here don't know what it was like to be connected in the harness of a Jaeger, Mark Six's and beyond won't use the old system anymore. All the new systems use Holo-immersive technology that are supposedly better then the old system, except they don't help the Ranger."
Herc put a hand on his son's shoulder, "What he's trying to say is that the new system isn't tested nor is it Kaiju ready, these rigs are more useful as gaming stations then combat oriented ones. However, we're trying to fix that by teaching these six recruits the old ways of the Program."
"The older models, Mark Five and older, all used the old system that was perfect. However, while technology is advancing, pushing towards making one variation of Jaeger technology obsolete is not how it should work. Holo-immersion cannot give the pilots the needed information as its all lights and projections programmed into the suit. This argument is going to continue into the ages, long after we're dead. However, given that the training for the Legacy is more intense, it'll be more rewarding in the end."
The reporter nodded, "One final question, rumors have it that Rias Gremory was signed into a contract via Demons Blood. Whether that is true or not, isn't the question. Are you training her specifically due to something from that?"
Both Hansons looked at one another before looking directly into the camera, "Absolutely not."
Sirzech grimaced as he muted the television, rubbing his face as he tried to figure out what he had done wrong to cause this. His sister, little Rias, had gone out and locked her entire blood family out of Kuoh. She also stole the contract between her and Riser, took the Head of Pillar ring and vanished into the air. News would be getting around quickly at this as other Pillars would notice she was mentioned on the news.
Of course, consequences had to be met but nothing of real worth actually happened to the Gremory family. Unless something did happen and he wasn't aware of it? Sirzech looked up as the door to his office opened and his Wife, Grayfia Lucifer, and his Queen piece in his peerage, came in with a tray of tea. As she poured him tea, he was about to take it when the door banged open.
The first man through was a golden haired man that looked to be in his mid forties, sharp orange eyes and wearing clothing that gave him the appearance of a phoenix in royal robes. His father followed in after him, looking haggard and tired out, crimson hair a mess.
"Icarus, please," Zeoticus said, trying to catch his breath, "you can't do anything because its gone. The contract, everything, its dust."
Icarus shook his head, "Punishment must be given but we can't get to Miss Rias Gremory as she's not here."
Sirzech raised an eyebrow, "Is that why you're here? To have me try and get Rias to return to the Underworld?"
Icarus nodded firmly, "You are her leader, and her older sibling."
Sirzech sighed, "As Piller Head, Rias has full command over all blood related beings in the Gremory family. She's banned all of us from Kuoh, except I'm Lucifer so I can bypass it but she thought ahead. To even leave Kuoh, you have to get past a new security measure that was created by Sona Sitiri. Health regulations, passports, the full nine yards as they humans say. Sona hasn't left anything out, so unless you have everything on the list required for Devils to leave via Kuoh, you're not getting out. Kuoh is, was, the only free exit to Earth above."
Icarus frowned in thought before shaking his head, "Riser won't wait, in a few months he will try to summon Rias to him. Contract or not, he believes Rias is his. To some extent, she is his due to the residual magic left by the contract. But whatever the PPDC uses to mask Rias, it'll take months to get past it, at least for Riser. We're not helping him in his goals, Rias apparently is an adult now."
Zeoticus sighed, "She was an adult the moment she stepped into the human world without us, we just didn't see it until it was too late to do anything."
Icarus shook his head, "If these Jaegers are as powerful as they say they are, then Riser will be facing an entire army's worth of firepower. I try to keep up on the latest technologies but I've fallen behind since Rias snuffed the contract. But why become a pilot in those things?"
Sirzech shook his head before his wife spoke up, "My Lord, to be a Jaeger Ranger is to be a guardian of Humanity."
Zeoticus motioned for the head maid of the Gremory family to continue when she stopped talking.
"These Rangers protected Humanity and the Earth from destruction from the invading Kaiju, the Titans awoke to destroy the invaders from the past. The Earth has awoken and we're stagnating down here, My Lord. Magic is commonplace once more on the surface, the Titans are awake and repairing the damages brought by the war. The Jaegers are killing any Kaiju that come out of the mini-breaches, keeping everyone safe."
Icarus frown deepened, "But why now of all times?"
Sirzech grimaces, "The Gods and Goddesses of old are either dead or alive because of their powerful domains. Godzilla either killed them all or left them alone, Zeus was the first to go. Killed by trying to seal the Titan King inside the Earth herself, causing Pompeii to happen and his death. Then the Hindu, only Pavarti survived thanks to Hestia, then the Babylonian's then the rest. The Norse were lucky, having booked it out after the destruction of the Aztecs. Heaven itself, yeah, after God's death, the angels panicked and locked up Heaven to keep Godzilla out."
Zeoticus nodded sagely, "Only Gabriel and Sariel braved the trip out of Heaven to appease the Wrath of the Earth. No word has come from that yet though."
Icarus rubbed his face, "We really messed up didn't we?"
Lily Potter looked at the Patil twins as they danced in their new shinobi outfits, twin two pieces that hugged their curves and bodies. Lily couldn't help but giggle at her reincarnated priestesses as they hugged her and nuzzled against her.
"You two," She grinned, "about time you came home proper."
Both smile and say at the same time, "We're glad to be home, our Goddess!"
Another three months later, Issei and Asia finally were able to enter the Jaeger that would allow them to have their Jaeger be built virtually so the designers could build it. That was complicated, the idea was that the pilots would enter the Jaeger. Once in the Drift, the computers would take the information of both pilots and create a Jaeger design that would suit both their needs and wants. Weapons and other additions would come after, but that wasn't what worried Issei.
He had been Drifting with Asia for so long that he knew what she wanted, anything that Issei wanted, she wanted. They had seen into eachothers deepest memories before it became silent, peaceful even. As they entered the design Jaeger, both grimaced as it was a Holo-immersion style com pod. They got into it and entered the Drift, waiting patiently.
Then he felt something go wrong, his left arm tingling before he and Asia cried out in pain. He could hear Ddraig shouting something he couldn't make out, before he felt the familiar sensation of the old rigging that the old Jaegers had attached themselves to him and Asia. Then he fell to his knees, as things outside the Jaeger changed completely.
"What is going on!?" One of the technicians shouted as Rias watched in horror as the Design Jaeger's body started to shift and change.
[Jaeger integration!]
She frowned as the building shook violently before the safety locks disconnected and the Jaeger fell forward, falling onto its knees. Its body turned red with spheres in the chest, then she realized what she was looking at. Issei was the Red Dragon Emperor, what she was looking at was Balance Breaker but as a Jaeger.
"Get everyone out of the way," She shouted, "open the shatterdome doors!"
People looked at her before Daphne Greengrass spoke up, "You heard her! Get those doors opened! Issei must have had his powerful magical artifact activated, fusing with the Jaeger itself. He and Asia will need plenty of space to move after everything settles down."
That was the explanation of the Boosted Gear to the public, a family Magic artifact of great power. Of course, humanity didn't know about Sacred Gears yet but Rias had forgotten about Longinus level gears. The Jaeger slowly crawled towards the opening doors before getting up, walking like a drunk towards the doors. It then stopped, grabbed its head before stumbling out the opening. Then a gigantic pair of wings erupted out of the Jaeger's back, shimmering crimson in the rising sun. They flapped once then retreated back inside the Jaeger, as the wavering drift connection went still then became powerful again.
[Jaeger has been taken! Jaeger Breaker: Draconis Mail!]
Rias grabbed a microphone and spoke gently into it, "Issei? Asia? Are you alright?"
There was silence before they heard Asia's tired voice, "We're fine, Rias...just, really tired out. I think we'll be passing out now."
Everyone watched as the Jaeger fell over and laid there, both pilots out cold. Rias sighed before looking at her Sensei.
"I don't think they'll be waking up soon. You might want to get some of the Holo-immersion Jaeger Rangers to put them back."
Daphne smirked before ordering just that. What happened led to an infamous incident that made anyone that thought about trying the Holo-immersion Jaegers think twice. Two Jaegers, Triple Photon and Alpha Charger, picked up the fallen Jaeger before the Jaeger seemed to wake up on its own. Alpha Charger was sent flying into the bay before Triple Photon's com pod was ripped swiftly off its body, then was dropped before the Jaeger walked into its own station.
When they got the Com pod opened, they found both pilots asleep but both were in new suits that fit the color scheme of the Jaeger. They were taken to the medical wing of the Shatterdome and the Jaeger was left alone, no one even questioning how it had changed the com pod from Holo-immersive to full rig system used by the old Jaeger Rangers.
