Forged in Fire, Chapter 13
Mako and Raleigh's hotel room
May 15, 2025 (9 years after Onibaba's attack)
0700 JST
Mako woke up to find herself in Raleigh's arms, refreshed. That was actually the best night of sleep I've had since Operation Pitfall. She lay there, enjoying the close contact with Raleigh.
He stirred. "Good morning, Mako."
She rolled over to face him, a grin on her face. "Good morning, Raleigh. Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah, actually. Best night of sleep I've had in more than five years. You?"
"Since we nuked the Breach."
"Lucky you." He smiled. "You want the shower first?"
"Sure!" She practically skipped into the small bathroom.
Raleigh thought back to the night before. They had kissed. Passionately. It had felt good for both of them. Then, they had gone to bed, Mako in his arms. Just like they had woken up. Raleigh attributed the good night's rest to his proximity to Mako. Feeling her warm, athletic body so close to his had banished all the memories that usually kept him up at night. And he could have sworn that she had been taking part in his dreams.
The sound of the shower starting dragged Raleigh back to reality. Mako didn't take any fresh clothes into the bathroom. He got out of bed and went to her luggage. "Mako, what do you want me to bring into the bathroom for you?"
"The blue shirt and pants, please."
Raleigh opened her suitcase and grabbed the requested articles of clothing, along with a bra and panties to match. Sometimes the Ghost Drift is amazingly useful. He was about to head to the bathroom when he saw them. THE dress, and THE pair of shoes. Set next to them were a pair of small scissors. Mako's plan for the day clicked together in Raleigh's head. So that's what she wanted to do today. Why it was so important to come. He set the items next to his small backpack.
Mako started to sing in the shower, and Raleigh sat on the bed and listened. It was one of Raleigh's favorite songs, despite having been written by George Harrison and not Paul McCartney.
"Here comes the sun… Here comes the sun… I say… It's all right."
Raleigh smiled. It's all right indeed. Today is going to be a good day.
-.-.-
Tokyo Boneslum
1100 JST
Mako looked up from the photo and froze. "Here. This is it."
Raleigh stood by silently, waiting.
Mako had gone through the PPDC archives to make sure she had the spot right. I want to do this right. For my family's honor. She and Raleigh now stood at the site of one of the most iconic photos of the Kaiju war.
Raleigh knew the significance of this spot to Mako, and swung the backpack off his shoulders. He handed it to her.
Mako opened the backpack and pulled out the red shoes and blue dress, and set it down on the ground. She knelt to the ground, crying.
People stopped to watch. After all, it wasn't every day that someone knelt down in the middle of a street, even if it was a pedestrian zone now. It was especially rare when they then pulled out some children's clothing and set it on the ground. This, however, was no ordinary set of clothing. These were the clothes a scared 13 year old girl had worn when a Category II Kaiju had thrashed Tokyo. The same little captured by a photographer's lens as she held a small red shoe in her hands, tears streaking her face as she walked away from a dead Kaiju towards a towering Jaeger.
Everyone knew that image. It had graced the covers of magazines, newspapers, and webpages for weeks. And now that scared little girl was all grown up. The same young woman who had helped close the Breach had come back to the spot that had shaped her future in ways she couldn't have imagined. She had come back to celebrate… and remember.
Mako picked up the scissors, and grabbed the streak of blue hair on the left side of her face. "Watashinochichi no tame ni." For my father.
Snip.
Cameras were out, and flashes were going off all around Mako.
She didn't care.
Mako set the blue hair down, then grabbed the streak on the right. "Watashinohaha no tame ni." For my mother.
Snip.
Mako set the hair down next to the first bit. Tears welled in her eyes. I wish you could see me now. I have done the family name proud. She smiled.
Mako slipped the hair into envelopes, then packed up the clothing. "Let's go, Raleigh."
They left the Boneslum and the swirling crowds behind them, wrapped in their small personal universe of memories.
-.-.-
Hong Kong Boneslums
Unnamed back alley
May 15, 2025
1300
Herc leaned against the side of a building, waiting. He didn't have long.
"Marshall Hansen, I presume."
"That'd be me, mate. You must be Hannibal Chau."
"I am."
"Okay, lemme make this short and to the point: I don't trust you. I don't know what your end game is, or what you plan to do with the Pons and the Drift. Frankly, I don't care, as long as it's not illegal. But let me make myself clear: I am not going to simply give it away. To anyone, let alone a former black market dealer and war profiteer."
Chau crossed his arms and looked at Herc. "You come all this way in person to tell me this?"
"No. To give you something that you can use to get access to the tech." Herc handed Chau an envelope. "Inside that is an invitation to the meeting where we will be licensing the tech for public use. If you want the tech, you'll have to pay for the license, just like everyone else." Herc turned to leave.
"I have a personal question for you, Mr. Hansen."
Herc stopped and turned to face Chau. "I'll listen to it, but I may not answer it."
"Fair enough."
"What's the question?"
"Where are you going to go after they finally dismantle the PPDC?"
"Go back to Australia, find a nice place on the outskirts of Melbourne, and retire." He turned and walked off.
-.-.-
Tokyo
1845 JST
Mako and Raleigh had played tourist the rest of the day, enjoying their time away from the Shatterdome. Now, however, they were back at the hotel. Mako turned on the TV to the local news channel.
"We've all seen the iconic photo of the Girl in the Blue Dress. Today, we finally found out who she was."
Mako groaned and flopped onto the bed. "They're never going to leave me alone after this."
The news anchored continued, and the footage switched to a video shot from a cell phone camera. It showed Mako and Raleigh in the street that morning. "Shown here is Mako Mori, one of the two pilots of the now-destroyed Mk III Jaeger Gipsy Danger. In front of her are the same shoes and dress that were worn in the famous photo…"
Click.
Raleigh set down the remote. "Why get yourself wound up over it, Mako? Why watch the news when you knew you'd be on it?"
"I thought there'd be more on the festival."
"Mako, the media is going to go crazy over that. You and I both knew that. Was it still worth it?"
Mako sat up. "Yes. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders." She looked at the dress, shoes, and envelopes of hair. "It feels good."
"So, the trip was worth the trouble?"
"Yes."
-.-.-
Hong Kong Shatterdome
Raleigh's quarters, Corridor 47B
May 17, 2025
0200
BOOM!
Popopopopopopopop
Raleigh sat bolt upright at the explosion, with Mako a fraction of a second behind him. "What the hell?"
"GO GO GO GO!"
BAMBAMBAM.
Raleigh and Mako got off of the bed and opened the door. A PPDC strike team stood watch outside the door. "We need to move you to a more secure location now."
Raleigh rubbed his eyes. "What the hell is going on?"
"We're under attack by Kaiju worshippers."
"Why? What do they think they'll gain from attacking the Shatterdome now?"
"They're here to kill you two, or die trying."
Mako and Raleigh looked at each other. Not good.
"We need to get you to the nearest armory now."
The two Rangers were promptly surrounded by the strike troopers, who hustled them to the armory. One got on the phone. "Sir, the Rangers are in Armory 18. We're going to suit them up and arm them now."
Herc's voice growled back. "Good. You two, stay with the Strike Troopers until I come get you. To the rest of you: remember, NON-LETHAL only unless it's a "kill or be killed" situation. They are not heavily armed, but they are fanatical. Do not hesitate to use bean bag rounds, sponge grenades, Tasers, pepper spray, tear gas, even hanbo staffs if you have to. Just try not to do too much damage to the attackers. Oh, and arrest them once they're subdued." The roar of a 12-gauge shotgun came from the speaker. "Bugger, they found us. Herc out."
Mako and Raleigh were soon wearing body armor, and were being outfitted and armed. Raleigh took a 12-gauge pump action shotgun loaded with PPDC's custom Taser rounds (similar to the now-discontinued XREP round), a number of reloads with both rock salt and bean bag rounds, and a package of zip ties. Mako had chosen to take a hanbo, as she wasn't familiar with the shotguns. I'll have to ask Raleigh for lessons.
Raleigh racked the slide of the shotgun, then nodded at Mako. She took cover behind him. Come on, Ghost Drift. Now is the best time for you to go into overdrive… "Okay, let's wait it out here."
Herc zip tied the wrists of yet another cultist. "Stay down, you bloody idiot, or else you'll get hit by a stray round. You don't want that, do you?" The cultist shook her head. "Smart girl." Herc ducked into a doorway and waited. Sure enough, another cult member saw the downed girl, and came to her aid. And the Yanks say chivalry's dead. Herc stepped from the shadows and aimed the Taser at the young man. "You know, Australia's home to a lot of poisonous creatures, but none are more venomous than an Aussie whose home you've broken into… while he's still there. So I'd advise you to get down on the ground, real slowly." The fanatic did as he was told. Herc zip tied him as well. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I have someone I need to find first." Herc opened a nearby storage closet and dragged them inside. "Now, before I lock you away in here for your own safety, can you tell me who the bloody idiot who planned this mess is? I want to have a word with them."
The cultists looked at each other. The young man spoke up. "You'll never catch our priest."
Herc sighed. "Right. Hold still." He put a strip of duct tape over each of their mouths. "This will keep you quiet, so that the Strike Teams roaming the halls performing cleanup won't think you're trying to ambush them and come in with lethal force." He closed the door and put a small mark on the door frame with chalk, indicating two prisoners inside.
Now, to find this Priest…
Mako and Raleigh had barricaded themselves back in Raleigh's room. The Strike Troopers had arranged themselves nearby to watch over them. Everything was alright until…
BANG.
Mako jumped slightly. "What was that?"
Raleigh never had a chance to answer, as the roar of a shotgun firing in the hall drowned out his response. A thud came from the hall a second later.
"Must have gotten someone."
A creepy voice wafted through the door. "Indeed we did, Raleigh. Your guard is now our prisoner. Open the door, and he will live. Lock it, and he will die." The sound of a pistol being cocked came next. "Your choice."
"DON'T DO IT, SIR!"
"He's so protective of you, Rangers. But, now you have to protect him, just like you "protected" the Earth from the Kaiju, our Gods."
Raleigh clicked the safety off of the shotgun. "With all due respect to whoever you are, go to hell."
"I'm sorry it had to be like this, Raleigh. This innocent man's blood will be on your hands."
Raleigh stood and crept to the door.
Mako looked at him. "Raleigh, don't."
He handed her the shotgun. "Just don't shoot me with it, please." He unlocked the door. "Go under the desk, Mako."
Tears were in her eyes. "Raleigh, no."
"I can't have his blood on my conscience, Mako."
Raleigh opened the door… and was promptly grabbed and held at gunpoint. The Priest took Raleigh backwards into the room, never looking in Mako's direction. He held a pistol in his right hand, aimed at Raleigh's head. His left hand held a PPDC radio. "Marshall Hercules Hansen, I have Raleigh Beckett as my hostage. Come to his quarters now."
The radio crackled to life with the gruff Australian's voice, a dangerously low growl. "Let him go, and you may live to see the sunrise."
"Come to Raleigh's quarters, or he won't have the same chance."
A few tense moments passed before Herc apparently arrived.
"Marshall… I have heard so much about you. I'm so sorry I couldn't do this at a more… polite hour, but this was the best time to perform such an act."
"Go to hell, mate."
"Such hatred. Why?"
"You're a bloody lunatic. You should be in a mental hospital."
"I was, for many years. However, the Kaiju freed me from my bonds. Released my spiritual side, so I could…"
Mako got tired of his monologue, and fired the shotgun. The beanbag round hit the Priest square in the head, knocking him out cold. Raleigh jumped free of the now-unconscious man.
Herc bolted into the room. "The hell?"
Mako dropped the gun, shaking. She kicked it away.
Raleigh rushed over to her. "You okay?"
Mako shook her head. "I think I'm going to be sick…." She allowed Raleigh to pull her out from under the desk.
Herc shook his head. "Mako, that was one hell of a shot."
She looked at the Priest. "I was aiming for his kidneys." She then bolted for the bathrooms, her face green.
Raleigh sighed, grabbed the shotgun, and took off after her, cycling the slide.
-.-.-
LOCCENT
0400
"All clear, sir. We have the last of the intruders captured."
Herc nodded. "Good. Now to try and catch a nap before going and asking this "Priest" character some questions. Call me only if there's a Kaiju or a bomb."
"Yes sir."
Herc returned to his room and turned out the light.
