Chapter 1
Well, this is a bit late. But compared to my previous updates, this one is somewhat faster and a lot better! :D
Now, I just want to inform everyone that only the Kaiju and Jaeger section in my companion fic will be considered as canon except for the history data. All information in the pilot section are to be ignored since I'm doing a major reconstruction(is that the right word?) of my OCs.
However, anything you have submitted will remain utterly the same. :)
Anyway, before we begin, I have something to tell you. One day, I was browsing through my FB account when I came across a new update regarding PR 2. When I had learned that not only will the animated series bridge the gap between the first and second movie but the sequel will begin several years later on a Kaiju-free world, I was so confused that I had almost looked like that frequently used Jackie Chan meme on the internet. I mean, if the animated series is a bridge and it has new Jaegers and Kaijus and the sequel is free of Kaijus and the robots and monsters are "very different"... Well, it's enough to give me a headache.
AND THEN, a really crazy idea formed in my mind. An idea worthy of Guillermo del Toro's attention. :D
I can't give you any spoilers though. But a bit of that idea can be seen here on this chapter.
Enjoy reading!
February 3, 2029...
Room 07, East Wing Dormitory, Los Angeles Ranger Academy, 7:12am
"Cassey! Wake up! We might be late for the final exam!" Someone banged on the door.
Cassiopeia Anderson, or Cassey for short, stirred and groaned. She suddenly bolted upright, remembering that today was their final exam before they could move on to the next phase of their curriculum. Immediately, she stood up and rushed to her sister's bed.
"Cassandra! Cass! Get up! It's our final exam!" She shouted before rushing inside the bathroom to take a shower and brush her teeth.
"WHAT?!" Cass shrieked. "Why didn't you woke me up?" She asked her sister as she jumped from her bed and followed Cassey.
"How can I do that? We're both asleep!" She snapped as she stepped inside the shower, discarding her clothes quickly. Five minutes later, she emerged, a towel wrapped around her petite frame.
"Took you long enough." Cass mumbled before entering the shower and closing the curtains.
"Hurry up. The exam starts at 8:30." Cassey reminded her as she rummaged through their closet for something to wear. She soon found one, a pair of skinny jeans and a blue shirt, and immediately got dressed. Soon, her sister finished taking a bath. By the time 7:30am hits, they have finally exited their dorm room and were both heading straight for the cafeteria.
...
East Wing Cafeteria, Los Angeles Ranger Academy, 7:42am
Cassey and Cass were twins. Born in California 18 years ago, they shared almost the exact same appearance. With blonde hair, a petite and curvy body, a pretty face, and legs that can easily attract males of any age. The only differences were their eyes and height, Cassey has sky blue ones and stood at 5'4 while Cass has a light-green hue and was 5'5.
Now, as they walked inside the cafeteria carrying food trays, most of the males inside couldn't help but ogle them. They do not mind though, as they can easily break any part of their body should they try to do something funny. Despite their petite build, they both got a high score in the combat exam, which involves being tested by a Kwoon Fightmaster. In fact, they were part of the top 10 highest, something that only a few female pilots had achieved.
They both finally sat down on their favorite table, which gave them a view of the sea. The Ranger Academy located in Los Angeles was built that way, as it will give its respective Shatterdome easy access should the need to defend it arise. Furthermore, the PPDC wanted its trainees to grow accustom to the ocean since most of their mission will take place on open water.
She remembered how and why they signed up. It was just a week after New Year when they saw the recruitment ads on tv. Because they were both constantly being harassed by boys at school, they had decided to join the Ranger Academy instead just to get away from them. At first, their mother had refused. After all, they were just 18. No girls their age should risk their lives even though they could help a lot of people in the process. However, after thinking through it, Mrs. Jessica Anderson had finally agreed. They were both at legal age anyway. It was their right to choose what they want in life. And so, that's how they found themselves standing together in front of Los Angeles Ranger Academy.
At first, the officer looked unconvinced. In fact, he had told them that they were just wasting their time and will surely be disappointed. The girls didn't took his comment very well though, and he immediately received a double slap in the face. Things would have then gone from bad to worse. As luck would have it, a certain legendary Ranger pilot was present during the incident.
Mako Mori.
After reprimanding the officer in front of the entire crowd, she quickly apologized to the twins for the man's misconduct. Afterwards, she personally oversaw their screening test, to which they passed. Two days later, they soon received a mail telling that they were now officially a trainee.
Cassey sighed as she and her sister ate their food. It's been a month now since they had arrived and the training program was indeed not easy. Mastering the art of Jaeger Bushido, learning the anatomy and behaviour of a Kaiju as well as the inner workings of a Jaeger, compatibility tests and exercise between your partner and lastly, and the most important of all, Pons and Drift training. The Academy will train you physically, mentally and emotionally. And it will train you hard.
Suddenly, someone burst inside the cafeteria in a hurry.
"Guys, quick! Look out the window! The Los Angeles Shatterdome is doing its first test run of the Sentinels!"
At once, they all stopped eating and immediately rushed to the windows. Fortunately for Cassey and her sister, their table was near one, enabling them to have the perfect spot. As the people looked outside excitedly, a loud horn was sounded. Recognizing it as the deployment horn from the Shatterdome, their excitement rose.
"Look! The Bay Doors are opening!" Someone pointed.
In the distance, they could see the Shatterdome. A sprawling complex constructed right on the coastline extending for at least a mile. Circling in the air were numerous helicopters overseeing the deployment. Facing the ocean were a row of ten doors, each with a number on them. But right now, only three of them seems to be in use.
They all held their breaths. No one knows what the Sentinels looks like or even its capabilities. It was strictly confidential, and the government have been tight-lipped about the project. The only information they have disclosed was that it would act as a limited-production version of the Jaegers. Less expensive, but just as powerful since they were simply built as a precautionary measure should a new Breach opens. In fact, the production will only last until May next year. After that, they will switch once more back to producing Jaegers.
As the doors were fully opened, gigantic crawlers rolled out. Slowly inching its way forward, the first unit came into view.
It was as tall as any Jaegers before, but with some differences. It seems to be more defined, its armor less bulky. Also, the Conn-Pod was sleeker and offered a wider view of its surroundings. On its shoulders were nine-tube missile launchers. As the crawler stopped, the third unit soon emerged. As far as they could see, it seems to share the same design as the first one. The only difference were the forward-facing cannons resting on each shoulder.
"Huh? Is it just me, or do they share the same overall design?" One of the trainees asked in confusion. However, before anyone could answer him, the last unit was revealed.
And that's when their heart almost stopped.
Aside from the spikes on its shoulder armor, knees and fists as well as its broader torso, the unit bears a striking resemblance to a certain legendary Jaeger. The Jaeger that had ended the Kaiju War.
Beside Cassey, her sister voiced out what everyone were thinking.
"IS THAT GIPSY DANGER?!"
LOCCENT Control Room, Los Angeles Shatterdome, 8:09am
Commander Eric Branston drummed his fingers nervously against the table. Around him, various personnel were busy monitoring the first test run of the Sentinels stationed at Los Angeles Shatterdome.
They had been preparing for this for two months already. Plans were discussed, scrutinized, and laid carefully. People with the right connections were called, and sometimes bribed, to prevent any leakage to the public. All for this particular day.
He glanced at the main screen, showing three Sentinels being rolled out to the sea. On smaller side screens, live video feeds from four other Shatterdomes were also being shown.
He remembered the day that PPDC was re-established. As one of the former Shatterdome Commanders, he was personally approached by Marshall Hercules Hansen himself to request his help in overseeing the Shatterdome located in Los Angeles due to its close proximity with the apparent Western Pacific Breach.
Narrowing his eyes slightly, Eric frowned. It's been six months already. Six months since the first evidence that there would be two portals was detected. But so far, no Breach has been opened. There was no sign. No activity. It's as if the radiation readouts they got were no more than anomalies. An unusual fluctuation in the earth's natural radiation.
Of course, it's better to be safe than sorry. And the UN had quickly reformed the PPDC. Knowing that their time is limited, they had ditched the initial proposal of restarting the Jaeger program. Instead, they had opted to do something different but altogether similar.
The Sentinel Program.
Suggested by Dr. Schoenfield himself, the idea was simple. Build a small army of mechs with a modular design to lessen the construction time and costs, and equip it with different configurations, also known as "Armors", enabling the Sentinels to quickly adapt to every possible scenarios and Kaijus. After all, if the monsters could learn from previous battles, so can they. So far, only five types of Armors were produced, with four of them having three sets each. The Striker Armor for close-quarter combat. The Brawler Armor equipped with the standard I-19 Plasmacaster. The Destroyer Armor capable of launching multiple K-Stunner missiles. And the Artillery Armor, with its twin ballistic cannons carrying four different types of ordinances.
The last one, however, was very different.
Calling it the Gipsy Danger v1.5 Armor, it was designed and customized specifically by Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket themselves for their own unit. Except for the additional spikes in its shoulder pouldrons, fists and knees and the lack of turbines in its chest as well as broader torso, the Armor pretty much resembles their former Jaeger. Equipped with upgraded weapons and technologies, it was to act as some sort of replacement for the first one while also being utilized as a test bed for, supposedly, another Gipsy Danger that will start construction sometime in 2032.
Eric sighed. Despite the preparations they were doing, it seems that the threat was pretty much nonexistant. And he couldn't help but feel that this was such a waste of time and money. And now that the Jaeger Program will be restarted as soon as they have built an adequate number of Sentinels, just the thought of all the money involved was enough to make his head ache. Even with the private sectors helping them fund the various projects, he still thinks that it was useless when there's no threat at all.
With another long sigh, he looked back at the screen to see the Sentinels ready to move out.
"Officer Conroy, what's their status?" He asked his LOCCENT Officer.
"Sentinels are ready to go, sir." The man answered.
"Alright." Branston nodded. He approached one of their communications console and pressed a button. "Rangers, this is Commander Eric Branston. Prepare for Neural Handshake."
"Copy that, sir." A male voice answered via the intercom. Branston then turned his gaze back towards Conroy to give him the go signal.
"Starting in 15 seconds... 14... 13..." His officer announced as the countdown began. Suddenly, a loud beeping noise was heard.
"Sir, Marshall Hercules Hansen is on the line." A communications officer said.
Eric nodded in acknowledgment. With a press of another button, the veteran's face appeared on one of the monitors.
"Marshall." Eric greeted.
"Commander Branston." Marshall Hansen spoke. "How's the test run?" He inquired.
"So far, they have just finished the Neural Handshake and are ready to move out." He said after glancing at the main screen. "We'll soon proceed for the actual run."
"That's good to hear then." The Marshal nodded in satisfaction. "Any problems with the media?"
"Judging by the swarm of news helicopters that I'm seeing on our screens, I'd say we will soon have." Branston answered with a slight grunt. He wasn't really surprised though. They have already expected this. After all, seeing three giant robots emerging from the Shatterdome is enough to get someone's attention.
"Well, that was already expected." Hansen said. "Anyway, I just called to check on your side. Say hi to Mr. Becket and Ms. Mori for me."
"No problem, Marshall." Branston nodded with a slight smile. "Well, if you will exc-"
A loud siren blared across the room, interrupting their conversation. From Hansen's end of the line, a similar sound can be heard.
"What the bloody hell is that?!" The Marshall growled. He stepped out of view as he investigates the reason for the alarm. Meanwhile, Branston did the same, immediately rushing beside his Chief LOCCENT Officer.
"Conroy, what's happening?" He asked with an alarmed expression.
"Sir, our satellites and sensors have just detected a high energy signature right where we first detected the Western Breach!" Conroy explained. "That's what set off the alarm."
Branston immediately barked an order. "Contact all K-Watch outposts within our area. Tell them to give us a report every hour. I want-"
"Sir! A huge energy burst have just occurred!" One of the personnel said.
"Where?" Branston asked sharply.
"Right on the Breach itself. It... It seems to be releasing another burst!" The man said with a panicked look.
It's starting. Branston thought.
"Monitor it. If the energy bursts gets frequent, report to me." He said. "Get me all three Sentinels on the intercom!" Immediately, his command was obeyed and a line was quickly established.
"Rangers, change of plans. A signature was just detected near where the Western Breach was supposedly located." He spoke through the line. Several cries of shock were heard as the pilots realized what he meant.
"Commander, how bad is it?" A familiar voice asked with concern.
"So far, we don't know, Mr. Becket." Branston replied. "But I want you, Ms. Mori and the rest of your Strike Group to remain on standby. We might soon have an attack." He said grimly.
"Understood, Commander." A female voice answered. "Raleigh and I will wait for your order."
Branston nodded. "We'll just inform you of any developments." Suddenly, Conroy spoke.
"Sir! The energy bursts have just stopped. But..." His voice trailed off as he stared at the screen in confusion.
"But what, Officer Conroy?" Branston asked.
"We are detecting some weak signatures going in different directions." He said with uncertainty in his voice.
"What kind of signatures? And how many?" Branston asked with increasing alarm.
"We are not really sure, but it seems to be similar to a Kaiju's signature. Just weaker." Conroy gulped. "As for how many..." He looked at Branston hopelessly.
"Officer Conroy, how many?" Branston growled, his patience starting to run out. He thought he had an idea what those signatures are. But he was fervently hoping that they were not what he thought they were. However, Conroy's next answer nearly gave him a heart attack.
"...Eight."
Ah! The joy of using cliffhangers! XD
So, you must be wondering by now what those signatures were. Right? Well, I'll give you guys a clue.
Pay closer attention to the entire Hong Kong battle, including the aftermath.
Seriously, the answer is all right in there. But that's the only clue I can give you. ;)
Now, time to answer your reviews.
SigmaBlack: No worries! I'm in no hurry. :)
avidreaded: Thanks! Expect frequent and better updates.
Paperman0: Don't worry, your Jaeger and crew will definitely appear. Regarding the narrator... Well, I'll leave it to your imagination. ;)
Anyway, I think that's it. Regarding your Jaeger, Pilots and Kaiju that have been submitted, they will appear. Of that I can assure you. :)
Please Read & Review!
Until next time!