Chapter 5
Sorry for the delay. We lost our internet connection for two days and we just got it back today. XD
Anyway, as promised, here's the next chapter!
Vanessa and Jason stared at the Kaijus with wide eyes.
Twins. They were twins. The very first Kaiju twins mankind has encountered. The two were so shocked and rooted on the spot that they failed to immediately act when the two monsters snarled together and raced towards their direction. With a jolt, they frantically shifted into a defensive stance as they waited for the monsters to attack them
But it didn't happened.
Instead, the Twins swiftly darted under their legs, displaying a speed that no Kaiju has ever shown before. They tried to grab the tails, but the duo were too fast for them. Thinking they will attack from behind, Vanessa and Jason spun around as fast as they could. Only too late did they realized that they were not the target.
"03, watch out!" Jason shouted a warning through the radio.
Fortunately, the Artillery Armor which was being used by 03 was light enough for quick manuevers. As one of the Kaijus, the one with the red veins, leapt at its front, the mech quickly shielded itself with its left arm and blocked the assault with the monster landing on the servo.
Angered at this, the monster snarled in fury and sank its teeth on the armor, the metal slowly bending under the pressure. Meanwhile, the other twin clamped its jaws on the mech's left leg, tugging at it forcefully and crushing the armor plates. 03 tried to shake off the duo, but their hold was too strong.
"Fuck! They are worst than a Rottweiler!" One of the pilots cursed.
Fearing for their comrade's safety, Vanessa and Jason immediately ran to their aid. At once, the Kaiju on 03's left leg released its hold and swiftly spun around to intercept them. While this was happening, the one on the arm dropped down on the beach and tugged with a strength equal to a Category III. 03 tried to shake the creature off again, but the monster's jaw was still firmly locked on its servo. Aside from this, 03's left leg was starting to give in as the struts holding it upright were severely damaged.
And then, it happened.
Groaning in protest, the Sentinel finally dropped on one knee. Using this as an advantage, 03 punched the Kaiju on its left side with all the strength it could manage. As its fist slammed into it, the Kaiju growled but kept its jaw tightly shut on the arm. 03 then tried for its head, its servos connecting with a resounding boom. But the monster stubbornly refused to release its hold. Trying for a different tactic, the Sentinel reached for the tail, but the Kaiju merely sidestepped in the other direction and have the mech partially lose its balance, forcing it to kneel on both knees.
Meanwhile, Vanessa and Jason were also having a hard time against their own opponent.
As soon as it reached them, it quickly went straight under their legs. Again, they tried to grab the tail. But its small size proves a disadvantage to them as they failed once more. Turning around, they saw the Kaiju snarling at them from several hundred yards away.
As if it was taunting them.
Inside the Driftspace, Vanessa shared her hesitancy with her husband. If they turned their backs and help 03, that will make them vulnerable to a rear attack. But if they engage the Kaiju, that will leave their comrade alone. Something they couldn't do.
And then, they saw it.
Just a mile away, its legs hidden by the trees, Unit 02 was making its way to their position as fast as it could.
"Hang on, guys! We are on our way!" One of 02's pilots said through the intercom.
At last, a backup. Vanessa and Jason thought at the same time.
No longer needing to choose, they brought their arms down with a shout. Immediately, 01's Chainswords slid down, momentarily flopping before straightening out into a rigid form. With a predatory gleam in their eyes, the two began to slowly approach the Kaiju.
However, something wrong happened.
With a growl, the Kaiju glanced behind and saw 02 approaching. It then looked back in their direction and snarled. Immediately, its twin released 03 from its hold and kicked up a large amount of sand in the Sentinel's Conn-Pod before rushing to its sibling's position, leaving the mech practically blinded.
"This is 03!" The pilots cried as they tried to dislodge the sands by shaking the Conn-Pod. "We have no visual! I repeat, we have no visual!"
For a moment, Vanessa and Jason thought that the two monsters would attack them from two directions and they quickly spun around in the hopes of catching one of them with their swords. However, the Kaiju merely dodged the attack as it raced in the direction of the trees. With another snarl, its other twin turned around and swiftly followed it.
The couple thought the twins were actually fleeing, and they released a sigh of relief. Not a moment too soon, however, did they realized their true purpose.
The trees will offer the Kaijus protection, enabling them to attack without being seen. Unfortunately, the trees would also limit the movement speed of any mechs crossing it.
Unit 02 was in danger.
"02, the Kaijus are heading your way! Get out of there now!" Vanessa screamed even as she and her husband put all their strength and effort in running to their comrade's aid. They crashed through the trees, the Sentinel's hydraulics and engines working double time to give the mech the speed it needed. But they knew it was futile. The monsters were too fast.
In the distance, 02 stopped and readied itself for a fight. Its pilots could see the direction the Kaijus were taking. The violent shaking of the trees was a dead giveawy of that. Swiftly, the monsters neared, until the shaking ceased. For a moment, 02's Conn-Pod swiveled and glanced around, searching for the targets.
And that's when something yanked its hands down.
The pull was so strong that the Sentinel collapsed on the ground with a loud crash, supporting itself with both hands and knees. It tried to get up, but one of the creatures slammed into its right side, toppling the mech on its back and concealing it from view.
"Shit! This is 02! We need-AAAAAHHHHHHH!"
Vanessa and Jason heard this as they headed straight for the downed Sentinel. On the spot where it had fallen, the trees shook violently for awhile until it started to move away from their location, heading to the other side.
02's pilots was never heard again after that.
"LOCCENT, this is 01." Jason said through the intercom with rising panic in his voice. "The Kaijus are escaping. We are fast approaching 02, but they are not responding. We-"
"01, this is Marshal Hansen." A voice answered grimly. "You may stand down now."
Vanessa and Jason never objected to that as soon as they reached 02. They already have a clue what happened. The body was still mostly intact, with the arms slightly crushed. But it was the Conn-Pod's state that confirmed their worst fear.
It was located several feet away, torn in two and badly crushed.
...
LOCCENT Mission Control, Hong Kong Shatterdome, 4:15pm
Silence engulfed the room, the people staring at the screen showing the remains of Unit 02. Some of the personnels have their heads bowed, no doubt praying for the souls of the deceased Rangers.
"What about the Twins?" Herc asked with a grim expression. Despite their recent loss, he knew that they must keep going, especially now that the Kaijus have escaped.
"We just lost their signal in the ocean, sir." Tendo replied.
Herc sighed. They have to find them soon before they could attack another city. The cunning intelligence and exceptional speed they have displayed today were proof enough that these were no ordinary Kaijus. And if they were still juveniles, he doesn't want to know what they will be like when they fully grow.
He pushed the thought at the back of his mind. One problem at a time. For now, their focus should be on the surviving Rangers and Sentinels.
"Send a retrieval team to that island." Herc said. "I want all Sentinels back on their hangars and repaired as soon as possible. Contact all Shatterdome Commanders as well as Raleigh and Mako and tell them we will have an emergency meeting tonight at 11pm. Get Dr. Schoenfield, Dr. Gotlieb and Dr. Geiszler too. We will need them for this."
"Sir, what about the Rangers' families?" Tendo asked quietly. "What should we tell them?"
Herc sighed and answered in a soft voice. "Tell them that their sons had fought bravely."
With that, the Marshal slowly walked away towards the exit.
Common Room, East Wing Dormitory, Los Angeles Ranger Academy, 6:00pm
A large group of cadets huddled together as the six o'clock news started.
"Breaking news! For the first time in four years after the Breach was sealed, a double Kaiju attack occured in Mindanao, Philippines! The monsters, identified as twins, destroyed a Sentinel and damaged another one before escaping back into the sea. According to preliminary statements from the PPDC itself, the Twins were part of a larger group of Kaijus that emerged, unbeknownst to the public, earlier this month from two newly opened Breaches. They have reassured though that they are doing everything they can to track the monsters down."
A series of footage was shown as the news anchor was saying this, most of them taken from the air. First was a small island surrounded by white beaches. Second was two identical Kaijus running to the ocean. A third shows a Sentinel without its Conn-Pod lying in the middle of a clearing. A fourth shows two other Sentinels being airlifted, one of them having a crushed leg.
"Meanwhile, riots broke out across the surrounding Pan Pacific countries as soon as the information that the UN purposedly kept this a secret to the public spreads. So far, the UN Council hasn't yet release an official statement. In other news..."
Cassey, Cass and a bunch of other cadets sighed as they turned off the television and gathered at the lounge area to discuss the recent events.
"What do you guys think will happen now?" Cassey wondered aloud.
"Simple. Either they increase the production of more Sentinel units or they restart the Jaeger Program early." Joe Mason, 25, Canadian born and one of the most annoying cadet in the East Wing replied with a shrug.
"But we all saw it," A guy at the back said, "the Sentinels are obviously not strong enough." Murmurs of agreement broke among some of them.
"That, or the Kaijus were just stronger and smarter." Jonathan Gail, 29, American and former football player said. "I mean, strategically speaking, the terrain was in favor of them." A lot of heads nodded at this.
"Or the pilots were stupid." Joe snorted then yelped as several pillows sailed in his direction.
"Watch your mouth, bro." Joe's younger brother, Gary, said.
"I was just stating my opinion." Joe grumbled.
"Nobody is asking your opinion, Joe." Cassey scoffed.
Joe blinked. "You did." He pointed out.
"Me? I certainly didn't!" Cassey said with an incredelous look.
"You did." Joe insisted. " 'What do you guys think will happen now' was your exact words." Beside him, Gary covered his mouth as he tried not to laugh.
"That was not meant for you, moron!" Cassey scowled.
"You said 'guys'. And I am a guy." Joe shrugged. A burst of laughter soon followed.
"Joe, either you are really the one who is stupid or you're just trying to impress Cassey here." Cass commented dryly. "Back on the subject, what do you people think this means for us?" She glanced around, her expression serious. Beside her, Cassey frowned.
"What do you mean?" She asked.
Cass shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "Well... Used to be, being a Ranger was awesome, right?" She said. "You feel stronger. You feel that you can take on anything, even if there is a risk of dying. You feel invicible." Then her voice lowered. "But now, it's different. The chance of dying is high. The Kaijus are much stronger. The battles, unpredictable. We could die at any moment." She glanced at her sister at the last part.
Silenced engulfed the group. They understood what she meant. During the "Glory Days" of the First War, the Rangers really seemed invicible. They killed many Kaijus. Saved millions of lives and protected dozens of cities. In fact, during an interview 10 years ago, Raleigh Becket had proudly stated that he felt he could fight a hurricane whenever he is piloting a Jaeger along with his brother, and win.
But now, it's different. Oblivion Bay is a site to over 30 destroyed Jaegers. In Washington D.C., a monument was erected with the names of more than 60 Rangers, including Stacker Pentecost and Chuck Hansen. And with today's recent disaster, two more will be added to that list.
Being a Ranger is becoming even more dangerous. And now, with sixteen Kaijus on the loose, two of them proving to be deadlier than even Leatherback and Otachi combined, the chance of survival seems questionable. Cass was right.
They could die at any moment.
Surprisingly, it was Joe who broke the silence.
"You're right. We could really die at any moment." He said as he stood up, staring at Cass directly in the eyes with a serious expression.
"But at least, we will die fighting."
How's that? :D
And about the fight scene, I hope you guys like the idea of the Twins doing hit-and-run tactics.. Yeah, it was kinda short. But that was just the beginning. I assure you all that the next one will be better. *grins evilly*
Regarding their names, I have no idea yet what to call them. I'll try to come up with a name before next chapter. Suggestions are welcome though. :)
By the way, Gary, Joe and Jonathan are all my OCs. I will slowly be introducing characters, including your submitted ones, in later chapters.
Now, time to answer your reviews.
kseitshiro from south africa: 1) Check my profile to see my age. XD 2) If you do not have an account here in FanFiction, then yes, you could post your OCs in the reviews. 3) Awesome Jaeger! Although your Plasmacaster seems a bit wrong. If it is an I-30, it should be more powerful than any previous modes. This goes for all weapons. And regarding the "Megapacks", are they interchangeable/detachable or already built-in? 4) Thank you for those encouraging words! And yes, I will admit it myself. Hospital food are delicious. :D As for your Kaiju... Is it alright if we reserve it until the sequel? BECAUSE IT IS TOO DAM* AWESOME! :D 5) No need. Your entries are good enough. :D
RStyle: Actually, a well placed IV line doesn't hurt much at all. Although I will agree on the annoying part. XD And yes, I will do an attack in Brazil. :)
SigmaBlack: 1) Thanks for the concern, man. I really appreciate it. :) I'm alright now. A week of taking an awfully bitter antibiotic does the trick. XD But as I've said, I've been on the "tubemachine" for 15 years now. Unfortunately, it will remain like that for an indefinite amount of time. Just think of it like Tony Stark having his Arc reactor. Except that mine is on the neck, and there's a risk of removing it. XD 2) Actually, I have some ideas going in my head right now about how to introduce your submitted characters. I won't spoil anything though. :p 3) My laptop is still broken. But yeah, I've been hearing a lot about Persona lately. I'll definitely try that game.
Matrexmaster: Thanks. And hope you are alright now too. :) Yes, I lived in the Philippines. Don't worry about the name. A lot of people are making the same mistake. XD
grandprincessanastasiaromanov5: Thanks! You got a pretty long FanFiction name, by the way. XD
My Wunderwaffle iz missin: I would really appreciate it if you could share them with me. Hope you find your waffle soon. XD
Captiosus: Ah, my apologies. Actually, I rarely write long AN at the start unless I have something story-related to say. Like now for example. I wrote a short one. As for the AN at the end, that's another story. For me, I want to answer all the reviews I will get. And its length depends on the question/review given. Again, this chapter is an example. I got 9 reviews, forcing me to lengthen my AN. Also, unlike other writers, I want to interact with my readers. I do not merely write stories. I "talk" with my followers. There's PM, yes. But AN is the best way to do it. :) I'll try your suggestion. :)
And that's it! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Again, thank you all for your concerns about my health. You guys are one of the reasons I recovered easily. :D
Anyway, please Read & Review!
Until next time!