It was supposed to be a well ran mission. Every detail was laid out, checked, secured. Every room for flaw was fixed.

But sometimes, life just wants to play.

'Help, someone help! There is something wrong my system! It won't drop the warhead or eject me. Please help! I don't want to die here! Please! I don't want to die!'

A distress call from one of the pilots was heard all over, but everything was perfectly planned by each second. Messing things up would jeopardize the whole thing and even cost a life.

"You're near me. Wait, I'll tear it open and eject it manually."

The voice that answered shocked Raleigh.

"Elsa! What the hell are you doing?!', Raleigh's loud voice replied.

"I can help her. She won't die."

"Elisabeth Trancy! I want you to stop whatever you are doing and eject yourself now!"

Raleigh ejected himself before he could hear a reply, a delayed ejection meant that the pod would get caught in the radiation blast and it's a big deal.

"You are already too late, Raleigh."

Raleigh's pod emerges from the water. With no comm, he doesn't know what's going on the other side. He punches his pod angrily.

"That crazy woman!"

'Raleigh, what happened?', asked a worried Tendo on the commline.

"There was a woman pilot that sent a distress call, near Elsa. Has she resurfaced?"

'Ummm… Not yet…Oh, oh, I think it's that one. Okay, the portal should be closing at this time, but I didn't see Elsa's pod. Raleigh, don't tell me…..'

"She's still inside! Damn it!"

'Seriously, she'll never make it!"

Seconds felt like hours when each second was important. Raleigh's pick up chopper was already there.

"Raleigh, we got a visual on Elsa's pod ! It's way off her drop zone but she's there. The comm's off so we do 't know how she's doing."

"Let's pick her up!"

"Raleigh, wait ! No!", Mako exclaimed on the commline.

"What?"

"The pod was heavily radiated and her too. You need to maintain a distance.", said Tendo.

"She'll die of radiation, then!"

"Try not to worry, we're sending the team there."

Everybody in the world was overjoyed at the ending of the Kaiju nightmare. Everyone was cheering, but not Raleigh.

Mako approaches Raleigh, who clearly hasn't left the Medical Bay's front gate from the first time he got there.

Hermann and Newt then came with their worried look on their faces, but nothing like Raleigh's.

The woman pilot who called the distress came and apologizes, Raleigh almost threw a fit on her if not for Mako's intervention.

Tendo came without Herc who was still busy conferencing with the military for today's success.

The gate opens and a staff came out.

"The team already neutralizes the radiation, but she suffers a heavy damage. She's in comatose now. We put her on special care for now and monitor her."

Mako felt Raleigh's grip on her hands tighten.

"Will she make it?"

The staff let out a sigh.

"Honestly, I don't know."

'Mr. Beckett? Mr. Beckett!"

"Wha...what.. , sorry, I dozed off."

Elsa stood in front of Yancy sitting across her desk.

"So, why am I here again? This is the research room, right? I guess…."

"You don't remember?"

"No, unfortunately."

"Well, I was talking some final data and you, but then you dozed off. In my office. Did I tell you a good bedtime story?"

Yancy stood up, standing taller than Elsa.

"Sorry for the inconvenience caused, Miss….."

"Trancy. Elsa Trancy."

"Few months in here and I still don't get your name."

"Don't bother. You're leaving soon, anyway."

Yancy walked towards the exit of Elsa's working room.

"Oh wait.", she called.

She took the 2 rubik cube on her desk and gave one to Yancy.

"I got 2 of them, so might as well give this to someone."

"I'm not actually a puzzle person, but thanks anyway."

"Sure, just something to kill time."

"Hey, have you been crying? Your eyes are all …", Yancy motions his fingers around his eyes.

"Oh sleep depravity. With all the pilots gathered here and the stuff here and there. Don't worry."

"Okay then. You're still pretty with that.", Yancy said with doubt in his voice.

Elsa laughed at Yancy's statement. Probably his last sweet talk. He left the room but Elsa stops behind the door. Being with him any longer would kill her.

"So, I guess this is goodbye then Miss Trancy."

"Yes, it has been a pleasure. Farewell."

"I'll leave you to your work then."

The door closes and Elsa was left alone. She felt herself sliding down the door. Her eyes blurry of tears.

That night, the rest of the Shatterdome was keeping watch for the next of 72 hours for Kaiju activities to confirm if the planet was really destroyed.

As for Raleigh, now with a change of clothes, kept watch behind the glass separating him and a comatose Elsa.

Herc and Mako came to visit and found Raleigh asleep. The whole thing happened too fast, he might be exhausted.

A gentle touch of Mako's hand jolted Raleigh up.

"Did something happened?"

"No, no Raleigh. Calm down. We just came to see you."

"See me?"

"You clearly needs some rest boy."

"The staff here can handle her. Please go and rest."

Few days past with no progress at all. While most of people were overjoying for their normal life back, there is still one that is suffering from the casualty.

The usual bunch gathered behind the glass room again.

"They still couldn't confirm if she'll wake up or not. She's still dying but not dying.", said Newt frustrated.

"Well, shouldn't we be informing her folks then? Let them know about her?", asked Hermann.

"Ralegh tapped her mind. Shouldn't you know, Raleigh?"

All eyes went on Raleigh.

"Well, actually."

"What? She has no past?"

"Like nothing at all?"

"No, her memory starts several years ago till present day.", answered Raleigh.

"oh-kay, that is weird.", said Newt.

Everyone gasped in shock at Raleigh's answer.

"Her files are also like that. No records of her before Panama. No birthdate, no next of kin. There's nothing on her life other than this, the rest are research related.", continued Tendo.

"After Panama closes down, she must've did something right? Moved somewhere?"

"I think she lives in Alaska before Panama a few years. She works in some kind of bookstore or library after Panama."

"She lives in Sitka, Alaska. Written here.", continued Tendo looking at the file in his hand.

"A friend or neighbor?", asked Herc.

"I think she has this friend, a woman, older than her. Sofi's her name."

"Why don't we head down for Alaska, then? Maybe there's some lead there?", asked Mako.

"I'll stay here, to keep watch on her.", said Raleigh.

"I'll go.", said Mako. "I'll come with Mako. Herc will keep things here and you two stay.", said Tendo.

"All right it's settled then.", said Herc.