"So, this is Sitka.", said Tendo.
"A bit unlike her, I say.", continued Mako.
Mako and Tendo stood looking at the ocean view.
"Yeah, I was picturing her as a big city girl or something.", answered Tendo.
Mako opened the paper in her hands.
"Anyways, we need to find the bookstore Raleigh talked about."
"Or library. But in this small place, I think it'll be no sweat."
"Raleigh."
Newt approached Raleigh, looking more fatigued than before.
"Oh hey."
Newt twirled the small card on his hand.
"I'm here to give you this."
"What's that?"
"Remember the auto pilot system Elsa made, the Andrealexa program? It works just like the other solo pilot program. It downloads the consciousness and doubles it. Well, this card is Elsa's consciousness. Everything on her is here."
Newt put the card on Raleigh's palm.
"Me and Hermann got into conclusion of why the program backfires on her. The superior mind took over the lesser mind. This may store her past, maybe she buried it deep that it doesn't show when you tapped into her mind. Her past was longer than the present, so it may be superior. So, I think the one most suitable to check into this would be you. The equipment is still in the research room. Hermann will help you."
Raleigh looked closely at the card in his palm.
"Will you…."
Newt hits Raleigh's arm and gave him a smile.
"Of course, I'll watch over her."
Mako and Tendo stood in front of a shop.
"The only library and bookstore in the whole town."
"And it's the same place."
"Why don't we go inside then?"
Tendo opened the old wooden door and the bell on top of it rings.
"Welcome!"
An old man from behind the desk greeted them happily. It was a vintage looking store with lots of books.
"Oh, good to see new faces. Borrowing or buying? Borrow to the left, buying to the right.", said the old man while motioning to his left and right.
Mako and Tendo approached the man's desk that's right in front of the door.
"No, we're not here to…. We wanted to ask you about things.", said Mako.
"Are you the police? Has something bad happened?", asked the man worried.
"No, no. We are from Pan Pacific Defense Corps. Do you still remember Elsa Trancy? We're her colleagues."
"She used to work here before right?", asked Mako.
"Yes, yes, she used to help me here. There's no one better at the job than her. She's such a nice girl too. So smart, so knowledgeable.", said the old man.
Mako showed the old man Elsa's ID.
"This is the one?", asked Mako. "
Yes, that one. Is she alright? Has she got into trouble?"
"No, she hasn't. Don't worry."
"She lives near the square. You might want to check there.", said the old man.
"Does she have a family or relatives?"
"No, she lives alone."
"Okay, thank you for the information."
Mako and Tendo walked towards the door when the owner stops them.
"If she really did get into trouble, please help her. She has a very good hard and is always sweet to everyone."
After saying thank you, Mako and Tendo left to the place the old man said.
"Sit down, wear these. Relax.", ordered Hermann.
Raleigh quietly follows the order, he took a deep breath.
"Look Raleigh, I don't know what you'll find in there. It may be bad stuffs, but I just want to say, I won't judge. She was amazing the way she is. She was very helpful. There may be some reasons for all this."
"Yeah, you're right."
"Ready?"
"I guess."
A woman, rich and professional looking, wearing her jeweled earrings in front of her dressing mirror.
"Mother, mother. The teacher said I can go to highschool….."
"Liz, darling, mother has to leave soon. Go and play with your brother or something."
"But I don't want to play and brother doesn't like me."
With small steps, Elsa followed the woman down the elegant stairs.
"Don't be silly darling. Go and play with your friends, then. Or the staff."
"I don't want to play. When will you be back?"
"Not soon."
"And father?"
"He got his hands busy with the military too. We won't be back for long."
They reached a big polished wooden gate where a man in suit opens it. A black sedan was park in front of the gate.
"Bye mother."
Mako and Tendo reached the address that was written on their file. A small Victorian style, multi-storied building. Elsa's room was on the third floor.
There was a sound coming from the room.
"Is that a vacuum cleaner?"
They entered the room, the door was unlocked. There was a woman vacuuming the carpet. She looked back at them, surprised.
"Who are you?" "Are you probably….Sofi ?"
Back to the home, the home that doesn't feel like one. The glass on the big gate reflected a teenage Elsa. When the gate opens, a girl's cry was heard and her brother's voice.
"You're pregnant, so what?", her brother said.
"I thought you love me.", the girl replied with a cry.
"Don't be silly, who believes in that anymore."
Her brother and a young girl of his age, one of the girls she has seen with her brother. Her brother was sitting on the leather couch, unbothered. While his girlfriend, or maybe not his girlfriend, knelt near him sobbing. Her brother reached for his wallet on his back pocket and took out all the money in it, then tossed it towards the girl.
"Here, take an abortion and keep it to yourself. Keep the change."
The girl looked at her brother in horror.
"How can you be so cruel? This is our baby !"
Her brother looks back at the girl with disgust and stood up. The girl looked down at the floor, still sobbing hard. Her brother walked to the fireplace and took a heavy metal and gold candle stand that was there. He walked back to the girl.
He's going to hit her !
Elsa take fast steps as her brother swing the candle stand in his hand.
"Stop it brother!"
Black.
Everything is black.
With a thump, she felt her body fell to the ground. There was a scream, which was clearly not hers and a footsteps going away, clearly not hers also. The girlfriend has ran away.
"Why you!"
The next thing she remember was a hard kick to her stomach.
"How do you know my name?"
The woman turned off the buzzing vacuum cleaner.
"Well, some things.", answered Tendo.
It was a quite big apartment room. Very spacey, very neat, very homey.
"Yes, I'm Sofi. Elsa's neighbor. She said that she'll be gone for work and won't be back for long. Told me to clean up a bit.", answered Sofi.
Mako looked around the apartment. There were lots of books everywhere. Despite looking like a chic city girl, Elsa kept her apartment simple.
"So, who are you guys? Never seen you here before.", said Sofi.
"We're Elsa's colleagues."
"Colleagues? Then what are you doing here?"
"Before that, Miss Sofi, are you really Elsa's neighbor?"
"What happened to your head Liz?",asked her father.
It was dinner time and for probably the first time that year, the family of 4 gathered for dinner.
"I….."
"She fell, father.", her brother said.
Her brother shot her a side look and she knew she would have to keep quiet. The stitches on the side of her head was hidden behind a bandage patch, the bruise on her stomach behind her shirt was on its worst color.
"Oh my, how can you be so silly, Liz.", her mother said.
"Well, Liz can be pretty clumsy sometimes, mother."
"You take care of your sister then, young man.", her father said.
"Of course, father."
Elsa continued to eat her dinner in silence. Her brother has took over her voice.
"So Liz how's school?", asked her mother.
"I finished it."
"College then. Your brother better be careful, you might finish before him."
"What do you mean, I am not her neighbor?", asked Sofi, surprised.
"Well, if I was her neighbor and was asked to clean an empty next door apartment, I would dress whatever I want. But you, that bag on the table would mostly be yours. You looked like, you went outside then the apartment.", said Mako.
Tendo looked at Mako, also surprised.
"Well, well, you got me. I'm not her neighbor. I live a couple of buildings from here. But my name is Sofi, I can show you my ID."
"Do you still hide something from us?"
"What about you guys then? You haven't spilled anything to me."
Mako reached for her bag and showed Sofi Elsa's work ID.
"We are really her colleagues. The operation sometimes ago, she was the casualty. She's now in comatose and would probably not make it."
"So we are looking for her folks or relative to tell the news. But she doesn't seemed to have a past.", continued Tendo.
"How do you know?", asked Sofi.
"Well, one of our colleagues tapped into her mind."
"Ah, the Jaeger thingy right."
"So, do you know anything?", asked Mako.
Sofi sighed. She put aside the vacuum cleaner and walked into the kitchen.
"It's going to be a very very long story. So sit back, make yourself comfortable. I'll make tea."
Her father gathered Elsa and her brother on his working room. Her mother was gone on her work again.
"So, Liz finished college then. And you young man still got a long way, I guess."
"Well, in things like this. I am inferior to Liz, father.", answered her brother.
Her brother took her hand on his and hide it behind his back. Her father might see it as a simple loving gesture, but behind that back, her brother was gripping her hand so hard she almost flinched. She was trying not to flinch.
"So, I've applied you two to pilot Jaegers."
"What?"
"Siblings are good for compatibility, the rest can be trained."
The next that happened after their father dismissed her and her brother was Elsa found herself pinned on her brother's bedroom wall, choking from his strong grip on her neck.
"I can't regret enough having you for a sister. Every single time do you have to ruin my life ?"
Her brother threw her to the floor, choking.
"What have I done to you?", she asked in a low voice.
"What did you say?"
Her brother took her face in his hands roughly to face him.
"What …have I done to you? I never did anything to you."
The answer was a hard slap to her right cheek.
No one can hear her, her father was at the other side of the big house and if any staff of the household even did hear her, no one dared to help in fear of her brother.
"You, this will be my one chance. I don't want you to slow me down. You hear me?"
"Ever heard of the Bellevue family?", asked Sofi.
"The family of top brass military leaders for generations right? I think one of the family head is leading the military now.", said Mako.
"Do you believe that your Elsa was that military leader's daughter?", asked Sofi again.
"The hell?", exclaimed Tendo.
"You've been looking the wrong way. You were looking for Elisabeth Trancy, not Elizabeth Bellevue."
"She's French?" ,asked Tendo.
"French English. Doesn't act or speak like one, eh?", smirked Sofi.
"My head's gone woozy."
Tendo dropped his head on the wooden dining table. Mako sipped a tea from her cup.
"Ever heard of a Kaiju attack that results in a total destruction of the whole town?"
"I guess there was one, I think. Many years ago, the Kaiju destroyed the whole town before it was neutralized."
"The pilots?", asked Sofi.
"Never heard of them. Never disclosed anyway."
"Would you believe it, if I was it was Elsa and her brother?"
"God, no."
The room went silent with only the sound of Tendo thumping his head on the table.