Levi arrives at the station

A familiar face is found

Armin is great.

Here is a bit more about Pacific Rim since some may not have seen the movie:

Kaijus are ranked Category I-V (Category I is the weakest while Category V is the strongest and extremely deadly.)

Shatterdomes are basically the bases and "docking stations" for Jaegers.

Enjoy!

Chapter 2: The Shatterdome

January 1st, 2025. Titan Shatterdome Maria: Hong Kong

As soon as Levi stepped out of the helicopter, he was assaulted with the cold rain and sound of working footmen. Gray eyes surveyed the base, different from the one that he had been stationed in Anchorage. To his right he saw some workers pushing what looked like the brain of a Kaiju, which he cringed at. He may have fought and killed Kaijus, but he'd rather not be anywhere near their organs. Who the hell knew where those things had been…besides inside a giant killer monster that is. Off in the distance he swore he could hear crazed, yet familiar laughter in the distance and felt his shoulders sag. I'm not ready for that things mentality. He looked around for a few seconds longer, feeling slightly nostalgic at the sight of military personal, before he sighed, gripped his duffle bag filled with clothes and walked down the stairs behind Armin and Erwin.

Armin trotted ahead of them with his hands pathetically covering his head over to a woman with a red scarf around her neck. She was hidden under the protection of a black umbrella with another two grasped in her right hand. He said something to her, to which she nodded and looked directly at Levi. Levi returned her gaze and watched as it turned into a disproving glare before she turned to her left and walked over to one of the workers in a forklift.

The hell is her problem? He thought.

"Captain Levi."

Levi looked away from scarf girl to see Erwin, now standing under Armin's opened umbrella, holding another one to him. Levi gratefully took it and opened it up, shifting his bag onto his shoulder.

"Brings back memories, huh?"

"Tch. It's cold shit stain, I'll reminisce with you when we're inside."

Erwin gave a short chuckled before he gestured his right arm to the elevator door.

"After you."

A roll of his eyes was all Levi gave him as he walked past the two towards the elevator. Once they were all out of the rain, he closed his umbrella and Armin took it from him without a word. He then noticed the workers who had been pushing the giant brains were now pushing them inside the elevator. Levi turned his nose up in disgust.

"Oh hell no. No way in hell are those things getting in here with me. That's fucking unsanitary."

"Do not insult my babies! They are precious specimens that need to be treated with love! Now please step away from the-…..Levi?"

Levi's glare turned from the Kaiju brains towards the owner of the voice. Fuck me was the only thought that ran through his head before he was enveloped in a tight hug.

"Oh my god Levi it is you!" he was released for a second to meet brown eyes before his face was pushed against a woman's chest "Holy shit, I can't believe Erwin got you to come back! Oh! Moblit look, it's Le-"

Levi's muffled, yet still angry sounding shouts were heard before he roughly pushed away the other body. He took a few steps back, angry eyes meeting Erwin's amused and Armin's shocked ones before turning them back on the assailant.

"Fucking Christ Hange, were you trying to suffocate me? Did your tits get bigger or something?"

Doctor Zoë Hange, known professionally as Doctor Zoë but to friends as Hange. Not only was she a genius in genetics, having lead the breakthrough in the research of artificial tissue, she was one of the heads in the Survey Corps Kaiju Research department. The main part of the research team's jobs were to find out if the Kaijus had any form of weakness and exploit it, though nothing permanent had been found yet. Last time Levi had seen Hange was five years ago when she took residence in the Anchorage Shatterdome to study the remains of a Kaiju that had recently been killed nearby. She still looked the same with her wild brown hair and eyes and her signature goggle-type glasses. She was a five foot seven pain in Levi's ass back then and he bets that she's no different now. She smiled at him before patting his head.

"Awww, still an angry little guy I see! And yes, they went up a size, unlike your heig-NO LEVI DON'T TOUCH THAT, IT'S EXTREMELY SENSITIVE. I TAKE IT BACK ABOUT YOUR HEIGHT OKAY?! JUST DON'T TOUCH IT."

Levi smirked as he crossed his arms. He'd never touch the Kaiju brain, but the threat got what he wanted. Hange sighed as she shrugged her overcoat off and handed it to her research assistant and fiancé (god save that man) Moblit Berner. As soon as her coat was off, she rolled up the sleeves of her yellow button up shirt. Levi caught a flash of color before he groaned.

"Jesus Christ Hange, you actually went and got them? Wait…Is that fucking Yamarashi on your arm?"

Hange smiled as she raised her arms, showing off her brightly colored tattoos of two Kaijus.

"Yep, and the category three Kaiju, Raythe! I got them about three years ago, Moblit went with me since you weren't around and Erwin was always a stick in the mud about me wanting Kaiju tattoos. I mean come on, Yamarashi was 2500 tons of awesome! There is no way you can- DAMN IT LEVI. TRY TOUCHING THEM ONE MORE TIME I SWEAR I'LL ACTUALLY SUFFOCATE YOU."

This time Levi let out a snort. So she had gotten worse over the years…well, at least now I know a way to shut her up. Hange placed her hands on her hips and glared.

"Jeez Levi, these are fresh from the Sydney Kaiju attack, I'd like them to stay in one piece for my research!"

"Research? Please, all you do is drool and pant over Kaijus. I'm even sure you get sexual satisfaction from those monsters." A male voice with an English accent said.

Hange rolled her eyes and turned to look at the man entering the elevator shaft.

"The only satisfaction I get from those beauties is new scientific evidence and to chance to study and document something not from this dull planet. What is it that you do again?" She crossed her arms and smirked, "Oh yeah, you just calculate numbers and predictions. While the military thanks you for the Category system, my research helps people understand the Kaiju's abilities and weaknesses…Nile"

Nile Dok, top biological researcher and former member of the Military Police. Levi only met Nile once, and that ended with a few insults directed towards Nile's poor attempt at a beard and sex life. Nile shrugged out of his own coat and threw it at Moblit's face, who fumbled with it before falling over. Levi decided that as soon as he could, he'd buy that man a drink with all the shit he's been put through. A few more people filed in the elevator before it began its descent. Nile had walked over to Hange, face pulled up in annoyance.

"I thought I told you never to call me by my first name. You are to refer to me as Doctor."

"Oh right, Mr. I created the first coding for the Titans so bow down before me." Hange snorted. "If you find out how to permanently seal that hole in the ocean, then I'll bow down to your royal pain in the ass."

Nile grabbed the front of Hange's shirt and brought her amused face to his angry one so they were a few inches away from each other.

"Alright you Kaiju groupie let me tell you this once: I am your elder and I will not tolerate disrespect from an unprofessional child."

Levi snorted at that before he walked over and pried Nile off of Hange, who was now mimicking the man's words, mocking his English accent. He stood between the two, his left holding Hange's shoulder and Nile's wrist in his left.

"Elder? Please, you're only a year older than her, Dok." He turned to look at Hange "And can't you do anything else but annoy people?" he got a cackle out of her in reply.

Surprise came across Nile's face at seeing Levi before he wrenched his wrist out of Levi's grasp and stared down at him with a bored face.

"Ackerman."

"Shithead."

Nile's face changed back to annoyance at the name. "Do you intend to mock me as well? Well, that would fit for someone of your height."

Mother fucker is gonna get hit.

"Are you sure you're a doctor? Because you're acting more of a brat than Hange is. And aren't you five years older than me?" He smirked "I think you should start setting an example for the youngsters, but first let me tell you what I have to say about respect: I give zero fucks about age when it comes to respect. Prove to me that you are worth the respect and I'll give it to you….Nile." he sneered and watched as Nile's face grew red with rage.

"Listen here you son of a-"

"These are Kaiju vets?"

Three sets of eyes turned their attention to Armin, who gave them all a bored and also unimpressed look.

"Captain Levi, you're the last Mark Three pilot alive that can pilot Rogue, and I'd rather not have to cut such an important asset lose because he decided to be an ass to everyone. Doctors Hange and Dok, you two were brought here because of both Hange's knowledge on the anatomy of Kaijus and Dok's ability to analyze their threat level and chances of an attack. With the same as Captain Ackerman, I do not want to dismiss you from the project, but if necessary I will not hesitate to cut you both because you acted like children. Am I clear?"

Nile sputtered at the demeaning insult while Hange looked side eyed to Levi, waiting for his reaction. Said pilot stared with his eyebrows up in a question at the young doctor, who still held his same expression, before looking over to Erwin with a look now similar to Armin's.

"The coconut is gonna go far in life, Smith. I like him." And with that, Hange cackled and Armin gained a look of confusion at the name.

"Oh my god Armin, Levi actually likes you. And sweetie, I've told you to not call me Doctor Zoё, only my dead mother called me that! Now, come here and give Aunt Hange a hug." She said, walking towards the now visibly frightened blond who backed away from Erwin's side and away from the mad scientist trying to hug him.

"Hange no please last time you hugged me you almost broke a rib- MMMFFF!"

Levi watched with hidden amusement as Hange gave the same treatment Levi had received a few minutes earlier to the engineer. When he was released, he muttered something along the lines of "fowl demon" and returned back to Erwin's side, who had been watching the whole interaction with interest. Soon the elevator lost the feeling of hostility and was replaced with tension that came with war. Levi had some minor interactions with Hange and Moblit as they continued their descent, discovering that within the five years he had seen Hange, the couple had moved their wedding back continuously due to sudden Kaiju attacks and that she had adopted a 2 year old Irish Wolf hound (who was currently back in the states with a friend) named Sunny, which Levi thought was stupid. Who the fuck names a big ass dog after the yellow, blinding circle in the sky?

Soon the elevator opened up to one of the lower levels and Erwin and Armin walked out. Levi sighed, adjusted his bag and after giving a gesture of good bye to Hange and her husband, walked out after them. He was pretty sure they were heading to the Dome's loading bay, and the thought of seeing a Titan made old wounds tingle. Even though he knew the tingle was because he'd be back in a Titan within a week, something he never thought he'd do again, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement.

Needless to say, Levi knew he was in for one hell of a ride.

I need to rewatch Pacific Rim otherwise the fight scenes will be shit in the next few chapters. Anyway, I'm glad people are enjoying this so far (even though two chapters were published). Don't worry, Eren will make an appearance soon.

Criticism is welcome!