Pacific Rim is copyright to Warner Bros. and Legendary
Sailor Moon is Copyright to Naoko Takeuchi and Toei Animation, licensed by Dic Entertainment, Cloverway, and Viz Media
Chapter 9
Back at the test chamber, Gipsy Moon and Gipsy Mini Moon have just completed a successful test. The two of them simultaneously do a fist in palm pose, with Gipsy Moon sporting that familiar smirk of confidence that had not been seen for over five years. WHIIRR! CLANK! Gipsy Mini Moon has a confident smile on her face as well. Some of the Shatterdome crew members applaud the success of the two's test procedure.
Gipsy Moon: Gipsy Moon is back in business!
Gipsy Mini Moon: And for the first time in forever, Gipsy Mini Moon is now officially in business!
Amy, Raye and Lita look on with content smiles and nod to each other in approval.
Back in the control room, Amara and Michelle look on while Trista monitors the status of the two Jaeger suits. WHIIRR!
Michelle: (about Gipsy Moon's successful test) Very impressive.
Amara: (Deadpan) Yeah, she remembers how to turn it on.
Michelle: (to Amara) Girl, show some respect. She came closer to death than any of us could possibly imagine and she still managed to bounce back and finish the job. Try putting yourself in her shoes for a change.
Meanwhile, at the Research Lab, Darien, Luna and Artemis give Newton the necessary information on where he can maybe get his hands on a Kaiju brain.
Luna: Now there are certain individuals whose business is the preservation and exploitation of Kaiju remains.
Newton: Yeah uh, Black Market dealers basically.
Darien inserts a cartridge and Hermann powers up the computer. The holographic monitor displays a time lapse scene where crewmembers are at work on a Kaiju carcass. Over a series of still frames, the Kaiju carcass is reduced to bare bones.
Luna: Correct. They're in and out in a matter of hours. They neutralize the acidic factor of the blood, and they harvest what they need.
At the end of the time lapse scene, a man in a formal suit can be seen standing in front of the kaiju skeleton, his back turned to the camera.
Artemis: Now this guy, this is Hannibal Chau. He runs the Kaiju Black Market here in Asia. When our funding ran out, Darien turned to him to help and in return he gave him exclusive access to all Kaiju remains in the region.
Hermann: (to Darien) You did that?
Darien: Last days of war, gentlemen.
He gives a card to Newton.
Darien: Go to the corner of Fong and Tull. Look for that symbol, show them that card. And a word to the wise, do NOT trust him.
Back at the test chamber once again, Gipsy Moon and Gipsy Mini Moon assume the 'Street Fighter' stance once more. WHIIRR! CLANK! As they do so Gipsy Moon looks over at Gipsy Mini Moon.
Gipsy Moon AI: Calibration, complete.
Gipsy Moon: Looking good, Rini.
But then, Gipsy Moon has a flashback to her fight against Knifehead.
Gipsy Moon: (in flashback) My helmet! It went through my helmet!
Mina: (In flashback) Serena, listen to me! You need –PZZZZZssssssssssss!
This sends a jolt through Gipsy Moon which knocks her out of alignment. She cringes as the jolt passes through her.
Gipsy Moon AI: Operator out of alignment.
Because Gipsy Mini Moon was connected to Gipsy Moon, that jolt that Gipsy Moon felt passes over to her and knocks her out of alignment and causes her to cringe as well. In the control room, an audible alarm on Trista's computer alerts that both operators are out of alignment with their Jaeger suits.
Trista: Both are out of alignment.
Michelle: Both of them?
Trista: Both of them.
Trista then gets on the microphone and informs Gipsy Moon and Gipsy Mini Moon about this.
Trista: Serena! Rini! You're out of alignment! You are both out of alignment.
Gipsy Moon: I'm okay. I'm okay. Just let me get my thoughts together.
Gipsy Moon AI: Out of alignment. Code Red.
Trista: You're stabilizing, but Rini is way out.
Gipsy Moon: Rini?
Trista: She's starting to chase the RABIT!
Gipsy Moon: Rini, don't get stuck in a memory. Stay with me. Stay in the now. Don't engage in a memory.
Unfortunately Gipsy Mini Moon does not hear Gipsy Moon as her voice starts to fade away.
Gipsy Moon: Rini? Rini! Listen to me. Rini?
Gipsy Moon's voice completely fades away as Gipsy Mini Moon is now seeing images from a memory of hers. The memory from when she was with Hotaru during the Kaiju attack where Hotaru lost her father. The memory she is seeing is so real it appears as though she were living through that event all over again.
Young Hotaru: (tearfully) Papa! Papa!
The young Hotaru sobs loudly as a young Rini tries her best to help out her friend in a very desperate situation. A siren can be heard in the background as the two of them walk down a street in Tokyo, passing through some wreckage as the do so. From overhead, a squadron of F-15Js, flies in low to make an attack run. The aircraft are described as fairly large, twin engine fighter jets with long noses with cockpits capped by a raised bubble canopies, succeeded by a wide yet refined fuselages housing variable intakes on each side of where the nose and cockpit sections are joined with the rest of their fuselages. On this wider portion of their fuselages are large, delta-shaped wings that are succeeded further by two smaller delta-shaped wings that serve as horizontal stabilizer, extending aft past the twin exhaust nozzles. On their tail sections are two large triangular vertical tail fins, one sitting on each side of the housing for their two powerful jet engines. As these aircraft make their attack runs, the first two make strafing runs on a target is obscured from Rini and Hotaru's view. There is a loud buzzing as the two lead fighters fire their machine guns, mounted on the forward edge of their right wings. After firing their guns for about a second, they pull up to a safe altitude and break off, clearing the way for the two trailing fighters to fire a series of missiles before climbing and breaking off themselves. The missiles explode on impact. When the smoke and dust clears, we can get a clear view of another Kaiju, which was codenamed Onibaba. The Kaiju sees Rini and Hotaru and roars loudly and persues the two girls. Onibaba is described as being based on a crab, with four large legs and two thick crab-like claws. It has two protruding crests extending above its head and two smaller arms residing on its thorax. As it chases the young Rini and Hotaru, it devastates numerous buildings in its path. Rini and Hotaru eventually find an alley that the two of run into to try and hide from Onibaba. Since Gipsy Moon was connected to Gipsy Mini Moon, she becomes an eyewitness to the events that took place in Rini's memory. Gipsy Moon then approached the frightened Rini.
Gipsy Moon: Rini. This is just a memory. None of this is real.
She is then startled a bit by a loud thud. Then we see Onibaba peek down at the alley where Rini and Hotaru are hiding. It sees them clearly, chitters briefly and roars loudly as it tries to reach them, but isn't able to because the alley was too narrow for it to reach them. But it was more than enough to frighten the young Rini into coming out from hiding and holding her hands out in front of her face, as if to shield herself. This hallucination that Gipsy Mini Moon is seeing causes her to hold out her right arm in front of her.
Gipsy Mini Moon AI: Weapons system, engaged. Plasma cannon, powering up.
A screen next to Trista's holographic monitor now sounds an audible alarm while the words "Cannon Charging" are displayed, along with a power meter showing power build up.
Trista: Oh, boy.
From the test chamber, we can see Gipsy Mini Moon activating the plasma cannon in her right hand. WHA-KOO-CHIK! CLANK! CLICK! CHUNK! ZZZZZZZZZZ! All the crew members that see this immediately clamor out of the test chamber. Amy, Raye and Lita meanwhile appear mildly perturbed by this turn of events.
Lita: We're out of here.
The three of them walk out of the chamber in an orderly fashion. They are surprisingly calm despite the fact that Gipsy Mini Moon's Plasma Cannon was powering up right in front of them.
In the Control Room, Trista knew immediately that she needed to take action. She too is also surprisingly calm despite this unexpected turn of events.
Trista: (loudly, yet calmly) Weapons system engaged. (to a technician) Go to fail-safe!
Technician: Fail-safe is not responding! There's a problem with the neural blocker! Her connection's way too strong!
Trista tries to press a large red button her computer labeled "Fail-Safe; For emergency use only" several times, but it's no good. Nothing happens. Gipsy Mini Moon's Plasma Cannon continues to charge up to full power, all while Gipsy Mini Moon has a frightened expression on her face.
Gipsy Moon: Rini!
Back in Rini's memory now.
Gipsy Moon: Rini, listen to me. This is just a memory. None of it is real.
In the control room, Trista then promptly evacuates everyone from the control room.
Trista: Dàjiā líkāi zhèlǐ, xiànzài! Dàjiā líkāi zhèlǐ, xiànzài! (Everybody out of here, now! Everybody out of here, now!)
In Rini's memory once again, we can see Onibaba relentlessly pursue the young Rini and Hotaru. It's one small arm flailing as it tries persistently to snag the two frightened girls. From outside Rini's mind, Gipsy Mini Moon's face is still frozen in terror. Back in the control, now that Trista had evacuated all the technicians, she and Michelle then sees a large breaker switch similar to that seen in 'Frankenstein's Monster'. This switch operated the connection between Gipsy Moon and Gipsy Mini Moon. Tripping this switch into the 'OFF' position will cut off electrical power being run from Gipsy Moon to Gipsy Mini Moon, shutting down the latter in the process.
Michelle: The power switch! The power switch! Get the transfer power switch!
Trista grabs hold of the switch and gives a few, hard tugs on the switch, but it doesn't budge. Back in Rini's memory, Gipsy Moon and the young Rini and Hotaru look up overhead and see an older Jaeger suit being airlifted into the city. Gipsy Moon immediately recognizes this Jaeger Suit.
Gipsy Moon: Coyote Venus.
The young Rini and Hotaru hide away once more as Coyote Venus now engages in battle against Onibaba. Some dust and debris is kicked up as the two giants fight each other. It all makes sense now, how Hotaru lost her father, Souichi Tomoe, as well as how Mina was the one who rescues Rini and Hotaru and later becomes the latter's adoptive mother. Meanwhile Darien rushes into the Control Room, and he already has a very good idea of what was going on.
Darien: Take them offline! Take them offline!
Trista uses all of her strength and gives one big pull on the switch and it finally trips.
Trista: I just did.
She and Michelle turn around and see Gipsy Mini Moon's Plasma Cannon powering down.
Gipsy Mini Moon AI: Weapons system disengaged.
Gipsy Moon: Rini!
Gipsy Moon then moves to support Gipsy Mini Moon as she finally "wakes up" from her memory.
Gipsy Mini Moon AI: Neural bridge exercise invalid.
Gipsy Moon then does her best to comfort Gipsy Mini Moon, like any mother trying to comfort her frightened daugther.
Gipsy Moon: It's okay Rini. It's okay.
Gipsy Mini Moon whimpers like a frightened child who had just awaken from a very scary dream.
Gipsy Mini Moon AI: Sync sequence terminated. Would you like to try again?
Mina, Luna, Artemis and Hotaru walk into the Mission Control Room shortly after Darien did.
Mina: What happened?
Artemis: Well, it was Rini's first time Syncing with her Jaeger Suit.
Luna: Yes, first time Syncing is always going to be rough. She'll get the hang of it eventually.
Darien: Perhaps we all could use a break.
Trista: (mildly exhausted) I think you're right Darien.
Just when everything seemed to be going flawlessly, it all went downhill in a hurry. It could have been worse though.
End of Chapter
