This chapter is a bit introduction and a little bit filler but it's all necessary and there for a reason. I promise!
Newton will be back soon for those who are wondering and he's been busy. Plus, the story's about to expand out into the entire world rather than just the Hong Kong Shatterdome.
Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and followed. Every little bit motivates me and that's what gets the chapters written. Let me what you think!
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The next few days passed quickly in the Shatterdome, Mako was around most of the time, but disappeared into meetings more often than Raleigh had to. She willingly let Raleigh run point on the Academy program, citing that she was too busy to deal with more than one over-eager pilot at a time. The program was down to seventeen men and women, one had been injured and Raleigh had removed two who he recognized as unsuitable based on their personalities. He knew the Corps could neither afford to be choosy when selecting pilots or lax enough to put pilots in who could cost them a Jaeger.
Breakfast with Nikki and Mako had become a habit. Both women were prone to ignoring him in favor of their work; Nikki to the point of even ignoring her food on a regular basis. Mako hadn't had any more nightmares, at least ones bad enough to send her to his room, and he too had been spared the worst of his own dreams. The pair of Rangers had daily sparring sessions and with the Green Beast sim scheduled to be completed any time, their bond was stronger than ever. Raleigh was almost shocked by the ease with which he had fallen into the routines. Overall though, the tension in the dome was almost palpable. The intel on the baby rifts had leaked out to the general public. There had been rioting along every Pacific coast as everyone was waiting for an attack. Green Beast needed at least another week before it would be combat ready though Nikki had lived up to her nickname and produced the miracle of cutting the wiring time in half for the Jaeger. There had been no more sabotage attempts and crews were now working around the clock on the Beast. Tendo and Nikki had both practically moved into the construction bay in their attempts to oversee every single action taken by the crew of more than a hundred. Raleigh was beginning to worry for their collective sanity.
Raleigh was brought out of his thoughts by steady knocking on his door and realized he was late for a Jaeger design meeting. "It's open!" Mako cracked the door as Raleigh fumbled for his tablet and notes.
She smiled at his disarray. "We're behind schedule. Nikki will be annoyed." The pair was hurrying through the halls, making it to the usual conference room just on schedule but somehow still before the two technicians who came in, mid argument, a few minutes later.
"We need replace the right support struts!" Tendo's annoyance was plain as he ignored the Rangers.
"We do that and we lose a day on the entire right side and the conn-pod wiring completion is delayed. Again!" Nikki's temper matched Choi's as they both sat.
"We don't do it they will snap if they're hit from above!"
Nikki held up a protesting hand. "Only IF they are hit from above at the precise angle! Those odds are remote and they would cost us two days of Beast being grounded!"
Raleigh glanced at Mako when the two showed no signs of stopping. She shrugged, apparently leaving action up to him. "You two done or should we leave and give you some privacy?"
They both turned their ire on him but before either could lash out; Mako stepped in as the voice of reason. "Shall we begin?" Tendo nodded, relinquishing the battle smoothly but Nikki almost snarled before she caved and relaxed slightly. It appeared some technicians were handling the strain better than others.
Tendo quickly started up the display, projecting the various possible Jaeger designs into the air. They were meeting to decide which four would be put into production after Gipsy 2.0.
"So…" Raleigh broke the silence. "Thoughts?"
"402." Mako went straight to the point. At the sound of the numbers, the display cycled through until Jaeger Design 402 was enlarged. Raleigh silently agreed with his partner, 402 had been on his list too. Its design was similar to the Mark 1 Romeo Blue: slender with lighter weaponry than other proposed models but it had the highest speed stats. Too many previous Jaegers had fallen because they were too slow. 402 also had plasma cannons on each shoulder, retractable carrier rail blades on each arm, heated spikes on each hand, and a spiked ridge along the reinforced conn-pod as a last ditch weapon. Tendo nodded in agreement and glanced at Nikki who hesitated then held up 'don't look at me hands.' "I've designed them, I'll build them. You're the experts when it comes to what you want in the field."
"397." A heavier Jaeger who was slower but was predicted to take any hit and stay stable using newly designed shock absorbers and wider feet, it would be ideal for taking on any Kaiju category three or higher using its size and weapons array. It had chest rockets, shoulder cannons, and plasma cannons set into each hand.
"445." Specializing in water combat with a sleeker design and water tight body, conn-pod, and reactor. Its weapons were planned to use the water around it, either super heated or cooled. The design features that would make it the fastest in Jaeger in the water would be razor sharp as a last final choice weapon.
"509" "Not an option." Nikki quickly refused the option, confusing Raleigh.
"But." 509 had been Raleigh's favorite of the potential designs. It had the highest overall stats and a conn-pod design not seen in any other proposed Jaeger.
"No. It wasn't supposed to be in the file. It is nowhere near complete and therefore not an option." Nikki was back to glaring at Tendo who had been responsible for sending the pilots the designs. The other technician pointedly ignored her. Just as things were getting tense, a string of beeps echoed from Nikki's jeans, breaking her concentration as she silenced her phone.
"381 then." Mako quickly changed the topic. 381 was similar to Gipsy's new design, a strong combo of strength, speed, and a variety of weapons.
"So Gipsy 2.0, 402, 397, 445, and 381. I'll notify the Marshall and sent in the order to begin production with Gipsy Danger. If we're done, I've got to get back before someone tries to blow up Green Beast." Nikki left without waiting for confirmation.
"What was that about? What's the big deal with 509?" Raleigh asked Tendo after a moment. Mako's attentiveness told him that she was confused by the sudden anger also. "509 is her pet project. She's been working on it for almost two years when she has the extra time. I'm the only one other than Pentecost who has seen the basic design proposal. I really didn't mean to include it. I must have put it in the wrong file on my hard drive." Tendo explained quickly.
Raleigh hesitated, unsure of how to voice his concerns. "Can Nikki handle this? She seems slightly…unstable."
Tendo shrugged. "I don't know. She went from bouncing between domes to running every Jaeger bay left."
"Why is she in charge then?" Raleigh pushed the issue. He liked Nikki but if her inability to handle the stress jeopardized the Jaeger Corps, she had to be removed from the position.
"There's no one left. We've got a decent amount of specialists left for the factory construction elements of Jaegers but maintenance and bay functions are an entirely different thing. No one even considered something like Green Beast before she did. Anyone who worked on anything before the Mark 4's is either dying from the radiation exposure or already dead. You saw what it did to Pentecost."
Tendo broke off at Mako's sharp breath. "Sorry." Tendo hesitated and looked at the display that still rotated slowly.
"I'm in the same boat." The LOCCENT Officer admitted. "Becket, I went from deploying just Gipsy, to the entire Icebox, to the entire Corps in less than two years because there is no one left. Shutting down the program originally and moving it here to Hong Kong gave people a chance to escape. Workers, crews, officers all left because they couldn't take the responsibility or just didn't want it. We were at half the staff we needed for Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka, much less Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon."
"I didn't know it was this bad." Mako's calm voice interrupted as Tendo took a breath.
"Marshall Pentecost kept it from you. He knew you would have pushed harder to be put in a Jaeger or to be allowed into the bays full time. He wanted to protect you." Tendo told her carefully. "I'm sorry you heard it like this but you both needed to know how bad it is. The only think holding the Corps together the last few months has been blood and desperation. Now that we have the funding back it should get better but anyone coming in will have little to no experience. We have to rebuild the Jaeger Corps from the ground up all over again without anyone knowing how weak it is or else the rioting will spread and death tolls will rise without the Kaiju even reappearing."
The two pilots and the officer sat in silence for several minutes. Mako and Raleigh struggled to come to terms with the news while Tendo slowly gathered his equipment and notes. He stood with an empty grin. "Well now that that's all out, good news time. I meant to tell you earlier but Green Beast's simulation is ready if you two are free for a few hours and ready to Drift again."
Raleigh glanced at Mako who nodded in agreement. "Let's do it." He said with a grin. He was more than ready to get back in a Jaeger even if it was only a simulation. Violence, even if it was only a sim, was a good stress reliever. Tendo returned the grin and radioed into LOCCENT command to have the Drift suit crews meet the pilots immediately and prep the simulation.
….
Five hours later, the Mako and Raleigh were having their Drivesuits removed as they discussed the results. They had run seven simulated battles piloting Green Beast. The first two had been complete defeats as they struggled to adjust to the slower body, mismatched joints, and different weapons. The third was a wash; they defeated the Kaiju but lost most of the city they were defending. They progressed from there; the other four were all technical successes with fewer civilian casualties and monetary damage in each one. The longer they were in the Jaeger and in the Drift, the more comfortable the pair became. The sim wasn't perfect though, and there were more than a few variables that would not come into play until Green Beast was in a real battle, but the odds were more than encouraging for the techs and officers.
Eventually, the pair was released after the sim, analysis of the results with Tendo, and a debriefing with the Marshall. What had started out as a simple test had turned into an almost nine hour ordeal. As they walked back to their quarters, Mako was as serene as ever despite her exhaustion while Raleigh chose to ignore his own aching muscles and pounding head. He was practically bouncing off the walls as he continued analyzing specific moves that worked well in Green Beast for the third time. Mako would have been annoyed if it wasn't so endearing.
"Ms. Mori!" The call came from behind them, turning the pair of pilots.
A woman was walking down the hall quickly to catch up with them. She was similar in size and build to Mako with wavy brown hair that fought to escape the metal clip that kept it in place. She wore civilian clothes with a pair of combat boots.
"Mia!" Mako smiled genuinely and hugged the woman immediately. Raleigh was surprised by the sudden emotion from his co-pilot considering her general reserved nature. As the two separated, Raleigh realized the new woman was more of a girl. Her body was built to handle the pressures of an adult's life but her face was still that of a teenager.
Mako half turned and gestured to Raleigh. "Mia this is Raleigh.."
"Beckett!" Mia held out a hand with a wide smile as she finished Mako's sentence for her. "It's so cool to be meeting you! Xander and I studied you and your brother a few years ago and again when Mako was restoring Gipsy Danger." Raleigh couldn't help but smile at the teen's unbridled enthusiasm. Her personality had grown increasingly rare in recent years. Many people could match it when provoked by certain things, like he was with Jaegers and Kaiju combat, but to be so…alive was unique.
"This is one of the elusive twins." Mako told him, her smile still in place but with exhaustion creeping into the eyes.
"Yup! My other half is wandering around here somewhere." Mia added with a small laugh. A crack appeared in her smile as she continued though. "We got back almost an hour ago and can't find Nikki anywhere. We've tried calling her a bunch but haven't gotten response."
Raleigh could see the concern building in the teen. He glanced at Mako whose body was wilting with every passing moment and the worried teen who was trying so hard to hide it. Unconsciously, he decided to postpone his own rest. He knew Mako had never Drifted continuously for so long and mental and physical strain from the simulations was heavy on her. "I bet she's still working on Green Beast. C'mon." He gestured down the hall with his head. "I'll walk with you. I've got something to ask her anyway." He could see the relief wash through Mako only because he was looking carefully for it.
"Are you sure?" Mia was hesitant. "I heard a tech say you had just finished Drifting a little while ago."
"Nah I'm good. I'll catch up with you later Mako." Mia agreed and began walking down the hall with him. Raleigh glanced back and Mako mouthed a silent 'Thank You' before turning and continuing the walk back to their quarters.
"So Green Beast is the new Jaeger?" Mia asked after a few quiet minutes of walking, her enthusiasm back in full force, all concern well hidden.
Raleigh nodded. "Yeah, she's a bit of a mess but enough for us to work with for now."
"Nikki hasn't told us anything other than that construction had started but I can't wait to see her. Xander and I..." Mia broke off as a man turned the corner and started down the hall towards them.
"Mia!"
"Speak of the devil!" Mia added happily from next to him.
Xander came to a stop in front of the pair. At first glance, Raleigh wouldn't have guessed he was sixteen either. He came in just under Raleigh's 6' 1" height and was still growing from the looks of it. The teen had a considerable amount of bulk where most boys his age simply looked stretched.
"Where have you been? I think Nikki's in the bays but they're apparently locked down, main crew only." The teen seemed to notice Raleigh for the first time as he stopped.
"I know. I found Mako and Raleigh. They just finished Drifting but Raleigh offered to get me into the bay. They'll let him in since he's a Ranger and gonna pilot Green Beast." Raleigh almost grinned at Mia's immediate familiarity, stretching of the truth, and rough assumptions but stopped himself when the younger man began appraising him.
"Raleigh as in Beckett?" Xander asked after a moment.
Raleigh nodded and held out a hand.
"Huh. Thought you'd be taller." Xander told him with a grin and accepted the hand.
Raleigh settled from shrugging noncommittally and began down the hall; the twins fell into step on either side of him until they reached the main entrance to the Jaeger bays. The two men guarding the door went to stop them but recognized Raleigh and let them past. The pilot wondered if Nikki had simply put her crew under orders not to let the twins in. It seemed like something she would do.
Raleigh scanned the workers in the scaffolding, looking for Nikki. Green Beast's bay was quieter than last time he had been in here but there was a steady buzz and movement despite the late hour. Not seeing her in the scaffolding, Raleigh turned his attention to the Jaeger itself. Only a handful of parts hung from cables as they waited for installation now and metal plating covered a majority of the Jaeger's form. After a moment, he saw the single figure harnessed about halfway up the left arm, about a hundred and fifty feet in the air, with a lit plasma torch. He pointed her out to the twins and they moved closer.
Behind him, he soft declaration of "She said she wouldn't." He tried to ignore it though and the trio stopped at a safe range roughly below Nikki. Raleigh caught a silent interaction between the twins and watched at Xander put two fingers to his lips, letting out a sharp whistle. It gained the attention of several of the crew but not Nikki.
A man on the second level of the scaffolding waived Raleigh over and tossed him a headset, with a brief explanation of "She'll never hear the twins without it" before he returned to his work.
Raleigh shrugged and slid the headset on, hoping it was on the right channel. "Nikki."
"Huh?" Her static filled reply came back as he walked back to the twins. "Beckett?"
"Yup. Look down." He watched as Nikki shut off the torch and began scanning the ground. She caught sight of the trio a moment later.
"Ah fuck. Give me a minute."
"She'll be down in a minute."Raleigh told the twins who were watching him expectantly as he slipped off the clunky headset. They watched as their sister relit the torch and took a few minutes to finish what she had been working on before repelling down. She landed with a thump about twenty yards away. A crew member was there immediately to take the harness and torch. Apparently they were good at predicting their leader's actions.
Nikki was talking before she even reached the twins and Raleigh. "Mia you said eight!" Her exasperation plain to anyone watching.
Mia seemed to hesitate before replying. "It's ten Nikki. We got back a little late but have been looking for you since we landed. The room's locked and you changed the code again."
Raleigh suddenly felt out of place as he watched Nikki almost deflate. "I'm so sorry. I meant to meet you at the helipad but left my phone down here. Let's head to the room and we can catch up okay?" Xander nodded but Mia didn't reply. "Thanks for bringing them Raleigh." Nikki told him quickly, almost as if trying to stem off any questions, before she lead the twins out of the bay, talking softly as they went.
Raleigh was unsure of what to do for a moment, still digesting the defeat he had seen in Nikki when she realized how much she messed up and added the information to what Tendo had told him earlier. The Jaeger pilot hesitated then went the opposite way to the mess hall, deciding on a quick run through for dinner before he hit his own bed. He had too many other things to worry about. The twins' potential as pilots was one of them but their relationship with their sister was not.
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