Herc's Holiday, Chapter 2
Sydney Shatterdome
Chuck's quarters
September 15, 2024
1207
Chuck locked his door and booted his computer up, then logged into the PPDC network. I hope the stuff's been posted. But if the old man finds out what I'm looking at, he'd flip. Chuck browsed through Kaiju Sciences, seeking a very specific file. Aha. Here it is… Chuck opened up the document, and quickly scrolled to a particular section. Next attack is predicted to occur in a week. Good. Hermann's been pretty close lately. Chuck closed the document and logged off the network, then started up Skype.
He had barely gotten Skype up and running before Miranda called him. He accepted the incoming call, and Miranda appeared on his screen. "Hey, handsome. How's the schedule look?"
Chuck grimaced. "I've got a few days to spare right now. Can't say the same about the end of the year."
"Well, sure, you'll be headed up to the Hong Kong Shatterdome. And I don't have enough vacation time at work to follow you up there."
"Then I guess we'd better make good use of the time we've got, yeah?"
"Think you can sneak out for the evening? I've gotten hold of some decent ribs."
Chuck didn't get a chance to say anything before his stomach growled, eliciting a hearty laugh from Miranda. Chuck looked down at his stomach. "Quiet, traitor." He looked back at Miranda. "I'll be there. Key's still in the same spot?"
"Yeah. Call me when you get close."
"Will do. See you soon."
Miranda ended the call, and Chuck shut down his computer. He grabbed the small bouquet of flowers he'd worked hard to get, and snuck out of the Shatterdome, praying to whatever higher power watched over both young men in love and Rangers that Dr. Gottlieb was right, and that a Kaiju didn't emerge from the Breach tonight.
-.-.-
October 27, 2024
Chuck flopped on his bunk and ground his teeth. We lost two Jaegers. We've only got three left, not counting the old rust bucket in Hong Kong that Mako's rebuilding.
Rest in peace, Vulcan Specter and Echo Saber. You guys got that Kaiju in the end, and no civilians died.
Beedlebeedle.
Beedlebeedle.
Chuck pulled his cell phone out and smiled as he saw the caller ID. He accepted the call. "Hey, you. What's up?"
"I saw the news. I'm so sorry about the losses…"
"Miranda… Every time we enter a Conn Pod to Drop, we know there's a chance we won't come back. Especially these last few years."
"But you do it anyways."
Chuck grimly chuckled. "We don't have much of a choice. It's us, or a city of 5 million. It's worth it, trust me." He paused briefly. "Especially if we've got someone special waiting for us when we get back."
"Charles Hansen, you had better come back for me, because I WILL drag you back down from heaven to kick your ass and kill you myself."
He laughed. "And I don't doubt for a moment that you would."
"So, meet at Jake's?"
"Yeah. I'll be there soon."
"I'll be waiting."
Chuck ended the call and paused for a moment, fingering the old photo he had stuck to the wall. Vulcan and Echo here in Sydney when I first arrived. We sent them to Lima last month to cover the gap.
We should have gone. We'd have stomped that Cat IV and walked it off. Instead, we lost two crews and two Jaegers. How are we going to close the Breach now?
Chuck pulled the photo from the wall and stuck it into the hidden photo album he'd been making, detailing the history of Striker Eureka. Then, he headed out of the 'Dome and made his way to Jake's bar, intent on raising his glass to absent companions.
-.-.-
Miranda Schaeffer's apartment
Sydney, Australia
January 2, 2025
0600
Miranda stirred in Chuck's arms, and he smiled. "Mornin', beautiful."
"G'mornin. Last night was wonderful."
"It was, wasn't it?" Chuck sat up. His dogtags clinked.
"Don't you ever take those off?"
"Nope."
Miranda toyed with a small gold ring with a single diamond that was strung up on the chain alongside the dogtags. "What's the ring for?"
Chuck sighed. "It's a family heirloom. Five generations of Hansen men have used that ring to propose."
"So, why wasn't your mom wearing it the day… you know…"
"It's okay, you can say it."
"When Scissure attacked and she was killed."
Chuck wiped his face with his hand. "My dad gave her a wedding ring too. Mom never wore the engagement ring after that. It stayed home in her jewelry box in the gun safe. That's why my dad was able to retrieve it after the attack. He gave it to me a few years ago to try and repair the bond between us."
Miranda wrapped her arms around Chuck's shoulders. "Well, you're headed to Hong Kong to possibly nuke the Breach. I want you to come back from this. For us."
Chuck grinned. "Oh, I will." He unhooked the chain and slid the ring off, then rehooked the chain. "And I'm going to be coming back for this, too." He turned to Miranda. "Miranda Schaeffer, will you marry me?"
Miranda, caught off guard by the suddenness of the question, froze for a second before regaining her composure. "Yes. Yes, I will."
Chuck slid the ring onto her left hand ring finger. "When my dad and I get back from Hong Kong, I'll introduce you."
"I'd like that."
Chuck opened his mouth to say something, but his phone rang with a very specific ringtone. Upon hearing it, the color drained from Chuck's face. "No… Not now…"
Miranda heard the fear in Chuck's voice, saw the terror in his eyes, and put two and two together. "Go. Striker can't be run with only one pilot."
Chuck started to get dressed. "Listen to me. The wall will NOT hold that damn Kaiju back. Get the hell out of town now. I can't bear to lose you. Not now. Not ever."
"Well, then I guess you'd better catch that Kaiju before he makes landfall."
Chuck tied the laces of his boots. "Not a chance. I just hope the wall holds him back long enough for us to get launched." He grabbed Miranda and gave her a kiss. "Go. Get out of here."
"Same to you, Chuck."
Both of them raced out the door of Miranda's apartment, then headed off in different directions to prepare for the incoming Kaiju.
-.-.-
0800
Herc was furious. Of all the times for Chuck to be off base, it had to be during a Kaiju attack. One that's going to destroy Sydney again if he doesn't…
Chuck skidded into the LOCCENT. "How long do we have?"
Herc rounded on his only son. "Not long enough to intercept it, since you were off base. I'd kick your ass, but we've got a Kaiju to kill."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
"You."
"Then let's suit up and Drop." Chuck tore off out of the LOCCENT and towards the Drivesuit Bay. "C'mon, old man. Let's go!"
Herc swore under his breath, then followed his son. I'll find out what he was doing soon enough.
-.-.-
Herc and Chuck were halfway through the suit-up process when Mutavore surfaced and began to batter at the Wall around Sydney.
Chuck grimly chuckled. "Let's hope the Wall lives up to its design promises. We need the time and the distraction."
Herc glared at Chuck. "If you'd been in the Shatterdome, we wouldn't be needing that time, so stuff it. We'll talk about that after we're done killing that thing."
Chuck glared back, then accepted his helmet and yanked it on. "Right, let's go kick some Kaiju ass."
-.-.-
Hong Kong Shatterdome
Striker Eureka repair bay
January 4, 2025
1800
Chuck sat watching Striker undergo maintenance that she hadn't had time to have completed after the Sydney engagement. It was a miracle we were even able to launch for combat. We barely had the time needed to load the six missiles we fired before Mutavore broke through the Wall. Just like we always said they would.
He turned to the old-fashioned clipboard, pen, and paper that sat in his lap, and started to write.
I, Charles Hansen, being of sound state of mind, do hereby write my Last Will and Testament on January 4th, 2025.
Should both my father, Hercules Hansen, and I die in the line of duty, I leave all my belongings and savings to my fiancé, Miranda Schaeffer.
I know that the odds of me dying and my dad surviving are slim, but in the off chance that it happens, I leave our bulldog, Max, to him. I also leave my photo album in my desk to him as well. However, all of my remaining possessions are to be split between Miranda and my dad. My savings are still to go to Miranda.
Signed,
Charles Hansen
January 4, 2025
"Hey, Chuck."
Chuck looked up and sought the familiar voice. "Mako, you sure you don't have any ninjas in your family? You're remarkably sneaky, even in combat boots."
"We've had this conversation, Chuck. Mind if I join you for a bit?"
"Sure. I've got nothing better to do."
Mako sat down on the gantry next to him. "You've changed since the last time I saw you. You're not as much of a jerk. What's up?"
"I'm trying to change my ways before the war ends."
"You? Change your ways?"
"Please, Mako. No one else believes me."
"Coming from the man who pranked me incessantly at the Academy."
"Okay, point."
"So what spurred this change?"
Chuck sighed. "Can you keep a secret?"
"Depends on whether or not it affects your performance in Pitfall."
"Then I'm sure you will."
"Why the sudden burst of confidence?"
"Because of what the secret is."
"I'm listening."
Chuck sighed. "About six months back, I met someone special. Someone who made me sit back and rethink my approach to life."
"Go on…"
"We started to date, and two days ago, I proposed to her."
"Please tell me it wasn't Mutavore."
Chuck laughed. "No, her name's Miranda. I… was at her apartment when Mutavore came out of the Breach."
Mako was aghast. "Wait, you left the Shatterdome? Now, of all times?"
"I know it was wrong. But I had to do it. It would be the last chance…"
"I don't want to hear it, Chuck. You know the regulations. Just because you're one of our top Rangers doesn't mean that you can bend the rules."
Chuck bit his tongue, holding back from arguing with Mako. Stop and think it through, Chuck. "Mako, I'm not asking forgiveness. Just someone to listen to me…"
"No, Chuck, I'm not going to listen to you. You're still selfish and a jerk. You put your own joy ahead of the safety of millions of people." Mako got up and walked away. "For someone trying to change, you're choosing the wrong way to go about it."
Chuck looked down at the ground below. She's right. I did put myself first. I was a fool.
Beedlebeedle
Beedlebeedle.
Chuck took the call without looking. "Hello?"
"Hey, handsome. How are you?"
"Feeling depressed."
"Why? What happened?"
Where to start? "Let's see. My only friend in the Shatterdome just turned her back on me, I realized that I put my own desires ahead of the safety of millions of people, including you, and one of the people running defense for me on the run on the Breach is a washout from five years ago."
"Wait, when did you put… Oh. I'm so sorry about that. It was my idea…"
"No, Miranda. Don't. I was the one who should have said no."
"And I should have asked first if it was okay for you to leave."
"I shouldn't have been leaving in the first place…"
"Charles Hansen, you stop that right now. You've got a four million pound war machine to operate, and a world to save. You can't do that if you're depressed and upset."
"Yes, ma'am." He chuckled.
"You WILL come back from Pitfall. We have a long life ahead of each of us. Let's make it count."
"You're right. I will be back for you. I promise."
"Hey, just cheer up. Maybe go spar with that washout and remind him who the top Ranger is around the Hong Kong Shatterdome."
"Don't give me ideas."
"I love you, Chuck."
"I love you, Miranda. I'll be back in less than a month, I promise."
"I'll hold you to that. I'll let you go now, Chuck."
"Thanks for the pep talk."
"No biggie. Now go."
"Bye."
Miranda hung up, and Chuck put the cell phone in his pocket. Now, where'd Raleigh go?