A/N: Finally Chapter One is done! Yay! It took me a lot longer to finish than I anticipated, but a number of the scenes just sort of took on lives of their own... This is something that I'm super proud of it, and I want people to enjoy it.
So without further ado, Chapter I!
I own nothing pertaining to Pacific Rim. The only thing I own are my (kinda) dearly crafted OC's.
Edited: 7/9/18
Chapter I: Reintroduction
21 December 2024
1300 hours
Addie sat on the floor across the hangar from Striker Eureka while she finished cleaning and oiling her equipment. The entirety of which was spread out in front of her on a tarp, the floor being the only surface large enough for the task. The Chief only let her do it because she was cleaning his tools as well.
"Hey, Addie." She jumped at the voice right by her ear, dropping the socket wrench from her hand. She turned to see Jimmy Mulligan. She had managed to convince J-Tech to assign her friend to Striker Eureka alongside her. Otherwise he would've been in some forgotten corner of the Proving Grounds, working on basic repairs for the training rigs. Though, probably not even that these days, the Academy was all but shut down.
"Ah! Crikey, Jimmy! Using your power for evil again?" Jimmy had this strange knack for being completely forgettable unless you were looking right at him, which was at odds with his size. He was more than a foot taller than her own 5'5".
"Sorry, Addie, I woulda shouted across for you, but you know how well that works out for me." He shrugged, giving her a sheepish grin. "Chief said you've got some plating you want me to replace?" She nodded her head, picking up her tool.
"Yeah, for the left-hand knuckle dusters, they're still scuffed up from the fight with Fiend. In those crates, there." She pointed off to the side of her tarp. "I would do 'em myself but—"
He looked at her in exasperation. "Addie, you're a Senior Engineer on Striker Eureka. Even with the layoffs, you don't need to be replacing plating."
Addie had been promoted about a year after her mother died. It was a bittersweet moment, and she'd decided to visit both her parents' graves. She would have liked Herc—and Chuck—to come, but her leave time coincided with a Kaiju attack in the Philippines. The Hansens were deployed in Striker to stop it. Afterwards, Herc made a point to go with her every year, and he tried to spend more time with her, with all her family gone.
"I know, but I'd prefer to do it myself, especially right now with the layoffs. I want to make sure everything's in cracking shape." She put down the wrench and picked up a piece of her welding torch. "But I'm swamped with those bloody malfunctioning servos in the release mechanism for her right arm's sting-blades. They're gonna take me the rest of the week to fix. And I'm going to have to deal with those pricks in programming, and they never think it's their fault." Addie rolled her eyes.
"You know we're being decommissioned, right? Almost all the other Shatterdomes have been shut down and we're scheduled for the end of the week, if rumor holds true. Striker just has to look pretty for her trip to Hong Kong," Jimmy said as he carefully picked up a crate and loaded it onto the trolley he brought.
"Never leave a job half-done, Jimmy. I always want Striker Eureka to be in the best shape possible." A sad expression fell over her face. "It's your last week, isn't it? Don't you want to leave her in the best shape she can be?"
Jimmy smiled, a small sad smile, nodding in agreement. He got the next crate situated, asking her if she was going to be at the farewell 'party' for the people leaving that week.
"I wouldn't miss it." Returning his sad smile.
"Right, see you tonight then." And he wheeled the crates away. went back to cleaning her tools, and her brow furrowed.
"Besides, I don't think that blasted wall is going to do anything to protect us from those monsters…" She said as soon as Jimmy was out of earshot.
Chuck had been in a foul mood all week.
The Sydney Shatterdome was next on the list to be shut down, and Striker Eureka was being 'decommissioned' from active service and moved to Hong Kong. He was being sent away from his home, all because of that stupid Wall of Life, Anti-Kaiju Wall, whatever you want to call it.
Yeah, like that'll ever protect anyone from a Kaiju! Chuck stalked the halls of the Shatterdome, away from the Kwoon combat room, Max loyally padding along behind him.
The Jaeger pilot was raring for a fight, for anything—or anyone—to vent his frustration on. But no one wanted to spar with him! One bloke had, the bout had lasted all of thirty seconds before Chuck dropped him flat on his arse, bruises already forming. After that, the rest of them had paired off, and given him a wide berth. The only person that could have presented a challenge was his old man, but Herc was with Marshal Pentecost strategizing for what they were calling the 'Last Assault'.
He thought about grabbing lunch in the mess hall, but he was too keyed up to eat anything. So, Chuck just kept moving, caught up in his own tumultuous thoughts, eventually ending up in the hangar. He tended to go there when he was at a loss about something, to sit with Striker, and give a focus to his thoughts.
The scowl on his face ensured no one even attempted to cross his path. Well, no one, except poor Jimmy Mulligan, who wasn't looking. He had taken a step backwards to balance the heavy crate in his arms, unaware of the other man walking right behind him.
The distracted minds of both men, coupled with Jimmy's natural ability to go unnoticed, combined to create a small disaster. There was a tremendous clattering as they collided. The crate of armor plating was upended all over the floor along with the already seething Ranger.
Chuck was stunned for a moment, not sure what just happened. Then he looked up and finally saw the large tech who was starting to apologize. He stood up, took a deep-breath and let out all his pent-up anger.
Addie always knew whenever Chuck entered a room, a habit she was sometimes a little ashamed to admit. She felt like one of those stupid fangirls that crowded around him whenever he went outside the Shatterdome. Jimmy called it her 'Chuck Sense' and laughed at her every time her head swiveled to the door.
The poor girl just could not help herself, she'd had a crush on the guy since she was eight!
She knew he was an egotistical prick, and almost never had a kind thing to say to anybody, let alone her. She wanted to hate him so bad! And part of her did, particularly when he would lash out at her. Or when he would completely ignore her, as if she didn't exist. That was always more painful than any words he might say.
But another part of her would remember the boy he had been. The one who had punched the neighbor's kid for making her cry. Admittedly, afterwards he said he was the only one allowed to make her cry, but they were nine and eight at the time, so she figured it was better than nothing. Or the ten-year-old boy who had cried himself to sleep almost every night of the six months he stayed with them while Herc was training in the Jaeger Academy.
She had seen him come into the hangar and then ducked her head immediately. She could see he was in a nasty mood and it would be one of the days he would try to pick a fight if he saw her. Not that she ever fought back; she didn't like confrontation, and it was easier to just let him shout at her. And she did feel bad for the attention Herc gave her instead of him. Addie knew it was hard for the Hansen men to show affection to each other—that's what they had Max for.
When Max barked, and made his way over to her, she looked up. She smiled at the dog but glanced at his owner to see if this would set him over the edge. To her horror, she saw, as if in slow motion, Jimmy step backwards directly into Chuck. Nobody else saw it, but they sure heard the aftermath.
Chuck started ripping into Jimmy, who was sputtering out apologies as fast as he could. Addie had a hard time watching, but her getting involved would only escalate things. But when Chuck grabbed Jimmy by the shirt, clearly looking for a fight, something snapped inside her. She couldn't stand to see one of the few friends she had being manhandled.
That's it! If he wants a fight, I'll give him a fight! Addie threw down the cloth, grabbed her biggest wrench for intimidation factor, and marched over to the spectacle while shouting,
"Charles Donovan Hansen!" Just because she didn't like confrontation, didn't mean she wasn't going to defend a friend.
Her?! Chuck thought as his head whipped around, a look of surprised rage painting his face. He pushed Jimmy away hard, causing him to stumble a bit before recovering. At which point the tech carefully sidled out of the way, his ability to dissolve into the background now acting in his favor.
While a piece of Chuck was surprised at her outburst, the sight of Addisyn Fisher only infuriated him further. He was sick of her always hanging around his old man, and spoiling his dog. And he constantly saw her in the Drift, both from his father and himself. And using his full name like she was scolding a child? Not even his old man did that, and she was for damn sure not his mother!
"What did you just call me, Addie?!" She ignored his outburst in favor of her own, her voice high and piercing in her anger. Chuck saw Max peeking out from behind her. Little traitor.
"It's bad enough you're always destroying my beautiful Striker Eureka," Addie pointed the wrench up at the Jaeger in its bay, then she poked him in the chest with it. "But do you have to wreck my friend's last days on the job?"
"What are you talking about? He knocked me down!" He batted away the tool with ease.
"Yes, but not intentionally! And you just completely lost your mind on him!" She flailed her arms around to mime insanity, nearly clocking herself with the wrench. Chuck saw and made a grab for it, just catching the end in time to stop her waving it around and into her own head.
"Stop that, you'll brain somebody." Though whether he was concerned about himself or her, Chuck wasn't sure.
"Don't change the subject, Hansen!" She glared at him, brushing away her ridiculously dark hair as it fell over her face. "You are more to blame than Jimmy." Chuck spluttered and stared at her, asking how it could possibly be his fault. Their fight had drawn a crowd, not that either of them noticed, or cared.
"You're always too caught up in yourself and your own problems to notice the world around you. Newsflash, Chuck! The world does not revolve around you!" She pulled back on her wrench and it slipped out of his hand.
"Who the hell do you think you are yellin' at me?!" Chuck shouted, glaring at her. Her grip on the wrench tightened until her knuckles went white, her face twisting with what he assumed was the effort not to bludgeon him. Then her face went all calm, a fake smile spreading across it.
"Phryne Addisyn Fisher, J-Tech officer: Jaeger Engineer, Senior Engineer for Striker Eureka's upper extremities, and your childhood friend." She offered her hand in a mock introduction. Chuck just stared at her, dumbfounded and confused. She dropped her hand.
"Now, stop being a prick, Chuck, and open your goddamn eyes. You're not the only one who's hurting right now." And with that she shoved past him to see to Jimmy, sending a glare Chuck's way as they walked by.
Chuck stood there for another moment, blinking in confusion. Addie had never actually stood up to him before, it made him see her in a completely different light.
He wanted to see more of it.
29 December 2024
1600 hours
Over the course of the next week, it seemed that wherever Addie looked, Chuck was there.
The first couple of days were a special kind of hell. He was always asking annoying questions, getting into her personal space, and he glared at Jimmy whenever he came near, seeming to have pierced through his invisibility power. She wasn't used to that kind of attention from anybody, let alone him, and it made her nervous. She made clumsy mistakes, and he would make fun of her every time. It was like he was purposefully trying to antagonize her.
After Addie threatened to whack him with her wrench if he didn't stop being such an ass, he seemed to settle down. Started to be nice even. Well, he tried to be nice—he was still an egotistical jerk, just less of an ass. She did have to stop him from pulling on her plaits once, but he'd done that more as a joke than anything else. And he still got in her personal space. She didn't mind that so much, as long as she wasn't doing anything too important.
Chuck even turned out to be somewhat useful with her work on Striker. He had taken the engineering courses at the Academy, and he had retained enough to not break anything. He was taller and stronger than her and she took advantage of that. And frankly, he seemed interested in learning new things about his Jaeger.
It helped that he brought Max along with him. Addie spent a lot of quality time with the loveable bulldog during her newfound breaks.
"Hey, Addie, would ya stop spoiling my dog, and help me do your job?" He was elbow deep in Striker's right forearm; the release mechanism for the blades was still a little buggy, moving too slow for her liking. Turned out, it wasn't the pricks in programming after all.
"I thought you had it handled, Mr. I-Know-Everything?" She smirked up at him, still scratching under Max's collar, making the bulldog kick his leg in pleasure. Chuck gave her a look, and she knew that was as close as he would get to admitting that he was not the best at everything.
"Alright," she sighed as she stood up, patting Max on the head one last time and he whined at the loss. "What're you havin' trouble with?"
"I'm not havin' trouble! I-I," he spluttered for a second and she raised a brow in question. "Your hands are smaller than mine," he finally conceded. "I can't reach into the panel here." He nodded his head toward it. Addie just chuckled as she stepped in to help.
She had to stand directly in front of him to get the right angle on the panel, and Addie felt the heat radiating from his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head and she almost snagged her screwdriver on a wire in her surprise. Chuck noticed and chuckled at her, which she felt more than heard. She swore he knew the affect he had, and absolutely loved to fluster her, the arrogant jerk. Addie started to recite all the component pieces of the release mechanism in her head.
It was much quieter in the hangar than she was used to. The Sydney Shatterdome had been officially shut down that morning, and there was only a skeleton crew left to work on Striker Eureka for the next couple of days. That same crew had been informed that they would be joining Striker and the Hansens on reassignment to Hong Kong. It made it easier for Addie to get away with Chuck helping her out.
After a few moments of slightly uncomfortable silence, Max barked happily, and trotted down the gangway. Addie felt Chuck tense next to her, and she turned her head to see Herc stoop down to grab the dog's leash. As he stood up, he smiled a little sadly at her and walked back the way he came, without saying a word to his son. Addie looked back up at Chuck as he screwed the panel back in place. There was a stony expression on his face where there had been a smug smile just moments before.
Something needs to change.
30 December 2024
1900 hours
Sitting in the mess hall at dinner, Herc reflected on the changes in his son's behavior, and all the time he was spending with Little Phryne, as the older man still thought of her. He was the only one who called her by her given name these days, instead of Addie. He was happy the two kids were spending time together again, not just Chuck occasionally sniping at her in the mess hall.
They both seemed happier for it.
But… It was like his presence flipped a switch in his son, and he reverted to his former behavior. So, rather than interrupt them, he simply walked away whenever they were together. He hated the enmity that had formed between Chuck and himself but recognized a large portion of it was his own fault. He had not been the best father after Angela died. He'd left Chuck alone for hours in the Shatterdome, while he was off fighting Kaiju. The only good thing he'd done was get Max, but a dog could not replace a father.
He felt it when they Drifted together, his son's resentment and rage. Drifting and fighting together had taken off some of the hardest edges, but the anger never truly went away. What grew alongside those feelings, was Chuck's determination to be the best, to be better than him, all to make sure what happened to his mother was never repeated.
"Hey, Dad?" Herc looked up from his potatoes, shocked at the almost conversational tone in his son's voice.
"Yeah, mate, what's up?" Chuck sighed, glancing down the table as he did so. Was he nervous?
"I've been thinking," he said it almost grudgingly. "Since we're gonna be leavin' Sydney for a while, why don't we go visit Mum's grave tomorrow? Just the two of us?" Chuck looked down the table a second time, and Herc knew immediately that none of this was his son's idea.
He glanced down the table himself, and just caught Little Phryne watching them with a happy look on her face before she ducked her head back down. Smiling to himself, Herc nodded his head and said it was a good idea.
Maybe this is what the two of them needed. Time spent together when there was no giant monster trying to kill them. And Herc still had to tell him about Operation Pitfall…
1 January 2025
0100 hours
It's a bleedin' disaster! And it's all her fault! Me and the old man been goin' just fine until she butted in. It was easier, not thinkin' 'bout all that stuff!
Chuck stumbled drunkenly down the halls of the Shatterdome, away from the tiny New Year's celebration where he'd just drunk almost an entire bottle of the champagne that was being passed around. That was on top of the four beers at the bar he'd gone to after the talk with his father.
He tripped and smashed his foot on a bulk head, cursing himself for not wearing his steel-tipped boots. He realized he'd never been this drunk before—his tolerance for alcohol was pretty high. He'd made fun of other people for putting on their 'wobbly boots', but here he was, having shoved his feet right in them.
She hadn't even been at the New Year's party, like she promised! So now he had to go track her down to yell at her. Chuck had only the vaguest idea where Addie's room was, but goddamn it he was going to find that girl.
He looked up from his foot and noticed a strange light. It was… purple? None of the lights in the Shatterdome were purple. Chuck moved towards the strange light, until he discovered its source. There was a string of light-purple fairy lights around one of the doors, a sign was illuminated overhead. It said 'Addie' in flowery writing.
Well, that made it easier.
He started banging on the door, shouting for her, fully intent on having it out with her.
When she finally opened the door, however, all thoughts of yelling at her flew right out of his head.
Addie had just drifted off to sleep when a persistent banging intruded into her lovely dream. Glancing at the clock, the girl cursed seeing that she had only been asleep for roughly half an hour. Not even bothering with her glasses, she put her feet down, and angrily stomped to the door, tripping a over her coveralls left lying on the floor in her exhaustion.
"What?!" She shouted as she squinted through the peep hole.
"Addie, open up! I need to have it out with you!" She blinked, recognizing the visage and voice of one Chuck Hansen.
Opening her door, she said, "What the hell do you want, Chuck? It's well past midnight and I've been up since 4:30. AM. Yesterday." Putting emphasis on the last bit.
"You weren't at the New Year's party…" He sounded distracted. Looked distracted. His eyes glancing down the front of her shirt.
Addie remembered then that she hadn't had enough energy to put on her pyjamas before collapsing into bed, and all she was wearing was an old t-shirt and panties. The t-shirt was loose, but it only just came down below her bum, and the neckline was so stretched… It left very little to the imagination.
Despite his skill and experience as a Ranger, Chuck was still a 21-year-old male. A very drunk one at that, as Addie got a whiff of his breath.
"And you decided to try and break down my door? I was there, I waited for you 'till after midnight. You're the one who never showed." She raised an eyebrow questioningly, trying to hide behind her door and hoping that he wouldn't notice the blush rising in her cheeks.
"Well, it's only a bit past midnight…" He leaned on the door frame, trying to peer at her.
"It's one 'o'clock!" She pinched her nose. "You're pissed, Chuck. Go to your own bloody room to crash out." Shaking her head, Addie started to close the door, but he stopped her, slamming a hand against it. His eyes seemed clearer, remembering his initial purpose.
To have it out with her.
"No, I need to tell you 'bout my old man, and what your bloody interference did!" He got up in her face, his height giving him an advantage.
"I guess, it didn't go well with your dad today?" She asked meekly, reverting to her natural avoidance of confrontation.
"No, it didn't! We were silent the whole way to the cemetery, and then we just stood there feeling sorry for ourselves, having no idea what to say to each other! Then we had a huge fight on the way back!"
"Chuck, I'm sorry. I really do want to talk about this, but can't it wait till morning?" It would be better in the morning; she wouldn't be so tired, and he wouldn't be so drunk. She tried to close the door again, but he stalked up the last step, shoving the door open all the way.
"I don't know what I was thinking listening to you! What do you know about me and Dad, eh?" His rage seemed to be burning through the alcohol. "What do you know about being a Jaeger pilot and Drifting with somebody, huh?" Addie started to speak, but Chuck cut her off. "You don't know anything! I know a part of him blames me for her death, I've felt it! Just like he knows part of me blames him for it!" He was gesturing wildly now.
"I'm sorry, I-"
"But we don't ever really think about it! 'Cept now, thanks to you," he pointed a finger directly at her chest, but not touching her, "it's all I can think about!" He turned and walked back down a step, his hands balling into fists and his shoulders hunched up to his ears. Seeming to struggle with himself over something.
"What do you want me to say?" Addie could feel tears welling in her eyes, and her voice trembled. He whipped around so fast she flinched back.
"I don't want you to say anything! You're just a glorified mechanic and that's all you'll ever be good for!"
As soon as the words came out of his mouth, Chuck regretted them. That feeling of regret only sunk in deeper when he saw Addie's eyes glistening with tears. He stepped up, reaching a hand to her shoulder, but she recoiled from his touch.
"Is that really what you think of me?" She said it so quietly, Chuck had to strain to hear her. It would have been better if she shouted…
"Addie, I… I didn't mean…" He searched for words, but she stopped him with a wave of her hand. Loud and raging, Chuck knew how to deal with. He could get angry back. But tears and quietness? He had no idea what to do.
"Just go, Chuck. I don't-" She sucked in a desperate breath and Chuck flinched, expecting full-blown sobs any second. But Addie composed herself.
"I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to see you or hear you. Just go." The last word was said quietly, but with such considerable emotion. It made Chuck take a step back, allowing Addie to slam the door in his face. He stumbled back off the steps in front of her door, realization of what he had just done landing firmly home. It was sobering.
With one thoughtless sentence, he had just thrown all her insecurities back in her face. She had trusted him, hoping to bring back the familiarity they once had with each other. He ruined any chance of her ever trusting him again.
Chuck walked on numb legs through the halls, somehow managing to make it to his own room. He sat down on the bed, and huffed out a breath. He flopped back, scrubbing his hands over his face. There was slightly muffled cursing for a few moments before he pulled them away. Looking up at the ceiling, Chuck sighed in exasperation.
"I am such a goddamned idiot."
1 January 2025
1100 hours
Addie woke up, got breakfast, and spent the rest of the morning doing her best to avoid absolutely everyone.
She kept getting these pitying glances, until she couldn't take it anymore and she asked the guy sitting nearest her. Apparently, Kaikaina, the girl who lived across the hall, had left the party with Tucker, her on-and-off boyfriend, for some alone time in her room. The result was that everyone left in the Shatterdome knew about the fight between her and Chuck.
She had glimpsed Herc on the other side of the mess, foolishly made eye contact, and he made a bee-line for her. Addie didn't want to talk to him about it, so she ducked out the nearest door, and ran like hell, tripping all over herself, the uneven flooring and knocking her shoulders into doorways. She only slowed down when she knew she had at least two levels between her and the mess hall, along with a couple of scrapes on her knees, shoulders, and several stubbed toes.
Panting for breath, Addie realized that she was near the Kwoon; no one would think to look for her there!
She made the turn and started at hearing a voice echoing down the corridor. Moving as quietly as she could, trying not to disturb whoever was inside, Addie walked up to the entrance of the combat room. She froze, her breath stolen when she saw who was working out.
It was Chuck. Of freaking course, it was bloody Chuck!
The one person she definitely did not want to see, had to be the one person that she stumbled on. However, Addie could not help but stare at him as he moved through the forms. It wasn't the most graceful, or skillful, display she had seen from him, but the sheer power in every movement was captivating. And, as if that wasn't enough, he was doing it bleedin' shirtless.
It just wasn't fair! She was angry at him! He had belittled her and been an absolute drunken prick! Why did he have to look so goddamn attractive?! Why was he the one guy she'd ever cared about and worried over? The only one whose opinion really mattered to her…
Spellbound, Addie probably would have just stood there staring until he finished, but he moved to turn and face her head-on. She squeaked in surprise and flipped back around the corner, her heart pounding as she heard him stop mid-shout. She waited to be discovered, cursing herself for being so stupid.
After a minute, and the sounds of his training finally resumed, Addie snuck a look, but then quickly fled, suddenly in need of fresh air to clear her head.
She ran for the rooftop access door, knowing no one else was likely to be up on the roof. Bursting out into the fresh air and bright sunlight, Addie took in several deep breaths, trying not to burst into tears. For that split second, she had seen the expression on Chuck's face. It had been identical to how he looked at her the night before, absolute rage and loathing.
She collected herself, however, and found a nice spot in the sun, and sat there for a little while, staring out at the Wall. Seeing past it, to a time when the reefs were still teeming with life, instead of being slowly poisoned and killed by the Kaiju Blue. But no matter how hard she tried to ignore them, she could still hear Chuck's words rolling around in her mind, over and over again.
Just a glorified mechanic… All you'll ever be good for…
Addie was sensitive about not passing the first trimester at the Jaeger Academy, which she had forgone university to attend. She didn't have a degree and she was worried about what she would do when the PPDC officially shut down the Jaeger program. And after working on Jaegers for the last four years, anything else would seem trivial and irrelevant.
She didn't even know why she bothered trying to fix Chuck and Herc's relationship. She barely had a grip on her own relationship with them!
Addie had tried to fix their relationship like she fixed up Striker Eureka. She saw there was a problem, believed she understood what was causing it, and tried to apply a solution. But people were so much more complicated than machinery; if a fix didn't work, relationships could fall further apart as a result.
The engineer laid back, digging the heels of her palms into her eyes, aggravated by her traitorous brain. Physical and emotional exhaustion, combined with the warmth of the sun, allowed Addie to let go momentarily and doze off. She was startled awake by a deafening crack, followed by the unmistakable roar of a Kaiju.
Chuck woke up to a pounding in his head and a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach. He felt like a piece of shit, but he knew he deserved to feel like a piece of shit that morning. He had been such an ass to Addie. Why couldn't he ever think before opening his stupid mouth around her? He rolled out of bed and poured himself a tall glass of water, and then another.
Pushing through the headache and slight nausea, Chuck headed to the Kwoon. He decided to forgo breakfast, the thought of food made him nauseous. He also wanted to avoid any interactions with people, specifically his old man. It would be too hard today, guilt from two fronts eating at him. A workout was his best cure for a hangover, and a good way to keep his mind off the disaster that was the previous day.
Walking up to the edge of the mat, Chuck sat down and pulled off his boots. He started with meditation, breathing exercises while sitting in the center of the mat. It didn't help, there was too much in his head. He kept seeing the tears in Addie's eyes, the disappointed look on his father's face, and remembering what his father told him in front of his mother's grave.
"Pentecost wants to strap a bomb to Striker Eureka and make a run on the Breach."
Chuck let out a furious shout as he punched the floor. That was the real reason he had been so upset last night, it had almost nothing to do with Addie, and everything to do with his father volunteering him for a suicide mission. He needed to move, needed to vent his frustration.
Standing, Chuck moved to the rack on the far wall and grabbed a staff. He hadn't practiced with one in a while, it would force him to focus more on his form and less on his thoughts. He moved back to the center of the mat, stood in kendo ready position for the length of a breath, and started going through the movements. He knew his form was sloppy, but with each strike at his imaginary opponent he felt a little better.
When the staff was slick in his hands from sweat, he put it back on the rack. Pulling off his shirt, Chuck used it to wipe his face before throwing it down next to his boots. Coming back to the mat, Chuck stood in one corner, facing down his, still imaginary, opponent. He shifted slightly to his right before launching into a series of kicks and punches, shouting with each blow.
As he turned to execute an elbow strike, pouring all his rage into it, Chuck could have sworn he saw a flash of dark hair whip around the corner. He stumbled and stopped mid-shout at what could only be described as a squeak. He knew it was Addie, he didn't know how, but he knew she was hiding on the other side of the wall. He stood staring at the entrance, waiting for her to come out and make herself known.
After waiting for more than minute, Chuck sighed and resumed his workout.
He was just finishing up when his father ran in looking alarmed.
"Chuck, you need to come with me, it's urgent!" His father's tone brooked no argument. The only thing that got his father this worked up was a Kaiju. Shoving his feet into his boots and picking up his shirt, Chuck followed his father back out.
"What's the category?" Chuck asked, pulling on his shirt as they walked.
"Category 4, codenamed Mutavore, headed straight for Sydney." There was something about Herc's tone he didn't like, but he pushed his mistrust aside. There were more important matters to deal with than their issues with each other.
"Alright, how far out is it? Are we going after it, or holding the Miracle Mile?"
Herc hated the words about to come out of his mouth, he knew what his son's reaction would be, but orders were orders. He must have been silent too long because Chuck stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.
"Dad, are we attacking or defending?" He was always no-nonsense and straight to the point when there was a Kaiju on the way. It's part of what made him such a great ranger. It was how he behaved afterward that was the problem.
"It's nearly made it to the wall already. Our LOCCENT's shut down, and they didn't think to alert us until they were sure it was headed for Sydney, the bunch of pricks. We've been ordered to sit tight. No deployment." A kaleidoscope of emotions ran across Chuck's face, running from shock to rage in a fraction of a second.
"Why the hell not?!"
"They say we've been decommissioned, it's not our place to fight, it'll be the first test of the efficacy of the Coastal Wall." Herc could see the veins standing out on his son's neck and forehead, flushing red in anger. He stood there, fists clenching and unclenching, looking for all the world like he wanted to punch Herc's lights out.
"That wall isn't gonna do a damn thing against a Cat 4! Did you even argue with them, Old Man?" Herc gave him a look, and, grabbing him by the shoulder, dragged him down the hall. God, his son was such a pain in the arse.
"Bloody oath, I argued with them! And don't call me that!" He growled back. "But they don't even listen to Stacker anymore, let alone me! They're just a bunch of suits and ties; bureaucrats living their safe little lives in the interior." He stopped walking when they were in front of Chuck's room and shoved him towards the door.
"Now, take a damn shower, I can't have you smelling like that in the Conn-Pod. When you're done, meet me in the Drivesuit room to get kitted up." His son looked confused and enraged for a moment, but then understanding dawned.
"I don't believe for a damn second that wall will actually hold against a Category 4. Move your arse, boy!" Chuck glared but nodded as he disappeared into his room.
Forty-five minutes later, both he and Chuck were in their Drivesuits and walking into Striker Eureka's Conn-Pod.
"It's gonna be a difficult time in my head today, still got a bit of hangover." Chuck said as they pulled on their helmets and strapped into the rigs, listening to Striker's AI starting up. The voice counted down to the initiation of the neural bridge.
Memories streamed through their heads. Moments from Chuck's childhood with Angela, Little Phryne, and Laura. That horrible helicopter ride from Sydney. All the Kaiju they've fought together. Their argument at the cemetery. Chuck's fight with Addie last night.
"Neural handshake at 90%."
No matter how many times Herc entered the Drift, it always took a moment to get used to the feeling. He was still himself, mostly autonomous, but there was extra. They could move and act as one unit in a fight, without the need to speak aloud. There were all his son's thoughts and feelings as well. Speaking of his son, how much did he drink last night?!
"We're gonna have a talk, you and I." Herc said as they moved through the calibration process.
"Yeah, I know we are, Old Man, I'm in your head. But right now, there's a Kaiju we gotta stop from destroying our city."
Addie stood on the heli-pad, a pair of binoculars dangling from a strap around her wrist. She watched stricken with terror, as across the bay the Kaiju broke through the Coastal Wall. She had never believed that it would stop a Kaiju, but it was another matter entirely to watch it fall. Months, years, of hard labor gone to waste in under an hour, as the Category 4 burst through with a roar of triumph.
As petty as it seemed in the moment, she was glad that it bypassed the Sydney Opera House. It was one of the few beautiful places left untouched on the Pacific Rim, and she wanted to go at least once in her life. The problem was it then went straight for the heart of the city, the most heavily populated area. The evacuation sirens only started sounding when it broke through the wall, there were still too many people on the streets!
"Miss, I need you to go inside!" A man came up behind her, dragging her by the arm back into the Shatterdome. The PPDC Strike Force were scrambling; getting tow cables set.
"Tow cables?" She muttered under her breath, "Why are they getting tow cables?" Her question was answered when she heard the familiar rumbling of a Jaeger bay roof opening. Striker Eureka was being deployed! At that thought she ran for the nearest TV screen, they should have the news feeds going. Her view of the fight would be blocked by all the buildings in the city center.
She spent the next half hour terrified for Chuck and Herc, cringing at every blow the Kaiju got in and at every spray of Kaiju Blue. Addie knew that they were the best Rangers, they had taken down nine Kaiju together, but she was always nervous when they fought. She felt different about it this time though, she hadn't spoken to either of them that day. Her last words to Chuck had been cold and empty. She knew he had deserved them, but it was not how she would have chosen to send him off to fight.
When the Kaiju fell after they fired the K-Stunners, she breathed a sigh of relief.
She heard over the intercom that Striker was going to be transported directly to Hong Kong, so Addie went to her room to start packing her stuff. She turned the news on, more for background sound than any real want to watch it. They kept replaying the Kaiju breaking through the wall, and the fight between it and Striker commenting on how it was ironic that the Jaeger had been decommissioned the day before.
"In my opinion, the Jaeger program was brought down by mediocre pilots." Addie's head whipped up as she heard Chuck's voice from the TV. He was such a cocky asshole right after a Kaiju fight, all that adrenaline and the glory went straight to his head. She was tempted to turn it off, but Chuck ended the interview early by shoving past the camera guy, and all the reporters. He liked to be the best, but he didn't know how to deal with the attention that garnered him.
1 January 2025
1600 hours
The conversation with his father had been much easier than he had thought it would be. They were 'Ghost-Drifting' and he had agreed with his father that he needed to apologize for once. For the second time in less than 24 hours, Chuck stood in front of Addie's door. It was open, but he knocked anyway.
"Addie? It's Chuck Hansen. Can I come in?" He didn't know why he said that, she bloody knew who he was.
"Addie isn't in right now, but if you leave a message she'll get back to you never." Her voice had that high, polite pitch, but it was dripping with sarcasm.
"Alright, I deserved that, but I really need to talk to you. Can I come in?" There was silence for a moment, then he heard footsteps, and the door opened. Her hair was covering her face again, and Chuck had the sudden urge to tuck it behind her ear. Before he could decide whether that was insane, she started speaking.
"Look," she tucked the hair back and a piece of him was disappointed, "I'm still upset, and I don't want to talk, okay?"
"But, I just want to talk for a minute! C'mon, Addie, give a guy a break! I just fought a Kaiju for Chrissake's!" She looked at him for a bit, seeming to take in his Drivesuit for the first time, the new mark on the right breastplate to indicate his tenth Kaiju kill. He felt a smirk cross his face as her eyes lingered on it. A soft smile formed at the corners of her mouth, for just a second.
"I'm really glad that you and your father are alright, and proud of you both." She looked back up to meet his gaze. "But saving a city of more than four million people does not excuse what you said."
"But Addie, I ju-"
"I'm going to finish packing. Maybe we'll talk in Hong Kong." Then she slammed the door in his face, again.
He felt a sense of deja vu as he walked back to his room, only this time he was kind of pissed. He knew that he had effed up the night before, but he just wanted to apologize. He wanted to get back to that place they had been all week, where they were sort of friends again, like when they were kids. Maybe the flight to Hong Kong would give her time to cool down.
I hope you like it! Good? Bad? Somewhere in between? Let me know :) I would especially love feedback about Phryne/Addie, and whether she seems like a believable character.