Analia rubbed the back of her neck as she made her way down the corridor, the weight of the earlier confrontation with the cadets still lingering in her ,she had told them. But saying it and making them believe it were two very different things. She hoped Ezra could help smooth things over. He had a way of bringing people together, even when tempers were running high. She sighed, trying to refocus. There was more pressing business to handle now.
The lab was dim, the glow from Gottlieb's monitors the only real light as Analia, Raleigh, Jake, and Nate gathered around. Analia stood beside Raleigh, her muscles still sore from the earlier fight, but she tried to push it to the back of her mind. There was no room for discomfort right now. Gottlieb had found something, and whatever it was, it could be the key to understanding Mako's final message.
"It isn't something. It's somewhere." Gottlieb's voice was measured as he tapped a few keys on his console. A hologram flickered to life, displaying an isolated, snow-covered island. "Severnaya Zemlya. Off Siberia's Taymyr Peninsula."
Analia squinted at the middle of nowhere,she thought.
"What's in Zemlya?" Raleigh asked, his voice low.
"Well, nothing anymore," Gottlieb explained, adjusting the image. "A facility roughly in this location was used to manufacture Jaeger power cores earlier in the war, but it was decommissioned years ago."
"Why would Mako be trying to tell us about an abandoned factory in the middle of nowhere?" Analia asked, her brow furrowed. She couldn't make sense of it. Mako wasn't one to send them on a wild goose chase. Whatever she had found, it had to be important.
Jake, his jaw tight with barely contained anger, stepped forward. "Sir, permission to take Gypsy Avenger to see what the hell's out there."
Raleigh hesitated for only a second before nodding. "Permission granted," he said. But as Jake turned to leave, Raleigh's voice took on a sharp edge. "And Pentecost—if you so much as think about leaving my wife vulnerable like you did in Sydney, I will break your legs and hang you by your toes. Are we clear?"
Jake straightened, giving a clipped nod. "Yes, sir," he muttered before heading out to prepare.
Analia couldn't help but smirk. She turned to Raleigh, giving him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Have I told you how much I love you?" she asked, her voice playful.
"Not today," he said with a grin, the tension easing slightly.
"I love you," Analia whispered, and with that, she left to join Jake.
Siberia stretched out before them like an endless, frozen wasteland. The wind howled across the icy plains, whipping up snow that stung against the windows of Gypsy Avenger. From inside the Conn-Pod, Analia could feel the chill, the cold seeping through even though the reactor kept them relatively warm. But it wasn't just the cold—it was the vast emptiness, the sense that they were utterly alone in this desolate landscape. Every inch of her body was on edge, the hair on the back of her neck standing up as her eyes scanned the barren horizon.
"Looks like Mako's message was a dead end," Analia said, her voice taut as she peered at the abandoned facility in the distance. It loomed like a ghostly monument, untouched for years, now just a forgotten relic buried beneath snow and ice.
The silence felt unnatural. Too quiet. Too still.
"No, wait a second," Jake muttered, his eyes narrowing as he checked the readings. His voice carried a note of suspicion, which immediately set Analia on high alert. "I'm getting some weird readings."
Analia's breath hitched, her eyes darting to the monitor. The signal spiked suddenly—violent, erratic. "Incoming!" she yelled, her heart slamming into her chest.
Before she could fully process the danger, a streak of missiles tore through the sky, lighting up the white landscape. The first blast hit the ice just ahead of them, shaking the ground with a deafening boom. Gypsy Avenger stumbled forward, her frame shuddering as one knee smashed into the ice, the impact reverberating up through the Conn-Pod.
The facility behind them exploded into a fireball, chunks of debris flying through the air like shrapnel. Flames burst up, illuminating the sky in an orange glow, contrasting against the bleak white snow. Analia's pulse quickened, the controls vibrating beneath her fingers as she fought to keep their Jaeger upright.
Out of the smoke, the dark, hulking figure of Obsidian Furyemerged, its sleek black armor reflecting the fire like a nightmare come to life. It stalked toward them, each step deliberate, its form massive and menacing.
Analia's jaw clenched. She could feel Jake's rage building through the drift, his emotions raw and powerful, the memory of Mako's death fueling his every movement.
"Take out his legs!" Analia barked, her voice sharp with urgency.
Jake's hands tightened around the controls, and with a roar of thrusters, they dove low. Just as Obsidian Fury charged its chest cannon, they ducked beneath the beam, feeling the heat sear past them as the ground behind exploded into a plume of snow and dirt. Gypsy Avenger crashed into Obsidian Fury's legs with full force, tackling the rogue Jaeger to the ground with a bone-rattling impact.
For a moment, it felt like victory. But Obsidian Fury wasn't done. It twisted beneath them, its massive frame rolling like a wild beast, and before Analia could react, it slammed into them with such force that the Conn-Pod lurched, throwing them off balance.
"Dammit!" Analia cursed as Gypsy Avenger was flipped onto its back. The ice cracked beneath them as they slid dangerously close to a yawning crevice, the groaning sound of metal and ice filling her ears. Above them, Obsidian Fury stood tall, towering like a predator over its prey.
Punch after punch rained down on them. Each blow shook the entire Conn-Pod, the vibrations running through Analia's body, making it feel like her bones might crack under the strain. The ice beneath them began to give way, cracks spider-webbing out in every direction.
"We've gotta get out of here!" Analia shouted, her breath coming in short gasps as the ground started to break apart.
Without warning, Jake drove their fist into the ice beneath them, shattering it in an explosion of frozen shards. Gypsy Avenger plunged into the freezing water below, the icy depths swallowing them whole.
"This is not what I meant!" Analia's heart hammered in her chest. The cold water rushed over them, and a deep-seated fear gripped her—dark, unknown waters that stretched out beneath them, swallowing everything in its path. Memories of the Rift closure flooded her mind, and she had to force herself to stay now.
"Shake it off, woman!" Jake snapped, his hands flying over the controls as he launched a volley of missiles upward. They shattered the ice above, sending Obsidian Fury tumbling down into the water with them.
Analia gritted her teeth, forcing her fear back down as they powered forward, their Jaeger colliding with Obsidian Fury under the freezing depths. The two machines grappled beneath the water, their frames smashing into the ice as they struggled for dominance. With a powerful surge, Gypsy Avenger drove Obsidian Fury upward, breaking through the surface in a violent eruption of water and ice.
Both Jaegers crashed onto the ice with a thunderous roar. The moment they hit solid ground, Analia and Jake launched a barrage of punches, each one connecting with a resounding crack of metal on metal. But Obsidian Fury fought back hard, grabbing the back of their head and slamming them down into the ice again. The sound of metal screeching against ice filled the air, the friction making Analia's ears ring.
"Plasma cannon!" Jake shouted, his voice barely cutting through the chaos.
Analia hit the trigger, and the plasma cannon fired, sending a searing bolt straight into Obsidian Fury's chest. The rogue Jaeger flew backward, sliding across the ice in a shower of sparks.
"I think we pissed him off," Analia muttered, her breath shaky as she fought to keep steady.
"Good," Jake growled, his voice filled with raw fury.
An idea flashed in Analia's mind. "Think you can manage this move?" she asked, pushing the plan into Jake's mind through the drift.
A slow grin spread across Jake's face. "Let's see what you got."
They charged again, this time feinting a head-on attack. At the last second, they ducked low, dodging beneath Obsidian Fury's twin blades. With a swift twist, they slashed across the rogue Jaeger's power core, sparks flying as the enemy staggered.
"He's hurt!" Jake shouted, adrenaline pulsing through the drift.
"Go for the power core!" Analia urged, the intensity of the battle sending her heart racing.
But Obsidian Fury recovered too quickly, snapping its blades toward them with deadly precision. Their plasma blade shattered under the force of the blow, and the enemy Jaeger slammed its fist across their faceplate, sending them reeling.
Everything inside the Conn-Pod shook violently as the impact nearly knocked them out cold. Analia's vision blurred for a second, but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to now. Not here.
Obsidian Fury's arms came down, the twin blades crossing toward their cockpit in a deadly arc. Analia's heart jumped, but she and Jake moved as one, catching the enemy Jaeger's wrists and holding them in a deadly lock. The strain was unbearable, their frames locked in place as Obsidian Fury pressed forward, the blades inching closer to their head.
"We need leverage!" Analia growled, her muscles straining as she pushed back with everything she had. With a final burst of strength, Gypsy Avenger shoved forward, using its head to bash Obsidian Furyback.
They followed through with a powerful uppercut, breaking the grapple and sending the rogue Jaeger staggering backward. There was no time to waste. With one last surge of energy, they lunged forward, ripping into Obsidian Fury's leg, tearing free machinery and slamming it into the enemy Jaeger's head.
Sparks flew as the rogue Jaeger collapsed, and with a final, devastating punch, they drove their fist through the center of Obsidian Fury's chest, the metal tearing apart under the force.
"Warning. Warning," the AI droned, its voice echoing through the Conn-Pod.
Analia leaned forward, her breath ragged. "Pilots of Obsidian Fury, get the hell out of your Conn-Pod."
But when they tore the helmet apart, what they found wasn't human.
A brain—a Kaiju brain.
Jake stared in disbelief. "What the hell is that?"
Analia's chest tightened. "It looks like a Kaiju brain." She immediately opened a channel. "Command, Jaeger is down. Requesting evac and transport for this broken piece of shit."
Raleigh's voice came through, steady but concerned. "They're on their way. Hang tight."
Analia slumped back in her seat, the weight of exhaustion crashing over her. Her muscles ached, and her mind reeled from the discovery.A Kaiju brain inside a was bigger than any of them had imagined.
The echoes of the battle still reverberated through Analia's body, every muscle aching as she slumped back into her seat inside the Conn-Pod. Her breaths came in heavy gasps, the cold air of Siberia seeping in even through the heat of the reactor. Her fingers twitched on the controls, her nerves still buzzing with adrenaline, but the fight was over. For now.
Next to her, Jake was silent for a moment, both of them taking a few deep breaths as they processed what had just happened. Obsidian Fury was down, and they had discovered something far more horrifying than a rogue pilot.A Kaiju brain.
"That... was not what I expected," Jake finally muttered, his voice hoarse, breaking the tense silence in the cockpit.
Analia let out a rough laugh, leaning her head back against the seat. "You think?"
They both sat there, the weight of the battle settling on them like an invisible cloak. Analia winced as she shifted in her seat, a sharp pain shooting through her side. Her ribs felt bruised, maybe 've been from when we took that punch to the face,she thought, her hand moving instinctively to press against her side.
"Are you hurt?" Jake asked, glancing over at her, his brow furrowed with concern. His usually cocky demeanor was muted, replaced with a quiet, more serious energy.
Analia shrugged, though the movement made her wince again. "Just some bruises. Could be worse."
Jake snorted, giving her a half-smile. "You and me both. My shoulder's messed up from that fall." He rolled his shoulder slightly, wincing as he did. "Feels like it popped halfway out of its socket when we hit the ground."
Analia raised an eyebrow, glancing over at him. "And you still kept going?"
"Hey, if I let a little shoulder pain stop me, Mako would come back from the dead just to kick my ass," Jake replied, though his voice was tinged with sadness at the mention of her name.
The mood in the cockpit shifted slightly. Mako's death was still fresh, still raw, and Analia could feel the heavy grief radiating off Jake through the drift. He had fought hard today—harder than she'd ever seen him fight. The anger and sadness were fueling him, driving him forward.
"You did good today, Jake," Analia said softly, her tone more serious now. "I know... what happened in Sydney is eating you up. But you didn't let it stop you."
Jake's jaw clenched slightly, his eyes flicking away for a moment. "I couldn't let it stop me," he muttered. "Not after what happened to Mako. I just... I still feel like I should've been able to do something. Anything."
Analia sighed, understanding his pain all too well. She had felt the same way so many times after losing friends in battle—wondering if she could've done something different, if she could've saved them.
"You can't carry that weight forever," Analia said gently, her voice steady. "Mako wouldn't want you to."
Jake's grip on the controls tightened, his knuckles turning white. "I know. But it doesn't make it any easier."
The Conn-Pod was quiet for a few beats, both of them lost in their thoughts. Analia pressed a hand against her ribs again, feeling the dull throb of pain there. She was going to need some time to recover after this—her body wasn't bouncing back as quickly as it used to.
"You alright over there?" Jake asked, cutting through the silence.
"I've been through worse," Analia replied with a smirk, though her voice was tinged with exhaustion. "Besides, I wasn't about to let some overgrown Kaiju brain in a Jaeger get the best of us."
Jake chuckled softly, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "No, we handled it. But I wasn't expecting that... thing." His voice dropped, his tone more serious now. "A Kaiju brain, piloting a Jaeger? What the hell are we dealing with here?"
Analia's expression darkened as she thought about the implications. "Something way beyond anything we've seen before," she muttered. "I don't know what the hell this means, but we need to get this thing back to Command. Whatever's going on, it's bigger than just rogue Jaegers."
Jake nodded, his gaze focused on the shattered wreck of Obsidian Fury outside the cockpit window. "Yeah... Mako knew it, too. She tried to warn us."
Analia's heart ached at the thought of Mako, her best friend, risking everything to get that message to them. She'd been right to be suspicious. Analia only wished she could've heard her out before it was too late.
"We'll figure it out," Analia said softly, turning her gaze toward Jake. "And when we do, we're gonna finish what Mako started.
The lab was in its usual state of chaos, but this time, the mess of equipment and scattered notes seemed to have taken on an even more unsettling quality. As Analia entered, her eyes immediately went to the tables cluttered with Kaiju parts—jagged, twisted remnants of the creatures that had once brought the world to the brink of destruction. The faint, acrid smell of preserved flesh hung in the air, and she had to suppress a grimace as she approached the cluster of bodies surrounding Gottlieb.
The scientist barely glanced up from his work, his fingers tapping rapidly on the keys of a nearby console, eyes flicking between several monitors displaying grotesque scans of the Kaiju parts. Strewn across the tables were fragments of alien tissue—sections of sinew, bone, and muscle that looked disturbingly familiar, yet somehow wrong.
"It's definitely Kaiju," Gottlieb said without preamble, his voice carrying a strange mix of fascination and alarm. "A secondary brain used to control the hindquarters."
Analia glanced at Jake, whose face twisted into a frown. His question came out sharp, cutting through the tense air. "How'd they get into our world?"
Raleigh folded his arms, his posture tense but composed, the weight of responsibility bearing down on him. "There hasn't been a breach in 10 years. Sensors would've picked it up."
Analia's heart raced at the implication, but Gottlieb's next words sent a chill down her spine.
"I don't think there was a breach," he muttered, typing furiously as more data streamed onto the monitors. "Kaiju flesh has a distinct radioactive half-life signature. Particular to the Anteverse." He paused, his fingers freezing over the keyboard as he turned to face them fully, his expression serious. "This specimen does not."
The room fell into a heavy silence as his words sank in. Analia's thoughts whirled, the logical part of her mind racing to catch up with the enormity of what he was saying. No breach. No trace of the Anteverse.
"Wait," Analia began, her voice low, struggling to make sense of it. "So... you're saying that it's from our universe?"
Gottlieb's eyes gleamed with intensity, his tone clipped and urgent. "The genetic fingerprints indicate distinctly terrestrial modification techniques," he said, the words coming fast now, like he couldn't keep up with the weight of the discovery himself. "Probably engineered from Kaiju flesh left over from the war."
Jake's jaw tightened beside her, his fists clenching at his sides. "Humans," he muttered, barely able to keep his voice steady. "Humans did this."
Raleigh let out a breath, his face hardening as the pieces clicked together. "Precursors didn't do this." His voice was cold, and his eyes were steely as he looked between Analia and Jake. "Humans did."
Analia stared at the grotesque mass of Kaiju parts, her mind racing as she processed the implications. The fight in Siberia hadn't just been against a rogue Jaeger with a Kaiju brain—it had been something far worse. Something that didn't belong to the alien Precursors, but to people. People who had taken what was left from the war and twisted it into something new, something horrifying.
"Someone's building these things," Analia said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. The realization hit her like a punch to the gut. "Someone's using Kaiju tech to... what? Build a new army?"
The thought of it made her blood run cold. The Precursors had been a nightmare, but the idea that humans could be behind this—humans taking Kaiju flesh and engineering it for some dark, unknown purpose—it felt worse. Much worse.
Gottlieb's fingers trembled slightly as he adjusted the holographic image on the monitor. "I don't know the full scope of what they've done yet," he said, his voice uncharacteristically subdued. "But what we're dealing with now... it's not just remnants of the war. This is a new kind of threat."
Analia took a step closer to the display, her eyes narrowing as she studied the grotesque tissue samples glowing on the screen. "This is bigger than we thought," she said quietly, her voice filled with a mixture of disbelief and anger. "Someone's been working in the shadows, right under our noses."
Jake let out a frustrated breath, running a hand through his hair. "And we didn't see it coming."
Analia's hands clenched into fists. "We need to figure out who's behind this. Fast."
Raleigh turned to Gottlieb, his voice low but firm. "We'll need everything you've got on this. Any connection, any lead, no matter how small."
Gottlieb nodded, his face still pale, but his focus sharp as he returned to his work. "I'll keep digging," he promised.