Chapter Text
LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES
FIVE YEARS AFTER THE END OF THE KAIJU WAR
“I never really thought about the future.
Not about the present, either. Instead, I spent years trapped in my past, unable to heal, unable to let go. It was awful. But with time, and help from those I love, I made it. I faced my demons, and I won. I started to heal.
Five years ago, if you told me where I’m standing right now, I’d have said you were crazy. Even now I have a hard time believing that the War’s over. That we really won.
But we did. Despite all our losses, all our pain, we made it through. Because we trusted each other, we believed in each other. We stood together, and we won.
I can’t say I know what the future holds. Our world is still broken, and it’s going to take a lot of hard work to fix it. But what I do know is this. Whatever comes next, whatever the universe decides to throw at us, we can beat it.
As long as we face it together.”
Raleigh stood on the stage, his hands grasping the podium, looking out at the massive crowd that had gathered in front of the Shatterdome. It looked like nearly the entire population of Los Angeles had shown up, packed tight as canned sardines. A gaggle of reporters stood at the front, cameras and microphones pointed directly at him. At least three helicopters hovered in the sky, and Raleigh felt rather like a bug under a microscope.
He took a deep breath, and waited.
Somewhere in the crowd, someone started clapping. Then another. And then more, until the whole crowd was clapping and cheering, the sound filling the air.
Raleigh sighed in relief. They liked it. Thank God, they liked it.
He stepped backstage, leaving Marshall Hansen to address the roaring crowd.
Mako, Tendo and Dr. Gottleib were sitting on beat-up folding chairs, drinking soda and making small talk. Mako smiled, and waved him over.
“How was it?” Mako asked.
“Exhausting.” He replied.
“They not like your speech? I told you it was too preachy.” Tendo grinned.
“The speech went perfectly, no thanks to you.” Raleigh said, sitting down. “It’s the heat that’s the real problem. I feel I’m being cooked alive.” He loosened the collar of his suit as much as he could. It was ridiculously stiff.
“Amen, brother.” Tendo said, opening a soda can. “It is scorching out there.”
“We can always cool off afterwards.” Mako said. “There’s a beach that recently opened up a few miles from the city.”
“People still go to those?” Raleigh raised his eyebrow.
“Now that there’s a lot less Blue in the water, yeah.” Tendo handed Raleigh a soda. He guzzled it greedily. “City said it was safe to swim in about a week ago.” Tendo sipped his soda thoughtfully. “Still smells a little funky, though.”
“That’s probably just the cleaning agent.” Mako said. “It’s harmless. I think.”
“Well if it means getting a chance to cool off, I’ll take it.” Raleigh said. “What about you, Gottleib? You up for it?”
Gottleib shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m afraid I’ll have to refuse. I… have a lot of work to do.”
“Alright, brother.” Tendo said, looking slightly disappointed.
Hermann fiddled idly with his cane. “It’s not that I don’t want to spend time with you people. I just…” He trailed off. His head tilted to one side, like he was trying to hear something. There was a far-off look in his eyes, like he was seeing something in the distance.
“Uhh, Gottleib?” Tendo asked. “Earth to Gottleib.” He snapped his fingers in front of Hermanns’ face. “Hey man, you good? C’mon, answer me.”
Cold water, moving around his shoulders. The sun sparkling under the waves, dark shapes of boats passing over his head. He moves closer to the shore, powerful limbs carrying him towards his goal. There is the sound of faint voices, as if someone is whispering in his ear, but when he turns his head he sees no one. He can smell the humans, their sweat and excitement and the reek of their machines. None of them notice him, distracted by their celebration.
A perfect time to strike.
“Gottlieb!”
Hermann blinked, and looked around in confusion. His right eye twitched.
“There we go.” Tendo sighed with relief. “You okay? What happened?”
“I’m…not sure.” Hermann said slowly. “I felt…like I was underwater. It was…cold. And I thought I heard something.”
“We should probably get you checked out.” Tendo said. “The medbay isn’t far, I’ll take you.”
“Yes, that’s probably the right thing to -” Hermann suddenly stopped speaking, and his eyes went wide.
“Dr. Gottlieb?” Mako asked, concerned. “What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure. I -” Hermann winced and clutched his head. Then he cried out in pain, and doubled over. His nose started bleeding.
“Okay Gottlieb, I need you to talk to me.” Tendo said, trying to stay calm. Mako and Raleigh stood up, ready to assist however they could. “Can you hear me?”
Hermann gave no response, only continued to make sounds of pain. Tendo turned to Mako and Raleigh, his tone urgent.
“You two, find a medic! I’ll stay here and - “ He was cut off by the sound of a siren, blaring shrill and harsh through the air. A sound that all of them knew like the backs of their hands. A sound none of them had heard in five years, and hoped never to hear for the rest of their lives.
The Kaiju Alarm.
“Change of plans!” Tendo shouted. “I’ll get Gottlieb to a medic, you get to your Jaeger!”
Mako and Raleigh nodded, and took off at a run, hoping to reach the Shatterdome before the Kaiju.
Hermann was in agony. Pain burned through his head, as if someone had shoved a hot knife into the back of his skull. The sound of alarms going off didn’t help either. Everything around him was fuzzy, the world muddled by a haze of pain. He could taste blood in his mouth.
There was an awful
noise
in his head, like a million tiny creatures were clawing around the inside of his skull.
Red lightning and the smell of blood, metal in his head, cutting deep. Urging him onwards, hunt fight kill kill
kill.
Hermann gasped. That wasn’t… those weren’t his thoughts. But if they weren’t his, then who –
Before he could finish that thought, another wave of pain crashed over him. He cried out in pain, and stumbled, losing his footing.
Tendo struggled to keep him upright, but succeeded, despite the constant stream of people running through the halls. He turned down the hall, shoving past a startled young man in a J-Tech uniform.
Just hold on, brother.” Tendo whispered as he dragged Gottleibs’ twitching body towards the infirmary. “We’re almost there.”
The scientist said nothing, merely continuing to whimper in pain. Blood was pouring from his nose and mouth, leaving a trail of red drops on the grated floor.
The Kaiju moved through the water, stirring up waves of white foam as it went. It could see the city on the shore, its powerful limbs carrying it ever closer to its target.
It burst from the water in a towering spray, and roared.
The Shatterdome’s anti-Kaiju weaponry activated, massive railguns designed to punch through even the strongest chitin. They fired, shells screaming through the air. One hit the water with a crash, but the other two struck the Kaiju dead on, exploding in a cloud of smoke and fire.
There was a moment of silence, as the smoke swirled in the air.
And then it cleared, revealing the Kaiju standing in the water, its arms raised in front of its face, the gleaming black armor plates that covered them on full display.
The Kaiju charged forward, shots bouncing off its armor. It roared, and jumped onto the seawall, grabbing one of the guns and wrenching it from its position with a shriek of mangled metal. It tossed it at another gun, sending a massive fireball into the air as the weapons crashed together. The Kaiju roared again, and swung its tail into the Shatterdome, destroying another railgun. The last one fired a single shot, which shattered on the Kaijus’ armored shoulder. A thin trail of glowing blue blood trickled down from the wound.
The Kaiju opened its mouth wide, and screamed. It tore the last railgun to shreds, its claws tearing through the thick steel like it was tinfoil.
And then it turned its head toward the Jaeger bay doors, blood-red eyes narrowing.
Mako and Raleigh raced through the Shatterdome, the alarm blaring, red lights flashing in the hallways. As they neared the Jaeger bay, the sounds of explosions and screams echoed around them.
A J-tech ran towards them, soot and rubble staining his uniform.
“Oh, thank God, you’re here!” He said. “You need to suit up now, we don’t have much time!”
“What’s happening out there?” Raleigh asked.
“It took out the guns, every last one of them, and now I think it’s trying to–”
The J-tech was interrupted by a loud boom. He froze, eyes going wide with terror.
The bay doors shook, as something massive slammed into them, over and over. They creaked as the Kaiju outside threw its full weight at them, but still held firm.
“Get the Lady ready.” Raleigh said.
Tendo barged into the infirmary, Gottleibs’ arm slung over his shoulder.
“Dr. Tucker!” He shouted. The woman in question was already moving, her dull orange hair flying behind her.
“What’s the problem?” She asked sharply.
“I don’t know. He just started bleeding and spasming.”
“Sounds like a seizure. Help me get him on one of the beds.” The two of them lifted Gottleib up onto a beat up hospital bed. He stared up at them with wide, unseeing eyes. Blood was practically pouring out of his nose. His arms and legs twitched.
The Kaiju was clawing at the doors, leaving deep gouges in the metal. They were strong, built to withstand as much force as possible.
The Kaiju had been built to tear them down.
It was the most nerve-wracking suit-up of Raleighs’ life. Sure, he’d been on tight deadlines before, with Kaiju getting closer by the minute, but he’d never had to deal with the knowledge that one was
right outside the door
. EVen as the J-Techs donned his armor, he could hear the Kaiju clawing at the bay doors, the shriek and thud of metal being clawed and pummeled.
It was more unsettling than the explosions.
He turned to Mako, looking for reassurance. He could feel her worry mingling with his own, their bond tense as a tripwire.
We’ve faced worse.
She said without words, trying to calm herself as well as him.
We can do this.
I sure hope so.
He thought back.
Dr. Tucker worked quietly and calmly, despite the fact that Gottleib was currently twitching rapidly and bleeding profusely. She’d treated seizures before, they were one of the more common negative side effects of Drifting. This wasn’t anything new.
But it was the worst one she’d seen in years.
“When did it start?” She asked.
“Just before the alarms went off.” Tendo answered. “Went here as soon as it started.”
“Good for you.“ She said. “Now get to LOCCENT. I can handle things here, you go do your job.”
“Yes Ma’am.” Tendo nodded, and turned to leave. He looked back at Gottleib, sparing only a moment.
“He’ll be fine.” Tucker said calmly. “Now go!”
Tendo ran out the door, just before a tremor shook the building, shaking the floor and knocking equipment off tables. Tucker had to fight to keep Gottleibs’ cot upright.
“Just hold on.” She whispered. “Just a little longer.”
The bay doors were battered and warped, buckling under the Kaijus’ weight. They were sturdy, but the constant assault had worn them down, leaving the bay unprotected.
With a final shove, the Kaiju wrenched the doors open, its massive shadow falling onto the floor. It looked around warily. Three Jaegers stood in their bays, perfectly still. It sniffed at the closest, a shiny Mark 6 painted in black and pink. It raised a fist, ready to crush the Conn-pod in a single blow.
Then something slammed into it, sending it flying out the door and crashing into the water. It shook the attacker off, but only got a brief glimpse of blue metal before a shiny fist slammed into its face.
Hermann flinched. There was a stinging pain in his jaw, like someone had punched him. Combined with the pain in his head, it was unbearable.
Something was wrong with his vision. The medbay was flickering and fading, everything painted in blurry shades of blood red.
Lady Victory stood in the water, facing the Kaiju. She gleamed in the light of the setting sun, painted a vibrant blue, with stripes of red and yellow along her arms and chest. Her reactor core flared bright orange as she dropped into a fighting stance, fists lifted in challenge to the armored Kaiju.
It stood up, shaking water away from its eyes.
Similar to Leatherback, It stood on its knuckles. It was covered in thick black armor plates on its chest, back, shoulders, and arms. Its head looked like a cross between a triceratops and a hammerhead shark, with six eyes that glowed a vivid blood red.
The Kaiju roared. It charged at Lady, lashing out with razor-sharp claws. Lady blocked the blow, and shoved it backwards, kicking up a sheet of foam. The Kaiju clawed at Lady’s back, screaming in fury.
Lady threw it off, activating her plasma cannon as the Kaiju righted itself. She fired, a bolt of plasma hitting it on the left shoulder. The Kaiju surged forward, as if it hadn’t even felt the blow. It swiped at Lady’s chest, leaving long claw marks in the metal.
“This guy’s tough.” Raleigh grunted. “Plasma cannon barely scratched it.”
Lady barely dodged another blow from the Kaiju, its claws nicking her left shoulder. She retracted the cannon, and punched the Kaiju in the neck. It let out a raspy screech, but remained standing.
It struck again, this time balling its scaly hand into a fist. It tried to hit Ladys’ head, but she blocked, grabbing its fist. The Kaiju headbutted Lady, and the Jaeger lurched.
The Kaiju wasted no time in taking advantage. It punched Lady in the head again, and this time it was a hit. Her visor began to crack.
Then, while her pilots were dazed, the Kaiju opened its mouth wide.
And a long blue tongue snaked out. The Kaiju leaned its head back, and then swung out with its tongue like it was a whip.
Lady brought her arm up to block it, but the tongue curled around it, barbs digging into the crevices between the Jaegers’ armor plates.
The Kaiju pulled, and Lady lurched forward, straight into its fist. The Conn-pod shook. Pieces of glass and metal fell into the ocean.
Raleigh winced. He could feel the Kaijus’ tongue as if it was digging into his own arm. The barbs had caught onto Lady, and they were showing no signs of letting go.
“How do we kill this thing?” He wondered aloud. The Kaiju was tearing at them, prying apart the Ladys’ armor with its claws.
“Raleigh, look!” Mako shouted. It’s hurt!” She could see, though not very well, a thin line of glowing blood, dripping from a crack in the armor on the Kaijus’ left shoulder.
“Good eye.” Raleigh said, trying to be supportive despite the pain.
Mako charged the plasma cannon, aiming for the Kaijus’ shoulder. It realized what she was doing just before the blast went off.
There was a flash of light, and the Kaiju released Lady Victory, screaming and thrashing in pain and rage. Its tongue uncurled, freeing her right arm from its grasp. There was a large gap in its armor plates, the upper one almost completely gone, the right badly cracked. The Kaijus’ unprotected skin shone blue and raw.
Hermann howled in pain. His shoulder burned. Everything around him was red. The inside of his skull felt like a battlefield. The noise in his head was unbearable now, a terrible, inhuman roar.
Pain pain pain kill them crush them they must not win we have waited too long to give up now you will not retreat your orders are to KILL THEM
It hurt so much. There was a cool hand on his forehead, but it did little to quench the burning agony that clawed at him.
The Kaiju was furious. It swiped at Lady Victory again, but the Jaeger had rebounded, and she dodged the blow easily. She drew her sword, the plasma currents in the blade glowing brightly. She swung, leaving a burning gash across the Kaijus’ chest. Not enough to penetrate the armor on the first blow, but another would cut through it easily.
It grabbed Ladys’ sword arm and bit down hard. It was not going to lose now.
Mako screamed. The Kaiju was clawing at Ladys’ shoulder, trying to rip the arm out of its socket. She tried to shake it off, but the Kaiju held firm.
“Alright you bastard.” Raleigh snarled. “Now it’s our turn.”
Ladys’ right arm was damaged, but her plasma cannon was still operational. Raleigh aimed it directly at the Kaijus’ head. It looked at the Conn-pod, and for a fleeting second, Raleigh could have sworn that it was looking directly at him.
Then he fired.
The Kaiju let Ladys’ left arm go, but that did little to save it. The plasma blast hit it square in the face, and at such a close range it was immediately fatal. The Kaijus’ head practically exploded, white-hot plasma searing through chitin, skin, flesh, and bone.
Hermann screamed. Pain burned through his body, as if someone had lit him on fire. The voices were screaming along with him, drowning out everything except their pain, their rage. He couldn’t see anything, all around him was red, bloody and burning.
And then everything went black.
Dr. Tucker held Gottleib down, trying to keep him as still as possible. He was screaming, in pain or terror, and it was the worst sound she’d heard in
years
. His back arched, and blood was pouring out of his nose, his mouth, his
eyes
.
They were wide and terrified, the sclerae tinted red with burst blood vessels.
And they were
glowing
. A bright, electric blue that human eyes
absolutely were not supposed to be
.
And then he lost consciousness.
Gottleib went limp in her arms, and his eyes flickered shut. She laid two fingers on his neck. She sighed in relief. He still had a pulse.
The Kaijus’ body fell into the water with a crash. Mako and Raleigh stood in Ladys’ Conn-pod, beaten and bruised, but alive.
Neither of them spoke. They simply watched as the sun set over the Pacific Ocean, painting the horizon in gold and red.