Pacific Rim Uprising

by Becky Matheson

  “. . . until his copilot got a better offer in the private sector. I’m Jules Reyes,” the woman shook Amara’s hand.

  “Amara. Cadet.”

  “Jake. Uh, Ranger, I guess.”

  Jules smiled. “Heard a lot about you, Pentecost. You know, you still hold the record.”

  Jake noticed Nate tighten at the comment.

  “What record?” asked Amara.

  “How’d they lure you back?” she asked. “Couldn’t have been the pay.”

  “Long story,” said Jake. “If you’d like to hear it sometime . . .” he swayed toward her.

  “—She wouldn’t,” said Nate. “This what you were looking for?” he asked.

  Nate handed Jules a machine part, and she smiled up at him. Jake noticed the way the two looked at each other. What was that about? And why did he suddenly care?

  Canisters stacked near a scrambler fell down and crashed to the ground. The commotion distracted Jake from his thoughts. A tech barked harsh words at Hermann Gottlieb, a scientist for the Pan Pacific Defense Corps.

  “The hell’s the matter with you? Watch where you’re going moron,” said the tech.

  Nate rushed to Gottlieb’s side. “Yo, Gottlieb. You okay?” he asked.

  “Oh, yes, sorry,” said Gottlieb. He grinned and waved his burnt lab notes at Nate. “Almost had it.” Then Gottlieb turned and headed out of the bay.

  His head sunk down to review his notes.

  “He’s weird,” said Amara.

  “You have no idea,” said Jules. “Welcome to the Moyulan Shatterdome, Cadet. Ranger.” Then she drove off. Jake couldn’t help but smile as he watched her go.

  “Eyes front, Pentecost,” said Nate.

  “What record was she talking about?” asked Amara.

  Jake tried to ignore the question but Amara didn’t give up. “Come on, we were in jail together!” she urged.

  “Part of the final exam, back when I was a cadet. You had to hold a drift in one of the old Mark IIIs for over twenty minutes.”

  “How long’d you last?”

  “Little over four hours,” said Jake.

  Amara gaped. “Who was your copilot?”

  Jake instinctively glanced at Nate, but Nate looked back at Amara. “Keep up, Cadet! Time to meet the rest of the family.”

  Amara walked into the cadet barracks. The room was full of teens like her—boys and girls from different places who had also ended up in this intense training program. The room was loud, rowdy, and full of life. Amara had the strange feeling, deep down inside of her, that she had finally made it home.

  Two of the girls worked a holographic Jaeger arm with practice drift helmet rigs. The one named Meilin shouted, “You’re outta sync,” to the other girl, Vik, who muttered in Russian. “Ugh, this piece of junk—the helmet’s acting up!” Vik threw off the helmet and shot Amara a dirty look.

  Then two other cadets rushed past Amara, practicing martial arts. “Come on, not the face, Renata!” said Suresh. “Sorry, my bad,” said Renata, who then smacked him in the chops again. Amara couldn’t help but admire her lightning-fast combat skills. She would have to ask her for some pointers later! There was also a boy, named Jinhai, doing sit-ups off the edge of his upper bunk, while another kid named Ryoichi sat on his legs to help him keep balance. Two cadets named Ilya and Tahima played cards on the bunk beneath. The door behind Amara crashed open.

  Nate entered with Jake. “Ranger on deck!” screamed Ryoichi. Jinhai backflipped off the top bunk and all the cadets scrambled into line formation.

  “Cadets, this is Amara Namani,” said Nate. “She’ll be joining you in sim training, bright and early!” All the cadets in the bunk stared at Amara.

  “And this is Ranger Pentecost.”

  A murmur spread through the room. The familiar sound of people recognizing his last name. Jake gritted his teeth. “He’ll be helping me instruct you until I find a new copilot to replace Ranger Burke,” said Nate. “Anything you want to add?” he asked Jake.

  “Not really,” Jake said. Nate glowered. If Jake wasn’t going to at least pretend to help, then there was no point in him being here. He looked back at the cadets in the room. “Malikova, get Namani squared away and prepped for training.”

  “Yes, sir,” said Vik.

  “As you were,” commanded Nate. He and Jake exited the room. Jake frowned at the cadets as he left. This was the last place in the world he thought he’d end up.

  The room erupted as soon as the rangers were out of view. “Pentecost! We’re gonna be trained by a Pentecost,” exclaimed Ryoichi.

  “So? It’s not like he was the one who died helping close the Breach,” said Vik. She looked back at the helmet in her hand and started taking it apart to troubleshoot it. Amara walked toward her. “Uh, hey, so where do I—”

  Vik didn’t look up. She just kept working on the helmet. “Heard you built your own little Jaeger,” Vik said.

  “Yeah, Scrapper. I operated her too with this solo rig that I—”

  “You want to put junk together, be a mechanic. Moyulan is for pilots.” Then she moved away. Amara felt like maybe her impulse about this place was wrong. Maybe it was just one more place she didn’t belong. But then Jinhai approached her, a smile on his face. “Come on, I got you,” he said. He took her duffel bag and led her through the barracks.

  “Jinhai. Ou-Yang Jinhai,” he said, giving Amara his full name.

  “Ou-Yang? Like the pilots from the war, Ming-hau and Suyin?” Amara asked.

  “I just call them mom and dad,” he said. “So you and Vik already buddies, huh?”

  “What’s her problem?” asked Amara.

  “Took her three shots to pass the entrance test,” Renata chimed in.

  “Don’t think she likes how you landed here,” said Jinhai.

  “Not my fault,” said Amara. “Recruiters never come around back home.” Amara thought about the war-torn streets of Santa Monica with its junkyards and hungry people.

  “Heard you were from the coast,” said Jinhai. “Why didn’t your folks move inland, like everyone else? They poor or something?”

  “They didn’t make it. When Santa Monica got hit.”

  Jinhai looked at Amara. He saw the pain behind her eyes. For someone so young, he could tell that she had experienced a lot of pain and loss. Not so different from any of the other cadets in the room.

  “Vik lost hers, too, in the Tomari attack. Hey, know any Russian?” he asked.

  Amara shook her head no.

  “I’ll teach you some. Calms her down. Let’s stow your gear and get you a uniform.” Amara followed him. She was grateful to have found a friend.

  Jake stood in his room. He looked up at the ranger uniform that hung on the outside of his closet. It looked sharp, important, full of promise. He felt the material between his fingertips and thought about his past. He had spent so many years trying to put distance between himself and this world. Now he was back here, with Nate, because of Mako. Inside himself, he felt anger, regret, sorrow, and hope. He wondered where the uniform would lead him this time, and if he even deserved to wear it.

  It was time to put their skills to the test. Amara and Suresh entered the training simulator in their cadet drivesuits. Once they were in their cradles, the two began to drift.

  Amara and Suresh were suddenly in Titan Redeemer, and they were being attacked by the Category II Kaiju named Onibaba. Amara knew this was just training, but the simulator made the threat feel very real. The Kaiju lashed at Titan Redeemer. In response, Titan Redeemer deployed his morning star hand. But the Kaiju hit it aside and tore into the Jaeger. Amara and Suresh got slammed hard. Then the computer screamed: “Warning! Hemispheres out of alignment! Warning!”

  “We need to reconnect!” said Suresh. “I’m trying!” screamed Amara.

  BOOM! The conn-pod was hit again. This time, Amara and Suresh plunged into darkness.

  A bright light flared and the conn-pod grinder opened. Jake, Nate, and the rest of the cadets
stood there. Everyone was looking at Amara.

  “When I heard you gave November Ajax a run for his money, thought we might have something here. Now, not so much,” said Nate.

  Vik snickered in the background. Amara tore her helmet off. Her face was red with embarrassment and anger.

  “How am I supposed to drift in this thing? It smells like feet!” she said.

  “I ask you to open your mouth, Cadet?” Nate crossed his arms and stared at her.

  Jake stepped forward and challenged Nate. “You’re putting her up against a Kaiju that almost killed veteran pilots. She’s not ready for that.”

  “Then maybe she’s not the only one who doesn’t belong here,” Nate said to Jake.

  “You got a problem with me, I’m right here. She’s just a kid!”

  “So were we!” screamed Nate. “That’s the point. You make stronger connections when you’re young. That kind of bond makes better pilots that can drift with anyone in their squad—”

  “Yeah, I remember the pitch. Thanks.” Jake shook his head. Then, he returned to his station.

  Nate glowered. “Ryoichi, Renata, you’re up. Show our new recruit how it’s done.”

  Amara unhooked from the cradle.

  The big industrial kitchen at the Shatterdome was empty late at night. Nate entered, stopping short. Somebody was rummaging in the freezer. He proceeded quietly until he got a clear view of Jake in his shorts, a rock T-shirt, flip-flops, and of course, a flashy bathrobe.

  “Classy,” said Nate.

  Jake spun around to face Nate. He motioned at his outfit. “Jules loves it. Told me it’s nice to finally have someone with style around here,” he joked. Then he opened the refrigerator door, grabbed a beer, and tossed it to Nate.

  Nate nodded his appreciation and cracked it open. “Chunky Monkey’s in the bottom left, behind the frozen burgers.”

  Jake pulled out the big container of ice cream.

  “Cheers,” he said.

  He continued to grab supplies from the cupboards to build a sundae. Lambert eyed him.

  “So one more time around to prove daddy wrong?” asked Nate.

  “Nah, just came back to see if your chin implant ever settled in.” Jake smirked.

  Nate couldn’t help but laugh. “Looks good, doesn’t it?”

  Jake gave him a small smile back. “Very commanding. The kids must love it.”

  “They look up to us, man. We need to set an example. Show ’em how to work together.”

  Jake loudly sprayed whipped cream. “War ended ten years ago,” he said.

  “Gotta understand your enemy’s objective to know you defeated them. We still don’t,” said Nate.

  “I’m guessing it had something to do with sending giant monsters to kick the crap out of us,” said Jake.

  “The Precursors wouldn’t send Kaiju to flatten a couple of cities if they were trying to wipe us all out. That’s not a plan, genius.”

  “Look, I got no beef with you, Nate. I’m here because you and your squint was a better deal than some big hairy dude in a tiny little cell.”

  “I’m touched,” said Nate.

  “Cadets got what, a couple of months before they graduate?” asked Jake.

  “Six,” said Nate.

  “Six?” said Jake. “Okay. Six. Tell you what. From now on, whenever you say something soldiery to them, I’ll nod all like, yeah, what he said, and before you know it, they get to be pilots and I get to go back to my life.”

  “May happen sooner than you think,” said Nate.

  “How’s that?” asked Jake.

  “Big dog and pony show tomorrow. Shao Industries is pushing some kind of new drone tech. Could make all us pilots obsolete.”

  “Well that sounds like my get-out-of-jail-free card,” said Jake.

  Nate shook his head. “Front all you want Pentecost, but you know you could’ve been great if you had stuck around.”

  “I didn’t bail. I was kicked out,” said Jake.

  “And whose fault was that?” asked Nate.

  Nate tossed his beer can into the trash as he walked out of the room. His words dug into Jake.

  The next morning, Nate and Jake followed Marshal Quan to Jaeger Bay. They slung on their bomber jackets as they stepped outside. It was a clear day and the water glistened in the distance.

  Shao Liwen approached them. Everything Jake had heard about her was true. She looked sharp, meticulous, and intimidating. She was accompanied by her security chief, Kang, along with three of his men. Joseph Burke, the ex-military ranger who used to be Nate’s partner, also strode confidently beside her.

  Jake spotted Mako and Newt Geiszler trailing behind Shao and her team. Mako was in her PPDC uniform, and looked the same as ever. Newt, on the other hand, had been transformed completely by the private sector. This was no longer the half-crazy scientist who ran around in his lab coat dispensing random Kaiju facts. Now, Newt was wearing an expensive suit and his hair was slicked back.

  Marshal stepped forward and greeted them: “Ms. Shao. Marshal Quan. It’s an honor to meet you.” Quan extended his hand, but Shao Liwen just eyed it uncomfortably.

  Newt rushed to her side, not missing a beat. “Sorry, sorry, she doesn’t do the whole hand thing,” he explained, grabbing Quan’s hand himself. “Dr. Newton Geiszler, head of research and devel—Whoa, that’s a firm grip!” Newt turned to Shao, trying his best to repeat the phrase in Mandarin.

  Shao looked at Marshal Quan and said in Mandarin, “Thank you for having us. Where can Mr. Burke and I set up?” The Marshal responded in perfect Mandarin, “Ranger Lambert and I will get you squared away, ma’am.” Then he nodded to Mako and said, “We’ll be in the war room, Madam Secretary.”

  “Thank you Marshal,” she said.

  Nate smiled at Mako. Then he reluctantly headed off with Quan, Liwen, and Burke. As Shao Liwen passed Jake, she gave him a long studied look.

  Mako walked up to Jake. He grinned. He had always considered Mako to be his sister.

  “Good to see you again,” said Jake.

  “That’s a much better look on you,” said Mako.

  Newt jumped toward them. “Is this him? What am I talking about, of course it’s him! Newton Geiszler, pleased to meet you. Gotta say, huge fan of your old man.” Newt shook Jake’s hand. “Today, we are canceling the apocalypse!” Newt said, mimicking Jake’s dad. “Love that, use it all the time.”

  Jake was about to respond when suddenly Gottlieb appeared. He ran over to his old friend. “Ah! Newton! I was hoping you’d be tagging along. I could use your help on an experiment—”

  Gottlieb rushed into the lab with Newt in tow. He hurriedly started setting things up.

  “This will only take a moment. I don’t want to impose, but—”

  “Hey come on,” Newt cut Gottlieb off. “We’ve been in each other’s heads. Without the intel we yanked from that Kaiju brain, Raleigh never would have been able to close the Breach. That was you and me, pal.” Then Newt checked his watch. “But I am running a little tight, so . . .”

  “Yes, ummm . . . deployment!” said Gottlieb. He searched through his cluttered terminal desk.

  “Deployment?” asked Newt.

  “Of Jaegers,” explained Gottlieb. “Deploying them into combat via Jumphawks takes too much time. The amount of damage a Kaiju can inflict before—Ah! Here!” He pulled a pile of singed notes off the desk and handed them to Newt. “I think I’ve found a solution.”

  Newt eyed Gottlieb’s scribblings and then chuckled. “Rocket thrusters?” Newt asked. “There’s no fuel in the world with that kind of boost-to-mass ratio.”

  “From this world, no,” said Gottlieb. He presented Newt with a vial of neon blue liquid. Newt tensed.

  “Kaiju blood?” asked Newt.

  “Exactly!” said Gottlieb excitedly. “I’ve discovered it’s highly reactive when combined with rare earth elements like cerium, lanthanum, gadolinium . . .”

  “Dude, you can’t be fooling around with this s
tuff! You’re going to blow yourself up,” said Newt. Then he held up the singed lab notes. “Look at these! You already did, didn’t you? You done went and blew yourself up.”

  “I just need to balance the equation. No one knows more about Kaiju morphology than you, Newt. If you could just take a look—”

  “Buddy, it doesn’t matter. Once my boss’s drones are approved, deployment time’ll be a nonissue. Within a year we’ll have drones everywhere.”

  “So you won’t help me?” Gottlieb asked.

  Newt’s watch beeped. He frowned an apology and started to leave. “Sorry. Duty calls. Been nice catching up.”

  “Newton?” said Gottlieb. “I—I still have nightmares. About what we saw. When we drifted with that disgusting Kaiju brain.”

  “Yeah. But sure was a hell of a rush, wasn’t it?” asked Newt in a soft voice.

  “No one knows what it felt like. To be in its mind. Except us. You and I. Together,” replied Gottlieb.

  Newt heard the pleading in Gottlieb’s voice for help, for friendship. He struggled with how to answer it. He wanted to respond, but just as he was about to say the words, he was interrupted by Shao’s security chief, Kang.

  “Dr. Geiszler. Time to go,” Kang said firmly.

  “Okay, okay,” said Newt. He mustered a smile at Gottlieb and then followed the chief away. Gottlieb watched him go, feeling completely and utterly alone.

  Shao strode quickly down the long corridor. Newt hustled to keep pace with his boss. Kang and his men trailed behind them, but Shao was focused on Newt.

  “You and Dr. Gottlieb were close, weren’t you? During the war,” she said.

  “Hermann? We shared lab yes okay,” said Newt in broken Mandarin.

  “English. Your Mandarin makes you sound like an idiot,” said Shao.

  “Um, yes. We shared a lab,” said Newt in English.

  “He was your friend?” asked Shao.

  Newt hesitated. The word reminded him of the past. He had been close to Gottlieb during the war. Not only had they accomplished a lot together, he did see him as a friend. One of the closest people to him during that time, to be sure.