Part Five
Godzilla had proven to be no typical Kaiju to handle for
Herc and Chuck. Its skin was almost impenetrable – evident in its quick
recovery from a barrage of missiles out of the Striker Eureka – and it was
capable of exerting some type of atomic breath, a blue radioactive heat ray, through
its jaws that overwhelmed Eureka’s hull.
Blindsided by the blast, Eureka failed to avoid the
creature’s tail, which whipped against the head of the Jaeger.
The impact raddled everything inside the Conn-Pod.
Herc was disengaged from the operating system, his body
slamming against the steel wall and breaking his arm. Chuck was left with no
other option than to go to his father’s aid, leaving their Jaeger immobile.
From the Shatterdome control room, Pentecost, Raleigh,
and Mako witnessed the new Kaiju’s victory and its direct departure for Hong
Kong.
“It’s heading for the city,” Pentecost upsettingly noted.
“Hong Kong won’t stand a chance with two
Kaiju attacking.”
“Marshal, I don’t believe this one’s like the others,”
Raleigh said.
Pentecost scowled. “Let me guess. A hunch your alien
friends had?”
“Actually, it was my own hunch,” Raleigh credited. “I’ve
watched how it went up against others like itself and took them down just like
we do.”
Mako caught on with his presumption. “You believe it is
helping us?”
“I believe it’s protecting
us,” Raleigh clarified.
“Supposing you’re right, Mr. Becket, I still cannot risk
leaving the lives of hundreds of people at the hands of a rogue Kaiju,”
Pentecost said. “I still need a Jaeger out there to defend it.”
“Send us in the Gipsy,” Raleigh nodded to himself and
Mako.
“We don’t know for sure if you two are compatible,” Pentecost
refuted. “And we don’t have time for a trial run.”
“Then we’ll have to do an emergency drift, no matter the
risks,” Raleigh said. “What other Jaeger pilots do we have left that can do the
job?”
There were none. All the best stationed at the Shatterdome
were sent out to deal with the conflict, except for Raleigh and Mako. Now the
only Jaeger he thought had the ability to end it was out of commission.
Gipsy Danger was their last hope in
this fight.
-----------------
“And this is why children should always listen to their parents – especially their fathers!” Lauren griped.
She and Neas wandered in the cold, rainy streets of Hong
Kong for minutes, facing their exile from the Shatterdome. The worst part of it
was Lauren being forced out without her turquoise hoodie, left to shiver in wet
clothes and hair.
“You don’t have to remind me, Pop,” Neas regretfully
moaned. “I feel bad enough as it is after what happened to Mako. I hope that
didn’t kill her.”
Lauren glimpsed at him, seeing the genuine concern on his
face.
Calmly, she reassured him, “I’m sure she’s just fine.
Newt survived his drift with the Kaiju brain, and that’s way worse than that with a Time Lord. And poor Newt’s going to make
another attempt at—” In her reflection, a marvelous idea struck her noddle.
“That’s it!”
“What’s it?” Neas queried.
“Something that’ll save Newt from another – potentially
more dangerous – drift with a Kaiju brain, and perhaps get us back in the good
graces of Marshal Pentecost.”
Recalling what Pentecost mentioned about Hannibal Chau,
the black market dealer in Kaiju organs, Lauren requested the Japanese-fluent
Neas to ask around for directions to Chau’s base of operations. The only answer
they received was to “follow the signs,” if Neas’s translation was correct.
The Time Lords did just that, only finding typical street
signs with English and Japanese languages. Initially thinking they were at a
dead end, Neas had the idea of scanning the signs with his sonic screwdriver.
Invisible print materialized under the light of the
Gallifreyan tool, showing them the exact directions to Chau’s shop.
They arrived just as another customer was making a deal.
“Newton?!” Lauren quizzically identified him.
Certain enough, Geiszler was there, standing beside a man
in a flashy outfit and shades who Neas could only figure to be Hannibal Chau
himself.
“What’re you guys doing here?!” Newt asked of the Time
Lords.
“Newton, listen,” Lauren told him. “You don’t have to do
another drift with a Kaiju brain. Neas and I are going to do it.”
Neas’s eyebrows rose with astonishment. “We are?!”
“Does this have to do with you guys being aliens?” Newt
questioned.
Lauren nodded. “After Neas drifted with Mako the same time
you did with the Kaiju, both of you barely survived the process. But what if we
– two Time Lords – were to drift with one Kaiju brain? Our mental capacity goes
far beyond any living being in the universe, including Kaiju. It’s worth a shot.”
The very idea sounded ingenious to Newt; but before he
could vocally express it to the beautiful, intelligent Time Lady…
“Wait, wait. Hold up.” Chau said, gesturing to Neas and
Lauren. “What’s this about you two being aliens?”
Oh, great, Neas
psychologically groaned.
“We’re Time Lords of the planet Gallifrey – which, of
course, doesn’t exist in this dimension,” Lauren divulged.
Chau hungrily licked his lips. “Really now? What’s your
biology like?”
“Well…w-we have two hearts,” Lauren answered.
Neas watched as Chau slithered uncomfortably around
Lauren, who openly disclosed Time Lord facts. He wondered if she sang this much
when her original self was Davros’ prisoner during the Time War.
“Quite the friends you’ve got here, pipsqueak,” Chau told
Newt. “Unique specimens like them would be hot
value on the market, particularly this
little jewel right here.”
He stroked the face of Lauren, prompting her to recoil in
disgust.
“Specimens?!” She exclaimed. “We are not—”
“I believe it’s time we got out of here,” Neas hurriedly
said. “Coming, Doctor Geiszler?”
“B-But we h-haven’t gotten t-the—” Newt stammered.
“You Time Lords
ain’t goin’ anywhere,” Chau threateningly declared. “Not ‘til I’ve had a chance
to slice you open and add whatever
yer made of to my collection.”
To emphasize his point, he reached into his jacket, retrieving
a golden switchblade that he twirled and knifed in Lauren’s general direction.
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