He started toward her, but an urgent comm stopped him.
“Marshal, the drones in the field are malfunctioning! We need to stop the ones coming in from deploying!” said Xiang over the comm.
“There’s something wrong with the drones!” said Marshal Quan.
WHOOM! The drones being flown in lit up with Kaiju energy. Alien flesh stabbed out between their metal plates. They thrashed in midair, destroying their Jumphawks. Then they immediately unleashed a barrage of plasma missiles as they hit the ground!
“Get to Gipsy! Go!” screamed Marshal Quan.
Jake and Nate took off for Jaeger Bay.
“All pilots! Man your Jaegers and engage hostiles—” said Quan.
BOOM! The Kaiju drones destroyed Valor Omega. Debris cartwheeled across the tarmac. Amara dove out of the way as Valor Omega’s severed head slammed into her PPDC security escort.
The Kaiju drones started blasting at everything in sight: Jumphawks, equipment, fleeing personnel. There was no remorse. Amara’s eyes widened with the terror of war . . .
In Shanghai, the main building of Shao Industries erupted into chaos. Staff and techs rushed through the corridors. Newt hurried in the opposite direction of everyone else, mumbling to himself.
“Okay, okay, you got this, it’s cool. You cool? Yeah, I’m cool. I’m super cool . . .” he said.
Qingsheng, one of the lab techs, shouted as he passed, “Dr. Geiszler! She’s looking for you.”
“I know! I know! I’m heading up!” said Newt.
Newt rounded the corner, and WHAM! Gottlieb yanked him aside.
“Hermann? How did you get in here?” asked Newt.
“I do have PPDC credentials—and besides, everyone here seems a bit preoccupied with the killer drones your boss just set off,” said Gottlieb.
“It’s not her fault!” said Newt. “Maybe they found a way to hack—”
“This has nothing to do with Kaiju worshippers!” said Gottlieb. “We found evidence linking Obsidian Fury to Shao Industries.”
“This Shao Industries?”
“No, the Shao Industries that makes knickerbocker glories. Yes, this one. I came to see if you would help corroborate from the inside, but now that Shao has shown her hand with these drones—”
“Why would she build drones to go bananas and attack?” asked Newt. “It doesn’t make any sense. And what in the world is a knickerbocker glory?”
“She used you. Lured you with money and a fancy title. And while you were basking in the glow, she took your research and twisted it,” Gottlieb hissed at Newt as they walked through the corridor.
Newt chewed his lip. His eyes flicked around nervously.
“You really believe that?” he asked.
“It’s not your fault. She’s been playing all of us. Help me stop her, Newton. Help me save the world, like old times,” said Gottlieb.
“Well, you were technically helping me last time—” said Newt.
“Fine. Help me help you save the world. What do you say?” asked Gottlieb.
Newt wrestled with that. An internal conflict raged inside him.
“I say—DON’T SHOOT!” said Newt.
He threw his hands up. Chief Kang and his men rushed in with their guns drawn. Shao had found them.
At Jaeger Bay, explosions boomed from the tarmac. Amara rushed alongside with a flood of other personnel. Jinhai, Vik, Meilin, Suresh, Ilya, Tahima, Renata, and Ryoichi intercepted her.
“What’s happening?” asked Jinhai.
“Are those Jaegers?” asked Ryoichi.
“Drones, from Shao Industries!” said Amara.
“What are they doing?” asked Tahima.
“I don’t know! They just went crazy!” said Amara.
Jake and Nate hustled past, dodging debris as they tried to get to Gipsy Avenger.
“Clear the deck!” ordered Nate.
“Get to your quarters!” said Jake.
BOOM! Plasma missiles slammed into Titan Redeemer as she came out of her dock. The blast crippled her leg. Thrown off balance, Titan Redeemer groaned and teetered over them.
“Go! Go!” Nate shouted, as he and Jake tried to get the cadets out of the way of the falling Jaeger. But Nate didn’t clear in time. Falling metal was about to hit him when . . .
WHAM! Jules tackled him out of the way just as Titan slammed to the ground. She lay on top of him as the shockwave hit.
“Hey,” said Jules affectionately.
“Hey,” said Nate back.
Jake frowned in disbelief at the timing. “Seriously? Now?” he asked.
Back in Shanghai, Newt and Gottlieb were in an elevator surrounded by Shao security. Newt caught Gottlieb’s attention, and shot his eyebrow toward Gottlieb’s cane. Gottlieb frowned, confused. Newt motioned at the cane again. Gottlieb understood. He coughed, half doubling over.
Then he swung his cane! It broke a guard’s nose. Newt grabbed Kang as the chief whipped out his sidearm.
Shots rang out! Then DING! The door opened right as Newt smashed Kang in the face with his own sidearm. Newt and Gottlieb dashed out, leaving behind a pile of unconscious officers.
“Thank you, Newton! I’d hug you if I didn’t have a rule about public displays of affection—oh to hell with it!” said Gottlieb. Then, he hugged Newt. Newt was surprised at the gesture.
“You’re welcome, Hermann. Now if you’re done groping me, we need to take care of these drones,” he said.
They burst into the lab at Shao Industries, where everything had been thrown into chaos. Newt waved the gun he took from Kang.
“Out!” he said. Then in Mandarin, “Go! Now!”
The lab techs fled. Daiyu shouted at Newt as he dashed out, “Always knew you’d go crazy!”
“You’re fired!” said Newt.
“What do we do? How do we stop this?” asked Gottlieb.
“Back door!” said Newt.
Newt set the gun down as he rushed to a terminal and punched in commands.
“To what? The lab?” asked Gottlieb.
A holo screen flared to life. The Kaiju drones were pinpointed around the Pacific Rim.
Newt kept inputting commands. “To the drone subroutine,” he said. “I slipped one in just in case I wanted to get in there and poke around down the road.”
“Sneaky!” said Gottlieb.
“I know, right?” replied Newt.
Then he stabbed enter. But the Kaiju drones didn’t deactivate. Instead, an ominous message flashed across the holo screen: COMND LIMA VICTOR 426 CONFIRMED. INITIATING BREACH PROTOCOL.
Gottlieb’s face dropped. “What did you just do?” he asked.
“What I’ve been planning for the last ten years. Ending the world,” said Newt. Then he grinned. Something dark and malicious welled in his eyes. Gottlieb stiffened in horror. It wasn’t Shao Liwen who was behind all of
