The two officers roughly shoved Jake into an interrogation room and slammed the door shut behind him. His eyes swept over his surroundings—nothing but an empty interrogation table. Then, holo emitters flared to life.
There, in colorful pixels dusted across the air, was Mako Mori. She was secretary-general of the PPDC now. Her hologram sat at the far end of the table.
Jake grinned in relief.
“There she is! My sister from another mister! You make some calls, pull some strings, I gotta sign some paperwork?” he asked.
“I was really hoping to not see you like this again,” answered Mako.
Jake shrugged. “Just a stretch of bad luck, I’ll figure it out.”
“Father used to say we make our own luck,” said Mako.
“Yeah, dad said a lot of things,” said Jake.
“You were arrested in a rogue Jaeger built from stolen tech, Jake.”
“Wasn’t mine.”
“You have priors. This is serious,” said Mako.
Jake’s smile fell. “Which is why I need my big sister to get me the hell out of here.”
“They’re not going to let you just walk. But there might be another way . . .” said Mako.
“Great. Love it. What do I gotta do?” asked Jake.
“Reenlist. And finish what you started,” said Mako.
Jake eyed Mako in surprise. Then, a laugh escaped him. “I’m a little old to be a cadet.”
“I don’t want you to be a cadet. I want you to help train them.”
Jake glowered. “What’s behind door number two?” he asked.
“The transport is standing by to bring both of you to Moyulan,” said Mako.
“Both of us?”
“You and your new recruit.” Mako smirked. “Enjoy your flight Jake!”
Mako’s hologram winked off.
“Mako? Mako! Son of a . . . !” said Jake.
He knew he was trapped, and officially out of options.
The sunset cast a deep red shade over the Moyulan Shatterdome. Technicians hustled back and forth to refuel the Jumphawks, the aircrafts that deployed the Jaegers. A transport carrier landed on the tarmac. Jake and Amara walked out.
“Yeah, but why me? I mean why do they want me for the program?” asked Amara. She was hurrying to keep up with Jake’s stride.
“Built and piloted your own Jaeger. Don’t see that every day,” said Jake.
At that moment, a shadow passed over them. Amara looked up at the sky. It was Scrapper being flown in via two Jumphawks! Amara beamed at the sight. The Jumphawks released Scrapper. The little Jaeger landed on her feet—then face-planted into the tarmac.
“Hey! Be careful with Scrapper!” shouted Amara.
“Will you look at this?”
Jake recognized the familiar voice.
He turned to face Nate. His friend still looked the same—military tank top, dog tags that jangled off his chest, and of course, a walk that made it seem like he owned the place.
“Didn’t believe it when they told me you were inbound,” said Nate.
“Nate. This is Cadet Amara Namani,” said Jake.
“You’ll address me as Ranger Lambert,” said Nate.
“You having a laugh?” asked Jake.
“This is a military base,” said Nate. “Remember how those work, Ranger Pentecost? Let’s get you squared away.” Nate started walking. Jake and Amara followed him through the base.
Amara leaned into Jake. “Did that haircut just call you Pentecost, as in badass Stacker Pentecost, pilot of Coyote Tango, hero of—”
“It’s just a name,” snapped Jake.
“A really cool name. Explains why you got a golden ticket.”
“You know, moving forward, let’s limit the conversation, okay?” Jake turned away from Amara. This wasn’t a conversation he wanted to have with anyone, least of all this overly curious cadet. Nate pushed through the thirty-foot-tall ocean doors that led to Jaeger Bay. Jake felt a rush of wind hit his face. Amara’s eyes widened in wonder.
This was the most amazing thing she had ever seen! Jaeger after Jaeger lined the shore. These were some of the most powerful machines in the world, and they were all in pristine condition! Nothing like the scraps and hunks of metal she was used to seeing in the yard back home.
“Sim training starts at 0600. You’re late, you miss the day. Fall behind, you’re on a transport back to wherever they found you,” said Nate.
Amara barely heard him. “That’s Titan Redeemer! And Bracer Phoenix, she’s a three-man rig! And Guardian Bravo! And Saber Athena! I love Saber Athena! She’s the fastest Jaeger in the fleet.”
Jake nodded toward the techs running up and down the shore. “What’s all the hustle for?”
“Been ordered to put on a show. Shao and her team arrive tomorrow,” Nate explained.
“Shao? Like Shao Liwen?” asked Amara.
“What they tell me,” said Nate.
Amara couldn’t contain her excitement. Half the tech in Scrapper came from old Shao parts. “I can’t believe I’m going to meet her!” she said aloud.
“You’re not,” said Nate.
“What? Why?”
“Why do you think. You’re a cadet.”
“That’s not fair!”
“Get used to it around here,” said Jake.
Amara huffed.
She turned to Nate. “So which one is yours?” she asked, motioning at the Jaegers.
Nate looked straight at Jake when he answered. “Gipsy.”
“You pilot Gipsy Avenger?” asked Amara.
“He used to . . .” a bright voice chimed in from behind Amara. A woman outfitted in tech gear had driven up to them in a scrambler.
“. . . 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
