“Cooperation between our programs has never been more vital. If there are any questions . . .” said Burke.
The room exploded in a cacophony of questions from the pilots and techs. They were not buying what Shao was selling. Neither was Jake. A frown settled on his face as he exited the room. Mako followed him.
“That was pretty slick. How long before they shut all this down and I can go home?” spat Jake.
“I don’t trust the tech. Not yet, at least,” said Mako. She followed him out onto a catwalk overlooking Jaeger Bay. Gipsy Avenger loomed in the distance.
“Looked dialed in to me,” said Jake.
“Remote systems can be hacked or compromised,” said Mako.
“Well you’re the key vote, right? Your decision, so there you go,” said Jake.
Mako stared into the distance. “I wish I could just go ahead and approve them. If we had drones back in the war, maybe dad would still be alive.”
Her eyes settled on Gipsy. “And Raleigh.”
“What’d that have to do with the war? News said it was cancer,” said Jake, confused.
“Everything about the other side of the Breach is still classified. There’s a kind of radiation, in the Anteverse. We didn’t know how bad it was until it was too late.”
Jake tensed. “Are you all right?”
Mako nodded, but the memory was painful for her. “Raleigh ejected me. I got sick and couldn’t pilot anymore, but I’m okay now. He got the worst of it.”
Jake absorbed that. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know,” he said.
“We can’t change the past. But the future is ours to make,” said Mako.
A weight pressed down on her. “A lot of people want to see the drones deployed. Nearly half the council is backing Liwen. They aren’t going to like my decision,” said Mako.
“How about I go with you for some moral support? Never been to Sydney, hear it’s great,” said Jake.
Mako brightened. “I’m glad you offered, because I’ve already requested Gipsy Avenger for honor guard at the council summit.”
“Whoa, hold up. Honor guard?” said Jake. “That’s not what I meant.”
“What about my moral support?” said Mako, playfully.
“Gipsy is Nate’s ride,” said Jake.
Mako grinned. “His copilot works for Liwen now. He needs a new one . . .”
“One that you already know is drift compatible, right,” said Jake. He laughed. “I see what you’re trying to do, putting me back in a live rig.”
Mako smiled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Jake thought about it for a minute. Then he smiled back.
“Alright, sis. I got your back.”
Jake thought for a minute more, and his smile grew. “But I want to be there when you tell him. He’s gonna be so pissed, he’ll make that face like—”
Jake made a funny, rigid face—a perfect impression of his friend.
Mako laughed. Then she looked to the side, and her face dropped. Something was weighing on her . . .
The PPDC council building loomed over the city of Sydney. Massive anti-Kaiju cannons lined the coastline. The streets were pristine and clean, with sharp glass and metal buildings rising in the air. Unlike most of the coastal slums, Sydney was heavily protected. No safety measure had been spared when it came to protecting the PPDC headquarters.
The streets swirled with people. PPDC security desperately tried to keep the massive crowd in check as dignitaries from around the world arrived for the summit council hearing.
In the middle of the crowd, red nuns stood solemnly together. They were a part of the Kaiju worshippers, people who believed that the Kaiju were sacred beings. From the depths of their gathering, a man shouted, “Kaiju were sent by God to purge us of our sins! To resist them is to turn from the Almighty—”
A scuffle broke out as an angry man wearing a Jaeger T-shirt tried to grab the sign away from the worshipper. Then, suddenly, a shadow appeared over the sky.
Gipsy Avenger was being flown in via Jumphawks. The crowd of people grew silent as they watched the glistening metal Jaeger glide above them.
Inside the Moyulan Shatterdome, Marshal Quan strode over to a woman named Xiang who was working the holo screen for the Jaeger.
“How are they doing?” he asked.
“Hemispheres are calibrated. Neural handshake is weak but holding,” Xiang answered.
“Gipsy Avenger, this is Marshal Quan,” he said, initiating communication between home base and the Jaeger.
Jake and Nate stood in their drift cradles. Jake fidgeted. His heart hadn’t stopped racing since he got into this thing. Directly across from him, Nate scowled. He was clearly unhappy with the pairing.
“All you have to do is stand there and look pretty. Stay focused and try not to fall over,” said the marshal.
“Roger that, sir,” said Nate.
“Go for drop in three, two, one . . . drop!”
Gipsy Avenger released from the Jumphawks.
KA-THOOM! A shockwave of dust surged across the crowd as she landed. The Jaeger nearly lost her footing.
Jake steadied himself. Nate shot him a frown.
“It’s all coming back. Relax,” Jake said. Then he frowned at the protestors on Gipsy’s display. A worshipper threw a bottle at Gipsy. The PPDC security started making arrests. “Got some fans, huh?”
“Kaiju nuts are always stirring it up,” said Nate. “And hey—we’re in each other’s heads, so I’d appreciate it if you’d stop thinking about Jules. Not gonna happen.”
“How about you stop thinking about beating me up. Not gonna happen either.”
Nate tightened. An incoming chopper pinged on the display. A readout listed the only passenger: Mako Mori, Secretary-General, PPDC Security Council.
Inside the chopper, Mako absentmindedly sketched a strange Kaiju head on her data pad. She spotted Gipsy Avenger in the distance through the window. A smile appeared on her lips, tinged with mysterious relief.
Shao’s limo approached the council building. She climbed out of the car, surrounded by Kang and his men. Suddenly, a loud sound like a tanker ship venting ballast turned her and the crowd around. A huge spray of water erupted in the harbor! Shao looked to find its source, but buildings blocked her view.
Inside Gipsy Avenger, some
