A/N: Missed my deadline by five days. Better late than never.

Many scientists put forth theories on how the Breach or another portal could be reopened. As time went on and fear gave away to complacency, fewer theories were given. Those of us more stalwart were labeled as paranoid, more so for myself and Dr. Geiszler. We were, and I quote, "glory-seeking heretics with holes in their theories so wide you could walk a Jaeger through them." They were partly right. We didn't seek glory, but our theories were less based on fact and more on a hunch. It was something I, as a scientist who relies on numbers, had a hard time admitting.

- Dr. Hermann Gottlieb, Lead K-Science Officer, PPDC

Chapter 4

The Project & The Prototype

That Same Day

Nagasaki, Japan

Old Shatterdome Facility

"Mister Hansen, good of you to call."

Herc inclined his head once to the man on the view screen, "Minister Ogata, sorry I wasn't able to contact you earlier. We've been incredibly busy the last two days."

"I can only imagine." The Minister apparently didn't want to beat around the bush and he saw him lean over to push a few buttons. "Is our line secure?"

Doing the same, Herc touched the right sequence of buttons on the panel on his desk, and waited for a small green indicator to come up. "We're secure, Minister."

"Good," Ogata leaned back in his seat. "Now can you explain to me what happened the other day, Marshal?"

Herc took in a deep breath. He knew this question was coming, "We were doing some stress tests on the mounted plasma cannons and one of them immediately began to overheat. The coolant spilled out everywhere, so we had to kick in the emergency systems. That's why we had all that noise, smoke, and steam coming out of the Dome."

"Was anyone hurt?"

"Two of our people ended up with first and second degree burns on their hands and arms, but it isn't anything they can't recover from. We got off easy, all things considered."

"That's good to know," Ogata looked relieved. "It won't be much, but I'll have a little extra shuffled over to the miscellaneous expenses to cover any medical costs."

"That's greatly appreciated, Minister," Herc nodded once. "I also need to thank you for your staff's quick work with the media. The cover story made it extremely easy for me to speak to the news hounds outside of our gates this morning."

There was a small sly smile on Ogata's face, "I told you before. We are good at keeping secrets. As far as anyone outside of the Shatterdome is concerned all you're doing in there is dismantling old nuclear submarines and warships. You have no need to worry."

"I never worry with you backing us up, Minister," Herc said with a grin. "Can't thank you enough."

Ogata waved his compliment off, "If you really want to thank me then buy me a drink the next time I come down for an inspection."

"That I can do," Herc gave a genuine smile.

As far as politicians went, Sanosuke Ogata was alright in Herc's book. Like most of his ilk he did have his own agendas, but a few times he was willing to sacrifice that agenda for Herc's project. As Minister of the Environment, Ogata had been invaluable to Herc's cause from securing the Nagasaki Shatterdome to secretly shuffling high powered equipment for their use. While he had suspected Ogata's aid at first, over the last eight years he managed to find a friend.

Leaning forward, Ogata clasped his hands on the desk in front of him, "So how are our Saradian friends doing?"

Trying not to have his smile slip away, he braced himself for a more dour turn in the conversation, "They're hanging in there. Out of the fifty they sent only four remain in the program. The rest have shuffled off to the J-Tech crews or aiming to be a Jumphawk pilots. Though I think some of them are beginning to suspect our methods."

"Can you still delay the prototype?"

"I can, but . . ." he let out a sigh. "With a lot of them now mingling among the mechanics and techs it's more difficult to hide."

"I really wish I could divert more funds in your direction," a mild frown curled the corner of Ogata's lips. "That way you wouldn't have to kowtow to the Saradian Prime Minister."

Herc raised a hand and shook his head, "I know, but I can't ask you to hide trillions of dollars for this. That would be unreasonable. We both knew getting into this what it was going to take. Stacker Pentecost was willing to use some unsavory tactics to get the resources required and we should be prepared to do no less."

"With no kaiju there is little of the kaiju black market to rely on," Ogata shook his head slightly. "What's that phrase you use? A catch twenty?"

"Catch 22," Herc confirmed. "With no kaiju no one was willing to invest funds to the project, but to be ready for the kaiju we need the funds."

"How is the project coming along? Did the accident send you back?"

"It happened around one of the unused bays, so it didn't disturb the main project at all."

"And Saradia's prototype?"

"No," Herc shook his head again. "Ultimately we're down one plasma cannon and two workers. Both schedules will continue."

He saw Ogata frown a little more. Herc knew he was just as worried about Saradia as he was.

It was a devil's deal. Saradia, a country nowhere near the Pacific Ocean, was willing to fund Herc's project, but only in exchange for the development of a prototype machine. One that could be mass-produced and would be highly modular for various functions, none of which had anything to do with fighting kaiju. It put a distinct bitter taste in Herc's mouth, but he had few other options.

There was one line of hope he had though and he was banking a great deal on that gamble.

"We do have one last thing that will set the prototype back," he said.

The Minister raised an eyebrow and waited for Herc to continue.

"We still need to find a pair of pilots for it."

The Kwoon

"4 - 2, match point, Mehdizade."

The surrounding crowd applauded while Raleigh put another mark on his chart, "Good fight, cadets. Next!"

Mehdizade and his sparring partner Thompson bowed in respect and left the mat. Raleigh noted the comrade-like pat on the back Mehdizade gave Thompson. Neither were top of the list in skills and aptitude - Mehdizade especially was lacking in the technical department - but if the two had a natural bond then they would likely do well.

He set the thought aside as two others took their place.

"Bow . . . begin!"

Raleigh watched with as much neutrality as he could muster, but he was hard pressed to not smile and show some favoritism. One of them was Ming-Hai Liao a daughter of one of their J-Tech crew. She was already educated on a lot of the Jaeger tech and wasn't too shabby on the combat. The downside was while she seemed to be a jack of all trades, she didn't seem to excel in any one thing either. The other candidate was William Choi, Tendo and Alison's eldest son. Sixteen and only in the program for three months, the gangly youth was determined to prove himself. Like Liao he had the technical side covered, but there was one major glaring issue.

"1 - 0. Liao."

"2 - 0. Liao."

"3 - 0. Liao."

"4 - 0, match point, Liao."

The applause was less than enthusiastic this time as William pulled himself off the ground, his face red with exertion and embarrassment. The group didn't get much of a show this time. It was more like watching a bobtail cat batting a gerbil around. William bowed to Raleigh and bowed to Liao who returned the gesture, then walked off the mat and to the back of the group of onlookers as fast as his feet could carry him.

Raleigh dispassionately put the appropriate marks next to Liao and Choi's names. William was going to need a lot of practice if he hoped to even stay in the program. He hoped the kid could turn himself around and get a better grip on the combat aspects. Otherwise, Raleigh was going to be forced to kick him out and earn the title of "Worst Godfather Ever".

Not that it would come to that. If William really couldn't get himself together then Raleigh would be saving his life by kicking him out.

"Saegusa! Yamanral! You're up."

The next pair came from opposite ends of the crowd and really didn't look at one another till they were on the mat. One of them was a woman roughly Mako's height with long, straight, black hair done up in a tight bun. Her body was athletic and she was long of limb. The other was a broad-shouldered bronze-skinned man. He had an aquiline nose, deep set eyes, and close cropped dark hair. Taller than Raleigh, he cut an imposing figure.

Out of all the candidates they had, these two were the most promising.

As far as Raleigh was concerned, Miki Saegusa was a cadet that showed all the signs that she would make an excellent Ranger. She outshone most in technical, physical, and mental scores. Her simulator drops were outstanding and there was nothing she wasn't willing to learn. She also had extremely good combat instincts and was able to read her opponents moves at an almost uncanny level.

Zaahir Yamanral was the sort who got by on sheer force of will. Recommended by the Saradian Prime Minister as a top candidate, Zaahir had brought his battle field experience right into the program. His first few simulator drops were rousing successes and that alone got him on the short list. He was constantly improving himself and had the respect of his Saradian peers.

That, unfortunately, was where the "pro" list for both ended.

"Bow . . . begin!"

Per usual Miki quickly countered one of Zaahir's blows. She got in a solid counter-attack to his ribs.

"1 - 0. Saegusa."

There was a slight twitch of Zaahir's lip before he tried another attack. Miki countered again, this time her counter-attack got him right on the collar bone.

"2 - 0. Saegusa."

And here is where it shifts.

Raleigh could tell just by the set of Zaahir's jaw that he was already losing his temper. He came on with a much stronger attack. It was easily predictable, but it was a move lacking in subtlety for a reason. Their jō connected and he could see Miki flinch. He didn't doubt that her hands were buzzing from the hit and he wasn't surprised when the staff dropped right out of her hands. Zaahir stopped just short of cracking his jō on her forehead.

"2 - 1. Yamanral."

They didn't pause for a breath. Miki dove to the side to get the jō back and somersaulted back to her feet. Raleigh half expected her to immediately charge while Zaahir looked off balance. At least, that's what he would have done. Instead, she paused letting Zaahir get his feet back under him.

As the match progressed it became apparent that neither had managed to get passed their issues despite Raleigh coaching them. Miki lacked a certain aggressiveness and always went too easy on her opponents. Zaahir was the complete opposite. He disliked losing and would get too aggressive when he fell behind. Raleigh had hoped that between the two they could find some comfortable middle ground, but the pairing wasn't working out.

Miki managed to get one more point in before Zaahir simply powered through with overzealous strike after strike.

"3 - 4, match point, Yamanral."

Raleigh didn't bother looking at them or congratulating either on a well fought match. He just made his marks on the page and waited for them to leave the mat. He didn't see what he wanted to from either and he was going to let his disappointment show.

It was an odd dilemma. As the resident Kwoon Fightmaster it was his task to train and guide the cadets so they could potentially become pilots for the prototype. There was a prideful part of him that wanted to see it done, but another part was just as trepidatious of accomplishing it. If he had his way he would go ahead and put Saegusa with Liao or even Thompson, but he had to follow a stipulation.

The Saradian government wanted at least one of the prototype pilots to be among the soldiers they sent over. They had stated a "need for loyalty" and "a sense of patriotic duty" with one or both. It set Raleigh on edge and made him question the track Marshal Hansen was on. Patriotism? Loyalty? Those were the sorts of words politician's used to justify military actions against other humans, not something someone said when piloting a Jaeger and protecting all of humanity from destruction.

He could see it now. Scores of Jaeger-like weapons marching across a border with the sole intent of conquering a country. It felt down right heretical and terribly frightening.

But he trusted Herc Hansen and his intentions and hoped that the gamble he had in mind would work.

Looking up, he saw the cadets patiently waiting and he immediately sported a frown, "Playtime is over so what are you all standing around for?"

There was slight sadistic satisfaction he felt from the unsure looks and shuffling feet.

"Get back to training! That means twenty laps around the Dome, cadets," he barked. "Hustle and move!"

He heard the groans and the resigned sighs. It only made him shout louder, "Move, move, move! Move like a kaiju is on your ass!"

That put a sense of urgency into them. In moments, the jō were stored away and the Kwoon cleared out. He heard someone behind him snicker.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to hearing you make like a gunnery sergeant," Tendo sported a grin, coffee cup in one hand, clipboard in the other.

Raleigh chuckled, "Yeah, well, I have to simultaneously nurse and whip into shape a whole score of egos. Sometimes just talking to them doesn't get the job done. Makes me appreciate what our previous fightmasters had to go through."

"With you on their roster needing to be put into shape I pitied them greatly," he said, grinning right into his cup.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny. Did you come here to tell me something or did you just need someone to harass?"

"Who, me? Harass someone? Perish the thought."

Raleigh rolled his eyes at him. Even after three kids and a few strands of grey added to his ever-unmoving coiffed hair, Tendo never lost his sense of humor or changed his style.

He motioned at him with the cup, "The Marshal is calling for a meeting of us seniors. Probably a wrap up on the damage to the plasma canon."

Raleigh nodded, made one last mark on his sheet, then started walking for the Marshal's office. Tendo followed suit.

"Hopefully it won't take too long," Raleigh gave a perverse grin. "I like to be there when the cadets get down to those last five laps."

Bay 5 Workroom Observatory

"Doctor Gottlieb," Mako said louder than normal.

Hermann's head snapped up from looking at the display, "Yes, what?"

He was uncertain as if that was the first or the third time she called him. The look on her face told him it was the latter.

"Are you alright there?" She walked over to him. "You've been out of it all day."

"Ah, yes, sorry," Hermann raised his glasses and rubbed his eyes with a thumb and forefinger. "My sleep last night was . . . interrupted in a jarring fashion."

"Another one of your nightmares?" she asked.

Hermann grunted once, lowered his glasses back down, and gave Mako a tight smile, "Yes, but don't worry. I will be able to complete my work for today."

His words apparently did nothing to alleviate her concern, "That isn't what I am worried about. You should take the rest of the day off. Go home, get some sleep."

Hermann shook his head and got to work on what was on the display, "No, trust me. It is best that I work through this and keep myself occupied rather than dwell on it. And this week is too important to take any breaks. Now, what is it that you needed?"

He could feel her staring at him, possibly contemplating debating with him until he went home. Instead, she handed him a data chip.

"Latest calibration results from Alison on the CPJ-X3," she said. "We'd like you to go over the numbers."

Hermann smiled knowingly, "Ah, one more time, yes?"

Mako gave a smile in return, "Yes."

"I shall put it on my agenda somewhere after lunch and after I've cleared the files with Marshal Hansen," he made a show of pondering. "Perhaps after tea?"

"Whenever it fits your very busy schedule."

There was something to be said about conspiring with friends and colleagues for a justified cause. He didn't agree with the prototype any more than the rest of them, but he understood the necessity of it. Creating faux red tape and multiple-layered, repetitive steps for each process brought some amusement in what would otherwise be an aggravating situation.

"Marshal Hansen also wants to speak to the senior staff right now," Mako continued, briefly glancing at the clock on the wall. "In his office in fifteen minutes."

"Ah," Hermann nodded, "I shall be along shortly. Just need to finish this line."

She raised an eyebrow slightly, "Make sure that line doesn't suddenly become a whole page."

He had the wherewithal to at least smile at her sheepishly. There had been more than one time where he'd gotten lost in his work and would get chastised later for missing a meeting. Mako knew this all too well as most of the meetings were set by her.

"Don't worry, I will be there."

As she walked away she gave him a silent look that said you better be, then left Hermann to finish.

He found himself smiling at that. It was amazing what the Drift did to someone. Before, he never would have expected Mako to chastise him over anything. Having grown up under Stacker Pentecost she was always respectful and often reticent. It made the fact that she was a highly intelligent and very gifted individual shine out all the brighter. She was still gifted and intelligent, but now she would carry a confident smirk and have the occasional sarcastic barb. Both qualities he was certain she adopted from her partner in all things, Raleigh.

Raleigh in turn was more than willing to take on several administrative duties when paperwork had never been up his alley. He'd even overheard Tendo tell him that if he wasn't careful they'd make him a Marshal. Something Raleigh, surprisingly, didn't immediately scoff at. Changes in their personalities that could only be explained through their connection in the Drift.

Unbidden, his thoughts went to Newt.

Granted, he and Newt had only Drifted once and it came with the oddity of seeing into the brain of a newborn - and just slain - kaiju, but he still had to wonder how much of his own thought processes had changed. He asked Vanessa once if she had noted anything and all she could offer was that he was less stiff in the face of company. Whether it was due to being in the Drift with Newt or just a product of living through the harrowing events, it was hard to say.

He wondered if Newt was still having the same nightmares he was. Did they still plague him or did time and tide weed it out of him? Hermann had no way of knowing. Two days after the Breach had been sealed, Newt disappeared for a whole week. No one was able to contact him and they all thought the worst. When he showed back up, he acted as if nothing happened and said he just wanted to take a break from everyone. Hermann didn't believe it, but he'd give no other explanation.

For the next year Newt continued to flit in and out, never saying where he went but always returning. He especially came around when it came time to stand next to Hermann and ply to the U.N. to continue the Jaeger program. When they refused to listen and their fellow academics began to debunk their theories, that was when Hermann received his last message from Newt.

He told him that if no one was going to listen then he was going to do things his own way and work with Hannibal Chau's people. He assured Hermann that he was going to be fine and to not come looking for him. Hermann wrote back to him asking to reconsider and that he could be in danger if he got involved with Chau's people. He never received a reply back. That had been fourteen years ago.

Shaking his head, Hermann realized his fingers had stopped moving across the keyboard. A glance at the clock told him he was already going to be late to the meeting. With a heavy sigh he got up, grabbed his cane, and readied himself for a Mako-patented glare when he got there.

Marshal's Office

"I'm sorry, sir," Tendo raised an eyebrow, "what did you say?"

Herc sighed, "You know I don't like repeating myself, so let me lay it all out for you."

He stood up to bring himself to the front of his desk. It, and the room in general, was far more cluttered than Stacks would have kept it. Herc was a little less organized by nature and he preferred a more lived in feel to the place. He found that the comfortable chairs, a couch to lounge in and a more relaxed atmosphere tended to garner more ideas. Now, though, his senior staff sat up in those seats, varying degrees of tension showing on their faces.

"If we weren't trying to delay anything what would your honest assessment be on the readiness of the X3?"

Tendo twisted his lip slightly and looked over at Mako who in turn looked at Alison. The auburn-haired woman huffed out a sigh and nodded at Mako. He figured it was something the two women might have already discussed.

"Weapons, mechanics, operating systems, Pons systems, programming . . . all of it is ready for the green light," Mako said.

"We've come up with the same numbers the last three calibration attempts, sir," Alison added. "We can't tweak the prototype any further than we already have."

"In order to adjust anything more we need the last two pieces," Mako nodded once, then glanced in Raleigh's direction.

"Then it means we're ready for the next phase," Herc crossed his arms and sat back lightly on his desk. "What do you say, Fightmaster? Do we have potential Rangers among the candidates?"

Raleigh didn't answer right away and he rubbed the back of his neck while gazing at the floor a moment.

"This seems a bit sudden," he said, looking back up at him. "You certain we want to move ahead, Marshal?"

"No," Herc answered. "We don't want to move ahead, but unfortunately we've pushed the limits of the Saradian Prime Minister's patience. He apparently got wind of what happened here and specifically asked why we were stress testing the plasma canons and not working on the prototype. He's threatened to pull the funding if we don't show some marked progression."

It was grating. Not more than a minute after he finished his talk with Minister Ogata did Prime Minister Helal call up and started to make demands. He wasn't surprised that Helal found out as he suspected one or more of the Saradian soldiers were reporting in to him. Not that there was anything treasonous about it, just that it made it harder for the red tape to stick.

"The only way for us to progress is to start throwing pilots at it," he inclined his head to Raleigh. "Means the ball is in your court. Who do you have for us?"

He wore a pensive look for a few seconds before speaking, "I think we stand a good chance with Mehdizade and Thompson. They might not have the best scores, but neither did Yancy and I when we started out."

Herc nodded slowly, "What about Prime Minister Helal's boy, Yamanral?"

Raleigh winced, "In all honesty, sir, as great as his aptitude is he still has one major failing. He doesn't do dialogues. Difficult to tell if he's going to drift well with anyone, even when they're just as skilled as he is."

"Mehdizade and Thompson it is, then. So let's let our candidates know and set them up with-"

"I'm sorry, sir, I have to ask," Tendo interrupted. "Since we're going ahead with the prototype does that mean we stall the project?"

"Stall the project?" Herc replied with a shake of his head and a grin. "Not in the least. We step up the schedule. That means I want you two," he pointed to Raleigh and Mako, "ready for a full final test run tomorrow morning."

His senior staff sat up in their seats more and shot excited grins at one another.

"We're finally going to complete what we originally came here to do."

A/N: Last Edit February 28, 2014

Recommended watching list to understand this fic better:

- Gojira (1954) the original Japanese cut without Raymond Burr

- Godzilla Raids Again (1955)

- Godzilla vs. Biollante (1989)

- And if you haven't watched Pacific Rim (2013) then I don't know why you're even reading this :P

On the use of Saradia: *bows deep* Forgive me, Biollante-San! Saradia was my only hope on a fictitious country to use for the story. I hope you can forgive me.

I have a story summary and an outline to redo for my original works so ETA Chapter 5 - March 31, 2014