Pacific Rim: Age of the Divine Beast
Prologue
Disclaimer: I do not own Pacific Rim
KAIJU (Kaijū, Japanese) Strange Creature.
JAEGER (yā'gәr, German) Hunter.
LUCERTOLA DEVOTA (, Italian) Godly Lizard.
"When I was a kid. Whenever I would feel small or lonely, I'd look up, at the stars, wondered if there was life up there. Turns out I was looking in the wrong direction."
In the deep depths of the seas, lightning began to spark and jump as the ocean floor lit up in blue.
"When alien life entered our world it was from deep beneath the pacific ocean. A fissure between two tectonic plates."
Smoke began to make a strange trail on the sea floor.
"A portal between dimensions, The Breach. I was fifteen when the first Kaijū made land in San Francisco."
A giant monster, the Kaijū known as Trespasser, roars as it smashes it's way through the Golden Gate, cars being pushed aside on the roadway before falling into the bay as the span collapses. F-22s make attack runs on the massive beast only for their guns to have no effect, one fighter being unfortunate enough to get caught by one of the creature's limbs, exploding on contact.
"By the time tanks, jets, and missiles took it down, 6 days and 35 miles later, 3 cities were destroyed. Tens of thousands of lives were lost."
People screamed as they ran for any form of safe cover as sirens blared and the roars of the creature boomed. Later, cemeteries found themselves overloaded for use as a city burned around the carcass of the now dead Kaijū.
"We mourned our dead. Memorialized their passing, and moved on." various news reports appeared.
Another creature roared as people screamed and ran.
"And then, only six months later, a second attack hit Manilla."
A giant footprint is shown on the news alongside a giant pile of crap as a headline reads "Kaijū excrement contaminates city."
"And then the third one hit Capo, and then the fourth." an aircraft carrier sails across the seas carrying a dead Kaijū while the crew holds hands on the edge of the deck.
"Then we realized, this was not gonna stop, this was just the beginning. We needed a new weapon. The world came together, pooling our resources. Throwing aside old rivalries for the sake of the greater good."
Headlines came up as politicians talked. Assembly lines showed the construction of some kind of machine, a machine with a human-like blue leg.
"To fight monsters, we created monsters of our own. The Jaeger program was born."
An engineer turns and talks to someone while a massive machine with two bulges at it's shoulders is being built. A man wears some kind of helmet. Another man wears some kind of strange harness with his left arm held out, a glass window behind him showing a robotic arm. He closes and reopens his hand while the giant arm replicates the action.
"There were setbacks at first." a man wearing a device on his head falls back as doctors hurry to clean the blood from his nose and check his eyes. "The neural load to interface with the Jaeger proved too much for a single pilot." the EKG connected to the man flat lined as his eyes rolled up and his nose began to bleed heavily.
"A two pilot system was implemented." a computer screen shows a Jaeger cockpit with one side labeled 'Pilot 1' and the other 'pilot 2'. "Left Hemisphere, right hemisphere. Pilot control." a news report shows a Jaeger, Romeo Blue, during a parade. "We started winning. Jaegers stopping Kaijū everywhere." battles took place, sometimes in the middle of the night. A cover of rolling stone magazine is shown with a Jaeger taking center-stage.
"But the Jaegers were only as good as their pilots, so Jaeger pilots turned into rock stars." two men, the Gage Brothers who pilot of Romeo Blue, appear on television. A Kaijū body burns.
"Danger turned into propaganda. Kaijū into toys." a kid plays with a toy Kaijū just before a commercial comes up for shoes, one labeled 'Romeo Blue' and the other labeled 'Hardship', the Romeo Blue shoe showing an obvious design towards the Jaeger while Hardship appeared to have a Kaijū for it's inspiration.
"We got really good at it. Winning" a news report shows a Jaeger, Tacit Ronin, as it stands over a dead Kaijū and turns to face something. Then posters for Kaijū organs pop up before a guy uses yellow tape on a site and people go about their lives even with a Kaijū skeleton nearby.
"Then" a tv show has a man in a Kaijū suit as the two primary people of the show react with mock terror as the guy in the suit acts out his role. "Then it all changed."
ALASKA – 2020
KAIJU WAR Year 7
"Gypsy Danger report to Bay 08, level A-42." came an announcement over the PA System.
A pilot gets jolted awake when an announcement comes over the PA System: "Gypsy Danger report to Bay 08, level A-42. Kaiju: codenamed Knifehead. Category 3. 8700 metric tons."
"Yancy! Wake up." the guy on the bottom bunk, Raleigh, calls out as he leaps out of bed. He smacks the top bunk repeatedly to wake Yancy up while going "Movement in the Breach. Hey, come on. We're being deployed." and wrapping his hand around his chin.
"Great. Good Morning" Yancy says sleepily as he gets out of bed with Raleigh returning it.
"Kaijū's a category three. The biggest one yet. Codenamed: Knifehead." Raleigh says as he gets dressed.
"What time is it?" Yancy asks as he struggles to wake up.
"2" came the reply.
"AM?"
"Yep. What do you say, fifth notch on the belt." Raleigh says with one forearm raised, Yancy clumsily returning the forearm bump while still trying to wake up.
"Come on Becketts, time for the drop." a voice says after quickly rapping on their door, a wall in the room saying "Gipsy Danger" in flowing script, like what was painted onto a B-17 or B-29 during WW2. Yancy gets into the bathroom and says "Hey Kid."
"Yea?"
"Don't get cocky." Yancy answered with a confident smirk on his face.
A bit later both men were fully dressed and headed to the hangar, jackets adorned with Gipsy Danger's emblem on the back worn over their jumpsuits.
"Years before, you wouldn't have picked my brother Yancy and me for heroes. No chance." the two men walked through a door way that slowly shut while Raleigh popped off "All right, let's suit up and kick some ass."
"We were never star athletes. Never at the head of the class." the brothers were now in black Circuitry suits as technicians came up and attached a chest plate and further pieces of the Drivesuit. "But we could hold our own in a fight. It turns out we had a unique skill, we were drift compatible."
Yancy and his brother looked at each other and put on their helmets, a strange yellow liquid inside that slowly drained away.
"Data on Helmet." an AI began. "Data relay gel dispersing in circuitry suit." the AI finished.
The Conn-pod of Gipsy Danger lit up as the entrance was opened and Yancy and Raleigh stepped inside. The two men stepped onto plates and were locked into place as the conn-pod attached more pieces to their suits.
"Good morning Beckett boys." a voice came over the com and Raleigh reached up to a button before saying "Tendo. What's happening my man." and Yancy joined in by asking "How'd that date with Alison go last night Mr. Choi?"
"Oh she loved me, the boyfriend not so much." Tendo replied.
"You're gonna get your ass kicked." Raleigh commented and Tendo laughed before replying "A Man's gotta do what a man's gotta do brother."
"Engage drop, Mr. Choi." a new voice said as a man appeared at Tendo's side.
"Engaging drop, sir." Choi replied while getting everything started. "Marshall Pentecost on deck." Choi finished.
"Securing Conn-pod, getting ready to drop." Choi said as he went through each stage. Technicians did their part before moving away, one confirming "Conn-pod door lock secure."
"Ready for drop." Choi finished.
A technician closed and locked the conn-pod as warnings blared and men moved away. Inside the Conn-pod Yancy said "Ready for drop." while Raleigh said "Gipsy Danger ready for the big drop."
Locks moved away and the Conn-pod, actually the Jaeger's head, suddenly lurched before dropping down a long shaft. Once it reached it's destination the head of the Jaeger was attached to the torso by the neck before turning to the left, the armour moving slowly into place as Choi said "Uplink confirmed sir."
"Engage pilot-to-pilot protocol." Pentecost responded.
"Engaging now."
"Pilot-to-pilot connection sequence, engaged." a female voice, the Jaeger's AI, confirmed as the armour plates that made up the Jaeger's collar finally moved into place, gantries moving out of the way in a rush as the nuclear turbine in the Jaeger's chest quickly spun up to speed, going from reddish-orange to blue and lights on the machine's chest, shoulders, and head turned on. A massive door opening up and into the rough weather as rain, lightning, and thunder slammed down from on high.
A man guided the gantry holding Gipsy moved back as a voice called over the Intercom " Gypsy Launch, Bay 6." the gantry eventually dropped into the bay as a helicopter flew outside.
"Gipsy Danger, ready and aligned sir." Yancy said over the com-link to LOCCENT.
"Rangers this is Marshal Stacker Pentecost, prepare for Neural handshake." Pentecost said.
"Neural Handshake in 15 seconds." Choi said before he started his countdown.
Inside Gipsy Yancy looked over at his brother and said "Ready to step into my head, kid?"
"Please, after you. Age before beauty, old man." his brother replied, Yancy smirking at that.
A few seconds later the Jaeger's AI said "Pilot-to-pilot protocol sequence. Neural handshake, initiated." and thus Yancy's mind was thrown into Raleigh's and vice versa.
"The Drift, Jaeger tech. Based on DARPAjet fighter neural systems. Two pilots mind melding through memories with the body of a giant machine. The deeper the bond, the better you fight." Yancy and his brother finished going through each other's memories with a gasp.
"Neural Handshake strong and holding." Choi said after the computer came back.
"Right hemisphere is calibrating."
"Left Hemisphere is calibrating."came the confirmations as Yancy and his brother raised their arms at 90 degree angles before finally joining them together with their left hand inside their right. "Proofed and transmitting" Gypsy's AI stated. Outside the Jaeger replicated the move before lowering it's arms in tandem with it's pilots.
"Gentlemen your objective is to hold the miracle mile off Anchorage, copy?" Pentecost asked.
"Copy that sir."
"Sir, there is still a civilian vessel in the gulf."
"Gentlemen you're protecting a city of two million do not risk those lives for a boat that holds ten. Am I clear?" Pentecost responded.
Inside Gipsy Yancy said "Yes sir" before cutting his coms off for a minute and saying "Man, that's cold."
"You know what I'm thinking?" Raleigh asked.
"I'm in your brain. I know." Yancy replied.
"Then let's go fishing. Here we go." Raleigh commented as they started marching in place. "Come on bro put some muscle to it!" Raleigh popped off as the systems below their feet and attached to their forearms translated their movements to the machine. The Jaeger began marching into the gulf in time with it's pilots' steps.
"There are things you can't fight – acts of God. You see a Hurricane coming you have to get out of the way. But when you're in a Jaeger, suddenly, you can fight the hurricane. You can win." Gipsy eventually moving far enough out that she disappeared beneath the waves.
ALASKA COASTLINE
10 MILE LINE
On the fishing boat in the gulf three men were on deck, a man named Merrit yelling "Get them tied down and go down below! Now!" before getting back in the wheelhouse.
"How far to the mainland?" he asked
"Seven miles off Anchorage, sir!" McTighe responded.
"But We won't even make it passed the shallows in this weather!" the First Officer said as he kept his hand on the wheel.
"No, we won't!" McTighe agreed.
"What about that island. three miles east?!" Merrit suggested.
"No it's two miles sir." came the reply as the sonar started going crazy. "One mile sir! It's getting closer!"
"How the hell can it be getting closer?!" came the First Officer's response as the captain looked out the window.
"Kaijū." came the Captain's terrified answer as his companions turned to look out the window with him. The massive Kaijū coming ever closer as the Captain finally yelled "Harder to starboard! Turn her around! Now!"
Eventually the creature surfaced and gave a series of load roars before looking down at the boat almost quizzically, though the glowing beneath the waves behind the boat gathered it's attention. Neither Knifehead nor the boat noticed as the water bulged behind the creature, the water having three series of massive scutes that bore a slight resemblance to a shark's dorsal fins sticking out.
"Oh, God!" the first officer called as the four men on deck turned behind the boat and a fourth, unnamed man, yelled "What the hell!"
The glowing water exploded in a massive spray as Gipsy exploded up out of the waves and stood up to it's full height. The Jaeger reached down and picked the boat up, the AI saying "Ship secure." as Yancy concentrated on getting the boat to safety as he said "Adjust the torque." and his brother replying in the affirmative as Gypsy's AI returned "Torque locked." and Raleigh raised his arms up as if to box, the Jaeger dodging a blow from Knifehead as it moved the boat away from the creature and seemingly gave it a push to get it moving.
Just as Gipsy turned and swung a massive right hook at the charging Knifehead, a third figure exploded from the waves with a massive earth-shattering roar as a second Kaijū appeared, but strangely it's target was Knifehead as a long whip-like tail that bore a shark-like fin on the end whipped out and knocked the legs out from under Knifehead in time with the punch to the jaw from Gipsy, sending the Kaijū flipping into the air before landing on it's back in the water. The second creature shot passed Gipsy and snatched up the boat, holding it almost like an American football before depositing it safely on shore.
The two shocked Jaeger pilots called back "Choi! We've got a SECOND Kaijū!"
"What? A second one?"
"Yea" Yancy began. "This thing exploded from the water and tripped Knifehead before running passed us! What category is it?!" he finished and Choi started typing away at insane speeds to get a lock on the creature and determine it's power rating. He finally finished and Pentecost was heard to audibly suck in a breath as Choi's pants turned dark as he pissed himself. "IT'S A FIVE!" he yelled in terror and Yancy overheard him.
"What?!did you say this thing is a Category Five?" Raleigh asked and Pentecost said with a little fear in his tone. "That is confirmed, Gipsy Danger, you are now facing a double event, a Category III led by a V. the first ever recorded. I'm calling Romeo Blue back and ordering Cherokee Rose to deploy."
Yancy seemed to get somewhat fearful as he and his brother looked around for the new creature, only to find it staring them right in the face when they turned around, causing Gipsy to take a step back as the brothers Beckett recoiled in surprise.
The new creature was MASSIVE, over three times Gipsy's size with whitish-gold leathery skin. It resembled a tyrannosaur mixed with a shark and had a long blunt snout, large round eyes, a long neck, a whip-like tail, large fin-shaped dorsal scutes, and long powerful arms and legs. Yancy was surprised when the creature didn't attack, instead it's eyes seemed to hold an inquisitive curiosity as it studied the Jaeger, moving it's head next to the machine.
Yancy and his brother could hear it sniffing the metal monster before giving a loud call, seemingly of intrigue, before zipping away so quickly the two brothers were unable to keep track. The brothers looked at each other with expressions that said 'What the fuck is going on?' as they saw the tip of the creature's tail vanish into the sea.
In LOCCENT Choi was staring at the screen as the new creature's indicator suddenly had a name and he said it aloud "Lucertola devota? Marshal Pentecost, is that the new Kaijū's codename?" Pentecost looking at the screen in surprise as he said "I have no idea. We'll keep it for now. Gipsy, keep your eyes open for the Category five, codenamed 'Lucertola devota', but don't let Knifehead out of your sight."
"Roger that Control." Yancy replied.
Unbeknownst to LOCCENT or Gipsy, the Lucertola was now sitting on the nearby cliffs in an almost cat-like manner, it's tail draped over the edge as it studied the currently quiet battlefield, a giant hole in the ground behind it.
The fight was rejoined when Knifehead suddenly burst from the waves, Gipsy starting the second round in style with a powerful uppercut and a series of punches before giving a double ax handle smash to the top of the Kaijū's head, sending it back underwater with a nasty headache.
Knifehead lunged from the water with the intent to bite Gipsy's head off, only managing to get the left forearm in it's mouth before being thrown off as the right arm suddenly changed shape and turned into a plasma caster. "Come on, get him. Shoot him." Raleigh called.
"I'm on it! I'm on it!" Yancy replied as the caster charged up and fired three times in rapid succession just as Knifehead leapt at Gipsy, the blasts taking it in the gut and sending it flying.
"Discharge reading. Plasma cannon shallow shelves several miles off the coastal line." Choi called out and Pentecost went to a microphone, giving a heated "Gipsy what the hell is going on?"
"Job's done sir. Lit it up twice. Bagged our fifth kill." Yancy replied.
"You disobeyed a direct order!"
"Respectfully sir. We intercepted a Kaijū and saved everyone on that boat."
"Get back to your post NOW!" Pentecost ordered before stomping away from the microphone.
"Yes sir." Raleigh responded.
"Kaijū signature rising!" Choi suddenly said and Pentecost moved to take Choi's place as he moved to another chair. "That thing's still alive sir." Choi told him.
"Gipsy, we're still getting a signature from Knifehead!" Pentecost told the brothers as quickly as he could, the two men readying for round three.
"That Kaijū is still alive, get out of there!" Pentecost told them as they studied the glowing blue water. "Do you copy? Get out of there now!" Pentecost finished, but he was too late as Knifehead lunged from the water and slapped Gipsy upside the head with a roar.
The two behemoths grappled, "Take it Raleigh." Yancy yelled.
"I got this." came the reply as he activated a plasma caster in the left arm, only for Knifehead to grab the limb and squeeze down while shoving his snout through Gipsy's shoulder, destroying the left arm and ripping it off. Inside the Conn-pod Raleigh screamed in pain as it felt like his own arm had been ripped off as the limb itself fell and stopped responding to the signals his brain was sending it.
"LOCCENT, we're hit." Yancy called.
"Left arm's gone cold, sir!" Choi informed Pentecost with fear in his eyes.
Knifehead threw the arm away before concentrating on Gipsy's head, smashing it with a hard blow before raising it's head and biting down.
"The Hull! It went through the hull!" Raleigh yelled as he and his brother turned to look.
"Raleigh, listen to me! You need AH!" Yancy said as he looked over, only for Knifehead to finally bite through Gypsy's head and rip him from the pod.
Raleigh screamed in grief and pain as he felt every emotion Yancy did before death. The neural load hitting him full force now as Knifehead leapt from the seas and tackled Gipsy. The Kaijū brutally attacked the now crippled Jaeger before stabbing it through the chest, Raleigh's grief and pain suddenly turning into rage as he activated the right arm's plasma caster, to the sound of an incredibly loud and thunderous roar of rage coming from the cliffs.
Knifehead concentrated on attacking Gipsy's now harmless left side as the AI confirmed the caster's charging, warnings blaring as Raleigh kept on standing despite the physical and emotional trauma. The Plasma caster eventually fired into Knifehead's face at point-blank range.
In LOCCENT Choi was watching the sensors when he suddenly noticed all three signatures; Gipsy, Knifehead, and Lucertola's all had vanished.
"Second discharge fried all the comms, sir. I'm not getting any signals." Choi informed Pentecost as the man in question paced nervously before turning and slowly walking away, hating that he suspected the worst already. "No signatures sir! What do we do now sir?" Choi asked him.
The next morning an older man and a young boy were exploring the coast, the man saying "Now I want you to keep an eye on that gauge there." a minute later he continued "You know what I'd like to find? I'd like to find a whole ship, that's what I'd like to find." just as the metal detector he was carrying went off.
"Wait, wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Wait! Right there, right there. Dig." he said as the detector reached a crescendo, the boy doing as he was told.
The object was eventually dug from the snow and the man asked "hey, what is it?"
"It's just an old toy." the boy began as he brushed it off and stood up. "We never find anything good."
The old guy studied the toy as booms slowly began to be heard and the detector went crazy. "Listen!" and the guy raised the detector, when it finally locked on he looked up and with shock in his tone he said "Oh my God." as Gipsy came staggering into view, a massive Kaijū that looked like a Tyrannosaur mixed with a shark seemingly helping the practically crippled Jaeger walk.
Gipsy's head had the upper right corner missing, the edges for the missing section jagged from Knifehead's bite as sparks sputtered from the left shoulder joint's nerve bundles and the other damaged sections of the Jaeger's body. The chest had a massive hole punched through it as Gipsy stumbled, going down on it's knees and finally falling face down as the Kaijū lowered it gently, the sound of tortured metal creaking echoing out as the machine hit the ground and the turbine powered down.
Rushing to the downed Jaeger's head, the older guy told his boy "Stay here!" as he ran to the destroyed head. The boy looked up at the Kaijū and could swear he saw grief in it's glacier colored eyes as it looked down at him forlornly.
When the old guy arrived at the Jaeger's head he saw one of the pilots come crawling out, his suit destroyed as the left shoulder and bicep were just, gone, the left side of the chest was blackened and burned, and his helmet's glass was broken out as blood trailed down his face.
Raleigh stood up and stumbled out away from the destroyed Gipsy, his shoulder had gashes in it and blood stained the right side of the suit.
"Mister!, can i help?" the old man asked Raleigh as he moved, unable to hear anything but the ringing in his ears.
As he moved he gasped his brother's name a couple times before falling, the old guy making sure he landed on his back before telling the kid to run off and get help. As the old guy kept trying to keep Raleigh awake, he looked up at the Kaijū, the massive creature gently nudging Raleigh with it's snout before raising it's head and giving out a series of massive earth-shaking bellows of sounded like grief.
Kaijū/ Jaeger Dossier
Kaijū
Knifehead
Breech Date: February 29, 2020
Category: III
Status: Deceased/ Gypsy Danger
Height: 315 feet (96m)
Weight: 8,700 metric tons
Speed: 6
Strength: 7
Armor: 7
Lucertola Devota
Breech Date: February 29, 2020
Category: V
Status: Alive
Height: 328-508 feet (100-155m)
Weight: 9,100 metric tons
Speed: 10+
Strength: 10+
Armor: 10+
Jaeger
Gypsy Danger
Launch Date: July 10, 2017
Classification: Mark-3
Status: Destroyed/ Knifehead
Country of Origin: United States of America
Height: 260 ft. (79m)
Weight: 1,980 tons
Speed: 7
Strength: 8
Armor: 6
Romeo Blue
Launch Date: December 15, 2015
Classification: Mark-1
Status: Active
Country of Origin: United States of America
Height: 255 ft. (77.7m)
Weight: 7,775 tons
Speed: 2
Strength: 7
Armor: 6
Cherokee Rose
Launch Date: November 3, 2018
Classification: Mark-4
Status: Active
Country of Origin: United States of America
Height: 260 ft. (79m)
Weight: 1,800 tons
Speed: 9
Strength: 9
Armor: 8