The sound of metal clanking rang through the halls of the Shatterdome, as the mechanics worked on the giant Jaegers. People ran around, preparing for the next Kaiju to emerge from the Breach. You had just stepped inside, away from the never ending rain. Rain always calmed you down, but this day it didn't help the nervousness or the inner battle you had. You hadn't been in a Shatterdome or near a Jaeger since that day.
"(Y/n)!" you heard a familiar voice call. You turned around and saw the Marshall, making his way over to you.
"Marshall," you greeted with a nod of your head.
"I'm glad you decided to come. We really need it," Stacker said, his voice as gruff as it always was. He started leading you down the halls. Thankfully everyone stepped aside when they saw their boss, so you didn't have to worry about getting knocked to the ground.
"Why am I here, Stacker?" you asked, adding; "You know I won't get into a Jaeger."
"I know, but we need all the help we can get. You are as a consultant and you will be helping with upgrades on the Jaegers that we have." the Marshall explained.
"Who's left?"
"Crimson Typhoon, Cherno Alpha, Striker Eureka and Gipsy Danger,"
"Gipsy? Who'll be piloting her, Yansy's dead and Raleigh resigned?"
"We convinced him to come back. As for the second pilot, we have candidates ready," the Marshall explained as you walked through the mess hall.
A comfortable silence fell upon you. When you came to the main area, you saw the four magnificent machines standing tall. As far as you could tell, Cherno Alpha had just gotten to Hong Kong and her crew was walking towards the Marshall and you. The pilots, Sasha and Aleksis Kaidonovsky, had always been kind to you, they were like family.
"Sasha, Aleksis, welcome to Hong Kong," Stacker said, once they reached you.
"Thank you, Marshall," Sasha answered, while Aleksis gave a curt nod. The looked from the Marshall and to you. "(Y/n), it is so good to see you again." Sasha said, adding a, "How are you?" while they both hugged you.
"It's good to see you too and I'm well. What about you?" you smiled at the couple.
------------------------------------- Time-skip - a few hours -------------------------------------------
After you had been briefed on the situation, you went down to the mess hall to get something to eat. You took the tray of food and walked around until you saw another familiar face, Herc Hansen, the oldest Australian pilot. The older man looked up from his tray and smiled when he spotted you, waving you over. You smiled back and walked over, setting your tray on the table as you sat down on the bench.
"I'm glad to see ya again, (Y/n)," Herc said, with a thick Australian accent and a warm smile on his face.
"I'm glad to see you too, Herc. You look well," you told him.
The older man laughed silently. "Thanks, y..." Herc was suddenly interrupted by a tray slamming down on the table. You looked up at the guy and glared at him for interrupting the conversation. The newcomer looked to be around your age and he was quite handsome. Before you could say anything, you felt something nudge your leg and you looked down to see a bulldog looking back up at you, head tilted and tongue out. You reached down to pet its head. You smiled when the wrinkly dog licked at your fingers.
"His name's Max," you looked at the young man, a smirk was plastered on his face. "I'm Chuck," he added. He seemed like the kind of guy to brag about himself. "I'm a pilot." Yup, that was clarified quickly. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Herc roll his eyes and let out a quiet sigh. As far as you knew Herc's co-pilot was his son, Charles 'Chuck' Hansen, you had never met him, but you figured this had to be him.
"I'm (Y/n)," you told him, smiling slightly. He stuck out his hand and you took it. "He's quite a lovely dog."
"He is. So, what are you doing here?" Chuck asked.
"Consulting and Jaeger upgrades," you explained, straightening your back when you said it.
------------------------------------- Time-skip - the next day ------------------------------------------
You were walking through the halls when Max came walking towards you. You smiled and kneeled down before him, petting him. He grunted and rolled unto his back so you could pet his stomach, by this time you were seated on the floor. "MAX!" you were startled by the sudden outburst and looked up just in time to see Chuck walk around the corner. The young man stopped in his tracks before he smiled and started walking again. He came to a stop in front of you and reached a hand out so he could pull you up off the floor. You took it and he almost lifted you from the floor, which was quite impressive.
"Do you have anything to do now?" he asked and you were slightly surprised when he smiled. You had expected a smirk or a boyish grin.
"Not really. Why?"
"I thought we could get to know each other."
"Of course," you smiled at him.
The both of you started walking, Max following. A comfortable silence fell upon you as you thought of what to say. That was until you found a secluded area where he was the first to break it, asking; "What made you want to work in the anti-kaiju business?"
You sat down before answering, "My family was on a picnic during a vacation when the first Kaiju attacked. My twin brother and I were the only survivors, so we vowed to avenge our family and protect others. We started at the Jaeger academy a few years later and graduated in (?) becoming the youngest pilots," by the time you had finished, a few tears had made their way down your cheeks, leaving trails in their wake.
"What happened? If I may ask."
After taking a deep, calming breath you answered, "Our last Kaiju was a class 4. It was too strong and it got the upper hand when our weapons malfunctioned. It ripped a hole in our Jaegers head, killing (T/b/n). Raleigh and Yansy came at the last minute; I would've been dead if it weren't for them."
You stared out in the distance, recalling everything that happened that damned day. Chuck was glancing at your face. To him you were the most beautiful woman he had met. Sitting there gave you a sense of normality. With all that was happening in the world, you never felt you could just relax and be safe for one moment. But with Chuck you finally felt safe. Max sat by your side, lapping at your fingers.
You felt a hand touching your leg and you looked at Chuck. He took your free hand and gave you a small smile. A smile that said everything and no words were needed.
When it was time to go to your quarters to rest, you were reluctant to leave them. You hadn't felt safe in years, but fortunately his room was just on the other side of the wall. You stopped outside your door.
"This was really nice, Chuck," you told him, smiling up at the Aussie.
"It really was. I wouldn't mind doing it again."
"Me neither."
You stood on your toes and gave him a kiss on the cheek, watching as the tough Jaeger pilot's eyes lit up and his cheeks turned red. After saying goodnight to the Bulldog at your feet, you turned to your door, opened it and walked inside. Turning back around you smiled at Chuck.
"Goodnight, Chuck. See you in the morning."
"Goodnight, (Y/n)."
