After the Drift

Chapter One: What's in the Past... or not

I swear. If I have to correct one more dang piece of code for this Jaeger simulation, I was going to crack heads.

I swiveled back and forth in my chair for a moment, collecting myself.

They are cadets. Kids. It is not nice to crack poor little cadet heads, Blackwell. Nooo cracky cracky.

A low growl escaped my mouth.

Except they're well trained specialists in Jaeger tech maintenance code... who should know the difference between a kill command and a damn... dang... a dang daily maintenance routine... Jaeger anti-virus, really.

Honestly, being a commanding officer and teaching the youths the ins and outs of J-tech was not what I had dreamed about growing up. Neither was trying to censor my very sailor-like mouth...

I had actually wanted to be a marine biologist for the longest time. I thought the sting rays were so beautiful in the aquariums I had been to as a kid. Couldn't think of anything better than swimming with them all day. Then the first Kaiju attack happened and I wanted nothing to do with the ocean. Ever again.

I'd started out in the PPDC in pilot training way back when. Went through the academy with my sister, Lucie and eventually became copilots in Los Angeles in 2022. Our girl was Sovereign Brave. She was a Mark-4 Jaeger who I had loved with every fiber of my being.

Being pilots came pretty naturally, our parents had been pilots before us. I remember watching them celebrate on tv after their victories. Dad would always grab mom, swing her around then kiss her senseless. They rivaled the Hansens in kills before their untimely death in August 2024 to Fiend. He ripped their Jaeger Romeo Blue's head off. Throwing them into the ocean where they drowned in their conn-pod.

Damn, I missed them.

I mean dang! Why the hell do they want me teaching kids... I have no idea...I mean heck! UGH!

I flopped back in the chair, sighing heavily and slowly spun back towards the matrix module. The mock ups this week were testing their prowess with accessing, creating and trouble shooting the digital aspect of Jaeger maintenance.

I should just fail them all. All four of 'em.

I imagined four pouting puppies. Yup, that was them. The top of the charts in a Kaiju-less world. Only 14 weeks left...ugh.

It'd been ten years since we saw the last of those beasts come through the cracks in the Earth. Their portal was blasted to smithereens and so was the man I loved...

Whoa. Where did that come from? I haven't thought about him in...

I heard the door swoosh open and boots scuffing the ground, entering my office... lab... closet, whatever.

Probably a cadet looking for some other reason to annoy me.

"Hello darlin'", a deep masculine voice said with a breathy laugh.

No. That's not possible.

I gripped the desk in front of me until my fingers started trembling. I slowly spun my chair around to see the man who has haunted my dreams.

There he was like nothing ever happened. Maybe a few more laugh lines on that stupid perfect face of his, but there he was.

Chuck Hansen.

He shifted on his feet, a little uneasy.

My mouth had fallen open and quickly snapped shut when he gave his lopsided grin. I swallowed hard, what the hell is happening?