After the Drift

Chapter Twenty-Four: Monsters

After being in a dome for so many years dealing with the big uglies, you'd think it would become routine.

I guess life or death situations never really lost their edge.

Sitting there on the platform edge as the jaegers made their way out. I let out a huge breath I didn't know I was holding. I hated this part.

Chuck and his father were the primaries this go. Lucie and her Spaniard were the secondaries.

Eureka moved slickly out of the bay with Sovereign behind them. Tears quickly pricked my eyes.

People I cared about, some albeit begrudgingly, were about to risk themselves for the world.

The helicarriers blades ripped through the air, taking off with each giant robot. A little bit of my heart left with them.

Chuck had given me a deep kiss before leaving, not saying much other than "See ya soon, love." I nodded a watery goodbye. Not wanting to cry in front of him, making something so hard even harder.

Every goodbye could be the last.

I gripped the railing and hauled myself up. I headed towards the large televisions in the lounge that had whatever local tv station giving constant play by plays of the fight. My stomach felt knotted up.

Eureka was having a rough go with this category three. It had a large protruding horn that whipped back and forth like a sword. Eureka was doing its best to keep the kaiju away from the miracle mile. Sovereign was behind the beast trying to lure it to deeper water. Sovereign's movements looked clunky. My chest gave a squeeze.

Whoever was working on her didn't get her quirks. Her left shoulder would lock up if not properly lubricated every time. They had forgotten.

Damnit.

A large hand squeezed my shoulder, making me jump. I turned and saw my father standing there, my mother to his right. She looked worried but gave a sad smile for me. I huddled closer to my parents. Hoping their warmth would help with the ache of apprehension inside me.

They may not be the most involved parents, missing a birthday or recital we once would have, but I loved them. My little family stood close watching the fight drag on for hours.

With a plasma canon shot under the kaiju's jaw, came the final blow. The beast shuddered violently and finally fell into the swirling black water. The eerie blue from their blood leaked information he water.

Sovereign's right arm had been detached since the other had locked up and Eureka only looked a shade better.

I heard comms chattering, maybe my sister's voice, maybe Herc or someone on their teams.

The lounge cheered and people began to celebrate the victory. Hugs and back slaps, laughing.

My heart felt a little better with both jaegers and their pilots coming out with only minor injuries.

My thoughts strayed to Chuck. I was immediately struck with how handsome he was and how much I just wanted to hold him. I let out a huge sigh.

"Knew they could do it." Dad whispered quietly. I gave a small smile, I hated what my sister did, but I was glad they were okay.

I would see Chuck soon. My heart gave a tiny flip of excitement.

Helicarriers finally came to pick up the jaegers when a tremor shook the camera frame and rippled in the water.

The lounge went quiet.

The crews were too busy hooking up the jaegers to notice any changes around them. They assumed everything was safe and the contamination teams would handle the corpse of the kaiju.

No one would have thought that the bastard was playing dead.

Suddenly the screens all went blank.

Everyone whipped out phones and any other technology to find a feed of what was happening.

Suddenly the PA crackled on and gave live audio from the scene. Mom and Dad cursed as they were called to their Jaeger. They each hugged and kissed me and ran full tilt to Romeo.

It would take them at least 15 minutes to get out there...

A man's voice narrated the battle now happening.

Cat 3 kaiju still alive

Eureka engaging

Sovereign Brave is now non functional, all electrical is offline

Helicarrier 2 is down, repeat Helicarrier 2 is down

Gasps went through the lounge. A scream happened from my left.

The radio crackled.

Eureka is trying to distract

Heli team 2 is ejecting

Kaiju ... kaiju just ... devoured them...

The radio crackled again. Weeping could be heard, boots hitting the ground, people yelling. The world was spinning.

Kaiju is heading for Sovereign

Eureka landed a severe blow, cutting its horn clean off

It's charging Sovereign!

No! No!

The radio static was deafening.

I realized I was shaking when I went to cover my mouth before I was sick.

I knew what had happened before the news had officially come in.

My sister was gone.

The disgusting beast had charged Sovereign, cracking its chest plate and sending it into the ocean to fill with water. My sister had drowned in her conn-pod. The man she was drifting with had flown out the front visor and died on impact against floating debris.

I felt numb. She was gone. Just like that. I couldn't even remember the last thing I said to her. It hadn't been nice. It hadn't been 'I love you'.

Tears started falling down my face as I sank to the floor. People rushed by, some stood close by, unsure of how to comfort me. I sobbed.

On my knees, face burning from rage and regret, I just barely made out two large black boots standing in front of me. I looked up through blurry eyes at Stacker Pentecost.

"Come here."

He knelt down and held me. I clung to him like a life raft and cried like I never had in my life.

I soon lost my voice, just simply shaking while trying to make some sense out of what had happened.

He had lead me to my room and stayed until my parents finally returned. They looked ragged.

Eureka had finally pinned the thing down when my parents had got there. They gave the killing blow, savagely decapitating the beast.

My dad had tears in his eyes as he reached for me. Mom sat quietly in the corner watching us. Tears silently falling down her cheeks.

It felt like I couldn't hear anything other than a constant ringing.

My sister was dead.