CHAPTER 12

Chapter 12

Shane was making his way to the gym, planning to do some light exercises after the previous day's mental and physical tests. The past week had been a whirlwind of scientific evaluations and rigorous assessments, and he finally had some time to unwind. As he walked through the corridor, stretching his arms, he suddenly heard the alarm system blaring across the entire PPDC base.

The flashing red lights accompanied by the urgent warning sounds sent a surge of adrenaline through his veins. PPDC staff members were rushing towards the hangar, engineers shouting commands at one another while pilots hurriedly suited up. The urgency in their movements indicated only one thing—Kaiju were coming.

Shane's eyes widened in realization. Without wasting a second, he turned around and sprinted back to his quarters. Once inside, he grabbed his pilot suit, swiftly securing it onto his body. As he reached for his helmet, the intercom buzzed, and a familiar authoritative voice echoed through the room.

"Shane, report to the control room immediately."

It was Marshal Stacker Pentecost.

Shane clenched his jaw, inhaling deeply before responding. "Understood, sir."

Instead of heading straight to the hangar, he made his way toward the command center, where he found Marshal Pentecost waiting for him. The veteran leader stood firm, his expression unreadable as always, but his presence alone commanded the room. Shane, still in his pilot suit, stood at attention.

"Come with me," the Marshal said, motioning towards the observation deck.

Shane hesitated for a split second, then nodded, falling into step beside him. He knew what was coming. His instincts screamed at him to get into Rajah, to be out there where the action was, but he also understood orders were orders.

As they entered the control room, Shane immediately spotted Tendo Choi manning the operations console, rapidly inputting data while keeping track of the battlefield in real-time. The screens displayed satellite imagery and tactical readouts. A giant blip on the radar confirmed their fears—a Kaiju incursion.

Shane stepped forward, his eyes locked onto the main display. "What's the situation?" he asked, his voice controlled but sharp.

Marshal Pentecost exhaled slowly before responding. "Kaiju are coming."

Shane's fingers curled into fists. "What's the level of the threat?"

Tendo Choi quickly glanced over his shoulder. "Category Four."

Silence filled the room for a brief moment. Shane knew Category Four Kaiju were among the most dangerous—their destructive power immense, their intelligence far superior to previous classifications. He exhaled sharply, steeling himself.

"Sir... I—" Shane started to speak, his body unconsciously tensing, prepared to volunteer himself for the fight.

But before he could finish, Pentecost cut him off. "No. You stay here. We observe."

Shane gritted his teeth but didn't argue. He knew better than to question the Marshal's decision, though every fiber of his being screamed for him to take action.

The main display flickered as live footage from the field was transmitted. Three Jaegers had already been deployed—Crimson Typhoon, piloted by the Wei Tang triplets; Cherno Alpha, the heavy Russian war machine; and Striker Eureka, the fastest and most advanced Jaeger in the fleet, piloted by Herc and Chuck Hansen.

Shane's gaze flickered to Raleigh and Mako, standing at the other side of the room. They were also watching intently, and Shane could tell Raleigh was itching to get into Gypsy Danger. He could see the tension in Raleigh's posture, the restrained anticipation in Mako's stance. Shane thought to himself that it seemed like these two's debut was about to happen.

As the Jaegers advanced towards the Hong Kong coastline, the radar began detecting another anomaly—another Kaiju signature emerging from the Breach. The control room fell into a tense silence as a second Category Four Kaiju was confirmed.

A double event.

Shane's fingers gripped the railing in front of him. This was going to be one hell of a fight.

Chapter end