CHAPTER 17

Chapter 17

 the tension in the Shatterdome was palpable.

The war room was filled with important personnel—Marshal Stacker Pentecost, all active Jaeger pilots, technicians, and Tendo Choi. The atmosphere was heavy with anticipation and exhaustion, but they all knew why they were here.

This was the beginning of the end.

Stacker stood at the head of the table, hands behind his back, his eyes scanning the gathered pilots.

Pentecost:

"We've lost too many. We're running out of time. If we don't act now, this war will be over before we even realize it."

He pressed a button, and a holographic projection of the Breach—the dimensional rift beneath the Pacific—appeared in the center of the table. The swirling, pulsating mass of blue energy glowed ominously, casting eerie light onto the faces of those present.

Pentecost:

"The plan is simple. We will take a tactical nuclear device and drop it into the Breach, destroying the connection between our world and theirs. Once it's sealed, no more Kaiju will get through."

A murmur spread across the room. Some pilots nodded in agreement, others remained deep in thought.

Shane stiffened slightly.

"This won't work."

He knew it.

The plan sounded logical, but there was one fundamental flaw—the Breach would not allow anything through unless it was Kaiju DNA.

He clenched his fists under the table. He knew this information. But why would he know? No one else did. If he spoke up, how would he explain it?

Would they trust him?

Or would they question him?

Before Shane could wrestle with his decision, the room was interrupted by a sharp beeping sound from the main console.

Tendo Choi quickly answered the incoming call.

Tendo:

"This is the Shatterdome, state your message."

The voice on the other end was hurried, excited, and frantic.

Dr. Hermann Gottlieb:

"Marshal! Dr. Geiszler and I have something urgent—very urgent!"

Pentecost narrowed his eyes.

Pentecost:

"What is it?"

There was a brief silence. Then, Newt's voice came in, excited and almost breathless.

Dr. Newt Geiszler:

"The Breach! We've figured it out! You can't just drop a bomb in there—it won't work!"

The room froze.

Newt and Hermann proceeded to explain everything they had learned after drifting with a Kaiju brain the night before.

The Breach wasn't just a simple rift.

It was a portal, but one that was biologically coded. Anything that tried to pass through without Kaiju DNA would be instantly rejected.

Silence fell over the room as everyone absorbed this information.

Then, murmurs of concern spread among the staff.

Tendo (muttering):

"Then how the hell do we get in?"

Raleigh Becket:

"We need a new plan."

Mako Mori:

"If the Breach only opens for Kaiju... then how do we deliver the bomb?"

Shane Speaks Up

While everyone debated solutions, Shane remained quiet.

For a while, he simply listened.

Then, after a few moments, he sighed and leaned forward.

Shane:

"Before we come up with anything new, we need to focus on something important first."

Everyone turned to look at him.

Shane:

"We need to rest. And we need to repair our Jaegers first."

There was a pause.

Pentecost studied Shane carefully, his expression unreadable.

Shane continued.

Shane:

"If we rush into this without being fully prepared, we might as well be marching to our own deaths."

He gestured towards the pilots sitting around him.

Shane:

"Raleigh, Mako, you both fought yesterday. Your Jaeger took serious damage. Crimson Typhoon, and Cherno Alpha were nearly destroyed. Rajah itself is missing an arm."

He then looked at Pentecost directly.

Shane:

"I propose we take a day or two to fully repair our Jaegers and allow the pilots to recover. If we go in half-prepared, we won't make it back."

The room remained silent for a moment.

Then, a few nods followed.

Pentecost closed his eyes in thought, then slowly nodded.

Pentecost:

"Agreed. We'll take the next 48 hours to regroup. But after that, we go."

Shane's Upgrade Plan

As the meeting concluded, Shane pulled out his communicator.

He had another plan.

Not only did he want repairs, but he wanted upgrades.

He contacted his father's company—a private military engineering firm that specialized in advanced combat technology.

Shane requested for their best engineers to be flown in immediately to help reinforce the Jaegers. He also made specific requests for his own Jaeger, Rajah, knowing that his current setup wasn't enough.

His priorities were:

A Sensory System Upgrade

A specialized detection system that would alert him to any Kaiju presence within a large radius.He refused to be ambushed again.

Enhanced Defensive Systems

Rajah had already lost one arm. If he lost more, he needed better armor plating.

A System Upgrade

The neural link responsiveness needed to be improved. The Jaeger's reflexes had to be sharper, faster.

This wasn't just a repair.

This was a reinvention.

As the next 48 hours began, the Shatterdome became a hive of activity.

Pilots rested and recovered.

Mechanics worked tirelessly to rebuild and enhance the damaged Jaegers.

And Shane?

He watched. He waited.

Because tomorrow…

They would make history.

Chapter end.