TBVF: Chapter 18: 1, 2, 3 (Eins, Zwei, Drei)

Title: The Blue Vast Future
Author: Ariel Chew
Genre: Sci-Fi, Humor, Friendship, Family
Summary: A SB#187 team aged-up to be in a Kaiju battle. Ariel’s merely a 21-year-old supervisor of Gamma Rapper, but with all the training of the Academy she has, will it prepare her for the biggest turns of events of the century?
~*~
“Beta Strucker, Storm Dragon, report to your respective Conn-Pods.” Asyikin announces over the intercom. Today is the day, evident with everyone aside from the designated pilots in their Jaegars all gathered in the LOCCENT Control room.

“Storm J-techs, report on installing the nuclear package on Storm.” Once Asyikin gets the confirmation, she calls out a few more orders, mainly basic orders of getting everything else ready. For today’s battle, the K-Lab division is present, the new reader (Code: Smooth Bond-187) brought over from the lab and on stand-by for Kaiju arrival.

“How’s the reading coming along, Joey?”

“The Breach is stabilizing, the throat now significantly wider than before. Though this morning we did pick up some weird readings…”

Achik looks at her sharply. “What do you mean by weird readings?”

Joey scratches the back of her head. “Well, SB-187 tends to pick up very faint readings, as though it can actually read into the other dimension. So this morning, when I came in about 2 in the morning, the reader was beeping with figures triple than the previous battle.” Joey’s face darkens as she speaks her mind.

“The previous reading was double, which is why you can conclude that it’s a Double-event. If triple… I’m worried that it will be a Triple-Event.”

Achik ‘tsk’s at this. “Why haven’t you told me any of this?! We must take all scenario into consideration!”

Immediately Achik rushes over to the intercom.

“Beta, Storm, listen up. There’s a change in the situation: We may be experiencing a Triple-event rather than a Double-event as expected. The Kaiju may be onto our motives faster than we suspect.”

“But Achik, how could the Kaiju be onto us?” Ashleigh asks. Ariel frowns down worriedly, clenching and unclenching her fists sporadically as Iris snaps her fingers together.

“Maybe… Just like how our reader can pick up signals, be it distress or number signals, they could sense signals. It’s a metaphorical term of “sensing a change in atmosphere” for us, but for them it may be literal. They are pretty much animalistic, and animals are pretty sharp on these things.”

Achik nods. “Exactly. However, we will use timing to catch them off guard. Beta, Storm, engage drop.” Asyikin parrots the Marshall’s words, and the Conn-Pods detach and reattach onto the main body. With the new information, the atmosphere in the room becomes tenser, everyone on their toes as Asyikin initiates the pilot-to-pilot protocol.

“The plan of attack is to close the Breach and take out any hindering Kaiju. Initially we expect only two, however we are to expect an additional third surfacing, so stay alert. Good luck.”

>-<

“Storm, everything okay on your end?” Amirul calls out once both Jaegars are drop off close to the Breach. Even though Talha is the dominant partner among the two, Amirul has resigned himself to the position of the main vocalist.

“We’re all good, Beta. Shall we move on ahead, LOCCENT?” Leo replies.

“Yes. Caution when approaching Breach. We’ve detected two signatures from it, so they are coming out anytime soon.” Achik’s reminder has the two Jaegars change their positions – Beta in the front and Storm at the back with the nuclear payload. In comparison, Beta Strucker is short and bulky, whereas Storm Dragon is tall and less bulky as Beta. A nuclear core versus an electric core, the benchmark difference between the two generation of Jaegars.

There’s the Breach. Talha’s thoughts were as soft as his words, Amirul thinks with a chuckle, the feeling did not go unnoticed as Talha scowls through their Drift. Don’t laugh at me.

Sorry, sorry. I’m just glad that you’re all healed up. Amirul muses, though Talha does not cease scowling at the explanation.

Let’s just focus on the mission. Talha huffs.

“Beacon lights are now on.” Talha softly announces, and in the deep waters they wade through, the lights only source for sight.

“LOCCENT, how far are we?” They hear Bel asks through the linked communication, and the sound of static that rushes through the intercom before Zul’s voice filters in.

“About a kilometer away. Two signatures are now out of the Breach.”

“Copied that.” Amirul answers. I see a light up ahead. Talha prompts, and they move a little faster ahead, careful not to distance themselves too far from Storm.

The thing about deep waters, is that light cannot reach to the bottom. This is, undoubtedly, the best place for Kaiju to hide in and launch attacks from. They only know it’s too late when a flash of red shoots by them, and then a Kaiju appears into range of view and lunges at Storm Dragon with a pair of claws.

“Storm!” Beta Strucker turns, both pilots clearly intending to assist Storm once they saw the attack. But as soon as they maneuver around, a shadow cuts in between the two, effectively stopping Beta in its tracks.

“Geh! The second Kaiju!” We need to get rid of this guy before we can help Storm!

Look – It has tentacles; if we’re not careful, we will be easily trapped. Talha reminds.

“Storm, how’s your condition over there? This stupid octopus Kaiju just came out of nowhere and has blocked our path!”

“We’re okay - Agh! - Don’t mind us, we can handle this guy ourselves!” Bel calls over the intercom, letting out a grunt along with the suffering an impact on Storm.

Talha, we need to do something to this guy!

Guess it’s time to pull out the punches. Talha grimly notes.

“You think you can handle us?!!” Beta takes up a boxer’s position, its fists creaking as two rows of metallic blades slots itself between the Jaegar’s knuckles. Although Beta Strucker is an analog Jaegar, it has survived all this time with its ruthless street fighting style.

Time to get down and dirty, they suppose, rushing towards the Kaiju.

>-<

Leo! You alright?

I’m okay. Just a scratch.

If it wasn’t for the payload on our back, we would’ve fire our missiles! Bel frustration echoes loudly through the headspace. The Anti-Kaiju Missiles, their second best weapon, is compromised due to its position – six on each shoulder blade that is dangerously close to the nuclear payload that hangs from their upper back.

“Let’s try using our [Oxtail Swords]!” The pair of Chinese swords are strapped to Storm’s waist, the Jaegar drawing both swords in retaliation to the Kaiju’s fearsome claws. “[Martial Art: Heavenly Slash!]”

Rushing forward, the Jaegar slices at the Kaiju, the swords moving in a different diagonal direction each time the attack hits the Kaiju. Their attack is effective, electric blue blood gushing to meet the ocean water as the Kaiju rears back in pain.

“Ha! Not so tough now, aren’t you, Onibaba?!” Leo’s victorious laugh dies when Bel groans.

“Leo, did you seriously just name this guy ‘Onibaba’?”

“Well, yeah! What’s wrong with the name? I mean, it thinks it’s so smart, like Alibaba from that story. But since it’s a Kaiju, Onibaba (Oni being demon in Japanese, as Kaiju is the Japanese word for monster) sounds fitting, right?”

“Don’t worry Leo. Achik already saved the name as Onibaba.” Ashleigh sounds almost exasperated over the intercom. “Just focus on the fight, before it-“

Onibaba, enraged, opens its split mouth and roars. A weird, almost thunderous roar knocks their electricity out, cutting Storm’s connection with LOCCENT. The Jaegar staggers into a stop, lack of power and unable to move its limbs.

This is really, really bad!

“Tch! Of all the powers this Kaiju just have to have… An EMP attack…!” Leo is annoyed, and both pilots can only watch as Onibaba turns away from them and heads to assist its partner.

“Good thing is, Beta can still fight since it’s analogue. Though now it’s a 2 VS 1 fight.” Bel frantically looks around, wondering just what they could do to help. Everything they have are all relying on their electric core!

Is this the end for Beta Strucker?!

<->

“Storm? Storm!” Ashleigh’s panic voice hits a wall, no reply nor signal heard from Storm Dragon. Earlier, the EMP attack of Onibaba resulted a power outage in the Shatterdome as well, taking the techs a few minutes to connect to the back-up power source before they tried to reconnect.

“Beta, we can’t reach Storm. We suspect there’s power failure in their Jaegar.” Achik gravely takes over the intercom after Iris and Ariel pulls a distraught Ashleigh away. In a corner watching is Aaron, who could only watch the live statistics of his fellow comrades with clenched fists.

If only Eric is awake…!

“Damn it!” Aaron grits out, turning on his heels and marches out into the hall, towards the direction of the medic room where Eric rests. He stops dead in his tracks, however, upon entering the room.

“You…!”

~*~

Previous

Next

MasterPost