Panama

BAY OF PANAMA – 22-04-16, 0800

 

The tide was coming in, pushing with a huge and futile effort against the twin iron spires that supported Tacit Ronin’s weight.  Seven thousand, four hundred fifty tons of Jaeger towered above the cool blue waves and dense layer of fog, topped with an angular amber visor staring vigilant at the line between sea and sky.  Bright in the morning sunlight, the Jaeger’s slick pale paint had been cleaned with high-pressure hoses by workers on scaffolds during the three-week journey from Lima.  Gears and pistons whirred and wheezed as the machine shifted its weight, rocking lightly back on its heels.

 

Inside the conn-pod, Rangers Duc and Kaori Koyamada were anxious.  Their eyes flickered in unison between the display screens feeding back to Marshal Toho’s mobile station in the CV-22B Osprey a few thousand feet above sea level and the digital cameras mounted on the Jaeger’s chest.  With the adjustment of a dial on Duc’s side of the pod one of the cameras’ telescopic lens increased magnification by four hundred percent and surveyed the distance.  A former Chief Petty Officer in the Japan Maritime Defense Force and onetime assistant to the ambassador in Washington, D.C., Duc was familiar with the silhouettes of United States naval crafts.  Recent events had educated him in the shapes of Kaiju, even if there was little method to their madness.

 

That was where her sister’s skills shone.  In addition to placing as one of Japan’s top kendo duelists, Kaori had an intense appreciation for biology and viewed their drift-compatibility as an opportunity to study the Kaiju in as close of a thing to their natural habitat as could be hoped.  Thus far she had made little progress in identifying the beasts as belonging to any single taxonomic family, much less a genus – even though they shared amphibious qualities and a general body type of six limbs and a monstrous head, the specifics varied greatly.  Many Kaiju had the appearance of huge toads or lizards, while others were almost crustacean in nature.  The monster they’d killed off the coast of Lima a few months earlier had been taken to the bottom of the ocean, so Kaori was hoping the next Kaiju would be easier to salvage and study.

 

The USS John Warner was supposed to be six miles offshore and focused on leading the newest Kaiju, whatever it was, directly to the strike force.  First spotted by deep sea commercial fishermen, the Kaiju codenamed Trawler, was described as a cross between a lamprey and an echidna and placed as a Category Three on the Serizawa Scale.  Long-range sonar and aerial surveillance had managed to track its progress over the last eighty hours, and its patterns of movement betrayed its goal – Panama City.  Tacit Ronin and its crew were being shipped away from the Lima Shatterdome up the Pacific Coast to Anchorage, Alaska, where it would jump to Vladivostok and from there to Japan, where a new Shatterdome was being built.  When Marshal Toho found out about Trawler’s sudden appearance he immediately ordered the Koyamadas into action.

 

As luck would have it, two other Jaegers were in the area.  Romeo Blue of the United States, piloted by the former MMA champion Bruce Gage and his brother, Marine Corps Sergeant Trevin Gage, was taking part in mountaineering exercises in Baja California to simulate conditions at the bottom of the Pacific.  China’s Horizon Brave III, fielded by the standoffish Lo Hin Shen and unremarkable Xichi Po, the latest in a series of Jaegers built from template, was sitting in port to man the under-construction Panama Shatterdome.  The Rangers had time to socialize at a group meal before taking up their positions on the Bay of Panama, and used the opportunity to detail their respective Jaegers’ skills and armaments.

 

“Romeo Blue‘s a big girl,” Bruce Gage had proudly drawled, “two-hundred and fifty-five feet tall, and every bit of her’s mean.  She’s a heavyweight, a prizefighter – just under eight thousand tons.  She’s only five months old, but we’ve put some skins on the wall already.  Took down that bastard in Honolulu last February, tore its head clean off and threw it down Kilauea volcano. ”

 

Trevin Gage interjected.  “But Blue’s strength is fighting from a distance.  The rear stabilizing leg has the same radius of motion as the main two, allowing us to set up shop wherever we please so long as the foundation’s solid.  Two pairs of thirty millimeter Gatling-type rotary cannons, those the old A-10 Thunderbolt was built around,  are located in the forearms.  They discharge depleted uranium shells that can go through eight inches of reinforced concrete while losing less than ten percent of traveling velocity.  In our experience, they’ve done exceptionally well against Category Two Kaiju.”

 

“Horizon Brave III is similar in size,” began Xichi Po, who was idly stirring a cup of black coffee, “she weighs in at seventy-nine hundred tons and measures two-hundred thirty-eight feet in height.  But like all Brave models she is designed to close the distance with a Kaiju and combat it face-to-face.  A foam compound distributed from nozzles in the midsection reacts with an enzyme in the mucus covering Kaiju bodies.  The foam hardens in seconds and immobilizes the Kaiju, allowing them to be easily dispatched by conventional weapons systems or Brave’s fists.”

 

“That’s a recent development, isn’t it?  I thought Brave series Jaegers used refrigerated cryo-cannons.” asked Duc.

 

“Yes, they did,” Shen replied, “until an overworked cooling channel in Brave II caused the Jaeger to freeze from the inside out.  Both Rangers were still in the conn-pod and unaware of the disaster.  The staff in the Hong Kong Shatterdome is still drilling into it, but the Rangers are presumed lost.  The foam is presumably a safer material, but we may not know for months how effective it is.”

 

The Rangers sat in silence for a few minutes pondering that.  Shen continued with his meal unperturbed.

 

“Well, Tacit Ronin’s approach is much simpler than that.  Two “fangblades” as the crew calls them protrude from the elbows.  They are constructed of a high-tensile titanium-carbon alloy and are regularly cleaned and sharpened to slow the corrosive effects of Kaiju blue, as well as mundane saline water.  The Jaeger itself is much lighter and smaller than either Rome Blue or Horizon Brave III, and specializes in close-quarters combat, multiplying the effectiveness of the blades.  

 

“Extensive articulation points at the ankles, elbows, and thighs allow for an increased range of motion.  The body as a whole is very sharply-angled to reduce resistance when maneuvering through water.  A battery of six WMB2x90 Anti-Kaiju missiles is housed in the chest cavity near the reactor core, but they are not combat-tested.”

Mackenzie lifted his eyebrows in approval, and his drink soon followed.  “Well, today’s as good a day as any to give them a spin.  Let’s go fishing.”

 

---

 

Now the Rangers found themselves in the Bay of Panama.  The city at their backs was still being evacuated, but the process was slow and projections did not see all of the citizens escaping before Trawler made landfall.  In attempt to slow it down further, Marshal Toho ordered the Rangers to take up position on the channel between Isla Taboguilla and Isla de Taboga, two rocky ports seven miles south of the mainland.  The plan was that the John Warner would lead the Kaiju into the space between the islands.  Then, Horizon Brave III and Tacit Ronin would each seal off an exit and Rome Blue would deliver suppressive fire until the other two Jaegers closed the distance to it.

 

Static and sound erupted over the conn-pod speakers, sharp in the Koyamadas’ ears.  “Target Trawler is within ten miles and closing,” Marshal Toho spoke, “the John Warner is just ahead of it but losing ground as the sea level rises.  Horizon Brave III, you’re nearest the rendezvous point.  Do what you can for the John Warner but don’t’ be a hero.  Tacit Ronin, Romeo Blue – remain in your positions, but be ready for any abrupt changes.  It will know how near it is to the city and the canal, and may shift direction without warning.

 

“Eight miles and closing.  Patching through real-time sonar readings from the John Warner to your heads-up-displays.  Seven miles.  If this Kaiju makes landfall and navigates the canal into the Caribbean, there’s no telling how much damage it could do.  Ready yourselves.  Six miles.”

 

Minutes passed.  The green dot representing the John Warner pulsed feverishly as the much larger dot representing Trawler pursued it.  Judging from the scale of the display no more than a mile separated them.  Using the exterior cameras, Duc and Kaori saw the telltale plumes of water indicating the submarine’s path, and uncomfortably near it, a much larger mass just beneath the surface.

 

The attack happened faster than they expected it to.  Trawler paused for half a heartbeat, and in that time Kaori felt Duc worry that it was changing direction and heading for the city.  Those fears were destroyed when the Kaiju leapt up and out of the water onto the John Warner.  The sonar feed immediately went blank, and on the main screen both Rangers saw a huge thrashing in the water as the submarine, longer than any Jaeger, was helplessly ripped to pieces.  They glimpsed a huge, muscular tail, a circular mouth lined with rows of inner-facing teeth, and a back featuring innumerable spikes as tall as a person.  And then the motion stopped.  Bits of metal and what looked like bodies floated to the surface.  An immense dark shape continued on its course towards the islands.

 

“Romeo Blue, do you have a visual?” Shen asked over the private radio channel.

 

“Negative Horizon Brave III, no sight of Trawler,” answered Jules, “this fog is obstructing vision.  Marshal Toho, can you see it from your position?”

 

“Affirmative Romeo Blue, target is between the islands.  Repeat, target is between the islands.  Seal the exits and proceed with caution.  I have six Apaches and another Osprey in the air above Isla de Tagoba, they have its location.  Transmitting coordinates to you now Romeo Blue.  You are clear to fire at your discretion.”

 

 Duc and Kaori took long strides forward, turning at the hip to get a better angle at Trawler’s position.  The magnified camera showed that Horizon Brave III was doing the same.  Without warning a rapid series of dull retorts and explosions at the water’s surface from Romeo Blue’s cannons alerted them all to the Kaiju’s presence.  Slick, fluorescent blue blood stained the seawater.  The currents changed direction towards the source of the fire and the Kaiju began to appear as the water level decreased.

 

Trawler was a hulk of glistening carapace and misshapen limbs.  Less than half of it was out of the water now; Tacit Ronin’s sonar sensors located in the Jaeger’s legs illustrated what could not already be seen.  A long mass slithered out of the seawater and fog, supported by six short, muscular legs.  Trawler kept its head down and used the thick exoskeleton on its back to shield itself from Romeo Blue’s bombardment.  As it moved closer to the shore the external cameras became more clear; its back had looked shifty before, presumably a rendering mistake on the screen, but it was revealed to be a thicket of spines no shorter than ten yards in length coating Trawler’s back.  Rome Blue stopped its barrage for a moment to reload, and that opening was all the Kaiju needed to haul itself out of the water and onto the sandy beach.  It lifted its head and roared, displaying the same neon blue bioluminescence all of the monsters had inside of them.  Uniquely, Trawler had a mouth full of long fangs mounted in haphazard rows.

 

Horizon Brave III blindsided it.  The Chinese Jaeger had hidden itself behind a tall promontory of black rock and a copse of ancient palm trees before rushing out with a crash.  Foghorns on its chest sounded a call to battle and Trawler heeded it.  Bruce Gage swore something about having to change position over the radio and the Koyamadas took long steps forward.  Veins in the legs of their armor filled with liquid, weighing them down and reflecting the resistance the knee-high seawater was giving them.

 

Horizon Brave III struck first, baiting Trawler into snapping a clawed forelimb at it and grappling with the exposed arm.  One hand still free, the Jaeger brought an armored fist down at over three hundred miles an hour into the base of Trawler’s neck.  Stunned, the Kaiju swayed and stumbled, collapsing in the surf.  Duc and Kaori slowed their approach – was it really over already?

 

Taking no chances, Romeo Blue opened fire on the downed Kaiju.  The heavy cannons scored its back and ricocheted into the water, but found no purchase to bury into its flesh; if anything the sudden attack spurred Trawler to motion.  It lurched up and onto its backwards-facing knees and tackled Horizon Brave III, latching onto both legs near the Jaeger’s thighs and hauling itself up.  Its circular jaw unhinged and opened wide.  The unfazed Rangers within lifted their Jaeger’s hands and grabbed Trawler’s head in an attempt at shaking themselves free.  Tacit Ronin was half a mile away now and closing fast.  Bruce Gage was still on the open channel shouting something about not having a clear field of fire.

 

“Rangers, get in there and support them!” Marshal Toho’s voice thundered over Gage’s complaints.  “Close the distance if you have to, but do not let your brothers fall!”

 

Closer to the battle, Trevin Gage gave an affirmative from Romeo Blue’s conn-pod and began lumbering towards the mass of metal and chitin.  It was too little too late.  A scream of twisted metal split the air as Horizon Brave III’s right arm slipped inside Trawler’s mouth, caught on the jagged teeth inside, and was torn asunder.  Thrown off-balance, the Chinese Jaeger fell to the ground and weakly tried to defend itself with its remaining arm.  Trawler threw batted the arm aside and eviscerated the crippled Jaeger.  Extensive tubing and beige armor plating scattered across the beach and into the water as Horizon Brave III’s innards were exposed.  The Kaiju bit down on one of the tubes mounted on the Jaeger’s shoulders and ripped it off.  At the same time the tube was punctured and an explosive of opaque foam consumed its head and shoulders.  The Kaiju shrieked in surprise and retreated into the water, slashing at its face with its pitifully short arms to clear the impediment.  Horizon Brave III was free to limp away, wounded but not destroyed.

 

At the same time Tacit Ronin stopped Trawler at the shore.  Its elbow-blades were already deployed, and seizing on the opportunity the twins struck out as one, drawing a long line of Kaiju Blue on Trawler’s flank, already weakened by Romeo Blue’s firepower.  The panicked Kaiju turned its back on Tacit Ronin and flinched, tensing the huge muscles beneath the armor’s surface.  It released and a cloud of thin needles flew into the Jaeger, striking it all over.  Pinpoints of pain flashed across the Rangers’ legs and torso, alerting them to where the quills had landed.  They reeled from the attack but had the presence of mind to use the motion to their advantage.  Leaning away from the Kaiju, they avoided a second strike from its musclebound tail and took a step away and in front of it, exposing Trawler’s pale, fleshy underbelly.  The Koyamadas stabbed forward with both arms and impaled the Kaiju in its abdomen and lower chest.  They took a step forward, pressure building against their legs and arms, until they felt the itchy sensation at their fingertips that let them know they had reached the chitinous carapace that lined Trawler’s back – from the inside.  The monster raged and beat them with its limbs, but they refused to let go until the time was right.  Seconds passed and metal shrieked under the strain, but they held.

 

Duc reached for a dial above their heads and adjusted the setting, shifting the display of a screen to his left to a topographic map of the area.  A blue double-ringed circle was moving quickly towards their position and right before it reached them, the Rangers disengaged.  They gave Trawler a strike at its eyes to ward it off and got out the way half a second before all of Romeo Blue’s rotary cannons poured into Trawler’s exposed and bleeding underbelly.  The Kaiju shuddered as each round slammed into its body, but it still stood defiant.  The foam that had gotten onto its upper body had finished hardening and began to weigh it down.  Kaori formed a plan, and explained it to Marshal Toho.  He granted permission and made the necessary calls.

 

Tacit Ronin and Romeo Blue each grabbed one of Trawler’s limbs and flipped the Kaiju on its back with a Herculean effort.  It struggled but the blood loss had weakened it.  At the same time Marshal Toho’s flight of Apaches settled above them and opened fire on the Trawler’s stomach.  The two Osprey gunships joined them shortly after and added their armaments to the blaze.  After twenty minutes of continuous bombardment the Kaiju finally ceased to move except for labored breathing.  A final blow from Tacit Ronin’s blade ended its life.