Ten minutes later, Natsuki and Marshal Stacker left the lab.
Walking through the Shatterdome's corridors.
"That's the full plan on our end. I hope you can join us in the operation the day after tomorrow."
Marshal Stacker briefed Natsuki as they walked.
Setting aside what Natsuki had said to Dr. Albert, the fact that he'd voluntarily revealed the three-minute combat time limit showed real trust. Though he'd earned that trust himself, he wouldn't betray it.
An alien who still chose to help and believe in humanity—he'd felt that goodwill loud and clear.
"No problem." Natsuki nodded. "Handle the planning however you normally would. I'll work with you however I can."
Hearing Natsuki's easy agreement, Marshal Stacker felt relief wash over him. Good—he wasn't angry about what happened in the lab.
Despite being extraterrestrial with the power to upend everything, these past few days had convinced Stacker that meeting Natsuki was pure luck. Compared to negotiating with UN bureaucrats, dealing with Mr. Natsuki was refreshingly simple.
"Oh, right. I want to borrow one of your Jaegers. You won't refuse that, will you?" Natsuki turned to him. "Any one's fine. I'm not picky."
The moment he'd first seen those machines in the hangar, curiosity had sparked. Sure, fighting directly was more efficient, but piloting a Jaeger could be fun too.
When you get old, you develop interests in strange things. He still remembered what Raleigh had mentioned during their sparring match.
"That..." Marshal Stacker considered. They currently had only four operational combat-ready Jaegers: Gipsy Danger, Cherno Alpha, Crimson Typhoon, and Striker Eureka. Except for Gipsy Danger, the other three already had pilots who'd trained together for years. And Gipsy's pilot would likely be confirmed today.
Which Jaeger should he give Mr. Natsuki...? Besides those four... wait.
"Mr. Natsuki." Something clicked. He stopped walking. "Besides the four Jaegers with confirmed pilots, we actually have one more machine with some defects."
Considering the man probably just wanted to try it for fun and lacked proper training, this machine seemed perfect. Sacrificing one incomplete Jaeger to satisfy Natsuki's interest was completely acceptable.
"That Jaeger's being restored by Dr. Albert. Everything works fine except for some defects in the two-pilot neural handshake system. If you want to try it, we can modify it temporarily—switch to simulated controls. Though you'd only manage basic movements."
Natsuki rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "As long as the main body's sound, that works. I don't need the two-pilot neural handshake. I'll pilot solo."
Yesterday evening on the helicopter ride, Raleigh had filled him in on the Jaegers. He knew the two-pilot system existed to ease mental strain on individual pilots.
For him, completely unnecessary. Besides, he couldn't drift with a human anyway. His millennia of memories would instantly overwhelm them, drowning their consciousness entirely.
"Are you sure?" Marshal Stacker asked with concern. "Solo piloting puts enormous strain on the mind. Almost no one can pilot a Jaeger alone."
He knew Natsuki's combat power was formidable, but wasn't certain his mental fortitude matched.
"Relax. My head's plenty sturdy." Natsuki smiled confidently. It's just a Jaeger. However much mental damage it dealt couldn't exceed those kaiju with curse abilities. After all these years with the Space Garrison, what hadn't he seen?
"Alright, follow me." Marshal Stacker nodded with lingering doubt, figuring the man must know his limits.
---
Meanwhile, back in the lab.
"Coney? You okay?" Dr. Newt glanced at the mixed-race man still rooted to the center of the room. Since they'd met, he'd never seen this guy look so rattled.
When Coney Albert first arrived, both he and Hermann had been dismissive—geniuses rarely got along. But they'd quickly discovered this guy's knowledge far exceeded their own. Plus, he somehow possessed extensive kaiju intel, claiming he'd drifted with a kaiju's secondary brain.
In short, Coney Albert had earned both doctors' respect through knowledge and bearing in record time.
In their impression, this genius under thirty should always be composed. Why did Mr. Natsuki's verbal jab throw him off so badly? He'd been standing there for over ten minutes.
"...I'm fine. Thanks for your concern, Mr. Newt." Albert finally snapped back, his face resuming its warm, polite smile. Then he took a deep breath and headed for the exit. "I'm heading back to my lab. See you this afternoon."
---
Dr. Albert left Newt and Hermann's lab, through corridors lined with steel piping, back to his own lab-slash-living quarters.
Opening the door revealed various precision instruments, with kaiju organs neatly stored along one wall—evidence of his work in both physics and biology.
The lighting was dim. Dimmer still was his expression beneath those wire-rimmed glasses.
His face gradually turned cold. He walked to his desk, unlocked a drawer, and pulled out an envelope.
Opening it revealed several pages covered in dense text.
"Why? Where did it go wrong...?"
He stared at the contents he'd written, anxiety mounting. The pages clearly showed detailed timeline entries about kaiju attacks, pilot deaths, and mission outcomes—all intelligence he'd compiled from memory.
Coney Albert was a Traveler.
Natsuki's bracelet could only detect spacetime energy fluctuations when Travelers stole power—it couldn't directly lock onto Travelers who'd fully integrated into this world. That's why the Captain's main task for him was investigation.
Natsuki knew very little about Travelers. Similarly, the Travelers knew nothing about Natsuki.
"BANG!"
Albert's scholarly demeanor evaporated. He threw the papers on the desk and slammed both fists down, face twisted in disbelief.
"Will someone PLEASE tell me why the hell there's an Ultraman in this world!"
After that lab conversation, he was certain—this guy wasn't some naive do-gooder you could manipulate with moral arguments. If anything, he leaned extreme.
Now he was thinking: could the Jaeger he'd prepared for himself actually stand against an Ultraman?
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
🔥 Want to read the next30+ chapters RIGHT NOW?
💎 Patreon members get instant access!
⚡ Limited-time offer currently running...
👉 [Join on Patreon - patreon.com/DarkGolds]