"Whirrrr—whirrrr—"
Gipsy Danger's arm switched to the plasma cannon. Arcs of accumulating energy crackled violently within the Jaeger bay, the surging power threatening to explode outwards!
"Cut Mako's connection to the Jaeger—now!" Tendo Choi screamed, rushing toward the technicians.
Most of the base's technical staff were in the Command Center, which faced the Jaeger. Maintenance crews and several pilots were also standing on the catwalks above.
If that fully charged plasma cannon fired inside the Shatterdome, it would be catastrophic.
"We can't! Her connection is too stubborn! We can't force a disconnect from outside!" The neural connection technician was sweating profusely, staring at the unresponsive screen.
"Cut the Jaeger's main power directly!" Marshal Pentecost commanded, his voice cutting through the chaos.
"Move fast!"
"Everyone else, evacuate!"
The entire base erupted in panic. No one had anticipated such an accident, or that Mako's connection would be impossible to sever.
Marshal Pentecost and Herc Hansen rushed to the front of the Command Center, locating the external power cables connected to Gipsy Danger. The test was running on external power, not the internal reactor.
"Faster, faster... we have to make it!" Herc worked frantically to dismantle the bolts on the cables.
They had to kill the power before Gipsy Danger fired.
In that critical instant, a technician suddenly shouted, "Marshal, Shaolin Rogue is activating!"
An accident piled upon an impossibility. Everyone froze, caught completely off guard.
"What!?" Tendo stared at the silver-white Jaeger in the bay, now moving. His eyes went wide.
"Why!? We didn't activate it! How is it moving!?"
A scene beyond reality unfolded. A Jaeger, physically unpowered and disconnected, was moving.
"Who is inside right now!?" he demanded.
"It's... it's Mr. Natsuki! He was waiting inside for his test!" the technician stammered.
Shaolin Rogue strode across the bay, its movements incredibly fluid, bringing tremors with each step—it didn't move like a machine at all.
In one swift motion, it closed the distance to Gipsy Danger. Under the stunned gaze of everyone present, it reached out, snatched Gipsy Danger's plasma cannon arm, and lifted it high.
Then, under the influence of a strange, ethereal force, the energy inside the cannon was compressed and extracted, forming a pulsing blue sphere. The light interacted with the unseen force, dissolving rapidly.
Boom!
The energy dissipated like a bright blue firework, the light fading into harmless motes in the air.
Crisis averted.
At the same time, the Command Center successfully cut the power. Gipsy Danger went dark, standing inert.
"I told you. No accidents." Natsuki's voice transmitted clearly from inside Shaolin Rogue.
Marshal Pentecost let out a long, shaky breath of relief.
What incredible fortune.
Everyone in the base stared at Shaolin Rogue. They all shared the same question: How did that Jaeger move?
"Natsuki? Is that you?" Inside Gipsy Danger, Raleigh unhooked the connectors from a weakened Mako. Holding her, he looked up at the massive Jaeger gripping their wrist, utterly confused.
"Who else would it be?" Natsuki's voice replied.
Raleigh's confusion deepened. "How did you do that...?"
"And... why can I hear your voice? Aren't you inside the Jaeger?"
The cockpit was thick armor. Logically, he shouldn't hear a sound from inside the other machine.
"I told you before—I know how to pilot Jaegers," Natsuki said with a smile. "As for the voice... that's called telepathy."
"Wait, making a Jaeger move without power doesn't sound like piloting skill," Raleigh argued, baffled.
It was like making a car drive without turning the key and claiming you were a master driver. Were they even talking about the same thing?
"You don't understand. I have my own unique piloting techniques," Natsuki explained without missing a beat. "All you need to know is that I'm a Jaeger expert."
Never mind the power source; he made the machine move.
Natsuki had seen Gipsy Danger losing control and immediately used his Ultra Telekinesis to take command of Shaolin Rogue—a pure application of force. With his telekinesis upgraded, controlling a Jaeger was simple.
Why not just stop Gipsy Danger with pure telekinesis? He needed to demonstrate his "exquisite driving skills," of course. Marshal Pentecost had lent him the Jaeger; he had to look professional.
"Right." Raleigh smiled helplessly at the explanation.
Apparently, aliens really did have a knack for piloting.
"I... I messed up." Mako was finally coming to. She looked up at Shaolin Rogue that had stopped her, then at the disappointed faces in the Command Center. She realized the severity of her failure.
Marshal Pentecost looked grim, ready to shoulder the blame.
The pilots of Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon stood on the catwalk, watching her with disappointment.
In the Command Center, Herc and Chuck Hansen were arguing—Chuck would never trust a teammate prone to losing control.
Loss... self-blame... Having just surfaced from the tide of memory, Mako was once again engulfed by negative emotions.
She knew she had failed. She had betrayed her father's trust, and everyone else's.
"No, this isn't your fault," Raleigh said immediately, sensing her despair. "The problem started with me. I saw my brother... that's what affected you."
He spoke the truth. Both their minds harbored deep shadows. When those two shadows collided in the Drift, the result was volatile.
"Both pilots, exit the Jaeger immediately." The Command Center's voice echoed inside the cockpit.
They glanced at the figures in the control room, sighed inwardly, and stood up.
Whatever awaited them next, it wouldn't be pleasant.
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