Chapter Text
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23.11.2023
Now playing: „That Night“ - Andrew Arcadi
You know what they say about relationships at the workplace. Romantic affection between coworkers was never a good idea. It makes everything way too complicated. One may get too biased over their partner, competitiveness would choke such fragile things as love to death, foolish and irrational decisions were inevitable and what not?
And let‘s not forget: „In a situation like this!? Come on Colt, are you insane!?“.
Maybe he was.
Standing here on the almost rotten wood, repeatedly glancing at the top of his boots, pushing the same pile of wet snow back and forth for the past twenty minutes.
For better or for worse, Colt had never been the guy to care much about what most people told him, besides from his dearest and certainly, his boss.
Yet, he was convinced that with all the looming threat the current day and age was soaked with, hovering over everything, every makeshift fixed wall he saw and every cracked street he crossed, life being sucked out of every place that was once filled with joy….
…was there really anything to lose?
I mean yeah, of course there was.
A lot even!
All he was trying to say was, that in such dire times of death and fear, a little burning love, passion and positive emotion never hurt anybody? Right?
So he waited - smiling to himself.
He waited and felt his toes perish each second passing.
Or more accurately, he did not feel them at all.
The blonde had been standing beneath a flickering streetlight - whose sick greenish color left no room for doubt that something was clearly off with that light bulb - for almost an hour by now.
A few snowflakes were sinking onto the timber here and there, turning everything into a wet grey, since not all of them refused to melt.
The icy air cut into Colt‘s white skin and had managed him to cough a few times by now, when he let out a sigh. Both his jaw and shoulders had become sore as a result of clenching them way too hard for the past 50 minutes, trying to protect his body from the cold. He could check his phone for a message (god why did he always have his phone on silent mode?) but he didn‘t dare to free his hands from his coat pockets.
Colt observed his surroundings once more.
‚South harbour, dock number six‘, he was at the right place. He turned around and looked up. He wasn‘t even able to make out the whole size of the ship towering right behind him, due to the 3AM fog coming right from the coast.
Ah yes…
The coast….
Something inside him twisted when thinking of it.
Dried his mouth, tensed his muscles, but also weirdly eased his breath.
Colts eyes wandered into the pitch black nothing ahead of him.
It seemed oddly silent.
It actually was silent.
But Colt could hear roaring from the dark.
A deep, outcrying thunder deep under the sea level.
Maybe he was crazy.
Maybe this was normal?
At least normal for someone like him?
Maybe he just rarely saw still water.
Or maybe his thoughts were bored and needed to entertain themselves.
However, it still felt weird seeing the sea this calm.
If he stared at the black horizon long enough, it almost felt as if it called out for him.
Waiting for him to pull him under its surface.
Maybe that could even be peaceful?
Colt slowly started losing clarity, about which part freaked him out the most.
Seeing the water this calm, or the fact that wild and splashing waves were the sight he preferred and soothed his nerves, not like the peaceful ripple taking place underneath him, as the water gently lapped against the poles.
It felt weird to have silence in one's head, when you‘re usually not alone in there.
Made him go crazy sometimes - just like now.
Colt‘s eyes started to lose focus, continuously glaring into the nothingness that displayed itself in front of his eyes, the only noise aside from the rippling water, being a few mighty aches from the boat behind him, the gigantic hull fighting against the same wind that was eating away Colt's face. Other than that it was dead silent.
Or was it?
“Colt!“.
Colt!“.
With a blink, the one called got pulled out of his head and turned around. He faced the dock behind him again, forgetting the freezing temperature in an instant. His brother would argue with him on that point, but Colt would bet at least 10 Dollars that his body temperature started climbing every time his eyes met her.
His girl.
His darling.
His only one.
Jody.
He only now realized how chapped his lips had been, feeling a pulling ache on them when he bursted into a big smile, calling out back for Jody.
He also couldn‘t care less about how bad his feet hurt when he started jogging towards her, getting faster in the process, but not without flinching at first.
No pain and no wall ever, could make him stop running for Jody.
After closing the distance between them, the blonde had zero hesitation to pull his arms around Jody‘s waist and pull her up, the woman caught off guard yelling, „Oh god Colt!! Carefull!“, and before she was able to finish her laughter, Colt pressed his lips onto hers.
He only sat her down gently again, after doing a pirouette, keeping her close to his chest with a strong grip, even after she was back on solid ground once more.
Neither of them left each other's lips for a few more seconds, until they pulled away, the arms of the two continuously intertwined.
Colt was ready to just look at her features, enjoying every second of the butterflies inside each and every of his nerves, until-
“God Colt, your face is ice cold!“.
Why did Jody always look so pretty? Even when she was mad? She wasn‘t even actually mad right now. It was just her worried little scrunch on her face.
“Your lips are nicely warm“, Colt purred with the most hazy smile, his eyelids almost shutting, it kinda looked like he was about to fall asleep.
If you‘d give this man long enough time right now, chances were high he even would.
It was just way too soothing to be around his dear.
Oh,
how long Colt had been waiting to have shared alone time with Jody again.
He was just way too busy trying to save the world and all of that, what a bummer…
He couldn‘t help but feel fuzzy enough to melt away, holding her. This always made him drop gibberish, leaving you to weigh up and down if you‘d rather roll your eyes, or pinch him in his soft and hairy cheeks.
Jody usually did both.
Now however, she chose to pinch his nose instead, as if trying to warm him up, or at least to check how cold he was.
“Yeah because I just left HQ! How long have you been here?“.
“Since 2AM“, Colt responded, his voice muffling through Jody’s closed fingers around the icy tip of his nose.
„You‘ve been here an hour!?“, Jody almost shouted, opening up her fingers and letting go of Colt, who instinctively leaned his head forward to chase the warm touch that just left his nose, silently going, „no..“, as if he hadn‘t listened.
“Why?“, Jody continued, her eyes following Colt‘s hand replacing her fingers back onto his nose, closing his eyes for a brief second with a sigh.
“I wanted to make sure to be at the right spot on time, found it earlier than expected tho“, he reopened his tiny eyes and looked at her.
Silence.
Calm silence on Colt‘s, baffled silence from Jody‘s side.
“Don‘t you want to ask me why I didn‘t just check my phone-?“.
“You have it on silence anyway I didn‘t bother texting you.“
“Oh yeah, as coordinated as always“.
He smiled.
Both of them stared at each other until they bursted into little giggles.
Colt loosened the grip on Jody and this time didn‘t chase after her hand when she pulled it away to brush some of her blonde strains behind her ear.
“You should wear your hair like this more often“, he said.
“They‘re just open Colt“, Jody answered, her cheeks appearing slightly pink, even in the dim light.
“Yeah but I mostly see you with a pony tail“, Colt pointed out,
Jody added, „Yeah because I can‘t have strains in my face while trying to keep you alive“.
“Oh I am pretty sure I am the on in the machine“,
“So you don‘t need me“, Jody said, smiling provocatively.
“No! No no no of course I do!“, Colt defended himself, clinging back onto her jacket, earning a little smile from her due to his pouting.
Oh Jody‘s smile was everything to him. It was so beautiful and he loved it so much. He could stare at it for hours, at her for hours. A shame he didn‘t have that many pictures of her yet. Of her smile of course, god damnit!
He lost himself again in his thoughts, only coming back when Jody stared at him for a bit too long.
“What?“, he said, to which Jody started laughing.
“I said, now that you‘ve been out here for so long I bet a walk is bad idea now after all“
“Oh no, don‘t worry about me, I'll warm up as soon as we start walking!“, Colt reassured, pulling away and taking Jody‘s hand, ready to lead the way.
“I didn‘t wait here for a full 60 minutes just for you to dump me now“, he continued.
Jody pretended to differ for a brief second before making an effort to head along.
“Alright!“, she started, „I suppose we don’t know how much time we have“, she started, „and I just want to make sure that one of Hail Mary‘s pilots won‘t catch a cold before-,“ she was cut off by Colt‘s ringing phone (his other phone, not his private one, the important work one) and her expression darkened.
Colt didn‘t let the phone ring a second time and he had it on his ear immediately.
„Ryland what‘s up?“.
“Breach movement, it‘s a category 3 Court‘s already here, five minutes before the drop“.
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Now playing: „Pacific Rim“ - Ramin Djawadi, Tom Morello
„Jesus Colt! I thought you were in bed! Where on earth have you been!? It told you to stay close to HQ when-“
“You have some Kaiju Juice on your shirt, you know that Ryland?“
“What?!“, Colt‘s twin stopped in his tracks, creating a loud screech from his shoes, to check his shirt. He only got distracted by two seconds tho, before he urgently started running after Colt again.
“Don‘t you DARE side track now Colt!“, he yelled as loud as he could to be heard by his twin over the busy hallway of the Petrova Force USA Jaeger HQ, passing tons of people chattering in the process, underlined by a loud AI voice saying,
„Kaiju alert.
Category three.
Hail Mary, preparing for drop.“
“Alright alright, I was with Jody, calm down“, Colt exclaimed, smirking to both his ears, giving a shocked Ryland the most obnoxious posture with his hands resting on the back of his head.
He always put on an extra layer of ‘Saving the world asshole’, just to annoy the other.
Colt knew he was being more mean than usual. But he wouldn't let Ryland repeat everything he already said earlier today.
Maybe being an asshole would make Ryland pissed enough to leave.
“YOU WHAT!?“ Ryland let out, his glasses almost slipping off his nose.
„Colt, did you forget ANYTHING I told you today- WOW“, he almost ran into another person, said the individual calling out „Hey! Watch it!“.
After silently apologizing Ryland had to catch up to his twin brother all over again.
Colt obviously loved every second of teasing the younger (Ten minutes are ten minutes!), and he wasn’t in the mood for a second lecture so, he didn‘t bother waiting, he had to be on time for the drop after all, right?
Ryland would be his old self as soon as Colt would return (hopefully).
He has been stressed like this before a mission for years now.
No difference today so why listen?
“How many times do I have to tell you this Colt-„ Ryland finally catched up a second time, only to be disrupted by the other, clearly mimicking him,
„Romantic affection between coworkers is never a good idea, blah blah I know I know Ry“,.
“YES! This is exactly what I mean! You left despite knowing of a potential attack! And remember the other stuff-”
“Hey it‘s alright, I‘m here now, on time! That‘s what you wanted. Also this is just like any other mission. Stratt told you they can’t just not send us!“.
“I just don't want you to die! Why are you angry with me at that!?”.
“I won't die because I have a girlfriend Ry”.
They quickly arrived at the drop, its corridor being close to the entrance of the Petrova HQ, in case some Jager Pilot needed some time on the harbor to hang out with his girlfriend, (who his twin brother didn‘t approve of because he was… jealous? The Jaeger pilot wasn‘t sure) and still be on time!
“No of course not! But-”.
„How would you know anyway?“.
Colt came to a halt at the corridor that led to the drop, resting his shoulder against the wall, “Oh shut up, that's not the time right now“, Rylands voice was only a cussing.
“Exactly!“, Colt pointed at Ryland‘s chest, „Gotta beat a category 3, remember?“.
Ryland gave up and just rolled his eyes, his body slouching in defeat but not without glaring at his twin. Did he have tears in his eyes?
Colt started feeling bad. He hated to see Ryland cry.
Was he really that worried?
“Get ready for the drop you fudging hero“, he spit, stumbling away.
“And you get ready for the Kaiju guts you‘ll have thanks to me later, nerd!“, Colt called after him, hoping Rylands words were a weird peace offering (they always joked like that).
He didn't have time to talk this out either way.
Colt’s face lit up slightly when he saw Ryland giving a thumbs up, his eyes focusing on his clip board again (Wait, did he have that the whole time?) when disappearing behind the corridor.
„Don‘t crush it too bad please!“, was the last thing to be heard from him.
Before Colt could have the last word in this, he flinched hearing a voice next to him.
“Hey kid.“
“Jesus you scared me“, Colt cried, facing his older brother and co pilot Courtland Gentry.
He was the tallest, strongest and most intimidating of the three.
He was a lot more tender hearted however than most people thought him to be.
Courtland, Colt and Ryland Gentry. The siblings that beat Kaiju ass!
Actually only two of them since Ryland was actually-
“You‘re ready?", Court asked, calling Colt out of his thoughts again.
His dark eyes were resting on the younger in controlled but caring silence, his rough hand placed on Colts arm, strong but reassuring.
Colt could only imagine his older brother’s disliking when they had to pilot - even after all these years and especially now.
Actually he didn‘t have to imagine.
He knew every detailed emotion of it.
One reason more for Colt to keep up with the encouraging mood!
Court didn‘t look like a mark four, more like the mark one pilot he initially was, with his cold stare and scars covering his left arm, experience and knowledge of fighting painted all over his face.
“The most ready I‘ll ever be“, Colt cheered out and passed the elder, as if he was a mark five, instead of a mark four Pilot, who never had even seen a Kaiju before and was excited to be the first pilot to enter a mark five, when accessing the head of Hail Mary.
Hail Mary, a mark four, originally planned for three pilots, now only carrying two, Court and Colt Gentry. A slim and fast killing machine, having been through enough fights for its white lacquer paint to almost appear grey.
The pilots entered and the assistant team prepared everything for the drop - putting the Gentry brothers into their pilot suit and connecting wires and hinges to the feet, arms and back of the two men.
“Jaeger's are death traps”, is something that Ryland always said which was true to some extent.
The chest plates were put on them.
A lot had to go wrong for something bad to happen inside a Jaeger Cockpit.
(a lot could go wrong when fighting a Kaiju)
Extremities were covered in the suit, cables being adjusted.
There were evacuation pots and tons of other safety measurements.
(it was pretty much the evacuation pots only)
Their foot pieces clinged in on the floor.
But if something went wrong - you're gone.
How much can you do when you’re sealed onto the floor on both your feet inside a huge robot?
(Good luck!!)
The arms connecting to Hail Mary‘s extremities held tight on his wrist.
And don't forget the whole neural handshake stuff - you and your Co-Pilots brain melting with a machine. That's a lot on someone's nervous system.
The helmets found their place, connecting below the neck with the rest of the suit.
The door behind them shut.
Colt left out a deep breath.
The Hail Mary carried four notches on its belt and Colt was impatiently ready for number five.
Something punched into his stomach tho.
He knew he shouldn‘t be this eager.
He knew he should be shitting his guts.
The glorious model one days laid far behind them, only feeling like a blissful „what could have been“ to everyone.
Five years to be exact.
Now the lingering threat of not knowing what to do filled the streets again.
It was Hail Mary‘s second category three, not its first, but Colt watched the news and by now every child knew about the grim state of the Jaeger program.
But maybe that was exactly what made him feel this eager.
This burning motivation of catalysed fear.
That Hail Mary wouldn‘t go down.
It was called Hail Mary for a reason…. Wait, shouldn't that scare him even more tho?
“Pilot to Pilot protocol starting in 10 seconds, starting the drop“.
Colt opened his eyes again.
He let go of his thoughts for good now.
They had to put down a Kaiju.
“Hail Mary,
"ready for drop.“
Then they fell.
The drop initiated and the head of Hail Mary slid down the elevator down to its connecting parts on its neck. Colt and Court both had to conquer enough g force to overwhelm anyone on their first drop, only held on by wires and and their foot pieces, beneath them, the yawning whole with the breathing engines of Hail Mary, screeching and roaring while heating up the dense cockpit.
Colt remembers his first ever drop all too well.
He nearly collapsed at the huge force pulling him down.
Prior to the impact of Hail Mary‘s head on its own body, it slowed down and Colt could feel the rattling of all the mechanical parts intertwining, vibrating through his whole body.
They both settled their senses and stabilised their stand again. A short glimpse between Colt and Court was enough to let the younger man know his brother’s thoughts, as they waited for HQ and the operator to call in.
Colt always (most of the time) knew what Court was thinking, even outside of the drift. That was just the usual between Co-Pilots. You really get to know the other's brain, while sharing.
“Ryland told you?“.
Court chuckled a little, while adjusting some parameters on the display, not even looking at the other anymore „Of course he did“.
“And what do you think about this?“, Colt asked, his voice giving away a slight shift into insecurity.
This was horrible timing to get unsure about things.
“Why are you even asking?“, Court responded, eyebrows frowned, now finally looking at him.
Yeah he was right actually. Why was Colt even asking?
„Good Morning Gentry boys! Or shall I say good night?“, a woman's voice came from the speakers in the cockpit and Colt cracked into a smile in an instant.
Ahw fuck it. Staying unsure while hearing this voice was next to impossible.
“Oh good morning beautiful Lady, gosh what a beautiful voice you have, what was your name again?“, Colt let out, his mouth almost hurting from grinning, his heart shooting up to his throat.
Not next to impossible, actually impossible.
“Oh excuse me Mr. Seavers, I am at work right now, that‘s very inappropriate“, the HQ Operator answered.
“Oh my apologies, how about later then? You‘re free after this?“.
A chuckle was heard but Court interfered before any further harm could be caused.
“Ms. Jody, I would prefer you and my little brother here to stop flirting with each other, because otherwise, I‘d have to witness everything he‘ll be thinking about in a few minutes.“, Colt begged, surprisingly also letting out a little giggle.
They heard inhaling, telling them that Jody was ready to counter Court's words, before she was stopped by another woman's voice with a European accent interfering.
“All set?“, she asked in a commanding voice you didn't dare to question.
“Yes Ma‘m“, Jody answered, „Stratt on deck“.
Both Court and Colt straightened their posture immediately, the younger one eyeing his brother, who didn't reciprocate the gaze. Court’s eyes were locked on the intercom, his demeanor mirroring a soldier never questioning his orders.
“Hail Mary, do you hear me?" Eva Stratt, head of the Petrova USA Jaeger program, a special force under PPDC, talked over the speakers.
“Yes Ma‘m!“, both Colt and Court answered synchronised.
“Good.“, Stratt started.
„We have a category three, small but very fast, huge and strong legs codename; Blade Jumper,. You are tasked to protect the coast and to keep in mind that you are the USA‘s last standing Jaeger so I want 100 percent concentration. If anything goes down, I want you to be safe rather than sorry, even if the fight takes five hours I don't care, gentleman I can‘t afford to lose you, got it?“.
“Got it!“, both pilots shouted, taking the finger off the speaker.
“God… five hours“, Colt breathed, his eyes widened.
Court now finally eyed him, his presence no longer representing a soldier, but a big brother, „Not the time to hesitate Colt Seavers“, his gaze softened even more when recalling the nickname, sparking joy in Colt‘s chest.
“Pilot to pilot connection protocol sequence“, the Hail Mary AI reminding the pilots to get ready, „Neural handshake initiated..
3,
2 ,
1“.
The first time Colt drifted, he had to throw up afterwards. By now, after having been in Court's head, sharing his thinking, his senses and not only his perspective on shared memories, but having seen and felt emotions only Court has been through countless times, it felt as natural as the sun rising every morning.
Laughing, then screaming, a burning city, connecting and hoping together, euphoria and terror, guilt and regret, wounds who would never heal.
When he inhaled, Court did too,
When Court exhaled, Colt did too.
When Colt moved his arm, so did Court.
Reunion and compromise, finding strength and love, to compete against recurring horror, followed by hope again.
If Colt felt stressed, he focused on Court and was steady again. When Court went strictly on protocol, Colt showed him a saving grace moment. Never once has either of them chased the RABITT when drifting with one another.
They were a combo of steel and heart, forming a fighter of instinct and strategy.
When Court inhaled, Colt did too,
When Colt exhaled, Court did too.
When Court moved his arm, so did Court
and so did Hail Mary.
Hope.
When Colt opened his eyes again, he felt the most calm he could be.
Right hemisphere:
Courtland Gentry.
6 '1, white male, face like a sharp hound, light brown hair, the eldest and the one that never hesitates.
Left hemisphere:
Colt Gentry.
5 '11, white male, golden retriever strains, heart like a lion and brain like fox, the self proclaimed older twin, the one who always does what's right.
The pilots didn‘t even look at each other when they started heading into the deep pacific, as soon as Hail Mary was launched into the water.
It was only them, the Coast, millions of lives to protect and one nasty category three Kaiju.
This was going to be kill number five of Hail Mary.
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Hail Mary, Model four USA Jaeger
Pilots:
Courtland Gentry
Colt Gentry
Status: Deceased