Chapter 3
Three
“I still do not see your reasoning behind this decision Chancellor's, it seems to be you're putting too much weight on a wall that is already breaking,” Lexa put as much force behind her words without shouting. It wouldn't do any good to lose her temper in front of the council of five Chancellors, they were already baying for her blood. Or retirement, whichever came first,
“Marshall Woods we have been through this a hundred times. The Anti-Kaiju wall is a secure way to protect the people. Look the footage of Pauna and Trikru, destroying several villages in their plight against the Kaiju. They do more damage than good,” Chancellor Jaha replied, his image slightly distorted on the screen before Lexa. She sighed and bit the inside of her cheek, she couldn't deny that factor when it was right there on a separate screen,
“But the Rangers Academy provides rebuilding support, and medical for these people. More towns and villages have been rebuilt then destroyed,” Lexa reasoned, keeping her gaze steady, her back straight. The faces on the screen before her flickered for moment, then Jaha was back against, in all the crispness the modern day technology could provide. Much to Lexa's annoyance. The older man always looked down on her so sternly, like he was better than her. But Lexa knew that Chancellor Jaha had never seen one day, never mind an hour of combat against the Kaiju. He knew nothing when it came to the Rangers or the plight against the inhuman monsters they fought.
“This is not enough of a reason to keep the Jaeger program open Marshall. Your funding is running out,”
“Is this why Ranger Blake is suddenly present in my Shatterdome? To watch me? See where your dollars are going?” Lexa snapped, her anger boiling,
“It's the taxpayers dollars and as you are well aware, the communities do not have the money to fund you anymore. The damage rate is too high. You have six months, if that, left to close down and retire your Rangers Marshall,” Chancellor Jaha ended quite abruptly, his dark lips pursed together and eyes darker with annoyance. Lexa grunted and nodded, cutting the screens off. For a moment she didn't move, simply stared at the blank screens, trying to regulate her breathing.
“Well, that went well,” Bellamy Blake's infuriating tone cut through the silence. Lexa's anger was still running high as she turned on her heel to face the young man,
“I have nothing to say to you, or to them Ranger, you are nothing more than Jaha’s lap dog,” the Marshall spat as she began to stride past the gentleman. Bellamy barked with laughter, which only made Lexa want to compare him more to a pet dog,
“I'm not here for what you think I am Marshall, Lexa, there is more going on with the council then they'd let on,”
“Ranger Blake, you will address me as Marshall Woods, and only when I feel like talking to you. Now I am late for an appointment, feel free to call your masters back,” Lexa didn't even stop when she spoke, she steamed ahead, out of the communications room and through the metal corridors to her private rooms. Even though she knew that Bellamy hadn't followed her, the young Marshall still felt the need to slam her heavy metal door to her quarters close behind her.
The slamming and screech of metal against metal made Lexa feel slightly better. The enraged scream she gave after made it even more so. Slowly, the Marshall drew in five shallow breaths, her eyes closed as she calmed herself. It would do no good to get worked up, she tried to think, but it was too late. Marshall Woods was already doubling over in a coughing fit, her palms and fingers flecked with the dark, almost black, blood she coughed up.
With a groan of pain, Lexa found her way towards the closest seat, her favourite armchairs in the nearly empty living quarters, easing down into it as she tugged the handkerchief free from her suit jacket pocket. She dabbed at her mouth and nose swabbing up the dark blood and cursing herself silently. The radiation poisoning wasn't as bad as it could be, but it wasn't all together wonderful.
Lexa had known the dangers of piloting a Jaeger before she got into her Heda, but still she did it. It was right before they figured out that solo piloting was hazardous to a Ranger's health. And that a double drift would be so much better. Lexa had completed five solo runs before the nosebleeds and migraines had started. That was when her blood started to only tinge black, now it was almost completely that colour.
When they started to perfect the double drift, and Costia had come into Lexa's life the strain had eased on her body and mind. It became easier, simple to skip into the Drift with her co-pilot. Until that damn Kaiju double event. The first one in their recorded history. Two class four Kaiju had emerged from the Azgeda rift, throwing tidal waves and mini-quacks along the coast, stomping their way toward land. Which just happened to be the area of the coast which had the most fishing towns, and Costia's home town.
Within minutes of the Kaiju breaking free of their interdimensional rift, the closest Shatterdome, Floukru, had been alerted. At the time that had been Lexa and Costia's headquarters, so they had been the first on scene. Wading through the Ocean swell to meet their quarry in all out brutal combat.
Lexa could still hear the sonic waves of Heda's plasma cannon and the crush of the Kaiju skeleton as they broke its skull. It was comforting to Lexa, the knowledge that they, she and Costia, had at least killed one of the beasts together. But the second one, the second Kaiju was one of rumours and mystery. They'd all heard of the N.I.A but no living Ranger had returned from a confrontation with it.
Lexa remembered first laying eyes on the creature, a class five, the first of its kind, towering over Heda at 50 foot tall and at least 30 foot across. It's head looked like it was taken right from a hammerhead shark, but with a lot more bone and those eerie lines that glew bright blue. The main bulk of its body was stripped with blacks and white, a slim midsection, armoured with an exterior rib cage, four thick arms and a back set of legs that solidly planted it to the seabed below. The tail, one this that most Kaiju had in common, long and spiked with five foot daggers, whipped back and forth through the surf, throwing wave after wave at Heda, crashing against the Jaegers body hard enough to shake the Conn-pod.
But what Lexa remember the most was its eyes. Those milky white eyes which at first made the Marshall think this Kaiju maybe blind, but soon after N.I.A had scanned the mechanical creation before it, Lexa knew it was far from blind. The Kaiju had slammed forward, it's lower arms locking around Heda's waist, holding it in place as it's tail wrapped around the head. The tail spikes dug into Heda's exterior, puncturing all sorts of vital instruments, cutting off oxygen and life support to the Conn-pod.
Costia had panicked first, unleashing round after round of the plasma cannon until it smoked badly and fired dry. Costia was gone, her mind running wild into the Drift. Lexa had screamed for her to come back, to not chase the rabbit, to calm down and breath but it was too late. Flashes of the Kaiju stomping through the city. Destroying everything Costia had ever loved, images of her parents, buried beneath layers upon layers of rubble and metal, crushed to death before Costia's nine year old eyes. Her friends, her family, everything gone and lost in a moment.
Lexa had felt the sadness and despair deep in her own brain, her own emotions, just enough to distract her from the N.I.A before her. Just enough for the beast's tail to tear away part of the Conn-pod. The part that had been most important and precision to Lexa.
The Marshall shook her head, rubbing at her temples as her own screams of pain echoed around her memory.
The past was the past, Lexa reminded herself, there was nothing she could do then. But now, now was a different story. They'd learnt so much about the Kaiju, fitted their Jaegers with better tech, better armour. And there was no damn way the Council was going to stop her from completing her mission. Never again, Lexa had promised, to the gaping hole in Heda's Conn-pod that night, Never again would a Ranger die under her watch.
“Fuck ! Damn it Raven! That was the last of the hot water!” Clarke growler angrily from their tiny, shared bathroom. The blonde Cadet had been happily showering, humming along to nothing, when the hot water switched to freezing, mid-way through soaping her hair. Raven had been in the cubicle shower before her, a good 20 minutes of soaping and washing which had killed their daily share of hot water.
Angrily, Clarke wrapped herself in the off white towel, sliding open the partition door to find their bunk empty. Raven had skipped out, knowing full well that she'd taken the majority of the water. With a frustrated mini-scream Clarke returned to the shower to wash the suds out with cold water. It wasn't like she'd never showered in cold water before, during Ranger training the cadets had been submerged in icy water tanks to make them grow accustomed to what being stranded in the ocean would be like, but it was still damn annoying. Especially since Raven never used to take this much care and time to shower.
As Clarke ducked back into the cubicle, her mind wandered to her adoptive sister. Why was the mechanic taking extra time and water? Why was she always dipping out at odd hours without explanation? Coming back to the bunk long after the work bell signalling the end of their day sounded. Clarke didn't know, but she was damn sure she'd find out.
Once soap free, the Cadet set about drying and dressing, reaching for her usual blue and grey fatigues. The colours had changed from her old greens and browns once they'd been fully enrolled within the Shatterdome. They wore Naval colours, wince water was their battleground now. Clarke slipped on her usual black underwear, followed by the battered black vest that had long since found its use by date. Printed, in faded block capital's, across the back, read “ GRIFFIN ”. Anyone who knew Clarke well enough, knew the old, ripped and hole filled vest had belonged to her father and was the only tiny scrap of him she had left.
So the Cadet wore it, most days, under her pressed and washed uniform. A reminder of why she was going to be a Ranger, why she was at the ‘Dome and why her mother was always so angry. Slipping her shirt over the vest, Clarke set about buttoning it slowly, her mind set on the day ahead. A sharp, quick knock to the thick steel door of the bunk drew the blonde from her wandering mind.
“Cadet Griffin? Clarke? It's Bellamy Blake, Ranger Blake,” came the curt voice from the other side. Clarke rolled her eyes as she did up the last button. Ranger Blake had been hounding her every step since they arrived at the Shatterdome. Whether it be asking her about her Academy training or reasoning for being at the ‘dome, Bellamy was always questioning. Why, why, why. It was beginning to get irritating. But Clarke knew she could snap at him, like she would have done to any other occupant at the Shatterdome, but he outranked her, by a whole shit load,
“Marshall Woods has sent me to collect you,”
“Fuck ,” Clarke cussed again, in less than an hour. She'd completely forgotten about that damn Marshal and her stupid punishment.
“Cadet?” Bellamy’s voice came again through the door, followed by three sharp knocks, Clarke grumbled to herself, rolling her eyes as she tugged open the heavy door. Ranger Bellamy Blake stood the other side, fist raised to knock again, his own freshly pressed uniform looking stiff and out of place in the dark tube like corridor of the Shatterdome underbelly.
“I take it you're my escort Ranger Blake? Does the Marshall really think I’m going to ship out on her orders?” Clarke huffed, stepping through the doorway and around Bellamy. His dark eyes watched, wide and bright,
“Actually I volunteered.”
The Kwoon Combat Room was one that everyone in the Polis Shatterdome was familiar with. Not one person, Ranger, Cadet, mechanic or otherwise, hadn’t spent some time within its dojo walls. Some never left, spending hours upon hours within the training dojo, perfecting their fighting stance and skill to an unbelievable level.
Clarke had spent her fair share of time on the raised platform set into center of the Dojo, practising with many of the weapons that lined the wall and even close hand to hand combat with the Kwoon master, Ranger Titus. A tall, bald, strict man who never cracked a smile. Clarke wasn't even sure Titus knew how to smile. She often saw the bald man prowling the edge of the Dojo, dressed in his finest black gi, his hands folded behind his back, dark eyes narrowed as he watched any occupants who trained mercilessly within the hot dojo.
Today was no different from another day, the Kwoon master stood in a far corner, eyes scanning the crowd that had gathered in the early morning to witness their commanding Marshall in action. As Bellamy led Clarke into the combat room, the blonde felt an unfamiliar flutter of nerves. At the Academy she’d been one of top students of the Kwoon Combat Room, skilled in any weapon they provided. Yet not the one weapon that the Kwoon had been designed for originally.
When the Jaeger programme went from having one ranger pilot to two, the council had to figure a way to find compatible Drift partners. And thus the Kwoon dojo was born. A theory was thought up that of two Rangers of a similar fighting and thinking style, were pitted against one another that their brainwaves would fall into sync, even without the Drift. And yet Clarke had yet to experience that. And she doubted she would with the stiff backed Marshall.
Said Marshall who stood in the center of the Kwoon fighting platform, dressed much like she had done when Clarke had seen her working out. A pure white tank top that clung to her lithe, muscled body like a second skin. Her pants were loose and black and her feet bare. Clarke’s breath caught as she watched Lexa’s arm muscles flex as she rose her arm, a sword grasped in her hand. No. Not a sword, Clarke realised, a fencing sabre. An old school Kwoon weapon.
Well, shit. Clarke thought as Marshall Woods turned her unnatural emerald eyes onto her.