Chapter Text
The Mk VI was beautiful.
Stepping into the huge hanger at Sternbild Base (they'd expanded since the last time he was here, a lot) Kotetsu was reminded of the feeling he'd had all those years ago seeing the first Mk I's for the first time. Tacit Ronin had been a tiny thing, meant more for rescue and retrieval than actual fighting, but Yukon Brawler had been a beast of a thing, and Rock Bison even more so. Seeing them there, looming over them, after all the months of planning and training, had been a rush.
He was getting deja vu now, walking back into that same hanger to see the three jaeger currently stationed at the base, his new Mk VI, a relatively new Mk V, and a slightly older Mk IV. The Mk IV was actually the biggest of the bunch, though not by much, the still unnamed Mk VI came close. The Mk IV was done up in vibrant red with blue and yellow detailing, and the jets attached to its forearms released fire and ice respectively, earning it its name of Fire Rose.
The Mk V, Sky Dragon, was much smaller than either of the other two; Kotetsu was vividly reminded of Tacit Ronin. But Sky Dragon was small not to squeeze in under city debris, but rather because it was the first jaeger capable of flight. Limited flight, but still flight, and Agnes had given him a whole file detailing how they were going to branch jaeger manufacture off into two parts; the traditional huge heavy hitters and the smaller, faster flight-capable ones. Kotetsu hadn't had a chance to meet any of the other pilots yet, but Agnes had looked very amused at the thought, which made him worry a little.
But man, the Mk VI. Rock Bison would always be Kotetsu's heart, that was where he and Antonio had fought and bled and done so much, and she'd been amazing for what she was, but Kotetsu couldn't help the little flutter in his heart when he laid eyes on his new baby. It was nearly as big as Fire Rose, but proportioned differently, the forearms and lower legs heavy and bulky compared to the relatively slender torso, all blue and white with bright green detailing.
He gave a low whistle, peripherally aware of Barnaby stepping up beside him. "You really designed her, Bunny?"
Barnaby twitched, eyes narrowing behind his glasses, and Kotetsu grinned. The first time had been an accident, still tangled up from the drift and words slurring together, his Japanese accent thicker than it usually was. But Barnaby had looked so scandalized, and Kotetsu knew from the drift that he'd never really had anyone to take the piss out of him before. It was a little late to start, but Kotetsu figured he might as well. "Don't call me that. And yes, I worked with the engineers to design it. For the Mk VI, we're trying to see if we can incorporate a little more fighting finesse than just 'hit the kaijuu really hard over and over'. So to that end, I programmed the software with the skills of various martial arts, and the engineers upped the dexterity of the limbs. We'll have to train as well, but any moves we make the jaeger will be able to keep up with."
"Hm," Agnes had already given him an outline of that, but it was interesting to hear it from the source. He scratched at his goatee thoughtfully. "I already know a bit. I've done some kickboxing to keep in shape."
Barnaby nodded thoughtfully. "It's a good place to start."
Footsteps behind them, and both of them turned as Antonio walked up between them. He wasn't in full uniform (neither was Kotetsu, even though both of them still technically held rank), but he'd put on his Rock Bison pilot jacket, rich brown leather worn at the elbow and with their raging bull icon patched onto the back. Kotetsu was wearing his too, and absently he wondered if those were still a thing, if he and Barnaby would get to design a logo and slap in on the back of a badass leather jacket.
"....That's nice," Antonio said after a few minutes of contemplation. Barnaby gave him a disbelieving look, and Kotetsu laughed. "It's very shiny?" he offered with a shrug, and Kotetsu laughed harder. "What're you going to call it, Kotetsu?"
Barnaby gave him a sharp look, and even after only one drift, Kotetsu could easily read that look. It was a look that said 'don't you dare name it something stupid, I will throw you into the ocean'. It was surprisingly refreshing, Kotetsu was really starting to look forward to training and piloting with him.
"I'm not sure yet," he answered Antonio. "But I'm kinda thinking.... Wild Tiger."
~*~
Kotetsu was beginning to wonder if maybe he and Antonio were actually the abnormal ones, and it was far more likely for total opposites to be drift compatible.
Agnes in all her infinite wisdom had decided that maybe a party was the best place for Kotetsu to meet the other on-station pilots and support staff. At least she'd invited Antonio and Kaede, and Kaede was having the time of her life running around and interviewing people for her school project, or school newspaper, or something. The point was that come tomorrow she would be the most popular girl in her class for having met real jaeger pilots, not just her dad and lame old uncle.
Kotetsu had barely arrived before he spotted a flash of pink and red through a cluster of uniformed techs, and his eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Nathan!" He couldn't help the honest delight in his voice, and when the other turned around and spotted him, they beamed right back.
"Well look at you, still so handsome!"
They were taller and broader than Kotetsu remembered, though their hair was still that same shockingly bright pink. They weren't exactly friends, but Nathan had been in training to be a pilot in Kotetsu and Antonio's later years, and it was always good to see someone from back then had survived. Last they'd heard, they still hadn't found a drift partner, though obviously that had changed.
Nathan slipped through the crowd to grab Kotetsu in a hug, and peripherally Kotetsu was aware of Antonio and Barnaby wandering up to them. When Nathan released him, they beamed over at Antonio and blew a kiss, making Antonio redden spectacularly. "And Antonio too! When the admiral said she had a surprise, she wasn't kidding!"
Kotetsu chuckled. "Suddenly the flamethrower on Fire Rose makes sense, I should have known."
About then, a young woman stepped up beside Nathan, giving the rest of them quizzical looks. Kotetsu was surprised to see how young she was, somewhere in her early twenties. She had a pretty face and a nice smile, her curly blond hair pinned back out of her eyes with a pair of clips shaped like blue roses. "Are you harassing people, Nat?"
"I never harass!" Nathan sniffed, though Antonio looked about to protest. "Kotetsu, Antonio, this is my co-pilot."
"I'm Karina," she offered her hand to Kotetsu, then so smoothly Kotetsu barely noticed she was doing it, she switched hands to offer her other one to Antonio so there wouldn't be an awkward moment with his empty sleeve. Antonio's expression said he noticed, but Karina just smiled at them and nodded to Barnaby, who she was already acquainted with. "I'm happy to finally meet you, Nat's talked about you a lot."
"Really?" Kotetsu blinked in surprise, and she nodded, giving them a sly smile.
"I think they've got a crush on you both, Mister Rock Bison Heroes."
Nathan turned a bit pink, and Antonio sputtered, but Kotetsu just laughed and shrugged. Karina grinned openly and continued, patting Nathan on the arm. "Poor Nat, all these cute boys flinging themselves at them just to have a taste of a jaeger pilot, but here they are pining on after older men."
"Karinaaa!" Nathan was much pinker now, and pouted at their partner as she laughed.
Kotetsu just snickered, feeling better and better about his stationing here. This was going to be fun. "Good to see more pairs kicking at that stupid latent sexuality theory."
Nathan rolled their eyes and nodded and Antonio snorted, but Karina gave him a quizzical look. "What theory?"
"Oh god, is it finally falling out of favor? Back when we were piloting there was a huge chunk of the world that assumed for some reason that every drift bond had to be sexual. Even the siblings. And at the time about half of all pairs were siblings. It was ridiculous how many times Antonio and I had to put reporters off the subject of what we supposedly did in bed together, even after I got married and had a kid."
"Ew," Karina wrinkled her nose delicately. "Nat, I love you, but no."
"No offense taken, my dear. You do not have nearly the right equipment to take me on."
Karina turned a bit pink herself at the bald statement, and Kotetsu snickered again. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Barnaby had gone quiet and stiff, so he looked over at him and nudged him gently with his elbow. "Hey, you okay?"
"That's... just..." Barnaby shook his head, and Kotetsu wondered if he was imagining the faint dusting of a blush on his cheeks. "How could people believe that? Every pair?"
Kotetsu tried not to be offended at the implications of that statement. "It's just a stupid theory. It never had much traction in the scientific community, it was mostly just the regular people who have no idea what a drift actually entails beyond what they see on tv. And let's face it, lots of drift partners are also lovers."
Barnaby made a strangled sound, and Kotetsu decided to leave him alone, especially since he spotted Kaede incoming at high speed.
"Dad, dad, you're famous!"
Kotetsu blinked, catching her as she barreled into him. "You knew that already."
"Yeah, but not history book famous, like real world famous!"
Ouch.
"I mean, you and Uncle Antonio are someone's heroes and everything!"
Kotetsu and Antonio exchanged surprised looks, eyebrows raised. "What?"
"Miss Kaburagi! Wait for us!"
Kotetsu looked up to see two more people weaving their way through the crowd toward them. They were both blond, but that was where the similarities ended. The man was tall, broad shouldered with a friendly smile that reminded Kotetsu somehow of a golden retriever. The girl was much shorter, whipcord thin but with a sense of strength about her, her expression more reserved and shoulder-length hair tucked neatly behind her ears. They had to be Sky Dragon's pilots, especially since they were wearing matching black leather jackets with a golden dragon spiraling up the right sleeve to rest its head over their hearts.
(Score, the jackets were still a thing.)
The man twitched slightly when he got through the crowd and saw them properly, his shoulders straightening sharply and almost coming to attention. His eyes shone, and suddenly Kotetsu knew what hero worship felt like. "Captain Kaburagi! Captain Lopez! It's an honor to finally meet you! Your daughter was just telling us you've joined Mr. Brooks in piloting our Mk VI."
Barnaby coughed. "Keith, I've told you, you can just call me Barnaby."
"Ah, yeah," Kotetsu glanced sideways and was relieved to see Antonio looked just as befuddled and slightly uncomfortable as he felt. "Just 'Kotetsu' and 'Antonio' is fine, we're not really formal."
Antonio managed a chuckle and nod. "I think that's the first time I've been called by rank in a decade."
"But-" Sky Dragon's pilot looked earnestly concerned for a moment, then his face cleared into a determined expression and nodded. "Understood! I'm Captain Keith Goodman, co-pilot of Sky Dragon, and this is Captain Paolin Huang."
The still-silent girl beside him nodded to them with a slight, shy smile. "You can call me Lin if that makes it easier."
Kotetsu chuckled. "Paolin is a hell of a lot easier to pronounce than 'Kotetsu', so I think we're even."
Kaede tugged on Kotetsu's sleeve, beaming up at him. "Captain Goodman said you're the reason he became a jaeger pilot."
Keith turned a bit pink, but didn't look away or drop his eyes, reminding Kotetsu even more of an earnest puppy dog. "It's true. When I was younger, Rock Bison was an inspiration for me. When I was a child, I was very sickly."
Their disbelieving looks must have been obvious, because Paolin said, surprisingly dryly, "I know. If I didn't drift with him, I wouldn't believe it either."
Keith just looked sheepish, probably used to such skepticism. "Anyway, when I was thirteen I was in the hospital with another bout of something-or-other when Rock Bison fell. I was watching on tv."
Beside them, Barnaby tensed, but Kotetsu and Antonio just glanced at each other and then gave Keith very understanding looks. It was an odd thing, being so famous for having your ass kicked in by a kaijuu, but they'd gotten used to it, and they both understood why civilians felt so... moved by them. They weren't the first or only jaeger to fall, not by a long shot. Plenty of pilots had died, even before Genghis ripped Rock Bison in two. But it resonated because it wasn't just a pair of pilot names inscribed in stone and rattled off on the morning Kaijuu Report, the jaeger lost somewhere far out to sea. Genghis had made it twenty klicks south of a major urban center, there were news cameras and civilian cell phones everywhere despite the danger. There was high definition footage that got replayed over and over, and that made it really real for a lot of people for probably the first time. And they'd survived, gone on and done interviews and tv appearances. Antonio was even interviewed for a psychology journal about his decision to remove his technically healthy but non-functional arm. They were symbols, faces and names to represent all the jaeger pilots that were injured or killed in the line of duty.
"I was horrified," Keith continued. "I mean, everyone was." He paused, expression uncertain as he realized this might be a sensitive topic. But Kotetsu gave him an encouraging smile, and Antonio waved at him to continue, so he did. "But I also felt so helpless. I wanted to do something, anything to help. To help fight the kaijuu, or support the jaeger, or just to protect civilians. But I was just a skinny kid with pneumonia, I wasn't very strong or smart, I knew there was nothing I'd ever be able to do. It was awful. But then," his eyes lit up, and Paolin gave a slight, indulgent smile and a roll of her eyes, likely remembering something specific. "I found out you survived. And even though you were both hurt so badly, you were working so hard to get better. Even if you couldn't pilot again, you wanted to do something, just like me."
That was true. They'd both rehabbed in record time, and Kotetsu had even tried drifting with a few other pilots to see if he could take to a jaeger again right away, but none had been successful. He and Antonio had both taken up support positions, assisting in the control rooms for several years before retiring completely to pursue other things until now.
"So I decided if you could work that hard while in pain, so could I, and I was going to get strong enough to help." Keith grinned widely, obviously so happy to be living his dream come true. "I never expected to make full pilot, a spot in the control room would have been enough. I was a comm officer in the Air Force before I transferred over to the jaeger division."
"The pilot thing is my fault," Paolin spoke up, still smiling slightly in what Kotetsu was coming to recognize as her default amused expression. "My father is a friend of Admiral Joubert's, he got me in for pilot training when I was still really young, and I worked hard enough and was good enough that Admiral had me pegged for one of the new Mk V's, if we could find me a partner. Keith could make friends with a rock if he tried, so of course he'd started talking to me the first time he came across me in the cafeteria. I knew how much he wanted to be a pilot, so I asked the admiral if he could try."
"Drifting is very strange," Keith said with such a straight face that everyone burst out laughing, and after a moment he joined them. "What I mean is, it's not at all like I expected."
"Of course not," Antonio said, shifting his stance in a way Kotetsu had come to recognize as the substitute for crossing his arms. "It's another person merging with yourself. It's still strange when it's your best friend, and you already know so much about each other. I can't imagine trying it with a near stranger."
For some reason that made Karina laugh, and Nathan looked a bit sheepish. "Oh, our first time was a disaster."
Kotetsu wasn't surprised, since he'd known Nathan years ago, but Barnaby looked puzzled. "Really? But you get along so well."
Nathan and Karina both laughed and shared a look. "Sure, now," Karina said. "But four years ago I was a seventeen-year-old bitch who thought she didn't need anyone else and was determined to prove it."
"And I," Nathan chuckled, running a hand over their short pink hair. "Thought I was far too good to drift with some little girl who'd never stepped foot into a jaeger hanger before."
Karina coughed, looking both amused and embarrassed for her past actions. "When I first met them, I thought Nat was so... ridiculous they could never be a pilot."
"I am so ridiculous," Nathan grinned. "And I think your exact words at the time were 'flame-broiled tranny'."
Kotetsu burst out laughing, half at Barnaby's horrified face. "Nathan, I hate to say it..."
"I know," they grinned, looking not at all offended. "Not terribly inaccurate, if inelegant."
Kaede blinked, still hanging off Kotetsu's sleeve. "Dad, what's a tranny?"
Kotetsu stopped laughing.
~*~
"So you're the other pilot for the Wild Tiger, huh?"
Kotetsu straightened up from where he was familiarizing himself with Tiger's controls and interfaces; they'd changed almost more than he'd imagined possible in the four generations between Bison and Tiger, but the basic motion controls were the same, just far more digital.
The speaker was standing in the cockpit doorway behind him, dressed in the dark blue jumpsuit of a tech. His had the addition of a silver armband with some sort of gear or star emblem. He had pale blond hair that reminded Kotetsu a little of Barnaby, pulled back under a red bandanna. He looked to be in his mid- to late-twenties, and Kotetsu wondered if anyone in this base besides him was over the edge of thirty-five. When Kotetsu straightened, he stepped over and offered his hand. Kotetsu took it. "I'm Ivan, one of the head techs for the Mk VI, but you can call me Origami."
"Origami?" Kotetsu blinked. "You really don't look or sound Japanese."
"I'm not. My boss gave me the nickname because I'm small enough I can fold into places in the jaeger that no one else can reach. You've met Saito?"
Kotetsu chuckled, remembering their first meeting, delivered almost entirely in Japanese and in an excruciatingly soft whisper. Agnes and Barnaby had been so frustrated. "Yeah, he gave me a briefing on Tiger's specs."
"He's my boss. He's chief engineer, and mostly deals with the computers and control interfaces. Ben and I are the head techs for everything else. Ben oversees the armour and joints and support structures, and I mostly deal with the wiring and power sources and motors."
"The guts," Kotetsu summarized, and Ivan laughed. "Yeah, the guts."