To Fight Monsters, We Created Monsters (Pacific Rim)

Chapter 15: Flawed Design

2025, January 3 – 08:56 – Hong Kong Shatterdome, Hong Kong, China

Out of breath, Dr. Gottlieb tried to explain the situation to the Marshal as they rushed to the K-Science lab. "...I found him on the ground, and sort of dazed. I didn't exactly know what to do."

When they entered, Greyson saw Newt sitting in one of the chairs. Blood had come from his nose. His hands shook as he tried to take a sip of water. The doctor wagged a finger at the Marshal as they approached. "I told you it would work."

"Yes, you did," Pentecost responded, taken aback. "Well, what'd you see?"

Greyson blinked away some weariness and her eyes roved the scene as Newt sputtered on. "It-it was only a fragment of a brain, so I was only able to see a gl—a series of, uh, images or impressions." He blinked fast, demonstrating as he continued, "You know like when you close your eyes over and over again, all you really see are frames—it was emotional and—"

The Marshal pulled a stool under him, trying to calm down the doctor. "Newton, Newton. Now look at me." His voice was quiet, calming. Despite it, Newt shook like a leaf. "I want you to take your time... and be very specific."

"Okay, okay... well, I don't feel like they're just following some animalistic urge, just hunting and gathering. I think they're attacking us under orders. I w—"

Gottlieb interjected right away, dismissing his partner. "Oh, that's impossible. Impossible!"

"Is that impossible?" Newt's voice raised to shout out: "Well, why don't you drift with a kaiju brain—"

Marshal Pentecost's face contorted from annoyance, and he turned around to Gottlieb with anger in his eyes. "You! Shut up!" When he turned back to Newt, his voice leveled out once more. "You... keep talking."

"These beings, these masters... they're colonists. They overtake worlds and just consume them, and th-then then they move on to the next." Newt took a couple short breaths, continuing, "They've been here before, as sort of a trial run. It was the dinosaurs! But the atmosphere wasn't conducive, right? So, they waited it out, and they waited it out... And now with the ozone depletion and carbon monoxide polluted waters, we practically terraformed it for them. Because now they're coming back, and it's perfect."

Pentecost began to sit up straighter, and Greyson could only imagine the kinds of things running through his head. She shared a look with Gottlieb, one of confusion and concern.

"See, the first wave, that was just the hounds—Categories 1 through 4 was nothing." Newt's voice rose an octave as he continued his explanation. Their sole purpose was to aim for the populated areas and take out the vermin. Us. The second wave, they are the exterminators—they will finish the job. And then? The new tenants will take possession."

Greyson watched the Marshal get to his feet, an expression of consideration painting his face. Newt carried on with talking about cloned kaiju DNA, likely from a conversation that she was not privy to. Lieutenant or not, she was aware that there were many things that remained above her pay grade.

"Newton, I need you to do it again," Marshal Pentecost ordered. "I need more information."

"I-I can't do it again." The doctor in question only blinked up at him. Then, it a joking manner, he added, "I mean, unless you have a fresh kaiju brain lying around." A chuckle escaped his lips, amused at his joke.

But they all noticed that the Marshal wasn't laughing.

"Do you?"

"Greyson," the Marshal started, "get me the file display on our asset."