You all continue to walk along the valley, investigating the fallen Jaegers as you go. Many of them seem like older models, but some were newer. After a little while of silence, MIRA speaks up.
MIRA: Would you like me to indentify these Jaegers.
Y/N: No thanks MIRA, I don't think I need that.
Mei gives you an sympathetic look. She knows what you were thinking, you didn't want to see your parents Jaeger in that rubble.
Mei: We need to find a way out of here. We should pick up the pace.
Taylor: I recognize some of these.
Hayley: At least the Kaiju aren't chasing us anymore.
Mei: No, but they served their purpose.
Y/N: And what purpose is that?
Mei: Driving us into this death trap.
Taylor: Does everything with you have to be dire.
Mei: I used to be fun-loving.
You can't help but giggle a little at that and you see Mei smirk a little. That's one of the only times you've seen her smile. It made you feel good. All of a sudden you hear an alarm as you step across lasers that neither of you had noticed.
LOA: Warning. I am detecting many distress signals, and growing.
Taylor: Disable the alarms.
Mei: And kill the lights, their making us a target.
Soon, the entire valley goes silent save for your heavy breathing.
Mei: If the Sisters didn't know we were here before, they do now.
Y/N: So, we run through, fight when we have to and we'll be fine.
Mei gives you a glare and you keep your shut.
MIRA: I am detecting open flames ahead.
You look over and see in the distance a flaming stack of branches that spell out "The Child".
Hayley: The Child. They want Boy!
Mei: We can't stop, let's go!
Both you and Atlas then start running, crashing through the flames and along the valley.
Hayley: What do they want with Boy? How do these Sisters even know about him?
Taylor: They know a Kaiju when they see one.
You suddenly notice Mei's eyes go wide.
Mei: Stop! Stop!
Taylor: What, why?
Mei: It all makes sense. Bunyip-Man said the tick came from the Divide. The Sisters sent it because they knew Boy would get sick and we would have to hand him over to save him.
Y/N: You really think they would do that on the off chance we would be here?
Mei: The Sisters don't do anything by chance, you saw how they forced us here. And now that we know they want the kid, he's our ticket out of here.
Hayley: What!?
Mei: We exchange him at the border for our freedom.
You were terrified. Mei wanted to trade Boy for your freedom?
Hayley: Boy needs help now! He won't last until the border!
Y/N: There has to be another way.
Mei: No there isn't. If we give him up now, we won't last.
Hayley: I'm not letting Boy die because we were too afraid. If they poisoned him, they can heal him.
Taylor: That's exactly what were doing, we give them Boy, they let us leave.
Hayley: No!
Mei: Are you high?
Hayley: I'll give them Boy and then once he's cured...
Mei: They'll get a kid and a new sister, I won't let that happen.
Hayley: No because Atlas breaks us out. Just like at Bogan.
Taylor: Bogan was a disaster.
Mei: The Sisters don't make deals. We can't give away our leverage.
Hayley: Leverage!? He's a child we rescued and we are going to protect him.
Both you, Mei, Taylor and Hayley had exited your pilot seats at this point. It was a lot to take in. You were discussing the fate of a dying child and whether or not to use him as a barganing chip. Mei could sense your unease and looked over at you with sympathy.
Taylor: If you want Boy to live, let him go. All I care about is getting you to Sydney.
Hayley: I'm not giving him up, now or at the border!
MIRA: Kaiju detected ahead.
You jumped up and got ready to suit back up when Taylor stopped you from the coms.
Taylor: Wait, somethings off, if it knows were, why ins't it attacking.
Y/N: What kind is it MIRA.
MIRA: Scans are inconclusive.
You feel the shockwaves of its heavy steps walking past your Jaegers.
Taylor: It's passing us.
You wait a little longer, holding your breath. The stomps begin to fade and you all let out sigh of relief when you hear a clang on the top of your conn pod.
LOA: Kaiju out of range.
Mei: Yeah, but it dropped off a passenger.
You grab your energy pistol and prepare to go outside when those violent whispers return, giving you a splitting headache.
???: Come to us. Join us.
Mei appears beside you and you can barely hear her over the whispers.
Mei: Y/N, whats wrong? Are you okay?
You can't reply and just hold your head, on your knees. You suddenly hear two explosions go off as several warnings flash on the screen.
MIRA: Warning. Scalpular damage sustained. Manual repair is required.
Mei: First, we get rid of f the hitchhiker.
Mei runs to the top of the conn pod and you hear several shots go off as you see a cloaked figure jump off. You see straight into their lifeless eyes and the whispers get more intense. You see an enormous Kaiju get up and smash Atlas agaisnt the wall, unable to defend itself. Suddenly, the whispers slowly fade and Mei comes back down.
Mei: It was one of the Sisters, she cut some power conduits.
Taylor: You were right, this wasn't an accident. They want Boy.
Hayley: I know the Sisters have an antidote. I'll force them to give it to me or face Atlas. Now I'm taking him out there.
Mei: No, you're not!
You hear Taylor and Hayley struggling as Taylor tries to restrain her.
Taylor: Hayley listen to me!
Hayley: I am not agreeing to your plan!
Taylor: But have you really thought about yours? Walking him write into their arms. It's naive to think we wouldn't lose you both.
Hayley: But Atlas can...
Taylor: Atlas running in on some rescue op is too risky for all of us. Even with two Jaegers, we can't risk losing them.
There was a silence.
Taylor: Look, we haven't slept in days, we're not thinking straight. I know we have nothing but bad options. But fixing our Jaegers so we stand a chance is something we can all agree on.
There was another pause. You could feel the tension, even through your coms.
Taylor: It'll only take a few hours, Y/N and I can fix the conduits. The rest of you should get some sleep.
You look over at Mei who has a look of concern on her face.
Y/N: I got this. Get some rest.
Mei: Just... Just be careful.
Y/N: I will.
With that, Mei lies down on one of the benches in the conn pod, and you grab a tool box to get to work. Outside, you can see Taylor already working. you see him pull of the bad conduit causing the replacement to fall off the Jaeger. He looks over at you and gives you a sign saying that he's got it. So, you get to work. You unscrew the conduit, pull it out, and start installing the new one. It takes you a few hours but finally manage get it done. You return to the your conn pod and notice Mei is awake.
Y/N: Sleep well?
Mei: Well, for being chased by crazy cultists and man-eating monsters, I'd say I slept pretty well.
Y/N: I see your sense of humor has survived this long.
You both laugh a little.
Mei: It's nice.
Y/N: What is?
Mei: I've never laughed this much in a long time. It's nice to have people like you around.
You blush a little and smile.
Y/N: I'm glad things are looking up.
You turn on the coms to check in with Taylor and Hayley.
Y/N: Conduits fixed, lets get moving.
You hear sobbing and yelling from the other side and you see Mei's eyes go wide.
Mei: You didn't.
Taylor: It was the only way. Boy would be safe and we can get out alive.
Mei: You gave away our only bargaining chip, now the Sisters will never let us leave. Get in. We're making a run for it.
You both get in the pilot positions and drift. All of sudden, you hear you proximity alert go off.
MIRA: Category II Kaiju incoming!
Before you can react, you see a massive clawed Kaiju jump from the cliff behind you and onto Atlas. You go to help but as you do, another of the same Kaiju species hits you in the back, pushing you into the open wasteland. You turn to face it and it charges toward you, its clawed hands open. You grab each of its hands and you push against it with all your might. When you get your footing in place, you take a step back and swing to the side, sending it flying a few feet. You take out your Photon Axe and ready for the next attack. As it charges toward you, make a spinning swipe to the head, hitting it with the flat side of your axe. It falls to the ground but quickly recovers and goes for a punch. You block it with your axe and use your Vice Claw to trap its fist. As it struggles to break free, you pull back and throw the Kaiju from your Vice Claw into the side of a cliff. You quickly turn and see Atlas struggling against the other monster.
Y/N: MIRA, Apex Missiles!
MIRA: I must let you know that Apex Missile inventory is running low and should be used sparingly.
Y/N: Just do it!
MIRA: Firing.
You see a handful of Apex Missiles go flying toward the Kaiju. Some of them connect, causing the Kaiju to shriek, and others hit the side of the cliff, causing rocks to bury it. Atlas gives you a thumbs up but before you can reply, the Kaiju from before crashes into the side of you, throwing you to the ground. You fend it off while it tries to throw wild punches at you, exchanging blows. You see a bunch of warnings flash on the screen of your conn pod. Luckily, Atlas comes and tackles the beast before any more damage could be done. Both you and Atlas are now on either side of the Kaiju waiting for it to make its move. When it finally runs toward Atlas, Taylor and Hayley punch it across the face sending it flying towards you where you hit it with the butt end of your axe. You each take turns hitting the Kaiju back and forth and when the opening appears, Atlas uses its Saber Chain to hit it right in the side of the face, pulling it down to the ground. You take the opportunity and make a big swing with your axe, cutting right down the neck.
MIRA: Kaiju eleminated.
Both you and Mei nod to each other when you hear boulders rumble as the Kaiju you hade buried earlier dug its way out of the rubble. You turn to face it when all of sudden you are struck with a bunch of violent whispers. You fall to your knee, unable to move and Mei, who is barely audible.
Mei: Y/N, you have to get up! Come on!
The splitting headache continues as you keep hearing those whispers over and over again.
???: For the glory of the beast. In the service of the gods. By the power of the Kaiju. That we may be worthy. That we may attend. That we may serve with blood and be reborn in Ichor.
That phrase in your mind continues to be repeated while you watch in a haze as Atlas struggles to fight the other Kaiju. You see that same Kaiju symbol from Clayton flash before your eyes over and over again. Suddenly, it all stops, you manage to weakly come back to your senses while Atlas is picking you back up to your feet.
Taylor: Come on, we have to move. We have three more Kaiju on our tail.
You manage to get back up and start following Atlas deeper into the wasteland. You thought they were just headaches before, but now that you have gone deeper into the Sisters territory, you think they are somehow connected. But if that were true, what did they want from you? You decide to stop thinking about for now and keep moving to get out of harms way.
Moments later...
You had been walking for a little while, coms to Atlas had been quiet since. There hadn't been much talking after the incident until Mei broke the silence.
Mei: Do you really think its the Sisters who are doing this to you?
You had forgotten that in the Drift, Mei can share your thoughts.
Y/N: What else could it be. It makes sense. I have Kaiju blood in me. I am basically a hybrid if you think about.
Mei: Does that mean... they could control you.
There was a silence.
Y/N: I don't think so, they can really only control Kaiju mixed with other Kaiju. I am still human. Well... mostly.
MIRA: Vehicle on approach.
Mei: Sisters?
MIRA: Undetermined. Putting it on-screen now.
In the conn pod, a large dune buggy appeared on the screen. It zoomed in on the face of the driver, a man you recognize from Mei's memories.
Mei: Unbelievable.
Y/N: Is that Shane.
Mei: Yep, that's him.
Y/N: Does he seriously think he can take our Jaegers.
Mei: Oh he's not here for the Jaeger.
The dune buggy stops in front of both your Jaegers and you stop as well. You all get out of your Jaegers walk up to Shane and another little guy you remember Mei saying was Spyder. The entire time, Mei looked extremly angry.
Mei: You sprayed with Joel's guts and you expect me to go back to Bogan. I'll never go back. Never!
Spyder: Pretty sure she's not saying thank you.
Shane: If it weren't for us, you'd all be dead. Those Sisters were sending more Kaiju your way. What the hell were you thinking coming here?
Mei: What the hell were you thinking following me?
Shane: Fine you don't wanna tell me, don't. Just thought you should see something.
Shane grabs a cloaked figure from the dune buggy and you recognize it as one of the Sisters. You were very surprised and noticed that her mask had been removed.
Shane: This is who's been trying to kill ya.
He pulls back her hood to reveal a blonde woman who's skin was greying and whose veins were very visible. Taylor and Hayley gasped at the sight and you realized who it was.
Taylor: Mom?