Pacific Rim: Legacy

Chapter 4 - Ezra

Ezra could feel the shift in the room the moment Amara stepped in behind him. New recruits always caught people's attention, but this felt different. It wasn't every day someone showed up who had built their own Jaeger, and it definitely wasn't every day that Ezra found himself introducing someone who had already fought Kaiju before she even hit Moyulan's entrance gates. The rest of the cadets were going to have opinions about that—Vik especially.

As soon as they entered, Ezra noticed the murmur in the air, and he wasn't surprised when Ryoichi was the first to speak up, practically bouncing off his bunk.

"Pentecost. We're gonna be trained by a Pentecost!" Ryoichi's voice carried a mix of excitement and awe.

Ezra's stomach twisted at the mention of Jake's name. Here we go again, he thought, not for the first time wishing people wouldn't make such a big deal about Jake being a Pentecost. Jake already had enough on his plate without that added weight. Ezra opened his mouth to deflect the conversation, but, of course, Vik cut in before he could.

"So?" Vik's voice was sharp, cutting through the excitement like a blade. "Not like he was the one who died helping close the Breach. He's never even been in combat."

Ezra felt a familiar tension coil in his chest. Vik was always like this—ready to take anyone down a peg. He caught the slight narrowing of her eyes as she glanced toward Amara, already sizing her up. Here we go, he thought again, feeling a twinge of frustration. She always has to make things harder.

"Hey," Ezra said, stepping in before things escalated. He kept his tone sharp enough to get her attention, but he didn't want to start a full-on confrontation. Not now. Amara was already standing there quietly, clearly feeling the tension herself, but there was something calm and unshaken about her as she gave a small, "Hi."

Ezra was about to introduce her properly when Vik moved in, her voice laced with disdain.

"Heard you built your own little Jaeger," Vik said, crossing her arms as she stared Amara down. Her words dripped with skepticism, as if she couldn't believe someone who wasn't even from Moyulan had done something that impressive.

Amara straightened, her expression cool and collected. "Yeah. Actually. Scrapper. I operated her too with this solo bay..."

Ezra couldn't help but feel a flicker of admiration for how calm Amara stayed. Most people would've been rattled by Vik's attitude, but Amara didn't flinch. She's tough, Ezra thought. That'll come in handy.

But Vik, predictably, wasn't about to let it go.

"Yeah?" she shot back, cutting Amara off before she could finish. "You want to put junk together, be a mechanic. Moyulan is for pilots."

Ezra clenched his jaw, the annoyance building. Why does she always have to push like this? He wasn't going to let Vik ruin Amara's first impression of the team.

"That's enough, Vik," he said, his voice firmer now. He met her eyes, and for a second, it looked like she might push back, but then she rolled her eyes and turned, stalking off with a huff. Typical.

Ezra let out a quiet breath of relief as Vik walked away. He turned back to Amara, giving her a small, reassuring smile. "Welcome to the team," he said, trying to smooth things over. "We're a bit rough around the edges, but we're a family."

Amara's expression softened, though there was still some caution in her eyes. "Thanks," she replied, her voice steady but a little tentative.

"Yeah," Ezra added, nodding. "I'm Ezra."

He could see Amara taking everything in—the layout of the room, the dynamic of the other cadets, and then, finally, her gaze drifted toward the doors where his mom had just left. He wasn't surprised when she put two and two together.