Pacific Rim: Legacy

Chapter 9 - Analia

Analia moved stiffly as she stepped into the command center, each step sending a dull ache through her body. She tried to hide it, but the soreness was a constant reminder of how long it had been since she'd last piloted a Jaeger in real combat. Her muscles protested with every movement, and her back throbbed from where Gypsy Avenger had been thrown into the buildings. I'm getting too old for this, she thought with a wry smile, but she pushed the discomfort aside, forcing herself to focus on what was in front of her.

Jake was already there, pacing impatiently as the rest of the team assembled. Nate stood beside Gotlieb, who was hunched over the console, his fingers flying over the keys as he worked to decrypt whatever it was that Mako had sent them. The tension in the room was palpable, but all Analia could think about for a moment was the throbbing pain in her side and the stiffness in her limbs.

Raleigh was the last to enter, his eyes scanning the room before landing on Analia. He moved to her side, his hand resting gently on her lower back, just below the sorest part, the touch both comforting and supportive. He didn't say anything, but the gesture was enough to ease some of the tension coiled tight in her muscles. She leaned slightly into his touch, grateful for the quiet affection.

"You okay?" Raleigh asked in a low voice, his concern clear as he looked at her.

Analia gave him a small nod, though the tightness in her jaw betrayed the discomfort she was feeling. "I'll be fine," she whispered back, managing a smile. "Just a little sore. It's been months since I've been in the Conn-Pod."

Raleigh's thumb brushed gently along her back, a subtle reminder that he was there, watching out for her even when she didn't ask. "You did great out there."

Before she could respond, Jake's voice cut through the tension in the room. "What is it?" he asked, his gaze locked on the holographic display in front of Gotlieb.

Gotlieb adjusted his glasses, his voice rapid as he explained, "A message. From Mako."

At the mention of Mako, the air in the room seemed to thicken. Analia felt a pang of sorrow in her chest. Mako had been more than just a fellow Ranger—she had been a friend, a sister in arms. Analia could feel Raleigh's hand tighten slightly on her back, as if he could sense the weight of her thoughts.

"She was trying to send it from her copter right before it went down," Gotlieb continued, his eyes flicking between the data on the screen. "It's a data package. High density."

Analia stepped forward, despite the ache in her muscles, her brows knitting together in confusion. "Obsidian Fury was jamming comms. How could her signal get through?"

"It didn't," Raleigh answered, his voice steady but edged with frustration. "At least not intact."

Jake, still pacing, threw his hands up in frustration. "So it's gone?"

Gotlieb shook his head, his fingers never stopping as he typed away at the console. "Gone is relative in the digital realm. By... By running a modified fractal algorithm, I might be able to reconstruct a few megabytes." He pressed a few more keys, and then something flickered on the screen. "There."

The image on the display was faint at first, distorted with static. But then it sharpened, revealing something monstrous.

"Is that a Kaiju?" Jake asked, his eyes narrowing as he moved closer to the screen.

Gotlieb squinted, adjusting the image. "I'm checking against PPDC Kaiju archives. No match against the database."

Analia's heart raced as she stared at the image. What had Mako found? She could feel Raleigh's tension radiating through his hand as it rested on her back. This was important—Mako had risked everything to get this message out. Whatever it was, it had mattered to her.