To Fight Monsters, We Created Monsters (Pacific Rim)

Chapter 7: Golden Days

2020, March 2 – 00:47 – Anchorage Medical Center, Alaska, United States

Greyson Darcy had requested to meet the Jumphawks at the closest hospital when she heard Raleigh was found on a beach off the coast of Anchorage. A man and his boy had stumbled upon him – or was it the other way around?

According to the report given by the witnesses, Raleigh had gotten out of the opening on Gipsy's head; the same place where Knifehead had brutally ripped Yancy from them. The Ranger was incoherent and bloody, but conscious until the PPDC arrived. Tendo had come along with a handful of other 'Dome staffers to visit, but Greyson stayed. She had been by his side since he arrived.

Raleigh looked so vulnerable in the hospital bed. So broken. The doctors had stitched up a gash on the right side of his face and treated the circuitry burns on his left arm and torso. He'd have to live with that for the rest of his life, a permanent reminder that Yancy was gone.

Oh, God. Yancy was gone.

Greyson was sitting beside his bed in the world's most uncomfortable chair, just watching Raleigh in the stark white room. He was hooked up to a bunch of machines, the kinds of which she only saw on television. She found comfort with holding his right hand between hers; she needed to feel his pulse, to know he was doing okay.

Apparently, news of the fight had gone around quickly. People had been sending well-wishes to Raleigh, mourning the loss of Yancy, and other news outlets were questioning the effectiveness of the Jaeger Program. Greyson had gotten sick of everything on the television – except for the Marvel Movie Marathons. Those never got old. It had been a while since she'd even been able to catch a recent movie—

Greyson was brought back to the present when her phone started receiving notifications. She supposed the signal had just come back in. Some were from social media accounts, but there were handfuls of texts: Jazmine Becket, the youngest of the siblings, said to call her as soon as possible. An Australian number had sent condolences about Yancy; she assumed it was someone from one of the 'Domes.

One name stood out to her, however. Charlie Kenton. He was in their graduating class and once worked with her in J-Tech. Last she heard of him, he had resigned from the Jaeger Program and gone back to the robot boxing life.

The man had left a lengthy message not without some textual errors, saying there was talk in the network about a fried DriveSuit model being transported to China. No one knew where it came from. He wasn't sure what it meant, but he thought it was suspicious.

Greyson was in the middle of a reply when she nearly jumped out of her skin. Raleigh had groaned and reached for her hand. He was finally awake! His blue eyes blinked at the lights, searching around the room.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty." The lieutenant got up from the seat, taking his hand. When she looked closer, she noticed fresh tracks of tears falling from his cheeks to his ears. Her heart ached. In a low whisper, she tried to comfort him. "Hey, shh. You're going to be okay, you're safe. It's okay." She squeezed his hand. Greyson knew he was hurting, both physically and mentally.

And despite the years since her last Drift with either of the brothers, she could feel his hurt, too.

"He's gone" were the first words Raleigh had croaked out. A sob escaped his lips. Greyson hopped on the hospital bed, trying not to aggravate his injuries. She pulled Raleigh into her as his sobs worsened, shaking him. The blond Ranger cried into her shoulder as she lightly ran her fingers through his hair.

Raleigh hadn't been this devastated since his mother died and their father walked out on them. Greyson swallowed the lump in her throat. She didn't dare cry. Not now. Not when it was her turn to protect him from the monsters.