#morphaae

Me, Patroclus, and Achilles:

“ When I was a kid, whenever I felt small or lonely, I'd look up to the stars and wondered if there was life up there. Turns out I was looking in the wrong direction. When alien life entered our world it was from deep beneath the Pacific Ocean, a fissure between two tectonic plates, A portal between dimensions. The breach. I was fifteen when the first Kaiju made land in San Fransisco. By the time tanks, jets, and missiles took it down six days and thirty-five miles later, three cities were destroyed. Tens of thousands of lives were lost. we mourned our dead, memorialized the attack, and moved on.

And then only six months later the second attack hit Manila. [ "The acid factor to the Kaiju blood creates a  toxic phenomenon known as Kaiju blue." ] And then the third one hit Cabo, and then the fourth, and then we learned that this was not going to stop. This was just the beginning. We needed a new weapon. The world came together, pooling its resources, and throwing aside rivalries for the sake of the greater good. To fight monsters we created monsters of our own.

The Jaeger program was born. There were setbacks at first. The neural load to interface with the jaeger proved too much for a single pilot. A two-pilot system was implemented. Left-hemisphere, right-hemisphere pilot control. We started winning. Jaegers stopping Kaijus everywhere. But the Jaegers were only as good as their pilots. So Jaeger pilots turned into rockstars. Danger into propaganda, Kaiju into toys. We got really good at it. Winning. Then... then it all changed. ”

“ There are things you can't fight, acts of God. You see a hurricane coming, you have to get out of the way. But when you're in a Jaeger, suddenly you can fight the hurricane. And you can win. ”

“ ‘Mr. Becket.’

‘Marshal. Looking sharp.’

‘Long time’

‘Five years, four months.

‘Can I have a word?’

‘Step into my office, Marshal.’ ”

“ ‘Haven’t you hear Mr. Becket? The world is coming to an end. Where would you rather die? Here? Or in a Jaeger?’ ”

[ in Japanese ] “ ‘Hey. Better or worse?’ ”

“ ‘I don’t think you’re the right man for this mission.’

‘Wow. Thank you for your honesty. You might be right, but one day when you’re a pilot, you’re gonna see that in combat you make decisions. And you have to live with the consequences. That’s what I’m trying to do. ”

“ ‘It’s not their performance, it’s yours, your gambit. You could have taken all of them two moves earlier.’

‘You think so?’

‘I know so.’ ”

“ ‘Remember, it’s about compatibility. It’s a dialogue, not a fight. But I’m not going to dial down my moves.’

‘Okay, then neither will I.’ ”

“ ‘Mako, this is worth fighting for. We don’t have to just obey him.’

‘It’s not obedience, Mr. Becket. It’s respect.’ ”

“ ‘Are you gonna say anything?’

‘No point. In five minutes you’re gonna be inside my head... You look good.’ ”

“ ‘One: don’t you ever touch me again. Two: don’t you ever touch me again.’ ”

“ ‘Now you and I are the only thing standing between that ugly bastard and a city of 2 million people. Now we have a choice here: we either sit here and wait or we take these flare guns and do something really stupid.’ ”

“ ‘Alright guess who’s back you one-eyed bitch? You owe me a Kaiju brain.’ ”

“ ‘Everyone, listen up. Today at the edge of our hope, at the end of our time, we haven chosen not only to believe in ourselves, but in each other. Today there’s not a man nor woman in here that shall stand alone. Not today. Today we face the mounters that are at our door, and bring the fight to them. Today we are cancelling the apocalypse!’ ”

“ ‘You know Mako, all those years I spent living in the past... I never really thought about the future. Until now. I never did have very good timing.’ ”

“ ‘Move you fascist!’ ”

“ ‘Mako listen, you can finish this. I’ll always be here for you. You can always find me in the drift.”

“ ‘What can we do sir?’

‘We can clear a path... for the lady.’

[ ‘They’re gonna detonate the payload.’ ]

‘Well my father always said, he said if you have a shot you take it. Let’s do this. It was a pleasure sir.’

[ ‘Sensei, aishitemasu.’ ] ”

“ ‘You guys better be right because one way or another, we’re getting this thing done.’ ”

“ ‘It’s okay now, Mako, we did it. I can finish this alone. All I have to do is fall... anyone can fall.’ ”

“ ‘You’re squeezing me too tight.’ ”

“ ‘This is Marshal Hercules Hanson. The breach is sealed. Stop the clock!’ ”