Time passed, and the next day arrived.
Kaiser's warning kept Stacker Pentecost awake all night.
His unease left him visibly weary.
He was urgently organizing battle plans.
He also summoned the pilots of Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha.
Meanwhile, Kaiser entered a laboratory filled with various Kaiju organs.
"Hey, you interested in this stuff too?" Newton Geiszler greeted Kaiser enthusiastically.
"You seem fond of studying these Kaiju."
Kaiser glanced at the array of organs and tissues.
They were chilling to behold.
Yet Newton was immersed, utterly captivated.
"Of course, they're fascinating."
"I'm planning to link with a Kaiju brain."
"Maybe I'll uncover something unexpected." Newton said, pointing excitedly at a Kaiju brain.
Kaiser regarded the eccentric scientist.
His contributions to humanity were undeniable.
But his fate was grim.
Linking with the Kaiju brain led to mental contamination by the Precursors.
Ten years after the battle, fully brainwashed, he became a tool for the Precursors' next invasion.
He met a tragic end.
"You'd best avoid linking with those Kaiju brains." Kaiser warned.
"Lifeforms stronger than you, especially intelligent ones, have mental strength far beyond yours."
"Even if these Kaiju aren't highly intelligent, their sheer mental capacity is dozens of times greater than yours."
"You could be mentally contaminated."
"Over time, you might believe you're a Kaiju."
Kaiser's words stunned Newton.
Mental contamination hadn't crossed his mind.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
As Newton opened his mouth to respond, the base's alarms blared.
"Battle alert! Kaiju incoming!" Newton exclaimed.
Kaiser didn't linger, heading to the command room.
Crimson Typhoon, Cherno Alpha, and Striker Eureka were being prepped for combat.
"Sir, two Category IV Kaiju…" Tendo Choi reported gravely to Stacker.
"Engage. We have no retreat." Stacker ordered.
Kaiser noted the anomaly.
The Kaiju attack was a day earlier than in the original story.
And Newton hadn't linked with the Kaiju brain yet.
"Is this my butterfly effect?"
"Could the Precursors sense my arrival?"
Kaiser pondered.
The original story didn't clarify the Precursors' civilization level.
But their struggle against Earth suggested they weren't highly advanced.
Their tech tree leaned heavily into biotechnology.
Cloning so many Kaiju spoke to their expertise.
Kaiser refocused, looking at the command room's screens.
They showed the first-person views from the three Jaegers.
Battle was imminent.
Splash!
As the Jaegers deployed, the fight began.
Striker Eureka held back as support.
Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha took the front as main forces.
In the original plan, Striker Eureka, the only fifth-generation Jaeger, was critical.
Stacker didn't want it damaged.
They had no time for repairs.
Boom!
The screens lit up with fierce combat.
Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha each faced a Category IV Kaiju.
"Striker Eureka, you're authorized to provide support."
"If Crimson Typhoon or Cherno Alpha is in danger, act."
Stacker, recalling Kaiser's words, issued an order contrary to the original story.
"Understood!" The Hansens replied.
"Their luck is fading." Kaiser observed.
"These two Jaegers can't handle those Category IV Kaiju."
"I suggest preparing Dangerous Wanderer."
Kaiser spoke.
The command room's occupants stared at him in shock.
This strikingly handsome young man dared to advise General Stacker Pentecost?
During wartime, no less.
"I understand."
Stacker took a deep breath.
Though he didn't grasp why, with Striker Eureka present, things could still go wrong, it was better to be prepared.
He quickly ordered Raleigh Becket and Mako Mori to ready for combat.
The battle at sea grew fiercer.
As massive Kaiju clashed with Jaegers, the ocean churned with towering waves.
"Damn it! Crimson Typhoon, watch out!"
The Kaiju, Otachi, moved swiftly. In a blink, Crimson Typhoon was in peril.
Cherno Alpha was also in dire straits.
Striker Eureka, ignoring its guard duty, charged into the fray.
Thanks to Striker Eureka's timely arrival, Crimson Typhoon avoided having its head crushed.
Cherno Alpha gained a moment to recover.
"Strike! Take them down!"
The Hansens prepared to press the attack.
But Leatherback's head began to glow with intense blue light.
"What's that?"
"Electromagnetic pulse! Damn it!"
Tendo's face paled.
As the blue pulse spread, the command room plunged into darkness.
At sea, Striker Eureka and Crimson Typhoon stalled.
Only Cherno Alpha held on, powered by its nuclear core.
***
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