Newt and Hermann have to leave about five minutes after the reunion, because the buoys are picking up another reading. Predictably, Mako tries to get out of bed and follow them.

"Mako, you need to rest." Jake forcibly pulls her back to her bed.

"I've been passed out for almost twenty-four hours. I don't need rest." Now I feel like the older sibling.

"Raleigh, tell her she needs to sleep." Jake figures she'll listen to him. Unfortunately, Raleigh is in fact asleep himself, half-leaned over on Mako's bed. She looks from him to Jake, sighs, and curls up, one hand holding Raleigh's. Both of them are smiling in their sleep. Jake flops down in his own chair. The past day and a half have caught up to him too. He's out in seconds.

They wake up when McTavish comes in with a report that Thunder Herald took out a Cat II at the Breach and Aurora Flame was able to send a nuclear payload into the Breach in its body. They've cut off the throat for now, but Newt's warned them that each time it reopens it's more stable. For now, the war is over, but no one feels like celebrating yet. Last time they had two years Kaiju-free. Now they might have no more than six months.

Mako reacts to the news predictably. "We need to get the remote piloting systems perfected sooner rather than later. Next time, maybe we won't have to worry about sending our Rangers out to sea." She asks for paper and pencil, and starts having a long and animated conversation about technical things with the new blue-haired girl that Jake thinks might be called Kensie. She gets incredibly excited about something the girl said about cycling blocker things and starts scribbling everything down in her personal speed-note style that is a mixture of English shorthand and simplified Japanese characters.

"I guess you're feeling fine?" Jake was more than a little worried. How far she was under, they weren't sure if there was any brain damage. But if she's able to keep up with this tech jargon she must be perfectly okay.

"Yeah. Just a little dizzy. Still hard to adjust to time actually not jumping all over. Walking through memories for hours, I got really used to opening my eyes in another year or another place."

"What I don't understand is why we saw Chuck and Stacker." Raleigh looks comically confused, like a puppy whose food bowl has been picked up and taken away. "I thought we'd only meet people who were caught in our Drifts."

"Who do you think I made those 51 sim drops with?" Mako laughs like he's the biggest idiot in the world. "I'm not a solo pilot. But I am almost universally compatible, once you get past the little issue of the traumatic monster in my head." She grins. "Which is good, because I'm about to start training a new group of Jaeger pilots, and I'm planning on working personally with Kensie." Jake thinks the girl might overload and blow up, she's grinning so wide. "I don't think I'm getting back in the Jaegers though."

"I don't know. It felt good, what there was of it." Jake never even made it into a real fight. Maybe he'll go back to the Academy, finish training as scheduled, and take a new compatibility test. There was at least one person there whose compatible partner had been sidelined. He's been hallmates with Nate Lambert, and they studied together for Kwoon Tactics. Before he got pulled, Jake had been planning to ask Nate if they could test together at the end of the semester. Nate's blunt and tough, he and Jake match well together sparring, and he's got a razor-sharp knowledge of tactical combat. He seems like a good co-pilot. Who knows? It could be the best choice he could make.

"Just do what you know you have to." Mako squeezes his hand and then turns to Raleigh. Jake thinks he knows why she'll never go back in a Jaeger. It's not that this was traumatic. She's survived much worse. But he wasn't her perfect co-pilot. No one can replace Raleigh Becket for her, even if Raleigh's convinced himself he is replaceable, and she's going to prove it to him.

Jake leaves them in the room alone, leaning against each other, drawing strength from each other's closeness. They're a matched pair. He and Mako were good, but it wasn't that. He has to find his own co-pilot himself. He pulls out his phone and dials up Nate. He realizes he's forgotten to call since Venge got zapped.

There are about twenty voicemails and texts from various people at the Academy. Fourteen are from Nate.

Jake, man, what the hell happened out there? Media's all over you and your sister and your Jaeger, but they're not telling us anything important. Come on, give me the inside story. You know I won't blab to anyone. Well, maybe Marsha but she hears everything anyway after a while.

Jake, you're freaking me out. Call me back, man.

Call me back. Are you still alive?

Just tell me you're not dead.

Jake, what the hell? I had to find out you didn't kick the bucket from Twitter? And it wasn't even you. Come on, call me.

You're not calling anyone. Okay. I feel a little better about my importance.

Hey man, is Mako okay? They're showing you cleared but I don't see her.

Oh Jeez, Jake, is she gone? I'm sorry man. You don't have to call or anything but if you need me, I'm here for you.

Seriously, is she okay? You're scaring me.

Take your phone off silent you fucking moron and answer me! The whole damn world's falling apart and I can't get hold of you?

Call me back, Jacob Oberon Pentecost.

Seriously? I thought that name would get you for sure.

Why is Becket there? Jake, I need information. Please tell me Mako's okay. You better be okay, cause if you're not I'm coming down there and I'm gonna kill you myself.

You moron. What were you thinking? You triple-drifted with her and Becket? That's a great way to fry your brain. You know what? I'm done waiting. I'm getting on a helo and coming down there and damn it I don't care if there is an exam in Waters's K-Bio today. I'll fucking fail the class, who cares anymore? It's not like…

Jake dials Nate's number before he hears the end of the last message. Nate picks up on the first ring.

"What on the damn fucking earth do you think you're doing, Jake?"

"Hey Nate, I'm not dead."

"I fucking know!" Nate sounds both angry and amused. "I'm staring right at you." Jake looks up, and sure enough, Nate is coming in off the helo pad, waving. "I told you I was coming, you moron."

"You skipped out on Waters's exam?"

"What do you think? You scared the hell out of me, man!"

"Well, that's a shame, because he's probably gonna fail you. And then you're going to be held over a semester because you have to pass K-Bio, and how are you supposed to be my co-pilot if we graduate at different times?"

Nate doesn't seem to comprehend. "I don't care! My co-pilot's out, you fell off the face of the damn earth, what does it matter if I know how many brains a Kaiju…wait, co-pilot?"

"Yeah. I'm coming back."

"Well then you missed Waters's exam too. We can be in the same remedial K-Bio together, you moron." Jake laughs, and then he drops his phone and grabs Nate into a hug. Time to start again.