The pilots were the first to notice, and even then, it was a slow change. The gradual awareness of a third (or, in Crimson Typhoon's case, a fourth) presence in the drift. Tentative, curious tendrils of awareness, gently brushing the pilots' consciousness, asking, seeking, yearning...

It's human nature to ascribe human characteristics to inanimate objects, Mako had said, Cars. Ships. Jaegers.

Jaegers are different. When Gipsy is hurt, we feel her pain. You know that. We both feel it. We feel her, Raleigh had countered.

The pilots tried to keep their secret, unsure of how the Marshalls- or worse, their respective governments- might react. Giant war machines who could think and feel for themselves seemed like the sort of situation that would raise more than a few alarm bells. They couldn't hide it from each other for long, though. They all knew. It was the Kaidonovskys who first spoke of it openly. Old as he was, Cherno Alpha had been sentient for a long time.

"It is cruel to keep him trapped in the Dome for so long", Sasha had explained to the other pilots, "It is why we patrol so much. He likes to explore". The Wei Tang triplets were the next to admit it; with a third mind's worth of experiences flooding the drift, Crimson Typhoon had evolved quickly. He became Cherno's frequent companion and together they strolled along cold, empty beaches; wastelands to a human, but wonderlands for new consciousness. When one patrolled without the other, pangs of loneliness clouded the drift. The Jaegers' fondness of companionship had been something of a surprise, until Cheung Wei Tang had explained it in the simplest of terms: "It's us the Jaegers learned emotions from."

Unfortunately, Jaegers were not built for stealth and secrecy, and a single night was all it took to blow their cover. Hours after lights out, five pairs of eyes snapped opened at the exact same moment. Five humans sat up and squirmed in their beds, warmth prickling on their skin and curling in their bellies. Vicarious feelings, thought echoes... these were inevitable side-effects of the neural handshake. The techs called it "ghost-drifting". With all the pilots asleep, only one possibility remained. The Jaegers...

The walk from the barracks to the Jaeger staging area was an awkward one. The Kaidonovskys and Wei Tangs had left their respective quarters at the same moment, and there was only on way to their destination. Alexsis and the triplets exchanged cursory nods, avoiding eye contact and self-consciously adjusting their sweatpants. Sasha however, laughed and forged ahead: "Why so shy, boys? I know you're curious. Don't lie to me."

But even Sasha wasn't ready for the sight that awaited them. Five jaws hung slack in awe at the sight of Cherno Alpha and Crimson Typhoon moving. Of their own free will. Not just moving, but... together. Crimson was backed against the concrete wall of the staging area, and sparks rained to the floor whenever he moved- which was often, given that Cherno's heavy frame was pressed close against against him. Three dextrous saw-hands raked across the thick plating of Cherno's back before softening into caresses on the massive rivets in his sides. There was a deafening clatter of metal as Cherno Alpha shuddered, armor plates rattling against each other.

There was no mistaking the nature of the embrace; more than curiosity, more than companionship. All five pilots were frozen at the bizarre but unquestionably erotic sight before them. Their own arousal temporarily forgotten, they could do nothing but stare, feeling vaguely guilty about violating the Jaegers' privacy- insofar as privacy could exist, given the drift- but unable to look away.

Cherno and Crimson were oblivious to the interlopers, utterly absorbed in one another and the sensations of touch and closeness and desire that had until now been nothing more than tantalizing wisps in drift-space. Cherno's clumsy, gentle hands hands curled around Crimson's waist and slid over his gleaming chest before wrapping around to grasp the tall metal protrusions on his back. The lights at their tips flickered wildly and Crimson somehow found a way to cling even more tightly to Cherno. Every available inch of metal pressed together as if magnetically bound. Bright red paint smudged against matte grey. The ambient air temperature had risen noticeably, and Sasha wiped sweat from her forehead. The air near the Jaegers had begun to ripple with heat. Groans of metal straining and shifting echoed through the staging area. The sparks around the Jaegers fell in a downpour, bursting from between their bodies and beneath greedy, tender fingers. Crimson's arms shook visibly as he explored the twin incinerators on either side of Cherno's head. An arc of electricity crackled between their bodies, then another and another as their touches increased in intensity and desperation. The Jaegers were voiceless, but their pilots heard and understood their bodies clear as day: this felt so good, and they were close...

Then Cherno did something with his titanic fingers in Crimson's shoulder joints and that gleaming red cyclops-head snapped back against the wall with a thunderous crash. Crimson's hands jerked unsteadily through their transformation to saw blades and lashed out in a wild, dangerous dance. They nicked Cherno's upper arms and the storm erupted anew with a burst of flame from Cherno's incinerators and a fist cratering the wall. Slowly, the fireworks subsided into a haze of concrete dusk and metallic afterglow. Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha had grown inanimately still once more, but remained entwined in a tangle of limbs.

"Well. That woke up the entire Shatterdome. And probably half of Hong Kong", Jin Wei Tang whispered.

Barely a minute later the clatter of booted footstep sounded in the hallways. Stacker's voice rang above the chaos, "Rangers! Suit up! We're under attack! Rangers-"

The Marshall's voice cut off almost comically as he burst into the staging area. A flash of wonder crossed his stoic features. The smashed wall. The pajama-clad pilots standing silently in a row, their expressions caught between awe and embarrassment. And the Jaegers. Awash in glittering concrete dust, they nestled contentedly in each other's arms. Startled from their reverie by the sudden commotion, both heads turned to stare at the humans amassed below them. Some of the techs shouted in alarm, others turned and ran. But Stacker stood his ground. He nodded curtly at the dazed pilots.

"What a mess. Back to your bunks. All of you!" he snapped. Dazed, ears ringing, the Kaidonovskys and Wei Tangs wandered from the scene, casting long glances back over their shoulders. Stacker ignored the startled technicians for a moment longer and studied the Jaegers, a sad, cryptic smile on his lips. Coyote, old friend, you weren't alone after all.