"Maybe you can't count, but there are four of us and one of you."

"Well, get some more guys and then it'll be an even fight."

Jim knew he was starting something he wasn't quite sure he could finish but these guys were grade-a assholes and someone needed to shut them up. He was able to get a few good shots in before the others joined. Jim knew these cocky Jaeger pilots had skill and training but what they didn't know was so did he. Plus, Jim felt he had more brains than these jerks combined but the numbers were not in his favor and he could only outmaneuver them for so long. With each blow it became increasingly harder for Jim to see straight and one good punch knocked him flat on his face. Before he could force himself to see past the white spots in his vision, Jim felt hands grab him and lift him to his feet. He tried to swing a fist but two guys held him back while another hit his face repeatedly. Jim was too dazed to fight back and the men only stopped at the sound of a chair scraping against the floor, and the deep voice of the man standing up from it.

"Alright guys, I think hes had enough." Jim tried to focus on this good samaritan but his vision still being blurry, all he could make out was a silhouette with floppy hair, broad shoulders and a blue shirt.

"This isn't any of your business, pal."

"Well, this man is hurt and I'm doctor so that makes it my business."

Then, Jim noticed the men holding him had loosened their grip, apparently distracted by the conversation, so he spit up some blood and tried to clear his vision; he meant to take advantage of this. The leader of the pack stepped in front of the man in the blue shirt who was trying to get to Jim.

"Hey, man. Why don't you leave this alone and go fu-"

Before he could finish his sentence, the stranger punched him square in the face. All the men, including Jim, were stunned for a minute at what had happened. Before the others came to their senses, Jim slipped from the hold he was in, turned and hit both men and knocked them to the floor. He turned and braced himself for the others but the other man had taken them down already. The beating they received, didn't seem to discourage the men on the floor, if anything, it fueled their fire. They all got themselves up and started to surrounded Jim and his new friend.

"Hey fellas, you outta be able to know when to call it quits." The men just scowled and flexed their muscles.

"Something tells me these guys don't quite grasp the meaning of the word 'quit', buddy." Jim replied, bracing himself for round two.

"I should have known better. Damn, hot shot, Jaeger pilots."

The angry men lunged forward, and the fight started all over again except this time Jim wasn't alone; he was back to back with his would be savior. They fought well together, they seemed in sync; as if they almost didn't need words to know what the other was gonna do next. I don't even know this guys name, Jim thought to himself. He was smiling, he couldn't help it, he was actually having fun. Just when he thought they actually had a shot at beating these jerks the fight was cut short by a loud whistle and all the men froze.

"What the hell is going on here?"

The main jerk spoke up, "Sir, this townie was-"

"Never mind, just get your sorry asses back to base." None of them moved. "Now!"

They all hurried out the door with the exception of the man in the blue shirt who stepped in between Jim and this new man. "Captain Pike, it was not this man's fault. The other men were saying the Kaiju were winning because of mediocre pilots and sir, this man-"

"All right. I expect this kind of thing from these jumped up Jaeger pilots but your a doctor for christ's sake."

"I know sir, and I'm sorry but-"

"That's enough."

"But sir-"

"McCoy, I said enough! Now back to base, that's an order."

McCoy looked over at Jim, who nodded as a way of saying thanks; McCoy nodded back and then headed out the door leaving Jim and Pike alone in the bar.

"James T. Kirk. Still starting bar brawls I see. And with Jaeger pilots no less. Are you trying to help out the Kaiju?"

"No. They were just assholes, sir."

Pike laughed. "You're not under my command any more, son. You can drop the 'sir'. Unless of course you're looking to come back."

"Come back to what? They're shutting you down or haven't you heard the news?" Jim pointed to screen playing a broadcast of some UN representative telling the world the Jaeger program is being abandoned.

"Yeah well, they can't shut us down because we don't work for them. What we do, we do for the good of the entire planet, not just rich guys like that that can afford to live inland. People still need us, Jim"

"Us? As you kindly pointed out, there is no 'us'. Count me out, find someone else."

"If there was anyone else that's were I'd be. Hate to tell you this but you're it."

Jim slumped his shoulders and let out a sigh. Pike didn't understand, he didn't get it. It wasn't that he didn't want to help, it was that he couldn't. Jim looked away from Pike when he spoke next, "Sam is gone but I can still feel him in my head, I knew what he was thinking when he died. I can't let anyone else in, not after that." He looked at Pike directly in the eye, even though his own blue eyes were filling with tears. "I'm sorry."

"Both your brother and father died trying to protect people from these monsters-"

Jim's voice can out in a harsh growl, "Don't you talk about my family like you know-"

"I do know, Jim. Everybody does. Because of those ugly bastards everyone has lost family; people are still loosing family unless we can stop it." Jim suddenly noticed how tired Pike looked. "This is the end, Jim and we are all gonna die. You just have to decide were you want to do it: down here behind this useless coastal wall or out there inside a Jaeger. We don't have the luxury of time so I'm just gonna ask you once more. Are you in?"

Jim turned away from Pike and didn't say anything but Pike just waited until Jim was ready.

"Do we actually have plan to stop them or are we just gonna keep knocking them around and hope that works?"

"We have a plan."

"Is it good?"

"That depends on your definition of the word good."

"So it's stupid then?"

"Pretty much."

"Dangerous?"

"Absolutely"

Jim turned back around with a wide grin on his face.

"Well, that sounds like my kinda plan."