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After the demonstration concluded, Marshal Thompson grabbed Aidan's hand with both of his, his face lit up with genuine excitement. "Ryan! I never imagined you'd actually cracked it. This is a blessing for all of humanity!" His voice carried the weight of someone who'd been fighting a losing war and suddenly saw hope.
"This is just the first generation," Aidan replied, carefully managing his enthusiasm. "I've got ideas for much more advanced versions, but I'm hitting walls with materials and funding. That's why I need the PPDC to allocate resources as soon as possible - so I can push this research to the next level."
"No problem at all! Once we report these results, you can ask for whatever funding you need." Thompson's confidence was absolute now. Before today, getting approval for major expenditures had been like pulling teeth, but with revolutionary reactor technology in hand, the member nations would be throwing money at them. "They'll fund whatever you want."
"Perfect. I want to build a full-scale reactor for Crimson Typhoon within two months, in time for the next predicted Kaiju emergence." Aidan nodded, already planning out the modification timeline in his head.
Marshal Stacker Pentecost stepped forward at that moment, his expression more cautious than Thompson's unbridled enthusiasm. "You want to install it in Crimson Typhoon?" He was a powerfully built black man with the kind of serious demeanor that came from years of combat command.
"That's the plan," Aidan confirmed, though he could already guess what objection was coming.
"The problem is, Crimson Typhoon runs on a 'Midnight Orb' processing system driven by diesel pistons. If you replace that with nuclear power, you're basically talking about rebuilding the entire mech from the ground up. The drive systems, load-bearing components, power distribution - everything would need to be completely overhauled. We're talking about massive costs." Stacker's military experience had taught him to think in terms of practical logistics rather than theoretical possibilities.
"So what're you suggesting?" Aidan asked, though he suspected he knew the answer.
"Gipsy Danger is already nuclear-powered. Swapping out its reactor would be a much simpler operation - no major structural modifications required. It'd save us millions and get results faster." Stacker's reasoning was sound from a resource management perspective. The PPDC was already cutting Jaeger program funding, with some officials openly advocating for abandoning giant robots entirely.
"But Gipsy doesn't have a pilot team right now, and I need to show results immediately. I need to modify a Jaeger that can deploy into combat as soon as the work is done." Aidan understood the logic, but his strategic thinking was different. "According to our intelligence projections, the next Kaiju landfall is gonna be somewhere along the Asian coast. Crimson Typhoon is our best bet for responding to that threat."
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He paused, then added with a touch of regret, "Honestly, if we had more time, I'd rather just build a fifth-generation mech from scratch."
Mako Mori, who'd been standing quietly nearby, started to say something but glanced at Stacker and fell silent. Everyone in the room knew she desperately wanted to pilot a Jaeger herself, and everyone knew that her adoptive father had been rejecting those requests for years.
"You can't rush this kind of engineering," Stacker said, his tone becoming more serious. "Building a giant reactor and modifying all the drive systems in two months? That's not just ambitious, it's potentially dangerous. If something goes wrong during combat because we rushed the modifications..." He left the sentence hanging, but the implication was clear.
"Every Jaeger we deploy has been through months of testing and validation. That's how we keep pilots alive."
"I'm confident I can complete it safely," Aidan replied firmly. "With enough energy backing it up, Crimson Typhoon could even achieve limited flight ability. It's already the lightest and fastest Jaeger in service - with an Arc Reactor providing unlimited power, we could make it incredibly mobile."
The idea of a flying Jaeger clearly intrigued several people in the room, but Stacker remained skeptical. He looked to Marshal Thompson, waiting for the final decision from the commanding officer.
Thompson was weighing options, turning the small Arc Reactor over in his hands . Finally, he nodded decisively. "If our testing confirms what we've seen today, I'll approve everything Dr. Ryan has requested. I believe in his abilities." His voice carried the authority of someone making a command decision. "This is a crisis situation for humanity. We have to take calculated risks."
With that settled, Thompson agreed to support all of Aidan's requirements. After the officials departed with the prototype reactor and demonstration suit for further testing, Aidan returned to his expanded laboratory to begin the next phase.
The reactor would undergo thorough analysis within 24 hours, and once the PPDC received the full report, funding and materials would start flowing. In the meantime, he had work to do - starting with a comprehensive funding proposal that would cover everything he needed.
God, I miss having the White Queen to handle paperwork, he thought as he sat down to write detailed technical specifications and budget projections. First priority after getting materials is definitely building an AI assistant.
The artificial intelligence would take about two weeks to develop properly, which would give him detailed analysis capabilities for both Jaeger and Kaiju research. That left roughly six weeks for the actual Crimson Typhoon modifications - tight, but manageable if he could get the AI online to help with calculations and system integration.
It's gonna be a busy month and a half.
The next day, the reactor testing data came back faster than expected, but Marshal Thompson looked distinctly uncomfortable as he reviewed the results. He sat across from Aidan in his office, methodically working through a thick folder of technical reports. With each page he turned, his expression grew more strained. Occasionally, he'd glance up at Aidan with an unreadable look.
The crude laboratory had fallen completely silent except for the soft rustle of papers being turned.
Finally, Thompson finished reading and set the folder down with a heavy sigh. "Jesus Christ, Ryan," he said, shaking his head in a mixture of amazement and exasperation. "You really don't ask for small things, do you?"
The funding request sitting between them represented more money than some small countries spent on their entire military budgets, even during wartime.
"Are you planning to build a fifth-generation Jaeger from scratch after all?" Thompson asked, clearly overwhelmed by the scope of what Aidan was proposing.
"Not exactly," Aidan explained patiently. "The budget covers several different projects. Obviously there's the second-generation Arc Reactor and the Crimson Typhoon modifications, but I also need to completely overhaul my computer systems and develop an advanced AI platform."
He leaned forward, trying to convey the interconnected nature of his plans. "These aren't separate luxury items - they're all part of an integrated approach to revolutionizing how we fight Kaiju."
"Look, I think you should focus on one thing at a time," Thompson suggested diplomatically. "Maybe start with just the reactor upgrades?"
"I can compromise on some things, but I absolutely need the materials for the AI development," Aidan replied, his tone becoming more insistent. "As for the second-generation reactor that'll provide even more power output - that depends on whether you trust me and whether you actually want technology that could change the course of this war."
He spread his hands in a gesture that suggested the choice was Thompson's to make. "It also depends on whether you want Crimson Typhoon and future Jaegers running on obsolete power systems, or whether you want them equipped with technology that makes them genuinely superior to anything the Kaiju can throw at us."
Marshal Thompson fell silent, staring at the funding proposal like it might burst into flames. The truth was, after seeing that demonstration, who wouldn't want access to Arc Reactor technology? The question was whether the PPDC bureaucrats would see the potential benefits or just focus on the astronomical costs.
"The AI system alone would revolutionize our tactical capabilities," Aidan continued, sensing Thompson's internal debate. "Real-time analysis of Kaiju biology and behavior, instant optimization of Jaeger performance, predictive modeling for combat scenarios - we're talking about giving our pilots advantages they've never had before."
"And the second-generation reactor?"
"Would provide enough power to make Jaegers significantly faster, stronger, and more versatile than anything we've built so far. We're not just talking about incremental improvements - we're talking about a fundamental shift in what these machines can do."
Thompson rubbed his temples, clearly feeling the weight of the decision. "The member nations are already questioning every expenditure. They're talking about defunding the Jaeger program entirely and putting everything behind that wall project."
"Which is exactly why we need to show them something that changes the entire strategic picture," Aidan argued. "Give them technology that's so obviously superior that abandoning it would be insane."
"And if it doesn't work? If something goes wrong and we've spent billions on experimental technology that fails in combat?"
"Then humanity loses the war anyway, and the money won't matter," Aidan replied bluntly. "But if it works, we don't just survive - we win. Decisively."
The room fell quiet again as Thompson weighed the enormous risks against the potentially revolutionary benefits. Finally, he looked up with the expression of someone who'd made a command decision.
"I'll submit the full proposal to the PPDC council. But Ryan - this better work. If we're wrong about this, a lot of people are going to pay the price."
"It'll work," Aidan said with quiet confidence. "I promise you that."
What he didn't mention was that Arc Reactor technology was just the beginning of what he planned to implement. Once he had the resources and credibility that came with success, he could start introducing concepts that would make the current Jaeger program look primitive by comparison.
But one step at a time. First, prove the technology worked. Then expand from there.
Looking at Thompson's worried expression, Aidan felt a familiar surge of determination. The marshal was taking an enormous professional risk by backing these proposals, and Aidan wasn't going to let him down.
Time to change the world. Again