Some Pacific Rim fanfic

Sasha didn’t even like Pavel Verinsky very much at first.  She was a pilot in the Russian Air Force, following the tradition of her great-grandmother who had been one of the famed Night Witches of the Great Patriotic War.  He was an engineer in the Russian Army.  But they had tested as compatible and selected as the pilots of Russia’s first prototype Jaeger. 

In the many hours they spent Drifting during the prototype tests, Sasha and Pavel realized they complemented each other’s strengths.  Pavel’s methodical nature kept them focused on the tasks at hand while Sasha strength of will enabled them to stay in the Drift for long periods of time.  

After one particularly long session in the Jaeger where they set a record for longest neural handshake, they both went to Pavel’s quarters.  There were no words spoken or needed as they spent the night together.  

The next morning, Pavel went to the prototype bay while Sasha returned to her quarters for a quick shower and change of clothes.  She was lacing up her boots when she felt the floor shake and heard the klaxons sound.  Sasha rushed to the bay to find the heavy blast doors sealed.  On the monitor screen next to the doors she saw the fiery wreckage of the prototype.  She screamed Pavel’s name as she pounded on the doors.  

The exact cause of the accident was never found.  The leading theory was a defect in the nuclear reactor that led to an explosion and containment breach.  The bay was filled with concrete, burying the radioactive remains of the prototype, Pavel and the technicians who had been in the bay at the time of the accident.

Sasha was named to pilot Russia’s new Jaeger that the Pan Pacific Defense Corps was calling Cherno Alpha.  Her new copilot was a man named Aleksis Kaidonovsky.  They might make a good team but no one could truly replace Pavel in her heart.