Superwomen of Eva: Legacies
New Daughter of Krypton #1
It started shortly after the disastrous activation test of Unit 00. Fortunately, by some miracle, the First Child was uninjured, but there was still quite a mess to clean up, and as he was Vice Commander, supervising that task fell to Fuyutsuki. He stood at the bottom level of Test Chamber 01 and gave the mess a critical eye. The chamber wasn't far from the Evangelion cages, the walls lined with expensive sensor equipment to detect any unexpected malfunction.
For all the good that did, he mused sardonically. They certainly hadn't needed any of those sensors to detect this problem, and many of them were thoroughly smashed when Unit 00 went berserk.
"Vice Commander?" a voice called out, pulling his attention from his thoughts.
"Yes, Lieutenant Ibuki?" he replied, looking over to the mousy technician near the entry plug.
"I think..." she said hesitantly, "I think you should see this." She gestured to the entry plug's interior.
Fuyutsuki frowned, then nodded and walked over. He peered inside.
"My God..."
Fuyutsuki was still very uncertain about what he was about to broach to the First Child, but it fit. The crushed control handles and mangled internal hatch levers in the entry plug stood in mute testimony to what had happened, and more importantly he knew not only the truth about Unit 01 and Ayanami, but also the link between AT fields and the world's greatest hero. He had, in fact, helped formulate AT field theory from their research into his physiology at STAR Labs back in the day.
He gave the door three quick raps.
"Enter."
He opened the door to Ayanami's apartment with more than a little distaste as he wondered again how Gendo could allow her to live in such a state. The fact that the whole area had been flagged for demolition and urban renewal did little to assuage his concerns; he made a mental note to check what Gendo planned if the demolition work moved faster than anticipated and actually finished before the scenario reached completion.
"Ayanami."
"Vice Commander."
"Some things regarding Unit Zero's failed activation have come to my attention."
Ayanami Rei sat on her bed, pondering what the Vice Commander had told her. Off to the side was information he had provided her with for further research. Sitting on top was an old newspaper clipping with a picture of a man dressed in red and blue lifting a car over his head.
Intellectually, she understood the connection, and that man was proof that the AT fields could function in that fashion, despite STAR Labs and Nerv's inability to replicate it on such a small scale.
Of course, the Vice Commander had said it was only a hypothesis, that he was only informing her so she could adapt in case he was right. She tilted her head and reached out to the end of the bed, clasping her hand over the steel frame, and squeezed.
The metal shrieked as it crumpled in her hand.
The next morning, Rei opened her eyes. There was something different about the ceiling, something... unfamiliar. It took her several long seconds to pinpoint what it was.
It was a good meter closer than usual. She tilted her head and looked down.
"This bears further research," she concluded, eyebrow cocked.
Not the least of which being figuring out how to get back down from where she floated a meter above her bed.
Clearly, this new ability did not require any physical stimulus, so she tried envisioning herself floating downward, then thought about falling. A seed of frustration began taking hold, and finally, she rolled over to face the wall and shoved hard against it at an angle.
Crunch!
Thump!
CRASH!
"Ouch."
Rei continued studying the research materials the vice commander had provided. They consisted of everything from newspaper clippings to magazine articles to interview transcripts. She needed to learn more.
Which brought her here, to the vice commander's office.
"Vice Commander."
"Rei," Fuyutsuki greeted her with a warm smile, rising to his feet. "What brings you here?"
"I have attained additional evidence supporting your hypothesis regarding the Unit Zero activation test."
His eyes widened marginally, and he quickly ushered her in, closing the door behind her. He reached into the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a small scanner, with which he quickly swept the room for listening devices. If true, this wasn't something he wanted Seele learning of.
"What happened?" he asked as he tucked the scanner back into the drawer, finally satisfied the room was secure.
"I awoke two days ago floating one meter above my bed."
He slumped back into his chair. "I see."
"I have spent the past two days examining the research material you provided me with."
"And?"
"They have not provided sufficient insight into accessing any additional abilities I may possess."
"Well, if you need more information, it shouldn't be hard to find it," he mused aloud. "Keep researching. No need to limit yourself to what I've provided."
"Understood. I am puzzled, however, by his actions."
"What actions?" Fuyutsuki asked, frowning as he tried to recall anything unusual about Superman's activities.
"His activities prior to Second Impact," she clarified. "He engaged in a number of conflicts with criminal enterprises in Metropolis as well as disaster relief efforts worldwide despite receiving no compensation for any of his efforts." She paused, then added, "Why did he sacrifice himself the way he did? He was not replaceable."
"Not like I am" remained unsaid.
Fuyutsuki gave her a long look, then picked up one of the framed photos from his desk. It wasn't the one he usually found himself looking at, of himself, Gendo, and Yui just prior to the Unit 01 contact experiment. No, this was an older one, from his days at STAR Labs in Metropolis, before Second Impact. It was a press photo for the Daily Planet, featuring himself; an old colleague, Dr. Emil Hamilton; and Superman.
"Because he was a good man," he finally answered with a sigh. "Superman is... was an icon, a beacon of hope for a better future, and the world is a darker place without him."
"Then why did he not preserve himself?" she persisted.
"Because if he didn't try, he would've tarnished that symbol."
She frowned. "I do not understand."
"I know," he said, still gazing at the photo with regret.
There was a long moment of silence as Rei tried to interpret that response into something applicable. She failed.
"Does this alter the scenario?"
He looked up, placing the photo back down. "Only if you allow it to."
"I see."
She did not.
As per the vice commander's instructions, Rei began looking into further research, as her continued attempts to control her ability to fly had met with little success. The possibility that he hadn't meant practical experimentation did not cross her mind, nor did it occur to her to consider what the Nerv Department of Security Intelligence, aka Section Two, would do, but they had long since dismissed observing the First Child as a do-nothing job, only occasionally glancing at the entrance to her apartment building while she was home. As the area she lived in was quite deserted, this was typically sufficient.
So no one noticed when Rei threw herself off the roof.
She fell perhaps five meters before stabilizing. As she floated, she considered her situation. She experimentally moved her limbs around, trying to see what effect that had on her position. Nothing. She envisioned herself moving upward and was surprised to find herself floating upward exactly as she had envisioned it.
I wonder how fast I can go... she mused.
Crack-BOOM!
Section Two Agent Miramoto looked up from the crossword he was working on. "Was that thunder?"
"Probably just a car back firing. You're not doing that crossword in ink, are you?"
Dr. Akagi Ritsuko looked up as she waited. With Unit 00 offline and the timing of the Angels' return uncertain, Nerv needed to get another Eva up and running as soon as possible, and that meant Unit 01. The only thing missing now was their pilot.
The door opened, and Ayanami entered, punctual as ever. Ritsuko looked up... and froze.
There was something very, very... off... about the First Child. The girl looked even more disheveled than usual, her hair a complete mess. Her face looked... brighter, somehow. It took Ritsuko a moment to realize she was actually smiling. It wasn't much of a smile, barely visible, but it was there. And she was rocking ever so slightly back and forth on the balls of her feet.
"All right," she said, setting her clipboard aside. "What's got you so happy today?"
"Recent experimentation has yielded promising results," Ayanami replied, a hint of excitement in her voice.
Ritsuko closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. I do not need this today. There was only one thing she could think of that would yield that kind of reaction.
"See me after the activation test," she said firmly, "and whatever you do, don't let the commander know what you've been doing in your free time." She shook her head. "He'd have an aneurysm," she muttered under her breath.
"Understood, Doctor Akagi."
Rei eased into the entry plug of Unit 01, inhaling the familiar scent of LCL. The sounds around her faded and muffled as she settled in, trying to connect with the Evangelion, in a process not too dissimilar from her earliest memories, inherited from the first.
This felt... different from Unit 00. The link to Unit 00, despite the problems, felt easier, more natural, even as she was fighting it for control. Here, it felt oddly sluggish, like it wasn't even aware of her presence.
"Absolute borderline cleared. Synch ratio holding at... twenty-two percent. Promising for a first time. Rei, how's it feel in there? Anything unusual?"
"No, Doctor Akagi."
"Excellent."
Rei waited patiently by Dr. Akagi's office as instructed. The activation test had proceeded without incident. It wasn't long before she saw her power walking down the hallway, a package wrapped in a plastic bag tucked under her arm.
"Doctor Akagi, I-"
"Here," the scientist said, shoving the package into her arms and entering her office. She paused in the doorway and added, "And I don't ever want to hear about this again. If you have any questions, ask Doctor Hikawa." She slammed the door shut.
Rei blinked, then peered into the plastic bag. There was book - yellow and black, entitled "Sex for Dummies" - and a box marked "Nerv Brand Condoms."
Mystified, Rei tucked them both away and set her puzzled thoughts aside. She had much more important things to do, like get home so she could go flying again.
She couldn't wait to go flying again. And if Section Two noticed an unusual bounce in her step? Well, she was a teenage girl.
Dr. Hikawa Takao stared across his desk at the bluenette sitting before him. As a former JGSDF officer, he had seen a lot. As Nerv's Chief Medical Officer, he knew things most people didn't. He knew Ayanami Rei was not normal. He knew she had very specific and peculiar medical needs. He knew her physiological baselines were atypical for a healthy human, let alone a fourteen year old girl. He knew there were things about Nerv - about Ayanami - that were classified well above his pay grade.
To be frank, he had long suspected she wasn't entirely human. To have it confirmed was...
He reached over and popped open a bottle of ibuprofen. He was going to need it.
"Am I actually cleared for this?" he asked after downing four of the 200mg pills. While it was possible she was lying, said possibility was quickly dismissed from his mind. Such an extravagant claim would serve no purpose, and Ayanami Rei was not prone to doing anything without purpose.
"Doctor Akagi advised me not to discuss this matter further with her or the commander and to direct any future inquiries to you."
Dr. Hikawa slumped back in his chair, dragging his hand over his face. "Of course she did." Why she would tell her something like that was beyond him. What on Earth made her think he was at all qualified to discuss Kryptonian physiology?
Suck it up, soldier, he berated himself, his mental voice echoing his DI from basic. You've got a job to do.
"I'll have to get some reference material," he said finally. "Until then, I can only caution you on using your... abilities. The potential for collateral damage is... significant."
"Understood."
With that route of inquiry on hold, Rei retreated back to the resources the vice commander had provided her with: newspaper clippings, press releases, interviews. She had long since memorized every shred of relevant data about Superman, but she felt there was another avenue of approach.
She spread the various documents across her bed - making a mental note to get a table if this was going to become a regular occurrence - and traced her finger across them. Nearly all the articles were from Metropolis. The vast majority of them were from a single periodical. Most of them had the same name in the byline.
Clark Kent.
Of course, a quick search from her computer terminal at school proved that to be a dead end as well. Clark Kent had gone missing some time around Second Impact and was long presumed dead.
His wife - and, more importantly, partner - on the other hand...
A/N: This is as much Cody MacArthur Fett's story as it is mind. The cover pencil art is by Zair-Dacorus.