Chapter 1: Rebirth
"So... who's that?"
Kamina Ayato put his brush down, and grinned at the painting, Haruka's arms around him. "Well-"
The combined sound of the telephone ringing and Quon's crying pierced the early morning air. "Let me-"
"No,you get the phone," his wife finished for him, smirking.
"Why me, Haruka?" Ayato laughed as they both left his studio. "She is my daughter too, you know! More likely than not I'll be the one paying for her education, I'll be the one driving her to her classes, I'll-"
"Labour- 14 hours," Haruka pointed out.
"Point taken," Ayato said, bowing graciously to his wife as he walked to the phone. "Hello?"
"Ha-hey, Ayato! How are you this fine morning?"
"Just fine, dad," Ayato said as he watched his wife soothe their daughter. "Not too sure about Quon though."
"Why? What's the matter? Is she sick?" he asked, instantly worried.
"Nope, just sleepy," Ayato grinned. "She's not used to waking up this early."
Ayato's grin was matched by the boisterous (and obviously relieved) laughter from the other side of the line. "Well, you can blame your mother for that! Speaking of which, she wants to speak with you. Hold on."
There was a short pause at the other end of the line, before a calm, cultured voice flowed through the phone. "Good morning, Ayato. Might I know what crime your father blames me for- this time?" she asked with gentle reproof.
"Well, apparently oversleeping comes from your side of the family," Ayato said, not needing to elaborate. As a Mulian, his mother's senses were slightly better than a normal human's; she could probably hear Quon's crying in the background, despite Haruka's best efforts.
And indeed, she had. "Oh dear," she said, her slight grin almost audible. "I'm so sorry. In my defence, ruling the Mu is a great deal more tiring than I would care to admit- not that your father would listen even if I did."
Ayato didn't need his inherited Mulian senses to hear his father's laughter in the background. "It's not me you should be apologizing to," he replied. "Haruka's the one doing all the work. She insisted," he finished, audibly enough for his wife to hear, and she stuck her tongue out at him in response. "So, is there anything I can help you with?"
"Correct. I'm sure you have heard that I will be visiting the NERV centre next week?"
"Mother, practically every news station here's been carrying it. Strangely enough, we're not swamped by reporters," Ayato said, his voice slightly questioning.
"I have nothing to say about that, save that maybe TERRA isn't quite as useless as they seem sometimes."
Ayato laughed. "You know, mother, odds are they might have tapped this phone."
" 'For my protection', or course. Sometimes I think General Kunugi is more of an old lady than I am," his mother replied with dignified exasperation. "In any case, I was wondering whether I might be able to stop by during my visit- unofficially, of course. It's been so long since I've seen any of you, and I'd like to see my granddaughter in the flesh for once, instead of from a computer screen here in Atlantis."
Ayato heard his mother sigh over the phone, before continuing. "In any case, I'd like to stop being the ruler of Lemuria and just be your mother- if I may; I do not wish to be a bother to you and Haruka."
"Of course it would be all right, mother. Drop in any time you like," Ayato said, when the doorbell rang.
"I'll get that," Haruka said as she walked to the door, holding a now quiet Quon in her arms, along with Quon's favourite stuffed toy. "Hello?" she asked, politely but firmly as she opened the door. Ayato's position and TERRA's efforts notwithstanding, there was the occasional amateur journalist who didn't know better-
"Hey, Haruka! How are ya?" said the person standing on the Kaminas' doorstep; a tall Eurasian woman a large sling bag on her shoulder. In the distance, her car, a slightly more fiery shade of red than her hair, sat parked.
"Oh my God, Asuka!" Haruka squealed. "Is that really you? It's been so long!"
Asuka gave her old college roommate a grin in return. "I'll say- it's been what? Five years? But first- it's boiling out here! Mind if I come in?"
"Will anything I say be able to stop you?" Haruka asked dryly.
(scene change)
"Synchronization at 50... 60... we're almost at the 70 mark... sync rate increasing...80- no, 85 and rising- it's really fast again, Doctor…"
Two scientists stood in the control room with a lone tech, watching a young boy on a screen mounted above a wide window, beyond which a massive form could be seen. The only other occupant of the control room was a pixyish technician, absent-mindedly brushing strands of her short hair from her head as she concentrated on the readouts on her screen.
One scientist, a handsome man with a ponytail turned to his counterpart, a striking blonde woman, and in his characteristic calm tones began, "Ritsuko, I don't think I should warn you of what would happen-"
"I know, I know, Itsuki, you don't have to remind me," Dr. Akagi Ritsuko replied. "Maya, begin the neural interface cutoff."
She then opened the intercom. "All right, Shinji, that's enough for today."
On the internal cameras, she saw Shinji simply nod his head. "Do you need me for anything else today, Dr. Akagi?"
"No, thank you," Ritsuko replied. "You can leave for the airport, don't worry," she said, to which Shinji responded only with a quiet smile.
"Quite the sync ratio, isn't it?" Doctor Kamina Itsuki asked calmly, as Shinji hauled himself up on a nearby gantry.
"Especially considering how excited he was," Technician Maya Ibuki said from her console. "I mean, I'm no scientist, but I have to admit I was kinda worried about Shinji losing control."
"If I were Gendo Ikari, I certainly would be."
"If I was Gendo Ikari, Shinji wouldn't be in there in the first place," Ritsuko sighed. "Personally, I'm happy he's getting out of the base- hell, I'm just happy he's out of the EVA! Those sync ratios... Granted, he's the best pilot we have, even more so that he doesn't need a Vocalist, but if he pushes himself too hard..."
"If past results are to be believed, then they'll fall to more normal, though no less exceptional parameters after today- which, in turn raises more interesting questions of whether his loneliness is the factor behind his superb Dolem sync ratios. I shudder to think of the sync levels he might achieve if he actually had said Vocalist assisting him."
"I shudder to think of what might happen if he reached those sync levels, period," Ritsuko said. "I still cannot believe it, to tell the truth. A Dolem pilot who doesn't need a Vocalist is surprising enough, but one syncing to the point where we have to take cutoff procedures?" she added, shaking her head disbelievingly. "And with no signs of mental stress…"
"Whatever you say, Doctor. It's a moot point anyway- don't tell him I said this, but I think the Vocalists creep him out as much as they do Asuka. Even if one were to be assigned to him, I don't think he'd accept one if it was offered."
He placed a finger on his lips. "Hmm, now that's an avenue of thought I hadn't considered- fear and his natural shyness perhaps combining to impact his sync ratios. Isolation removes all distractions, leading to focus, or maybe the exact opposite, the memories providing a focus- after all, they do say loneliness makes the heart grow fonder…" he said, his voice growing steadily and steadily quieter.
"Oh dear, Maya," Ritsuko grinned to the tech. "Forget Shinji; we're losing Itsuki."
"Sorry, Doctor Akagi," Maya said from her console, her smile equally wide. "I'm just a tech, nothing I can do there."
"Oh, such unkind words from such beautiful ladies- they cut ever so deeply," Itsuki said in mock despair. "You almost make me want to get back to my research- oh, I've just remembered; you know my mother will be visiting next week, and there will be quite the party at the Lemurian Hall; Mother hates that sort of thing, but I see it as an opportunity for one of you to get to know me better, or at least fool Mother into thinking I've actually got a social life outside the lab for a few moments."
"Sorry Itsuki, but I don't think either of us are quite drunk enough yet," Ritsuko replied, smiling.
"Besides," Maya began, "I don't think you're our type, anyway. Well, not mine at any rate. I'm not too sure about Rit- I mean, Doctor Akagi."
"Ah, but don't you know half the fun's in finding out?" Itsuki replied mischievously. "So, you two have decided not to attend then? That's a disappointment."
"Actually, we are going," Ritsuko replied, placing her hand on Maya's shoulder for quiet emphasis. "Just not with you."
"Sorry, Doctor Itsuki," Maya replied, taking Ritsuko's hand. "But, well, we already have matching dresses and everything."
"Which leads me to wonder- why is it you ladies have the gall to complain about all the good ones being taken or gay?" Itsuki grumbled good-naturedly while both women laughed at him.
(scene change)
In the locker room, Ikari Shinji pulled on his shirt, the fabric feeling much softer than it should have on his barely dry skin. So far, nobody had been in to debrief him, which meant that they either got far more than what they were expecting, or nothing at all. Shinji didn't know which, nor did he care all that much, to tell the truth, and not today of all days.
Today, he was going to the airport to-
"Well, someone's in a good mood!"
Shinji turned around. "Oh, hello Kensuke."
Kensuke Aida grinned at his friend as he stepped into the locker room. "Nice to see you smiling for a change. Makes you look almost normal."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"You damned well better!" Kensuke said, as loudly as ever. "Make good grades on your sync, you think? Wait, what am I saying- of course you made good on your syncs!"
"It doesn't really matter, Kensuke."
"It doesn't..." Kensuka began in an awestruck tone. "Look at this kid!" he proceeded to laugh, raising his hands to the air. "Thank God that Asuka chick wasn't around to hear that, she'd go nuts!"
"Really? Where did she go?"
"Lt. Haruka's place; turns out they were old college buddies back in Area 4. Small world, ain't it?"
"I hope," Shinji replied, smiling softly.
"Heh, I guess I can see why you can say your sync ratios don't really matter," Kensuke grinned. "Anyway, you need a lift to the airport? Just bought myself my own car, you know."
"You can afford a car?" Shinji asked, surprised. NERV gave its pilots an allowance, but it wasn't a very large one, as most of the pilots' needs were provided directly, which made private purchases rare.
"By myself? Nope, but Kaede's been helping out, and to tell the truth, I'm really getting tired having to fill out a bookload of forms every time I want to take her out to dinner. I mean, you know we can't even fill them out in advance! But anyway, that's beside the point- like I was asking, you need a lift?"
"Nah, no thanks. I'll just borrow one of NERV's anyway."
"Okay then, suit yourself. Have fun killing a rainforest with all the forms you have to fill out for that," Kensuke grinned.
"Too late for that," Shinji smiled in return, pulling a sheaf of papers out of the locker. "See you later, Kensuke."
"You too, Shinji. You two have yourselves a good day, hear?"
"I will!" Shinji said as he left the room, the jaunty tune he was whistling matching his good mood.
It didn't last for long. "Um, I'm so, so sorry," he said to the person he had knocked down as he was about to enter the lift. "I should have watched where I was going-"
"It is of no consequence," the Vocalists said quietly as she picked herself up, brushing a stray blue hair from in front of a blood-red eye.
Shinji couldn't help but shudder a little on the inside as she did that; he only knew one other person to have those eyes- and he was supposed to be a one in a million Mulian child. Some would have thought that notion should have comforted him; the reality was far different.
"Is there anything else you require, Pilot Ikari?" a second Vocalist asked from behind her 'sister'.
"Don't worry, ladies," a woman's voice said from behind Shinji, as he helped the young pilot up. "I've got it covered."
The two Vocalists simply nodded, and walked away in perfect, silent unison. "You know, just because you're creeped out by them doesn't mean you should make it so freakin' obvious."
"I'm sorry if I don't live up to your high standards," Shinji muttered to the young woman helping him up.
"Darned right you should be sorry," Meg March said, a familiar mischievous glint in her eyes. Shinji noted NERV's other famous blue-eyed redhead was, as usual, not in the uniform she was issued with when she joined NERV as Mechanized Base Security, instead clad in her usual spaghetti-strapped short dress and cowboy hat. "I mean, making a girl come to the office on her day off just to send you to the airport! Tsk, tsk, Shinji, I thought you were better than that," she added, as they both got into the lift and Shinji pressed the 'up' button.
"You're taking the day off? Why?" Shinji asked, fixing his sister-in-law with a bewildered look.
"Well, actually, Jo wanted to take the day off, and just decided to tag along," Meg shrugged. "The way she sees it, she might as well save you the trouble of filling out all those stupid forms."
"I don't want to be any trouble," Shinji murmured.
"Pfft, like that's going to matter," Meg said dismissively, when her face suddenly softened. "Besides, you're not the only one who misses him. He's the only real family she's got." The only real family the two of you've got, she added mentally.
"I guess so," Shinji said, shrugging. The lift doors whooshed open, and it took Shinji a moment to get his eyes used to the glare. "Where's Jo?"
Meg looked around for a minute, and pointed upwards. "There she is!"
Both Shinji and Meg backed away a bit as Jo's mecha landed, the name 'Django' inscribed on the side. A moment later, the arms and legs of the Nirvash-class machine folded into its body, forming a long, sleek car.
The main cockpit opened, revealing a young woman with a short shock of snow-white hair who fixed them with ruby-red eyes. "Hop in," Jo March said.
"Uh, there's only two seats in there- where am I going to sit?" Shinji asked.
In response, Meg simply jumped into the cockpit, and proceeded to sit on Jo's lap, her arms around the other girl's neck.
"Oh. I guess that's okay then," Shinji said, taking his place in the other seat. "Wait, then where's-"
"The same way I am, Shinji! Now get in!"