A.N. Hello there! And welcome to my latest attempt at fanfiction. Boy it's been a while. Now, onwards to new pastures. This, (As far as I know..You can never tell these days) is a first. I won't divulge too much information yet, but fear not explanation is not too far away in chapter one. Here is a prologue to get the story flowing. Enjoy and please feel free to post your opinion at the end.
Switched
By Lycanpoet
Prologue
"You want us to do what now?" Asked a Confused second child to an ever so stoic Dr Akagi.
The "good" doctor smiled fractionally at the children, taking a little satisfaction from the confused looks on their faces. Gesturing to the plug looking chambers beside them, her smile softened.
"It has been decided by the higher-ups that pilot downtime after a battle has been, to put it lightly, inefficient. So we have designed a way to counteract that." She stated matter-of-factly, and no little amount of smugness to boot.
"Here before you are three of the first nano-regeneration tanks. Using nanites we have pre-programmed and cultured, they will heal and regenerate you on a cellular level. Trust me, you'll all feel so much better after the procedure is completed."
Upon hearing the words "trust me," leave the faux blondes' tongue an ominous chill ran down their backs. Even Rei, who stood ever rigid, could not suppress a shiver of dread.
Coming to the children's rescue, Major Misato Katsuragi stepped up to the scientist, "Err.....Rits? How many times has this been tested?" she asked, trying to easy the 14 year olds minds a little. But, she almost immediately regretted asking, as the bottle blonde doctor shifted uncomfortably and went a little red in the cheeks.
"Well technically it hasn't been," she blurted, quickly followed by, "however, the MAGI diagnostics show they are working perfectly."
Right then, you could have easily heard a pin drop in that test hanger, everyone just staring disbelievingly at the woman. That is till the German fireball ignited.
"TO HELL WITH THAT! I KNOW MY RIGHTS; YOU CAN'T MAKE ME DO ANYTHING I DON'T WANT TO!" She bellowed, Shinji being thrown off his feet by her sheer volume. Not that he minded being caught idly by the surprisingly ready first child. The Red-heads arms flying as she went off on one.
The scientist, being too used to the vulgar display of vocabulary, cleared her throat, and expertly ground the fireball down to a smoulder.
"But Asuka, You'll look and feel so much better than if you went to any health spa or ossen." She slipped silkily past the girls' vocal defence.
Asuka silenced immediately, her eyes searching the blondes' face for any form of deception. Seeing none of it, she sighed theatrically.
"Fine, but the pervert better not sneak any peaks at my pristine body." She said haughtily, then turned on her heels and stalked off to the changing rooms off of the test hanger.
An idle Ayanami turned and followed her. A nervous Shinji Ikari turned, giving one last unanswered plea to the women standing at the consoles, before going into the changing rooms himself.
The purple haired major let out a stifled giggle at the boys retreat, as did the doctor and the ever present lieutenant Ibuki. It was hard to believe he was so timid for a boy his age.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After an eventful entry into the plugs, that left the third child sporting an angry red handprint on his cheek and the tech crew stifling their laughter. The Children sat back comfortably in the LCL, Ready to drop into the induced sleep. A light sound of rushing liquid filled the plugs and the LCL clouded, the last of their thoughts coming to them slightly detached as the drifted off.
From the observation box, Technicians declared stage clearances. Dr Akagi was checking each off on her list. The major stood to one side watching the sleeping faces of the children. Few times before had she seen the three of them so serene, Shinji always so stressed, Rei always emotionless, and Asuka so....so...Asuka. It was nice to see each of them looking so content.
The voice of the Good doctors' underling pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Ma'am, there is a minor red flag on the third." The mousey tech called over her shoulder.
The faux blonde was at her station in stride, taking in the read outs, "it's nothing vital. The third must have a few previous injuries we never picked up on, the nanites are working at an accelerated pace to finish on time. Not surprising after all the times he has been downed after sorties. Keep a close eye on it for now, make sure activity stays stable."
Hearing this made the Major a little edgy; she turned to stare at the screen again, looking for any changes in the thirds face. She could see no signs of discomfort there, which relieved her mind a little. She disliked science she didn't understand, which working at NERV was a lot of what went on. It just unnerved her.
'Snap out of it Katsuragi, she said it's ok.' She mentally checked herself.
The raven haired operations director sat back against a consol and sighed, wondering when the procedure would be over. She hated all the long waits; they frustrated her, and kept her from her lovely beer.
'Ah well,' she thought, 'just another day at the office I suppose. Aw great, I still have all of that paperwork left.'
With a suppressed grimace, Misato pushed herself off the console and moved towards the door. Turning as she reached the door, she waved to her old friend and colleagues. Flashing them peace signs at them as she walked out, the major called back for them to keep her posted as she grumbled off down the hallway.
Returning to her observations, Ritsuko watched on, pleased with her work. Nothing Major amiss.
'Perfect, as it should be. And with the process almost finished we will just see how well the results turned out.' She congratulated herself, letting a satisfied smile crass her lips.
Little did she know of the work going on inside one of the plug. Nothing wrong with the equipment...just a slight miscalculation. One that may just cause a few problems in the very near future.