Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion, and I make no monetary profit from placing this story on the web.
Rei(s) Ayanami
By: Taiteki Kagato
What remained of the planet was virtually unrecognizable after the Second Impact. From the immediately-following panic, to the global warfare, no land went unscathed.
While the northern hemisphere's coastlines were relatively shielded from the tidal waves the detonation of Antarctica induced, their shores sunk below the waves just like the rest of the worlds, and I watched daily reports as my once-familiar country shrank along its edges, until it was unrecognizable to anyone who'd not known of its changes.
The media, those that were based out of centrally-located cities anyway, continued to report the changes our planet faced, the effects of the new orbital alignment, and whatever else they could get experts in various fields to say the meteorite's effect had been. To a young child, though, these details were lost to me, and I did my best to stay out of the way, as things slowly ground onward.
Worse was the mental shift that occurred as time went on. Childbirth was difficult, rare, and much more prone to failure than before, and the loss of a large portion of the population meant that the children left were suddenly as important as adults. Being only eight at the time, I remember the sudden shifts in society, as I became an "adult" almost overnight, despite my body's literal age. Decisions I'd never bothered with before were now thrust upon me, and choices I used to have were stripped from me before I could realize they weren't important anymore.
It was like that everywhere though, so I didn't dwell upon it any more than the next kid, simply doing my best to grow up as fast as I could in a world that was suddenly a lot more serious than it should ever be.
The move to Japan was a surprise, me all of 14 years old, suddenly finding myself in a new culture, a new country. With my parents re-activated military, the choices were limited, though, and this was the best they could do with what they had to choose from.
Four years after arriving, I was as good with Japanese as I was with English, and I had myself one of the post-second-impact College Degree's to prove it. Before, apparently, colleges were longer, more relaxed, and, dare I say, superfluous. Afterwards, however, the need for Gentlemen, while necessary, wasn't something humanity could afford to spend 3 years on, and so the well-rounded graduates were replaced with the broad-focused specialists.
It was at the Graduation Ceremony that I realized, for the first time, that I was free to continue as I saw fit. A BA in English, and a BS in Psych (I'd started early) and nowhere to go next. Employment was the most obvious choice, but where?
Glancing around, I shifted my gaze from gaudy booth to gaudy booth, until I found myself staring at an out-of-the-way table that seemed almost pathetic compared to those immediately surrounding it. Curious as to what a table like that could offer in terms of employment, I made my way through the crowd, finally pulling up to a stop and staring down at the flyers available.
"Are you interested in a position?" the overly-happy-looking woman behind the table asked. She was wearing sunglasses when I had approached, but now she reached up to take them off, exposing a pair of friendly brown eyes. Purple-black hair surrounded the rest of her attractive face, and it took a moment for me to glance back at the table before responding.
"Actually... I'm not even sure which company this is," I muttered, frowning slightly at the generic "Want a job that offers a challenge..." and other standard-fare lines displayed. The woman frowned, then stood up, leaning over the table and staring down at the front, where most employers hung their company names.
"Son of a bitch! They stole it again!"
I blinked at that. I was no stranger to profanity, but this wasn't the best way to get employees... at least, not the conservative ones. The woman collapsed back in her chair, then glanced up at me, the smile no longer quite so fake, merely weary.
"This is the table for NERV, a new multi-jurisdictional international peacekeeping force with ties to the UN."
Quirking a brow at that, I subtly nodded, impressed that she'd managed to say all that in one breath. NERV was in the news here and there, but relatively low-key, from what I'd been able to see or hear.
"Well, what is it you do at NERV?" I asked, wondering why the UN would establish something quite so vague. Of course, it was still the UN, so purpose often continued to fall to the wayside when plans were carried out. Some things never change, I suppose.
"What you do depends on what you're hired for," the woman responded, before grabbing a briefcase from the ground beside her and opening it up. Handing me a piece of paper from inside, which I realized with a frown was an application, the woman quickly put the case away, before smiling up at me.
"I'm supposed to screen people before offering those, but you're the first person to stop by and say more than 'no thanks,' so I thought I'd give you one."
Unsure whether or not she meant to insult me, was trying to compliment me, or was just inept at conversing in general, I smiled and thanked her, quickly filling out the application and returning it to her.
"Thank you, Miss...?" I prompted, holding my hand out to shake hers.
"Katsuragi. Lieutenant Katsuragi," she replied, smiling genuinely for the first time as she shook my hand.
"Daniel Kerrigan," I replied, wondering if I should bother trying to get my name stuck in her head. After a moment, however, there was something else I was wondering about.
"Well then, Lieutenant, I guess I'll be on my way," I said, wondering when she'd let my hand go. When she failed to, I tried again, "err... you'll know where to reach me, if you need me," still shaking.
"...can I have my hand back?"
"Oh! I'm sorry. I totally.." about this time she realized she was still shaking it, and let go, her words trailing off into an embarrassed chuckle. Waving bye to her, I quickly made my way over to the tables on the far side of the field, and put the last 10 minutes of odd-ness out of my head.
Two months later, I was sitting in my little efficiency, wondering just how bad a career waiting tables could be, when the phone rang.
"Hello; is a Mr... Daniel Kerrigan there?" a faintly-familiar voice asked.
Wondering who it was, I replied: "speaking."
"Hey! It's Misato!"
"..." I was fairly certain I didn't know any Misato's, "congratulations?" I said, hesitantly, unsure what, exactly, this woman was expecting.
"Con... Oh! It's Lieutenant Katsuragi. From NERV," she clarified.
"Oh... OH! Oh, geeze, I'm sorry," I said feeling stupid, despite the fault not really being my own.
Misato had apparently had me on speaker phone, because someone else started laughing, a moment before there was a click followed by the slightly more clear, "just ignore her."
"... Okay." I replied, unsure who the 'her' was, yet.
"Right, so, anyway, this is Lieutenant Katsuragi, and I was just calling to let you know that the paperwork has all gone through, and to let you know where to go for orientation and training."
"... Training? I didn't even specify what position I wanted!"
"You mean... you don't want the job?" the Lieutenant asked, seriously.
Rolling my eyes, and glad she couldn't see me, I responded, "Want it? I don't even know what it is!"
"NERV Public Affairs Officer. It's a last-minute addition to the roster, and there were others we thought of placing there, but then I remembered you and your application, which I had accidentally left in my car, and, well... You got the job."
Softly from the other end I heard the other voice say something about '-instill him with confidence,' and I silently agreed, wondering just what kind of company would place Lieutenant Katsuragi in Human Resources.
"Public Affairs Officer... you mean Public Relations?" I asked, thinking about the name.
"Same thing, but militarized."
"So it's a military organization?"
"No, it's UN-Based, so it's sort of a joint Military-Civilian Operation, personnel-wise."
"What about the civilian part?"
"Most of those positions are overseas. Besides, I was hiring for the main branch, remember?"
"Ahh... No. Must have been on that stolen sign of yours," I replied, realizing a moment later how that sounded. The Lieutenant didn't seem to notice, though.
"Well, either-or, it's a management job with benefits, competitive pay, and the latest technology."
"What kind of assurance do I have that I won't be... dismissed, or something?" I asked, the only other question I could think of at the time.
"It'll be in your contract, whether you want a four, six, or eight year commission," Katsuragi said, after repeating the question to the other person in the room with her, and waiting for a response.
I 'hmm,'-ed at that, considering what she'd said, what she hadn't said, and what it meant. Of course, underneath those thoughts was the reminder that there was, at the moment, no alternative, and that, combined with the prior description sold me on it. Besides, it was already a sure thing, right?
"Okay... what do I do?"
After receiving instructions, I thanked her and hung up, wondering what I'd just agreed to, and what the next few years of my life had in store for me.
Training was, as I'd guessed, militant in nature, borrowing routines from armies around the world and then toned down for civilians. Being of average health, it was easy enough to get into shape and finish around the third in my class, which was a fresh change. Not that I'd been close to failing college or high school or anything, but slightly-above average wasn't something one received recognition for.
The others in training were of mixed background, though this being Japan, the amount of Japanese in the class was rather expectedly high. After three months of basic military training (including, to my surprise, weapons training) I boarded a train for Tokyo-3, a folder and a new, temporary ID Card in one arm, and a suitcase full of my clothes in the other.
Tokyo-3 was a surprisingly flat city, the central part of it looking as though there were virtually no significant terrain features anywhere. Shrugging it off to odd city planning, I turned my attention to the Skyscrapers, shining proudly in the sunlight, before leaning back in my seat and trying to fall asleep. The train, surprisingly empty, was rather quiet, and I felt myself start to drift off as the miles went by outside.
A few minutes later, I felt the train begin to slow, moments before the driver made the generic Tokyo-3 announcement. Gathering my things, which were all sitting beside me on the bench, I got off the train, and stepped out of the station a moment later, glancing around the sparsely-populated streets and wondering where my promised ride was.
I was just about to start walking and hoping I'd go in the right direction when a white sports car screeched to a halt nearby. When Lieutenant Katsuragi stepped out, I briefly wondered whether or not I could make it back to the train. Sadly, at that moment I heard the train pull away, quickly accelerating around a bend and out of sight.
"Long time no see!" she said, waving.
"I.. yeah. So, you're my ride?" I asked, making my way towards her car.
"I am! Is that everything?" She asked, staring at my bag. I nodded, tossing it into her back seat before climbing into the passenger seat.
"Well, first, here, some last minute changes," she said, thrusting a much larger folder in my face, which I took with a frown.
"Last minute changes? Or last minute additions?"
"Last minute changes. Our Funding was reduced, so we had to- Don't worry!" She responded when she saw the look of horror on my face, "You're still a Second Lieutenant, and at NERV, for the next 8 years. We just- stupidly- redid the Public Relations department."
"Oh? Didn't you call me because you redid it, before?" I asked, surprised and still worried.
"Well, yes, but this new system has the Operations Director handle most of the PR paperwork."
"Sucks for the Ops. Director then. Does this mean I'm just doing the face-to-face work, then?"
Misato glared at me, "Yes... it does suck for me... fortunately, the new addition came with a promotion, Lieutenant, and, for the time being, an aide."
" ..." Ahh... And I turned down a career waiting tables for this. Feeling my cheeks flush, I apologized.
Misato sighed, glanced out the window for a moment, then back at the road, "Don't worry about it. You didn't know. Just don't let it happen again."
"Yes, Captain!"
"And don't get smart, either."
"No, Captain!"
Misato rolled her eyes, and continued driving.
I was only the Captain's Aide for a year, before being given a miniscule Internal Affairs department of my own to run. Meanwhile, Tokyo-3 grew downward, something I found out about my first week.
"That- That's... What is that?" I asked, staring out the window at the insane view outside. Underneath Tokyo-3, where I expected to find a lot of packed dirt, lay an enormous open area, complete with trees, artificial sunlight, and a lake. The only structure visible on the actual surface of the planet was a large Pyramid positioned alongside the lake.
Above lay the underside of Tokyo-3, a patchwork or girders and beams that flashed as construction workers finished adding the 'skin' to the underside. Staring at the protruding skyscrapers above, I blinked in the realistic lighting, then turned to Misato, who was staring appreciatively out the window, herself.
"It's a GeoFront."
"A what?"
"A... well.. I don't really know where the name came from," She said, hesitantly, a moment before shrugging it off.
"You mean to tell me NERV built all this?"
"Sort of. Some of it was here already, and NERV had help.. but for the most part, Yeah."
"... And yet you only had that one shitty little table at my graduation..." I mused, wondering how many billions of dollars it cost to buy this much land... and the miles upon miles of scaffolding to hold up an entire city.. artificial city, even, had to cost... Leaning heavily on the wall, I closed my eyes and waited for the flurry of mental activity to die down.
"So what do you think?" Misato asked, when I turned to look out the window again."
"... how exactly do property taxes work down here?"
After that, I quickly grew accustomed to the weirdness of Tokyo-3, including the rising/falling buildings.
After moving to Internal Affairs, and making a name for myself by stopping a group of personnel using NERV delivery shipments to traffic drugs (including one of my own officers), I found myself on my way up to see the Commander, Gendo Ikari in his office.
Stepping before the doors, I knocked firmly, wondering whether or not the Commander was as bad as everyone said he was. The door opening silently gave me little time to contemplate it however, and I made my way inside, surprised to find it so dark.
"Lieutenant Kerrigan, reporting as ordered, sir." I said, standing attentively before his desk. Wondering idly what the significance of the symbol his office shone with was, I glanced at the man standing behind him for a moment before recognizing the Sub-Commander.
"Your performance in Internal Affairs has not gone unnoticed. Good job," the Commander said, suddenly. His tone didn't exactly match his words, but I wasn't exactly in a position to point that out. In fact, sitting at his desk, his hands clasped in front of his face, I wondered whether or not he really knew anything about me or what I had done.
"Your performance record at NERV has been updated accordingly," he continued, almost, but not quite abruptly. Before he could say more, however, the door opened behind me, and someone stepped into the room.
Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted a young girl, around 11 or so, with blue hair and red eyes. She glanced at me once, then looked away, dismissing me. Not particularly bothered by the write off, I turned back to the Commander, who was looking directly at me.
"Rei, Lieutenant Kerrigan here has done a good job here at NERV." I refrained from quirking my brow or blinking, but I'm sure the surprise was still visible as Gendo's voice shifted to something almost room-temperature.
"You wanted to speak with me, Commander?" The girl, Rei, asked, ignoring me and the Commander's praise.
"In a moment, Rei. Let me finish with the Lieutenant."
"Yes sir."
Gendo's gaze shifted back to me, and the temperature in the room dropped again.
"You've attracted attention, whether you like it or not, Lieutenant. See that you maintain that level of performance. Dismissed."
Saluting, I spun and left the room, the door closing behind me.
The next few months went by smoothly, nobody acting up within NERV to the point of raising any red flags in IA, and after another year as the Internal Affairs manager, I received a slight pay raise, and a promotion to First Lieutenant.
I didn't see Misato around much, but we talked on occasion whenever we saw each other, and one evening, while searching for a decent bar, we ran into each other at her favorite little watering hole.
It quickly became apparent that she enjoyed drinking as much as she enjoyed driving, as she tended to approach both the same way; with an utter disregard for her health, or that of those around her. Still, she was amiable and friendly, and while we never became more than just good friends, we managed to meet up at random times to have a drink and tell each other about the mundane happenings at work. Or, really, we talked about those that we were cleared to tell each other about.
Through her, one evening over a drink, I met her friend, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi.
"Daniel, this is my friend, Rit-chan," Misato said, motioning towards an attractive (if older) blonde with the beer in her hand. On closer inspection, it looked like she bleached, but it was a rather effective job. At least it looked somewhat natural.
"Dr. Akagi, Head Technician, Project E Director," the woman said, glancing at my NERV uniform before glaring at Misato. Turning back to me, she smiled as she shook my hand, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"Ahh..." I opened my mouth to ask, but then grinned, "Well, I'd ask what Project E is, but you know what they say..."
"If you have to ask, you aren't cleared for it," the Doctor said, nodding but grinning slightly. This time the mirth went to her eyes.
Nodding back, I took another sip of my Long Island Iced Tea, glad someone in this technologically-inclined (but geographically flat) city could mix such a thing.
"You know, Rits'ko, theoretically, everything at NERV is available to the public," Misato said, glancing at me then Dr. Akagi before taking another sip of her beer.
"Misato.." Dr. Akagi growled.
Misato glanced at her, then shrugged, "I'm not saying anything.. just pointing out a fact."
"So!" I said, changing the subject, "Doctor of what, exactly?" I asked, trying my best to turn it into a sincere question.
"Computer Science, General Medicine, Genetics...Whatever I feel like calling it at the time."
"...Oh?" I asked, wondering how that worked.
"I've got enough schooling and experience to match any doctor at anything I specialize in, but I never finished the courses except for General Medicine. So I am a Doctor, but the job covers more than Medicine, so my Doctorate sometimes shifts so that I retain authority."
"A dynamic doctorate." I said, summing it up.
Ritsuko smiled, "as good a description as any. Do you have any college?"
"Psych and English. Both are Bachelor's Degrees, though," I responded, feeling somewhat pathetic next to the Dynamic Doctor. Not that I should feel that way, now that I knew the truth of the title.
"Not bad... What made you chose those two? They don't exactly go hand-in-hand, if you know what I mean."
I shrugged, "Well, English being my first language, and me being at a Japanese University, I didn't have to bust my butt much to ace those classes. And Psych, well... It's kind of dumb, really."
"Ohh! An embarrassing story!" Misato squealed, scooting closer.
Dr. Akagi turned to glare, earning her a derisive snort for her efforts, then turned back to me, rolling her eyes, "Ignore her. Continue, please."
"Well, When I was a kid, I used to end up in the middle of a lot of fights, and managed to talk the two parties down a few times. Someone said I'd make a good child shrink, and I always liked the way that sounded, so..."
"So you went to college because you overheard someone talking about you?"
I shrugged, "It's not like I got that specialized or anything. Besides, for a while, the need to talk to people was pretty high, what with the low birth-rates and.. well…" I trailed off, not really wanting to bring up Second impact. "Anyway, the need has trailed off some, but it's still there. I can get certified to council people if I wanted to, or I could go back for specialization."
"Are you going to?" Misato asked, peering at me from her resting place on the bar.
"I don't know. I am good with kids, but here, it's kind of pointless. I figure, at the end of my eight years... in five years and some change, now, I'll sign back on with NERV, unless something better comes along."
"Such as?" Dr. Akagi asked, frowning.
"No clue," I said, finishing off my drink. Misato ordered me another one, and I wondered just how much more than me the Captain made.
"So, if you're good with children, have you met Rei?"
"Blue Hair, Red Eyes?" I asked, remembering the kid from my brief meeting with Commander Ikari.
Dr. Akagi nodded, "That's the one. Your thoughts?"
"As?"
"A possible Child Psychologist?" She replied, frowning at the drink in my hand.
"No clue. I saw her for all of twenty seconds in Commander Ikari's office about a year ago. I only remember her because that entire meeting was odd enough to remain memorable."
"Hmm, I'll have to arrange for you two to meet. I'd love to hear your opinion of her," Ritsuko said, smirking. I shrugged, glancing down at my drink, before tossing it back at once.
"Well, if you need me, you know where to find me. The broom closet labeled Internal Affairs Manager." I turned to Misato, who was staring at us from the bar-top, where she was currently resting her head, "Misato, once again, thank you for the job, and the company this evening."
I turned to Dr. Akagi, "Doctor, it was nice meeting you."
"Likewise," she responded. This time her smile seemed a little more genuine.
Misato and I continued to run into each other at the bar on occasion, Dr. Akagi randomly joining us as well, until one evening, about a year and a half later, the faux-blonde sat down to join us at the bar, looking particularly disheveled.
"Something wrong, doctor?" I asked.
"You could say that..." She replied, ordering a rather potent drink.
"Talk about it?" I asked, sipping my soda.
"Yes... No. ... What's your clearance?" She asked, looking at me for a moment.
"TS... I have to, to be able to read suspects mail without having censors with a higher clearance level than me," I explained.
"Well, you've got enough, but you're in the wrong department. Think you could handle a new job?"
"What, you mean-" I started, loudly.
Ritsuko shook her head, realizing before I finished what I was going to say, "no, no, nothing like that. I meant moving into my area of influence."
"You want me to change jobs just so you can tell me what's wrong?" I asked, trying to think of something that could be bad enough to warrant this.
"Not really, no. It's just a benefit.. I've been looking for someone to handle this for a while now, and I think you might do well at it."
"Ooh! Is this that thing you've been telling me about?" Misato asked, joining us. "Sorry I'm late, Rit-chan."
"Yes, yes it is," Dr. Akagi said, before turning to me, "Pretty soon, we'll be getting a second pilot, and he's going to need a place to stay."
"... Can't NERV rent him an apartment? They did for me," I asked, wondering what the hell was going on.
"The pilot is only fourteen, Daniel," Dr. Akagi said.
"... Ohhh..." I mumbled, looking at our reflections in the window, "Does NERV typically hire fourteen-year-olds to pilot... err... what does he pilot?" I asked, wondering what would require someone so young. A miniature-plane?
"Well..." Misato said, looking at Ritsuko. Dr. Akagi smirked, "We can't say, unless you accept."
"That's kind of.. Wrong," I mumbled, finishing off my soda, and ordering something a little stronger.
"So, what do you say?" Dr. Akagi asked.
"Tell me a little more about this job."
"You'll be a guardian of sorts to the kid. You'll report directly to us, the Commanders, or whoever we leave in charge, though on paper, you'll report to the Operations Director."
"... Misato," I deadpanned.
"You say that like it's a bad thing," Misato grumbled.
"Not at all, Captain!" I said, smirking.
Ritsuko shrugged, "like I said, me, Misato, Commander Ikari, or Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki are your only real superiors, if you take this assignment. You'll also have command over a team from Section Two, and a pay increase to ensure you keep the pilot and yourself in good health."
"Well... I could use a new TV," I said, smirking. Glancing at the window again, but this time at the skyline outside, I took a sip, then nodded, " I'll do it."
"Great. Now let's go over to our table so I can tell you about today," Ritsuko said, standing up with her drink.
"So, what happened today?" I asked once were all seated.
"Did you hear any alarms or loud noises earlier?" Ritsuko responded, a question for a question.
"Hmm.. around two? I heard about one, but it wasn't in my section of NERV. Why? Was that you?"
"Not me, but it has to do with the problem. Unit 00 went berserk during an activation test, today. The pilot was wounded, the unit encased in a ton of bakelite, and the testing chamber was decimated. It'll take months to clear up."
I hummed thoughtfully about that, nodding as she spoke. Finally, "you know... I'd probably be a bit more sympathetic if I knew what was being piloted, what an activation test was, and..." I trailed off. I was about to ask who the pilot was, since Ritsuko had made it abundantly clear that the second pilot wasn't here yet, and if he was only 14...
"Rei's the pilot?" I asked, finally.
"Good to know you can think on your feet," Ritsuko replied nonchalantly, then glanced at the chair I was sitting in, "figuratively speaking, of course."
"How is she?" I asked, ignoring the comment.
"Rei? She was hurt pretty badly... I'm not sure how long it will take her to recover."
"That's... horrible," I said, staring down at my drink, "what kind of machine requires a fourteen year-old to pilot it? And has the potential to go berserk?"
"Eva Unit 00. I... you'll find out more tomorrow."
"Rei's going to be okay, though, right?" Misato asked, concern written all over her face.
"She should pull through... can we concentrate on the bigger picture here, please?" Ritsuko said, almost dismissively. I was about to ask just how she could write off a kid so easily when I stopped to consider why this would be troubling her.
"You think it's your fault," I stated, bluntly. The way she seemed to collapse a little more verified that guess, and I suddenly felt like the world's biggest ass.
"Don't beat yourself up about it, Doc- Ritsuko," I said, lamely.
"Yeah, Rit-chan, these things happen. Even if it is your-" whatever Misato was about to say ended in a pained squeal as I kicked her under the table. Quickly picking up where she left off, I hastily amended, "-project, nothing goes perfect one-hundred percent of the time. I'm sure you did everything you could before, during, and after to ensure the problems were minimalized."
"-still wasn't enough," she mumbled.
"Ritsuko, you're looking at this the wrong way, I think. Yes, the test failed-"
"-rather spectacularly, I'd say," she interjected.
"-even so," I continued, "who said it was your fault?"
"I did!" she said loudly, glaring at me.
I just nodded, "and that's the problem. Whatever this Unit 00 thing is, whatever an activation test entails, even knowing the 'ins,' 'outs,' and 'everything-in-betweens,' things happen. The fault doesn't always lie with the person in charge."
"He's right, Ritsuko. And there's still Unit 01," Misato said, patting her friend on the back, "and the new pilot," she added after a moment's thought.
"You know how unlikely Unit 01's chances of activation are," the doctor said, staring down at the ground.
"I'm sure with you at the help, they're not as bas as they could be," I offered hesitantly. I still wasn't sure what they were talking about, and while I was curious, now wasn't the time to pry.
"He's right. If anyone can get it to work, it's you Ritsuko," Misato said encouragingly.
".. I don't know.." she replied, still sounding uncertain.
"Come on, where's the young woman with the dynamic doctorate Misato introduced me to all those drinks ago?" I asked.
"I'm not that easily flattered, Mr. Kerrigan," Ritsuko said, though she didn't seem as downtrodden as she had before.
I shrugged, "not the plan, actually. And you may be older than me, but not by all that much... and I don't feel particularly old, yet, so it's relatively true."
"My, what a convincing argument."
I shrugged and finished off my drink. Glancing at the clock, then the two sitting across from me, I set down enough money to cover the drink and tip, before climbing to my feet.
"I'm heading out.. you two take care, now," I said before turning to leave. Then I thought of something, "what room is Rei in?" I asked. Knowing NERV's Medical Facilities were world-class, it was safe to assume she was somewhere within the hospital-like area of Tokyo-3.
"Why? Planning on getting her some flowers?"
"Yeah, and a get well soon card," I replied. Misato nodded at that, and I waited, standing halfway to the door in the lightly crowded bar as Dr. Akagi seemed to think about it.
"...well?" I said, when it became clear no answer was forthcoming.
"17-B," the pseudo-blonde said, sounding almost unhappy at the prospect. Chalking that up to the accident that put the kid there in the first place, I nodded and left.
The next morning, I stopped by a drugstore on my way to work and grabbed a get well soon card and a handful of flowers, before heading down towards the Medical Facilities.
The 15th level was as far as I got before reaching a desk, behind which a woman dressed like a nurse sat, and persisted in detaining me.
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant, no unauthorized personnel are allowed past this level. Are you certain the patient you're looking for in here?"
"Well, Dr. Akagi seemed to think so last night," I responded, "You know, blue-ish hair, reddish eyes, a kid, goes by the name of Rei?"
"Sir, dropping names and sarcasm do not substitute for proper authorization," the nurse responded, frowning at me. I rolled my eyes, hardly believing the way this conversation was going. Suddenly the woman stood, the look on her face surprised and almost mollified. She quickly reached over and opened the door to the elevator, and I blinked at the sudden turn around in her attitude.
Then I realized she was looking behind me. Turning around, I almost dropped the vase of flowers when I realized Gendo Ikari, was standing three feet away and staring at me almost expectantly. Finally, "after you, Lieutenant," he said, flicking his gaze at the nurse briefly before turning back to me.
"... yes sir," I said, quickly entering the small lobby and pressing the down button. That the floor numbers grew as you went down was something I'd quickly grown accustomed to in Tokyo-3.
The door to the reception area slid shut with a hiss, and I did my best to remain calm with the Supreme Commander standing so closely. Finally, the doors opened, and we stepped into the elevator, stepping out a moment later to silently walk to the door to room 17-B.
Watching the commander out of the corner of my eye, I opened the door, somehow not surprised that he followed me into the room. Then my attention went to the prone figure on the bed, partially hidden by an Oxygen tent.
"Holy shit," I mumbled, Commander Ikari utterly ignored as I set the flowers and card down on the room's table. Standing over the bed as close as I could, I stared down at the comatose child and wondered again what the hell Unit 00 was, and how it could cause this much damage. One eye was covered by padding held in place by gauze, and the girl's arm was immobilized in a cast, while her chest was completely wrapped tightly, as if she'd snapped a few ribs. In various places blood stains in the gauze peeked out, the bright red testament to the freshness of the wounds.
Glancing up, I realized the IV was full of blood, apparently replacing whatever she lost as her body slowly healed, and a biohazardous waste bin half-full with empty packets of blood.
Finally remember I wasn't alone, and wondering just how an encouraging speech would sound to the Commander, I stepped back, again wondering what could cause such injuries. Even the skin I could see looked unhealthy, the pale flesh mottled and bruised almost everywhere it could be seen.
"Your concern for the First Children's well-being is irrelevant," the commander suddenly said, breaking the silence that had been dominated by the constant beeping of an EKG and the steady hiss of oxygen.
"First chil- irrelevant?" I asked, too shocked to be angry. The Commander turned to look at me, his expression never changing, and for a moment I wondered if he intended to stare me down. Finally, "irrelevant. However, it is not totally unexpected."
"Ahh.." I nodded, still not sure what to make of that. When his attention turned back to Rei, I glanced down at her, then at the table I'd placed the card and flowers for a moment, before grabbing the card.
"Would you like to sign the card, sir?" I asked, holding it and a pen I'd found on the table out to him. He didn't start, but I got the distinct feeling my presence had somehow surprised him. Glancing at the card, then at me, he silently took it, quickly scrawling his signature on it before handing both back.
Staring down at the injured child once more, I sighed, then turned to leave.
"Lieutenant, be in my office at 1500," Ikari said, leaving no room for argument.
"Yes, sir," I said, slipping out the door.
Making my way quickly back to the office, and ignoring the cold gaze the receptionist gave me as I walked by her on my way out, I quickly made my way to my office.
".. this is new," I mumbled, when I reached the door to the small room in which I managed to work. Instead of my small desk, and few amenities, I found myself staring at a barren room, nothing remaining of my office supplies or personal decorations.
"There you are!" someone said from down the hall. Turning, I saw a young man approaching, and grinned when I realized who he was.
"Hyuga?"
"... Kerrigan?" Makoto asked, the surprise on his face mirroring my own.
"I didn't realize you were the transfer. How've you been? It's been, what? Four years, now?"
"Something like that," I replied, suddenly feeling bad that I hadn't kept in touch whatsoever over the years. We had been friends in Training, but somehow, with the move to Tokyo-3, and the subsequent career juggling, I had never kept in touch. That he still remembered me at all was surprising in and of itself.
"Well, it's good to see you again. Come on, Dr. Akagi told us to send you to see her when you arrived, and I don't feel like getting on her bad side," he said, heading towards Central Dogma.
"Umm... do you know where all my stuff is?" I asked, glancing back at the empty room. Makoto stuck his head in the room for a moment, then nodded, "I was just coming back to make sure we'd gotten everything. Your stuff's been moved to your new office space in Captain Katsuragi's office.
"Err, I'm sharing an office with her?" I asked, wondering just what that would entail.
"She rarely uses it, so you'll be alone most of the time... I think... Actually, what is your job?"
"I was hoping you could tell me. I was managing Internal Affairs, but this new job... well, I wasn't even told what the title was."
"Sounds like a security clearance issue," Hyuga said, nodding as if it explained everything.
"Departmentalized access?" I asked, realizing as I said it that that had to be the case, considering what Dr. Akagi had said last night. Stepping onto an elevator after him, I listened as he continued.
"Yeah. Don't ask why, though, Shigeru's still getting paperwork on it, though I think most of those are reminders that music is to be left at home."
"Oh? So what happened to my radio?" I asked as the elevator stopped to let someone else on.
"Probably sitting on your doorstep," Dr. Akagi said, joining us.
"Doctor," I said, nodding at her.
"Come with me," she said after the elevator ground to a halt, "Hyuga, you can go back to the bridge. Thanks for finding him."
"No problem, doctor," Makoto said, before disappearing down a hallway at a quick walk. Following Ritsuko, we quickly made our way to a rather large office in which my desk sat, looking untouched, and across from another desk, this one covered with a few inches of paperwork.
"Here's your new office," she said, not bothering to point out my desk. On it, I spotted a new nameplate, under which my new title shone in the fluorescent lighting, 'Critical Personnel Management.'
Reading it aloud, I turned to look at Dr. Akagi questioningly.
"It's a fancy way of saying Pilot Caretaker. Despite the title, you're responsible for the Pilot alone."
"Understood," I said, glancing at the clock. ninety minutes until 1500.
"Somewhere to be?" the head technician asked as she caught my glance.
I turned to her, "I ran into Commander Ikari in the Medical area, and he said to meet him in his office at three."
"Oh," she said, sounding surprised. Turning to look at the clock herself, she sighed, "We'll have to continue the tour after that, then."
She stepped over to Misato's desk and started rummaging through the papers, mumbling under her breath as she did so, until she pulled out a thick folder with numerous red tags indicating an abundance of Top Secret papers within. Handing the folder to me, she smirked, "enjoy. This is your welcome packet. I'll see you after your meeting with the Commander."
Staring at her as she left, I shrugged, and slid into my chair, quickly flipping past the warnings and reminders that the material within was classified (by who?) and started skimming the basics of Project E.
Ten minutes until my meeting, I set the folder down and rubbed my eyes, wondering if the last hour or so had really been spent reading... that.
Giant Robots, Angels, a coming war, and the requirement for fourteen-year-old pilots blurred together in my mind as I made my way towards Commander Ikari's office, the walk much shorter now that I was practically down the hall from him, as opposed to being a mile or so above and away.
Thinking back to what I'd read, I wondered what any random civilian would think of all this. Designed to combat the threat Angels posed to Mankind, NERV had been created from the remains of the earlier Gehirn institution to develop a counter-weapon. Although the file hadn't gone into detail as to how Gehirn and NERV knew that the Angels were gigantic, or they were coming, was not lost on me, but I could shrug that off as more departmentalization coming forth. As it was, however, my role at NERV was now a sort of surrogate-parent to one of the few people capable of piloting an Evangelion, NERV's weapon.
A hastily-scrawled note from Dr. Akagi had explained the rareness of the gene enabling certain individuals the ability to pilot, and how its appearance (and subsequent disappearance) could only be attributed to Second Impact. Considering that as I paused outside the door to straighten my uniform, I wondered if the Meteorite that had caused Second Impact had, in fact, been the Angels arriving.
Entering the office with seconds to spare, I stopped in front of the desk and snapped to attention, wondering what, exactly, I was here for, but knowing better than to ask.
"Effective immediately you are relieved of your position as Internal Affairs Manager, and are now NERV's Critical Personnel Manager. Your apartment, like your office, has been relocated to a more suitable location for this job, and your pay, starting with the next pay-period, will reflect this change. Do you understand your change in orders?"
"Yes sir."
"Any questions?"
"No, sir." I said, surprised that he was asking me. I couldn't ask that, though.
"Very well. I said at our last meeting here that you had attracted attention. Since then, you've reinforced my belief that you are a strong, if minor, contributor to NERV. For that reason, I am allowing you to take this position, despite the recommendation that I chose someone from a closer department and higher position."
"Understood, sir," I said, feeling vaguely pleased with myself.
"Do you? Know this: your job goes against my personal decisions, and the only reason the position exists is because it has been forced upon me by higher forces. Do not give me a reason to effectively argue for its dissolution."
"Understood," I said, suddenly feeling much less pleased.
"Good. The Third Children will be arriving in a little under two-week's time, barring any more unforeseen... deviations. Until then, prepare yourself and your lodgings as best you can, and I will see you again before you go to receive him."
"Yes, sir," I said, feeling somewhat annoyed at my broken-record-like appearance.
"The Pilot's name is Shinji Ikari. Do what research you like to ensure he has a good reason to stay here in Tokyo-3 once he arrives. You are dismissed."
"... I.. Yes sir,' I said, surprise readily apparent on my face. Turning, I left the office, pausing outside the boors for a moment before heading slowly back to my office.
Commander Ikari was entrusting me with taking care of his son? I should have asked why he wasn't going to be staying with him, or, more importantly, why he wasn't living with Gendo in the first place. Then again, I thought, remembering how officious the Commander always seemed to be, the decisions may have been for the better.
Arriving back in the office, I blinked at the sudden increase of people, and again as Misato shouted "surprise!" before throwing a bunch of shredded paper at me.
A moment later I was greeted by two new faces, as well as the earlier-mentioned Misato, and a rather un-festive-looking Dr. Akagi, and Makoto, who stood beside the two new faces, a Shigeru Aoba, and a Maya Ibuki.
"So, what's the occasion?" I asked, grabbing a soda from the tiny cooler sitting in the corner.
"Well, officially or unofficially?" Misato asked.
"Both?" I responded, unsure what the difference would be, but certain the captain could find one.
"Well, officially, it's for you, of course. Celebrating your move in, and the final staff position in this department being filled."
"Technical and Operations are the same department?" I asked, frowning.
"No," Ibuki said, smiling, "we all work directly with the Eva's."
"Oh," I replied, nodding slowly, "Tech is in charge of units and equipment, and Ops runs personnel and the sorties?"
"Got it in one," Shigeru said, smirking.
"So... unofficially?" I asked, turning back to Misato, who was looking warily at a can of soda, but hadn't opened it yet.
"Well, we're all kind of new here, so this is kind of for all of us."
"But," I said, looking at Makoto, Ritsuko, and Misato, who I knew had been here at least as long as I had, "we've all been here for four years at least."
"You've been up near the surface doing Internal Affairs work, Ibuki, Aoba, and Makoto have been training at our Matsushiro Testing Facility, and Captain Katsuragi's been training with the others at MTF as well," Dr. Akagi stated.
"I did a couple jobs at our other NERV facilities, too," Misato added helpfully.
"Ahh.." I said, wondering if anyone besides Dr. Akagi knew their way around Central Dogma yet.
"Oh! Before I forget, here," Misato said, handing me a cellular phone.
"Is this my moving-in gift?" I asked, pocketing it.
"It's NERV's way of contacting us in case there's an emergency," Makoto said, the others pulling their phones out for a second to prove that they were indeed equipped as such.
"So now what?" I asked, after a few minutes in which everyone divided into groups (the Bridge Techs, Misato and Ritsuko, and me).
"Well, our lunch break is almost up, so we head back to the Bridge, and then I give you that tour," Dr. Akagi said, to which everyone seemed to deflate a little.
Tagging along with the Technicians as they headed deeper into Central Dogma with Ritsuko in the lead, I wondered just what I would do in the event of an emergency.
After a few corners, we came to a large, sturdy-looking door which Ritsuko opened with a swipe of her card. The Technicians had headed down a different corridor, mentioning that we'd meet again soon, and so it was just the doctor and I at the moment.
Inside, under a multitude of floodlights, sat a purple monstrosity that could only be one of the Evangelion Units NERV worked so hard to keep secret. That they had, as far as I could tell, succeeded, was surprising, considering what little data I'd read indicated that these were the reason NERV existed. Of course, even that tidbit of information had been largely glossed over, and only my recent experience reading between the lines had helped me understand that point.
Still, staring into the dark cavities where eyes would typically be found, I was impressed with its appearance, and said as much to which Dr. Akagi merely nodded.
The tour moved from there to the Bridge, upon which Makoto, Aoba, and Maya would work with Misato and Ritsuko for the most part, under the direct supervision of the Commanders.
"So, where will I sit?" I asked, wondering how the three chairs present were supposed to accommodate eight people.
"Umm..." Misato said blankly, apparently not expecting that question.
"Actually, where will anyone sit? Or do the Tech's work standing up?" I asked, staring at the three, who all sat at consoles they were most likely to have trained on.
"That's..."
"Procuring furnishings for this facility has been an ongoing battle. NERV has already put one manufacturer into the black for years to come, and another is still behind schedule in delivering everything we've requested. Chairs are one of the many things we're short on. Hence those," Dr. Akagi said, nodding to the corner, where a half-dozen folding chairs were leaning against the wall. Wincing at the thought of sitting in a chair like that for hours on end, I glanced at the main screen dominating the far wall, and the holographic topographic map between me and said wall, and whistled.
"Does this thing get all the movie channels? Or do you have to pay for each showing?"
"Cute," Dr. Akagi said, frowning at me to let me know it wasn't. My grin faded, and I glanced at Misato, who was doing her best to hide a smile. At least someone had found it humorous.
The rest of the tour was basically a thinly-disguised attempt to teach us the primary routes to the Eva Cages, the Bridge, and our offices. Finally, the tour was finished, and we were all dismissed for the night.
The following week was somewhat hectic, involving lots of odd jobs that made little sense until I asked why I was treated like an errand boy.
"Your charge isn't here, so you have no current tasks. Therefore, you're free to be used as we see fit," Dr. Akagi said. I'd noticed she tended to act rather aloof at work, and that statement just about summed it up, considering we were on friendly-terms when not at NERV.
While not at NERV, I spent the last week preparing to look after a kid who, despite being the pilot, was apparently almost entirely undocumented. Having a NERV ID-Card helped procure a few things, but from what I'd obtained, all I knew was that he'd been living with a relative, and made decent grades in school. Not much to go by, whatsoever.
The new apartment was a two-bedroom model, fairly large, and quickly furnished with the items I'd once had to bunch up in my much-smaller efficiency. Of course, with the extra money given to me for "extraneous expenses," I procured for myself (and my charge) an exceedingly overpowered home entertainment center, managing to shave a good fraction of the price off by mentioning that it would be used by 'influential' NERV Personnel.
Two days before Shinji's arrival saw quite a few surprises at NERV. First was a meeting with Commander Ikari. This time, Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki was present, hovering behind the Commander almost like a bodyguard. After years of little-to-no interaction with the Commander, it was unnerving to find myself standing in his office once again so soon, and even more so after he started.
"Lieutenant, our plans for the Third have changed, and it will no longer be necessary for you to supervise him."
"Sir?" I asked, wondering just what this meant for me… and my new stereo.
"Captain Katsuragi has been charged with guardianship of the Third."
I blinked at that, unable to speak, when I did, I immediately knew I was out of line, but couldn't help it; "Misato? Have you ever seen her apartment? It's-" I shut up when the Commander's glare became a frown.
"I'm a perfectly aware of the Captain's failings. Do not interrupt me again, Lieutenant, that is your only warning." Fuyutsuki seemed surprised at that, but said nothing, and I merely turned my gaze to the floor, "Understood sir. My apologies."
Commander Ikari ignored my apology and continued, "For the moment, your use to NERV, while not gone, has diminished." He looked like he was about to say more, when the Sub-Commander stepped forward and quietly spoke into the Commanders ear. The whole time, Ikari continued to stare at me, and I wondered whether or not I would still be working for NERV at the end of the day. Finally, Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki stepped back into his original position, and the Commander began speaking again.
"While your current status at NERV has been suspended, you are to aid Captain Katsuragi with Operations, and Dr. Akagi with Project E in whatever way they see fit to use you. If and when something becomes available for you, you will be notified. Dismissed, Lieutenant."
Snapping off a salute, I left the office unsure just what all this meant. Misato was too much of a friend to have intentionally left me jobless (the vague order only affirming that Gendo himself found me useless for the moment) and, to be blunt, too sloppy to be much of a potential guardian.
My internal quandary was cut short by the appearance of Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki, who had just stepped into the hall ahead of me and cleared his throat.
"Good afternoon, sir." I said, though it was obvious even to me that I didn't sound like it was that good.
"Follow me Lieutenant. I'd like to… expand a bit upon what the Commander said."
Unsure what exactly he meant, but hoping it would at least mean I was being kept on at NERV, I followed, eventually coming to a large office adorned with bookshelves and a desk, behind which the Sub-Commander sat. Motioning for me to sit in the chair across from him, I reluctantly did so, unsure what had happened to the typically militant atmosphere that permeated NERV.
"Before you ask, I used to be a college professor, and I prefer a more amiable environment in which to work. And until your agreed-upon date of severance, you'll continue to work here at NERV, unless you do something… dumb."
I blinked at that, before nodding slowly.
"Now, Gendo- excuse me, Commander Ikari is a very hard man to impress, yet you've apparently managed to do that. The follow-up investigation into the smuggling ring you effectively put a stop to also managed to free up a few million dollars in annual funding given directly to NERV Tokyo-3. The only reason you weren't involved with that investigation is because by the time it started, you had already done most of the hard work, and it took place in Germany."
I was stunned. I knew that I had done a good job, but apparently I'd done a lot more than even I knew. Still, while the paper-trail we'd eventually worked on had seemed somewhat skewed, I had thought the case was effectively closed. Seeing the confusion on my face, the Sub-Commander further explained.
"Your section of Internal Affairs was departmentalized, despite being given jurisdiction over most NERV activities. The information needed to disclose the fund-smuggling was behind a door you didn't have a key for. This is all beside the point, however. You managed to bring to light something that was harming this facility and the people in it by restricting our funding."
"That... makes sense. I wish someone had told me, though."
"Up until recently, the perpetrator still had a slim chance of getting away with his actions. It was best to keep everyone without a need to know from learning the who's, what's, and why's. Understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. As I was saying, you impressed Commander Ikari, no small feat. It was made apparent to me when he let your insubordination slide with merely a warning."
"I… understand…" I mumbled, surprised. From the way Fuyutsuki'd said that, it sounded like Commander Ikari had had men shot for lesser transgressions.
"The UN Public Relations Council discovered our plans to house the Third, Shinji Ikari, with you and stated that if a parent was unavailable, such a prominent individual should be housed with a more motherly figure. Since Gendo is currently too occupied to parent, Captain Katsuragi was chosen, in no small part due to her friendly demeanor."
"That still leaves me without a purpose, sir," I stated, factually, and a little put off by the fact that some jerk thousands of miles around the world decided the public wouldn't like me.
"Be that as it may, I have suggested an alternative that would entail the exact same task, just with another charge."
It didn't take more than a second to realize who he was talking about. "Rei?"
"The First Children is currently recuperating from her injuries, but when the recovery is completed, I think the Commander might allow you to assume guardianship."
"Who has guardianship now, sir?" I asked, wondering who'd be heartless enough to make a fourteen year-old live alone.
"Commander Ikari."
I held back the breath I knew would have gotten me in trouble and instead started choking on air.
"The Commander is Rei's Guardian?"
"Yes. Understand that Rei is just as important to NERV as Shinji, and until the delivery of the Second is confirmed, Rei is the only reserve we have. Until Shinji arrives, Rei is still our only Active Pilot."
"And she's important to the survival of Mankind, as such?" I asked, trying to grasp the situation. Two fourteen-year-old kids were supposed to fight Angels in Evas in Hand-to-Hand combat (figuratively speaking) in order to prevent Third Impact, which would basically destroy the world. I'd tried not to dwell on that when I had first read it in the papers Dr. Akagi had given me, but now, the weight of my potential assignment fully caught up with me. Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki paused for a moment before responding.
"Yes; which is why the Commander has entrusted no one else with this task. Your preparation for Shinji's arrival, including your voluntary 'extra' firearm training means you took your role as guardian and protector seriously. Section Two has reports on this, which the Commander and I have both gone over."
"I… I'm glad you approve of me taking my job seriously," I stated, frowning slightly.
"Take it deadly seriously, Lieutenant Kerrigan. If the commander approves the transfer of guardianship, your life is forfeit if Rei is placed in danger and it boils down to your life or hers. While I cannot stress the First's importance enough, understand that if Rei dies, your life is also forfeit, unless it's 100 provable that there was nothing you could have done."
"Sir? That's-"
"Impossible? When Rei is piloting, you are exempt. If you are sent away for whatever reason, and Rei is killed while not on your watch, you are exempt. If you are already dead, or incapacitated, while trying to protect Rei, and are successfully resuscitated or hospitalized, you are exempt if your actions were in her defense. Understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Good. You haven't been approved for this, and you might not be. But I've suggested as much to the Commander, and he did not dismiss the suggestion immediately. That alone is a good indication that you are a likely candidate. I've spoken with your College Professors and they agree that you are capable if properly motivated. Reading your file here backs that up and talking to you has reinforced it enough that I think you are a suitable guardian for Rei."
"Thank you sir."
"Don't thank me yet, this is still dependant upon the Commander, and whatever his decision, I will back him up either way. I've known him longer than I've known you."
"Yes sir."
"Now, at the moment, your orders dictate that you do what anyone from Project E or the Operations Officer asks of you. As the Sub-Commander, I'm telling you to go home, and report back to NERV tomorrow at noon."
I... yes sir," I said, my confusion overshadowed by understanding. I was getting the day off. Quickly saluting him, I left, and made my way towards the garage, where my new car was parked. It was actually used, but from a NERV Auction. Marked down to unbelievably low prices, the car had sat in a NERV Carpool for a couple years virtually unused, until it was declared "Obsolete." That it was already modified for Section Two's use, and therefore well armored had made it the most logical choice for driving around someone as important as the Third Children when I'd purchased it.
I briefly wondered if that had been in the reports of my preparation the Sub-Commander had alluded to, then shrugged it off as unimportant and left for home, passing Misato's little blue sports car parked near a corner. shuddering at the memories of how she drove, and hoping, for Shinji's sake, that she had passenger-side airbags (not that she'd ever gotten in an accident, but still.. it was only a matter of time) I made my way home, collapsing on the couch for a few minutes before making myself a slight lunch.
Glancing at the near-overstocked fridge and pantry, I sighed, hoping that I'd get custody of someone, before it all went bad, and wondering if anything I'd gotten for Shinji would be inappropriate for Rei. A quick check revealed that, aside from the couple sports-related magazines I'd purchased, most of what I had was okay, since I had wanted to wait until Shinji arrived before buying him hobby-specific objects. Still, Rei would probably want a few important objects to women in general, and I wondered if I should wait and see if I'll actually be granted custody before making such a purchase.
After a few minutes of deliberating, I decided to call Dr. Akagi and ask for suggestions. I'd barely met Rei, but apparently the Doctor knew her, and she could at least make some suggestions.
"Dr. Akagi speaking," She responded, after a moment of ringing.
"Hi, Dr. Akagi, this is Daniel Kerrigan. I was wondering if you knew if Rei had any special needs, and.. err.. what kind of.. uhh.. womanly-things she might need…" I mumbled lamely.
"What was that? You want to buy Rei Tampons?" the Doctor asked, loudly. I could hear the mirth in her voice, so I knew she was teasing. I just wondered who else was in the room with her… and thus, who to avoid tomorrow.
"… Yes?" I asked, quietly.
"Don't worry about it. Just don't buy any meat you aren't willing to eat yourself. The First is a vegetarian. If Commander Ikari releases her to you, I'll supply you with everything she needs aside from the obvious."
"Oh.. thanks, then, Dr. Akagi."
"I'm sure Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki told you the decision was still up in the air. I, personally, would not be appreciative if I was to receive guardianship of Rei, but you seem capable and properly concerned about the right issues, so if asked, I will inform the Commander of my thoughts on your obtaining guardianship."
"Really?" I asked, surprised.
"No. This phone call is monitored, and it'll probably make its way to the Commander's desk… but you already knew that. I won't need to say as much, since he'll read it."
"Oh.. yeah, I hadn't… well, anyway.. we still on for tonight?"
"The Poker game? I think I'm going to have to bow out, I've got a lot of work to do for tomorrow. The rest of the crew should be there, though."
"What's going on tomorrow?"
"You mean aside from Shinji Ikari arriving and all the tests I'll have to administer?" She asked, sounding almost annoyed at my naivety.
"Yeah, sorry, I'm just… It's been a crazy day."
"I won't tell you to get used to it, but.. well, they happen. I've got to go. There's a problem with the Magi that Maya and I are trying to lock down, and I need to stop by and oversee the analysis team and decide whether or not to bring Unit 00 out of Cryostasis."
"Sounds fun. I'll see you tomorrow, Dr."
She 'hmm'-ed at that and hung up. Shrugging, I hung up, wondering what to do until nine, when I'd head over to Misato's place for our weekly poker game.
The next morning I made my way to NERV with some small degree of trepidation. Last night's poker game had been somewhat subdued, with Maya and Dr. Akagi missing, but I'd managed to make enough for a full-sized lunch this afternoon.
Unfortunately, halfway down, things went to hell. My elevator stopped, and a group of Military Officers quickly joined me the rest of the way to the Command Bridge. All three looked smug and arrogant, which I'd come to regard as confused and worried from Military personnel, and I was rather happy to duck into my office and get away from the trio.
Happy, that is, until I noticed the flashing red light that sat on one of the Tactical Boards I assumed had been installed for Misato's use. Nobody had told me what it meant, but in the pit of my stomach, I knew that something bad was happening.
Glancing at the clock, then at the light, I made my way towards the Sub-Commanders office, but was stopped in the Hallway by four Section Two guards, who told me that I was not allowed to pass. I was about to explain to them that I had a prior meeting when my NERV-issued phone rang for the first time.
Remembering Misato's explanation that it was for use in an emergency, I flipped it open, and before I could say anything, an electronic recording informed me that I was to get to the Eva Cages Immediately. Glancing at the Guards one last time, I turned and made my way towards the elevators, slipping my card into the reader to access the more highly-restricted areas of NERV. When I exited the Elevator, I saw scores of orange-jump suited technicians working on the Purple Monstrosity known as Unit 01. The bay beside it was devoid of a unit, but I noticed that there were now clamps, as if for another unit, and wondered if that meant Unit 00 would be housed there. To the other side, all the bays were only partially assembled, crates and equipment spread out along the railing indicating their eventually employment in the future.
"Lieutenant Kerrigan!"
I turned around and spotted a perplexed-looking Lieutenant Ibuki waving at me with a clipboard. Making my way over to her, she shoved the clipboard at me, and I took it, as she started talking.
"Thank god, we've got to get Unit 01 ready for deployment in case the UN approves the launch, but I have to get to the Bridge. The timing today has been terrible. You're my relief."
"Relief?"
"You need to oversee Unit 01's preparations. It's all on there," she explained, waving at the clipboard, "Captain Katsuragi's going to get the Pilot now."
"But.. what the hell is going on?" I asked, somewhat agitated.
"The Magi have detected an Angel, and it's on its way here."
After that, I got to work as best I could, organizing the work teams to complete the un-checked tasks listed on the clipboard. Frowning at the few typos and a couple of transposed orders (how do you fill an entry plugs LCL tanks with LCL when it's been sealed three orders earlier?) I made my way down the list, finishing up a moment before the lights went out.
Flashlights flickered on around the room, and someone walked up to me and handed me a radio with a headset attached. Removing the one I already had on to oversee the preparations, I slipped the new one on, and was instantly assaulted with Technical Information from Lieutenant Ibuki. During a pause, I piped in, "What just happened? The power's out in the Eva-Cages."
"An N2 Mine was used against the angel. We're trying to reroute power now, Kerrigan," Makoto responded, before Maya's shout that there was an energy reading at the explosion's epicenter. I blinked at that, surprised that they would use an N2 mine at all, and at the fact that the Angel had apparently survived it. As far as weaponry went, the N2 was the king of the arsenal, as powerful as a Tactical Nuclear Device, but using Non-Nuclear (N2) explosives built up from the MOAB design.
"Understood, Kerrigan out," I said, before handing the radio back. A moment later, I heard the whine of capacitors powering up, and a few diagnostic LEDs around the room lit back up. The lights, however, remained off, as did the emergency lights. I was about to ask about that when the door to the external Cryofluid tank opened, illuminating the room for a moment before sliding shut, returning the room to near-darkness.
"It's so dark" someone said. I frowned, that had almost sounded like a child. Then the lights came back on, and I winced at their brightness as someone gasped. Looking towards the head of Unit 01, I spotted, standing before it, a young boy in a white shirt and blue pants that could only be the Third, Shinji Ikari. Flanking him were Dr. Akagi, who I'd heard get paged earlier, and Captain Katsuragi, who the page had instructed the Doctor to find.
"A face? A Giant Robot?" the boy, Shinji asked, as the dominant structure in the room was exposed. Instead of staring, he glanced at a packet of papers I recognized as a basic orientation-package, before Dr. Akagi told him that the Eva wasn't in there.
I blinked. Not only was the pilot a kid, but he apparently had no knowledge of the Eva Units whatsoever? Dr. Akagi spoke for a moment about how important Unit 01 was, and I stepped back to finish preparations for Unit 01. After quickly (and quietly) giving the final instruction listed on the checklist, I was about to inform Maya that preparations were complete when I heard the Commander's voice, which made my straighten up to attention before I realized his attention wasn't on me whatsoever.
"It's been a while," he said, staring down at Shinji from one of the Observation Areas. Beside him a number of monitors displayed the Third, who seemed less than excited to be reunited with his father.
When he gave the order to move out, Misato jumped into the conversation, apparently surprised that Unit 01 was going to be used, despite the obvious signs that we were prepping the unit for deployment.
"Rei's still injured, and Shinji's too new! It took seven months for Rei to synchronize with her Eva! It's impossible!"
"Aside from sitting in the seat, we don't expect much more out of him," Dr. Akagi stated, coldly. I would have winced at the way she spoke about the boy, but having worked with her some, I know that when the pressure was on, she tended to turn off her emotions like a switch.
Misato's further objections were cut off by the almost canned response from the Doctor about NERV's number-one priority being the elimination of Angels.
"If putting someone into the Eva who has even the slightest chance of piloting it is our only hope, then we have to do it."
Misato looked down, as Dr. Akagi pressed that point, and I sighed, wondering if they were putting on a show for the kid, or what I had missed while in here had piled on the stress. I quietly asked to Lieutenant Ibuki when I could make my way up to the bridge and sighed with relief when she told me I could make my way there now, since preparations were complete.
When Shinji and Commander Ikari started arguing, I almost paused, but decided to get to the Bridge as quickly as possible, because Maya asked me to hurry.
About halfway there, the entire structure shuddered around me, and I swallowed, suddenly realizing that NERV itself was all that stood in the way of Third Impact, and at the moment, with Shinji apparently uncooperative, we were merely delaying the inevitable.
"I hope that kid pilots the damned thing," I mumbled.
"We all do," the Lieutenant replied in an offhand-ish manner, as if pre-occupied.
"Sorry about that," I mumbled, having forgotten I was currently wearing a tactical headset and that it was live, "Status Report?"
"Eh?" was her initial response, before, "the Third has apparently decided to pilot after all. Unit 01's final launch procedures are to be conducted here. Anything else, Lieutenant?"
"Hmm.. status on the Angel?" I asked as I stepped onto the bridge and made my way over to the stack of folding chairs. Before I could take more than two steps, Maya snapped her fingers at me from her station, and pointed to the empty seat beside her, not taking her eyes off her own monitor.
"Angel has taken up position above us and is beginning its assault on Tokyo 3. It knows we're here. Automated Defense Systems have no effect, and Armor Layers are being methodically tested and penetrated."
Wondering where Hyuga (who normally sat here) was, I glanced at the Lieutenant, who shrugged at the unspoken question, a moment before Dr. Akagi and Captain Katsuragi arrived on the lift from the Eva Cages. Making a mental not to ask for my card clearance to allow me to use the lifts as well, I did my best to make sense of the information on the screen before me.
Slipping on a third headset sitting beside the console, I heard a female voice say "Filling the Entry plug," so I assumed Commander Ikari had talked Shinji into Unit 01.
"What is this?" I heard the kid ask, the sound of fluid sloshing around in the background.
Dr. Akagi leaned forward towards Ibuki's station and spoke into one of the microphones there, "Don't worry, once your lungs fill with LCL, your body will be directly oxygenated. You get used to it."
There was a strained breathing noise for a moment, then bubbles, and finally ragged breathing, though it was somewhat muffled. Finally, he muttered something about feeling sick, and I smirked as Captain Katsuragi admonished him for whining.
Over the headset, I head multiple voices talk giving reports on the Unit's connectivity with the pilot, and frowned at my monitor, wondering what I should be doing if anything. All I could see was a topographical representation of Tokyo 3, covered with red boxes filled in with 'X's.
I'd opened my mouth to ask about it, but before I could, Katsuragi shouted out "Prepare to Launch!"
The screen flickered, and a series of numbered spots on the map started flashing, a box in the lower corner listing off three as Ideal Ranged, Ideal Melee, and Intermediate.
Glancing over at Dr. Akagi, I wanted until she turned in my direction and pointed at the screen with a quirked eyebrow.
"Where's Hyuga?" she asked, moving over to my station.
"I don't know, Lieutenant Ibuki had me sit here when I arrived. Are these exit points?" I asked, pointing at the screen.
"Yes, at the moment most of the Eva's weapons haven't been loaded, go for the Ideal Melee exit point, and I'll have Aoba cover for most of Hyuga's tasks this time."
She started to move away, and I selected the Ideal Melee exit point, which flashed green, a moment before Misato shouted "Launch!"
The screen switched again, showing a rather convoluted series of paths leading to the surface, along which an indicator light displayed where Unit 01 was, and which path it was taking.
"Fast lift" I mumbled, moments before Unit 01 reached the surface. All eyes turned towards the giant monitor, which now displayed the city skyline, and Unit 01 facing the Angel, each one dominating their side of the screen.
Author's Notes: Wow. 7 months of nothingness. I bet you all thought I was dead or something. Sorry about that. I've had this fic on the backburner for the better part of a year now, and decided, finally, to finish it and put it out. So yes, this is a new fic, no, it's not a crossover OR an SI, and that makes it.. different.
And incase you were wondering, There is not going to be any Daniel/Rei pairings or anything. I know that fics that introduce new characters tend to be SI-ish, and I want to avoid getting that "Mary Sue-SI" thing going on that people put up red flags with. So I'll continue to make Daniel a dynamic growing character that does not really understand what's going on, and slowly works things out. Anyway... I've already got a bit of Chapter 2 started, so It should be forthcoming soon, I hope. Blame WoW, Star Wars Episode 3, and life in general for the lack of updates... Here's to hoping they don't continue to get in the way.