The Entry Plug Trilogy
BY: Chenalos
(Chenalos@aol.com)
All parts written between October and December of 1998
http://members.xoom.com/chenalos/Realm.htm
-------------------------
Note: This long intriguing set of three stories may or may not fit into the
standard Eva Arc. I assume such events as what follows could happen but it
would mean that the Eva characters must have incredible resilience. For those
of you who do not know what Chow is; it is a card game and it is also called
Chinese poker. It is extremely popular in Hong Kong.
OHHH NO the Epilogue! I will never hear the end of complaints for my epilogue!
Asuka is not a wuss, she is the roughest meanest Eva pilot around in my opinion,
but forgive me for lowering her a bit, won't you Ron and Alan? Finally: this
fanfic is NOT a lemon! I don't care what the ending looks like. The epilogue
does, however, leave it up to the imagination. Keep it clean, ETCHIE! Boy that
Epilogue is huge!
Chapter 1
Innocence Taken
"Those jerks! I'd like to see them here right now. If I'd had Unit-02 with me I
doubt that they would ever even think of crossing me again. I'd stomp them into
puddles, I'd crush them in my hand like fish bones, I'd kill 'em all!"
Asuka continued on her rampant threat spree sending red waves of hair in
all directions, as she threw punches at the imagined villains. Shinji just sat
there, waiting his turn to give a report of the whole incident. His eyes glared
blankly at the floor. The dark corridor was far from relief, as he sat outside
the debriefing chamber. He shook a little, part from the cold steel chairs and
part from his own fear, the fear he tried to ignore. He was glad that it was
all over now, but now the even more stressful task of recreating this nightmare
had to be accomplished. He remembered little. His mind was bombarded only by
thoughts of just staying calm, trying just to survive until the ordeal was over.
Shinji knew that he could only tell Misato what the men were saying, not what
they wore, not how big or small they were, but nothing about them, just what
they were doing. All the details were lost in a panic driven confusion. Other
than that he could only recall the entry plug.
"I'm so stupid," he muttered "I've forgotten everything."
"Stop complaining you idiot, it will all come back to you. Say, remember when I
nailed that guy square in the nuts? That was cool. Score one for Asuka."
"..." Said Shinji
Just then the door opened up, and Ayanami stepped forward. Her calm
reddish eyes looked toward Shinji.
"Pilot Ikari, it is your time now."
"How did you do wonder girl?" Asuka asked, turning her face in disgust
"I told them what I recalled."
"Well, as I recall you just shut up, and backed down."
"I did as I was told."
Asuka glared at her with piercing blue fire from her eyes.
"You were a coward."
With all the anger directed solely at Rei, Asuka became even more
infuriated. Rei was as she always was, inert uncaring and unfazed. How can
this lifeless thing keep going, she thought, let alone become a pilot? Hatred
brewed inside her. Shinji finally tried to make peace.
"Asuka, just remember we have all been through a very hectic time. Just try to
stay calm."
"Oh, shut up you idiot. Both of you get out of my sight."
Ayanami walked down the corridor, towards the light. Shinji stood up and
went to the door. He looked back at Asuka.
"I'm sorry"
For the first time these words surprised Asuka, she could tell that this
was not like Shinji's usual default regret. This was sincere. This was an
apology for everything that has happened since they had gotten out of school.
Asuka felt both happiness and anger at this, was he pitying her? The thought of
that was wretched to her, but at least he was being sincere. She leaned back and
closed her eyes,
"Well, you don't need to tell me that."
"Ok"
It was 10:30 PM
Shinji looked at Asuka, as he closed the door behind him, he walked inside the
huge dark room, vaguely lit by the light of the lamp sitting on the commander's
desk, and also the light of the low moon, at half phase. The people he knew so
well were dark silhouettes looming over the desk. He could make out Ritsuko,
and commander Fuyutsuki, and he new Misato was there. Besides them were two
other figures he could not make out.
"Pilot Ikari, Shinji; These inquiries are to determine the exact nature of the
events beginning at 15:40, yesterday afternoon, up until the time of 16:10
today, when recovery of the missing pilots was achieved. Be aware that your
statement will not be compared to either of the other children for continuity
reasons. Are you prepared to give a full detailed summary of these events?"
"Yes Misato."
"Pilot, for the time being, please refer to me in accordance to my military
rank."
"Yes Major, I'm sorry."
"Very well, now pilot how did this all get started?"
"It started, uh, at about 15:00 hours, yesterday afternoon. W-well School had
just been let out, so Asuka and Rei and...I...I mean p-pilots Soryou and Ayanami
along with mmyself went to, to check in at, uh, headquarters..." Shinji was
loosing his focus, already he could not judge the important details and
worthless facts. His story was blank, he mumbled, trying to say the details,
when he just wanted to blurt the whole thing out and be done with it. "While
on-on route on Hiechi Street, no no, no Sokawa Street, or was it... was it..."
'WHAT WAS THE STREET, WHAT WAS THE STREET, WHAT WAS IT, WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT,
IT... IT, IT... I'm so stupid, This is important! I need to remember, I have to
remember what I did, I have to remember...what do I remember?'
A tear formed in his eye, and escaped all the way to the floor below.
"We were kidnapped."
Silence-
Finally...
"We are aware of that pilot. Please, if you can, could you try to tell us
exactly what happened."
Shniji wiped the moisture from his face.
"Yes Commander, uh, On this street we were a-approached by a van. It was a
grey, unmarked van... No, wait it was uh-unmarked, except that there was a large
NERV insignia on uh, the right side, on the door. Oh, and it was not really a
um, light grey, more, more of a dark grey, a really dark g-grey like midnight
grey...very dark, black grey...actually, it was uh, black. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, please proceed."
Misato was doing her best to make this easy on Shinji it was not easy.
"The door slid open, and uh, we all stopped since it was a NERV van. A man
slowly stepped onto the street, and flashed his NERV ID, he said we had to come
with him for special uh, training at a different NERV facility-"
"And you believed him?" barked Fuyutsuki
"...Uh, yes sir, you see um, th-that day, and I told Rei and Asuka, that I got a
call on my sel-cellular phone saying that we would all be picked up sometime
after school. The man uh, claimed to be from NERV, and I thought that this was
all planned, anyway...that's what I um, thought."
"This man that was in the van, can you recall what he looked like?" asked
Ritsuko
"He uh, he looked like... he had... he wore a-uh"
Shinji thought hard, then all of a sudden, as if by magic he remembered all of
it.
"TAKAHASHI"
"You know his name?"
"Uh no, Takahashi street, we were on, uh, Takahashi street---but I do remember
that the man was wearing sunglasses, and a black suit. Hey, and he had a mole
on his neck. Well, anyway we all got in the van, when we noticed Misato--I mean
Major Katsuragi was not there, and she is always present for any tests, so we
asked where she was, but they didn't answer."
"They?" Said Misato
"Yes, now I remember," and he truly remembered it all "there were two other men
dressed in exactly the same way in the van. They were in seats that directly
faced ours. We looked forward at them and they looked back at us. They shut
the door, and started down the street, really fast. Uh, as I said, um before I
asked were The major was, and they replied that she would not be present for
these tests. When Asuka asked why not, they didn't say a word. She asked again
and still they remained silent. No, they then said, 'Miss Soryou please be
quiet.' Well she was sitting next to me, in the middle and she grabbed my
cellular phone from my bag, but before she could do anything, one of the men
snatched it out of her hand, took the battery off and threw it out the
window...the battery. He handed the cellular phone back to Asuka, and he said
that we would be returned when the test were done, but no contact was to be made
with anyone from NERV, or otherwise."
Shinji paused briefly, he swallowed, and held his breath, as he felt his
blood get hotter.
"I wondered...I wondered if they were NERV personnel, I even asked if these men
worked for NERV, and they gave no answer. I quieted down, but Asuka kept asking
that question to them, getting louder every time. She then fell silent for a
moment, then she raised her foot in the air, and brought it down right on top of
the mans....uh, his uh," making hinting gestures "You know, right..."
"Very well, pilot"
"As soon as she did that, the man across from me...grabbed her, and threw her on
the ground, and she screamed. I shouted for her, and tried to jump on top of
the man and pull her off. When I did this, the man Asuka had kicked grabbed me
by the back of the neck, and threw me down on the chair. I was face down on the
Men's chair when I felt them tugging at my arms...they were tying me up. What
really upset me, was when I looked at Rei, she hadn't done anything, she
wouldn't have, she's too peaceful, but the third man had jumped her and forced
her down on the seat, just as I was. There...there she was, and they were tying
her up for no good reason. She looked at me and said my name then I was truly
scared. I was helpless to stop them. We all were."
"Are you, um, alright to go on?" asked Misato, in a scratchy voice
"... I think so. As I remember, they sat us back in our seats. The driver
complained about the brawl, but then one of the men said it was unavoidable
anyway. We were just leaving Tokyo-3 when they blindfolded us. I don't know
how, but eventually we all just went to sleep, I don't know how I could have
slept at a time like that, but I did. I was still blindfolded when I woke up,
and I remember feeling myself being lifted, and placed on a shallow, narrow bed,
they sat me up, and cut the rope on my hands. I uh, tried to struggle free, but
then at least three men grabbed my arms, and strapped them onto the bed. When I
started moving I could tell that I was on a stretcher, and I was being rolled
into a building. I then heard a faint snipping, then fingers on my leg and
uh... air, like a uh, draft. I realised that they were cutting off my clothes.
They did, however cover me with a sheet as they, uh cut. I then finally heard
their voices. They said that we were to be given plug suits, and prepare for
Eva entry. I felt the plug suit put on my lap. Just then they finally took off
the blindfold, I was in what looked like a hospital, white lights, white walls,
white everything, even the men pushing the stretcher wore surgeons masks. They
took me to a dark passage beyond the white lit area."
"Did you know where you were, geographically?" asked Ritsuko
"No I never saw any windows, never saw the outside. I'm sorry."
"Please proceed."
"Well, when I was dragged into the darkness, eventually, I was taken to an
elevator, and brought down 7 stories underground. When I reached the bottom of
the elevator shaft, some men were waiting for me. They all wore masks, They all
had guns. They escorted me to a tall metal door. They opened it to a short
hallway, which had an identical door at the end. They placed me in the hallway
and, guns aimed at me, undid the straps. When they had walked out, the steel
door closed me inside. Trapped, but then the intercom came on and instructed me
to put on the plug suit. I recall screaming, just for some answers, just for
the sake of screaming. The intercom came in and said that The German Pilot is
inside the cell, just beyond the other door, and that I could either put on the
plug suit or go in naked. I uh, decided to put on the suit. Just then the door
opened and I walked in, the door closed behind me, and I could hear them
removing the stretcher."
"Was the pilot of Unit-02 inside?"
"She was, she just sat there in the corner and said, oh uh I forget something
like 'way to go idiot', I just sat down in the other corner and uh, apologized.
I asked Asuka where Rei was, and It turned out she was the first one that they
had taken."
"Taken?"
"Yes, uh, they apparently were doing experiments after all."
"And since you are the only three children, you were their only target."
"Yes sir, Asuka and I passed the time as best as we could, she would frequently
get up and make threats to the door, mostly in German. About two hours later
Rei came in, and uh then it was my turn. I was again walked down a corridor,
leading to a large room. In this room were two testing entry plugs, lying side
by side. I was told by intercom to get into the right plug..."
"Can you describe these plugs?" asked Ritsuko
"Uh...they were like, honey comb shaped, they looked just like our standard test
plugs, but they were mounted on, something like rollers, platforms, whatever it
was it looked like it would move around. I went and just checked to see if it
was bolted down in any way..."
Shinji was suddenly hit by the one fact that had eluded him for so long, the key
to everything. In almost total joy, he leapt from his seat.
"I saw their insignia! The plug had a symbol on it, when I went to check if it
was bolted down, on the lower-side identification panel, under the bars of the
platform, I saw the emblem!"
"Could you draw the symbol?" asked Misato
"Yes, I think so"
"Come here then, Pilot Ikari."
Shinji got up and approached the desk, in the radiating glow of the desk lamp he
drew the symbol as best as he could remember, it was rather simple really, all
the figures involved were quite commonplace. As he wrote, Misato leaned forward
towards him. Even here, surrounded by NERV personnel and on duty as major of
operations, Shinji's guardian was still present.
"Hang in there, stick with it for me."
Shinji rotated the paper, nodded to Misato, and headed back to his chair. When
Misato looked down at what Shinji had written, a gasp over took her, as she
turned her head, looking to the shadows.
"Please continue." Said Ritsuko
"After I noticed the symbol, I quickly turned around and entered the entry plug,
hoping that none noticed. When the plug was activated, I could tell that I was
not connected to an Eva, The plug did not even feel like a simulation Eva."
"How so?" asked Fuyutsuki
"An Eva is huge, even when only simulated in the test plug it can feel like a
massive beast. Inside this plug though, it felt light as a feather, yet oddly
enough I felt like I was synching with something, but it could be no larger than
a human, frail and delicate by comparison."
"The other plug?"
"That was my first thought as well. I heard the technician order me to enter
third stage synch, that's when I asked who was in the other plug...next thing I
remember...they gave me an electric shock. They then repeated the order, and I
didn't ask about anything anymore, I just tried to bide my time, trying to make
it through... Mostly from then on I tried to synch inside the plug. This thing
in the other plug was definitely not anything like an Eva. It was communicating
with me, and Evas don't communicate, they just obey. It was the oddest feeling.
Like trying to work something out in your head, one voice inside you asks the
questions and another answers. That is not exactly what was going on, but
that's just how it felt. For two hours I synched with the other plug, moving
adjusting, taking borderline tests, and communicating with the 'Eva'. Then they
brought me out, and placed me back with Rei. I was with Rei for no longer than
30 minutes, when the door opened, and uh two Doctors were sent in with armed
guard. They ordered us to roll over on our backs, Rei and I both complied, and
they gave us a shot, a tranquilizer. I was out in less than a minute, and when
I came to, I was in a small shed just outside of Tokyo-2. Rei and Asuka were
both with me. I found my cellular phone, with a new battery, and phoned up
headquarters. I guess that is the full story"
From the shadows came an echoing dark voice
"Very well, this preliminary testimony has been recorded, be prepared for
further questioning on this matter" spoke Gendo
"Fath-..."
"You may leave now, please send in Pilot Soryou"
Shinji mutely stood still, twitching his hand, and speaking with almost
terrified eyes;
"Sir...uh...what-will you...-...do?"
"It will be taken care of pilot, you may leave now."
Shinji left. Meanwhile a perplexed Misato stared angrily at the symbol Shinji
had drawn. A true terror loomed in this picture drawn by innocent hands, and
this was only the beginning.
"Major Katsuragi, Let me see that boys fingerpaintings"
"Yes sir." Mistato walked into the darkness, guided only by the thin reflecting
glass of Gendos' spectacles. She timidly placed the writing pad on the
commanders' desk. Lit only with moonlight, Gendo stared at the inverted triangle
on the paper, and the seven eyes of SEELE gazed back at him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Epilogue;
The Moon glared down on Shinji the next night. He was on his futon, listening
to his Walkman and doing infinite laps of his finger 'round the patterned
diamond in his rug. It was about 10:00 PM when he got a knock on the door.
"Hey, Shinji it's Asuka. I got some cards, wanna play chow?"
"Maybe some other time Asuka, it's pretty late."
"Come on you idiot, I have to kill some time... and THIS seems like the best way
for me to do it"
Shinji paused, to think something he wouldn't dare say.
"Ok, come on in."
Asuka and Shinji played chow for a half an hour before the subject
finally came up.
"Hey Asuka, were you uh, scared at all?"
"Ohh, that little kidnapping thing, well I'm OK right now, so what is their to
be worried about. Besides, thanks to this event, they just upped security so
something like that can never happen again. Even so, those guys just tried to
force us to take some stupid synch test. Pair of fours."
"Oh, pass... Say, Asuka, what was it like for you synching with that Eva?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, I didn't synch with it."
"What? But I thought you have the highest synchro-ratio."
"Don't offend me Ikari. It's not that I couldn't synch with it, it's that I
didn't."
"You mean you chose...But didn't they shock you?"
"About fifteen times, they also lowered LCL temperature, used sonic disrupters,
lowered Oxygen, and increased pressure. I fought them every time. Last card."
Shinji paused and looked at his cards. He knew that Asuka would fight them, but
he never dreamed that she had such willpower.
"...Pass..."
"Well, you loose again Shinji care for another round?"
"Well actually Asuka..."
She had already started dealing. The card game penetrated into the next morning,
occasionally diverting interest into the recent abduction.
1:15
"Geez, Shinji how do you sleep in here, Its freezing."
"Huh? You think so? I feel just fine."
"Of course you feel fine moron, you have a blanket." she said slightly shivering
"Let me in there."
"What, but Asuka..."
"Shut up Shinji, 'Ours is not to wonder why, ours is just to do, or you die.'"
"What, What did you just say?" Shinji did not know any English at the time.
"Dunkoff, Idiot, proletariat..."
Shinji still remained silent, even as Asuka crawled under his sheets, totally
immersing herself within them. Asuka tightly clenched as much blanket as she
could, towards he body. She lay adjacent to Shinji, as she stuck her head out
from the cloth abyss, stared directly at Shinji and finally proclaimed'
"BAKA!"
"Oh"
"Now, don't look at my hand or I'll drop kick you."
1:35
Shinji had been dealing for the last fifteen minutes. Asuka was at his side
arching herself towards his body coming only an inch from touching feet
together. Her strategy had worked she was now very warm. Actually, she was
sweating from the heat that was generated, but never left. Her eyes were now
two sapphire slits, aimlessly gazing at the cards in front of her. Shinji on
the other hand was doing his best at not making the wrong moves. Like Asuka, he
too was hot, and sweaty, but unlike Asuka, he had to worry about a swollen
member of his anatomy, that he was presently laying on causing infinite
discomfort. Focusing on his cards seemed to help him the most. Suddenly
Asuka's hand fell into view, as her entire Arm went limp. She had all four of
the twos.
"I'm tired Shinji, can I sleep here?"
"...........uh.........sure..."
Asuka's mind flashed back to the plug, alone in the freezing cold, combined with
the horrible noise, crushing pressure, and the electric shock. How calm she was
now, warm, silent, relaxed, and no longer alone. She closed her eyes.
Shinji stared at Asuka, all of a sudden it was that night all over again. Asuka
was at peace beside him once more. He had done this once before, but this time
he felt he could not mess up. He brought his lips to Asuka's, pressed them
together as one, and promptly felt Asuka's teeth snatching the intruder. She
opened her eyes and looked directly at Shinji. Staring, staring, staring,
unblinking and unmoving. Shinji helplessly stammered at his helpless plight.
He swallowed and just began to say "I'm sorr...", when Asuka wrapped her arm
around him and pulled him close, working her lips ever further into Shinji's.
Shinji too found his arm at Asuka's back. The two embraced each other in
stillness as a plane came into view in the window, it had long left view
completely when Asuka finally pulled away. She settled back in the futon.
"If tell ANYONE, I will kill you!"
"Uh, OK."
Her arm never left Shinji's side, both remained in this embrace as they slowly
shut their eyes.
To be continued...
Did they go to sleep? Did they do it? Did Asuka get up and leave? These and
many other questions will NOT be answered in the next episode of the Entry Plug
Trilogy. Decide on your own, you've got some imagination, and to all other
authors please do not sequel this work as a lemon (as a favour to me).
Keep you Eyes peeled for the next volume of the Entry plug trilogy: AT tube
Chenalos@aol.com
BY: Chenalos
(Chenalos@aol.com)
All parts written between October and December of 1998
http://members.xoom.com/chenalos/Realm.htm
-------------------------
Note: This long intriguing set of three stories may or may not fit into the
standard Eva Arc. I assume such events as what follows could happen but it
would mean that the Eva characters must have incredible resilience. For those
of you who do not know what Chow is; it is a card game and it is also called
Chinese poker. It is extremely popular in Hong Kong.
OHHH NO the Epilogue! I will never hear the end of complaints for my epilogue!
Asuka is not a wuss, she is the roughest meanest Eva pilot around in my opinion,
but forgive me for lowering her a bit, won't you Ron and Alan? Finally: this
fanfic is NOT a lemon! I don't care what the ending looks like. The epilogue
does, however, leave it up to the imagination. Keep it clean, ETCHIE! Boy that
Epilogue is huge!
Chapter 1
Innocence Taken
"Those jerks! I'd like to see them here right now. If I'd had Unit-02 with me I
doubt that they would ever even think of crossing me again. I'd stomp them into
puddles, I'd crush them in my hand like fish bones, I'd kill 'em all!"
Asuka continued on her rampant threat spree sending red waves of hair in
all directions, as she threw punches at the imagined villains. Shinji just sat
there, waiting his turn to give a report of the whole incident. His eyes glared
blankly at the floor. The dark corridor was far from relief, as he sat outside
the debriefing chamber. He shook a little, part from the cold steel chairs and
part from his own fear, the fear he tried to ignore. He was glad that it was
all over now, but now the even more stressful task of recreating this nightmare
had to be accomplished. He remembered little. His mind was bombarded only by
thoughts of just staying calm, trying just to survive until the ordeal was over.
Shinji knew that he could only tell Misato what the men were saying, not what
they wore, not how big or small they were, but nothing about them, just what
they were doing. All the details were lost in a panic driven confusion. Other
than that he could only recall the entry plug.
"I'm so stupid," he muttered "I've forgotten everything."
"Stop complaining you idiot, it will all come back to you. Say, remember when I
nailed that guy square in the nuts? That was cool. Score one for Asuka."
"..." Said Shinji
Just then the door opened up, and Ayanami stepped forward. Her calm
reddish eyes looked toward Shinji.
"Pilot Ikari, it is your time now."
"How did you do wonder girl?" Asuka asked, turning her face in disgust
"I told them what I recalled."
"Well, as I recall you just shut up, and backed down."
"I did as I was told."
Asuka glared at her with piercing blue fire from her eyes.
"You were a coward."
With all the anger directed solely at Rei, Asuka became even more
infuriated. Rei was as she always was, inert uncaring and unfazed. How can
this lifeless thing keep going, she thought, let alone become a pilot? Hatred
brewed inside her. Shinji finally tried to make peace.
"Asuka, just remember we have all been through a very hectic time. Just try to
stay calm."
"Oh, shut up you idiot. Both of you get out of my sight."
Ayanami walked down the corridor, towards the light. Shinji stood up and
went to the door. He looked back at Asuka.
"I'm sorry"
For the first time these words surprised Asuka, she could tell that this
was not like Shinji's usual default regret. This was sincere. This was an
apology for everything that has happened since they had gotten out of school.
Asuka felt both happiness and anger at this, was he pitying her? The thought of
that was wretched to her, but at least he was being sincere. She leaned back and
closed her eyes,
"Well, you don't need to tell me that."
"Ok"
It was 10:30 PM
Shinji looked at Asuka, as he closed the door behind him, he walked inside the
huge dark room, vaguely lit by the light of the lamp sitting on the commander's
desk, and also the light of the low moon, at half phase. The people he knew so
well were dark silhouettes looming over the desk. He could make out Ritsuko,
and commander Fuyutsuki, and he new Misato was there. Besides them were two
other figures he could not make out.
"Pilot Ikari, Shinji; These inquiries are to determine the exact nature of the
events beginning at 15:40, yesterday afternoon, up until the time of 16:10
today, when recovery of the missing pilots was achieved. Be aware that your
statement will not be compared to either of the other children for continuity
reasons. Are you prepared to give a full detailed summary of these events?"
"Yes Misato."
"Pilot, for the time being, please refer to me in accordance to my military
rank."
"Yes Major, I'm sorry."
"Very well, now pilot how did this all get started?"
"It started, uh, at about 15:00 hours, yesterday afternoon. W-well School had
just been let out, so Asuka and Rei and...I...I mean p-pilots Soryou and Ayanami
along with mmyself went to, to check in at, uh, headquarters..." Shinji was
loosing his focus, already he could not judge the important details and
worthless facts. His story was blank, he mumbled, trying to say the details,
when he just wanted to blurt the whole thing out and be done with it. "While
on-on route on Hiechi Street, no no, no Sokawa Street, or was it... was it..."
'WHAT WAS THE STREET, WHAT WAS THE STREET, WHAT WAS IT, WHAT WHAT WHAT WHAT,
IT... IT, IT... I'm so stupid, This is important! I need to remember, I have to
remember what I did, I have to remember...what do I remember?'
A tear formed in his eye, and escaped all the way to the floor below.
"We were kidnapped."
Silence-
Finally...
"We are aware of that pilot. Please, if you can, could you try to tell us
exactly what happened."
Shniji wiped the moisture from his face.
"Yes Commander, uh, On this street we were a-approached by a van. It was a
grey, unmarked van... No, wait it was uh-unmarked, except that there was a large
NERV insignia on uh, the right side, on the door. Oh, and it was not really a
um, light grey, more, more of a dark grey, a really dark g-grey like midnight
grey...very dark, black grey...actually, it was uh, black. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, please proceed."
Misato was doing her best to make this easy on Shinji it was not easy.
"The door slid open, and uh, we all stopped since it was a NERV van. A man
slowly stepped onto the street, and flashed his NERV ID, he said we had to come
with him for special uh, training at a different NERV facility-"
"And you believed him?" barked Fuyutsuki
"...Uh, yes sir, you see um, th-that day, and I told Rei and Asuka, that I got a
call on my sel-cellular phone saying that we would all be picked up sometime
after school. The man uh, claimed to be from NERV, and I thought that this was
all planned, anyway...that's what I um, thought."
"This man that was in the van, can you recall what he looked like?" asked
Ritsuko
"He uh, he looked like... he had... he wore a-uh"
Shinji thought hard, then all of a sudden, as if by magic he remembered all of
it.
"TAKAHASHI"
"You know his name?"
"Uh no, Takahashi street, we were on, uh, Takahashi street---but I do remember
that the man was wearing sunglasses, and a black suit. Hey, and he had a mole
on his neck. Well, anyway we all got in the van, when we noticed Misato--I mean
Major Katsuragi was not there, and she is always present for any tests, so we
asked where she was, but they didn't answer."
"They?" Said Misato
"Yes, now I remember," and he truly remembered it all "there were two other men
dressed in exactly the same way in the van. They were in seats that directly
faced ours. We looked forward at them and they looked back at us. They shut
the door, and started down the street, really fast. Uh, as I said, um before I
asked were The major was, and they replied that she would not be present for
these tests. When Asuka asked why not, they didn't say a word. She asked again
and still they remained silent. No, they then said, 'Miss Soryou please be
quiet.' Well she was sitting next to me, in the middle and she grabbed my
cellular phone from my bag, but before she could do anything, one of the men
snatched it out of her hand, took the battery off and threw it out the
window...the battery. He handed the cellular phone back to Asuka, and he said
that we would be returned when the test were done, but no contact was to be made
with anyone from NERV, or otherwise."
Shinji paused briefly, he swallowed, and held his breath, as he felt his
blood get hotter.
"I wondered...I wondered if they were NERV personnel, I even asked if these men
worked for NERV, and they gave no answer. I quieted down, but Asuka kept asking
that question to them, getting louder every time. She then fell silent for a
moment, then she raised her foot in the air, and brought it down right on top of
the mans....uh, his uh," making hinting gestures "You know, right..."
"Very well, pilot"
"As soon as she did that, the man across from me...grabbed her, and threw her on
the ground, and she screamed. I shouted for her, and tried to jump on top of
the man and pull her off. When I did this, the man Asuka had kicked grabbed me
by the back of the neck, and threw me down on the chair. I was face down on the
Men's chair when I felt them tugging at my arms...they were tying me up. What
really upset me, was when I looked at Rei, she hadn't done anything, she
wouldn't have, she's too peaceful, but the third man had jumped her and forced
her down on the seat, just as I was. There...there she was, and they were tying
her up for no good reason. She looked at me and said my name then I was truly
scared. I was helpless to stop them. We all were."
"Are you, um, alright to go on?" asked Misato, in a scratchy voice
"... I think so. As I remember, they sat us back in our seats. The driver
complained about the brawl, but then one of the men said it was unavoidable
anyway. We were just leaving Tokyo-3 when they blindfolded us. I don't know
how, but eventually we all just went to sleep, I don't know how I could have
slept at a time like that, but I did. I was still blindfolded when I woke up,
and I remember feeling myself being lifted, and placed on a shallow, narrow bed,
they sat me up, and cut the rope on my hands. I uh, tried to struggle free, but
then at least three men grabbed my arms, and strapped them onto the bed. When I
started moving I could tell that I was on a stretcher, and I was being rolled
into a building. I then heard a faint snipping, then fingers on my leg and
uh... air, like a uh, draft. I realised that they were cutting off my clothes.
They did, however cover me with a sheet as they, uh cut. I then finally heard
their voices. They said that we were to be given plug suits, and prepare for
Eva entry. I felt the plug suit put on my lap. Just then they finally took off
the blindfold, I was in what looked like a hospital, white lights, white walls,
white everything, even the men pushing the stretcher wore surgeons masks. They
took me to a dark passage beyond the white lit area."
"Did you know where you were, geographically?" asked Ritsuko
"No I never saw any windows, never saw the outside. I'm sorry."
"Please proceed."
"Well, when I was dragged into the darkness, eventually, I was taken to an
elevator, and brought down 7 stories underground. When I reached the bottom of
the elevator shaft, some men were waiting for me. They all wore masks, They all
had guns. They escorted me to a tall metal door. They opened it to a short
hallway, which had an identical door at the end. They placed me in the hallway
and, guns aimed at me, undid the straps. When they had walked out, the steel
door closed me inside. Trapped, but then the intercom came on and instructed me
to put on the plug suit. I recall screaming, just for some answers, just for
the sake of screaming. The intercom came in and said that The German Pilot is
inside the cell, just beyond the other door, and that I could either put on the
plug suit or go in naked. I uh, decided to put on the suit. Just then the door
opened and I walked in, the door closed behind me, and I could hear them
removing the stretcher."
"Was the pilot of Unit-02 inside?"
"She was, she just sat there in the corner and said, oh uh I forget something
like 'way to go idiot', I just sat down in the other corner and uh, apologized.
I asked Asuka where Rei was, and It turned out she was the first one that they
had taken."
"Taken?"
"Yes, uh, they apparently were doing experiments after all."
"And since you are the only three children, you were their only target."
"Yes sir, Asuka and I passed the time as best as we could, she would frequently
get up and make threats to the door, mostly in German. About two hours later
Rei came in, and uh then it was my turn. I was again walked down a corridor,
leading to a large room. In this room were two testing entry plugs, lying side
by side. I was told by intercom to get into the right plug..."
"Can you describe these plugs?" asked Ritsuko
"Uh...they were like, honey comb shaped, they looked just like our standard test
plugs, but they were mounted on, something like rollers, platforms, whatever it
was it looked like it would move around. I went and just checked to see if it
was bolted down in any way..."
Shinji was suddenly hit by the one fact that had eluded him for so long, the key
to everything. In almost total joy, he leapt from his seat.
"I saw their insignia! The plug had a symbol on it, when I went to check if it
was bolted down, on the lower-side identification panel, under the bars of the
platform, I saw the emblem!"
"Could you draw the symbol?" asked Misato
"Yes, I think so"
"Come here then, Pilot Ikari."
Shinji got up and approached the desk, in the radiating glow of the desk lamp he
drew the symbol as best as he could remember, it was rather simple really, all
the figures involved were quite commonplace. As he wrote, Misato leaned forward
towards him. Even here, surrounded by NERV personnel and on duty as major of
operations, Shinji's guardian was still present.
"Hang in there, stick with it for me."
Shinji rotated the paper, nodded to Misato, and headed back to his chair. When
Misato looked down at what Shinji had written, a gasp over took her, as she
turned her head, looking to the shadows.
"Please continue." Said Ritsuko
"After I noticed the symbol, I quickly turned around and entered the entry plug,
hoping that none noticed. When the plug was activated, I could tell that I was
not connected to an Eva, The plug did not even feel like a simulation Eva."
"How so?" asked Fuyutsuki
"An Eva is huge, even when only simulated in the test plug it can feel like a
massive beast. Inside this plug though, it felt light as a feather, yet oddly
enough I felt like I was synching with something, but it could be no larger than
a human, frail and delicate by comparison."
"The other plug?"
"That was my first thought as well. I heard the technician order me to enter
third stage synch, that's when I asked who was in the other plug...next thing I
remember...they gave me an electric shock. They then repeated the order, and I
didn't ask about anything anymore, I just tried to bide my time, trying to make
it through... Mostly from then on I tried to synch inside the plug. This thing
in the other plug was definitely not anything like an Eva. It was communicating
with me, and Evas don't communicate, they just obey. It was the oddest feeling.
Like trying to work something out in your head, one voice inside you asks the
questions and another answers. That is not exactly what was going on, but
that's just how it felt. For two hours I synched with the other plug, moving
adjusting, taking borderline tests, and communicating with the 'Eva'. Then they
brought me out, and placed me back with Rei. I was with Rei for no longer than
30 minutes, when the door opened, and uh two Doctors were sent in with armed
guard. They ordered us to roll over on our backs, Rei and I both complied, and
they gave us a shot, a tranquilizer. I was out in less than a minute, and when
I came to, I was in a small shed just outside of Tokyo-2. Rei and Asuka were
both with me. I found my cellular phone, with a new battery, and phoned up
headquarters. I guess that is the full story"
From the shadows came an echoing dark voice
"Very well, this preliminary testimony has been recorded, be prepared for
further questioning on this matter" spoke Gendo
"Fath-..."
"You may leave now, please send in Pilot Soryou"
Shinji mutely stood still, twitching his hand, and speaking with almost
terrified eyes;
"Sir...uh...what-will you...-...do?"
"It will be taken care of pilot, you may leave now."
Shinji left. Meanwhile a perplexed Misato stared angrily at the symbol Shinji
had drawn. A true terror loomed in this picture drawn by innocent hands, and
this was only the beginning.
"Major Katsuragi, Let me see that boys fingerpaintings"
"Yes sir." Mistato walked into the darkness, guided only by the thin reflecting
glass of Gendos' spectacles. She timidly placed the writing pad on the
commanders' desk. Lit only with moonlight, Gendo stared at the inverted triangle
on the paper, and the seven eyes of SEELE gazed back at him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Epilogue;
The Moon glared down on Shinji the next night. He was on his futon, listening
to his Walkman and doing infinite laps of his finger 'round the patterned
diamond in his rug. It was about 10:00 PM when he got a knock on the door.
"Hey, Shinji it's Asuka. I got some cards, wanna play chow?"
"Maybe some other time Asuka, it's pretty late."
"Come on you idiot, I have to kill some time... and THIS seems like the best way
for me to do it"
Shinji paused, to think something he wouldn't dare say.
"Ok, come on in."
Asuka and Shinji played chow for a half an hour before the subject
finally came up.
"Hey Asuka, were you uh, scared at all?"
"Ohh, that little kidnapping thing, well I'm OK right now, so what is their to
be worried about. Besides, thanks to this event, they just upped security so
something like that can never happen again. Even so, those guys just tried to
force us to take some stupid synch test. Pair of fours."
"Oh, pass... Say, Asuka, what was it like for you synching with that Eva?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, I didn't synch with it."
"What? But I thought you have the highest synchro-ratio."
"Don't offend me Ikari. It's not that I couldn't synch with it, it's that I
didn't."
"You mean you chose...But didn't they shock you?"
"About fifteen times, they also lowered LCL temperature, used sonic disrupters,
lowered Oxygen, and increased pressure. I fought them every time. Last card."
Shinji paused and looked at his cards. He knew that Asuka would fight them, but
he never dreamed that she had such willpower.
"...Pass..."
"Well, you loose again Shinji care for another round?"
"Well actually Asuka..."
She had already started dealing. The card game penetrated into the next morning,
occasionally diverting interest into the recent abduction.
1:15
"Geez, Shinji how do you sleep in here, Its freezing."
"Huh? You think so? I feel just fine."
"Of course you feel fine moron, you have a blanket." she said slightly shivering
"Let me in there."
"What, but Asuka..."
"Shut up Shinji, 'Ours is not to wonder why, ours is just to do, or you die.'"
"What, What did you just say?" Shinji did not know any English at the time.
"Dunkoff, Idiot, proletariat..."
Shinji still remained silent, even as Asuka crawled under his sheets, totally
immersing herself within them. Asuka tightly clenched as much blanket as she
could, towards he body. She lay adjacent to Shinji, as she stuck her head out
from the cloth abyss, stared directly at Shinji and finally proclaimed'
"BAKA!"
"Oh"
"Now, don't look at my hand or I'll drop kick you."
1:35
Shinji had been dealing for the last fifteen minutes. Asuka was at his side
arching herself towards his body coming only an inch from touching feet
together. Her strategy had worked she was now very warm. Actually, she was
sweating from the heat that was generated, but never left. Her eyes were now
two sapphire slits, aimlessly gazing at the cards in front of her. Shinji on
the other hand was doing his best at not making the wrong moves. Like Asuka, he
too was hot, and sweaty, but unlike Asuka, he had to worry about a swollen
member of his anatomy, that he was presently laying on causing infinite
discomfort. Focusing on his cards seemed to help him the most. Suddenly
Asuka's hand fell into view, as her entire Arm went limp. She had all four of
the twos.
"I'm tired Shinji, can I sleep here?"
"...........uh.........sure..."
Asuka's mind flashed back to the plug, alone in the freezing cold, combined with
the horrible noise, crushing pressure, and the electric shock. How calm she was
now, warm, silent, relaxed, and no longer alone. She closed her eyes.
Shinji stared at Asuka, all of a sudden it was that night all over again. Asuka
was at peace beside him once more. He had done this once before, but this time
he felt he could not mess up. He brought his lips to Asuka's, pressed them
together as one, and promptly felt Asuka's teeth snatching the intruder. She
opened her eyes and looked directly at Shinji. Staring, staring, staring,
unblinking and unmoving. Shinji helplessly stammered at his helpless plight.
He swallowed and just began to say "I'm sorr...", when Asuka wrapped her arm
around him and pulled him close, working her lips ever further into Shinji's.
Shinji too found his arm at Asuka's back. The two embraced each other in
stillness as a plane came into view in the window, it had long left view
completely when Asuka finally pulled away. She settled back in the futon.
"If tell ANYONE, I will kill you!"
"Uh, OK."
Her arm never left Shinji's side, both remained in this embrace as they slowly
shut their eyes.
To be continued...
Did they go to sleep? Did they do it? Did Asuka get up and leave? These and
many other questions will NOT be answered in the next episode of the Entry Plug
Trilogy. Decide on your own, you've got some imagination, and to all other
authors please do not sequel this work as a lemon (as a favour to me).
Keep you Eyes peeled for the next volume of the Entry plug trilogy: AT tube
Chenalos@aol.com