Chapter 2 – Tokyo-3 is in the Telephone
For three weeks Mana, with William's help, frantically went about setting her affairs in order before she left for Japan. The Fredericksons happily agreed to watch the house in Maine, and Will swore three different oaths, including on his honor as a former Eagle Scout, that he wouldn't use Mana's trip as an excuse to not work. Her direct subordinate, Lt. Col. Saidani Higa, was to hold down the fort at the Pentagon. A quick check up with Conn found Mana's cybernetics in perfect working order.
So on October 9, 2037, Mana found herself being whisked away from Trident Base by helicopter to Minot Air Force Base. At 3:52 AM. The poor staffer who had scheduled the departure time had been lucky that it was only his metal desk that held the deep imprint of Mana's fist, and not his face. Luckily for everyone else on the helicopter, Mana was able to get some rest, though no one really knew how.
At Minot she threw her few bags onto the baggage cart and boarded a small scramjet, and as they took off eastwards, the sun began peeking over the horizon. Before she closed her eyes again, she slammed down the sun guard on the window, cracking the small plastic handle. None of the other dozen passengers (mostly other military types) tried to wake her up, and when the steward came by around 2 hours into the air with the intention of asking if anyone wanted drinks, they hurriedly shushed him from waking up Mana. With their silence, they bought their lives on the flight.
Mana stepped off the stairway of the military transport onto the tarmac. In the distance she could see the skyscrapers and skyline of Tokyo-3, the glass reflecting the mid-morning sun. A few were new to her eyes, but she smiled as she recognized a good portion of them. A voice called out towards her over the sound of refueling trucks and jeeps: "Colonel! Colonel! Over here!" She looked, and saw a young woman wearing the brown uniform of Nerv waving towards her. The young woman ran towards her, squeaking as she was nearly run over by a maintenance vehicle, but eventually came up to her, panted, and saluted. "Colonel," she breathed. Mana returned the salute. "I take it you're my escort for now?" she asked. She studied the young woman, obviously not Japanese with her red-blond hair, but her language skills didn't hold the same accent that an American or Brit would have in speaking Japanese. "My name is Athene Prideaux, and I have been assigned as your adjutant by Commander Katsuragi while you're here. On her, and the rest of Nerv's, behalf, I'd like to welcome you to Tokyo-3, Colonel Kirishima." The young woman's smile positively beamed with sweet sincerity.
Mana Kirishima smiled, but it wasn't in response to Athene. The cloyingly nice girl would be dealt with in time, her happiness (surely a result from getting more sleep than Mana did) an affront to Mana. No, Mana was smiling for another reason. She was back home.
As Athene gushed on about the state of Tokyo-3 and Nerv, how both had changed since the Angel War, Mana found herself comparing the sights in front of her to her memories. For one, there were a hell of a lot more people in town then before. While Tokyo-3 had been a pretty decent sized city when Mana had left, now it was a bona fide metropolis.
"In 2026, Nerv, the European Space Agency, and NASA collaborated on the first manned mission to Mars, the Beyond Earth mission. In fact, the Explorator Base set up there is the direct descendant of that first step. Now, from this cooperation-" Athene was a wellspring of Nerv history, rattling off dates, scientists, public projects and their repercussions in the wider world, all while driving perfectly through the fairly crowded streets. Mana wasn't sure she had stopped to take a breath yet. But she served as nice background noise for the drive through Tokyo-3. Mana cupped her cheek in her left hand and stared out the passenger's window.
"Do you have any questions, Colonel?" Athene asked. Mana tapped her pointer finger on her cheekbone, "So where will I be staying while I'm here?" "Ah! Commander Katsuragi has given you the choice of staying down in the Geofront, or if you'd like, an apartment Nerv has reserved for guests up in the city proper. The Geofront apartment is more spacious, but the topside one has a beautiful view of the solar collectors in the mor-" "I'll take the one up here," Mana cut her off. Athene continued without missing a single perky beat, "Perfect! By the time your meeting with the Commander is over this afternoon, all the arrangements should be made."
The corner of Mana's mouth lifted slightly in a smirk. She was going to have fun destroying Athene later.
The Geofront had not changed much, in Mana's eyes. The rolling green land was now dotted with small homes for Nerv workers, but there was no major development 'above ground'. The pyramid and its invert still dominated the heart of the facility, with small forests surrounding the massive lake.
Neither had the heart of the base, the underground tunnels and bays, changed. As Athene tried to guide Mana to the meeting room, Mana realized they were taking the long way, around the dedicated Project E sections of the base. Mentioning she needed to find a water fountain, Mana walked away as Athene called out "Alright! I'll be right here when you're done!" Unseen by Athene, Mana smiled.
Turning a corner, Mana made her way to one of the locked doors she saw earlier. 'Let's see if this lives up to its maker's claim' she thought, as she held the thin silver ring imprinted with the Nerv logo on her left middle finger next to the door's ID reader. With a beep, the light on the reader turned green, and the door opened. Mana resisted the urge to fist pump. 'I did not expect that to work,' she thought as she began striding through the corridors of Project E.
Around her were some of the most advanced laboratories in the world, dedicated to the myriad systems and materials that made up the Evas. Spies would kill for access like this, and Kirishima was using it as a shortcut. The disconnect was not lost on her.
As Mana walked through the bustling hallways, she made sure she projected an aura of authority and purposefulness. The Man Who Was Thursday, a gift from the Fredericksons in the first few weeks she had come to Maine, had given her plenty of ideas on how to hide in plain sight. If you acted as if you were meant to be there, others would take that for granted, not giving you a second glance. Or in Mana's case, actively getting out of her way as she walked at a quick pace towards the other side of the labs. She wondered if she'd get an *actual* tour of the labs at some point, but she put the thought out of her head as she left Project E and, passing through even more halls, reached her destination.
Checking her watch, she realized she had some time to spare, 7 minutes before the 1:00 PM meeting, so she shrugged, and opened the door to the room...
...finding one Supreme Commander of Nerv, Misato Katsuragi, sloppily making out with her husband, one Kaji Ryoji, on top of the circular wooden table. When they heard the door, both of their faces shot to the door, the shock of embarrassment freezing them in position. Mana slapped her palm against her forehead, and dragged it down her face. The two, contrary to Mana's wishing, remained on the table, sheepish grins creeping along their faces as Mana felt someone walk up behind her. She turned, and saw a woman with short blue hair, orange tinted glasses, and a lab coat on.
"Hello again, Mana, it's good to see you," Kei said. Looking at Mana's face, then into the room as Misato and Kaji finally broke out of their stupor and got to their feet on the floor, Kei walked in and said, "I know, I find them like that every now and again as well."
"Hey Kei, nice to see you too. Have these ones learned no shame in two decades?" Mana asked Kei as she followed her in.
"Hey! We've learned shame!" Misato said as she walked towards Mana, pouting for a moment. Mana stood in front of Misato, still wearing her customary red jacket, though her beret was out of place on her head of now graying hair, and tried to snap a salute, but instead found herself being crushed in a tight bear hug.
"God, Mana, we've missed you so much!" Misato cried out as she smothered Mana. After a few moments of having her face pressed against Misato's collarbone, she was released and took a deep breath. "I can't believe it," Misato continued, "you've grown so well!"
Mana rubbed the back of her head, and said to Misato's back "Well, that's what people tend to do, isn't it? And I swear I wasn't that much shorter when I left." She turned to her right and saw Kaji. She tried to extend a handshake when she was again brought into another hug. "Not very much, I suppose, but you still grew, kid," he said, releasing her and taking a seat next to Kei.
Mana took a seat, "I'm nearly 40, you know. I'm not sure you get to call me 'kid' anymore."
"I was your guardian. It's one of my eternal prerogatives to call you 'kid' from then on," Kaji replied.
"And is it one of your prerogatives as the Commander's husband to have office sex wherever you want?" Mana returned, smiling as Kaji's normally unflappable grin showed a crack.
"Actually, the office sex prerogative is mine," Kei said. Mana's smile vanished, and three pairs of eyes turned to look at her. A small smile had appeared on her lips. "Being the daughter of both the former commander and former head of Project E has some advantages," she said as she slid her glasses up her nose.
"Err, let's move on," Misato said. Turning to Mana, "So, Mana, let's start from the top. I'm Commander of Nerv, Kei is head of Project E and supervisor of Nerv's Section 3, and Kaji here is 'Special Advisor'" "So, your personal cabana boy?" Mana asked.
"Hey!"
"Pretty much. Now, all I heard from the JSSDF was that you were coming by, but no one told us about what. So what's the occasion?"
Mana pulled out a PDA and slid it over the table to Misato. "That has most of the information, but I'll give you the deal." Misato handed the device to Kei, who began quickly running her eyes over it. "The U.S. is having some problems with the Jet Alone Prime³ series. Not only has every activation test yet have something go wrong, but even afterward the pilots report problems with handling, response time, and mental feedback. Luckily we've only had one close call," she pointed to Kei, "that'll be under 'Unit Zeta Incident', but the problems we've had with these units dwarf those we had with the earlier models." Mana poured a glass of water and took a drink.
Misato nodded as she took in the information, then said "And so why come to us? We may have some official projects with NASA, but nothing of any importance with any branch of the military. I'm pretty sure they still hate us for the New Vegas Incident."
Mana nodded her head, "And you'd be right. I remember Admiral Obadiah going off on one of his tirades against you guys about New Vegas at a dinner, and he damn near had a heart attack when I happened to mention halfway through that I had fought in it. But a majority of the Joint Chiefs have come to the realization that no matter what reasons Nerv was founded for, or for whose goals, you're your own thing now. And if there would be anyone with expertise on working on giant robots..."
"It'd be us," Misato finished. "I suppose that makes some sense," Kaji said, "not even the JSSDF has been able to adequately field any kind of Jet Alone derivations."
Kei, having finished a quick read-through looked up at Mana, "I do not like this data. None of these readings make sense for the kind of mental connections I assume the pilots are making."
Misato smiled, "Well would you look at that? Less than 10 minutes and already a lead on where to go!"
"So you'll help?"
Misato gave a thumbs up, "Sure! I'm sure we'll come up with something suitable in exchange for our help. Before we do, though, tell your bosses over the Pacific that first we'll want to station a team wherever they're holding the JA-P³s. And at least unrestricted access to the units and all data concerning them. That'll be the non-negotiable part. Sound good?"
Mana thought for a second, tapping her finger against her lips as she looked at the ceiling. "I think I can sell that," she answered.
Misato's arms shot up in victory, "Perfect! Now this is how I'd like all of my meetings to go – just in and out!"
"And in and out and in and out?" Mana continued with an upraised eyebrow, then laughed as Misato shot her a glare, before she and the other two started laughing as well.
Getting up from the table, Misato stretched her arms above her head. "Well, now that this part is done, got any plans for your free time yet?" she asked Mana.
"Not really," Mana replied, "I'd thought about seeing some people and maybe catching up."
"Well, I don't need him," Misato said, pointing to Kaji, "for a few hours, so if you want him you've got him. Now you'll be having dinner with us at our place tonight, and no, that's not a request." Mana blanched at the thought of Misato's cooking. She looked over at Kaji, who nodded and said, "Don't worry, it's my job to cook." Misato raspberried at them, then hugged Mana again. As she opened the door with Kei behind her, she smiled warmly, lightening the few creases in her face, "It really is good to have you back, Mana."
"Thanks," Mana replied, and nodded her head at Kei as the two exited.
Mana turned from the door, and slumped into her chair as she turned to face Kaji. He kicked her leg, "So, how've you been, kid?"
Mana took another drink from her glass of water. "Well, where do you want me to start? When was the last time we talked?"
"I'd say 16, 17 years ago. You were telling me about your promotion to Captain. I see you've risen further since then," he pointed to the pip s on her cap on the table.
"Well, I've been alright since then. I bought myself a house in Maine a few years ago – in a tiny little village called Harrison. When I'm not in the Pentagon or dealing with the JA-Ps I'm out there."
"And it's nice?" Kaji asked, sipping his own water.
Mana smiled, "It's a great place. A lot quieter than I'm used to. I spend a lot of time reading. The house already had a big library, mostly English, so I've been grabbing stuff at random out of it."
"Any particular favorites so far?"
Mana moved her eyes to her cap. "You'll laugh at me, but I've become a fan of Hemingway."
Kaji made a thoughtful noise in the back of his throat. "I'm not surprised, if that's what you mean. I had to read The Sun Also Rises in college for English myself. I can easily see why you enjoy him. We see parts of ourselves in the characters we read."
"So – you see yourself as Barnes? I can see Misato as Brett, that's for sure."
Kaji laughed. "Back then we may have drank as much as them, but I like to think our relationship is a bit more stable than that. That and I'm fairly certain Misato'n I've proven enough times I'm not impotent."
Mana stuck her tongue out at him.
"But what about you?" he continued, "any lucky man in your life?"
Mana let out a small sigh. "I've had... a few relationships in the past."
Kaji raised an eyebrow. "But...?"
"They've been brief. And not very satisfying. I think the longest was maybe a year and a half."
Kaji nodded his head. "And you're doing alright?"
Mana's face tightened almost imperceptibly. Kicking her feet up onto the table, she folded her arms over her chest. "Yeah, I mean, why wouldn't I be? Unlike you, Kaji, I've always been the one who shot first in my relationships." She smiled, but to Kaji it seemed forced for an instant. He kept quiet, though, and when Mana quickly changed the subject he raised no objection.
For a few hours, they just talked. About whatever came to their minds. How they had been, their careers, their challenges and triumphs. But mostly they talked about the small things. Mana talked about some of her friends in the military, and how the Fredericksons had made her feel at home in a n alien state. Kaji regaled Mana with some stories of his three kids with Misato. And pictures. And videos. And more stories. The eldest at 18, Michiko, was in her last year of high school, and took much of her looks from her father. The middle child, named for Misato's father Shiro, was beginning his stint in high school. And the youngest girl, Yuzuki, was only a year behind her older brother.
For all the joy she felt at talking with Kaji after so long, after an hour of hearing about his kids' various achievements, both in classes and outside, Mana yearned to begin slamming her head against the table.
Luckily for Mana's skull, when 3:30 rolled around, Kaji realized he had to get going, seeing as it was he who picked up Yuzuki from school after her clubs were done. Before he left, Kaji wrote down the address to his and Misato's home, where Mana would meet them at 7:30 that evening.
"You sure you'll be able to find it? It's a little out of the way up there," Kaji said as he shrugged on his black uniform jacket.
Mana studied the scrap of paper, then turned her head up to Kaji. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me. Go get your kid."
Kaji grinned, and as Mana stood up he bounded out the door, speaking over his shoulder, "Great! I'll see you tonight, Mana!" Mana watched as the door closed behind him. She leaned back in her chair in the empty room, thinking. Then she whipped out her phone and dialed the number Athene had given her.
The line rang once before it snapped open. "Colonel Kirishima!" Athene still sounded cheery, but Mana could hear an undercurrent of worry, "I-" Mana cut in. "Athene, I need something to do until my dinner with the Commander tonight. Suggestions?"
The line was quiet for just a moment, before Athene replied. "Well, Colonel, Tokyo-3 is filled with many opportunities for recreation. The Tokyo-3 Zoo is highly recommended-" Once more, Mana cut her off. "Lieutenant, I need something to do. That does not include staring at animals in cages. Is there anything on base that draws folks?"
Silence again. Athene began, her chirpy voice wavering slightly, "Well, there's always the, uhh, laser room."
Mana's interest was piqued. "Laser room, you say? Where is it?" "Uhm, Level A, Section 472," Athene replied. Mana nodded her head. "Good, meet me there in 20 minutes," she said, and then hung up. She stood up and stretched her shoulders. This would be fun.
The "Laser Room," to Mana's joy, turned out to be the Geofront's massive laser tag grounds. Nominally a training room for Nerv security, in practice it was the place where many workers went to blow off steam. The entrance still held a photo of the team from Section 7, Janitorial, that had dominated the Section 2 group for title of "Most Awesome Section" in 2032.
For two hours Mana, with Athene as a partially-willing accomplice and meatshield, dominated the field, demolishing all in her path. By the end of her session, she had racked up 132 "kills" and 1 "death". Athene, in comparison, had 3 kills, 40 deaths, and 7 suicides. Athene wasn't even sure how those had happened. But by the end of it, Mana had felt she had established her position in this domain, even if it was only this one time.
At 6 PM she let Athene go, and finally went to the apartment she had been loaned for the time she was in Tokyo-3. She took a took a shower and, after throwing on some semi-formal clothes for the dinner, watched the sun set over the city on the outside balcony. It was so different now, to her eyes, that even with the familiar sights it rang strange. She looked down on the city from 15 floors up, and tried to find the building she and Kaji had stayed in when she had first gotten there, where her neighbors had been Misato, Shinji, and –
'Damn,' she thought, 'when was the last time I thought about my past like this? Probably shouldn't think about that before this dinner. I don't even know if the son of a bitch is still in the country."
Soon enough, she found it was time to head out. She left for the Commander's home, but found herself unable to completely ignore her recollections.