Neon Genesis Evangelion:
The Darkness Emerges
By Doffman
If you're reading the second chapter, that means that I actually caught someone's interest! I am a success as a writer! Whoo-hoo! If you like the story, or you have any constructive criticism, send it to KNapDaddy@Hotmail.com
Chapter 2
"What cha making, Shinji-kun?" Asuka asked sweetly. Shinji was in the kitchen cooking some ramen.
"Just cooking some ramen." Shinji said. Asuka came in the kitchen and took a seat at the table.
"You're not making it the way MISATO likes it, are you?" Asuka asked with a twinge of fear. Shinji shuddered.
"No, I don't want to get food poisoning. Again." Shinji said, smiling. Asuka giggled at the comment. Shinji was having problems getting used to Nice Asuka, but for the most part, he was doing okay.
"You're funny. So when's dinner ready?" she asked, trying to look around Shinji to see the meal preparation.
"Now." Shinji brought Asuka her meal and took a seat across the table from her with his own food.
"So, Shinji-kun, do you know where Misato is?" Asuka asked with only a hint of curiosity.
"She said she had to work late today. She won't be home 'til midnight at least." Shinji said, taking a long slurp of ramen. He looked across the table at Asuka: how her hair was slightly messy(she had just taken a nap), her eyes were shimmering with light, her cheeks still partially reddened, and couldn't help but gaze at this vision of loveliness.
"Shinji, stop staring! It's embarrasing." Asuka said with a smile and a blush.
"Ah, but who could not help but marvel with awe at such magnificence and grace?" Shinji said jokingly.
"Oh, stop!" Asuka said. Shinji stopped. "Why'd you stop?" Asuka asked, pouting.
"Well, you told me to." Shinji said with a smirk.
"If I told you to jump off a cliff, would you do that too?" Asuka said indignantly.
"Of course! I could never say 'No' to you, Asuka!" Shinji said romantically.
"Go jump off a cliff." Asuka tested.
"Let me go get my shoes…." Shinji said with a grin while getting up and heading for the door.
"I was only kidding, silly! Get back over here!" Asuka said with mock anger. Shinji sat back down and sighed. It was much easier to deal with Asuka when she wasn't threatening his life.
***
"It appears that his mental condition has improved, but that isn't saying much, Commander. He continues to laugh hysterically and attack the walls." Dr. Akagi reported calmly.
"When will Dracan be well enough to pilot?" Ikari asked.
"It's not that easy. He is, for lack of a better explanation, totally insane. It could, and probably will, be years before he is well enough. We run the risk of him flipping out and start blasting everything in sight." Dr. Akagi continued. "The First Child will be ready to pilot before he is. I give him five years, minimum."
"We must speed up the process. Dracan must be ready by the time Rei is capable of piloting." Gendo said.
"I will do what I can. Maybe if he were to talk to someone more his own age?" Ritsuko said before starting to leave.
"Doctor." Ritsuko stopped and turned around. "Rei has a calming effect on some people. Maybe you should have her talk to him." Gendo said, a smirk forming behind his hands.
"I don't think that's wise. A few minutes ago, he was screaming about the walls trying to eat him again. I guess I can give it a try…" Ritsuko walked in the direction of the room where they kept Dracan. She called Rei on her Cellphone and asked Rei to meet her there.
"Yes, Ma'am?" Rei asked as Ritsuko approached. Ritsuko had not expected Rei to get there so quickly. She expected that Rei would have to find the place first.
"I would like you to talk to the boy in the room here." Ritsuko ordered.
"Yes, Ma'am." Rei said as she opened the door to the dark room and entered. Ritsuko watched the exchange of words via the security camera.
"Hello, Dracan." Rei said. Ritsuko found it odd that Rei knew his name when she had not told her.
"Hello, Rei." Drac said quietly, gazing at the security camera in the corner with contempt.
"Why are you staring at the security camera?" Rei asked.
"It's obvious, isn't it Rei? It watches me like a hawk! I move one way…" Drac slid to the left. "The thing follows me. If I move the other way…" Drac slid to the right. "It still follows me! Upon heavy analysis, I've concluded thusly. That is the eye." Drac said, pointing to the camera.
"The eye of what?" Rei asked.
"The evil monster, of course! That over there…" Drac pointed to the door. "That is the mouth. Dr. Akagi is some extension of the monster, trying to lure me into its mouth. There is, however, one factor not calculated yet." Drac said as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"What is that, Drac?" Rei said, slightly smiling.
"You." Drac said, pointing at her. "I can't make heads or tails of you. Are you another fiend like Dr. Akagi, or something else? Maybe you are one who suffers through being digested by the monster. Who escapes on occasion. None of it fits. So my question to you, Miss Rei, is this. What are you in relation to me?" He asked the question as though it was the most important thing in the world. Rei looked baffled.
'This boy triggers emotion into Rei… I'll have to consult Commander Ikari about this…' Ritsuko thought.
"Me?" Rei said, suddenly developing a warm smile. Her voice held emotion. She was amused by the question that she had been asked. She walked up to him and took his hand. "I'm your friend, Drac." This caused Drac to smile. Drac's face suddenly became troubled. Ritsuko knew what it was.
Another one of his theories was smashed like glass. Now she knew who had been doing the hard parts…
Many times Ritsuko would come to see Drac and find that a theory of how everything went was gone and he had to formulate new ones. That was the only time she had ever made progress. His theories had been getting less strange as of late, due to the hard work she had been putting in while he had no hypothesis.
Ritsuko realized that she might make the deadline if she could recruit Rei's help on the matter. She vaguely recognized that Rei and Drac were talking about something else, so she shifted her attention back to the screen.
"What's it like in there?" Drac asked, pointing towards the door.
"In where? You mean OUT there, don't you?" Rei giggled. Ritsuko sat there gaping. "This is just a room, Drac. They put you in here because you went insane. Because you have theories saying that the outside world is trying to eat you! Out there is NERV Headquarters. Outside of NERV is the Geofront. Outside of that is Japan. Outside of that, there is the whole world." Rei said grandiosely. Drac slowly tilted his head downwards, deep in thought.
"World. Being a word generally meaning the planet that 'sane' people know as Earth, but that is not the exact definition of the word. The true definition of the 'world' is all that is known by the person referring to the word. To a learned man, the world consists of all known Outer Space. To a sheltered child, the world would be his house, and maybe his school.
"If the world is out there, Rei, tell me. What do you consider as the world? Were you referring to the planet, as the standard use of the word, or something greater?" Drac asked philosophically. Rei smiled, a slight gleam of mischief gleamed in her eye.
"Well, Drac there is the planet out there, as I was referring to, but there is something greater out there than the large ball of dirt we call Earth. There are forests brimming with life. There are the roaring seas, filled with marine life. Even the deserts have the wonders of life spawning in them. Above all are Human kind, and its achievements. Art, Technology, Literature, and much more exist out there. Children play happily on a warm summer's day. Lovers exchange kisses over their passion for each other. However, you cannot look at the good without looking at the bad.
"War, Death, Famine, Pestilence, they all reign over many in the world, as well as Hate jealousy, anger, sadness and depression. Being trapped in here and experiencing nothing is far worse than experiencing both the good and the bad of the outside world." Rei said, trying to outthink him with even more reflective words.
"Having no emotion is far worse than experiencing both the good and the bad of yourself." Drac countered, knowing that he had defeated his friend. Rei pouted, and leaned against the wall.
"Okay, so you won. Again. Can't you just, for once, let me win a debate?" Rei asked, pleadingly.
"Ah, but then you wouldn't really be winning, would you? You end up shattering my theories plenty of times. Isn't that winning, Rei?" Drac pointed out.
"No, because that's crazy talk. I want to beat you at something when you aren't talking about walls eating you, or the world being a giant hovercraft, and that we are all eels. It's easy to win when someone is so blatantly wrong that anyone could point out the flaws." Rei said beginning to shift back to her monotone voice.
"Yes, well, Rei, do you think that you could talk Dr. Akagi into getting me a bed? I know the room is padded, but I want to sleep in a bed again." Drac said calmly. "That way the mice will have friends."
"What mice?" Rei asked.
"The ones that live in the ceiling, of course. They keep on telling me that they are lonely, and if Dr. Akagi brought a bed in, the mice could move in under there and have friends." Drac said in a distant voice. He chuckled as if he said something funny. This brought on a laugh, which then developed into a sinister cackle that echoed in the room. Rei pushed herself away from the wall on which she had been leaning, and left the room quietly. Ritsuko stood up to meet her and ask her questions.
"Why did you leave, Rei?" Ritsuko asked.
"I cannot talk to him when he is like that. When I do, I get no response." Rei stated.
"When did you meet Dracan before this, Rei?" Ritsuko asked, tilting her head slightly, placing the pencil in her hand upon her lips.
"We have talked many times." Rei said.
"When was the first, and what happened?" Ritsuko asked, taking out her notebook and poised her pencil over the paper.
"Two years ago. He was crying, and you had left the door open. He said something about mouths and walls, then he wrapped his arms around me and cried some more. This is the most responsive I have ever seen him, Dr. Akagi." Rei said.
"Hmm… Does Commander Ikari know about this?"
"He said that I could talk to him if I didn't interfere with your work."
"I see. Thank you, Rei. You may go."
"Yes, Ma'am."
***
Ritsuko remembered the first time he saw Rei interact with Drac, and it had been shocking on more than one level. Rei expressed emotion, Drac had even appeared sane for several minutes. Drac was a genius, with an I. Q. well over 400. But that still didn't change the fact that he was crazy as peanut brittle.
"I KNEW he was faking! I told Brian that he was still mentally unstable, but NO! Commander Ikari listens to an AMERICAN before he listens to me! I'm going to have a word with Dr. Thomas." Ritsuko said, presumably, to Rei, who was standing in the corner by Drac's curled up form.
"Hello, Bradley? This is Ritsuko. I need to talk to Brian right away…. What?" Rituko's face flashed with shock. "So soon…? What about 'Allen'? Is he suffering any mental trauma…? Hmm… Very well. Has the Commander been informed…? Good. Everything's been arranged…? Okay. I'll see you when you arrive, then. Good bye." Ritsuko hung up the phone. She sat down, deep in thought, and looked over to the children once and a while.
"Rei, I've received some bad news. You remember Doctor Brian Thomas, right?" Ritsuko asked her calmly.
***
"What happened to your parents, Drac? Just answer the question! It's not that difficult of one!" Ritsuko yelled at him in a loud voice. Drac had been slowly backing away at her response to the fact that he would really not prefer to talk about his parents. He didn't even realize that he was doing it until his back hit the wall.
"It is for me…." Drac said sadly. "I just want to forget, alright?" He said firmly.
"Fine! You can stay in here for the rest of your life! Honestly, I can't deal with you anymore!" Ritsuko burst out of the room with a rage. Drac heard her having a conversation, loudly, with a male voice. The voice was calm and comforting, yet firm at this point. Suddenly, Ritsuko shouted, "No, you may NOT talk to the boy! He's a pest!"
Drac heard another voice join in on the conversation, Rei. Her calm, quiet voice spoke, and he heard Ritsuko's voice change from anger to depression. Rei entered the room, along with a tall, middle aged man. He sat on the floor in front of Drac, smiling slightly.
"Hello, Drac. My name's Brian. How are you today?" He asked in a friendly voice, though not very fluent Japanese.
"I'm well, thank you." Drac said looking at the ceiling. Once he had thought that talking mice lived above him, for some reason. Well, he had gotten his bed, along with a chair, though he usually sat on the ground or on the bed. Rei walked over from where she was standing, and sat next to Drac on the floor.
He felt a growing urge to reach over and take her hand, but he fought it and faced the man known as Brian. "Is there something you want, sir?" Drac asked politely.
"No, I'm just here to talk… I hear that Ritsuko has quite a temper when dealing with you, for some reason. What do you say to her to get her so riled up, anyway?" Brian asked, tipping his glasses slightly.
"It told her that I didn't want to talk about my parents to her." Drac responded.
"Hmm… Sensitive subject? I understand. My parents died when I was young, too. My older brother, Brad, had to raise me until I was old enough to live on my own… Anyway, is there any particular reason you won't tell her, or is it that you don't want to talk about it in general?" Brian asked.
"Actually, I just plain don't like the woman." Drac said plainly. This upset Rei.
"You promised me that you would cooperate with her, Drac." Rei said in a slightly irritated tone, hardly branching from her normal voice.
"Well, I'm sorry, Rei, but there is something about her that I don't trust. I can't pour out all my closest kept secrets to someone that I can't trust." Drac said calmly, imitating Rei's voice.
"Do you trust me?" Rei asked.
"More than anyone else I know." Drac said.
"Answer the question, Drac." Rei said firmly
"I did!" Drac said defensively.
"No, you didn't. You don't trust anyone else you know. Saying that you trust me more than anyone else you know isn't saying much. I ask again. Do you trust me?" Rei finished and waited for an answer. Drac hesitated a few seconds before responding.
"Yes. I trust you with my life, Rei." Drac said, barely a whisper.
'My life, and my heart.' He said to himself. Rei smiled slightly, and took his hand.
"Why don't you tell me, then? It would calm down Dr. Akagi quite a bit." Rei said, in a comfortable voice.
"A: There is a stranger sitting here with a pad of paper and a pencil. B: The Security Camera is watching our every move." Drac gestured at the objects in question.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Pardon me! I'll just leave now!" The man said, obviously offended. Brian quietly left the room and closed the door.
"Well?" Rei asked.
"B." Drac said.
"What?" Rei asked, tensing.
"The camera." Drac said.
"Oh…" Rei said relieved for some reason. "Security cameras can't hear, you know. They're just visual." Rei said nervously. Drac wondered why she was nervous, but he ignored it.
"Well… Okay." Drac said reluctantly. Rei smiled, slid closer, and listened to every word said.
"Well, my father was a Police Officer from America, and my mother was a nurse from Japan. They got married and lived in Tokyo. When I was 6 years old, they split up. I ended up living with my mother, who a year later got married to a Scientist, which I forget his name. They had a young child together. I also forget his name. This was a long time ago, and my memories are hazy…
"When I was 8 years old, my mother died when she took a sickness from the hospital she worked at. My Father, who had since moved back to America, wrote to me telling me that he would come to see me. He never arrived. The day before his scheduled vacation, a serial killer killed him in a shoot out. To make things even worse at the time, my stepbrother died from the same sickness that mother did....
"When my half brother died, My stepfather lost it completely, for he had been teetering on the edge when my mother had died. He left the country, leaving me behind. I had no one left. I had been sitting in the house for three days, alone, when I realized that something had gone wrong, I don't know what happened after that, but I ended up in this room. Was here for Two months before I met you…" Drac went silent. Rei had started to cry.
"I'm so sorry, Drac…! I didn't know it was so bad for you…! I shouldn't have asked!" Rei said, squeezing his hand tightly.
"Don't worry about it… You can ask me anything, Rei…." Drac said warmly. Rei smiled sadly.
"Oh, Drac." She wrapped her arms around his neck in a hug, and he gratefully returned it. What really surprised Drac now was the fact that he had begun to cry as well. Suddenly, all of the theories he had been concocting, all the meanings of existence he had contemplated, they all left his mind.
Rei now demanded all of his senses. The smell of her shampoo drifted to from her with delightful fragrance. Her hair felt smooth as silk. Her face was a thing of beauty that the greatest artist in the world could not have created.
Drac wanted to hold her close forever. Drac felt something begin to pull at his mind. He had no idea what it was, but it seemed eerily familiar. The Theories were trying to force their way back in… Drac felt the feeling tug at him so hard that he couldn't prevent it. It hurt his mind so much…
He found himself laughing maniacally at nothing in particular. He saw Rei begin to cry hysterically, and then she shouted at him. "Stop it! Stop laughing, Baka!"
Drac tried his hardest to stop laughing, but to no avail. Rei screamed, reared back and slapped him full in the face. Drac fell backwards onto his back, the fresh palm print still burning on his cheek. He was no longer laughing. Rei rushed to his side.
"I'm sorry, Drac! I'm so sorry! I just lost it… I shouldn't have hit you…" Rei was interrupted.
"Yes, you should have, Rei. And thank you for that… It's gone now…" Drac said nervously.
Drac smiled.
Rei smiled.
Drac lost track of the time, holding her hand and staring into her eyes…
Rei…
It pains her to see you do as such.
Who are you? What do you want?
Consider me as the white mouse in the ceiling.
What do you want? Why are you in my head?
I don't know why you hear things… Maybe you are insane.
I am the sanest person on the planet.
Yes, but the regular populous doesn't know that. You don't have to really be like them to be aloud in their world. You just have to pretend to be.
What's so important out there that I don't have in here?
You have always loved nature, Drac. You could sit under a tree… With Rei…
…
Just pretend to be like them, Drac. That is all that is necessary.
What must I do?
Listen carefully…
***
Brian…
***
"Love can do miracles, Ritsuko. Maybe Drac has realized that Rei doesn't like it when he flips out, so he repaired his mind on his own. You never know." Brian said.
"I know, it's just weird… We gave him almost a month and he still hasn't had any more of his laugh attacks… I guess that I can report to Commander Ikari that we now have our Sixth Child…" Ritsuko said. "I take it that there's no chance that you'll be staying to help me with the report?" Brian shook his head.
"I have to head back home quickly. Brad tells me that there's trouble there." Brian said sadly. "I should go say goodbye to the kids now. Can't leave without saying goodbye. Is Rei around?"
"She went in to see Drac awhile ago. She hasn't come out yet." Ritsuko pointed to the monitor absently with a pencil. Rei sat on the bed with Drac, her head on his shoulder. Brian smiled and entered the room.
"Hey, kids! What's up?" Brian asked.
"Hello, Mr. Brian." They both said in unison. Brian laughed.
"How many times have I told you? Call me Brian and forget the Mister! Makes me feel old." Brian shuddered.
"Well, you ARE 39 years old. That's almost over the hill." Drac said jokingly. Rei very lightly smacked him on the back of the head.
"I guess that it's true… Damn, it's depressing, though!" Brian said jokingly.
"Brian, stop teaching the kids bad language!" Ritsuko's voice came over the intercom.
"Oh, shut you asshole, you dumb bitch!" Drac shouted at Ritsuko. Rei's next smack on the back of Drac's head wasn't as light. "OW!" Drac cried as he was sent, face first to the floor. Rei looked up at the security camera and smiled broadly. Brian heard a distant laughing.
"Anyway, kids, I'm afraid I have some good news, some bad news, and a choice for Drac. Which do you want to here first?" Brian asked.
"Good news, of course!" Rei said.
"Well, the good news is that Dr. Akagi finally declared that Drac is sane."
"Here that Drac? You're sane! Dr. Akagi said so!" Rei said cheerily.
"Great a nut says I'm sane…" Drac whispered to Brian.
"What was that?" Rei asked viciously.
"Nothing, Nothing. I was talking about Cashews…" Drac said. "Anyway, The bad news, if you please?"
"The bad news is that I have to go back to America for awhile. I'll be back in a few months, though. I got a job working under Dr. Akagi. She and my brother, Brad, we're going to be her Executive Assistants, or something like that."
"Come back soon. Keep in touch. See ya around. That sort of stuff." Drac said, sitting down. Rei got upset.
"Drac!" Rei put her hands on her hips.
"What? It's not like we're saying goodbye or anything. Just see you later. Right Brian?"
Brian laughed, saying, "Too true, Drac. Too True. Anyway, now we move on to the choice. But first, a quiz. Drac, why do you think NERV has you down here instead of in a normal institution?"
"My stepfather had connections?" Drac said, not knowing the answer.
"No. Though I am severely peeved at the man for not looking out for you. He's a college of mine, you see. I'll have a talk with him, Drac. Don't worry." Brian said. Drac immediately grew cold and angry.
"I say don't bother. The bastard left me here all alone, so I don't need him. I don't need anyone. No one except…" Drac trailed off, looking at the floor. Brian quickly changed the subject.
"The reason that NERV has you down here is this. You are capable of piloting an Eva." Rei gasped, and Drac just stared, startled. "You'd be the Sixth Child, Drac. What do you say? Do you want to be an Eva pilot like Rei?" Brian hated to use the 'Rei Card', but it was the only way to assure that he would be a pilot. 'Damn me to Hell for this…'
"Alright. I'll do it. If Rei can do it, so can I." Drac said determined.
'Poor kid… Doesn't know what he's getting himself into. And I'm not being of any help. May god protect him…'
End of Chapter 2
