Chapter 3: Secrets and revelations
Misato was shocked. Maybe that was putting it mildly. She was surprised when none of the search parties of Section 2 out looking for him didn't find him, even more surprised when she heard he came straight back to headquarters by himself but she really had no idea Shinji had it in him to just up and speak like that. She was literally ready to give him a full blown out speech about just leaving and forgetting all about NERV if this place had nothing but pain for him but she just had to swallow it all back along with a bit of her pride. The whole deal about being alone, she couldn't say Shinji hadn't touched a nerve right there.
After all, the Second Impact instant and the hellish existence of solitude she suffered after that instant were two very defining traits in her. To see someone like Shinji just stand up and fight the emptiness was shocking to say the least.
If all of that weren't enough surprises, Shinji had returned alongside a man who was claiming to have crucial information concerning the angels and the war NERV was fighting. So when standing at the door to the holding room he was in, she was extremely self-aware and prepared for anything. She nodded to the guard on stand by and he opened the door to her.
"Good evening, captain Misato Katsuragi."
Right off the bat, Misato's preparation was flung off the window by gentle words and a 'too much information' alert.
"How do you know my name?" The question came harsher than Misato intended.
The middle aged man gave her a wicked smirk that made his almost comically large moustache twist upwards "I know a lot about your organization and the enemies it fights, my dear."
Misato squinted her eyes, taking in the man in front of her. The bald head and the big still moustache were not only contradictory in appearance but gave him a depraved aspect that was reinforced by the round dark glasses hiding his eyes. "And how, exactly, is it that you know all that mister Robotnik?"
"I have a… source… the same source your boss probably consults with."
"I sincerely doubt you know anything about Commander Ikari. I doubt even more you would know anything about the sources he consults." Misato slowly approached him as she spoke and sat on the chair in front of him and now they were face to face, a small table separating them. "Who are you really?"
Robotnik was still smiling. "I didn't mean Commander Ikari, Dear, I meant SEELE."
Now Misato was wearing a full frown on the face but said nothing. SEELE? What the hell is that?
"You see, SEELE, ever since the times NERV was GEHIRN, has kept databases and backups of information on its core infrastructure. I will admit hacking those files, including their golden egg, was no picnic. But nothing is impossible to the greatest scientific mind of the entire world!"
Misato fought back a snarky remark and the urge to make a typical disbelieving face. One of her eyebrows did go up though. "I should believe you, why?"
"Believe what you will, my darling. But I DO have information you wanna hear about. And I can prove it to you that it is information you want…"
"How?" Misato sounded dissonant.
His smirk became even more wicked "Here's what's going to happen, my dear…" Robotnik settled himself in his chair, bringing his face closer to Misato's. "You're gonna lock me up for suspicion of spying. After all most laws of the UN dictate exactly that concerning all the sensitive information I have to share with you."
His explanatory manner than took a twisted posture "Three days after that, regret is going to CONSUME you because you're going to think 'if only had I heard the good doctor, Shinji wouldn't be dead, killed by that horrible angel that can pulverize instantaneously anything that gets near him'. And then you will come back to my cell and finally listen to what I have to say."
Misato Blinked. This has to be a joke. How can this creep possibly have information about the fighting capability of the next angel? If any information concerning that existed, NERV would now about it.
After thinking that, she then nodded at him and spoke "You are right about one thing, doctor. I am going to throw you in a cell. Enjoy your incarceration." Misato got up with finality, ending the conversation. Robotinik kept his wicked smile splattered across his face.
(SGE)
"So you see, it's all about balancing out the right amount of glue, and the right place to glue it."
Shinji couldn't help but smile as Kensuke Aida described how to put his toy plane together. Or maybe he was smiling at the fact he and Kensuke had become closer since their fated nightly encounter with the strange red clad moustache man.
While it's true that it was Kensuke that approached him first, it was also true it had become extremely easy to simply have lunch together, or to listen to him talk, or to simply hang out together. The fact that Kensuke had seen him at his worst could be a factor contributing to this. It was also probably why Kensuke had told Shinji his mom was also dead, that he too was at a bit of a loss since it had happened. Though he was six years old when it happened, things are never really the same.
Though depressing as it was, that was one of the most heart felt conversations Shinji had ever had. That was why listening to Kensuke talk about yet another model of toy plane had become a normality as of recently. That normality was interrupted by the kid that hit him just a few days ago.
"Hey, Ken…"
Both Kensuke and Shinji turned to look at him but it was Kensuke that spoke. "Toji…?"
Hikari Horaki, the class representative, was standing right behind him, hands crossed in front of her waist, all business like, trading looks between Toji and Shinji.
"Can… Can the two of you come with me and Horaki? Outside? Just for a minute?"
Shinji looked Pensive, but again, it was Kensuke that spoke "Huh?"
"I already talked to the class rep," his thumb pointed to the girl behind him. "This is important… please."
(SGE)
"Listen, new kid… Ikari… Shinji… I…"
Shinji thought the Jock's hesitation was strange. Maybe even stranger than when the some jock approached him earlier and asked to talk to him outside during break. The class representative and Kensuke were behind him as if they were giving him support.
"Hit me."
That startled Shinji. Apparently it also startled Kensuke and Hikari right behind him.
"S-Suzuhara!" Hikari's shrill voice appeared sharp enough to cut something. "When you approached me with this and told me what happened, I thought all you wanted to do was APOLOGIZE!"
"Toji…" Kensuke groaned. "Hikari is right. Just say you're sorry, will you?"
Shinji thought he saw something akin to guilt in the jock's face when he spoke. "No, no, no. This is the only thing that will make us even…"
Shinji worked his mouth but at first nothing came out "I…" He croaked.
"Don't think about it. Don't hold back. Just do it" Toji then closed his eyes, making a face that screamed 'prepared for pain'.
Shinji didn't know what face he was making right now. His usual reflex of simply repressing everything inside was fought back somehow so instead of apologizing or turning away or even simply doing as he was told, he spoke. "Can I ask you something first?"
Toji opened one of his eyes and than both to stare at Shinji. "Um… okay."
"If I hadn't met a… guy that told me exactly what I needed to hear, by now I probably would have been… sent away from Tokyo-03. I wouldn't even be here. I wouldn't have become closer to Kensuke…"
Toji was still silently staring at him.
"Would you have… chased me to the train station or something like that just to settle this?"
Toji then made a face, raising one eyebrow. "Are you gay?"
Shinji instantly widened his eyes, blushed and fidgeted around. "N-NO!"
"I don't… 'chase' men dude." Toji lifted a hand in a stopping gesture. "B-BUT it's okay if you do! If you are-"
Shinji blushed harder and his movement became more erratic before he cut Toji off. "It's not like that! I'm just questioning your resolve to settle things between us!" He then looked Shinji straight in the eye, something also completely unlike him. "Are you asking me to do this just because you feel guilty?"
Toji hesitated. "N-no. I mean, yes, I do feel guilty, but it's not just that! I…" Toji scratched the back of his head. "I talked to my sister. And… And she…"
Behind him, Hikari smiled. "She scolded him for hitting the hero that stopped the monster from destroying the city…"
"CAN IT CLASS REP!" In a heartbeat, Toji went bright red as he turned to Hikari. She smiled at him and he looked back to Shinji. "Yeah, pretty much. Not just about me… you know… I just… want things to be squared between us and… yeah I suppose that if you had run I would find you and MAKE it all square…"
He stared at Shinji and Shinji just stared back. His face a sphinx
"So, yeah. If you could do this for me and make things even between-"
WHACK!
Shinji's small and powerful fist met Toji's jaw with an intensity Shinji didn't think it was possible for him to muster. His hand hurt. The next second, Toji was on the ground. To Shinji, releasing all that was like releasing a horrible dark miasma of emotions. It wasn't because Toji asked him to, or because he was a weak coward. It was because this was probably the first time in his life he actually let it all go in a single swoop.
Hikari and Kensuke were too wide eyed to do anything so it was Shinji that approached the grounded jock, extending him a friendly hand as he smiled. "You're right. This DID feel good. And now we're even."
Toji just smiled and assessed the insides of his mouth with his tongue, the outside of it (his cheek) with his hand.
Shinji was still smiling. "Are the two of you hungry? Kensuke and I have left overs."
(SGE)
It was only the evening of the next day. Shinji had visited Rei's apartment to give her the new NERV card issued for her. His inquire towards Misato on what had happened with Robotnik had been short and meaningless, Misato told him the doctor was okay but she wasn't allowed to talk about him, and the kid was overall seemingly fine.
Shinji's state was the last thing on Misato's mind however, for one could tell that she was furious just by the way she stomped the ground, walking towards Doctor Robotnik's holding cell. Fury emanated from every aspect of her right now. She was gonna have to swallow her pride and tell the NERV prisoner he was right. This next angel started pulverizing Evangelion unit one the moment it emerged. And yes, had Misato paid any heed to what this strange man had to say, maybe Shinji wouldn't be in the NERV ICU right now.
She asked that he would be transferred to an interrogation room and Ritsuko for some reason wanted to be there and incur on what he knew as well. Misato saw her at the interrogation room glass and decided to ask her about it now.
"Why did you wanna be here, Rits?"
Ritsuko didn't avert her eyes from the mustached bald doctor, sitting on the table on the other side of the one way mirror "Your report said he spoke about something called SEELE?"
Misato looked from the glass to her. "So?"
"Let's just say I've been briefed on stuff you haven't captain."
Misato blinked. She just pulled rank on me. Why?
"Another reason is this." Ritsuko cut her thought process gesturing a filled out paper with her hand.
Misato took the papers into her own hand and, upon examination, saw the doctor's name on it, Ivo Robotnik. Further examination revealed it to be an IQ test.
Misato's eyes widened. "This… This is impossible…"
"No it's not. I ministered this IQ test myself."
"He… He really has…"
"He has an IQ of 300. Yes."
"And… our registries about him…?"
"Came out empty."
"What?!"
"You heard me, no registry worldwide, secretive and open to the public, contains data on any 'Doctor Ivo Robotnik' with that IQ score…"
Misato blinked "But… someone this intelligent…"
"Should have been working with us from the very beginning or at least have accomplished lots of things. I know. Still, we got nothing on him."
Misato was almost astonished at Ritsuko's finality in stating impossibilities as simple facts. She then frowned back to the glass and slammed the paper on the small ledge just below the one way mirror. "That's it! This pig is telling me who he is." She resumed her stomping towards the door to the interrogation room.
"Wait!"
The determination in Ritsuko's voice stopped her on her tracks and she turned back to look at her.
"Misato, I know you must be upset with everything that happened but… well, let's not be hasty here."
One purple eyebrow rose. "Are you serious? This guy-"
"Apparently knows things nobody should know AND has the biggest IQ ever AND has no data to be found about him whatsoever." She finally turned to face the captain. "But it was us that decided not to listen to him and just lock him up. Let's not waste a potential ally and let's try to learn everything we can from him."
"That still means I have to go in there and interrogate him."
Ritsuko made a soothing gesture. "Let me talk to him first. You go in next."
Misato stood by as the doctor passed her. Her eyes narrowed when the door closed. You know he know things no one should know, Rits. How come YOU know this…? Misato shook her head and started going the other direction of the interrogation room. If I'm not mistaken, this room has two doors. I can be extra effective if I go in there without Robotnik and Ritsuko noticing me.
(SGE)
Robotnik turned his head up slightly as if signaling that he heard the squeaking sound of the door and immediately noticed Ritsuko coming in.
Calm down doctor Akagi. This isn't usually your work but this man has more IQ than you and knows things only you, the sub-commander and Commander Ikari should know… You need to see this through…
His wicked grim shook her resolve, although she didn't show it. "Good evening, fellow doctor Ritsuko Akagi…"
Ritsuko maintained her stoic posture. He knows who I am… figures.
She then approached the table and bent over slightly approaching her face to his. She scowled. "The third child Shinji Ikari is in our ICU."
"Of course he is."
She then sat down on the chair in front of him. "What did you do?"
Robotnik was obviously being condescending. "Meeee…?" He gestured the room around him in his usual comic over the top manner. "I was right here." He looked Ritsuko in the eye.
The dark glasses in the dark cell room unsettled her, even if she didn't show it.
"What did you and the lovely captain Katsuragi do HHMMM?! Sent him into battle ignoring my advice?"
Ritsuko still had her poker face on. Assuming your information is accurate, then yes, ignoring your info was stupid. How do you know this, though? Assuming you really DID manage to hack into SEELE and UN databases, does SEELE really knows properties of the angels? THAT is what I need to know.
"I'll repeat the question. What. Did. You. DO?"
Robotnik was now smiling knowingly. "What's the time?"
Ritsuko blinked, though remained immobile. "What difference does that make?"
"Depending on the time, my ingenious machines may know EVERYTHING about your planet and civilization… Or ALMOST everything…"
Ritsuko stood back up very slowly and very deliberately. There is no way this creep has a computer that can hack into anything and get any info. Only the MAGI of this branch could do something like that.
"If we're gonna play games, I'm going to need a cup of coffee." She turned to leave.
Robotinik's grim grew wider "Ah, the good cop bad cop routine?"
"Not exactly…"
(SGE)
Robotnik was roaring in laughter on the inside. So, dear doctor Akagi figured out already what my sources are, she just doesn't believe it. Interesting.
The moment Ritsuko left the room, a feminine yet firm hand grabbed and…
BAM!
…slammed the bald head to the table. Robotnik whelped in pain but didn't seem hurt or overall less composed.
He started rubbing his forehead, where the table had hit him, while speaking "Ugh, never start with the head. The victim gets all fuzzy and can't really feel the next-"
SLAP!
The sound echoed in the small room, shutting him up. Surprisingly though, he didn't rub his cheek, where Misato's palm had connected, until a few seconds later. "You see? Didn't feel it until now."
Misato now sat where Ritsuko was sitting. "Alright you mustached turd. Let's do this again. And now I'm willing to take into account everything you say. Who the hell are you?!"
I'm sorry dear captain, it's much too early in the game to throw you a bone. And since I know a lot you don't, I can turn all of this to MY favor.
"I wanted to see what you would do. And you didn't disappoint. You let Shinji almost die. And now you came straight to your only source. That's smart. Coming from a guy like me that's really something."
"Who are you?"
"The stupid old men want you and your commander gone so they can move freely against the angels and advance their final plan… But I know the truth. You and everyone on NERV, you are the champions of humanity."
"Then why you wanna kill us?"
The sudden roar of laughter would have startled Misato if she was not holding herself in a hostile stance "HOHOHOHOHO, haha I, I don't wanna kill you!"
Misato narrowed her eyes at the sudden mood swings of Robotnik.
She thinks I'm insane. This is working then. "No, no, no, you are the last bastion of hope to mankind." And if I can control you, I can control this world. "I want to help you." If you kill all the angels, you can also kill the pesky hedgehog and stop SEELE from doing what is for ME to do. Then this world will definitely be mine.
(SGE)
Misato on the other hand kept her scowl and general hostile aura. This conversation seemed to have only one side and Robotnik was dictating it all. It was stupid to assume he wanted them dead, after all she was the one that ignored what he said. Still, she had to press her point.
"If you want to help us, you gotta give us more than information on the angels. AND you gotta give us more reason to believe you than your predictions coming true. Who the hell are you, Robotnik?"
"Hehehe, you see, dear captain… I really don't."
Now Misato felt really peeved and was probably showing it too. But before she could hit him again…
"Here's what you need: A giant Eva sized sniper rifle."
Misato kept her hostile scowl but one of her eyebrows rose.
"Then you will diffuse ALL of the country's energy supply into it…"
Now Misato's mouth was slightly agape.
"And clobber it all to the gun, which will fire an energy beam at the angel. All from a safe distance."
Misato's face went back to its normal state for a second before returning her scowl at the bald man. That… actually makes sense… I would have thought of that, if the information on the current angel is all accurate, a plan like that really is the most direct fastest way… By tomorrow at 12:30 AM it will have breached the Geofront…
"Ah, it is so nice seeing the engines turning in your head, captain."
Misato refocused her attention on him. "And I suppose you want to be free and to work for NERV in exchange…"
He smiled with fake gentleness. "If it isn't much trouble my dear." His smile then became creepy and he approached her face. "If you do that for me, I'll tell you about the next angel, as soon as this one is defeated…"
Misato stood up very slowly and very deliberately. "I'll be in touch."
In the final darkness of the interrogation room, Robotnik smirked his signature wicked smirk.
(SGE)
Shinji woke up in pain.
He saw the same ceiling from the first battle he had ever been to. He remembered snippets of being melted by the current angel's beam of energy. At least he thought it was a beam of energy.
Burning. Scourging. Immolating. Smoldering.
His last memories of before passing out were so intense with pain he was almost crying again before noticing someone was in the medical room with him.
Her usual stoic manner was there but there was a sense of duty in the way she projected herself right now.
"Ayanami?" Shinji's voice came out pathetically. Just a faint whisper.
"I am here to debrief you on the operation Yashima timetable."
She goes on about the times of the schedule but Shinji just fills up with dread at the implication of what she is saying. That he has to pilot again. So his foremost reaction came only with the realization that he was naked when Rei told him not to show up like that.
After covering himself up with the sheet, all he manages to answer is "I'm sorry… I've been apologizing since yesterday haven't I?"
Rei pushes the hospital food tray towards his bed "Your meal."
Shinji hesitated, looking away. "I'm not hungry…"
"We will be departing in 60 minutes."
"Do I really have to pilot again?"
Rei kept her stoic manner "Yes, you do."
Shinji just lowered his head into his arms. "I… I know what doctor Robotnik told me made sense. And I know I told Misato I wouldn't run away, but…"
Now some of Rei's stoicism was replaced with curiousness. "But what?"
I don't wanna do it again! Shinji's thoughts were screaming at himself, he wanted to yell all that at Rei. Maybe you can be so cool about it because you've never been through situations like I have! I don't wanna pilot again!
Rei was still standing very still, just waiting for his reply. Instead of speaking, though, Shinji looked at her, directly in the eye. There was something unsettling in this girl. Something disturbing. He felt that if he told her any of that, Rei would just tell him to stay in bed and she would pilot Unit 01 herself.
On top of that, the image of him, Kensuke, Toji and Hikari having lunch together also popped in his head.
So instead he just took to heart Robotnik's words and his words to Misato. "It's nothing, Ayanami. But nothing. I'll eat and we'll go."
"I'll wait for you outside." She turned to leave and Shinji nibbled on some of the food in the tray.
He almost recoiled from the silver wear. "Ugh. Hospital food…"
Disclaimer: Evangelion belongs to Gainax, Sonic belongs to Sega.
Author's note: A big shout of gratitude once again goes to Gamer Jay for beta reading this AND for promoting it in his own fic.
Sorry if the interrogation scene reminded you too much of the dark knight… I honestly didn't have it any other way to play it out… It also inspired me to write the bit below:
Omake:
The moment Ritsuko left the room, a feminine yet firm hand grabbed and…
BAM!
…slammed Robotnik's bald head to the table. Robotnik whelped in pain but didn't seem hurt or overall less composed.
He started rubbing his forehead, where the table had hit him, while speaking "Ugh, never start with the head. The victim gets all fuzzy and can't really feel the next-"
BANG!
Misato's fist came down on his hand like a sledge hammer, shutting him up. Surprisingly though, he didn't rub his hand until a few seconds later. "You see? Didn't feel it until now."
"Wrhy yhou wanna kirr me?!"
Robotnik blinked "…Um, captain? Why are you talking all guttural and hoarse like that?"
Misato said nothing.
Robotnik blinked again "…Um… could you say that one more time then?"
"Wrhy yhou wanna kirr me?!"
Robotnik blinked again "…Um… No, still just guttural sounds to me…"
"I shaid Wrhy yhou wanna kirr me?!"
Robotnik blinked again "…Um… Okay we're obviously having some failure in communication. I'm not picking up words…"
