Chapter Four: Goodbye Kansas
When I look back, it seems so strange that everyone managed to stay as calm as they did. The city's dream turned into a nightmare after the Zentraedi came, destroying our homes and so many lives. I once tried talking to Aunt Lena about it, to try and understand what had happened to them, what it had been like to be so isolated in the shelters. All she could remember was how terrified she was, both during and after the attack. First an invasion and then getting lost on the other side of the solar system, it was just so much. I know I would not have taken things very well without having Rick to see me through it.
- excerpt from the diary of Lynn Minmei
For only the second time in his life, Emil Lang found it difficult to concentrate on the task before him. Things had started off so well that the scientist had been legitimately worried that he would be bored for most of the day. It seemed as though he was doing nothing more than counting off the minutes until the SDF-1 would lift off, providing him the opportunity to finally test the fold drives. Oh, how he had agitated for the test flight to be performed before the celebration, so that he could run through the process properly, in true scientific fashion. Instead, the officials at the United Earth Government had decided they wanted to make a show of the procedure. Forget that there was still a great deal about the ship and its technology that even he did not understand and forget that the anti-gravity generators had never even been turned on after their installation. All of that did not compare to the UEG's desire to distract the masses with bread and circuses. After all, he was only the chief engineer and creator of the Reflex Furnace. It wasn't as though his opinions carried any weight! Such folly.
Protesting in the only way he knew how, Land had opted to stow himself away in the heart of the SDF-1, keeping close to his beloved Furnace, the end result of over ten years worth of sweat and toil. Technicians wandered to and fro, checking readings and observing status displays, all with a sort of anxious energy. Most of them were hand-picked by him, brought in because he knew they could be trusted, and not just because they came fresh from school. The brightest of the lot approached him.
"Not going to watch the air show, doctor? I'd think you would enjoy observing your work paraded around for everyone to see." Lazlo Zand said.
Lang let out a quiet sigh, not bothering to look up from the clipboard he was holding in his hands. He knew Zand loved to try and get under his skin, be it through trying to prove his superiority in regards to Robotechnology, or simply by using caustic remarks. It wasn't as though eye contact would have been possible anyway, since Zand's heavily tinted spectacles prevented anyone from getting a clear look.
"No, it's better that I remain here and keep an eye on the Furnace. They aren't doing anything I haven't already seen before, multiple times."
"You're not even going to check and see how your young friend handles himself?"
"I know he'll be fine."
"Ah well, such is your choice. Still, given the interest you've shown in him, one would expect you to keep a closer eye on his activities."
"And what do you mean by that?"
"Doctor, you and I both know that you never take an interest in someone unless they directly affect your work. Clearly, that boy presents an opportunity for you to uncover some material on one of the various organizations you hold a grudge against."
"You feel confident in your assessment?"
"Of course. He shows no inclination towards understanding the workings of Robotechnology, so you don't see him as a possible student. Therefore, his value to you must come from some other trait. Since the only other notable thing about him is his connection to NERV, you view him as a means to gain leverage against a group you view as a threat to your work."
Zand looked very proud of his pronouncement, always happy to show himself the equal of his friend and mentor. Such a feeling was not entirely unjustified, since it was a reflection of an accurate judgment based on what the scientist knew about Lang. However, there were a few choice pieces of information the German-born doctor kept to himself in relation to his concerns regarding NERV.
"As always Lazlo, you intuit an explanation well from the facts available to you." Lang replied.
Zand looked pleased witht that statement, apparently unaware of the hidden meaning behind the other man's words. Before the two could talk further, an alarm began to sound.
"That's a combat alert!" Lazlo announced.
Dr. Lang was already in motion, almost sprinting towards the phone that connected engineering to the bridge. It took Zand a few minutes to get over to his colleague and wait for him to finish speaking.
"Well, what is going on?" he asked.
"They've finally arrived. I had hoped would have more time, but now is not the time for regrets." Lang answered, a scowl marring his features. He did not have to explain who 'they' were.
"What now?"
"We fulfill our purpose for being here. Place the Furnace on standby – I want it ready to go on a moment's notice."
Lazlo nodded in understanding and raced off to carry out the task set for him. Mentally, Lang concerned himself with the ship's defenses, all of them he had either designed personally or had some supervision over their creation. He had never been able to get the barrier system to function properly, so that was already a strike against them. Thoughts of improvised defense measures speeded through his mind so quickly that he did not notice a man deposit an object on the Fold drives and then slink away.
Suddenly, the ship rocked from the impact of what could only be enemy ordnance. The next several hours consisted of Lang trying to get the barrier system online while simultaneously keeping the secondary propulsion engines working. It was not easy and the doctor almost had a stroke when he learned that the anti-gravity generators had torn away from the ship instead of lifting it up, but when the secondary boosters managed to finally get the SDF-1 into orbit, he felt a profound sense of relief. Then the call came in over the intercom.
"Attention all hands, priority: Fold system standby."
"They can't expect us to test the Fold drives now, under these conditions!?" Zand loudly protested. Lang formed a smile on his face.
"Why Lazlo, don't tell me you're hesitant to finally see if my theories were correct?"
"Doctor, we don't know what will happen!"
"Then it is time for us to finally find out. The great threshold is finally before us, old friend. Don't you want to see what is on the other side?"
Zand's face suggested that he did not have any burning desire to see if the grass was indeed greener, but stayed quiet. He knew better than to argue.
"I want maximum power output from the Reflex Furnace! Lazlo, are the Fold drives ready?"
"Ready, doctor."
"Now all we can do is wait," Lang muttered.
Located on the lower portion of the Fold drive, out of sight of anyone nearby, a sensor inside an electronic device detected the energy emissions necessary for it to activate. The sensor then began to measure the level of said emissions, ready to explode once a pre-programmed point was reached. It made no sound, no noise that might betray its presence and thus its intention. It took no notice of the voice of Claudia Grant as she counted down to the fold jump. Then, when the SDF-1 entered foldspace for the first time and the universe seemed to pull apart, it carried out its mission. At least, it certainly tried to.
"Aggh…status!" Lang groaned.
"Trying to get main power back online," Zand answered.
The lights came back on, but in doing so managed to reveal an unexpected problem. For a couple of minutes, everyone in the room just gaped and stared, not quite comprehending the absence of a very important object.
"Was ist zum Faltenantrieb geschehen?" Osmund asked?
"It…appears to have vanished into thin air," Zand answered. "Doctor, shall we run some scans?"
"We may as well," Lang responded before walking over to the phone.
"What are you doing?" Zand asked.
"I'm doing the only thing I can right now – informing the Captain that the fold drives, our only means of getting home without a long and difficult journey, have vanished into thin air."
For a time, no one could thing of anything to say, until technician Osmund decided to voice his thoughts.
"Gut wenigstens kennen wir, dass die Maschinen gearbeitet haben."
000
"Roy, where did the Earth go?!"
"I heard you the first time, kid. I don't know!"
Weaving through the debris-filled area of space outside the SDF-1, the two pilots tried to make sense of the latest situation fate had place them in. One was handling it with the cool, collected ease that comes from years of combat experience. The other wasn't.
"Did something happen to it?! Did the aliens destroy it?!" Shinji desperately asked.
"I think something happened to us. The jump must have overshot the moon by…I don't know how much."
"So what do we do?"
"We head back to the SDF-1 and wait for Dr. Lang to get us back. No muss, no fuss. Just take a couple breaths and ease down. I've gotten my squad through worse than this." Roy said.
"You've gotten them through worse than being stuck in the middle of outer space while an alien fleet attacks the Earth?"
"Well, yeah. You ever have to explain to an Admiral why his prize supply of wine disappeared along with his Mercedes?"
"Um, no."
"Trust your commanding officer – it was worse than this."
Shinji could not help but chuckle slightly at that, feeling himself calm down. Roy was right, naturally. They still had a way home and losing control would not help anyone.
"Hey, Skull leader?" Skull nine asked.
"What is it, Collins?"
"What happened to Earth? I'm only asking 'cause some of the guys were-"
Skull nine's transmission abruptly ended when his fighter exploded after being hit by a laser burst from a nearby Battlepod. Shinji watched as pieces of the Veritech he had rescued only a few hours earlier floated past his cockpit.
"Aw, hell! Figures the bad guys would have come along too! Watch my wing, kid; we're going down to make a pass."
"Understood, Skull leader."
A group of Battlepods were clustered together on the frozen terrain that had been Macross Island, closing in on the SDF-1 floating above while firing on it. The were so focused on their task that they failed to react in time to avoid the missiles Roy and Shinji loosed upon them. A fireball marked their passing, but it was quickly consumed by the vacuum of space, leaving only burnt pieces of metal mixed with ice.
"Skull squadron, close up around the left side of the SDF-1. Our friends still want to see the inside before they go." Roy ordered.
The Veritechs soon appeared near the appointed area, just in time to meet an advancing line of Battlepods. Shinji had to wonder what they hoped to achieve by this pointless charge. They were easily outnumbered, outgunned and could not hope to win. Why waste their lives? If they could not contact their fleet for rescue, they could still surrender. They did not have to die, not out in a cold and lonely vacuum. It just did not make sense.
"Stay loose, people. I don't want them to hem us in." Roy ordered.
Battloids were spread across the engagement zone, many of them taking up positions on the SDF-1 itself and firing down upon the Battlepods. Disregarding basic tactics, many of the aliens were charging head no into the hail of cannon fire, oddly reminiscent of the earlier suicide tactics used by the first wave of fighters to attack Macross Island. Others had decided to be more discrete in their methods and used the ruined buildings for cover as they exchanged fire with the RDF.
"Shinji, take Skull twelve and get around behind those Battlepods. A quick strike in their middle should make them scatter.
"Roger, Commander."
Switching to Guardian mode, Shinji led his squadmate in a wide semi-circle around the island in order to take the aliens unaware. He was still tired, the day's fatigue still with him, and not the least diminished by his nap (and how that made him grimace). The shock of what happened to Collins was fresh in his mind. One minute he was there, the next he wasn't. His HUD flashed red and a beeping alerted him to the target lock he had on the aliens. Swooping in low, Shinji launched a missile volley at his target while his wingmate did the same. Their attack punched a clean hole through the line of aliens engaging the Veritechs.
Roy didn't miss a beat once Shinji gave him the opening he wanted. The entirety of Skull squadron shifted to Guardian mode and flew down to further drive apart the two newly-formed groups of bewildered aliens. Had the battle been in an atmosphere, the steady blasts of gatling cannons would have filled the ears of all nearby.
"Skull two through twelve, take the group on the right. Thirteen through twenty-three, the one on the left. Green squadron, stay behind and guard the SDF-1 and our flanks. I don't want any of them to slip around behind us." Roy barked.
The red-orange flash of gatling cannons became clear against the starry backdrop of deep space and the crystal blue of a Macross Island now completely covered in ice. A feeling of the surreal passed over Shinji ad it took him a minute to realize what was causing it. For the first time in his life, he could not hear the outside. Even inside Unit-01, there was the sensation of sound, a signal that a living world remained outside his metal shell. Back on Earth, the air had been filled with the sounds of numerous explosions, cannon fire, and other indicators of battle, all audible to him. Now it was nothing but vacuum, a void ready to consume him should the piece of glass over his cockpit shatter. It was a rather sharp and jarring contrast.
"Hey, watch it!" Skull five yelled.
Skull eleven had attempted to switch to Battloid mode and set down on the surface of Macross Island. In doing so, he had slipped on the ice and knocked against his squadmate, causing the Veritech to bump into a nearby building.
"Don't bunch up, people, I don't need the grief." Roy said. "Stay in Guardian mode and save the ice skating for later."
"Roger, Skull leader." Skull eleven responded.
Hardly five minutes passed before the aliens were once again upon them, guns blazing. Before anyone had a chance to react, Skull five was nothing more than wreckage. Roy let loose a massive missile volley into the group attacking from the right side, annihilating them and a few of the nearby buildings that were already crumbling from the battle.
"Split up," he ordered. "Remember that we're in space – don't engage them groundside and up close unless you have to. There's only a few left, so don't worry about getting overwhelmed."
Shinji only partly heard the Commander's orders due to the fact that he was busy dealing with two Battlepods firing at him. He jetted upward, barely missing the light blue streams ready to put an end to his flying days. He then executed a sharp turn, hoping to immediately strike back, and almost sent his Veritech spinning.
"I'm in space," he muttered. "No wind resistance, no gravity. Can't forget that."
The foot thrusters brought the Veritech to a better position and Shinji locked on his opponents and fired missiles.
"Scratch two Battlepods," he whispered, not completely sure of himself.
A quick fly by informed him of the battle's progression. The Veritechs were now picking off the remnants of the alien attackers, who had completely broken their formation and were scattered every which way. A couple had apparently tried to sneak into the SDF-1, but judging from the fresh wreckage, Green squadron had handled them with little problem. Others were engaged in bizarre zig-zag tactics, possibly hoping to disorient their pursuers enough so that they could shake them off and counterattack, but to no avail. A few were trying to stand their ground, but were meeting the same problem as Skull eleven, making them easy targets. It appeared that, for all intents and purposes, the fighting was coming to a close. Shinji considered this fortunate after a quick glance at his HUD revealed that he was nearly out of ordnance. If the battle had gone on for another hour, he would have been reduced to using nothing more than harsh language against his opponents.
"Watch your underside kid, you've got one heading right towards you," Roy warned.
Shinji shifted his Veritech to Battloid mode just in time to avoid a Battlepod that was dead-set on colliding with him. He fired his gatling cannon, but only managed to graze the enemy's armor while the Battlepod reversed thrust and tried to get back under him.
"Enemy fighter, you're alone and outnumbered. Please surrender." Shinji said.
The Battlepod did not respond and tried once again to ram right into the Veritech. Apparently, its ammunition was either spent or its weapons were malfunctioning. Shinji tried again.
"I ask again, please surrender. If you don't, I'll…have to open fire."
Still nothing. Shinji brought his weapon into line with the alien. His HUD went red with a target lock. The Veritech's finger was on the trigger.
"Enemy fighter, this is your last warning. Please, surrender."
The Battlepod charged again, ready to collide. Shinji fired his weapon. The blast went clean through the enemy's armor, causing the craft to explode. The resulting fireball was quickly consumed by the vacuum of space. The boy could only stare, his hands shaking.
"Skull leader to SDF-1, all enemy forces have been neutralized. Repeat, all enemy forces have been neutralized. All Veritech fighters are returning to base."
"Roger, Skull leader," Commander Hayes responded. "Opening launch bays."
"All Veritechs, return to SDF-1. The job's done for today," Roy said.
The squadron leader then flew his aircraft over to Shinji's, which hadn't moved.
"Kid, you hear me?"
No answer.
"Kid, he was coming right at you. There was nothing else you could have done. He wasn't going to be taken alive and wanted to take you with him. Do you understand me, Corporal Ikari?"
"I…understand, Commander."
"Come on, kid. Let's go home."
Switching back to Guardian mode, Shinji followed his commanding officer back to the battle fortress.
000
The pilot of Skull eleven, VF-1A is Jonathan Myers "Baker's" Dozen. He was born on February 15, 1996. His mother Sarah called him her "belated Valentine's gift". Until he was three years old, he lived in Florida, in a suburb near Miami. When Second Impact came and went, his family, like many other families, was lessened by it. His father, Harold Dozen, was an EMT who died while responding to one of the hundreds of different emergency calls. The exact details were never made entirely clear to him, and his father's body was not recovered until two years after Second Impact, when restoration crews finally made it into the ruins of Miami. By that time, Jonathan and his mother had moved to Denver, Colorado to be with family there. That was where he grew up in a post-Second Impact world.
From the age of eight, Jonathan knew he wanted to fly. He told his mother this, and she smiled the way mothers do when their eight-year-old son announces that he will be something when he grows up. Yet, he was far more determined about this than the average eight-year-old boy was about a future occupation. He regularly checked out books from the library about piloting, went to air shows, though they were few and far between, and finally joined the Air Force at the age of eighteen. When the recruiter asked him why he wanted to fly planes, Jonathan responded with a quick "Why wouldn't I want to?"
Early in basic training, certain officials decided that Jonathan fitted a type they were looking for in regards to a secret project located on an island in the South Pacific. He was asked to take part in some special simulations designed to test his reflexes and abilities in unusual combat situations. He qualified for immediate transfer into an organization under the jurisdiction of the newly-formed UN Spacy, a little-known department of the also newly-formed United Earth Government. Jonathan was thrilled, to say the least.
When he first set foot on Macross Island, Corporal Dozen of the Robotech Defense Force had his jaw hit the floor once he saw the SDF-1. He quickly picked it back up and spent the next two months qualifying for status as a Veritech Fighter pilot. During that time he met a nice girl who lived in the city named Melanie. She lived with her parents, who were members of the city construction service. A rather fumbling romance ensued, filled with equal parts passion and confusion, but now things seems to have stabilized between the two. Two days ago, Corporal Dozen began entertaining thoughts of marriage to his lovely lady. He was going to broach the topic with her after the launch of the SDF-1, and if she responded in a particularly positive way to his discrete queries, he would go about trying to procure an appropriate ring.
As he sat in Bay 504 of the SDF-1, Jonathan wondered why he had felt the need to review the information of his life. This desire began as soon as his Veritech flew through the weird black cloud that hovered near the island early in the morning. It had dissipated as soon as he passed through, so he gave it no further thought and instead examined every aspect of his life from birth until now. His Veritech seemed to be acting oddly since then, so he would have to get it checked-
- he would have to find Zor's Blasphemy -
- he would have to get some rest.
"Hey, Jon!"
Jonathan turned to see Destroid pilot Corporal Thomas Smith coming towards him. Jonathan had met Smith on his second day on the island. He was poking around the mecha hangars when –
"That was some fight today, am I right?"
"It was a fight…"
"Oh man, was it one! You flyboys had most of the fun, but us ground-pounders pulled our weight."
"Fun…"
"You alright, man? You seem out of it."
"I'm out of it…"
Someone called Smith's name. The Corporal looked hesitant.
"Look, I've gotta go. We'll meet up later. You go see your girl – oh, right, she's in a shelter. Um, okay, you head over to the mess and I'll meet you there."
"Later."
For some reason, Smith found it reassuring to suddenly get away from his friend. He could not put this feeling to any sort of words; it was just a general uneasiness. Jonathan, meanwhile, continued to review everything he knew about the RDF, the SDF-1 and the location of the Protoculture Matr - Zor's Blasphemy. Why did he not know anything about Zor's Blasphemy? At the same time, his Veritech was currently undergoing modifications to its internal structure in order to make it a better vessel for its occupant. It would take some time before this process was complete.
000
Shinji's body seemed to be on automatic as he exited his fighter. Perhaps it was the combined effects of the day's events that brought him to this condition, or perhaps that last Battlepod rattled him a great deal more than he could have expected. Whatever the reason or reasons for his current emotional state of being, it would be regarded by Roy Fokker as merely one more problem to solve. Normally, this would not be especially difficult, since problem-solving was something Roy liked to think he specialized in. However, over the two months he had spent in the presence of Shinji Ikari, he had come to understand that there were times when the boy needed to be handled carefully. The far away look in the Corporal's eyes seemed to indicate that this was one of those times.
"Quite a day, eh kid?"
"I…yeah. Yeah it was." Shinji's voice had a hollow sound to it.
For a moment, Roy considered what would be the best way to approach this. The kid was clearly suffering from battle fatigue, the kind he usually saw in soldiers back from their first combat mission. Usually they would be fine in the morning, but Shinji needed a more direct approach. A plan came to the Commander.
"Come on, follow me," Roy said.
He led his friend to one of the windows on the side of the SDF-1. Looking out form it, one could see a debris field consisting of various pieces of Macross City floating close by. Cars, trucks, chunks of city streets, all of these were on display.
"I've told you that I fought in the Global War of the '90s, that I've killed people, many of them because they weren't on the same side as me."
Shinji nodded. He had heard this before, along with some of the stories.
"On my first day out, I got shot down. Yeah, I know – some grand debut, right?" It was just pure luck that I happened to be on the friendly side of the line when I hit the ground."
The boy turned to look at his friend. This was something new.
"I had popped my smoke, so it was only a matter of time before reinforcements showed up to give me a lift home. So there I was, standing around like a happy idiot, when I heard footsteps behind me. It was a Russian soldier, pointing a gun at me. Judging from the suit he was wearing, he must have been one of the guys my side had shot down only a few minutes ago. When I saw that gun, I thought it was the end. Then he pulled the trigger a couple times and nothing happened. He might have been out of ammo, he might have had a jam, I don't know"
"What did you do?"
"I took out my gun, pointed it at him and told him that he might as well give up. I know he understood me – I might be rusty now, but my Russian was pretty good back then. Instead of doing the sensible thing, he took out a knife and came right at me. I shot at the ground and warned him again. He seemed to get it that time and I started to relax just a little, but then he got closer and tried to stab me again. We struggled and then my gun went off, hitting him probably near his lung."
"Did he die?"
"Not right away. I heard him wheeze out a few last words. I'm pretty sure he was asking his mother to forgive him. For what is something I've long wondered about. I've never told anyone this, but for the next month I had nightmares about him."
Roy turned away from the window and put his hand on Shinji's shoulder.
"War is disgusting, Shinji. It acts as a display for everything bad about the universe. I wouldn't be surprised if that holds true for what we're in now, but there's something you should know: your job is to come home alive. I know it sounds trite, like some empty platitude, but that's just because you can't improve on what's already true. And part of coming home alive means that you'll have to kill when you'd rather not, when the other guy just decides to give you no other choice. The other part of coming home alive is realizing that you have every reason to come home. You have to want to make it back, or else you might as well eat a bullet right now."
Roy paused for a moment, trying to make his words count.
"You're young, only fifteen. When I brought you into the RDF, I hoped you wouldn't actually have to fight this war, at least not before you got a few more good years out of life. But now it's here, like I knew would be and we have to go out and fight it. This is big, kid, bigger than anything a military force has ever done. When we go out there, I need every pilot at his best and that means understanding that there is nothing wrong with defending yourself. So, I want you to make me a promise – that you are going to do everything you can to get through this alive and in one piece. Will you do that for me?"
"I…yeah, yeah I will." Shinji felt taken aback by his friend's bluntness, but knew it would be wrong to protest.
"I've got your word on that?"
"My word, Roy."
"Good," Roy said as he clasped the boy's hand and ruffled his hair. "Remember kid, you're RDF and the RDF looks out for its own."
They walked towards the barracks, taking note of the frenzied activity that still permeated the ship even though the fighting was over. Technicians were hurrying to check the amounts of damage done, while pilots were hobbling towards their quarters. Shinji thought it time to voice his concerns.
"How bad off are we?"
"I'm not entirely sure, honestly. I haven't had the chance to check in with the bridge for a sit-rep. We're coming off of this with at least a broken jaw, that I'm sure of."
"So, what now?"
"Now, all VT pilots are getting some rack time. The last thing I need is for someone to fall asleep in the cockpit. Right now things are in the hands of the Search and Rescue boys. They've certainly got a job ahead of them, getting the civilians on board."
Until Roy had mentioned it, the fact that the entire population of Macross Island was clustered in shelters under a layer of fresh ice had completely escaped Shinji's notice. Imagining what those people might be going through was enough to make a knot form in the pit of his stomach. The boy could only hope that none of them were hurt, and they had plenty of oxygen.
"When will we be getting back to Earth?"
"Probably once the civilians are nice and safe, so don't expect too long a nap. Frankly, I'm a bit surprised the Captain hasn't already ordered a jump back. Anyway, Skull squadron is going to be bright and fresh at 0600, so be ready."
"0600? That's barely five hours sleep."
"Enjoy it while you can. Remember, you're in the RDF now. Besides, we'll have plenty of caffeine waiting for you."
While the prospect of a nice stretch of unconsciousness was very appealing to him at that moment, he was far more eager to get home. Without the RDF, Earth was bereft of its main defense against the aliens and there was no telling just what they were doing while the SDF-1 sat at the edge of nowhere.
Roy was filled with a similar anxiety, his mind already at work forming plans of attack against an enemy that had been given time to establish a beachhead. There was also the lingering question of what Rick had gotten into while his big brother was preoccupied. The Lieutenant-Commander had yet to check on him, and a bad feeling was starting to tug at the back of his mind, telling him Rick had gotten into trouble. He would have to find the hotshot amateur soon.
"Alright kid," Roy said once they arrived at the barracks, "straight and tall at 0600."
"I know, I know."
"Good. One more thing – that was some nice flying today. I expect to see more of it."
After closing the door, Shinji hobbled over to his cot. He considered getting a shower first, but the fatigue dissuaded him from that idea. Getting cleaned up would go easier with several hours of sleep to bolster the process. The boy then collapsed onto the most comfortable thing in the universe.
000
The alarm sounded what felt like five minutes later, alerting Shinji that it was time to prepare himself for the day. A few minutes later and slightly more unkempt than he preferred to be, Corporal Ikari hurried down to the hangar, where he expected to receive a very brief speech and then orders to prepare for combat. Because of this expectation, it came as a minor shock when he arrived only to find that the Veritechs were not being prepped for immediate deployment. The usual maintenance crews were there, performing their duties, but with none of the urgency that would be present prior to combat. Instead, a kind of doom hung over everyone save the Veritech pilots themselves, who were just starting to file in. Roy was off to the side of the hangar, looking akin to a fresh corpse. Shinji had to wonder if he had gotten any sleep.
"Fall in, pilots!" Colonel Maistroff ordered. It occurred to Shinji that Captain Gloval's immediate subordinate would not be here if this were a simple pre-combat pep talk. Something else was happening, something that no one was going to enjoy.
"Now, I know that most of you were expecting a quick trip home and another crack at our hostile ETs. Well, I am here to inform you that there has been a change of plans. Somehow, our Chief Engineer has misplaced the ship's fold drive, rendering us unable to perform any kind of faster-than-light travel. We will be taking the long road home, pilots."
Everyone was stunned. The Colonel could not have produced a greater shock if he had announced that all the gods in all the pantheons had come together to dance a two-step. The pilots immediately began murmuring amongst themselves, some figuring it for a joke, others asking just how they would manage to get back to Earth. Had things been given a chance, a small riot might have broken out between the members of the RDF's finest, which was exactly why Maistroff was there.
"I did not give you leave to flap your jaws!" the Colonel thundered. "You are still members of the Robotech Defense Force and by God I will see that you act like it!"
The noise died quickly.
"Now, since you have remembered that you are soldiers, I will expect that you act like soldiers! We may be further from home than any army in history, but that only means discipline will be all the more important. This is an army of rules and regulations which will continue to be followed to the letter. Duties will be performed, stations will be manned and I do not care if the Almighty himself tries to tell you otherwise! Am I making myself clear?"
"Sir, yes sir!" The pilots responded as one.
"Very good. Now, Commander Fokker shall inform you of the days assignments. As usual, any questions will go to him and any disciplinary actions will be brought to me. Commander."
Maistroff stepped back and Roy came forward to face the pilots.
"All right people, the fighting might be done in our neck of the woods but the clean up has just begun. Search and Rescue managed to get some of the civilians onboard, but there are still more stuck on the island. Captain Gloval wants recovery crews to the Daedalus and Prometheus, which got taken along for the ride. We've also got some 10,000 frightened civilians in the hold and while it's doubtful there will be any trouble, we're still going to need a presence there to keep the peace. Yes, I know most of you weren't trained for crowd control, but we're short-handed at the moment. Finally, though we don't believe there's an enemy presence in the area, one squadron will be combat ready at all times until further notice. The Veritechs will be divided into three groups: the first will assist in recovering the civilians and bringing them aboard. The second will assist Chief Engineer Lang in salvaging the Daedalus and the Prometheus. The last group will be performing patrols in regular guard patterns. I've given your assignments to individual squadron leaders, so check with them. One more thing – Earth is counting on us to get back as quick as we can, but that won't happen unless we can keep it together. Remember that. Dismissed."
Shinji desperately tried to make a path through the crowd to reach his friend. When he finally did and got a closer look at the man, the boy was sure he had not rested since yesterday. Something told him this was not solely due to the current predicament of the SDF-1.
"Roy, are you okay?" Shinji asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just forgot to get some sleep, that's all."
Shinji was not convinced, but felt unsure how to press the issue. The expression on his face, however, did his work for him.
"It's Rick. The damn fool took off in his jet after I specifically told him not to and now I don't know where he is or how he is. Dead, alive, I just don't know." Roy said with uncharacteristic melancholy.
Now the boy felt as though he should not have said anything. Reassuring people and offering emotional support were things he was never proficient at, believing himself incapable of doing so adequately. Still, he had to try something. Roy deserved that much from him.
"He's…not with the civilians already onboard?"
"I checked."
"What about the shelters?"
"No one's heard of him there, either."
"Maybe…he's still on Earth?"
"It's possible, bit I kind of hope he isn't, you know?"
Shinji nodded, understanding completely and feeling useless. If anything, he's probably made his friend feel worse. Now he was almost sure it would have been better if he had not said anything. Yet, there was still one last attempt to be made.
"I…I'm sure he's okay, Roy. You've told me he knows how to take care of himself. I mean, if he's as good as you've said he is, he's probably somewhere safe, especially if he's paid attention to what you've taught him."
Shinji's voice was unsure, but somehow his words had the desired effect.
"Thanks for saying that, kid. You're probably right, but I can't help worrying. He's my little brother. His dad took me under his wing when I needed it and gave me a home. I owe Pop Hunter a hell of a lot and Rick…he was always there, ready to learn to fly. He and I had plenty of good times and I could almost forget that we weren't really flesh and blood."
There was complete quiet between the two for a minute after Roy finished. Though he felt that something should be said as a response, if only to try and further allay Roy's fears, Shinji could not get his mouth to open, afraid that whatever he might try to say would only make things worse. It was a feeling of uselessness he was familiar with, but it aggravated him more than usual, for some reason.
Roy, in contrast to Shinji's indecisiveness, was already closing off the part of him that feared for Rick's safety. There was still plenty of work to do.
"I've assigned you to the Daedalus recovery team. You'll be serving under Kramer for today. He'll be heading up Skull squadron."
"What about you?"
"Captain Gloval has called a meeting of all senior military officials and division heads. It looks like I'm in for a long series of strategy discussions and posturing. We've got over a dozen assorted high-ranking guys that came for the celebration, but otherwise have nothing to do here except for reminding us how many lapels they have on their uniforms."
"When will you be back?"
"Probably tomorrow, so try and keep things together for me. Anyway, both of us have places to be right now. I'll try and catch up with you at the end of your third shift. You should have some free time by then."
"Third shift? I haven't even had breakfast yet."
"Heh. This is the RDF, kid. Regular meals are a luxury. Just be thankful for coffee."
"I…don't drink coffee."
"Oh, you will."
Roy punctuated this prediction with a knowing grin and left his friend in the hangar. Shinji just shook his head and walked in the direction of his Veritech, wondering about this latest turn his life had taken, along with the fate of Rick Hunter. He did not want to think about how hurt Roy would be if his little brother was dead.
Shinji did not notice that the pilot of Skull eleven was watching his every move.
000
The next fifteen hours of Shinji's life were composed of a long stretch of menial labor based around the task of investigating the status of the Daedalus. It was not noticeably difficult, checking the hull for damage, clearing away the extensive amount of debris floating nearby and trying to get inside without destroying anything. Most of the problems arose from the fact that the pilots were trained to fight and little else, but that did not change the fact that the Battloids were the only vehicles suited for such tasks while in zero gravity. Everything else would have to be refitted so that it could function in a vacuum. Naturally, this division between task and training led to a few mishaps, such as when Skull nine tried to enter a chamber that had somehow managed to avoid losing its atmosphere after leaving Earth. The surprise 'gust' had knocked the Veritech into a wall and given its pilot a nasty bumping around. There was also a very morbid aspect to the team's work, since they also had to clear out the bodies of those who suffocated once the ship had materialized in a location without oxygen. Shinji was quite thankful that he managed to avoid that duty by keeping outside and performing spot welding jobs and trash pickup.
All tasks must come to an end, though, and soon enough the boy was sitting in the newly-improvised mess hall, nursing an empty coffee cup. There had not been time for much food while between shifts since most of the ship's supply was going to the now 20,000 civilians in the hold. Thus, lacking anything substantive and still in need of something to give him a boost, Shinji had hit the coffee pot. If the ruined state of everything nearby was an accurate indicator, he was not alone in choosing this substitute. It was easy for him to understand why people were impatient for a cup, what baffled him was the seeming consistent inability of anyone to prepare a fresh pot once they were out. This was why the Corporal sat alone, watching carefully as the antiquated machine did its work.
"Don't tell me it's empty again." A feminine voice pleaded.
"Sorry," he responded. "I'm making more, if you can wait."
"Might as well. I'd rather not think about what would happen if I came back empty-handed."
The girl sad down in the seat opposite Shinji's, and tried to lean back and relax a bit. She ran a hand through her short, dark hair in frustration. Something about her seemed familiar, but Shinji opted to remain quiet. The girl did not.
"Hey, is that you, Shinji? I've seen you around, but haven't had the chance to talk since we met that night."
"Kim! I'm sorry, I…I didn't recognize you."
"Don't worry about it; we're all a little frazzled. I never realized before today how quickly systems updates start to look alike. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to have your eyes start to dissolve, you should try reviewing a constant stream of reports for nine hours at a stretch. It's a good way to find out."
"I think I can go without knowing that," he responded.
"I'm not surprised. Still, I've had it easy compared to you guys. I can only hear bits of it a time, but I take it the recovery efforts are going slow?"
"Yeah. Most of the time I'm worrying about what I'm doing, just trying not to screw up. I get frustrated with it, at times."
"Frustrated?"
"I…feel kind of pointless, being there. We're picking up pieces of scrap, trying to patch things up with very little material."
"Not quite the days of glory and riches you thought it would be?"
"It's not that. I just…I wonder if there was any meaning to it. All these people killed, all this destruction… I want to know if there was a reason why."
Kim frowned and moved forward a bit.
"I can see what you mean," she said. "People just gone, in an instant. I think there are still some bodies onboard both the Daedalus and Prometheus that we haven't recovered. Did you…, no never mind."
"What is it?"
"No, it's nothing."
Their eyes met unexpectedly, and parted quickly.
"God, I'm such an idiot," Kim muttered under her breath. She decided to move the conversation to a lighter topic.
"So, we're on an advanced alien space fortress, but stuck using and old Mr. Coffee to get something to drink. I think those science fiction shows lied to us."
Shinji half-smiled at that, figuring it to be a good point.
"And it's not even a good coffee maker," she continued, "or even a half-decent one. You'd think that for the time we spend waiting for a cup, we could at least get something that tastes like something better than motor oil."
"I'm guessing that someone like you would have a good idea of what motor oil tastes like," Shinji joked, then immediately bit his tongue.
"Ah! He can crack a joke! I was almost afraid to say anything in case you had some kind of medical condition. You know, acute humor-deficiency syndrome, or something like that?" Kim made an exaggerated gesture of surprise, trying to accentuate her response. Shinji just continued to bite his tongue. Had he really said that? It must be the long hours mixed with caffeine.
"As I was saying before being so mercilessly taunted, there should be some sort of balance between the quality of coffee and the time it takes to prepare it."
"A…balance?"
"Of course. The faster you get a cup, the worse it tastes. The longer you wait to get a cup, the better it tastes. It's really quite simple. Actually, it is elegant in its simplicity." Kim looked quite proud of her pronouncement.
"So you think there should be a trade-off, one in exchange for another?" Shinji asked, enjoying the moment.
"You make it sound depressing. I'm saying there should be an equivalency at work. It's like, there's two things at work, the actual making of the coffee and the way it tastes when finished. Balance isn't the word, more like…like…um…"
"An equilibrium."
"Exactly! And don't look at me that way, I would have figured it in a second!" There was mock anger in her voice. "You shouldn't judge people because they lack caffeine."
Shinji blushed slightly in response, while letting out a small laugh. He was enjoying the absurd turn the conversation had taken.
"You know, I think I'm onto something with this. Maybe I could get Dr. Lang to make this some sort of scientific law? I'll bet I can. All I have to do is ask reaalllll nice."
"I, ah, don't think it works that way."
"Don't be a spoilsport, or I won't list you as co-creator. Now, we need something to call this great achievement. How about 'the Inverse-Reverse Conservation of Coffee Time'?"
"I'm not sure that's grammatically correct…"
"Shush. That's the name we're giving it and we'll probably get a nice, shiny science award for our genius insight. What do you think, Shinji? Do we have a shot at the World's Most Important Science Award?"
"I'm not qualified to judge."
"Oh come on. Wouldn't the invincible hotshot former Evangelion pilot know everything there is to know about anything important in the world? I thought you had to be an extra-special type of person to get the privilege of piloting one of those things."
While she certainly did not intend for it to happen, Kim's words immediately put Shinji into a darker mood.
"I wouldn't call being an Eva pilot a privilege," he said in a somber tone.
"Oh no, I've put my foot in my mouth again, haven't I?" Kim asked, realizing she had made a mistake.
"No, it's not your fault, it's just….sorry."
The situation suddenly became a great deal more awkward, with neither quite sure what, if anything, should be said. Kim Young, however, was not a person to endure such awkwardness for long.
"Can I ask what it was like, to pilot one of those things? There were all sorts of rumors about it, when it was on the island for those tests."
"Rumors?" This was the first time Shinji had heard anything to that effect, though perhaps he should not have been surprised.
"Yeah. Stuff like 'the Evas feed on human souls' and other wild ones. Must sound pretty ridiculous to you, right?"
Shinji thought back to his most recent sortie inside Unit-01, his battle with the twelfth Angel, and being stuck inside his Eva and the Sea of Dirac. Somehow, that rumor felt uncomfortably close to reality.
"The Evas…I really don't know how to describe them, what it's like to be inside one. Synching with one, swallowing in LCL…I'm not sure I have the words."
Kim thought that would be the end of it, but he surprised her by continuing.
"You feel what it feels. The more you synch with it, the more feelings you share. When it gets hurt, you get hurt. It's not like a Veritech, where you're completely in control, isolated from direct contact. It's almost like you're trying to control a wild animal."
"You make it sound like they're alive."
"There have been times when I've wondered if they were. They're supposed to be 'bio-mechanical', whatever that means. An Eva can go berserk, completely out of anyone's control. You just have to wait for it to stop."
"Do you miss it? I mean, if you had stayed with NERV, you probably wouldn't be stuck out here in the middle of nowhere with us."
Shinji thought about his answer.
"No. Despite everything that's happened in the past twenty-four hours – the attacks, the deaths, being lost, everything – I'd rather be here than back at NERV, inside Unit-01."
A 'ping' announced that the coffee maker had finally finished brewing its concoction. Hesitantly, the two RDF members picked themselves up and walked over to it.
"So…how much do you want?" Kim asked.
"Just half a cup. I don't have much time to drink it."
She poured him the desired amount and then placed the rest inside a container she had brought with her. Kim then set the machine to prepare more, knowing it would likely be consumed soon.
"I, ah, I've got to get back to the bridge. Sammie's probably ready to jump out of her seat by now. It's been nice talking with you." Kim said, suddenly fumbling over words. She was about halfway to the door before adding one last thing:
"Shinji, for what it's worth, I'm glad you're here and I'm glad we had the chance to talk. I'd like to do it again, sometime."
Then she was gone, leaving the third child alone with his thoughts. Sipping his drink, he contemplated the subjects he had discussed with the bridge officer. It was unusual for him to open up like that, but the more time he spent with the RDF, the easier he found it to simply talk with people. Perhaps it was a side-effect of being around Roy so much. The Commander had to be one of the friendliest, most outgoing people he had ever met. No one ever seemed to have a bad word for him, except for Colonel Maistroff. But then, the Colonel never had anything good to say about anyone. Shinji couldn't understand that. Everyone on Macross Island seemed content, both with themselves and the work they were doing. It didn't really make sense, considering that they were ostensibly preparing to fight off an alien invasion, but there was never even a hint of the continual dread that permeated everything associated with NERV. It was almost unsettling, how calm everything was. No one worried that their father might be manipulating them for some unknown reason. The change was refreshing, but…
Shinji let out a sigh. He had told Kim the truth when he said that he preferred being here rather than NERV, but something was lacking and he knew exactly what it was. He missed the people. As much as they sometimes embarrassed or infuriated him, he missed the people he knew, the friends he had made. Thinking about everything from Misato's horrible cooking to Rei's quiet attitude to Kensuke's manic tendencies filled him with wistfulness. He had even started to miss Asuka's insults, without which the day was incomplete. They had not parted on the best of terms, and that bothered him, for reasons he could not place. But then, everything about Asuka seemed to bother him on some level. She was easily the single most infuriating person he had ever and probably would ever meet. Nothing he did satisfied her, and everything he did angered her. Because of her, his bruises regularly had bruises and she treated him like something scraped from the bottom of her shoe.
And yet, there he was, thinking about her, wondering about her, worrying about her. Were she and the others alright? The thought of an alien fleet tearing through his city chilled Shinji to the bone. And even if the aliens left it alone, there was another danger, the one that had brought him to Tokyo-3 in the first place. When he had joined the RDF, Shinji thought he was getting the best of both worlds: escaping his father's influence while also being able to stop the Angels from killing people. Now he was lost on the other side of the solar system, unable to do anything. It was just the latest in a long string of failures, par for the course in the life of Shinji Ikari.
Checking his watch, Shinji realized it was time to get back to work. Gulping down the last bit of coffee, he started back towards the hangar bay. Perhaps it was better that he remain out here, where his failures could be offset by the successes of others. Asuka could have her glory, without him to get in the way. She was probably gloating about how much of an idiot he was to leave NERV right now. At least here there was someone who actually wanted him around.
000
Henry Gloval never had any great interest in flying. Growing up on a farm in the middle of the Russian heartland, he had always placed great importance on keeping one's feet on the ground. This was a philosophy that guided him through all of his life's decisions. The closest he had come to actually getting his feet off the ground was his commission as a submarine commander in the Russian Navy. Oddly enough, that commission led to his assignment as Captain of the SDF-1 and military governor of Macross Island, all because his sub had been at the right place at the right time when the Visitor crash-landed. That, and Admiral Hayes had a favorable opinion of the submarine commander that had eluded him for months on end. Strange were the ways of fate, and if his meeting with the senior officials onboard was any indication, they would become stranger still.
He was in his office, away from the greater mass of officers that now jockeyed for position on a battle fortress manned largely by fresh-faced graduates straight out of the Robotech Academy. With him were the two men onboard he trusted most: Emil Lang and Roy Fokker, the latter being counted with Gloval as among the few to survive the Visitor's arrival and the first to explore the innards of what would eventually become the SDF-1. The Captain had asked them to meet in order to get a better idea of what awaited all of them in the months ahead.
"At least a year?" Gloval asked.
"At least," Lang confirmed. "Without the fold drive, we have to rely on secondary propulsion, which simply doesn't have the power to break the light barrier."
"I suppose it's pointless to ask this, but have you thought about just building a new fold drive?" Roy wondered.
"I wish it were that simple, Commander. For one thing, we don't have the materials I would need to even begin such a project. Constructing the first foldspace integrator took more than a year and that was with the full resources of the UEG available to me. Granted, I was fumbling my way through most of it at the time, but it still requires resources we can't duplicate here."
"And the other thing?" Roy asked.
"I have spent over ten years examining every aspect of the SDF-1, primarily the fold drive, and after all that time I still only have vague notions of how anything works. The level of sophistication in even the smallest aspects is amazing and its only too often that I feel like a child trying to make sense of the intricacies of a circuit board. The base mathematics sometimes seems to operate on principles that defy the laws of physics. The power source for all of it remains a mystery in terms of how it manages to generate the energy reactions needed to keep things working. When I constructed the fold drive, I was mostly re-building what was already there. Building a new one from scratch would require another four years worth of research."
"I knew it was pointless to ask," Roy muttered.
"What about other resources? Do we have enough supplies to last the journey?" Gloval asked.
"Easily," Lang responded. "In addition to what we already had aboard before the jump, the ship itself is capable of providing nutritional supplements. Soon enough I'll be able to get the solar lamps functioning and we can simulate an Earth environment for planting attempts."
"I guess we lucked out on that one," Roy said.
"Luck has nothing to do with it. Whoever built this ship intended it to be completely self-sustainable, for reasons I can only guess at." Though he had not shared it with anyone, Lang had a private suspicion that the architect of the ship wanted to use it to get away from something.
"That covers our main concerns regarding the ship itself. Now, for the people occupying it." The Captain turned to Roy. "How are the civilians adjusting?"
"Well, we've gotten about twenty of the 70,000 living on Macross Island inside the ship. Right now they're basically living in various shantytowns. We can't keep them like that for much longer. We need to start finding them places to stay. Real places, as close to what they're used to as possible."
"I've already working on a solution to that, Commander. All goes well; they should be more than happy with what they get." Lang asserted. Gloval raised an eyebrow.
"You haven't mentioned anything to me yet."
"I apologize, Captain, but I wanted to have everything ready before presenting it to you. Force of habit, you might say."
Gloval let out a quiet 'harumph', but decided to let that one go. Emil Lang was never going to let go of his independent streak, no matter how much he might be pressured to do otherwise.
"Whatever you've got in your workshop, I just hope you get it done pretty quick, otherwise we might have to face down a riot. I know I'm not the only one who wants to avoid something like that." Roy advised.
"I share Commander Fokker's sentiments, doctor. I'll expect to see a report on this proposal in the morning." Gloval added.
"Of course, of course."
"Now, what about our pilots? We will certainly be needing them a great deal in the months ahead. Will there be any problems there?"
"Nah. I know my guys - if they were going to act up, they would have done so by now. The only thing on their minds is getting home and taking another crack at our E.T.s" Roy had complete confidence in his voice.
"All due respect Commander, but I hope they won't get their chance for awhile," Lang remarked.
"There is one thing we need to worry about – numbers." Roy said. "Once we get things settled, I want to start recruiting out of the civilians. They're the only chance we have at keeping enough Veritechs in the air."
"Use whatever methods you deem necessary, Commander."
Roy nodded in acknowledgment.
"Well gentlemen, it is late and we have much to prepare for. We'll meet again tomorrow. Now, I believe it would be wise to get some rest and I mean actual sleep, doctor." Gloval shot a look at the scientist, who shrugged.
"Dismissed."
Roy and Dr. Lang rose from their seats and the former saluted. The scientist was already outside the room when the Captain spoke.
"There is one more thing, Commander."
Roy stopped and turned to face Gloval.
"Your pet project, the Ikari boy – how is he doing?"
There was a part of Roy that considered answering by saying "Well, he's still a walking emotional breakdown, with enough psychological baggage to fill a luggage rack. However, I've kept on him and he's steadily showing signs of improvement. A few more months and I might just make him into a stable, relatively normal human being." Instead of this, however, he offered a far briefer response:
"The kid's doing okay. I think he'll pay off."
"Good. I take it you aren't worried he'll have trouble adapting to our new situation?"
"Shinji's more durable than people like to give him credit for. He did amazingly well for a teenager flying his first combat mission."
"Mm. Perhaps your assertion about his previous experience with NERV was correct after all."
"Trust me Captain, we have nothing to worry about. Heck, I bet the guys at NERV have been doing nothing but kicking themselves over the loss of their best pilot."
000
A sort of muted apprehension had settled over the Geofront during the week that followed the mysterious attack on Macross Island. No one there could put this feeling into words, possibly because no one knew how to. All discussion of what might have happened was done in quiet tones, far from the ears of either the commander or sub-commander. In the case of the former, this was made easier by his sudden absence, due to a summons from the UN General Assembly, of all things. Most of the personnel attempted to simply go about their jobs, attempting to subsume their anxiety under the daily tasks that NERV required in order to keep functioning. There were others, however, who could not force the concerns from their mind, and thus found themselves constantly preoccupied with attempts to uncover just what happened on that South Pacific island.
One of these individuals was Toji Suzuhara, recently appointed to the status of pilot for Evangelion Unit-03. Perhaps it was his stubborn personality traits at work or perhaps a greater loyalty towards his missing friend than he expected to have. Whatever the reasons, he had consistently pressed anyone and everyone he could for information about the attack. His queries often yielded little more than frustration, due to the outright refusal of the UEG to make any sort of official statement on the subject. This only served to incense the Fourth Child even further.
He was joined in this exasperation by Major Katsuragi, whose feelings were far more aroused that his. This was due to the fact that, as a relatively high-ranking member of NERV, she should ostensibly have access to some small piece of information, even if she had to use back channels to get it. Unfortunately, her efforts all met with similar brick walls of silence. No one could or would say anything about what happened. She had practically begged Kaji to use every last trick he knew to find out something, but even his efforts met with failure. It was a stonewalling of epic proportions, but Misato would later decide that she should not have been surprised, considering how well-kept a secret the existence of Macross Island had been in the first place.
Then, suddenly, a rumor began to circulate that an explanation was finally going to be offered to the public. Fuyutsuki, when asked outright about it, refused to comment. He did, however, say that all NERV personnel should be present the next day. And so it was that everyone employed by NERV in some fashion found themselves inside the Geofront, wondering if the truth might finally be known.
"It's been peculiar, that's for sure," Kaji announced, leaning against a guard rail.
"Is it always this cloak and dagger around here?" Toji asked.
"Pretty much," Misato replied, her voice not nearly as upbeat as usual. The week had left her tired, on various levels.
The three of them were alone, near the immobile form of Unit-01, which added its particularly ominous air to the conversation.
"Where are the other two?" Toji asked, looking around. "They should be here by now."
"I saw Asuka a few minutes ago. Not sure where she went." Kaji responded.
"She hasn't been sticking to you like glue? That's…unusual," Misato said.
"Pilot Sohryu is currently in the locker room. She made it clear to me upon asking that she places no urgency on arriving soon." Rei explained as she walked into view.
"Figures. She wouldn't know decency if it came up and hit her in the head," Toji muttered.
"If the level of activity near the control room is an accurate indication, I believe that the commander has arrived." Rei added, either not hearing or choosing not to respond to the Fourth Child's remark.
"Better get going, then. Something tells me this one is going to be good." Kaji prompted and the group began to move.
"Hey, uh, Ayanami – you okay? I haven't seen you in awhile. You okay after what happened? I didn't figure you for the type to faint." Toji asked. She had suddenly collapsed a few hours after the attack on the island began. He knew that Shinji worried over her condition and with his friend absent, Toji felt that someone had to step up.
"My physical condition is acceptable, pilot Suzuhara." She responded. It was technically the truth – her synch rate had finally stabilized after her fainting spell, as though some outside influence was gone.
"You sure? Dr. Akagi gave you a clean bill of health?"
"I am fine."
Toji gave a mental shrug, deciding to let the matter drop. The group was soon within eyesight of Gendo Ikari, his face a stone mask, as usual. Once he entered, everyone stopped working, no matter what it was they were doing. All eyes fell upon him. The attention was so focused that no one noticed Asuka's quiet arrival. Then, finally, he began to speak.
"As you all know, a week ago there was an attack on Macross Island by forces unknown. In the time since then, all information relating to the incident has been classified while the UEG performed an investigation. That investigation has now authorized the release of this official statement: the attack was carried out by members of resurgent factions of the Anti-Unification League in an attempt to destroy the SDF-1 in a show of force. Their attempt succeeded. It is believed that they successfully breached the reactor within the SDF-1, which resulted in an explosion that wiped out the surrounding area. As of right now, Macross Island no longer exists."
The shock was palpable. No one said a word.
"Surveys of the area revealed nothing more than the wreckage of naval vessels. It is believed that the attackers underestimated the strength of the explosion and were caught in the blast. There were no survivors of the attack."
Gendo then calmly turned and exited, leaving behind a number of dumbstruck individuals. For several minutes, silence reigned unopposed until Toji finally put to words what occupied everyone's mind.
"Shinji's…dead? That…that can't be. There's got to be some kind of mistake. They need to keep looking or…or something!"
The Fourth Child looked around desperately for someone who might support him. Misato looked ready to cry, whereas Kaji's face was filled with anger.
"Anti-Unification League? Bull. Those guys have been out of business for years. Whatever's left doesn't have nearly the manpower or resources to launch something as big as this. We're being lied to. Something really big must have happened on that island. Something that an entire world government would want to keep it secret."
"Like what?" Misato asked.
"I don't know, but I'm going to find out."
Rei, meanwhile, felt something inside of her tear apart. It frightened her, not only because she was feeling something, but because of just how much of it she did feel. This sudden onset of emotion hit her like nothing else ever had. It was a pain so unlike anything that had been perpetrated against her body and so much worse. For the first time in her life, the sense of emptiness was completely gone, replaced by a profound sense of loss. She turned away so that no one could see a single tear rolled down her cheek.
Asuka was nowhere near the others. She had departed before the commander had finished speaking. It was not necessary for her to stay – she knew what he had to say. More importantly, Asuka knew that she couldn't remain near the others, because of what they would see. Instead, she ran away as fast as she could, into the deepest parts of the base, far from where anyone could see her. Then, alone with her pain and her abandonment, the great Asuka Langley Sorhyu began to cry. She remained there for the rest of the day.
I'd like to take a moment to give a nod to LD, who's acting as both sounding board and editor for this little story of mine. I appreciate it.
Also - I know I'm late introducing Rick into the narrative proper. Next chapter, promise.