Version 1.1 23/02/2014 with help from Vandenbz.
[A/N] Hoping this one comes out with relative swiftness. Was basically an edit/rewrite to get this done since I sort of had it originally as one long chapter along with the last one. As usual, thank you all for the kind words and recommendations, you inspire me to keep moving and deliver a little weekly dose of escapism. Onwards to glory!
Chapter 4: The Negotiator
An absolutely gaunt silence blanketed the bridge of the AAA Wunder. The crew could only stare in horrified disbelief at the screen in front of them; at what remained of their assault force.
"Twenty-six men…" breathed Midori, eyes wide with sheer terror, "He just…he just massacred them on the spot." She took a shuddering breath, "Just what the hell is he?"
'He was backed into a corner', thought Misato. She'd backed Shinji Ikari right into a corner, and he'd actually gone so far as to actually warn her, repeatedly. He'd even stopped to give her one last chance.
He'd all but told her what was about to happen, and yet she let it happen regardless.
The Captain's hands were gripped tightly onto the guardrails of the command level platform as she looked at the security feed. It was taking all of her willpower just to prevent her knees from buckling under her.
She'd just sent over two dozen men to their deaths, and all because of their wish to be in control of the situation, a desire that wouldn't let them consider a compromise with Shinji. Their minds just hadn't been able to process the possibility that he could stand head and shoulders above them. But he could, and he'd walked right over them as a result.
But Misato had to remain composed; she had to remain calm. After all, if she didn't, who else was there?
"Order all our forces back," she finally found her voice enough to quickly say, "Just get everybody out of his path for now. No further tactical engagement or aggressive posturing is to take place unless explicitly ordered so by me."
"Misato," gasped Ritsuko, "you can't just let this-"
Misato just carried right on talking, "-Then have all available security personnel gather around the quarantine section. I want them equipped with every single high-explosive and heat-based weapon we have available. Once Shinji gets past, I want a defensive cordon set up ASAP." She then turned away from the screen, "He's only made his intentions clear up to when he succeeds in healing the asari. We need to be ready for whatever he chooses to do next; or for what happens if he fails."
Ritsuko nodded, "Of course." She then hesitated before turning to walk away, "You did what you had to do. You know that, of course?"
Misato couldn't bring herself to look at her, "No, I didn't. And I'm going to have to be the one who lives with that." and just for the briefest of instances, her eyes flicked icily to Ritsuko.
An uncomfortable blanket of silence briefly crossed the bridge.
"Carry on, vice-captain." Misato finally said, her back turned still.
Ritsuko could only avert her gaze, "Yes, captain…"
Misato didn't turn back until Ritsuko had departed. She then found her attention being drawn off to the side as the MAGI altered the security feed on screen, obviously feeling the need to alert her to something.
The Captain frowned as she spied Asuka, Mari, Shinji and Rei standing together outside one of the transit stops. Mari appeared to be in the midst of explaining something rather excitedly to the others.
The screen then changed. A map overlay flicked up, indicating a single blinking blue dot that was closing in on their location. Misato didn't need to guess what the MAGI's AI was trying to warn her about.
The children's backs were all still turned when the image zoomed in on the open doorway across the room. First to become visible was just the shadow. Seconds later that figure in white then emerged, stopping at the threshold.
Only Ayanami turned her head, as if sensing the looming presence somehow. Mari was still talking and Rei made no move to interrupt or alert anyone. They both just stood there, looking at each other in silence.
The figure's hand began to slip into his pocket.
"No…" breathed Misato as an all-consuming dread filled her, 'He wouldn't…'
Her hand flew over the nearby console and quickly opened a comm link to the whole room, "Everyone, get out of there!"
The group on screen flinched. Asuka looked up, clearly mouthing the Captain's name in confusion.
Ayanami just tapped Asuka on the shoulder and then nodded towards the doorway.
With a frown, Asuka arched her head about to briefly glance in the indicated direction and then away again. She tensed and swung back about again to face the newcomer, followed quickly by Mari and Shinji.
Misato could only watch helplessly as the figure drew his hand free again.
It was empty.
-α-
Moments earlier...
In contrast to the WILLE staff, Shinji actually found it somewhat interesting that he was barely sparing a second's thought toward what had just happened. It didn't take him long to work out why he wasn't dropping to his knees under a storm of guilt though. And it was only in part due to the drugs that were still both numbing and throwing off his emotional responses.
After using up nearly all his strength in retrieving his Omnitool with non-lethal force, Shinji had offered to call it quits from there; nobody had died up until that point on either side. He'd even only shot to injure as a last resort. Everyone, including Tevos, could've simply healed from that point. He had told them he was willing to walk past without incident if they'd allowed it.
He'd attempted negotiation, but his offer of peace had been declined.
He paused to shake his head once more.
Shinji refused to feel one shred of guilt for an outcome not of his own choosing.
If Misato wanted to make him choose between WILLE's forces and the innocent that WILLE had endangered, then he would gladly make the same choice each and every time.
He glanced back briefly. The ice on his feet had melted, and his footprints had become a morbidly bloody red. Aria had once commented on his odd tendency to favor cryo ammo as a first resort. And since he'd first seen Garrus utilize it upon arriving on Omega, Shinji always found himself selecting it almost on instinct due to the sheer cold cleanliness of the kill it created. He found the prospect of his enemies just being…gone a far less traumatic way to fight when forced to resort to lethal force. Incendiary would've done the same, of course, but he loathed the stench of burning flesh, and then there was the screaming. The only regret that Shinji had was how he'd been forced to wade through the men's remains and not left so much as a body for their families to bury.
Shinji staggered, a brief muscle spasm and a wave of weakness washing over him.
The Consort realized he was quickly running out of steam, and the emotional trauma over his current situation that he was refusing to accept and kept bottling up wasn't helping much either.
The stimulants had all but worn off now and he could feel his body preparing to punish him dearly for the exertion he'd forced out of it.
The crash was rapidly approaching.
"Nearly there…" he gasped, briefly staggering to a limp, "Just a little more. Then…can administer the first dose. Then rest…at least for a little while..."
Shinji noticed that no more guards had gotten in his way on the return journey. Even the two he'd shot in the leg and arm had been moved to safety. No reinforcements had come rushing up to meet him whatsoever.
It was therefore with no small amount of relief that Shinji found himself back outside the quarantine section once more.
The men had been removed from there too. Instead, they'd been replaced with something else...
"-knows what's going on," came a hauntingly familiar, high-strung voice, "They told us to go take cover and then just rushed off. Typical of them not to tell us anything."
Shinji looked across the room and immediately began to doubt his own sanity once more.
What appeared to be Rei Ayanami –dressed in black for some reason- turned to look at him dead-on.
Rei regarded him blankly, though there seemed to be a genuinely bewildered look in her eyes.
Silent, but always honest in expression: Rei all the way, mused Shinji with vacant irony.
Shinji responded to Rei's look with what he assumed was a similar befuddled expression. He then looked down at his hands as if to test something. He blinked his eyes and counted his fingers to make sure he was seeing everything right.
'I thought this crap was wearing off.' Thought Shinji with dismay, 'How are the hallucinations getting worse? Oh god, is this…is this a freak-out?'
He slipped his hand into his pocket and then gripped the sphere within until definite pain registered.
'Nope, definitely not dreaming, so…haven't passed out at least.'
That was when Misato's voice boomed out from all around him, "Everyone, get out of there!"
Shinji winced, pain stabbing through his head, 'Was her voice always that damned screechy?'
He then drew his hand back out to wipe his eyes in the hopes of clearing them. He then looked forwards once more.
Nope, they were still there.
The party turned to look at him, and only then did Shinji get a proper look at all their faces.
'Oh…god, I really need to cut down on the drugs.'
And with little other recourse, Shinji just flung his arms up in exasperation, "Okay, I'll play. So let's see what we have now, shall we?"
And so, Shinji began pacing left and right, glaring at the silent group, "We have...Ayanami. Nice to see you back in Technicolor again."
Shinji then inclined his head to sardonically acknowledge the next member, "Hello again, Pigtails. Don't think I missed the continuity error there with the glasses. My mind couldn't even keep that straight."
"It's Mari!" snapped Pink Thing, "Mari Illustrious!"
"Well that's a stupid name." scoffed Shinji, "Is that the best my brain can do?"
He then shifted his gaze down the line, "We've got a Mini-me. That's just laziness."
And finally, Shinji just couldn't hold back a burst of derisive laughter, "And…oh, beautiful. It's Asuka: Pirate Edition...Props to my drug addled imagination for trying to be ironic…" His smile then instantly vanished, "You look ridiculous."
Asuka blanched with indignation, "Who in the hell are you calling a pirate?"
"Shut up, Sohryu! I've got no more time to waste on hallucinations!" he then turned away and started limping toward the locked door.
"My name is Shikinami!"
"And she can't even get her own name right..." murmured Shinji as he went.
"I don't have a stupid name…" muttered Mari glumly.
Regardless of how ridiculous and surreal the situation was, Asuka's brain ended up feeding back an instinctive, fourteen year-old response to being annoyed by Shinji Ikari:
Throw something at him.
Asuka grabbed hold of the nearest object, which in this case turned out to be the survival kit strapped to young Shinji's chest. She then tore it free and lobbed it across the bay at the retreating form.
The pack sailed through the air and clonked Bigger Shinji clean on the side of the head, staggering him briefly.
That was when she noticed the gun strapped to his back.
The elder Shinji frowned, eyes blinking as his hand went almost vacantly to the side of his head, "…Ouch."
His eyes then went slowly to the pack on the floor, which he picked up to examine almost experimentally, weighing it in his hands. He then looked back towards Asuka again, "You…you threw this at me."
Asuka, who still had her hand outstretched, suddenly looked immensely uncomfortable. Misato had after all just screamed at them to run for their lives, "Y-yeah….take that."
"B-but you hit me. It hurt."
Asuka drew herself up, "Well I'm glad you noticed."
Shinji shook his head and then just laughed incredulously, "Don't be ridiculous, that would mean you're real."
His face fell.
"Oh sweet god, you're actually real, aren't you?"
"Of course I'm real, moron! How can you be such an idiot in any shape or form?"
Shinji's face became absolutely distraught, "Oh, god…" he groaned as he looked at Asuka, eyepatch and all.
He then looked back at the younger Shinji, who was just staring at him agape, "Oh god, do not get me started on you right now."
Finally, he looked to Rei, "Ayanami…" and then, after an instant of hesitation, he just shrugged, "Hi."
Rei nodded.
The elder Shinji then proceeded to take a deep breath, lean right back onto the balls of his heels, and finally clap his hands pointedly together, "Okay…No." and then he just swung about to walk away again.
Asuka frowned, "No?"
"Nope." repeated the elder Shinji, "Just no. I have weighed up my options, Asuka Langley Whomever, and I have chosen not to deal with this right now."
"Don't you walk away from me!" snapped Asuka, taking a step forwards as Shinji turned to leave.
"Do not fuck with me when I'm high, Eyepatch!" barked back the elder Shinji, his emotions swaying again briefly and driving Asuka to a halt, "I am so not in the mood to deal with you right now. And you," he said, pointing sidelong at his younger self before just clenching his finger back again and shaking his head, "Oh, I will get to you in good time. And wipe that gormless look off your face. You look like Kaworu just died."
There followed a brief pause.
"He did…"
Big Shinji blinked, "Oh…" his shoulders then deflated slightly as he sighed, "Did he lose his head?"
Little Shinji nodded.
"Right…right, he tends to do that. But don't worry, he'll pop up again…repeatedly…whether you like it or not."
Another pack then banged off Shinji's head, "That's for calling my name stupid and for breaking my glasses, jerk!" shouted Mari, who then proceeded to stick her tongue out at him for good measure.
Shinji merely glowered at her before snapping the object up, "And to think I actually thought you were cute at first glance."
Mari seemed briefly taking aback. "Hey!" she objected, blushing just slightly, "I'm cute! How can I be anything but? I mean, just look at me," she said, pointing at her own face with both index fingers as Shinji unlocked the door with the device on his arm.
The elder Shinji then limped off through the open door, shaking his head all the way.
"Well…" sighed Mari after the door had locked shut once more and silence descended, "that could've gone worse I guess..." and just like that, she was instantly cheery again, going so far as to hook an arm around the shell-shocked younger Shinji's neck and drag him right into her bosom, "Oh, Puppy-kun, don't you ever change."
Shinji muffled something like an agreement, but was otherwise still too stunned to speak. Asuka just stared off at the doorway in silence.
'That was…Shinji when he's older?'
Her eye then narrowed, 'Still an idiot.'
-α-
"Okay…" said Shinji as he ducked under the containment shields as they raised up in front of him, "So: there's a little me; a one-eyed Asuka; and Ayanami's back for the…how many times does that make now? Probably going to have to deal with all that later..."
He then glanced down at the two bags draped over his arm and unzipped one. It turned out to be some kind of portable survival pack. There was a miniature med-kit, a signal flare…
His eyes brightened.
…and freeze dried coffee along with a bunch of high-protein ration packs.
Shinji couldn't believe it. They'd actually just hurled provisions at him.
He smirked. 'Well if they don't want them that much…'
-α-
Shinji entered the quarantine ward, sucking down the entire contents of a protein paste pouch in one go before setting it down.
His face screwed up and he shuddered, "Tastes like a cross between…boiled potatoes and the bar nuts in Afterlife, and not the ones in the VIP section…" He reasoned however that it was a small price to pay for getting a good thousand calories into your system in one blast.
Shinji shrugged up his sleeve and turned his attention down toward his Omnitool. He pressed a few controls and the device let out a hiss as a section on the side depressurized. A segment opened up and a transparent tube filled with orange liquid slid out.
Shinji pulled free the capsule of Medi-gel. It would take time for his Omnitool to prime the next one, but he wasn't in any rush. It would be hours before he'd need it.
He then took a steadying breath and walked over to the medical station to pick up one of the pre-prepared stimulant vials.
Shinji broke the seal on the Medi-gel and added it to a syringe with the stimulant. The first dose would be the largest; the second being around half of that in volume. The third one would then, with any luck, kick-start the awakening process.
Shinji held up the syringe. He tapped the side gently and gave it a few seconds for the gel to adapt and bond with the drug before approaching the Councillor's arm.
Shinji slid the needle into the IV tap and looked up at the Councillor, "Okay, Tevos…I suppose this is it." He paused to swallow, "If this doesn't work, I just-"
He cut himself off with a dismissing shake of the head.
The time for doubt had passed.
Biting the bullet, Shinji pressed the plunger slowly in until it bottomed out. He then gently massaged his patient's arm before sliding the needle free.
Shinji then stood back, fingers interlaced as he watched the readouts.
There were no sudden drops, as well as no dangerous spikes in heart rate or sign of any palpitations. Respiration also remained stable.
'So far, so good…'
Shinji quickly jotted down the administration times on the side of each remaining vial in preparation to add the Medi-gel later before setting the alarm on his Omnitool.
"Rest…" gasped Shinji, feeling his legs finally starting to give way under him as he sank down against the tiled wall by the bed, "got to rest…"
Three hours in between doses; Six hours sleep total...
It was practically an eternity.
-α-
"You gave him your ration packs?" demanded Ritsuko angrily, glowering down at the two pilots.
"I wouldn't say gave," said Mari sheepishly as she paced back and forth within the conference room, "…Thrown." She then settled down into one of the chairs and looked back at the vice-captain, "Besides, how would you rather have him: Calm and collected, or crabby and trigger-happy?"
"He's already taken out over two dozen of our men, good men, and hospitalized nearly a dozen more," said Hyuuga with disgust, "You can't just let that stand, Captain."
"What happens next is my decision to make," said Misato quietly, arms crossed in front of her as she circled the conference table slowly.
"You can't seriously be thinking there might still be a peaceful resolution to be had?" demanded Aoba.
"I'll let you know what I think if I think you need to hear it!" snapped Misato, who then quickly took a calming breath to regain her composure. Her lack of sleep was quickly catching up with her, "The fact remains that we still need to learn about the second Unit-01. Were there no survivors of the shootout whatsoever?"
Makoto shook his head, "Not one. I don't know what in the hell kind of weapon he was using either. It seemed to flash-freeze both organic and inorganic matter on contact. And those…automated things; they tore through our armor like it wasn't even there. Our scientific division theorize that the bullets must've been wrapped in some kind of inverted kinetic field that expands on contact and snaps molecular movement to a halt with such force that the target simply shatters."
"Do we still have surveillance on him?" asked Misato.
Ritsuko nodded, tapping a control on the table. An image of the quarantine ward flicked up, "He doesn't seem to have bothered cutting that off. However I wouldn't know where to begin overriding the lockout he's put in place around those sections now. We're not getting in there until he either lets us, or we force entry."
"He'll be coming out, sooner or later," said Misato, "He's most likely only planning on staying in there until the Councillor recovers...or until she doesn't. What's the status of our defenses?"
Aoba responded, "We've set up defensive barriers and have over three dozen men armed with RPGs, high velocity sniper rounds and even flamethrowers. They're ready should he try and force his way past. "
Makoto spoke up, "He only seemed worried when he got charged head on. That probably means he's not invincible so long as you can get your hands on him. If I were to guess, I'd say that shield of his was designed primarily to stop bullets. Since he wasn't wearing any breathing equipment, if we try fire or another kind of atmospheric extreme then that might just do it."
"We assume…" muttered Misato.
"Assumptions are all we have." said Ritsuko. "It's not like we can try BC weapons, not without wiping out our own people in the process."
"We can only wait for now," said Misato, "What's the status on our Shinji?"
Asuka sat forward in her chair, "He hasn't said much since I dragged him out of EVA-13. The DSS Choker took his friend's head clean off in front of him. There wasn't much left when I looked into his plug.
"I can only guess that they showed him what was left of Tokyo-3 and somehow convinced him to pilot out of guilt. The SEELE kid must've just been the last straw." Asuka shook her head, "Bottom line: he's harmless. I've got him in the spare guest quarters. The Ayanami clone's keeping an eye on him."
"And what about her?" asked Ritsuko.
Asuka shrugged, "Now that her mission for NERV is over she seems oddly willing to just follow orders from any officer who happens to be around. She just seems to have latched onto WILLE now that NERV appears to have no more use for her. I really don't think there's any point in locking them up. It would just be a waste of resources."
Misato nodded ponderingly.
Asuka stood up and then looked down upon the table-top display, circling it slowly. It was zoomed in on the image of the elder Third Child as he sat braced against the wall, sound asleep, "This is what took out all our security?" she then paused, frowning in thought, "He was acting…weird when we ran into him. He said something about being high."
"He probably was," replied Ritsuko, "We observed him injecting himself with a literal cocktail of physical and mental stimulants to keep going. According to our surveillance he hadn't slept for days before he did this."
"Okay, but does someone want to tell me now why in the hell we pumped that alien chick full of that crap in the first place?" asked Asuka, looking around.
"It was a mistake," replied Ritsuko briskly, getting rather annoyed at having to keep justifying herself for doing her job.
"I'll say," said Mari with an inclination of her head, "over twenty of our guys are dead because of it. So, as far as mistakes go, yeah: biggie."
Ritsuko gave a sharp intake of breath but otherwise retained her composure.
Asuka then looked at the image of the alien being for a long moment, "She really came from another world?"
Misato nodded, "Shinji didn't say where she was from exactly. He wasn't really too forthcoming. He said she was under his protection though in some way. Again, he didn't clarify what he meant."
"Did everything for a girl again, did he?" murmured Asuka with a slow shake of her head, "I suppose when an idiot gets big he just becomes a bigger idiot…"
Asuka then turned and walked for the door, "I'm going to go check on the brat; best make sure he's not getting into trouble."
"Is that the excuse you're using?" prodded Mari with a smirk.
Asuka gave an indignant scoff, but otherwise didn't respond.
-α-
Shinji groaned as his Omnitool shrieked out an alert, making what he could only describe as the perfect bad noise. That and the minor electrical surge it was programmed to jolt him with helped too.
His body felt like lead, as did his thoughts.
Shinji dragged himself up and slapped the annoying device, "Stupid future technology…"
Shinji wiped his eyes and forced himself to focus before drawing out the next primed dose of Medi-gel.
Preparing the next shot, he circled around to the readouts, trying to prepare himself for the worst.
He'd been dreaming about the worst, after all.
He then blinked his eyes, forcing everything into full focus.
He was not disappointed with what he saw. Through his pain and exhaustion, Shinji could see that Tevos' neural activity had shown a marked, if not massive improvement. It was actually well beyond what he could've hoped for at that point. It was almost as if she were dragging herself out of it by willpower alone. Although, the Medi-gel had probably helped in some way too.
A weak smile pulled at Shinji's lips, "Magnificent…" he said through a very dry throat as he then proceeded to inject the next dose.
Shinji then took a dose of mild painkiller to mask the throbbing in his muscles. He followed this by swallowing down another tube of the horrible ration paste and finally sinking back down against the wall once more.
He needed to keep recharging too.
-α-
The next time Shinji awoke, he felt marginally better. The pain in his head was dulled but he still felt exhausted due to the lack of a good night's sleep. It was better than nothing however.
He groaned and pushed himself up. His muscles were still aching but not to an intolerable level at least.
He boiled up some water using the sterilization equipment and poured himself a coffee, adding in the dried milk and sugar afterwards.
Shinji took a sip, only for his face to screw up once more, "NERV or not, the coffee still tastes terrible…"
Regardless of flavor, the heat and caffeine were still nothing short of sublime. Shinji briefly considered another, smaller dose of stimulants too; just something small to help get him back to full strength. He suddenly found his mouth however echoing the words of another before the thought could even finish processing:
"Want to stay on top, got to keep your head there…"
Shinji clenched his eyes shut and pushed aside the idea. A sad smile then pulled at his lip, "Sorry, Aria, almost forgot…"
But then that would've been all he needed: becoming a drug addict as well as being lost in an alternate world.
Instead, Shinji just nursed his coffee and went back to attending his patient.
He administered the final injection. He was out of Medi-gel as well as Omni-gel now, but then he couldn't think of anything more important to have used it on.
He checked the readings again. They had spiked up to levels that would've been dangerous for a human, but in an asari matriarch they were almost perfect.
"Brain activity would indicate..." murmured Shinji, "bordering on the deepest level of REM sleep, or at least your equivalent to it. Blood-oxygen…back at normal levels."
Shinji stood back up again. There was just one thing left for him to do now.
He reached down and removed the breathing tubes before doing the same with all the other bits of equipment and piping linked up to her body. He left only the IV in for now.
Shinji sank down against the opposite wall, coffee cupped in his hands, "I'll leave the rest to you, Councillor."
Shinji then looked down at his Omnitool and brought up the display, deciding to do some light reading for now.
His hand strayed over his inbox and he found himself bringing it up out of mild curiosity.
There was still one unread bit of mail, from Sha'ira in this case. He'd never quite gotten around to reading it during that last day on Omega, nor did he really have much in the way of time to respond either.
Not that he ever could now...
Shinji's finger hovered over the message for almost a full moment, only to pull back again.
He realized that if he read that now; if he faced what he had lost with nothing left beyond it, then he would probably break right then and there. He made a similar point to avoid his photo album.
He instead went back and pulled up a random research paper on asari evolutionary biology and then just started reading.
-?-
Darkness...Everywhere.
Tevos didn't feel right.
She tried to ponder her situation. Unfortunately however, it currently seemed to be impossible for her to form clear impressions or to even initiate a clear train of thought.
Puzzling.
She didn't remember indulging in some way on the previous evening in order to get herself into such a state.
Actually, she couldn't even place her last memory.
This was most distressing.
However, there suddenly came a change. A level of focus seemed to flood into her from all around like a cool breeze of pure, sweet awareness.
Connections rapidly started being made in the memory and logic centers of her brain. An image appeared: A young human was crouched in front of her, seemingly in pain and surrounded by a rapidly expanding veil of light.
Another flood of cool clarity came at some point later. More connections became established, allowing for an increased flow of information.
Things were working again.
Another flash of memory then surfaced: Someone had been looming over her, shining something into her eye. It was a human female; a human female with…very unconvincing yellow hair.
There had been darkness for the longest time after that. Her only awareness had been of a voice orbiting her on the very edge of her perception, talking to her as if she were actually listening somehow.
Rather foolish really.
But she'd known that voice. And she'd used it as her anchor every time it fluttered into being; a handhold to keep her from sinking even deeper into the murky depths.
But she was drifting back to the surface now. The world was rapidly re-establishing itself around her. Even though her mind still felt immensely foggy, it still felt as though something was dragging her back to the waking world.
Tevos inhaled. A strong, anti-sceptic scent filled her sinuses.
'Most unpleasant…'
But she didn't groan, nor did she didn't moan or mumble. No, she was far too old to yield to such impulses over mild sensory discomfort.
She was irritated, uncomfortable, but still perfectly composed.
Tevos opened her eyes.
-α-
The light, now that was far more unpleasant. Tevos' body felt weak, almost stiff. She raised one hand up to block out the light until her eyes adjusted.
Tevos arched her head to the side. A translucent piece of tubing was running down toward the small of her arm. She tensed her muscles experimentally, realizing that there was in fact a needle embedded in her skin.
Now that was most peculiar.
'Intravenous nutrient feeding?' Her brain processed, 'Weakness indicates incapacitation for several days at the very least.'
She needed more though. Tevos needed information.
Then followed the question that Tevos didn't want to admit was giving her a sense of deep unease that almost bordered on dread:
'Where…am I?'
Tevos looked down now. She was clearly in a hospital bed and in some kind of medical facility.
'An absurd, almost comically primitive medical facility…' she commented mentally.
Tevos sat up slightly, and the sight of something familiar gave her a brief sense of relief. It was also in that instant that she realized she could finally place the voice that had been drifting about her on the edge of the darkness.
'Shinji Ikari…?'
Aria's future bondmate was sitting against the wall across the room. His knees were drawn up to his chest with his Omnitool braced against the backs of his legs. He appeared to be drifting in and out of consciousness himself.
Now, as much as Tevos didn't want to intrude unduly on his rest, she genuinely believed some explanations were in order.
"I need to buy some decent books…" grumbled Shinji dismally as he forced himself briefly back to a waking state and flicked a page over.
He wiped his eyes.
"Well I suppose I could make you some recommendations," said Tevos, and Shinji's head snapped up so fast that he bashed it off the tiles behind him, "but before that…do I want to know precisely where I am, Consort Ikari?"
Shinji slid to his feet and approached slowly, "Councillor...Tevos?" he asked, his voice small.
"Correct…" she responded, sitting up further, "Now…" she began to say, but was cut off when Shinji chose to promptly break one of the most basic rules of doctor-patient etiquette.
He hugged his patient.
Tevos tensed, her arms held out to the sides as Shinji embraced her tightly, "Thank goodness." He whispered, "For a while there, I actually thought I might lose you..."
Tevos looked about uncertainly, and with little other recourse just closed her arms about Shinji briefly, "Evidently you did not. Now, as unopposed as I am to your physical attentions when the moment is appropriate, I must ask that you remain composed."
"Right…" said Shinji weakly, not letting her go for a moment before sinking down with his face against the bed, totally deflated.
"Shinji?"
Shinji gave a sharp intake of breath and slid right back to his feet before turning away to mop briefly at his eyes, "Sorry…" he said thickly.
Tevos sat right up, her voice quietening slightly, "Would you like a moment?"
He let out a choked laugh, "You ask me that?" He then shook his head and turned back to face her, his usual smile plastered in place, "I'm fine."
Shinji seemed to steel himself then, as if flicking a switch off in his head, "Right, I need to do some quick tests."
"Tests?"
"No questions, Councillor…" he said, and then grabbed a penlight off the nearby table, "And I'm sorry, I know how annoying this part is."
Tevos seemed to acquiesce without protest, "I was unaware you were medically trained."
"I've had to adapt," he murmured as she allowed him to shine the light in one eye and then the other, "Pupillary responses are fine…"
"I could have told you that."
He smiled, "Of course. Now, keeping your eyes locked with mine, how many fingers?" he asked, holding his hands up on the edge of her field of vision.
Her brow furrowed, "Eight and two thumbs."
Shinji closed his eyes, "Not…on my hands. How many am I holding up?"
"Ah, in that case two on the left, three on the right."
Shinji nodded, as if checking something off in his head, "Right, now remind me: where and how did we meet?"
She frowned, "Excuse me?"
Shinji sighed and reached over to hand her a beaker of cold water, "Drink. And please just answer."
Despite likely being immensely parched, Tevos calmly sipped the liquid, "My office on the Citadel. Despite my objections, you had been apprehended and brought to me. You then took me as a hostage in protest of the Council's actions. It was a most tiresome day." She then inclined her head briefly, "It did have its positive moments however…"
Shinji blushed despite himself before walking over and grabbing a stethoscope, "Now, count to a hundred."
Tevos seemed to try and force patience, "With all respect, that seems immensely tedious."
"In prime numbers only," he then added.
She frowned, "Is there a reason for this?"
"Councillor…"
Only now did Tevos yield into the compulsion to sigh. She then began listing, without missing a beat, "Two, three, five, seven, eleven, thirteen, seventeen, nineteen, twenty-three, twenty-"
"-Okay," cut in Shinji, "I'll… take your word for it." He then breathed onto the chest piece, "Chest please…"
"This is hardly the time…" and again, Shinji just looked at her.
Tevos closed her eyes to try and force her temper down as she shifted, allowing him to press the chest piece to the skin just under her breastbone.
"Breathe…"
Tevos complied.
"No fluid build-up. Nice, very nice…" murmured Shinji before tossing the stethoscope aside while Tevos finished her water, "And well done for being unconscious for so long and somehow coming out of it without a hint of morning breath. Must be an asari thing…"
Tevos crossed her arms, avoiding the IV, and frowned at him once more, "To say you are beginning to try my patience would be an understatement."
"Almost there…" he replied, "just going through the usual motions for people fresh out of a coma…"
"Well that answers one of my queries." She murmured.
"You're probably hungry," said Shinji, unzipping one of the survival packs and tearing opening a pair of paste tubes before setting them down in front of her, "Eat these, slowly. You've been nil by mouth for several days."
"Another query answered," she murmured, complying once again.
"And sorry…about the taste. I'll never live it down if anyone finds out I had the Asari Councillor reduced to eating rations like a common grunt."
Tevos tried to control her facial reactions. It was, as he said, immensely bad, "It will suffice." She replied, setting it down half-finished, "Now, are we quite finished?"
"Last thing; just one, you have my word," said Shinji, briefly pausing to manipulate his Omnitool and kill surveillance within the room.
Tevos inclined her head acceptingly and Shinji set an empty beaker down in front of her, "Lift this."
She reached an arm up, only for Shinji to intercept it gently, "Not…like that."
Irritation flashed over her expression, "Consort Ikari-"
"-Councillor Tevos," he cut in sternly with a glower, "You have been in a coma for several days and came within mere hours of suffering irreparable brain damage. Your cognitive functions seem to be totally unimpaired and the memory centres of your brain appear to be undamaged also. Now, if you would please be so kind as to confirm the current state of your biotic capabilities."
In response, an understandably irritated Tevos raised her hand up as it began to shimmer with dark energy. The glow didn't stop with her arm however. It quickly engulfed her entire frame.
Shinji staggered back.
Ignoring the beaker entirely, Tevos instead engulfed the entire nearby glassware cabinet in a biotic field and tore it clean off the wall. She then clenched her outstretched hand and compacted it down into a swirling mass of buckled metal and jagged glass before smashing it violently off the opposing wall with a warp blast.
Shinji's head reappeared over the edge of the bed and Tevos looked coldly down upon him, "It would appear my biotics are also unimpaired."
Shinji looked warily at the remains and back, "No need to be petulant, Councillor…"
She narrowed her eyes at him, residual dark flame licking over her skin, "For lack of a better expression: you had it coming. Now will you please remove this from my arm?" she demanded testily, holding up the limb with the still-attached IV.
Shinji inclined his head and carefully slid the violet-coated needle free of Tevos' skin before covering the entry point with a band-aid.
"I'd use Medi-gel, but…" he trailed off at that point and just heaved a long breath, "Are you ready to hear what's happened?"
Tevos inclined her head.
Shinji paced for a moment, "Okay…Well, I've got some bad news, and then I've got some good news. However, I've also got some bad, very bad; very, very, very bad news."
Tevos was quiet for a moment as she calmly took time to consume the next ration pack, "I think I will take it in that order, if it's not too much trouble."
Shinji nodded, "Okay: the bad news is that the locals dosed you with a massive blast of animal tranquilizer to keep you sedated."
"Animal tranquilizer?" she muttered, "Well that's rather insulting…"
"My sentiments exactly."
"Were they kind enough to explain their motive for this act?"
Shinji shrugged, "Perhaps they were afraid you might try and kill all humans, conquer the planet, or impregnate them with little baby monsters; I honestly don't know. Safe to say: it was one part abject stupidity and nine parts fear and paranoia brought on by a recent near-apocalypse. To be honest, events probably would've gone much smoother if we'd just shown up at a slightly better moment…part of me almost can't fault Ritsuko for what she did."
Tevos looked off in thought, "You were saying there is actually good news?"
"The good news is that I managed to devise a stimulant to bring you out of it. And thanks to your remarkably strong constitution you seemed to have come through it without any lasting negative effects."
Tevos nodded, "That is something."
Silence fell.
"You want to hear the really bad part now, don't you?"
She nodded calmly.
Shinji took a moment before speaking, "Well let me just start by giving you some idea of the situation we're in as opposed to the actual location."
Tevos inclined her head, "Very well, proceed."
Shinji twiddled his thumbs together, "Well…you know my usual method for getting out of uncomfortable situations?"
"You normally appear to try and talk your way out."
Shinji shook his head, "Not that way, Councillor, the other one."
A brief pause, "You slept with the source of the problem?"
Shinji shook his head, "No, the mood was never right enough for that either, and trust me: I considered it. No, Councillor I meant I did the…other thing."
The pause this time was longer and so much more uncomfortable for Shinji, "You stole a weapon, took hostages, the situation escalated out of control, and now we are under siege?"
Shinji didn't respond.
"Ah…" said Tevos, still staying remarkably calm to her credit.
"It gets worse..."
"I presumed it might. I think it is time you revealed the truth of our situation. Shinji Ikari, where are we precisely?"
Shinji didn't speak for a long moment as he started pacing slowly.
When Tevos turned to look at him, he'd stopped with his back to her.
"You should've gotten back when you had the chance…" whispered Shinji, unable to look at her, "Why didn't you get back?" he snapped, glaring back at her with moist eyes.
Tevos almost appeared confused by the question, "Because I'm the Asari Councillor," she replied simply, "and unless my sources are in error, you are one of my citizens." She cocked her head, "I stayed by your side, Shinji Ikari, because I was trying to help you."
Shinji's voice was coarse as he slumped forwards, his forehead resting against the wall, "You're far too good for the world you've been dragged into." He took a shuddering breath, "I'm so sorry…"
"Consort Ikari…" said Tevos, her voice becoming quiet.
Shinji looked back to her.
"Come to me," She then said, shifting over slightly.
Shinji looked questioningly at her, "Do as I say…" she commanded in a tone that was as gentle as it was firm.
Shinji complied and approached slowly, sitting down by her. He flinched when he felt her arm about his shoulder though, but she just hushed him gently and drew him slowly up to her side.
Shinji's cheek flushed reflexively when he felt the side of her face brush against his, "Now…" she whispered, her hand tightening slightly, "Relax, Shinji Ikari," she breathed, "…and just embrace eternity."
Shinji inhaled a sharp gasp as Tevos slipped her nervous system into line with his. He then felt her mind as it slowly, tenderly, embraced itself around his.
He let her think for him from there; to draw up his memories and information as if they were her own.
The systematic and expedient way she went about it was almost a marvel to Shinji. She was pulling up facts, learning about people, linking it with other information then cross-referencing it with unrelenting speed and efficiency. How she was able to work at such a level so soon after waking from a coma staggered the Consort.
Shinji only then began to realize why, in an electronic democracy comprised of billions –where absolutely every asari has both a voice and a say, they picked this one individual as their face for the galactic community.
She was simply their way of saying 'This is us.'
However, even Tevos found herself stumbling somewhat at what she encountered next. As with most melds, there was always the risk of associated emotions being transferred over too, and now she was starting to trace over Shinji's buried emotions from the past few days. She went over everything that he'd done, along with everything that WILLE had forced him to do to keep her alive.
She embraced his resentment and seething anger over what fate had done to him, and how it made him lash out so easily at those around. He'd killed and battered others without mercy and tortured himself to keep moving, all because if he stopped for an instant, Shinji was terrified that he'd be swallowed by the massive void of grief and loss swirling inside of him.
A brief flash of memory came up; the memory of seeing a younger, broken version of himself standing right in front of him.
Tevos realized that was what Shinji feared he was bordering on becoming, and so he'd overcompensated; he'd lashed out; he'd boasted and bragged to ignore what was staring him in the face.
That was when she felt the full shape of the bubble she was threatening to burst: the one surrounding his loss and sorrow.
'Don't!' Came a mental plea from somewhere deep within him, only it didn't sound like the Shinji she knew. It sounded younger, almost childlike.
And so Tevos sent him a brief spike of apology, and then let that bubble burst, setting free the pain inside.
In recompense for his services, she gave him the security to feel his sorrow now in her arms. She unleashed it all in one and let him accept his fear.
"Damn you…" came the choked curse as she made him break down in front of her. Sobs wracked his frame as she brought her arms around him, "God…damn you."
"I suppose it is lucky for me," she said quietly, running her fingers through his hair, "that I do not believe in damnation…" a single sympathetic tear escaped the corner of her eye however as she held him to her. But there was no fixing everything, there was no way for her to console him about one thing; about the one he may never see again.
But she also knew that a shard of hope remained, and as much as she needed him to accept his fear, she had to emphasize that hope did indeed still exist.
-α-
To say that it had been a slightly traumatic few days of information for Tevos to assimilate would be an understatement. But what was done was done, and the Councillor had the information she needed now; she knew where they were and also how they'd gotten there.
Shinji was across the room now, forehead resting against the tiled surface again as he spoke, "The breach; the Room of Gauf, it's still open. It's bound to me, but I don't have any idea how we can possibly get home using it. I'm sorry, Tevos, but there's absolutely nothing I can do any more."
Tevos regarded him. She sensed that Shinji had gone after helping her with such devotion because he'd felt that he literally had nothing else left. Saving her had given him purpose.
Now he felt like he was lost once more.
"Do not feel guilty, Shinji. What happened was not your fault. To say I am happy with the situation would be an abject lie, but we have both lost a lot, you more than I."
"I've lost more than you?" he asked, voice still thick as he turned to look at her, "How do you work that out?"
"I have lived a long, rich life, Shinji. I have made many mistakes, had many successes and possibly too many failures; my life has been full. Service to my people as their representative was my repayment for those long days. You still had far too many years left to live for however."
"Misery loves company, I suppose," muttered Shinji.
"Perhaps that is the case," said Tevos "But I have not entirely given up hope. That which is lost can often still be retrieved. There is still hope. You must remember that."
Shinji was silent for a long moment, "…maybe. I suppose the burden of knowledge just got to me," he said, mopping his eyes clear once more, "I know how hard it would be for anything to traverse that void unassisted. It literally obliterated the Leviathan. We only survived because we were encased within an A.T. Field. Anything with any kind of mass that manages to somehow go through would simply be destroyed unless it was shielded in some way."
"And yet there is hope still," said Tevos.
"Hope?" echoed Shinji bitterly, "Hope has rarely been a friend to me, Councillor."
"I suppose not…" she said as an idea started to occur to her, "Now, assist me..." she said, extending a hand out.
"Tevos?" asked Shinji as he assisted her up. She then staggered against his side, and it took a moment for her to find her balance.
"I'm feeling...somewhat unsteady."
"Yes, it might take a moment. You should probably shower and get ready after that. Luckily this section has more than enough places for both people and things to get cleansed. On that note, I've had your clothes cleaned and folded too. They're ready for you when you want to get changed."
"Thank you. And I agree with your suggestion." Her gaze then flicked to him, "Join me."
Shinji blinked, "Ex-excuse me?" he stammered.
For the first time, Shinji caught the barest makings of levity in Tevos' eyes, just the slightest glint of humor. He strongly suspected it was mainly for his sake, though it might have been just a little bit for her too, "I sense my services will soon be in dire need considering the situation outside, and you are still serving as my Consort until Aria reappears, correct?"
Shinji flushed, shifting, "Technically…"
"Excellent. Now…" and there came the barest narrowing of the eyes, the subtlest lowering of the voice, "…attend to me."
And just like that; like some final inner switch had been clicked, Shinji's mind refocused as just the slightest glimmer of hope was rekindled. He extended his arm and responded in a voice that Tevos found both pleasingly low and calm, "By all means, Madam Councillor…"
Shinji decided he was done moping around: Tevos had a situation to defuse, and it was time for him to get his head back in the game…
-α-
To be continued…
[A/N] Hmm, interesting. What was once one chapter it seems has instead turned out to need 3 to resolve, but then I suppose it was foolish of me to try and resolve such a major series of plot points in just one sitting. Not much in the way of action this one, and was a bit worried about how this would turn out but I'm hoping it didnt disappoint too much, even if I seem to be flipping between extremes here, but bear with me, event though it's just an interim, things are all still going somewhere. Until next time!
Catch you in Chapter 5: Impact II