Mutation

Ritsuko leaned back. "The fact is, it's affecting her brain chemistry. The device was experimental, you know."

"Yes…" Nagisa leaned back, pensive.

"Look!" said Ritsuko. "Her heart rate, respiration, and adrenaline levels all shot up when she was in England. It went even higher when she was fighting Verrine."

"Yes."

"You don't seem to understand."

"Oh? Last time I checked, the synch test was a success. 150 synch ratio."

"That's the point! If she has another one of her 'episodes', she could kill us all!"

Silence. "I am confident she won't."

"What! How!" howled Ritsuko. "Understand me! Without the pills, Rei is walking a very fine line between total madness and god-like power. Very fine. One wrong move could push her into psychopathy."

Nagisa leaned back, steepling his fingers. "Trust me." Ritsuko threw her hands up in disgust, and stormed towards the door.

"But before you leave in a huff, you should read this," said Nagisa, pushing a paper across the desk towards her. Ritsuko grabbed it up and began reading. Her eyes widened.

"The military? Surely, you're not leaving the NSA."

"Oh, but I am. I'll be the first commander of the US Army Evangelion Corp. They're the weapons of the future, as you well know."

"Yes… how is it that you can afford Evas and not food?"

"Money doesn't grow food."

---

Rei feared Sachiel, ever since that battle. Whenever she entered the entry plug, she had the sensation of being mutated and warped. This, obviously, was not happening, but it felt as if something were slithering up inside her. The horror of the battle with Verrine had disturbed her, but the black armor disturbed her more. No further communication came from the Angel, except for shadows of thoughts.

Lugging the Unit across the United States (transports were too expensive), Rei watched the onlookers impassively. The onlookers, however, were looking on with a mix of fear and gratitude. Rei wondered why. Sachiel had become a monster.

They were being moved to a base in Seattle, supposedly because an advanced deployment system was being developed there. Also, the United States had been rooting through NERV-Massachusetts' old computer system, and found three possible US Pilots. None of them were going to be used by the old NERV, but they could be put to good use in the new world.

Rei didn't particularly care.

---

The silence was painful.

Asuka never realized how comforting the constant noise of Misato's apartment was. There was always Misato's 'beer whoop', Shinji's cello, or the jarring blare of TV. One probably couldn't get her to admit it, but she wanted a roommate. Shinji, to be specific, but, once again, you couldn't get her to admit it.

So, once again, the silence was painful.

But this (un)fine evening, she had company. Hikari Horaki, to be specific.

"YOU'RE LIVING WITH THAT APE!" demanded Asuka.

Hikari flinched. "Well, yes, but it's only because… uh… ok, yeah, I am."

Asuka sighed. "Ugh, I expected the sun to explode first…"

"You're not mad?" asked Hikari, hopefully.

"As a friend… I have to support you… but I don't have to like it."

"Thanks, Asuka!"

That night, it was just Asuka and Hikari. Thankfully for all involved, Hikari had prepared the dinner, and it was a fine evening.

"What happened?" asked Asuka.

"Huh?"

"I mean, everyone's really vague about what happened while I was asleep. I know about a year past…"

Hikari looked at the ground, a strange expression on her face. Asuka wondered if she had said something wrong.

"It was… was… Hell. I didn't know what was going on… there was gunfire and chaos everywhere… Men with guns went from town to town, killing and raping… I lived in a ditch with Toji for three months…"

There was a long silence as Hikari began to sob. Asuka put a comforting arm around her.

"It was so horrible! The looters… they'd kill entire camps for no reason! They'd take woman to their fortress and rape them over and over… But Toji took care of me… But then- then-"

Asuka dreaded what she might hear.

"I saw it… the Forest of Corpses… some men… they captured a whole town and impaled them on stakes… then they hung them up… it could take some days to die! I cried for days… Toji… he was so nice to me…"

There was a long, pained silence.

---