Chapter 6: Aftermath
I feel bad for the girl. The brown haired nurse shook her head as she looked at the sleeping child behind the window. So much to live for, only to have it all taken away because of a freak accident. Crushed legs…I wouldn't wish those on anyone… The brunette shook her head, turning to the doctor next to her. He was an older, sunglasses wearing blond in a black turtleneck, a pair of blue dress pants, a white labcoat, and a pair of black leather boots. The hallway both medical professionals were standing in was bare, with white concrete walls the only thing to see besides the smooth yellow tiled floor and occasional door.
"So, Dr. Albert, is there anything we can do for the poor gir- er, patient?" She said quickly, covering her slipup. Even under orders, its hard to treat them as just…faceless numbers.
The man shook his head and sighed. "Well Nurse Tenda, I've come up with an experimental new procedure, but…" He trailed off, looking back at the door to the girl's room.
The nurse looked down. "…But?" She asked, unsure if she actually wanted to hear his answer. The word 'but' never meant anything good in the medical field.
He looked around for a few moments before his shoulders slumped. "It's a rather risky procedure." He sighed, his face bleak. "…We have to isolate the girl for it to work properly." He admitted, unable to think of a way to make locking a child in solitary confinement sound better.
"Is that really necessary?" The nurse shook her head. Locking up a child for her own good…
The old doctor nodded. "Yes. The drugs involved in the procedure will suppress her immune system, so she'll have to be put in protective isolation." He looked back at the door to the girl's room. "If we don't, the girl runs an incredibly high risk of dying from nearly any infection."
"Right." The nurse looked down at her clipboard, noting the name of the girl. "I don't think the girl's family will like this…" She sighed stiffly, the image of a certain overprotective tracksuited jock crossing her mind. "Especially her brother."
The doctor shook his head and shrugged. "It's only for a week at most." He put a hand on the white concrete wall and sighed. "As long as her family doesn't try to barge into the room to see her, or something equally stupid, I'm sure the girl will be fine." He straightened, and shook his head. "Explain the idea to her."
The nurse blinked. "Me?"
"Yes, you. I've got another meeting to attend, so you explain it to the girl." He produced a clipboard from inside his coat, shoving it into the surprised nurse's hands with some speed. "Now then, I have to go." He said, turning and walking down the hall with blatantly suspicious speed.
Nurse Tenda looked down at the clipboard in her hands. One of the perks of authority…shove all the jobs you don't want to do on others… She sighed, steeling herself for a very depressing start to her day as she pushed the patient's door open. "Ms. Kana Suzuhara? I have something to discuss with you…"
Rocky slopes surrounded the cargo ship and its convoy on both sides, lending a dangerous air to the area even though they were half a kilometer away from the ship at the waterline. The higher sections of the slopes still steamed in a few places, and tiny parts would crumble at random moments.
However, the redhead standing on said boat didn't care about that. She cared about the fact that she was currently freezing. "It's c-cold out here!" She whined exaggeratedly, trying to wrap her arms around the unshaven black haired man next to her.
Said man easily slid out of her searching grasp, nearly sending her unbalanced form to the deck. "What did you expect? We are in Russia after all." He smiled roguishly as her flailing hand caught the railing and held fast. "Sundresses aren't normally winter wear, you know." He chided the redhead.
The girl picked herself up, smoothing out the yellow sundress she was wearing and making sure her red hairclips were still on. "I was told I was going to Japan! You know, where it's hot! How was I supposed to know I needed to take a sweater?!" She pouted, pointing at the man's beige coat in mock betrayal. "You could've at least told me, Mr. Kaji."
The man laughed jovially, sticking both hands in his pants pockets. "Come on, Asuka, it's always better to discover things for yourself." He grinned roguishly at the young girl.
Asuka scoffed, turning away from the unshaven man in a huff. "I was told we were taking a train to Vladivostok, not sailing down some strait I've never heard of!"
Kaji shrugged noncommittally. "It's called the Strait of Grommile, but I can't blame you for not knowing. This place is only a few days old." He chuckled quietly. "Taking the train was the plan, at least until this happened." He swept his arm out, indicating the rocky slopes around them.
Asuka looked down for a moment. "Well, why couldn't we? Doesn't Russia have a railway or something?" She asked, her fair face frowning in confusion.
Kaji looked out towards the rocky slopes, sighing softly. "Well, it did. Unfortunately for us, something in Tokyo-3 blasted a trench through from the China Sea to the Arctic a few days ago. It wiped out the railway and nearly all the highways. So, this was the only way that even came close to our planned travel time. It's working name is the strait of Grommile." The unshaven man shrugged. "Not sure why, but I don't pay much attention to nomenclature."
Asuka just scoffed and walked back into the ship, leaving the scruffy man alone with his thoughts, and his plans.
"It seems we have some very important events to discuss, Ikari."
Gendo didn't even look up from his desk when he heard the electronic voice come out of nowhere. Neither did he blink when his office darkened until everything inside was blacker than his own heart. The council had started so many meetings with him like this that actually telling him when a meeting would occur would be more disconcerting. "So I hear. What may I do for the fine gentlemen of this committee?" He intoned cordially, leaning back a bit in his chair as twelve numbered monoliths appeared around him.
"Do not patronize us, Ikari." The soft, elderly British tone of SEELE 12 was unmistakable. The man was very articulate, yet filled with quite a bit of anger. "You know exactly what we seek the answers to."
Gendo tented his hands in front of his face. "I appreciate the fact that this Committee thinks so highly of my abilities, but I must follow proper protocol." He glanced at each monolith, keeping his tone calm and cordial as he heard several quiet groans of frustration. After all, ninety percent of every council meeting was about insulting everyone present without actually insulting them. "What is it you want to ask me?"
There was a moment of silence before the next fossil spoke up. "Very well Ikari." SEELE 04 answered, his rough voice overpowering the electronic distortion quite handily. "The answer we seek lies in what occurred in the last Angel Battle."
SEELE 08 took over at this point, her voice old and frosty. "The actions of your son are, frankly, inexplicable by any of our researchers. So, if you do not mind, commander Ikari, could you explain how your son managed this!?" She was practically yelling by the last word.
His monolith disappeared, replaced with a grainy video of the Fifth Angel's complete disintegration. The video was short, lasting barely ten seconds and ending on a still frame of the black energy blast that Unit-01 had produced.
"Well, Ikari?" She asked haughtily, her voice back to its normal icy timbre.
Gendo kept all emotion off his face as he briefly imagined shooting the old ball of lard behind that smug question. "Unfortunately, I do not have any more information than the video this council has just shown provides... Though I am curious as to why I have never seen this particular angle of the battle." The well-dressed commander lied coolly, internally smirking at the quiet coughs and murmurs that suddenly afflicted half the council. "I am looking into the situation with all haste, but I can't provide miracles on demand." He stated cordially.
"A frank admission of failure is not good enough for this council, Ikari!" SEELE 08 practically screamed, sounding more like a frothing lunatic than the powerful politician he supposedly was. "Not only did your son produce an AT Field that surpassed even that shown in ADAM's awakening in Antarctica, he then used an attack that not only completely annihilated valuable Angelic Material, but also blasted a new shipping lane clear through Eurasia to Russia's Kara Sea! 'All Haste' is not good enough!"
The room stayed silent for an uncomfortably long time after SEELE 08's outburst finished.
"While the rest of this council is more…patient than our Brazilian member…" SEELE 06 coughed awkwardly. "…we do share his sentiments. Such power could very easily overturn everything the Scenario promises humanity."
"I can promise nothing, as the Committee has made it abundantly clear I am to make due with fewer resources, if I recall the events of the last meeting correctly." Gendo replied coolly.
The electronic distortion couldn't hide the sigh that preceded SEELE 01's reply. "In that case, Commander, we will be moving the Second Child to Tokyo-3 immediately, to serve as insurance should you fail to find a method to control your unstable pilot. Pilot Ikari must be taken off the combat roster until you can determine if his little stunt is repeatable, and if it can be controlled."
Gendo nodded, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the limp-wristed attempt to frighten him. Then again, what could he expect from a group whose average age was over seventy? "Very well, Chairman. More resources are always appreciated."
SEELE 11 growled impotently. "…We await good news from you, Commander." Unfortunately the electronic distortion made him sound less 'threatening' and more like 'a recalcitrant child who'd been let loose in a recording studio'. "Do not keep us waiting."
One by one, the numbered monoliths faded away, until only SEELE 01's remained.
The old man behind the numbers coughed weakly. "Remember, Ikari, you are on thin ice. We must make use of all our resources if we are to see the Scenario through." With that final, echoing remark, NERV's commander was left alone in his gloomy office.
Gendo brought the video back up, setting it to loop and staring at it. "That goes for the both of us…"
Rei Ayanami felt strange as she walked down a dark, bland hall that led towards an elevator. In fact, she'd been feeling strange ever since she'd gotten out of the infirmary. She knew that beyond the elevator was the Commander's office. There, she'd tell him just what was going on with the Third Child, and then she'd ask about the strange feelings in her body.
She rounded the corner, only to crash headlong into someone. She put a hand on the wall almost instantly, keeping her from falling. The other person was not so lucky, and he fell to the floor in a heap.
"S-sorry! I'm really sorry!" He was apologizing before he'd even stood back up.
"Ikari? Why are you here?" She asked blankly, slightly surprised that he was here. She felt her surprise turn to…irritation as she realized just who would be with the Third Child.
Shinji managed to stop snivelling long enough to look up. "A-Ayanami?" He asked, his meaningless apologies momentarily halted by questions.
Rei opened her mouth to speak, intending to get this over with as quickly as possible. "Pilot Ikari…" She trailed off, realizing almost immediately what was missing, or rather, who. "…Where is your passenger?" she asked, confused as to his sudden absence. Everywhere she'd seen the Third Child, that shadow had accompanied him without fail. For him to be suddenly missing meant that either he'd become much more intent on avoiding detection, which didn't really fit with Ikari's behaviour, or he truly was absent.
The boy stared at her in shock for a moment, before a look of raw guilt washed over his face. "I…He…I think he's… gone." He admitted, his voice low and depressed as he stared at his shoes.
Rei's eyebrows rose at this new piece of information. "Gone?" She queried, her curiosity roused by his answer.
"He…He helped me against Ramiel." The boy clarified, sounding even more depressed than before.
Rei thought about this new tidbit for a moment. "So, the immensely powerful AT Field detected during the battle was his doing?" She asked, curious if her conclusion was correct. I should inform the commander of this when I get the chance.
Shinji drew in on himself just a little bit more. "…Yeah. At least…I think so." He agreed quietly, looking straight down at his black shoes like they held the answer to everything. "But…after…" he muttered.
Rei's head tilted sideways just a tiny bit. "After?"
Shinji shook a bit, refusing to meet the bluenette's gaze. "He…said he gave me too much…and then…h-he…" He abruptly stopped, only to start hiccupping moments later.
Rei looked at her miserably hiccupping teammate, and she started to feel strange again. "Pilot Ikari, are you…alright?" She asked slowly, unsure of what to say to the boy in front of her.
Shinji's hiccups just got worse once he heard her question. "…B-because I…if I hadn't…It's my fault h-he…d-died…I…I killed him!"
Rei stared quizzically at the miserably hiccupping boy for a moment, feeling a strange sensation of coldness winding through her stomach all of a sudden. "…It is not your fault." She stated.
Shinji looked up, watery eyes staring at her in disbelief. "B-but I…" he questioned weakly, hiccupping a little less this time.
"You did not know that his aid would lead to his…death, correct?" She asked matter-of-factly.
Shinji's gaze swung back to his shoes and he shook again. "Y-yes…but…" Now he sounded like he was about to start sobbing. "I-I-"
"Then you are not guilty of anything." Rei cut him off calmly.
"H-Huh?" he looked up again, his hiccups halted this time thanks to the albino's strangely simple statement.
Rei blinked. "You have committed no crime, Ikari. Murder requires both intent and method. You had no intent to kill him, so you are not guilty of his death." She intoned evenly, like a tutor talking to a particularly slow child.
"Wuh?" He choked, torn between his feelings of guilt and a pressing desire to give up his single-player blame game.
Rei took his confused sigh as a request for further explanation. "His production of an abnormally strong AT field was his doing, not yours. If that action led directly to his…death, then the method that resulted in his end was his doing." Rei paused for breath, conveniently missing the incredulous look Shinji was giving her. "In that instance, you are merely a witness, and you are blameless."
Shinji just stared at her, blinking intermittently as a tiny, tiny grin started to work across his face.
"His death was accidental, so you are innocent." She finished, staring expectantly at him.
Shinji started to giggle stupidly. "…You…Y-you're just…just…."
Rei's brow furrowed. "Ikari?" She intoned, confused by his strange reaction. Why is he laughing?
He suddenly straightened, and looked at the girl with a misty glow in his eyes. "Ayanami…Thank you." Without another word, he stepped forward and hugged the girl.
Rei stiffened at the unexpected contact. She felt warm suddenly, like the feeling back in the hospital. No, not like the hospital. That feeling had felt like her body was about to burn up. This was…agreeably warm, like a warm bath or shower. Confusing.
Shinji felt a smile creep onto his face as he hugged the strange girl. "I...feel a little better." This smile lasted until he realized just where he was, what he was doing, and most importantly, who he was doing it to.
The boy let go of the albino like she was a live grenade, apologies already starting to tumble out of his mouth. "W-What am I doing?! S-sorry Ayanami! I didn't mean to, I mean, I should've asked f-for, I-I mean…" He stammered quickly, red-faced and incredibly embarrassed.
Rei was conflicted. On the one hand it had been a violation of her personal space, but on the other, she felt even stranger now that it was over. I need…more data to make a decision. "I would not mind if you had continued." She stated openly.
Shinji's apologies stopped dead at her admission. "Huh?" He eloquently stated, staring at the girl with a disbelieving gaze.
Rei looked him in the eye with a gaze that would qualify as curious on anyone else. On her, however, it was just weird. "I stated that I would not mind if you had continued." She motioned towards herself with a hand. "Would you do that again?" She commanded without really commanding.
Shinji felt very confused and embarrassed, but even though he just wanted to run away and hide, he caved under the albino's steady gaze. "o-oh…okay." He gave in and hugged her, wrapping shaky arms around the girl with an incredible blush on his face. "L-Like this?" He asked quietly.
Rei felt the warmth from before return, but now it felt like there was velvet, or a similar kind of soft material on her skin wherever his arms touched her. Strange. His arms are not made of velvet, so why do I feel this way?
They stayed like this for a few moments before Shinji broke both the silence and the awkward hug. "Ummmm…So…uh… Ishouldprobablygetgoingbye!" With that eloquently rapid statement, he dashed off in the direction Rei had come, face redder than a tomato in season.
Rei watched him sprint away, feeling very confused. "Ikari? …He is gone." Rei turned back to continue on to the commander's office when a thought struck her. …If his irritant has disappeared, there is little point in informing the Commander of an already solved problem. I should just go back for now. The albino nodded to her own internal logic, turning around once again and heading for an elevator to take her back to the surface.
The Katsuragi apartment was quiet for once. The TV was off, the beer fridge unused, and the light switch was untouched. The nominal owner of the apartment was out drinking with 'friends', leaving her ward free to ruminate on the events of the past week without any distractions.
"He's gone…I still can't believe it…" Shinji lay in his bed like a lump, staring up at the dark ceiling as thoughts raced through his head. Even if Gig had been…well, he really had been a big jerk, it wasn't like he should've died for it. But he had, and Shinji just couldn't put it out of his mind. The memory of the immense POWER running under his skin when he'd 'fought' Ramiel was hard to just file away. He must've felt like that all the time when he had his own body… I guess I'd act like Gig too, if I could do pretty much anything and no-one could stop me. He glanced towards the clock at the foot of his bed, idly noting that it was 8:54 pm.
Shinji rolled over on the bed, coming face to face with his bookcase, and the little doll standing on top of it. …Hey, that's that doll of Toji that Gig…somehow made. He stared at it for a bit, idly wondering if that 'Dominion' thing he'd been sputtering about really had been true, and not just another lie. What did he say about it?
"You can call him out and make him take a beating for you anytime, anywhere!"
Shinji put a hand to his forehead as the ringing laugh slowly faded back into memory. Wait, how does 'calling' the person work anyway? He never really explained. Now feeling curious, he got up from the bed and crossed to the bookshelf, shaking his head at how silly he was being to do this. He took the little doll off the top of the bookshelf, and sat back down on his bed.
He turned it over in his hands, still somewhat surprised at how accurate the thing was. Though it looked like it was made of ragged cloth, it was actually quite stiff and well-articulated, capable of simulating practically any human pose. Beyond the material and the button eyes, it was practically a perfect copy of Touji when he was wearing his tracksuit. Shinji shook his head, refocusing on the 'summoning' bit Gig talked about. "It's probably something dumb, like 'I call forth Toji Suzuhara', or 'I summon the young boy named Touji Suzuhara.' He stated with a sarcastic edge, putting on a dramatic air for the 'summoning phrases' as he waved the doll around.
After a moment, Shinji looked around the still-empty room and shrugged, feeling intensely silly. "Then again, with his personality, it was probably more like "'Hey Jock! Get over here!'"
A bright flash immediately blinded the boy. He instinctually pressed up against the wall on the other side of his bed, slapping a hand over his eyes. Once he stopped seeing spots, he took his hand away, only to be confronted with the sight of a highly confused, tracksuit wearing jock.
"W-what the hell's going on?!"
"T-Touji?!" The boy practically shrieked in surprise. How did THAT work?!
Touji practically jumped when he heard that voice, recognition battling with confusion on his face once he saw who else was with him. "Shin-man? What the hell are you doing in my house?" The jock asked quickly, his unease intensifying as he looked around the unfamiliar room.
The Third Child blinked at that response. "H-huh? I'm in my room…" He stated, looking around the room to confirm that he wasn't lying about his familiar-yet-not-really surroundings.
Toji didn't hear his response, instead abruptly focusing on what he was wearing, or rather, wasn't. "Why am I in the tracksuit? …I…I was getting ready for bed!"
Shinji looked down at his hands, only to abruptly realize that the doll was missing. He hurriedly looked around, only to find everything EXCEPT the doll in its proper place. "N-no way…" He breathed,
"What? What is it, man?" Toji asked quickly, not liking the tone in his friend's voice.
"I…think I know what brought you here." Shinji admitted softly.
Toji felt unease creep up his spine. "…What?" He asked hesitantly.
"Remember that thing from a few days ago? When I did that weird thing and the doll popped up?"
The jock felt his creeping unease turn to cold dread. "…Yeah?"
"Um…I can't find the doll anymore, and, well…You're here, so…" Shinji stated awkwardly, feeling very nervous the moment he finished.
"…Are you saying I'm the doll or something?" Toji thought his friend's explanation over for all of ten seconds before giving his opinion. "That's…the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"
Shinji inched back on his bed. "W-well… m-maybe you and the d-doll…switched places?" He offered weakly.
Touji mulled over this explanation for a few moments before shaking his head. "…If that's true, why am I in my tracksuit instead of my jammies?" He put a fist to his temple and sighed. "None of this makes any sense!"
Shinji thought for a bit, coming back to the explanation that was probably the most accurate, but also sounded the craziest. "Umm…Maybe…Well…" He began, unsure of how to word this without sounding like he was completely crazy.
"Well what?"
"Umm…Gig said…" He noticed Touji's slightly uncomprehending stare and clarified. "Th-the voice from before." A wave of realization swept over the jock's face, and he nodded. "Well, he said I could 'call' you anytime, so maybe that's what the doll is for? Whatever it's wearing when I summon you, it's what you wear when you get here."
Touji squinted as his brain ground into its quite rusty second gear. Given everything else he knew about the situation, it did make a kind of sense…if you were crazy. "That's the dumbest-"
"I'm home!"
"Oh hey, that's Misato, right?" The jock asked on pure instinct.
There was a moment of silence before the response came. "…Shinji? Who was that?" That wasn't Misato's playful tone. That was Captain Katsuragi's tone. The dangerous one.
The Third Child paled as Toji took a step back from the door. He did not want to explain that magic, or whatever the hell Gig actually did, was real. O-oh no! What do I do what do I do What do I DO!? Maybe I can hide in the-Wait! That's it!
"H-Hide in the closet!" He barked quickly, his frantic nerves more than evident as he leapt off the bed.
Toji just looked at him like he was crazy. "That won't work!" He protested.
"J-Just do it!" Shinji cried, practically shoving the tracksuit-wearing jock into the cramped closet and shutting the door. He dashed back to his bed, sat down, and tried to compose himself. Okay, all I need to do is tell her that I was doing…umm…impressions! Y-yeah, th-that'll totally-
The door opened.
…not work.
Standing in the doorway was either a very cross-looking Misato, or one that was trying not to grin. Honestly, Shinji was too frazzled at this point to tell the difference.
"H-Hello Misato!" He chirped, already sweating bullets. "Y-you're back early!"
"I said I'd be back by nine. I'm only a minute early." Misato said calmly, giving her ward the best 'disapproving guardian' stare she had…which was unfortunately pretty much the same one she used on underlings when they gravely displeased her. "It shouldn't be a problem, right?" She watched him nod like a bobblehead doll. "…Unless of course you invited someone over without telling me?"
The boy audibly swallowed, looking as stricken as a drowning man who'd just been thrown an anchor. "N-no…uhh….w-why do you ask?" He tried to force a smile, but his lips wouldn't obey.
Misato looked at him with amusement in her eyes, trying very hard to keep a grin off her face. "Weeeellll, it's just that I heard something about a closet and hiding. You know what that's about?" She asked, fighting to keep the chuckles out of her voice.
Shinji's composure, tenuous and brittle as it was, pretty much shattered at this point. He froze up completely, letting out a few nervous chuckles that couldn't have screamed 'guilty' any louder.
Misato's frown of suspicion finally gave out, morphing into a knowing grin thanks to his virtual confession. She turned to the closet and gave it a good look. Sure enough, there was a tiny flash of light in the crack between the closet doors. She shook her head good-naturedly and marched towards them, trying not to chuckle. "Look, I'm not going to be mad if you had a girl over, you just had to tell-" She spoke while opening the doors, only to trail off as she was confronted with only a whole lot of lame shirts and pants. " ...me…?" She looked over to Shinji, her knowing grin now a genuinely confused frown.
Her ward practically leapt off the bed in response to her confused look, wearing a grin as brittle as glass. "S-See? Nothing!" He chirped, his voice nearly cracking in half. "I was just doing impressions!"
Misato alternated between staring at him and staring at the closet for a good long while. Eventually, she just shook her head and walked out, muttering about teenagers and psych evaluations.
Shinji watched her shut the door, giving it a couple of seconds before he let out a sigh of relief. He looked back towards the closet, only to immediately realize that he had no clue what had happened to Toji. He felt panic rise in his chest as he looked around the room. He was almost about to confess what had really happened to Misato, only to spy the doll sitting right on top of the bookshelf. Just like before this all happened. Safe and sound.
He heard his cellphone begin to ring, and he answered it without really thinking. "H-hello?"
"Shin-man? That you?"
It's Toji. "Y-yeah." He answered, trying to be as quiet as possible.
"What the hell just happened!?" His friend demanded harshly, clearly trying to stay quiet with how growly he sounded. "I was stuck in a closet like a second ago, but now I'm suddenly back in my house, in my jammies. What th' hell did you do?"
Shinji felt a fresh wave of helplessness crash over him at the question. "…I don't know." He answered honestly.
"You don't?! How c- aw hell Dad's back. Look, I'll talk to you about this tomorrow!"
Shinji dropped the phone on his bed once his friend hung up. He picked up his SDAT player-
"Then you go hide in your handpicked cell and listen to some long-dead fool's pretentious trash on tape! You're a goddamn embarrassment! To everyone!"
-Only to drop it back onto the shelf almost immediately. He lay down on his bed, feeling even more worthless than usual. If…if only he'd told me a little more…
With that thought, the boy closed his eyes, silently wishing that he wasn't in the dark for once. He was asleep in a few minutes, his pathetic wish still echoing through his mind.
Maybe tomorrow would be better.
Shinji awoke with a start, only to find himself on his feet in a dark, dusty hall. He looked down at himself, absently noting that he was dressed in his school uniform this time instead of his sleeping clothes.
He looked around to get his bearings, only to abruptly realize that this wasn't the same place as the last dream, so getting his bearings would be completely useless. Still, he might as well examine the place while he could.
It was a grand throne room straight out of some western fantasy novel…after it had been pillaged twice and left alone for a hundred years. Both the grand double doors and the walls were embroidered with gold and precious gems, but they were dull and dirty, like they'd been left unwashed for years. Standards and banners hung everywhere, but each was tattered and worn, with some damaged practically beyond recognition. The floor was made of something shiny and dark, like marble, but it was dusty and cracked in dozens of places, at least, when it wasn't covered by a threadbare carpet. The columns in the hall were dark as night and comparatively undamaged, but somehow, they seemed just as beat up as the rest of the place.
"How could this happen?!" There was a pained groan from the center of the hall, and Shinji turned to see who it was. The voice was equal parts pained, confused, and angered. Even though the Third Child couldn't see much past the cloaked figure in front of him, he didn't need to see anything to recognize this voice. "Layna the Firebrand…You're not human!"
Shinji couldn't help but keep quiet and watch the scene in spellbound interest. From what he could tell, Gig was in an argument with some old white-haired lady wearing a red dress under a purple cloak. What's going on here? Who's Layna? …Do I know a Layna? … I don't think I do...
His thoughts were interrupted by another yell. "I-I just killed you! How the hell are you still alive!?" Gig spat, a pained groan following his question. "H-how many souls do you have?!"
The old woman bowed her head, chuckling without a hint of mirth. "Hmph. Well, in a way, I'm not." The voice was surprisingly flippant for being so ancient.
For once, Gig's statement perfectly matched Shinji's thoughts on the situation. "What the shit does that mean?!" He growled, clearly mystified by her words.
The old woman looked back up, her white ponytail bobbing slightly. "The soul of the human Layna departed this world when you clashed with her." She paused for a moment, letting her statement sink in. "Call it an unfortunate draw, if you wish." She shrugged.
Gig's pale face contorted from an angry snarl into a frown of confusion. "Unfortunate? What the hell are you on about now!?" The sound of something wet hitting the floor followed his question. "…Th-That's not good."
After that, the room was silent for a good few moments, the only sound that of his pained breaths before the woman deigned to respond. "…Gig, do you recognize the name Virtuous, or Vigilance?" She asked quickly, a hint of hope in her voice as she took a step towards him.
The bloodied young man shrank back from her ever so slightly, only to catch himself and step forward, wincing as he did. "H-Hell n-no." He tried to scoff defiantly, but the waver in his voice just made him sound weak.
There was another short silence before he spoke up again. "…Sh-Should I?" He questioned, sounding unsure to Shinji's ears for the first time in possibly forever.
The woman lowered her head for a moment. "Gig, you-"
A coughing fit from Gig cut her off. "Look, if you're gonna kill me, just do it already!" He raged weakly, any curiosity towards the names he'd just heard buried under a fresh spike of anger spawned from shame.
The woman regarded him intently for a few moments, before shaking her head and sighing. "I'm not going to kill you." She declared, raising her right hand as a purple and gold half-moon staff set with a large sapphire appeared in it. With a flash of light, a great sword that was black as midnight and almost as large as she was appeared, floating between the two of them and pointing to the sky. "I'm going to seal you away. And you'll sleep until your time comes." With those words, a shimmering glyph appeared under Gig's broken form, and an ethereal blue aura began to pulse from his bloodied body. With a flash of light and a burst of black miasma, the old woman's staff vanished, and the Master of Death disappeared into the great dark blade. It pulsed for a few moments with the same soft light that Gig had, only to vanish when Layna put her hand down.
Shinji, watching this whole scene in the silence, couldn't help but voice his thoughts now that it was over. "Wait, if that's the sword he's sealed in, then…this must be when he lost his body." He said thoughtfully.
The figure abruptly whirled around, revealing a woman who looked just as ancient as she sounded. Deep wrinkles crisscrossed all over her pale, mottled face. Strangely, the woman's eyes were sharp and clear, as if they had come from a twenty something instead of someone who should be one foot in the grave."…What are you doing here!?" She exclaimed, her wrinkled face contorting in shock…or was it fear?
Shinji opened his mouth to speak, confused as to why this dream/memory was yelling at him. "I-"
However, the woman wouldn't be having any of his excuses. "You can't be here without him!" She yelled, looking about the room with frantic glances, as if looking for a danger only she could see. "It'll be disastrous!" The old woman continued, her gaze now locked on the Third Child's uncomprehending face as she stepped towards him.
"I-" He began, feeling quite afraid as the old woman stopped less than two feet in front of him.
She put a hand on his shoulder and looked directly into his eyes, her bright brown gaze full of worry. "Leave! Now!"
With that, she gave him a hard shove, and the Third Child fell backwards into darkness.
"Gah!"
With that eloquent statement, Shinji catapulted up into a sitting position. His heart was hammering in his chest, he was sweating bullets, and he was panting like he'd just run a mile. He swung his gaze around, confirming that yes, he was in his bed, in Misato's apartment. He started to calm down as that fact sunk in, putting a hand to his forehead as his breathing slowly began to normalize. He was in bed, not in some weird crumbling medieval ruin with an old lady yelling at him for trespassing or something. Speaking of…
"…Did…Did I just get kicked out of my own dream?"
Shinji slumped back a bit into his slightly vibrating seat. It wasn't comfortable, but you couldn't expect much from military accommodations. Then again, that fact was fine with the Third Child, because he knew better than to expect much of anything in his life. He was too understanding to expect a military helicopter to be quiet.
He glanced up at the back of the seat in front of him, which had a mop of purple hair trailing down the back of it. "Misato?" He asked loudly, seized by a sudden burst of curiosity.
Misato's head swiveled around before slowly sliding out from behind the seat. "Yeeeees?" she asked, grinning like a cat who'd just got the cream.
He blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed by her expectant gaze. "Um…you never told me….where are we going?" He said quietly, feeling like he'd just placed himself under a microscope.
Misato blinked for a moment. "Oh, that!" She stated, sounding like she'd just remembered the fact she hadn't told him anything. "We're going to meet the new pilot, of course!" The captain explained easily, pleasantly ignoring the fact that she hadn't actually answered the boy's question.
Shinji decided to continue this line of questioning, his curiosity not yet exhausted. "Wait, there's another pilot? I thought it was just me and Ayanami." He stated, feeling kind of confused at her answer. If there's another pilot, why weren't they in Tokyo-3 before me?
Misato nodded at his question. "Yup! It's been so long since I last saw her, too!" She stated quickly, her hand pointing first at Shinji then herself, or his head and her boobs, if you wanted to be specific. "So it'll be a surprise for both of us!"
He didn't like how happy she looked after saying that. "I guess…" He muttered, trying to sound like something other than 'depressed' but failing quite badly at it.
Misato frowned at the sullen note in her ward's voice. "Hey, what're you so down for?" She asked, trying to sound motherly. "You should smile! Greet your teammate with a nice grin!" She told him, turning back to the front of the helicopter and closing her eyes.
Shinji looked down at his shoes as he heard his guardian start humming. "…I'll try." He said, his dismal tone thankfully concealed this time by the helicopter's droning engine.
"In other news, the JSSDF's new Jet Alone project malfunctioned today at its grand unveiling, sending attending officials into a panic before its automated shutdown procedures initiated. JSSDF officials apologized profusely for the incident, and have promised an investigation into the machine's sudden malfunction. Some pundits have jumped on the issue, blaming NERV for the malfunction. They cite the fact that NERV's head of technology, or 'Section 1' Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, was there at the time. NERV flatly denies such allegations, stating that 'in a war for our future, they have no reason to deny humankind any advantage.' This has been member supported, Public Radio."
Hikari sighed, sitting down at her kitchen table and pulling out some homework. "Dang old public radio. I never got my tote bag." She mused bitterly, missing the yellow fog that rolled past her kitchen window.
"So, this is the ship?" Shinji asked, looking around the boat as he got out of the helicopter. To his left was a tower-looking structure that seemed important, and to his right were a bunch of planes he couldn't name with flags he probably should be able to name. All around him was steel decking, and a bunch of sailors milling around.
"Yup!" Misato said cheerfully, looking around for someone. "I wonder where she is?" The captain straightened up, looking back at her recalcitrant ward. "Hey, what's wrong? I thought I told you to smile!" She tried, grinning ear-to-ear to ostensibly set an example. "See?" The captain relaxed, folding her arms and looking at him with an expectant gaze.
Shinji just shrank back a little and stared at his shoes.
Misato sighed as a sudden breeze ruffled her jacket. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you." She shook her head and turned back around. "I mean, you really need to brighten up-OH! There she is!" With that, the purple-haired captain took off across the deck at lightning speed, Shinji reluctantly following after her.
For all the disrespect Misato gave her body, she could actually move dang fast when she wanted to. After a few seconds of actual running, Shinji came to a stop beside Misato, panting just a bit as he did.
"Ah, right on time!" Misato didn't even turn to look at him before she clapped him on the back, nearly sending him face-first into the deck. "Well Asuka, this is the Third Child, Shinji Ikari! Shinji, this is the Second Child, Asuka Langley Soryu!" She announced cheerily, sweeping her left hand back and forth between them.
Shinji, who'd only just managed to stop himself from kissing the deck, finally looked up. Staring back at him was a redheaded Caucasian teenager with blue eyes and a pensive expression on her face. She was wearing a yellow sundress, a red pair of sandals, and a pair of crimson A-10 neural clips, like what he usually wore while piloting. It was actually kind of surprising to see someone wearing them outside of a plugsuit, because he'd found them uncomfortable to wear.
That, and Gig had likened them to cat ears. "Um…h-hello…" He sheepishly stated, staring at his shoes in embarrassment.
The girl looked him over for a few more moments in silence. Then her studious expression turned into a scornful frown . "Hm. Not much to look at." She said with a German accent and a condescending sense of superiority.
God, that condescending tone sounds just like Gig… Shinji looked up, feeling an urge to make sure Gig really wasn't here, only to be confronted with absolute silence from the two women. The unfortunate Third Child abruptly realized that he'd been thinking out loud once he caught sight of the confused look on Misato's face and the affronted countenance of the redhead.
"Who's Gig?" Both asked, one voice confused and the other sounding rather displeased.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he felt a distinct urge to run screaming off into the distance. "Umm….a friend?" He tried hopefully, only to be rewarded with complete silence from both of the women.
Asuka gave him a hard look as Misato just stood there in silence. "So, why did you confuse me with your…'friend'?" The redhead questioned, crossing her arms and scowling.
Shinji scratched the back of his head. "Umm…your voice reminded me of him just then, so…that's why." He said hopefully, holding his hands up in sheepish embarrassment.
The redhead gave him a flat stare for a few moments. "…Did you just say I sound like a guy?" She asked dangerously, making both Misato and Shinji take an automatic step back.
The Third Child waved his arms frantically, as if through sheer effort alone he could blow away the storm clouds gathering over the redhead. "N-no! It's just…y-your tone kind of reminded me of how he used to talk, and…" He trailed off awkwardly, silently realizing that nothing he could say would get him out of this.
Asuka opened her mouth to shout the insufficiently apologetic Third Child off the boat, only to be cut off when the door opened and let out a voice that put a smile on her face and the fear of God on Misato's.
"Well, well, who do we have here?" The male voice dripped confidence, wit, and suave appeal.
Misato slapped a hand over her face and groaned. "…Oh god, not-"
"Mr. Kajiii!" Asuka sprang forward, hugging whoever was hidden behind the door.
"Hey, Asuka." The voice chuckled affectionately. A man walked forward, turning to face both Shinji and Misato as he cleared the door, with Asuka's arms still firmly wrapped around his waist. The stubble on his face made him look like he'd forgotten to shave, his red tie hung lopsided on his blue shirt, and the beige coat he was wearing looked like it had seen better days. "So, you're the pilot I've heard so much about." The ponytailed brunet said easily, radiating a sort of indifferent confidence.
Shinji blinked. "I am?" He questioned, suddenly feeling suspicious of this strange man.
He ruffled the redhead's hair next to him, drawing a dreamy sigh from the girl. "Yeah, you're actually quite famous in my line of work. The attack you used against the Fifth Angel made this new channel." He shook his head, grinning roguishly. "Mind if I ask that next time you don't go quite so overboard?" He chuckled slightly.
Asuka blanched, disengaging from Kaji in order to properly convey her shock. "WHAT?! I never heard about that!" She roared, her firey gaze snapping onto the hapless Third Child. "Hey! You!" She cried angrily, stomping towards the boy with a snarl on her face. Her hand lashed out, grabbing hold of the poor boy's arm in a microsecond. "You're coming with me right now!" The redhead ordered forcefully, turning on her heel and dragging his weakly protesting body down the ship.
Misato watched the redhead drag the poor boy off, giving him a small wave when his terrorized gaze met hers.
"Well at least they're talking to each other."
The captain nodded sagely and closed her eyes, only for them to immediately snap back open once she realized just who had said that. "Yeah, too bad they're talking about how she'll kill him." She huffed, trying hard to manufacture a fresh batch of anger to use against the unshaven man. "Maybe she'll use some rope and chain."
The unshaven man grinned sloppily, allowing Misato to realize how she'd just stepped into a trap before capitalizing on it. "You know, if that's what you wanted, all you had to do was ask."
The resulting slap rang out loud and clear across the deck, leaving the surrounding sailors with an unfortunate memory they wouldn't soon forget.
"I just wanted to ask him how the hell he did all that, but noooo, he has to disappear for the whole day cause he's off to go see a ship."
Toji rubbed his irritated eyes as he stomped down the sidewalk, squinting in an attempt to see through the dense fog all around him. Since Shinji had left the city way too early in the morning for some stupid reason, he hadn't been able to grill him on what had happened last night. School itself had been just as boring as every other day he'd gone, with standouts such as Kensuke babbling on about some dumb military gun that shot positronic lasers or something, and the inimitable class rep staring at him for half the day and then snapping at him when he asked what was up. So now, feeling quite displeased, he was going to visit his sister to at least try to get something good out of the day. As he trudged down the street though, that sentiment was forgotten in favour of railing on his absent friend. Seriously, who the hell leaves for a ship at six in the morning? I was barely awake when he told me about it and-
He was jarred out of his thoughts when he walked into a signpost. "Dammit! Stupid sign!" He cursed, catching himself as he recoiled away from it. He stepped around it, shaking his head before looking around with a glare on his face. "What's with all this damn fog anyway? And since when is it yellow?" He coughed, feeling frustrated as he stomped down the street. Nobody better get in my way, otherwise I'll-wait a sec…
He stopped at the crosswalk, swinging his gaze around the intersection and only being greeted with more oppressive fog. Man, I can barely see through this stuff! The jock straightened up, suddenly realizing that the street around him, (at least the part he could see) was pretty much empty. What's going on anyway? It's like there's some kinda-
His thoughts were interrupted when an air raid siren began to sound, its high-pitched whine echoing throughout the city.
Toji, while slightly dense, knew exactly what it was thanks to experience. "Wait…That's…an Angel Alarm!" He exclaimed, feeling a touch of fear creep up his spine. He shut his eyes, his fear turning to dread as his brain spooled up. Wait, if that's an Angel alarm, then that means…
His eyes snapped wide open once his brain connected the dots. "Sis!" He cried in fear, trembling slightly as terrible scenarios of danger and harm starring his bedridden little sister raced through his head. I-I gotta make sure she's safe!
With that incredibly important thought in mind, Toji took off at a burning pace towards the hospital, the whine of the sirens nothing but a distant annoyance as he ran.
"Here we are!" The redhead announced confidently, finally letting go of the Third Child's arm, if only to gesture towards the innards of the cavernous steel room. She turned back to him, expecting a proper look of awe, only to be confronted by the back of his head. She growled, annoyed that the Third Child was once again staring over his shoulder like some paranoid security guard. "Would you stop doing that!" She yelled, clapping a hand on his shoulder. "For the fifth and last time, no one is following us!"
The boy started, his shoulders immediately slumping in embarrassment. "S-sorry." He mumbled, turning back to face her. Once he did, the redhead gestured for him to start looking around the room. On closer inspection, the teen noticed that the place was actually really empty, except for the huge beige tarp covered mass in the middle of it.
That's it? We got dragged out here for a tarp?
"Wh-what is it? What'd you drag me all the way out here for?" Shinji crossed his arms, feeling quite unimpressed by the huge beige mass in front of him. "Is the tarp special or something?"
"Only a rookie like you could think a tarp was important. " The redhead chuckled, yanking up an unsecured section of the tarp to reveal a red hunk of gleaming metal underneath. "See! This is my Evangelion! Feast your eyes upon the greatness that is the first production model, Unit-02!" Asuka swept her other hand over the rest of the tarp-covered machine imperiously, listening to fanfare only she could hear.
Right. You're so amazing you needed all the bugs ironed out before you'd come help. Oh yeah, that's the mark of a real elite.
Shinji blinked, looking between the expectant girl and the hunk of metal under the tarp. "Um, why is the fact it's a production model important?" He questioned, feeling less than impressed by the thing. "Mine seems to work fine." The boy shrugged, looking back at the door they'd come through.
"W-Well, you could only sync with yours cause it's an unfinished prototype." Asuka huffed imperiously as Shinji turned back around to look at her. "Mine, on the other hand, won't let just anyone pilot it." She gave him an expectant look, only to sigh dramatically once she caught the uncomprehending expression on his face. "It's because, since my Unit-02 is the well-designed combat production model, it's built for me and me alone!" The redhead grinned confidently, striking a double V for Victory pose in front of the machine as her sundress fluttered dramatically.
The boy just stared at the ridiculous scene in front of him. Between the girl's pose, the giant beige tarp behind her, and the pose the girl had struck, completely at a loss as to what to say to…this.
Asuka glared at him, affronted by his gobsmacked expression. "W-Well, What do you think?!" She prompted, waving her hand in a tiny circle.
"Ummm…" He fumbled, trying to think of something to say about either the redhead or her also red robot.
Red? Geez, this brat's as unoriginal as they come.
Shinji nodded sagely. "Couldn't you have picked a more original colour? Red's kind of cliché." He said without thinking.
"Well I-" Asuka froze mid-sentence as she realized what he'd actually said. "W-W-W-What did you say?!" She stammered angrily, astounded at the sheer balls this boy had to insult her Unit-02 over something so trivial! "R-Red's an amazing colour! How dare you besmirch my Unit-02's honour!" She practically frothed, her outraged blush as bright red as her hair.
"Geez, fine! Calm down!" He said quickly, holding his hands up in surrender, hoping to placate the advancing girl. " I didn't me-Gwah!" The boy slipped, falling on his back as the ship shook under his feet. "Since when do ships have earthquakes!?" He cried in confusion.
The girl did little better at keeping her balance, but at least she managed to stay on her feet. "They don't, stupid! That was an undersea shockwave! And it was really close, too!" She declared confidently, once she'd stopped wobbling. "Let's go!" She grabbed his hand, dragging him after her as she raced outside.
Both teens managed to get outside just in time to see a massive grey creature burst out of the water. It arced gracefully overhead, narrowly missing the deck of the boat before diving back into the water on the other side of the boat. The resulting wave nearly tossed Shinji overboard.
"What was that thing? An Angel?" Asuka breathed, though whether it was in awe or anticipation was anyone's guess.
Shinji shook his head quickly. "W-we should talk to Misato, maybe she could-"
Asuka held up a hand. "I've got a better idea. Come on." She said forcefully, grabbing his hand for the third time today and dragging him back inside.
Oh boy. First time alone with a girl and it's this kind of chick.
Great.
"Prepare for battle! Get the first child down here immediately!" Makoto yelled, silently cursing the fact that Misato wasn't here yet. Honestly, he shouldn't have been the one doing this, but with Misato gone, he was the one in the command room with the highest rank, so it fell to him to handle tac ops duty. "Where's Captain Katsuragi?" He asked quickly, fervently hoping that the woman in question would stride through the doors any second now.
Complicating matters was the fact that a very cross Dr. Akagi was there too, leaning against a wall.
Maya audibly gulped whenever the doctor's gaze landed on her. "…She left to go meet the Second Child this morning." The poor technician shrank back into her chair as Ritsuko's piercing eyes bored into her from across the room. "And… she uh, took the Third Child along with her…" She added quickly, fighting to keep her voice from cracking.
Makoto put a hand to his temple, trying to recall what he'd been taught during training about tac-ops. "Alright now…We…" The nerdy technician-cum-acting commander trailed off as he realized that the command room had become deathly quiet all of a sudden. "…Why did the alarm just shut off?" He asked slowly, confusion creeping up his spine as he looked around the room.
As before, it was the unfortunate Maya who had to speak for the technicians. "…We're…not reading a pattern anymore." The mousy technician squeaked, her voice filled with both fear and confusion. "It just…vanished a second ago."
"…But it was all over the city." Ritsuko pointed out evenly, pushing off the wall she'd been leaning against as her face twisted into a soft frown. "How in the world could it just disappear?" She questioned, walking towards Maya's terminal to get a better look.
Maya put her hands up defensively as the bottle blonde advanced on her. "I don't know!" She cried weakly, practically jumping out of her chair as the doctor took a look at the data. "See? The MAGI are coming up clean."
"So, you're saying it was just a computer glitch?" Ritsuko questioned, somehow managing to sound both sarcastic and sincere. "Well?" She turned from the computer to Maya, apparently oblivious to the poor woman's discomfort as she pressed her for information.
Maya gulped, practically backing up against the wall at this point to put more space between her and the blonde doctor. "Well, um, it was only for maybe a minute at most, and, well, there's no blue pattern anymore, so…." She trailed off helplessly, looking around the room for support.
Thankfully, Makoto stepped up to the plate. "…Get the First Child down here anyway." He called to the room at large. "Even if it's just a glitch, it can't hurt to play it safe. By the way, someone see about getting into contact with Captain Katsuragi."
The bottle blonde looked Maya over for a good long moment before stepping back. "I'll initiate a systems check to see whether or not this was a bug." She stated stiffly, leaving the room in what almost seemed like a huff.
Makoto sighed weakly, his shoulders slumping as he relaxed. The acting commander silently resolved to give Captain Katsuragi a very strongly worded complaint…letter…e-mail…
Well, he'd tell her the second she got back, anyway...
Misato paced around the decently sized command bridge of the Over the Rainbow in her normal NERV uniform and red beret. In the center of the fully-staffed room sat the vaguely Russian Admiral running the fleet, but he had wisely given over command to Misato after she'd ran in here like a devil out of hell. "Where the hell are Shinji and Asuka?" She yelled, rounding on the sailors and admiral. "Well!?"
"Third and Second Child have boarded Unit-02!" Called one of the bridge technicians.
"Patch me through to them!" She turned on a dime, striding towards the unfortunate crewman. She closed on the poor soul who'd told her, practically shoving the hapless man out of the way to get closer to his station's radio. It crackled with interference for a moment, and then it cleared up.
"-quit squirming! It's your fault for not bringing your own suit!"
"No it isn't! No one told me the next Angel was going to be a whale!"
Since when did Shinji grow a spine? "Both of you!" Misato said quickly, attempting to gloss over their petty squabbling. "The Angel is most likely after the Eva! Get out of there as fast as possible!" She ordered, already trying to think of a plan.
"That doesn't matter! Look, this time just think in German!" Asuka commanded angrily.
"Oh sure, that's easy. Here, I'll give it a shot right now. 'nicht Sai ben bratwurdsalat." Shinji said, affecting a German accent to sound as guttural as possible.
"What?! None of that's real German!" The Second Child yelled in bewilderment.
"Oh, well lemme try again. 'hai sei kantoro sweetan'." He said sarcastically, still affecting the accent.
Then there was what sounded like a small scuffle in the cockpit. "I will punch you if you don't stop that ridiculous nonsense!" Asuka yelled angrily.
Misato balled her hands into fists, growling quietly. "You two! You'll have to work together to defeat the Angel!" She said, using her best command voice.
"It was a joke! I don't even know German!"
Asuka made a wordless noise of frustration. "Then don't lie and say you do! "
"Well you're the one who told me to do it!"
"Shinji…" Misato said slowly, her nails digging into her palm as her frustration rose.
"I was expecting that you'd learned at least some basic language skills! It's not my fault you're an uncultured idiot!"
"Asuka…" The purple-haired woman's eyebrow twitched violently, giving the bridge staff a warning to scoot away from the quietly shaking woman.
"I'm Japanese! Why would I know German?!"
"Well, I'm German, and I know Japanese! I was hoping you'd be something other than a distract-"
Misato's patience finally ran out. "BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP AND FOCUS!" She roared angrily, slamming her fist down next to the radio. She growled quietly into the radio before pulling away and straightening up, her face once again calm and serious.
The entire room was silent for a few moments before the radio crackled back to life. "Y-yes ma'am." The fearful apology came in almost perfect sync. "We're focusing now."
Misato kept standing completely straight. "Good!' She bit out, using just the right amount of anger to cow the two further. "Now get ready to fight the Angel!" She ordered, sounding a bit stiffer than she would've liked.
"Look, I'll…just set it to Japanese. That should…That should fix everything."
"Y-Yeah…that sounds good. Let's…do that."
"E-Evangelion Unit-02, Start!" Asuka called out loudly, her voice wavering slightly.
She opened her eyes, only to be greeted with a dark void. Her whole body felt tired and heavy, and it was a struggle to even keep her eyes open. Her sight was fuzzy and unfocused, but far in the distance she could see two people surrounded by an aura of dim light, one a…red girl with red hair, the other a… red boy with black hair. Next to the boy was…was…a something. It was like a…ball….a black ball…but it was on fire…and the fire was black too.
What it?
Strangely, even though she couldn't quite place what the object truly was, she felt an urge to reach out and touch it. So, closing the distance between her and the children in three strides and cheerfully ignoring the feeling that she was sinking, she did just that.
She reached out, feeling the object up for a moment before she tore a chunk of it off. It made a funny, high-pitched noise that lasted for a while before it petered out. Once the ball had stopped making noise, it dimmed significantly, but that was ignored along with the sudden feeling of cold surrounding her, as she'd already stopped paying attention.
She looked over the black piece in her hand for a moment, still unsure as to what it was. It was warm in her hand, undulated like a flame as she held it, it looked kind of brittle, and was small enough to be bite-sized.
Is a…food?
Feeling curious, she opened her mouth and popped the strange matter inside in one motion. She closed her eyes, taking a few steps back on reflex. She chewed on it for a moment, savouring both its crunchiness and its powerfully hot taste before swallowing. She smiled, feeling pleasant warmth spread through her body.
So good…I wonder if there's more somewhere…
Wait…
…Where am I?
The woman felt a small pain in her hands as her head jerked up and she opened her eyes. She felt strangely energized, yet unfocused and slow at the same time. It was…like she'd just run a whole marathon while sleepwalking, and she'd only now woken up. She looked around, her red hair swishing back and forth as she took in her surroundings. In the distance, she spied a redheaded girl in a red plugsuit, along with a foreign black-haired boy wearing the same red suit, but he had a dim ball of burning shadow wobbling around his head.
The woman strode forward, feeling a powerful desire to get close to the redhead. Something about the girl was highly familiar, but she just couldn't figure out what. The closer she got, the more it bothered her, until she was right behind the teenager.
The redheaded lady, without a hint of hesitation, put her hands on the girl's shoulders. Strangely, her left hand sank into the body of the young girl without a bit of difficulty, while her right felt like it was pressing against a brick wall. It was an odd feeling, but that didn't bother the woman in the slightest. Even unnoticed as she was by the girl, the woman still felt much better. It was as if a great weight of worry had just fallen off her shoulders, one she hadn't even noticed until it was gone. She closed her eyes and sighed dreamily, feeling so very content at the moment. Still…
She's so familiar…
But where? Where have I met this girl before?
"Misato! We could really use a plan right about now!" Asuka yelled loudly. "We're kind of about to be swallowed!"
"I'm trying, but you're kind of outpacing my planning abilities!" Misato snapped back, trying to balance planning out how to engage the Angel with the Children's immediate situation. The two of them had managed to hook up the umbilical cable without difficulty, which was good. Unfortunately, right afterwards the Angel had burst out of the water and crashed into them. It's mouth had clamped down on them as it passed, dragging Unit-02 down into the water so it could bite them in half. Thankfully, Asuka had been enough of a quick thinker to put Unit-02's hands and feet between them and its teeth, so at least it couldn't just tear them in half.
Unfortunately for Misato, since this maneuver had put Unit-02 at the back of the 6th Angels' gaping maw, the two pilots were quickly running out of cable. Since Unit-02 had been shipped without the B-type equipment designed for sea battles, they were already fighting at a great disadvantage. If Unit-02 ran out of power underwater, or worse, detached from the cable, not only would the two be sitting ducks, they'd sink to the bottom of the ocean and drown.
"We can see the core! It's within reach, but we don't have any weapons to hit it with!" The Third Child supplied quickly, his voice tinged with a faint edge of desperation.
"It's trying to crush us right now!" Asuka cried urgently.
Misato grimaced, silently wishing that she didn't have so many factors working against them right now. However, she could feel the beginnings of a plan coming together in her mind. "Alright, I need the both of you to-"
"Wait a sec…What's going on?!"
Misato looked up, her train of thought momentarily derailed thanks to the redhead's odd outburst. "Asuka, what did you just say?" She called out urgently, trying to stay calm at all costs.
"What? What are you talking about?!"
"I feel weird! Did you do something to my Eva?!"
"Asuka! Ignore it for now!" Misato ordered forcefully.
"No!" Shinji cried out almost immediately. "More importantly, what did you want us to do Misato!?"
Misato shook her head, refocusing on the situation at hand. "Alright, I need both of you to listen closely!" She commanded quickly, thankful that the two were starting to cooperate with her. "I need you to tell me-"
"-Can you see anything that could be used against the Angel? Anything you could use as a weapon?"
"A weapon?" Asuka replied quickly, pursing her lips as she processed Misato's question. Though it was damn dark in the ocean to be looking around for options, she managed to find out that she had a whole lot of one. "I see teeth!" She answered quickly. "They look pretty sharp, so they might work!"
"Asuka I'm not sure-"
The Second Child spun Unit-02's right hand around to take hold of one of the monster's many white teeth. Once that was done, she pulled as she could. With a muted organic tearing noise, the sharp fang came loose, blood momentarily drifting out of the hole before a new tooth emerged to plug the hole. Thankfully, it was just big enough to fit snugly in one hand, as the Eva's other was still busy keeping the Angel's mouth open.
"I don't think this'll work-" Shinji tried to speak up.
"EAT IT!" Asuka roared, ignoring the boy behind her as she swung the makeshift spike directly towards the Angel's exposed core. The spike rammed into the core, penetrating a tiny bit before stopping dead. Gaghiel whipped its head from side to side in an attempt to fling them out of its mouth, but Asuka wouldn't be stopped so easily. She stabbed into the core again and again with the makeshift spike, small cracks spreading across the red crystal with each impact. The myriad cracks grew larger and deeper as she continued to strike, until the entire orb looked ready to shatter.
"DIE!" With that final scream of anger, Asuka drove the bone-white fang into the core, and this time, it penetrated all the way in.
Gaghiel roared in what could only be described as pure agony, causing both pilots to wince. Bright shafts of crimson light began to shine out from each of the cracks in the crystal orb. Suddenly, Unit-02's hand slashed through the red flesh it had been pressing against. With its anchor point gone, Gaghiel's violent spasms proceeded to hurl the crimson Evangelion out into the ocean.
The two spun to a stop a good distance away from the dying beast, and it took them a while to recover from the sensation. When they did, they were treated to quite a sight. The giant beige fish monster twisted and spun around crazily in the water, its whole powerful body flexing almost randomly as the two shocked pilots watched in silence. Its movements became stronger and more frenzied as the light from its core grew brighter, nearly bowing into a circle once the pilots had to shield their eyes.
Then, almost without warning, the light went out. Both pilots chanced a look out, only to barely catch the sight of red crystal slipping out of Gaghiel's mouth and sinking to the ocean floor. Once the crystal shards had disappeared from sight, the two teens looked up, only to catch sight of copious amounts of dark crimson blood seeping from Gaghiel's still body.
"I…I did it! I did it! I killed the Angel!" Asuka crowed gleefully, pumping her fist like an excited little girl.
"…Wow. That was…crazy." Shinji admitted.
Asuka abruptly rounded on the boy, grinning smugly. "See that, Third Child?" She asked rhetorically, her whole face practically glowing with triumph. "I don't need crazy superpowers to win! All I need are my skills and my Eva! So I just-"
"Right, right that's enough. You won Asuka and that makes you the best." Misato interrupted, turning the redhead's jubilant smile into a frown of annoyance. "Now then, both of you prepare to get drawn back up."
"…Dang right I'm the best." Asuka muttered, sneaking in one last fist pump as the Evangelion began to rise.
Kana woke up, feeling immensely tired and quite lost. She groaned muzzily, forced to make a concerted effort to reach up and brush her long brown hair out of her face. Once that was done, her hand fell back to her side as she cast heavy-lidded eyes around her tiny white hospital room. She'd been injected with…something hours ago, then she'd fell asleep, and now that she was awake, she felt terrible. In fact, she was so tired she couldn't even sit up.
What happened? That lady talked to me, then those doctors came, then…then…what's that noise?
Kana listened intently to the strange sound. It was a high-pitched noise, but muffled and very quiet. She'd only just realized what is was when it suddenly cut off. …That…That was the emergency siren…Was there an attack? Is…Is big bro in danger? Is…everything going to be okay? Or…
Further thought on the subject was foreclosed when she heard footsteps thunder down the hall outside. In moments, her hospital door flew open, revealing a panting black-haired teenager wearing a tracksuit behind it.
"Sis! Are you okay?!" He cried, rushing to her side and giving her a big hug.
"…Big brother?" She coughed weakly, her words muffled in his chest. "What's…going on?"
"N-nothing's going on, sis!" He tried to sound reassuring, but the waver in his voice gave him away. "I'm just glad you're okay!"
"…Th-thanks… big bro." Kana muttered, starting to fall backwards the instant her brother let go.
"H-hey! Be careful!" Toji cried, catching her almost instantly. This time, he carefully lowered her back down to the soft white bedding. "Y…you're pushin yourself too hard again sis." He chided her weakly. "You should-"
"Hey! What the hell are you doing in there?!"
In moments the door had been thrown open and a big blond doctor wearing a labcoat stomped in. In seconds he'd seized her brother and begun dragging him out.
"H-hey, what's the big idea?! Let go of me!" Toji protested, struggling futilely against the larger man's iron grip.
Kana watched the blond doctor drag her angry brother out of the room as a horrendous feeling stole over her. She tried looking around, but her vision was starting to swim, and her lungs felt like they were burning. Everything's all…fuzzy now…Something's not…right. She tried to open her mouth to call for help, but all she got for her trouble was a black shadow creeping over her eyes. She knew, distantly, that she should be afraid for her life right now, but she just felt…so…
…tired…
"Hang on, if I'm not the foreigner girl with something to prove, which romance option am I? They've already got the quiet one, the normal one, and the older one, soooo…?"
