10

A path to redemption

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"We can be redeemed only to the extent to which we see ourselves."

-Martin Buber

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Monday, September 14th, 2015

Tokyo three

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Gendo let out a cough as he sat up on his cot, his throat felt dry and he wheezed as he grabbed the bottled water. He had left the damn electric fire on again, and it was merrily cooking the dust in the room he slept in. He downed the bottle with a chug then sat for a moment, his phone was buzzing away frantically. Picking it up he thumbed through the messages and felt his eyes widen at the information. The fleet had been all but destroyed, and it seemed that the Adam sample had been stolen. A tiny smirk broke out on his face, he imagined that Ryoji Kaji was probably sweating profusely around about now. Oddly he felt no anger at the loss of the sample, it would have been useful certainly but was no longer the be all and end all. Rising to his feet he made his way into the lab proper and there beheld the fruits of his labor. Floating in the large glass cylinder was the clone, at this point in its development the equivalent of four years old. As much as he had wished to use the flash clone technique, there was a risk of imperfections. Still, the clone was growing rapidly all the same, and as he ran his calculations, Gendo knew it was a matter of weeks. He ran his hand lovingly over the glass, yes, this time he did feel a sort of paternal joy.

Yui moved from behind him to stand by the glass, his wife staring almost longingly at the clone, as it floated untroubled in its tube. "He will be vulnerable; Shinji could prove a threat," Yui said to him, and Gendo smiled as his wife finally understood that Shinji was expendable. "Don't worry about him, I'll make arrangements." Yui nodded seeming sad at the thought, but clearly, she understood the need for action. His son was a by-product of failed genetics, the clone would be everything Shinji had been meant to be, untainted by being grown in a womb. Rising Gendo approached his control console, he had access to the cities camera system from here. It was merely a matter of studying his son's movements, studying them and looking for a weakness to exploit. Yui had vanished again, but her visitations were growing more frequent. He needed to keep a close track on his progeny, at school and if needed at home as well. Gendo would hire mercenary's if it proved needed, but it was vital it not be traced back to him. He sat hands resting against his chin, elbows resting on his desk. A faint twinge of tendinitis hit his right shoulder, a side effect of spending too much time at his desk. His plans were growing closer to completion, he didn't even need Adam anymore. The clone would provide that portion of DNA, now it was just a patient waiting game.

The idea hit him with such purity he was stunned he hadn't thought of it sooner, he could use SEELE to dispose of his whelp. If they learned of the mutation, the committee would view the boy as a threat to their plans. From there the paranoid old men would do the rest, he would never even have to lift a finger. An accident would be arranged for the boy, and nobody would trace it back to him. Gendo could play the grieving father role, vowing revenge which he never planned to exact. Annette Bastian was the most logical point of contact, the French woman was dedicated to the cause, and more than likely would act herself. The where and the how of what might occur didn't matter, getting rid of Shinji and securing the clone was all there was. He frowned momentarily alarmed by his own thoughts, but a sudden rush of purpose filled him, he was doing the right thing. Gendo nodded satisfied with the scheme he had just concocted and set about making the necessary calls and redirections. If it went wrong then the blame would fall at her feet, not that she would likely suffer any repercussions anyway. He could not have known at that point, that someone out in the world was orchestrating plans of their own, and that they had been scheming for far longer than Gendo.

/

Mari found herself struggling to find sleep, understandable given recent events and all, but it was not the sinking that had kept her awake. They had returned to Misato's apartment Saturday night with Asuka in tow, the redhead had been slowly getting back to her imperious self and had sniffed at the idea of sharing a communal space with a boy. Shinji had sighed and volunteered to sleep on the couch, however after what she had seen of the wrecked supercarrier, Mari had told him he would not be on the couch, she would be. So here she was once again on the couch her mind going a mile a minute, she had accepted Shinji's words of comfort. It had not been her fault what had happened, the entire thing had been unfortunate collateral damage. 'You fight things that explode when they die, and something like this is bound to happen eventually' Mari had told herself, and it helped that this was the truth of the matter, they were at war for their very survival. Still, the image of the devastation would stay with her, acting as a reminder of the angel's lack of compassion. Tonight Mari had other things on her mind, however, and this preoccupation was asleep in his room. Mari arose from the couch, her heart threatening to reach her mouth, and carefully snuck into Shinji's room. 'We've shared this room almost since the start, and now I'm nervous?' she found herself thinking.

He was flat out on his back fast asleep, one leg sticking out from under his covers, and one arm behind his head. Mari simply stood there just looking at him, testing herself and waiting for this strange giddy feeling to fade, it didn't. Mari silently slid onto the bed, half expecting the boy to awaken startled. However, for Shinji, it had been a long and tiring day of needles and tests, and he was dead to the world. Mari snuggled against him, studying the line of his jaw as her heart throbbed rapidly in her chest. Since she had arrived, Mari had been able to learn a lot about Shinji Ikari. He was very self-effacing, some might have found such a personality to be unattractive, but for Mari it was perfect. Shinji gave with little thought of reward; he kept his head down and simply made the best of bad situations. Was it perhaps the start of a simple crush on her part, a fleeting and momentary set of feelings that would pass in time? Mari couldn't be certain, she enjoyed being around the boy a lot. Seeing his face on a morning always lightened her mood, and she had been overcome with delight when he had bought her a gift. Not because the gift had been expensive, but because it had come from Shinji. Mari had been saddened when she had learned the handheld was lost, but she had been comforted that Shinji was ok, that was what had mattered.

At some point she fell asleep listening to his rhythmic breathing, her right hand resting lightly on his chest. When she finally stirred back to wakefulness, he was lying there gazing at her, his cheeks tinged a slight pink and a small smile on his lips. No words passed between them, and he got up to go get ready and then prepare breakfast. Mari lay there enjoying the warmth the bed retained when the sounds of crackling meat finally drew her from the room. Mari sat and watched as Shinji moved deftly and confidently around the kitchen, a natural chef at home in his chosen environment. Asuka arrived yawning sleepily and wiping at her eyes, the German girl had sniffed at the scent of a cooked breakfast. Once the food was served up the other girl carefully tested the bacon and had then proceeded to once more devour all before her. Mari chose to take her time with her food, savoring the taste of a meal prepared by Shinji. Even Misato, who was notorious for being a late riser had been drawn from her lair, thanking the boy as he set her breakfast before her. Mari noted the boy had not made anything so grand for himself, choosing to settle for two slices of toast instead. Mari suspected she knew why, there had not been sufficient for all four of them, and so he had chosen to put their guest above himself.

Breakfast finished up she helped Shinji with the dishes, it was a school day today, and Mari had listened with amusement as Misato had argued with Asuka. The redhead was vehement she would not attend school, it took some thinly veiled threats to get the girl to do as she was told. Mari had braced to be separated from Shinji again, that is until an unexpected phone call caused a change of plans. Orders from on high sent herself, Shinji and Misato off to an old military landing strip just outside Tokyo two's limits. On arrival, Mari looked around the old military airbase with her guardian and Shinji, agent Sato meeting them her expression severe. Then again, as far as Mari could recall the woman only had one facial expression. Shinji was squatting on the ground, his hands wrapped around his knees as he did so. The boy occasionally flicking his gaze around as they waited inside a large hanger, he could have taken a seat with them, but he seemed to be on edge for some reason. SSDF personnel could be seen here and there around the base, and occasionally they would enter the hanger. Every time that happened Shinji would eye them warily, Mari frowned wondering what was troubling the boy? Behind her a single VTOL sat unattended, other vehicles occupied the hanger such as jeeps. Shinji rose to his feet in a single smooth motion, not even a pop of protest escaped his joints as he did so.

"Planes here." The boy informed them causing Mari to frown, she couldn't hear anything yet, but as she followed him to the hanger entrance, she picked it up. The screaming sound of far off jet engines and turning could just barely see the plane. Next to her Shinji observed the plane from a distance, "Kensuke keeps missing out." He said shaking his head in amusement, Mari chuckled as she imagined the military mad boy blowing a fuse. The plane finally came close enough for her to identify it, a Boeing C-17 military transport plane. It passed overhead then turned with surprising grace to make its final approach onto the main runway. Mari turned to Shinji trying to puzzle something out, "why are we here? Surely this is just Nerv business?" Shinji turned to face her expression contemplative, then he shrugged. "Guess we find out soon." He said sagely. Misato drew up alongside the pair expression curious, whatever this was she hadn't been given much of a warning. The planes rear ramp lowered, and a vehicle all but exploded out of the back of the plane. "Someone's trying to give you a run for your money Misato." Her guardian raised one eyebrow in amusement, and Mari waited as the Humvee approached their position.

/

Asuka had been dismayed when Misato had informed her, in no uncertain terms she would be attending school. She Asuka who had already attended and aced college, what on earth was the point in going to school? However, Misato had been adamant about it, and so Asuka had found herself entering unfamiliar territory. It had been a less than pleasant experience, the boys had been obnoxious and drooling, seriously were all Japanese boys so perverted? It had not even taken until the afternoon for love letters to start appearing, the only ones who hadn't hassled her were the idiot's friends, who it seemed preferred the overly developed Makinami, that as far as Asuka was concerned was fine by her. Misato had made Asuka swear not to tell a soul about Shinji's unusual status, and not wanting to be locked up in a nuthouse Asuka had agreed. Besides at the end of the day, that would simply bring the idiot more fame he didn't deserve. The first class had been an utter bore fest, the old teacher waffling on about life before the second impact. Asuka had legitimately contemplated simply playing truant, that is until someone finally piqued her interest, the first child. Initially, Asuka had not noticed the pale girl, so caught up in the purgatory of this school had she been. Asuka had happened to glance around and had spotted the girl. Skin like fine porcelain and eyes an intense shade of red, the girl had seemed to sense Asuka's gaze and met it unflinchingly.

Asuka scowled as she recalled approaching the girl, she had offered her hand in friendship but had been met with complete indifference. Normally Asuka would shrug and move on, but something about this rebuttal had stung harder than expected. Her efforts to build bridges with her teammates, already proving a challenge. So now she found herself stalking the corridors fuming, how on earth could the girl have not wanted to be her friend? Asuka didn't spot the older girl until it was too late, crashing headlong into her just as she looked up. "Hey! Watch where you're going!" She barked, only to be met with a punch to the stomach. The wind was driven out of her, and she fell to the floor gasping. "Stupid little gaijin, do yourself a favor. Go home!" the girl snarled, she was tall and athletically built. Dyed green hair framed an attractive face, but right now that face was contorted in anger. Asuka growled and tried to get back up, and another blow landed this time on the top of her skull. Stars flashed before her eyes, and she felt a kick land to her side. "Someone needs humbling." The older girl declared, and Asuka braced herself for more punishment. As if she had not already been humbled already? This was not the sort of situation she was used to, and Asuka suddenly understood how pampered she had been. The expected blows, however, did not land, "what do you want Ayanami, can't you see I'm busy here?" the taller girl snarled.

Asuka glanced up wondering if perhaps the pale girl might join in the beat down, the Ayanami's expression was completely unreadable. "You are attacking a younger student, desist." Asuka blinked, the girl was almost robotic in her speech pattern. Yes, robotic, not at all like a doll at all, but rather like some sort of android. The older girl smirked and launched a punch at Rei and was as caught off guard as Asuka. Rei caught the girl's wrist and turned the would-be aggressor around all in one move. Rei's foot came up and pressed against the girl's rump, one deft push and the older girl was sent staggering away. Asuka was uncertain how to feel about this, on the one hand, she was grateful for the intervention, on the other she hated appearing weak. The older girl launched back in, and once again it took Rei no effort to deflect the attack. It wasn't her strength that Rei was displaying, rather an incredible grasp of self-defense. The taller girl brought her other hand round, and Asuka knew the blow would connect this time. Snarling a German curse, she launched herself, head slamming into the older girl's stomach. Their attacker let out a startled woof, and finally seemed to gain a clue, the taller girl backed off in a hurry now. Asuka knelt getting her breath back when a hand was offered to her. Asuka glared at Ayanami but accepted the hand up.

"Not a word of this to anyone!" She hissed, the pale girl simply raised an eyebrow and began guiding her. Asuka found herself unable to resist the girls pull, and soon found herself at the nurse's office. Her body was starting to ache now that the adrenalin was wearing off, the woman inside the room glanced up at the new arrivals. The nurse was not all that old, unsurprising considering that few medical personnel had survived the second impact. Dark shoulder length hair, and a pair of black-rimmed square glasses perched on an attractive face. The woman looked at Asuka and frowned, but before she could speak Ayanami did. "Miss Soryu slipped in the corridor." The nurse did not look convinced however, "yes those corridors tend to hit hard. Don't worry I'll keep your secret, and see to it miss Megumi gets spoken too, for all the good it will do." Asuka allowed herself to be tended, to her surprise Rei remained sitting in the office. "Thought you didn't want to be my friend?" Asuka said probingly, the girl tilted her head to one side, her expression indicating the answer was obvious. "You didn't give me enough time to consider your offer." Asuka blinked, and she watched as the girl seemed to grow oddly shy. "It… would be nice to have a friend." The pale girl finally answered her, and for some reason, this made the whole school thing worth it.

The idiot and Makinami were not here, instead, they were out on some super secretive meetup. Asuka had only spent two nights at Misato's, fully intending to find a place of her own right away. It was one thing to try to be a team player, it was another thing to live on top of each other. However, come Sunday morning that had changed, when she had discovered stupid Shinji could cook, and how could he cook. It was clear the breakfast feast had been intended to lift Makinami's spirits, as the girl had been understandably a bit glum. Asuka had tasted cooked breakfasts before, but the fair the boy could put on was a masterpiece. Asuka had wondered if his mutation had caused his cooking skills, or if he had always been able to do so. Then she realized the truth, the idiot was living with Misato Katsuragi. If he wanted to eat and not suffer food poisoning, then he would likely have had to learn himself very quickly. Regardless, this had suited Asuka perfectly fine, and she had decided to stay at the Katsuragi household, at least for the time being. Given that Mari all but slept in the boy's pants, Asuka had taken over her room. Reaching the changing rooms Asuka began to undress, careful to keep herself out of sight of the door. 'Stupid perverts'

/

Elias had to hang on for dear life as Mitchel put his foot down, the ramp had barely reached the ground when the Humvee exploded from the rear. Beside him Lucas looked uneasy, "I'd rather not die having just landed." The Frenchman grumbled, and behind him, he heard Enzo mutter an amen. The vehicle screeched to a halt, and the engine was barely switched off when Blaine vaulted out. Elias slowly unbuckled himself and exited the Humvee, observing the interplay between uncle and niece, and the slightly bemused expression on the boy's face. Shinji Ikari regarded each of them with nervous eyes, blue eyes that were unusually speckled with red. Elias stepped past Mitchel as he hugged his niece and addressed the boy. "Pilot Ikari? I'm Stanton, your new head of security. I've been assigned directly to you." The boy's eyes widened, "wait? Your answering to Shinji?" Katsuragi asked surprised. Elias nodded then brought his gaze to bear on Sato, the blonde had a tiny almost imperceptible smile on her face. "Agent, I'd like to retain your services. You know the lay of the land here, and you come highly recommended." Sato nodded; face once more inscrutable. Elias gestured toward the others, and the boy tentatively stepped forward.

'Kids pretty timid when it comes to people' he noted and proceeded to introduce the rest of his team to their new little boss. All of them nodded with respect, though in Enzo's case it was somewhat bemused respect. All except Saul, who approached the boy and slid to one knee resting one big hand on the boy's shoulder. It might have been quite comical, the man utterly dwarfed the boy, yet there was something in Saul's expression and demeanor. "Thank you, for everything you have done, for everything you will do, Aabbe." The big man said, and Elias pondered what he had said in his native tongue. Yet at the same time, he understood the majority of his sentiment, simple gratitude for the boy's sacrifice. Shinji Ikari had piloted the Eva to keep mankind safe from the angels, a perilous and often thankless task. The boy had initially looked overwhelmed by Saul, but at these words, a shy smile graced the boy's lips. Saul nodded and rose to his feet, his words had apparently influenced the boy, who now seemed to stand just a little taller. Katsuragi slid an arm around the third child's shoulder giving him a little hug, and once the introductions had been completed. (Shinji being surprised to meet Mari's uncle) The group set out for the apartment building, Elias rode in the front passenger side seat of Katsuragi's car. Rapidly learning her driving was as bad as Mitchel's, a mental image of the pair drag racing entered his mind.

Thankfully they managed to reach their destination safely, and Elias took in the building he would be tasked with defending. He grimaced as he counted the potential ingress points and found himself realizing that a concerted effort to get at the boy, could only ever result in success. However, the apartment was home for these people, and so he would simply have to do the best he could. The door to the apartment opened and he followed the little family in and received the first of many surprises upon encountering the family pet. No dog or cat for these people, no it just happened to be a large penguin type. The thing had a newspaper in its flippers and was sat at the table looking positively studious. Elias half expected it to turn to him and in a chipper voice say, "why hello old chap, and welcome to the madhouse." Instead, Mari approached the bird and gently stroked its frill, Elias blinked and turned to the boy whose lips were twitching in amusement. "Any alligators in the bathroom I should know about?" Shinji shook his head and proceeded with the grand tour; Elias frowned as he noted the door to the veranda. Yet another potential attack spot, it would need reinforcing if it was to hold off any kind of attack.

"This may prove harder than I first thought." He informed his little employer earnestly; the boy frowned a look of concern crossing his face. "The pilots will need weapons training; you need to be able to protect yourself just in case." At these words, the boy's face paled, his eyes took on a distant look as if remembering something. Elias paused then asked, "which of these is your room?" Shinji seemed to snap out of it and led the way, Elias stepped inside and gestured for him to sit. The boy did as he was instructed as Elias closed the door, "You have an issue with guns?" He watched as the boy fidgeted, almost as if he felt he needed permission to voice himself. Elias slid down into a crouch reducing the height difference between them, "I'm on your side kid, I'm here to protect you not judge you." The boy paused and then slowly nodded, "I could have killed those guys, back on over the rainbow." Elias listened as the boy told his tale, told of the sinking and the two desperate men who had wanted the boat for themselves. Wanted it to carry their dead captain in, Elias forced himself not to react when the boy told him of grabbing the gun, and the miracle of shooting the guns from his would-be assailant's hands.

Elias sensed there were some things he was not being told, but if the boy spoke truly, he was either a walking luck factory or a dead aim with a weapon. "Can I ask you a question?" Shinji asked timidly, and Elias nodded his consent. "How do you deal with taking a life?" Elias felt a fresh surge of surprise, and the boy shot up in his estimations. He pondered the question and formulated a response, one that was as honest as he could make it. "Sometimes, down in the real world. We're faced with ugly choices, sometimes to protect the ones we care for, we need to… weigh the value of life." The boy nodded slowly seeming to process his words, "I had to kill someone recently, a drug dealer in Mozambique, he had many deaths on his hands. Is a man like that worth more than say pilot Makinami?" The response was immediate, a flash in the boy's eyes and no hesitation. "Of course not!" Elias smiled gently, "There are bad people in this world Shinji Ikari, and sometimes we have to kill to protect those we love." "They make the choices they make, to do harm to others." As he spoke, he felt his own conviction, his own certainty in the truth of it. "Sometimes I'm guilty of enjoying the hunt, but if I ever stopped to feel remorse, I'd go crazy."

The boy sat looking at him with utter calmness, "thank you. For giving me something to think about." Elias smiled and nodded slowly rising to his feet, "let's check the rest of this place out, shall we?" Shinji hopped to his feet and opened the door, only for Misato to almost fall into the room. Elias inclined his head to the overprotective woman, here at least was someone willing to give her life for her charge, that was a rare bond indeed. "It's ok Misato, I think we do need weapon training," Shinji said suddenly, and he watched as the boy made an odd gesture to her. Katsuragi's eyes widened slightly in surprise, then flicked her gaze to Elias. "You're sure?" Was all she asked the boy, and he nodded his head confidently. Elias looked between the pair, whatever that had been was some sort of prearranged signal. Katsuragi stepped forward and closed the door once again, and now it was Elias being told to sit down. "Shinji's trust isn't an easy thing to win, and you seem to have made an immediate impression." The woman began, "pass me your knife if you would?" Elias blinked, looked at the pair and then shrugging handed her the knife. She, in turn, handed it to the boy, and Elias leaped off the bed as the boy used it to slice his palm with a hiss of pain.

Elias seized the boy's hand and was about to chastise the pair when it happened, the cut was not a particularly deep one, yet he watched stunned as it knitted back together in seconds. The boy was looking at him with those calm eyes of his, seemingly awaiting his reaction. Misato spoke softly, keeping her voice low so as not to alert the whole household. She spoke of the mutation in the boy's DNA, a mutation Elias realized was brought on by his own actions. Of all the people in all the world, the boy had for some reason chosen to trust him with this. Suddenly the insistence of Marcus Shaw made sense, yet how had a complete stranger known about this? Misato continued to describe what Shinji had manifested so far, the reflexes and the strength as well. The boy was virtually the perfect weapon made flesh, save that he had the one thing that set him apart, a moral compass. Now Elias understood his role here, he was here to protect the boy certainly, but more than anything they were here to train the boy. He wanted to tell Graves, yet as much as he trusted his employer and mentor, the boy had entrusted him with a huge secret. Elias met the boy's unwavering gaze with his own, "On my life, you will be protected."