Chapter 10
DAMN YOU BON JOVI!!! DAMN YOU!!! Your songs get stuck in my head, and then they're hard as hell to learn on guitar x.x
Thanksgiving break coming up means I get to relax for a bit. And that, in turn, means I get to write =D
I took quite a while with this x.x That's because I've had to write two songs, and make a one minute ad jingle for class. Plus I'm job hunting once again.
Anyway, I've had some good times mixed in with the work ^^
I recently got Left 4 Dead on my 360. I've got to say, it's a blast to play. Alone, or with friends, screaming in your ears as they are swarmed with crazy, brain hungry zombie hordes.
I also finally got to finish watching Sweeny Todd for the first time. That man Tim Burton is a genius. Can't wait to see his Alice in Wonderland in 2010 ^w^
That, and the chick who played Mrs. Lovett(Helen Bonham Carter) is hawt ;D
She also played a chick(also hawt ^^) named Marla Singer in Fight Club, an equally epic movie which I suggest everyone see at least once(I've seen it countless times now XP)
Well, to the story!
I've decided to start introducing the people operating backstage. Both the stringpullers, and Ren and his 'family'. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and the next will(hopefully, if I'm not swarmed with other misc. work as I fear I will be)be out soon.
As a closing note, I leave you with the wise words of one Mr. Sweeny Todd(Played by none other than Johnny Depp):
"There's a hole in the world like a great big pit, and it's filled with people who are full of shit, and he vermin of the world inhabit it..."
Man, that movie is great =D
Here's lookin at you, kid ;D
--
Asuka smiled as she sat on the cold steel ground. The feeling of the old, dull colored metal had become familiar to her now. Not to mention Enya was in her lap, lying against her chest. She was like the little sister she had always wanted.
"Onee-san…?"
"Hmm?" Asuka looked down at her. She had also gotten used to the little girl referring to her as family. It made it a lot easier to ignore the fact that she was being held here against her will with no clear way to get back.
"Will you sing to me again? Until I fall asleep?" Enya yawned, her mouth stretching wide as she nuzzled against Asuka's chest. She cooed and sighed as she got comfortable.
"Sure…"
"What are you going to sing?"
"An old song my mother used to sing to me, before she… died"
"Really? Is it nice?"
"I think so"
"Yay!" Enya smiled softly and shifted a bit.
Asuka began humming slowly at first, but then opened her mouth and actually began singing.
"Fly me to the moon, and let me play amongst the stars…"
--
"… let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars…" Shinji sighed as he slowly sat up. The song was stuck in his head. He remembered it well. When he used to sneak out into the living room at night when he heard her leave her room as well. He'd hide behind the couch while she sat on the balcony, under the stars, and he'd listen to her sing. Much like how she'd sneak out and listen to him play his cello. Of course, each of them caught the other eventually.
It was strange being alone, in complete silence. Misato was still on base, and Rei was in his room, squeezing a Shinji decoy pillow, cooing "Onii-san…" in her sleep. In the past, there was always some sort of life at night. Even Pen-Pen made himself scarce. As if hearing his thoughts, the penguin made some noise from inside his refrigerator.
"Wark!" it made Shinji smile. It made him think back to the days before all of this. Sure, he was a bit more introverted back then, but back then, besides the chance of death at the hands of an Angel, it seemed as if nothing could go wrong.
"What is all of this? What's going on, Asuka? Am I looking for you, or is it me who's really lost…?"
--
Asuka opened her eyes and looked around in the dark.
"Mm… Must have dozed off…" she shook her head. It was completely silent, save for Enya's soft snoring. Asuka could feel her soft breath on her neck. She started to stretch, trying to move as little as possible as not to wake Enya up. As the ground began to shake, she yelped loudly. It was like before: the entire station seemed to be shaking.
"Onii-san!" Enya jumped up excitedly, running across the room and standing in front of a door. Asuka had tried to get that door open many times in the past couple of days, but it never worked. For Enya, however, the steel doors hissed and parted.
"Wait! Enya, be careful!" Asuka stood up and chased after her. The hallway was the same cold steel as the room, yet it felt unnatural to her at the same time. She stopped when she saw Enya again. She was hugging someone around the waist. Asuka couldn't see his face. He was wearing a long, black, silky jacket. His hood shielded his face. She didn't need to hear his voice to know who he was.
"You!"
"Me" he chuckled slowly as he patted Enya on the head. "Did you miss me?" he moved his head to the side slightly, and Asuka caught a glimpse of some brown hair.
"Miss you? Hell no!" she growled. Her older sister mentality from earlier was gone, once again replaced by her normal feisty personality.
"Aw… That hurts, Asuka…" he laughed again. "We don't have time for this, though. Time to sleep, sweetheart…"
"Wha…?" Asuka tried to ask a question, but she suddenly felt very tired. She teetered in place and fell back, the cold steel walls and floor blending together into one grey blanket that went over her world before her eyes shut.
"Well, better get moving"
--
Shinji had his head down on the table. It was still completely silent. He sighed and he let his hand fall from the table into his lap. His eyes opened quickly when he felt the small bump in his pocket. He sat up and reached for it. He pulled out Kaworu's small recorder. There was a bit of dried blood on it, but he didn't care. He flipped the small plastic cover on the controls away and looked it over.
"Hmm…" he pressed the rewind button, holding it down until it reached the start. He set it down on the table and pressed play.
--
"Phew! That was close. Almost got caught. The guys still don't know that I'm swiping money from the stash. I don't want to be stuck cleaning up after these assholes for the rest of my life. Hell no. I'm gonna go solo. Get out of the mercenary business. I might have to do a job or two to get some more cash, but after that I'm going to settle down and have as quiet as a life as my past will permit. Shit! They're back…"
NEXT RECORDING
"Man, going into town is much better than staying in this dump. I get to spend some of my share, get myself something nice, and pick up chicks. But here… it's always wet, cold, and I have to put up with them. Oh well, there is some good news. Today, we got a contract for a pretty hefty amount of cash. If it's not complete bullshit, then of course they're going to accept it. I don't know though… Everything about this job seems shady. I mean, c'mon! The person who left the job contract didn't even tell us his name!"
There was a brief shuffling.
"And if this job is legit, then this person must be really obsessed with this girl. I mean, who pays that much just to nab a girl? Sure, she's beautiful, I'll admit that. But still, it doesn't seem like this job could be real. Of course, when they get back and see the price, they're going to accept right away" Kaworu sighed "So I guess that means absolutely dick"
NEXT RECORDING
"Do you have the girl?" this voice wasn't Kaworu's. It was deeper.
"Of course. You got the cash?" another unfamiliar voice. This one sound cocky and amused.
"Yes" a click was heard, and then another, and a collective gasp moved through the room.
"Ooo… A briefcase. Classy" the amused voice from before was now filled with glee.
"The girl" another voice was heard now.
"Of course, of course. Guys! Bring her out!"
"Don't you fucking touch me! I'll kick your pale skinny ass you piece of shit!" Asuka's voice could be clearly heard now.
"So hard to deal with… give her another shot of the stuff, Kaworu"
"What? Hey! Get that fucking syringe away from me! I'll kill you!" sounds of struggle could be heard, then Asuka yelped, and it got quiet.
"Thank you. She's quite light. Pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen"
"Likewise, of course" Kaworu's voice was heard now. The door shut, and all the men sighed.
"Look at this cash! Man, we could live off of this for the rest of our lives!"
"Yeah!" other voices were heard in the background.
"Huh?" Kaworu sounded surprised. "When did this turn on?" there was a sound of rustling, then a beep.
NEXT RECORDING
"Heh, they never saw it coming. When they went to sleep, I swiped half the cash. I was wrong. I can settle down right away with this. You know, buy my own place, get some crap, and live a normal life. Screw the past. Of course I'm gonna have to hide out for a while so that they don't find me. I've got most of our security leftovers. Just the standard stuff: Tripwires, motion sensors, a proximity alarm, a satchel charge, and a gun. Things are finally looking up! Those guys that were here though… I know I recognize one of them… Oh well, I gotta get the hell out of here"
NEXT RECORDING
"I know. I remember who that guy was now. Jin Shinogama, Head of Seventh Section denied-ops and intelligence. I remember meeting him on the first day of my assignment to the D-ops sector. What did he want with that girl though? Was she a hostage to negotiate with? I don't know. It doesn't matter. I feel bad, knowing that I handed her over to that weird bastard, but I can't worry about that now. I've come too far to have regrets now…"
--
Shinji sat up quickly. The rest of Kaworu's recordings were taken after his capture, so he wasn't interested in them. He grabbed his jacket off of the back of a couch and ran over towards the door. He quickly stepped into his shoes, pulling the part that got tucked in with his foot up and out.
"Onii-san…?" Rei's sleepy voice made him turn around.
"Gah! Rei, put some clothes on!" Shinji covered his eyes as he turned to see her in one of his white collared shirts that was unbuttoned. It seemed she liked to wear his shirts without a bra.
"Are you going somewhere, Onii-san?" she rubbed her eyes and yawned a bit. It was still dark outside, and the rain was coming down in sheets.
"Yes. I have to get to base. I found something out and I need to tell Misato and my father"
"Hold on! I'll come too!" Rei suddenly seemed full of energy. She skipped off back to Shinji's room, and within seconds, was fully dressed in some Shinji's clothes. "Hmm? What's this?" she stopped, seeing the small recorder on the table. She grabbed it and slipped it into one of her pants pockets. "Okay, I'm ready Onii-san!"
"Then let's go!"
--
"Sure is dull around here" Kaji sighed. He was discouraged. Of course, he wouldn't admit that. They were so close…
"We'll find something! I know we will" Misato nodded, tapping at the keys of her computer furiously. She gritted her teeth in frustration. She was about ready to break the small, expensive computer in front of her. She couldn't believe how the situation had turned upside down so quickly.
"Kaji, Misato!" a small voice called from the wall. Kaji pushed his chair back, letting it roll towards the wall, and stopped it with his foot. He stood up and hit the reply button on the intercom. "Yes?"
"It's Hyuuga. Come down to the control room. The Commander is holding a meeting. He said to hurry"
"You got it" Misato sighed, standing up and closing the computer. "I wonder what he wants to talk about"
"Only one way to find out"
--
Shinji panted as he stood up straight once again. He could hear Rei's tired breathing, which was still soft somehow. They were both soaked and cold, but they were glad they were finally in the elevator down to base.
"Onii-san?"
"Yeah?"
"What is it exactly that you found out?" Rei cocked her head to the side.
"A name. A new lead. I think this one might go somewhere" Shinji nodded, as if to assure himself he was right. It had to lead somewhere. It had to.
"Oh" Rei wrung her hair out quickly and flipped it back behind her head. "Are you excited?" she moved forward and clung to one of his arms, shivering slightly. Shinji moved closer to make sure she was getting some of his warmth.
"Yeah… I'm just glad I managed to find a lead again so soon. And thanks to that Nagisa guy, too…" Shinji felt kind of bad now. About how he spoke to Kaworu, and he still felt bad about how he beat him on that night. He shook his head quickly. No time to worry about that right now. There was a small ring as the elevator doors opened. They both stepped out quickly. The halls were empty for some reason. They were usually bustling with life.
"Where is everyone?" Shinji wondered aloud, looking left and right.
"I don't know…" Rei said quietly, also looking around. "This place is strange when it's empty… It feels… Bad…" she shivered again, moving closer to Shinji. This time, however, he shivering and movement had nothing to do with the cold. The empty halls generated a bad atmosphere.
"I know what you mean… C'mon, let's go to the command room. Maybe there will be some people there"
"Okay!" Rei moved quickly alongside him. Being around people again sounded nice and she didn't want to be in the cold, dead, empty halls anymore.
--
"Everyone!" Gendo stood up slowly, holding his hands up. As he did this, everyone quieted down. "This latest turn of events is… disturbing to say the least. I haven't been able to go back to my office to water my plants, or to see my son directly. Anyway, things are starting to get really dangerous. Everything that has happened in the last few days has shown us that not only do we have to worry about the Angels, but now we have to worry about humans" he took a breath.
"Ever since the beginning of written history, man has fought. Whether it was against animals, nature, or one another. We are no strangers to fighting. This new generation has known nothing but fear. While we all try to lead normal lives, we all know that there is a chance something bad could happen at any moment. People up there are always ready to evacuate at a seconds notice. So far, all evacuations have been caused by Angels, but now we know that they are not the only threat. The enemies of humans… are humans. Plain and simple"
"We have to expand our search. We need to track down the Second Child, and fast. Who knows what her captors are using her for. The only thing we can be sure of, is that it's not good. We-" Gendo was interrupted by the doors sliding open.
"Father!" Shinji stepped in, his clothes still wet, with Rei following close behind.
"Ah, son! You got here at the perfect moment!"
"I have a new lead!" he stood up straighter.
"A new lead?"
"Yes, a name! It was… Wait…" Shinji felt around, patting his pockets down. "Shit! I forgot it!"
"Hmm? You mean this, Onii-san?" Rei reached into her pocket and held up the small, black, egg shaped recorder.
"Yes! Good job, Rei!" Shinji smiled and patted her on the head.
"Thank you, Onii-san" Rei smiled big, then stepped back. She knew he was in the middle of something important.
"Alright, let me rewind, and…"
--
Asuka groaned as she rolled over slowly. Her head felt like someone was inside of it, doing a tap dance on her brain. She sat up and opened her eyes. It was dark and she could just barely see. A blue light lit up the area around her. She jumped slightly when she saw the ground move. Then she realized it was a design on the ground. She watched it. Dull blue lines traveled across the floor, leading off into the darker parts of the room. The light was coming from the designs. A portion of the line would light up bright blue, and the light would travel along the line, moving away. Then it would restart under neath her and continue.
"Great… where am I this time?" she sighed, sitting back and bringing her knees up to her chest.
"You're back. Back on Earth" a deep voice came out of the darkness. She whipped her head around, to find the person who spoke. This turned out to be a bad idea, as the sudden movement made her headache worse.
"Who-who's there?" she called out. She clutched her head in pain and tried to stand up. She fell back down quickly.
"Don't try to stand. It would be best for you if you tried to conserve your energy. Besides, your legs won't be working very well for a while anyway" the person didn't seem too concerned about anything. The voice sounded dull and uninterested.
"Who are you? And where am I now?"
"My name…" she heard some footsteps. Whoever it was, they were walking over to her. She looked up and saw a boy. He didn't look much older than him. His black hair was a bit longer than normal, and covered is face. She could see that his skin was pale, even in the dim light. The one eye she could see glowed an eerie red as he stared down at her "Is Zenith"
"Zenith? That's a strange name…" Asuka replied. He had an imposing atmosphere about him, but he didn't seem to want to hurt her.
"I didn't pick it. The people who… raised me did" he shrugged and sat down next to her. His long black jacket settled in a small pile as he sat.
"That jacket… Are you with that guy?" she recognized it. It was almost the same type of jacket that the boy on the station was wearing.
"Who, Ren? Yeah, I guess I am with him" Zenith nodded. "I don't agree with him on some things, though. He can be pretty stubborn sometimes" he seemed pretty comfortable talking to a complete stranger.
"An asshole is more like it" Asuka growled. Then a thought popped into her head. "Where's Enya?"
"Enya? She's most likely with him. That's where she usually is" he shrugged once more "Unless she's off doing her own little thing like she does sometimes"
"Will she be safe with him?" Asuka was worried about the little girl. She had grown on her, and she wanted to be sure that she wasn't in any danger.
"She'll be fine. He would never harm any of us. He might not seem like it to you, but he's a good person"
"Good person? How?!"
"Because… He knows how we feel, and he takes care of us…" he looked to her. "But then, you wouldn't know what that feels like, would you? No… I sense much pain and confusion in you. And that you've had t fight alone. You throw up barriers…"
"Shut up…"
"You act snobby and overconfident in front of others so they can't see your pain…"
"I said shut up…" Asuka began to tremble slightly. Whether out of anger or out of fear, she didn't know.
"You don't want anyone to know that, on the inside, you're just a broken, lost, lonely little girl…"
"SHUT UP!" she screamed at him, her eyes clenched closed. Tears were at the corners of her eyes. How did he know? How could he see straight into her head like that?
"I see I've upset you… I apologize. I guess I should be going now. If it's okay with you, I'll come by again later, with Enya. Goodbye, Miss Langely" Zenith bowed his head slightly. Asuka didn't look up at him. Instead, her knees were pulled to her chest as she tried not to cry.
"Whatever…" she mumbled. She didn't know what was happening to her. She was normally so self confident and reliant. She would have brushed those claims off and laughed in the persons face. Was it being alone again? Or was it the fact that she didn't know where she was, or what these people wanted? She shook her head softly and sobbed quietly, alone once again, in her dark room.
--
"Sir!" a young man dressed in a medic's uniform stepped up next to Fuyutsuki and saluted.
"Yes? What is it?" he set down a folder he was looking at.
"About the corpses we were ordered to pick up…"
"Yes? What about them?
"Well… they were sort of… not there" the man looked like he didn't really know what to say.
"Not there?"
"No sir. When we got there, they were gone"
"Damn… This just keeps getting more and more complicated… Thank you, son. Go ahead and get your team together. Head back to base and relax"
"Thank you, sir!" he saluted once again and walked off towards the other men. Fuyutsuki climbed onto the NERV VTOL. The strangely shaped aircraft hovered almost silently above the roof. The hatch shut behind him, and the small passenger area was bathed in amber light.
"Now how do I explain this back at base…?"
--
"Hmmm… this is concerning news indeed…" Gendo stroked his chin as he set the recorder down. They had since left the control room. He had called off his little pep rally so he could see the evidence that Shinji had. "Why did you go home with it? Why not just bring it straight here?"
"Well… I forgot I took it. I only remembered it when my hand brushed against it" Shinji admitted, a bit embarrassed.
"Oh well. At least we got the information. This is good… Another lead. Still, the fact that Shinogama has her now is concerning" Gendo shook his head and sighed.
"Why? What's so bad about him?"
"He's… a strange one. Even by our standards. He was chosen as the head of Seventh Section D-ops, or Denied ops. That's the section of the government that handles jobs that we either won't or can't confess to for legal and moral reasons. His specialty was interrogation and mindgames. I remember him back when I first met him" Gendo stood up and watered his plants.
"I see…" Shinji noticed the abundance of flora in the room. It was a bit disturbing to see his father like this.
"Don't worry, son. They don't know we have this information yet. We'll get them this time. We'll save her" Gendo set his watering can down and turned to Shinji "I swear it" then he did something Shinji hadn't seen since he was very young.
He smiled.