Disclaimer: see part 1.
Aoi
Part 11
Pieces/Everywhere
By Random1377
Mana stared out at the small, newly-formed lake, shaking her head at the sheer destructive power it represented. If she met up with Unit 01 or 02 when she came for the Commander, she would be completely outmatched. Certainly, the Trident robots were powerful… but against this? It was no contest.
Even getting there at all is a pretty big if, she thought grimly. I found Masashi's unit, but it's nearly out of ammo, and the left arm is crippled… plus the fuel cells are nearly dry. It'll be a miracle if I can get it TO NERV, let alone fight anyone. She cast her eyes heavenward. Father, if you're watching… put in a good word for me, ok? I'll need all the help I can-
She cut the thought off, her hand drifting down to her front of her jeans, where the handgun she had stolen from a sporting goods store the other night was tucked unobtrusively into the waistband. Turning, she sought out the source of the sound that had disturbed her thoughts, frowning as she found a boy about her own age sitting on the shattered remains of a statue, humming quietly to himself as he looked out over the lake.
"Who are you?" she whispered, tensing to reach for the gun as she told herself sternly that this area was clear when she checked it ten minutes prior.
The boy turned to her, smiling brightly as he replied, "Kaworu Nagisa. I'm new here."
Mana kept her hand near the butt of the pistol, glancing around subtly to see if this 'Kaworu' was alone. "There are no new people here," she murmured, refocusing her attention on the young man's red eyes, "just ghosts and memories… that's all we have here – so you might want to go back wherever you came from before you become one or the other."
"That is quite a dismal attitude to take," Kaworu said lightly, jumping down from his perch and dusting the back of his pants with one hand. "You're not a ghost… I'm not a ghost… and memories can be pleasant if you focus on the positive."
Rolling her eyes, Mana muttered, "Isn't that a song?"
"That's accentuate the positive," Kaworu said happily, "one of my favorites."
"Super," Mana sighed, already losing interest in the boy, "well, nice meeting you, Kaworu, but I've gotta go."
Kaworu smiled languidly. "But we haven't truly met," he said easily.
"Huh?"
"To have truly met, I'd need your name."
Mana was in no mood for polite banter – especially with a guy that was giving off an 'I'm trying to pick you up' vibe – but if he was nothing else, Kaworu was nice… and in spite of herself, Mana found herself craving a little niceness, especially after having been on the run for over two weeks.
"Kirishima," she said softly, taking the hand Kaworu offered and shaking it firmly, "Mana Kirishima. There – happy? We've met. Nice to meet you."
She was about to let his hand go when Kaworu hummed, "Ahh Kirishima … the Fifth Child."
Mana cursed herself. He IS after me, she thought tiredly, and he's a foot away from me, holding my hand so I can't get to my gun… slick – fucking slick move, Kaworu of the seashore. Ok, she thought dismally, forcing herself to meet her killer's eyes, get it over with, then.
"I won't beg."
"Pardon?"
Straightening her back, Mana held her chin high. "I won't beg," she repeated proudly, "so you might as well just do what you have to do."
Kaworu seemed amused by this declaration. "Do what I need to do, hm?" he said smoothly. "Very well." Reaching into his pocket with his free hand, he pulled out a small piece of paper. "Can you tell me," he said calmly, "how to get to this address?"
"Huh?"
"This address," Kaworu repeated, holding the paper up for Mana to see. "I'm supposed to be in school, you see, but I… I'm afraid I got a little lost, what with this lake in the way. Can you tell me another way to get there?"
Mana's mouth worked, but no words came out. Sick bastard, she thought venomously, just kill me for God's sake – why the game?
"No one would be there," she said finally, deciding to play along for a moment – to prolong her life, if nothing else. "Since the last angel, most people have moved away… even the teachers only come half the time."
This information was not gathered first hand, of course, as Mana was a wanted criminal… but she had enough surveillance training to keep tabs on a school without being noticed. She had determined shortly after leaving Hikari's house that the best way to penetrate NERV and get close to the Commander would be to follow one of the pilots.
Rei was out of the question – the security on that girl was so thick that Mana was surprised she could get around – so she had been trailing Touji… and struggling not to sob every time she saw Hikari's sad, downcast face.
Hikari, Mana thought sadly, all I wanted was to see you happy – but even now that you're back with Touji, you can't hide your sorrow.
"Would you be so kind as to show me anyway?" Kaworu asked after a moment of quiet. "This city is… quite lonely. I'd appreciate it if you could be my guide."
In a flash, Mana knew that her initial assessment of the boy as an assassin was incorrect. "Who are you?" she asked softly.
"Kaw-"
"No, who are you?" Mana cut in. "Why are you here?"
Kaworu bowed as best he could over their clasped hands. "I am the same as you," he said softly, "the third chosen son of Adam… the sixth of us to find our way to this sad town." He smiled warmly. "I'm a Child."
There was a moment of stunned silence.
"Oh," Mana said lamely, "the Sixth, right, got it… sorry, I'm a little slow today. Umm… nice to meet you."
Kaworu laughed. "You said that already," he pointed out, his eyes twinkling merrily at the girl's obvious confusion.
Mana just stared.
After several moments of silence, Kaworu sighed. "I've… read about your past," he said softly. "No – don't be scared, I won't tell anyone I saw you."
Mana, who was just starting to feel that she was getting a handle on things, tensed at this revelation. "Why?" she asked suspiciously. "Why wouldn't you tell Section Two where to find me? I'm wanted, you know."
Kaworu nodded firmly. "I know," he said levelly, "but my obligation to NERV only extends to piloting, not turning in young fugitives. And besides," he leaned closer, getting right next to Mana and whispering, "it seems to me that what you need now more than anything, is a friend."
Swallowing, completely unnerved by the boy's closeness, Mana stammered, "I don't understand why you would want to be my friend – you don't even know me."
"It's not that hard to understand," Kaworu said simply. "I'm alone here, so I need someone to show me around." He lowered his voice, gently whispering, "You're alone, and you hate it. Our circumstances are agreeable."
Mana bowed her head. "I'm not a good person to make friends with," she said hollowly. "You should find someone else."
Kaworu smiled warmly. "I met you first," he said easily. "I'd like it to be you… unless you don't like me for some reason."
Averting her eyes, the young woman whispered, "Your funeral."
"Mm that remains to be seen," Kaworu said enigmatically.
Cautiously optimistic that she might live to see the weekend, Mana led Kaworu towards the school, passing the hotel she was living in without saying a word – just in case – and giving him several sideways glances as they went.
What the hell, she thought with a mental shrug, I can always use more allies…
( 0 0 0 )
Quiet as a mouse, Misato stole through the corridors of NERV, tailing the blonde in the lab coat as she moved deeper and deeper into Central Dogma. The Project-E director had not been arrested for her outburst the day before, but she had looked pale and drawn when Misato had seen her leaving the Commander's office, as if the man had threatened to kill the woman's entire family, which, as far as Misato knew, he had.
And now she was up to something.
Something, Misato thought, fading back into the shadows as Ritsuko stopped in the middle of the hall and glanced suspiciously around, something, but what…?
Ritsuko shook her head, muttering to herself as she moved deeper into headquarters. Misato had been following the woman for a good twenty minutes, and so far, the blonde had not shown any signs of stopping, moving through places Misato had never even seen before.
Where the hell ARE we?
Finally, Ritsuko came to a small, nondescript door, reaching into her coat pocket as she clearly said, "Oh stop skulking in the shadows for God's sake… it's tedious."
Misato scowled. "If you knew I was following you," she said archly, stepping out of the dark with her pistol hanging easily at her side, "why didn't you say something?"
Ritusko pulled a small keycard out of her pocket, rolling her eyes as Misato's gun came halfway up. "Because I wanted you to feel that you were doing well," she said flatly.
"Gee, thanks."
Placing the card up to the reader, Ritsuko whispered, "Put your gun up to my head."
"What?"
"If you don't want to go to jail, you'll do as I say."
Misato pursed her lips, slowly bringing her gun up and pressing it to the back of her friend's skull. "There," she said softly, "the safety's on… but I have to say it's tempting to take it off – everything's so messed up now that sometimes I think it would be better to just start shooting and ask questions later."
Ritsuko frowned. "That's why you're Operations Director," she said dryly, "your sense of restraint – now before we go in here, you should know… you won't like what you're going to see…"
"I'm ready," Misato said firmly. "I want to know the truth, Ritsu… I'm ready."
"No," Ritsuko said sadly, "I don't think you are… but if you do come out of all this without losing your mind, remember that I warned you."
So saying, she swiped the access card, and the door slid open with a quiet hiss.
"What is this place?" Misato wondered, peering into the darkened room as Ritsuko felt around for the light switch. "It's cold…"
"It's Rei's home."
"What?"
Ritsuko gestured around the barren room. "This is where Rei grew up," she said quietly, "after… after NERV created her."
Misato paled. "Created?" she echoed. "What do you-"
"Keep up," Ritsuko interrupted as she started for the door at the other side of the room, "there's more." She looked at her friend almost pityingly. "Sure you're up for it?"
"Lead on," Misato said, clenching her jaw.
As she followed her old college friend, Misato's eyes were drawn to a word scrawled almost illegibly on the wall.
'Strange,' she read with an inexplicable shiver. Amen to that… a-fucking-men…
She stepped a little lighter, hurrying after Ritsuko as she found that she would really rather not be alone in the creepy, sterile room. Stepping into the next room, Misato had to squint, trying to pick Ritsuko's form out of the darkness. Instinctively, her thumb moved to cover the safety on her pistol.
"Are you ready, then?"
Misato had to suppress a small scream as Ritsuko's voice whispered in her ear, whipping around to find the woman standing just inside the door. In spite of her fears, though, Ritsuko was not grinning like a madman, or holding a gun to her temple… she was simply staring implacably at Misato and waiting for her to say yes or no.
Bravely, Misato replied, "Yeah… I'm not afraid…"
She should have been.
Ritsuko inclined her head in a small bow, putting her hand on the wall and hesitating for a minute to murmur, "Remember that I warned you," before clicking the lights on.
"Oh… God…"
Misato's vision doubled for a moment in sheer, mind-boggling shock.
Impossible, she thought, her eyes trying to drink in the endless rows of identical faces smiling back at her from behind the wall of Plexiglas. They're all… every one of them is…
"They're just clones," Ritsuko said softly, making Misato jump as she laid her hand on a large control panel standing off to one side, "spares for Rei. Even she isn't the original, you know – she's just a vessel fabricated from the remains of the first pilot of Unit 01 to house something very important."
What Rei was housing was not as important to Misato just then as the rest of Ritsuko's mad ramble. "Clones," she echoed with dawning horror, "oh my God… you-"
"Seven years," Ritsuko muttered, completely ignoring Misato as she stared at a lone, eight-foot tall cylinder set off to one of the huge tank. "In seven years, we finally perfected the technique… but it was all a mistake, Misato, I can see that now. We should have just left well enough alone."
Misato swallowed, hearing a dry click in the back of her throat as Ritsuko pulled out a small, handheld computer.
"The only thing left to do is clean up the mistake, right?"
"What have you done?" Misato whispered hoarsely, grabbing the woman's lapels and trying to force an answer from her. "Ritsuko, what have you done?"
The blonde's eyes were far away. "We did it before," she babbled, "we did it before, Misato, don't you understand? We have all the equipment – it's just a matter of cultivation and gathering… you understand, right?"
Horror twisted Misato's face as she released Ritsuko's lab coat. "Cultivation…?" she breathed, the pieces flying together in her mind no matter how she tried to stop them. "Gathering…? Oh God, please… please – you didn't…!"
Ritsuko stared up at her old college friend without guile. "I just needed a little more time," she said faintly, "a couple days, I'm sure that's all it would have taken."
Misato took a staggering step backward, her eyes shooting to the lone cylinder. "Th-that…" she stammered, "is… that…?"
Silently, Ritsuko tapped a button on the handheld computer, and the cover on the cylinder slipped quietly into the floor, unveiling its contents for the women to see.
"Heh…" Misato let out a soft, almost unconscious laugh. It was a joke, she told herself, her eroded mental defenses caving under the pressure of what she was looking at. It was all a big, cosmic joke – there was no other explanation… not for the travesty of life floating limply in the tube of LCL, its blue eyes gazing sightlessly at the floor just in front of Misato's feet.
Misato laughed, high and mad, as the last bastion of her sanity – the one centered on her belief in the sanctity of human life – exploded like a watermelon hit with a mortar shell. She laughed, and laughed, and laughed, until tears streamed down her cheeks, passing her insanely gaping mouth to patter onto her boots. The vision of the thing in the tube (she refused to think of it as him) filled her eyes, making it impossible to see anything else… so when her mind shut down, dropping her face-first onto the hard floor, she never saw it coming.
Ignoring her friend's inert form for a moment, Ritsuko punched in a sequence on the handheld. The word 'purge' flashed in red on the small screen, and after a moment of silence, the room was filled with unearthly giggles as the tank's cleansing system made short work of Rei's remaining spares, and – after another sequence was keyed in – the lone spare in the standalone cylinder.
When silence returned, Ritsuko surveyed her handiwork. "Ashes to ashes," she whispered dully, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a small pistol, "right, Shinji? I'll bet Heaven's nice. I doubt I'll be joining you, though…"
Placing the gun under her chin, Ritsuko closed her eyes and pulled the trigger.
Her body sagged against the control console, the gun falling to the ground with a harsh clatter as the blonde let out a ragged sigh.
"Misfire," she whispered lifelessly. "How… appropriate…"
Alone with her failures, Ritsuko Akagi could think of nothing else to do but curl up under the desk with her arms wrapped around her knees, and sleep. She was still there when Section Two came to take her into custody.
( 0 0 0 )
Touji sat up with a start, blinking in confusion as he stared around the unfamiliar bedroom. Reality asserted itself after less than a minute, helped along by a hesitant touch on his back. God, he thought, scrubbing a hand tiredly over his face, I feel… dirty.
"Morning…"
"Morning," Touji replied, staring at the far wall as a warm cheek was pressed against his back. "You ok?"
There was a moment of silence before Hikari whispered, "I'm sore… but I'll live."
Touji nodded, barely suppressing a shudder as the exact reason for her soreness loomed in his mind.
Was there supposed to be that much blood?
He swallowed hard as he thought of the events leading them to this point. The destruction of Unit 00… Asuka's disappearance… Hikari, waiting for him on the doorstep… the gentle, healing kisses… the slow walk to the bedroom… and then…
"Do you… want some breakfast?"
Hikari's voice sounded listless to Touji – regretful. He did not blame her… not after looking into her pained eyes, and listening to her ragged whimpers as he awkwardly stripped her of the one thing she had managed to hold on to her entire life.
He did not just feel dirty, he realized with a wave of nausea, he was dirty.
"Not really hungry," he said slowly, wishing that he did not sound so cold, "thanks though."
"Mm."
Hikari shifted on the bed, putting her hands tentatively on Touji's back.
"Maybe a shower, then…?"
"No, I'm good…"
She squirmed slightly, shifting again as if trying to find a comfortable position.
"Is something wrong?" Touji asked, frowning slightly as Hikari shifted a third time, then stilled.
"It's nothing," she said with forced lightness.
Touji took a deep breath. "Liar," he said softly, "what is it?"
For a moment, Hikari said nothing. "I'm… I'm bleeding again," she admitted finally, "and it… it really hurts… down there…"
Turning his head, Touji caught sight of the former class rep out of the corner of his eye, deciding – with a flash of guilt – that she looked like shit. "A lot or a little?" he asked, starting to get nervous as she squirmed behind him.
"Some," Hikari said nervously, "I'm sure it's ok."
Touji pulled away from her, noticing that she quickly pulled the covers up over her lap before he could turn all the way around. "Show me," he said firmly.
"Touji, it's-"
"Show me."
Hikari averted her eyes, slowly pulling the covers back.
"God," Touji hissed, paling noticeably as he stared at the bright red stain on the sheets, "we have to get you to a doctor."
"No!" Hikari protested, trying to cover herself again, "I'm sure it's fi-"
"The bed is soaked!" Touji cut in, starting to panic. "Come on – get dressed."
Hikari blushed. "My dad would find out," she whispered. "He'd kill me."
"Well, you can't just sit there and bleed!" Touji shouted, making her flinch away from him. "You could bleed to death or… or… what's so funny?"
Hikari was covering her mouth, trying to stifle a giggle. "I don't think I'll die from this," she said gently. "It's just… I'll think of it like a heavy period, or something… it'll be ok, Touji, really."
Touji glanced at the spot on the bed, trying to calm down and noticing that it was not as large as he had first thought. I did that to her, he thought suddenly, me – no one else. I hurt her.
"I… I gotta get going…"
Panic flashed across Hikari's face. "No," she said quickly, "no, don't!"
"But-"
"You promised!" Hikari cried, her face showing all of the desperation in her heart as she threw her arms around his neck. "You promised you'd stay with me – so stay! I need you, Touji, I need you!"
"Hikari," Touji whispered, "look at the bed! I-"
"It's ok."
"Huh?"
"It's ok," Hikari repeated tearfully, "I knew it would hurt, I knew I might bleed – I paid that price, Touji, I paid it so we could be together, don't you see? I'll do anything you want me to do, I'll be anything you want me to be – as long as you don't leave me!"
Averting his eyes, Touji whispered, "You shouldn't want me this bad… I'm not worth it." Slowly, he wrapped his arms around her, putting one hand on the back of her neck and pulling her head down onto his chest. "I won't leave you – now or ever," he promised softly. "I swear to God, Hikari… for as long as you want me, I'm yours."
Hikari nodded awkwardly against Touji's chest, shuddering too hard to formulate a more coherent reply than, "Th…ank… y-you…"
( 0 0 0 )
Rei made her way from the psychiatric ward with slow, measured steps, barely lifting her eyes from the floor every few moments to ensure that she did not run into anything. She almost wished that her hand would twitch or tingle again – then at least, she would have something to keep her mind from focusing on the far-too-recent memory of the slack, empty stare of the woman she had very nearly made love to… but she had not felt so much as a twinge from the uselessly dangling arm since the destruction of Unit 00.
Now I am rendered useless, she thought as she approached the escalators to the next floor. Commander… I had thought that you would be concerned that I am no longer able to pilot. I should have known better, should I not? My true purpose has always been hidden by the need to defeat the angels, I do not know why I felt that you would have true concern for my wellbeing, yet I understand now that your only reason for sending Unit 01 to retrieve me was because you feared the loss of that which I carry.
Mounting the escalator, Rei found her thoughts turning to Shinji once more.
It was him, she told herself firmly, I did not imagine that feeling… I did not imagine that voice… I did not…
Her thoughts trailed off as she found a boy her own age waiting for her at the top of the escalator. A soft shiver ran through her as she stared into the boy's red eyes, a feeling of forgotten familiarity stirring in her breast as he gave her a lazy smile.
"Pilot Ayanami."
"Identify yourself."
The boy laughed softly. "Straight to the point," he said happily, "I like that." He gave a formal bow. "I am the Sixth Child, Kaworu Nagisa," he said smoothly, "but, under the circumstances… I would be willing to tell you my true name."
Rei regarded the boy for a moment. "I… believe that I already know who you are…"
"Yes," Kaworu said lightly, "being who you are, you should sense what lies within me… yet you do not seem to fear that I might harm you."
"I have already lost much, Pilot Nagisa," Rei said quietly, "those most important to me have been taken, be it by death… or insanity. I have nothing more to give to this project, save what lies within me." She met his eyes straight-on. "What you do is of no concern to me, though I would consider it a personal favor if you did not interfere with my obligations. They are all I live for, now."
Kaworu's smile was easy as he leaned back against the wall. "Eloquently spoken," he whispered. "We're not so different, you and I."
Considering this observation for a moment, Rei replied, "Yes, I can see your point. Why are you speaking to me, Pilot Nagisa…? Clearly you have something you wish to say…"
The Sixth Child's smile faded a bit. "There are many things I would like to say," he mused softly, "many questions… many ideas… many observations that I think would help the people in this place to be happy… but I am no longer sure that they are capable of that emotion anymore. Sometimes, Miss Ayanami, an injury can be so grave that a body can never fully recover from the blow, and I fear that this place, this very city, has suffered such a blow."
"Then you are saying that we lack the capacity for happiness?"
Kaworu shrugged minutely.
"Many would be… offended by that concept."
"Perhaps," Kaworu allowed, "however… since arriving in this place, I have seen nothing but pain. In most places there are hints of hope or light to break up the darkness – but in this city, there is an oppressive sense of… inevitability, as if everyone here is simply waiting for something larger and more powerful than they could ever hope to be to come and put them out of their considerable misery."
Rei met the boy's eyes.
"Are you that something?"
Kaworu regarded the back of his hand. "I am nothing more or less than an observer, for now," he said evasively. "Every man on this Earth has the potential to cause great harm or good – I am no different."
"And yet you are…"
Another shrug was Rei's only reply.
"I am… very tired."
Sighing, Kaworu pushed away from the wall. "I'm keeping you," he said gently. "My apologies."
As the boy turned to go, Rei spoke once more.
"You are wrong."
"Pardon?"
"It is not the capacity for happiness the people of this city lack," Rei clarified, "it is a reason that is absent. They have… surrendered much in this fight, and they are afraid that it is in vain. I would like to ask you directly, Pilot Nagisa… are you friend or foe?"
Kaworu turned around, smiling faintly as he looked into Rei's eyes. "To you," he said smoothly, "I would always consider myself a friend. There are others here I can say that about unequivocally as well, but there are… certain individuals in this organization that I do not care for. I hesitate to say foe, however – it's such an ugly term."
Staring at her useless arm for a moment, Rei whispered, "Your decision… it will be made soon, then…?"
"There are some issues I have to clarify first," Kaworu said delicately, "but yes. I had thought that in Ikari I might find a kindred spirit – his profile seemed so intriguing to me, so familiar… but without his presence, I see no need to prolong things. Will you try to stand in my way if my decision is not in your favor, Pilot Ayanami?"
"As I have said," Rei murmured, "I have already given much… and I no longer have the ability to stand in your way. That duty falls to others, now."
Rubbing at his eyes, Kaworu turned away once more. "It's even gotten to you," he whispered sadly. "Carrying the soul of the Mother… yet so full of pain – tainted by the Lillim until you cannot even lift your chin," he shook his head. "Honestly, Miss Ayanami, I had hoped for more."
As the boy walked away, Rei quietly murmured, "We all did, Pilot Nagisa… we all did…"
( 0 0 0 )
Gendou regarded the woman sitting across from himself critically, trying to decide if she was being serious or not.
"I know NERV operations like the back of my hand," the woman was saying, "I've worked very closely with the former operations director, and I will not hesitate to utilize any resources at my disposal to ensure victory for our side."
"And… why do you think I would hire you based on this argument?"
"Well, I understand that the position has recently opened," the woman said calmly, "and you've seen my credentials… besides, I think we both know you don't have anyone else qualified."
Gendou leaned back in his chair. "I'm not sure you are qualified," he said bluntly, "and your… past leaves me with doubts…"
The woman answered unflinchingly. "The past is the past. In my former position, I was restricted by… several personal issues. Those issues have been resolved now, Commander. I will meet or exceed your expectations of me within-"
She was cut off as the angel alarm began to sound.
"Within the next twenty minutes, I would imagine," Gendou said briskly, rising to his feet as the woman also stood. "I will escort you to the command bridge, and let you deal with this matter… if you falter in any way, or make any decisions I deem reckless or foolhardy, I will step in, and you will leave the premises without a word."
Bowing, the woman gestured for him to precede her. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity," she said formally, "I will not fail you, sir."
"Hmm."
Together, they strode towards the command deck, saying nothing more.
( 0 0 0 )
The command deck was in a panic.
"No, no it's definitely a blue pattern!"
"What? Yes, that's right – 02 is moving on its own! No, there isn't even a plug in it!"
"Suzuhara's in the cages. I can't find Rei."
"Christ, at a time like this! She might not be needed, but in a combat situation she still-"
"Commander on deck!"
Expectant eyes turned to the main entrance to the bridge, immediately widening at the sight of Commander Ikari walking calmly towards the command dais, followed closely by a very familiar face.
"Alright," the woman said calmly, walking directly into the middle of the room and folding her arms over her breasts, "where is the angel now, what steps have been taken to stop it, and where are our pilots?" There was a moment of silence. "Well?" the woman demanded, "Snap to it!"
Though several glanced to the Commander for confirmation, Hyouga blurted, "The angel is in the linear carriage… he has Unit 02 with him, and Pilot Suzuhara is just getting geared up."
The woman nodded. "Tell him to hurry the hell up," she rattled off, "close all blast doors in the linear carriage, and flood the area with bakelite… that should buy Suzuhara some time."
"Bakelite?" Aoba echoed. "But we won't be able to use any of those passages if we do that."
"We won't be able to use them if we all die, either," the woman said coldly, "are you going to follow orders, or do I have to get someone else to do it?"
Aoba shrugged. "Closing blast doors and priming for bakelite injection," he said, hesitating for a moment before whispering, "it's good to have you back."
The woman glanced at him. "Honestly?" she said smoothly, "Or are you just saying that because you think I might be able to save your ass?"
"Little of both, I guess," Aoba grinned, "but more of the 'glad to see you' part. It was too quiet around here without you, ma'am."
"I like the 'ma'am' bit," the woman said dryly, "let's keep that." Turning up to the command dais, she murmured, "How am I doing so far, Commander?"
Gendou's reply was immediate and harsh. "Don't look to me for confirmation, Miss Souryu – I have no use of an operations director that cannot be confident in her own decisions."
Asuka smiled. "I am confident in my decisions," she said boldly, "I was just wondering if you had anything you wanted to add, since it is all of our lives on the line, and all."
"I would not hesitate to let you know," Gendou returned, "and if you are looking for praise, you will have to wait until you have successfully saved us."
Turning back to the monitors, Asuka muttered, "I know you better than to look for that." Raising her voice, she called, "Status update! Where's my damn bakelite injection?"
( 0 0 0 )
Touji felt sweat trickling between his skin and the tight plugsuit, the LCL doing nothing to rinse it away from his lower back as he took Unit 01 on a mad, rapid-fire tour of NERV HQ. With the linear carriage flooded by bakelite (whose brilliant idea that was, he still didn't know) he had to take secondary routes.
Then again, so did the angel.
"Ok," he said, "I'm at the T intersection… where now?"
"Left," Yukiko's voice replied quickly, "then keep going straight… and hurry, Suzuhara – it's getting close."
"Not like I'm taking my time," Touji growled, wheeling Unit 01 around and taking off down the corridor, "just keep these people out of my way, for Christ's sake!"
In the scramble to reach the angel, Touji had been forced to use the main hallways of NERV – spaces large enough to accommodate the EVA… but never designed to, often forcing him to crouch, or even army crawl, as terrified technicians and support personnel scattered before him.
Several times… he was not sure that they had made it.
Can't think about it now, Touji told himself brutally, just run… get there… kill it. Worry about the rest later…
"You're getting close," Yukiko said excitedly, "the angel's about to intersect with the corridor you're in – three minutes, tops!"
"Right," Touji replied, willing the huge machine to move faster. "One dead angel, coming up…"
As he ran, he had Unit 01 draw its progressive knife.
Gotta end it quick, he told himself grimly, can't believe it's that new kid…
Being wrapped up in his own concerns, Touji had never spent any time getting to know Kaworu. In all honesty… he had barely even registered the new pilot's name before dismissing him as a wimp – and possibly a homosexual.
He did, in Touji's eyes, fit the profile pretty well.
Never would have guessed he was an angel, though…
"Next intersection…!"
"Got it."
Touji thrust the control yokes forward, increasing his speed and letting the progressive knife trail behind him like a samurai sword. His eyes narrowed as a glint of red peeked out from the intersection ahead of him, and his breath froze in his lungs as he hurled Unit 01 into motion.
"There!"
He had a fleeting glimpse of the gray-haired boy's surprised face, but he paid it no mind.
The progressive knife was so big, and vibrated at such high speeds, that as soon as it hit… the kid wouldn't have a face…
Sadly, his timing was ever so slightly off.
Touji grunted as Unit 02 stepped into the blow, taking Unit 01's progressive knife directly in the chest. It let out a shuddering groan as it pitched forward, catching Touji off guard and sending both Units to the floor in a mass of tangled limbs.
"GAH!"
The Fourth Child cried out in pain as the violence of the fall caused his left wrist to crack sharply against the control console. Agony shot up his arm, telling him instantly that the bone had shattered.
"M-motherfucker…" he gasped, kicking Unit 02 off of him and forcing his Unit upright. "That's gonna cost you, fag!"
Weaponless and in pain, Touji lashed out, letting Unit 01's hand shoot out to catch the angel.
Or at least, that was the plan.
Instead of grasping the boy, however, Unit 01's fingers closed around a field of raw energy, stopping many feet from actually touching the Sixth Child. Touij's eyes widened as Yukiko's voice spiked over the com link.
"I've got a massive AT field! It's cutting-"
Abruptly, everything went silent.
Gritting his teeth, Touji bore down with all of his will, demanding that Unit 01's field break through the angel's.
Come on, he thought, close… close… close… CLOSE!
"Damn it!" he cried, "Why won't you d-"
"Excuse me," the angel said suddenly, sounding for all the world as if they were talking over lunch rather than locked in mortal combat, "have you seen Miss Ayanami today?"
Touji was so shocked that he sputtered, "Er… n-no…"
"Mm, pity," Kaworu said nonchalantly, "I would have liked to have seen her. We had a conversation several days ago, you see, and I had the opportunity to discuss things with the other friends I've made since arriving, so I wanted to see what she thought of their comments."
Still terribly confused, Touji replied, "Umm… ok…"
Kaworu smiled faintly. "We made a little wager, you see," he explained. "They were very persuasive, those two, and I'm afraid I let them talk me into it. Hmm… perhaps Miss Ayanami was right about your kind. Perhaps there is hope here after all." Abruptly his smile burst into sunny radiance. "Ahh well," he said cheerfully, "your determination proved their point, and hers, and lost me the bet. It's a shame I won't be around to see the results though. Best of luck, Pilot Suzuhara."
Touji opened his mouth to ask what the hell the boy was talking about, but before he could say a word… the AT field surrounding the angel vanished.
"Oh my god!"
"Suzuhara!" a familiar voice cried over the com link, "Touji, what happened? Where's the angel?"
Barely keeping his lunch down, Touji gasped, "D-dead… I crushed him…"
"Oh?" came the calmer reply. "Interesting… I didn't think you'd have it in you."
Touji frowned, thankful for something to take his mind off of the still-smiling head resting on the ground at Unit 01's feet.
"Who is this?"
A small square appeared in the middle of one of Unit 01's view screens… and Touji nearly choked.
"N-no fucking way…!"
The figured on screen smiled. "No fucking way… ma'am," the redhead corrected evenly. "Excellent work, Suzuhara. Make sure it's dead, then bring Unit 01 back to the cages for… cleaning. Wow, you really made a mess, didn't you?"
Touji could not get his mind around what he was seeing. "Why… how… I mean…"
Asuka's smile widened. "Snap to it soldier," she said briskly, "we have a lot of cleanup."
Before the Fifth could reply, the hologram vanished, leaving him alone with his thoughts. "What the hell," he muttered, absently reaching up to brush sweat off of his face, "how did she – OW! Son of a bitch!"
Forgotten in the confusion of the angel's defeat and Asuka's sudden 'I'm your boss' attitude, the pain in Touji's wrist reasserted itself.
"Well," he muttered gritting his teeth as he willed Unit 01's foot to rise, "guess it's no weirder than any of this other shit…"
Slowly, trying to pretend that he was not a murderer, Touji brought the mecha's foot down on Kaworu's head, simultaneously eradicating the last angel… and setting the stage for the final act.
To Be Concluded…
Author's Notes: and so the pieces are in place for the climactic… er, climax, I guess. I know I didn't use Kaworu as much as I could have in this chapter – but hey, neither did Gainax! He served his purpose.
Pre-read on this chapter was by Macbeth2001. Thanks for the assist, my friend.
Feedback is always welcome on any site with reviewing capabilities or by e-mailing me directly at random1377(at-sign)yahoo(dot)com.