With many apologies for the delay, and many thanks to OrionPax09, as always. I present chapter eleven.
"Sub Commander Fuyutsuki, would you please tell me what the hell is going on here?!" Misato demanded forcefully as the old professor took command. The purple-haired woman completely blown away by the recent events, the anger and hatred she had felt only blossoming to new heights. "What was that thing on the Commander's hand?! And how do you know this girl?! And how – how -?!"
"I'll explain it all to you as soon as possible, Major. I promise you that," Fuyutsuki spoke tersely. The he looked down at the crumpled form of Gendo Ikari, and his expression hardened. "But right now, we have a lot to do, and very little time to do it in." Looking at Mana, he gave her a look befitting a loving grandfather. "Mana, I know this will be hard for you to do, but you're going to have to trust me."
"Trust you?" Mana repeated, her armor giving an involuntary shudder. Shaking her head quickly, she took a step towards the old man. "What are you talking about?! Who are you, anyway?!"
"It's a long story, and I'm afraid that I don't have the time to tell it right now," Fuyutsuki informed the girl. "For now, I need you to hide. We can't afford for anyone to know you're here right now." This said, the older man looked at Ritsuko. "Dr. Akagi, elevate Balthasar. Aoba, Hyuuga, help the young lady down below."
As stunned as Mana herself was, the techs looked wildly about for guidance, and eventually looked towards the Operations Director. Her features rife with confusion, Misato met their gazes, and finally looked at the old professor. "You better have a very good explanation for this, sir," was she said. Then she nodded at the techs, who quickly responded.
"I do," Fuyutsuki answered, even as Makoto and Shigeru moved to aide Mana. "Major, I need you to erase the records of everything that's happened on the bridge. As soon as Mana is hidden, alert Captain Chiron. Have him send a security detail and a medical team to the bridge." Turning to look at Ritsuko, the Sub Commander added, "We're only going to get one chance to make things right. We have to make it count."
"Yes, sir," Ritsuko nodded. The Head Scientist then carried out her orders, and elevated the MAGI.
Meanwhile, Mana was being escorted downstairs, her armor shuddering somewhat, becoming a bit sluggish. 'Damn! All those shocks and power surges must've disrupted the armor's circuitry!' the girl thought unhappily as she recovered her helmet. 'I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It sure as hell explains why my armor didn't pick up that Angel or whatever the hell it was until I was right on top of it!'
"Well…okay…here we go," Makoto got out as the odd threesome arrived at the MAGI, which was rising up to expose a maintenance hatch. As confused and out of his depths as a person could be, the Lieutenant eyed the girl. "Just…don't touch anything. Okay?"
At any other time, Mana would have been very annoyed by this warning. However, after being tortured and very nearly killed, only to find allies where she would have expected enemies. The man she had confronted and expected to have nothing but supporting troops had been betrayed by his second, the other people there were apparently helping, a situation that she was unable to comprehend was unfolding around her, and this total geek who could have been Kensuke's older brother was pleading for her to be a good little girl and not mess with the tech.
Life was completely insane. So insane that it was all Mana could do not to laugh. And had she been feeling a bit more energetic, she might have done so, anyway.
"Oh, and Mana?" came the warm, elderly voice. Looking up at the bridge, the girl saw the old man looking sadly down at her. "Just be quiet until we can get you out of there. There's a great deal that needs to be done."
"Now that I can believe," Mana returned gruffly. That said, she lowered herself to her knees and crawled into the inner workings of the techno-organic computer. To her surprise, the interior was plastered with Post-It notes with all kinds of technical scribbling on them.
'Damn, look at all this!' Mana thought wonderingly as she moved into the darkness. 'Sid would have a field day with it!'
As soon as the girl was inside, the long-haired man who had helped her looked up. "She's in, sir!"
"Then lower Balthasar at once," the man in charge spoke commandingly. "Major? Contact Section Two now."
Though Mana couldn't understand much of what was going on, she was fully aware of a sudden lurch as Balthasar began to lower into the floor. Frowning as the darkness began to fill her view, the girl placed her helmet on her head. Too many questions that had no answers filling her mind, leaving her only one option.
"Computer, run diagnostic and self-repair routines," Mana commanded, her HUD providing her with light to work with.
If there was some form of treachery there, then she would be ready for it.
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"Alright, Fuyutsuki. The Commander's just been carted off, I've just spent the past few minutes lying to Section Two, and I still don't know what the hell is going on here!" Misato growled, glaring fiercely at the old man. "Now, I want some answers! And I want them right now!"
"Not just yet," Fuyutsuki muttered somberly. "Major, as soon as possible, you have to locate Shinji and get him to Unit 01. Unless I'm mistaken, Mana has some friends out there, and we'll need to be able to contact them."
Gritting her teeth with frustration, Misato just stood there. "Not until you give me some idea of what's happening?! Who's that girl down there?! And how do you know here?! And why in hell did Gendo have an Angel on his hand?!?!!"
"That wasn't just any Angel, Misato," Ritsuko told her. When the Major looked at her, the doctor gave her a look of pure sorrow. "That was Adam. The First Angel."
Every eye fixed upon Ritsuko, with Misato's gaze being the most demanding of them all. The Major recalled the dread sensation she had felt upon seeing that horrid thing, a premonition that her best friend had just confirmed was true. "What…?"
"That is correct," Fuyutsuki intoned. "And as for the girl, she is the daughter of…an old friend of mine. And someone, I think, who can help us set things right."
"Set things right?" Maya asked blankly. Looking at her mentor, the young woman wore a forlorn expression. "Sempai?"
"Maya, I…" Ritsuko got out. Only to have her face fall in shame.
"There will be time enough for explanations later. For now, let us secure the bridge," Fuyutsuki ordered. "And somebody get Mana out of Balthasar. We're going to need her help as well."
"What are you talking about?!" Misato demanded. "Help with what?!"
"With putting an end to fifteen years of madness," Fuyutsuki intoned somberly. "Now please, find Shinji and get him to Unit-01. Once that's done…I'll explain all. To you…and to Mana."
Frowning disdainfully but seeing no way out of this, Misato did as she was instructed. Hoping against hope that she would not regret this.
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"Where is she?" Sid asked impatiently. The two armored teens were hovering near the access shaft that would take them out of the Geofront and back into the city above. The place where they had intended to rendezvous with Mana before making their escape.
"Well…she's not here. So she must still be in there, right?" Touji responded plainly, his tone of voice conveying how obvious he felt the statement was.
If Sid's expression could have been seen through her helmet, it would have been enough to curdle water. "Thanks for that bit of wisdom, Captain Obvious! The question is, what do we do about it?"
"Slag the place until we find her!" Touji suggested determinedly, with a definite undertone of hope to his words.
"You ever have ideas that don't involve shooting things up?" the armor clad girl asked with an edge of humor in her voice.
"Not usually. Should I?" Touji deadpanned.
"Probably," Sid answered, thinking that calling Touji War Machine was accurate to the point of being scary. That observation out of the way, she checked the time on her HUD, noting that Mana was going on fifteen minutes late. "You know, if the world ends because we tore the place up as much as we have already, it's your fault."
"How the hell did you come up with that idea?" Touji asked accusingly as he checked his own weapon charge levels, making sure if he went back in he'd have the guns to take care of business.
"Well, you are the one that spot welded an Evangelion to the wall using a plasma-based weapon, aren't you?" Sid asked in way of explanation.
"Hey! You don't know the Devil the way I do! If I hadn't done that, she'd been in that Eva with guns blazing. Right at us!" Touji shot back.
"There are better ways of doing things," Sid noted.
"Whatever. So what now? You wanna blow a new hole in there and go back in?" Touji asked, tired of waiting.
Sid was thinking on the suggestion when her HUD lit up red in warning, a thermal signature was being projected onto the two of them. "Contact, we're being painted!" she screamed before preparing a hard burn.
Before she could even move, however, Sid's suit beeped: "Signal Detected"
"Hey, you two!" came a familiar and welcome voice in the helmets of both teens. "This is Mana! I'm okay, I think! It looks like I've found some friends. Well…sort of. Anyway, you can come on down!"
Frozen with surprise, Sid looked about even as she traced the thermal signature. When she finally tracked it down, she gasped sharply, for standing below them was the most infamous Eva of them all. The purple behemoth known as Evangelion Unit-01. But instead of taking at them with a weapon, it was painting them with a point-to-point laser-based communication beam.
'Which explains the communications link,' Sid thought. The she frowned behind her helmet, thinking the situation through. Touji had been right about one thing; if the Evas started attacking them, things would be ugly. And Unit 01 was fully capable of attacking. The fact that it wasn't spoke a great deal about the situation. Still…
"Go home," Sid finally said, looking at her partner.
Touji looked back Sid like she had officially lost her digital mind. "What? No way! We still haven't found Mana, and…!"
"Please, just go home! You're not part of this, and after what we just did I don't think you want them knowing who you really are," Sid said plainly. Seeing the armored boy's hesitation, she maneuvered a bit closer to him and looked him squarely in his faceplates. "I'm not saying I'm not grateful. Because I am! Seriously, War Machine, I couldn't have done this without you! But…you're not a part of this like me and Mana are, you don't need to be putting yourself through this for us, okay? Besides, you still have a family to worry about, and if someone found out who you are…"
Sid could see her words reaching the boy beneath the heavy armor. She then smiled at him, the first person who had fought for Mana since the day this nightmare had started. "Please, just give us twenty-four hours. I promise you, we'll be back, and we'll tell you everything that's happened." When Touji didn't move, Sid smiled even more. "Besides…if something goes wrong, we need someone out there to tell the world the truth. And maybe blow this place to slag, just for good measure!"
More time passed, until the shoulders of the War Machine sagged beneath an invisible weight. While Sid almost laughed at the comic sight, Touji sighed dejectedly. "Alright, I'm going. But seriously, Sid! Twenty-four hours! And if I don't hear from you by then…!"
"Then NERV better have a couple N2s to throw at you, because you won't be stopping for anything less!" Sid joked. While Touji's male ego was somewhat soothed by this, she nodded at him. "Twenty-four hours. You got it."
Letting out a reluctant sigh, Touji nodded. "Alright, but take care, Sid," he finally said before turning away. Then, just as his jets were building up for a main burn, he looked over his shoulder at her. "And…tell Mana to take care of herself as well."
Hovering in mid-air, Sid watched as Touji disappeared up through the vent pipe. When he was finally gone, she looked down towards the purple Evangelion before flying down to it. 'This might prove to be quite interesting…'
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"I…don't…believe this…" the woman who had been introduced as Major Misato Katsuragi growled deep in her throat. Her expression that of an animal wounded just enough to make it truly dangerous.
Standing back from the NERV personnel, which consisted of the Fuyutsuki, Ritsuko, Misato, and the three techs, Mana found her gaze glued to the wrathful Major. "I am so glad that it's not me she's mad at,' the armor-user thought with ill-humor. 'I get the feeling I really wouldn't like her when she's mad at me!'
While Mana was watching, taking in the various reactions the people there had to a story that she already knew some of, Misato was looking sickened by the two people at the center. A bit green around the gills, the Major ranted, "You're telling me that…that Gendo used my father to cause Second Impact?!?!! And that he had Adam smuggled here, and – and – he had this girl's father killed to get the Valkyrie technology?!"
"Yes, Major. I'm afraid that is precisely what I'm telling you," Fuyutsuki confessed. His face seamed and lined with pure guilt. "And I'm also afraid that this is the least of what I do have to tell you."
"And you and Ritsuko…you were in on this whole thing?!" Misato growled savagely. "You were part of this the entire time?!"
"Yes, Misato," Ritsuko confessed miserably, seeming to be weighed down by chains made of her own sins.
"I don't believe this…" Maya whimpered. Gazing in horror at her mentor. "Sempai…how could you…?"
"Because she's an evil bitch?" Mana suggested, giving a glacial look at the scientist.
Ritsuko didn't say anything to protest this. She simply stood there, while Fuyutsuki looked sadly at the armored girl. "There are times that I wish it were that simple, Mana. That someone could just paint an indisputable line between good and evil and that would be that," the old man explained. Then he narrowed his eyes somewhat. "Unfortunately, the world we live in is not painted exclusively in black and white."
"Says the man that's just admitted to helping Gendo with all this," Misato growled deep within her throat.
"That's true. I don't deny it," Fuyutsuki intoned. "And I don't deny that there have been others. Other brave souls who have learned of this madness and tried to end it, while we did nothing." Looking sadly at Misato, he added, "And Dr. Akagi and I witnessed their remains, Major, once Gendo learned of their actions." When Misato and the others froze, Fuyutsuki once again looked at Mana. "In fact, to my knowledge, there was only one man, armed only with suspicions and a keen scientific mind, who actually succeeded in leaving NERV alive, and in a position that would enable him – or his daughter – to act."
Blinking rapidly, Mana stared at the old man. "You mean…my father?"
"Yes. Dr. Hiro Kirishima," Fuyutsuki returned. Then the past was visible within the old man's eyes. "I still remember the one time he brought you to the base, Mana. You were so tiny…"
Blinking in confusion, Mana was about to say something in response when a familiar roar reached her ears. Looking about, she saw the Trident armor coming crashing through the upper ventilation shaft, and come to a graceful landing on the bridge.
"Okay, here I am, Mana!" Sid cried out as she removed her helmet. "Now, what's going on? And why did I have to take the long way here?! Those ventilation ducts are gross!"
"There's quite a bit going on, Sid," Mana replied, only to frown. "Where's T- I mean, War Machine?"
"I had him leave," Sid explained. The cyber-girl then cast a dangerous look at the NERV personnel. "I thought it might be a good idea to have him someplace safe."
"A reserve, in case we decided to try something…untoward," Fuyutsuki smiled somberly. Then he cocked his head wonderingly at Sid. "And who might this young lady be? She looks like she could be your sister."
"She is…sort of," Mana said. Then she smiled wryly at the old man. "It's a long story. One that can wait until you're done with yours."
"Fair enough," Fuyutsuki replied. "I'll let you brief your friend on what I've already told you. There's still a great deal that needs to be explained."
"Yeah, like how the Commander got hold of the First Angel, what did he plan to do with it, and just how many other people are in on this?!" Misato demanded crossly.
"Then give me a chance to tell you, Major," Fuyutsuki murmured softly. And tell them he did. He told them of the Instrumentality Committee, and the plans they had crafted based on the Dead Sea Scrolls. Of the cruelties he and Ritsuko had forced to witness, even participate in, the threat of torture and death always an order from Gendo away.
By the time Fuyutsuki was done with his tale, every person on the bridge was shaken to the core, even Mana and Sid themselves. "Oh, God…" Mana murmured, as pale as sheet. "Dad…he was worried about NERV, but this…"
"The Committee…is trying to bring about the end of the world?" Sid gulped out. Looking like she was about to be sick, something Mana had in common.
"Yes…and no," Fuyutsuki smiled miserably. "To their minds, the end of this world would result in the joy of rebirth. The end of misery, loneliness, sickness, and death. Immortality and happiness in the union of every living soul on the planet, joined forever within the Angel known…as Lilith."
"They're actually planning on merging us all with an Angel?!!?!" Misato roared hatefully. "And you two -?!"
"Misato, please," Ritsuko muttered with such misery that it was impossible to miss. "You can't say anything or call us things that we have already done to ourselves every single day for years now." Her eyes welling up with tears, the doctor added, "I can't tell you the number of times I went to bed, praying that I would never wake up in the morning. That I would die and not have to go through with pretending that what I was doing…didn't matter. Not have to tell myself that there was nothing I could do…except survive."
"Our only hope, the only thing we had left, was that something would go wrong with Ikari and SEELE's plans," Fuyutsuki told the Major. Casting a glance at Mana and Sid, he smiled wearily. "And it would seem that something has."
Frowning perplexedly, Maya asked, "Then…it's over?"
"Over?" Ritsuko repeated with ill-concealed bitterness. "Maya, it's only just begun."
"Indeed," Fuyutsuki agreed. "Even though Adam was destroyed, it's theoretically possible to use an Evangelion cloned from the First Angel and fitted with an S2 Engine as a substitute. And if SEELE realizes that Ikari has been deposed, then there's no telling what they'll do in order to take control of NERV."
"Like what?" Makoto wondered, holding up his hands helplessly. "Drop an N2 mine on the base?"
"SEELE and the Instrumentality Committee have ties and allies throughout the UN, and even the JSSDF," Fuyutsuki explained somberly. "And if they think that bombing Tokyo-3 out of existence is the only way to regain control of NERV, then they'll do it. Mark my words, they will."
"Then we have to put an end to their plans. Right now," Misato declared forcefully. "By destroying Lilith!"
"I'm afraid it is not nearly that simple," Fuyutsuki informed them. "Again, it is theoretically possible to use an Eva, this time cloned from Lilith, and fitted with an S2 Engine as a substitute. And even if Lilith's destruction would suffice, we still couldn't do it."
"Why not?!" Mana demanded, accusing the old man of cowardice with her gaze.
"Because of the remaining Angels, Mana," Fuyutsuki responded. "Lilith's power is equal to that of Adam, and it is that power that has lured all the previous Angels here. To this city, where they could be destroyed."
Frowning as she thought the matter through, Misato finally gasped. "Then…if we destroy Lilith…"
"Then the remaining Angels will march across the globe, destroying all that lay in their paths," Fuyutsuki told them. Letting the silence paint the resulting destruction for them.
"Then we'll just have to send our available information to the UN," Misato tried again.
"Unfortunately, all of NERV's communications are monitored by the MAGI of the other NERV bases. SEELE would be alerted to our actions the moment we tipped our hand. And if the JSSDF strike, then all of the people of Tokyo-3 would be wiped out," Fuyutsuki answered. Shaking his head, the old professor went on. "No. Our only chance is to try and have our doctors fake Ikari's demise. Once that is done, then we might be able to build up our defenses, and slowly evacuate the civilian population over time. Maybe even find allies we can safely trust to help us disseminate SEELE's scenario."
Frowning in thought, Mana considered the old man's arguments, and found that each and every one of them made sense. And while she still wasn't sure that she trusted these people, the fact that Fuyutsuki had saved her life gave her the courage to speak her mind.
"Actually…there might be a better way to cover our butts," Mana spoke, her idea taking greater form.
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'This sucks!' Touji thought as he paced about his room. His eyes constantly darting from the clock next to his bed to the collapsed armor that lay on the floor, tucked so that it couldn't be seen if his father came to check on him. All the while waiting for either a reassuring call, or the twenty-four hours to expire. The latter seeming more likely with each passing moment.
'I never should have run out on them!' Touji scolded himself. 'Sure, the Devil was out of action, but what about Rei. And Shinji…aw, man! Mana! Why do you have to be so tough, anyway?!'
While Touji was giving serious consideration to forgetting how to tell time, he was jolted out of his skin by a beeping coming from the collapsed War Machine armor. Caught between hoping that everything was alright and that Mana needed him to come, the jock sought out the exposed button on the armor and pressed it.
To his relief, Mana's image appeared, a tiny hologram of the girl's face. "Hey, there, War Machine!" Mana grinned, winking playfully at him.
"Mana!" Touji cried out, almost fainting with relief. "I thought something had happened to you!"
"Something has happened. A lot more than I could have imagined, including some stuff that I can't tell you right now," Mana told him, her expression fully serious. "I just wanted you to know that everything's okay, and I'll be talking to you as soon as possible."
"What?" Touji replied, disappointed. "You can't…?"
Frowning sadly as the boy trailed off, Mana answered, "I'm sorry, but there are a lot of things that I have to do right now." Sighing sadly, she looked at Touji for a time before adding, "But…I just wanted you to know that…I will see you again as soon as possible. And…thanks for everything…War Machine."
Pausing to give him one final, longing look, Mana then disappeared from Touji's view. Leaving him emptier and fearing for her than he had been before.
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Misato was sick. Sick to her heart, her very soul, as she waited alongside of Mana in her office. Barely able to hold up beneath all the horrors she had learned of that day. Barely stifling the shuddering of her body, she stood in her office, hoping that the familiar setting would help her stay strong. At least long enough to do what she had to do.
Wanting more than ever to go off to some bar and drink herself stupid, Misato was taken by surprise when Mana spoke. "Are you alright?"
Practically jumping out of her skin, Misato looked down at the girl, who was still clad in her gold-and-crimson armor. "No, I'm not," Misato answered in all honesty. "But I still have to do this, don't I?"
Frowning slightly, Mana just studied the Major. "You didn't know about this. Did you?"
"No," Misato answered, even though she knew from Mana's words that this was not a question. "I know it doesn't mean much, not after all this, but…if I had known, I…"
"I understand," Mana got out. Her rage and fury having been used up in battle, her emotions sent all over the place by hearing of SEELE's plans, of just how deep those horrors ran.
'If it weren't for my armor, I'm not sure I'd even be able to stand right now,' Mana thought miserably. The weight of the pain she had seen like nothing she could have imagined.
The two women waited there, waiting until the door of Misato's office opened, revealing three children. "Uh, Misato?" came Shinji's nervous voice. "You wanted to -?"
"Mein Gott! It's her!!" Asuka shrieked, pointing at Mana as her blue eyes spat fire. "Say your prayers, bitch, because you're dead!!"
"Asuka, stop that right this instant," Misato growled, her pain turning to anger and unspent frustration.
Staring incredulously at Misato, Asuka stopped and sputtered for a few minutes. Shinji and Rei standing frozen as they tried to figure out what was going on. "But…that bitch…and did you see what that other thing did to my -?!"
"Asuka, please! Not now!" Misato got out, looking as if she was about to collapse beneath tears that seemed inevitable. Taking a few quick breaths, the Major just stood there, her fists trembling as if they wanted to smash something. Anything.
Even as Mana felt suffocated by the resulting silence, a voice broke it. "You," Rei spoke, eyeing the armored superwoman. "You're Mana Kirishima."
The other two pilots quickly looked at Rei before staring at Mana. "Hey…Ayanami's right!" Shinji got out. "Wh-what are you…how did you…huh?"
"I don't care who she is!!" Asuka snarled. "All I want to know is where the hell that other armored freak is! That stupid jerk screwed up my Eva, and -!"
"Asuka, stop it!" Misato cried out, once again brought to her emotional limits. Closing her eyes, she seemed to count to ten before opening them again. "A lot has been happening lately. But…there are some things you have to know. For starters, Mana is going to be working with us from now on."
Three different expressions of shock were the result of Misato's words. "Whaaaat?!?!!" Asuka bellowed, practically exploding in flame. "You've got to be kidding me!! There's no way in Hell that I'd ever work with that goddamned whore!!"
"You will be working with her, Asuka," Misato declared, leaving no room for misinterpretation. When the German tried to speak again, the Major fixed a deadly gaze upon her, one that shut her up with minimal resistance.
Frowning as Asuka stood there, gnashing her teeth, Shinji finally looked at his guardian. "Um…Misato?" he asked softly. "What's…going on here?"
"A lot. A lot that I…have to explain," Misato answered, slowly approaching the three children. The knowledge she now had making every step a torturous one.
Looking at the three faces, Misato paused, wanting nothing more than to run away and hide, to cry and cry and cry until she had no tears left to her. The fact that she had volunteered to tell the truth doing nothing to soothe her.
'I have to do this. Shinji and Asuka…they're my responsibility,' Misato reminded herself. But even so, she didn't know how to say it. How to say to him that his father had been working for over ten years to make his own son so miserable and hopeless that he wanted nothing more to than to die. How to tell her that her mother's madness and eventual death were all planned by NERV, to make her into the perfect willing pawn for their cruelties.
Even Rei, even the girl whom she had learned was created by Gendo himself…how could Misato tell her that Gendo intended for her to die at the hands of the Angels? To die and be reborn as an Angel herself, just to die again? That every part of her life had been shaped to make her into a puppet that danced with a single order from her creator, who cared nothing for her personally?
The weight of the task she had set for herself overwhelming her entirely, Misato fell to her knees and wrapped her arms about the three children. Feeling their confusion as she let her tears overwhelm her at last.
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A week. That was how long Gendo had been confined to the depths of NERV's holding cells, with only the occasional meal and constant darkness to occupy him. That and the pain he still felt in the stump where his right hand had been, as well as the malice he felt for the girl responsible.
'Kirishima…' he hissed in his mind, images of both father and daughter flashing before him. 'This is not the end. I will not let it end this way…'
This was not the first time Gendo had thought these things, and he knew it wouldn't be the last. But this time, as if response to his curses, a light appeared within the hall that led to his cell. Looking up, he saw two figures approaching him, but he couldn't make them out in the sudden light.
"Hello, Ikari," came the familiar voice of Fuyutsuki.
"Sensei," Gendo responded, letting no emotion show as his eyes adjusted. Enough to see who the other visitor was. "Kirishima."
Mana didn't say anything. She just stood there, looking at Gendo as if he were something she had just scraped off her armored boot.
"Don't fool yourself into thinking you've won, girl," Gendo spoke, his tone overflowing with menace. "After all, do you think I got to my position without allies?"
"Yeah, sure," Mana growled disdainfully. Then she gave the former Commander and evil smile. "And if they're anything like him and Akagi, they'll be thrilled to pieces to hear that they won't have to deal with you anymore."
"You sinful little girl…you think you can stop the cleansing of this world?" Gendo asked rhetorically, his glasses reflecting his cruelty. "Even if I fail, there are others out there. Others who will seize control of this place the instant they learn of my…situation." Then he leaned forward, looking at her as if she were a gnat. "That is…if they haven't already."
"They haven't," Fuyutsuki stated flatly. "And they aren't going to, either."
A low chuckle echoing in his throat, Gendo eyed his former student. "Even now, sensei, you still haven't learned," the deposed monster smiled, exuding power and control. "You can't stop it. You can't even slow it down. The end will come…and in one form or another, Instrumentality will proceed." Letting these words sink in for a moment, Gendo lowered his gaze. "I look forward to seeing my Yui again…"
"And there's something you still haven't learned, Ikari. Something I'd almost forgotten," Fuyutsuki countered. "That humans aren't the sinful monsters you make them out to be, and sometimes…just sometimes…they can make miracles happen. Like Mana herself has." Then the old professor smiled deviously. "In fact…you're about to see one of those miracles right now."
"That's right, you monster," Mana smirked. Then she looked off towards the door and cooed, "Oh, Tai? You're on!"
"Coming," came an oddly familiar voice. One that had Gendo sit up in surprise as a third figure appeared.
It was a man, that much Gendo was certain of. But the way he was dressed, his voice, everything about it was so…familiar, yet confusing, all the same.
"SEELE is not going to find out about your fate, Ikari," Fuyutsuki smiled wickedly. "Because, as you can see…you've just been replaced."
"Hello, there!" the newcomer said. "Boy, looking at you, I can't believe this body was actually based on yours! Nice face, by the way!"
Gendo's jaw practically hit the floor as he stared at the man before him. A man who, aside from having both hands and a laughing smile, was Gendo's mirror image. "What the…?!"
"And aren't we the silver-tongued devil, hmm?" the duplicate smirked. "Makes me glad my personality was programmed by people who actually have intact hearts and souls!"
"Meet TAI. Short for Tactical Artificial Intelligence," Mana explained, gesturing at the copy of Gendo who was still smiling broadly. "He's an AI based off of Sid's design, and his body was cloned from your DNA."
Recovering, Gendo stared daggers at Mana. "And you expect this…thing…to fool Keel and the rest of SEELE into thinking that…it is I?"
"Why not? After all, what else can they believe?" Fuyutsuki asked, smiling as well. "In any case, Akagi and I will be coaching Tai, showing him recordings of meetings you have attended. Helping him to act exactly as you would."
"At least when I'm dealing with SEELE. Though I get the feeling I'll be needing a lot of showers!" Tai grinned. Shuddering, he added, "Ew! Just the thought of that makes me all…slimy!"
"You will never get away with this, you fools," Gendo growled beneath his breath. "This…thing…will be discovered in no time! And then -!"
"And then nothing," Fuyutsuki countered instantly. "I can't live with this any longer, Ikari. I'm tired of the lies and the cruelties. Now more than ever, I want them to end." Placing his hand on Mana's shoulder, he added, "And now that my faith in Hiro Kirishima has been rewarded…I will do everything in my power to see that they do."
It took several seconds for the meaning of Fuyutsuki's words to register with Gendo, but when they did, the deposed tyrant stared hatefully at his former teacher. "You?" he gasped out. "You…hid him from me?!"
"In a sense. I made sure that the reports you received regarding his work were out of date. Hoping you would think him to be no threat until he was in a position to do something to end this madness," Fuyutsuki explained, seeming to enjoy his former student's powerlessness. "I'm only sorry I could do nothing to prevent his death." Looking more serious, the old professor stared at his former student. "This is why I will do everything in my power to insure this girl's safety. And her father's legacy."
"Besides, considering how little you actually do around this base, I'm pretty sure I can pull it off! Heck, I'll probably be a better you than you ever were!" Tai added gloatingly. "Let's see…there's looking evil while sitting around in my new office…I'm pretty sure I can do that right now," Tai started, motioning his hands like he was counting off his fingers. "There's being a father to Shinji – something I know I'd do better at – then there are those meetings with the Committee…"
"Something which I'll be there to assist you with, just in case," Fuyutsuki reminded the duplicate.
"Right, so that shouldn't be any problem," Tai nodded. Then his face lit up in delight. "Oh, and then there's boinking Ritsuko!" While Gendo was staring at his doppelganger with steadily increasing horror, Tai rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Boy, I'm certainly looking forward to that part of the job!"
"What?" Gendo squeaked out.
"Well, why not? A looker like that was totally wasted on you, you heartless creep!" Tai informed him. "Besides, I've been doing some investigating on the internet, and I've already downloaded at least one hundred and fifty positions to try out on her! Should be some fun!"
"You…you're actually…attracted…to that hag?!" Gendo demanded.
"Hag! Are we even talking about the same woman?" Tai demanded. Then he gave a puzzled look at Fuyutsuki. "How'd this lowlife ever managed to get married in the first place?"
"Things were…very different back then," Fuyutsuki admitted. "And Yui…was a remarkable woman."
"Remarkable? For putting up with this jerk and bearing his child, she should probably be nominated for sainthood!" Tai exclaimed, shrugging helplessly.
While Gendo was staring helplessly at the interplay between his former teacher and his double, Mana was grinning wickedly. "So how's it feel, huh?" she demanded, reveling in this moment she had been looking forward to for what felt like an eternity. "Having everything you'd worked for, everything in your life taken away from you? All your hopes and dreams and plans for the future, all of it, gone in an instant?" she asked. When Gendo looked at her helplessly, Mana snarled, "That's what you did to me, and its hell. Make no mistake about it."
Smiling even more cruelly, Mana leaned in closer at NERV's former master. "The only difference is…I've found people who want to help me hope again. Something you'll never have. Never."
As these words hit home, Mana watched as Gendo looked about once more, looked at the stump where the key to all his dreams once was, before sucking in a desperate breath.
At that moment, all across Tokyo-3, people could have sworn they heard a tormented cry echoing helplessly across the streets…
