Roads ran in every direction. From the intersection in which he now sat, cityscape extended as far as he could see. This city did not go as quietly as the ones they drove through in Japan. Probably what happened was when someone was released their car crashed and exploded or they dropped something that caught fire. Unchecked, the fire spread throughout the city, burning everything as it went. Buildings that were gutted of their floors collapsed now that there was not support between walls. It almost looked like some of the pictures that Asuka had seen of London in World War II. Rubble lay in the streets, and broken down buildings were now large piles of conglomerate concrete and steel.
Shinji rested on a large piece of what was at one time decorative molding of a building that had fallen into the street. He clutched a 9mm pistol close. Asuka had left him here for the time being to scout for a hospital that had survived the blaze. On the next block over were buildings that had not been even marked by the flames of the fire that had consumed the city. It was reasonably likely that there might be a hospital of clinic in the area and that it still had medical supplies that they could use.
Shinji returned to the thoughts he had been sharing with Asuka earlier on. They were very lucky that the human civilizations technology had survived. If you followed the thinking as though they could repopulate the human species, it would take many generations to gain any kind of headway towards being something like what they had been. Of course if Shinji had his way they would not return being the self-righteous greedy and ultimately suicidal species that they had become. This whole scenario had been thrust upon the two of them not through Shinji's choice alone. That was a combination of self preservation and love, and a final decision not to run away. But, had it not been for the meddling of men, that decision would never had to have been made.
He realized that he was following another tangent again. They were lucky that technology had survived because the technology could sustain them for a long time provided they thought ahead and made the most use of everything they could find. It would do neither them nor any successive generations any good if they toiled their entire lives only trying grow food and provide shelter. There was more to life than that. Right? Shinji sometimes wondered. Sometimes he had it all figured out. Sometimes he was totally lost and he was just following the flow and dealing with the adversities that life dealt him one at a...
Movement out of the corner of his eye brought him from his thoughts and instantly put him on edge. He had only glimpsed it for a second but he was sure something had moved off to his left. He rolled off of the slab of concrete to the ground wincing at the spike of pain in his ear from the changing of balance. He could feel the blood pumping in his face. As silently as he could, but not as silently as he would have liked he peered over the concrete and watched as a male lion plodded its way out from behind a building catty-cornered across the intersection. It stopped in front of a department store and stood looking into the display window at the human like mannequin. It sniffed at the wall closest to it and then turned around and sprayed it.
Shinji studied the animal raptly. It was well fed. He had expected any animals that they might find in the cities to be skinny and haggard but the lion had undoubtedly done well for itself. It might even have a pride living in the city. Although what they would catch was beyond him. Regardless, his heart stopped when the lion looked directly at him. It must have seen him. It had to have. It's large nostrils flared several times as it tasted the air wondering about the peculiar odor that it had not sensed in so long a time.
Then it looked away and down the street it had come from. Opening its great mouth, it roared with a deafening intensity that echoed off of the buildings and rubble canyons nearby amplifying it and distorting it into an alien sound. The roar lasted what seemed like minutes but was actually only a few seconds. Then when it was done claiming its territory, it stretched each hind leg and yawned a short yawn, then loped on it's way. After it had passed from his sight, Shinji felt tired and a little dizzy. If it had seen or noticed him in any way it could have gotten a lioness or two to hunt and kill him, or even taken care of it himself. They would have to be extra careful while they were here and get out quickly or become lion food.
A few minutes late after the dizzy spell had subsided, he crept back up to sit on the slab again, watching and hoping for Asuka to return soon. He did not like the idea of having to defend himself from things. She could do it easily, but he had always had a hard time killing anything even if it was trying to kill him. If he was attacked he would likely be forced to kill, and it did not sit well with him that he would be ending the life of another creature that was just doing what it was designed to do.
He sat in silence for another ten minutes when suddenly a spot of red bounced from behind a building three blocks down the road to his front. Several times Asuka stopped and sat still on her approach, but in a few minutes, she was hurrying across the intersection to him.
"I found some Erythromycin and some Tetracycline. I don't know if either of them will work on that infection, but I think it is worth a shot." Asuka shook a couple of bottles. "By the way, did you see a bear?"
Shinji shook his head wonderingly. "No, but there was a lion that wandered through here and marked that building over there..."
"There must have been a zoo around here before Third Impact. It is a wonder that the animals got out before starving to death. Anyhow, there was a bear nosing around the hospital. It got pretty close without seeing me. I was glad that I did not have to shoot it." She patted the M4 carbine. "We ought to get back to the boat. I don't really feel like staying here much longer."
Just then, the wind shifted so that it was coming down a different street, and a revolting smell hit them almost like being punched. It was beyond either of them to describe, and even though neither had had anything to eat all day, they both felt like throwing up.
"What is that? Ughhh." Shinji looked in the direction the smell and wind was coming from and saw only burned buildings. Turning a little further he saw that he was next to a rather tall building that could look over many of the shorter buildings around it. "Lets go up a few floors and see."
"I don't think I want to, Shinji. Lets go on back to the boat." Asuka looked plaintively at him.
"It will only take a couple of minutes... I just want to know what it is. And I don't want to go down there to find out." He gestured in the direction of the stench.
"Well..." Asuka turned to follow him into the building. It was a good thing she came along too. Shinji was only on the 5th stair before he fell forward and would have fallen on his face if she had not caught him.
"Still want to go up there?" Asuka propped him up against the wall.
"Yeah. Soon as we take a look-see, then we can head back."
They managed to climb several stories more then ducked out of the stairwell and into a business office. It was pretty nice. Carpeting on the floors and soft clothlike covering on the walls. A labyrinth of cubicles made a mish mash of the floor, with printer stations at evenly spaced intervals. Light poured through windows down the hallway.
As they neared them, the two looked out over the sprawling city. In the distance was a very large red and white object. It had crushed what looked like a quarter of the city, but because of the relative size of it, it was just barely touching the city. A huge glassy looking plate covered the top of it.
"It's... It's a finger. Oh my god." Shinji turned and dry heaved, holding onto a cubicle divider for support. Asuka just stared out the window and the gargantuan finger, with its translucent fingernail glinting in the sunlight. Shinji had described to her the sight of Rei/Lillith and her fall. Her finger was rotting even now, nearly a year later, and it still had far to go. How long would it take for the rest of the body to decay? Was most of it underwater?
"I think that I have seen enough, Shinji. Lets get out of this place. That... It gives me the creeps, and I think we need to get back underway." Shinji had finished trying to wretch and managed to nod his head. They would pick up the other items they needed.
They left the building the way they came in, and walked to the boat in silence. On the way they saw several other wild animals. A wolf sat sunning itself on top of a piece of corporate art; a water buffalo was pulling grass from the grounds of a park they passed.
The boat was just as they had left it, and as they climbed on board Asuka spoke up. "Shinji, I want you to take one of these and get some sleep. The faster you get over that ear infection, they better off we'll be. I can pull us out of here and get back underway. I want to put some distance between us and that... body."
Still looking quite sick, Shinji agreed and allowed her to help him down below. Once he was safely in bed, and given a dose of antibiotic, Asuka headed above decks and set about casting off.
It was not until she was well out to sea that she realized that she was very hungry and still had not eaten anything all day. While she sat at the helm, she wrote their location and disposition in the log. According to calculations, if they were to put in at Adan, Yemen, it would be about 20 days of sailing assuming they could keep up about 10 knots for half a day each day. Since they would not be sailing at night this would be a fair estimate. And with the tradewinds what they were this year, they could expect to do better than that. Perhaps even faster. They had enough stores to last that amount of time. Water was not a problem since they could purify water as they needed it. The real thing they would be short on is patience. It is bad enough to be cooped up in a car on a trip for 2 or 3 days, but a ship for nearly 20?
It was doable. And it would shorten their trip. If they kept a heading of 282 degrees from Colombo, that would take them directly to an island off the coast of Yemen. Then it was a short leg from there to Adan. If they were really pressed, they could put in at Qadib or one of the other small towns on the island, otherwise they would make for the larger city.
Shinji appeared from below decks and shuffled his way toward her, while rubbing his head. His hair was sticking up in a couple of places and the sleepy look in his eyes was unmistakable.
"You getting hungry, Asuka? I could eat a house. Or a horse. Or both." To accentuate his point, his stomach growled loudly.
"Yeah I am. Do we still have any of that instant ramen left? I know there is some frozen fish, I could fry it with some vegetables and put it in the soup. Maybe even use some of the eggs. Egg drop, fish and vegetable ramen sound good to you?" She smiled. She knew that it sounded very good to him. He had made that for her when she was recovering a while back, and had let on that it was his favorite.
"Mmm. Yeah. I think that would hit the spot. Want me to fix some?" He did his best to swallow a yawn but Asuka noticed anyhow.
"No way, Jose. You get back to bed, I'll fix it."
"Who is Jose?"
"Get to bed you! And you better be asleep by the time I am done cooking!" The mock anger helped to bring a smile to Shinji's face, and he hurried as best he could to the stairs again.
"You want me to go to sleep just so you can wake me up again? Always do as the doctor orders."
Asuka finished out the log explaining their intended course of travel. Figuring their current food stores, they would easily last out the rest of the trip up to or maybe even after the Suez canal. Just to be sure she decided that it would be best to ration things a little bit. One never knows what problems they might encounter.
Closing the book, she headed below as well and set about making their meal.
They say that experience is the best teacher. Neither Asuka not Shinji knew how true this was until they found themselves unprepared for true open ocean sailing. They had been making good time for the last week when what could only be a severe cyclonic storm found them. The day had dawned clear and bright, but close to noon, the sky began to get cluttered with clouds and in the distance there was a huge wall of clouds that curved away from them in both directions. At the time they had been heading straight for it, but as the day wore on, both realized that they would pass through the trailing edge of the immense storm. Asuka suggested veering north a little to try and miss it by a wider margin, but no sooner did they think they would be in the clear when it shifted its track and headed back their way. It was not until 5:00 PM that they really started feeling the winds off of it, and because of it's position relative to them the winds were helping.
Unfortunately the storm was getting closer despite their best efforts, and soon the wind was too much for the sails. A slow ripping sound pealed through the air, and Shinji, who had recovered from his infection enough to perform on deck again (according to Captain and Doctor Asuka's professional diagnosis), managed to get the sails down and started rolling and stowing them before more harm could be done.
"Do you think it will be alright? I mean we are about to go to a watery grave or what?" Shinji yelled to Asuka across the deck. Only 20 feet away and with the wind he could barely hear her reply.
"You got me, I think that in situations like this, they used to just batten down the hatches and take cover for the rest of the storm." Asuka looked worried, and that worried Shinji.
After a few more minutes of struggling work on deck, they went below, dripping wet, and both were quite cold. Having grown accustomed to each other as they had over the past few months, stripping out of the wet clothing together was no longer the nosebleed inducing act it used to be. It was still very exciting to Shinji, but he could handle it.
"Shinji? Can you get a blanket? I am going to make us some tea to warm up."
Shinji hurried to do as she asked, and no sooner did she start pouring water into a pot than the ship rolled hard to starboard, then back to port, tossing them both about the cabin.
"OK, no tea then.", she said disgustedly. Throwing the pot into the sink, she headed to the bed, where Shinji was busily spreading the blankets over the bed. They dried off with towels and climbed in, both of them taking comfort in the warmth and dryness of the bed. With the ship swaying, it was difficult to keep awake, so they started talking. Mostly they spoke of their route, what they might find when they get to NERV in Germany and other more trivial things. With the wind howling outside, the two spoke in whispers, for no other reason than that it felt more private.
"Shinji?" Asuka looked at him with her soft, almost sad eyes. Having grown accustomed to hard work and being outside, Shinji had filled out his previously skinny frail looking body. He had also grown taller. When she had met him, he was her height and probably weighed 55 kilograms, but now he was probably 8 centimeters taller and had gained 10 or more kilograms in muscle. He was also quite naked.
"Mm hmm? What is it?"
"Do you love me? I mean.. I don't know what I mean..." She almost looked ashamed to him, tears welling in her eyes, waiting for the gentle nudge that would push them over the eyelashes and down onto her smooth silken cheeks.
"Hey. What is this? I love you. I love you very much. I have tried to show it, but I guess I am just not good at it. But I do love you, Asuka."
She sniffed and was silent for a moment while she wiped the moisture in her eyes across the back of her hand. "I know. I just expected... wanted you to... Do you remember when we agreed not to have se... make love, Shinji? At the time I thought that it was all for valid reasons, but after the winter was over and the dangers were past, I wanted you to want me."
Shinji changed position, laying on his side so that he could look squarely at her. Her lips were pursed while she thought and chose her words carefully. Her brow furrowed with the anxiety, tension and over-thinking that people do in such situations, mulling events over in their head like a mantra, until it becomes distorted.
Leaning forward he saw that she had also removed a particularly intriguing article of clothing. Her bare breasts were just visible under the hem of the covers. Then she lifted her head, and looked directly at him. It was the same Asuka, but it was a new look. She wanted him very badly, and he wanted her too.
The ship rocked violently to one side, and Shinji collided with Asuka, half on accident, half on purpose, and kissed her furiously. It had been extremely difficult for the two of them to contain themselves as they had for so long. You do not live with someone you love so much without sexual relations like that easily. He brushed his hands up and down her shoulders, causing her skin to break out in goose bumps, and leaned in for another kiss, this time wrapping his arms all the way around her.
With the storm raging outside, the storm that was sexual frustration was raging inside the boat. They did not separate for a very long time, but neither were they active that whole time. Some things, like the first experience of the most sublime example of romantic love, should be taken slowly and savored... several times.
Afterwards they both slept, Asuka still draped halfway over Shinji, and it was not until the storm had subsided outside that the two of them awoke.
Afterword- (April 2004)
I apologize for being so long in writing this. For the last couple of months I have been extremely busy. For the entire month of January I was at an Army school (PLDC- Primary Leadership Development Course) then for February, March, and so far through April, I was preparing to deploy to Afghanistan. Soon I will be gone, but I am certain I will have internet access over there, and so I might just be capable of continuing to write. With my increased responsibilities as an NCO (Non-Commissioned Officer) I have less free time than I used to. But, once I have trained my privates (soldiers not parts *S*) I think I will have a bit less of a workload. Thanks to all of those of you who put reviews on my stories, you are the ones that keep me coming back (albeit after long hiatus). And please, if you ask questions in your reviews, please leave an e-mail address that I can respond to. I can't answer very well otherwise.
I seem to remember someone asking how I knew so much about things like power plants, guns, large scale UPS systems etc. I am in the US Army. I entered service on 17APR98 as an Infantryman. It was a good job, and I got exposed to a lot of neat stuff. There are things that you can learn in the Infantry that you cannot learn so easily in many other places.
I spent three years in the Infantry, and that nearly broke me. My body was not built for it. I could probably last another year or so before I would be physically unable to hack it. So I reclassified to Imagery Analysis in Intelligence. I look at satellite pictures. When learning about say power plants for example, they show you in a classroom what all of these different types of power plants look like on imagery and how they work, then you go tour one to see what all happens there. All of that information is good to know since it may come in useful hen looking at something like that on imagery.
Anyhow, I will do my best to continue this while I am in country. I also plan to continue my education and maybe get in better shape. I am already in pretty good shape due to the PT I have to do, but it is not enough, and I don't have much time to do more in my free hours. I will catch you all on the other side. Those of you that pray, pray for me and the other guys overseas. With what current events are, we need luck and prayer power as much as we need beans and bullets.