Secrets should never be forgotten…

Chapter 14

The start of something unexpected

Later that evening

Interstellar Immigration Headquarters

"So the core was destroyed then?" Amarao quirked an eyebrow, watching the replay of the battle on the main screen.

"Yes sir, it was based right behind the eye and was torn in two when Canti smashed through it." Kitsurubami was reading from a clipboard of the data they gathered after reaching the wreckage.

"I see…" He laid back in his chair, placing his arms behind his head, his eyes still hidden by his sunglasses.

I can't believe she defeated all my men… A memory flash of the style in which she shot at all his agents, eventually leaving only him left. Just as I thought… Another memory came to him, this time much older, of a guitar slamming into his face. She's still the same, but scarier, and more dangerous…

"...ir. Is there something wrong sir?" Kitsurubami asked, having heard nothing from him for the past minute or so.

"Hmm?" He angled his head to her. "Oh, sorry Kitsurubami, you're free to go…"

"Okay…" Walking away she looked back to him. I wonder what's wrong with him… He's been like this since the fifth robot… On the subject of robots she too thought of something. Canti was really kind too… Did I… Did we misjudge him?

7:12pm

Inside Mabase

"What?! I thought we were going out to eat!" Asuka screamed.

Misato looked to the food she was about to prepare, opening the microwave in the process. "You don't like my meals then?"

"Of course not! How could I like such uncultured food!" Asuka yelled again.

Shinji sighed, while he too didn't like Misato's cooking, he wasn't as upset as Asuka was. He was sure that Rei, with her vegetarian lifestyle, would not like the food either, though the pale girl didn't openly object and sat opposite Shinji, waiting for dinner.

"Well tough! This is all I can afford right now, so we'll be eating like this for a time until I get more money…" Misato groaned. NERV is terrible… The wage doesn't show how good I am…

"Misato-san… Asuka…" Shinji spoke up. "What about if I were to cook dinner, it would take longer but I could make something that everyone would like…"

They stopped and looked at him. "Are you sure Shinji-kun? You've had a tough day…"

Asuka grew a little darker at this comment, drawing away from the kitchen and sitting opposite the TV as they continued talking. Rei surreptitiously watched Asuka with her red eyes.

"It's okay Misato-san, I've got over it already." He turned to strawberry blonde girl, "What do you say Asuka?"

I'm a worthless pilot… I wasn't even asked to help Shinji today… She delayed her reply a few seconds, then sighed, lying back and putting her hands behind her head. "Do whatever you want…" She didn't even realise that the edges of her mouth curled upwards slightly, as she thought about the food that he would prepare.

Shinji, not seeing the tiny smile, still took it as a positive response, and lit up considerably. Misato relinquished and put the instant food back in the freezer. Shinji put on his usual apron, and looked to the table.

"Ayanami…" He paused, still unused to having her in the same house as him. "What would you like for food?"

Rei thought for a second, not wishing to inconvenience him with any extravagant request, not that she could think of any. Still not facing him, she answered. "I do not mind, so long as it doesn't contain meat."

"I remembered that." Shinji remarked, his buoyant mood ebbing as he grew more self-conscious. "I just… wondered if you had anything particular in mind, that's all…"

Misato moved over to sit besides Asuka, who shifted up further to the other side of the sofa, and turned on the TV using the remote. Shinji turned back to the kitchen and began to prepare the items needed to start cooking.

Rei looked to Shinji, having noted his reaction from the corner of her eye, and his slumped figure over the counter. "I would like to have some ramen."

However, sudden loud noise from the TV and the clattering of metallic utensils prevented her from being heard. A small frown crossed her features for a moment before she spoke again.

"Ikari-kun." His shoulders reacted, and she guessed that he heard her this time. Even Asuka and Misato watched her. "I would like some ramen."

Shinji seemed to grow taller as he faced her. "Really? I think I have enough for one person… Are you sure Ayanami?"

"Yes, I am sure." She turned away from him and looked in the general direction of the TV.

With that said and done, Shinji worked on preparing a meal for everyone, knowing what everyone preferred, and for once, enjoying his time making this meal.

8:13pm

Outside Mabase

The quiet of the empty road permeated the ravaged car, as it rattled along, the hubcaps and bumpers sellotaped loosely to their various joints, the back window smashed and covered with a dustbin bag. There was no illumination, bar the headlights and ambient light from Mabase. The driver was bored out of his mind.

Well, not really.

He couldn't stop thinking about that woman who changed his life so much. Resting his head on his hand, the other steady on the wheel, he began to drift back to those days. He soon came back to reality though, as the road ahead had light, a sign that someone was heading his way.

Moving the car further to the left, Amarao grew confused as the light apparently stopped, braking to a still. No taking any notice, he continued, till a thought struck him. There's only one headlight there… Could it belong to her…?

He soon found out though, as a large 'KERRANG' was heard, along with the crumbling of the road, creating a trench between them. One high-pitched scream, and the futile squealing of brakes, and his car plunged bonnet first into the abnormally large pothole, totalling it completely.

As the smoke began to grow from it, he crawled out in pain, his face covered in scratches from the crash. Placing one hand on the top of the ditch, and pulled himself up, only to face a pair of legs. Glancing up, his fear increased exponentially as the woman of his nightmares was standing right in front of him, grinning like a maniac, a crazed look in her eyes, with her trusty guitar by her side.

"You look good, Amarao-chan."

"Raharu…" He hissed between clenched teeth. "You did this…"

"So what if I did?" She carried talking down to him, both in the literal and metaphorical sense. "You are hardly worth my time talking to, even beating to death."

He began to get up, wiping off the dirt that accumulated on his clothing, lightly patting his chest to ensure that his pistols were safe.

"So, what do you want?" He began to tense his muscles.

She gave a cute smile, but keeping the sharp glint in her eyes, making it seem sinister and downright creepy. "A small favour…"

"I can give you many favours…" He jumped away from her reach and pulled out both his firearms. "But they all reside in these guns." He gave a hungry grin, his face contorting as he began to think of the ways he could kill her, and savour the victory.

"Oh?" A mildly surprised Haruko picked up her guitar and hefted it over her shoulder, the main body of it hanging behind her as she gripped the neck tightly. Her lips drew back to show her teeth, glinting and menacing at the same time. "I don't think you can… Amarao-chan…"

The view panned quickly up into the night sky, slowing as a gunshot echoed through in the darkness.

Meanwhile

NERV Base-M

A person walked up to the front gate, holding his bag over his shoulder. The guards noticed him and beckoned him to stop.

"Halt." One of them stated and walked towards him. "No civilians are allowed in this area."

The young boy looked up as the wind blew away the grey fringe that covered his penetrating red eyes. This made the soldier draw back from his gaze, disturbed by the colours of his eyes. Unwittingly he moved his arm closer to his weapon. Kaworu as usual could tell what the man was thinking immediately and shook his head lightly, sighing in a way that implied he was used to people acting strangely at his odd features.

"I have been summoned by the Commander, Ikari Gendo."

Another soldier started walking to the control booth, "I'll check to see -"

"There is no need." The stern voice of said Commander bellowed over the intercom. "He is the Fifth Child, send him in."

"R… Ryoukai…" The nervous trooper replied.

Opening the gate, Kaworu strolled in and was greeted by the disinterested but somewhat ill-looking Ritsuko, her Section 2 chaperones by her sides. "Follow me."

Their footsteps echoed in the now empty corridors, until they reached one with no lighting, an ominous black door ahead. Walking forwards, the door smoothly slid to the right with little sound, and the two (minus the agents) entered. The office was his traditional layout, a large room, with a dark blue feel to it, but little ambient lighting left the edges far too dark. The desk was actually higher here, so that the people standing at the entrance would need to speak up to him. The Commander was again holding the same position with his hand interlocked, covering the lower half of his face.

"I trust you are well." He stated, not making it a question to unnerve him, failing badly. "How was your journey?"

"It was…" He paused and thought to himself for the appropriate wording. "intriguing, shall we say. The town is small though, much more of a community feel to it than Tokyo-3."

"Indeed." Gendo tersely agreed, not really bothered about his impressions of either place. "You are aware of you living arrangements whilst in Mabase?"

"Yes I am." Kaworu complied, realising the time for fun was over.

"I suggest you go there to rest for the night. You will receive notification if anything happens." Gendo stared down at the grey-haired boy, only to find him giving a small smile beneath his fringe. Angling his head upwards, he returned the powerful look with one of his own, a hint of malice sharpening around the edges of his eyes.

"I guess I'll be on my way then…" He turned casually and walked off, still with one hand in his pocket, the holding his bag. Ritsuko was shocked by these apparent events of disrespect, turning with her mouth agape at the boy, turning back to Gendo, she received only one sentence for her trouble.

"You are dismissed Akagi Ritsuko."

Gritting her teeth, she quickly marched off out of the chamber, her two now permanently attached pair of agents moving by her sides again.

As the door closed, Gendo lowered his hands, rubbing the palm of the right hand carefully. It appears that SEELE have played their trump card. An Angel in our midst… For now, nothing will happen, however we have no idea of what Medical Mechanica will do.

Elsewhere in Mabase

Shinji was in mute shock. Here he was, sitting next to Asuka on his left, and Rei to his right, Misato choosing the separate chair for herself. They were watching some mundane game show, but more for the reason of having something to do, as opposed to doing nothing and sitting facing one another.

He recalled the meal, all four of them sitting at the table eating. Asuka was unusually quiet, but voraciously gobbling all the food given to her. Shinji realised that when she didn't object instantly, she liked his cooking. Misato played with her food for a short bit, but ate all of it. "I have to look out for my body, you know?" she said, patting her stomach lightly. How she could still say that despite her regular diet of alcohol and microwave food, Shinji couldn't figure it out. Rei probably gave him the biggest surprise of all. While he expected her to eat the food in complete silence, save for her muted chewing and slurping, and maybe her "Thank you" at the end, he didn't expect the small compliment.

"It was very good."

He still repeated those words over in his head, not paying attention at all to the program. Why did she say that? It's not like she says anything more than needed… Asuka's right, she only does things unless ordered to, so… could it have been an order?

Continuing to doubt the obvious in his mind, he grew more insecure about why she said it. All the while, everyone was blissfully unaware of his turmoil, so much so that When Rei stated she was retiring for the night, he didn't notice her leaving until half an hour later.

"Anta-baka!" Hearing the familiar words, he returned to the surroundings and looked to his left, as the red head became exasperated.

"Didn't you hear what I just said?!" She half shouted. "I asked you a question!"

"Oh…" Shinji looked to her. "Sorry Asuka, I was somewhere else…"

"Mein Gott…" She mock-slapped her face and slammed her hand down on her lap. "What have I told you about saying sorry?!"

Shinji moved his upper torso back in case of a slap, still leaving enough room for Rei (he hadn't figured out she left a while ago). Noting his reaction, Asuka calmed down and took in a deep breath, letting it go to release her pent up frustration and fury. She slowly opened her eyes to face his. This time, hers were mellow and sympathetic, with no sign of the earlier temper.

"I'll say it again." She coughed. "What was it like fighting that…" She paused to get a suitable description. "… That hand?"

Shinji began to question why she asked that, instead choosing to think about his answer. "I… I don't know, it felt weird…" He thought about the battle again. "It was easy at first, but then it got harder… It looked like it was cleverer than the Angels were…" He looked to where Rei was, and furrowed his brow at her lack of presence.

Misato nodded, agreeing with him. Shinji continued. "It adapted to the AT-Field, and broke through. Then when it turned into that hand…" He stopped here for a second, trying to remember the pain he felt then. "I passed out…"

"Then Unit-01 went 'Berserker' again." Asuka ended his thoughts.

"I don't like this…" He held up his hands and peeled off the bandages there to reveal a small cut in both palms. "I shouldn't get hurt…"

Asuka hadn't seen this before, as he'd been keeping his hands away from her sight, in an inconspicuous way all evening.

"What?!" She grabbed one and stared at the horizontal line straight across the middle of the palm, and saw his fingertips were also raw. "That robot did this that time?"

"Yes…" Shinji recalled when it penetrated the At-Field, he grabbed the edge and tried to grip its surface. He also remembered the blood seeping out from his plug suit around his hands.

After seeing Misato eye her behaviour curiously, in the way she was still holding the hand, Asuka reddened, letting go quickly, 'hmphed' and crossed her arms. It only lasted for a second though as she spoke to the pilot in front of her with a worried look on her face.

"Will they heal?"

Was that concern for me? No, it couldn't be… "I… I think so… It just needs time." He clutched his chest. "I also have small burns here from that beam. It's healing quicker though…"

"They aren't normal…" Asuka said out loud. "How you can real cuts and burns inside Eva? Only pain should be sent to you…"

"I know…" Shinji gave a weak smile. "That's why I said it was weird."

At that moment the 'pin pon' of the doorbell sounded, which removed the temporary silence as Misato, hesitating for a few seconds, got up to answer it.

Moving into the corridor, she unbuckled the pistol in her holster, and kept a hand on it. Looking through the peephole, she could only see a silhouette, so took a small risk and opened the door.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"Good evening Major." The person walked closer and the first thing she saw was the smile as he moved closer. "I've been assigned to live here." Kaworu bowed his head a tad. "I am the Fifth Child."

9:03pm

Outside Mabase

The wind swept across the fields and over the road, blowing away the plumes of smoke and debris that had recently been created. There were two people on that stretch of tarmac, one standing, the other lying on his front in obvious pain.

"Why are you still so childish, Amarao-chan?" Haruko walked up to the prone redhead. "Even now you try to fight me, even though you've been beaten every time."

The aforementioned man looked up his eyes burning with hatred as he raised his left arm, the gun containing one bullet left.

"You're pathetic, you know that?" The gunshot followed a second later, the view showed both bodies stills from a distance, changing to that of above them. Haruko had stepped on his arm, skewing his aim and missing the target.

Amarao cursed his luck and faced down, waiting for death. Haruko stared down at the hopeless human, and lifted her foot, the heel with spots of blood from where she pierced his skin. She bent over and grabbed him by his collar, lifted him up and held him at arms length away, his feet not touching the ground. With blood dripping from his wounds, he managed to open one eye to look at her, unsure of what she was doing.

She sighed half-heartedly. "Despite everything I said, you do have some value in holding onto your life for just a little longer. Now… This favour…"

The night 'winked' around them, and the feeling of close proximity prickled her senses. An ominous sound echoed, and she looked around to see dark grey objects surrounding her.

"Who are you?" She stated, angry that she was interrupted.

The silence got on her nerves, so she dropped Amarao, leaving him in a crumpled pile, as she lunged at one, shattering it with her trusty guitar.

"I'll say it one last time." The snarl reached her face again. "Who are you?"

One of them spoke. "It matters not who we are."

She looked up and muttered. "SEELE? 01?" She smirked, "So you must be the leader. Sorry for killing your friend 05." As she motioned to the crumbled pieces on the road, her grin made it self-evident that she wasn't.

"What are Medical Mechanica?" 03 asked.

"Shut up. You're not important to me." She destroyed his monolith too; hearing mumbled panicked voices from the others. "You." She pointed to 01 with her guitar. "Interested about Medical Mechanica?"

A moment of silence and then, "Yes. They are affecting our… plans…"

"Plans?" Haruko arched an eyebrow. "What are you, some sort of secret government that rules the world or something?" The small gasps from some of the members confirmed her suspicions. "I've met loads like you, but they were all wiped out after Medical Mechanica was activated. One species wanted to help other races by living peacefully with them, a parasitic alien wanted to purify the universe of the disease that was other lifeforms, and another man wanted to recreate the world with his system, via the saturation of his world with sound." She shook her head. "All were destroyed. What are your plans?"

"I doubt you would understand, but I will tell you." SEELE 01 spoke again. "Instrumentality, the complementation of man"

Haruko was mildly surprised. "Oh, that old thing?"

This time, the uproar was such that they couldn't hold back their horror.

"What?! You mean there are others?" SEELE 08 shouted.

SEELE 11 joined in. "It has to be unique! No one else could have it!"

Promptly destroying those two columns, the other members mumbled to themselves, not wishing to be ejected from the conversation forcefully.

"How did you know?" SEELE 01 asked, genuinely curious.

"Why am I telling you anything at all?" She stalked towards SEELE 01, "I'm not telling you anything about Medical Mechanica, except that you will all be wiped out."

"We will eliminate Nandaba Naota if you do not co-operate with us." He spoke coldly. She stopped walking, and stared at the monolith with malice, steam emanating from her mouth as if she were a rabid bull. "We are aware of your interests with him and his… unique ability… to pilot that robot, and the link he possesses to Medical Mechanica."

"If you kill him, you will all be killed by me." She was in front of SEELE 12, and turned around her guitar so the neck was pointing at it, turning the dial on the back, she stuck it into the base of the monolith, electricity covering the connection.

"Wh… What are you doing?" SEELE 12 asked, terrified.

"Shut up." She retorted.

A small holographic window appearing above the strings of the guitar.

She smirked. "Hmm, central USSR, oh wait, it's not called that any more, interesting location. Must visit there one day…" The speaker behind SEELE 12 was outwardly shocked. "It's a shame that one of those rather lethal satellites with the custom made solar atomic beam is now going to vaporise it in, ooh," She glanced at her watch, "around 4 minutes…"

Removing her guitar, she looked to SEELE 01. "Well? What is it you want to know?"

"How do you know about Instrumentality?" He asked simply.

She shook her head. "Not much, except…" She held out a 'victory' sign. "Two things."

"What are they?" SEELE 01 persisted.

"Each time it was attempted, there were some ancient scrolls present." Sensing that they knew of it, she went on. "Not much is known about them, but they all were scattered in groups around the universe, hidden inside meteorites, most likely from a single long-dead planet."

"And the second?" Even Kihl sounded shocked by this revelation, wondering what else she could reveal.

She hesitated, knowing that this piece of news would unsettle them, so she wanted to remember their shock. "It has only been performed successfully once."

What she didn't expect was the utter silence. They're scared now, that's good… Her acute hearing picked up a high pitched whine. "Ahh, here it comes now." The sound was coming from SEELE 12. An almighty explosion followed, the sounds of debris scattering everywhere and more explosions resulting in the monolith flickering once, before vanishing from sight. "Guess there's only eleven of you left alive now, but just seven of you present." She looked to the leader. "What do I get in return for 'giving you' this information?"

"You get to live." He stated.

She gave another evil smirk. "Heh, I've probably outlived you a hundred times… And, as you can see…" She pointed to the prone body of Amarao, "I'm not that easy to kill…"

"Very well, we will also give you our guarantee that no harm comes to Nandaba Naota." He replied, the bare implication of a sigh present.

"Good boy." Haruko smiled.

"What do you want? I'm sure it's not just that."

Her face grew maniacal. "Power… Lot's of power… That's why I need Naota. He's the key to it…"

SEELE were listening, but fearful of this strange woman. The light blue Medical Mechanica monoliths that interrupted their meeting told them that this woman wanted something of their's, something that they weren't willing to give. Only now did her eccentricity reveal to them how dangerous she was.

"We have nothing more to say then."

At once, all the pillars vanished into the night, leaving Haruko looking a little bemused, but smiling at the blow she just dealt them. Heh, it wouldn't be good to give all the truth just yet, now will it? She stared down to the injured Amarao, still twitching from the fight. Guess I'd better take him to a hospital… I'm not that heartless…

Picking him up, she wondered off to her Vespa and sat down, Amarao on her lap. Giving him one more look, she put onh er goggles and exploded off down the road. Amarao, the wind searing his face, opened his eyes slightly. SEELE? I thought that they were part of the Gehirn Project? And what is Instrumentality? His vision grew fuzzy and he fainted from the pain, slumping his head down.

Meanwhile

Under a bridge in Mabase

Throwing some more pebbles into the river, Mamimi enjoyed the simple pleasures in life. Getting up, she began to walk home. It's getting a bit cold out… I need to wash my clothes for tomorrow too… Humming a tune to herself, she almost didn't notice the same overpowering sound until she looked up. There stood three monoliths, light blue in colour, surrounding her at even distances.

MMI spoke first. "We are here to guide you."

MMII, the female voice, continued. "Our guidance is absolute."

MMIII ended the short speech. "To disobey is to die."

Mamimi phased out, her eyes growing unfocused, a melancholic feeling passing over her. "Wh… Who are you?"

"Your Gods." MMI declared.

Mamimi, alone in her own world, fell to her knees, still giving a blank look at the first monolith.

"Your instructions are…" MMI paused. "To initiate contact with the individual known as Ikari Shinji." Mamimi nodded in earnest. "You will receive further instructions once you are acquainted with him."

She bowed low, her arms spread in front of her. "Yes, father."

"Good girl." MMI replied, and the three of them blinked out of existence.

Mamimi got up and looked up to see the stars, twinkling behind the gigantic factory. Sighing happily, she stood up and skipped off home. "Ikari Shinji… I wonder what he's like. Shin-kun…"

Author's Notes

One year since the last update, more apologies are necessary.

Chapter notes - The '-chan' suffix is traditionally used with young girls, but when Haruka uses it with Amarao, it's an insult, implying that he is more feminine (or likewise, lacks masculinity) than normal men.

The seeds have been sown, so the plot will now begin to really grow. Look out for it!

- Jason

PS - A cookie for those who recognised the scenarios that Haruko mentioned when talking to SEELE, shouldn't be too hard really…