For a second, everyone stared at the being before them; some, like Mari, with explicit interest; some, like Rei, with confusion.

Shinji and Misato? They stared in shock.

Several lights on the robot's face flickered, before their head tilted to one side in concern.

"...I'm sorry, is… there some sort of problem?" MAGI Gabriel asked, inflecting curiosity into his voice. The artificial intelligence turned to Shiro, inquiring. "Mr. Tokita... you did remember to explain to NERV that I am a MAGI, correct?" Shiro coughed. Gabriel's upper 'eyes' dimmed, giving the impression of a furrowed brow.

"...I'm going to interpret your vague response as a negative, Mr. Tokita. Honestly, I would sigh- if any of my bodies possessed a suitable pneumatic system."

The AI's camera eyes whirred, sliding in their sockets to fix the NERV team with a bright gaze.

"My personal apologies. You may retire to your suite without interruption- I was simply curious. Please, enjoy the exhibition. Perhaps I will be able to speak with you later."

Misato, Shinji, and Mari gave slow nods, while Rei blinked a few times.

"Y-yeah. Maybe later," Misato said, before the group walked out.

Gabriel's electronic gaze followed them until the door shut. Components whirring softly in his chest, the AI sat down on the piano bench.

"Mr. Tokita," he asked. "Do you think I made an error in calling them to see me so soon?"

Shiro sat down on the bench beside the robot, leaning back against the instrument.

"It's hard to tell with organisations like NERV," he commented, businessman personality fading away.

"But still, you know what they say; to err is human."

Gabriel's head twisted at that, giving Shiro a decidedly unamused look.

Neon Genesis Evangelion:

(Not) the End

Chapter 014: This Was (Not) in Error

"Okay, three- no, four things!" Misato practically shouted, pacing back and forth in the suite room she'd designated as her own. "One; what the hell? Two; what the hell? Three; how the hell did JHCI of all organisations get a MAGI-class AI working for them?! And four…" At this point, the woman's steam ran out, and her pacing slowed. "Four; I'm really glad I brought my beer. God knows I'm going to need it."

There was a click, as Misato popped the tab on the can.

Mari lay back on her chosen bed, grinning like a cheshire cat.

"First a giant robot, rebuilt from a failed test two years prior; then an old acquaintance of Miso's, who she clearly has a grudge against; and now a MAGI that can't play piano properly? Heh, looks like this visit's gonna be even more interesting than I'd hoped for!"

The girl rolled over onto her side, facing her laptop. Mari giggled with glee, and tapped out rapid-fire onto the keyboard.

"Very interesting indeed." If anything, her grin grew, propping up her head with one hand as her other typed away. "Let's see what my be-autiful Princess thinks of this development, mmm?~"

.

ZaBeasto has joined the chat.

Shinji sat, hunched over at the foot of his bed, as he lazily watched Pen-Pen read a magazine.

He honestly had no idea why Misato had sent the penguin to bunk with him, but it wasn't disagreeable. At least he had a distraction- one that was something else than his thoughts about Jet Alone and its… interesting AI. 'Gabriel', he'd called himself.

Now, Shinji was never particularly religious- and certainly not interested in Christianity of all things- but the name sounded… familiar.

"Gabriel…" he muttered, keeping his gaze on the penguin. "Isn't that an Angel's name?"

"Wark," answered Pen-Pen incomprehensibly.

The boy sighed, and lay back on the bed.

"It's probably nothing. After all, Angels can't be built like they're a machine. Right?"

"Wark."

"... You know, this conversation would be a lot more interesting if it was with someone who actually spoke Japanese. No offense, Pen-Pen."

Rei Ayanami stood, deep in thought. But not just about Jet Alone, or its so-called 'pilot' AI. No, the girl's mind jumped back and forth, pausing trains of thought to add onto others, before returning to the previous ones.

~The AI… a MAGI-class bio-supercomputer. MAGI run on the same system as the Evas.~

~Eva Unit-01. I told it we needed it. The truce was tenuous at best… will it still accept me?~

~The PT subsystem. Used to build the MAGI. Melchior, Casper, Balthasar. And now Gabriel is among their ranks. If MAGI-01 uses her signal as a base, who does Gabriel use?~
~Will it accept me again? If it does not, I will not have any other options, except for Unit-00. But Unit-00…~

~No matter his donor, it is clear why Gabriel is used. The last Jet Alone was immensely complex; this new one is likely to be even more so. The first one's supercomputer could not bear the stress, but a MAGI could do it with ease. A MAGI could control an army, if it was organized correctly.~

~...Unit-00 is different. The other me… it could be dangerous. My self might become lost within me. Unit-00 is curious, and lonely…~

~But no more dangerous than Unit-01 is. A fierce Beast, one that should not be tested to its limits. The Commander has seen what happens when that occurs.~

~And now we will see what happens to Jet Alone, once and for all.~

The next day.

.

Precise as always, Gabriel's fingers worked, pressing the keys rapidly. The sequence was working fine…

The AI attempted to shift his hands to another part of the board, only to send a finger flying down a second too soon, driving in an error. Had his telepresence body possessed an expressive face, the MAGI would have winced in irritation. Annoyed by the failure, Gabriel moved his hands back over the first set of keys, ready to begin again.

*Cree~eak*

The door opened. As he had yesterday, the MAGI turned, and stood up.

"Yes?" There was a slight crackle as the external speakers activated, before Gabriel's artificial voice resolved itself into its partially synthesized but otherwise perfectly 'human' norm.

The visitor was, interestingly enough, none other than the First Child.

"Ah, Ms. Ayanami," said the AI, giving a quick bow. "I take it that you're here because of my suggestion the previous day?"

Rei nodded.

"In that case, have a seat." The MAGI replied, gesturing to a stool nearby. "There are a few things I wish to speak to you about, before tomorrow."

As Rei took the offered seat, Gabriel shot his first question.

"Why do you pilot an Eva?"

Why, indeed?

Rei Ayanami had not asked herself that question many times, for she already knew the answer. Or rather, the answers, plural; for it wasn't just a single reason that Rei piloted.

Of course, some she simply couldn't say- the MAGI wasn't permitted to know those. But there were some she could share with others.

So Rei told him those.

.

And Gabriel listened.

The meeting finished, Rei sought out the others once more. While her timing had been odd, there shouldn't be any issue.

Equipped with one of the keys to the suite, Rei entered, and looked around. Everything was silent, aside from the rustle of paper coming from the suite's living room. Curious, the blue-haired girl walked in, peering over the arm chair.

Pen-Pen sat there, reading a magazine.

"..."

Rei turned away, heading to check the others' rooms.

Misato and Shinji weren't there either…

Odd.

Rei went to try the third door… only to find it locked. Since the rooms she'd checked only seemed to lock from the inside, this was promising.

*knock knock*

On the other side of the door, somebody groaned.

"Makinami, are you awake?"

"No," came the indistinct mumble. Rei rolled her eyes, and continued anyways.

"I am in need of assistance. Could you please help me?" she asked.

"Insert tab A into slot B," the Fifth Child grunted. Rei blinked, the expression not being something she'd heard used before.

"That... doesn't help much with my problem."

Mari sighed, and walked up to the door. The door opened part-way, and the Briton stuck her head out.

"Alrighty, what's the trouble, Rei?"

"The Captain and the Third Child aren't here. I'm curious where they've gone to."

"I don't know," she answered. "They left while I was taking a catnap. Given that it's…" the girl paused, looking behind Rei at the clock on the wall. "...Around lunchtime, I'd say that they're probably down getting lunch."

~That would make sense,~ Rei reflected.

~Come to think of it,~ Mari thought to herself. ~I could do with a bite myself. And, well, I'm not sleepin' anymore, so…~

"Say, Rei..."

The girl in question blinked. Mari pushed open the door a bit more.

"How'd you like to grab some lunch with me? Just see what they've got and whatnot, eh? Maybe see if we can spot Miso and Shinji?"

"... That would be fine."

The Fifth Child grinned, and pumped her fist in the air.

"Sweet! Just let me get the keys and some proper clothes, and we'll be off!"

JHCI might have been spending most of their money on Jet Alone 2, but they clearly had enough left over to have some good food. Rei was by no means a connoisseur of taste- most of her concerns were on the nutritional value of food and the possible presence of allergens- but she could at least agree with Mari that the cooks knew what they were doing, even if they were having very different dishes; Rei herself was having a plain bowl of rice, while Mari busied herself with a bowl of tempura udon.

As for Shinji and Misato? They either hadn't been there, or they'd finished before Rei and Mari arrived. Whatever the case, they weren't in the dining hall; the only other people there were a few military types from the JSSDF and other countries, and what Rei could only assume were private contractors. An interesting bunch, that came nowhere near to filling up the hall.

Though considering the state of the parking lot, that wasn't exactly surprising.

Shunting that train of thought away, Rei dug back into her rice bowl.

Meanwhile, Misato had taken Shinji down to the entertainment room, in hopes of wasting an hour or two.

As it turned out, most of said entertainment consisted of fairly old Pre-Impact arcade games. Which the two of them were routinely tying against each-other in. Neither could figure out how, but Shinji couldn't manage a decisive victory over Misato, and Misato couldn't thoroughly trounce Shinji.

"...And we've tied again."

"...Up for a seventh round, Shinji?"

"You know, why not?"

This was it. The day of the exhibition.

The five (for Pen-Pen would not be left out) sat in the designated NERV seating area, getting a good view of the testing grounds through the massive windows.

Up in front of the windows, Shiro Tokita was speaking.

"Ladies and gentlemen, you may remember the events of two years prior, where our Jet Alone experienced... a rather dire malfunction. You may remember this, and think that the same thing will happen today. You may think that Jet Alone is an untrustworthy robot, completely inferior to the current Anti-Angel weapon; the Evangelions."

Misato raised an eyebrow, almost daring Shiro to challenge her on the latter point.

"I am here with you today to lay those thoughts to rest. This weapon that you will see today is a vast improvement over its ancestor in every way! It is the pinnacle of combative mechatronic engineering, using only the best that JHCI has to offer."

"Ladies and gentlemen," said the man, depressing a button on his pocket remote. "I give you all... Jet Alone 2!"

The massive engineering building split, sliding open on electrical rails to reveal the mech inside. It was, to say the least, impressive.

Standing a full 45 meters tall, Jet Alone 2 retained none of the awkward, lanky, top-heavy proportions of its parent mecha. Instead, the entire robot radiated strength, with broad shoulders, trunk-like legs, and great, box-like arms. The mech was painted a matte grey, with thick sections of maroon, orange, and indigo breaking up the monotony.

The feet were flat and simple looking, nothing more than functional parts. The legs themselves were thick, triple-segmented plates covering the enlarged knee joints. Panels and vents ran along its calves, lying almost flush with the rest of the armour.

JA2's body was far more well-balanced, shaped more like a wedge than a brick atop a soda can. Massive hydraulic rams could be seen under its 'ribs', running down its side before swiftly disappearing under a triple-segmented stomach. The robot's chest came to an edge, reinforced with extra armour like the bow of an icebreaker, while yet more panels lay against its pectoral region. As with the first Jet Alone, JA2 had a boxy 'hump' on its back- but this was far less pronounced, more like a backpack than the ridiculous reactor casing of the first. Nothing at all protruded from the top; no antennae, no handles, no control rods- everything was self-contained safely inside.

The arms were their own affair. Unlike the first, this Jet Alone's arms were far more traditional, without any serpentine segmenting. The limbs started at the shoulders, each capped with a few launcher tubes on its end, before dropping down into the boxy upper arms, and to the even boxier lower arms. Each one was as thick as the robot's legs, capped with a massive piston on the elbow, and a giant hand on the wrist. The hands were thick, and gave the impression that just a single one could crush an Eva's neck with relative ease.

Its head was almost recessed into its body, a thick moving collar surrounding where its neck would be. As the people watched, nine black windows along its 'face' ignited, each shielded camera cluster emitting a soft white glow as the mech started up.

Smoothly, Jet Alone 2 turned its head towards the viewers' building, before the rest of its body twisted to face them. One leg took a cautious step forward, coming down with a thud.

Arms lying at its side, JA2 bowed.

To say that the audience was stunned would be a misnomer. In fact, a group of cement blocks with faces crudely carved on them would have been more active than most of the people there- not including Shiro and NERV, both of which knew the real reason behind JA's actions.

"..."

"..."

"...well, that's new," someone muttered.

Shiro grinned, and continued his commentary.

"Jet Alone 2's control systems are run by an onboard MAGI-class AI, offering far more competence than the old supercomputer in the first one. This lets the new Jet Alone 2 make complex tactical decisions or execute advanced maneuvers on the fly, letting it compete with a human pilot with ease." Under view of everyone, the mech turned away, and dropped into a combat stance. "Not only that, but Jet Alone 2 runs off a Stellarator, rather than a fission reactor, providing more power, at less risk. It may not have an N2 reactor's extremely high discharge, but it's far safer to operate than one."

"Now, the original Jet Alone prototype was armed only with its fists and feet. This model keeps those, enhances them, and adds several other integrated weapons systems, stored in its chest, shoulders, and legs." Jet Alone opened its stance, offering a view of its chest. The panels on its torso and legs slid open, revealing several auto-cannons, rocket launchers, and what Rei, Mari, and Misato recognized as plasma focusing apertures. "Of course, none of these weapons are currently armed, except for the plasma casters- though that's only due to how they draw their power."

"But Jet Alone is not just built to fight from far away, ladies and gentlemen. No, not at all. Jet Alone 2 is fully equipped for melee combat, and it packs quite the punch!" As if to accentuate this, the panels slid shut, and the mecha threw a blow at the empty air. The motion, Rei reflected as JA2 pivoted into its next punch, was slower than an Eva's, but still incredibly smooth, and well balanced.

Jet Alone 2 continued to deliver a beatdown on the empty air, throwing punches, knees, and even elbow jabs with its massive piston caps. The robot spun a full 180 degrees, and threw an especially forceful blow- only for the piston in its arm to depress, sending its lower arm flying several meters past its normal reach!

A few people turned from the spectacle to face Shiro again.

"Erm, Mr. Tokita, did you add piston fists to your robot?" someone from the JSSDF asked.

"An excellent question, Major. In truth, we did much more than that. We- Captain Katsuragi, is there something you'd like to add?" For Misato had raised her hand as well.

"Yes, actually, I do," she replied. "I'd like to know your plan on dealing with the Angels' AT Fields. And don't even try denying their existence."

Shiro put up his hands.

"Why, Captain, you wound me. I was just about to get to that." Shiro grinned.

"Not only does Jet Alone 2 feature advanced hydraulic systems in each arm, it also mounts a high-energy electromagnetic puncher down the middle of each one, which leads into its palms. We call these weapons 'Impact Hammers'. Each one uses the same DUCT- that's Depleted Uranium Carbide Tungsten for those unfamiliar- alloy found in NERV's Pallet shells, except with a larger size and a different propulsion mechanism. Jet Alone 2's Impact Hammers are able to fire their DUCT bolts at Mach 3; two of them together have been calculated with a high enough yield to greatly damage one of your Eva's AT Fields, if not outright destroy it. And once weakened, JA2 can simply tear through the field with its bare hands. We've done many calculations."

Well, that was different. Last time, Shiro had simply denied the AT Field's existence, and made some sexist comment about the Evas. Maybe, Misato thought, there was some hope for him after all. It wouldn't be much, but at least he was just an arrogant businessman, rather than a stupid, sexist, and arrogant businessman.

So at least that was a start.

After a little longer, the entire demonstration was over, and simple discussion began while the mech returned to its hanger. Shiro took questions from everyone, more than happy to answer anything that anyone had to ask; with the resounding success of the demonstration, could you blame his enthusiasm?

.

Of course, what was good news for JHCI was not necessarily good news for NERV.

The fact that Jet Alone 2 seemed to be drawing success meant that funding might get cut from NERV; though, with the Eva Series finally complete, that might not pose as big a threat as it would have two years ago. Still, budget cuts were something that NERV- and Misato especially- would rather not have to deal with. Still, with the entire exhibition having gone by so quickly, there was little she could do about it.

Still, at least the Children were happy.

As they were leaving, Gabriel appeared once more, this time having clothed his telepresence body in a long coat. A card was offered, with contact information- 'just in case', the AI told them, before saying his goodbyes, and heading back into the building.

An interesting few days indeed.