Tempest Aterna
XIV: Lost in the Maelstrom, Part I
Darkness crept into the office of Gendo Von Doom as he waited for his special inspector to show himself. The thought that Exodus had acted without orders infuriated him, though that was not visible on his face at all. Instead the normally neutral and uncaring façade of the man formerly known as Gendo Ikari was displayed for any who would care to enter his office to see for themselves. His annoyance knew no bounds however… his plans required that every step proceed in a clockwork fashion, therefore Exodus's actions only served to hamper those aims.
As he thought of how best to deal with this problem, his office door opened revealing the still pained man known as Kaji. The f-LS blade that damaged his core was long since discarded, and he wondered inwardly if the device Doctor Doom put inside of him was damaged by the attack.
"You wanted to see me Doctor," he managed.
"Yes I did Exodus," he responded. "I have a certain grievance I need to address with your recent performance against the Superwomen."
"They're proving more resilient then I anticipated," he answered immediately. "Spirit in particular is becoming quite the cunning warrior."
"It is not your combat effectiveness that concerns me Exodus," he said plainly. "Yesterday, you attacked Storm in an attempt to kill her and you failed in that attempt."
Kaji frowned. "I'm trying."
"That is not what concerns me… as I said. Do try to pay attention. There are three things I refuse to tolerate; Failure, Insubordination and Loose Cannons. While I gave you no orders not to attack Storm, I do not recall ever giving you orders to attack her when you saw fit to do so."
Kaji growled slightly. "You expect me to just take my past beatings lying down? You must be joking! These Nephilim have gone too far! They constantly defy you and me. I will kill them… regardless of what it may take to do so."
If Gendo showed any outward signs of annoyance at his continued ramblings, he didn't show it.
"You know who Storm is and what she is capable of! Her mother is dead so she has to be staying at the Katsuragi residence given her connection to your son right? Why not just eliminate her now?"
"Because I do not wish her dead just yet," he answered immediately. "I have plans that involve her… and it seems she is doing me a favor by helping to eliminate The Angels. While she continues to do so, even given her false hope of restoring peace by non-violent means, she is of no direct threat to me. Spirit seems content to try to help her in any way she deems necessary. While The Committee is not pleased by their interference I've managed to convince them that for the time being, our position as guardians of the world is not threatened. Therefore, at least for the time being, no action should be taken against them. Do I make myself clear Exodus?"
Kaji held his tongue. He wanted to yell and scream at the unfairness of it all. How dare these cretins be allowed to live after the humiliation he's been put though!
"Fine," he growled. "Don't expect me to be happy about this."
"I don't care one way or another." Gendo then stood up glaring daggers at him from behind his glasses. "However… there is still the matter of you taking maters into your own hands."
"And?"
"And… I will not tolerate this." Without pushing a button or making any visible sign that he was going to do so, Kaji felt the pain in his chest increase a hundred fold. Not only was the device undamaged in the attack, but it was working better than he thought it would. He felt his core cracking under the pressure.
A scream unlike any ever heard inside of NERV tore from his lungs, though no one outside the office would be privy to this as Gendo's office was soundproofed against such noise. Kaji hit the ground hard and writhed in pain as a small shard of f-LS was forcibly pushed into his core. Before the penetration became lethal, it tore itself back out again leaving Kaji to breathe hard and try to keep himself from retching due to nerve feedback.
"That is the one and only warning I am giving you Exodus," Gendo said calmly. "Disobey me, fail me, or act without my authorization again, and the next time the device is activated, it will not stop until you are dead. Do I make myself clear?"
Kaji couldn't respond…the pain was unbearable and stole his ability to breathe any way but shallow. He was only able to force a small nod.
"Good. Then there is nothing further. Feel free to drag yourself out of my office the moment you are able." Gendo then sat back down and went about his business, seemingly oblivious to the fact that there was a man still in a great deal of pain on the floor of his office.
Kaji only had one thought go though his head. He would find a way to get this device out of him… then kill Ikari himself, if he could only figure out how….
Misato had seen her fair share of tragedies in her day, though the news that Gendo was Doctor Doom and the subsequent shattering of her ward was definitely somewhere high up in her top ten list. No amount of brew could calm her own nerves as she struggled with the idea that she was working for a madman… one with unknown aims and designs, that was capable of god only knows what.
But she was in too deep now. Her recent promotion gave her plenty of new responsibilities and much higher pay, neither of which could be easily ignored, especially if she wanted to fulfill her desires for revenge against The Angels.
"I can get out of this when it's over," she told herself. "I can hold on until then… Storm and Spirit will find a way to stop him from doing whatever it is he is planning and then I can go on with my life. But how can I do it? How can I continue to work for the man who almost killed the most important thing in Shinji's life right now?"
"Because we all have little choice," came the voice of Mayumi.
Misato turned towards the girl standing in the doorway to the kitchen… the young girl with the cardigan sweater, the straight hair, nerdy glasses and mole on her face… the plain looking girl whom inside was half of everything she hated and nothing like them in any way shape or form. Most importantly, she was the girl who was keeping her Shinji sane.
"Any change?" she asked tentatively.
"No," Mayumi replied, almost sounding defeated. "He seems stable when he's around me, but through our link I can see that he's still trying to struggle with this as much as you are… likely more so."
"I… I hate to sound so callous… but do you think this will affect his piloting?"
Mayumi sighed. "I don't know. Likely if that depends on mental stability. He's sleeping soundly now, but he's a mess. I wish I could have blocked out the link before I learned of the truth behind Doom… but there was no way… and I don't think I could have held that from him anyway, even if I wanted to."
Misato frowned. "Sorry to ask such a bad question… but if another angel comes… I want to know he'll still be able to fight."
"He'll fight," Mayumi said with certainty. "If I know him at all, and I feel I know him quite well, he will fight. Just like I'll keep fighting… and Spirit will keep fighting… and you will keep fighting…."
A day later, Gendo entered Ritsuko's lab with a look of slight annoyance on his face.
"Where is Lieutenant Ibuki?" he demanded.
"I sent her home Doctor," Ritusko replied immediately. "She was still unwell from her experience two days ago… I'm afraid she still hasn't recovered."
"I see. Can the rest of the bridge technicians handle the extra workload?"
"They can." She looked up from her computer. "I never thanked you for saving her life."
"I did what was necessary," he answered. He was a little confused at first as to why she was acting with more emotion that was expected considering he 'readjusted' her. But quickly, the answer was staring him in the face. Love is a powerful emotion, and though he wasn't sure if Ritsuko was having an alternative relationship with the young tech or not (likely not), he knew that even if this was not the case, she still had strong feelings for her. That was as clear as day to any who could recognize the signs and even his programming couldn't wipe that out of her mind.
But he knew that this was not enough to undo what he had done to her and that she was still loyal to him. That was all that mattered.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Ristuko asked.
"No Doctor," he replied.
As he left, Ritsuko watched him go. She felt her loyalty to him, an almost constant reminder in her own brain, beginning to become flawed. Being privy to his activies, she knew what was happening was wrong., but no matter what she did, she couldn't voice her opinion, tell another soul or act against him. Ritsuko tried to recall when she started feeling this way but could grasp a single memory beyond her own loyalty.
Something wasn't right but she didn't know how to deal with it…
Three days later, the pilots gathered at NERV for a new Sync Test. After spending several hours in the plugs, the test was over and Misato sighed heavily.
"Shinji-kun," she began softly, "your Sync ratio dropped nine points. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine Misato-san," he deadpanned. "I'll try harder next time."
She sighed as the radio clicked off. Ritusko looked at her friend with concern on her face.
"Is he having problems at home?" Ritsuko asked.
"What are you trying to say?" Misato almost shouted back. Ritsuko actually took a step back.
"My apologies Major, I didn't meant to offend, nor was I trying to imply that something was wrong that you were responsible for."
Misato's face softened. "Eh… sorry Rits… I didn't mean to blow up on you like that. It's just… he seems so… depressed."
"That is unfortunate, is there anything I can do?"
"No," she whispered. "It's something I need to deal with." Her thoughts immediately turned towards Gendo Ikari, commander of NERV and also, now known to her, Doctor Doom.
She wasn't sure if she could continue to work for him like nothing was wrong…
In the hallway between the locker rooms, Shinji leaned his back against the wall. Still clad in his plug suit, he began to stare at his right hand. He squeezed it closed as if trying to grip something that was invisible and opened it again. Repeating the action his eyes grew harder. His mind kept going over what he saw though the eyes of Mayumi and came to the same conclusion every time.
"I have to stop him… somehow. But how can I do that? I'm just a kid?"
"So Third Child," came the voice of Asuka. "It looks like you've finally started showing your true colors." Her voice was smug. "I told you I was the best. Glad to see you finally started excepting that fact."
Shinji didn't even look up at her. He concentrated on his own inner conflict which had nothing to do with her. This only served to infuriate her more, and so she pushed again.
"Nothing to say? Figures… You'll always be a worthless coward, and not a man like Kaji."
Shinji finally looked up but still did not look at her. "Kaji is a monster," he whispered. "I'd never want to be like him."
"What did you say?" She demanded. When he refused to respond she pushed him sending him sprawling on the floor. "You take that back right now!"
Shinji slowly picked himself backup and calmly turned back towards Asuka. "No," he whispered.
Asuka went to strike him, but before she realized what happened she suddenly herself against a wall and her feet were no longer on the ground. Breathing suddenly became impossible as Shinji's right hand had clutched her throat . The hardened PVC around the neck of Asuka's plugsuit buckled instantly under the pressure cutting off her air supply. She tried to lash out with her right hand but found her left wrist clutched in his iron grip and pined to the wall as well. Her feet dangled a few inches off the ground as his adrenaline fueled rage gave him unforeseen strength. She kicked at his legs trying to buckle his knees but she couldn't get up enough strength to do enough damage. In less than 2 seconds of strangulation she already lost most of her muscle control.
"Kaji is the monster Exodus," Shinji growled, "the monster who kills indiscriminately. He almost killed Storm and Spirit and he killed many in Tokyo-2 trying to kill Storm again. If I had the strength I'd kill him myself. "
Asuka gasped trying to get air but her world started turning black. She suddenly found herself dropped back to the ground. Her knees buckled and she found herself laying mostly on her side trying to get air back into her body.
"All you have ever done was put me down. I've had enough of it." Before Asuka could respond to his words he planted a hard kick into her stomach making her gasp again and roll into a ball. "You're even more pathetic than I am." With that he walked into his side of the locker room.
Ten minutes later, he walked into Gendo's office.
"You could have knocked first," Gendo deadpanned as he sat there, his hands folded in their customary pose.
"Shut up and listen," Shinji snapped. "I know what you are, father. I know what you have become."
"I am fully aware of that."
"What's the game?"
"Game?" he questioned. "This is no game. I'm doing what I have to do."
"And Exodus?"
"A pawn, if you must know. I never ordered him to attack Mayumi."
Shinji's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Storm's real name.
"Nor did I order him to kill her mother. He will be dealt with, but it is no concern of yours."
"Everything that happens to her is my concern. Whatever you are planning father, I won't let it happen."
Gendo was growing intolerant of this. "And what power do you think you have?"
"None. But I'll find a way to bring you down. Whatever you have planned is not going to happen. I'll stop you."
Gendo slammed his hands into his desk. The sudden sound would have scared anyone out of their train of thought, but Shinji didn't even flinch. Gendo walked around his desk, menacingly towards Shinji.
"You'll stop nothing. You have no power here at all. I could kill you here and now, and no one would ever find out what happened."
"You won't though, you still need me."
Gendo growled his annoyance at the attitude of the Second Child. "So, my son has finally decided to become a man."
Before he could continue that thought, the Angel Alarms started blaring. Gendo didn't take his eyes off of his son, as the child continued to glare back at him, also seemingly undisturbed by the klaxon.
"You're right… I do still need you … so long as you can continue to kill Angels. Your existence on this pathetic planet now depends on your ability to do your job. So you had better get your synch score back up and fast. If you can't pilot EVA, you are no use to me… and I do not keep resources I can't use."
"Fine," he snapped back. "Just remember this… I will learn what's really going on here… and when I do… I will find a way to stop you."
"Are you going to sit here and make empty threats pilot or are you going to deal with that Angel?"
Shinji's eyes narrowed. "We'll discuss this later… father." With that, he turned and left.
"That we will," he whispered as his office door was slammed shut.
Three EVA's stalked the streets of Tokyo three, maneuvering into position to attack the unusual looking object that floated gently in the skies above. The massive stripped black and white sphere seemed indifferent to the units scrambling below it. Nearby, two superwomen stood upon a building waiting patiently for their chance to act.
"Storm?" Spirit asked as she viewed the Angel. "Any idea what this thing can do?"
Storm shook her head. "Not even the foggiest. Leliel was always silent within the collective so I never got a good sense of her at all. She's a complete mystery to me."
"Not good," she commented. "So far our battles have been a lot easier since we were able to skip the trial and error part. Has she tried to speak to you yet?"
"I've been trying to talk to her, but I'm having issues sensing her exact position… it's weird, it's like she's everywhere and nowhere at the same time."
"What does that mean?" Spirit asked with concern lacing her voice.
"I wish I knew."
Shinji's meeting with his father taught him one thing, for whatever reason, he was still necessary to whatever scenario he was planning. However Doom was not afraid to take him out of the picture if he proved a valid threat to him, so Shinji was now skating on thin ice. In retrospect, he concluded that confronting him half-cocked the way he did was probably not the best course of action.
"I have to get this kill," he whispered to himself. "I have to do beat this thing with minimal support in order to prove I'm not expendable."
Shinji-kun, don't do anything foolish…
The voice of Mayumi was clear in his mind. Their link had been gaining strength for a while now, and it had come to the point where he couldn't imagine not having it.
Don't worry May-chan, I'll be okay.
"Shinji-kun," Mitsato's voice came over the radio. "You've got point."
"Roger," he deadpanned. "Moving into forward position."
He peeked around the corner of a large building and saw the orb in the sky. It would be an easy shot; clear line of sight, no sign of the enemy detecting their presence and so the element of surprise, and the equivalent of a Colt .45 Automatic in his right hand.
"Third Child," came the voice of Asuka. "Just so you know, when this is over, I'm getting you back for what you did to me."
"Bring it on," he replied. "Next time you might not walk away with just a sore neck and an achy stomach."
"Shinji-kun," Misato started, "What's all this about?"
Shinji didn't answer. "Executing attack," he said before spinning around the building using it as cover and firing three shots into the sphere.
He watched in horror as it simply vanished the moment the bullets reached it. Suddenly a cold feeling swept over his feet as he looked down. He heard yelling over the radio and realized he was standing in a massive black area and was slowly sinking in.
"Damn it!" he yelled. "It's a trap!" He turned his weapon down while gripping the side of the building trying to slow his decent and unloaded the magazine into the darkness, only to watch as the bullets hit the surface as if he shot into pudding and disappear beneath it.
Storm realizing what was happening took off from her perch with Spirit in hot persuit. The skies over Tokyo-3 darkened as she unleashed electric death into the shadow, but to no effect. Realizing Unit 01 was unable to pull itself out Mayumi used her magnetic ability to try to wrench him free, only to find that her power in that arena was not strong enough to move something over 90 meters tall and weighing several thousand tons.
"Shinji!" she screamed as she fought back against the pull of the Angel with all the power she could muster. Armor plates on the shoulders of Unit 01 started to warp and bend as Mayumi used every bit of magnetic strength she could find within herself to try to free him, but she could not slow his decent into the dark abyss.
"Asuka!" Mistato yelled over the radio. "Try to get him out."
Asuka had to make a decision; either let the boy who dared fight back die, or be an adult and push it all aside to try to save his life. Her split second deliberation almost cost her own life as the shadow appeared beneath her as well. Thinking fast she leapt onto a nearby building, digging her axe into the side of it to hold on.
"I can't!" she yelled over the radio. "It almost swallowed me! I can't get close enough! Mein Gott, this thing is everywhere!"
Several skyscrapers began to descend into the darkness along with the one Asuka was on. She looked towards Unit 00 and saw that Rei was having the same problem. Nimbly, she lept across the roof tops, smashing each one in turn with Rei following in pursuit.
"Let him go!" Storm yelled as she forced the sky to rain lightning into the shadow but saw no change
No. Came the whisper of Leliel. I do not wish to. I wish to see why this one intrigues you so. Soon he will become a part of me, and you will have no choice but to rejoin the collective against the Lilium.
"No! Don't do this!" Storm began to dive down towards the darkness but was stopped immediately by Spirit. She pinned Storm's arms back and started flapping her wings hard to fight against the downdraft that Storm was using to try to propel herself towards the darkness.
"No! Let me go! I can't leave him!"
"Storm," Spirit whispered into her ear. "We have to retreat. We'll find a way, but this is not helping him."
"No! I have to go to him!" She watched in horror as only the head of Unit 01 was still above the surface of the shadow.
May-chan! Help me!
"Shinji!" she screamed as she watched the purple mecha's head disappear benethe the darkness. Her eyes widened as she realized her connection to him was severed. Terror consumed her as her heart began to pound and she realized he was gone… simply gone… consumed by an Angel she had no power against.
The scream that tore from her lungs echoed over even the storm overhead…
Eight hours later, it was still raining. Outside of Leliel's expansion area, Storm was on her knees still crying though not as loudly now. It was more of a whimper than anything else. Spirit knelt with her, with an arm around her shoulder as she wracked her brain trying to think of a way to get Shinji out of this. But she realized even she did not have a solution to the problem.
Inside NERV, Doctor Doom was wracking his brain trying to devise a way to get Unit 01 out of the Angel. Yui was within 01, and without her he was lost. It was then that he finally got a plan, but he didn't devise it. As he sat in his chair as Gendo, he listened to Lieutenant Maya Ibuki's solution, and the solution handed to him by Doctor Akagi. Neither was promising.
Akagi elaborated on her plan.
"The Angel is producing an inverted AT Field and the spherical body we are seeing in the air is actually its shadow. It's the same Dirac Sea effect we saw in the United States when we lost Unit 04. Unit 00 and 02 will use their AT Fields to neutralize the AT Field of the Angel and we have the UN drop its remaining arsenal of 992 N2 Mines into it. This will destroy the Angel and with a little luck, we should be able to retrieve Unit 01."
"And what is the probability that the pilot will survive?" Gendo asked.
"Slim to none sadly," Doctor Akagi responded.
"I see. Lieutenant Ibuki, what is your plan?"
Maya stepped forward. Unbeknownst to Doctor Doom, Maya's body was infested with nanites that were transformed after Iruel's destruction. She had been going though some 'changes' lately; the least of which was constant partial access to the MAGI remotely and a brain that could calculate better than his. She put her new found intellect to good use.
"My idea sir, is to use a set of fifteen particle emitters on an ultra high frequency. We lace the particles with high energy tackyons which, if at the proper frequency should force the AT Field to revert to a normal AT Field. If successful, it should expel everything it 'ate' out of its body allowing us to more safely recover Unit 01. At that point Units 00 and 02 should be able to take it out."
"I see… and what are the chances of success," he questioned.
"Sadly, only about two point zero seven one percent. It will be difficult to find the proper frequency, and there is no guarantee that the Angel can't simply modulate its own AT Field to overcome the signal. Also, it will take about six hours to properly set up. Meaning we would have to start soon if we plan to get Pilot Ikari out of the Angel alive."
"And the worst case scenario?"
"Tokyo-3 becomes a crater and we retrieve nothing."
"I see. Your plan has merit but there is far too much risk to Unit 01. We'll go with Doctor Akagi's plan."
"Very well," she replied. She knew her plan was risky at best and probably wouldn't be accepted… she also knew that something odd was happening in the bowels of NERV and she wanted to get to the bottom of it. Unfortunately, the changes Ritsuko made to the MAGI were preventing her from gaining direct access. She was determined to learn the truth.
Inside Leliel, Shinji was cold and feeling lonely. Separation anxiety was getting to him, and he knew it. He hadn't been able to project his thoughts outside of the Angel and so his connection to the one person keeping him sane was gone. Periodically he would power up for a second and see only white noise around him. He felt claustrophobic and weak. All in all, it was not a good day to be Shinji Ikari.
"Still nothing but white noise," he whispered as he shut down the EVA and kept it on minimal power mode. "Even the suit is starting to run low on energy. I wonder how much time has passed." He looked around and noticed something that shouldn't be.
The hatch of the plug was beginning to leak a black fluid, similar to the shadow that enveloped his EVA. Seeing this he panicked and threw himself against the far wall only to find more black stuff creeping along the walls inside the plug.
"Get away!" he yelled at the shadow.
Do not be afraid. I wish to become one with you.
"You can't! I'm promised to another."
Ramiel no longer possesses you. I do. I possess your colossus and soon I shall possess you.
"Leave me alone!"
You can not control it. You will become one with me, and I with you. Does this make you sad?
The blackness pulled away from the walls forming into a roughly female shape like that of an 18 year old girl.
I promise it will not hurt. You will feel so much better once I am finished with you.
Shinji said nothing. The inevitability of it all began to overwhelm him.
"I'm going to die…" he whispered as the female figure reached out and took hold of his arm with an almost gentle and reassuring touch. A dark mass crept from her hand over his arm and soon began to cover his entire body. It felt cold…so very cold that it sapped much of the heat out of his body. He shivered as he was enveloped in the darkness of Leliel. He felt as if he were lost in a maelstrom of terror and hopelessness.
Then something changed… in his last moments, he saw her… Mother... and image that seemed to whisper for him to never give up… never give in…
As Leleil's darkness pushed though his skin and into his body, the blue cells that made her up were suddenly overwhelmed by the light of Shinji's soul. She wasn't assimilating him, he was assimilating her!
What are you doing?
"Making a choice," he said resolutely. A great light suddenly shown within the plug as the spirit of Yui appeared in all its glory, burning away the darkness. Unit 01 was out of power but within the Plug, it was still alive….
"Thank you, mother…."
To Be Continued….
A/N: I still own nothing…
When I started this story I decided that no male characters would gain superpowers. After much deliberation, my story is taking a slightly different direction than it had when I first began writing it.
I had been struggling with this for quite some time. After I wrote Chapter 13, I started debating how the battle against Leliel would progress… after much deliberation, I decided to mirror cannon to an extent.
While I still have not decided how this ending to Part One of Lost in the Maelstrom will affect the rest of the series to come, there is no doubt in my mind that the effect will be profound. After reading the latest chapters of Lilith's Herald, I came to realize that a series called "Superwomen of Eva" didn't truly preclude the idea of superpowered males, it simply was going to exclusively or at least mostly focus on strong female protagonists. Even the best female protagonist series had male counter-parts that had power of their own.
What I am try to say is that I no longer view the thoughts of a strong male protagonist in the series as necessarily a bad thing, so long as he does not become the main character. Therefore it is likely that Shinji will in fact, against my earlier ideals, become a Superhero in his own right.
That said, I need to make one thing abundantly clear to all of you (this includes mike313 who as I recall was very vocal about not having male protagonists at all). I am not doing this because of the many readers who badgered me to do so. I'm not doing it because I think Shinji got the short end of the stick in EVA, or because it's the popular thing to do. I'm doing it because the direction I have taken this story is right for it. For much of the development and writing, this story has almost written itself, straight out of my head. I had some control of course, reining things in when it got too crazy, not allowing certain events to progress (there are at least 2 instances where the story was going in a direction that would have killed several important characters), and generally making sure the flow wasn't too chaotic.
I'm not an expert… I don't consider myself a writing god… I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it left.
But now I think I've ranted on long enough. The second and last part of "Lost in the Maelstrom" should be coming out relatively soon, and it will be revealed then what Shinji will become. I'm sure some of you are taking bets right now as to what he becomes. All I'll say about it is, "wait and see." I'm sure the final answer will be surprising…