Japan Heavy Chemical Industries is a conglomeration of several manufacturing-based corporations. Originally founded as a multi-level marketing firm selling laundry detergents and dietary supplements, it grew from a small one man operation into the multi-billion industry giant that it is today. Since then, the conglomeration has diversified its interest beyond biochemical engineering and pharmacy; becoming a major stakeholder in various fields including Robotics, Alternative Energy, Aeronautics and Information Technology. With its history as a referral marketing company, JHCI is relatively open with its proceedings and research; much to the ire of its several stockholders and the joy of its auditors and competition. Still, the approach has allowed the conglomerate to work closely with academics and, consequently, first picking on several emergent technologies; while at the same time avoiding monopoly-related sanctions. The CEO of JHCI is Shiro Tokita, a man widely regarded for his vision and pragmatism. Since the start of his tenure, Shiro has already set in motion several projects which will ensure JHCI's profitability for years into the future.
-- Classified Information File#0001959-A, item 02. "JHCI: Japan Heavy Chemical Industries"; Security clearance level 1: Publicly Released Information
It wasn't often that Hikari Horaki had her lunch on the roof. Generally speaking, she preferred to mingle with her fellow students in the classroom or, more recently, join her good friend Asuka in the faculty lounge. The searing sun was bad for her skin, and she was insecure enough about her freckles already.
Then again, it wasn't often that they got a new female transfer student.
As the class-rep, Hikari considered it her duty to welcome and entertain the new girl; at least for the first couple days or until she found her own clique. It was the right thing to do, and the last time she did the right thing she became friends with Asuka. That her friendship should result in an invitation to spectate an Angel hunt was proof that karma does, in fact, exist.
Thus it should come as no surprise that, when the bell range to signal the start of lunch period, Hikari approach Mana Kirishima and offered to share her bento with the girl. What came as a surprise, though, was the fact that Mana had already been conversing with the boy next to her for a fair bit. Consequently, she'd already received an invitation to join the boy and his posse for lunch.
Naturally, the posse consisted of Toji, Shinji, and Kensuke. As closer as she'd gotten to the three stooges in recent weeks, there was no way Hikari was letting the transfer have her first lunch alone with them.
That was why, today, Hikari was trying to find whatever shade she could on the sunny rooftop. There were several reasons she wanted to keep the stooges chaperoned. Number one of three was Kensuke and his extreme enthusiasm.
"Wow!" Kensuke exclaimed. "You were part of Operation Wakamoru? That's awesome! You're a hero!"
"Not really," Mana modestly smiled, scratching her head in embarrassment. "I didn't really do much, and it was really the red Evangelion that saved the day. Isn't that right?"
"Hmph," Asuka snorts. The young instructor had decided to join the welcoming party as well. Hikari couldn't help noticing her friend's smirk of pride.
"But you guys were part of the rapid-response team!" Kensuke continued. "You proved that conventional weapons worked against an Angel, and to date you're still the only conventional regiment to face the enemy directly and live to tell the tale. That's pretty bad-ass in my book."
"Thanks," Mana was beginning to turn red. "It was an honor."
"Now that you're here, that means heavier weaponry is coming to back us up against the Angel, right?" Shinji inquired. "Do you have some authority over their mobilization? What do you think about NERV's mission to mankind?"
Hikari sigh. Here was reason number two. "Shinji, you will not use the new transfer as a stepping stool on any social engineering scheme. Didn't Asuka play along with your reenactment of Moby Dick yesterday? I know you're not happy Kensuke's video put her in the spot light, but the point remains: she played along with your plans. Isn't it time to knockoff the silly bickering and make up?"
"For the last time, this isn't about Asuka," Shinji groaned. "This is about figuring out NERV, taking it in a better direction and finishing off the Angels once and for all. Isn't it common knowledge that I'm doing this for the greater good? Everything is a means to an end; including sweet miss 'I'm the best pilot in the organization'."
"Are you trying to pick a fight with me again, stupid Shinji?" Asuka challenged. "For your information, the person who did the actual slaying of the Angel was me, and I would've done it even without your obsessive harpoony scheme. Of all the Angels we've fought so far, Shinji, two were killed by me: that's two more kills than you've gotten."
"Oh yeah? How'd you like to trade your swanky red production model Eva with my test-type one? Ever since I got here, my robot has been locked in maintenance or quarantine with the exception of approximately 2-hours total. And you know what? I don't even mind! Not only do I find risking my life and limb counterproductive to my goals, I also happen to be amazing at anti-Angel tactics. I rather like my present job, thank you very much."
"Would you two just…stop." Hikari resignedly shouted. "Can you not consider the company for one single moment?"
"I don't mind," Mana grinned. "It's nice to see how close the NERV pilots are to each other. It really reminds me of my piloting friends in the defense force. In any case, you said that the test-type has been in maintenance or quarantine? Isn't it difficult to fight with an Eva down for the count?"
"Not to worry!" Kensuke interrupted. "I have it on good authority that additional Evangelions are arriving to bolster the force as we speak! No words on the new pilots yet, though, and I am so psyched about that! Shinji, as soon as you catch wind about this you'll tell me, right?"
Shinji looked away. "Well…"
Kensuke blinked.
"Huh? Shinji? You don't mean…"
Shinji doesn't reply.
"Asuka?"
"I'm…" Asuka hesitates. "I'm not sure I should talk about this; especially given the company."
"What?!" Kensuke leapt to his feet. "You know about the new children? Please tell me! Shinji Almighty? Asuka the Auspicious? Please! PLEASE!"
"Calm down, man!" Toji Suzuhara, who had been silently watching the scene with rapt curiosity, finally spoke up. "I guess there's no point staying quiet now, since you're bound to find out soon anyways."
With that, the rowdy tracksuit wearing boy stood up and pointed to himself.
"Hello everybody," he spoke, "My name is Toji Suzuhara, and I've recently been recruited as NERV's fourth children. Can I have a moment of awed silence?"
The reveal was certainly awe-striking; at least for Hikari and Kensuke. Shinji and Asuka sighed sheepishly, while Mana watched on with bewilderment.
"Wait…what?" Kensuke stutters. "No way! You're kidding right, Toji? Shinji, Asuka, did you guys know this?!"
"Yeah," Shinji admitted.
"Hehe," Asuka chuckled. "I wasn't sure if he wanted to tell you himself."
"But…" Hikari choked. "That means… yesterday…"
"Yeah," Toji replied. "That was like an orientation trip or something. Misato told me that, the last time they brought in a candidate out of the blue, they had quite a hard time grasping the situation. Taking me along to see Asuka kill an Angel was supposedly meant to leave an impression; make me more excited about the prospect. I'll admit I was pretty nervous at first, but Misato told me I can bring a couple classmates along. Turns out there was nothing to worry about. Thanks for coming by the way, Kensuke, Hikari."
"Ah…yes!" Hikari blushes. "Of course! You're welcome! It was no problem at all."
Pause. Gears in her head slowly clicked and turned.
"Hold on. No. Yes problem. Yes big problem. How long have you known about this?! What are you even thinking-"
"Yeah! Toji, what the hell?" Kensuke shouted. "How'd you even get selected for this? I thought all the pilots were supposed to be related to NERV somehow. Why'd they even choose you?"
"I dunno. They said I was compatible or something." Toji shrugged. "And besides, I am related to NERV. My father and grandfather works for their lab, remember? That's pretty much par for the course with Shinji and Asuka as well, right? I mean, both your parents worked for NERV- Kensuke? Kensuke, what's wrong."
Kensuke had once again frozen in place; his face flabbergasted.
"If…" the bespectacled boy finally managed. "If just having a parent in NERV is enough connection for candidacy… then…"
The boy leapt with joy.
"Yes! YES! I'm in! I'm qualified! I love my dad so much right now! Ooh, I can't wait to see who the fifth children is! I can feel it. My time has come! Finally, at long last, I'll get to pilot an-"
Shinji cough. "Hate to break it to you, Kensuke. The fifth has already been chosen as well, and it's not you."
Not since the Hindenburg has something deflated as quickly as Kensuke.
"Sorry…?" Shinji said with a hint of guilt. "You were pretty unhappy about Toji, so I figured you'd wanna know this one as well."
In a flash, Kensuke was standing in front of Shinji; holding him on both shoulders. "Who is it?! Who's the fifth children?!"
And then he was in front of Hikari. "Is it you? It's you, isn't it? That's why you were with us yesterday! Class rep, please tell me! Are you the fifth children?"
"No!" Hikari brushes him off. "To tell you the truth, I'm as surprised about all this as you are. I had no idea they'd choose one of my classmates: Toji of all people. I'm still not sure what to think… I'm serious, Kensuke, I'm not the fifth children. Let go of me, it hurts."
Mana got up and began peeling Kensuke, who had a death-grip on Hikari's shoulder, finger by finger.
"I guess the question, then," the red-haired girl spoke, "is who the Fifth Children's going to be. Asuka, Shinji, you knew Toji was the fourth, right? Can you tell us anything about the fifth?"
Shinji looked at Asuka. Catching her eye, the boy nodded and motioned for her to speak.
"I… really don't know," Asuka started. "I didn't recognize the name, and neither did Shinji here. The name sounded American, but there's a NERV in the US as well, so it's not exactly surprising. I wonder what her story is…"
"So what's the story this time?"
Misato Katsuragi looked up from her desk. Before her, the rugged visage of the security intelligence chief leered back in accusation.
"What story?" Misato replied. "If you're talking about why I didn't go to Area 28 yesterday, then a) Operation Pequod is a completely legitimate excuse and b) stop following me around."
Over the past several weeks, ever since the man arrived from Germany, Kaji Ryoji had increasingly tried to get some alone time with her. Generally speaking, Misato didn't care much for his insistence. Between the funeral, the broken Unit-00, the quarantined Unit-01 and Operation Pequod, the Chief of Operations had nary a second to spare on herself; to say nothing of one for her former beau. It didn't help much that, whenever she saw his face, she'd be reminded of her care-free college days which, in turn, inevitably reminded her of Ritsuko.
"You know, I was really looking forward to spending time with you," Kaji smiled. "I had to be there anyways, and you would've made better company than those old men. Still, that's not why I'm here today."
Kaji dropped a stack of printouts on her desk. The top sheet, depicting the landing page of a popular blogging site, had a freeze-frame of Evangelion Unit-02 hurling a spear at what seemed like a giant white whale. A photo of a bespectacled boy was clipped to the top.
"Oh, that." Misato answered smugly, before pushing the stack back towards Kaji. "I already OK'd the orientation session with the vice-commander and he told me I can, to a reasonable degree, do whatever I need to ensure the new Children had a healthy mental state. Besides, showboating in front of her friends was beneficial to Asuka as well. The video shows nothing incriminating about NERV and, as far as I can tell, is actually serving as decently good PR. I fail to see where the problem is in all this."
"And you're very lucky there was no problem this time round," Kaji replied, sitting down in a chair in front of her. "What if there had been a problem? What if, god forbid, Unit-02 got eaten by the Angel or something? That would've traumatized the fourth and left us with quite a fall out."
"But Unit-02 didn't get eaten," Misato stated matter-of-factly. "There's no fall out and the fourth is in such a good shape, I'm hoping we set some records at the shake-down activation tomorrow. So no problemo, eh? Hakuna Matata? Live and let live?"
"Actually, I'm a little worried about tomorrow," Kaji continued. "Are you sure everything is going to be alright? These are fresh new Evas and you know that IPEA recently had a command structure reshuffle, right?"
"Shiro Tokita," Misato mused. "The name was just posted this morning. Who is he anyways? I missed the JHCI conference, but I do know he's supposed to be their big shot CEO. Can we really trust him?"
"I wouldn't if I were you," Kaji answered. "I was trying to figure him out yesterday, too. Everything I dug up seems to paint the portrait of the perfect businessman. Reputable, ruthless, and good at making a lot of money. No wife or kids. No shady past. From where I stand, he's the perfect man to run a multinational engineering agency like the IPEA. Except…"
"Except he's not NERV," Misato finished the sentence. "Let me guess. His monthly cheque is signed by the UN, not us, and he still hasn't resigned from JHCI."
"On both counts, guilty," Kaji snorts. "Misato, look. With their JA program, JHCI is a direct competitor to NERV and IPEA. What is he doing here? Is the UN under some kind of pressure? NERV has always had branches worldwide, but now that we're ramping up Eva production, is someone trying to put a dampener on IPEA's momentum? This is the second time in so many weeks I've seen NERV doing something completely inexplicable."
Misato shrugged. "You're the Chief of Security Intelligence. Aren't you supposed to be on top of all our shady business?"
"I usually am, which is why it worries me so much when I'm not."
Kaji got up and started towards the door.
"There's a level above ours, Misato, and I'm going to find out what they're up to. The truth is out there, and I won't rest until I figure it out. You be careful out there tomorrow, alright?"
And Kaji left the room. As the automatic door slid shut, Misato was once again alone in her office. For a moment, there was silence as she pondered her former lover's words.
"Stupid man," Misato mused as she resumed filling out her paperwork. "Digging into the UN top brass and he's telling me to be careful…"
Shiro Tokita was very happy with his new job.
Sure he was ruthless to his competitors at times. Sure he was good at making a lot of money. That didn't matter as much as the combined effect they have on his image. Shiro Tokita was a reputable business man and, in his line of work, that was something money alone couldn't buy.
That was why, when the office of the UN Security Council contacted him with the possibility of leading IPEA, Shiro was thrilled beyond belief. As JHCI's CEO, it's always beneficial to have a strong influence in one's competitor's business. But shady tacticians always get caught out eventually, and Shiro had his reputation to maintain. He was going to turn IPEA into a class of his own. Eva technology was the future and it was all but assured to be prosperous with him at the helm. If – or rather – when that day comes, there's going to be serious demands from the private sector; something a government agency like IPEA can't possibly answer fully by itself. Well, JHCI was a private corporation: one that was really good at winning contract auctions.
Shiro chuckled as the elevator delivered him to NERV HQ's executive suites. The first thing he planned to do as IPEA head was hold friendly conference with NERV's senior commander. To everyone involved, collaboration is more conducive than competition. Shiro was going to make sure Gendo was on the same page as him.
"This way," Fuyutsuki Kozo motioned. The old man, who had been reluctantly giving him a tour of the facility, was holding open a massive door to what Shiro presumed was the senior commander's office. Shiro didn't think much of the venerable academic: his stubborn old-fashioned ways were dated and a relic of the past. Hopefully the younger, more pragmatic Gendo Ikari turns out a better negotiator than his second-in-command.
"Welcome!" A greeting sounded out from within. Shiro entered to see a brightly lit chamber with windows running on all sides; the vibrant scenery of the Geofront sparkled beyond in the afternoon light. In the middle was a lone table; a bespectacled man standing behind it gesturing to a chair in front of him. "Please, take a seat. Make yourself comfortable."
"You must be Ikari Gendo," Shiro smiled, bowing politely in salutations. "Thank you for meeting me right after getting in. I hope the flight hasn't left you too jet-lagged?"
"It is no great hassle," Gendo nodded. "Boston was nice, but there's no replacement for Japanese hospitality. I see Fuyutsuki has already given you the tour. Did you find your new office serviceable?"
Shiro chuckled. "You are too generous! The local JHCI branch had already set up a workspace for me. Although after seeing what NERV has prepared, I might have to reconsider moving down here after all!"
"Were you not planning to move down here?" Fuyutsuki asked; the old man had once more taken position behind the senior commander. "I know we haven't stopped by there yet, but surely you are aware that the Eva cage is part of Central Dogma complex? As the new head of IPEA, I had assumed you would make their inspections a daily routine?"
The CEO eyed Fuyutsuki with confusion, then sighed with pity. "Of course not. Why would the IPEA head ever need to do that? We have nothing to do with the deployment and maintenance of the Evas themselves, right. That's your job as NERV. Unlike Dr. Akagi, I am not your chief science officer. It would actually be quite rude of me to intrude into your operations."
It was Fuyutsuki's turn to be confused. "Pray tell me then: what exactly is it that you're going to do as IPEA head?"
"Exactly what it was IPEA was founded to do," Shiro smiled. "If I recall correctly, our objective is to coordinate Eva production around the world, while gradually improving their robustness across the board, yes? The way I see it, my skills in robotics and systems optimization would be best spent on the manufacturing process. Last I checked, construction of the remaining production models is being done at your German and American branch, while China is looking into a mass production process for Unit-08 onwards. If we're going to round out the entire series up through Eva-16, there's a lot of room for economy of scales to kick in."
Gendo nodded. "So you're saying that, since we're not building any new Eva here in Central Dogma, you'd rather be dealing with the various agencies abroad?"
"Precisely," Shiro answered. "And with all the red tape and security protocols down here, it would be most expedite to me anyway if I were to be outside the Geofront completely. It's win-win, really. You don't have to worry about me learning anything I shouldn't learn, and I don't have to bore your second section every time I order take-out from my favorite pizza restaurant."
"So if you stay away from us, there'll be no reason we should monitor your communications?" Fuyutsuki questioned.
Shiro nodded.
The old man stepped up to the table and slammed down with a mighty fist.
"Are you crazy?!" Fuyutsuki yelled.
The CEO blinked. "I'm sorry? I know Provel cheese is an acquired taste, but there's no reason to call my sanity into question."
"Do you think we wouldn't see through your scheme?" the old man barked. "You're setting up the perfect opportunity to leak Eva blueprints to your friends at JHCI, aren't you? Insider trading? I don't believe I can make myself any clearer but Eva is not a toy! It's not something we can sell out to the highest bidder! Is this how you were planning to slip through me after getting a piece of my mind yesterday? As deputy-head of IPEA, I forbid it! Gendo, it's clear now what agenda this man is hiding behind his mask. I suggest we ask the UN to fire him, and search for a replacement imme-"
"Silence, Fuyutsuki," Gendo roared. The vice-commander immediately stopped in his track. Shiro merely watched, stunned.
"Mr. Shiro," Gendo spoke with a casual, apologetic tone. "I must apologize for my subordinate's indiscretion. He is but an old military man, and is thus suspicious of subterfuge by default. He is not used to the value of a businessman's reputation, or the necessity of trust and information flow between affiliates!"
Shiro was lost for words. For a moment, the room was silent while the CEO collected his thoughts. "Mr. Gendo, are you saying that you do?"
"Pardon me, if you will," Gendo continued, "but I have a proposition for you to consider. You see, as it stands there are 3 entities with a stake in our discussion today: NERV, IPEA, and the JHCI. You have an interest in the JHCI's wellbeing and, now that you're head of IPEA, your reputation compels you to look out for the agency's interest as well. It goes without saying that the two are now essentially in collaboration. With IPEA's technology and JHCI's infrastructure, their future is looking bright"
"Quite," Shiro nodded.
"Fuyutsuki and I, on the other hand, are primarily affiliated with NERV. We have a history of affiliation with IPEA and, at a fundamental level, the two agency share a great deal of resource. NERV needs the Evangelion to continue protecting mankind, and IPEA needs NERV to continue having a purpose. In that sense, one could say that IPEA wouldn't exist without NERV, and NERV would cease to exist without IPEA"
"Indeed."
"What I am proposing to you, then, is that NERV and JHCI share an interest with each other too. Both your and my agencies have resources which would be most beneficial to each other. If we can reach a point of collaboration, we would complete the trio and resolve all internal conflicts in the quest for mankind's prosperity. See where this line of thought is heading?"
"Hmm…" Shiro perked up. "Intriguing. What exactly do you have in mind?"
Gendo grinned. "It is no secret that the Eva, as it stands, has several exploitable weaknesses. I'm sure you already know this, but presently Eva has some issues regarding mobility and modularity. Without the umbilical cord, the Eva can function in combat for no more than 5-minutes. Furthermore, we have always been dependent on our pilots and their sync-ratio. Even as humanoid as the Eva appears, they are not human and thus we are forced to use a translation schema whenever the pilot's direct neural interface isn't exactly 100%. Magi compensates for this to a degree, but there is much room for improvement in the schema itself."
"Right. So how can JHCI help with this?"
"I read Fuyutsuki report on your Jet Alone program. An on board energy source that guarantees unlimited operational range? Imagine if the Eva never runs out of power! Furthermore JA is a complex bi-pedal humanoid robot, and you're capable of remotely controlling it using conventional computers? You must have an amazing control algorithm to make up for the processing power and the lag! If only we could implement it into the entry plug of the Eva!"
"So you're saying that, if JHCI focused on implementing our technology to improve existing Eva, while IPEA worked on producing newer, better models in general, NERV would be more than a match for any Angel that might this way come?"
"Precisely," Gendo answered.
"So then…" Shiro resumed. "What's in it for us? What are you offering the JHCI?"
"Why the satisfaction of saving mankind, of course," Gendo grinned, "and if that isn't enough: know that you have a glaring weakness which NERV can cover for as well. In fact, I've already mention it."
"Perhaps? In passing?" Shiro shrugged. "There's a difference between mutual and common knowledge. Go ahead and make it common."
"Compared to NERV, your computer technology is absolutely inadequate. You are still running on silicon chips, resulting in massive loss in performance, power-consumption and other logistical nightmare. NERV, on the other hand, has the Magi. Actually, we have several Magi all over the world, and I wouldn't mind if our ally wound up with one of them. In fact, we have one at the Matsushiro Secondary Experimentation Facility which, aside from assisting with the shakedown activation, will be doing mostly nothing until the next round of Eva comes in. Why don't you go see how versatile they are in person tomorrow? If you find the Matsushiro Magi quite impressive, I don't mind loaning it out to JHCI; on top of general bio-computer principle and know how, of course.
"Commander!" Fuyutsuki balked. "What are you saying?! Please reconside-"
"Deal," Shiro cut him off.
In truth, Shiro had been planning to offer Gendo a similar deal since he arrived. After reading the IPEA files and paper, he knew that the Eva had weaknesses which NERV was dying to overcome. He had been hoping to use it as leverage; possibly to trade for data related to the A.T. Field, exclusive rights to supply NERV munitions or even the rights to use Tokyo-3's Eva tunnel for some enterprising scheme. Shiro would be trading a promise of a product for real and concrete objects usable today. It would have been a pretty good trade.
He never dreamed he would get the Magi in exchanged. Shiro knew a steal when he saw one. He wasn't going to slip up.
Gendo reached out a hand, and Shiro eagerly shook it. "How should we draw up the contract?" The CEO questioned. "I'm sure we can get a third-party to vouch it for us? Perhaps one of the lawyers from the UN?"
"Unnecessary complications," Gendo remarked – hands still firm on Shiro's. "Go ahead and draw one up yourself. If you can get it around to me by tonight, I'll read it personally and sign it through if there's nothing egregious. We're in this together after all."
"Indeed," Shiro said. "The prosperity of mankind. With our partnership, there is no doubt we shall see it through."
With that, Shiro broke the handshake and got up from his chair. Sparing Fuyutsuki – who was still frozen in place – but a moment's glance, Shiro gave Gendo a bow and gestured towards the door.
"It was a pleasure talking to you," the business man spoke. "Right now, though, I'm afraid I should be going; there's now more to do than I expected! I'll need to arrange my travels to Matsushiro tomorrow, and I'll also need to move down here since we'll be working on the old Evas. I'm sorry, but could we make the tour of Central Dogma a quick one?"
"Not a problem," Gendo answered. "I'll ask our science officer to give you the brief overview. Fuyutsuki, Maya is already on standby, yes? Have her come in and escort Mr. Shiro at once."
Shiro exchanged a few more pleasantries with Gendo before Maya arrived to escort him out. As he moved through the bowels of Central Dogma, seeing such sights as the cage or the Pribnow box, Shiro barely noticed any of his surroundings. On his mind, there was only one thing in perfect focus.
Gendo Ikari, the business man observe. Truly a fearsome man. He was everything I expected him to be and more. Our joint venture shall be one for the record books.
Gendo Ikari watched as the business man left his office, before motioning towards Fuyutsuki. The old man was still pale and somewhat shaken. "You can cut the act now, Kozo. The greedy fool has left and you're not pulling one over me."
Immediately life seemed to flow back into the vice-commander, though it was a sickening kind of life. The kind that fueled djinns and demons as they play tricks around their mortal prey.
"That went exactly as you planned, did it not?" Fuyutsuki stated rather than asked.
"Of course. Now we have the extremely capable JHCI working for us, and we essentially got it all for free."
Fuyutsuki nodded, and thought back to his last conversation with Gendo. Though they had offered Shiro the Magi today, in reality it didn't matter one bit. The biological supercomputer was theirs', forever and ever.
After a brief moment, the second-commander returned to his usual, placid self. "I guess the only question, then, is what we plan to do with the JSSDF. They're receiving transfer of the Longinus Spear this evening, right?"
"They're moving it to their facility in Gotenba," Gendo replied. "Close enough that it can be flown over should an Angelic crisis arise, but far enough that they're out of our sphere of influence."
"Far enough, heh. In any case, are you sure it's a good idea to have them conducting tests on the Spear?"
"Not to worry, Fuyutsuki. Though they may be able to replicate the spear's property, there is no way they can reproduce the spear itself. They are only human, after all."
"Humans can only interact with it via the Evangelions…" Fuyutsuki mused. "Ritsuko Akagi really hit the nail on the head with her final conjecture."
"That's because she figured out the situation," Gendo responded, "and because you and I already know the situation as well. Again, the conjecture is nothing to worry about. Unless we lend a hand, there is nobody else in the world who could figure out its true meaning."
"I wish I had your confidence, Ikari. About the activations tomorrow then."
"Unit-03's core was accepted with no complications," Gendo spoke. "Though I will need to head down and prepare Unit-04's myself in just a little bit. It will ship out along with Misato and our operator crew."
"No one will find it suspicious?"
"The decision to field Unit-04 immediately was made with haste. None would be the wiser if some pieces of equipment took longer to arrive than another. Speaking of which, tell me about this colleague coming to join you. The flight from NERV-2 was delayed by bad weather and missed the convoy, so I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet."
Fuyutsuki nodded. "It was convenient that he's the only senior scientist at NERV-2. Having him supervise Unit-04's transfer was all the excuse we needed to bring him over. That the Eva will also arrive in pristine condition is not a small bonus either! You are familiar with Dr. Seymour Nunn, of course?"
Gendo pondered for a moment. "I recall the name from the Second Impact cover-up story years ago. I take it you've worked with him a fair bit since?"
"He will be of great help with the Dummy plug and our daily science operation," Fuyutsuki replied. "Now that Ritsuko is gone, I highly urge you to keep him around. Bump him up to chief of science, if you need to. I'm sure Maya wouldn't mind being passed over – infact, she might be quite relieved."
"Perhaps," Gendo responded. "I will reserve my judgment until I see him myself. Now then, I shall be heading to Terminal Dogma for a bit. Unit-04's core requires its finishing touch."
Gendo stood up, and pulled open a drawer in his desk. A duralumin case laid within; pulsing with energy. The commander slipped it within his coat.
"How did no one on your flight notice that thing?" Fuyutsuki asked, partly in jest. "I can feel it from where I'm standing. I don't care if you had it locked in a block of cement; surely the other passengers felt something. How did you hide it from security?"
Gendo chuckled as he moved towards the door, confident and assured. "Pish posh, Fuyutsuki. I had it in plain sight, along with the rest of my carry-on. Recall, though, that it was a NERV mandated flight. As long as I'm wearing my suit and my ID card, nobody bats an eyelid if there's a couple pieces of suspicious luggage about."
The setting sun bathed the city of Tokyo-3 in brilliant vermillion; heralding the coming dusk. In front of Tokyo-3's First Municipal Middle School, a young, freckled, twin-tailed class representative stood; twiddling her thumb. It can't take much longer now, she thought.
Earlier that morning, when Hikari discovered that the three stooges had invited the transfer student up for lunch, she immediately identified three problems. The first two, concerning with the boisterous Kensuke and the discordant Shinji, was mostly professional and involved making sure the new girl wasn't bullied into submission. These were of no grave concerns to Hikari; she was an excellent class rep and completely peerless at keeping the peace between her peers. By the end of the meal, Mana seemed to have gotten a feel for the stooges and handled herself pretty well. It looked like Hikari won't need to look out for this new transfer anymore. She is already set on the road to becoming fast friends with Shinji and Co., as frightening as the prospect was.
As frightening as the prospect was, indeed.
Try as she might, there was no easy way for Hikari to dodge around her problem number three. Unlike the first two, this one was more personal in nature, and have actually compounded now that the other complications resolved the way it did. In fact, with the revelation made during their meal, problem number three had become a bigger worry than she ever expected.
Why did it have to be him? Hikari thought. And just as a new transfer comes in as well! The timing is so terrible. There's no way he won't be conscious of the new girl, and there's no way she won't be conscious of the new ace pilot! How does sometimes-friendly-but-most-times-bossy class-rep even begin to fight against that?
After the meal, Hikari had bemoaned her troubles to Asuka. Her teacher/friend/confidant, ever one to cheer her up, had suggested that Hikari make the first move.
"The dolt probably isn't even aware of his new standing yet," Asuka had said, "and more importantly, the rest of the students isn't aware of it either. You've known him for ages and you're just about the only girl he'd directly talks to, right? If I asked you which girl is highest on his affection chart and you point to anyone but yourself, then you are a blind idiot. What are you waiting for? Go for it!"
Hikari took a deep breath. The school officials, so closely affiliated with NERV, was already aware of Toji's assignment – and had asked him to stay behind to settle some affairs. Even though tomorrow was Saturday, the boy was anticipated to miss several days of class in the near future and – compounded with a rather delinquent record – required certain countermeasures be instantiated. Still, it was all taking longer than she expected, and Hikari can only pretend to review the class-rep's roster so many times before she got bored. Yet a girl's determination will not be so easily defeated, and thus Hikari had decided to throw away all pretenses and straight up wait for him outside the front gates. It was fortunate that most students have already left for the weekends; nothing is blatant if no one is around to see it.
"Oy! Class-rep! What're you still doing around here?"
Hikari felt a shot of cold run up her spine. Turning around, the girl breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Toji Suzuhara approach from inside the school.
"Toji! I've… been meaning to talk to you actually."
The boy tilted his head, then smiled. "That's perfect, actually. I've been meaning to talk to you as well. Let's walk."
In the gentle evening sky, the boy and the girl slowly started down the hills in front of their school. For a while, naught but the buzzing of cicadas broke the silence.
"What was it you wanted to talk about?" Hikari started, shyly.
"I wanted to thank you," Toji spoke. Holding his bag in both hands behind his head, the boy looked straight ahead as he walked down the road.
"Eh?"
"About that time during the Angel attack, when I was buried and you and Kensuke tried to dig me out?" Toji continued. "Even after we realized how pointless it was, you stuck around with me until the rescue team turned up. I saw how busted up your hands looked, too. You hurt yourself trying to help me and you really didn't need to do all that."
Hikari turned to look at the boy, and saw that he was looking at her as well. For an instance, their gaze locked – until Toji abruptly broke it and looked aside.
"Well…" the boy continued. "I guess I never got round to properly say it. I just wanted to say I really appreciate you… thanks."
Hikari smiled. She couldn't help poking him in the ribs.
"Ow!" the boy croaked.
"Don't be silly," Hikari jeered. "For you, I'd do it a thousand times over."
For a while longer, the two continued walking.
"What did you want to talk about," Toji finally countered.
"Well," Hikari mumbled. Come on nerve. Don't let up on me now.
"I wanted to ask you about this afternoon," she finally managed. "I know you've known about it for a while now, but I just found out and it's still a little surprising. Why are you doing it?"
"Eh?" Toji looked at her, puzzled. "Why am I doing what?"
"Why are you piloting the Eva?"
Toji looked up at the sky, and took a deep breath. "You know, I've been asking myself that a lot in the last few days. At first, I only did it because they agreed to move my sister to a better hospital. In retrospect, though, I think that wasn't the whole story. I think there was something else in there as well."
"Something else?" Hikari echoed.
"I'm no stranger to Eva. Heck, three of my so called friends are pilots and they're all bonkers in the head. It was actually one of them that hurt my sister in the first place. In that sense, I didn't really have a reason to like them."
"Are you resentful of them?"
"Hardly, actually. It was after I was buried during Wakamoru, and once more when I saw the battle during Yashima, that I realized something. Whatever it is that made the Children pilot their Eva, there was room for me as well. It might not be the first, the second, or even the third reason why they do it. But somewhere in there, they were fighting for humanity and thus, indirectly, they were fighting for me too."
Hikari glanced at the boy, who was still staring up at the clouds. Toji continued.
"When I figured that out, I thought about how I'm probably fighting to protect my sister. But then during lunch, Mana was talking about Wakamoru and how it was an honor for her to serve; about the bonds she shared with her comrades. That's when I realized that my sister wasn't the only one I'd be fighting for."
Suddenly, Toji stopped walking and turned to look directly at her. His expression was set, his eyes determined.
"I'd fight to protect you as well," Toji spoke.
Hikari felt her face heating up. She had no doubt she was redder than Unit-02 right now, but still. Looking at the boy and seeing his passion, there was no way she could shy away. "But…aren't you scared?
"I don't mind if I occasionally get hurt." Toji declared. "I'll fight to protect you, my sister, and Kensuke. I'll fight to protect my father, and the rest of humanity as well. You showed me that helping people who are precious to you is the right thing to do, even if you might get hurt while you're at it. Now it's my turn. Now I have a chance to protect the people precious to me as well. That's why I'm stepping inside Unit-03 tomorrow. I would wear the mark of shame forever I ran away now."
And with that, Toji broke eye contact; his gusto finally exhausted.
"Ahh, I hope that answered your question," Toji moaned. The magic was gone, and he immediately started walking away once more. "That's embarrassing. Don't take it too seriously though – that's what I arrived at this afternoon, after thinking about what you did. Ask me again in a couple days and I'll probably have changed my mind."
Hikari watched as the boy walked off, before smiling brim to brim. Chuckling as she sprinted after, Hikari poked Toji in the ribs once more.
"Ow! That hurts! Knock it off!"
"You're one big damn hero, aren't you?" Hikari giggled as she starts to run ahead of Toji. "But I don't dislike that about you."
Toji stopped in his track once more. "Eh?! What you say?!"
"I said I don't dislike you!" Hikari turned around. "Listen, you're a big eater, right? I always hear you going on about how magical lunch time is. Well, I'm pretty confident about my cooking skills myself."
Toji gawked. "Are you saying that you-"
"So when you get back," Hikari cut him off, "I'll prepare a big bento box, just for you. I don't mind making you lunch every day from now on, but first you've gotta come back to me in once piece, ok? Absolutely have to come back if you want my bento!"
And with that, Hikari sprinted ahead and rounded a corner. The girl didn't know what expression to make. She'd done it now. She'd gone and made it mutual knowledge, if not a straight up common one.
The setting sun bathed the city of Tokyo-3 in brilliant vermillion; heralding the coming dusk. But for one Hikari Horaki, it might as well have been the dawn of a new day.