Shinji Steel 29
Disclaimer; I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion or Max Steel. Wish I did, though.
Author's Notes; The previous chapter came out a little late because some ding-a-ling DOC release knocked a cup of hot chocolate over and killed my laptop. Luckily, the GS was able to retrieve my docs and put them onto a port drive. So now, until I can get a new laptop, I'll be using the 'monster' here in the house. Enjoy!
(Tokyo-3; NERV; Gendo's office)
"My, my, that was quite exciting, wasn't it?"
"Only you'd feel that way, Agent Kaji." Looking down at the case, Gendo smirks at the Bakelite encased object. "Nonetheless, you brought Adam to me in pristine condition." Looking up at the man, he then asks, "Did you have much difficulty in transport?"
"Not really. All said, it was rather quiet." Before Gendo can ask anything more, his intercom chimes.
"Yes, Ms Okisona?"
"Commander, there's a woman from the secretarial pool here. She says she's to be your new secretary."
"I've no requirement for a new one. However, put her with Fuyutsuki all the same."
"Yes sir." Outside Gendo's office, Ms Okisona sizes up the woman that had arrived before her before scoffing.
"I take it you heard about where you'll be stationed?"
"Someone named Fuyutsuki. That's all I got. Is he a big-wig here?"
"He's the Vice-Commander here. You do the math."
"Big-wig." Sighing gustily, the woman nods and bows. "Thank you. I'll be on my way then."
"Very good. Vice Commander Fuyutsuki's office is on the floor below us."
"Thank you kindly, Ms Okisona."
"If you really want to thank me, you can do me a solid by calling the pool and tell them to find another secretary for this cold-ass dickhead."
"He's that bad?"
'I'll put it to you like this. If it came down to between working for Commander Ikari here in NERV or Lucifer in Hell, I'd pick Lucifer. Because then it'd be a step up for me."
"Something tells me we'll get along then. I'm Anne Retnuh."
"Nemu Okisona."
Anne gives Nemu a soft nod before going on her way. Making her way to the elevator, she looks back at Nemu and nods before turning back to the elevator and pressing the 'down' button. Once the doors open, she steps into the elevator and presses the button for her desired floor. In an extremely short trip, she arrives and the doors open. Allowing her to see a Japanese man with long hair and a cynical look on his face. Prompting her to think only one thing.
'He's so cute!' Smiling slightly, she asks, "Can you please direct me to Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki's office?"
"Oh, sure." Hiking his left thumb to the left, he replies, "It's just over there, ma'am."
"Why thank you." Extending her right hand to him, she adds, "Anne Retnuh." The man returns the favor before replying.
"Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba. I work on the bridge. Nice to meet you, Ms Retnuh." As the two shake hands, he can't help but ask, "Are you here to be Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki's executive assistant?"
"If you're asking me if I'm here to be the Vice-Commander's secretary, then yes. I am." Grimacing, she then adds, "That is if he'll take me on."
"I don't think he'll turn you away, Ms Retnuh. He's actually a pretty cool guy for a former professor."
"Teacher, eh?" She then exits the elevator, grins and says, "I guess I'll be seeing you around, then."
"Looks like." With that, Aoba enters the still open elevator and turns back one more time to give her a shy wave, getting one back from her. Once the doors have closed, Retnuh heaves out a sigh.
"'I guess I'll be seeing you around'? Couldn't I have done a better parting line than that? I sounded like such a…"
"Like what, Miss?" The kindly voice behind her gives Retnuh a start, causing her to turn around. Just in time to see a distinguished older gentleman with a sheepish grin. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay, sir. I more than likely had it coming." Kinking her head to the side, she asks, "You wouldn't happen to be Vice-Commander Fuyutsuki by any chance, would you?"
"Guilty as charged." Next thing he knows, Retnuh flinches. "You alright?"
"Yeah. It's just those three words hold some unpleasant memories for me, is all."
"Checkered past, eh?" At her quiet nod, he nods back and asks, "How far did you go?"
"I never hurt people. Just robbery and general hooliganism."
"Then you'll fit right in. I expect you're Miss Retnuh?" At her nod, Fuyutsuki adds, "Commander Ikari told me to expect you within minutes."
"Sir." Fuyutsuki gives her a genial nod, prompting her to ask, "What will I be doing to assist you, sir?"
"Just the usual. Filing reports through the Director of Operations, Captain Katsuragi. Including ammunition expenditures, compensation claim forms, damage assessments on all aspects of this war. This and that."
"Oh." Retnuh can't help but lightly grin at the way Fuyutsuki had put it. "This and that." Fuyutsuki can't help but lightly chuckle at the young woman's demeanor.
"Something tells me we'll get along just fine, Miss Retnuh."
"Something tells me you're right, sir."
In Tokyo-3, two days later, Shinji and Ritsuko are sitting with their friends in class. Watching Kensuke's recordings from two days back. Shinji can't help but feel Kensuke is a natural videographer. Nor can Ritsuko. Hikari, however…
"I can't believe you, Aida! Do you know how easily you could've been killed? If that Unit had landed wrong, you'd be dead!"
"But, still, you gotta admit the video quality's great! How can you vilify me for that?"
"Ugh! You're just impossible, Aida!" Running her hand through her hair in frustration, Hikari then sighs before turning toward Touji, asking, "So you had some fun without me, Suzuhara?"
"I wouldn't say that, Horaki. Especially since the new Pilot seems to be Satan's daughter."
"She can't be that bad and you know it, Suzuhara." She then sighs again and adds, "In any case, we're getting two new students here."
"Long as 'Satan's daughter' ain't one of them, I don't mind. It's bad enough Shin-man has to deal with her at NERV. But the thought of that devil girl being here…" He lets out a body-shake to show her unnerved he is by the thought of it. Hikari, in turn, can only roll her eyes.
"I'm just glad Devilwoman's not there right now. Otherwise Touji would be in for a world of hurt." Berto's voice gets a slight nod from Shinji as he watches Hikari's reaction.
"Suzuhara!" Before he can even go on, she turns around at the sound of footsteps. "Here they come now." Before anyone can say anything more, the door slides open and Touji gets a look at the doorway and starts freaking out.
"It's her! Satan's daughter herself!"
Much to his horrified shock, the redheaded German ignores his freak-out and calmly writes her name, in kanji, onto the board. When she's done, she turns around and smiles widely.
"Hello. I'm Asuka Langley Sohryu. Charmed, huh?" Touji can't help but feel a chill going up and down his spine at her smile.
'Oh crap. We're all in Hell!' Much to his surprise, however, Asuka goes on.
"I'm not here to waste my time on you girlfriendless bozos that think you can charm me with your ways. I'm only here for two things. One being to show you who the best EVA Pilot here is. The second thing is a private matter which has no relation to any of you. So if it has nothing to do with any of you, don't bother asking me about it."
With that, she goes to take a seat and winds up sitting in the seat in front of Shinji's. A stunned Shinji and Ritsuko looking on as Asuka flounces her hair and looks back right at Shinji. Without acknowledging Ritsuko at all. A perplexed Shinji can only give her a nod of greeting before turning back toward his girlfriend. Who's currently in the process of seething.
'The very nerve of that red-haired floozy!' Any further mental ranting is halted when a shy, yet familiar voice cuts through.
"Um, hello. I'm Richard Nez. It's very nice to meet you." Ritsuko turns toward the voice and smiles upon seeing the young boy that'd recently been in Tokyo-3.
"Hey, Richard. How've you been?"
"Ritsuko?" Richard looks toward the voice and sees Ritsuko sitting beside Shinji. "Shinji! You're in my class too?"
"It would appear so, pal. But what brings you back here?"
"Well, Mom and Dad thought I could do well to see life outside the boy's school I was attending. So, I transferred to here." Shinji can't help but let out a snort.
"Uh-huh. Right. And I have some land on the moon I'd like to sell ya."
"Okay, it's partially true. The main reason is my hair." Pointing upwards, Richard gets a chortle from Shinji and a giggle from Ritsuko. As he still looks like 'Vash'.
"It seems that alternate hair stylings are not acceptable in the dress code there, then."
"That's right, Ritsuko. So they gave me two options. I can either A; lose the style or B; go somewhere else. So, I told them, 'bye-bye', packed my shit and here I be with y'all."
"Well, that said, it's good to see you again and to have you with us." Shinji's words of welcome are echoed by all. Except for Asuka as she tuned out Richard's arrival when Shinji looked back towards Ritsuko.
'That's right, Takamiya. Our little contest isn't over yet. Not by a long shot.' Next thing she knows, she hears a shy male voice.
"Excuse me. Is this seat in front of you taken?"
"Hell if I know. I just got here myself."
"Guess I'll have to ask someone else, then." Richard turns and sees a girl with hair in pigtails. "Excuse me, is this seat here taken?"
"I'm afraid so. It's Ayanami's seat. But the seat next to it is open."
"Ah. Thank you kindly." Extending his hand, he adds, "Richard Nez."
"Hikari Horaki. I'm the Class Rep for this class." Getting a look at his hair, she then snaps her fingers and says, "Now I know where I saw you from. You were at the expo some time back when you bungee-jumped. With your hair looking like 'Vash the Stampede' afterwards." Asuka can't help but let out a snort at that.
"Oh please. That's just not possible." Looking at Richard's hair, she then smirks and asks, "How about that? So, 'Vash', where're your coat, shades and gun at?" Without missing a beat, Richard gives his reply.
"Still have yet to unpack them." Asuka can't help but let out a giggle of amusement as Richard takes a seat diagonally from hers.
"Well, Shinji, looks like you've got more company than you can shake a stick at." Shinji can't help but roll his eyes as he opens his laptop's word processor and types in his reply.
'It would appear so, Berto.'
"Oh, thinking of silent communications, I've got something I've been dying to find out."
'What might that be?'
"If I've got it figured right, with your brain-located probes you can think your communications to my computer here and the computer translates them into voice format. Though the voice would be synthesized and not your own."
'What could it hurt? Let it rip, buddy.'
"Ripping." Shinji can't help but feel a slight tingle in his skull that fades away as rapidly as it started. "Done, Shinji. Try it out." Without further ado, Shinji does so.
'You reading me, Berto?'
"Like a book, hermano. Like a book."
'Good. This'll come in real handy in the field. But, where'd you get the idea from?'
"Oh just from watching 'Ghost in the Shell'. I figured if I could program the probes for communications like that, it'd be like outfitting you with a cyberbrain. Only not as messy as the procedure itself."
'Well, your method is a lot cleaner, that's for sure.' While Berto laughs at that, Shinji cracks a grin himself. 'Anything else I should know about?'
"Yeah. Josh and Kat are on their way to Tokyo-3 now. We all figured with all the N-Tek missions and Angel battles you've been fighting in, you'd have forgotten to look at a calendar." Shinji can't help but blink before he opens his laptop's calendar and stifles a snicker.
'Typical. I've been so damned busy, I plum forgot my birthday.'
"It happens to the best of us, Shinji."
'Yeah. Does he want me to meet him anywhere in particular?'
"Yeah. The Tokyo-3 Park after school lets out. Just look for the Roadcruiser."
'Got it. Talk to you later.' Ending communication, Shinji closes out his word processor. Unaware that Ritsuko is watching him with a concerned expression on her face.
'Most peculiar. He opens a word processor and types a bit before stopping. Then he closes it out without saving. Oh! He must be thinking of stories to write and is having a hard time of it. But why did he do the writing he did so strangely? It's almost as if someone was talking to him without being audible.' Next thing she knows, she feels a familiar twinge in her abdomen. 'Not now!'
The rest of the day goes by normally and when school lets out, Shinji stretches his limbs.
"Oh, man, what a day." Looking behind, he sees Ritsuko walking up to beside him. A slight grimace on her face as she has her right hand on her lower belly. "You okay, Rits?"
"Yeah. It's starting to be that 'time' for me for this month."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Yeah. Can you take notes for me as I won't be in for the next two days?"
"Sure. I'll even bring you lunch in the mornings on my way to school and drop off the notes after school."
"You're so sweet." Giving him a soft peck on his lips, she sighs and asks, "What do you want to do today since sex is out for now?"
"Hmm, how about a walk in the park and a light picnic? I've still got some lunch left over." Ritsuko can't help but let out a delighted sigh.
"Sounds perfect." Looping her arm into Shinji's, Ritsuko's face beams out in a wide, happy smile even though her 'time' is making her feel miserable on the inside. 'Can't let him see my pain. He'd burn himself out trying to help me. Which would be so sweet of him.'
With that, the young couple leaves the school grounds. Fully aware that they're being followed by Touji, Kensuke, Hikari and Asuka.
(UN Hospital; Paraguay; Coma Ward)
Within the ward lies a solitary bed, a slightly rotund figure on top of it. The form had been there ever since the aftermath of Second Impact when it was found at sea by a fisherman. The Nurse assigned to the floor enters the ward and does a cursory check just in time to hear the machines monitoring vital statistics start to beep wildly. The Nurse looks toward the form's face and sees rapid eye movement under the eyelids.
'He's awakening!' Reaching over his head to call it in, the man opens his eyes and grabs her hand.
"Where… am… I?"
"Coma Ward in Paraguay, sir."
"How long?"
"Fifteen years."
"That's a long time. Josh must be getting pretty worried about me."
"Josh?"
"My adopted son. Josh McGrath."
"Okay, sir. I'll look him up and see if I can locate him."
"He's not in Del Oro Bay?"
"I'm afraid not, sir. Del Oro Bay is no more." Curious, she then asks, "What is your name, sir? I imagine me calling you 'sir' all the time's going to drive you nuts." The man can't help but smile slightly before replying.
"Jefferson Smith. Executive Director of N-Tek Corporation. Although given the circumstances, I've probably been replaced by now."
"I will check upon making contact, Mr. Smith." Before he can ask her name, the Nurse walks out of the room and right to the Nurse's station's intercom. "Dr. Rossini to Coma Ward. Dr. Rossini to Coma Ward." Two minutes later, the Doctor walks up.
"Yes, Bernice?"
"The patient in Room 212 woke up, Doctor, as I was doing my daily check."
"I see. How was he?"
"He was lucid and coherent. I'm in the process of looking up his adopted son right now to inform him."
"Very well, Bernice. While you're doing that, I'll check on him. Did he give his name?"
"Yes. He identified himself as Jefferson Smith."
"Alright." Going into the room, the Doctor lets out a slight grin upon seeing Jefferson trying to lift himself out of bed. "Now, now, Mr. Smith. You just woke up. Your muscles have atrophied and need to be rebuilt before you can even move."
"It would seem so. Along with me being at your mercy, Doctor…"
"Oh, where are my manners? I'm Doctor Humberto Rossini of the UN Medical Division."
"But the UN doesn't have a Medical Division. Unless it took on one after…"
"Ah yes. Second Impact. The world lost many souls that day." Taking a seat at Jefferson's side, he asks, "What's the last thing you remember?"
"I was in my office when I heard a rumble of water out in the distance. I looked out and saw a tidal wave coming right at us. I then exited my office and called out for everyone to evacuate as there was a tidal wave coming right at us. Just about then I go dark and then I woke up here."
"I see. In any case, you, sir, are quite lucky. Right now, Bernice, your Nurse, is looking up your adopted son so she can notify him about you."
(Tokyo-3 Park)
As the teens enter the park, Shinji smiles widely upon seeing the Roadcruiser. His smile goes even wider upon seeing a car trailer behind it. Before Ritsuko can even ask him, Josh and Kat call out.
"Happy Birthday, Shinji!"
"You guys!" Shinji then gets a kiss on his cheek from a giggling Ritsuko while Touji and Kensuke clap his shoulders. Asuka, however, lets out a sigh.
'Why can't I be as lucky as the "Third" to have someone remember my special days when I forget them?' Next thing she knows, Ritsuko playfully slugs Shinji's shoulder.
"How dare you forget your birthday, Shinji?"
"Sorry, Rits, but with all that's been going on, I plum forgot my birthday."
"No excuses, buster." Giving him a smirk, she whispers, "Happy Birthday, Shinji."
Upon feeling his lips upon hers, she grins happily as the smooch becomes even more pronounced. In the background, Hikari's face is bright red as she looks over at Touji. Before she can say anything, however, Kat lets out a shrill whistle. As Shinji and the others work to get the ringing out of their ears, Kat sheepishly grins.
"Sorry about that, you guys, but Josh and I are kind of on a tight timetable. So while we'd like to stay and watch Shinji and Ritsuko smooch each other silly…"
"KAT!" Shinji and Ritsuko's united blush and yell gets a giggle out of her while Josh chortles.
"In any case, Shinji, you're fifteen now and I was about your age when I learned to drive. So, on that note…" Crossing to the car trailer, Josh brings down the door-ramp, revealing a black and grey off-road spec car. "Berto rebuilt this baby after its first race and gave it a new color."
"Nice." Shinji then blinks and asks, "Is that a winch I see on there? Behind the bumper/push bar housing?"
"Yep. That it is. 10,000 lb breakaway. Ideal for pulling cars out of ditches or at least keeping them from going over a cliff while rescues are going on." Dangling a key-fob in front of Shinji, he then grins and asks, "Care to take a spin?"
"Sure. Let's fire it up." With that, the two walk up into the trailer and Josh passes Shinji the key-fob. Prompting Shinji to ask, "Where are the keys at?"
"It doesn't use keys, pal. It's a push-button start system. The key-fob there is a transponder of sorts."
"Oh I get it. Anyone not having this can't drive the car, right?"
"Yep. It works on a proximity circuit. Though Berto did want to go a little further than that when it comes to security."
"How so?"
"350,000 volts of electricity piped up into the driver's seat."
"A mobile electric chair. What a concept. How'd you manage to talk him out of it?"
"Kat actually did the talking. In her own unique way."
"I see. Say no more." Getting into the driver's seat, Shinji can't help but notice grooves cut into the dash paneling. "What're these for?"
"Another idea of Berto's. Depending on where you drive, you gotta blend into your surroundings. Now, if you were in North America and you were driving a car with the steering wheel on the right-hand side, you'd stick out like a sore thumb."
"So a transplantable driver section, then." At Josh's nod and buckling in, Shinji does the same, starts the car and hears a loud roar. "V-8 engine?" Looking for the gearing control and spotting it, he grins and adds, "Automatic."
"Yep. This guy's got off-road suspension, off-road tires and yet handles like an on-road car on the road. Berto figures if you're going to go for a drive, why not go all out?"
Shinji grins as he presses in the brake pedal and brings the floor-mounted lever to 'D'. Gently pressing in the accelerator, Shinji wheels out the car and sees Kensuke snapping pictures with his camera. Along with Touji nodding at it, Hikari's jaw dropped down, Asuka giggling gaily and Ritsuko smiling widely.
"Let's see what this guy can do, Dad." Pressing in the accelerator even more, he roars the car out of the park. "Whoa, it's got a lot of go."
"Yep. Ideal for chase situations."
"Why do I get the feeling I'm about to go on a mission?"
"What gives you that feeling, Shinji?"
"The way you said 'chase situations'. Something's either come up or is about to." Josh only chortles before nodding and turning on a monitor in the middle console. The picture shows a middle-aged man that's in good health, yet weary. "Who's he?"
"Professor Shintaro Kirishima, one of the creators of the N2 mines. Lately he's been working on a new version of the N2. One that's more compact, yet has the same punch."
"Does the UN know about it?"
"Yep. They even gave him tacit approval as long as he doesn't go beyond notations."
"But he did, didn't he?"
"Yeah. He made a pair of live prototypes. Both with settable yields and the size of suitcases."
"What's the official party line?"
"Professor Kirishima crossed the line and has to be sanctioned. Unofficially, they're concerned for his well-being. As is his daughter, Mana."
"What's her take on this?"
"The Kirishima family had been hit some hard times ever since Mana's Mother died three months ago from ovarian cancer. Before she died, the Professor had no interest in making the N2 smaller. When she died, however, he threw himself into the work. Trying in his own way to cope with the loss."
"If the UN didn't approve of the project, then who did?"
"Mana caught some of their conversation the other night. She recognized her Father's voice, but not the other one. Though she's fairly certain the voice had a French accent to it."
"L'Etranger."
"Seems like. Though I gotta admit, it's really not his style."
"Maybe he's changing a little bit, make you think it's not him."
"It's possible." Bringing up a map, Josh goes on. "The Professor is expected in Chicago Illinois for a symposium on non-nuclear weapons tomorrow. It's likely they'll try grabbing him at O'Hare Airport or en route. Your mission, Shinji, should you choose to accept it, is to shadow the Professor and his daughter. Along with ensuring the prototypes don't fall into the wrong hands."
"When do I need to head out?"
"ASAP. Like Kat said, we're short on time here. The Behemoth is at an airfield just outside of Tokyo-3."
"Alright. I'll drive you back to the Roadcruiser, drive Rits home and head for the rendezvous point. Does Misato know about this yet?"
"Yeah. Kat called her while we were on our way to see you. She even asked if you could pick up a Chicago deep dish for her."
"Can do." As the car makes its way back to the park, he sees Ritsuko and Asuka waiting for them to return. Pulling up alongside, Shinji asks, "Where're Touji, Kensuke and Hikari, Rits?"
"They went on home. Miss Sohryu and I talked with Kat while you two were going for a spin."
"Cool. Care for a ride home, Rits?"
"Sure."
"How about you, Pilot Sohryu?"
"Sure. Just drop me off at NERV. I'll be staying in the guest quarters until they get my quartering arrangements finished." With that, Josh gets out of the car and Asuka clambers into the back seat, with Ritsuko sitting in the front seat and buckling in. When the car doesn't move, Asuka whines out, "Why aren't we moving, Third?"
"Seat belts or this car's not going anywhere, Second."
"But it's a short drive. Nothing could possibly happen during a short drive."
"Oh really now?" Jamming down the accelerator, Shinji hears Asuka yelp out as she falls back into the seat and then hears an 'oof' as he takes a turn at high speed. "Are you gonna buckle up now, or what?"
"Buckling, buckling."
Back at the park, Josh goes into the Roadcruiser and sees Kat. Her hands over her face.
"Kat? What is it? What's wrong?"
"I just got a call from a UN Hospital in Paraguay." Moving her hands away, Josh can see tear streaks running down her face. "It's Jefferson. He's alive."
"But how? Wait, Paraguay? That's just down the way from Del Oro, isn't it?"
"Yeah. He'd been in a coma for the past fifteen years and he woke up almost half an hour ago."
"Okay. Let's make some travel arrangements. We're going over there to verify it's him. If it is, we're bringing him to Japan."
"If it's not?"
"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it."
"Josh, when he'd been declared dead, without a body present no less, you were crushed. Can you handle that again?"
"As long as I've got you, Berto and Shinji, I'll be fine." Mentally, he adds, 'I hope.'
As the car wheels along the streets of Tokyo-3, Shinji looks over at the remainder of the lunch and snickers.
"We never did have that picnic today, did we?"
"Nope. But we can always have a picnic when I get back to school after my 'time' fades."
"Now that's something to look forward to." Pulling up to the Takamiya house, he sheepishly grins and says, "I'll see you later, Rits."
"Later."
Giving him a quick peck on his lips, she exits the car and ambles to the door. Clutching her lower belly the whole way. Going into the house, she gives him a soft wave with her fingers before closing the door.
"So, you two are serious about each other?"
"That we are." Noticing Asuka's voice being right beside him, he turns to the left and sees a grinning Asuka. "How'd you do that? There's not much space between seats here, you know."
"I'm limber enough to go over the backs of the seats in front of me and plop myself down into the seat. You've got a lot of headroom in here. Had to make use of it somehow."
"Ah. Well, next stop, NERV." Mentally, he adds, 'And after that, Chicago.'
Author's Notes: Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. But here it is. Later you all!
