Chapter 36

The next day. Deep in the bowels of NERV Tokyo-3...

Ritsuko: "Don't know why Washu-chan wants these, but The Commander signed the contract to be fully cooperative with her... Probably because even he is terrified of pissing off someone who could blow up the planet we're standing on."

Maya: "These are..."

Ritsuko: "Rei?" (laughs bitterly) "Hahaha! More like spare bodies for that... doll..."

Maya: "SENPAI!"

Ritsuko: "Right, right. I mean 'our esteemed pilot' Rei Ikari... better in Shinji's hands than mine. Never did like her. I know it's not her fault my mother died, even if she kept saying 'old hag' over and over...and … it's irrational, but I can't help hating who I hate. The fact that... my 'boyfriend' would smile at her but not at me..."

Maya: "Senpai. Stop. Please."

Ritsuko: "Yeah. Wouldn't help anyone if I work myself up to a frenzy now... If it were up to me I'd send Washu-san all of these, and be done with it. They sicken me, especially with those creepy grins and joyless laughs... Give me goosebumps."

Maya: "Does Rei-kun know?"

Ritsuko: "That she's a clone? Yes. Who she's a clone of? No, and I'm not going to tell her. I'm not going to be the one who screws up her married life, no matter how much I resent her. If nothing else, it does keep her out of my hair."

Maya: "...How would knowing..."

Ritsuko: "If she found out she's cloned from a close relative of her husband? Or Shinji-kun does?"

Maya: "(Gasp) Senpai!"

Ristuko: "I may be elbow-length deep in blood, but this is a sin I had nothing to do with. The Commander showed up with her in tow, as a four-year-old child, long before I became NERV's top researcher, and even my mother, who was in charge at the time, didn't know where she came from."

Maya: "Then how do you know?"

Ritsuko: "My 'boyfriend' let it slip when we were... in bed together, and he called out the wrong name!"

Maya: "And even after that..."

Ritsuko: "Yeah. Maya, you're great. 'Going to the beach' with you was truly phenomenal, but even so... There's this certain itch..."

Maya: "I'm trying very, very hard not to think about that right now..."

Ritsuko: "So am I..."

A knock comes from "empty air."

Ritsuko: "Enter."

A dimensional door opens and Washu steps through with Ryoko and a couple of drones in tow.

Washu: "Pardon the intrusion."

Ritsuko: "As promised. Here's what you asked for."

Ryoko: "Mo-om! You're working with clones... AGAIN?!"

Washu: "I know, I know. It's a sore topic for you, and my past attempts haven't gone well, but this is something Rei-San needs right now."

Ryoko: "I got it. I got it. Just so you know, every time you start experimenting with this 'branch of research', it never goes well."

Washu: "Yeah, yeah. This time the research is purely passive and non-intrusive. I'm going to keep them sleeping..."

Ryoko: "I've heard THAT before. Still, I don't suppose I can stop you from taking them to your lab, right?

Washu: "Of course, not. Rei-san could well die without them, and so could Asuka-san and Shinji-san."

Ryoko: "Just don't come back to me whining when it goes wrong, AGAIN!"

The half-dozen or so individually packaged drones are carried back to Ryoko's lab.

Washu: "Wish I had the space for the rest..."

Ritsuko: "That makes two of us, Washu—chan!"

Washu: "You're learning..."

Ryoko leaves the room before her.

Washu: "You and I have to talk. Once I finish helping Rei-san... Well, just keep your neck clean."

Washu leaves through the doorway which shuts behind her.

Maya: "What was that about?"

Ritsuko: "I don't know. I genuinely don't know." (Looks down at her watch) "It's time."

Maya: "Yeah, we've got to perform an activation test on Eva-03, but why Rei-san? Why not one of the new pilots? They haven't exactly been very good with Eva-05 or Eva-06."

Ritsuko: "Orders are orders, Maya."

Maya: "About your 'boyfriend', is he who I think he is?"

Ritsuko: "Here's a hint. He's the only one who was 'cool as a cucumber', as you put it, when we were all sweltering during the blackout..."

Maya: "Ah! Now it makes sense. A cool and collected Senpai should be attracted to a cool and collected man!"

Ritsuko: "Remember to keep your speculations to yourself."

Maya: (Smiles sweetly) "Of course, Senpai!... Odd. What's this program running in the background?"

Ritsuko: "Eh?" (Looks at the screen that Maya's pointing out) "Oh. So THAT'S what's going on."

Maya: "Senpai?"

Ritsuko: "Maya, pretend you didn't see anything. I mean it. Your life could be in danger."

Maya: "Senpai! Yes, Senpai!"

Ritsuko: (Pats her on the head) "Good girl."

Maya: "Hehe! Senpai is petting me!"

Ritsuko: "Honestly, what am I going to do with you? I need to get to the testing grounds, and you need to head to the bridge. Now remember, don't tell anyone about anythingyou saw in here, not even on the computer, got it?"

Maya: "Got it, Senpai!"

Ritsuko: "Now, let's secure this lab and go. We're losing daylight here."

Some time later, at the testing site far outside Tokyo-3...

Misato and Ritsuko are overseeing Rei in Eva-03, and they have to hurry as the 30 minute timer is counting down. If they fail to either get Eva-03 active, or Rei, Shinji, and Asuka back together again before then, the consequences are grim.

Shinji in Eva-01 and Asuka in Eva-02 are nearby outside the facility, so that offers them some temporary protection, but Rei would be in trouble.

Asuka: "I don't like this! Why Rei?!"

Shinji: "Me either! I may not be a brilliant general or tactician, but this is dumb! Using up our 'once a day' privilege on some activation test?! What if an Angel attacks later today?"

Asuka: "You're just upset that we're not going to be 'tip-toeing through the tulips' today!"

Shinji: (Blushing furiously) "Yeah, that too..."

Asuka: "Pervert... Still, you're right. This is dumb. Not only that, our positions are stupidly suicidal! We don't have any visual contact with each other or the facility! If something comes at us from the outside, you'll get hit first, and it's not likely I can get there in time to help..."

Shinji: "And if something happens at the facility, it's likely we'll both be too late!"

Misato: "I can hear you, pilots! We have to presume The Commander knows things we don't, and orders are orders... Besides, when have any of you known the Angels to display common sense? How many times have they split themselves into pieces, blasted you with high-powered energy weapons, or done something truly bizarre?"

Shinji and Asuka: "(Sigh) Yes, Misato-san!"

Misato: "Good. Get ready, the activation test is beginning."

Ritsuko: "Rei? What's your status?"

Rei: "Something feels strange here. The Eva feels... sick, like a head-cold. This is... unpleasant."

The staff looks around shrugs, and goes back to their terminals.

Ritsuko: "Odd, nothing looks strange about the readings. Anyone get me a field reading?"

"The readings are blank!"

Ritsuko: "Ok, Rei, let's do it gently then. Minimum power test... and go."

Rei: "The monitors are all activating! There's some kind of weird images. I'm seeing a picture of me, but looking as surreal as the standard Picasso painting!"

Voices: "Hehehe! Hahaha! Hohohoho! Hehehe!"

Misato: "Rei! What's going on in there?! REI!"

Eva-03 begins to move.

Misato: "Shut it down! SHUT IT DOWN, NOW!"

Ritsuko smashes the glass case to the emergency power shutdown, and the umbilical ejects but Eva-03 continues to move unhindered.

Ritsuko: "Massive energy buildup detected! CODE BLUE! EVERYONE! TAKE COVER!"

A massive energy blast looking like a crucifix of light utterly destroys the facility. Although Ritsuko and Misato manage to avoid the vast majority of the destruction, they do not escape unscathed. Misato is left with a broken arm, buried under some girters. Ritsuko is far worse off, with a concussion, several badly bruised ribs, a dislocated hip, and she has to be extracted from a human-shaped impression in a concrete wall, into which she went face first as she tried to run away... yet she miraculously survived.

Still, that's not the end of the horror in the situation. Eva-03 is moving, and it's only because Misato is under rubble and Ritsuko's shoved into the wall like a sick parody of a "loony tunes" cartoon, where such a thing would be amusing not horrific, is the only reason why Eva-03 doesn't literally squash them like bugs, as it proceeds to do to all the other survivors of the explosion.

Once it thinks it has completed this gruesome task, it begins marching towards Tokyo-3, with Eva-02 and Eva-01 in its way.

When word reaches NERV Tokyo-3 about this incident, every bit of sabotage orchestrated by SEELE is put into action. The "sleeper agents" among the research staff broadcast every bit of research and development they've been privy to. The software worm installed to sabotage the most secret of secret in Ritsuko's assortment of labs is activated. Every last one of Rei's clones in the tank is summarily destroyed. Only those that were secured by Washu earlier for her own research were spared.

The staff among those installing the new jump jets in Eva-05 and Eva-06 stop their work and bring out their weapons, capture pilots Mari Makinami and Nagisa Kowaru, who both go along without resistance... fully expecting this coup!

Mana and Kensuke, however, were neither caught off guard, nor captured. Gendo had ordered them on standby in the TRIDENT, and it proved the right call. They respond to the attack upon their position by smashing the assault drones and crushing any troops the TRIDENT can get its claws or feet on.

Kensuke: "I thought these UN 'peacekeepers' were here to help us repair the broken Eva! Why are they firing on us?"

Mana: "Hah! Aside from you, there is no active soldier that I trust! I suspect that 'helping' is just the excuse they used to get in the door! The bastards!"

Armed with an A-T field, though not to the extent of the Angels or Eva, nothing the armed insurgents can do will threaten Mana or Kensuke, but unless they can find a way to end this decisively, and quickly, their refuge won't last.

Kensuke: "What do we do for power..."

Mana: "Oh, we have all sorts of options. The TRIDENT can go on indefinitely, with ease. We can't. We don't have any food, water, or … facilities. Unless we find a way to end this, and quick. It's just a matter of time."

Kensuke: "Well, we're not going to make this easy or cheap for them. That's for sure!"

To be continued...