"You are unsure if you are human. You are, more or less, a soul inside a core, animating a body which has been on one occasion pronounced dead. By many assessments, you are a monster, and could be accurately classified as the Angel Ramiel."
Kei blinks. This is harder than she thought. Her purpose was clear when she arrived, and yet. And yet.
"I think we are similar."
Mari dabs her eye with her sleeve, staring at Kei.
"How so?" she asks.
Kei hesitates. Her orders were clear. The Chairman, guiding her, told her everything she had to say. But just like the landing pad, where she was going to verbally eviscerate everyone, she finds cruelty is so much harder than it seems.
"I think, Ms. Makinami, that I, too, am a monster."
Mari pats the seat next to her. Obediently, Kei sits down, folding her hands in her lap.
"Kei, you're Rei's sister," Mari says, her voice hoarse already, "Why do you think you're a monster?"
"I am not human. I never will be."
"So?"
Kei looks down. Her face shifts, her lips twitching downward.
"It...I don't know why. I guess, if I were human, I would be more like Li...like Mother."
Mari sighs, wrapping an arm around Kei's shoulder.
"Thanks."
"For?"
"For giving me a bit of perspective," Mari responds, "I guess, worse comes to worse, I'm pretty much like you and Rei. Angel in a human body."
Kei nods. Her eyes shift, her gaze going to the ground.
This doesn't make sense, she thinks. She should be going on a rampage, now. The words were carefully chosen to provoke Mari, to send her into a fit. But they didn't work.
None of this works.
"So, what's on your mind?" Mari asks.
Kei grimaces. This is definitely not going according to plan.
"Stuff."
"Yep," Mari says with a grin, "You're Rei's sister, all right."
Chapter 54: Muffles
The first blast sends nearly a dozen of the Israfels flying. Which is, in and of itself, somewhat puzzling to Junior, as he realized that four Triple Heavy Masers should have been enough to punch a hole all the way to Lilith. But, then again, he also knows who designed this suit, which sort of is an argument of flash over substance.
"This is for...law of Drama, is it not?"
"Yup!"
The girl in the full diving suit and helmet, who no one saw arrive through the vent cover near Shinji and Asuka, pumps her fist into the air.
"Nana?" Shinji asks.
Asuka leans over.
"How can you tell them apart?"
"I'm their brother."
The girl rips off her helmet, in all ways identical to Rei, including the crazed smile on her face. Producing the remote from inside the suit, she holds it up and presses the big, red button. All around the parking lot, the cars, which Shinji has now noticed do not have license plates, begin to glow from the charges stuffed into their interiors.
"Wow," Asuka says, somewhere between impressed and terrified, "This is really elaborate."
Nana cackles, throwing up her AT Field between Asuka, Shinji, herself, and several hundred pounds of military grade demolitions.
"Boom for the Boom God!"
...
Tomoe Ikari is a dignified man with a slightly girly appearance. Much like their son, Gendo Ikari has concluded that his brother-in-law would be an insanely hot woman if the gender was different, although it makes him not a very imposing man. Still, the black hair, intelligent eyes, and the mismatched colors of his khakis and sports jacket only helped the cover story that Tomoe had no idea what he was doing with his money when they sent the girl to live with the Makinamis.
Although that's less of a concern than the fact that Yui is tripping balls.
"Oh...wooooooooo~ooow, did you notice how awesome the colors of the table cloth are, rightamiright or what?"
She throws back her head, cackling madly before leaning to the side in her chair and sending it, the table cloth, and herself to the floor. Gendo folds his hands in front of his face, watching as Tomoe stares at his giggling, cackling sister and Alicia continues picking at her salad.
"So," Tomoe says, setting his plate down on the now bare table, "Why exactly did you..."
"One of the girls is loose," Gendo responds, "She was about to see."
"Ah, yes. Flargen fit?"
"Flargen fit. I understand you're upset."
The fist hits the table. Baring some teeth, the corner of his lip slightly unturned, Alicia continues ignoring the two as she picks at her salad and Yui runs off to one of the air vents.
"Damn straight I'm upset," Tomoe responds, "The only reason we agreed with your plan was so Annette would be safe! Now she's riding around one of your giant robots getting chased by a damn Angel! How is this safer?"
"Tomoe, I'm not pleased with this either," Gendo says, hands still folded, glancing out of the corner of his eye as Yui, and the vent cover she liberated, fall from the ceiling and onto and through an empty table, thanking providence he remembered to rent out the whole room, "If the Angels are attacking world wide, my job just got a lot harder. Annette was safe. She is safe, now. An Evangelion is the safest place to be when an Angel attacks. We all know that."
They go silent, save for Yui as she bangs around the overhead duct work, swearing that Rei makes this look so damn easy and dammit now she's stuck. A waiter walks over with a ladder and a electric screw driver, unbolting the vent cover and spraying in the WD-40.
"Annette has a boyfriend?" Tomoe asks.
"Yes."
"Sohryu's son."
Gendo nods.
"Indeed. I am beginning to suspect that it is not coincidence, especially considering Shinji and Asuka's relationship. In any case, we will be leaving stateside in a week for a meeting. Annette and Uri will meet us there. If you wish, we can convince her to return to Tokyo-3 with us."
...
"So. Boys."
"Boys."
"Boys," Mari sighs, ruffling Kei's hair, "Yeah, that's a...tricky subject. How'd Shinji explain it?"
"Stammering. Freezing up. Saying he, and I quote, 'Had not a God damn clue.' I expected him to be an expert on the field, since he has Y chromosomes."
"You'd be surprised how little boys know about themselves," Mari sighs, reaching into the purse up to her shoulder and pulling out two bottles of water, "So, boys. Lemme guess...is it...Nagisa?"
Kei stares at Mari. Sighing, she nods, taking the offered bottle.
"Got me my surprise," Mari says with a shrug, "I met him a couple of times with Mom and Dad. I thought he was gay."
Kei glares at her.
"Not a surprise to anyone who's seen the two of you, though," Mari explains, popping the top of the bottle and sipping, "Y'know, you're honestly adorable together."
Kei sighs, more dramatically this time.
"I am not trying to be...adorable."
"You're succeeding accidentally, then. It's his problem that he's trying to nail your sister. You know, I honestly never thought I'd have the same taste as you."
Kei stares at her. She raises one eye brow carefully, her tousled blue hair seeming to shift with her confusion.
"I like Uri, you like Nagisa," she says, "And they're brothers. Half brothers, from what 'Ska told me. Should've known they were related, though. Both of'em don't have a clue about women."
"I have met the Chairman. You have met Uriel's mother. This goes without saying."
"Yeah, and from what I read in Shinji's pilot logs, ADAM's a whiny emo bitch."
"Then socially, they are, if I have the expression right, cluster f_ed."
"And we gotta lead those two poor, deluded boys out of the abyss."
They tap water bottles together, the first motion of the burgeoning friendship.
"Speak it, sister," Kei intones.
...
From an aerial view of the parking lot, the cars explode in sequence, briefly taking the form of a giant : D made of fire before the next set of primary charges exploded and sent the cars, and the Israfels, two hundred feet above the ground.
Which is when the secondary charges detonated, forcing the cars, and the Israfels, into a compact sphere of metal, hanging in the air before the tertiary charges detonated, igniting what in the next week the heads of Section 1 would refer to as an 'ingeniously rigged small scale fusion device.'
A star, about 5 meters in diameter, comes into existence high above Tokyo-3, the intense light and heat contained by an AT Field originating deep within NERV-1, or in particular in Sheol. The light disperses, and the remaining scraps of metal descend to the ground as Nana falls to her knees and howls in victory.
"I HAVE FOUND MY NEW GOD!"
"That...that was completely impossible," Asuka says, "I mean...physics doesn't work that way!"
"We drive cybernetic gods," Shinji says, shrugging, "I think Nana gets a little leeway."
A manhole cover pops up. Then another, and another, and another. Green and silver Israfels climb out, close to two dozen, led by another red and silver miniature Angel. The AT Field warps the air. Music begins playing as Shinji and Asuka stare at Nana.
"Setting the mooo~ood."
"Great," Shinji sighs, turning to the still floating fish robot, "Junior! Go find Mari!"
"Understood, Pilot Ikari."
A blast of blue, and the Wuffletron takes off, heading due east.
"Heee~ey."
The Israfels freeze in mid move. Hopping out of the open crate, Rei walks over, high fiving Nana as she fixes her helmet back on and hops into the duct.
"So," Rei says, "What'cha doin'?"
"I think we're going to be in a dance battle with the Angel," Shinji responds, "Did you see what happened with Mrs. Makinami?"
"Oh yeah. Dr. Sohryu set her hair on fire. I'm starting to like her."
Asuka steps back, shaking her head. The Angels shuffle forward, stalking them, hands out. Shinji cracks his knuckles, and Rei grins.
"Let's go."
...
Thrusters cool down as Wuffletron lands in front of the two girls, Kei blinking slightly upon seeing it. Admittedly, she was abducted by SEELE before NERV came into custody of the angel, although her sisters did go to lengths to tell her about their new puppy.
"Good evening, Ms. Ayanami."
"Wuffles."
The robot shudders. The light in its eyes glow, as the purse at Mari's side shakes, shudders, and a green arm bursts from it, prying open the lip as Junior climbs out, shifting his eyes to horizontal form.
My thanks, Lilly.
:/
Junior sets himself down next to Mari, Kei staring at the two, trying to fix on what exactly she is watching.
If it helps, your mother is wrong. You are not a monster. I am...connected...to the overmind that was Sandalphon. I can read the presence of an Angel. While you are an Angel, you are not Ramiel. The soul of Ramiel has departed the Core within you. You have replaced it. Never have I known a Lilim to be able to displace an Angel within its own Core, but you have. That is an...exceptional...feat of will.
Mari smirks. She doesn't notice the wetness in her eyes, shuffling closer to Junior.
"Really?"
Yes. I thought it would be necessary to tell you. I thought you would...appreciate that.
She nods. For some reason, he finds it necessary to put his arm around her shoulder.
"I do," she responds, placing her hand on his own, leaning in and pecking him on the edge of his large, flat snout. The two eyes go wide, and his back explodes outwards with four tentacles, causing both girls to scream in surprise.
His eyes dart from tentacle to tentacle, glistening in the moon light before turning back to Mari as his skin goes from green to brown in embarrassment.
Um...sorry. I...when I get nervous...
Which is when he's noticed one of the tentacles is wrapped around Mari's head, the girl staring at him. She raises an eyebrow, taking off her glasses and seeing them covered in a thick, slow moving fluid, sighing before her eyes go wide.
What?
She is looking past him. Turning, Junior clears his throat with a sound resembling a jammed woodchipper, just as-
"Junior! Get your tentacles off my daughter!"
-Pieter tackles Junior and sends them both flying.
...
"Lemme get this straight," Misato says, arms folded as she stares at the different screens in Central Dogma, "Shinji, Asuka, and Rei have engaged several mini-angels to a Dance Battle. Dr. Ikari is high as a kite. Dr. Sohryu set Mrs. Makinami on fire. And Sub Director Sohryu has engaged Junior in a fist fight to save the virginity of his daughter."
Makoto nods.
"Pretty much accurate, Ma'am."
Staring at the screens for a moment, Misato slowly retracts the cigar. Reaching into her jacket, she flicks the lighter, the tip of the cigar smoldering as she chomps back down on the end.
"I love it when a plan comes together."
...
From a perspective from the ground, it would seem to be something utterly, utterly wrong. A grown man in a gray suit holding on for dear life while pounding an erratically flying flat fish in the face. It would seem wrong, and yet at the same time so very, very right.
You are misinterpreting what you saw, Pieter!
"I saw the tentacles! I know what that means!"
My reproductive organs are in my mouth! It doesn't work that way!
The two bounce off a water tower, spiraling off past the field and bouncing off the ground before Junior's anti-gravity based third bladder takes over and sends them rocketing into the sky, punching, swearing, and for some reason squealing the entire way.
...
They decided to split up. Mari would double back to the school and make sure Shinji and her sister were alright. Kei would go ahead and follow the dueling men/fish thingy to warn the Commander and Little Mommy of what had happened. Thankfully, Sohryu and Wuffles' fight is taking them on a course roughly to the restaurant.
As she approaches, walking through the outskirts of Tokyo-3 and into the East End, the heavily developed cosmopolitan zone, Kei considers her plan.
She can solve this. She can salvage this night. And Little Mommy will be so proud of her.
A small, knowing smile crosses Kei's face, opting for the direct roue, bypassing the door as she makes a vertical leap up the side of the two floor, disc shaped restaurant and into an air duct.
It takes her moments to find the convenient exit, popping open a grate and dropping gracefully into the otherwise empty dining room, hopping off the table and clearing her throat as she approaches the four.
Little Mommy turns first. She is smiling. She is..."
"Heee~ey," Yui sing-songs, "What'cha doin'?"
Kei blinks. She stares at the woman who, cosmetically, is her mother. Cosmetically, at least, because her expression, the way she's hanging off the chair, and the loopy...loop...in her eyes are not those of her mother.
Still, this is Kei. This is the Ree who takes the most after Yui.
So it is with no small measure of surprise for everyone involved that Kei leaps onto Yui with an animalistic scream and starts slapping her around the head and neck, carrying them both to the floor.
"So," Tomoe says, "That makes...every member of this branch of the family insane?"
Gendo nods.
"Indeed."
...
Part of her blonde hair is singed, her dress is soaked, but she got in a few good hits herself. Sohryu is sporting a black eye and a split lip, holding the ladle of the punch bowl in her hand as Claire growls, the two women circling each other.
"Whore," Sohryu growls.
"Bitch," Claire snarls back.
They pant, circling, slowly. Claire swings the purse, the lead pipe in it adding weight. Kyoko cracks her neck, wiping her bloodied lip on her sleeve.
Finally, after minutes of anticipation and build up, one makes the first strike.
"You couldn't even keep him!" Kyoko shouts, "At least I kept to same gender preference!"
"It's not my fault you're obsessed with him! He's not even good in bed!"
"Is too!"
"Is not!"
"If he was so bad, why did I take him back?"
"Because no other man would f_ you with someone else's dick!"
Kyoko snorts, stomping over to Claire and tossing aside the ladle. Claire drops the purse, baring teeth as the two circle.
"You did not just imply that I couldn't get a boyfriend if I wanted."
"Look at the record," Claire says, rolling her eyes, "Maybe two, three one night stands over sixteen years. A middle aged woman with two sets of baggage following her around, and then there's your reputation as the Alpha Bitch of NERV-Berlin."
"Where he was the damn Sub Director," Kyoko growls.
Claire laughs, running her hand through her singed hair.
"Exactly! I strung him along and you didn't even take the bait!"
"I don't f_ married men!"
"Kyoko, darling, eventually you're going to realize something," Claire sighs, snorting, "And that's that those limits and taboos are set up for people other than us. I saw what I wanted, and I took it. Nothing against you, personally."
"Naturally," Kyoko drawls, "I'm just collateral damage."
"Cynical, but true," Claire shrugs, opening her purse and taking out the clamshell mirror, "Well, this is hardly the best place to talk about this. I say we find a bar and discuss this over drinks."
Kyoko raises an eyebrow. She stares at Claire for a long moment, shaking her head with a groan.
"Makinami, are you making a pass at me?"
"Well...yes."
Kyoko sighs, more out of exhaustion than anything at this point. She never knew how tiring being a bitch was before she put it on hold.
"First, you have the wrong head of Project E," Kyoko says, "Which I might add, if you did anything to hurt Ibuki, I imagine Akagi will be back soon to hand you over to the merchandise people-"
"I have my own limits," Claire interrupts, hand raised as she checks her face in the mirror, "Ibuki is an unimportant girl with a schoolyard crush, but she's a perfectly sweet girl and I wasn't coming to this dinner alone."
"And second, I imagine that most of NERV's ready to come down on you after how you treated your own daughter! If you thought they pussy-footed with me, you haven't seen what they did when they found out Asuka was self flogging!"
"That's not my daughter."
Kyoko sighs, walking to the far end of the gym, grabbing a chair and carrying it over. Reaching into her pocket, she takes out a hypo and jams it against Claire's neck, the woman squeaking before collapsing backwards into the chair.
"Now sit the f_ down and listen, Makinami," Kyoko says, taking out her PDA and clicking on a function, the projector built into the underside coming to life, "Because I'm going to do this once. And I'm going to explain exactly what happened to your daughter!"
...
Pieter, I swear that I did not make an advance on your daughter! The tentacles are my equivalent to hair!
"Prove it!"
She's not even my species! It wouldn't fit!
The fight carries them through an apartment window, the elderly couple on the couch craning their necks over the fighting human and fish man as their brawl carries them though the apartment and out the opposite window, falling, bouncing off a passing bus and back into the sky.
They bounce off a water tower, redirecting their flight and bouncing them off a department store roof, rising into the air as Pieter continues pounding Junior in the face.
...
"YOU!"
WHACK!
"ARE!"
WHACK!
"NOT!"
WHACK!
"LIKE!"
WHACK!
"THEM!"
Alicia sips her coffee, while Tomoe sighs, turning back to Gendo only to notice a hint of concern on Gendo's face. It is not that Kei has been spending the past five minutes slapping Yui sober. It is the fact that Kei is doing this at all. All observations of the girl have told them that out of all the Ree, Kei was the least Ree-like, modeling herself off of Yui.
Of course, the idea that the other Ree modeled themselves off of, presumably, Lilith, gave them major causes for concern about what might happen if Lilith was ever freed. Many of those scenarios involved very uncomfortable use of large trees, or at very least a 200' tall Living God using a proportional squeaky mallet.
Hm. Kozou's retirement is making sense.
"So," Tomoe sighs, "Are there any other surprises you want to spring on us, or is this it?"
Two things yell overhead. Gendo looks up, taking off his glasses and pinching the bridge of his nose. And right then, Junior and Pieter crash through the roof and into- and through- their table.
...
The dance battle was abruptly ended by a 15 foot in diameter blue diamond appearing overhead, with a familiar, glasses wearing girl at the center, the red gem in her throat glowing appropriately. The dance battle itself was awesome, terrifying, magnificent, and all that, but it was interrupted by everyone looking up to find what appeared on paper to be a reincarnated Ramiel. Said fears ended when the AT Field pulsed and the voice boomed.
"I am Mari Illustrious Makinami! And you will fear my LASERFACE!"
The diamond shifts into a ring form, hovering over the Israfels as Shinji, Asuka, and Rei run for cover. As soon as they clear, the light gathers at the center of the ring, becoming a pillar of pure force which strikes the Israfels, the concrete, and eventually one of the Geofronts armor layers.
The diamond reforms, finally retracting into a floating Mari as she hovers over before lazily flying over to the others.
"That was fun," she says with a grin.
Shinji stares at the hole, then back at Mari.
"I presume you're feeling better?"
"Yeah. Mom can suck it," Mari responds, landing with a hop, "So, let's go find everyone else. Dad picked a fight with Junior and Kei went following them. What else do we have to deal with tonight?"
Which is, naturally, when the sewer grate next to Shinji opens and Nana pulls him in.
...
Junior and Pieter circle, both breathing heavily. Junior's tentacles rise, circling in slow deliberate motions, Pieter cracking his knuckles as they stare down each other. The shock has sobered Yui, who is watching from one of the unbroken chairs, Gendo having moved to another table to observe while Tomoe and Alicia stare, heads tilted.
They charge. Pieter swings first, followed by Junior. Both hit, as well. Although, it is Pieter's fist that hits Pieter, and Junior's fist that strikes Junior, both stumbling back, confused, before collapsing unconscious. The two portals retracts, the floating eight ball swimming through the air to Gendo.
"Good girl," he says, patting Lilly on the top of the sphere.
:3!
"What the Hell was that?" Tomoe asks.
"Classified."
Which is about the cue for Yui to begin screaming.
...
"Here's to another night on the graveyard shift," Maya sighs, raising her coffee mug in imitation of a toast, before taking a sip and getting back to work.
She headed back to NERV following the disaster of that dinner and her first 'date' in close to six months. Thankfully, Aoi had called out sick, so she had some leniency to clock in and get to work.
On nights like these, Maya found herself in her cubicle in Project E. She prefered the confines of her cubicle over her workstation on Dogma if she could help it, like she did tonight. Her own touches gave the close quarters a cozy, familiar feel, one different from the bridge. While more open, it was discomforting, especially when she was told about the story of her terminal there.
Another shiver runs down her spine, followed by a sip of the coffee as she represses childhood fears that don't seem so childish anymore. After all, who wouldn't be creeped out about leaning their workstation was where a madwoman threw herself to her death? Especially over...
"No," she says to herself, "Don't go there, Maya. You're not like her. It's completely different. You're not lusting over forbidden fruit, Sempai's just...not interested. Besides which, she was on a date with Mr. Kaji, and maybe she'll come around, and she's already started showing interest...and now I'm talking to myself in the middle of the night."
She pinches her nose, sighing.
"Just because Sempai might like women doesn't mean anything. I put out every signal I could, and she hasn't picked up. And that kiss..."
She reaches for the box of tissues by her monitor, dabbing at the swelling tears before blowing her nose, knowing if she has the good cry she probably needs right now, her nose well run like a faucet. Just another way the young lieutenant seems as young as the Pilots, sometimes.
"Kami," she groans, burying her face in her hands, "Is it really just a crush? I must be the..."
Her train of self depreciation comes to a screeching halt as the officer phone rings. Clearing her throat past the first two rings, she dabs her eyes again and answers.
"Hello?" she asks, expecting anything but what she gets.
"Maya? I need you.."
The phone clicks off. The voice was low and throaty, hungry, edge with the experience of age and regular smoking. But why was she calling her of all people? Why not Dr. Ikari, whom Section 2 reported was back on the base, along with the Commander and the pilots?
"Sempai?" Maya asks, but the caller has already hung up, prompting her to do the same, before getting up and moving quickly to Ritsuko's office, her mind already racing.
Sempai never talks like that, she thinks, And she would have gone home by now, especially since she had that date, unless...oh no. Don't tell me there's another Angel inside the base already, or worse...
She stops in her tracks, drawing and checking her sidearm with shaking hands. She remembers the last time she did so, when what was left of the Sixth Angel possessed those people. She was relieved that she didn't have to take a life, despite the seeming loss of Mari's own.
I don't want to hurt anyone, she thinks, entering Akagi's office, But I'm part of NERV and fighting Angels is what we do. Butch up, Ibuki, try not to throw up afterwards, or worse.
She looks over the dimly lit room, her pistol following her gaze, as she reaches for the main light switch. She flicks it, twice, but the overhead lights refuse to come on.
"I should have called for backup, shouldn't I?" she asks, squinting her eyes, taking a hand off her pistol to grasp the bitch of her nose, "And I really shouldn't have said that out loud."
"May~be."
"Rei?" Maya asks with a yelp, jumping in surprise, "Rei? Is that you?"
"Heee~ey," the voice replies in the distinctive sing-song tone, as the sound of someone crawling in the ventilation duct behind the wall thumps out towards the grate. The grate, Maya notices, is already ajar, having been removed and awkwardly put back in place from the inside.
Regardless of the discrepancy, Maya puts away her gun, her anxiety fading quickly.
"Rei," she sighs, "We've been over this before. Don't play pranks that could result in friendly fire, and I thought we agreed that you'd stop pranking after ten..."
She folds her arm, tapping her foot.
"Rei, get out of that vent right now and look at me, you may have Angel kills but I'm still your-"
"FUCK!"
Her voice trails off, both from the sudden, un-Rei-like swearing and the sight of the ventilation grate being kicked out by a long leg encased in the glossy latex of a white plugsuit, which slide out like a knife through butter, followed by a posterior equally pleasing to Maya's sapphic instincts. For once, Maya realizes how the suit leaves nothing to the imagination, and from the shape Maya realizes she is not ogling children.
This is not Rei. Rei is graceful. Rei is fast, and limber. Rei does not get stuck halfway through her exit and start swearing like a sailor.
"God Dammit," Ritsuko curses, "How does she do this? How does she make this look so f_ing easy? I swear, I'm going to kill Kaji for convincing me to..."
It takes more will than Maya knew she had to keep from collapsing into laughter, but not enough to keep her from ogling.
"Maya, if you're done taking a picture, could you please help pull my fat ass out of the duct?"
...
The Pilots were found after Rei dragged Shinji from a sewer grate and engaged Nana in a kung fu fight. That, combined with Junior and Lilly being above ground, Mari manifesting fully, Dr. Sohryu and Mrs. Makinami found both transq'ed in the school gym, and a fist fight between the Sub Director of NERV and the Sandalim he believed was flirting with his daughter, has made Gendo Ikari expect death. The death was put on hold when the Mausoleum doors opened and Misato walked in, tapping her PDA. Yui grabs her sketchpad, hastily scribbling down death threats, questions, and swears.
"Section 2, report," Misato says.
"All good, Ma'am. Signals have been traced, and we've detained the moles."
Tapping the channel closed, Misato places the device back in her bomber jacket, as Yui stares at her and Gendo raises an eyebrow.
"Tokyo-3 is a company town," Misato explains, "But we've had a spy problem in the past. Any faithful NERV employee keeps what happens here in here. When we let Junior and Lilly get loose, it gave us the opportunity to crack down on any moles planted here by the Committee, JSSDF, or NHIS. We're leak free, Commander, as of now."
"So this was a sting?" Gendo asks.
"Exactly. We're air tight now. All spies are in detention. Mrs. Makinami's entrance into Tokyo-3 allowed us to commission and execute Operation FusterCluck and round up any spies we had. Sir."
Yui pinches the bridge of her nose, sighing.
"So...this was planed?" she asks, "You...planned a perfect storm of disasters?"
"In all honesty, Dr. Ikari, you didn't hire me to watch my tits jiggle. This was one of my contingencies, and I couldn't see a more perfect opportunity for this."
She salutes, clicking her heels, and walks out.
...
After wiggling her now gel covered bottom in Maya's face for a few more minutes, Ritsuko Akagi, PhD, slips free of the ventilation duct, causing her assistant's jaw to drop as she takes a stpe back to get a full impression. Her eyes trail upwards, past the long, sculpted legs and round hips, the outline at their juncture ignored by choice to follow the zipper that starts at the flat belly upwards between the ample bosom, where the cold of the duct has...
Which is when Maya realizes she staring, and looks at her Sempai in the face to see the changes there; pink lips made blue, skin made up and powdered to resemble the First Chid's complexion, drawing out the beauty mole and the deep green of her eyes, but the biggest change is that her chestnut brown hair as been died the same unnatural pale blue of the Ree.
"Maya," Ritsuko says, "You're drooling."
Maya snaps back to reality, wiping her face and flushing as red as her face can manage.
"I didn't say you should stop," Ritsuko says, breathily, and sashays forward, the rubber of the plugsuit squeaking with each step.
Like a deep in headlights, Maya freezes in place, as the woman she has adored and pursued for so long wraps her arms around her shoulders with obvious intent, blue stained lips first pecking at her lips, before meeting her in a breath stealing kiss...
That ends as soon as it begins, as Ritsuko steps back, shaking her heads.
"No," Ritsuko says, tone regretful, "Not like this. I...I can't."
No word from the younger woman.
"I shouldn't have done this. God, you're like everyone's younger sister, Maya, I just..."
"S-Sempai?"
"I haven't had any since my freshman year at college, Maya," Ritsuko says, leaning on the table, "You know what that's like? Ten years of lonely nights, ten years of endless frustration. When I...reacted to you in that...suit I thought that I was gay, but it's the same thing with women. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong, but I have to be doing something, because even a complete bitch like Sohryu can get a man like Pieter."
Another sigh, slamming her hand against the table.
"So, I took Kaji's advice and did something spontaneous. I was dumb enough to ask myself, 'What would Rei do' and do it anyway. I abused my authority, accessed your personal records, found out your secrets and...interests...with certain prototypes. I though if I could seduce you, I'd...sorry. I've f_ed it all up because of my libido. I'll understand if you want to transfer to Dr. Ikari. I aw how you two went at it in the coat closet when we went out drinking-"
"What?" Maya asks.
"When we went out drinking," Ritsuko explains, "I walked in on you and Dr. Ikari. She passed out drunk right after and so did you, so I got you home while Misato carried her. I made sure the MAGI didn't keep any records of what happened, just to be on the safe side."
Maya blinks.
"S-sempai," Maya says, tapping her fingers, "That...I don't see Dr. Ikari like...that. We were blind stinking drunk, and I thought she was...I thought she was going to sack me the day after for being so stupid, I..."
Ritsuko looks her in the eye. Slapping her palm over her face.
"Oh God," she sighs, "Misato was wrong. You really are straight, aren't you?"
Which is the last straw. A change comes over the young lieutenant, her innocent, caring face shadowed with dark humor and predatory hunger as she crosses the distance and Ritsuko gets only a moment to squeak in surprise before Maya dips her and frenches her as hard as she can.
This is all Ritsuko's sharp mind can process before her assistant tackles her to the ground, rational thought giving way to the base and carnal instincts of mindless animals, as the animal that is normally Ritsuko Akagi knows she has at last found a worthy mate...
...
Kei looks up as the door to the bedroom she currently shares with Rei opens, to see Yui walking in. She has not said anything since Section 2 escorted her back to the apartment, tapping her fingers together as she awaits her punishment. She winces, knees drawn to her chest, waiting as Yui walks over and sits next to her on the large bed.
"So," Yui says, "I understand you were the one who found Mari, and you had a little chat with her. You've been having some...problems...in Tokyo-3, and Section 2 forwarded me your entire transcript."
Kei nods. Her eyes are already wet, and she knows that she is not in physical danger but she can't help but feel that cold pit of fear in her gut.
A coldness, a chill, which disappears entirely when Yui wraps her arms around her and pulls her into a hug. Once again, the finely oiled machine that is the mind of Kei Ayanami locks up, faced once more with the paradox that is her views of the world transposed with the reality. Little Mommy should be furious, after all. She failed in nearly every one of her tasks, didn't she?
"Good girl," Yui says, pressing her lips to the top of Kei's head, "I'm very proud of you. You did wonderfully tonight. I don't know what we would have done if you didn't talk Mari down."
This is all a ploy, Kei tells herself, This is all Little Mommy trying to pry her away from what the Chairman told her. She has an important task. She can't let her get distracted by every little thing with her family.
So why, Kei asks herself, is she crying?
...
Deep within NERV, Pieter Sohryu looks across the bench in the cell at his cell mate. Junior is still staring at him, a patch along his flat face while Pieter sports several bruises.
"Well?"
The Bro Code is clear: Thou shalt not hit on Thy Bros Daughter.
Pieter sighs, nodding, holding out a fist. Junior holds out his own, and two exchange their reconciliation fist bump before falling into silence.
And another day dawns on Tokyo-3.
