Chapter 118: Nostalgia's Den
After closing the double doors behind him, Shinji surveyed the layout that was in front of him. Despite having a small amount of crimson stains in his vision, he could see everything. There was a lobby area in front of him with a few tables and chairs. To his left and right, a hallway acted as the outer perimeter of the lobby. Turning left and walking, an elevator was nearby. Seeing a small legend, it indicated that there were two levels above the one he was at. Continuing down the hallway, he came across office doors. Each one had a name plate on it with a prefix of doctor or professor. Passing them one by one, he eventually found Dr. Conrad's office.
"…" he said seeing a keypad handle.
A number came to his head and he inputted it. After hitting the pound sign, a green light came on and he turned the handle. Entering the room and closing the door, the lights flickered on. Seeing it being a rather decorative office, there were expensive displays amongst the medical books and journals. Loose paper of scientific data and notes lied in an unorganized piles on the desk. Walking around to the other side of the desk, there was a computer. Seeing it on standby, he moved the mouse and saw the computer screen wake up. It showed a window with a data sheet.
'These aren't old names,' he thought with a blink as he scanned through the list.
'ThEyArEfReShOnEs,'the dark clone responded back.
'I see,' he stated in his mind now knowing the identity of the four teens. 'So they are the surviving ones left.'
'ThEooooooollllllddddddSoUlS #$%% $wErEsEtAbLaZe.'
"…" the Third Child said looking down at the desk and began to search a little. Finding nothing of interest amongst the various items, he closed the drawers. Turning around, various monitors were lined up next to each other that showed live security feeds of the interior and exterior. One showed the parking garage and another showed the bedrock hallway. His group was pressing their backs together in the middle while appearing to be shaking in place. Blinking, he moved to the other screens.
'So that is Dr. Denark,' he thought seeing that the individual was engaging with a young boy. To what the activity was being conducted, goosebumps flared on the male pilot's arms as he just blinked.
'…r…e…m…i…n…d…s…y…o…u…o…f…a…c…o…n…j…u…r…e…d…s…e…n…s…a…t…i…o…n…' it spoke in his mind in echoing whispers.
Multiple voices spoke one after another to create endless wall of sound in his head. Turning around, he walked toward the door. Exiting and leaving the door open, a flashback came to him of the sisters. Feeling his eyed twitch from the memory, more blood seemed to seep out of them. Blinking more than once, his vision became saturated in a cloudy, deep crimson tint. Walking back to where he came from, he stopped where the elevator was.
"…" he said as his sight blurred before the flashback played in front of his eyes.
Feeling his eyes twitch again, he turned to the lift and pressed the call button. The doors opened and he stepped inside. Turning around, he could feel more blood dripping from him. Looking down, his shirt was getting heavily stained with red on the inside. Seeing two small trickle streams of crimson fall below him, he lifted his head back to feel blood in his nose to stop falling out. Looking at the level panel, he pressed for the 3rd floor. Standing back in the center of the lift, he blinked just as the doors were closing.
'…yyyyeeeeessss…' the dark clone said with a satisfying hiss and appearing in front of him spontaneously. Appearing as a clone version of the Third Child, it had a black tint to its skin tone. Its body was heavily scarred and chipped in various places. The usual inhuman size grin the evil voice would have changed to a normal size mouth. However, it gave an evil grin as its black-red eyes were staring at another pair of black-red eyes.
'YoUaReFeElInGiT'it stated as the lift started to go up.
'…yes…sir…' he said feeling his face becoming tense while his hands were in murderous fists.
'lEtItCoNtInUeToFeStEr.'
'…Mr. Yogosami would like the doctors alive sir…'
'INTHEREDUTOPIA, THEREISNONEEDFORCONSIDERATION! WEPURSUEOUROWNNEEDSANDDESIRES!' it screeched at him and mutated slowly into one of its more hideous forms.
'Own needs and desires sir?'
'yyyyyeeeessssss…oooouuuurrrrrnnnneeedddsss #$ #%$heeeeeee #$% #$AHA-HAHAHAHAHAHA!' the evil voice voiced as it thrust two tentacles into the Third Child's chest. Letting out a small gasp of air, Shinji felt a deathly ice chill squeeze its way into his body and skin. While doing so, it gave a distorted cackling fit while contorting its entire body in. It stopped when it had submerged into the male pilot's body of skin, bone, and, muscle.
Feeling an instant surge of agony, chaos, rage, and a hoard of chaotic mental images, the Third Child fell to one knee as his face cringed. Gritting his teeth, his expression started to become grave. The elevator stopped on the third floor and opened its doors. Standing up on both feet slowly, the male pilot's body twitched and shook. From his eyes down, it appeared that his entire body was slashed at and was bleeding. Hearing the dark clone whisper a cell number, the Third Child silently walked out of the elevator and turned down a long hallway. The closer he got to the room, he felt his mouth twitching and forcing him to have a locked evil grin.
Back outside the entrance hallway, the group slowly saw the hallway lights flicker to life then stayed on. All the darkness, blood, eyes, and mouths faded away along with the eerie presence surrounding them. Calming down, Rana and Misato were being clung onto by the four teens as all of them were shaking hard. Despite their own level of apprehension, Misato tried to calm down quickly and take control of protecting the children.
'…okay…okay…' she thought seeing that everything was back to normal. Remembering the switch, she grabbed it in her pocket feeling a little better in holding it.
'If we can get to the doc's main office that will be the safe room.'
"…looks like we are okay…" she whispered and saw the meek teens nod while still shaking. "Rana, stay with them. I will check the door to see if it is clear."
"…okay…" the female twin said. Watching the Major walk slowly to the double doors, Misato pulled out her service pistol. Reaching it, she pointed the gun at the door. Using one hand, she gently pushed the left door. It open partially and she pointed the gun inside. Seeing nothing come out, she slowly crept forward. Surveying the surroundings while training her gun to wherever she looked, the inside looked clear.
"…" Rana said seeing Misato come back out carefully and motioned them to come to her. "Looks like it is clear…come on".
Watching the teens uncoil themselves a little, the group stayed behind her as they approached the double doors. Seeing the Major, the teens entered into the lobby area. With the last one coming through, Misato closed the door softly. Looking around, no one has come to them or alarms being sounded. Glancing at the frail teens, all of them were slowly recovering and not shaking so much. Rana kept her stoic expression with a downcast head. Almost as if something was eating her.
"D-Dr. Conrad's office is t-this way," a meek male teen stated breaking off and heading toward his office. A hand immediately was placed on his shoulder and he froze. Turning toward the person, it was the Major.
"We stay together…no one loses sight of one another. Okay?" she whispered scanning around then looked at him.
"…" he said nodding his head rapidly.
The group then slowly followed the male teen till that reached the doctor's office. Surprisingly, Dr. Conrad's door was open ajar. Misato pointed her gun forward and pushed the muzzle on the door to open it. As it slowly swung inward, she started sweeping the room with the firearm. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she slowly entered the office. The others followed and entered the office anxiously and nervously looking around them. When Rana entered last, Misato looked back outside before slowly closed the door. Hearing both a mechanical and electrical lock sound, the Major sighed in relief a little from being secured in the chamber.
'…he was here…' Rana thought getting a strong feeling that the Third Child came in here. Walking forward, the meek teens began to follow while they were looking around the room.
"Hey," the Major asked seeing something on the other side of the room. "Are those security feeds?"
"Y-Yes," one frail teen stated and pointed. "Those show outside and inside cameras."
"T-There is also a roster listing with lights. It indicates who is in and out today below the monitors," a female teen stated watching Rana going to the monitors first then Misato.
'…okay…let's see,' the Major thought seeing the panel of lights with names on them. Of the handful of people listed, only two people's names were highlighted with a light. Hearing a sharp gasp, the female twin turned around with a horrified expression and hands over her mouth.
"W-What's w-wrong?!" Misato asked seeing her shaking all over with wide eyes. Looking at the meek teens, all had their heads were downcast with looks of shame and feeling powerless. Looking at the camera feeds that Rana was looking at, her expression went into shock, disgust, and hatred.
"I-It's…Dr. Denark…he is…engaging with…a subject," a female teen stated weakly not daring to look at the screen.
'…no…no…' she thought getting louder and louder in her head.
Her grip on the pistol kept increasing as her desire to put a bullet in the man's head continued to grow. All the sudden, the lights in the office began to flicker and grow dim. Panicking, the frail teens rushed to both Rana and Misato and hugged them. Blinking, the security feed of the one monitor that she was looking at went static first before all the others did. After a couple of seconds, the monitors cleared. What they showed made Misato's blood run cold.
'WhYnOtTaKeAvIeWoFoUr…NoStAlGiCrEuNiOn,' the dark clone whispered into the female twin's mind.
"…!?" Rana said shaking and slowly turning around.
Seeing the monitors and who else was in the room, her eyes widened more. All the screens were linked together to show a larger image of the room the doctor was in. However, the screens were split in showing two different viewpoints. One was showing a first-person view of someone staring down at a boy while the other was staring in the direction of where the doctor stood. However, it wasn't a doctor that was being stared at in a red tint viewing. Misato and Rana saw the two adult figures look up to see a dark silhouette with black-red eyes.
[W-W-What the!?] the doctor stated pulling out and jumping backwards hitting the wall. Naked and startled, he saw the dark figure dripping blood everywhere on itself and the floor. Unable to understand why it was emitting an intense malice and eerily aura, he shook his head and pointed.
[H-HOW THE HELL DID YOU-!?]
[…i…t…b…u…r…n…s…] it said as blood flowed out of its mouth. More splats of blood hit the floor as the child subject cried in pain.
[GO BACK INTO YOUR CELL BEFORE I BREAK YOUR-]
[…i…T…o…L…d…Y…o…U #$^! #$^ #$…i…S…a…I…d… #$%#$SSTTTTTOOOoooppppppppp] the figure said again but more distorted.
"…is…is this…what the demon sees?" the paranoid male teen whispered in a shivering voice looking at monitors. "W-Who is s-s-she?"
In the red tinted image of the monitors, there was an adult female instead of Dr. Denark. She was dressed in a bondage outfit with a pegging attachment at her groin area. The expression on her face was a sadistic smile as the appendage had a glossy wet appearance. Where the child subject was strapped to a medical bed near the doctor, another boy was in the same situation in the other viewing. Instead of clean sheets, the red tinted view showed the bed was tattered and torn with old blood stains on it.
'ITS HER!?' Rana shouted in her mind from remembering who the woman was. As she began to shake uncontrollably, a mixture of immense hatred and fear swelled inside. The emotion became overpowering that it made her feel tears falling down from her eyes. Looking at the other half of the monitors, what the doctor was seeing suddenly went static. Clearing, the dark silhouette was in front of his face. A hideously wide grin ripped open its skin as its black-red eyes tripled in size. Red web veins could be seen in its pitch black scleras.
[YAAAHHHH! I-I SAID G-GET BACK INTO-] the man yelled louder from being startled when a sharp pain came. Only seeing a faint flash of light, something flopped to the ground with a wet thud. As the viewing of the monitors slowly went toward the floor, the object that clunked to the ground in the red tint view was the pegging attachment. Looking at the other screens, the man screamed seeing his bleeding penis chopped off.
[AARRRRGGGGHHH!…y-you…you you you cut off my-] the man said in agony when a cold object was placed between his legs. As the man struggled to stand up feeling light headed from the blood loss, he grabbed the figures shoulders. Seeing the woman figure do the same, it was almost as if they were mimicking each other. Feeling how bloody the dark figure was, the doctor looked up and froze. The black-red eyes bore at him with a gaze that looked vaguely familiar. Looking at the features closely, horror came to his face.
[IT!#$%!#BURNS$ #$% #$WWWWWHHHEEEENNNN# $% #TAAAKKKKEEEENNN #$!RRRRRAAAAAWWWWWWWW!] the figure screamed viciously in the man's face. All the monitors suddenly web cracked everywhere as red and black liquid oozed out of them. Despite not seeing clearing what was happening, they could still hear was going on in that room. However, Rana could feel what the figure was doing.
[N-N-Noo! L-Let me go—GGAAAHHH! STOP! IT! IT HURTS! I'LL BLLLUUUeeeddddttoooodeaaaaaawwwww…] the doctor and woman shouted then started sounding weaker. Their words became more slurred till only an audible gasp was heard. The two's last sound from their mouths was a loud gargle before they stopped breathing. At the same time, the group shook from hearing wet scrunches and cartilage ripping. A sawing sound was forcing its way through what sounded like a pile of meat and bone..
'…oh my god…so…' Rana thought hyperventilating from feeling her forearms burn intensely as the sawing sounds continued. She could feel the sensation of pushing and pulling the saw harshly.
'That's…that's how the older sister…'
'DON'TYOUREMEMBERHOWYOUCHERISHEDTHATDAYMYSPAREDSEED!' the dark clone exploded in her mind causing her to jump. She closed her eyes and held her head trembling all over.
'YOUENJOYEDIT!'
'YOURELISHEDIT!'
'YOUSAVOREDIT!'
'YOUORGASMEDFROMIT!'
"NO! I DID NOT!" Rana shouted out loud feeling her surroundings begin to enclose by an eerie darkness. She flinched hard from hearing slithering sounds and things dragging on the floor in the background.
"Is everyone feeling alright?"
"…!?" everyone said frozen in fear. Shutting their eyes hard, they began muttering and thinking to themselves.
'This can't be happening. This can't be happening. This can't be happening,' Misato thought shaking and fearing what was standing behind her in the room.
Feeling the switch in her jacket, she carefully but quickly put her hand on it and murderously squeezed the button several times. The paranoid male teen was muttering that all of them were going to die repetitively as he was hyperventilating on the floor. The other teens had balled up on the floor and were covering their heads. Only the Major and Rana were the ones standing despite the female twin holding her head and shouting out loud as if she snapped. Both felt a familiar aura at the office door and uttered out a small whimper.
"Oh…god," Misato said slowly turning her head to see behind her. "Please…no."
"No what Miss Misato?" Shinji said with a blink and tilted his head a little.
"…" Rana and the Major said staring at the Third Child standing in the middle of the room. Looking like a bloody mess, his eyes were splashed with red. Despite that, his dark magenta eyes were staring back at them. The other thing that made them blink again and froze was he was carrying a boy. It seemed like the same one that was on the security feed. Hearing the whimpering of the boy slowly got the people in the office out of their terrified stupor slowly.
"…my…my butt…it still…hurts" the child said holding onto the male pilot's neck.
"My apologies sir. It will hurt for a little while until it relaxes."
"H-How do I do that?" the boy asked then turned his head. Misato and Rana saw that the kid was still crying when all of the sudden, instant fear came onto his face.
"I-I-Is she going to h-hurt me too?" the boy asked scared and hugging his neck tighter.
"No sir. She is not a client."
"B-But…she l-l-looks like o-one."
"That is coincidental sir," Shinji said with a slow blink. "I assure you that she isn't a client."
"R-Really?"
"Yes sir."
"W-Who is she?"
"She is Major Katsuragi from NERV," the Third Child said as he felt the boy turn his head toward them. He kept his head down and stared at them with scared eyes.
"W-Who is she…" the child asked when he did a double take and lifted his head. Looking at the person who was holding him, then back at the female teen, then back at him, he blinked and looked back at her.
"T-There are two of you!?" he said surprised and curious.
"Do you wish Miss Rana to come closer?"
"Miss Rana?"
"Yes. She is my twin sister."
"…" the boy said loosening his grip but kept a nervous eye on her. "…o-okay…"
"…?" Misato said staring at the two with lost eyes.
Slowly blinking, she turned her head back to the screens and recoiled. None of them were web cracked. All the monitors were back to normal and looking at different places around the facility. The feed where Dr. Denark was showed him knocked out, a black bag over his head, and tied to the bed that the boy was. Hearing movement below her, she saw the frail teens slowly standing up and looking around with lost eyes. Looking toward where the Third Child was, they didn't move and stared at him.
"I-Is it…over?" the paranoid male teen asked quietly.
[Major Katsuragi! Do you read me?]
"…!?" Misato said flinching hard then took a slow breaths in and out. Still feeling the effects from whatever just happened and what she witness, she slowly touched the ear piece.
"I-I'm here," she said with a quiet tone. She could hear boots running in the background.
[Are you okay? Your signal was going in and out. What is your status?] the Chief asked as he and his small strike force opened a hatch and started descending. From the sounds of it, his team was in a large empty space that echoed loudly.
"We are…all alive…just…it is really messed up in here."
[I will feel the same. Is it safe to enter? We are going down the emergency exit ramp attached to the facility. It wasn't too far from the parking garage.]
"…" the Major said turning around and looking at the security feeds. Seeing four armored and armed strikers descending toward them made her feel more at ease.
"I see you. There doesn't seem to be sentries on duty or alarms. The security panel system is here in Dr. Conrad's office."
[Copy. See if you can unlock or open the door so we can get in. Rather not blow it up and scare the children inside…wait, cancel that. It is opened ajar…Is there someone on the other side of the door?]
"…negative. There is no one there. It must have been Ikari," she said turning around. Rana had walked closer to him in which the child was looking back and forth between them. A mixture of curiosity and bewilderment came across his face. Seeing something move, she flinched from seeing only his eyes moved to look at her. He only blinked and stared. She noticed that his eyes seemed to have a haunting glow that stood out from the blood on his face.
[Alright. If all is clear, then we will head to where you are] he stated as one striker gave the clear sign from peering inside.
While she waited for Ryu's team to get here, something clicked in her mind. It was when Kaji gave her intel on a SEELE project that involved one of the Chief's officers. Looking down at the computer and seeing the data sheets and the documents spread around the desk, a new level of disgust came to her. It also reminded her of the aspect that SEELE was connected to NERV and vice versa. Given what NERV has achieved, it made her want to find out the last dark secrets that Kaji was trying to find out.
Making their way down a long hallway, the strikers reached a lobby area. Calling the Major to see if it was clear, she replied that it was. Cautiously moving in, they made way toward where the office was while continuously scanning around. Reaching it and knocking on the door, it opened to reveal a visibly disturbed and stressed out lavender haired woman.
"Major…is it bad?"
"…I…" she said with a grimacing downcast head and clenched fists. "I hate this shade of mankind."
"…the feeling is mutual. Trauma children?"
"…raping…torturing…experimenting…infecting…" she said holding herself with a face of disgust. "All for the name of science…is that what we lower ourselves to?"
"There are many of those people in power and in poverty that will do anything to get ahead or achieve something," Ryu said as a couple of strikers took off their helmets. "Not to put a stick in your eye, but NERV is held in the same light for their achievements and creations."
"…" Misato said looking him in the eye and didn't say anything. "…I know…there are things that I am left in the dark about…there are a lot of secrets that I didn't know, but I am starting to wonder what NERV's real goal is."
"As much as I would love to dive into this subject, let's wrap up here first. Is Ikari in the office?"
"Mr. Yogosami," Shinji stated walking out of the office alone. He stopped and gave a small bow. "Greetings."
"Hey Ikari. I take it you dealt with the officials in here?"
"Yes sir. Dr. Denark is unconscious in the room where he was fornicating a male child. The other doctor was asleep in a lab on the 3rd floor. Both have been tied up and bags placed over their heads."
"…son of a bitch…" one of the strikers muttered out loud and started heading toward the elevator.
"Hold your horses. I feel the same," Chief said turning back to the Third Child. "Ikari, where are the rest of kids?"
"My apology Mr. Yogosami, I did not search for the children. But, it appears the two levels above are where they seemed to be held."
"Okay. That's good enough. What about the activity in this facility or lair?"
"The files and data are on Dr. Conrad's desk computer," Misato said still looking disgusted.
"Alright. I think that is enough stuff for me to go on. I'll have my team round up the two doctors and get as much information off the computer," Ryu said tapping his ear piece.
"I need a large recovery team. 100 victims, mostly children to adolescents. Trauma units and ambulances. Copy?"
[Copy Chief. I will send a message in route and let you know of the response time.]
"Good. Chief out," he said letting go of his ear piece. "All right guys. Round up the two up and get them secured down here. Explore the two levels above and do not disturb the kids if they are sleeping. We will have the recovery team take care of them."
"Copy Chief," the strikers stated and did their assigned task. Watching them leave, the Chief heard others walking toward them. It was the group of meek teens with one of them holding onto the child's hand. Rana also came out but looked just as disturbed as Misato. Seeing the Third Child, she quickly walked to him and stood next to him.
"Can we leave Chief?" Misato asked looking at him uncomfortable. "I do not want to stay here any longer than I have to."
"I understa-" he started to say when the teens out cried and hurried toward the twins.
"N-No, don't leave us!"
"I-I don't want to be separated!"
"I don't want the demon to kill me!"
"They will send us to more doctors!"
"…" Shinji said blinking slowly as they surrounded both him and Rana. About to answer, he felt a pull down at his pant leg. Moving his eyes slowly, it was the boy who looked up at him with a scared face. Without saying anything, the child reached its hands up at him. Understanding the gesture, the male pilot kneeled down.
"Yes sir?" he asked watching the boy climb on him and hugged around his neck. Blinking and moving his arms to hold him, the male pilot stood back up.
"…I'm…scared…" he stated shaking all over.
"There is no need to be sir."
"…are…are they going to find my mommy and daddy?"
"…" Ryu said controlling himself from wanting to leave one of the doctors a bloody mess. "We will try our best son. Don't you worry."
"…what…what about…the scary figure?" the boy asked.
"The scary figure?" Shinji asked blinking.
"Y-Yeah…it scared the doctor then…split him in two," the child said shaking. "But…when you freed me…the doctor was back in one piece…"
"…" the Third Child said blinking again and looked down in thought. Everyone else was staring at him and the child with apprehension. An eerie feeling seemed to be festering around in the room, but seemed concentrated at where the Third Child stood.
"I believe the boogieman is an accurate description of that scary figure sir."
"Will it eat me?"
"I believe it just wants to scary you sir. Not eat you."
"Is it here with us?" the boy asked looking around.
"W-Why do you want to know?" Rana asked still feeling the dark clone was uncomfortably nearby.
"It helped get the doctor away…mommy and daddy said to thank everyone that helps you."
"If you wish to sir," Shinji said feeling it was slowly converging toward where they were standing. "You can say thanks to the air."
"Will the boogieman hear me?"
"I do not know sir. You can try and see if it responds or not."
"O-Okay," the boy said smiling a little then looked up. "Thank you Mr. Boogieman."
"… #$%#$you# $% #$aaarreeeeee #$% #$W…e…L…c…O…m…E #$% " a distorted evil voice spoke suddenly nearby.
As if time slowed down, everyone turned to see a darkened clone of the twins standing between them. It gave an inhumanely wide toothy grin with its black-red eyes before viciously ballooning and exploding. Gore, inners, cartilage, filth, and black blood splattered everywhere and on anyone in the blast proximity. Only Rana and Shinji stood while everyone else covered themselves and dropped the floor.
"…" Rana said breathing heavily and feeling all of her nerves had been pulled apart. Being heavily drenched in a bloodbath, she felt sick and threw up on the floor. Feeling a strong hand holding her up under her armpit, she slowly looked with her eyes at her twin brother. He was equally drenched in gore as well as the child. Seeing him look at all the others, he was unaffected. Slowly, he turned his head toward her.
"I believe he heard you sir," he said as everyone's vision went to static.