I wanted to explain something in regards to Rei in this chapter, as well as mention that in spite of everything, Lorenz has everything under control. Sometimes it's what you don't know about a villain plan that counts. Disclaimer: I don't own Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Evangelion, or Anarchy Reigns.
Cruel Angel's Thesis Chapter 11: SEELE in the Shadows
Lorenz observed recordings of the previous fights on several monitors. He grumbled to himself. "Our Stand users can't stand up to normal fighters, much less the Stand users NERV has. Why? What is it about these Stand users that makes them stronger? They say our Stand users are artificial, but they should be the same." 'I wouldn't worry about it too much,' came a voice over his comm network, 'Once I get the chance to fight them, they will not stand a chance. After all, I was able to unleash a greater power from my Stand.'
"It had better be strong enough," Lorenz said, "We invested quite a lot of money in obtaining these powers for you. The crafting process alone cost tens of thousands in labor fees." He was aware that he was being monitored, but dismissed it. They would never unveil his true plan. Not until it was too late. As it happened, it was Kaji who was listening in, having used his government contacts to hide a bug in Lorenz's office. 'Crotchety old fool,' Kaji thought to himself, 'Still deluding himself in thinking mankind has hit an evolutionary dead-end. But if the events in Fuyuki twenty-two years ago are anything to go by, mankind has only begun to evolve.'
Rei was observing her body in the mirror. Due to her half-human genetics, she would still age normally for a few more years, but eventually her aging would slow to a crawl. It wouldn't be as slow as her father, but it wouldn't be long before she left her friends behind as they aged. Well, except for Kaworu, who could age at the same rate she did. Additionally, the Gigan side of her genetics meant she did not grow hair except for on her head and in her crotch area. Since most girls her age tended to have it removed, she saw it as no big loss.
She then examined her face closely. "Hey Mom!," she called out. Naoko poked her head in the door. "What is it Rei?" "The other day Asuka couldn't help but notice how similar my face is to Doctor Ikari," Rei noted, "There are some subtle differences, and with my hair so long it's difficult to tell. However... I'm curious as to why." Naoko chuckled. That was something she inherited from Wamuu, her ability to notice the small details. "To be honest, while I was pregnant with you I needed a blood transfusion," Naoko explained, "Yui was the only viable donor. Because of your Gigan genetics, you absorbed part of that genetic code, causing your face to become similar to hers."
It was true. Rei had developed the Gigan trait of absorbing genetic material and molding it to her benefit before she even left the womb. Yui would often joke about how Rei had two mothers, Naoko and herself, which caused the women no end of amusement. 'Now I get the joke,' Rei thought, giggling to herself. Naoko smiled. It was upsetting that Rei would remain so young looking even when she herself was as old as a grandmother, but at the same time she wasn't bothered by it. That was just how Rei's body worked, and there was no changing it even if she wanted to.
Later the group was busy in the gym. Even Aigis needed to work out, since her body was designed to be modular, and thus could grow stronger with effort on her part. Asuka found herself gazing at Shinji as he did his weight reps. The guy looked like a stick, but the muscles underneath resembled tightly bound steel cord. It was clear his time training in Morioh did him good. "Care to snap out of it?," Rei asked as she got in close to Asuka. "Oh sorry," Asuka said, "Just eating a bit of eye candy." Rei rolled her eyes. "Save it for the bedroom, assuming you've even gotten that far."
Asuka blushed. While she and Shinji hadn't gotten that far the night of their first kiss, they had wound up sleeping in the same bed. And then Asuka had a dream about walking into class naked, though fortunately only Shinji was there to see her. The following morning after she woke up, things had been messy to say the least. "Anyway, coming up is our field trip to Okinawa." "I don't think we'll get the chance to go," Kaworu said, "After all, we have to remain on active duty. Especially since the Eight Angel is due to arrive in the middle of the trip."
Asuka slumped. "Darn... We're supposed to be saving the world, the least we can get is a break once in a while." "We could always arrange a trip to Okinawa once the situation is resolved," Kaworu suggested, "Y'know, just the five of us." "Six," Aigis chimed, "I insist on bringing my own date so that I'm not a fifth wheel among two couples." Just then, a general alert went off. "What's going on?," Rei asked. 'One of the artificial Stand users is leading a raid on the high school,' Cadence said over the comm, 'Me and Shining are already on it, and we're bringing help.'
Cadence was soon met by Fluttershy, Sunset, Rarity, Rainbow, and Trixie. They saw a cyborg man with red lines along his body leading a group of Killseekers, including Cryo Killseekers, larger Executioners, and Armed Vehicles, cars with spiked bumpers and gatling guns on their roof. "So who are you?," Cadence asked. "Just call me Max," the man said. Max narrowed his eyes as several of his vehicles were grabbed with tree branches and suspended in midair, making them useless. Several Killseekers got impaled on sharp crystals, while others got locked up in colorful boxes that quickly got impaled.
He then found himself clocked across the head by what felt like a giant wing before something planted its foot hard into his gut. The Executioners moved to attack, only to get blasted by supersonic waves. Max then saw he was also getting locked in a box that was folding up around him. "Oh no you don't," he said, "Positron Blade & Tesla Blitz!" Several drones detached from his shoulders and charged up the blades on his arms allowing him to slice the box in two. "Ooh, you caught me," came Trixie's voice. It seemed like she had been split across her waist, but to Max's shock her upper half leapt off her lower half and grew legs, while her lower half grew a new torso.
In actuality, this was one of Trixie's favorite magic tricks. She had actually dodged the positron blade easily, having seen where it would come from thanks to Max's movements being rendered predictable thanks to the confines of the box. She then used Tricks Up My Sleeve to bring in one of her many trained body doubles, each of whom had hypnotized themselves to act exactly like Trixie, though they still thought of themselves as different people. They were just that good at acting. While Max was distracted, Cadence was able to slip behind him. "Deathharmonic!"
Max got blindsided by the sound wave blast, but turned around to make his own electric attack. It never got through. "I'll Fly!" Rainbow swooped in and used her flight field to negate the electrical attack. Max took a step back. "It's said that imposing your will is a matter of strength. And it looks like I don't enough at this point." He pounded the ground, creating a electric field that blinded the girls and gave him time to escape. "Do you think he was SEELE's heavy hitter?," Fluttershy asked, "I've heard rumors that one of the artificial Stand users developed a secondary mode." "He would have unleashed it on us if he had it," Cadence noted, "Besides, either way we were able to drive him off and prevent him from accomplishing his raid."
"A second raid?," Lorenz asked into the comm. He was in a meeting with the rest of his inner circle. 'It was believed that we could try to find additional information about the Stand virus,' the voice on the other line explained, 'The Stands we have been given are proving inferior, in spite of their exceptional abilities.' "This is a serious embarrassment," SEELE-04 noted, "Now NERV will be on alert for further incursions. Not to mention the parents of those students are growing concerned. They have enough clout to convince the government to pull their children from that school. And if they do, there goes our chance of any study."
'Apologies,' the voice said, 'We'll make sure not to make such mistakes in the future.' The communication ended. "What little influence we have is waning with each loss," Lorenz admitted, "We ultimately hold the final ace. But it means nothing if we cannot fully implement our plans." "We do have agents hidden among NERV," SEELE-05 noted, "Perhaps we should instruct them to perform a subtle jailbreak." Lorenz considered it. "It would be easier to perform further operations if we had all hands on deck. Can they get it done without drawing attention?" SEELE-05 nodded. "I have some ideas on how to affect this." The group nodded in agreement. "Very well," Lorenz agreed, "We simply cannot let NERV stay on top forever..."
Just because SEELE has the upper hand, does not make them stupid. Also, the reason I didn't include Starlight in this group is because she'd be too busy with her duties in the Alter Verse. Applejack would likely have her own work on the farm, and Twilight has long been dead by this point in time. But don't worry, a later part of the story will let the Mane Six fight together. Read and review.