01
Survival
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"If you truly want to be respected by people you love, you must prove to them that you can survive without them."
― Michael Bassey Johnson, The Infinity Sign
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Sunday, October 11th, 2015
Tokyo Three
Within the angel Leliel
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Mari's eyes fluttered open, and she winced, the LCL within the entry plug was beginning to cloud. 'Filtration system is all but gone' Shinji was slumped over the control yokes, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow. She had discovered that he had adjusted the life support system, giving Mari more than her fair share of it. She would have changed it back, but he had locked her out of the life support system, Mari managed to pull him back against her and checked his pulse. Superhuman or not, they both needed to breathe to live. Shinji's pulse was weak but present; he had lost consciousness some time ago, his body slowly shutting down. She checked the internal chronometer; they had been inside the angel now for eleven hours. 'Guess a rescue is out of the question' Mari shook her head sadly, to think that they would go out like this. Both had suffered hallucinations early on, and Mari believed that the angel had been trying to communicate with them. She made one last attempt at accessing the system controls, and could only sigh as it rejected her attempts. 'I don't want you dying without me; we came in together we go out together.' Should the impractical happen and rescue end up being successful, how could she go on alone? She knew the thoughts were selfish, but the concept of carrying on without him held no appeal.
She gently cupped his head and unlocked the seat, Shinji floated free into her arms, and she held him there. 'Think I've changed my mind about LCL pups, not digging the smell in here now' The entry plug creaked and groaned, and Mari wondered what sort of pressures were being exerted outside. When they had been drawn into the angel's body, all they could see was a form of static. The external sensors indicated no air, but at the same time, it was not a vacuum either. That was when the idea came to her, a suicidal idea but an idea all the same. 'You're not going without me' Mari felt a sense of morbid determination, he had locked out the life support system, but Mari could still utilize the emergency ejection protocols. Bringing up the console she nodded grimly, Mari paused for a moment feeling fear hammering in her heart. Then she began accessing the menu, once it fired them clear of the Eva the life support would fail. 'Who knows, maybe it will fire us out of the angel?' That was a forlorn hope, and she knew it, Mari began to hum an old tune her hands shaking, partly in fear and partly from the cold. A part of her wished he would wake up, readjust the life support so they could go together. That was not going to happen now, and hitting the final commands she clung to Shinji as they were suddenly fired backward into the void.
The entry plug was violently rattled as it was catapulted from the back of unit one, Mari held her boyfriend against her as she waited for the systems to fail. Then suddenly there was a sound like a grenade detonating underwater, only far louder. Heat blossomed, and for a fleeting moment, Mari thought they would boil in the plug. A sound like a banshee shrieking filled her ears, causing her to cry out, then as if on a rollercoaster she felt gravity suddenly grab them, and they plummeted. The sound of the emergency retro rockets firing made her heart leap, had it worked, had they been cast free of the angel. She glanced at the failing computer system and felt exultant; they were in an oxygen-rich environment. Something scraped against the hull of the plug as they continued their mad descent, then a bone-jarring lurch compensated for by the LCL brought them to a halt, bobbing. Water, they must have landed in a body of water. Mari gently released her grip on Shinji and tentatively hit the release on the hatch, it slid open, and the light streamed in like a blessed relief. Mari waited until her eyes adjusted; she didn't recognize the surrounding area. Tree's surrounding what appeared to be a small lake, and on that lake was a single boat and its startled-looking occupant. A man in his late sixties to early seventies if Mari was to judge, and she tentatively waved calling out.
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August 15th, 1973
Preston County
West Virginia
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Mari entered the farmhouse her emotions still whirling as she did so, a part of her wondered if she clicked her heels would she travel home with Shinji in tow. The boy in her arms did not stir aside from his breathing, the woman guided them to a table in what Mari assumed was the kitchen, gesturing for Mari to set down her burden. Carefully cradling his head she lay him down as the woman frowned, "How do I remove this?" She asked, and Mari carefully took the boy's wrist depressing the small button. Mari watched as this Amy's eyes widened as the plug suit relaxed away from his body, "heavens, are you, aliens?" It was Sam who stepped in shaking his head, "from the future dear, and not by choice." Mari sank into an old-fashioned wooden seat as her emotions once more overwhelming her, she didn't see the look of compassion overtake Amy's face. "Well his pulse is strong enough, plus he's breathing which is a good sign." Mari let out a sniffle forcing down her woes as she did so, focus on Shinji have a mental breakdown later. Yet the drumming beat would not stop in her mind, that this was all his fault. If he had not been so damned noble and self-sacrificing, if they had simply died together it would have been better.
'Better than what?' She mentally chided herself, 'Better than being alive together, all be it stuck in the distant past?' "All right, I'm going to go run the bath for you two." The woman said, "Sam I have a spare dressing gown can you get it?" The man nodded moving toward the kitchen door when he paused, "I'll get his old one out as well." Sam disappeared as her host poured a glass of water for her, Mari was suddenly aware of just how thirsty she was. "Will you be ok here while I sort your bath?" Mari nodded as she gently took Shinji's hand in hers, "I'll be ok, eventually." The woman nodded and made her way toward the stairs where Sam had disappeared, Mari downed her water her fingers stroking Shinji's. Even when she had first met him she did not recall him being so vulnerable, that stabbing anger returned, and Mari bit back a snarl. 'I'm not doing that! Not now, I'm not going to go bouncing off the walls!' She angrily reprimanded herself, no she needed to keep herself grounded at least for now. She could go to pieces later when she knew he was safe, then she could wallow in all the insanity she wanted. Mari gently lowered the plug suit down to just below his arms, then she carefully removed his promise ring.
It would need to be kept safe and not lost down a drain, Sam returned with a pink and white dressing gown and turned his back as she removed her own plug suit. Mari removed her ring before fastening the ties on the gown, "Could you hang onto these for us?" Sam took the rings carefully from her, Mari sat back down as the husky from before approached her tail wagging gently. Mari let herself be distracted by the dog, "Who's a good dog, yous a good dog." The animal panted as she scratched behind its ears affectionately, "we didn't have a dog for a pet, we had a penguin instead." Mari sighed as she recalled, "How on earth do you domesticate a bird like that?" Sam enquired sensing her need for conversation, "Oh Pen-Pen was hyper-intelligent, genetically modified." Mari let out a wry chuckle in recollection, "We would catch him reading the newspaper now and then, needed us to open his cans of fish though." Sam laughed looking at her sceptically, "It's true!" Mari laughed. "I swear he was probably smarter than most of us, plotting some sinister plan for world domination." They both laughed. A flash of guilt hit her and Mari sighed her hand dropping from the dog, "I can't do this without him, Sam."
A hand rested gently on her shoulder as depression threatened to overwhelm her, she looked up into the man's sad eyes. Eyes that spoke of loss and pain, yet eyes that also held so much compassion in them. "Shinji will be fine, you said it yourself." Mari nodded, yet at the same time, she was tired of her emotions seesawing back and forth. "Bath is ready." The call from upstairs came, Mari rose to her feet and headed up cautiously. She spotted Amy standing at the door and mustered a smile, "everything you need is in there dear, give a shout if you need anything." Mari nodded and stepped inside the bathroom. She immediately wrinkled her nose at the décor, pea-green wallpaper with flowers on it greeted her. A net curtain hung across the window next to the washbasin, Mari closed the door and disrobing carefully clambered into the bathtub. The décor, the fittings it was all so different from what she was used to. "We really aren't in Kansas anymore Todo." Mari washed herself soaking up the heat from the water as she did so, she shampooed her hair and once satisfied she was clean grabbed the towel off the rail. The plug suit at least was completely LCL proof, so the water could be reused for Shinji.
Dried off and back in the dressing gown she stepped out and called out, "I'm out!" Moments later Sam reached the top of the stairs carrying Shinji, "here let me help, I'll get his plug suit off." Behind Sam, Amanda shot her a scandalized look. Mari stepped back as Sam shot her an apologetic look, Amy paused before going into the bathroom. "I'm sorry, but I don't know what your future lives were like, but under this roof, I prefer proper decorum." Mari nodded though it still stung, after a beat, Sam emerged and guided her to a bedroom. "You two will sleep here, afraid there's only one bed so Amy will have to deal with that fact. "No, she's right." Mari sighed, "this is your house so we obey your rules." Mari turned to extend her left pinkie to the man, he blinked none plus and Mar talked him through the concept of a pinkie promise. It might seem childish but it was Mari's way of giving a solemn vow, there would be no sexy time with her puppy it seemed. Not that they had quite reached that point yet, but Mari had felt they had been getting close to it. Sam nodded with a soft smile, "You can wait outside for him if you want." Mari nodded and followed him out, she slid down against the wall outside the bathroom and waited.
As she waited Mari let her mind wander back to the future, more hopefully this time. When and if they got back she would have to make it up to them, maybe she could find work and save up her money to buy them super gifts. She found herself wondering what each person would like best, and it was now of all times she suddenly realized she knew so little about her friends. What was Asuka into, what would be a good gift for Ayanami? Misato was easy, just buy the woman a lifetime supply of Yebisu beer. She would buy Pen-Pen a little electric car to zoom about in, and for her uncle? Mari bowed her head, for him the greatest gift he could receive was just knowing she was alive. There had to be a way to get a message to them, perhaps something written, a voice recording, or something like that? It was as she mused this that she heard muffled speech coming from the bathroom, Mari leaned closer to the frame and listened, her heart pounding as she did. "Couldn't put you to bed, smelling like a slaughterhouse." Mari heard Amanda speak, excitement grabbed her and she couldn't stop herself from asking. "He's awake?!" The reply was somewhat severe but Mari didn't care, he was awake and that was all that mattered to her.
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Sam Shaw sat downstairs lost in contemplation as his wife gave care to the boy, he rolled the two rings between his fingers. Going into Markus's room again had been painful but necessary, a lot of his son's clothing had remained in storage after his death. To throw it out was to acknowledge the loss on a fundamental level, yet now they had two kids who had arrived with next to nothing. Amy arrived back downstairs and she sat down opposite him, "The boy woke up, they're in the room talking now." Sam nodded showing Amy the rings, "They're betrothed? They're both so young." He finally plucked up the courage to broach the subject, "Amy they don't have clothing with them, I think he would have wanted us to help them with that." To his relief, she nodded seeing the logic in what he was suggesting to her. "From the future?" She asked again in clear disbelief, Sam chuckled as he told his account of them almost landing on him. "I just hope the authorities don't go diving in the lake, the last thing those two need is a bunch of scientists trying to dissect them." Amanda sat in relative silence before getting up and heading to the stove, she set the kettle down and dug out two mugs. Sam felt a tiny smile creep onto his face, she still bought coco yet neither of them used the stuff.
Amanda poured out the two drinks when he slid the rings into her dressing gown pocket, "Think they should have those back now." She nodded and headed back upstairs, there was of course another thing on his mind. As he had mused when driving the pair to the farm this was too perfect, as if some deity had answered his unasked prayers for help. He and Amy were starting to struggle with running the farm, the hens were not too bad but the cows and pigs needed extra work. Calling out a vet when one was sick and running after them if they got out, which had happened before and not he suspected by accident. Sam had seen how strong the girl was, and if that was any indication and the boy was also as strong? Those two could essentially take over the running of the farm if of course, they wanted to do so. Sam would not try to force that upon them, yet if they were to stay here then he hoped they would be willing to help. More than that though, he had watched his wife come back to life before his very eyes. The depression that had seemed to consume her thrust aside when duty called, and he had not missed the look she had given the boy. The same look he had given him, for the boy was so alike to their dead son at his age. "Please God, let this workout and help us and those kids."
The years seemed to suddenly press down on him as he got to his feet, the excitement from events starting to wear off and he decided it was time for bed. He let Kali out for one last time before locking up, he moved up the stairs spotting Amanda coming out of what had been their son's bedroom. If Amy had issues with them sharing the one bed she kept that to herself, still, at least the room was being used now. He followed his wife to their room, deciding to give the kids some privacy now. They were strangers in a strange land, Sam would be amazed if either of them managed to get any sleep. "The boy's being strong for her I think." Amanda mused, Sam nodded his understanding. He'd had the impression that Mari was barely clinging on to her emotions, but someone would need to be there when the boy needed support. He changed into his bedclothes, "Tomorrow will probably be more tears and emotions." He said softly, Amanda made a humming noise as she joined him in bed. "Will you be able to handle it? I plan to head out first thing and get some underwear, shoes, and what have you." He nodded in response, "I'll dig out some of the boxes in the attic, give us some things to work with." Sam lay back his eyes slowly closing, wondering just what the future held for humanity?
AN: It has taken an impressive amount of time for me to finally pull the trigger on this story, between world events and bouts of being too much of a perfectionist for my own good, it seemed I would never get going. I have around four chapters or so that I have been running through the meat grinder for far too long, so I cannot honestly say how long this story will take to complete. Additionally, I plan to go back and tidy up part one, not a complete overhaul as that would be too much. Spelling Grammar and some story elements to tie things up together a little better, however, if you have already read that you won't be missing out on anything. Initially, I was uncertain as to how a story that starts as a splice of life before progressing would play, hence the decision to have some chapters set in 2015, but the majority set in the past, hopefully, this is a good compromise. This chapter is a little shorter than I normally do, but the length will increase from chapter two onward. I hope everyone is fairing well in this mad world we find ourselves, take care and remember to live life as best we can.