Chapter 90: Remnant
The sight inside the elevator nearly made Misato gag as both Rana and Rei grimaced and turned away from the overpowering smell. A bloodbath coated the inside of the lift. Every inch of the cabin was dripping with the iron smelling crimson. The ceiling had constant droplets falling to the floor. At first glance, there was no one inside the elevator despite the murkiness and dampness emitting from it. Recovering first, the Major kept her pistol pointing forward. Using her free hand, she covered her mouth and nose while scanning the inside of the elevator at a distance.
'Luckily we escaped from that rush before getting drenched,' Misato thought slowly inching forward toward the lift.
Seeing droplets coming down from the ceiling, she tensed up from thinking that something was there. Getting close enough and pointing her handgun upwards, she leaned to her right. Peering up at the ceiling, it was completely coated with blood. The drips were coming from various locations. Looking at the fire escape hatch, it oddly was not dripping blood from the seams.
'…!?' she thought and brought the gun down quickly in front of her.
There was no one standing in front of the button panel. Breathing a little quicker, she slowly side step to see the other side. Again, there was no one in the elevator. Sighing with a shutter, she stepped to be in front of the doors. Peering in to look at the button panel, it was dripping with crimson. Oddly, there was one level button that was clean despite the rest being drenched.
'It's the level to the Eva cage,' she thought moving away from the elevator. Carefully stepping on the blood soaked floor to not slip and fall, she went to the two teens that were on a dry part of the floor. Rana recovered a little from being nauseous and looked up.
"Did you see anything?" she asked a little quietly.
"…" Misato said thinking about how to answer.
'If I tell her what I saw, she might run off again.'
"I couldn't see anything out of the ordinary besides how red everything was in there. The button panel was completely drenched."
"…" the female twin said with a depressed look on her face and a downcast head.
"Are you doing okay Rei?"
"I will be fine momentarily," the First Child stated breathing slowly and calming down. The three heard heel clicks coming down the hallway they came from. When Ritsuko entered the open space, she recoiled scared from seeing the bloodbath. Turning toward the three, she sighed in relief seeing that they were unharmed.
"Everyone alright?"
"Yeah, we are okay. How is the draining going?" the Major asked turning toward her.
"It is draining slowly due to the entire Eva cage being filled. With the rate of the fluid being emptied into a large holding tank, it will be a couple of hours to completely drain the cage."
"What about the hallways or corridors that got flooded near the Eva cage?"
"Those are being drained as we speak. I have used some of the containment doors that are still holding to redirect the fluid back toward the Eva cage. Those should be cleared within an hour."
"That's good. Until the decontamination team comes and scrubs, it will be another day or so before stepping into that area?" Misato asked looking back at the two girls. Rei kept a stoic face, but was looking down deep in thought. Rana still had her head down and was pouting a little.
"Probably so. I will have to run tests and scans to make sure that it is stable to go into. Given that the Angel was originally a microscopic organism, it could still be lingering in the areas that got flooded."
"Alright, let's go back to the control room and wait a bit," the Major said. Everyone started to head back except the female twin. Not hearing her footsteps, the three stopped. Turning around, they saw her still standing in the same spot with a downcast head. Her hands gripped her skirt as she gritted her teeth.
"…" the twin said frowning. "…no…"
"…?" Rei said with a blink.
"No what?" Misato asked.
"…I…" Rana said gripping her skirt harder. "I want to go look down there."
"What?! Why?!"
"He's down there somewhere! I know he is!" the twin said tense and shaking a little.
'I can see what Misato meant,' Ritsuko thought though did not voice anything.
"…" the Major said collecting herself before doing and outburst. "Rana, you can't go down there. You saw what happened down there. It is still flooded and now that level is a bio-hazard."
"I don't care!" Rana stated agitated and looked at Misato with a semi-glare. "He needs my help and I will go find him!"
Turning around, she head for the bloodbath elevator and onto the blood pool floor. She didn't get far as Misato quickly stepped toward her and grabbed her shoulder. Turning her around, the Major slapped her hard in the face. Due to the floor having a good amount of crimson, she slipped and fell to the floor. Landing on her right, most of that side got splashed and sprinkled with red.
"…!" Rei reacted blinking in surprise a little.
"…" Ritsuko said looking at something else while putting her hands in her pocket.
"…!" Rana responded with a look of shock. Instead of looking at the woman, she stared at the blood floor.
"Listen you brat! He isn't coming back! All of us have accepted it, but you haven't even tried to move on! You are making it hard on everyone else! Stop acting like a child and grow up!" Misato stated angry. She looked down at the twin hoping that will knock some sense into her.
"…" the twin said feeling several flashbacks go through her head.
They were of the doctors, the clients, and sisters that she remembered Shinji recalling from time to time. All of the flashbacks showed where he was in a state of devastation, turmoil, and madness. She felt from each one where his trust and his heart fractured from their atrocity and betrayal toward him. All of it happened so quickly, that her nausea, trepidation, and desperation became numb. Almost as if a switched was engaged in her being, an emotion festered over the others.
"…so…" Rana said calmly standing up and putting a hand on her cheek. "…this is what he felt…when no one came."
"…?" Misato said seeing her demeanor and aura had changed almost instantly. Thinking that she finally got some sense knocked into her, the Major only felt hostility from the twin. The amount of blood on the teen's right side seem to add an element of murkiness to her demeanor.
"…this means…" the female twin said to herself and turning around. "I am…even closer to him than before."
The three watched Rana put her hand down to her side and stepped forward toward the elevator again. In irritation, Misato stepped forward and spun the teen around again hard.
"You are not going down th-!?" she said when Rana pivoted and slapped her in the face. The impact sounded hard as the Major almost slipped and fell to the bloody ground in surprise. Both Ritsuko and Rei looked shocked from what happened then at the twin. Misato held her left cheek surprised at how hard the hit was. Wincing a little, she saw the twin look at her with anger.
"IF YOU WANT TO LIE TO ME, FINE! I WON'T BETRAY SHINJI! MY FAITH AND LOVE FOR HIM IS STRONGER THAN ANY OF YOU COULD UNDERSTAND!" Rana roared at them with her eyes glowing a little.
Turning around quickly, she walked into the bloodbath elevator. Not even looking back at them, she pressed the clean level button. The elevator doors slowly closed with a dull wet slam and began to descend. Silence filled the room as the only sound was the humming of the elevator pulley system and the level indicator clicking above the doors. Ritsuko walked over to the Major to see her continue to glare at the elevator doors.
"Need an ice pack?"
"I'm fine," Misato replied still holding her cheek.
"Aspirin?"
"…" she answered and just giving her a look.
"…" Dr. Akagi said taking her hands out of her pocket. She raised them to the air with a look of indifference.
"I'll be fine," the lavender haired woman said firmly walking passed her.
"Major?" Rei asked still looking at the elevator.
"…" Misato said stopping. Turning her head toward the First Child with less of a glare, she couldn't remove her sour expression.
"What?"
"What did Rana mean," Ayanami stated slowly turning her head toward the Major. Her face was her usual stoic stare.
"That you lied?"
"She can't deal with the truth. Children reject it when it's told to them."
"Did you lie?"
"…" Misato said narrowing her eyes at the First Child. Ritsuko was about to interject when both adults saw Rei's eyes widen with a haunting look. Her mouth parted as if what just happened made her unsure of the people around her even more.
"…" she said as her eyes had an icy gaze to them that unnerved both of them. The First Child spoke quieter while not moving from her spot.
"…why…?"
"…" Misato stated unfazed by the uncomfortable stare that the teen was giving her. "I don't know what you are talking about."
"…" Ayanami responded. Blinking, she looked at the elevator.
"You are not going in there Rei. You understand me?" the Major said with a grave voice.
"…" the female pilot answered. Not looking at her, she turned toward the hallway adjacent to the elevators. She began walking in that direction without saying anything.
"…" Misato stated angry. Gripping her free hand into a tight fist, the sight of the teen walk away without answering her got on her nerves. Both she and Ritsuko watched as female pilot went toward an intersection down the hallway. Once there, the First Child turned left into another walkway and was out of sight.
"…" the Major commented then looked down. Glaring at the floor, she stomped back down the hallway to the control room. Ritsuko sighed and followed her friend with her hands back in her lab coat pockets.
As the elevator was going down, Rana calmed down a bit. Wiping the couple of tears that developed from the intense emotion that flared, she tried to not focus on how she was standing in and surrounded by blood. No matter where she stood, the red liquid was everywhere. The air was thick, sticky, smelled of iron, and made her feel icky and sick. Seeing her right side had been stained with blood, it made her skin crawl on how it felt against her skin. A part of her started to panic from thinking that the elevator was pulsating with booming sounds. The twin realized that it was her own pulse beating loudly in her head.
'No…got to concentrate,' she thought shaking her head feeling droplets hit her head and clothes.
Glancing up at the level numbers on the panel, it kept highlighting the next level down it passed. The lift started to slow down to a stop where several droplets fell from the ceiling. Remembering that the level she was at before was flooded, she shivered. Feeling that her nerves were getting pulled from visualizing becoming neck deep in crimson, she shook while extending her hand to the button panel. Closing her eyes, she pressed the button to open the doors. Hearing the doors start to open, she took a quick breath and held it while bracing for the rush.
"…?" Rana said confused.
She only felt only a cool gentle breeze come into the elevator as the sound of blood droplets continued. Peering her eyes open, she looked forward and glanced around quickly. Blinking in surprise and releasing the air held, there was no tall wave of red. Instead, the open space looked untampered with. Carefully stepping out of the elevator, the twin looked around her surroundings with a confused face. The elevator doors behind her slowly closed.
'There is no blood anywhere,' Rana thought not seeing any in the open space. 'The containment doors look like they haven't even closed either.'
Taking a few deep breaths in and out, she felt the blood air that she breathed in the elevator got out of her lungs. Feeling better about breathing in the stale air, she smelled faint scents of iron. Looking at her blood stained clothes, she smelled areas that weren't dirtied. There were faint smells on it, but mostly fabric softener. Ignoring them for now, she continued to looking around in confusion.
"Is this the wrong floor?" Rana asked out loud.
Turning back to the elevator she came out of, the doors had already closed. Trying the call button, the doors did not open. Wondering if someone had called for the elevator, it was still at the floor level she was on. Confused, she tried again holding down the call button. Still not getting any response, the twin moved to the other one next to it. Pressing the call button, it lit up; however, it didn't respond either. Scratching her arm a little, her ears picked up something. Instantly, she spun around.
'…what was that?' she thought hearing a distant sound coming from the adjacent hallway. Waiting for the sound to occur or something else, nothing moved or changed in the open space. About to relax, a thick, sticky, and familiar smell was overtaking the air. Not seeing anything in front of her, she looked behind over her shoulder.
"…!?" the twin said immediately backing away from the elevator.
Both lift doors had blood dripping from the middle. It started at a trickle rate, but was slowing increasing. The amount coming down started to pool on the floor and grow. Seeing that she couldn't use them, Rana turned toward the adjacent hallway to the right and walked down it quickly. Getting to the first intersection, she looked to the right and blinked in confusion. The Eva cage sliding doors were nowhere to be seen. All that was there was a continuous metal wall going down the hallway.
"I could have sworn they were at the first intersection," she thought out loud. "I probably went one level too low."
Slumping her shoulders a little, a soft sigh came out of her mouth. Deciding to move forward and find another elevator, something in her peripheral caught her eye. Looking down the hallway to the left, there was something on the ground a distance a ways. Squinting her eyes, there were bloody footprints going further. Feeling a sensation run through her, she took a couple of steps down the hallway.
"Shinji?" she asked quietly hearing her voice echo a little. Not hearing a response, Rana continued down the hallway carefully.
Down another hallway, the First Child was letting her feet walk her in a direction. Her mind was running. There were many questions generating in her head faster than she could answer them.
'Did the Major lie?'
'If so, why did the Major lie?'
'What was the Major trying to hide?'
'How does Rana know that Ikari is alive when he clearly died?'
'Is having hope logical? Or is it pure emotion?'
'Why do some give up hope while others continue to hold?'
'What is the Angel trying to do?'
'Is it trying to do its purpose or something else?'
'Why was it unable to utilize the Eva when it took control and infected it before?'
Ayanami slowly stopped trying to figure out the questions swimming through her head. As much as she wanted to answer them, there was much unknown aspects regarding each. Blinking and looking around of where she stopped, there were elevators next to her. Looking at the call button, something was telling her to press it. Not too sure why, she shook her head. Oddly, the smell of blood suddenly hit her which made her grimace again.
"…" she said looking around her while covering her mouth and nose. There was no blood around on the floor or walls. Glancing up, no red was seen on the ceiling either. The aroma became stronger as if something was getting closer to her. Not feeling anything threatening or seeing anything coming at her, the smell was becoming more and more nauseating.
Thinking that the blood from where the other elevators were had permeated onto her clothes, she decided to go change. Pressing the call button, Rei knew that the locker room was a couple of floors down. When the elevator opened, there was nothing inside of it. Entering, she pressed the level on the button panel. The doors closed and the unit started making its descent. Remembering what Rana did, she looked at her hand and gazed at her open palm.
"…" the First Child said trying to find an answer of why the twin slapped the Major.
'Rana was highly emotional when she attacked.'
'Is that an emotional discharge…or the power of hope?'
'Logic points that she was being foolish, irrational, and delusional.'
'However,' Rei thought blinking and continuing to look at her hand. 'She acted…defiantly…'
'She claimed that her faith and love for Ikari was stronger than others…how does that work?'
'Does being a twin blood sibling make her that closer to him than others?' she thought feeling her hand close into a fist.
'She also has expressed interest beyond what is considered…normal family boundaries,' Rei pondered feeling her face tense as a frown grew on her face.
'…I…do not…like that,' the female pilot thought strongly as she put her hand down to her side. The elevator slowed to a stop and opened with a small ding sound. Stepping out of the elevator, she saw Rana immediately to her left. Both blinked and looked at each other with slight surprise faces.
"…!?" Rana asked shocked. "How did you know I was on this floor?"
"…?" Ayanami said tilting her head slightly confused. "I didn't."
"How bizarre."
"Yes."
"Did Misato send you?"
"No. I came on my own."
"Okay," the twin said with a relief expression.
"Are you searching for Ikari?"
"Yes. I think I might be on the right track based on these," Rana said pointing to the bloody footprints.
"..." Ayanami said looking further down the hallway seeing the tracks continue.
"Are you here for something?"
"…" Rei said thinking about what she originally planned on doing. Thinking about what she just felt regarding the female twin, she decided to keep that portion to herself.
"I am heading to the locker room to shower."
"Shower?"
"Yes. I don't like the color of blood or its smell. LCL is manageable."
"That makes sense. Maybe I should join you since I was in that drenched elevator."
"You can if you want to."
"…I probably should," Rana stated looking at the blood spots on her clothes. "I did get them on my clothes and on my head as well. Which way is the locker room?"
"That…" Rei began looking down the hallway to their right. The bloody footprints were going in that direction. "…way."
"Okay. I'll follow," she said with a small smile.
"…" the First Child said with a slow nod and followed the bloody prints with the twin walking beside her.
Back in the observation room, Misato was still frowning and holding her red cheek. Ritsuko gave her an insta-cold pack in which the Major applied on her face.
"I didn't think she would have hit you that hard in the face," the Dr. Akagi said attending to Maya who was finally coming around slowly. She only heard a grunt from the lavender haired woman.
"You alright Maya?"
"…I…think so," the bridge monitor said slowly sitting up and rubbing a hand on her forehead. "What…happened?"
"A little bit of stuff. Take your time," Ritsuko answered giving the technician a glass of water and some medication if she needed them.
"Ah!" Maya stated out loud and looked at the observation window still seeing a sea of red. "Is the thing-!"
"It is alright. The creature is gone," the faux blonde stated putting a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
"…" Ikubi said sighing deeply and rubbing her temples. "Thank god nothing happened."
"Well…almost nothing happened," Ritsuko said going back to the monitor that she was using.
"Almost? Where are Pilot Ayanami and Rana?"
"Them? I'm not too sure where but they went looking for someone."
"Someone who is already dead," Misato grumbled not turning around and staring at the observation window. The draining process was showing it was working with a fourth of the pool of red in the cage gone.
"What happen to that Angel?"
"You wouldn't believe me even if I told you. Are you well enough to stand and walk around?" Ritsuko asked. Watching the technician stand up and walk around a little, she seemed to be relatively fine.
"You seem well. Can I have you look up something?" she asked. The lieutenant nod and sat back down at another monitor that was on.
"Do a scan to see if the sample blood I took has spread anywhere to other levels."
"Okay," Maya said and began to search.
Turning to her own monitor, she began her researching over what transpired. She saw Misato turning on a monitor where she was. Guessing what she was going to do, the scientist kept on typing while keeping an ear open. The Major pulled out her phone and scrolled to find another number to speed dial. Pressing it, she put the phone to her ear. After two rings, the line was picked up.
[Security] a male voice responded on the other end.
"Major Katsuragi here. Check the cameras on the levels one above and below of the Eva cage floor. Locate the First Child and the female twin of the Third Child. Call me at the control room of the Eva cage when found or not within five minutes."
[Roger] the person said then the line went dead.
"…" Misato said reapplying the cool ice pack back on her cheek. A couple of minutes went by in silence as each was working on their separate task.
"Scanning has been completed Dr. Akagi," Maya said and scrolled through the report. "The results said that the Eva cage and all intersections surrounding that area were flooded. However, the containment doors were able to prevent the substance from spreading further on the floor. There are also small traces found on the floor below."
"How small of traces?" Ritsuko asked looking up from her monitor.
"I'll bring up a camera image," the technician stated when the room's phone rang.
"Major Katsuragi here."
[I found both the First Child and the other female on the floor level below the Eva cage.]
"Good. Send-"
[Uh Major…there is something else down there ahead of them] the security guard stated with a bewildered tone. It made Misato take off her ice pack.
"This is the image scan," Maya stated as both she and Ritsuko looked at the picture. "What are those?"
'…they look like…' the head scientist thought looking at the repetitive patter of red marks on the floor in a hallway. Something clicked in her head as she went to the control room door. Opening it, she looked at the footprints and traced at where it was going down the hallway.
[There's…a red blob that is making footprints. Looks humanoid.]
"A red humanoid blob?" Misato repeated over the phone getting an affirmative.
"Dr. Akagi?" Maya asked seeing Ritsuko turning around quickly and staring at Misato.
"Misato! Where is the exact location of it?!"
"The location?" she asked blinking in surprised to see a stern but alarmed look on her friend's face.
"Maya, find if there is a high concentration of the blood sample in the scan!"
"R-Right!" the technician said scrolling through the scan a little more carefully.
"Security said the red blob is heading towards the locker rooms on that level."
"Engage the containment doors to trap it! Call Ayanami and tell her to not pursue it!" Ritsuko barked the order making the other two jump a little. Misato's irritated mood went into worry as she quickly got her cell phone out.
"I found the high concentration…it is the source of the small traces amount on that floor. It is moving at 2 mph rate."
"Security has initiated the containment doors. What is going on Rits?" the Major asked putting down the room's phone and putting her cell to her ear.
"Remember the person figure from the observation window," the doctor stated feeling irritated. Both nodded.
"That one was a decoy. Another part of itself is that red blob walking around."
Back in the hallway, both Rei and Rana continued walking in the direction of the bloody footprints. Up ahead was an intersection with a red silhouette moving to the right. They only saw a small bit of it before it vanished out of sight.
"…" Ayanami said with a blink not sure what to make of the sight.
She saw Rana had stopped and was narrowing her eyes at the end of the hallway. About to say something, the twin walked forward quickly and quietly. Following at a walking pace, both reached the end of the hallway. The First Child watched Rana peer around the corner to look down the walkway to the right. When the female pilot got closes, she also peered around the corner.
"Looks like a walking blob," the female double whispered.
"Yes," Rei responded quietly. She noticed that down this hallway had the locker rooms.
All the sudden, red spiraling lights came on as containment doors started coming down. To not get crushed, both quickly moved into the right hallway hearing the large metal panel close behind them with audible locks. Looking in front of them, the other end of the hallway had the containment doors down as well. Both of them and the red blob were trapped inside. Suddenly, Ayanami felt her phone vibrate.
"Pilot Ayanami here," Rei responded quietly.
[Rei, are you okay?]
"Yes Major."
[Is Rana with you?]
"Yes."
[Good. Where are you exactly on that floor?]
"The hallway with the locker rooms."
[Okay. Ritsuko said that there is some red moving blob on that floor. You haven't come across it, have you?]
"Yes. It is here in the area we are in," Rei said hearing Misato swore out loud on the other end. After some mumbling in the background, the line suddenly gave an electric static sound before becoming dead. Looking at her phone, it looked to be turned off.
"Something happened?" Rana asked seeing her hold down the power button on the phone. However, it didn't turn on.
"…I don't know. I was suddenly cut off. The phone appears to have shutdown itself."
Both heard a door opening slowly with a loud squeak that made them blink. Looking ahead, they saw the red silhouette going into one of the locker rooms. Being closer, they heard it make heavy and wet footsteps as the door closed slowly with loud creaking again. Moving to the wall opposite of the locker rooms, they saw that it entered the male side. About to try turning on her phone again, Rei saw Rana start walking forward slowly. Out of reflex, Ayanami reached and grabbed her wrist to prevent her from continuing.
"The Major stated that the figure is not to go near."
"It is possible that the red thing is another one that appeared in front of the observation window," the twin said evenly and turning around with a stoic face.
"If that is the case, then we should not go seek it."
"I do understand that logic, but tell me," Rana said and lightly poked at the First Child's heart area on her chest. "What does that organ tell you to do?"
"…" Ayanami said bringing a hand over it. "…it tells me…to go toward it…but…I don't know why. A part of me and the logic side of me say it is danger."
"…" Rana said then smiled with intense eyes. "If the containment doors have been dropped, then that means this becomes a quarantine area. What do you think our chances are getting out alive if that red blob is another figure from before?"
"…" Rei said blinking with a stoic face. "Probably not likely unless the NERV staff can figure out a way for us to escape."
"Do think that will be an easy task for them?"
"Easy, yes. Quickly…depends on factors."
"Grand optimistic odds. But if they create another opening, it would cause more contamination. So here is my thinking…since either way the probably of dying is high, what do we have to lose by confronting it?"
"Survival probability will be higher if we remain here."
"What if it comes here? We will be trapped."
"…we can reside in the woman's locker room for the time being. It will allow some maneuverability if it enters."
"If it is highly contagious, we would become infected regardless."
"…" Rei said blinking and lowering her head trying to think of an alternative to their predicament. Her thought process was disrupted by feeling Rana's hands on her shoulders.
"Listen…I know what I am suggesting sounds…suicidal. Given what that thing is and how long it takes for a rescue team to get here, we will probably be dead…I'm just…I just want to take a chance to see if my instincts are right."
"…why…" Ayanami asked blinking. "Why pursue it when there is nothing to prove it will be what you think it will be?"
"It is because…I want to believe in that chance," the twin answered relaxing her intense stare and taking her hands off her shoulders.
"…taking an unknown risk with unknown outcomes is…worth taking?" the First Child asked stoically.
"Only one way to find out," Rana replied quietly. Slowly turning around, she started walking toward the locker room door with a large blood dripping splat.
'…I don't…understand,' Ayanami thought to herself while feeling her heart beating a little faster. Despite a part of her telling her to remain where she was standing, she began following the female twin toward the male locker room door. The hairs on her skin started to stand a little from feeling the atmosphere turning murkier the closer they got to it.