Interlude 4: Spirit, Suffering
Australian Outback, Another World, 2019
Far above the now silent, desolate wasteland, now starting to see the crimson crystals of core material intrude in its domain, four tilt-rotor aircraft, once belonging to NERV, flew over the landscape.
Within the lead aircraft, Tavis Farhaven looked out the window, gazing intently at the core material, and the ways that it grew. 'Some of them are starting to take shape into… something. I could have sworn I saw a horn jutting out from a head and pair of shoulders.' he shook his head silently as he turned away from the view. 'Probably just my imagination.'
As he looked back at the passenger compartment, he saw the faces of his companions, his security team. Most were drawn from the mission at Matsushiro, given some basic combat training and an initiation into Interfacing. All were drawn from the ranks of the faithful, some recently initiated from the growing non-Scion population that had coalesced in the time after Near Third Impact.
Thus, the hold glowed slightly with the upturned hands and dots of initiates. However, they were not the only marks to be found. Aaminata, whose upturned hands held up four whisps, outwardly showing her status as a Spirit-Keeper, looked back at Tavis with a worn expression.
And hers was not the only one. The marks, glowing dimly as they were, still showed the bags under their bearer's eyes, as some rubbed at them or yawned. It had been a hard push, that last year. Searching and searching, combing through everything they could find, finally finding a data entry deep within the depths of NERV-Matsushiro's computer system that showed where the first three MP-Evas were being held, deep within Australia.
With that, they had left, and the first Mass-Production Evangelion they had found, its caretakers fortunately absent, had been secured over the course of three restless, nearly hectic days.
Tavis sighed. The memory of what they had accomplished exhausted even him. So, he made his way over to Aaminata and sat down.
"We'll be reaching the next base soon, Aami." he said quietly to Aaminata, who nodded slowly. "Are your Spirits ready?"
"Yes. Always." she replied in a clipped tone. "Are the rest of the team ready?"
"They have to be." Tavis said with a sigh. "We need to make sure that we take the Evas as quickly as possible. Then we can get started on putting this world back together."
Aaminata looked at Tavis skeptically, more than aware of what those words might mean. "We need to rest, Tavis." she said matter-of-factly. "We can't be assured that we can just walk in like we did last time."
"We're ready." Tavis replied firmly. "Every one of us has the faith and the training necessary to make this work. The Guides have spoken. And it will come to pass."
"One way or another." Aaminata said mulishly.
"Aami…" Tavis started.
"I am as faithful as you are, Tavis." Aaminata interrupted with a serious look in her eyes. "I just seem to not have my head in the clouds. Two days. That's all I'll ask for. Just so we can be absolutely ready."
It was a tense silence that hung between the two of them for a moment.
"One day. We can't waste a second more." Tavis finally said firmly.
Aaminata sighed. "Well, I guess we'll take what we can get." she said quietly.
"Good." Tavis said, smiling slightly. "Because you're right."
He continued past the surprised look that Aaminata gave him. "I do expect at least some of them to be guarded. To not think so would be stupid. So I'll give us a day, make sure we're in top fighting shape."
. . .
One Day Later
Tavis looked out the window again. This time, the four aircraft in his retinue circled a very well hidden aircraft port as its roof doors slowly opened, the pilot on the radio offering some seemingly valid reason or another for there being four of them above the base. Then he looked back at the dozen or so that were with him and smiled slightly.
A day's rest had done wonders for them. Sure, there were still a few somewhat drawn faces to be seen, but for the most part, everyone seemed ready.
"Alright," Tavis said, drawing the attention of the group from preparing their weapons and checking armor plates, "remember what we trained for. If this goes south, capture and subdue if you can, but kill if you must. We can afford to lose this base's security detail in exchange for keeping you all alive."
They all nodded, and Tavis's smile grew a little wider. "For the Unity, my friends."
"For the Unity." came the echo from the group, and it thrilled Tavis to hear them all say that to him.
. . .
Tavis's thoughts back to a few hours ago, to that silent thrill, were blasted away by the peppering of rifle fire coming down the corridor, as he crouched a little further behind the hallway wall.
'And it had all started so well.' he thought bitterly.
The barrage soon silenced, and Tavis's Grip was in his hands in an instant, a swirling grey rifle in his hands swinging into the corridor and firing, energy rounds from the other's Metos Rifles following his shots.
In short order, the corridor was clear, and Tavis and his squad of six began to cautiously move forward, sweeping the branching hallways on either side as they did.
Tavis linked his soul to Aaminata and Kauri, both elsewhere in the facility securing the scientist and technicians, and holding off the security forces. "How goes it for the two of you? I'm just about to reach the Eva bay."
"Smooth so far." Kauri replied, professionalism and calm lacing the words across the link. "Mostly scientists and technicians where I'm at. Though some damned sneaky security downed two of my men before they were put to bed."
"Lucky." Aaminata replied sardonically. "I think I found the main guard post, where most of the security was centered. I've lost four so far…"
She trailed off, and anger and sorrow jolted the link. "Make that five. Damn them and their resistance."
"Very well. Aaminata, try to find a map of this place and find the command center. The sooner we take that, the sooner we have control of this place. Kauri, when Aami lets us know where it is, start making your way towards it." Tavis said, the expectation of obedience evident in his tone.
"Will do." Kauri replied firmly.
"I'll see what I can do." Aaminata replied more levelly.
Tavis cut the connection off, and as the team came to an elevator, he let his mind wander for a moment. 'We're securing the Evas, but what do we do with them? They need a soul in order to operate. Or…'
The thought that came to him stuck with him through the rest of the hectic, dangerous day.
. . .
Soon enough, the base came under their control, and Tavis found himself at the command center, staring up at the main screen as it showed the pale white form of the Mass-Production Evangelion.
It was a familiar sight, bringing back memories from another world. Bitter memories. 'But now, no one will stand in my way.' he thought. 'Especially when I can use these.'
"Tavis." a familiar voice said behind him, snapping him from his thoughts.
He turned to face Aaminata, whose expression was serious. "We're performing last rites on the seven who died today." She said quietly. "We need you there."
"Okay." Tavis said quietly. Seven. Seven that had been killed by what became the assault on the base.
A part of him scoffed. To lose less than a quarter of their number taking one of these things was a trifle. He had seen worse happen to those that didn't make the harvest on time. Or for even more trifling matters. But a part of him wondered. Could another day have seen those seven alive instead of needing their last rites? He didn't know. He likely wouldn't.
"Alright. Let's go." Aaminata said, gesturing to an exit.
. . .
With muttered words and moments of silence for the fallen behind them, Tavis and Aaminata made their way back towards the command center. They reached an elevator, descending in silence as the elevator marked its passage with a ticking meter.
"So, Aami," Tavis began, pausing for a second as she looked at him quizzically, "I have a question for you."
"Go ahead." Aaminata replied.
"Can you put some of your Spirits in the cores of the Evas?" Tavis said, forthrightly.
Aaminata gave him a hard, cold look. "No." she said unequivocally.
"Aami-" Tavis began as his brow furrowed.
"You have put my children through the grinder before, Tavis. Why should I let you do so again?" Aaminata asked, turning to face him.
"Because it's your children, Aami, or someone else's soul. Someone we know we can keep a good leash on." Tavis nearly spat back.
They stared at each other for a moment. "I will not lose more of my children, Tavis."
Tavis turned away, scoffing in disgust. Aaminata shook her head. "Do you really know so little of loss?"
Tavis went still. His hands clenched at his sides, and mist began to fall from between his fingers.
"Loss? Loss?" Tavis said with quiet venom. "I know perfectly well of loss."
It was silent again, the tension in the air seeming to weigh down on both of them like millstones.
In that tension, however, Aaminata's hard glare began to gleam with questioning. "How do you know?" she asked quietly.
After a moment, Tavis sighed, unclenching his fists as the doors opened, ankle-high mist spilling out of the elevator. "How about we go find somewhere private to discuss that?" he said.
Aaminata nodded, and the two walked through the hallway, coming upon a spare rec room that was sufficiently out of the way for Tavis's liking.
Tavis walked over to a chair, sitting down and gesturing to another chair. "Take a seat. We'll probably be here for a little while."
Aaminata slowly walked around the card table, taking a seat kitty-corner from Tavis. She regarded him silently, waiting for him to begin.
"I was a slave, once." Tavis said with little preamble. "A worthless creature known on the world I was raised on as a skaa. We toiled for noble-born farmers, sifting through ash that fell like rain to ensure that crops were picked. The noble-born that I worked under were evil. Capricious. More than willing to kill an entire family of skaa just for one servant spilling tea on the lady's dress accidentally."
"But we had a hope, us skaa." Tavis said, smiling grimly. "A man known as the Survivor. A man by the name of Kelsier. He was a rebel and a criminal, stealing from and killing noble-born, and setting us free into the mists. He even started an army of skaa. Snuck us into the city of Luthadel, one by one. He was a legend among us. Untouchable, some said. One with the mists."
Tavis went quiet. "Then the Survivor met the undisputed master of the world. The Lord Ruler. And that's when we all found that he was just a man. Right when the Lord Ruler pulled a spear out of his chest and shoved it into Kelsier's."
As Aaminata's eyes widened slightly, Tavis chuckled softly. "The skaa army was slaughtered after that. I went into hiding. I had lost my friends. My family. I had lost faith that I, or anyone, could ever be saved as the Survivor promised."
"Then a passing Receptorist picked me up. Saw my potential in my state of despair. Showed me that the Guides were greater than the Survivor could ever be."
Tavis trailed off for a moment. "So, yes, Aami. I do know quite well what loss is like."
Silence came between the two of them, but it was a pensive thing, now, as they considered one another. "How do you know?" Tavis asked quietly.
In Aaminata's mind, images flashed of a wide-open savannah, of little food and water. Of friends and family passing their spirits on to her, to keep safe. Of a long, long walk, and a hot, beating sun. Of staring at the sun on her back, as darkness intruded in her vision. Of the sight of the sun being blocked, her face cast into shadow by another.
"Death was a familiar face before I found a Receptorist." Aaminata said simply with a shrug. "That's all there really is to it."
Tavis nodded. "Fair enough." he leaned forward. "So, do you think you could summon some Spirits to occupy the cores of the Evas?"
Aaminata sighed. "Well, it's going to take a few weeks, at least. But I'll see what I can find."
"Good." Tavis said, leaning back with a slight smile. "We'll be able to really get things going once you're ready. Along with everyone else."