Chapter 43: Many Meetings in Familiar Halls
The soul is a tangible construct. No longer the realm of fantastical superstition or religious dogma, it is a real, scientific concept. No longer is the soul kept jealously within the realm of God. Now, it belongs to man, and man alone.
With such ends as we pursue kept zealously secret, it must be that the research that leads to such an end be kept with equal secrecy. So it surprises us that, without our interference, one scientist in our employ has come to speculate on Instrumentality. This Hideaki Katsuragi, based on what little I have come to read about him, is a perfect pawn for our uses. We will bring him in slowly. Quite slowly, to ensure that when we reveal the truth to him, he will be utterly loyal.
As well, the location of what I have come to call Adam, Lilith's counterpart, comes closer and closer to being revealed. The Scrolls speak of a land of eternal winter, where the snow never ceases. I have sent expeditions to Greenland and the Arctic, and an Antarctic expedition is in the works for a few years from now. Perhaps this Katsuragi can helm this expedition to the far south. A test of his ability and willingness to see our end met.
- From the personal journals of Lorenz Kihl, September 1994
Geofront, Tokyo-3, November 15th 2016
It felt comfortable for Daniel Theisman to step into the personnel tram that ran down the side of the Geofront, forgoing the car lift for today. He could guess that, for at least many of the HERZ personnel traveling with him, few though they may have currently been, it was much the same, now that a corridor had been opened into the dramatically reduced Corite, and people had been allowed to return. There were plans for getting rid of the rest of the Corite, now a wall around the city, but those would likely come after their improved defense system was at least somewhat operational.
He looked to both sides of himself, noting Shinji and Asuka as they stood with him looking out the window at the expansive scene before them. The forest was still in the process of being fully restored, and the great glass pyramid now had sheets of metal and particle board over the lower half of it until it could be reconstructed.
Before he looked away from Shinji, he paused, noting (finally) the stippled dark fuzz that clung to Shinji's face. Was he…
"Is that what I think is growing on your face, Shinji?" Daniel asked quietly and with a slight grin, Asuka looking over with a bemused smile as Shinji blinked and looked over at Daniel, a hand reaching up almost on instinct.
"Oh." Shinji said after a moment as the tram slid into the receiving station, the doors opening with a quiet ding as it disgorged its passengers. "Well, yeah actually, it is. I don't know how well it's going to work, but…"
"Oh, it'll be fine, Shinji." Asuka said, punching Shinji's shoulder lightly as she walked over to his side, the trio entering the HQ proper. "Daniel's managed it just fine, and I think Misato will just have fun for a little bit at our expense. And after all, we're pilots who have taken on giant monsters and demons within the last two days. As long as you can keep it clean, I don't think anyone will care." she paused for a moment. "Just don't make it that ridiculous chinstrap like your dad once had, like I said."
Shinji shook his head once emphatically, a dark look in his eyes. "Yeah. I have no plans to do that ever." he said firmly.
They walked on towards their destination for a moment more, the hallways still mostly familiar even with having moved back in only two days before, reaching an elevator that began to descend towards the newly designated Science and Engineering Levels before Daniel blinked. "Speaking of the Incursion…" he began as he dug his clear-pad from his pocket. "I got these just this morning."
He pulled up a file, Shinji and Asuka leaning in close as a video began to play. It was a view of a well-lit street on a dark night, the sound of crashing and roaring in the distance, the focus on a single man in a suit of slim grey armor, dark hair whipping as he faced down a group of mostly humanoid soldiers, a blade in each hand, one more a long dagger, one a short sword, flashing through them as each strike that he allowed to land clattered against a rippling shield of blue. Around him, Shinji and Asuka both recognized, by Daniel's description, Minbari soldiers working in deadly concert, orbiting the man who took center stage in the video.
"Oh, that's Duncan, right?" Shinji said as he watched the inhuman soldiers cut down with a speed and grace that only the most rigorous of training could give a person.
Daniel nodded as the video ended and he started another. "That was in Munich. Meanwhile, in Nova Brasilia…"
The next video that played was drone footage, circling overhead as split screens focused on two groups. One showed the very elements seeming to lash out at the demons that tried to swarm them, water and lightning and glittering gemstones erupting from them as the footage zoomed in to show who was likely Percy and Jason taking down a demon easily 3 or 4 times their size, Percy sending a wave of water to knock it to the ground as Jason staked a thunderbolt into its heart.
The other screen showed a similar group, larger than Percy's Worldstriders, laying about themselves in a storm of brilliant attacks that flashed in and out of existence, oranges and blues and brilliant greens and tones of gold light turning the demons around them to dust and ashes.
"Wow…" Asuka said after a moment, clearly impressed by the spectacular displays. "Man, if I wasn't so attached to piloting, I'd want to be down there showing off my Interfacing."
Her slight smile faded. "Maybe it could have kept the numbers down a little more."
Daniel sighed quietly as he put his clear-pad away, a hand gently resting on Asuka's shoulder. "We all did the best we could that night, kiddo." he said, equally quietly, as the doors to the Science level opened. "I know how you feel, though. If you need to talk, you know where to go."
Shinji and Asuka both nodded wordlessly as they walked toward their destination. This far down the walls still, at times, bore the fig leaf insignia of NERV. The remodeling crews hadn't finished fully down here yet, but they had gotten the most important parts of the remodeling done even through the Incursion.
Which was how they turned into a new, far different room that lay beyond the door now labeled 'Massive Scale Experimental Lab'.
They stepped into a cavernous room, a second-floor balcony jutting out, the ground floor's left wall up to the balcony's edge partitioned off into several cubicles. To the right under the balcony, a full-size Frame Plug, or at least a very convincing image of one, was suspended in the air, three shorter figures standing next to a taller one. The room felt… empty, even with the scattered scientists that occupied the room and filled it with a quiet murmur that joined the humming and clear tones of the machinery.
"I wonder why Maya called the three of us here instead of just you." Asuka mused to Daniel as they entered, stopping for a moment to appreciate the sight that they took in.
"You two are basically my seconds in command here, really." Daniel replied, looking around and finding a few other familiar faces scattered about working on other things. "Let's go see what Kensuke is so excited about."
They made their way over towards Maya and her three companions as she turned to notice them, smiling as she waved. "Well, hello." she said cheerfully, causing Kensuke, Mayumi, and Ichigo to turn and regard the approaching trio as well.
"Hello, Maya." Daniel replied before regarding Kensuke, Ichigo, and Mayumi. "Hello, you three. I didn't expect to see either of you two down here with Ken today."
"Oh, well…" Mayumi began, trailing off and blushing slightly as she searched for the words to explain their presence, Daniel noting as Ichigo silently slipped her hand into Mayumi's. "Pardon me. We were here to help Ken and Captain Ibuki test some new ideas for the Frame Titans."
"And I'd assume you lovely nerds have something that's at least interesting to tell us?" Asuka asked with a slight smile.
"That we do." Kensuke replied, stepping behind the two girls and putting a hand on their shoulders. "Having done even just some cursory studies of that Jaeger mech you guys brought back, Atlas Destroyer I believe, we've been cooking up some fresh ideas for the Frame Titans."
A gleam of excitement glittered in his eyes as he stepped back and pulled out a clear-pad. "I'll start with the little things, but first, you've got to check this out."
"First off, this holographic suite?" he continued as Daniel and the other Children came to a stop by Ichigo and Mayumi's side. "Fully tactile. Like…"
He paused as a disk of light appeared under his feet, lifting him smoothly into the air until it came to a stop at the top of the floating Frame Plug. "So!" Kensuke finished as he jumped over to the Frame Plug, the disk disappearing as he looked back down at the group's bemused smiles. "And it doesn't stop there!"
He walked over to the far edge of the Plug, disappearing from sight for a moment. "Not only is this a fully functioning simulation of the Plug…"
As he paused, the half that faced them slowly faded from view, becoming fully transparent and revealing Kensuke's giddy expression once again. "It can even give an X-ray view of any kind you can think of! Now…"
He jumped into an open hatch, landing in the small area beside the pilot's chair. "There are several things I want to talk about, but we'll start with the smaller possible advancements." he said, his voice muffled slightly and echoing from within the Frame Plug.
As Kensuke set up his demonstration, Daniel looked over at Maya. "Maybe he has a secondary job in store for him as part of our PR department. He's certainly enthusiastic enough for it." he said wryly.
Maya chuckled. "You think we'll give our greatest source of ideas to the little diplomats? Not a chance."
Their focus turned back to Kensuke as he finished setting up. "So," he began, "first things first. All these screens?" he gestured around him to the screens in question. "First step for this advancement is to get rid of them entirely." a fact which he demonstrated with a few taps of his pad, the black screens fading out.
"Uh, Ken…" Shinji said slowly. "I do usually like seeing what I'm trying to deal with, buddy."
"Ah, but see," Kensuke chuckled slightly, "that's the thing with this idea. You won't need the screens."
He tapped on his pad again, and a grid of 10 small nodes, flashing yellow, appeared, surrounding the front and side views of the pilot's seat.
"These flashing components are retinal projectors." Kensuke said with no small amount of satisfaction. "With the space that the monitors took up freed up for the necessary components, these things will project a view of what your Eva's eyes see. Full head and eye-tracking for a more informed view outside the Plug, while still keeping controls and AR screens visible."
Asuka nodded her head once, clearly impressed. "Huh. That's neat. Hope it doesn't hurt our eyes too much."
"Retinal damage was brought to my attention, I'll admit." Kensuke chuckled uneasily as Mayumi purposely pushed up her glasses. "So, we've also considered a Pneumaic link directly to the eyes of the Eva itself, with backup cameras in case of irreparable damage. We're still getting the design for that worked out."
"But, moving on from that," he continued, "let's talk about Spirits. Which is why my lovely assistants are with us today."
Mayumi and Ichigo both chuckled quietly as Kensuke continued. "Now, while right now the only thing most Eva pilots have to worry about is their own soul, it's going to be a given that some pilots will take an interest in becoming Animists. As such, we've needed to tweak the design of the Frame Plug a little to add some more Pneumaic boosters. With that, anyone with a Spirit will be able to sustain its deployment on a massive scale. As for how long, well… right now, simulations are showing a Spirit can only be deployed as such for about 5 minutes before it has to dissipate and regain its strength. We're working on ironing that out."
Daniel glanced over at Ichigo. "And did you just so happen to inspire this? Is there some sort of surprise you have in store for the rest of us?" he asked wryly.
Ichigo shook her head. "Not entirely. I have no plans at the moment to pursue piloting, as much as I am sure you and the others would appreciate my assistance. Instead," she continued as she looked at Mayumi, who blushed slightly as she smiled, "Mayumi has expressed interest in learning the trade, as it were. Much of this stems from our efforts to help her apply her learning in all aspects of her life."
"Now," Kensuke said as he decided to float out of the Plug with Interfacing, "Any questions so far before we get to the big idea?"
Daniel looked over at Maya in the pause that came after. "I don't. Very interesting ideas thus far. Maya, I've got some things to ask you, however, while the kids talk. Care to step aside?"
Maya nodded after a moment. "Sure." she said somewhat uncertainly, nodding over to what was likely a part of the lab they wouldn't be disturbed as they walked away, hearing the question "So what other senses were you planning on hooking up to the Eva's?" from Asuka.
As they stopped, Daniel looked back for a moment to see the pilots, Kensuke and Ichigo chatting away before he looked back at the wondering Maya. "So," he asked quietly, "how are the others here? It's been a while since I've touched base with anyone down here, and it looks like Ken's beside himself with the job."
Maya's expression became one bordering on reproach. "You should know by now that I'm not the gossiping type, Daniel."
"You're also the closest touchpoint I have in this department." Daniel replied patiently. "I don't need gossip. Just an update." he paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "So… how are the Ikari's?"
Maya blinked, then her expression became thoughtful for a moment. "Mr. Ikari…" she shook her head. "He throws himself into his work so much, it scares me sometimes. And while Kensuke's our best source for ideas, Mr. Ikari is our best source for iteration on them. Most of what he's showing the others right now has Gendo Ikari's fingerprints on it in some way."
"He's also very… closed off." she paused for a moment. "I don't know if he still doesn't feel worthy of being close to anyone else with what he's done or if it's something else, but if it weren't for Mrs. Ikari, Mrs. Akagi, and Professor Fuyutsuki, I think he'd be content just… disappearing in here sometimes."
Daniel's brow furrowed slightly in concern. "I see. It looks like I need to talk to him again soon. That sort of behavior is what led to him being what he was in the first place after all. He needs a net so that he doesn't fall back into it. And while I and the others he socializes with are a good start… well, it couldn't hurt to have a few more people to talk to."
He nodded slightly as he made a mental note of it. "Speaking of Fuyutsuki," Daniel said with a slight smile, "how's he enjoying his time back at the forefront of science?"
Maya chuckled. "Oh, I think he's enjoying much more than that. He got Interfaced recently. And, well…"
She paused as she looked over at the door. "See for yourself." she said after a moment.
Daniel looked over, and almost couldn't believe what he saw. The man who walked in, observing the continuing conversation between the children for a moment before he saw them and waved, looked mostly like Kozo Fuyutsuki. The great difference, however, was that though the man that Daniel knew was in his early 60's, the man before them looked more in his mid-40s, his skin free of wrinkles and his hair mostly black, save for a few flecks of salt and two patches of white on the sides of his face.
As he walked away, Daniel looked back at Maya, a bemused look on his face. "Now, that doesn't surprise me, actually. I'd rather not look like a fossil myself, given my age."
Maya nodded. "He looks good now. Better than before, and that's saying something."
Daniel arched an eyebrow, and Maya grinned slightly. "Now, Daniel, just because I don't eat that kind of cake doesn't mean I can't appreciate how it's decorated sometimes."
Her grin widened slightly. "And, I'll let just this little slip, this once. I'm not the only one that notices. Besides the friendly reception of the Professor's newfound youth from the Ikari's, there's Mrs. Akagi's reaction. I think she might have more than a… professional interest."
The grin disappeared in a moment, replaced by an almost overly serious face as she cleared her throat. "That is, of course, pure speculation on my part, and I have no plans to impose on my girlfriend's mother in the slightest."
Daniel chuckled. "I see. Well…" he glanced back over at the kids, who now looked at them expectantly. "I guess any more questions I might have will have to wait for later. Thanks for updating me."
"Not a problem, Daniel." Maya replied as they walked over to rejoin the others.
"Okay," Kensuke said as the adults came to a stop, "there's one last thing I wanted to field to you pilots as a possibility. Now that we don't have to worry about maintaining a two-point contact between a pilot and a resident soul, it's opened up the possibility of multiple pilot Evangelions."
It was a quiet moment as those not already in the know processed what Kensuke had just fielded to him. "Uh…" Asuka said after a moment. "I'm not entirely sure how well that would work beyond the mechanical side of things, Ken."
"Well," Daniel interjected, bringing everyone's attention to him, "it's not an entirely unexplored idea. What I've seen of it mostly boiled down to a bigger Eva with an extra pair of arms, but it's not a common idea."
"And where was that from?" Kensuke asked, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"It was from the New Theatrical Releases." Daniel replied, a slight smile he'd had on his face disappearing. "Eva Unit-13. It required Shinji and Kaworu in two separate Entry Plugs to control it, and I haven't the slightest clue how it works, but… there it is."
Kensuke nodded slowly. "I see. Well, I didn't plan on going that far. Just expanding the Plug itself for more pilots. It's part of what spurred the potential ideas for replacing the screens. And after all, it's probably the furthest out of the ideas we have in the works here. You should probably expect the…" he glanced up and to the side as he paused. "What were we calling those again… right. The 'Shepherd-type' Frame Titans, before any multi-pilot Frame Plugs."
Daniel nodded. "Well…" he blinked, then checked the time on his clear-pad. "Thank you for inviting us out, Kensuke. I, at least, have to pop on over to Matsushiro to set up the Gauntlet for our second-wave trainees."
"And the other trainees from out of the country that were passed on by our dear first-wavers." Asuka said, grumbling slightly even as she smiled.
"I heard about that from Mayumi." Ichigo said, tilting her head slightly. "How many more people are you testing?"
"Another JSSDF pilot, another American pilot, a German pilot from the EU." Shinji said. "Not that many, really, which isn't surprising given the rather quick turnaround time."
"Still, nice to see some more German representation." Asuka said with a grin. "Falkenrath has been a joy to get to know a little bit thus far."
"Well, then, best be going now." Daniel said as he put a hand on Shinji and Asuka's shoulders. "I'll see you pilots in a little bit."
. . .
1 Day Later
Daniel Theisman walked through the HQ's upper levels, stepping off the elevator into the pyramid as he pondered the Gauntlet that had gone off, unsurprisingly, quite well. 'Falkenrath and Asuka really are birds of a feather, aren't they?' he mused, recalling the rather spectacular long-distance shot he had pulled off against a rather… creatively designed Category-5 Kaiju. 'And he's not the only one who's taken to this like a fish to water. There's Marie, after all.'
That was its own kettle of fish entirely. She was driven, the Interfacing allowing her to push ahead and take the win to the digital Iris with only the support of one JSSDF Second Lieutenant Kotone Suzuname. 'Best keep an eye on her. If Asuka's impressions from her conversations are anything to go by, she's itching to prove herself.'
And he hoped dearly that the proving she was looking for was aimed in the right direction as he stepped into an elevator. 'SEELE… I hope we can find them soon enough. Because I'm sure we won't be the only ones with Frame Titans for long. If they can make those with a Dummy Plug driving it…'
The thought was frightening to no small extent. But the elevator dinged, pulling his thoughts back to the present as he stepped into a hallway near the top of the pyramid, light streaming in as he walked towards his destination. He had, after all, come here for a reason.
That reason presented itself as he opened a door into the recently re-staffed but currently empty cafe, reflected sunlight shining in and falling on the man who had requested his presence, and the three who sat across from him, somewhat more awkwardly. The three were composed of two girls and a boy, one of the girls and the boy clearly related, sharing blue eyes that looked at Daniel somewhat nervously and fair skin, the boy having red hair while the girl had blonde. The older girl, a woman really, was far more cool in her gaze, hazel eyes looking intently at Daniel from under hair that must have been dyed purple at one point.
"Hello, Ryoji." He said, switching to English for the benefit of the pilots, and one of the passengers, of the Jaeger that had tumbled through during the Incursion. "Start without me?"
"Not at all." Ryoji replied casually. "We were just enjoying the view with our drinks."
Daniel took a seat at the table, regarding who he knew as the two pilots of the Jaeger somewhat intently for a moment.
"So, Atlas Destroyer. Quite the Jaeger you two made it into, it seems." he said with little preamble.
"Did, uh…" the sole young man, Taylor Travis, said slowly. "Did Loa tell you that? Or did that Ayanami lady who I'm assuming is under your command mention it?"
"That's where it gets… complicated. But first, I'm Major Daniel Theisman, head of the piloting division of HERZ. You're sharp to figure out that I'm Rei's commanding officer, I'll certainly give you that. Tumbling into a portal from what I'm assuming is Australia into the American heartland? That's what I, and my good friend Ryoji, are wondering about."
"So wait." the younger of the girls, Hayley, interjected. "You knew we were in Australia? How?"
"Well, kids," Ryoji said after taking a drink of his coffee, "you ended up crossing universes. Something we've become quite familiar with."
"And you aren't the only ones who've made the journey across Reality." Daniel interjected. "Your actions, the actions and events of your world, at least in some small part, traveled before you and tumbled into the head of a series of different directors, artists, and producers."
"Wait a minute." Hayley said over her brother, chuckling uneasily. "You're telling me that… that we're part of some sort of movie?"
"An animated television series, to be precise." Daniel replied.
It was quiet for a moment before Hayley burst into laughter. Taylor and the other girl looked at her with no small amount of concern as it began to stretch on, while Daniel held a level expression. "Let her work it out." he said through a link to Ryoji, sensing his own growing concern. "Everyone reacts differently to this sort of bombshell."
He felt Ryoji reluctantly acquiesce as Hayley's laughter finally died down, and she wiped tears from her face as she took a deep breath. "Why… does it not surprise me that our life is… a fucking TV show…"
"Hayley!" Taylor said in reproach. "Watch your mouth." he glanced over at Daniel with narrowed eyes. "We don't even know if they're bluffing or not."
Daniel nodded slowly as Hayley gave a grumbled "Thanks, dad". "I understand your disbelief. Let me prove to you that what we've said is true."
He gathered his thoughts and recollections for a moment, then leaned on the table as he began. "You were in Australia during the second major Kaiju incursion. I believe you were in Sydney, or at least close to it, when Protocol Blackout went into effect."
He now held the two pilots' rapt attention as he continued. "You couldn't make it out in the 5 days or so the PPDC gave everyone before they quarantined the continent and figured everyone for dead. So your parents took you inland to someplace safe, then left to try and find a way to signal the PPDC for rescue."
He looked at Hayley intently. "It was years before you found Atlas Destroyer in the base that had happened to be right under your settlement. You two activated it, and drove off… what was he called again…"
"Copperhead." Hayley said quietly, a hollowed-out look settling on her and Taylor.
Daniel nodded. "Yes." he replied, equally quietly. "And… for what it's worth, I understand what you're feeling. It's hard not to feel guilty when something like that happens."
Daniel took a deep breath before continuing. "After that, you got to the nearest PPDC base after starting to look for your parents before the Jaeger ran out of gas. While you were looking for a power cell, you found something else. Someone else. Boy, I believe?"
"Where is he?" the older girl finally spoke, a soft voice hiding a hard edge behind it.
"The cleanup crews found him in the forest the next day, making a meal out of a bear." Daniel replied as he looked over at the woman, hiding no small amount of surprise. "He's safe and taken care of here. No harmful experiments, I can promise you that much, Ms. Mei."
"Speaking of," Daniel continued as Mei blinked, "you kids met Mei not long after you broke Kaiju Boy out. And not long after that, Shane and the rest of his black company, Bogan."
The faces of all three wayward souls grew dark at the mention of the name. Daniel paused as he regarded Mei again. "Did he at least get what was coming to him?" he asked quietly.
Mei looked back at Daniel, then nodded once. "In the end." she said simply.
Daniel smiled slightly. "Good. If nothing else then at least for your engineer friend's sake."
A hint of confusion crossed Mai's face. "You mean Joel? He's not dead. Had a close call where he lost his hand trying to throw away a walkie-talkie that Shane had rigged to blow, though."
"Oh, good." Daniel nodded. "A happy little divergence from what I saw."
He paused as he watched Mei go pale. "My Shane, as it were… well, he's still got what's coming for him."
Mei's expression became one of understanding as Daniel continued. "Anyways, after you guys made tracks through the Bogans, you saw Boy's potential as you got a new arm for Atlas, then took down Copperhead before finding your parents' Jaeger." a pause. "Does that sound about right?"
The three looked at each other for a moment. "For the most part, yeah." Taylor replied.
"So, is Ryoji here going to cover what happened next?" Hayley asked. "Did you just cover the first season, as it were?"
"Actually," Daniel replied, "we want to hear your side of things. If there's anything my traveling has taught me, it's that when there's one divergence, there's always more after."
"So," Ryoji said, polishing off his coffee, "what happened to have you tumbling through a portal to America?"
"Well…" Taylor began. "For one, we actually made it to Sydney, for one. Boy wandered off and came back with Mei and Joel. We found our parents scrounging for parts to build a transmitter along the way. We came across the idea of using Atlas as one, Mom and Dad agreed, and we got into position."
"Of course, being Sydney," Hayley interjected, "there were tons of Kaiju roaming around, so we had to be careful. We made a beeline for the coast and started transmitting, fending off a whole bunch of smaller Kaiju."
"After that, we started getting the bigger ones' attention." Taylor continued. "Looking at the radar was… frankly kind of terrifying. Everywhere, Kaiju of almost every category closing in on us."
"A group of them coming towards us from the coast disappeared." Mia interjected, a thoughtful look on her face. "Those must have been the ones that landed in your world."
"And we walked right into it because that's where the helicopter was coming from." Taylor shook his head slightly and sighed. "I'm just glad Mom, Dad and Joel got on before we tumbled into that breach."
Taylor paused, a worried look blooming to life on both his and Hayley's faces. "I hope they're okay." she said quietly. "We said we'd make sure they got away."
"And we'll make sure you find out what happened." Daniel said. "We're going to get you home as soon as we can. Unfortunately, well… you dropped into a rather messy world."
"Considering Ms. Ayanami is only a little older than me? It must be in trouble." Taylor said, a hint of reproach in his voice as he looked pointedly at Daniel.
"You have no idea." Daniel said soberly.
The words hung in the air for a moment before Daniel took a deep breath and stood. "Alright. How about a visit to Boy? I'm sure he'd appreciate it."
Ryoji looked up at Daniel as the three stood as well, excitement in varying degrees in all of their expressions. "You think our dear Commander needs to clear this?"
"It's not like they're prisoners, Ryoji. Nothing that should worry your wheelhouse will get leaked either, I'm sure."
Ryoji considered for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright. Might as well go see this mysterious Boy as well."
The group made their way out of the cafe, entering one of the elevators and patiently descending towards the science levels.
As they waited patiently, Daniel looked over at Mai, a curious look in his eyes. "So… what had you following Boy back to the others, then? After killing the man with a finger on a trigger, as it were, you could go anywhere."
Mai considered for a moment before replying. "Good question. Maybe… part of it was that I recognized what he was. He may have been shaped by aliens and pointed at the human race as a whole, but… we aren't so different, really. And if he could go back to them… why couldn't I?"
"So… recognition, one living weapon to another."
"In so many words, yes."
There was a pause as the elevator doors dinged, and Ryoji quietly ushered the two siblings a little further ahead, leaving Daniel and Mai some small part of privacy. "What about you? Who made you? How did you get out of it?"
"I was made into…" Daniel shook his head. "Well, the closest I can describe is… a minor god. A general, leading armies and conquering worlds in the name of uniting them all into a singular universe. I did that for… millennia, it felt like. It might well have been, in a sense."
Daniel glanced over, noting Mai's blanching at the thought as he saw Ryoji and the kids turned into the lab that Boy was being held in, the door shutting behind them. "As for how I got out… well, same as you, really. I had someone just too damn stubborn to give up on me."
Mai smiled slightly as they paused outside the door. "Funny how that works, I guess."
"Funny indeed." Daniel replied, opening the door to allow them to step through.
The sight that greeted them was not unexpected, a clean, but comfortable room that was almost like a doctor's exam room coupled with a one-room apartment, at the center of which stood a young, pale boy, deep blue eyes wide and gleaming under stark white hair as he found himself hugged on both sides from the Travis siblings. To the side, Ryoji conversed quietly with who both assumed was the scientist currently assigned to Boy.
What they didn't expect next was what happened after Boy extricated his arm and waved excitedly at Mei. "Hello, Mei!" he said, a clear voice obviously filled with excitement that matched the look in his eyes.
Mei's eyes went wide with shock as she stepped forward, while Daniel merely arched an eyebrow. "Well, then." he said quietly. "This, I couldn't have seen coming."
Mai came to a stop a few feet in front of Boy, at a loss for words for the moment. "How…" she finally managed. "How are you talking?"
"Well," Boy began, "some nice ladies and a kind of scary-looking guy came in after I was taken out of the forest, and they did something to what I think was my head, and poof!" he extricated another arm to mime an explosion. "Suddenly I can talk and understand words and all sorts of things."
Daniel nodded as he stepped forward, getting the attention of the scientist, noting the name Haynes on his lab coat. "Can you explain what happened to the boy?"
Haynes nodded, pushing glasses up towards blue eyes that regarded Daniel intently. "Well, Major Theisman, your wife, I believe, the Professors Ikari, and First Lieutenant Horaki were the first to see to the boy after he had been retrieved. According to the records they made," he continued as he looked down at his clear-pad, "they decided to try a Pneumaic procedure centered on his cranium. Specifically, a terribly underdeveloped brain."
"Likely a purposefully underdeveloped one." Daniel said darkly. "The beings who made this boy are master biotechnicians. They wouldn't give Boy anything they didn't think he needed to do his job."
Before he could go any further, Daniel felt a call coming through on his clear-pad, stepping away as he saw it was from Misato. "Commander." he said quietly. "How can I help you?"
The room went quiet as the focus turned to the one-sided conversation that played out before them. "I'm with Ryoji and the Jaeger kids right now. Okay." they watched an eyebrow arch. "Interesting. And they asked for me and Shinji specifically? Any idea why?"
A pause as the Commander spoke at some length. "Alright. I'll be up as soon as I can. Do you need me to contact Shinji? Okay. See you soon."
With that, Daniel ended the call and turned to Ryoji. "Do you think you could get these kids housed until we get them and their Jaeger sent back where they need to be?"
"Well," Ryoji replied, "I could make it work. Della's probably willing to jump at the chance to have more kids to take care of."
Daniel smiled as he regarded all three kids and the young woman who accompanied them. "You know what?" he said after a moment. "You're right. I'm sure Mayumi and Hotaru won't mind some roommates, with a little warning."
"Who's Della?" Hayley asked.
Daniel chuckled. "Della Duck is another out-of-towner, like yourselves, who cares like a mother for anyone she considers her children. Which is most people. Also, she is literally a cartoon duck, so you'll have that much to keep things interesting."
"Now, I'll have to go. We have some rather special foreign dignitaries we've come to find out we're hosting, due to the fact that, for as exciting as Kaiju are, they are far from the most interesting things to tumble into this world. Have a good day. Perhaps I'll even see you later."
With that, Daniel walked out the door, leaving the room in silence for a moment before Taylor looked over at Ryoji. "He's… joking about the whole duck thing, right?"
. . .
Commander's Office
The room that Daniel, along with a somewhat confused Shinji and a stubbornly present Asuka, stepped into at just above the midpoint of the pyramid was a far cry from the dark, empty, almost oppressive space they were used to it being.
With its reconstruction following its near obliteration in the Near Third Impact, Misato had worked with construction crews to make it her own. Gone now were the massive carvings of the System Sephirothicum, the ceiling now fitted with lights that shone down and showed just how big the space really was. The desk, one that was far smaller than the room's previous occupant, was now situated at the left wall, no longer blinding those who stood in front of it, and no longer leaving the one who sat behind it in total shadow. Another desk, still smaller, took up the old desk's place, its chair facing the window as a computer system sat on top of it.
Aside from the bookcases and databanks that took up the other walls, the main attraction of the room was the currently inactive table-sized holoprojector in the center, around which stood Misato and Ritsuko.
"Did we get here before who we're supposed to talk to?" Shinji wondered aloud as they entered, their footsteps still echoing slightly.
"No, Shinji." Misato replied, looking down at something small on the table that he and Asuka had both written off as some sort of small plush animal toy.
As they came to a stop, they saw that the rather large moth-like creature, though quite fluffy and vibrant, was very much alive, looking at them and squeaking as it flapped its wings, a brilliant display of bright oranges, yellows, whites, and dark crimsons and black.
Similarly alive were the two ridiculously short, almost doll-like, human women that stood beside it, looking up patiently and intently into the widening eyes of the Children. They looked as though they had stepped off the set of some movie set on a tropical island, simple cloth dresses adorning their figures, one a bright orange, one a darker shade.
"Hello, Shinji Ikari." they said simultaneously, their voices only somewhat high-pitched for something their size. It is a pleasure to meet you in the flesh, as it were."
They looked over to Asuka as they paused for a moment. "And it is an unexpected pleasure to meet you as well, Ms. Soryu-Langley."
"Okay… first question, who are you and how are you so tiny?" Asuka said slowly.
"These are the Shobijin." Daniel replied, stepping forward. "Representatives of Mothra, and by extension all other monsters that are native to Earth."
The tiny twins looked up at Daniel as they nodded. "You are mostly correct, Mr. Theisman. However, much has changed since we fit that description of our duties. If you would please, step forward and stretch your arm."
A look of confusion swept through the entire group as Daniel took a hesitant step forward, holding his arm out towards the twins.
Then, everyone's eyes grew wide as they began to grow in size, taking Daniel's arm that was 3 or 4 feet above their heads in mere moments as they used him to lower themselves to the ground, their growth slowing to a stop as they came to look Misato in the eye.
"I believe this will ease our coming conversation somewhat." the Shobijin said in unison.
"Well, that's new." Ritsuko mused. "Is your… fairy Mothra able to do that?"
"As we have said, much of our duties, and the power that comes with them, has changed since you last saw tell of us, in one form or another." the Shobijin replied. "For example, since the elder Mothra departed, and the elder Battra perished, after calming Godzilla, their descendants, differing in temperament, decided to grant us a greater responsibility. To do so, the goddess Mothra and the god Battra entered a union, joining their souls so that we may better represent them, and all the great creatures of the earth."
"To enable such a union, our responsibilities were divided." they continued. "I," the one in the brighter orange dress said alone, "remain the speaker for Mothra's will."
"While I," the one dressed in the darker orange interjected, "have come to speak for Battra."
"Which brings us to why you're here." Misato said. "I doubt you dropped in simply to say hello and meet the neighbors."
"Indeed." the Shobijin replied, again as one. "As Mr. Theisman has said, we represent the defenders of the natural earth. That includes defending it from the depredations of humanity, as well. You, it seems, are the foremost defenders of humanity. It is determined by our gods that we must come to an accord."
They turned to look intently at Shinji. "You, whom Mothra first looked upon in this world…" the twins looked at each other, unease evident in their expressions. "Your memories contained… abominations."
"The Evangelions?" Shinji asked, his eyes widening slightly. "We stopped using those. Or at least, the ones I think you're thinking of."
"He's entirely correct." Ritsuko interjected. "Whatever you might have seen, we've moved far past that."
"Yet the form and intention remains." the twins replied. "Battra's opinions are strong when it comes to such things." the darker-dressed one continued alone. "And Mothra, though understanding, has deep concerns." the brighter-dressed one interjected.
"Which is to say nothing about the possible reactions that Godzilla may have." they finished, unified in voice again.
"Well, about that," Daniel replied slowly as an anxious atmosphere fell over the room, "we already encountered Godzilla before you all came through. I… established a connection to his soul."
The Shobijin looked over at Daniel silently with wide eyes. Before they could reply, Daniel continued. "I saw his memories, his contact with Miki Saegusa. Someone who you are at least somewhat familiar with if I recall correctly. And I'm not the only one who's able to do something like that."
"Everyone in this room is able to link themselves to anyone, anything, that has a soul." Misato interjected. "That's just the surface of things that you might not know about this world."
It was silent again as the anxiety hanging over the whole room seemed to coalesce within the two Shobijin, the twins looking at each other as they considered this latest revelation made to them. From time to time, they glanced up past everyone, seeming to receive instruction from far beyond the walls of the room they physically occupied.
After a moment, the Shobijin looked around themselves. "It is clear to us," they said slowly, "that this world is quite different from the Earth we are familiar with. We, and our gods, would ask that you describe to us the pertinent history of this world."
Misato arched an eyebrow before nodding slightly. "Alright." she said slowly. "I hope you have a lot of time. We have a lot to talk about."
Tapping on the surface of the holo-table, she pulled up a screen that showed a rotating chair. Setting the number below it to 7, she pressed a button marked 'Manifest'.
Several grates opened underneath the table, and barely visible clouds of grey floated out from underneath it, coalescing into the rough shapes of chairs before seeming to sharpen into focus like a blurry image becoming clear, solid. Solid enough to allow Misato to take a seat, the others with her following with varying degrees of haste.
Misato took a deep breath as she keyed up the Intermediary System's historical reconstruction files, shutters on the window descending to darken the room as a reconstruction of Antarctica, of the dig site that her father had overseen, was almost pulled upwards into existence until it floated a few centimeters off the tabletop.
"Our deviation from the course you would probably expect history to take began in the year 2000." Misato began. "My father, Hideaki Katsuragi, supervised and led an expedition that found an alien vessel under the ice of Antarctica, a counterpart to the Geofront you find yourself in now. However, instead of finding something like the being we called Lilith, a being that acted as the progenitor to all life on earth, we found a far different creature. One we named Adam."
. . .
Several hours later, the Shobijin sat back in their chairs, pondering on the revelations they had come to know for a moment. "It is clear to us and our gods," they said slowly after a solemn moment, "that your understanding of how, exactly, the earth and its living nature functions is far beyond what we have expected."
They were silent again for a moment. "We come, it seems, to bargain on equal terms. Mothra and Battra see your efforts to restore the balance of this world. Even Battra finds such efforts begrudgingly commendable. However, with our way to our former home destroyed, both gods have decided to protect this one. They ask that we might work together, unprecedented though the request may be."
"And Godzilla?" Misato asked archly.
"Godzilla is a force unto himself." the twins replied frankly. "Should he be disturbed, he will turn his wrath on those who do so. His deeper connection with you, and by extension to humanity at large, may temper that wrath somewhat, but he will still act on his nature."
"Speaking of his nature," Asuka piped up, Daniel's connection to her soul allowing him to see how she wanted to change the subject, "where is he right now? Shinji saw him at the bottom of the ocean, but has he moved since then?"
Ritsuko leaned forward in her chair, querying the Intermediary System for a moment as the view before all of them, a landscape of the former ruins of Tokyo-3 after Near Third Impact, disappeared, a globe hovering over the center of the table in its place. On its face, a pulsing red dot appeared, slowly moving through the East China Sea into the Yellow Sea.
"It looks like he's moving towards the old borders of North Korea." Ritsuko mused. "Likely to soak up all the radiation there from when the 90 Minute War wiped them off the face of the earth."
"I wonder if he's just going to head to the hotspots around the world." Misato said as she leaned towards the table. "Pyongyang, anywhere on the Indian subcontinent, all those sorts of places… we can certainly use the help cleaning them up. After that, though…"
"We'll need to set up some sort of nuclear feeding station for the big guy." Ritsuko nodded. "Otherwise, we get him trampling through a city."
"We'll figure that out." Misato nodded in turn as she looked over to the Shobijin. "So, with Godzilla mostly taken care of, what about Mothra and Battra?"
"As long as you continue to restore and maintain the balance and beauty of the planet, Mothra and Battra will protect those that live on it." the twins said simply. "Such is what they are prepared to accept."
Misato, Ritsuko, Daniel, and the kids regarded each other silently for a moment as they processed the terms that they had been given. "Very well." Misato finally said, sighing quietly. "We, as part of HERZ at least, will try to make that work. We're still quite a small player on the world stage. If you want any great assurance from all the rest of humanity, you will have to go to the United Nations."
"Very well." the Shobijin nodded in sync. "We will appear before them in the future. We would ask that you act as our representatives when we do so. For now, we must return to Mothra and Battra."
With that, the fairy Mothra fluttered into the air off the table, landing on the ground as the Shobijin stood, shrinking back to their regular size and stepping onto their steed.
"Farewell." was their simple declaration before they became, along with the fairy Mothra, a shaft of light that streaked out of the window.
With that, the others regarded each other silently for a moment. "Well." Misato finally said, shaking her head slightly in wonder. "I knew my job was going to be wild. But I never would have guessed this."
"You and me both." Ritsuko replied, that same wonderment in her own expression.
. . .
Central Dogma, 2 Days Later
Daniel stepped into the cavernous room, taking a deep breath as he felt the rather chill air conditioning gust over him. Of course, that was rapidly becoming the only familiar part of the room as he stepped in.
The command tower, with the renovations that were being made, was almost unrecognizable from what it was. For one, the command tower's seat for the Commander, once towering over everyone else, had been lowered to a far more reasonable level at Misato's request, now accessible by small stairways on either side. A ring, open on two ends, to the left and right in the center of the main command center acted as a focal point for both the Operations chief and the Engineering chief, while the three consoles remained at the edge of the bridge. Below them at the analysis centers, the central one had been raised to be linked with ramps to the other two, the nodes of the old Magi system united physically even as they were now long gone from the command center.
Which, Daniel mused as he made his way down to the central analysis center, was to say nothing of the breathtaking amount of other improvements, such as a greater amount of hologram projectors in the place of physical screens, an emergency transport system for the crew to escape any breaches, and, of course, the system that would be replacing the Magi and the Intermediary System that had filled in for its absence.
Spread across the three platforms of the now unified analysis center was Eleanor who, with a small crew, oversaw the physical tasks necessary to install the components of the new system, Ritsuko and Maya, who typed happily away together at the digital end of things, Naoko and Fuyutsuki assisting the pair and directing the contractors in their efforts, and another visitor whom Daniel had seen and briefly hear of only a few times before.
As he finally got to the floor of the analysis center, a few heads turned to regard his arrival for a moment. Most turned their focus back. Eleanor's attention, as well as that of the stranger's, remained as Daniel came to Eleanor's side.
"Hello, darling." he said, looking around. "How goes the work?"
"Well enough." Eleanor replied. "There's been a lot of gutting of the hardware to make way for the new system, but that's mostly out of the way now. We're on the home stretch."
"That we are." the stranger replied as Daniel took stock of him. He was artificial, clearly, all metal and plastics. Even still he was rather expressive, with a head that held a surprisingly human-like face mostly painted a deep blue with white highlights along the lines that would have been the cheekbones on a regular human head and through the center of a thick horn on top of his forehead.
After a moment, the being's name clicked, and Daniel nodded as he extended a hand. "Ah. You would be Solace, I assume."
Solace took the hand and shook firmly. "If you want to be technical about it," he said, the inside of his mouth glowing the same deep red as his eyes, "the name is Solace-7. But just Solace works fine enough. It's been long enough since I last rebooted after I got Interfaced."
Daniel's brow furrowed. "Interesting. The naming convention sounds familiar…"
Solace shrugged. "I'm from a different Earth from this one. One that has something called the Traveler. I was a Guardian of that Traveler."
The pieces fell into place as Daniel nodded again, this time in understanding. "I see. Do you not have a… what is it again… a Ghost?"
Solace opened his mouth, then closed it, the only noise a subtle click as his 'lips' met. "Well… no. Not anymore. The Traveler took Sevi back when I left my Echo. Apparently, she couldn't wander that far from it." he said quietly.
"My apologies." Daniel said after an awkward moment of silence.
Solace waved him off. "It's in the past now, and I'm sure Sevi's doing fine. Besides, I have other Spirits I'm taking care of. Like the ones Doctor Akagi has had me spinning up."
"Yes, indeed, Mr. Solace." Naoko said as she walked over to them. "And, even if they are artificially created, I'd like to thank them for participating in this grand project just as much as you."
"And is there a name for this grand project?" Daniel asked with a slight smile.
"There is indeed, Mr. Theisman." Naoko said proudly as Fuyutsuki moved to her side. "I call it… the Valhalla System."
"Valhalla?" Daniel said, an eyebrow arched in curiosity. "That's… quite a departure from the usual Judeo-Christian 'theme' we've had going on all this time."
"Perhaps." Fuyutsuki interjected, his voice far more smooth than his older self. "But, having dealt with SEELE's way of naming things for as long as we have, we both, as scholars with a knowledge of mythology, decided upon something more… in keeping with moving on from the Magi."
"Yes, indeed." Naoko continued. "Thus, instead of Melchior, Balthazar, Casper, we have Wotan, Thor, Loki, Freyja, and Heimdal."
"Wotan, Thor and Loki are based here, in the central node." Naoko pointed to the large container in the center. "They'll be the main decision-makers. Freyja, who's in the far node, and Heimdal, in the one behind you, act as advisors, and should the need arise, as decision-makers themselves. All with a capability that goes beyond that of the old Magi in terms of both processing speed and reasoning capabilities."
Naoko placed her hands on her hips, and Daniel couldn't miss the slight smile Fuyutsuki had as he looked at her. "It's honestly likely my greatest work so far."
"I wonder how long that will last." Fuyutsuki mused, Naoko chuckling at the thought.
"Oh, Sensei. You're still sharp as ever, I see." Naoko said wryly. "Now, let's not waste any more time, shall we?"
She looked over at Solace. "Are the Spirits ready?"
Solace nodded. "Indeed they are. Their housings are ready to be linked up to the mainframe structure and Metos pumps, and they're nothing if not excited to start working."
"Excellent." Naoko nodded as she looked over towards Ritsuko and Maya. "Ritsuko, dear, is the OS ready to receive our Spirits?"
Ritsuko looked up from her computer and nodded. "It's mostly stable now, though I'm sure we're going to have to keep an eye out for any bugs as we go forward."
Naoko took a deep breath. "Alright, then. Let's begin, shall we?"
Naoko gestured towards the small, cylindrical containers that held the Spirits. "Go ahead and insert them into the processor receptacles. We'll begin a system test now."
A few technicians, supervised by the contractors, lifted the containers and walked into the now far more spacious interior of the processor nodes, the space enlarged by Interfacing, disappearing from sight before those outside heard a series of click-hums as the technicians slotted the Spirits in.
"Bootloader is running." Ritsuko said as the technicians emerged, and the processor nodes retracted into the floor. "POST successful. OS loading onto main memory storage. Handshake program running. Spirits are accepting the handshake, linking to OS now. And…"
Ritsuko nodded in satisfaction before looking up towards a screen, everyone else's gaze drawn to the sight of a diagram, much like the one that had shown the Magi, showing a triangle of connected rectangles, the names of Wotan, Thor, and Loki within them, the rectangles of Freyja and Heimdal flanking Wotan's. "Boot up is successful. The system is operating." she said, her voice equally filled with satisfaction.
Some scattered clapping followed, then the assembled group began to disperse, their duty done for the moment. "Sensei," Naoko said, turning to Fuyutsuki, "care to go and get some coffee? I don't know about you, but I could certainly use the pick-up myself."
"I don't see why not." Fuyutsuki replied with a shrug. With that, the pair left together, and Daniel glanced over at Maya, the two sharing a bemused glance as Ritsuko looked over at her girlfriend in some confusion.
"So," he said to Eleanor, a tone of similar bemusement in his voice, "am I here for more than simply admiring your part in the work?"
"Actually, yes." Eleanor replied as they began to walk over towards Ritsuko and Maya. "Since we have far more processing power and speed in this system, we're running trials on having it be a battle advisor, sort of a secondary support to the Operations team. For that, we'll need to link you, and in time the other pilots, up with at least the main 3 nodes of Valhalla."
Daniel nodded. "Alright. Let's not waste any time then."
. . .
Tamiyari's, 1 Day Later
Kensuke soaked up the atmosphere of a restaurant that, much like the city of Tokyo-3, was beginning to come alive again. People had been moving back in through the one avenue left open in the wall of Corite. But the progress was still slow, however. Thus, the restaurant was rather quiet, rather empty for its size. It was still, however, in need of paying customers, willing to make its food just a little cheaper to entice those who were here.
Which was how he was having his first date with Ichigo and Mayumi in, what was by all accounts, a place that was just short of a Michelin Star eatery. Which meant that they at least tried to look the part.
Kensuke wore a white dress shirt and tan khakis, a dark dinner jacket framing a red tie. He'd straightened his hair up a bit, pushing up his glasses slightly as he looked at his two dates. Ichigo wore a rather simple dark green dress, complimenting her hair. Mayumi wore a black shirt with a blue skirt. They both smiled slightly as he met their gazes, and he smiled slightly in turn.
"So," he said as he finished a bite of his meal, "how has moving back in been going for you, Ichigo?"
"It is going well." Ichigo replied, nodding slightly. "With everything mostly stored away in the Infinity Box, such a process is made quite a bit easier." she chuckled slightly. "Though, with so many people moving things back to apartments, it makes things somewhat hectic whenever you enter."
Mayumi scoffed softly. "I can only imagine. I have all of the people moving in, and none of the objects."
"Oh yeah." Kensuke said. "How is moving the new kids in going?"
Mayumi shook her head slightly. "It's been… well, hectic, like Ichigo said. We've had to split between two different apartments, which Della enthusiastically linked with a little… creative Interfacing."
Kensuke and Ichigo chuckled at their imaginations of what such might have looked like as Mayumi continued. "Mai is… really unsure of things. She's very quiet and doesn't do much beyond what's needed of her. The only person to really seem to get through to her is Boy." she chuckled in turn. "He's… very chatty, now."
Ichigo and Kensuke arched their eyebrows. "Boy?" Ichigo asked. "Who is that?"
"Wait a minute." Kensuke interjected. "Little kid, white hair, pale skin, blue eyes? That one?"
Mayumi nodded as she smiled. "Yes, that's the one. And even for someone with no name to introduce himself with, he's always wanting to get to know you. Maybe you'll both meet him more fully once you come over to my apartment."
"Well, seeing as anyone even somewhat connected to the pilots is almost all in the same building, that shouldn't be too hard." Kensuke said wryly, eliciting a chuckle from the three of them.
After a moment more of eating in somewhat contented silence, Mayumi looked over at Ichigo. "So, a couple of days ago…" she said, trailing off for a moment as her face became serious. "You said you didn't have any plans to try piloting at the moment. Would you… would you ever consider piloting?"
The table fell still as Ichigo pondered the question silently for a moment. "Well…" she paused, seeming unsure. "I would not be… averse to trying to pilot. I simply have other duties and interests to focus on at the moment. In the future, however…"
She fell silent after that, shrugging slightly. Mayumi nodded slowly. "However that works out, we're here to help you. Especially me. You've already helped me with… so much. I still need to get even somehow."
Ichigo's lips quirked with a slight smile as she grabbed Mayumi's hand. "Thank you." she said quietly.
"Of course." Mayumi replied. Then, she looked over at Kensuke. "Say, how's the new system working out? The uh… Valhalla?"
Kensuke blinked. "Oh, uh… well, from what I've heard, it's mostly fine. That's been the Deputy-Commander and Captain Ibuki's wheelhouse more than mine. I've been working on… other projects."
"Like the Eva upgrades?" Ichigo asked.
"Partly." Kensuke admitted. He paused for a moment, glancing around the still rather empty restaurant to ensure their privacy. "I've also been working on reverse-engineering the Lance copies." he said quietly regardless. "Mostly with the Ikari's and Kyu, but the others have pitched in here and there when they can."
Kensuke fell silent as he considered the work for a moment, Ichigo and Mayumi looking at each other with no small amount of interest. "And… how's that going?" Mayumi asked slowly.
"Rather well, really." Kensuke admitted with a shrug. "With our analysis machines' capabilities, we're close to being able to replicate it. Given another week at most, we'll be able to make as much of it as we want."
"Something that must be a rather carefully guarded secret from the rest of the world, I presume." Mayumi surmised.
"That comes right from the Commander." Kensuke shrugged. "And… she's not entirely wrong in wanting that, I'll admit. If we're going to be what essentially equates to the policemen of the other Evas, we'll need something we know can stop them. Lancium weapons are simply the easiest answer."
The admission hung in the air for a moment, the weight of what, exactly, their duty was looming over them ominously.
Then, Kensuke sighed quietly." Anyways, enough work stuff." he looked over at Ichigo, considering the small cutlet of medium-rare steak she had taken from Kensuke. "Have you tried it yet?"
Ichigo glanced down at the steak in front of her "I will now, I suppose."she said with a shrug. Even for as much as she had separated herself from Rei as a person, some facets of her personality remained. Particularly, in this instance, her aversion to meat of any kind. It had taken some effort to get to this point, and now, Kensuke and Mayumi waited almost eagerly as they watched Ichigo prepare herself mentally.
She cut into the steak, medium-rare to keep anything that resembled blood to a minimum, and slowly raised it to her mouth, chewing slowly before swallowing.
She was silent for a moment as Kensuke and Mayumi waited for her verdict with an almost eager look in their eyes.
Ichigo finally hummed softly. "It is… interesting. Very savory. Rather chewy."
"Is it good?" Kensuke asked eagerly.
"I… have yet to decide that." Ichigo said, nodding slightly. "I shall have to have more in order to fully decide, I believe."
"Sounds good to us." Kensuke sighed, a smile on his face as he looked over to Mayumi.
"Well, it could certainly have been worse." Mayumi mused, a chuckle rippling around the table as they continued to enjoy each other's company.
. . .
Somewhere in the Himalayas
Lorenz Kihl looked upon the Final Scripture from far above. Or at least, the camera showed him the work being done from far above it.
He rested in his office as he watched the men and machines, made utterly loyal to their cause, crawling all over it, ensuring that the flesh and steel would be in working order for what they wished to do.
And, speaking of what they wished to do, the man that stood in front of him, Noyer, waited patiently. "They are ready to move whenever you decide it, Chairman."
Kihl nodded slowly. "When, indeed…" he pondered.
It was silent again for a moment, the mostly dark office space seeming to press in on its occupants.
"They will strike on the 26th." Kihl finally said. "Then, will the world descend into the chaos we need. Then, we will have collected all the souls required. Then will the Final Scripture be read to the world, and the world united in Instrumentality."
As Noyer nodded, Kihl looked back down at the Final Scripture, a slight smile on his face. "You, who will give the souls of humanity under your command the swords required to unify itself in perfection under our guidance. I name you… Azazel."