Chapter 10: What will I sacrifice? Part 2 (Magma Diver)

Monday, September 14, 2015

Today was another regular school day, though Kensuke came over to our place this afternoon to study with me. We offered Touji to join us too, but he wasn't really interested in doubling down on school stuff so close to the field trip.

We have a science test next week and I'd like to do better on it if I can. Luckily for me, Mr. Aida wasn't kidding when he said Kensuke was great with the subject. Actually, I think he might've explained the material to me better than our teacher does, especially the unit on thermodynamics. At the same time, I've been helping him memorize the Eva resource map for when he begins basic training on Wednesday. We've both been helping each other out a lot, and it's a shame Touji couldn't join in.

Asuka is also fully moved next door with Rei now. I hear she was able to fit more of the stuff she had to keep in storage into Rei's place this time around. That's good for her, but I doubt she's all that glad to have to share it with another girl. What else to say… Maybe I've said enough already between this entry and the last one. The ride might prove a bit bumpy, but I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Us Children saw Touji and Hikari off from the airport before they and the rest of Class 2-A left for Okinawa this morning. Since Kensuke couldn't be there to take pictures of it all, he lent Touji his camera and asked him if he could do so in his stead. Asuka and Hikari, for their part, assured each other that they'd keep a close eye on the respective guys they had to hang around. It was actually kind of touching to see firsthand; we'll be apart for a while, sure, but eventually we'll meet again and hear all kinds of stories from each other.

After the plane took off, the question then arose of how we'd spend what'll essentially be an extended weekend for us. Asuka suggested going to the pool to swim tomorrow, which made me nervous at first because I don't really know how to swim. It was at this point that Rei offered to teach me, since I'd taught her so well how to cook and she wanted to return the favor. I couldn't have refused her even if I tried, so I agreed. After all, it can't be a whole lot worse than fighting an Angel, can it?

Finally, later today after Misato took me on another trip to the mall to find me a swimsuit to wear, Kensuke started basic training with Unit-03 in VR. His experiences today went a lot like mine; moving around in the Eva felt a bit weird at first, but once he got the hang of it, he was basically a natural. I just hope he can handle the fighting and especially the pain that can come with it. Touji told me that before Shamshel he had a habit of fantasizing about fighting in the army and sometimes even dying in battle. It's hard for me to say if he still does that, considering the fact I haven't seen him do it myself as well as his demeanor when he broke the news to us about being picked as the Fourth Child. Either way, I hope he hasn't gotten in over his head by this stage.

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Another difficult day. As always, you can thank an Angel attack for that. Actually, it was more like us attacking an Angel, but you get the idea.

The day started out normally enough. This morning, after eating breakfast and waiting a good while for our food to digest, Misato dropped Rei, Asuka, and I off at the pool to meet up with Kensuke. Rei was going to teach me to swim after we'd all changed into our bathing suits.

"Geez, Shinji, you're pretty nervous, aren't you? If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought you were about to go fight an Angel!"

Shinji blushed a little. "H-how can you tell?"

"I can feel you shaking from the lockers on the other side! You should relax. We're not gonna let you drown or anything like that. Just take a deep breath or two if you need to."

Shinji did as he was advised and then remembered something. "Thanks. Although, …don't you start combat training later? You sound awfully calm considering that. You realize you'll be feeling the same pain as your Eva, right?"

Kensuke looked up sternly after putting on the tank top he liked to wear when going in the water. "I was warned about that when I signed up to be a pilot. And I trust you when you say it gets rough sometimes." He slowly turned around to make sure Shinji had also finished changing before lightening up his expression. "But we're not here to worry about stuff like that, are we? We're here to have fun and let off some of that tension we've been building up first! So c'mon! Don't wanna keep the girls waiting, now, do we?"

The two made their way out of the locker room to meet up with Asuka and Rei. Surely enough, the girls were already waiting for them. Asuka was wearing a peppermint-striped bikini, while Rei contented herself with a simple white one-piece.

"Hallo, Shinji~!" Asuka greeted him as they entered. "So! How do I look?"

"Ummm… You, er… Nice! Yeah! That suit really fits you," he answered. He was caught off guard by Asuka showing herself off in front of Rei and had to respond carefully. Curiously, Rei didn't appear to care or even notice the implications.

"Well, good! I picked this out for Okinawa and I'd hate for it to go to waste. You ready to go for a dip? Rei's been dying for this, y'know!"

"…I'm sorry. Dying?" Rei asked, confused.

"Humph. It's a figure of speech!" Asuka clarified. "You really wanna teach Shinji how to swim, don't you?"

"Yes."

"Well then, let's get going! You'll want to start in the shallow end." Shinji stepped into the pool with Rei as Asuka and Kensuke observed. He was initially reluctant to get in because of how cold the water was, but steeled himself enough to advance up to his waist in it. As for Rei, she briefly found herself at a loss for how to proceed. She didn't actually remember how she learned to swim herself; she just kind of knew. Therefore, she decided to teach Shinji by having him imitate her movements.

"Watch me," she told him as she took off and began swimming to the other side of the pool. Shinji was bewildered trying to watch her as she darted through the water, slightly submerged beneath. When she reached the end, she turned and nodded to him. He tilted his body horizontally with the water and tried to propel himself through. It went not unlike his first steps in Unit-01 as he stopped and began thrashing around in it, panicking when his head dipped below the surface. Asuka and Kensuke were stupefied for a bit before they rushed to pull him out.

"What the hell was that, Third?"

"I-I'm sorry! I was trying to do what Rei was doing, but it was just kinda hard to keep track of. And then my head went below the water, and I couldn't breathe, and-"

"Save it!" Asuka turned to Rei. "Whatever you're trying to do, Shinji isn't getting it!"

"What would be a better course of action to take?" Rei inquired. Asuka sighed heavily.

"Try to think about all of the motions you're making and tell him how to make them too! How about this? I'll hold him in place and you can give him feedback on how to kick his legs and all that stuff. That sound like a plan?"

"I can try it."

"Good. Now then, Shinji! Come here and get back in the water," Asuka gestured to him as she entered the pool. "Float on your stomach and I'll hold you. You can pretend you're swimming as if you were really moving through the water on your own…"

At first Rei tried to show me how to swim by having me watch her swim across and copy her, but it was hard for me to do that when I couldn't see her that well in the water. Asuka had to pitch in and hold me down while I swam in place and Rei gave me pointers on how to fix my technique. It took a while, but eventually I got to the point where I could at least swim well enough to make it to the deep end of the pool and back like Rei did.

From there we stayed for about another hour, racing each other and later playing several games of volleyball. For racing, Kensuke had to take off his glasses and set them somewhere else so he wouldn't lose them in the pool. I'd never seen him without them before, and it was startling how much of a different person he looked after taking them off. Asuka must've agreed with me, because after that there were a few times where she was distracted staring at him during volleyball while playing on the team opposite of him. Despite those hiccups, we were all impressed by her skills; the majority of our games were won by whichever team she was on.

We were in the middle of another game with Asuka and I on one team and Rei and Kensuke on the other when Mr. Aoba showed up to inform us we were needed at HQ for our next mission and to drive us there after we'd gotten dressed back up. The Angel Sandalphon had been discovered submerged in magma deep within a crevasse near Mt. Asama, and we were going to either capture it for study while it was still in its cocoon or destroy it otherwise. Asuka was chosen to carry out the operation in Unit-02. I would accompany her there in Unit-01 for support, while Rei and Kensuke would remain on standby at HQ. During the mission briefing, Kensuke asked why the Angel looked so human-like inside its cocoon; Dr. Akagi reasoned that it had something to do with the extreme similarities in human and Angel DNA.

Something about this plugsuit felt wrong. It was much different from the one Asuka usually wore; it was heavier, and even after tightening, the limbs and torso had these weird bag things attached to them.

"You're not done yet," Ritsuko chimed in. "There's a tank of liquid for the suit in the other room. Attach the hose to your back and then press the button on the console. The pockets will fill with it and help protect your body from the increased temperature and pressure as you pilot your Eva."

"Erm… Okay…"

"When you're done, come back here. You'll also need this helmet to wear."

After the briefing, we waited for a while as Asuka and Unit-02 were fitted with Type-D equipment, used for operating in extreme environments for extended periods. When we next saw her, she was wearing a very bloated-looking plugsuit and helmet that almost made her resemble a red version of the Michelin man. She was mortified at us seeing her like this, refusing to sortie because of how "hideous" she and her Eva were and only complying after some more goading from Kaji combined with Rei offering to sortie with Unit-02 in her stead. That reminds me… I wonder how Rei might pull off the Type-D plugsuit? I can imagine it in my head and it's …funny.

Now I feel kind of bad, because I'm faced with another dilemma. I did fall for her partly for her appearance. What if she got all fat and bloated for real? Would I still love her then? She'd still be the same admirable person as always. And yet, I can't confidently say if I'd remain with her. I want to say I would, but… Damn. I sound awful here. Maybe I should just move on and stop thinking about this.

Asuka and I arrived at Mt. Asama at around 3 PM. Shortly before the operation began, we noticed UN planes flying overhead. Father apparently ordered them to N2 bomb us all to smithereens with the Angel if we failed. Just how much is he willing to sacrifice simply to be rid of me? Alas, there was little I could do this time to stop him in the event of failure. All I could do was hope that Asuka could pull it off.

"I've become aware that you and the Third Child have entered a relationship."

"Yes. …Will that be a problem, Commander?"

"At present, it has not disrupted anything important. You are permitted to continue seeing him."

"…"

"But remember this. Your responsibilities for mankind's preservation take precedence over all else. Should the need arise, you are to abandon him. Is that clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Uhh, hello? Earth to Rei?"

Rei's mind had drifted elsewhere, and she was practically in a trance before Kensuke snapped her out of it.

"My apologies, Pilot Aida. I was thinking about something else."

"It's fine. And you don't have to call me that. You can just call me 'Kensuke' or 'Ken', kinda like how you already call Shinji by his regular name."

"I see."

"Hey, are you alright? You were looking a bit sad there."

"It is frustrating that I must remain behind once again at a time like this."

"I feel ya, Rei. Heck, I signed up for this piloting thing exactly because I was getting tired of sitting on the sidelines! I know I still need to do combat training, but… Arrgh! I hate standing around doing nothing!"

"Is there an alternative for us?"

Kensuke paused briefly for ideas. "Maybe we could just talk?"

"Talk?"

"Yeah! It'll keep us occupied for a while. If we're lucky, we'll hear back on Shinji and Asuka's status by the time we're done!"

"…I understand. What will we discuss?"

"Well, going to the pool this morning was fun! You're a great swimmer, Rei!"

"…Thank you. You are skilled yourself."

"Really, me? Well, I guess. But not as much as you or Asuka."

"Asuka… While we were playing volleyball, there were a few times when she was staring at you. Do you know why she was doing that?"

"Staring at me? Now that you mention it, that was pretty weird of her. And then while Aoba was driving us here, she asked me if I'd considered getting contact lenses."

"Contact lenses?"

"Yeah! You wear them directly on your eyes. My regular eyesight is pretty bad, so normally I wear glasses unless I'm doing private stuff like showering or sleeping. But with contact lenses I could see better while looking as though I'm not wearing any glasses."

"Why don't you wear contact lenses?"

"I just don't like the idea of putting my fingers so close to my eyes. Plus I can't wear them in the pool or I'll get an eye infection." Suddenly, something hit him. "Hey, wait a minute! Do you think-"

"What is it?"

"…Never mind. Let's change the subject." Asuka, being into me? No way, that wouldn't make any sense. Not after hearing about my photo business. And yet…

The deeper she descended into the volcano, the more nervous I got. At some point, she even lost her Eva's Prog Knife. After what felt like an eternity, she eventually found and captured Sandalphon's cocoon; my relief was short-lived as it hatched while she was ascending and then attacked. From what I heard later, the Angel was some kind of prehistoric crustacean-looking thing. I threw her my knife as a spare so she could fight it off, but the Angel's shell was too hard for even a Prog Knife to pierce. It seemed hopeless until Dr. Akagi reiterated the intense heat of the volcano. That jogged my memory enough to remember thermal expansion and contraction like I went over with Kensuke. I quickly told Asuka a plan; she could redirect her coolant onto the Angel to weaken its shell before trying again to penetrate it. It was risky, but there were no other options.

The plan worked and Asuka killed the Angel, but not before it severed her cables attaching her to the surface. The moment I heard from the technicians that the cables snapped, without even thinking I dove into the volcano in Unit-01 to grab her. The magma was indeed hot, but compared to Ramiel's beam it was nothing. We were lucky the cables had moved so close to the edge of the crevasse; I was able to slide down the rock face and take her before she fell. It was an awkward and difficult climb, but I got both of our Evas back onto dry land just in the nick of time before our power ran out.

It was a long while before we could be extracted, since our Evas had to cool off. When we finally got out, Asuka slapped me and berated me for my recklessness; if I'd failed to return her to the surface in time with my little stunt, she said, both of us would be dead and not just her. By then I'd fully realized what could've happened. But if I'd just sat back and left her to die without even trying to do anything, I'd have never been able to forgive myself. And even if that wasn't the case, my actions allowed Unit-02 to fight with us another day. However stupid they may have been, I didn't regret them. Not for a second. From what I could discern, she understood me, and she thanked me for saving her and her Eva.

Unbeknownst to us, Misato had shown up to watch, and she heard everything. As we rode in our transport back to HQ, she finally gave us her feelings on the matter. She appreciated that I was able to save Asuka and understood my reasoning for what I did. But at the same time, just like Asuka told me, I took a massive risk that could've had catastrophic results if it didn't pay off. Misato further elaborated that a day might come where I, her, or any one of us would have to sacrifice something for the greater good of stopping the Angels. When she brought this last bit up, the mood got chilly; to try and remedy things, she finished the conversation by saying we shouldn't fret so much about what could've been, and that we'd come back to Mt. Asama after the debriefing to relax some more at its famous hot springs.

Kensuke's combat training got postponed until tomorrow because of the Angel, so he was able to come with us. Rei had to continue staying behind at HQ for something. That's been happening a lot lately; when I asked her why, she told me she wasn't allowed to discuss it with anyone else except Father and Dr. Akagi, but assured me she'd be fine. I still don't like it, though. If what they're doing with her is so benign, then surely it wouldn't hurt for us to know what it was for. At least Kaji was kind enough to send Pen-Pen in her place.

If nothing else, the hot springs were nice enough that I could let go of my worries for a while. I wasn't expecting them to be so pleasant after having jumped into a volcano; I could practically feel my stress melting away while I was in them. Misato definitely knew what she was talking about when she offered to take us there.

During our stay, I got Kensuke up to speed on what happened at the volcano, and we had an …awkward moment involving me tossing Asuka and Misato some shampoo and us hearing them horse around on the other side of the divider. We also discussed Asuka some more, and Kensuke came to my same conclusion that she's not that bad once you get to know her. Actually, she might be one of the best friends I could ask for. But I had to make it clear to him as we talked that I have no intention of leaving Rei for her anytime soon. He was glad; Rei's a nice girl, he said to me, and it would be a shame to see her heart broken.

That should be more than enough for tonight. Our classmates are still on their Okinawa trip, and we still don't have school. So I guess all we can continue doing is remain vigilant so they can come back to Tokyo-3, all intact.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Boy, oh, boy. The more I think about Magma Diver, the more I hate it. So naturally this wasn't a very pleasant chapter to write. But it's here now, and hopefully the later chapters will be more fun. Alas, with school and other IRL crap dragging me down, I can't make any promises as to how quickly the rest of the chapters will come along. So I guess all I can ask for is your patience.

Special thanks to Evageeks for help with canon fact-checking (including timeline planning), and to my pre-readers Argent and Spider for examining the chapters released so far. Please check out their works (specifically A Strange Duet and The Moment Yuuko Found Out) if you can. The former is another Evangelion (AsuShin) fic, while the latter is a Nichijou fic. Also special thanks to MorgensternSP for suggesting the bit about Shinji imagining Rei in the Type-D plugsuit. I always thought it would be funny to imagine her as stoic as ever even with the suit filled.