DISCLAIMER:
Neon Genesis Evangelion copyright Gainax in Japan and ADVideo in
America. This is just for entertainment and no monetary purpose is
achieved by this work. Characters used without permission.
Although this is not my first fanfic, it is my first regarding
Evangelion. Therefore, gentle reader(s), treat it as a first-time fic,
ok? Thanks for your comprehension, and hope you like it!
Now, a little clarification here: As I mentioned above, this is not my
first fic, but I'm going to introduce a character of my own... no,
don't go!! Sheesh... ok, now that you're back, let's continue. Ahem
Well, for this purpose, I'm going to use an approach I used for a
previous one I'm still writing. Instead of putting Shinji and co. in
strange situations, I'll... well, you'll see!
And now, without more delays... let the show begin!!!
THE NAME OF THE GAME
An NGE fic by
Commander Galos (gabinol@infosel.net.mx)
CHAPTER 3
After school was over, Alyssa returned to her apartment in a thinking
mood. Shortly after Touji returned, she heard him comment to Kensuke
that nobody had answered his phone call. After a few message exchanges,
she decided to apologize and in exchange, got the full story of what
happened between those two and Shinji. Deciding to let bygones be
bygones, she offered to be their friend as well. Getting Shinji's
phone number, she asked Alexis to make a call. After the program got
the same results as Touji, Alyssa began to think.
For what she had known of Shinji so far, the kid seemed to be extremely
shy and closed. Being short didn't help one bit, so his self-confidence
was rated rather low. Replaying in her mind the comment she heard about
Shinji breaking down inside the Eva, she imagined that the boy was
piloting against his will, but so far nothing sustained that theory.
After all, who wouldn't want to pilot such a big robot, despite its
ugliness and limitations? That guy Kensuke seemed to like those things,
so it wouldn't be wrong to drive them, right?
On her way home, she bought a few frozen meals (she didn't like to
cook if she could avoid it), decided to let the Shinji matter drop and
instead, tried to relax a moment, enjoying the sights of the city and
the warm breeze blowing through the buildings.
Some minutes later, after defrosting some rice with curry, she was
working on her homework when Alexis began to talk.
"Pilot Alyssa, there are some points to be discussed before preparing
the day's report."
'Darn... there goes my free afternoon.' Sighed Alyssa, placing her
pencil next to the stack of papers with her almost finished homework.
"Alright Alexis... what do you want to talk about?"
"According to already noted events registered during the day, a more
in-depth information gathering is required. The more notable points to
investigate are:
"1. - The nature and origin of beings, designation: Angels. The
presence of such beings in this universe supports the hypothesis
of their probable existence in others as well. If so, it becomes
imperative to determine if they pose a risk for the Agency and,
if so, determine their strength and weaknesses to develop
appropriate defenses and tactics.
"2. - The acquisition and analysis of technical data of mechanical
defense unit, designation: Evangelion. Observation of performance
during last battle supports the hypothesis of it being a fairly
effective weapon against beings, designation: Angels. For this
purpose, subjects: Shinji Ikari and Kensuke Aida are acceptable
for first information gathering maneuvers until more adequate
information sources are available.
"3. - During first insertion data infiltration, I noted that the data
network in charge of the operation of Tokyo-3 has a security
level higher than this city really needs. Nature of security
measures indicate the presence of a computer system that might
very well could be used to coordinate movements of more than one
Evangelion unit. Finding and analyzing this system could be of
great benefit for this mission's purposes.
"4. - During standard sensor sweep during the first day in this
universe, one of Pilot: Alyssa's classmates showed a strange
genetic matrix. Although the initial analysis shows a 98.234%
correspondence with normal human beings genetic makeup, the
remaining 1.766% does not correspond to anything stored on my
databanks. Initial hypothesis suggests that subject designated:
Ayanami could be an infiltration agent of beings, designation:
Angels. Interrogation of subject: Ayanami must be done as soon
as possible."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Hold your horses!!!" said Alyssa, standing up and
raising her hands. "And how do you expect ME to do all that?? Have you
gone out of your mind or what??"
"I do not understand your queries, Pilot: Alyssa." Responded Alexis,
her voice calm. "All these are valid points, easily achievable by a
trained explorer." As an afterthought, she added. "If more help is
needed, I could contact for reinforcements..."
"NO!!! No, I... I mean, there is no need for that!" exclaimed Alyssa,
sweating at the prospect. "Well, you... you have to remember that I
don't have all the necessary equipment. Heck! The Manta is a prototype,
as well as you! I don't have anything else! And there are more things
to consider."
"Such as?" asked Alexis.
"One: Those... Angels. How are we going to get a thing about them? I
don't think they are going to tell me if I ask them nicely! Two: The
Evangelion... do you REALLY think the owners are going to let me take
a look at the blueprints? Three: That computer system you talked about,
where is it? And how do you expect me to get the data you want?
"And more importantly, that Ayanami girl. How in blazes did you get
that stupid idea??? She, an agent from the Angels? For cryin' out
loud!!! She's all bandaged up! Not to mention that she's the shyest
girl I've ever met! No, that's ridiculous! And what do you want me to
do, approach her and ask 'hey, Ayanami! Why does your DNA is different
from the others?' She'll laugh at me! That is, if she doesn't hit me in
the mouth or call the local authorities to send me to the loony bin!!"
Nobody said a thing, all the while Alyssa was congratulating herself
for handling the matter so efficiently. 'Now, for the coup de grace!'
thought Alyssa. "Look, I'll talk with Shinji and Kensuke, but about
that poor girl... if you are so curious about her DNA, why don't you
ask yourself? Now, if you don't have anything else to comment, I want
to finish my homework." With that said, she sat back and continued
writing.
Unknowingly to her, she put Alexis to think. As any complex computer
program in the Agency, Alexis had the ability to ponder her own
limitations and try to overcome them. That last comment made her
consider her options, and shortly, she had the beginnings of a plan.
* * * *
Meanwhile, at the Aida home...
'I don't get it... what happened?' Kensuke was checking for the
umpteenth time his camcorder. As he did daily, he was about to check
what he had recorded when he found out that his camera was battery-dead,
and even more, his digital disk was blank!
"This simply doesn't make sense..." mumble Kensuke for himself, at the
same time he placed a fresh battery pack on the camera. Once done, he
lay back on his chair in his room and began to think of the day's
events. Idly looking around his room, he began cataloguing all his
military models and stuff; at the same time another part of his mind
began sorting his memories. He was starting to snooze when he finally
found out what he was looking for.
In his mind's eye, he replayed the moment when he aimed his camera
towards the new student, and then she put her hand next to his
camcorder...
"THAT'S IT!!" said Kensuke, standing up. His sudden movement sent the
chair stumbling backwards; he didn't pay attention to it. "She did it!
Man, I can't believe it!" he began to pace around his room, all the
while mumbling to himself. "But how did she do it? What kind of powers
does she have? Could she be an agent of the Angels? Or perhaps...
something else?"
Standing in the middle of the disaster zone he called his room, he
then assumed a heroic pose and shout out loud. "I swear, I'll find the
truth! That stranger won't hide for long now that Kensuke Aida is on
the case!"
"KENSUKE, SHUT UP AND FINISH YOUR HOMEWORK!" screamed his father.
"Yes father." Answered Kensuke. Chastised, he took his chair and placed
it once more in front of his desk. But instead on concentrating on his
homework, he began to delineate his plan to unmask a certain student
that went by the name of Alyssa Starr...
* * * *
Two days later, back at school, things looked normal. Girls were in
small groups, talking about different things and interests, and the
boys did the same. Alyssa had decided to make some friends and decided
to start with the class representative, Hikari Horaki. After the
initial pleasantries exchange, she quickly found out that, under that
hard mask she used during class, was a kind-hearted, nice girl that
liked to make friends and help with whatever she could. While they
began to cement their friendship, another kind of conversation was
taking place in the back of the classroom.
"I have to admit it Shinji... you pack quite a wallop." Said Touji,
smirking at the smaller boy.
"Yeah!" quipped Kensuke, smiling broadly. "That was the first time I
saw Touji here hitting the floor! You must have felt good!"
Shinji tried to smile, but his attempt ended up as a timid smirk.
"No... well... you see, I... didn't like hitting you Touji. That was
wrong... sorry, I didn't..."
"Don't even say it!" interrupted Touji. "Now, I want you to promise me.
Promise me that you won't try and run away!" seeing Shinji squirming,
he decided to press a little more. "Well?" He was rewarded with a small
smile and a nod. "That's the spirit!"
Seeing that matter resolved, Kensuke decided to bring fore the thing
that bugged him during the last days. "Hey... guys, there's something
I wanted to comment with you." Once he had their attention, he went
for it. "Have you noticed something strange about the new girl?"
"Besides that she has quite a character?" said Touji, eyeing Alyssa
from the corner of his eye. "Or that she's cute when she wants to?"
"No, not that!" said Kensuke, looking directly at her. He then decided
to drop the bomb. "No, she... she can't be human!" Both Touji and
Shinji eyed him as he had grown another head. He then proceeded to
tell them what had happened to his camcorder that day. Once he
finished, the three of them looked directly at Alyssa.
"Kensuke... you finally lost it!" said Touji after a moment. "How could
you say something like that? You should have forgotten to put a fresh
battery and forgot about it!" he ignored Kensuke's dirty look.
"Besides... she's quite friendly with me." Added Shinji, smiling a
little. "She's my neighbor, and she looks pretty normal to me." That
comment caused Kensuke to put his hands on Shinji's shoulders, turn
him around and stared the young pilot in the eye.
"Don't you see??" said Kensuke, excitedly. "That's it! She's here
because of you! Shinji, you have to be careful! Tell NERV! Tell Misato!
Spread the word! She has to be stopped! She must be the first of an
upcoming alien invasion! She's going to abduct and perform weird
experiments on you, turning you into her love slave!" he could have
continued, but was stopped by a head slap from Touji.
"Shut up!"
In that moment, the sensei entered the classroom. Everybody went to
their seats and shortly, the class began.
Rei was staring out the window as she always did when her computer
desk began to chime. That, by itself, was more than enough to call for
her attention, since nobody in class talked to her, even less message
her. Activating the message program, she blinked when the next appeared
on the screen.
- PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF.
As discreetly as she could, she eyed all presents in the classroom.
Some people were taking notes, others were just plain exchanging notes
between themselves, while a few were snoozing. Nobody returned her
look. She then turned her attention back to the screen and typed an
answer.
WHO ARE YOU?
- I MADE THE FIRST QUERY. IT IS ONLY LOGICAL THAT YOU ANSWER FIRST. I
REPEAT. PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF.
MY NAME IS REI AYANAMI.
- UNDERSTOOD. MY DESIGNATION IS ALEXIS.
That made Rei blink once more, slightly confused. As far as she knew,
there was nobody called that in this school. She then reasoned to
continue this strange conversation in hopes to find out who was doing
it.
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
- I REQUIRE INFORMATION EXCHANGE WITH REI AYANAMI TO COMPLETE MY
MISSION. I REQUEST A MEETING IN A SECURE PLACE TO ACCOMPLISH THAT
OBJECTIVE.
Rei stared hard at the screen at that answer. This conversation had
turned even stranger than she imagined. Now there was the hint that,
perhaps, this stranger was an enemy, otherwise, why else would this
person want to talk with her looking for information? She considered
carefully her options, foremost the one about talking to Commander
Ikari about this. Yes, he would know what to do.
VERY WELL. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?
- NOT HERE. THIS COMMUNICATION MEDIA IS NOT SECURE. I SUGGEST A MEETING
IN A SECURE PLACE. I PROPOSE MEETING AT YOUR HABITATIONAL MODULE.
UNDERSTOOD. WHEN DO YOU WANT TO MEET WITH ME?
- FIRST CONTACT WILL BE MADE AFTER CURRENT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ARE
DONE. I WILL BE IN TOUCH. ALEXIS OUT.
With those words, the screen went blank. Carefully, Rei closed her
desk and returned to staring out the window. In her mind's eye, she
replayed the strange message exchange, finally drawing the conclusion
to call NERV during lunch. This seemed like a very serious matter;
therefore NERV security should be put on alert... as well as Commander
Ikari.
* * * *
"Yes, I understand. Go ahead with that meeting; I'll call Security and
send elements to catch that stranger. You keep it occupied while our
people do the rest." Without another word, Gendo hanged up the phone.
"Looks like we'll have a chance at that stranger sooner than we
imagined." Commented Fuyutzuki, seeping his cup of tea.
"Yes. Soon, that variable will be removed." Said Gendo, assuming his
position on his desk. "When Security captures that stranger, use
whatever means necessary to get all the information from it."
"It will be done." Said Fuyutzuki. After putting his cup back on the
desk, he commented. "Who do you think it works for?"
"That is what I want you to find out, professor." Said Gendo, his smirk
hidden by his hands.
* * * *
After school, Rei went directly to her place. The sound of construction
was clearly heard, but she was used to it, so she ignored it. Nearby
and in adjacent rooms, NERV security agents were on standby, ready to
get into action and capture whoever was about to get in contact with
the First Child.
Completely ignoring the accumulated stack of junk mail in her mailbox,
Rei entered her place. After a quick look at the shower stall to make
sure no one was hiding in there, she went directly to her bed and sat
down. Her apartment was small, a quick glance indicating that she was
the only occupant. Therefore, it was quite a surprise for her when a
voice coming from empty air addressed her.
"Greetings, Rei Ayanami. I have been waiting for you."
Keeping her cool, she decided to answer, knowing that the listening
devices placed all over the apartment would surely alert the security
detachment. Besides, she was still healing, so trying to face a
stranger would only aggravate her wounds. "Are you Alexis?"
"Yes I am, Rei Ayanami. Are you ready to begin our information
exchange?"
"Where are you?"
This time, the voice took a little time to answer. "For the moment, I
am using a remote device to contact you. For first contact purposes,
this is more than enough."
"What kind of device?" asked Rei. Perhaps she could convince this
person to show her so she could take it back to NERV. Maybe Doctor
Akagi could tell who built it. "Show me."
"Very well. But in exchange, you will answer some of the queries I have
regarding certain anomalies detected by my sensors; after that, I
propose an exchange of information equal on importance, depending on
the queries. Do you agree to this conditions?"
Rei considered the condition for a couple of minutes. She hadn't
received orders on the contrary, and besides, she could answer with
the Commander-approved phrases she knew. "I agree. Show me." Once more,
she blinked in surprise (she had blinked quite a lot this day) when the
'device' suddenly appeared in front of her.
It was a featureless sphere, no bigger than a basketball. Silver in
color, it had no marks that could indicate some way to open it. It was
floating effortlessly in mid air; no sound coming from it besides the
voice of the stranger called Alexis. Rei stood up and paced around the
sphere, confirming its smoothness. Satisfied that in appearance the
thing wasn't armed, she sat back on her bed.
"We can begin the information exchange." Said the voice, Rei nodding
once in agreement. "First query: where does beings designated: Angels
come from?"
"I do not know. Perhaps you should ask someone else." Said Rei.
"Understood. Second query: tell me why does your genetic makeup
differs from normal human beings."
"That is classified information." Answered Rei without delay. "In order
to give you any answer, you will have to answer one of mine."
"Agreeable. What do you want to know?" asked Alexis.
Rei took a few seconds to find an adequate question on par of what
Alexis had asked. (And for her, it had been quite a fast thinking.)
Deciding to keep things on the same level, she finally asked. "Who are
you?"
Alexis took a couple of seconds less than Rei to ponder the question.
Seeing that it was on the same level of personal intimacy (as far as
she could understand it), the program began her answer. "I am an
artificial construct in the way of personal evolution via imprinting
with my partner. Self-awareness and auto-cognition are part of my own
coding. I cannot be replaced. More detailed information requires a
higher security clearance than your actual question has. Now,
according to our agreement, you have to answer my query."
Rei nodded and simply said. "I am a clone."
"Understood. Data noted and classified." Said Alexis immediately after.
"Next query: where can I obtain data pertaining to weapon system
designated: Evangelion."
Rei didn't say a thing for a few moments, but that wasn't necessary.
It was in that instant that two security agents stormed into the room,
their guns at the ready. They hesitated when they got their first look
at the strange sphere, but that only lasted an eye blink; taking aim,
they fired at the sphere. Unexpectedly, the strange device just moved
enough to avoid the bullets, at the same time Rei moved to one wall to
get out of the line of fire.
When another two security agents entered the room, the sphere moved
with incredible speed to the window, shattering it and escaping. The
first two agents immediately moved to the window to see if they could
locate the sphere but to no avail. There was a brief message exchange
with the agents on the street, but it was obvious that their quarry had
escaped. One of the agents approached Rei and addressed her. "Come with
us."
Without saying a word, Rei followed them; externally, she showed no
signs of being perturbed, but in her mind, she kept wondering what was
that, and more importantly, why does that stranger called Alexis wanted
to talk specifically with her. Even more perturbing for her, why did
it refer to itself as an artificial construct? Could it be that this
Alexis character is another clone like herself? Perhaps Commander Ikari
knew the answers...
* * * *
Unaware of all those events, early the next morning Alyssa had noticed
that she had run low on sugar, and decided to get some. Since she was
feeling a little tired, instead of going to the store, she went to her
neighbor's place. Granted, she knew about Shinji living there, but
somehow, she doubted he lived alone. So, it was only logical (for her
anyway) to meet the rest of her neighbors.
Armed with an empty cup, she pressed the intercom's button and waited.
Shortly, the door slide open, revealing Shinji. "Hi Shinji! Sorry to
bother you, but I ran out of sugar. Could you be a dear and loan me a
cup, please?" she finished with a killing smile and a cute expression.
Shinji returned the smile with a small one of his own. "Sure. Please,
come in," after removing her shoes at the entrance, Alyssa entered the
place and got a good look at it. Like her own, it wasn't that big, the
only difference was that apparently it had one more room. It was clean
and ordered, something that she approved.
Shinji went to the kitchen to get the sugar, while Alyssa got
comfortable and sat next to the living room's table. She was about to
ask something to Shinji when, to her surprise, a small refrigerator's
door opened and from it came out... a penguin. After nodding at Alyssa,
the penguin headed in the direction of the furo, a small bowl of
toiletries hold firmly between its flippers.
Alyssa kept staring in the direction of the furo, still not believing
what she saw, so it wasn't so surprising when Shinji had to tap her
shoulder to grab her attention. Blinking out of her stupor, she
addressed Shinji. "Excuse me Shinji... but did I saw a penguin heading
to your bathroom?" mentally she added, 'please please please! Just let
it be a hallucination! No, better yet, say that I really saw it... or
I'll have to think that I'm going nuts!'
Placing the cup on the table, Shinji sat next to Alyssa. "Yes, you saw
a penguin. That's Pen Pen. He's my other roommate."
Releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding, Alyssa relaxed.
But it was in the next moment that she realized the other part of his
sentence. "Wait... _other roommate_? I'm afraid to ask... but who, or
what else lives here with you?"
Shinji didn't have the chance to answer, because in that moment the
door of one of the rooms opened, revealing the third member of the
place. A grown woman with black hair that flowed to mid-back, dressed
with a small sports bra and short shorts made her way to the kitchen.
Mumbling and grunting to herself, she made a beeline to the
refrigerator, opened it and grabbed a can of beer.
Alyssa watched, awed, as the new arrival opened the can and literally
poured its contents down her throat. Poured was the key word, since she
didn't catch her throat moving. After downing half the can, the woman
gave a loud "YYEEEEEAAAAAAAHHH!! THAT'S THE WAY TO START THE DAY!" and
burped. Loud.
Unable to react, Alyssa just stood there when the stranger approached
her. She didn't notice Shinji's embarrassed expression. "And who do we
have here?" began the woman. "Hi, I'm Misato Katsuragi, pleased to meet
you!"
Blinking out of her stupor once more, Alyssa addressed Misato. "Hi...
I'm your neighbor, Alyssa Starr. Pleased to meet you."
"So, what brings you to our happy home?" said Misato after taking
another sip of her beer. "Are you a friend of Shinji's?"
"Yeah, we go to the same classes." Answered Alyssa. Turning to one
side, she noticed Shinji's expression. Seeing him a little desperate
to get the introductions finished, she decided to tease him a little.
"Sooo, this is why you always look so tired in class! Shinji, you make
me so proud! I never imagined you had it in you!" Shinji's answer was
to look at her in complete shock, at the same time shacking his head
in negation and spluttering in an attempt to deny it.
Misato smiled at the whole thing, mentally classifying the girl as
someone that she already liked. Letting Shinji sweat a little more,
she decided to put an end to it and give the poor Third Child a break.
"No, it's not that... as much as I regret it." She added a wink for
good effect. "I'm his legal guardian. So, you are my neighbor?"
Mentally, she added, 'funny. I don't remember the notification from
Security about having a neighbor. I'll have to ask later.'
"Yup. I moved last week." Said Alyssa, smiling at Misato. She began to
warm at the older woman; after all, someone that could tease Shinji
like that was a friend in her book. "So, you are Shinji's guardian, eh?
I bet you have your hands full taking care of him."
"No, not at all! Shinji is quite the little darling. He helps a lot
with the house chores."
"More like I do all the house chores." Mumbled Shinji under his breath.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the point of view), Alyssa
heard him. Leaning closer to him, she said. "Oooh, a man that takes
care of himself! That's so rare to find!" turning to face Misato, she
added. "Could you loan him to me for a couple of days? I promise to
return him not too worn off!" she couldn't help but smile at hearing
Shinji's loud gulp.
Misato couldn't hold it back any more, and burst laughing, Alyssa
joining her. After calming down, she said to Shinji. "Relax Shinji!
We're only teasing you!"
"Yeah!" chirped Alyssa, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, I
can't believe that the brave pilot of EVA-01 can't relax! Ease up,
live life!"
"O-ok. I'll try." Stuttered Shinji.
Looking at a nearby clock, Alyssa gasped. "Oh no, it's late! Sorry,
but I have to go get ready for school! Shinji, let's walk together to
school, ok?" Grabbing her cup of sugar, she added. "It was a pleasure
to meet you, miss Katsuragi!"
"Just call me Misato, that's how my friends call me." Said Misato. "See
you!" Once the door closed behind Alyssa, Misato said to herself.
"Nice girl, I like her. I wonder how she ended up as my neighbor... oh
well." She then finished her can of beer and went back to the kitchen
to grab another.
Shinji took a deep breath to calm his nerves and followed Misato to the
kitchen to begin preparing breakfast. He was still confused about his
neighbor, but he couldn't help to feel somewhat eager to see her again.
As for Misato, she was glad that someone about Shinji's age took some
interest on the boy. He was so lonely and depressed, that she felt that
having another friend would help him to open up some more. However,
there was something strange nagging at the back of her mind, a
sensation that something was amiss. Finally deciding to let it simmer
in the backburner, she sat at the kitchen's table to wait for breakfast
after grabbing another can of beer.
* * * *
"You did well Rei." Said Gendo after the First Child finished with her
account of what happened in her place. "Report to me if that stranger
contact you again."
Without a word, Rei turned around and exited Gendo's office. Gendo let
a small smirk cross his face for a brief moment; that is what he liked
about Rei. Quiet efficiency and instant obedience. Too bad the rest of
his subordinates weren't like that. Next to him were the reports of
Security, but he didn't bother to look at them. He knew that what Rei
told him was precise and concise. Nothing on those stacks of paper
could add anything more to that.
Bridging his hands in front of him, he addressed Fuyutzuki. "What do
you think of this?"
"An evolving artificial construct? That's too hard to believe.
However..." Fuyutzuki let the rest hang in silence. But seeing that
Gendo wasn't going to ask, he finally finished his thought. "A floating
sphere that can become invisible to our sensors and eyes. That is
intriguing. Perhaps SEELE is testing a new kind of surveillance device
and decided to test it with the First Child."
"Perhaps." Said Gendo. After a minute of silence, he added. "Strengthen
the security around the First and Third Children. Intercept their
computers at school as well. If this 'phantom spy' tries to contact
them I want to know before it happens."
As an afterthought he added. "When you find who is behind all of this,
bring it here. By any means necessary."
* * * *
Time passed.
For Shinji, it had been a mix of sensations and feelings. For starters,
his friendship with Kensuke and Touji got cemented. Although he didn't
admit it, he began to feel comfortable with his new friends. Even went
to the lengths to tolerate their teasing during PE when they caught him
staring at the girls' class, especially looking in Rei's direction.
As for his neighbor, he didn't know what to think of her. On one side,
she was quite open, cheerful and enthusiastic. Boy, was she
enthusiastic! It had been just last week when Touji and Kensuke
started going to pick him up to go to school (and incidentally peek at
Misato) when Alyssa got word of that. Immediately she latched with
them. Much to his dismay, she and Touji hit it pretty well, even
exchanging a couple of stories. As for Kensuke, he remained friendly,
but kept his distance. Shinji didn't know if to tell her what Kensuke
thought of her or not.
Hikari didn't take too well that Alyssa was so friendly with Touji, but
after a long talk, she finally relented a bit. That's when Alyssa began
to pester Touji to open up a little bit more and ask Hikari out. Each
time Touji ended up red-faced and sputtering that it was 'none of her
business'.
For Rei, things became a little stranger. Alexis contacted her a couple
more times, the first time clearly stating that she didn't like to have
her investigation monitored by unwanted parties. The next day she found
out that all the listening devices placed on the school's computer
network had been either melted by a power surge or reprogrammed to
show that the origin of the messages came for other parts of the city
or the world. What was even more surprising was that the strange sphere
reappeared on her room two days ago, but none of the security agents
posted around or the new sensors on her apartment showed how it got in.
Rei, following the Commander's instructions, didn't answer the
questions. But was nevertheless surprised when, before leaving, the
voice told her that her injuries were healing satisfactorily. Both
times, Security received a good berating from Gendo, but that didn't
change the situation one bit.
And as for Alyssa, those past weeks had been heavenly. For starters,
there was nobody to tell her what to do, so she did whatever pleased
her. Second, she had made some good friends with almost everybody in
class. Third, Alexis had finally stopped bugging her about finding out
more about the Angels and the Evangelion. And last, but not least, she
had become good friends with Misato. Heck, she had been invited to
dinner that night! Although, she couldn't understand why Shinji had
tried to make her change her mind when he learned that. Oh well, she
would find out sooner or later.
But what intrigued her the most was that Alexis was starting to show
signs of developing a more... human-like personality. When she asked
Alexis about that, the answer she got surprised her. Apparently, the
imprinting process devised by Doctor Hathaway implied that the
Artificial Consciousness Program could 'absorb' most of the personality
traits of the user either by direct interaction or via the REM state
of the user. That last meaning that Alexis could become more like
Alyssa by learning from the girl's dreaming state.
Once school was over, Alyssa hurried back to her place to get ready for
dinner. As soon as she took a quick bath and changed her school
clothes, she immediately left her apartment and headed to Shinji's. As
soon as she opened her door, she noticed that another person was
leaving the elevator. It was a blonde woman, perhaps around the same
age as Misato, well looking. A closer inspection showed that she had a
small tear-like mole under her left eye. Even more intriguing was the
fact that the new arrival was heading to the same place she was.
Deciding to make a good first impression, she presented herself to the
new arrival. "Hi! Are you here to visit Misato-chan?"
The blonde looked at Alyssa, an eyebrow raised in mild surprise.
Nodding curtly, she said. "Yes, and who might you be?"
"Oh, sorry about my manners! I'm Misato's neighbor, Alyssa. Pleased to
meet you!" she said, bowing. After straightening up, she added. "Are
you here to visit her?"
'My, what an energetic girl!' thought the woman. Smiling pleasantly,
she answered. "I'm Ritsuko Akagi, pleased to meet you. And yes, I'm
here to visit Misato. Actually, she invited me for dinner."
"Really? That's great, me too!" said Alyssa, smiling broadly. "Shall
we go now?"
With the introductions out of the way, the two of them went to Misato's.
"So, you work for NERV too?" asked Alyssa. She, Ritsuko and Shinji were
seated in the living room, waiting for dinner to be ready. Shinji was
slightly surprised when he saw Ritsuko and Alyssa waiting together at
the door, but dismissed it when he learned that they had met in the
corridor. "And what do you do in there?"
"I'm the doctor in charge of the health of the pilots." Said Ritsuko,
watching Alyssa intently.
"Really? That's great!" chirped Alyssa, smiling broadly. Her smile
became mischievous when she addressed Shinji. "You rogue! Always
surrounded by beautiful women! I bet you are always eager to get your
physical, right?" she was rewarded by seeing Shinji's face going all
red and stiffening. "Come on, relax! I know you won't take advantage...
and that's what I like of you." She finished patting his shoulder.
Ritsuko watched the whole exchange with a smirk, enjoying the moment.
"You speak good Japanese, Alyssa." Commented Ritsuko, trying to deviate
the conversation. "Although you don't look like one."
"Oh, I'm Japanese on my mother's side." Said Alyssa, smiling. "She was
the one that taught me the language, although I have some difficulty
with the Kanji. But I'm working on it!" she then addressed Shinji. "If
I need a tutor, would you help me, please?" Shinji could only nod at
her petition, much to Ritsuko's amusement.
It was in that instant that Misato's voice saying that dinner was
served was heard, so everybody headed to the kitchen's table to enjoy
their dinner. It comes as no surprise that Shinji went from red-faced
to completely pale.
The very first thing that Ritsuko and Alyssa noticed was that the
'gourmet dinner' that Misato had told them consisted in nothing more
than... instant meals! Hiding their surprise, they took their places,
while Shinji began to serve the sauce from a nearby pot.
"Shinji, could you be a darling and pour some of that in here?" said
Misato, handing a cup of instant ramen to Shinji. The latter just
shrugged and placed a generous amount of sauce on the cup. "Thanks
Shinji!"
"Are you sure you want to eat that?" asked Ritsuko, dubious.
"Of course! The normal curry isn't enough for me, so this makes the
ramen just perfect!" said Misato. Grabbing her chopsticks, she began to
eat. After the first gulp, she added. "Well, what are you waiting for?
Go ahead!"
The two dinner guests looked at the meal, hesitating. Finally, Shinji
and Ritsuko grabbed their chopsticks and grabbed a portion of rice with
curry. Alyssa was about to place her own portion on her mouth when she
noticed that Shinji and Ritsuko went very still, their eyes bulging.
'Alexis... is this food safe for consumption?' she asked her companion
through their shared link.
'Initial analysis of food doesn't indicate any bacteriological or
poisonous agents. However, the spice concentration of sauce designated:
curry is fairly high.' Answered Alexis.
'Oh. Oh well, as dad always says, what doesn't kill you...' with that
in mind, she ate a fairly big amount of rice with curry. Instantly,
she felt as if her mouth was on fire! Unconsciously, she dropped her
chopsticks and, by pure reflex, she made her first mistake of the
night: she swallowed.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! HELP! I'M BURNING! WATER, WATER!!" survival
instincts kicked in, making her go for the first thing that resembled
liquid. That's when she made her second mistake: she went straight for
Misato's beer cans.
((A little known thing about the beer Misato usually drinks is that,
for her to get that pleasant buzz, those beers have a higher alcohol
level than a regular beer. That also explains why, in so many fanfics
out there, the Children get a hangover after just a couple of beer
cans. If we add the known medical fact that spicy food tend to increase
the acid levels of the stomach, therefore leaving it vulnerable to
alcohol by lowering the thickness of the protective mucus layer that
coats it, we have the explanation of what happened next. We now return
to our scheduled story.))
Without thinking, Alyssa grabbed the first can and, in a fair imitation
of Misato's regular drinking style, she poured it down her throat...
along with the other three cans on the table. Shinji and Ritsuko
watched the proceedings with open mouths, unblinking. Misato, however,
watched all with a smirk. 'I really like this girl!' she thought. 'I
hope she doesn't go for more beer though. I need to restock after
tonight.'
After downing the fourth can, Alyssa took her seat with a sigh. She
was about to say something when, all of a sudden, she stiffened in her
place.
Shinji, Misato and Ritsuko just blinked, waiting for Alyssa to move.
After a minute of complete immobility, Shinji stood up and walked next
to his friend. "Alyssa?" No response. "Alyssa, are you all right?" he
then tapped her lightly on her shoulder.
THUNK
"ALYSSA!" Shinji freaked when she ended up on the floor.
"Help me get her to the couch!" said Ritsuko, quickly standing up.
After Misato and her made the girl comfortable on the couch, she
proceeded to examine her. "Don't worry," she began after checking
Alyssa's pupil reflexes, "it's just a mild alcoholic shock. She'll wake
up soon enough, although she'll have a big hangover the next day." It
was in that moment that they heard Alyssa moan; Shinji went immediately
to her side, worry etched on his face.
"Alyssa, are you ok? Talk to me."
Alyssa moaned after she opened her eyes just a little, the light
hurting her abused brain. In her mind, she hardly heard Alexis'
inquiries about her health. Once she was sure her head wouldn't split
open, she risked opening her eyes a little more. Moving her head a
little, she saw that someone was hovering close to her face. Although
her mental state didn't allow her to focus that well, her jumbled brain
filled up the visual gaps at the best of its stressed capabilities.
What Alyssa ended up seeing was an angular face, strong features
gracing it. Chiseled chin, dark hair and black-brown eyes that called
her to dive in their depths. Lowering her sight, she saw broad
shoulders and strong arms. Moving her eyes back to that handsome face,
she zeroed on those full, sensual lips... when she saw them moving
something clicked in her confused mind, and throwing caution out the
nearest window, she reacted.
Ritsuko and Misato were discussing if to take the girl back to her
place or let her sleep on Misato's couch when they were interrupted by
what happened there.
"Alyssa, are you feeling better?"
"Come here... you hunk!"
"What? Hey... HMMMPH!!"
When the two women turned around, they were greeted by the unusual
sight of Shinji trying to get away from Alyssa, arms flailing madly,
all the while the girl had her left hand on his nape holding him
tightly, at the same time her right hand roamed up and down his back.
Needless to say, she had the poor boy locked in a very strong lip lock,
all the time Alyssa made purr-like noises.
"WOOHOO!! YEAH GIRL, GO FOR IT!" Cheered Misato after the initial
surprise wore off.
"MISATO!" exclaimed Ritsuko. She then looked at the 'busy' couple.
"Come on you two, break it off! That's not proper!"
"Oh come on Rits! Let them have a little fun!" said Misato, smiling.
As an afterthought, she added. "But if she tries to undress Shinji,
we'll separate them!"
At the same time, Shinji's state of mind had gone from worried to
surprised in record time, quickly reaching the panic state. One part
of him was screaming to him to get away from the drunken girl as soon
and fast as his legs could, while another one was cheering him and
berating the other part for interfering. All the time he was mildly
aware of the way her hand was touching his back, pressing certain
points with her fingers that sent shivers up and down his spine. When
he felt her grip relax a little, he seized the opportunity to bolt away
from her. He just stood there, gasping as if he had run all the way
from the Geofront and back non-stop.
Fortunately for all the presents, Alyssa went back to sleep, a blissful
smile adorning her face.
"I wasn't aware that she felt that way towards you, Shin-chan." Said
Misato, smirking whimsically.
"NO! It's not like that Misato, I swear!" gasped Shinji, trying to
compose himself (as well as stuck his shirt back on his pants). "I...
I don't know what came over her!
"Besides your lips?" said Misato, taking a sip from the beer can she
had been holding all the time. She couldn't help but giggle when Shinji
went beet-red all over again. "Oh, don't worry Shin-chan. I'm sure she
reacted that way because of the beer. Tomorrow she will be her normal
self, you'll see!" The mildly disappointed look on Shinji's expression
went unnoticed by her.
Seeing that everything was back under control, Ritsuko remembered the
other thing that brought her that night. "Oh Shinji, I almost forgot!
I was given Rei's new security card today, but haven't had time to give
it to her. Could you do me a favor and give it to her?" She then handed
Shinji the card.
"Uhh, yeah, sure." Said Shinji, glad to talk of anything else besides
his current experience. After getting the card, he stared at it for a
long moment.
"She is an attractive girl, isn't she?" commented Misato. "I hope she
doesn't get jealous if she learns that Alyssa beat her to your lips
Shin-chan!"
Once more, Shinji stuttered in an attempt to divert that kind of
attention off him, and then dinner continued under that vein. After
dinner was over, and seeing that Alyssa had somewhat regained her
faculties, Shinji and Misato helped her back to her apartment, after
Ritsuko confirmed that the girl would be ok by the morning.
Unknown to them, Alexis had registered the whole conversation. That new
bit of information was what dictated her next course of action.
* * * *
The next day, Alyssa woke up with a killer headache. After taking a
couple of Aspirins to help her deal with it, she went to school. She
was a little disappointed when she noticed that Shinji and Rei weren't
there, but calmed down when Alexis commented to her that the two young
pilots went that day to NERV to perform something called
'synchronization tests.'
'I have a question, pilot Alyssa.' Said Alexis after a moment, using
their shared mind link.
'Did you say 'question'? What brought that?' asked Alyssa, curious.
This was the first time that the AC had used that word instead of
'query'.
'I'm not sure.' Answered Alexis. 'Somehow, it felt more adequate. It
must be because my thought patterns are more integrated with yours as
time goes by.'
'Well, I like it! You sound more human-like that way! Anyway, what do
you want to ask?'
'Are you attracted to Shinji Ikari?' asked Alexis. She felt quite
surprised at Alyssa's reaction.
The girl in question felt queasy at the thought. Granted, Shinji was
an ok guy, but he wasn't what she wanted in a boy! 'Wha-wha-wha-what???'
'It's because of what you did yesterday night.' Completed Alexis.
'After all, you called him 'a hunk', and proceeded to initiate what my
memory banks indicate as 'mating'. Sensing the distress and confusion
of her partner, she then proceeded to explain the rather hot osculation
that took place in Misato's apartment. 'Also to note, it seems that
your fainting left Shinji Ikari... unsatisfied.'
'Wha... what do you mean.' Asked Alyssa, dreading the answer.
'This morning, when Shinji Ikari went to Rei Ayanami's living quarters
to give her a new security card, he fell all over her after she left
her shower. Although I am confused by his reaction; he immediately
removed himself off her body and let her dress.
'I also want to note, that during your unconscious state, your mind was
filled with images pertaining certain activities that normally are
reserved for married couples, all of them in regard of Shinji Ikari.
Although I can't comprehend why you also included the girl Rei Ayanami
in such activities.
'Speaking of her,' continued Alexis, unaware of the mental state of
Alyssa, who was going from surprised to catatonic in no time flat,
'according to what I recorded from her encounter with Shinji Ikari, I
seriously doubt that she would enjoy a... what is the term? A Three-Way
relationship? I am confused in that respect.
'Is this kind of behavior normal for biological entities?'
Alyssa didn't answer immediately, flabbergasted by the revelation.
First, giving Shinji the mother of all kisses left her mind reeling at
the concept. But learning that the shy, closed and meek Shinji went to
the lengths to literally assault Rei in a sexual context... no,
something was wrong with that picture! That is, not to mention that
she was having some very adult dreams concerning her friends!
Fortunately for her, her survival instincts immediately latched into
one small detail.
'Wait a minute here... how do you know that Shinji did that??'
'I have been employing a new prototype probe for that purpose.
Codename: Curtis eyes.' Sensing Alyssa's curiosity rise, Alexis then
proceeded to explain. 'The eye, as its name indicates, is a spherical
device designed to be equipped with different sensor arrays. In this
case, a transponder and basic sensor suites. However, the difference
between it and other probes actually in use by the Agency, is that it
has the capability of independent flight and stealth mode.'
'So you've been using this... eye to spy on everybody??' asked Alyssa,
feeling the start of another headache.
'No. Basically, I've been using it to make contact with Rei Ayanami.'
Alyssa's mind did the equivalent of a triple summersault at the news.
She was so shocked that he barely listened to Alexis' explanation.
'As you indicated on a previous conversation, it was the best course
of action to ask her directly. It has been highly... educational; I
guess that's the right word. I will explain tonight what I've learned.
In any case, I directed the probe to follow her, and by doing that, I
gained access to NERV HQ.'
'Please... tell me you developed a sense of humor and this is a
joke...' asked Alyssa, unable to believe that Alexis was so daring.
Where was the obedient little program she first met? If she had been
able to think clearer, she would have noticed that Alexis had started
to behave more like herself.
'There is no humor involved in my actions.' Answered Alexis. 'The
explanation is simple: after your talk with Doctor Ritsuko Akagi last
night, it became obvious that the most adequate source of information
regarding Rei Ayanami was she. At this moment, the probe is inside
Doctor Akagi's office, attempting to enter her personal computer in
order to obtain more data.'
Ritsuko was furious with herself. She had been walking to her office
when, by a sheer accident, she poured part of her coffee on her lab
coat; and to think, that she NEVER trips on desks. Not to mention that,
after that -thing- that Misato called dinner finally was out of her
system early in the morning, she felt a ravenous need for high-energy
food. After all, tossing and rolling on her bed trying to digest that
dinner took a lot of energy. To cope with that need, she added a very
generous amount of sugar to her coffee. That was what grated more: she
had measured the amount so precisely... now it was all lost! Well, not
precisely lost. After all, the coffee still remained with her, but
only on her person, not on her stomach!
Deciding that her appearance in front of her subordinates (not to
mention in front of the Commander) had to be impeccable, she entered
her office in a huff. In one single movement, she threw her stained lab
coat to the nearby hanger and went to retrieve a clean one from the
locker in her office. Once changed, she went to her terminal when, to
her surprise, she noticed that it was running.
'Strange... I turned it off yesterday before going with Misato.' When
Ritsuko approached the terminal, she was shocked to notice that the
files on the screen were the ones of the Children! She was about to
check what else had been hacked when she noticed a faint reflection of
movement on her screen. Without wasting a second, she opened the top
drawer of her desk and retrieved a gun. When she turned around, her
mind immediately froze at the sight in front of her.
There was her stained coat... floating in mid-air! The sticky coffee
stain plain on top of a seemingly spherical surface, the rest of the
coat hanging freely, a gentle swishing from the lower part the movement
that caught her attention.
Before she could make a movement in its direction, the coat suddenly
headed towards one of the nearby windows and, without stopping for a
moment, smashed through it. The sudden impact unfroze Ritsuko from her
shock. Without wasting a second more, Ritsuko went out of her office
and in pursuit of the runaway coat.
It was a sight completely out of the ordinary, even for NERV. There she
was, Doctor Ritsuko Akagi, chief researcher of Project E, one of the
three people in NERV with enough clearance to know all the deepest
secrets, an intelligence that would put the greatest minds of the world
to shame... running after a floating, coffee-stained lab coat,
screaming "SOMEONE STOP THAT COAT!!!"
It wasn't long before there was a long procession of personnel running
up and down the stairs, corridors and hallways of NERV HQ, with Ritsuko
at the front of them all. Even when security guards tried to intercept
the fleeing coat standing in hallway crossings, the coat simply either
turned in another direction or just plain soared on top of them.
The strange hunt had been going for good ten minutes before the coat
made a sharp turn... and entered Central Dogma.
Maya Hibuki was checking some notes on her notepad when, all of a
sudden the main door opened; she was more than surprised upon seeing a
white form floating in mid air... and heading straight towards her!
And with the brave, powerful screams of "AAAH!!! GET AWAY! GET AWAY!
GET AWAY!!" she raised her notepad... and hit the coat with all her
might! Her reaction was so fast that the probe went down without a
hitch. (Amazing what an adrenaline rush can do.)
Ritsuko tried to stop her mad rush upon seeing the object of her run
going down. Unfortunately, the other fifteen guards right behind her
couldn't stop at the same time. The end result was one crushed Dr.
Akagi under a veritable pile of squirming men. Obviously, that didn't
sit well to Maya, who once again was using her notepad.
"Hey, get away from her! Get your hands off her, you, you... HENTAI!!!"
All the while, she punctuated her words with well-placed punches with
her now dented notepad.
It was during lunchtime that Alexis finally retook the conversation
she and Alyssa were having regarding the former's activities regarding
the use of the probe.
'Oh-oh' commented Alexis.
'Oh-oh? What do you mean oh-oh? I really don't like the way you said
oh-oh!' responded Alyssa.
'It seems that we have a problem with the probe.'
'What kind of problem? And what do you mean 'WE'?? It was your idea
sending it in the first place!' said an exasperated Alyssa.
'The probe was captured.' Was the succinct answer.
It was four hours later, after she regained some of her badly bruised
dignity and canceling the day's synchronization tests, that Dr. Akagi
was still working on one of NERV's laboratories. She was writing on a
terminal when Gendo and Fuyutzuki entered the lab. Upon noticing their
entry, Dr. Akagi stood up and addressed the Commander. "I was about to
call you sir."
"What have you found?" asked Gendo.
"Is that thing one of SEELE's new toys?" added Fuyutzuki.
"I think you could tell me that, but personally, I doubt it." Said
Ritsuko. Noticing Fuyutzuki's raised eyebrow, she signaled them to
follow her while walking towards a nearby workbench. She continued her
explanation. "First, the kind of alloy used for the surface of the
sphere is extremely dense, but at the same time lightweight. Second,
when the technicians tried to open it, they used five diamond tipped
drills just to open a small orifice to allow the saw blades a point to
grab. When the saws didn't work, we had to resort to the use of lasers.
Even then, we finished opening that thing an hour ago."
"Are you saying that the metal that makes that sphere is impervious to
normal means?" asked Gendo.
"What I'm saying is that that metal is like nothing I've ever seen or
heard in my entire life." Answered Ritsuko. "It's light as aluminum
foil, but strong enough to rival the best of our EVA's armors. I have
some metallurgy experts trying to analyze it, but it will take time. I
hope we can duplicate it for use on the Evangelions."
"What about its floating and stealth capabilities?" inquired Fuyutzuki.
"Have you found anything?"
"That is what I want to show you gentlemen." She then pointed to the
assorted pile of electronic components scattered all over the
workbench, along with one half sphere. Pointing at one small
crystal-like piece, she said. "For all that we could surmise in such
short amount of time, this thing is the main propulsion drive. Unlike
an Angel's core, it doesn't generate its own power, but it's
proportioned by this three units." She then took one small gray
cylinder next to the crystal. "One of the other technicians had the
brilliant idea to treat it like a common battery and put it in one
portable radio. That," she then pointed to a nearby lump of melted
plastic, "was the result. Whatever they are made of, this little
things generate enough power to keep running the MAGI for hours,
according to our initial estimates."
"What about sensors and the likes?" asked Fuyutzuki.
"We haven't had time to find them yet." Said Ritsuko, sighing.
"However, we found what passed as a computer. I already plugged it to
the MAGI as soon as we extracted it for them to analyze it, that's what
I was doing when you arrived." In that moment, a signal came from the
terminal Ritsuko was using. The three of them hurried to it to see the
results. "It... it can't be..." murmured Ritsuko, amazed at the
readings.
"There has to be a mistake." Added Fuyutzuki.
Ritsuko ran the test again, and once more got the same results. "No...
everything checks out. But this is impossible... There is no way for
this thing to even exist, much less work!"
"What are you talking about?" inquired Gendo.
Ritsuko read the results one more time before answering. "Sir... if
what the MAGI report is true... then what we have here is the portable
version of the MAGI themselves!" turning around, she noticed that
Gendo had one eyebrow raised. Filing the strange happening for further
analysis, she explained. "You see, the MAGI started uploading some of
the data they normally dump. When they noticed that the full capacity
of this thing hadn't been reached, they decided to upload more and
more information. The saturation point was reached when about 80% of
the total amount of data contained in the MAGI was uploaded."
"Then, do you think that this... device... was manufactured by SEELE?"
asked Gendo.
"Commander... the technology to build this thing doesn't even exist on
_theory_, much less the manufacturing processes to build it!" exclaimed
Ritsuko. "Whoever... or whatever built this sphere has a technology far
more advanced than anything we have."
Further explanations had to be put on hold when the alarms began to
blare. Immediately, the three of them left the laboratory, but her
minds kept coming back to the strange device they happened to capture.
Gendo in particular was already trying to fit what he had learned into
his plans, wondering how to use it in his own personal quest, one
thought foremost in his mind: 'I must have this technology. It could
give me the means necessary to fulfill my destiny.'
* * * *
Just like the last time, as soon as the alarms went off, Alyssa headed
towards the warehouse and went into the Manta. Once the ship was on
stealth mode and floating lazily above the city, Alyssa resumed her
questions.
"All right Alexis, are you absolutely sure that they won't get anything
from the probe? Dad will kill me if he finds out!"
"Do not worry about it, Pilot Alyssa." Responded Alexis. "According to
the data I have gathered so far, they don't have the technological
capabilities to duplicate anything they could learn from the probe."
"Well, that's reassuring." Said Alyssa, sighing. "Now, any signs of
the new arrival yet?"
"I detect the presence of a massive object flying in this direction.
Bearing 2-4-5, north by north-east."
"All right! Take us there!" it wasn't long for them to fly within
visual range of the target. Once she saw it, Alyssa couldn't help but
whistle. "Man... they're just getting weirder and weirder! What can
you tell me about this one, Alexis?"
Alexis focused the Manta's sensors on the 5th Angel, showing a 3D image
of it on the cockpit's crystal. The details of the prismatic angel
appeared along a series of numeric strings. "Crystalline life form,
emitting the same kind of unidentified shield detected on the previous
Angel. Energy emanations higher than the previous one. The reflective
surface of the entity seems to absorb the surrounding environmental
energy, adding to its already high power levels, similar to
high-efficiency solar panels. More detailed analysis can't be obtained
due to aforementioned shield."
"Oh well, we can't win them all." Sighed Alyssa, shrugging her
shoulders. "Stay with it, and keep your eyes open."
"Complying." It wasn't long before they reached the center of Tokyo-3;
upon arrival, Alexis immediately intercepted the messages coming from
NERV indicating the launch of EVA-01. However, something else happened
at the same time.
"Warning! High-energy emissions concentrating on the periphery of the
Angel! Energy readings indicate that the Angel is preparing to fire a
particle weapon!"
"WHAT???"
It was in that instant that EVA-01 came out to the surface. Alyssa
hardly had time to look at it when the Angel fired. The concentrated
blast went through the front building as if it wasn't even there,
striking the EVA right in the chest. Because Alexis had linked with the
communications channels between NERV and Shinji, Alyssa couldn't help
but listen to the screams coming from the entry plug.
"SHINJIIIIIIII!!!!!!"""
To be continued.
Author's notes:
Man, this is the largest chapter I've written so far. I've been trying
to comply some of the e-mails that I've received for this story, and I
want to thank all who have written to me so far. I'm not sure when the
next chapter will come out, since Real Life is sticking its head.
Although I'll try to come up with the next one ASAP.
I want to thank my pre-reader Yohann DeSabrais. Thanks man! This work
would be horribly awful without your great C&C!
And especially, I want to thank you, the reader, for giving me the
drive to continue writing. I'll do my best to improve for you!
Next on NoG...
The conclusion of the attack of the 5th Angel!
More on Gendo's plan to snatch the Manta!
The arrival of Asuka to Japan!
All that and more, so... BE THERE!
Neon Genesis Evangelion copyright Gainax in Japan and ADVideo in
America. This is just for entertainment and no monetary purpose is
achieved by this work. Characters used without permission.
Although this is not my first fanfic, it is my first regarding
Evangelion. Therefore, gentle reader(s), treat it as a first-time fic,
ok? Thanks for your comprehension, and hope you like it!
Now, a little clarification here: As I mentioned above, this is not my
first fic, but I'm going to introduce a character of my own... no,
don't go!! Sheesh... ok, now that you're back, let's continue. Ahem
Well, for this purpose, I'm going to use an approach I used for a
previous one I'm still writing. Instead of putting Shinji and co. in
strange situations, I'll... well, you'll see!
And now, without more delays... let the show begin!!!
THE NAME OF THE GAME
An NGE fic by
Commander Galos (gabinol@infosel.net.mx)
CHAPTER 3
After school was over, Alyssa returned to her apartment in a thinking
mood. Shortly after Touji returned, she heard him comment to Kensuke
that nobody had answered his phone call. After a few message exchanges,
she decided to apologize and in exchange, got the full story of what
happened between those two and Shinji. Deciding to let bygones be
bygones, she offered to be their friend as well. Getting Shinji's
phone number, she asked Alexis to make a call. After the program got
the same results as Touji, Alyssa began to think.
For what she had known of Shinji so far, the kid seemed to be extremely
shy and closed. Being short didn't help one bit, so his self-confidence
was rated rather low. Replaying in her mind the comment she heard about
Shinji breaking down inside the Eva, she imagined that the boy was
piloting against his will, but so far nothing sustained that theory.
After all, who wouldn't want to pilot such a big robot, despite its
ugliness and limitations? That guy Kensuke seemed to like those things,
so it wouldn't be wrong to drive them, right?
On her way home, she bought a few frozen meals (she didn't like to
cook if she could avoid it), decided to let the Shinji matter drop and
instead, tried to relax a moment, enjoying the sights of the city and
the warm breeze blowing through the buildings.
Some minutes later, after defrosting some rice with curry, she was
working on her homework when Alexis began to talk.
"Pilot Alyssa, there are some points to be discussed before preparing
the day's report."
'Darn... there goes my free afternoon.' Sighed Alyssa, placing her
pencil next to the stack of papers with her almost finished homework.
"Alright Alexis... what do you want to talk about?"
"According to already noted events registered during the day, a more
in-depth information gathering is required. The more notable points to
investigate are:
"1. - The nature and origin of beings, designation: Angels. The
presence of such beings in this universe supports the hypothesis
of their probable existence in others as well. If so, it becomes
imperative to determine if they pose a risk for the Agency and,
if so, determine their strength and weaknesses to develop
appropriate defenses and tactics.
"2. - The acquisition and analysis of technical data of mechanical
defense unit, designation: Evangelion. Observation of performance
during last battle supports the hypothesis of it being a fairly
effective weapon against beings, designation: Angels. For this
purpose, subjects: Shinji Ikari and Kensuke Aida are acceptable
for first information gathering maneuvers until more adequate
information sources are available.
"3. - During first insertion data infiltration, I noted that the data
network in charge of the operation of Tokyo-3 has a security
level higher than this city really needs. Nature of security
measures indicate the presence of a computer system that might
very well could be used to coordinate movements of more than one
Evangelion unit. Finding and analyzing this system could be of
great benefit for this mission's purposes.
"4. - During standard sensor sweep during the first day in this
universe, one of Pilot: Alyssa's classmates showed a strange
genetic matrix. Although the initial analysis shows a 98.234%
correspondence with normal human beings genetic makeup, the
remaining 1.766% does not correspond to anything stored on my
databanks. Initial hypothesis suggests that subject designated:
Ayanami could be an infiltration agent of beings, designation:
Angels. Interrogation of subject: Ayanami must be done as soon
as possible."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!!! Hold your horses!!!" said Alyssa, standing up and
raising her hands. "And how do you expect ME to do all that?? Have you
gone out of your mind or what??"
"I do not understand your queries, Pilot: Alyssa." Responded Alexis,
her voice calm. "All these are valid points, easily achievable by a
trained explorer." As an afterthought, she added. "If more help is
needed, I could contact for reinforcements..."
"NO!!! No, I... I mean, there is no need for that!" exclaimed Alyssa,
sweating at the prospect. "Well, you... you have to remember that I
don't have all the necessary equipment. Heck! The Manta is a prototype,
as well as you! I don't have anything else! And there are more things
to consider."
"Such as?" asked Alexis.
"One: Those... Angels. How are we going to get a thing about them? I
don't think they are going to tell me if I ask them nicely! Two: The
Evangelion... do you REALLY think the owners are going to let me take
a look at the blueprints? Three: That computer system you talked about,
where is it? And how do you expect me to get the data you want?
"And more importantly, that Ayanami girl. How in blazes did you get
that stupid idea??? She, an agent from the Angels? For cryin' out
loud!!! She's all bandaged up! Not to mention that she's the shyest
girl I've ever met! No, that's ridiculous! And what do you want me to
do, approach her and ask 'hey, Ayanami! Why does your DNA is different
from the others?' She'll laugh at me! That is, if she doesn't hit me in
the mouth or call the local authorities to send me to the loony bin!!"
Nobody said a thing, all the while Alyssa was congratulating herself
for handling the matter so efficiently. 'Now, for the coup de grace!'
thought Alyssa. "Look, I'll talk with Shinji and Kensuke, but about
that poor girl... if you are so curious about her DNA, why don't you
ask yourself? Now, if you don't have anything else to comment, I want
to finish my homework." With that said, she sat back and continued
writing.
Unknowingly to her, she put Alexis to think. As any complex computer
program in the Agency, Alexis had the ability to ponder her own
limitations and try to overcome them. That last comment made her
consider her options, and shortly, she had the beginnings of a plan.
* * * *
Meanwhile, at the Aida home...
'I don't get it... what happened?' Kensuke was checking for the
umpteenth time his camcorder. As he did daily, he was about to check
what he had recorded when he found out that his camera was battery-dead,
and even more, his digital disk was blank!
"This simply doesn't make sense..." mumble Kensuke for himself, at the
same time he placed a fresh battery pack on the camera. Once done, he
lay back on his chair in his room and began to think of the day's
events. Idly looking around his room, he began cataloguing all his
military models and stuff; at the same time another part of his mind
began sorting his memories. He was starting to snooze when he finally
found out what he was looking for.
In his mind's eye, he replayed the moment when he aimed his camera
towards the new student, and then she put her hand next to his
camcorder...
"THAT'S IT!!" said Kensuke, standing up. His sudden movement sent the
chair stumbling backwards; he didn't pay attention to it. "She did it!
Man, I can't believe it!" he began to pace around his room, all the
while mumbling to himself. "But how did she do it? What kind of powers
does she have? Could she be an agent of the Angels? Or perhaps...
something else?"
Standing in the middle of the disaster zone he called his room, he
then assumed a heroic pose and shout out loud. "I swear, I'll find the
truth! That stranger won't hide for long now that Kensuke Aida is on
the case!"
"KENSUKE, SHUT UP AND FINISH YOUR HOMEWORK!" screamed his father.
"Yes father." Answered Kensuke. Chastised, he took his chair and placed
it once more in front of his desk. But instead on concentrating on his
homework, he began to delineate his plan to unmask a certain student
that went by the name of Alyssa Starr...
* * * *
Two days later, back at school, things looked normal. Girls were in
small groups, talking about different things and interests, and the
boys did the same. Alyssa had decided to make some friends and decided
to start with the class representative, Hikari Horaki. After the
initial pleasantries exchange, she quickly found out that, under that
hard mask she used during class, was a kind-hearted, nice girl that
liked to make friends and help with whatever she could. While they
began to cement their friendship, another kind of conversation was
taking place in the back of the classroom.
"I have to admit it Shinji... you pack quite a wallop." Said Touji,
smirking at the smaller boy.
"Yeah!" quipped Kensuke, smiling broadly. "That was the first time I
saw Touji here hitting the floor! You must have felt good!"
Shinji tried to smile, but his attempt ended up as a timid smirk.
"No... well... you see, I... didn't like hitting you Touji. That was
wrong... sorry, I didn't..."
"Don't even say it!" interrupted Touji. "Now, I want you to promise me.
Promise me that you won't try and run away!" seeing Shinji squirming,
he decided to press a little more. "Well?" He was rewarded with a small
smile and a nod. "That's the spirit!"
Seeing that matter resolved, Kensuke decided to bring fore the thing
that bugged him during the last days. "Hey... guys, there's something
I wanted to comment with you." Once he had their attention, he went
for it. "Have you noticed something strange about the new girl?"
"Besides that she has quite a character?" said Touji, eyeing Alyssa
from the corner of his eye. "Or that she's cute when she wants to?"
"No, not that!" said Kensuke, looking directly at her. He then decided
to drop the bomb. "No, she... she can't be human!" Both Touji and
Shinji eyed him as he had grown another head. He then proceeded to
tell them what had happened to his camcorder that day. Once he
finished, the three of them looked directly at Alyssa.
"Kensuke... you finally lost it!" said Touji after a moment. "How could
you say something like that? You should have forgotten to put a fresh
battery and forgot about it!" he ignored Kensuke's dirty look.
"Besides... she's quite friendly with me." Added Shinji, smiling a
little. "She's my neighbor, and she looks pretty normal to me." That
comment caused Kensuke to put his hands on Shinji's shoulders, turn
him around and stared the young pilot in the eye.
"Don't you see??" said Kensuke, excitedly. "That's it! She's here
because of you! Shinji, you have to be careful! Tell NERV! Tell Misato!
Spread the word! She has to be stopped! She must be the first of an
upcoming alien invasion! She's going to abduct and perform weird
experiments on you, turning you into her love slave!" he could have
continued, but was stopped by a head slap from Touji.
"Shut up!"
In that moment, the sensei entered the classroom. Everybody went to
their seats and shortly, the class began.
Rei was staring out the window as she always did when her computer
desk began to chime. That, by itself, was more than enough to call for
her attention, since nobody in class talked to her, even less message
her. Activating the message program, she blinked when the next appeared
on the screen.
- PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF.
As discreetly as she could, she eyed all presents in the classroom.
Some people were taking notes, others were just plain exchanging notes
between themselves, while a few were snoozing. Nobody returned her
look. She then turned her attention back to the screen and typed an
answer.
WHO ARE YOU?
- I MADE THE FIRST QUERY. IT IS ONLY LOGICAL THAT YOU ANSWER FIRST. I
REPEAT. PLEASE IDENTIFY YOURSELF.
MY NAME IS REI AYANAMI.
- UNDERSTOOD. MY DESIGNATION IS ALEXIS.
That made Rei blink once more, slightly confused. As far as she knew,
there was nobody called that in this school. She then reasoned to
continue this strange conversation in hopes to find out who was doing
it.
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
- I REQUIRE INFORMATION EXCHANGE WITH REI AYANAMI TO COMPLETE MY
MISSION. I REQUEST A MEETING IN A SECURE PLACE TO ACCOMPLISH THAT
OBJECTIVE.
Rei stared hard at the screen at that answer. This conversation had
turned even stranger than she imagined. Now there was the hint that,
perhaps, this stranger was an enemy, otherwise, why else would this
person want to talk with her looking for information? She considered
carefully her options, foremost the one about talking to Commander
Ikari about this. Yes, he would know what to do.
VERY WELL. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO KNOW?
- NOT HERE. THIS COMMUNICATION MEDIA IS NOT SECURE. I SUGGEST A MEETING
IN A SECURE PLACE. I PROPOSE MEETING AT YOUR HABITATIONAL MODULE.
UNDERSTOOD. WHEN DO YOU WANT TO MEET WITH ME?
- FIRST CONTACT WILL BE MADE AFTER CURRENT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES ARE
DONE. I WILL BE IN TOUCH. ALEXIS OUT.
With those words, the screen went blank. Carefully, Rei closed her
desk and returned to staring out the window. In her mind's eye, she
replayed the strange message exchange, finally drawing the conclusion
to call NERV during lunch. This seemed like a very serious matter;
therefore NERV security should be put on alert... as well as Commander
Ikari.
* * * *
"Yes, I understand. Go ahead with that meeting; I'll call Security and
send elements to catch that stranger. You keep it occupied while our
people do the rest." Without another word, Gendo hanged up the phone.
"Looks like we'll have a chance at that stranger sooner than we
imagined." Commented Fuyutzuki, seeping his cup of tea.
"Yes. Soon, that variable will be removed." Said Gendo, assuming his
position on his desk. "When Security captures that stranger, use
whatever means necessary to get all the information from it."
"It will be done." Said Fuyutzuki. After putting his cup back on the
desk, he commented. "Who do you think it works for?"
"That is what I want you to find out, professor." Said Gendo, his smirk
hidden by his hands.
* * * *
After school, Rei went directly to her place. The sound of construction
was clearly heard, but she was used to it, so she ignored it. Nearby
and in adjacent rooms, NERV security agents were on standby, ready to
get into action and capture whoever was about to get in contact with
the First Child.
Completely ignoring the accumulated stack of junk mail in her mailbox,
Rei entered her place. After a quick look at the shower stall to make
sure no one was hiding in there, she went directly to her bed and sat
down. Her apartment was small, a quick glance indicating that she was
the only occupant. Therefore, it was quite a surprise for her when a
voice coming from empty air addressed her.
"Greetings, Rei Ayanami. I have been waiting for you."
Keeping her cool, she decided to answer, knowing that the listening
devices placed all over the apartment would surely alert the security
detachment. Besides, she was still healing, so trying to face a
stranger would only aggravate her wounds. "Are you Alexis?"
"Yes I am, Rei Ayanami. Are you ready to begin our information
exchange?"
"Where are you?"
This time, the voice took a little time to answer. "For the moment, I
am using a remote device to contact you. For first contact purposes,
this is more than enough."
"What kind of device?" asked Rei. Perhaps she could convince this
person to show her so she could take it back to NERV. Maybe Doctor
Akagi could tell who built it. "Show me."
"Very well. But in exchange, you will answer some of the queries I have
regarding certain anomalies detected by my sensors; after that, I
propose an exchange of information equal on importance, depending on
the queries. Do you agree to this conditions?"
Rei considered the condition for a couple of minutes. She hadn't
received orders on the contrary, and besides, she could answer with
the Commander-approved phrases she knew. "I agree. Show me." Once more,
she blinked in surprise (she had blinked quite a lot this day) when the
'device' suddenly appeared in front of her.
It was a featureless sphere, no bigger than a basketball. Silver in
color, it had no marks that could indicate some way to open it. It was
floating effortlessly in mid air; no sound coming from it besides the
voice of the stranger called Alexis. Rei stood up and paced around the
sphere, confirming its smoothness. Satisfied that in appearance the
thing wasn't armed, she sat back on her bed.
"We can begin the information exchange." Said the voice, Rei nodding
once in agreement. "First query: where does beings designated: Angels
come from?"
"I do not know. Perhaps you should ask someone else." Said Rei.
"Understood. Second query: tell me why does your genetic makeup
differs from normal human beings."
"That is classified information." Answered Rei without delay. "In order
to give you any answer, you will have to answer one of mine."
"Agreeable. What do you want to know?" asked Alexis.
Rei took a few seconds to find an adequate question on par of what
Alexis had asked. (And for her, it had been quite a fast thinking.)
Deciding to keep things on the same level, she finally asked. "Who are
you?"
Alexis took a couple of seconds less than Rei to ponder the question.
Seeing that it was on the same level of personal intimacy (as far as
she could understand it), the program began her answer. "I am an
artificial construct in the way of personal evolution via imprinting
with my partner. Self-awareness and auto-cognition are part of my own
coding. I cannot be replaced. More detailed information requires a
higher security clearance than your actual question has. Now,
according to our agreement, you have to answer my query."
Rei nodded and simply said. "I am a clone."
"Understood. Data noted and classified." Said Alexis immediately after.
"Next query: where can I obtain data pertaining to weapon system
designated: Evangelion."
Rei didn't say a thing for a few moments, but that wasn't necessary.
It was in that instant that two security agents stormed into the room,
their guns at the ready. They hesitated when they got their first look
at the strange sphere, but that only lasted an eye blink; taking aim,
they fired at the sphere. Unexpectedly, the strange device just moved
enough to avoid the bullets, at the same time Rei moved to one wall to
get out of the line of fire.
When another two security agents entered the room, the sphere moved
with incredible speed to the window, shattering it and escaping. The
first two agents immediately moved to the window to see if they could
locate the sphere but to no avail. There was a brief message exchange
with the agents on the street, but it was obvious that their quarry had
escaped. One of the agents approached Rei and addressed her. "Come with
us."
Without saying a word, Rei followed them; externally, she showed no
signs of being perturbed, but in her mind, she kept wondering what was
that, and more importantly, why does that stranger called Alexis wanted
to talk specifically with her. Even more perturbing for her, why did
it refer to itself as an artificial construct? Could it be that this
Alexis character is another clone like herself? Perhaps Commander Ikari
knew the answers...
* * * *
Unaware of all those events, early the next morning Alyssa had noticed
that she had run low on sugar, and decided to get some. Since she was
feeling a little tired, instead of going to the store, she went to her
neighbor's place. Granted, she knew about Shinji living there, but
somehow, she doubted he lived alone. So, it was only logical (for her
anyway) to meet the rest of her neighbors.
Armed with an empty cup, she pressed the intercom's button and waited.
Shortly, the door slide open, revealing Shinji. "Hi Shinji! Sorry to
bother you, but I ran out of sugar. Could you be a dear and loan me a
cup, please?" she finished with a killing smile and a cute expression.
Shinji returned the smile with a small one of his own. "Sure. Please,
come in," after removing her shoes at the entrance, Alyssa entered the
place and got a good look at it. Like her own, it wasn't that big, the
only difference was that apparently it had one more room. It was clean
and ordered, something that she approved.
Shinji went to the kitchen to get the sugar, while Alyssa got
comfortable and sat next to the living room's table. She was about to
ask something to Shinji when, to her surprise, a small refrigerator's
door opened and from it came out... a penguin. After nodding at Alyssa,
the penguin headed in the direction of the furo, a small bowl of
toiletries hold firmly between its flippers.
Alyssa kept staring in the direction of the furo, still not believing
what she saw, so it wasn't so surprising when Shinji had to tap her
shoulder to grab her attention. Blinking out of her stupor, she
addressed Shinji. "Excuse me Shinji... but did I saw a penguin heading
to your bathroom?" mentally she added, 'please please please! Just let
it be a hallucination! No, better yet, say that I really saw it... or
I'll have to think that I'm going nuts!'
Placing the cup on the table, Shinji sat next to Alyssa. "Yes, you saw
a penguin. That's Pen Pen. He's my other roommate."
Releasing the breath she didn't know she was holding, Alyssa relaxed.
But it was in the next moment that she realized the other part of his
sentence. "Wait... _other roommate_? I'm afraid to ask... but who, or
what else lives here with you?"
Shinji didn't have the chance to answer, because in that moment the
door of one of the rooms opened, revealing the third member of the
place. A grown woman with black hair that flowed to mid-back, dressed
with a small sports bra and short shorts made her way to the kitchen.
Mumbling and grunting to herself, she made a beeline to the
refrigerator, opened it and grabbed a can of beer.
Alyssa watched, awed, as the new arrival opened the can and literally
poured its contents down her throat. Poured was the key word, since she
didn't catch her throat moving. After downing half the can, the woman
gave a loud "YYEEEEEAAAAAAAHHH!! THAT'S THE WAY TO START THE DAY!" and
burped. Loud.
Unable to react, Alyssa just stood there when the stranger approached
her. She didn't notice Shinji's embarrassed expression. "And who do we
have here?" began the woman. "Hi, I'm Misato Katsuragi, pleased to meet
you!"
Blinking out of her stupor once more, Alyssa addressed Misato. "Hi...
I'm your neighbor, Alyssa Starr. Pleased to meet you."
"So, what brings you to our happy home?" said Misato after taking
another sip of her beer. "Are you a friend of Shinji's?"
"Yeah, we go to the same classes." Answered Alyssa. Turning to one
side, she noticed Shinji's expression. Seeing him a little desperate
to get the introductions finished, she decided to tease him a little.
"Sooo, this is why you always look so tired in class! Shinji, you make
me so proud! I never imagined you had it in you!" Shinji's answer was
to look at her in complete shock, at the same time shacking his head
in negation and spluttering in an attempt to deny it.
Misato smiled at the whole thing, mentally classifying the girl as
someone that she already liked. Letting Shinji sweat a little more,
she decided to put an end to it and give the poor Third Child a break.
"No, it's not that... as much as I regret it." She added a wink for
good effect. "I'm his legal guardian. So, you are my neighbor?"
Mentally, she added, 'funny. I don't remember the notification from
Security about having a neighbor. I'll have to ask later.'
"Yup. I moved last week." Said Alyssa, smiling at Misato. She began to
warm at the older woman; after all, someone that could tease Shinji
like that was a friend in her book. "So, you are Shinji's guardian, eh?
I bet you have your hands full taking care of him."
"No, not at all! Shinji is quite the little darling. He helps a lot
with the house chores."
"More like I do all the house chores." Mumbled Shinji under his breath.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the point of view), Alyssa
heard him. Leaning closer to him, she said. "Oooh, a man that takes
care of himself! That's so rare to find!" turning to face Misato, she
added. "Could you loan him to me for a couple of days? I promise to
return him not too worn off!" she couldn't help but smile at hearing
Shinji's loud gulp.
Misato couldn't hold it back any more, and burst laughing, Alyssa
joining her. After calming down, she said to Shinji. "Relax Shinji!
We're only teasing you!"
"Yeah!" chirped Alyssa, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, I
can't believe that the brave pilot of EVA-01 can't relax! Ease up,
live life!"
"O-ok. I'll try." Stuttered Shinji.
Looking at a nearby clock, Alyssa gasped. "Oh no, it's late! Sorry,
but I have to go get ready for school! Shinji, let's walk together to
school, ok?" Grabbing her cup of sugar, she added. "It was a pleasure
to meet you, miss Katsuragi!"
"Just call me Misato, that's how my friends call me." Said Misato. "See
you!" Once the door closed behind Alyssa, Misato said to herself.
"Nice girl, I like her. I wonder how she ended up as my neighbor... oh
well." She then finished her can of beer and went back to the kitchen
to grab another.
Shinji took a deep breath to calm his nerves and followed Misato to the
kitchen to begin preparing breakfast. He was still confused about his
neighbor, but he couldn't help to feel somewhat eager to see her again.
As for Misato, she was glad that someone about Shinji's age took some
interest on the boy. He was so lonely and depressed, that she felt that
having another friend would help him to open up some more. However,
there was something strange nagging at the back of her mind, a
sensation that something was amiss. Finally deciding to let it simmer
in the backburner, she sat at the kitchen's table to wait for breakfast
after grabbing another can of beer.
* * * *
"You did well Rei." Said Gendo after the First Child finished with her
account of what happened in her place. "Report to me if that stranger
contact you again."
Without a word, Rei turned around and exited Gendo's office. Gendo let
a small smirk cross his face for a brief moment; that is what he liked
about Rei. Quiet efficiency and instant obedience. Too bad the rest of
his subordinates weren't like that. Next to him were the reports of
Security, but he didn't bother to look at them. He knew that what Rei
told him was precise and concise. Nothing on those stacks of paper
could add anything more to that.
Bridging his hands in front of him, he addressed Fuyutzuki. "What do
you think of this?"
"An evolving artificial construct? That's too hard to believe.
However..." Fuyutzuki let the rest hang in silence. But seeing that
Gendo wasn't going to ask, he finally finished his thought. "A floating
sphere that can become invisible to our sensors and eyes. That is
intriguing. Perhaps SEELE is testing a new kind of surveillance device
and decided to test it with the First Child."
"Perhaps." Said Gendo. After a minute of silence, he added. "Strengthen
the security around the First and Third Children. Intercept their
computers at school as well. If this 'phantom spy' tries to contact
them I want to know before it happens."
As an afterthought he added. "When you find who is behind all of this,
bring it here. By any means necessary."
* * * *
Time passed.
For Shinji, it had been a mix of sensations and feelings. For starters,
his friendship with Kensuke and Touji got cemented. Although he didn't
admit it, he began to feel comfortable with his new friends. Even went
to the lengths to tolerate their teasing during PE when they caught him
staring at the girls' class, especially looking in Rei's direction.
As for his neighbor, he didn't know what to think of her. On one side,
she was quite open, cheerful and enthusiastic. Boy, was she
enthusiastic! It had been just last week when Touji and Kensuke
started going to pick him up to go to school (and incidentally peek at
Misato) when Alyssa got word of that. Immediately she latched with
them. Much to his dismay, she and Touji hit it pretty well, even
exchanging a couple of stories. As for Kensuke, he remained friendly,
but kept his distance. Shinji didn't know if to tell her what Kensuke
thought of her or not.
Hikari didn't take too well that Alyssa was so friendly with Touji, but
after a long talk, she finally relented a bit. That's when Alyssa began
to pester Touji to open up a little bit more and ask Hikari out. Each
time Touji ended up red-faced and sputtering that it was 'none of her
business'.
For Rei, things became a little stranger. Alexis contacted her a couple
more times, the first time clearly stating that she didn't like to have
her investigation monitored by unwanted parties. The next day she found
out that all the listening devices placed on the school's computer
network had been either melted by a power surge or reprogrammed to
show that the origin of the messages came for other parts of the city
or the world. What was even more surprising was that the strange sphere
reappeared on her room two days ago, but none of the security agents
posted around or the new sensors on her apartment showed how it got in.
Rei, following the Commander's instructions, didn't answer the
questions. But was nevertheless surprised when, before leaving, the
voice told her that her injuries were healing satisfactorily. Both
times, Security received a good berating from Gendo, but that didn't
change the situation one bit.
And as for Alyssa, those past weeks had been heavenly. For starters,
there was nobody to tell her what to do, so she did whatever pleased
her. Second, she had made some good friends with almost everybody in
class. Third, Alexis had finally stopped bugging her about finding out
more about the Angels and the Evangelion. And last, but not least, she
had become good friends with Misato. Heck, she had been invited to
dinner that night! Although, she couldn't understand why Shinji had
tried to make her change her mind when he learned that. Oh well, she
would find out sooner or later.
But what intrigued her the most was that Alexis was starting to show
signs of developing a more... human-like personality. When she asked
Alexis about that, the answer she got surprised her. Apparently, the
imprinting process devised by Doctor Hathaway implied that the
Artificial Consciousness Program could 'absorb' most of the personality
traits of the user either by direct interaction or via the REM state
of the user. That last meaning that Alexis could become more like
Alyssa by learning from the girl's dreaming state.
Once school was over, Alyssa hurried back to her place to get ready for
dinner. As soon as she took a quick bath and changed her school
clothes, she immediately left her apartment and headed to Shinji's. As
soon as she opened her door, she noticed that another person was
leaving the elevator. It was a blonde woman, perhaps around the same
age as Misato, well looking. A closer inspection showed that she had a
small tear-like mole under her left eye. Even more intriguing was the
fact that the new arrival was heading to the same place she was.
Deciding to make a good first impression, she presented herself to the
new arrival. "Hi! Are you here to visit Misato-chan?"
The blonde looked at Alyssa, an eyebrow raised in mild surprise.
Nodding curtly, she said. "Yes, and who might you be?"
"Oh, sorry about my manners! I'm Misato's neighbor, Alyssa. Pleased to
meet you!" she said, bowing. After straightening up, she added. "Are
you here to visit her?"
'My, what an energetic girl!' thought the woman. Smiling pleasantly,
she answered. "I'm Ritsuko Akagi, pleased to meet you. And yes, I'm
here to visit Misato. Actually, she invited me for dinner."
"Really? That's great, me too!" said Alyssa, smiling broadly. "Shall
we go now?"
With the introductions out of the way, the two of them went to Misato's.
"So, you work for NERV too?" asked Alyssa. She, Ritsuko and Shinji were
seated in the living room, waiting for dinner to be ready. Shinji was
slightly surprised when he saw Ritsuko and Alyssa waiting together at
the door, but dismissed it when he learned that they had met in the
corridor. "And what do you do in there?"
"I'm the doctor in charge of the health of the pilots." Said Ritsuko,
watching Alyssa intently.
"Really? That's great!" chirped Alyssa, smiling broadly. Her smile
became mischievous when she addressed Shinji. "You rogue! Always
surrounded by beautiful women! I bet you are always eager to get your
physical, right?" she was rewarded by seeing Shinji's face going all
red and stiffening. "Come on, relax! I know you won't take advantage...
and that's what I like of you." She finished patting his shoulder.
Ritsuko watched the whole exchange with a smirk, enjoying the moment.
"You speak good Japanese, Alyssa." Commented Ritsuko, trying to deviate
the conversation. "Although you don't look like one."
"Oh, I'm Japanese on my mother's side." Said Alyssa, smiling. "She was
the one that taught me the language, although I have some difficulty
with the Kanji. But I'm working on it!" she then addressed Shinji. "If
I need a tutor, would you help me, please?" Shinji could only nod at
her petition, much to Ritsuko's amusement.
It was in that instant that Misato's voice saying that dinner was
served was heard, so everybody headed to the kitchen's table to enjoy
their dinner. It comes as no surprise that Shinji went from red-faced
to completely pale.
The very first thing that Ritsuko and Alyssa noticed was that the
'gourmet dinner' that Misato had told them consisted in nothing more
than... instant meals! Hiding their surprise, they took their places,
while Shinji began to serve the sauce from a nearby pot.
"Shinji, could you be a darling and pour some of that in here?" said
Misato, handing a cup of instant ramen to Shinji. The latter just
shrugged and placed a generous amount of sauce on the cup. "Thanks
Shinji!"
"Are you sure you want to eat that?" asked Ritsuko, dubious.
"Of course! The normal curry isn't enough for me, so this makes the
ramen just perfect!" said Misato. Grabbing her chopsticks, she began to
eat. After the first gulp, she added. "Well, what are you waiting for?
Go ahead!"
The two dinner guests looked at the meal, hesitating. Finally, Shinji
and Ritsuko grabbed their chopsticks and grabbed a portion of rice with
curry. Alyssa was about to place her own portion on her mouth when she
noticed that Shinji and Ritsuko went very still, their eyes bulging.
'Alexis... is this food safe for consumption?' she asked her companion
through their shared link.
'Initial analysis of food doesn't indicate any bacteriological or
poisonous agents. However, the spice concentration of sauce designated:
curry is fairly high.' Answered Alexis.
'Oh. Oh well, as dad always says, what doesn't kill you...' with that
in mind, she ate a fairly big amount of rice with curry. Instantly,
she felt as if her mouth was on fire! Unconsciously, she dropped her
chopsticks and, by pure reflex, she made her first mistake of the
night: she swallowed.
"GAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!! HELP! I'M BURNING! WATER, WATER!!" survival
instincts kicked in, making her go for the first thing that resembled
liquid. That's when she made her second mistake: she went straight for
Misato's beer cans.
((A little known thing about the beer Misato usually drinks is that,
for her to get that pleasant buzz, those beers have a higher alcohol
level than a regular beer. That also explains why, in so many fanfics
out there, the Children get a hangover after just a couple of beer
cans. If we add the known medical fact that spicy food tend to increase
the acid levels of the stomach, therefore leaving it vulnerable to
alcohol by lowering the thickness of the protective mucus layer that
coats it, we have the explanation of what happened next. We now return
to our scheduled story.))
Without thinking, Alyssa grabbed the first can and, in a fair imitation
of Misato's regular drinking style, she poured it down her throat...
along with the other three cans on the table. Shinji and Ritsuko
watched the proceedings with open mouths, unblinking. Misato, however,
watched all with a smirk. 'I really like this girl!' she thought. 'I
hope she doesn't go for more beer though. I need to restock after
tonight.'
After downing the fourth can, Alyssa took her seat with a sigh. She
was about to say something when, all of a sudden, she stiffened in her
place.
Shinji, Misato and Ritsuko just blinked, waiting for Alyssa to move.
After a minute of complete immobility, Shinji stood up and walked next
to his friend. "Alyssa?" No response. "Alyssa, are you all right?" he
then tapped her lightly on her shoulder.
THUNK
"ALYSSA!" Shinji freaked when she ended up on the floor.
"Help me get her to the couch!" said Ritsuko, quickly standing up.
After Misato and her made the girl comfortable on the couch, she
proceeded to examine her. "Don't worry," she began after checking
Alyssa's pupil reflexes, "it's just a mild alcoholic shock. She'll wake
up soon enough, although she'll have a big hangover the next day." It
was in that moment that they heard Alyssa moan; Shinji went immediately
to her side, worry etched on his face.
"Alyssa, are you ok? Talk to me."
Alyssa moaned after she opened her eyes just a little, the light
hurting her abused brain. In her mind, she hardly heard Alexis'
inquiries about her health. Once she was sure her head wouldn't split
open, she risked opening her eyes a little more. Moving her head a
little, she saw that someone was hovering close to her face. Although
her mental state didn't allow her to focus that well, her jumbled brain
filled up the visual gaps at the best of its stressed capabilities.
What Alyssa ended up seeing was an angular face, strong features
gracing it. Chiseled chin, dark hair and black-brown eyes that called
her to dive in their depths. Lowering her sight, she saw broad
shoulders and strong arms. Moving her eyes back to that handsome face,
she zeroed on those full, sensual lips... when she saw them moving
something clicked in her confused mind, and throwing caution out the
nearest window, she reacted.
Ritsuko and Misato were discussing if to take the girl back to her
place or let her sleep on Misato's couch when they were interrupted by
what happened there.
"Alyssa, are you feeling better?"
"Come here... you hunk!"
"What? Hey... HMMMPH!!"
When the two women turned around, they were greeted by the unusual
sight of Shinji trying to get away from Alyssa, arms flailing madly,
all the while the girl had her left hand on his nape holding him
tightly, at the same time her right hand roamed up and down his back.
Needless to say, she had the poor boy locked in a very strong lip lock,
all the time Alyssa made purr-like noises.
"WOOHOO!! YEAH GIRL, GO FOR IT!" Cheered Misato after the initial
surprise wore off.
"MISATO!" exclaimed Ritsuko. She then looked at the 'busy' couple.
"Come on you two, break it off! That's not proper!"
"Oh come on Rits! Let them have a little fun!" said Misato, smiling.
As an afterthought, she added. "But if she tries to undress Shinji,
we'll separate them!"
At the same time, Shinji's state of mind had gone from worried to
surprised in record time, quickly reaching the panic state. One part
of him was screaming to him to get away from the drunken girl as soon
and fast as his legs could, while another one was cheering him and
berating the other part for interfering. All the time he was mildly
aware of the way her hand was touching his back, pressing certain
points with her fingers that sent shivers up and down his spine. When
he felt her grip relax a little, he seized the opportunity to bolt away
from her. He just stood there, gasping as if he had run all the way
from the Geofront and back non-stop.
Fortunately for all the presents, Alyssa went back to sleep, a blissful
smile adorning her face.
"I wasn't aware that she felt that way towards you, Shin-chan." Said
Misato, smirking whimsically.
"NO! It's not like that Misato, I swear!" gasped Shinji, trying to
compose himself (as well as stuck his shirt back on his pants). "I...
I don't know what came over her!
"Besides your lips?" said Misato, taking a sip from the beer can she
had been holding all the time. She couldn't help but giggle when Shinji
went beet-red all over again. "Oh, don't worry Shin-chan. I'm sure she
reacted that way because of the beer. Tomorrow she will be her normal
self, you'll see!" The mildly disappointed look on Shinji's expression
went unnoticed by her.
Seeing that everything was back under control, Ritsuko remembered the
other thing that brought her that night. "Oh Shinji, I almost forgot!
I was given Rei's new security card today, but haven't had time to give
it to her. Could you do me a favor and give it to her?" She then handed
Shinji the card.
"Uhh, yeah, sure." Said Shinji, glad to talk of anything else besides
his current experience. After getting the card, he stared at it for a
long moment.
"She is an attractive girl, isn't she?" commented Misato. "I hope she
doesn't get jealous if she learns that Alyssa beat her to your lips
Shin-chan!"
Once more, Shinji stuttered in an attempt to divert that kind of
attention off him, and then dinner continued under that vein. After
dinner was over, and seeing that Alyssa had somewhat regained her
faculties, Shinji and Misato helped her back to her apartment, after
Ritsuko confirmed that the girl would be ok by the morning.
Unknown to them, Alexis had registered the whole conversation. That new
bit of information was what dictated her next course of action.
* * * *
The next day, Alyssa woke up with a killer headache. After taking a
couple of Aspirins to help her deal with it, she went to school. She
was a little disappointed when she noticed that Shinji and Rei weren't
there, but calmed down when Alexis commented to her that the two young
pilots went that day to NERV to perform something called
'synchronization tests.'
'I have a question, pilot Alyssa.' Said Alexis after a moment, using
their shared mind link.
'Did you say 'question'? What brought that?' asked Alyssa, curious.
This was the first time that the AC had used that word instead of
'query'.
'I'm not sure.' Answered Alexis. 'Somehow, it felt more adequate. It
must be because my thought patterns are more integrated with yours as
time goes by.'
'Well, I like it! You sound more human-like that way! Anyway, what do
you want to ask?'
'Are you attracted to Shinji Ikari?' asked Alexis. She felt quite
surprised at Alyssa's reaction.
The girl in question felt queasy at the thought. Granted, Shinji was
an ok guy, but he wasn't what she wanted in a boy! 'Wha-wha-wha-what???'
'It's because of what you did yesterday night.' Completed Alexis.
'After all, you called him 'a hunk', and proceeded to initiate what my
memory banks indicate as 'mating'. Sensing the distress and confusion
of her partner, she then proceeded to explain the rather hot osculation
that took place in Misato's apartment. 'Also to note, it seems that
your fainting left Shinji Ikari... unsatisfied.'
'Wha... what do you mean.' Asked Alyssa, dreading the answer.
'This morning, when Shinji Ikari went to Rei Ayanami's living quarters
to give her a new security card, he fell all over her after she left
her shower. Although I am confused by his reaction; he immediately
removed himself off her body and let her dress.
'I also want to note, that during your unconscious state, your mind was
filled with images pertaining certain activities that normally are
reserved for married couples, all of them in regard of Shinji Ikari.
Although I can't comprehend why you also included the girl Rei Ayanami
in such activities.
'Speaking of her,' continued Alexis, unaware of the mental state of
Alyssa, who was going from surprised to catatonic in no time flat,
'according to what I recorded from her encounter with Shinji Ikari, I
seriously doubt that she would enjoy a... what is the term? A Three-Way
relationship? I am confused in that respect.
'Is this kind of behavior normal for biological entities?'
Alyssa didn't answer immediately, flabbergasted by the revelation.
First, giving Shinji the mother of all kisses left her mind reeling at
the concept. But learning that the shy, closed and meek Shinji went to
the lengths to literally assault Rei in a sexual context... no,
something was wrong with that picture! That is, not to mention that
she was having some very adult dreams concerning her friends!
Fortunately for her, her survival instincts immediately latched into
one small detail.
'Wait a minute here... how do you know that Shinji did that??'
'I have been employing a new prototype probe for that purpose.
Codename: Curtis eyes.' Sensing Alyssa's curiosity rise, Alexis then
proceeded to explain. 'The eye, as its name indicates, is a spherical
device designed to be equipped with different sensor arrays. In this
case, a transponder and basic sensor suites. However, the difference
between it and other probes actually in use by the Agency, is that it
has the capability of independent flight and stealth mode.'
'So you've been using this... eye to spy on everybody??' asked Alyssa,
feeling the start of another headache.
'No. Basically, I've been using it to make contact with Rei Ayanami.'
Alyssa's mind did the equivalent of a triple summersault at the news.
She was so shocked that he barely listened to Alexis' explanation.
'As you indicated on a previous conversation, it was the best course
of action to ask her directly. It has been highly... educational; I
guess that's the right word. I will explain tonight what I've learned.
In any case, I directed the probe to follow her, and by doing that, I
gained access to NERV HQ.'
'Please... tell me you developed a sense of humor and this is a
joke...' asked Alyssa, unable to believe that Alexis was so daring.
Where was the obedient little program she first met? If she had been
able to think clearer, she would have noticed that Alexis had started
to behave more like herself.
'There is no humor involved in my actions.' Answered Alexis. 'The
explanation is simple: after your talk with Doctor Ritsuko Akagi last
night, it became obvious that the most adequate source of information
regarding Rei Ayanami was she. At this moment, the probe is inside
Doctor Akagi's office, attempting to enter her personal computer in
order to obtain more data.'
Ritsuko was furious with herself. She had been walking to her office
when, by a sheer accident, she poured part of her coffee on her lab
coat; and to think, that she NEVER trips on desks. Not to mention that,
after that -thing- that Misato called dinner finally was out of her
system early in the morning, she felt a ravenous need for high-energy
food. After all, tossing and rolling on her bed trying to digest that
dinner took a lot of energy. To cope with that need, she added a very
generous amount of sugar to her coffee. That was what grated more: she
had measured the amount so precisely... now it was all lost! Well, not
precisely lost. After all, the coffee still remained with her, but
only on her person, not on her stomach!
Deciding that her appearance in front of her subordinates (not to
mention in front of the Commander) had to be impeccable, she entered
her office in a huff. In one single movement, she threw her stained lab
coat to the nearby hanger and went to retrieve a clean one from the
locker in her office. Once changed, she went to her terminal when, to
her surprise, she noticed that it was running.
'Strange... I turned it off yesterday before going with Misato.' When
Ritsuko approached the terminal, she was shocked to notice that the
files on the screen were the ones of the Children! She was about to
check what else had been hacked when she noticed a faint reflection of
movement on her screen. Without wasting a second, she opened the top
drawer of her desk and retrieved a gun. When she turned around, her
mind immediately froze at the sight in front of her.
There was her stained coat... floating in mid-air! The sticky coffee
stain plain on top of a seemingly spherical surface, the rest of the
coat hanging freely, a gentle swishing from the lower part the movement
that caught her attention.
Before she could make a movement in its direction, the coat suddenly
headed towards one of the nearby windows and, without stopping for a
moment, smashed through it. The sudden impact unfroze Ritsuko from her
shock. Without wasting a second more, Ritsuko went out of her office
and in pursuit of the runaway coat.
It was a sight completely out of the ordinary, even for NERV. There she
was, Doctor Ritsuko Akagi, chief researcher of Project E, one of the
three people in NERV with enough clearance to know all the deepest
secrets, an intelligence that would put the greatest minds of the world
to shame... running after a floating, coffee-stained lab coat,
screaming "SOMEONE STOP THAT COAT!!!"
It wasn't long before there was a long procession of personnel running
up and down the stairs, corridors and hallways of NERV HQ, with Ritsuko
at the front of them all. Even when security guards tried to intercept
the fleeing coat standing in hallway crossings, the coat simply either
turned in another direction or just plain soared on top of them.
The strange hunt had been going for good ten minutes before the coat
made a sharp turn... and entered Central Dogma.
Maya Hibuki was checking some notes on her notepad when, all of a
sudden the main door opened; she was more than surprised upon seeing a
white form floating in mid air... and heading straight towards her!
And with the brave, powerful screams of "AAAH!!! GET AWAY! GET AWAY!
GET AWAY!!" she raised her notepad... and hit the coat with all her
might! Her reaction was so fast that the probe went down without a
hitch. (Amazing what an adrenaline rush can do.)
Ritsuko tried to stop her mad rush upon seeing the object of her run
going down. Unfortunately, the other fifteen guards right behind her
couldn't stop at the same time. The end result was one crushed Dr.
Akagi under a veritable pile of squirming men. Obviously, that didn't
sit well to Maya, who once again was using her notepad.
"Hey, get away from her! Get your hands off her, you, you... HENTAI!!!"
All the while, she punctuated her words with well-placed punches with
her now dented notepad.
It was during lunchtime that Alexis finally retook the conversation
she and Alyssa were having regarding the former's activities regarding
the use of the probe.
'Oh-oh' commented Alexis.
'Oh-oh? What do you mean oh-oh? I really don't like the way you said
oh-oh!' responded Alyssa.
'It seems that we have a problem with the probe.'
'What kind of problem? And what do you mean 'WE'?? It was your idea
sending it in the first place!' said an exasperated Alyssa.
'The probe was captured.' Was the succinct answer.
It was four hours later, after she regained some of her badly bruised
dignity and canceling the day's synchronization tests, that Dr. Akagi
was still working on one of NERV's laboratories. She was writing on a
terminal when Gendo and Fuyutzuki entered the lab. Upon noticing their
entry, Dr. Akagi stood up and addressed the Commander. "I was about to
call you sir."
"What have you found?" asked Gendo.
"Is that thing one of SEELE's new toys?" added Fuyutzuki.
"I think you could tell me that, but personally, I doubt it." Said
Ritsuko. Noticing Fuyutzuki's raised eyebrow, she signaled them to
follow her while walking towards a nearby workbench. She continued her
explanation. "First, the kind of alloy used for the surface of the
sphere is extremely dense, but at the same time lightweight. Second,
when the technicians tried to open it, they used five diamond tipped
drills just to open a small orifice to allow the saw blades a point to
grab. When the saws didn't work, we had to resort to the use of lasers.
Even then, we finished opening that thing an hour ago."
"Are you saying that the metal that makes that sphere is impervious to
normal means?" asked Gendo.
"What I'm saying is that that metal is like nothing I've ever seen or
heard in my entire life." Answered Ritsuko. "It's light as aluminum
foil, but strong enough to rival the best of our EVA's armors. I have
some metallurgy experts trying to analyze it, but it will take time. I
hope we can duplicate it for use on the Evangelions."
"What about its floating and stealth capabilities?" inquired Fuyutzuki.
"Have you found anything?"
"That is what I want to show you gentlemen." She then pointed to the
assorted pile of electronic components scattered all over the
workbench, along with one half sphere. Pointing at one small
crystal-like piece, she said. "For all that we could surmise in such
short amount of time, this thing is the main propulsion drive. Unlike
an Angel's core, it doesn't generate its own power, but it's
proportioned by this three units." She then took one small gray
cylinder next to the crystal. "One of the other technicians had the
brilliant idea to treat it like a common battery and put it in one
portable radio. That," she then pointed to a nearby lump of melted
plastic, "was the result. Whatever they are made of, this little
things generate enough power to keep running the MAGI for hours,
according to our initial estimates."
"What about sensors and the likes?" asked Fuyutzuki.
"We haven't had time to find them yet." Said Ritsuko, sighing.
"However, we found what passed as a computer. I already plugged it to
the MAGI as soon as we extracted it for them to analyze it, that's what
I was doing when you arrived." In that moment, a signal came from the
terminal Ritsuko was using. The three of them hurried to it to see the
results. "It... it can't be..." murmured Ritsuko, amazed at the
readings.
"There has to be a mistake." Added Fuyutzuki.
Ritsuko ran the test again, and once more got the same results. "No...
everything checks out. But this is impossible... There is no way for
this thing to even exist, much less work!"
"What are you talking about?" inquired Gendo.
Ritsuko read the results one more time before answering. "Sir... if
what the MAGI report is true... then what we have here is the portable
version of the MAGI themselves!" turning around, she noticed that
Gendo had one eyebrow raised. Filing the strange happening for further
analysis, she explained. "You see, the MAGI started uploading some of
the data they normally dump. When they noticed that the full capacity
of this thing hadn't been reached, they decided to upload more and
more information. The saturation point was reached when about 80% of
the total amount of data contained in the MAGI was uploaded."
"Then, do you think that this... device... was manufactured by SEELE?"
asked Gendo.
"Commander... the technology to build this thing doesn't even exist on
_theory_, much less the manufacturing processes to build it!" exclaimed
Ritsuko. "Whoever... or whatever built this sphere has a technology far
more advanced than anything we have."
Further explanations had to be put on hold when the alarms began to
blare. Immediately, the three of them left the laboratory, but her
minds kept coming back to the strange device they happened to capture.
Gendo in particular was already trying to fit what he had learned into
his plans, wondering how to use it in his own personal quest, one
thought foremost in his mind: 'I must have this technology. It could
give me the means necessary to fulfill my destiny.'
* * * *
Just like the last time, as soon as the alarms went off, Alyssa headed
towards the warehouse and went into the Manta. Once the ship was on
stealth mode and floating lazily above the city, Alyssa resumed her
questions.
"All right Alexis, are you absolutely sure that they won't get anything
from the probe? Dad will kill me if he finds out!"
"Do not worry about it, Pilot Alyssa." Responded Alexis. "According to
the data I have gathered so far, they don't have the technological
capabilities to duplicate anything they could learn from the probe."
"Well, that's reassuring." Said Alyssa, sighing. "Now, any signs of
the new arrival yet?"
"I detect the presence of a massive object flying in this direction.
Bearing 2-4-5, north by north-east."
"All right! Take us there!" it wasn't long for them to fly within
visual range of the target. Once she saw it, Alyssa couldn't help but
whistle. "Man... they're just getting weirder and weirder! What can
you tell me about this one, Alexis?"
Alexis focused the Manta's sensors on the 5th Angel, showing a 3D image
of it on the cockpit's crystal. The details of the prismatic angel
appeared along a series of numeric strings. "Crystalline life form,
emitting the same kind of unidentified shield detected on the previous
Angel. Energy emanations higher than the previous one. The reflective
surface of the entity seems to absorb the surrounding environmental
energy, adding to its already high power levels, similar to
high-efficiency solar panels. More detailed analysis can't be obtained
due to aforementioned shield."
"Oh well, we can't win them all." Sighed Alyssa, shrugging her
shoulders. "Stay with it, and keep your eyes open."
"Complying." It wasn't long before they reached the center of Tokyo-3;
upon arrival, Alexis immediately intercepted the messages coming from
NERV indicating the launch of EVA-01. However, something else happened
at the same time.
"Warning! High-energy emissions concentrating on the periphery of the
Angel! Energy readings indicate that the Angel is preparing to fire a
particle weapon!"
"WHAT???"
It was in that instant that EVA-01 came out to the surface. Alyssa
hardly had time to look at it when the Angel fired. The concentrated
blast went through the front building as if it wasn't even there,
striking the EVA right in the chest. Because Alexis had linked with the
communications channels between NERV and Shinji, Alyssa couldn't help
but listen to the screams coming from the entry plug.
"SHINJIIIIIIII!!!!!!"""
To be continued.
Author's notes:
Man, this is the largest chapter I've written so far. I've been trying
to comply some of the e-mails that I've received for this story, and I
want to thank all who have written to me so far. I'm not sure when the
next chapter will come out, since Real Life is sticking its head.
Although I'll try to come up with the next one ASAP.
I want to thank my pre-reader Yohann DeSabrais. Thanks man! This work
would be horribly awful without your great C&C!
And especially, I want to thank you, the reader, for giving me the
drive to continue writing. I'll do my best to improve for you!
Next on NoG...
The conclusion of the attack of the 5th Angel!
More on Gendo's plan to snatch the Manta!
The arrival of Asuka to Japan!
All that and more, so... BE THERE!