_______________________
/ \
| Teineina Tenshi No Teze |
| (Kind Angel's Thesis) |
\_______________________/
Neon Genesis Evangelion and all character belongs to Gainax
Ranma 1/2 and all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko
No copyright infringement is intended.
Thanks to my pre-readers:
Ben
Aevan http://aevan.virtualave.net
Kevin D. Hammel http://www.anime.sobhrach.com/~khammel/
Blood Blade http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/5920
Mike Rever
Robert MacNab
Please distribute this work unaltered and crediting the author.
dzillman@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~dzillman/fire
What has gone before:
In the year 2000, Ranma was attacked by a demon summoned by Happosai.
In an attempt to save Akane, he travelled to the Antarctic to gain
power of a heavenly warrior Cologne told him about. Unfortunately, he
died in the effort.
It is now 2015, and Ranma has been reborn and recruited as the Fourth
Child for NERV. In some unknown manner, Rei and Ranma share the same
body, changing bodies and controlling personalities in the same way
that Ranma's curse always used to work. Despite the fact that Shinji
was the one chosen to help with the out of control Jet Alone robot,
Ranma is happy with life. Rei is starting to show signs of a
personality, and there are plenty of people to train with in NERV's
security teams.
dairokuwa
(Story 6)
---------
'I do not understand. Dr. Akagi and Captain Katsuragi both wear very
short skirts. Why should I not wear them also?'
Ranma had been fervently hoping that Rei would not ask that question.
As far as he could tell, there was one simple reason why both of their
bosses tended to show off like that: both were good looking women, and
both wanted attention. That sort of attention was exactly what he did
not want Rei to receive. For a terrified moment Ranma visualised
himself watching through Rei's eyes as she kissed a boy. Without
control of the body, he could not shudder, but he wanted to.
Desperate to stave off any attempt by Rei to dress like Misato, Ranma
fell back on a dirty tactic. *They want to pick up boys. Has Commander
Ikari told you to have a boyfriend?*
'No.'
As soon as he had uttered the words to Rei, Ranma immediately felt bad.
He was the intruder here. From what little he knew of her life, Rei had
been a completely normal schoolgirl - if rather impressionable - before
he arrived. It was really unfair to force her into a decision like that.
He knew that Gendo would not have told her to find a boyfriend, and
without orders, she would almost certainly make no move in that
direction by herself.
Despite the fact that she was entirely capable of making her own
decisions, Rei tended not to make them unless forced. By invoking the
commander's name like that, Ranma killed her social life more
effectively than if he yelled and screamed at her. There was almost
nothing in the world that he feared more than Rei being involved with
someone, but the guilt of forcing her into an unwanted decision quickly
began to gnaw at him.
While Rei continued to get changed for her training session in the Eva
today, Ranma struggled. He could not encourage her, no matter how
normal it might be for girls her age. He simply could not. But cutting
her off like that, making the decision for her; the guilt would eat
away at him from inside. Rei was so different from all the girls he
used to know. If someone had even suggested that there was something
that one of his fiancees could not or should not do, they would be
doing it in a flash. Rei would silently nod her head and accept what
she was told. Knowing that he would not be able to sleep well again
until he asked, Ranma slowly found his voice.
*R-Rei? D-Do you want a b-b-boyfriend?*
Rei's habit of considering things and responding slowly normally did
not matter. This time, it did. If he had control of their body, he
would have been chewing his nails, pacing, jumping off the walls and
screaming in frustration... All at the same time if physically possible.
Being trapped inside her mind, all he could do was wait and fret
'No.'
The quiet word came at the completion of her dressing. He had been so
nervous, he had not even noticed the strange, slick feeling of donning
the rubber protective suit. In his fragile, tortured state of mind,
that was probably a good thing. Heaving a mental sigh of relief, Ranma
felt much better. He had done it properly this time. He had actually
asked her what she wanted. Now there was no need for him to feel guilty
about anything.
'Why are you nervous?'
*Hey! I'm not nervous, I'm just---*
Ranma stopped in mid sentence. Whenever Rei changed clothes or took a
bath, he deliberately turned his attention elsewhere and avoided
looking through her eyes. Now he made the mistake of doing just that,
despite the fact that she had finished changing. Rei was standing
directly in front of a mirror, looking at herself while she spoke to
him. Trapped by the image in front of him, Ranma took his first good
look at Ayanami Rei, First Child of the Evangelion Project, while she
was dressed in her plug suit.
For the most part, the suit was white, with the occasional black
highlight. Vacuum sealed against her body for maximum sensor contact
and protection, it gave her the appearance of a die-cast plastic statue.
An extremely elegant, plastic statue, his numbed brain told him. He
knew from wearing it that the suit was a good fit, but until he saw it
on Rei, he never realised just how good that fit was. The designers had
obviously been careful that nothing indecent was shown, but there was
almost nothing left to the imagination.
He had seen girls in extremely revealing clothes in the past, but
somehow they did not have quite the same impact as this. Despite the
fact that the plug-suit covered everything from her neck down, it
covered it in a way that even a swimsuit had difficulty copying. Every
curve, every line, was brought to the viewer's attention. Numbed
completely, Ranma looked out Rei's red eyes and gibbered incoherently.
He had never seen anyone wear something like this before. Just
picturing anyone else he knew in one - Shampoo, Ukyo, Kodachi, even
Akane - threw his brain into overload.
After getting no response to several of her questions, Rei waved a hand
in front of her face, but even that elicited no query or complaint.
After waiting as long as she could, Rei eventually left the change
rooms. As she walked to the training area where she would practice
target shooting, she wondered what had happened to Ranma. Normally he
never stopped talking. Now he was completely silent.
Stranger still, Rei kept feeling an unusual tingling sensation in her
nose. She wondered if this meant that Ranma would have been doing
something strange if he had been in charge.
* * *
Tuesday morning started out like any other. There was a talk by their
teacher on Second Impact and its repercussions on society. Since Rei
was attending class, Ranma was asleep. At least, he had been asleep
until Rei had woken him with a mental shout that she needed to speak to
him.
Yesterday she had taken copious notes on what the teacher was saying.
She had never bothered to pay more than minimal attention to this class
because she knew that it was a NERV public relations fabrication. All
that Commander Ikari required was satisfactory progress. That was so
easy to attain that even Ranma could manage, despite his very limited
attendance.
*What?! What is it Rei? Are we under attack? Why'd you wake me?*
'I must teach you about Second Impact. You must know the truth so that
you will not hamper my ability to perform my tasks at NERV.'
*Huh? What are you talking about? I already know about Second Impact.
The teacher tells us about it every day, doesn't he?*
Rei pointed to her notes on the computer screen. 'This is the official
description of what occurred during Second Impact.' She scrolled
through her notes slightly. 'As you can see, a small meteorite
travelling at close to the speed of light impacted Antarctica in the
year 2000. The resulting destruction killed two thirds of the Earth's
population.'
*I know this, Rei. Let me go back to sleep. I was up all night
yesterday training.*
'This is not the truth.'
*Sure, sure. I knew... IT'S WHAT?!*
'It is not the truth. That is a story that was fabricated to protect
NERV.'
*Huh? What does NERV have to do with anything? I thought they were
created to fight the Angels.*
'Correct. NERV is the only group capable of stopping the Angels. This
is why the truth is not allowed to be revealed to the pubic. NERV is
aware of the true cause of Second Impact.'
When Ranma was quiet for a while, Rei continued. 'In the year 2000, an
expedition was sent to Antarctica to visit a location close to the
South Pole. This expedition was charged with finding an Angel that was
buried there.'
*The Katsuragi Expedition...* Ranma whispered.
Despite her expressionless tone, Ranma could have sworn he heard
surprise in her voice. 'Correct. How did you know of their existence?'
*I was there for the same reason. I caught a lift with the Katsuragi
expedition to the South Pole. From what I heard, they were supposed to
be doing a geological survey and testing a new survival capsule. So
that was all a front for NERV, was it?*
'No. NERV was not formed until almost five years later. The existence
of the Angel, named Adam, had been discovered in ancient Chinese and
Hebrew texts. Wishing to learn the secrets of the Angel, an expedition
was sent with the facilities to unearth and examine the Angel. Before
the examination could be completed, the Angel exploded. This was the
true cause of Second Impact.'
*Wow, that is so weird. My fiancees... Well, three of them, had been
captured by a demon. I was told that the only way that I could save
them was to do almost exactly the same thing. Um... Learn the secrets
of the Angel, that is. Not destroy the world. Nabiki, that's one of the
people I used to live with, she managed to get me a lift on the
Katsuragi expedition. When I got there, I managed to get ahead of the
Katsuragi Expedition and found it first, since I knew where it was.
*The only problem was, it was buried all the way under the ice. I just
couldn't reach it. Since I knew that I needed to get back to Japan real
quick to help any of the girls that were still alive I tried one of my
special techniques to try and blast it out. I guess I must have used
some of the Angel's power, because the last thing I remember was a bad
burning feeling all over.*
They were both silent for a while as they digested what each other had
said. Oddly enough, it was Rei that broke the silence. 'I think you
died.'
*Yeah, me too.*
'I do not like dying.'
*Hey, it's not like I intend to do it again or nothing, OK?*
Rei gave no response and was silent for the remainder of the class.
Ranma tried to get her attention several times, but he did not succeed.
At the end of the day, Rei changed their usual routine and went to NERV
instead of going home. Throughout the train trip there, she did not say
a word, just staring into the distance, her thoughts as private as any
person's.
When the finally arrived, Rei walked them through the almost unending
security and into the Eva cages. Taking a seat on the cold metal
walkway, she stared at the large head jutting out of the water. From
inside their body, Ranma was momentarily taken by the thought that
there was some similarity between them and the Evangelion. To everyone
at NERV, they were simply a tool for winning the war.
'The Evangelion was made to defeat the Angels.'
Ranma waited. He felt sure that Ayanami was going to say something else.
'And that's why NERV has to keep the secret about Second Impact.'
Rei weighed her words carefully. She did not want to lie to Ranma, but
she knew that she should only tell him what he needed to know. If Ranma
got the wrong idea about who she was and why she was here, he could
create all sorts of problems. If Ranma created problems, she knew that
either Commander Ikari or herself would be forced to get rid of him.
Thinking of killing Ranma, especially if it entailed her dying again to
achieve it, did not sit well with Rei. It made something in her abdomen
clench and her breathing became harder. She was not used to the
sensation, and did not want it to continue.
'NERV has used information from the Angels to help create the
Evangelions.'
*Good idea. Always use your enemy's strengths against them.*
'I too am part of the effort to defeat the Angels.'
*Don't forget about me, Rei. I'm here to fight them too.*
'No. I mean that I am... Special. Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi will
need to monitor me some times.'
*I don't understand.*
'According to specifications that I have read, normal people do not
change bodies or personalities when splashed with water. I believe that
your being here is a result of your contact with Adam. You complete
me.'
*I don't understand, Rei. What's going on?*
The small, blue haired girl stood and turned away from the Evangelion.
She had hoped that she could make Ranma understand. She hoped that he
would accept what she said and would not question it, but she had
failed. Walking off into the depths of the base, she did not look any
different from normal, but inside there was a heaviness she did not
understand and did not like.
'Tomorrow I will be re-entering the dummy plug monitoring system. I
will answer all of the questions I can then.'
*Your starting to make me nervous, Rei. What are you talking about?*
'Ranma... I am sorry.'
* * *
After the pistol range, Misato was feeling confident. Although she had
not handled a gun seriously in years - since basic training - her skill
had not significantly deteriorated. Holding the big semi-automatic in
her hands had felt so natural, and completely normal. When she had
started discharging the weapon downrange, things came back quickly.
Every shot hit the target in her first magazine, and after her second,
there was nothing outside the second circle. Admittedly, she was still
using a fairly short range, but it was a relief to know that she was
capable of handling the firearm. She had stayed there for almost an
hour, gradually moving the target out. She was by no means a marksman,
but as her instructor had said "she had a natural instinct".
Smiling, she thought about how Gendo had told her that alcohol and
firearms did not mix. Naturally, she had agreed immediately. She
considered herself to be one of those lucky people that could have a
couple of beers first thing in the morning, some during the day, and a
heap at night, and the alcohol had virtually no effect on her. She was
confident that no matter how much she relaxed - or how much she drank -
she would be fine with the weapon.
Walking to her next class, the handgun was a heavy, but familiar weight
under her armpit. She had considered storing it in a purse, but that
raised the risk that it would not be there when she needed it. A
shoulder holster might mean she needed to wear a jacket even on the
hottest of days, however it meant that if ever anyone attacked her or
the Children she would be armed and capable of protecting them.
Misato had not seriously expected anyone to attack the Children - they
were humanity's first and only line of defence against the Angels. When
she had said that to Ritsuko, her friend had chuckled and thrown over a
security report she had been reading. The report was thin, only six
pages, but it was simply a summary and an index to more detailed
reports. NERV security was actively tracking over a dozen cults that
were operating near Tokyo-3. Armageddon cults; cults that saw the
Angels as either saviours, and others that saw NERV as the Anti-Christ
for defying the will of god. No particular god was mentioned, but
Misato could think of at least three main-stream religions that were
doing good business in the post-Second Impact era.
After reading the report and seeing the weekly count of death threats,
Misato took her bodyguard role much more seriously. Security did not
keep a total count of the threats; when they were receiving dozens each
week, the total soon lost meaning. Reading the security reports also
gave her a new appreciation for NERV security. Despite the fact that
they still had a hard time explaining how they lost Shinji, Ranma and
Rei before, they were doing an excellent job on counter-terrorism. Much
better than Jet Alone for example, who had failed to stop someone from
ruining their prototype.
Upon arriving at the training room for hand-to-hand combat, Misato was
given a fresh, new, training Gi. Once she had changed and presented
herself to the young, eager faced corporal who would be conducting her
evaluation, the pair crossed over onto the training mats.
"Now remember, Major; this is just a quick evaluation session so that
we can grade you and put you into the right class. From what I've heard,
it's been a few years since you did your basic training, right?"
"That's right."
Starting a slow jog around the room for a warm up, the corporal kept
talking. "From what we get in here, Major, there seems to be two types
of people in NERV. First one is your regulars... They train, they keep
fit, they stay up-to-date. If you're in that group, we'll stick you
straight into the intermediate class, maybe even give you a shot at the
advanced if you're good enough. The other group is the staffers that
seem to spend all day polishing a seat and all night drinking. Which
group do you fit into, Major?"
When the corporal turned around, he immediately regretted asking the
question. Major Katsuragi was already showing signs of difficulty
keeping up with him on the warm up. Her face was red, and she was
showing obvious signs of trying to exert herself in ways she was not
used to. They stood there for a moment, waiting for her to regain her
breath before the actual fighting started.
"Don't worry about me, Corporal. I just got off the pistol range and I
did fine there. I'm sure I'll have no problems." Misato managed to say
as her lungs worked in ways that they had not been required to in the
recent years of easy living and no exertion harder than pushing her
luck or jumping to conclusions.
"OK, Major. Whatever you say."
Unfortunately, Misato's confidence only lasted for about a minute
longer, or the first two falls in the many to come that day. The good
eyesight and steady hand that had served her so well on the pistol
range had little to do with the strength, speed and reflexes needed for
hand-to-hand combat.
When they first sized up against each other, Misato came in for a
clumsy punch that saw her thrown by the slightly larger man. When she
levered herself off her back and onto her feet, she tried again, this
time to fall prey to a deceptively easy looking leg sweep.
Continuing on into the day, they practiced for almost an hour. An hour
of successive failures and disappointment for Misato. She knew that she
did not take great care of herself, but she never imagined herself to
be that out of condition, and that out of training. At the end of the
time, the young corporal smiled and told her that things were not as
bad as they seemed. She had lost almost everything from her basic
training, but she had retained enough of the basics that she would be
able to learn the rest quickly.
For Katsuragi Misato, it was time to go back to basics, and learn how
to defend her Children.
* * *
"Nice of you to join us, Ranma-kun. I don't suppose you know where
Ayanami is?"
Ranma looked around at the assembled adults and grinned sheepishly.
"Umm... No?"
Misato and Ritsuko shared a glance and the blonde rolled her eyes. She
was not sure who she pitied the most; Ranma for being such a poor liar
or herself for having to hear them. "Please Ranma, I need you to
understand that when I ask for both pilots of Unit-00, I mean both you
_and_ Ayanami. Not just one of the pair."
"Yeah, but Rei said she was going to be seeing you this afternoon for
more tests, so she---"
Misato turned and looked at her friend with an expression that was not
entirely pleased. "What tests? Ritsuko-san, I'm supposed to be informed
of all Evangelion testing the pilots undergo. That is why I am
responsible for their schedule."
Trying to brush it aside, Ritsuko waved her hand. "It's nothing, it's
nothing. Just some routine tests. We want to check up on Ayanami after
the injuries she suffered against the fifth Angel."
"Huh? But Rei said---"
Talking over the boy - who Rei had definitely told too much to -
Ritsuko gestured to the currently darkened window leading out into Bay
3, the site of Unit-00's recent rebuilding. "Following the battle with
the fifth Angel, Evangelion Unit-00 required extensive repairs.
Although the particle beam only hit the front of the unit, substantial
melting occurred to over 73% of the Eva's armour."
Bringing up a revolving wire frame diagram of the Eva, Ritsuko
indicated the areas that had suffered the heaviest damage. "Note that
while less than three-quarts of the armour plate was melted, the actual
quantity of damaged armour plate was much higher. When you add in the
assorted damage caused by falling and the unorthodox exit route created
by Unit-01's pilot, over 90% of the actual armour plates required
repair or replacing. In effect, while the inner structure of the
Evangelion was largely undamaged, a complete rebuild was needed of the
exterior."
Stepping over to the control panel for the polarisation on the window,
Ritsuko pressed a button and let everyone see into Bay 3. All around, a
chorus of "Ohhs" and "Ahhs" followed. Looking at the people's faces,
Ritsuko could not help but give a small smile of pride.
"As you can see, since we needed to do a complete replacement of the
armour, we decided to accede to the Forth Child's - Saotome's - request.
We made it blue."
Indeed, the Evangelion had been completely redone. Rather than the
lacklustre, uninspiring orange that it used to be, the giant blue robot
was now an attractive blue in colour.
"I don't suppose you could have made it a cool red like my shirt?"
Ritsuko frowned. "No. Sorry, that's being used by Unit-02."
"Black?"
What did it take to please some people? "No. The Germans are using that
for Unit-04."
"White?"
"No! Look, we did the best we could! You asked for something brighter
and more impressive, we gave you blue! Be happy... Besides, I was told
we couldn't use white either."
"Oh... OK. I guess at least it ain't yellow. That would really suck,
going into combat wearing yellow... And I guess it sort of goes with
Rei's hair... sort of."
Looking down at her charge, Misato honestly wondered what it was that
interested kids these days. She grew up in the post-Second Impact years.
Just getting something to wear was good enough for most people. Mind
you, it was nice that Ranma was so considerate of his girlfriend that
he recognised the match with her hair. "Honestly, Ranma. Does it really
matter what colour it is?"
"Nah, not really. But if you're going to fight, you've got to look good.
After all, it's not just enough to be the best, people have to know it
to. Looking good is all part of it. Not only that, but if you go into a
fight thinking how bad you look, you lose confidence, and that's half
the battle right there. You have to be in the right frame of mind."
Misato gave Ranma a condescending smile. "Trust me, Ranma. When you get
a little older and a little wiser, you'll understand that there is more
to winning a fight than confidence and being a good fighter. Planning,
preparation and having the right weapons means more than anything
else."
Ranma snorted. "Maybe for fighting armies or something, but one-on-one
it don't matter at all. Besides, piloting an Eva's just like you're the
one doing the fighting. If you want to win, you got to be the best. And
I _am_ the best."
"Oh, gods. Spare me from more egotistical pilots." Misato wearily
rubbed her face. "I thought we'd be free of this until the Second Child
arrived. Mind you, Commander Ikari did say that they would be freeing
her up soon..."
Ritsuko coughed and looked away in embarrassment. "Actually, Misato..."
"What? What is it? Has something happened?"
"Well, You weren't going to be notified of this until tonight, but I
don't think there will be any problem if I tell you now. The Germans
have released Unit-02 and the Second Child to us a little ahead of
schedule."
"Really? That's great! Four pilots and three Evas. If that doesn't keep
Tokyo-3 safe, nothing will... So, when is the Second Child arriving? It
about a two week trip from Germany to here by sea, isn't it? That was
the latest plan I heard for shipping the Evas long distances. I think
Commander Ikari said she would be leaving within the next week or so."
Ritsuko had the good grace to at least look embarrassed. "Well... Yes
and no. It is about a two week journey. Eleven days to be precise.
But..."
"But what?"
"But you'll be taking a helicopter out there early in the morning
tomorrow. Unit-02 was loaded for shipping ten days ago."
Misato's face went livid. "WHAT?! Why wasn't I told about this? Not
only are the Children supposed to be my responsibility, I'm also in
charge of NERV's military status. How am I supposed to do my job if you
keep dropping things on me like this? Commander Ikari didn't mention
anything about it being this soon!"
"Calm down, Misato. You're starting to sound hysterical."
"I AM NOT GETTING ANGRY!"
Ranma coughed from the sidelines. "Actually, you are." He gave a quick
snigger. "Starting to sound like a bit of a tomboy too, if you ask me."
"Well I didn't! I don't know what you're still doing here anyway. Go
find Rei and get her back here. She still needs to be told about this.
And then there are these mysterious 'tests' Ritsuko has planned."
The woman in the lab coat calmly placed her hands in her pockets and
looked at Misato. The best way to get past Misato's outbursts was to
counter them with cold indifference. That was what Commander Ikari had
taught her, and it seemed to work in the past. Of course, that was his
answer to everything. Ritsuko was not sure that she could stay calm and
indifferent when faced with the end of the world, but the Commander
could. Deciding that what she needed was practice; Ritsuko stayed
around to let Misato tear strips off her for the security she had in
place.
"Really, Misato. There is no need to be agitated. We are all on the
same side."
"Are we? Sometimes I wonder. Shinji, Rei, Ranma, and Fuyutsuki I can
accept. You and Gendo... Sometimes I wonder whether you're aiming for
the same thing as the rest of us."
"The Angels must be defeated. You do not need to worry about anything
else."
"I do, Ritsuko, and that's the problem. Commander Ikari made the
Children's health and well-being my responsibility. How am I supposed
to look after them if you keep things from me? Where's the Second Child
going to stay? How about Ranma and Rei? What are we going to do about
them? Commander Ikari told me we would be moving into a new apartment,
but if they've just started looking for it, that could take weeks.
Until then, the Children will be on their own. I know Asuka is
competent, but does Ranma really strike you as the responsible type?"
"Actually, yes, he does. Don't worry. Rei won't allow anything to
happen that will interfere with her ability to pilot."
Misato rolled her eyes. "Gods, you speak about her like she's some kind
of automaton. She's just a kid, and kids make mistakes. I tell you,
ever since Gendo gave me this job, it's been driving me nuts to have
the two of them living off by themselves. It's just not healthy."
"So do something about it then. Was there anything else? I have work to
do."
"Yes... It's about these tests for Ayanami. If... If you find out
anything is wrong... Please call me. I need to know."
Ritsuko looked at her friend and saw the genuine worry in her eyes.
Sometimes she needed to remind herself that Katsuragi Misato was not
like herself and the other two senior staff at NERV. She was dedicated
to NERV, and to seeing the defeat of the Angels. She honestly believed
in what NERV said it was doing, and cared about how they were going
about it. Those attributes made her different from the people who knew
how Second Impact was really started, and knew what awaited if Third
Impact was done correctly.
In a soft voice, filled with concern that she did not really feel,
Ritsuko reassured the woman that had been her friend when they were at
school and university. "I will. If anything is wrong with Rei, I'll
make sure we do our best to fix her."
"Thank you."
Walking back to her sanctum were she would meet Ayanami soon, Ritsuko
wondered - not for the first time - whether Misato should have been a
party to the whole plan from the beginning. Now was too late. The
decision had been made, and it would be too difficult to explain why
things had been done. But if she had been one of them from the
beginning... Maybe the Major would not be the person they needed now if
she looked at things the same way the Commander did. Perhaps that was
his reason for having a genuine, honest person in charge of their
military arm. Because Major Katsuragi cared. As simple as that.
But, she wondered, what does that imply about me? She shied away from
the question, lest she not like the answer. The implication that she
might no longer care about people left a cold feeling in her stomach,
and even more questions she had no desire to confront. Fixing NERV's
goals firmly in her mind, Ritsuko pushed away the thoughts that
disturbed her. The people in charge here knew what was best for
everyone. She had to accept, believe and concentrate on that. Anything
else would just lead to failure.
* * *
Changed into a thin hospital gown, Rei sat in Ritsuko's room and waited.
Most people would have wondered how she had gotten into a locked room,
but that had not bothered Rei since she was a small girl. Considering
her significance to the project, she had a very high security clearance.
There was not much point trying to conceal things from her, she was one
of the biggest secrets NERV was working on concealing.
The same held true for limiting her access around the massive NERV
Geofront. Since Rei was a privy to all of the secrets, there was
nothing for her to find if she did go looking for sometime. More
importantly, Gendo and Ritsuko were both fully aware of how little
interest Rei had in exploring her environment. Chances were slim and
none that she would consider wandering around the base of her own
volition.
Giving Rei access to supposedly secure rooms was actually a form of
protection in their investment. If worst came to worst and Rei did need
to run from someone or hide, she could duck into literally any room.
While Rei was replaceable at the moment, the theory was that any threat
that might put Rei in danger within the Geofront would be enough to
threaten the cloning chamber also. If that happened, a little
preparation might well save the entire Human Instrumentality Project.
Sitting in the office, Ranma tried to be grumpy while Rei waited. Being
upset was difficult when you could not glare, cross your arms or snort
in an angry fashion. *So you think you can tell me what's going on
yet?*
'No.'
*Not even a little hint?*
'No. You do not have the security clearance necessary for the
information.'
"Hello, Rei. It's good to see you're on time. I was beginning to get
worried about you."
"I have been waiting since the assigned time."
Ritsuko smiled. "Of course, Rei. You're usually very dependable. I
think I was just worried about you since you have been living with
Ranma."
*Hey! What's wrong with me?*
The doctor escorted Rei out of her office and to one of the secure lift
wells that would take them to the bowels of the Geofront and NERV's
headquarters. "Why are you worried about Ranma?"
Surprised that her charge would exhibit signs of curiosity, Ritsuko
took advantage of the time she needed to access the security on the
lift to think of a response. "Well... Not anything in particular. I
guess we just don't know much about him. There's also the way that he
seems to keep hiding from people. I don't remember seeing the two of
you together at all... Unless... Was he with you at Thursday's
briefing?"
"No. I have not attended any briefings with Ranma."
*Hey, Rei. Ask her what she wants to know about me. Maybe I can get the
security clearance you need.*
'As you wish.'
"Akagi-sensei. What information do you wish on Ranma?"
Ritsuko smiled. Of course. Rei would have checked to ensure Ranma was
not a security risk before she allowed him to live with her. "General
information, mainly. Who are his parents? Where was he born? Date of
birth? That sort of thing."
Rei was silent for a moment, then spoke. "Saotome Genma and Nodoka.
Nerima-ku, Tokyo, Japan. March 6, 1984."
Ritsuko snickered. "I think that date is a little out, Rei-chan. That
would make him thirty. Mind you, I think I'll follow this up after the
testing. If you can give me any more details, we can see about
verifying them later."
The lift finally reached the end of its journey and Ritsuko stepped out.
She had started down the corridor to where the dummy plug program was
housed when she stopped and turned. Rei was still in the lift. "What's
the matter? Are you waiting for something?"
"Ranma wants to know what I am doing here."
Ritsuko shrugged. "Lie to him. Tell him the same as what I told Misato.
Just say that it was a medical check up."
"Ranma is aware that I do not need that. Attempting to lie to him would
be counter productive."
"Then don't tell him anything."
Still Rei did not move. "Ranma must be told something. Commander Ikari
has told me that he must not be a risk to the Project. However, Ranma
is needed as the Fourth Child."
Coming closer, the head of Evangelion development looked down at the
emotionless, pale girl and tried to read her expression. One of the
problems with raising Rei as an emotionless drone was the fact that it
was impossible to tell what she was thinking. She tended to be more
unreadable than Gendo most of the time. At least with Gendo you knew
there were feelings and emotions hidden behind the mask.
"Are you worried about Ranma?"
Rei gave a slight nod. She was not sure why, but it was true. She did
not want to die again. She did not want Ranma to die either. Rei could
not remember whether Ranma had been a part of her when she had first
lived. She could not tell. As far as she knew, Ranma had only been
awakened when she first piloted the Evangelion. That first time, when
Unit-00 went berserk, Ranma seemed to spring fully grown into her mind.
What if he did not go away when she was brought to life again? Or worse,
what if he did?
She did not understand why she felt this need to conceal Ranma from
NERV. Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi had always assured her that they
knew best, and they should be the ones to fix any problems she had.
Somehow... Somehow she did not want them to fix this. Ranma was...
Interesting... Different... Enlivening. Perhaps that was the reason. In
the weeks since Ranma had become a part of her, she had done more than
in her previous fourteen years. There had become more to life than just
living. She was not sure if she liked that yet, but she knew that she
did not want to lose it.
Since she had not been explicitly told to reveal any effects such as
Ranma, she had not done so. If things went well, she would continue
this way. As Commander Ikari often said to other staff while she was
present, it was 'need-to-know'. If the Commander needed to know, he
would ask. If he did not need to, he would not. That rationalisation
was simple enough to accept. Now all she needed to do was simplify
things for Ranma. She did not expect that he would be ready to accept
the entire truth about who she was.
Ranma had called her special. She doubted he was correct. However, it
would be nice to find out if he was. For that, she needed to provide
Ranma with more information. Simply going into the room with the dummy
plug system would reveal more to him than he already knew. Somehow, she
needed to dampen that information.
Blinking once at the doctor, Rei came to the answer to her question.
"Yes."
Giving a little sigh, Ritsuko was impressed. She had not expected Ranma
to have such a profound effect on Rei. She hoped it was not merely the
physical side of the Children's relationship. Ritsuko had always liked
to believe that people were more advanced than just that level.
"Very well, Rei. I shall arrange to have Ranma's security increased. If
you need to, and only if you need to, you can give Ranma a briefing on
some of the basics of your creation. I'll leave it up to you what is
revealed, but you have to keep him under control. Do you understand?
Nothing about the Human Instrumentality Project, nothing about the
Angels, and certainly nothing about SEELE. Just... Be careful, all
right, Rei?"
"Yes."
*Rei! What's the Human Instrumentality Project? What's SEELE? What
can't you tell me?*
'I cannot tell you.'
Walking down the corridor, Rei sorted out her thoughts for a moment
before dipping her head and looking at the floor as the door opened.
'I am not like other people.'
Ranma chuckled. *I ain't exactly normal either, Rei.*
Keeping her head down so that all she saw was the floor, Rei walked
forward into the room. Once she neared the central pillar containing
the monitoring system, she removed the hospital gown and activated the
hatch by touch alone.
'I was not born like other people. I am different.'
Climbing into the monitoring chamber, Rei closed the door behind her
and waited for it to fill with LCL. When the thick liquid was over her
head, Rei finally looked up, to see Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi at
the monitoring station.
'This is the dummy plug system. It is an attempt to create an
artificial pilot for the Evangelion units.'
*Huh? An artificial pilot? Can't they just wire up a computer or
something?*
'No. What do you know of the Evangelions?"
*Not much. Big robots, mankind's last hope, that sort of thing.*
'The briefing materials you have been given do not include the fact
that the Evangelion units are biological entities. They are not robots.
They are... almost animals.'
*Wow!* Ranma was very impressed. He had always thought that they were
just big machines, just like Veritech fighters and stuff from Macross.
Imagine... Making an animal that big... The only thing he could think
of to compare to it was an Angel.
*Hey! Are they done similar to the Angels? They're alive too, aren't
they?*
'I do not know. There is insufficient information available on all of
the Angels. I know that Evangelions bear some similarities.'
*So what's this dummy plug thing for? You still haven't said why they
can't just plug in a computer.*
'An Evangelion is almost alive. What it lacks is a soul. The body
cannot live without a soul, and the soul cannot live without a body.
This is why you die when your heart stops. Your soul dies without a
body. The Evangelion unit is similar. We can keep the bodies alive, but
it requires a soul to move it. The pilot provides that soul.'
*That's... That's really amazing. You mean... I'm actually using my
soul to pilot the Eva? It's sort of living off my Ki or something?*
'Incorrect. The Evangelion is alive, it is just missing something from
the soul. It is that missing part that the pilot provides. That is why
you must synchronise with the Evangelion. You soul, its body, become
one.'
*Spooky.*
Rei was silent for a while. Looking out at the two heads of NERV as
they conducted their experiments, she wondered how much she should tell
Ranma today. Not too much, she decided. He would not be able to cope
with what he was learning. Ranma must be made to accept and understand
what she was and why she was here. If he objected, he may become a
threat to the Project and that had been categorically stated as being
unacceptable.
She had to make him understand and accept. She must.
'The dummy plug is designed to be an artificial soul.'
Now it was Ranma's turn to do the silent, contemplative routine.
*They... They can do that sort of thing?*
'No. They have not succeeded in creating a soul for the dummy plug
program.'
More time passed. For Ranma, it was time spent in trying to wrap his
mind around what they had heard. Mankind really had advanced since he
had been around before. Rei, who normally either sat there with a blank
mind or looked at the dozens of clone bodies sitting in the tank behind
her, studiously gazed at the Commander. She wanted to get advice from
the Commander, but that made her more worried. She was sure that he
would see Ranma as a threat. Perhaps she should also, but she could not.
In so many ways, he had become a part of her now. She did not want to
lose that part.
As Rei was stepping out of the monitoring tube and getting dressed,
Ranma again took up the thread of conversation. *Why you, Rei? Why not
Shinji or Gendo or anyone else?*
'No-one has been able to explain why only children born within nine
months of Second Impact can successfully synchronise with an Evangelion.
Others have tried. There were not... entirely... successful. I have
been prepared since before...' Rei stopped and changed her mind on how
to explain it. 'I am the only suitable subject for the experiment.'
*Really? Why? What's the bet I could do it better with all my Ki?
Martial arts gives you pretty amazing control over that sort of thing.*
'No. Only I am suitable. I cannot say why.'
Sensing her reluctance, Ranma did not push her on the subject much more.
He already had a lot to think about with what he had heard, and also
what he had not heard. He knew he would be having more talks like this
with Rei over time, but perhaps that was a good thing. All this
thinking was giving him a headache, and what he really wanted was for
Rei to give him control so he could do some training.
Behind them, the door to the room closed with a soft hiss. Safely
sealed behind the door was a greater myriad of secrets that Rei had
managed to avoid telling Ranma. Thanks to her care, he knew of the
dummy plug system, and was acquainted with significance of work on
human souls. Equally, he did not know anything about the dozens of Rei
bodies still floating in their special fluid surrounding the room. The
revelation of that would wait until she was more confident of gaining a
viable reaction from her partner.
* * *
"Hello?"
"Good morning, Ranma-kun. How are you this morning?"
Ranma shifted the phone slightly so that it rested between his head and
shoulder. While he did not strictly need both hands for the cartwheel,
that was what the Kata called for.
"Good, thanks. Just getting some exercise."
Misato gave a brief giggle. "Oh, is that what's causing all that heavy
breathing I can hear. And first thing in the morning too."
"Umm... Yeah. I usually start at sun rise."
More giggles. "Ahh, to be so young again. I remember a boy from college
that used to be like that; never satisfied."
Ranma grunted as he did a one handed spring. "I've got to get it done
now, you see. Rei needs to go to school soon, so it's not like I can do
it then."
When he got tired of Misato's loud laughter ringing in his ears, Ranma
changed Kata to one emphasising kicking. It was much easier to talk on
the phone if you had your hands free. "Is there any reason you're
calling me this morning, Misato-san? Shinji told me you're not even up
this early most of the time."
"I'll have you know I went to bed after just six beers last night. All
so that I could get up early and call you before I left at half past
seven." The Major's voice rang with pride at those obviously difficult
accomplishments.
"Umm... Thanks, I guess. Well... When are you gunna be back? Or is
someone else in charge of the Eva's now?"
"No need to sound so eager, Ranma-kun. I'm just going away for the day.
Shin-chan and I am going out to meet the Second Child today."
"Second Child?"
"Um-hum." Misato mumbled her assent.
"What happened to the first one?"
"Dummy! Your girlfriend is the First Child?"
"Huh? I don't have no girlfriend."
Maybe Misato was drunk. That would explain all the giggling she was
doing this morning. "Well, if she's not your girlfriend, how would you
describe your relationship with Ayanami?"
Even though he was separated by half a city and talking on the phone,
Ranma went as red as a cooked lobster. "I... Well... That is... We
never intended anything, it just sort of happened and..."
"It's OK, Ranma-kun. I don't mind. Well... Not too much, anyway."
"So what's this about children again?"
Misato explained, in her most patient voice. "NERV has designated the
pilots of the pilots of the Evangelions by the order they were found.
So Ayanami is the First Child, Shin-chan is the Third Child, and you're
the Fourth Child. Shinji and I are going out to meet the Second Child
today."
Ranma stopped and scratched his head for a moment. "Isn't that sort
of... Insulting or something? I mean, I might look like a kid now, but
I ain't gunna be a Child forever you know."
"Don't worry, Ranma-kun. I'm sure once you defeat all the Angels,
they'll let you pick any title you want. But that's not really why I
called you."
After a short, overly dramatic pause, Misato continued. "We've finally
been able to get NERV to pay for some decent accommodation for you
pilots. So, today while Shin-chan and I are away, you can be the first
to move into our new apartment."
Ranma stopped what he was doing very suddenly. One leg was stuck out
forty-five degrees above the horizontal as he halted mid-strike, but
his balance was unimpaired. "Hang on. What's this about _our_
apartment?"
"Isn't it exciting?" Misato almost bubbled over with exuberance. "I
have to admit, when I was first told to look after Shinji, I was a bit
worried, but now I'm looking forwards to this. All four of you are
going to be living together in the same big apartment with me!"
"Ummm... I'm not so sure about this, Misato-san..."
"Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud, Ranma-kun. It'll be great fun. You,
me, Shin-chan, Ayanami and Asuka-chan, all in the one place. We can
share the cleaning and cooking and everyone will be nice and safe.
Besides, I had a look at the apartment last night. It's actually a
penthouse in the middle of the city. NERV really seems to have gone all
out on this one. I think it's because someone finally convinced them
that if they can spend so many millions on the Evas, they can spend a
few thousand on the pilots."
She left that one hanging for a moment, but Ranma made no attempt to
catch the obvious bait to thank or congratulate her. When the silence
on Ranma's end of the line became too irritating, Misato coughed and
continued.
"Anyway, I'll be back tonight with Shin-Chan and the Second Child. So
if you want go over, I've left a number there for a moving company.
They can take all of your and Ayanami's gear over. This way, the two of
you can set things up for all of us! How would that be, a nice family
dinner tonight? Just the five of us?"
"Well, Rei and I are pretty happy out here. Besides, it's not like I'm
not used to living on my own."
"Ranma-kun." All humour dropped out of the Major's voice. "You seem to
misunderstand me. I'm not actually asking if you want to move in with
us. I'm telling you."
*Gulp* "R-Right."
"Very good!" Misato was back to her normal bubbly self. "In that case,
I see you in about ten or twelve hours. I hope you have something nice
cooked. Oh, and one more thing, Ranma-kun... Separate rooms for your
and Ayanami. Byeee!"
The phone disconnected with a quiet click. Looking at it, Ranma
wondered if there was any way that he could get out of moving in with
his boss and a couple of other fourteen-year-olds. It was not that he
disliked Rei, quite the opposite, she was a real friend. It was just
the fact that he did not like the idea of exposing his curse to the
rest of the world. Back in Tokyo - the original one, not this 'new and
improved' model - having people know about his curse seemed to cause no
end of trouble. Just thinking about how much worse it would be now that
his girl side was actually someone else who could not defend herself
made Ranma shudder.
Fearing that he knew the answer, Ranma realised he needed to check. It
was not as though this was a decision he could make by himself. 'So,
what do you think, Rei? Do we move?'
Someone else might have had surprise in their voice. Rei simply... was
Rei. *Of course. Major Katsuragi has given us a direct order.*
With a sigh, Ranma hanged his head. 'OK, Rei. You want me to pack, or
you wanna do it?'
Rei considered it. As Ranma entered their small, apartment she reached
her decision. There was no reason for her to pack. All that she
possessed were some clothes that she and Ranma had picked and some
underwear. If Ranma had indeed possessed a girl's body before, he
should be comfortable with all of that. The only item she possessed
other than that was a pair of broken glasses that belonged to Commander
Ikari.
*You can pack. Please take the case on the drawers.*
'Gotcha.' With that, a box for his own clothes, and a spare, Ranma was
almost ready. Now he just had to pack stuff.
First in went Ranma's spare clothes, some emergency stuff NERV had
given him that had been ignored and his portable phone. Looking around
the apartment, Ranma dropped Rei's few clothes - more than before, but
still not many - into the second box. Next... Next was the hard part.
He might have been forced to wear lingerie before when he had been
trying to trap Happosai, but he was not a pervert like the old man.
With one hand over his eyes, Ranma pulled open the draw that held Rei
"intimates" and completely blind proceeded to pour them into her box.
When the draw felt empty, he sighed in relief. 'How's that, Rei? Did
they all go in?'
*I do not know. You still have your eyes closed.*
'Oh, right.'
Braving the prospect of looking at a lady's personal possessions, Ranma
put the draw down, removed his left arm from across his face, and
slowly cracked open an eyelid. "Hey! Am I good or what, Rei? Everything
in perfectly, first go!"
Dancing a little gig, Ranma closed the box and stacked it on his
possessions. Well, everything packed, an hour to go before school. With
a last glance around the room that had been home now for several weeks,
Ranma scratched the back of his head. Talking to himself more that the
second soul residing with him, Ranma picked up the boxes and poised
them on his middle finger.
"Guess this means I ought to get settled in at the new place."
The run over to the new, much higher class, building did not take long,
and soon Ranma was working on scaling the side of the building for some
training. Normally it was not hard, but carrying two cardboard boxes in
one hand...
When he reached the top, Ranma looked around and found the stairs. He
would have used a window to get in, but this high up they were all
sealed. With a smile, Ranma thought about the fun he would have
practising his jumping and martial arts on the roof. The address he had
been given for the penthouse apartment, the only place large enough to
house a group of five individuals in the middle of Tokyo-3. So, without
further ado, Ranma descended from the roof into the top-level entrance
to their new home. Pushing open the unlocked door, he entered and
looked around.
The place was big, he had to give it that. Probably larger than the
Tendo place, it had five bedrooms, a kitchen, two living rooms and
enough space for a massive pile of boxes. Looking closely at the boxes,
Ranma found a delivery label on some of them indicating that they were
for a "Souryuu Asuka Langley". 'Must be that Second Child Misato-san
keeps talking about.'
Rei did not answer, so Ranma carried his boxes into one of the rooms.
The room nearest the kitchen. After all, it pays to be close to the
important stuff. Dropping both boxes on the floor, Ranma opened the
cupboard there and placed his clothes in. Having spent most of his life
living out of a small backpack, Ranma was quite used to folding and
compressing clothes, and shortly his entire set of clothes was nothing
more than a small shadow in one corner of the wardrobe. Looking around
the room, Ranma took in the bed, the drawers, the desk and the wide
expanse of floor.
For a time he considered taking the bed into another room. He preferred
sleeping on the floor since you lost your edge if you were pampered by
beds and soft stuff like that, but decided to keep it. Rei has slept on
a bed at their old place, so she might want one now.
Checking the time on a conveniently mounted clock in the living room,
Ranma grinned. 'How's that for timing? I'll go get changed and you can
go to school.'
Rei did not say anything, but he could feel her silent approval. It was
easy to keep the blue haired girl happy. All you need to do was make
sure that things run like clockwork and she was set. Rei wanted to go
to school, and Ranma had left her enough time to change clothes and
still reach the school before the last bell rang. With a splash of cold
water, Rei set about doing just that.
Simplicity. Precision. Obedience. These were the things that ran Rei's
world. School was boring enough that she did not need to listen to what
was being said, but she attended because she had been told to. She knew
that most of the other students there did not understand her or how she
viewed the world, but that did not matter either. Before class, she
would simply watch the small birds that flew outside the window. At
lunch, she would eat alone. None of the students bothered her, and that
was all she wanted.
Of course, none of the other students realised that she spent a large
portion of the day talking with Ranma. The martial artist was - again -
discussing his training plan with her. For reasons she could not
understand, training was very important to Ranma. This confused her,
because to the best of her knowledge, no-one had told him to train.
More confusing was the fact that he did not seem to be training _for_
anything. Even when Major Katsuragi had them practice in the
Evangelions or do a sync test, there was the purpose of becoming better
so that they could beat the Angels. Ranma trained... Ranma trained
simply for the sake of it.
Resolving that she would one day ask him why he trained so hard without
a reason, Rei walked home. School had been achieved, and that left her
only one more task that day. After entering the penthouse and taking
off her shoes, Rei walked into Ranma's room and moved her box next door.
Although her muscles had become stronger because of Ranma's training,
she still felt the box was heavy, being filled with clothes. How Ranma
managed to carry both boxes on one finger was a mystery.
Setting the box down in the new room - hers, she assumed - Rei began to
unpack. *What are you doing, Rei? Do you want everyone to know about
us? I thought you'd stick your stuff in the same room as me. That way
we won't attract any attention.*
'Major Katsuragi ordered that we should have separate rooms.'
Mentally, Ranma slapped his forehead. He had forgotten about that. Well,
he could always just break a couple of windows and let himself slip
between rooms that way. Being fifteen stories up and jumping from one
narrow window sill to another did not bother him, but having everyone
think that he and Rei were in some way connected did.
Rei had completed her work, they had cooked and eaten dinner and Ranma
had begun doing some training in the living room when the sound of
movement came from the front door. Turning to face the newcomer, Ranma
was greeted by the sight of a confident looking girl in a knee length
yellow dress and red shoes. Long, lustrous red-orange hair swirled
behind her as she stood in the doorway regarding him the same way an
anthropologist regards a new form of bug.
"So this is the new Forth Child, eh? Not much to look at is he?" The
girl pushed some stray hair back over her right shoulder with a gesture
of casual indifference. "I'm Souryuu Asuka Langley, Second Child and
pilot of the first production type Evangelion Unit. And you better not
try anything funny at night, or you'll get the same treatment as Baka-
Shinji here!"
Hurricane Asuka had just hit mainland Japan.
---
End Of Chapter.
/ \
| Teineina Tenshi No Teze |
| (Kind Angel's Thesis) |
\_______________________/
Neon Genesis Evangelion and all character belongs to Gainax
Ranma 1/2 and all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko
No copyright infringement is intended.
Thanks to my pre-readers:
Ben
Aevan http://aevan.virtualave.net
Kevin D. Hammel http://www.anime.sobhrach.com/~khammel/
Blood Blade http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/5920
Mike Rever
Robert MacNab
Please distribute this work unaltered and crediting the author.
dzillman@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~dzillman/fire
What has gone before:
In the year 2000, Ranma was attacked by a demon summoned by Happosai.
In an attempt to save Akane, he travelled to the Antarctic to gain
power of a heavenly warrior Cologne told him about. Unfortunately, he
died in the effort.
It is now 2015, and Ranma has been reborn and recruited as the Fourth
Child for NERV. In some unknown manner, Rei and Ranma share the same
body, changing bodies and controlling personalities in the same way
that Ranma's curse always used to work. Despite the fact that Shinji
was the one chosen to help with the out of control Jet Alone robot,
Ranma is happy with life. Rei is starting to show signs of a
personality, and there are plenty of people to train with in NERV's
security teams.
dairokuwa
(Story 6)
---------
'I do not understand. Dr. Akagi and Captain Katsuragi both wear very
short skirts. Why should I not wear them also?'
Ranma had been fervently hoping that Rei would not ask that question.
As far as he could tell, there was one simple reason why both of their
bosses tended to show off like that: both were good looking women, and
both wanted attention. That sort of attention was exactly what he did
not want Rei to receive. For a terrified moment Ranma visualised
himself watching through Rei's eyes as she kissed a boy. Without
control of the body, he could not shudder, but he wanted to.
Desperate to stave off any attempt by Rei to dress like Misato, Ranma
fell back on a dirty tactic. *They want to pick up boys. Has Commander
Ikari told you to have a boyfriend?*
'No.'
As soon as he had uttered the words to Rei, Ranma immediately felt bad.
He was the intruder here. From what little he knew of her life, Rei had
been a completely normal schoolgirl - if rather impressionable - before
he arrived. It was really unfair to force her into a decision like that.
He knew that Gendo would not have told her to find a boyfriend, and
without orders, she would almost certainly make no move in that
direction by herself.
Despite the fact that she was entirely capable of making her own
decisions, Rei tended not to make them unless forced. By invoking the
commander's name like that, Ranma killed her social life more
effectively than if he yelled and screamed at her. There was almost
nothing in the world that he feared more than Rei being involved with
someone, but the guilt of forcing her into an unwanted decision quickly
began to gnaw at him.
While Rei continued to get changed for her training session in the Eva
today, Ranma struggled. He could not encourage her, no matter how
normal it might be for girls her age. He simply could not. But cutting
her off like that, making the decision for her; the guilt would eat
away at him from inside. Rei was so different from all the girls he
used to know. If someone had even suggested that there was something
that one of his fiancees could not or should not do, they would be
doing it in a flash. Rei would silently nod her head and accept what
she was told. Knowing that he would not be able to sleep well again
until he asked, Ranma slowly found his voice.
*R-Rei? D-Do you want a b-b-boyfriend?*
Rei's habit of considering things and responding slowly normally did
not matter. This time, it did. If he had control of their body, he
would have been chewing his nails, pacing, jumping off the walls and
screaming in frustration... All at the same time if physically possible.
Being trapped inside her mind, all he could do was wait and fret
'No.'
The quiet word came at the completion of her dressing. He had been so
nervous, he had not even noticed the strange, slick feeling of donning
the rubber protective suit. In his fragile, tortured state of mind,
that was probably a good thing. Heaving a mental sigh of relief, Ranma
felt much better. He had done it properly this time. He had actually
asked her what she wanted. Now there was no need for him to feel guilty
about anything.
'Why are you nervous?'
*Hey! I'm not nervous, I'm just---*
Ranma stopped in mid sentence. Whenever Rei changed clothes or took a
bath, he deliberately turned his attention elsewhere and avoided
looking through her eyes. Now he made the mistake of doing just that,
despite the fact that she had finished changing. Rei was standing
directly in front of a mirror, looking at herself while she spoke to
him. Trapped by the image in front of him, Ranma took his first good
look at Ayanami Rei, First Child of the Evangelion Project, while she
was dressed in her plug suit.
For the most part, the suit was white, with the occasional black
highlight. Vacuum sealed against her body for maximum sensor contact
and protection, it gave her the appearance of a die-cast plastic statue.
An extremely elegant, plastic statue, his numbed brain told him. He
knew from wearing it that the suit was a good fit, but until he saw it
on Rei, he never realised just how good that fit was. The designers had
obviously been careful that nothing indecent was shown, but there was
almost nothing left to the imagination.
He had seen girls in extremely revealing clothes in the past, but
somehow they did not have quite the same impact as this. Despite the
fact that the plug-suit covered everything from her neck down, it
covered it in a way that even a swimsuit had difficulty copying. Every
curve, every line, was brought to the viewer's attention. Numbed
completely, Ranma looked out Rei's red eyes and gibbered incoherently.
He had never seen anyone wear something like this before. Just
picturing anyone else he knew in one - Shampoo, Ukyo, Kodachi, even
Akane - threw his brain into overload.
After getting no response to several of her questions, Rei waved a hand
in front of her face, but even that elicited no query or complaint.
After waiting as long as she could, Rei eventually left the change
rooms. As she walked to the training area where she would practice
target shooting, she wondered what had happened to Ranma. Normally he
never stopped talking. Now he was completely silent.
Stranger still, Rei kept feeling an unusual tingling sensation in her
nose. She wondered if this meant that Ranma would have been doing
something strange if he had been in charge.
* * *
Tuesday morning started out like any other. There was a talk by their
teacher on Second Impact and its repercussions on society. Since Rei
was attending class, Ranma was asleep. At least, he had been asleep
until Rei had woken him with a mental shout that she needed to speak to
him.
Yesterday she had taken copious notes on what the teacher was saying.
She had never bothered to pay more than minimal attention to this class
because she knew that it was a NERV public relations fabrication. All
that Commander Ikari required was satisfactory progress. That was so
easy to attain that even Ranma could manage, despite his very limited
attendance.
*What?! What is it Rei? Are we under attack? Why'd you wake me?*
'I must teach you about Second Impact. You must know the truth so that
you will not hamper my ability to perform my tasks at NERV.'
*Huh? What are you talking about? I already know about Second Impact.
The teacher tells us about it every day, doesn't he?*
Rei pointed to her notes on the computer screen. 'This is the official
description of what occurred during Second Impact.' She scrolled
through her notes slightly. 'As you can see, a small meteorite
travelling at close to the speed of light impacted Antarctica in the
year 2000. The resulting destruction killed two thirds of the Earth's
population.'
*I know this, Rei. Let me go back to sleep. I was up all night
yesterday training.*
'This is not the truth.'
*Sure, sure. I knew... IT'S WHAT?!*
'It is not the truth. That is a story that was fabricated to protect
NERV.'
*Huh? What does NERV have to do with anything? I thought they were
created to fight the Angels.*
'Correct. NERV is the only group capable of stopping the Angels. This
is why the truth is not allowed to be revealed to the pubic. NERV is
aware of the true cause of Second Impact.'
When Ranma was quiet for a while, Rei continued. 'In the year 2000, an
expedition was sent to Antarctica to visit a location close to the
South Pole. This expedition was charged with finding an Angel that was
buried there.'
*The Katsuragi Expedition...* Ranma whispered.
Despite her expressionless tone, Ranma could have sworn he heard
surprise in her voice. 'Correct. How did you know of their existence?'
*I was there for the same reason. I caught a lift with the Katsuragi
expedition to the South Pole. From what I heard, they were supposed to
be doing a geological survey and testing a new survival capsule. So
that was all a front for NERV, was it?*
'No. NERV was not formed until almost five years later. The existence
of the Angel, named Adam, had been discovered in ancient Chinese and
Hebrew texts. Wishing to learn the secrets of the Angel, an expedition
was sent with the facilities to unearth and examine the Angel. Before
the examination could be completed, the Angel exploded. This was the
true cause of Second Impact.'
*Wow, that is so weird. My fiancees... Well, three of them, had been
captured by a demon. I was told that the only way that I could save
them was to do almost exactly the same thing. Um... Learn the secrets
of the Angel, that is. Not destroy the world. Nabiki, that's one of the
people I used to live with, she managed to get me a lift on the
Katsuragi expedition. When I got there, I managed to get ahead of the
Katsuragi Expedition and found it first, since I knew where it was.
*The only problem was, it was buried all the way under the ice. I just
couldn't reach it. Since I knew that I needed to get back to Japan real
quick to help any of the girls that were still alive I tried one of my
special techniques to try and blast it out. I guess I must have used
some of the Angel's power, because the last thing I remember was a bad
burning feeling all over.*
They were both silent for a while as they digested what each other had
said. Oddly enough, it was Rei that broke the silence. 'I think you
died.'
*Yeah, me too.*
'I do not like dying.'
*Hey, it's not like I intend to do it again or nothing, OK?*
Rei gave no response and was silent for the remainder of the class.
Ranma tried to get her attention several times, but he did not succeed.
At the end of the day, Rei changed their usual routine and went to NERV
instead of going home. Throughout the train trip there, she did not say
a word, just staring into the distance, her thoughts as private as any
person's.
When the finally arrived, Rei walked them through the almost unending
security and into the Eva cages. Taking a seat on the cold metal
walkway, she stared at the large head jutting out of the water. From
inside their body, Ranma was momentarily taken by the thought that
there was some similarity between them and the Evangelion. To everyone
at NERV, they were simply a tool for winning the war.
'The Evangelion was made to defeat the Angels.'
Ranma waited. He felt sure that Ayanami was going to say something else.
'And that's why NERV has to keep the secret about Second Impact.'
Rei weighed her words carefully. She did not want to lie to Ranma, but
she knew that she should only tell him what he needed to know. If Ranma
got the wrong idea about who she was and why she was here, he could
create all sorts of problems. If Ranma created problems, she knew that
either Commander Ikari or herself would be forced to get rid of him.
Thinking of killing Ranma, especially if it entailed her dying again to
achieve it, did not sit well with Rei. It made something in her abdomen
clench and her breathing became harder. She was not used to the
sensation, and did not want it to continue.
'NERV has used information from the Angels to help create the
Evangelions.'
*Good idea. Always use your enemy's strengths against them.*
'I too am part of the effort to defeat the Angels.'
*Don't forget about me, Rei. I'm here to fight them too.*
'No. I mean that I am... Special. Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi will
need to monitor me some times.'
*I don't understand.*
'According to specifications that I have read, normal people do not
change bodies or personalities when splashed with water. I believe that
your being here is a result of your contact with Adam. You complete
me.'
*I don't understand, Rei. What's going on?*
The small, blue haired girl stood and turned away from the Evangelion.
She had hoped that she could make Ranma understand. She hoped that he
would accept what she said and would not question it, but she had
failed. Walking off into the depths of the base, she did not look any
different from normal, but inside there was a heaviness she did not
understand and did not like.
'Tomorrow I will be re-entering the dummy plug monitoring system. I
will answer all of the questions I can then.'
*Your starting to make me nervous, Rei. What are you talking about?*
'Ranma... I am sorry.'
* * *
After the pistol range, Misato was feeling confident. Although she had
not handled a gun seriously in years - since basic training - her skill
had not significantly deteriorated. Holding the big semi-automatic in
her hands had felt so natural, and completely normal. When she had
started discharging the weapon downrange, things came back quickly.
Every shot hit the target in her first magazine, and after her second,
there was nothing outside the second circle. Admittedly, she was still
using a fairly short range, but it was a relief to know that she was
capable of handling the firearm. She had stayed there for almost an
hour, gradually moving the target out. She was by no means a marksman,
but as her instructor had said "she had a natural instinct".
Smiling, she thought about how Gendo had told her that alcohol and
firearms did not mix. Naturally, she had agreed immediately. She
considered herself to be one of those lucky people that could have a
couple of beers first thing in the morning, some during the day, and a
heap at night, and the alcohol had virtually no effect on her. She was
confident that no matter how much she relaxed - or how much she drank -
she would be fine with the weapon.
Walking to her next class, the handgun was a heavy, but familiar weight
under her armpit. She had considered storing it in a purse, but that
raised the risk that it would not be there when she needed it. A
shoulder holster might mean she needed to wear a jacket even on the
hottest of days, however it meant that if ever anyone attacked her or
the Children she would be armed and capable of protecting them.
Misato had not seriously expected anyone to attack the Children - they
were humanity's first and only line of defence against the Angels. When
she had said that to Ritsuko, her friend had chuckled and thrown over a
security report she had been reading. The report was thin, only six
pages, but it was simply a summary and an index to more detailed
reports. NERV security was actively tracking over a dozen cults that
were operating near Tokyo-3. Armageddon cults; cults that saw the
Angels as either saviours, and others that saw NERV as the Anti-Christ
for defying the will of god. No particular god was mentioned, but
Misato could think of at least three main-stream religions that were
doing good business in the post-Second Impact era.
After reading the report and seeing the weekly count of death threats,
Misato took her bodyguard role much more seriously. Security did not
keep a total count of the threats; when they were receiving dozens each
week, the total soon lost meaning. Reading the security reports also
gave her a new appreciation for NERV security. Despite the fact that
they still had a hard time explaining how they lost Shinji, Ranma and
Rei before, they were doing an excellent job on counter-terrorism. Much
better than Jet Alone for example, who had failed to stop someone from
ruining their prototype.
Upon arriving at the training room for hand-to-hand combat, Misato was
given a fresh, new, training Gi. Once she had changed and presented
herself to the young, eager faced corporal who would be conducting her
evaluation, the pair crossed over onto the training mats.
"Now remember, Major; this is just a quick evaluation session so that
we can grade you and put you into the right class. From what I've heard,
it's been a few years since you did your basic training, right?"
"That's right."
Starting a slow jog around the room for a warm up, the corporal kept
talking. "From what we get in here, Major, there seems to be two types
of people in NERV. First one is your regulars... They train, they keep
fit, they stay up-to-date. If you're in that group, we'll stick you
straight into the intermediate class, maybe even give you a shot at the
advanced if you're good enough. The other group is the staffers that
seem to spend all day polishing a seat and all night drinking. Which
group do you fit into, Major?"
When the corporal turned around, he immediately regretted asking the
question. Major Katsuragi was already showing signs of difficulty
keeping up with him on the warm up. Her face was red, and she was
showing obvious signs of trying to exert herself in ways she was not
used to. They stood there for a moment, waiting for her to regain her
breath before the actual fighting started.
"Don't worry about me, Corporal. I just got off the pistol range and I
did fine there. I'm sure I'll have no problems." Misato managed to say
as her lungs worked in ways that they had not been required to in the
recent years of easy living and no exertion harder than pushing her
luck or jumping to conclusions.
"OK, Major. Whatever you say."
Unfortunately, Misato's confidence only lasted for about a minute
longer, or the first two falls in the many to come that day. The good
eyesight and steady hand that had served her so well on the pistol
range had little to do with the strength, speed and reflexes needed for
hand-to-hand combat.
When they first sized up against each other, Misato came in for a
clumsy punch that saw her thrown by the slightly larger man. When she
levered herself off her back and onto her feet, she tried again, this
time to fall prey to a deceptively easy looking leg sweep.
Continuing on into the day, they practiced for almost an hour. An hour
of successive failures and disappointment for Misato. She knew that she
did not take great care of herself, but she never imagined herself to
be that out of condition, and that out of training. At the end of the
time, the young corporal smiled and told her that things were not as
bad as they seemed. She had lost almost everything from her basic
training, but she had retained enough of the basics that she would be
able to learn the rest quickly.
For Katsuragi Misato, it was time to go back to basics, and learn how
to defend her Children.
* * *
"Nice of you to join us, Ranma-kun. I don't suppose you know where
Ayanami is?"
Ranma looked around at the assembled adults and grinned sheepishly.
"Umm... No?"
Misato and Ritsuko shared a glance and the blonde rolled her eyes. She
was not sure who she pitied the most; Ranma for being such a poor liar
or herself for having to hear them. "Please Ranma, I need you to
understand that when I ask for both pilots of Unit-00, I mean both you
_and_ Ayanami. Not just one of the pair."
"Yeah, but Rei said she was going to be seeing you this afternoon for
more tests, so she---"
Misato turned and looked at her friend with an expression that was not
entirely pleased. "What tests? Ritsuko-san, I'm supposed to be informed
of all Evangelion testing the pilots undergo. That is why I am
responsible for their schedule."
Trying to brush it aside, Ritsuko waved her hand. "It's nothing, it's
nothing. Just some routine tests. We want to check up on Ayanami after
the injuries she suffered against the fifth Angel."
"Huh? But Rei said---"
Talking over the boy - who Rei had definitely told too much to -
Ritsuko gestured to the currently darkened window leading out into Bay
3, the site of Unit-00's recent rebuilding. "Following the battle with
the fifth Angel, Evangelion Unit-00 required extensive repairs.
Although the particle beam only hit the front of the unit, substantial
melting occurred to over 73% of the Eva's armour."
Bringing up a revolving wire frame diagram of the Eva, Ritsuko
indicated the areas that had suffered the heaviest damage. "Note that
while less than three-quarts of the armour plate was melted, the actual
quantity of damaged armour plate was much higher. When you add in the
assorted damage caused by falling and the unorthodox exit route created
by Unit-01's pilot, over 90% of the actual armour plates required
repair or replacing. In effect, while the inner structure of the
Evangelion was largely undamaged, a complete rebuild was needed of the
exterior."
Stepping over to the control panel for the polarisation on the window,
Ritsuko pressed a button and let everyone see into Bay 3. All around, a
chorus of "Ohhs" and "Ahhs" followed. Looking at the people's faces,
Ritsuko could not help but give a small smile of pride.
"As you can see, since we needed to do a complete replacement of the
armour, we decided to accede to the Forth Child's - Saotome's - request.
We made it blue."
Indeed, the Evangelion had been completely redone. Rather than the
lacklustre, uninspiring orange that it used to be, the giant blue robot
was now an attractive blue in colour.
"I don't suppose you could have made it a cool red like my shirt?"
Ritsuko frowned. "No. Sorry, that's being used by Unit-02."
"Black?"
What did it take to please some people? "No. The Germans are using that
for Unit-04."
"White?"
"No! Look, we did the best we could! You asked for something brighter
and more impressive, we gave you blue! Be happy... Besides, I was told
we couldn't use white either."
"Oh... OK. I guess at least it ain't yellow. That would really suck,
going into combat wearing yellow... And I guess it sort of goes with
Rei's hair... sort of."
Looking down at her charge, Misato honestly wondered what it was that
interested kids these days. She grew up in the post-Second Impact years.
Just getting something to wear was good enough for most people. Mind
you, it was nice that Ranma was so considerate of his girlfriend that
he recognised the match with her hair. "Honestly, Ranma. Does it really
matter what colour it is?"
"Nah, not really. But if you're going to fight, you've got to look good.
After all, it's not just enough to be the best, people have to know it
to. Looking good is all part of it. Not only that, but if you go into a
fight thinking how bad you look, you lose confidence, and that's half
the battle right there. You have to be in the right frame of mind."
Misato gave Ranma a condescending smile. "Trust me, Ranma. When you get
a little older and a little wiser, you'll understand that there is more
to winning a fight than confidence and being a good fighter. Planning,
preparation and having the right weapons means more than anything
else."
Ranma snorted. "Maybe for fighting armies or something, but one-on-one
it don't matter at all. Besides, piloting an Eva's just like you're the
one doing the fighting. If you want to win, you got to be the best. And
I _am_ the best."
"Oh, gods. Spare me from more egotistical pilots." Misato wearily
rubbed her face. "I thought we'd be free of this until the Second Child
arrived. Mind you, Commander Ikari did say that they would be freeing
her up soon..."
Ritsuko coughed and looked away in embarrassment. "Actually, Misato..."
"What? What is it? Has something happened?"
"Well, You weren't going to be notified of this until tonight, but I
don't think there will be any problem if I tell you now. The Germans
have released Unit-02 and the Second Child to us a little ahead of
schedule."
"Really? That's great! Four pilots and three Evas. If that doesn't keep
Tokyo-3 safe, nothing will... So, when is the Second Child arriving? It
about a two week trip from Germany to here by sea, isn't it? That was
the latest plan I heard for shipping the Evas long distances. I think
Commander Ikari said she would be leaving within the next week or so."
Ritsuko had the good grace to at least look embarrassed. "Well... Yes
and no. It is about a two week journey. Eleven days to be precise.
But..."
"But what?"
"But you'll be taking a helicopter out there early in the morning
tomorrow. Unit-02 was loaded for shipping ten days ago."
Misato's face went livid. "WHAT?! Why wasn't I told about this? Not
only are the Children supposed to be my responsibility, I'm also in
charge of NERV's military status. How am I supposed to do my job if you
keep dropping things on me like this? Commander Ikari didn't mention
anything about it being this soon!"
"Calm down, Misato. You're starting to sound hysterical."
"I AM NOT GETTING ANGRY!"
Ranma coughed from the sidelines. "Actually, you are." He gave a quick
snigger. "Starting to sound like a bit of a tomboy too, if you ask me."
"Well I didn't! I don't know what you're still doing here anyway. Go
find Rei and get her back here. She still needs to be told about this.
And then there are these mysterious 'tests' Ritsuko has planned."
The woman in the lab coat calmly placed her hands in her pockets and
looked at Misato. The best way to get past Misato's outbursts was to
counter them with cold indifference. That was what Commander Ikari had
taught her, and it seemed to work in the past. Of course, that was his
answer to everything. Ritsuko was not sure that she could stay calm and
indifferent when faced with the end of the world, but the Commander
could. Deciding that what she needed was practice; Ritsuko stayed
around to let Misato tear strips off her for the security she had in
place.
"Really, Misato. There is no need to be agitated. We are all on the
same side."
"Are we? Sometimes I wonder. Shinji, Rei, Ranma, and Fuyutsuki I can
accept. You and Gendo... Sometimes I wonder whether you're aiming for
the same thing as the rest of us."
"The Angels must be defeated. You do not need to worry about anything
else."
"I do, Ritsuko, and that's the problem. Commander Ikari made the
Children's health and well-being my responsibility. How am I supposed
to look after them if you keep things from me? Where's the Second Child
going to stay? How about Ranma and Rei? What are we going to do about
them? Commander Ikari told me we would be moving into a new apartment,
but if they've just started looking for it, that could take weeks.
Until then, the Children will be on their own. I know Asuka is
competent, but does Ranma really strike you as the responsible type?"
"Actually, yes, he does. Don't worry. Rei won't allow anything to
happen that will interfere with her ability to pilot."
Misato rolled her eyes. "Gods, you speak about her like she's some kind
of automaton. She's just a kid, and kids make mistakes. I tell you,
ever since Gendo gave me this job, it's been driving me nuts to have
the two of them living off by themselves. It's just not healthy."
"So do something about it then. Was there anything else? I have work to
do."
"Yes... It's about these tests for Ayanami. If... If you find out
anything is wrong... Please call me. I need to know."
Ritsuko looked at her friend and saw the genuine worry in her eyes.
Sometimes she needed to remind herself that Katsuragi Misato was not
like herself and the other two senior staff at NERV. She was dedicated
to NERV, and to seeing the defeat of the Angels. She honestly believed
in what NERV said it was doing, and cared about how they were going
about it. Those attributes made her different from the people who knew
how Second Impact was really started, and knew what awaited if Third
Impact was done correctly.
In a soft voice, filled with concern that she did not really feel,
Ritsuko reassured the woman that had been her friend when they were at
school and university. "I will. If anything is wrong with Rei, I'll
make sure we do our best to fix her."
"Thank you."
Walking back to her sanctum were she would meet Ayanami soon, Ritsuko
wondered - not for the first time - whether Misato should have been a
party to the whole plan from the beginning. Now was too late. The
decision had been made, and it would be too difficult to explain why
things had been done. But if she had been one of them from the
beginning... Maybe the Major would not be the person they needed now if
she looked at things the same way the Commander did. Perhaps that was
his reason for having a genuine, honest person in charge of their
military arm. Because Major Katsuragi cared. As simple as that.
But, she wondered, what does that imply about me? She shied away from
the question, lest she not like the answer. The implication that she
might no longer care about people left a cold feeling in her stomach,
and even more questions she had no desire to confront. Fixing NERV's
goals firmly in her mind, Ritsuko pushed away the thoughts that
disturbed her. The people in charge here knew what was best for
everyone. She had to accept, believe and concentrate on that. Anything
else would just lead to failure.
* * *
Changed into a thin hospital gown, Rei sat in Ritsuko's room and waited.
Most people would have wondered how she had gotten into a locked room,
but that had not bothered Rei since she was a small girl. Considering
her significance to the project, she had a very high security clearance.
There was not much point trying to conceal things from her, she was one
of the biggest secrets NERV was working on concealing.
The same held true for limiting her access around the massive NERV
Geofront. Since Rei was a privy to all of the secrets, there was
nothing for her to find if she did go looking for sometime. More
importantly, Gendo and Ritsuko were both fully aware of how little
interest Rei had in exploring her environment. Chances were slim and
none that she would consider wandering around the base of her own
volition.
Giving Rei access to supposedly secure rooms was actually a form of
protection in their investment. If worst came to worst and Rei did need
to run from someone or hide, she could duck into literally any room.
While Rei was replaceable at the moment, the theory was that any threat
that might put Rei in danger within the Geofront would be enough to
threaten the cloning chamber also. If that happened, a little
preparation might well save the entire Human Instrumentality Project.
Sitting in the office, Ranma tried to be grumpy while Rei waited. Being
upset was difficult when you could not glare, cross your arms or snort
in an angry fashion. *So you think you can tell me what's going on
yet?*
'No.'
*Not even a little hint?*
'No. You do not have the security clearance necessary for the
information.'
"Hello, Rei. It's good to see you're on time. I was beginning to get
worried about you."
"I have been waiting since the assigned time."
Ritsuko smiled. "Of course, Rei. You're usually very dependable. I
think I was just worried about you since you have been living with
Ranma."
*Hey! What's wrong with me?*
The doctor escorted Rei out of her office and to one of the secure lift
wells that would take them to the bowels of the Geofront and NERV's
headquarters. "Why are you worried about Ranma?"
Surprised that her charge would exhibit signs of curiosity, Ritsuko
took advantage of the time she needed to access the security on the
lift to think of a response. "Well... Not anything in particular. I
guess we just don't know much about him. There's also the way that he
seems to keep hiding from people. I don't remember seeing the two of
you together at all... Unless... Was he with you at Thursday's
briefing?"
"No. I have not attended any briefings with Ranma."
*Hey, Rei. Ask her what she wants to know about me. Maybe I can get the
security clearance you need.*
'As you wish.'
"Akagi-sensei. What information do you wish on Ranma?"
Ritsuko smiled. Of course. Rei would have checked to ensure Ranma was
not a security risk before she allowed him to live with her. "General
information, mainly. Who are his parents? Where was he born? Date of
birth? That sort of thing."
Rei was silent for a moment, then spoke. "Saotome Genma and Nodoka.
Nerima-ku, Tokyo, Japan. March 6, 1984."
Ritsuko snickered. "I think that date is a little out, Rei-chan. That
would make him thirty. Mind you, I think I'll follow this up after the
testing. If you can give me any more details, we can see about
verifying them later."
The lift finally reached the end of its journey and Ritsuko stepped out.
She had started down the corridor to where the dummy plug program was
housed when she stopped and turned. Rei was still in the lift. "What's
the matter? Are you waiting for something?"
"Ranma wants to know what I am doing here."
Ritsuko shrugged. "Lie to him. Tell him the same as what I told Misato.
Just say that it was a medical check up."
"Ranma is aware that I do not need that. Attempting to lie to him would
be counter productive."
"Then don't tell him anything."
Still Rei did not move. "Ranma must be told something. Commander Ikari
has told me that he must not be a risk to the Project. However, Ranma
is needed as the Fourth Child."
Coming closer, the head of Evangelion development looked down at the
emotionless, pale girl and tried to read her expression. One of the
problems with raising Rei as an emotionless drone was the fact that it
was impossible to tell what she was thinking. She tended to be more
unreadable than Gendo most of the time. At least with Gendo you knew
there were feelings and emotions hidden behind the mask.
"Are you worried about Ranma?"
Rei gave a slight nod. She was not sure why, but it was true. She did
not want to die again. She did not want Ranma to die either. Rei could
not remember whether Ranma had been a part of her when she had first
lived. She could not tell. As far as she knew, Ranma had only been
awakened when she first piloted the Evangelion. That first time, when
Unit-00 went berserk, Ranma seemed to spring fully grown into her mind.
What if he did not go away when she was brought to life again? Or worse,
what if he did?
She did not understand why she felt this need to conceal Ranma from
NERV. Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi had always assured her that they
knew best, and they should be the ones to fix any problems she had.
Somehow... Somehow she did not want them to fix this. Ranma was...
Interesting... Different... Enlivening. Perhaps that was the reason. In
the weeks since Ranma had become a part of her, she had done more than
in her previous fourteen years. There had become more to life than just
living. She was not sure if she liked that yet, but she knew that she
did not want to lose it.
Since she had not been explicitly told to reveal any effects such as
Ranma, she had not done so. If things went well, she would continue
this way. As Commander Ikari often said to other staff while she was
present, it was 'need-to-know'. If the Commander needed to know, he
would ask. If he did not need to, he would not. That rationalisation
was simple enough to accept. Now all she needed to do was simplify
things for Ranma. She did not expect that he would be ready to accept
the entire truth about who she was.
Ranma had called her special. She doubted he was correct. However, it
would be nice to find out if he was. For that, she needed to provide
Ranma with more information. Simply going into the room with the dummy
plug system would reveal more to him than he already knew. Somehow, she
needed to dampen that information.
Blinking once at the doctor, Rei came to the answer to her question.
"Yes."
Giving a little sigh, Ritsuko was impressed. She had not expected Ranma
to have such a profound effect on Rei. She hoped it was not merely the
physical side of the Children's relationship. Ritsuko had always liked
to believe that people were more advanced than just that level.
"Very well, Rei. I shall arrange to have Ranma's security increased. If
you need to, and only if you need to, you can give Ranma a briefing on
some of the basics of your creation. I'll leave it up to you what is
revealed, but you have to keep him under control. Do you understand?
Nothing about the Human Instrumentality Project, nothing about the
Angels, and certainly nothing about SEELE. Just... Be careful, all
right, Rei?"
"Yes."
*Rei! What's the Human Instrumentality Project? What's SEELE? What
can't you tell me?*
'I cannot tell you.'
Walking down the corridor, Rei sorted out her thoughts for a moment
before dipping her head and looking at the floor as the door opened.
'I am not like other people.'
Ranma chuckled. *I ain't exactly normal either, Rei.*
Keeping her head down so that all she saw was the floor, Rei walked
forward into the room. Once she neared the central pillar containing
the monitoring system, she removed the hospital gown and activated the
hatch by touch alone.
'I was not born like other people. I am different.'
Climbing into the monitoring chamber, Rei closed the door behind her
and waited for it to fill with LCL. When the thick liquid was over her
head, Rei finally looked up, to see Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi at
the monitoring station.
'This is the dummy plug system. It is an attempt to create an
artificial pilot for the Evangelion units.'
*Huh? An artificial pilot? Can't they just wire up a computer or
something?*
'No. What do you know of the Evangelions?"
*Not much. Big robots, mankind's last hope, that sort of thing.*
'The briefing materials you have been given do not include the fact
that the Evangelion units are biological entities. They are not robots.
They are... almost animals.'
*Wow!* Ranma was very impressed. He had always thought that they were
just big machines, just like Veritech fighters and stuff from Macross.
Imagine... Making an animal that big... The only thing he could think
of to compare to it was an Angel.
*Hey! Are they done similar to the Angels? They're alive too, aren't
they?*
'I do not know. There is insufficient information available on all of
the Angels. I know that Evangelions bear some similarities.'
*So what's this dummy plug thing for? You still haven't said why they
can't just plug in a computer.*
'An Evangelion is almost alive. What it lacks is a soul. The body
cannot live without a soul, and the soul cannot live without a body.
This is why you die when your heart stops. Your soul dies without a
body. The Evangelion unit is similar. We can keep the bodies alive, but
it requires a soul to move it. The pilot provides that soul.'
*That's... That's really amazing. You mean... I'm actually using my
soul to pilot the Eva? It's sort of living off my Ki or something?*
'Incorrect. The Evangelion is alive, it is just missing something from
the soul. It is that missing part that the pilot provides. That is why
you must synchronise with the Evangelion. You soul, its body, become
one.'
*Spooky.*
Rei was silent for a while. Looking out at the two heads of NERV as
they conducted their experiments, she wondered how much she should tell
Ranma today. Not too much, she decided. He would not be able to cope
with what he was learning. Ranma must be made to accept and understand
what she was and why she was here. If he objected, he may become a
threat to the Project and that had been categorically stated as being
unacceptable.
She had to make him understand and accept. She must.
'The dummy plug is designed to be an artificial soul.'
Now it was Ranma's turn to do the silent, contemplative routine.
*They... They can do that sort of thing?*
'No. They have not succeeded in creating a soul for the dummy plug
program.'
More time passed. For Ranma, it was time spent in trying to wrap his
mind around what they had heard. Mankind really had advanced since he
had been around before. Rei, who normally either sat there with a blank
mind or looked at the dozens of clone bodies sitting in the tank behind
her, studiously gazed at the Commander. She wanted to get advice from
the Commander, but that made her more worried. She was sure that he
would see Ranma as a threat. Perhaps she should also, but she could not.
In so many ways, he had become a part of her now. She did not want to
lose that part.
As Rei was stepping out of the monitoring tube and getting dressed,
Ranma again took up the thread of conversation. *Why you, Rei? Why not
Shinji or Gendo or anyone else?*
'No-one has been able to explain why only children born within nine
months of Second Impact can successfully synchronise with an Evangelion.
Others have tried. There were not... entirely... successful. I have
been prepared since before...' Rei stopped and changed her mind on how
to explain it. 'I am the only suitable subject for the experiment.'
*Really? Why? What's the bet I could do it better with all my Ki?
Martial arts gives you pretty amazing control over that sort of thing.*
'No. Only I am suitable. I cannot say why.'
Sensing her reluctance, Ranma did not push her on the subject much more.
He already had a lot to think about with what he had heard, and also
what he had not heard. He knew he would be having more talks like this
with Rei over time, but perhaps that was a good thing. All this
thinking was giving him a headache, and what he really wanted was for
Rei to give him control so he could do some training.
Behind them, the door to the room closed with a soft hiss. Safely
sealed behind the door was a greater myriad of secrets that Rei had
managed to avoid telling Ranma. Thanks to her care, he knew of the
dummy plug system, and was acquainted with significance of work on
human souls. Equally, he did not know anything about the dozens of Rei
bodies still floating in their special fluid surrounding the room. The
revelation of that would wait until she was more confident of gaining a
viable reaction from her partner.
* * *
"Hello?"
"Good morning, Ranma-kun. How are you this morning?"
Ranma shifted the phone slightly so that it rested between his head and
shoulder. While he did not strictly need both hands for the cartwheel,
that was what the Kata called for.
"Good, thanks. Just getting some exercise."
Misato gave a brief giggle. "Oh, is that what's causing all that heavy
breathing I can hear. And first thing in the morning too."
"Umm... Yeah. I usually start at sun rise."
More giggles. "Ahh, to be so young again. I remember a boy from college
that used to be like that; never satisfied."
Ranma grunted as he did a one handed spring. "I've got to get it done
now, you see. Rei needs to go to school soon, so it's not like I can do
it then."
When he got tired of Misato's loud laughter ringing in his ears, Ranma
changed Kata to one emphasising kicking. It was much easier to talk on
the phone if you had your hands free. "Is there any reason you're
calling me this morning, Misato-san? Shinji told me you're not even up
this early most of the time."
"I'll have you know I went to bed after just six beers last night. All
so that I could get up early and call you before I left at half past
seven." The Major's voice rang with pride at those obviously difficult
accomplishments.
"Umm... Thanks, I guess. Well... When are you gunna be back? Or is
someone else in charge of the Eva's now?"
"No need to sound so eager, Ranma-kun. I'm just going away for the day.
Shin-chan and I am going out to meet the Second Child today."
"Second Child?"
"Um-hum." Misato mumbled her assent.
"What happened to the first one?"
"Dummy! Your girlfriend is the First Child?"
"Huh? I don't have no girlfriend."
Maybe Misato was drunk. That would explain all the giggling she was
doing this morning. "Well, if she's not your girlfriend, how would you
describe your relationship with Ayanami?"
Even though he was separated by half a city and talking on the phone,
Ranma went as red as a cooked lobster. "I... Well... That is... We
never intended anything, it just sort of happened and..."
"It's OK, Ranma-kun. I don't mind. Well... Not too much, anyway."
"So what's this about children again?"
Misato explained, in her most patient voice. "NERV has designated the
pilots of the pilots of the Evangelions by the order they were found.
So Ayanami is the First Child, Shin-chan is the Third Child, and you're
the Fourth Child. Shinji and I are going out to meet the Second Child
today."
Ranma stopped and scratched his head for a moment. "Isn't that sort
of... Insulting or something? I mean, I might look like a kid now, but
I ain't gunna be a Child forever you know."
"Don't worry, Ranma-kun. I'm sure once you defeat all the Angels,
they'll let you pick any title you want. But that's not really why I
called you."
After a short, overly dramatic pause, Misato continued. "We've finally
been able to get NERV to pay for some decent accommodation for you
pilots. So, today while Shin-chan and I are away, you can be the first
to move into our new apartment."
Ranma stopped what he was doing very suddenly. One leg was stuck out
forty-five degrees above the horizontal as he halted mid-strike, but
his balance was unimpaired. "Hang on. What's this about _our_
apartment?"
"Isn't it exciting?" Misato almost bubbled over with exuberance. "I
have to admit, when I was first told to look after Shinji, I was a bit
worried, but now I'm looking forwards to this. All four of you are
going to be living together in the same big apartment with me!"
"Ummm... I'm not so sure about this, Misato-san..."
"Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud, Ranma-kun. It'll be great fun. You,
me, Shin-chan, Ayanami and Asuka-chan, all in the one place. We can
share the cleaning and cooking and everyone will be nice and safe.
Besides, I had a look at the apartment last night. It's actually a
penthouse in the middle of the city. NERV really seems to have gone all
out on this one. I think it's because someone finally convinced them
that if they can spend so many millions on the Evas, they can spend a
few thousand on the pilots."
She left that one hanging for a moment, but Ranma made no attempt to
catch the obvious bait to thank or congratulate her. When the silence
on Ranma's end of the line became too irritating, Misato coughed and
continued.
"Anyway, I'll be back tonight with Shin-Chan and the Second Child. So
if you want go over, I've left a number there for a moving company.
They can take all of your and Ayanami's gear over. This way, the two of
you can set things up for all of us! How would that be, a nice family
dinner tonight? Just the five of us?"
"Well, Rei and I are pretty happy out here. Besides, it's not like I'm
not used to living on my own."
"Ranma-kun." All humour dropped out of the Major's voice. "You seem to
misunderstand me. I'm not actually asking if you want to move in with
us. I'm telling you."
*Gulp* "R-Right."
"Very good!" Misato was back to her normal bubbly self. "In that case,
I see you in about ten or twelve hours. I hope you have something nice
cooked. Oh, and one more thing, Ranma-kun... Separate rooms for your
and Ayanami. Byeee!"
The phone disconnected with a quiet click. Looking at it, Ranma
wondered if there was any way that he could get out of moving in with
his boss and a couple of other fourteen-year-olds. It was not that he
disliked Rei, quite the opposite, she was a real friend. It was just
the fact that he did not like the idea of exposing his curse to the
rest of the world. Back in Tokyo - the original one, not this 'new and
improved' model - having people know about his curse seemed to cause no
end of trouble. Just thinking about how much worse it would be now that
his girl side was actually someone else who could not defend herself
made Ranma shudder.
Fearing that he knew the answer, Ranma realised he needed to check. It
was not as though this was a decision he could make by himself. 'So,
what do you think, Rei? Do we move?'
Someone else might have had surprise in their voice. Rei simply... was
Rei. *Of course. Major Katsuragi has given us a direct order.*
With a sigh, Ranma hanged his head. 'OK, Rei. You want me to pack, or
you wanna do it?'
Rei considered it. As Ranma entered their small, apartment she reached
her decision. There was no reason for her to pack. All that she
possessed were some clothes that she and Ranma had picked and some
underwear. If Ranma had indeed possessed a girl's body before, he
should be comfortable with all of that. The only item she possessed
other than that was a pair of broken glasses that belonged to Commander
Ikari.
*You can pack. Please take the case on the drawers.*
'Gotcha.' With that, a box for his own clothes, and a spare, Ranma was
almost ready. Now he just had to pack stuff.
First in went Ranma's spare clothes, some emergency stuff NERV had
given him that had been ignored and his portable phone. Looking around
the apartment, Ranma dropped Rei's few clothes - more than before, but
still not many - into the second box. Next... Next was the hard part.
He might have been forced to wear lingerie before when he had been
trying to trap Happosai, but he was not a pervert like the old man.
With one hand over his eyes, Ranma pulled open the draw that held Rei
"intimates" and completely blind proceeded to pour them into her box.
When the draw felt empty, he sighed in relief. 'How's that, Rei? Did
they all go in?'
*I do not know. You still have your eyes closed.*
'Oh, right.'
Braving the prospect of looking at a lady's personal possessions, Ranma
put the draw down, removed his left arm from across his face, and
slowly cracked open an eyelid. "Hey! Am I good or what, Rei? Everything
in perfectly, first go!"
Dancing a little gig, Ranma closed the box and stacked it on his
possessions. Well, everything packed, an hour to go before school. With
a last glance around the room that had been home now for several weeks,
Ranma scratched the back of his head. Talking to himself more that the
second soul residing with him, Ranma picked up the boxes and poised
them on his middle finger.
"Guess this means I ought to get settled in at the new place."
The run over to the new, much higher class, building did not take long,
and soon Ranma was working on scaling the side of the building for some
training. Normally it was not hard, but carrying two cardboard boxes in
one hand...
When he reached the top, Ranma looked around and found the stairs. He
would have used a window to get in, but this high up they were all
sealed. With a smile, Ranma thought about the fun he would have
practising his jumping and martial arts on the roof. The address he had
been given for the penthouse apartment, the only place large enough to
house a group of five individuals in the middle of Tokyo-3. So, without
further ado, Ranma descended from the roof into the top-level entrance
to their new home. Pushing open the unlocked door, he entered and
looked around.
The place was big, he had to give it that. Probably larger than the
Tendo place, it had five bedrooms, a kitchen, two living rooms and
enough space for a massive pile of boxes. Looking closely at the boxes,
Ranma found a delivery label on some of them indicating that they were
for a "Souryuu Asuka Langley". 'Must be that Second Child Misato-san
keeps talking about.'
Rei did not answer, so Ranma carried his boxes into one of the rooms.
The room nearest the kitchen. After all, it pays to be close to the
important stuff. Dropping both boxes on the floor, Ranma opened the
cupboard there and placed his clothes in. Having spent most of his life
living out of a small backpack, Ranma was quite used to folding and
compressing clothes, and shortly his entire set of clothes was nothing
more than a small shadow in one corner of the wardrobe. Looking around
the room, Ranma took in the bed, the drawers, the desk and the wide
expanse of floor.
For a time he considered taking the bed into another room. He preferred
sleeping on the floor since you lost your edge if you were pampered by
beds and soft stuff like that, but decided to keep it. Rei has slept on
a bed at their old place, so she might want one now.
Checking the time on a conveniently mounted clock in the living room,
Ranma grinned. 'How's that for timing? I'll go get changed and you can
go to school.'
Rei did not say anything, but he could feel her silent approval. It was
easy to keep the blue haired girl happy. All you need to do was make
sure that things run like clockwork and she was set. Rei wanted to go
to school, and Ranma had left her enough time to change clothes and
still reach the school before the last bell rang. With a splash of cold
water, Rei set about doing just that.
Simplicity. Precision. Obedience. These were the things that ran Rei's
world. School was boring enough that she did not need to listen to what
was being said, but she attended because she had been told to. She knew
that most of the other students there did not understand her or how she
viewed the world, but that did not matter either. Before class, she
would simply watch the small birds that flew outside the window. At
lunch, she would eat alone. None of the students bothered her, and that
was all she wanted.
Of course, none of the other students realised that she spent a large
portion of the day talking with Ranma. The martial artist was - again -
discussing his training plan with her. For reasons she could not
understand, training was very important to Ranma. This confused her,
because to the best of her knowledge, no-one had told him to train.
More confusing was the fact that he did not seem to be training _for_
anything. Even when Major Katsuragi had them practice in the
Evangelions or do a sync test, there was the purpose of becoming better
so that they could beat the Angels. Ranma trained... Ranma trained
simply for the sake of it.
Resolving that she would one day ask him why he trained so hard without
a reason, Rei walked home. School had been achieved, and that left her
only one more task that day. After entering the penthouse and taking
off her shoes, Rei walked into Ranma's room and moved her box next door.
Although her muscles had become stronger because of Ranma's training,
she still felt the box was heavy, being filled with clothes. How Ranma
managed to carry both boxes on one finger was a mystery.
Setting the box down in the new room - hers, she assumed - Rei began to
unpack. *What are you doing, Rei? Do you want everyone to know about
us? I thought you'd stick your stuff in the same room as me. That way
we won't attract any attention.*
'Major Katsuragi ordered that we should have separate rooms.'
Mentally, Ranma slapped his forehead. He had forgotten about that. Well,
he could always just break a couple of windows and let himself slip
between rooms that way. Being fifteen stories up and jumping from one
narrow window sill to another did not bother him, but having everyone
think that he and Rei were in some way connected did.
Rei had completed her work, they had cooked and eaten dinner and Ranma
had begun doing some training in the living room when the sound of
movement came from the front door. Turning to face the newcomer, Ranma
was greeted by the sight of a confident looking girl in a knee length
yellow dress and red shoes. Long, lustrous red-orange hair swirled
behind her as she stood in the doorway regarding him the same way an
anthropologist regards a new form of bug.
"So this is the new Forth Child, eh? Not much to look at is he?" The
girl pushed some stray hair back over her right shoulder with a gesture
of casual indifference. "I'm Souryuu Asuka Langley, Second Child and
pilot of the first production type Evangelion Unit. And you better not
try anything funny at night, or you'll get the same treatment as Baka-
Shinji here!"
Hurricane Asuka had just hit mainland Japan.
---
End Of Chapter.