'And over the capital the weather forecast is light showers in the
evening... Now a news flash. There's still no concrete development in
the investigation of reports of a magnetic disturbance at the North
Pole two weeks ago. In other news, the Chinese government has warned
that further acquisition of jet fighters by Taiwan from the United
States could stall talks on...'
Click.
The radio is switched off. A gray haired man sighed as he stood up
from his desk. Putting on his white lab coat, he walked out of his
office and into the compound of Kyoto University. The melodious
chirping of the birds made him smile slightly. At least there's some
who feel at peace.
"Professor! Professor Fuyutsuki!"
Fuyutsuki turned around, wondering who was calling him. Seeing it was
his biology class students, he ventures a slight smile. Although
university policy was for the faculty to be accessable to students,
Fuyutsuki would rather slink off home to rest.
"Oh, its you guys."
His two students stood there grinning at him. Recalling their faces
from the mob he had taught, Fuyutsuki remembered mentally pinning the
word 'slackers' under their pictures.
"Professor... How about having a beer by the Kamogawa river?"
Fuyutsuki looked into the expectant eyes of his students, wondering
how they managed to brim with all that energy. He frowned slightly
when he heard the combination of 'beer' and 'Kamogawa river'.
"Again?"
"Ryouko and the rest of the girls say they'll come if you'll come."
was the reply.
Another student butted in, "The dean also says you should come out
more often."
Fuyutsuki's look softened a bit. Well... university policy is
university policy... might as well have a little fun while I'm at it.
"Alright. I'll see..."
**********************************************************************
Fuyutsuki watched his students talking animatedly to each other. The
boys bragging like there's no tomorrow, trying to impress the opposite
sex. Some of the girls giggled. But to Fuyutsuki it all seemed a
raucous affair.
He sighed, twirling the drink he held in his hand. He sat at the
counter, some distance from his students. His age was the main barrier
here, because of it, he felt more like a chaperone than a member of
the crowd.
"Is the professor always like that?" Whispered one of the girls.
"Yea..." Replied the boy who had invited Fuyutsuki. "He was like that
the last time as well."
"How boring..."
Overhearing their conversation but not minding, Fuyutsuki took in
another sip. They had tried to invite him to join their table earlier,
but he had politely declined. Fuyutsuki was about to order another
drink when a hush fell behind him, then a soft murmuring.
"Say... isn't that..."
"Yes... I thought he was on leave or something."
A multitude of soft whispering began. Before Fuyutsuki could turn to
see who was the object of attention, a voice on his left asked,
"Professor Fuyutsuki? May I sit here?"
"Oh! Dr Katsuragi-san!"
Fuyutsuki began to get up to greet Katsuragi Kenji, but Kenji laid a
friendly hand on his shoulder, smiling.
"There's no need for such formality among friends, Kouzou."
"Well... I guess so, Kenji."
"So how have you been?"
"Not bad. My students keep me busy though... always dragging me for
drinks here." Fuyutsuki joked but stops laughing when he saw Kenji's
tired eyes. Concerned, Fuyutsuki asks, "Kenji, are you okay? You seem
tired..."
"Yea..." Kenji tossed his head then tries to smile. "You're not the
only one who's being kept busy you know!"
Fuyutsuki wore a feeble smile then turned back to his drink. Kenji
looked at him, then glanced back at the noisy students.
"You know, Kouzou..."
"Hmm...?"
"It's not bad to drink outside, given the opportunity."
"Well..."
"You're talented, though it's not good for you to underestimate the
importance of communication between people..."
Kenji swung his glass up and gulped down the whole glass of bear, his
eyes suddenly focused on something far away. "Like I did..."
Fuyutsuki wasn't sure what to say. He knew of Kenji's family problems.
All he could manage was...
"I'm sorry..."
And he slipped into silence, staring at his half full glass again.
Kenji took another glass of bear and sighed. Then he remembered
something. Turning to Fuyutsuki, he said, "Oh... by the way, there's
a student who wrote an interesting report on biotechnology."
Fuyutsuki raised an eyebrow as Kenji continued.
"A student named Ikari... Do you know who the student is?"
Fuyutsuki thought for a moment. A student? Named Ikari? Whats the
relation to Dr. Ikari? He shook his head. "Ikari? No..."
"Well... I told Ikari about you and Ikari said, 'I wish to see him.'
You will be contacted. Please see the student."
Fuyutsuki nodded as Kenji got up to leave.
"Well, Kouzou, I best be going now. Sayonara."
"Sayonara, Kenji..."
Fuyutsuki pushed his empty glass aside, debating within himself if
he should order another. He looked up at the sound of the door
creaking shut as Kenji closed it.
The name is Ikari, hmmm...
**********************************************************************
In the dark alley outside, Kenji stumbles. He leans against his car
trying to regain his balance. He breathes heavily, clutching his head
as he feels a dull throbbing pain in his skull.
A series of migraines had been afflicting him ever since he came back
from the wheezing tin can called USS Senoy. His hands fumbled across
the side of the car trying to open it. Finally his hand grasps the
handle and pulls the door open. Kenji flops into his car seat with
a moan.
Pain... Kenji thought then grunted as he felt it snake into his
ears. The pain! He clutched harder at his head, nearly tearing his
last few strands of remaining hair out as he screamed.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...."
**********************************************************************
".....AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"
Kenji clutched his ears as the scream vibrated in his skull, the
control room of the submarine swimming in fron of his eyes. The pitch
of the scream is barely audible in the relatively sheltered room, but
its force reverberated in his ear drums as if they would burst. He
loses his balance and falls to the floor. Just barely keeping his eyes
open, he saw everyone else in the room succumbing to the scream.
The two operators directly in front of him writhed in agony on the
floor, their hands pressed over their ears, but nothin they did could
block out the scream. One of them yelled as his ear drums shattered,
fluid bursting out of his ears as he slumped to the floor unconscious
... unhearing... spared from the agony... forever.
Behind him, Kenji heard McKay screaming, "Ahh! Katsuragi, you fool!!!
It's... Ahhh... all your fault!!!"
Kenji's vision grows cloudy as he feels his own ears throbbing more
and more. He made one last glance at the status screen on Tatsuta's
console, its owner now lying slump on the floor. A red light flashed
on it, signalling that the power source was growing more and more
unstable as the Lance neared it.
Is it going to explode? We're... We're not going to make it...
Kenji suddenly stiffened, the pain too much for him. He screamed in
agony once more, the pain making his eyes water, further obscuring his
vision. Then everything went black...
**********************************************************************
Kenji opened his eyes... and stared into darkness. The control room
was gone. The operators were gone. The whining Admiral McKay was gone.
Nothing. Just nothingness. He stood up and looked around, eyes unable
to pick out anything in the black haze.
Where am I?
Then... he felt more than heard a sound behind him... a presence. He
whirls around and gasps. He was staring into the awful splendour of a
pair of red eyes. Freezing on the spot with fear, he watches as slowly
the eyes drew nearer, their tragic beauty captivating him, rendering
him immobile. He watched as slowly a nose... then a face forms in
front of him, it pale white skin, breathtaking. Long flowing blue hair
unfurled out of nothingness... and yet the thing had no mouth.
What is this?!?!?!
Terror filled his mind. He screamed... only to realize he had uttered
no sound. He grimaced as he felt a voice boom through his
consciousness... through his mind.
{Why do you disturb me?}
Kenji held his head in pain. Each syllable that rolled through his
mind sent waves of agony coursing from his brain down through his
spine.
{What are you?}
What are we? What... what do you mean?
{Tell me what you are!!!}
Humans! We are humans!
{Humans? The term is unknown... no matter... You will perish}
A snow-white arm materialized. It extended towards Kenji, who found
that he was still immobilized, and gripped him tight. Then it began to
squeeze. The pressue compacted his body and focused on his weakening
ear drums. He struggled but to no avail, his bones nearing breaking
point... The creature's strength was too great...
At the same time, a mental feeler plunged into Kenji's brain,
examining it, twisting and turning in his mind, threatening to wrench
it out... and throw him into the abyss of insanity; a second pain
compounded to the first.
Just as he was about to pass out, the grip loosened... the feeler
halts, then retreats.
{Lilim?} Asks the voice. {Welcome... my brood...}
Kenji's feeble eyes only managed to see the white form disappear
before the black dots dancing in front of his eyes multiplied and
thrust him back into darkness.
**********************************************************************
The red liquid was churning as if it was boiling, distrubed by the
intensity of the scream. All around, the white rock formations began
to shudder, then shatter into pieces.
The Sansenoy began to buckle and break, the screams strength too much
for its hull. It implodes, metal scrunched up by the pressure of the
deep sea in an agonizing wail, sending a great bubble of trapped air
dotted with fragile human bodies, their dying shrieks unaudible,
racing to the surface.
The other two submarines held... just barely. The Semangeloph
shuddered ever more violently, while one of the Senoy's double
propellers began to fracture. Then... the scream stops... and the
force field faded away...
Forward impetus not yet dissipated by the strength of the scream, the
two remaining submarines continued on with their cargo. Even though at
this depth sunlight is non-existent, a glint shines off the tip of the
glowing Lance of Longinius as it nears the orb.
The Lance of Longinius pierces the red orb. The energies within
swirled out into the red liquid, the glow within the orb began to dim.
The energies twisted in this hostilr environment, seeking a place to
cling on to. They paused momentarily, then began streaming towards the
Senoy. They passed through its hull with ease as if being sucked into
the vessel.
The last wisp of energy disappeared into the Senoy, which without one
of its propellers crawls to a stop as the Lance buries itself into the
rock underneath the creature. The Semangeloph, still running at full
speed without a conscious helmsman guiding it, breaks from the steel
appendages, twisting them wickedly. It pushes inexorably on...
straight into the ocean bed...
**********************************************************************
Darkness...
Red glow...
Darkness...
Red light...
Darkness...
Am I alive?
Red glow...
Light...
Blurred sight. Figures dancing in the distance. Two. Female. One
older, the other merely a teenager. Sharper the image grows, then
hazy, then more distinct. The figures were smiling, but when they
notice Kenji, their faces grew sad, mouths drooping. The teenaged
figure twisted her head to look away, her purple hair lashing the air.
Vision blurs once again.
Hana?... Misato-chan?
**********************************************************************
Kenji stired. His eyes began to focus. Pushing himself up from his
prone position on the floor, he shook his head, clearing the cobwebs.
The room was bathed in pulsating red light. He staggered to his feet,
holding on to a console for support. He looked down. The console was
broken.
He cringed as he tried to stand unsupported. His head spun. One of his
legs was strained.
Containment... Did it work?
He turned to the console where Tatsuta was sitting. He caught
Tatsuta's unmoving body on the floor next to it before training his
eyes on the screen. His eyes go wide with astonishment when he saw
a flashing green light.
With that, Kenji slumped to the floor again.
**********************************************************************
Kenji woke with a start. He found himself slumped on the street next
to his car. It was... that nightmare again. He felt his head. It was
no longer throbing. The silence in his head was soothing.
Kenji pulled himself up, hand fumbling across the door. Finally he
gripped the handle and pulled the door open. He flopped into his car
seat with a moan. Feebly, Kenji turned the key and started his car.
Better make it home before it comes again.
**********************************************************************