I don't own NGE.
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If I Speak With the Tongues of Angels
By Veronica Cereta
Chapter One
Supposed to Be
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Fuyutsuki looked across at Gendo. The two were having coffee in the Nerv cafeteria. "You
know," began the gray haired man, "Dr. Akagi has been working very hard these days, with little
compensation. She disserves a promotion, or at the very least some sort of recognition."
The commander was silent for a moment. "If I promote her, she will be almost on par with you,
Fuyutsuki." He smiled a half smile.
Kouzou accepted the commander's comment as reason not to raise the woman's rank, but he
knew it was an excuse. Gendo liked to keep his woman humble and submissive. He liked to
keep them underneath him, so to say. It was his way to feel powerful, always necessary. 'Ikari
just doesn't know how to treat a lady.' As the sub commander contemplated Ritsuko's situation,
his thoughts drifted back to another woman that had loved Gendo. A woman that Kouzou had
also loved. 'Ikari Yui.' He dreamed blissfully a day when he would see her again; however, at
the moment there were other things on the sub commander's mind. "At the very least, she
deserves a nice night out."
Gendo stared at his close associate. "You're very talkative today."
As always Fuyutsuki took the hint and fell silent. After all, he was supposed to be the Ikari's
underling as well.
Commander Ikari sipped his coffee.
***************************************************************************
Dr. Akagi watched the brunette run tests on the Magi supercomputers. She was never so happy
as when she was working with Maya. Well, happy wasn't a word that could really be used to
describe Ritsuko. She was never so satisfied or peaceful as when she worked with her assistant.
It felt good to be doing what she loved and excelled at with someone who admired and respected
her. Maya's fingers flew through the tests, usually finding the quickest way to carry out any
task. The doctor felt it was time to complement her friend. She deserved it.
Looking across the room, Ritsuko smiled even though Maya couldn't see her. "Your fast, Maya.
That's what makes you you!"
Without looking up or slowing down Maya responded, "Of course I am, you trained me." Her
exterior didn't change much but the brunette was delighted to receive a complement from
someone she held in such high esteem. Ritsuko knew this and was pleased.
The compliment must have thrown Maya off a bit, because she missed an easy shortcut through
the system.
"Wait a second, A-8 would be faster there. Let me do that!" Ritsuko took over quickly. She was
at least twice as fast as her student was. Part of her hated showing Maya up, and part of her
relished in her display of talent. However, both parts were irrelevant. The important thing was
getting the Magi back online before that afternoon's tests.
As the doctor worked diligently she heard the brunette say something about Ritsuko being the
teacher. 'That's right, Maya,' she thought, 'I'm supposed to be better, but then, I'm supposed to
be a lot of things.' The thought was dismissed quickly as she concentrated on getting the Magi
up and running quickly.
A faint buzzing sounded in Dr. Akagi's ears. The lift was being operated and someone was
entering the room. She continued working, waiting for the person to identify herself.
"Hey." It was Misato's voice. "How's it going? Are you finished giving the Magi their check-
up?"
Without much thought the blonde woman replied, "Almost done. As promised, it'll be finished
before today's experiment begins." She continued writing, her main objective still in focus. 'I
have to get the Magi online.'
"You're something else, Ritsuko," Misato said, reaching for a cup of coffee. The doctor knew
that the coffee was cold. That was why she had stopped drinking it fifteen minutes ago, but she
decided to teach her friend a lesson in taking other people's things.
Misato continued, "You've got three nearly impossible tasks to handle and you still manage to
beat the schedule." The blonde didn't acknowledge the complement, because it wasn't much of
one to begin with. It was simply a statement of fact. Ritsuko always did what was expected and
then some. It was the only way she knew how to live. Sometimes she wondered why she was so
driven to excel, but this was not one of those times.
Misato lifted the cup and took a drink. When it was just a bit too late Ritsuko warned her that
the coffee was cold. The dark haired woman was annoyed but more than that wondered how her
friend could see her without turning her head. The doctor on the other hand was thoroughly
enjoying the moment, though she didn't let it show in the least.
Misato cooled down very shortly. That was one of the things Ritsuko liked about her, her ability
to be good-natured about most things. It was an ability the doctor found lacking in herself.
Eventually the last computer checked out and the team was able to return the system to its
normal functioning mode. Ritsuko congratulated the team and allowed them a break before the
tests began. As far as Dr. Akagi was concerned the Technology Development Department was
the most important in the organization. If the Magi ever broke down there would be chaos. The
computers ran the city, making the decisions based on the absolute good of all the citizens. It
was a very logical, sterile way to run a city. Often, Ritsuko wished life ran a little more like
Tokyo Three. Always smooth, always for the greater good, always logical.
She found herself in the bathroom, washing her face. It had been rough meeting that schedule,
and she, too, deserved a little break.
"Everything checked out," she said to herself. "As usual, mother's in good shape, but . . . Is it
just me getting older." Something was wrong with the computers. The tests had taken longer
than usual; there was a bit more resistance. Still, she was getting older, perhaps she was not
functioning as well as ten years ago. She quickly labeled the idea as nonsense. The day Dr.
Akagi wasn't perfect was the day she would no longer be needed. It was the day she feared more
than anything.
****************************************************************************
A short while later the Ritsuko stood on the bridge with Misato coaxing the children into an
ultra-clean chamber. Asuka complained about stripping down. The doctor knew she had to
complain. It was part of her image, the way she stayed in control. She also knew that the red
head would relent and enter the chamber, buck naked, per request. Asuka much like the doctor
had to excel at any cost. The blonde woman pitied her a bit. 'That's nonsense,' Ritsuko told
herself, 'the world belongs to those who dare to be great.' By now she knew she was deceiving
herself, but it had become habit with her.
"Why do I have to go through all this for a simple auto pilot test?" the girl wined.
Ritsuko didn't have to think, "With the advance of time Eva technology needs to advance as
well." It had been her creed for so long. 'Make it bigger, better, faster.' She wondered who she
hoped to please with all her effort, herself, the others . . . him?
She continued, "to do so we need a constant flux of data."
That brought a high pitched whine from both the second and third children. Ritsuko smiled to
herself. These kids faced hell daily, and yet a little discomfort was deemed a major crisis.
'Children . . . I doubt I'll ever have any.' Her amusement faded to a simple compliance with her
way of life. It was a feeling she had grown up with, not hatred or a joy, just a . . . being.
She verbally walked the children through the sterilized hallway and to their entry plugs. Of
course she had to issue an order for Asuka to comply, but she had counted on doing as much.
Once the children were finally into their plug suits, she initiated the test. Soon everything was
under the Magi's control.
"Wow that was really fast. The Magi are magnificent!" Misato cooed.
Ritsuko liked the complement to her mother's machine. It really was a work of art. 'No it's
better than that, it's a work of science. But then, whose to say that art and science aren't the
same, or at least similar.' The doctor made herself stop postulating and reply to her friend. "It's
hard to believe that the first experiment took a whole week."
Then she began collecting data. "How do you feel?"
"It feels odd," 'Rei, compliant yet brief and purposefully distant.'
"Yeah, it's different from the other times." 'Shinji, quick to do what he is told.'
"Something's wrong with my senses. My right arm's the only thing I can feel clearly, everything
else is fuzzy." 'Asuka, observant and fussy, going beyond the replies of the other children.'
On the pad of paper she took notes on the children's responses, but in her head she made mental
notes about the character of those replies. It was her way of dealing with people, breaking them
down into almost scientific descriptions. It was her way of dealing with everything.
She went on with the tests starting with Rei. She always started with the first child. The staff
assumed it was for the simple reason that Rei had been chosen first, but in reality it was because
Dr. Akagi didn't like putting off difficult tasks, and talking to the blue haired girl was always
very difficult for her. "Rei," she said in a professional tone, "imagine moving your right hand."
"Hai." It was always the same, a distant, cold 'hai.' 'Just once,' thought the blonde woman, 'I
would like to see her show some emotion. Hatred, pride, boredom, anything to prove that she
isn't an empty vessel.' Ritsuko chastised herself. Of course this Rei wasn't an empty vessel; she
knew that. She was supposed to know that.
"Everything seems good so far," the doctor replied to a voice behind her. "Return the Magi to
their normal state," she ordered.
There was a high pitched squeal. Misato jerked to look at the screen behind her, "A dilemma . .
."
Ritsuko was annoyed that her command had been questioned. "You can sure feel the creator's
personality, can't you?" she asked, hatred for her mother rising imperceptibly.
Misato was surprised, "What are you talking about? You're the one who created them, aren't
you?"
Once again, Ritsuko was taken aback by her friend's ignorance. "You don't know anything do
you."
"That's because you never talk about yourself like I do, Ritsuko!"
Ritsuko smiled inwardly. She prided herself on the fact that she was not a talker. The strong
silent type, an observer of the human condition; that was Akagi Ritsuko. However, sometimes
she wished she were a bit more open. Maybe it wouldn't be so lonely at the top if she could take
a friend along. "That's true," was all she could reply. "I created just the system uplinks. The
person who developed the basic theorems and mainframes was my mother." She almost choked
out the last word. She felt silly, 'a grown woman still hating her dead mother. It's pretty
ridiculous.'
*****************************************************************************
Fuyutsuki was all business. "Are you double checking this?"
"Yes, I am."
The sub commander leaned over Shigeru's shoulder, staring at his monitor.
"These are the parts that were brought in three days ago. These are the parts that are showing
signs of deterioration."
"The 87th protein wall." Fuyutsuki was alarmed, slightly.
"With the magnification, you can see some spots."
Fuyutsuki looked over at the screen. He saw it with his own eyes. Nerv HQ was deteriorating.
"It's got to be corrosion," reasoned Makoto.
The two engineers debated temperature and the construction schedule, while the sub commander
grew impatient. "This building was constructed after the angels appeared, remember."
"You can't really put the blame on anybody . . ." began Makoto
That was fine by Kouzou. He wanted to fix the problem and was much less concerned with
laying the blame. "Take care of it by tomorrow," he ordered. The team was the best, and he
knew that. He had confidence that they could repair the damage. But, incase they needed more
incentive . . . "otherwise Ikari will be jumping all over our asses for it." There, the sub
commander knew that the mention of the commander would inspire enough fear to ensure the
job be done right.
"Understood!"
Fuyutsuki smiled a very little.
*****************************************************************************
"Another water leak?" Ritsuko was growing concerned as she looked at the window in front of
the control room.
Maya checked. "No, it's some kind of corrosion in the protein wall above this floor."
"Wonderful." The doctor knew that she would be expected to deal with this new problem, and
do it well. First, though, there were more important things at hand. "Could it have any effect on
this test?"
"No, not at the moment."
'Okay,' thought Ritsuko. 'First I'll fulfil my promise to run this test. Then I'll fix the problem.'
"Then let's continue." Though she need not explain her actions she felt a duty to inform Maya
of her reasoning. Her protege was an astute woman and Dr. Akagi admired that. "We can't
abort complex experiments due to minor technological problems." She wondered if he brunette
had understood, just in case . . . "Otherwise Commander Ikari will be jumping all over our asses
for it."
"Understood!"
She smiled at how the mention of his name was enough to demand compliance.
The experiment seemed to go well, but as it went on, the corrosion got worse until it was enough
to cause a red alert.
"What's happening?" Now Ritsuko was getting worried.
"We've got a contamination report on the Sigma Unit on A Floor!"
"The 87th protein wall is corroding and releasing heat!"
"We've detected an abnormality in the sixth pipe as well!"
Maya looked down at her screen in disbelief. "Corrosion of the protein wall is increasing at an
incredible rate!"
"Abort the experiment!"
"Shut off the sixth pipe." Ritsuko ordered, thinking only of the Magi. If the computers failed,
the city was doomed. Her order was readily obeyed as always.
"Corrosion had occurred in six through forty-two!"
"No effect! Corrosion is spreading along the walls!"
"Prepare the polysomes." Ritsuko appeared completely calm. "Set laser power at maximum!
Shoot the invasive particles!"
Before the command could be completed Maya announced, "Corrosion has reached six through
fifty-eight! It's here!"
While the group on the bridge was watching the polysomes got to work a blood curtling scream
was heard throughout the room.
"Rei!" Ritsuko called, concerned for the life of the first child, through she would wonder why
later that night.
"Rei's simulation body is moving!" exclaimed Maya.
"Impossible!" Ritsuko caught herself saying that a lot these days. There were just so many
things connected to the Eva's that didn't fit into her completely scientific paradigms. This trend
worried her more than she let anyone, even herself, know.
"The corrosion is still spreading." Maya explained to her sempai who was now peering over her
shoulder. It's invading the simulation bodies' active water system!"
Rei's simulation body's arm reached up, as if to attack Misato. Dr. Akagi knew better. She
quickly pulled the emergency lever, severing the arm.
"How's Rei!" Misato only thought of the children.
"She's all right!" Maya said with imperceptible relief.
Ritsuko knew that there was no reason to endanger the pilots any further. They couldn't fight an
enemy that was seeping into their bodies. "Eject all plugs immediately! Hurry up with that
laser!" Though she was shouting at this point, her calm, commanding, demeanor remained.
As soon as the plugs jettisoned safely away the lasers began to attack the particles. However the
beams were blocked.
"An AT Field?!" Misato couldn't believe it. 'Is it an angel?'
"Impossible!" Though Ritsuko had said it, she was already reworking her mental framework
about the angels to include this new scenario. However, she had very little time for scientific
speculation. The particles were still spreading.
"Nani?" Misato was confused.
Ritsuko confirmed her suspicions in a steady, quiet tone. "The pattern analysis is blue. There's
no question, it's an Angel!"
With the doctor's confirmation the red alert switched to an emergency status. There was now a
known angel in Nerv HQ.
Fuyutsuki picked up a phone behind Makoto's desk. He was furious! "An Angel?! You let an
Angel get inside?" The sub commander could feel Ikari's gaze as he rose to his place on the
bridge.
"I'm sorry, sir." Ritsuko hated apologizing. However the fact that it was the Fuyutsuki on the
line and not Ikari made her feel better, safer.
"This isn't the time for excuses!" Kouzou felt bad for the woman, yet he also admired her. She
had so much on her shoulders and any number of staff could have prevented this incident, still
she readily accepted the blame. He couldn't worry about that now. "I want a physical shut down
of Central Dogma! Isolate it from Sigma Unit!"
The command was readily carried out. Afterwards Misato called for an evacuation of the control
room. Staff, who had been poised, waiting for the order, ran frantically towards the door.
However Ritsuko stayed, watching the monster she had helped create.
"What the hell are you doing?" Misato grabbed her friend. "Hurry!" The two ran from the room
as water flooded into it.
Commander Ikari, safe in his booth ordered a shut down of the alert. "This is a malfunction of
the Alert system. Report that to both the Japanese government and the committee."
The particles were still spreading. They passed Sigma Unit. "That's a critical area." Fuyutsuki
reminded the commander.
"Yes, it's too close to Adam." Gendo began spouting orders. "Stop the corrosion within Sigma
Unit! If necessary, sacrifice the Geo Front. What's the Evas' status?"
"Ready in the seventh cage," replied Makoto. "We can launch them as soon as the pilots are
recovered."
Much to the surprise of the crew Gendo ordered the launch of the Eva without the pilots inside.
However, his command was quickly carried out.
It wasn't long before central dogma was completely sealed off.
Fuyutsuki looked at the commander. "Well now," he said, more curious than concerned, "how
will we mount an offensive against an Angel without an Eva?" He knew that Ikari didn't always
think through his decisions, but he didn't believe the commander would foolishly endanger
everyone's lives, at least not until his goal had been reached. Kouzou wondered what Gendo had
up his sleeve.
******************************************************************************
Ritsuko looked at the screen showing the invading particles. "Look, this is the border between
the normal and heavy water."
"There's a higher level of oxygen here," Maya pointed out.
Shigeru was typing, "Their preference is pretty obvious. The place where ozone is vented in to
maintain aseptic conditions isn't contaminated."
Misato was excited, "So, does that mean ozone is its weakness?"
"It would seem so." Ritsuko hoped this worked, but she had a feeling it would be all that easy.
"Injecting ozone," Makoto informed. "Ozone concentration is increasing."
"It's working all right." Shigeru was relieved.
Fuyutsuki watched from beside Gendo in the booth. The particles appeared to be retreating.
However, he knew that if it was an angel, defeating it would not be this simple. "Will this
work?" he thought out loud.
"The area around the pipes is getting back to normal."
"The center portion is proving a little more difficult."
"All right, inject more ozone."
Ritsuko watched carefully. Something was wrong. The intruder had stopped retreating. It was
as if the particles were regrouping and adjusting their strategy. "This isn't right."
Shigeru stared at the screen in disbelief. "What? It's increasing? The contaminated area is
spreading again!"
"The ozone is no longer having any effect," Maya announced.
"Now it's absorbing the ozone!" Makoto exclaimed.
Ritsuko had to admire a life form that could adapt so readily to its environment. 'If only humans
were this versatile.' "Stop the ozone injection!" She stared at the screen. "Amazing," she
whispered. "It's evolving." At that moment the doctor would have given almost anything to get
a sample of the particles for study. It was part of her nature, she had to take everything apart and
find out how it worked, and these particles fascinated her to no end.
Her wishful thinking was brought to an abrupt end by an alarm.
"What's happening?" yelled Misato.
"Something's hacking into the sub-computer. The intruder hasn't been identified."
Maya, Makoto, and Shigeru went into action launching decoys and freezing entries. The intruder
managed to avoid all their traps and blocks. They became much more frantic.
Gendo watched them. "No human being could do this." Fuyutsuki looked over at the
commander. It was rare to see him show concern, thought this wasn't quite concern, more like
wonder. Kouzou looked down at Dr. Akagi. She was expected to deal with this. He silently
wished her luck, 'otherwise, we'll all be doomed.'
"The hacker is inside this facility!" Shigeru shouted.
"Optical pattern is changing," Maya alerted the group.
Shigeru watched the particles go from red dots to yellow connecting pathways. Something in his
brain clicked. "These glowing lines look like electronic circuits! This is just like a computer."
Another decoy entry was released. It failed. Lasers were fired. An A.T. field blocked them.
"It's accessing the main security bank!" Shigeru announced. "It's cracking the pass code."
Makoto shouted, "It's broken into the main banks!"
Fuyutsuki's jaw dropped in fear. It was a rare show of emotion and he immediately regretted it.
However, if the hacker got a hold of secret information, well he didn't want to think about it . . ."
"It's reading the main bank! We can't stop it!"
"What does it want?" Fuyutsuki wondered.
"My god!" Shigeru answered the sub commander's question. "It's going after the Magi!"
Ritsuko was terrified, though to everyone else she seemed in control. 'Mother, hold out. For
once in your life don't give in!'
Commander Ikari ordered a system shutdown.
"We can't shut it down!"
"The angel is intruding further into the computers," Maya was tracking it progress. It's made
contact with Melchior."
Ritsuko watched over the woman's shoulder. 'Please mother!'
"It's no good! The angel is taking over Melchior! Melchior is being reprogrammed by the
Angel!"
'Reprogrammed?' thought the doctor. 'What does it want from you?' Quickly she realized she
couldn't depend on her mother. It came as little surprise. Ritsuko began thinking of ways to
protect the Magi.
"Melchior's self-destruct has been initiated."
'So that's its game,' Ritsuko marveled at the ingenuity of the Angel.
"Overruled. Overruled. Overruled. Overruled."
"Melchior is hacking into Balthasar!"
"Damn, it's too fast!"
Finally, Ritsuko hit upon a way to help the Magi. "Change the login mode! Change
synchronization code to every fifteen seconds!"
Fuyutsuki sighed in relief as the hacking slowed to a crawl. 'Dr. Akagi really is something.' He
made himself remember to do something special for her when this was over, in exchange for her
saving their lives. Now though, it was time for business. "How much time did we buy?"
Shigeru checked his data. "At least two hours, I think."
The sub commander looked at the blonde woman. "The Magi have become our enemy."
'Enemy,' Ritsuko thought. She had never considered her mother a close friend, or a good
person, but an enemy? 'This is going to be very difficult.'
***********************************************************************
An emergency meeting was held within a few minutes of Melchior's take over, giving Ritsuko
just enough time to go over her notes and come up with a plan. "This angel must be composed
of a group of micro-machines, each the size of a virus. These machines group together to form
colonies. In a very short period of time, they have exponentially evolved to form a sophisticated
intelligence circuit."
"Evolved . . ." Fuyutsuki wondered.
"Hai," Ritsuko confirmed. "They are continuously changing to the best system to cope with any
environment."
The sub commander was thoughtful. "That's their survival mechanism as a life form." It was
one shared by many organisms, the only true way to survive.
"Against an enemy that constantly evolves to overcome its weaknesses," began Misato, "the only
effective counter measure is to eliminate the host and let the parasite die with it."
'Is she talking about the Magi?' wondered Ritsuko. 'She's got to be kidding!'
The major continued. "The only option is to order the Magi to commit suicide."
This was unacceptable to the doctor for many reasons. The computers ran Tokyo Three.
Without them there would be chaos. It was impossible to recreate them; the original personality
could not be retransplanted into new computers. 'We would loose mother.' Though Ritsuko
greatly disliked the woman, the thought of loosing the scientist who had created the computer
system was preposterous.
Misato was resolute. "I propose the physical elimination of the Magi."
"That's impossible." Ritsuko glared at her friend. "Destroying the Magi means destroying
headquarters itself."
"Then, I'm officially requesting it on behalf of the Operations Division."
"I reject it." Ritsuko didn't know if she had that power, but she knew she could count of the
commander's support. He would not let the Magi be destroyed if he could help it. "This is a
matter for the Technology Department."
"Why are you being so mule-headed?!"
Ritsuko thought for a moment. 'Why do I care? Why don't I just let them destroy the computer,
and her along with it?' As she could not reconcile this within herself she ignored it and focused
on another reason for her to take control. "This situation is a result of my carelessness."
Fuyutsuki watched the doctor intently. '. . .such a noble grasp of responsibility. It must be very
painful for her.'
Misato looked at her friend. "Why do you always have to be like this? You're always taking all
the responsibility on your own shoulders and avoiding depending on anyone."
The sub commander watched the scientist. She didn't allow herself to depend on anyone, it was
true. 'Is she afraid of being hurt, being let down?' He began to see a bit of himself in the young
blonde woman.
Ritsuko just looked down. 'Why can't I let them help? I am the only one who can do it right.
Is that really the reason?' Whatever the reason, she had to defeat this angel by herself. "As long
as this angel keeps evolving we have a chance."
Gendo caught on. "Expedite its evolution?"
"Hai."
"The end of evolution is self-destruction . . . death itself," reasoned the commander.
"Thus," said Fuyutsuki, "we just need to accelerate its evolution."
"If the angel considers it the only practical means of survival," explained Ritsuko, "it may
choose to co-exist with the Magi system."
"But how?" asked Makoto.
Ritsuko responded, "If the angel is a computer itself we can reverse hack by connecting Casper
to the angel and up-loading a self-destruct program, but . . ."
"At the same time," continued Maya, "we'll be turning off the barrier to the angel."
"So," Gendo said, "either Casper of the angel, whichever is faster, will win."
"Hai," admitted Ritsuko under her lover's cynical stare.
Misato was very skeptical, "Will the program be ready in time? If Casper is taken over first, it'll
all be over."
Ritsuko stared strait ahead. This was going to be nearly impossible. She wasn't one hundred
percent positive she could do it. However she thought she could, and that was enough for the
time being. "I keep my promises."
*************************************************************************
As Dr. Akagi lifted Caspar's frame, to expose it's interior workings, the order was given for all
D-class personal to evacuate.
Maya stared at the interior. Little pieces of paper littered the floor and walls. "What are those?"
Ritsuko crawled in among the circuitry. "These are notes by the developer."
Maya was chattering excitedly about the wondrous codes laid out before them, but Ritsuko was
entirely unaware. She was meditating on the brilliant woman who had written those codes. One
set of notes caught the scientist's eye. Across several notes was scribbled in black the words,
'Ikari, you idiot!' Ritsuko gave an empathetic grin. 'I know how you feel, mother. I know
exactly how you feel.'
Finally Maya's words broke through the doctor's wall of memories. "With these we can
program much faster than we thought!"
The woman nodded, her smile spreading, "Thank you, Mom. We can make it."
Within a few moments Maya and Ritsuko were hooked up to reprogram Caspar. Misato hunched
inside, handing her blonde friend the tools she required, like a nurse responding to a doctor's
orders.
"Doesn't this remind you of our college days," the dark haired woman reminisced.
Ritsuko ignored her comments as she continued working.
Misato was not disheartened. "Hey, why don't you tell me something about the Magi? Just a
little?"
The doctor rarely felt like talking about herself, and this was no exception. "It's a long story."
However she relented almost as soon as the words were spoken. She wanted to tell someone,
and it would take her mind off more depressing matters. "A long, boring story. Do you know
about the personality transplant OS?"
Misato responded, "It's for implanting an individual's personality into a seventh generation
computer so it can think for itself. The same technology is used for operating the Evas."
Ritsuko almost wished she hadn't said anything, but there was no stopping now. "My mother
developed the technology."
The major started with the realization, "So, it was her personality that was transplanted?"
The blonde woman was pleased at her friend's response. She liked watching others discover a
startling fact. It was the scientist in her wanting to live vicariously. "Right," was all she replied.
After a moment of silence she continued with a thought she had not spoken to anyone in a very
long time. "In a very real sense, these brains are my mother."
"Is that why you wanted to protect the Magi?"
Ritsuko was a bit hurt by her friend's question. She liked to think of herself as a logical animal,
one above endangering others because foolish emotion. "I don't think so." Though Ritsuko
couldn't deny the hint of truth in Misato's question, she tried to rationalize her desires. "I didn't
really like my mom. This was a decision as a scientist," she told herself more than Misato. Still,
the thought of life without her mother to guide the project caused Ritsuko to shutter.
The doctor did not have long to brood on the dim possibility as a red alert sounded throughout
headquarters. "The self-destruct sequence has been initiated by the computer. Self-destruct will
be triggered after all three AI consent."
Ritsuko typed faster than she ever had before. This was a promise she could not afford to break.
"T-minus 20 to self-destruct."
*****************************************************************************
"My God!" From the control room, Fuyutsuki looked over Shingeru's shoulder. At that moment
more than ever before, he placed all his desire for survival on Dr. Akagi's capable shoulders.
Kouzou only hoped the doctor could withstand the pressure, yet somehow he was sure she could.
Ritsuko was an incredible woman.
******************************************************************************
"Ritsuko, hurry!" Misato yelled to her friend.
'What does she think I'm doing?' the woman wondered. "No problem. I've got almost one
whole second to spare."
"Only one?" Asked the major as the countdown from ten seconds began.
"At least it's not a zero or a minus," Ritsuko replied happily. "Maya," she called to her student.
"We can do it!" replied the girl.
"Hit it!" On the doctor's command she and Maya hit the enter key to upload the program into
Caspar. As the countdown reached zero every soul in headquarters held its breath. All counted
on the capability of one able woman.
******************************************************************************
"Self-destruct has been canceled by the computer."
Fuyutsuki sighed and bowed his head. 'She actually did it! Gendo be damned; that woman
deserves something special. We all owe her our lives." He resolved to say something of that
nature to Ikari as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
******************************************************************************
Upon hearing the termination of the self-destruct command, Ritsuko leaned back and sighed in
intense relief. She had managed to keep yet another impossible promise. 'Thank you, mother,'
she thought, 'What would I do without you?' A slight chill went through the blonde woman.
*************************************************************************
Fuyutsuki looked down at Gendo who was sitting in his usual chair. They were relatively alone
in the booth. It seemed a fine time to discuss a certain doctor. "She did it, Gendo."
The commander was silent.
"You must do something to show that she is appreciated. Without her, we would all be lost."
Often Kouzou got sick of telling Ikari what he should or shouldn't do. However, at times it
seemed Gendo possessed no moral judgment. At times it seemed Fuyutsuki only existed to
function as the man's conscience. He continued trying to persuade the unresponsive
commander. "She deserves a promotion." He paused, looking for a change in his boss, then
sighed, "Well, that's not going to happen. Still, You have to congratulate her. A woman cannot
spend her life working for someone and never be told that she is needed. She needs to feel
necessary and, God forbid, even loved. Merely a nice evening out to a fancy restaurant would do
the trick."
At that Gendo stood. Kouzou feared he had said too much, but the commander reached into his
pocket and pulled out a credit card that he flung to the sub commander. "Make it so," he said
leaving the room.
Kouzou stared down at the small piece of plastic in his hands.
******************************************************************************
Ritsuko was sitting on a chair, looking up at her friend who had brought her coffee. Being in an
exceptional mood, the blonde decided to humor the comment Misato had made earlier about
college. "I'm getting old. Staying up for these all-nighters is rough."
"You kept your promise again." Misato smiled in admiration. "Good job." She handed the cup
to Ritsuko.
"Arigato." The woman took a long gulp. She enjoyed the sensation of the warm liquid sliding
down her throat. "This is the first time I've ever really appreciated your coffee," she said, glad
to be alive. Ritsuko felt like talking. Part of her was glad she could, part of her was sad that she
hadn't before. There was still the nagging part that told her not to reveal much about herself, the
part that sounded suspiciously like Ikari Gendo. For once, she chose to ignore that last part.
"The night before she died, my mother told me that the Magi are three aspects of herself," the
doctor confided. "Herself as a scientist, herself as a mother, herself as a woman. Those three
aspects of her are struggling for dominance inside the Magi. She intentionally implanted the
dilemmas of the human experience into them. Actually, each of the three programs are slightly
different as well."
A small voice inside Ritsuko screamed, 'You're revealing too much! Stop it!' Why was she so
afraid of letting others know her. Was it a fear that if they knew the real her, they wouldn't like
her any more? That couldn't be it; hardly anyone liked her as it was. Was it a desire to keep
herself mysterious? That didn't seem right, though she did enjoy keeping people guessing.
Possibly there was a fear that if she were deeply known, she could be deeply hurt. The doctor
willed herself to keep talking. 'Misato has waited long enough.'
"I don't think I'll ever be a mother, and I don't really understand her as a mother."
That was a fact. Ritsuko never understood her mother's desire to have a daughter. The only
thing that seemed to drive her mother was success. That made sense; it was what drove Ritsuko.
However, to bring a child into the world, only to ignore it in a grab for greater things, well, it
seemed wrong, almost irresponsible.
"I respected her as a scientist."
She was brilliant. It was easy to respect one so gifted. That did not mean it was any easier to
love her.
"However, as a woman, I hated her."
It was the woman in her mother that would do anything to succeed, that would do anything for
him. It was the woman who followed the man without compensation or even understanding. It
was the woman that believed she could do no better than a cold, unloving, shell of a man. It was
the woman whom Ritsuko hated, and it was the woman whom she saw so much of in herself.
She paused to sip her coffee.
Misato commented, "You're rather talkative today."
"Only sometimes," replied the doctor, glad she had finally confided in someone. She watched
Caspar be lowered back into its protective layer. "Casper contains the program of her as a
woman. She stayed a woman to the last. How totally like my mother."
Ritsuko got up and walked away from her friend and out of the building. Her shift had ended
long ago. She wasn't sure if Ikari would keep his date for their day off, since they had both been
up the whole night, but she would not be the one to break it.
******************************************************************************
Fuyutsuki got up to leave. He placed the credit card Gendo had given him in his breast pocket
and left the building. His train was crowded with early morning traffic. As he rode home, his
thoughts drifted to the woman who had saved his life. Ritsuko, she was a mysterious woman,
lovely, yet sad. She seemed very lonely most of the time, as if she would like to reveal herself,
but couldn't. She was nothing like Gendo's first love, Yui. 'No, they do share one trait. They
are both brilliant.' He smirked. 'Nothing but the best for Ikari Gendo.' The smirk turned to a
smile. 'I'm supposed to be Gendo's closest confidante. I should probably stop falling for his
women.' Immediately the sub commander chastised himself. He was not falling for Ritsuko.
For Christ's sake, he had to be old enough to be her father. The doctor was simply occupying his
thoughts because she had saved them that day, and that was all. 'Forgive me, Yui,' he said,
almost aloud. 'I'm growing senile in my old age.'
The credit card was sticking into his chest. He pulled it out. 'Now what am I supposed to do
about this?' He thought about calling her. What would he say? 'Hello, Dr. Akagi. Commander
Ikari ordered me to take you out.' It seemed ridiculous. 'Maybe this sort of thing is best left to
someone like Kaji. He certainly knows more about making women feel special.'
As Fuyutsuki exited the train and walked the two blocks to his apartment, he tried to recall the
last time he had been on a date. By the time he reached his door, he realized that the mental
exercise was futile. 'Good Lord, but it's been forever!' Calling Kaji was beginning to sound
like a good idea. 'However,' he thought as he unwrapped a container of instant ramen, 'I would
like to get to know her.' He placed the container in the microwave and turned it on. Watching it
spin he added, 'and it has been a long time sense I've had an evening out myself.' While he
moved towards the phone, he still wasn't sure which number he would dial. When he picked it
up and dialed, he was a bit shocked.
He got an answering machine. "Hello, you've reached Dr. Akagi. Please leave a message."
He paused. For a moment he thought about backing down and hanging up, but then forced
himself to speak. "Hello, Dr. Akagi. Commander Ikari ordered me to take you out." He started
to put down the phone, but suddenly remembered. "Oh, by the way, this is Sub commander
Fuyutsuki."
As he replaced the phone and considered what a complete baka he was, the microwave dinged,
indicating that his ramen was ready.
******************************************************************************
Ritsuko had been in her room changing when the phone rang. They never dressed up for these
rendezvous, the clothes would just end up on the floor anyway. Still something more revealing
then her lab coat was called for. She pulled on a tight yellow spaghetti strap shirt and some high
cut jean shorts. As she was running behind, she decided to let the answering machine get the
phone. Her voice came over the machine as she put on small gold hoop earrings. It was
followed by the voice of the sub commander. He was inviting her to dinner. Ritsuko stopped
and listened. She categorized his request as she had with the children earlier that day.
'Fuyutsuki: nervous and good-natured.' She smiled, 'I wonder how much of this 'order' was
really Gendo's idea.' It had been a while since she'd had a nice evening out. Gendo didn't take
her on dates. He was afraid of being seen. This, like so many aspects of her life, was something
she to which she had grown accustomed and accepted with reserved complacency. Ritsuko was
a bit surprised at the excitement growing in her at the thought of a fancy date. She looked in her
closet to find a suitable dress before rushing out the door, hoping she wasn't very late in meeting
Ikari.
**************************************************************************
Author's Note: Well, here you have it, my attempt at a Ritsuko/Fuyutsuki WAFF. I am taking
them through the series, emphasizing parts where they seem to click, adding my own things. I
promise, no more chapters like this where it's mainly stuff from the series. The end of this story
will be dramatically different from the end of the movie. I am not sure when this story will
diverge completely from the original story line, but it will be a happy ending for the two.
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated and possibly acted upon. I don't have an outline for
this story so I am much freer than I was with my last story. Questions are also nice as well as
criticism and complements. Thanks for reading!
PS. I'm going to put the Author's Note at the end since I like to respond to everyone and it gets
a bit lengthy. From now on the disclaimer will be at the end as well.
*****************************************************************************
If I Speak With the Tongues of Angels
By Veronica Cereta
Chapter One
Supposed to Be
******************************************************************************
Fuyutsuki looked across at Gendo. The two were having coffee in the Nerv cafeteria. "You
know," began the gray haired man, "Dr. Akagi has been working very hard these days, with little
compensation. She disserves a promotion, or at the very least some sort of recognition."
The commander was silent for a moment. "If I promote her, she will be almost on par with you,
Fuyutsuki." He smiled a half smile.
Kouzou accepted the commander's comment as reason not to raise the woman's rank, but he
knew it was an excuse. Gendo liked to keep his woman humble and submissive. He liked to
keep them underneath him, so to say. It was his way to feel powerful, always necessary. 'Ikari
just doesn't know how to treat a lady.' As the sub commander contemplated Ritsuko's situation,
his thoughts drifted back to another woman that had loved Gendo. A woman that Kouzou had
also loved. 'Ikari Yui.' He dreamed blissfully a day when he would see her again; however, at
the moment there were other things on the sub commander's mind. "At the very least, she
deserves a nice night out."
Gendo stared at his close associate. "You're very talkative today."
As always Fuyutsuki took the hint and fell silent. After all, he was supposed to be the Ikari's
underling as well.
Commander Ikari sipped his coffee.
***************************************************************************
Dr. Akagi watched the brunette run tests on the Magi supercomputers. She was never so happy
as when she was working with Maya. Well, happy wasn't a word that could really be used to
describe Ritsuko. She was never so satisfied or peaceful as when she worked with her assistant.
It felt good to be doing what she loved and excelled at with someone who admired and respected
her. Maya's fingers flew through the tests, usually finding the quickest way to carry out any
task. The doctor felt it was time to complement her friend. She deserved it.
Looking across the room, Ritsuko smiled even though Maya couldn't see her. "Your fast, Maya.
That's what makes you you!"
Without looking up or slowing down Maya responded, "Of course I am, you trained me." Her
exterior didn't change much but the brunette was delighted to receive a complement from
someone she held in such high esteem. Ritsuko knew this and was pleased.
The compliment must have thrown Maya off a bit, because she missed an easy shortcut through
the system.
"Wait a second, A-8 would be faster there. Let me do that!" Ritsuko took over quickly. She was
at least twice as fast as her student was. Part of her hated showing Maya up, and part of her
relished in her display of talent. However, both parts were irrelevant. The important thing was
getting the Magi back online before that afternoon's tests.
As the doctor worked diligently she heard the brunette say something about Ritsuko being the
teacher. 'That's right, Maya,' she thought, 'I'm supposed to be better, but then, I'm supposed to
be a lot of things.' The thought was dismissed quickly as she concentrated on getting the Magi
up and running quickly.
A faint buzzing sounded in Dr. Akagi's ears. The lift was being operated and someone was
entering the room. She continued working, waiting for the person to identify herself.
"Hey." It was Misato's voice. "How's it going? Are you finished giving the Magi their check-
up?"
Without much thought the blonde woman replied, "Almost done. As promised, it'll be finished
before today's experiment begins." She continued writing, her main objective still in focus. 'I
have to get the Magi online.'
"You're something else, Ritsuko," Misato said, reaching for a cup of coffee. The doctor knew
that the coffee was cold. That was why she had stopped drinking it fifteen minutes ago, but she
decided to teach her friend a lesson in taking other people's things.
Misato continued, "You've got three nearly impossible tasks to handle and you still manage to
beat the schedule." The blonde didn't acknowledge the complement, because it wasn't much of
one to begin with. It was simply a statement of fact. Ritsuko always did what was expected and
then some. It was the only way she knew how to live. Sometimes she wondered why she was so
driven to excel, but this was not one of those times.
Misato lifted the cup and took a drink. When it was just a bit too late Ritsuko warned her that
the coffee was cold. The dark haired woman was annoyed but more than that wondered how her
friend could see her without turning her head. The doctor on the other hand was thoroughly
enjoying the moment, though she didn't let it show in the least.
Misato cooled down very shortly. That was one of the things Ritsuko liked about her, her ability
to be good-natured about most things. It was an ability the doctor found lacking in herself.
Eventually the last computer checked out and the team was able to return the system to its
normal functioning mode. Ritsuko congratulated the team and allowed them a break before the
tests began. As far as Dr. Akagi was concerned the Technology Development Department was
the most important in the organization. If the Magi ever broke down there would be chaos. The
computers ran the city, making the decisions based on the absolute good of all the citizens. It
was a very logical, sterile way to run a city. Often, Ritsuko wished life ran a little more like
Tokyo Three. Always smooth, always for the greater good, always logical.
She found herself in the bathroom, washing her face. It had been rough meeting that schedule,
and she, too, deserved a little break.
"Everything checked out," she said to herself. "As usual, mother's in good shape, but . . . Is it
just me getting older." Something was wrong with the computers. The tests had taken longer
than usual; there was a bit more resistance. Still, she was getting older, perhaps she was not
functioning as well as ten years ago. She quickly labeled the idea as nonsense. The day Dr.
Akagi wasn't perfect was the day she would no longer be needed. It was the day she feared more
than anything.
****************************************************************************
A short while later the Ritsuko stood on the bridge with Misato coaxing the children into an
ultra-clean chamber. Asuka complained about stripping down. The doctor knew she had to
complain. It was part of her image, the way she stayed in control. She also knew that the red
head would relent and enter the chamber, buck naked, per request. Asuka much like the doctor
had to excel at any cost. The blonde woman pitied her a bit. 'That's nonsense,' Ritsuko told
herself, 'the world belongs to those who dare to be great.' By now she knew she was deceiving
herself, but it had become habit with her.
"Why do I have to go through all this for a simple auto pilot test?" the girl wined.
Ritsuko didn't have to think, "With the advance of time Eva technology needs to advance as
well." It had been her creed for so long. 'Make it bigger, better, faster.' She wondered who she
hoped to please with all her effort, herself, the others . . . him?
She continued, "to do so we need a constant flux of data."
That brought a high pitched whine from both the second and third children. Ritsuko smiled to
herself. These kids faced hell daily, and yet a little discomfort was deemed a major crisis.
'Children . . . I doubt I'll ever have any.' Her amusement faded to a simple compliance with her
way of life. It was a feeling she had grown up with, not hatred or a joy, just a . . . being.
She verbally walked the children through the sterilized hallway and to their entry plugs. Of
course she had to issue an order for Asuka to comply, but she had counted on doing as much.
Once the children were finally into their plug suits, she initiated the test. Soon everything was
under the Magi's control.
"Wow that was really fast. The Magi are magnificent!" Misato cooed.
Ritsuko liked the complement to her mother's machine. It really was a work of art. 'No it's
better than that, it's a work of science. But then, whose to say that art and science aren't the
same, or at least similar.' The doctor made herself stop postulating and reply to her friend. "It's
hard to believe that the first experiment took a whole week."
Then she began collecting data. "How do you feel?"
"It feels odd," 'Rei, compliant yet brief and purposefully distant.'
"Yeah, it's different from the other times." 'Shinji, quick to do what he is told.'
"Something's wrong with my senses. My right arm's the only thing I can feel clearly, everything
else is fuzzy." 'Asuka, observant and fussy, going beyond the replies of the other children.'
On the pad of paper she took notes on the children's responses, but in her head she made mental
notes about the character of those replies. It was her way of dealing with people, breaking them
down into almost scientific descriptions. It was her way of dealing with everything.
She went on with the tests starting with Rei. She always started with the first child. The staff
assumed it was for the simple reason that Rei had been chosen first, but in reality it was because
Dr. Akagi didn't like putting off difficult tasks, and talking to the blue haired girl was always
very difficult for her. "Rei," she said in a professional tone, "imagine moving your right hand."
"Hai." It was always the same, a distant, cold 'hai.' 'Just once,' thought the blonde woman, 'I
would like to see her show some emotion. Hatred, pride, boredom, anything to prove that she
isn't an empty vessel.' Ritsuko chastised herself. Of course this Rei wasn't an empty vessel; she
knew that. She was supposed to know that.
"Everything seems good so far," the doctor replied to a voice behind her. "Return the Magi to
their normal state," she ordered.
There was a high pitched squeal. Misato jerked to look at the screen behind her, "A dilemma . .
."
Ritsuko was annoyed that her command had been questioned. "You can sure feel the creator's
personality, can't you?" she asked, hatred for her mother rising imperceptibly.
Misato was surprised, "What are you talking about? You're the one who created them, aren't
you?"
Once again, Ritsuko was taken aback by her friend's ignorance. "You don't know anything do
you."
"That's because you never talk about yourself like I do, Ritsuko!"
Ritsuko smiled inwardly. She prided herself on the fact that she was not a talker. The strong
silent type, an observer of the human condition; that was Akagi Ritsuko. However, sometimes
she wished she were a bit more open. Maybe it wouldn't be so lonely at the top if she could take
a friend along. "That's true," was all she could reply. "I created just the system uplinks. The
person who developed the basic theorems and mainframes was my mother." She almost choked
out the last word. She felt silly, 'a grown woman still hating her dead mother. It's pretty
ridiculous.'
*****************************************************************************
Fuyutsuki was all business. "Are you double checking this?"
"Yes, I am."
The sub commander leaned over Shigeru's shoulder, staring at his monitor.
"These are the parts that were brought in three days ago. These are the parts that are showing
signs of deterioration."
"The 87th protein wall." Fuyutsuki was alarmed, slightly.
"With the magnification, you can see some spots."
Fuyutsuki looked over at the screen. He saw it with his own eyes. Nerv HQ was deteriorating.
"It's got to be corrosion," reasoned Makoto.
The two engineers debated temperature and the construction schedule, while the sub commander
grew impatient. "This building was constructed after the angels appeared, remember."
"You can't really put the blame on anybody . . ." began Makoto
That was fine by Kouzou. He wanted to fix the problem and was much less concerned with
laying the blame. "Take care of it by tomorrow," he ordered. The team was the best, and he
knew that. He had confidence that they could repair the damage. But, incase they needed more
incentive . . . "otherwise Ikari will be jumping all over our asses for it." There, the sub
commander knew that the mention of the commander would inspire enough fear to ensure the
job be done right.
"Understood!"
Fuyutsuki smiled a very little.
*****************************************************************************
"Another water leak?" Ritsuko was growing concerned as she looked at the window in front of
the control room.
Maya checked. "No, it's some kind of corrosion in the protein wall above this floor."
"Wonderful." The doctor knew that she would be expected to deal with this new problem, and
do it well. First, though, there were more important things at hand. "Could it have any effect on
this test?"
"No, not at the moment."
'Okay,' thought Ritsuko. 'First I'll fulfil my promise to run this test. Then I'll fix the problem.'
"Then let's continue." Though she need not explain her actions she felt a duty to inform Maya
of her reasoning. Her protege was an astute woman and Dr. Akagi admired that. "We can't
abort complex experiments due to minor technological problems." She wondered if he brunette
had understood, just in case . . . "Otherwise Commander Ikari will be jumping all over our asses
for it."
"Understood!"
She smiled at how the mention of his name was enough to demand compliance.
The experiment seemed to go well, but as it went on, the corrosion got worse until it was enough
to cause a red alert.
"What's happening?" Now Ritsuko was getting worried.
"We've got a contamination report on the Sigma Unit on A Floor!"
"The 87th protein wall is corroding and releasing heat!"
"We've detected an abnormality in the sixth pipe as well!"
Maya looked down at her screen in disbelief. "Corrosion of the protein wall is increasing at an
incredible rate!"
"Abort the experiment!"
"Shut off the sixth pipe." Ritsuko ordered, thinking only of the Magi. If the computers failed,
the city was doomed. Her order was readily obeyed as always.
"Corrosion had occurred in six through forty-two!"
"No effect! Corrosion is spreading along the walls!"
"Prepare the polysomes." Ritsuko appeared completely calm. "Set laser power at maximum!
Shoot the invasive particles!"
Before the command could be completed Maya announced, "Corrosion has reached six through
fifty-eight! It's here!"
While the group on the bridge was watching the polysomes got to work a blood curtling scream
was heard throughout the room.
"Rei!" Ritsuko called, concerned for the life of the first child, through she would wonder why
later that night.
"Rei's simulation body is moving!" exclaimed Maya.
"Impossible!" Ritsuko caught herself saying that a lot these days. There were just so many
things connected to the Eva's that didn't fit into her completely scientific paradigms. This trend
worried her more than she let anyone, even herself, know.
"The corrosion is still spreading." Maya explained to her sempai who was now peering over her
shoulder. It's invading the simulation bodies' active water system!"
Rei's simulation body's arm reached up, as if to attack Misato. Dr. Akagi knew better. She
quickly pulled the emergency lever, severing the arm.
"How's Rei!" Misato only thought of the children.
"She's all right!" Maya said with imperceptible relief.
Ritsuko knew that there was no reason to endanger the pilots any further. They couldn't fight an
enemy that was seeping into their bodies. "Eject all plugs immediately! Hurry up with that
laser!" Though she was shouting at this point, her calm, commanding, demeanor remained.
As soon as the plugs jettisoned safely away the lasers began to attack the particles. However the
beams were blocked.
"An AT Field?!" Misato couldn't believe it. 'Is it an angel?'
"Impossible!" Though Ritsuko had said it, she was already reworking her mental framework
about the angels to include this new scenario. However, she had very little time for scientific
speculation. The particles were still spreading.
"Nani?" Misato was confused.
Ritsuko confirmed her suspicions in a steady, quiet tone. "The pattern analysis is blue. There's
no question, it's an Angel!"
With the doctor's confirmation the red alert switched to an emergency status. There was now a
known angel in Nerv HQ.
Fuyutsuki picked up a phone behind Makoto's desk. He was furious! "An Angel?! You let an
Angel get inside?" The sub commander could feel Ikari's gaze as he rose to his place on the
bridge.
"I'm sorry, sir." Ritsuko hated apologizing. However the fact that it was the Fuyutsuki on the
line and not Ikari made her feel better, safer.
"This isn't the time for excuses!" Kouzou felt bad for the woman, yet he also admired her. She
had so much on her shoulders and any number of staff could have prevented this incident, still
she readily accepted the blame. He couldn't worry about that now. "I want a physical shut down
of Central Dogma! Isolate it from Sigma Unit!"
The command was readily carried out. Afterwards Misato called for an evacuation of the control
room. Staff, who had been poised, waiting for the order, ran frantically towards the door.
However Ritsuko stayed, watching the monster she had helped create.
"What the hell are you doing?" Misato grabbed her friend. "Hurry!" The two ran from the room
as water flooded into it.
Commander Ikari, safe in his booth ordered a shut down of the alert. "This is a malfunction of
the Alert system. Report that to both the Japanese government and the committee."
The particles were still spreading. They passed Sigma Unit. "That's a critical area." Fuyutsuki
reminded the commander.
"Yes, it's too close to Adam." Gendo began spouting orders. "Stop the corrosion within Sigma
Unit! If necessary, sacrifice the Geo Front. What's the Evas' status?"
"Ready in the seventh cage," replied Makoto. "We can launch them as soon as the pilots are
recovered."
Much to the surprise of the crew Gendo ordered the launch of the Eva without the pilots inside.
However, his command was quickly carried out.
It wasn't long before central dogma was completely sealed off.
Fuyutsuki looked at the commander. "Well now," he said, more curious than concerned, "how
will we mount an offensive against an Angel without an Eva?" He knew that Ikari didn't always
think through his decisions, but he didn't believe the commander would foolishly endanger
everyone's lives, at least not until his goal had been reached. Kouzou wondered what Gendo had
up his sleeve.
******************************************************************************
Ritsuko looked at the screen showing the invading particles. "Look, this is the border between
the normal and heavy water."
"There's a higher level of oxygen here," Maya pointed out.
Shigeru was typing, "Their preference is pretty obvious. The place where ozone is vented in to
maintain aseptic conditions isn't contaminated."
Misato was excited, "So, does that mean ozone is its weakness?"
"It would seem so." Ritsuko hoped this worked, but she had a feeling it would be all that easy.
"Injecting ozone," Makoto informed. "Ozone concentration is increasing."
"It's working all right." Shigeru was relieved.
Fuyutsuki watched from beside Gendo in the booth. The particles appeared to be retreating.
However, he knew that if it was an angel, defeating it would not be this simple. "Will this
work?" he thought out loud.
"The area around the pipes is getting back to normal."
"The center portion is proving a little more difficult."
"All right, inject more ozone."
Ritsuko watched carefully. Something was wrong. The intruder had stopped retreating. It was
as if the particles were regrouping and adjusting their strategy. "This isn't right."
Shigeru stared at the screen in disbelief. "What? It's increasing? The contaminated area is
spreading again!"
"The ozone is no longer having any effect," Maya announced.
"Now it's absorbing the ozone!" Makoto exclaimed.
Ritsuko had to admire a life form that could adapt so readily to its environment. 'If only humans
were this versatile.' "Stop the ozone injection!" She stared at the screen. "Amazing," she
whispered. "It's evolving." At that moment the doctor would have given almost anything to get
a sample of the particles for study. It was part of her nature, she had to take everything apart and
find out how it worked, and these particles fascinated her to no end.
Her wishful thinking was brought to an abrupt end by an alarm.
"What's happening?" yelled Misato.
"Something's hacking into the sub-computer. The intruder hasn't been identified."
Maya, Makoto, and Shigeru went into action launching decoys and freezing entries. The intruder
managed to avoid all their traps and blocks. They became much more frantic.
Gendo watched them. "No human being could do this." Fuyutsuki looked over at the
commander. It was rare to see him show concern, thought this wasn't quite concern, more like
wonder. Kouzou looked down at Dr. Akagi. She was expected to deal with this. He silently
wished her luck, 'otherwise, we'll all be doomed.'
"The hacker is inside this facility!" Shigeru shouted.
"Optical pattern is changing," Maya alerted the group.
Shigeru watched the particles go from red dots to yellow connecting pathways. Something in his
brain clicked. "These glowing lines look like electronic circuits! This is just like a computer."
Another decoy entry was released. It failed. Lasers were fired. An A.T. field blocked them.
"It's accessing the main security bank!" Shigeru announced. "It's cracking the pass code."
Makoto shouted, "It's broken into the main banks!"
Fuyutsuki's jaw dropped in fear. It was a rare show of emotion and he immediately regretted it.
However, if the hacker got a hold of secret information, well he didn't want to think about it . . ."
"It's reading the main bank! We can't stop it!"
"What does it want?" Fuyutsuki wondered.
"My god!" Shigeru answered the sub commander's question. "It's going after the Magi!"
Ritsuko was terrified, though to everyone else she seemed in control. 'Mother, hold out. For
once in your life don't give in!'
Commander Ikari ordered a system shutdown.
"We can't shut it down!"
"The angel is intruding further into the computers," Maya was tracking it progress. It's made
contact with Melchior."
Ritsuko watched over the woman's shoulder. 'Please mother!'
"It's no good! The angel is taking over Melchior! Melchior is being reprogrammed by the
Angel!"
'Reprogrammed?' thought the doctor. 'What does it want from you?' Quickly she realized she
couldn't depend on her mother. It came as little surprise. Ritsuko began thinking of ways to
protect the Magi.
"Melchior's self-destruct has been initiated."
'So that's its game,' Ritsuko marveled at the ingenuity of the Angel.
"Overruled. Overruled. Overruled. Overruled."
"Melchior is hacking into Balthasar!"
"Damn, it's too fast!"
Finally, Ritsuko hit upon a way to help the Magi. "Change the login mode! Change
synchronization code to every fifteen seconds!"
Fuyutsuki sighed in relief as the hacking slowed to a crawl. 'Dr. Akagi really is something.' He
made himself remember to do something special for her when this was over, in exchange for her
saving their lives. Now though, it was time for business. "How much time did we buy?"
Shigeru checked his data. "At least two hours, I think."
The sub commander looked at the blonde woman. "The Magi have become our enemy."
'Enemy,' Ritsuko thought. She had never considered her mother a close friend, or a good
person, but an enemy? 'This is going to be very difficult.'
***********************************************************************
An emergency meeting was held within a few minutes of Melchior's take over, giving Ritsuko
just enough time to go over her notes and come up with a plan. "This angel must be composed
of a group of micro-machines, each the size of a virus. These machines group together to form
colonies. In a very short period of time, they have exponentially evolved to form a sophisticated
intelligence circuit."
"Evolved . . ." Fuyutsuki wondered.
"Hai," Ritsuko confirmed. "They are continuously changing to the best system to cope with any
environment."
The sub commander was thoughtful. "That's their survival mechanism as a life form." It was
one shared by many organisms, the only true way to survive.
"Against an enemy that constantly evolves to overcome its weaknesses," began Misato, "the only
effective counter measure is to eliminate the host and let the parasite die with it."
'Is she talking about the Magi?' wondered Ritsuko. 'She's got to be kidding!'
The major continued. "The only option is to order the Magi to commit suicide."
This was unacceptable to the doctor for many reasons. The computers ran Tokyo Three.
Without them there would be chaos. It was impossible to recreate them; the original personality
could not be retransplanted into new computers. 'We would loose mother.' Though Ritsuko
greatly disliked the woman, the thought of loosing the scientist who had created the computer
system was preposterous.
Misato was resolute. "I propose the physical elimination of the Magi."
"That's impossible." Ritsuko glared at her friend. "Destroying the Magi means destroying
headquarters itself."
"Then, I'm officially requesting it on behalf of the Operations Division."
"I reject it." Ritsuko didn't know if she had that power, but she knew she could count of the
commander's support. He would not let the Magi be destroyed if he could help it. "This is a
matter for the Technology Department."
"Why are you being so mule-headed?!"
Ritsuko thought for a moment. 'Why do I care? Why don't I just let them destroy the computer,
and her along with it?' As she could not reconcile this within herself she ignored it and focused
on another reason for her to take control. "This situation is a result of my carelessness."
Fuyutsuki watched the doctor intently. '. . .such a noble grasp of responsibility. It must be very
painful for her.'
Misato looked at her friend. "Why do you always have to be like this? You're always taking all
the responsibility on your own shoulders and avoiding depending on anyone."
The sub commander watched the scientist. She didn't allow herself to depend on anyone, it was
true. 'Is she afraid of being hurt, being let down?' He began to see a bit of himself in the young
blonde woman.
Ritsuko just looked down. 'Why can't I let them help? I am the only one who can do it right.
Is that really the reason?' Whatever the reason, she had to defeat this angel by herself. "As long
as this angel keeps evolving we have a chance."
Gendo caught on. "Expedite its evolution?"
"Hai."
"The end of evolution is self-destruction . . . death itself," reasoned the commander.
"Thus," said Fuyutsuki, "we just need to accelerate its evolution."
"If the angel considers it the only practical means of survival," explained Ritsuko, "it may
choose to co-exist with the Magi system."
"But how?" asked Makoto.
Ritsuko responded, "If the angel is a computer itself we can reverse hack by connecting Casper
to the angel and up-loading a self-destruct program, but . . ."
"At the same time," continued Maya, "we'll be turning off the barrier to the angel."
"So," Gendo said, "either Casper of the angel, whichever is faster, will win."
"Hai," admitted Ritsuko under her lover's cynical stare.
Misato was very skeptical, "Will the program be ready in time? If Casper is taken over first, it'll
all be over."
Ritsuko stared strait ahead. This was going to be nearly impossible. She wasn't one hundred
percent positive she could do it. However she thought she could, and that was enough for the
time being. "I keep my promises."
*************************************************************************
As Dr. Akagi lifted Caspar's frame, to expose it's interior workings, the order was given for all
D-class personal to evacuate.
Maya stared at the interior. Little pieces of paper littered the floor and walls. "What are those?"
Ritsuko crawled in among the circuitry. "These are notes by the developer."
Maya was chattering excitedly about the wondrous codes laid out before them, but Ritsuko was
entirely unaware. She was meditating on the brilliant woman who had written those codes. One
set of notes caught the scientist's eye. Across several notes was scribbled in black the words,
'Ikari, you idiot!' Ritsuko gave an empathetic grin. 'I know how you feel, mother. I know
exactly how you feel.'
Finally Maya's words broke through the doctor's wall of memories. "With these we can
program much faster than we thought!"
The woman nodded, her smile spreading, "Thank you, Mom. We can make it."
Within a few moments Maya and Ritsuko were hooked up to reprogram Caspar. Misato hunched
inside, handing her blonde friend the tools she required, like a nurse responding to a doctor's
orders.
"Doesn't this remind you of our college days," the dark haired woman reminisced.
Ritsuko ignored her comments as she continued working.
Misato was not disheartened. "Hey, why don't you tell me something about the Magi? Just a
little?"
The doctor rarely felt like talking about herself, and this was no exception. "It's a long story."
However she relented almost as soon as the words were spoken. She wanted to tell someone,
and it would take her mind off more depressing matters. "A long, boring story. Do you know
about the personality transplant OS?"
Misato responded, "It's for implanting an individual's personality into a seventh generation
computer so it can think for itself. The same technology is used for operating the Evas."
Ritsuko almost wished she hadn't said anything, but there was no stopping now. "My mother
developed the technology."
The major started with the realization, "So, it was her personality that was transplanted?"
The blonde woman was pleased at her friend's response. She liked watching others discover a
startling fact. It was the scientist in her wanting to live vicariously. "Right," was all she replied.
After a moment of silence she continued with a thought she had not spoken to anyone in a very
long time. "In a very real sense, these brains are my mother."
"Is that why you wanted to protect the Magi?"
Ritsuko was a bit hurt by her friend's question. She liked to think of herself as a logical animal,
one above endangering others because foolish emotion. "I don't think so." Though Ritsuko
couldn't deny the hint of truth in Misato's question, she tried to rationalize her desires. "I didn't
really like my mom. This was a decision as a scientist," she told herself more than Misato. Still,
the thought of life without her mother to guide the project caused Ritsuko to shutter.
The doctor did not have long to brood on the dim possibility as a red alert sounded throughout
headquarters. "The self-destruct sequence has been initiated by the computer. Self-destruct will
be triggered after all three AI consent."
Ritsuko typed faster than she ever had before. This was a promise she could not afford to break.
"T-minus 20 to self-destruct."
*****************************************************************************
"My God!" From the control room, Fuyutsuki looked over Shingeru's shoulder. At that moment
more than ever before, he placed all his desire for survival on Dr. Akagi's capable shoulders.
Kouzou only hoped the doctor could withstand the pressure, yet somehow he was sure she could.
Ritsuko was an incredible woman.
******************************************************************************
"Ritsuko, hurry!" Misato yelled to her friend.
'What does she think I'm doing?' the woman wondered. "No problem. I've got almost one
whole second to spare."
"Only one?" Asked the major as the countdown from ten seconds began.
"At least it's not a zero or a minus," Ritsuko replied happily. "Maya," she called to her student.
"We can do it!" replied the girl.
"Hit it!" On the doctor's command she and Maya hit the enter key to upload the program into
Caspar. As the countdown reached zero every soul in headquarters held its breath. All counted
on the capability of one able woman.
******************************************************************************
"Self-destruct has been canceled by the computer."
Fuyutsuki sighed and bowed his head. 'She actually did it! Gendo be damned; that woman
deserves something special. We all owe her our lives." He resolved to say something of that
nature to Ikari as soon as the opportunity presented itself.
******************************************************************************
Upon hearing the termination of the self-destruct command, Ritsuko leaned back and sighed in
intense relief. She had managed to keep yet another impossible promise. 'Thank you, mother,'
she thought, 'What would I do without you?' A slight chill went through the blonde woman.
*************************************************************************
Fuyutsuki looked down at Gendo who was sitting in his usual chair. They were relatively alone
in the booth. It seemed a fine time to discuss a certain doctor. "She did it, Gendo."
The commander was silent.
"You must do something to show that she is appreciated. Without her, we would all be lost."
Often Kouzou got sick of telling Ikari what he should or shouldn't do. However, at times it
seemed Gendo possessed no moral judgment. At times it seemed Fuyutsuki only existed to
function as the man's conscience. He continued trying to persuade the unresponsive
commander. "She deserves a promotion." He paused, looking for a change in his boss, then
sighed, "Well, that's not going to happen. Still, You have to congratulate her. A woman cannot
spend her life working for someone and never be told that she is needed. She needs to feel
necessary and, God forbid, even loved. Merely a nice evening out to a fancy restaurant would do
the trick."
At that Gendo stood. Kouzou feared he had said too much, but the commander reached into his
pocket and pulled out a credit card that he flung to the sub commander. "Make it so," he said
leaving the room.
Kouzou stared down at the small piece of plastic in his hands.
******************************************************************************
Ritsuko was sitting on a chair, looking up at her friend who had brought her coffee. Being in an
exceptional mood, the blonde decided to humor the comment Misato had made earlier about
college. "I'm getting old. Staying up for these all-nighters is rough."
"You kept your promise again." Misato smiled in admiration. "Good job." She handed the cup
to Ritsuko.
"Arigato." The woman took a long gulp. She enjoyed the sensation of the warm liquid sliding
down her throat. "This is the first time I've ever really appreciated your coffee," she said, glad
to be alive. Ritsuko felt like talking. Part of her was glad she could, part of her was sad that she
hadn't before. There was still the nagging part that told her not to reveal much about herself, the
part that sounded suspiciously like Ikari Gendo. For once, she chose to ignore that last part.
"The night before she died, my mother told me that the Magi are three aspects of herself," the
doctor confided. "Herself as a scientist, herself as a mother, herself as a woman. Those three
aspects of her are struggling for dominance inside the Magi. She intentionally implanted the
dilemmas of the human experience into them. Actually, each of the three programs are slightly
different as well."
A small voice inside Ritsuko screamed, 'You're revealing too much! Stop it!' Why was she so
afraid of letting others know her. Was it a fear that if they knew the real her, they wouldn't like
her any more? That couldn't be it; hardly anyone liked her as it was. Was it a desire to keep
herself mysterious? That didn't seem right, though she did enjoy keeping people guessing.
Possibly there was a fear that if she were deeply known, she could be deeply hurt. The doctor
willed herself to keep talking. 'Misato has waited long enough.'
"I don't think I'll ever be a mother, and I don't really understand her as a mother."
That was a fact. Ritsuko never understood her mother's desire to have a daughter. The only
thing that seemed to drive her mother was success. That made sense; it was what drove Ritsuko.
However, to bring a child into the world, only to ignore it in a grab for greater things, well, it
seemed wrong, almost irresponsible.
"I respected her as a scientist."
She was brilliant. It was easy to respect one so gifted. That did not mean it was any easier to
love her.
"However, as a woman, I hated her."
It was the woman in her mother that would do anything to succeed, that would do anything for
him. It was the woman who followed the man without compensation or even understanding. It
was the woman that believed she could do no better than a cold, unloving, shell of a man. It was
the woman whom Ritsuko hated, and it was the woman whom she saw so much of in herself.
She paused to sip her coffee.
Misato commented, "You're rather talkative today."
"Only sometimes," replied the doctor, glad she had finally confided in someone. She watched
Caspar be lowered back into its protective layer. "Casper contains the program of her as a
woman. She stayed a woman to the last. How totally like my mother."
Ritsuko got up and walked away from her friend and out of the building. Her shift had ended
long ago. She wasn't sure if Ikari would keep his date for their day off, since they had both been
up the whole night, but she would not be the one to break it.
******************************************************************************
Fuyutsuki got up to leave. He placed the credit card Gendo had given him in his breast pocket
and left the building. His train was crowded with early morning traffic. As he rode home, his
thoughts drifted to the woman who had saved his life. Ritsuko, she was a mysterious woman,
lovely, yet sad. She seemed very lonely most of the time, as if she would like to reveal herself,
but couldn't. She was nothing like Gendo's first love, Yui. 'No, they do share one trait. They
are both brilliant.' He smirked. 'Nothing but the best for Ikari Gendo.' The smirk turned to a
smile. 'I'm supposed to be Gendo's closest confidante. I should probably stop falling for his
women.' Immediately the sub commander chastised himself. He was not falling for Ritsuko.
For Christ's sake, he had to be old enough to be her father. The doctor was simply occupying his
thoughts because she had saved them that day, and that was all. 'Forgive me, Yui,' he said,
almost aloud. 'I'm growing senile in my old age.'
The credit card was sticking into his chest. He pulled it out. 'Now what am I supposed to do
about this?' He thought about calling her. What would he say? 'Hello, Dr. Akagi. Commander
Ikari ordered me to take you out.' It seemed ridiculous. 'Maybe this sort of thing is best left to
someone like Kaji. He certainly knows more about making women feel special.'
As Fuyutsuki exited the train and walked the two blocks to his apartment, he tried to recall the
last time he had been on a date. By the time he reached his door, he realized that the mental
exercise was futile. 'Good Lord, but it's been forever!' Calling Kaji was beginning to sound
like a good idea. 'However,' he thought as he unwrapped a container of instant ramen, 'I would
like to get to know her.' He placed the container in the microwave and turned it on. Watching it
spin he added, 'and it has been a long time sense I've had an evening out myself.' While he
moved towards the phone, he still wasn't sure which number he would dial. When he picked it
up and dialed, he was a bit shocked.
He got an answering machine. "Hello, you've reached Dr. Akagi. Please leave a message."
He paused. For a moment he thought about backing down and hanging up, but then forced
himself to speak. "Hello, Dr. Akagi. Commander Ikari ordered me to take you out." He started
to put down the phone, but suddenly remembered. "Oh, by the way, this is Sub commander
Fuyutsuki."
As he replaced the phone and considered what a complete baka he was, the microwave dinged,
indicating that his ramen was ready.
******************************************************************************
Ritsuko had been in her room changing when the phone rang. They never dressed up for these
rendezvous, the clothes would just end up on the floor anyway. Still something more revealing
then her lab coat was called for. She pulled on a tight yellow spaghetti strap shirt and some high
cut jean shorts. As she was running behind, she decided to let the answering machine get the
phone. Her voice came over the machine as she put on small gold hoop earrings. It was
followed by the voice of the sub commander. He was inviting her to dinner. Ritsuko stopped
and listened. She categorized his request as she had with the children earlier that day.
'Fuyutsuki: nervous and good-natured.' She smiled, 'I wonder how much of this 'order' was
really Gendo's idea.' It had been a while since she'd had a nice evening out. Gendo didn't take
her on dates. He was afraid of being seen. This, like so many aspects of her life, was something
she to which she had grown accustomed and accepted with reserved complacency. Ritsuko was
a bit surprised at the excitement growing in her at the thought of a fancy date. She looked in her
closet to find a suitable dress before rushing out the door, hoping she wasn't very late in meeting
Ikari.
**************************************************************************
Author's Note: Well, here you have it, my attempt at a Ritsuko/Fuyutsuki WAFF. I am taking
them through the series, emphasizing parts where they seem to click, adding my own things. I
promise, no more chapters like this where it's mainly stuff from the series. The end of this story
will be dramatically different from the end of the movie. I am not sure when this story will
diverge completely from the original story line, but it will be a happy ending for the two.
Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated and possibly acted upon. I don't have an outline for
this story so I am much freer than I was with my last story. Questions are also nice as well as
criticism and complements. Thanks for reading!
PS. I'm going to put the Author's Note at the end since I like to respond to everyone and it gets
a bit lengthy. From now on the disclaimer will be at the end as well.