Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, as if that's a surprise, they're owned by Gainax. I'm not going to make a penny off of this, so please don't sue me.
***************
She was nervous.
No, nervous wasn't exactly the right word for how she felt, that word implied a fear of saying or doing the wrong thing, and she never worried about trivial crap like that, especially with the person sitting across the room. If she felt anything, it was uncomfortable. The hard cushions of the lonely chair weren't helping any either, but it's doubtful that even the softest and fluffiest of pillows could ease away the conflicting emotions racing through her mind. She sighed, "OK Wondergirl, where do I start?"
********************
* Choices *
* an NGE fanfic *
* by Mike Ewing *
********************
Chapter 2.
Confrontations with the Enemy and One's Self
If there was one nice thing about the rain, it was the fact that it quieted the otherwise constant drone of the cicadas. Then again, it's not like Asuka noticed either way, she had more important things on her mind. As it was, she couldn't even concentrate enough to pay attention to the Major barking out orders, or rather suggestions, as she liked to think of them more and more lately. Besides, she didn't need to worry about details, just as long as she was able to do her job and kill this angel.
Having a few moments to spare, Asuka studied the image on the view screen inside her Unit-02. This angel was strange, different. This one actually looked like an angel and not those freaks of nature she was used to dealing with. A beautiful, glowing, winged creature at the limits of NERV's scanners, this angel filled Asuka with a sense of dread. It seemed to be in no hurry and was quite content to spend all day floating around in orbit, taunting its hopeful slayers below.
With a rush of air and loud clank, a positron rifle emerged from the ground nearby, silencing the sound of an alarm. Asuka grimaced slightly when she noticed the extra effort it took to will her Eva to grasp the weapon and lift it from its brace. It used to be so easy, like moving her own arm, but the past few months, and the last few weeks especially, had taken their toll on her mind and spirit.
"If I fail this time, they won't let me pilot anymore. You can do it Asuka, you must."
As the behemoth lumbered to the staging area, Unit-02 removed the wing from it's right shoulder and tossed it carelessly to the ground, breaking something in it with an audible crack. She could worry about that piece later, and besides, _she_ didn't have to fix it. A stray thought entered Asuka's otherwise cluttered mind and she stopped her giant doll to take a look at the discarded piece. She suddenly felt an eerie connection to the now useless wing, 'How long until they toss me aside too.' Asuka closed her eyes tightly, and then continued on to the staging area.
Once she finished attaching the rifle to the shoulder harness, Asuka lowered the targeting display over her face and gritted her teeth. This was no time for mistakes. The targeting computer chirped endlessly as if it were trying to fill the void left by the now quiet cicadas.
"The target is still out of range," came Hyuga's voice over the comm system. 'Well, duh,' Asuka thought to herself.
Still the computer chirped as the reticules struggled to line up with the target in the center of the screen.
"Damn, why are you so slow? Come and fight angel!"
Suddenly, the glow of the target brightened noticeably causing Asuka to gasp and then screams of pain seemed to echo in the comm system. "Wondergirl?" she asked with surprise, 'I'd forgotten about her.' Light filled the sky, but fell most heavily on the street a few blocks away.
"Help... me," Rei gasped over the comm.
A split second before the shockwave hit her Eva, Asuka saw a bolt of light streak back up through the stream from the sky as if Rei were trying to free herself from this angelic attack. The fact that the heavenly light continued told Asuka that she had failed.
The comm system buzzed in Asuka's ear as command crew back at NERV yelled back and forth. Asuka just ignored the noise and thought, 'I can take care of this myself.' "Eat this, schweinhund!" Asuka cried through clenched teeth as she unleashed volley after volley of positron death at her distant foe. She only stopped once the rifle began to spit only clicks, rather than balls of explosive energy.
The heavenly light and screams continued unabated.
Asuka grabbed the targeting computer with both hands and pushed it out of the way with all her strength before taking the controls again. "Grrrrrr," was the only sound she made as Unit-02 ripped the rifle from its shoulder and hurled it desperately in the air as if trying to knock the angel out of the sky. The fact that the rifle went several blocks would've been impressive if her target wasn't in orbit. "Now what am I supposed to do, dance and sing?!"
"Send me out there!" cried out Shinji as his image popped up in Asuka's entry plug.
"NO WAY! This is my fight, Third Child, stay out of it!" Asuka growled.
"We can't risk Unit-01 coming into contact with an angel," joined in the Sub-commander's voice.
Asuka glared at Shinji's image as he replied, "But that won't happen as long as I'm not defeated. If we don't do something, Rei will die."
"That is correct, Pilot Sohryu, you will retrieve the Lance," ordered the Commander.
"What?"
"Lieutenant Ibuki will guide you."
The comm to the Commander cut off, leaving Asuka alone with the incoherent gasps from the First Child. She was tempted to close that channel, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long until the voice of Maya and the sounds of a background argument joined her.
"OK Asuka, disconnect your external power and proceed to retrieval pad C."
"Roger."
Following the Lieutenant's directions, Unit-02 attached itself to a harness and descended into the depths of Terminal Dogma. Being lowered by a hoist like this was nothing new to Asuka, she'd done it before, but this was different. Sure, this time she didn't have to wear that big dorky suit, and that was definitely a plus, but at least then people gave her a hint of what to expect. And she certainly wasn't expecting a vast chamber filled with towering stalagmites, each one larger than her own Eva.
"Mein Gott, what is this place?" Asuka asked in disbelief as she came to rest on the floor of the cavernous room.
"This is part of Terminal Dogma, the holding place of the Lance of Longinus, that is all you need to know, Pilot Sohryu. You are not to discuss anything you see, do you understand?" Commander Ikari said firmly into the comm.
"Uh..."
"That is a direct order _pilot_, do I make myself clear." In spite of the relative lack of anger, the Commander's words caused Asuka and Unit-02 to cringe slightly.
"Yes sir."
"Very well, now retrieve the Lance and return to the surface immediately."
"Roger," Asuka looked around as she removed the cable, "but where is it?"
Maya's voice came over the comm, "I'm opening the gate for you now."
A door at the far end of the chamber opened. From where she stood, Asuka couldn't see anything but another large room, so she walked apprehensively towards it. When she finally approached and looked through the gate, she stopped breathing.
"Asuka, is everything alright?" asked Maya.
A few seconds passed before Asuka knew the answer, "Uh, yeah. I guess that's the Lance."
"That is correct," said Commander Ikari simply. He didn't have to say anything else to let Asuka know he wanted her to stop wasting time.
Asuka stared at the Lance as she made her way to it. 'Concentrate Asuka, just get the Lance then get the hell out of here. Ignore the sea of LCL large enough to float a destroyer on. Ignore the enormous cross next to the destroyer. Most of all, ignore this huge, ugh, disgusting monster you're pulling it out of.'
The Lance of Longinus came out of the huge, white, crucified creature with a sickening sound. That was bad enough, but what was worse was what happened once the eldritch weapon was removed. The creature jerked violently and legs sprouted from its formerly legless body, but ceased moving again once it was done. Asuka turned and almost ran back to the lift and the waiting angel on the surface.
As she ascended to the battlefield, Asuka took a moment to look at the Lance. It was an enormous weapon, at least twice at tall as her doll, and it looked as deadly. She gripped the weapon tightly and turned her head up. Raindrops broke against the glass of her Eva's eyes, letting her know that the final door opened and she would soon be aboveground. 'You can do it, I know you can,' she thought, as if trying to convince herself of its truth.
Asuka didn't wait for the countdown and hurled the Lance with a strength born of all the frustration and grief in her short life. She watched as the Lance tore a gaping hole through the clouds on its way skyward. Amazingly, mere moments later the heavenly light winked out as the drizzle ceased.
"The target has been destroyed."
'Wow,' Asuka thought, 'I didn't even aim.'
The clouds were gone now, letting the welcome light of the sun take the place of the unearthly illumination. Standing still in the sudden daylight, Unit-02 stared intently at its hands, mimicking the actions of its unbelieving pilot. "I... did it."
"Asuka," Misato's voice grabbed Asuka's attention.
"Huh?"
"Go help the recovery teams. They're getting Rei out of the entry plug now, but they need some help getting Unit-00 back on the pad."
"Roger."
Asuka quickly motioned Unit-02 over to the site of the fallen Unit-00 and connected up her external power. By the time she finished with that task, the recovery team had Rei out of the entry plug and guided Asuka to where they needed the blue giant positioned. Alarms resumed as the recovery pad descended into the darkness below. Looking down, Asuka noticed the rather frail looking blue-haired youth huddled in an area next to the pad cordoned off with yellow tape. As she watched, the tiny figure of another pilot approached the tape and stopped. After a brief moment, the pilot hesitantly stepped over the barrier, approached the young girl, and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Humph, I bet he wouldn't do that for _me_."
Still the blue-haired girl didn't move.
***************
Rei didn't want to move, she didn't even want to close her eyes. Every time she did, the visions would come back. They had replayed in her mind over and over almost non-stop since the attack and closing her eyes only made them worse. Even a blink would yield an image of her commander watching uncaringly as she cried. Another blink and she could see a classroom full of gawking strangers. The worst part was not knowing why she even cared, she never did before, she had only asked Asuka to stay so she could help keep the visions at bay. For now, the only vision that filled her head was one of the foot of the bed.
"Hey Wondergirl, did you even listen to a word I said?" asked a voice from the edge of her sight.
She found herself unable to answer. Of course she had been listening, she had been hanging onto every word, every distraction from herself.
A rustle of noise greeted Rei and she could feel the bed tilt slightly as Asuka sat down on the edge. She wasn't sure, but Rei had the distinct impression that Asuka was staring at the foot of the bed as well.
Asuka sighed, "Surely my story wasn't that boring."
A question entered Rei's mind, a simple one, but one she needed an answer for.
"I wonder..."
Rei could see from the periphery of her vision that she had Asuka's attention.
"Did you only come here to gloat?"
There was a pause, which Rei wasn't expecting. Normally the room would be filled to overflowing with German curses by now. Instead, she only heard a tired voice reply.
"Yes. No. I'm not exactly sure why I'm here anymore. I thought I should be happy, proud now that I won one by myself, but I'm not." Asuka shrugged, "Whenever I think about it, I don't feel bad, but I don't feel..."
Rei turned and stared deep into blue eyes, "Anything."
Asuka backed away from her, obviously uncomfortable in the unblinking glare.
"Yeah, something like that." Asuka evidently found the lonely chair much more inviting and left the bed for its stiff embrace. Settling uneasily into the chair, Asuka gazed at the end table. "So let me ask you something..."
Rei continued to stare. Asuka glanced at Rei and looked back at the bedside table. "How do you deal with it, not feeling anything?"
"I... do not know." Elaboration wasn't something that came naturally to Rei, so the two sat in uneasy silence for a while.
Obviously not satisfied with that answer, Asuka continued, "What do you mean you don't know?"
Not sure herself, Rei felt it was her turn to avert her eyes. She did not answer.
Asuka shifted in her seat. "So, you're the Commander's pet, you must know this one. What was that _thing_ down there, an angel?"
Rei took a moment to compose her thoughts. "I... cannot say."
Asuka's eyebrows furrowed, "I don't believe that for a second, Wondergirl. Don't tell me you and the Commander play Mahjong all day when you're absent from class."
Rei cocked her head questioningly, "No, we do not, why would I tell you that?"
Asuka rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I'll bet you told that idiot Shinji what it was when _he_ came to visit."
Rei turned back to the foot of the bed, "No, we did not talk."
"Yeah, that's what Misato said. So what did the Invincible Shinji say to piss you off so much?"
"Nothing."
"Hmm? It must have been pretty awful."
"He said nothing." Thinking back, Rei remembered the uncomfortable silence that engulfed the room the few times Shinji had visited. Since Shinji seemed to make no move to start a conversation, Rei felt no reason to do the same, in spite of the welcome distraction it offered.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, he's pretty good at that, except when it's something stupid."
"I do not understand, why would he visit if he had nothing to say?"
"Maybe he just wanted to check up on you. Maybe he cares for some dumb reason."
Reason, sometimes the only thing Rei had to comfort her despite its coldness, began to tick in her head. A connection was made. Rei looked back at her companion and asked hopefully, "Is that why you came, Pilot Sohryu?"
Asuka looked shocked briefly before smiling. She stood, picked up her bag, and opened the door. "Sorry Wondergirl, don't get your hopes up." She turned the light off as she left.
Rei stretched out on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Reading people had always given her problems. They always seemed to react in strange, unpredictable ways to the most innocuous of things, especially Asuka. On top of that, they usually tried to hide their true intentions and feelings as if they were scared or embarrassed of them. Not comfortable with deception, Rei tended to say nothing instead of lying. Because of her lack of experience, it was usually difficult to separate truth from fabrication. She found it refreshing to be able to tell without a doubt when someone was lying, for a change.
Tentatively, Rei closed her eyes, but the images of the past did not come.
***************
The images on the video monitor winked out when the door closed. These cameras weren't designed to work in the dark, which was fine with the Sub-commander. He was uncomfortable enough with the idea of spying on the Children as it was and Ikari definitely didn't need to know what they did when the lights were out. He, at least, trusted them that much.
From his view behind the seated Commander's shoulder, Fuyutski couldn't see Ikari's face, but he could guess that he still had his attention focused on the now blank screen. "Tell me professor, do you think the Second Child was able to help?"
Fuyutski frowned, he hated when the Commander called him that. It was as if he were trying to remind the Sub-commander of his former position of influence over his former student and the fact that those positions were now reversed. "Well, she's speaking now, that's certainly an improvement."
"Yes, but is it enough? She needs to be able to pilot. The injury to Rei instead of the Second Child is cause enough for concern, we cannot afford any more departures from prophecy."
'Always worried about schedule more than people,' thought Fuyutski. "And if she can't?"
The Commander adjusted his glasses, "You know the answer to that, the only reason I'm giving her a chance now is because I don't want to waste the years of training we've invested in her. Her condition is of no concern as long as she can fulfill her next mission, this iteration was not scheduled to last beyond the 16th angel regardless."
"Hmmm, well what do you want to do about the Second? She did talk to Rei about what she saw."
"That is of no consequence, Rei knows more than she ever will. We do not want to tip our hand, they might become suspicious that we're watching them."
'You mean that _you're_ watching them.' Fuyutski sighed to himself, putting up with the Commander was hard enough as it was. They didn't pay him enough for this.
***************
The change jingled lightly as Asuka moved her finger back and forth through the small handful. Her face bathed in red fluorescent light contorted into a frown, "Scheist! All I want is one small Coke, is that so much to ask for?" She glared menacingly at the impudent gas station vending machine. Finding no soda forthcoming, she kicked it angrily and stomped off in the direction of her apartment.
The passing streetlights washed everything in yellow and their hum offered a familiar accompaniment to the click of her shoes. The way from the hospital to Misato's apartment building wasn't very far, but the walk did give Asuka a chance to think without the distractions of home. Well, she tried to think of it as home, it was the closest thing she had. Lately, however, she had distanced herself more and more from her roommates. Misato didn't help by staying at NERV for hours on end working on God knows what and Shinji just hid in his SDAT player.
Being dependent on other people didn't sit well with Asuka, they usually ended up hurting her, but the last angel attack scared her. It wasn't the horror of the battle, she'd been through that enough, it was the hollowness she felt after her victory that disturbed her. She didn't care about Wondergirl, why would it bother her that she was hurt in the attack? Slowly, the answer formed in Asuka's head, because it could have easily been her screams over the comm and herself stuck back at the hospital, again. That, coupled with hollowness she felt, made her feel a weird connection with, ugh, Wondergirl.
As she walked, she adjusted the bag on her shoulder, 'That was too close.' She went there to convince herself that she didn't care, instead she actually started to have a civil conversation. The scariest part, however, was when the First Child flashed those pleading eyes at her, whoa. She'd actually felt sorry for her, Wondergirl of all people. Fortunately, she managed to leave before things got any worse. The last thing she needed, Asuka decided, was another clingy friend. Or did she? A quick shake of the head drove those thoughts from her mind.
Another Coke machine stood in the lobby of Misato's apartment building and greeted Asuka as she entered and walked past. She peered at it for a moment, but she already knew she didn't have enough change for one of her few escapes. Drinking it made her remember life back in the States, when she didn't have to worry about angels, spineless wimps, and blue-haired dolls. The fact that Misato and Shinji didn't drink it also helped her get that distance she needed sometimes. It didn't matter that the Coke in Japan didn't taste quite the same and had almost indecipherable gibberish plastered all over it, she could still close her eyes and get away. But only if she had enough money, though. With a sigh, Asuka pushed the elevator button and took it up to the right floor.
Since no introductions were necessary, Asuka didn't bother with them as she entered the apartment, kicking off her shoes noisily was enough for her. She made her way to the kitchen and dropped her unused overnight bag by her door as she went past. The sound of the TV told Asuka that someone was still up, despite the fact that the clock showed that it was just past midnight. No doubt it was Shinji, Misato was still probably out and about, even though she would claim she was at work. Asuka suspected she was out fooling around with Kaji, in spite of her claims that he wouldn't call again. 'He's probably too busy being groped by Misato, that's why I can't reach him,' Asuka thought with a sly grin.
Making noise was something that came naturally to Asuka and not being one to fight nature, she made as much of a racket as she could when she opened the refrigerator to find something to drink. What she saw made her let out a short, but audible yelp, which brought the unwelcome, if somewhat worried, face of Shinji peeking in from the living room.
"Are you OK?"
A quick flick of the wrist and a few long gulps later, Asuka found herself miles away from her troubles, even if only for a few moments. She breathed deeply, and then opened her eyes and asked, "Did you go shopping? I thought it was Misato's turn."
Shinji smiled, "Yeah it is, but she went into work again so I picked up a few things. I thought you might need one of those," Shinji said and pointed to the red labeled can in her hand.
"Thanks Shinji, I think I love you," she said with a smirk and a little more than the Asuka-minimum-required amount of sarcasm. Those words drew a somewhat startled look from Shinji, followed by a hopeful raising of an eyebrow.
Asuka groaned, "Oh no, not you too."
"Huh?"
"Nevermind." Asuka turned and moved back toward the hallway.
"Uh, where were you, I thought you were going to Hikari's."
She stopped, but didn't turn around. "Well I didn't, isn't that obvious?"
"Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"I told you before, you idiot, no." A couple of gulps later, she started back off and stepped out of the kitchen into the darkened hallway.
"Hey Asuka." She stopped and turned to see him smiling weakly, "He does make me angry, but I don't hate him."
A look of confusion passed over Asuka's face only to be replaced by the hint of a smile. "Maybe tomorrow, I've got to get cleaned up and get some sleep, I'm exhausted." She turned and went to the bathroom to do just that.
***************
YAWN!!
Misato stretched her arms and opened and closed her hands. 'How do Ritsuko and Maya do this non-stop, day after day?' She rolled her head around in a circle in a vain attempt to get rid of her fatigue. Defeat finally sunk in and she looked back down at the computer screen, not only because that was what she was working on, but also because it was one of the few things visible in the dimly lit room at NERV HQ.
Screen after screen of text paged up the monitor as Misato searched through the system, for what, she wasn't entirely sure. One thing was certain, however, 'Come on, come on, there's got to be a reason for all this.' She knew a few of NERV's vast number of secrets, but only enough to make her realize she needed to know more.
Suddenly, a light came on and Misato instinctively reached into her jacket and looked over her shoulder.
"Late night?," asked Dr. Akagi standing in the doorway.
"Uh yeah, just finishing up some paperwork, you know how it is." Misato released the grip on her gun and put her hand back on the keyboard as naturally as she could manage.
"You know, I always find it helpful to have a little bit of light," Ritsuko said with a smirk.
"I was just getting ready to leave," said the Major as she turned off the computer.
"Uh-huh, well, you should probably get some rest, you've been working a lot of late hours lately."
Misato's eyes narrowed slightly, 'How would she know?' She stood and picked up the small stack of papers she had brought along just in case. "Yeah, goodnight, see you in the morning."
Misato started to walk past the doctor when she was interrupted, "You know, tomorrow's Sunday."
"Right, see you Monday."
The doctor smiled, "Goodnight."
Misato left without looking back.
End Chapter 2.
Schweinhund: Pigdog
Scheist: Shit
Mein Gott: My God
10-1-01
Two weeks for a chapter, that sounds about right. Don't count on it every chapter, I had a little of a head start this time.
I re-wrote a bit of Chapter 1, so go re-read it if you haven't yet. I hope all the characters aren't too OOC, I've struggled with it. Obviously they're going to be a little different since events haven't unfolded exactly the same as the series, but I wouldn't have bothered with writing it if they did. For all you Shinji fans out there (there's got to be a few), I haven't completely forgotten about him, I'll focus on him and some of the other characters a little later, rather than make this strictly an Asuka & Rei story (I didn't mean it _that_ way ^_^).
Thanks to those that reviewed my first chapter, I appreciate them all, good or bad, even if I don't reply personally.
***************
She was nervous.
No, nervous wasn't exactly the right word for how she felt, that word implied a fear of saying or doing the wrong thing, and she never worried about trivial crap like that, especially with the person sitting across the room. If she felt anything, it was uncomfortable. The hard cushions of the lonely chair weren't helping any either, but it's doubtful that even the softest and fluffiest of pillows could ease away the conflicting emotions racing through her mind. She sighed, "OK Wondergirl, where do I start?"
********************
* Choices *
* an NGE fanfic *
* by Mike Ewing *
********************
Chapter 2.
Confrontations with the Enemy and One's Self
If there was one nice thing about the rain, it was the fact that it quieted the otherwise constant drone of the cicadas. Then again, it's not like Asuka noticed either way, she had more important things on her mind. As it was, she couldn't even concentrate enough to pay attention to the Major barking out orders, or rather suggestions, as she liked to think of them more and more lately. Besides, she didn't need to worry about details, just as long as she was able to do her job and kill this angel.
Having a few moments to spare, Asuka studied the image on the view screen inside her Unit-02. This angel was strange, different. This one actually looked like an angel and not those freaks of nature she was used to dealing with. A beautiful, glowing, winged creature at the limits of NERV's scanners, this angel filled Asuka with a sense of dread. It seemed to be in no hurry and was quite content to spend all day floating around in orbit, taunting its hopeful slayers below.
With a rush of air and loud clank, a positron rifle emerged from the ground nearby, silencing the sound of an alarm. Asuka grimaced slightly when she noticed the extra effort it took to will her Eva to grasp the weapon and lift it from its brace. It used to be so easy, like moving her own arm, but the past few months, and the last few weeks especially, had taken their toll on her mind and spirit.
"If I fail this time, they won't let me pilot anymore. You can do it Asuka, you must."
As the behemoth lumbered to the staging area, Unit-02 removed the wing from it's right shoulder and tossed it carelessly to the ground, breaking something in it with an audible crack. She could worry about that piece later, and besides, _she_ didn't have to fix it. A stray thought entered Asuka's otherwise cluttered mind and she stopped her giant doll to take a look at the discarded piece. She suddenly felt an eerie connection to the now useless wing, 'How long until they toss me aside too.' Asuka closed her eyes tightly, and then continued on to the staging area.
Once she finished attaching the rifle to the shoulder harness, Asuka lowered the targeting display over her face and gritted her teeth. This was no time for mistakes. The targeting computer chirped endlessly as if it were trying to fill the void left by the now quiet cicadas.
"The target is still out of range," came Hyuga's voice over the comm system. 'Well, duh,' Asuka thought to herself.
Still the computer chirped as the reticules struggled to line up with the target in the center of the screen.
"Damn, why are you so slow? Come and fight angel!"
Suddenly, the glow of the target brightened noticeably causing Asuka to gasp and then screams of pain seemed to echo in the comm system. "Wondergirl?" she asked with surprise, 'I'd forgotten about her.' Light filled the sky, but fell most heavily on the street a few blocks away.
"Help... me," Rei gasped over the comm.
A split second before the shockwave hit her Eva, Asuka saw a bolt of light streak back up through the stream from the sky as if Rei were trying to free herself from this angelic attack. The fact that the heavenly light continued told Asuka that she had failed.
The comm system buzzed in Asuka's ear as command crew back at NERV yelled back and forth. Asuka just ignored the noise and thought, 'I can take care of this myself.' "Eat this, schweinhund!" Asuka cried through clenched teeth as she unleashed volley after volley of positron death at her distant foe. She only stopped once the rifle began to spit only clicks, rather than balls of explosive energy.
The heavenly light and screams continued unabated.
Asuka grabbed the targeting computer with both hands and pushed it out of the way with all her strength before taking the controls again. "Grrrrrr," was the only sound she made as Unit-02 ripped the rifle from its shoulder and hurled it desperately in the air as if trying to knock the angel out of the sky. The fact that the rifle went several blocks would've been impressive if her target wasn't in orbit. "Now what am I supposed to do, dance and sing?!"
"Send me out there!" cried out Shinji as his image popped up in Asuka's entry plug.
"NO WAY! This is my fight, Third Child, stay out of it!" Asuka growled.
"We can't risk Unit-01 coming into contact with an angel," joined in the Sub-commander's voice.
Asuka glared at Shinji's image as he replied, "But that won't happen as long as I'm not defeated. If we don't do something, Rei will die."
"That is correct, Pilot Sohryu, you will retrieve the Lance," ordered the Commander.
"What?"
"Lieutenant Ibuki will guide you."
The comm to the Commander cut off, leaving Asuka alone with the incoherent gasps from the First Child. She was tempted to close that channel, but couldn't bring herself to do it. Fortunately, she didn't have to wait long until the voice of Maya and the sounds of a background argument joined her.
"OK Asuka, disconnect your external power and proceed to retrieval pad C."
"Roger."
Following the Lieutenant's directions, Unit-02 attached itself to a harness and descended into the depths of Terminal Dogma. Being lowered by a hoist like this was nothing new to Asuka, she'd done it before, but this was different. Sure, this time she didn't have to wear that big dorky suit, and that was definitely a plus, but at least then people gave her a hint of what to expect. And she certainly wasn't expecting a vast chamber filled with towering stalagmites, each one larger than her own Eva.
"Mein Gott, what is this place?" Asuka asked in disbelief as she came to rest on the floor of the cavernous room.
"This is part of Terminal Dogma, the holding place of the Lance of Longinus, that is all you need to know, Pilot Sohryu. You are not to discuss anything you see, do you understand?" Commander Ikari said firmly into the comm.
"Uh..."
"That is a direct order _pilot_, do I make myself clear." In spite of the relative lack of anger, the Commander's words caused Asuka and Unit-02 to cringe slightly.
"Yes sir."
"Very well, now retrieve the Lance and return to the surface immediately."
"Roger," Asuka looked around as she removed the cable, "but where is it?"
Maya's voice came over the comm, "I'm opening the gate for you now."
A door at the far end of the chamber opened. From where she stood, Asuka couldn't see anything but another large room, so she walked apprehensively towards it. When she finally approached and looked through the gate, she stopped breathing.
"Asuka, is everything alright?" asked Maya.
A few seconds passed before Asuka knew the answer, "Uh, yeah. I guess that's the Lance."
"That is correct," said Commander Ikari simply. He didn't have to say anything else to let Asuka know he wanted her to stop wasting time.
Asuka stared at the Lance as she made her way to it. 'Concentrate Asuka, just get the Lance then get the hell out of here. Ignore the sea of LCL large enough to float a destroyer on. Ignore the enormous cross next to the destroyer. Most of all, ignore this huge, ugh, disgusting monster you're pulling it out of.'
The Lance of Longinus came out of the huge, white, crucified creature with a sickening sound. That was bad enough, but what was worse was what happened once the eldritch weapon was removed. The creature jerked violently and legs sprouted from its formerly legless body, but ceased moving again once it was done. Asuka turned and almost ran back to the lift and the waiting angel on the surface.
As she ascended to the battlefield, Asuka took a moment to look at the Lance. It was an enormous weapon, at least twice at tall as her doll, and it looked as deadly. She gripped the weapon tightly and turned her head up. Raindrops broke against the glass of her Eva's eyes, letting her know that the final door opened and she would soon be aboveground. 'You can do it, I know you can,' she thought, as if trying to convince herself of its truth.
Asuka didn't wait for the countdown and hurled the Lance with a strength born of all the frustration and grief in her short life. She watched as the Lance tore a gaping hole through the clouds on its way skyward. Amazingly, mere moments later the heavenly light winked out as the drizzle ceased.
"The target has been destroyed."
'Wow,' Asuka thought, 'I didn't even aim.'
The clouds were gone now, letting the welcome light of the sun take the place of the unearthly illumination. Standing still in the sudden daylight, Unit-02 stared intently at its hands, mimicking the actions of its unbelieving pilot. "I... did it."
"Asuka," Misato's voice grabbed Asuka's attention.
"Huh?"
"Go help the recovery teams. They're getting Rei out of the entry plug now, but they need some help getting Unit-00 back on the pad."
"Roger."
Asuka quickly motioned Unit-02 over to the site of the fallen Unit-00 and connected up her external power. By the time she finished with that task, the recovery team had Rei out of the entry plug and guided Asuka to where they needed the blue giant positioned. Alarms resumed as the recovery pad descended into the darkness below. Looking down, Asuka noticed the rather frail looking blue-haired youth huddled in an area next to the pad cordoned off with yellow tape. As she watched, the tiny figure of another pilot approached the tape and stopped. After a brief moment, the pilot hesitantly stepped over the barrier, approached the young girl, and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Humph, I bet he wouldn't do that for _me_."
Still the blue-haired girl didn't move.
***************
Rei didn't want to move, she didn't even want to close her eyes. Every time she did, the visions would come back. They had replayed in her mind over and over almost non-stop since the attack and closing her eyes only made them worse. Even a blink would yield an image of her commander watching uncaringly as she cried. Another blink and she could see a classroom full of gawking strangers. The worst part was not knowing why she even cared, she never did before, she had only asked Asuka to stay so she could help keep the visions at bay. For now, the only vision that filled her head was one of the foot of the bed.
"Hey Wondergirl, did you even listen to a word I said?" asked a voice from the edge of her sight.
She found herself unable to answer. Of course she had been listening, she had been hanging onto every word, every distraction from herself.
A rustle of noise greeted Rei and she could feel the bed tilt slightly as Asuka sat down on the edge. She wasn't sure, but Rei had the distinct impression that Asuka was staring at the foot of the bed as well.
Asuka sighed, "Surely my story wasn't that boring."
A question entered Rei's mind, a simple one, but one she needed an answer for.
"I wonder..."
Rei could see from the periphery of her vision that she had Asuka's attention.
"Did you only come here to gloat?"
There was a pause, which Rei wasn't expecting. Normally the room would be filled to overflowing with German curses by now. Instead, she only heard a tired voice reply.
"Yes. No. I'm not exactly sure why I'm here anymore. I thought I should be happy, proud now that I won one by myself, but I'm not." Asuka shrugged, "Whenever I think about it, I don't feel bad, but I don't feel..."
Rei turned and stared deep into blue eyes, "Anything."
Asuka backed away from her, obviously uncomfortable in the unblinking glare.
"Yeah, something like that." Asuka evidently found the lonely chair much more inviting and left the bed for its stiff embrace. Settling uneasily into the chair, Asuka gazed at the end table. "So let me ask you something..."
Rei continued to stare. Asuka glanced at Rei and looked back at the bedside table. "How do you deal with it, not feeling anything?"
"I... do not know." Elaboration wasn't something that came naturally to Rei, so the two sat in uneasy silence for a while.
Obviously not satisfied with that answer, Asuka continued, "What do you mean you don't know?"
Not sure herself, Rei felt it was her turn to avert her eyes. She did not answer.
Asuka shifted in her seat. "So, you're the Commander's pet, you must know this one. What was that _thing_ down there, an angel?"
Rei took a moment to compose her thoughts. "I... cannot say."
Asuka's eyebrows furrowed, "I don't believe that for a second, Wondergirl. Don't tell me you and the Commander play Mahjong all day when you're absent from class."
Rei cocked her head questioningly, "No, we do not, why would I tell you that?"
Asuka rolled her eyes, "Whatever, I'll bet you told that idiot Shinji what it was when _he_ came to visit."
Rei turned back to the foot of the bed, "No, we did not talk."
"Yeah, that's what Misato said. So what did the Invincible Shinji say to piss you off so much?"
"Nothing."
"Hmm? It must have been pretty awful."
"He said nothing." Thinking back, Rei remembered the uncomfortable silence that engulfed the room the few times Shinji had visited. Since Shinji seemed to make no move to start a conversation, Rei felt no reason to do the same, in spite of the welcome distraction it offered.
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, he's pretty good at that, except when it's something stupid."
"I do not understand, why would he visit if he had nothing to say?"
"Maybe he just wanted to check up on you. Maybe he cares for some dumb reason."
Reason, sometimes the only thing Rei had to comfort her despite its coldness, began to tick in her head. A connection was made. Rei looked back at her companion and asked hopefully, "Is that why you came, Pilot Sohryu?"
Asuka looked shocked briefly before smiling. She stood, picked up her bag, and opened the door. "Sorry Wondergirl, don't get your hopes up." She turned the light off as she left.
Rei stretched out on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Reading people had always given her problems. They always seemed to react in strange, unpredictable ways to the most innocuous of things, especially Asuka. On top of that, they usually tried to hide their true intentions and feelings as if they were scared or embarrassed of them. Not comfortable with deception, Rei tended to say nothing instead of lying. Because of her lack of experience, it was usually difficult to separate truth from fabrication. She found it refreshing to be able to tell without a doubt when someone was lying, for a change.
Tentatively, Rei closed her eyes, but the images of the past did not come.
***************
The images on the video monitor winked out when the door closed. These cameras weren't designed to work in the dark, which was fine with the Sub-commander. He was uncomfortable enough with the idea of spying on the Children as it was and Ikari definitely didn't need to know what they did when the lights were out. He, at least, trusted them that much.
From his view behind the seated Commander's shoulder, Fuyutski couldn't see Ikari's face, but he could guess that he still had his attention focused on the now blank screen. "Tell me professor, do you think the Second Child was able to help?"
Fuyutski frowned, he hated when the Commander called him that. It was as if he were trying to remind the Sub-commander of his former position of influence over his former student and the fact that those positions were now reversed. "Well, she's speaking now, that's certainly an improvement."
"Yes, but is it enough? She needs to be able to pilot. The injury to Rei instead of the Second Child is cause enough for concern, we cannot afford any more departures from prophecy."
'Always worried about schedule more than people,' thought Fuyutski. "And if she can't?"
The Commander adjusted his glasses, "You know the answer to that, the only reason I'm giving her a chance now is because I don't want to waste the years of training we've invested in her. Her condition is of no concern as long as she can fulfill her next mission, this iteration was not scheduled to last beyond the 16th angel regardless."
"Hmmm, well what do you want to do about the Second? She did talk to Rei about what she saw."
"That is of no consequence, Rei knows more than she ever will. We do not want to tip our hand, they might become suspicious that we're watching them."
'You mean that _you're_ watching them.' Fuyutski sighed to himself, putting up with the Commander was hard enough as it was. They didn't pay him enough for this.
***************
The change jingled lightly as Asuka moved her finger back and forth through the small handful. Her face bathed in red fluorescent light contorted into a frown, "Scheist! All I want is one small Coke, is that so much to ask for?" She glared menacingly at the impudent gas station vending machine. Finding no soda forthcoming, she kicked it angrily and stomped off in the direction of her apartment.
The passing streetlights washed everything in yellow and their hum offered a familiar accompaniment to the click of her shoes. The way from the hospital to Misato's apartment building wasn't very far, but the walk did give Asuka a chance to think without the distractions of home. Well, she tried to think of it as home, it was the closest thing she had. Lately, however, she had distanced herself more and more from her roommates. Misato didn't help by staying at NERV for hours on end working on God knows what and Shinji just hid in his SDAT player.
Being dependent on other people didn't sit well with Asuka, they usually ended up hurting her, but the last angel attack scared her. It wasn't the horror of the battle, she'd been through that enough, it was the hollowness she felt after her victory that disturbed her. She didn't care about Wondergirl, why would it bother her that she was hurt in the attack? Slowly, the answer formed in Asuka's head, because it could have easily been her screams over the comm and herself stuck back at the hospital, again. That, coupled with hollowness she felt, made her feel a weird connection with, ugh, Wondergirl.
As she walked, she adjusted the bag on her shoulder, 'That was too close.' She went there to convince herself that she didn't care, instead she actually started to have a civil conversation. The scariest part, however, was when the First Child flashed those pleading eyes at her, whoa. She'd actually felt sorry for her, Wondergirl of all people. Fortunately, she managed to leave before things got any worse. The last thing she needed, Asuka decided, was another clingy friend. Or did she? A quick shake of the head drove those thoughts from her mind.
Another Coke machine stood in the lobby of Misato's apartment building and greeted Asuka as she entered and walked past. She peered at it for a moment, but she already knew she didn't have enough change for one of her few escapes. Drinking it made her remember life back in the States, when she didn't have to worry about angels, spineless wimps, and blue-haired dolls. The fact that Misato and Shinji didn't drink it also helped her get that distance she needed sometimes. It didn't matter that the Coke in Japan didn't taste quite the same and had almost indecipherable gibberish plastered all over it, she could still close her eyes and get away. But only if she had enough money, though. With a sigh, Asuka pushed the elevator button and took it up to the right floor.
Since no introductions were necessary, Asuka didn't bother with them as she entered the apartment, kicking off her shoes noisily was enough for her. She made her way to the kitchen and dropped her unused overnight bag by her door as she went past. The sound of the TV told Asuka that someone was still up, despite the fact that the clock showed that it was just past midnight. No doubt it was Shinji, Misato was still probably out and about, even though she would claim she was at work. Asuka suspected she was out fooling around with Kaji, in spite of her claims that he wouldn't call again. 'He's probably too busy being groped by Misato, that's why I can't reach him,' Asuka thought with a sly grin.
Making noise was something that came naturally to Asuka and not being one to fight nature, she made as much of a racket as she could when she opened the refrigerator to find something to drink. What she saw made her let out a short, but audible yelp, which brought the unwelcome, if somewhat worried, face of Shinji peeking in from the living room.
"Are you OK?"
A quick flick of the wrist and a few long gulps later, Asuka found herself miles away from her troubles, even if only for a few moments. She breathed deeply, and then opened her eyes and asked, "Did you go shopping? I thought it was Misato's turn."
Shinji smiled, "Yeah it is, but she went into work again so I picked up a few things. I thought you might need one of those," Shinji said and pointed to the red labeled can in her hand.
"Thanks Shinji, I think I love you," she said with a smirk and a little more than the Asuka-minimum-required amount of sarcasm. Those words drew a somewhat startled look from Shinji, followed by a hopeful raising of an eyebrow.
Asuka groaned, "Oh no, not you too."
"Huh?"
"Nevermind." Asuka turned and moved back toward the hallway.
"Uh, where were you, I thought you were going to Hikari's."
She stopped, but didn't turn around. "Well I didn't, isn't that obvious?"
"Is there anything you want to talk about?"
"I told you before, you idiot, no." A couple of gulps later, she started back off and stepped out of the kitchen into the darkened hallway.
"Hey Asuka." She stopped and turned to see him smiling weakly, "He does make me angry, but I don't hate him."
A look of confusion passed over Asuka's face only to be replaced by the hint of a smile. "Maybe tomorrow, I've got to get cleaned up and get some sleep, I'm exhausted." She turned and went to the bathroom to do just that.
***************
YAWN!!
Misato stretched her arms and opened and closed her hands. 'How do Ritsuko and Maya do this non-stop, day after day?' She rolled her head around in a circle in a vain attempt to get rid of her fatigue. Defeat finally sunk in and she looked back down at the computer screen, not only because that was what she was working on, but also because it was one of the few things visible in the dimly lit room at NERV HQ.
Screen after screen of text paged up the monitor as Misato searched through the system, for what, she wasn't entirely sure. One thing was certain, however, 'Come on, come on, there's got to be a reason for all this.' She knew a few of NERV's vast number of secrets, but only enough to make her realize she needed to know more.
Suddenly, a light came on and Misato instinctively reached into her jacket and looked over her shoulder.
"Late night?," asked Dr. Akagi standing in the doorway.
"Uh yeah, just finishing up some paperwork, you know how it is." Misato released the grip on her gun and put her hand back on the keyboard as naturally as she could manage.
"You know, I always find it helpful to have a little bit of light," Ritsuko said with a smirk.
"I was just getting ready to leave," said the Major as she turned off the computer.
"Uh-huh, well, you should probably get some rest, you've been working a lot of late hours lately."
Misato's eyes narrowed slightly, 'How would she know?' She stood and picked up the small stack of papers she had brought along just in case. "Yeah, goodnight, see you in the morning."
Misato started to walk past the doctor when she was interrupted, "You know, tomorrow's Sunday."
"Right, see you Monday."
The doctor smiled, "Goodnight."
Misato left without looking back.
End Chapter 2.
Schweinhund: Pigdog
Scheist: Shit
Mein Gott: My God
10-1-01
Two weeks for a chapter, that sounds about right. Don't count on it every chapter, I had a little of a head start this time.
I re-wrote a bit of Chapter 1, so go re-read it if you haven't yet. I hope all the characters aren't too OOC, I've struggled with it. Obviously they're going to be a little different since events haven't unfolded exactly the same as the series, but I wouldn't have bothered with writing it if they did. For all you Shinji fans out there (there's got to be a few), I haven't completely forgotten about him, I'll focus on him and some of the other characters a little later, rather than make this strictly an Asuka & Rei story (I didn't mean it _that_ way ^_^).
Thanks to those that reviewed my first chapter, I appreciate them all, good or bad, even if I don't reply personally.