Neon Genesis Evangelion: Creator's Gambit - Chapter 3
by: Gemini83
Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis or any of the characters...just this story.
They ran through the halls as fast as their legs would carry them. Kaji still noticed there were no guards. Either Nerv and Seele security had wiped each other out...or there was more to this than even he knew. Perhaps it was fate...
Kaji shrugged the idea off, it wasn't like him to get metaphysical, even at a time like this. Then again, maybe he didn't have a choice. If nothing else, Kaji had always understood practicalities, although he never, strictly speaking, adhered to them.
When he finally reached where he was headed, Kaji stopped them.
"End of the line," he said, "Toji, go on. You two, come with me..."
"But what-" started the girl...Kaji still hadn't gotten her name.
It didn't matter, for everyone fell silent as the door opened, revealing...
"An Eva Unit," gasped Toji, "where did it come from?"
Kaji grinned, "Nerv always was a little paranoid. They had this tucked away as a last resort...top secret...only the movers and shakers knew of it. I only found out myself just before I had to go into hiding. At any rate, never let it be said that Nerv's anal retentiveness never yielded results."
"What are we going to do?" asked Kensuke.
"That's simple," replied Kaji, "Toji's going to pilot it."
"No!" screamed the girl, "you can't ask him to-"
"I'm not asking," Kaji frowned, "we need him...Shinji needs him..."
The girl stared downward, silent.
Toji sighed, "if I don't do this...he'll die, won't he?"
The former Seele nodded, "probably all of us as well..."
Toji thought it over, then clenched his fist.
"Then I have no choice," he answered, "I'm going."
Asuka had fought, single-handedly, not only the armed forces of Seele, but a full battalion of production model Evas as well. She had fought long and hard, desperately waiting for help that had never come...
They had overtaken her then, and Asuka had had to shut out mind from the rest of the world, as the Seele Eva's ate her Unit alive. She had had to break off contact, lest she go mad with pain, and still the agony had been unbearable. She had drowned herself in her psyche, retreating deeper into herself than she had ever gone before. But it was cold here...so cold...and so desolate...even worse than the white hot pain she felt before. In the darkness, she felt hopelessly alone, and would have screamed her insanity into the void, had she any breath left to do so.
Then Shinji came, a warmth in the blizzard, and shelter from the madness engulfing her. He was just a little late, but he would do. And in the under-mind, he reached out to her, reached out to Asuka despite the darkness. She saw something, and moved towards a light, and she felt assurance emanating from it, from Shinji.
When she finally opened her eyes, she could see Unit 01. It slowly helped her Eva to its feet.
"Asuka! I'm so glad you're back!"
"...Thank you, Shinji..."
A low rumbling shook the earth around them, disorienting the four. Fissures began to appear in the ground at their feet. What the hell was going on now?
Kaji ran down the hallway, Toji's friends right behind him.
"By the way," huffed Kensuke, "how did you know about the other Eva?"
"A spy's got to have some secrets," answered Kaji.
Then they came up to the end of a hallway, and Kaji nodded.
"Stand back," he said, placing a small charge against the door.
They retreated as the charge blew. Kaji walked up and kicked the door in. Then he entered the room...
...To find himself facing the barrel of a gun...
He looked up its length, to the person who wielded it.
"Hello Misato," said the former Seele.
The woman backed away in shock, her gun falling nerveless from her fingers.
"Ka...Kaji...?" she gasped.
He gave her a winning smile, but was caught off guard as Misato scooped him up in a bear hug. He laughed, and hugged back.
"I thought you were dead," said Misato.
"No way," replied Kaji, "I couldn't leave without saying goodbye."
He spied Ritsuko behind Misato's back, and nodded.
"I left two outside..." he suggested.
Ritsuko nodded, completely understanding, "I'll go check on them."
He gently parted himself from her, whispering something. She nodded, then the former Seele turned to the other two men in the room.
"Gendo Ikari," said Kaji, "we have business to discuss."
"You're the spy," said Fuyutsuke, "aren't you? How do you know Misato?"
"Isn't it obvious?" asked Ikari, "they are lovers."
Fuyutsuke remained silent, but he was rather surprised that such an important piece of information had escaped his notice.
"Ikari," said Kaji, ignoring the interruption, "Third Impact is drawing to a close."
"You came here for something," answered Gendo, "get to the point."
"Very well," answered Kaji, "destroy the dummy plugs."
"What?" demanded Fuyutsuke, "you can't be serious!"
"I'm sorry," said Ikari, "I can't do that."
"Listen man!" shouted Kaji, "it may be the only way to-"
"I don't care," answered Gendo, "you are a spy, and must be dealt with accordingly."
He drew a hidden gun from behind him, pointing it at Kaji, "get out..."
Undaunted, Kaji drew his own gun, centering it on Ikari's chest, "you may be Shinji's father, but I'll do this myself if I have to."
Fuyutsuke drew his sidearm as well, pointing it at Kaji, "drop it."
Kaji grew apprehensive. He hadn't planned on it being so hard. He had copped a look at the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as a few schematics for the Seele production Eva's he shouldn't have known about...only some of the reasons why the old men had sent assassins after him. Gendo had to know about the dummy plugs, and Toji's Eva, so why hadn't he done the obvious yet?
"Game, set, and match to me I think," said Ikari.
Misato came up beside Kaji, and extended her gun as well, "not quite."
Fuyutsuke staunchly glared back, "you side with him, a Seele? Why?"
"Because," said Misato, "he may annoy the hell out of me sometimes, but I trust him, even after all he's done. The fact that Seele tried to kill him says something."
"How did you know about that?" asked Kaji.
Misato smiled back enigmatically, then turned back to Ikari icily, "I trust him, more than I trust that man there...so listen to what he has to say."
The four stared at each other in silence. The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife.
"Come on Ikari," said Kaji, "at least listen. We aren't American cowboys, after all, and this is no western."
Gendo pondered a moment, then nodded, lowering his gun, "very well...speak, and I will decide afterwards whether or not you are worth my trouble."
by: Gemini83
Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis or any of the characters...just this story.
They ran through the halls as fast as their legs would carry them. Kaji still noticed there were no guards. Either Nerv and Seele security had wiped each other out...or there was more to this than even he knew. Perhaps it was fate...
Kaji shrugged the idea off, it wasn't like him to get metaphysical, even at a time like this. Then again, maybe he didn't have a choice. If nothing else, Kaji had always understood practicalities, although he never, strictly speaking, adhered to them.
When he finally reached where he was headed, Kaji stopped them.
"End of the line," he said, "Toji, go on. You two, come with me..."
"But what-" started the girl...Kaji still hadn't gotten her name.
It didn't matter, for everyone fell silent as the door opened, revealing...
"An Eva Unit," gasped Toji, "where did it come from?"
Kaji grinned, "Nerv always was a little paranoid. They had this tucked away as a last resort...top secret...only the movers and shakers knew of it. I only found out myself just before I had to go into hiding. At any rate, never let it be said that Nerv's anal retentiveness never yielded results."
"What are we going to do?" asked Kensuke.
"That's simple," replied Kaji, "Toji's going to pilot it."
"No!" screamed the girl, "you can't ask him to-"
"I'm not asking," Kaji frowned, "we need him...Shinji needs him..."
The girl stared downward, silent.
Toji sighed, "if I don't do this...he'll die, won't he?"
The former Seele nodded, "probably all of us as well..."
Toji thought it over, then clenched his fist.
"Then I have no choice," he answered, "I'm going."
Asuka had fought, single-handedly, not only the armed forces of Seele, but a full battalion of production model Evas as well. She had fought long and hard, desperately waiting for help that had never come...
They had overtaken her then, and Asuka had had to shut out mind from the rest of the world, as the Seele Eva's ate her Unit alive. She had had to break off contact, lest she go mad with pain, and still the agony had been unbearable. She had drowned herself in her psyche, retreating deeper into herself than she had ever gone before. But it was cold here...so cold...and so desolate...even worse than the white hot pain she felt before. In the darkness, she felt hopelessly alone, and would have screamed her insanity into the void, had she any breath left to do so.
Then Shinji came, a warmth in the blizzard, and shelter from the madness engulfing her. He was just a little late, but he would do. And in the under-mind, he reached out to her, reached out to Asuka despite the darkness. She saw something, and moved towards a light, and she felt assurance emanating from it, from Shinji.
When she finally opened her eyes, she could see Unit 01. It slowly helped her Eva to its feet.
"Asuka! I'm so glad you're back!"
"...Thank you, Shinji..."
A low rumbling shook the earth around them, disorienting the four. Fissures began to appear in the ground at their feet. What the hell was going on now?
Kaji ran down the hallway, Toji's friends right behind him.
"By the way," huffed Kensuke, "how did you know about the other Eva?"
"A spy's got to have some secrets," answered Kaji.
Then they came up to the end of a hallway, and Kaji nodded.
"Stand back," he said, placing a small charge against the door.
They retreated as the charge blew. Kaji walked up and kicked the door in. Then he entered the room...
...To find himself facing the barrel of a gun...
He looked up its length, to the person who wielded it.
"Hello Misato," said the former Seele.
The woman backed away in shock, her gun falling nerveless from her fingers.
"Ka...Kaji...?" she gasped.
He gave her a winning smile, but was caught off guard as Misato scooped him up in a bear hug. He laughed, and hugged back.
"I thought you were dead," said Misato.
"No way," replied Kaji, "I couldn't leave without saying goodbye."
He spied Ritsuko behind Misato's back, and nodded.
"I left two outside..." he suggested.
Ritsuko nodded, completely understanding, "I'll go check on them."
He gently parted himself from her, whispering something. She nodded, then the former Seele turned to the other two men in the room.
"Gendo Ikari," said Kaji, "we have business to discuss."
"You're the spy," said Fuyutsuke, "aren't you? How do you know Misato?"
"Isn't it obvious?" asked Ikari, "they are lovers."
Fuyutsuke remained silent, but he was rather surprised that such an important piece of information had escaped his notice.
"Ikari," said Kaji, ignoring the interruption, "Third Impact is drawing to a close."
"You came here for something," answered Gendo, "get to the point."
"Very well," answered Kaji, "destroy the dummy plugs."
"What?" demanded Fuyutsuke, "you can't be serious!"
"I'm sorry," said Ikari, "I can't do that."
"Listen man!" shouted Kaji, "it may be the only way to-"
"I don't care," answered Gendo, "you are a spy, and must be dealt with accordingly."
He drew a hidden gun from behind him, pointing it at Kaji, "get out..."
Undaunted, Kaji drew his own gun, centering it on Ikari's chest, "you may be Shinji's father, but I'll do this myself if I have to."
Fuyutsuke drew his sidearm as well, pointing it at Kaji, "drop it."
Kaji grew apprehensive. He hadn't planned on it being so hard. He had copped a look at the Dead Sea Scrolls, as well as a few schematics for the Seele production Eva's he shouldn't have known about...only some of the reasons why the old men had sent assassins after him. Gendo had to know about the dummy plugs, and Toji's Eva, so why hadn't he done the obvious yet?
"Game, set, and match to me I think," said Ikari.
Misato came up beside Kaji, and extended her gun as well, "not quite."
Fuyutsuke staunchly glared back, "you side with him, a Seele? Why?"
"Because," said Misato, "he may annoy the hell out of me sometimes, but I trust him, even after all he's done. The fact that Seele tried to kill him says something."
"How did you know about that?" asked Kaji.
Misato smiled back enigmatically, then turned back to Ikari icily, "I trust him, more than I trust that man there...so listen to what he has to say."
The four stared at each other in silence. The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife.
"Come on Ikari," said Kaji, "at least listen. We aren't American cowboys, after all, and this is no western."
Gendo pondered a moment, then nodded, lowering his gun, "very well...speak, and I will decide afterwards whether or not you are worth my trouble."