The Zeroth Child's Saga
Chapter 2: Introductions and Conclusions
1. I in no way what-so-ever lay any claim to Neon Genesis Evangelion or it's contents. All I lay claim to is the characters and plot that I develop for this fic that isn't part of the manga or series.
2. This is my first attempt at a fic, so PLEASE minimize flames, although any useful criticism is gratefully accepted. ~_~"
3. I will mutate parts of the story line to suit my purposes (such as Major Katsuragi already being the Director of Operations and the presence of all three Children and EVA's during the 3rd Angel's attack) But I will do my best to stay in character, with occasional, unavoidable, and plot serving 'transgressions'. (A clue-in concerning a lot of my flames)
4. NEW! ~things appearing like this represent things the characters see, smell, touch, hear, or taste that can't be slid easily into the story any other way.~
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*Y'all ready for this.....*
The kneeling ebony plated being that was Evangelion Unit-07 slowly and methodically rose to its' feet, every move looked as years had been spent practicing the most menacing method of performing them. Upon completing this task, the giant bioandriod spent a moment orienting itself, locating its' fellows, and, most importantly, the Angel. As the volume of the music outside rose the slightest bit more, the new EVA set about hunting its' prey. As it marched don the streets of Tokyo-3 towards 'Target-01", as Unit-07's tactical computer defined it, the Eva raised both its' hands up to the opposite shoulder pylons and drew out the two Progressive Knives stored there, activating both with an ear-splitting whine.
ENEMIES!> was the first, last, and only thought that went through the Angel's mind on what the three big moving things were in the metal canyon, the metal canyon built above its' goal, its' purpose. The gargantuan humanoid shaped wall of flesh's only solution came as KILL!>. As the Angel preceded to do this, however, another enemies fell from the sky, and for the first time, an Angel produced a logical, independent thought which consisted of more than one word: What if they can fly?> This incredible feat was almost too much for the near mindless killing machine, and it stopped it's approach to take a moment to recover itself. It picked a WAY wrong place and a WAY wrong time to do this, as that black, flying enemy leaped out of one of the side canyons and rushed it.
Impressive, to say the least> the pilot thought as his sleek, new, untested Unit-07 did a good 80 MPH rush at the Angel. Reinforcing his AT-Field with a little extra juice from their own independent batteries, EVA-07 rammed straight into the rapidly collapsing AT-Field of the 3rd. Angel. As soon as the tac. com. said it was down to 'safe levels' (approx. 20% or less), the Progressive Knife in it's left hand jammed it's way into the otherwise invisible wall made visible by the strain of sustaining itself under this immense onslaught, breaking through with ease as the blade slashed about, carving a pentagonal hole in the barrier. This hand quickly retreated as the black robot spun in through the hole, swiping out with both Knives, doing little more than buying the pilot time to set up, which was time put to good use. After a moments wait to set the tempo, the new warrior proceeded to carry out a full thirty second combo series that Capcom® would have been proud of, keeping perfectly to the beat of the music, creating incredible grace to otherwise sloppy moves. This combo would have gone on longer, if two things hadn't happened at roughly the same time: 1. The 'ONE MINUTE TO POWER FAILURE' warning started flashing on his status display; and: 2. His radar display showed three blips hidden behind the buildings around him, one blue, one purple, and one red, with the little IDs under them reading 'EVA-00', 'EVA-01', and 'EVA-02', respectively. Knowing that he needed external power, that they definitely had external power, and not knowing that much about where to find external power in Tokyo-3, he decided on what he felt was the most effective option.
With a last, unbalancing slice, Unit-07 vaulted over the Angel, landing, rolling, and coming up running. Taking the first left, he continued on until he arrived at his destination, right behind Unit-02. Might as well try to be kind about it> He thought as he activated his comm. system and tapped the hot key labeled 'EVA-02' *Good morning! I need power, and you're it.* he said in the cheeriest tone he could manage. *Relax, you'll live.* he added as Unit-02 twitched as he used his EVA to pry the power conduit out of the red machine's back and proceeded to insert it into his EVA's own, identical one. One size really DOES fit all!> he thought sarcastically as he snapped his finger down on the 'RAPID RECHARGE' option on the status display.
*While I'm busy here, you COULD go do your JOBS and tackle that damn thing, you know.* The pilot quipped over the airwaves as the '% POWER' bar rose to 35%.
*What the hell do you mean, 'do our JOBS'?! We were doing our jobs until you DROPPED in! And give me my power cable back, you pompous little bastard!* Asuka screamed over the general comm. channel.
*Shinji, Rei,* Major Katsuragi's voice came over the comm. system calm and clear, *He has a point. You two team up on that Angel. Asuka, as soon as you get your power cable back, either team up with Unit-07 or engage independently. We need that thing down and out.*
*What makes you think I'll TOLERATE being paired off with THAT!* The EVA's pitch black hand pointed absent-mindedly at Asuka's EVA, *I refuse to deal with the close proximity of competition in the 'World's Greatest Ego' contest.* the pointing EVA's pilot informed. How much of this do I have to put up with?!> he wondered, getting bored with the inactivity. 80%.
*You DARE to speak of the Great Asuka Langley Soryu in such a manner!!!!! The moment you're outta' that entry plug, you're a dead man!* Asuka's video image turned a menacing shade of light red. *...And turn your video feed on, so I can see the face of the soon to be deceased!*
100%. Finally. *Too damn lazy to reach the switch. You lose. Oh, well. Batteries to full power. You can have this back, O ^Great Asuka Langley Soryu^. And you call ME pompous?! I'm not the self-proclaimed 'Great One'. My actions give me that title, I don't have to convince anyone of it. Now then, where'd that Angel go. It's off my radar.* Unit-07's pilot said as he tossed the loose power cable in the general direction of Unit-02.
*The remains of the creature in question are in the proximity to the heat damaged Unit-01 it self-destructed on. While you and Pilot Soryu are arguing, we "did our jobs".* Rei stated in her usual monotonous voice, moving her EVA into position to support Unit-01.
*...(LONG pause)... Oh,... damn,.... okay, mission completed. Uh..., return to base, I guess.* The American EVA pilot was at a loss for words, but hauled his giant mecha off in the general direction of one of the recovery pads that dot the streets of Tokyo-3. One by one, the other EVAs moved off as well. The slightly melty Unit-01 spent an extra minute on the surface to cool down, and as a result, was the only pilot to notice that the music had stopped, but was not the only one to notice Unit-07 rapidly disappearing into the earth.
"Who the hell ordered his recovery,?!" Misato Katsuragi was at a loss.
"I don't know, the MAGI say it was an automated response," Maya Obuki started, "but the automatic systems require a triple encoded password..."
*Which I have, along with the MAGI remote access codes, Tokyo-3 Defense Net command codes, door release codes, car alarm deactivation codes, nuclear launch codes, so on and so forth. You name it, it's in here somewhere.* The young man cut in.
"And you got these codes how?!"
*Because a stupid NERV 2nd. Branch Base Commander left a short list of access codes in the hands of an apprentice hacker, AKA me, who used them to gain even more. Soon, you end up having more power than the guys who have more power than God. It's kinda' sweet, if you think about it.* Unit-07's pilot came back, a smile being evident in his tone.
"What...ever. I can't deal with this anymore. I have locks to change."
*Did I mention I have a lockpick set and the skills to use it?*
"AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! GOD!!! MAKE... IT... STOP!!!!!"
*God, it's gonna' be fun working with you, Katsuragi. Oh, uh, you don't mind if I call you 'Katsuragi', do you? It rolls off the tongue a lot nicer than 'Major Katsuragi, ma'am'....*
"At this point, I don't care. Just report in to the commander when you get here. I have work to do and SANE people to take care of." Misato growls as she performs a crisp military style about-face and walks away from the control center.
*Katsuragi, I'm hurt.* the voice comes back over the speakers with wave of mock emotion, followed by a more serious tone, *But I'm just harassin' ya'. Part of initiation, it's pretty much over now. But you have to admit, it is hilarious watching you go ballistic. I haven't made anybody go THAT nuts in a while. Thanks for the entertainment and sorry about the terrorizing. Okay? O-K!*
"EVA-07 recovered in Cage 14... What the hell? The quarantine protocols have initiated and the Cage is being sealed off." Hyuga reported and exclaimed.
"WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO NOW?!?!?!" a VERY pissed Major yelled at the control panel.
*Well, Unit-07 was scheduled for delivery at oh-seven-hundred hours tomorrow morning. Until then, this Evangelion is still U.S. property, and according to international treaties between the U.S. and Japan, is considered U.S. territory. Since I don't want to guard this thing all night and I'm pretty sure you don't want to have to set up a Customs checkpoint inside the cage, I'm just locking her down here for the duration of her one night stand, and I'll let the locks release in the morning. Sayonara. Oh, and don't worry, I'll put up a little sign on the door that says 'do not enter' or, how's it go in Japanese again? Shinnyu...ken, no, kinshi. Yeah, 'shinnyu kinshi', that's it. See ya' in the mornin'.*
I don't get paid enough for this. That's all
there is to it. WAY not enough.> Katsuragi thought as she sighed and
gave up completely.
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Apartment #627, Tokyo-3, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan ^3:12
PM^
~Sees a nameplate on the door that reads "R. A. Sterling"~
Home, sweet home. In theory, at least.> Sterling thought as he slid the key card through the lock on the door and watched as the LED light switched from red to green and made a little ~BING~ noise. A second later, the hydraulics on the door pulled it open, and slid it quietly shut as soon as he crossed the infrared 'safety' beam, making the same ~BING~ noise to indicate the door had locked again.
As he passed through the hallway, he decided he had time to unpack a little before taking his well deserved catnap. I mean, I HAVE been up all night running drills and simulations. 'You must maintain your edge' they say. I say I need sleep more.> He grabbed a box marked 'BEDROOM' as it caught his eye. He dropped the box on the bed, opened it up, and proceeded to put up the complete three day set of clothes he found inside. That's the way he packed all his clothes, it was based on how many complete sets of clothing would fit in it. This way, if he needs a set or two, he just grabs a box and he's set.
Upon completion of this, he flopped out on his new
bed, his only slightly athletic body landing with a soft thud. It was only
then that he realized his shoes were still on. "Damn. If I'm gonna' live
here, I might as well TRY to respect local customs." With this, his drug
his suddenly very tired form up and back out to the hall, where he pulled
the laces of his cross trainers and started prying them off his feet. ~loud,
liquidy grumbling noise is heard.~ "SON OF A BITCH!!! Does the universe
have something against me getting some SLEEP?!?!?!"
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Apartment #627, Tokyo-3, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan ^4:48
PM^
After spending over an hour trying to find a decent
place to eat, Sterling finally gave up and capitalized on America's most
popular contribution to the world, otherwise known as McDonalds®. What
followed was simple order of two cheeseburgers
(no pickles), a lesson on exactly WHAT is found in a Japanese cheeseburger,
a lot of swearing, and a vow to never eat there again. A very unhappy walk
home ensued.
"Life as I know it sucks ass. Big time."
Without further concern to his stomach, and actually
remembering to take his shoes off this time, the young man once again crashes
on his bed, this time, with no intentions of getting up. Not until sometime
tomorrow morning, anyway.
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NERV Main Gate ^4:48 PM^
"I want FOOD!!! Real food, not that nasty shit the NERV cafeteria comes up with and most definitely not the nastier shit YOU come up with, Misato!" The Red-head Hellbitch bellowed after suffering hours upon hours of tests and analyses with her fellow EVA pilots, but not ALL her fellow pilots, "Where's that little punk who jacked my power anyway. Why couldn't he join the party. Then, at least, I would've gotten a chance to see the face of the enemy."
"He had something in the general area of a point, about the EVA's delivery. But where he is, how should I know? Now then, there is this one ramen stand I want to try out..." responded Misato, starting to salivate at the thought of good ramen soup.
"NOT AGAIN!!!!!" both Asuka and her Spineless Wimp
of a roommate cried.
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Apartment #627, Tokyo-3, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan ^6:37
AM^
Decked out in full military dress uniform befitting a U.S. Navy officer, young Mr. Sterling exited his now unpacked and livable apartment, took the first step towards the elevators, and hesitated when the door didn't automatically shut. Taking that first step back again, the door finally decided to shut. Need to call maintenance about that...> Sterling thought as a loud voice interrupted his thoughts, "Bye, Misato! See you later!"
He barely had enough time to turn around and see the running form of the Second Child, body twisted back towards the door she had rushed out of, plow full steam ahead into him. both stumbled a few feet before falling to the ground with a ~thump~ sound and a ~whoosh~ as Asuka's elbow found his stomach. Whincing from the pain, Sterling finally opened his eyes to find the red-head assailant on all fours above trying to catch her own breath; it appeared as though the offending elbow had caused her fist to leave her in a similar condition. Their orientation and her attempts to recover her breath provided an excellent range of sight through her rather loose top.
"Somebody could have WARNED me about the 50 yard dash practice on this floor!!!!" He smarted off. "But, I have to admit, the view from down here is an excellent reward for the pain and shame involved." he noted while admiring said view.
"AAAHHH!!! HENTAI!!! GET OFF ME!!!!!" Asuka screamed as she threw her hands over her chest, jumped up and ran half way back to her apartment of origin.
"YOU were the one who tackled ME, and YOU were the
one who was on top of ME. So don't be telling ME to get off." The victim
demanded, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have places to be and people to
SEE, the latter half of which I doubt you're familiar with." he ended as
he brushed himself off, about-faced, and continued to his original destination,
the elevators. Asuka stared at him with an expression akin to utter shock
and horror.
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NERV 6th Division H.Q. Base Commander Ikari's Office ^6:59
AM^
*Commander, sir, there is someone to see you.* His personal secretary called through the intercom.
*I am indisposed. Tell him to come back later.* Unbeknownst to his subordinate, Commander Ikari had a full video feed of the entire facility, and knew five minutes ago that he was coming.
* Sir, he insisted that it is urgent.* The intercom responded.
*Very well, let him in.* Ikari sighed, mentally commending this boy; most full-grown men lacked the courage to oppose the will of Gendo Ikari.
With fluid military grace, the left door (to Ikari's perspective, as he directly faced said door) of the Commander's Office opened, revealing a tall, solid white form which walked slowly forward in even, calculated steps until the boy arrived, quite unintimadated, to the sole piece of furniture in the room, the desk, with Base Commander Ikari and his 'friend' (if you can call anyone a friend of Ikari), Vice Commander Fuyutski.
"Commanders, sirs," Sterling began in a strong but somewhat submissive voice, "I am United States Navy Fleet Admiral Richard Alexander Sterling, here to summarily declare official delivery of Evangelion Unit-07, Assault Type, Custom Model with revised design schematics, from NERV 2nd. Division, Area 51, Nevada, United States to NERV 6th. Division, Tokyo-3, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, and to report myself for active duty as the designated pilot of Evangelion Unit-07, serving under NERV command, as listed in my orders, sirs." he quotes from memory as he lays a half inch thick bound packet on the Commander's desk in front of him.
"Unit-07 arrived yesterday, why wasn't all this done then?" Began Vice Commander Fuyutski, " Also, The delivery included supplies, equipment, and additional weapons. Where are they?"
"I believe I can answer both questions at once, sir." Ad. Sterling took a deep breath, "When the United States and SEELE met to discuss exactly HOW Unit-07 and its' additional supplies were to arrive here, They decided that the delivery would be made today at oh-seven-hundred hours, Tokyo-3 local time, not a second early or late, and that the delivery would be made by cargo haulers. With this, SEELE demanded that not one ship less than the entire Roosevelt Battlegroup be deployed as a guard; this was couple years back, when SEELE still thought terrorists would blow up just anything they could, mind you.
"So, the cargo haulers left New Pearl Harbor perfectly on schedule, with the aircraft carrier USS Roosevelt in the vanguard position. Before they even made it to the Midway Shallows, one of the heavy cruisers, the USS Arizona II, had a total engine failure and the fleet had to stop, as their orders specifically stated that the convoy moved, or didn't move, as one. that was a little over 24 hours ago, Zulu time. I was in command of the convoy, so I ordered the hauler with Unit-07 onboard close to the USS Roosevelt, where it was unloaded onto the deck, and loaded onto a VTOL, which carried it here, and you know the story from there. Orders are orders, SEELE was VERY specific, and I'm not one to defy orders.
"To answer the second question, I estimate the convoy is still two weeks out, as emergency repairs should have been completed three hours ago, and they won't push her, because she could go down for the count at any time, and we wouldn't like that, now would we, sir?" He paused with a faint smile, "As a footnote, stored in the same armored drop case as Unit-07, there was the only piece of long-range weaponry in the shipment, an Ion/Plasma Rifle of my own design. It should be found in the largest of the shards that came down."
"I see... Very well, Pilot Sterling. I accept delivery of Evangelion Unit-07 and recognize your request for duty. For the time being, contact Major Katsuragi for your Standard Operating Procedures." Commander Ikari stated in his usual degrading tone, "Also, contact Dr. Akagi concerning tests and experiments that will involve you and to schedule recovery of your rifle. Dismissed."
Yes, sir!" A crisp military about-face followed, and the same calculated steps that led the young officer into the office led him out, much to the great and, for the most part, well hidden suprise of all observing.
"He has balls. A lot of balls. I don't think he'll back down to anyone. Even you, Gendo." Fuyutski observed.
"Hm, yes. That is a blessing for now,... but may soon become a curse. Keep an eye on him, Fuyutski. And have Section 2 make a full report on him. I want to know everything I can about him. Everyone has a weak spot."
"Plotting already, Gendo? I thought it was a little early in the morning for that. It'll be the end of you; all this conspiring and counter-conspiring. Eventually, you'll get caught in your own web."
"Perhaps, but not before my plan has exceeded the
point of no return. Believe me, Fuyutski, nothing will stop me. Nothing."
Gendo vowed as he opened one of his desk drawers and looked at a picture.
A picture he had told the whole world, even his own son, didn't exist.
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NERV 6th Division HQ: Floor B-28 ^7:30 AM^
After a trip down to the pilot's locker room to get his preferred outfit on, Sterling exited the room looking like a shadow, in a dark black flannel shirt with shiny black buttons, dark black pants, and an ankle length cloak, black on the outside, with a deep fiery red on the inside, and proceeded to the first and easier destination of the two assigned him. Seeing the door shut and that it was a private office, he gave three quick knocks.
"Come on in..." A voice could be heard faintly through the sound suppression. Sterling opened the door, and after a quick glance around, headed toward the sole occupant of the large office, oriented perpendicular to the door.
"Dr. Akagi, I presume?" He said with a smirk.
~chuckle~ "That's what it says on the door. And you, I presume, are our mysterious and currently very unpopular new EVA pilot." She came back with an equal smirk.
"Yep. Name's Richard Alexander Sterling. Call me anything other than Alex, and I'll be very pissed at you. I was told by Commander Ikari that you're the supreme lord, or in your case, lady, of experimentation in these parts, and that I need to get some info on some important tests," Alex pulled his cloak up as he gently slid into the only uncluttered chair in the room, directly opposite Akagi and across the desk, " and as an added annoyance, there's a really big gun somewhere in this city with my name on it, and the good Commander told me to have you fish it out of whatever pit it buried itself in." He proceeded to reach behind him and pull a thick packet out of a hidden pocket there, " Plus, I was told to give these to you. (lays packet on desk) ~Sticker on packet reads 'EVA-07'~ Those are design schematics. Unit -07 doesn't adhere to the original plan very well, so you might one day want those. I'm just full of good news, aren't I?"
"Yes, well... (grabs the packet and sticks it to the side on top of some other paperwork) To parry you, I don't really care what you call me most of the time. Dr. Akagi is somewhat formal but fine; Ritsuko is good; a couple of people even call me Ritsu." Ritsuko informed, leaning back in her chair and rubbing her eyes, "To fill you in, we have synchronization tests every other day after school at 5:00, with one tonight, and a basic physical every month. Special tests and any changes in this plan, and you'll be informed by somebody. I think that's about it, nothing special this week. We'll find your little toy out there and set it up for deployment."
"Got it: Seventeen-hundred tonight for tests; Rifle ready for use at convenience. Thanks." Alex got up to leave. He made it to the door and as it slid open, Ritsuko stopped him, "I have a bit a question for you."
"Oh, and that question would be?"
"Why is it that when I tried to pull your records from the Marduk Institute's data banks, I came up with nothing more than a 404 error and a headache, hm?" Ritsu leaned forward slightly, harassing the boy a little almost as entertaining as Misato...>
"Bad question." he replied simply
"(perfect mock) Oh, and why's that?" Ritsu used the dreaded 'puppy eyes' that are every boyfriend's greatest fear.
"Because it's a VERY long story in its' entirety." Alex moved back to his seat.
"Give me the abstract instead of the encyclopedia, then." she took this opportunity to glance in her mug. She then proceeded to grab her half full glass and carry it over to the coffee machine, where a packet of paper cups sat, "Want some coffee? It's an excellent blend."
"With me, coffee falls into the 'World's Nastiest' category, within which are such indigestables as Army food, and Japanese cheeseburgers." Sterling's stomach lurches at the memory of yesterday's excursion.
"More for me, then." she noted, returning with her now to the brim mug full of black drink.
"Here goes..." He began, spending the next hour first explaining the answer to her question, then the circumstances surrounding it, and the way things progressed from there. Finally he came to the end of his tale.
"And I thought I asked for the short version?" Ritsuko still had a full mug in front of her (she'd had to get up and refill it twice as the story went on) and began solving that little problem.
"The feture-length version would have taken us well into the afternoon" Sterling came back from a mildly parched throat. (despite his thirst, he still refused to drink any of the 'nasty black stuff') "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have other business I must attend to today. I do thank you for your time, however."
"I should be thanking you, but I've been around Ikari long enough to leave well enough alone."
Once again, Sterling went for the door. As though cursed, the outside hallway triggered a near forgotten bit of memory, and he asked from the door jamb, "Oh, do you know where I can find Major Katsuragi?"
Ritsuko looked up from the work she had returned to, "Misato? If she's not in her office, you'll probably won't find her until this afternoon at home or tonight at the sync tests. Okay?"
"Roger that. Scrape any plan of meeting her for a good eight to ten hours. Over and out." Sterling walked out the ajar door and trotted towards the elevators a few doors down.
"Strange kid... " Ritsu thought as she stared down at the new EVA's design schematics, "Very strange kid, but a lot better off than the others. God, I hope all this isn't the end of him ."
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Tokyo-3 Central High School: Room 4-A ^8:12 AM^
Today was going just like any other of the calmer days at school. Shinji and Hikari were the only students actually paying any real attention to today's lecture on Second Impact. Such a good little student,> Asuka thought darkly, a whole half a second away from becoming NERV's second toy soldier.> Contrary to the german pilots train of thought, Rei was completely ignoring the teacher, she was merely better at feigning attention than others. The rest of the class, at first glance, looked like the model of a good classroom. To the keen observer, however, notes, whispered conversations, and small objects could be seen bouncing around the room, along with the occasional death glare from Hikari (the Class Rep., therefore responsible for their actions) or Asuka (Hikari's best friend). Comparative peace and tranquility,... until...
~Footfalls are heard, faint at first, but slowly getting louder. Sounds like a person that is trying neither to be loud nor quiet. The steps grow louder, and a shadow falls over the door.~ (Shinji, Asuka, Hikari, and Kensuke look over at the shadow) There is momentary pause as the shadow seems to move slightly, like an arm moving, then, ~swish~ the door opens. ( The teacher stops his lecture and looks over at the door)
To those who watched this process, it looked for a second as though the shadow on the door had done nothing less than take solid form, until they noticed the young man's head sticking out of the top. (The vast majority of the class finally breaks away from their antics, realizing the teacher had stopped lecturing, and all expected to get a detention until they, too noticed the open door.) The newcomer's hazel green eyes looked the class over, momentarily hesitating when they came to the three EVA pilots hidden in the room. That's that Hentai who attacked me this morning!!!!!!!> As usual, Asuka refused to even think that SHE could be responsible for such events. Running a hand through his well combed sandy-brown hair, he stepped through the passage and walked up to the teacher's desk, laying a folder in front of him. "Richard Sterling. I'm a transfer student from America. Call me Alex, if possible."
"From America, are you? Perhaps we should send you down to the middle school. It might meet up with your education thus far a little bit better." The teacher said with a bit of a smile.
"Yes, I know. The good ol' U.S. of A. has about the worst educational system of any First World Country, but it was your, and by 'your' I mean Japanese, test scores that put me in high school. Good try, though. You would have had most poor old Americans." A great lopsided smile appeared on the lips of the new student.
"Very well. Everything seems to be in order. Have a seat next to Ms. Ayanami." He instructed, pointing to about the only open seat in the class. As Alex moved towards it his cape billowed slightly, creating the illusion of much greater speed. While he sat down, his new instructor noted, "For the time being, your current attire is acceptable, but I expect to see you in a school uniform by the end of the month."
"No problem." Sterling stretched out luxuriously
in his rather small desk, his feet pushing hard against the legs of the
desk in front of his, "Hey, do these desks come in extra large, or does
'one size fit all' around here?" his comment came too late, however, as
his new teacher picked up exactly where he left off in his (mostly ignored)
lecture.
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Tokyo-3 Main Street ^3:37 PM^
Once again, Shinji and Asuka were walking home, and Shinji was only around the Hellbitch for the same reasons as before. However, instead of an Air Raid Siren going off, Asuka sensed someone was following them. She looked back and saw that that hentai Sterling coming up behind them, busily reading something. As he caught up with them, they discovered that it was, of all things they would have expected a high school student to be reading, a book titled, 'Advanced Theorems & Principles Of Cold Fusion'. Finally coming within a couple of feet of the Second Child, and showing no sign that he was aware of the outside world, Sterling stopped a moment before the backhand Asuka was preparing was to be released.
Inserting a bookmark and closing it, he looked up and said, "Unlike you, I actually pay attention to my surroundings, Ms. Soryu." he mentioned with a strong tone of arrogance, a tone that died instantly as Alex pivoted slightly to look directly at the third member of the discussion, "And I don't believe we've had the pleasure of meeting, young Mr. Ikari. I assume you recall my name from class today. As I said, just call me Alex."
"Uh, hi. So, you're then that new pilot. That makes you, what, the Fourth Child?" Shinji asked.
"...(brief pause)... Not quite. If Dr. Akagi doesn't explain tonight, I will. But for now, lets just say my piloting days far outnumber yours, ~turns slightly to face Asuka~ and yours as well, although not by as much, in shear quantity."
"Why are you walking this way, anyway? Why don't go back to whatever rock you came out from under?" Asuka demanded.
"Hello!!! Does anything sink into that Aircraft Carrier
Grade armor plate you call a skull? I was leaving my house when your unprovoked
attack took place. ~makes a weird face~ DUH!!!!!" Sterling proceeded past
the two beating them home by almost ten minutes.
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NERV 6th Division HQ: Sync Test Chamber ^5:45PM^
*Okay, everybody. We're done here.* Dr. Akagi's voice came through the intercom, *Come on over when you're ready for the results. Good job to all of you, you all did very well.*
"Thank God, I thought I was going to die of boredom in there." Asuka bitched, "You could at least let us watch a movie or listen to music or something."
"For once, the Blind One and I share an opinion." Alex followed up, "I, if no one else, am going to be properly entertained next time around."
"Fine, okay, I get the idea." Ritsuko gave in, " but in the meantime, here's the day's sync scores: Rei: 57%. Keep up the good work; Shinji: 63%. You need to try a little harder next time; Asuka: 76%. You're doing much better than projected; finally, Alex:..... 82%. How did you get this high a sync rate already?!"
Alex took a deep breath, " If you didn't know already, I'll tell you. I've been designated as a potential EVA pilot since birth, and, as both my parents were in the military, the U.S. Government decided that they could slap a '1-A' sticker on my crib and cart me off to war against the Angels. So, ever since I could walk and talk, I've been trained by the military to, pardon the pun, 'be the best I can be'. My parents became my instructors and I became a war machine early on. Earlier than the existence of the Marduk Institute, and far older than NERV. ~turns to Shinji and Asuka~ To answer your question, Shinji, I would be defined as the Zeroth Child."
"That's the craziest thing I've ever heard! How the hell can you be a 'Zeroth Child'?! 'Zeroth' isn't even a word!" Asuka went in for the kill
"Yeah, Asuka been trained since childhood as well, and Rei's been a pilot as far back as I can remember and then some!" Misato piped in.
"Yes, I'm well aware that 'Zeroth' is not a word, Asuka," Alex began without the slightest tone of sarcasm or superiority, but as one scholar would talk to another of equal place on a common subject, "However, it's the only way to describe the turn of events.
"To address your question, Asuka, while taking your comment, Misato, into consideration should kill two birds with one stone...
"Yes, According to the Marduk Institute, Rei is the First Child, Asuka the Second Child, and Shinji the Third, but what they into account when determining this is when the Child was originally screened by them for the job. The short and rather cold solution to all this is that I was never screened by the Marduk Institute, hence I would be the Zeroth Child because I don't exist on their records, but the story is a tid bit deeper then that. Yes, like Asuka, I began training as soon as they thought I stood a chance of understanding what they were telling me to do, but she began training as soon as she was designated as a Child and, hence, a pilot. That's why she's the Second Child, she was chosen as a pilot at five or six, while the First Child, Rei, is on record as being chosen at birth, as soon as the Birth Certificate was released so they could throw a name on the report instead of 'this fetus here'."
"Thanks for the lesson on well known history. Now, what's your point?" Asuka asked, not following where this was going.
"The basis upon which the U.S. military has maintained its' supremacy for the last few decades is simple: "make sure we have newer, stronger, and/or bigger gun before anyone else even thinks of it.'. To this end, as soon as SEELE began offering up EVA construction design plans, the U.S. military jumped on it, and as soon as they heard about SEELE, its' plans for the Evangelions, and its' need for pilots with particular 'characteristics', they jumped on the first one available, a four and a half month old embryo implanted in an Army Lt. Commander. An embryo that later became me.
"That little tidbit raises a dilemma that you can use as you see fit. I was selected as a pilot long before any of you, but the number of days, months, and years spent training me is greater than only one of you and far less then the others. I could be the true First Child, if you base in on when we were designated as pilots, or the actual Second Child if you base it on when we became independent life that was an EVA pilot as Rei is about 18 hours older than I am. It's a lot easier for all involved, I think, if we just leave things as they were." Sterling held his breath a moment as he finished, then slowly let it out in a calming ~whoosh~ sound.
"So that's the encyclopedia version? I thought that was to be a long and drearing lecture." Ritsuko stabbed.
~quiet chuckle~ "You have a point. This was the, um, 'Pocket Dictionary of Useless Knowledge article' version." Sterling quickly stumbled out.
"A fast comeback to everything, eh?" Ritsu use one of those 'Yeah, uh-huh, sure....' looks. A shrug is her only response.
Katsuragi finally re-enters the active world after making sense of 'story time', "Well, it's mega late. Um......, Alex,..... would you like to..., say, have dinner with us? It would be like a welcoming feast for your first day working with us at NERV!"
"Not a bad idea..." Alex agreed, "I never pass up a good meal I neither have to make nor clean up after. But I have to know; Misato, is your cooking as bad as two out of three Children say it is?"
"YES!" The Second and Third Child responded in unison.
"A risk I shall have to take. Lead on, fair lady."
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Apartment #626 Tokyo-3, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan ^8:30PM^
"Dinner's almost ready," Shinji called from the dining room/kitchen, "Tell Misato to hurry up."
The first three occupants of the bellored-at living room were greatly amused by the last half of that comment. Asuka and Alex went into silent fits of laughter, Asuka's from experience and the irony of the situation; Alex from the assumption of how things normally are (and recognizing the resulting irony), while Ritsuko just smiled, looked down, and chuckled a bit to herself. The fourth occupant, Misato herself (on time for a change), was no so amused. She called back with the sweetest voice humanly possible, "Oh, but I'm already waiting," She dropped from open sarcasm to an angry yell, "as I have been for the LAST FIVE MINUTES!"
"Okay, sorry..." A weak sound came out of the other room, "when you're ready, dinner is."
The four people in the living room joined the fifth already in the dining room, resulting in a rather unbalance place setting, Ritsuko and Misato on one side, Shinji and Asuka on either end, and, as though a criminal awaiting sentencing, Alex on the opposite side. As they came to the end of the meal, with the fast eaters politely waiting for the slower ones to catch up, Sterling said in a low but slightly offended tone, "Excellent psychological ploy. Starting to work, too..."
"What?" Asuka almost innocently called from her end.
"Just commenting on the... unique arrangement, that's all." He quickly responded in a bright and unusually cheerful tone.
"No one can ever accuse you of having nothing to say, can they?" Ritsuko questioned from behind a cup of steaming tea.
"No, they can't. That quick-wittedness, my arrogance, and my smartass, 'I am God, hear me roar' attitude are part of a once important and useful but now unnecessary and uncontrollable emotional self-defense mechanism." he answered without a change one in tone.
"How could being that annoying ever have been useful?" Misato truly wondered now just how in the world this kid became a pilot.
"Simple answer, lots of background. As you'd expect, as the U.S. military's pride and joy, they kept close tabs on me and tried to see to my assorted needs, including... companionship, to an extent." Alex said with a slight smile and blush at the end.
"So what," Katsuragi leaned forward, halfway across the table towards Alex, "they gave you a girlfriend or something?" She gave him one of her devilish little grins.
"Um, no." Alex leaned forward, virtually eliminating the distance between them. He matched her in appearance with a patented 'you're acting like a twelve year old girl on a sugar rush' look, "But like in any other country, the easiest way to hook people on a story is to add the hint of an element of sex or violence, so listen well, all ye who hast fallen into thyne web of entrapment." He finished with a bit of a lopsided smile and a wink
"At five, I was, or at least I felt I was, betrayed by my own parents. This one girl on base, whom I later learned was Lt. Sorenson, had pretty much become my only friend, right, and we spend time hanging out while she's taking care of her duties and all, and I was coming home from one of these little trips, and I run into my mom. She, of course, wonders what I'm doing out and about by myself, and I tell her the tale as it was. I was five years old, I didn't know my mom was gonna' go hyper ballistic, drag me home, explain it to my dad, and turn Sorenson's life to total shit." Alex's voice drops to a low, growling pitch, "So that's background info number one: Parent's betrayal of first friend. Background info number two: People are hired on to become my friend.
"You see, after the Sorenson incident, I fell into something of a depression, and that, the powers that be decided, was unacceptable. So, their simple solution to a simple problem was to relocate two or three other military families with kids my age and close to my ability level to our little base, stick us in the same class, and expect us to hit off. I was very distrusting at first, but over the course of six months, I joined up with them. We became like a little clan all our own, terrorizing the citizenry. Things go on like like this for a couple years, then about... two years later, on the day before my birthday, for that matter, I was talking on the phone with Rick, and he puts me on hold but doesn't hit the hold button, he just lays the phone on the table and walks over to wherever to talk to his dad about something. At first I couldn't make out what they were saying, but I remember overhearing something like this:
'Well, son, his parents have got it all planned out. The party at his house from oh-seven-hundred to ten-hundred, then that new Six Flags place on the other end of town.'
'Why would I want to go there? The park is stupid and the company would be unbearable. It's not like I like it here. I hate everyone here. Why can't we just go back to California. At least there, we had a beach, instead of this military prison hell.'
'You're going. That's an order, trooper. Believe it or not, you're doing your country a great service.'
'Yeah, right. Putting up with that kid should earn me a medal. I mean, he is so boring. Nothing fun is allowed to happen near him.'
'I don't care. You have your orders. Carry them out. Dismissed.'
'Yes, sir, Captain, sir.'
"Needless to say, I hung up at this point. After a bit of consideration and thought, or al least as close as a seven year old gets to consideration and thought, I kinda' ran a way for a while. That's the story of most of my self-induced condition. A method to prevent further emotional pain. If I have no close friends, then I don't have to worry about being hurt emotionally. Cruel but effective." The air around Alex suddenly became very gloomy and depressed, "And I'll leave it at that because background info number three is not the type of thing it's polite to discuss over any food or drink, save maybe hard liquor."
"Hey, I won't pry. What you've already told us sheds some new light on you." Katsuragi fell into thought between sips of her beer can.
"In reality, by saying you won't pry, you actually are, but I'll let that slide." Sterling swallows and takes a deep breath, "Let's just say, for now, that I didn't stay the beloved child of two proud parents much longer." The statement was finished with one of the classic 'don't even think about it' looks (not glares, looks).
Now Katsuragi was REALLY wondering, "Good enough, I guess."
"Shall we be off to bed? It's almost twenty-two-hundred and, contrary to popular belief, I, too, need sleep."
"Good night, then. See you in the morning for school?" Katsuragi yawned as she stretched in her seat.
"Yep. I hope everyone ~slight glance at Asuka~ will
be seeing ~noticable glance at Asuka~ everyone ~meaner, direct glance
at Asuka~ tomarrow. 'Night, all."
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Apartment #627 Tokyo-3, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan ^10:06PM^
Sterling was laying on his bed, staring up at the inky blackness of his bedroom ceiling, a shift in colors every time a car drove by, creating the illusion of great monsters below. Nice enough people.> he thought, More than easy to get along with. Ironic, isn't it, dumbass? The very things you did to prevent emotional pain are now causing you more than you could ever imagine.> he laughs to himself, at himself, for a moment Such is life. Have to start fixing it in the morning. Just like everything else in your life. Fix it in the morning. For now, Dumbass, just pray to whichever deity won the coin toss this week that dream doesn't come back.> He tossed his covers back over himself and passed off into the realm of sleep.
But the dream returned. The same dream that had haunted
him since that forsaken day. The dream that had only left the first time
he heard of his transfer to Japan; since hearing of the other countries'
EVA pilots; since meeting... her...
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Next Chapter (yes, there will BE a next chapter): On or about the First of May