Camille was riding around some vicinity in Hong Kong that morning on a motorcycle after he had bought some electronics equipment, some take-out noodles, and anything else he would need for "his" Gundam's maintenance and some other weird electronic stuff he'd be busy with in his off days--if he had any more off days lately, that is. So the stories were true, Camille told himself, Hong Kong was still as busy as it used to be when it was still occupied by the British in the old days.
He had never really gotten used to living on earth, even though it's been almost a month since he came here. It was almost like he had...less freedom like he had when he was in space. This might be what Quattro was telling him around a few weeks ago, that "one's soul was susceptible to be bound by earth's gravity" if one stayed on earth long enough, that's why Quattro was doing this. It almost reminded him of what Char Aznable would do, but in the Red Comet's case, Camille would think he would do something a little more...drastic.
True, Camille hated the Titans and the whole Federation itself, but he wouldn't go as far as destroying earth altogether...just like what he thought Char would do. Oldtype or Newtype, he just didn't care--he still believed in the power of humanity.
Why couldn't we all just get along? He asked himself, disgusted at the thought that in whatever time period, whether it be the "old days" or present times, there are still bigots running around spreading hate among humankind.
He thought it best that he should head back to the Agama as soon as possible before anyone suspicious (like that "asshole" Jerid Mesa) spots him and hits on him on the spot. He didn't really have anything to defend himself with at the time being anyway other than a measly monkey wrench he happened to take along.
Soon enough, as he was heading back to where the Agama was "parked" for the time being away from Titan eyes, some...thing ran across his mind, like some sudden spark of light flashing before his eyes. He immediately knew there was something...someONE very close by, and he'd reckon it was some kind of a...massive, powerful force--a feeling similar to that of the pressure getting into one's ears when inside an aircraft in high altitudes--similar to that when he had met Quattro for the first time. But then, maybe not, as the Newtype-like feeling was...very, very different from that of Lieutenant Quattro or even that of Amuro Ray. Very different indeed, Camille had muttered under his breath as he shook his head and scooted his motorbike off to where the Agama was.
Camille: (thinks) There's...something very bad that's going to happen, anytime soon. I just *know* it...
********************
A Mobile Suit Gundam / Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover
written by Lloyd Barrieses (kachiko00@yahoo.com)
Mobile Suit Gundam (c)1978 Yoshiyuki Tomino/Bandai/Sunrise.
Neon Genesis Evangelion (c)1996 Gainax/Project Eva./TV Tokyo/NAS.
All rights reserved.
This fanfiction owned and authored by Lloyd Barrieses. Any attempt to
steal this fic (i.e. putting your name in the credits) shall be met with
appropriate punishments. I'm serious, folks.
********************
[Act 6]
Episode 11, "Dissonance"
-------------------
This has just got to be the weirdest morning in the lives of the two Children assigned to pilot their respective Evangelions. Both of their arms crossed, Shinji and Asuka both STARED at Misato for making them wear such...humiliating get-ups as...
Asuka: (raises her eyebrow) A "dance"...?
Shinji: Misato, why the hell are we dressed up in these stupid leotards? And we're going to DANCE in them too?
Asuka: Heh, and I've thought you had the most *distinguished* fashion sense since you're older than us...you could have at least bought us some tuxes or something...
The two Children's commanding officer just put her hands on her hips and gave them a sarcastic look. She thwapped the pieces of paper (with what seems to be inscribed upon them a some sort of guide to some strange dance steps) on her hand and sighed as Kaji tried to hold back a snicker as he looked on at the two Children--they did look indeed freakingly stupid in leotards. If Amuro were here though, Misato would have guessed that he'd laugh his ass off upon seeing the two Children.
Misato: (leers at them) Quit complaining! Appearance is vital in order to create the mood for this kind of thing! The enemy shares ONE mind with TWO bodies, so it's vital that you two learn to move in unison. Memorizing an attack pattern based on music is the quickest way to master *perfect* harmony. We've only got four days, remember?
Kaji: Hmm, yes...and I happen to be the one who chose the music and done the choreography by the way. (grins at Shinji and Asuka)
Misato: Hmm... (looks at Kaji with a raised eyebrow) Well why are *you* here? I think I can do all of this by myself just fine, thank you...
Asuka: Aww, Misato...can't he just stay for a while so Kaji-san can see me show Mr. Sleazeball here I'm THE better dancer of the two of us?
Kaji: (pats Misato's shoulder) Heh heh, now, now...
And so Asuka and Shinji practiced on the "first part" of the dance all morning. The dance itself was a series of simple rhythmic exercises that must be done in perfect synchronization with one's partner, a little bit like simple aerobic exercises, even.
Much to Misato's displeasure, however, because the two Children were WAY off rhythm and synchronicity with each other; Asuka obviously going way ahead of the otherwise slow Shinji. Misato just shook her head and Kaji looked on, rubbing his chin, being unable to say something about what kind of humiliation the two Children were getting themselves into.
Misato: Umm...w-well, what do you think?
Kaji: ...oh, man. (gulps)
Misato: Looks like this will take more time than I thought.
Kaji: Kind of looks like..."the dance of the crane and the monkey", if you ask me.
As she was doing some dance step involving raising her hands and crouching, the 14-year-old redhead was just surprised at the sight of Shinji slipping and falling on his ass on the floor. What a clumsy fool Shinji is! she thought as they danced on quite stupidly all throughout the morning.
-----
This was definitely strange indeed, Bright had thought as he saw his wife and former White Base subordinate/navigator Mirai (née Yashima --Author) with their two adopted children within the vicinity of where he, Emma, and Reccoa were conducting a meeting with the daughter of one of the AEUG's financial supporters, Stephanie Luo of her father's Luo Industries. The four people were in fact inside some world-renowned coffee shop/restaurant named "Starbucks" or something like that.
Bright squinted his eyes to see his family across the street more clearly. It...seemed like Bright's 14-year-old son Hathaway had more than his 12-year-old sister Cheimin and his mum Mirai to keep him company...it looks like his son has some nice-looking unknown girl about Hathaway's age holding hands with him. Heh, Bright thought, Hathaway has a girlfriend?
Bright: Umm...would you excuse me for a while, Lieutenants? I think I see my wife just across the street...I'll go talk to them for a while, all right?
Emma: Umm... (looks outside the restaurant window) Sure! Umm...but hey, introduce us to Mrs. Mirai Noah and your two kids while you're at it, okay Captain?
Reccoa: Yeah! I mean, we're really anxious to meet them, right Lieutenant Emma?
Emma: Umm...right. Eh heh, go on Captain! (grins)
Captain Bright Noah of the Agama soon leaves the restaurant as the three women continue to discuss some more about whatever business the AEUG and Luo Industries have to discuss, although both Emma and Reccoa thought it'd be best if Bright would be the one to discuss business with Stephanie Luo. Anyway, maybe it'd be best also that the two AEUG ladies would let Bright have a brief reunion with his family for the time being as he'd nothing to think about lately but battle tactics and the like.
Even before Bright had approached her, her two adopted children, and their little friend, Mirai..."sensed" her husband just in the area. Other than that she knew that she was a Newtype (just like her old friends Sayla and Amuro), it was just Mirai's "gut feeling" that "told" her Bright was just around. Strange, she also thought, why was Bright here in Hong Kong anyway? Wasn't he supposed to be in space or something, manning that old Federation cruiser Temptation?
Bright crossed the street to see Mirai and their two children waving at him; it seems as if they had immediately recognized the patriarch captain and soon stopped in their tracks as Hathaway and Cheimin hugged their daddy.
Mirai: (grins) Hey there, honey. What brings you to earth? I thought you were still working with that cruiser Temptation, what happened?
Hathaway and Cheimin: Dad! (laughs) It's good to see you again, Dad!
Bright: Hey there, kids. Honey...it's a long story, but I'm no longer the captain of the Temptation anymore. I'm with the AEUG now--
Mirai: (gasps and looks around) The AEUG? Are you serious, hon?! Didn't you know the Titans have taken post somewhere outside the city and are patrolling every nook and corner of Hong Kong since yesterday?
Bright: Yes, I know that, that's why we've taken to wearing disguises and civilian clothing for the moment, as you might have noticed.
Mirai: Hmmm...(giggles and looks at him carefully) So that's why you're wearing quite a handsome Armani suit today, honey. Looks good on you, too! Heh heh... (hugs Bright)
Bright: Aww, honey. Hey Hathaway, who's the lovely young girl with you?
Hathaway: Oh! I almost forgot...Dad, here's my girlfriend from school, her name's Quess Paraya. Quess, this is my dad, you've probably heard a lot about him in the past...
Quess: How do you do, Captain? (giggles and shakes Bright's hand) I've heard a lot about you in our History class!
Bright: Quess...Paraya, isn't it? (shakes Quess' hand) How come I've heard that name "Paraya" before...oh, I remember! Your father Adenauer Paraya was the Federation's delegate from Thailand...
Mirai: (blinks) How did you know about that? Oh, don't tell me, I know. (snickers) You always had a keen taste for reading newspapers everyday, don't you, hon?
Quess: Mmhmm, he still is my homeland's delegate to the Earth Federation right now! (grins)
Bright: Hmmm...right, Hathaway. Cheimin, honey, have you been taking good care of your mother too like your brother Hathaway here?
Cheimin: Mmmhmm! (leers at Hathaway) Well I dunno about Hathaway here, he's always been picking on me lately again, Daddy! (makes a silly face at her brother) And...he seems to be spending more time with his gurrrrrlfriend here...it's almost as if they're--
Hathaway: Argh! You shut your piehole!
Cheimin: (sticks out a tongue at Hathaway) Nyaaaah!
Quess: (giggles) Hathaway, stop picking on your sister!
Bright: Hmm. Anyway...do you guys want to meet with my Lieutenants back there in that Starbucks thing just across the street? I'm sure they would want to meet with you guys too, especially you, honey.
Mirai: Hmmm... (looks at Emma and Reccoa who were waving at them from afar then looks at Bright with a raised eyebrow) Are you SURE they're JUST your Lieutenants in the AEUG, *Bright*? Both of them look really nice, you know!
Bright: Of *course* I'm sure, buttercup! (sweatdrops)
-----
Shinji Ikari felt like he was going to fall down at the snap of a finger as he and Asuka walked down a hall somewhere inside Nerv HQ at that time Misato had thought to be the best one for a lunch break for the two Children.
Shinji: Three straight hours of practice, right off the bat...I'm *beat*, Asuka... (sighs) And there's *more* after lunch...aww man I think I'm gonna--
Asuka: What are YOU whining about?! It's only difficult because YOU'RE such a klutz! Hmph, it would have been perfect already if I were by myself. Geez!
Shinji: Heh, yeah...if you *were* by yourself. But of course, you wouldn't have any intention of adjusting your pace for *me*.
Asuka: (grabs Shinji's ears and stretches them) YOU'RE the one who should adjust it, when you're dragging ME down! Aaaargh!
Shinji: Owww, damn it!
A brief moment later, some footsteps can be heard across the halls where they were in at that time. To both of their surprise, it was Commander Ikari who was walking towards a certain direction and looked like he was going to pass by them. Asuka immediately released Shinji from her grasp and greeted her supreme commander in the appropriate fashion; she didn't really want to be seen kicking the commander's son's ass around the Geofront, did she?
Shinji, in the meanwhile, looked away from his father, looking very sullen in a few seconds' time as he always did whenever he was in his father's presence.
Asuka: (blinks and grins) Oh...good afternoon, Commander!
Gendo: Good afternoon, pilots. How is it going?
Shinji: .....
Asuka: (grins) Just fine, sir! We'll definitely win four days from now!
Gendo: I see. (walks away from them) I will be looking forward to it.
Shinji: (turns around to face Gendo) --Dad!
Gendo: (stops and turns around to face Shinji) ...what is it?
Shinji: Umm... (his knees start trembling) W-W-We're about to have lunch...Dad...if you'd like...w-w-we could...
Gendo: (turns around and walks away from them) Sorry. I still have work to do.
The Nerv supreme commander's voice still seemed so...cold and uncaring towards his own son as he walked away to whatever place he intended to go for that day. Shinji just stood there, almost frozen in time. Why does he do this? Shinji asked himself. Am I not his son anymore?
And that was the last Shinji could ever see of his father--no, the *commander*--for that day. Shinji thought it would be more...appropriate if he had treated that man to be his commander rather than his father...although, he'd just be exuberant if just *once* his father would treat him as a son, not just another one of his precious Evangelion pilots.
Curious, Asuka just looked at the Third Child just standing there silently as he did, wondering what went on in her old friend's mind as he stared at the commander--or Shinji's dad, for that matter. She definitely had no idea what went on between the Commander and his son, but she knew this was pretty serious. The redheaded Second Child almost felt sorry for Shinji...and figured that she should cheer him up a little bit later for Shinji's own good.
-----
As Camille drove on towards the Agama, he blinked and turned around for a split-second, then turns his motorcycle around, heading towards a certain branch of the infamous coffee shop franchise Starbucks with a familiar maroon Lexus parked in front of it--Bright's maroon Lexus.
After parking his motorcycle, Camille went into the said restaurant panting like he was tired from running and almost grabbed Bright's collar to get the AEUG captain's attention.
Bright: Camille! Hey, slow down, boy... (pats his back) Are you all right? You look like someone's chasing after you or something...oh, by the way---everyone, this is Camille Vidan, one of my best pilots in the Agama. Camille, this is my wife Mirai, you probably know her already; and here are my two children, Cheimin and Hathaway, with his girlfriend, Quess. And this is Stephanie Luo, she's in charge of Luo Industries for the moment.
Stephanie: How do you do?
Mirai: (shakes Camille's hand and eyes him carefully) "Camille"? Isn't that a girl's name, son? Umm, I hope you don't mind mistaking you for a girl...
Quess and Hathaway: You mean--
Cheimin: He's a guy, daddy?
Bright: Umm...well, you see--
Camille: --no time to explain about my name. Captain, I think we ought to head back ship as soon as possible, I...feel something bad's going to happen any time soon, you know?
Mirai: So soon? But why? (thinks) He...felt *that* pressure too. This...Camille Vidan must be some kind of Newtype, just like...just like...
Emma: And we've only gotten started with the meetings, too, Camille. Heck, we haven't even ordered some of that rowdy mocha-cappucino stuff I've been hearing about, you know?
Reccoa: (yawns) Some party-pooper you turned out to be, Camille...tell me, is this another one of your Newtype premonitions or something? You better be serious this time...
Camille: Look, I'm serious here, okay? Let's just get out of here, quick!
Faint memories of Amuro in the old days started coming back to Bright and Mirai as they looked at Camille's serious expression. Well, he *sounds* serious, they both thought, why not?
Bright: All right, all right. Miss Luo, I am very grateful that we could meet for today on behalf of my supreme commander. When can we expect the shipment of our new mobile suits?
Camille: (thinks) New mobile suits...?
Stephanie: As soon as next week, Captain. Rest assured that the... (looks into a certain file folder) ...MSZ-006 "Zeta" Gundam and the new reinforcements of GM-II's will be brought to the Agama without any knowledge or interference of the Federation nor the Titans.
The blue-haired boy couldn't believe it; his little project was finally done and soon to be a tangible reality! He never thought a hare-brained scheme of combining certain aspects of the Rick Dias and the Gundam Mk-II could be such a brilliant one that even Anaheim Electronics themselves commended him for it. He had never guessed it would be so soon, though that it would be made. Nevertheless, his hard work in the old junior mobile suit competition had paid off quite well, he might say.
Bright: Good. (shakes Stephanie's hand) I thank you again for the time you've given us, madam. Umm...I'd also suggest you should take cover somewhere because...I have this feeling we will not be experiencing this peaceful morning atmosphere for any longer.
Stephanie: (shakes Bright's hand) Indeed. It was nice to meet your family, your Lieutenants and your...pilot, though. By the way...Camille Vidan, is it? (shakes Camille's hand) Excellent job on the Zeta Gundam, chap. You're...quite the genius for such a young boy. Well, I better get moving now as well. Zai jian! (waves at all of them and leaves the restaurant) Oh, and by the way...you wouldn't happen to be seeing Amuro Ray lately, have you? Anyway, tell him... (giggles) Tell him one of my superiors at Anaheim, some cute Kalaba mobile suit engineer named Chien Agi...tell him she "sends her love" to him, okay? (winks)
Bright: Umm...sure! Well, if I *do* see Amuro one of these days again... (thinks) Oh, brother. Amuro's at it again...
Mirai: Oooh! Amuro has a new girlfriend? Hey, but I thought Amuro still had the hots for Sayla? I wonder...
Stephanie: And tell him Chien says his new mobile suit is almost ready. She just has to make ends meet as to how she'd install this fancy gadget called the "psycoframe"...gah, anyway, I'm not much into that technical mobile suit stuff. I'll see all of you in a while. Man, I'll tell ya...that Chien Agi's sure one nice gal...anyway, Zai jian! (giggles)
Bright: Amuro's new mobile suit? Hmmm...well, *that* was quick. Anyway, would you want to come along with us on the ship, honey, kids?
Hathaway: Yeah, that'd be great, dad!
Quess: Mmhmm, mmhmm! (grins and nods)
Mirai: Honey, are you sure? I mean, I'd assume you guys are going into battle stations immediately and well, you know...I don't want these kids getting into harm or anything. Ambassador Paraya even trusted me with little Quess here personally, since you do remember that you've volunteered us to be her ummm..."godparents"...
Quess: (pouts) Aww, Auntie Mirai, did you have to call me "little"?
Bright: (ruffles Quess' hair) Ohh, don't worry about that. The ship is almost perfectly safe, more so when you guys are in the bridge because in the first place, the Agama has a state-of-the-art framework and armor placements anyway. And umm...I've quite forgotten about our being godparents with this little girl here, so Quess...I'm sorry if I didn't recognize you at first. Heh heh.
Quess: Oh, it's all right, sir! (grins) I've at least Hathaway here to keep me company anyway! (giggles and snuggles up to Hathaway)
Hathaway: (blushes) Uhh...
Cheimin: Oooh! He's turning red! (grins stupidly)
Bright: Hmmm...yes. Shall we go now? (gives the car keys to Emma)
Emma: (pouts and takes the car keys) But we haven't even ordered some of that freaky mocha-cappuccino crap yet! Aww...
Bright: Hmm. Well I suppose she's right, Camille. I don't think we ought to get out of here yet. It's not like we're already being chased after or anything, anyway.
Mirai: (nods) Yeah. Well anyway...umm, Camille, is it? Ahem...the Titans won't recognize you even if you just happened to pass by any of their patrolling groups or something similar...I mean, not ALL opposing pilots know each others' faces, right?
Bright: Honey, we still have to take precaution as his daddy *is* still with the Titans and for all I know I'd think his daddy would rather kill Camille here than spare him...
Camille: ..... (looks away and sits down)
Emma: ..... (thinks) Poor boy...
Camille: I guess you're right, Captain... (sighs) But still, I do have this strange feeling in my head...it's kind of like some kind of air pressure between your ears, kind of like these moments when I'd...well...when I'd sense another person's thoughts, only stronger...Mrs. Noah, I don't believe I have to explain it to you anymore, you know what I'm talking about...
Mirai: I...think I do, Camille. It's okay. You're a Newtype, just like me...and a few others Bright and I have known for a long time now. But...to feel what you feel so strongly... (shakes her head) I don't think I'd be, should we say, "up to your level" anyway, if you know what I mean. (grins slightly and pats Camille's head)
The blue-haired boy almost blushed at the sight of his Captain's wife's tiny grin as she ruffled his hair like a mother would to her child. The Captain must be so lucky to have known such a nice lady...
Bright: (rubs his chin) "Not being up to the same level", huh...wow, it's almost like another one of those old role-playing games...umm, but then I didn't really mean it that way, really. It's just that though I was born and raised in a colony myself, I don't really have any "heightened sense of clairvoyance" or anything of the sort. I'm...what the Zeon would call an "Oldtype" as well...
Mirai: (raises an eyebrow) Honey, you sound like you're degrading yourself just because you're an "Oldtype" or whatever. (holds Bright's hand) Heh heh...do that again and I might have to *spank* you. (giggles)
Bright: (gulps) Uhh...hon, we have kids listening here...
Quess and Hathaway: Ooooh...
Cheimin: (blinks) Why is it wrong in front of kids?
Camille: (scratches his head and thinks) Huh?
Bright: D'oh, never mind...*ahem*.
Reccoa: (covers her mouth slightly, gasps, and looks at Bright curiously) Captain, I didn't know!
While the others were busy making fun of the Agama's captain, Emma, however, slowly turned into SD/chibi mode and lay her head on the table looking like a tired little puppy dog. Also turning into SD/chibi mode, Each of Emma's companions blinked as they looked at her with a sweatdrop on each of their heads.
Emma: (in a silly voice) Can we get some coffee now?
All seven people couldn't help but laugh. Emma, having sort of a bewildered look on her face, scratched her head and wondered what they were all laughing about. Turning back into "normal-sized" mode, she just sighed and hailed for the nearest waiter, looking and reading through her menu...
Camille, however, had other things on his mind at the moment as he put his chin on his palm and looked out the café's window, having a faraway glance...
-----
In the meanwhile, back in Japan...
Misato, after a hard and somewhat grueling day of teaching two certain 14-year-old Evangelion pilots how to dance in perfect synchronization with each other, was just on the verge of finishing her phone call on her cell phone to a certain person in the Mont Blanc about certain requests to "borrow" the Evangelions after this mission.
Misato: "Borrow" them? Hmm, I don't know if I'm authorized to let you borrow the Eva's for any situation for the AEUG that may arise, I'd think you should ask Commander Ikari on this matter, Captain.
Amuro: /Ah...I see. Well, anyway, like I've told you, if there aren't any more of the Angels coming for Tokyo for the time being, as honorary members of the AEUG and the Kalaba, I would only think it's only proper that at least two of the three Eva pilots would be willing to go with us.../
Misato: Hmm. I think I might be able to do something about it, I'll go check with either Commander Ikari or Subcommander Fuyutsuki regarding this matter. Hmm, but then I would assume that the Children *would* have to undergo special anti-mobile suit training if they are to be...shall we say, non-regular members of the AEUG. I mean, they'd need it if they are to make sorties against the Titans or...
Amuro: (chuckles) /Oh, don't worry about that! Well, as long as I'd have the rundown on the basics of the Eva's mechanics we'd have no problem gauging the children's capabilities and other things that might come along with it. Captain Katsuragi, I...think I can see some kind of "potential" in your Eva pilots, especially Shinji and Asuka. Well, I just know they'll do good, heh heh./
Misato: (nods) Ahh. Is this aside from the fact that we all have suspicions about Shinji and Asuka being Newtypes? I mean...well, I don't know much about Newtypes myself, but...
Amuro: /Oh, it's nothing of the sort, really. Hmmm...I don't know about your third pilot, though...that pale-skinned girl with ice blue hair and red eyes./
Misato: Oh, you mean Rei? What about her?
Amuro: /I just couldn't put my finger into it, but...well, you know...heh, maybe it's just that I haven't seen her in battles yet, that's why I'm, shall we say, "doubting" her abilities as a pilot./
Misato: (giggles) Ehh, I'm sure she'd be a nice addition if she ever goes on special operations with the rest of the AEUG. She's a great kid, though she's just not very sociable, you know? Eh heh heh heh heh! (thinks) Nice try, Newtype...I've heard better lies than that. Hmm...what could Amu-chan be thinking...?
Amuro: (laughs) /Ahh well, if it's Rei's personality we'd *definitely* have no problems with that. I'd say just let her be if she's not *that* sociable to begin with./
Misato: Uh-huh. Hmm...you did say your superior officer Hayato Kobayashi had orders from the Agama itself that you should leave for Hong Kong, right? What's so urgent in Hong Kong that the Kalaba's presence is required there immediately?
Amuro: /Yeah, but he says he'll stay here with half of my troops while I go with Officer MacKenzie--and hopefully Shinji and Asuka--to Hong Kong to rendezvous with Captain Bright Noah and the rest of the AEUG./ (sighs and thinks) Good thing Char's in space right now...
Misato: (giggles) Well, if you're all going to Hong Kong, you might as well get Ritsuko and me some goodies while you're at it, ne? Well, of course, that comes with avoiding the Titans as much as possible. Yeah, yeah. (nods) Eh heh heh heh heh.
Amuro: /Eh heh heh heh heh. Anyway, this won't be much of a pleasure trip, you probably know that by now--/
Misato: Oh, yes, of course! Heh heh, work first before pleasure, right?
Amuro: /R...Right. Well...umm.../
Misato: Yeah?
Amuro: /This...thing with the Angel...do you think it'll end soon enough? I mean, I *have* to be following orders from upstairs, you know? Couldn't you just get the Angel while it's down there like a big pulp of crap?/
Misato: Just a few more days, Captain. Actually, even though the Angel's halves are just sitting around there like a big pile of crap, there's still the possibility of them of being just as dangerous as they are whole, you know? We might even have more trouble than we're worth if we just go out there and kick the crap out of that Angel's halves.
Amuro: /Oh...okay. Well, whatever must be done, must be done, right? Anyway I'd just leave it up to you with anything involving the Angel; we still have a lot of repairs to do with our mobile suits and everything especially the Mont Blanc itself, you know? I'd think Captain Bright could wait for a few more days anyway./
Misato: Heh heh heh. Well, I think I must be going now, I'd still have to make dinner for the two kids and my pet penguin. I guess I'll see you in a while, Captain. (giggles)
Amuro: /Yeah, same here. Later./ (ends the call on his cell phone) Her pet penguin? Gosh...Japanese people...man, I dunno what people like to keep as pets these days... (shrugs) I could have sworn she was giggling, though...ehh, anyway...
Misato turned off her cell phone just in time for Kaji bringing in some take-out curry yakisoba inside her office yet again somewhere inside Nerv HQ. As usual, she still had a lot of queued paperwork to be done involving the two Eva's last encounter with the Angel, but she never seems to get it done anyway for the lazy slob that she is (although she *does* get some of her work done, at times).
Kaji: Still have a lot of shit to do, huh?
Misato: (leers) Why are *you* here?
Kaji: Hey, don't look at me like that! I just thought you were hungry and all so I bought you some yakisoba and some other stuff here... (looks inside his take-out bags) Do you drink Diet Mr. Pibb?
Misato: Ehh, no thanks. I'm getting out of here anyway to prepare food for Pen-pen and the two kids. Umm...give that take-out food to someone else like Ritsuko or Lieutenant Ibuki or something...
Kaji: (rubs his chin) Mmmm...Ritsuko, eh? Well, that's okay, Katsuragi. Although...you did say you were going to cook food for Pen-pen, Shinji, and Asuka, right? (sweatdrops)
Misato: Yup! And I might even make something extra for Rei, too! (grins, then stares curiously at Kaji) Well why do you look all so flustered all of a sudden?
Kaji: (gulps and thinks) Well, I know for a fact that your cooking isn't as good as you look, my sweet Misa-chan...last time I've eaten your stuff, it gave me three days in the men's room...
Misato: (raises an eyebrow) Are you mumbling about something?
Kaji: Oh, it's nothing! Ummm...have a nice dinner, I guess. Eh heh heh heh heh! Umm, so...how are Shinji and Asuka going so far, would they be considered to pass in synchronized swimming now?
Misato: (sighs) Not yet...they need some more work on their movements and all. If there was only some way to improve on the both of them...Shinji seems to lag behind while Asuka's leaving him way ahead as far as the dance steps are concerned... (sighs) I should have left it up to the Kalaba to defeat the Angel, you know?
Kaji: Yeah, maybe you're right...I mean, I know that they *do* have the firepower to do it anyway, although I'd say that they should upgrade their weaponry and mobile suits just to be at par with the Angels. (nods) Yeah, I'd definitely think so.
The Nerv head captain of anti-Angel operations started picking up her things and arranging stuff inside her office as it *was* time for her to go home anyway. For a minute, she started to wonder what could the Angels want inside Nerv HQ that was so..."important" to them. Kaji noticed that his "self-proclaimed" (at least to him) college ex-girlfriend and Nerv colleague was deep in thought as he was helping her out, so he figured he should break the ice and go on with the conversation.
Kaji: So, umm...you *are* going to come back here, are you? I mean, you did say you were going to keep check on every move that Shinji and Asuka make, right?
Misato: (picks up her backpack) .....huh? Oh, yeah! Right, I'm coming back here as soon as I make dinner for Pen-pen and the Children, yeah...
Kaji: Are you sure you're all right? Hmm...well, if you're feeling tired... (hugs her and makes an attempt to kiss her) ...we could..."relax" for a bit, right, Misa-chan?
Misato: ...!! (slaps Kaji on the face...hard)
Kaji: Ouch. (rubs his left cheek)
Misato: Don't you have any clue, Kaji?! We're *through*, remember?!
Kaji couldn't help but just chuckle as he saw Misato storm out her office door, looking *very* pissed off. Looks like she hasn't forgiven me yet, he thought. He just rubbed his left cheek again as he locked Misato's office door behind him and reminisced some old memories when he was still in a relationship with Misato, years ago. Ah, the good old days indeed, he thought.
But then, Kaji could have sworn Misato's cheeks have turned a faint shade of red back there...
-----
Docking the Mont Blanc inside the Nerv Geofront was no hard task compared to the things that now-AEUG captain Amuro Ray's Kalaba regiment must do in order to avoid the Titans. It was a busy night in that large underground hollow called the Geofront, more so within the Mont Blanc itself because repairs were being made on what GM-II mobile suits Amuro's small fleet has left, and also with his own and Chris' respective Rick Diases.
For a moment, Amuro had remembered the first time he'd been "given" the Rick Dias; this was definitely not a Federation mobile suit. It kind of boasted some kind of Zeonic design to it...he had then assumed that former Zeon engineers were indeed working inside Anaheim Electronics. The plot gets thicker, Amuro mumbled to himself as he observed repairs on the mobile suits being made by partly AEUG and Nerv mechanics and engineers, the head of maintenance being the Mont Blanc's captain, Shiro Amada.
Chris: What are you mumbling about, sempai?
Amuro: Yikes! Christina, don't *ever* come up behind me like that again, okay?
Chris: Sorry! (giggles)
Amuro: ...right. Eh, I wasn't mumbling about anything important, just...thinking about stuff, you know?
Chris: (raises an eyebrow and grins) Mmmmhmmm. Well, this..."stuff" you've been thinking aloud about...it isn't about Captain Katsuragi and her cute ex, right? Come on, I know you better than that. I can tell she likes you a lot, just look at the number of times you've been calling each other on the phone!
Amuro: (tries to stay calm and blushes a little) It's nothing like that, Christina. Misa--I mean, Captain Katsuragi and I are just friends and colleagues in the same organization and we have to keep contact with each other as representatives of the AEUG and Kalaba and Nerv. I would have absolutely *nothing* to do with Mr. Kaji and Captain Katsuragi's affairs whatsoever because as far as I'm concerned I already have--
Chris: (pouts) Sempai, how can you stand someone like that blonde bitch Beltochika Irma? She's noisy, she's obnoxious, she even shouted at me when I was just *talking* with you! And she always seems to annoy the people around her with her mere *presence*, sempai! Aaargh! If it were me, I would have knocked out that ugly excuse for a face and--
Amuro: (sighs) Oh, Chris...hey, umm...could you just do me a favor and test out your Rick Dias if she's functioning normally now? I think our guys have finished making the last repairs on its right arm just a few hours ago--
Chris: --and I've checked it out a few hours ago, too! It's doing perfectly *fine* now, I must say, maybe even better than before, thanks to our Nerv buddies! What I don't like is the fact that you've been avoiding the fact that Captain Misato Katsuragi of Nerv *likes* you, Amuro Ray-sempai of the AEUG! (nudges Amuro) Come *on*, give her a chance, will you?
Amuro: I don't know, Christina...
Chris just pouted as Amuro walked away from her towards a nearby GM-II and did an ocular inspection of it, so she followed her superior officer and inspected another nearby GM-II. She, as well as Amuro, couldn't believe it either how the AEUG had obtained GM mobile suit models in the first place, since the GM-II's themselves *were* in line for the Federation's budget for future mobile suit projects amongst many others, to the extent of her knowledge when she was once still with the Federal Forces. The cute redhead then took a glance at her superior officer and gave a pout and a sigh, concerned for his disposition between two...make that *three* women; she almost forgot about AEUG Corporal Chien Agi, one of their representatives to Anaheim Electronics.
Nerv head engineer A: What should we do with about the cockpit monitors, sir? A lot of your GM-IIs' monitors have been quite hazy since your last sortie, sir...
Amuro: Do what you can, but I'd suggest you should fix the GM-II's head cameras and work on the apogee motors as well for increased speed and mobility. We'll never know if the Titans have made upgrades on their own mobile suits.
Nerv head engineer A: Yes, sir. (gets back to his work)
Chris: Tsk, tsk, tsk...
Amuro: (turns to Chris) What?
Chris: Gee, sempai... (shakes her head) You're hopeless, you know that?
-----
Yet again, it was almost nightfall when Bright decided to call it a day and head back to the Agama with his family and subordinates after quite a short afternoon of shopping and movies in Hong Kong. Actually, Bright thought they should have gone in sooner as he had suspected, as usual, that there are many "eyes" looking at them in secret. But then he couldn't risk losing this opportunity to be with his family once again and spend some quality time with them, so he went along and had fun with them. His two subordinates Reccoa and Emma had fun for that day as well since this was the first time they'd had fun in months, or even years. Camille, however, seemed to have that same concern as he had as he had noticed the boy glancing and looking around suspiciously.
But in fact, they *were* being watched. As Bright's maroon Lexus headed out of Hong Kong City, he began to have suspicions about that black car that was seemingly following them ever since they got out of the movie theater. He sped up a little just to make sure.
Hathaway: Hey daddy, I didn't know you had a Lexus! (looks around inside the car) Sorry for this, but well...this doesn't really seem too much, you know? Have you been giving this baby a tune-up or something?
Bright: Well, I didn't know you knew anything about cars, son. This Lexus isn't exactly mine, you know, it's my commander's car, and he just borrowed it to me and all.
Mirai: Well how come you haven't taken the responsibility of maintaining it, then? Your commander ought to be very displeased when he finds out you haven't been taking care of his car...hey, aren't we going a little fast, honey?
Bright: We have to go back to the Agama immediately. And I mean *immediately*.
Mirai: (squints at Bright) Is there something wrong?
Camille: (taps Mirai's shoulder) Mrs. Noah, if I may interrupt...do you see that black car behind us?
Mirai: (turns around) Well, yeah. What about it--oh my God. We're being followed, aren't we? Why didn't you tell us sooner, honey?
Bright: I'd figured we'd just keep ourselves cool until I can get us an opportunity to get out of the city, honey. There's no use for us having a big chase all over a crowded town because we'd just get caught anyway. We're just so lucky there are a few of these Titans around in the first place. (gets something from behind him and gives Mirai his handgun) You still know how to shoot, don't you?
Mirai: (eyes widen) What the...?! Of *course* I still know how to shoot, but you'll put your children in danger! Are you nuts?!
Bright: You just have to hold it if you couldn't shoot it. I'm sure Hathaway, Cheimin, and Quess know better than to just stand there and take friendly fire from you. Lieutenant Emma, Ensign Reccoa, you both know what to do.
Emma and Reccoa: Right, sir.
Mirai: But...!
Bright: Oh, *shit*! Checkpoints!
The captain of the Agama stepped further on the gas pedal and definitely did not intend to stop on what surely looked like a Titan checkpoint at the end of the road even when one of the soldiers was already waving his arms at the fast-approaching maroon Lexus. A shocked look on his face, the Titan soldier dived out of the way as Bright's Lexus crashed through the wooden gate of the checkpoint and sped on further away from the city.
Titan soldier A: Shit, he almost mowed me down! You, radio any of our nearest patrol cars and tell them to keep an eye on a certain maroon Lexus with plate number LBB-9378, ON THE DOUBLE!
Titan soldier B: Yes, sir! /All patrol cars near the vicinity of.../
-----
Mirai: (pants heavily) Whoa, boy! Looks like we're in for a nice chase tonight, aren't we? Bright, you *must* get back to your ship immediately! I don't want us getting caught and everything!
Cheimin: (hugs Emma) I'm scared...
Emma: (pats Cheimin's head) Shh, it's all right...
Quess: (hugs Hathaway) What are we going to *do*?!
Hathaway: (hugs Quess back) Well, the first thing you can do is not to panic...
Bright: Mirai, don't you think I want us getting caught too? Of course not, that's why I'm speeding it up and everything! Camille, as soon as we get to the ship, scramble immediately in the Gundam Mk-II with Emma in the Rick Dias and Reccoa in a GM-II, is that clear?
Emma and Reccoa: Understood, sir.
Camille: You don't have to tell me, Captain...oh shit, there's already three cars chasing after us!
And so the great big car chase lasted for around ten minutes or so, with Bright narrowly dodging bullets from their predators and with Emma, Reccoa, and Mirai shooting back at the three patrol cars pursuing them. Camille had already radioed the Agama to send a "welcoming party" for their stalkers as commanded by Bright himself.
And so, as the maroon Lexus had safely passed by a certain point off-road leading to a cave nearby, the passengers of two of the three Titan patrol cars were just shocked to see a beam gun shot coming from seemingly out of nowhere and totally destroyed one of their cars. In their shock, the Titan officers inside one of the cars signaled the other car to retreat and head for the Sudry immediately on the fact that the AEUG was definitely in China right now.
Bright, however, had foreseen this possibility and rushed towards the Agama's bridge as fast as he could. He had also immediately ordered available assistance and protection as far as his family and Quess was concerned.
Bright: Quess, you go with Hathaway, Cheimin and Mrs. Noah and our guards into my room. I don't want your father chasing my ass around just because you're not being taken care of. Camille, you go to the mobile suit dock and wait for further orders while inside the Gundam Mark-II. Same goes for the both of you, Lieutenant Emma in the Rick Dias and Officer Reccoa in a GM-II of your choosing.
Quess: R...right, Captain... (clings to Hathaway's arm)
Emma and Reccoa: Aye, sir! (both run off to the Agama's mobile suit hangar)
Camille: Like I said, you don't have to tell me, Captain... (runs off after Emma and Reccoa)
Hathaway and Cheimin: What about you, dad?
Bright: I'll be on the bridge, of course, where I should be. You should know better. You, however, honey...you come with me. I have a job for you to do.
Mirai: Huh? W-well...all right...
As the two parents separate from their two adopted children, Mirai ran up ahead of her husband and started to ask him about why he'd want her to go with him.
Mirai: And what job would you possibly want me to do?
Bright: Something you're very familiar with, honey, since our...*navigator* Torres is on sick bay for the moment. I'm pretty sure you get the idea now, honey, since I know you're the right man...err, woman for the job, if you know what I mean. (grins)
With a hearty chuckle, Mirai hugged her husband and went with him to the Agama's bridge clinging to his arm. It was definitely like...
Mirai: This is definitely like the old days, isn't it, Bright? (grins at him)
-----
It might be that Tokyo is, for a fact, an hour or so behind as far as Hong Kong's time is concerned, but in any case, Shinji and Asuka called it a day and went to their little "love shack" as Misato would teasingly put it, and as the two Children would vehemently deny against.
As per afternoon, Asuka had just finished her bath and took out a soda from their seemingly always-loaded Nerv-subsidized refrigerator. Bumping her butt against the refrigerator door to close it, she walked over to Shinji who was already on his own bed, yet again listening to his Discman playing some orchestral music collection CD, lost in deep thought.
To Asuka, it definitely looked like Shinji would rather listen to his own taste of music than the piped-in music that was playing inside their room, which would happen to be the same music they've been hearing all day long while practicing their synchronicity through some kind of a "dance" that Misato wanted them to do.
Asuka: (sighs annoyingly as she towels her hair dry) I can't believe Misato insisted that we should listen to this music even at *night*. (sits down beside Shinji)
Shinji: .....
Asuka: Aren't you, Shinji? (looks at him curiously and squints) Say...do you have a... (opens her soda can)
Shinji: (rises up from his bed and removes his earphones) .....
Asuka: ...a "father complex"?
And yet again, years of "friendship" with the pretty young redhead have proven that Asuka, with that familiar sarcastic tone of hers (that she happened to be using right now), was prying into Shinji's personal life.
Shinji: (eyebrows meet and eyes widen) *Now* what the hell are you yammering about?!
Asuka: Am I right? You wanted to have lunch with the Commander, didn't you? Now you're all depressed because he said no. Come on, Shinji, I know you better than that...we've been pals ever since we were kids, right?
Shinji: (hugs his knees) Look, Asuka...I don't have a complex. I...I hate him. So much that I wonder why he's my dad at all...but... (sighs) I don't really want to hate him. (hugs his knees tighter) That's just how I feel deep down inside.
Asuka: Hmm. Sounds complex to me. I think you just have this problem of being too self-conscious around him, you know?
Shinji: Well, what about *your* father, then? How well do you two get along?
Asuka: (drinks her soda) I don't have a father.
Shinji: Huh? W...What did you day? But I've always thought...then who was that whom you showed me in one of your pictures...did he die?
Asuka: Ahh, he was my mother's boyfriend. They married a few years back. What I mean to say is...I never had a real father in the first place. Have you ever heard of a sperm bank, Shinji? My "father", if you will, was one of the sperm that my mother withdrew from the bank. I was conceived in a test tube.
Shinji: (looks weirdly at Asuka) .....
Asuka: (looks back at Shinji) What's *your* problem?
Shinji: W...Well, I'd heard of sperm banks...b...but I've never for once in my life had seen the actual results! (sweatdrops)
Asuka: (grins) Uh huh, and listen! It wasn't just *any* sperm...my mother chose a *very* exclusive sperm bank. The donor passed a *strict* qualification test on academic background and character. Of course, the women have to be similarly qualified as well...
Shinji: (nods and grins) Uh huh...eh heh heh, t...tell me more! (sweatdrops and thinks) There's something *wrong* with a fourteen-year-old girl talking about all this...sperm...
Asuka: Yeah, and my father's was the best of them--from a genius scientist. So I was born through the combination of an elite sperm and egg. Which *means*... (smirks maliciously) I was a *chosen* being, a *special* person. You, of all people, Shinji, should know better. Heh heh heh!
Shinji: (cringes and thinks) Gee whiz...so that's what she was *really* trying to say. But... (stares at Asuka weirdly, still thinking) But how did such a *dysfunctional* person result from an elite sperm and egg...?
Asuka: Is that *disbelief* on your face?!
Shinji: But...don't you get *lonely*? Never having a father, I mean...
Asuka: (stares at Shinji for a second and sighs a little) It doesn't matter whether I have a father or not. If I was chosen from among many to become an Eva pilot...and I fight and defeat the Angels...and if everyone acknowledges those accomplishments...then I'd be happy.
Shinji: .....
-----
Titan response was quick and sharp as it was deadly; the Sudry immediately deployed its Zaku-II's across Hong Kong City and set them on patrol for any possible sighting of the Agama and the Radish and/or any of its mobile suits. Titan Lieutenant Commander Ben Wooder was almost furious that he didn't find out that the AEUG was just in the area and that he'd never guessed they'd be *so* close too.
Wooder: (rubs his chin) Clever, Captain Bright Noah...but not clever enough. Professor Cornell, is Four ready? Is the Psyco Gundam ready as well?
Namica: As a matter of fact, sir, it's been ready even before we've ever landed China, sir. As for Four...she's ready as well, as always.
Wooder: Good. Deploy the Psyco Gundam at once! All available hands, get into your battle stations and prepare for Level 1 combat! We may run into two of the AEUG's battleships so we should be careful. Engage immediately!
Sudry bridge operator A: Yes, sir! /All available hands.../
Sudry bridge operator B: /Psyco Gundam, launch! I repeat.../
Namica: But don't you think we'd be preparing the Sudry and Four a little *too* soon, sir? I mean, the AEUG still isn't exactly doing their raid on Hong Kong yet, you know?
Wooder: We have to be cautious at all times, even now that we know that the AEUG is here in Hong Kong. I've heard absurd stories about them actually standing out from among our forces both in space and here on earth even though from what I know they're only just a few people...so just in case, I may have to take it upon myself to take the AEUG down right here and now in Hong Kong, Professor.
Namica: I...see. Pretty confident that you will wipe out the AEUG at our combat strength, eh Lieutenant? Just...don't be so sure about it. We only have *one* Psyco Gundam, and Four still isn't fully augmented for battle yet. She...still has these streaks of emotion to be observed of her, but we aren't to worry about it. A few more of our tests and she will be the perfect Newtype breakthrough that the Federation has ever produced.
Wooder: You better be sure about this, Professor. From the looks of things, we could not afford to suffer any more losses from the AEUG. (looks out the Sudry's bridge's window) Fully augmented or not, Four *must* win this battle.
And indeed, just outside the Garuda-class Titan air fortress Sudry, the immensely monstrous 40-meter tall ebony MRX-009 Psyco Gundam takes its first large steps into battle, the earth rumbling against its large steps. The Titans-issue Zaku-II's around the Psyco Gundam would pale in comparison to the monstrosity they were "escorting" (as if the Psyco Gundam needed any escorting at all) as they moved out into the city and waited for the AEUG to come.
Four Murasame was, as always, silent inside the Psyco Gundam's chest cockpit. If one would try to look at her face right now, hers was a vacant one: unemotional, unforgiving...almost like a machine. Almost like the immense machine she was piloting right now...but somehow, at the corner of her mind, she feels...something different, something very distant. Some kind of mild pressure, an aura, similar to her own...but then, she just seemed to shrug it off and set her mind on her "assigned" task...
-----
Strangely enough, Camille felt some kind of an "evil" aura, a force not unlike his own or Quattro's. What little "pressure" of that aura inside his head slowly but surely grew as the minutes went by, but he tried to stay calm inside his white Gundam Mk-II, awaiting orders from the Agama's bridge to launch out.
Reminiscing what few good...and bad...experiences he had with the as a soldier of the AEUG, he felt this was just the beginning of his trials and tribulations...both as a human being and as a Newtype, as everyone he knew suspected him to be.
Breathe in, breathe out, he told himself.
Breathe in, breathe out...
-----
Mirai: Where to, honey...err, Captain?
The "newly-assigned" navigator of the Agama gripped the navigating wheel like she had done when she was the infamous Pegasus White Base's navigator; it just never crossed her mind that she'd be doing this kind of thing once again; but it was necessary. She trusted her husband that he still believed in her ability so she had accepted his offer to replace his bed-ridden navigator Torres without a complaint.
Bright: We are to avoid the city as much as possible, Mirai. Judging from the situation, I'd think the Titans are already scattered throughout Hong Kong. But still, we shouldn't underestimate what the Titans can do. They *did* use to be a part of the Federal Forces and are composed of the elite of all of us...
Mirai: But I'm surprised you didn't become part of the Titans even though you're still part of the Federal Forces a reserve officer, Bright.
Bright: I...just didn't feel right when they were drafting officers for the force, Mirai. I was right, apparently...
Mirai: (sighs) Well, anyway, I think I can still manage to be your navigator for the time being since navigating battlecruisers *is* still fresh on my mind, even though I've retired from the service when the One-Year War ended. Still, I need to know about the technical specifications of this baby here...I can tell it's faster than the Pegasus White Base, but can it withstand Titan mobile suits and weaponry, Bright?
Bright: Only one way to find out. Hmm...I just had an idea go through my mind. What if the Titans decide to come here and attack us directly? Damn bloody Titans...if we didn't let those other two cars go...I wouldn't worry this much...
Mirai: We'll just have to be prepared for that, Captain. After all, we do have two battleships and a good squadron of mobile suits in our arsenal, right? (squints) Or are you telling me you're chickening out already, hmmm?
Fa, tending to her usual bridge operator duties, couldn't help but giggle as she was overhearing this little husband-and-wife conversation between the Captain and, of course, his wife. Bright just didn't notice it, but the rest of the bridge operators were snickering as well. The captain of the Agama just gulped and tried to maintain his all-too-familiar austere trademark gesture that he's kept for the past seven years.
Bright: (sweatdrops) Ummm...of course not, sweetie.
Fa: (thinks and grins) Gee, I didn't know the Captain could be such a little man in front of his wife...
-----
Taking their positions across town, the fifteen Titan Zaku-II's await the Sudry's orders as they witness the enormous sable-colored Psyco Gundam make its way slowly towards Hong Kong City like one of those Godzilla films of old, their "mothership" Sudry following at a slow pace as well.
Yet again, inside the Psyco Gundam's chest cockpit, Four somehow...felt some kind of powerful aura just around the vicinity. She could almost feel that aura breathe in...and breathe out, like it was very close to her. Her hands began to shake lightly as Four had never experienced something like this before, much more that she had never been in a real anti-mobile suit battle before. She had finally realized that this *definitely* wasn't like one of those battle simulations that she had been taught to master.
Namica: /Four, are you all right? You seem a little...tense. Is something wrong?/
Four: (gasps) /N...Nothing's wrong, ma'am./
Namica: /...good. Await further orders from the Sudry while still aiming for the vantage point in the city. Over and out./
Four: (breathes in and out deeply) .....w...what is this that I feel...some kind of...pressure...in my head...it's very, very near...I...
The Psyco Gundam still continued to advance to that town in Hong Kong where the Zaku-II's had gone to. In the meanwhile, inside the Sudry's main bridge, Lieutenant Commander Wooder was considering some thought in his mind. He was thinking, since the patrol group who had chased after Bright Noah's car had given him the exact coordinates of the location of the rest of the AEUG...
Wooder: Let's move out to that cave that one of our patrol groups described as the location of the AEUG's flagship Agama. Do it immediately.
Sudry navigator: Yes, sir!
Namica: Don't you think it's a good idea just to stay in the city and await their arrival, Lieutenant?
Wooder: If I were the captain of the Agama, I would think of using another path as much as possible to avoid the Sudry and the rest of our Zaku-II squadron, Professor Cornell. Better to drive the rats out of their hole than to wait for them in our nicely laid trap. Besides, I don't think that they will be able to withstand the Psyco Gundam's power with their limited weaponry and all.
Namica: (raises an eyebrow and sighs boringly) As you say, Lieutenant Commander.
-----
Fa: Captain, I think there's a high concentration of Minovsky particle radiation coming this way, approximately 2.8 kilometers from our current position. It looks like that the Titans have sent some forward troops to attack us...something like three or four unidentified mobile suits at least. It also seems that there's another heat source slowly moving towards this way and that the other mobile suits serve somewhat as its escorts, Captain.
Bright: I see. Mirai, speed us up a little bit, we're going to meet these bloody bastards midway and wipe them out with what firepower we and our mobile suits have.
Mirai: Roger, Captain.
Bright: Fa, send a signal to the Radish to do the same as well. We will launch our mobile suits in twenty minutes or sooner depending on how fast we get to where the Titans are. Send a signal to the Radish also to launch their mobile suits in five minutes or less after we've launched our own.
Fa: Right, Captain! /Radish, this is the Agama. Be informed that we--/
Mirai: Looks like we'll be duking it out with the Titans sooner than expected, eh Captain?
Bright: It seems so, Mirai.
Mirai: Right. (turns to face outside the Agama's window and sighs a little) That boy, Camille...he's like Amuro, in a way...just like in the old days. Did you notice that, too?
Bright: I've noticed that the first time I've met him, honey. He was just as brash and as much as a prodigy as Amuro was. But somehow...I have this weird feeling that he's much stronger than Amuro than I've expected...
Mirai: Yeah, I...kinda noticed that too. (thinks) I can tell he's feeling scared right now, it's almost as if he's sensing something very big, something...something outright fearful, period.
And yet again, the sun slowly fades away into the horizon as night soon followed and a battle would soon ensue...again, between the renegade AEUG and the just Titans, between the earth's "rebels" and the "rightful" iron hand of the Earth Federation...
...and, one would have to wonder, between right and wrong?
-----
Hayato: /It's impossible that we should wait any longer for Nerv to make their final sortie against the Angel, Captain. Our presence is demanded immediately at Hong Kong, and we, the Kalaba, as one of the AEUG's active hands against the Titans, should be there when the AEUG needs us most. Amuro, I hope you understand./
The face of the leader of the Kalaba forces as shown on the visual communications link connecting the Mont Blanc to the Audomura was as stern and as stringent as his old superior officer in the White Base and the same captain of the Agama. Amuro sensed his old friend's seriousness and just sighed as he scratched his head and looked into Hayato's image in the monitor.
Amuro: Yes, Hayato, I understand. Suppose if Nerv wants to send their Evangelions as support for the AEUG as well, since they are bound to do so by their honorary membership with the AEUG, how will they be able to do that while we're heading for Hong Kong? I mean, we only have the Mont Blanc and the Audomura to transport cargo *that* big and heavy across the sea...
Hayato: /Not to worry, old friend. There will be provided a vintage aircraft carrier to carry the Evangelions across the sea into Hong Kong without any notice of the Federal Forces or the Titans, hopefully. Of course, measures must be taken by Nerv itself to ensure that the Eva's should be in their top class./
Amuro: I see. Well then... (sighs) When do we leave?
Hayato: /We leave for Hong Kong first thing in the morning, Captain, at around 0400 hours. Be prepared until then./
Amuro: I get you.
Hayato: /Well, that's all for the evening. I'll see you tomorrow, Captain--/
Amuro: Wait a sec.
Hayato: /What is it?/
Amuro: How is Frau...I mean, your wife doing? Is she okay with Kikka and Retsu? How are your two other children doing, by the way?
Hayato: (chuckles) /They're doing perfectly fine, Amuro. That's one of the reasons why I came here to Japan in the first place, to relocate them to my ancestral home in Okinawa and let them stay there and.../
Amuro: (chuckles) That's good enough for me. Hayato...one thing, though...
Hayato: /Hmm?/
Amuro: Are you sure Katsu is going to be safe in space with...with Char?
Hayato: (pauses for a short while then sighs) I'm pretty confident that Katsu can hold his own in outer space with Char. I only pray that he will not get into as much trouble as we've already had with the Federation as it is, you get what I mean, man?/
Amuro: Yeah, dude. (pauses for a short while then sighs) Char Aznable of the Zeon, now one of the top officers in the AEUG...it truly seems so short a time that we would all meet again in battle, huh?
Hayato: /.....indeed./
-----
Asuka blinked. It seemed that the boring pipe-in music that she and Shinji had been hearing for the past almost-18 hours had finally come to a much needed (at least to the two of them) stop. The 14-year-old German-Japanese redhead stretched and gleefully led her hand into the big-screen TV's dial while Shinji rolled over from lying down into an upright position, putting his chin over his palms and watched TV along with Asuka.
Asuka: Oh, yeah, finally! Some *real* entertainment! Hmm...if I remember correctly, that cute old soap opera's on at about this time, heh heh heh! Hmm...now if I could only remember what the title was...
Shinji: (boringly) I think it's called "Sazae-san", Asuka. By the way, I didn't know you were into soap operas and stuff like that, I'd thought you'd rather go for--
Asuka: Actually, Shinji, I'm *not* into soap operas and "stuff like that", okay? It just happens that they're preempting Bakuretsu Hunters and Cowboy Bebop for tonight, *so* this is the next best thing to watch for tonight. Eh?
Shinji: Say *what*?! Oh man...w-well, how about that cheap Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series OAV marathon thingy? I hear Volume 3's going to be shown for tonight...
Asuka: (raises an eyebrow and leers at Shinji) *You* watch that Tokimeki Memorial junk? (snickers) Heh, figures...but then, it's no good either. From what *I* hear Toki-Memo's going to be shown NEXT WEEK, not today.
Shinji: Why wouldn't I watch Toki-Memo? It's a nice anime program taken from the popular dating simulation game for that old vintage console Sony Playstation, and it's a good replacement for watching that Fushigi Yuugi crap *you've* been watching. (smirks) Heh, and here I thought I was the only one who's a bit into shojo anime...
Asuka: (face blushes *slightly*) Well *you* shut up! At least I'm not a fan of dating simulation games like the gutless, wimpy dummkopf that you are! (sighs and faces the TV) Schieße...this really sucks, doesn't it?
And so, the two Children watched on in silence at the said soap opera on television. Thirty whole minutes pass, and the program soon rolls its credits, a commercial soon announcing the news program that regularly follows after.
Asuka: Shinji...has it ever crossed you mind that...
Shinji: Hmm?
Asuka: Well...have you been reading some of those old history books about the wars that went on in the...err...Middle Ages? Yeah, most probably the Middle Ages...
Shinji: (rolls his eyes) Asuka, there weren't any "wars" that went on in the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages were a period of reformation in Europe that eventually led off to the Renaissance, a revival of culture and interest in arts from being--
Asuka: No, you bonehead, not *those* Middle Ages *or* the Renaissance, I meant the Middle Ages in the middle early 20th century, haven't you heard of World War II, Shinji? Nineteen forty-five, hello?
Shinji: What about World War II?
Asuka: (sighs and pauses for a short while) Well...remember "der Führer" Adolf Hitler and how he had led...*ahem*... (sighs deeply) ...his Nazi grunts into their infamous rampage throughout Europe and their terrible Holocaust of the Jews just because...they *think* they're the superior race and all that shitty crap that went on during that time?
Shinji: ...yeah, go on...
Asuka: Isn't it quite amazing sometimes that history seems to repeat itself in such weird ways? I mean, if you would remember from your uncle's old newsmagazines back when we still lived in Side 7 about the One-Year War, how the Zabi family-led Duchy of Zeon wanted to gain supremacy "in the name of all spacenoids", if you will, by eliminating the problem--the corrupt grip of the Earth Federation. They thought of this method as the "final solution" to all of "our" problems as spacenoids...apparently, as you might well know, just like the Nazis, the Zeon failed in their attempt for independence and supremacy in our colony system.
Shinji: Yeah, yeah, I know all of that, and eventually back in '83 the Federation made up some...gang or group of jackbooted thugs...err, "elite force", if you will, from within the Federal Forces to quell further anti-Federation movements named the "Titans". What's your point in all of this?
Asuka: Hmph. Well, it seems that history *has* repeated itself once again, but in the form of our cute, precious, little, shrewd bunch of bloody boneheads with cute pink ribbons-on-top Federation elite group, the Titans, what with these "rumors" going on about their gassing of 30 Bunch just because there was another Zeon anti-Federation thingy going on...I would think you'd get the picture, eh? The thing is... (shakes her head) I kinda feel like the Titans aren't there just for enforcement of laws within our immensely large colony system ever since I heard stories from Amuro-san that he'd heard from our AEUG buddies and all that crap. (heads for the refrigerator and opens its door) You want a soda?
Shinji: Y...yeah, get me some chips too. You know what, I feel like the Titans aren't there just for enforcement of laws, either. You'd think they'd want to...kill us all spacenoids off or something, like what the Germans did to the Jews...
Asuka: (stares at Shinji and throws him a soda can and a bag of chips) Shinji, you *have* to be kidding, with your tone of voice I'd almost think you were generalizing Germans to be Nazis as well. If you almost forgot, let me remind you I'm half-German as well and I'll tell you to your freaking ugly face that I'm *not* a Nazi or a sympathizer of the Nazis, all right?
Shinji: (catches the soda can and the bag of chips) Okay, okay! But let me tell you that I'm *not* implicating anything with my "tone of voice", it's just that I'm wondering about what this war with the Titans will all lead to and all. I mean, we *are* involved with the war right now what with that little thing with the Titans a few weeks ago...well, you weren't here when it happened, but still... (munches on the chips) It's inevitable that we should be involved with the AEUG's campaign against the Titans *any* time soon after our battle with the Angel. And I will not be surprised if we'll be branded as rebels or murderers or anything of the sort and...and...if dad would say anything about it at all, or Ayanami...
Asuka: Oh, don't be ridiculous. If us and the rest of Nerv joining the AEUG would help everyone to find out the truth behind all of this bloody war crap *and* if it would, of course, help me show the world how much ability I have as an Eva pilot... (smirks)
Shinji: (rolls his eyes and thinks) Oh, this is just fucking great. I should have seen *this* coming...again...God, she's flaunted her trademark pomposity two times in one day? What a record low...
Asuka: ...then everything would be all right, ne, Shinji-chan?
Shinji: Don't *ever* call me Shinji-chan again.
Asuka: (grins widely and laughs) Aww, but "Shinji-chan" sounds so *cute* on you, you kawaii little scumbag, you! (stretches Shinji's face)
-----
The Agama emerges out of its hiding place in a very large cave somewhere outside Hong Kong and looked as if it was ready for a thousand battles, along with its support battlecruiser Radish following slowly behind. As per her husband's order, Mirai tried to sneak the Agama out of the city and out of the Titans' sights as much as possible, but because a battlecruiser's launch time from the ground was terribly slow, Bright thought it upon himself to risk engaging battle with the Titans even if they didn't want to. Fa's Minovsky particle radar beeped constantly as she sees those same five figures she saw earlier now closing in on them, fast.
Fa: Captain, the five mobile suits detected heading this way seemed to have sped up! Permission to give orders to launch our mobile suits, sir!
Bright: Get to it. See to it that Camille and the others don't go far away from the Agama and keep them close by unless necessary.
Fa: Right, Captain...
-----
Fa: /So that's the plan, Lieutenant Emma, Officer Reccoa, Camille. Do you understand?/
His girlfriend's image on the communications link to the bridge was probably the only relief Camille had from the heavy feeling, that "evil" pressure he had felt inside his head for almost the whole day. Camille sighed, gripping his Gundam's navigating joystick or some other control used to move the mobile suit and looked back at Fa's image in his monitor.
Camille: I'll do my best, Fa. I'll be back as soon as I can.
Fa: /...../
Emma: /Camille, are you sure you're feeling okay? You've been acting...strange ever since you caught up with us this morning in the city. If you'd like you can just rest while we go out there and--/
Camille: I'm okay, ma'am, thanks for the concern...
Emma: /Okay...don't say I didn't warn you./ (cuts off her comm link to Camille)
Reccoa: /This is the first time I've piloted a mobile suit in *weeks* so you better cover me up good, since I'm using just one of our GM-II's, okay Camille? Do you hear me? (sees Camille nod on her visual comm link) Good. But that doesn't mean I couldn't kick ass myself. Just be careful you won't get hit with friendly fire from us *or* the Agama and/or the Radish./ (cuts off her comm link to Camille)
Fa: /Camille...just be careful and come back to me, okay?/ (frowns then cuts off the bridge's comm link to Camille)
A short while later and the Agama's mobile suit docking hull's hatch opened. Three other GM-II's other than Reccoa's positioned themselves onto the launchpad and got ready for takeoff. A few seconds later and Camille can overhear "Officer so-and-so, GM-II launch!" being shouted over their colleagues' radio links to the Agama's battle bridge, although they were a bit faint to begin with. Soon enough it was Reccoa's turn to launch in her GM-II...then Emma, in Quattro's old red Rick Dias...then him, in his white Gundam Mk-II.
Somewhere, at the back of Camille's mind, however, he wondered why the AEUG...and specifically Camille *himself* was getting involved with night battles so often...
Camille: Officer Camille Vidan, Gundam Mark-II, launch!
-----
Shinji was *so* sure Misato was still watching Asuka and himself with a spy camera, even now that the lights were off for most of the pyramidal Nerv HQ. At the back of his mind, he thought, he'd be better off sleeping in his own room in his old Side 7 home, if not his new "home" at Misato's residence. But then, he sighed, and thought it upon himself that this will do, even for the moment.
After all, he had to admit, Asuka *is* a cute girl. No adolescent boy in his right mind would pass up this opportunity to "sleep" with her, even on separate beds. But then, if that cute girl *was* Asuka...he'd rather pass it up.
Shinji lay down on his bed, lingering in the silence that prevailed in the room provided for them in this "special" mission by Nerv courtesy of good old Misato-san. *Well*, not quite *old*, but she was good nonetheless. Heh, Shinji thought, good example of a 29-year-old drunken slob who has this weird thing for keeping a pet penguin, maybe...
He lay his head on his palms, slowly sinking himself in deep thought, as usual, while listening to old 18th-century period classical music, a CD collection of works done mostly by Beethoven and Bach and some other geniuses of classical music at the time. Soon enough, he yawned; he thought it might be best to call it a day and sleep after a hard, grueling day of a dance workout. He took off his mini-earphones and placed his pocket CD player on the table next to his bed. He never thought of saying "good night" to Asuka anymore as he had assumed Asuka had already fallen sound asleep and she probably wasn't one for "good night"'s, especially with *him*, Shinji Ikari, Nerv's special "Third Child"...at least to Asuka.
But as Shinji covered himself with his blanket, he seemed to hear something strange that was just near him. Kind of a peculiar pattern of very faint sounds, he had thought.
Sobs?
...Asuka was crying in her sleep? Strange...but not impossible.
But why?
Asuka: .....*sniff*.....*piffle*.....
Shinji: ..... (thinks) ...talking in her sleep...?
Asuka: M...Ma...Mom...my...*sob*....
Shinji: (thinks) Hmph. Geez...she made fun of *me* so much--and yet she's so obsessed with her own mother herself. What irony...
Asuka: M...mommy...why? Why...did...you...have...to...*die*...?
Shinji: ...!!
Asuka: .....*sniff*...*sob*...
Well, this had turned into an interesting twist, Shinji had thought. Just when you think you know a person...they deceive you with their "mask" of arrogance. But it crossed Shinji's mind just then...that Asuka was a normal girl after all.
-----
Episode 12, "Shall We Dance?"
-------------------
Emma had just cursed under her breath as she took out two Zaku's; one, with two direct shots of her Rick Dias' beam pistol to the head and the chest cockpit; the other, after the other Zaku-II had attempted to assist its fallen partner but found itself being slashed away by Emma's Rick Dias' beam saber after a well-placed kick and punch. She was a bit used to night battles already since she'd undergone mobile suit battle training in space when she used to be with the Earth Federation's elite force that her opponents were in right now. Emma Sheen just wasn't used to battles in earth's gravity, though, so she took precaution on what might happen to her during this little skirmish with the Titans.
She just wondered why there was a double amount of hostile enemy mobile suits than what Fa had reported that the Agama had sighted to have been coming towards them. Seeing that there was that possibility that three Zaku's were going to team up on Reccoa's GM-II, Emma made a run for it and did a jumping dive for one Zaku, thinking about whether to shoot at it with the remaining ten charges of her beam pistol or to have at it with her beam saber.
Emma: Fricking goddamned creeps, I thought we had only four of these shitheads coming for us! (lands her Rick Dias full force on a Zaku and punches on its head, stomps at it repeatedly, then shoots at its head before shooting at Reccoa's opponents)
Reccoa: /I hadn't really thought about it either, Lieutenant! You know what I think?/ (takes out her beam saber and makes her GM-II do a sweeping kick on an opponent Zaku after slashing at its chest two times) /I would think these quacks have more of them where they came from, and what's more, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd take Hong Kong hostage because of us. Am I right?/
Emma: Maybe. (pants and makes a break for Camille's position after shooting another Zaku near her upside the head) You think little boy blue needs help back there?
Reccoa: /You go on ahead. I might be able to hold on until I run out of my fricking beam gun charges or something. Go *now*!/ (takes out her beam rifle while sniping at another distant Zaku)
"Little boy blue" apparently didn't need any assistance from anyone at the moment; in fact, he was the one who was helping his AEUG comrades out when they were in "dire" situations such as nearly getting their GM-II asses kicked by Titan Zaku-II's and such.
Still, that weird pressure that he had been feeling ever since that morning had slowly been...growing, to put it bluntly, and he had felt that it was getting...real close for his own good. Camille turned his Gundam's head around and saw it--a big, black, stocky, monster-like thing that did not look like a mobile suit at all coming towards his direction.
Camille: That's...that's the pressure I've been feeling... (bites his lower lip and trembles) This is it, the moment of truth...I have to get to that big black Gundam-like thing and kick this fucking pressure out of my head...
Of course, Four wasn't feeling very good either as she slowly made her way to the Agama's direction, what with the little white Gundam about half her own Psyco Gundam's size was coming her way looking like it was going to attack her. Four's reflexes would have to be fast for this time around as she knows that the Psyco Gundam, while being almost impermeable to any attack, was quite shabby when it comes to agility and such. Not that she cared much for agility at the moment anyway, she just wanted to get that ominous pressure out of her head once and for all.
Four: .....that Gundam...I... (starts to sweat lightly) ...why do I feel fear, right now? It's not like I'm going to be defeated...but still...ahh...I... (starts to breathe heavily and makes her pace faster towards the Gundam Mk-II) I don't care, I just...I just...
The pretty young "artificial" Newtype with short teal hair shrieked as her enemy Gundam Mk-II hit home at her Psyco Gundam's shoulders and chest with three beam rifle shots as it headed towards her at a frightening pace, the impact just slightly shaking the frame of her immense mobile suit's chest cockpit. Four gritted her teeth as she tried to gain back her balance and flipped some of one of her joystick's controls, firing the Psyco Gundam's head vulcan gun turrets at the Mk-II's direction, eventually hitting two or three of the enemy Gundam's GM-II companions and destroying them.
Four: (angrily) Stand still, little white Gundam! It will take more than your puny friends to scratch me! Nnnngggraaaahhhh!!
Camille shielded himself from the destructive blasts that ensued from his GM-II allies with his Mk-II's shield, and along with it, the Psyco Gundam's vulcan gun attack from it's big ugly head.
Camille: Tch! No choice than to have at it close-range! If it's one thing I hate, it's close-range battles...but then, I have to...
The white Gundam Mk-II jumped up high in the air using its "backpack" boosters shooting at two or three surrounding Zaku's first before making the coup de grace on the biggest black Titan mobile suit he'd ever seen. Using only his intuition and not caring enough to snipe at them with the crosshairs, Camille used up the last of his beam rifle charges before throwing the said beam rifle itself butt-first into the Psyco Gundam's ugly face.
Four almost never saw the beam rifle throw coming and narrowly swatted it away just in time; that would have been her imminent end if the attack had hit home. Her Newtype-like heightened senses failed her, though, when the little white Gundam had deployed not one, but two beam sabers at once after throwing away its wasted shield and supposedly decided to attack her melee-style. She wasn't to be underestimated, Four whispered under her breath, and deployed her own version of a beam saber--quite a larger one than the standard mobile suit's beam saber, one could say after seeing it.
Camille gasped in surprise as he saw the enemy's *long* "beam saber"--more like a beam sword--come out from under the larger Gundam's forearm and attempted to lunge at him, for which he had successfully blocked with his two inferior beam sabers, referring to their size compared to the Psyco Gundam's own melee weapon. Camille made his Mk-II jump away from the larger Gundam, rebounded off a nearby cliff, and yet again made a diving attack for the Psyco Gundam's head, trying to slash away with two beam sabers and alternatively firing at it with his own seemingly ineffective head vulcan gun shots.
Four: He's coming at me again...! Stubborn little...!
Camille: God damn it! This guy's tough! ...!! What the...?!
To his surprise, Camille found himself almost at the end of a precarious situation as some kind of cannon-like mechanism protruded out of the monstrous enemy Gundam's chest and, as if his opponent was taking aim at him with the chest cannon-like thing, faced him. The enemy Gundam's "eyes" seemed to glow for a split second before the chest cannon fired at Camille with what seemed to look like one of the Agama's main beam cannon attacks.
Camille: Fucking shit, this is *not* good! (gasps and dodges just in time, landing on the ground and rolled back up to his Gundam's feet)
Four: Tch, missed!
As Four had missed her intended target, she hadn't missed any of the Gundam's allies anyway and totally obliterated two more GM-II's. She prepared for another attack with the Psyco Gundam's chest beam cannons, but it would take another forever of a minute to recharge. Just damn her luck, she thought, as the stubborn little white Gundam tried to have at her once again and just *try* to scratch her "invincible" Psyco Gundam.
-----
Bright: Fa, radio Camille to be careful for imminent friendly fire. We are going to try to damage that big Gundam in any way possible so as to help Camille out there. All main cannons, take aim at the enemy and fire!
Fa: Yes, sir! All main beam particle cannons, fire at our target! I repeat, all main beam particle cannons, fire at our target! /Camille, can you read me--/
-----
Another unidentified force was coming at her, she sensed. Four's eyes just widened when she realized she was soon to be in the middle of the enemy ship's main beam particle cannon attack--pity she couldn't just simply dodge in time and avoid the attack, and she took it quite painfully. Her pilot helmet's thought receptors were just a little bit *too* sensitive that any amount of significant damage to the Psyco Gundam would reverberate on her head.
Four screamed in harrowing pain as she took the Agama's main beam particle cannon fire and fumbled for the next move to make, whether to fire at the little white Gundam that was pestering her or eliminate the other evil presence that was the Agama. She cursed under her breath as she found out that the enemy ship was out of range and decided that she should take out all of her enemies *near* her instead. Just as the little white Gundam was going to charge at her again, Four caught its head just in time, pushing it away from her at the right distance so she can have at it with the Psyco Gundam's chest beam particle cannon and...
I am not going to lose, Camille repeatedly told himself, breathing in a deep and hard regular pattern and gathered all of his strength to push back at the big black Gundam with full force. Camille screamed at the top of his lungs as he made his Gundam's feet struggle to push back at the bigger Gundam using the Mk-II's body.
A bloodcurdling scream and what seemed to be a sudden wave of psychic energy was what Four had heard and felt go through her head like a sharp spear when the pint-sized white Gundam forcibly pushed back at her superior-in-size-and-armor Psyco Gundam.
This was definitely not good, Four had thought, and a split-second later, a blanket of fear had soon enveloped her, making her slim youthful frame tremble like a little child scared of a big monster of sorts. She couldn't quite comprehend what immense force that the enemy Gundam had wielded at the time, so she had thought it best that she should fall back...for now. Breathing in and out and obviously terrified, Four wiped off the sweat off her brow and almost fumbled to flip the right controls from within her cockpit to make her escape, what with only one of her Titan mobile suit support squadron was left anyway.
Four: (gulps and breathes heavily) P...pressure...n...no...get away from me...NOOOO!!! Aaaahhhh!!! (struggles to take off her pilot's helmet and ease off her collar)
To Camille's surprise, he saw the immense, stocky, black Gundam transfigure itself into what looked like its mobile armor mode and sped itself out of his presence along with what was left of their enemy Zaku's. For a brief moment, he just stood there, amazed at the events that had happened that night and wondered about his opponent. Somehow, somewhere at the back of his head, he kind of felt his opponent's feelings while he was fighting him.
He could even almost hear what the enemy pilot had been thinking right that instant, although his perception of it was just so...blurry at the moment, maybe it was due to his exhaustion or some other cause. He just shook his head and gulped, heading back for the Agama, slowly sinking deep in thought.
Emma: /Camille, Camille! Thank God you're safe! We have to go back to the Agama immediately for repairs and further orders. On the double, Camille! Camille? Are you listening to me?/
Reccoa: /Just leave him be, Lieutenant...I think he's pretty tired from all of this fighting that's happened. Let's go ahead of him./
Emma: (sighs) /All right, Officer. Camille...I want to talk to you when we get back on the ship, okay? So you can tell me what's wrong and all.../
Camille still kept his silence as the Gundam Mk-II headed on its way back to the AEUG mother ship, still sinking much deeper in thought. It truly was the first time he'd ever been in *this* kind of battles, even though he's been through a lot for the past few weeks from the first time he'd ever gotten employed in the AEUG.
Camille: (thinks) A...a woman...? In that Gundam...?
It was quite a...weird moment for Camille. Sure, he'd gotten into night battles in the past, and he'd even gotten to do dogfights in the darkness of space...but this was different. This was like none he had ever fought before...after he had just *sensed* that this particular pilot was none like he had ever fought before, very unlike that last one he had fought a few weeks--or was it months?--back...
As Camille loosened his pilot suit's collar and took off his pilot helmet, the white Gundam Mk-II still stood there in silence as if it were also lost in thought like its young pilot, not caring enough to notice what was left of his other AEUG comrades heading back to the Agama in quite a hurry.
Fa: /--mille! Camille, do you hear me?!/
The young Newtype's little reverie was broken when Fa's angry/worried voice sort of pierced through his eardrums, the said girl's pissed-off countenance also filling the mini-screen somewhere on his monitor. Camille gulped amidst heavy breaths and turned to look back at Fa's image on his cockpit monitor.
Camille: Huh?! Oh...y...yeah, I hear you...
Fa: (sighs) /You better head back to the ship, Camille. Captain's orders, which I assume you didn't hear for the first time. Camille...are you okay, honey?/
Camille: Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking of something, that's all...
Fa: /...../
Camille: Oh, now don't look at me like that, baby. I'm...I'm perfectly fine, see? (grins)
Fa: /I'll meet you at the dock. Over and out.../
Oh, great...now I've got her worried all over again, Camille thought as Fa's image in a "window" somewhere on his cockpit monitor went off with a little beep. He had thought it best he'd better head on back to the Agama immediately...and just as immediately, he had anticipated that Bright had new orders for them. He just didn't know what those orders were...yet.
-----
The Agama's briefing room was filled with AEUG pilots and personnel alike, and where there was a group of people in a room together, there sure were numerous discussions floating about. These discussions were mostly about what the Captain of the ship has to say; some, about the losses and victory of the last battle; others just wanted to take some rest. Fa, leaving her post to another person on duty at the bridge, was more concerned about Camille's condition than what Captain Bright Noah has to say in a few minutes. Fa hugged Camille tightly as Bright tapped his pointer stick at the head of the table. All murmurs and mumblings died down as the AEUG soldiers present at the briefing room looked at the stern Captain's face and awaited his latest announcement.
Bright: (sighs) It appears that we will be on the run from now on as the Titans have discovered our secret hideout. I am expecting reinforcements to come in any moment now so, as you might have noticed, I have specifically ordered that the Agama and the Radish should head on out of Kowloon's shores immediately and that we should head on over to Aberdeen in this little island over here... (points to something on the map of Hong Kong behind him) If we hurry enough I think we should be able to get there and head on over to the Titans' new base in New Guinea with new supplies and mobile suits. Our Anaheim Electronics informant Stephanie Luo had just called me during our battle and said that some new mobile suits are waiting for us there. The Titans have no knowledge of this movement that we're planning and I would guarantee our safety in getting there provided that the Titans don't strike now as we're on the move. Any questions?
The little room was again full of little soft murmurs going around amongst the AEUG soldiers, pilots and personnel alike. Bright had assumed that he and his few good men will once again be put in an unstable situation like the one that had just taken place. He tapped his pointer hard on the table again, trying to keep order in the room. The voices once again had died down to the Captain's point of order in this meeting.
Bright: I will have silence in this meeting, men. Good. Now, we *won't* go to New Guinea right away after landing in Aberdeen as we *will* be re-supplied with our necessities and hopefully, from what Miss Luo had told me, upgrade our current mobile suits' respective performances and whatnot. So that means, we will have to stay for another little while here in Hong Kong City while watching out for our asses in hopes that the Titans won't find us or pursue us. I know this thing's risky, but it's a necessary risk. Besides, I'm confident that the Titans won't find out right away where we're headed *or* what we're about to do where we're headed anyway. And I'm confident too that at our current state we can still hold out on our own. (sighs) Look alive, ladies. See it this way: at least the AEUG, despite having close calls in the past as we've seen, still hasn't been quelled by the Titans. I don't know if it's just that the Federation hasn't done its homework or we're just lucky. Let me remind you people that the Titans may strike at any time, so be on your guard if ever there will be an emergency. This meeting is dismissed, men.
Murmurs resumed among the AEUG's top brass as they each went back to their respective positions in the Agama, taking into mind their captain's little speech that had just finished. Emma gazed at Camille for a short while, but didn't bother to talk to him as she's rather leave him alone with Fa for a while.
Reccoa: Camille seems...a little bit off after that little fight he had with that enormous Gundam, huh?
Emma: "A little bit off" is quite an understatement... (sighs) I wish I could help him, but ever since that battle, he's kind of like...well, more secretive of what he's feeling than he usually is...
Reccoa: Hmm. I wonder...
-----
A mere soft hug and a gentle kiss on the lips were the last things Camille have had from Fa for that evening, he had thought as he lay down on his personal quarters somewhere in the Agama. His little round "friend" Haro imitated Camille by staring at him silently and curiously as his "master" stared at the night sky silently and despondently as well. But then, Camille had no time for idle games with Haro for the time being, that's why he had put the ingenious little green ball of AI on "silent" mode.
Camille sighed. All throughout the past hours he thought of nothing but that...woman inside the larger Gundam's cockpit. If it weren't for his quick senses as a Newtype, he certainly would have been killed...but then, that's not the issue. That pilot seemed...scared, to say the least. But why? Camille asked himself.
Was she really scared of him?
Had his..."powers" gone to be so fearsome, after being in conflict with the Titans for quite a short time?
More importantly...will this ever be the last time he'd meet her again in battle? The young Newtype, shaking his head, just tucked himself into bed and hugged a pillow beside him. This was definitely not the last time they'd meet in the battlefield...or out of it.
-----
It was Sunday, early morning--4:00 in the morning exactly, when Shinji got up from his bed and, as usual, made his daily routine of cleaning himself before going out into the world lest he look like a deranged pervert--at least in Asuka's opinion, that is.
This was funny, he thought. He was actually duped into "living" with Asuka for the time being just for this particular anti-Angel operation, and worse than that, he didn't give any consent to it either. Well, it wasn't as if living with Asuka *was* a big deal, he thought, I mean, she *was* a family friend ever since he was but a wee infant. Of course, he had also thought, those memories weren't *all* good, even though she was, for the most part, saving his ass when he was in trouble. But then, he was just a little bit glad that it was Asuka. At least he knows her quite well now...
Shinji: (thinks and remembers Asuka crying from last night) ...do I?
The Third Child shivered as he finished peeing into the toilet bowl, washed his hands then washed his face with soap and water. Picking up a random glass from two inside a mirror cabinet, he soon brushed his teeth and looked at his visage in the mirror in front of him.
He looked at himself quite carefully, then stopped brushing his teeth to stare at himself some more. It wasn't as if he had forgotten to remove something dirty from his face, nor was it as if he just wanted to make a fool of himself of being "handsome" in front of a mirror.
As much as he would hate to admit it, but as the days go by, he was slowly but surely noticing his wretched father's facial features coming out of him. Great, he thought. This is just great...now I have to look at Dad's face whenever I look at the mirror...
But then, he noticed something different as he gazed on at his visage in the mirror, toothpaste suds barely coming out of his mouth and all, making him look like a madman. He didn't really look at all like his father, he realized...and then, after spitting out the stuff inside his mouth, he smiled a little. He just realized that he, more or less, "saw" his mother in him.
Shinji: Mom...I wonder what she looked like, when she was still alive...I could barely remember...but it was just seven years ago when we had last met, I'd guess... (sighs)
He then gasped in surprise, his still-unharnessed Newtype senses going off again, but this time, it was quite the wrong time for it. He gulped as soft, heavy footsteps came up behind the bathroom door. No, it couldn't be a thief, Shinji thought, Nerv security was too smart for thieves at a place like this. He then thought...
Shinji: (sighs and thinks) Oh, great. She *had* to come here at a wrong time. (turns around) Asuka, I'm still busy here, go awa--what the hell?!
Yes, there she was; the redhead apparently had her arms raised forward, and her face seemed *really* scary, although her eyes were closed...at least to Shinji, that is. Well, not *that* scary, actually...more like silly, as she still has that gross flaky stuff on her eyes and she was salivating, too. God, from egotistical prodigy to sleep-talker to sleepwalker...what more surprises could probably beset him from living with Asuka?
Asuka: Zzzzzzz......braaaaaaiiiiinssssss........
Shinji: Oh, God. (rolls his eyes and thwaps his head)
-----
It was at the same time that the Mont Blanc was on its way to Hong Kong, more specifically, to Aberdeen, after Amuro had made apologies to Misato that he couldn't help Nerv in their problems with the Angel for the time being. He explained that it was an order of urgency for the Mont Blanc's presence from Captain Bright Noah himself and that Hayato Kobayashi, his "slightly" superior officer in the Kalaba, would provide transportation for the Eva's if they were at all needed by the AEUG at any time. But that transportation wouldn't have to be the Audomura itself, he explained further, but some other vessel that the Evangelions would fit in.
Misato had just agreed with a sad sigh on the phone, and after finishing their call, Amuro had ordered that the Mont Blanc should immediately prepare for launch, which they did at around twelve minutes past 1:00--about the same time that Camille had fought the gigantic ebony Psyco Gundam. It was now 4:19, Sunday morning.
Amuro: How much more time till we get to Hong Kong?
Shiro: My navigator tells me we should be there at around two more hours, sir.
Amuro: Couldn't we speed up just a little bit?
Shiro: I'm afraid we can't, sir. This is about as fast and as high as we can get without the Federation or the Titans noticing our presence due to the high concentration of Minovsky particles that we have been emitting to cover our tracks. And besides, we have to keep up with the Audomura's speed so as not to leave it like a sitting duck for the Titans, sir.
Amuro: Damn. Anyway, that's just fine, if we can get to Hong Kong at this rate. (sighs) if it's not one thing, it's the other, eh?
Shiro: I guess so, sir.
Amuro: Hmm... (looks at Shiro for a while) You haven't been to space, haven't you, sir?
Shiro: (relaxing in his captain's chair) Never been to space, Captain. Why do you ask?
Amuro: (looks out the bridge's windows) I was just wondering, that's all. You *do* know we'll be involved in space combat one of these days, right sir? I mean, you've only worked on your abilities as a land fighter in a mobile suit rather than immersing yourself in zero-G environment, as from what I've seen in your records, right?
Shiro: I know that, sir. I don't think I'll ever get used to space combat in a mobile suit, but I'll see what I can do.
Amuro: ...right. Oh, by the way...how's your wife...Aina's her name, is it? Aina Sakhalin, once a Zeon pilot like Ensign MacKenzie's fiancé Bernard Wiseman...where's your family staying, by the way?
Shiro: Oh, she's fine. She and my twins are staying over in our home in Pasig City, somewhere in the Philippines. (chuckles) Heh heh, we'll be having our second child this March, you know. Oh, look, here... (gets something from his pocket and gives Amuro a small photo from his wallet)
Amuro: (takes the photo) Fraternal twins, huh? Hey, your wife looks really swell, doesn't she? Are you sure she's just...ummm...twenty-eight, twenty-nine years old, is it?
Shiro: Heh, yeah...come to think of it, Captain, I haven't seen you with any girl lately. I hope you don't mind me asking you this, but...as someone older than you, Captain, I really think you should go out with that nice girl with the black hair in Nerv. She seems such a nice match for you, even though she's older than you are. I don't know, it's just a gut feeling that I have. What do you say, Captain?
Amuro: Ummm... (gulps and chuckles) I don't think my lovelife's going to be the issue here again...eh heh heh...
Chris: Ooh, he's blushing at the mere *description* of the goddess of Nerv, Miss Misato Katsuragi! I wonder...hey sempai, as someone who's older than you I would agree to the old man's suggestion here! Why don't you just go on and hit on her like you've been fantasizing about for the past weeks?
Amuro: "Fantasizing"?! What the hell do you mean? And I won't "hit" on Misato because she's already got that ex-boyfriend of hers hanging around her anyway and in the first place I already have a lot to worry about as in the field of being in love with the opposite sex, okay?! Geez!
Chris: Well, then, sempai, why are you overreacting?
Amuro: .....take a hike, Chris. Just walk away, VERY far away from me...I am not going to have another one of these arguments, okay?
Chris: (pouts) Spoilsport!
Shiro: Oh, brother. (whaps his head and does an acerbic grin) Would you two just stop bickering like two kids and try to figure out what we'd do if we ever do get near China and ultimately, to Hong Kong? Jesus Christ...
Amuro: You heard the guy, Christina. (raises an eyebrow and stares at Chris)
Chris: Hmph! (sighs) Okay, okay. As long as Amuro-sempai lets me in on the plans even though I'm not really qualified as I *am* just one of the Kalaba's and/or the AEUG's ensigns--
Amuro: All right, all right, come on over here. Now listen carefully...
-----
Two more days, Misato thought. Two more days till Shinji and Asuka will have to fight the Angel once again, but this time, the Kalaba won't help them. It's all fine, she told herself, it's as if they'd need the Kalaba anyway to finish this operation...although she *was* a bit saddened that Amuro wasn't around--no, no, she's not in love with Amuro, she's in love with--
Kaji: Two more days, huh?
Misato: Huh? Oh, yeah...two more days...I wonder how we'll do against the Angel this time, even without the Kalaba or the AEUG...
Kaji: Ahh, don't worry. It's not as if even the latest mobile suit models' weapons would be able to pierce through an Angel's A.T. field anyway...unless of course, we have some Newtypes on our side, hmmm?
Misato: (nods) Right...all right, you two, enough with the warm-ups. Let's do the same routine as before, okay? One, two, three...
Asuka and Shinji take their respective starting poses for their synchronized dance as their two older superiors and strangely enough, Rei, watch on inside a certain Nerv mini-gym. As the two danced on for the first few seconds, it was okay, but the two Children got a little off-rhythm from each other. Misato just shook her head and clapped her hands as a signal for Asuka and Shinji to stop what they were doing.
Misato: Okay, stop that! (sighs) Shinji, pay attention to the music! You're *still* being too self-conscious.
Shinji: O...okay, sorry...
Misato: Asuka.
Asuka: Yes, ma'am--
Misato: (crosses her arms) How many times do I have to *tell* you *not* to leave Shinji behind?! Try to *synchronize* your pace with Shinji's next time, all right?
Asuka: I can't do *that*--you're asking me to lower my abilities to *Shinji's* level! Shouldn't *he* be getting in synch with *me*? (looks at Rei) Besides...why has the First--I mean, Ayanami--been watching us since yesterday? It distracts me...how am I supposed to concentrate?
Misato: Hmm. Fine, then. Rei...
Rei: Yes.
Misato: Could you try for a sec instead of Asuka?
Rei: Yes. (walks towards Shinji's direction)
Both Shinji and Asuka were quite surprised with this turn of events. Use Rei instead of Asuka? They both thought. What was Misato thinking in doing this?! Rei soon assumed the starting position of the dance, and a few seconds later, Kaji turned on the music as soon as it had been rewound.
This...was quite an interesting sight, for Asuka, at least. Why was Ayanami shadowing Shinji so...so...perfectly? What was it that she had done wrong? She was doing it the *right* way, why does the First follow *Shinji* when she cannot? No, it had to be...it has to be...
Misato: Ahh, good form, Rei and Shinji! (glares over at Asuka slightly) If Unit-00 weren't being repaired...we'd pair Rei with Shinji without a second thought.
Asuka: .....fine. Why not just send her in my Unit-02, then?
Misato: Asuka?
Asuka: ..... (runs out of the room) Excuse me...!
Misato and Shinji: Asuka!
It took about around two seconds of silence in the room for Misato to act as if she was pulling her hair off and scream in an angry/worried tone of voice. Kaji just sighed and leaned against the wall behind him, turning his head from the door that Asuka had just gone through to Shinji's general direction.
Misato: GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! We don't have time for *this*! Geezus...so much for the jealousy gambit...!
Kaji: Shinji...what are you still doing here? Go after Asuka.
Shinji: What...? B--but...
Kaji: (chuckles) This is *your* job too, after all.
And so, Shinji did go after the pissed-off Asuka after five or so minutes of looking for her, finding her sitting down inside a certain gazebo in an open veranda somewhere outside the gym room they were in just earlier. He walked over to her, but he kept her distance from her so as to save his ass from the redhead's wrath, so to speak. Asuka hugged her knees and pouted as she sensed Shinji's presence, but not quite in a Newtype kind of sensory perception. It was more like she heard his footsteps coming up behind her.
Shinji: (sighs after a long pause and looks around) This...Geofront is almost no different from the colony, huh? Artificial day and night, lush greens, you name it...it's all here. Heh...
Asuka: .....
Shinji: The only difference is that we're bound by Earth's natural gravity instead of being almost always being in zero-G and that this Geofront isn't really as populous as where we came from. Don't you just miss being in space, Asuka? I know I do. (leans against one of the gazebo's posts and sighs) I miss all of our friends in the colony. I miss those times when my uncle would just make us some special sushi and green tea. I miss all that floating around like silly idiots and everything, I'm sure you remember all those times when we--
Asuka: What do *you* want? Why did *you* follow me?
Shinji: (looks at Asuka) Hmm...sorry about that... (thinks and gulps) Uh oh. I don't know what to say...
Asuka: ...why am I the one to get yelled at? I'm doing it *perfectly*. *You're* the bumbling klutz. *You're* the slowpoke. Why take it out on *me*?!
Shinji: ...sorry. I'm doing my best, really... (sighs) Maybe if you *relaxed* more...
Asuka: ...!!
Shinji: Sure, you're good at piloting your Eva, and you've graduated from college already at 14, but...you're still just a kid, just like everyone else.
Asuka: (turns towards Shinji and stands up) Are you trying to give *me* advice?!
Shinji: Advice? Not really. But don't you get *tired* of it? Pretending you're Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes in front of Misato or Kaji...it's just so...unnatural, you know? You don't have to force yourself...
Asuka: Oh, shut *up*! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!! (points a finger at Shinji) You have NO right to say this to me! Who the hell do you think you are?!
Shinji: Sorry. It's just that...I used to be like that too, so I understand.
Asuka: YOU?! Understand ME?! What a laugh!
Shinji: .....
Asuka: .....
Shinji: Sorry. (turns around and walks away from Asuka and sighs) I'll go back now. If you need me I'll just be in our room. Heh...as if you'll "need" me now, anyway...oh well, later, then...
And all that Asuka could do was stare at the ground, thinking about what had just happened. It was very...unnatural of Shinji as well, to give her..."advice", she had thought. And as something inside her conflicted with her scarred pride, Kaji just looked at the two Children from afar and puffed a smoke with a little grin on his face. Heh, he thought, children these days...
Asuka looked up at the Geofront's artificial "sky" and once again, sitting down, hugged her knees close, sinking slowly into deep thought about all that has happened in just the wee hours of the morning.
Shinji, you big idiot, she thought. You *don't* understand how I feel...
-----
Mirai: You know, Bright...I was just wondering if...
Bright: (looks up from under his desk) Hmm? Hathaway, Quess, don't play with those books. Those are not mine you know...if you happen to damage any of those, Commander Brex will--
Mirai: Children, don't make any mess in this room, okay?
The boy in question looked up from the book he was reading with Quess and Cheimin and pouted. Quess, though, didn't really seem to mind her boyfriend's mother's remark as she continued to read through one of Brex's books inside his office, something apparently titled "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring". Cheimin also looked like she was taking interest in what her brother's girlfriend was reading, so she read on.
Hathaway: But mom, dad, we aren't doing anything *really* rowdy in this room! Well...at least, not yet, but well...dad, your supreme commander seems to have quite an interesting trove of books here and everything...
Quess: Ho-hum...Captain sir, I don't mean to be rude, but hasn't your commander heard of CD-ROM's and stuff like that? I mean, we're in the Universal Century right now, year 0087 even!
Bright: Well, it just seems that our supreme commander is a low-tech guy and I couldn't do anything about it, all right? And even if I did, well, I know people like these, they tend to be really stubborn, you know?
Cheimin: But Daddy, can we at least just sit down on the couch over there and read his books? (nudges Quess with and elbow softly) You know very well that Hathaway and I love to read books and "all that stuff"...
Quess: (blinks and looks at Cheimin) Hey!
Bright: All right, all right. Just don't disturb me, okay?
As the three children each went diving into that couch in question, Bright finally found the pencil he was looking for after a few minutes. He almost yelped as he bumped his head under the table standing up and finally getting back to his chair.
Mirai: (gasps and rubs her husband's head) Are you sure you're all right, honey?
Bright: (chuckles) Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. Weren't you saying something earlier?
Mirai: Well, like I said, I was just wondering if the Titans would follow us all the way to our destination point or anything of the sort. As per both of our experiences in the Federation I'd think the Titans had already tapped into our communications lines and already known of our plans, right?
Bright: I'm expecting that. I'm not really fully depending on our current firepower anymore as I'd estimate we've exhausted a lot of it when we were fighting in the mainland a little bit earlier, but I'd still think we'd hold our own even for a little bit longer. Or...at least until Amuro and the others come.
Mirai: (sighs) You know what, I'm even worried that Amuro and the others might be captured and taken hostage just because they want us to surrender or something like that...
Bright: What with these current developments, I wouldn't be surprised if the Titans would take anyone hostage just to make the AEUG surrender, even if that isn't really following standard military protocol. And I'd doubt if they'd resort to hostage taking at a really public level as the whole world and her colonies know that the Titans *are* the Earth Federation's right hand. God knows what these bloody bastards are up to.
Mirai: In any case, I'm glad your navigator Mr. Torres is already up and well, although I can still feel a fever from him...well, you know, I just feel like it's the old days again and I kind of feel a responsibility of being a "mother" to your crew...
Bright: You know what, I was just wondering why you four people are in Hong Kong anyway and what you're doing here.
Mirai: (blinks) Have you forgotten already? We live here, silly.
Bright: Oh...right. I knew that. (picks up his phone receiver when he sees its little red bulb blinking) Yes? ...okay, I'll be there. (ends his call) I have to get back to the bridge immediately, want to come with me, honey, kids...?
Mirai: (shrugs) Well, if it's okay with you, I guess...I'd think it'd be best, though, if the kids would stay here. I wouldn't really want them to get into any trouble while they're in the bridge. (turns to the three children) Quess, Hathaway, Cheimin, we'll be going to the bridge for a while, okay? Don't make any mess while you're staying right here in this room, okay?
Quess: Yes, Mrs. Noah...
Hathaway and Cheimin: Yeah, mum...!
As the old couple went out the room apparently talking about some matters involving moving out into space again someday, the three children sneaked towards the automatic sliding door and opened it just slightly to see if they were gone. When they did confirm that they were gone, though, they all sighed almost in unison.
Quess: (frees her hair of her ponytails and scratches her head) Geez, your mum doesn't have to treat us like kids all the time! We're mature already to know when to mess around and when not to mess around...
Hathaway: I guess so...
Cheimin: Hey, I have an idea, you two. Have you both ever wondered what the inside of a battleship is? (grins) I have. Heh heh heh.
Quess: You mean you want us to go around this ship and see the sights while not being seen by your folks? (grins) That would be great, Cheimin! What do you say, Hathaway? Don't tell me you're too chicken to just merely be taking a tour around your daddy's ship! (grabs Hathaway's hand and drags him)
Cheimin: Yeah, don't be such a party pooper, you big bonehead! (grabs Hathaway's other hand and drags him) Come on, it'll be fun!
Hathaway: Well...okay...but you two better not blame me if mum and dad would see us anywhere outside this room...geez, you two are such tomboys, you know that?
Cheimin: (snorts) Heh...
Quess: (baps Hathaway on the noggin) Well, *excuse* me for being such a tomboy, Hathaway Noah! We just don't want to stay on this ship and be bored all day now, do we?
Quess and Cheimin look at each other, did a high-five, and giggled as Hathaway just gulped and went along to his sister's and his girlfriend's still-unrevealed wily plans. After all, he did always want to know what a space-type battlecruiser looked like from the inside...
-----
Four felt like her head was going to split in half as she woke up from a dream that she had immediately forgotten as soon as she had opened her eyes. As she was about to rise up from her bed, however, someone very familiar stopped her from doing so. As her vision cleared, she saw it was her doctor who stopped her. Four couldn't make out what her doctor was saying at first, but it all became clear to her a few moments later as she regained her consciousness of the world around her.
Namica: --so you see, we have to keep you here until you're at your full capabilities again. We'll be administering some of your medicine a little bit later after you've eaten your meal. (smiles at Four and holds her hand) You're going to be all right, Four. I promise you.
Four: (nods weakly) ...okay...
Namica: (puts Four's food tray at her lap) I'll be back in a while.
The mysterious woman just blankly watched her doctor leave the room and sighed as she started to playfully fidget at her food. Somehow, she felt her "own self" had been "restored" to her the moment she had woken up. But then, Four still doesn't have any memories of any past she might have had, save that first moment she had "woken up" at her doctor's lab.
"Four Murasame"...she had thought. What a weird name for her to have. What a weird name for someone to actually give it to her. Somehow, at the back of her head...she felt that this wasn't the real "her".
She hated her name.
She hated herself for being deprived of her own memories.
She hated the people who gave her name to her, and who promised her that they would bring her memories back...they were still unfulfilled promises, she thought, as she stared at her ceiling and lingered in the deafening silence of the infirmary room she was in.
Four: (softly) What an ugly ceiling...
But she had to obey them, no matter what. She had to obey them, even if she didn't want to.
She had to get into that wretched black machine again, to have her "own self" robbed from her once again, to follow her superiors' orders once again, for a cause she didn't even care to think or worry about.
Just because of a promise that these very same people will bring back her memories to her as soon as she defeats...
...as soon as she defeats...
As soon as she defeats the one who has touched her mind so deeply, it scared the bejesus out of her the last time she had met him. Yes, the pilot of that little white Gundam, her...her enemy.
Her "enemy"? She wondered.
This artificial Newtype..."strengthened human"...had never been so free ever since she had encountered this..."enemy" of hers.
Four: ...I...I must find him, that Gundam pilot...I must...find the answers to my questions. But then... (sighs) I'll still have to stay here, I'll have to play along to their stupid games...again...
She just hugged her blanket and wiped her tears with it.
-----
Misato just scratched her head in frustration as Ritsuko's fingers tapped on at her laptop's keyboard, just on the brink of finishing some reports for the "upstairs people" at Nerv and as Kaji put a mug of coffee in front of Misato. It had just been a very taxing turn of events for Misato that Sunday morning, much more when she had expected Asuka to come back since it was already 2:00 in the afternoon, but she didn't. As she stared at the mug of coffee in front of her, Misato just sighed as she put her chin over her palms, her elbows resting on a table in front of her.
Misato: So Asuka didn't come back, after all...the battle is tomorrow, but they're still not in harmony with each other. Heh, what a disaster.
Ritsuko: Mmm-hmm. (turns off her computer and looks through some papers on a clipboard)
Misato: Maybe we should go with the Shinji-and-Rei idea, what do you think? Well...it'd be quite risky, though...
Ritsuko: Shall we do a run-up for Rei and Unit-00?
Kaji: (rubs his chin and grins slightly) No. It's still too early for that. One more night, Professor Akagi...one more night. Sometimes that's all it takes, you know?
-----
After much caution in getting to the island just off the mainland coast of Hong Kong, the Agama and the Radish finally land somewhere in Aberdeen, a certain town in Hong Kong. Lucky for Bright and his crew, the secret hideout that Stephanie Luo had provided for the AEUG was quite well hidden in this little town, so at least for the time being the AEUG can wait while being re-supplied with new ammunition and of course, as promised, new mobile suits. As per Bright's order (and Stephanie Luo's suggestion), the Agama and the Radish hid themselves within some dense woodland in Aberdeen's vicinity.
But then, oddly enough (at least to Bright and Fa), Camille didn't go out and try the Zeta Gundam for himself just yet, which the people who had known him would expect him to be very exuberant in seeing his hard work "come to life", so to speak. Like what he had told Bright and Fa, he needed some time to "breathe in some fresh air", so to speak, before promptly heading for his motorcycle and leaving (though, not without Hathaway, Cheimin, and Quess who begged Camille to come along with him). Fa was worried most of all, for Camille seemed to spend a lot less time with her lately as well, what with something bothering her boyfriend at the moment. Whatever it was, Fa can only wish she knew.
Bright: ...wait a minute, Hathaway and Cheimin. You too, Quess. Didn't your mother and I tell you to stay in my office? These woods can be dangerous, and what's more, you'd never know if the Titans *have* followed us here or not!
Camille: We'll be all right, Captain. (shows his AEUG-issue .45 caliber pistol) Although we're all practically the same age here, I'd think we could pretty much take care of ourselves. Besides, I'd think your kids and Quess here need some fresh air too or something, you know?
Bright: (whaps his own forehead) Jesus Christ, Camille...okay, I'll let you go. But you better take *good* care of my kids and Quess, all right?
Hathaway: Don't worry, dad! We'll be fine.
Fa: (softly) ...Camille...
Camille: (stares at Fa silently for a second then looks up to Bright) We'll be back in a short while, don't worry, Captain...take care of yourself, Fa... (rides off with the motorcycle with the three children on "piggyback")
Even for layman's eyes, the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam was truly a remarkable piece of equipment if there ever was one. The AEUG engineers who did a test run on its performance were truly impressed as they had given some reports to the Agama's captain for observation.
AEUG engineer A: Captain, sir, this is quite a piece of work that Camille's done, if what I've been hearing is true that he personally engineered this baby's capabilities and all...
Fa: (sighs and looks at the Zeta from head to foot) .....
Bright: (looks at Fa briefly and sighs) Y...yes, indeed. (looks through a clipboard of the Zeta's mechanical specifications)
AEUG engineer B: (harnesses himself down from the Zeta's cockpit) I would have to admit that Camille did quite an excellent job of combining the RX-178 Gundam Mark-II's mobility and speed with our very own MSA-009 Rick Dias' armor and firepower. With this thing, I'd bet we can win this war against the Titans as soon as possible!
Bright: We couldn't be too sure of that yet. Remember, this is the "Earth Federation's right hand" and God knows what kinds of mobile suits they've been developing under *our* noses to quote Lieutenant Commander Quattro Bajina. I'm sure you can all remember that big black Gundam we've fought last night and I'd *really* hate it if I could see a thousand of those tearing us apart. In any case, take care of the Zeta while Camille's not around, all right?
AEUG engineers A and B: Yes, Captain! (salutes Bright and gets back to their work)
Bright: (looks at Fa) Are you all right, Fa?
Fa: (looks back at Bright sadly) Do I look like I'm all right, Captain?
Bright: No need to snap back at me like that rudely, Fa. Camille just needs some time alone for the time being, you know? Maybe he's just tired and all, I'm sure you haven't been able to have a decent rest ever since we've gone on the run from Florida. Come on, why don't I treat you and Mirai for a drink at the canteen, all right?
Fa: (nods weakly) I guess so, Captain...it's just that...Camille and I...haven't gotten to talk to each other much lately, and I'm really, really worried for him...it feels as if though he's slowly slipping away from me...
Bright: I'm sure we can have a decent conversation with the Mrs. for that kind of situation. Let's just head back to the bridge and pick Mirai up from there, all right? And cheer up, for heavens' sakes...
-----
Shinji had been bored out of his wits for that day, rummaging through what little luggage Asuka had brought for this "mission" and the shelves and corners of their little room for any more DVD's or video tapes or *anything* he might get his hands on. So far, he only found a few "Ayashi no Ceres", "Dragon Ball Z", and "Card Captor Sakura" tapes he'd managed to dig up from Asuka's stuff and a few DVD's some newfangled anime called "Hunter X Hunter" and "Berserk" somewhere in the room. Shinji was quite a bit surprised at the fact that his childhood friend had some interest in shojo anime such as the ones he had just found; it was then that he once again realized how little he knew Asuka. He wasn't surprised at finding a Dragon Ball Z tape in Asuka's trash, however, as he had expected Asuka actually liked, well, anime with generally an action theme.
He shook his head at the thought that Asuka, since he had theorized that she liked shojo anime, might also like yaoi anime. He then shivered and told himself, nah, Asuka couldn't eve POSSIBLY like yaoi anime...
In any case, to help eliminate his boredom, Shinji popped in the "Berserk" DVD into the player and started watching good old medieval hack-and-slash action anime. Never had he seen such remarkable stuff ever since he had seen the Slayers marathon that the local movie theater did when he was still living in a Side 7 colony as a kid. This is neat stuff, he thought, as he finished the last of three DVD discs and had thought of watching that "Hunter X Hunter" OAV thing next. Shinji was unaware, though, that Misato and Kaji were still watching him from a certain hidden camera somewhere in the room.
His thoughts also kind of wandered over to how this kind of anime had survived through the years, even though it *was* U.C. 0087 and all. Oh well, he told himself, if anime made from around a hundred years ago was THIS interesting anyway, why not? He just grinned as he pictured himself being tutored by Asuka about how the whole Universal Century calendar started and all that, with the year 2040 AD roughly being U.C. 0000...
Shinji nodded as he calculated it all by himself. That would make U.C. 0087 roughly equivalent to 2127 AD. Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm. Wow.
Anyway, enough of math, Shinji told himself as he looked at the clock on the wall. "4:32 PM," it said. It was really getting late now, he told himself. Where the heck was Asuka? Shinji began to worry if Misato's "hare-brained battle tactics" of putting him and Asuka under one roof for a few days while making them move in synchronization with each other was really worth it. He soon threw popcorn at the assassin Killua Zoldick's...or was it Sakura Kinomoto's?...face on the TV screen out of frustration for his old friend and sighed.
Shinji: (lies down on his bed and turns off the DVD player, listening to the same "boring" pipe-in training music) Asuka's not back yet. I wonder where she went... (sighs) Maybe I said too much. I always make things worse...
-----
Misato: Tsk, tsk, tsk. (shakes her head and stares at the hidden camera monitor) "One night", you said. "One night is all that it takes," said the great Ryouji Kaji. I mean, look. Asuka's still not there. Man, am I gonna get my ass fried this time...
Kaji: Hmm... (puffs his cigarette and puts it out) Asuka can get through with this, I'm sure of it. No need to be so grouchy, my li'l cute Misa-chan. (grins)
Misato: You call me "Misa-chan" again, I'll break your--
Kaji: See, what did I tell you? Asuka's already back. (points to the hidden camera monitor)
Misato: (fumbles for the monitor) Oh my God...she's back...
-----
Shinji gasped in surprise and rose from his bed as fast as he could as he saw Asuka just come through the doorway and into their room. Her countenance, as Shinji stared at it seemed a little more...composed and momentous than she'd ever been. Shinji gulped in anticipation as Asuka's eyes rolled over to his line of vision and met his gaze.
Shinji: Asuka...
Asuka: (grins evilly) ...you think you can just *say* things to me?
Shinji: (heart skips a beat in horror) Uh-oh...
To his surprise, though, Shinji's eyes almost bugged out at the sight he was about to see. Asuka didn't walk over to Shinji and beat him up as he had expected; instead, she walked over to some corner of the room, leered at something above her that looked like a mere loudspeaker...
And then, leaping up into the air, she smashed the "loudspeaker" with a kick and a yelp. Shinji examined the debris that ensued from Asuka's attack at the "loudspeaker".
Shinji: A spy camera?! Asuka, what the heck are you trying to do?!
Asuka: (leers at Shinji and crosses her arms) Isn't it obvious? Training, Shinji. Training.
-----
The last thing that Misato saw on the monitor was Asuka's peering gaze, and *boom*, she had just lost any further visual on the two Children. Nothing but static, so to speak. Misato clenched her fists and gritted her teeth as she stood up.
Misato: What the hell?! (starts to rush out the room) I'm going to check on them--
Kaji: (catches Misato's arm as she was about to rise) Now wait a minute there, Katsuragi. Let's just leave them alone...it would just be awkward if you went up there and--
Misato: What?! You act like you know what the hell they're up to!
Kaji: (suddenly puts his arm around Misato's waist and grins slightly) Don't make such a scary face! Hmm...we can..."enjoy" ourselves here, Katsuragi. We're all alone, you know. (caresses Misato's cheeks and closes in for a kiss and softly says...) Mmmm...it's been years since we...
Misato: .....!! (then out of nowhere, slaps Kaji HARD)
Kaji: (rubs his cheek) That hurt.
Misato: (gets back to her chair looking and feeling REALLY pissed off) It was *supposed* to, you dumbass! What makes you think I've forgiven you?!
Still rubbing his cheek, Kaji just grinned as he stared at his ex-girlfriend pouting and looking quite...well, like one P.O.'ed chick. But she was a real cute P.O.'ed chick, that is. Heh, he told himself, she's still mad about last time, huh...well, that's okay...
-----
Asuka: No, no, NO! Raise your leg *higher*! And jump higher, too, you're *way* behind half a beat!
And so, Asuka and Shinji went on with their training on synchronized movements by way of dancing, with the Third Child indeed lagging a bit behind the redhead's movements. To Shinji, his old friend didn't even seem to break a sweat at what awkward movements they were doing at the moment, but with Asuka's tone of voice, he can tell she was dead serious about pulling this whole thing off. In her frustration, she began to stomp annoyingly on the floor and shriek like the pissed-off chick that she was at the moment.
Shinji: (sweatdrops and thinks) Man...no wonder she broke the camera...
Asuka: ARGH! Why are you so *klutzy* all the time?! I can't *believe* it! I feel like I'm gonna freak out right now, you know?! (breathes in deeply then looks at Shinji straight in the eye) Listen up, Shinji.
Shinji: (worriedly looks back at Asuka and thinks) Gee...she's certainly relaxed *now*...maybe a little too much, I'd guess...
Asuka: We are going to have this whole deal perfect by tomorrow no matter *what* and we are going to show Misato and the First who's who around *these* parts of Tokyo. Got that?!
Shinji just did a little smile as he thought about Asuka's effective display of encouragement and tough talk and envisioned her as if she was a team captain for a baseball team of sorts; it was the bottom of the ninth, and it was like Eva's 1, Angels 1. Everyone was tense, everyone was excited.
Heh, Shinji thought, there's something about her drive...it's unstoppable. "Not like me at all." And with a little snicker and a grin, he soon took Asuka's starting pose and got ready to dance with...or in this case, in synch with her.
Asuka: Okay, let's start from the top. Yeah...that's more like it! You finally look and sound like you have the will to do this! Let's go, Shinji!
-----
Everything was like worthless for Camille right now, even though his "peers" were having quite some fun at the arcade game they were playing, some corny screwball shooting game named "Star Crasher" or something familiar. He sighed quite sadly as he went over to the token booth to buy some more tokens to play this neat-looking "new" Dance Maniax game, "20th Remix" or something like that, hopefully to get his mind off of things at the moment. He still *was* a 15-year-old kid after all, even though his colleagues at the AEUG think of him highly just because he could pilot a Gundam without previous significant experience...a "Newtype" of sorts.
And so he played Dance Maniax 20th Remix, with the thought on his mind that Hong Kong does have some neat stuff in store, very unlike when he was in the colony Green Noah 1, where he could find nothing but the same old crappy "games". Of course, he wasn't on Earth just for the games, he realizes he has a war to fight.
As soon as he finished the whole round, Quess and Hathaway made a special request for Camille that *they* would play after him so "they could show him they were better at Dance Maniax than he is"...
Quess: ...since we noticed you've been playing the "Mild" mode all this time. (giggles) Well, Hathaway? Let's go play in "Trial" mode and give these people a show, shall we? (grins)
Hathaway: Let's go, Quess!
Camille: (scratches his head and raises an eyebrow) Gosh, you guys didn't have to say it out loud, you know! All right, let's see what you two can do. You two better not screw up or I'll *definitely* laugh at your faces till we get back.
Cheimin: Umm, Camille, just don't mind these two, all right. I mean... (whispers to Camille's ear) They're all just talk, they can't really walk the walk if their lives depended on it...geez, I've always wondered why the heck my brother fell for that bitch anyway...
Quess: I *heard* that, Cheimin, you little bitch. (sticks out a tongue at Cheimin and tackles/tickles her)
Cheimin: (giggles and tickles back) Well, *this* bitch ought to see what you're made of, girlfriend! Come on, are you gonna play or not?
Camille was just amazed at how well Quess and Hathaway were playing Dance Maniax in perfect synchronization with each other; and this came along with the fact that they were playing in the hardest mode of the game, too. He chuckled within himself and thought, man, am *I* going to be humiliated when we go back to the ship...
And soon enough, Quess and Hathaway finished the last "stage" of the game, sweating and panting and obviously their arms were quite exhausted, since they *did* finish "Trial" mode almost without any flaws.
Quess: *pant*, *wheeze*, See, I told you!
Hathaway: Oh man...my arms are killing me...
Camille: (looks at them for a second and chuckles) What's the matter, kiddies? Arms getting a little TOO tired from playing the hard mode? (grins)
Hathaway: Who ya calling "kiddies", Camille?! We're practically the same age here, you know! (raises an eyebrow and leers at Camille)
Camille: Ehh, whatever. Come on, I'll treat you guys to some eats...or may...be...not. (hands search through his pockets) I still have one token here, mind if I play a bit more? I haven't played Dance Dance Revolution 21st Remix in a long time now...
Cheimin: You playing alone again, Camille?
Camille: Y...yeah, I guess so, unless you want to play with me, Cheimin.
Cheimin: Oh, no, no, it's okay, really! Hathaway, Quess, and I will just be watching from behind you and stuff, you know?
The four children then went over to the Dance Dance Revolution 21st Remix arcade machine and gazed at it for a moment before Camille finally decided to pop in a token and get it over with. What his companions didn't know was that he "ruled" Maniac mode while he was still in Green Noah, so he kept this secret until...
Camille was quite surprised to see quite a pretty girl, probably in her early twenties or something like that, with short teal hair and dark purple lipstick, also insert a token and asked him if she can play with him for a while.
girl: (giggles and smiles at him) I hope it's okay with you!
For quite a while, Camille and the girl looked at each other's eyes and seemed to..."get lost" in their respective gazes. Since Camille was a member of the male species of humans, the first thing that crossed his mind was, "Wow, she's cute! But then...I kind of...feel something about her. It's strange, but..."
Camille: (smiles back at her) All right, it's okay, I guess...
girl: I can tell you can get by in the hard mode just from your looks...I mean, you look like you've been playing DDR ever since you were a kid and all...I hope you don't mind with me playing only in Normal mode... (blushes a little)
Camille: Oh, no, not at all! Eh heh heh! I guess everything in DDR just comes naturally to me, you know! (grins stupidly)
girl: So umm...shall we get started?
Camille: Y...yeah, sure! But then, just for the benefit of not outclassing you...I'll play in Normal mode as well, just for you, if that's okay...
girl: (giggles) All right! Let's go!
Soon enough, they both finished their game of DDR with a lot of people watching them at the back amongst Cheimin, Hathaway, and Quess, with the latter two children still rubbing their tired arms. What Camille and the mysterious girl didn't know is that they all thought Camille and this girl were like...an item, and to Camille's friends, for a moment, they forgot that Camille was indeed Fa Yuiri's boyfriend. They deduced this conclusion at the way that the two people seemed to look at each other, and this was the first time that they had met, too...
Quess: (clings to Hathaway's arm and giggles) Isn't this romantic? They look like they've fallen for each other, just like love at first sight! Right Hathaway?
Hathaway: (stares at Camille and the girl for a second) .....God, Camille must pay me a fine sum not to tell this to Fa--h...hey! what do you two think you're doing?!
Quess and Cheimin: (both give Hathaway a noogie) You are not going to tell anyone anything about this, all right?! Grrrrrrr!!!!!
Cheimin: ...eh? They're shaking hands...
And indeed, Camille and the girl, who was smiling sweetly at him, were shaking hands with each other. The girl thanked Camille for a nice game that they had, and for a wonderful time.
-----
And so, Shinji and Asuka trained all afternoon and all night on their synchronized movements training, each of them almost perfectly trailing each other's dance movements as the "boring, repetitive" music played on. They had therefore almost no thought for dinner that night, as they both thought upon themselves that they must be able to do this thing as soon as the Angel's predicted time of full regeneration comes.
For that fateful night, Shinji and Asuka also had a good time together as they danced on to the music, so Asuka decided that they should seize this opportunity and danced the waltz with Shinji, the only things missing being the formal "tux-and-dress" attire instead of Asuka's leotards and Shinji's T-shirt and shorts. Sure, they were quite sweaty at the moment, but they were both indeed having a very good time together.
And for a moment, Shinji's eyes had met Asuka's, and they smiled at each other.
To be continued
-----
Whew.
This has got to be the most interesting two months that I've had. I've almost never finished this thing with the condition that I've had when I hadn't been able to talk to my girlfriend for around five weeks and that I was starting to feel a little bit bored and depressed with stuff in the world myself (in reference to September 11, 2001). Anyway, it's a good thing that I've finally gotten through, although I would consider myself to be off my schedule (I should have finished this chapter a LONG time ago, two, three, or more weeks before today, February 3, 2002). I hope you enjoy what I've written so far, this time. I'll be posting some updates to this thing as I feel it's still unfinished due to my desire to put in more detail into it.
My thanks go out to Yuu_Kajima of the Super Robot Wars G Message Board for pre-reading this, also to my girlfriend who has finally come back around five weeks after December 22, 2001 for also pre-reading this and of course, being one of my primary inspirations for this fanfiction.
I can't promise a new chapter *soon*, but I'll try my best to make something up after midterm exams.
C&C's are welcome, NO FLAMES PLEASE. Until then, "Believe in the sign of ZETA...beyond the hard times from now."
-----
Camille: (blushes) Umm...you're welcome, I guess...oh, by the way...my name's Camille Vidan...it's nice to meet you, I guess...eh heh heh heh! (shakes the girl's hand)
girl: "Camille...Vidan..." Hmmm...my, what a nice name you have! (smiles) My name is Four. Four Murasame. I'm glad to have met you for the first time, Camille Vidan. (giggles)
He had never really gotten used to living on earth, even though it's been almost a month since he came here. It was almost like he had...less freedom like he had when he was in space. This might be what Quattro was telling him around a few weeks ago, that "one's soul was susceptible to be bound by earth's gravity" if one stayed on earth long enough, that's why Quattro was doing this. It almost reminded him of what Char Aznable would do, but in the Red Comet's case, Camille would think he would do something a little more...drastic.
True, Camille hated the Titans and the whole Federation itself, but he wouldn't go as far as destroying earth altogether...just like what he thought Char would do. Oldtype or Newtype, he just didn't care--he still believed in the power of humanity.
Why couldn't we all just get along? He asked himself, disgusted at the thought that in whatever time period, whether it be the "old days" or present times, there are still bigots running around spreading hate among humankind.
He thought it best that he should head back to the Agama as soon as possible before anyone suspicious (like that "asshole" Jerid Mesa) spots him and hits on him on the spot. He didn't really have anything to defend himself with at the time being anyway other than a measly monkey wrench he happened to take along.
Soon enough, as he was heading back to where the Agama was "parked" for the time being away from Titan eyes, some...thing ran across his mind, like some sudden spark of light flashing before his eyes. He immediately knew there was something...someONE very close by, and he'd reckon it was some kind of a...massive, powerful force--a feeling similar to that of the pressure getting into one's ears when inside an aircraft in high altitudes--similar to that when he had met Quattro for the first time. But then, maybe not, as the Newtype-like feeling was...very, very different from that of Lieutenant Quattro or even that of Amuro Ray. Very different indeed, Camille had muttered under his breath as he shook his head and scooted his motorbike off to where the Agama was.
Camille: (thinks) There's...something very bad that's going to happen, anytime soon. I just *know* it...
********************
A Mobile Suit Gundam / Neon Genesis Evangelion crossover
written by Lloyd Barrieses (kachiko00@yahoo.com)
Mobile Suit Gundam (c)1978 Yoshiyuki Tomino/Bandai/Sunrise.
Neon Genesis Evangelion (c)1996 Gainax/Project Eva./TV Tokyo/NAS.
All rights reserved.
This fanfiction owned and authored by Lloyd Barrieses. Any attempt to
steal this fic (i.e. putting your name in the credits) shall be met with
appropriate punishments. I'm serious, folks.
********************
[Act 6]
Episode 11, "Dissonance"
-------------------
This has just got to be the weirdest morning in the lives of the two Children assigned to pilot their respective Evangelions. Both of their arms crossed, Shinji and Asuka both STARED at Misato for making them wear such...humiliating get-ups as...
Asuka: (raises her eyebrow) A "dance"...?
Shinji: Misato, why the hell are we dressed up in these stupid leotards? And we're going to DANCE in them too?
Asuka: Heh, and I've thought you had the most *distinguished* fashion sense since you're older than us...you could have at least bought us some tuxes or something...
The two Children's commanding officer just put her hands on her hips and gave them a sarcastic look. She thwapped the pieces of paper (with what seems to be inscribed upon them a some sort of guide to some strange dance steps) on her hand and sighed as Kaji tried to hold back a snicker as he looked on at the two Children--they did look indeed freakingly stupid in leotards. If Amuro were here though, Misato would have guessed that he'd laugh his ass off upon seeing the two Children.
Misato: (leers at them) Quit complaining! Appearance is vital in order to create the mood for this kind of thing! The enemy shares ONE mind with TWO bodies, so it's vital that you two learn to move in unison. Memorizing an attack pattern based on music is the quickest way to master *perfect* harmony. We've only got four days, remember?
Kaji: Hmm, yes...and I happen to be the one who chose the music and done the choreography by the way. (grins at Shinji and Asuka)
Misato: Hmm... (looks at Kaji with a raised eyebrow) Well why are *you* here? I think I can do all of this by myself just fine, thank you...
Asuka: Aww, Misato...can't he just stay for a while so Kaji-san can see me show Mr. Sleazeball here I'm THE better dancer of the two of us?
Kaji: (pats Misato's shoulder) Heh heh, now, now...
And so Asuka and Shinji practiced on the "first part" of the dance all morning. The dance itself was a series of simple rhythmic exercises that must be done in perfect synchronization with one's partner, a little bit like simple aerobic exercises, even.
Much to Misato's displeasure, however, because the two Children were WAY off rhythm and synchronicity with each other; Asuka obviously going way ahead of the otherwise slow Shinji. Misato just shook her head and Kaji looked on, rubbing his chin, being unable to say something about what kind of humiliation the two Children were getting themselves into.
Misato: Umm...w-well, what do you think?
Kaji: ...oh, man. (gulps)
Misato: Looks like this will take more time than I thought.
Kaji: Kind of looks like..."the dance of the crane and the monkey", if you ask me.
As she was doing some dance step involving raising her hands and crouching, the 14-year-old redhead was just surprised at the sight of Shinji slipping and falling on his ass on the floor. What a clumsy fool Shinji is! she thought as they danced on quite stupidly all throughout the morning.
-----
This was definitely strange indeed, Bright had thought as he saw his wife and former White Base subordinate/navigator Mirai (née Yashima --Author) with their two adopted children within the vicinity of where he, Emma, and Reccoa were conducting a meeting with the daughter of one of the AEUG's financial supporters, Stephanie Luo of her father's Luo Industries. The four people were in fact inside some world-renowned coffee shop/restaurant named "Starbucks" or something like that.
Bright squinted his eyes to see his family across the street more clearly. It...seemed like Bright's 14-year-old son Hathaway had more than his 12-year-old sister Cheimin and his mum Mirai to keep him company...it looks like his son has some nice-looking unknown girl about Hathaway's age holding hands with him. Heh, Bright thought, Hathaway has a girlfriend?
Bright: Umm...would you excuse me for a while, Lieutenants? I think I see my wife just across the street...I'll go talk to them for a while, all right?
Emma: Umm... (looks outside the restaurant window) Sure! Umm...but hey, introduce us to Mrs. Mirai Noah and your two kids while you're at it, okay Captain?
Reccoa: Yeah! I mean, we're really anxious to meet them, right Lieutenant Emma?
Emma: Umm...right. Eh heh, go on Captain! (grins)
Captain Bright Noah of the Agama soon leaves the restaurant as the three women continue to discuss some more about whatever business the AEUG and Luo Industries have to discuss, although both Emma and Reccoa thought it'd be best if Bright would be the one to discuss business with Stephanie Luo. Anyway, maybe it'd be best also that the two AEUG ladies would let Bright have a brief reunion with his family for the time being as he'd nothing to think about lately but battle tactics and the like.
Even before Bright had approached her, her two adopted children, and their little friend, Mirai..."sensed" her husband just in the area. Other than that she knew that she was a Newtype (just like her old friends Sayla and Amuro), it was just Mirai's "gut feeling" that "told" her Bright was just around. Strange, she also thought, why was Bright here in Hong Kong anyway? Wasn't he supposed to be in space or something, manning that old Federation cruiser Temptation?
Bright crossed the street to see Mirai and their two children waving at him; it seems as if they had immediately recognized the patriarch captain and soon stopped in their tracks as Hathaway and Cheimin hugged their daddy.
Mirai: (grins) Hey there, honey. What brings you to earth? I thought you were still working with that cruiser Temptation, what happened?
Hathaway and Cheimin: Dad! (laughs) It's good to see you again, Dad!
Bright: Hey there, kids. Honey...it's a long story, but I'm no longer the captain of the Temptation anymore. I'm with the AEUG now--
Mirai: (gasps and looks around) The AEUG? Are you serious, hon?! Didn't you know the Titans have taken post somewhere outside the city and are patrolling every nook and corner of Hong Kong since yesterday?
Bright: Yes, I know that, that's why we've taken to wearing disguises and civilian clothing for the moment, as you might have noticed.
Mirai: Hmmm...(giggles and looks at him carefully) So that's why you're wearing quite a handsome Armani suit today, honey. Looks good on you, too! Heh heh... (hugs Bright)
Bright: Aww, honey. Hey Hathaway, who's the lovely young girl with you?
Hathaway: Oh! I almost forgot...Dad, here's my girlfriend from school, her name's Quess Paraya. Quess, this is my dad, you've probably heard a lot about him in the past...
Quess: How do you do, Captain? (giggles and shakes Bright's hand) I've heard a lot about you in our History class!
Bright: Quess...Paraya, isn't it? (shakes Quess' hand) How come I've heard that name "Paraya" before...oh, I remember! Your father Adenauer Paraya was the Federation's delegate from Thailand...
Mirai: (blinks) How did you know about that? Oh, don't tell me, I know. (snickers) You always had a keen taste for reading newspapers everyday, don't you, hon?
Quess: Mmhmm, he still is my homeland's delegate to the Earth Federation right now! (grins)
Bright: Hmmm...right, Hathaway. Cheimin, honey, have you been taking good care of your mother too like your brother Hathaway here?
Cheimin: Mmmhmm! (leers at Hathaway) Well I dunno about Hathaway here, he's always been picking on me lately again, Daddy! (makes a silly face at her brother) And...he seems to be spending more time with his gurrrrrlfriend here...it's almost as if they're--
Hathaway: Argh! You shut your piehole!
Cheimin: (sticks out a tongue at Hathaway) Nyaaaah!
Quess: (giggles) Hathaway, stop picking on your sister!
Bright: Hmm. Anyway...do you guys want to meet with my Lieutenants back there in that Starbucks thing just across the street? I'm sure they would want to meet with you guys too, especially you, honey.
Mirai: Hmmm... (looks at Emma and Reccoa who were waving at them from afar then looks at Bright with a raised eyebrow) Are you SURE they're JUST your Lieutenants in the AEUG, *Bright*? Both of them look really nice, you know!
Bright: Of *course* I'm sure, buttercup! (sweatdrops)
-----
Shinji Ikari felt like he was going to fall down at the snap of a finger as he and Asuka walked down a hall somewhere inside Nerv HQ at that time Misato had thought to be the best one for a lunch break for the two Children.
Shinji: Three straight hours of practice, right off the bat...I'm *beat*, Asuka... (sighs) And there's *more* after lunch...aww man I think I'm gonna--
Asuka: What are YOU whining about?! It's only difficult because YOU'RE such a klutz! Hmph, it would have been perfect already if I were by myself. Geez!
Shinji: Heh, yeah...if you *were* by yourself. But of course, you wouldn't have any intention of adjusting your pace for *me*.
Asuka: (grabs Shinji's ears and stretches them) YOU'RE the one who should adjust it, when you're dragging ME down! Aaaargh!
Shinji: Owww, damn it!
A brief moment later, some footsteps can be heard across the halls where they were in at that time. To both of their surprise, it was Commander Ikari who was walking towards a certain direction and looked like he was going to pass by them. Asuka immediately released Shinji from her grasp and greeted her supreme commander in the appropriate fashion; she didn't really want to be seen kicking the commander's son's ass around the Geofront, did she?
Shinji, in the meanwhile, looked away from his father, looking very sullen in a few seconds' time as he always did whenever he was in his father's presence.
Asuka: (blinks and grins) Oh...good afternoon, Commander!
Gendo: Good afternoon, pilots. How is it going?
Shinji: .....
Asuka: (grins) Just fine, sir! We'll definitely win four days from now!
Gendo: I see. (walks away from them) I will be looking forward to it.
Shinji: (turns around to face Gendo) --Dad!
Gendo: (stops and turns around to face Shinji) ...what is it?
Shinji: Umm... (his knees start trembling) W-W-We're about to have lunch...Dad...if you'd like...w-w-we could...
Gendo: (turns around and walks away from them) Sorry. I still have work to do.
The Nerv supreme commander's voice still seemed so...cold and uncaring towards his own son as he walked away to whatever place he intended to go for that day. Shinji just stood there, almost frozen in time. Why does he do this? Shinji asked himself. Am I not his son anymore?
And that was the last Shinji could ever see of his father--no, the *commander*--for that day. Shinji thought it would be more...appropriate if he had treated that man to be his commander rather than his father...although, he'd just be exuberant if just *once* his father would treat him as a son, not just another one of his precious Evangelion pilots.
Curious, Asuka just looked at the Third Child just standing there silently as he did, wondering what went on in her old friend's mind as he stared at the commander--or Shinji's dad, for that matter. She definitely had no idea what went on between the Commander and his son, but she knew this was pretty serious. The redheaded Second Child almost felt sorry for Shinji...and figured that she should cheer him up a little bit later for Shinji's own good.
-----
As Camille drove on towards the Agama, he blinked and turned around for a split-second, then turns his motorcycle around, heading towards a certain branch of the infamous coffee shop franchise Starbucks with a familiar maroon Lexus parked in front of it--Bright's maroon Lexus.
After parking his motorcycle, Camille went into the said restaurant panting like he was tired from running and almost grabbed Bright's collar to get the AEUG captain's attention.
Bright: Camille! Hey, slow down, boy... (pats his back) Are you all right? You look like someone's chasing after you or something...oh, by the way---everyone, this is Camille Vidan, one of my best pilots in the Agama. Camille, this is my wife Mirai, you probably know her already; and here are my two children, Cheimin and Hathaway, with his girlfriend, Quess. And this is Stephanie Luo, she's in charge of Luo Industries for the moment.
Stephanie: How do you do?
Mirai: (shakes Camille's hand and eyes him carefully) "Camille"? Isn't that a girl's name, son? Umm, I hope you don't mind mistaking you for a girl...
Quess and Hathaway: You mean--
Cheimin: He's a guy, daddy?
Bright: Umm...well, you see--
Camille: --no time to explain about my name. Captain, I think we ought to head back ship as soon as possible, I...feel something bad's going to happen any time soon, you know?
Mirai: So soon? But why? (thinks) He...felt *that* pressure too. This...Camille Vidan must be some kind of Newtype, just like...just like...
Emma: And we've only gotten started with the meetings, too, Camille. Heck, we haven't even ordered some of that rowdy mocha-cappucino stuff I've been hearing about, you know?
Reccoa: (yawns) Some party-pooper you turned out to be, Camille...tell me, is this another one of your Newtype premonitions or something? You better be serious this time...
Camille: Look, I'm serious here, okay? Let's just get out of here, quick!
Faint memories of Amuro in the old days started coming back to Bright and Mirai as they looked at Camille's serious expression. Well, he *sounds* serious, they both thought, why not?
Bright: All right, all right. Miss Luo, I am very grateful that we could meet for today on behalf of my supreme commander. When can we expect the shipment of our new mobile suits?
Camille: (thinks) New mobile suits...?
Stephanie: As soon as next week, Captain. Rest assured that the... (looks into a certain file folder) ...MSZ-006 "Zeta" Gundam and the new reinforcements of GM-II's will be brought to the Agama without any knowledge or interference of the Federation nor the Titans.
The blue-haired boy couldn't believe it; his little project was finally done and soon to be a tangible reality! He never thought a hare-brained scheme of combining certain aspects of the Rick Dias and the Gundam Mk-II could be such a brilliant one that even Anaheim Electronics themselves commended him for it. He had never guessed it would be so soon, though that it would be made. Nevertheless, his hard work in the old junior mobile suit competition had paid off quite well, he might say.
Bright: Good. (shakes Stephanie's hand) I thank you again for the time you've given us, madam. Umm...I'd also suggest you should take cover somewhere because...I have this feeling we will not be experiencing this peaceful morning atmosphere for any longer.
Stephanie: (shakes Bright's hand) Indeed. It was nice to meet your family, your Lieutenants and your...pilot, though. By the way...Camille Vidan, is it? (shakes Camille's hand) Excellent job on the Zeta Gundam, chap. You're...quite the genius for such a young boy. Well, I better get moving now as well. Zai jian! (waves at all of them and leaves the restaurant) Oh, and by the way...you wouldn't happen to be seeing Amuro Ray lately, have you? Anyway, tell him... (giggles) Tell him one of my superiors at Anaheim, some cute Kalaba mobile suit engineer named Chien Agi...tell him she "sends her love" to him, okay? (winks)
Bright: Umm...sure! Well, if I *do* see Amuro one of these days again... (thinks) Oh, brother. Amuro's at it again...
Mirai: Oooh! Amuro has a new girlfriend? Hey, but I thought Amuro still had the hots for Sayla? I wonder...
Stephanie: And tell him Chien says his new mobile suit is almost ready. She just has to make ends meet as to how she'd install this fancy gadget called the "psycoframe"...gah, anyway, I'm not much into that technical mobile suit stuff. I'll see all of you in a while. Man, I'll tell ya...that Chien Agi's sure one nice gal...anyway, Zai jian! (giggles)
Bright: Amuro's new mobile suit? Hmmm...well, *that* was quick. Anyway, would you want to come along with us on the ship, honey, kids?
Hathaway: Yeah, that'd be great, dad!
Quess: Mmhmm, mmhmm! (grins and nods)
Mirai: Honey, are you sure? I mean, I'd assume you guys are going into battle stations immediately and well, you know...I don't want these kids getting into harm or anything. Ambassador Paraya even trusted me with little Quess here personally, since you do remember that you've volunteered us to be her ummm..."godparents"...
Quess: (pouts) Aww, Auntie Mirai, did you have to call me "little"?
Bright: (ruffles Quess' hair) Ohh, don't worry about that. The ship is almost perfectly safe, more so when you guys are in the bridge because in the first place, the Agama has a state-of-the-art framework and armor placements anyway. And umm...I've quite forgotten about our being godparents with this little girl here, so Quess...I'm sorry if I didn't recognize you at first. Heh heh.
Quess: Oh, it's all right, sir! (grins) I've at least Hathaway here to keep me company anyway! (giggles and snuggles up to Hathaway)
Hathaway: (blushes) Uhh...
Cheimin: Oooh! He's turning red! (grins stupidly)
Bright: Hmmm...yes. Shall we go now? (gives the car keys to Emma)
Emma: (pouts and takes the car keys) But we haven't even ordered some of that freaky mocha-cappuccino crap yet! Aww...
Bright: Hmm. Well I suppose she's right, Camille. I don't think we ought to get out of here yet. It's not like we're already being chased after or anything, anyway.
Mirai: (nods) Yeah. Well anyway...umm, Camille, is it? Ahem...the Titans won't recognize you even if you just happened to pass by any of their patrolling groups or something similar...I mean, not ALL opposing pilots know each others' faces, right?
Bright: Honey, we still have to take precaution as his daddy *is* still with the Titans and for all I know I'd think his daddy would rather kill Camille here than spare him...
Camille: ..... (looks away and sits down)
Emma: ..... (thinks) Poor boy...
Camille: I guess you're right, Captain... (sighs) But still, I do have this strange feeling in my head...it's kind of like some kind of air pressure between your ears, kind of like these moments when I'd...well...when I'd sense another person's thoughts, only stronger...Mrs. Noah, I don't believe I have to explain it to you anymore, you know what I'm talking about...
Mirai: I...think I do, Camille. It's okay. You're a Newtype, just like me...and a few others Bright and I have known for a long time now. But...to feel what you feel so strongly... (shakes her head) I don't think I'd be, should we say, "up to your level" anyway, if you know what I mean. (grins slightly and pats Camille's head)
The blue-haired boy almost blushed at the sight of his Captain's wife's tiny grin as she ruffled his hair like a mother would to her child. The Captain must be so lucky to have known such a nice lady...
Bright: (rubs his chin) "Not being up to the same level", huh...wow, it's almost like another one of those old role-playing games...umm, but then I didn't really mean it that way, really. It's just that though I was born and raised in a colony myself, I don't really have any "heightened sense of clairvoyance" or anything of the sort. I'm...what the Zeon would call an "Oldtype" as well...
Mirai: (raises an eyebrow) Honey, you sound like you're degrading yourself just because you're an "Oldtype" or whatever. (holds Bright's hand) Heh heh...do that again and I might have to *spank* you. (giggles)
Bright: (gulps) Uhh...hon, we have kids listening here...
Quess and Hathaway: Ooooh...
Cheimin: (blinks) Why is it wrong in front of kids?
Camille: (scratches his head and thinks) Huh?
Bright: D'oh, never mind...*ahem*.
Reccoa: (covers her mouth slightly, gasps, and looks at Bright curiously) Captain, I didn't know!
While the others were busy making fun of the Agama's captain, Emma, however, slowly turned into SD/chibi mode and lay her head on the table looking like a tired little puppy dog. Also turning into SD/chibi mode, Each of Emma's companions blinked as they looked at her with a sweatdrop on each of their heads.
Emma: (in a silly voice) Can we get some coffee now?
All seven people couldn't help but laugh. Emma, having sort of a bewildered look on her face, scratched her head and wondered what they were all laughing about. Turning back into "normal-sized" mode, she just sighed and hailed for the nearest waiter, looking and reading through her menu...
Camille, however, had other things on his mind at the moment as he put his chin on his palm and looked out the café's window, having a faraway glance...
-----
In the meanwhile, back in Japan...
Misato, after a hard and somewhat grueling day of teaching two certain 14-year-old Evangelion pilots how to dance in perfect synchronization with each other, was just on the verge of finishing her phone call on her cell phone to a certain person in the Mont Blanc about certain requests to "borrow" the Evangelions after this mission.
Misato: "Borrow" them? Hmm, I don't know if I'm authorized to let you borrow the Eva's for any situation for the AEUG that may arise, I'd think you should ask Commander Ikari on this matter, Captain.
Amuro: /Ah...I see. Well, anyway, like I've told you, if there aren't any more of the Angels coming for Tokyo for the time being, as honorary members of the AEUG and the Kalaba, I would only think it's only proper that at least two of the three Eva pilots would be willing to go with us.../
Misato: Hmm. I think I might be able to do something about it, I'll go check with either Commander Ikari or Subcommander Fuyutsuki regarding this matter. Hmm, but then I would assume that the Children *would* have to undergo special anti-mobile suit training if they are to be...shall we say, non-regular members of the AEUG. I mean, they'd need it if they are to make sorties against the Titans or...
Amuro: (chuckles) /Oh, don't worry about that! Well, as long as I'd have the rundown on the basics of the Eva's mechanics we'd have no problem gauging the children's capabilities and other things that might come along with it. Captain Katsuragi, I...think I can see some kind of "potential" in your Eva pilots, especially Shinji and Asuka. Well, I just know they'll do good, heh heh./
Misato: (nods) Ahh. Is this aside from the fact that we all have suspicions about Shinji and Asuka being Newtypes? I mean...well, I don't know much about Newtypes myself, but...
Amuro: /Oh, it's nothing of the sort, really. Hmmm...I don't know about your third pilot, though...that pale-skinned girl with ice blue hair and red eyes./
Misato: Oh, you mean Rei? What about her?
Amuro: /I just couldn't put my finger into it, but...well, you know...heh, maybe it's just that I haven't seen her in battles yet, that's why I'm, shall we say, "doubting" her abilities as a pilot./
Misato: (giggles) Ehh, I'm sure she'd be a nice addition if she ever goes on special operations with the rest of the AEUG. She's a great kid, though she's just not very sociable, you know? Eh heh heh heh heh! (thinks) Nice try, Newtype...I've heard better lies than that. Hmm...what could Amu-chan be thinking...?
Amuro: (laughs) /Ahh well, if it's Rei's personality we'd *definitely* have no problems with that. I'd say just let her be if she's not *that* sociable to begin with./
Misato: Uh-huh. Hmm...you did say your superior officer Hayato Kobayashi had orders from the Agama itself that you should leave for Hong Kong, right? What's so urgent in Hong Kong that the Kalaba's presence is required there immediately?
Amuro: /Yeah, but he says he'll stay here with half of my troops while I go with Officer MacKenzie--and hopefully Shinji and Asuka--to Hong Kong to rendezvous with Captain Bright Noah and the rest of the AEUG./ (sighs and thinks) Good thing Char's in space right now...
Misato: (giggles) Well, if you're all going to Hong Kong, you might as well get Ritsuko and me some goodies while you're at it, ne? Well, of course, that comes with avoiding the Titans as much as possible. Yeah, yeah. (nods) Eh heh heh heh heh.
Amuro: /Eh heh heh heh heh. Anyway, this won't be much of a pleasure trip, you probably know that by now--/
Misato: Oh, yes, of course! Heh heh, work first before pleasure, right?
Amuro: /R...Right. Well...umm.../
Misato: Yeah?
Amuro: /This...thing with the Angel...do you think it'll end soon enough? I mean, I *have* to be following orders from upstairs, you know? Couldn't you just get the Angel while it's down there like a big pulp of crap?/
Misato: Just a few more days, Captain. Actually, even though the Angel's halves are just sitting around there like a big pile of crap, there's still the possibility of them of being just as dangerous as they are whole, you know? We might even have more trouble than we're worth if we just go out there and kick the crap out of that Angel's halves.
Amuro: /Oh...okay. Well, whatever must be done, must be done, right? Anyway I'd just leave it up to you with anything involving the Angel; we still have a lot of repairs to do with our mobile suits and everything especially the Mont Blanc itself, you know? I'd think Captain Bright could wait for a few more days anyway./
Misato: Heh heh heh. Well, I think I must be going now, I'd still have to make dinner for the two kids and my pet penguin. I guess I'll see you in a while, Captain. (giggles)
Amuro: /Yeah, same here. Later./ (ends the call on his cell phone) Her pet penguin? Gosh...Japanese people...man, I dunno what people like to keep as pets these days... (shrugs) I could have sworn she was giggling, though...ehh, anyway...
Misato turned off her cell phone just in time for Kaji bringing in some take-out curry yakisoba inside her office yet again somewhere inside Nerv HQ. As usual, she still had a lot of queued paperwork to be done involving the two Eva's last encounter with the Angel, but she never seems to get it done anyway for the lazy slob that she is (although she *does* get some of her work done, at times).
Kaji: Still have a lot of shit to do, huh?
Misato: (leers) Why are *you* here?
Kaji: Hey, don't look at me like that! I just thought you were hungry and all so I bought you some yakisoba and some other stuff here... (looks inside his take-out bags) Do you drink Diet Mr. Pibb?
Misato: Ehh, no thanks. I'm getting out of here anyway to prepare food for Pen-pen and the two kids. Umm...give that take-out food to someone else like Ritsuko or Lieutenant Ibuki or something...
Kaji: (rubs his chin) Mmmm...Ritsuko, eh? Well, that's okay, Katsuragi. Although...you did say you were going to cook food for Pen-pen, Shinji, and Asuka, right? (sweatdrops)
Misato: Yup! And I might even make something extra for Rei, too! (grins, then stares curiously at Kaji) Well why do you look all so flustered all of a sudden?
Kaji: (gulps and thinks) Well, I know for a fact that your cooking isn't as good as you look, my sweet Misa-chan...last time I've eaten your stuff, it gave me three days in the men's room...
Misato: (raises an eyebrow) Are you mumbling about something?
Kaji: Oh, it's nothing! Ummm...have a nice dinner, I guess. Eh heh heh heh heh! Umm, so...how are Shinji and Asuka going so far, would they be considered to pass in synchronized swimming now?
Misato: (sighs) Not yet...they need some more work on their movements and all. If there was only some way to improve on the both of them...Shinji seems to lag behind while Asuka's leaving him way ahead as far as the dance steps are concerned... (sighs) I should have left it up to the Kalaba to defeat the Angel, you know?
Kaji: Yeah, maybe you're right...I mean, I know that they *do* have the firepower to do it anyway, although I'd say that they should upgrade their weaponry and mobile suits just to be at par with the Angels. (nods) Yeah, I'd definitely think so.
The Nerv head captain of anti-Angel operations started picking up her things and arranging stuff inside her office as it *was* time for her to go home anyway. For a minute, she started to wonder what could the Angels want inside Nerv HQ that was so..."important" to them. Kaji noticed that his "self-proclaimed" (at least to him) college ex-girlfriend and Nerv colleague was deep in thought as he was helping her out, so he figured he should break the ice and go on with the conversation.
Kaji: So, umm...you *are* going to come back here, are you? I mean, you did say you were going to keep check on every move that Shinji and Asuka make, right?
Misato: (picks up her backpack) .....huh? Oh, yeah! Right, I'm coming back here as soon as I make dinner for Pen-pen and the Children, yeah...
Kaji: Are you sure you're all right? Hmm...well, if you're feeling tired... (hugs her and makes an attempt to kiss her) ...we could..."relax" for a bit, right, Misa-chan?
Misato: ...!! (slaps Kaji on the face...hard)
Kaji: Ouch. (rubs his left cheek)
Misato: Don't you have any clue, Kaji?! We're *through*, remember?!
Kaji couldn't help but just chuckle as he saw Misato storm out her office door, looking *very* pissed off. Looks like she hasn't forgiven me yet, he thought. He just rubbed his left cheek again as he locked Misato's office door behind him and reminisced some old memories when he was still in a relationship with Misato, years ago. Ah, the good old days indeed, he thought.
But then, Kaji could have sworn Misato's cheeks have turned a faint shade of red back there...
-----
Docking the Mont Blanc inside the Nerv Geofront was no hard task compared to the things that now-AEUG captain Amuro Ray's Kalaba regiment must do in order to avoid the Titans. It was a busy night in that large underground hollow called the Geofront, more so within the Mont Blanc itself because repairs were being made on what GM-II mobile suits Amuro's small fleet has left, and also with his own and Chris' respective Rick Diases.
For a moment, Amuro had remembered the first time he'd been "given" the Rick Dias; this was definitely not a Federation mobile suit. It kind of boasted some kind of Zeonic design to it...he had then assumed that former Zeon engineers were indeed working inside Anaheim Electronics. The plot gets thicker, Amuro mumbled to himself as he observed repairs on the mobile suits being made by partly AEUG and Nerv mechanics and engineers, the head of maintenance being the Mont Blanc's captain, Shiro Amada.
Chris: What are you mumbling about, sempai?
Amuro: Yikes! Christina, don't *ever* come up behind me like that again, okay?
Chris: Sorry! (giggles)
Amuro: ...right. Eh, I wasn't mumbling about anything important, just...thinking about stuff, you know?
Chris: (raises an eyebrow and grins) Mmmmhmmm. Well, this..."stuff" you've been thinking aloud about...it isn't about Captain Katsuragi and her cute ex, right? Come on, I know you better than that. I can tell she likes you a lot, just look at the number of times you've been calling each other on the phone!
Amuro: (tries to stay calm and blushes a little) It's nothing like that, Christina. Misa--I mean, Captain Katsuragi and I are just friends and colleagues in the same organization and we have to keep contact with each other as representatives of the AEUG and Kalaba and Nerv. I would have absolutely *nothing* to do with Mr. Kaji and Captain Katsuragi's affairs whatsoever because as far as I'm concerned I already have--
Chris: (pouts) Sempai, how can you stand someone like that blonde bitch Beltochika Irma? She's noisy, she's obnoxious, she even shouted at me when I was just *talking* with you! And she always seems to annoy the people around her with her mere *presence*, sempai! Aaargh! If it were me, I would have knocked out that ugly excuse for a face and--
Amuro: (sighs) Oh, Chris...hey, umm...could you just do me a favor and test out your Rick Dias if she's functioning normally now? I think our guys have finished making the last repairs on its right arm just a few hours ago--
Chris: --and I've checked it out a few hours ago, too! It's doing perfectly *fine* now, I must say, maybe even better than before, thanks to our Nerv buddies! What I don't like is the fact that you've been avoiding the fact that Captain Misato Katsuragi of Nerv *likes* you, Amuro Ray-sempai of the AEUG! (nudges Amuro) Come *on*, give her a chance, will you?
Amuro: I don't know, Christina...
Chris just pouted as Amuro walked away from her towards a nearby GM-II and did an ocular inspection of it, so she followed her superior officer and inspected another nearby GM-II. She, as well as Amuro, couldn't believe it either how the AEUG had obtained GM mobile suit models in the first place, since the GM-II's themselves *were* in line for the Federation's budget for future mobile suit projects amongst many others, to the extent of her knowledge when she was once still with the Federal Forces. The cute redhead then took a glance at her superior officer and gave a pout and a sigh, concerned for his disposition between two...make that *three* women; she almost forgot about AEUG Corporal Chien Agi, one of their representatives to Anaheim Electronics.
Nerv head engineer A: What should we do with about the cockpit monitors, sir? A lot of your GM-IIs' monitors have been quite hazy since your last sortie, sir...
Amuro: Do what you can, but I'd suggest you should fix the GM-II's head cameras and work on the apogee motors as well for increased speed and mobility. We'll never know if the Titans have made upgrades on their own mobile suits.
Nerv head engineer A: Yes, sir. (gets back to his work)
Chris: Tsk, tsk, tsk...
Amuro: (turns to Chris) What?
Chris: Gee, sempai... (shakes her head) You're hopeless, you know that?
-----
Yet again, it was almost nightfall when Bright decided to call it a day and head back to the Agama with his family and subordinates after quite a short afternoon of shopping and movies in Hong Kong. Actually, Bright thought they should have gone in sooner as he had suspected, as usual, that there are many "eyes" looking at them in secret. But then he couldn't risk losing this opportunity to be with his family once again and spend some quality time with them, so he went along and had fun with them. His two subordinates Reccoa and Emma had fun for that day as well since this was the first time they'd had fun in months, or even years. Camille, however, seemed to have that same concern as he had as he had noticed the boy glancing and looking around suspiciously.
But in fact, they *were* being watched. As Bright's maroon Lexus headed out of Hong Kong City, he began to have suspicions about that black car that was seemingly following them ever since they got out of the movie theater. He sped up a little just to make sure.
Hathaway: Hey daddy, I didn't know you had a Lexus! (looks around inside the car) Sorry for this, but well...this doesn't really seem too much, you know? Have you been giving this baby a tune-up or something?
Bright: Well, I didn't know you knew anything about cars, son. This Lexus isn't exactly mine, you know, it's my commander's car, and he just borrowed it to me and all.
Mirai: Well how come you haven't taken the responsibility of maintaining it, then? Your commander ought to be very displeased when he finds out you haven't been taking care of his car...hey, aren't we going a little fast, honey?
Bright: We have to go back to the Agama immediately. And I mean *immediately*.
Mirai: (squints at Bright) Is there something wrong?
Camille: (taps Mirai's shoulder) Mrs. Noah, if I may interrupt...do you see that black car behind us?
Mirai: (turns around) Well, yeah. What about it--oh my God. We're being followed, aren't we? Why didn't you tell us sooner, honey?
Bright: I'd figured we'd just keep ourselves cool until I can get us an opportunity to get out of the city, honey. There's no use for us having a big chase all over a crowded town because we'd just get caught anyway. We're just so lucky there are a few of these Titans around in the first place. (gets something from behind him and gives Mirai his handgun) You still know how to shoot, don't you?
Mirai: (eyes widen) What the...?! Of *course* I still know how to shoot, but you'll put your children in danger! Are you nuts?!
Bright: You just have to hold it if you couldn't shoot it. I'm sure Hathaway, Cheimin, and Quess know better than to just stand there and take friendly fire from you. Lieutenant Emma, Ensign Reccoa, you both know what to do.
Emma and Reccoa: Right, sir.
Mirai: But...!
Bright: Oh, *shit*! Checkpoints!
The captain of the Agama stepped further on the gas pedal and definitely did not intend to stop on what surely looked like a Titan checkpoint at the end of the road even when one of the soldiers was already waving his arms at the fast-approaching maroon Lexus. A shocked look on his face, the Titan soldier dived out of the way as Bright's Lexus crashed through the wooden gate of the checkpoint and sped on further away from the city.
Titan soldier A: Shit, he almost mowed me down! You, radio any of our nearest patrol cars and tell them to keep an eye on a certain maroon Lexus with plate number LBB-9378, ON THE DOUBLE!
Titan soldier B: Yes, sir! /All patrol cars near the vicinity of.../
-----
Mirai: (pants heavily) Whoa, boy! Looks like we're in for a nice chase tonight, aren't we? Bright, you *must* get back to your ship immediately! I don't want us getting caught and everything!
Cheimin: (hugs Emma) I'm scared...
Emma: (pats Cheimin's head) Shh, it's all right...
Quess: (hugs Hathaway) What are we going to *do*?!
Hathaway: (hugs Quess back) Well, the first thing you can do is not to panic...
Bright: Mirai, don't you think I want us getting caught too? Of course not, that's why I'm speeding it up and everything! Camille, as soon as we get to the ship, scramble immediately in the Gundam Mk-II with Emma in the Rick Dias and Reccoa in a GM-II, is that clear?
Emma and Reccoa: Understood, sir.
Camille: You don't have to tell me, Captain...oh shit, there's already three cars chasing after us!
And so the great big car chase lasted for around ten minutes or so, with Bright narrowly dodging bullets from their predators and with Emma, Reccoa, and Mirai shooting back at the three patrol cars pursuing them. Camille had already radioed the Agama to send a "welcoming party" for their stalkers as commanded by Bright himself.
And so, as the maroon Lexus had safely passed by a certain point off-road leading to a cave nearby, the passengers of two of the three Titan patrol cars were just shocked to see a beam gun shot coming from seemingly out of nowhere and totally destroyed one of their cars. In their shock, the Titan officers inside one of the cars signaled the other car to retreat and head for the Sudry immediately on the fact that the AEUG was definitely in China right now.
Bright, however, had foreseen this possibility and rushed towards the Agama's bridge as fast as he could. He had also immediately ordered available assistance and protection as far as his family and Quess was concerned.
Bright: Quess, you go with Hathaway, Cheimin and Mrs. Noah and our guards into my room. I don't want your father chasing my ass around just because you're not being taken care of. Camille, you go to the mobile suit dock and wait for further orders while inside the Gundam Mark-II. Same goes for the both of you, Lieutenant Emma in the Rick Dias and Officer Reccoa in a GM-II of your choosing.
Quess: R...right, Captain... (clings to Hathaway's arm)
Emma and Reccoa: Aye, sir! (both run off to the Agama's mobile suit hangar)
Camille: Like I said, you don't have to tell me, Captain... (runs off after Emma and Reccoa)
Hathaway and Cheimin: What about you, dad?
Bright: I'll be on the bridge, of course, where I should be. You should know better. You, however, honey...you come with me. I have a job for you to do.
Mirai: Huh? W-well...all right...
As the two parents separate from their two adopted children, Mirai ran up ahead of her husband and started to ask him about why he'd want her to go with him.
Mirai: And what job would you possibly want me to do?
Bright: Something you're very familiar with, honey, since our...*navigator* Torres is on sick bay for the moment. I'm pretty sure you get the idea now, honey, since I know you're the right man...err, woman for the job, if you know what I mean. (grins)
With a hearty chuckle, Mirai hugged her husband and went with him to the Agama's bridge clinging to his arm. It was definitely like...
Mirai: This is definitely like the old days, isn't it, Bright? (grins at him)
-----
It might be that Tokyo is, for a fact, an hour or so behind as far as Hong Kong's time is concerned, but in any case, Shinji and Asuka called it a day and went to their little "love shack" as Misato would teasingly put it, and as the two Children would vehemently deny against.
As per afternoon, Asuka had just finished her bath and took out a soda from their seemingly always-loaded Nerv-subsidized refrigerator. Bumping her butt against the refrigerator door to close it, she walked over to Shinji who was already on his own bed, yet again listening to his Discman playing some orchestral music collection CD, lost in deep thought.
To Asuka, it definitely looked like Shinji would rather listen to his own taste of music than the piped-in music that was playing inside their room, which would happen to be the same music they've been hearing all day long while practicing their synchronicity through some kind of a "dance" that Misato wanted them to do.
Asuka: (sighs annoyingly as she towels her hair dry) I can't believe Misato insisted that we should listen to this music even at *night*. (sits down beside Shinji)
Shinji: .....
Asuka: Aren't you, Shinji? (looks at him curiously and squints) Say...do you have a... (opens her soda can)
Shinji: (rises up from his bed and removes his earphones) .....
Asuka: ...a "father complex"?
And yet again, years of "friendship" with the pretty young redhead have proven that Asuka, with that familiar sarcastic tone of hers (that she happened to be using right now), was prying into Shinji's personal life.
Shinji: (eyebrows meet and eyes widen) *Now* what the hell are you yammering about?!
Asuka: Am I right? You wanted to have lunch with the Commander, didn't you? Now you're all depressed because he said no. Come on, Shinji, I know you better than that...we've been pals ever since we were kids, right?
Shinji: (hugs his knees) Look, Asuka...I don't have a complex. I...I hate him. So much that I wonder why he's my dad at all...but... (sighs) I don't really want to hate him. (hugs his knees tighter) That's just how I feel deep down inside.
Asuka: Hmm. Sounds complex to me. I think you just have this problem of being too self-conscious around him, you know?
Shinji: Well, what about *your* father, then? How well do you two get along?
Asuka: (drinks her soda) I don't have a father.
Shinji: Huh? W...What did you day? But I've always thought...then who was that whom you showed me in one of your pictures...did he die?
Asuka: Ahh, he was my mother's boyfriend. They married a few years back. What I mean to say is...I never had a real father in the first place. Have you ever heard of a sperm bank, Shinji? My "father", if you will, was one of the sperm that my mother withdrew from the bank. I was conceived in a test tube.
Shinji: (looks weirdly at Asuka) .....
Asuka: (looks back at Shinji) What's *your* problem?
Shinji: W...Well, I'd heard of sperm banks...b...but I've never for once in my life had seen the actual results! (sweatdrops)
Asuka: (grins) Uh huh, and listen! It wasn't just *any* sperm...my mother chose a *very* exclusive sperm bank. The donor passed a *strict* qualification test on academic background and character. Of course, the women have to be similarly qualified as well...
Shinji: (nods and grins) Uh huh...eh heh heh, t...tell me more! (sweatdrops and thinks) There's something *wrong* with a fourteen-year-old girl talking about all this...sperm...
Asuka: Yeah, and my father's was the best of them--from a genius scientist. So I was born through the combination of an elite sperm and egg. Which *means*... (smirks maliciously) I was a *chosen* being, a *special* person. You, of all people, Shinji, should know better. Heh heh heh!
Shinji: (cringes and thinks) Gee whiz...so that's what she was *really* trying to say. But... (stares at Asuka weirdly, still thinking) But how did such a *dysfunctional* person result from an elite sperm and egg...?
Asuka: Is that *disbelief* on your face?!
Shinji: But...don't you get *lonely*? Never having a father, I mean...
Asuka: (stares at Shinji for a second and sighs a little) It doesn't matter whether I have a father or not. If I was chosen from among many to become an Eva pilot...and I fight and defeat the Angels...and if everyone acknowledges those accomplishments...then I'd be happy.
Shinji: .....
-----
Titan response was quick and sharp as it was deadly; the Sudry immediately deployed its Zaku-II's across Hong Kong City and set them on patrol for any possible sighting of the Agama and the Radish and/or any of its mobile suits. Titan Lieutenant Commander Ben Wooder was almost furious that he didn't find out that the AEUG was just in the area and that he'd never guessed they'd be *so* close too.
Wooder: (rubs his chin) Clever, Captain Bright Noah...but not clever enough. Professor Cornell, is Four ready? Is the Psyco Gundam ready as well?
Namica: As a matter of fact, sir, it's been ready even before we've ever landed China, sir. As for Four...she's ready as well, as always.
Wooder: Good. Deploy the Psyco Gundam at once! All available hands, get into your battle stations and prepare for Level 1 combat! We may run into two of the AEUG's battleships so we should be careful. Engage immediately!
Sudry bridge operator A: Yes, sir! /All available hands.../
Sudry bridge operator B: /Psyco Gundam, launch! I repeat.../
Namica: But don't you think we'd be preparing the Sudry and Four a little *too* soon, sir? I mean, the AEUG still isn't exactly doing their raid on Hong Kong yet, you know?
Wooder: We have to be cautious at all times, even now that we know that the AEUG is here in Hong Kong. I've heard absurd stories about them actually standing out from among our forces both in space and here on earth even though from what I know they're only just a few people...so just in case, I may have to take it upon myself to take the AEUG down right here and now in Hong Kong, Professor.
Namica: I...see. Pretty confident that you will wipe out the AEUG at our combat strength, eh Lieutenant? Just...don't be so sure about it. We only have *one* Psyco Gundam, and Four still isn't fully augmented for battle yet. She...still has these streaks of emotion to be observed of her, but we aren't to worry about it. A few more of our tests and she will be the perfect Newtype breakthrough that the Federation has ever produced.
Wooder: You better be sure about this, Professor. From the looks of things, we could not afford to suffer any more losses from the AEUG. (looks out the Sudry's bridge's window) Fully augmented or not, Four *must* win this battle.
And indeed, just outside the Garuda-class Titan air fortress Sudry, the immensely monstrous 40-meter tall ebony MRX-009 Psyco Gundam takes its first large steps into battle, the earth rumbling against its large steps. The Titans-issue Zaku-II's around the Psyco Gundam would pale in comparison to the monstrosity they were "escorting" (as if the Psyco Gundam needed any escorting at all) as they moved out into the city and waited for the AEUG to come.
Four Murasame was, as always, silent inside the Psyco Gundam's chest cockpit. If one would try to look at her face right now, hers was a vacant one: unemotional, unforgiving...almost like a machine. Almost like the immense machine she was piloting right now...but somehow, at the corner of her mind, she feels...something different, something very distant. Some kind of mild pressure, an aura, similar to her own...but then, she just seemed to shrug it off and set her mind on her "assigned" task...
-----
Strangely enough, Camille felt some kind of an "evil" aura, a force not unlike his own or Quattro's. What little "pressure" of that aura inside his head slowly but surely grew as the minutes went by, but he tried to stay calm inside his white Gundam Mk-II, awaiting orders from the Agama's bridge to launch out.
Reminiscing what few good...and bad...experiences he had with the as a soldier of the AEUG, he felt this was just the beginning of his trials and tribulations...both as a human being and as a Newtype, as everyone he knew suspected him to be.
Breathe in, breathe out, he told himself.
Breathe in, breathe out...
-----
Mirai: Where to, honey...err, Captain?
The "newly-assigned" navigator of the Agama gripped the navigating wheel like she had done when she was the infamous Pegasus White Base's navigator; it just never crossed her mind that she'd be doing this kind of thing once again; but it was necessary. She trusted her husband that he still believed in her ability so she had accepted his offer to replace his bed-ridden navigator Torres without a complaint.
Bright: We are to avoid the city as much as possible, Mirai. Judging from the situation, I'd think the Titans are already scattered throughout Hong Kong. But still, we shouldn't underestimate what the Titans can do. They *did* use to be a part of the Federal Forces and are composed of the elite of all of us...
Mirai: But I'm surprised you didn't become part of the Titans even though you're still part of the Federal Forces a reserve officer, Bright.
Bright: I...just didn't feel right when they were drafting officers for the force, Mirai. I was right, apparently...
Mirai: (sighs) Well, anyway, I think I can still manage to be your navigator for the time being since navigating battlecruisers *is* still fresh on my mind, even though I've retired from the service when the One-Year War ended. Still, I need to know about the technical specifications of this baby here...I can tell it's faster than the Pegasus White Base, but can it withstand Titan mobile suits and weaponry, Bright?
Bright: Only one way to find out. Hmm...I just had an idea go through my mind. What if the Titans decide to come here and attack us directly? Damn bloody Titans...if we didn't let those other two cars go...I wouldn't worry this much...
Mirai: We'll just have to be prepared for that, Captain. After all, we do have two battleships and a good squadron of mobile suits in our arsenal, right? (squints) Or are you telling me you're chickening out already, hmmm?
Fa, tending to her usual bridge operator duties, couldn't help but giggle as she was overhearing this little husband-and-wife conversation between the Captain and, of course, his wife. Bright just didn't notice it, but the rest of the bridge operators were snickering as well. The captain of the Agama just gulped and tried to maintain his all-too-familiar austere trademark gesture that he's kept for the past seven years.
Bright: (sweatdrops) Ummm...of course not, sweetie.
Fa: (thinks and grins) Gee, I didn't know the Captain could be such a little man in front of his wife...
-----
Taking their positions across town, the fifteen Titan Zaku-II's await the Sudry's orders as they witness the enormous sable-colored Psyco Gundam make its way slowly towards Hong Kong City like one of those Godzilla films of old, their "mothership" Sudry following at a slow pace as well.
Yet again, inside the Psyco Gundam's chest cockpit, Four somehow...felt some kind of powerful aura just around the vicinity. She could almost feel that aura breathe in...and breathe out, like it was very close to her. Her hands began to shake lightly as Four had never experienced something like this before, much more that she had never been in a real anti-mobile suit battle before. She had finally realized that this *definitely* wasn't like one of those battle simulations that she had been taught to master.
Namica: /Four, are you all right? You seem a little...tense. Is something wrong?/
Four: (gasps) /N...Nothing's wrong, ma'am./
Namica: /...good. Await further orders from the Sudry while still aiming for the vantage point in the city. Over and out./
Four: (breathes in and out deeply) .....w...what is this that I feel...some kind of...pressure...in my head...it's very, very near...I...
The Psyco Gundam still continued to advance to that town in Hong Kong where the Zaku-II's had gone to. In the meanwhile, inside the Sudry's main bridge, Lieutenant Commander Wooder was considering some thought in his mind. He was thinking, since the patrol group who had chased after Bright Noah's car had given him the exact coordinates of the location of the rest of the AEUG...
Wooder: Let's move out to that cave that one of our patrol groups described as the location of the AEUG's flagship Agama. Do it immediately.
Sudry navigator: Yes, sir!
Namica: Don't you think it's a good idea just to stay in the city and await their arrival, Lieutenant?
Wooder: If I were the captain of the Agama, I would think of using another path as much as possible to avoid the Sudry and the rest of our Zaku-II squadron, Professor Cornell. Better to drive the rats out of their hole than to wait for them in our nicely laid trap. Besides, I don't think that they will be able to withstand the Psyco Gundam's power with their limited weaponry and all.
Namica: (raises an eyebrow and sighs boringly) As you say, Lieutenant Commander.
-----
Fa: Captain, I think there's a high concentration of Minovsky particle radiation coming this way, approximately 2.8 kilometers from our current position. It looks like that the Titans have sent some forward troops to attack us...something like three or four unidentified mobile suits at least. It also seems that there's another heat source slowly moving towards this way and that the other mobile suits serve somewhat as its escorts, Captain.
Bright: I see. Mirai, speed us up a little bit, we're going to meet these bloody bastards midway and wipe them out with what firepower we and our mobile suits have.
Mirai: Roger, Captain.
Bright: Fa, send a signal to the Radish to do the same as well. We will launch our mobile suits in twenty minutes or sooner depending on how fast we get to where the Titans are. Send a signal to the Radish also to launch their mobile suits in five minutes or less after we've launched our own.
Fa: Right, Captain! /Radish, this is the Agama. Be informed that we--/
Mirai: Looks like we'll be duking it out with the Titans sooner than expected, eh Captain?
Bright: It seems so, Mirai.
Mirai: Right. (turns to face outside the Agama's window and sighs a little) That boy, Camille...he's like Amuro, in a way...just like in the old days. Did you notice that, too?
Bright: I've noticed that the first time I've met him, honey. He was just as brash and as much as a prodigy as Amuro was. But somehow...I have this weird feeling that he's much stronger than Amuro than I've expected...
Mirai: Yeah, I...kinda noticed that too. (thinks) I can tell he's feeling scared right now, it's almost as if he's sensing something very big, something...something outright fearful, period.
And yet again, the sun slowly fades away into the horizon as night soon followed and a battle would soon ensue...again, between the renegade AEUG and the just Titans, between the earth's "rebels" and the "rightful" iron hand of the Earth Federation...
...and, one would have to wonder, between right and wrong?
-----
Hayato: /It's impossible that we should wait any longer for Nerv to make their final sortie against the Angel, Captain. Our presence is demanded immediately at Hong Kong, and we, the Kalaba, as one of the AEUG's active hands against the Titans, should be there when the AEUG needs us most. Amuro, I hope you understand./
The face of the leader of the Kalaba forces as shown on the visual communications link connecting the Mont Blanc to the Audomura was as stern and as stringent as his old superior officer in the White Base and the same captain of the Agama. Amuro sensed his old friend's seriousness and just sighed as he scratched his head and looked into Hayato's image in the monitor.
Amuro: Yes, Hayato, I understand. Suppose if Nerv wants to send their Evangelions as support for the AEUG as well, since they are bound to do so by their honorary membership with the AEUG, how will they be able to do that while we're heading for Hong Kong? I mean, we only have the Mont Blanc and the Audomura to transport cargo *that* big and heavy across the sea...
Hayato: /Not to worry, old friend. There will be provided a vintage aircraft carrier to carry the Evangelions across the sea into Hong Kong without any notice of the Federal Forces or the Titans, hopefully. Of course, measures must be taken by Nerv itself to ensure that the Eva's should be in their top class./
Amuro: I see. Well then... (sighs) When do we leave?
Hayato: /We leave for Hong Kong first thing in the morning, Captain, at around 0400 hours. Be prepared until then./
Amuro: I get you.
Hayato: /Well, that's all for the evening. I'll see you tomorrow, Captain--/
Amuro: Wait a sec.
Hayato: /What is it?/
Amuro: How is Frau...I mean, your wife doing? Is she okay with Kikka and Retsu? How are your two other children doing, by the way?
Hayato: (chuckles) /They're doing perfectly fine, Amuro. That's one of the reasons why I came here to Japan in the first place, to relocate them to my ancestral home in Okinawa and let them stay there and.../
Amuro: (chuckles) That's good enough for me. Hayato...one thing, though...
Hayato: /Hmm?/
Amuro: Are you sure Katsu is going to be safe in space with...with Char?
Hayato: (pauses for a short while then sighs) I'm pretty confident that Katsu can hold his own in outer space with Char. I only pray that he will not get into as much trouble as we've already had with the Federation as it is, you get what I mean, man?/
Amuro: Yeah, dude. (pauses for a short while then sighs) Char Aznable of the Zeon, now one of the top officers in the AEUG...it truly seems so short a time that we would all meet again in battle, huh?
Hayato: /.....indeed./
-----
Asuka blinked. It seemed that the boring pipe-in music that she and Shinji had been hearing for the past almost-18 hours had finally come to a much needed (at least to the two of them) stop. The 14-year-old German-Japanese redhead stretched and gleefully led her hand into the big-screen TV's dial while Shinji rolled over from lying down into an upright position, putting his chin over his palms and watched TV along with Asuka.
Asuka: Oh, yeah, finally! Some *real* entertainment! Hmm...if I remember correctly, that cute old soap opera's on at about this time, heh heh heh! Hmm...now if I could only remember what the title was...
Shinji: (boringly) I think it's called "Sazae-san", Asuka. By the way, I didn't know you were into soap operas and stuff like that, I'd thought you'd rather go for--
Asuka: Actually, Shinji, I'm *not* into soap operas and "stuff like that", okay? It just happens that they're preempting Bakuretsu Hunters and Cowboy Bebop for tonight, *so* this is the next best thing to watch for tonight. Eh?
Shinji: Say *what*?! Oh man...w-well, how about that cheap Tokimeki Memorial Drama Series OAV marathon thingy? I hear Volume 3's going to be shown for tonight...
Asuka: (raises an eyebrow and leers at Shinji) *You* watch that Tokimeki Memorial junk? (snickers) Heh, figures...but then, it's no good either. From what *I* hear Toki-Memo's going to be shown NEXT WEEK, not today.
Shinji: Why wouldn't I watch Toki-Memo? It's a nice anime program taken from the popular dating simulation game for that old vintage console Sony Playstation, and it's a good replacement for watching that Fushigi Yuugi crap *you've* been watching. (smirks) Heh, and here I thought I was the only one who's a bit into shojo anime...
Asuka: (face blushes *slightly*) Well *you* shut up! At least I'm not a fan of dating simulation games like the gutless, wimpy dummkopf that you are! (sighs and faces the TV) Schieße...this really sucks, doesn't it?
And so, the two Children watched on in silence at the said soap opera on television. Thirty whole minutes pass, and the program soon rolls its credits, a commercial soon announcing the news program that regularly follows after.
Asuka: Shinji...has it ever crossed you mind that...
Shinji: Hmm?
Asuka: Well...have you been reading some of those old history books about the wars that went on in the...err...Middle Ages? Yeah, most probably the Middle Ages...
Shinji: (rolls his eyes) Asuka, there weren't any "wars" that went on in the Middle Ages. The Middle Ages were a period of reformation in Europe that eventually led off to the Renaissance, a revival of culture and interest in arts from being--
Asuka: No, you bonehead, not *those* Middle Ages *or* the Renaissance, I meant the Middle Ages in the middle early 20th century, haven't you heard of World War II, Shinji? Nineteen forty-five, hello?
Shinji: What about World War II?
Asuka: (sighs and pauses for a short while) Well...remember "der Führer" Adolf Hitler and how he had led...*ahem*... (sighs deeply) ...his Nazi grunts into their infamous rampage throughout Europe and their terrible Holocaust of the Jews just because...they *think* they're the superior race and all that shitty crap that went on during that time?
Shinji: ...yeah, go on...
Asuka: Isn't it quite amazing sometimes that history seems to repeat itself in such weird ways? I mean, if you would remember from your uncle's old newsmagazines back when we still lived in Side 7 about the One-Year War, how the Zabi family-led Duchy of Zeon wanted to gain supremacy "in the name of all spacenoids", if you will, by eliminating the problem--the corrupt grip of the Earth Federation. They thought of this method as the "final solution" to all of "our" problems as spacenoids...apparently, as you might well know, just like the Nazis, the Zeon failed in their attempt for independence and supremacy in our colony system.
Shinji: Yeah, yeah, I know all of that, and eventually back in '83 the Federation made up some...gang or group of jackbooted thugs...err, "elite force", if you will, from within the Federal Forces to quell further anti-Federation movements named the "Titans". What's your point in all of this?
Asuka: Hmph. Well, it seems that history *has* repeated itself once again, but in the form of our cute, precious, little, shrewd bunch of bloody boneheads with cute pink ribbons-on-top Federation elite group, the Titans, what with these "rumors" going on about their gassing of 30 Bunch just because there was another Zeon anti-Federation thingy going on...I would think you'd get the picture, eh? The thing is... (shakes her head) I kinda feel like the Titans aren't there just for enforcement of laws within our immensely large colony system ever since I heard stories from Amuro-san that he'd heard from our AEUG buddies and all that crap. (heads for the refrigerator and opens its door) You want a soda?
Shinji: Y...yeah, get me some chips too. You know what, I feel like the Titans aren't there just for enforcement of laws, either. You'd think they'd want to...kill us all spacenoids off or something, like what the Germans did to the Jews...
Asuka: (stares at Shinji and throws him a soda can and a bag of chips) Shinji, you *have* to be kidding, with your tone of voice I'd almost think you were generalizing Germans to be Nazis as well. If you almost forgot, let me remind you I'm half-German as well and I'll tell you to your freaking ugly face that I'm *not* a Nazi or a sympathizer of the Nazis, all right?
Shinji: (catches the soda can and the bag of chips) Okay, okay! But let me tell you that I'm *not* implicating anything with my "tone of voice", it's just that I'm wondering about what this war with the Titans will all lead to and all. I mean, we *are* involved with the war right now what with that little thing with the Titans a few weeks ago...well, you weren't here when it happened, but still... (munches on the chips) It's inevitable that we should be involved with the AEUG's campaign against the Titans *any* time soon after our battle with the Angel. And I will not be surprised if we'll be branded as rebels or murderers or anything of the sort and...and...if dad would say anything about it at all, or Ayanami...
Asuka: Oh, don't be ridiculous. If us and the rest of Nerv joining the AEUG would help everyone to find out the truth behind all of this bloody war crap *and* if it would, of course, help me show the world how much ability I have as an Eva pilot... (smirks)
Shinji: (rolls his eyes and thinks) Oh, this is just fucking great. I should have seen *this* coming...again...God, she's flaunted her trademark pomposity two times in one day? What a record low...
Asuka: ...then everything would be all right, ne, Shinji-chan?
Shinji: Don't *ever* call me Shinji-chan again.
Asuka: (grins widely and laughs) Aww, but "Shinji-chan" sounds so *cute* on you, you kawaii little scumbag, you! (stretches Shinji's face)
-----
The Agama emerges out of its hiding place in a very large cave somewhere outside Hong Kong and looked as if it was ready for a thousand battles, along with its support battlecruiser Radish following slowly behind. As per her husband's order, Mirai tried to sneak the Agama out of the city and out of the Titans' sights as much as possible, but because a battlecruiser's launch time from the ground was terribly slow, Bright thought it upon himself to risk engaging battle with the Titans even if they didn't want to. Fa's Minovsky particle radar beeped constantly as she sees those same five figures she saw earlier now closing in on them, fast.
Fa: Captain, the five mobile suits detected heading this way seemed to have sped up! Permission to give orders to launch our mobile suits, sir!
Bright: Get to it. See to it that Camille and the others don't go far away from the Agama and keep them close by unless necessary.
Fa: Right, Captain...
-----
Fa: /So that's the plan, Lieutenant Emma, Officer Reccoa, Camille. Do you understand?/
His girlfriend's image on the communications link to the bridge was probably the only relief Camille had from the heavy feeling, that "evil" pressure he had felt inside his head for almost the whole day. Camille sighed, gripping his Gundam's navigating joystick or some other control used to move the mobile suit and looked back at Fa's image in his monitor.
Camille: I'll do my best, Fa. I'll be back as soon as I can.
Fa: /...../
Emma: /Camille, are you sure you're feeling okay? You've been acting...strange ever since you caught up with us this morning in the city. If you'd like you can just rest while we go out there and--/
Camille: I'm okay, ma'am, thanks for the concern...
Emma: /Okay...don't say I didn't warn you./ (cuts off her comm link to Camille)
Reccoa: /This is the first time I've piloted a mobile suit in *weeks* so you better cover me up good, since I'm using just one of our GM-II's, okay Camille? Do you hear me? (sees Camille nod on her visual comm link) Good. But that doesn't mean I couldn't kick ass myself. Just be careful you won't get hit with friendly fire from us *or* the Agama and/or the Radish./ (cuts off her comm link to Camille)
Fa: /Camille...just be careful and come back to me, okay?/ (frowns then cuts off the bridge's comm link to Camille)
A short while later and the Agama's mobile suit docking hull's hatch opened. Three other GM-II's other than Reccoa's positioned themselves onto the launchpad and got ready for takeoff. A few seconds later and Camille can overhear "Officer so-and-so, GM-II launch!" being shouted over their colleagues' radio links to the Agama's battle bridge, although they were a bit faint to begin with. Soon enough it was Reccoa's turn to launch in her GM-II...then Emma, in Quattro's old red Rick Dias...then him, in his white Gundam Mk-II.
Somewhere, at the back of Camille's mind, however, he wondered why the AEUG...and specifically Camille *himself* was getting involved with night battles so often...
Camille: Officer Camille Vidan, Gundam Mark-II, launch!
-----
Shinji was *so* sure Misato was still watching Asuka and himself with a spy camera, even now that the lights were off for most of the pyramidal Nerv HQ. At the back of his mind, he thought, he'd be better off sleeping in his own room in his old Side 7 home, if not his new "home" at Misato's residence. But then, he sighed, and thought it upon himself that this will do, even for the moment.
After all, he had to admit, Asuka *is* a cute girl. No adolescent boy in his right mind would pass up this opportunity to "sleep" with her, even on separate beds. But then, if that cute girl *was* Asuka...he'd rather pass it up.
Shinji lay down on his bed, lingering in the silence that prevailed in the room provided for them in this "special" mission by Nerv courtesy of good old Misato-san. *Well*, not quite *old*, but she was good nonetheless. Heh, Shinji thought, good example of a 29-year-old drunken slob who has this weird thing for keeping a pet penguin, maybe...
He lay his head on his palms, slowly sinking himself in deep thought, as usual, while listening to old 18th-century period classical music, a CD collection of works done mostly by Beethoven and Bach and some other geniuses of classical music at the time. Soon enough, he yawned; he thought it might be best to call it a day and sleep after a hard, grueling day of a dance workout. He took off his mini-earphones and placed his pocket CD player on the table next to his bed. He never thought of saying "good night" to Asuka anymore as he had assumed Asuka had already fallen sound asleep and she probably wasn't one for "good night"'s, especially with *him*, Shinji Ikari, Nerv's special "Third Child"...at least to Asuka.
But as Shinji covered himself with his blanket, he seemed to hear something strange that was just near him. Kind of a peculiar pattern of very faint sounds, he had thought.
Sobs?
...Asuka was crying in her sleep? Strange...but not impossible.
But why?
Asuka: .....*sniff*.....*piffle*.....
Shinji: ..... (thinks) ...talking in her sleep...?
Asuka: M...Ma...Mom...my...*sob*....
Shinji: (thinks) Hmph. Geez...she made fun of *me* so much--and yet she's so obsessed with her own mother herself. What irony...
Asuka: M...mommy...why? Why...did...you...have...to...*die*...?
Shinji: ...!!
Asuka: .....*sniff*...*sob*...
Well, this had turned into an interesting twist, Shinji had thought. Just when you think you know a person...they deceive you with their "mask" of arrogance. But it crossed Shinji's mind just then...that Asuka was a normal girl after all.
-----
Episode 12, "Shall We Dance?"
-------------------
Emma had just cursed under her breath as she took out two Zaku's; one, with two direct shots of her Rick Dias' beam pistol to the head and the chest cockpit; the other, after the other Zaku-II had attempted to assist its fallen partner but found itself being slashed away by Emma's Rick Dias' beam saber after a well-placed kick and punch. She was a bit used to night battles already since she'd undergone mobile suit battle training in space when she used to be with the Earth Federation's elite force that her opponents were in right now. Emma Sheen just wasn't used to battles in earth's gravity, though, so she took precaution on what might happen to her during this little skirmish with the Titans.
She just wondered why there was a double amount of hostile enemy mobile suits than what Fa had reported that the Agama had sighted to have been coming towards them. Seeing that there was that possibility that three Zaku's were going to team up on Reccoa's GM-II, Emma made a run for it and did a jumping dive for one Zaku, thinking about whether to shoot at it with the remaining ten charges of her beam pistol or to have at it with her beam saber.
Emma: Fricking goddamned creeps, I thought we had only four of these shitheads coming for us! (lands her Rick Dias full force on a Zaku and punches on its head, stomps at it repeatedly, then shoots at its head before shooting at Reccoa's opponents)
Reccoa: /I hadn't really thought about it either, Lieutenant! You know what I think?/ (takes out her beam saber and makes her GM-II do a sweeping kick on an opponent Zaku after slashing at its chest two times) /I would think these quacks have more of them where they came from, and what's more, I wouldn't be surprised if they'd take Hong Kong hostage because of us. Am I right?/
Emma: Maybe. (pants and makes a break for Camille's position after shooting another Zaku near her upside the head) You think little boy blue needs help back there?
Reccoa: /You go on ahead. I might be able to hold on until I run out of my fricking beam gun charges or something. Go *now*!/ (takes out her beam rifle while sniping at another distant Zaku)
"Little boy blue" apparently didn't need any assistance from anyone at the moment; in fact, he was the one who was helping his AEUG comrades out when they were in "dire" situations such as nearly getting their GM-II asses kicked by Titan Zaku-II's and such.
Still, that weird pressure that he had been feeling ever since that morning had slowly been...growing, to put it bluntly, and he had felt that it was getting...real close for his own good. Camille turned his Gundam's head around and saw it--a big, black, stocky, monster-like thing that did not look like a mobile suit at all coming towards his direction.
Camille: That's...that's the pressure I've been feeling... (bites his lower lip and trembles) This is it, the moment of truth...I have to get to that big black Gundam-like thing and kick this fucking pressure out of my head...
Of course, Four wasn't feeling very good either as she slowly made her way to the Agama's direction, what with the little white Gundam about half her own Psyco Gundam's size was coming her way looking like it was going to attack her. Four's reflexes would have to be fast for this time around as she knows that the Psyco Gundam, while being almost impermeable to any attack, was quite shabby when it comes to agility and such. Not that she cared much for agility at the moment anyway, she just wanted to get that ominous pressure out of her head once and for all.
Four: .....that Gundam...I... (starts to sweat lightly) ...why do I feel fear, right now? It's not like I'm going to be defeated...but still...ahh...I... (starts to breathe heavily and makes her pace faster towards the Gundam Mk-II) I don't care, I just...I just...
The pretty young "artificial" Newtype with short teal hair shrieked as her enemy Gundam Mk-II hit home at her Psyco Gundam's shoulders and chest with three beam rifle shots as it headed towards her at a frightening pace, the impact just slightly shaking the frame of her immense mobile suit's chest cockpit. Four gritted her teeth as she tried to gain back her balance and flipped some of one of her joystick's controls, firing the Psyco Gundam's head vulcan gun turrets at the Mk-II's direction, eventually hitting two or three of the enemy Gundam's GM-II companions and destroying them.
Four: (angrily) Stand still, little white Gundam! It will take more than your puny friends to scratch me! Nnnngggraaaahhhh!!
Camille shielded himself from the destructive blasts that ensued from his GM-II allies with his Mk-II's shield, and along with it, the Psyco Gundam's vulcan gun attack from it's big ugly head.
Camille: Tch! No choice than to have at it close-range! If it's one thing I hate, it's close-range battles...but then, I have to...
The white Gundam Mk-II jumped up high in the air using its "backpack" boosters shooting at two or three surrounding Zaku's first before making the coup de grace on the biggest black Titan mobile suit he'd ever seen. Using only his intuition and not caring enough to snipe at them with the crosshairs, Camille used up the last of his beam rifle charges before throwing the said beam rifle itself butt-first into the Psyco Gundam's ugly face.
Four almost never saw the beam rifle throw coming and narrowly swatted it away just in time; that would have been her imminent end if the attack had hit home. Her Newtype-like heightened senses failed her, though, when the little white Gundam had deployed not one, but two beam sabers at once after throwing away its wasted shield and supposedly decided to attack her melee-style. She wasn't to be underestimated, Four whispered under her breath, and deployed her own version of a beam saber--quite a larger one than the standard mobile suit's beam saber, one could say after seeing it.
Camille gasped in surprise as he saw the enemy's *long* "beam saber"--more like a beam sword--come out from under the larger Gundam's forearm and attempted to lunge at him, for which he had successfully blocked with his two inferior beam sabers, referring to their size compared to the Psyco Gundam's own melee weapon. Camille made his Mk-II jump away from the larger Gundam, rebounded off a nearby cliff, and yet again made a diving attack for the Psyco Gundam's head, trying to slash away with two beam sabers and alternatively firing at it with his own seemingly ineffective head vulcan gun shots.
Four: He's coming at me again...! Stubborn little...!
Camille: God damn it! This guy's tough! ...!! What the...?!
To his surprise, Camille found himself almost at the end of a precarious situation as some kind of cannon-like mechanism protruded out of the monstrous enemy Gundam's chest and, as if his opponent was taking aim at him with the chest cannon-like thing, faced him. The enemy Gundam's "eyes" seemed to glow for a split second before the chest cannon fired at Camille with what seemed to look like one of the Agama's main beam cannon attacks.
Camille: Fucking shit, this is *not* good! (gasps and dodges just in time, landing on the ground and rolled back up to his Gundam's feet)
Four: Tch, missed!
As Four had missed her intended target, she hadn't missed any of the Gundam's allies anyway and totally obliterated two more GM-II's. She prepared for another attack with the Psyco Gundam's chest beam cannons, but it would take another forever of a minute to recharge. Just damn her luck, she thought, as the stubborn little white Gundam tried to have at her once again and just *try* to scratch her "invincible" Psyco Gundam.
-----
Bright: Fa, radio Camille to be careful for imminent friendly fire. We are going to try to damage that big Gundam in any way possible so as to help Camille out there. All main cannons, take aim at the enemy and fire!
Fa: Yes, sir! All main beam particle cannons, fire at our target! I repeat, all main beam particle cannons, fire at our target! /Camille, can you read me--/
-----
Another unidentified force was coming at her, she sensed. Four's eyes just widened when she realized she was soon to be in the middle of the enemy ship's main beam particle cannon attack--pity she couldn't just simply dodge in time and avoid the attack, and she took it quite painfully. Her pilot helmet's thought receptors were just a little bit *too* sensitive that any amount of significant damage to the Psyco Gundam would reverberate on her head.
Four screamed in harrowing pain as she took the Agama's main beam particle cannon fire and fumbled for the next move to make, whether to fire at the little white Gundam that was pestering her or eliminate the other evil presence that was the Agama. She cursed under her breath as she found out that the enemy ship was out of range and decided that she should take out all of her enemies *near* her instead. Just as the little white Gundam was going to charge at her again, Four caught its head just in time, pushing it away from her at the right distance so she can have at it with the Psyco Gundam's chest beam particle cannon and...
I am not going to lose, Camille repeatedly told himself, breathing in a deep and hard regular pattern and gathered all of his strength to push back at the big black Gundam with full force. Camille screamed at the top of his lungs as he made his Gundam's feet struggle to push back at the bigger Gundam using the Mk-II's body.
A bloodcurdling scream and what seemed to be a sudden wave of psychic energy was what Four had heard and felt go through her head like a sharp spear when the pint-sized white Gundam forcibly pushed back at her superior-in-size-and-armor Psyco Gundam.
This was definitely not good, Four had thought, and a split-second later, a blanket of fear had soon enveloped her, making her slim youthful frame tremble like a little child scared of a big monster of sorts. She couldn't quite comprehend what immense force that the enemy Gundam had wielded at the time, so she had thought it best that she should fall back...for now. Breathing in and out and obviously terrified, Four wiped off the sweat off her brow and almost fumbled to flip the right controls from within her cockpit to make her escape, what with only one of her Titan mobile suit support squadron was left anyway.
Four: (gulps and breathes heavily) P...pressure...n...no...get away from me...NOOOO!!! Aaaahhhh!!! (struggles to take off her pilot's helmet and ease off her collar)
To Camille's surprise, he saw the immense, stocky, black Gundam transfigure itself into what looked like its mobile armor mode and sped itself out of his presence along with what was left of their enemy Zaku's. For a brief moment, he just stood there, amazed at the events that had happened that night and wondered about his opponent. Somehow, somewhere at the back of his head, he kind of felt his opponent's feelings while he was fighting him.
He could even almost hear what the enemy pilot had been thinking right that instant, although his perception of it was just so...blurry at the moment, maybe it was due to his exhaustion or some other cause. He just shook his head and gulped, heading back for the Agama, slowly sinking deep in thought.
Emma: /Camille, Camille! Thank God you're safe! We have to go back to the Agama immediately for repairs and further orders. On the double, Camille! Camille? Are you listening to me?/
Reccoa: /Just leave him be, Lieutenant...I think he's pretty tired from all of this fighting that's happened. Let's go ahead of him./
Emma: (sighs) /All right, Officer. Camille...I want to talk to you when we get back on the ship, okay? So you can tell me what's wrong and all.../
Camille still kept his silence as the Gundam Mk-II headed on its way back to the AEUG mother ship, still sinking much deeper in thought. It truly was the first time he'd ever been in *this* kind of battles, even though he's been through a lot for the past few weeks from the first time he'd ever gotten employed in the AEUG.
Camille: (thinks) A...a woman...? In that Gundam...?
It was quite a...weird moment for Camille. Sure, he'd gotten into night battles in the past, and he'd even gotten to do dogfights in the darkness of space...but this was different. This was like none he had ever fought before...after he had just *sensed* that this particular pilot was none like he had ever fought before, very unlike that last one he had fought a few weeks--or was it months?--back...
As Camille loosened his pilot suit's collar and took off his pilot helmet, the white Gundam Mk-II still stood there in silence as if it were also lost in thought like its young pilot, not caring enough to notice what was left of his other AEUG comrades heading back to the Agama in quite a hurry.
Fa: /--mille! Camille, do you hear me?!/
The young Newtype's little reverie was broken when Fa's angry/worried voice sort of pierced through his eardrums, the said girl's pissed-off countenance also filling the mini-screen somewhere on his monitor. Camille gulped amidst heavy breaths and turned to look back at Fa's image on his cockpit monitor.
Camille: Huh?! Oh...y...yeah, I hear you...
Fa: (sighs) /You better head back to the ship, Camille. Captain's orders, which I assume you didn't hear for the first time. Camille...are you okay, honey?/
Camille: Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking of something, that's all...
Fa: /...../
Camille: Oh, now don't look at me like that, baby. I'm...I'm perfectly fine, see? (grins)
Fa: /I'll meet you at the dock. Over and out.../
Oh, great...now I've got her worried all over again, Camille thought as Fa's image in a "window" somewhere on his cockpit monitor went off with a little beep. He had thought it best he'd better head on back to the Agama immediately...and just as immediately, he had anticipated that Bright had new orders for them. He just didn't know what those orders were...yet.
-----
The Agama's briefing room was filled with AEUG pilots and personnel alike, and where there was a group of people in a room together, there sure were numerous discussions floating about. These discussions were mostly about what the Captain of the ship has to say; some, about the losses and victory of the last battle; others just wanted to take some rest. Fa, leaving her post to another person on duty at the bridge, was more concerned about Camille's condition than what Captain Bright Noah has to say in a few minutes. Fa hugged Camille tightly as Bright tapped his pointer stick at the head of the table. All murmurs and mumblings died down as the AEUG soldiers present at the briefing room looked at the stern Captain's face and awaited his latest announcement.
Bright: (sighs) It appears that we will be on the run from now on as the Titans have discovered our secret hideout. I am expecting reinforcements to come in any moment now so, as you might have noticed, I have specifically ordered that the Agama and the Radish should head on out of Kowloon's shores immediately and that we should head on over to Aberdeen in this little island over here... (points to something on the map of Hong Kong behind him) If we hurry enough I think we should be able to get there and head on over to the Titans' new base in New Guinea with new supplies and mobile suits. Our Anaheim Electronics informant Stephanie Luo had just called me during our battle and said that some new mobile suits are waiting for us there. The Titans have no knowledge of this movement that we're planning and I would guarantee our safety in getting there provided that the Titans don't strike now as we're on the move. Any questions?
The little room was again full of little soft murmurs going around amongst the AEUG soldiers, pilots and personnel alike. Bright had assumed that he and his few good men will once again be put in an unstable situation like the one that had just taken place. He tapped his pointer hard on the table again, trying to keep order in the room. The voices once again had died down to the Captain's point of order in this meeting.
Bright: I will have silence in this meeting, men. Good. Now, we *won't* go to New Guinea right away after landing in Aberdeen as we *will* be re-supplied with our necessities and hopefully, from what Miss Luo had told me, upgrade our current mobile suits' respective performances and whatnot. So that means, we will have to stay for another little while here in Hong Kong City while watching out for our asses in hopes that the Titans won't find us or pursue us. I know this thing's risky, but it's a necessary risk. Besides, I'm confident that the Titans won't find out right away where we're headed *or* what we're about to do where we're headed anyway. And I'm confident too that at our current state we can still hold out on our own. (sighs) Look alive, ladies. See it this way: at least the AEUG, despite having close calls in the past as we've seen, still hasn't been quelled by the Titans. I don't know if it's just that the Federation hasn't done its homework or we're just lucky. Let me remind you people that the Titans may strike at any time, so be on your guard if ever there will be an emergency. This meeting is dismissed, men.
Murmurs resumed among the AEUG's top brass as they each went back to their respective positions in the Agama, taking into mind their captain's little speech that had just finished. Emma gazed at Camille for a short while, but didn't bother to talk to him as she's rather leave him alone with Fa for a while.
Reccoa: Camille seems...a little bit off after that little fight he had with that enormous Gundam, huh?
Emma: "A little bit off" is quite an understatement... (sighs) I wish I could help him, but ever since that battle, he's kind of like...well, more secretive of what he's feeling than he usually is...
Reccoa: Hmm. I wonder...
-----
A mere soft hug and a gentle kiss on the lips were the last things Camille have had from Fa for that evening, he had thought as he lay down on his personal quarters somewhere in the Agama. His little round "friend" Haro imitated Camille by staring at him silently and curiously as his "master" stared at the night sky silently and despondently as well. But then, Camille had no time for idle games with Haro for the time being, that's why he had put the ingenious little green ball of AI on "silent" mode.
Camille sighed. All throughout the past hours he thought of nothing but that...woman inside the larger Gundam's cockpit. If it weren't for his quick senses as a Newtype, he certainly would have been killed...but then, that's not the issue. That pilot seemed...scared, to say the least. But why? Camille asked himself.
Was she really scared of him?
Had his..."powers" gone to be so fearsome, after being in conflict with the Titans for quite a short time?
More importantly...will this ever be the last time he'd meet her again in battle? The young Newtype, shaking his head, just tucked himself into bed and hugged a pillow beside him. This was definitely not the last time they'd meet in the battlefield...or out of it.
-----
It was Sunday, early morning--4:00 in the morning exactly, when Shinji got up from his bed and, as usual, made his daily routine of cleaning himself before going out into the world lest he look like a deranged pervert--at least in Asuka's opinion, that is.
This was funny, he thought. He was actually duped into "living" with Asuka for the time being just for this particular anti-Angel operation, and worse than that, he didn't give any consent to it either. Well, it wasn't as if living with Asuka *was* a big deal, he thought, I mean, she *was* a family friend ever since he was but a wee infant. Of course, he had also thought, those memories weren't *all* good, even though she was, for the most part, saving his ass when he was in trouble. But then, he was just a little bit glad that it was Asuka. At least he knows her quite well now...
Shinji: (thinks and remembers Asuka crying from last night) ...do I?
The Third Child shivered as he finished peeing into the toilet bowl, washed his hands then washed his face with soap and water. Picking up a random glass from two inside a mirror cabinet, he soon brushed his teeth and looked at his visage in the mirror in front of him.
He looked at himself quite carefully, then stopped brushing his teeth to stare at himself some more. It wasn't as if he had forgotten to remove something dirty from his face, nor was it as if he just wanted to make a fool of himself of being "handsome" in front of a mirror.
As much as he would hate to admit it, but as the days go by, he was slowly but surely noticing his wretched father's facial features coming out of him. Great, he thought. This is just great...now I have to look at Dad's face whenever I look at the mirror...
But then, he noticed something different as he gazed on at his visage in the mirror, toothpaste suds barely coming out of his mouth and all, making him look like a madman. He didn't really look at all like his father, he realized...and then, after spitting out the stuff inside his mouth, he smiled a little. He just realized that he, more or less, "saw" his mother in him.
Shinji: Mom...I wonder what she looked like, when she was still alive...I could barely remember...but it was just seven years ago when we had last met, I'd guess... (sighs)
He then gasped in surprise, his still-unharnessed Newtype senses going off again, but this time, it was quite the wrong time for it. He gulped as soft, heavy footsteps came up behind the bathroom door. No, it couldn't be a thief, Shinji thought, Nerv security was too smart for thieves at a place like this. He then thought...
Shinji: (sighs and thinks) Oh, great. She *had* to come here at a wrong time. (turns around) Asuka, I'm still busy here, go awa--what the hell?!
Yes, there she was; the redhead apparently had her arms raised forward, and her face seemed *really* scary, although her eyes were closed...at least to Shinji, that is. Well, not *that* scary, actually...more like silly, as she still has that gross flaky stuff on her eyes and she was salivating, too. God, from egotistical prodigy to sleep-talker to sleepwalker...what more surprises could probably beset him from living with Asuka?
Asuka: Zzzzzzz......braaaaaaiiiiinssssss........
Shinji: Oh, God. (rolls his eyes and thwaps his head)
-----
It was at the same time that the Mont Blanc was on its way to Hong Kong, more specifically, to Aberdeen, after Amuro had made apologies to Misato that he couldn't help Nerv in their problems with the Angel for the time being. He explained that it was an order of urgency for the Mont Blanc's presence from Captain Bright Noah himself and that Hayato Kobayashi, his "slightly" superior officer in the Kalaba, would provide transportation for the Eva's if they were at all needed by the AEUG at any time. But that transportation wouldn't have to be the Audomura itself, he explained further, but some other vessel that the Evangelions would fit in.
Misato had just agreed with a sad sigh on the phone, and after finishing their call, Amuro had ordered that the Mont Blanc should immediately prepare for launch, which they did at around twelve minutes past 1:00--about the same time that Camille had fought the gigantic ebony Psyco Gundam. It was now 4:19, Sunday morning.
Amuro: How much more time till we get to Hong Kong?
Shiro: My navigator tells me we should be there at around two more hours, sir.
Amuro: Couldn't we speed up just a little bit?
Shiro: I'm afraid we can't, sir. This is about as fast and as high as we can get without the Federation or the Titans noticing our presence due to the high concentration of Minovsky particles that we have been emitting to cover our tracks. And besides, we have to keep up with the Audomura's speed so as not to leave it like a sitting duck for the Titans, sir.
Amuro: Damn. Anyway, that's just fine, if we can get to Hong Kong at this rate. (sighs) if it's not one thing, it's the other, eh?
Shiro: I guess so, sir.
Amuro: Hmm... (looks at Shiro for a while) You haven't been to space, haven't you, sir?
Shiro: (relaxing in his captain's chair) Never been to space, Captain. Why do you ask?
Amuro: (looks out the bridge's windows) I was just wondering, that's all. You *do* know we'll be involved in space combat one of these days, right sir? I mean, you've only worked on your abilities as a land fighter in a mobile suit rather than immersing yourself in zero-G environment, as from what I've seen in your records, right?
Shiro: I know that, sir. I don't think I'll ever get used to space combat in a mobile suit, but I'll see what I can do.
Amuro: ...right. Oh, by the way...how's your wife...Aina's her name, is it? Aina Sakhalin, once a Zeon pilot like Ensign MacKenzie's fiancé Bernard Wiseman...where's your family staying, by the way?
Shiro: Oh, she's fine. She and my twins are staying over in our home in Pasig City, somewhere in the Philippines. (chuckles) Heh heh, we'll be having our second child this March, you know. Oh, look, here... (gets something from his pocket and gives Amuro a small photo from his wallet)
Amuro: (takes the photo) Fraternal twins, huh? Hey, your wife looks really swell, doesn't she? Are you sure she's just...ummm...twenty-eight, twenty-nine years old, is it?
Shiro: Heh, yeah...come to think of it, Captain, I haven't seen you with any girl lately. I hope you don't mind me asking you this, but...as someone older than you, Captain, I really think you should go out with that nice girl with the black hair in Nerv. She seems such a nice match for you, even though she's older than you are. I don't know, it's just a gut feeling that I have. What do you say, Captain?
Amuro: Ummm... (gulps and chuckles) I don't think my lovelife's going to be the issue here again...eh heh heh...
Chris: Ooh, he's blushing at the mere *description* of the goddess of Nerv, Miss Misato Katsuragi! I wonder...hey sempai, as someone who's older than you I would agree to the old man's suggestion here! Why don't you just go on and hit on her like you've been fantasizing about for the past weeks?
Amuro: "Fantasizing"?! What the hell do you mean? And I won't "hit" on Misato because she's already got that ex-boyfriend of hers hanging around her anyway and in the first place I already have a lot to worry about as in the field of being in love with the opposite sex, okay?! Geez!
Chris: Well, then, sempai, why are you overreacting?
Amuro: .....take a hike, Chris. Just walk away, VERY far away from me...I am not going to have another one of these arguments, okay?
Chris: (pouts) Spoilsport!
Shiro: Oh, brother. (whaps his head and does an acerbic grin) Would you two just stop bickering like two kids and try to figure out what we'd do if we ever do get near China and ultimately, to Hong Kong? Jesus Christ...
Amuro: You heard the guy, Christina. (raises an eyebrow and stares at Chris)
Chris: Hmph! (sighs) Okay, okay. As long as Amuro-sempai lets me in on the plans even though I'm not really qualified as I *am* just one of the Kalaba's and/or the AEUG's ensigns--
Amuro: All right, all right, come on over here. Now listen carefully...
-----
Two more days, Misato thought. Two more days till Shinji and Asuka will have to fight the Angel once again, but this time, the Kalaba won't help them. It's all fine, she told herself, it's as if they'd need the Kalaba anyway to finish this operation...although she *was* a bit saddened that Amuro wasn't around--no, no, she's not in love with Amuro, she's in love with--
Kaji: Two more days, huh?
Misato: Huh? Oh, yeah...two more days...I wonder how we'll do against the Angel this time, even without the Kalaba or the AEUG...
Kaji: Ahh, don't worry. It's not as if even the latest mobile suit models' weapons would be able to pierce through an Angel's A.T. field anyway...unless of course, we have some Newtypes on our side, hmmm?
Misato: (nods) Right...all right, you two, enough with the warm-ups. Let's do the same routine as before, okay? One, two, three...
Asuka and Shinji take their respective starting poses for their synchronized dance as their two older superiors and strangely enough, Rei, watch on inside a certain Nerv mini-gym. As the two danced on for the first few seconds, it was okay, but the two Children got a little off-rhythm from each other. Misato just shook her head and clapped her hands as a signal for Asuka and Shinji to stop what they were doing.
Misato: Okay, stop that! (sighs) Shinji, pay attention to the music! You're *still* being too self-conscious.
Shinji: O...okay, sorry...
Misato: Asuka.
Asuka: Yes, ma'am--
Misato: (crosses her arms) How many times do I have to *tell* you *not* to leave Shinji behind?! Try to *synchronize* your pace with Shinji's next time, all right?
Asuka: I can't do *that*--you're asking me to lower my abilities to *Shinji's* level! Shouldn't *he* be getting in synch with *me*? (looks at Rei) Besides...why has the First--I mean, Ayanami--been watching us since yesterday? It distracts me...how am I supposed to concentrate?
Misato: Hmm. Fine, then. Rei...
Rei: Yes.
Misato: Could you try for a sec instead of Asuka?
Rei: Yes. (walks towards Shinji's direction)
Both Shinji and Asuka were quite surprised with this turn of events. Use Rei instead of Asuka? They both thought. What was Misato thinking in doing this?! Rei soon assumed the starting position of the dance, and a few seconds later, Kaji turned on the music as soon as it had been rewound.
This...was quite an interesting sight, for Asuka, at least. Why was Ayanami shadowing Shinji so...so...perfectly? What was it that she had done wrong? She was doing it the *right* way, why does the First follow *Shinji* when she cannot? No, it had to be...it has to be...
Misato: Ahh, good form, Rei and Shinji! (glares over at Asuka slightly) If Unit-00 weren't being repaired...we'd pair Rei with Shinji without a second thought.
Asuka: .....fine. Why not just send her in my Unit-02, then?
Misato: Asuka?
Asuka: ..... (runs out of the room) Excuse me...!
Misato and Shinji: Asuka!
It took about around two seconds of silence in the room for Misato to act as if she was pulling her hair off and scream in an angry/worried tone of voice. Kaji just sighed and leaned against the wall behind him, turning his head from the door that Asuka had just gone through to Shinji's general direction.
Misato: GAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!! We don't have time for *this*! Geezus...so much for the jealousy gambit...!
Kaji: Shinji...what are you still doing here? Go after Asuka.
Shinji: What...? B--but...
Kaji: (chuckles) This is *your* job too, after all.
And so, Shinji did go after the pissed-off Asuka after five or so minutes of looking for her, finding her sitting down inside a certain gazebo in an open veranda somewhere outside the gym room they were in just earlier. He walked over to her, but he kept her distance from her so as to save his ass from the redhead's wrath, so to speak. Asuka hugged her knees and pouted as she sensed Shinji's presence, but not quite in a Newtype kind of sensory perception. It was more like she heard his footsteps coming up behind her.
Shinji: (sighs after a long pause and looks around) This...Geofront is almost no different from the colony, huh? Artificial day and night, lush greens, you name it...it's all here. Heh...
Asuka: .....
Shinji: The only difference is that we're bound by Earth's natural gravity instead of being almost always being in zero-G and that this Geofront isn't really as populous as where we came from. Don't you just miss being in space, Asuka? I know I do. (leans against one of the gazebo's posts and sighs) I miss all of our friends in the colony. I miss those times when my uncle would just make us some special sushi and green tea. I miss all that floating around like silly idiots and everything, I'm sure you remember all those times when we--
Asuka: What do *you* want? Why did *you* follow me?
Shinji: (looks at Asuka) Hmm...sorry about that... (thinks and gulps) Uh oh. I don't know what to say...
Asuka: ...why am I the one to get yelled at? I'm doing it *perfectly*. *You're* the bumbling klutz. *You're* the slowpoke. Why take it out on *me*?!
Shinji: ...sorry. I'm doing my best, really... (sighs) Maybe if you *relaxed* more...
Asuka: ...!!
Shinji: Sure, you're good at piloting your Eva, and you've graduated from college already at 14, but...you're still just a kid, just like everyone else.
Asuka: (turns towards Shinji and stands up) Are you trying to give *me* advice?!
Shinji: Advice? Not really. But don't you get *tired* of it? Pretending you're Little Miss Goody-Two-Shoes in front of Misato or Kaji...it's just so...unnatural, you know? You don't have to force yourself...
Asuka: Oh, shut *up*! SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!! (points a finger at Shinji) You have NO right to say this to me! Who the hell do you think you are?!
Shinji: Sorry. It's just that...I used to be like that too, so I understand.
Asuka: YOU?! Understand ME?! What a laugh!
Shinji: .....
Asuka: .....
Shinji: Sorry. (turns around and walks away from Asuka and sighs) I'll go back now. If you need me I'll just be in our room. Heh...as if you'll "need" me now, anyway...oh well, later, then...
And all that Asuka could do was stare at the ground, thinking about what had just happened. It was very...unnatural of Shinji as well, to give her..."advice", she had thought. And as something inside her conflicted with her scarred pride, Kaji just looked at the two Children from afar and puffed a smoke with a little grin on his face. Heh, he thought, children these days...
Asuka looked up at the Geofront's artificial "sky" and once again, sitting down, hugged her knees close, sinking slowly into deep thought about all that has happened in just the wee hours of the morning.
Shinji, you big idiot, she thought. You *don't* understand how I feel...
-----
Mirai: You know, Bright...I was just wondering if...
Bright: (looks up from under his desk) Hmm? Hathaway, Quess, don't play with those books. Those are not mine you know...if you happen to damage any of those, Commander Brex will--
Mirai: Children, don't make any mess in this room, okay?
The boy in question looked up from the book he was reading with Quess and Cheimin and pouted. Quess, though, didn't really seem to mind her boyfriend's mother's remark as she continued to read through one of Brex's books inside his office, something apparently titled "Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring". Cheimin also looked like she was taking interest in what her brother's girlfriend was reading, so she read on.
Hathaway: But mom, dad, we aren't doing anything *really* rowdy in this room! Well...at least, not yet, but well...dad, your supreme commander seems to have quite an interesting trove of books here and everything...
Quess: Ho-hum...Captain sir, I don't mean to be rude, but hasn't your commander heard of CD-ROM's and stuff like that? I mean, we're in the Universal Century right now, year 0087 even!
Bright: Well, it just seems that our supreme commander is a low-tech guy and I couldn't do anything about it, all right? And even if I did, well, I know people like these, they tend to be really stubborn, you know?
Cheimin: But Daddy, can we at least just sit down on the couch over there and read his books? (nudges Quess with and elbow softly) You know very well that Hathaway and I love to read books and "all that stuff"...
Quess: (blinks and looks at Cheimin) Hey!
Bright: All right, all right. Just don't disturb me, okay?
As the three children each went diving into that couch in question, Bright finally found the pencil he was looking for after a few minutes. He almost yelped as he bumped his head under the table standing up and finally getting back to his chair.
Mirai: (gasps and rubs her husband's head) Are you sure you're all right, honey?
Bright: (chuckles) Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. Weren't you saying something earlier?
Mirai: Well, like I said, I was just wondering if the Titans would follow us all the way to our destination point or anything of the sort. As per both of our experiences in the Federation I'd think the Titans had already tapped into our communications lines and already known of our plans, right?
Bright: I'm expecting that. I'm not really fully depending on our current firepower anymore as I'd estimate we've exhausted a lot of it when we were fighting in the mainland a little bit earlier, but I'd still think we'd hold our own even for a little bit longer. Or...at least until Amuro and the others come.
Mirai: (sighs) You know what, I'm even worried that Amuro and the others might be captured and taken hostage just because they want us to surrender or something like that...
Bright: What with these current developments, I wouldn't be surprised if the Titans would take anyone hostage just to make the AEUG surrender, even if that isn't really following standard military protocol. And I'd doubt if they'd resort to hostage taking at a really public level as the whole world and her colonies know that the Titans *are* the Earth Federation's right hand. God knows what these bloody bastards are up to.
Mirai: In any case, I'm glad your navigator Mr. Torres is already up and well, although I can still feel a fever from him...well, you know, I just feel like it's the old days again and I kind of feel a responsibility of being a "mother" to your crew...
Bright: You know what, I was just wondering why you four people are in Hong Kong anyway and what you're doing here.
Mirai: (blinks) Have you forgotten already? We live here, silly.
Bright: Oh...right. I knew that. (picks up his phone receiver when he sees its little red bulb blinking) Yes? ...okay, I'll be there. (ends his call) I have to get back to the bridge immediately, want to come with me, honey, kids...?
Mirai: (shrugs) Well, if it's okay with you, I guess...I'd think it'd be best, though, if the kids would stay here. I wouldn't really want them to get into any trouble while they're in the bridge. (turns to the three children) Quess, Hathaway, Cheimin, we'll be going to the bridge for a while, okay? Don't make any mess while you're staying right here in this room, okay?
Quess: Yes, Mrs. Noah...
Hathaway and Cheimin: Yeah, mum...!
As the old couple went out the room apparently talking about some matters involving moving out into space again someday, the three children sneaked towards the automatic sliding door and opened it just slightly to see if they were gone. When they did confirm that they were gone, though, they all sighed almost in unison.
Quess: (frees her hair of her ponytails and scratches her head) Geez, your mum doesn't have to treat us like kids all the time! We're mature already to know when to mess around and when not to mess around...
Hathaway: I guess so...
Cheimin: Hey, I have an idea, you two. Have you both ever wondered what the inside of a battleship is? (grins) I have. Heh heh heh.
Quess: You mean you want us to go around this ship and see the sights while not being seen by your folks? (grins) That would be great, Cheimin! What do you say, Hathaway? Don't tell me you're too chicken to just merely be taking a tour around your daddy's ship! (grabs Hathaway's hand and drags him)
Cheimin: Yeah, don't be such a party pooper, you big bonehead! (grabs Hathaway's other hand and drags him) Come on, it'll be fun!
Hathaway: Well...okay...but you two better not blame me if mum and dad would see us anywhere outside this room...geez, you two are such tomboys, you know that?
Cheimin: (snorts) Heh...
Quess: (baps Hathaway on the noggin) Well, *excuse* me for being such a tomboy, Hathaway Noah! We just don't want to stay on this ship and be bored all day now, do we?
Quess and Cheimin look at each other, did a high-five, and giggled as Hathaway just gulped and went along to his sister's and his girlfriend's still-unrevealed wily plans. After all, he did always want to know what a space-type battlecruiser looked like from the inside...
-----
Four felt like her head was going to split in half as she woke up from a dream that she had immediately forgotten as soon as she had opened her eyes. As she was about to rise up from her bed, however, someone very familiar stopped her from doing so. As her vision cleared, she saw it was her doctor who stopped her. Four couldn't make out what her doctor was saying at first, but it all became clear to her a few moments later as she regained her consciousness of the world around her.
Namica: --so you see, we have to keep you here until you're at your full capabilities again. We'll be administering some of your medicine a little bit later after you've eaten your meal. (smiles at Four and holds her hand) You're going to be all right, Four. I promise you.
Four: (nods weakly) ...okay...
Namica: (puts Four's food tray at her lap) I'll be back in a while.
The mysterious woman just blankly watched her doctor leave the room and sighed as she started to playfully fidget at her food. Somehow, she felt her "own self" had been "restored" to her the moment she had woken up. But then, Four still doesn't have any memories of any past she might have had, save that first moment she had "woken up" at her doctor's lab.
"Four Murasame"...she had thought. What a weird name for her to have. What a weird name for someone to actually give it to her. Somehow, at the back of her head...she felt that this wasn't the real "her".
She hated her name.
She hated herself for being deprived of her own memories.
She hated the people who gave her name to her, and who promised her that they would bring her memories back...they were still unfulfilled promises, she thought, as she stared at her ceiling and lingered in the deafening silence of the infirmary room she was in.
Four: (softly) What an ugly ceiling...
But she had to obey them, no matter what. She had to obey them, even if she didn't want to.
She had to get into that wretched black machine again, to have her "own self" robbed from her once again, to follow her superiors' orders once again, for a cause she didn't even care to think or worry about.
Just because of a promise that these very same people will bring back her memories to her as soon as she defeats...
...as soon as she defeats...
As soon as she defeats the one who has touched her mind so deeply, it scared the bejesus out of her the last time she had met him. Yes, the pilot of that little white Gundam, her...her enemy.
Her "enemy"? She wondered.
This artificial Newtype..."strengthened human"...had never been so free ever since she had encountered this..."enemy" of hers.
Four: ...I...I must find him, that Gundam pilot...I must...find the answers to my questions. But then... (sighs) I'll still have to stay here, I'll have to play along to their stupid games...again...
She just hugged her blanket and wiped her tears with it.
-----
Misato just scratched her head in frustration as Ritsuko's fingers tapped on at her laptop's keyboard, just on the brink of finishing some reports for the "upstairs people" at Nerv and as Kaji put a mug of coffee in front of Misato. It had just been a very taxing turn of events for Misato that Sunday morning, much more when she had expected Asuka to come back since it was already 2:00 in the afternoon, but she didn't. As she stared at the mug of coffee in front of her, Misato just sighed as she put her chin over her palms, her elbows resting on a table in front of her.
Misato: So Asuka didn't come back, after all...the battle is tomorrow, but they're still not in harmony with each other. Heh, what a disaster.
Ritsuko: Mmm-hmm. (turns off her computer and looks through some papers on a clipboard)
Misato: Maybe we should go with the Shinji-and-Rei idea, what do you think? Well...it'd be quite risky, though...
Ritsuko: Shall we do a run-up for Rei and Unit-00?
Kaji: (rubs his chin and grins slightly) No. It's still too early for that. One more night, Professor Akagi...one more night. Sometimes that's all it takes, you know?
-----
After much caution in getting to the island just off the mainland coast of Hong Kong, the Agama and the Radish finally land somewhere in Aberdeen, a certain town in Hong Kong. Lucky for Bright and his crew, the secret hideout that Stephanie Luo had provided for the AEUG was quite well hidden in this little town, so at least for the time being the AEUG can wait while being re-supplied with new ammunition and of course, as promised, new mobile suits. As per Bright's order (and Stephanie Luo's suggestion), the Agama and the Radish hid themselves within some dense woodland in Aberdeen's vicinity.
But then, oddly enough (at least to Bright and Fa), Camille didn't go out and try the Zeta Gundam for himself just yet, which the people who had known him would expect him to be very exuberant in seeing his hard work "come to life", so to speak. Like what he had told Bright and Fa, he needed some time to "breathe in some fresh air", so to speak, before promptly heading for his motorcycle and leaving (though, not without Hathaway, Cheimin, and Quess who begged Camille to come along with him). Fa was worried most of all, for Camille seemed to spend a lot less time with her lately as well, what with something bothering her boyfriend at the moment. Whatever it was, Fa can only wish she knew.
Bright: ...wait a minute, Hathaway and Cheimin. You too, Quess. Didn't your mother and I tell you to stay in my office? These woods can be dangerous, and what's more, you'd never know if the Titans *have* followed us here or not!
Camille: We'll be all right, Captain. (shows his AEUG-issue .45 caliber pistol) Although we're all practically the same age here, I'd think we could pretty much take care of ourselves. Besides, I'd think your kids and Quess here need some fresh air too or something, you know?
Bright: (whaps his own forehead) Jesus Christ, Camille...okay, I'll let you go. But you better take *good* care of my kids and Quess, all right?
Hathaway: Don't worry, dad! We'll be fine.
Fa: (softly) ...Camille...
Camille: (stares at Fa silently for a second then looks up to Bright) We'll be back in a short while, don't worry, Captain...take care of yourself, Fa... (rides off with the motorcycle with the three children on "piggyback")
Even for layman's eyes, the MSZ-006 Zeta Gundam was truly a remarkable piece of equipment if there ever was one. The AEUG engineers who did a test run on its performance were truly impressed as they had given some reports to the Agama's captain for observation.
AEUG engineer A: Captain, sir, this is quite a piece of work that Camille's done, if what I've been hearing is true that he personally engineered this baby's capabilities and all...
Fa: (sighs and looks at the Zeta from head to foot) .....
Bright: (looks at Fa briefly and sighs) Y...yes, indeed. (looks through a clipboard of the Zeta's mechanical specifications)
AEUG engineer B: (harnesses himself down from the Zeta's cockpit) I would have to admit that Camille did quite an excellent job of combining the RX-178 Gundam Mark-II's mobility and speed with our very own MSA-009 Rick Dias' armor and firepower. With this thing, I'd bet we can win this war against the Titans as soon as possible!
Bright: We couldn't be too sure of that yet. Remember, this is the "Earth Federation's right hand" and God knows what kinds of mobile suits they've been developing under *our* noses to quote Lieutenant Commander Quattro Bajina. I'm sure you can all remember that big black Gundam we've fought last night and I'd *really* hate it if I could see a thousand of those tearing us apart. In any case, take care of the Zeta while Camille's not around, all right?
AEUG engineers A and B: Yes, Captain! (salutes Bright and gets back to their work)
Bright: (looks at Fa) Are you all right, Fa?
Fa: (looks back at Bright sadly) Do I look like I'm all right, Captain?
Bright: No need to snap back at me like that rudely, Fa. Camille just needs some time alone for the time being, you know? Maybe he's just tired and all, I'm sure you haven't been able to have a decent rest ever since we've gone on the run from Florida. Come on, why don't I treat you and Mirai for a drink at the canteen, all right?
Fa: (nods weakly) I guess so, Captain...it's just that...Camille and I...haven't gotten to talk to each other much lately, and I'm really, really worried for him...it feels as if though he's slowly slipping away from me...
Bright: I'm sure we can have a decent conversation with the Mrs. for that kind of situation. Let's just head back to the bridge and pick Mirai up from there, all right? And cheer up, for heavens' sakes...
-----
Shinji had been bored out of his wits for that day, rummaging through what little luggage Asuka had brought for this "mission" and the shelves and corners of their little room for any more DVD's or video tapes or *anything* he might get his hands on. So far, he only found a few "Ayashi no Ceres", "Dragon Ball Z", and "Card Captor Sakura" tapes he'd managed to dig up from Asuka's stuff and a few DVD's some newfangled anime called "Hunter X Hunter" and "Berserk" somewhere in the room. Shinji was quite a bit surprised at the fact that his childhood friend had some interest in shojo anime such as the ones he had just found; it was then that he once again realized how little he knew Asuka. He wasn't surprised at finding a Dragon Ball Z tape in Asuka's trash, however, as he had expected Asuka actually liked, well, anime with generally an action theme.
He shook his head at the thought that Asuka, since he had theorized that she liked shojo anime, might also like yaoi anime. He then shivered and told himself, nah, Asuka couldn't eve POSSIBLY like yaoi anime...
In any case, to help eliminate his boredom, Shinji popped in the "Berserk" DVD into the player and started watching good old medieval hack-and-slash action anime. Never had he seen such remarkable stuff ever since he had seen the Slayers marathon that the local movie theater did when he was still living in a Side 7 colony as a kid. This is neat stuff, he thought, as he finished the last of three DVD discs and had thought of watching that "Hunter X Hunter" OAV thing next. Shinji was unaware, though, that Misato and Kaji were still watching him from a certain hidden camera somewhere in the room.
His thoughts also kind of wandered over to how this kind of anime had survived through the years, even though it *was* U.C. 0087 and all. Oh well, he told himself, if anime made from around a hundred years ago was THIS interesting anyway, why not? He just grinned as he pictured himself being tutored by Asuka about how the whole Universal Century calendar started and all that, with the year 2040 AD roughly being U.C. 0000...
Shinji nodded as he calculated it all by himself. That would make U.C. 0087 roughly equivalent to 2127 AD. Mmm-hmm, mmm-hmm. Wow.
Anyway, enough of math, Shinji told himself as he looked at the clock on the wall. "4:32 PM," it said. It was really getting late now, he told himself. Where the heck was Asuka? Shinji began to worry if Misato's "hare-brained battle tactics" of putting him and Asuka under one roof for a few days while making them move in synchronization with each other was really worth it. He soon threw popcorn at the assassin Killua Zoldick's...or was it Sakura Kinomoto's?...face on the TV screen out of frustration for his old friend and sighed.
Shinji: (lies down on his bed and turns off the DVD player, listening to the same "boring" pipe-in training music) Asuka's not back yet. I wonder where she went... (sighs) Maybe I said too much. I always make things worse...
-----
Misato: Tsk, tsk, tsk. (shakes her head and stares at the hidden camera monitor) "One night", you said. "One night is all that it takes," said the great Ryouji Kaji. I mean, look. Asuka's still not there. Man, am I gonna get my ass fried this time...
Kaji: Hmm... (puffs his cigarette and puts it out) Asuka can get through with this, I'm sure of it. No need to be so grouchy, my li'l cute Misa-chan. (grins)
Misato: You call me "Misa-chan" again, I'll break your--
Kaji: See, what did I tell you? Asuka's already back. (points to the hidden camera monitor)
Misato: (fumbles for the monitor) Oh my God...she's back...
-----
Shinji gasped in surprise and rose from his bed as fast as he could as he saw Asuka just come through the doorway and into their room. Her countenance, as Shinji stared at it seemed a little more...composed and momentous than she'd ever been. Shinji gulped in anticipation as Asuka's eyes rolled over to his line of vision and met his gaze.
Shinji: Asuka...
Asuka: (grins evilly) ...you think you can just *say* things to me?
Shinji: (heart skips a beat in horror) Uh-oh...
To his surprise, though, Shinji's eyes almost bugged out at the sight he was about to see. Asuka didn't walk over to Shinji and beat him up as he had expected; instead, she walked over to some corner of the room, leered at something above her that looked like a mere loudspeaker...
And then, leaping up into the air, she smashed the "loudspeaker" with a kick and a yelp. Shinji examined the debris that ensued from Asuka's attack at the "loudspeaker".
Shinji: A spy camera?! Asuka, what the heck are you trying to do?!
Asuka: (leers at Shinji and crosses her arms) Isn't it obvious? Training, Shinji. Training.
-----
The last thing that Misato saw on the monitor was Asuka's peering gaze, and *boom*, she had just lost any further visual on the two Children. Nothing but static, so to speak. Misato clenched her fists and gritted her teeth as she stood up.
Misato: What the hell?! (starts to rush out the room) I'm going to check on them--
Kaji: (catches Misato's arm as she was about to rise) Now wait a minute there, Katsuragi. Let's just leave them alone...it would just be awkward if you went up there and--
Misato: What?! You act like you know what the hell they're up to!
Kaji: (suddenly puts his arm around Misato's waist and grins slightly) Don't make such a scary face! Hmm...we can..."enjoy" ourselves here, Katsuragi. We're all alone, you know. (caresses Misato's cheeks and closes in for a kiss and softly says...) Mmmm...it's been years since we...
Misato: .....!! (then out of nowhere, slaps Kaji HARD)
Kaji: (rubs his cheek) That hurt.
Misato: (gets back to her chair looking and feeling REALLY pissed off) It was *supposed* to, you dumbass! What makes you think I've forgiven you?!
Still rubbing his cheek, Kaji just grinned as he stared at his ex-girlfriend pouting and looking quite...well, like one P.O.'ed chick. But she was a real cute P.O.'ed chick, that is. Heh, he told himself, she's still mad about last time, huh...well, that's okay...
-----
Asuka: No, no, NO! Raise your leg *higher*! And jump higher, too, you're *way* behind half a beat!
And so, Asuka and Shinji went on with their training on synchronized movements by way of dancing, with the Third Child indeed lagging a bit behind the redhead's movements. To Shinji, his old friend didn't even seem to break a sweat at what awkward movements they were doing at the moment, but with Asuka's tone of voice, he can tell she was dead serious about pulling this whole thing off. In her frustration, she began to stomp annoyingly on the floor and shriek like the pissed-off chick that she was at the moment.
Shinji: (sweatdrops and thinks) Man...no wonder she broke the camera...
Asuka: ARGH! Why are you so *klutzy* all the time?! I can't *believe* it! I feel like I'm gonna freak out right now, you know?! (breathes in deeply then looks at Shinji straight in the eye) Listen up, Shinji.
Shinji: (worriedly looks back at Asuka and thinks) Gee...she's certainly relaxed *now*...maybe a little too much, I'd guess...
Asuka: We are going to have this whole deal perfect by tomorrow no matter *what* and we are going to show Misato and the First who's who around *these* parts of Tokyo. Got that?!
Shinji just did a little smile as he thought about Asuka's effective display of encouragement and tough talk and envisioned her as if she was a team captain for a baseball team of sorts; it was the bottom of the ninth, and it was like Eva's 1, Angels 1. Everyone was tense, everyone was excited.
Heh, Shinji thought, there's something about her drive...it's unstoppable. "Not like me at all." And with a little snicker and a grin, he soon took Asuka's starting pose and got ready to dance with...or in this case, in synch with her.
Asuka: Okay, let's start from the top. Yeah...that's more like it! You finally look and sound like you have the will to do this! Let's go, Shinji!
-----
Everything was like worthless for Camille right now, even though his "peers" were having quite some fun at the arcade game they were playing, some corny screwball shooting game named "Star Crasher" or something familiar. He sighed quite sadly as he went over to the token booth to buy some more tokens to play this neat-looking "new" Dance Maniax game, "20th Remix" or something like that, hopefully to get his mind off of things at the moment. He still *was* a 15-year-old kid after all, even though his colleagues at the AEUG think of him highly just because he could pilot a Gundam without previous significant experience...a "Newtype" of sorts.
And so he played Dance Maniax 20th Remix, with the thought on his mind that Hong Kong does have some neat stuff in store, very unlike when he was in the colony Green Noah 1, where he could find nothing but the same old crappy "games". Of course, he wasn't on Earth just for the games, he realizes he has a war to fight.
As soon as he finished the whole round, Quess and Hathaway made a special request for Camille that *they* would play after him so "they could show him they were better at Dance Maniax than he is"...
Quess: ...since we noticed you've been playing the "Mild" mode all this time. (giggles) Well, Hathaway? Let's go play in "Trial" mode and give these people a show, shall we? (grins)
Hathaway: Let's go, Quess!
Camille: (scratches his head and raises an eyebrow) Gosh, you guys didn't have to say it out loud, you know! All right, let's see what you two can do. You two better not screw up or I'll *definitely* laugh at your faces till we get back.
Cheimin: Umm, Camille, just don't mind these two, all right. I mean... (whispers to Camille's ear) They're all just talk, they can't really walk the walk if their lives depended on it...geez, I've always wondered why the heck my brother fell for that bitch anyway...
Quess: I *heard* that, Cheimin, you little bitch. (sticks out a tongue at Cheimin and tackles/tickles her)
Cheimin: (giggles and tickles back) Well, *this* bitch ought to see what you're made of, girlfriend! Come on, are you gonna play or not?
Camille was just amazed at how well Quess and Hathaway were playing Dance Maniax in perfect synchronization with each other; and this came along with the fact that they were playing in the hardest mode of the game, too. He chuckled within himself and thought, man, am *I* going to be humiliated when we go back to the ship...
And soon enough, Quess and Hathaway finished the last "stage" of the game, sweating and panting and obviously their arms were quite exhausted, since they *did* finish "Trial" mode almost without any flaws.
Quess: *pant*, *wheeze*, See, I told you!
Hathaway: Oh man...my arms are killing me...
Camille: (looks at them for a second and chuckles) What's the matter, kiddies? Arms getting a little TOO tired from playing the hard mode? (grins)
Hathaway: Who ya calling "kiddies", Camille?! We're practically the same age here, you know! (raises an eyebrow and leers at Camille)
Camille: Ehh, whatever. Come on, I'll treat you guys to some eats...or may...be...not. (hands search through his pockets) I still have one token here, mind if I play a bit more? I haven't played Dance Dance Revolution 21st Remix in a long time now...
Cheimin: You playing alone again, Camille?
Camille: Y...yeah, I guess so, unless you want to play with me, Cheimin.
Cheimin: Oh, no, no, it's okay, really! Hathaway, Quess, and I will just be watching from behind you and stuff, you know?
The four children then went over to the Dance Dance Revolution 21st Remix arcade machine and gazed at it for a moment before Camille finally decided to pop in a token and get it over with. What his companions didn't know was that he "ruled" Maniac mode while he was still in Green Noah, so he kept this secret until...
Camille was quite surprised to see quite a pretty girl, probably in her early twenties or something like that, with short teal hair and dark purple lipstick, also insert a token and asked him if she can play with him for a while.
girl: (giggles and smiles at him) I hope it's okay with you!
For quite a while, Camille and the girl looked at each other's eyes and seemed to..."get lost" in their respective gazes. Since Camille was a member of the male species of humans, the first thing that crossed his mind was, "Wow, she's cute! But then...I kind of...feel something about her. It's strange, but..."
Camille: (smiles back at her) All right, it's okay, I guess...
girl: I can tell you can get by in the hard mode just from your looks...I mean, you look like you've been playing DDR ever since you were a kid and all...I hope you don't mind with me playing only in Normal mode... (blushes a little)
Camille: Oh, no, not at all! Eh heh heh! I guess everything in DDR just comes naturally to me, you know! (grins stupidly)
girl: So umm...shall we get started?
Camille: Y...yeah, sure! But then, just for the benefit of not outclassing you...I'll play in Normal mode as well, just for you, if that's okay...
girl: (giggles) All right! Let's go!
Soon enough, they both finished their game of DDR with a lot of people watching them at the back amongst Cheimin, Hathaway, and Quess, with the latter two children still rubbing their tired arms. What Camille and the mysterious girl didn't know is that they all thought Camille and this girl were like...an item, and to Camille's friends, for a moment, they forgot that Camille was indeed Fa Yuiri's boyfriend. They deduced this conclusion at the way that the two people seemed to look at each other, and this was the first time that they had met, too...
Quess: (clings to Hathaway's arm and giggles) Isn't this romantic? They look like they've fallen for each other, just like love at first sight! Right Hathaway?
Hathaway: (stares at Camille and the girl for a second) .....God, Camille must pay me a fine sum not to tell this to Fa--h...hey! what do you two think you're doing?!
Quess and Cheimin: (both give Hathaway a noogie) You are not going to tell anyone anything about this, all right?! Grrrrrrr!!!!!
Cheimin: ...eh? They're shaking hands...
And indeed, Camille and the girl, who was smiling sweetly at him, were shaking hands with each other. The girl thanked Camille for a nice game that they had, and for a wonderful time.
-----
And so, Shinji and Asuka trained all afternoon and all night on their synchronized movements training, each of them almost perfectly trailing each other's dance movements as the "boring, repetitive" music played on. They had therefore almost no thought for dinner that night, as they both thought upon themselves that they must be able to do this thing as soon as the Angel's predicted time of full regeneration comes.
For that fateful night, Shinji and Asuka also had a good time together as they danced on to the music, so Asuka decided that they should seize this opportunity and danced the waltz with Shinji, the only things missing being the formal "tux-and-dress" attire instead of Asuka's leotards and Shinji's T-shirt and shorts. Sure, they were quite sweaty at the moment, but they were both indeed having a very good time together.
And for a moment, Shinji's eyes had met Asuka's, and they smiled at each other.
To be continued
-----
Whew.
This has got to be the most interesting two months that I've had. I've almost never finished this thing with the condition that I've had when I hadn't been able to talk to my girlfriend for around five weeks and that I was starting to feel a little bit bored and depressed with stuff in the world myself (in reference to September 11, 2001). Anyway, it's a good thing that I've finally gotten through, although I would consider myself to be off my schedule (I should have finished this chapter a LONG time ago, two, three, or more weeks before today, February 3, 2002). I hope you enjoy what I've written so far, this time. I'll be posting some updates to this thing as I feel it's still unfinished due to my desire to put in more detail into it.
My thanks go out to Yuu_Kajima of the Super Robot Wars G Message Board for pre-reading this, also to my girlfriend who has finally come back around five weeks after December 22, 2001 for also pre-reading this and of course, being one of my primary inspirations for this fanfiction.
I can't promise a new chapter *soon*, but I'll try my best to make something up after midterm exams.
C&C's are welcome, NO FLAMES PLEASE. Until then, "Believe in the sign of ZETA...beyond the hard times from now."
-----
Camille: (blushes) Umm...you're welcome, I guess...oh, by the way...my name's Camille Vidan...it's nice to meet you, I guess...eh heh heh heh! (shakes the girl's hand)
girl: "Camille...Vidan..." Hmmm...my, what a nice name you have! (smiles) My name is Four. Four Murasame. I'm glad to have met you for the first time, Camille Vidan. (giggles)