Date Night
Tokyo-3 is a dump, was the opinion he had.
With the Angels dead and buried, there was nothing to distract the people from noticing how ruined and dilapidated the city had become thanks to their attacks. Most of everyone survived in the shelters. Many still didn't make it, with the rest leaving the city behind in favor of greener pastures. Truthfully, he wouldn't be here if it weren't for a job he had been hired to do.
The Beetle never lost out on a job. Not before. Not now.
Being a mercenary gave him a license, of sorts, to travel around the world. India, China, Australia, the Caribbean, you name it, he was there. A contract was all the pretext he needed to carry out his mission. Beetle was nothing as crass as an assassin; he was an information broker, first and foremost, and delivered his best findings to the highest bidder.
That job became a lot easier thanks to the Fujikawa technology supplied by the Master Planner. No matter where he went, no one could figure out who was the mysterious red and silver Beetle, or what he was after until the crime had been done. No one could stop him, because no one could see or catch him. The Beetle would be living it like a rich man right now, if not for the favor he had to return.
Somehow, the Master Planner had found out his secrets, threatening to blow all of them sky high if he didn't cooperate. The Beetle was reluctant to take on the task, but as his current benefactor, he didn't have a choice. She needed a job done, and she needed it now.
"Head to Tokyo-3." She told him. "You should steal as much information from NERV as you can, and get out without being spotted."
The Beetle could do just that. He supposed that something like this was inevitable, as NERV was quickly becoming the epicenter for a lot of mercenary jobs, including a large operation involving the JSSDF. Nothing he could get into, as it was not his business. There was only one problem he deigned to point out.
"What about Spider-Man?" Beetle said. "Wouldn't he interfere?"
"Oh, I'm counting on it!" She laughed. "Should you fight him, record the information and send it to me. That would be a higher priority than anything else you get from NERV."
It seemed whoever she was, the Master Planner had a bone to pick with the wall-crawler. It figured, as he was number one on a lot of criminals' radar, and Spider-Man had done a ton of damage to the Kuzuryu when they were in business. Whatever plan she spun, he had to be taken out. But the Beetle still wondered.
"His associates? What do we do with them?"
The answer came simple and easy, barely contemplated by the woman. She had already figured out the pieces long ago.
"They're worthless. Less than nothing. If you kill them, it won't be a problem, but keep your eyes o Spider-Man! He is the real prize."
The Beetle would do that. He flew into the city, eager to prove himself to her.
Friday night at the Katsuragi apartment. Just a few minutes before seven.
He had it planned to the second, even coming back from swinging hours early, walking left to right and up the ceiling upside of his own room. Shinji Ikari wondered if tonight was worth the fretting.
Shinji didn't know Mana Kirishima, was the crux of the thing. He dressed in a red polo shirt and blue jeans for a nurse who, from his perspective, didn't do much more than be nice to him at the hospital and agree to a date. Was it a date? Shinji understood it to be, but what would he hope to gain from it?
That meeting Mana would somehow answer the void in his memory, the weird pull that gave him a headache whenever he tried to get in? Shinji remembered everything else about the encounter; why this was so blurry… that gave him pause.
He checked the time. "Might as well get going early."
Shinji moved out of his room, aiming for the door. Misato was at NERV, working with the techs on the MAGI, probably. He passed by Asuka Langley Soryuu, already dressed in her Scarlet Spider gear as she sat next to the kitchen table. She had been dying to go out on patrol on her own for a while now. Tonight, she would get her wish.
"Good luck on that date~" Asuka smirked. "I thought Vincennes would have gotten you, but oh no! It's a random girl. You're not that starved, are you?"
Shinji frowned. "It's not that, Asuka."
"I'm just a little curious." Asuka raised an eyebrow. "It's not like you to be assertive or attention-seeking, being the big hero and all." She mocked, remembering the aftermath of their battle with the dual Angel. "Have you ever even been on a date?"
"Well, once. A couple of times?" Shinji shook his head. "I'm not really sure what we were, but it's not something I can talk about."
"Oooohh a mystery girl! Unless you and Kaworu did a bit more than hunting in the woods than one time…"
"We didn't do much of anything other than sleep… Hm, he did look at me weirdly at one point, but no. There wasn't any kissing, not him or…" Shinji blinked. "Look, I wasn't looking for anything like that at the time, and I'm not eager for it now. Not when we're close to a battle."
"Then what were you looking for in her?" Asuka frowned. "You're not leading her on, are you?"
"How could you say that? I'd never hurt someone like that."
"Sure, not on purpose. But we hurt each other constantly without meaning to, because we're confused or scared. Maybe you should ask yourself why you're doing it, before you do something dumb."
Shinji knew she was right. That was why he was hesitant, because he had thought about it for a long while, but still didn't have an answer. Only a a vague, abstract image of someone… he tried to think
"I feel… I just feel like I knew her, before I even saw her."
Asuka snorted. "You can't be serious."
"I know, it's barely a memory. More of a passing imagination." Shinji said lamely. "But remember when we fought that Angel?" His eyes widen. "Um, the one that dragged me into its shadow?"
"It'd be hard to forget. You saved my life, even if I hated it." Asuka raised an eyebrow. "You saw something in there."
"Horrible things… possible futures, where I- I fucked up or worse." He didn't mention his hands strangling her neck by a blood-red sea. "There was something there, a pleasant dream that the Angel showed me… I'm trying to remember what it was."
"So it's less about her and more about you." Asuka got up from the table. "I never expected the invincible Spider-Man to be so selfish."
She walked towards the balcony, jumping atop the bars. She aimed her hands towards a nearby building, launching a web.
"I'm heading out on patrol. Just remember, Shinji, that she's an actual person. Not just there to make you feel better about yourself. You both deserve better than that."
She swung away, Shinji looking out the window.
"I know we do. But still…"
Was this really an idea worth pursuing? What if he projected himself onto her, trying to make her into something she wasn't, because of some dream? He felt like an idiot already. If there was anyone who should know better than to blindly trust a future laid out for them, it would be him. Kaworu had shown him the strength in his own possibility.
But Shinji still wondered, even as he found himself behind a pair of elevator doors, what would be the future for himself and his family? He had averted one catastrophe the moment Misato held him in a fierce hug and told him how much she loved him, and he her; he was working towards averting the reality where he laid on top of Asuka on a bright white beach, her calling him disgusting as they were surrounded by the scarred and broken heads of Rei Ayanami; Kaworu's early death even averted the possibility they had fought underneath NERV's sprawling facility, down in Terminal Dogma.
If bad futures can be avoided, why was there any certainty in some vague good future Leliel deigned to show him?
The elevator doors swiped open, and Shinji carried his legs out towards the doors. The air was a breeze this night, as he stopped upon hearing a voice call out to him.
"Hey, Ikari!"
He glanced towards the approaching figure. Mana Kirishima entrapped herself in a gallant white dress, a red ribbon tied around a white hat. She smiled, catching her breath quickly as she finished her jog.
"Sorry, I got a bit lost on the way here, and you know how traffic can get." Mana blinked. "Wait no, you probably don't, what with the whole web-swinging stuff…? Sorry again."
"You don't have to apologize." Shinji smiled. "I still had to go through Misato's driving on my way to work. On the first day here, I swear it was like she was trying to get me to vomit."
"Oh did she?" Mana laughed. "I heard rumors about it. From my job, I mean, she's around often. She's very concerned about all of you guys. The pilots."
"It's her job. And she cares, so…" Shinji raised an eyebrow. "You got any ideas?"
"Not really? I was kind of hoping- well, actually I was stomping around my room trying to think until I realized everything got dark. Are you going to, um, swing me around somewhere, or see a movie or…?"
"Actually, there is a place I was thinking about. Do you know anything about Khara's Palace?"
"I do actually! Never actually been there before, though." Mana then realized something. "Wait, won't this cut into your Spider-Man time or something?"
"Nah, Asuka's got it handled. I think." Shinji quickly waved it away. "She's been waiting for a night she could stand on her her own. Scarlet Spider can earn some respect this way. At least, that's the way she sees it."
"Makes sense. Someone like her won't be satisfied until she has something to call her own."
"Don't most people?"
"I guess." Mana shrugged. "Lead the way, Romeo."
Tonight, Rei Ayanami walked around the city without a purpose.
It was a recent activity she had picked up to decompress after a long day at NERV, but before going back to her apartment. She found it remarkably easy to get lost inside a faceless crowd than having to look inward. She had enough of that inside her Unit 00 or her own apartment; without her other self, Rei did not have a lot of people to bounce off of. So she walked.
It could be relaxing, depending on the mood of the city. Rei found it best to do it during the afternoon, when the winds breeze wasn't so heavy, when school had ended and the only obligation she had was to herself. Tonight, Rei could not sleep in her room. The anticipation of the coming battle drove her mad, which was why she went out now. Her restlessness took her legs down the corner of the street, past a quiet part of the city, blemished by the war brought about by the Angels.
As she walked, Rei noticed how citizens started to vacate their homes; the war had cost them too much to remain, loved ones or homes, so they took whatever trinkets, keepsakes, prized possessions and remaining family away from a city they knew to be suffering a slow death not too long into the future.
Rei couldn't help but envy them. They had a chance to leave, while she could not. The coming calamity had to be averted, and she had to see it through to the end with the others. It would be unfair otherwise.
She dared to dream of what home would be like after the end. Would anyone at NERV survive the war? Would they still accompany her, love her, even when the crisis came to a close and there would be no obligation to stay?
Hopefully, they would. She had only become an individual a short while ago. It would be shameful if her life ended so soon.
"Hey. Get in here."
A knife danced around her vision. Rei rolled her eyes, admonishing whatever force caused this inconvenience. She turned to find herself next to an alleyway, where a criminal held out the knife to her neck.
"Weird bitch. Get over here. Don't you know a robbery when you see it?"
Rei had no choice but to comply, raising her hands over her head as three men surrounded her. It was easier to go along with this miserable routine than to fight. She would be here soon enough.
"You're way too cool about this, you know that?" One of the criminals said. "We got a knife to your face and you're just fine and dandy?"
"I have seen worse." Rei said plainly. "You are nothing."
One of the other men whistled. "We've got a badass over here! Tell you what, you give us the money and you get to go back in one piece, eh?"
That was simple enough. Rei took out her wallet, dumping what little measly dollars she had into her hand, and gave it to the knife wielder. He seemed unimpressed.
"You sure that's all ya got? You might as well be throwing a pity party!"
"It is what I had." Rei nodded. "Now go."
Money was just a tool at the end of the day. Rei had more than she could need, so it was not a waste for her. She went to turn around and leave, but-
"Heyyyy… I know her."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"That's one of the pilots! My dad has a job at NERV, ya see."
Rei shook her head. "I believe you have me mistaken for someone else."
"Nah, I see who this is. You're Rei Ayanami, a student in my brothers class." The second goon grinned. "Looks like we got a jackpot!"
It cannot be happening, Rei decided. There was no way these people were this stupid.
"Eva pilot and a student!" The third goons also grinned. "How much do you say we sell?"
"Quite for lots. Millions of bucks."
"Dunno guys, what if we get caught by the cops? Or NERV gets us?"
"They won't, not unless they wanna see her head chopped off!"
"Bro, I'm not a murderer! Hey, doesn't your dad have a job!"
"Who cares, he only visits once or twice to pay my mom!"
"… you okay, man?"
"I'm not! Not until we get THIS bitch and get some ransom money!"
Rei rolled her eyes. "I would not recommend doing such a thing. Even without Spider-Man, or Scarlet Spider, you would be hunted down by an advanced military unit until they retrieve me."
Before they used her to bring about Third Impact, admittedly, but they didn't need to know that.
"Shut up, doll-face!" The knife wielder held up his weapon again. "If we wanted your opinion, we'd ask you."
Rei glared at the man. "I am not a doll."
"With this baby, you are." The knife wielder rolled his eyes. "If ya noticed, there's no Spider-Man out here tonight. So I figure, why not take a chance? No one's gonna save you, anyway."
"Except for me."
In an instant, a red and yellow blur dropped to the floor, kicking two of the criminals down for the count. Her red hair blew, leaving Rei swooning.
"What the- I'm gonna kill ya!" The knife wielder, rather idiotically, Rei thought, abandoned his hostage to swipe at the trespasser. "No one takes out my boys!"
But the Scarlet Spider moved her body to grab his shoulder, and threw him to the ground. By that point, she aimed her hand to shoot a small ball of webbing towards one of the rising goons, which, upon impact, stuck him to a wall; the other goon picked up his gun and started firing at her.
Instead of hitting her, though, the Scarlet Spider ran across the wall to dodge the bullets, before jumping and kicking his face towards the wall, knocking him out in an instant.
"Anyone else dumb enough to keep going?" Scarlet Spider spoke. "Or do we need to take you around the dunce coaster one more time?"
The knife wielder pointed the weapon at her again, waving it around. "Don't come any closer freak! I don't want any trouble."
The Scarlet Spider looked around. "If you didn't, you wouldn't be here now, would you? Tell you what, put the knife down and maybe I'll let you go."
"… really?"
"Yeah, really!" She waved her hand. "Now, set it down. Carefully"
The criminal laid his knife down, slowly, gently. After it landed on the floor, he raised his hands and grinned in relief.
"So, you're going to let me go?"
The Scarlet Spider immediately webbed his mouth, before jumping into a handstand and kicking him down, for the final time.
"Idiots… sheesh, who'd believe that garbage? Seriously?!"
Rei wanted to say something, a word of gratitude, but the Scarlet Spider quickly jumped out of her line of sight. She was teasing her; that was what Rei thought, vanishing into the night just after saving her. It was unfair, cruel even, but that was to be expected from the Scarlet Spider. What a devil, a true menace!
Still searching for her, Rei had almost failed to feel the finger poking at her back. Making a sharp turn, Rei found herself face to face with a smiling, smug Scarlet Spider, hanging upside down on a web.
"I don't suppose you'd like to thank yours truly?" Asuka said. "No worries, I'm just your humble superhero at your service."
"You? Humble?" Rei brought her hands to the side of her hero's face. "You live in a web of delusions…"
"Comes with the territory. You okay?"
"Now that you're here, I am."
They had kissed each other before. Rei never got tired of how demanding Asuka's lips were, grasping for attention, even though Rei gave her what she had. How could it be any different? Even like this, Asuka was one of the most comforting sights Rei had ever known. Rei wanted, to stay like this for longer, but for the sake of Asuka's back, she had to part ways with her lover.
"That was good." Rei nodded. "Unusual, but good."
"Glad you see things my way." Asuka then dropped to the ground. "Had that practiced in the simulator. The blood pressure gets to the brain, though. That's a pain."
"You did fine." Rei tilted her head. "Is Ikari out already?"
"Yup. He was heading out while I left." Asuka rolled her eyes. "Let's hope he doesn't screw this up. I don't need a depressed Shinji too mopey to cook in the morning."
"Let him have his moment. We should go."
Without any time wasted, the Scarlet Spider picked up Rei, taking her to one of the rooftops nearby. A smaller one, not much of a view of the city from Asuka's perspective, but it made for a decent romantic location.
"Can you believe that was my first fight tonight?" Asuka said. "It's so boring out here. You'd think being a superhero would be busy."
"We are living in a peculiar moment. Everyone is leaving Tokyo-3. That would decrease any chances of criminality."
"At least not anywhere obvious." Asuka groaned. "Ugh, I'm itching for some action. Shinji had, like, three or four supervillains already. Why can't I get one of those yet?"
"They took a month to appear." Rei raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure wanting the city to be attacked is a noble desire."
"It's not, but come on! I feel like I'm ready for something more! A chance to prove myself! There's a big fight up ahead, but all we've got are simulators!"
"They are rather lifelike."
"Not compared to the real thing. What's wrong with having a challenge?!"
"It would be serendipity if you had a proper opponent." Rei nodded. "It would get you to use all of your abilities. Even the ones you hesitate to use."
Sharply turning, Asuka stared at Rei. "What do you mean?"
"I watch your fights." Rei said. "You have been improving steadily, but I have noticed you do not punch your targets at will."
Asuka shrugged "I didn't want to skip leg day."
"You're not the sort to handicap yourself for such a reason. Perhaps this is tied to your inability to use your energy powers-"
"Poison blasts."
Rei blinked. "Is that what you call them?"
"I was thinking Venom Blasts, but…" Asuka shrugged. "That seemed in poor taste."
Rei nodded, thankful that Asuka took it into account. "You are not all you could be. If I can suggest it, there appears to be something blocking you. Perhaps these two are related?"
Asuka grimaced. She knew exactly what Rei was talking about, what she hoped to avoid. But she knew Rei was someone who could see through bullshit. So, with no choice, Asuka obliged her.
"I don't talk about this a lot. Only with Maya… but, I get nightmares. About Venom. About Bardiel."
About what she did to her, was left unsaid. Rei knew exactly what she meant.
"That thing is dead. I know that. But what I did while he had me… It haunts me. Especially this one moment, after I hurt you, that I had this man right in front of me and I just… I cut loose all over him. I nearly killed him."
Rei put her hand on Asuka's shoulder. "You are not that person. You put in the work not to be."
"I did. I'm not." Asuka shook her head. "But what if I could be that again? What if the moment I wail at someone, I stop holding back? I might do something horrible…"
"You have kept control, thus far. The simulation did not lie."
"Simulated, fake, not real! Unlike very real people I could hurt! Besides, it's not like I need punches anyway. I can kick just fine, thank you very much!"
"Perhaps." Rei nodded. "If you do not need it, then there is no point. But we will be facing a powerful adversary. In the future… be careful."
"I will, I will. I'm worried, not stupid." Asuka had her grin back. "So, want to go around town or-"
A roaring sonic boom was heard through the air. Asuka and Rei were nearly knocked off balance, until the former got her bearings. She found a flying armored figure flying past them. Her grin grew wider.
"Hell yeah, my first actual supervillain!" Asuka blinked, before turning to Rei. "Uh, sorry there. Moment ruined?"
"Indeed." Rei nodded. "Beat him, then return to me."
With a fire forming in her eyes, Asuka launched a web, eager to greet whatever menace dared to come to her.
Khara's Palace was not as lively as last time.
Shinji knew people were moving out of Tokyo-3 in droves, but he hadn't expected even this place to take a hit. He really shouldn't have been. There was hardly any staff on hand to greet him and Mana, and much less satisfied customers as a result of not getting what they wanted. There were only a few couples at the tables, with Serizawa glaring at them from his counter.
Shinji wondered if it was a good idea to bring Mana to the Palace, but judging from the way she whistled, she was clearly happy at what she saw.
"Not bad." Mana said. "Not very fancy, but not casual either. You don't usually go here, do you?"
"Nope. I go here whenever I get coupons." Shinji said, pulling out a coupon. "I managed to get this from one of Misato's magazines."
Mana raised an eyebrow. "You're an Eva pilot. Why not use your card to pay for the meal?"
"I don't want people to know I'm a pilot." He explained. "I'm already doing a bad job of hiding my secret identity. The last thing I need is more attention. That's Asuka's thing, not mine."
"Okay but why not use your wallet?"
"I couldn't find it. It doesn't have a lot of cash, either."
"That's too bad." Mana took a glance at the coupon. "It would have worked if this wasn't already expired."
He blinked.
"Really?"
She had to chuckle at this. "Did you even check the timing of that magazine?"
"I was sure it came out today…" He looked for a date on the coupon. "Is Serizawa that cheap, or am I that unobservant?"
"In any case, if you're not going to use your wallet." Mana pulled out a gray card from her own pocket. "I'll pay for it."
He stared at the card, confused. It had a conspicuous logo, an black eagle spreading its wings inside a circle. "That doesn't look like a normal credit card."
"It's a souvenir from Boot Camp." She waved it in his face. "Now, let's get some actual seats."
The two approached the owner. Shinji had met Serizawa before as Spider-Man, but not as himself. He wondered if he would be received in the same way as his costumed identity.
Serizawa took one look at him, and glared. So much for treating customers equally.
"Wimpy youth. Look at you." He pointed to the younger boy. "Even maggots have more muscle than this child. I wish you kids actually tried having dreams. This old man, oh ho, he worked hard to get where he was at!"
"That's great, thanks." Mana showed him the card. "Table for two?"
The older man took the card, staring at her in mild disbelief. "You are with him? Why, you're lovely on the eyes. You could do better than this noodle bumpkin."
At that, Mana glared at him. "I think who I hang out with isn't any of your business. Seats?"
Serizawa let out a laugh. "See? She's smitten. If you don't shape up, you might lose her."
"Sure, whatever." Shinji rolled his eyes. "Do you have a table?"
Luckily for them both, he did have one. They sat next to the front window, menus in hand. With each passing moment, the duo stared at their booklet, trying to pick a good meal to pass the time. At a certain moment, they would each take a glance at the other, before darting their eyes away. Like hedgehogs, their spines left them unable to huddle close.
Shinji hated that. It wasn't what he came here to do, nor was it a habit he wished to fall back on. So, reluctantly, he asked a question.
"So… How was work today?"
Granted, an extremely generic question, but Shinji figured that would be a decent ice breaker. Luckily for him, Mana was willing to oblige.
"It's all good. The hospitals starting to get understaffed, so I had to pull double duty on other shifts. It's a bit hard, having to administer patients while waiting for a doctor. Some of them have no idea where they've been."
"I'll say." Shinji stared up at the ceiling. "Waking to an unfamiliar ceiling, trapped with nowhere else to be… It'd be maddening for anyone."
"Yup." Mana creased a brow. "You don't like hospitals much, do you? You barely end up there as it is."
"Not really… I don't like getting hurt. I don't know what else to tell you."
"Hold on." Mana had to tilt her head. "You don't like getting hurt… yet you're out there, being a superhero, getting into fights with total loons… thus, getting yourself hurt? Connect the dots for me on that one, Romeo, because I'm confused."
"W-well it's not like I get hurt on purpose!" Shinji blushed. "Things just get out of hand quickly!"
"Maybe that, or you're just a terrible negotiator."
"Oh, is that what that is? I'm supposed to stand around and go, hey guys could you please stop right now, Misato's cooking tonight and I need to hurry back so she doesn't create a supervillain by accident? Where's the sense in that?"
"I'm just saying, for someone who doesn't like fighting you sure like to throw yourself into it."
"Either someone drags me into it, or someone else gets hurt. I don't like it, but sometimes you have to fight." He looked outside the window. "It's horrible, but we needed to beat… no, we killed the Angels. They would have wrecked everything by now if we hadn't stopped them. I just wish things were different."
"Preaching to the choir, here." Mana shrugged. "You know, we often get patients who you and Asuka took down in the street. Most of the time they came back fine, just a wound around the head or so, but sometimes they come back with things that couldn't heal. You did the right thing in stopping them, no doubt, but they won't be the same."
Shinji shook his head. "I wish things could have been different… that's the problem with being a superhero."
"Or a soldier. Or a policeman. They don't have a choice other than to fight." Mana smiled. "But you do. You're out there; we're out there trying to make a difference. You help more than you harm."
"That's nice to hear… But nevermind me. How about you?"
"About me…" Mana darted her eyes to the left. "Well, I got access to Ayanami's records for the first time. I can't believe we were able to make something like her…" She blushed. "Um, a real life person. She's not a thing."
"I don't mind it that much. Just don't bring it up with her." Shinji smiled. "She's pretty cool once when you get to know her."
"I'm sure she is. You know, you are too come to think of it."
"What do you mean?"
"Don't take this the wrong way but… well, from what I- that is, other people tell me, you're very shy, you're always staring off so intensely at a window… it's like there's this wall between you and the world, and it can be hard to get to know you."
"I can't help what I look like… I'm always thinking of something. I like to think I'm a little better about it now than I was before."
"Oh, I wasn't judging. I'm actually much the same way." Mana gave a rueful smile. "I just had more practice making a friendly face for people."
Practice? Well, Shinji supposed that made sense. Nurses were there to help, so they needed to comfort the patients.
"Does it hurt to do it?"
"Hm?"
"Having to…" Shinji tried to find a way to phrase it. "Having to practice, I mean. I can imagine you've had to lose people… during your job, I mean."
Mana grimaced. "I had… sometimes in front of me. That's when it's the worst. Even when you know you couldn't help, you're stuck thinking of all the ways you could have saved them, and there's nothing to do except live with reality. People die, they betray you, they hurt you in so many ways before they end up sacrificing something for you… it gets hard to live with it…" She sighed. "So, you get good at practicing a smile. Even when your mind is mush, your body could still keep going, like a doll of steel. Am I making any sense?"
Shinji remembered a pair of shy, red eyes hiding behind glasses. He nodded. "More than you know."
"Yeah, of course you do. You have more experience saving people than me." Mana's smile became a bit more genuine. "Huh. That's the most I ever talked with someone in months."
"That's a good sign, I think."
At that moment, a waitress came by. She took the menus. "Do you have your orders ready?"
"Sure," Shinji pointed at a picture. "I'll pick the-"
A loud sonic blast erupted right outside, shaking the establishment. Shinji and Mana managed to get a look at a Beetle style supervillain flying, with the Scarlet Spider right on the trail. As the waitress ran back to the kitchen, Shinji couldn't help but grimace.
"I think that was Asuka out there." Mana pointed out the window. "So, is this your cue to go ooorr?"
"She can handle it." Shinji grit his teeth. "At least, I hope she does…"
A little while earlier…
Tokyo-3 had a haphazard building structure.
The city was built as much to be a fortress against giant alien monsters as it was a place for people to live in. Built underground were large towers that acted as containers for Evangelion weapons. A progressive knife, guns, artillery for battle; it also made convenient nodes to download data, should a hacker be dumb enough to try.
Confidence and stupidity were not synonymous as far as the Beetle was concerned. Despite what anime would tell you, being an idiot didn't make you more brave. It only made it easier for people to shoot at you. True confidence comes from knowing your skill set and trusting it to get you far. The Beetle knew this, as he opened his gauntlet to allow three cables to stab into a security node.
The container with the Progressive Knife was stuck in place, unable to go back down. The engineers gave up trying to bring it back to base, without de-attaching it from the MAGI's systems. With the codes given to him by the Master Planner, it really was no problem obtaining the information.
The Beetle copied the files into his helmet. He would send them to his boss as soon as he left the city. There were still more places he had to go. As such, he began to fly past the building, floating above the town. He was content.
"Excuse me, sir!"
He turned to the left, to find a young girl swinging in the air. She dropped down, away from his line of sight. While was he confused, she swung to him again.
"You're violating Tokyo-3 Air Space."
She fell again. The Beetle quickly realized he would have to confront her. She swung back to his line of sight.
"As the chief officer around here, Scarlet Spider's going to-"
She fell again. He prepared his gauntlet, hearing the hum of repulsor energy. She returned again, swinging.
"-To bring you down to Earth!"
Having enough of her rancid interruption, the Beetle fired a repulsor blast. The Scarlet Spider jumped out of the way, grabbing onto his back.
"So far so good, sir," Asuka held tight, trying to find the right place to attack the armor. Grabbing a device from her pocket, she placed her hand on top of the back. "Now since you've been naughty, I'm going to have to bust your chops a bit. By that I mean break your circuit board or-"
She didn't get a chance to land a hit, as the Beetle spun around, causing the Scarlet Spider to be thrown off. She recovered quickly, shooting a ball of webbing below, which erupted into a giant nest, once that Asuka used to bounce back up towards the villain.
"You want to fight, asshole!" She screamed. "You got it!"
However, due to her position, she couldn't avoid a repulsor blast straight towards her midsection, which knocked her off course. She launched a web, forcing herself to swing in his direction.
Quickly, Asuka pulled out a tracker from her wrist. There was a sizable beep in the direction Beetle was going. She smirked. That meant the Spider-Tracer worked.
"I'm hot on your trail, baby! There's nowhere you can run. Come on, aren't you a brave man? Fight me!"
The Beetle said nothing. Instead, he aimed his gauntlets at her, firing more repulsor blasts at her. The Scarlet Spider quickly jumped away, letting them hit the rooftops.
"Scheiss… I hope that doesn't come out of my paycheck."
Did she even have a paycheck? She decided to check on that after the fight was over.
In either case, the Beetle was flying further away. The most annoying part for Asuka wasn't the running, but the fact he didn't say a word. That mask, even with its bright glowing yellow orbs, did nothing to reveal emotion. Asuka hated that, ignoring how her lenses tended to obscure her own feelings.
At some point during their squabble, The Scarlet Spider passed by Khara's Palace. She wondered if Rei would like to eat there with her at some point.
Asuka decided to change tactics, swinging away from Beetle's behind towards another street. She checked the tracker, watching his movements. He headed right… then up… then right… and…
Immediately, she wrapped her legs around the man's torso, clutching his helmet with her hands.
"Just letting you know, I'm pretty dangerous." She told him. "If you give up now, maybe I won't lay a beatdown on you!"
The Scarlet Spider tried to rip the helmet off, when-
-she found one criminal on the verge of death. He had broken teeth and nasty bleeding from the mouth and nose, with her right arm over him, ready to strike him again.
"Don't... don't kill me…"
Her eyes dilated, the distraction causing her to almost miss the man grabbing her hands. In spite of her tiny freak-out, she stuck to him, his body unable to shake her off due to her powers, which caused them to be sent careening down the street. Asuka landed on the pavement, while the Beetle smashed into a car with his own armor.
Asuka recovered her bearings, realizing the Beetle hadn't found his footing yet. He clutched his head, not noticing the girl rushing towards him.
"Hiyah!"
She kicked his head in, which sent him reeling. The Scarlet Spider moved her hands, webbing the man to stop him from moving.
"Alright, this was all fun and games." She said. "Just give up and let the cops take you, or some dumb shit, this is over-"
The Beetle's gauntlets glowed to life. Soon, he blasted the webbing apart, which caused Asuka to be sent flying. He was getting annoyed by the antics tonight. He needed a distraction, first and foremost.
Looking around, he then fired upon a water tower and a nearby roof, causing both of them to start collapsing. He blasted off soon after, just as the Scarlet Spider realized what had happened.
Asuka was, of course, less than pleased. "Nevermind, then. You're just a coward… I'll get you for that."
She switched gears in her web shooters, forming a large net that kept the rooftop pieces from falling into civilians. The Scarlet Spider carefully attached the end of it to the building with the spilling water tower, which had the side effect of blocking some of the water from hitting the people. She ignored the measured applause from below to focus on the water tower, which still threatened to spill over.
The Scarlet Spider was quick, webbing the legs of the tower fast enough to stop its descent. Not the most glamorous job, but it got the job done. She checked the radar again.
"Bastard's getting away." Asuka glared at the screen. "He's going to slow me down more if I catch up…"
Clearly, the direct approach wasn't working out for her. In the air, he had the advantage. Any time she would get near, he could spin or use an energy blast to attack. Somehow, Asuka had to knock him out of the air. Not in this area, as there were too many innocents. She would need the element of surprise to get to him.
"It's a long shot." Asuka said to herself. "I'm going to need to get him on the ground or some sort of space. But where could he-?"
She checked the tracker again. The signal stopped just at another broken tower. Asuka was confused… until she thought of something. She enlarged the map by several degrees.
"Well, what do you know… there is a place I can use for my dastardly trap."
"Welp, I don't think we'll ever be going back there again."
Shinji had the decency to look apologetic, as Serizawa yelled after him and Mana. The food had taken too long for their comfort, so they asked for a raincheck. The older man responded by telling them off for being moochers and liars, and kicking them out of his establishment. Spider-Man wasn't going to go back there for seconds, at any rate.
"Yeah, they're clearly understaffed right now." Shinji told her. "I feel a little bad, really. They're trying to do their jobs."
"It's hard to do it when you barely have help." Mana said. "It's been a strain at my job."
"How hard?"
"Like I told you, a lot of the staff left, and I'm picking up the slack. They don't even raise my salary; they just expect me to do more hours! Super unfair."
"Sounds a lot like Misato. With how much she complains about paperwork, you'd think they were doing it on purpose."
"Maybe they are. Overworked and tired means you can't ask for much better."
"It's all a conspiracy, then?"
"Trying to keep workers down from a living wage!"
Shinji laughed at that, before blinking. "I wonder if I get paid?"
"You should. I mean, you're a pilot, right?" Mana narrowed her eyes. "You never got any checks?"
He scratched his head. "I check the mail often. I'll ask Misato about that later."
"Hm."
"How much do you get paid?"
"3,686 yen an hour. We're pretty stable, but others don't have it lucky. I heard a few technicians complaining about getting below minimum wage."
"You'd think NERV would be able to pay them, given how much we get from countries."
"Most of it goes to the Evas, to fight the Angels. Though, now that they're dead, I'm not too confident that they'll give a resource like that easily."
That seemed depressingly true, given what Shinji knew of the Committee.
"Got anywhere else, you want to show me, Mister Ikari?" Mana smirked. "Or was that your only plan?"
"Um, I know a couple…" Shinji shook his head. "And it's either Ikari or Shinji. Mister Ikari is my father."
"Don't like being reminded of him?"
"Not really. We share blood, but that's all we have. He was never my dad."
"I can believe that." Mana whistled. "Two twin souls, opposing forces yet marching to the same drum."
"You're philosophical?"
"It's something I picked up from a… co-worker." She frowned. "She taught me everything she knew, but even know I can't quite figure her out."
"Hmhm." Shinji nodded in understanding. "There's a lot going on in our heads that people only get a glimpse of. We only show what we allow to them to see."
"Wow, was that something your teacher showed you?"
"More like something I noticed over the past few months. I don't have any places to be. Where do you wanna go? I could swing us there, I think."
"Oh that's be cool! Let me see…" Mana thought of that question. She scratched her chin, her green eyes brightening at the possibilities that could entail. However, something in her sobered, her eyes dulling slightly. "… well, there is one place."
"Is it far?"
"Oh no! I think it's within walking distance. Follow me?"
He had. Letting Mana lead the way, they took a quiet stroll around the streets, passing by cars and people. Shinji found himself confused when Mana slipped down from a short hill, letting her dress get a bit dirty as she took in the beach. There were parts of old Tokyo that had been submerged years ago, with new land forming around the buildings that barely popped out of the water.
As if by design, there were stone gargoyles and angel statues littering the sand, a sight that left Shinji concerned.
"This area's… dilapidated." He said. "Do you come here often?"
"Yup." Mana smiled. "We lose so much to the Angels, to nature, to ourselves… if there's a god, he's probably a cruel one. Still, this place is peaceful to me."
Shinji stared out into the makeshift lake, watching the moon's glow reflect on the water. "… I see what you mean. It is calm, in the sense that the living don't rise here."
"Morbid, but not inaccurate." Mana sat down on the sand, pulling her legs under her chin. "It's the closest it ever feels like to being home."
Home? He raised an eyebrow at that, deciding to take a seat next to her. He gazed at one of the Angel statues, its wings broken off from rust.
"Did you live near the sea?" He asked. "Or near the dead?"
She shrugged at that.
"Both? I used to live in Akune City, with Mom and Dad. Mom worked as a magazine editor, while Dad was part of the Tokyo Reclaiming project… he'd take me on his little expeditions, and I was always so happy when he did. I got to watch him work, and he made the time for me! How could I be anything else?"
Sjinji bit his lip. "He sounded like a good father."
"The best." Mana held her head down. "God must have been cruel that day. One time, he fell off his station and drowned. I couldn't do anything but watch as he clawed his way towards…" She hesitated on that part. "Salvation. Neither me nor mom were the same when he died. She said I had his eyes… she couldn't stand to look at me."
"… that's cruel."
"I think that was grieving. Maybe that was why she sent me to…"
"Boot camp, right? That's what you told me the other day."
"Yeah. Boot camp." She started shaking. "If you don't mind me saying it… I hated it there."
"…"
"They broke me down and rebuilt me from the ground up and I hated it. I hated everyone in it, and I hated her most of all. I haven't seen my Mom in years and I'm glad I haven't. She hasn't been my mom for a long time, and I never want her back."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Shinji said sincerely. "You didn't deserve that."
"It's fine. None of us get what we deserve." She turned towards him. "Then again, we wouldn't have met if fate were kinder."
"Maybe. I wonder if there was a way that could have happened, without the pain."
"if there was, we'll never know. It's not like we can peer into other lives." Mana turned her head towards him. "This has been good, I think. Getting that off my chest."
"You know a lot about me." Shinji smiled at her. "I guess this is a fair trade?"
"I'm not sure. Thanks for listening, anyway."
"Sometimes it's good to have someone there to listen. Even if they're not your friend."
"… I'd like us to."
"Huh?"
"Be friends, I think. I don't know a lot of people."
"Me neither." He nodded. "Sure. I could always use one more."
She laughed suddenly. "Ha! My first real friend in this city… and a superhero pilot, no less."
"No one's ever really alone. Even in our thoughts, we still worry about how other people see us." Shinji looked to the sea. "I'm glad you had a good father… I wish mine was better. Both of them."
"Both?"
"I haven't seen Gendo since… before my absorption." Shinji blinked. "He was dead to me for a long time, anyway. My teacher, Yamashiro… he tried his best, but he was closed off. We were closed off to each other. He tried to reach out to me, the last time I saw him alive… I wish fate was kinder, that way."
"Don't take this the wrong way… but that sounds like an excuse. He could have tried harder."
"He was filled with grief. He wasn't the best guardian, but he tried. Because of that, I forgive him."
Mana frowned. "At least you have that. He tried to be there for you, in his own way. I've met a lot of wonderful people at camp, but my own teacher… she was harsh. Always focused on discipline, never showed an ounce of mercy. I would rather have had me and the boys somewhere else, away from there."
"But you don't hate her."
"I don't…" Mana shook her head. "That's what's worse. Hatred is easy. You can blame and insult someone, but here, all you're left with is a complicated mess."
Shinji nodded. "Too many unknowns, never enough answers. Even when we try our best, no one can guess your intentions. They only respond to your actions."
"I'll say." At that point, Mana decided to get up from the floor. She dusted her dress, adjusting the hat slightly. "This was surprisingly the most emotional day I've had in a while. Very sorry for dumping that on you."
"I don't mind. We all have a struggle." Shinji also got up. "We can trade stories some more, if you want."
"Some other day. I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to go home."
"Sure." He raised his hand toward her. "Lead the way."
She stared at his hand for a second, debating what to do. Bit by bit, she inched her own hand towards his, and took it. From there, they walked together away from the water. Shinji took a last glance at one of the statues. He thought he heard the faint noise of a piano, playing Ode to Joy.
He quickly dismissed it.
"I liked this…" Mana said. "I wish we could go on more dates like this…"
"Me too." Shinji smiled sadly. "This is probably the first real date I've ever been on. Probably the last."
"Because of the attack, right?"
"Yeah… you heard?"
"There were… rumors. Among the staff, mostly…" Mana nodded. "Do you think we have a chance to survive?"
"…"
"… Do you?"
He could have told her yes. That's what everyone needed to hear. But after the experience they shared on this night, he decided to be honest.
"I honestly don't know. I'm scared, honestly."
"Well…" She nodded. "That's a good an answer as any."
They did not say any more, as they continued home.
With the Scarlet Spider off his tail, the Beetle continued his work.
There were at least two more places where he could steal the information. More dilapidated ruins of what was supposed to be the future city of humanity. He found the broken remains of a progressive knife facility to raise doubts on how much it would have been worth. All that struggle, and all that was left was death. It created nothing.
Still, he had a job to do. Wires connecting to the side, the Beetle continued streaming the information into his helmet. More areas of attack around the NERV facility, holographic projections, MAGI codes… these would serve the Master Planner well, he thought. This was the last access point. By the time he finished, he would have been well out of the picture, with only Scarlet Spider being wise to his movements.
Just then, his computer picked up a signal. It was heading in his direction, slow, but… it didn't originate from the city. It originated from the Nagano sector…
Panicking, the Beetle knew that it meant trouble. Fuijikawa Enterprises had sent their drone to stop him. He had to leave. In a split second, he disconnected the wires and began fleeing-
"Where are you going, hot stuff?"
He turned sharply toward the voice. The Scarlet Spider smirked at him, standing atop a pillar, a device right in her hand.
"You see this?" She taunted. "Straight from Dr. Akagi herself. It's a master key to getting into the MAGI. All of NERV, right at your fingertips!"
The Beetle sauntered towards her, staring intensely at the device.
"Want it? Come and get it."
His boots roaring to life, the Beetle flew straight for the Scarlet Spider, who jumped from the pillar and began to swing away from him. She hid the key in her belt, as the Beetle fired repulsor blasts that only slightly fazed the teenager.
"Come on, even Rhino would try something original!" She yelled at him. "Come and get me!"
He came after her; Asuka moved below another pillar, launching herself atop a tree, which almost got her killed as the Beetle fired upon it, sending her careening down a shaft before swiftly recovering by rolling in the dirt and launching another web-line to safety. Even having memorized the layout, the Scarlet Spider had trouble outpacing the Beetle.
It was necessary, however. The Beetle couldn't fall into her trap otherwise.
"You know, at times like this, the silent treatment gets on my nerves!" She said. "Why don't you tell me something about yourself?"
He did not say a word.
"Really? Keine Hündinnen?
She had to dodge another set of repulsor blasts.
"Geez, I struck a nerve, didn't I? Does that mean you're a German?"
She swung to a tree branch, kicking it right at the Beetle, which only barely broke his stride.
"I've been there, actually. It used to be home. Want to trade stories? Maybe some Brot and Brötchen?"
More repulsor fire. Sloppily aimed, as Scarlet Spider kept moving.
"Fine, fine, you're not very sociable." She picked up the Master Key again. "Here, have a souvenir!"
She threw it into the air, diving below towards the bushes; the Beetle promptly ignored her in favor of the Master Key. He seized on it, grasping it desperately between his hands like a man possessed. There would be no time wasted; the Beetle's gauntlets opened once more, wires bursting to hack into the Master Key, to analyze the data within. With it, the Beetle would have completed his mission-
ERROR. 10101010101110000111101010
The numbers repeated all over the screen. He felt his propulsion systems shut off, the jets on his back running out of power, the way his boots suddenly cut short; He swiftly dropped to the ground like an anchor, the same error messages driving him mad. Failure… defeat. He could not stand it.
Especially not when the teenage hero appeared in his peripheral vision, viciously smirking at him.
"Anti-Magnetic Converter." The Scarlet Spider explained. "Whipped it up after our first tussle. I knew you couldn't resist a chance to steal information… you just believed whatever you wanted to believe."
Seeing red, he brought his hand up to fire a repulsor blast. Nothing worked, he realized, while his opponent split her legs into a fighting pose.
"I'll make this easy on you. Give up. Or keep losing."
She wasn't disappointed when the Beetle lunged at her. Asuka could tell that even with the armors weapons off line, he moved like a fighter. She took on the defensive, dodging his punches and pacing herself to keep away from his lunges. Scarlet Spider dropped to the ground, and slammed her legs into his stomach to keep him away. He picked up a rock from the ground to bash her head with it, but Asuka simply carried him by the arm, and kicked him again.
It was almost comically one sided, how this fight turned out. Asuka knew she couldn't afford to be distracted, not when she knew that her device would only work for five minutes. She had been looking for an opening the whole time, but the Beetle's armor was, unfortunately enough, sturdy enough to protect him from her. All she needed was one good place to hit him, and it'd be over…
'I have to shut him down, soon! Wait!'
The eye on the helmet still glowed. The Scarlet Spider had found a new target.
"Hey jackass!" Asuka yelled. "Heads up!"
She figured that perhaps attacking the helmet would result in something different. She jumped upwards, ready to slam a kick to his skull if she had to. Shutting him down would be easier without his gadgets.
However, her ears picked up a familiar hum, roaring from one of his gauntlets.
Before she could course correct, he blasted her with a shaky, but powerful repulsor blast, one that sent her backwards. The Beetle recovered, realizing his power was returning. He swiftly began to charge up both gauntlets, aiming to put an end to the fight.
Asuka could feel the air shift around her. She narrowly avoided another set of repulsor fire, webbing herself towards the tree tops, and jumping as they each were blasted to smithreans. She was running out of time. Soon, he would regain all of his systems, and would be able to escape. Or worse.
"If you do not need it, then there is no point. But we will be facing a powerful adversary. In the future… be careful."
She remembered the words from Rei, earlier in the night. She looked at her hand, watching it shake.
"…"
Asuka clenched it shut.
"HEY!" She screamed. "You want me? I'LL COME TO YOU!"
She jumped from a branch, lunging towards her opponent. He was starting to float, which added an extra pressure onto Asuka. Now, she only had one shot.
"HIIYYAAAAA!"
The Scarlet Spider raised her right fist, her hand crackling with green bio-electricity. From behind his helmet, the Beetle's eyes widened at the sight. He aimed his gauntlets right at her.
Soon, their beams collided.
It was a swift clash. The Beetles powerful repulsor energy, with Scarlet Spider's megaton punch. For a second, it appeared that their powers were equal… until Asuka's hand pushed through the repulsor, bursting through the armor's chest plate.
The moment it happened, the fight was over. The gauntlets fried themselves, with the Beetle tumbling to the ground. All of his systems were stunned offline, while Asuka clutched her hand. She had taken a risk, and it paid off.
"Not bad for my first fight…" Asuka spoke to no one. She observed how the green Poison blast energy crackled through her veins. Shutting her eyes, Asuka managed to will it off. "Just focus on what I wanted… I think I'll get the hang of that."
She panted heavily, sitting on the floor. The Beetle did not dare rise to meet his challenge. Instead, he moved his hands toward the helmet, taking it off.
"?"
Asuka was naturally surprised. The whole fight, the Beetle had never shown a personality, let alone a face. She assumed he was some sort of robot. It wasn't out of the question, given the advances in technology made over the years. But as he removed his helmet, she became curious as to what she would see. She turned her head to face him…
He was… just a man. A random japanese looking man. A nobody, really. He had bleached blond hair, a poorly crafted goatee, and a stone-faced expression. By all accounts, he was hardly remarkable. Even then, he nodded at her.
"You are worthy."
He spoke those words so silently, that Asuka could barely believe it. She allowed herself a smirk.
"Thanks… I think. Not gonna lie, you were pretty cool too, even though you tried to kill me." She got up from the floor. "I guess I'll just take you in, now-"
CLICLICLICLICLICLICLICLICLICLIC
An awful, metallic noise forced Asuka to shut her ears. Her vision could see a large, red swam hovering around the Beetle. She thought he was being torn apart with the way he screamed. Instead, she was thankful that the swam only limited to taking his armor. The man was left alone, in his beat-up shirt and shorts, while the swam returned to their master.
"What the hell was that?!" She said, uncovering her ears. "That came completely out of nowhere!"
"Sorry. Had to take a detour on the way here."
The new arrival was clad in a suit of red and gold, as she flew just a hair above the ground. Red shoulder pieces, midriff and gauntlets, with golden forearms and legs, an inverted pentagon-shaped red chest, and a red helmet with a horned yellow mask, cheekbones underlined on it; Atop the head, was a series of glowing yellow lines that connected to the back.
"This man stole Fujikawa property." She spoke. "It didn't belong to him, so I'm taking it back."
Asuka had only one reaction to the mysterious new figure. She pointed at her.
"Who the fuck are you?!"
If the woman had any surprise over the outburst, the armor made sure to cover it up. She patiently stared at the younger girl.
"It seems not everyone pays attention to the news. I'm Rumiko Fujikawa's bodyguard, the Iron Lady."
Asuka inspected the armored-clad bodyguard for any signs of a fight. There were none.
"I see." Asuka said slowly. "Pretty expensive bodyguard, I figure. You a fan of Thatcher?"
"Not really. She's not alive to argue with my name. Iron Maiden's taken, anyway." Iron Lady nodded at her, almost condescendingly. "You're one of those spider-people or something? Thanks for the help. If it weren't for you making a lot of noise, I wouldn't have been able to track him down."
"I had him. You interrupted me."
"You did whatever you had to. I'm just here for the tech. No one should have Fujikawa's technology or weapons. They're too dangerous."
Asuka scoffed. "Says the biggest weapon I've ever seen in my life."
With surprisingly good humor, Iron Lady chuckled at that.
"Hypocritical isn't it? To rid the world of weapons, you need to have the biggest weapon of them all. Word of advice, kid, the world only works when there's someone putting the barrel of the gun to its head. You do that every time you're out here, fighting in that leotard. I'm just ahead of the curve."
"Hmph."
"You'll understand some day." Iron Lady began to fly just a touch higher, ready for lift-off. "Nice color scheme. It's cool to have an Iron Girl Jr. running around already."
She blasted off into the night sky, leaving a fuming Asuka in the dust, with a nonplussed criminal in dirty, unwashed clothes. Asuka raised her fist to the sky.
"YOU DON'T HAVE A MONOPOLY ON RED AND YELLOW, YOU BITCH!"
After yelling for several more minutes, the Scarlet Spider's voice began to give out. She turned her head back to the now defenseless Beetle.
"Girl boss piece of shit, am I right?"
He nodded in agreement.
"This is your home, right?"
Shinji was surprised to find a humble apartment complex, humbly squished between two large buildings near the coast. He guessed that the balconies on the other side had a view of the ocean, that Mana would love to have. He didn't have a positive experience with water. He wouldn't know.
All the same, he was happy when Mana Kirishima gave him a small bow, and walked to the door.
"It is." She said. "Small, but I like it. The only part where it got annoying was hearing all the construction work outside. That hasn't happened in a week."
"I wonder why." Shinji smiled. "Did you have a good time?"
"Sure, I did. I would have dropped and left if it sucked."
"Really?"
"Yup. Not usually a patient person." Mana turned the door knob. "See you tomorrow?"
He nodded. "Talk to you at work then."
They waved their goodbyes, and parted. Shinji took the slow path home, this time. He wasn't in the mood for web-swinging, not tonight. He reached for his phone to find a message.
Took out a guy stealing our info. See ya tomorrow, dork
-Asuka, a minute ago.
Shinji couldn't keep from smiling at that. Asuka evidently got a good work out of tonight. He still wasn't any closer to understanding his dreams than when he started. He was sure that Mana had something to do with it, but there was nothing…
Except a girl with broken dreams and a practiced smile, who wanted to help.
This time, he shook his head. So what if his dream eluded him? Asuka was right. Mana was her own person, and Shinji had to respect her on those terms. She was intriguing, and kind, in a way he didn't normally see. In that sense, he was grateful for having known her even in this short date.
With that, he continued walking back to his apartment, sure of his convictions. The future will come at its own pace. Shinji will live in the moment.
He thought of this, unaware of the turmoil that Mana had been going through as she entered the elevator. The doors closed, as did her eyes as she retreated inward.
"I don't know what's worse." She said to no one. "That I spilled as much as I did… or that I actually kind of like him, now."
It wasn't that she thought he was a bad person or anything. All she had was a file, one that turned out to have been missing details like him being Spider-Man that would have changed how she thought of him from the on-set. She took the reconnaissance job for S.H.I.E.L.D. in return for freedom from espionage services, and that was enough at first.
Somehow, she opened her a bit of heart to him, in spite of the danger that road usually went. It wasn't out of a crush, or some mushy thing like that. It was too early for that sort of thing, in Mana's opinion. Perhaps there was a part of her that felt she needed someone to spill herself to. Because of that, Mana knew had to repay him.
"I need to talk to Takaya. She would know what to do…"
NERV was going to be attacked. Mana couldn't change that. But perhaps she could give them some time.
More than a warning, they needed a clue. She would hand it to them, even if it could compromise her identity.
Ritsuko Akagi was impatient.
"Did you get anything out of him?" She asked Misato, who stared off forlorn after slamming the door shut. "He almost compromised all of our systems.
Misato sighed, taking a seat next to the doctor. "Not much. He said he was Abner Jenkins, and he was some kind of hot shot mercenary before working with the Master Planner."
"Any leads on that?"
"I tracked as much information as I could on the MAGI." Maya said, bringing coffee to Ritsko. "Whoever they are, they've managed to hide their tracks well. The most we could get was that at some point during the past few months they managed to take control of several gangs, and an alarming large number of the JSSDF have expressed support for her empire."
"Really?" Ritsuko's eyes widened in fear. She sipped her coffee. "What could they stand to gain from her?"
"A promise. A return to a stronger Japan." Maya frowned. "How would she do that, I don't know. But it's dangerous."
Misato glared at the table. "Problems just keep piling up… we know who our enemies are, but the pieces keep eluding us."
"We need to get help soon, or all of NERV would be taken out in three days."
That was the rub, wasn't it? They could prepare as much as they wanted, but at the end of the day, they were alone against a powerful force that could easily crush them. If they came out unscathed, NERV would be on the run from SEELE for the rest of their lives. Shinji, Asuka, Rei, even Marie… they're so young. What would the real world do to them when they get pushed into a corner?
Misato hoped to prevent that. But she needed something, any advantage she could take.
Suddenly, the door slid open.
"Excuse me, Major." Mana Kirishima came in. "There's something I need to show you."
Misato frowned. "Could it be another time? We're busy trying to plan our defense."
"That's the thing." Mana brought out a cassette tape. "I was approached by someone the café. She told me to give you this."
Author's Notes:
New cover image! I hope you appreciate the work Johnny Freeman put into it… heh heh, he'd be less than thrilled otherwise.
Johnny Freeman: *clicks gun* Don't ask me for anything ever again.
ANYWAY,
In some respects, this chapter felt nostalgic; it reminded me of the earlier chapters, where Shinji was living out his life in Kokoro and some random supervillain would show up to cause problems. It was nice to have Shinji and Mana bond a bit, actually start laying the ground work for their relationship; it was also pretty cool to give Asuka some attention, fighting her first rando supervillain in ways only she could.
For those wondering, the armor Iron Lady is wearing is based off the Model Sixteen armor from the Heroes Return era. Fitting, given the Fujikawa connection. If Noriko is the ideal that Shinji is going to succeed in his own way, then Rumiko is a mirror of what Asuka could become if life had pushed her in a less sensational direction.
No reviews this time. Not enough for it, anyway.
I think there's going to be a whole lot of you that will be disappointed at what will come the next chapter. If I raised your hopes in a certain direction, then I'm sorry. I hope that, when the twist with this arc happens, you'll find it worth your while. This was a long time coming, planned since the fic first started back in 2018.
Next Chapter: Preparations for War.