Guess I didn't explain why I put this in. This really should have been Asuka's theme. But...
Hey Jude
Don't make it bad
Take a sad song,
And make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
There you can start
To make it better.
Hey Jude
Don't be afraid
You were made to
Go out and get her
Remember to let her under your skin,
There you'll begin
To make it better.
And every time you feel afraid
Hey Jude refrain,
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For don't you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
Na na na na, na na na na...
Askua descended the ramp from the ship. She wore a yellow dress and a red basket over her head that hid her features. The voyage had been smelly, creaky, rainy, and full of men who now sported broken fingers. She threw her bag over her shoulder and hiked into town.
Stepping into a nearby inn, she looked around her for any potential threats. Seeing none, but plenty that thought they were, she moved to a place where she could be seen by all.
"Hey! All of you!" She yelled in heavily accented Japanese. Heads turned. She held up a drawing.
"I will give gold to whoever can tell me where this woman is!"
There was silence. Some men went back to their drinks.
"Hey, Misato, do you know her?"
Misato turned to look at the yelling German.
"I can't say I do..."
She saw the picture.
"Shit."
"What? What's wrong?"
"Come on, Shinji, we've got to go."
"Go? Go where?"
"To the council!"
She grabbed him by the collar and began to drag him out. In the doorway she stopped. Leaving Shinji, she ran back, grabbed her bottle, and left again.
"C'mon! We've got to go!" She whispered, grabbing Shinji's arm.
"Why? What's the rush now?"
"Shut up and hurry!"
They almost made it to the edge of town.
"Excuse me."
They stopped and turned around. Asuka stood in the center of the road, the wind at her back.
"You seem to have left in a large hurry. Why?"
Misato answered without thought.
"We had to leave. We have to be at a meeting in a few days, and we have much distance to travel."
"You know about her, then."
Misato swore under her breath. The girl brandished a sheathed sword.
"You have until the count of three to tell me who you are, in fullness and entirety. If it does not suit my needs, you will die."
Shinji's hand went for the hilt of his katana.
"One."
The two warriors drew simultaneously. Asuka's sleeve slid up her arm for a moment, revealing a tattoo.
"Two."
"Shinji, wait!"
Misato knew that tattoo. A staring eye set within a pyramid. It was the symbol of the Invisible Hand, the Enlightened Ones, as they called themselves. Her mind went back to the briefing...
Gendo paced before her.
"...Is currently on assignment to bring us it's second half."
She had stood at attention in Gendo's office, businesslike, cool, and precise as she always was when NERV's balls were to the wall. She was the best when she absolutely needed to be.
"You are to escort her to the coast and see her off."
"Yes sir."
"Keep an eye open for attacks."
"Attacks, sir?"
"Yes. We aren't as much a secret as we were."
She frowned inwardly. That was very, very bad news. The exposure of NERV would be it's doom.
"Who would attack us, then?"
"A second group of equal, if not greater power."
"Who?"
"The Enlightened Ones."
He proceeded to give her an extensive history on who and what that organization was.
"Shinji!"
She was too late.
"Three!"
Shinji charged and sliced. Asuka ducked beneath his attack. Shinji overbalanced, and Asuka loomed behind him. She pinched a nerve in his neck, and Misato's 'bodyguard' dropped to the ground in the manner of a sack of potatoes. She turned to face Misato.
"You're an assassin."
"Ah, so you are connected to them."
"I do not know who you are talking about."
The lies came mechanically.
"I will cut your limbs off until nothing is left but your body. Then I will extract my answers! Is that how you want it?"
Confidant against her unarmed foe, she began to circle.
"You're a poor, ugly excuse for a woman."
Asuka charged, infuriated. Misato sidestepped a forceful swipe, and kneed the girl in the solar plexus. Asuka bent over, wheezing. Misato brought her heel down on the girl's head, rendering her unconscious.
"Kaji, dammit, you told me this was going to be easy..."
She sat and waited for both the children to recover. Now they were involved. That second organization. But the fact that they were sending agents to Japan meant that Rei's mission was complete, success or failure. She bound Asuka's wrists. She would tell them everything they needed to know.
"Now we need to hurry."
"But can't she walk?"
"No."
Shinji struggled up the hillside, Misato leading.
"Stop touching me there!"
"It's not like I'm trying to!"
"Yes you are! Men are all the same!"
Asuka was slung over Shini's shoulders. He could barely walk, much less travel the 'long and difficult path' to NERV HQ. Misato stopped in an abandoned field.
"O.K., we're here!" She said, almost in sing-song.
"Misato, there's, ah, nothing here."
"Of course there is! You just have to close your eyes and pretend!"
"That makes no sense!"
"Oh, be quiet for a minute and watch."
Misato ripped a strip of cloth from her dress.
"Sorry, but you can't be allowed to see this."
"Bite me, NERV!"
Misato bound the cloth tight around Asuka's eyes. She knelt and drew a letter on the ground. Then she stood and whispered...
"God's in His heaven, all's right with the world."
A vortex opened. Shinji jumped back.
"Now we just step through the portal..."
"But I could be burned alive, or messily killed, or all sorts of things!"
"Vhat?!"
Asuka began to kick.
"What's going on? Put me down!"
Misato hopped through the portal.
"But... but..."
"Oh, come on you big baby!"
Misato's hand reached through the portal and yanked both the children inside. It closed soundlessly.
"Sir!"
Councilman Ikari was at his desk, as always. Outer Councilman Fyutski was standing behind and to his right. His office was enourmous, sitting in the central pyramid that formed NERV HQ. The office's windows showed the false horizon of the NERV Central cavern. Intricate designs, notes on sciences and magics beyond her understanding covered the walls.
"Agent Katsuragi. Report." Ikari commanded.
"Yes, sir. Mission went completely according to plan."
"Adepts Suzuhara and Aida reported their assignment complete. Did you bring the objective?"
"Yes, sir. He is currently waiting for my return to the recreational area."
"Anything that did not fall in with our predictions?"
"No, sir."
"And interference from the Enlightened Ones?"
"They sent an Agent. She was searching for Rei."
"Rei?" Fyutskui whispered under his breath.
"She told us her name was Asuka Langley Soryu."
"Very well. Have you turned her over to the interrogation block?"
"Yes sir."
"Very well. Dismissed."
"Yes sir."
She bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Gendo and Fyutski remained for a few minutes.
"Rei has completed her mission."
"Yes."
"What about the Illuminati?"
"They will be dealt with."
"They're a variable."
"Yes. The Council has a great dislike for those."
To Be Continued...
Hey Jude
Don't make it bad
Take a sad song,
And make it better.
Remember to let her into your heart,
There you can start
To make it better.
Hey Jude
Don't be afraid
You were made to
Go out and get her
Remember to let her under your skin,
There you'll begin
To make it better.
And every time you feel afraid
Hey Jude refrain,
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For don't you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
Na na na na, na na na na...
Askua descended the ramp from the ship. She wore a yellow dress and a red basket over her head that hid her features. The voyage had been smelly, creaky, rainy, and full of men who now sported broken fingers. She threw her bag over her shoulder and hiked into town.
Stepping into a nearby inn, she looked around her for any potential threats. Seeing none, but plenty that thought they were, she moved to a place where she could be seen by all.
"Hey! All of you!" She yelled in heavily accented Japanese. Heads turned. She held up a drawing.
"I will give gold to whoever can tell me where this woman is!"
There was silence. Some men went back to their drinks.
"Hey, Misato, do you know her?"
Misato turned to look at the yelling German.
"I can't say I do..."
She saw the picture.
"Shit."
"What? What's wrong?"
"Come on, Shinji, we've got to go."
"Go? Go where?"
"To the council!"
She grabbed him by the collar and began to drag him out. In the doorway she stopped. Leaving Shinji, she ran back, grabbed her bottle, and left again.
"C'mon! We've got to go!" She whispered, grabbing Shinji's arm.
"Why? What's the rush now?"
"Shut up and hurry!"
They almost made it to the edge of town.
"Excuse me."
They stopped and turned around. Asuka stood in the center of the road, the wind at her back.
"You seem to have left in a large hurry. Why?"
Misato answered without thought.
"We had to leave. We have to be at a meeting in a few days, and we have much distance to travel."
"You know about her, then."
Misato swore under her breath. The girl brandished a sheathed sword.
"You have until the count of three to tell me who you are, in fullness and entirety. If it does not suit my needs, you will die."
Shinji's hand went for the hilt of his katana.
"One."
The two warriors drew simultaneously. Asuka's sleeve slid up her arm for a moment, revealing a tattoo.
"Two."
"Shinji, wait!"
Misato knew that tattoo. A staring eye set within a pyramid. It was the symbol of the Invisible Hand, the Enlightened Ones, as they called themselves. Her mind went back to the briefing...
Gendo paced before her.
"...Is currently on assignment to bring us it's second half."
She had stood at attention in Gendo's office, businesslike, cool, and precise as she always was when NERV's balls were to the wall. She was the best when she absolutely needed to be.
"You are to escort her to the coast and see her off."
"Yes sir."
"Keep an eye open for attacks."
"Attacks, sir?"
"Yes. We aren't as much a secret as we were."
She frowned inwardly. That was very, very bad news. The exposure of NERV would be it's doom.
"Who would attack us, then?"
"A second group of equal, if not greater power."
"Who?"
"The Enlightened Ones."
He proceeded to give her an extensive history on who and what that organization was.
"Shinji!"
She was too late.
"Three!"
Shinji charged and sliced. Asuka ducked beneath his attack. Shinji overbalanced, and Asuka loomed behind him. She pinched a nerve in his neck, and Misato's 'bodyguard' dropped to the ground in the manner of a sack of potatoes. She turned to face Misato.
"You're an assassin."
"Ah, so you are connected to them."
"I do not know who you are talking about."
The lies came mechanically.
"I will cut your limbs off until nothing is left but your body. Then I will extract my answers! Is that how you want it?"
Confidant against her unarmed foe, she began to circle.
"You're a poor, ugly excuse for a woman."
Asuka charged, infuriated. Misato sidestepped a forceful swipe, and kneed the girl in the solar plexus. Asuka bent over, wheezing. Misato brought her heel down on the girl's head, rendering her unconscious.
"Kaji, dammit, you told me this was going to be easy..."
She sat and waited for both the children to recover. Now they were involved. That second organization. But the fact that they were sending agents to Japan meant that Rei's mission was complete, success or failure. She bound Asuka's wrists. She would tell them everything they needed to know.
"Now we need to hurry."
"But can't she walk?"
"No."
Shinji struggled up the hillside, Misato leading.
"Stop touching me there!"
"It's not like I'm trying to!"
"Yes you are! Men are all the same!"
Asuka was slung over Shini's shoulders. He could barely walk, much less travel the 'long and difficult path' to NERV HQ. Misato stopped in an abandoned field.
"O.K., we're here!" She said, almost in sing-song.
"Misato, there's, ah, nothing here."
"Of course there is! You just have to close your eyes and pretend!"
"That makes no sense!"
"Oh, be quiet for a minute and watch."
Misato ripped a strip of cloth from her dress.
"Sorry, but you can't be allowed to see this."
"Bite me, NERV!"
Misato bound the cloth tight around Asuka's eyes. She knelt and drew a letter on the ground. Then she stood and whispered...
"God's in His heaven, all's right with the world."
A vortex opened. Shinji jumped back.
"Now we just step through the portal..."
"But I could be burned alive, or messily killed, or all sorts of things!"
"Vhat?!"
Asuka began to kick.
"What's going on? Put me down!"
Misato hopped through the portal.
"But... but..."
"Oh, come on you big baby!"
Misato's hand reached through the portal and yanked both the children inside. It closed soundlessly.
"Sir!"
Councilman Ikari was at his desk, as always. Outer Councilman Fyutski was standing behind and to his right. His office was enourmous, sitting in the central pyramid that formed NERV HQ. The office's windows showed the false horizon of the NERV Central cavern. Intricate designs, notes on sciences and magics beyond her understanding covered the walls.
"Agent Katsuragi. Report." Ikari commanded.
"Yes, sir. Mission went completely according to plan."
"Adepts Suzuhara and Aida reported their assignment complete. Did you bring the objective?"
"Yes, sir. He is currently waiting for my return to the recreational area."
"Anything that did not fall in with our predictions?"
"No, sir."
"And interference from the Enlightened Ones?"
"They sent an Agent. She was searching for Rei."
"Rei?" Fyutskui whispered under his breath.
"She told us her name was Asuka Langley Soryu."
"Very well. Have you turned her over to the interrogation block?"
"Yes sir."
"Very well. Dismissed."
"Yes sir."
She bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.
Gendo and Fyutski remained for a few minutes.
"Rei has completed her mission."
"Yes."
"What about the Illuminati?"
"They will be dealt with."
"They're a variable."
"Yes. The Council has a great dislike for those."
To Be Continued...