Reprisal 0:7 Schism
Author's notes: The pace will pick up and accelerate from 0:6 to the final chapter (just like NGE), so please let me know If you see any plot holes. This story is a crossover between X-Men and NGE, but is primarily an Eva story, although I've tried to make it as accessible to non-Eva fans as I could.
The Evas and Children are not a part of this story. I figured I'd give the adult cast of NGE some time in the spotlight.
Kindly review, and if it sucks, let me know why.
Germany
The phone rang. Not just any phone. It was the phone that the servants weren't allowed to answer. The encrypted satellite line. He slowly shuffled to his large oak desk, his ancient bones painfully protesting the sudden rush. He hands lifted the receiver, and immediately a hologram screen was projected on the air above his desk. The words "sound only" on a black background gave away nothing.
"Speak" he said to the receiver. Something told him this was unpleasant.
"Well well well.. Hello, me," said the voice on the other end.
It was his own voice.
His voice betrayed no emotion, but inside, he was seething at the insult. "What do you want?" he asked, brusquely. He never had patience for childish tricks with voice synths.
"Why Chairman Lorenz, such an ungentlemanly tone, have I caught you at a bad time?" his doppelganger voice asked, in perfect German. Five minuted of cold silence was the reply.
"This is what I want, you ancient bastard," the voice continued, a hint of anger now apparent. "I have that hunk of slag you want. You still owe me a few million Euros for it. Slag for cash, or I'll have my people sell it to the market. Your call, Herr Lorenz."
"You little fool." Lorenz said, showing no emotion. "What makes you think we won't just take it anyway?"
The stranger barked a laugh which sounded hideously animal. "My people will fight you for it. Folks with religion don't take kindly to pressure, Chairman. Martyrdom, going down in flames, that sort of thing."
"If what you say is true, Mystique, I already have the adamantium. You merely fail to recognize that fact. And did we not tell you never cross paths with us again?"
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"It amuses me to let you live, young woman." Lorenz said, his usage of formal German calculated to show her that he was deadly serious. Mystique simply let the line go dead. The hologram fizzled out and disappeared. Lorenz put the phone down, and walked over to the large window that overlooked his garden. He stood there for several moments, admiring the view. His eyes lingered over the oak tree that Hitler planted the day a grateful Fuhrer gave the estate to him so many years ago as a token of appreciation for all his help. The Allied forces confiscated the castle from him at the end of the war, but it was merely a matter of time before he regained posession of it from its new owners. It was merely money and time, and he had all of both in the world.
He cast his eyes at the clear blue sky. He remembered the sky turning black, and red, during the Second Impact when the energies released from the first Angel ignited a global cataclysm. It was the happiest moment of his life. It meant that he was correct. Correct about everything. He had instructed Dr. Katsuragi to use the Lance of Longinus on the Angel and it had done exactly what the prophecies foretold. Then the telemetry data from the satellites came in, confirming his greatest hopes. Immediately after the first Angel imploded, fifteen energy patterns that NERV now call blue- pattern signals suddenly appeared in Earth orbit for a fraction of a second, then immediately disappeared again.
The Angels have come at last. Immediately afterwards as the world struggled to come to grips with the disaster, he had set his plans into motion. He convinced the United Nations of the impending Angel threat, and wrangled from them the funds necessary to set up NERV. As a final measure of control, he initiated the merger with Gehirn and put the senior scientists in control . He was now, indirectly, the master of humanity's destiny.
And the mutant had it in her to think she can bargain with him, him!
He walked away from the window to an old gramophone. It was an early version, that actually had to be cranked up to be used. He cranked up the gramophone and played one of his favourite records. He stood there, enjoying the music. With the adamantium in his hands, he could construct the replica Lances himself, without having to worry about Ikari's incesssant delays. Ikari was a good servant, but ever since that unfortunate accident with his wife, sometimes it seemed like he had another agenda.
Still, he had to keep up appearances, and a phone call to Japan should get the world's alien defense agency something to do while he waits for his plans to come to fruition.
M. Katsuragi
He didn't notice the name plate on her apartment door the first time he came here.
"Hey look, they finally put it in," Misato said cheerfully, brushing her fingers over the metal nameplate. She opened the door and they both stepped in. "I think you'd better not go wandering the city too much for the next few days," she suggested, and Logan merely nodded. It was late afternoon and the apartment was very warm. He suspected that most of the city's inhabitants only returned home when the sun had set and the heat had dissipated a little. "So what now?" he asked.
"Now you and I are going to sit down, and there's going to be some things I'm going to ask you, and you're going to answer them, " Misato said, the earlier jovial tones had disappeared to be replaced by the tone that Logan called her "professional voice" . She had potential at this business, but something told him that this wasn't what she really wanted. He grabbed a chair and sat down, staring intently at her. "Shoot," he said.
She opened her fridge and grabbed two beers, tossing a can at him. She immediately opened her own can, taking a long swig. Then she sat down, or more accurately, threw herself down on an armchair.
"Just who are you, really? And what kind of business do you have in this city?" she asked, staring intently at him Her hand still gripped the can, the other hand gently resting on the thigh with the holster. He saw no reason to lie. Not with her.
"My name is Logan. Folks call me many things, Logan, canucklehead, Patch,"
"Wolverine" she said. "What kind of name is that for a man?"
He told her. Everything about his past, as far as he can trust the memories. He stressed his quest for the past, and that he had meant no harm. He had just wanted to find out the link between Gehirn and the mysteries of his past. The sun lowered in the sky, half of it was already behind the horizon, when Misato finally rested her can of beer on a table. It had gone warm in her hand without ever returning to her lips. Her hand absent-mindedly went to her chest, grasping the silver cross pendant she always wore.
"I really, really want to believe you, Logan, I really do, but.."
"But?"
"Your story doesn't hold water," she said, her gaze fixed on him. "What's the difference between you wanting to find out your connection to Gehirn, and you wanting to go through agency secrets? What's the difference between you and those Angel cultists who can't stand NERV?"
"Misato, if you don't feel you can trust me, then why...?" he asked, unsure of how to finish the question.
There was a few seconds of silence between them that was interrupted by the incessant chirping of cicadas.
"Because I want to! I want to, damn it, but you won't let me believe you!" she half screamed, half sobbed, as she fought a battle against her own raging emotions. "You just appear out of nowhere and I wind up taking you inside one of our most secure areas. God, I wasn't even conscious when I met you! These things you want...."
The rapping of knuckles on the door interrupted her. "Ma'am? You okay in there?"
"Yes! Fine thanks!" she shouted back.
"You posted a guard?" he asked, incredulous. Misato nodded briefly. "To keep the enemy out, or to ...." Misato stared deeply into his eyes with a look that only confirmed his worst fears. "Damn. At least the fridge is well stocked," he sighed in resignation.
"Don't take it so hard, Logan," Misato said , walking over to him, and letting her hand rest on his shoulder. She felt the muscles stiffen underneath. "There are worse places than with me in my apartment, OK? They don't stock beer in the holding cells."
He still sat in that very same chair, silent as a rock, as she laid herself down to sleep that night. Alone.
Level 5 Cafeteria.
Bathed in artificial light, the Geofront doesn't sleep. Misato and Ritsuko sat at one of the tables that had a view of the underground gardens of the Geofront. Their watches said it was 23:25. There were a few other people having late meals, but the large cafeteria was all but empty. Ritsuko's white lab coat was all crumpled again, and her eyes had the tell-tale rings around them that no amount of make-up could ever hope of concealing. Any normal human would have collapsed from exhaustion, but Ritsuko had worked almost non-stop through the day without major harm.
"This sushi is dead!" Misato complained. "You're just being grouchy, Misato. You saw them prepare it yourself" Ritsuko said, as she finished her second can of Mountain Dew. She was told of the American drink's inhuman caffeine content and almost immediately had it made available in all the eating places and vending machines. "Besides, it wouldn't hurt a woman to actually learn cooking, would it?" Ritsuko asked, a playful smile dancing on her lips. "I'm sure your little love slave in your apartment would love it when you serve him sashimi on your belly."
"He's in protective custody, how many times must I tell you that? What do you expect me to do? Throw him in the cells?" Misato protested.
"You can charge him with attempted murder. He did throw the Chief Scientist down the Dogma. Oh, wait, the shapechanger jumped, didn't she?" Misato nodded. "Misato, where is the body?" Ritsuko asked. Misato shrugged. "The Dogma's huge..." "Humph," Ritsuko stared at Misato,clearly annoyed at her. "Thanks to you, I have to install DNA active scanners on all entrances to the Project E labs. Can you imagine the dent to my budget just to make sure it's really me that walks in the labs?" The moment passed, and Ritsuko was her normal, detached self again. She turned her head to take in the view of the gardens, and the pine trees that grew underground thanks to the miracles of science.
"Ritsuko..." Misato asked, in an almost pleading tone, breaking her reverie.
"Hmm?" Ritsuko asked, distracted from her own problems.
"What am I going to do with him? I've got a mutant with unbreakable claws and a bad temper in my apartment. You're from Gehirn, can't you just tell him what he wants to hear?"
"Misato, does the word classified mean ANYTHING to you?" Ritsuko asked. "Do you think I'd give my father the blueprints to the MAGI just because they remind him of Naoko?" Ritsuko then stopped, and cast a glance around her. The cafeteria was now totally deserted, the human cafeteria staff having gone home for the night,leaving only the automatic bento dispensers to satiate the hunger of the graveyard shift workers. Her watch said it was a few minutes past midnight. She leaned closer to Misato, her voice coming out in a hoarse whisper her eyes never wavering from Misato's own.
"The Weapon X program is a joint US-Canada operation, a super-soldier program. Gehirn just observed, and made recommendations where scientifically viable. That's all. Most of the Gehirn scientists attached to that project are retired or dead now. The synchronization program we use for the Evangelions... We based the system from the scientific data we gathered from Weapon X. We also gained posession of a certain pile of adamantium slag."
"Adamantium?" Misato gasped.
Yes, Misato, the very same stuff that was stolen. I will not name names, but just tell him that what he's looking for isn't here. Don't thank me, Misato. Thank Naoko. It's all from her files. I .. think that's all you both should know," Ritsuko then sat back, and finished her Mountain Dew.
Misato was flabbergasted, unable to say anything for a few moments. Ritsuko's frankness was totally unlike her. Ritsuko normally was the type to deny everything, but now she was giving her information that Misato could never extract on her own. What other secrets does Ritsuko keep, she wondered.She stammered out a "Why?". The look in Ritsuko's eyes changed into an expression of sorrow so different from the arrogance she usually projected. "Misato, once upon a time, I was a woman who would never, never do something like that to another human being. This is my way of telling her I'm sorry, for what I must do .. to.... her," Ritsuko looked away from Misato's eyes, deep shame was the last emotion Misato caught before she rebuilt her emotional defenses and was once again, Ritsuko the ice queen.
"Thank you, Ritsuko," Misato said, with more sincerity than she had ever managed to muster in months.
"Let this be a lesson to you, Misato," Ritsuko said, smiling sarcastically. "Never, ever pick up strange men in bars again. You never know where they've been," she said as she gathered her things and started to make her way back to her labs.
Home
The short drive back home felt like an eternity for Misato. The questions that played in her mind all day long What to tell him? The whole truth? The filtered truth? Ritsuko's confession? She found herself increasingly worried about how he would react to what she had to tell him. The young private guarding her apartment saluted when she came to her door, she replied with a limp wave of the hand. Her hands felt weak as she opened the door.
"I'm home!" she said brightly.
"Okaerinasai," was the gruff reply, "Welcome Home" in Japanese. She surveyed the devastation around her. Emptied beer cans littered the area around the armchair where he sat. The TV was running yet another strange gameshow. He just sat there, staring intently at the TV. She suspected that his mind was running at a hundred miles an hour, thinking and planning something. She knew he wasn't the type to be caged, no matter how comfortable. She knew too, that he could have busted out of here by sheer force, if he had wanted to.
"We need to talk," she said, feeling the awful sense of awkwardness.
"We or you?" Logan asked, biting on a new cigar He reached for a lighter.
"I've found that information you wanted..." she said, hesitancy creeping into her voice, robbing her of her willpower to continue. Her fingers twirled her hair nervously. Failing to elicit much of a response from him, she told him what Ritsuko told her. He sat there impassively, both eyes staring at hers, as he had abandoned the Patch cover identity after the events in the Dogma. She even told him those facts that she had managed to dig up herself. At the end, she stood there, arms akimbo, nervous under the projected emotion of calm, waiting his response.
"For that," he sneered, "I coop myself here for three days?" he barked a laugh. "For you coming home to tell me to go home, cause the show's all over years ago?"
"Logan, it's not like that," she stammered.
"Forget it, no, screw it," he said, deep bitterness evident in his voice. The moment of rage passed, and he saw before him the young woman trembling in a mix of emotions she could barely understand. "It ain't your fault, darlin'" he said, clumsily trying to repair the emotional damage he unintentionally caused. There's a gentle, caring side to her that she smothered under the gold bar of the Lieutenant and drowned under copious amounts of alcohol. But she was neither on duty or drunk then, and he had hurt her with his harsh response as surely as if he had used his metal claws on her physical heart.
She wordlessly walked over to the fridge and pulled out the last can of beer. In an practiced response, she said "I'm sorry we're of no help to you, Logan," as she pulled open the tab, and took a swig of the good stuff with just a little more urgency than usual. It's a little late to be drinking alcohol, but she didn't care.
"Look, Logan. As far as the agency is concerned, you're nothing. Less than a cockroach," she said, trying hard to speak in even tones. "We have no reason to give you anything. Not protective custody, not even a second glance. You don't deserve me taking you down the Geofront, giving you access to our heart..." Heart? She said heart? Was it a slip of the tounge, she asked herself.
"So why did you?" he asked.
"Because I wanted to. I want to see you safe. I want you in the safest place on the planet. I want to help you find what you're looking for. I want to give you kindness because..." she blurted out, her voice rising with each usage of the word "I".
"I love you"
"Not funny, Kaji Ryoji," Ritsuko said to the other person on the phone line.
"Oh, Ritsuko, you were never one for emotions," the voice on the phone line said, jovially. "I thought those words would be the sweetest things a woman would ever want to hear," he said, playing up his boyish charm through his voice.
"Kaji, it's almost two in the morning. I am trying to sleep," Ritsuko said.
"Isn't sleeping in the labs hazardous to your health, Ritsuko?"
"How'd you get this number?" Ritsuko asked, with some urgency in her voice.
"My, you're grouchy!" Kaji said. "I call up my friend from university and ask her when she's going to make that trip to Aichi, just so we can go over old times over some sake, and I get such grouchiness from you,"
"Kaji," Ritsuko said, with growing irritation. "I'm not going to Aichi. Not now, probably not ever, if that's where you're holing up,"
Kaji's tone immediately changed, his voice lowering an octave.
"Ritsuko, listen to me, listen to me really good because I don't know how long I can use an unsecured line."
Ritsuko bit her lip, wondering what strange prank he was suddenly playing on her after so many years.
"I'm glad you survived the assassination attempt, but there's a mutant shapechanger running around your Geofront who probably wants to kill you, keep on your guard."
Ritsuko's blood froze, but she managed to regain some composure to ask the most important question.
"Misato took care of that. Do you have the adamantium sample?"
If Kaji felt surprise at Misato's capabilities, he kept it hidden. "You know, Commander Ikari would probably find this kind of information useful. He'd probably would like a steady supplier of information working for him, won't he, Ritsuko?"
"Kaji, where is the sample?"
"Your past. If you can travel back in time, maybe you can fetch it," he said. Before Ritsuko could respond to the cryptic clue, he told her his request "We've pretty much forgotten a lot of things, haven't we?" Ritsuko understood the request.
"I'll have Misato pick up our package, Kaji." Ritsuko told him with a hint of malice in her voice.
"Anyone but her," Kaji said. Ritsuko smiled to herself when she heard the panic in his voice. "One more thing, Kaji-kun," she said, for personal satisfaction this time, "I wish there was a God, so He can throw you in hell." Then she put the phone down. She cast a tired eye at some instrument panels, making sure the readings were still inside the tolerated ranges, before cradling her head in her arms and trying to catch some sleep on the lab bench.
Misato couldn't sleep, only able to lie on her tatami and keep an ear open for any sounds that indicated that he wanted to leave. She had sent the guard back, after telling him that the civillian was no longer under any threat. Which was utter bullshit and she knew it, and the guard knew it. Their argument probably could be heard downtown, and she cringed at the thought of having to apologize for this to all her neighbours, not that she ever did whenever she made too much a ruckus at home. She heard him twist and turn in sleep in the living room. Sighing, she got out of bed and tried to slide the door open as silently as she could. He immediately opened his eyes and turned to face her.
"What?" he asked gruffly. She said nothing, and silently walked to the bathroom.
Morning came, and she saw him as she slid open her bedroom door. She was surprised, but it was a pleasant surprise. So he didn't sneak off in the predawn hours as she had expected. She stood there in shock. Did he change his mind about leaving, or did he just stay here so he can say goodbye properly? She noted that he was all dressed and ready to go.
"I'm.."
"Leaving," Misato finished the sentence for him. "I have no regrets," she said.
"No, Misato," he said. "I'm going to find what I came here to find. Maybe there's something here, maybe not, but I can't rest until I'm done."
"Return to me," she said.
He nodded briefly. "It's a promise" he then turned to leave.
"Logan," she said, interrupting him. She needed him to know. She had to say the words. He turned his head in her direction.
She said, "Don't make others suffer for your personal hatred,"
He opened the door and walked away.
Confessional Hall
Kaji stepped into the large cavernous Confessional Hall with his usual easy stride, but he knew that what he had just done put him at risk. He had gambled that the real Ritsuko would still be running the show, and he was right. He quickly glanced around the large, spherical underground hall for the other members of the Brotherhood. The room was empty, save for Brother Pierce, who was carefully laying out candles on a large altar. Kaji marveled at the dedication of the members of the Brotherhood, who had changed the old underground labs into a splendid, orderly temple complex. The Confessional Hall was a rather spartan, yet elegant hall of worship, fashioned out from a storage area, metal pews bolted and welded onto the floor, soundproof materials covering most of the walls. He noted that the large Systema Sephiroticum diagram on the ceiling was almost completely finished. It was the early hours of the morning, and members of the Brotherhood would soon gather to Confess, but for now it was him and Brother Pierce.
He made his way along the aisle to meet Brother Pierce. He noted that the altar cloth was new, a simple black cloth with a rather unusual symbol, an inverted triangle and seven eyes sewn together in a metallic thread that alternately shone with the seven colours of the rainbow, or appeared to be a dull and lifeless gray. It was a dangerously familiar symbol, and each time he saw one, he had come close to death.
Brother Pierce was an old man that Kaji guessed to be sixty or older, with a sharp, angular face and eyes that seemed full of kindness and love. His hair was once blonde but now was graying and receding along his forehead. Under the robes he was a thin, tall man whose seeming frailty hid the strength of his fervour. He spoke Japanese fluently, having once served in the Catholic church before he felt the doctrines of the Church were blind to the reality. The reality was that the Angels will return to wreak judgement on Man.
"Good morning, Brother Pierce," he said in greeting.
"Kaji, my son. I see you've regained your enthusiasm for attending Confessions. Good. For a while, there were worries that you may have wanted to go astray," said Brother Pierce, still busy lighting the candles.
"There are some things I have been wondering about, Brother Pierce," Kaji said, trying not to give himself away.
"Yes, my son." answered the preacher, slowly lighting candles with a cigarette lighter.
"It's not like I question the doctrine that in these times of, ah, tribulation, the end justifies the means, but.."
"Go on, Kaji,"
"I am rather worried about reprisal from NERV,"
"Ah, yes. Reprisal. I had considered that too. It simply won't do to have them assault Japanese soil, would it? Diplomatic incident at the United Nations and all," Brother Pierce smiled warmly. "Don't worry yourself too much over that, Kaji my son. Remember that day when we talked about our benefactor? He has agreed to help us move the metal elsewhere, where the mad scientists at NERV will never find it,"
"Brother Pierce, not that I doubt you, but how can we be sure our benefactor is genuine?"
"Ah, Kaji, you inquisitive young man. I see you've been digging around. I should be upset with you, but the chairman said he felt you had potential."
Kaji nodded, uneasily. He unconsciously rubbed the back of his head with his hand, tugging at his ponytail to make it tighter. Brother Pierce continued to smile "Be at peace, Kaji. I was rather surprised too, when he approached me. Who would have thought it possible? Keel Lorenz, chairman of the NERV Supervision Committee itself, actually on our side?"
Oh, no, Kaji thought. Bad things happen every time he heard that name. Brother Pierce finished lighting the candles, but continued to speak, smiling kindly at Kaji as he continued, "Such a divinely blessed soul. He truly understood the nature and mission of the returning Angels. He'd been trying hard to delay the madmen at NERV, and the adamantium is the key to our success,"
"The key?" Kaji asked.
"Yes, my son. The metal is the key component for NERV's attempts to recreate the Lance of Longinus. Without the original Lance, or a working copy, they have no weapon that can breach an Angel's sacred halo, the Absolute Terror Field. They will be helpless to prevent the Angels from completing their mission."
"Praises to the Angels!" Kaji said.The holy mantra of this mad cult.
"Blessings upon us," Brother Pierce said, completing the mantra.
"When will he ...?" Kaji asked.
"He will let us know. Which reminds me, Kaji. I would like to entrust the matter to you, when the time comes. You've done so much good for the Brotherhood, Kaji. I'm sure there would be a special place for you at God's Right Hand, when the Angels return us to the divine,"
"I hope to keep you company then, Brother Pierce," Kaji said humbly, turning to leave.
Oh, @#%$, oh @#%$, oh @#%$, he thought. What was he getting into? As he reached the door, Brother Pierce's voice rang out clear across the large hall.
"I do expect you to attend the Confession today, Kaji."
Morning was signaled by brightening the Geofront's lights. In Ritsuko's lab, her datapad carried out its preprogrammed wakeup function, loudly beeping until Ritsuko silenced it. She cast a tired eye at some of the instrument panels, making sure nothing unexpected had happened while she slept. She yawned and stretched, noticing for the first time, her own extremely dishevelled condition. She supposed the other scientists were too polite to point out to her how close she looked like a bag lady sometimes. She called out to the others, but it seemed she was alone. She sleepily made her way out of the labs, back to her office, drawing some unwelcome glances, quickly averted, from the morning shift workers who were beginning to pour into the Geofront. She locked the door to her own office. A quick call to Misato's office told her that she hasn't shown up yet. Ritsuko sighed, pulling open one of her desk drawers, pulling out the spare set of clothes she kept. She needed to use the shower, and a good intravenous drip of caffeine. She stopped suddenly, and sat down on her chair, which protested the sudden weight put upon it by squeaking uncomfortably. Ritsuko activated her computer and began to access the MAGI, accesing some old files.
Misato's file photo suddenly appeared, along with the rest of her personnel records. Ritsuko laughed humorlessly at Misato's pay. Then she read Misato's files again, like she often did in the small hours of the night when she was all alone. Ristuko read Misato's evaluation reports, field test scores, combat sim reports, ultimately coming back to the line that haunted her every time she read it. It was Misato's original posting orders, to head a tactical section in headquarters. Misato would have commanded Evas into battle, if it were not for Ritsuko manipulating the MAGI's order assignments. Ritsuko thought she was actually helping Misato then, but the nagging doubts had eaten away at her over the past year until this morning, when she realized the full extent of her action.
"I'll have Misato pick up our package"
The words rang in her ears over and over again. She had said it at first to get back at Kaji, but the implications were chilling. She might be responsible for sending Misato to Aichi to die. Ritsuko had figured out what Kaji was talking about in a dream she had. She remembered the claustrophobic lab complex, smaller, darker, than the Geofront. The old Artificial Evolution labs that Gehirn abandoned a long time ago. She had worked there briefly overseeing the transfer of equipment, test subjects and samples to Tokyo-03. What have I done, she thought to herself in an endless loop. She ran a hand through her blonde hair, noticing that her natural dark brown roots were showing again. A few strands were now gray It wasn't fair. She was still young, and at her mid-20's, she should be having the time of her life, not aging prematurely underground. Yet, she had often felt old, and maybe she deserved the gray hair.
"All right, Misato," Ritsuko silently whispered to the image of Misato displayed on the monitor, "I confess. I did it. I put you in Investigations because I didn't think you'd be of much use in Tactical," Misato's photo glared at her. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. I didn't want you to get killed so early," Ritsuko said. Misato's photo was incapable of an answer, neither was it capable of stopping Ritsuko from turning her computer off, allowing her to escape the burning gaze of the eyes upon her. Ritsuko got up and headed to the showers, knowing no matter how hard she scrubbed her body, she would still be dirty.
Much of the morning simply passed Misato by. She drove to work, sat down, cleared paperwork and did things. She interviewed some of the staff again regarding the murder cases, pestered some lab tech to work faster processing evidence, fooled around with her MP armband that was sewn into the arm of her jacket. Around noon, she locked her office door, cradled her head in her arms, and cried.
Sliding her ill-gotten card into the reader, she easily opened the gate and stepped through. She had best leave before they found yet another body. Mystique laughed bitterly, as she made her way to the Geofront's train station, where the regularly scheduled train would take her, along with the lunch hour crowd, to the city above, as a winner. She couldn't swindle the money from Lorenz, but the money the Brotherhood paid her should be enough to tide her over until the next job. She found working with the cult distasteful, but in the harsh world after Second Impact, you make your living any way you can.
Logan walked aimlessly all morning, watching the city come to life. For the first time, he felt no contempt for the many beige uniformed personnel who made their way underground. Neither did he feel disturbed at the sight of the strange buildings with no doors or windows. Armament buildings, Misato had told him. They were unique to Tokyo-03, innocent looking skyscrapers that housed missile racks and palette cannons. An innocent facade that hid deadly secrets. He considered his next course of action, deliberating whether it was worth it to sacrifice everything between him and Misato, or if there was anything between them, in his quest for the truth. He continued to keep a hand in his pocket, fingering the white card Misato gave him, and in the chaos and confusion of the past few days, she hadn't bothered to check if it was returned. It gave him easy entry to the Geofront, but he knew that were he to use it, it would mean hell to pay with Misato later. Like a roach motel, he could check in easy, but getting out in one piece was a different story.
"The old Gehirn lab complex in Aichi, that's where the raw material is hidden," Ritsuko said.
Fuyutsuki continued to look at her, an inscrutable expression on his face. "Jasmine Falls? How could you be so sure?"
"I understand, Subcommander, that this might prove difficult to believe, but I do think someone over there is really on our side," she said, recrossing her legs anxiously. It was late afternoon, and she had spent most of her day here, in the construction hangars, knowing that if she stayed in the labs, she risked Misato coming over.
"You are certain beyond doubt of this information, Doctor?" Fuyutsuki probed again, his eyes fixed on Ritsuko's own eyes. They stood on an overhead gantry that had a great view of the construction process on the prototype Eva combat robot. Flashes from welding torches reflected on Ritsuko's face. Ritsuko hunched over, holding her body close to her knees, as she slowly rocked her body, the crude steel bench that she sat on providing a strange sense of comfort to her. "Chief Scientist Akagi,you're about to be third in command at the agency. You can't afford to act on unsubstantiated information," Fuyutsuki continued.
"Sir, this has nothing to do with my promotion. I just want the project finished." Fuyutsuki grunted, scanning Ritsuko from top down. "Ikari's right. You are so similar to each other." Ritsuko felt stung by the comment. She knew who she was being compared to. "I assume we'll be getting it back the usual way?" she asked tentatively. She took the silence to mean the affirmative.
"Subcommander, I have a request. There's this friend of mine in Investigations... I want her as far away from this as possible. This isn't what she joined NERV for," she said, watching the hum of activity among the technicians and workers below as they welded another set of armor plates onto the giant Eva.
"I won't stop a volunteer," Fuyutsuki said, clutching his hands behind his back, peering down on the activity below. His sudden change of stance told her that this line of conversation was over. Intellectually, she understood that keeping Misato away from too many things would lead straight back to her, and to more agency secrets than Misato deserves to know. If Misato wanted revenge, she will have only revenge. The truth is something reserved for those who can handle it.
Author's notes: The pace will pick up and accelerate from 0:6 to the final chapter (just like NGE), so please let me know If you see any plot holes. This story is a crossover between X-Men and NGE, but is primarily an Eva story, although I've tried to make it as accessible to non-Eva fans as I could.
The Evas and Children are not a part of this story. I figured I'd give the adult cast of NGE some time in the spotlight.
Kindly review, and if it sucks, let me know why.
Germany
The phone rang. Not just any phone. It was the phone that the servants weren't allowed to answer. The encrypted satellite line. He slowly shuffled to his large oak desk, his ancient bones painfully protesting the sudden rush. He hands lifted the receiver, and immediately a hologram screen was projected on the air above his desk. The words "sound only" on a black background gave away nothing.
"Speak" he said to the receiver. Something told him this was unpleasant.
"Well well well.. Hello, me," said the voice on the other end.
It was his own voice.
His voice betrayed no emotion, but inside, he was seething at the insult. "What do you want?" he asked, brusquely. He never had patience for childish tricks with voice synths.
"Why Chairman Lorenz, such an ungentlemanly tone, have I caught you at a bad time?" his doppelganger voice asked, in perfect German. Five minuted of cold silence was the reply.
"This is what I want, you ancient bastard," the voice continued, a hint of anger now apparent. "I have that hunk of slag you want. You still owe me a few million Euros for it. Slag for cash, or I'll have my people sell it to the market. Your call, Herr Lorenz."
"You little fool." Lorenz said, showing no emotion. "What makes you think we won't just take it anyway?"
The stranger barked a laugh which sounded hideously animal. "My people will fight you for it. Folks with religion don't take kindly to pressure, Chairman. Martyrdom, going down in flames, that sort of thing."
"If what you say is true, Mystique, I already have the adamantium. You merely fail to recognize that fact. And did we not tell you never cross paths with us again?"
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"It amuses me to let you live, young woman." Lorenz said, his usage of formal German calculated to show her that he was deadly serious. Mystique simply let the line go dead. The hologram fizzled out and disappeared. Lorenz put the phone down, and walked over to the large window that overlooked his garden. He stood there for several moments, admiring the view. His eyes lingered over the oak tree that Hitler planted the day a grateful Fuhrer gave the estate to him so many years ago as a token of appreciation for all his help. The Allied forces confiscated the castle from him at the end of the war, but it was merely a matter of time before he regained posession of it from its new owners. It was merely money and time, and he had all of both in the world.
He cast his eyes at the clear blue sky. He remembered the sky turning black, and red, during the Second Impact when the energies released from the first Angel ignited a global cataclysm. It was the happiest moment of his life. It meant that he was correct. Correct about everything. He had instructed Dr. Katsuragi to use the Lance of Longinus on the Angel and it had done exactly what the prophecies foretold. Then the telemetry data from the satellites came in, confirming his greatest hopes. Immediately after the first Angel imploded, fifteen energy patterns that NERV now call blue- pattern signals suddenly appeared in Earth orbit for a fraction of a second, then immediately disappeared again.
The Angels have come at last. Immediately afterwards as the world struggled to come to grips with the disaster, he had set his plans into motion. He convinced the United Nations of the impending Angel threat, and wrangled from them the funds necessary to set up NERV. As a final measure of control, he initiated the merger with Gehirn and put the senior scientists in control . He was now, indirectly, the master of humanity's destiny.
And the mutant had it in her to think she can bargain with him, him!
He walked away from the window to an old gramophone. It was an early version, that actually had to be cranked up to be used. He cranked up the gramophone and played one of his favourite records. He stood there, enjoying the music. With the adamantium in his hands, he could construct the replica Lances himself, without having to worry about Ikari's incesssant delays. Ikari was a good servant, but ever since that unfortunate accident with his wife, sometimes it seemed like he had another agenda.
Still, he had to keep up appearances, and a phone call to Japan should get the world's alien defense agency something to do while he waits for his plans to come to fruition.
M. Katsuragi
He didn't notice the name plate on her apartment door the first time he came here.
"Hey look, they finally put it in," Misato said cheerfully, brushing her fingers over the metal nameplate. She opened the door and they both stepped in. "I think you'd better not go wandering the city too much for the next few days," she suggested, and Logan merely nodded. It was late afternoon and the apartment was very warm. He suspected that most of the city's inhabitants only returned home when the sun had set and the heat had dissipated a little. "So what now?" he asked.
"Now you and I are going to sit down, and there's going to be some things I'm going to ask you, and you're going to answer them, " Misato said, the earlier jovial tones had disappeared to be replaced by the tone that Logan called her "professional voice" . She had potential at this business, but something told him that this wasn't what she really wanted. He grabbed a chair and sat down, staring intently at her. "Shoot," he said.
She opened her fridge and grabbed two beers, tossing a can at him. She immediately opened her own can, taking a long swig. Then she sat down, or more accurately, threw herself down on an armchair.
"Just who are you, really? And what kind of business do you have in this city?" she asked, staring intently at him Her hand still gripped the can, the other hand gently resting on the thigh with the holster. He saw no reason to lie. Not with her.
"My name is Logan. Folks call me many things, Logan, canucklehead, Patch,"
"Wolverine" she said. "What kind of name is that for a man?"
He told her. Everything about his past, as far as he can trust the memories. He stressed his quest for the past, and that he had meant no harm. He had just wanted to find out the link between Gehirn and the mysteries of his past. The sun lowered in the sky, half of it was already behind the horizon, when Misato finally rested her can of beer on a table. It had gone warm in her hand without ever returning to her lips. Her hand absent-mindedly went to her chest, grasping the silver cross pendant she always wore.
"I really, really want to believe you, Logan, I really do, but.."
"But?"
"Your story doesn't hold water," she said, her gaze fixed on him. "What's the difference between you wanting to find out your connection to Gehirn, and you wanting to go through agency secrets? What's the difference between you and those Angel cultists who can't stand NERV?"
"Misato, if you don't feel you can trust me, then why...?" he asked, unsure of how to finish the question.
There was a few seconds of silence between them that was interrupted by the incessant chirping of cicadas.
"Because I want to! I want to, damn it, but you won't let me believe you!" she half screamed, half sobbed, as she fought a battle against her own raging emotions. "You just appear out of nowhere and I wind up taking you inside one of our most secure areas. God, I wasn't even conscious when I met you! These things you want...."
The rapping of knuckles on the door interrupted her. "Ma'am? You okay in there?"
"Yes! Fine thanks!" she shouted back.
"You posted a guard?" he asked, incredulous. Misato nodded briefly. "To keep the enemy out, or to ...." Misato stared deeply into his eyes with a look that only confirmed his worst fears. "Damn. At least the fridge is well stocked," he sighed in resignation.
"Don't take it so hard, Logan," Misato said , walking over to him, and letting her hand rest on his shoulder. She felt the muscles stiffen underneath. "There are worse places than with me in my apartment, OK? They don't stock beer in the holding cells."
He still sat in that very same chair, silent as a rock, as she laid herself down to sleep that night. Alone.
Level 5 Cafeteria.
Bathed in artificial light, the Geofront doesn't sleep. Misato and Ritsuko sat at one of the tables that had a view of the underground gardens of the Geofront. Their watches said it was 23:25. There were a few other people having late meals, but the large cafeteria was all but empty. Ritsuko's white lab coat was all crumpled again, and her eyes had the tell-tale rings around them that no amount of make-up could ever hope of concealing. Any normal human would have collapsed from exhaustion, but Ritsuko had worked almost non-stop through the day without major harm.
"This sushi is dead!" Misato complained. "You're just being grouchy, Misato. You saw them prepare it yourself" Ritsuko said, as she finished her second can of Mountain Dew. She was told of the American drink's inhuman caffeine content and almost immediately had it made available in all the eating places and vending machines. "Besides, it wouldn't hurt a woman to actually learn cooking, would it?" Ritsuko asked, a playful smile dancing on her lips. "I'm sure your little love slave in your apartment would love it when you serve him sashimi on your belly."
"He's in protective custody, how many times must I tell you that? What do you expect me to do? Throw him in the cells?" Misato protested.
"You can charge him with attempted murder. He did throw the Chief Scientist down the Dogma. Oh, wait, the shapechanger jumped, didn't she?" Misato nodded. "Misato, where is the body?" Ritsuko asked. Misato shrugged. "The Dogma's huge..." "Humph," Ritsuko stared at Misato,clearly annoyed at her. "Thanks to you, I have to install DNA active scanners on all entrances to the Project E labs. Can you imagine the dent to my budget just to make sure it's really me that walks in the labs?" The moment passed, and Ritsuko was her normal, detached self again. She turned her head to take in the view of the gardens, and the pine trees that grew underground thanks to the miracles of science.
"Ritsuko..." Misato asked, in an almost pleading tone, breaking her reverie.
"Hmm?" Ritsuko asked, distracted from her own problems.
"What am I going to do with him? I've got a mutant with unbreakable claws and a bad temper in my apartment. You're from Gehirn, can't you just tell him what he wants to hear?"
"Misato, does the word classified mean ANYTHING to you?" Ritsuko asked. "Do you think I'd give my father the blueprints to the MAGI just because they remind him of Naoko?" Ritsuko then stopped, and cast a glance around her. The cafeteria was now totally deserted, the human cafeteria staff having gone home for the night,leaving only the automatic bento dispensers to satiate the hunger of the graveyard shift workers. Her watch said it was a few minutes past midnight. She leaned closer to Misato, her voice coming out in a hoarse whisper her eyes never wavering from Misato's own.
"The Weapon X program is a joint US-Canada operation, a super-soldier program. Gehirn just observed, and made recommendations where scientifically viable. That's all. Most of the Gehirn scientists attached to that project are retired or dead now. The synchronization program we use for the Evangelions... We based the system from the scientific data we gathered from Weapon X. We also gained posession of a certain pile of adamantium slag."
"Adamantium?" Misato gasped.
Yes, Misato, the very same stuff that was stolen. I will not name names, but just tell him that what he's looking for isn't here. Don't thank me, Misato. Thank Naoko. It's all from her files. I .. think that's all you both should know," Ritsuko then sat back, and finished her Mountain Dew.
Misato was flabbergasted, unable to say anything for a few moments. Ritsuko's frankness was totally unlike her. Ritsuko normally was the type to deny everything, but now she was giving her information that Misato could never extract on her own. What other secrets does Ritsuko keep, she wondered.She stammered out a "Why?". The look in Ritsuko's eyes changed into an expression of sorrow so different from the arrogance she usually projected. "Misato, once upon a time, I was a woman who would never, never do something like that to another human being. This is my way of telling her I'm sorry, for what I must do .. to.... her," Ritsuko looked away from Misato's eyes, deep shame was the last emotion Misato caught before she rebuilt her emotional defenses and was once again, Ritsuko the ice queen.
"Thank you, Ritsuko," Misato said, with more sincerity than she had ever managed to muster in months.
"Let this be a lesson to you, Misato," Ritsuko said, smiling sarcastically. "Never, ever pick up strange men in bars again. You never know where they've been," she said as she gathered her things and started to make her way back to her labs.
Home
The short drive back home felt like an eternity for Misato. The questions that played in her mind all day long What to tell him? The whole truth? The filtered truth? Ritsuko's confession? She found herself increasingly worried about how he would react to what she had to tell him. The young private guarding her apartment saluted when she came to her door, she replied with a limp wave of the hand. Her hands felt weak as she opened the door.
"I'm home!" she said brightly.
"Okaerinasai," was the gruff reply, "Welcome Home" in Japanese. She surveyed the devastation around her. Emptied beer cans littered the area around the armchair where he sat. The TV was running yet another strange gameshow. He just sat there, staring intently at the TV. She suspected that his mind was running at a hundred miles an hour, thinking and planning something. She knew he wasn't the type to be caged, no matter how comfortable. She knew too, that he could have busted out of here by sheer force, if he had wanted to.
"We need to talk," she said, feeling the awful sense of awkwardness.
"We or you?" Logan asked, biting on a new cigar He reached for a lighter.
"I've found that information you wanted..." she said, hesitancy creeping into her voice, robbing her of her willpower to continue. Her fingers twirled her hair nervously. Failing to elicit much of a response from him, she told him what Ritsuko told her. He sat there impassively, both eyes staring at hers, as he had abandoned the Patch cover identity after the events in the Dogma. She even told him those facts that she had managed to dig up herself. At the end, she stood there, arms akimbo, nervous under the projected emotion of calm, waiting his response.
"For that," he sneered, "I coop myself here for three days?" he barked a laugh. "For you coming home to tell me to go home, cause the show's all over years ago?"
"Logan, it's not like that," she stammered.
"Forget it, no, screw it," he said, deep bitterness evident in his voice. The moment of rage passed, and he saw before him the young woman trembling in a mix of emotions she could barely understand. "It ain't your fault, darlin'" he said, clumsily trying to repair the emotional damage he unintentionally caused. There's a gentle, caring side to her that she smothered under the gold bar of the Lieutenant and drowned under copious amounts of alcohol. But she was neither on duty or drunk then, and he had hurt her with his harsh response as surely as if he had used his metal claws on her physical heart.
She wordlessly walked over to the fridge and pulled out the last can of beer. In an practiced response, she said "I'm sorry we're of no help to you, Logan," as she pulled open the tab, and took a swig of the good stuff with just a little more urgency than usual. It's a little late to be drinking alcohol, but she didn't care.
"Look, Logan. As far as the agency is concerned, you're nothing. Less than a cockroach," she said, trying hard to speak in even tones. "We have no reason to give you anything. Not protective custody, not even a second glance. You don't deserve me taking you down the Geofront, giving you access to our heart..." Heart? She said heart? Was it a slip of the tounge, she asked herself.
"So why did you?" he asked.
"Because I wanted to. I want to see you safe. I want you in the safest place on the planet. I want to help you find what you're looking for. I want to give you kindness because..." she blurted out, her voice rising with each usage of the word "I".
"I love you"
"Not funny, Kaji Ryoji," Ritsuko said to the other person on the phone line.
"Oh, Ritsuko, you were never one for emotions," the voice on the phone line said, jovially. "I thought those words would be the sweetest things a woman would ever want to hear," he said, playing up his boyish charm through his voice.
"Kaji, it's almost two in the morning. I am trying to sleep," Ritsuko said.
"Isn't sleeping in the labs hazardous to your health, Ritsuko?"
"How'd you get this number?" Ritsuko asked, with some urgency in her voice.
"My, you're grouchy!" Kaji said. "I call up my friend from university and ask her when she's going to make that trip to Aichi, just so we can go over old times over some sake, and I get such grouchiness from you,"
"Kaji," Ritsuko said, with growing irritation. "I'm not going to Aichi. Not now, probably not ever, if that's where you're holing up,"
Kaji's tone immediately changed, his voice lowering an octave.
"Ritsuko, listen to me, listen to me really good because I don't know how long I can use an unsecured line."
Ritsuko bit her lip, wondering what strange prank he was suddenly playing on her after so many years.
"I'm glad you survived the assassination attempt, but there's a mutant shapechanger running around your Geofront who probably wants to kill you, keep on your guard."
Ritsuko's blood froze, but she managed to regain some composure to ask the most important question.
"Misato took care of that. Do you have the adamantium sample?"
If Kaji felt surprise at Misato's capabilities, he kept it hidden. "You know, Commander Ikari would probably find this kind of information useful. He'd probably would like a steady supplier of information working for him, won't he, Ritsuko?"
"Kaji, where is the sample?"
"Your past. If you can travel back in time, maybe you can fetch it," he said. Before Ritsuko could respond to the cryptic clue, he told her his request "We've pretty much forgotten a lot of things, haven't we?" Ritsuko understood the request.
"I'll have Misato pick up our package, Kaji." Ritsuko told him with a hint of malice in her voice.
"Anyone but her," Kaji said. Ritsuko smiled to herself when she heard the panic in his voice. "One more thing, Kaji-kun," she said, for personal satisfaction this time, "I wish there was a God, so He can throw you in hell." Then she put the phone down. She cast a tired eye at some instrument panels, making sure the readings were still inside the tolerated ranges, before cradling her head in her arms and trying to catch some sleep on the lab bench.
Misato couldn't sleep, only able to lie on her tatami and keep an ear open for any sounds that indicated that he wanted to leave. She had sent the guard back, after telling him that the civillian was no longer under any threat. Which was utter bullshit and she knew it, and the guard knew it. Their argument probably could be heard downtown, and she cringed at the thought of having to apologize for this to all her neighbours, not that she ever did whenever she made too much a ruckus at home. She heard him twist and turn in sleep in the living room. Sighing, she got out of bed and tried to slide the door open as silently as she could. He immediately opened his eyes and turned to face her.
"What?" he asked gruffly. She said nothing, and silently walked to the bathroom.
Morning came, and she saw him as she slid open her bedroom door. She was surprised, but it was a pleasant surprise. So he didn't sneak off in the predawn hours as she had expected. She stood there in shock. Did he change his mind about leaving, or did he just stay here so he can say goodbye properly? She noted that he was all dressed and ready to go.
"I'm.."
"Leaving," Misato finished the sentence for him. "I have no regrets," she said.
"No, Misato," he said. "I'm going to find what I came here to find. Maybe there's something here, maybe not, but I can't rest until I'm done."
"Return to me," she said.
He nodded briefly. "It's a promise" he then turned to leave.
"Logan," she said, interrupting him. She needed him to know. She had to say the words. He turned his head in her direction.
She said, "Don't make others suffer for your personal hatred,"
He opened the door and walked away.
Confessional Hall
Kaji stepped into the large cavernous Confessional Hall with his usual easy stride, but he knew that what he had just done put him at risk. He had gambled that the real Ritsuko would still be running the show, and he was right. He quickly glanced around the large, spherical underground hall for the other members of the Brotherhood. The room was empty, save for Brother Pierce, who was carefully laying out candles on a large altar. Kaji marveled at the dedication of the members of the Brotherhood, who had changed the old underground labs into a splendid, orderly temple complex. The Confessional Hall was a rather spartan, yet elegant hall of worship, fashioned out from a storage area, metal pews bolted and welded onto the floor, soundproof materials covering most of the walls. He noted that the large Systema Sephiroticum diagram on the ceiling was almost completely finished. It was the early hours of the morning, and members of the Brotherhood would soon gather to Confess, but for now it was him and Brother Pierce.
He made his way along the aisle to meet Brother Pierce. He noted that the altar cloth was new, a simple black cloth with a rather unusual symbol, an inverted triangle and seven eyes sewn together in a metallic thread that alternately shone with the seven colours of the rainbow, or appeared to be a dull and lifeless gray. It was a dangerously familiar symbol, and each time he saw one, he had come close to death.
Brother Pierce was an old man that Kaji guessed to be sixty or older, with a sharp, angular face and eyes that seemed full of kindness and love. His hair was once blonde but now was graying and receding along his forehead. Under the robes he was a thin, tall man whose seeming frailty hid the strength of his fervour. He spoke Japanese fluently, having once served in the Catholic church before he felt the doctrines of the Church were blind to the reality. The reality was that the Angels will return to wreak judgement on Man.
"Good morning, Brother Pierce," he said in greeting.
"Kaji, my son. I see you've regained your enthusiasm for attending Confessions. Good. For a while, there were worries that you may have wanted to go astray," said Brother Pierce, still busy lighting the candles.
"There are some things I have been wondering about, Brother Pierce," Kaji said, trying not to give himself away.
"Yes, my son." answered the preacher, slowly lighting candles with a cigarette lighter.
"It's not like I question the doctrine that in these times of, ah, tribulation, the end justifies the means, but.."
"Go on, Kaji,"
"I am rather worried about reprisal from NERV,"
"Ah, yes. Reprisal. I had considered that too. It simply won't do to have them assault Japanese soil, would it? Diplomatic incident at the United Nations and all," Brother Pierce smiled warmly. "Don't worry yourself too much over that, Kaji my son. Remember that day when we talked about our benefactor? He has agreed to help us move the metal elsewhere, where the mad scientists at NERV will never find it,"
"Brother Pierce, not that I doubt you, but how can we be sure our benefactor is genuine?"
"Ah, Kaji, you inquisitive young man. I see you've been digging around. I should be upset with you, but the chairman said he felt you had potential."
Kaji nodded, uneasily. He unconsciously rubbed the back of his head with his hand, tugging at his ponytail to make it tighter. Brother Pierce continued to smile "Be at peace, Kaji. I was rather surprised too, when he approached me. Who would have thought it possible? Keel Lorenz, chairman of the NERV Supervision Committee itself, actually on our side?"
Oh, no, Kaji thought. Bad things happen every time he heard that name. Brother Pierce finished lighting the candles, but continued to speak, smiling kindly at Kaji as he continued, "Such a divinely blessed soul. He truly understood the nature and mission of the returning Angels. He'd been trying hard to delay the madmen at NERV, and the adamantium is the key to our success,"
"The key?" Kaji asked.
"Yes, my son. The metal is the key component for NERV's attempts to recreate the Lance of Longinus. Without the original Lance, or a working copy, they have no weapon that can breach an Angel's sacred halo, the Absolute Terror Field. They will be helpless to prevent the Angels from completing their mission."
"Praises to the Angels!" Kaji said.The holy mantra of this mad cult.
"Blessings upon us," Brother Pierce said, completing the mantra.
"When will he ...?" Kaji asked.
"He will let us know. Which reminds me, Kaji. I would like to entrust the matter to you, when the time comes. You've done so much good for the Brotherhood, Kaji. I'm sure there would be a special place for you at God's Right Hand, when the Angels return us to the divine,"
"I hope to keep you company then, Brother Pierce," Kaji said humbly, turning to leave.
Oh, @#%$, oh @#%$, oh @#%$, he thought. What was he getting into? As he reached the door, Brother Pierce's voice rang out clear across the large hall.
"I do expect you to attend the Confession today, Kaji."
Morning was signaled by brightening the Geofront's lights. In Ritsuko's lab, her datapad carried out its preprogrammed wakeup function, loudly beeping until Ritsuko silenced it. She cast a tired eye at some of the instrument panels, making sure nothing unexpected had happened while she slept. She yawned and stretched, noticing for the first time, her own extremely dishevelled condition. She supposed the other scientists were too polite to point out to her how close she looked like a bag lady sometimes. She called out to the others, but it seemed she was alone. She sleepily made her way out of the labs, back to her office, drawing some unwelcome glances, quickly averted, from the morning shift workers who were beginning to pour into the Geofront. She locked the door to her own office. A quick call to Misato's office told her that she hasn't shown up yet. Ritsuko sighed, pulling open one of her desk drawers, pulling out the spare set of clothes she kept. She needed to use the shower, and a good intravenous drip of caffeine. She stopped suddenly, and sat down on her chair, which protested the sudden weight put upon it by squeaking uncomfortably. Ritsuko activated her computer and began to access the MAGI, accesing some old files.
Misato's file photo suddenly appeared, along with the rest of her personnel records. Ritsuko laughed humorlessly at Misato's pay. Then she read Misato's files again, like she often did in the small hours of the night when she was all alone. Ristuko read Misato's evaluation reports, field test scores, combat sim reports, ultimately coming back to the line that haunted her every time she read it. It was Misato's original posting orders, to head a tactical section in headquarters. Misato would have commanded Evas into battle, if it were not for Ritsuko manipulating the MAGI's order assignments. Ritsuko thought she was actually helping Misato then, but the nagging doubts had eaten away at her over the past year until this morning, when she realized the full extent of her action.
"I'll have Misato pick up our package"
The words rang in her ears over and over again. She had said it at first to get back at Kaji, but the implications were chilling. She might be responsible for sending Misato to Aichi to die. Ritsuko had figured out what Kaji was talking about in a dream she had. She remembered the claustrophobic lab complex, smaller, darker, than the Geofront. The old Artificial Evolution labs that Gehirn abandoned a long time ago. She had worked there briefly overseeing the transfer of equipment, test subjects and samples to Tokyo-03. What have I done, she thought to herself in an endless loop. She ran a hand through her blonde hair, noticing that her natural dark brown roots were showing again. A few strands were now gray It wasn't fair. She was still young, and at her mid-20's, she should be having the time of her life, not aging prematurely underground. Yet, she had often felt old, and maybe she deserved the gray hair.
"All right, Misato," Ritsuko silently whispered to the image of Misato displayed on the monitor, "I confess. I did it. I put you in Investigations because I didn't think you'd be of much use in Tactical," Misato's photo glared at her. "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry. I didn't want you to get killed so early," Ritsuko said. Misato's photo was incapable of an answer, neither was it capable of stopping Ritsuko from turning her computer off, allowing her to escape the burning gaze of the eyes upon her. Ritsuko got up and headed to the showers, knowing no matter how hard she scrubbed her body, she would still be dirty.
Much of the morning simply passed Misato by. She drove to work, sat down, cleared paperwork and did things. She interviewed some of the staff again regarding the murder cases, pestered some lab tech to work faster processing evidence, fooled around with her MP armband that was sewn into the arm of her jacket. Around noon, she locked her office door, cradled her head in her arms, and cried.
Sliding her ill-gotten card into the reader, she easily opened the gate and stepped through. She had best leave before they found yet another body. Mystique laughed bitterly, as she made her way to the Geofront's train station, where the regularly scheduled train would take her, along with the lunch hour crowd, to the city above, as a winner. She couldn't swindle the money from Lorenz, but the money the Brotherhood paid her should be enough to tide her over until the next job. She found working with the cult distasteful, but in the harsh world after Second Impact, you make your living any way you can.
Logan walked aimlessly all morning, watching the city come to life. For the first time, he felt no contempt for the many beige uniformed personnel who made their way underground. Neither did he feel disturbed at the sight of the strange buildings with no doors or windows. Armament buildings, Misato had told him. They were unique to Tokyo-03, innocent looking skyscrapers that housed missile racks and palette cannons. An innocent facade that hid deadly secrets. He considered his next course of action, deliberating whether it was worth it to sacrifice everything between him and Misato, or if there was anything between them, in his quest for the truth. He continued to keep a hand in his pocket, fingering the white card Misato gave him, and in the chaos and confusion of the past few days, she hadn't bothered to check if it was returned. It gave him easy entry to the Geofront, but he knew that were he to use it, it would mean hell to pay with Misato later. Like a roach motel, he could check in easy, but getting out in one piece was a different story.
"The old Gehirn lab complex in Aichi, that's where the raw material is hidden," Ritsuko said.
Fuyutsuki continued to look at her, an inscrutable expression on his face. "Jasmine Falls? How could you be so sure?"
"I understand, Subcommander, that this might prove difficult to believe, but I do think someone over there is really on our side," she said, recrossing her legs anxiously. It was late afternoon, and she had spent most of her day here, in the construction hangars, knowing that if she stayed in the labs, she risked Misato coming over.
"You are certain beyond doubt of this information, Doctor?" Fuyutsuki probed again, his eyes fixed on Ritsuko's own eyes. They stood on an overhead gantry that had a great view of the construction process on the prototype Eva combat robot. Flashes from welding torches reflected on Ritsuko's face. Ritsuko hunched over, holding her body close to her knees, as she slowly rocked her body, the crude steel bench that she sat on providing a strange sense of comfort to her. "Chief Scientist Akagi,you're about to be third in command at the agency. You can't afford to act on unsubstantiated information," Fuyutsuki continued.
"Sir, this has nothing to do with my promotion. I just want the project finished." Fuyutsuki grunted, scanning Ritsuko from top down. "Ikari's right. You are so similar to each other." Ritsuko felt stung by the comment. She knew who she was being compared to. "I assume we'll be getting it back the usual way?" she asked tentatively. She took the silence to mean the affirmative.
"Subcommander, I have a request. There's this friend of mine in Investigations... I want her as far away from this as possible. This isn't what she joined NERV for," she said, watching the hum of activity among the technicians and workers below as they welded another set of armor plates onto the giant Eva.
"I won't stop a volunteer," Fuyutsuki said, clutching his hands behind his back, peering down on the activity below. His sudden change of stance told her that this line of conversation was over. Intellectually, she understood that keeping Misato away from too many things would lead straight back to her, and to more agency secrets than Misato deserves to know. If Misato wanted revenge, she will have only revenge. The truth is something reserved for those who can handle it.