I don't own anything here...
"Have there been any transmissions?"
"None at all. It looks like he's taking everything by memory," Kadena said.
"And he hasn't moved around us?"
"Nope."
"Then he's not checking us out. He's waiting for something from within here." Takihiro turned to Sub-Commander Evans. "He's probably waiting for Unit 01."
"Most probably," Evans agreed.
Two days ago, around 4 in the morning, they had detected the intruder enter the preservation area. Instead of quick apprehension, Takihiro had decided to check the intruder to see exactly what he was searching for, and whom was he working for. But there had been no apparent transmissions.
"Tenku."
"Yes, sir."
"Have a squad secure the area, check for unfriendlies, and apprehend the suspect. But have them do it while he rests. He might turn out to be one of those suicidal religious freaks."
"Yes, sir."
"They certainly took their time in getting here," said Evans.
"Yeah," responded Takihiro. "They sure did. But now they are here, and we have to act accordingly."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to interrogate him, and I'm going to keep everyone inside Nerv. Make sure no one is approached more than necessary."
Takihiro turned to one of the terminals and began to type the order. While he was at it, he turned to Yuri.
"I'm sorry Yuri, but no more tea outings, is that clear?"
"Yes, sir." She sighed.
=====
"And you don't remember anything else?" Dr. Evan asked as she finished scanning Shinji.
"No," he answered with his head bowed.
Dr. Evans had tried everything to control Shinji's sudden bouts of depression, but to no avail. She had hypothesized that link between Unit 01 and Shinji had incurred the short transmission of serotonin from the brain to the nervous system, but the response from Unit 01 to Shinji required more of an alert pose from the pilot in order to active the mech. So, probably, Shinji's depression was caused from a mixture of stress and trauma. His unwillingness to participate made his depression even more severe.
"Shinji," she said as she rubbed her temples trying to subdue a migraine. "You know you are not like any of us. Within you there's a gift that enables you to do something which cannot be humanly done. Unfortunately, everyone has realized that, and now there is no way you can go back to being a normal person. So, it would be better if you get used to the idea that what you do best, you will probably have to do for the rest of your life."
He did not answer, but started to cry silently. Dr. Evans did not move, but rather let him cry in peace, but within her, the need to comfort him was great. But her military lifestyle won over and she restrained herself.
"Shinji."
Dr. Evans was startled by the sound of someone's voice. She was alone with Shinji in the Exam room, and had not requested anyone's aid. She turned around to see who had spoken, and to her surprise a woman, about Dr. Evan's age, 29, walked up to them. She was wearing a short brown dress, with a red jacket. She had long black hair, and beautiful purplish eyes. Around her neck she wore a silver cross.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"I'm sorry," the woman bowed.
"Dr. Evans," Shinji said. "Please, I let her in. I brought her here."
"How? No one can get inside the building without a permit pass?"
"I'm in the room, Dr. Evans," said Misato, "because Shinji wants me to be here."
"And who exactly are you?"
"Again, I'm sorry for being rude. I'm Misato Katsuragi and I am Nerv's Chief of Operations."
=====
They silently moved down the hill. Each step was carefully taken as they passed below branches and above roots and fallen leaves. Their dark clothing concealed them perfectly in the dark, but the goggles allowed to them to see in it.
One of them made a signal to stop, and the other six followed suit. Watching his target, the leader mentioned to three to spread out. One of them went uphill to get a better view, and the other two moved several yards away. After the three were situated, the leader asked for a signal to proceed from the one on the hill. Once he received one, the remaining four walked slow and stealthy towards the target. Slowly approaching it, two of them walked to its die, while two came straight on.
The man slept on his side, so, with a cue, one of them kicked both arms, sending them to the ground. Immediately, both of who were on his side, kneeled on both arms, pinning him.
"Don't move," one of them said pushing the barrel of his rifle against the man's head. "Or I'll blow your head off."
He signaled to the ones on the man's side, and they grabbed him, stood him up, and spread his legs. The other one began to check the man's pockets, arms and legs for weapons. Finding none, they kicked him behind the knee, making him drop. They got restraints and applied it to his wrists and ankles, and a hood on top of his head, blinding him. Once he was secured, they picked him up again and led him back to the point where they started. The leader made signal to the remaining three. One of them began packing all of the man's possessions into the knapsack, picked it up and carried it away. The other two began walking backwards, careful in their step, and covering any tracks they left behind.
Once they were gone, the hill was empty, and behind it shimmered lake Oniyusha.
=====
"We have him, Commander." Tenku said.
"Have him taken to the lower cells. I don't want anything in that cell that can be used as a weapon. I'm going down there to interrogate"
"Roger that."
Takihiro walked out of the Main Tactics Room and headed for the elevator. To him, now the pressure was on. Not only would he have to deal with the Mech and the pilot, but also with intruders, and those keen on possessing Unit 01. The man's capture meant that the interested force would have to begin covering its tracks, or, if it was truly interested, try again in acquiring it. But if the man did not talk, then everyone was a suspect.
The meeting with the Commanders had resulted in a brief, but extensive, history lesson on Nerv and its relationship with Unit 01. According to them, Unit 01's existence had been known about even before Kerensky's exodus, but had been delayed because of the Stefan Amaris occupation of Terra. Preparations began immediately afterwards, but even more delays were constantly being brought on by squabbles between the Great Houses. After great consideration, Seele convinced Blake to make Nerv an independent entity, within Terra, whose only purpose was to preserve Terra's historical, religious, and past scientific achievements until the second millennium. By then, Kerensky had already departed for unknown territory, taking, with him, knowledge of Nerv and the existence of Unit 01. Not knowing if Kerensky would come back, Seele urged Blake to keep Nerv secret from the Great Houses, keeping its existence known only to him and Comstar.
Even stranger was Nerv's creation and apparent destruction. According to historical sources, in 2014, the destruction of Asia had been caused by Russia, during its Second Civil War, when its satellite states had decided to free themselves from the U.S.S.R. Reports stated that Russia had sent troops to calm the rebelling nations, but they had responded by bombing the troops while on their way. Russia had apparently responded back by dropping nuclear weapons on its nations. But according to Nerv, it was the Unit 01 itself which had caused the nuclear holocaust.
Nerv had been created in the year 2000, right after the Antarctic Meteor Crash. A meteor had apparently crashed on Antarctica, melting it, and flooding almost a third of Terra's landmasses, but in reality Nerv had uncovered some kind of powerful being called, conveniently, an "Angel." Most of the records had been lost as to what the Angels were, and exactly how the "Third Impact" came about. Third Impact, of course, was the name given to Unit 01 causing the destruction of almost of third of humanity, and Nerv itself, including its staff. But by then, more Evas, which was the name given to Unit 01 and other units, had been created in order to respond to threats unbeknownst to humanity, but were actually more of the Angels.
Now, as Takihiro waited in the elevator, he pondered upon figuring out who would possess such a weapon as the Eva. He had to find out soon, because if one faction knew, then it was a fact that the others, Clan, Comstar, and Word of Blake, knew as well.
"Commander Takihiro, please contact Dr. Evans. Commander Takihiro, please contact Dr. Evans. Commander Takihiro."
He picked up the elevator's phone and asked for Dr. Evan's extension. After a couple of seconds, they connected.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"I'm in the elevator. We captured the guy lurking outside. I'm on my way to see him."
"I'm on level B1. Why?"
"Well, how long are you going to take to get here?"
"Okay."
Takihiro pressed the STOP button. The doors opened and he stepped out. Daniella had asked him to wait for her at the current floor. Having a few seconds to rest, he walked to one of the counters and served himself coffee. While he drank, he thought about Daniella's tone of voice. She was agitated and excited. Whatever it was she had wanted to show him was extremely important.
He looked at the elevator read out. One of them was coming down, so he stepped to the side in case she came out in a hurry. Immediately, the bell announcing the elevator rang, and the doors opened. Out stepped Daniella with a wild expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Takihiro," she said, her voice quivering with excitement. "I want you to meet someone."
From the elevator came out Shinji, and behind him a woman.
"I want you to meet Captain Misato Katsuragi. Nerv's Chief of Operations, Takihiro."
Takihiro looked in confusion at the young woman. He had not been advised about any newcomers.
"Takihiro, she's from Nerv," said Daniella, her lips quaking to form a laughter. "She's from the original Nerv. She's from 2014."
Then he understood.
"Have there been any transmissions?"
"None at all. It looks like he's taking everything by memory," Kadena said.
"And he hasn't moved around us?"
"Nope."
"Then he's not checking us out. He's waiting for something from within here." Takihiro turned to Sub-Commander Evans. "He's probably waiting for Unit 01."
"Most probably," Evans agreed.
Two days ago, around 4 in the morning, they had detected the intruder enter the preservation area. Instead of quick apprehension, Takihiro had decided to check the intruder to see exactly what he was searching for, and whom was he working for. But there had been no apparent transmissions.
"Tenku."
"Yes, sir."
"Have a squad secure the area, check for unfriendlies, and apprehend the suspect. But have them do it while he rests. He might turn out to be one of those suicidal religious freaks."
"Yes, sir."
"They certainly took their time in getting here," said Evans.
"Yeah," responded Takihiro. "They sure did. But now they are here, and we have to act accordingly."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to interrogate him, and I'm going to keep everyone inside Nerv. Make sure no one is approached more than necessary."
Takihiro turned to one of the terminals and began to type the order. While he was at it, he turned to Yuri.
"I'm sorry Yuri, but no more tea outings, is that clear?"
"Yes, sir." She sighed.
=====
"And you don't remember anything else?" Dr. Evan asked as she finished scanning Shinji.
"No," he answered with his head bowed.
Dr. Evans had tried everything to control Shinji's sudden bouts of depression, but to no avail. She had hypothesized that link between Unit 01 and Shinji had incurred the short transmission of serotonin from the brain to the nervous system, but the response from Unit 01 to Shinji required more of an alert pose from the pilot in order to active the mech. So, probably, Shinji's depression was caused from a mixture of stress and trauma. His unwillingness to participate made his depression even more severe.
"Shinji," she said as she rubbed her temples trying to subdue a migraine. "You know you are not like any of us. Within you there's a gift that enables you to do something which cannot be humanly done. Unfortunately, everyone has realized that, and now there is no way you can go back to being a normal person. So, it would be better if you get used to the idea that what you do best, you will probably have to do for the rest of your life."
He did not answer, but started to cry silently. Dr. Evans did not move, but rather let him cry in peace, but within her, the need to comfort him was great. But her military lifestyle won over and she restrained herself.
"Shinji."
Dr. Evans was startled by the sound of someone's voice. She was alone with Shinji in the Exam room, and had not requested anyone's aid. She turned around to see who had spoken, and to her surprise a woman, about Dr. Evan's age, 29, walked up to them. She was wearing a short brown dress, with a red jacket. She had long black hair, and beautiful purplish eyes. Around her neck she wore a silver cross.
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"I'm sorry," the woman bowed.
"Dr. Evans," Shinji said. "Please, I let her in. I brought her here."
"How? No one can get inside the building without a permit pass?"
"I'm in the room, Dr. Evans," said Misato, "because Shinji wants me to be here."
"And who exactly are you?"
"Again, I'm sorry for being rude. I'm Misato Katsuragi and I am Nerv's Chief of Operations."
=====
They silently moved down the hill. Each step was carefully taken as they passed below branches and above roots and fallen leaves. Their dark clothing concealed them perfectly in the dark, but the goggles allowed to them to see in it.
One of them made a signal to stop, and the other six followed suit. Watching his target, the leader mentioned to three to spread out. One of them went uphill to get a better view, and the other two moved several yards away. After the three were situated, the leader asked for a signal to proceed from the one on the hill. Once he received one, the remaining four walked slow and stealthy towards the target. Slowly approaching it, two of them walked to its die, while two came straight on.
The man slept on his side, so, with a cue, one of them kicked both arms, sending them to the ground. Immediately, both of who were on his side, kneeled on both arms, pinning him.
"Don't move," one of them said pushing the barrel of his rifle against the man's head. "Or I'll blow your head off."
He signaled to the ones on the man's side, and they grabbed him, stood him up, and spread his legs. The other one began to check the man's pockets, arms and legs for weapons. Finding none, they kicked him behind the knee, making him drop. They got restraints and applied it to his wrists and ankles, and a hood on top of his head, blinding him. Once he was secured, they picked him up again and led him back to the point where they started. The leader made signal to the remaining three. One of them began packing all of the man's possessions into the knapsack, picked it up and carried it away. The other two began walking backwards, careful in their step, and covering any tracks they left behind.
Once they were gone, the hill was empty, and behind it shimmered lake Oniyusha.
=====
"We have him, Commander." Tenku said.
"Have him taken to the lower cells. I don't want anything in that cell that can be used as a weapon. I'm going down there to interrogate"
"Roger that."
Takihiro walked out of the Main Tactics Room and headed for the elevator. To him, now the pressure was on. Not only would he have to deal with the Mech and the pilot, but also with intruders, and those keen on possessing Unit 01. The man's capture meant that the interested force would have to begin covering its tracks, or, if it was truly interested, try again in acquiring it. But if the man did not talk, then everyone was a suspect.
The meeting with the Commanders had resulted in a brief, but extensive, history lesson on Nerv and its relationship with Unit 01. According to them, Unit 01's existence had been known about even before Kerensky's exodus, but had been delayed because of the Stefan Amaris occupation of Terra. Preparations began immediately afterwards, but even more delays were constantly being brought on by squabbles between the Great Houses. After great consideration, Seele convinced Blake to make Nerv an independent entity, within Terra, whose only purpose was to preserve Terra's historical, religious, and past scientific achievements until the second millennium. By then, Kerensky had already departed for unknown territory, taking, with him, knowledge of Nerv and the existence of Unit 01. Not knowing if Kerensky would come back, Seele urged Blake to keep Nerv secret from the Great Houses, keeping its existence known only to him and Comstar.
Even stranger was Nerv's creation and apparent destruction. According to historical sources, in 2014, the destruction of Asia had been caused by Russia, during its Second Civil War, when its satellite states had decided to free themselves from the U.S.S.R. Reports stated that Russia had sent troops to calm the rebelling nations, but they had responded by bombing the troops while on their way. Russia had apparently responded back by dropping nuclear weapons on its nations. But according to Nerv, it was the Unit 01 itself which had caused the nuclear holocaust.
Nerv had been created in the year 2000, right after the Antarctic Meteor Crash. A meteor had apparently crashed on Antarctica, melting it, and flooding almost a third of Terra's landmasses, but in reality Nerv had uncovered some kind of powerful being called, conveniently, an "Angel." Most of the records had been lost as to what the Angels were, and exactly how the "Third Impact" came about. Third Impact, of course, was the name given to Unit 01 causing the destruction of almost of third of humanity, and Nerv itself, including its staff. But by then, more Evas, which was the name given to Unit 01 and other units, had been created in order to respond to threats unbeknownst to humanity, but were actually more of the Angels.
Now, as Takihiro waited in the elevator, he pondered upon figuring out who would possess such a weapon as the Eva. He had to find out soon, because if one faction knew, then it was a fact that the others, Clan, Comstar, and Word of Blake, knew as well.
"Commander Takihiro, please contact Dr. Evans. Commander Takihiro, please contact Dr. Evans. Commander Takihiro."
He picked up the elevator's phone and asked for Dr. Evan's extension. After a couple of seconds, they connected.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"I'm in the elevator. We captured the guy lurking outside. I'm on my way to see him."
"I'm on level B1. Why?"
"Well, how long are you going to take to get here?"
"Okay."
Takihiro pressed the STOP button. The doors opened and he stepped out. Daniella had asked him to wait for her at the current floor. Having a few seconds to rest, he walked to one of the counters and served himself coffee. While he drank, he thought about Daniella's tone of voice. She was agitated and excited. Whatever it was she had wanted to show him was extremely important.
He looked at the elevator read out. One of them was coming down, so he stepped to the side in case she came out in a hurry. Immediately, the bell announcing the elevator rang, and the doors opened. Out stepped Daniella with a wild expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Takihiro," she said, her voice quivering with excitement. "I want you to meet someone."
From the elevator came out Shinji, and behind him a woman.
"I want you to meet Captain Misato Katsuragi. Nerv's Chief of Operations, Takihiro."
Takihiro looked in confusion at the young woman. He had not been advised about any newcomers.
"Takihiro, she's from Nerv," said Daniella, her lips quaking to form a laughter. "She's from the original Nerv. She's from 2014."
Then he understood.