A/N and Disclaimer: I don't own any of the EVA characters, I do own Azumi
and Klaus. Note to readers on them: they are NOT SI s. They are just
characters made to create controversy (apparently it worked). Please keep
reading, this Ch, is a cliffhanger.
Please R&R
---
As soon as she woke up, Azumi realized she was drugged. She wasn't sure how she had been slipped it, but was sure it was something she ate. So, Ritsuko was just as weary of her as she was if Ritsuko. She was alone in a dark room again, but she wasn't cuffed.
-Listen closely, I have something to shared with you. The words of a very knowing man.-
"You're back again?"
-The philosopher known as Nietzsche said "After Buddha was dead, his shadow was still shown for centuries in a cave-a tremendous, gruesome shadow. God is dead: But given the way men are, there may still be caves for thousands of years in which his shadow will be shown.- and we-we will still have to vanquish his shadow, too."-
"What do you mean?"
-I mean Ritsuko's blind drive for revenge is the reason for everything falling apart again. She has created another "cave" for the "shadow" to fall on. Once she is gone, so will the worlds problems.-
"What do you want me to do?"
-You can do nothing. There is only one person who can act. I fear they never will. We can only hope, when the time comes, she can act as she should.-
"But why are you telling me?"
-Because others would fear me. The one who must act would never listen. So you must. . .-
"Must what?!"
The door slid open, the light burning her eyes. "Get up."
"No."
"Stop defying me. Come with me, we're going to Central Dogma. We will discuss what will happen."
Azumi gave a resigned sigh, and got to her feet, and lamely followed Ritsuko from the room.
---
Shinji shot from his sleep, where he rested beside Asuka's bed. He hadn't had the dream in years, he couldn't stop the stream of heavy breathing, or his rapid heart beat. ". . .Kaworu. . .damn it! Why now. . ." he blinked a few times and was shocked to hear a grown from across the room. He slowly looked to his side and swore.
The room was in worse disarray than they'd left the apartment. The tray table was on its side, the IV bag on the ground and popped. Klaus was just waking up a welt visible on the side of his head.
". . .Asuka. . ."
-Perspective-
Where was I? It was small, tight, dark. . .damn it. It was an entry plug. That was the only thing it could be. It was cold and unfamiliar now, scary, lonely, empty.
It was dry, and I was chained to the controls, this was obviously to keep me from escaping. NERV had gotten me-but how? I remembered nothing of it. The covert ops they always seemed to use had struck again. They must have contacted the hospitals in the area, and paid them off, paid them to drug me, and likely those with me, and told them to contact NERV as soon as I checked in.
It had worked just like they wanted-they had me now, but what would they do with me?
---
Ritsuko stood beside the entry plug suspended from the ceiling, glancing between it and Azumi. The girl stared cluelessly at the giant pill shaped object. "What is that thing?"
"An entry plug."
"What?"
"There's a person in there. Against her will." Aoba commented bitterly.
Ritsuko shot him an acidic glare, and he quickly turned back to typing.
"What's the point of showing me this?"
"Watch." She snapped at the Bridge Bunnies. They all hesitated, and Maya was the only one to react after the pause.
Asuka's screams could be heard from outside. Ritsuko was the only one who didn't shudder when it happened.
"I can't." Maya whispered, and stopped.
Azumi stared dumbfounded at Ritsuko. "How can you do this in good conscience?"
"You wouldn't know it, but technically speaking, the woman in there ATE you. Granted you were still in the LCL, but still-."
"Yeah, but it's all Dr. Akagi's fault it happened at all." Hyuuga whispered. "I was with you at first, but this is getting absurd! You're hurting her, there is no reason to!"
Ritsuko glanced up at the entry plug, and after a moment reached for the hatch.
---
Shinji and Klaus stood outside the access gate to the elevator/train. It stood before them, slightly dented but still functioning. The train shuddered to the entrance, and the door opened with an equally unnerving pace. Nervously they boarded the train, praying they were not too late.
---
-Asuka?- A shadowy Kawrou leaned on the controls before her, she backed up slightly.
"Huh? Aren't you-the?"
-17 th? Yes. Don't worry. I'm not what you should fear. It's Ritsuko. A women driven by revenge is more dangerous than all the Angels combined.-
"My head hurts."
-She plans to make it happen again. Or, she doesn't know that what she's trying to do will.she wants revenge on Shinji-kun's father.-
"What can I do?"
-There is one that must be driven to stop her. You must be the one that aids her on the path.-
"Right."
Before her the shadowy Kawrou backed away and vanished as the entry plug hatch opened.
---
Shinji sprinted into Central Dogma as Ritsuko ripped Asuka from the entry plug. It broke the controls and ripped both of Asuka's shoulders from their sockets. The cuffs binding her to the controls also snapped. She screamed in an inhuman voice and fell to the floor at Ritsuko's feet curling into a fetal ball.
"Get up."
"Stop!!" Shinji howled.
Ritsuko straightened and slowly turned to face Shinji. "You don't understand. She HAS to be studied. Or she has to die."
"You're insane."
Hyuuga and Aoba both backed against the furthest wall possible. Maya dove under her desk. All three terrified at what Shinji might do. Klaus had just made it to the door as they tried to hide.
"Asuka's my experiment. I started it, and I intend to finish."
Asuka was shaking horribly now. Soft sobs wreaked her body.
Ritsuko reached down and grabbed her hair. "I said get up!" she growled, pulling her upwards. "We're going to the lab. I'll study what its done to her, alive or not!"
"Get away from her." Shinji ordered.
"What are you going to do? As far as I can see, you're still a coward." With this, she threw Asuka towards one of the nearby terminals, dangerously close to the ledge above the Magi.
"Why are you doing this?!" Azumi begged. "You're ruining everything."
"Silence. I will get my revenge on Gendo Ikari. Even if it means destroying the world, just so I can destroy his dream. Asuka wasn't even the first piece."
Shinji couldn't take it any more, with an angry howl liken to Unit 01 gone berserk, he dove at Ritsuko, shouldering her over the ledge.
She grasped wildly as she went over, falling backwards, the momentum dragging what she grabbed along with her, which, sadly was Asuka. . .
Shinji's arm shot forward faster than he thought was possible, his hand closed on Asuka's ankle at the last second, and she hissed loudly as her body was yanked in two directions. For several moments the two women hung there. As the small amount came to a close, Ritsuko drew a gun, and pointed it at Asuka's head.
"Go ahead Shinji. No matter what you do now, she's going to die. Even if I miss, the recoil will drag both she and I, maybe even you down. If I succeed, they'll be no saving her."
Shinji gulped and grasped forward with his other arm, grabbing Asuka's other leg. Silence flooded Central Dogma for what seemed like eons, before a gunshot broke the silence.
---
A/N: sorry this was so short, but I wanted to give it the cliffhanger ending. Don't worry, the next Ch will be up soon. Thanks for reading!
Please R&R
---
As soon as she woke up, Azumi realized she was drugged. She wasn't sure how she had been slipped it, but was sure it was something she ate. So, Ritsuko was just as weary of her as she was if Ritsuko. She was alone in a dark room again, but she wasn't cuffed.
-Listen closely, I have something to shared with you. The words of a very knowing man.-
"You're back again?"
-The philosopher known as Nietzsche said "After Buddha was dead, his shadow was still shown for centuries in a cave-a tremendous, gruesome shadow. God is dead: But given the way men are, there may still be caves for thousands of years in which his shadow will be shown.- and we-we will still have to vanquish his shadow, too."-
"What do you mean?"
-I mean Ritsuko's blind drive for revenge is the reason for everything falling apart again. She has created another "cave" for the "shadow" to fall on. Once she is gone, so will the worlds problems.-
"What do you want me to do?"
-You can do nothing. There is only one person who can act. I fear they never will. We can only hope, when the time comes, she can act as she should.-
"But why are you telling me?"
-Because others would fear me. The one who must act would never listen. So you must. . .-
"Must what?!"
The door slid open, the light burning her eyes. "Get up."
"No."
"Stop defying me. Come with me, we're going to Central Dogma. We will discuss what will happen."
Azumi gave a resigned sigh, and got to her feet, and lamely followed Ritsuko from the room.
---
Shinji shot from his sleep, where he rested beside Asuka's bed. He hadn't had the dream in years, he couldn't stop the stream of heavy breathing, or his rapid heart beat. ". . .Kaworu. . .damn it! Why now. . ." he blinked a few times and was shocked to hear a grown from across the room. He slowly looked to his side and swore.
The room was in worse disarray than they'd left the apartment. The tray table was on its side, the IV bag on the ground and popped. Klaus was just waking up a welt visible on the side of his head.
". . .Asuka. . ."
-Perspective-
Where was I? It was small, tight, dark. . .damn it. It was an entry plug. That was the only thing it could be. It was cold and unfamiliar now, scary, lonely, empty.
It was dry, and I was chained to the controls, this was obviously to keep me from escaping. NERV had gotten me-but how? I remembered nothing of it. The covert ops they always seemed to use had struck again. They must have contacted the hospitals in the area, and paid them off, paid them to drug me, and likely those with me, and told them to contact NERV as soon as I checked in.
It had worked just like they wanted-they had me now, but what would they do with me?
---
Ritsuko stood beside the entry plug suspended from the ceiling, glancing between it and Azumi. The girl stared cluelessly at the giant pill shaped object. "What is that thing?"
"An entry plug."
"What?"
"There's a person in there. Against her will." Aoba commented bitterly.
Ritsuko shot him an acidic glare, and he quickly turned back to typing.
"What's the point of showing me this?"
"Watch." She snapped at the Bridge Bunnies. They all hesitated, and Maya was the only one to react after the pause.
Asuka's screams could be heard from outside. Ritsuko was the only one who didn't shudder when it happened.
"I can't." Maya whispered, and stopped.
Azumi stared dumbfounded at Ritsuko. "How can you do this in good conscience?"
"You wouldn't know it, but technically speaking, the woman in there ATE you. Granted you were still in the LCL, but still-."
"Yeah, but it's all Dr. Akagi's fault it happened at all." Hyuuga whispered. "I was with you at first, but this is getting absurd! You're hurting her, there is no reason to!"
Ritsuko glanced up at the entry plug, and after a moment reached for the hatch.
---
Shinji and Klaus stood outside the access gate to the elevator/train. It stood before them, slightly dented but still functioning. The train shuddered to the entrance, and the door opened with an equally unnerving pace. Nervously they boarded the train, praying they were not too late.
---
-Asuka?- A shadowy Kawrou leaned on the controls before her, she backed up slightly.
"Huh? Aren't you-the?"
-17 th? Yes. Don't worry. I'm not what you should fear. It's Ritsuko. A women driven by revenge is more dangerous than all the Angels combined.-
"My head hurts."
-She plans to make it happen again. Or, she doesn't know that what she's trying to do will.she wants revenge on Shinji-kun's father.-
"What can I do?"
-There is one that must be driven to stop her. You must be the one that aids her on the path.-
"Right."
Before her the shadowy Kawrou backed away and vanished as the entry plug hatch opened.
---
Shinji sprinted into Central Dogma as Ritsuko ripped Asuka from the entry plug. It broke the controls and ripped both of Asuka's shoulders from their sockets. The cuffs binding her to the controls also snapped. She screamed in an inhuman voice and fell to the floor at Ritsuko's feet curling into a fetal ball.
"Get up."
"Stop!!" Shinji howled.
Ritsuko straightened and slowly turned to face Shinji. "You don't understand. She HAS to be studied. Or she has to die."
"You're insane."
Hyuuga and Aoba both backed against the furthest wall possible. Maya dove under her desk. All three terrified at what Shinji might do. Klaus had just made it to the door as they tried to hide.
"Asuka's my experiment. I started it, and I intend to finish."
Asuka was shaking horribly now. Soft sobs wreaked her body.
Ritsuko reached down and grabbed her hair. "I said get up!" she growled, pulling her upwards. "We're going to the lab. I'll study what its done to her, alive or not!"
"Get away from her." Shinji ordered.
"What are you going to do? As far as I can see, you're still a coward." With this, she threw Asuka towards one of the nearby terminals, dangerously close to the ledge above the Magi.
"Why are you doing this?!" Azumi begged. "You're ruining everything."
"Silence. I will get my revenge on Gendo Ikari. Even if it means destroying the world, just so I can destroy his dream. Asuka wasn't even the first piece."
Shinji couldn't take it any more, with an angry howl liken to Unit 01 gone berserk, he dove at Ritsuko, shouldering her over the ledge.
She grasped wildly as she went over, falling backwards, the momentum dragging what she grabbed along with her, which, sadly was Asuka. . .
Shinji's arm shot forward faster than he thought was possible, his hand closed on Asuka's ankle at the last second, and she hissed loudly as her body was yanked in two directions. For several moments the two women hung there. As the small amount came to a close, Ritsuko drew a gun, and pointed it at Asuka's head.
"Go ahead Shinji. No matter what you do now, she's going to die. Even if I miss, the recoil will drag both she and I, maybe even you down. If I succeed, they'll be no saving her."
Shinji gulped and grasped forward with his other arm, grabbing Asuka's other leg. Silence flooded Central Dogma for what seemed like eons, before a gunshot broke the silence.
---
A/N: sorry this was so short, but I wanted to give it the cliffhanger ending. Don't worry, the next Ch will be up soon. Thanks for reading!