The PEACE project, part 5

"DAMMIT!" A loud clang, followed by a small explosion, which, in turn, was followed by a spray of blood, sounded out in the large working area of PEACE HQ. Nicholas Rivers was perched on Unit Theta, trying to get the biological components to work together. Unfortunately, they were no longer binding together on their own. The now-dead flesh was stubborn. Thankfully, the unique protein structure held rigormortis at bay. Otherwise the job of repairing Theta would be unimaginable.
A muscle in the chest had torn loose from its tentative bindings. Nick coughed in disgust as he wiped stinging, lukewarm blood from his eyes. He looked down at his gore-soaked clothing and cursed a few more times, using words that could burn down a house. Finally fed up, he took an oversized nail gun and muscled the flesh into position. He deftly, but messily, secured the rebellious tissue with impaling spikes driven down into steel-hard bones. Nick stood. He looked around him at the ruined bulk of Theta's corpse. Mold dotted a few patches of bare flesh with a green- white mottling. Bandages and wrappings covered nearly the entirety of the mecha. Only a few armor plates had survived undamaged, but even they were now covered in splatters of gore from the messy reconstruction and reanimation of Theta. If there had been a larger government grant, Theta would be back up and running already.
As it was, Theta was behind schedule. Far behind it, in fact. Maybe it could be thrown into combat, maybe not. It could function without living organics, but not well. Systems would be prone to sudden and probably spectacular failure. Fixing Theta was proving to be a lengthy undertaking. Still, it was easier than building an entirely new Evangelion unit. Maybe.
While Nick was lost in thought, a technician yelled to him, trying to get his attention.
"What is it now?" Asked the irritated Eva pilot. Blood was dripping from him like a light rain. Crimson splatters decorated everything around him. Somehow, it seemed appropriate.
"We finished installing the S^2 engine in Unit Four. Thought you might want to watch us bring it online."
"Nah. Seen one Eva, seen 'em all."

Deep inside PEACE, a white giant stood impassively. A red core, like an Angel's, pulsed in its chest. Unknown to most, however, a man was busy throwing a monkey wrench into the works.

Technicians and workers alike crowded around Unit Four. Their faces were bright with excitement, excited to see their work finally showing some progress. With a flourish, an engineer flipped a switch, powering up the S^2 organ. The core on Unit Four's chest shone with a bright red light for just an instant.
Then, the entire area erupted in flames and shrapnel.

Alarms blared the moment automatic safety systems detected the explosion. Nick looked up from the complicated tangle of impulse relays he was working on to see what was going on. Several other mechanics stood up as well, each working on a different part of Theta. Nick motioned for them to get back to work.
"This is just not going to be a good day." He said, as he leapt from the Eva, running towards the trouble. The blood on his clothing had dried into a stiff, annoying layer, but he took no notice as he rushed blindly into danger.

It took only minutes for the built-in fire suppression systems to put out the flames. Great blasts of foam smothered the entire shielded bay like two meters of snow. Damage to the building itself was minimal. The shielded walls of the special bay had contained the blast. Unit Four wasn't even singed. Its armor had been built to stand up to forces no mere explosion could duplicate. It's white armor was unblemished and still brightly polished.
"Seems like someone doesn't like Unit Four." Nick commented. He was amazed the S^2 organ hadn't ruptured. If that had happened, they would only be a hole in the ground. The armor plating he had built into the mecha, against NERV's original plans, had paid off.
"Several men were killed in the blast." Reported an engineer.
"I know. Damn it all. I can't believe NERV would stoop to such petty sabotage."
"You think NERV did this?"
"Who else would? We're incredibly lucky."
"If the inertial dampeners had been off-line, we would all be dead now."
"Let's find the one who did this." Nick said, starting off towards the armory.

"Yes, the security shutters went down right after the fire, sir." The security guard reported.
"So whoever did this is still inside."
"Most likely. From where the bomb was placed, it had to have been set within a few minutes of the explosion. No person left the building within a large margin of the required time."
"Good. I bet he was scared when that bomb went off."
"I suggest we evacuate everyone inside, check them as the leave."
"He could slip past us. Lock down every room and we'll clear them one at a time."

It actually didn't take long to find the saboteur. All PEACE personnel were given stations in case of lockdown. As the only one without a station, he was easy to find. He was also the only one hiding in a storage closet, so he stood out fairly broadly. The man was found within minutes of the beginning of the clearing. It took several strong men to restrain him.
As it turned out, the saboteur was a Japanese man Nick had never met, but had heard quite a bit about. Mostly from Asuka.
"Well, Kaji. Looks like you aren't half the spy you thought you were." Nick said, taking an opportunity to speak to Kaji after the would-be saboteur had been bound and locked in a small, windowless room.
Kaji said nothing, not even looking at Nick.
"I want you to tell me everything you know."
"...I hear an 'or else' attached to that." Kaji said, finally looking at Nick. For the first time, the spy seemed to realize just how serious the impossibly young head of PEACE was.
"That's quite correct. I don't like Ikari's little spies meddling in my business."
"Like I'd ever work for him." Kaji said under his breath. He thought Nick wouldn't hear it, but was wrong once again.
"Oh? Then whom do you work for?"
"If I told you they would kill me."
"I'm going to need an address, at least. I have to send them an apology."
"What do you have to apologize for?" Kaji said. He had a sinking feeling he already knew the answer.
"Killing one of their agents." Nick drew his sidearm, a police-issue semiauto. Kaji stared down the barrel of the gun into Nick's face. He saw no mercy there.

A moment later, a shot rang out. Only a minute later, Nick left the room. He shut the door harshly, almost slamming it. Standing outside were three people. Two of them wore the uniform of PEACE's security force. They carried light machine guns. The third man was a medic. He looked at Nick with a questioning gaze.
"You killed him?" The medic asked, disbelief in his tone.
"No. I only shot his knee out. He didn't think I was serious." Nick replied.
"Fine. Get the information you wanted?"
"Unfortunately, he was too well trained to tell me anything. Say, can you get some sodium pentathol?"
"Truth serum? A bit. I'm going to have to patch up his leg first."
"Oh?"
"Bleeding to death aside, the truth drug is going to mess him up badly enough that we won't want him injured." Nick thought it over. It was sound advice. He stepped aside and nodded for the medic to get to work.

Nick sat in an office. His office. He was contemplating what he was going to do. On one hand, there was the option of simply killing Kaji. On the other hand, whatever organization he was working for would, more likely than not, retaliate. Although he was the CEO of the largest mecha assembly and design company on the face of the Earth, Nick still had to worry about security issues. If one man could sneak in a bomb, then someone could sneak in a suitcase nuke just as easily. He sighed loudly. Nick decided a walk might just clear his head and help him find another option.
As he left his office, he found himself looking across the nearly empty hallway and wondering where his guards were. Ever since he had been shot at in Japan by NERV personnel, he had been given two bodyguards. All he could see near him now was a potted plant and a water cooler. Neither were much of a deterrent to an assassin.
Where were they? Nick found himself almost worried. He resolved to go check in the mess hall. Before he could even take a step, he felt something cold and metal pressed into the back of his neck.
"Looks like the tables have turned." Kaji said. Nick couldn't see his face, but he could hear Kaji's broad smile clearly enough.
"Oh? Why do you think that?" Nick replied. He slowly moved his hand to the butt of his own gun.
"Put your hands behind your head and turn around." Nick sighed, abandoning the thought of drawing his gun, and complied.
"You really think you can get away with whatever you're planning, don't you?"
"You bet."
"Is it not now the time for you, the evil mastermind, to tell little old me your brilliant and deviously evil plan, likely involving stolen nuclear warheads and holding the world hostage?"
"This isn't James Bond, you little annoying brat. And you are most certainly not the hero. The things you've done..." Nick could almost hear Kaji thinking. For a moment, he saw Asuka's mother, as she had been so long ago. Before the Evangelion.
"Really? Even though you're overly confident and absolutely sure that you'd kill me?"
"Really. But I'm going to have to get rid of you. For once, it manages to both be my job and something I don't mind doing." With a loud click, Kaji chambered a round in the gun. Nick smiled and drew something from behind his neck, a long knife with its sheath hidden between his shoulders. He threw the knife at a startled Kaji and ducked to the side. Not very good with a knife, Nick's throw was poorly executed and he hit Kaji with the hilt, not the blade. Kaji fired at Nick, but his aim was thrown by the unexpected attack. The potted plant exploded into shards. Kaji took aim again, but Nick was already through a door, and into a more open, and populated, area. Kaji cursed. With his leg blown out, he didn't have much of a chance of getting the man, no matter how much Nick deserved it. Kaji decided to get out instead, and on the fastest plane he could get back to Japan.

"He's gone now, sir." Said a man in uniform. On a screen, steaming video showed Kaji leaving the PEACE facility, uncontested.
"Good. I hope Mr. Rivers does not take this too badly. I doubt the committee would tolerate us if we killed their little spy." Said a man in a black suit.
"But sir, he doesn't work for... that particular organization."
"That's right. He works for the Japanese government, reporting on NERV's and other organization's activities and operations truthfully and without bias."
"... I see what you're saying, sir."

Meanwhile, in a facility on the Nevada desert near the PEACE facility, a group of scientists stumbled onto something very old, sleepy, and angry.
"How's that drill?" One of the scientists, the lead member of the group, asked.
"Only one meter from the projected depth of the cavern, sir." One of the technicians reported.
"Good. Finding a new oil field here would give us a stronger economic lever in the energy market. Not to mention allowing us to shore up some of the national debt."
"Sir, how can we be sure its oil?" Asked one of the newest personnel.

"The very rocks we're drilling through tell us. They're found almost exclusively around oil fields."
"Sir, we're penetrating the cavern now." A third said. As he finished, the ground shook twice, and then subsided.
"What was that?" The lead scientist asked, surprised.
"Maybe... a small underground rock slide caused by released gas?"
"I'm not sure. Check the lines, make sure we've still got our drill shaft." He stood up and went to the window, making sure the rig was still standing. It looked fine, but he could see three workers double-checking the structural integrity.
"Sir, there's pressure in the pipe! I think we've struck oil!" Reported the technician, almost yelling in his excitement as he read the readouts. Only seconds later, dark liquid shot from the drill rig. A gusher! The lead scientist smiled. He thought he saw a strange red tinge to the oil, but passed it off as a trick of the light. The men outside were running around, jumping up in the air. They must have been jumping for joy, decided the scientist. One ran towards the command center. The scientist was about to go open the door and congratulate the man on a job well done when he saw something odd. He couldn't see what it was until the man got a little closer. When the man did, the scientist almost fainted.
The man's skin was melting from his bones. His eyes were gone. He stumbled blindly into the sand and dust, then got up again, leaving a puddle of blood and disintegrating tissue. He managed one more step before his gut fell apart. His intestines dropped to the ground like a pile of slimy, bloody rope. The man followed, dead.
Two things dawned on the scientist. First, that the other men were dying as well, what looked like jumping for joy at a distance actually death spasms. Secondly, that whatever was coming out of that damnnable hole in the ground, it wasn't oil. A few droplets sprayed the window in front of him, looking like dark rubies. As he watched, they trickled down the window, etching the glass like hydrochloric acid. He turned and faced the others in the small, suddenly silent room. Horror showed on his face.
"Don't worry, people. Gushers don't last forever. We can wait it out here, then leave and report this."
"Sir, something's moving in the cavern!" Reported the sonar technician, his voice almost cracking in fear.
"What?"
"It's coming towards the surface!" The technician said. The scientist fell to his knees as another quake rocked the area.
"It's impossible! It must be... another rockslide of something!" Suddenly, the geyser of ichor stopped, like someone had shut off a faucet. The ground around the drill started swelling, like water when a whale is rising to the surface. The earth split, a long fissure swallowing the drilling rig whole. A rock the size of a car flew from the crevasse, smashing into some distant part of the facility.
The last thing they ever saw, before they died horrible deaths, was a huge claw ripping from the sandy soil, and a pair of glowing red eyes that seemed to burn with the fires of hell.

To be continued...