I personally think Asuka is a great person, but I do have one thing to say
to her. Take off those damn clips in your hair! And that picture of Mana
sitting next to Shinji in class? Well, guess who's glaring at them from
behind? That picture is so funny. Okay, so what's the count? Two Angels
already? Time to drop the Angel fighting thing and go into Shinji's
personal life. Or hell, depending on how you see it.
Adaptation
Scenario 6: The Girlfriend of Stee1
Shinji let out an exhausted sigh. Asuka had not taken Mana staying at NERV well, and was taking it out on him. Well, kind of. She had learned not to push things too far after she had regained her memories. Currently Shinji was in his office trying to get some rest. He checked the time and went down to the main training facility that NERV had set aside. The pilots, Hikari, and the three new arrivals from France, Germany, and Great Britain were waiting. Two of them were women, so that meant the guys were outnumbered pretty badly when it came down to it. Even before he'd left, Shinji had heard people joking about his own personal harem before Toji joined up. Right now, the staff would probably joke about him, Toji, and the new guy splitting the women among themselves. Mana was also standing with them, as she was the most experienced Trident pilot and would still need to learn the basics.
"I am Lieutenant General Shinji Ikari," Shinji said to the gathered officers, "All of you are here because each one of you was born after the Second Impact. Researchers have determined that we have a genetic difference with the rest of humanity, and that we can tap into the same powers that an Angel can. That is why we must be the ones that fight the Angels."
Of the three, only one of the women looked uncomfortable. Shinji noted this and went on.
"Today you will familiarize yourselves with the hand-held weapons that we will employ if the Angel is human-sized. If it was anything like the Angel we faced in China, we will deploy Tridents to deal with them. Understood?"
"Yes sir!"
"Good. Asuka, show them to the weapons lockers."
Asuka nodded and started walking, the others quickly following suit. Shinji was still tense when they had left the room. None of them was ready to tap into their AT-Fields, and they couldn't until the suit was ready. According to his mother, the command unit was still being worked on. Apparently, it was some kind of software issue which Shinji didn't bother to try understanding.
He walked out of the briefing room and checked the time again. Time to get Jessica from school. He had Asuka rotated picking up Jessica. So far, neither of them had forgotten. A very good thing too. He went down to the parking lot and got into his car. Unlike the official cars that Shinji used for formal business, this one was a sports car. It was made by the same company that Misato bought her car from, but looked sleeker. Also, the entire thing was painted silver. He started the engine and tore out of the complex. While not as insane as Misato was when it came to driving, Shinji still drove faster than the usual commuter.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mana unloaded another round on the railgun before setting it down. Americans always came up with rather interesting weapons. The railgun was designed to fire bullets at supersonic speeds, giving it the ability to punch right through tank armor and made it much more effective at shooting down airplanes. That was probably why they had elected for these things to be used against Angels. Just as she was about to leave the range, Asuka appeared in front of her. She had a rather interesting look on her face.
"Excuse me," Mana said politely.
"Just what exactly is your interest in Shinji?" Asuka asked firmly.
"He's an old friend," Mana replied, "though why you would care is beyond me. From the abuse you rendered him I'm surprised he even stays around you."
That was possibly the worst thing to say as Asuka slapped Mana hard on the cheek.
"You stay away from him Kirishima!" Asuka screamed, "He's mine, and you're not taking him away!"
Asuka's outburst caught the attention of Hikari and Rei. The two women walked over and found Mana with a bright red hand mark on her face while Asuka was turning red with fury.
"Asuka?" Hikari spoke gently.
"What!" Asuka snapped.
"Umm, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, fine."
Asuka stormed off and went back into the shooting range, leaving the other three women behind.
"Sorry about that," Hikari apologized for Asuka, "Asuka loves Shinji and needs him by her side, or else she'll start falling apart."
"Shinji would actually do that?" Mana asked, "Even after what Asuka put him through?"
Hikari nodded. "He stayed with her when she temporarily lost her memory, and kept her safe no matter what. Shinji also loves her, but Asuka's still afraid that she will lose him. That's why she reacted that way."
"Oh. Well, you might say Shinji's compassion is why I still like him after all these years."
"Do not misunderstand Asuka," Rei said, "She is willing to accept you but she fears that you will take away the one thing that has more or less stayed constant, and that is Shinji's love."
"Ah. Well, I'll try to be nicer to Asuka, but I'm still interested in Shinji. We'll just have to see how this works out."
Mana left the two women and headed back into the range. Hikari only sighed while Rei displayed no outward reaction.
"This is not going to be pretty," said Hikari.
"I concur. However, I do hope my brother makes the right choice."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shinji took the next turn and stopped in front of Jessica's school. She was already waiting outside for him. Surprisingly, the uniform hadn't changed so Jessica was wearing the same thing that Asuka, Hikari, Rei, and Mana wore when they came to this school. She got in and Shinji drove off, slower this time. He didn't want his daughter to get used to racing down the streets.
"Hello Jessica. How was school?"
"I'm starting to be thankful you had me learn Japanese."
"Starting?" Shinji said with a smile. He adjusted his mirror so that he could see his daughter's face.
"Starting. I still can't see why I can't have a private tutor and learn at home."
"Too inconvenient nowadays," said Shinji, "You know the work I do now is classified, and we can't risk letting someone in."
Jessica made no reply as Shinji made another turn. They arrived at the apartment a few minutes later. Though Tokyo 4 was still a large city, all you really needed to do was know the streets and you could get anywhere you needed to quickly. Shinji had been here when the construction of the city had just started, and apparently the old shortcuts were still there. He dropped off his daughter, kissed her goodbye, and headed back to the office. When he arrived, he found his mother waiting for him.
"Shinji."
"Hi Mom."
"You have to get some rest. Rei can handle teaching the recruits for today."
"It's my job to train them," said Shinji.
"It's your job to keep living so we know we can rely on you if there really is an emergency," Yui corrected, "Go home and get some rest. That's an order from your physician and mother."
Shinji cracked a smile. "I guess I can't argue with my own mother in this. Fine, Mom. I'll go get some rest. How are Asuka and Mana getting along?"
"Last I heard they weren't," said Yui, "However, they do stay away from each other so I assume that's a good thing for now."
Shinji sighed. "I was afraid of this. Okay, tell Asuka this for me. Don't get into any fights with Mana. She's an old friend and it's not like I'm going to suddenly go out with her and leave Asuka alone. I won't do that."
"That's good to hear," said Yui, "Now go home."
Shinji nodded and went down to the parking lot. He got back into his car and drove home. When he opened the door, he found Jessica having a snack.
"What brings you home?" she asked.
"Your grandmother ordered me to get some rest," said Shinji, "I can't very well say no to my mother, now can I?"
Jessica shook her head, agreeing with her father.
"I'm going to get some sleep," Shinji said to his daughter.
He went into the bedroom and changed out of his uniform. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. He really must have been exhausted as he fell asleep a few seconds later.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rei and Asuka were in the cafeteria sitting together. Asuka was still fuming over Mana being here and Rei had done what he could to calm her down. However, it wasn't exactly enough. Shinji would probably have to say to Asuka himself that he didn't have any interests in Mana. However, that didn't mean Mana didn't have an interest in Shinji.
"Rei?"
Rei looked up at Asuka.
"How close are you and Shinji?" she asked her friend.
"He is like my brother."
Asuka nodded. "The three of us all have something in common. You, me, and Mana are all connected to Shinji in one way or another. I love him, you're his sister, and Mana is an old friend that may have romantic interests in him."
"Ms Kirishima does have romantic interests in Shinji. It is not a question of whether she does or doesn't, it's a matter of whether she decides to pursue them."
"That little bitch had better keep her hands off of my Shinji," she cursed, "Shinji is mine and there is no way I'm letting him go."
"You mean you're afraid of being abandoned by him," said Rei.
Asuka didn't try to conceal her true feelings. Rei knew her too well. Besides, even now, after everything she had Shinji had been through together, she was still afraid of being abandoned by him. Deep down, she knew that she was too fragile to survive such an act. She even knew it consciously, but at times she did forget.
"You know me too well. But I don't think Shinji would ever do such a thing."
Rei smiled. "My brother would never try to harm you. He's given up too much in order to find someone to be with."
Asuka nodded. "You know, even if I know that, I'm still afraid."
"Fear is a common human trait."
"And you Angels don't feel fear?"
"I do," said Rei, "I'm sure others might as well. Tabris certainly did."
"Okay, but you're also part human."
"Which I'm thankful for."
"Yeah sure. Hey, why haven't you moved in with me and Shinji yet? I mean, technically the two of you are family and don't tell me you like living alone cause both of us know that's crap."
"I haven't had the chance to," Rei replied, "We've been busy ever since NERV was reestablished."
"You mean you don't want to go through the miles and miles of red tape. How about I just pull some strings? I am the vice-commander you know."
"That would be appreciated," said Rei, "I would like to spend more time with Jessica."
"Okay. Just bring all of your stuff over tonight and we'll set you up in one of our spare rooms. Or you can just take over mine."
"I probably won't know what to do with all the things you have in there," Rei joked.
"Ha ha. Well, at least your jokes are getting better. Come on. Shinji's getting some rest so I guess we'd better get back to work."
"Is the suit ready yet?"
"I don't think so," said Asuka, "but that doesn't mean we don't have other things to do. Toji needs me to look over some kind of defensive network thingy and since you're the operations director you can come and explain what the stooge is saying."
"Very well."
"I thought this kind of thing would fall under your responsibility," Asuka said to Rei.
"Security is Section 2's responsibility. However, with all the leaks that had occurred during the Angel War, I'm doubtful as to how effective it truly is."
"Especially with the stooge running it."
The two ladies arrived at the conference room and found Toji setting up the display. The hologram showed all of the defensive structures surrounding Tokyo 4 and the US bases as well.
"So what do you have for us, stooge?"
"Some things I put together to keep demons under control," Toji countered.
Asuka humphed but didn't reply. Rei then spoke.
"What is it that you wish to show us?"
"Well, after NERV got its butt kicked for a second time against a human adversary, I thought it was time we tried to prevent that from happening for a third time."
"And how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Asuka asked, "We don't exactly have the troops needed to fend on our own."
"True, but the US military is supposed to support us if we're attacked and that adds a considerable amount of soldiers at our disposal."
"The US troops will not trust us unless Shinji is there," Rei pointed out.
"I know," said Toji, "Unfortunately, that won't be too much of a problem unless Shinji gets himself hurt. Then the US will probably lock down this place."
"How do you know that?" Asuka asked.
"Trust me, the US are up to something and it isn't just to defeat the next wave of Angels."
"If only we had access to the Dead Sea Scrolls," said Asuka, "That way it might be possible to figure out what will happen."
"Seele trusted the prophecies too much," said Toji, "Look what happened to them. From what I heard Shinji's the one that finished them off for good."
That was a rather sensitive subject as Shinji had also used that mission to ditch NERV and defect to the United States. Asuka didn't have any outward reaction but Rei noticed that her eye had twitched slightly.
"And we haven't be able to retrieve the scrolls why?"
"Asuka, Section 2 isn't exactly the KGB or anything, though we have similar powers. However, these powers only apply to Tokyo 4 and parts of Japan, not the rest of the world. Granted, we have control of the German, Russian, and Chinese branches, but even their Section 2 divisions aren't powerful enough to let us do anything we want."
"I know that," Asuka said irritably, "Can't the American CIA or FBI help us? Or some other country's intelligence agency?"
"That would be an unwise political move," Rei informed her, "NERV would lose much political capital if we attempted such an action. However, the American CIA might be an asset."
"There we go, someone agrees with me," Asuka said while glaring at Toji, "So, what exactly are you supposed to show us?"
"Before Shinji left for China to face down that Angel he gave me the order to set up a defensive perimeter that would be able to stop an attacking army. I was also to cooperate with the Operations Directorate to make sure that whatever I came up with was feasible. This is the first draft."
The image zoomed in and showed a hexagonal ring surrounding all of Tokyo 4 and some space around it as well.
"The idea is to build a wall using some new armor technology that the German Branch developed. They used a type of very strong artificial diamond to create a base for some kind of energy field to lay on. Apparently the diamond is stronger than the armor plating we used for the Geofront, though they weren't exactly too effective against the Angels anyways."
"Well that's pretty obvious considering how easily the Angels managed to penetrate them every time they attacked," said Asuka.
Toji continued on, ignoring Asuka's comment.
"The energy barrier is very similar to the energy shield the Americans developed, and basically is overlapping energy grids forming a nearly impenetrable wall between us and whoever would try to attack us. So far, we're not sure how much power would be needed to penetrate it, but it would be a lot."
"And by the time they gathered that much power I am assuming that NERV and the US would have launched a retaliatory strike," said Rei.
"And we're assuming the UN isn't that stupid," said Toji, "Besides that, the principal problem would probably be to even move enough forces close enough to Tokyo 4 to launch an attack without us knowing about it."
"We're going on an assumption?" said Asuka, "Isn't that how plans fail?"
"Not exactly," said Toji, "The UN knows we now have the firepower to take it head on now that the US is backing us. Remember, the countries that are keeping the other major powers from splitting are the United States, Russia, and Germany. If two of them leave, there would be nothing to keep Great Britain, France, China, Japan, or any other nation from leaving the UN."
"The United Nations is more of a forced alliance for the survival of mankind," said Rei, "Its power depends on the principal nations not attempting to leave and remaining strong enough to discourage such a move."
"Fine. So what exactly is supposed to be on those six towers?" Asuka asked.
"Positron cannons," said Toji, "I would really like to see the UN even try to take us on. NERV's been defenseless for too long and the next army that tries to attack us will get shot in the back."
"Is there any threat of attack?" Rei asked.
"Only from the United Nations itself after we take down these new Angels. Besides that, we aren't tying down too much funds anymore. The US is providing a lot of it and after the US finished the construction of those hydroponics fields they're self-sufficient in food and export a lot. Canada was part of the project so those two nations supply the world with a lot of food."
"Fine. Any other word from the German Branch as to the location of the Dead Sea Scrolls."
Toji snorted. "I wish. If we could locate and obtain them, we would be almost untouchable."
"So you're saying that whoever does have them is untouchable," said Rei.
"Not exactly. We can still get it from them, but the US can't do it for us. It would have to be a NERV operation alone. If we screw up, we're going to take a lot of heat."
"Fine. Is there anything else stooge?"
"No demon. You can go back to torturing Shinji again."
Asuka laughed. "Oh yes, and I will be enjoying every moment of it."
She and Rei then left Toji to his work.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shinji was awakened by the ringing of the telephone. He turned over and nearly fell out of bed.
"Damn phone," he muttered.
He sat up and picked up the phone.
"Yes?" he said.
"General Ikari. This is the Pentagon."
"Wonder how much your long distance bill is. Should I switch to secure?"
"We're calling collect and yes, please do so."
Shinji pushed a key on the phone and he heard buzzing for a few seconds.
"All right. What is the problem?"
"No problem exactly," the officer on the other end said, "We've encountered a possible link that could lead us to the Dead Sea Scroll. Do you wish for the CIA to follow up on it or do you want NERV to take care of it?"
"Who are you exactly?" Shinji asked.
"I'm with the DIA. The CIA asked us to pass the information along to you."
"I can't authorize a CIA operation," said Shinji, "I'll get Section 2 on it but if the CIA is willing to provide the information we'll need we can take care of it."
"Okay. I'll pass the information along. Any particular reason you're at home?"
"I got ordered by my doctor to get some rest," Shinji answered, "Is there anything else?"
"No sir. And if you only rest when your doctor orders you to, then you must be working too hard."
The officer hung up and Shinji put the phone down. He looked at the clock and saw it was almost six. Asuka would be home soon and would probably want dinner. He got out and found Jessica watching TV. A stack of paper that Shinji assumed to be her homework was on the table. However, as he walked past it she stopped him.
"That's all the paperwork that came in about the battle in Shanghai," she said.
Shinji looked at the paperwork and frowned. He'd just probably end up shredding all of it. The Pentagon wasn't that much of a bureaucracy anymore since being one wasted money and the US still didn't have that kind of money to waste.
"All these all from the UN?" Shinji asked.
Jessica nodded as she sat down on the couch again.
"Where are the ones from the Pentagon?"
Jessica pointed at a stack of five sheets of paper next to the big one. Shinji hadn't even noticed it before.
"Okay."
He walked to the kitchen to get a start on dinner.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Mr. Ryoji."
Kaji looked up and found Kensuke holding out some papers.
"Another intercept from the US. One of your associates managed to get it to us."
Kaji took the paper and read it.
"So they finally located the Dead Sea Scrolls. The original at that."
"Should we try to get it first?" Kensuke asked.
"Actually, yes. Apparently it is in Germany, just as I suspected. You want the assignment."
"Hardly. What I want is to get back to Japan and start trying to figure out what the hell NERV is trying to do."
"Fine. I have some friends in the GSG-9 that could help us."
"Do we have any way to interfere with NERV's efforts?"
"A lot of things changed within NERV when Shinji took over," said Kaji, "The FBI and CIA did a real crackdown on Section 2 and from there there's a ripple effect that kind of is shutting off my sources."
"So we're losing whatever influence we once had," said Kensuke, "Any way to prevent it?"
"Probably not. The CIA and FBI kind of dislikes me. I hear that I'm one of four people that CIA agents can legally shoot on sight in any country."
"That must be quite an honor. So how did you survive that assassination attempt by NERV?" Kensuke asked.
"It wasn't actually a Section 2 agent that tried to kill me. Seele was the one truly behind the attempt."
"It was one or the other. I'm surprised Gendo Ikari didn't try to kill me."
"He knew Seele would take care of me when the time came."
"Oh yes, Mana Kirishima is also back."
"The Iron Maiden. Doesn't fit her," said Kaji.
"More fitting for Asuka."
"So she's Shinji's girlfriend of steel."
End of Scenario 6
Z98
Adaptation
Scenario 6: The Girlfriend of Stee1
Shinji let out an exhausted sigh. Asuka had not taken Mana staying at NERV well, and was taking it out on him. Well, kind of. She had learned not to push things too far after she had regained her memories. Currently Shinji was in his office trying to get some rest. He checked the time and went down to the main training facility that NERV had set aside. The pilots, Hikari, and the three new arrivals from France, Germany, and Great Britain were waiting. Two of them were women, so that meant the guys were outnumbered pretty badly when it came down to it. Even before he'd left, Shinji had heard people joking about his own personal harem before Toji joined up. Right now, the staff would probably joke about him, Toji, and the new guy splitting the women among themselves. Mana was also standing with them, as she was the most experienced Trident pilot and would still need to learn the basics.
"I am Lieutenant General Shinji Ikari," Shinji said to the gathered officers, "All of you are here because each one of you was born after the Second Impact. Researchers have determined that we have a genetic difference with the rest of humanity, and that we can tap into the same powers that an Angel can. That is why we must be the ones that fight the Angels."
Of the three, only one of the women looked uncomfortable. Shinji noted this and went on.
"Today you will familiarize yourselves with the hand-held weapons that we will employ if the Angel is human-sized. If it was anything like the Angel we faced in China, we will deploy Tridents to deal with them. Understood?"
"Yes sir!"
"Good. Asuka, show them to the weapons lockers."
Asuka nodded and started walking, the others quickly following suit. Shinji was still tense when they had left the room. None of them was ready to tap into their AT-Fields, and they couldn't until the suit was ready. According to his mother, the command unit was still being worked on. Apparently, it was some kind of software issue which Shinji didn't bother to try understanding.
He walked out of the briefing room and checked the time again. Time to get Jessica from school. He had Asuka rotated picking up Jessica. So far, neither of them had forgotten. A very good thing too. He went down to the parking lot and got into his car. Unlike the official cars that Shinji used for formal business, this one was a sports car. It was made by the same company that Misato bought her car from, but looked sleeker. Also, the entire thing was painted silver. He started the engine and tore out of the complex. While not as insane as Misato was when it came to driving, Shinji still drove faster than the usual commuter.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Mana unloaded another round on the railgun before setting it down. Americans always came up with rather interesting weapons. The railgun was designed to fire bullets at supersonic speeds, giving it the ability to punch right through tank armor and made it much more effective at shooting down airplanes. That was probably why they had elected for these things to be used against Angels. Just as she was about to leave the range, Asuka appeared in front of her. She had a rather interesting look on her face.
"Excuse me," Mana said politely.
"Just what exactly is your interest in Shinji?" Asuka asked firmly.
"He's an old friend," Mana replied, "though why you would care is beyond me. From the abuse you rendered him I'm surprised he even stays around you."
That was possibly the worst thing to say as Asuka slapped Mana hard on the cheek.
"You stay away from him Kirishima!" Asuka screamed, "He's mine, and you're not taking him away!"
Asuka's outburst caught the attention of Hikari and Rei. The two women walked over and found Mana with a bright red hand mark on her face while Asuka was turning red with fury.
"Asuka?" Hikari spoke gently.
"What!" Asuka snapped.
"Umm, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, fine."
Asuka stormed off and went back into the shooting range, leaving the other three women behind.
"Sorry about that," Hikari apologized for Asuka, "Asuka loves Shinji and needs him by her side, or else she'll start falling apart."
"Shinji would actually do that?" Mana asked, "Even after what Asuka put him through?"
Hikari nodded. "He stayed with her when she temporarily lost her memory, and kept her safe no matter what. Shinji also loves her, but Asuka's still afraid that she will lose him. That's why she reacted that way."
"Oh. Well, you might say Shinji's compassion is why I still like him after all these years."
"Do not misunderstand Asuka," Rei said, "She is willing to accept you but she fears that you will take away the one thing that has more or less stayed constant, and that is Shinji's love."
"Ah. Well, I'll try to be nicer to Asuka, but I'm still interested in Shinji. We'll just have to see how this works out."
Mana left the two women and headed back into the range. Hikari only sighed while Rei displayed no outward reaction.
"This is not going to be pretty," said Hikari.
"I concur. However, I do hope my brother makes the right choice."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shinji took the next turn and stopped in front of Jessica's school. She was already waiting outside for him. Surprisingly, the uniform hadn't changed so Jessica was wearing the same thing that Asuka, Hikari, Rei, and Mana wore when they came to this school. She got in and Shinji drove off, slower this time. He didn't want his daughter to get used to racing down the streets.
"Hello Jessica. How was school?"
"I'm starting to be thankful you had me learn Japanese."
"Starting?" Shinji said with a smile. He adjusted his mirror so that he could see his daughter's face.
"Starting. I still can't see why I can't have a private tutor and learn at home."
"Too inconvenient nowadays," said Shinji, "You know the work I do now is classified, and we can't risk letting someone in."
Jessica made no reply as Shinji made another turn. They arrived at the apartment a few minutes later. Though Tokyo 4 was still a large city, all you really needed to do was know the streets and you could get anywhere you needed to quickly. Shinji had been here when the construction of the city had just started, and apparently the old shortcuts were still there. He dropped off his daughter, kissed her goodbye, and headed back to the office. When he arrived, he found his mother waiting for him.
"Shinji."
"Hi Mom."
"You have to get some rest. Rei can handle teaching the recruits for today."
"It's my job to train them," said Shinji.
"It's your job to keep living so we know we can rely on you if there really is an emergency," Yui corrected, "Go home and get some rest. That's an order from your physician and mother."
Shinji cracked a smile. "I guess I can't argue with my own mother in this. Fine, Mom. I'll go get some rest. How are Asuka and Mana getting along?"
"Last I heard they weren't," said Yui, "However, they do stay away from each other so I assume that's a good thing for now."
Shinji sighed. "I was afraid of this. Okay, tell Asuka this for me. Don't get into any fights with Mana. She's an old friend and it's not like I'm going to suddenly go out with her and leave Asuka alone. I won't do that."
"That's good to hear," said Yui, "Now go home."
Shinji nodded and went down to the parking lot. He got back into his car and drove home. When he opened the door, he found Jessica having a snack.
"What brings you home?" she asked.
"Your grandmother ordered me to get some rest," said Shinji, "I can't very well say no to my mother, now can I?"
Jessica shook her head, agreeing with her father.
"I'm going to get some sleep," Shinji said to his daughter.
He went into the bedroom and changed out of his uniform. He laid down on the bed and closed his eyes. He really must have been exhausted as he fell asleep a few seconds later.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Rei and Asuka were in the cafeteria sitting together. Asuka was still fuming over Mana being here and Rei had done what he could to calm her down. However, it wasn't exactly enough. Shinji would probably have to say to Asuka himself that he didn't have any interests in Mana. However, that didn't mean Mana didn't have an interest in Shinji.
"Rei?"
Rei looked up at Asuka.
"How close are you and Shinji?" she asked her friend.
"He is like my brother."
Asuka nodded. "The three of us all have something in common. You, me, and Mana are all connected to Shinji in one way or another. I love him, you're his sister, and Mana is an old friend that may have romantic interests in him."
"Ms Kirishima does have romantic interests in Shinji. It is not a question of whether she does or doesn't, it's a matter of whether she decides to pursue them."
"That little bitch had better keep her hands off of my Shinji," she cursed, "Shinji is mine and there is no way I'm letting him go."
"You mean you're afraid of being abandoned by him," said Rei.
Asuka didn't try to conceal her true feelings. Rei knew her too well. Besides, even now, after everything she had Shinji had been through together, she was still afraid of being abandoned by him. Deep down, she knew that she was too fragile to survive such an act. She even knew it consciously, but at times she did forget.
"You know me too well. But I don't think Shinji would ever do such a thing."
Rei smiled. "My brother would never try to harm you. He's given up too much in order to find someone to be with."
Asuka nodded. "You know, even if I know that, I'm still afraid."
"Fear is a common human trait."
"And you Angels don't feel fear?"
"I do," said Rei, "I'm sure others might as well. Tabris certainly did."
"Okay, but you're also part human."
"Which I'm thankful for."
"Yeah sure. Hey, why haven't you moved in with me and Shinji yet? I mean, technically the two of you are family and don't tell me you like living alone cause both of us know that's crap."
"I haven't had the chance to," Rei replied, "We've been busy ever since NERV was reestablished."
"You mean you don't want to go through the miles and miles of red tape. How about I just pull some strings? I am the vice-commander you know."
"That would be appreciated," said Rei, "I would like to spend more time with Jessica."
"Okay. Just bring all of your stuff over tonight and we'll set you up in one of our spare rooms. Or you can just take over mine."
"I probably won't know what to do with all the things you have in there," Rei joked.
"Ha ha. Well, at least your jokes are getting better. Come on. Shinji's getting some rest so I guess we'd better get back to work."
"Is the suit ready yet?"
"I don't think so," said Asuka, "but that doesn't mean we don't have other things to do. Toji needs me to look over some kind of defensive network thingy and since you're the operations director you can come and explain what the stooge is saying."
"Very well."
"I thought this kind of thing would fall under your responsibility," Asuka said to Rei.
"Security is Section 2's responsibility. However, with all the leaks that had occurred during the Angel War, I'm doubtful as to how effective it truly is."
"Especially with the stooge running it."
The two ladies arrived at the conference room and found Toji setting up the display. The hologram showed all of the defensive structures surrounding Tokyo 4 and the US bases as well.
"So what do you have for us, stooge?"
"Some things I put together to keep demons under control," Toji countered.
Asuka humphed but didn't reply. Rei then spoke.
"What is it that you wish to show us?"
"Well, after NERV got its butt kicked for a second time against a human adversary, I thought it was time we tried to prevent that from happening for a third time."
"And how exactly are we supposed to do that?" Asuka asked, "We don't exactly have the troops needed to fend on our own."
"True, but the US military is supposed to support us if we're attacked and that adds a considerable amount of soldiers at our disposal."
"The US troops will not trust us unless Shinji is there," Rei pointed out.
"I know," said Toji, "Unfortunately, that won't be too much of a problem unless Shinji gets himself hurt. Then the US will probably lock down this place."
"How do you know that?" Asuka asked.
"Trust me, the US are up to something and it isn't just to defeat the next wave of Angels."
"If only we had access to the Dead Sea Scrolls," said Asuka, "That way it might be possible to figure out what will happen."
"Seele trusted the prophecies too much," said Toji, "Look what happened to them. From what I heard Shinji's the one that finished them off for good."
That was a rather sensitive subject as Shinji had also used that mission to ditch NERV and defect to the United States. Asuka didn't have any outward reaction but Rei noticed that her eye had twitched slightly.
"And we haven't be able to retrieve the scrolls why?"
"Asuka, Section 2 isn't exactly the KGB or anything, though we have similar powers. However, these powers only apply to Tokyo 4 and parts of Japan, not the rest of the world. Granted, we have control of the German, Russian, and Chinese branches, but even their Section 2 divisions aren't powerful enough to let us do anything we want."
"I know that," Asuka said irritably, "Can't the American CIA or FBI help us? Or some other country's intelligence agency?"
"That would be an unwise political move," Rei informed her, "NERV would lose much political capital if we attempted such an action. However, the American CIA might be an asset."
"There we go, someone agrees with me," Asuka said while glaring at Toji, "So, what exactly are you supposed to show us?"
"Before Shinji left for China to face down that Angel he gave me the order to set up a defensive perimeter that would be able to stop an attacking army. I was also to cooperate with the Operations Directorate to make sure that whatever I came up with was feasible. This is the first draft."
The image zoomed in and showed a hexagonal ring surrounding all of Tokyo 4 and some space around it as well.
"The idea is to build a wall using some new armor technology that the German Branch developed. They used a type of very strong artificial diamond to create a base for some kind of energy field to lay on. Apparently the diamond is stronger than the armor plating we used for the Geofront, though they weren't exactly too effective against the Angels anyways."
"Well that's pretty obvious considering how easily the Angels managed to penetrate them every time they attacked," said Asuka.
Toji continued on, ignoring Asuka's comment.
"The energy barrier is very similar to the energy shield the Americans developed, and basically is overlapping energy grids forming a nearly impenetrable wall between us and whoever would try to attack us. So far, we're not sure how much power would be needed to penetrate it, but it would be a lot."
"And by the time they gathered that much power I am assuming that NERV and the US would have launched a retaliatory strike," said Rei.
"And we're assuming the UN isn't that stupid," said Toji, "Besides that, the principal problem would probably be to even move enough forces close enough to Tokyo 4 to launch an attack without us knowing about it."
"We're going on an assumption?" said Asuka, "Isn't that how plans fail?"
"Not exactly," said Toji, "The UN knows we now have the firepower to take it head on now that the US is backing us. Remember, the countries that are keeping the other major powers from splitting are the United States, Russia, and Germany. If two of them leave, there would be nothing to keep Great Britain, France, China, Japan, or any other nation from leaving the UN."
"The United Nations is more of a forced alliance for the survival of mankind," said Rei, "Its power depends on the principal nations not attempting to leave and remaining strong enough to discourage such a move."
"Fine. So what exactly is supposed to be on those six towers?" Asuka asked.
"Positron cannons," said Toji, "I would really like to see the UN even try to take us on. NERV's been defenseless for too long and the next army that tries to attack us will get shot in the back."
"Is there any threat of attack?" Rei asked.
"Only from the United Nations itself after we take down these new Angels. Besides that, we aren't tying down too much funds anymore. The US is providing a lot of it and after the US finished the construction of those hydroponics fields they're self-sufficient in food and export a lot. Canada was part of the project so those two nations supply the world with a lot of food."
"Fine. Any other word from the German Branch as to the location of the Dead Sea Scrolls."
Toji snorted. "I wish. If we could locate and obtain them, we would be almost untouchable."
"So you're saying that whoever does have them is untouchable," said Rei.
"Not exactly. We can still get it from them, but the US can't do it for us. It would have to be a NERV operation alone. If we screw up, we're going to take a lot of heat."
"Fine. Is there anything else stooge?"
"No demon. You can go back to torturing Shinji again."
Asuka laughed. "Oh yes, and I will be enjoying every moment of it."
She and Rei then left Toji to his work.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Shinji was awakened by the ringing of the telephone. He turned over and nearly fell out of bed.
"Damn phone," he muttered.
He sat up and picked up the phone.
"Yes?" he said.
"General Ikari. This is the Pentagon."
"Wonder how much your long distance bill is. Should I switch to secure?"
"We're calling collect and yes, please do so."
Shinji pushed a key on the phone and he heard buzzing for a few seconds.
"All right. What is the problem?"
"No problem exactly," the officer on the other end said, "We've encountered a possible link that could lead us to the Dead Sea Scroll. Do you wish for the CIA to follow up on it or do you want NERV to take care of it?"
"Who are you exactly?" Shinji asked.
"I'm with the DIA. The CIA asked us to pass the information along to you."
"I can't authorize a CIA operation," said Shinji, "I'll get Section 2 on it but if the CIA is willing to provide the information we'll need we can take care of it."
"Okay. I'll pass the information along. Any particular reason you're at home?"
"I got ordered by my doctor to get some rest," Shinji answered, "Is there anything else?"
"No sir. And if you only rest when your doctor orders you to, then you must be working too hard."
The officer hung up and Shinji put the phone down. He looked at the clock and saw it was almost six. Asuka would be home soon and would probably want dinner. He got out and found Jessica watching TV. A stack of paper that Shinji assumed to be her homework was on the table. However, as he walked past it she stopped him.
"That's all the paperwork that came in about the battle in Shanghai," she said.
Shinji looked at the paperwork and frowned. He'd just probably end up shredding all of it. The Pentagon wasn't that much of a bureaucracy anymore since being one wasted money and the US still didn't have that kind of money to waste.
"All these all from the UN?" Shinji asked.
Jessica nodded as she sat down on the couch again.
"Where are the ones from the Pentagon?"
Jessica pointed at a stack of five sheets of paper next to the big one. Shinji hadn't even noticed it before.
"Okay."
He walked to the kitchen to get a start on dinner.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Mr. Ryoji."
Kaji looked up and found Kensuke holding out some papers.
"Another intercept from the US. One of your associates managed to get it to us."
Kaji took the paper and read it.
"So they finally located the Dead Sea Scrolls. The original at that."
"Should we try to get it first?" Kensuke asked.
"Actually, yes. Apparently it is in Germany, just as I suspected. You want the assignment."
"Hardly. What I want is to get back to Japan and start trying to figure out what the hell NERV is trying to do."
"Fine. I have some friends in the GSG-9 that could help us."
"Do we have any way to interfere with NERV's efforts?"
"A lot of things changed within NERV when Shinji took over," said Kaji, "The FBI and CIA did a real crackdown on Section 2 and from there there's a ripple effect that kind of is shutting off my sources."
"So we're losing whatever influence we once had," said Kensuke, "Any way to prevent it?"
"Probably not. The CIA and FBI kind of dislikes me. I hear that I'm one of four people that CIA agents can legally shoot on sight in any country."
"That must be quite an honor. So how did you survive that assassination attempt by NERV?" Kensuke asked.
"It wasn't actually a Section 2 agent that tried to kill me. Seele was the one truly behind the attempt."
"It was one or the other. I'm surprised Gendo Ikari didn't try to kill me."
"He knew Seele would take care of me when the time came."
"Oh yes, Mana Kirishima is also back."
"The Iron Maiden. Doesn't fit her," said Kaji.
"More fitting for Asuka."
"So she's Shinji's girlfriend of steel."
End of Scenario 6
Z98
