Evangelion - Exodus
Episode Seven: Big Brother
By Jonathan Jordan
DISCLAIMER: Neon Genesis Evangelion, most Eva Units, and many characters that may or may not appear in this series are copyright Gainax. Lance Murphy, some of the Eva Units, and a bunch of potential characters are my friend's or mine. Just in case you care. Special thanks to my good friend Gem Star (read her stuff) for allowing my to use her character, Yumiko. Much of Yumi's portion of this chapter was based off of conversations with her creator.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NERV-02; NEVADA DESERT
"...living arrangement is improving, I believe." finishes Sub-commander Oliver over the communications channel.
"I'm glad to hear that, Annabelle. Mr. Murphy needs some guidance. he may be good at what he does, but he is still undisciplined and unfocused. From what I hear, the Seventh Child is much the same. Good at her job, but unfocused. This should help both of them greatly."
"I do hope so, sir. As it is, both of them have been testing much lower during training sessions than before the move. This may be having the opposite effect than what we were going for."
"Give it time, Anna. They are still young. You remember what it was like being their age. They will improve."
"If there is nothing else, sir, I have to meet with Commander Fuyutski in an hour."
"Just one more thing..." Commander Young pauses momentarily, trying to formulate his thoughts. "I was...wondering if you...received my package."
Annabelle Oliver blushes slightly. "I did, Charles. Thank you. They were lovely. You should be receiving a package from me in a few days." She winks and smiles as she ends the transmission.
*****
In the dark recesses of NERV-02, the secret project known only as the coded designation "11-6357" moves ever forward. The select few individuals allowed access to this area of the base are hard at work. Technicians scurry to and fro, their supervisors watching as they each perform their assigned task.
There are a number of smaller labs down here, but one lab dominates all others for the level of work going on in it. Within this main lab stand four simple glass cylinders. Each reaches to the ceiling, and is filled with an amber liquid. They also each house a single human body, suspended in the solution and hooked up to numerous wires and tubes. As one of the techs walks by, one of the bodies twitches slightly.
*****
Dr. Stockton flips off the video feed. For the last couple weeks, he narrowed down the lists of suspects to three people, he has been monitoring the staff closely. Each of his candidates for the killer of Lt. Greer has been under constant surveillance.
Colin Stathis, Hans Jameson, and Adam Turner. Each one has an exemplary record of service. Each has had no instance of trouble in their time with NERV. All are considered among the most loyal and trusted of NERV-02's staff.
Yet, one of them is definitely a killer.
~But, who? Which one of them would have had a reason to kill Greer. If only...~ Suddenly, his eyes light up with inspiration. ~Of course. How could I have not realized before? The report. If I had his findings, it might help find his killer.~
An hour later, Charles Stockton is once again at the site of Greer's death. He has walked straight past the spot of hallway where the body was found, blood staining the floor even now. Walking straight past the grisly reminder of what happened down here, and into the room housing the old computer terminal.
~Greer was a smart man. He would have known to use a terminal not connected to the network anymore, to prevent being caught in the investigation. The real question is, was he smart enough to cover his tracks, even after being caught?~
The senior technician sits at the computer and begins searching through the files. His fingers fly over the keys at unimaginable speeds. Lines of code fly past faster than the eye can follow. Eventually, a smile creeps across this face.
"Gotcha" he says to himself.
Then there is a sharp pain in the back of his head, and everything goes black.
*****
Rubbing his head, Charles Stockton sits up and looks around.
~This room...I don't remember it. Where...where am I?~
A voice comes from the darkness. "Ah, you are finally awake. Good. Now we can get down to business."
Dr. Stockton squints into the dark corner, where he can just make out the shape of someone standing. "Who are you? What am I doing here?"
"I'm hurt, Doctor. Emotionally damaged at the knowledge that you would not remember someone you have worked with for so long."
At the man speaks, he steps out of the darkness. At first, only his boots and uniform can be seen. As his ID badge leaves the shadows, it catches what little light is in the room and shines right into Dr. Stockton's eyes. He blinks away the pain and look up into the face of a killer.
He looks into the face of Adam Turner and gasps.
"You? It was you?"
Adam smiles, looking much like a predator toying with its prey. "Of course I did it. He was going to reveal my...extracurricular activities. I couldn't let him do that. So, I stopped him."
"But, why? You had no reason to steal secrets from NERV...and killing Greer...I just don't understand."
"I wouldn't expect you to." Adam says with a sneer. "You are not capable of understanding something like this. You are just too...self-absorbed to understand me. Let me enlighten you. I did it all, because I could. I find secrets and sell them off, to prove that I can do it. The money involved was just icing on the cake. Greer got in the way of my fun, so I had a little fun with him. Just like I am about to have with you."
THE APARTMENT; TOKYO-3
It is a typical night at home for Lance and Yumiko. She is lying on the couch, doing her homework. He is at the table, eating some strange food concoction he has come up with while reading a magazine. The muffled drone of music escapes from the edges of her headphones, bringing sound to a room that would otherwise be deathly silent.
Time passes, and eventually Lance puts his magazine down.
"Hey, runt, I got somethin' I wanted to ask you."
Yumiko doesn't respond. She either doesn't hear, or is just plain ignoring him. It is equally likely to be either. Lance walks over to her, lifting the earphones off of her head.
"Hey, I'm talkin' to you. I had somethin' to ask you."
With a heavy sigh, she looks up at him. "Make it quick. I have a lot of homework to do tonight."
"Well, it's just that I can't help noticin' that you been actin'...well...nicer to me recently. I was just sort of wonderin' what happened to cause it."
"Why? Would you rather I treated you like before?"
He shakes his head. "No, no, it ain't that. It's just sorta confusin' me. I mean, we don't get along at all most of the time, but you almost seem like you don't have me no more. So, what gives?"
She closes her book and sets it aside as she sits up straighter. "Lance, I never hated you. I may have...disliked you when you first showed up, but I didn't hate you. You are...nice."
"Thanks. You ain't too bad yourself. But, that still don't explain why you've been all nice to me."
She rolls her eyes with another sigh. "You really are stupid, sometimes. You saved my life in the last Angel attack. I...owe you. Plus, like I told you, you are nice. I'm not a total bitch, you know."
He chuckles and puts her into a playful headlock, giving her a noogie. "Yeah. You are only half a bitch...'cause you're nothin' but a little runt of a thing. Half the size means half the bitch."
She grabs a pillow from beside her on the couch and swings it at his head, trying to free herself. He grabs a pillow of his own and swings back. The fight continues on for nearly half an hour, only ending when they are both to tired from laughing to continue.
NERV CENTRAL; TOKYO-3
It is the end of a long day at NERV, and the staff are all changing out of their uniforms and back into street clothes before heading homeward. The halls echo with the sounds of conversations as everyone lets the stresses of the day give way to their personal lives. Everyone is glad to be off work, and looking forward to their weekend.
Everyone, that is, except Lance.
He is sitting along, duffel bag in hand, staring off into space.
"Penny for your thoughts." says a heavily accented female voice from behind him.
Looking up in confusion, which gives way to a friendly smile, Lance responds. "Makoto, I didn't know you spoke English."
The young technician blushes. "I...don't, really. I am...learning, though."
"What for? Are you gonna be transferred somewhere else or somethin'?"
She shakes her head. "No. I am learning so that I can speak with you. To make you more comfortable here. You always look so lonely. I just wanted to make you feel...welcome."
He looks at her for a long time, unsure what to say. "You're doin' this...for me?"
She takes a seat next to him, a smile on her face. She places one hand on his. "Of course. I can only begin to imagine how difficult this whole transition must be for you. I'm just trying to make it a little easier."
He smiles back at her. "Well, thanks. I appreciate the effort, even if I ain't been too good at noticin' it."
This elicits a blush from her, and another smile. "Hey, the guys and I are all going out for a drink now that work is done for the day. You want to join us?"
"I dunno. I don't really know any of y'all that well. Don't wanna be the odd man out or nothin', and I'd hate to impose."
"It would not be an imposition at all. I invited you. I'm sure nobody will mind. Just think, this is the best way to get to know everyone."
With a smile, he responds. "All right, you talked me into it. Let me just call home to let Yumi know I ain't gonna be back until late. You know, just so she doesn't worry."
THE APARTMENT; TOKYO-3
Lance returns home later that night, smiling and humming a song he heard on the way home. However, the moment he steps into the house, he remembers the extra "homework" he was given by NERV Command, and his mood instantly changes from chipper to grumpy. He walks past the living room, noticing Yumiko sitting on the couch watching TV. He heads straight for his room to change into something a bit more comfortable, saying a quick greeting along the way. About fifteen minutes later he leaves his room to grab a quick snack.
As soon as he appears by her, Yumiko hides slightly ducking beneath view on the couch. He notices her quick movement and he chuckles to himself with a smile. "Hey now, runt, no need to hide. I ain't mad at you. Just a bit frustrated, havin' to read that manual and all."
She only makes a slight muffled noise as if something is over her face. Lance casually walks through the kitchen. He grabs a package of rice crackers and a can of beer from the fridge before he walks over toward her. "'Scuse me, what was that now? Couldn't quite hear you."
"Nuphin"
"'Nuphin' huh? If it was nothin', why'd ya say anything in the first place." He says as he sits down, looking proud of himself for this feat of logic.
She simply sighs softly, slowly lifting her head a little. Her hair is loose, so it falls in her face. On the pillow before her is a pack of ice. Lance looks at her, then the ice, then back at her
"All right now, what happened?"
"I told you... nuthin..."
"That don't look like nothin' to me. Looks like somethin'. Fess up!"
She sighs and lifts her head. She looks like she has been in a fight. The area around her eye slightly swollen, her lip split. But, then again, her fists are bruised slightly across the knuckle as well.
With a sigh, Lance speaks. "You got yourself into a fight. Again. This time, looks like ya get yer ass handed to ya on a platter. You best tell me the whole story, or the Commander will find out how one of his pilots has been fighting again."
"Just school yard bullies... s'all..." She says as she puts the ice against her knuckles.
"Schoolyard bullies huh? I thought after you beat the tar of that last one they'd've learned. Almost feel sorry for him, but a busted jaw's only appropriate after what he tried to do"
She sighs, closing her eyes and icing her hands some more.
Lance looks at her like a disapproving older brother would. "How 'bout you tell me the truth, or I'll tell the Commander personally."
"It was a group of older kids. They ganged up on me, 'cause of me being a pilot or something. They were angry, so took it out on me."
He nods slowly, thinking this over. "How much older were they?"
"I dunno. somewhere around your age."
"Boys...Girls...'r both?"
"Mostly boys. A couple girls."
He blinks very slowly, the corner of his mouth twitching a bit. "So, yer sayin' that a group of older boys came up and beat the' living crap outta you, with the help of some girls?"
Yumiko looks ashamed. "Yeah..."
"If we were to need to find them, say...now...you think you could tell me where to look?"
"Probably. They always hang around the same place..."
"Well, then, what say we go and pay these boys a visit? I think I might need to have a...talk with them"
With that, he stands and walks back into his room. After a couple of minutes, he comes back out with his leather coat on, slipping something into the pocket. She slowly stands up, following him to the door.
"Now, don' you worry. We'll get this whole thing straightened out. I promise ya, by the time I am done talking with these boys, they won't be causing you any more trouble."
Yumiko looks up at him. She nods, still holding the ice to her eye. Lance opens the door and, with Yumiko leading the way, they leave.
A SMALL RESTAURENT NEAR THE LOCAL SCHOOL; TOKYO-3
Yumiko leads them into the area near hr school, then to a small restaurant like shop. As they walk in, Lance looks around. "All right...which ones are they?" Yumiko gestures to a booth in a corner near the back.
"Take me to them please."
Yumiko seems reluctant but does so, weaving between people and all until she comes to a booth where three boys and two girls sit drinking sodas. Lance motions for Yumiko to stand just behind him as they reach the table. Casually standing, hands in his jacket pockets, he addresses the group.
"Gentlemen, ladies, I believe we have a little something to talk about here."
One of the boys looks up. Oh, do we now?"
In an almost cheerful voice, Lance continues. "Now, I been lead to believe by this young lady here that you boys have some sort of...problem with her. I thought maybe we should discuss this like the civilized folk we are."
"Sure we got a problem with the runt." one of the boys says.
"Well, see, then I guess we should talk it through and try to resolve this like adults." He suddenly whips his hands out of his pockets, a pair of brass knuckles on his hands, and knocks the nearest guy's teeth out. "Too bad for you, I ain't an adult."
The other people at the table take a moment to recover from the shock of the sudden attack. Then, the two boys jump to their feet and come after Lance. One launches himself at the short American, while the second levels a punch at Lance's jaw.
As the two men come at Lance, he ducks the punch thrown by the first, landing a kick to the attacker's kneecap. Unfortunately, he is not quite quick enough to dodge the second boy's tackle...which sends them both crashing through a nearby table. The tackling boy takes the opportunity presented by being on top of Lance to pummel him mercilessly. The two of them hit the floor hard as the table breaks beneath their weight. Lance takes a couple of good hits before he is able to leverage his feet in such a way as to throw the boy off of him, rolling backwards into a crouch as he does so.
Rubbing his jaw, Lance says, "Damn, you're a tough one, ain't you. Not that tough though, what with the whole beatin' up a little girl thing and all."
"little bitch deserved it" The boy says as he leaps at Lance with a snarl.
Lance easily sidesteps the boy's attack, landing a kick to his stomach as he passes by. "And I bet it made you feel like a big boy, hittin' someone half you're size with the help of all you're friends." He lunges at the boy's back. "People like you make me sick. you're all pathetic."
The boy turns catching Lance's fist. "We could have done far worse friend."
Lance responds by kneeing the boy in the groin, causing the attacker to fall to his knees with a short cry. "Which is why I'm goin' easy on you." He follows up the knee with a elbow to the face, breaking the boy's nose. "Something to remember the next time you feel like beatin' up a girl. Ain't right for a boy to hit a lady. You don' respect them, you don' deserve no respect yourself. You or you're friends ever lay a finger on my friend over there again, I'll make sure you never get a chance to regret it."
The boys all begin to crawl away, nursing their injuries. Lance watches them crawl away before he turns his attention back to Yumiko, and the girls that were with the men. The girls have run, and Yumiko is sitting near by in a chair. He walks over to her, limping slightly and rubbing his jaw again as he takes off his brass knuckles.
"I think that talk went well."
Yumiko nods absently.
"You ok, runt?"
She looks kind of dazed as she answers. "Hmmm? Yeah. What about you? You took a couple of decent hits."
He grins and winces as his jaw disagrees with the decision. "Eh, been in my fair share o' fights. Nothin' I can't handle. Now, what say we grab us something to eat and head on home. Sound like a plan, runt?"
She nods and moves to stand up, wobbling a little. Lance rushes over to her, helping her stand up
"You OK?"
"Yeah...just got kind of dizzy..."
"you sure? I don' wanna have let them boys go if you're more hurt than I had thought. Don't you go actin' all stronger than you really are. If you need medical care, you tell me."
"Just...my head kind of hurts. And I am getting really dizzy..." She says, blinking and looking up at him.
"Then we're takin' you in to get looked at, just in case. you wanna go public or a NERV facility?"
She holds the side of her head slightly. "NERV...Public and they will have my head on a silver platter."
He chuckles. "All right. Now, don't get all offended or anything, but you ain't in no condition to walk. I'm gonna pick you up and carry you there. You just rest...and try not to fall asleep on me."
She appears to be reluctant, taking a slight step back and wobbling a little. He catches her by the arm, speaking firmly. "Now, you listen to me. I ain't messing around here. you're hurt, probably worse'n we realize. I'm not lettin' you risk hurtin' yourself more with a fall. I'm carrying you, you're gonna let me do it, and I won't take no for an answer."
With a sigh, she gives in. He carefully picks her up, so that she is sort of lying across his arms, and begins the walk toward a NERV medical center. She holds loosely around his neck, keeping her head down slightly. As they walk, Lance keeps Yumiko talking to make sure she stays awake.
Her voice slurring slightly, Yumiko asks "What's it like...where you're from?"
"I dunno. Different from here. Sort of."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Can't really describe how it's different. Just sorta...feels off here, you know?"
"I'm sorry." She says, sounding a little drowsy.
"No need. It's not like I ain't havin' a good time here. You make a good roommate. I just sort of get homesick sometimes. It's just kind of lonely being the only American here."
"I...wish I could help."
"You're doin' an ok job at it. The way you keep gettin' into trouble, makes me to busy to remember home that much." he says with a grin.
She lowers her head. "Sorry"
"No need to be sorry, runt. you're like the little sister I never had. It's kind of nice havin' someone to take care of, even if you do take care of me almost as much as I do you."
"then we really are like siblings. Give and take, and mutual assistance."
"Yeah. Meetin' you's been a good thing in my book."
Noticing her beginning to drift off to sleep, he shakes her ever so slightly. "Don't fall asleep now! I told you, you gotta stay awake."
"But I'm tired..." she mumbles.
"I know, but you gotta stay awake a bit longer. I ain't an expert, but I seem to remember hearin' somewhere that head injuries and sleeping are a bad combination. I don't want you dyin' on me."
She sounds a bit scornful "I won't die..."
"That's right, you won't. 'Cause, if you do, I will follow you into whatever heaven or hell you end up in and drag you're runty ass back here so I can kick it for dyin' on me. Now...stay awake!"
She mumbles something in response, but keeps her eyes open until they finally reach the entrance to NERV.
"I gotta put you down for a second to get my id card out. You stand right here. Don't sit or lie down. if you need to, use me for support."
She nods, standing there after he sets her down. She seems a little unsteady, but doesn't use him for support. He fishes around in his pockets for his card, swipes it a couple of times before it finally registers, and picks her up again. "Ok. Let's get you to a medical center."
She nods mumbling something again.
"Speak up runt. you're driftin' off."
Yumiko doesn't reply, but for a soft sort of noise. Worried, Lance shakes her a bit. "Yumi...you best not be drifting off or I'm gonna have to slap you around a bit."
Lance finds a place to set her down, leaning up against a wall. He slaps her, gently at first but progressively harder until she responds. "Dammit, runt. Why you gotta be so stubborn."
She opens her eyes slowly. "Owwww...that hurts."
"You start to drift off like that any more, and I'll do it again. Now, you stay awake. We're almost there."
He picks her up again, once more carrying her toward the nearest facility. Yumiko continues to rub her cheek, eyes half open. She softly speaks. "Again, owww."
Lance chuckles. "Sorry..."
"S'okay...was necessary."
"Yeah, but it doesn't make me feel any less sorry. We're here, let's get you inside and checked out now."
He carries her inside the medical center and wait for someone to greet them. While they wait for a doctor, they sit in the waiting room and talk. "So, wanna tell me about those guy who beat you down? Sound like they were doin' it for more reasons than just plain jealousy."
"Just old school friends...sorta..."
"Explain. you're gonna have to tell the doctor what happened anyhow, and you just know the Commander's gonna hear about this now."
"Yeah...I know..."
"So...talk. Tell me about them. "
She lowers her head a bit, hunching her shoulders. "It's just school politics. I am younger they beat on me...all there is."
"There's more to it than that. Older kids beating on younger kids don't usually have the end result of someone ending up in a hospital with a head injury."
"Possible head injury."
"Ok, ok...possible head injury. What about how they kept saying something about you deserving it? Now, I been livin' with you for a while now. I know how you can be sorta...well, no way to say it other than to just say it. You can be a right bitch at times. So, what'd you do to piss them boys off?"
She doesn't answer, just drawing her shoulders up and crossing her arms. He shrugs. "Fine, you don't wanna tell me I won't push. I also won't be able to stand up for you if the Commander gets pissed about this."
With a sigh, she speaks up. "They have been singling me out and picking on me for weeks. So I stood up to me and fought back..."
"You sure that's it?"
"They know I'm a pilot too..."
"Can't be easy, havin' people know about that and all."
She shakes her head.
He gives her a little hug. "I can't say I quite understand the feeling, since I ain't even really an official pilot. But, I know how it feels to be different. You should jus' come and talk to me about it sometime, of you need to."
"That would be...good."
"Ok then...no more fighting? At least, not without me."
"She smiles slightly. "Deal."
Right around this time, the doctor shows up and leads them to the back. The two of them follow quietly. The doctor performs a number of tests and examinations on Yumiko, taking copious notes and asking a lot of questions. In the end, she is found to have a moderate concussion, which was causing her drowsiness and intense headache, as well as a severe bruise on her temple where she was hit. She seems to have a few other small problems but nothing truly terrible. Lance is visibly relieved, though he pulls the doctor outside for a few minutes. Yumiko can hear muffled sounds of conversation, followed by some shouting from Lance. He suddenly bursts into the room and grabs her arm.
"C'mon runt, we're done here. let's go get the food and go home."
Yumiko nods, getting up still a bit unsteady but getting better. He rushes her out of the medical center, shooting the doctor a dirty look as they pass.
"What you wanna eat, runt? Anything at all, my treat."
She shakes her head. "You decide, I am really in the mood for whatever.. but why the rush?"
"Nothin' to worry you're pretty little head about. I just didn't like that place. Anyhow...how about we go to that one place you like. The one with the sushi?" He says, shuddering at the mention of sushi.
She shakes her head again. "How about a burger?"
He looks down at her, shocked "You really did get hit hard. you hate that kind of stuff normally."
"Eh. I need to open up to new things...right?"
He grins and nudges her a bit. "Not tonight you don't. You've had enough excitement for one day. You deserve a good, traditional, meal to make up for it. We can try new things tomorrow."
"If you think you can stands some traditional Japanese food... what about ramen?"
"Sure thing. You jus' tell me where we wanna go to get it, and we can have us some "raw-men"."
She laughs softly and nods. "This way." She leads him to a little ramen cart down the street. "I think you will like this."
"Sure..."
She smiles and speaks to the owner of the cart, who makes him a plain bowl of beef ramen and her a plain chicken. It is amazingly cheap. Lance tastes his. "Hmmm, not to bad."
"See. There you go. Japanese food isn't bad, if you give it a chance."
He just sticks his tongue out at her, laughing, as they finish their meal and head home.
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N: Just a quick note to say that the I am going to be much slower in my updates for a while. I am going to be devoting the month of November to writing an original story, instead of fanfiction. So, There will be nothing new from me that month. I will try to get another chapter or two out before then, though. Also, I know that this is a bit of a slow one. It will get more exciting...I promise.
Episode Seven: Big Brother
By Jonathan Jordan
DISCLAIMER: Neon Genesis Evangelion, most Eva Units, and many characters that may or may not appear in this series are copyright Gainax. Lance Murphy, some of the Eva Units, and a bunch of potential characters are my friend's or mine. Just in case you care. Special thanks to my good friend Gem Star (read her stuff) for allowing my to use her character, Yumiko. Much of Yumi's portion of this chapter was based off of conversations with her creator.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NERV-02; NEVADA DESERT
"...living arrangement is improving, I believe." finishes Sub-commander Oliver over the communications channel.
"I'm glad to hear that, Annabelle. Mr. Murphy needs some guidance. he may be good at what he does, but he is still undisciplined and unfocused. From what I hear, the Seventh Child is much the same. Good at her job, but unfocused. This should help both of them greatly."
"I do hope so, sir. As it is, both of them have been testing much lower during training sessions than before the move. This may be having the opposite effect than what we were going for."
"Give it time, Anna. They are still young. You remember what it was like being their age. They will improve."
"If there is nothing else, sir, I have to meet with Commander Fuyutski in an hour."
"Just one more thing..." Commander Young pauses momentarily, trying to formulate his thoughts. "I was...wondering if you...received my package."
Annabelle Oliver blushes slightly. "I did, Charles. Thank you. They were lovely. You should be receiving a package from me in a few days." She winks and smiles as she ends the transmission.
*****
In the dark recesses of NERV-02, the secret project known only as the coded designation "11-6357" moves ever forward. The select few individuals allowed access to this area of the base are hard at work. Technicians scurry to and fro, their supervisors watching as they each perform their assigned task.
There are a number of smaller labs down here, but one lab dominates all others for the level of work going on in it. Within this main lab stand four simple glass cylinders. Each reaches to the ceiling, and is filled with an amber liquid. They also each house a single human body, suspended in the solution and hooked up to numerous wires and tubes. As one of the techs walks by, one of the bodies twitches slightly.
*****
Dr. Stockton flips off the video feed. For the last couple weeks, he narrowed down the lists of suspects to three people, he has been monitoring the staff closely. Each of his candidates for the killer of Lt. Greer has been under constant surveillance.
Colin Stathis, Hans Jameson, and Adam Turner. Each one has an exemplary record of service. Each has had no instance of trouble in their time with NERV. All are considered among the most loyal and trusted of NERV-02's staff.
Yet, one of them is definitely a killer.
~But, who? Which one of them would have had a reason to kill Greer. If only...~ Suddenly, his eyes light up with inspiration. ~Of course. How could I have not realized before? The report. If I had his findings, it might help find his killer.~
An hour later, Charles Stockton is once again at the site of Greer's death. He has walked straight past the spot of hallway where the body was found, blood staining the floor even now. Walking straight past the grisly reminder of what happened down here, and into the room housing the old computer terminal.
~Greer was a smart man. He would have known to use a terminal not connected to the network anymore, to prevent being caught in the investigation. The real question is, was he smart enough to cover his tracks, even after being caught?~
The senior technician sits at the computer and begins searching through the files. His fingers fly over the keys at unimaginable speeds. Lines of code fly past faster than the eye can follow. Eventually, a smile creeps across this face.
"Gotcha" he says to himself.
Then there is a sharp pain in the back of his head, and everything goes black.
*****
Rubbing his head, Charles Stockton sits up and looks around.
~This room...I don't remember it. Where...where am I?~
A voice comes from the darkness. "Ah, you are finally awake. Good. Now we can get down to business."
Dr. Stockton squints into the dark corner, where he can just make out the shape of someone standing. "Who are you? What am I doing here?"
"I'm hurt, Doctor. Emotionally damaged at the knowledge that you would not remember someone you have worked with for so long."
At the man speaks, he steps out of the darkness. At first, only his boots and uniform can be seen. As his ID badge leaves the shadows, it catches what little light is in the room and shines right into Dr. Stockton's eyes. He blinks away the pain and look up into the face of a killer.
He looks into the face of Adam Turner and gasps.
"You? It was you?"
Adam smiles, looking much like a predator toying with its prey. "Of course I did it. He was going to reveal my...extracurricular activities. I couldn't let him do that. So, I stopped him."
"But, why? You had no reason to steal secrets from NERV...and killing Greer...I just don't understand."
"I wouldn't expect you to." Adam says with a sneer. "You are not capable of understanding something like this. You are just too...self-absorbed to understand me. Let me enlighten you. I did it all, because I could. I find secrets and sell them off, to prove that I can do it. The money involved was just icing on the cake. Greer got in the way of my fun, so I had a little fun with him. Just like I am about to have with you."
THE APARTMENT; TOKYO-3
It is a typical night at home for Lance and Yumiko. She is lying on the couch, doing her homework. He is at the table, eating some strange food concoction he has come up with while reading a magazine. The muffled drone of music escapes from the edges of her headphones, bringing sound to a room that would otherwise be deathly silent.
Time passes, and eventually Lance puts his magazine down.
"Hey, runt, I got somethin' I wanted to ask you."
Yumiko doesn't respond. She either doesn't hear, or is just plain ignoring him. It is equally likely to be either. Lance walks over to her, lifting the earphones off of her head.
"Hey, I'm talkin' to you. I had somethin' to ask you."
With a heavy sigh, she looks up at him. "Make it quick. I have a lot of homework to do tonight."
"Well, it's just that I can't help noticin' that you been actin'...well...nicer to me recently. I was just sort of wonderin' what happened to cause it."
"Why? Would you rather I treated you like before?"
He shakes his head. "No, no, it ain't that. It's just sorta confusin' me. I mean, we don't get along at all most of the time, but you almost seem like you don't have me no more. So, what gives?"
She closes her book and sets it aside as she sits up straighter. "Lance, I never hated you. I may have...disliked you when you first showed up, but I didn't hate you. You are...nice."
"Thanks. You ain't too bad yourself. But, that still don't explain why you've been all nice to me."
She rolls her eyes with another sigh. "You really are stupid, sometimes. You saved my life in the last Angel attack. I...owe you. Plus, like I told you, you are nice. I'm not a total bitch, you know."
He chuckles and puts her into a playful headlock, giving her a noogie. "Yeah. You are only half a bitch...'cause you're nothin' but a little runt of a thing. Half the size means half the bitch."
She grabs a pillow from beside her on the couch and swings it at his head, trying to free herself. He grabs a pillow of his own and swings back. The fight continues on for nearly half an hour, only ending when they are both to tired from laughing to continue.
NERV CENTRAL; TOKYO-3
It is the end of a long day at NERV, and the staff are all changing out of their uniforms and back into street clothes before heading homeward. The halls echo with the sounds of conversations as everyone lets the stresses of the day give way to their personal lives. Everyone is glad to be off work, and looking forward to their weekend.
Everyone, that is, except Lance.
He is sitting along, duffel bag in hand, staring off into space.
"Penny for your thoughts." says a heavily accented female voice from behind him.
Looking up in confusion, which gives way to a friendly smile, Lance responds. "Makoto, I didn't know you spoke English."
The young technician blushes. "I...don't, really. I am...learning, though."
"What for? Are you gonna be transferred somewhere else or somethin'?"
She shakes her head. "No. I am learning so that I can speak with you. To make you more comfortable here. You always look so lonely. I just wanted to make you feel...welcome."
He looks at her for a long time, unsure what to say. "You're doin' this...for me?"
She takes a seat next to him, a smile on her face. She places one hand on his. "Of course. I can only begin to imagine how difficult this whole transition must be for you. I'm just trying to make it a little easier."
He smiles back at her. "Well, thanks. I appreciate the effort, even if I ain't been too good at noticin' it."
This elicits a blush from her, and another smile. "Hey, the guys and I are all going out for a drink now that work is done for the day. You want to join us?"
"I dunno. I don't really know any of y'all that well. Don't wanna be the odd man out or nothin', and I'd hate to impose."
"It would not be an imposition at all. I invited you. I'm sure nobody will mind. Just think, this is the best way to get to know everyone."
With a smile, he responds. "All right, you talked me into it. Let me just call home to let Yumi know I ain't gonna be back until late. You know, just so she doesn't worry."
THE APARTMENT; TOKYO-3
Lance returns home later that night, smiling and humming a song he heard on the way home. However, the moment he steps into the house, he remembers the extra "homework" he was given by NERV Command, and his mood instantly changes from chipper to grumpy. He walks past the living room, noticing Yumiko sitting on the couch watching TV. He heads straight for his room to change into something a bit more comfortable, saying a quick greeting along the way. About fifteen minutes later he leaves his room to grab a quick snack.
As soon as he appears by her, Yumiko hides slightly ducking beneath view on the couch. He notices her quick movement and he chuckles to himself with a smile. "Hey now, runt, no need to hide. I ain't mad at you. Just a bit frustrated, havin' to read that manual and all."
She only makes a slight muffled noise as if something is over her face. Lance casually walks through the kitchen. He grabs a package of rice crackers and a can of beer from the fridge before he walks over toward her. "'Scuse me, what was that now? Couldn't quite hear you."
"Nuphin"
"'Nuphin' huh? If it was nothin', why'd ya say anything in the first place." He says as he sits down, looking proud of himself for this feat of logic.
She simply sighs softly, slowly lifting her head a little. Her hair is loose, so it falls in her face. On the pillow before her is a pack of ice. Lance looks at her, then the ice, then back at her
"All right now, what happened?"
"I told you... nuthin..."
"That don't look like nothin' to me. Looks like somethin'. Fess up!"
She sighs and lifts her head. She looks like she has been in a fight. The area around her eye slightly swollen, her lip split. But, then again, her fists are bruised slightly across the knuckle as well.
With a sigh, Lance speaks. "You got yourself into a fight. Again. This time, looks like ya get yer ass handed to ya on a platter. You best tell me the whole story, or the Commander will find out how one of his pilots has been fighting again."
"Just school yard bullies... s'all..." She says as she puts the ice against her knuckles.
"Schoolyard bullies huh? I thought after you beat the tar of that last one they'd've learned. Almost feel sorry for him, but a busted jaw's only appropriate after what he tried to do"
She sighs, closing her eyes and icing her hands some more.
Lance looks at her like a disapproving older brother would. "How 'bout you tell me the truth, or I'll tell the Commander personally."
"It was a group of older kids. They ganged up on me, 'cause of me being a pilot or something. They were angry, so took it out on me."
He nods slowly, thinking this over. "How much older were they?"
"I dunno. somewhere around your age."
"Boys...Girls...'r both?"
"Mostly boys. A couple girls."
He blinks very slowly, the corner of his mouth twitching a bit. "So, yer sayin' that a group of older boys came up and beat the' living crap outta you, with the help of some girls?"
Yumiko looks ashamed. "Yeah..."
"If we were to need to find them, say...now...you think you could tell me where to look?"
"Probably. They always hang around the same place..."
"Well, then, what say we go and pay these boys a visit? I think I might need to have a...talk with them"
With that, he stands and walks back into his room. After a couple of minutes, he comes back out with his leather coat on, slipping something into the pocket. She slowly stands up, following him to the door.
"Now, don' you worry. We'll get this whole thing straightened out. I promise ya, by the time I am done talking with these boys, they won't be causing you any more trouble."
Yumiko looks up at him. She nods, still holding the ice to her eye. Lance opens the door and, with Yumiko leading the way, they leave.
A SMALL RESTAURENT NEAR THE LOCAL SCHOOL; TOKYO-3
Yumiko leads them into the area near hr school, then to a small restaurant like shop. As they walk in, Lance looks around. "All right...which ones are they?" Yumiko gestures to a booth in a corner near the back.
"Take me to them please."
Yumiko seems reluctant but does so, weaving between people and all until she comes to a booth where three boys and two girls sit drinking sodas. Lance motions for Yumiko to stand just behind him as they reach the table. Casually standing, hands in his jacket pockets, he addresses the group.
"Gentlemen, ladies, I believe we have a little something to talk about here."
One of the boys looks up. Oh, do we now?"
In an almost cheerful voice, Lance continues. "Now, I been lead to believe by this young lady here that you boys have some sort of...problem with her. I thought maybe we should discuss this like the civilized folk we are."
"Sure we got a problem with the runt." one of the boys says.
"Well, see, then I guess we should talk it through and try to resolve this like adults." He suddenly whips his hands out of his pockets, a pair of brass knuckles on his hands, and knocks the nearest guy's teeth out. "Too bad for you, I ain't an adult."
The other people at the table take a moment to recover from the shock of the sudden attack. Then, the two boys jump to their feet and come after Lance. One launches himself at the short American, while the second levels a punch at Lance's jaw.
As the two men come at Lance, he ducks the punch thrown by the first, landing a kick to the attacker's kneecap. Unfortunately, he is not quite quick enough to dodge the second boy's tackle...which sends them both crashing through a nearby table. The tackling boy takes the opportunity presented by being on top of Lance to pummel him mercilessly. The two of them hit the floor hard as the table breaks beneath their weight. Lance takes a couple of good hits before he is able to leverage his feet in such a way as to throw the boy off of him, rolling backwards into a crouch as he does so.
Rubbing his jaw, Lance says, "Damn, you're a tough one, ain't you. Not that tough though, what with the whole beatin' up a little girl thing and all."
"little bitch deserved it" The boy says as he leaps at Lance with a snarl.
Lance easily sidesteps the boy's attack, landing a kick to his stomach as he passes by. "And I bet it made you feel like a big boy, hittin' someone half you're size with the help of all you're friends." He lunges at the boy's back. "People like you make me sick. you're all pathetic."
The boy turns catching Lance's fist. "We could have done far worse friend."
Lance responds by kneeing the boy in the groin, causing the attacker to fall to his knees with a short cry. "Which is why I'm goin' easy on you." He follows up the knee with a elbow to the face, breaking the boy's nose. "Something to remember the next time you feel like beatin' up a girl. Ain't right for a boy to hit a lady. You don' respect them, you don' deserve no respect yourself. You or you're friends ever lay a finger on my friend over there again, I'll make sure you never get a chance to regret it."
The boys all begin to crawl away, nursing their injuries. Lance watches them crawl away before he turns his attention back to Yumiko, and the girls that were with the men. The girls have run, and Yumiko is sitting near by in a chair. He walks over to her, limping slightly and rubbing his jaw again as he takes off his brass knuckles.
"I think that talk went well."
Yumiko nods absently.
"You ok, runt?"
She looks kind of dazed as she answers. "Hmmm? Yeah. What about you? You took a couple of decent hits."
He grins and winces as his jaw disagrees with the decision. "Eh, been in my fair share o' fights. Nothin' I can't handle. Now, what say we grab us something to eat and head on home. Sound like a plan, runt?"
She nods and moves to stand up, wobbling a little. Lance rushes over to her, helping her stand up
"You OK?"
"Yeah...just got kind of dizzy..."
"you sure? I don' wanna have let them boys go if you're more hurt than I had thought. Don't you go actin' all stronger than you really are. If you need medical care, you tell me."
"Just...my head kind of hurts. And I am getting really dizzy..." She says, blinking and looking up at him.
"Then we're takin' you in to get looked at, just in case. you wanna go public or a NERV facility?"
She holds the side of her head slightly. "NERV...Public and they will have my head on a silver platter."
He chuckles. "All right. Now, don't get all offended or anything, but you ain't in no condition to walk. I'm gonna pick you up and carry you there. You just rest...and try not to fall asleep on me."
She appears to be reluctant, taking a slight step back and wobbling a little. He catches her by the arm, speaking firmly. "Now, you listen to me. I ain't messing around here. you're hurt, probably worse'n we realize. I'm not lettin' you risk hurtin' yourself more with a fall. I'm carrying you, you're gonna let me do it, and I won't take no for an answer."
With a sigh, she gives in. He carefully picks her up, so that she is sort of lying across his arms, and begins the walk toward a NERV medical center. She holds loosely around his neck, keeping her head down slightly. As they walk, Lance keeps Yumiko talking to make sure she stays awake.
Her voice slurring slightly, Yumiko asks "What's it like...where you're from?"
"I dunno. Different from here. Sort of."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. Can't really describe how it's different. Just sorta...feels off here, you know?"
"I'm sorry." She says, sounding a little drowsy.
"No need. It's not like I ain't havin' a good time here. You make a good roommate. I just sort of get homesick sometimes. It's just kind of lonely being the only American here."
"I...wish I could help."
"You're doin' an ok job at it. The way you keep gettin' into trouble, makes me to busy to remember home that much." he says with a grin.
She lowers her head. "Sorry"
"No need to be sorry, runt. you're like the little sister I never had. It's kind of nice havin' someone to take care of, even if you do take care of me almost as much as I do you."
"then we really are like siblings. Give and take, and mutual assistance."
"Yeah. Meetin' you's been a good thing in my book."
Noticing her beginning to drift off to sleep, he shakes her ever so slightly. "Don't fall asleep now! I told you, you gotta stay awake."
"But I'm tired..." she mumbles.
"I know, but you gotta stay awake a bit longer. I ain't an expert, but I seem to remember hearin' somewhere that head injuries and sleeping are a bad combination. I don't want you dyin' on me."
She sounds a bit scornful "I won't die..."
"That's right, you won't. 'Cause, if you do, I will follow you into whatever heaven or hell you end up in and drag you're runty ass back here so I can kick it for dyin' on me. Now...stay awake!"
She mumbles something in response, but keeps her eyes open until they finally reach the entrance to NERV.
"I gotta put you down for a second to get my id card out. You stand right here. Don't sit or lie down. if you need to, use me for support."
She nods, standing there after he sets her down. She seems a little unsteady, but doesn't use him for support. He fishes around in his pockets for his card, swipes it a couple of times before it finally registers, and picks her up again. "Ok. Let's get you to a medical center."
She nods mumbling something again.
"Speak up runt. you're driftin' off."
Yumiko doesn't reply, but for a soft sort of noise. Worried, Lance shakes her a bit. "Yumi...you best not be drifting off or I'm gonna have to slap you around a bit."
Lance finds a place to set her down, leaning up against a wall. He slaps her, gently at first but progressively harder until she responds. "Dammit, runt. Why you gotta be so stubborn."
She opens her eyes slowly. "Owwww...that hurts."
"You start to drift off like that any more, and I'll do it again. Now, you stay awake. We're almost there."
He picks her up again, once more carrying her toward the nearest facility. Yumiko continues to rub her cheek, eyes half open. She softly speaks. "Again, owww."
Lance chuckles. "Sorry..."
"S'okay...was necessary."
"Yeah, but it doesn't make me feel any less sorry. We're here, let's get you inside and checked out now."
He carries her inside the medical center and wait for someone to greet them. While they wait for a doctor, they sit in the waiting room and talk. "So, wanna tell me about those guy who beat you down? Sound like they were doin' it for more reasons than just plain jealousy."
"Just old school friends...sorta..."
"Explain. you're gonna have to tell the doctor what happened anyhow, and you just know the Commander's gonna hear about this now."
"Yeah...I know..."
"So...talk. Tell me about them. "
She lowers her head a bit, hunching her shoulders. "It's just school politics. I am younger they beat on me...all there is."
"There's more to it than that. Older kids beating on younger kids don't usually have the end result of someone ending up in a hospital with a head injury."
"Possible head injury."
"Ok, ok...possible head injury. What about how they kept saying something about you deserving it? Now, I been livin' with you for a while now. I know how you can be sorta...well, no way to say it other than to just say it. You can be a right bitch at times. So, what'd you do to piss them boys off?"
She doesn't answer, just drawing her shoulders up and crossing her arms. He shrugs. "Fine, you don't wanna tell me I won't push. I also won't be able to stand up for you if the Commander gets pissed about this."
With a sigh, she speaks up. "They have been singling me out and picking on me for weeks. So I stood up to me and fought back..."
"You sure that's it?"
"They know I'm a pilot too..."
"Can't be easy, havin' people know about that and all."
She shakes her head.
He gives her a little hug. "I can't say I quite understand the feeling, since I ain't even really an official pilot. But, I know how it feels to be different. You should jus' come and talk to me about it sometime, of you need to."
"That would be...good."
"Ok then...no more fighting? At least, not without me."
"She smiles slightly. "Deal."
Right around this time, the doctor shows up and leads them to the back. The two of them follow quietly. The doctor performs a number of tests and examinations on Yumiko, taking copious notes and asking a lot of questions. In the end, she is found to have a moderate concussion, which was causing her drowsiness and intense headache, as well as a severe bruise on her temple where she was hit. She seems to have a few other small problems but nothing truly terrible. Lance is visibly relieved, though he pulls the doctor outside for a few minutes. Yumiko can hear muffled sounds of conversation, followed by some shouting from Lance. He suddenly bursts into the room and grabs her arm.
"C'mon runt, we're done here. let's go get the food and go home."
Yumiko nods, getting up still a bit unsteady but getting better. He rushes her out of the medical center, shooting the doctor a dirty look as they pass.
"What you wanna eat, runt? Anything at all, my treat."
She shakes her head. "You decide, I am really in the mood for whatever.. but why the rush?"
"Nothin' to worry you're pretty little head about. I just didn't like that place. Anyhow...how about we go to that one place you like. The one with the sushi?" He says, shuddering at the mention of sushi.
She shakes her head again. "How about a burger?"
He looks down at her, shocked "You really did get hit hard. you hate that kind of stuff normally."
"Eh. I need to open up to new things...right?"
He grins and nudges her a bit. "Not tonight you don't. You've had enough excitement for one day. You deserve a good, traditional, meal to make up for it. We can try new things tomorrow."
"If you think you can stands some traditional Japanese food... what about ramen?"
"Sure thing. You jus' tell me where we wanna go to get it, and we can have us some "raw-men"."
She laughs softly and nods. "This way." She leads him to a little ramen cart down the street. "I think you will like this."
"Sure..."
She smiles and speaks to the owner of the cart, who makes him a plain bowl of beef ramen and her a plain chicken. It is amazingly cheap. Lance tastes his. "Hmmm, not to bad."
"See. There you go. Japanese food isn't bad, if you give it a chance."
He just sticks his tongue out at her, laughing, as they finish their meal and head home.
TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N: Just a quick note to say that the I am going to be much slower in my updates for a while. I am going to be devoting the month of November to writing an original story, instead of fanfiction. So, There will be nothing new from me that month. I will try to get another chapter or two out before then, though. Also, I know that this is a bit of a slow one. It will get more exciting...I promise.