The Game
Chapter 6: Covenant
By the Red Horseman
Pre-readers:
Weltall Elite Alnilam
There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.
-Ernest Hemingway
* * * * * * *
The proprietor of the small convenience store turned from stocking shelves behind the counter at the sound of the front door opening and prepared to greet his customer, only to shut his mouth with a snap. Describing the girl who had walked in as cute would've been an understatement, and the man let his eyes follow her as she walked silently down a row, examining products. Still she was a paying customer, hopefully, and leering at her was a good way to lose her business the owner thought as he shook his head and stepped from behind the counter. Walking towards the girl, who had knelt down to look at some prepared meals, he was surprised to see her arm trembling as she picked a package up. Besides that detail of her appearance, her clothes were rumpled and slightly torn, while her chestnut hair was a chaotic mess.
"Miss, are you-"
The response he received when he lightly touched her shoulder wasn't what he had been expecting as she snapped upright, her head whipping around while she spun toward him. He briefly thought of how beautiful her sky-blue eyes were before a cry of pain and shock escaped his mouth as slender fingers, which had been holding a meal a moment earlier, dug cruelly into his shoulder, jerking him forward. His eyes widened in horror as her other hand shot forward, aiming for his throat, and he closed his eyes waiting for the impact. But instead of the intense pain and darkness he had been expecting, the crushing grip on his shoulder relaxed as a sob came from the attractive girl. Wincing, he opened his eyes at the sound of running feet, alerting him to the fact that he was safe as she ran away, slamming the door behind her.
Out on the street, the female ran through the crowd, knocking people off balance when she hit them, all the while putting as much distance as possible between her and the shopkeeper. As she became conscious of the pain permeating her body, the girl slowed her pace from a fast run down to a shambling walk. Angrily wiping at her tears, she turned into a narrow alley and leaned against the building, staring up at the clear night sky, wishing she could see the stars. With slow deep breaths and an iron will she regained control of her rampaging emotions before jack-knifing over as hunger pangs wracked her thin frame, and reminding her what she had been after in the store.
"Damn it, I hate this!" she growled, stepping back onto the bustling sidewalk.
With one arm wrapped around her torso, she quietly threaded her way through the throng, careful not to gather any attention or more than what her looks got her, searching for what would allow her to accomplish her mission. She found it twenty minutes later, close to where she had first entered the town, tucked in a small building shared with other businesses. The number of customers worried the girl as she stood outside looking inward, but the smell of food overpowered her sense of caution and she stepped through the doors. Once at the counter she faced another battle with herself as she pulled out her wallet and looked at the meager amount of money in it.
"Two medium bowls of beef ramen to go, please," she ordered, deciding to stick to the middle ground.
Later while she walked down a darkened road, she wondered if it had been the right decision as the smells of the food caused her stomach to rumble. Meals had been so intermittent in the last twelve months that it was hard for her not to gorge herself whenever she did eat, yet she knew that the little resources she did have couldn't be wasted. So she ignored her stomach, remembering all the commodities that had been wiped away in a single day, stolen by those who cared nothing for the world just themselves. But it was the wrong thing to think about, as her fingers tightened on the bag when she remembered what else she had lost on that fateful day NERV fell, the day she was turned into a fugitive. But before she could become lost in her memories, again, her destination came into view.
Stopping at the front door of the rundown house, she briefly ran a hand through her hair, grimacing at the oily and rough texture of it, before stepping through the portal into the darkness. Despite having only taken up residence a day ago, she knew where to step to avoid all the damage in the floor as she made her way to a back room. It also helped that there was a faint glow coming from the room she was heading for, and she felt herself frown briefly before stepping into the light.
"Dinner's here, Shinji," she proclaimed, walking over to the small fire her companion had built.
The teenage boy looked up from where he was sitting and stared at her, a spark of life appearing in his dull eyes at the sight of her. His smile was a welcome sight after the troubles of the day, but she'd never tell him, as it conveyed a sense of caring. Shaking her head, the girl turned and walked over to where her backpack was and sat down, not wanting him to see her reaction. Having to survive on the run was tough enough ordeal, she thought without having to deal with.
"Did you have any problems?" Shinji asked, coming to sit next to her.
The girl reached into the bag and pulled out one of bowls. "No."
"Asuka, we said that we wouldn't lie to each other," Shinji stated, watching her in the glow of the fire. "Because we only have each-"
"Don't say it!"
"But-"
"Fine! I had a little trouble!" she exclaimed. "Bet you're happy that I almost screwed up."
"No," he whispered. "I'm not happy, Asuka, just worried."
The redhead didn't reply to his statement. Instead she pulled off the lid covering her meal and started eating, seeing Shinji copy her when he realized the conversation had ended. The rest of the night passed in that forced silence, each doing their own small things to get ready for the next day until finally the fire was just glowing embers. While Shinji prepared their sleeping arrangements Asuka brushed her teeth and washed her face, trying to prolong the time before the inevitable. A frown appeared at what she observed when she stepped back into the room, or more precisely her anger flared at where her companion was.
Without uttering a single word she strode over to the tired boy, reached down and stripped off the single blanket covering him and grabbed his upper arm tightly. Her fingers dug into his muscles as her grip tightened when he resisted being pulled to his feet, and with some effort she guided Shinji over to the makeshift bed in the center of the room. Asuka heard a sigh come from him when he glanced at her with a defeated look on his face when she gestured at the coverings on the floor. She waited while he crawled under the comforter and shifted around until he was positioned correctly before joining him under the covers. Their sleeping arrangements were a matter of survival and not out of any physical desire she reminded herself again while trying to fall asleep.
"Asuka."
Shinji's voice was barely a whisper yet it woke the redhead immediately from her slumber. But something about his tone which made her keep her eyes shut and not acknowledge the boy, waiting to see what he'd do. Banishing any weird thoughts, she forced herself to relax when she felt him shift next to her, clenching her jaw tightly when a hand rested on her shoulder. She wondered if he was going to try and kiss her as she felt his warm breath on her cheek, yet she was surprised when he stopped. His breathing was ragged and she heard him lick his lips, which somehow reassured her.
"Asuka," he repeated. "No matter what happens, I promise that I'll." The redhead held her breath when he paused, wondering what he was going to say. "I promise that I'll-"
"-do your hair?"
The broken house, the open sky, her mistake on that day, and sleeping next to Shinji all disappeared back into the past, back into the recesses of her mind when she opened her eyes at the last words. Stark whiteness of a bedroom, the comforting softness of a bed combined with the warmth of sunlight, and Shinji leaning against one wall studying her with a neutral expression on his face replaced her past memories, while she became aware of her present surroundings. She frowned, the words of his promise, one she wasn't supposed to know of, reverberating through her mind as what he had said conflicted with what she had just heard. Groaning, she sat up on the bed, crossing her legs underneath her while combing the mess that was her hair with one hand before turning her head to look at her companion.
"What did you say?" she inquired, tiredly.
"I asked if you were going to get up soon and get ready for our appointment, which coincidentally is in." He paused, looking at his watch. "Two hours."
"Don't be such a worrywart, that's plenty of time," she replied with a smirk.
Shinji sighed quietly, shaking his head at hearing her retort to his concerns about getting to another arranged meeting, but he didn't say anything. Ever since their hit-and-miss operation in Germany that had killed her father and Wilhelm Rintzler, a member of SEELE, Asuka had changed. While she had always been serious about what they were trying to accomplish now there was an undertone of worry to her actions, and she tried to cover up that worry by acting carefree about everything else. And it was that carefree act that slightly worried him since it was exactly how she had acted during the Angels, the only good thing was it only showed when they were talking about their vendetta. A quiet cough broke his train of thoughts and he looked up to see Asuka sitting on the edge of the bed, her bare legs dangling over the side.
"Umm.I'll leave now, so you can get dressed," he said quickly, his face heating up, and moved toward the door.
"No." The quietly spoken word caused the man to stop abruptly, and Asuka gave him a smile when he looked over his shoulder at her. "You can stay. In fact, I want you to, though." She twirled a finger in the air to signal what she wanted.
The redhead watched Shinji take up his prior position in front of the window, but this time his back was toward her as he stared through the panes of glass, before she got off the comforting bed. She just didn't understand his actions concerning her at times, Asuka thought while rummaging through the drawers of the bureau for some clothes. Through the years they had seen each other in various states of undress since their prior living arrangements had never given either much privacy, they had even seen each other nude. Though she reminded herself that at those times one of them had normally been unconscious from some type of wound.
"I'm just as uncomfortable as Shinji," she confessed quietly, and checking to see that he wasn't looking, opened her robe.
As he stared out at the setting sun, Shinji would've been surprised to learn that he was mirroring Asuka's exact same thoughts, except for a minor deviation. Hearing the sound of cloth brushing over skin, he roused himself from his stupor and concentrated on preparing for what might occur that night. At the Trans-Siberian Railroad terminal in Slyudyanka, someone had slipped a message into Asuka's pocket with neither of them noticing, telling them who they were to meet where and when. That Kenji hadn't followed the procedure they had set up months ago concerning how they would make contact with others worried him.
"So.who do you think we'll meet?"
Asuka looked up at his question, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know, maybe our guardian angels." She resumed dressing at hearing a chuckle. "Kenji's the only one who knows all our aliases; maybe the person just got lucky."
"Maybe, or it could be the Russian Mafia trying to impress us," he said, his eyes narrowing at the thought. Nothing had felt right since they had read that note, but who could blame them after so many close calls in the past. "Or it could just be SEELE, guiding us into."
His words trailed off at feeling Asuka wrapping her arms around his torso, pulling him backward into a gentle embrace while her chin came to rest on his shoulder. Her breath was a slow steady presence while it caressed his ear, a definite similarity to his own breathing, as they stood there quietly.
"It's not SEELE," the redhead whispered, tilting her head on his shoulder, watching and waiting.
"How do you know?"
"A feeling."
"I don't know," he replied. "Maybe you're."
Again the redhead holding him interrupted, stopping him in mid-sentence by briefly pressing her lips against his neck. Turning around in her arms, he felt his stomach clench at the sight of her sky-blue eyes filled with concern, a stark contrast to their normal liveliness. He smiled weakly, and reached up to brush a few stray strands of auburn hair off her cheek her cheek with a finger. And was rewarded with a small smile in return. Slowly, he ran his hands down her bare arms, getting her to release him from her hug, and gently intertwined his fingers with hers while drawing her closer.
Shinji watched her eyes carefully as he leaned in closer, searching for any signs of fear. He knew from his experiences with the redhead that she had to feel comfortable, and wasn't being forced to do something against her will. Not that he'd ever force her to do anything; he'd rather die than hurt her. So it was with relief he felt the tension drain from his body as he saw first shock, then surprise, and finally love in her eyes before they closed. Following her lead, he closed the remaining distance between them and softly kissed the redhead.
It was different from the times before when she had initiated the kiss between them. Back then it had been more of test for her than of Shinji, to see if she could lower the barriers around her and get close to someone. Now though, as she stood there kissing him, Asuka realized why it was different as a moan escaped her lips. For the first time in their relationship Shinji had taken the initiative, and it felt wonderful. She didn't have to worry about rejection, or the thought that she'd be left alone after opening up. There was no room for thoughts about their mission, or SEELE. The only thing she had to do was to convey her feelings for the man in front of her through her lips.
Shock filled his body as he felt her hands leave his own, but before he could do anything Shinji felt Asuka wrap her arms around him. He lowered his hands to her waist and held her close. Hearing the little sounds coming from the woman brought a smile to his lips even as he continued kissing her. For so many people who had known her in school she was simply "The Devil", a girl who didn't care about others. But he knew that wasn't true because like him she had a hard time opening up to people, having been hurt so much in the past. Beneath the layers of armor was a caring woman, and it warmed his heart knowing he was the one that let that woman out. And it was that insight about her character that caused him to softly break the kiss after so long.
"That was completely unexpected, nice but unexpected," Asuka whispered, leaning her head against his chest while his arms went around her again. "I wish we had." she stopped, shaking her head and backed away from Shinji with reluctance.
"Asuka."
Tears threatened to fall from the redhead's eyes at hearing the love and worry in his voice, but she blinked them away as she let her fingers trail down his arm, briefly touching his hands before turning away. With a force of willpower she walked away from him, her steps steady while her mind and emotions raced about what she had almost said to Shinji, something that she been thinking about more and more but unable to act upon because of their situation. Shaking her head she forced the thought, and accompanying emotions, back into the recesses of her mind waiting for the day when she could let them free, but for the moment she had other concerns. In the mirror she saw Shinji still standing where she had left him, a forlorn expression on his face as he brought his hand up and touched his lips before he looked up, their eyes meeting instantly. Her heart sank at the expression but she smiled, turning around and extending her arm toward him, her palm upward, and waited for him to come to a decision. Her smile grew when he strode towards her seconds later, his hand gripping hers gently before their fingers intertwined.
"Do you want to brush my hair for me?" she inquired quietly, her smile turning into a smirk at the blush on his cheeks. "That was one of things you were asking me about when you disturbed my sleep, right."
"Yeah, but." He squeezed her hand. "Are you sure you want me to? After all I've never done it before."
Asuka laughed. "I'm not asking you to do anything complicated with my hair like styling, I can do that myself, just brush it." She looked away briefly, her free hand coming up to the shoulder wounded in Germany. "And with the way my shoulder hurts it's a pain in the ass to do it one-handed." Her eyes once again made contact with Shinji's, but this time they were dancing with humor. "Besides, if you screw up it'll be the last time I let you touch my hair."
"Of course."
Despite his dry reply Shinji was smiling once again as he let go of Asuka's hand when she sat down in front of the mirror, though he was nervous about what he was about to do. Picking up a comb, he began working the knots and snarls that had formed after she had fallen asleep, careful never to pull too hard. He had never told her how shocked he had been when she had started dying her hair then cutting it, the more to disappear in a crowd she'd explained. But to him it was just one more facet of her that set the redhead apart from everyone else and made her special to him. So he had been happy when she stopped altering her appearance a few weeks after leaving Germany, letting her hair grow past her shoulders as its natural color returned, though she'd call him weird for his fixation on her hair. He was so intent on doing a good job, and lost in thought, he never noticed Asuka staring at him in the mirror a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Shinji."
"Hmm," he hummed never stopping in his work.
"Do you." she took a deep breath and slowly released it before continuing. "Do you have any regrets?"
This time Shinji stopped what he was doing, setting down the comb and picking up the brush in front of Asuka. "That's a pretty vague question," he finally replied. "Do you want to know if I regret never telling my father how I felt, or Misato and Rei?" He started to brush her hair with slow steady strokes, trying to ignore how her shoulders had tensed at his last comment. "Or do I regret anything that's happened between us?"
"No! None of that," Asuka exclaimed, her cheeks turning red but her voice was quieter when she spoke. "Do you regret what we're doing, the killings?"
"No," he answered without hesitation. "I don't regret anything we've done." His strokes slowed and his voice became softer. "I don't like what we've had to do, but it's necessary. It's necessary if we ever want to be free, to realize your dream."
"But."
"We're stronger than we think, Asuka."
That simple reply caused the redhead to snap her mouth close, keeping herself from delivering a snappish retort and sat back in the chair while organizing her thoughts. It was true they had accomplished more in their vendetta then she had even wished for in the last year, and one could reasonably conclude they were strong, both physically and mentally, but that person would've been wrong. Their victories in eliminating three members of SEELE had extracted a terrible price from the two former pilots, emotionally and physically. She knew nightmares haunted Shinji frequently while her own dreams kept her awake far more then she was comfortable with, and the only thing keeping them from snapping at each other was the knowledge that the other cared. She also knew that despite their attempts at indifference to their wounds, the physical pain was almost as great as the emotional. Her shoulder throbbed constantly while her fingers would go numb if she held her arm at a certain angle, or how her body still held the bone bruises from Chicago, and the list went on but it didn't compare to Shinji, who was talking at the moment. Asuka shook her head clearing her thoughts, and messing up the progress Shinji had made with her hair.
"What'd you say?" she asked, ignoring the sigh that came from the man.
"I asked what's wrong with you all of sudden," he explained. "You told me not to worry but then you ask me if I regret anything." He lifted his eyes from her hair and looked at her in the mirror. "Is something bothering you?"
"Yes." She gave him a weak smile. "And no." She reached back and covered his hand that had come to rest on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "When the time is right I'll tell you, okay?"
"Okay."
- - - -
"The decorators must have been blind," muttered Asuka, as they were lead deeper into the restaurant.
Shinji nodded in silent agreement at her observation of the surrounding furnishings while his eyes kept darting around taking in the customers of the establishment, but it was a futile endeavor. In spite of the large number of light fixtures the interior was dim, almost gloomy, from the way the dark wood paneling and wall coverings absorbed the light, but the place did have one advantage. While the thick curtains and miles of fabric on the walls contributed to a dim atmosphere they also served to cut the noise to a minimum. As they walked, he noticed that the sounds of conversations didn't carry very far from the widely spaced tables, which was fortunate. His eyes stopped moving around as their pace slowed and he studied their destination, which was a small alcove in the back corner next to a large window.
Asuka considered herself to be of average height considering her German- Japanese heritage, but when their host stood up to greet them she wished for a few more inches. He easily towered over them by eight inches and was all muscle despite the gray hairs at his temples while his face was made of lines and angles. His hazel eyes stared at them dispassionately for a minute before he nodded curtly and smiled at what he saw. With one hand he pulled open the jacket of his black suit and showed that he was unarmed, though it didn't reassure the couple since he out-massed them.
"Mister Ikari, Miss Soryu." The man had a sonorous voice, and his smile grew at their reaction as he spoke in German. "Your exploits have proceeded you and I am very pleased to finally have made your acquaintance." He gestured at the nearby table and chairs. "I'm sure we have much to talk about, so please be seated."
Shinji pulled out a chair at the head of the table for Asuka, after their host had taken his own, and waited until she had sat down before joining them. But instead of reaching for his glass like his companion he reached into an inner pocket, aware of the man watching him, and pulled out a disk four-inches in diameter and three-quarters of an inch thick. Dark blue eyes made contact with hazel eyes and each stared at the other before a slight nod gave Shinji permission to continue. The former pilot knew as he placed the device on the window, that once the device was activated it would send a continuous vibration through the glass disrupting any attempt at monitoring their conversation from the outside. Only when he was done with that task did he turn back to the table and reach for the crystal goblet in front of him.
"Now that that has been taken care perhaps you'd be so kind as to answer a few questions," Shinji said slowly, while staring at the man, who nodded.
"The first question is who the hell are you?" asked Asuka in German, deciding to stick to one language for the moment.
"Gregoriy Pokryshin. Colonel Pokryshin of the Komitet Gosudarstvennoye Bezopastnosti to be exact," the man stated matter-of-factly.
"The fucking KGB!" The redhead started laughing with the realization of who was sitting across from her. "I thought you guys had been disbanded back in the 1990's after the big ruckus of changing governments."
Gregoriy shrugged his shoulders. "We simply changed our name and disappeared from the public's eye." He reached for his glass and took a sip. "Second Impact allowed us to resume much of our old activities, in the name of national security of course."
"Of course," Shinji repeated his face grim and his mind racing as he tried to figure a way out. "So what exactly are you going to do, arrest us?"
"No," the man simply stated. "If my desire was to arrest both you and Miss Soryu I would've done it when you crossed into Russia two weeks ago." His smile was mocking as he looked at Asuka. "Or when I slipped the two of you the note at Slyudyanka, but."
"You didn't," finished Asuka. "Why?"
"One, is that a Mister Kenji Namikawa speaks highly of you two."
"How do you."
"How I know of your middleman is unimportant at the moment." Gregoriy ignored the looks he received and continued on. "Second, is that the two of you have become quite adept at killing those who have wanted to capture you, if the files Interpol have collected on you are correct. I didn't know how many people I'd have lost nor what the civilian casualties would've been if I had tried to take you prisoner." He held up a finger silencing Shinji before he could protest. "I'm sure you'd have taken care not to kill innocents, but I wouldn't have risked it no matter what."
"Third, is."
Asuka tuned out the man as he continued to ramble on about why he was currently having dinner with two fugitives instead of taking them down to the local government building or wherever they put important prisoners. Instead her attention was on her partner who despite his earlier attempt at speaking was unusually calm and silent, and it scared her because she knew of one other promise they had made with each other. Her eyes narrowed as his right hand moved in small increments toward his open jacket, and the holstered pistol he always carried. Knowing that his laid back appearance was a deception and the KGB officer was taking in everything that was happening in front of him, the redhead reached across the table and took Shinji's hand into her own. She was aware that the colonel had stopped speaking at her actions but she ignored him, her eyes staring into Shinji's after he had turned to stare at her. Slowly, she shook her head and squeezed his hand lightly, releasing her breath moments later as he picked up his glass.
"Now that's been taken care of," interrupted Pokryshin, alternating his gaze between the two of them. He leaned forward his elbows resting on the table with his hands folded in front of him. "Shall we get down to the business at hand?"
"All right."
"Good. So why don't you start by telling me your story from the very beginning then you can explain why you want my help in killing the Russian premier." The officer sat back in his chair, gazing at Shinji and waiting for an answer. "Though if you can't convince me then."
"You'll be dead and we'll be on our way," finished Asuka with no emotion in her voice; she was simply stating the facts as how she saw them. Without looking at the man, she picked up the menu on the table and gave it a cursory glance surprised at the prices of the dishes. "But before we begin might I suggest we order something to eat?"
"Of course, Miss Soryu."
- - - -
The temperature had dropped a few degrees from its high during the afternoon but the humidity was still high, making the air heavy and sticky. Shinji couldn't decide if it was the humidity of the night making him irritable and uncomfortable or what they had just finished minutes ago. They had spent the last two hours in the back of a fine restaurant spilling their life histories to a stranger, who was a complete unknown in the pilot's mind concerning his supposed position in the KGB. But it wasn't relating to the man their experiences concerning the Evangelions or the Angels, which was more painful then he thought it would be, or why they had run for so long before making up their minds to strike back. Even talking about what SEELE wanted with them and how the Russian premier was a member of that organization wasn't uncomfortable. Instead it felt that the man already knew everything about them and their reasons for their recent actions, and he was just going through the motions of confirming that information. Still if the night was making him frustrated it had made his companion entirely uncivil, rude to point of being hostile to those around them.
"You know what I hate the most, Shinji?"
Stopping, he turned and quietly studied the woman who had stopped walking beside him as they made their way back to the car, amazed that someone who was so beautiful could look so deadly at the same time. Locked forward and narrowed, hinting at anger simmering just below the surface, her eyes were cold, showing none of their usual warmth and gentleness. He could almost hear her teeth grinding together as she clenched her jaw tightly while her lips formed a grim frown at her displeasure.
"You know what I hate?" she repeated.
"No."
Her fists clenched tightly. "Being played for a fool, that's what pisses me off. That." She jerked her head back toward the restaurant. "That whole meal with our explanation was a stupid charade, along with that man; KGB my ass!" Her body was shaking, not from fear or cold but anger, as she spoke. "Damn it, I fucking hate."
"Asuka, it's all right," whispered Shinji as he took one of her hands, pulling gently to get her walking again.
"Don't tell me you."
"No, I don't believe a single word he spoke back there." He was slowly shaking his head. "He found a specific redheaded woman traveling with a certain Oriental man by himself so easily; not likely. Not only that but."
The redhead listened with rapt attention as he spoke of everything that had been bothering him through the night, relieved to know she wasn't the only one bothered by events. As she walked with him, she was amazed at the little details he had picked up on, which she had missed entirely because of her anger at the situation. She frowned as she remembered the number of times during the Angels that her anger had blinded her, almost losing her life because of it, and knew she had to regain control of it, again. But even as she realized that something clicked in her mind, something she hadn't liked from the very beginning of their vendetta, and her anger started rising again in a fury.
"Puppets," she hissed. "That's all we are to these people."
"What are you talking about?"
"First it was NERV, then SEELE, and now this," Asuka continued not hearing Shinji. "They're not our guardian angels, but puppet masters manipulating us for their goals, not ours."
The implication of her statement was too much for the woman and she suddenly sagged against her companion, burying her face in his chest as he hugged her. Everything they had done and accomplished in the last months, all their suffering and pain they had gone through was all for naught. Her dream of being free from secret organizations that controlled her life, to be able to do what she wanted without having someone constantly looking over her shoulder, was fracturing. What was the use of fighting and killing members of one organization when another was in the shadows pulling invisible strings attached to the former pilots? Shaking her head, Asuka banished those thoughts knowing that if she thought like that then they might as well end it all, and besides it was Shinji's duty to do the worrying not her.
"What do we do now, Asuka?"
"We keep fighting SEELE, that's what we do for now. And when we finally meet up with the puppet master we cut the strings." She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Permanently."
"Well, well, well isn't that a pretty sight. Makes me wish I was in his place, though that'll happen soon."
The redhead disengaged from Shinji, taking a couple steps to the side, at the sudden interruption and her eyes narrowed in irritation at what she saw. They had been alone on the sidewalk leading to the parking garage just moments earlier, but now four rough looking men blocked their path and from the way they were arrayed in front of two pilots, and their comment, it was obvious what they intended to do. Cocking her head to the side, Asuka studied them for a moment before a grim smile came to her lips and she calmly stepped forward stopping within arms reach of the punks. Placing her hands on her hips, she let her eyes travel from man to man, lingering for a couple seconds before moving on, and seeing with satisfaction their nervousness at her cool attitude. Finally done with her assessment, she reached up and brushed a couple loose strands of hair back over her shoulder before a laugh escaped her lips.
"Why don't you boys leave us and go back to your mothers before you get injured or something worse," she said quietly, her voice dripping with contempt.
"Why you stupid bitch!" shouted the leader lunging for her. Only to stop abruptly, all color draining from his face when she stepped past his arms.
"Be a nice little boy and leave," stated Asuka, her pistol pressed against his torso. "I really don't think you'll survive this encounter if you don't do as I say." For emphasis she pushed the gun harder against him, seeing his eyes grow wider and sweat trickle down his face. "And your friends won't be of any help to you either. So the choice is yours to make on whether you walk away quietly or have a hole blown through your body."
Shinji stood behind the pair, his shooting arm lowered and his gun resting against his leg, listening to what Asuka was saying and growing a little scared. Her voice had never moved beyond a conversational tone, like she was talking to a friend, as she told the punk that he'd either live or die but it was his choice. So it was with relief when the man backed away from the redhead before casually motioning for his friends to follow as he walked away from the pair, but their apparent coolness was betrayed by their quick pace and nervous glances over the shoulder. A sharp exhalation brought his attention back to the redhead as she replaced her pistol in the shoulder holster before turning around.
"Am I getting soft, Shinji?" she inquired as he walked up to her. "I would've killed them without hesitation months ago just on the on the chance of them being bounty hunters, but I didn't."
"Of course you're not soft. You realized that nothing would've been gained by killing them."
"I guess you're right."
"I'm always right," he quipped, gently taking her hand in his once again. "We should get going before they decide to foolishly come back with more friends."
"Yeah."
She fell quickly into step next to her companion, the dinner forgotten for the moment, but knowing the night wasn't over with. All her nervous energy would have to be bled off before she'd be able to sleep or even analyze what had occurred that night with a clear head. Sighing, she looked up at the night sky and frowned, the glow of the city blocking out her view of the stars, before briefly closing her eyes remembering her earlier dream. Turning her head slightly she studied the man walking beside her, smiling when he noticed her observation of him. She didn't say anything at his puzzled look instead picking up her pace until the entrance to the garage finally came into view and he pulled out the card to gain them access.
"Thank you, Shinji."
- - - -
The day could've been the painting of an artist with its light blue sky dotted with a few long thin clouds, a gentle breeze stirring the grass, and a forest stretching out for miles. The sun was three-quarters of the way through the sky, showering the surrounding plants and animals with much- needed light and thermal energy to sustain life. A flock of birds took flight, their passage taking them over a cabin situated on the edge of the forest with a small lake a short distance away. Everything at that moment was the epitome of serenity, but like all things it wasn't meant to last as a gunshot brutally shattered the silence.
Shifting on the mat she was resting on, Asuka looked through the spotting scope squinting because of the glare, all the while trying to ignore the sweat that trickled down her temples. Despite her light clothing and netting draped over them, the redhead was hot and sticky from having the sun beat down on her all day and her temper threatened to flare at any moment. What she saw through the scope did nothing to help her disposition or give her a chance to suppress her growing jealously at Shinji's natural skill with shooting though he'd never touched a rifle in his life. With a force of will, she pushed those feelings down and promised herself she wouldn't let her jealously get in the way of their mission or anything else. It wasn't her fault that her shoulder wouldn't allow her to hold a rifle let alone shoot it she reasoned before a frown touched her lips when she realized it was her fault. Shaking her head, she noted the position of the shot and marked it on the pad next to her before rolling onto her back, wiping at her sweat before it could slide into her eyes.
"Let's call it quits for the day, Shinji," she suggested.
"But."
"I'm hot, sticky, and in a serious need of a shower, mister. Not only that but I'm starving and tired of letting the bugs get a free meal!" She said sharply. "Sorry, I'm just done for the day and besides you really don't need the practice. You hit the center ring just like you've been doing all week."
Shinji nodded absently before engaging the safety and sitting up, neither feeling satisfied nor guilty at hearing the result of his last shot. Glancing up, he made brief eye contact with Asuka before she looked away, staring downrange at the electronic target, but what he saw worried him. It took him a few moments as he dug through his memory trying to remember where he had last seen that emotion, but when he did his eyes became sad. She jumped at the slight contact as his hand came to rest on her knee, but he never removed it, not until she turned her head and acknowledged him with a faint smile.
"I can't help feeling jealous, Shinji," she preempted. "I look at how you pick up things so easily while I have to work at them, and I can't help but feel." She trailed off, shaking her head angrily. "It's so stupid of me to act this way, especially since it could impair my judgment at a crucial time."
"You think I've never felt jealous of you?" he inquired. "You think I've never felt jealous at how strong you are, how you challenge the universe to do its worst. Or how you live your life despite all the pain that's been inflicted upon you." He held up a hand stopping her words. "Asuka, we both have our strengths and weaknesses, you know that. It's what makes us special and unique." He exhaled slowly, frowning. "And to tell you the truth I'm not too thrilled at excelling in killing people."
A smile quickly replaced his frown. "Dinner sounds good if you're willing to cook."
"Idiot."
- - - -
"A vehicle's coming down the road."
Glancing up from reading her paperback, Asuka stared at Shinji, who with soapsuds still on his hands was looking out one of the windows, with a doubtful look on her face. Visitors had been nonexistent since they had arrived at their current location a month ago so the redhead had the right to be puzzled. Putting the book down, she got out her chair and walked over to the sink nudging the man out of the way with her hip so she could look out the window into the darkness, frowning at what she saw. Sure enough a vehicle was approaching, its twin headlights bouncing up and down with the roughness of the road and reflecting off their own off-road vehicle as it finally reached the cabin. As the lights died the redhead straightened, her arms crossed and her fingers dancing in irritation while she thought.
"Here's what we're going to do, Shinji."
Minutes later in the silence of the cabin the front door opened and a man took a hesitant step in, pausing to let his eyes adjust to the low light. His breath was explosively driven from his body by a forceful blow just as he had started looking around at the empty living area. His knees impacted with the carpet when his legs were struck, gasping as an arm was forcefully twisted behind him and pulled upward, forcing him to remain upright. Tears slid down the man's cheeks as strong fingers grabbed his hair, forcing him to stare up at the ceiling while the light in the cabin became brighter. His eyes darted frantically from side to side, trying to see who was holding him, until the cold press of metal on his temple stopped his attempts.
"Well, well if it isn't our friend Kenji."
The man's eyes bulged at hearing the voice. "Asuka, what's the meaning of this? Please release me I haven't done anything."
"No," her voice hissed in his ear. "I overlooked some things in the past because you were very useful to us, but no more. I'm through having others play games with my life."
"What are you.hey!"
"Be quiet," warned Asuka. "You better tell us the truth or spin a good tale because you don't want the alternative."
Kenji sagged as much as his position allowed him to. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything concerning us."
Over the next half an hour, Kenji told the two pilots what he knew about their current situation and his past, how he had become involved with the black market. How a woman had called him, wanting to set up a meeting concerning his illegal activities and how much help he could be, after the first bounty had been placed on their heads. He told of how the number of contacts he had in the underground grew after he accepted their offer, of how he rose quickly to a position of respect despite his young age. The man spoke of how he contacted Kensuke and ensured that their early letters to Touji and Hikari arrived without problems.
"What about when we met with you last year?" Shinji asked.
"I was told that sooner or later you'd make contact with me and I was to cooperate fully," he explained.
"And the weapons and contact people!" snapped Asuka.
"All arranged by my employers."
"Who the fuck are your employers?"
Kenji shook his head. "I don't know. Each time I met with or talked to someone different." He tensed at hearing the hammer being drawn back. "I'm not lying, that's the truth!"
Shinji watched carefully as emotions crossed Asuka's face before finally coming to rest on anger, but his fear that she'd kill Kenji was unfounded as she pulled the gun away. He released his hold on the man in front of him as the redhead stormed across the room to the fridge and grabbed something to drink. Walking past the kneeling man, he placed his own pistol on the table and made his way to where she was standing, but a couple steps away she spun around. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head at his action anger still coursing through her at the lack of answers that had come from Kenji, who was silently watching the pair. Nodding, he reached past her and opened the refrigerator retrieving his own drink before going to sit down.
"You can get off your knees now."
Kenji slowly stood on trembling legs. "What's going on here?"
"Nothing that concerns you!" snapped the redhead.
"The hell it doesn't! I'm on the run just like you two because of your stunt in Germany!" he retorted. "I should've said no when you wanted those specialty weapons."
"How'd you find this place and us?"
"I was.directed."
"Perfect," stated Shinji, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "All the pieces have been gathered and are now being arranged on the board." The can crunched in his hand as he continued. "It'd wouldn't surprise me if Kensuke, Touji, and Hikari are more pawns, just like you."
"What are you talking about, Shinji?"
"Just that someone's manipulating all of us, including yourself," answered Asuka. "I call them the puppet masters while idiot over there calls them chess masters. It doesn't matter what we call them since it's all the same in the end." Her eyes narrowed at seeing Kenji fidgeting.
"What's the matter with you?"
"Um.well, you see I have some.ahh, bad news." The man took a deep breath, calming himself before looking the redhead in the eyes. "Touji, Hikari and their children disappeared less than a week after your Germany operation. My contact had no information concerning what happened, and the same was true of my own personal contacts." His fists clenched suddenly. "I'm sorry, but it appears SEELE has them."
Kenji waited for the explosion of emotion from the pair, specifically from Asuka, concerning their friends but nothing of that sort happened. As he watched, Shinji ignored the liquid dripping off his hand unaware of his crushing the can he had been holding as his eyes went distant and empty at the news. The redhead appeared equally unaffected as she placed her drink on the dinner table before walking toward the bedroom door and slammed it behind her. He returned his gaze to the other pilot only to see him slowly rise seconds later from his chair and follow after his friend, his hand reaching for the latch when he came within range. The black marketer eyes widened when the man forcefully kicked the door open, breaking the latch and sending wood flying after three kicks before striding through the open portal.
In the bedroom, Shinji marched through the broken door to the sound of shattering glass and ragged breathing as Asuka repeatedly smashed her fist against the mirror. Racing to where she stood, he reached out and grabbed her arm stopping her as she drew back her arm, preparing to hit the mirror again and as many times as needed to drive away her pain. Wrapping his arms around her, he gently pulled her away from her target, ignoring her struggling and cursing, and sat down on the bed when his legs finally made contact. With her sitting in his lap, he held her quietly waiting until her struggling slowed and turned into a slight tremor, and her snarling died into whimpers. As her body became limp, he relaxed his hold on her, one hand beginning to stroke her hair while he moved from underneath her until she sat beside him, her head on his shoulder. A sad smile touched his features when her eyes, holding unshed tears, finally closed and her breathing slowed becoming regular in its rhythm.
Moving slowly as not to disturb her, the man eased her down until she was laying down her head resting on a pillow before he stood up and made his way to the bathroom and the first aid kit. He avoided looking the mirror fearful of what he would see in it or what he wouldn't see, afraid of the emptiness that was growing inside him. Grabbing the always-present white box and a damp towel he exited the bathroom, to see Asuka sitting on the edge of the bed her head bowed and auburn hair obscuring her features. His steps faltered as she turned her head and stared through him, her eyes devoid of all emotion, but he recovered and made his way over to her, kneeling at her feet.
He grabbed the towel he had brought with him and reached for the hand Asuka had driven into the mirror, pausing briefly to study it. Slowly congealing blood, which trickled from the lacerations in her flesh, covered her slender fingers and dripped off the tips onto the floor. Using the towel, Shinji carefully dabbed at the blood, seeing the redhead wince at the touch, cleaning her skin and exposing the glass that had become embedded from her actions. Opening the first aid kit, he grabbed a pair of forceps pulling them from their packaging before returning his attention to Asuka, and with care removed the slivers of glass.
"You broke your promise, Shinji," whispered Asuka, her uninjured hand coming to rest on his cheek. "You're crying."
"I think I have a right!" snapped Shinji, regretting it immediately at seeing her reaction. "Sorry, but they were my friends, especially Touji."
"I know."
He applied some disinfectant to a piece of gauze, pressing it to her cuts before quietly continuing. "It's all right to cry, I won't ever hold it against you or think less of you."
"It's not that easy to do, Shinji."
"Why?"
"Because it hurts so much, okay!" Asuka squeezed her eyes shut. "Hikari was my first and only friend back then, and now she's gone because of me!"
"But-"
She opened her eyes and cupped his chin. "I never had any friends before I came to Tokyo-3, none in college or at NERV's Germany Branch," she started. "No one wanted to be friends with a stuck up bitch like me and I wasn't interested in making friends, but something about Hikari made me become friends with her and no one else." A finger on his lips silenced Shinji. "Kaji was a crush, an important one but a crush none the less, while Misato was my commanding officer and guardian. You were a competitor who had to be shown my superiority, and Rei a person I didn't want to turn into at all costs. Touji and Kensuke weren't even worth a minute of my attention and were to be ignored. But Hikari was someone I could easily talk to knowing she wouldn't try and hurt me."
"I didn't know." He said after she was done. "About Hikari, I mean. I figured out the others only after you went into the hospital, and I cleaned my life up." Without wasting a single move he wrapped a bandage around each injured digit. "But Asuka-" He glanced up from his work. "-I promise we'll rescue them somehow."
"How do you know they're not dead?"
He fixed her with a look that she knew all too well since she had used it on him all the time during the Angels. It was a look, which asked a person if they were truly that dumb in not being able to figure out a simple problem. Sighing, she broke eye contact and looked up past his shoulder to the mirror that was cracked and bloody from her fist.
"Because there were no bodies," she said. "They're being used as bait to draw us out."
"We surrender and our friends get their freedom."
"Which will never happen because we know what they want to do with us."
Shinji nodded seeing the pain on Asuka's face at what had to happen. "I don't like it but Touji and Hikari will have to suffer just a bit longer."
"Damn it!"
- - - -
Asuka banished the conversation from the week before out of her mind, flexing her hands in frustration and ignoring the pain that came from her injured one. With a snort of irritation, she returned to her observation of the plain situated just below the small knoll that they were dug in on, and frowned at what she saw. The stars, which had earlier twinkled against a clear black sky, were disappearing as the eastern horizon grew hazy from the rising sun. The breeze that had kept them cool all night was picking up speed, bending leaves and grasses alike, and hinting at what could come later. A hint of moisture was also in the air and Asuka dreaded at having to sit and watch in a downpour, soaked to the bones while they waited for their target.
"Couldn't sleep any longer?"
Shifting in her large sleeping bag, the redhead came to rest on her uninjured shoulder, her head on a small pillow while her gaze rested upon Shinji, who currently had the watch. Her eyes drifted to the long deadly shape of the .50 caliber sniper rifle with its boxy viewfinder and felt herself grin with satisfaction. She had nothing against shooting a person in the back or not giving warning to their target if it meant she accomplished her mission, and the sniper rifle accomplished all of that. With them shooting from a range of one and a half kilometers, the target would have absolutely no warning of what was going to occur until the shell impacted, and it kept them safely out of range of any retaliation. A quiet cough interrupted her thoughts, and she brought her gaze back to her partner seeing the concerned look on his face.
Squirming out of the comfort and warmth of the bag, she moved the short distance to where he was, nudging him out of the way and ignoring his quiet protests. She knew that he should be the one to take the shot when the opportunity finally presented itself but knew she might have to shoot if something happened so she had to keep abreast of the situation. Sighing, she nestled the butt of the rifle against her shoulder, wincing at the pain, and reached forward making sure the safety was disengaged before resting her finger over the trigger guard. Once she was done with that she lifted her gaze until she was looking through the viewfinder.
And the shadowed realm of the morning disappeared, the finder's low- light capability transforming the landscape into various shades of gray. With a touch of a button, Asuka switched to the thermal imaging setting and was rewarded with a much sharper display than what Shinji had been using moments earlier. Walls, trees, vehicles, clothing, and every mundane material were no protection against the viewfinder as the redhead saw where everything that radiated thermal energy was located on the plain. She double-checked, with quiet detachment, the number of guards stationed in and around the dacha, and felt anger rise as she spotted the room where their target was sleeping. She had to stop herself as her finger tightened on the trigger and an aiming reticule formed as the ballistic computer sensed the change of pressure on the trigger. While the rifle was powerful even it couldn't penetrate multiple walls at that distance, and the target was on the far side of the house.
"It's yours, Shinji," she stated, moving from her position and sitting up. "I'm going to check the equipment so I'll be back soon."
Shinji watched her retreating back for a few seconds as she crawled from underneath the netting and down the knoll before he returned to the rifle. He didn't have to worry about her being picked up by the security forces since the knoll blocked a majority of her movements, and she was wearing chameleon camouflage, a uniform that continually shifted patterns to break up her outline and suppressed any thermal signature. And besides they were both equipped with encrypted communication headsets so if she encountered anything he would know of it instantly. All of the equipment from the rifle to the uniforms was courtesy of Kenji's contacts, who in turn were part of the organization controlling them. Taking one last glance over his shoulder, he saw a flash of red before it disappeared and he turned back to the observation knowing that in a few hours she'd relieve him.
- - - -
"It's about damn time they did something," muttered Asuka.
She had been prepared for another lousy night because throughout the whole day no one had emerged from behind the walls of the dacha, neither the target nor any of the guards. But as the sun started sinking below the horizon, turning the sky into various shades of reds and oranges, the estate had sprung into action. A multitude of vehicles were turned over and left running as preparations were made for the dacha to be vacated as the premier left for Moscow. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Shinji place his meal next to his side and take her place at the rifle as she moved to the powerful spotting scope situated next to him.
Shinji felt his heart racing as he gazed through the viewfinder wondering not for the first time if this would work and knowing that a number of things could go wrong. But as he shifted into a comfortable position and zoomed in until only the house filled the screen he felt himself go oddly calm just like all the times before. Moving the rifle in minute increments he scanned the grounds, refreshing his memory of the layout of the grounds and anything that could mess up his shot. While he scanned, he thought to himself why the SEELE members had to have such large estates out in the country, a place where they were vulnerable to attack, especially after what had been happening to them.
"They should've moved to the city."
Asuka lifted an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"They're making this too easy by living in the country. They should've learned by now," he explained.
"Doesn't matter to me, whether it's the city or the countryside. I just want them dead." She shrugged. "Besides arrogance makes people do weird things, and it's a sign of power and wealth." A new noise caused her to shift her scope. "Damn it!"
The cause of her cursing was a business helicopter, which had been sitting idle for days, starting to spin up its turbines on the pad located on the west side of the mansion. He bit back his own curse, instead shifting the gun's alignment until the pilot's seat came into view. He grinned, seeing the pilot checking his gauges while the blades began to turn above him, knowing that he would be able to take a shot on the machine if needed. It wouldn't matter to Shinji which door Premier Stefan Deminov stepped through, he wouldn't arrive at his destination except in a body bag.
"Front door, Shinji."
The rifle barely moved on its mounting as Shinji shifted, centering the front door once again and walkway in the display. A red reticule appeared over the man's chest when Shinji applied a few ounces of pressure on the trigger and started the firing procedure. The ballistic computer, which was an integral part of the rifle setup, commanded the laser-range finder to fire and waited for the reflected light to return. As the range was calculated other sensors were feeding it important data such as wind speed and direction, outside temperature, barrel temperature and droop, and other important figures. Once the computer had all the input it needed, it generated a green reticule on the display slightly above the red one. With the slightest of movements Shinji brought the barrel up until the two reticules merged and turned green, and applied the needed pressure on the trigger.
Despite knowing what was going to happen, Asuka couldn't help but flinch as the heavy gun barked once besides her, sending a single round speeding downrange. Still she hadn't removed her eye from the eyepiece on the scope and watched with intense scrutiny as the round impacted the man, dropping him where he had stood on the driveway ready to step into the waiting vehicle. She watched in triumph as the guards stood there stunned as a red mist settled to the ground, but her joy was short lived. The sounds of the helicopter intensified and as she swung her gaze to look at it, the machine leaped into the air, a man's legs sticking out of the passenger compartment. Only to crash moments later in a ball of fire and smoke after Shinji had triggered two three-round bursts into the pilot then the copilot.
"We need to get going before they get their act together," she said after sitting up.
"Yeah, you're right," he replied slowly. "Which route should we take?"
The redhead stopped in her action of packing her backpack and briefly looked at him before her eyes went distant in thought. Planning had become more important after the Germany operation, especially escape routes, and they had scouted their current location thoroughly in the past month. To the north was a bevy of military bases with a combination of air and ground forces while to the west was Lake Baykal and its surrounding villages. South lead to the Chinese border and it's own host of problems if they tried to cross while going east lead into a vast expanse of wilderness. That they also needed to return to the cabin and retrieve the rest of their equipment only added to the equation, Asuka knew as she focused on Shinji.
"We'll go with Plan Bravo."
- - - -
"We should've done the whole sniper thing from the very beginning," Asuka said. "All the killing with none of the injuries."
Shinji didn't have anything to say in response so he just kept walking trying to ignore the inconvenience of the limp that he'd picked up in Germany growing worse with each mile. Leaning against a nearby tree, he paused to catch his breath and let Asuka reach his position, knowing she was suffering just as much as him. His eyes narrowed when she stopped next to him, absently rubbing her shoulder and favoring the side she had been shot in months ago, but he didn't reach out. Ignoring his own pain for the moment, he reached down and grabbed the canteen off his belt and took small sips, watching her do the same. Slowly, he slid down the trunk of the tree until he came to rest on the ground and gestured for her to sit next to him, which she did after briefly looking at him.
"So why are we stopping here?" she inquired. "We could be back at the cabin in a couple hours having a nice bath followed by a hot meal and sleeping in a soft bed."
"Because we're both exhausted from walking for four days straight and need to rest," he explained, not telling her they should've had Kenji pick them up. But she no longer trusted him and so he hadn't floated the idea. "The cabin isn't going anywhere so a couple of hours isn't going to make much of a difference."
Asuka thought about that and muttered, "I always hate it when you're right."
The redhead's eyes slowly opened, not remembering when she had closed them, and yawned while scanning the surrounding countryside with worry. Something had disturbed her rest, and while she looked through the trees she tried to figure out what had caused a feeling a dread to settle about her. She started to stretch preparing to stand and stopped immediately as her throat went dry at what she saw moving slowly toward them. Careful she lowered her head to her knees and watched the shapes slowly approach while her hand snaked down to her holstered pistol. Once she had her weapon in hand she reached over with her free hand toward Shinji, feeling reassured when he gripped her hand after it had come to rest. Tensed, she brought her pistol up centering it on the nearest target as it rounded a tree, and prepared to dash into woods after firing.
Gunfire erupted from the duo as Shinji switched to automatic on the assault rifle he carried while Asuka pulled the trigger three times seeing her target drop as she sprang to her feet clutching Shinji's arm. She barely had time to dodge the trees when they sprang into view, darker shapes again the darkness of night, while she sprinted from the spot they had been napping. Angry shouts came from behind them, but she was soon falling in protest as she was yanked to the ground. Opening her mouth about to ask what he was thinking, the redhead shut it with a snap when the woods were briefly illuminated and felt a dull thump through the ground from a time-delayed explosive. As the white light was fading, she looked at Shinji to see him staring behind them with a frown on his face before she stood and tugged on his arm breaking him out of his trance and getting him moving at a fast trot. While they put more distance between them and their pursuers, the redhead was trying to figure out how they'd been found, and what she came up with didn't please her at all.
"Shinji?" She rushed up to him as he staggered. "What's wrong?"
"Run," he moaned.
"What?"
Then she saw the projectile sticking out of his neck just above where his uniform ended, and understood what had just occurred. With tears in her eyes she roughly grabbed him and started dragging him with her even as he struggled weakly to break free of her grasp. A sharp stinging sensation erupted on her own neck and with a gasp reached up and yanked out the tranquilizer dart but it was too late as the fast acting drug started taking effect. As her vision began to get blurry she felt herself fall to her knees and heard Shinji do the same a couple feet away. With the last of her failing strength she brought up her pistol, which seemed to weigh a ton, and took aim on the shape next to her and pulled trigger.
Two shots echoed through the forest.
- - - -
"She's coming around now."
"You should've been more exact with the dosage, it's been four hours already and I'm getting impatient."
Asuka slowly awoke from her drug-induced sleep with a massive headache and her entire body aching from the impact of Shinji's bullet when they had tried to carry out their other promise. She found her arms and legs secured to a very uncomfortable chair while her head was unrestrained when she tensed her muscles preparing to spring at her captors. A hiss of pain escaped her parched lips when she opened her eyes to the glare of light before narrowing them and began surveying her surroundings. Her slight intake of breath didn't go unnoticed by the two men and she watched out of the corner of her eye as they walked over, one of them roughly jerked her head upward and her eyes widened in recognition.
"So nice of you to join us Miss Soryu," crooned the one holding her chin.
If a person could be killed by looks alone the man in front of her would've burst into flames from the hatred she was projecting. But behind her anger was a feeling of shock and failure that she hadn't felt since she'd lost her pilot status from the Angels and herself. Her body started trembling, knowing that she hadn't just failed herself but Shinji and their friends as well. The rest of the world didn't matter to her as her goal was simply to win their freedom and if Third Impact was stopped it was purely a side effect.
"I'm glad that you recognize me," stated Stefan Deminov, his steel blue eyes cold and dark as they held her in their gaze. "Yes, I'm quite alive though I regret to say my double didn't survive his encounter with you two." His breath smelled of old age and decay causing Asuka to flinch as it touched her face. "And I regret to inform you that your pain is just beginning Miss Asuka Langley Soryu."
Not prepared for him to forcefully shove her head backward, Asuka cried out in pain when her head ricocheted off a plate situated behind her. Shaking her head in an attempt to clear her vision of stars, she didn't notice the other man's actions until she felt the sharp prick of a needle on her right arm which was followed by another one moments later. Looking down, she saw clear tubes used for intravenous drips projecting from her forearm and leading to two bags filled with solutions. Before she could protest, the man was attaching more sensor pads to her body augmenting the ones already placed, uncaring about her dignity. She tried glaring at him but found herself unable or unwilling to move a muscle as the drugs flowed through her body, weakening her both physically and mentally. The scrape of a chair of concrete brought her attention back to the man who she had thought they'd killed and saw him sitting down where he could observe what was about to happen.
"Now then let's get down to business," said Deminov coldly after waiting for the drugs to take affect. "Who are the people who've helped you?"
Asuka shook her head trying to the haze and mumbled, "I don't know."
"Now, now that's not the best way to start this interview."
Asuka saw her captor motion with his head, causing the other man to stand in front of her. She watched in horror as he reached forward but he wasn't reaching for her shirt instead his hand closed around her hand singling out her middle finger. Her jaw hurt as she clenched it tightly not wanting to give her torturer any satisfaction as the man increased the amount of pressure as he slowly bent her finger backward preparing to break it. She couldn't help but scream as the joint explosively failed, the cracking of cartilage and bone was audible to her ears as she felt ligaments and tendons tear under the stress. Tears blurred her vision and her breath was ragged but she forced herself to look at the broken digit, seeing it resting at a crooked angle and beginning to become discolored. Weakly raising her gaze, she bared her teeth at the man who was smiling at her pain and resolved that no matter what she'd kill him.
"I've learned that pain and drugs make the perfection combination for extracting information."
- - - -
"Why aren't the Children on their way to Tokyo-3, Stefan?"
"I've been trying to get the names of who has been helping them, Kihl."
"That is not important."
"I'd rather not share eternity with someone who has been trying to kill me."
"Irrelevant. Get them on a transport immediately, Stefan. Or you many not live to see our paradise."
"Yes, sir."
The conversation ended abruptly as the transmitters shut down, and the electronic intercept officer who had been monitoring the transmission looked up at his commanding officer. The man stood in the exact location that the pilots had shot from and he had the same view as them while he thought. His orders were clear in what he was supposed to do but he didn't like having to go up against an alerted target even with covert operations troops. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned to his assistant and conversed with him for a moment before giving the order.
- - - -
The ceiling was his goal Shinji thought as he lay on a cold uncomfortable metal slab directing his concentration upward in an attempt to find the ceiling and be able to lose himself in its blankness, but it was a useless attempt. The cell he had found himself in was completely devoid of windows and light, and the pain coursing through his body made any attempt at concentration an exercise in futility. Broken ribs made breathing pure torture while fire radiated from his knee and lower leg a testimony to the coldness of his captor.
Closing his good eye, he pushed the thoughts of the last hours and his interrogation out of his mind, and didn't think of the pain inflicted upon Asuka at the same time. He tensed his hand at thinking of the redhead only to whimper in pain as broken bones grated against one another before relaxing it. As the pain faded and his heart slowed he listened for his companion, smiling in relief as he heard her steady breathing in the room.
"Asuka," he whispered or whispered to the best of his ability with a throat raw from screaming. "Asuka," he repeated louder and was rewarded with a moan from the woman.
Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, he fought to remain conscious at the intense pain that swept through him starting in his torso and working out to his appendages. When the pinpricks of light stopped dancing across his vision, he tried to stand only to fall, his knees impacting with the concrete and sending new pain through him as one leg failed. On hands and knees, he crawled to where he had heard the moans coming from and cursed when his forehead made contact with metal, which he found to be another slab like his own after some exploration. Sitting back on his legs, he carefully reached out and ran a hand along the edge until he came in contact with warm flesh, and almost jerked it back when Asuka cried out.
Standing, he braced himself with one arm and ignoring the pain allowed his other hand to flow over the redhead. From her hand up an arm covered in sticky blood over a shoulder to her neck until he reached her face. Trembling, he used that one hand as a guide while he bent down until he felt her breath on his own and without hesitation he gently pressed his lips against hers feeling her body tense before relaxing. He almost broke contact with her lips when she reached up and touched him, her hand resting on the back of his head holding him in place. After some time Shinji broke the kiss, the only sound in the room was their fast breathing while his hand lovingly stroked her cheek.
"Idiot," whispered Asuka.
Shinji opened his mouth but any reply he was going to make was cut off as the door behind him slammed open flooding the room with illumination. Squeezing his eyes shut against the sudden bright light, he started spinning around only to be knocked to the floor by a blow to the back of his head. Gritting his teeth, he started climbing to his feet, using Asuka's bed as support, only to stop when he felt the barrel of a gun pressed against his skull. He felt sweat trickle down his face at hearing heavy footsteps behind him as someone besides the one holding the gun entered the cell, and he knew that that person was the one who would pass judgment on them.
"This is quite the dilemma you have put me in Mister Ikari and Miss Soryu," commented a familiar voice. "Do I shoot one of you here and end SEELE's plans for Instrumentality? Or do I take you with me back to my superiors which creates another set of problems for the two of you." The man stepped next to Shinji and bent down looking him in the eye. "Of course, I have my orders but they give me some leeway in deciding this issue."
"So here is the question, Mister Ikari, live or die? It's your choice."
Shinji felt his body grow cold at the question understanding the meaning of it and knowing that the choices given to him were truly no choices at all. If he chose to live he would give up his freedom, no matter how chaotic it was at times, and allow himself to be shackled to another's will and be controlled by them. If he chose to die, he shook his head at that thought, he'd be free from the pain of the world but then everything he had done in the last years would've been all for naught. He glanced at Asuka and his heart wrenched in fresh pain at seeing her stare at him while he tried to make his decision, which would not only affect him but also the redhead. Taking a deep breath, he felt himself grow oddly calm as he released it, having reached his decision to the question posed to him.
"I choose to." A hand gripped his suddenly, nails digging into flesh and stopping him.
"You promised," whispered Asuka, tears in her eyes.
"What?"
"Six years ago you promised me," explained Asuka, her voice low.
"Six years ago." Shinji felt his eyes widen and tears slid down his cheeks as he remembered what he'd told her. His voice was thick as he spoke, "I promised that I'd-"
"-you'd never hurt me."
Colonel Pokryshin calmly watched as Shinji fell forward with a heart- wrenching cry, burying his face in Asuka's shoulder causing her to flinch at the pressure while he sobbed. Turning, he motioned for the soldier to follow as he left the pair alone to deal with their pain and the repercussion of their decision. It had come as no surprise that the man was ready to chose death if it allowed his companion to live and be free nor was his promise that great of a shock. What amazed him was that the redhead had reminded him of the promise and the consequences of him breaking it. As the crying faded he knew that the pair's profiles would have to be updated so no more surprises popped up but that wasn't his concern. Stopping at the stairs he glanced over his shoulder at the way he had come and the open door, and smiled knowing all the pieces were finally gathered.
* * * *
I really wish I had a good reason for why it took me over a year to finish a chapter but I don't. There was never any doubt that I'd put out another chapter or even finish the story but it seemed each time I started it something would come up. Not only that but I was never happy with the previous versions of this chapter. Oh well, hope it was entertaining.
As for Shinji's promise to Asuka that's a little complicated to explain. We already know he wouldn't leave her alone voluntarily so that promise is out. We know that he'd never hurt her physically because it's not apart of his personality. That leaves hurting Asuka emotionally, which in my opinion is the worst thing he could do to the redhead. The next chapter will do a better job of showing what I'm trying to say.
Historical fact: The longest sniper kill recorded was by U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Carlos Hathcock during the Vietnam War. He connected with a shot at 2,500 yards using a M-2 .50 caliber machine gun.
As usual all comments are welcome: eva_pilot9@doramail.com
By the Red Horseman
Pre-readers:
Weltall Elite Alnilam
There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.
-Ernest Hemingway
* * * * * * *
The proprietor of the small convenience store turned from stocking shelves behind the counter at the sound of the front door opening and prepared to greet his customer, only to shut his mouth with a snap. Describing the girl who had walked in as cute would've been an understatement, and the man let his eyes follow her as she walked silently down a row, examining products. Still she was a paying customer, hopefully, and leering at her was a good way to lose her business the owner thought as he shook his head and stepped from behind the counter. Walking towards the girl, who had knelt down to look at some prepared meals, he was surprised to see her arm trembling as she picked a package up. Besides that detail of her appearance, her clothes were rumpled and slightly torn, while her chestnut hair was a chaotic mess.
"Miss, are you-"
The response he received when he lightly touched her shoulder wasn't what he had been expecting as she snapped upright, her head whipping around while she spun toward him. He briefly thought of how beautiful her sky-blue eyes were before a cry of pain and shock escaped his mouth as slender fingers, which had been holding a meal a moment earlier, dug cruelly into his shoulder, jerking him forward. His eyes widened in horror as her other hand shot forward, aiming for his throat, and he closed his eyes waiting for the impact. But instead of the intense pain and darkness he had been expecting, the crushing grip on his shoulder relaxed as a sob came from the attractive girl. Wincing, he opened his eyes at the sound of running feet, alerting him to the fact that he was safe as she ran away, slamming the door behind her.
Out on the street, the female ran through the crowd, knocking people off balance when she hit them, all the while putting as much distance as possible between her and the shopkeeper. As she became conscious of the pain permeating her body, the girl slowed her pace from a fast run down to a shambling walk. Angrily wiping at her tears, she turned into a narrow alley and leaned against the building, staring up at the clear night sky, wishing she could see the stars. With slow deep breaths and an iron will she regained control of her rampaging emotions before jack-knifing over as hunger pangs wracked her thin frame, and reminding her what she had been after in the store.
"Damn it, I hate this!" she growled, stepping back onto the bustling sidewalk.
With one arm wrapped around her torso, she quietly threaded her way through the throng, careful not to gather any attention or more than what her looks got her, searching for what would allow her to accomplish her mission. She found it twenty minutes later, close to where she had first entered the town, tucked in a small building shared with other businesses. The number of customers worried the girl as she stood outside looking inward, but the smell of food overpowered her sense of caution and she stepped through the doors. Once at the counter she faced another battle with herself as she pulled out her wallet and looked at the meager amount of money in it.
"Two medium bowls of beef ramen to go, please," she ordered, deciding to stick to the middle ground.
Later while she walked down a darkened road, she wondered if it had been the right decision as the smells of the food caused her stomach to rumble. Meals had been so intermittent in the last twelve months that it was hard for her not to gorge herself whenever she did eat, yet she knew that the little resources she did have couldn't be wasted. So she ignored her stomach, remembering all the commodities that had been wiped away in a single day, stolen by those who cared nothing for the world just themselves. But it was the wrong thing to think about, as her fingers tightened on the bag when she remembered what else she had lost on that fateful day NERV fell, the day she was turned into a fugitive. But before she could become lost in her memories, again, her destination came into view.
Stopping at the front door of the rundown house, she briefly ran a hand through her hair, grimacing at the oily and rough texture of it, before stepping through the portal into the darkness. Despite having only taken up residence a day ago, she knew where to step to avoid all the damage in the floor as she made her way to a back room. It also helped that there was a faint glow coming from the room she was heading for, and she felt herself frown briefly before stepping into the light.
"Dinner's here, Shinji," she proclaimed, walking over to the small fire her companion had built.
The teenage boy looked up from where he was sitting and stared at her, a spark of life appearing in his dull eyes at the sight of her. His smile was a welcome sight after the troubles of the day, but she'd never tell him, as it conveyed a sense of caring. Shaking her head, the girl turned and walked over to where her backpack was and sat down, not wanting him to see her reaction. Having to survive on the run was tough enough ordeal, she thought without having to deal with.
"Did you have any problems?" Shinji asked, coming to sit next to her.
The girl reached into the bag and pulled out one of bowls. "No."
"Asuka, we said that we wouldn't lie to each other," Shinji stated, watching her in the glow of the fire. "Because we only have each-"
"Don't say it!"
"But-"
"Fine! I had a little trouble!" she exclaimed. "Bet you're happy that I almost screwed up."
"No," he whispered. "I'm not happy, Asuka, just worried."
The redhead didn't reply to his statement. Instead she pulled off the lid covering her meal and started eating, seeing Shinji copy her when he realized the conversation had ended. The rest of the night passed in that forced silence, each doing their own small things to get ready for the next day until finally the fire was just glowing embers. While Shinji prepared their sleeping arrangements Asuka brushed her teeth and washed her face, trying to prolong the time before the inevitable. A frown appeared at what she observed when she stepped back into the room, or more precisely her anger flared at where her companion was.
Without uttering a single word she strode over to the tired boy, reached down and stripped off the single blanket covering him and grabbed his upper arm tightly. Her fingers dug into his muscles as her grip tightened when he resisted being pulled to his feet, and with some effort she guided Shinji over to the makeshift bed in the center of the room. Asuka heard a sigh come from him when he glanced at her with a defeated look on his face when she gestured at the coverings on the floor. She waited while he crawled under the comforter and shifted around until he was positioned correctly before joining him under the covers. Their sleeping arrangements were a matter of survival and not out of any physical desire she reminded herself again while trying to fall asleep.
"Asuka."
Shinji's voice was barely a whisper yet it woke the redhead immediately from her slumber. But something about his tone which made her keep her eyes shut and not acknowledge the boy, waiting to see what he'd do. Banishing any weird thoughts, she forced herself to relax when she felt him shift next to her, clenching her jaw tightly when a hand rested on her shoulder. She wondered if he was going to try and kiss her as she felt his warm breath on her cheek, yet she was surprised when he stopped. His breathing was ragged and she heard him lick his lips, which somehow reassured her.
"Asuka," he repeated. "No matter what happens, I promise that I'll." The redhead held her breath when he paused, wondering what he was going to say. "I promise that I'll-"
"-do your hair?"
The broken house, the open sky, her mistake on that day, and sleeping next to Shinji all disappeared back into the past, back into the recesses of her mind when she opened her eyes at the last words. Stark whiteness of a bedroom, the comforting softness of a bed combined with the warmth of sunlight, and Shinji leaning against one wall studying her with a neutral expression on his face replaced her past memories, while she became aware of her present surroundings. She frowned, the words of his promise, one she wasn't supposed to know of, reverberating through her mind as what he had said conflicted with what she had just heard. Groaning, she sat up on the bed, crossing her legs underneath her while combing the mess that was her hair with one hand before turning her head to look at her companion.
"What did you say?" she inquired, tiredly.
"I asked if you were going to get up soon and get ready for our appointment, which coincidentally is in." He paused, looking at his watch. "Two hours."
"Don't be such a worrywart, that's plenty of time," she replied with a smirk.
Shinji sighed quietly, shaking his head at hearing her retort to his concerns about getting to another arranged meeting, but he didn't say anything. Ever since their hit-and-miss operation in Germany that had killed her father and Wilhelm Rintzler, a member of SEELE, Asuka had changed. While she had always been serious about what they were trying to accomplish now there was an undertone of worry to her actions, and she tried to cover up that worry by acting carefree about everything else. And it was that carefree act that slightly worried him since it was exactly how she had acted during the Angels, the only good thing was it only showed when they were talking about their vendetta. A quiet cough broke his train of thoughts and he looked up to see Asuka sitting on the edge of the bed, her bare legs dangling over the side.
"Umm.I'll leave now, so you can get dressed," he said quickly, his face heating up, and moved toward the door.
"No." The quietly spoken word caused the man to stop abruptly, and Asuka gave him a smile when he looked over his shoulder at her. "You can stay. In fact, I want you to, though." She twirled a finger in the air to signal what she wanted.
The redhead watched Shinji take up his prior position in front of the window, but this time his back was toward her as he stared through the panes of glass, before she got off the comforting bed. She just didn't understand his actions concerning her at times, Asuka thought while rummaging through the drawers of the bureau for some clothes. Through the years they had seen each other in various states of undress since their prior living arrangements had never given either much privacy, they had even seen each other nude. Though she reminded herself that at those times one of them had normally been unconscious from some type of wound.
"I'm just as uncomfortable as Shinji," she confessed quietly, and checking to see that he wasn't looking, opened her robe.
As he stared out at the setting sun, Shinji would've been surprised to learn that he was mirroring Asuka's exact same thoughts, except for a minor deviation. Hearing the sound of cloth brushing over skin, he roused himself from his stupor and concentrated on preparing for what might occur that night. At the Trans-Siberian Railroad terminal in Slyudyanka, someone had slipped a message into Asuka's pocket with neither of them noticing, telling them who they were to meet where and when. That Kenji hadn't followed the procedure they had set up months ago concerning how they would make contact with others worried him.
"So.who do you think we'll meet?"
Asuka looked up at his question, shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know, maybe our guardian angels." She resumed dressing at hearing a chuckle. "Kenji's the only one who knows all our aliases; maybe the person just got lucky."
"Maybe, or it could be the Russian Mafia trying to impress us," he said, his eyes narrowing at the thought. Nothing had felt right since they had read that note, but who could blame them after so many close calls in the past. "Or it could just be SEELE, guiding us into."
His words trailed off at feeling Asuka wrapping her arms around his torso, pulling him backward into a gentle embrace while her chin came to rest on his shoulder. Her breath was a slow steady presence while it caressed his ear, a definite similarity to his own breathing, as they stood there quietly.
"It's not SEELE," the redhead whispered, tilting her head on his shoulder, watching and waiting.
"How do you know?"
"A feeling."
"I don't know," he replied. "Maybe you're."
Again the redhead holding him interrupted, stopping him in mid-sentence by briefly pressing her lips against his neck. Turning around in her arms, he felt his stomach clench at the sight of her sky-blue eyes filled with concern, a stark contrast to their normal liveliness. He smiled weakly, and reached up to brush a few stray strands of auburn hair off her cheek her cheek with a finger. And was rewarded with a small smile in return. Slowly, he ran his hands down her bare arms, getting her to release him from her hug, and gently intertwined his fingers with hers while drawing her closer.
Shinji watched her eyes carefully as he leaned in closer, searching for any signs of fear. He knew from his experiences with the redhead that she had to feel comfortable, and wasn't being forced to do something against her will. Not that he'd ever force her to do anything; he'd rather die than hurt her. So it was with relief he felt the tension drain from his body as he saw first shock, then surprise, and finally love in her eyes before they closed. Following her lead, he closed the remaining distance between them and softly kissed the redhead.
It was different from the times before when she had initiated the kiss between them. Back then it had been more of test for her than of Shinji, to see if she could lower the barriers around her and get close to someone. Now though, as she stood there kissing him, Asuka realized why it was different as a moan escaped her lips. For the first time in their relationship Shinji had taken the initiative, and it felt wonderful. She didn't have to worry about rejection, or the thought that she'd be left alone after opening up. There was no room for thoughts about their mission, or SEELE. The only thing she had to do was to convey her feelings for the man in front of her through her lips.
Shock filled his body as he felt her hands leave his own, but before he could do anything Shinji felt Asuka wrap her arms around him. He lowered his hands to her waist and held her close. Hearing the little sounds coming from the woman brought a smile to his lips even as he continued kissing her. For so many people who had known her in school she was simply "The Devil", a girl who didn't care about others. But he knew that wasn't true because like him she had a hard time opening up to people, having been hurt so much in the past. Beneath the layers of armor was a caring woman, and it warmed his heart knowing he was the one that let that woman out. And it was that insight about her character that caused him to softly break the kiss after so long.
"That was completely unexpected, nice but unexpected," Asuka whispered, leaning her head against his chest while his arms went around her again. "I wish we had." she stopped, shaking her head and backed away from Shinji with reluctance.
"Asuka."
Tears threatened to fall from the redhead's eyes at hearing the love and worry in his voice, but she blinked them away as she let her fingers trail down his arm, briefly touching his hands before turning away. With a force of willpower she walked away from him, her steps steady while her mind and emotions raced about what she had almost said to Shinji, something that she been thinking about more and more but unable to act upon because of their situation. Shaking her head she forced the thought, and accompanying emotions, back into the recesses of her mind waiting for the day when she could let them free, but for the moment she had other concerns. In the mirror she saw Shinji still standing where she had left him, a forlorn expression on his face as he brought his hand up and touched his lips before he looked up, their eyes meeting instantly. Her heart sank at the expression but she smiled, turning around and extending her arm toward him, her palm upward, and waited for him to come to a decision. Her smile grew when he strode towards her seconds later, his hand gripping hers gently before their fingers intertwined.
"Do you want to brush my hair for me?" she inquired quietly, her smile turning into a smirk at the blush on his cheeks. "That was one of things you were asking me about when you disturbed my sleep, right."
"Yeah, but." He squeezed her hand. "Are you sure you want me to? After all I've never done it before."
Asuka laughed. "I'm not asking you to do anything complicated with my hair like styling, I can do that myself, just brush it." She looked away briefly, her free hand coming up to the shoulder wounded in Germany. "And with the way my shoulder hurts it's a pain in the ass to do it one-handed." Her eyes once again made contact with Shinji's, but this time they were dancing with humor. "Besides, if you screw up it'll be the last time I let you touch my hair."
"Of course."
Despite his dry reply Shinji was smiling once again as he let go of Asuka's hand when she sat down in front of the mirror, though he was nervous about what he was about to do. Picking up a comb, he began working the knots and snarls that had formed after she had fallen asleep, careful never to pull too hard. He had never told her how shocked he had been when she had started dying her hair then cutting it, the more to disappear in a crowd she'd explained. But to him it was just one more facet of her that set the redhead apart from everyone else and made her special to him. So he had been happy when she stopped altering her appearance a few weeks after leaving Germany, letting her hair grow past her shoulders as its natural color returned, though she'd call him weird for his fixation on her hair. He was so intent on doing a good job, and lost in thought, he never noticed Asuka staring at him in the mirror a thoughtful expression on her face.
"Shinji."
"Hmm," he hummed never stopping in his work.
"Do you." she took a deep breath and slowly released it before continuing. "Do you have any regrets?"
This time Shinji stopped what he was doing, setting down the comb and picking up the brush in front of Asuka. "That's a pretty vague question," he finally replied. "Do you want to know if I regret never telling my father how I felt, or Misato and Rei?" He started to brush her hair with slow steady strokes, trying to ignore how her shoulders had tensed at his last comment. "Or do I regret anything that's happened between us?"
"No! None of that," Asuka exclaimed, her cheeks turning red but her voice was quieter when she spoke. "Do you regret what we're doing, the killings?"
"No," he answered without hesitation. "I don't regret anything we've done." His strokes slowed and his voice became softer. "I don't like what we've had to do, but it's necessary. It's necessary if we ever want to be free, to realize your dream."
"But."
"We're stronger than we think, Asuka."
That simple reply caused the redhead to snap her mouth close, keeping herself from delivering a snappish retort and sat back in the chair while organizing her thoughts. It was true they had accomplished more in their vendetta then she had even wished for in the last year, and one could reasonably conclude they were strong, both physically and mentally, but that person would've been wrong. Their victories in eliminating three members of SEELE had extracted a terrible price from the two former pilots, emotionally and physically. She knew nightmares haunted Shinji frequently while her own dreams kept her awake far more then she was comfortable with, and the only thing keeping them from snapping at each other was the knowledge that the other cared. She also knew that despite their attempts at indifference to their wounds, the physical pain was almost as great as the emotional. Her shoulder throbbed constantly while her fingers would go numb if she held her arm at a certain angle, or how her body still held the bone bruises from Chicago, and the list went on but it didn't compare to Shinji, who was talking at the moment. Asuka shook her head clearing her thoughts, and messing up the progress Shinji had made with her hair.
"What'd you say?" she asked, ignoring the sigh that came from the man.
"I asked what's wrong with you all of sudden," he explained. "You told me not to worry but then you ask me if I regret anything." He lifted his eyes from her hair and looked at her in the mirror. "Is something bothering you?"
"Yes." She gave him a weak smile. "And no." She reached back and covered his hand that had come to rest on her shoulder, squeezing gently. "When the time is right I'll tell you, okay?"
"Okay."
- - - -
"The decorators must have been blind," muttered Asuka, as they were lead deeper into the restaurant.
Shinji nodded in silent agreement at her observation of the surrounding furnishings while his eyes kept darting around taking in the customers of the establishment, but it was a futile endeavor. In spite of the large number of light fixtures the interior was dim, almost gloomy, from the way the dark wood paneling and wall coverings absorbed the light, but the place did have one advantage. While the thick curtains and miles of fabric on the walls contributed to a dim atmosphere they also served to cut the noise to a minimum. As they walked, he noticed that the sounds of conversations didn't carry very far from the widely spaced tables, which was fortunate. His eyes stopped moving around as their pace slowed and he studied their destination, which was a small alcove in the back corner next to a large window.
Asuka considered herself to be of average height considering her German- Japanese heritage, but when their host stood up to greet them she wished for a few more inches. He easily towered over them by eight inches and was all muscle despite the gray hairs at his temples while his face was made of lines and angles. His hazel eyes stared at them dispassionately for a minute before he nodded curtly and smiled at what he saw. With one hand he pulled open the jacket of his black suit and showed that he was unarmed, though it didn't reassure the couple since he out-massed them.
"Mister Ikari, Miss Soryu." The man had a sonorous voice, and his smile grew at their reaction as he spoke in German. "Your exploits have proceeded you and I am very pleased to finally have made your acquaintance." He gestured at the nearby table and chairs. "I'm sure we have much to talk about, so please be seated."
Shinji pulled out a chair at the head of the table for Asuka, after their host had taken his own, and waited until she had sat down before joining them. But instead of reaching for his glass like his companion he reached into an inner pocket, aware of the man watching him, and pulled out a disk four-inches in diameter and three-quarters of an inch thick. Dark blue eyes made contact with hazel eyes and each stared at the other before a slight nod gave Shinji permission to continue. The former pilot knew as he placed the device on the window, that once the device was activated it would send a continuous vibration through the glass disrupting any attempt at monitoring their conversation from the outside. Only when he was done with that task did he turn back to the table and reach for the crystal goblet in front of him.
"Now that that has been taken care perhaps you'd be so kind as to answer a few questions," Shinji said slowly, while staring at the man, who nodded.
"The first question is who the hell are you?" asked Asuka in German, deciding to stick to one language for the moment.
"Gregoriy Pokryshin. Colonel Pokryshin of the Komitet Gosudarstvennoye Bezopastnosti to be exact," the man stated matter-of-factly.
"The fucking KGB!" The redhead started laughing with the realization of who was sitting across from her. "I thought you guys had been disbanded back in the 1990's after the big ruckus of changing governments."
Gregoriy shrugged his shoulders. "We simply changed our name and disappeared from the public's eye." He reached for his glass and took a sip. "Second Impact allowed us to resume much of our old activities, in the name of national security of course."
"Of course," Shinji repeated his face grim and his mind racing as he tried to figure a way out. "So what exactly are you going to do, arrest us?"
"No," the man simply stated. "If my desire was to arrest both you and Miss Soryu I would've done it when you crossed into Russia two weeks ago." His smile was mocking as he looked at Asuka. "Or when I slipped the two of you the note at Slyudyanka, but."
"You didn't," finished Asuka. "Why?"
"One, is that a Mister Kenji Namikawa speaks highly of you two."
"How do you."
"How I know of your middleman is unimportant at the moment." Gregoriy ignored the looks he received and continued on. "Second, is that the two of you have become quite adept at killing those who have wanted to capture you, if the files Interpol have collected on you are correct. I didn't know how many people I'd have lost nor what the civilian casualties would've been if I had tried to take you prisoner." He held up a finger silencing Shinji before he could protest. "I'm sure you'd have taken care not to kill innocents, but I wouldn't have risked it no matter what."
"Third, is."
Asuka tuned out the man as he continued to ramble on about why he was currently having dinner with two fugitives instead of taking them down to the local government building or wherever they put important prisoners. Instead her attention was on her partner who despite his earlier attempt at speaking was unusually calm and silent, and it scared her because she knew of one other promise they had made with each other. Her eyes narrowed as his right hand moved in small increments toward his open jacket, and the holstered pistol he always carried. Knowing that his laid back appearance was a deception and the KGB officer was taking in everything that was happening in front of him, the redhead reached across the table and took Shinji's hand into her own. She was aware that the colonel had stopped speaking at her actions but she ignored him, her eyes staring into Shinji's after he had turned to stare at her. Slowly, she shook her head and squeezed his hand lightly, releasing her breath moments later as he picked up his glass.
"Now that's been taken care of," interrupted Pokryshin, alternating his gaze between the two of them. He leaned forward his elbows resting on the table with his hands folded in front of him. "Shall we get down to the business at hand?"
"All right."
"Good. So why don't you start by telling me your story from the very beginning then you can explain why you want my help in killing the Russian premier." The officer sat back in his chair, gazing at Shinji and waiting for an answer. "Though if you can't convince me then."
"You'll be dead and we'll be on our way," finished Asuka with no emotion in her voice; she was simply stating the facts as how she saw them. Without looking at the man, she picked up the menu on the table and gave it a cursory glance surprised at the prices of the dishes. "But before we begin might I suggest we order something to eat?"
"Of course, Miss Soryu."
- - - -
The temperature had dropped a few degrees from its high during the afternoon but the humidity was still high, making the air heavy and sticky. Shinji couldn't decide if it was the humidity of the night making him irritable and uncomfortable or what they had just finished minutes ago. They had spent the last two hours in the back of a fine restaurant spilling their life histories to a stranger, who was a complete unknown in the pilot's mind concerning his supposed position in the KGB. But it wasn't relating to the man their experiences concerning the Evangelions or the Angels, which was more painful then he thought it would be, or why they had run for so long before making up their minds to strike back. Even talking about what SEELE wanted with them and how the Russian premier was a member of that organization wasn't uncomfortable. Instead it felt that the man already knew everything about them and their reasons for their recent actions, and he was just going through the motions of confirming that information. Still if the night was making him frustrated it had made his companion entirely uncivil, rude to point of being hostile to those around them.
"You know what I hate the most, Shinji?"
Stopping, he turned and quietly studied the woman who had stopped walking beside him as they made their way back to the car, amazed that someone who was so beautiful could look so deadly at the same time. Locked forward and narrowed, hinting at anger simmering just below the surface, her eyes were cold, showing none of their usual warmth and gentleness. He could almost hear her teeth grinding together as she clenched her jaw tightly while her lips formed a grim frown at her displeasure.
"You know what I hate?" she repeated.
"No."
Her fists clenched tightly. "Being played for a fool, that's what pisses me off. That." She jerked her head back toward the restaurant. "That whole meal with our explanation was a stupid charade, along with that man; KGB my ass!" Her body was shaking, not from fear or cold but anger, as she spoke. "Damn it, I fucking hate."
"Asuka, it's all right," whispered Shinji as he took one of her hands, pulling gently to get her walking again.
"Don't tell me you."
"No, I don't believe a single word he spoke back there." He was slowly shaking his head. "He found a specific redheaded woman traveling with a certain Oriental man by himself so easily; not likely. Not only that but."
The redhead listened with rapt attention as he spoke of everything that had been bothering him through the night, relieved to know she wasn't the only one bothered by events. As she walked with him, she was amazed at the little details he had picked up on, which she had missed entirely because of her anger at the situation. She frowned as she remembered the number of times during the Angels that her anger had blinded her, almost losing her life because of it, and knew she had to regain control of it, again. But even as she realized that something clicked in her mind, something she hadn't liked from the very beginning of their vendetta, and her anger started rising again in a fury.
"Puppets," she hissed. "That's all we are to these people."
"What are you talking about?"
"First it was NERV, then SEELE, and now this," Asuka continued not hearing Shinji. "They're not our guardian angels, but puppet masters manipulating us for their goals, not ours."
The implication of her statement was too much for the woman and she suddenly sagged against her companion, burying her face in his chest as he hugged her. Everything they had done and accomplished in the last months, all their suffering and pain they had gone through was all for naught. Her dream of being free from secret organizations that controlled her life, to be able to do what she wanted without having someone constantly looking over her shoulder, was fracturing. What was the use of fighting and killing members of one organization when another was in the shadows pulling invisible strings attached to the former pilots? Shaking her head, Asuka banished those thoughts knowing that if she thought like that then they might as well end it all, and besides it was Shinji's duty to do the worrying not her.
"What do we do now, Asuka?"
"We keep fighting SEELE, that's what we do for now. And when we finally meet up with the puppet master we cut the strings." She leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. "Permanently."
"Well, well, well isn't that a pretty sight. Makes me wish I was in his place, though that'll happen soon."
The redhead disengaged from Shinji, taking a couple steps to the side, at the sudden interruption and her eyes narrowed in irritation at what she saw. They had been alone on the sidewalk leading to the parking garage just moments earlier, but now four rough looking men blocked their path and from the way they were arrayed in front of two pilots, and their comment, it was obvious what they intended to do. Cocking her head to the side, Asuka studied them for a moment before a grim smile came to her lips and she calmly stepped forward stopping within arms reach of the punks. Placing her hands on her hips, she let her eyes travel from man to man, lingering for a couple seconds before moving on, and seeing with satisfaction their nervousness at her cool attitude. Finally done with her assessment, she reached up and brushed a couple loose strands of hair back over her shoulder before a laugh escaped her lips.
"Why don't you boys leave us and go back to your mothers before you get injured or something worse," she said quietly, her voice dripping with contempt.
"Why you stupid bitch!" shouted the leader lunging for her. Only to stop abruptly, all color draining from his face when she stepped past his arms.
"Be a nice little boy and leave," stated Asuka, her pistol pressed against his torso. "I really don't think you'll survive this encounter if you don't do as I say." For emphasis she pushed the gun harder against him, seeing his eyes grow wider and sweat trickle down his face. "And your friends won't be of any help to you either. So the choice is yours to make on whether you walk away quietly or have a hole blown through your body."
Shinji stood behind the pair, his shooting arm lowered and his gun resting against his leg, listening to what Asuka was saying and growing a little scared. Her voice had never moved beyond a conversational tone, like she was talking to a friend, as she told the punk that he'd either live or die but it was his choice. So it was with relief when the man backed away from the redhead before casually motioning for his friends to follow as he walked away from the pair, but their apparent coolness was betrayed by their quick pace and nervous glances over the shoulder. A sharp exhalation brought his attention back to the redhead as she replaced her pistol in the shoulder holster before turning around.
"Am I getting soft, Shinji?" she inquired as he walked up to her. "I would've killed them without hesitation months ago just on the on the chance of them being bounty hunters, but I didn't."
"Of course you're not soft. You realized that nothing would've been gained by killing them."
"I guess you're right."
"I'm always right," he quipped, gently taking her hand in his once again. "We should get going before they decide to foolishly come back with more friends."
"Yeah."
She fell quickly into step next to her companion, the dinner forgotten for the moment, but knowing the night wasn't over with. All her nervous energy would have to be bled off before she'd be able to sleep or even analyze what had occurred that night with a clear head. Sighing, she looked up at the night sky and frowned, the glow of the city blocking out her view of the stars, before briefly closing her eyes remembering her earlier dream. Turning her head slightly she studied the man walking beside her, smiling when he noticed her observation of him. She didn't say anything at his puzzled look instead picking up her pace until the entrance to the garage finally came into view and he pulled out the card to gain them access.
"Thank you, Shinji."
- - - -
The day could've been the painting of an artist with its light blue sky dotted with a few long thin clouds, a gentle breeze stirring the grass, and a forest stretching out for miles. The sun was three-quarters of the way through the sky, showering the surrounding plants and animals with much- needed light and thermal energy to sustain life. A flock of birds took flight, their passage taking them over a cabin situated on the edge of the forest with a small lake a short distance away. Everything at that moment was the epitome of serenity, but like all things it wasn't meant to last as a gunshot brutally shattered the silence.
Shifting on the mat she was resting on, Asuka looked through the spotting scope squinting because of the glare, all the while trying to ignore the sweat that trickled down her temples. Despite her light clothing and netting draped over them, the redhead was hot and sticky from having the sun beat down on her all day and her temper threatened to flare at any moment. What she saw through the scope did nothing to help her disposition or give her a chance to suppress her growing jealously at Shinji's natural skill with shooting though he'd never touched a rifle in his life. With a force of will, she pushed those feelings down and promised herself she wouldn't let her jealously get in the way of their mission or anything else. It wasn't her fault that her shoulder wouldn't allow her to hold a rifle let alone shoot it she reasoned before a frown touched her lips when she realized it was her fault. Shaking her head, she noted the position of the shot and marked it on the pad next to her before rolling onto her back, wiping at her sweat before it could slide into her eyes.
"Let's call it quits for the day, Shinji," she suggested.
"But."
"I'm hot, sticky, and in a serious need of a shower, mister. Not only that but I'm starving and tired of letting the bugs get a free meal!" She said sharply. "Sorry, I'm just done for the day and besides you really don't need the practice. You hit the center ring just like you've been doing all week."
Shinji nodded absently before engaging the safety and sitting up, neither feeling satisfied nor guilty at hearing the result of his last shot. Glancing up, he made brief eye contact with Asuka before she looked away, staring downrange at the electronic target, but what he saw worried him. It took him a few moments as he dug through his memory trying to remember where he had last seen that emotion, but when he did his eyes became sad. She jumped at the slight contact as his hand came to rest on her knee, but he never removed it, not until she turned her head and acknowledged him with a faint smile.
"I can't help feeling jealous, Shinji," she preempted. "I look at how you pick up things so easily while I have to work at them, and I can't help but feel." She trailed off, shaking her head angrily. "It's so stupid of me to act this way, especially since it could impair my judgment at a crucial time."
"You think I've never felt jealous of you?" he inquired. "You think I've never felt jealous at how strong you are, how you challenge the universe to do its worst. Or how you live your life despite all the pain that's been inflicted upon you." He held up a hand stopping her words. "Asuka, we both have our strengths and weaknesses, you know that. It's what makes us special and unique." He exhaled slowly, frowning. "And to tell you the truth I'm not too thrilled at excelling in killing people."
A smile quickly replaced his frown. "Dinner sounds good if you're willing to cook."
"Idiot."
- - - -
"A vehicle's coming down the road."
Glancing up from reading her paperback, Asuka stared at Shinji, who with soapsuds still on his hands was looking out one of the windows, with a doubtful look on her face. Visitors had been nonexistent since they had arrived at their current location a month ago so the redhead had the right to be puzzled. Putting the book down, she got out her chair and walked over to the sink nudging the man out of the way with her hip so she could look out the window into the darkness, frowning at what she saw. Sure enough a vehicle was approaching, its twin headlights bouncing up and down with the roughness of the road and reflecting off their own off-road vehicle as it finally reached the cabin. As the lights died the redhead straightened, her arms crossed and her fingers dancing in irritation while she thought.
"Here's what we're going to do, Shinji."
Minutes later in the silence of the cabin the front door opened and a man took a hesitant step in, pausing to let his eyes adjust to the low light. His breath was explosively driven from his body by a forceful blow just as he had started looking around at the empty living area. His knees impacted with the carpet when his legs were struck, gasping as an arm was forcefully twisted behind him and pulled upward, forcing him to remain upright. Tears slid down the man's cheeks as strong fingers grabbed his hair, forcing him to stare up at the ceiling while the light in the cabin became brighter. His eyes darted frantically from side to side, trying to see who was holding him, until the cold press of metal on his temple stopped his attempts.
"Well, well if it isn't our friend Kenji."
The man's eyes bulged at hearing the voice. "Asuka, what's the meaning of this? Please release me I haven't done anything."
"No," her voice hissed in his ear. "I overlooked some things in the past because you were very useful to us, but no more. I'm through having others play games with my life."
"What are you.hey!"
"Be quiet," warned Asuka. "You better tell us the truth or spin a good tale because you don't want the alternative."
Kenji sagged as much as his position allowed him to. "What do you want to know?"
"Everything concerning us."
Over the next half an hour, Kenji told the two pilots what he knew about their current situation and his past, how he had become involved with the black market. How a woman had called him, wanting to set up a meeting concerning his illegal activities and how much help he could be, after the first bounty had been placed on their heads. He told of how the number of contacts he had in the underground grew after he accepted their offer, of how he rose quickly to a position of respect despite his young age. The man spoke of how he contacted Kensuke and ensured that their early letters to Touji and Hikari arrived without problems.
"What about when we met with you last year?" Shinji asked.
"I was told that sooner or later you'd make contact with me and I was to cooperate fully," he explained.
"And the weapons and contact people!" snapped Asuka.
"All arranged by my employers."
"Who the fuck are your employers?"
Kenji shook his head. "I don't know. Each time I met with or talked to someone different." He tensed at hearing the hammer being drawn back. "I'm not lying, that's the truth!"
Shinji watched carefully as emotions crossed Asuka's face before finally coming to rest on anger, but his fear that she'd kill Kenji was unfounded as she pulled the gun away. He released his hold on the man in front of him as the redhead stormed across the room to the fridge and grabbed something to drink. Walking past the kneeling man, he placed his own pistol on the table and made his way to where she was standing, but a couple steps away she spun around. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head at his action anger still coursing through her at the lack of answers that had come from Kenji, who was silently watching the pair. Nodding, he reached past her and opened the refrigerator retrieving his own drink before going to sit down.
"You can get off your knees now."
Kenji slowly stood on trembling legs. "What's going on here?"
"Nothing that concerns you!" snapped the redhead.
"The hell it doesn't! I'm on the run just like you two because of your stunt in Germany!" he retorted. "I should've said no when you wanted those specialty weapons."
"How'd you find this place and us?"
"I was.directed."
"Perfect," stated Shinji, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "All the pieces have been gathered and are now being arranged on the board." The can crunched in his hand as he continued. "It'd wouldn't surprise me if Kensuke, Touji, and Hikari are more pawns, just like you."
"What are you talking about, Shinji?"
"Just that someone's manipulating all of us, including yourself," answered Asuka. "I call them the puppet masters while idiot over there calls them chess masters. It doesn't matter what we call them since it's all the same in the end." Her eyes narrowed at seeing Kenji fidgeting.
"What's the matter with you?"
"Um.well, you see I have some.ahh, bad news." The man took a deep breath, calming himself before looking the redhead in the eyes. "Touji, Hikari and their children disappeared less than a week after your Germany operation. My contact had no information concerning what happened, and the same was true of my own personal contacts." His fists clenched suddenly. "I'm sorry, but it appears SEELE has them."
Kenji waited for the explosion of emotion from the pair, specifically from Asuka, concerning their friends but nothing of that sort happened. As he watched, Shinji ignored the liquid dripping off his hand unaware of his crushing the can he had been holding as his eyes went distant and empty at the news. The redhead appeared equally unaffected as she placed her drink on the dinner table before walking toward the bedroom door and slammed it behind her. He returned his gaze to the other pilot only to see him slowly rise seconds later from his chair and follow after his friend, his hand reaching for the latch when he came within range. The black marketer eyes widened when the man forcefully kicked the door open, breaking the latch and sending wood flying after three kicks before striding through the open portal.
In the bedroom, Shinji marched through the broken door to the sound of shattering glass and ragged breathing as Asuka repeatedly smashed her fist against the mirror. Racing to where she stood, he reached out and grabbed her arm stopping her as she drew back her arm, preparing to hit the mirror again and as many times as needed to drive away her pain. Wrapping his arms around her, he gently pulled her away from her target, ignoring her struggling and cursing, and sat down on the bed when his legs finally made contact. With her sitting in his lap, he held her quietly waiting until her struggling slowed and turned into a slight tremor, and her snarling died into whimpers. As her body became limp, he relaxed his hold on her, one hand beginning to stroke her hair while he moved from underneath her until she sat beside him, her head on his shoulder. A sad smile touched his features when her eyes, holding unshed tears, finally closed and her breathing slowed becoming regular in its rhythm.
Moving slowly as not to disturb her, the man eased her down until she was laying down her head resting on a pillow before he stood up and made his way to the bathroom and the first aid kit. He avoided looking the mirror fearful of what he would see in it or what he wouldn't see, afraid of the emptiness that was growing inside him. Grabbing the always-present white box and a damp towel he exited the bathroom, to see Asuka sitting on the edge of the bed her head bowed and auburn hair obscuring her features. His steps faltered as she turned her head and stared through him, her eyes devoid of all emotion, but he recovered and made his way over to her, kneeling at her feet.
He grabbed the towel he had brought with him and reached for the hand Asuka had driven into the mirror, pausing briefly to study it. Slowly congealing blood, which trickled from the lacerations in her flesh, covered her slender fingers and dripped off the tips onto the floor. Using the towel, Shinji carefully dabbed at the blood, seeing the redhead wince at the touch, cleaning her skin and exposing the glass that had become embedded from her actions. Opening the first aid kit, he grabbed a pair of forceps pulling them from their packaging before returning his attention to Asuka, and with care removed the slivers of glass.
"You broke your promise, Shinji," whispered Asuka, her uninjured hand coming to rest on his cheek. "You're crying."
"I think I have a right!" snapped Shinji, regretting it immediately at seeing her reaction. "Sorry, but they were my friends, especially Touji."
"I know."
He applied some disinfectant to a piece of gauze, pressing it to her cuts before quietly continuing. "It's all right to cry, I won't ever hold it against you or think less of you."
"It's not that easy to do, Shinji."
"Why?"
"Because it hurts so much, okay!" Asuka squeezed her eyes shut. "Hikari was my first and only friend back then, and now she's gone because of me!"
"But-"
She opened her eyes and cupped his chin. "I never had any friends before I came to Tokyo-3, none in college or at NERV's Germany Branch," she started. "No one wanted to be friends with a stuck up bitch like me and I wasn't interested in making friends, but something about Hikari made me become friends with her and no one else." A finger on his lips silenced Shinji. "Kaji was a crush, an important one but a crush none the less, while Misato was my commanding officer and guardian. You were a competitor who had to be shown my superiority, and Rei a person I didn't want to turn into at all costs. Touji and Kensuke weren't even worth a minute of my attention and were to be ignored. But Hikari was someone I could easily talk to knowing she wouldn't try and hurt me."
"I didn't know." He said after she was done. "About Hikari, I mean. I figured out the others only after you went into the hospital, and I cleaned my life up." Without wasting a single move he wrapped a bandage around each injured digit. "But Asuka-" He glanced up from his work. "-I promise we'll rescue them somehow."
"How do you know they're not dead?"
He fixed her with a look that she knew all too well since she had used it on him all the time during the Angels. It was a look, which asked a person if they were truly that dumb in not being able to figure out a simple problem. Sighing, she broke eye contact and looked up past his shoulder to the mirror that was cracked and bloody from her fist.
"Because there were no bodies," she said. "They're being used as bait to draw us out."
"We surrender and our friends get their freedom."
"Which will never happen because we know what they want to do with us."
Shinji nodded seeing the pain on Asuka's face at what had to happen. "I don't like it but Touji and Hikari will have to suffer just a bit longer."
"Damn it!"
- - - -
Asuka banished the conversation from the week before out of her mind, flexing her hands in frustration and ignoring the pain that came from her injured one. With a snort of irritation, she returned to her observation of the plain situated just below the small knoll that they were dug in on, and frowned at what she saw. The stars, which had earlier twinkled against a clear black sky, were disappearing as the eastern horizon grew hazy from the rising sun. The breeze that had kept them cool all night was picking up speed, bending leaves and grasses alike, and hinting at what could come later. A hint of moisture was also in the air and Asuka dreaded at having to sit and watch in a downpour, soaked to the bones while they waited for their target.
"Couldn't sleep any longer?"
Shifting in her large sleeping bag, the redhead came to rest on her uninjured shoulder, her head on a small pillow while her gaze rested upon Shinji, who currently had the watch. Her eyes drifted to the long deadly shape of the .50 caliber sniper rifle with its boxy viewfinder and felt herself grin with satisfaction. She had nothing against shooting a person in the back or not giving warning to their target if it meant she accomplished her mission, and the sniper rifle accomplished all of that. With them shooting from a range of one and a half kilometers, the target would have absolutely no warning of what was going to occur until the shell impacted, and it kept them safely out of range of any retaliation. A quiet cough interrupted her thoughts, and she brought her gaze back to her partner seeing the concerned look on his face.
Squirming out of the comfort and warmth of the bag, she moved the short distance to where he was, nudging him out of the way and ignoring his quiet protests. She knew that he should be the one to take the shot when the opportunity finally presented itself but knew she might have to shoot if something happened so she had to keep abreast of the situation. Sighing, she nestled the butt of the rifle against her shoulder, wincing at the pain, and reached forward making sure the safety was disengaged before resting her finger over the trigger guard. Once she was done with that she lifted her gaze until she was looking through the viewfinder.
And the shadowed realm of the morning disappeared, the finder's low- light capability transforming the landscape into various shades of gray. With a touch of a button, Asuka switched to the thermal imaging setting and was rewarded with a much sharper display than what Shinji had been using moments earlier. Walls, trees, vehicles, clothing, and every mundane material were no protection against the viewfinder as the redhead saw where everything that radiated thermal energy was located on the plain. She double-checked, with quiet detachment, the number of guards stationed in and around the dacha, and felt anger rise as she spotted the room where their target was sleeping. She had to stop herself as her finger tightened on the trigger and an aiming reticule formed as the ballistic computer sensed the change of pressure on the trigger. While the rifle was powerful even it couldn't penetrate multiple walls at that distance, and the target was on the far side of the house.
"It's yours, Shinji," she stated, moving from her position and sitting up. "I'm going to check the equipment so I'll be back soon."
Shinji watched her retreating back for a few seconds as she crawled from underneath the netting and down the knoll before he returned to the rifle. He didn't have to worry about her being picked up by the security forces since the knoll blocked a majority of her movements, and she was wearing chameleon camouflage, a uniform that continually shifted patterns to break up her outline and suppressed any thermal signature. And besides they were both equipped with encrypted communication headsets so if she encountered anything he would know of it instantly. All of the equipment from the rifle to the uniforms was courtesy of Kenji's contacts, who in turn were part of the organization controlling them. Taking one last glance over his shoulder, he saw a flash of red before it disappeared and he turned back to the observation knowing that in a few hours she'd relieve him.
- - - -
"It's about damn time they did something," muttered Asuka.
She had been prepared for another lousy night because throughout the whole day no one had emerged from behind the walls of the dacha, neither the target nor any of the guards. But as the sun started sinking below the horizon, turning the sky into various shades of reds and oranges, the estate had sprung into action. A multitude of vehicles were turned over and left running as preparations were made for the dacha to be vacated as the premier left for Moscow. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Shinji place his meal next to his side and take her place at the rifle as she moved to the powerful spotting scope situated next to him.
Shinji felt his heart racing as he gazed through the viewfinder wondering not for the first time if this would work and knowing that a number of things could go wrong. But as he shifted into a comfortable position and zoomed in until only the house filled the screen he felt himself go oddly calm just like all the times before. Moving the rifle in minute increments he scanned the grounds, refreshing his memory of the layout of the grounds and anything that could mess up his shot. While he scanned, he thought to himself why the SEELE members had to have such large estates out in the country, a place where they were vulnerable to attack, especially after what had been happening to them.
"They should've moved to the city."
Asuka lifted an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"They're making this too easy by living in the country. They should've learned by now," he explained.
"Doesn't matter to me, whether it's the city or the countryside. I just want them dead." She shrugged. "Besides arrogance makes people do weird things, and it's a sign of power and wealth." A new noise caused her to shift her scope. "Damn it!"
The cause of her cursing was a business helicopter, which had been sitting idle for days, starting to spin up its turbines on the pad located on the west side of the mansion. He bit back his own curse, instead shifting the gun's alignment until the pilot's seat came into view. He grinned, seeing the pilot checking his gauges while the blades began to turn above him, knowing that he would be able to take a shot on the machine if needed. It wouldn't matter to Shinji which door Premier Stefan Deminov stepped through, he wouldn't arrive at his destination except in a body bag.
"Front door, Shinji."
The rifle barely moved on its mounting as Shinji shifted, centering the front door once again and walkway in the display. A red reticule appeared over the man's chest when Shinji applied a few ounces of pressure on the trigger and started the firing procedure. The ballistic computer, which was an integral part of the rifle setup, commanded the laser-range finder to fire and waited for the reflected light to return. As the range was calculated other sensors were feeding it important data such as wind speed and direction, outside temperature, barrel temperature and droop, and other important figures. Once the computer had all the input it needed, it generated a green reticule on the display slightly above the red one. With the slightest of movements Shinji brought the barrel up until the two reticules merged and turned green, and applied the needed pressure on the trigger.
Despite knowing what was going to happen, Asuka couldn't help but flinch as the heavy gun barked once besides her, sending a single round speeding downrange. Still she hadn't removed her eye from the eyepiece on the scope and watched with intense scrutiny as the round impacted the man, dropping him where he had stood on the driveway ready to step into the waiting vehicle. She watched in triumph as the guards stood there stunned as a red mist settled to the ground, but her joy was short lived. The sounds of the helicopter intensified and as she swung her gaze to look at it, the machine leaped into the air, a man's legs sticking out of the passenger compartment. Only to crash moments later in a ball of fire and smoke after Shinji had triggered two three-round bursts into the pilot then the copilot.
"We need to get going before they get their act together," she said after sitting up.
"Yeah, you're right," he replied slowly. "Which route should we take?"
The redhead stopped in her action of packing her backpack and briefly looked at him before her eyes went distant in thought. Planning had become more important after the Germany operation, especially escape routes, and they had scouted their current location thoroughly in the past month. To the north was a bevy of military bases with a combination of air and ground forces while to the west was Lake Baykal and its surrounding villages. South lead to the Chinese border and it's own host of problems if they tried to cross while going east lead into a vast expanse of wilderness. That they also needed to return to the cabin and retrieve the rest of their equipment only added to the equation, Asuka knew as she focused on Shinji.
"We'll go with Plan Bravo."
- - - -
"We should've done the whole sniper thing from the very beginning," Asuka said. "All the killing with none of the injuries."
Shinji didn't have anything to say in response so he just kept walking trying to ignore the inconvenience of the limp that he'd picked up in Germany growing worse with each mile. Leaning against a nearby tree, he paused to catch his breath and let Asuka reach his position, knowing she was suffering just as much as him. His eyes narrowed when she stopped next to him, absently rubbing her shoulder and favoring the side she had been shot in months ago, but he didn't reach out. Ignoring his own pain for the moment, he reached down and grabbed the canteen off his belt and took small sips, watching her do the same. Slowly, he slid down the trunk of the tree until he came to rest on the ground and gestured for her to sit next to him, which she did after briefly looking at him.
"So why are we stopping here?" she inquired. "We could be back at the cabin in a couple hours having a nice bath followed by a hot meal and sleeping in a soft bed."
"Because we're both exhausted from walking for four days straight and need to rest," he explained, not telling her they should've had Kenji pick them up. But she no longer trusted him and so he hadn't floated the idea. "The cabin isn't going anywhere so a couple of hours isn't going to make much of a difference."
Asuka thought about that and muttered, "I always hate it when you're right."
The redhead's eyes slowly opened, not remembering when she had closed them, and yawned while scanning the surrounding countryside with worry. Something had disturbed her rest, and while she looked through the trees she tried to figure out what had caused a feeling a dread to settle about her. She started to stretch preparing to stand and stopped immediately as her throat went dry at what she saw moving slowly toward them. Careful she lowered her head to her knees and watched the shapes slowly approach while her hand snaked down to her holstered pistol. Once she had her weapon in hand she reached over with her free hand toward Shinji, feeling reassured when he gripped her hand after it had come to rest. Tensed, she brought her pistol up centering it on the nearest target as it rounded a tree, and prepared to dash into woods after firing.
Gunfire erupted from the duo as Shinji switched to automatic on the assault rifle he carried while Asuka pulled the trigger three times seeing her target drop as she sprang to her feet clutching Shinji's arm. She barely had time to dodge the trees when they sprang into view, darker shapes again the darkness of night, while she sprinted from the spot they had been napping. Angry shouts came from behind them, but she was soon falling in protest as she was yanked to the ground. Opening her mouth about to ask what he was thinking, the redhead shut it with a snap when the woods were briefly illuminated and felt a dull thump through the ground from a time-delayed explosive. As the white light was fading, she looked at Shinji to see him staring behind them with a frown on his face before she stood and tugged on his arm breaking him out of his trance and getting him moving at a fast trot. While they put more distance between them and their pursuers, the redhead was trying to figure out how they'd been found, and what she came up with didn't please her at all.
"Shinji?" She rushed up to him as he staggered. "What's wrong?"
"Run," he moaned.
"What?"
Then she saw the projectile sticking out of his neck just above where his uniform ended, and understood what had just occurred. With tears in her eyes she roughly grabbed him and started dragging him with her even as he struggled weakly to break free of her grasp. A sharp stinging sensation erupted on her own neck and with a gasp reached up and yanked out the tranquilizer dart but it was too late as the fast acting drug started taking effect. As her vision began to get blurry she felt herself fall to her knees and heard Shinji do the same a couple feet away. With the last of her failing strength she brought up her pistol, which seemed to weigh a ton, and took aim on the shape next to her and pulled trigger.
Two shots echoed through the forest.
- - - -
"She's coming around now."
"You should've been more exact with the dosage, it's been four hours already and I'm getting impatient."
Asuka slowly awoke from her drug-induced sleep with a massive headache and her entire body aching from the impact of Shinji's bullet when they had tried to carry out their other promise. She found her arms and legs secured to a very uncomfortable chair while her head was unrestrained when she tensed her muscles preparing to spring at her captors. A hiss of pain escaped her parched lips when she opened her eyes to the glare of light before narrowing them and began surveying her surroundings. Her slight intake of breath didn't go unnoticed by the two men and she watched out of the corner of her eye as they walked over, one of them roughly jerked her head upward and her eyes widened in recognition.
"So nice of you to join us Miss Soryu," crooned the one holding her chin.
If a person could be killed by looks alone the man in front of her would've burst into flames from the hatred she was projecting. But behind her anger was a feeling of shock and failure that she hadn't felt since she'd lost her pilot status from the Angels and herself. Her body started trembling, knowing that she hadn't just failed herself but Shinji and their friends as well. The rest of the world didn't matter to her as her goal was simply to win their freedom and if Third Impact was stopped it was purely a side effect.
"I'm glad that you recognize me," stated Stefan Deminov, his steel blue eyes cold and dark as they held her in their gaze. "Yes, I'm quite alive though I regret to say my double didn't survive his encounter with you two." His breath smelled of old age and decay causing Asuka to flinch as it touched her face. "And I regret to inform you that your pain is just beginning Miss Asuka Langley Soryu."
Not prepared for him to forcefully shove her head backward, Asuka cried out in pain when her head ricocheted off a plate situated behind her. Shaking her head in an attempt to clear her vision of stars, she didn't notice the other man's actions until she felt the sharp prick of a needle on her right arm which was followed by another one moments later. Looking down, she saw clear tubes used for intravenous drips projecting from her forearm and leading to two bags filled with solutions. Before she could protest, the man was attaching more sensor pads to her body augmenting the ones already placed, uncaring about her dignity. She tried glaring at him but found herself unable or unwilling to move a muscle as the drugs flowed through her body, weakening her both physically and mentally. The scrape of a chair of concrete brought her attention back to the man who she had thought they'd killed and saw him sitting down where he could observe what was about to happen.
"Now then let's get down to business," said Deminov coldly after waiting for the drugs to take affect. "Who are the people who've helped you?"
Asuka shook her head trying to the haze and mumbled, "I don't know."
"Now, now that's not the best way to start this interview."
Asuka saw her captor motion with his head, causing the other man to stand in front of her. She watched in horror as he reached forward but he wasn't reaching for her shirt instead his hand closed around her hand singling out her middle finger. Her jaw hurt as she clenched it tightly not wanting to give her torturer any satisfaction as the man increased the amount of pressure as he slowly bent her finger backward preparing to break it. She couldn't help but scream as the joint explosively failed, the cracking of cartilage and bone was audible to her ears as she felt ligaments and tendons tear under the stress. Tears blurred her vision and her breath was ragged but she forced herself to look at the broken digit, seeing it resting at a crooked angle and beginning to become discolored. Weakly raising her gaze, she bared her teeth at the man who was smiling at her pain and resolved that no matter what she'd kill him.
"I've learned that pain and drugs make the perfection combination for extracting information."
- - - -
"Why aren't the Children on their way to Tokyo-3, Stefan?"
"I've been trying to get the names of who has been helping them, Kihl."
"That is not important."
"I'd rather not share eternity with someone who has been trying to kill me."
"Irrelevant. Get them on a transport immediately, Stefan. Or you many not live to see our paradise."
"Yes, sir."
The conversation ended abruptly as the transmitters shut down, and the electronic intercept officer who had been monitoring the transmission looked up at his commanding officer. The man stood in the exact location that the pilots had shot from and he had the same view as them while he thought. His orders were clear in what he was supposed to do but he didn't like having to go up against an alerted target even with covert operations troops. Shrugging his shoulders, he turned to his assistant and conversed with him for a moment before giving the order.
- - - -
The ceiling was his goal Shinji thought as he lay on a cold uncomfortable metal slab directing his concentration upward in an attempt to find the ceiling and be able to lose himself in its blankness, but it was a useless attempt. The cell he had found himself in was completely devoid of windows and light, and the pain coursing through his body made any attempt at concentration an exercise in futility. Broken ribs made breathing pure torture while fire radiated from his knee and lower leg a testimony to the coldness of his captor.
Closing his good eye, he pushed the thoughts of the last hours and his interrogation out of his mind, and didn't think of the pain inflicted upon Asuka at the same time. He tensed his hand at thinking of the redhead only to whimper in pain as broken bones grated against one another before relaxing it. As the pain faded and his heart slowed he listened for his companion, smiling in relief as he heard her steady breathing in the room.
"Asuka," he whispered or whispered to the best of his ability with a throat raw from screaming. "Asuka," he repeated louder and was rewarded with a moan from the woman.
Swinging his legs over the side of his bed, he fought to remain conscious at the intense pain that swept through him starting in his torso and working out to his appendages. When the pinpricks of light stopped dancing across his vision, he tried to stand only to fall, his knees impacting with the concrete and sending new pain through him as one leg failed. On hands and knees, he crawled to where he had heard the moans coming from and cursed when his forehead made contact with metal, which he found to be another slab like his own after some exploration. Sitting back on his legs, he carefully reached out and ran a hand along the edge until he came in contact with warm flesh, and almost jerked it back when Asuka cried out.
Standing, he braced himself with one arm and ignoring the pain allowed his other hand to flow over the redhead. From her hand up an arm covered in sticky blood over a shoulder to her neck until he reached her face. Trembling, he used that one hand as a guide while he bent down until he felt her breath on his own and without hesitation he gently pressed his lips against hers feeling her body tense before relaxing. He almost broke contact with her lips when she reached up and touched him, her hand resting on the back of his head holding him in place. After some time Shinji broke the kiss, the only sound in the room was their fast breathing while his hand lovingly stroked her cheek.
"Idiot," whispered Asuka.
Shinji opened his mouth but any reply he was going to make was cut off as the door behind him slammed open flooding the room with illumination. Squeezing his eyes shut against the sudden bright light, he started spinning around only to be knocked to the floor by a blow to the back of his head. Gritting his teeth, he started climbing to his feet, using Asuka's bed as support, only to stop when he felt the barrel of a gun pressed against his skull. He felt sweat trickle down his face at hearing heavy footsteps behind him as someone besides the one holding the gun entered the cell, and he knew that that person was the one who would pass judgment on them.
"This is quite the dilemma you have put me in Mister Ikari and Miss Soryu," commented a familiar voice. "Do I shoot one of you here and end SEELE's plans for Instrumentality? Or do I take you with me back to my superiors which creates another set of problems for the two of you." The man stepped next to Shinji and bent down looking him in the eye. "Of course, I have my orders but they give me some leeway in deciding this issue."
"So here is the question, Mister Ikari, live or die? It's your choice."
Shinji felt his body grow cold at the question understanding the meaning of it and knowing that the choices given to him were truly no choices at all. If he chose to live he would give up his freedom, no matter how chaotic it was at times, and allow himself to be shackled to another's will and be controlled by them. If he chose to die, he shook his head at that thought, he'd be free from the pain of the world but then everything he had done in the last years would've been all for naught. He glanced at Asuka and his heart wrenched in fresh pain at seeing her stare at him while he tried to make his decision, which would not only affect him but also the redhead. Taking a deep breath, he felt himself grow oddly calm as he released it, having reached his decision to the question posed to him.
"I choose to." A hand gripped his suddenly, nails digging into flesh and stopping him.
"You promised," whispered Asuka, tears in her eyes.
"What?"
"Six years ago you promised me," explained Asuka, her voice low.
"Six years ago." Shinji felt his eyes widen and tears slid down his cheeks as he remembered what he'd told her. His voice was thick as he spoke, "I promised that I'd-"
"-you'd never hurt me."
Colonel Pokryshin calmly watched as Shinji fell forward with a heart- wrenching cry, burying his face in Asuka's shoulder causing her to flinch at the pressure while he sobbed. Turning, he motioned for the soldier to follow as he left the pair alone to deal with their pain and the repercussion of their decision. It had come as no surprise that the man was ready to chose death if it allowed his companion to live and be free nor was his promise that great of a shock. What amazed him was that the redhead had reminded him of the promise and the consequences of him breaking it. As the crying faded he knew that the pair's profiles would have to be updated so no more surprises popped up but that wasn't his concern. Stopping at the stairs he glanced over his shoulder at the way he had come and the open door, and smiled knowing all the pieces were finally gathered.
* * * *
I really wish I had a good reason for why it took me over a year to finish a chapter but I don't. There was never any doubt that I'd put out another chapter or even finish the story but it seemed each time I started it something would come up. Not only that but I was never happy with the previous versions of this chapter. Oh well, hope it was entertaining.
As for Shinji's promise to Asuka that's a little complicated to explain. We already know he wouldn't leave her alone voluntarily so that promise is out. We know that he'd never hurt her physically because it's not apart of his personality. That leaves hurting Asuka emotionally, which in my opinion is the worst thing he could do to the redhead. The next chapter will do a better job of showing what I'm trying to say.
Historical fact: The longest sniper kill recorded was by U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Carlos Hathcock during the Vietnam War. He connected with a shot at 2,500 yards using a M-2 .50 caliber machine gun.
As usual all comments are welcome: eva_pilot9@doramail.com
