DISCLAIMER: Kaworu will kiss me if I own Neon Genesis Evangelion (AHHHH!!!!! NOOO!!!! PLS DON'T!!!! I'M NOT GAY!!!!)
AUTHOR'S NOTES: And so another chapter… enjoy. Sorry if all of my stories were rushed (the author sighs)
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION: 24
5:00:00 AM
The first rays of dawn were bearing upon Tokyo-3 and still two occupants of the Katsuragi household were busy on their fighting game, one was busy kicking the living crap out of Shinji's character while the latter could only receive hits.
"Ya! Take this! And that! Rising Fire Punch!"
"Umm…. Double Slash Maneuver!! Uh… Triple Roundhouse Saber Attack!!! Uh…"
Player 1 wins
"MWAAHAHAHAH!!!! I win, you lose!!!! MWHAHAHAA!!!"
That could only be the incessant laughter of Asuka after her character brutally dismantled Shinji's character in the screen.
"YEESHHHH!! Beat that Shinji!"
Round 2 start
"Umm… Saber Swipe Death Final Attack Move!!! GYAAAHHH!!!!"
If Asuka would glance at his facial expression, she could have seen a glint of berserk in his eyes.
5:07:12 AM
"Things haven't even started to get bad" Misato sourly commented, bringing the damaged SUV to the NERV parking lot.
Kaji could only nod in agreement "Yep, just look what happened. Someone already wants us dead in the early stages of our investigation"
Misato backed the car in position and turned the engine off "Yeah"
"Nice one back out there dearest honey"
The major stared at her partner "Hmm?"
"Good thinking to get the chopper off our trail… that is"
Misato allowed a smile to creep in her face "Of course… as a Tactical Operations Director"
Both alighted from the SUV and went to the elevator that would lead them to NERV command center, where the three bridge bunnies assisting them in the investigation awaits them.
If given a choice, Ritsuko would have suddenly dropped her folders containing classified documents and strangled the life out of the copy of a woman she and her mother abhorred, a woman who happened to be Gendo Ikari's dead wife and a mother of their estranged son, Shinji Ikari.
Instead, she sighed and prefers to keep her silence while she descends together on a DNA strand-thing elevator with Rei Ayanami, the First Child and the designated Evangelion Unit 0 pilot, down to Terminal Dogma.
So ironic, Ritsuko thought, that the man who had a "relationship" with her mother turned out to be the man she had shared her bed with.
Like mother, like daughter… Ritsuko's facial expression turned sour at that thought.
I'm not like my mother… I will have him for sure. I will make him forget her. I will make him be mine. I wouldn't hesitate to give him my body… if he would like to again... not like my mother who failed miserably and committed suicide…
"Yui…" Ritsuko whispered, silent enough for Rei not to hear her from behind "If you are listening right now… Gendo will be mine. You hear me? He will be mine"
The DNA strand look-a-like elevator then stopped and both stepped out. Then they boarded a mini-car, Ritsuko behind the wheel and sped up toward the core of the Dummy Plug, going past the graveyard of Evangelion failures.
Touji Suzuhara stirred and slowly woke up, rubbing his eyes and looked at his alarm clock beside his bed.
"It's still early… but then today is…"
He then smiled.
Today he would confess his love for a certain class representative.
He then jumped from his bed and started his usual morning routine, determined to see Hikari Horaki first thing in the morning. He always knew that Hikari always arrives first in the classroom and when he arrives first, he would have more time to ponder what he would say to her while he waits for her to arrive.
Yes today! Today will be the day!! Touji thought excitedly while stripping his clothes off and turning the shower on.
"I have received a report that the investigating team consisting of Katsuragi and Ryouji has been fired upon by some unknown individuals" Fuyutsuki said, after receiving a call from Section-2.
Gendo was looking outside the large plexi-glass window that showed the whole Geo-Front "Any casualties in our investigating team?"
"None, in fact, the only casualties reported are the ones who fired upon them, Ikari"
"I see. Are the perpetrators identified?"
"Section-2 was unable to"
Gendo nodded, understanding.
The sub-commander then sat at the chair and began reading his pocketbook "Ikari, are you sure that these situation is under control?"
"They are" the commander replied, still looking at the Geo-Front expanse "If necessary, deception and lies are the other options available to us, sensei"
Fuyutsuki could only smile, wondering when deception and lies would stop.
The phone then rang. Fuyutsuki picked it up and after a moment of listening, he turned to Commander Ikari.
"Ikari, it's from the JSSDF. They want to have an emergency meeting together with you right now"
At the NERV central command, everyone was doing his or her business when suddenly someone gleefully shouted.
"Whoa!! No kidding!?" Makoto exclaimed on his console, smiling.
Maya and Aoba looked at him like weird. Makoto then explained.
"Well… I just received an e-mail from my cousin. She will arrive at Tokyo-3 International Airport about…" he looked at his watch "5:30 AM today"
"Oh I see…" Maya said "Who is she?"
"Her name is Sakura Hyuga, age 14. She will continue to study here as a transfer student from Tokyo-2 Municipal High school. She asked me to fetch her at the airport today"
"Ah… that's why you got so excited earlier" Aoba commented.
PING!
The elevator doors opened and they Misato and Kaji stepped out. What's noticing however is their state of clothes. By their looks, they are quite… disheveled.
"Again…" the three bridge bunnies simultaneously said, nodding.
"Hey Maya, where are the files you managed to extract from Tenchi Hamada's laptop?" Misato asked, although noticing their stares to them, had decided not to ask about it since it was obvious anyway.
"Yes ma'am" Maya replied, a little too quickly.
"Then transfer the files to my office workstation" the major ordered, taking an escalator that would lead directly to her office, Kaji joining her.
But not before Kaji sent a flying kiss to Maya's direction and other female technicians around.
5:20:19 AM
"We will arrive at Tokyo-3 International Airport within 10 minutes. Thank you for using Japan Airlines" the cool female voice said on the speakers before clicking off.
Sakura Hyuga didn't seem to notice that the stewardess spoke as she was too engrossed seeing rays of sunshine pierce through the clouds, all the while thinking what Tokyo-3 Junior Municipal High School would be. She felt excited and exhilarated to meet again her cousin Makoto Hyuga… as well as the Evangelion pilots who are rumored to be there studying. At least that's what she heard on the news.
She idly began to fiddle her fingers around her lap, wondering what the pilots look like, particularly the one who pilots the purple one. According to the news, he's male. And according to the rumors, he's cute… in a very shy kind of way.
In a way, the pilot of that purple robot was just like her.
She blushed, thinking how fine it would be to have a more personal interaction with the popular pilots, particularly the aforementioned one.
"Hey Third!"
"Yes Asuka?" Shinji replied; still busy playing the fighting game. Asuka gave up about 5 minutes ago due to the fact that she always wins.
"I'm hungry, cook me breakfast!"
"Now?"
"Yes!"
"…okay"
Shinji then got up and turned off the game console before trudging to the kitchen, while Asuka went to her room.
"Hey Asuka, what do you want for today?" Shinji asked, already preparing the cooking utensils he would use.
"Anything!"
"How does beefsteak sound?"
"Just fine!"
"Okay then…"
After a moment Asuka then went out from her room with a towel wrapped around her body and went forward to the bathroom while humming a tune. Shinji then heard an audible sound of the bathroom door being locked and the shower being turned on.
5:35:43 AM
"Hmm… so this Tenchi Hamada recorded all of his cellular phone conversations in his laptop. Pretty slick too" Kaji commented, sipping a coffee.
"Other than the one we have listened to, there are no leads other than that of Viktor Sovietskaya" Misato said, tapping on her laptop.
"According to the database, Viktor was a Russian ex-military general, formerly a commander of a unit based somewhere around the former socialist republic. Has cases of illegal shipment of high caliber firearms and rumored to be making a nuclear bomb with his hired scientists. Also rumored to be training fresh recruits, thus having a private army"
Misato leans to her chair, thinking deeply "Hmm… having ties with a Black Cell group certainly complicated matters"
"Yep"
"Hey, can you have these .wav files analyzed? I want to know the ones who spoke in these audio files" Misato asked, handing him a disk.
"The MAGI can do that" Kaji said, taking the disk from her "In no time we will knew who spoke with Russian accent"
"There is no need for public to know what had transpired" Commander Ikari said to the military generals of Japanese Strategic Special Defense Forces.
"I know, but we are treading dangerous ground here Ikari. Black Cell has an infamous reputation of doing what they had threatened to do" one of the generals said.
"Such as this N2-Mine threat" another general piped in.
"I suggest that we must deploy our special forces around Tokyo-3 at once" another one of the generals suggested.
"I suggest against it" Commander Ikari said.
"What!? Are you crazy Ikari!? Those Black Cell bastards will—"
"We already knew that" Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki said, raising his voice a little just to be heard by those bickering generals "But we don't need the public hysteria about an N2 mine threat. Panic escalation is the last thing we need around Tokyo-3 gentlemen, and we don't want that"
"Tch… I see" the defense minister remarked, understanding clearly what they had in mind "But it doesn't mean that we are taking their threat lightly… gentlemen"
"We perfectly understand" Gendo steely said "But as long as Tokyo-3 or Evangelion Unit 1 is under dire circumstances, NERV only has sole right to have its own investigation team to resolve this particular matter, as written in the Revised UN Code 11-A"
The defense minister could only smirk in reply as if he was slapped upon by that constitution legality.
"See that you do Ikari" the defense minister replied coolly "If not, I strongly advice that you leave this investigation under JSSDF"
"Of course"
The audio/video holograms then disappeared, leaving Commander Ikari and Fuyutsuki alone in the dark conference room. Gendo then stand up and went to the door. Before he exits, he turned to the sub-commander.
"Fuyutsuki"
"Yes Ikari?"
"Contact our agent. I want to know the information he had acquired from the Ministry of Interior"
"Certainly"
5:45:16 AM
"Well, I got to go fetch my cousin at the airport guys" Makoto said, grabbing his coat hanging behind his chair "I'll be back at 7 AM, so see you later guys"
Maya waved a hand at him while Aoba nodded "See you then" they said simultaneously.
Makoto then went to the elevator that would direct him to the parking lot and looked at his watch.
Well… I still got time. Maybe I'll pass by at the convenience store and grab something to eat. I'm hungry…
"The current situation NERV has… been disturbing… to me" Lorentz Keel said to the circle of monoliths, the members of SEELE, gathered around him.
"Maybe you fear that these current events will bring our scenario into jeopardy" SEELE 2 said.
"Certainly" Keel replied "We have gone far to the point of no return and it is simply outrageous to have our scenario drowned in uncertainty and doubt. Failure is unacceptable"
"Of course" SEELE 5 remarked "Backlash to our plans will really happen if unforeseen events unexpectedly happen or Ikari betraying us"
"Although Ikari may have been betraying us and creating his own scenario" SEELE 9 harshly said.
"That's why we have an undercover agent in the ranks of NERV under our employ, to report to us the real happenings at NERV" Lorentz assured them.
"But then our watchdog's report is not satisfying Keel. Perhaps he is straying away from the objective we have imposed on him" SEELE 12 said, a tone of worry obvious in his voice
"He will be dealt with when the need arises" Lorentz replied "His quest for the truth will ultimately lead him to an end; whether by our hands, Ikari, or those suits from the government. Only a fool would foolishly risk his life for futile reasons"
5:53:43 AM
Makoto was patiently waiting for Sakura in the waiting area when someone familiar called out his name.
"Makoto!!! Oi!!!" a feminine voice shouted.
Makoto turned around to see who it was "Sakura!!"
Sakura happily bounded to him and hugged him tightly "Hello Makoto! Miss me?"
"Of course I was… my… you've grown up" Makoto was amazed to see his cousin again, her body figure filled out.
"Yes I am!" Sakura said, swinging her jet black hair around, her blue eyes twinkling with delight "By the way Makoto, here"
Sakura jerked her thumb to tons of baggage behind her "Can you carry them for me to your car please? I want to get ready now for my first day of school"
Her pleading features caused Makoto's heart to melt "Aww… okay"
"Thanks Makoto!" Sakura happily said, bounding to his car in great leaps.
"You're welcome" Makoto replied, and sweat dropped when he saw Sakura's several baggage lined up to be carried away.
"The Dummy Plug programming is now over Rei. You can come out now" Ritsuko said, tapping her fingers on the large tube that is the core of the Dummy Plug, then gave a folder containing the results to Commander Ikari, who went down there earlier to see his creation.
Rei Ayanami slowly opens her eyes and nods in acknowledgement, then clambered out from the tube naked.
As Rei toweled herself dry and dress up in her school uniform, Gendo then slowly walked in her direction.
"Rei?"
"Yes sir"
Gendo smiled "Let's eat"
"Yes sir"
While Gendo and Rei walked towards the DNA strand thing elevator again, Ritsuko followed them behind, staring at them.
6:00:00 AM
To Be Continued…
Sigh… it was rushed again. I don't know why, but although I would like to have an extremely long chapter, I felt quite bored typing it. Maybe due to my limited imagination… I guess. Oh… I hate myself!! Anyways, next chapter coming this week… or whatever ^_^