Two weeks ago…

The flight was uneventful, if tedious. Through a ticketing error, I was stuck in the no-smoking section, and as much as I was tempted to make a few phone calls to sort this one out, I didn't. I didn't need the extra attention as it would defeat the purpose of purchasing the ticket with cash and not the platinum NERV credit card.

Upon landing, I picked up the rental Jeep that had been reserved using a name that wasn't exactly mine and began the long drive towards the Jornada del Muerto desert.

People usually talked about how the noon heat contrasted sharply with the bitterly cold desert nights but that didn't seem to be the case in New Mexico. It was dry, and quiet, and with only the stars to provide any semblance of illumination. Towards the east lay the San Andres Mountains, enormous piles of blackness in the evening light. I couldn't see a thing save for their outlines.

But then, I wasn't here for sight-seeing.

I stopped on top of a small hill that overlooked the desert and a menacing blasted landscape, shook another cheap American cigarette from the pack and began to smoke.

Ten minutes later, another Jeep similar to the one I drove pulled up beside me. I rolled up the window and got out while the driver of the other vehicle did the same. We stood there in silence for quite sometime, giving me a chance to compare the man in person to the pictures I had in seen in files.

I would like to think that we formed a nice contrasting picture, me in a rumpled long-sleeves shirt and brown slacks, sporting a ponytail and an unshaved face; he, on the other hand, was in impeccably clean lab attire, with a tuft of albino white hair dotting his head. Wrinkled skin and eye-bags rounded him out, both of which were missing from the file photos.

"Cigarette, doctor?" I asked.

"I take one every few years and they always seem to be on the eve of something bad, Mr. Kaji. Is tonight any different?"

I shrugged and pocketed the pack. "We're only here to fulfill the parameters of your contract Dr. Connor. A little chit-chat might be in order as well, but that's about it. No need for doom."

He sighed loudly and fidgeted with the pockets of his coat, and I knew immediately that he had brought it.

"Commander Ikari wants you to know how deeply NERV regrets this loss, of course. It's quite sad, really. We were beginning preparations for the Unit to be shipped to Japan when we heard…of the incident."

The good doctor nodded slowly and then nodded towards the horizon. "Do you know what happened here?"

I did but I humored him, I knew he wanted to say something.

"This was the site of the original Trinity atomic bomb test site. Many years later, when we need a place to begin Evangelion production and development, we came back here, after all, the public would not think that we would return to this place."

"You were still attacked, right?" I prompted.

"Yes, yes, as you know, I'm sure, this was also where Unit A0 made its last stand. If it were morning, I'm sure you would be able to pick out scraps of armor and debris that the Army hasn't removed or sterilized yet. We can't go over there, of course. I'm no longer authorized, decommissioned, and although there aren't any chain-link fences, we merely have to ride down this crest for squadrons of black helicopters carrying men in black to arrive and arrest us. Invisible sensors, you know."

"Now that you mention it, I'm more tempted to take a little jaunt over there."

He scowled at me and I gave a little smile in return. It was fun baiting the old man.

"Look at the results of our madness. How old are the pilots in Japan, fourteen? Ours was sixteen years old. We are sending adolescents to fight our wars. And they're dying. At that age, they think they are immortal. But we prove them wrong. We prove that at that age, they can indeed die."

I dropped the spent cigarette to my feet and stamped it out. "At the Alamo, I believe they took anyone who could pick up and use a gun, no exceptions. People are always ready to sacrifice themselves, to immortalize themselves. Subconsciously I think they know, as long as the side they're fighting for wins, everything will work out for the better."

Connor snorted. "We almost resorted to a tactical nuke…imagine that, in our own country. Can you imagine the damage? The fall-out? The repercussions? And what if that hadn't killed it? What then?"

"But the kid managed to kill it."

"Yes, yes, of course, the…kid, as you put it, did manage to win…"

"With the help of your staff's shining achievement of course?"

"Yes, that was a big factor…"

"A big factor? I believe it was the decisive factor, doctor. Your tests showed that it could extend internal power to, how long was it?"

"Up to ten minutes," Connor muttered. "Depending on pilot and synchronization ratio."

Kaji pulled out his last cigarette and lit up with a flourish. "And how long did the battle last after the monster managed to sever the Evangelion's umbilical cord?"

There was a second of hesitation before he replied, "Seventeen. Seventeen minutes."

"There you go." I said with a smile.

"…He was the actual Third Child, did you know that? They were both discovered at around the same time but we gracefully gave way to the commander's son and designated him as the Fourth. And now he's dead, and someone else can take up that name."

Sigh. This was getting out of hand. "Doctor, do you have the files? That is of course what I came here for."

The doctor blinked back tears and handed Kaji the thick bundle of discs. "Everything we have on the Independence Engine is there, as per my contract."

"There aren't any side effects to the pilots are there?"

The frown that he wore progressed into an open scowl. "Since when was that an issue with you people?"

I replied with a cheerful smile, "Just felt like asking. To be polite." Then I reached over and squeezed his shoulder. "Remember the Alamo doc. Are you sure you won't take up our offer to move to Japan?"

"After what I've seen…it's been too much for an old man. I don't want to bury anymore nephews. And I don't want to see the commander bury his son."

I shrugged and patted the rear of his vehicle. "Nice, at least the severance package was friendly." I got into the car, and waved goodbye, leaving Dr. Connor to his memories and regrets.

The next morning, bright and early, I was on a plane back to Japan, with a copy of the local paper in my hand. The headline was about the death of the highly famous American Evangelion expert Dr. Samuel Connor. Something about a car bomb that had killed him instantly as he had made his way home to the Diamond Bar Ranch.

I yawned and reclined my seat, certain that Gendo was waiting eagerly for me to return.