Disclaimer: See Part II.
Deus Ex Machina
Chapter 9
Misato sat at the operator console, simply staring at the screens. The
monitors were dark, and fuzzy reflections stared back at her. She tapped the keyboard randomly, fighting nostalgia.
"Misato?"
She looked up to see Morpheus climbing down the ladder from the cockpit. "Oh, hi. I didn't know anyone was aboard," she said.
"I was reviewing some new navigation data," he said. Morpheus walked around the console and looked down at the half filled bag next to the seat. "What's going on?" he asked, concerned.
Misato smiled sadly. "I've been transferred."
"Transferred?" Morpheus echoed. His eyes narrowed. "Is that why Commander Lock summoned you?"
Misato nodded. "He offered me the position of tactical officer in the Project, and I accepted."
"I see," Morpheus replied. He laughed briefly and shook his head. "He took my advice."
"Sir?"
"After the first battle, I suggested that the Commander provide some combat personnel to the Project. I didn't expect him to pick you, though."
"If you would like me to stay, I could turn it down," Misato offered.
"No, don't," Morpheus replied. "They really could use your help."
They were both quiet for a moment. Misato reached out and grabbed a long cord that was hung over one edge of a monitor. Attached to the cord was a small, cross-shaped piece of metal and plastic. Misato stared at it, feeling its weight in her palm, before she dropped the piece into her bag.
"There is something I would ask that you do," Morpheus said.
"What is it?"
"Watch over Rei when I'm gone," Morpheus answered. "I hate leaving her in Zion when
I'm away, but I doubt that she will be able to leave again, for as long as the Angels are coming."
Misato smiled. "Of course I will. She'll be fine, she's a smart girl."
"I know," Morpheus said. "And there are plenty of good people to support her."
"I won't let anything happen to her," Misato promised.
"Thank you." The two were silent again, until Misato finally stood and picked up her bag. "Why don't you come over for dinner tonight?" Morpheus said. "We'll have a little party for you."
Misato grinned. "A party? You know I'll be there."
Shinji lay in his link chair, sure that he wasn't going to make it to the fight alive. Kensuke and Touji leaned over him, elbows planted on the armrests, and gave hushed advice, punctuating each point by pounding their fists on his chest. Shinji was certain he felt his lungs on the verge of collapse.
"Her favorite weapon is a pair of sais," Touji warned. "You'll be best off with a sword."
"Don't get stuck in close combat, though," Kensuke added. "She'll lock up your weapon with one of hers."
"Then she'll kick you're head in," Touji added, with another punch. "She's very light on her feet."
Kensuke nodded. "You're best option is to charge her, and back off if you can't land a blow. Use the reach your weapon gives you."
"And for God's sake," Touji whispered, "never, absolutely never-"
"HEY!" Asuka yelled from her seat. "Can we get this over with? I want to win the tournament and go home early."
"Yeah, okay," Kensuke said. He quickly inserted the link plugs for both combatants, and went to the console. Touji walked over to join him.
"Never what?" Shinji asked aloud, just as the connection to the Construct activated.
Asuka looked at the racks in the small room, searching for her favorite weapon.
"KENSUKE!" she screamed at the ceiling. "Load the rest of the weapons!"
"Sorry," the operator's voice echoed down. "It didn't load properly."
"Yeah, right," grumbled Asuka, glaring at the roof for a moment more. When she looked down, the rest of the weapons had been loaded. Grabbing the sais, she ran out into the dojo's main room.
Shinji was already there, loosely holding a katana. As soon as she entered, he brought the weapon up and held it in front of him.
Asuka smiled and twirled her sais around her fingers. "Don't expect to beat me again," she said, stepping back into a defensive stance.
The two stared at each other for a full minute, before Shinji finally nodded. He leapt forward, swinging his sword down at Asuka. She brought both sais up and blocked, kicking as she did. Shinji tumbled backwards, landing on his back. He used his momentum to continue rolling back, coming back to his feet.
Asuka was on him immediately, swinging her sais viciously, the short blades whistling as they sliced through the air. Shinji desperately blocked, wielding his sword with his right hand. He lashed out with his left, using his palm to shove Asuka aside. He slashed at her neck with the katana, and Asuka bent backwards to dodge. She back flipped away as Shinji swung again.
He stepped forward for another swing, and another. Asuka back flipped across the room, staying just beyond the ringing edge of the blade. As she reached the edge of the room, she pushed hard off the ground with her hands, launching herself high into the air. Planting her feet on a wood column, she pushed off and flipped over Shinji.
Shinji swung his sword upwards, but she had already passed over him. Her foot lashed out, connecting with the back of his head. Shinji crashed into the column and crumpled to the ground.
Asuka landed in a roll and quickly came to her feet, wincing. A shallow gash was cut into her right thigh, and blood trickled down to her ankle. She turned to face Shinji as he picked himself up off the floor. Blood flowed from the left side of his mouth. He reached up and wiped it on the sleeve of his uniform.
"Not bad, Third," Asuka smirked. "Not good, but not bad." She leapt forward again, stabbing out with a sai. Shinji backed up quickly, dodging or blocking her thrusts.
When the katana connected with one of the sais, Shinji quickly twisted to his right. The weapon was wrenched from Asuka's left hand and sent across the room.
Asuka reacted immediately, bringing the other sai around and stabbing deep into Shinji's left shoulder. He gasped and staggered back. Dropping to a knee, he reached up and pulled the weapon out, screaming as it came free.
He dropped the sai and was reaching for his sword when everything went black.
Asuka sat up after Kensuke removed the link plug. She ran her fingers through her hair, making sure it covered the plug at the base of her skull. She glanced over to see Kensuke and Touji hovering over Shinji.
"Jeez, he's out cold," Kensuke said.
Asuka shrugged. "It's not like I really kicked him."
"The mind makes it real," Touji said. "You K.O.'d his brain, so he's out."
"Does the professor have smelling salts?" Kensuke asked.
"Don't worry about that. I'm sure Shinji's just being lazy again." Asuka stepped next to them and leaned over Shinji, putting her face inches away from his. "Shinji?" she asked quietly.
"WAKE UP!" she screamed.
Rocketed to consciousness, Shinji bolted upright, only to smack his forehead into Asuka's. He fell back on the seat as Asuka stumbled backwards, landing against Touji.
"Eww! Get your hands off me!" she screamed when he instinctively caught her.
"Sorry!" Touji said, roughly pushing her back to her feet. "That was reflex. Normally, I would have let you go."
"What?" Asuka yelled. "You'd let a lady just fall and hurt herself? What kind of guy are you?"
"You're not a lady," Touji fired back.
"Why does my head hurt?" Shinji asked Kensuke. "I thought it wasn't real."
Kensuke stared at him blankly for a moment. "Your mind makes it real," he finally offered.
"Does the mind get aspirin in this place?"
Shinji and Asuka arrived home, pressing icepacks to their foreheads. The bruises on their heads matched the bruises their egos had taken. Shinji had the extra burden of blame, placed on him by Asuka, over her loss in the round after their fight. He still didn't remember head butting her, but Kensuke and Touji had backed up her story. Or at least been too afraid of Asuka's wrath to contradict it.
"What did you mean by 'again'?" Shinji asked as they climbed the stairs to the apartment.
Asuka stopped and turned toward him, folding her arms.
"You said I wouldn't beat you again," Shinji continued. "I've never beaten you before."
Asuka shook her head and sighed. "You really don't get it, do you?"
"Get what?"
"Forget it," she said, rolling her eyes. "Let's go see what biohazard Misato is cooking for dinner tonight."
Shinji immediately felt queasy. "You still have some of that goop hidden away."
"I hope so."
The teens paused outside the apartment door. Taking deep breaths, they opened the door, waiting for the inevitable cloud of black smoke to pour out. When none came, they stepped in, sniffing the air suspiciously.
"Is that...flowers?" Shinji asked.
Asuka only nodded, walking into the kitchen. A slender metal vase sat on the table, holding a few purple flowers.
"Lilacs," Asuka said, bending over and smelling them. "Misato's favorites."
"There are flowers in Zion?" Shinji asked.
"Some," Misato said, emerging from her bedroom. "The species we've managed to save from extinction when the surface died. There are a few greenhouses at the western edge of the Geofront that grow them." She walked over and gently brushed her fingers against a flower. "They're difficult to get."
"So how did you get these?" Asuka asked.
"They were a gift."
"What, you have another admirer?"
Misato giggled and shook her head. "This is kind of a parting gift," she said, plucking a flower from the vase. She turned and walked back to her bedroom. "We're having diner with Morpheus tonight, she called back. "Let's go over in about half an hour, okay?"
After she disappeared into her room, Shinji turned to Asuka. "A parting gift?"
Asuka shrugged. "I don't think I like the sound of that."
It was nearly an hour before they left for Morpheus's apartment. As he lived below them, on the building's third floor, they at least got there quickly.
They met Switch on the stairs, carrying a bundle under her arm. She greeted them. "Well, I guess I'm not late after all," she said.
"You're joining us for dinner too?" Misato asked.
"Of course," Switch replied. "It wouldn't be proper to have a going away party without everyone being there."
"Who's going away?" Asuka asked.
Switch glanced at Misato. "You didn't tell them?"
Misato shook her head. "I figured we'd surprise them."
"Are you going to another ship, Misato?" Shinji asked.
Misato smiled brightly. "Not at all."
"What's going on, then?" Asuka asked as they reached the correct door.
The door opened immediately after Misato knocked. Rei stood inside, regarding them calmly. "We have been expecting you," she signed.
The girl stepped aside, letting the others enter. The apartment's living room was occupied by a large table, where Neo, Trinity, and Apoc sat. Another round of greetings was said as Rei disappeared into the kitchen. Morpheus emerged a moment later, carrying a large bowl.
"Ah, you're finally here," he said, setting the bowl on the table. "Everything will be ready in a minute."
Shinji almost gasped as he saw the salad, full of green lettuce and fresh vegetables. "There's fresh food in Zion?"
Everyone around the table laughed. "Misato's cooking is not the standard here," Apoc said, getting a glare from the operator.
"There is a small amount of produce grown in green houses," Trinity explained. "It's usually very hard to obtain. How did you manage this?" she asked Morpheus as he returned to the room with another bowl, this time full of pasta.
Morpheus smiled. "I simply called in a few favors."
Neo cleared his throat and briefly glared at Morpheus, drawing a laugh from the captain. "I also abused Neo's status and popularity. There are plenty of people willing to help when they hear that the One is involved."
"Did you get the flowers we sent?" asked Neo.
Misato smiled. "Yes, they're beautiful. Thank you."
"You're welcome," said Trinity.
Rei walked into the room and set another bowl on the table. "Dinner is served," she signed.
Misato eyes grew wide as she looked at the thick red sauce in the bowl. "Is that...beef?"
Morpheus only smiled in response.
"Really, you've done to much," Misato said. "This is incredible."
"We had to send you off properly," Morpheus relied, sitting down at the head of the table.
"Send you off?" Asuka asked.
"You haven't told them?" Neo asked.
"Not yet. Rei doesn't know, does she?" Misato asked, turning to Morpheus.
He nodded. "She has heard already."
Misato faked a pout. "I wanted to surprise all of them."
"Misato," Asuka began, glaring at her roommate. "What is going on?" she demanded.
"I've been transferred to Project E," Misato answered.
Asuka stared at her blankly. "Transferred?" she finally asked. "What for?"
"I'll be the tactical coordinator, or something like that," Misato explained. "Basically, I'm your commanding officer now. I think."
"Oh," Asuka replied. She turned and stared down at her plate, processing what she was told. "Well."
"Well, lets eat," Misato said cheerfully. The food was soon passed around, and the Neb crew enjoyed a meal that was far superior to the ones they normally shared.
As the conversations grew Shinji turned to Apoc, who was seated next to him, with a burning question. "Where did the meat come from?" he whispered.
Apoc glanced over at him. "You sure you want to know?" he quietly asked back. When Shinji nodded, he explained. "It is synthetically grown in a nutrient bath down in a research lab."
Shinji glanced down at his plate, suddenly less hungry.
Apoc continued his quiet explanation. "Decades ago, a team roaming the surface found a herd of wild cattle. They managed to bring a few to Zion, which were cloned and used for food. Now they bypass the whole living, breathing animal stage, and just grow the meat. Not as good as the real thing, but it beats the bowl of snot, right?"
Shinji nodded, idly poking his pasta with a fork. "Hey, you gonna finish that?" Apoc asked. Shinji slid the half full plate over to him.
After dinner, Neo produced another rarity in Zion: a bottle of wine. He waved off Misato's objection that it should be saved. "This was given to me as a gift, to be used for a good occasion. I think that this counts." The fact the Neo had a half-dozen more bottles was not mentioned.
After a cup was poured for everyone, even the three teenagers, Trinity raised her cup. "To the best operator in Zion." Everyone raised their cups to the toast, and drank.
"Wow," said Misato, finishing the drink in one long gulp. "That was really good." She looked around the table, at each member of the Neb's crew, with a smile that was equal parts grateful and sad. "Thank you. I really don't know what to say; I'm going to miss all of you."
"Hey, it's not like you'll never see us," Apoc said. "We'll still be in Zion a couple days a year, right?" Morpheus and the others laughed.
"Just make sure it's not during an Angel attack," Misato said.
"Yes ma'am," Apoc replied, throwing a half-hearted salute. Misato blinked, surprised at the action, eliciting a chuckle from Switch.
"I guess this is a good time," the blond said. She reached behind her chair and picked up the bundle she had carried in, handing it to Misato. The soft object was wrapped with a small blanket, whose corners were tied together.
Misato loosened the knots, revealing a pair of dark red sweaters. She glanced up at Switch. "How did you...?"
Morpheus smirked. "It always helps, Captain Katsuragi, to have an inside source," he said, glancing to the seat next to his.
"Rei?" Misato asked. "You're a spy now?"
The girl appeared puzzled by the charge. "I overheard the commander telling some of his staff," she signed innocently.
"Uh-huh," Misato replied with mock suspicion.
"You did not want it known?" Rei asked.
"I wasn't going to make a big deal out of it," Misato answered. "But now that you know, well," she began to grin wickedly. "I guess I'll have to use my rank to whip everything into shape over there."
This was met with another round of chuckles, and a quiet "Oh god" from Asuka.
A short time later, Misato had produced the metal jug of engine degreaser. Her stated reason was to return the canister to the crew of the Nebuchadnezzar, as it belonged to the ship. However, she and the ship's crew, primarily Apoc and Neo, soon appeared determined to leave the Neb without one of its essential maintenance products.
The three teenagers, not allowed to participate in the waste of fleet resources, soon left the apartment. They made their way to the roof, where they could look out at the city. Asuka perched herself on the edge of the roof, leaning out precariously over a four story drop. Shinji dangled his feet over the edge, while Rei stayed several feet back.
"I really can't believe they transferred her to the Project," Asuka began. "She's so irresponsible."
"Misato?" Shinji asked, earning a glare from Asuka.
"Of course," she replied.
"Well, she helped me get through the battles," Shinji said. "I think this will be good."
When Asuka didn't respond, Shinji laid back, staring at the distant roof of the Geofront. Tiny points of light were scattered across the roof of the dome, and the glowing pads of a hovercraft passed far overhead.
"It almost looks like stars up there," Shinji said.
"Those are navigational lights," Asuka said. "The clusters of lights are the tunnels that go out from Zion. The others are to let ships know where low-hanging stalactites are."
"They are also there to reassure those that were freed," Rei added. "Mankind fears the darkness, and seeks to overcome it."
Asuka leaned back on her elbows, looking over to the blue haired girl. "So you're a philosopher when you have alcohol?"
Rei cocked her head to one side. "We did not have enough wine to get drunk."
Asuka laughed. "I know that. I bet you would be, though."
A sudden bout of laughter caused the children to look down. Neo, Trinity, Apoc, and Switch were leaving together, with Trinity attempting to herd her wobbly companions in the proper direction.
"I guess the party's over," Asuka said, closing her eyes. She suddenly sat back up, staring off in the distance. A faint rumbling noise was heard, carrying from the center of the city. "I didn't know there was a gathering tonight. Come on, let's go."
Asuka leapt to her feat and turned to the ladder, only to see Misato's head pop up. "Hey, guys," she said, grinning sleepily at them.
The three teens stared at her for a moment. Misato stared back, still smiling.
"Did you want something?" Asuka finally asked.
"What? Oh right." Misato shook her head, trying to knock her thoughts back into place. "There's a sync test at six-thirty tomorrow morning."
"What?" Asuka shouted. "Why so early?"
Misato shrugged. "I dunno. Seemed like a good idea at the time, so go to bed. That's an order." She began to climb down the ladder, but slipped, falling pas the last two rungs and landing on her rear. "Oops! Watch out for that. This ladder's trezurrus...techerrus...treshurzerusser...broken!"
"Aye-aye, captain," Asuka called sarcastically. "I can't believe this," she grumbled.
Rei got up and walked to the ladder. With a quick goodnight, she left the roof. Asuka and Shinji quickly followed.