Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is Owned by Gainax. Buy the DVD's of
the Series and the Movies from them. I did, and it was worth every dime.
I don't own anything except my DVD's, and this is done for my own
satisfaction.
Episode 2:03 Another Unfamiliar Ceiling.
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.
Presumed date is day Tuesday February 23rd , 2016
Shinji opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling over his head.
'Another Unfamiliar Ceiling,' he thought to himself. Sitting up he stretched and threw back the covers of his bed. He dressed quickly and headed out into the kitchen to begin making breakfast. It was 4:59 am, and he had a busy day ahead of him. He and Asuka had to report to the Airfield by 6:00am, and wouldn't have a break until sometime after noon. Then after lunch they'd be back at work, training in the flight simulators until sometime after 5:00pm
He started the stove, and began to heat up some cold rice. He started the tea water boiling, and added the leaves when it was time, and set it aside to steep. He got out the butter, milk, and sugar, and added them to the rice, making it sweet and tasty. He missed chicken eggs, but no one had found chickens at any of the local farms that had been visited, so if he ever got real nostalgic he could prepare some of the powdered eggs they'd found. Even if they were disgusting.
The fact they hadn't found chickens yet was a minor worry. Shinji was sure they'd eventually find them. There hadn't been too many animals around when he and Asuka had first awakened on the beach, but over the last few weeks more and more had been sighted coming out of the forests to reclaim their former lands. Sooner or later some chickens would show up, and they'd be able to have eggs again.
The one thing he did wonder about was the sea. It was now a sea of LCL, formed of the blood of Lilith/Rei, at her death. Her body had dissolved quickly, much to the relief of all the Awakened. Seeing giant rotting heads and arms lying on the horizon was disturbing. But the Seas had paid the price. The LCL had flooded into them, and Shinji wondered if anything was alive in that sea of blood. Admittedly, he and Asuka had lived in the stuff for months, but he wasn't sure if it was all that conducive to support sea life. After all the Dead Sea on the former site of Antarctica was called that, because nothing could live there.
The table was set, the tea ready, the rice warm and deliscious, but Asuka was still not here. He walked to her bedroom door, and knocked softly.
"Asuka, we've got duty in 35 minutes, time to get up, or we're gonna be late."
From within her heard a moan and a grumble.
"Tell Akagi that I died in Third Impact and can't come in to work today," she groaned.
"That isn't going to work Asuka. We all died in Third Impact, and we all have to work today. Who knows how many people we're going to recover today, so get up."
"Alright, Alright. Gah! I need to brush my teeth and take a shower," she grumbled.
"Towels are clean and ready for you in the bathroom, and breakfast is on the table," he said cheerfully.
Asuka grumbled to herself, as she walked into the bathroom. He was too damn cheerful, that was his problem. There was almost nothing that infuriated her more on mornings like this, than a cheerful Shinji Ikari. She wondered at that. Before Instrumentality, she would have taken great delight in crushing him, making him feel like a worm.
'Just so that I could feel superior,' she thought.
Turning on the shower, she stepped under the water, and began to soap her body as it washed over her. She was quick, as she really should have been up before now, and brushed her teeth in the shower as well, before jumping out, and drying herself off. She walked back into her room, wrapped in two more towels, put on her flight suit, and walked out to the kitchen table, towel still wrapped around her head.
"Mmm, that smells delicious Shinji, thank you. One of these day's I promise, I'll get up early and cook you breakfast," she said, taking her first bite.
"It's no big deal Asuka, I like cooking. I got pretty used to doing all the cooking at Misato's before you moved in," he smiled, the frowned.
"Misato, huh?" she asked.
"Yeah. She hasn't come back yet, and I'm wondering if she will."
"I'd bet she is, but you have to remember it's been barely a month and a half since Instrumentality, and the number of people Awakening each day is increasing. Professor Fuyutsuki said we recovered over 24 people yesterday. That's a new record, and we've set records twice in the last four days."
"Really, that's cool. I hope she does come back; I sure do miss her."
"Hmmph," she snorted.
"Ha. Jealous?" he teased.
"Of Misato, Never!" she growled. Then took a quick sip of the tea to cover her facial expression. Actually, she did feel a little spike of jealousy. He always spoke of Misato with such love. She had been both of their foster mother, but somehow, Shinji had always been closer to her than Asuka had. She couldn't understand that. She missed Misato as a friend, and was concerned that she hadn't come back yet, but she wasn't pining over her loss.
"Oh Crap, look at the time," Shinji growled, jumping up, and grabbing a last quick sip of his tea.
"Great, only ten minutes to get to the Airfield," Asuka exclaimed, forgetting her meal, and jumping up. They both grabbed their jackets, and helmet's and headed down the stairs and out the rear doors of the Visiting Officer Quarters. Almost like a group of Condo's, but really nothing more than a military hotel, the individual VOQ rooms had everything you could want. The large covered parking area behind the VOQ only had a couple other cars in it, and only one motorcycle.
Shinji's Kawasaki.
He jumped on it, keyed the ignition, and waited for her to finish adjusting her helmet. She did so, and climbed on, leaning forward to wrap her arms around him. For some reason she didn't feel quite as comfortable on this bike when she leaned back into the seat like she was meant to.
Shinji could feel her press up against him, and gunned the motor, as the bike left the parking lot. He glanced at the digital clock in the top of the dash. Six minutes. He'd have to hurry if they weren't going to keep the senior pilots waiting. The first alarms would be sounding within the next 45 minutes, and they needed to be in position to rescue the Awakened from stumbling around in a daze.
Professor Fuyutsuki, a day or two after he'd awakened, had convinced Shinji, Asuka, and Doctor Akagi that it would be better to make people feel like they belonged, rather than isolate them. If they were isolated they might feel threatened, when confronted with other survivors, and maybe even resort to violence. Fuyutsuki felt that this was unnecessary, as there were more than enough supplies for the taking for anyone who wished them. Also, a community could accomplish much more than a few pockets isolated and hostile individuals.
So they'd started going out in trucks the first few days, driven by the Doctor or the Professor, rescuing the dazed Awakened, and bringing them back here. Now every day their ranks swelled.
Shinji came over the last hill to the airfield with 45 seconds to spare. On the landing field were two UN VTOL aircraft warming up. They flew through the gate, and parked in the usual space; taking off and storing their riding gear in the lockers provided.
"See you this afternoon Shinji," Asuka waved.
"Bye Asuka," he answered, climbing into his waiting VTOL.
"'bout time Ikari. What happened, wild night with the girlfriend last night?" the older pilot asked. He'd been a Major with the JSDF Airforce before Instrumentality, and was now the head pilot and chief trainer for the survivors of Nagoya-2.
"No sir, Major, we just slept in," Shinji muttered as he put on his flight helmet, and buckled himself in.
"You, oversleep? Ha! Tell me another one Ikari," the man said, "I'd lay even money that you haven't overslept a day in your life."
Shinji didn't say anything. Well it was true. He had NEVER slept in; he was always an early riser. Something about his internal clock was extremely accurate, and all he had to do was decide to wake up at a certain time, and he always beat the alarm clock awake.
They lifted off with the usual ease the Major brought to all his take offs and were soon orbiting the base, as the other VTOL lifted as well. As soon as they were both in the air, the pilot of the other craft broadcast his usual message.
"SOP Major? We cover the Kyoto beachfront while you take Shizuoka-2?"
"Roger Captain, keep in contact with headquarters for precise locations of Awakenings."
"Roger Major, Recovery 2 out," came the voice, and the other VTOL headed off to the west-southwest. Shinji felt his own craft bank the opposite way, and they headed almost due east.
Within thirty minutes they were over their assigned recovery area, the beach south of the city of Shizuoka-2, a fair sized port city, which somehow Shinji and Asuka had missed. If they had gone northeast on their bike, instead of west, to Nagoya-2, they would have been in Shizuoka-2 in less than 5 minutes.
"Recovery 1 to Command, Recovery 1 to Command, are you reading us? Over," Shinji said.
"Recovery 1 this is Command we're reading you five by five. Sensors are active and everything looks good. Clock reads as four minutes to first Awakening, if contact remains true to form. Over."
"Roger Command, Orbiting area now, please advise on precise co-ordinates when you have a fix. Over," Shinji replied.
"Roger that, Recovery 1, stand-bye. Over," the technician said.
Shinji and the major waited only about two more minutes before the technician was back on the comm. "Energy spike. Pattern Red detected. Fixing location. Stand by. Stand by. Location locked. Targets are 8.3 kilometers northeast of your present position."
"Roger, Targets are Eight Decimal Three Kliks Northeast of our present position, beginning recovery. One out," Shinji said, as the major dropped the nose of the aircraft and headed towards the precise location of the Awakened.
As they came up the beach, they could see a man and woman, holding hands, walking up the beach. There, on the beach were their foot prints, and the impression of their bodies where they had lain upon the sand, but as usual there were no footprints or other marks to indicate how the bodies had gotten there.
They over flew the two of them, and landed on a road a few hundred yards inland. The couple soon crested the last of the dunes, and walked down to the aircraft cautiously. Shinji removed his helmet, and motioned them forward.
He bowed.
"Welcome back from Instrumentality. I am Pilot Shinji Ikari, and we are here to help. Please board the aircraft," he said, smiling and holding his hands out.
The couple looked at each other, and Shinji could see the fear and hesitancy in their eyes.
"Please. I don't mean to rush you, but we must get you back to our base of operations, so that we can come back for the next two who Awaken, which will be some time within the next hour."
The woman nodded, and the man stepped aboard first, helping the woman in. Shinji made sure they were secure, and shut the large door, moving back up to his Co-Pilot seat. The Pilot poured power to the engines and they lifted off the ground, heading back to the NERV facility.
As they were landing the young man came forward to see what was happening. He was fascinated by the sprawling military base below him, and surprised at the number of vehicles moving. Whether he was surprised to see any of them at all, or surprised to see so few, Shinji couldn't decide.
"I know you don't I," the man said.
"I don't think we've ever met," Shinji said calmly. This part always made him uncomfortable, but it had to be played out for the newly Awakened.
"No. I know you. I know I do. I remember. You were inside that big purple monster, and you got attacked by all those white ones, and then... and then..." he trailed off.
"And then we all died," Shinji confirmed for the man. Best to get it out of the way fast, he had to be strong enough to take it. No one who wasn't, would have ever been able to Awaken.
"... we died," the man repeated slowly.
"Yes, we did, but thanks to the choices of this rather remarkable young man, we have been allowed to return," the Major said. "There are orientation crews on the ground who will help you with all your questions. Do not hesitate to ask anything, and remember, they were once just like you." The VTOL touched down. "Here you go, last stop," the Major cried, and the sliding door opened, and two smiling guides helped the two newcomers out of the craft.
"Ready for some more hero worship, Pilot Ikari?" he grinned.
"Gimme a break Major, lets just get back there before someone wakes up and gets a head start on us. I'm not spending the next four hours flying search patterns because you were lazy."
The Major laughed, and poured power to the engines, and the VTOL leapt into the sky.
They made four more trips like the first one, except for the last two trips, in which they carried four passengers each. Fourteen passengers today total, for Recovery 1, not a bad total, Shinji thought. Asuka and Recovery 2 should have gotten at least 12, so that would be 26 at least for the day.
Shinji hoped that they did; it would be another new record.
When the last of the passengers had been offloaded, Shinji and the Major did a quick walk around the VTOL, checking the craft for any wear or odd leaks. An older gentleman, wearing a greasy coverall came out of the VTOL Hangar.
"She handle okay for you Major," he asked saluting sloppily.
The Major returned the salute, crisply, and said, "Like a baby, Chief, you wanna take her into the hangar and top her up?"
"Not a problem Major, two of yesterdays arrivals were a Civilian Aircraft Maintenance Technician, and a Fixed Wing Aircraft Technician for the Navy. I've got it easy. One or two more show up, and I can retire again," the older man laughed.
"Not yet, Chief. Pilot Ikari here is going to be taking his qualifying exam today."
"Is that true Pilot?" the old man asked. Shinji nodded in affirmation, somewhat embarrassed.
"Well good luck," the old man said, shaking his hand and bowing repeatedly.
Shinji repeated the gesture, and excused himself.
He walked back to the ready room, and took off his helmet, placing it in his locker, and got out his Motorcycle helmet and jacket. He heard a loud whine overhead, and figured that Recovery 2 was finally back from it's last run. He stepped outside, and watched as the VTOL landed, and began offloading passengers. After all the passengers had exited, Asuka and the Captain got out, and checked in with the old Chief.
Asuka waved goodbye, and bounced over past Shinji and into the locker room. Shinji walked over to the Soda Locker that was set up next to the door. He grabbed himself a Lemon Ginger cola, and got a Starfruit and Pineapple for Asuka. She came out the door with her jacket and helmet, looking for Shinji, a few moments later, and he tossed her the soda. She grabbed the drink in her free left hand, and popped the lid, chugging it in one gulp.
"Ah. That really hit the spot. Thanks Shinji. Ready for lunch, I'm starved," she smiled and pulled on the jacket and Helmet. He nodded, and put his own gear on, grabbing the keys, and stepping over to the bike. Asuka got on, as he started it up, and they were soon heading out of the Airfield, and back to the NERV Monorail Station.
This was the times that Shinji enjoyed the most. Speeding over the deserted roads, with Asuka behind him, not a care in the world. Away from all the concerns of their old lives, and the new responsibilities of the new. And the Hero Worship. Somehow during Instrumentality, everyone had seen and known everything Shinji had seen and done. Including his refusal to become one with the rest of mankind. And because of that, those who had a strong sense of self were now awakening.
Shinji pulled the bike into the usual parking spot at the monorail station, and got off the bike. He and Asuka left their helmets and jackets here, in a small footlocker they'd salvaged from one of the barracks downstairs, and headed for the Monorails doors. There were a dozen other people here, and Shinji nodded pleasantly in recognition to a couple, and then bowed his head, embarrassed by the stares of the others, mostly newcomers.
"You have to get used to the idea that some of these people are going to look on you as the new Messiah, Shinji. We'll do our best to convince them otherwise, but it's not going to be easy. You DID really save us all," Ritsuko had said.
'Yeah, by running away again,' he'd thought quietly, not having the courage to speak up. He was still intimidated by her presence.
"So. Lunch then simulator practice, right?" Asuka asked.
"Yep. And if we're lucky, the Major will qualify us for independent flight operations today, and tomorrow we go out on our first solo missions," he nodded smiling at the idea.
Finally, to be a Pilot again. This time not of a giant that was linked to him via his brains emotional centers, but a powerful aircraft, totally under his command.
When they got down to the underground station for the monorail, they stepped off, and took the elevator to the Cafeteria. Shinji got Shark Fin Ramen with Tempura Salmon. He asked the server where the Salmon came from.
"Oh, the scavenger teams found a small hatchery in the hills about ten miles away. It's full of fresh water and thousands of fish. We should be getting a supply of fresh fish every day from now on. I gather that the ponds were fully stocked with everything from hatchlings up through fully grown adult fish."
"Great," Shinji said, taking his tray back to the booth he and Asuka usually shared.
Asuka was already there, and was shoveling food into her mouth. She barely noticed Shinji sit down, except with a head bob, and a wave of her tea at him. Shinji dug into his food as well, relishing the noodles and the fish, which was delicious.
Asuka finished her meal, leaning back with a satisfied sigh.
"That was very good," she said, finishing mentally, 'but not as good as Shinji's."
"Yes it really is. I mean, they try hard and everything, but the guys in the cafeteria kitchen just aren't professional chef's. Although the Ramen is really good. I think I heard someone say that the new guy in the kitchen used to run a Ramen cart."
Asuka just nodded, and waited for him to finish his meal. When he finally did finish she got up, and Shinji policed their booth, gathering up the trays and cups, and placed them in the return slot, to be washed.
They walked back to the elevators, and pressed the button for level 3-11, where their training was to take place in the VR simulators in the training area there. Shinji watched Asuka lean her left shoulder against the wall of the elevator, as it descended, and run a hand through her hair, shaking it out.
'Jeez she's beautiful,' he thought. Then, before he could say anything, they were leaving the elevator for their destination.
Walking into the Simulator Training room, they were greeted by a technician who used to work as a game developer for SEGA Japan. He was the resident computer wizard, and had figured out how to get this system up and running again, so that they could receive whatever training they required. He was also some kind of sadist. Shinji's first trip here had been a harrowing experience, nothing like the fun time in the grown up arcade he'd predicted.
Thrown through every emergency in the book, he'd emerged battered and sweating an hour later, having crashed more times than he cared to remember.
The man smiled as he saw Asuka and Shinji approach.
"Gonna try for those flight wings today?" he asked them.
"Oh, I know I'm going to pass, but is there anything you can do to make it easy on poor Shinji," Asuka purred, shifting her shoulders, and winking slyly at the tech, "as a favor to me?"
"Sorry ma'am, no favors. If he passes he passes on his own merits. No shortcuts. We can't afford them," the tech replied, not falling for it.
Asuka pouted, and Shinji was slightly put out. Didn't she think he was good enough? Of course she didn't she was Asuka, and she never thought he was good enough. With a mental sigh, he climbed into the simulator on the left, while she got into the one on the right. As the hatches closed, he took one last look at Asuka, with a sad grin on his face. He was surprised to see that she pouting, and looked mildly upset.
'Nah, must have been imagining it,' he thought.
At the same time Shinji and Asuka were entering their simulators Doctor Ritsuko Akagi was up to her elbows in the wiring for the facilities supercomputer, the Shepherd. Not as powerful as the Magi, and only a single unit at that, it was none the less, pretty impressive.
"Any luck Ritsuko?" Professor Fuyutsuki asked.
Ritsuko sighed, and pulled out of the system.
"No, I'm afraid not. This system will never be a replacement for our Magi, and it was never meant to be. This system was state of the art in 2005, but now, it's slow and obsolete. Still, it's all we've got," she sighed.
"So what exactly does that mean for us?"
"It means that we only have access to two Surveillance Satellites and a single weather Satellite. We have no Mil-Star or Comm-Star access, as those codes were all lost with the Magi, and this system couldn't handle the high bandwidth transmissions anyway. This system uses 256 bit encryption, and the new NERV satellites are all running on 1024 bit," she said.
"So we can see Japan, and some of Asia and the Pacific, but other than that we're totally blind."
"Exactly," she said.
"Well at least we have that much," Fuyutsuki said, consolingly
At Four o'clock Shinji and Asuka were heading home after an exhausting day. They had both passed their tests with flying colors, although the tech told Shinji that he needed to work on his landings a little more. They had then reported to Ritsuko, who was running the NERV base, with the assistance of Professor Fuyutsuki. They'd both been pleased, and had assigned Shinji and Asuka each an aircraft of their own, for use in recovery missions.
"Now I want both of you to go home and relax. Tomorrow is your scheduled day off anyway, and I want you both fresh Thursday morning for your first flight. Report to the Airfield at 8:00 am, and you'll each do a half shift on Recovery. Alright?" Ritsuko asked.
"Sure thing, Ritsuko, goodbye," they said, waiving goodbye, and leaving happily.
It took them another fifteen minutes to return to the surface, and they were soon wheeling out of the Monorail Stations Parking Garage. Shinji looked at the sky, just beginning to show the first hints of sunset.
"Hey Asuka, want to go watch the sunset from that park again?" he asked.
"Sure Shinji; that would be nice. All we ever seem to do lately is work and sleep," she said, tiredly, leaning into him.
Shinji smiled. Well, it might not be a real date, but he could pretend it was. And who knew, maybe, someday, he'd be able to ask her out on a real date. Not that he thought she'd say yes, despite the fact that she'd behaved quite differently towards him since they'd Awoken on that beach.
He pulled up the long road, that circled the mountain, and parked in the lot at the top. They both got off, and set their gear aside, sitting down at a pick-nick table to watch the now rapidly setting sun.
It was almost hidden by the tops of the mountains in the west, and would soon sink into the sea, bringing true darkness. The sky overhead was full of soft wispy clouds, that the light was turning all shades of purple and reds. They sat there for a bit, until the sun was truly down, and then got back on the bike, heading back to the VOQ, and a leisurely dinner. Asuka actually helped Shinji by chopping several of the vegetables for their stir fry, and getting the rice out of the container Shinji had put it in. When Shinji came out into the living room with their dinner, Asuka had already put a movie into the DVD player, and was totally engrossed by it.
He sighed.
'Great. Another chick flick. This is that one where the girl is secretly in love with her boss, but neither one of them realize it until he marries the wrong woman,' he thought. If he'd been a little faster, he might have been able to pick the movie.
He handed her the dinner plate, and took a seat on the couch. Asuka sitting on the floor, ate her food quickly, and then set back to enjoy the movie. It was just the sort of movie she loved. Star crossed lovers finding themselves and their soul mates. 'Ah love,' she thought.
Shinji finished his meal, and gathered up their dishes. He washed them and returned to the living room where the movie was only about half over. He sat down on the couch again, and looked down on Asuka, sitting on the floor between him and the TV. She had gotten out a large soft brush, and was running it through her hair, trying to untangle some of the knots that had appeared under it.
"Here Asuka, let me do that," he said.
She turned and looked at him.
"What, you want to brush my hair for me?"
"Yeah, sure. Why not? I used to brush my foster sisters hair when I was..." he broke off, remembering his foster family, the people who'd raised him since his father abandoned him.
"Okay, but if you get any perverted ideas, I'm gonna clobber you," she said, leaning back and handing over the brush.
Shinji started to work on her long read hair. Carefully brushing it out, and taking extra care whenever he came to a knot. He would firmly grip her hair above the knot, and attack it vigorously. Asuka never felt a thing, except the gentle stroking of her hair. Soon her head was lolling back, and her eyes were closed.
Shinji continued to brush, and soon her hair was laid out over his lap like a red blanket, covering his thighs. He looked down at Asuka's face, which was now tilted upwards.
'She's so peaceful like this. You'd never suspect that she could be as mean as she has been if you saw her like this,' he thought. 'She's so beautiful." He kept staring at her, softly brushing her hair, even though she now appeared to be asleep. Some part of him, longed to lean over and kiss her, but he knew the horrible punishment that would erupt if he dared to. And Savior of Mankind he might be, he was none the less terrified of certain angry females.
'No way,' he thought.
He looked down at her again, and realized that she really was sound asleep.
'Great, now how do I wake her up without pissing her off. She'll accuse me of all kinds of nasty things. Only some of which I'm guilty of. Oh well, I guess there are worse places to sleep than on the couch with her on the floor in front of me.
And, pulling a pillow from the edge of the couch over to prop himself lightly on, he drifted off to sleep.
Asuka woke up half an hour later, and found her movie over, and Shinji asleep on the couch behind her. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but having her hair brushed was so relaxing. She got up and walked into her bedroom, and returned with a spare blanket, spreading it over Shinji.
"Thanks for letting me sleep, Baka!" she whispered before going back to her own bed.
Next on Episode 2:04 of Neon Genesis Evangelion Two lost friends will be recovered, and a party is held to celebrate the Awakening of these lost companions. Also, preparations will be made for the most joyous of events.
It's Evangelion Episode 2:04 Awakenings: Two by Two
Episode 2:03 Another Unfamiliar Ceiling.
Takes place after 1st season, and the End of Evangelion Movie.
Presumed date is day Tuesday February 23rd , 2016
Shinji opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling over his head.
'Another Unfamiliar Ceiling,' he thought to himself. Sitting up he stretched and threw back the covers of his bed. He dressed quickly and headed out into the kitchen to begin making breakfast. It was 4:59 am, and he had a busy day ahead of him. He and Asuka had to report to the Airfield by 6:00am, and wouldn't have a break until sometime after noon. Then after lunch they'd be back at work, training in the flight simulators until sometime after 5:00pm
He started the stove, and began to heat up some cold rice. He started the tea water boiling, and added the leaves when it was time, and set it aside to steep. He got out the butter, milk, and sugar, and added them to the rice, making it sweet and tasty. He missed chicken eggs, but no one had found chickens at any of the local farms that had been visited, so if he ever got real nostalgic he could prepare some of the powdered eggs they'd found. Even if they were disgusting.
The fact they hadn't found chickens yet was a minor worry. Shinji was sure they'd eventually find them. There hadn't been too many animals around when he and Asuka had first awakened on the beach, but over the last few weeks more and more had been sighted coming out of the forests to reclaim their former lands. Sooner or later some chickens would show up, and they'd be able to have eggs again.
The one thing he did wonder about was the sea. It was now a sea of LCL, formed of the blood of Lilith/Rei, at her death. Her body had dissolved quickly, much to the relief of all the Awakened. Seeing giant rotting heads and arms lying on the horizon was disturbing. But the Seas had paid the price. The LCL had flooded into them, and Shinji wondered if anything was alive in that sea of blood. Admittedly, he and Asuka had lived in the stuff for months, but he wasn't sure if it was all that conducive to support sea life. After all the Dead Sea on the former site of Antarctica was called that, because nothing could live there.
The table was set, the tea ready, the rice warm and deliscious, but Asuka was still not here. He walked to her bedroom door, and knocked softly.
"Asuka, we've got duty in 35 minutes, time to get up, or we're gonna be late."
From within her heard a moan and a grumble.
"Tell Akagi that I died in Third Impact and can't come in to work today," she groaned.
"That isn't going to work Asuka. We all died in Third Impact, and we all have to work today. Who knows how many people we're going to recover today, so get up."
"Alright, Alright. Gah! I need to brush my teeth and take a shower," she grumbled.
"Towels are clean and ready for you in the bathroom, and breakfast is on the table," he said cheerfully.
Asuka grumbled to herself, as she walked into the bathroom. He was too damn cheerful, that was his problem. There was almost nothing that infuriated her more on mornings like this, than a cheerful Shinji Ikari. She wondered at that. Before Instrumentality, she would have taken great delight in crushing him, making him feel like a worm.
'Just so that I could feel superior,' she thought.
Turning on the shower, she stepped under the water, and began to soap her body as it washed over her. She was quick, as she really should have been up before now, and brushed her teeth in the shower as well, before jumping out, and drying herself off. She walked back into her room, wrapped in two more towels, put on her flight suit, and walked out to the kitchen table, towel still wrapped around her head.
"Mmm, that smells delicious Shinji, thank you. One of these day's I promise, I'll get up early and cook you breakfast," she said, taking her first bite.
"It's no big deal Asuka, I like cooking. I got pretty used to doing all the cooking at Misato's before you moved in," he smiled, the frowned.
"Misato, huh?" she asked.
"Yeah. She hasn't come back yet, and I'm wondering if she will."
"I'd bet she is, but you have to remember it's been barely a month and a half since Instrumentality, and the number of people Awakening each day is increasing. Professor Fuyutsuki said we recovered over 24 people yesterday. That's a new record, and we've set records twice in the last four days."
"Really, that's cool. I hope she does come back; I sure do miss her."
"Hmmph," she snorted.
"Ha. Jealous?" he teased.
"Of Misato, Never!" she growled. Then took a quick sip of the tea to cover her facial expression. Actually, she did feel a little spike of jealousy. He always spoke of Misato with such love. She had been both of their foster mother, but somehow, Shinji had always been closer to her than Asuka had. She couldn't understand that. She missed Misato as a friend, and was concerned that she hadn't come back yet, but she wasn't pining over her loss.
"Oh Crap, look at the time," Shinji growled, jumping up, and grabbing a last quick sip of his tea.
"Great, only ten minutes to get to the Airfield," Asuka exclaimed, forgetting her meal, and jumping up. They both grabbed their jackets, and helmet's and headed down the stairs and out the rear doors of the Visiting Officer Quarters. Almost like a group of Condo's, but really nothing more than a military hotel, the individual VOQ rooms had everything you could want. The large covered parking area behind the VOQ only had a couple other cars in it, and only one motorcycle.
Shinji's Kawasaki.
He jumped on it, keyed the ignition, and waited for her to finish adjusting her helmet. She did so, and climbed on, leaning forward to wrap her arms around him. For some reason she didn't feel quite as comfortable on this bike when she leaned back into the seat like she was meant to.
Shinji could feel her press up against him, and gunned the motor, as the bike left the parking lot. He glanced at the digital clock in the top of the dash. Six minutes. He'd have to hurry if they weren't going to keep the senior pilots waiting. The first alarms would be sounding within the next 45 minutes, and they needed to be in position to rescue the Awakened from stumbling around in a daze.
Professor Fuyutsuki, a day or two after he'd awakened, had convinced Shinji, Asuka, and Doctor Akagi that it would be better to make people feel like they belonged, rather than isolate them. If they were isolated they might feel threatened, when confronted with other survivors, and maybe even resort to violence. Fuyutsuki felt that this was unnecessary, as there were more than enough supplies for the taking for anyone who wished them. Also, a community could accomplish much more than a few pockets isolated and hostile individuals.
So they'd started going out in trucks the first few days, driven by the Doctor or the Professor, rescuing the dazed Awakened, and bringing them back here. Now every day their ranks swelled.
Shinji came over the last hill to the airfield with 45 seconds to spare. On the landing field were two UN VTOL aircraft warming up. They flew through the gate, and parked in the usual space; taking off and storing their riding gear in the lockers provided.
"See you this afternoon Shinji," Asuka waved.
"Bye Asuka," he answered, climbing into his waiting VTOL.
"'bout time Ikari. What happened, wild night with the girlfriend last night?" the older pilot asked. He'd been a Major with the JSDF Airforce before Instrumentality, and was now the head pilot and chief trainer for the survivors of Nagoya-2.
"No sir, Major, we just slept in," Shinji muttered as he put on his flight helmet, and buckled himself in.
"You, oversleep? Ha! Tell me another one Ikari," the man said, "I'd lay even money that you haven't overslept a day in your life."
Shinji didn't say anything. Well it was true. He had NEVER slept in; he was always an early riser. Something about his internal clock was extremely accurate, and all he had to do was decide to wake up at a certain time, and he always beat the alarm clock awake.
They lifted off with the usual ease the Major brought to all his take offs and were soon orbiting the base, as the other VTOL lifted as well. As soon as they were both in the air, the pilot of the other craft broadcast his usual message.
"SOP Major? We cover the Kyoto beachfront while you take Shizuoka-2?"
"Roger Captain, keep in contact with headquarters for precise locations of Awakenings."
"Roger Major, Recovery 2 out," came the voice, and the other VTOL headed off to the west-southwest. Shinji felt his own craft bank the opposite way, and they headed almost due east.
Within thirty minutes they were over their assigned recovery area, the beach south of the city of Shizuoka-2, a fair sized port city, which somehow Shinji and Asuka had missed. If they had gone northeast on their bike, instead of west, to Nagoya-2, they would have been in Shizuoka-2 in less than 5 minutes.
"Recovery 1 to Command, Recovery 1 to Command, are you reading us? Over," Shinji said.
"Recovery 1 this is Command we're reading you five by five. Sensors are active and everything looks good. Clock reads as four minutes to first Awakening, if contact remains true to form. Over."
"Roger Command, Orbiting area now, please advise on precise co-ordinates when you have a fix. Over," Shinji replied.
"Roger that, Recovery 1, stand-bye. Over," the technician said.
Shinji and the major waited only about two more minutes before the technician was back on the comm. "Energy spike. Pattern Red detected. Fixing location. Stand by. Stand by. Location locked. Targets are 8.3 kilometers northeast of your present position."
"Roger, Targets are Eight Decimal Three Kliks Northeast of our present position, beginning recovery. One out," Shinji said, as the major dropped the nose of the aircraft and headed towards the precise location of the Awakened.
As they came up the beach, they could see a man and woman, holding hands, walking up the beach. There, on the beach were their foot prints, and the impression of their bodies where they had lain upon the sand, but as usual there were no footprints or other marks to indicate how the bodies had gotten there.
They over flew the two of them, and landed on a road a few hundred yards inland. The couple soon crested the last of the dunes, and walked down to the aircraft cautiously. Shinji removed his helmet, and motioned them forward.
He bowed.
"Welcome back from Instrumentality. I am Pilot Shinji Ikari, and we are here to help. Please board the aircraft," he said, smiling and holding his hands out.
The couple looked at each other, and Shinji could see the fear and hesitancy in their eyes.
"Please. I don't mean to rush you, but we must get you back to our base of operations, so that we can come back for the next two who Awaken, which will be some time within the next hour."
The woman nodded, and the man stepped aboard first, helping the woman in. Shinji made sure they were secure, and shut the large door, moving back up to his Co-Pilot seat. The Pilot poured power to the engines and they lifted off the ground, heading back to the NERV facility.
As they were landing the young man came forward to see what was happening. He was fascinated by the sprawling military base below him, and surprised at the number of vehicles moving. Whether he was surprised to see any of them at all, or surprised to see so few, Shinji couldn't decide.
"I know you don't I," the man said.
"I don't think we've ever met," Shinji said calmly. This part always made him uncomfortable, but it had to be played out for the newly Awakened.
"No. I know you. I know I do. I remember. You were inside that big purple monster, and you got attacked by all those white ones, and then... and then..." he trailed off.
"And then we all died," Shinji confirmed for the man. Best to get it out of the way fast, he had to be strong enough to take it. No one who wasn't, would have ever been able to Awaken.
"... we died," the man repeated slowly.
"Yes, we did, but thanks to the choices of this rather remarkable young man, we have been allowed to return," the Major said. "There are orientation crews on the ground who will help you with all your questions. Do not hesitate to ask anything, and remember, they were once just like you." The VTOL touched down. "Here you go, last stop," the Major cried, and the sliding door opened, and two smiling guides helped the two newcomers out of the craft.
"Ready for some more hero worship, Pilot Ikari?" he grinned.
"Gimme a break Major, lets just get back there before someone wakes up and gets a head start on us. I'm not spending the next four hours flying search patterns because you were lazy."
The Major laughed, and poured power to the engines, and the VTOL leapt into the sky.
They made four more trips like the first one, except for the last two trips, in which they carried four passengers each. Fourteen passengers today total, for Recovery 1, not a bad total, Shinji thought. Asuka and Recovery 2 should have gotten at least 12, so that would be 26 at least for the day.
Shinji hoped that they did; it would be another new record.
When the last of the passengers had been offloaded, Shinji and the Major did a quick walk around the VTOL, checking the craft for any wear or odd leaks. An older gentleman, wearing a greasy coverall came out of the VTOL Hangar.
"She handle okay for you Major," he asked saluting sloppily.
The Major returned the salute, crisply, and said, "Like a baby, Chief, you wanna take her into the hangar and top her up?"
"Not a problem Major, two of yesterdays arrivals were a Civilian Aircraft Maintenance Technician, and a Fixed Wing Aircraft Technician for the Navy. I've got it easy. One or two more show up, and I can retire again," the older man laughed.
"Not yet, Chief. Pilot Ikari here is going to be taking his qualifying exam today."
"Is that true Pilot?" the old man asked. Shinji nodded in affirmation, somewhat embarrassed.
"Well good luck," the old man said, shaking his hand and bowing repeatedly.
Shinji repeated the gesture, and excused himself.
He walked back to the ready room, and took off his helmet, placing it in his locker, and got out his Motorcycle helmet and jacket. He heard a loud whine overhead, and figured that Recovery 2 was finally back from it's last run. He stepped outside, and watched as the VTOL landed, and began offloading passengers. After all the passengers had exited, Asuka and the Captain got out, and checked in with the old Chief.
Asuka waved goodbye, and bounced over past Shinji and into the locker room. Shinji walked over to the Soda Locker that was set up next to the door. He grabbed himself a Lemon Ginger cola, and got a Starfruit and Pineapple for Asuka. She came out the door with her jacket and helmet, looking for Shinji, a few moments later, and he tossed her the soda. She grabbed the drink in her free left hand, and popped the lid, chugging it in one gulp.
"Ah. That really hit the spot. Thanks Shinji. Ready for lunch, I'm starved," she smiled and pulled on the jacket and Helmet. He nodded, and put his own gear on, grabbing the keys, and stepping over to the bike. Asuka got on, as he started it up, and they were soon heading out of the Airfield, and back to the NERV Monorail Station.
This was the times that Shinji enjoyed the most. Speeding over the deserted roads, with Asuka behind him, not a care in the world. Away from all the concerns of their old lives, and the new responsibilities of the new. And the Hero Worship. Somehow during Instrumentality, everyone had seen and known everything Shinji had seen and done. Including his refusal to become one with the rest of mankind. And because of that, those who had a strong sense of self were now awakening.
Shinji pulled the bike into the usual parking spot at the monorail station, and got off the bike. He and Asuka left their helmets and jackets here, in a small footlocker they'd salvaged from one of the barracks downstairs, and headed for the Monorails doors. There were a dozen other people here, and Shinji nodded pleasantly in recognition to a couple, and then bowed his head, embarrassed by the stares of the others, mostly newcomers.
"You have to get used to the idea that some of these people are going to look on you as the new Messiah, Shinji. We'll do our best to convince them otherwise, but it's not going to be easy. You DID really save us all," Ritsuko had said.
'Yeah, by running away again,' he'd thought quietly, not having the courage to speak up. He was still intimidated by her presence.
"So. Lunch then simulator practice, right?" Asuka asked.
"Yep. And if we're lucky, the Major will qualify us for independent flight operations today, and tomorrow we go out on our first solo missions," he nodded smiling at the idea.
Finally, to be a Pilot again. This time not of a giant that was linked to him via his brains emotional centers, but a powerful aircraft, totally under his command.
When they got down to the underground station for the monorail, they stepped off, and took the elevator to the Cafeteria. Shinji got Shark Fin Ramen with Tempura Salmon. He asked the server where the Salmon came from.
"Oh, the scavenger teams found a small hatchery in the hills about ten miles away. It's full of fresh water and thousands of fish. We should be getting a supply of fresh fish every day from now on. I gather that the ponds were fully stocked with everything from hatchlings up through fully grown adult fish."
"Great," Shinji said, taking his tray back to the booth he and Asuka usually shared.
Asuka was already there, and was shoveling food into her mouth. She barely noticed Shinji sit down, except with a head bob, and a wave of her tea at him. Shinji dug into his food as well, relishing the noodles and the fish, which was delicious.
Asuka finished her meal, leaning back with a satisfied sigh.
"That was very good," she said, finishing mentally, 'but not as good as Shinji's."
"Yes it really is. I mean, they try hard and everything, but the guys in the cafeteria kitchen just aren't professional chef's. Although the Ramen is really good. I think I heard someone say that the new guy in the kitchen used to run a Ramen cart."
Asuka just nodded, and waited for him to finish his meal. When he finally did finish she got up, and Shinji policed their booth, gathering up the trays and cups, and placed them in the return slot, to be washed.
They walked back to the elevators, and pressed the button for level 3-11, where their training was to take place in the VR simulators in the training area there. Shinji watched Asuka lean her left shoulder against the wall of the elevator, as it descended, and run a hand through her hair, shaking it out.
'Jeez she's beautiful,' he thought. Then, before he could say anything, they were leaving the elevator for their destination.
Walking into the Simulator Training room, they were greeted by a technician who used to work as a game developer for SEGA Japan. He was the resident computer wizard, and had figured out how to get this system up and running again, so that they could receive whatever training they required. He was also some kind of sadist. Shinji's first trip here had been a harrowing experience, nothing like the fun time in the grown up arcade he'd predicted.
Thrown through every emergency in the book, he'd emerged battered and sweating an hour later, having crashed more times than he cared to remember.
The man smiled as he saw Asuka and Shinji approach.
"Gonna try for those flight wings today?" he asked them.
"Oh, I know I'm going to pass, but is there anything you can do to make it easy on poor Shinji," Asuka purred, shifting her shoulders, and winking slyly at the tech, "as a favor to me?"
"Sorry ma'am, no favors. If he passes he passes on his own merits. No shortcuts. We can't afford them," the tech replied, not falling for it.
Asuka pouted, and Shinji was slightly put out. Didn't she think he was good enough? Of course she didn't she was Asuka, and she never thought he was good enough. With a mental sigh, he climbed into the simulator on the left, while she got into the one on the right. As the hatches closed, he took one last look at Asuka, with a sad grin on his face. He was surprised to see that she pouting, and looked mildly upset.
'Nah, must have been imagining it,' he thought.
At the same time Shinji and Asuka were entering their simulators Doctor Ritsuko Akagi was up to her elbows in the wiring for the facilities supercomputer, the Shepherd. Not as powerful as the Magi, and only a single unit at that, it was none the less, pretty impressive.
"Any luck Ritsuko?" Professor Fuyutsuki asked.
Ritsuko sighed, and pulled out of the system.
"No, I'm afraid not. This system will never be a replacement for our Magi, and it was never meant to be. This system was state of the art in 2005, but now, it's slow and obsolete. Still, it's all we've got," she sighed.
"So what exactly does that mean for us?"
"It means that we only have access to two Surveillance Satellites and a single weather Satellite. We have no Mil-Star or Comm-Star access, as those codes were all lost with the Magi, and this system couldn't handle the high bandwidth transmissions anyway. This system uses 256 bit encryption, and the new NERV satellites are all running on 1024 bit," she said.
"So we can see Japan, and some of Asia and the Pacific, but other than that we're totally blind."
"Exactly," she said.
"Well at least we have that much," Fuyutsuki said, consolingly
At Four o'clock Shinji and Asuka were heading home after an exhausting day. They had both passed their tests with flying colors, although the tech told Shinji that he needed to work on his landings a little more. They had then reported to Ritsuko, who was running the NERV base, with the assistance of Professor Fuyutsuki. They'd both been pleased, and had assigned Shinji and Asuka each an aircraft of their own, for use in recovery missions.
"Now I want both of you to go home and relax. Tomorrow is your scheduled day off anyway, and I want you both fresh Thursday morning for your first flight. Report to the Airfield at 8:00 am, and you'll each do a half shift on Recovery. Alright?" Ritsuko asked.
"Sure thing, Ritsuko, goodbye," they said, waiving goodbye, and leaving happily.
It took them another fifteen minutes to return to the surface, and they were soon wheeling out of the Monorail Stations Parking Garage. Shinji looked at the sky, just beginning to show the first hints of sunset.
"Hey Asuka, want to go watch the sunset from that park again?" he asked.
"Sure Shinji; that would be nice. All we ever seem to do lately is work and sleep," she said, tiredly, leaning into him.
Shinji smiled. Well, it might not be a real date, but he could pretend it was. And who knew, maybe, someday, he'd be able to ask her out on a real date. Not that he thought she'd say yes, despite the fact that she'd behaved quite differently towards him since they'd Awoken on that beach.
He pulled up the long road, that circled the mountain, and parked in the lot at the top. They both got off, and set their gear aside, sitting down at a pick-nick table to watch the now rapidly setting sun.
It was almost hidden by the tops of the mountains in the west, and would soon sink into the sea, bringing true darkness. The sky overhead was full of soft wispy clouds, that the light was turning all shades of purple and reds. They sat there for a bit, until the sun was truly down, and then got back on the bike, heading back to the VOQ, and a leisurely dinner. Asuka actually helped Shinji by chopping several of the vegetables for their stir fry, and getting the rice out of the container Shinji had put it in. When Shinji came out into the living room with their dinner, Asuka had already put a movie into the DVD player, and was totally engrossed by it.
He sighed.
'Great. Another chick flick. This is that one where the girl is secretly in love with her boss, but neither one of them realize it until he marries the wrong woman,' he thought. If he'd been a little faster, he might have been able to pick the movie.
He handed her the dinner plate, and took a seat on the couch. Asuka sitting on the floor, ate her food quickly, and then set back to enjoy the movie. It was just the sort of movie she loved. Star crossed lovers finding themselves and their soul mates. 'Ah love,' she thought.
Shinji finished his meal, and gathered up their dishes. He washed them and returned to the living room where the movie was only about half over. He sat down on the couch again, and looked down on Asuka, sitting on the floor between him and the TV. She had gotten out a large soft brush, and was running it through her hair, trying to untangle some of the knots that had appeared under it.
"Here Asuka, let me do that," he said.
She turned and looked at him.
"What, you want to brush my hair for me?"
"Yeah, sure. Why not? I used to brush my foster sisters hair when I was..." he broke off, remembering his foster family, the people who'd raised him since his father abandoned him.
"Okay, but if you get any perverted ideas, I'm gonna clobber you," she said, leaning back and handing over the brush.
Shinji started to work on her long read hair. Carefully brushing it out, and taking extra care whenever he came to a knot. He would firmly grip her hair above the knot, and attack it vigorously. Asuka never felt a thing, except the gentle stroking of her hair. Soon her head was lolling back, and her eyes were closed.
Shinji continued to brush, and soon her hair was laid out over his lap like a red blanket, covering his thighs. He looked down at Asuka's face, which was now tilted upwards.
'She's so peaceful like this. You'd never suspect that she could be as mean as she has been if you saw her like this,' he thought. 'She's so beautiful." He kept staring at her, softly brushing her hair, even though she now appeared to be asleep. Some part of him, longed to lean over and kiss her, but he knew the horrible punishment that would erupt if he dared to. And Savior of Mankind he might be, he was none the less terrified of certain angry females.
'No way,' he thought.
He looked down at her again, and realized that she really was sound asleep.
'Great, now how do I wake her up without pissing her off. She'll accuse me of all kinds of nasty things. Only some of which I'm guilty of. Oh well, I guess there are worse places to sleep than on the couch with her on the floor in front of me.
And, pulling a pillow from the edge of the couch over to prop himself lightly on, he drifted off to sleep.
Asuka woke up half an hour later, and found her movie over, and Shinji asleep on the couch behind her. She hadn't meant to fall asleep, but having her hair brushed was so relaxing. She got up and walked into her bedroom, and returned with a spare blanket, spreading it over Shinji.
"Thanks for letting me sleep, Baka!" she whispered before going back to her own bed.
Next on Episode 2:04 of Neon Genesis Evangelion Two lost friends will be recovered, and a party is held to celebrate the Awakening of these lost companions. Also, preparations will be made for the most joyous of events.
It's Evangelion Episode 2:04 Awakenings: Two by Two