The Underworld of Evangelion
A Neon Genesis Evangelion Fanfic incorporating elements of the movie Underworld.
Neon Genesis Evangelion is Copyright of Gainax Studios, and is used here without permission.
Underworld is Copyright of Subterranean Productions LLC, and is used here without their permission.
Written By: StormofDragons
Pre-read, as ever, by my loving wife (hugs and kisses), and my friends at Evamade: Ubersentinel and ChiRho(well almost).
As with all of my Evangelion works, this story appeared FIRST at www(dot)evamade(dot)com which is my preferred archive. Updates to this, and other stories, occur there at least a week in advance of updates to FFN. If you wish to read this or any other stories I have authored, I encourage you to go there, and check out the fanfiction section. You'll find my works under the same author name StormofDragons.
Colonel Misato Katsuragi, Senior UN Liaison Officer of NERV, and former Commander of the Evangelions, knocked on the door of the apartment that she once lived in. It was nearly 4:00 am, but she knew that at least one of the occupants was still awake. Rei Ikari answered the door.
"Hello Colonel Katsuragi, please come in," Rei said, stepping aside, and allowing her former guardian to enter.
Misato stepped in and removed her shoes, and followed as Rei led her into the living room.
"I know that you no longer drink Colonel, but I thought on this occasion…" Rei said, leaving the thought hanging. She indicated a full bottle of Sake, that had already been warmed, and a cup resting next to it.
"I think I'm probably going to need it, but I'll hold off for now. Now then, tell me what's wrong," said Misato.
Rei spent the next twenty minutes explaining the events of the previous evening, including the gun battle at the Mag-Lev station, the appearance of the Detective, and the interrogation she'd been subjected to. She then explained her conversation with Shinji, and the revelation that one of the survivors of the gun battle was none other than the second child.
"Asuka," Misato said simply. She was shocked by the mention of the girl. Rei must be mistaken, she had to be, and yet, this was Rei she was talking to, and Rei did not make mistakes. Not about something like this.
Misato reached for the bottle, and ignoring the conveniently placed cup, began to chug the contents directly.
"Please do not let out your usual shout," remarked Rei. "As I am afraid it would wake Shinji, and he is in need of sleep."
Misato sputtered, and nearly spit out all the Sake she had in her mouth, but only a small bit escaped. She nodded, her lips pressed to the neck of the bottle, and continued to drink. When she felt the warm liquid beginning to seep into the core of her body, she pulled it away from her lips, but still held onto it tightly.
"You're sure?"
"Yes Colonel, it was definitely Pilot Soryu. The picture that had been made was of superior quality and detail, and it looked exactly like the last picture Shinji received from Pilot Soryu after her return to Germany."
"Rei, how can that be? Asuka vanished more than ten years ago, if it were her, she would have aged in those years, and might look significantly different."
"Nonetheless, Colonel, I am positive that the picture I was shown was of Pilot Soryu," explained Rei.
"Alright Rei, I'll take your word for it. What do you think I should do about this?" Misato asked.
"I would suggest that you have Section 2 agents look into the Police investigation and gather what intelligence they can on the possible location of Pilot Soryu and her motivations in the shootout."
"Rei, there is no more Section 2, you know that. The UN ordered that we disband them after NERV was placed on stand-by."
"Nonetheless Colonel, I know for certain that Section 2 is still functioning under your direct command."
"And how have you come to this conclusion Rei?"
"There is approximately 12.3 million dollars in discretionary funds that have been diverted to covert accounts every year for the last twelve years. These accounts form the basis for the network of hidden transactions that are used as a further layer of security, which hides the final destination of the funds in question. Since the remainder of NERV is properly funded, and its accounts are balanced, I have been led to assume that Section 2 is still functional, despite orders to the contrary."
Misato nodded. If anyone could have tracked the convoluted trail of funds and bank transfers that had taken place it would be Rei. She recalled the younger woman's pleasure as she discovered computer programming, and her own concern when Rei had joined Kensuke Aida on several 'hack jobs' he'd done on various secure databanks around the world.
"Alright, assuming I know what you're talking about, and assuming that I have any influence over whatever remains of Section 2, I'll try to do what you ask."
"Thank you Colonel, that's all I request," Rei said.
"If that's all you need, I think I'm going to head into the office early today. I have a lot of work to do," Misato said, standing up.
"Certainly Colonel," Rei said, bowing to Misato.
Misato turned, and walked to the door, putting on her shoes as she started to leave.
"Colonel?"
"Yes Rei?" Misato said, turning.
"I believe that it is illegal to have an open container of alcohol in your vehicle. Should you be stopped with that bottle, you will not be able to accomplish your task."
Misato looked down, and, sure enough, she was still holding the Sake bottle in her left hand. Misato laughed nervously, and handed the bottle back to Rei.
"Thanks Rei. Goodbye," she said.
"Goodbye Colonel," Rei said, watching Misato leave, and sealing the door behind her.
"Able and Baker Teams, take up flanking positions, Charley team, follow me," Asuka ordered, pulling her favorite assault rifle into position, and jacked the action back to put a shell in the chamber. She led the seven Death Dealers up to the place that she'd stood before, just outside the chamber where the Lycans had been gathered. She signaled to her team to stand by, and turned back to watch the entrance to the chamber within.
There were four clicks on her earpiece, signaling that Baker team was in position, then three clicks sounded in quick succession, indicating Able team was as well. She tapped her mike once to indicate that she'd received their transmissions.
She turned and signaled to her team to get ready. She turned back around; double clicked her mike to start a five second countdown, and motioned to her men, counting the seconds off with her fingers.
When she reached zero, they charged forward, kicking open the doors leading to the large chamber beyond.
The chamber was empty, except for Able and Baker teams, who were also pouring into the room.
"Clear," came shouts from all over chamber.
"DAMMIT!" Asuka shouted, lifting her gun to safe position, and surveying the chamber.
Except for them, there was nothing, no sign, no trace of the Lycans. Nothing to prove that they had ever even been here.
'I'm going to have to do a lot of explaining to Kraven,' Asuka thought to herself.
"Soryu," came the call of one of her Lieutenants.
"Yes?"
The man tossed something round and silver to her, four inches across. It was one of the blades she'd thrown at the Lycan Elder earlier that night. She looked up at the Death Dealer, and saw he was carrying two others.
"Where'd you find these?"
"There's a small chamber over there. It's set up like some kind of laboratory. There's enough scientific glassware to take blood samples from the whole Japanese Coven."
"Shit," Asuka swore, "take samples of everything you find back to the Estate, maybe we can figure out what they were looking for."
"Sure. Sure. I think there's something you should see though," he said, motioning her toward the small chamber.
She followed him to it, and when she got there, he allowed her to enter first.
She looked around, wondering what he wanted to point out, and then she saw it. Upon one wall was a large corkboard, and tacked to that board were a series of interconnecting lines. Each line led to a name; the names near the bottom had pictures next to them. Most of the names were crossed through, but a few were bare.
One set caught her eye.
Featured prominently in the chart, descending from the European name of Corvinus, and passing through many changes and iterations, was the name Ikari. There were several branches of the family, most of which had been crossed out, but central among these, near the bottom were the names "Yui," and "Shinji."
"What the hell is this?" she wondered aloud.
"Somebody get in here and take pictures of this thing. I want to know exactly what this means ASAP. After you've got pictures take the cork off the wall, and get it back to the Estate. Kraven will want to see this."
Her soldiers snapped into action, and, before the hour was up, they were on their way back into the mountains, and the Estate. Asuka was glancing nervously at her watch. This mission had been planned closely, and she knew she had plenty of time, but still, the prospect of being caught out at sunrise was not something a Vampire took lightly.
At 7:00 am Shinji's alarm clock went off, and a sluggish hand reached from under the covers to smack it. The hand lay there for ten more minutes when the alarm sounded again. This time a low groan escaped the lips of the hands owner, and Shinji raised his eyes to look at the clock.
7:10 am.
"God, I forgot to turn it off," he groaned, finally flipping the switch, to turn the alarm off. He tried to sit up, but his skull was pounding. He couldn't understand how it was Misato had been able to do this for more than a decade without drawing her gun and killing herself to end the pain.
A soft hand helped him to a sitting position, and handed him a large cool glass of water. Shinji gulped the contents down greedily, and, when two aspirin were offered, swallowed them with more water. Blearily he looked up at Rei, and gave her the best smile he could manage.
"I'm sorry," he said, ashamed that he'd drunk so much.
"It is not your fault. You were emotionally shocked, and used the alcohol help relieve some of the tension," responded Rei.
Shinji allowed his eyes to fall to the floor, staring at their feet. It was nice of her to say something like that, but he knew he was just using the booze to run away again.
"Would you like some breakfast?" Rei asked.
Shinji felt a surge in his stomach, and informed Rei that he didn't think that it would be a good idea right now. Rei sat down next to him; taking a damp washrag she'd brought along, and began wiping his forehead with it. The comforting gesture did make Shinji begin to feel better after several minutes, and he eventually waved her away. He kept the cloth pressed firmly to his own head, however, as he got up to walk into the kitchen. He sat down at the table, and the smell of fresh brewed coffee finally reached him.
Rei came over and dropped off a cup, with a bit of milk and chocolate in it, just how he liked it. He sipped slowly at it, allowing it to warm his insides.
"The hospital called this morning. Your secretary said that you've been placed on paid leave until the preliminary police investigation clears you," Rei informed him.
"Good. 'Cause I don't think I could go to work the way I'm feeling," groaned Shinji.
"I will be staying at home with you as well," Rei said.
"You really don't need to Rei," Shinji replied.
"It is my duty to stay home and minister to you in your time of need. I have informed my employer of last nights events, and the reason for my absence. I have been granted two weeks personal leave."
Shinji nodded. He knew that when Rei made up her mind to do something that it was quite impossible to sway her.
Rei walked into the living room, and turned on the television. She adjusted the volume so that it was very low, and sat down on the couch.
"There is news of the shooting on the television," she said.
Shinji looked up, deciding he really did want more information. He followed Rei to the couch.
"…footage shows these three individuals opening fire on a forth, using automatic pistols and rifles. Police have not yet announced the identities of the two deceased, and are asking for help in identifying them," the announcer was saying. Two detailed sketches appeared on the screen, showing the two dead gunmen, and a phone number to call with information.
"Artist renderings of the two surviving shooters have also been handed out, and police ask the public to contact them with any information about these two individuals. In the event you see them, Police urge you to contact the authorities immediately, and avoid sudden movements. The subjects are to be considered armed and extremely dangerous." Two more pictures appeared on the screen, and Shinji was left staring into the face of the woman he'd given up for dead more than a decade ago.
Asuka's team was sitting at a table deep underground within the Coven's headquarters. The pictures were spread out before them, and the corkboard had been re-assembled. Kraven came into the room then, and looked around. On a table against the wall was some of the scientific glassware they'd taken from the Lycan Den.
"So this is what you found," he said, rather than asking.
"Yes Sir," Asuka said.
He examined the board of names, and looked again at the glassware. A scowl crossed his face.
"Sir, do you know what it is the Lycans were doing?" she asked.
"Looking for another damn Corvinus, I'd guess," he almost growled.
"Why?"
"I'd bet it has to do with the Hybrid transformation. That bastard Michael has been on the run for the last 25 years, I guess they didn't get enough blood samples before his full Hybrid transformation to convert any other Lycans," Kraven said.
"What difference does that make?" one of the other Death Dealers asked.
"Fool. They want to create an army of Hybrids to wipe us out. For that they need the blood of a Corvinus descendant. When the Lycan Elder bit Michael, his blood became tainted. When Selene completed the transformation with the second bite, his blood became useless to everyone. Since he now contained the Vampire vector as well, injecting his blood into a Lycan would kill them instantly. Likewise, if Selene were to attempt to inject his blood into her, it would be fatal to her because of the Lycan vector."
"So," guessed Asuka, "they need a Corvinus descendant who is untainted by Lycan or Vampire to create their Hybrids."
"Most likely, yes. How many names on this list have they yet to eliminate?"
"There are nine names here on the list. The paperwork we found with it indicates that their next target was this Shinji Ikari," one of the other Death Dealers said, pointing to the name and the picture.
"Asuka?" Kraven asked.
"He's the one they were after last night," she said, not looking at the picture.
"Are you sure?" Kraven asked.
"I'm sure."
Kraven looked at her, his scowl deepening. Asuka was keeping secrets from him, and he was not sure why. She knew something more, something she was withholding. He could confront her here, drag it out of her, but he decided to wait for her to bring it to him. She'd never failed him before. In fact, if things continued as they were, he might just offer her the position he'd once offered Selene.
Asuka looked up, and saw a smirk on Kraven's face, and a gleam in his eyes.
"Very well. All of you get some sleep, I'll see you this evening. We need to pay a visit to this Shinji Ikari," he said, dismissing them.
They all left the room, except Asuka, who stayed behind.
"Something on your mind?"
"Just thinking," she said.
"About?"
"The past."
"Don't dwell on the past too much, it only gets you into trouble," he said, leaving the room in a flourish.
Asuka sat there staring down at the Lycan's surveillance photos of Shinji stuck to the board. Reaching out with a trembling hand, she pulled them off carefully, and stuffed them in her jacket. She left the briefing room then, and headed for her own apartment.
Entering her rooms, she made sure the window shades were closed, before going to her bed, and lying down. She pulled the pictures out, and spread them out on the bed beside her, propping herself up on her elbow as she looked down at them.
The Lycans wanted Shinji, and there was a possibility that he was one of these Corvinus descendants who carried the mutated gene that could create a hybrid.
Kraven wanted Shinji, and he was going to make sure that the Lycans couldn't create any more hybrids with Shinji's blood.
"And what about me? What do I want?" Asuka asked herself. She looked down at his photos unable to give voice to the silent desire she'd suppressed for so long. Unable to admit to herself what she'd planned to tell him on the night she'd been bitten by Kraven.
Unsure how to remain loyal to her kind, as well as to herself, she closed her eyes and went to sleep, fully clothed, her face pressed against a picture of Shinji wearing a leather jacket.
"So what are you going to do Shinji?" asked Rei.
"I'm going to find her," he replied.
"Are you sure she wants to be found?"
"I'm… not sure Rei. But I'm pretty sure she saved my life last night. I don't know what all the shooting was about, but I need to find out," he said.
Rei looked at the young man she had accepted as her brother. He'd grown up a lot since their days as a pilot. Matured in ways no one would have ever suspected. He rarely showed it though, not since they'd received word of Asuka's disappearance. He'd walled himself off, even to her, and thrown himself into his studies. Now he was one of the finest Doctors in all of Japan. He had had job offers from several prestigious hospitals and Universities, but he'd turned them all down. Despite what he was now earning, he had no interest in moving to an upscale apartment. He preferred to remain here, in the same apartment he'd shared with Misato and Asuka.
"Do you have any idea on how to start?" Rei asked him
"Nothing concrete. I wish Section 2 were still around, I'd ask for their help. I'm no Kaji," Shinji said.
Rei smiled inwardly, keeping her expression blank.
"Maybe you should call Misato, and see if she can be of any help."
"Misato?" asked Shinji. "I don't know, Rei. I think she's pretty busy with her position with the UN."
"I believe that if you explain to her what you are doing, she will be of assistance," Rei said softly.
Shinji glanced at Rei out of the corner of his eye. She was still difficult to read, but he could recognize when she was manipulating him. Most of the time. This sure felt like one of those times.
"Alright Rei, I'll call Misato," Shinji said, picking up his cellphone, and dialed his former guardian.
"Shinji, good morning. I heard what happened. Are you alright?" Misato asked.
"Yeah, I'm okay, but I've been suspended from my duties at the hospital until the police clear me as a suspect."
"Oh, I think that should happen in a few days, it doesn't seem like they really have anything on you, merely a few questions about your involvement. A few words in the right ears, and they'll back off," Misato said.
"Um… Thanks Misato, but that's really not necessary," Shinji said.
"Oh, it really wouldn't be a bother Shinji. I'd be glad to do it."
"Actually Misato, I think I'd like to stay on leave for a while," he explained. "See as long as I'm on paid leave I can do a little poking around of my own."
"Why Shinji, I never knew you fancied yourself a detective?"
Shinji laughed.
"I'm no Kaji, Misato, but I'd like to look into this," he said.
Misato tensed at the reminder of her dead lover, and asked, "Why are you going to do this Shinji? Why not just let the police handle it?"
Shinji paused for a moment.
"One of the shooters was Asuka," he said.
Misato did a believable impersonation of someone shocked by this news, "You can't be serious."
"I'm afraid so, Misato. Rei will confirm it. Hell, if you watch any of the news reports, it's pretty obvious. Enough eye witnesses got a good look at her that the Police came up with a pretty accurate picture."
Misato considered for a minute, and then asked Shinji, "Can I help in any way?"
"Well, I'd appreciate any information you can find on Asuka's disappearance, and maybe the information the police have gathered on the shooting."
"I'll see what I can do Shinji, but you know that I'm really only a figurehead these days," Misato lied.
"Anything you can do to help, Misato, would be appreciated."
"Alright Shinji. I'll do what I can. Goodbye."
"Goodbye Misato," he said, and broke the connection.
"She agreed to help?" Rei asked, already knowing the answer.
"Yeah. Hopefully she'll have something for me in the next day or two," he replied.
"In that case, I think you should just sit back and relax until something shows up."
"Alright Rei. I'll try," he said, sitting down on the couch, and turning on the television.
Judging by the look on Shinji's face, Rei suspected that sitting down and relaxing was something the former pilot was going to have a difficult time doing.