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An Assassin's Memories

Fourteenth Shot: Michael

"What do you mean he's here?" Misato demanded as she stared at the dark haired man leaning against the wall.

"He's here," Yuji repeated as he took a drag on his cigarette. "He will now be working for NERV."

"We have to go see him," Misato said quickly.

"I'm not sure that's a great idea ma'am," Yuji said as flicked his filter into the sink across the room. He pulled out another cigarette and lit it.

"And why is that?" Misato demanded.

"He isn't the person you knew," Yuji said. "From what he has already told us they go through a brain washing process that they call programming."

"Brain washing," Misato asked. "Is there any chance that he can recover his memory?"

"He has an appointment with Doctor Akagi tomorrow," Yuji said. "That's not the problem ma'am."

"What is?" Misato asked.

"I'm not really sure he wants them back," Yuji said. "That's the problem ma'am. He just does not care."

"How could he not care?" Misato demanded.

"He lives in the here and now," Yuji said. "That's good enough for him."

"You mean I may never see Shinji again," Misato said quietly.

"You'll see him," Yuji said. "You just won't meet him."

(:::::::::::::ii::::::::::::::)

"This is nice," Ari said as she looked around the apartment. "I mean compared to our old one."

"Our old one was condemned," Takumi said simply. Ari moved to stand behind the couch that Takumi was sitting on and rested her hands on his shoulders. She watched as he quickly reassembled the small black pistol. He loaded it and offered it to her over his shoulder.

"How does it look?" Ari asked as she took it the weapon.

"It's fine ma'am," Takumi said. "It's an excellent sidearm. Keep it near you."

"Alright," Ari said. She leaned over and laid it on the table. "So what's your name?"

"Michael ma'am," Takumi said. "My name is Michael."

"I'm Hikari," Ari said. "It's nice to meet you Mike. You can call me Kari is you want."

"Yes ma'am." Kari sighed in exasperation.

"I hate you Mike," she said. "I really do. I just know my life would have been so much happier if I never met you."

"I understand," Michael said. Kari sat down and rested her head in her hands.

"And just how the hell can you understand?" she asked tiredly.

"Because I hate me too," Michael said simply as he stood up. He picked up his Glock and slid it into his holster. "I'll be back later."

(:::::::::::::ii::::::::::::::)

Yuji stared at the man walking towards him. "Hello."

"Hello," the man answered. "I'm Michael."

"Nice to meet you," Yuji said. The man simply walked past him. "Where are you going?"

"I have a few loose ends that need to be taken care of," Michael said. He glanced at Yuji over his shoulder. "There's going to be killing. You wanna come?"

"Sure," Yuji said.

(:::::::::::::ii::::::::::::::)

Michael checked the new laser aiming module on his Glock and slipped it into the holster on his hip. "Colonel Katsuragi wants to see you." Michael glanced at Yuji out of the corner of his eye and pulled on a thin Kevlar vest over his black T-shirt.

"You did tell her that I shot her, right?"

"Well I haven't really sat her down and said that you did," Yuji said. "She's the third highest ranking person in NERV. I would like to think that she's smart enough to draw that conclusion herself."

"Huh," Michael grunted. Yuji unlocked a small locker and pulled out two sub-machineguns. "Uzis?"

"Micro Uzi Para," Yuji corrected. "They were used by the YAMAN. They use the same magazines as the Glocks."

"Nice," Michael said as he pushed a magazine into the weapon. "They moved the charging handle."

"It's on the left side," Yuji said as he pushed the door to the van open and stepped outside. Michael followed him and pulled on a black ski marks. "Are you sure she's here?"

"She should still be here," Michael said. "They will send two assassins to find her and bring her back."

"Two of you?" Yuji asked. Michael nodded as he pulled on a helmet. He saw Yuji frown and the older man climbed back into the van for a minute. He reappeared a moment later with a new rifle in his hands. It was a long black weapon with a scope mounted to the carrying handle and something mounted to the fore grip.

"Is that an Armalite?"

"Armalite AR-10," Yuji said with a smirk as he pushed a magazine into the weapon.

"Isn't that thing older then you are?" Michael asked as he buckled his helmet's chin strap and checked his Uzi again.

"So?" Yuji asked. "It's a .308. None of you little bastards are going to shrug of a .308 to the chest.

"What's that thing strapped to the fore grip?"

"It's a shotgun," Yuji said with a smirk.

"You have issues."

"You're one to talk."

(:::::::::::::ii::::::::::::::)

Kari jerked upright as someone knocked on the door. She snatched up her pistol and pulled back the slide. "Who is it?" she asked as she walked to the door.

"It's Misato Katsuragi," a woman's voice said. Kari frowned. She tried to remember what Misato had sounded like when they met at the restaurant.. 'What would Toc. . .Mike do?' Kari scowled. 'He'd whip out a God damned machinegun and open fire.'

"I'm opening the door." She pushed the button and the door opened. The raven-haired woman on the other side obviously wasn't expecting to have a pistol in her face. Kari carefully lowered her weapon and finally holstered it. "Come in."

"Okay." Misato stepped into the apartment and looked around. "Is Shinji here?"

"His name is Michael," Kari said as she sat down. "Have a seat please."

"Thank you."

"My name is Kari," Kari said. "It's nice to meet you."

"My name is Misato," Misato said. "I was actually just hoping to speak with Shinji."

"Michael," Kari corrected. "Actually, I was hoping to talk to you."

"You were?" Misato asked in surprise.

"You were Shinji Ikari's guardian weren't you?" Kari pressed.

"Technically I was," Misato said, looking thoroughly disgusted with herself.

"I want to ask you what Shinji Ikari was like," Kari said.

"I'm probably not the best person to tell you about that," Misato said. 'If she gets any more depressed she's going to collapse in on herself,' Kari thought.

"Please," she said. "Just tell me."

"I'll tell you what I can."

(:::::::::::::ii::::::::::::::)

Michael peeked around the corner and jerked back behind the wall. He glanced at Yuji and held up three fingers. The older man nodded and flashed a series of complex hand signals. Michael nodded and crouched. The condemned apartment complex had once been incredibly beautiful and expensive. The lobby was easily big enough to fit a normal two story house in. Decorative stone columns lined both sides and a suspended T-shaped staircase led to the second floor.

"There they are," Michael whispered, as he stared at the young man wearing a high school uniform with a massive machinegun in his hands. "This is a bad angle. I can only see one."

"Move to the other side," Yuji hissed. "Go." Michael sprinted forward towards the columns across the lobby. Behind him Yuji opened fire with the assault rifle.

"Shit," Michael panted as he ducked behind a column. He could hear bullets slapping into the other side of the thick stone.

"You all right?"

"I'm fine!" Michael answered. He leaned out and let off a burst with his Uzi. He could see blood spray from the chest of one of the assassins. He whipped around and brought his rifle to bear on Michael instead of Yuji. "I'm pinned down!"

"I don't have a good angle!" Yuji answered. Michael cursed and thrust the muzzle of his sub-machinegun around the corner. He pulled the trigger and emptied the magazine. The answered was almost immediate as bullets stitched into the faded carpet a few centimeters from Michael's leg. He ejected the magazine and pulled a new one from one of the pouches on his vest.

"Get back!" Michael tugged a flash bang grenade from his vest and pulled the pin. He counted to four and hurled the grenade over his shoulder. The result was an almost deafening sonic crack. Michael was moving before his ears had stopped ringing. He hit the stairs, taking them four at a time, and shifted his Uzi to his left hand. He took the next flight of stairs and fired a long burst from the Uzi. The 9mm slugs slammed into the young mans body and sent him tumbled off the second floor and to the ground below. Michael whipped around, already drawing his Glock. He fired and the second assassin went down in a spray of blood. "Clear!" Yuji appeared a moment later.

"Holy shit."

"Thank you," Michael said, accepting it as a compliment. He kept the Glock trained on the only other living being.

"Is that her?"

"Yeah," Michael said. Yuji rolled the woman over and pulled a plastic safety cuff from his rifle's hollow grip. He secured the woman's hands behind her back and pulled her to her feet.

"Snatch and run."

"Yeah. Let's get the hell out of here."

"I hear that."

(:::::::::::::ii::::::::::::::)

Gendo stared at the two men. "I did not approve this operation."

"We didn't have time to gain approval sir," Michael said simply. "We had a limited window of operations."

"He's right sir," Yuji said. "They were already working on extracting the woman when we arrived."

"Very well," Gendo said. "You're both dismissed."

"Sir."

(:::::::::::::ii::::::::::::::)

"You've got to be kidding me," Kari said in awe. "He was shy? Are you sure you didn't mistake his anti-social tendencies for shyness?"

"I'm pretty sure," Misato said. "He was always really happy when he was alone. He knew no one could hurt him if no one could get near him."

"That's incredible," Kari said. She leaned back in her chair. "I cannot picture Mike as a shy person."

"He had a horrible life," Misato explained. "His mother died and his father pawned him off to some old teacher."

"That would make sense," Kari said with a nod. "Michael is one of the bloodiest of his kind. Maybe some of his old suppressed rage carried over."

"I thought you said that things like that can't be carried over," Misato said.

"I'm not one hundred percent sure how it works," Kari began. "No memories are carried over of course, but some feelings can be. Especially if they are very strong."

"Oh." The door opened and closed.

"Mike?"

"Yeah?" Kari watched as the object of their discussion stepped into view wearing a leather jacket.

"Where did you get that thing?"

"Around," Michael said as he pulled it off and hung it on one of the wall hooks. He glanced at Misato. "What's she doing here?"

"She wanted to talk to you Mike." Michel moved to the easy chair and sat.

"Talk," he said flatly. Kari winched and glanced at Misato. She was staring at the young man. She looked ready to cry.

"Would you stop being a prick?" Kari hissed. Michael's sharp blue eyes turned on her.

"I must go if you have nothing to say," he said as he stood up. "I simply returned to. . ." He was cut off as Misato suddenly threw her arms around him. Kari could see Michael's hand lurch to the pistol under his arm. It was out even as Kari reached for it. Her hand wrapped around the slide and pulled it back, rendering the weapon inoperable. She saw Michael's wide eyes snap up to meet hers. She carefully shook her head side to side. Michael's grip on the weapon loosened and Kari carefully took it.

"I missed you Shinji."

"Michael," Michael said, his voice sounding slightly off. Kari stared at him. He almost seemed to be shaking and his right hand was clenching and unclenching.

(:::::::::::::ii::::::::::::::)

Misato pulled back from the young man and stared at him. She could feel him shaking almost violently. "Shinji?"

"Michael," he said as he stepped back. "My name is Michael." It almost sounded like he was saying it to himself. "I need to go." Misato watched as he took a pistol from Kari, grabbed his jacket, and walked out the door.

"Did I do something?"

"Yeah," Kari said. "You touched him."

"What?"

"As far as he can remember he has never known physical contact," Kari explained. "At least from someone who isn't trying to kill him. I think your hug disturbed him more then would care to admit."

"He's scared of physical contact?" Misato asked.

"No," Kari said. "I think he's scared of intimacy. Like I said: the only people who have touched him were trying to kill him. Even a hug is tough for him to handle."

"I see," Misato said as she sat down. "That's horrible."

"It's kept him alive for much longer then most," Kari said. "They're good, but no one can last very long living the way they do."

(:::::::::::::ii::::::::::::::)

"Are you okay Michael?"

"I'm fine," Michel said as he pushed the doors to the morgue open. "I just have something on my mind."

"If you say so," Yuji said.

"Are you gentlemen with NERV?" Michael glanced at the young lab-coated man who had spoken.

"Yes we are," Yuji said.

"The autopsies are not quite finished," the man said. "We'll contact you when it's done."

"Actually," Michael said. "I was hoping to inspect the bodies."

"Are you qualified?" the young man said.

"I have a unique knowledge of them," Michael said simply.

"Very well." The man led them into a room that stank of death. Two tables were laid out. A sheet was draped over one and a young man with a Y-shaped incision laid naked on the other. Michael shrugged off his coat and handed it to Yuji.

"What exactly are you looking for?" Yuji asked.

"Something," Michael said as he pulled on a pair of surgical gloves. He checked the dead man's ear. "Ten."

"What?"

"This is Ten," Michael said. "The number on the back of the earlobe is their designation." Yuji kneeled and stared at the tiny black number.

"I see." Michael picked up a scalpel and examined the young man. With his free hand he pressed two fingers against the side of his own neck. He made a small incision in Ten's neck and picked up a pair of tweezers. He felt around for a second and then dropped a tiny bloody metal capsule the size of a pill into a metal tray.

"Oh my god," the man said as he used another pair of tweezers to pick up the capsule and examine it. "What is this?"

"It's a radio transmitter," Michael said. "There will be a receiver behind the left eardrum as well. Also check the back of the neck near the atlas vertebrae and both eyeballs."

"Yes sir." Michael pulled off his gloves and threw them away. He peeled back the sheet on the second body. The second assassin was a young woman. He checked her ear.

"Who is she?"

"Eighteen," Michael said. "I've seen all I need to see. Let's get out of here."

(:::::::::::::ii::::::::::::::)

Kari looked up as the door opened again. Michael stepped into the apartment and hung his coat up. "Where have you been?"

"The morgue," Michael said simply.

"Why did you go to the morgue?"

"I needed to I.D. two people I killed." Kari's eyes nearly bugged out as she turned and stared at the two women sitting on their couch.

"Uh. . .we have guests Mike," she said cheerfully.

"I was aware of that," Michael said as he disappeared into the kitchen.

"What are you doing now?" Kari asked.

"I'm making dinner," Michael answered.

"Did he do that before?" Kari asked.

"He used to love to cook," Asuka said. She was staring at the kitchen doorway, apparently too shocked to move.

"We never gave him much of a choice," Misato said forlornly.

"Are they staying for dinner?"

"If it's alright," Misato said.

"They're staying Mike!" Kari called. She glanced at the door and bit her lip. "Hey Mike?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Why are you making dinner?"

"If I make dinner then you won't want to go out ma'am," Michael answered. He reappeared in the door frame. "You remember what happened the last time we went out, right?" he asked. "She shot me." Kari glanced at the redhead.

"Oh."

-End

(:::::::::::::ii::::::::::::::)

-Author's notes. I know the meeting was anti-climactic, but think about it. A boy they know disappeared for two years and then reappears as a cold-blooded assassin. You'd be really shocked too, wouldn't you?