Reign of the Tabri
Chapter 9: Truthful Confessions/ Truthful Confusions
Cold metal on his back. Tightened leather straps on his ankles and wrists. Electrodes hooked up to his nipples, knees, stomach, and wings.
"He's awake," boomed a loud speaker overhead.
Apparently they had high tech equipment as well. He'd been in full stealth mode and it would take one fabulous piece of equipment to detect that he was awake.
Logani opened his eyes and for a millionth of a second was blinded by the overhead lights. His eyes dilated and he managed to look around. He was in a cold, black, steel room with no personnel. In the corner was the loudspeaker.
Apparently he was not alone. Craning his neck he could see that his feet were aiming right at Rei Ayanami. She stood, in a plug suit surprisingly, watching him. It didn't take an idiot to figure out that she would subdue him at the simplest sign of an escape. He laid his head back on the operating table.
Rei had been very surprised when she'd been ordered to keep an eye on him. She'd thought the boulder driven into his nose would've killed him. Yet, here he was awake. It antagonized her that she'd have to watch over him.
Rei didn't want to be here. There was another place she'd like to be ignored. It was ok. Commander Ikari would come soon.
Then she'd be ignored by two people at the same time. It was a brave new horizon for Rei. She actually began to contemplate why she would allow herself to be used to like this. Her thinking had done this more and more lately. She couldn't think of that many reasons, yet she still did it.
Commander Ikari entered through a door that Logani had barely managed to notice. This room was designed to be identical in all parts. Of course, once you realized were the door was that ceased to matter.
"Murder of NERV employees, attempted espionage on NERV, destruction of NERV facilities and damage to equipment, excessive destruction and attempted resurrection of an angel are the charges you're facing. How do you plead?"
"Not guilty, not guilty, guilty, guilty, and not guilty. Come on Ikari, we both know I'm not going to face charges. If you had your way I'd be experimented on until I rot. You'd learn everything you could from my carcass and then use it to try to beat my siblings."
Gendo smirked as he walked up to Logani's right side. He leaned down so he was whispering in Logani's ear. "Then perhaps you'd like to explain everything that's happened lately? Hm?" Gendo now spoke louder, "Perhaps you'd like to tell me why I've lost my base, my means to ascension, and nearly all my power?" Gendo was now full-blown shouting in Logani's ear.
"You want blood for your losses. Understandable, but it's not mine you want. You want the blood of those that took your base, stole your means to you ascension, and now rule using your power," Logani had not flinched at Gendo's rage and his voice remained level now, "You want Michel's blood and if you kill me, torture me or try to use me you'll never get it." Logani looked straight up into the powerful lights overhead and his mouth creped into a smile. "If the Final Messenger is defeated by the neglected son it shall come to pass that the children rule all. You shouldn't have assumed it'd be your controllable children Gendo."
Gendo turned away in anger and began to walk around the room. Fuyutsuki's reverence for that last piece of the Dead Sea Scrolls was now revealed. Prophecy had warned them of this last attack but somehow they had missed it. They had become so absorbed in defeating the seventeen angels that they had ignored all other threats. Ignorance had been bliss for those few days before the Tabri had attacked. "So what are you then?"
"We are the sons and daughters of Tabris. Nearly all of us have a different mother. We come from all ages, all classes, and all times. We are neither as numerous as humans nor as strong as the messengers. If you would number us as you would an angel we are the nineteenth. We have come last, for no Tabri could exist without humans and messengers existing first."
"Then what would you do? Erase humans to have the world alone? Enslave us for labor and food?"
"We would do many things. Each of us is as unique as a human. Some will follow power while others will instinctively fight against it. I find it depends more on the time with the mother then with our father. He was always fair with all of us. Would treat us as he thought we should be treated. He loved us as a father, yet treated us as equals. For that we sought to protect him."
"I see," Gendo had an inkling of what it was to actually be a father. He also knew, from Yui, how to love another. He thought he knew how they could go together. It just matters that he thought he could understand it. "Then let us speak of Ireul."
"After your defeat in Tokyo-3 I infiltrated the Tabri held city. I accidentally entered a certain test facility. I should've known Ireul could control me when I woke up out of the facility. Later it learned to read my thoughts. Useful for communication but it made it hard to keep secrets from it. There was no way to even plot of getting rid of it," Logani said.
"And then when Rei beat you," two sets of eyes darted to the girl standing in their presence, "Ireul just took over? Then you awakened and beat it. Call me a skeptic but that sounds a little unlikely," replied Gendo.
Logani finally closed his eyes and smiled once more. "Of course it sounds unlikely. But I must confess that's the truth."
"Of course it is," Gendo began to walk towards the door, "we'll have another session like this later."
"No, not later. Gendo if you don't believe me… why don't you check on Ireul?" Logani had to gamble to keep Gendo in the room.
Gendo stopped,Logani's gambit having worked momentarily. "What do you mean?" he said over his shoulder.
Logani brought in a big breath, "I mean Ireul is still inside of me. It's hearing every part of this conversation. I could drive it back but not out. I didn't want it in this base, weak as you are."
Gendo turned around and looked at Logani. Logani had his head propped up so he could look Gendo in the eyes. Gendo turned away.
"They call me the Tabri of Honor you know. At least they used to. They called me it because I always follow my word. I've promised myself I'll bring Michel to justice and I promise to you that Ireul is still inside me. You have the technology, why not just test it? Why risk having an angel in your base?" Gendo slipped out of the room with Logani still yelling after him, "What do you have to lose dammit!"
Logani slumped his head back and waited. Gendo, or anyone, had to believe him eventually. They wouldn't keep him forever. Fear entered Logani's emotion stream. Fear that he would not be the one to bring Michel to justice.
"Begin the tests immediately," Gendo ordered as he sat down, "I want to know if he was telling the truth at all. Let me know if you find a single nanobot."
Gendo assumed his trademark pose at the command chair. Around him the best techs NERV 8 had to offer set to work. Their goal was complicated. Find an irregularity in an irregular human's body.
Sleep was wanted much throughout the night but none dared to so much as ask Gendo for it. It wasn't worth talking to him.