Disclaimer: Same as Chapter 1.
Chapter 5: Deuteronomy
Shinji lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. He was only barely paying attention to his SDAT, which was currently playing through Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. He raised his right hand to his face, the one he had used to hit Kaworu with only a few hours before. Somehow, the anger he had felt then, all the pain had faded, replaced by an agreeable numbness. He knew he was just running from the truth, running like he had from Misato after the battle with Shamshel, but right now he didn't care. An image of Rei crept unheeded into his mind's eye-- the smile she had given him right before she...
No, he whispered to his subconscious. I don't want to think about that. He rolled onto his left side and closed his eyes, as if to wash the memories from his head. He felt a dull pain deep inside himself, crying for relief, but he ignored it, like all the other pain he had felt before. This wasn't any different.
I just want to forget her...
He didn't even notice the tears welling in his eyes as he drifted fitfully off to sleep.
Gendo, Fuyutsuki and Ritsuko stood outside the hospital's observation room. The Commander was staring through the two-way mirror at the girl with light-blue hair sleeping on the room's only bed, her breathing shallow, but even. Machines flickered and beeped on the inside, as if to provide their mutual assurance that she was indeed alive.
"What's her status?" Fuyutsuki asked the doctor.
Ritsuko leafed through the clipboard in her hand, and finally stopped at the appropriate page. "She's finally breathing on her own, and we've detected normal brain activity. No abnormalities detected."
"...Other than the obvious, of course," Gendo finally spoke, turning to face the other two. "Dr. Akagi, I'd like to know how this could have happened."
"I don't know for sure, but there are a few theories," Ritsuko paused. "The most likely is that it had something to do with the Angel--when it made contact with Unit-00."
Fuyutsuki narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "...What do you mean, Dr. Akagi?"
"It's not an unlikely scenario, Sub-Commander. Don't forget that she survived the attack of the 9th Angel when it destroyed Unit-00's head. An injury like that would have killed anyone else, but because of her genetic make-up, she's far more resilient than a normal human being."
"Agreed, doctor. Yet what has happened here is not something as simple as a damaged Eva," Gendo coldly observed, "so elaborate, if you will."
Ritsuko collected her thoughts before continuing. "Basically, what may have happened was that when Rei made contact with the Angel, there was an 'exchange' of sorts. The psychiometric reading we took suggests that many of her memories were analysed by means of a mental connection it made with Rei, not unlike the 10th Angel with Asuka. But it seems that, instead of merely being a passive victim of the Angel's attack, Rei was able to absorb some of its power, though it seems to have been a subconscious effort."
Gendo stared at her curiously. "So you're suggesting it was..."
"...A reflex of her Angelic nature. It may have been just enough of a contact to awaken her AT Field, which would explain why she didn't have a scratch on her when we found her."
"I see. That is all, Dr. Akagi. You're dismissed," the Commander said, turning his attention back to the observation window, as though she was already gone. He didn't catch the slight indignation on her face as she turned and went down the hall, her heels clicking all the way. Fuyutsuki only turned to look at Gendo.
"Ikari... do you think it's safe for us to allow her to live?"
"...The scenario is not in danger. One less clone will not affect the outcome."
"That's not what I'm talking about. An AT Field on her own? There's no telling what else she could do if we simply ignore this."
"You heard the doctor-- it was a subconscious reflex action. All human beings can do seemingly impossible things when situations are exceedingly dire. As long as we ensure that no further stimuli affect her thusly, there will not be another incident."
"Ikari, that child is NOT a 'human being,' as you put it! Not to mention the Committee won't be happy when they hear about this..."
"SEELE won't do anything--not until the 12th Angel is taken care of. Until then, we have plenty of time."
"...You still think that you're in control of everything, don't you Gendo? You forget, the reason we're in this position now is because your 'doll' ignored your direct orders!"
"I haven't forgotten. But the mental strain of her actions may be enough to keep her in her place from now on."
The Sub-Commander gritted his teeth, knowing that to argue further would be useless. "Very well, Ikari. But don't forget that you have the organization's safety to consider as well."
Gendo didn't move as Fuyutsuki left down the hall the opposite direction of Ritsuko. The spectacled man watched his most vital tool sleep and nearly surrendered to a small pang of guilt. But he ignored it, as he had every other pain he had felt since the day Yui had died.
The blood of 3 billion people is already on my hands... a few hundred more is just a drop in the ocean.
A few days passed. Shinji stood in the kitchen, making breakfast for Misato and himself. He was as quiet as he had been on the day of Unit-00's explosion, but he was at least coming out of his room now. His guardian sat at the table sipping her morning can of beer, watching Shinji cook with that vacant expression in his face again. It was almost as if, in the vacancy of Rei and her emotional blankness, Shinji had decided to take up the job in remembrance. He soon brought the meal over (an omelette with onion, tomato and sausage, as well as a fruit salad) and the two ate in silence. After the meal, Misato put on her coat and slipped on her shoes.
"Well, I'm going to NERV now, Shinji."
"...Alright..."
She decided to try teasing him, just a little bit, to maybe snap him out of his gloom. "No wild parties or naughty stuff, understand?"
"...Alright..."
Didn't even notice, she thought sadly as Shinji continued to stand near the door blankly. Suddenly she threw her arms around him, and his eyes widened from her unexpected assault on his personal space.
"Shinji...I know it hurts," she was half-sobbing from the frustration, although she did not cry, "but you have to be strong. I... I just want you to know I'm here if--if you need to talk..."
The boy pulled away, nearly pushing her into the door in his desperate effort to escape.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!"
She stared at him, too surprised by his sudden emotion to be angry. What he had done slowly sunk in, and Shinji's voice quieted.
"I...just leave me alone, Misato...I don't want to talk about it...I...I just can't."
"...I'm sorry," she said simply, her heart nearly breaking from his pain just as much as from her own helplessness. Without another word, she opened the door and left.
That evening was one of the most uncomfortable Shinji had ever spent while living with Misato. They ate in silence again; Misato didn't bother to try to break the ice, too frightened by Shinji's coldness to try again. After an hour spent watching TV (it was supposed to be a comedy, but neither of them could laugh), Shinji slipped into his room to listen to his SDAT. Misato knew he just didn't want to be near her, and she sat in front of the idiot box, drinking another beer, not even really watching the screen. She soon drained the can, and got up to toss it. She was about to open the fridge to get another one when the phone rang nearby.
Who could that be at this time? she thought as she picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Yes, this is she..."
"...What?"
The words hit her again, but they seemed so far from possible that she stood there, holding the phone, stunned.
"...Uh, yes! Yes, of course we'll come! Just hold on!"
With that, she hung up the phone and ran to Shinji's room knocking on the door.
"Shinji! Shinji, wake up!"
The boy opened the door slowly, glaring at his guardian.
"...What?"
"Shinji, get dressed! We're going to the hospital."
He looked at her oddly. "...Go yourself. I don't care."
"Shinji, it's Rei!"
He had been closing the door, but stopped in his tracks.
"She's alive!"
She didn't need to say anything more. The boy put on a fresh change of clothes, and within minutes the two were in Misato's car, speeding carelessly to the NERV Medical Ward.