Disclaimer: Same as Chapter 1.
Chapter 39: Malachi
"Welcome back, Kouzou Fuyutsuki."
The grey-haired man looked up at the black monolith floating before him, bearing on its facade the words "SEELE" and "01." Despite his awareness of the danger of the situation, he remained calm, the only emotion on his face a slightly bemused expression. He chuckled grimly under his breath.
"I wish I could say the same, Chairman... but your strongarm tactics are far from heartwarming. I must admit though..." he unconsciously rubbed his left wrist with his free hand, "...It was quite considerate of you to not tie me down this time."
"Your attempts at congeniality are not appreciated, Professor."
"Indeed. We have requested your presence because there are questions we must have answered."
"...For example, why you have not released the Fifth Child to us."
Fuyutsuki glared at the other representations of the members of SEELE, wondering why they were bothering to go through all this.
"...The Fifth Child is being held by NERV because of his involvement with the recent injury of Commander Ikari. He's been tried and even confessed to the act himself. At the moment he's currently awaiting sentencing--"
"Enough. There is obviously more to this situation than a missing hand."
"Speaking of which...why is Ikari not present? Surely he has recovered by now."
"...Commander Ikari is currently being treated for shock at NERV," Fuyutsuki said evenly. One of the monoliths allowed itself a cold laugh.
"Ikari incapacitated?"
"My, how the mighty have fallen."
"In any case..." Fuyutsuki said with a sense of finality, "...This incident occured on NERV grounds, and as such punishment of the Fifth falls to us. You have no authority in this matter. Good day." With that, the acting Commander of NERV turned to leave.
"FUYUTSUKI!" At the beckoning of the principal member of SEELE, the older man stopped but did not turn around. "...If you walk out on us now, the consequences for you and the organization you represent will be great."
"This is your last chance. Surrender the Fifth Child to us immediately or face swift punishment."
In response, Fuyutsuki opened the pitch black room's only door and exited without looking back. It was a few moments before the seventh monolith broke the oppressive silence that had fallen.
"It would seem as though our opportunity has finally presented itself."
"Indeed. We have finally negotiated this period of uncertainty."
"While the value of the Scrolls has certainly been called into question, we should surely be able to follow them again to the proper conclusion for humanity."
"The conclusion that we and God have laid down for them."
"It was quite a risk to entrust this much to the Fifth-- yet it appears that our trust in him was far from misplaced."
"Not only has he recovered Adam from Ikari, he ensured that the Third is in the proper mental state for Instrumentality."
"All that remains now is for Ikari to make another foolish mistake."
"A mistake that will lead to the cleansing of all mankind."
"--And will finally return us to the embrace of our Lord."
"As it was in the beginning..."
"...Is now..."
"...And ever shall be."
Shinji walked into the small, sterile hospital room in a dreamlike state. He walked up to the girl laying atop a still-made bed, staring at a point on the ceiling with fervent attention. She wasn't comatose-- far from it-- but any casual observer would have though her to be such.
"...Hi, Asuka."
The girl didn't respond, she simply maintained her emotionless face as she continued to gaze at the ceiling. Shinji immediately dropped all attempts at small talk and contented himself with lowering his eyes to the floor. Nearly a week had passed since the fight with the last Angel. Since he had...
Against his will, an image of Rei's sad crimson orbs filled up his mind's eye. He twitched involuntarily at the memory, then pushed it back to the recesses of his head. He glanced back at the redhead, his hand clenching and unclenching without him realizing it. Before he could stop himself, he threw his arms around Asuka's shoulders. The girl paid him no mind, only continuing to stare straight ahead while she was moved against her will. She seemed almost like a rag doll.
"Please, Asuka..." Shinji whimpered as he buried his face into his friend's shoulder. He would never have made such a blatant display of compassion to a cognizant Asuka, but the pain Shinji was enduring had overwhelmed his reclusiveness at the moment. "I...I don't know what to do anymore..."
The silent girl made no sign she had heard him. Shinji let go of Asuka and looked at her as her blank eyes kept their focus towards heaven. Her vacant, cold facade reminded him suddenly of how another girl had treated him before they had become friends. Another girl who rarely smiled, but when she did...
Unable to face the ghost of Rei that lay in Asuka's features, Shinji turned away, only taking a single glance backwards before shutting the door with a click. He managed to walk a few feet before his legs began to give out beneath him. To keep himself from collapsing altogether, the boy leaned against the plaster wall and slid down to the polished tile floor. He sat curled up in that hallway as self-loathing once again began to creep over him.
God...I can't believe I did that. Am I really...this weak?
Shinji buried his face into his knees as he trembled helplessly on the cold floor. He hated himself for what he had done to Rei. He hated himself for turning to Asuka, a girl he hadn't really given a second thought to, as a last resort to evade his lonliness. And he hated himself for being the one Rei had died for. A pathetic excuse of a human being like him.
It...it should have been me instead...
Misato quickly disconnected the tap she had on the Communications Chamber once she was sure that all the members of SEELE had signed off. She was currently sitting in a long-forgotten corner of Headquarters, which despite its lack of personnel had a patch that enabled wireless network connection. She was confident she would not be caught-- especially since no one knew about it. Well, no one except the deceased Ryoji Kaji...and by proxy, herself as well.
So... that's why they sent Kaworu. But I thought that Adam was the Angel held in Terminal Dogma?
She had wanted to inspect the pale monstrosity more closely since the last Angel fight, but with repairs being made throughout NERV, the Sub-Commander had placed greater restrictions on personnel movement-- armed guards stood at just about every other junction. She had wondered at first what the increase in security signified, but now it seemed quite obvious.
It looks like he's preparing for something...does he think they'll attack us?
The thought frightened Misato. NERV was established to fight Angels, not other people. Any sort of invasion would result in more than a few deaths, especially if anyone resisted. The Sub-Commander had already taken a major risk when he refused to relinquish Rei's body to the Committee for 'examination.' While she was glad that Fuyutsuki was at least more compassionate than his superior, she knew that Rei's death would be in vain if it resulted in more fatalities. Misato was shaken out of her grim reverie as her laptop began to beep and flash at her.
"Damnit... they noticed me..." She quickly disconnected her uplink, then folded up the portable computer and headed carefully towards the elevator.
It's probably nothing, but... better safe than sorry.
In another part of NERV's hospital section, Room 254, Gendo Ikari slowly slid on his signature NERV-issue jacket, wincing slightly as the fabric ran over the still-tender stump where his hand...and Adam... had been. Despite the physician's insistence that he spend at least a month resting from his ordeal, the Commander of NERV knew better.
Time is a luxury that I no longer have.
He stood up, looking every bit as intimidating and commanding a presence as he always had, which would be necessary if he was to succeed.
It's a distant possibility... but if there is any hope that this will work, then I must take it.
The Commander allowed himself a brief smile as a memory of Yui entered his mind. While she was his polar opposite in daily life, she was every bit as fearless a scientist as he was. She was a woman who understood that taking risks was vital to creating change. Perhaps that was what had drawn him to her in the first place...
...There's no time to think of that now. Soon, I won't need a memory anymore.
As quickly as it had come, the grin faded, replaced by his normal sober expression. He opened the door of his hospital room and exited silently, not deliberately trying to sneak away but being careful not to attract attention to himself nontheless. His footsteps echoed through the deserted hallways as he steadily made his way toward the Detention Area.
A/N: Well, I'm back! Sorry that this chapter's late-- I had to drive back to college yesterday and I was too tired to do anything :( Plus, I spent a lot of time trying to think about just how I'm going to get to the end. Anyway, thanks for continuing to read this fic, and I hope you'll stick with it to the end!