Just in case you haven't read my four other disclaimers, I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. If I did, I'd have kept Rei all to myself…
'Mother is the First Other'
-EVANGELION
(crime of innocence)
'Yes, quite a tragedy.'
'What twisted irony, really. The one who had proposed the experiment became its casualty.'
'Has it truly been confirmed the breakdown was the outcome of the Contact?'
'There is little doubt.'
'But it seems all the more cruel…killing herself and leaving behind such a little girl.'
'Regrets, Doctor?'
'More than you know, Mr. Kiel…'
'Best set aside your scruples now, Doctor. Unfortunate as this incident was, we must remember the staggering new assets we have obtained because of it.'
'Assets? You mean the girl and the E-'
'Just don't lose sight of the task at hand…'
It had been raining that day.
The little girl had weathered through all of it. All the people who had come, most of them had whispered. Just like the people at the hospital, they spoke in hushed tones of 'tragedy' and 'scandal'. Others discussed things she knew concerned her, but they were casual, cold, and passing remarks; five-year-old Asuka couldn't bring herself to care.
Her mother had died.
And she had been the first to know.
(hostility restrained)
Even at such a young age, Asuka was disgusted with all their tears. All those people crying at the funeral. Tears never helped. Crying was self-betrayal, throwing your injured heart out into the open where its wounds would rot and stagnate. Asuka had cried and begged to her mother at the hospital, but tears were such stupid, powerless things.
Asuka was an intelligent girl; Mother's thoroughness at the sperm bank had ensured that, at least. She was quick to realize that to cry was to let your heart bleed, and if it bled long enough it would just die and die and die.
So little Asuka had come up with the perfect solution.
She wouldn't cry anymore. Wounds had to be covered and protected. Only someone who was strong could keep themselves from crying; to protect their heart.
Momma had a new baby when she was in the hospital.
Momma called the baby Asuka.
Five year-old Asuka, so bright for her age, knew her momma's new baby was a stuffed doll.
Asuka Langley Souryu hated dolls.
I'm not Momma's doll, she promised herself. I'll life for myself and I'll think for myself!
She was strong. No, she wasn't just strong. She was thestrongest, the smartest, the most popular, the prettiest, the most talented!
Asuka…
Come to Heaven with me…
"NO!"
Asuka stood alone at her mother's grave; the hours of rainfall had soaked her pretty black dress. Her shoulder length red hair hopelessly damp, the little girl hung her head low, sleepy eyes reading the simple epitaph on the headstone over and over again.
SOURYU KYOKO ZEPPELIN
1974-2005
Everyone else had left once the funeral was over, leaving just the daughter now to properly mourn her mother.
Another had joined little Asuka, though she was invisible to the girl. Older, taller, and noticeably more filled out, Asuka stood a distance away as she watched her younger self still stubbornly enduring the rain, her own red Plug Suit slick and wet as well.
"Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, and all the rest of that stupid-ass stuff."
"Asuka," Misato had asked warily. "Don't you have Mother's Day in Germany?"
"Fuck it," she muttered, the surrounding gravestones silent witnesses that could neither agree or not.
Little Asuka perked her head as something slowly sounded over the rain.
It took a moment, but soon enough Older-Asuka heard it too.
Someone was crying.
Moving from her post at Momma's grave after a vigilant lifetime of service, Little Asuka went off to find whoever it was that was crying.
Older-Asuka followed.
Plodding ponderously on the graveyard's soggy grass in her little black shoes, Asuka eventually navigated the maze of headstones-The Ghost of Christmas Future that was her soon-to-be Self watched bewildered.
A boy Little-Asuka's age sobbed alone in a clearing among the graze. He was short and feeble, blue shorts and torn striped T-shirt left his arms and legs bare and shivering.
Young Asuka stared at the brown-haired boy frigidly. "Why are you crying?"
Surprised someone was speaking to him, the boy opened his large eyes and sniffled. "I can't find my Mommy."
"Mein Gott…" Older-Asuka gasped. "Is that…Shinji?"
An inexperienced actress in Life's Play, the young Souryu's face softened. "Why do you think she's here?"
The boy looking around franticly, his expression lost. "I don't have anywhere else to look. This place is all I have of left of her…"
The children turned in confusion when a new voice giggled. "I know where she is…"
A five year old girl with pageboy-cut cerulean hair and unhealthy, milky-white skin stared at them playfully with scarlet eyes. A thin-strapped sundress as white as her hung off bony shoulders. "I know where she is…" Rei repeated in a sing-song voice.
"You know where my mommy is?" Shinji asked hopefully.
Little-Asuka scowled when Rei smiled. It was wide and fake like a doll's, her blood-colored eyes playfully cruel. "Of course I know where she is, Silly Shinji. I am her, and she's the thing beneath me…"
Rei stepped aside, clearing Shinji's view of a worn, overgrown headstone. Instead of plants or moss choking the grave, wiring and electric cables snaked out of the ground clung to the stone like things alive.
Though cracked and faded, Older-Asuka could just make out the headstone's inscription through the tangle of wires.
It read:
TEST TYPE-01
NERV 2014
DEUS EX MACHINA
Our Savior
Our End
Reading skills just budding, the five year old boy couldn't understand the headstone's meaning. He knew well enough, however, that it didn't say his mother's name.
"Huh? But…that can't…that isn't Mom!"
Rei's eyes bulged, her grin was wide like a Cheshire cat's. "Oh, but it is, Silly Shinji. Don't you recognize us?"
The ground beneath the children's feet split and burst, writhing knots of wires rose out of the earth likes worms in the rain.
"Don't you want to be one with us?" Rei asked in a voice that wasn't hers. "To be one mind, body, and soul?"
Cables thick as tree roots snatched Shinji and pulled him toward the little albino girl. A gaping black hole widened on earth where the headstone had been. A pair of orbs glowed from the darkness of the fissure; eyes that never blinked.
Terror bursting in screams and tears, the little boy that Shinji once reached futilely out to Asuka with wire-wrapped arms.
Reaching out to Older-Asuka.
"Asuka! Please help me!"
Jerking awake, Asuka coughed with a lungful of LCL, the deceptively clear air immediately disturbed by a gurgling flurry of bubbles. Taking in a deep breath of the foul-smelling substance, the Second Child tried to calm herself by concentrating on the dull drone of the entry plug.
The red-haired German shook her head in an effort to clear her thoughts. When the hell had she fallen asleep? She never dozed during a synch test.
Right on cue, Dr. Akagi's voice descended into her hears like the booming voice of a higher power. "Asuka! Your synchronization ratio just dropped another four points! Stop dozing and do your job!"
"Yes ma'am," Asuka growled. "But I'd do better without interruptions…"
It was a clash of the two most temperamental females in NERV, and it was close to getting ugly. "Have it your way, but if your numbers drop even another zero-point-one, you'll be done for the day."
"Yes ma'am," she grunted.
The ever-looming specter of Dr. Akagi lifted for the moment, Asuka instinctively checked Unit-02's comm settings. It was just as the last time she had checked: Unit-02's audio/video communication equipment would automatically block any incoming signals coming from Shinji in Unit-01.
It was the umpteenth time since the test had begun this afternoon she had checked her private adjustments to Unit-02's communications. She hadn't spoken to the baka-hentai at all since morning, and she was desperate to shun Shinji in every way possible.
But she was still thinking of the dumkoff.
"Sheitze! That bastard's ruining my concentration!"
"Are her scores really that bad?" Misato asked her old friend after the comm-line was closed.
"Of course not," Ritsuko replied. "Her synchronization score lies well within accepted parameters, but we all know Asuka is far better than the regulated norm."
Major Katsuragi nodded, crossing her arms and pulling her red coat tighter around herself.
"Yesterday was Mother's Day…" Misato said. "Did you do anything special?"
Dr. Akagi was busy checking off her notes on a clipboard- she answered absently. "We had a Harmonics Compatibility test with Rei yesterday. I didn't have much time for anything like that."
"Oh come on, Ritsu. I know you didn't just write off the whole day just like that!"
Ritsuko stared at her notes silently for a long time before finally speaking up. "I called my Grandmother…wished her a happy Mother's Day."
Misato was taken aback. She half-expected some flowers or candles left by the MAGI, but calling Grandma?
"Well…" Dr. Akagi explained, noticing the confusion on her friend's face. "She actually was a mother…and she is my grandmother too. I figured calling her would've been the appropriate thing to do. How did Shinji take the day?"
A sad, wistful smile crept onto the Major's face. "He went to his mother's grave yesterday morning, bought her some flowers I think."
"Not surprising."
"Yeah…but when he came home at dinner…he…brought me flowers too."
Dr. Akagi dropped her clipboard. The rest of the science crew, having been busy with their duties turned and stared in their seats.
"Shinji bought you flowers, Major?" Maya Ibuki gawked.
Misato smiled again. "Yeah. Lilacs."
Lt. Aoba laughed. "Damn. Now Shinji's makin' us guys look bad. I haven't visited my ma's grave in years. And I can't even say the last time I gave a girl flowers."
"But why would Shinji do that for you, Major?" Hyuuga wondered aloud.
"He said it was his way of saying 'thank you' for taking him in," Misato said.
Maya put a hand to her chest. "Awww…that is so sweet!"
The other two male officers on the bridge crew rolled their eyes. Show off…
"Speaking of Shinji," Dr. Akagi spoke up. "We're supposed to be prepping for the Second Compatibility test. Come on everyone, back to work."
"Yes ma'am," the three said at once.
"How did the Compatibility Test work out for Rei last night?" Misato asked.
Dr. Akagi had picked her clipboard back up and was now scribbling furiously into it. "We're still running the results by the MAGI, but if I had to give a full report right now, I'd say the test went well."
Misato was unconvinced. "Still…I know Shinji and Rei are perfectly well-suited for this kind of experiment…but rewriting the personal data of one child for the other? It doesn't seem safe to me."
A scientist first, Ritsuko waved off Misato's concerns with a flick of her pen. "We wouldn't be doing this experiment if there was the possibility of danger. The pilots are just too valuable for that. But this test has the potential for yielding valuable data; we can't let slight-risks override that."
Misato shrugged. Unit-01 stood outside the Observation Booth's windows, heavy harnesses holding the behemoth to the antiseptic white walls of Test Bay #02. "You're the head of Project-E, it's your call."
"Ma'ams," Lt. Aoba informed them. "The Third Child has reported to Unit-01's entry plug."
The blonde scientist nodded brusquely. "Alright, run Eva Unit-01's start-up procedure- Make sure the core has been properly written for Rei instead of Shinji before beginning."
"Yes ma'am."
Standing back as her team carried out their duties flawlessly, a sudden thought occurred to Dr. Akagi. "Misato…do you have any idea why Asuka's synch ratio is lower today?"
"Yesterday was Mother's Day," Misato replied as if that explained itself. "That…and…"
Ritsuko was curious now. Misato was never hesitant. "What?"
"Her and Shinji had a fight this morning. A bad one…"
Shinji's mind wandered as the bridge crew ran off the same start-up checklist he had heard countless times before.
"Main Power connected! All circuits fully functional."
"Rodger, initiating Power-Up Sequence!"
The golden haze of the LCL faded off as the air sparkled and brightened through every color in the visible spectrums of light. Shinji felt the familiar tingling sensation like a thousand needles softly prodding every spot on his brain. It wasn't painful, just…strange…
"A-10 Neural Synapses operating within normal limits!"
"Confirmed, First Contact is clear. Opening Reciprocal Circuits."
The tunnel-like surface of the entry plug seemed to become transparent until it seemed Shinji was floating high in the air in the Test Bay with no visible means of support.
"Synchro-errors are within zero-point-three percent."
"Harmonics normal- we're showing green across the board."
Doctor Akagi joined the throng of voices in his head. "Excellent. Begin the test."
A holographic monitor clicked to life at Shinji's thought- a communication request line.
He couldn't get a signal through to Unit-02.
Asuka doesn't want anything to do with me, Shinji thought grimly. Not that I blame her.
Hours later, and the spots on his face where Asuka had struck him still stung painfully.
Remembering where he was, Shinji closed his eyes and concentrated on the task at hand, doing his best to keep his mind off Asuka.
It wasn't working very well.
God, she's right. I am pathetic.
His mind was simply too troubled, a massive headache started to bloom from his temples. The harder Shinji tried, the more impossible it seemed to synchronize properly. It was like trying to squeeze himself in a place he just couldn't fit…
A sudden pain shot into the Third Child's head, blue gloved hands clutched at his head.
"What the hell?"
It felt like something was trying to worm itself through his head, its path leaving a splinter in his brain.
The space around him burned away by bright light, Shinji found himself staring at the Angelic figure of a woman that was slowly floating towards him, arms outstretched for an embrace.
The personnel of the test lab cringed as one when Asuka strode in, hair wet from her shower and dressed in a dry, fresh school uniform. "Misato! My synch test ended ten minutes ago! What's everyone still doing?"
The Major rubbed her temples wearily. "Shinji's doing a Compatibility Test for Dr. Akagi, Asuka. It's going to take a lot longer than a normal synch test, so we're going to be here for a while."
The German crossed her arms and snorted with disgust. "Figures. Everybody always coddles our invincible little Shinji. Well, this better not take long, I've already finished my tests and I want to go home."
"You can ride the train on your own, Asuka." Misato pointed out.
"And be alone in the apartment with that creepy-ass bird of yours? Screw that!"
"Fine," Misato allowed, in no mood to argue. "But I don't want to hear word out of you while we're doing this test, understood?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Asuka scoffed, marching up to the observation window. Staring at the inert Evangelion Unit-01 for a time, she shook her head and muttered to herself. "Purple? Who the hell makes a weapon purple? Figures that's Shinji's Eva…"
The first person to notice something amiss was Lieutenant Ibuki, the harmonic graphs on her monitors stirred strangely. "Uh…Doctor Akagi? I'm reading some abnormal readings over here…"
That was when Eva Unit-01 began to violently struggle against the restraints holding it to the wall.
Maya had to shout to be heard over the blaring alarms blaring in the Observation Booth. "Pulse backflow! Rejections are occurring in the central nerve elements!"
"Red-line!" Aoba reported. "We have Mental Contamination in the Second Stage."
"Impossible!" Dr. Akagi exclaimed, as if her declaration would catch their readings in a lie. "We can't have Mental Contamination in this plug depth!"
"It's not coming from the Plug Doctor! The intrusion is coming from the Eva!"
"Psychograph readings fast approaching critical levels!" Maya warned as sweat teemed down her face.
Out of her element, Misato was at a loss. "Ritsuko! What the hell's happening?"
Dr. Akagi ignored her, putting a heavy grip on Lt. Ibuki's shoulder. "Cut the connections through D-57! Just stop that backflow!"
"Negative! The controls are unresponsive!"
"Ritsuko! Answer me!" Misato demanded.
"Shut up Misato!" Akagi snapped. "Abort the test! Cut the power NOW!"
"Rodger!" shattering the glass casing, Lt. Ibuki twisting the red emergency lever and pulled.
Nearly free of its restraints, Unit-01 paused for a moment as it's umbilical cable blasted off.
"The Eva has switched to emergency power supply," Hyuuga said. His glasses reflected the flashing red of his computer screen. "T-minus sixty seconds before it comes to a complete stop!"
The Evangelion thrashed wildly about the Test Cage like a beast trying to escape its prison, it bashed deep dents into the room's heavily armored white walls.
"Eject the entry plug!" Misato ordered to anyone who would listen.
"Negative! It refuses to accept any of our commands!"
"What about Shinji?" Major Katsuragi was in a near-panic now.
"Monitors aren't reacting. We're not receiving any outgoing signal from the entry plug. His condition's unknown!"
"God damn it!"
But a breath away from the Observation Room window, Asuka stared silently at the struggling Evangelion. Catching the Second Child in the corner of its eye, the Beast's entire head rose to stare at her.
Asuka gasped when the Eva's eyes narrowed intelligently.
The observation window crashed in on itself when Unit-01's fist smashed into it. Asuka stood there in useless, mute shock as the Beast's heavy blows slowly worked it way through the reinforced glass to her.
"Asuka!" Misato yelled. "Get away from the window! Asuka!"
"Maya!" Ritsuko said.
"I'm on it!"
Twice already had Unti-00 gone insane and tried to attack the Observation room crew. Not to be exposed a third time, NERV had installed an extra safety measure should the incident occur again.
Armored shudders closed over the shattered windows, caving in but not yielding as it resisted blow after angry blow from Unit-01.
Their view into Test Cage cut off, holographic monitors snapped online where the window had once been.
A baffled Aoba spoke up. "What the-? Auto-eject sequence has been initiated! The command signal was sent from inside the plug!"
The armor at it's neck flying off, Unit-01's entry plug rocketed from the Evangelion, dragging itself along the small Test Cage's walls and ceiling before crashing onto the floor.
Ceasing its attack on the armored shudders, the Beast roared in pain. It's pilot gone, the thing stumbled around the cage like a purposeless drunk, throwing itself against the solid steel walls as it looked about desperately.
Nozzles sprung from their hidden places in the wall, spraying the erratic Evangelion with thick-hardening Bakelite. It's power seconds from being spent, the Beast fell to its knees, struggling as it slowly reached out to grasp at its entry plug. The final five seconds were pathetic to watch, an animal in a trap, vainly groping for the cub just beyond its reach.
Finally, the Evangelion stopped moving. The massive purple hand froze just feet from the wreck of the entry plug, its bright eyes going dark.
"Eva Unit-01 has gone silent," Aoba stammered, his adrenaline working itself off by his anxious shakes.
The threat over, the window's armored shudders slowly lifted, clearing the full view of the disaster. The Evangelion was frozen by the solid mountain of Bakelite that caked over it, the Test Cage itself was in crushed ruination.
Horrified tears in her eyes, Misato bolted out the room the second the Eva had gone still, leaving Dr. Akagi to oversee damage control. "Radio the recovery teams and get Commander Ikari on a secure line. He's not going to like this…"
Face slightly cut by shards of flying glass, Asuka had still remained where she had stood since the whole ordeal had begun. It had only last seventy-six seconds, but it seemed an eternity to the dazed Second Child.
Had Unit-01 actually tried to kill her?
Her blue eyes in a wide stupor, she stared down at the wrecked entry plug apathetically.
"Idiot"
The Observation Room window was not the only place that offered a view of the Test Cage. Leaning against a small square porthole in a lower level of the facility, Ryoji Kaji thoughtfully smoked a cigarette-blatantly disregarding the 'No Smoking' sign just a few feet behind him.
"Well now," he said to himself. "That was certainly interesting. Third one's always the charm; can't wait to see how this goes."
Thank God, I've finally finished this chapter. It's by far the longest one- I've been solidly working on it for two days. Come to think about it, almost all my writing takes about two days. Go figure. And damn it all to hell, Kaji keeps writing himself in! Y'know, now I'm starting to hate the bastard too. Anyways, I decided to pull a Tarintino on you guys, so you're just going to have to wait and see what the hell happened between Asuka and Shinji that morning.
Oh, and I apologize for the extreme trippiness of both Chapter 4 and the beginning of Chapter 5. What can I say? I try to keep everyone in character, and Evangelion's characters are messed up.
Chapter Six is in the works. See ya then,
-Cy
(P.S. Please keep those reviews coming. We need to feed my fragile writing ego)