Neon Genesis Evangelion: Altered Destinies
Launch Twenty-Six
Ritsuko Akagi smiled slightly as she studied the information from the supposed destruction of Evangelion Unit-4. The data was still incomplete, the United States appeared to want to keep all the data that they could, but it did seem to indicate that the spoiled S2 engine test had ripped a hole right into the other-dimensional Dirac Sea.
The phone on her desk ran, and the blond haired scientist picked it up with a annoyed sigh. IT was already near midnight, thought you couldn't tell that in the offices inside the NERV pyramid, and in her opinion it was too late in the day for this shit. "Yes?" Ritsuko asked flatly.
"Have you received the information we requested from the United States branches yet?" Gendo Ikari asked her bluntly, not even saying a polite hello.
"The files with 'redacted' written all over them?" Ritsuko replied dryly. "Yes, I'm sure they're going to be a great help."
Gendo paused a moment to get his own irritation under control then asked, "Was there any useful data there?"
"There were some intact tables and the electromagnetic and other data is all here, just with no references attached," Ritsuko conceded. She sighed as she asked him, "What the hell is going on with the US branches?"
"I don't know for certain," Gendo said reluctantly. "I can tell you that they have asked for a delay in shipping over the other Evangelion they completed."
Ritsuko frowned, then her eyes widened as something occurred to her. "They know the S2 engine test cracked the barrier into the Dirac Sea," she murmured before yelping, "are they trying it over again?"
"I don't know," Gendo sounded tired and, surprisingly, worried, "but I have tasked satellites to keep an eye on things. Hopefully, we won't have to act."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"They're trying to do WHAT?" Misato yelped a short time later even as Maya looked on, visibly pale. Ritsuko had called them both to her office, Misato because she trusted her, and Maya because Ritsuko had a responsibility to keep her supposed equal in the loop.
"The United States branches of NERV sent us only a heavily edited report on the S2 engine accident that took out Area 51," Ritsuko said with a unnatural calm, "but it appears they now know they cracked the dimensional barrier." Bitterly she added, "Mostly thanks to our reports on what happened here."
"So...," Maya hesitated, "the US branches are keeping the other Evangelion and intend to try it again?" She frowned, "What's the worst case scenario?"
"Worst case?" Ritsuko shrugged as they looked at her, "They generate a burst of energy sufficient to break the dimensional barrier and collapse the two universes together."
"That's bad, right?" Misato asked.
"Extremely bad," Ritsuko said dryly.
Maya looked between the two of them, sensing a joke she was missing. Deciding it didn't matter she asked, "Is there anything we can do about it?"
"Not from that far away," Ritsuko sighed, though Misato looked thoughtful. "What?" she asked her lover quietly.
"If we know something goes bad early enough, could we get the Evangelions there?" Misato asked, looking at Maya and Ritsuko thoughtfully.
Both Ritsuko and Maya looked at her like she was insane. "Are you nuts?" Maya asked after a moment, "We don't have anything with the range to..."
"We could modify a transport," Ritsuko said reluctantly, "but there's no way we could get something out there in time. It's just not possible."
Misato sighed, "Then I guess we just have to hope the US doesn't fuck up too badly."
Maya ran a hand through her hair tiredly. "Well, with the Evangelion staying in the States, we don't need to recruit a new pilot. Less work for me," she smiled.
'That's one good thing,' Misato admitted to herself as she went up to the bridge. They were already considering pilot candidates, probably taken from Shinji's classroom. Honestly she wasn't sure she could bring herself to pull another innocent kid into this situation.
Satsuki Ooi was managing the 'midnight shift' on the bridge, the attractive brown haired woman standing by where Maya used to sit. Aoi Mogami was handling data management, working her terminal to organize data coming in via the Magi and outside sensors. The final watch officer was Kaede Agano, a short, lighter brown haired girl who was bringing in coffee for everyone.
"How are things tonight, Satsuki?" Misato asked her briskly.
"No alerts, no JSSDF warnings and no activity on satellite feeds," Satsuki said. "As per Gendo's instructions, we've tasked one of the US satellites to maintain watch over Area 51 and the Nevada testing grounds."
"Good work," Misato nodded, then bit back a yawn.
"Do you want a coffee, ma'am?" Kaede asked brightly.
"Nah, I think I'll head home to crash," Misato admitted, yawning again. "There's nothing urgent enough requiring me to be here. Are Aoba and Makoto coming in as scheduled?"
"Yes they are." Aoi nodded warmly. "See you later ma'am!"
As Misato left the three women looked entirely business like, but once she was gone both Aoi and Kaede relaxed in their seats and Satsuki casually leaned against a terminal. "It's too bad she doesn't do night shifts more often," Satsuki noted.
"Too bad she's taken, Satsuki," Aoi teased.
"Hell, just having her around to look at would be nice," Kaede offered, grinning.
"Yeah, yeah," Satsuki laughed, "get to work, you two."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Shinji Ikari got up as usual, changed from her night clothes to school uniform then the young woman peeked in on Misato and Ritsuko's room to see them collapsed on the bed. Sadly, they were still dressed, making her wonder when they actually got home last night.
'Poor things,' Shinji thought as she quietly got breakfast ready, and made up something for the two of them when they woke up.
Right on cue Rei showed up, the blue haired girl bowing slightly. "Good morning, Shinji," she said politely.
"Morning," Shinji smiled, "you want some breakfast?"
"If I could," Rei smiled, taking off her shoes at the door and slipping on her slippers. She followed Shinji in as she noted, "I don't see Mana and Asuka here yet."
Shinji snickered softly. "They still have leftovers from the last take-out binge they went on," she pointed out as she dished up fried tofu for Rei, "but they'll probably be here tomorrow."
Rei chuckled as she said, "You keep track of the people around you closely."
"Wark!" PenPen loudly complained that HE had not been kept track of and that the penguin wanted to be fed. Now.
Shinji hurriedly got up and opened a can of sardines, putting them in the cross penguin's bowl. "Sorry PenPen," she told him, even though he was too busy scarfing fish to notice.
The two women finished up their food, then Shinji detoured to get her bag and they set out to school. It took only a few minutes for Asuka and Mana to join them, the two girls living nearby in a suite rented in the same building as Misato and Ritsuko.
"Hey, did you hear about Unit-03?" Asuka asked eagerly as they walked together.
"Uhm, I'm not sure if I'm cleared to hear this...," Mana noted, her short brown hair falling into her eyes.
"Oh come on," Asuka waved that protest off casually, "we all know it'll end up on the gossip tree soon enough."
"Grape vine," Rei corrected her mildly.
"Either way," Asuka shrugged, "I heard the US branches are refusing to send it here! Why would they do something like that?"
Shinji frowned slightly, "It's a good question. So far only Tokyo-3 has come under Angel attack, and why would you need a Evangelion for anything else?"
Mana gave him a look, "You're usually not that innocent, Shinji. Unit-3 represents a immense military power too."
"True," Shinji conceded, "but it's not exactly mobile. Who are they gonna use it against? Canada?"
"Use what against?" Kensuke Aida asked as the young man joined their walk.
After the recent intense training (in fact his Evangelion getting killed mercilessly by the others) the group had gained a degree of respect towards him. He had just... taken being killed over and over, no bitching whining or complaining. (Or at least, not much.) As a side effect he was accepted a bit more by the group of pilots, having shown he had enough guts to keep going as a pilot.
"The US isn't sending us the Unit-3 Evangelion," Mana noted. She grinned, "But don't worry, we'll just use you as a meatshield instead."
"Gee, thanks," Ken sighed, even as his thoughts raced.
In a conversation with a alternate version of himself within the Dirac sea, Ken had learned about the crap Gendo Ikari had gotten up to as head of NERV, as well as some of the things he planned.
The 'alter-Ken' had seen his best friend tricked into piloting Unit-3, and when a Angel took it over Shinji had been forced by Gendo to fight and kill it. With Unit-3 staying in the States that future seemed unlikely, but it made the other information he had less reliable.
"Hey, I'm better armored that any of you in Jet Alone," Mana protested, "if anyone gets to be a shield, it's me."
"Don't volunteer to be a hero," Shinji noted, "we already know you're brave and crazy." Mana stuck her tongue out at Shinji as the girl carried on, "So, do you think the US will use Unit-3 to take over Canada? Or Mexico?"
"I could do with Mexican," Asuka grinned.
"Yes, we'll get Mexican for dinner," Mana surrendered, smiling slightly.
"You two remind me of a husband and wife," Shinji grinned, mentally adding, 'Mana's the henpecked husband.'
"WE ARE NOT!" both Asuka and Mana growled at her at nearly the same time.
To be continued!
OMAKE
"Or retake Alaska. Didn't they lose it to the Russians?" Ken noted, his military otaku side emerging once more.
Everyone looked at him, then Shinji shook her head. "Well, yeah, I suppose," she conceded, "but would they WANT Alaska back? Didn't that wack job Palin come from there?"
"Yeah, she's the one who tried to succeed from the US," Asuka remembered from her history classes. "Declared herself Empress of the north, right until Russia took over."
"I can see Russia from my house... boom!" Mana cackled.
"Okay, we're just getting too silly," Shinji decided.
End!
Notes: Dunno if Sarah Palin would be known in Evangelion's time line, so I made that bit into a omake. If any Tea Party members are reading this, I take mine with cream and sugar. Thanks!