I do not own the rights to Neon Genesis Evangelion, or any of the characters, equipment, or locations written in this fanfiction. The purpose of this fanfiction is merely for the non-profit enjoyment of other readers. If requested by Gainax, Hideki Anno, or other parties which represent aforementioned objects in this story, I will remove it promptly.
Chapter V:
The world after Second Impact had changed drastically. Not only was the landscape slowly being sculpted by the effects of water erosion, but the various microbes had also changed. Viruses and bacteria which had been harmless before had led to epidemics after the disasters, the decaying bodies in the wreckage of pre-Impact coastal cities serving as the perfect growth medium. Fortunately, with the new diseases came new cures, treatments, and vaccines.
Both of my arms received a battery of shots, some for tetanus, hepatitis, polio, and tuberculosis. Others, however, were for these new viruses, including our old friend H5N1, the bird flu. What shocked me the most was the exponentially increasing presence of AIDS, a vaccine or cure still decades away from development. Apparently the death of over 3 billion people did not stop those who were infected. Quite the opposite was true, in fact. With the constant propaganda to reproduce the species, contraceptives and STDs were not of much concern. As a result, from 2007 to 2012, the entire continent of Africa was quarantined, while the remaining nations of the world under the U.N. tried desperately to regulate everyone's reproductive freedoms.
"This means no sex for you unless you're married and financially ready to have a child," one doctor grumbled at me. "Don't tell me it's not on your mind." I just glared at the man, and balled my fists. He backed off for a moment, but still regarded me as an irresponsible teenager.
•••••••••••••
It amuses me sometimes how trusting others are. I suppose I am too gullible and harmless for my own good. However, in the case of Commander Ikari and NERV in general, they gave too many liberties to their pilots to ensure their own survival. In the series, the Children come off as being manipulated by Seele and Gendo Ikari. To an extent that is true.
However, the psychology of the Children were their own restraints. Shinji would never turn against NERV so long as he believed good, caring people worked there, or he bought into the meaningless dribble of protecting humanity. Asuka, for all her aggression, was the stereotypical anime girl. She would bite, scratch, and kick, but in the end she was always submissive and easily subdued. Finally, the half Angel Rei, for all of her powers, simply followed Gendo's orders because she felt he was the only friend she could acquire. If there was one way to sum them all up, the Children did what they did out of fear of rejection.
But I was different. I had rejected and been rejected by friends for some time. There was no pain involved in it. Some people just don't deserve your friendship, or you don't deserve theirs.
Gendo Ikari had not expected me to arrive fifteen minutes early. He also did not expect me dressed in the black blazer, skirt, pumps, and a navy blue necktie for good measure. The stockings I wore were annoying, but far less embarrassing than pantyhose. It was just an added touch to formal dress, I reminded myself. It was no different now in this female body than a man having to wear calf-high black socks.
"You were not expected until eleven-hundred hours," the commander barked in a proficient English. I was impressed how dark Gendo could keep the office and still carry out his duties, whatever they were, without significant eye strain. I estimated the range from the entrance to his desk at approximately seventy-five feet, maybe a little more. It was an important fact to consider for later, when I had both the time and the ammunition.
I let my arms dangle loosely at my sides, my eyes staring ahead, showing full attention was on my employer. "I prefer to be early to an important meeting," I answered. "Also, I do not want to waste your time on ridiculous formalities." Gendo smiled a small, mischievous smile. I couldn't tell at this point, but later as I spent more time within the hierarchy of First Branch, my prompt arrival in formal attire and my respect had won the dictator of NERV over easily. He still was as paranoid as ever, but I later overhead he regarded me with far more respect than Fuyutsuki. Perhaps it was because of what happened next.
"Your... unique nature interests me, Fifth Child," the commander continued, the man rising to his feet behind the desk. He strode out towards me in slow, deliberate steps. I considered how similar the both of us were, and my stomach churned slightly at the thought. He was about fifteen feet away when I noticed the matte black Jericho 941 pistol in his right hand. I had almost not seen it in the darkness. It was blind luck I recognized it. "Unfortunately, you are an unnecessary risk." What followed, however, was not so much luck as a prudent use of my imprisonment in the hospital room, and Gendo's tendency to overestimate the effects of his presence.
Commander Ikari raised the pistol, and I immediately took action. Dodging towards the pistol hand, I withdrew the scalpel hidden under my skirt. I was glad the security within NERV was weak to say the least. While there were a few perverted guards, I had managed to scare them off with my typical rantings of exterior ballistics. It's amazing what a look, and the right dialogue delivered with a cold, factual tone will do to the most intimidating authoritative figure.
Gendo snarled as I raised my arms, my left forearm applying pressure behind his right shoulder. He leaned forward, helpless as my forearms kept all of his options shut down. He swung at me with his left hand, but I blocked that with my right, and for good measure dug the scalpel into his hand. "ARGHHH!" he grunted. But I was not finished with him.
The beginning karate class I had taken for one term at college was definitely not enough to prevent the security guards from subduing me minutes later, but it was enough to stop an unskilled thug like Gendo. Now I realized we were not so similar. While the commander of NERV and I shared the same chilling capacity to analyze the best options to take what we wanted, he did not prepare himself as I had to take matters into his own hands. Everything was about using someone else to get what he wanted. When push came to shove, I'd simply use his own weaknesses against him.
Just before the guards entered, I delivered a high knee strike to his ribs, a sickening crack emanating from his chest. Then, an elbow strike below the base of the skull helped nudge the man's complacent body to the floor. Gendo squirmed on the floor, lying on his back, his right arm still held in my hands. He jerked the pistol's trigger back hard, a couple rounds firing off into the ceiling. I heard the door flung open, and two men shouting at me.
I dug the heel of the pump on my right foot hard against Gendo's broken ribs, adding a twist to the motion for added effect. Ikari protested, shouting what he would do to me in English so I could understand. One comment consisted of some rather unpleasant remarks regarding his goons "having their way" with me. For that, I pulled the scalpel out of his hand, and drove it into his right forearm, slicing the tendons. Even if he wanted to shoot me, he couldn't anymore. As the guards dragged me away, I spat on the man's face. "You will always be WEAKER than I, Rokubungi! Remember that!"
Once the shock of hearing his real name used, Gendo let that disgusting smile cross his face one more time before he spoke. "Yui," he mumbled.
•••••••••••••
The trick when locked up in NERV's brig is to stay as close to the far wall as possible, preferably near the ventilation shaft. The rest of the cell is pitch black and cold, but the electric heater elements give enough of a reddish glow and warmth to make the back of the cell quite comfortable. I yawned, my jaw feeling incredibly sore from the bruise Misato had given me a day before. The rest of my face, my back, legs, arms, and feet stung as well, the result of some newly delivered welts. The high density plastic tactical batons used by NERV's Section Two for interrogation or employee "mental rehabilitation" flex just enough to let the average person take maybe an hour of non-stop blows across the body before blacking out.
My ears were still ringing, but fortunately the local anesthetics given by the emergency dentist on call after my "rehabilitation" were still in effect. With a little surgery, all of my teeth were saved, and the novacaine helped ease the pain in my cheeks. The dentist, while not licensed to do so, also helped stitch the deeper cuts across my face for free. "You've done what no one else ever had the courage to do, and lived through it," the dentist said. He rested his hand on the top of my head, the only part that wasn't bruised, and gave me a mournful smile.
Three hours after my capture, and two hours after I was thrown and cuffed to the dentist's chair by Section Two, I was thrown harshly into the cell. Walking was next to impossible regardless of how much I tried, as my feet were still bruised and tender. Overall, I was more angry than depressed. That changed, however, when Maya ran to the barred door of the cell, staring at me. Apparently word spreads fast through the command deck.
"Doctor Akagi... wants you to have... letter," the lieutenant whispered.
I nodded, my neck muscles stinging in protest. "Can you open it?" I asked through clenched teeth, my jaw still too swollen to speak comfortably. "Can't use fingers..." I held up my hands, every part of my body screaming that I just stop all movement and sleep it off. Ibuki nodded, a tear tracing down her cheek. A few seconds later, she passed the letter through the bars. With the corridor light on, I could read the printed English well enough, the three simple words 'do not resist' written in black pen.
"You are ordered to... stay with Dr. Akagi," Maya continued. There was an electronic buzz, and the sound of a mechanical link clanging in the barred door's lock assembly. The bars slid away just as the recessed overhead lights flooded the cell with their brilliance. The lighting is used specifically to subdue the criminal held within, giving the agents enough light to search for any contraband. I yelped, my girlish cry making me more upset than the pain as my captors dragged me across the floor out into the hallway. The newly purchased clothes were torn and bloodstained, but it was NERV's money, and they'd let me purchase more.
"Never do this again!" one agent grunted, scowling. He delivered a swift kick to my gut, and I writhed on the floor. I heard Maya scream in protest, the guards immediately backing away, grumbling under their breath. Once the two agents had cleared the cell, Maya knelt beside me. Her hands wrapped around my shoulders, her arms slowly lifting me to a sitting position. "I am... very sorry," she answered.
"Does Commander Ikari always point handguns at new recruits?" Maya blinked in confusion, so I tried to explain again with different words. "Commander Ikari... pointed a weapon at me." I extended my right index finger and stuck up my thumb, making the universal symbol of a pistol. Ibuki understood, shaking her head. "Great, I'm the lucky one."
Helping me to stand, Maya threw my right arm over her shoulders, and pretty much dragged me to the hallway. A wheelchair was positioned just outside of the cell. With a quick shoving motion, the brunette tossed me into the chair. My legs immediately giving way underneath me made any other form of entry next to impossible. "You...okay?" Maya asked.
I nodded slightly, and fell immediately asleep.
•••••••••••••
My first thought when I woke up was the realization I was not in the hospital. The room was painted a soft white, the twin frame bed was too soft, and everything seemed too feminine. "How are you feeling?" a soft voice cooed. Then I noticed Ritsuko sitting in a simple wooden chair to my right.
"Your place?" I asked. The doctor nodded. "It's nice." Ritsuko's decorative tastes really helped make me realize she was more than just the psychologically damaged doctor. It helped me understand there was at least something outside of Eva to her life. Then again, did these simply serve as distractions from her time at NERV, or were they really aspects of her life outside of NERV?
"How long was I-?" I began, before Ritsuko interrupted.
"Nearly two days," she answered. I nodded in understanding, There was less pain overall, but now I felt stiff. Looking down, I noticed I wasn't in my torn formal wear any longer. The sweat pants and t-shirt were my new form's size, so I was fairly certain they did not belong to Ritsuko. "Who's are these?"
"Maya did a little extra shopping for you... while you were asleep." I nodded, and tried to sit up. I let out a grunt, and was almost upright when the pain set in. My muscles still tense, I fell back to the bed. Akagi had walked out to give me some privacy, but hearing me struggle, was immediately at my side. She tucked her hands under my back, and helped lift me to a sitting position.
"Thank you," I said.
"You do realize you will be under strict observation from now on, don't you?" Ritsuko asked. "You nearly killed the commander!"
I could see Ritsuko's eyes widen, the woman backing away as my lips curled back into a snarl. "The commander was trying to kill me!" I spat out. "He pointed a gun in my face. Then, after I waste him, he called me Yui!" Lowering my voice, I stared into the woman's eyes. "You know just as well as I do how he's planning to use me. That is, of course, if I don't castrate him first."
Akagi trembled slightly, and backed into the wall next to the bed. "Don't!" she started, covering her ears with her hands. "Don't... you don't know anything!" She paled as I began to stand on my feet.
"Doctor Akagi, are you really going to be manipulated just like your mother?" It was the last straw. Ritsuko began to sob uncontrollably, and crumpled to the floor. She pulled her legs to her chest. I sighed, and hesitantly crouched in front of the woman. My legs barely held me up, but my very life depended on how trusting I came off in my delivery. I reached out and set my hands on the woman's arms. "Listen, and understand," I continued. "The only reason Gendo Rokubungi is so powerful, is because you think he is."
Ritsuko sniffled, her tears still running down her cheeks, but she was now looking up at me in interest. "Look at him!" I barked. "He's one man! Any power he has is the result of people doing what he tells them out of fear!"
"B-but...!" Ritsuko began, but I shot her down before she could continue.
"It's all posturing. The way he walks, the way he glares, everything he says; it's all posturing to make you think he's stronger than he really is." I sighed, rising to my feet. "If he were as strong as you thought he was, I would not have been able to hurt him as I did today. He is weak."
"How can you say Ikari's weak?" she shouted back. "Look what he did to you!"
"Section Two did this to me, not Rokubungi!" I snarled. "And don't you DARE refer to him as Ikari. That's Yui's name, not his!" My fists clenched in rage. If I wasn't terribly disgusted with Gendo before, I was now. You really can't see the good side to a person once they try to kill you. Also, as much as it disgusted me, I was in part a child of Yui Ikari. The last thing I was going to do was let my new form's genetic donor be walked all over by such filth. "In the end, he even sacrificed her, not through his own strength, but by her own pathetic desire to be the perfect, submissive wife!" I took a sharp, quick breath. "He can be stopped, and I will NEVER submit!" I was frustrated beyond all comprehension. "I think you're a nice person, Ritsuko, I really do," I said. "But if you are going to be a pawn of the commander, you are my enemy, and I will kill you. Do you understand?"
The doctor could hardly believe what I was saying. Here I was, two days after I was beaten by Gendo's goon squad, claiming he was weak, and I could easily crush him if I so desired. It wasn't entirely impossible. NERV's security was easily defeated as long as you had a clearance card and didn't act out too much. Though I had already shown I was too dangerous to be trusted, someone in Ritsuko's position with the right amount of motivation could easily take the necessary steps.
"Are you with me, or against me?" I growled.
"You... I... I can't..." Ritsuko breathed. "You ask too much."
"Then are you going to stop me?"
Akagi's mouth hung open. "Do you even know what you're saying? You are going against all of NERV, and you are a pilot!" She sighed, wiping the tears from her eyes, and let out a sarcastic laugh. "I could have you thrown right back in that cell so quickly..."
"I'm fighting against Seele and Gendo Ikari, not NERV," I hissed. "There's a difference. The Angels will come regardless of who is in command. I am asking you, will you interfere?"
"I could be killed for this!"
"Gendo will kill you once he's done with you anyway. I've seen it happen. I also know you are opposed to the Human Completion Project. I am giving you that opportunity to get what you want. All you have to do is keep your mouth shut, and stay out of my way." Almost for the sake of comic relief, my stomach growled. Ritsuko blushed, but I just shrugged it off. Looking out the window, I noticed it was night. The digital alarm clock proved my assumption. It was five minutes to three. "Is it too late for dinner?"
Akagi stopped her trembling and smiled, shaking her head. "Not at all."
End of Chapter V
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Sooner or later I'll get to the meat of the story: piloting the Eva in combat. However, planning to kill Gendo needs to come first.
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