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 XIV:
"SUSAN!" Misato screamed. "Rei, get Unit-02 out of there now!"
I felt a burning pain in my chest as the Angel burrowed it's way into me. I watched Asuka stare up from the floor of the cockpit, her body shaking, but no apparent injury. She did not feel what I did, and for that I was glad.
"NEGATIVE!" I shouted back. "Rei... shoot... through the Eva!" The pain flared again, and I felt it spread slowly up my spine to the back of my head. I heard the echo of voices in my mind, and I knew what was coming next. Whether Rei killed Asuka and I or not, I was certain I never wanted to feel this way again. The pain was horrible, but the fact the creature was tapping into my most private thoughts was... unsettling. "I said shoot!"
"No, there's another way!" Katsuragi shouted. She obviously planned to do precisely what I told her to do incase Rei was in danger. However, I would not allow that. It was horrible, yes, and while I did feel the Angel start to worm it's way into me, disturbing images and sounds flashing in and out of my mind, I was still able to think clearly enough to realize my plan could work.
"Negative... Major," I said, my brain struggling to make the words come out of my mouth. Part of it had to do with the fact I have a very low tolerance for pain. Even so, I should have at least been able to scream or curse as I usually do. This only meant the Angel's merging was interfering with my motor control. "Asuka... prepar-... eject... plug."
There was a lot of shouting over the tac-net, I remember that much. Some voices I recognized, others were unfamiliar. "We cannot disconnect you!" Maya hollered. "Neural connection controls not responding!" In short, I was down to two choices at this point. Asuka and I could stay in the plug, possibly being vaporized in the process, or I would have to risk significant brain damage. I don't have to explain which choice I took, as any sane person would have done the same.
Asuka scrambled up to the emergency jettison controls. I made a mental note of the procedure, if I ever found myself in this same situation again. I highly doubted it, but it is always better to be prepared and disappointed than unprepared and dead. Soryu stared into my one working eye. For the first time in my life, I was finally able to read the emotion in a person's facial expressions. Asuka knew when I nodded at her that I could feel her fear.
"Shoot, Rei!" I screamed. "Do it now!"
As much as I hated him, Rokubungi came through for me just that one time. "Rei, take the shot," he answered blandly. The tac-net went silent, but not before I heard an acknowledging sigh, and the click of the control yoke trigger.
•••••••••••••
Time seemed to pause as my vision cut out, the entry plug going dark around me. Suddenly the scenery changed to a wide open plains with rolling hills, yellow grass, and the brilliant intensity of the California sun. I was standing on a two lane road running nearly parallel to the east and west. I recognized it immediately, one of the major highways outside of Sacramento. My shadow indicated I was still female, and for some odd reason, I was still wearing my plugsuit. Then I noticed something approaching in the distance.
Almost on the horizon, a red dot screamed towards me with incredible speed. I recognized the low thumping engine as a General Motors big-block. If you listen carefully, the GM V8s have an exhaust note unique to their make. They are nothing like Fords or Chryslers. When it was about a mile away, I recognized precisely what it was.
My first car, the red Pontiac GTO, was fast approaching.
Foolishly, I remained in the middle of the street. While my mind screamed to run, another part of me felt a calm peace wash over, and I listened to the latter voice. When it came close enough, I squinted, trying to make out the driver of the car. The sun beat down, sweat bonding the plugsuit to my body, and while I knew this was just a dream, I was beginning to have doubts. What if I was really playing a one-sided game of chicken with my first car? No, that wasn't possible in reality. Finally, the driver came into focus behind the windshield as the sun's reflection pulled away. I gasped in shock.
My original form, glasses, letterman jacket and all, was behind the wheel. But it couldn't have been me, since he was driving completely unlike me. I have always been gentle on the vehicles I've operated, except in the area of cornering, where I try to maintain my initial speed through corners as much as possible, shooting for the apex of the curve. This driver, this crude copy, was hammering the throttle hard, the GTO screaming at what must have been four-thousand revolutions a minute. Remembering the gear ratios, that would put it at about seventy, maybe eighty miles per hour. No, I would never have driven that hard.
Something cold and made of steel formed in my right hand. Glancing down, I noticed a Smith and Wesson Model 27 .357 Magnum. It was an older model, probably made back in the mid seventies, with a blued finish and the classic hatched wooden grips. I knew immediately what I had to do. I positioned myself into a Weaver stance, pulled the hammer to full cock, placed my index finger on the trigger, and took a breath.
"You would deny us?" a monotonous voice spoke blandly. "We will become one with you whether you wish it or not."
Then I remembered the situation at hand. While the GTO advanced more quickly now, accelerating hard to it's redline, the events up to now came flooding back. I was still in the entry plug, and this... this thing had to be the Sixteenth Angel. It was trying to get inside my head.
I am not so great when it comes to metaphors, but when you're staring down a car moving at nearly one-hundred miles an hour, knowing you have to come up with some kind of answer, your mind finds a way to compensate for it's weaknesses. "I can't stop you," I spat out in hate. "However..." I smiled, put the barrel of the revolver into my mouth, and glared at the vehicle. Now I was truly debating whether it was a dream or not. The gun oil and burnt powder tasted real enough in my mouth, the wind gusted lightly forcing my hair out of shape, and my pride and joy would not stop, it's fiberglass Endura bumper not fifty feet from my thighs. "Just a dream..." I reminded myself as I squeezed the trigger.
Everything went dark.
•••••••••••••
I woke up, finding my mouth and throat bone dry, inducing a coughing fit. I was lying flat on my back, staring up at that same off-white hospital ceiling, but it was clearly a different room. The pattern of speckled paint on the ceiling panels was different, at least by enough to tell I was somewhere other than the examination room from before. I turned my head, the muscles in my neck straining. Everything hurt again. The eyepatch was still on, so my vision was restricted. However, I did see Shinji and Rei standing over me, a small bouquet of flowers in the boy's hand. I was in the room where I had met them before, and it seemed suiting.
"H... How is Asuka?" I coughed out hoarsely.
Rei met my eye with hers, answering very calmly, "She was injured, but not seriously." I nodded slightly, grunting as I tried to sit up. Ayanami put a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to lie back down on the bed. I did not go down without a fight, however, as I clamped my right hand around hers, trying to pull her off of me. I was just glad there was no intravenous drip in my arms, because the Child and I struggled until I slowly gave in.
"How injured is that?" I growled.
"A minor concussion, two bruised ribs, and a sprained wris-"
"That doesn't sound like minor to me," I snapped in response. "Just do me a favor, and don't just walk up to the Angel like it's a friend. You would have been safe otherwise." The girl's expression shifted from calm to a slight disgust. Shinji stepped forward and tried to clean up the situation.
"We are... glad you are okay," the young Ikari said with some difficulty. I could tell he had practiced the words. "These are... for you," he continued, pushing the bouquet of flowers forward. Rei slowly backed off, releasing my shoulder. I took a deep breath to clear the anger from my system, though I refused to smile.
"Thank you," I replied. I tried to reach for them, but again my body was still weak. "How long have I been here?"
"Approximately two days," Rei answered. "Your injuries were less severe than the Second Child."
"How much less?" I sat up, throwing my legs over the side of the bed. I was once again wearing a disposable examination gown. It was then as I sat up that I felt the scar. Running my hand over my abdomen, I found a circular patch of wrinkled skin about three inches in diameter. It was the kind of wrinkled, spongy tissue you would expect from a burn. I started to recall the events in the entry plug just before it ejected. The burn indicated two things. First, Rei had shot Unit-02 before Asuka and I could eject. Secondly, and more importantly, I was synchronized with the Eva at a respectable ratio if the damage had been manifested on my body. "What other injuries are there?"
"You should be completely recovered from the skin graft," Rei explained, "but there is contamination from the Angel." Now it was getting serious. "Analysis of your brain patterns indicate the Angel has interfered with your higher brain functions."
"Does that eliminate me as a pilot?" I asked.
"You are... not trustworthy," Rei answered. "Commander Ikari wishes to keep you on standby."
"That is probably the least offensive way it could be put," I answered, grinning. I rose to my feet, stumbled the first two steps, but then recovered. I felt slightly light-headed and had to move slowly until I became accustomed to walking again.
Rei was speaking to Shinji in Japanese, and I noticed he jumped slightly in shock. "It is... not right," he struggled with the words. "Umm... Susan?" Glancing back, the Third Child was handing me a plastic bag containing my clothes. "I... washed for you."
Now was as good a time as any to show I was making some effort to learn the language. In response, I thanked the boy and gave a polite bow. Ikari blushed, his head and eyes turning away nervously. "Rei, is it possible for me to make a phone call on a secure line?" I asked.
"For what purpose?" the girl replied.
"I need to make an arrangement with a friend." Ayanami nodded, and the two started to leave to let me dress. Just before they left, however, I wanted to make my position clear. "Have you visited Asuka yet?"
Shinji nodded, his gaze lowered to the floor. "Conversing with her proved... unsuccessful," Ayanami replied.
"Yeah..." I answered.
•••••••••••••
Maya entered the room just as I placed the call. "You wanted to see me?" the lieutenant asked. I nodded, and after hearing the other end of the line ring twice, I hung up, and checked my watch. After thirty seconds passed, I dialed again. "What are you doing?"
Just before Ritsuko answered, I turned to Maya. "Just making arrangements."
"Go ahead," the doctor answered. I had to admit, she didn't sound the same. We had been working on throwing off her accent, getting her used to speaking Standard Spoken American English as is common in the Pacific Coast states. She was getting good at it.
"My ego barrier has been compromised by the Sixteenth," I said calmly. I could just see Akagi tensing as I heard her take a sharp breath. "Before you start, this is a secure line, and there is one person here, but she is not a risk to our objective."
"It's Maya, isn't it?" she said.
"Yes," I answered. "She needs your help to continue my diagnosis. We do not know how bad the damage is."
"What about Unit-02?"
"I told Rei to shoot through me to stop the Angel," I grumbled. "That sniper rifle hurts. Unit-02 is being repaired, but we believe there could still be contamination."
I heard a loud groan over the phone line. "What happened?"
"Misato ordered Rei to intercept the Sixteenth. This Angel was attempting mind to mind contact. I intercepted and took the brunt of the attack. To kill the Angel while it's AT Field was down, I had to eject before synchronization could be cut."
"You HAVE to be kidding me!" When I told her I wasn't, Ritsuko slipped back to Japanese for a moment, then corrected herself with English. "You're lucky you aren't just lying in a bed drooling on yourself! As it is, if you are still possessed by the Angel, it will not show itself until you are close enough to its objective." I had a feeling where this was going, and Ritsuko confirmed it. "You can't be trusted to pilot or be anywhere near NERV."
"Well, Rokubungi thinks it's safer for me to be kept under strict observation here. He always was a few beers short of a six pack." Akagi paused to giggle a moment. "But I have the plane tickets cleared, and I have Lieutenant Ibuki going over to retrieve my stuff for an extended stay. She'll drop everything off for you, as well as a rental car to get you to the airport. But you will have to take care of my business in California, if you do not mind."
Ritsuko sighed. "What are you getting me into?"
"Nothing illegal," I answered. "I just need you to make some very expensive purchases, and ship a couple things back. Take the suitcase with the NERV tag still attached. Inside are all the instructions, written both in English and Japanese. I have included everything you need to take care of the matters with limited difficulty."
"What about the other case?"
"I will take care of that."
There was another short gasp for air. "Okay," Ritsuko breathed."Put Maya on the phone. I need to know how bad you screwed things up."
•••••••••••••
The couple Section Two agents I had met before during my interrogation followed me cautiously down the hallway as I reached Gendo's office. The doors opened, and as my eye adjusted to the light, I noticed six more agents surrounding Rokubungi. Fuyutsuki stood to his right as usual, also protected by the men. Misato seemed to be the only one willing to approach me, wearing her black dress uniform with maroon trim. "Thank you for coming, Susan," Katsuragi said.
I nodded slightly in response, my one eye working left to right, studying the crowd with interest. "As you know, the Angel was defeated because of your actions," the major continued, her tone becoming sarcastic. "However, you disobeyed my orders, and risked the life of your teammates. Your actions lately have come into question by the committee, and they want to meet with you."
"When?" I asked.
"Now," the commander grumbled.
I was led away to a large room just off to the right of Gendo's office. I had an idea what to expect, but seeing and hearing the Seele Committee members as holographic projections was one of the more interesting experiences. Misato stood beside me after escorting me to the door. Once the cheap knock-offs of the monolith appeared, I had at least enough light and a spatial reference for where I was supposed to stand. The floodlight clicked on, bathing me in pure white light.
"You are the Fifth Child?" the rectangular object boomed in a German accent to my left.
"Yes," I answered.
"We have several disturbing reports of your foolishness," another spoke off to my right. "You are reckless with the Evangelion, and are under suspicion of containing at least one Angel, if not two." I was lost as to the purpose of the meeting, until another of the Seele projections continued the meeting. "Now we have reason to suspect you plan a coup against us. You are here to explain your actions, and perhaps we will allow you to live."
"Is that right?" I muttered under my breath. I curled my lips into a snarl, my right eye focusing on the aged man I knew as Chairman Keel. "I see no need to defend my actions." Misato cringed, and gave me a menacing stare. She was about to speak when the committee members began their inquisition.
"You willfully threatened Major Katsuragi with a firearm?" one asked.
"Yes," I answered.
"You attacked and seriously injured Commander Ikari?" another spoke up.
"Yes..."
"You leaked classified information on an insecure channel about the Lance of Longinus?"
"You willfully made direct contact with the Sixteenth Angel, contaminating yourself and Evangelion Unit-02?"
"Yes..."
"You demand large sums of money for your duty to NERV?"
"Duty?" I asked, starting to laugh. "What possible obligation do I have to you or the rest of humanity?"
"Susan!" Misato interrupted. However, she went silent as I glared at her, trying my best to focus my rage with my last working eye.
It sounds stupid, but as bad a series as Dragonball Z is, I have sort of an admiration for Vegeta. Of all the characters, I believe he had the best strategy of dealing with adversaries. It was because of this I chose my words as carefully as possible, as to anger the committee. "I have paid for your organization's incompetence every waking moment of my existence, and for what? Do you even realize how easy it would be to kill Major Katsuragi where she stands? To kill the other Children? You cannot stop me, no matter how many of your goons you send. If you had the guts to face me in person, I would show you just how glorious it is to bathe in the blood of your enemy."
The major took a step back and was ready to strike me, but before she could draw her hand across my face, I blocked and redirected her limb aside. "Release the major at once!" Keel shouted, but did not dare to rise from his seat. He couldn't, after all. He was a weak, frail man. The other Seele members shouted similar commands, but Section Two would not come to Misato's rescue. This was a committee meeting, after all. The agents were banned from such classified discussions.
I gripped Misato's right wrist mercilessly, bending the arm down in a sickening angle. Just as the woman began to squirm, I released her, letting her retreat to the door. "Your plans to create a god out of the collective souls of mankind is pathetic," I snarled, grinning. "Look at how weak you are! Weakness does not lead to strength, no matter how many worthless insects you add to your plan!"
The committee went silent.
"I have no duty except to indulge my own desires. If I choose to kill for you, I will do it when it suits me."
"What is your intent, Pilot?" another of the Seele members barked.
"My intent... is to kill the remaining Angel, and anything else which dares to harm my fellow pilots." I clenched my fists, lips pulled back into a sadistic grin. "Man is a predator, a killing machine. War is the last option to achieve our desires. When it is used, it must be used to it's maximum, crushing our enemies in a swift, decisive victory. And when we butcher our adversary, we must make it an example to the others. I will dance in the remains of my prey, and instill fear upon my fellow man so as to establish my dominance."
Katsuragi stared, standing back on her feet. "If we had our way," Keel snapped,"you would never be allowed near an Evangelion!"
"Then stop me," I snarled. "I grow tired of your games."
The meeting ended, the various monolith copies fading into the darkness. Keel's image remained behind to study me curiously for a moment, then mimicked the others. Once the spotlight clicked off, I felt a hand grab my wrist, jerking me to a swift stride towards the door. I was glad the meeting was over. As soon as Misato and I reached the corridor, I took a deep breath. The walls were polished metal, and as I glanced at my reflection, I knew something was wrong. "What were you doing?" Misato screamed.
My eyes had changed from green, to gray, to black. "I... don't know..."
End of Chapter XIV
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