Neon Genesis Evangelion
A Thousand Years of Secrecy
Disclaimer: I own neither Evangelion nor Altered Carbon (or any other book in the Takeshi Kovachs series). If either Gainax or Mr. Morgan have an issue with any of the content presented, please contact me by e-mail to remove it.
Ten – Impaired / Impossible
"There are signs in the southern ice that Cain came long before Abel and he lay slew not by the hands of angels' judgment but by his own arrogance. 'Eden' he moaned as his breath escaped him, 'is but a fragile garden, beautiful as it is impermanent.'"
"The FBI have the husk of a million-dollar surveillance van on their hands in San Francisco. No witnesses. No suspects. Officially, anyways."
Fuyutsuki chuckled softly, looking aside for a moment as he pondered the statement.
He tried not to appear as amused as he felt. "Oh dear. And they've sent you to clean up their mess?"
Turner frowned and turned away from him to the windows, not quite embarrassed but not entirely comfortable.
"As the highest ranking American representative in the fleet, the duty was... abdicated to me. I can assure it was not of my own initiative."
Fuyutsuki laughed without being too mirthful and nodded as he turned back to face him.
"I'm sure we can both assume, unofficially of course, who is responsible for this," the admiral continued sternly.
Fuyutsuki ignored the jab, now thoroughly curious; whatever the case may be with the FBI, it was not the reasoned the admiral had summoned him. The man could be perilously transparent in conversation even if he was tactically cunning in combat.
"No one was injured?" he deflected.
"No. Just some equipment and lost data."
Fuyutsuki grunted something and nodded. He'd expected as much from his team. The US was still friendly territory after all. Somewhat friendly, anyways.
"Don't take this as any sort of admission as I've honestly not been contacted regarding this matter previously." He looked at the man across the desk hard then, making the point that he was not lying about his ignorance. "The Second Branch would be more than willing to help the FBI in its continuing counter-terrorism efforts. Financial support could be obtained from private investors if necessary."
Turner disregarded offer with a wave of his hand, eyes still locked on Fuyutsuki. "The security cameras of several storefronts in the vicinity show no one approaching or leaving the van. The explosive device used managed to vaporize itself in the process leaving nothing for the forensics team to work with; only that given the accuracy and containment of the charge, they are sure it was placed on or in the truck, not fired into it."
Fuyutsuki waited, knowing that there must be more.
"The US Government has instructed me to remind you that using chameleoflage within their borders is a violation of the International Espionage Law as mandated by the UN and a punishable offense for any government or organization involved."
"And I suppose they're more than willing to forget we did the most of the proprietary work on those camo systems out of the Antarctic team; that if it wasn't for us, their scientists would still be pouring billions into bending light rather than tricking it," Fuyutsuki responded, feigning disinterest.
"I'm sure the irony of the situation does not escape them," Turner replied coolly; something in his eyes, however, told Fuyutsuki he had not known NERV's involvement in that project. He rubbed at his brow beneath the white uniform's cap slowly, bargaining. "From their perspective, Dr. Fuyutsuki, I'm sure you can tell why they're upset. They certainly don't like two Envoys running amok on the West Coast."
"They are the delegated acting consultants to the Second Branch," he said, playing with diplomacy to rile the real questions out of the quickly darkening admiral.
"Let's not play the 'official story' game, shall we?" He was not quite as menacing as he was annoyed.
"Why did you really bring me here then, if we're skipping the official story and all?" A glimmer of something in the other man's eye as they reached the heart of the matter.
"China."
Fuyutsuki smiled something sly. It was more or less what he had expected.
"Of course. I assume the Americans are aware of the situation?" Actually he knew they were. The MAGI kept a close eye on everyone.
"What the Americans are or aren't aware of does not concern me. It is my own awareness that concerns me at the moment."
"I'm glad to see you have a little more tenacity than your bureaucratic friends."
Turner waited, hands clasped behind his back.
"At least tell me what you know," Fuyutsuki offered.
"We know there were two explosions. The second from orbit using technology NERV only ever test fired for a few times in the Nevada desert as demonstration. We know China seems very unconcerned."
"Perhaps relieved even?" Fuytsuki baited.
"Perhaps." Something twisted in the other man's face as he considered that. "What we don't know is why. And what I want to know is: how much of a target has this fleet become?"
Fuyutsuki smiled something wicked. It wasn't just knowing he had the upper hand; it was the certainty of Turner's motive that reassured him, if only for the time being, that the man could still be of use.
"You are not so much a target as a very well-constructed cage, admiral."
The man blinked, taken off guard. Fuyutsuki pounced on the man's surprise. He would tell him enough. Enough to get him thinking. Enough trouble the tactician's mind.
"I wonder, have you asked yourself yet why, if the Americans could quite clearly see the Russian artillery, the Chinese could not? Have you asked yourself why Russia would even dare to do something so dangerous to its most powerful neighbor? Or why they have done little to attempt to hide it was someone other than them? Have you wondered why, at the very least, China has not used this as a bargaining chip in private discussion with the rest of the UN? I'm sure your superiors are quietly scratching their heads even if they are loathe to admit it."
Turner paled over the following seconds of silence, digesting the implications one by one. Something quivered beneath the tightly controlled mask of his face. Carefully controlled fear. To an Envoy's senses it was clear as day.
"You said I was a cage. For what? Are you implying that I'm keeping you here against your will?" It was some mix of the genuinely curious and an attempt to regain some sort of upper hand in the conversation.
"'A very well-constructed cage,' Admiral. And what do we put in cages?"
He waited a beat, trying to re-engage the brilliance he knew was struggling with the answers and questions Fuyutsuki was offering. Turner looked for a moment as if he might refuse to answer but it passed.
"Animals," he said darkly, returning his gaze to Fuyutsuki's.
"Yes," Fuyutsuki conceded. "And those who cannot or will not uphold the status quo. 'The most dangerous of all the wild animals: the dissenter.' That was Quell by the way. You should look her up some time. Brilliant woman."
They stared at each other for a few moments in silence. Fuyutsuki began to depart, sensing the conversation's end. As he reached the door he paused. "Admiral, there will come a time where decisions will have to be made. I do hope you'll remember this conversation when it comes."
He did not turn to see the admiral's steely-eyed acknowledgment. He did not have to. He already knew it was there as the door slid shut behind him.
"Asuka, I don't think Misato had this in mind when she said 'go out and be teenagers.'"
She giggled placing her arm around the boy's neck and leaning in dramatically close to his face.
"Since when did you follow all the rules? Aren't you supposed to be a Quellist?" She tightened her elbow lock causing him to hiccup.
"Yeah, cut loose man," Touji grumbled from the couch, nursing a beer.
Rei sat cross-legged in front of the TV, watching all of them with eyes that did not seem to be the least inebriated.
"Besides, I already hacked the food order to replace anything we're missing by tomorrow, shilly" she slurred, loosening the arm again.
"Well... I guess so," he complied. He'd been saying that a lot tonight, Rei noticed.
Of course, Fuyutsuki's orders had strictly forbid alcohol while undergoing training. Besides the negative physiological effects, it destroyed the Envoy barriers for emotional concealment that were considered thoroughly dangerous even at the most harmless of moments. Now their teaching was unofficially over and for the sake of team-bonding, why she assumed they kept them housed together, it seemed in her best interest to participate from the team-building exercise. It was a roundabout justification, but sometimes Conditioning was better at making excuses than thinking clearly.
"You're awful quiet Rei. You okay?" Touji said through a slackening jaw and half-shut eyelids.
"She always is!" Asuka almost shouted, giddy smile beaming at her cohort. "Right Rei?"
Rei nodded and the three of them sputtered into laughter again. This made her feel happy. Like when she'd spoke about Asuka's fake name for Shinji earlier today. It was nice to make her friends laugh. Friends? Yes, she supposed, they were all friends now. Even Suzuhara-san.
"Rei, tell us a joke," Shinji said from next to, or rather, beneath Asuka.
"Yeah! Tell us another joke, Rei!" Asuka said again. Perhaps no one had heard Shinji the first time? Touji was nodding vigorously, which was to say lethargically, from the couch.
"So a duck walks into a bar..." Rei began. All three of them were already squealing in delight. Rei paused, uncertain. She hadn't gotten to the joke yet. Oh well. There was a tingling somewhere in her inner ear. She found herself oddly enjoying the feeling. A sort of warmth under her skin.
"Rei is so... awesome," Touji said, when the three of them had calmed down again.
"Rei, Rei, tell them about that one time. That time when they made you try out for the volleyball time. The volleyball time, Rei." The words tumbled over each other as they left Shinji's mouth.
"Yeah!" Asuka and Touji shouted, glee in their eyes.
"Okay. One time, a young man named Hattori Kizashi asked me to join the varsity volleyball team."
They were already laughing again. Shinji was trying to tell them, over his own laughter, to "shut up and listen to the story." Rei continued when they had calmed down again.
"After school, Shinji and I went to the gym for the tryouts. I explained that I did not know how to play volleyball. This seemed of little concern to Hattori." More laughter, louder.
"After a few attempts, Hattori showed me how to hit the ball." She put her hands together for emphasis. The three of them stared at her carefully. "But when I could still not hit the ball correctly Hattori instructed me to, I believe it was, 'whack the shit out of it.'" They were laughing again, Asuka trying to articulate something about "the way she says shit" in-between bouts of cackling.
"I punched the ball quite hard. It deflated with a very loud pop and everyone was looking at me, very surprised. Hattori asked me if I could try out for boxing club instead. He did not look very happy. He said that volleyballs were quite expensive."
Touji was pounding his fist against the leather with guffaws. Asuka had spilled her drink over Shinji's head, who did not seem to notice the ice cubes on his head as he roared with laughter. Touji fell off of the couch at the sound of the doorbell which prompted more laughter until the doorbell sounded again.
"Fuck. Fuckfuckfuck." Shinji was up and running for the door, sprinkling ice cubes through the hall. Asuka was attempting to hide their drinks underneath their couch which did not have space for the glasses upright. She turned them sideways, spilling their contents onto the carpet as she rolled them underneath. Touji was struggling to sit up and not achieving it.
"Who is it?" she heard Shinji say unevenly from the hallway.
The sound of the door opening. Unexpected greetings.
The three of them sat staring at each other, listening. Voices responding. Touji, now upright, tried to lean around the corner to spy and fell into the hallway, face first. Asuka slammed a hand across her mouth to hold in the laughter.
"Touji! What the fuck!"
"Hahaha. Are you wasted, dude?"
"Shit, cap's three sheets to the wind!" It was an idiom she didn't recognize.
Loud, young American voices. Raucous. Friendly.
"Touji Suzuhara! Get off that floor!"
A girl's voice this time, faking anger behind heavy laughter.
He tried to get up which involved rolling onto his back, his head lolling sideways to turn to the doorway.
"Washhup, Hika. Hika. Hikari."
The laughter was coming closer with the sounds of Shinji's welcome and playing host.
Someone bent over the crumpled Touji on the floor, brown bangs her concealing her face.
"Silly boys. Think they're so tough."
The face turned up as she began draping one of his arms around her shoulders, eyes lighting up as they saw Rei.
"Oh, hello again!"
"Hikariiii!" Asuka sprung from her position concealing the drinks, bounding up to grab the girl into a hug. This flopped Touji back onto the floor who did not seem to notice so much. He was too busy leering up Hikari's skirt which was, by Rei's standards, extremely short.
"Good evening, Hikari." Rei said. She felt like she was smiling. It was good not to be in trouble. Maybe Asuka had been right. Maybe this was a good idea.
The bar was right for their age. Misato was practically fighting off men for the first fifteen minutes, much to the amusement of Kaji who'd been quickly inaugurated as "her boyfriend" after she grew tired of the hassle.
They sat side by side, now into their fifth drink was it? Misato was chatting up the bartender who seemed relieved to have a pretty intelligent face to speak to over the rest of the noise in the place.
Envoys weren't exactly allowed to drink heavily but Fuyutsuki had said sleep on it, which, to he and Misato, meant get drunk on it. Murakami had been a close friend during conditioning, even if they'd grown apart afterwards; it was hard to imagine her gone. Their collective mood was neither joyous nor depressed; both had gotten used to the unfortunate business of losing close friends from the council ever since SEELE had taken the offensive. And perhaps they had all known it would come to this point, Fuyutsuki had practically said is much during some of his more brutally honest moments. In a way it made it a relief to have each other tonight.
After they'd dumped what little they had at the nearest net café, it was off to "Roddy's," which could have been called "Rowdies" given the crowd around them. But it was a Saturday night, and most people didn't have the worries of the world hanging over their weekend.
Misato leaned into his suit's shoulder, brushing fingertips across his back. "So, 'boyfriend.'" She was a mean tease when she wanted to be. "What say, you and me come back to my place?"
Kaji laughed, concealing the unexpected hurt quite deftly.
"Or we could come back to my place."
"Touché."
"Butofcourse."
"Zis bar, eet smells of oui oui." They laughed for moment before the humor drained out of them again.
Kaji winked at her then looked into his glass, feeling the melancholy roused by conversation between them the way it used to be.
"Whatever happened to us, Misato?"
She glared at him.
"We're in a no-serious-conversation-zone, need I remind you?"
He frowned at his tiny shot glass.
"Ah, so that's what happened," he said quietly.
"Kajiiiiii," she whined. "Why do you want to talk about this now? Why?"
"I don't know—because we never do?" He looked away from the dangerous gaze of a twenty-something in black, eating him with her eyeballs from across the crowds.
"Because there's nothing to say. Besides," she sighed, running a hand through the hair above his ponytail. "You and me, we just aren't... compatible."
"Compatible," he spat.
"That's right. It didn't really work then Kaji and it's not like we've changed that much since."
"We had our moments..." he trailed off, smiling fondly at memories of their short-lived couple.
"We certainly did," she said, making a face that recalled moments quite different from the ones Kaji imagined.
"Oh like we were really that bad!" Kaji sighed, spinning his drink on the countertop.
"We weren't... bad, just incompatible," she pronounced.
"You know that's not true," he whispered, eyes growing serious.
She made the most beautiful frown. "No mindgames tonight, I'm too tired."
"Conditioning is not a mindgame—"
"It's the most powerful sort of mindgame."
"And it also said nothing about us being incompatible," Kaji finished, satisfied.
"It said we were too compatible, too prone to each other's weaknesses... Why am I even telling you this, you read the report just like me."
"Reports," Kaji muttered. "What do they know? What do they really know about what's inside you and me?"
"Everything," Misato said, trying desperately to kill the conversation before it got any further.
"What can a piece of paper tell you about your heart? Name one thing."
"Kaji, stop it," she said, clawing at the edges of her control. Now was most clearly not the time, and that was why he kept pushing.
"Or maybe you just don't want to look into yours because you're afraid of what's in there," he insinuated, drawing another edgy look.
"What is it with you? Do you think I enjoy playing these little games with you." And he saw tears daring in the corners of her eyes. He felt guilty, knowing that he wanted them to be there. Some part him screamed to reach up and brush them away, revive the smile he loved looking at on that face and replace the hurt but he forced himself to remain motionless.
"No more than I do," he said darkly, waiting. She looked through him in that moment and swallowed, knowing that he was telling the truth; and just who was toying with whom was no longer clear—they were both prodding, searching for those weak spots; subconsciously or otherwise they were both out for blood.
"I—I'm not going to answer that." She killed her drink and looked away from him, angrily searching for somewhere or someone to distract her from him
His drink remained still before him, half-full and waiting, reflections of happy patrons dancing around its curves. His happy-drunk was eluding him, much to his displeasure. Thankfully something amusing walked up to the bar and started hitting on Misato. She was so painfully nice and so painfully uninterested in the young chump. After several repeated offers she gave into the line she'd been giving for some time.
"That's very kind but, this is my boyfriend, actually."
Now.
Kaji returned their gazes with the practiced ease of a total stranger; an Envoy bluff in full. The angry one seemed delighted at his disinterest, and the inviting one rather annoyed. Misato glared when Mr. Hotshit wasn't looking at her.
"Kaji, don't be coy..." she said, reaching over to touch his arm.
He pulled away. Let's see how you like it.
"She's all yours kid. Turns out were... incompatible."
The hapless fool continued to seduce poorly. And Misato continued, unsuccessfully, to convince him that Kaji was her man. Kaji meanwhile busied himself with ESPN and flirting with the dangerous one in black, occaisionally returning her drawn out glances. He was throwing his eyes around wherever he could but always away from the pair of them.
He half-listened to the despair filling Misato's voice as the jerk refused to get the picture that she was not interested, and Kaji's smile grew fractionally bigger with each exchange.
Then he was being yanked into a kiss, a very passionate one, with the lips of one Misato Katsuragi. And just as suddenly she pulled away. She didn't even return his confused stare but rather slammed some cash down on the bar and yanked him out of his seat by the hand. They brushed past the very disappointed looking suitor without a word between them.
When Misato had finished violently shoving their way outside it was drizzling, and the noise of the bar faded into the echoes of the street. The street lamps illuminated raindrops, stuck falling perpetually in their glow. She whirled on him then, fuming. The rain almost hid the fresh tears.
"Why'd you make me do that!" She was shouting. In Japanese. People stared, shocked at what must have appeared as a couple's dispute.
She was... shouting? At me?
"I didn't make you do anything!" He shouted as well, figuring that they must be having a shouting contest.
"You... you jerk! You, big, stupid, jerk! I didn't even want to kiss you!" She batted him on the arm with each word. It hurt. She was a black belt after all.
"Oh like it was really that bad!" He said, swatting her fists away. "You're just mad because that little thing in the corner was giving me the once over."
"What!" she shrieked. "Like I even care! All I was trying to do was get you to be a gentleman for once in your life (like it's even that difficult) and you leave me out to dry! You big! Stupid! Jerkface!" Three more boxes to his shoulder. Kaji reeled away from her.
"Well maybe, I just don't like pretending to be your boyfriend! Okay?" he yelled back.
"Fine!" She crossed her arms.
"Fine!" He did too.
"FINE!"
And they were all over each other. His hands in her hair. Hers up the back of his shirt. The rain misting their faces pressed together. Tumbling and turning, coming up for air and then starting all over again. The alcohol on her breath, flaring in his nostrils mixed with the scent of a woman he'd forgotten missing so much. Feeling her body underneath the wet clothes, pressing up against his and then sweeping away again. The shocked gazes to their sides turned into approving grins.
Whispered apologies and kisses on her neck. She giggled, running fingers underneath the waistband on his back of his pants. Their hands entwined as they both began walking for a hotel. A very, very close hotel.
She paused, turned and faced him, putting a finger to his lips before he could ask.
"Just... tonight, okay?" she pleaded, whispering. She needed this security. This detachment. Fair enough.
He nodded against the finger and she pressed her lips on to his from behind it.
Yes, alcohol did have a way of creating these... situations in an Envoy relationship.
There was kissing. He couldn't quite remember how it came to it, but there was kissing. Lots and lots of kissing.
Rei was demonstrating her aikido to Touji's three understudies who seemed entranced by her grace and expertise. Hikari and Touji had folded themselves into one unit, curled up together on the couch. And somehow... somehow he and Asuka had wound up on the balcony. Somehow what had gone from casual, semi-casual conversation, turned to embrace.
"You are..." he started lost in the azure eyes for a breath. Impossibly beautiful. The most wonderful thing I've ever seen. Intoxicating. The words competed for his attention, each one an imperfect pass how utterly... Asuka she was.
He exhaled with a stutter, shaky smile growing in its place.
"I know," she whispered, running a hand down his cheek before finding his lips again. Shinji felt as if he were spinning in his arms. Even the light rain was unnoticeable as he felt her breath plume against his lips. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.
That hair. That hair, like satin on his fingers, flowing over him, tangling around the both of them until he forgot just whose hands were whose and perhaps it didn't really matter.
She pulled away gently.
"When did you?" she started to ask.
"When I first—" An excited mumble.
"Me too."
They mirrored each others' smiles, noses practically touching each other. She moved her head to the side, draping herself over his shoulder and resting her cheek on it.
"Were you... mad, that I read your file?" That you read all of those horrible things about me, you mean.
"No," he answered immediately. "In some ways it makes it easier. Knowing you."
"If you, if you want... you can—you can read mine." Her grip on him tightened just barely and he knew suddenly that she was dreading this answer.
"Only when you're ready to show me yourself."
She relaxed in his arms and hummed to herself then, tickling his neck. He squeezed her softly.
"You're very." She yawned. "Very sweet, Shinji-kun."
"Thank you," he whispered.
She kissed him on the neck.
"The submarines are ready. Fighters are stable and we've prepped the Spetznaz splinter according to your instructions. The names the Russians gave have checked out nicely; everyone including the captain has lost a relative in the Chechen conflict if not more."
"Excellent, a good post-floods harvest. And the ambassador is prepared?"
"He's been instructed to put his child in the school. He doesn't know anything other than that his boy will be safe and the money we've set aside."
"Superb. What of Admiral Turner and his pesky little fleet."
"The UN is cooperating as intended; our Japan contacts should remain free of investigation. The Langley nuisance has been stalled for now."
Keel grumbled. "We will have to give the bulldog a more significant bone, I fear. Send the proper channels our sat-footage of Asuka prepping the Rail Device and leaving in the NERV transport. That should get their attention."
"What if the Americans..?"
"They will stall things as long as the children remain within their jurisdiction. Long enough for the rest to go according to plan. Has Tatsuki agreed to all our conditions yet?"
"Yes, he'll out the Second Branch on the timetable we've agreed to. Our television contacts will break the story as we've intended. When Tatsuki is finished playing our part we'll take care of him as well."
"As for this China business." Keel waved his hand dismissively. "Rather disappointing, don't you think?"
"They've... come to see our view of things, I suspect."
"The capabilities of NERV's orbital strike were... underestimated. Unfortunately most of the MAGI copies were lost in the second detonation."
"No matter," Keel made something like a smile. "We will have the originals soon enough."
"If we had preserved that center," Gendou interrupted, "I could have advanced my deadline significantly."
"Enough of your deadlines!" one of them barked shrilly.
"No need to get upset Ikari, we are providing you with the resources necessary," Keel mediated.
"And barely that," he harrumphed. Could they suspect my plan? I doubt as much.
"We will free up many resources when the children have been eliminated."
"Your vile seed Ikari, he is the one you should be blaming, not us!"
He replied to the accusations with cold silence and nothing more.
"Agent Griffith."
The man stepped forward out of the artificial shadows, hands clasped behind his back. An American spy and acquired tool of SEELE. Performing quite nicely on their face-to-face espionage.
"Yes, Chairman?"
"Arrange a meeting with Katsuragi and Kaji to coincide with the Second Branch betrayal. Make sure it looks clean and we may continue to have some use for you."
"Of course, Chairman."
He disappeared back into the black veil.
"My son, will he..?" Gendou began.
"I told you! He still keens for his devil child."
The tremulous voices filled the chamber, speculating or simply mocking the man. Some angry, some amused, but all making a fuss. They were so easy to rile up, these old fools.
"Shinji will be eliminated according to your instructions," Keel pronounced, ignoring the rabble of his colleagues.
"Very well." Gendou felt nothing.
Ten Fin
A/N: Done! What a racy chapter! We got Rei's perceptive, sweaty attractions, and full-on drunken debauchery. Who would have thought I could possibly make another story Shinji-Asuka? HAHA! Ha I say to thee. Can you smell the danger? Canyasmellit? Wow. So I'm like really giddy about this chapter. Clearly. The script of chapter one is coming along quite nicely for those who are curious. I'm not quite sure where my readership went with the last chapter but hopefully some people will remember they were reading this! (winknudgebashetc.)I've also started up a little side-project another sneaky little Shinji-Asuka but completely oddball. Not nearly as epic as this thing is turning into.
I have to admit I was struggling with the second half of this chapter but then, BAM! I realized exactly what I wanted (or rather what my characters wanted). I hope the Kaji-Misato scene didn't come off as too... easy. I hope Rei's humor was mildly amusing.
Much love!
Japanese lesson for this chapter:
-Light bonks to the head are a pretty common and accepted way of making fun. Japanese can be surprisingly open about physical contact in some ways and strangely distant about others. Misato is sort of doing a rendition of this on Kaji except she's letting her anger get the best of her and hitting him pretty hard as a result.
-I have no clue how "three sheets to the wind" would translate in Japanese. Yoparai is drunk but that just seems inadequate doesn't it?