There was something about the cool air and echoey silence of the HQ's underground entrances and long hallways that made me feel nostalgic.
Farbeit for me to be the sentimental type, but times like these make me look back fondly on my first days here. I've not even been here a full year and yet NERV has given me purpose, it's become a pillar with which I've hitched my whole life upon. There's something to be said for that, even with my concerns.
Our shoes made their satisfying clack on the tiles as we entered the operator locker room.
"I'm glad they don't make me wear a stuffy outfit like that here." Asuka said loudly as I zipped up the front of my uniform's coat. I softly shut the locker door and sat back onto the bench behind me to lace up my boots as she continued. "Thank god the school has a decent uniform. It's comfortable enough to wear at any time, not to mention being pretty cute, but the NERV uniform?" She dramatically makes out she's vomiting to send her point home.
"...they're not that bad are they?" I said, standing up and taking a quick look at myself. I thought the design was nice enough…
Asuka scoffed. "Oh, sure. They're only bland and uninspired. You wouldn't catch me dead in a jacket like that." We promptly exited the locker room and proceeded to the elevators that would take us down to Level B-20, where we'd enter Central Dogma. Asuka leant against the wall of the lift as I thumbed in our destination. With a sudden heavy lurch downwards before leveling out to a steady pace, the elevator had begun moving. "So, what exactly are we doing today? You didn't explain it very well on the ride here."
Honestly, I didn't know that much myself. "It should just be a modified version of your usual sync tests. I wouldn't worry too much about the specifics. Apparently, it's just testing plans for an auto-pilot system." She made an annoyed face. I smiled playfully in return. "Oh, don't give me that look. Dr. Akagi said it would only take the same amount of time as usual, so just bear with it."
"Hey, you know I don't care about the time part. I care about the auto-pilot! What does that even mean? Are they going to start making the Evas fight by themselves or something stupid like that? I'm not about to get shown up by a comput–"
"Woah, relax!" I put my hands up defensively. "I don't even know if this is meant to be a combat thing at all. It could just be for movement, or… helping with storage?" The idea of the Evas doing menial tasks on Dr. Akagi's command painted a funny picture in my head. I had to bite my lip so as not to suddenly grow a large grin.
Asuka eyed me for a second before letting out a short breath, though still holding onto her stern expression. "Well, I guess that'd be worth doing. Maybe."
In any case, it seemed like there were very specific parameters for what makes an Eva pilot, which just made me curious about what kind of auto-pilot system would even work with those things. Would it really be just as simple as programming it, with the biological aspects as well?
Certainly it wouldn't be able to fight an Angel on its own with that in place… or could it?
We had moved to a lower level of the HQ for this program. The Pribnow Box.
Typically, the sync tests just involve the pilots spending a few hours under constantly shifting levels of stress, and recording the harmonics levels. Nothing too crazy. Today's test was quite significantly altered, at least in one sense. Instead of using just the testing plugs by themselves, this version of the test used simulation entry plugs inserted into test bodies (those are Evangelions that are kept in mid-production stage for purposes such as this). Those bodies are now fully submerged in water, rather than LCL, and the pilots were to be scrubbed clean and completely nude.
In order to get the most pristine form of data from this test, there needed to be as little interference as possible between man and machine.
Of course, with this specific test, there were certainly aspects which some might find a tad… unreasonable. For what it's worth, I couldn't blame them one bit.
"What do you mean!? We just showered, and now we have to do it again?" Asuka whined over the comms.
Dr. Akagi smirked as she answered. "To put it simply, the next room you'll be entering is ultra-sterile. A single measly shower just won't be cutting it today, I'm afraid." Asuka and Shinji both groaned loudly. As expected, Rei didn't make a sound.
"Why go through all this, just to test an auto-pilot system? It sounds needlessly excessive to me!" The redhead answered back.
"Excessive? Perhaps, but this data being as accurate as possible is important. The Evangelion's technology must constantly be adapting and evolving to keep up with future threats. Time isn't going to just stop for us." Dr. Akagi smiled to herself once again. "Now, sixteen more runs through the shower and that should be sufficient." I could tell she was having a little too much fun toying with them.
The two teens groaned again, even louder this time, at the sanitizing future that awaited them.
"Seventeen showers, eh..?" I spoke softly to myself whilst tapping a pen on the side of the testing monitor I was placed in front of. "There's no way that could be good for you."
"Would you stop that, please?" An annoyed voice next to me whispered directly into my ear.
I turned to face Lieutenant Maya, who was giving me quite the worrisome look.
"...stop… talking to myself, or tapping the p–"
"Stop tapping the pen, thank you very much." I placed the pen back into my coat, as the short-haired brunette relaxed back into her seat. "It's just… Dr. Akagi wanted this data to be recorded precisely, and the tapping noise was starting to drive me nuts. I don't mean anything by it."
Maya seemed to be a particularly hard worker, very dutiful, especially if Dr. Akagi was involved. We hadn't conversed that much before I was moved to being Asuka's caretaker, but I had also never really had to work this closely with her before either. Given today's new setup, I was required to assist more closely than before. She was pleasant enough most of the time anyway, but I guess it becomes a different story when the actual testing is soon to begin.
"Ah, I'm really sorry. I didn't even notice I was doing it."
She sighed. "Geez, now I've gone and made it awkward. The tests haven't even begun yet, and I'm already high-strung."
"Well, that's normal, isn't it? This data is important, so I suppose it is kinda stressful to get things right." Maya gave me a slight glare.
"You don't seem stressed at all."
I trailed off a chuckle as I scratched the back of my head, thinking of a way to answer. With other testing days, Maya usually stayed attached to Dr. Akagi's hip, so I really didn't know if this was her way of joking around or what. As if to save me from this increasingly awkward conversation, Asuka's voice sounded back over the comms.
"There! We're all showered up! Squeaky clean, seventeen times! Can we go on now?"
Unfortunately for the group, Dr. Akagi had one final bombshell to drop on them.
"Yes, go ahead, as you are. The test plugs are waiting for you at the end of the hallway, and you must enter them completely naked as to retain the sterility."
There was a pause as the realization that "no clothing" meant NO clothing sunk into the teen's heads.
"ARE YOU KIDDING!?" Asuka screamed bloody murder back over the comms.
"The monitors are all off, your privacy will be kept intact. The tests today need data from the purest source; no interference, whether that be from the dirt behind your ears or the plugsuit on your back."
"This is nuts! Even without the monitors, these two can still see me!"
Misato finally added to the conversation. "Asuka, this is an order. I'm sure you can all figure it out."
There was silence for another few minutes before Asuka shot back. "Okay, but if stupid Shinji opens his eyes while I'm walking, this room will not be sterile anymore. You'll be cleaning what's left of him off the ceiling!"
Most of the room chuckled softly at her remark, but Maya just gave me another quick look.
"She still seems pretty feisty. I guess you let her push you around a lot, huh."
…I assumed she was trying to clear the air with small talk, but what the heck could I even say to that?
Dr. Akagi stood in front of the large glass windows, giving her the full view of the submerged test bodies, and the pilots inside. She had been completely silent for a while now, as had the entire room for that matter, quietly working away on the start-up sequences.
Another aspect of today's testing that was unique was the addition of the MAGI, NERV's supercomputer, to regulate the testing system with. I didn't know much about the MAGI or how it worked, aside from its decision making led to me becoming Asuka's guardian. It also seemed like it ran the systems for most of Tokyo-3, given the situation during the black out. It was kinda incredible to think about; in a way, it made Tokyo-3 some sort of… smart city, and now here it is, helping to refine its guardians. What a powerful machine, not to mention flexible.
My momentary fascination with the MAGI was broken by Dr. Akagi's command:
"Begin the testing procedures."
"Starting the test… now. Commencing auto-pilot program recording."
"Inserting simulation plugs."
"Simulation bodies have connected to the auto-pilot program, no abnormalities detected."
"MAGI has received the connection. Simulation plugs and bodies are now under its control."
The room became awash with a bustling atmosphere for a few moments, then quickly died back down. With MAGI now fully connected, the test start-up would continue just between it, Dr. Akagi's orders, and the pilots.
Misato whistled at the sheer pace we were achieving. "Now, isn't that something? Having the MAGI assist sure makes a big difference, eh?" She smirked, noticeably impressed, as she walked up to the glass beside Dr. Akagi to observe the testing site. "A far cry from how tests used to be. Remember taking a week just to get anything done?"
The readout on my screen said the test was going to last about three hours. Another operator in the room relayed that information aloud, while I leaned back in my chair.
Three hours, eh? A little faster than how normal sync tests go, usually, but I was hoping it wouldn't go on even this long. …though, I don't know why I felt that way, not like I have any real hobbies or anything to do with my free time. Er, wait, does cooking count as a hobby?
"How do you all feel?" Dr. Akagi asked the pilots, who had all been sitting in complete silence the past few minutes.
Rei was the first to answer, though they all returned roughly the same sentiment. "Something feels different."
"Yeah, it's not the same as other tests." Shinji followed up.
Asuka sounded somewhat in awe of the situation she was facing. "It's like my senses are all screwed up. Like, I can see my arm, I can feel my arm, but none of it is quite right." Sounded interesting, whatever was happening.
Next, Dr. Akagi ordered Rei to lift the test body's right arm. She did so, resulting in the machine's right arm stirring in the water. From the doctor's expression, it seemed like everything was going well.
"With that, everything seems fine for now." Dr. Akagi announced to us all, confirming what I had assumed. "Return the MAGI back to normal processes."
Harmonic levels were still in the green. Auto-pilot recording was still running its checks. No malfunctions detected. Two hours and fifty minutes left on the clock. I closed my eyes, listening to everyone around me begin to engage in conversation, between relaying the system information and progress. Dr. Akagi and Misato were talking about the MAGI, sounded like.
A few moments passed, no interruptions. I was almost about to fall asleep. I'm normally quite attentive during things like this, however today, between having a reasonably comfortable seat to sit on and the lack of sleep I had been getting lately, it almost felt like a bit more than I could handle. Ringing from the phone line on Maya's terminal made quick work of my immediate drowsiness.
She spoke for a bit, hushed, before calling out to Dr. Akagi. There was a tinge of urgency to her voice.
"Ma'am, the command center informed me that the 87th protein wall above the Pribnow Box seems to have an abnormality with it."
Dr. Akagi looked back towards her, slight annoyance written on her face. "What seems to be causing it, another water leak?"
Maya shook her head. "From what it seems like, ma'am, it's a concerning spot of corrosion."
"Damn, just what we needed." The doctor spoke under her breath, and then took a moment to think the options over before returning to the conversation. "Does there seem to be any immediate effects on the test results?"
"No, ma'am. Not yet."
"Then monitor it, but keep the testing online. We can't abort in the middle like this without good reason. Director Ikari wouldn't appreciate that in the slightest." As Dr. Akagi turned back towards the glass, and Maya hung up the phone receiver, I closed my eyes again.
As Rei's direct testing started, Maya began to chew me out for my lax behavior.
"Seriously? You could at least pretend to be interested. This testing is incredibly important." My eyelids were so heavy, I just wanted to ignore her, but I let out a soft sigh and opened them instead. I really wasn't making a very good showing.
"Yeah, I get it. Sorry."
"Is apologizing the only thing you know how to do?"
What was her problem with me, exactly? She didn't sound pissed or anything, but still.
"Look, I've not been sleeping that well lately. That's all."
"Well, you should find a better place to nap than during your job, at least." Her expression softened a bit.
…she's absolutely right. Damn, I've gotten bad at this whole work thing, huh.
"...Sor–"
ALERT ALERT ALERT ALERT
Without any warning, every terminal in the room lit up bright red, the word "alert" flashing repeatedly, and with the emergency siren blaring along with it. I immediately began trying to find the source of whatever problem occurred, even with the noise making it hard to think.
"What happened!?" Dr. Akagi yelled back across the room.
"Contamination alert, Sigma unit floor A!" A voice called.
I scanned the data readouts. It didn't take long to find the problem in the system. "The 87th protein wall is deteriorating! Losing heat and pressure!" Wait, is this because of the corrosion? Just a minute ago, it wasn't posing any problems! What the hell changed?
Maya relayed her own findings. "The corrosion is progressing like wildfire, spreading to nearby walls! The system is labeling it a Class A Biohazard!"
"Shut it down! Close off tube #6, abort the test immediately!" The doctor's usual calmness had disappeared completely in an instant. A chill ran up my spine. This was serious.
My mind was focused now, any trace of exhaustion had been diluted, lost in the mire of stress that now gripped my brain. Everyone was moving as quickly as humanly possible, shutting down every possible source into the testing site. We had to preserve the simulation bodies, no matter the cost.
"It's not slowing down! The corrosion is still spreading across the walls and linings!" Maya yelled.
Dr. Akagi ordered, not for an evacuation, but for the lab to release its Polysome system. The Polysome machines acted as service and repair bots, able to float through any tanks in the HQ to deal with contamination like this with their highly concentrated lasers.
I followed the abnormality's progress on my monitor. It was approaching the testing site.
There was nothing we could do now but monitor it as it entered and figure out a plan from there.
As the collective breaths of the room's occupants were held, realizing the exact same thing I did, we all watched through the glass, into the dark blue waters. Our suspense was directed towards the proposed contamination site.
Nothing.
Even though the monitor was reading that the corrosion had already bled into the testing site… there wasn't any sign of it. Not on the walls of the chamber, not present in the water. Was it a mistake? I swallowed hard, my eyes still glued to the wall across the chamber, adrenaline making my heart throb loudly in my ears.
Rei's shrill voice suddenly shrieked over the intercom.
Damn it all, it hit me far too late!
The simulation body Rei was connected to started thrashing around violently, nearly pulling itself off of its mount on the chamber wall. She was moving, but from her screams, it was clear this wasn't by her own actions.
"This shouldn't be possible, the tests don't require the sim bodies to move like that!" Dr. Akagi yelled.
The corrosion! "It's coming through the wall now!" I called out, pointing across the chamber. It looked like it was melting through the inner plating of the test chamber now. The entire box was probably breaking down as every second ticked by.
"It's attacking the simulation body's pituitary system!" Maya's voice was composed, but this situation was getting out of hand, fast. Misato still stood by the window, looking down at the testing site. I leapt from my seat to stand beside her.
Rei's sim body began reaching out for the glass, every muscle of its being shuddered and twitched. Where the connective wires had been attached to it, there were clear spots of discoloration, spreading out like a rash. The corrosion had spread to even something that was biological? That didn't make any sense… unless… no, it couldn't be..!
The body's arm exploded. A safety measure activated via blasting bolts. As the arm sped towards the glass, glancing off it with a loud crash and floating backwards with an impressive amount of force, Misato and myself nearly toppled over. She immediately asked for Rei's status as I steadied my legs. I had to see what was going on, so I pressed my nose back to the glass, trying to get a better look at the contents of the tank.
"She's unharmed!" Maya responded, still keeping her cool.
"Hurry and eject the test plugs! Ready the Polysome lasers!" The doctor, however, was panicking.
As I watched the three plugs, pilots inside, jet towards the top of the tank and then out of sight past the bulkhead doors above, I offered them all a prayer. In any case, their situation was looking a lot better than ours right now. At least they were safe.
The corrosion was still burning through both the walls of the tanks, and the simulation bodies. With the lasers from the Polysomes firing directly towards the biggest spots on the tank, I don't really know what I was looking to see.
…but the bright orange shine of an AT Field lit alight my greatest fear, one I had hoped wouldn't be the case.
"Pattern Blue…" Dr. Akagi's voice was strained. "No doubt about it now, it's an Angel."
Misato's voice was filled to the brim with both astonishment, and anger. "What the hell? How did that happen!?"
Why was an Angel acting like this? Was it microscopic? I had been led to believe Angels were all going to be these huge, eldritch creatures, and now this one was small enough to infiltrate the HQ and be mistaken for corrosion?
As Misato spoke with the command center, the alarm system began once more, and the accompanying announcement revealed the decision to quarantine Central Dogma. Because of this, Sigma unit would be forcibly disconnected from the rest of the HQ, in order to escape the Angel's ever growing contamination.
"We're abandoning the box!" The Major shouted. "All personnel, evacuate!"
The operators in the room scrambled out through the doors, and as I turned to join them, I could hear the simulation bodies continuing to move out of control.
The glass for the tank began to crack.
With the chaos increasing, why was Dr. Akagi still standing in the middle of the room? Just watching the glass crack in front of her. I grabbed her arm, snapping her out of her shock. "We need to get out of here!" It was difficult to scream over the sirens, but she seemed to understand what I said. I dragged her out of the room, and as soon as we passed the blast doors, I pulled the emergency lever. The bulkhead slapped shut, and instantly afterwards, the sound of rushing water slapping up against the other side.
Too close. Way too close. My legs felt like jelly and my head was a mess, but everyone else had already taken off for the elevators, and I'd be screwed if I was left behind now. I had to run, but what the hell is going on? Everything went off the deep end in mere minutes, and I almost just died!
This is insane.
It didn't take long before this Angel had contaminated most of Sigma unit. However, given what we could find from the areas it was invading, it wasn't spreading everywhere. It had a clear preference towards areas with higher water pressure and low oxygen levels. From the command center, the first test we performed on it was to introduce large quantities of ozone to try and force it to move.
"Strange." Dr. Akagi said softly, examining its reaction on the screen.
She was right. While it started to retreat from the added ozone initially, it slowed to a halt seconds later.
"Wait, the heat and pressure on the system is rising!" I relayed. The levels on my monitor started going haywire. "It's consuming all the ozone, and now it's spreading again!"
"Then stop the ozone flow." The blonde doctor's expression softened, and a flash of intrigue passed by her eyes. "This is something special. We're watching it evolve, before our very eyes…" She trailed off. It was certainly cool, in a way, so I couldn't exactly fault her interest in examining it. It didn't change the fact that this thing was our enemy.
Just when I had started to get used to the sound of my own thoughts again, another alarm began blaring. Dammit, what now!?
Aoba turned in his chair. "We're being hacked, someone's cracking into the sub-computer!" At a time like this!? Of all the lousy…
Whoever, or whatever, was doing this hacking job, it was cutting through firewalls like they weren't there at all. Everyone at a terminal was setting up as many anti-hacking measures as we could muster, but no amount of decoy interfaces seemed to slow its entry.
"There's no way a human could be doing this…" Hyuga said, his exasperated voice barely above a whisper.
It had to be the Angel. It had to be!
Sure enough, Aoba delivered the news. The hacking source was tracked to the inside of the HQ. In the Pribnow Box. We were being hacked by the very Angel we left down there. If it couldn't find a way out through any physical means, it adapted itself to our electrical ones?
This Angel just turned itself into a virtual computer just to escape its quarantine! Its ability to adapt is unbelievable. For just a moment, my spirit wavered. How would we get out of this? …could we get out of this? What was it trying to do? Where's it aiming for now!?
All attempts to slow its progress through our computer systems were thwarted almost before they could begin. It was too fast, too efficient.
"Cut all the cables leading from the box with lasers!" Misato ordered.
"No good, the AT Field blocks everything we throw at it!"
"It's in the main security hub now!" Aoba yelled. "This bastard's trying to brute-force our password bank! Damn, it's all compromised!" His fingers clacked away viciously at his terminal. "Where's it trying to… there! It's accessing the codes for… Shit! It's forcing its way into MAGI!"
The atmosphere of the room changed in an instant, and with it, all the color drained from Dr. Akagi's face.
Behind us, at the top of the command center, Director Ikari had sat quietly. His deep voice cut through the tension. "Shut the entire system down."
The only way to force a central system shutdown was through the use of two keys, turned in tandem. Aoba and Hyuga nodded at one another, and on their count, they did so.
But nothing happened.
"The Angel must've compromised the shutdown commands too..!" I could feel sweat starting to run down my neck. If it gets into MAGI, then…
"It's entering Melchior!" Even Maya was frantic now. "...impossible, Melchior is already reprogrammed!"
With Melchior, one of MAGI's three central intelligence cores, under its control, the Angel immediately began pelting the other two cores with self-destruct orders. They were rejected, but they just kept happening, one after the other. A constant stream.
Seconds later, Balthazar was also starting to be reprogrammed, soon to join Melchior as part of the Angel's electronic army. The self-destruct sequence could only activate if all three cores were in agreement, so we still had time to work as long as the final core, Casper, stayed under our control… but if the sequence begins, all means to stop it might already be compromised as well! Elevators, escalators, even doors might be under its command by that point. There'd be no way out!
I thought of Asuka and the others up above. They had no idea what was happening down here, and if we fail, they'll get caught in the blast too. All of Tokyo-3 might be blown sky high. Dammit! Why isn't Dr. Akagi doing anything!?
As if she heard my concern telepathically, she started spitting orders. "Change the login mode for the passcodes! Set syncing to 15 second intervals!"
It wasn't much, but it temporarily seemed to slow its progress as soon as we did what she asked.
I leant back in my chair, trying hard to focus my eyes towards the large projected screen of the MAGI's status. The softly blinking "deliberating" sign, and the now snail's pace of Balthazar's corruption caused my exhaustion to come back around to hit me like a brick. "So… how much time did that buy us?" I breathed out.
Aoba swept his hair back, clearly not in a much better state than myself after all that. "Judging from the difference in speed, I'd say two hours, give or take."
"From all the information we've gathered, this Angel seems to be in the form of nanomachines. Think of them as no bigger than a germ. With the sheer amount of them, they have formed a sort of colony throughout the HQ's electronic systems. In this short amount of time, it has evolved to be able to adapt to seemingly anything that stands in its way, becoming something of an advanced intelligence circuit." Dr. Akagi began to explain. Misato, Director Ikari, Commander Fuyutsuki, the other operators, and myself all stood around the tactical planning table, listening to her explanation of what we were facing. We were on a tight clock, but this information was imperative. "They constantly grow, they constantly adapt."
"With abilities like that, it seems to be a perfect organism." Fuyutsuki pondered aloud.
I noticed Misato screw up her nose. Did she have a plan already? "Well, to deal with a target like this…" She began, catching the attention of the room. "If it constantly adapts to the system it's in, then we have no choice but to kill the system itself along with it. A double-suicide. I propose the physical elimination of MAGI."
That could work. The Angel can't simply adapt to not existing anymore. That said, while it seemed like an easy fix on the surface, that would also mean destroying MAGI. I don't think we, nor Tokyo-3, can afford that option right now.
"Unthinkable." Understandably, Dr. Akagi was the first to raise concerns with Misato's thought process. "Destroying the MAGI is tantamount to destroying the HQ itself. What we'd lose would vastly outweigh what we'd gain."
"Then I formally request it as Chief of Operations!" Misato was playing the rank card.
"Denied. This falls under the jurisdiction of the Technological Department." The doctor responded calmly.
This was getting us nowhere.
"Why do you have to be so stubborn!?"
Dr. Akagi's expression fell. "Because this is ultimately my fault. I allowed this to happen."
"Stop." Misato was quick to butt into her friend's self-pity. "You're always like this. You don't have to shoulder this burden alone, alright? Just ask for help, we'll find a different plan as a group." For a moment, Dr. Akagi didn't stir, even though all the eyes in the room had turned to her.
Suddenly, she began explaining her own plan.
"If the Angel insists on continuously evolving, then it has actually given us a valuable chance."
Director Ikari offered his thoughts. "You plan to encourage that evolution, don't you? All the way to its own demise."
"Precisely, sir. If the most likely chance for its survival is co-existence with MAGI, then by reverse hacking into MAGI, we can plant a self-destruction acceleration program within it once it has settled."
….Wait, isn't that insanely risky? I cleared my throat. "In order to do that, we'd have to lower all of MAGI's firewalls. What if it chooses to jump right through all those instead of staying comfortable?"
"It ultimately comes down to whether Casper is faster, or the Angel is faster. A death race." A grave remark from the Director, which really hammered home the pin we would be trying to balance upon.
As far as I could tell, neither plan was any better than the other, but if keeping MAGI intact was the sole goal of this operation, then Misato's idea just wasn't feasible at all. Well, in that case, I guess I have no choice but to put my trust in the Ritsuko Gambit.
I've put my faith in Misato's crazy plans before, and there's really no difference here in the end.
Dr. Akagi removed the covering panel on MAGI's internal workings. I didn't realize how deep the mechanics of it went into the command center, but it felt like it had taken ages before it stopped after she hit the switch to eject it. The panel clacked softly against the machinery near the outer shell. I couldn't help but try to peer over her shoulder to get a better view inside, and from what I could make out, the service tunnel was absolutely littered with sticky notes, covered in red ink markings and scribbles. Those probably meant something to someone, but it all looked like nonsense to me.
"What… exactly is all of this?" Maya asked softly beside me. It seemed her curiosity was piqued as well, with the two of us surely looking like school children, gawking at the impressive sight before us. Dr. Akagi entered the tunnel on all fours.
She stayed quiet long enough for me to exchange a concerned look with Maya, but her voice suddenly echoed from ahead. "These are the notes… left by MAGI's developer."
So, whoever designed MAGI, these were their personal codes? A bit disorganized for my taste, but I have heard of some scientific geniuses finding order in their own personal chaos. Maybe they were something like that then? …Most of this still looked like gibberish though, crossed over with black pen marks, then written over again with red.
"Wait… these are backdoor codes for the MAGI!" I heard Maya exclaim as I looked over some of the notes myself. Each one looked more and more wild than the last.
"A treasure trove of secrets, indeed." I didn't realize how far I had been crawling into the tunnel myself until Misato's comment. It seemed just a moment ago, I was crouched beside her. I'm getting a little too carried away trying to make sense of this. Maya understands because she's working with the MAGI systems every day. I'm simply out of the loop.
I don't know if I'll be much help at this point, but that's irrelevant. With Aoba and Hyuga on other duties to continue keeping an eye on the Angel, Maya and I were to help Dr. Akagi directly with the self-destruction plan, as close to the source as possible: knee deep in MAGI's guts (metaphorically, anyway).
Screw You, Ikari
Written in black ink across a line of notes, it was hard not to notice those words popping out at me.
Did… Dr. Akagi write this? Or, was it whoever developed MAGI? They must've hated the Director, and got their frustrations out inside this secret tunnel only they could access, whoever it was. I know I shouldn't even be looking at a lot of this stuff, but Dr. Akagi doesn't seem to mind. If she did, she probably would've booted me out of the tunnel before now.
"Did you hear what Maya said, or were you too busy looking over things yourself?" The blonde woman next to me smiled slightly as she took my attention away from the messy notes. I could feel my cheeks get hot, as my head was an inch away from bumping into her. Was that an angry smile?
"A-Ah, I didn't. Is everything still okay?"
Dr. Akagi turned back to sifting through cables, looking for the connections we would need to directly feed into MAGI. "Everything's going to be fine. I'm sure of it." She did have a surprising amount of confidence in her voice. I wanted to believe in her, despite the risks involved. "You probably think I'm some sort of hypocrite too, don't you."
I was genuinely confused by her bringing that up. "Should I?" I held back some cables for her to get a better look at the internals.
"I made a fuss about Misato risking the Evas last time an Angel threatened Tokyo-3, and now here I am, chancing the entire city on a computer virus that could fail in an instant."
Considering her words carefully, I gave it all a thought. Realistically, I don't feel like these situations are comparable in the slightest. "...sure, but it's not that simple, is it?" She looked at me, an eyebrow raised in confusion. "Where I'm sitting, you're both doing all you can with what you have available. Misato's plan might've been crazy then, but I bet your perspective towards it has changed now too, hasn't it?" I tossed her a grin. "I don't think you're being a hypocrite here, you're just… understanding what Misato meant by doing the most even when things look impossible. Or at least, that's how I'm choosing to look at this."
Her confusion had lifted somewhat, but was now replaced with a surprised look. It took a second for her to gather her bearings before she responded.
"...I shouldn't have doubted your ability to see through things like that, given your position. That's on me." Her smile returned. "So, you're saying if her plan ended up not being crazy for the last fight, I might not have been pushed to come up with this now?"
She finished gathering the cable ends to bring out for our connections. I answered her as we moved towards the exit, to prepare for the big event. "Well, it's certainly possible, but thinking about what's already passed won't serve us right this minute. Just roll with the confidence we've got now, throw the risks to the wind, and let's put this sucker out."
As Misato and Dr. Akagi finished the final connections with Casper inside, I worked with Maya to connect everything properly outside. The prep was almost finished, but every second that passed without issue filled me with more dread.
…and just like that, our two hours were up, and the band-aid was yanked from its place.
"Balthazar's corruption has been completed!" I heard Hyuga's voice from up above me. Damn it, we still weren't finished, and now our last line of defense was gone!
Both Balthazar and Melchior were voting for activating the self-destruct sequence against Caspar. If that passed, the game was practically over. Everything in the Geofront would be taken out, and Tokyo-3 above would likely collapse in on itself. I'm skirting death yet again… but there's no point in worrying now. What's done is done, all we can do is try!
"The infection is spreading into Caspar! The speed's back up, this is ridiculous!" Aoba yelled.
With my terminal, all I could do was attempt what had failed before, setting up false domains for the Angel to waste its time in. Even if I could just save us a millisecond, just until Dr. Akagi was done…!
Self-Destruction in 20 seconds
Goddamn it! The loud alarm telling me how much longer I had to live wasn't helping!
"Caspar's on his last legs, the corruption will soon be complete!" Hyuga was practically going into a fit. Come on, damn it, just a little more!
Self-Destruction in 15 seconds
Dr. Akagi!
"Ritsuko, hurry!" Misato was helpless, all she could do was watch us work. I knew that had to be tearing her apart, not just from the pleading in her voice.
Self-Destruction in 10 seconds
"Stop worrying, we're ahead by a second." Dr. Akagi's calmness was a reassuring pat on the back against the chaos. It may only be by a second, but we are still ahead.
Self-Destruction in 9 seconds
"One second!?"
Self-Destruction in 8 seconds
"It's not zero. We can do this."
She was right! We could! All we had to do now was drop the firewalls, toss it the bait on her signal, and let this bastard sort itself out!
Self-Destruction in 7 seconds
We can't lose here. Not like this. We just can't!
6
5
"Maya, Hatsuyuki. Hit it!"
Her signal was clear.
We all hit the buttons in tandem.
The firewalls dropped.
It was out of our hands now.
4
Asuka… This is it..!
3
2
1
…..
…..
Self-Destruction Canceled By AI
As soon as I heard those words, I collapsed onto the floor beside the MAGI. I heard the shouts of victory light up the command center. With the announcement sounding of MAGI's systems going back online to normal processes, I felt myself falling in and out of consciousness.
It was a fun ride, but that was a few too many close calls for me in this state. Just gonna take a little nap now, if you all don't mind. Wake me up in 20. Minutes, hours, honestly I wouldn't even mind days at this point…
The feeling of a hot cup against my cheek was what eventually woke me.
"Good morning, sweetie~." Misato's sing-songy voice grated against my ears. I managed to sit up, though I admit the cool tiles of the floor were surprisingly relaxing, despite the new crick in my neck. She was crouched beside me, two cups of coffee in her hands. She placed one into my own. "So, exciting day, eh?"
"Not the word I'd use, but… I'm glad we're not dead." I took a long drink from the cup. It was black, but that didn't bother me; it was just hitting the right spot. Misato giggled.
"You feel good enough to stand?" I nodded as she stood. "Good to hear. I'm gonna hand this cup off to the leading lady, and then we'll get going!"
I took another sip. "Wait, what do you mean?"
She gave a lighthearted chuckle.
"Where else, silly. To pick up our kids!"
I could imagine clearly in my head how Asuka's probably feeling about this. There wasn't much time to explain once the Angel began its infiltration, so I wouldn't be shocked in the slightest to find out she's been throwing a nonstop fit for the past three hours.
The giant lake surrounding the HQ was the eventual ejection point for all the lab's clear water supply, and thus, as the rescue boat Misato and I stood at the bow of approached the middle of it, I could begin to make out the three floating cylinders. I always underestimated their size, they really were quite large, and seeing them up close like this never failed to amaze me.
All three plugs were latched onto the stern, and with an impressive bout of maneuvering, they were all safely brought to the nearby docks. A quick check of the outer hulls revealed no damage or corrosion. The order to eject them couldn't have had better timing, it seemed. That was a relief.
"I assume… you'll handle Asuka's?" Misato asked. There was a hint of something in her voice, and I wasn't quite sure what that implied.
"I assume you'll handle Shinji's?" I asked in the same manner. The Major let out a single loud laugh before walking off towards his plug.
"Oh, of course! Of course!"
Confusing lady.
Well, no point in waiting around. Asuka was probably pissed enough as is. She's probably not going to be too happy we killed an Angel without her as well…
I pulled out on the emergency latch on the plug's side. It took two hands to twist the damned thing. I actually kinda hate being reminded of how out of shape I am. Luckily, the latch had long since cooled, as generally after ejection, the plugs themselves are practically red-hot. After the latch twisted completely, the seal broke, popping the door open slightly. The rush of the amber LCL pushed through immediately, sloshing down upon the concrete platform of the dock.
Just as I began to open the door the rest of the way, before I even had a chance to fully prepare myself for the potentially seething girl inside, her voice from inside screeched out an order in a surprisingly flustered manner.
"D-Don't you dare think about pulling the door open, dammit!" I froze with my hand on the door, keeping it in place. Instinctively, I stepped over to take a peek in to see if she was alright. "AUGH, DON'T LOOK INSIDE EITHER! I'M NAKED, DUMBASS!"
SHIT.
Luckily, she caught me just in time, and I immediately let the door close the rest of the way shut. It had completely slipped my mind! Damn it, that could've been awful. Gah, and Misato was just going to let it happen too!? Cruel, Major Katsuragi! Cruel!
"...you're okay in there, yeah?" I spoke awkwardly after a few seconds of silence.
"...Lieutenant?" She didn't know it was me? Well, that makes sense, how could she have? "O-Oh… yeah, I'm okay. Truly and utterly confused, bored out of my mind, and freezing cold, but I'm not hurt or anything." I could now hear the exhaustion in her voice. Luckily, I was given a towel for her, so I cracked the door back open a bit and held it inside. "...Really? Just one towel?"
Whoops, I should've known better. She uses two or three at a time at the apartment when she has a shower, after all. "Sorry, I would've taken more but… I honestly forgot you were naked in there. My bad, I can run and grab you another, if you'd–"
"No, don't leave... I just want to get out. I don't care that much about what I have to wear." I heard the liquid slosh around inside as she wrapped herself in the towel. "Ugh, my legs are all pins and needles, this sucked." She stepped out through the plug's entrance, her small frame shuddering as the cool air of the Geofront hit her. It probably didn't feel too great to walk on the dock barefoot like this either.
I unzipped my jacket. Quickly pulling my arms out of the sleeves, I draped it over her shoulders. I figured it was the least I could do for her right now "Don't want to catch a cold, right?" She turned her head away from me.
"...L-Look, I know I said I didn't care what I had to wear, but this ugly thing..?"
I couldn't help but laugh as I helped her over to where Misato, Shinji and Rei were now sitting.
"Is the uniform really that bad?"
Author's Note : I've returned to writing! For those curious about my break during February, I had some personal stuff to take care of (and I got sucked into both Muv-Luv and Elden Ring, so that certainly helped). We should be back on track now, though.
This was an interesting chapter to deal with, given the lack of Asuka throughout, but hey! Matsuo got to actually help beat an Angel! Good for him.
Hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Peace!