Hey guys, back again. Sorry for the long wait.
This is a much more plot based chapter. There are a lot of moving parts.
Here's chapter 40 "Piece on the board."
"Adam's last child is coming. When all of them are gone, the others will make their plays. It's time for us to move a piece on the board."
"Isn't this dangerous? Not for us, but for him."
"Yes. He died in my timeline. Another victim in the battle between Gendo and SEELE."
"There's no other way? Nothing at all?"
"He has his part to play. Just as we do. This isn't like fighting the Angels. This is different, and he is more important that he realizes."
- The Broken Man and Shinji Ikari.
In the days following the UN inspection of Nerv, Shinji found himself falling into a new routine.
He ignored school, no matter how Misato tried to handle it, from refusing to let him drop out, or trying to guilt trip or argue with him.
He visited his girlfriend in the hospital. And he trained at Nerv. He trained a lot. Every day he went in for simulations and combat training. Regardless of his official schedule.
It was a shock to the various staff and employees. The boy who had once seemed bored of piloting had now embraced it. Embraced it to a degree that was awe-inspiring to see.
The boy could hold a sync ratio close to 90% almost every time. It became a common sight to see the Third Child dressed in his plug suit heading for the testing chambers.
Eva Team Zero had been officially reformed, and together their records in the simulations rivaled that of Eva Team One. Yet, there was a distance there.
Rei Ayanami. She rarely spoke to anyone. She did her work, piloting dutifully and effectively. Operating with combat efficiency and having no conflict with her partner.
Yet outside of their training, she avoided Shinji.
He tried to talk to her more than once, and though she listened politely, she always found ways to leave. He didn't blame her.
She was also being called away more and more frequently. 'Health reasons' was the cited cause. Ritsuko informed him that Gendo had been conducting more experiments lately.
Two weeks since the UN Inspection of Nerv.
Misato's apartment.
The news played from the tiny tv set in the kitchen. Shinji watched trying to get a feel for things, all the while preparing breakfast for his roommates.
"There are reports that the UN has conducted its inspection of Nerv recently. This comes in the wake of public worry regarding the organization's handling of the Five Angel Crisis."
The reporter spoke on and on through the recent events. Covering the available information on the state of the JSSDF and Nerv.
They never mention how much Nerv and the JSSDF hate each other. I never really took in what they meant before, Shinji thought.
"Local government officials claim that Nerv will pass the inspection with flying colors. The mayor has openly proclaimed his faith in the operation in Tokyo-03," the reporter on the tv finished.
The mayor is bought. Gendo? Or SEELE? Shinji thought.
"Since when do you watch the news so much?"
Shinji turned from the kitchen tv to see Asuka dressed in her school uniform, a stark contrast to the street clothes that he wore. She gestured at the tv, and the screen chimed as the news report ended.
"It's a new habit. I'm trying to keep up with what's going on," he said with a shrug.
Asuka took a seat at the breakfast table saying, "they're just a bunch of talking heads. And our roommate knows more than any of them… not that she'll tell us about it."
"Yeah. You're right," Shinji said casually, handing her a plate of freshly made breakfast.
"… With good reason. And you both know that," Misato's voice called suddenly.
The teenagers looked up to see their temporary guardian standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
Judging from the hesitant but firm look on Misato's face, Shinji knew where this was going. This exact scenario had played out before, and he was getting tired of arguing with his guardian.
"Shinji… I think it's time we talk," Misato said in a measured tone.
He finished preparing the lunches for himself, Asuka, and some things he had set aside for Mari. Misato watched him silently. Asuka only glanced between them.
"I don't want to fight," he said softly.
"Look. I've let you get away with a lot but… you have to go back to school. I mean it, they're reporting you," Misato said. Her voice was soft and calm, something she had rehearsed.
"Or you could finish signing the forms. I already did my part," Shinji countered calmly, and with a tired almost bored tone.
"You're 14. And I'm supposed to be watching over for the well being-"
"You have," Shinji cut in and Misato froze. Even Asuka looked up from her breakfast.
He reached down to pour some food into Pen-pen's bowl, and then look back to his guardian.
"You're the closest thing to a mother I ever had. The only one who ever really cared about me. But I'm not just a kid, not anymore, I haven't been for a while now. I'm an Eva Pilot."
Misato's measured facade cracked, and worry crept into her face.
"You're still a kid. You-" Misato stammered.
"I walk off inside a giant robot to kill monsters. I risk my life, I get hurt… we get hurt a lot. You let us do that. All the adults let us do that. They want us to do it. And that's okay with all of you. But now when I make a choice, suddenly I'm just a kid. That's not fair," Shinji said plainly.
Asuka was staring at him too now.
"I- you… that's not what we meant. The Eva Program has to use teenagers. There's no other way and- and we- I wanted you to have as normal a life as possible," Misato stammered.
He watched her and almost felt bad for the frustration she was battling with. For better or worse, he had a point and they all knew it.
"Shinji's right. We're not normal. We tried to pretend, but we're not. Just sign the forms," Asuka said suddenly.
The German girl didn't look up from her breakfast, she kept her face buried in her food taking bite after bite.
Shinji found himself moved by her support.
"Not you too! Asuka!" Misato cried. Clearly, she had not expected that. The frustration had evidently been building up.
Shinji had noticed how Misato had let the matter of him dropping out fade for a week or two. How she had let things slide, letting him have what she considered an 'outburst', or else time to get over what had happened to his girlfriend and the re-forming of Eva Team Zero.
Asuka stilled, but slowly responded, "… I think he knows what he's doing."
"Relax. I'm staying in school," the German girl added sounding much firmer. She gritted her teeth, a minor annoyance working its way into her inflection and continued, "I'm part of the reserve. It's not the same for me."
Misato's face softened by a fraction of an inch. Some victory on her part.
"I wasn't fast enough."
The words surprised his guardian and Shinji felt her eyes on him even as he examined his hand. Even now, he could remember the weight of Mari's cold and broken body.
"Shinji…" Misato whispered.
"I have to train. Harder than ever before. I have to be there for her. That's my decision. I'll go back to school when this is done," the boy continued.
Asuka smiled softly, almost proud of the young man her dorky roommate and former partner had become.
Misato gritted her teeth, seeming to argue with herself over something before finally coming to a decision.
"You'll come back to school… once the Angels are gone?"
"Yes."
Misato breathed a sigh of relief. Then the woman braced her arms on the breakfast table, inner turmoil locked on her face as she fought with herself over what to say.
"… There's only one left," Misato whispered finally.
Asuka and Shinji both stared at her. Eyes wide.
"Adam's Children… the First Angel's offspring... we're down to one. They are things we never told you... but we knew how many times the Angels would attack. It wasn't perfect and that scared the higher-ups. It scared Director Ikari and the UN, but the incidents have been… 'right' for the most part," their guardian said avoiding their gazes.
All because of him. My Other… all of this was created by him, Young Shinji thought.
"One Angel left," Asuka parroted under her breath, scarcely believing it after all they had been through.
"So you don't have to worry so much. We're almost done," Young Shinji lied.
He faked a smile, doing his best to remember the boy he had been before seeing the memories of his Other. Adopting the naivety of a boy who had believed himself to be mentally ill.
"… I'll sign the papers. I'll drop them off later… just… just don't make me regret this," Misato relented at last.
"Thanks," Shinji said as if they were discussing groceries.
Misato rolled her eyes and joined them at the table. He happily served her a plate of the breakfast he'd made.
One more Angel. I don't suppose you have any idea when he'll come?
The Broken Man did not respond.
Shinji thought that was strange but not altogether unexpected.
Let's see. Sachiel, Shamshel, Ramiel, Gaghiel, Israfel, Sandalphon, Matarael, Sahaquiel, Ireul, Zeruel… then Leliel and Bardiel. Hmm… and Armaros but he… 'it' came multiple times, Young Shinji thought.
The memories of all his foes came flooding back to him. Another consequence of the abilities gifted to him. He remembered his very first piloting run and all the way to the current day. Hard to believe they had faced so many Angels.
Misato's phone rang and Shinji ate his food on auto-pilot. His guardian answered and began speaking to someone from Nerv.
That's all of them except for Armisael. But things are so different this time. Ahhhh, I wish I knew what they were planning. Hey, Old Man? Hello. Hello?
"Listen. I gotta head out a bit early today. I'll see you two later. Asuka, thank you for staying in school. Shinji… just… I'll see you when you get home," Misato said suddenly getting to her feet.
Shinji nodded. He'd gotten used to having multiple conversations at the same time as well as focusing on a variety of tasks and ideas simultaneously.
He waved Misato off she left the apartment.
"Congratulations. You're a dropout," Asuka said after their guardian had gone.
He turned to her saying, "I'm sure my little sister will help me when I re-enroll."
Asuka winced comically. She shook her head fighting the urge to laugh and couldn't quite muster it.
He felt good to hear Asuka laugh again. It had been some time indeed.
"Why does it have to be 'little' sister? Why not a big sister? Or cooler sister. The smarter one?" Asuka teased.
Shinji shrugged.
"It just felt right."
Asuka rolled her eyes at him muttering things under her breath. But it was all bark and no bite, playful banter that had replaced their arguments of old. It had been a long time coming if they were both honest, it had taken a lot for them to reach this stage.
"Hey, can you do me a favor?"
Asuka blinked at him, not sure what to think.
"Rei. Can you train with her? In your spare time I mean," he asked growing serious.
Asuka's face turned cold, whatever banter had been on her lips died at that moment.
"I don't think the wondergirl likes me exactly. In case you haven't noticed," Asuka said slowly.
"We're her friends. We were the only ones to visit her after her seizure," Shinji began.
"Mari was there too," Asuka cut in.
Shinji winced, thinking about how things had played out.
Asuka took a deep breath.
"You're really not mad at her? I mean… crap… that's rough for anyone. I try not to think about it. Then again, I wasn't… I wasn't alright for a while. I couldn't… I was lost for a while. I didn't really consider it," Asuka said slowly. She went through her thoughts voicing them aloud.
Shinji understood. It didn't make her a bad person it just meant she was human. Asuka had been going through her own ordeal, her own suffering and for a time that had left her blind to anyone else's.
His former partner's face changed as he spoke.
"No, I'm not mad at her. Rei is… she's had a hard life. And I try to remember that she had orders. She didn't handle it well, it's been eating up at her for a while now. I'm worried about her," Shinji said his eyes growing distant.
Asuka stared at him. In truth, she had never really known much about Rei. The quiet and very much aloof First Child. In her eyes, the pale girl had only ever spoken to Shinji. No one else.
That realization made Asuka sad. Another thing she had 'seen' but had never truly noticed. Not until today.
Their words at the park had been true, the two of them really had grown up a lot.
Asuka smiled at him, the tiniest of smirks. She really could see what Mari had seen in him long before anyone else had.
"Why do you gotta be such an old man? Like… all the time now?" she said breaking the tension, letting them both breathe easier.
"Someone has to do it," he said only half joking.
"Yeah," Asuka admitted.
"I'm not a people person… not like you. But I'll try. Rei is… I was mean to her when I didn't need to be. It was a shitty thing to do and she is one of us. An Eva Pilot," the German girl continued.
Shinji smiled at her. "Thank you. I think, deep down, you really are a nice person."
Asuka's face flustered and streaks of red worked its way onto her cheeks. More annoyed than any kind of awkwardness, platonic in nature. She coughed, stammering out a hurried, "I've always been nice. I can be nice when I want to."
"Whatever you say, little sister-"
"Don't push it," Asuka warned through gritted teeth.
Shinji raised his hands up in defeat.
She got up, grabbed her plate awkwardly and glanced at the kitchen sink. He realized that Asuka had probably never washed a dish in her life, but it was the thought that counted. In fact, it was the first time he could remember her even trying to do something around the house.
"Go on, I'll do the dishes. Don't be late to class," he said before she could do more.
Asuka frowned saying, "you're sure?"
"I got it. You're gonna be late if you don't hurry."
"Whatever you say, old man," she bantered, leaving the plate behind as she headed out for school.
He raised his eyebrows. It's what I get for the little sister thing. Eh, there are worse nicknames.
"See you at Nerv," Shinji said in goodbye.
He waited until she had left before he closed his eyes. He needed to check-in.
…
The Other Place
Young Shinji walked in the familiar white void. He found the Broken Man almost immediately, the aged figure dressed in rags knelt on the floor.
Only he wasn't alone. A second figure stood before him.
The Woman in the Dark hummed as she floated dreamlike in front of the old man, an ethereal beauty that wandered aimlessly.
Shinji stared at her wide-eyed.
"Hmm hum hmm," the Woman in the Dark hummed. Her voice soft and perfect in a way no mortal could match, she didn't breathe. Even her movements were foreign and alien, yet graceful in a way that didn't seem possible. The spitting image of a 26-year-old Rei Ikari that danced amid the shadows.
The Broken Man sat, watching her with a distant expression planted on his face. Hollow empty eyes never leaving the strange figure before him.
"Uh… I don't understand. What are you doing?" Young Shinji stammered. He felt himself on edge at the sight of the Original Lilith. He had seen her a few times before he had been stabilized with his Other, before being absorbed into Unit 01, and then only once… when they had saved Mari.
The Woman in the Dark smiled at him… both of the Shinji(s). She reached out to the old man, her hand coming to rest softly upon his face.
"… Nothing. I should not have done this," the Broken Man rasped suddenly. His voice empty and distant.
The Broken Man closed his eyes, almost wincing in pain, before whispering, "be gone."
Shinji watched as the old man raised a hand and the Woman in the Dark vanished, fading away into the nothingness of the void. Less than ashes in the wind.
"… What is she? You never did say?" the boy asked hesitantly.
The Broken Man opened his mixed colored eyes, seeming to consider that.
"I honestly don't know. A fragment? A memory? Whatever is left of my teacher, the piece of herself that she gave to me? Maybe all of them. Maybe none. Just another ghost from a life that is long since past."
Young Shinji marveled at just how 'mortal' his Other seemed in that moment. The man appeared withered; eyes devoid of any life. Then the moment passed, and the Broken Man rose to his feet.
"Forgive an old man his foolishness. She appeared when I was… remembering things better left behind."
Shinji looked at his feet, expression downcast.
"I..." the boy began hesitantly.
"It's not wise to dwell on such things."
"… you've been thinking about Rei. Haven't you?"
The Broken Man didn't respond. There was no need to. The Shinji(s) stood silent in the void for a moment, neither knowing how to broach the subject.
Young Shinji tried to think of something to say, to apologize for how things had gone in this new world forged by his Other. The new timeline. To say that things were in many ways his own fault and that it was hard for both of them.
Instead, the reality around them shifted.
Young Shinji blinked as he found himself back in Misato's apartment. He was still sitting in the kitchen at the breakfast table. The dirty plates lay where he and Asuka had left them.
The Broken Man appeared seamlessly across from him in the kitchen. Another mental projection.
Why does he do that? Is it to have a world to 'interact' with instead of the void? Or is it for me? To keep me from staying locked in my head?
The boy thought he might never know.
Finally, the Elder of the two spoke. His Other spared him any apologies.
"You did well with Asuka. I'm glad to see her doing better, and you got her to help Rei. That's good."
Shinji nodded. The boy folded his hands over the table saying, "I don't know how to help her. Not without Gendo knowing too soon."
He frowned and felt like he was trapped in an abyss of bad choices. A convoluted knot of weighted decisions spiraling in undesired outcomes, all bound by a timetable set by other players.
"I know."
The Broken Man spoke solemnly. Before he shook it off continuing, "there is one thing we can prepare for now."
Shinji looked up at his Other. No matter how many times he saw the mental projection, he always felt that it looked wrong. That his Other truly did not belong in this world, like a corpse whose soul refused to leave its body. It made him sad.
"Adam's last child? Armisael," the boy said slowly. The name came to him via the strange mixture of memories and knowledge that had 'bled' into him from his counterpart.
The Broken Man shook his head.
"Armisael is a threat, yes. But he will come on his own terms. There is little we can do to change that. No, now is the time to move a piece on the board. It's time to meet with Ritsuko."
Oh…. 'that'. I wish there was another way. It really freaks me out…
The boy put the dishes in the sink and washed them, then reached for his second phone.
Nerv HQ.
Patient room.
They met under the guise of another examination. Nerv periodically conducted medical tests on their pilots. Such things were already scheduled, it was a simple matter of moving things around when needed.
Ritsuko strapped the line around the boy's arm tight. She'd had plenty of experience, in fact, it could be said that she was vastly over-qualified. The doctor played it off with her team as taking charge, setting an example for Aoba, Maya, and Hyuga.
Nonetheless, here in the relative safety of the patient room, Ritsuko had to voice her thoughts. She had checked the rooms for listening devices religiously and had never found any.
"You're cutting this close," the doctor murmured.
"He knows. I don't like this at all… but it's the only way," Young Shinji said nervously.
"The time window is so short. That only makes it harder," Ritsuko whispered, muttering to herself.
Shinji winced as Ritsuko drew the blood sample and carefully collected it into a vial.
"It isn't like the others. It won't function at 100% because it doesn't have to," the Broken Man said suddenly.
Ritsuko paused at that. She had mostly gotten over the shock of the Broken Man speaking, but every now and then those moments surprised her. The aged tone that emerged from the body of a boy.
The doctor stared at the blood sample, freeing the boy's arm with a casual detachment.
"We can do that. Just a shell. I set up a workstation that Gendo and the others don't know about."
Ritsuko allowed herself a small smirk continuing, "he really does trust me too much. He gave me complete total authorization and funds. And that was even before SEELE's visit."
"… are you sure? Ritsuko… this is really dangerous," Young Shinji said speaking up hesitantly.
The doctor shook her head saying, "Nerv is too secret for their own good. There are entire floors people don't know about. Construction and maintenance know not to ask questions and Gendo made sure a long time ago that they don't gossip. Ever."
They were using Nerv's own resources against them to do this. Using the cover of hiding Gendo's secrets from Mr. Keel and SEELE for Ritsuko to set up a workstation. It had been in the making for a long time now, ever since she had been 'recruited' and turned against her old masters.
It was actually easier than one would have thought. She had already been tasked with moving things around and hiding Gendo's objectives from Mr. Keel himself. All she had done was gone a little extra for herself and the Shinji(s).
Ritsuko pocketed the vial of Shinji's blood and the boy rolled his sleeve back up.
"Be careful. This stuff isn't my strong suit. I don't like not being able to help," Young Shinji said.
Ritsuko seemed taken aback by the concern. She blinked at him continuing, "... there's a reason it had to be me. Don't feel bad... I have enough to make up for."
At that moment, he saw the guilt and shame flash across her face. He knew it would hurt but they had to ask.
"One more thing. How is Rei?"
Ritsuko stirred, thinking things over. She almost reached for a cigarette but stopped herself at the last moment.
"She's distant. More than usual, I think. Gendo hasn't really noticed yet but he still has his hold over her. Her Programming runs deep... I'm sorry to say that I had a hand in that. I always thought it was for the greater good, that we were doing what needed to be done. That Rei was... that she wasn't really human and-" Ritsuko stammered.
She was speaking fast, eyes unsteady and her hands shook. Her voice faltered and a tremor emerged on her lips towards the end. Ritsuko covered her mouth unable to finish. The things that she had done haunted her still.
The Broken Man took her hand and she stopped mid-hiccup.
"We are all victims in their madness. My father and SEELE."
Ritsuko stared eyes wide at the man speaking through the boy. She lowered her free hand from her mouth, breathing easier.
"All of us were pawns in their game. The Eva Pilots cleared the board of a threat. I was never meant to 'defend mankind'. I was meant to remove a player in their game. I played a part in the end of my own world. We all have much to make up for. So, we move forward. That is all we can do," the Broken Man said.
His voice had turned to a bitter spat mid-speech before fading into a calm acceptance by the end. His empty hollow eyes turned to her without judgment, giving Ritsuko what dignity he could.
"... Thank you," Ritsuko whispered.
The Broken Man released her hand.
Young Shinji ran a hand through his hair awkwardly. "We'll see you later and uh be careful... again," the boy added.
She nodded taking a moment to rub her eyes.
He got up from the table and headed for the exit. Ritsuko falsified the records for him as he left. The three of them had their work cut out for them.
Elsewhere in the city.
Government office kept hidden from the public.
Kaji poured through the documents his contacts had managed to get him. Ever since the director had pulled most of the agents in to pool resources, they'd had exponential growth in what they could get their hands on. It was risky, working with more people, but Kaji agreed with the director in the end. It was worth it.
"Shell companies," he muttered to himself.
Kaji rose from his seat in the small cubicle he had taken to using. The spy had spent countless days and nights pouring over the records, looking into every bit of information on the pasts of his targets.
Ritsuko had pointed him in this direction, and what he had found was an ever-growing web of conspiracy that pre-dated the Second Impact. From the organization that evolved into Nerv, to Misato's father, to the Ikari family, and financial transactions that looped endlessly creating chaos that was almost impossible to wade through.
Footsteps approached and Kaji didn't even look up from his work, he poured over his notes piecing together the trail amid the chaos. The MRI of Shinji Ikari's brain, the paperwork regarding the creation of several pharmaceutical companies in the same year as Dr. Page's meeting with the boy. Photos and documents of the Pre-Second-Impact organization and their development of the Katsuragi Expedition.
"You're still here?"
Kunizuka, Kaji's partner before they had been pulled in by the director, spoke to his back. A frown making its way onto her face.
"This is important. I don't know why just yet… but it is. There's something here. I don't like it," Kaji answered.
Kunizuka crossed her arms, adorned in a sleek and professional looking suit. She had abandoned her civilian disguise in recent days. The time for clandestine meetings was over. Now she worked in the day. Whatever Nerv was planning was growing closer week by week, and it had the government intelligence spooked.
"Have you checked the time?" his partner asked sternly.
"Busy," Kaji said off-handily.
He glanced at his watch and scowled at the time displayed. Past two in the afternoon.
Cover at Nerv is getting harder to manage, the spy thought.
"You need to let this go for now. The director left you at Nerv for a reason. He gave us our mission. Don't blow your cover," Kunizuka said.
Kaji felt her eyes on him and he knew that she had a point. Even using this space here in the city wasn't always wise. He didn't want to do his work at home, Gendo knew where he lived, and he wouldn't put it past the man to have suspicions about him.
I needed a place to work.
"I'll manage. I always do. Any luck on your end?" Kaji asked finally turning to face his partner.
Kunizuka shook her head with a look of relief, she clearly had been expecting more of a fight.
He began collecting his outline and reports along with his notepad. He really did have to get going soon.
"We still have no idea why Nerv is hiding the Spear of Longinus. Or what they did or are planning to do with it," the spy said.
It was used during the Five Angel Crisis. It had to be… none of the reports mentioned it but all we know is that the First Child killed the Angel known as Bardiel, Kaji thought.
"Check my old notes. Last time I made a visual confirmation, Gendo was using it to imprison the Second Angel. A suppression tactic, I think. No way of knowing," Kaji said quickly.
His partner nodded thinking that over. "Suppression… but why not kill her? Why even keep that thing a prisoner at all?"
Kaji watched her as she moved to look over his old notes, compiled along with hers in this joint office that had been set up for their portion of the operation.
"I'm heading out. Nerv needs me at-"
"You're cutting things close. How many times you late to your work there? You're making a pattern… that's not safe. Not for any of us."
Kaji scowled. The two of them had been spending too much time working together now, they cut straight to the matter at hand.
"This side project of yours is becoming an obsession. We were given orders," his partner continued.
"I know what I'm doing. They trust me."
"For now," his partner whispered. Kunizuka shook her head, something almost like concern working its way onto her face as she continued, "be careful and go. Gendo Ikari is a dangerous man."
If you only knew, Kaji thought.
Kaji played it off with his usual smirk and charm, a thing he hadn't done in a long time and something he knew that she found frustrating.
"Always knew you had a heart," he said, before taking off and leaving her to her work.
Back at Nerv.
Kaji used his Nerv employee card to get access into the office floors, one of many trying to get past the computer and into their offices. A small chirp followed by a flashing light on the system, and the entrance opened for him.
The spy made his way into the floor letting the man behind him swipe their card to gain entrance.
He went about his way to his office, coolly filtering out the other Nerv employees at their various offices and workstations. He blended into the afternoon grind that came in the hours before the evening when the 'corporate drones' were released from their cushy cells.
"… I honestly don't know. It feels like I missed something," Misato's voice called.
"You didn't miss anything," Ritsuko answered her friend.
Kaji froze, he had been running over the things he'd learned in the past few weeks and he hadn't realized that he'd passed the break room.
"His name is Keel Lorenz. Him and Gendo go way back. I heard he's got friends in high places, government officials and a few generals. They're all golf buddies or whatever it is that rich people do for fun." – Ritsuko's warning.
There were too many coincidences he had found with that one name when he'd dug in deep. Even with all the resources of the Japanese intelligence agency he could muster, he still didn't have the whole picture.
Why did she point me to Mr. Keel? Why does she have Gendo Ikari's personal number? And what was she doing the night Rei had her seizure? How did she know before anyone else?
The questions ran a thousand miles per hour in Kaji's mind. He felt like a child wandering in the dark, scratching the surface of a long intricate puzzle. He made his decision right then and there; he had to try and talk to his 'old college buddy'.
Adopting his old cover, the slacker, the relaxing charming man that the women had known in school, he stepped into the break room.
Inside were only Misato and Ritsuko chatting by the coffee maker.
"I blinked and now the kid has grown into a little old man. He barely comes home. Spends all his time training at Nerv, with his girlfriend, or god knows where else. He doesn't give a shit about school anymore; he doesn't back down. I can't stop him from doing what he wants, but… but he's not rebelling. It's so strange. I feel like I'm failing as a guardian and at the same time… I don't," Misato was saying.
Ritsuko listened calmly as Misato relented her thoughts. The grown woman looked remarkably young there, clearly in over her head with the situation regarding the boy she had agreed to take in. Encountering a scenario that she had never expected and torn by its circumstance.
Kaji made his way over grabbing a disposable single-use coffee cup. The women glanced his way but continued their talk.
"You signed the forms?" Ritsuko asked simply.
Misato nodded, distracted expression running through her face, saying "only when he agreed to come back after… after the war."
Kaji kept his back to them, moving through the motions on auto-pilot and preparing a coffee for himself. Just another day.
She let the boy drop out? Strange… it's not that bad all things considering. The war is almost over… but why? What is going on with this boy… the boy with an Angel inside his head?
"These kids go through a lot. Reminds me of our childhood, us street rats who grew up in the aftermath of the Second Impact," Kaji said suddenly.
He dropped his slacker persona and changed his cover as easily as flipping a switch. In its place, he adopted the supportive friend that could be there for his former flame. It was the easiest cover to take on, it held more truth than lie and that concern was something that couldn't be faked when pressed.
Misato looked up at him, having expected him to comment sooner or later. Both she and Ritsuko flinched slightly at the 'street rat' term.
Street rat, that was what the people like Ryoji Kaji had been called in the aftermath of Adam's Wrath upon the world. The orphaned children who had lived on the streets after the collapse of infrastructure and the dark days and then years that had been global reconstruction. The nobodies that hadn't had parents in Nerv, the UN, the rich, the powerful… those who had been left to their own devices to survive until the governments put things back together.
I'm sorry – the words played across the women's lips. It was instinct for those two, for Misato and Ritsuko had been the children of important people. They had been 'rescued' and taken to safety in the early days, in stark contrast to the nobodies left to fend for themselves.
Kaji smiled at them politely. A sign that it was okay and that he was only breaking the ice and joining their conversation.
"Give the kid some credit. He's better than we were at his age," the spy continued, playing his role of a supportive friend.
Misato chewed those words over.
"It still feels wrong," she said more to herself than the others. Ritsuko hummed non-committedly.
"He's doing great in sync tests. His time in the simulations has increased drastically, all voluntarily. It's much more data for the Magi to work with, so you will hear no complaints from me. And even when Eva Team Zero barely talks to each other, their coordination is more than acceptable," Ritsuko said reassuringly.
Misato mulled that over before sighing and shaking her head. Kaji could see the wheels turning behind her ever calming expression. He watched as she made the decision to put the matter to rest for the moment.
She turned to him saying, "slacker. How many times you come in late this week?"
Kaji gave her credit, it was a decent attempt to break the serious mood from before. To tease him and maybe get a laugh.
He shrugged saying, "here and there. I try to keep busy."
"Hmm, 'busy' huh? Sure. I'll bet. See you around, Ritsuko," Misato said taking the moment to head out. Her gaze lingering on Kaji as she left.
He was glad to have helped Misato in that moment. It wasn't much but it was something. Regardless, now that they were alone, he took the chance to catch Ritsuko before she could duck out.
"Cigarette?" Kaji asked, casually moving to block the doorway before Nerv's head scientist could leave the break room too.
"I'm trying to quit," Ritsuko answered politely.
What did you want me to see?
The words hovered in the air between them. The spy and this sudden new angle that had been thrust upon him. Ritsuko wasn't like him, she didn't have his training, and yet she handled it well.
She gave him nothing. Politely waiting for him to move so she could pass. It surprised him.
Kaji glanced to the ceiling, wondering if Nerv had installed cameras in the break room.
Ritsuko made eye contact with him, and ever so subtly shook her head. 'No'.
The spy felt his eyes widen. Just how much did Ritsuko know about the inner workings of Nerv? More than anyone had ever realized apparently.
"You should think about quitting too. It's bad for your health," Ritsuko said breaking the silence and gesturing to the cigarette.
Footsteps were approaching. Other employees were finding their way to the break room, and Ritsuko moved to pass him up on her way out.
The spy made a decision there. He couldn't risk something bigger, not yet. For whatever reasons she had for helping him, she didn't want to talk about it. So, he decided to press his luck on this new development he'd learned. It had to be connected. It all was.
"Ritsuko… what's going on with Shinji?" Kaji asked quietly.
You know that an Angel infected the boy… don't you?
Ritsuko paused at that. She mulled that over, shifting politely as another employee entered and made for the coffee maker.
"Why don't you ask him?" she said suddenly.
Kaji froze. "What?" he said in barely a whisper.
Memories of the early incident with the boy came flooding back to him. How Kaji had had agents from the government follow the boy and track his movements. How Shinji Ikari had known he was being followed and had forced the agents into a confrontation with the local police.
"I have work to do. Good day, Kaji," Ritsuko said. She took off then, leaving the breakroom.
The spy stood there for a moment, tuning out the idle chatter of the other employees milling about the coffee maker, taking their smoke breaks, or else grabbing a quick snack.
Kaji left the break room, unsure of everything that had just happened.
He spent the rest of the day in his rather 'boring' cover as Nerv employee. He did his office work, and Gendo hadn't called upon him for months now. Just another employee. All the while his mind was racing.
When the day was over, he left and was about to head home when he got a message. It came on one of his other phones, it had no direct connection to him, to Nerv, or even to the Government. That was the way the Japanese Intelligence Agency liked it.
Come in for a meeting. Now. – unknown number.
That was all it said.
…
Meeting with the Director was always strange. By its very nature, espionage was secretive and paranoid. All things considered, the office was bare and plain. It could have been a librarian's office instead of a leader of spies.
The Director himself, Nobuchika Ginoza, was a cold stern man with balding hair that was hard to read. Across from his desk was Kaji's partner, Kunizuka, sitting calmly and who didn't look up as he entered.
"Take a seat," Director Ginoza said in greeting.
Kaji shifted uncomfortably, but he adopted his more laid-back demeanor and moved to join his partner across from their boss.
"Do you know why I called you in?"
"If I had to guess, my partner is worried about my cover. She told you, and then you called us here. Like a principle bringing in some unruly students," Kaji said with a shrug.
Kunizuka scowled. They both knew that she didn't like it when he played things off like that.
Director Ginoza nodded, playing straight through regardless of the tone Kaji took. Kaji had to admit, he liked that about the man. Their boss could push past any crap and put up with anything, all to get to the point.
"Gendo Ikari hasn't had use of you in how long now?" the Director asked simply.
"Few months. Not since the Over the Rainbow," Kaji answered. Not since the Adam Sample, he thought.
"Hmm. Getting Mr. Ikari to trust you as an Agent was not easy. And in the time since then, you have been maintaining your cover at Nerv? You have investigated whenever possible the lower levels of the compound? You have kept an ear to the ground as to what they're planning?"
You already know the answer. Who found Lilith down there, the Prisoner of Nerv? Who discovered that Gendo had found the Spear of Longinus? Me.
"Yes," Kaji said.
"Not lately," Kunizuka said suddenly.
Kaji felt a flicker of annoyance stir.
"He's been chasing a rumor. Getting lost down a rabbit hole. Obsessing over this. Getting distracted from the job he was assigned to do," his partner said.
She turned to him at last, cold demeanor softening. She spoke to him directly.
"I'm worried about you. Something's happening down there in Nerv, and instead, you're chasing an unknown lead that you won't share. You have a cover; we can't afford to lose that."
"It was a hunch," Kaji lied. In truth, he didn't know why he did. Keeping Ritsuko a secret from the others had been more of a protective measure, he didn't know what the Director or his partner would have said if they'd known the truth.
As paranoid as his boss could be, he might have pulled Kaji out from his cover altogether. The mere thought that someone from Nerv might know who he worked for would have terrified them.
So Kaji had taken a risk. He was glad he hadn't shared his source.
"The Angels are almost finished. Nerv is planning something, and you were told to investigate the Eva Pilots. Not go down the history books. Leave a report, and I'll have someone else take a look at it," Director Ginoza interrupted.
"Sir, I think that's a mistake," Kaji said flatly.
His partner made to interrupt him again, but Kaji pressed forward.
"This man keeps showing up. He's tied to them all, going back for decades. Keel Lorenz. The man knew about the Second Impact before it happened. He had to have. His businesses survived unscathed. Like they were prepared," Kaji said.
Director Ginoza paused, his eyebrows raising ever so slightly.
"He was there in the beginning. Before Nerv, he was there in Gehirn. And you know something about the Eva Pilots? Keel knows about them. He funded Yui Ikari's college education-" Kaji continued. A fire burned in his eyes as he explained the puzzle he had found.
"You may have something. I admit that. But there are things we need to find now. We need to know what Gendo and SEELE are doing with the Eva Pilots. Why the leader of Nerv has kept the Spear of Longinus and its re-discovery a secret from the United Nations. We need to know what they're planning for the future. Not yesterday, not twenty years ago."
Kaji made to cut in, these people weren't listening. The Director held up a hand to stop him.
"The final Angel is approaching, and we don't have time for this. I'm sorry, Kaji, but you need to put this down. I promise you; it will be investigated. At the right time. You've done good work, but there are threats coming. Threats that we don't know anything about. I don't like that," Director Ginoza said sternly.
The man leaned forward putting his hands together.
"No one knows when it'll happen. But after the last Angel falls, Nerv and SEELE will make their move. You were assigned where you are for a reason, don't lose sight of it. Understand?"
Kaji fought the urge to scowl.
"You are to cease this obsession of yours. As of today, you are pulled off the investigation. Your one and only assignment is to maintain your cover at Nerv, as Gendo's Agent in times of crisis. Keep an ear to the ground. Be another employee until Mr. Ikari has need of you," Director Ginoza said.
The man didn't even blink. Kaji felt the world being shifted around him. All this work taken from his hands. It was all too foolish. A small, paranoid, part of him was starting to believe that there was more to this. That thought alone set him on edge.
SEELE... Kaji thought, sheer cold working its way through his spine.
Then he caught the look in his boss's eye. And Kaji knew, in the same way that he knew himself, he knew that the man before him could not be bought and paid for. Whatever his reasons, Director Ginoza was in no one's pocket.
"Understood," Kaji said flatly. His voice a heavily controlled bitter remark.
"Compile your findings in a report. Then leave it with the task force. Dismissed," Director Ginoza said.
Message received. Just a glorified Nerv employee, the spy thought.
Kaji rose and politely bowed his head, then quietly left the office.
Kunizuka rose and followed after him.
She followed after him all the way to the outside, and only then did she speak up.
"I had to do it. We're too close for any of this, and I have bigger responsibilities than just being your partner. It's because I'm your partner that I did it," Kunizuka said.
Kaji froze mid-step. He didn't whirl, didn't even raise his voice. He calmly turned to face his partner.
"We're making a mistake. It's important. I know it is," he said. Then before she could get another word in, he took off again.
Kunizuka let him go. She watched him head to where he had parked his car a few streets away.
...
At the same time, a figure out in the distance of the city stood watching. The figure observed the streets leading to the disguised government building, he watched as the spies argued just outside the lots that were a 'safe' distance away.
Shinji Ikari could just barely make out Kaji and his former partner from his place in the inner city. The spies appeared as ants, tiny specs, from where he stood in the crowd.
A mental projection of the Broken Man appeared beside Young Shinji. The Other watching alongside the boy as the spies parted ways.
Is Mr. Kaji still safe?
For now. He won't be for long. His time is coming.
Shinji tilted his head, watching as Kaji headed for his car.
"It's going to happen soon. Won't it?" Shinji asked speaking in a low tone.
"You need to get home. It'll be better if you stay in tonight," the Broken Man said simply.
Shinji unconsciously clutched his arm where Ritsuko had taken the blood sample. The boy let his arm go and moved on blending in with the crowd, and heading for Misato's apartment.
Elsewhere.
Lower levels of Nerv.
Kozo Fuyutsuki stood dressed all in white, surgical scrubs that he hadn't had a use for in years. Gendo sat in the chair before him, the man's sleeve pulled up and anesthetic slowly running through his veins.
The room was sterile, encased in a small environment prepared for the operation.
"You're sure about this? Does it have to be you?" Fuyutsuki whispered softly. Something not quite concern became audible in his tone.
"It will be me. My plans, I should be the one. My wife taught me that," Gendo answered. There was no hesitation, no concern for his own health.
The Adam Sample, uncaged, free of the frozen dura-bakelite that had imprisoned the God-like being, lay exposed to the world for the first time in over a decade. It was a small bundle of cells, considered less than a baby, an embryonic form, the being lay still on the sterilized medical tray.
"The implantation may cause pain. We're working off of theories. Adam will be allowed to grow, and regenerate. Controlled re-growth. Your blood will slow him down. He will be dependent on you. There may be times where we must slow him down even further, that will harm both of you," Fuyutsuki said.
"I'm aware," Gendo said simply.
Fuyutsuki bowed his head low, considering the monstrosity of what he was about to do.
"Begin," Gendo continued.
"Why me? Why not Dr. Akagi?"
"Because Akagi has other duties. I trust you. Now for Yui's sake, begin the surgery," Gendo answered.
Fuyutsuki reluctantly upped the dosage on the anesthetic and watched as his superior dozed off into a slumber. The former doctor and professor got to work.
He fetched the Adam Sample from the medical tray, and he felt an unnerving sensation crawl down his spine. He glanced at the First Angel, this foreign lifeform that had killed two billion people.
Somewhere, amid the bundle of cells and non-existent face, he felt eyes watching him. Cold, unforgiving, the beady spheres that passed for eyes lay open to the world. They didn't move, they couldn't, and yet there was a presence there. Almost an intelligence.
No... the Sample is barely alive. Foolish old man, you're getting scared over nothing, he thought.
Fuyutsuki took a deep breath, forced down the terrible weight in his stomach, and began the operation. He surgically implanted the Adam Sample into the palm of Gendo's hand.
That same evening.
Kaji found his way into a bar in the city. He spent quite a bit of time there, drinking without allowing himself to get drunk.
Various thoughts filled his head.
They're over-reacting. My cover was fine.
And
I should have told them Ritsuko was my source. No, they'd have re-assigned me and I'd have lost my place in Nerv.
He was debating ordering another drink when suddenly footsteps approached him at his spot at the bar. Instinctively, the spy felt the itch. A trigger warning that came from working in espionage.
"I don't want company," Kaji began, his cover just in case this was just a civilian on a night out.
"Stand down," the man said simply.
Kaji looked up and blinked in surprise at who it was.
Director Ginoza, his boss and leader of the entire operation in Japan, slipped into the seat beside him at the bar. Casual and completely ordinary.
"You've had enough. I need you sober."
"I'm sober," Kaji said. He turned his gaze away, facing the bar tv instead. Both of them adopted their roles seamlessly, both just patrons at a bar after a long day at work.
"Good."
"How'd you find me?" Kaji asked first.
"This bar is close to your apartment. And you have a history with alcohol along with the fact that you resent your assignment."
"Looks like I really am slipping. That's embarrassing," Kaji muttered to himself.
His boss grunted in agreement. Another one of those casual things people did. From an outside appearance, they could have been old friends or complete strangers at a bar.
It was… odd seeing Director Ginoza out in public like this. He was an older man, with a balding hairline and cleanly shaved. He was dressed in street clothes and betrayed none of the government air that many others higher up the food chain carried.
I already got the message. Drop my side project. No need for another reprimand.
"You're wrong. I'm not here for that," Ginoza said as if reading his thoughts.
Kaji fought the urge to chuckle to himself. Of course, one didn't become the head of an intelligence branch by not knowing how to read people.
"There's a park nearby. Let's go for a walk," his boss said before he could ask the question.
Kaji hesitantly agreed. The two of them left the bar, Kaji pausing to pay his bill, and together they walked the evening streets before reaching the park and its trail.
They walked the trail in the dark, the city lights off to the distance giving them all the privacy they needed.
"I disagree with your partner."
Kaji snapped to his boss, a questioning look emerging on his face. He stopped walking and stared, but his boss kept onward, and Kaji was forced to match pace.
"Then why remove me from the bigger investigation?" he asked.
Director Ginoza gave him a curious look.
"Espionage is a hard game to play. You're probably too young to remember, but have you ever heard of the Cold War?"
Kaji nodded saying, "in the history books. The Second Impact overshadows everything else. All that stuff… doesn't seem as important anymore."
"Hmm. Adam's Wrath and the reconstruction that followed changed everything. But before all that, intelligence agencies had operatives everywhere. The Cold War was known for that, spies from both sides infiltrating each other. Moles. It was convoluted to the point of madness," Director Ginoza said.
The man pause for a moment, a weary distrustful glint in his eyes before he continued.
"After, things changed. The United Nations ended up with a lot more power, and Nerv was formed. The Angels were recognized as threats. And yet, some of us old spies thought it all seemed too 'neat'. Packaged."
"As if the aftermath was planned. Or at least expected," Kaji added, muttering more to himself than to his boss.
Ginoza grunted his agreement.
"Our enemy is SEELE. Unlike the past, SEELE is not a nation. They are a collection of fanatics, a glorified cult, with vast amounts of wealth and connections to rival and perhaps surpass that of any single nation. You see, they have an advantage here. They hold no homeland, no common ideology, no direct communication that we are aware of. And they know how the game is played."
Director Ginoza turned to Kaji, old weary eyes peering deep past him.
"You have a cover, Mr. Ryoji. Working within Nerv. Gendo's agent against SEELE. And I suspect SEELE has their agents. Their own operatives where we least suspect them."
Those words made Kaji flinch ever so slightly. The idea that SEELE had moles, double agents, inside of the government was terrifying. It was very much a real possibility, and Kaji felt ashamed for having put little genuine thought in such a matter.
"You think my partner… Kunizuka is one of them," Kaji said in barely a whisper.
Director Ginoza nodded and Kaji felt as if he had been punched in the chest. He hadn't even known his partner for long, but the very idea of working so close to someone who was his enemy… and for as long as he'd been in Tokyo-03… it left him uneasy.
He felt like a child lost in the streets all over again.
"I think 'someone' didn't like what you were looking into. You're lucky, killing you would draw too much attention or else they'd have done it already. This was easier. I can't confirm it, or else we wouldn't be here. So, I played along. The Director keeping his operatives in line. We let the enemy think they've won a round. But I want you to continue your investigation, Mr. Ryoji."
Kaji got over the shock of what his boss had revealed, he crossed his arms.
"All that before, that was all for show? For her to see and report back?"
Director Ginoza nodded solemnly.
"There is a… 'community' among the world's intelligence agencies. Not anything official, you'd never find reports on it anywhere. This is a group that has chosen to fight SEELE, and we have had to proceed with extreme caution and paranoia. We had to become like them in a sense, a group of spies beyond any one nation. All dedicated to the goal of stopping another Impact and discovering the truth behind the last one."
They can't even trust their own governments. They have to prepare for compromised members among themselves. A spy network nested inside multiple existing ones, Kaji thought. The idea of trying to be a part of something like that was such a convoluted mess that he couldn't see how it could be done.
Director Ginoza allowed himself a small smile, one that Kaji was sure the man let him see.
"I truly believe that you may have found something that no one, not any other member of the agency has ever managed to do. The identity of a member of SEELE," the man said.
"Not just any member. No. I think he's much more. This 'Keel Lorenz' is their leader, the chairman of SEELE. I'd put money on that," Kaji said, his voice grave.
That got a surprise out of his boss. His face went cold as ice, and old weary eyes stirred.
"That is… surprising. What have you found?"
"That Mr. Lorenz paid for Yui Ikari's college. Full scholarship, not in his own name of course. That he and his mess of companies funded the Eva Programs and more. It's companies owning other companies and so on and so on, but the funds go where they're needed," Kaji began.
He leaned in, stepping closer and lowering his voice.
"SEELE owns the mental ward. The place Shinji Ikari spent five years in. It's owned by an ever-nested series of companies that are controlled by Keel."
Director Ginoza mulled that over, processing the information just as Kaji had done so.
"The boy's medicine? The poison?"
"Humph. The pharmaceutical company that made it is owned by Keel. They diverted an entire department to creating it. Thousands of dollars, all for a single patient," Kaji answered.
"Everything circles back to that one. Gendo's son. The boy and whatever the 'thing' inside his head is. Why?" Director Ginoza said, just as taken aback as Kaji had been.
"I don't know. Honestly, no idea. But all this is important. I can feel it," Kaji said.
Once again, the pieces of the puzzle flashed by his mind.
The mystery that was Shinji Ikari, the Spear of Longinus, Lilith, the Adam Sample, the history of Nerv, and now the identity of SEELE's leader. – parts of a bigger conspiracy.
"File your report to the task force, but don't stop. Keep up your search. I'm giving you access to a workspace no one else knows about. Don't trust your partner anymore, she can't know. Keep going. You will be reporting directly to me, and me alone. No one else in the department can know about this. Maintain your cover at Nerv. You need to be more careful," his boss told him.
"I understand," Kaji said.
He'd just accepted another whole dimension to work in, hiding things from his own partner. His partner that he couldn't trust. Entering a spy network that was nested inside the world's intelligence agencies.
Two hours past midnight
The surgery was a success. Gendo Ikari woke and slowly rose from his resting spot.
Fuyutsuki watched his superior recover from the operation and helped him along until he could move on his own.
"Try to take it easy. And keep me up to date on its progress. We cannot allow Adam to recover too much. The First Angel must be controlled."
"I'm aware of the risks," Gendo answered plainly. The man flexed his hand, and within that same hand's palm, along the very flesh of the man, the First Angel lay implanted.
Gendo pulled his white gloves on, covering the 'addition' to his body, and rose from his chair to pull his coat on.
"Excellent work," Gendo said leaving the room.
Such a risk, Fuyutsuki thought. The former doctor and professor got to work cleaning up the mess they'd made, the surgery had taken time to prepare.
Once everything was cleaned, he left the secret lab down in the lower levels of the compound.
He made for his home in the dead of night, no, the early morning. A path he had taken hundreds of times from the Geofront. Only he never quite made it home.
It happened on the way to his house in the outskirts of the city, a small quiet home away from the noise, a long commute but comfortable.
The men reached him before Fuyutsuki knew what had happened.
Fuyutsuki's eyes widened, and the old man tried to reach for his phone. To call for help, to shout that he was being attacked, but he was far too slow.
He was grabbed and pulled off the street from his car by multiple assaulters in the dead of night, all dressed in black.
"You're making a mistake. You don't know who I am," Fuyutsuki tried to stammer just as the needle entered the vein along his neck.
Drugged… oh god… I've been drugged, the former doctor had time to think.
The blackness took him, and he fell deep into a medicated slumber. The kidnappers hauled him away moments before a van emerged onto the street with its headlights off.
The door to the van slid open, and the assaulters tucked the old man inside before driving off. The Deputy Commander of Nerv had been kidnapped.
That vial of Shinji's blood will come up again. As I said, this is a plot based chapter.
I struggled with this one, a lot of things needed to happen and it's hard to pace. I hope it wasn't 'too boring' for a single chapter. There are a lot of scenes and we do switch POV's halfway through.
We're bringing a lot of plot elements back together, and Kaji also serves as a reminder of a lot of different plot threads that haven't gotten as much attention lately.
About the whole Shinji dropping out of school thing, I wanted readers to see it from Shinji's POV. To the adults, it's a big deal, but for him, it just doesn't matter anymore. It's an annoyance. (Don't drop out of school, kids.)
Adam's last child is on their way, and the human players are making moves.
Coming soon, chapter 41: "Ryoji Kaji"
Thanks for Reading and please Review!