Hey guys, I wrote chapters 40 and 41 at the same time, so we have a quick update for once.
This chapter is a bit dark. In a different way than other chapters.
We're gonna see a part of the story that is uniquely different than the rest. Keep that in mind, this is a whole other world and its view.
Here's chapter 41: "Ryoji Kaji."
"Ryoji Kaji. When I was only a boy, I didn't know him very well. I never would have guessed what his real job was. How important he could have been. Nor could I have guessed the sorrow behind his many facades.
I only knew that he helped me once. I had run away, and he told me that all he could do was water some plants, but that I could do more. Something that only I could do. That nobody would force me. He told me to think for myself and make my decision. That way, I wouldn't have any regrets.
Now, as a man, I think he followed his own advice to a fault. He spent all his life wandering in the dark, never having all the answers. He wanted the truth above all else, and it cost him everything.
Here, in this world, I am here, and he has his part to play."
- The Broken Man.
Kaji dreamed of the light in the sky. Memories from his youth that had haunted him from time to time.
The boy that he had once been, was playing outside with the other kids when the ripples overhead sent the entire world into chaos.
BOOM.
The sound hurt his ears. Buildings began to crumble and break. The sky darkened as if reeling from a blow. Wounded.
He remembered crying out for his parents as their house collapsed in on itself.
"Mom! Dad!" he remembers shouting. His own cries are drowned out in the bleak chorus of the dead and dying, the thundering sounds of buildings falling, the echoes of cars colliding, the hiss of electronics cracklings.
A flood of humanity wiped out and taken in by the destruction that spanned the globe. There in that madness, someone grabbed him, holding him back from the wreckage that was his childhood home.
The streets had deep cracks along the pavement. And when he looked up, he could still see the aftereffects of the light rippling throughout the sky.
In his dreams, he always buries his parents. A luxury that life never afforded him.
Second Impact was the day he found himself homeless. Just another orphaned teenager wandering the streets like so many other survivors.
Even here in his dreams, his memories of the days that followed are hazy. Days of wandering, of the city without power and the phones no longer working. Of the adults all trying to hold up the world.
In his dreams, he never really grows up. He's always that teenager wandering the streets looking for help, for food, or else for someone to tell him that everything was going to be okay. And just as life had taught him, there was no such comfort.
He remains an orphaned child wandering the ruins. Always. Joining a gang just like all the other street rats, those left behind. The nobodies.
It would take years before the world restored itself, and by then Kaji was already a young man. Yet he never forgot that feeling of wandering the world with no answers.
For even then, as a child, a street rat with nothing but the clothes on his back, he knew that what had happened was no meteorite that brought such a calamity. He remembered the light in the sky.
…
Kaji woke with the barest hint of a gasp.
"… mom," he whispers. For the briefest of moments, he tries to remember her, and he draws a blank. Less than even a face and her voice is long gone.
He had no pictures of her. No piece to which remember her. Only a feeling, something that the child in him had thought forgotten. His father he has even less to cling to.
Kaji opens and closes his hand into a fist, a nervous tick he had developed after his first month alone on the streets of a desolate city.
He blinked in surprise at the dream. He hadn't thought about those days in years. The aftermath of the Second Impact, the event that shaped an entire generation.
Misato and Ritsuko had been lucky, they'd been important. Their parents had been important, and they were brought to safety as soon as possible.
Kaji had been a nobody.
At first, rumors had spread that a meteor had struck the planet. That a world war had broken out and a new weapon had just been used. He had never believed that, even as a child.
Only years later, after joining up with Nerv and taking up his double life as a spy, would Kaji learn the truth. Second Impact had been caused by an Angel, the First Angel, and that day had been a declaration of war.
"Their faces are gone…" Kaji muttered in the dark. His parents were distant figures in his mind, silhouettes that drifted further away as he got older. Once it had made him sad. Now, he found it hard to feel anything about them.
I need a smoke.
Putting such morbid thoughts to rest, Kaji rose from his bed in his tiny apartment and got ready for the day with a lit cigarette in hand.
He made it most of the way to work before he noticed something was off. At the entrance to the Geofront, Nerv's security and intelligence forces were patrolling and stopping employees before letting them in. The men in black suits were out and about.
Something had happened. Something big.
Kaji turned around and walked back to his car, he needed to find out what caused this.
Elsewhere.
In a dark room.
Kozo Fuyutsuki sat uneasily in his chair; a lone figure enveloped in darkness. A hood and gag had been placed over him, and he struggled to breathe through his nose.
Time had lost all meaning to him. He had simply 'woken' from dreamless sleep, no doubt a consequence of medically induced slumber, here in this place.
His frail elderly form lay imprisoned in his chair.
How long had it been? An hour? More? A day? He didn't know.
THUD.
THUD.
The sound of footsteps surprised him, and Kozo flinched as the hood was removed from his face, followed by the gag. He opened his mouth and stored up saliva gushed out onto his shirt.
He panted, taking in the room around him. A man dressed in the black attire from before was working close beside him, placing the hood atop a table.
Two other men, the kidnappers, stood off against a wall of the dark room. The floor hummed with the soft light of holographic projectors on standby.
"… this was poorly done. I'm a senior citizen. You could have killed me," Kozo stammered weakly. His throat was so dry that it almost hurt to talk.
He glanced around nervously. He didn't even bother to fight the restraints.
The men in black ignored him, they almost blended into the shadows becoming another feature of the room itself. They were ghosts, their features completely hidden from him.
Foolish old man… think… they're here because their boss wanted them to be seen. 'They' want me to know that they're here.
Wordlessly, the one who'd removed his hood entered a series of commands somewhere. They had a console set up somewhere.
The holographic projectors came to life, moving from standby to active, and the light began to fill the room illumining the makeshift prison for what it was. A converted warehouse.
Stone monoliths appeared circling around the restrained Fuyutsuki, and he shuddered at the sight of SEELE around him. All of their numbers, code names, were gone from the projections.
"Professor Fuyutsuki. We apologize for your treatment, but you see… things have not been going according to plan as of late. We have had to take measures to correct that. It appears that certain elements can no longer be trusted, and there are questions that require answers."
The voice emerged through a modulator, disguising the owner even behind the projection of the stone monolith. It could have been Keel himself, or any number of 'known' or 'unknown' members.
Fuyutsuki nodded sheepishly. He felt his fingers trembling from within the restraints, a tremor that ran deep through to his very bones.
The man from before reemerged, he stepped through the hologram with a glass of water in hand. Kozo gulped down the water as it was offered to him.
Before he knew it, he had drained the entire glass. The man stepped back taking the glass with him.
"Now then, cooperate with us and our meeting will go smoothly. Polite even. But understand this, refuse to provide satisfactory answers, choose to remain silent, or else proceed to give knowingly false information will result in severe punishments."
Fuyutsuki gaped at the holograms, feeling his aged heart pound harder and harder as the voices spoke.
The man dressed in black stepped in front of him, and Fuyutsuki whimpered as the man made a show of flexing his hands. More than that, Fuyutsuki now saw that his kidnapper wore a military-style vest complete with side arms, ammo, and a knife.
Mercenary? Private… agent?
"Do we have an understanding?" SEELE called from their projectors.
Fuyutsuki sat frozen, barely able to breathe as he took in the situation.
"We're going to need an answer."
Fuyutsuki flinched, and he hurriedly nodded saying, "we do."
The man in the black military gear stepped aside, and he disappeared in the dark room behind the projections.
"Now then, let's begin."
Nerv HQ
Gendo fumed silently as he stormed across the lower levels of his compound, the hidden floors that were known to only a handful of people.
He stormed into the communication room and began working the controls on autopilot. A scenario he already played out several times before.
The holographic display system came to life, and the room grew dark. The projected images of several stone monoliths appeared, hovering around him, standing tall and towering over himself in the center.
Yet, no proper responses came. No acceptance of the call. There, engraved upon each hologram was a system message with the words 'no signal' laid bare.
SEELE was refusing his summons. They had made no move to contact him either.
Gendo Ikari, supposedly one of the most powerful men in Japan, let alone the world, slammed a gloved fist onto the computer screen.
"Fuyutsuki will be returned to me," he said through gritted teeth.
All the effort of coming in person… and 'this' is what you do, Keel? Are you truly that petty? Did you enjoy watching me grovel only to betray me regardless? Vile man?!
He felt a sharp jab in the palm of his hand, and he froze. It almost stirred from within the confines of his gloved hand.
Adam's presence along his flesh stung, and Gendo berated himself mentally for slamming the impaired hand on a computer. He dismissed any fears and shook his head, leaving the room and decided then and there that that was the last time he stooped so low.
It was done. Nerv and SEELE had unceremoniously parted ways.
…
Misato walked the halls towards her office, stiff and uncomfortable as the security men dressed all in black suits roamed the compound. They were everywhere now, in stark contrast to their almost invisible presence in the past.
Security was on high alert and it showed in every employee as they entered the compound and tried to go about their day. It lingered. This unrelenting tension born of the unknown, in the air, hovering over everyone like a weight upon their shoulders.
People were being brought in for 'questioning' seemingly at random.
She rounded the corner to her office only to find two such men in black suits waiting for her.
"Captain Katsuragi, please come with us," one of the men said curtly.
"What's going on?" Misato asked, her eyes narrowed. Her suspicions were growing by the second.
"That will be explained. Please, follow us."
Misato hesitantly agreed and the two men 'escorted' her down to the lower levels. They sat her in a darkened office where they made her give up her gun and phone. She cooperated reluctantly.
"We have been authorized by Mr. Ikari to inform you that there was a kidnapping yesterday," the man across from her said. He was direct and to the point, professional.
"… who was it?"
"Mr. Kozo Fuyutsuki."
Misato almost didn't believe her ears. One of the highest-ranking members of Nerv, second only to Gendo himself.
"Do you have any suspects? Why am I here? If you suspect me, we wouldn't be here," Misato said crossing her arms.
"Mr. Ikari and Section 2 have compiled a list of persons of interest. One of them is the employee known as Ryoji Kaji. Given your past relationship with the man, we have brought you in for questioning. This is also for your own safety. You will not be harmed, and you will be allowed to leave."
Misato winced at that. Her employers knew a lot about their employees it seemed. A certain part of her felt violated, that her personal life was accessible to Section 2. She had never shared that information.
"We are simply building a profile. We thank you for your cooperation."
Looks like I'm gonna be here for a while.
Two entire days past. 48 hours plus, where no answers were found. Gendo fumed in a controlled isolated manner, allowing no one to see him lose his cool.
Nerv's security and intelligence forces were useless to him in this. They had failed. Upping the security around the compound had been the only thing they could handle.
Kozo Fuyutsuki had not been found, and Gendo had no leads. The closest thing that they had were a list of suspects, most of which had been crossed by the 'interviews.' One person of interest was still being held in custody, but so far nothing had come from it.
It was not going unnoticed. Gendo knew that people talked, and he was already running plans in his head for how to keep the employees on task when the day surprised him.
Gendo's phone rang. It was one of his secure lines, one that he had only ever used a handful of times… primarily during the Over the Rainbow incident.
The Director of Nerv answered his phone from the safety of his office, and he found himself almost amused at the response.
"It wasn't me. You're wasting time."
"Mr. Kaji. What a surprise, you have been missing for two days. The implication is not pleasant."
"That's two days Fuyutsuki's been missing. Two days where you've stepped up security. Not a good move, too public. And if it was me, I wouldn't be calling you."
"How is it that you have this information? The kidnapping and their identity are classified."
Without even missing a beat, Kaji answered.
"I'm good at what I do."
Gendo considered that.
"Explain to me, why I should not suspect you? You, who have been under our employ for years. You, whom I have once trusted," Gendo countered sternly.
Trust is too generous. Your value has been transitory at best. There is a reason we have not needed your services in so long.
Kaji actually laughed at that. An annoying little chuckle that Gendo merely tolerated.
"My loyalty is to the highest bidder, but even I have my limits. There are some targets that no amount of money is worth going for."
Hmm. You really are just another hired agent, aren't you? Money, it moves the world, Gendo thought.
"So, you say. Let's get to the chase then. What is it that you want?" Gendo continued.
"I want to live my life. I want to go to work without being 'put in custody'."
Gendo mulled that over. He waited patiently putting his plans in motion, lingering longer than he needed and letting the silence take hold.
Kaji didn't take the bait. The man kept his cool and simply waited, he held his ground as calmly as Gendo himself.
Clever man.
"Then it seems I have another need for your services. A job."
"… I have conditions."
"Of course. We can discuss funds in person. Come to Nerv and you will not be harmed."
"I want Misato taken out of custody. Upfront. Consider it a sign of good faith."
Gendo felt his eyebrows raise, how peculiar. Ah, he still cares about the woman. Not surprising. That knowledge may be useful in the future.
"And how did you know she was taken into custody?"
"As I said, I'm good at my job," Kaji answered coolly.
Reluctantly, Gendo had to agree. Perhaps he had underestimated his one-time agent for hire. The man's previous track record showed he could get things done.
"She will be released upon your arrival. I give you my word."
With that, Gendo hung up.
…
Kaji heard the click as the line went dead and lowered the phone. He had a cigarette in hand and took a whiff as he stood in the outskirts of the city on a lone road.
A pay phone lay nearby.
Maintain my cover at Nerv. I have a feeling… this is my last assignment.
Kaji walked to the pay phone, the near ancient public utility, and dialed. Misato's answering machine took over after the initial waiting period, and the spy left his message.
Once he was done, he headed back to his car and drove back into the city.
Nerv
Kaji was escorted to the lower levels by three of Section 2's guards. Nerv's personal security and intelligence department.
Acting on standing orders, the men in their suits unlocked the door and opened it for him to make visual confirmation.
Misato sat in the small room, a luxurious prison cell by all standards, but a golden cage is still a cage. She looked up at him and stared, eyes wide, as Kaji stood in the doorway of her cell alongside the security forces.
"Ma'am. We have gathered your things. Thank you for your cooperation," one of the guards said. The man held the door for her gesturing for her to leave.
Misato rose slowly. "I'm free. Just like that?"
"Just like that," Kaji answered.
She left the cell, giving a wary glance at the security forces. The men gestured her forward and Kaji stayed with her as they processed her out and returned her things.
"Kaji… what's going on? They said Kozo was kidnapped… and why were you on the suspect lists?" Misato said speaking in a low whisper.
They stood out in the hallways; the guards having watched them leave the entire time.
Kaji only smiled sadly at her. "Who knows?"
Misato eyed him up and down. He saw the wheels in the back of her mind turning.
"The two of you are hiding something. You and Ritsuko. What the hell is going on? What aren't the both of you telling me?" Misato asked suddenly.
That surprised Kaji. He wondered how long Misato had had suspicions about her two friends, her former roommate, and her former flame.
"I do see things. Both of you have changed. I thought it was something stupid, but no… this… whatever 'this' is… it's serious," Misato said.
"… You're smarter than people give you credit for," Kaji said slightly impressed.
Misato glared at him. Annoyed, frustrated, and even concern in her expression.
Kaji sighed, and he let his cool demeanor slip. He let himself fall into the person he had been in college so long ago, the boy that had had his romance and almost been consumed by it.
"I'm sorry you got dragged into this. Listen, things are hectic right now. And they'll probably get worse before they get better. So, keep your head down. Alright?"
Misato stared at him, again. Even more confused.
"I have to go," Kaji said before Misato could stop him.
He walked away brushing off her hand as she tried to stop him. He felt her eyes on him as he walked down the long hallway returning to the security escort.
"… I'll see you around," Misato called after him. Her voice uncertain and worried.
"Yeah," Kaji called back, his own voice distant. He wondered if he was lying or not just then.
…
The security forces brought him to the lower levels, even deeper than where Misato had been held, and he found Gendo Ikari waiting for him outside an office.
"Dismissed," Gendo said to the armed men, and the two of them left Kaji's side.
Following after Gendo, Kaji found himself standing in the very same room as their last little clandestine meeting. The office where Kaji had delivered the Adam Sample, stolen from SEELE, to Gendo.
Without so much as a greeting, the Director of Nerv went straight to business.
"Captain Katsuragi was released, as promised."
Kaji nodded, and not even hesitating he adopted his role of agent for hire. The mask of a money-driven intelligence mercenary, corporate espionage at its finest, just another tool for Gendo to use. His cover remained in-tact.
You're worried that Nerv might have traitors, moles for SEELE, and you're probably right. You have Security Intelligence going crazy, and now you need me to do your dirty work.
"You want me to rescue your man. One, Kozo Fuyutsuki," Kaji said simply.
"Indeed. I can't be certain where he is, but I do know that he was abducted from his home. Intelligence took photos and gathered what evidence they could. I've prepared a folder for you," Gendo said.
The man pulled the folder from his desk and handed it to him.
Kaji took it wordlessly.
"I want double my fee from last time," Kaji said, doing his part as an agent for hire.
Gendo didn't even bat an eye, the man was a statue that breathed. Expression hidden by tinted glasses, and gloved hands folded behind his back.
"The funds will be wired to your account. Half now, and half upon completion."
Just like that? Is Kozo truly that important? Or are we so close to their plans that money doesn't matter anymore? Kaji thought.
"You must act on your own. I can offer no other support," Gendo continued.
"Understood," Kaji said taking his leave of the man.
The spy let himself out of the office, to the mild bemusement of the Director of Nerv.
In truth, Kaji had already discovered where Fuyutsuki was being kept. He had followed the money through the maze that he had already been navigating for weeks now, and he had found a private warehouse away from the rest of the city.
It was where Kaji would have set up a base if he'd had that kind of money, a place private and far away from public eyes. A place where they could be sure to be alone and that they could fortify.
Elsewhere.
In a dark room.
Kozo Fuyutsuki sat in his chair, not even resisting the restraints as the holographic projectors stood on standby.
Time still held no meaning for him. The guards took shifts, rotating in and out of the room seemingly at random. Taking away his sense of routine and patterns.
Projection, questions, and answers, break. On and on with no grasp of the passing of time.
Then in one moment of this strange eternity, things changed. The guards, the various men dressed in black military gear stirred. They moved quietly whispering amongst themselves and Fuyutsuki looked up barely able to see.
"… no word from the perimeter."
"Comms are going silent…"
That was all Fuyutsuki could make out.
Footsteps approached and one of the men appeared before him.
"You are being moved. Do not resist and follow my instructions," the man said blankly.
Before Fuyutsuki could say anything, before he could even gulp down his nerves and fears, the hood was returned over his face and the world went completely dark.
BANG.
The single noise echoed across the hall outside, and in its wake, a deadly silence followed. No one moved, the men stilled, and the humming of the holographic projector was the only sound audible.
Fuyutsuki began to sweat. His old bones shivered as he realized what that was.
A gunshot… something's happening.
The old man began to shake, unable to stop the tremor in his hands.
Footsteps sounded lightly all around him. The guards taking positions around the room? Suddenly Fuyutsuki felt a hand on the back of his chair and he was moved.
They're using me as a living shield…
Fuyutsuki could imagine guns being drawn by SEELE's henchmen and he couldn't even breathe. Moments stretched into eternities of dread.
CREEK.
Fuyutsuki winced underneath the hood as he heard the entrance to the room open ever so slightly.
BAM.
BAM.
BAM.
A chorus of controlled shots erupted into the air and light flashed, bright enough within the dark that the old professor could 'see' it through his hood.
Silence followed the gunshots.
Then it came, a soft little rumble as an object bounced into the room. The foreign item rolled across the floor, seeming to echo like thunder amid the quiet.
"GRENADE!" a voice called.
A flurry of movement followed and Fuyutsuki toppled over in his chair, landing hard.
BANG.
A blinding light exploded into existence, flooding the entire room with a white tint that left everyone exposed. The sound made the old man's ear hurt. The flash was so harsh that it seeped through the hood over his face and made his eyes water.
Gunshots followed in the half-second that came after the grenade went off. Wild and frenzied, pure chaos, the rounds went in seemingly all directions.
Fuyutsuki flinched at the sound of every bullet being fired. The sound reverberated around the room, and harsh thuds and clangs echoed as rounds collided into walls, entered flesh, and ricocheted off.
A man cried out in pain, another cursed… until finally… the silence fell once again.
"Ahhhh," someone groaned, an audible hiss that carried. Footsteps sounded, followed closely by the snap of a switch being flipped.
Someone, the intruder or one of the kidnappers, Fuyutsuki knew not, grabbed ahold of his chair and hauled him up.
Fuyutsuki whimpered, struggling against the restraints. The hood was pulled off his face and he blinked surprised to see the lights had been turned on. Through the water stained world, the old professor was awe-struck to see a familiar face.
Ryoji Kaji stood over him. The spy wore his casual business attire, with a military grade bulletproof vest over his collar shirt, a gun in hand, complete with a police-style belt with reloads at the ready.
"Hello, Mr. Fuyutsuki. Seems like you've had it rough these past two days," Kaji said.
Fuyutsuki openly gaped at the man, unsure of even how to respond. Two days, two days in almost complete darkness, allowed out for restroom and water, and scared out of his mind.
It was only then that he noticed Kaji was bleeding. There, near the shoulder on his right arm, a patch of red was seeping its way into his shirt.
Kaji had been shot. A light wound on his arm, a graze more than anything.
Two other rounds had left marks across his bulletproof vest. Damage had been done, but the man stood regardless.
"Let's get you out of these, sir," Kaji continued nonchalantly.
The restraints were undone and Fuyutsuki hesitantly rose from the chair, Kaji held out a hand to steady him and with the assistance he got to his feet.
The old man's face lost all color as he took in the full sight of the room around them. It was a freshly created massacre, all three kidnappers lay dead. The men were still bleeding from their wounds, struck in their heads, neck, or else various places around their torsos.
One of them was still breathing quietly. Weakly, the man tried to hide it, but he choked on his own blood.
Kaji raise his gun one final time at the man's head and pulled the trigger. Blood splattered on the floor, Kaji reloaded his gun, and Fuyutsuki visibly shrunk, losing his composure as he felt the vomit traveling up his throat.
"Hey now, don't leave your DNA laying around. Swallow it," Kaji said, grabbing ahold of the old professor and forcing his head up.
What goes up must come down, and Fuyutsuki gagged as the vomit stayed within his body.
"It happens to most people on their first," Kaji said softly. "There's no shame in it. Now, come on, we gotta get out of here."
Fuyutsuki nodded as if in a dream and let himself be led away by the apparent spy for hire.
Wandering through the warehouse, Fuyutsuki flinched at the sight of more dead bodies. Two corpses that had apparently been patrolling the perimeter. Kaji barely seemed to notice, the man's eyes scanned every room as they walked, every turn, every possible path.
The two exited, and Fuyutsuki was surprised to see that it was already late into the evening. Almost midnight.
Under the cover of the darkened sky, Kaji drove them off into safety. The ride was done mostly in silence, and it left Fuyutsuki uneasy until they approached the grounds of the Geofront and Nerv.
"… the bodies… what about the bodies?" the former professor asked suddenly. A tremor in his voice.
"Someone will take care of it. Those men were hired to do a job, I'm guessing their boss is gonna notice when they don't report in," Kaji said with a shrug.
Fuyutsuki grew anxious as they drove into the lot, where security forces were waiting for them alongside Gendo Ikari himself.
He should know… he needs to know, Fuyutsuki thought as they drove ever closer to safety.
"Mr. Kaji… I thank you for saving my life-"
"Don't. Your boss paid me handsomely. Guess he knows what you're worth," Kaji cut in flatly. Another mask he had to wear.
"Kaji… I'm sorry… I had to tell them. SEELE… they know."
Now Kaji stilled. A momentary crack in his calm demeanor.
"I… I told them that you were the one. You stole the Adam Sample for Gendo. And now… and now this… they're going to know it was you," Fuyutsuki said.
Kaji wordlessly stopped the car, and Fuyutsuki hung his head low.
This mission just signed your death warrant.
The words went unspoken yet understood, a lingering weight in the air itself.
Nerv's security forces opened the car door and escorted Fuyutsuki out. Kaji stayed behind, staring straight ahead, meeting Gendo's eyes.
Gendo nodded. The rest of the funds will be placed in your account, the man's expression seemed to say.
Kaji left both Fuyutsuki and Gendo as he drove off without a word, he felt like he hadn't breathed since what he had been told.
It was strange, oddly comical in the cruel way that life seemed to be. He had always known that this could be his last mission. Going into combat meant that there was always a risk of dying pointlessly.
Maintaining his cover at Nerv had been paramount. And yet, Kaji knew that Gendo must have realized what would happen.
Who will they send for me? How much time do I have? Time... humph… there is never enough time, Kaji thought.
His whole life seemed to run by him as he drove aimlessly. His years on the street alone before joining a gang just to survive, his decision to join the agency all in a desire to know what really happened the day of Second Impact. Everything he had done that had led up to this moment.
Did I even make a difference? Out of everything I learned, SEELE… Nerv… their in-fighting, their connection to the boy… did it matter in the end?
Kaji wanted to believe so. He hoped in a way that he had forgotten how to since the day his mother and father were buried in the rubble of their old home.
"… no. I'm not important," he whispered to himself. There were things bigger than any one person. The truth, now that was what mattered regardless of whether or not one little spy and his pitiful life continued or not.
Kaji smiled in spite of it all.
Director Ginoza will have to continue without me. My first and last dead-drop. What a shame, I'd have loved to have seen this through. To have finally had my answers.
With the finality that can only come from being a walking corpse in the making, Kaji headed back to the workplace that had been set aside for him. Before he departed this world, he needed to ensure that the mission could continue.
Let SEELE think they have won. Let my death protect Director Ginoza. He will find the truth where I could not.
...
The workspace was another hidden office in the city. He patched up his arm and shoulder, disinfecting his wounded flesh with a clinical detachment, before wrapping it.
Kaji gathered everything that he had, his 'life's work' it seemed. Then he wrote a simple message for his boss, Director Ginoza. Misato… well, he'd already left something for her.
Once he had everything he needed, he made the call.
"Hello?" the operator said simply.
"Authenticate. Agent number 13137964."
"… authenticated," the calm voice of the agency operator replied.
"My cover has been blown. The Enemy is aware of my identity. Requesting an extraction immediately," Kaji said flatly.
"Understood. Rendezvous coordinates and an extraction time will be sent to you. Do not deviate from these instructions. And… be safe… agent."
Kaji hung up the phone.
Need to play this out perfectly. Let SELE think they've won. They can't know that we suspect they had moles in the agency. Have to play this the way they'd expect. Either they kill me… or I'll get away.
The idea of survival felt more like a fantasy than reality. If he could get away, if no traitors could get to him before the agency pulled him out of the operation, into a protection program… 'if'. That was the keyword, so many ifs.
His 'work' phone vibrated one final time. Kaji checked the display to see a message with coordinates complete with a time. He had six hours until extraction.
He rose from the workspace and went to leave his final dead drop.
Five hours and fifty-five minutes later.
Kaji stood in the back alleys in the city, the 'dead blocks' as some had taken to calling them. The areas of the city that had been evacuated following some Angel attack or other, the ruined buildings still frozen in time until the city had the time and money to repair them.
He watched and waited in the dark, the sun still hadn't come yet. He was still alive, that had to count for something. His ride was supposed to show up and take him to safety, an entire protocol had been set up for these kinds of things. A process that would seem him protected and given a whole new identity.
But with SEELE involved, such things could be compromised. Even still, a small part of him dreamed that he could survive. That he could maintain his double cover as a Nerv infiltrator, and member of the agency, all whilst protecting Director Ginoza.
His 'work' phone vibrated, and the world shifted in his mind. He looked at the display, utterly astounded to see an unknown caller. Not just an unknown caller ID, but a full number, a number that Kaji had never seen before yet whomever it was had known his.
It shouldn't be possible. The phone should be unlisted in any directories and only those in the agency could have access to the numbers.
Hesitantly, Kaji answered and as he did, he felt himself unconsciously stepping further back into the alley.
"How did you get this number-"
"You're more valuable alive than dead," the words came through a filter. A technological barrier that left the speech audible but disguised.
Kaji felt his eyes narrow in paranoid suspicion.
"Who are-"
"You found what I wanted you to find. The identity of their leader," the voice called.
Realization struck Kaji and left him blinded in a mixture of confusion, caution, and… relief of all things.
Ritsuko… the spy thought. The voice on the phone was Ritsuko. The 'old college friend', Nerv's head scientist who knew more than anyone ever realized, the one who had pointed him towards the rabbit hole that had been SEELE, Mr. Keel, their history and connection to Shinji Ikari.
"She is coming for you. You have to take her out before she takes you out. I promise we'll tell you everything. No more games or secrets. The truth. But you have to live. You have to survive," Ritsuko's disguised voice said pleadingly.
Kaji breathed in deeply. Uncertainty running through his veins for the first time in hours.
If I survive… SEELE loses this round. That could put Director Ginoza in danger. They could start looking into the agency.
Kaji did not fear death. A part of him wanted to live if he was honest with himself. But here, there was a chance that drove at him. The promise of finally unraveling the truth, to learn why Ritsuko had helped him… twice now.
To learn what she knew. It was a risk, perhaps the biggest risk of his career, one that would ripple and send SEELE down a dangerous path.
"We need you. The truth is out there, but without you, it's all meaningless," Ritsuko whispered on the line. Then the line went dead.
Kaji put the work phone away.
A car was driving up with their lights turned off, the vehicle slipping along silently through the night. The contact had arrived, the escort sent to protect him and send him on his way to a new life.
Kaji mulled things over, weighing options in his head.
The car stopped, and a figure got out with the engine still running.
It was his partner, Kunizuka. She was dressed in her street clothes, with a simple light coat, and a cautious stern expression planted on her face.
She stood waiting patiently for him to come out.
Kaji made his decision. He walked slowly, emerging from the alleys and into the moonlight illuminated streets.
Kunizuka spotted him almost immediately. She stirred at the sight of him and approached.
"The agency sent you? What took you so long?" Kaji asked eerily calm.
"They thought it'd be better to see a friendly face. I came as fast as I could. It's all set up, we're extracting you from the operation. You're not safe anymore," she said plainly.
Kaji stopped walking, but Kunizuka kept moving towards him.
"… we need to get out of here. There's a plane ready to take you out of the city. I don't know where you're going but you might have to leave the country," she said.
Kaji took a single step back, and Kunizuka stopped entirely.
"… Kaji?"
The agency wouldn't send my old partner. Standard Protocol would demand another agent, someone with no connection to me.
"… look. We need to get you out of here."
Neither spy budged from their spots on the empty street. The two eyed each other up and down, and they both felt it. The edge that crept into their very bones, that little tingle that came a moment before combat broke out.
It had surprised her, a split second slower than she normally would have been. The only sound was the hum of the car engine.
Kunizuka went for her gun as Kaji went for his. The spies each got a hand on the handle, and both pulled their weapons free simultaneously.
Kaji fired first, he shot from the hip and twisted from his waist without bothering to aim. Point shooting, instinctive shooting, or firing from the hip as it was some times called, was reckless and chaotic, a fast-paced burst that was notorious for its poor accuracy.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
Five shots rang out like a chorus, the sounds fusing together as they went off in rapid succession. Four bullets missed; one grazed their target across the torso.
Kunizuka stumbled, caught off guard by the reckless burst. Her reflexes kicked in, sending her moving for cover and wincing as the one round slipped across her torso ripping a thin cut across her coat.
That one moment, that tiny lifetime where she tried to go for cover instead of aiming was what bought Kaji the time he needed.
Kaji stepped forward, still in the momentum of firing from the hip, moving from one shooting form to another, and raised his arm allowing himself a split second to aim.
BANG.
BANG.
BANG.
Three rounds fired from a proper shooting position. All three hit Kunizuka in her upper body, one in the stomach and two in the chest above her breast. The would-be assassin crumpled to the ground, her gun sliding onto the cold pavement.
The entire exchange had lasted a handful of seconds.
Kaji felt momentarily breathless, a slow pant that came occasionally after combat, and then it passed.
Kunizuka groaned weakly, unable to move from her spot on the ground. She coughed up blood and lay there, staring at the night sky looming above. A chilled halt came upon the world, a moment for the two spies.
"You should have brought a vest," Kaji said. He patted his own chest and found the world cruel in an ironic way as he had left his own gear behind.
"… no time," his wounded partner rasped from the pavement.
Kaji looked her over, she was dying. His own partner. Their relationship had been entirely professional, almost detached, the expected lifestyle of those in espionage. They had worked mostly apart, communicating by clandestine meetings here and there, dead-drops, or else by shared contacts.
Then Director Ginoza had brought them in after the discovery of Shinji Ikari's MRI and SEELE's plot around him. Then they had seen each other more often.
"How long?" Kaji asked the dying woman. He stayed in the safety of his distance, eying her carefully for signs of resistance, another gun or trap.
"… what does it matter?"
She had a point. She had betrayed the agency, Ginoza, and himself for SEELE. For what? For money? Had she always been a mole?
"They got me early. My mom… she had medical bills… and they… they got her the help she needed…" Kunizuka wheezed.
Family… and the need for money. That's SEELE's game. Money, it makes the world go round.
"How many more traitors?" Kaji asked, his gun still raised.
"… no idea. I just did what I was told… Kaji… please… don't let me bleed out. That's just cruel," Kunizuka whispered. The woman's coughing was growing worse.
You really were just another pawn, weren't you? Suppose I should feel bad, but then again, I never really knew you, Kaji thought.
Kaji took two steps closer, aimed his pistol carefully with a two-handed grip.
His partner turned traitor, a young woman around his age or so, managed to look up at him and through blood-stained teeth, she whispered, "thank you-"
Kaji put a bullet between her eyes.
The woman's head flung back and landed with a thud. He holstered his pistol and took a moment to watch over his co-worker, before moving on to her still running car.
His work phone was vibrating again, another call. Without having to check the number, he pulled it free from his pocket just as he popped the trunk of his partner's car.
"I did it," Kaji said flatly into the line. His expression stoned over as he saw the contents of his deceased partner's trunk.
A corpse lay wrapped up in a body bag completely sealed to handle any scents. Besides the first corpse, there was a second body bag.
"I saw. You handled it well," Ritsuko's disguised voice replied.
Kaji glanced at his dead partner on the ground. She killed my escort, then she planned to kill me and get rid of both the bodies.
He shook his head, his face blank and expressionless. He grew cold at the efficiency of the matter. Perfectly prepared.
"You're watching me. Where are you?" Kaji said, a slight edge working its way into his voice.
He was tired of these stupid games of cat and mouse, of layers of secrecy, and he had been promised the truth.
"Nearby. I'm coming to pick you up," Ritsuko said on the phone.
"How are you tracking me?" Kaji asked coldly.
"I'm not. Check your partner's car. Under it," Ritsuko answered.
Kaji did and found to his surprise that a military grade GPS device was installed underneath Kunizuka's car. That device was well made, with a battery life of over a month on a single charge. Nerv sometimes used them for high-priority cargo around the world, all funded by the United Nations.
Another car was driving up to the rendezvous point with the lights turned off.
Kaji tore the GPS from his partner's car and stood to face the newcomer. Ritsuko Akagi watched him as she rolled down her window bringing her car to a stop nearby.
Nerv's head scientist looked to the corpse laying off to the side and visibly winced. For a moment she looked like she might vomit.
"Never seen combat before, have you? It's different… getting your hands dirty," Kaji muttered.
Ritsuko turned away from the safety of her parked car, not wanting to look at the fresh corpse.
"… the GPS… hand it over. We don't want anyone else to find it," Ritsuko managed to say.
Kaji tossed it into her lap. She was startled, but she took the device and turned it off.
"… I have to take you somewhere. He needs to talk to you. In person," Ritsuko said, swallowing hard and forcing herself to get over the sight of the corpse.
Kaji scoffed.
"I want the truth," the spy said bitterly.
"And you'll get it. I promised. But we need to go," Ritsuko replied.
"Not yet," Kaji said.
He gestured to the dead body of his former partner. Reaching inside her trunk, he pulled free the spare body bag and kit underneath it.
"Is that necessary? The gunshots… this area was abandoned but the police might still show up," Ritsuko said nervously.
Kaji ignored her.
He put on the gloves from the kit he'd found and went to Kunizuka's body. He put the deceased spy in the body bag meant for him, then carefully zipped the container up safely, and placed it all in the trunk.
Ritsuko watched him with wide eyes the entire time.
"Wait here, I'm gonna move the car. SEELE will find it eventually, but it'll buy me some time at least," Kaji said flatly. His voice devoid of any emotion, pure business.
Ritsuko scanned the horizon, looking over the abandoned buildings and empty streets, leftover from Angel damage, as Kaji went about his work.
The spy returned and Ritsuko opened the passenger door for him.
"Who is this 'he' you mentioned?" Kaji asked taking his seat.
"Not here. It's too… complicated to explain. He has to do it," Ritsuko said, flinching slightly as Kaji buckled his seatbelt.
Kaji made a show of maneuvering his gun. "You promised me answers, and I've had a long night."
"This is the only way. If… if you want your answers then this is the way we do it," Ritsuko said.
She surprised him, she was unexpectedly stern in her stance and Kaji lowered his hand leaving his gun holstered.
"Drive then," Kaji said. He said nothing more, mixed emotions that he'd rather not share kept him preoccupied.
They drove on for several minutes, getting back on the highway until Ritsuko pulled out a simple flip phone. A pre-paid mobile.
"Break this and then throw it out the window," Ritsuko said suddenly, handing him her 'new' phone.
Kaji took the pre-paid flip phone. With little effort, he snapped it in two, then rolled down the window and tossed the remains out. The destroyed phone disappeared out on and over the highway railing, lost among the random clutter in the city.
Somewhere in the city.
Motel.
Kaji was not amused when Ritsuko pulled the car into the parking lot. Nonetheless, she gestured for him to follow.
They reached the room, and Ritsuko slid the key in and opened the door. The lights were already on and when Kaji stepped inside he felt a chill run down his spine. A mixture of anxiousness and fear fought within him.
Shinji Ikari sat in the room, reading a book and waiting patiently.
A part of him wanted to reach for his gun, but then the boy put his book down and looked up at him.
"Hello, Mr. Kaji."
The spy froze, before slowly entering the room. His instincts made him constantly aware of the weight of his gun and its location on his body.
The boy smiled lightly at him. "I'm glad you're here. I… we would have been sad if you died."
"… Is this a joke?" Kaji whispered.
Ritsuko entered the room and closed the door. Kaji noticed these things.
Shinji frowned at him. The kid was wearing his street clothes for crying out loud. Just another teenager, sitting in a motel room. A boy that knew Kaji was a spy, that had somehow enlisted Ritsuko Akagi herself to 'save' his life.
"Joke? No, no. Listen, I know this doesn't make much sense. There are things we needed you to see first. And you did have those people following us for a while, it made things harder and-" Shinji began
Kaji looked from Ritsuko standing in front of the doorway, and Shinji sitting atop the bed. If this was some kind of trap, it was poorly thought out. Kaji could easily get out.
Possibilities ran through his mind. Gendo perhaps? An elaborate ploy to get Kaji where he needed to be? Another pawn against SEELE? Or perhaps something more sinister… an Angel plot. The 'thing' in the boy's head. Could the Angels plot?
Kaji felt his fingers close around his gun.
"Don't."
That single word changed everything. Kaji stilled, and when he turned back to the boy… the boy was no boy at all. It was the eyes that gave it away.
No child could have eyes like that. Broken, hollow, a window into the soul of a man who has suffered and seen the world for how it is. Kaji had seen the like before, only in veterans.
"You may have heard things about me. About the boy. I promise you, whatever you've heard, it's not the whole story. Be assured, if I wanted you hurt or killed, I would have done it already," the Broken Man said.
Ritsuko stood off to the side, startled and staring at Kaji and his gun.
Kaji himself never moved his gaze from Shinji.
The Broken Man rose to his feet.
"I know you are scared. Nervous. Uneasy. I know that you have had a hard night. It weighs on you, killing. I understand."
The Broken Man held his hand up and looked his fingers over.
"I know what it's like to have blood on your hands. The feeling never quite goes away, even if they deserved it."
What are you? Kaji thought, mesmerized.
The Broken Man turned his gaze back to Kaji and spoke. "I am sorry for what you have been through, but let me make this clear. I will not allow you to harm the boy."
If there really is an Angel in his head… there's nothing I could do to stop him anyway. I'd need an N2 missile or an Eva. Mother of God… he has the highest sync rate, Kaji thought.
The spy released his gun.
"Thank you."
"What happened to him? The 'boy' hmm? Is he still there? Your prisoner? You're the 'thing' in his head, aren't you? The Angel that infected him as a child and spread to his brain," Kaji said accusingly.
That got a surprise out of the Broken Man and Ritsuko. Shinji's eyebrows rose and he tilted his head.
"I'm not a prisoner. And Mr. Kaji… don't call me 'boy'. My name is Shinji."
Kaji stepped back, a small gasp escaping him. He saw it, the transition, the switch from the otherworldly thing to the young teenager. It was so strange, seeing the difference now up close.
"Shinji? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. You don't have the whole story, not yet."
"… and Misato? Isn't she going to wonder where you are?"
"I have a cover story. Listen, I get it. This is confusing, and to be honest the truth is complicated. It's easier if he explains. My Other. He can be… hard to like… we didn't get along for a long time. Just hear him out," Shinji said softly.
The boy changed again. The eyes shifted, taking on a life of their own, and even the way he carried himself changed, a weathered aged sort of aura.
"You should sit down. This is a long story," the Broken Man said.
…
Kaji listened. He heard about the two timelines, about the Original Shinji and his life as an Eva Pilot. The spy heard about his own death.
"In my world, your partner put four bullets in your chest. Then another in your head. She didn't want you to suffer needlessly."
Kaji had shifted uncomfortably at that. But he kept listening, he had come so far into this madness and he needed to hear all of it.
The spy listened as the Broken Man continued his tale. Of the Original Shinji's failure to stop the Third Impact. Of Lilith and Rei giving him his choice, the rejection, the bleak and battered world that remained. Of this Original Shinji taking pieces of both Adam and Lilith into himself and being forever changed. Of the Unraveling, and the leap backward in time. Of the mission.
When it was done, Kaji shifted in his seat his expression blank. He turned to Ritsuko asking, "you believe this insanity?"
Ritsuko nodded saying, "I do. Do you remember the First Breach of Nerv? Zeruel? That day… Eva Unit 01 spoke…"
Kaji shivered at the memory. Unit 01 had 'awoken' that day, had torn the armor off itself and had defeated both Zeruel and Leliel. The reports had claimed that the Eva had crouched down and spoken to the crew on the ground with a harsh, deep voice.
"HELP. SHINJI. That's what Unit 01 said because the Other was inside the whole time. Even then, he knew I would need convincing," Ritsuko explained.
Kaji looked to the boy, but Shinji stayed silent letting his 'partner in crime' speak uninterrupted.
"I've seen him, Kaji. In the Other Place. It's hard to describe, the soul or the mind, one and the same, this other aspect of reality. He took me there to see my old fate. I saw him. An Old Man Shinji. Older than Gendo is now," Ritsuko continued.
"… and you can't show me because of this… whatever you called it?" Kaji began, struggling for words.
"The blowback effect. Using Lilith's power here, in the physical world, ripples. It hurts Rei. I refuse to do that again," the Broken Man answered.
Kaji shook his head at it all. He had risked everything… and this was not what he had expected. He had put Director Ginoza in danger, letting SEELE know they had lost this round, all for this madness.
"You still don't believe me, not entirely. How do you think we knew your partner would try to kill you? How do you think I knew the number to your work-phone? Or how I know that the combination to your suitcase is Misato's birthday?"
Kaji whirled to stare at the boy.
"That was you?" the spy whispered in awe.
"I found the Adam Sample when you were transporting it to Gendo. The Over the Rainbow incident. That was me."
Kaji visibly shook.
"I knew these things because I'm a time traveler."
The Broken Man raised a single finger to his head and continued, "and because of what I have in here. A piece of my world's instrumentality. The memories of countless others. I've studied it for years now. Putting together a framework, a time table."
"Say I believe you, that you're this Other… you used me. You manipulated me-"
"Yes."
The straightforwardness caught Kaji off guard. There had been no hesitation or attempt to refute it. Just a pure hard fact.
"I needed you to be in a place where you'd have to listen to me. I needed you to survive, so I give you a piece of the truth. The name Keel Lorenz. That got SEELE spooked, and you noticed that. It got Director Ginoza to bring you in, and it gave you the edge you needed to survive. The knowledge that the agency had been infiltrated."
Kaji scoffed. He had to fight the urge to spit. Instead, he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. Taking a whiff of the smoke helped calm his nerves.
"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree," the spy said coolly.
The Broken Man closed his eyes, as if pained.
Ritsuko spoke up saying, "it's different. I promise you… he's different."
That surprised both Kaji and the Broken Man, they both spared her a glance. Something passed between the two, however brief, Kaji noticed these things.
The Broken Man spoke saying, "I did what I had to. I would have thought, that you, of all people, would understand that.
"… Fair," Kaji admitted flatly. He didn't like it, but he understood.
"The two of you. Together, you're both my piece on the board," the Broken Man continued, looking to Ritsuko and Kaji in turn.
Kaji had to agree, a lot of things were suddenly making sense… in an insane sort of way. Unexplained occurrences that were now fitting together. Yet a part of him was still skeptical, not of the Broken Man's existence, but of the plan.
The Broken Man leaned forward.
"This is our chance, Kaji. To get the truth out. That's what you've always wanted. Ever since your parents died and left you a street rat, you knew something was wrong with the world. That someone or something was manipulating events. This is how we fight them. This is how we win."
Kaji took another whiff of his cigarette. "Don't talk about my parents."
"…"
"You can stop selling. I'm in, for better or for worse," the spy said eerily calm.
Ritsuko breathed a sigh of relief.
"What do you want me to do? SEELE is going to be after me. I foiled their plans and now they're gonna be pissed. I won't be able to do much-"
"I want them to be angry. I want SEELE to know they lost a round. I want the rift between Gendo and Keel to grow. The more they fight the better it is for us."
Smart, Kaji had to grudgingly admit.
"You didn't answer my question. What do you want me to do?" Kaji repeated.
"For now, stay alive. Lay low, we'll help. But one day soon, there's going to be an exchange."
"An exchange? Humph. And you want me to do what?" Kaji asked.
The Broken Man spoke, answering the question, and as he did so the cigarette fell from Kaji's mouth.
"On that day, I will need you to kill me."
Later.
Private island near Japan.
Keel Lorenz sat by the beach, dressed in a casual business wear custom made for comfort for the old man in his nineties.
He sipped from the cold glass of a mildly alcoholic beverage, watching the beautiful view on his island. His eyes had largely failed him years ago, and he relied on the visor and various technology in his body to sustain him. Yet, he still took the time to enjoy his luxury and wealth.
The servants refilled his drink as Page continued speaking.
"Our mole in the agency hasn't reported in. There is no confirmation that Ryoji Kaji was killed. It's likely that he has escaped and is on the run," Page was reporting. The normally calm and controlled woman had a slight edge to her voice. A panic, a fear.
"Mr. Kaji escaped," Keel said simply.
"… yes sir. He will not be a threat. He was acting alone, and while on the run his resources will be practically zero. I apologize for the handling of this-" Page continued.
"No apologies. No excuses," Keel interrupted.
Page stopped speaking.
Keel took a sip of his drank, his artificial eyes peering into the horizon of his personal tropical paradise.
"The loss of Kozo Fuyutsuki was disappointing. He gave us so much. And Gendo's little spy… he is of no use to anyone after today. All the same, keep up the search. Erase him," Keel ordered calmly.
"Of course, sir," Page said, visibly relaxing.
Keel turned back to his laptop, reading over the display and letting his visor enhance the clarity almost instantaneously.
"The schedule has not changed. Gendo will deal with the last of the Angels, and then there will be a war the likes of which he has never seen," the leader of SEELE said.
Page listened off to the side, relieved beyond words not to feel Keel's wrath.
"You may go," Keel said.
Page nodded and walked off, passing a servant on her way off the private beach. Soldiers and various security forces, private militaries, patrolled the area as she disappeared from view.
Keel turned his attention back to the report on his laptop. Safe and powerful here in his domain, one of many private properties. On the display, the header read:
STATUS UPDATE: THE MASS PRODUCTION EVA UNITS.
A lot of plot points were brought together and re-introduced this time.
Writing from Kaji's world is interesting because it's so different than the rest of the story. It's a different tone, and when his world collides with Shinji's it is a strange mixture. It's fun to write and I hope it's fun to read.
Misato definitely knows something's been going on with her two 'friends'. She sees more than people give her credit for.
Now Kaji has joined Team Shinji, the Fifth Player. Our new 'quartet' has their work cut out for them.
What did you think of Kaji finally meeting the Broken Man? Keel at the end? Etc?
Thanks for Reading and please Review!