Chapter 17 – Courage In The Dark
Gendo had made haste to the bridge as soon as the power had gone out and the backup circuits had failed to kick on. They were supposed to turn on in less than thirty seconds but after over a minute of wait time they'd still not engaged. This was concerning enough to make him leave his office and go see what was going on. A part of him was just a little bit thankful for this unforeseen happening, resolving problems at NERV was certainly more his forte than the conversation he'd been having with his son... At least he would more than likely be able to put off his agreement to spend some time with the boy until after his coming expedition to the wastes of what was once Antarctica. Why had he agreed to spend time with him anyway? Rei's words from a few days ago rang in his ears...
Traveling via the emergency corridors via a series of ladders was an inglorious mode of transport for the commander of NERV but in short order he'd managed to reach the central command bridge where Fuyutsuki was nervously overseeing the emergency procedures. "What is our status?" he asked the older man as he stepped up to his usual post atop the highest level.
Fuyutsuki turned to face him, his well lined face displaying visible worry. "We've diverted all available power to keep the Magi running. Still no idea on what's caused this blackout," he replied in a flustered tone.
Gendo linked his fingers together in his usual way as he sat down in his command chair. Diverting all remaining power to the Magi could cause the life support systems in the geofront to fail and certainly would raise temperatures within NERV central but it would give them much better odds of restoring the power in a timely fashion as the aforementioned supercomputers would be able to assist in rectifying the situation. They also administered Tokyo 3's early warning systems in case an Angel were to appear during this inconvenient time. "A wise decision, Sensei," he replied.
Fuyutsuki sighed. "The odds of this kind of thing happening are slim to none but I guess accidents do happen," he muttered.
Gendo's eyes narrowed as he watched the various bridge personnel working to get back to operational readiness. Considering how long the power had been out it was starting to look more and more like an act of sabotage. That said, NERV had many rivals who would love a chance to take them down a peg or test their capabilities. The suspects were numerous, if this was indeed an act of sabotage. "That is if this is an accident..." he muttered.
"What do you mean?" Fuyutuski asked.
"Exactly what I said, Sensei..." Gendo replied. "Have the Magi run a diagnostic of the power supply and control system. We may be looking at an act of sabotage."
Asuka was quite thankful that there was an entrance to the geofront nearby the convenience store, the heat of the day was threatening to overwhelm her. Even for Tokyo 3 it was unbearably hot and sunny. The air conditioned halls of NERV would be a welcome relief. A part of her worried that she'd have sunburn by the end of the day on account of her fair skin. She could only imagine how Rei was feeling in the heat considering how pale she was.
She felt herself frowning just a little as the walk carried on. Even though she was too proud to show it, she had a lot on her mind. It had been a bit... awkward being near Shinji after he'd rescued her from the last Angel. She already considered him a friend but things were... different now. She'd seen him in a new light after that moment, and dealing with that and just being around him had been... hard. She was confused about what she felt for him. On the one had he was such a wimp who never stood up for himself and on the other he was undeniably an amazing pilot. He was also a really good cook who made mornings at Misato's actually tolerable, at least in a culinary sense. It definitely elicited uncomfortable emotions... especially when he was around Rei.
No, she wouldn't allow her mind to wander to such things. She already had a thing for Kaji... except he'd rejected her and probably would again... but she could still have hope, right? Not to mention, it was painfully obvious that Rei had a thing for him. She wouldn't want to step on her friend's toes. Then again, Rei was too quiet and shy to ever admit it and confess to him and it was unclear of how Shinji felt... Was that why she'd gotten him a snack while he was on the phone?
She curled her lips back in a grimace. She shouldn't be thinking like that! That would be so incredibly low... She wouldn't debase herself by allowing herself to have a crush on a loser such as him! It would be best to just... shove it down and eventually it would go away. Shove it down just like she did with everything, like when her father married her stepmother after her mother-
Just shove it down, Asuka! she chastised herself. If she could suppress those lingering thoughts and feelings to move forward than putting her thoughts about idiot Shinji out of her head should be no problem...
"Finally! Shade!" Asuka exclaimed as the group entered the access tunnel they were headed towards. Soon enough they'd swipe their cards at the security gate and she could get to focusing on what she loved most; being an Eva pilot.
"Definitely," Shinji replied. "It's nice to be out of the hot sun."
"Agreed," Rei said softly.
Asuka pulled out her ID card and swiped it through the reader before the door. Instead of lighting up with its familiar green signal and bell tone, the screen on the terminal remained black. "What the hell?" she uttered in confusion, swiping the card a few more times and each time it did nothing. The gate remained locked. Eventually she turned to her friends. "Dammit! Looks like my ID is screwed up," she huffed in frustration and crossing her arms. "Shinji, try yours."
"Okay," he replied, pulling his card out of his pocked and moving past her to the card reader. He swiped his and the same thing that had happened with hers, nothing. "Mine won't work either..." he murmured softly.
Asuka clenched her jaw and suppressed a growl of frustration. "Stupid card reader! There's no way both of our cards are busted!" she hissed.
"You're right, there isn't..." Rei voiced, her voice coming out softer than usual.
Asuka's rising anger dissipated like a puff of smoke as those words registered and she eyed the blue haired girl with a puzzled look. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"It... would appear that either the gate is out of service or there is a power outage," the blue haired girl stated.
"Power outage?" Shinji murmured.
Asuka's brow furrowed. "How is that possible?" she balked. "There's no way! There's back up systems in place, aren't there?"
"There are," Rei replied, her tone remaining level but she sounded a bit unsure at the same time. "But... we do not have much to go on. We must... consider the possibility."
"That sounds logical," Shinji stated demurely. "Even after all those Angel attacks, I've never seen one of these gates out of order..."
Asuka crossed her arms. She had to admit that she herself had not seen one of the gates out of order but one busted gate did not a blackout make. "Come on, there's no way," she replied. "lets just try another entrance."
Rei slowly nodded. "Alright," she replied softly.
Shinji shuffled his feet and looked between her and Rei. "So... where to?" he asked.
Good it was settled then... "Rei, do you know where the nearest entrance from here is?" Asuka asked.
"There should be an access corridor about six blocks from here," Rei returned softly.
Asuka nodded and steeled her jaw. Going back out in the hot sun was really going to suck... Hopefully they'd be able to get in at this other entrance. No, they definitely would be able to, Rei was just being a downer for even entertaining the idea of a power outage. Tokyo 3 was too advanced to have something like that happen... right? "Right then," she replied, putting on a facade of confidence, the mask she often wore. "Let's get moving."
It had taken quite a bit of effort, but eventually her crew had gotten the door to the experiment command station. The technicians in the room fell in a heap upon succeeding in prying the door open with a loud collection of groans and winces. Ritsuko simply stepped over them with Maya following close behind. With a deft stride, the pair made their way down the hall with flashlights in hand to illuminate the otherwise pitch dark path.
The time elapsed since the power had shut off had been probably about fifteen minutes by now. This was a veritable cause of concern. All the backup systems should have come back on by now which could mean only a select few things and none of them good. "Surprising that that backup power hasn't kicked in yet," she said.
"Do you think that we should be worried?" Maya asked.
Ritsuko knew that there were three backup grids and that it was nearly impossible for them all to fail at once. That would leave only one real possibility and that being that someone or something orchestrated the blackout. "I'm not sure," she replied. "But there's a strong probability that this is an act of sabotage."
She could hear Maya gasp behind her. "That sounds like something we should be very worried about..." the young lieutenant returned. "If this is intentional should we be worried about whoever did this doing something worse?
"NERV has many enemies," Ritusko replied. "It's natural that those groups and governments would want to knock us down a peg but at the end of the day they need us. Without us the world is destroyed, so if this is sabotage it's a symbolic gesture. If anything we should be worried about our security section."
"That sounds reasonable," Maya said after a brief pause.
Ritsuko scowled as they continued in silence down the hallway. In spite of what she'd said, her friend's concerns were quite legitimate. NERV was no doubt being watched if the power outage was indeed intentional and they'd be learning much about how it was run and operated via the way things came back online. There was also the reality that the war against the Angels wouldn't last forever. After that there was no guarantee of anything...
It was already getting warmer in the elevator. Misato knew that with the power off, the temperature was only going to keep rising. She found it odd that it had been as long as it had without the power coming back on. It was quite frustrating, being stuck in the elevator and having no idea about what was going on outside. Was the outage a localized thing or was it just the stupid elevator? The emergency lights were on so the latter appeared like the most logical conclusion. If that were the case then perhaps she could get the damn thing working? It would definitely beat sitting around and waiting with no one but Kaji for company...
She knelt down beside the control panel and began working to pry the cover just below it off its mountings. Kaji seemed to notice and spoke up. "What are you doing?" he inquired.
"Checking the circuit breakers and trying to get this things moving again," she grumbled.
"Oh, alright," the scruffy man replied in a tone that was almost bored.
Misato shook her head. His ability to be so happy go lucky never failed to annoy. One by one she flipped each breaker on and off and it did nothing. This did not look good... "Something's very wrong..." she murmured.
"So the backup system isn't working?" Kaji asked.
"There's three back up circuits," she replied. "It's impossible for all of them to fail."
Kaji looked up at the red emergency light on the ceiling. "Then that means this might have been intentional..." he muttered.
Misato frowned and leaned against the wall as those words sank in. She didn't know what was worse, possible sabotage or the fact that her bid to escape the elevator had failed. "Yes..." she grumbled. "That's a distinct possibility."
"I see," Kaji replied softly. "Wonder who might be behind that..."
Gendo sat at his post watching as the bridge personnel struggled to get their terminals back online. It was quite a surreal sight to see them struggling to do their jobs by candlelight. Considering how long the power had been out, nearing twenty minutes, it was looking more and more like his suspicions of sabotage were correct. The Magi system was online and so were some of the central computer systems but all early warning systems were still down. That said, this incident was looking more and more like a test of NERV's capabilities and a reckless one at that. "I think it's safe to say at this point that these circuit breakers did not go on their own," he stated aloud. "Someone did this intentionally."
"It would be a disaster if an Angel were to attack right now," Fuyutsuki voiced from where he stood behind him, lighting more candles.
This was certainly the largest and most important concern. Without any early warning it would be impossible to muster an intercept before any enemy they might encounter would be right on top of them. As far as he knew, no one had even attempted an Eva activation in a zero power situation and therefore they might not even be able to respond to an attack at all. "That would certainly be less than ideal," he replied. "Would we be able to mount a response?"
"I can't say," Fuyutsuki returned. "It's not outside the realm of possibility."
Gendo didn't respond. Unfortunately without any warning system, communications, or defense network online all he could do was sit and wait. Until Dr. Akagi arrived at the bridge to discuss options he was completely powerless and blind. It was a state of being that he least liked being in.
The three pilots had made it to the nearest auxiliary entrance but found that once again their key cards did not open any of the doors in the corridor. This was quite alarming as it indicated a larger problem than one gate being out of service. Asuka had tried to call headquarters with the payphone in the corridor but found the line to be dead. It was certainly a frustrating afternoon and the heat was making it worse. "Damn line is dead," she huffed. "Rei, can you try calling them with your cell?"
The blue haired girl nodded and proceeded to dial headquarters on her cell phone but in less than a second after she put the phone to her ear she dropped her hand to her side. "It's disconnected," she replied.
Asuka's face contorted in frustration. "How can that be!?" she exclaimed. "Did headquarters really lose power?"
"At this point it's the most logical assumption," Rei replied softly.
"So what do we do?" Shinji asked nervously.
"We should consult our emergency manuals," Rei stated, beginning to rummage through her book bag. "Do you both have yours?"
Asuka couldn't help but be a little ticked that she didn't think of that first. Clearly she was slipping due to the oppressive heat otherwise she definitely would have concluded that was what should be done, she'd only been an Eva pilot since she was a little kid after all. "Right," she replied, rifling through her own things to find hers. Eventually she found the small red booklet and began reading its contents.
"I'm not sure I ever got issued one of those," Shinji said, shuffling his feet.
Asuka wrinkled her nose. There was no way that he could be serious, right? They were issued those damn things when they were processed into NERV as a new recruit, how could he not have gotten one? "Are you serious?" she asked derisively. "There's no way you didn't get one!"
Shinji scratched the back of his head nervously. "Well either way I, ah, don't think I have it with me..." he replied sheepishly.
Asuka couldn't believe what she was hearing. This was basic stuff that he was failing at! She shook her head and sighed. "Whatever, just read off of mine," she grumbled.
"Oh- okay," he stammered, walking over to look over her shoulder.
It was... strange having him there so close to her. It made her just a little uncomfortable but at the same time it made her heart skip a beat. His face was so close to hers, eyeing the small print of the manual that she found it hard to focus on what she was reading. She found herself reading the same couple of sentences over and over again. She could smell the scent of his sweat but it didn't smell gross like all the other boys in school. In fact it was...
No! Why was she thinking about such things at a time like this!? Why was she having thoughts about him!? He wasn't worth her thinking about like that! How disgusting, her thinking of him in that light... She wouldn't let him have the privilege of her having a stupid crush on him! "Don't stand so close!" she hissed.
"I can't help it," he replied. "The print is really small, I can't read it unless you hold it closer."
With a swift motion she grabbed his hand and shoved the small pamphlet into it. "Fine, take it then," she huffed.
He stood there holding it looking stunned. "Oh... kay..." he murmured.
"We should make our way to one of the emergency entrances," Rei spoke up, distracting her from her current predicament.
Asuka took a power stance with her hands on her hips. She would have come to that conclusion herself if she hadn't been so distracted... "Sounds like a plan, Rei," she declared.
"So... Where is that?" Shinji asked.
Rei pointed down the alley the three of them stood in. "Access port seven should be this way," she stated softly.
She would not hesitate to take charge any longer. "Well then, don't just stand there you two!" she shouted. "Let's get moving!"
"I'll lead the way," Rei stated while moving in the direction she'd pointed.
"Right," Shinji replied, moving in step beside the blue haired girl. "Sounds good."
Asuka's lips contorted into a deep scowl. Since when we she reduced to being a follower? She certainly had a better attitude for leadership but she supposed that Rei probably knew the layout of NERV Japan better than her... In a situation like this that probably would count for something. "Whatever..." she grumbled, falling in beside her fellow pilots. "Let's just get in there and see what's going on."
It didn't take them long to reach the large bulkhead type door. It was locked as to be expected but thankfully there was a manual release and a hand crank in order to get it open. Asuka's scowl was replaced by a smug, mischievous grin. Oh yes, now was her moment to take charge...
"Looks like we have to manually open it..." Shinji muttered.
"Well don't just stand there then," Asuka snapped. "Get to it. You're a man, right?"
He frowned. "I don't mind doing this," he replied, stepping up and grabbing hold of the exposed hand crank. "But you don't have to put it like that..."
She scoffed at his meek protest. "Less talk, more crank," she said, crossing her arms.
Shinji sighed. "Fine, fine..." he grumbled before getting to work.
It was obvious from how much he grunted and groaned that it took a lot of effort on Shinji's part to get the door open. Eventually he did and the group stepped into the inky blackness of the corridor within. The near total darkness of the hall was honestly a bit eerie and disturbing. The machined looking paths of NERV were never meant to be unlit... "Looks like your theory about a power outage was right, Rei," Asuka stated softly.
"Indeed..." the blue haired girl replied softly, staring straight ahead into the darkness.
Makoto Hyuga had been having quite the eventful day. He'd agreed to pick up Captain Katsuragi's laundry for her even though it was kinda out of his way. Admittedly, it was quite difficult to say no to her, but still, it was an inconvenience. He'd been walking to the train station after retrieving the clothing when he noticed that the traffic lights had gone out. As he kept walking and eventually reached the nearest train station, he realized that all the lights in the city were non functional and even the electrical lines that powered the trains were down. He couldn't help but find it odd. Tokyo 3 was supposed to have safeguards in place to prevent such things... He'd attempted to call headquarters and notify them of what was going on but none of the lines had been active leading him to believe that NERV itself was experiencing the blackout as well.
The sound of a low flying piston engine aircraft could be heard overhead along with faint sounds of a voice on a loudspeaker. He looked up to the sky and took sight of the aircraft and listened in to the broadcast coming from its loudspeaker. "This is the third district JASDF," the voice in the air declared. "An unidentified object is moving toward this area. All residents must evacuate to their designated shelter."
His eyes went wide. Hyuga knew that that could only mean one thing: an Angel was approaching. There he was out in the open and an Angel was approaching and with the power out then there would be no way anyone down at headquarters would know! "Oh man!" he exclaimed in a frantic state. "I've got to report this to headquarters! But how!"
Then, as if to answer his question, a van began approaching from the road adjacent to the rail line with yet another speaker system blaring. "Hey!" a woman's voice sounded. "Vote for Takahashi! He's the candidate who remains calm even in situations like this!"
If he could... commandeer the van, then he could get to NERV headquarters in minutes and warn them of the impending Angel attack, but did he have the balls to do it? He grinned, yeah, he'd always wanted to have a moment to look like an action hero. Maybe the captain would notice him after this... "Alright!" he said with a grin.
The young lieutenant dashed into the street, waving his arms to signal the van to stop and almost got himself hit for his troubles. "What the hell are you doing, dipshit!" the driver screamed out the window. "Can't you see we're driving here?"
"Yeah, we almost hit you," the woman who had been on the loudspeaker stated.
Hyuga refused to be intimidated, this was his time to shine! "I need your help," he steadfastly replied. "My name is Lt. Makoto Hyuga of NERV. The phone lines are down and there's an Angel approaching. I need to warn my superiors."
"What do you mean?" the woman asked. "You mean they've lost power too?"
Hyuga nodded. "I haven't been able to reach them so I'd assume that to be the case," he replied. "Let me in and take me there as fast as possible!"
"Ha!" the driver exclaimed. "Now this sounds more fun than campaigning. Hop in!"
Misato was losing her cool, literally. The inside of the elevator was positively boiling! She'd shed her jacket and that had barely made a difference. How on earth Kaji had managed to keep his jacket on without so much as unbuttoning the collar was completely beyond her. She fanned the front of her shirt in a futile bid to get cool. "I'm dying... It's too hot in here..." she muttered.
"Looks like the air conditioning is shot along with the power," Kaji stated. Then his tone turned mischievous. "But you know if you're so hot, Katsuragi, you can always take off your shirt."
She tensed and clutched the front of her shirt tightly at his words. She never wanted to take her clothes off in front of him ever, ever again! He always knew exactly what to say to rile her up.
Kaji smirked and continued. "There's no need to be shy after all..." he drawled.
Misato grabbed her jacket off of the elevator floor and threw it back on. "Don't even think about trying to take advantage of this situation!" she hissed.
"Yeah, right..." Kaji replied, his smug grin never wavering. Oh how she wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off his face and throw him to the ground and... do things to him. "Don't worry, I'd never do such a thing."
Misato leaned against the wall and glared daggers at him. "Oh yeah?" she huffed.
That managed to get his grin to falter. "And just how would I do that?" he replied.
Misato's glare intensified. "You know exactly how you would," she spat. "You'd try to do what you did the last time we were in the same elevator..."
Kaji stared at her for a moment, his expression finally devoid of that cavalier smirk of his. After a pause he spoke again, his tone sober and serious. "I still don't know what to believe," he softly returned.
Perhaps she'd been too harsh. She'd nearly forgotten those moments when he could actually be serious. She'd liked those moments with him... "Believe what?" she asked.
"Your lips or your words," he replied.
Nope, on second thought she'd not been harsh enough. Oh how she hated how he played with her feelings... Her lips curled back in an angry snarl. "You do know I have my sidearm on me, right?" she growled.
Kaji laughed wryly. "Looks like I'll never know the answer," he replied.
"Damn right," Misato spat back.
Ritsuko sat fanning herself with a paper fan on the mid deck of the central command bridge, desperately hoping that the power would come back on. Now that there was no airflow, even the colossal bridge of NERV was becoming muggy and oppressive to be in. She'd escaped the Eva testing room only to be boiled alive at the command bridge... "It's getting even warmer now that the air isn't circulating," she voiced to Maya quietly. "It's amazing to think that this facility holds the world's most advanced technology."
"Yeah but look at the commanders," Maya replied. "Even with this heat they're still cool and in command."
Ritsuko glanced back up at them. How Gendo and Fuyutsuki could sit so calmly atop their perch was completely beyond her. "I will admit that it is impressive," she returned.
Gendo stood up at his post and stared down at her. "Dr. Akagi," he spoke with enough volume to be clearly heard. "Would you please join me on the upper level. There are matters I would like to discuss."
"Yes sir," she replied.
"Wonder what they want," Maya mused. "Maybe they have an idea about how to get the lights back on?"
"I certainly hope so," Ritsuko replied before moving to the emergency ladder and climbing up to meet the two commanders.
Despite the seriousness of the situation, Hyuga couldn't help but appreciate the cool factor of what he was doing. Getting to race around in a van with a pair of total strangers just ahead of a cosmic monstrosity trying to bring about the end of the world and breaking every single traffic law in Japan was definitely not something that one got to do every day. Looking out the window of the van he got a good look at the monster. Though he couldn't see it's body all that well, he could certainly see it's four enormous spider-like legs stomping through the city.
"Emergency vehicle passing through!" the woman with the loudspeaker com next to him shouted. "Watch where you're driving! Emergency vehicle passing through! No! Wait! It's a dead end."
Sure enough, they were rocketing toward a bar style gate where the road descended toward the geofront. They had no choice but to go through it. Hyuga grabbed the driver of the van by the shoulder. "It's okay!" he shouted. "Ram the sucker! This is an emergency, to hell with the barrier!"
The driver appeared to be having the time of his life and just laughed maniacally while the crashed they gate and descended into darkness.
Dr. Akagi stood just in front of him, close enough that the conversation that himself and Fuyutsuki were having with her was out of earshot of everyone else on the bridge. As it was painfully obvious that the power outage was intentional, now that Dr. Akagi had arrived at the bridge they might be able to rectify it in short order. If there was anyone Gendo could trust to get things running again, it was his reliable head of scientific development. "This blackout is indicative of foul play," he stated softly.
Dr. Akagi's eyes widened for half a second. "So you mean to say that we really have been sabotaged?" she inquired.
"Precisely," Fuyutsuki stated. "This geofront was designed to be a self sufficient facility. It's supposed to be able to operate even when completely isolated from the outside world. It's impossible for all power sources to have broken down at once."
"Why?" Dr. Akagi asked.
"It would be a logical way to passively dissect this facility," Gendo replied.
"So... whomever is behind this would be able to figure out NERV's layout through the restoration process?" Dr. Akagi returned.
"Clever isn't it?" Fuyutsuki shot back wryly.
"I could run an encryption program through the Magi," Dr. Akagi replied. "That would obfuscate any efforts to get a good grasp on our structure."
Gendo's lips twitched upwards behind his gloves for a fraction of a second. He certainly valued the woman's genius. Her idea was simply an excellent solution. "Make it so," he commanded.
"Yes sir," Dr. Akagi replied, turning to the nearest computer console and appearing to struggle to get the monitor on due to the limited power.
"I can't believe that the worst havoc wrought upon this headquarters was caused by a member of our own species," Fuyutsuki grumbled in frustration.
From the earliest that he'd known him, Fuyutsuki was always more of an idealist than him. He believed that there was an essential good deep down in all people, just like Yui had, but from his experience that was far from the truth. Humans are bastards... and he was going to enlighten and deliver them all salvation in the end. "Mankind's greatest enemy is man himself..." he replied dryly.
Rei led her friends through the darkened access corridors in the bowels of NERV. Despite how many times she had looked over the maps of every level of the geofront in the past there were still some sections that she hadn't committed fully to memory and the one she was in with her fellow pilots was certainly one of them. She hated to admit that she didn't fully know where she was in regards to her intended destination but it was indeed the truth. It also didn't help that it was near perfect darkness in a lot of areas which made the whole trip quite unsettling. At least after reversing from the dead end they'd hit five minutes ago she was more or less confident that they were headed in the right direction, mostly... The sooner that they reached headquarters proper the better...
"Are you sure that we're headed the right way this time?" Asuka asked, her tone sounding annoyed, most likely from the increasingly oppressive heat and humidity or the fact they hadn't reached their destination yet.
"I am almost certain," she replied as they turned the corner. It wasn't entirely the truth "My error was a one time thing."
Her redheaded friend let out a snort. "Maybe I should be the one in the lead, huh?" she teased. "At least if I get lost it would make more sense."
Rei felt her body tense just a little bit. The way she had said it reminded her of the way Asuka was with her and Shinji in the past even though she knew she hadn't meant it that way. "I do not mind following your lead," she returned softly. "If that is what you'd prefer."
"Asuka, Rei does know NERV better than anyone..." Shinji piped up in a soft and uneasy tone. "I'm sure that wrong turn we took was just an accident."
Asuka sighed. "Jeez, relax, I'm just teasing her, Shinji," she huffed in that sardonic tone of hers. "I know she's been at NERV Japan longer than both of us, although... I definitely wouldn't mind taking the leadership role the next time we see combat."
"Sorry," Shinji replied to her. "I didn't realize you were kidding."
Asuka groaned. "Would it kill you to stop apologizing for everything!" she spat. "Gott, it gets so annoying! Besides, if I was leading us and I was the one that got us lost you'd just be complaining."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Shinji replied indignantly. "I don't complain that much."
"Exactly what I said is what I mean," Asuka scoffed. "And yes you do, you're always so negative!"
"No I don't know what you mean!" he protested. "And I'm not negative!"
Rei herself was also unsure of what the redhead meant and she'd never perceived Shinji to be a force of negativity in her presence. That was food for thought at another time however as the sound of a voice through a loudspeaker could be heard as they made their way into a cavernous open space lined with pipes and ducts. "Quiet," she said, raising a hand up to silence them. "I hear something coming from above."
Shinji and Asuka ceased their bickering stepped up beside her. "What do you think it is?" Shinji asked softly.
"Sounds like... a speaker in a car," Asuka muttered. "Doesn't it?"
Rei nodded, listening intently to the sounds coming from overhead but offering no verbal response. As the seconds ticked by she could make out the sight of a pair of headlights moving along one of the service channels high above them. This was puzzling as motor vehicles usually didn't occupy those paths. Then she clearly made out the broadcast that was coming from the car. She could hear the voice of Lt. Hyuga clearly as the vehicle and it's speaker passed directly overhead...
"Attention all NERV personnel, an Angel is approaching! Repeat! An Angel is approaching!"
"An Angel?" Shinji and Asuka vocalized in unison.
Her eyes went wide and her breath caught in her throat. Rei couldn't believe what she was hearing, she didn't want to believe it. Her palms began to sweat. All the world around her faded away except for the fear that had roared to life within her. Her mind began to race as all the possibilities, unknowns, and bitter realities that those words entailed. Was it the Angel that had suicide bombed NERV from space? Was this one that she'd fought before or some new and unknown threat like the Angel in the volcano? Would they even be able to get the Evas running to fight it without power? Her heart was beating fast and she brought her hand to her chest in a pitiful attempt to calm herself. This had to be a nightmare that she was going to wake up from...
"Rei, are you alright?" she heard Shinji ask her.
"Yeah," Asuka spoke up. "You just got all stiff and wide-eyed on us. What gives?"
She turned to her friends. They were both looking at her with wrinkled brows and pensive frowns of concern. Slowly she nodded her head despite the churning feeling in her stomach. This was not the time to show fear. Whatever threat that was looming over the city of Tokyo 3 was, she would have to face it. She wouldn't allow that fear to consume her, for the sake of herself and her friends. If she cracked under pressure then she wouldn't be able to fight with them, to protect them, to succeed in destroying the Angel so she would hold it together. She had to hold it together. "I am... alright," she replied, struggling to keep her voice calm and collected. Her response was as much for herself as it was for her friends, as if saying it would help her believe it.
"Are you sure?" Shinji asked, stepping closer to her. He looked tense and his expression was filled with worry.
Those words of concern, the warmth of them, helped her fight of the icy chill of her fears just a little bit. Despite all the thoughts and emotions racing through her heart and mind, her lips twitched upwards for just a moment. She closed her eyes for a moment and breathed before meeting his gaze. "I'm certain," she returned.
Shinji seemed to accept her response. "Okay, good..." he replied.
"Alright..." Asuka said, giving her a side eyed look as if she didn't fully believe her. "Let's go then. We've got no time to lose if there's an Angel out there."
"Yeah," Shinji replied, a serious look coming over him. "I agree."
Rei took a moment to think of the quickest way to the bridge from where they were but with her increased anxiety it was hard to think. She looked around at her surroundings, trying desperately to remember the layout of everything. "I think... we can take a shortcut through the ventilation ducts," she softly stated.
Asuka snickered. "Are you serious?" she returned.
Rei nodded. "I am," she replied.
Asuka blinked a few times and then heaved a sigh. "This is so cliche..." she grumbled. "What is this, Die Hard?"
Rei wasn't exactly sure what she was referencing. Her knowledge of televised media was still rather limited despite having a chance to watch things with Shinji. It didn't matter though, things like that didn't matter right now when the world was at stake. Maybe if they survived then she'd have a chance to understand the reference. "It is the quickest way," she replied, still finding it hard to keep her voice level. "We cannot waste any time."
Asuka growled under her breath and pinched her nose. "Whatever, this is just really stupid..." she huffed. "Fine, which way?"
Rei looked off in the direction they'd been heading before they'd stopped at the sound of the announcement. "It should be just up ahead."
"Sweet," Asuka replied, stepping past her. "Let's get going then. I'll take point though, you look like you need a break."
Rei was not opposed to the idea. It would certainly give her a moment to better compose herself if she wasn't so focused on leading the group. Her palms were still sweating and her stomach still tied in knots. "Okay," she replied softly.
It didn't take the group long until they reached the ventilation duct they would use to progress further into the geofront. Asuka entered first, then Shinji, while she herself brought up the tail end. After only a few moments of silent movement through the metal tunnel Shinji spoke up. "Hey... What do you think the Angel's want?" he asked.
Rei knew all too well what they wanted and what was really at stake in the war against them but she couldn't say. She frowned as she stared down at the floor of the air duct. It was yet another secret she held, why they fought, why she fought...
Asuka on the other hand scoffed at Shinji's question. "What does it matter what they want!" she exclaimed. "Why even ask? They're the enemy."
"Well... aren't Angels supposed to be messengers from God?" Shinji asked. "It doesn't make sense that we're fighting them..."
"What are you, stupid?" Asuka rebuked. "They attacked us and you can't just sit back and take it when something attacks you. Besides, it's just a stupid name for them. Who cares what they actually are!"
Listening to the exchange between her fellow pilots stirred so many conflicting thoughts and feelings. She understood exactly how Asuka felt, how the Angels were just monsters to be destroyed because they threatened the world. She also... empathized with how Shinji felt because she herself was half Angel. It was something she tried not to think about but it was an ugly truth she had to live with. No matter what, even if she managed to save humanity and kill all the Angels, she would still wouldn't be human fully... She hoped that Shinji and Asuka and Misato and... everyone she cared about could accept her for who she was, for what she was, one day... But first the war had to end and despite her origins she wanted humanity to win. She was more human than Angel. She was always more human than Angel...
"I guess it doesn't matter why we're fighting..." Shinji murmured softly. "We just have to survive it."
"That's a better attitude to have," Asuka replied haughtily.
Rei thought about that exchange in silence as they continued onward. Though she knew why she herself was fighting it was also true that all she had to do was survive. It was no easy task but so long as she kept fighting she would live another day. So that's what she would try her best to do. She'd keep her cool as best she could and keep moving forward in spite of her anxieties and fears.
Their crawl came to an end after a few minutes. Asuka pushed out the metal grate that blocked their path and the three pilots spilled into yet another small hallway. As soon as they'd dusted themselves off both her fellow pilots turned to her. "So, uh... which way now?" Shinji asked.
Rei looked both ways in the hall before deciding on the proper direction. One one side was a straight path that went on for a long ways and the other direction ended in a fork give some meters away. The left of the fork was the right way to go, probably... "That way," she replied, staring in the direction of where the path split.
Dr. Akagi had managed to begin the processes necessary to bring the power back on line. All things were progressing as they should though it was agonizingly slow. Gendo couldn't help but feel just a bit of frustration with that fact. Despite all of his authority, in this situation he was powerless to move things along at a faster pace. Dr. Akagi had informed him that it would take until nighttime for the lights came back on but he hoped that his trusted head scientist would run ahead of schedule if only for the sake of the heat. Unknown to anyone else on the deck besides Fuyutsuki but he'd been intermittently soaking his feet in a bucket of water just to keep cool while he sat at his post. Though it provided some relief it was not the most effective means of staying cool but it was certainly better than letting the bridge see him without his jacket. Letting the people he worked for see him as anything other than the indomitable commander of NERV would be unacceptable.
He was shaken from his thoughts by a faint sound. It was strange... it sounded like a motor vehicle. Even though there were access paths for motor vehicles on every level of NERV with the exclusion of Terminal Dogma it was a rarity to see one. Compounding upon this, at every reinforced bulkhead of which there were several, any vehicle running on said emergency pathways would have to stop to open them by hand. Whomever it was must be trying to get to their destination urgently.
"Do you hear that?" Fuyutsuki asked.
"Yes," he replied. The sound was getting louder by the second... If whoever it was had the central bridge in mind as their destination it would be logical to assume that there was an Angel threat outside.
Moments later a van came shooting out of one of the access tunnels on the lowest section of the bridge. Gendo couldn't get a very good look at it but it looked like it had a megaphone on top. Then someone stuck their head and torso out of its passenger side window and a voice could be heard from the loudspeaker. He recognized the voice as Lt. Hyuga. Well... that at least explained why he had not been at his post until now. "There's an Angel approaching!" he shouted. "We have do dispatch an Eva immediately!"
His suspicions had been confirmed, there was an Angel descending upon Tokyo 3 and it had to be destroyed. It would certainly be quite difficult to launch and Eva with no power and it seemed like the crewmen on the bridge could all understand that. They were starting to panic, asking frantic questions among themselves. It was pathetic. It left him little choice but to go down to the cages and lead from the front. Besides, it would be better than sitting with his feet in a bucket of water until the lights came on.
Gendo stood from his seat and adjusted his glasses. "Fuyutsuki, take charge here," he ordered.
"What?" the older man replied as if he was slightly confused by the order.
"I'm going down to the cages to prepare the Evas for manual launch," he stated flatly.
"Manual launch?" Fuyutuski asked. "Is that possible?"
Gendo pulled his socks on and stuffed his feet back in his shoes and started down the ladder down to the level where Dr. Akagi was working. "We have a diesel generator for emergencies," he returned.
"Well yes," Fuyutsuki replied. "But who is going to pilot them?"
Gendo stopped part way down the ladder. "I'm confident that the pilots will arrive soon," he stated. "They were scheduled for a harmonics test today after all."
"Still, good luck," Fuyutsuki said softly.
Gendo acknowledged with a nod and continued his descent until he reached the platform Dr. Akagi was working on. She looked at him with an expression of mild concern. "So, what is your plan, commander?" she asked.
"We shall launch the Evas manually, follow me to the cages and prepare the diesel generators once we're there," he ordered.
"Yes sir," she replied.
Dr. Akagi fell in beside him and they made haste toward the cages. If they could manage to get the Evangelions activated and outfitted with external batteries then the operation would almost certainly be successful. With three available units against one Angel they would have nothing to worry about. That is, if Dr. Akagi managed to finish with Unit 00's upgrades. "The tests you ran with the integration of combat retrofitting on Unit 00, were they successful?" he asked.
"Yes sir," the faux blonde replied. "We completed the necessary tests for targeting system integration and fire control."
Gendo smirked. As long as they could get the Evas ready and the pilots arrived on time they would be victorious and he would be one step closer to his ultimate end.
His thoughts drifted back to his son and the phone call they'd been having before the lights had gone out and his smirk disappeared. Most likely he'd have to speak with him before they deployed, that was if he couldn't avoid him. It was so much easier to focus on his endgame and be the resolute commander of NERV than make an effort to be a father but... he'd made that promise to spend some time with the boy. It would be so much easier if Yui was with him but she wasn't.
She would be though... once the Angels were destroyed.
The hallways just kept going on and on in a seemingly endless maze. Shinji walked behind his friends lost in his own thoughts. In the darkened halls he stewed in his thoughts.
He knew that as the seconds ticked by that the threat of the Angel outside only grew. Though Asuka had a point that they were the enemy, a part of him really did want to understand why the Angels kept attacking. Even though he'd accepted his place in fighting the war it would certainly be nice to know why the war had started in the first place. Then again, the Angels were basically just kaiju monsters so... what did it even matter? But... that wasn't the most pressing thing he was contemplating. His thoughts ultimately looped back to his place in that war and inevitably back to the phone call he'd had with his father before coming in.
His father had agreed to spend some time with him... but a part of him worried that he wouldn't, that he would go back on his agreement. Hopefully that wouldn't be the case but he knew how his father could be... His father was always emotionally distant and cared more about his work than anything else. Evidence of that was how he'd taken Rei in as his ward for no other reason than to make her pilot the Eva. He couldn't help but wonder if his father saw him in a similar light, caring for him only because he was useful. Then again... his father had said basically just that when he'd arrived in Tokyo 3 so why did he hold on to hope? It was foolish and he knew it, his father would just find any excuse to discard him until he needed him... but he'd said yes to spending time with him. It was all so confusing...
"Hey, Rei, how come you know all these passages around NERV?" he heard Asuka ask, shaking him from his inner contemplation.
"I have spent much of my life in the geofront," Rei replied. "Because of that, I took it upon myself to memorize the layout."
"You must have been here a long time," Asuka said. "Just when was it that you were selected to be an Eva pilot?"
Shinji watched as Rei visibly tensed up. Asuka seemed not to notice it but he'd gotten to know the blue haired girl well enough by now that he was always able to pick up on her subtle body language. "I was selected at a very young age..." she replied after a pensive pause.
"I guess we have that in common," Asuka returned. "I was picked to be a pilot when I was just a little kid too. Still... that sounds kind of boring to memorize every single hallway in the place you work at. Hey, how did you end up getting picked to be a pilot anyway?"
Shinji could tell by the way her shoulders got stiff that the line of conversation was starting to really stress Rei out. He knew by now that talking about her early life or her role at NERV was an uncomfortable topic. He couldn't blame her for that, his position as a pilot was uncomfortable as well no matter how he rationalized it.
"I... would prefer not to talk about it..." Rei replied softly. Shinji could pick up on the slight quaver in her voice and the stress that it entailed.
Asuka crossed her arms. "Were you conscripted or something?" she asked, her voice becoming hushed. "I guess that would explain your living space, but even then that doesn't make sense..."
"I don't want to talk about it," Rei replied, her voice coming out a little louder.
Asuka put her hands up defensively. "Hey, I'm just curious," she replied. "I was under the impression before I met you that you were the commander's favorite but I guess that's just a rumor."
Shinji felt a fire stirring in his chest and he couldn't allow himself to remain silent any longer. It stirred discomfort in him whenever he knew that Rei was uncomfortable. He knew that the blue haired girl didn't like to talk much about why and how she ended up at NERV. Asuka wasn't letting up so... he had no choice but intervene on his friend's behalf. "Asuka, don't you think you're prying too much?" he inquired, his voice coming out sounding maybe a bit more aggressive than he'd intended it to.
Asuka sighed. "Whatever, fine, fine," she replied with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I guess that doesn't really matter so long as you can do your job today."
Rei glanced back at him and their eyes met in the darkness. Though her expression remained its usual placid calm he could tell by the slight crook in her eyebrows that she was glad he'd helped in defusing the situation or at least that's what he thought she'd meant by the look... He offered a timid smile in reply before she turned away.
Gendo stepped into the Eva bays where there were already technicians at work getting ready to prepare the Evas. Either they'd heard the announcement of an Angel attack from Lt. Hyuga's drive or via personal wireless radio systems. The latter was more likely and probably Fuyutsuki's doing. Frankly, he didn't care how they'd been notified to start getting things ready before his arrival, it would make the task much easier.
"Looks like the technical staff is already doing their part," Dr. Akagi stated.
"Yes, NERV is a well oiled machine after all," he replied as he stepped up to the railing to observe the proceedings.
One of the heads of the Eva preparation crew dashed up to him and saluted. "Commander Ikari sir, we've received the order for a manual launch. We're currently extracting the the termination plug."
"Very well," he replied, watching intently as the cross shaped device was lifted from the entry plug socket until it was clear.
The staff member's radio crackled and Gendo could assume that the man placed it to his ear when he heard some shuffling, he didn't look back to check. "Understood," the man said after a moment. "The termination plug has been ejected."
"Excellent," Gendo replied. "Prepare for manual insertion of the entry plug."
"But the pilots aren't here yet," the man stated.
"Don't worry," Dr. Akagi said, her voice sounding like she was trying to reassure the man. "They will be here soon enough."
Gendo let go of the railing and began walking towards the nearest staircase. Seeing the crew working so dutifully to get things prepared was honestly a pretty inspiring sight. Perhaps this was one of those moments where he could lead by example...
"Where are you going?" Dr. Akagi asked.
He turned to her and saw the puzzled look on her face. He glanced back up at her, trying his best to remain stoic. "I'm able bodied," he stated. "I will assist in getting things ready personally."
Dr. Akagi's lips parted and her eyes widened. He fought back the urge to smile. She really did have so much admiration for him. It was actually kind of cute... no he had no need to think about that. It was pointless. He had no need to act on her obvious crush at the moment. The things he'd done with her mother still disgusted him... Hopefully Yui would understand, that he only used Naoko for his ultimate end of rescuing her... No! He wouldn't let his mind spiral like that. He had a job to do after all... "Alright, I'll observe from up here and await the arrival of the pilots," the faux blonde returned.
Gendo gave a curt nod in reply and set about getting down to where he could be of use. It would certainly be better than pondering the dark web of lies and deceit he'd erected around himself...
Asuka stared at the dead end that sat in front of her. It was so frustrating that getting to the damned Eva cages was such as hassle. It looked like this part of NERV was still under construction with all the random tools and broken piping laying about. The fact that there were sections of the command center that looked like this was surprising considering how neat the places within it she knew were. "So what now?" she asked. "It's a dead end."
She watched as Rei grabbed one of the metal pipes laying on the ground. "There's another vent to the side of us," she replied. "We need to break in."
"Alright, let me help," Shinji said, walking past her and grabbing another piece of pipe.
Asuka huffed in frustration. "So we have to crawl around like rats again?" she asked.
"It is the most efficient way," Rei stated, moving over to the vent without ever looking her way.
Asuka watched as Shinji and Rei began slamming their improvised hammers into the metal grate in question. She would be damned if she was going to let her friends do all the work and just stand by. Besides, from the way Rei was quivering after each swing she was in no state to keep going. Even though she hadn't known her for a long time, she could tell that her friend was dealing with a good amount of stress. "Rei, hold on," she called out.
The blue haired girl stopped swinging her pipe and looked up at her. "Yes?" she asked, looking at her with a puzzled and somewhat distant, almost fearful expression.
"Want me to do that?" Asuka asked. "You look like you're worn out."
Rei's eyes widened. "Th- thank you," she replied softly.
Asuka's lips contorted into a frown and she reached out and grabbed the metal pipe that the blue haired girl held in her hand. "Don't sweat it," she said. "What are friends for, right?"
Rei let go of the metal pipe and shakily backed away. "Go ahead..." she murmured.
Before Asuka had a chance to get into position Shinji smashed through the grate. "Got it," he grunted as he stood up and discarded his pipe hammer.
Asuka nodded. "No time to lose then," she replied. "I'll take the lead from here."
She stepped past Rei and Shinji and crawled headlong into the breach. It was time for her to fully take the lead in this situation. "Come on then," she called to her friends. "Though if you try to look up either of our skirts, Shinji, I'll kill you, just know that!"
Misato paced in the elevator back and forth. How did it come to this? That was the question that reverberated in her mind regarding her situation being stuck there with Kaji of all people. Above everything she was starting to feel the need to use the bathroom and that would be completely embarrassing if she wet herself in front of her former lover...
"We'll get out of this soon enough," Kaji said with a grin. "I know we have our history but we can at least talk, right?"
Misato pinched her nose and growled under her breath. Always trying to make a move on her... she wasn't about to let him try! "Do you even know how hard this is for me right now to be in your presence?" she asked.
Kaji stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared back at her with a hard look. "I do," he replied flatly. "You have no idea how much I do."
Misato wasn't expecting such a passionate response. His cavalier attitude was absent and he was staring her down with such a serious look. If she wasn't so hardened to his charms she would have melted under that look but she wouldn't let him sway her so easily, even if a part of her wanted to let him sway her... "Oh yeah?" she spat.
"Yeah," Kaji replied softly. "I do understand. Or at least, I'll try to."
Misato curled her lip back in a snarl. She hated how he could just... get under her skin like only he could. "Fuck you, Ryouji Kaji," she spat.
Kaji's serious look evaporated. "Don't threaten me with a good time, Misato Katsuragi," he replied with a smirk.
She huffed and crossed her arms. "You're disgusting, you know that?" she hissed.
He smirked back at her. "Possibly, but you're no better," he retorted.
Misato turned away, facing the corner of the elevator. Why the hell could she never win against him when he was such a bastard? No... he wasn't as much of a jerk as she wanted him to be... Seeing him with that mournful look in his eyes just a moment ago thawed a little bit of the icy wall she'd built to separate herself from him.
She despised that...
Rei led the way through the ventilation duct. This was it... once they dropped through the vent shaft they would be in the Eva bays and they would have to go into battle. Whatever threat lay above the surface of the geofront hadn't blasted it's way through so it was probably not the suicide bombing Angel. That said, what kind of threat was it that lay above? The possibilities were endless and that was a frightening prospect. She'd almost collapsed in a fearful mess while breaking open the ventilation shaft she was now crawling in... she hated feeling so helpless. She'd been shaking, wrapped up in her fear and barely able to grip the pipe she'd been using to break into the vent before Asuka had taken it from her... The longer she crawled through the vent the more she desired not to let herself be consumed by the fear. She wouldn't let herself break. Never. Never would she let her resolve to avert Third Impact crumble...
"Are we almost there?" Shinji asked.
"Hey!" Asuka yelped. "What did I tell you about looking forward!"
"I can't see where I'm going otherwise!" he retorted. "And I don't want to get kicked in the face on accident!"
"How about I kick you purposely for being a perv?" Asuka spat.
There was a jostling of the vent shaft and Rei tensed up at the movement. She knew they were nearly to the Eva bays but if the shaft gave way she had no idea of how far they might fall... "Both of you, stop doing that," she sternly ordered, turning her head over her shoulder to look at the both of them. "The shaft could collapse."
"Tell Shinji not to look up my skirt then!" Asuka whined, still jostling around as if modesty was more important than life and limb.
"I'm not looking up your skirt!" Shinji shouted indignantly.
Rei was certain that he was not looking up her skirt. He was not the type given to... perversions, despite what Asuka claimed. "Please, stop moving," she implored, raising her voice just a little.
It was too late. Without warning, the panels beneath Shinji and Asuka gave way followed by an audible thud and pained groans. It sounded like they pair were winded but otherwise unharmed so with great caution she shimmied backwards and eventually dropped down out of the metal tunnel. Unlike her friends, she managed to land gracefully on her feet. She took a look around and they were in the Eva cages and a few feet away from her stood a rather surprised Dr. Akagi.
"Oh, there you are," the faux blonde spoke in a surprised tone. "We've been expecting you but... why come through the vents?"
"Ha!" Asuka exclaimed as she lifted herself off the ground. "I told you that it was a stupid idea."
"It was the quickest means to get here," Rei stated, half to address the initial question and half to address the redhead's statement.
Shinji pulled himself up onto his feet and stepped up beside her. "Ah, Ritsuko-san, are the Evas ready to go?" he asked.
Dr. Akagi smiled. "They're already on standby," she replied, gesturing to the cybernetic behemoths with a an open palm.
"How?" he asked. "There's no power..."
Dr. Akagi chuckled. "It was all done by hand. The commander made it possible."
Shinji glanced up to one of the walkways above Unit 01 and Rei followed his gaze. There, along with numerous men, was the commander himself. He and the group of maintenance staff were using some kind of improvised pulley system to open the hatch to Unit 01's entry plug. It was perplexing. She'd never have expected the commander to get his hands dirty like that but there he was... Why he was there doing manual labor didn't matter, what mattered was that she could breathe a sigh of relief. The Evas were ready and they could go dispatch the Angel that was threatening the city. "My father did this?" he murmured softly.
"Yes," Dr. Akagi replied. "Commander Ikari believed we could do it and so we did it. He had faith you all would make it here in time. Now get in your plug suits, you've got an Angel to kill."
She and her fellow pilots began to make their way to the locker rooms to change into their plug suits. This was it... they would be going into battle against a threat unknown. It would also be her first time back in her Eva since the Fifth Angel. Her palms began to sweat and her heart began to race. The rising anxiety was making it hard to focus. She kept reminding herself over and over again that all she had to do was keep it together just a little longer. Just go out and kill the Angel and live to fight another day, that was the goal.
But now that battle was upon her, that was easier said than done...
Asuka was honestly looking forward to combat. After all, why wouldn't she be looking forward to it. It was what she had trained all her life for and after killing two Angels and assisting in the dispatch of another she was confident in saying she was damned good at it. She slid into her plug suit and pressed the seal button her wrist with a smirk and turned to her blue haired friend who was still slipping into her own suit. "Ready to go kick some ass?" she asked.
Her confident smirk shifted into a concerned frown as she got a good look at her friend. Rei was visibly shaking as she pressed the button on her wrist. "I am... ready for combat," the blue haired girl replied quietly, her words laced with hesitation and fear.
Asuka stepped over to her friend and placed a hand on her shoulder. Their eyes met and she could see the fear clear as day. "Are you alright?" she asked.
Rei nodded, her lips quivering just a little, taking a deep breath. "Yes," she returned.
Asuka knew she was lying. She leaned in closer and Rei recoiled slightly, breaking eye contact. For the life of her she'd never understand why she seemed so apprehensive around her at times. "Can you be honest with me for once?" she asked. "What's wrong?"
Rei's gaze met hers once more. "I... I'm afraid," she said after a moment. "I am afraid of what awaits us out there..."
Well... it was good that she was being honest now at least. It kind of made sense that she would have some apprehension considering the last time she deployed she nearly got incinerated but still... there was no place on the battlefield for hesitation of any kind. "Why are you afraid?" Asuka asked. "You've been in combat before."
"I just... am," Rei replied.
Asuka's frown deepened. She'd never seen her friend looking like this, so filled with anxiety. It was honestly making her a bit nervous to see her like that, it could lead to a breakdown in cohesion of the strike team if she didn't keep it together... "Look, you've got Shinji and I with you out there," she returned, her voice full of concern. "There's no need to worry. We have a job to do and we can't have you losing focus..."
Rei nodded. "I know, it's just..." she trailed off and took another deep breath, closing her eyes as she did so. When she opened them there was focus there and her expression looked more confident. "It's nothing," she said. "I'll be alright. I have... you and Shinji."
Asuka smiled. It seemed like her pep talk had had an effect. "That's the spirit," she said, giving her friend a light slap on the shoulder and making for the exit of the locker room. "Come on, let's go to war."
Shinji got dressed in his plug suit with great haste. He knew how quickly things could develop into something really bad when an Angel was involved. So far it didn't seem like it had managed to break into the geofront so that was a good sign but there was still no time to lose. Even though he wondered what the Angels really were and why they were attacking, Asuka was still right in that they needed to be defeated, otherwise innocent people would just keep getting hurt. Like Touji's sister... Every time he got ready for battle he thought about those stakes. It was one of the growing list of reasons why he'd stopped running away.
He also knew that this was Rei's first time getting back into an Eva after the incident where she'd defended him during Operation Yashima. Earlier when they'd learned that an Angel was attacking he'd seen how she'd nearly frozen with fear. Even though she'd said that everything was alright he could very easily tell that she was going through a lot of painful emotions. One way or another... he would stand by her. He'd promised her that day when they'd last deployed together that he would stand by her and fight by her side...
As soon as he got his suit on he dashed to the Eva cages to board his unit but stopped when he came face to face with his father on the walkway. His eyes locked with his. Silence fell between them and Shinji didn't know what to say to him. No matter how many times he stood before his father there was always something about the man's stoic glare that made him uneasy, that made him want to run... But the phone call was still fresh in his mind. Maybe he could... clarify some things before he went into battle.
"Get moving," his father said in that cold and level tone of his. "There is an Angel on the surface, you mustn't waste any time.
Shinji flinched at those words. He had to say something but it was so hard to muster the courage. "I- I'm sorry..." he stammered. Dammit... why was he so pathetic at times like this?
"Then get moving," his father replied.
He clenched his fists at his side and grit his teeth, a defiant expression forming on his features. No. He wasn't going to let himself run away... He had to say what was on his mind. "When?" he asked softly. "When... can we spend some time together?"
His father's lips parted for just a moment or it could very well have been his imagination. Either way, he could have sworn he saw his father's shoulders tense up just a bit. After a moment of agonizing silence, his father spoke. "I... have a business trip coming up," he replied. "Some time after that."
Shinji stared back at him for a moment and nodded. He knew better than to press the issue. That answer was probably the best he was going to get from him... "Okay..." he muttered and walked past his father toward his Eva.
"Shinji," his father bit out.
He flinched and stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of his name being called. What more could his father have to say. "Yes father?" he replied, turning around nervously.
Once more Shinji met his father's stoic gaze. Somehow, his glare appeared softer thought he couldn't fully tell due to those orange sunglasses of his. "Good luck," his father said softly. "I have faith in you."
Shinji's eyes widened. That... he had not expected in the slightest. "Th- thank you..." he stammered.
With that his father turned away, placed his gloved hands behind his back and began walking away. "Get to it," he snapped. "You have a job to do."
Shinji said nothing, letting those final few words sink in before moving toward his Eva. It wasn't much to go on, but it was promising. As he got seated in his entry plug a smile crept its way onto his lips. Yes... maybe he wasn't a fool for hoping, and one day they could be a real family.
Gendo watched as the entry plugs of each Eva began the process of being screwed into place with the aid of diesel generators. It was times like that he was glad he'd worked large external batteries into the budget of NERV, but that was not the most pressing thought on his mind. As he watched the final preparations, thoughts about the most recent terse conversation with his son kept distracting him from what was happening before him.
It seemed that his son's confidence had grown in recent weeks. That was a good thing but... he kept second guessing his decision to spend more time with the boy. He knew that he was playing with fire and if he made a wrong move he could cause even more damage than what he'd caused by abandoning him. Worse yet, there was the possibility that he'd simply quit NERV and he'd lose the only pilot who could pilot Unit 01, the key to all his plans. He kept telling himself the ultimate reason that he had agreed to the boy's request, that being it would aid in Yui's acceptance of his actions after the fact. He would do anything to prove his devotion to that woman...
"Commander, all the plugs are inserted," Dr. Akagi spoke, shaking him from his introspection. "Shall we launch?"
He scowled. He should be above letting himself be distracted like this... "Sever the hydraulic locks!" he ordered with a shout.
The locks came free after a moment and all three Evas lurched. "All three Evas are free," Dr. Akagi stated.
"Remove all remaining restraints!" he shouted. "Commence launch!"
He watched as all three Evas began pulling off their restraints and began to climb out of the cages. He had no doubt that they would prove to be a match for whatever the Angel up above would throw at them. If there was anything he'd told his son today that was completely accurate and honest, it was that he had faith in him to go out and win...
Rei followed behind her friends in her Eva. The orders that they'd been given before being deployed had been to make their way to the surface via the main ventilation network between the geofront dome and the city at large. The fact that there were Eva sized ventilation shafts underneath the city of Tokyo 3 was an amazing engineering feat and also a subject of humor for Asuka who had shaken her head and laughed at the idea of spending all day crawling around like a rat as she'd put it. Climbing up to the underside of Tokyo 3 via the catapult tracks had been easy but now navigating the aforementioned ventilation tunnels was another matter, especially with the extended life batteries on their Eva's backs. At least once they reached the end of the tunnel they were in they would reach a large vertical tube and according to what they'd been told, the Angel would be right above that. Asuka led the way with herself in the middle and Shinji bringing up the rear.
From what they'd been informed, the Angel that they were now set to fight was spider-like in appearance but only had four legs and was covered in eyes all over it's circular body. Apparently Lt. Hyuga had gotten a pretty good look at it earlier in the day as it approached the city. Needless to say, this twas not a threat that Rei had faced before and that was cause for concern. As much as she'd tried to put on a brave face in the locker room, she was still very much worried about the outcome of the battle...
They reached the bulkhead at the end of the tunnel and Asuka smashed it open. With great care all three of them shimmied the behemoths they piloted into the shaft. Beneath them was an expanse that went for hundreds of meters and above them was the Angel, so distant they couldn't get a good look at it. Slowly, they began to ascend upwards. This was it... the moment of truth had arrived.
An orange liquid began to drip down around them from above. Rei watched as it began to contact the armor on her Eva's shoulder pylon and melt straight through it. Instantly the lingering fear erupted into a panic. "Watch out!" she shouted. "It's some kind of acid! Get away from it!"
"Shit!" Asuka exclaimed. "Too late!"
Rei watched as Unit 02 lost it's grip on the walls of the shaft as another spurt of acid came from above. The red Evangelion slammed into hers with a bang and she in turn lost her grip, falling into Shinji and Unit 01. Shinji tried his best to retain his hold but he too lost his grip and all three of them plunged down into the depths. Rei's heart was pounding hard and she screamed along with her two friends until suddenly the came to a grinding halt. Somehow Shinji had managed to dig his Eva's hands and feet into the walls of the enormous chute.
"Thanks Shinji," Asuka stated, sounding like she was panting. "That was a close call."
"No... problem..." Shinji replied, sounding like he was straining. "But this isn't... as easy... as it looks!"
The three of them climbed back up to the access hatch they'd come from and regrouped. In her cockpit Rei was trying to steady her breathing, gripping the controls of the Evangelion with a white knuckle grip... She had to stay calm. She had to find her courage... "Is everyone alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Shinji replied. "Nothing's damaged as far as I can tell."
"Me too," Asuka added. "But I dropped my stupid rifle when we fell."
"Same," Shinji added, his voice sounding a bit nervous. "And our batteries are almost depleted. What do we do?"
"What do you mean what do we do?" Asuka retorted. "We're gonna beat it, obviously!"
"How?" Shinji responded.
No one spoke after that. Rei tried desperately to think of a way to defeat the threat above but she just came up empty. Her fear began to shift into frustration. She wanted to beat it. She needed to beat it so badly! Nothing was more important than killing that... damned monster, but she couldn't think of any way to do so!
"I've got an idea," Asuka spoke, shaking her from her thoughts.
"What is it?" she asked.
"I propose a three pronged attack, one unit on defense, one unit on backup, and the last taking the kill," Asuka stated with a confident tone. "The defense climbs up and neutralizes the Angel's A.T. Field, while the backup goes and grabs one of the rifles. The backup throws the rifle to the offense and that person makes the kill shot. Sound good?"
Rei thought it over for a moment and it indeed sounded like a solid plan. In all likelihood, it was their greatest chance for success..."I think that might work," she replied softly.
"I agree," Shinji added.
"Alright it's settled then," Asuka declared. "I'll take defense."
"Are you sure?" Shinji asked, his voice full of concern.
Asuka chuckled. "Hey, I still owe you for saving me the last time we fought an Angel. Let me do my thing," she replied. "You take offense and Rei, you take backup."
Rei let those words register in her mind and something within her flinched at that idea. She... didn't want to remain a passive participant in operations as she always had been. The fact that she'd nearly panicked when her Eva had fallen had upset her and now that she was getting put on backup duty she couldn't help but feel a pinch of anger. She was tired of being afraid... She wanted to be proactive in battle. She wanted to overcome her fear and do her part in saving the world. Now was an opportunity to try and conquer those anxieties that had been threatening to drown her, a chance to fight back! "No," she spoke softly over the radio. "I... would like to take the shot."
"Are you sure?" Asuka asked. "You seemed so nervous in the locker rooms."
That was exactly why she wanted to kill the monster... "Yes," she replied firmly. "I'll be the one to kill it."
Asuka snickered. "Whatever you say..." she muttered. "Are the both of you ready?"
"Yeah," Shinji replied.
Rei gripped the controls in her plug tighter and steeled herself for what was to come. This was something she needed to do... for her own sake and no one else. "Affirmative," she replied coolly.
"Okay then!" Asuka shouted. "Everyone move out! Charge!"
The three of them bolted into the shaft. Within seconds Asuka was in position and Shinji was sliding down to the bottom of the giant metal chasm. Rei maneuvered her Eva so that its torso leaned out of the access tunnel up to is waist so that she had some amount of cover and could use both hands to grip the rifle once it was thrown to her. Then she waited those agonizing seconds until it was time to grab the rifle.
"Rei! Catch!" she heard Shinji shout.
This was it! She watched as from the darkness below the gleaming metal of a pallet rifle came sailing up to her. With a determined motion she grabbed it and swiveled around to face the enemy. Rei grit her teeth and glared at her targeting display until it displayed a firing solution. Once it did, she wasted no time. "Asuka!" she shouted. "Move! Now!"
"Finally!" Asuka screamed. "Shoot it!"
Rei did exactly that. She squeezed the trigger in the cockpit and emptied the rifle's magazine. The Acid that was pouring past her stopped after that. She barely had time to let go of the fore grip of the huge gun when Unit 02 came into view in it's free fall toward the ground. She reached out and caught her friend's Eva by it's forearm, arresting its fall. Rei could barely keep herself from yelping as her own Eva jolted from catching the other behemoth. She must have spiked a high synchronization ratio for a moment if she could feel it so vividly in her own joints...
"Well... think we got it?" Asuka asked after a moment of pause.
Rei glared upwards at the top of the enormous chute. "We should climb to the surface and ascertain that personally," she replied.
"Good idea," Shinji responded. "We're basically blind down here..."
Over the next few minutes the three pilots forced their Evas up to the surface. Rei felt that familiar anxiety pulsing deep in her stomach even though there was a real good chance that the Angel was dead, but still she felt it. Despite this, she had confidence. She knew now that despite her newfound fears and doubts she could still act under pressure.
Their batteries were down to their last number of seconds when they reached the sunlight of the city and to her relief the Angel was motionless beside the hole it had melted in the pavement directly above the chasm they'd ascended from with a dozen or so bloody holes blasted in it. "Looks like you got it," Asuka said.
"Yeah," Shinji added as he pulled Unit 01 onto the surface streets. "And good thing too. I've only got twenty seconds remaining power."
"I guess we should power down then," Asuka replied.
"Sound's good," Shinji returned.
Rei breathed a heavy sigh, thankful that the day's combat sortie was over. "I agree," she said softly. "Shutting all systems down..."
Kaji couldn't help but appreciate the absurdity of the day he'd been having. He'd sabotaged the power in Tokyo 3 and then gotten stuck in an elevator for his troubles with his ex girlfriend no less. He'd tried numerous times to get Misato to open up and talk to him numerous times during the hours they'd been trapped but his efforts had proved futile. Instead, they'd awkwardly paced around in silence for the majority of their time trapped in close proximity. It was just his luck... as good as he was at espionage, he was never good with relationships.
At present, Misato was up on his shoulders, beating on the emergency escape hatch door on the ceiling of the elevator car in an attempt to avoid a rather embarrassing accident. Hours trapped in the elevator were beginning to take their toll on both of them regarding bodily functions. He couldn't help but recall the western saying that it was better to be pissed off than be pissed on and well... he was dangerously close to having the latter happen to him.
"Come on! Why won't this thing open!" Misato whined desperately. "I really need to go to the bathroom! Please, just open up! You're not looking up my dress are you!?"
"No, Katsuragi, I'm not," he replied in a defeated, tired tone.
Suddenly the lights in the elevator switched back on and the car jolted which caused him to lose his balance and the two of them tumbled to the floor in a heap. Kaji groaned in discomfort. He'd hit his head and Misato's knee had banged him in the head but... at least he hadn't been pissed on. Looks like Ritsuko managed to get things up and running again... he thought to himself.
Half a second later the doors to the elevator opened up and there stood the scientific head of NERV along with her assistant. Both of them looked down at him and Misato with a disapproving look. It was understandable considering they were in a rather compromising position with Misato laying on top of him with her knees at his shoulders.
"Sex fiends..." Lt. Ibuki muttered under her breath.
Kaji sighed... He really did have some truly awful luck...
Rei had to admit it, the stars above Tokyo 3 were absolutely beautiful. It wasn't often that she got to just... take in the natural beauty of the world but at the moment that was exactly what she was doing. The stars of the Milky Way could be seen like a bright strip in the sky in the absence of all light pollution. It really brought home how... vast and filled with beauty the world really was. To think that there had been a time where she'd thought she was better off leaving it. What a fool she'd been then, but now, thanks to Yui Ikari's gift, she was alive and could experience all the beauty the world had to offer. That was truly a happy thought.
After she'd confirmed her kill of the Angel the pilots had disembarked their Evas and met in the city streets. After a moment of discussion, all three of them had agreed that they'd prefer not to take on the arduous task of getting back to headquarters until the power was turned back on. Asuka had then cooked up the idea of hiking up the hillside on the outskirts of the city and just hanging out there until the lights came back which herself and Shinji had agreed to if a little reluctantly. Walking about in the evening sun in a plug suit was certainly not the most enjoyable thing. The staff at NERV would probably have some words with all three of them considering they'd left their Evas in the middle of the city but at present she didn't really care. The moment she was experiencing was just too pleasant for her to care about any scolding she may or may not receive. Now, the three of them were just laying on the hillside and taking in the beauty of the night sky. Asuka was in the middle of the three with herself on the left and Shinji on the right of the redhead.
"It's amazing, isn't it?" Shinji mused, echoing her own thoughts. "Without electricity or lights on the ground, the night sky can really look so beautiful..."
"Yeah, but without the lights on the ground it looks like there's no people here," Asuka replied.
This was also true, without the lights on the ground there was no evidence of mankind's presence and the land looked somewhat inhospitable and cold. Before Rei could delve deeper on that thought, the lights of the city began to come to life, washing over it in a warm glow but at the same time muting many of the stars in the sky. "There, that's more like it," Asuka voiced cheerfully. "Much more comfortable."
It was honestly equally beautiful, the lights on the ground in comparison to the natural lights in the sky, but in a different way. One was the glimmering natural beauty of a near endless and unforgiving universe and the other was the the comforting essence of mankind's triumph over nature. Through fire and electricity mankind had captured the light of the stars and brought it to earth... "For ages man lived beneath the light of the stars," Rei murmured softly. "But to conquer his fear of the dark, man made fire and made his own light..."
"Huh, philosophy huh..." Asuka mused.
"So, Rei, do you think that's what makes mankind special?" Shinji asked. "Is that... why the Angels keep attacking us?"
Asuka scoffed at his question. "Who cares what they think," she said with a snicker. "Don't worry about what your enemy wants, just worry about defeating him!"
"I... guess you're right," Shinji replied.
"Of course I'm right!" Asuka declared boastfully. "And by the way, good job to you both once again. The three of us really make a great team."
Rei looked back up at the sky and smiled. It felt... good that the two of them were her friends and comrades. It was a feeling that she knew she would always cherish. "I agree..." she murmured softly.
"So..." Shinji spoke up. "Since the lights are on now, shouldn't we find a pay phone and call Misato?" he asked. "I'm sure she'd probably worried about where we are. We did kind of go AWOL..."
Asuka snickered. "Maybe in a little bit," she replied. "For now let's all enjoy the view of the city just a little bit longer."
Rei once again turned her gaze to the warm yellow lights of the buildings in the valley below. Her smile intensified by the slightest bit. Regardless of what Misato, Dr. Akagi, or the commander might say, she agreed with Asuka. Being able to spend time like this with her closest friends was worth it.
"Still," Shinji said. "I'd prefer not to hear it from Misato..."
Asuka huffed. "Fine, you go do that," she grumbled. "But we're probably in deep shit anyway."
He stood up and started away from them but paused after a few paces. "Hey, Rei... do you want to come with me?" he asked.
As much as Rei was enjoying the view... she wasn't about to pass up a chance to spend some time alone with Shinji... She nodded softly and stood up. "I'd enjoy that," she replied.
Asuka grumbled audibly. "Fine," she pouted. "I'll just lay here and stargaze by myself then..."
"We'll be back soon," Shinji replied. "I promise."
"You'd better," Asuka huffed. "It's boring here by myself, you know..."
Rei and Shinji made their way back to the road at the crest of the hill. It was strange, they weren't talking but she felt so comfortable in his presence. That was something she always appreciated about their friendship. Sometimes they didn't need to speak, they could just be content being in proximity to each other...
"Hey..." Shinji spoke softly. "I know... you were going through a lot today. Getting back into the Eva after what happened to you when we last deployed together must have been intense..."
Rei's eyes widened and she turned to him, her heart skipping a beat. How was he so perceptive of her inner turmoils even when she tried her best to hide them? ...Why didn't she mind that he was so perceptive? "It was... intense... as you say," she returned.
Shinji's lips curved up in smile and he looked away from her, scratching his head nervously. She felt her cheeks getting warm as they now often did when he smiled for her... "Just know... I haven't forgotten the promise I made to you... after Operation Yashima..." he replied. "I mean what I said then."
She blinked rapidly. She had not forgotten his words either, they had moved her to tears of joy, the first she'd ever shed. "I- I know..." she murmured softly, looking away. Why was this so embarrassing?
Shinji shifted his feet. "You know... you can talk to me when you've got a lot on your mind," he said, his voice sounding timid and small. "I'll listen."
Rei nodded and her lips curved into a smile. Why did her eyes suddenly feel so misty? "The same goes to you..." she replied.
"Hey!" Asuka's distant shout distracted them from their conversation. Wherever their conversation had been leading, it was now destined to remain a mystery to both of them... "You guys coming back or what!?"
Shinji turned to her and sighed. "I guess we should find that pay phone before Asuka loses her mind..." he grumbled.
Rei nodded. "That... would be a good idea..." she murmured softly. The a thought occurred to her, one that she was surprised that she had not contemplated before getting up from the hillside. "But... our plug suits don't have pockets. How will we pay to use the phone?"
She watched as Shinji's eyes went wide. He grabbed her hand and began pulling her at a running pace back toward where Asuka lay. "Asuka!" he shouted. "We need to get back to NERV!"
"What!" she heard Asuka shout back. "What's wrong!"
"We don't have any change for the phone!" Shinji yelled frantically.
Rei didn't mind being dragged or the fact that Shinji was now a frantic mess because of what she'd said on the road. Until they reached Asuka's spot on the hill all she could focus on was Shinji's hand in hers...
Author's Notes
Well... this one was definitely a roller coaster ride. Lots on things are happening for our favorite pilots. Rei's beginning to get over her anxieties and her fears which bodes well for the future and Shinji and his father are beginning to bridge the gulf between them... Things are certainly going to get interesting going forward.
This one was honestly a lot of fun to write but as usual the length and detail really ran away from me. This one and the prior chapter were supposed to be one update originally and I thought I would have been able to get this one done in less than two weeks... One would think that I'd learn by now to stop underestimating these kind of things. At this point, writing the pilots and their inner monologues is a breeze but at the same time the story as a whole is getting more and more complicated. You win some and you lose some I guess...
If I had to pick a favorite scene in this chapter I'd probably pick either the final or the exchange between Shinji and Gendo. To be honest, I've said it before and I'll say it again, Gendo is probably my favorite Eva character to write. Trust and believe... I have big plans for him going forward.
As always, please read and review! Thank you all for sticking around and reading this far!
Regards,
A.F.