Chapter 21 – Lilliputian Hitcher
Today was the day, and he was dreading it just as much as he had when he'd found out about the test. Over the past week he'd tried his best not to think about it, but now that it was imminent he had no choice but to confront it, and he was self admittedly not the greatest at such things. As he walked beside his fellow pilots on this Wednesday afternoon the atmosphere was best described as awkward. None of them knew exactly what the experiment that Ritsuko had planned entailed but all of them knew it was going to be unpleasant to undergo it nude. Even now, Shinji was trying not to think about the invasive nature of the test despite trudging at a steady pace beside his friends toward NERV.
"I still don't understand the need for us to do this test..." Asuka huffed. "It's so degrading. To think that we're doing this just so Dr. Akagi can work on some autopilot system that probably won't even work..."
"I would agree that this test is rather... strange..." Rei murmured.
"Hopefully it won't take very long," Shinji replied softly.
Asuka snorted. "Knowing our luck it will last forever..." she spat.
"I hope that you're wrong," Rei stated.
"Yeah, me too," Asuka returned. "It would be a shame to miss dinner."
Shinji couldn't help but smile at that sentiment. Just over a week ago, starting the day that they'd found out about the test they were set to be subjected to in a few short minutes, whenever Rei was over she'd been helping him prepare dinner. She was actually getting pretty good at cooking which was quite pleasing. It made him happy to be able to teach her such things. This had also caused Asuka to want to learn from him and she too had been making strides in the culinary arts. This compounded to make fixing a meal in the evening quite a bit easier on him to the point where he didn't mind too much the fact that he had to prepare dinner most days out of a week. It was also pleasant to just hang out and spend time with the both of them. "What do you guys think we should make tonight?" he asked.
"Honestly, I'm feeling something with spicy curry," Asuka replied. "Think you could make that happen?"
Shinji nodded. "I think so," he replied. "Though I can't remember if I have any curry paste left. We might have to stop at the convenience store on the way home."
"That is not a bother," Rei said softly.
The three of them reached one of the many entrances down to the geofront and stepped inside. Soon they were on an elevator heading toward NERV central. The sound of the floor counter ticking away was doing nothing to calm his nerves. "I wonder what Dr. Akagi is going have us do to prepare for the test..." Shinji muttered.
"Hopefully nothing too crazy," Asuka replied.
Rei tilted her head downward, staring at the floor of the elevator. "I second Asuka's sentiment," she murmured.
Silence fell inside the elevator car until the three of them reached NERV headquarters. As they started down the hallway, Asuka spoke up. "So, since we're a bit early, think we have time to grab something from the staff lounge?" she asked. "I could use something with how hot is outside."
"I don't see why not," Shinji replied. "Rei, do you want anything?"
"I am fine," Rei said softly, the ghost of a grin on her lips. "Thank you for asking."
Shinji nodded and smiled back. How could he not when she looked at him with that smile of hers. "No problem," he returned. He turned to Asuka. Considering he'd offered to get Rei something, it would be rude not to offer her the same thing. "I'll cover whatever you want too, Asuka."
"Thanks, Shinji," Asuka replied with smile. Then she stared off down the hall and sighed. "It's settled then. Let's get some refreshments and then get this day over with..."
Just the way that she said that made his stomach churn. It seemed no one wanted to talk about what they were going to be subjected to in any direct way. He honestly couldn't blame them, the idea of with quite unpleasant but... at least they wouldn't have to see each other nude... right? That was a notion that brought certain...
He shuddered internally and bit the inside of his cheek. That fact he was having dirty thoughts about that kind of thing disgusted him... Why was he such a filthy, sick piece of slime?
Ritsuko sat in her office staring at her computer screen. It had been agonizingly boring going over the memory data that she had been able to read but figuring out exactly why it continued to produce errors had become somewhat of an obsession at this point. Despite going over everything she could with a fine toothed comb she'd found nothing which could explain why the remaining data could not be deciphered. With a sigh she stood up and put her computer into sleep mode. Unfortunately the mystery would have to wait until later, she had to run a checkup on the Magi and then oversee the profiling harmonics test... At least she'd be able to get the Magi's diagnostic done swiftly. Working with that system was second nature at this point. Then again, with what and who the Magi was designed around, it was no wonder...
In just a few minutes she'd made her way to the command bridge. Maya was already there waiting for her looking cheerful as ever. "Good afternoon, Senpai," she greeted. "How are you?"
"Tired," Ritsuko replied bitterly, sipping her cup of coffee. "But the projects I'm working on demand constant attention." That last past wasn't a lie but it wasn't quite the truth either...
Maya issued a sympathetic look. "Even so," she replied. "You can't neglect yourself forever."
Ritsuko laughed wryly. "That is true," she replied. "But I'll have plenty of time to catch up on rest when this war is over. Don't worry about me so much, okay?"
Maya smiled. "I'll try not to," she returned. "By the way, we're all set to start the diagnostics on the Magi."
"Very well," Ritsuko said, moving to her preferred station and sitting down at the console. "Let's get this started then. The sooner we finish here the sooner we can prep the pilots for the harmonics testing in the new B wing station."
Maya gave a curt nod. "Yes Senpai," she replied, hurrying over to her own post.
Ritsuko sighed, inputted a few choice commands into the console, and began watching as the lines of code began running smoothly on the screen. If only her project with Rei's psychological profile could go so smoothly. It was frustrating that even after weeks of toil she had made only minimal headway. If her mother was still around then maybe she'd have the answers. Unfortunately the closest thing to that advice that existed was the Magi computer system that she was currently working on and they had been equally unable to resolve the mystery she had tasked herself with solving. Then again, as much as her mother had coded the three supercomputers to reflect her personality, they lacked the intuition and cunning of their creator. No computer system could possess that... missing human element.
The calibration continued as scheduled with Ritsuko only making minimal inputs. Maya had learned a lot from her and was therefore able to input commands as necessary. Ritsuko felt proud that her junior had picked up so much from her in regards to the Magi system. "You're getting pretty good at that, aren't you Maya?" she stated.
"With you as my supervisor, did I have a choice?" Maya replied.
Ritsuko smiled. Her junior definitely had a point, she was definitely not the easiest person to work for self admittedly. She watched as Maya hit a snag and the scrolling code on her screen began to slow. She studied the screen for a moment before reaching over to her keyboard, knowing exactly what to do. "Wait a moment, I think A8 will be faster," she stated, making a few choice keystrokes on the console. "Let me take care of that."
The lines of code began flying past on her screen at an increased rate from before. "Wow... " Maya murmured. "You really are a master of this..."
Ritsuko smirked. Indeed, she'd gotten pretty good at navigating the various commands for nearly every subsystem that the Magi contained. She leaned back her chair and sipped her coffee. Hopefully things would remain on schedule and she could return to trying to solve the enigma that was consuming all of her minimal free time.
She heard the mechanical whir of the small elevator behind her and turned over her shoulder to see Misato coming up from below. "Hello there," her friend greeted her before levying an inquiry. "How are the Magi's diagnostics coming along?"
"We're almost finished," Ritsuko replied. "I did say that I would have it finished before today's experiment didn't I?"
"You're something else, you know that, Ritsuko?" Misato returned with a grin. "Even when down to the wire you still beat the schedule."
Ritsuko sighed, turning back to her screen. "Well someone has to keep the metaphorical trains running on time," she huffed. "It seems that person is destined to be me..."
"You do a good job at it," Misato replied. "We all appreciate you for it."
Ritsuko scowled. If only someone else would just appreciate her more... "Thanks Misato," she returned softly.
For a while she just watched the lines of code tick by one her monitor. It didn't take long before there was a loud beep from the central console and the graphic of the three supercomputers lit up green. "All three Magi Systems have entered self diagnostic mode," one of the technicians called out over the overhead intercom.
"The one hundred twenty seventh routine maintenance has been completed," Maya added.
Well it seemed her work was done... Ritsuko grabbed the telephone at her station and dialed the intercom frequency. "Confirmed. Well done everyone," she stated. "Go ahead and take a break until the test begins."
"I guess I should meet with the pilots for the final preparations," Misato stated. "See you there."
Ritsuko turned to her friend and nodded. "I'll meet you down there," she replied.
Misato returned a sheepish grin. "I'll imagine it'll be pretty awkward for them after today..." she said softly.
Ritsuko nodded once again. That was a statement of fact if she'd ever heard one. If she had to participate in something like what she had planned she would feel the same. "I would imagine so..." she muttered.
Gendo sat in his office staring out the window into the geofront. Even he would admit that it was beautiful sight, seeing the gleaming hanging towers of the surface glimmering in the artificial sunlight. A testament to mankind's perseverance he always thought of it as. His internal debates of the last few weeks weighed heavy in his mind. Though he'd arrived back to his post he'd not notified anyone of his return. It was sickening to say that he was hiding but... that was exactly what he was doing. He was avoiding the rest of NERV as not to risk advancing his meeting with his son until his planned day with him at Yui's marker. He didn't particularly have a good reason to do this, just that the prospect of... opening up to his son was... difficult. He'd rather just avoid it, for Shinji's own good as well as his own and for the good of his plans...
"Something troubling you, Ikari?" Fuyutuski's voice shook him from his introspection.
Gendo swiveled his chair around, a deep frown forming on his face. How had his right hand man managed to enter his office without him hearing him? Perhaps he'd let himself get too deep in thought or perhaps he was simply getting old... "What would give you that impression, Sensei?" he retorted softly, keeping his tone even.
"You're in here brooding instead of going to oversee the tests you've ordered," Fuyutsuki replied with a hint of laughter in his voice. "You should announce your return, Ikari."
Gendo turned back to stare at the lake at the center of the geofront. "I have my reasons not to," he replied.
"Do you mean your son?" Fuyutuski inquired, his tone taking on a more serious edge.
Gendo clenched his fist at his side. "I will not discuss such things with you," he replied harshly. "That is my prerogative and mine alone."
"Understood," Fuyutsuki returned. "In regards to our little voyage to the south however, I can inform you that the Lance will arrive in to NERV headquarters in a matter of days. Transporting it from the docks has been difficult."
That was certainly an understatement. Transporting an object of such massive size in any capacity was no easy task. "Very well," Gendo replied. "What is the latest news of Eva Units 03 and 04? Have you been maintaining contact with the Nevada branch?"
"Unit 03 will be ready for transfer in short order from what I understand," Fuyutuski stated. "As for Unit 04, the prototype S2 organ has been difficult to install."
Gendo nodded, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the arms of his chair and resting his chin in his palm. "I see..." he muttered. "So long as they've managed to finish development before the Eva Series is finished then the old men will have nothing to complain about."
"You and I both know that the SEELE will always have things to criticize," Fuyutsuki countered.
"Yes," Gendo returned. "Despite appearances, Chairman Keel is certainly quite an impatient man."
"Truly," Fuyutsuki replied. "The Human Instrumentality Project comes before everything else with them."
"Such narrow minded fools..." Gendo replied, a small, wry smirk coming across his face. Oh how he was going to enjoy beating those bastards at their own game. It was much easier to think about that sort of thing than his troubled relationship with his son...
Shinji stood nervously in front of Ritsuko and Misato with Rei and Asuka beside him outside of the doors through which they would enter the B wing testing station. Thankfully they hadn't been asked to undress yet, but in moments they would have to do just that and summarily begin the test. Asuka stood with her arms crossed looking discontented already but then again who could blame her... Rei on the other hand carried herself with that reserved stoicism she always displayed though he could tell by the slight trembling of her hands at her side that she was as apprehensive as he was. Even so, he admired how well she could just... keep it all in.
"Well, looks like we're all here," Asuka snapped. "What's behind the doors?"
Ritsuko didn't react at all to Asuka's aggressive tone at all in her response. "Behind those doors lies multiple decontamination chambers you'll have to pass through before participating in today's exercise. As Major Katsuragi previously informed you, today you'll be undergoing a special test," she stated clinically. "For a while we've been developing an autopilot system for use in combat with the operational Evangelions. It's been difficult work but we've been making progress. This test will be the next step in advancing that end goal."
"So in other words this test is very important despite how embarrassing it is," Misato added.
"So..." Shinji voiced slowly. "What now?"
Ritsuko sighed. "You three go inside. There are shower stalls so use them. Once you've finished then proceed to the decontamination chamber at the far end of the room."
"Understood..." Rei replied timidly.
"Very well..." Asuka grumbled.
Misato smiled nervously. "Cheer up guys, it'll be over soon," she said softly. "We'll respect your privacy as much as we can."
"I'll be on the intercom to direct you," Ritsuko stated. "I'll expect you to be done bathing in fifteen minutes."
"Good luck today you three," Misato added sheepishly.
With those parting words Misato and Ritsuko turned and began walking away down the corridor. Shinji stood still watching them depart, unsure of what to do. Considering neither Asuka or Rei moved either, it would seem that the both of them were also at a loss for what to do. Did the three of them just... go in there and...
Asuka snarled under her breath before exploding. "This really sucks!" she shouted indignantly, casting him a frustrated look. "All this for some stupid autopilot, it's so stupid..."
"I don't like it either..." Shinji murmured in reply. "But we don't have much of a choice."
"Indeed..." Rei said just above a whisper, moving toward the doors and gently pressing them open. "We should proceed... We should not keep Dr. Akagi waiting. It's not wise to upset her..."
Shinji nodded and followed behind her as she entered. Indeed, though she was always kind to him, Ritsuko did seem like the type to be quite unpleasant when angered. "Right..." he muttered as he entered the room.
"Goddammit..." he heard Asuka groan.
Inside the room was a line of shower stalls that were only closed off with thin white vinyl curtains straight ahead. To the left were a couple benches and behind those were a set of lockers. To the right was a large gray bulkhead door that looked like the entrance to some kind of pressurized chamber. The only question in his mind was... how were they supposed to get undressed without seeing each other in the nude? He felt his cheeks getting warm and his stomach began to do flips. They weren't supposed to... really... get...
"No way!" Asuka spat, stamping her feet. "They can't really expect us to undress in here all together can they!?"
"I suggest that we undress in the shower stalls," Rei stated softly.
That was definitely a very good idea. The three of them would have privacy and wouldn't have to see one another while they hosed themselves down... "Th- that seems like a good idea," Shinji stammered in reply.
He watched as Rei stepped forward into one of the shower stalls and slid the curtain closed in front of her. He swallowed the lump in his throat and moved toward the stall directly in front of him...
"Well, get in then," Asuka growled. "I'm not getting in until I'm sure you're not going to peep on me."
Shinji nodded and shakily stepped inside the stall and slid his curtain shut. This was it, there was no turning back now. Nervously he shed his clothing and turned the faucet on. The water was cold at first sending shivers down his spine. Eventually it warmed up to a lukewarm temperature and he began scrubbing himself down with the bar of soap that was within the stall.
A loudspeaker overhead came to life. "Alight," Ritsuko's voice sounded. "As soon as you're finished I want you to one by one pass through the chemical decontamination chamber. Rei, you'll go first, Shinji will follow after, and Asuka you'll go last. Don't bother drying off, the chamber will do it for you."
"Yeah! Yeah!" Asuka barked. "Give us a minute, dammit!"
"Sorry, Asuka, but time is of the essence," Ritsuko replied. Apparently she was able to hear them.
"So you can hear us, huh? There better be no cameras watching us..." Asuka hissed back. Shinji couldn't help but second that statement.
"Don't worry, we'll respect your privacy," Ritsuko replied.
Shinji was quite thankful for that. Despite his best efforts, the knowledge the he was in the same vicinity as Rei and Asuka while nude whilst they were also very much naked had caused certain... physiological responses despite his best efforts to repress said responses. He grimaced. Down! The fact he couldn't control... that, was sickening. Why was he such a filthy, sick bastard?
Rei stood stark naked in a small booth. From above the forward barrier which ended just below her chin, she looked out into a barren white hallway after having exited fully from the decontamination chamber she'd just passed through. The whole experience had been nauseating going through that. She'd been blasted with jets of compressed air upon entering that metal passageway, doused with a spray of some kind of sanitizing chemical that had burned her eyes, and then blasted dry again with even more jets of compressed air. The experience was almost as uncomfortable as being forced into the tube of LCL during the initial dummy plug uploads just a few weeks prior... almost.
The process of this test so far had churned her stomach. Nothing like this had occurred in her original timeline and it sickened her. She couldn't help but wonder why this was happening. Was it because the initial tests in Terminal Dogma had not gone as Commander Ikari and Dr. Akagi had planned? She couldn't know, and that made her nervous. The idea of being so... naked and exposed made her nervous. The idea that she might yet be seen in such a state by Asuka and especially Shinji made her nervous...
She didn't know how long it had been that she'd been standing in that tiny booth until she heard the pressure sealed door behind her open and Shinji stepped into the booth just beside her. She felt embarrassed, blood rushing to her cheeks at the idea that he might... peer over the edge of her booth and... look at her. She couldn't explain why she felt this way, she just did. "Hey..." he murmured. "That was... intense."
"Indeed..." she replied just above a whisper, unable to look in his direction. She was trembling just standing there. The whole ordeal was stirring feelings both emotional and physical that she simply didn't have the ability to identify. She didn't know the proper words for them...
"So..." Shinji spoke softly. "What do you think is gonna happen next?"
Rei continued staring forward into the pale while chamber ahead of her, fixating on the double doors at the end of the room. "I do not know..." she murmured.
A few moments passed by until the bulkhead behind them hissed open once again. "Alright, I've been hosed down!" Asuka shouted as she stepped into the booth on the other side of Shinji's. "What the hell do you want me to do next!?"
The loudspeaker in the room boomed to life with an electronic squawk before Dr. Akagi's voice issued forth. "Good, you're all assembled," she said. "Now we can move your to your test body entry plugs. Please step forward into the hallway."
"Wait, you don't mean all together do you!?" Asuka spat angrily.
The gate doors at the front of their booths snapped open. "Please proceed," Dr. Akagi stated over the intercom. "I know it's awkward but it's necessary. If you proceed one by one then there is a higher chance for error due to different levels of contamination."
"Do as she says guys," Misato's voice sounded. "I promise it will all be over soon..."
Rei's heart skipped a beat or two and she felt heat in her cheeks. So she would have to walk to the respective entry plugs side by side with her fellow pilots while naked... This was quite an... interesting and unpleasant development. She glanced over at Shinji who was quite red in the face as well. At least it was comforting that he was just as embarrassed as she was. To think that just a little while ago in the prior timeline that she wouldn't have been phased by such a development...
"I swear to God, Shinji, if you even think of looking at either of us as we walk to the test plugs, I'll rip your nuts off..." Asuka growled.
Shinji swallowed audibly. "I won't..." he murmured.
"Alright..." Asuka growled. "We move forward on the count of three, okay?"
"Okay..." Shinji nervously replied.
"Alright..." Rei murmured softly.
"Alright..." Asuka grumbled. "One... two... three..."
The three of them started walking in perfect sync. Rei continued staring at the door ahead of them step after step. For some reason she couldn't stop the thoughts of worry that she was being stared at by her fellow pilots and so... she turned her eyes to them.
Asuka was staring forward angrily and Shinji was staring upward with a nervous expression as he moved. Rei felt a strange reaction looking at him. She'd seen him in this state before during instrumentality but now... it stirred all sorts of reactions. She felt hot all over. She'd never noticed how fit he actually was... Why did seeing him so... bare in all aspects make her feel so strange? Her body felt tingling sensations that she didn't understand...
They reached the doors at the end of the hallway and said doors snapped open with a blast of compressed air, shaking her from her contemplation. "Alright," Dr. Akagi's voice sounded over the intercom. "You should see your test plugs just ahead. Board them just like it's a normal test."
Rei looked forward to see the three entry plugs in question, however instead of a simple harmonics test setup into a vat of LCL there were three half completed Evangelion bodies in the huge chamber herself and her fellow pilots had entered. She couldn't help but be just a bit apprehensive about this test. In the prior timeline, her past life, there had never been a test like this nor had there been dummy Evangelion bodies. Something about this test seemed... off, and yet... all she could do was comply.
She hated that all she could do was comply with the wishes of Dr. Akagi and by extension Commander Ikari... The ever present knowledge that the Human Instrumentality Project was gaining traction by the day was terrifying. One way or another, she had to find a way to make a change for the better...
Ritsuko stood on the observation deck overlooking the testing room. The pilots had boarded their plugs and the testing chamber had been flooded with water from the geofront's lake as to help with temperature regulation of the simulation bodies. Soon the plugs would be inserted and the test would begin... She had high hopes that the test would be successful and she'd be able to at least program the thought input patterns of the pilots into something usable. This however was useless without Rei's memories of training and combat however. If she couldn't isolate and upload that into the finished Dummy Plug system then it would be most likely an ineffective system. Without it, the AI wouldn't be able to problem solve like a trained pilot could and therefore would be next to useless in combat...
"Senpai, we're ready to proceed," Maya stated cheerfully.
Ritsuko kept staring out into the test chamber. "Insert the entry plugs and begin the test," she commanded.
"Yes Senpai," Maya returned.
Ritsuko heard her favored assistant typing away on her keyboard as one of the other technicians called out what was going on. She watched as the plugs the pilots were sitting in screw into the simulation bodies one by one.
"Connecting the system with the simulation bodies," yet another technician called out.
"The simulation plugs are now under the Magi's control," Maya stated after a few seconds.
"Man..." Misato said with a tone of awe. "That was fast! The Magi really are magnificent. It's crazy to think that the first test took a whole week."
"Test duration will be three hours," a technician called out.
Ritsuko keyed the handheld microphone she held. "How do you feel?" she asked the pilots.
"It feels... strange..." Rei replied.
"Yeah," Shinji stated. "It's a bit different from all the other times."
"Agreed," Asuka huffed. "All my senses feel off. My arm feels like normal but everything else feels kinda fuzzy, like pins and needles."
This was nothing to be alarmed about, it was understandable that the pilots having a bit of an issue adapting to the simulation bodies. "Rei, focus on moving your right arm," Ritsuko commanded.
"Yes, Dr. Akagi..." came Rei's reply. It might have just been the garble of the radio speaker, but she could have sworn that Rei sounded just a little nervous.
Ritsuko watched as the simulation body that Rei was sitting in began to flex it's right arm, it's fingers beginning to twitch at it's side. "Data collection is proceeding nicely," a technician nearby stated.
It was definitely a good sign. She turned to Maya. "Everything is looking as it should," she stated. "Return the Magi's operating parameters to normal."
Not even a second after she said that an error message flashed on the holographic display on the window. "A dilemma?" Ritsuko huffed. She breathed a heavy sigh. Of all the times that the Magi would decide to point out some kind of error it was now?" "You can sure feel their creator's personality in them, can't you..." she grumbled.
"What are you talking about?" Misato asked, perplexed. "Weren't you the one who created them?"
Ritsuko scoffed. "You really don't know, do you?" she asked, unable to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She would have loved to take the credit for the Magi's creation that was not the case. She was still living in her mother's shadow, even now...
Misato crossed her arms and looked away. "Unlike me, you never share anything about yourself," she replied.
Ritsuko's harsh expression softened. "You're right, I don't..." she muttered. "I only created the system up-links. The mainframe code and the basic programming was done by my mother..."
"Senpai, what should we do?" Maya asked.
Ritsuko turned to her trusted assistant. Now wasn't a time to doubt herself, this was a time for decisive action. The test was already in progress and she would finish it one way or another. So far there hadn't been any serious issues so it was best to press on. "Run a diagnostic and figure out what's causing the error," she replied curtly.
"Yes, Senpai," Maya replied, beginning to clack away at her keyboard. "I'm not sure what it is," she continued after a few minutes.
"Is it another leak?" Ritsuko asked, beginning to grow impatient.
"No," Maya replied. "It appears to be some kind of corrosion affecting the protein wall above this floor..."
Ritsuko grimaced. If things were set back any further then there would be hell to pay from Gendo... "Can it effect this test?" she inquired.
"No, not at the moment at least," Maya replied.
"Then let's continue," Ritsuko returned. "If we abort complex experiments due to innocuous technical problems then Commander Ikari will never let me hear the end of it."
"Understood," Maya replied. "Synchronization position is correct."
"Connecting the entry plugs to the Evas via the simulation bodies," a technician declared.
"Contact with Eva Unit 00 has been confirmed," another tech stated.
"A.T. Field will generate on queue," yet another called out.
Ritsuko stared out the window intently, staring at the simulation bodies. This was certainly a marker of progress. They could get the Evas to synchronize and generate an A.T. Field remotely. That was certainly evidence that she was on track in developing other aspects of the Dummy Plug System. Even so, in the back of her mind, she knew she had to imprint Rei's combat training and experience into the system, otherwise this test would be for nothing despite how impressive it was...
Before she had a chance to ask about data readings and alarm klaxon began to sound. Ritsuko snapped around to face Maya. "What's happening?" she shouted.
"Contamination alert!" Maya yelled out. "It's in sigma unit on the eighth floor!"
"The eighty seventh protein wall is corroding and releasing heat," one of the technicians stated.
"An abnormality in the sixth pipe has been detected," another declared
"Corrosion level of the protein wall is increasing at an exponential rate!" Maya added, anxiety prevalent in her voice. "It's spreading everywhere!"
Shit! This was not good. Something was going terribly wrong... "Abort the test!" Ritsuko commanded. "Shut off all flow to the sixth pipe system!"
"Right!" Maya shouted, throwing a series of switches on her console.
"Numbers sixteen, thirty eight, and thirty nine are all hermetically sealed," a male technician shouted.
"Corrosion present in six through forty two," the tech beside him added.
"No good!" Maya shouted. "The corrosion effect is spreading along the walls!"
Ritsuko had to act fast. If the corrosion wasn't stopped fast then the simulation bodies could be damaged and the pilots could receive mental contamination. "Deploy the drone submarines into the holding tank!" she ordered.
"Ritsuko, what's going on?" Misato inquired, her tone sounding nervous and grave all at once.
She had no time to answer her friend's question. "Set all lasers to full power!" she shouted as the she watched the drone submersibles enter the testing tank. "Target any corrosive particles that might get through!"
"Corrosion has reached six through fifty eight!" Maya shouted out frantically. "It's here!"
A hushed silence fell over the room as everyone waited with bated breath for whatever might happen next. Ritsuko stared out into the testing chamber scanning for anything that was out of place. Hopefully the subs she'd sent in would be enough to deal with whatever it was that was causing the corrosion in the system...
Rei sat in the test plug within the simulation body trying her hardest to focus on the task at hand. It felt different compared to a normal test in a way that was hard to explain. Her body felt strange, as if her sense of it was distorted. It felt almost like she was transparent, hollow, though she clearly wasn't. She didn't like that feeling and her desire for that feeling to recede was making it hard to focus and clear her mind.
She glanced around in the plug and gripped the hand grips within tightly. Even though she was quite sure that there were no camera feeds inside the entry plug she had the feeling that she was being watched. That feeling made her feel queasy and uncomfortable There was just something that felt off and she couldn't place it. It was like there was some kind of... presence within the plug with her. This was unlike the presence she felt when she piloted Unit 00 where the... other Rei Ayanami resided. No, it felt like she was alone in this entry plug with something completely alien.
No, she was just becoming paranoid, that was all... Rei breathed deeply and closed her eyes. There was silence. There was nothing to be worried about despite how strange the test was. It was just her mind playing tricks on her and her newfound modesty acting up. She kept her eyes closed and just enjoyed the silence.
Until there wasn't silence...
Her eyes shot wide open. It was faint but she heard it, and it caused her heartbeat to accelerate. There was a faint sound coming from... somewhere in her entry plug. She glanced around nervously, trying to pinpoint where it was coming from but it seemed like it was coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once and it was growing louder. It sounded like... it sounded like... screaming. It sounded like some inhuman chorus of voices screaming in unison faintly in the distance.
Before she had a chance to think about what might have been making that awful noise a wave of pain seized her entire body. It felt like an electrical current passing from her feet to the top of her head. All the while the disembodied screaming grew louder and louder. As the pain intensified, Rei's own voice added to the chorus of screams.
Ritsuko's attention snapped to the simulation body that the First Child currently resided in. Over the radio channel she'd heard the blue haired girl's cry of pain. It was strange, months ago she'd have felt nothing hearing Rei scream like that but now she was genuinely concerned. "Rei!" she shouted, pressing her hands against the glass. Ha... as if that would do anything...
She watched in horror as the simulation body began to move with jerking movements, it's arms flexing as if trying to break out of it's restraints. "Rei's simulation body is moving!" Maya shouted.
"How is this possible!?" Ritsuko shouted back, continuing to stare at the half completed Eva moving in the tank, it's hand beginning to stretch out toward the command deck.
"I have no idea!" Maya yelled. "But the corrosion is still spreading rapidly! It's evading the body's active water systems!"
"Eject the entry plugs immediately!" Ritsuko commanded. "We must protect the pilots!"
"Roger!" Maya returned frantically.
Ritsuko watched as the entry plugs ejected from the simulation bodies. The plugs blasted upwards toward the geofront central lake with massive shutter door in the ceiling of the test chamber snapping shut behind them. As soon as the pilots were clear of the simulation bodies she rushed over to the console where Maya sat. "Use the lasers!" she ordered. "Blast anything that might get through!"
From where Ritsuko stood she could see flashes of light in the test chamber followed by a distinct flashing orange. Misato whirled around to face her with a shocked expression. "It's an A.T. Field!" she shouted.
Ritsuko's attention snapped to Maya's console in disbelief. No, this wasn't supposed to be happening... This shouldn't be happening. "Pattern analysis is blue!" she shouted out as soon as the reading on the console was confirmed. "It's an Angel!"
"How is this possible?" Misato asked, stepping away from the window.
It shouldn't be possible but somehow it was happening. Somehow this Angel had managed to evade detection and bypass all safeguards and security to infiltrate NERV. The fact that it had managed to get this close to Central Dogma was terrifying. If it somehow managed to reach what lay sleeping down in the depths of Terminal Dogma... "I don't know," Ritsuko replied. "But it's what we're dealing with."
Misato dashed to the nearest phone on the console and dialed it at light speed. "This is Major Katsuragi," she bit out hurriedly. "We've detected an Angel within the Sigma unit... I'm sorry sir... Right."
The intercom came alive and Ritsuko could hear Lt. Aoba's voice over the speaker system. "Initiating lock out of Central Dogma and quarantining of the Sigma unit," the lieutenant said.
"Evacuate immediately!" Misato shouted, putting the phone down. "Abandon your posts!"
Everyone around her began frantically leaving their stations but Ritsuko remained staring at the simulation bodies in the holding tank. Small orange lights were now blinking all over them. She paid not mind to the cracks beginning to form on the glass that kept hundreds of tons of water from spilling into the room, the situation was just too fascinating and frightening all at once. What sort of form was this enemy she now faced? Was it some sort of parasitic creature? Was it akin to some kind of bacterial infestation?
"What are you doing!?" Misato shouted, grabbing her arm and shaking her from her thoughts. "We have to get out of here now!"
The cracks in the glass were indeed growing. Ritsuko broke from her frozen posture and dashed out of the room beside Misato. Less than a second after the bulkhead doors slammed shut behind them she heard the sound of water slamming into them with a cacophonous thump.
Gendo had rushed to the command deck as soon as he'd received notice of an Angel alert. The response to the Angel's appearance had so far been executed very well considering the situation at hand. Though the pilots were stranded on the surface of the geofront lake and therefore unable to man their units, so far, the Angel was under containment. This was definitely one small bit of good news amid all that had already gone wrong.
Presently he was on the phone with the Japanese government regarding the appearance of the Angel. Standard procedure was that whenever NERV detected a Pattern Blue an alert was automatically sent to the Ministry Of Defense. Under normal circumstances this was nothing to be concerned about but this was no normal Angel sighting. This particular Angel had been first sighted within the confines of NERV itself, meaning that it had somehow bypassed and evaded all of the defenses that the geofront and Tokyo 3 possessed. If this alert were to get out it would undermine the confidence the Japanese government and the Japanese people had placed in him to defeat the Angels. Extrapolating that forward, it would most importantly undermine the committee's trust in him to deal with these kinds of threats and Gendo could not have that. Indeed... letting news of this fiasco get out would not bode well for him advancing his plans... "Yes, you did hear me correctly," Gendo stated one of his contacts in the government. "The notification you received was a false alarm."
"How can you be so sure?" the man on the other line replied.
"The Magi are occasionally prone to errors," he stated. "Cancel the alert and see to it that the notification is not passed on. There are no shelter orders needed."
"I'll see to it that things stay as contained as they can," the man replied. "You'll certainly receive some questioning on this one."
"I know that, take care of it," he growled, hanging up the phone immediately afterwards. "Cancel the red alert!" he called out to the bridge crew.
All of the staff looked up at him with confused expressions. He said nothing to clarify what he'd ordered and continued staring down at them over his clasped hands. Lt. Hyuga flipped a switch at his station and the alarm blaring in the room ceased. "Alert has been canceled sir..." he replied.
"Good," Gendo snapped. "Notify the committee that there was an error with our alarm system and that it's nothing to be concerned about."
"Yes sir," Lt. Hyuga replied. "But the contaminated area is still descending, sir. It's spreading all over Sigma unit from the Pribnow box."
Fuyutsuki leaned in over him to whisper in his ear. "That's far too close..." he murmured.
"Yes," Gendo replied. "Much too close to Adam..." Some how, some way, they would have to beat this invader. If they didn't, it was game over... "We must stop the Angel inside Sigma unit," he called out to the rest of the bridge. "If necessary, sacrifice the geofront. What's the status of the Evangelion units?"
"They're standing by in the seventh cage," Lt. Hyuga stated. "We can launch them as soon as the pilots have been recovered."
Considering the situation at had, waiting was not the best course of action. The Angel had already demonstrated the ability to contaminate and corrode things it touched. Should it infiltrate the Evangelions then they would be rendered useless. It was quite a dilemma, NERV's most powerful tools to defeat the Angels were nearly useless against this threat. They would have to figure out some other way to kill it... "No need to wait," Gendo replied. "Launch them immediately."
There was a collective gasp that filled the room. Gendo paid it no mind as he continued. "You will launch Unit 01 first," he stated. "Launch the others as soon as they can be readied. If they cannot be launched they are to be sacrificed."
"Unit 01 has priority?" Lt. Hyuga asked as if surprised. Gendo couldn't help but scowl at that reaction. Then again, the young lieutenant had no idea of why Unit 01 would always have his priority. No one besides himself and Fuyutuski knew...
"Sir, why launch the Evas without the pilots?" Lt. Aoba asked. "How can we possibly destroy the Angel without the Evas?"
"If they Evas are contaminated first, we're finished," Gendo barked. "Get moving!"
"Roger!" both officers replied, turning their attention back to their respective computers. Even so, it was a good question that the long haired lieutenant had asked. Fighting an Angel without an Eva was a nearly impossible task...
"So..." Fuyutuski murmured. "How do we fight this Angel without the Evas?"
It was a question that the feared commander of NERV did not have the answer to. Though it was a fearful prospect and a herculean task, it was not completely impossible in theory. He'd always had a knack for putting the right people in place to make things go his way. If there was anyone who could rely on for moments like this it was Dr. Akagi... "I do not know, Sensei," Gendo replied. "But I have confidence that once Dr. Akagi arrives on deck that she will find us a way..."
Kaji counted himself lucky that he hadn't been caught snooping around NERV yet but one could never be too careful in his line of work. The memories of the gunfight during his recent trip to the east end of Chiba weighed heavy on his mind. He'd been trying his best to be extra careful during his clandestine actions but his drive to know the darkest secrets of the thickening conspiracy was becoming an obsession he could not free himself from.
Since getting back from Chiba he'd poured over all of the documents he'd collected, his notes, and the electronic data that he'd been able to get his hands on in his obsession. The Evas, the shell companies, the Dead Sea Scrolls, the fact that an embryonic Adam was in the geofront and supposedly undergoing some kind of regeneration, somehow this all fitted into the mysterious Human Instrumentality Project... but how? How... that was the question that begged to be answered.
If there was anything certain in the convoluted mess of information he'd poured through it was that something was going on in the lowest level of NERV, a place known as Terminal Dogma. Though he hadn't been able to gather much, that place was where most of the top secret research and development took place. It might have been a complete hunch but somehow he felt that place would hold at least some of the answers. That had been where he'd been trying to get to when the Angel alert had sounded...
With caution he emerged from the access tunnel he'd been skulking through into the main shaft that descended deep into the depths of NERV headquarters. He first glanced into the depths below, pondering just how deep it truly went before looking upwards. High above in the cavernous shaft were hundreds if not thousands of little glimmering orange lights, flickering in the dimly lit chasm. It was safe to conclude that that was the invading Angel, or at least something caused by it. It would seem that where he was there were now worse things to worry about that simply getting caught snooping about.
Large mechanical double bulkheads began to close above him and a voice on the intercom system began to speak. "Central Dogma and Sigma unit will be locked down in sixty seconds," the voice said. "Thirty seconds until vacuum pump activation."
It would seem that they were going to vacuum seal the areas where the Angel was currently and any place of importance it might be heading toward. "So... that's the new Angel..." he muttered. "Time to take a break I think..."
He stood up and looked over at the larger hexagonal main service channel on the level he was at. He took a two step start and leaped into it, somersaulting when he hit the floor. Hopefully if there were cameras watching him as he dashed to safety he'd get a chance to wipe them later on once this Angel incident was handled. It was best for him to make his way back toward the upper levels as well, before he had the chance to be discovered for the snoop he was...
Rei lay in a fetal position inside her entry plug as the fear began to wear off. The screaming had stopped as soon as the ejection had cleared her from the simulation body. The terror that she'd felt during those brief moments before she'd been fired at high speed through the water had been truly intense. It had felt like something or someone had been trying to probe into her mind. It reminded her quite a bit of what it had been like when the Eleventh Angel had invaded her body and mind right before the last time she'd... died. This experience was almost as haunting as that one and just as terrifying. Nothing had... spoken to her directly or caused her to hallucinate, but there had no doubt been something in the plug with her.
Could it be an Angel that had somehow managed to infiltrate NERV? The terror began to pulse through her veins with renewed life. If there was an Angel running rampant inside NERV, one that she hadn't fought before, the results could be disastrous. No, they would be disastrous if she and her fellow pilots couldn't do something about it. But was it an Angel? It was impossible to know, at present she was nude, locked inside a metal cylinder, cut off from the outside world and anything or anyone who might be able to provide insight.
Slowly she began to stretch herself out and lay back in the seat. Currently she was floating inside that awful steel alloy tube that allowed her to pilot an Evangelion, if her senses were to be believed at least. The plug was bobbing in a rhythmic fashion up and down and lolling side to side. What lay outside was a complete unknown. Was she floating on the surface of a body of water or was she still submerged in some kind of tank? She had no way of knowing either way except for the pry open the emergency escape hatch and find out. If she wasn't able to get to some kind of air pocket after opening the plug then she would die... The sickening nature of the gamble made her want to vomit. Still, that was a better option than letting a potential Angel destroy the world by initiating Third Impact. Slowly, with shaky movements she crawled toward the emergency exit hatch...
She faltered as she gripped at the levers that would release the door. Once she twisted that lever there was no going back. If she wasn't close enough to an oxygen source then she was dead... Considering her newfound lust for life and the prospect that she could not fully return, that this death for her current consciousness might be final, that was a hefty price to pay if she was wrong. Still... from the motion of the plug, it felt like she was at the surface of some body of water. She grasped the handles and shut her eyes. This was it...
With a swift motion she twisted the levers counterclockwise. Instantly water began rushing into the plug and her heart threatened to burst out of her chest. She fought against the force of the in rushing water, taking a deep breath before plunging headlong into it. Half a second after she left the plug she found the surface in the dim light and gasped for breath, frantically looking around for some kind of landmark.
It appeared that she was on the surface the central lake within the geofront. As she caught her breath and escaped the wake of her sinking plug she caught sight of her fellow pilot's plugs, floating in the lake. It would make sense to get them out and then make their way to the Eva cages so they might be able to mount a defense should what have caused the abort of the test actually be an Angel. Even though she was naked in the lake and the embarrassment of that fact was immense it was still the best course of action. She set course for the nearest plug and began to swim.
She reached the nearest of the two floating plugs after a half a minute of determined thrashing through the water. The side of the entry plug was too slick to grasp and so she began banging on the side of the plug, hoping that it's occupant would respond. There was no response, the walls were too thick for a voice to be heard through and so she moved to the hatch. If she couldn't get the pilot out before they drowned then the guilt would be immense but... that was the risk she had to take. With a firm grip she grasped the handles and turned counterclockwise just as she had her own plug.
Water began to rush into the plug and she stuck her head inside despite this. "We need to get to shore!" she shouted, extending her hand. "Grab my hand!"
It seemed like hours even though it could have only been mere seconds until a hand grasped hers and she pulled the pilot out of the plug. Once more Rei gasped for breath at the surface of the lake and after wiping her eyes she saw Asuka floating beside her, coughing uncontrollably. "Damn, Wonder-girl!" she choked out between gasps. "What's the big idea with nearly drowning me!?"
"We need to get to shore," Rei stated. "Something happened during the test. It might be an Angel attacking NERV?"
Asuka's eyes went wide. "An Angel?" she replied. "How could an Angel infiltrate NERV? What makes you so certain?"
Rei looked away from her redheaded friend. Once again she faced a situation where she couldn't speak about her past lives and the past timeline she'd lived through... "I'm not certain," she replied. "But the test being aborted so abruptly is cause for concern. We should return to Central Dogma."
Asuka's expression hardened. "And how exactly are we going to do that?" she hissed. "We're naked in the middle of this lake and our clothes are back in Central Dogma!"
That definitely posed a substantial obstacle... "I do not know," Rei replied. "But we must make the effort. If NERV is under attack then we must mount a defense."
A look of realization washed over Asuka's face before she scowled and looked away. "Verdammt..." she hissed. "I hate that you're right about this... Fine, I guess we should get to shore and get to the cages. We should probably figure out how to get some clothes though. Any ideas?"
Rei was thankful that the redhead didn't argue with her on this point. Now she turned her attention to the remaining plug that was floating in the lake, the one that contained Shinji... He should accompany them as he was often the most valuable pilot in a given battle but... it was... awkward, the idea of seeing him in a state of total undress. During the walk to the plugs it had been uncomfortable seeing him, all of him, but also strangely... thrilling? That wasn't quite the word for it...
"Hello, earth to Wonder-girl!" Asuka's voice shook her from her thoughts.
"Yes?" Rei returned, turning her gaze back to the redhead floating next to her in the lake.
"You just started staring off at Shinji's plug while I was asking you about how we're gonna find clothes," Asuka replied. "Are you good?"
Rei nodded. "We should get Shinji out of his plug..." she murmured, looking back over at the aforementioned metal cylinder.
Asuka grimaced. "Do we have to?" she whined. "He's gonna end up seeing us naked!"
This was indeed a high probability, one that certainly filled her with mixed emotions and stirred unfamiliar physical sensations... "This is... likely," Rei replied. "But should we be needed to mount a defense then all three of us are necessary for best results."
Asuka stared at her with a clearly upset expression. "Still... aren't you embarrassed at the idea he might look at you?" she huffed.
Despite the chill of the water around her, Rei felt heat in her cheeks. "Yes..." she murmured. "I am... but it doesn't change what must be done..."
Asuka's expression turned sympathetic for a moment before a frustrated scowl crept across her face. She turned away and snarled loudly. "Dammit! I hate how you're right about this!," she growled, starting to swim toward Shinji's plug. "Come on then, let's get him out of there..."
Rei swam behind Asuka across the cold lake until they reached Shinji's entry plug. Asuka hesitated beside the emergency hatch. "So..." the redhead grumbled. "Who's pulling him out?"
Rei set her hands on the escape hatch handles and readied herself for the difference in pressure that would follow when she threw the door open. "I'll do it," she replied.
With the same swiftness as she'd pried open her own and Asuka's plugs, she flung the handles counterclockwise. Instantly the flow of water into the plug began to suck her in. She expected for Shinji to instantly move toward the hatch but he didn't. She stuck her head into the rapidly filling plug which was sinking with each passing second and the cold water stung her eyes. Inside, Shinji was vigorously struggling against the water pouring inside. "Take my hand!" she shouted. "Hurry! The plug is sinking!"
Shinji fought against the water and grasped her hand just as the plug completely filled with water and began to plunge into the depths of the dark lake. Rei grasped his hand tightly and closed her eyes as she fought against the cavitation in the water. With great effort she finally managed to pull him to the surface. He didn't stay there long as, instead of treading water, he began thrashing wildly. "I can't swim!" he managed to choke out between gasps for air.
"What!? Why can't you swim, idiot!" Asuka shouted.
"I never learned!" Shinji choked.
Rei's eyes went wide and her heart lurched. If he couldn't swim then he might still... "Asuka!" she shouted, rushing to grab Shinji under his arm. "Help me!"
"What do you want me to do!?" Asuka retorted.
"Grab him and help me pull him to shore!" Rei hissed.
Asuka moved and grabbed Shinji's other arm, helping to keep him afloat. "You'd better not cause all three of us to drown," she growled. "Otherwise I'll kill you..."
Shinji coughed violently. "I'll try my best not to..." he choked out between breaths.
The three of them eventually made it close enough to the shore that they could walk out of the lake but Asuka stopped moving, letting go of Shinji as she did. "Alright, now that we can stand on the ground, lets just wait a minute and think of a plan," she grumbled.
"Shouldn't we get out of the water?" Shinji asked. "It's quite cold in here..."
"Oh no we won't, only if you keep your eyes shut!" Asuka snapped. "That sounds like an excuse to see me and Rei naked!"
Shinji's eyes went wide and he began sputtering. "I- I almost drowned!" he stammered indignantly. "W- why w- would I- I be th- thinking about something like that at a time like this!"
Rei could feel Shinji beginning to shiver next to her and realized she still had her arm around his shoulder. She let go out of pure reflex and looked away form him in embarrassment. If they took any more steps forward toward the shore then all of them would be completely and totally exposed... "We should think of a plan of action..." she murmured.
"Yeah," Asuka added, sounding frustrated. "Like how were going to find some damn clothes..."
"That is a good point..." Shinji muttered. "What if someone at NERV sees us like... this..."
This was indeed a good point... Rei stared out across the black surface of the lake at the reflections of the pale, hanging skyscrapers therein. She'd spent so much time at NERV that she'd nearly memorized every single entrance and exit, every nook and cranny that they could navigate through, but what was the best place to enter? After a moment of pondering, she had her answer. She took a deep breath before speaking. If headquarters was under attack by an Angel and they couldn't reach their Evas to put up a fight, Shinji seeing her naked would be the least of her concerns... If he was going to... look at her, she would just have to bear it. At least she could look at him... why was she thinking things like this? "There's a entrance nearby with a grounds keeping closet just outside," she stated. "We should hurry to it..."
"Okay, why does the fact it has a grounds keeping shack matter?" Asuka asked.
"Yeah..." Shinji added. "How does that help with finding clothes?"
Rei bit the inside of her lip. "Hopefully the maintenance crews will have left extra uniforms inside..." she murmured.
The rush to the bridge had been one big blur for her. Ever since the experiment that she'd been overseeing had fallen apart Ritsuko had been off in her own head. It was puzzling that the Angel had not been detected until it had shown up inside NERV itself. Even though she'd not had a chance to analyze the Angel that alone told her that it was a very serious threat. The fact that it seemed to be able to infect and corrode whatever it chose was concerning to say the least. Now she stood before Gendo as he finished informing her of the situation as it stood so far... A part of her couldn't help but be upset with herself. Had she known he was back at NERV headquarters she would have remembered to put on some lipstick and makeup...
"I see..." she muttered half to herself and half in reply to what she'd just learned. "So the Evas have been sent to the surface of the geofront..."
"Correct," Gendo replied. "Your task is to find a way to contain the Angel."
She nodded soberly. "I'll do what I can," she replied. "However, this Angel as you know has exhibited abilities we've never seen before."
Gendo stared at her over his clasped hands. "Can it be done?" he asked, his tone level, the only indicator of nervousness the slight tensing of his shoulders.
She nodded once more despite her own doubts. Regardless of how long the odds were, she would do her best to contain the Angel with the systems she had available to her. Hopefully that would be enough until the pilots and Evas could be recovered to mount a real defense. Then again... if she managed to find a way to destroy it without the Evas then maybe Gendo would finally acknowledge her, embrace her... "Yes," she replied. "I'll find a way."
"Good..." Gendo replied.
Ritsuko moved toward the ladder to leave the observation deck. Slowly, she descended to the operations level. Hopefully she could find a solution to their current predicament. Deep down, she worried that... considering the nature of the Angel... it would further figure out ways to infiltrate the defenses of NERV. It was behaving much too much like a computer virus for her liking. Computer problems were her specialty, but fighting a bug that possessed an A.T. Field... that was daunting even for her...
Misato was certainly out of her element at a moment like this. The Evas had been sent to the surface of the geofront and presently all that could be done was contain and study the Angel that was slowly infiltrating Central Dogma. That was not a position she enjoyed being in or one that she was used to. She was used to being in command, able to use her tactical and strategic knowledge to blow the shit out of the enemy, and now was the complete opposite of that. Now was a moment where she'd been reduced to almost a mere observer as events unfolded. Currently she stood on the second highest tier of the command bridge. Her eyes were fixed on the same screen that both Ritsuko and Lt. Ibuki were also staring at, trying to gain an insight into what was going on as they ran analysis.
"Look at this," Ritsuko said, leaning in over Lt. Ibuki's shoulder. "The border between the normal and heavy water... there's a higher oxygen content."
"You're right," Lt. Ibuki replied. "It looks like its preference is quite obvious."
"It looks like where ozone is vented in to maintain sterile conditions isn't contaminated," Lt. Aoba stated.
Misato would admit that she wasn't the greatest when it came to the scientific end of operations at NERV but she felt she understood enough of what was being said to get the idea. "Does that mean it's weaknesses is ozone?" she asked.
Ritsuko turned her head to regard her with a sheepish grin. "It would seem so," she replied. "However, there's only one way to test that theory. We should divert a much ozone as we can into the testing tank and see what happens."
"Injecting ozone now..." Hyuga stated from his console a few feet away.
"Alright," Lt. Aoba said, relief flowing through his words. "It definitely looks like it's working."
"Dr. Akagi, do you believe that you've found a solution to our predicament?" Commander Ikari called from up on his perch behind them.
Ritsuko turned to both commanders and nodded. "We may have found a way to neutralize it," she replied. "But that awaits to be seen."
Commander Ikari said nothing and Misato returned to staring at the display screen in front of her. She watched as the readings for corrosion and contamination began to steadily wane... It looked like this thing Ritsuko was doing with the ozone levels was really working... Hopefully they could contain it enough that they could recover the Evas and the pilots soon. It would definitely suck to be them right now, stuck naked in their entry plugs...
"Zero A and Zero B seem to be recovering," Lt. Ibuki stated to the room.
"The area around the coolant pipes is getting back to normal as well," Lt. Aoba added.
"This is true," Lt. Hyuga countered. "But the central mass is proving more resistant."
"Inject more ozone," Vice Commander Fuyutuski calmly ordered. "Perhaps if the levels are increased further we can overwhelm it."
"Yes sir," all three lieutenants answered as one.
Misato watched as the three of them worked their consoles. She was no scientist but one didn't need to be one to understand the reasoning behind that order. It was logical to take the course of action that the Vice Commander had put forward. If something worked, more of that something should work even better. That was just pragmatic thinking put into action.
Minutes passed and everything looked like it was going as it should... until the graph showing contamination reducing halted and began to hold where it was. "No way..." Lt. Aoba hissed. "It's not shrinking!"
"Something's wrong," Hyuga stated. "Heat levels in the containment area are rising dramatically!"
"The ozone isn't working anymore," Lt. Ibuki called out, her voice sounding tense.
"It's worse than that," Hyuga replied. "It's absorbing the ozone now!"
"Stop the ozone!" Ritsuko commanded. "Find out why it's doing this! Maya, run a full analysis!"
"Yes senpai," Lt. Ibuki replied, her fingers starting to fly over her keyboard as various graphs began to pop up on her screen. Misato watched as the graphs began to move and change with the lieutenant's keystrokes. Ritsuko hovered over the younger woman's shoulder with a concerned expression. Misato knew from experience that that wasn't a very good sign...
"Amazing..." Ritsuko murmured. "Truly amazing... it's evolving in real time..."
Misato's brows furrowed. That was a confusing and concerning statement... "What does that mean?" She asked.
Ritsuko turned to her with a grave expression. "It means that the enemy is more dangerous than initially thought," she replied.
Her eyes widened. She barely had time to process what her friend had told her before all hell broke loose. Half a second later, the central alarm began to sound with deafening blasts. Her heart began to race. "What's going on!" Misato shouted.
"Intruder alert!" Lt. Aoba yelled back over the din of the alarm. "Someone's hacking into our computer systems!"
"Oh no, not now!" Hyuga exclaimed, frantically inputting commands to his console. "They're breaking through the firewall. We can't stop it!"
"We've got to bolster the barrier!" Lt. Aoba shouted. "Run a decoy program!"
"Right!" Hyuga screamed. "Find out where the hacker is and where they're hacking in from!"
"Already on it!" Lt. Aoba shouted.
Misato moved closer to Ritsuko who suddenly looked even paler than she normally did. "Ritsuko, can you do something to stop this?" she hissed.
Her friend didn't react, she just kept staring at the screen with a shocked expression. Misato found it unnerving how Ritsuko seemed to be paralyzed with shock and fear. That was totally unlike her. "Impossible..." she murmured. "This shouldn't be possible..."
Misato had never seen her friend like this but as commander of tactical operations she needed to know what was going on. She grabbed Ritsuko's shoulder. "What shouldn't be possible?" she asked, her eyes locking with the blonde haired scientist's.
"Don't you get it?" Ritsuko replied. "The hacker is..."
"Shit!" Lt. Aoba exclaimed, causing Misato to turn her attention to him. "Trace completed! The hacker is in this building! It's originating from B Wing in the Pribnow box!"
Misato's heart did a flip and her eyes went wide. She whipped back to face Ritsuko. "You don't mean..." she murmured fearfully.
"Yes..." Ritsuko returned, turning to face the console screen in front of Lt. Ibuki once more.
Misato watched as the video feed of the Angel infecting the simulation Evangelion bodies began to shift and change colors. "The optical pattern is changing!" Lt. Ibuki called out.
"Those glowing lights are turning into electronic circuits!" Lt. Aoba shouted back. "It's restructuring into an organic computer!"
"I'm trying to open a decoy entry but there's too much interference!" Hyuga called back.
Misato didn't know much about computers but she did know that shutting her computer down and turning it on again was a good place to start when it came to fixing her own computer terminal in her office when it had problems... Considering Ritsuko seemed too shocked to do anything, she had to do something. "Cut off the main power cable connections!" she barked.
"Negative!" one of the other technicians on the bridge shouted out. "It refuses to accept the command!"
She grimaced. Every second counted, that much she knew... "Use the lasers in the testing tank!" she ordered.
"No effect!" Maya called back. "It's generating an A.T. Field!"
Misato tensed up and glowered out ahead at the readings on the screen. Her enemy was right in front of her and she was powerless to do anything about it. She hated this. She hated this feeling of helplessness. She hated how everything just kept going wrong!
"The Angel is accessing the main security bank!" Lt. Aoba cried. "It's cracking the main pass code! Twelve digit... sixteen digit... It's in!"
"It's broken into the main data bank!" Hyuga screamed. "We can't stop it! It's seized all of our security codes!"
Misato grabbed at Ritsuko's arm once more, whirling her around. "You're the head of development," she stated. "Do you have any idea of how to stop it?"
Ritsuko pulled her arm out of Misato's grasp. "I'm thinking!" she snapped, turning her attention back to the screen in front of her trusted assistant. "This isn't an easy problem to solve!"
It was quite the opposite of reassuring that even the smartest person she knew had no idea of what to do... "Well we need to solve it otherwise we're cooked!" Misato shot back, clenching her fists at her side.
"Holy hell!" Lt. Aoba shouted, standing up from his seat. "It's going after the Magi system!"
"Shut down the system!" Commander Ikari growled from up on his perch. "We cannot let the Magi become compromised!"
Misato watched as Hyuga and Lt. Aoba pulled out a pair of keys and inserted them into their consoles. They gave each other a firm look before Hyuga began a countdown. "Three... two... one!" he shouted.
They two of them turned their keys in unison. Nothing happened. Hyuga turned to the observation box where Commander's Ikari and Fuyutsuki stood. "We can't shut it down!" he screamed desperately.
"The Angel is in our system now!" Lt. Ibuki cried not a second later. "It's made contact with Malchior! It's taking over the first of the three Magi! Malchior is being reprogrammed by the Angel!"
A computerized voice sounded over the command deck from the overhead loudspeaker system. At the same time the central display at the far end of the bridge flashed to life with a graphic of three Magi computers. The graphic of Malchior flashed red and the other two Magi computers flashed blue. "Malchior auto self destruct has been initiated," the voice said. "Overruled... Overruled... Overruled... Overruled..."
Misato's eyes went wide as adrenaline surged in her veins as she fought against the fear that was digging it's claws into her psyche. Did this Angel really intend to use NERV's own last ditch defense systems against them? It was insane... and yet... it was happening...
"It's taken over Malchior and it's hacking into Balthasar!" Lt. Aoba screamed out desperately.
"It's too fast!" Hyuga screamed, shaking his head. "It's too fast!"
"This calculation speed is unbelievable!" Lt. Aoba called out.
Misato watched as the Angel rapidly infected Balthasar as the technicians frantically worked to slow the infestation. It was then that she turned in surprise as Ritsuko spoke up for the first time since everything began to go to hell. "Quick! Change the login parameters! Chance synchronization code to every fifteen seconds!" she barked.
"Right!" Lt. Aoba replied.
Suddenly the graphic showing the infection of the second Magi supercomputer slowed and ground to a near halt. Misato breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Leave it to Ritsuko to come up with a save at the last possible second...
Though he had tried his best not to telegraph his emotions as he always did, internally Gendo had been rather unnerved by the ordeal surrounding the latest Angel so far. It was quite unnerving how this latest enemy had been able to appear so suddenly and infiltrated NERV so easily. During the whole process to keep if from invading the Magi system he'd been beyond nervous but he'd refused to show it. As the commander of NERV he should never show nervousness...
His thoughts had drifted during the whole ordeal to his son and to Rei. They were floating in their plugs on the surface of the lake within the geofront with no idea of what was going on within Central Dogma. If truth be told, he was a bit thankful that they had no idea. If Dr. Akagi had been unable to halt the attack then they would at least be able to die without knowing the full horror of the situation. Then again... that could also be a downside depending on one's point of view. Thankfully Dr. Akagi had been able to hold off the invasion, at least for now. He was always thankful for her ingenuity and cunning, they always served him well and he he'd never been given reason to doubt her even now.
Fuyutuski breathed a sigh of relief. "How much time did we buy?" he asked the bridge crew.
"At least two hours..." Lt. Aoba stated. "I think..."
Gendo couldn't help but eye Dr. Akagi. She was staring at the console with a pensive expression. He didn't know what was going through her mind but he had a feeling that it centered around the Magi and the woman that had built them... her mother. A part of him wished that he could soothe her, reassure her in her abilities. Even if she didn't have faith in herself, he had faith in her to deliver a miracle. He had faith that she would find a way to prevail over their adversary... "So..." he murmured to himself. "The Magi have become our enemy..."
Author's Notes
Edit - did a small tweak to the opening of Misato's final scene. Tribun is correct in his review that explaining an Evangelion popping up on the surface of the city at random would be difficult. One can only imagine the paperwork... Further edit - Fixed some minor grammar errors/typos as were made aware to me.
Once again, the more things change they more they stay the same...
As Tribun said in his latest review it was a "dick move" that the pilots were locked in their plugs for the entirety of the battle in canon. This has been rectified to my liking as Rei assesses the situation and acts accordingly. Expect some... interesting and perhaps humorous events to take place in the next update regarding that little plot development.
I will apologize for what is probably the millionth time by now, I did not intend originally for this Angel to be split over two chapters but alas it has followed that pattern. I strongly doubt that from here on out I'll be able to adapt the events of an episode within a single update. Perhaps episode 14 can be adapted as a single chapter but I strongly doubt that anything afterward will be.
This all said, I hope you like how the divergences in canon plot are beginning to take shape! Rei is becoming quite the action girl isn't she? And Ritsuko and Gendo... they're certainly becoming interesting, right?
Please let me know what you think! I love your criticism and your praise! If I'm losing my mojo, please, don't hesitate to let me have it... Until next time, my beloved readers, until next time...
Regards,
A.F.