Chapter 35 – Conspiracies And Ambivalence
Keel Lorenz sat at his desk in the dark meeting room within his quarters. The events in Tokyo 3 had forced his hand in a number of ways. From the failure of a successful combat test of the Dummy System and now to Evangelion Unit 01 taking in an S2 organ on its own... it had been a worrisome couple of days for the scenario that himself and the rest of SEELE had laid out. That was why he'd called a meeting with the rest of the Human Instrumentality Committee, in order to... plan for things going forward.
The black holograms embossed with the council member's ranks materialized in the otherwise dark and empty room. "This is insane," the monolith labeled SEELE 03 spoke. "The Eva Series aren't capable of generating S2 organs themselves."
"And we never imagined that one would be able to take one into itself this way..." SEELE number 04 added.
"This incident is at extreme odds with the scenario we've created..." SEELE number 02 commented.
"And it's all because of Gendo Ikari..." SEELE number 05 spoke. "It was a mistake to entrust NERV to him... wasn't it?"
Indeed it would seem that Ikari was becoming very much a liability. However, his knowledge of bio-engineering and his ability to push the NERV development teams accomplish goals on schedule had been invaluable. His ability to command the combat operations against the Angels with due fortitude had also been an advantage. This said... it would seem that the rumors of him plotting to betray SEELE were more than just rumors. "Perhaps..." Keel replied. "But he was the only one who could accomplish this project's goals. However... our concerns are not limited to Unit 01."
"Indeed," SEELE number 02 spoke again. "Major damage was sustained by both Unit 00 and Unit 02. In addition, NERV headquarters was partially destroyed, exposing Central Dogma."
"It's impossible to calculate how much time and money we've lost..." SEELE number 05 commented.
"This is all because we didn't put a bell around Ikari's neck," SEELE number 03 stated.
"The bell was there... but it didn't ring," SEELE number 02 countered.
"A bell that doesn't ring has no purpose," Keel stated, taking charge of the meeting. "We'll make sure that the bell works next time, and make sure that should we need to yank his leash that he will submit to our will."
"Indeed, this is the proper way forward, Chairman Keel," SEELE number 02 replied.
Keel allowed himself a smirk. Indeed it was. He was the man heading their little conspiracy after all... "Let us now discuss the Dummy System which will be used aboard the Mass Production Series to carry our plans to fruition," he spoke, taking full control of the meeting. "Ikari has also failed to provide us with data on its effectiveness in combat."
"Yes," SEELE number 02 spoke again. "Yet another thorn in our side that must be dealt with. Is this why you've awakened the final messenger this early?"
"Correct," Keel replied. "The Mass Production Unit nearby my location will be ready within weeks. When it is, we shall see if it can be moved on its own using his mental profile. If it can, then that will be enough to ensure our... containment plan will be enough should we need to use it."
"Speaking of this contingency, the training maneuvers pertaining to it should be wrapping up in the next few weeks," SEELE number 04 stated.
"If Ikari is aware of it then he's certainly unbothered," SEELE number 02 stated. "Perhaps we should apply a bit more pressure..."
Keel breathed deeply. "Unit 01 will remain in stasis until we've perfected the Mass Production Series," he stated in a commanding tone. "Once they have, it will matter not if Ikari continues to defy us."
"Shall we designate the final messenger the Fifth Child immediately at present?" SEELE number 03 inquired.
"No. We shall only reveal our hand when it is absolutely necessary," Keel returned. "For now, the final messenger shall remain hidden."
"The ascendance of mankind stall not be stopped by the will of a rogue player," SEELE number 02 stated.
"God is in his heaven..." Keel spoke, his smirk growing.
"All is right with the world..." chorused all the other members of the Human Instrumentality Committee.
It was morning the day after the battle and Ritsuko stood in the ruined command center with Maya and Lt. Aoba by her side. She stood looking out at the decimation in the room with her arms folded across her chest and a deep scowl etched into her face. The task of recovering the Evas after the battle once Unit 01 had gone back into its dormant state the previous night hadn't given her much of a chance to reflect of how things had unfolded until now.
Things were going horridly similar to what she'd seen in the files she'd made from Rei's memories of the parallel world. Despite her best efforts to calibrate Unit 01 for Rei and in spite of her toiling to ensure the Dummy System would work both had failed. Thankfully, Shinji had returned like he had in that parallel world, if he hadn't then Third Impact would surely have happened yesterday... Still, her mind hung on the Dummy System despite this. Under normal circumstances she'd be kicking herself for her failure, ruminating on what she could possibly have done better, but this situation was different. Rei had warned her that most likely her efforts would fail which got her thinking about the implications. How much control did she ever really have over the Evas? How much could she feasibly change the path NERV was on? How much control did either herself or Rei have in averting the Third Impact? The memory of seeing her own lifeless body laying in a pool of blood in the depths of Terminal Dogma through Rei's eyes sent a shiver down her spine...
One thing was certain, she needed to talk with Rei about what their plans should be going forward as soon as she could find a moment to spare. Heavens knew the blue haired girl would probably need it as much as she did. For the past couple of days she'd been utterly distraught and now with Shinji absorbed in the Eva it was probably going to get worse for her. "We really were lucky to have survived yesterday..." she murmured softly.
"I'll second that," Lt. Aoba stated. "Never thought I'd be that close to an Angel when I took this gig. It's not something I'd like to soon repeat."
"It was definitely a close call," Maya added. "But we definitely paid a heavy price for it. The damage that Unit 00 and Unit 02 incurred is beyond their handling limit."
Ritsuko heaved a heavy sigh. "This is true," she replied. "There's no doubt in my mind that it will be a while before we can return to normal operations."
"It's fortunate that the Magi can be transferred to a new location," Maya stated. "We may be able to begin working as early as tomorrow."
And indeed they were going to have a lot to work on. No one had given her the order yet but she knew full well of the task she would be entrusted with thanks to Rei's memory files. Soon enough she'd be tasked with the salvage operation to reconstitute Shinji's body. She also could infer, considering the failure of the Dummy System that success in that operation would have more to do with the Eva and Shinji himself than her own efforts. After all... the calculations existed and such an operation had been tried once before... only to end in failure. "That would be for the best," she replied softly. "This place isn't viable..."
"Seems like just a matter of time before they decide to abandon it..." Lt. Aoba muttered.
"Most likely..." Ritsuko replied, pushing those thoughts out of her head for now. She had to be strong and chart a direction for the development tear or at least like like she was doing that. "But for the time being we'll have to use the secondary control center and carry on."
"Without the Magi?" Maya asked in a hushed tone, sounding both surprised and concerned.
"Yes," Ritsuko answered. It was better than just doing nothing... "We'll clean the dust off and be back in business by this afternoon."
"But the chairs are too cramped down there and the sensors don't operate smoothly," Maya complained softly. "It's difficult to work in that place..."
"Well... at least the layout is the same as our original control center," Lt. Aoba commented.
"At least we have options," Ritsuko replied, her scowl deepening. "The same can't be said about using Unit 01..."
Misato stood in the Eva cages with Hyuga at her side, staring up at the bandaged face of Unit 01. She'd never seen it without its helmet before and it truly was a sight to behold. Its face was covered in bandages but its mouth was exposed, displaying its unnervingly large teeth and its unblinking green eyes. It almost looked like it was smirking, like it knew something she didn't. She'd had suspicions for a while that the Evas were more than any old cybernetic organism but... after what she'd seen the previous day she had no doubt about what they really were. The Evas were truly monsters beyond human comprehension, barely within mankind's control, bound to humanity only by force of will and perverted science. "It might be restrained by the cage but are we sure it's safe?" she asked.
"Well... there are no heat emissions, free electrons, electromagnetic fields, or chemical reactions," Hyuga replied. "And the S2 unit is completely inactive."
She knew that Hyuga had a point, he was simply stating the facts at hand. However, considering what she'd seen, it was hard to separate those experiences. Besides... the monster known as Eva seemed to be watching them. Those enormous pupils seemed like they'd... followed them when they'd first entered the cage. "Nevertheless, on three separate occasions, Unit 01 has moved on it's own without power," Misato countered. "You can't judge this situation by just the things you can see..."
"We definitely can't take any chances, that's for sure," Hyuga replied, his tone taking on an air of playfulness. "It's as unpredictable as you are, Major..."
Normally she would have appreciated his somewhat flirtatious comment but she was too worried about what was going to happen going forward. It had been almost an entire day and the Eva's plug still hadn't been able to be ejected. She was worried about Shinji, knowing he was trapped inside. At least she knew that the life support systems were working, or at least they were reading as such. He should be fine in there, but certainly hungry. Whenever they could manage to get him out she would definitely treat him to a nice dinner...
"Sorry..." Hyuga stated after a moment.
Misato shook her head. "It's fine, Hyuga," she returned softly. "I'm just... worried about him."
"He'll be fine," Hyuga replied. "I'm sure of it, just like Asuka and Rei will be fine too. Dr. Akagi will see too it that Shinji gets out, don't worry about it."
Misato looked down at her feet and scowled. She could only hope that would be the case. She hadn't had a chance to visit Asuka and she doubted she would have a chance any time soon. Thinking about that just made her feel even worse. It made her feel like she'd failed as a guardian to the both of them...
But even so... her duties always would come first. She hated that and wished it could change, but it was just the life she led as the head of the combat operations branch... "We should probably head to the secondary command center," she stated softly. "Has work begun on extracting the plug yet?"
Hyuga nodded. "They should be starting in a few minutes," he returned.
Misato wasted no time in stalking out of the Eva cages. As she left she could feel Unit 01's giant eyes following her...
Kaji leaned against Commander Ikari's desk with a smirk on his face. He would admit that the entire situation that had unfolded after he'd helped Ikari's son find the motivation to return to battle had him quite unnerved and excited in equal measure. As a triple agent that relished that position, the feeling came with the territory. He'd dropped in on both Ikari and Fuyutsuki as soon as he'd had an opportunity to on the pretense that he was going to be feeding information to SEELE but with him there was always an ulterior motive. He wanted to let the Japanese Government know what was going on and fulfill his own insatiable quest for the truth... "My, my..." he mused. "What a completely unexpected situation... how will you explain this to the committee, or rather... SEELE?"
Commander Ikari's expression was hidden behind his gloves and those orange sunglasses of his but something about his posture told him that he was... contemplating something, something that he refused to let anyone else in on. He said nothing in response, but Vice Commander Fuyutsuki who stood at his side answered him. "There isn't anything to explain," he said. "Unit 01 wasn't under our control. This was an unfortunate accident."
Commander Ikari breathed a sigh. "Thus... Unit 01 will remain frozen for the time being..." he muttered softly. "At least until the committee gives us further orders."
"Precisely," Fuyutsuki added.
Kaji retained his facade of a playful smirk. It wouldn't bode well if the two of them were to think of him as anything other than a useful rogue at this stage in the game and yet, he couldn't resist... probing Commander Ikari. He sensed a weakness in him, a weakness centered around... something involving this incident. By using simple deduction of the factors he knew, he zeroed in on the most likely thing that was occupying the commander's thoughts. "That is very appropriate decision," he replied, his smirk fading. "However... isn't your son still trapped inside it?"
He could see Commander Ikari's eyes close behind his sunglasses and he breathed deeply before replying. "Yes..." he replied, his voice even but tinged with an emotion that Kaji couldn't read. "This is the situation at hand..."
"I see," Kaji replied, pushing off from the desk and standing tall. Perhaps he was pushing his luck but it was a question he wanted answers to, and he was always the kind of person who would get the answers he sought... "And with that in mind, what is the path forward? What exactly does this situation mean?"
"It means that he's trapped inside it," Commander Ikari snapped back. "Dr. Akagi will handle the situation, simple as that."
Kaji sighed, doing his best to keep up the carefree facade he'd so expertly tailored. "That sounds like a smart decision as well," he replied, pressing his question. "Akagi-san has always been a capable mind. However, what might have caused the entry plug to become immovable?"
Commander Ikari seemed to bristle at his comment. "That is none of your concern, Kaji-san," he growled. "You would do well to remember that..."
He knew that he'd struck a nerve, but in what way he had no way of knowing. It was also apparent that if he continued pressing the matter that he would end up overextending and that could potentially cost him everything... Kaji chuckled and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "If that's the case then I will take my leave," he returned in a carefree tone. "I do hope that your son is recovered in good health."
"I hope so as well..." Commander Ikari returned, his tone remaining unreadable.
Misato stood in the secondary command center watching as Ritsuko and Lt. Ibuki began the procedure to extract Unit 01's entry plug. It was mere moments into the checklist that they were following when an error message appeared on the console before Lt. Ibuki and an alarm klaxon started thrumming in the room. Though she stood a few feet away, she could clearly read what the alert was saying... refused.
"I knew this was hopeless..." Lt. Ibuki stated, her voice sounding anxious. "It's not accepting the eject code..."
"What about the backup codes?" Ritsuko asked.
"Also refused," Lt. Ibuki replied. "Ever the direct connection circuit isn't getting through."
"But the plug's video monitor is still active," Hyuga added from where he sat at his station. "I'm channeling it the the central display screen."
Half a second later the feed from inside Shinji's entry plug came up on the central display at the end of the command center, eliciting a collective gasp from everyone on the bridge when it did. Misato was in complete shock from what she saw or rather didn't see... Shinji was... gone! The white shirt and black pants he'd been wearing were still in there but the he himself was missing. There was nothing in there but those articles of clothing, floating in the current of the LCL cycling system.
Misato's mind was racing as she took it all in. Why was this happening? What had even happened? Where had Shinji disappeared to? How had he disappeared? How was any of this even happening!? "What in the world is this!?" she exclaimed, turning to Ritsuko with wide eyes.
Her friend bowed her head and a deep frown took shape on her face. "This... this is the result of what happened yesterday," Ritsuko replied softly. "This is truth behind a four hundred percent synchronization ratio..."
Her anxiety was spiking and her confusion was turning to anger. "I- I can't believe it! What the hell happened to Shinji!?" she shouted.
Ritsuko stared at her for moment and then looked away, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. "He's been taken into Unit 01..." she replied flatly.
Misato stiffened at the comment, her anger and confusion reaching a fever pitch. She'd heard about the initial contact experiments in the early days of NERV, back when it was still called GEHIRN, namely about how dangerous the Evas were, as evidenced by how they had driven Asuka's mother mad... but this? This was insane... "Taken into it!?" she barked. "How so!? How can it do that!? What the hell even is an Eva!?"
Ritsuko still didn't look at her, her stony gaze remaining locked on the central display. "It's a thing made by man in man's own image..." she returned.
Her eyes narrowed. "Created by man..." she snarled. "You didn't create anything, you just copied something that you found in the Antarctic. What was the original? That's what I want to know..."
Ritsuko finally turned her gaze back to her, her expression grave. "This is not just a copy," she replied. "It possesses a human will..."
Misato had heard enough and promptly exploded. There were too many deceptions at play around her, too many lies! She hated this! She hated that her ward, someone she'd really started to see as family had been taken away from her by that monster and now she was being told that this had always been a possibility? That the Eva had made it happen? "Are you saying that someone meant for this to happen!?" she screamed in fury, unwilling to believe what she'd just heard Ritsuko say.
"Yes..." The faux blonde scientist returned. "The Eva did..."
She'd heard enough and in a flash she lashed out with her uninjured arm, smacking Ritsuko across the face so hard that blow of the strike echoed through the room. Shinji was gone and all she could do was wax about the will of that stupid fucking purple monster! It was just too infuriating! "Do something then, dammit!" she howled in anger. "You're the one that created this, didn't you! Take responsibility for what you've done!"
There was a prolonged silence that befell the control room after her outburst. Ritsuko reached up and held her cheek, refusing to meet Misato's angry gaze. "I'll do what I can..." the faux blonde scientist replied softly. "But I can't make any promises that any of our efforts will be successful in retrieving him. I'm... I'm sorry..."
The way her friend had said that felt like a knife being plunged into her heart. To know that even Ritsuko, the smartest person she knew, had doubts that they'd be able to recover Shinji was agonizing. Misato turned on her heel and stomped out of the room, only reaching up to wipe the frustrated, furious tears from her eyes once the door was closed behind her.
Ritsuko sat alone in her office. She had left the secondary command center shortly after Misato had slapped her and stormed out. There was really nothing left to do other than await the commander's order to attempt a salvage operation. She was nervous, worried even, thinking about the prospect of attempting to carry it out. She knew that her other self, the one in Rei's memories had carried out an attempt at extracting Shinji from the core but how she did that she hadn't the foggiest idea.
Could it have something to do with the neural connections between the core, the plug, and the Eva's central nervous system? Did it have something to do with LCL flow and composition? Something to do with electromagnetic signals stimulating both the plug and the core? They all seemed like possible pieces of the over arching puzzle... but how to put them together? The answer eluded her.
The phone on her desk began to ring and she answered it on the second ring. She had a good feeling that it was Gendo calling her to start preparing for the salvage operation... "Akagi speaking," she stated.
She was correct in her prediction of who would be calling her. "The situation with Unit 01..." Gendo's voice answered her. "Do you understand what has transpired?"
His voice was gruff as always but there was a hint of... something in his tone. It almost sounded... reflective? "Yes," Ritsuko replied as calmly, trying to suppress her anxiety regarding what he was surely going to ask her to do. "I understand what's happened."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "I am tasking you with reconstituting the Third Child's body and returning him to us," he stated softly. "Do you understand?"
Ritsuko swallowed the lump that had been growing in her throat. "I understand..." she replied softly. "However it will take some time. It is no easy task that you're giving me. I'm... I'm not sure where to start, sir..."
"This operation isn't new," Gendo replied flatly. "It has been attempted before..."
Ritsuko's heart skipped a beat. She knew what that probably meant. She knew the story of how Yui Ikari had been supposedly killed during the initial contact experiments with Unit 01. She'd suspected for a long time that the soul contained within Unit 01 was hers and when Rei had explained Gendo's plans that had all the confirmation she needed. Now, being told all but explicitly that a soul salvage operation had been attempted in the past to resurrect Yui Ikari... it stirred all sorts of uncomfortable emotions. What if it had been successful? Would Gendo still want to end the world? Was it possible that the only reason he wanted to end the world was because that operation had failed? If so... it was hard not to pity him on some level. "It has?" she asked in response.
"Yes. It has..." Gendo returned evenly. "You should be able to access the documents. They're in the old GEHIRN files. Your... your mother was involved in developing the technology."
That statement stirred the embers of anger for a whole myriad of reasons she'd rather not think about... "Yes sir," Ritsuko replied, trying to sound relieved. She was relieved, relieved that she had a blueprint to go off of but... it also made it abundantly clear where she really stood with him and where her mother had stood as well. It hurt, knowing she'd never been able to capture Gendo's heart and it had been foolish to even think it was ever possible... "I'll take a look at them."
"Good," Gendo returned evenly. "Make the necessary corrections and begin the operation as soon as practicable."
"Yes sir," Ritsuko returned.
The line went dead and Ritsuko hung up the receiver with a heavy sigh. She ran her hands through her hair and sighed. She couldn't help but ruminate for a moment on how much of a fool she'd been. Yui Ikari was the soul of Unit 01, and with that knowledge it made sense now why her mother had never been able to win Gendo over and why she never could. Still... even knowing what a manipulative bastard he was, she still couldn't shake that attraction she'd felt for so long.
She chuckled to herself even though it wasn't funny. Maybe it was a matter of pride that she couldn't let it go. It wouldn't have been the first time where her pride controlled her emotions. She shook her head and ceased chortling about it. It wasn't funny. It wasn't important... she had work to do.
Ritsuko turned her attention to the computer on her desk and began searching NERV's digital records for the old GEHIRN files, or at least the ones that had been digitally scanned...
Rei lay in bed covered by white sheets in one of the dozens of identical white rooms that made up the trauma recovery ward within NERV central, staring up at the ceiling. It was early, the artificial sky inside the geofront was casting the pale blue glow of night over the room she was in. Two nights... two nights she'd spent in this room, and none of them restful. She'd been transported to the room she was currently residing in as soon as a recovery team had found her after the battle. The medical staff had run multiple tests on her and eventually they'd decided to keep her overnight just to monitor the phantom injuries she'd sustained in battle and ensure there was no neural contamination. Her back was aching from the ejection of the plug making any rest difficult but that wasn't what had prevented her from getting much sleep or rest. The fact that things had happened almost exactly as they had in her original timeline was what was weighing heavy on her mind...
Shinji had come back like the heroic soul he was. He'd fought the Angel and defeated it with the help of Yui-sama and now once again he was lost in the core, except this time she doubted he'd return. When he'd left, when he'd said goodbye to her he'd looked to be in so much distress... Whatever bliss awaited him in the embrace of Unit 01's core, to be formless, without thought or feeling would be no doubt an attractive prospect rather than return and face the guilt and pain of reality. All she could do was hope he would return from that void but... but she couldn't be sure he would, and that filled her with such overwhelming sorrow.
She wanted to cry, she wanted to scream... but she just couldn't muster it. The tears just wouldn't flow, replaced with a bitter, empty feeling. If Shinji wanted to stay where he now resided she would understand even though she desperately wished for him to return when the inevitable salvage operation was carried out. After seeing him leave for a second time she'd wanted to retreat into a warm and comfortable place and just... lay there and ignore the world but she couldn't do that. She could never do that, because of her role in everything. Because of her place in the commander's schemes and the task that Yui-sama had placed on her shoulders she couldn't do that. Still... the overwhelming desire to shut down and just... let it all collapse was there. If Shinji was lost then so was she, that was the feeling she had in her heart though she didn't understand it. Was there a word for such an emotion? If there was she couldn't put her finger on it...
She heard distant footsteps drawing closer down the hall and pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind as best she could. She had to retain composure, at least until she knew who it was that was approaching. If it was Dr. Akagi then it would be alright to show her distress. It if was Asuka or Misato then it would be fine as well. But if it was Commander Ikari then she'd need to remain stoic as best she could. She closed her eyes and bit her lip. She hoped it wouldn't be him, it would be so hard to keep control of herself if it was him. After all... he was the one that had caused all of this. Everything... everything bad that had ever happened to her and to Shinji ultimately led back to him.
Rei heard the footsteps stop at her door. She opened her eyes and turned her head to see the person she wanted to see least standing there, Commander Ikari...
"How are you?" he asked, stepping into the room.
She sat up. "My injuries are minor..." she replied, holding back the venom she so desperately wanted to spit in his direction. "Thank you... for your concern..."
He adjusted those orange sunglasses he always wore and folded his arms behind his back. "Your actions bought us valuable time," he stated. "I'd like to extend my thanks."
She looked away from him and stared at her knees which were covered by her sheets. She chose her next words carefully. If she revealed that she knew Shinji had returned it would cause nothing but trouble. "Did the Dummy System destroy the Angel?" she asked even though she knew the answer. "Or did Pilot Ikari return to fight?"
Commander Ikari seemed to tense up and there was a pause before he spoke again. "Shinji Ikari returned to pilot Unit 01..." he replied, his tone becoming... remorseful? "The Angel was destroyed thanks to his efforts."
Rei found herself a bit surprised by the way he said that. It sounded guilt stricken, something she'd never thought she'd see from him. Perhaps her efforts to change him via Shinji had borne some fruit... "Is he... alright?" she pressed, turning to face him once more with a frown, unable to hide the feelings of sorrow that he was... separated from her any longer.
Commander Ikari's lips parted and his hands fell to his sides, his posture stiffening once again. "It is... unclear at present," he returned softly. "We have been... unsuccessful in extracting him from the entry plug."
Rei looked down at her knees once again, gritting her teeth to fight against the tears and the feeling of... hollowness that the reality that her closest friend had been wrenched away from her once again brought. "Why?" she murmured softly even though she knew the reason.
A heavy, uncomfortable silence hung in the room. "His synchronization ratio... reached unprecedented levels," Commander Ikari replied. "This resulted in him being absorbed into the core of Unit 01."
Rei looked at Commander Ikari once more, trying her best to retain composure and finding it difficult. The sadness and the anger and the hurt were threatening to overflow. "I see..." she replied, just above a whisper, her gaze drifting down at the floor.
There was another pause before Commander Ikari spoke again. "Dr. Akagi will handle the matter in time," he spoke, his tone of voice coming across as uncertain, perhaps a note of nervousness contained within that gruff baritone. "Try and rest, Rei."
"I will try..." she murmured in reply, laying down and turning away from him. She didn't want to continue this conversation. It was too uncomfortable.
Silence hung heavy for another handful of moments before Commander Ikari left the room, his footsteps echoing down the hallway outside of her room. Rei pulled the sheets tighter around herself and pulled her knees to her chest in a vain attempt to suppress the storm of emotions swirling within her, to feel numb to them...
At least... at least she could confide in Dr. Akagi now, whenever the medical staff decided she was functional enough to be released.
It was early in the morning and Ryuji Nakajima was laying in his assigned bed in the temporary regimental barracks of the base in Hokkaido his unit was stationed at, staring up at the bunk above him with bleary eyes. He was tired, exhausted even. The combat exercise that his regiment had been performing had been taking a lot out of him. It was a bitch being the guy who had to hump the squad's machine gun for miles back and forth every day. It was also annoying that in the few weeks that the live fire drills had been going on that they'd been forced to postpone and go on combat alert three separate times, twice because of those Angel creatures attacking Tokyo 3 in the south and once because of some anti-government rebels acting up in Tokyo 2. It was frustrating beyond belief and none of it made any sense...
A pair of feet swung down from the bunk above him into his line of sight. The person above pushed off their bed and hit the tile floor with their bare feet, producing a jarringly audible thwack before sitting down on his bed much to his annoyance. "Hey," Masaki said with a grin before letting out a yawn. "You ready for today's maneuvers?"
Nakajima let out a groan, rubbing his eyes and turning away from his friend. "No," he replied flatly. "Honestly wish I could have slept a bit more..."
"And risk the wrath of Sgt. Saito when he checks the barracks?" Masaki retorted. "You're a brave one."
"Fatigue will do incredible things to a man," Najakima retorted.
"So would getting to sleep at a normal time," Masaki countered. "Don't think I don't notice you reading articles pertaining to what's going on in Tokyo 3 after lights out late into the night."
It was true that late at night he had taken up a habit of reading articles related the those Angel things and NERV he'd managed to print off the internet but the deeper he dug the more... disturbing the rabbit hole became. First of all, next to nothing regarding those giant robots NERV was using was a matter of public record, it was almost all classified. That said... he'd been doing some digging after what he'd witnessed right before leaving Tokyo 3. After what he'd seen, he'd been unable to just let it go.
Everyone in the regiment had been shaken up for a bit after witnessing what they had, even the tough as nails Sgt. Saito. Then again, who wouldn't have been a bit disturbed by seeing one of the Evangelion things or whatever they were called literally ripping itself out of the Lovecraftian monster that had swallowed it... but that wasn't what made it disturbing. What had made the incident disturbing was... the sound the damn thing had made. It had howled and roared like it was alive and robots weren't supposed to do that. He could remember that moment as if it had happened yesterday. The movements... the sounds... clearly that thing, whatever it was, was more than a mere machine. Its movements were to fluid... too natural... too human.
Though most of the official documents related to anything related to those Evas was under wraps he had gotten some technical specifications related to the power supply and that they were apparently controlled by a human pilot. He found it odd that they operated mostly via external power but that had a whole bunch of implications which had gotten him thinking. Maybe some of the... conspiracy theories he'd brushed up with during his research during the short periods of downtime he could enjoy during the ongoing exercise with special forces held sway. There were strange rumors about what might have caused Second Impact, something about some expedition finding the first one of those Angel monsters. Hell, it would certainly explain a lot about the Angel things.. but it didn't explain why his regiment was out in the middle of nowhere in Hokkaido. Unless...
Nakajima scowled and rolled completely away from his friend. If he began rambling off the crazy conspiracy theories he'd been looking into his friend simply wouldn't understand. "Well I for one am trying to gain a bit of perspective on everything we've been through..." he grumbled.
Masaki chortled. "What's there to gain perspective on?" he retorted. "We saw some messed up shit, man, simple as that."
Nakajima sat up and glared at his friend. "Yeah, but don't you wonder why all this crap is going on?" he spat. "Ever given it any thought even after all these months?"
Masaki shrugged. "What's to really think about?" he returned. "There's giant monsters attacking our country and NERV seem to be the only ones who can beat them. The failure of that Jet Alone robot proves it."
Nakajima sighed and ran his hands through his hair. Of course he wouldn't get it, Masaki's go with the flow attitude just wouldn't allow that. "Yeah, that's obvious," he replied. "But don't you think its a bit odd that NERV was just... ready for them when those stupid monsters started showing up?"
Masaki cupped his chin and scratched the stubble there. "Yeah... you got a point there," he returned. "But, I mean... if there was ever a worry that something like this would be happening someone had to be prepared right?"
"Yes, exactly," Nakajima continued, slipping out of bed and pulling slipping into the fatigue pants that he'd discarded at the side of the bed the previous night. "But if someone knew that this shit was going to happen, why wouldn't anyone be honest about it? How come it's still kept under wraps from most of the public and how come some shady U.N. backed organization with little oversight has the only weapon that can beat these monsters?"
"NERV is internationally backed by most of the world's governments to do what they're doing, right?" Masaki countered. "What's the problem?"
Nakajima snarled and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "The problem is all the secrecy," he huffed. "Why? Why wouldn't they share this Evangelion tech that they have with us or other governments? We're the fucking army! Aren't we supposed to be the ones defending Japan?"
Masaki's expression shifted, a frown taking form on his usually carefree face. "I guess you have a point..." he muttered.
"You know I do," Nakajima pressed. "And think about this... why do you think we're doing these live fire exercises, the largest the Japanese Military has put on since the end of the Cold War?"
Masaki stared back at him with a pensive expression. "I don't know..." he murmured. "Perhaps the government is preparing to support NERV in whatever way they can?"
Nakajima rolled his eyes and hung his head, staring down at the tile floor. Of course his friend would retain his sense of optimism in the face of everything. It was honestly infuriating at times... "Honestly? I feel like there's something else at work... I don't know, man, I just feel it..." he grumbled.
"What are you thinking then?" Masaki asked.
"I know he's special forces but Colonel Shikishima hasn't mentioned what this whole things is about," Nakajima stated. "Neither has General Oda. In fact, no one has. You'd think at least somebody would say for sure what this exercise is preparing us for."
"So?" Masaki replied. "Any time special ops gets involved in anything there's always a little bit of secrecy, what's your point?"
Nakajima sighed. Time to go full conspiracy theorist... He turned his head to face his friend once again with a frown. "So... this is a guess but, I think those robot things NERV uses require external power to operate, hence why we saw all those cables scattered around Tokyo 3 when we got pulled in to support them that last time before we got redeployed here," he stated. "Hell, we saw the red one had a cable attached to its back, right?"
"Yeah, you mentioned that a few days ago," Masaki replied, starting to become a little aggravated. "Get to the point already!?"
"Do you remember the training the two of us did with the Type 79 Jyu-MAT a few days ago?" Nakajima returned with a serious expression. "Tell me, if this exercise really is preparation to support NERV, why the fuck were we shooting at lengths of cable?"
Colonel Shikishima stood in his office, staring out into the distance in the direction of the live fire testing range that was currently devoid of activity. So far the portion of the maneuver exercises he'd been tasked with overseeing had been going well despite having to postpone a few times due to reactions to news and alerts coming from Tokyo 3. Even if the exercise was going well, knowing about the contingency plan that General Oda had informed him that the exercise was for put a bad taste in his mouth.
The fact that the Ministry of Defense was actually preparing to fight against their own countrymen didn't sit well with him, no matter how much NERV held preference in parliament over the military. It was rather angering too that no one seemed to know why this was being prepared as a contingency other than rumors about a potential coup that NERV might perpetrate. Yes, he understood the fear that NERV had quite a bit of political power both in Japan and on the world state and that Gendo Ikari its leader was considered a very deceitful man, but there was no evidence of any kind to his knowledge that NERV would attempt a coup to overthrow the government. His contact with the DIH, Fujita, who was stationed in their Tokyo 3 headquarters certainly seemed to think the rumors of such a thing were unfounded.
The reasoning behind his current assignment was baffling for sure. No one seemed to know where the rumors of a coup started and no one seemed to be able to explain how the current exercise had been green lit. Certainly parliament didn't know the full details... and it seemed like even Oda had no idea of who'd set the exercise in motion. It made Shikishima wonder... could there be some sort of wider conspiracy, perhaps one involving the Ministry of Defense? Perhaps the U.N.? The possibilities were endless and all very concerning... He couldn't help but feel like he was sitting on a powder keg.
He turned his head to his desk as the phone atop it started to ring. Swiftly he stalked to the desk and picked up the phone. "Shikishima speaking," he boomed into the reciever.
"Are you sitting down?" Fujita's voice sounded on the other end.
Shikishima's frown deepened. Fujita usually had a rather smug and sarcastic tone when addressing anything. Then again, what else would one expect from a filthy spy... The fact that he didn't sound so cavalier at present was worrisome. Something must have happened during the last alert the previous day, something big. "I'm standing but I'm comfortable," he replied, tapping his fingers against the mahogany desktop. "I assume you have some sort of news?"
Fujita chuckled but it was a nervous chuckle. "You're gonna think I'm talking out of my ass on this one, Colonel," he replied. "I don't think I could have seen shit any crazier than what I saw yesterday."
This did not sound like the spy he knew... "What transpired?" he inquired, a hint of nervousness entering his tone as his usual condescension toward Fujita evaporated.
"So... there was another Angel attack on Tokyo 3 yesterday, which I'm sure you know the press is doing their best to keep under wraps as best they can..." Fujita returned, sounding unsure of what to say. "A good amount of the city was blasted to pieces but that's par for the course. What isn't... is... Fuck, you're just not going to believe this one, not until you see the photos I managed to take..."
Now Shikishima was starting to actually get worried. What was getting Fujita so worked up? What had he managed to take photos of? What could possibly be so unbelievable? "What?" he spat. "What is it, Fujita?"
There was a short pause before Fujita spoke again. "Those robots that NERV uses to fight these Angel things... I don't think they're robots..." he replied uneasily.
Well... that certainly came from the left side of the ballpark. "Are you screwing with me Fujita?" Shikishima retorted dismissively. How could those things NERV was using be anything less than mechanical? What was the spy talking about? "What do you mean by that?"
Fujita shakily exhaled on the other end. "Yesterday I saw something truly insane," he returned in a hushed voice. "NERV headquarters was nearly obliterated by the latest monster to attack them. I evacuated topside into their underground bio-dome just in time to see the climax of the battle..."
Shikishima was getting tired of the hesitation on the spy's part. "And what did you see?" he growled.
There was another pause before Fujita spoke again. "I know it sounds crazy but... the purple NERV robot... ate the monster it was attacking..." he replied softly. "It regenerated its own arm from a piece of the monster's flesh too. I... it defies explanation..."
Shikishima's eyes went wide. If what Fujita was telling him was true and the spy wasn't messing with him then... it was a possibility that the Angels and those Evangelions NERV created were one in the same. Was it possible that they were the same species as those monsters but with cybernetic components welded on to them? It was disturbing but it did make sense... They did manage to kill those Angel things when conventional weaponry failed time and again. It also explained how NERV had been able to reproduce that almost mythical sounding A.T. Field thing he'd been informed the Angels possessed. "Are you saying that the Evas are... cyborgs of some kind?" he inquired.
"I don't know, but that seems like a good theory," Fujita replied. "All I know is that things have been a mess over here since yesterday. Everyone is on edge. I've informed my superiors at the DIH and they're quite worried."
Shikishima grit his teeth. This was not good... "What do you think the fallout from this incident will entail?" he asked.
"Once again, I don't know," Fujita replied. "What I do know is that the world is getting to be far more dangerous a place than anyone could have imagined."
It would be foolish to think anything else... "It is unfortunate that you're correct in that assessment..." Shikishima returned softly.
"Alright, someone's coming, I gotta go..." Fujita stated, his tone becoming a bit hushed
Shikishima understood. "Take care of yourself, Fujita," he replied.
With that, Fujita hung up the phone and Shikishima was left alone with his thoughts.
Rouji Kaji drifted through the halls of NERV just below the now decimated command center, his hands in his pockets and a pensive expression on his face. After his meeting with Commander Ikari in the wake of Unit 01's little incident he'd returned to his assigned flat to find a notice in his mail informing him that his security clearances had been revoked.
This certainly put a crimp in his plans to uncover the truth of everything surrounding SEELE and NERV. He had been so close as well and confirming with his own eyes that the Evas were the same kind of creatures as the Angels was proof of that. However, the Human Instrumentality Project still mystified him. He understood that it was something regarding the forced evolution of mankind and that somehow it involved the Evas, both the operational units and the soon to be completed Mass Production Series, along with that Adam creature in the basement, but exactly what it meant still eluded him. He also understood that apparently SEELE did not trust Commander Ikari to carry out the operation, which he found interesting and unsettling. There was certainly unrest in the shadowy world that he inhabited. At least, with the knowledge of SEELE's stance, he knew what side he would pick if push came to shove. He was content with humanity as it was currently...
As for pushing becoming shoving... with his clearances revoked it looked like he would soon have to pick a side. The only reason that this could have happened to him was if NERV had gotten wise to his spying for the PSIA or he'd simply outlived his usefulness to Commander Ikari. Then again, perhaps his conversation with Commander Ikari the previous day had caused him to overextend, leading to that notice coming his way. All of those possibilities were equally possible and worrisome. Neither option was indicative of long term survival, but then again, a part of him had somewhat accepted that his quest would meet a bitter end a while ago... It was only fitting after what had happened to his brother and his friends all those years ago. At this point his only regret was that he'd be leaving behind Misato should his mission end in death without having fully reconciled with her.
He rounded the corner in the hall he was walking in, careful to take note of the lack of a security camera in the corridor he'd turned into. Being off camera could be as dangerous as being on it. One could disappear when off camera but... one could also disappear, and now that he had the risk of an involuntary disappearance hanging over his head he had to be extra cautious. Coming down the hall he could hear a voice whispering and paused his walk to listen. The voice sounded familiar...
Kaji continued down the hallway and spotted an open door. He peered inside the dimly lit room to see a man speaking on a cellphone with his back turned to the door. Instantly he recognized who the man was, it was the spy working for the DIH, Tetsuo Fujita. A scowl descended on his face as the gears in his mind started turning. Had his exposure as a double agent been caused by this man? Was he also an agent of SEELE? Was he waiting there to ambush him? Then again, perhaps Ritsuko or Misato had exposed him whether intentionally or accidentally, or he could have just forgotten to log out of a computer he shouldn't have been using. At this point he could truly trust nothing and no one...
Fujita flipped his cellphone shut and Kaji wasted no time in making his move. He closed the distance between the two of them and pinned the other spy up against the wall with his forearm at the other man's throat. He wanted answers as to why his position has been compromised and if this guy had the answer he was going to get it out of him one way or another. "Who were you talking to?" he hissed. "Did you cause Commander Ikari to think I'm a liability?"
Fujita gasped for air and tugged at the forearm pinned against his throat. "What are you talking about?" he choked out in a hoarse voice as he tried to squirm free. "And buy me dinner first before you try choke me like this!"
Kaji turned his head toward the door to make sure no one was watching them and let up on the pressure he was applying to the man's throat just a bit. "My security clearances have been revoked," he hissed. "And you're one of the only people who know of my purpose here. Did you have something to do with this? Does Commander Ikari know about you? Does he know that I know about you?"
Fujita winced and took a deep breath. "No, Ikari doesn't know about me, and why would I interfere with you?" he replied, panting. "You're about the only person I can think of who can get to the truth of what's going on here..."
He still didn't trust him but Fujita seemed to be being earnest with him so Kaji fully released him. "Why do you care about the truth?" he asked. "I thought you were casing this place so the JSSDF could blow it up one day?"
"I was, and I did, though I've been done with that for a while now," Fujita coughed, rubbing his throat. "But I decided to stick around. I wanted to get to the bottom of the rumors that necessitated that original mission. Seems like this is the treatment I get for that though. I thought we were on the same side..."
Kaji stuffed his hands in his pockets. His handler in the PSIA had informed him of the growing rumors drifting through the halls of the Ministry of Defense after he'd told her about Fujita's assignment. He knew that the rumors of a coup plot were completely bogus, he'd seen enough of NERV's internal networking and documents to know that, but he had a gut feeling that those rumors fed into whatever the Human Instrumentality Project had in store... "So you were hoping that I could help you with that?" he asked. "When were you planning to reach out?"
"In all honesty, today," Fujita replied. "Especially considering what we all saw with Unit 01, but it doesn't matter now. You just said your security clearance has been revoked so any effort to reach out on my part would have been for nothing."
Kaji sighed and ran a hand through through his ponytail. "I wouldn't say for nothing," he huffed. "Just because my clearances have been revoked doesn't mean I can't do my job..."
Fujita scoffed. "Do you have a death wish?" he retorted.
Kaji chuckled. "Oh, I rather enjoy living," he returned wryly. "But I would put exposing the truth to be more important than my own life."
Fujita laughed. "Spoken like a true idealist," he snickered. "Are you sure you chose the right career path, Kaji-san?"
Kaji once again scowled. "Lets just say I have my reasons to feel this way, something I need to atone for," he muttered.
Fujita scratched his chin and adjusted the sub-machine gun he carried on his back as part of his ruse as a security guard. "Well... since we've established that we're not going to stab each other in the back and that you're pursuit of truth means more than your life... I think we can make some sort of a partnership work," he said quietly.
It seemed like a logical place to start, an alliance of some kind. "That would seem mutually beneficial to both of our organizations," Kaji returned. "But what do you propose? Your security clearance at NERV is without a doubt far less permissive than mine ever was."
Fujita nodded. "This is true... but I do have access to the camera feeds," he replied. "Perhaps I can help you cover your tracks as you continue to snoop around."
Kaji smirked. This was far more interesting a conversation that he'd anticipated it being... "So you're going to be my guardian angel with a computer monitor, huh?" he quipped.
Fujita chuckled before taking on a serious expression. "I'd prefer not to think about Angels, but if you want to call me that, fine," he replied. "I can't promise anything, only that I'll do my best to cover for you. In return I only ask for information regarding what's really going on here."
Kaji thought on that statement for a moment. He still didn't trust Fujita but having someone covering him via messing with the cameras to keep his exploits hidden would certainly be an advantage going forward. At present he wasn't comfortable sharing what information he had. Besides, if he did it, it could lead to further escalation of tensions depending on what Fujita decided to do with it. "I'll take this deal," he replied. "But I'm sharing nothing until I have the full picture, understand?"
Fujita nodded. "I understand. Without the whole truth it could muddy the waters ever further," the spy replied, stepping past him. "I think both of us want to avoid unnecessary bloodshed."
"Precisely," Kaji replied. "I'm glad we're on the same page on this. And I'm sorry for choking you. It's... difficult to trust people in this business."
Fujita snickered. "No worries, Kaji-san," he returned. "Just don't get yourself killed. If you do that will leave me in a predicament considering our connection, not to mention I'd imagine NERV's Combat Director will be quite upset about that too."
Kaji stiffened upon hearing those last words. "How do you know about that?" he asked, barely able to contain his surprise.
Fujita laughed and braced his hand against the door to the room, looking back over his shoulder. "Let's just say I've done some digging in my spare time while you've been focused on finding the truth as you put it," he returned. "Take care, Kaji-san."
With that final statement Fujita left the room, leaving Kaji alone with his thoughts. The stakes in the game were mounting and he fully understood just how desperate the situation was becoming. He could only hope that there was some way to ensure that things would have a good end once the truth came out but the odds of that were getting slimmer by the day...
Gendo sat in his office, his chair turned around from his desk, staring out into the geofront in the direction of where the climax of the battle with the Fourteenth Angel had occurred. The results of the battle were weighing heavy on his mind. SEELE was quite displeased since they had never intended for any of NERV's Evas to obtain an S2 organ and therefore they were quite unhappy. He had no doubt that they would try to make him or someone under him answer for it eventually but he was already so far ahead of them in the game that it made little difference. The key to his plans had been attained...
But that stirred nothing but conflicting emotions now...
It was ironic, he was so close... he was so close to attaining the dream he'd been chasing ever since Yui had been taken from him and only now were the doubts beginning to mount. He'd already had a growing sense of guilt for his past treatment of his son. He'd already been beginning to feel guilt for the pain he'd caused him via the Eva after destruction of Unit 03 which was why he'd allowed him to leave. However... seeing Rei after the battle had solidified his doubts about his scenario and about whether Yui would forgive him for all his nefarious deeds.
He'd gone to see her when the recovery teams had brought her to the recovery section of the medical ward the previous day. He knew from various reports that the girl had formed a bond of friendship with his son, a matter he cared little about, but seeing her after the battle had made it clear the depth of that friendship. He'd instilled in her a sense of duty and stoicism via the conditions he'd raised her in in an attempt to distance his emotions from her, to view her only as a tool but... after seeing her face after the battle... he could no longer fool himself into thinking of her as a mere object.
Her face had been... vacant and her eyes filled with a depth of sorrow he hadn't known her capable of. Their conversation had been brief. She'd spoken evenly with him when he'd asked her if she was well and she'd voiced thanks for his concern. She'd asked about his son and he'd informed her of what her knew. It was a simple, trivial conversation, but... even so, he'd left the room with many things completely laid bare about himself. He cared about both her, perhaps almost as much as Shinji. He felt guilty for the pain they'd both been through. He'd been a horrible to both of them... and seeing Rei's face, with that subtle look of disapproval had brought him to his current rumination as he stared off at the geofront lake...
Rei didn't deserve the fate he'd planned for her and Yui would certainly be irate with everything he'd done in her absence. How ironic was it that only after attaining the final key to achieving his ends, something he'd plotted for and anxiously awaited for years, that he understood that bitter truth...
To say that he felt conflicted was an understatement but he also knew that it was pointless to feel that way. He'd come too far and done too much to change his course now but... there was no small amount of preemptive guilt that was tugging at him. He just had to remind himself that the world was doomed anyway thanks to SEELE and what he'd planned out was still the best course of action. In that context there was no way that he could change course now. All he could do was hope that the salvage operation he'd tasked Dr. Akagi with would be successful, unlike the last time it had been attempted. The failure of that attempt was why things were as they were in the first place...
"You seem tense," a familiar voice called out from behind him. "What is on your mind, Ikari?"
Gendo sighed. "Many things, Fuyutuski," he replied. "Many things..."
The older man stepped closer to him but Gendo still didn't turn around to face him, keeping his eyes locked on the distant clearing where Unit 01 had consumed the Angel's core. "If you're worried about your son, you and I both know full well that the procedure for salvaging him is already well documented," Fuyutuski stated. "We will be successful this time."
Gendo's scowl deepened. This was a fact but it had never been used successfully, even when the math behind it was perfect. Then again... perhaps a bit of success had to do with the subject of the salvage. Perhaps it was as much up to his son to want to return as it was for them to bring him back. Extrapolating that thought process, that could mean...
No! No, he wouldn't entertain those thoughts, he wouldn't. If he did in any serious fashion then there wasn't a doubt in his mind that everything, all his plans, his very sanity, would all unravel... "Perhaps..." Gendo muttered darkly, wishing desperately to change the topic. "Any new word from the committee?"
"Not to speak of," Fuyutsuki replied. "Just the usual complaints. Other than that they don't have much to say."
"I see..." Gendo murmured. "It would seem that they're awaiting the results of the salvage operation before they make their next move..."
"So it would seem," Fuyutsuki agreed.
Ritsuko sat at her desk, pouring over all of the old paperwork and computer files regarding soul salvage that had been locked away in NERV's archives. She'd been at it for hours and she'd already figured much of the process out. It would seem that her theory of stimulating the Eva's nervous system with electrical currents had been very close to the mark when it came to soul salvage operations. Her mother had certainly put together an extensive blueprint for pulling off such a feat. It was frustrating to think that even now she was in her mother's shadow as a scientist... but, if she could successfully carry this out then finally she'd have one thing she could truly claim that she'd surpassed her with. Then again... seeing the truth of what lay at the heart of NERV and the Human Instrumentality Project, seeing herself in her mother's shadow didn't matter as much to her anymore. Moreover, the fact that she could let go of her jealousy and insecurity towards Rei... she'd already surpassed her. That... that was a comforting feeling amid all of the heartache she'd endured to get where she was now.
Still... part of her knew that to be successful, having also reviewed the memories she had on file that she'd extracted from Rei's brain... that Shinji would have to want to come back.
Thinking about things in that light made her curious. Perhaps Yui Ikari had not wanted to return from the Eva's core? Perhaps she'd chosen to stay within the Eva for some reason? It was certainly a possibility, and if the salvage operation regarding Shinji had only been successful in the parallel reality because of his choice, it was a probability.
This raised a whole slew of questions... Did anyone theorize this at the time when this operation was tried before? Was is possible that Gendo didn't know? She wouldn't have put it past her mother to keep such information from him considering how... things had been between the two of them. Was it possible that he did know and he was simply desperate enough or selfish enough not to care? Was that the reason why he was planning his own version of Instrumentality?
None of these questions had easy answers. None of these questions had answers that she could feasibly find the answers to without compromising herself in some manner. Besides, pondering such things in detail was frivolous when she had a task at hand to accomplish. Regardless of the answers to those questions, averting the end of the world took precedent over any answer or reason. After all, if the Third Impact happened then knowing those answers would mean less than nothing...
Ritsuko heaved a sigh and put a cigarette between her lips, lit it, and took a long drag. Despite that knowledge, should couldn't shake the feeling that there was something in that mystery could be useful. Even though the details surrounding Yui Ikari's absorption into the core were vague at best and the documents she'd been pouring over didn't clarify much, the idea that she'd chosen to remain in the core could play into her and Rei's collective schemes. Once she'd finalized the improved salvage operation she'd have to consult with the azure haired girl on such matters.
Speaking of Rei... she would definitely try and see her soon. After what she'd heard from the medical staff about her being restless and weary, sullen beyond sullen, she knew that she could definitely use someone to talk to...
But that couldn't happen just yet. She had a job to do and the sooner that Shinji was back the better. If an Angel attacked before Unit 00 and Unit 02 were repaired then they would have no choice to use Unit 01, regardless of any restrictions Gendo had put in place... She picked up the phone and dialed Maya's station. If anyone could be of help in preparing things and checking her corrections, her kouhai was the person she could count on most... "Ibuki here," the other woman answered after a few rings.
"Hi Maya," Ritsuko spoke. "I could use your assistance if you're available."
"I'm free, there's nothing going on at the bridge right now," Maya replied in a somewhat defeated tone. "After realizing what happened to Shinj-kun and after Major Katsuragi's outburst yesterday... it's been... hard to focus on anything."
"Understandable," Ritsuko replied, her frown deepening. She could totally understand their morale being effected. Seeing their workplace nearly destroyed followed by one of their pilots dissolved into nothing could do things to someone... "But that's exactly what I'm calling about. I'm currently ironing out the details of a salvage operation to recover Shinji. Would you like to assist me?"
Maya sounded absolutely thrilled. "I'll be right there!" she cried over the line.
Ritsuko couldn't help but smile despite the seriousness of the situation at hand. Maya getting so excited about the possibilities of science reminded her of herself when she was younger, before she learned of the dark placed the pursuit of such passions could really lead...
Misato moved through the halls of the medical ward in the wing where both Asuka and Rei were being treated. She'd spent the previous evening signing off on the various reports required by the U.N. Security Council regarding the incident surrounding Unit 01 as best she could after learning what had happened to Shinji. It wasn't much, but at the time, pouring herself into that felt like some meager way to help the situation at hand. It hadn't helped, and so after an hour or so of doing that she left headquarters.
She hadn't spoken to Ritsuko since she'd slapped her. She didn't want to. She'd passed the faux blondes office on the way out but had been unable to force herself to stop and apologize. She was just too angry and upset about what had happened to her ward to apologize. Part of her really did blame her friend for what had happened to Shinji, or at least she wanted to blame her. All the secrets and lies surrounding NERV were building up and it was straining her relationship with her oldest friend...
When she finally got home, she'd gotten shitfaced drunk to try and forget about it, to forget about everything. Even doing that had just made her feel like shit. She felt like a failure, and the fact that she hadn't visited Asuka or Rei since the battle really drove home the feeling of failure, both as a guardian and as a commanding officer. It wasn't that she didn't want to go visit them, she did, but... after everything that had happened it was just... too hard. She needed to process what she'd seen before she could explain it to them. Still, she chastised herself for that weakness. She had to be brave for the both of them. What else could NERV's combat operations director do?
Ahead she could see a door opening. Out stepped Rei into the hallway a few meters down from where she was, staring down at the tile floor. Misato stopped where she was and regarded the blue haired girl, taking in the vacant expression that she wore. "Hi Rei..." she greeted. "How are you?"
Rei turned her head to face her, her brows knitting up. "I am... fine, Misato-san..." she replied soberly. "I've been discharged and declared fit for duty..."
She was glad that Rei was alright but she knew that the blue haired girl wasn't telling the truth about how she was really feeling. Rei's expression said everything her words did not, and she had a good feeling as to why. "So..." Misato continued. "I'm guessing you know what happened, huh?"
Rei nodded slowly. "I do..." she replied. "Commander Ikari informed me earlier today..."
Misato bit the inside of her lip. "We're all very lucky that Shinji came back to fight..." she replied. "I'm guessing you know what happened to him?"
Rei nodded once again. "I am aware..." she murmured softly, staring down at the floor.
Deep down she knew that there was nothing she could say to make her feel better or at least ease her distress. She knew how close Rei and Shinji were and there was not a doubt in her mind that Rei was devastated, the look on her face was evidence enough. Still... she had to try. She had to say something to try and help. Seeing her this upset was just saddening... "For what it's worth, if it wasn't for you and Asuka, delaying the Angel we'd probably all be dead right now," she said. It was pathetic but it was all she could think of...
Rei shifted on her feet and crossed her arms, grabbing at her sleeves, still refusing to make eye contact. "That is... not much consolation..." she returned, barely above a whisper.
Misato sighed and hung her head. It sounded even more terrible now that she'd said it. "I know..." she murmured in response.
There was an uncomfortable silence that befell them as Rei fidgeted with her sleeves. After a moment she lifted her gaze and stared at her with a vacant look that Misato knew was forced in order to conceal her sadness. "I'll be heading home now," she said softly. "Take care, Misato-san..."
Rei stepped forward and Misato couldn't muster another word as the blue haired girl drifted past her. She closed her eyes and breathed a heavy sigh before continuing on her way to Asuka's room. Even though Asuka had last spoken ill towards Shinji, something told her that speaking with her was going to be even more difficult that talking to Rei. She had a feeling that she was going to be angry, especially since she put such pride into her position as a pilot...
The remaining walk to Asuka's room took less than a minute and when she opened the door she found the redhead sitting up in bed with her arms crossed, a deep scowl on her face, staring away out the window. "Hey Asuka," Misato greeted. "How are you feeling?"
Asuka turned to face her and snorted. "Great!" she spat, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I just love sitting here with no way to entertain myself. Are they going to give me the all clear to get the hell out of here any time soon?"
"They should be discharging you soon," Misato returned, forcing a smile. "I'm glad you're alright."
Asuka looked away, wrinkling her nose. "Yeah..." she grumbled. "Thanks for cutting the nerve connections before that last strike. What even happened after that? Did Dr. Akagi use that stupid autopilot to beat the Angel?"
Misato's breath caught in her throat, knowing Asuka wasn't going to take the news well. "Did... did anyone tell you what happened?" she asked nervously.
Asuka shook her head. "No," she replied, still frowning. "No one's said anything to me about the battle, just that we managed to win and Unit 01 went nuts."
Misato swallowed the lump in her throat. There was no way to say it delicately. She just had to say it and endure the explosion... "Rei tried to fight it in Unit 00 but that went about as well as you could imagine."
Asuka's face took on a look of concern momentarily. "Is she alright?" she asked.
Misato looked down at the tile. If she held back any longer then she'd lose her courage. "Rei's fine, she returned softly. "She was discharged just a few minutes ago... but the reason we won was because... Shinji returned to NERV and piloted Unit 01..."
Asuka's eyes went wide for half a second before her face contorted into an angry grimace. "Of course he did..." she snarled. "How else could we have won if not for that stupid invincible asshole..."
Misato frowned. She knew Asuka would be take Shinji's return as an affront to her pride but still it was upsetting to hear her talk about him like that, especially after what happened to him. "He... Unit 01 killed the Angel but Shinji... he's disappeared into the Eva," she replied, unable to put what she'd seen that night into words.
Asuka raised an eyebrow at that. "What the hell do you mean he's disappeared?" she asked, confusion mixing in with the venom in her tone.
Misato thought of a simple way to explain what Ritsuko had told her. "Something to do with him reaching an insanely high sync ratio causing his body to disappear," she replied after a bit of a pause. "He's alive but... we can't get him out of the Eva..."
Asuka scowled and turned away from her, folding her arms across her chest. "Whatever, I don't care..." she huffed. "Just leave me alone..."
Misato stood there in silence for a few moments before turning and moving toward the door. It was cowardly, she knew that, but seeing both Asuk and Rei so torn up... she just needed to leave. It wasn't much, but she could at least offer the same reassurance she'd offered Rei. "Just so you know... if you hadn't done what you did to delay the Angel we'd be dead right now..." she said, pausing at the door. "I'll See you at home..."
"Whatever..." Asuka muttered. "Just go..."
Misato did just that. As she walked through the halls her mood continued to deteriorate. She needed a drink but she didn't want to go home. Going home would just drive home how screwed up everything was. She sighed and shook her head. Going to a bar to drown her woes it was...
At least she could call Kaji to feed Pen-Pen while she was out...
Asuka lay in her bed as night fell, covering her head with a pillow after having thrashed a good amount of her belongings in a fit of emotion that had come pouring out of her as soon as she'd gotten home. After spending nearly two days in the hospital following the last Angel battle it was all she could think of to do find relief from the anger and angst that filled her soul. It hadn't done anything to help but it was all she could think to do considering how the last few days had gone, ruminating alone in a hospital room for nearly two days. Misato still wasn't home and so she was alone, just as alone as she'd been when she'd been in the hospital. Right now better than being around anyone...
It had been upsetting that no one had come to visit her until literally right before she was set to be released, especially since there wasn't even a TV in those stupid hospital rooms, but it was better than having to be reminded of her failure, to be pitied. She would have been content be left alone until her release but then Misato just had to come by at the last minute and ruin that when she'd dropped in and explained what happened in the battle after she'd been put out of commission.
Of course Shinji had to come back after he'd made such a pathetic exit and save the day like he usually did, what other explanation could there have been for the Angel being destroyed? It pissed her off to no end that neither herself or Rei had been able to do anything, that they'd needed the invincible stupid Shinji to come back and save their asses. Her failure hard enough already to deal with and him returning and upstaging her once again was simply salt in the wound. She'd promised herself that she wouldn't fail again in battle and yet she still had lost an Angel for a second time in a row. It was just too much to take...
She turned over in bed and stared up at the ceiling. "This sucks..." she muttered. "Once again I couldn't do a damn thing..."
It pissed her off ever more when she thought about it that because she failed Rei had deployed and tried to fight even though he Eva had been so messed up before the battle even started. Thinking about what her friend must have had to endure while fighting with a damaged Eva made her feel even more disgusted with herself...
And that just brought her mind onto thinking about what Rei must be going through right now considering how she felt for the stupid bastard that saved them all. Tomorrow at school was going to be a rough time to say the least. She wondered if Rei knew about Shinji somehow being stuck inside the entry plug. If she did then she would probably wasn't handling it well. She wouldn't blame her, there had been a time when she'd almost let a stupid crush on that moron overwhelm her better instincts.
"Stupid Shinji... always making things worse for everyone around him..." she murmured, turning back over and burying her face in her pillow.
Author's notes
Detailed author's notes for this chapter are included in the author's notes for chapter 36. Please read and review!
Regards,
A.F.