Tokyo-3 Arcana
Chapter 2
Back in the Plug / First Lesson
Please Read and Review. I'd like to know what I'm doing right (to keep doing it), and what I'm I doing wrong (to correct it).
'So, first things first.' Shinji thought.
"Ready and set, Dr. Akagi." He said, while passing his fingers over the control yoke of EVA-01, more to reassure himself that his little souvenir still was in place than out of any sentimentality for the bio-mech he was in control of.
"Very well, Shinji. We are starting the activation in 30 seconds. Tell me if you feel anything strange with the interface." The dyied blond answered.
The voices of Lt. Ibuki and Lt. Aoba relayed the abstruse techno-babble needed for the activation of the terrifying war machine.
Shinji used that time to clear his mind, and run through the Mind-clearing exercises he had learned in his time on Oerth. His senses sharpened immediately. He could taste EVA-01's eagerness to be free, to act of its own volition.
EVA-01's mind was like a raging storm, only restrained by an unholy fusion of technology and a human soul.
He should know.
He and Morag had spent several uncomfortable days speaking with UNIT-01's 'soul'.
And making some interesting modifications to the bio-mech. Modifications that would remain safely unseen unless needed.
The main one was currently sleeping in the main battery, if sleeping was even the right word. In any case, it was ready to act should the need arise.
Now, if only he could have tried some of the best stunts in a live test, he wouldn't be so nervous. But EVA-01 had lost its pallette rifle sometime after the Twelfth Angel attacked, even the hand gun had been lost. But, he didn't dare to try his improvements back on Earth unless it was an emergency.
At least he was moderately sure any strange stunts he hoped to be able to do would probably be thought as the Angel having somehow affected UNIT-01, and not what they really were.
Magic.
Just as Escalla's spells were themed after bees, his own spells manifested as AT Fields.
And he had a really big ace in his sleeve; according to Morag, Unit-01's core was soaked in magic, and he could use it at an EVA scale, meaning his own magical powers would be amplified to an incredible degree, proportional to the artificial humanoid size.
"Begin activation sequence, Shinji."
Dr. Akagi's voice brought him back to the moment. "Iniciating sequence."
"All systems nominal, Dr. Akagi." Maya informed, "Initial synch rate is 83%!"
Shinji smiled, it was better than expected. It was even better than his last recorded stats! Not bad. Especially taking into account he hadn't piloted in five years.
Or four days, depending on who you asked.
Sadly, that high mark carried an unavoidable consequence...
Asuka stormed out from Central Dogma when she heard Shinji's Initial synch. It was bad enough he had surpassed her precious synch rate before the Twelfth Angel attacked, he was doing it again.
She felt a chill run through her spine. She had put everything she had in her training, sacrificing everything to be the best pilot the World would ever know, and the baka was better than her.
But even worse than being second best was being second best to somebody who didn't even want to be in the race!
She felt the burning in her eyes, the tears she had spent almost a decade keeping in threatened to flow. She knew that if she wavered for a single second, she wouldn't be able to stop.
'So, Mother? Are we still in agreement?' Silently, Shinji sent a thought into the EVA's core.
'Yes. The scenario must be stopped.' Yui Ikari answered from EVA-01´s core.
'Good, I will keep an eye on Father, you try to communicate with the other EVAs. The spells we linked to Unit-01's core should be enough, but I'm not sure who is in there. Next synch test will be the best time for you to tell me if Dr. Soryu is the soul in Unit-02 as you suspect."
'Agreed. You know? I Am of two minds about this, on one hand, I miss Kyoko, she always knew how to make me laugh, something your Father was abysmally bad at. Having the chance to speak to her again would be great. On the other hand, she got bored easily, I don't know just how crazy bored she might be after all this time.'
Shinji shrugged mentally, 'We need to know. I need to get Asuka on our side, Rei will be a problem, Father has indoctrinated her for a lifetime.'
'Are you sure you're up to this? From what I've seen, Kyoko's little girl is terribly stubborn.'
'Yup,' Shinji had adopted some mannerisms from his adoptive family, some verbal tics he was very familiar with, 'and she's also a very sore loser. That's what got us where we are now, remember?'
'How could I forget?' Yui sighed, 'Are you sure she has potential?'
'Sure, she actually shines like a little sun. I did cast the spell the day after we came back. She just needs some guidance to start, that's all. I hope she will listen to our little friend once I show her that magic is real. If I'm reading her soul-light correctly, she will be very powerful.'
Shinji smirked a little. 'The Angels are gonna get a nasty surprise.' He rubbed his fingertips together, as the stereotypical movie safecracker. 'A very nasty surprise.' For a moment, he wished to run his hands together, twirl his non-existant moustache and laugh like a maniac. He had the whole stereotypical villain routine down. Escalla herself had coached him during a very boring afternoon in a quite depopulated dungeon. Well... It wasn't depopulated when they had arrived...
Yui cackled from the core, 'Don't forget about your Father, and those old farts from SEELE! They owe you for, well... For almost everything you had to endure.'
'They also owe you. They owe us. And now we have the means to collect, with interest.'
A crystal clear laughter rang in Shinji's mind.
Akagi's voice brought him back to the real world. 'Very good, Shinji. We're done for today. You are still the top scorer."
Somewhere else, in a dark alley.
A bank of fog receded into a basement door. The door was open, and lead into a underground warehouse, long abandoned. If somebody had been close enough, They would Have heard several screeching voices, gibbering in fear, anger, and hunger.
Shinji awaited the powering down of EVA-01 surveillance systems with well hidden impatience. For the brief fourteen seconds the plug was disconnected from external view, the young pilot hurried to release a catch and extract something that at first look seemed a black handkerchief. But on close inspection was too dark to be any kind of cloth known on Earth. It was one of his most prized belongings. As the LCL level descended, Shinji pushed the black "cloth" under the plugsuit's collar.
Arriving back at the Katsuragi apartmen, Asuka received him with calculated coldness. Shinji sighed, it seemed all the progress they had made since his return had been lost.
Well, time to work.
As Misato indulged in her nightly libation to the beer gods, Shinji put hands to spice. He decided on dishes from Oerth. Of course, that particular type of fish was unknown on Earth, he would Have to do with the equivalent: regular size catfish, instead of the giant variety. And just for the memory of old friends, a special dessert: faerie cakes.
Half an hour later, he had a passable imitation on the table. The smell prompted Pen-Pen to come out of his fridge, a rare ocurrance, as the warm-water penguin usually took his bown inside for dinner. This time, the bird sat next to Shinji's place at the table.
Misato shook her head, smiling. "Wow! You have surpassed yourself this time, Shinji! What is it? It smells great!"
"An old family recipe a good friend taught me. Grilled catfish with several secret spices. I'm sworn not to divulge the secret, but I can make it any time."
Misato closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "MmMmm... If it tastes even half as good as it smells... Your friend should open a restaurant..."
"He's not the kind to deal nicely with lots of people, Misato. But I'm sure he would like to know you liked it." Shinji thought he was being terribly diplomatic about his friend. He snickered, for a moment thinking of the Justicar with a chef hat on his head, or even better, over Cinders' head!
In her room, Asuka turned on her bed, trying to escape the delicious smells. She resisted for long minutes, until inevitably, her hunger won.
The redhead sat at the table, studiously avoiding Shinji's eyes. She was angry, and hurt, but her pride demanded her to show no weakness.
Finally, dinner was over, Misato retired to her room to sleep, leaving the two teenagers at the table. Asuka had surreptitiously taken several extra faerie cakes. When she stood to leave, Shinji grabbed her arm. "We have to talk." He said, his eyes loaded with seriousness.
Asuka put her nose up in the air. "I have nothing to talk with you." And she made to leave. Shinji's grip kept her into place. As soon as she sat again, Shinji released her.
"Good, listen then. I know you are upset with me. I'm an unwelcome rival."
Asuka pulled her arm back. "What you are is a cheater, Third. There is no way on Earth you could be better than me at the EVA's controls."
"That's right."
That simple admission shook Asuka into silence. She looked deep into Shinji's eyes. He held her into place with just his eyes.
"It was not by design." He shrugged. "There is a secret I stumbled upon by accident. I only found out what It was, what it IS, after theTwelfth Angel absorbed Unit-01. It belongs to you too."
Asuka's eyes jumped from Shinji's right eye to the left, trying to catch him in a lie.
Shinji's voice dropped to a hypnotic whisper. "Magic."
"What kind of idiot do you think I am, Third? Magic doesn't exist! If you are trying to prank me, at least have the frakking decency of making it a convincing lie!"
Shinji's eyes never wavered, his stare made Asuka quite uncomfortable, in ways she wasn´t really sure were actually uncomfortable. Shinji continued, "I know it is hard to believe. But magic is real." He pulled a ring from his shirt pocket. "Here, a peace offering. Look at the size, then put it on."
Asuka took the ring, It was a simple metal band. It looked like silver. "Yeah, sure, you baka. This ring was made for a man, a big one at that. I could put it on my big toe and it would still be too big for me!"
"It's a magic ring, Asuka. It will change size according to the user's size." He explained patiently.
"Pff... As if. This thing must have an inner diameter of almost an inch. My fingers are not even half of that."
"Try it on. If it doesn't adjust to your finger, I will consider our little bet paid in full, and will pay as if I had lost."
"Very well. I'm not made for doing laundry anyway. Here it goes." Asuka put the ring on her pinky. A brief flash of light later, it fit perfectly on its place.
Asuka gasped, and almost fell from her chair. "Was? This can't be!" She turned her hand in front of her face, looking at the ring.
"Do you believe me now? Now, take it off for a moment." He extended his left hand. "Put it on any of my fingers, and don't let it go until I tell you to. No, don't give it to me, I could exchange it for another."
Amazed, Asuka did as she was told. She put the ring in Shinji's middle finger, the ring flashed again, Asuka's own fingers tingled. The ring fit perfectly on her colleague's finger. "You can release it now, Asuka."
"This can't be! It can't!" Her anger forgotten, she smiled like a little girl.
"Convinced?"
"Give it back!"
Shinji smiled at her, and pulled the ring off; taking her hand, he put the ring back on her pinky. Once the ring fit her again, he softly released her hand. "The ring is yours. Keep it."
Asuka took the ring off, and put it in other finger. She repeated the process with all her fingers, laughing all the time.
Once she tired of the game, she smiled at Shinji. "So, Ikari, you said It was a magic ring. What does it do apart of saving me money and time at the jewelry shop?"
"I'll give you a hint, you would have loved to have had it last time you went diving..."
Asuka stopped admiring her new ring for a moment. "What? The last time I went diving was... No way! Back in that damned volcano!"
"It's a Ring of Fire Resistance." Shinji leaned back on his chair, smiling.
"How does it work? What do I do?" She blurted, she rubbed the ring as if It was Aladdin's Lamp.
"It's a passive protection. Once you put it on, it will protect you from some of the effects of fire and heat. All the time; you don't have to do anything to activate it. You could stand in a lit chimney and wouldn't feel any heat. you could also handle a hot pan with your bare hands and wouldn´t burn your fingers. But diving in lava would be fatal. It has a limit. Still, had you had it in EVA-02's plug, you could Have used your regular plugsuit and still been perfectly comfortable. No need to use the beachball suit."
She narrowed her eyes, suspicious. "What else you got?"
He shrugged. "I have some very interesting toys stored. Some are for you, some for... Others. But those are not free. I need several things from you."
"I knew it! You are a pervert!"
He snorted. "Not that kind of things. First, I need your discretion. This is not to be discussed with anybody I don't aprove." He extended his right índex finger upwards.
"Hah! Of course! I don't wanna change my address to the Laughing House, thank you very much! What else?"
"Second, I have to tell you some things you won't want to hear, but you need to. Not now, but I need you to promise you will listen with an open mind." He extended his middle finger too, forming a "V" in the air.
She nodded tentatively. "Okay... I promise."
"Third, and I think This will be the hardest."
"Who do you think you're talking to? I am the GREAT Asuka Langley Soryu! Genius! Pilot! War Hero!"
"Can you be Asuka the Apprentice?"
"Wait, what?"
Shinji smiled like a piranha. A smile he had copied from Cinders. He was far from being a Hellhound, but the effect was still noticeable.
Author´s Notes:
Yup, Shinji brought quite a haul of Chekhov´s Guns from Oerth (not actual guns, of course). The ring is just the very first magic iten he stashed in preparation for his return to Earth.
Jus and Escalla helped Shinji with the selection of items. They stuck to a few criteria: they had to be discrete, portable, easily used, and relatively powerful. Shinji had access to magic wands, scrolls, swords and staves, but those are quite noticeable. So, they mostly restricted their selection to things that wouldn´t be really obvious. He has a few of them available, but only as last resort.
And yes, Shinji is a magic user. Not a Cleric or a Paladin, as his mentors had a very low opinion of those. Being a Wizard would be too restrictive, with the need to replenish his spells with a spell book. So, there really was only a choice for Shinji. The pilot of Unit-01 is a Sorcerer (Pathfinder rules, I´ll be expanding on this later). Asuka´s future class is still in the air. She will be using arcane magic, but won´t be a Sorceress.
