Per the standard procedure of their security team both Rei and Patrick were rapidly evacuated to a safe location, in this case Alliance Base North which was just a few miles west of Cambridge. There at the base's secure medical center both were examined by physicians and then interrogated separately about the incident by Alliance Intelligence staff, hoping to discover any clues about who had tried to abduct Rei and why.
It wasn't until a few hours later when the interrogators released Patrick and he was sent back to the base hospital. The entire facility was now crawling with armed security personnel, and Patrick saw a squad's worth of heavily armed security police on the floor where Rei was being treated. He met Rei just outside of an examination room, where she had been waiting along with Doctor Foch.
"Ah, my boy," the old scientist greeted Patrick. "I see you're safe and sound."
"Yeah," he said as he approached Rei, embracing her as he spoke to Foch. "That was a close call."
"Too close if you asked me. Anyway, they called me over to make sure she was fine, and she is at least physically healthy. So, I'll leave you too and return home. Mademoiselle Rei, please do take care!"
"I will," Rei said to the professor. "Thank you."
"You're more than welcome. Adieu and good evening." With that Foch turned to exit the hospital floor.
Patrick looked down at Rei, still in his arms. "Are you okay?"
"It's not the worse thing that's ever happened to me," she replied, trying to find any humor in the situation. It was enough to make Patrick smile at her, even in these circumstances.
"Who were those people? Did you ever see them before?"
"No" she told him. Rei leaned into him more and let Patrick hold her more tightly. "But they'll try again, won't they?"
Patrick wanted to reassure her at that moment but he couldn't, but instead just held on to her, caressing her hair and keeping her feeling as warm and safe as he could. A moment later he heard their names being called down the hallway.
"PATRICK! REI!" Erin screamed as she ran towards both of them. Following her from behind was Olivia Perry, the senior Alliance agent in charge of the pilots' security. Erin collided with Patrick, squeezing him tightly, and then moved on to Rei, hugging her as she spoke. "Oh my God, are you both okay?"
"We're still here," Patrick quipped. Rei just nodded and Erin again squeezed her tight, not letting go this time. "Who were they? What did they want?"
"I don't know," said Patrick. Olivia then caught up to the group.
"Glad to see you all are still standing," she told the three of them.
"What about the others?" asked Patrick. He remembered there being at least five bodies in front of the bookstore before he entered.
Olivia gave the three of them a long stare before giving the bad news. "We lost Chie today."
Chie Tomokawa was one of the agents in Rei's own security detail, and like all the protection detail agents she was known to all the pilots. "Oh, no!" cried Erin, holding her hands to her mouth.
"One of CPD's officers also went down. Marissa made it but she's got a bullet in her spine. She's on the floor below us. They're still working on her." Erin's tears started to flow down her cheeks: while Rei and her brother had made it safely, there was still a price paid by those who protected them.
"For the bad guys it was four for four," Olivia continued. "None of them lived, but we're pretty sure there were more of them around that we didn't see, this was just too organized to be some random bunch of crazies."
"What happens now?" Patrick asked calmly.
"School's out for all three of you," Olivia told them. "You're not back on campus until we figure a way to keep you better protected."
Patrick shrugged as Erin continued to clutch Rei with both of her arms. "I guess I don't have a GPA problem anymore then," he joked, smiling until he saw Erin's face and the daggers that she stared at him. His sister wasn't quite ready for his gallows humor just yet.
"Forrestal," Olivia motioned to the boy, "someone wants to see you." She nodded her head towards the elevator bank and Patrick headed that way, followed by her.
The two got into the elevator car and rode it up to the top floor of the hospital. On the way Olivia spoke to Patrick. "I suppose you got the lecture about 'not trying to be a hero,' did you?"
"Not actually," he replied. "To be honest my brain just switched off the moment I heard those shots being fired."
"I don't think your brain switched 'off'," said Olivia, "in fact I'd say it was the reverse. Maybe you finally woke up today." The elevator doors opened and they both left the car, now walking out of doors on the roof of the hospital. There was a large helicopter pad with a white-painted Thunderbolt VTOL aircraft parked on it. Not far away, standing near the edge of the roof and watching the nightlights of the city in the eastern distance was a single man wearing a black trench coat. Patrick looked to Olivia and she simply motioned for him to go see the man.
As Patrick walked towards the man in the trench coat he saw that he had black hair with a pony tail, sported a black eye patch over his left eye, and smoked a cigarette. It didn't take long for him to determine who the mystery man was.
"Ryoji!" Patrick said in greeting. Ryoji Kaji, Director of the Alliance Intelligence Agency, and Patrick's foster father while he stayed in Japan, turned around, putting out his cigarette on the surface of the roof's ledge. "Hello, Patrick," he spoke in English.
"I didn't know you were coming. Misato didn't say anything to us!"
"I was in the new American capital this morning meeting with their people, then I got word of the attack and came as soon as I could. I'm glad to see you're okay, both of you."
"I was scared shitless," Patrick replied. "It still doesn't quite seem real yet." He paused and then asked Kaji "who the hell were those guys?"
Kaji turned back to the ledge to view the city lights and Patrick joined him as they watched the Cambridge nightlife and the old wreckage of Boston harbor beyond. "They call themselves, 'The Society to Produce Harmony and Enlightenment,' at least that's the cover name as far as we could trace it. One of them tried to break into the GeoFront a few weeks ago, looking for 'where they kept the angels.' Unfortunately, he killed himself before we could get much more out of him. But in summary, they appear to be a religious cult, and one that has a very strong interest in matters of Evangelion."
"That's not good," Patrick said.
"Which brings me to my next topic. Mari paid you a visit earlier this week."
"She made me a job offer," replied the boy. "I told her no."
"But now do you see what we're up against," Kaji told Patrick. "One thing you have to understand: this world we live in now, this is the world that EVA made. It was EVA that saved humanity, and it's EVA that now defines it. While people are free to live their lives, they can only do so if EVA is kept out of the wrong hands. And someone must protect those lives, and those secrets."
"And that's your job," Patrick told Kaji.
"And it could also be yours as well," he replied with a slight smile.
Patrick could feel that somehow, he'd been directed to this moment, by means invisible to the eye but not to the mind or soul. There wasn't any more avoiding it.
"Why me?" Patrick asked. "You've got Mari among us, she seems l enthusiastic. Apparently, she's now back in pretty good physical shape too."
"But Miss Illustrious has limitations," said Kaji. "Beyond her physical issues, which are not all resolved, there's also a matter of personality. Lusty-chan is a great asset for high-risk, high-gain operations but we need something else," he told Patrick. "Our enemies hide in the shadows. What we need is someone good at finding things that hide and assembling those things together to get a complete picture. In short, we need some who is a master at solving puzzles."
Now Patrick could see just why Kaji had such interest in him. "But I'm not the only person who could do that for you. I mean, come on, you must have people you can solve a puzzle besides me."
"Not when that puzzle involves Evangelion," replied Kaji. "There's certain knowledge about EVA that only comes from close experience with it. Having a former pilot in that role would be ideal."
Patrick scoffed, still not really thrilled about where this discussion was headed. "I still don't think I'm your guy. Did you ask Asuka?"
"I did," Kaji told him. "Apparently my charms no longer work on her, as she's quite taken up with her present company and studies. I'm really quite happy for them."
"We all are," Patrick said of her and of Shinji, now both studying music together in Germany.
"And upon looking at it Rei-chan seems to also be quite content with her life as it currently is."
"Just so long as some assholes don't go and try to mess with her again, that is!" scowled Patrick. "I swear they ever fuckin' do that again I'll…"
"You'll do what, exactly?" asked Kaji. "Pursue them to the end of the Earth?"
"Something like that."
"Good. How would you like to be paid for doing that? Because that is the job I'm offering you. Protecting her."
That evening Rei, Patrick, and Erin were all taken by helicopter from the hospital to the country home of Admiral Vinson in southern Maine. Vinson and his wife Maria were still Patrick and Erin's legal guardians and owned a home in a remote area with a spacious amount of land surrounding it. Vinson was now retired from military service but was more than welcome to host the pilots if it was needed. By the end of the day all three of the children were exhausted, physically and emotionally, and fell asleep by the fireplace inside the Vinson house, all huddled together for warmth and comfort.
On the following day over a late breakfast at the family's dinner table Patrick shared with both Rei and Erin as well as the Vinsons what Kaji had told him of the day before about who the suspects were. He also told them about Kaji's offer of employment.
"So, what does that mean?" Erin asked, visibly upset. "You're going to be some sort of secret agent?"
"Not quite," Patrick clarified, "it's more of an investigative thing and not undercover work."
"But related to the Evangelion," asked the Admiral, who himself was quite curious about what had happened.
"Yeah," confirmed Patrick. "Kaji called it a 'troubleshooter' position. I think he means it literally."
"That sounds dangerous," said Erin. "Really dangerous."
Patrick sighed. "Anyway, to do this he wants to send me to what he calls 'Camp X,' which is a training ground for espionage and counter-espionage. Kaji thinks I've got most of the skills I'd need already, on account not only of my EVA experience but also all my background from living back in Big Bear and stuff my uncle taught me. He says I'm perfect for the job."
"Camp X, huh," commented Vinson. "Camp X was a CIA and MI-6 joint training ground back in the day, up in Northern Canada. Really north, like Hudson's Bay just below the Arctic Circle."
"Cold?" Patrick asked.
"If Hell actually froze over it would look a lot like Camp X, so we used to say," Vinson told him.
"Was it dangerous?" Erin asked the admiral.
"It was. I didn't go through the camp's training myself but I was assigned once as an opposing force member during an exercise. I remember the trainees, they were worked just as hard as we had it during SEAL qualification training. A lot of guys dropped out over the program. There were even," Vinson took a sip of his coffee and then spoke again, "a couple of fatalities every year or so."
"Oh my God," Erin said under her breath. Rei didn't say anything, but simply stoically stared at Patrick as he spoke.
Vinson again turned to Patrick. "When did they want you to go out there?"
"Um, after this weekend," he replied nervously. Both Erin's and Rei's eyes widened suddenly after Patrick spoke.
"You mean now?" asked Erin.
After breakfast Erin confronted Patrick in his bedroom upstairs.
"What the hell are you thinking?" she said to him, struggling to avoid shouting and attracting the attention of the others in the house.
"Beats school," Patrick replied.
"Are you serious?" Erin told him. "Kaji makes this sound like you're some sort of cop, but then why send you to killer spy school?"
"Because there's no secret more important than EVA," said Patrick, "and no one more important to protect than the pilots, you included."
But Erin was at her wits end, as this was not the outcome she was hoping for after earlier chastising Patrick for his lack of academic concentration. "When I asked you to get your act together and work on a subject you would do better in, I figured it would be something like history or law school. Not this!"
"You're the one who suggested that I should work on my shooting!"
"I take it all back!" cried Erin. "Patrick, come on we've done enough! We already fought in EVA once, and it took so much from us. Now you don't want to let it go!" She sat down on the bed and tried to hold back her tears but they flowed nonetheless. Patrick sat next to her.
"I'm not crazy about this but after yesterday everything changed for me," Patrick said, trying to reassure her. "Maybe I was just in denial all of this time. Maybe this is really me."
"Maybe you're more like Vance after all, then," Erin told him as she sniffled, wiping tears off her face.
"I'm not just doing this for my sake," Patrick told her. "If there's bad guys like the ones we saw yesterday someone's gotta take care of them, so that the rest of us can have a life worth living. So why not me?" Erin wasn't moved by Patrick's admission however, and put her head in her hands in despair.
"Hey," he spoke to her softly, gently taking her hand into his. "We're still a team, but I can't just plod along knowing what's out there and what I'm capable of doing about it. Am I scared of this? Hell, yes, I'm terrified. But at the same time, I feel this funny sort of confidence. The stars have sort of lined all of this up and I have to at least take this chance." Erin didn't say anything in return but kept sniffling as the tears rolled on.
"I don't want to lose you," she confessed. "I've lost everyone else that mattered to me except you."
"I know."
"If something happened to you then I," she stammered, "I don't know what I'd do."
"Don't worry," he told her, taking her in his arms and letting her cry on his shoulder. "Everything will be OK. Everything will be better than OK."
As the sun set Patrick stepped out of the house and onto the wooden boat dock. He had avoided speaking to Rei for most of the day, excusing it by spending time with Erin, but he also had just wanted to be alone with her outside far from the others. So, as the sky became a mixture of orange and yellow Patrick walked out to the boat dock where Rei was standing at the very edge by the water. He approached her silently, she was dressed in a sweater and blue jeans borrowed from Erin, with a fleece blanket wrapped around her in the cool dusk.
"Hey," he said as he came up to her. Rei glanced at him and then continued to watch the sun slowly set above the tree line that lined the lake.
"How is Forri-chan?" asked Rei.
"She didn't take it well. She's scared, both that I won't come back alive, or that I'll turn into some sort of ruthless killer like Vance."
"It's natural she'd think that way."
"What do you think?"
Rei looked up at him. "It's very suitable for you. Like Oni-chan playing cello."
"So, you're not scared that something's going to happen to me?" he asked. Rei turned to face him.
"Do you remember when we discussed my fertility therapy, when we first came to America?"
"Of course."
"I told you then that there was a risk in modifying this body. If something was not done properly, or if some unknown factor came into account, there was a chance that I might die. Do you remember?"
Patrick nodded. "I did, and I told you back then that I couldn't be selfish and just ask you to hold back. Instead this was part of you, that desire to become a mother and have kids on your own, but to do that and become yourself, the real you, you had to risk it all. And I supported that."
"Then the same is true for you," she told him. "For me to have you, the real Forri-kun, I need to let you take your own risks. It's true you might die as well, but if I try to hang onto you then you will not grow, and you will not be Forri-kun but something else in the end, something worse. And I do not want that."
"Thank you," Patrick told her, somewhat surprised by Rei's expression of confidence in him. "I'm actually not even sure this is completely right but after yesterday that whole thing keeps going through my mind. Seeing those guys and seeing you there and knowing I couldn't let them hurt you. I have to do this."
Rei moved closer to him and put her hand on Patrick's chest. "Then do what you need to," she told him, looking up into his eyes, "but I will miss you. Very much." Patrick took her into his arms and held her tight. "I'll be back before you know it."
The trio spent the rest of the weekend at the Vinson's lake house, avoiding the topic of Patrick's departure and instead trying to enjoy their company as much as they could. The three of them spent time wondering the woods and walking along the lake and reminiscing about the past. The Admiral's wife Maria also did her best to keep everyone's spirits up with her glorious cooking and her cheerfulness, making sure all her charges were well fed and wanting for nothing. Together Patrick and the girls spent wonderful nights on that weekend under the deep blue sky, watching shooting stars fly in the far distance above as they lay on blankets around a crackling fire.
Monday morning then came and Patrick had intended to get up early and try and slip away so he didn't disturb either Rei or Erin, but he awoke to find both already dressed in outdoor coats and waiting for him downstairs along with Mrs. Vinson. Rei had already packed a small backpack for him and presented it to him as he reached the front door. Patrick himself wore a set of training windbreakers along with a leather jacket and runners. Apart from the backpack he didn't have any luggage, as the training center informed him he wouldn't be needing any.
The front door opened and Admiral Vinson came inside. "They sent a car for you," he told Patrick. "They're waiting out front."
"Can you tell them I'll be just a moment?" asked Patrick.
"Sure," said the Admiral and he went back outside.
Who to start with first? It's always a dilemma. Patrick approached Erin, who promptly threw her arms around him and squeezed as hard as she could. They spent a few moments there together, not saying anything as Rei watched, then Erin took her hands and caressed Patrick's face.
"Don't you dare not come back! Do you hear me?" Erin told him with determination. "Don't you dare!"
"Yeah, I got it."
Erin nodded, and then kissed Patrick gently on the lips. "That's for good luck." Patrick hugged her again, and then moved onto Rei.
"I'm really going to miss not seeing you off at night," he told her.
"This this will keep you warm," Rei replied, and reached up on her toes and gave Patrick a deep, lingering kiss. The couple took their time, knowing it would be the last time in a while they were together.
Patrick looked at Rei as she held his hands. "Take care of yourself," she told him.
"I most certainly will. With you as my guardian Angel there's no way I can lose." He smiled at her and she smiled back.
"Oh," she realized there was one more thing she wanted to say to Patrick. Rei got up on her toes and whispered into his ear as Erin watched. To Erin, Rei said something that was surprising to Patrick.
"Really?" he asked her, and Rei nodded.
"Well," Patrick smirked, "then I might have something to really look forward to when I get back home." They kissed again, this time not as deep but simply slow and gentle as two now old friends who had shared so much together. Finally Patrick embraced Maria.
"Thanks for everything, Mi Madre," he said to her softly.
"Via Con Dios," was Mrs. Vinson's reply to him as she held him tightly for a moment. "Be careful, my boy." Patrick finally let go and looked back at the three of them. "I'm off then."
"Bye," said Erin as she waived. Patrick sought to open the door but instead realized there was one more thing he needed to say to the two girls.
"Hey, both of you," he told them. "You don't have me to kick around for a while, but whatever happens the two of you please stick together."
Erin looked at Rei and put her arm around her, and Rei herself looked up at Erin and nodded, giving her a small smile. "We will," Erin assured Patrick.
"Then I'll see you next February. Bye, kids!" Patrick then opened the front door and left the house, with Rei and Erin following him outside.
Just before he got in the black-painted sedan, Patrick approached Admiral Vinson. "Good luck, son," said the Admiral as he shook his hand firmly. "Thank you," said Patrick. "Well, here goes." He slung his backpack onto his shoulder and then went to the waiting car. A man dressed in a black suit took Patrick's shoulder bag and then opened the rear door and to Patrick inside. The door closed, but not before Patrick could give Rei and Erin a final waive. Erin waived back, trying to be enthusiastic and cheerful while Rei stoically watched with her. The driver placed Patrick's bag in the trunk and then himself got inside and drove off, down the highway and out of sight.
As the car left, Erin finally let herself cry. Without turning to Rei, she said to her "Why are we so sad? It isn't like the worst thing that's ever happened to us!"
"No," Rei told her, "but he's part of us, and we will miss him all the same."
END OF ACT ONE
A little later than I planned it but here's the latest chapter. Now we see the stage set for the rest of the story, and will do a slight time jump in the next installment. I'd guess we're probably about 20% done out of a 25 chapter novel at this stage.
The next act will still take place mostly in Cambridge, but we'll start to bring in other events as well. Keep in mind that the Jet Alone "escape" in the prologue happens in February, some months in the future from this chapter, so there's still some time to come before catching up.
In the meanwhile I'm going on the Rough Draft for Act Two, and expect another month or so of massaging and editing and re-writing until it's ready for publication, probably right before Christmas if my writing schedule doesn't get too disrupted. Last month we were on the road a good chunck of the time, and while Oregon is nice I wasn't able to play novelist much while I was away.
So please enjoy this and know that it's just the start of something bigger. You all know that I like to build up the drama in these stories, so I would expect to see more action soon but not too soon. In the meantime please keep checking out the Blue Rose Facebook page for further updates and images and whatever I can post. Thanks!