CHAPTER 8: SOMETHING WICKED…

"Hey, doc!" Shinji called out to Ritsuko on the way to the test chamber.

"Yes?" She said stopping. "What is it, Shinji? I was just on my way to begin Rei's activation test."

"Well, it actually concerns Rei."

"Is there something wrong?"

"Yeah, a couple things actually. Number one: whose bright idea was it to house a sixteen year old girl in such a slum, all by herself?" He asked folding his arms.
"Commander Ikari's," Ritsuko replied.

"Figures," Shinji grumbled. "Don't you think it would be smarter to have her moved? Just one look at the neighborhood got me paranoid. That and her door did not have a lock."

"I'll see what I can do," Ritsuko said as they neared the elevator. 'He seems protective of Rei. How sweet.'

"My other concern is why is she taking drugs?"

"She was diagnosed with chronic depression when she was a child."

Shinji glared at her. "Bullshit."

"Excuse me?"

"If you're going to lie to someone, doctor, you might do well to come up with something a little more plausible."

"What are you…?"

"I'm not stupid, doctor," Shinji said when they reached the elevator. "You say she has chronic depression? Well maybe she does. She's pretty mellow most of the time. But answer this: why in the hell would you prescribe someone like that a depressant? Especially a potent one like Janax; a drug that hasn't been approved for use yet?" Ritsuko looked down at him. "Cat got your tongue?"

"I am Rei's personal medical care provider," Ritsuko snapped. "You don't have a Ph.D. I won't have my professional decisions criticized by a child."

"You know I could've gone to Misato with this first," Shinji said as she stepped onto the elevator.

"Are you trying to blackmail me?" Ritsuko growled. Shinji continued to stare.

"You're my medical care provider, too. How can I be sure you won't prescribe me something that might actually be harmful?" That really got to Ritsuko. "If Rei has depression, like you say, then take her off the drug. Unless you want her subdued by the drug. Or are you trying to get her so depressed she'll commit suicide?" The doors closed and Shinji left to go find Misato.

When she arrived at the control room she noticed Commander Ikari was already there. 'Should I tell him about Shinji?' She thought about the scenario. She thought about the Commander's interest in Rei. She thought about Shinji's concern for Rei. She thought about his threat to tell Misato. 'No. I'll cancel the prescription. By now Rei's too indoctrinated and conditioned to be a problem. But Shinji may be a concern. He's too sharp. He may even uncover the scenario. No. No, that's just ridiculous. Just plain paranoia, he couldn't uncover it. And even if he did he's only a child. What harm can he do?'

XXXXX

As the test went on Shinji and Misato watched from the safety of an adjacent observation room. Inside her test plug Rei sat calmly. When the display came to life she noticed the observation room. She glanced over and saw Shinji watching. He had a focused look on his face. 'He's concerned about the test,' Rei deduced. She then recalled their earlier conversation. 'He piloted EVA in my stead. He concerns himself for the wellbeing of others.'

"Pulse and harmonics are normal," Maya reported over the open channel.

"No problems detected," Shigeru added. "We are in synch."

"All nerve links completed," Makoto said. "Central nerve elements are nominal."

"Calculating…no error correction," Shigeru said.

"Checklist is satisfactory up to 2590…" Maya read out the connection status. "Approaching critical mark. 2.5 more…1.7…1.2…1.0…0.8…0.6…0.5…0.4…" Off to the side in the observation room Shinji could sense the tension rise in the control room even through the walls. "0.3…0.2…0.1 and rising." And just like that the tension dropped like a rock. "Borderline cleared. Unit-00 has been activated."

"Roger," Rei reported softly. "Beginning interlock test."

A few minutes later Shinji felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end. 'Something's coming,' his sixth sense told him. Sure enough, a couple seconds later the alert sounded.

"Warning!" The P.A. system announced. "An angel is approaching Tokyo-3. All stations go to first stage alert."

"Shinji," Misato spoke up.

"On it!" Shinji said darting down the hall towards the locker room.

Inside the EVA Shinji ran through the checklist like a pro. "Lock bolts released," he said over the channel.

"Removing secondary restraints," Shigeru announced. At that moment Shinji noticed Rei watching him from the catwalk.

'He pilots to protect others,' Rei said to herself. 'He places their well-being above his.'

"EVA Unit-01 is ready for launch!"

"Roger," Shinji said from his position. "Come on, Misato. Early bird gets the worm."

"Launch!" Misato ordered.

But as Unit-01 raced to the surface the angel up top halted its movement and light began to shimmer along its equator. "We're detecting a high energy reaction inside the target!" Shigeru shouted.

"What'd you say!?"

"The particles are accelerating and massing upon themselves."

"It can't be!" Ritsuko shouted. "It's a particle accelerator!" At that moment Unit-01 reached the surface.

"SHINJI! DUCK!" Misato screamed. But before he could move the angel warped its shape and fired a thin beam of light. The building in front of him was blown apart and a small beam of light slammed into the EVA's chest almost instantly causing the LCL in the entry plug to come to a slow broil.

"Grrrr," Shinji growled as he felt a white hot pain in the center of his chest.

"Unit-01 is under attack from a particle beam!" Shigeru shouted.

"Quick!" Misato shouted. "Raise the blast shield." Topside a large portion of the street in front of Unit-01 popped up and blocked the beam. In response the angel shape shifted again to concentrate four small beams into one insanely powerful beam that almost instantly caused the blast shield to vaporize. When the beam hit Unit-01, the catapult melted and partially fused with the EVA. Inside, the LCL began to boil heavily.

"GAAAAAAHHHH!" Shinji's screams of utter pain echoed through the bridge and caused everyone's spine to rattle. He was literally being boiled alive. "AAAAAAAHHHHH!"

"NO! SHINJI!" Misato screamed in horror as his face twisted in agony on the screen. "Retrieve him! HURRY!"

"It's no good!" Maya shouted. "The catapult has melted it won't work!"

"AAAAHHHH! MOTHERFUCK-AHHHH!" Shinji's cries of pain continued to echo.

"Then, eject the pilot. Emergency release procedures."

"Cancel that, order," Commander Ikari barked.

"But…"

"The EVAs AT field is the only thing keeping the beam from instantly destroying the unit," Ritsuko interjected. "If we eject the plug the field will collapse and both the unit and pilot will be lost. We'd be placing ourselves in a near hopeless situation."

"Grrr," Misato growled as Shinji continued to howl in utter pain. "Emergency retrieval procedures," Misato said to Makoto. "Detonate the explosive bolts holding up that block."

"But that'll…" Makoto started but held his tongue. "Yes, ma'am." He then punched in the command. Up top explosives severed the lift bolts and the EVA dropped back down the shaft along with part of the city block through gravity alone, bringing it out of the field of fire and danger.

"The target has gone silent!" Shigeru reported when the angel ceased fire and returned to its octahedron shape.

"What's Shinji's status?"

"He's alive!" Makoto said hesitantly. "But barely."

"Unit-01 has been recovered," Maya said from her station. "Sending it to the seventh cage. Alerting medical teams."

"I'm going to the cage," Misato said rushing out. "Take over, Rits!"

"Status report!" Ritsuko ordered.

"Pilot's brain wave patterns are extremely erratic!" Shigeru reported. "His cardiac readings are very weak!" The tell tone flat line sounded out loud. "His heart's stopped!"

"Increase power to the life support system!" Ritsuko ordered. "Activate the internal defibrillator!"

"Roger!" Makoto nodded. On the screen Shinji shuddered once. The flat line returned. "No go!"

"Hit him again!" Shinji shuddered again.

"Heart beat is back," Makoto said. "It's still weak but stable."

"LCL temperature is over one hundred and ninety degrees, Fahrenheit!" Maya reported.

"Force eject the entry plug!" The plug was drawn out of the EVA rapidly. "Emergency LCL discharge!" Pumps on the plug shot out the superheated LCL and drained it almost instantly.

"Temperature inside the plug is still over a hundred and fifty degrees!" Maya said.

"Open the hatch!" Misato shouted on the phone. "Hurry!" The plug's hatch was opened and steam began to billow out with a loud hiss. As the pilot chair was retrieved Shinji continued to lay in it, unconscious. Medical teams arrived as the chair was lowered to the catwalk. "Shinji!" Misato gasped as she reached to pick him up. She couldn't help but notice the blood flowing freely from both his nostrils.

"Wait, Major!" A medic cried out. "Careful. He's still very hot." The medics donned thick protective gloves and pulled Shinji out of the seat and placed him on a gurney. "Oxygen!" A mask was placed on his face and cool oxygen began flowing.

In the infirmary the medics continued to wheel Shinji towards the surgery ward. "What's his condition?" The doctor asked when they arrived.

"He was practically cooked, doctor," Misato said as they walked towards the operating room.

"We'll have to get that suit off him immediately," the doctor ordered. "Was he in LCL?"

"Yes," Misato said hesitantly.

"We'll have to prepare a healing tank. Get some chemicals into his system to patch up internal damage to his lungs," he turned to a nurse. "Nurse!"

"I'm on it Doctor!" She then rushed off.

"Sorry, Major," the doctor stopped her at the double doors. "But you'll have to wait here."

"I understand," she nodded. The doors closed and the red 'operation' light came on. Misato sniffed heavily and wiped away tears as she fought to get a hold of herself.

As Misato turned to leave she noticed that Rei had followed them as well. "What is Pilot Ikari's status?" She asked.

"Not good," Misato said, wiping some excess snot away. "He was nearly boiled to death."

"I see."

"I've got to get back to the bridge," Misato said. "I still have an angel to kill." She then marched off with a purpose.

"I will wait here," Rei said softly.

XXXXX

Norfolk, Virginia

When the Navy SEAL team returned to their headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia from the Gerald Ford they were given a 72-hour R&R pass. When they returned to duty they were briefed on their next assignment. It would be a long term covert deployment. The destination was being kept secret for now. In the mean time they were brought up to speed on the intel collected by a special task force in the Ukraine as well as the intel they had brought back.

"Data collected at the Greenland site interconnects with individuals that were witnessed attending a meeting in a secluded area of the Crimean Peninsula," the Navy SEAL Captain in charge of their team explained as the SEALs read files on the intel. "Actual specifics are unclear but the individuals are members of an obscure organization called 'SEELE'."

"Sounds like something out of a James Bond movie, skipper," one of the SEALs piped in. "Like SPECTRE or QUANTUM."

"They sound more like the Illuminati," another SEAL added.

"Maybe. But, despite their clandestine nature this organization exists. They've popped up a couple of times in the past thirty or so years with numerous significant though unconnected events. The Balkan War, the Katsuragi Expedition, the Chinese-North Korean border conflict, the Kashmir Peace deal, Al-Asad's would-be 'empire', the Russian Civil War, last year's elections in South Africa and, believe it or not, there's some evidence that they were involved with Vladimir Makarov."

"What the fuck?" The Chief swore. "How the hell…?"

"It's not conclusive," the skipper added. "But they have contacts with ShadowCo, Inc. That's how we were able to get the intel for the Greenland op. And they're also the primary backers of the NERV organization."

"Aren't those the guys who are battling giant monsters, sir?" The team's lieutenant asked next.

"Yes. What all these events mean and how they're connected, if at all, is a mystery. Other agencies are tracking down leads. Your op in Greenland was in fact a success. The UI trooper you found was a former ShadowCo operative."

"Fuck me," a SEAL swore. "Those assholes."

"Indeed," the skipper nodded. "Well, as the facts are tracked down you will be preparing for assignment to the special task force investigating SEELE and its cohorts." He passed out more envelopes. "This information is highly classified. No talk, I mean none, is to take place outside this building. There are agents imbedded within SEELE and NERV, deep covert stuff. You may be called up to support them or follow-up on whatever leads they may find." The skipper moved toward the door. "Until then, stay ready."

XXXXX

After a brief stop in surgery to carefully remove his plugsuit and apply ointment to patches of his skin that were peeled off with it Shinji was placed, fully nude, into the healing tank while Rei sat down in one of the chairs. The healing tank was filled with a translucent liquid similar to LCL but loaded with nutrients and other ingredients to clean and treat numerous skin and internal tissue damage. Its main focus was treating burn victims and those with serious smoke inhalation. Today, it was treating a victim who was nearly boiled to death from the inside and out.

Shinji had suffered no permanent damage beyond second degree burns and a few patches of torn skin from where his plugsuit melted to his skin. Thankfully it was all superficial. But he was still unconscious and his heart beat was still weak. The EKG next to the tank continued to beep with his heart.

Occasionally Rei would notice Shinji stir. She also noticed that he had a long scar along his left bicep. Like something had cut right across it. It was raised and jagged looking. He also had a large, circular scar on his right thigh, discolored from the skin around it. She also noted the tattoo on his right bicep. Other than that, and the few bandages on his forearms, back and abdomen, his body was lean and in very good physical condition.

After three and a half hours in the tank, Shinji slowly raised his head and opened his eyes. "Where…where am I?" He mumbled in the liquid. He looked up and saw Rei stand up and walk over to the tank. Her eyes locked with his and they stared into each other's eyes for ten full seconds. "Rei…" Shinji whispered before he fell asleep.

When he woke up again he was lying in a bed. "Ugh," he groaned.

"Are you alright, Pilot Ikari?" He heard Rei speak up to his right. She was seated in a chair next to his bed.

"Let's just say I now know how a lobster feels," Shinji said propping himself up on his elbows. "The angel?"

"Major Katsuragi is organizing an attack on the angel to be commenced at 0000 hours," Rei explained. Shinji looked at the clock. In less than six hours. "We are to report to Mt. Futago in sixty minutes." She said standing up. "There is a new plugsuit for you as well." She placed said suit on the bed, still in its wrapping.

"Err," Shinji groaned sitting up. That's when he realized he was fully nude, save for the occasional bandage. "And here I was thinking of going in my birthday suit."

"I would not advise doing so, Pilot Ikari," Rei said.

"It was joke, Rei," Shinji explained. "A coping mechanism to relieve stress."

"I see." She stood up and looked over at the tray next to her. "I brought you dinner."

"Thanks. But I'm not hungry right now." He said throwing the sheet off. "I'd much rather get back into the fight." He got out of bed and slowly walked/limped to the bathroom, grabbing the coveralls lying in the chair next to him.

"You are not afraid?"

"Oh, I am," Shinji shook his head. "But I can't afford to let my fear control me. Ever."