CH. 43: BENEATH THE SURFACE
Elevators were one of the few truly private places at NERV. Though lacking any stereotypical 'elevator music', or any music for that matter, they were relatively peaceful. That is, unless you were a certain red eyed, blue haired girl who was sharing the elevator with another certain red haired firebrand. Then the tension could only be described as 'awkward'. There were few conversations between the two and those that were could hardly be described as civil.
They were still wearing their school uniforms even though their school had been closed down. Sometimes people need to surround themselves with something familiar, even clothing, just to keep the feelings of emptiness and lowliness at bay. But that did little to ease things when an entire city was devoid of inhabitants save for those occupying NERV HQ. Rei had also been moved, at Commander Ikari's insistence, to the barracks inside the GeoFront. It made Asuka wonder why the albino got preferential treatment.
"You have to open your mind," Rei said, out of the blue.
"What the hell are you talking about!?" Asuka snapped in return; her default response. "Are you saying this is my fault?"
"I'm not trying to assign blame," the albino girl calmly replied. "I'm merely providing insight into the Evangelion."
"What insight is there? It's just a big toy!"
"The EVA has a mind of its own. Suppressed, reserved and quiet, yes, but still it is there. And the EVAs only mirror what's in our hearts."
"Are you talking about the EVA, or yourself, Ms. Ice Queen?" She sulked back against the wall, folding her arms in indignation. "Now I know something is up when Wondergirl starts talking to me."
"We are all that's left," Rei explained. "We're the only ones who can fight the angels. We need not to fight each other."
"Don't go all 'Shinji' on me!"
"Someone has to," Rei replied with a slight turn of her head. "He'd want us to work together to protect humanity. It's what he'd do if he were here."
"You talk about him like he's some kind of hero," the German scoffed as she leaned against the wall. "All he really was is a war junkie who went on a killing spree because his best friend was injured in a battle."
"He'd already lost one 'best friend' in battle," Rei replied softly, sounding as if she knew it first hand. "In America. He died in his arms. Shot by Russian soldiers as they were trying to find drinking water. How would you feel if miss Horaki were to die in your arms?" The rhetorical question made Asuka stiffen with rage but she held her tongue. "Do you know the etymological origin of the English word for 'hero'?"
"No. Why?"
"It's ancient Greek, hērōs. It means 'protector'. Think about it, Asuka," Rei turned to face her. For a second, the red haired pilot was stunned. It was the first time Rei had ever called her by her first name. It was always 'Soryu', 'Miss Soryu' or 'Second Child'. "What was it that Shinji did every time he got in the EVA? What were his motives for piloting from day one?" Before Asuka could answer the elevator stopped, the doors opened and Rei exited onto her floor.
XXXXX
Misato got back to her apartment to find Asuka wrapped up in a Formula-1 video game on her Xbox One. Conversations with her had recently been less and less productive so the raven haired officer let her be, not even announcing she was back. Truth was that with Shinji, Rei, Kaji and now PenPen no longer there, the place no longer felt like home. More like a glorified hotel room.
She tossed her jacket onto the back of a chair and went to her fridge. It was mostly empty; all the food Shinji usually used for cooking had to be thrown out, having gone spoiled. Now it just held cold cut meats and lettuce for sandwiches, orange soda and beer. Misato went to grab a can and accidentally knocked another one over. As she went to pick it up she spotted something on a third can: it was a small bit of tape.
She grabbed the can and noticed that a small patch of scotch tape was holding an SD memory card over the logo, somewhat blending in. On the card, written in small letters was ' Misato '. After checking to make sure Asuka was still engrossed in her game, Misato removed the card and retreated with it, and the beer, to her room.
After making sure that her laptop's wifi and Bluetooth were disabled, going so far as to remove them from their individual slots, she plugged the memory card into her computer. It opened to reveal several folders and a note labeled 'I'm sorry'. Misato opened the note and read it.
"My dark haired love. I'm sorry my 'goodbye' had to be this way, I couldn't risk you getting hurt. SEELE would not have shown you any mercy if I didn't do what they told me. By now, you know what that was. You're the love of my life, and the one person I couldn't live without. I wish I could've told you everything in person, but the risk was too great. So, I'm leaving you this.
It's all the evidence I was able to collect on NERV and Commander Ikari. With the help of a certain friend. I'm leaving this to you so that you might be prepared to weather the storm that's coming and possibly forestall it. I know you may not think yourself capable of such things, but under your leadership Shinji and the girls were able to hold off the angels time and again. That counts for something. I have faith in you. More than I do myself. You can do it.
My heart will always be yours,
Kaji Ryoji"
Misato sniffed back a few tears and reread his goodbye. Then she opened the first folder…it was time to find out what NERV has been hiding from her.
XXXXX
Ritsuko was just arriving at her 'second office' in Terminal Dogma. It was where she ran experiments and simulations on systems that were too sensitive to have in the regular NERV areas. Specifically, data referring to the Dummy System, Rei and Lillith. Only herself and Commander Ikari had access to this space.
So she was more than a little caught off guard when she found Misato sitting in her chair when she arrived. "Can I help you with something?" She asked dryly as she turned on the lights. "You look lost."
"Found a few things along the way," Misato replied back.
"Kaji left you something, didn't he?"
"Left me with a burden and a broken heart," Misato replied. "Not his intention, but there it is. On the other hand," she stood up, "a few things became clear after the Commander ordered Rei to relocate to the GeoFront." Ritsuko stepped to the side and set her briefcase down on the desk.
"Security measure to ensure-" Her college roommate cut her off.
"-'to ensure the safety of the First Child' blah, blah, blah," Misato barked. "If he's so concerned about security why not move Asuka and myself as well? Seems to me like Rei is more important than just as an EVA pilot."
"Can't put all of our eggs in one basket," Ritsuko replied, though internally she, like Asuka, was writhing in jealousy over the commander's 'preferential treatment' of Rei, but for different reasons. "And he is Rei's legal guardian."
"Designated by whom? Himself? What happened to her parents? I never seem to hear about them and her files list them as 'unknown' as well as her date of birth."
"Are you implying the commander kidnapped a child? That petty, Misato."
"Operational prudence, then? Like lying to Shinji to bring him to Tokyo-3? Or bribing Toji into becoming a pilot by offering to get his sister the best medical care?" She folded her arms. "I dunno, Dr. Akagi, sounds like his M.O. to me. And you're not exactly forthcoming yourself."
"And you," the blonde doctor pointed an accusatory finger, "are basing this all off what some traitor told you?"
"Whom betrayed whom?" Misato replied back. "From what I understand, Kaji was investigating some rather shady things regarding NERV and the Commander," she unfolded her arms, but retained her passive-aggressive stance. "I also heard tale that the Commander's own wife died trying to activate Unit-01." That caused Ritsuko to recoil. "Don't play dumb with me. I looked into it. When we tried to recover Shinji and Rei you said something similar had happened before. It was a simple matter of connecting the dots. Oh, and I also find it a little odd that all photos of her are either destroyed, missing or lost due to 'clerical errors'."
"Now you're implying that the Commander had her killed and was trying to cover up evidence?"
"Yes to the 'cover up', no to the murder. At least, not that one." Misato pulled something from her back pocket. It was a photo of a young girl around Rei's age. She was in a private school uniform and with the exception of her eyes and hair she looked just like Rei. The eyes and hair were brown and the hair was shoulder length, but she could easily have passed for Rei's sister…or her mother.
"Where did you find this?"
"It's a yearbook photo," Misato replied. "There's these things that store floors of rows and rows of books called 'libraries'." Misato refolded her arms. "Yui Ikari, Shinji's mother, the original 'designated pilot' for Evangelion Unit-01 and the initial 'Director-select' for GEHIRN, which eventually became NERV. Mind telling me why she looks almost exactly like Rei Ayanami?" Ritsuko was about to open her mouth but Misato cut her off. "Don't even try to say they're related. I've already checked. Both Yui and her son Shinji were their respective parents' only child."
"Very well then," Ritsuko set the photo down. "They're clones."
"That's it?"
"More or less," the doctor paced around to the other side of the desk. "Not a full clone since…"
"That's illegal as hell?"
"Since," Ritsuko growled. "There wasn't a full DNA sample on Yui to begin with and, when the sample was taken the Human Genome project was still in its infancy."
"So where did the rest of the DNA come from?" Misato asked. "I'm willing to bet it's why the Commander wants to keep Rei as close as possible." 'Kaji's notes mentioned Rei being SEELE's 'chosen lamb' and a 'vessel'.'
"Her full DNA is classified, even from me," Ritsuko sat down and eyeballed the small pistol attached under the desk.
"Yeah I saw the gun," Misato said as she dug into her coat pocket. She then dumped six bullets onto the desk, the rattling sound they made echoed in the room. "Kind of a crappy model if you ask me. But I guess it would do if you feared your lover might become a little unstable."
"'Lover', right," Ritsuko laughed. "Like I'd have time for that."
"I was referring to the commander." The doctor froze in shock. "I suggest you find a better fuck buddy because you know he doesn't actually love you." Misato reached down and slid Yui's picture forward. "He's still in love with her. Why else would he use the incomplete DNA of a deceased? Wanna know what I think?" Misato leaned over the desk, her arms bumping the lamp to the side. "He wants to use NERVs resources to reunite himself with Yui using Rei as some kind of vessel or Avatar."
"That's insane!" Ritsuko bolted to her feet. "Regardless of his…his…sexual overtures, what your implying with Rei is…"
"Is what? Disgusting?" She chuckled darkly. "Yeah. Pedophilia usually is." She always knew how to goad her friend. Before it was just to tease her; now she was doing it to get information out of her. She learned that one from Shinji.
"What you're implying would cause Third Impact! The commander, and all of NERV is trying to stop SEELE from doing that exact same thing! You're letting your anger over the death of a traitor to get to you, Katsuragi."
"And you're letting your libido cloud your judgement regarding the commander, Akagi," Misato growled before turning on her heels and leaving Terminal Dogma. Ritsuko sat down and buried her head in her arms.
"We're trying to stop SEELE. We're trying to stop SEELE. We're trying to stop SEELE." She kept repeating to herself over and over, as if trying to convince herself. 'But what if she's right?' The doctor said to herself. Briefly, she glanced over at the bullets on the desk and wondered why the commander insisted she have the gun? Protection? Or was it there as some kind of goading tool in the event the doctor ever realized his true intents?
Her mother snapped, tried to murder Rei at a young age and committed suicide. And although it was never proven to have been the result of an undiagnosed psychological order there was always that lingering thought in the back of Ritsuko's mind. 'Psychological disorders can be genetic…' The gun was an 'option'.
That's when Ritsuko took a closer look at the bullets. The first time she had ever actually seen them since the commander gave it to her last year. Five of the six bullets lacked a primer. Meaning, if she had tried to use it as a weapon it would be useless. But, that one bullet… The commander meant for the gun to tempt her towards something dark.
Suddenly, Doctor Ritsuko Akagi found her faith and trust in the Commander of NERV, her lover, Gendo Ikari, to be severely diminished. "That son of a bitch…"
XXXXX
The US state of Hawaii used to be a paradise. Beautiful waters, pristine beaches and an island culture that was legendary. That all changed with Second Impact. Sure, some surviving areas of the islands retained this spirit and attraction, but the islands were now mostly militarized. Especially the island of Oahu, now officially designated a 'military district'. Its population was mostly military or military-support related.
'Fortress Hawaii' the islands were called immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was mostly a propaganda tactic but now it was a reality. At least in the case of Oahu. The former Honolulu and Waikiki beach area was now a submerged ruin and the former Pearl Harbor was now the crown of a network of massive platforms and piers housing an assortment of naval power.
The caldera of Diamond Head was now the headquarters of the US Pacific Command and the ridges were lined with missile sites and the interior was a patchwork of training camps including 'Camp Luttrell' on the north shore where the west coast US Navy SEAL and SWCC teams were relocated along with the BUD/S school following the devastation Second Impact caused to Coronado.
"All lines on deck!" A boatswain's mate shouted to the First Lieutenant, the officer in charge of line handling evolutions onboard ship, as the large manila lines were hauled onto the forecastle, pronounced 'foc's'le', of the USS Missouri, BB-63.
"All lines on deck, aye!" The officer replied. And with that, the lead ship of the task force was drawn away from its berth by tug boats. At other locations along the enlarged harbor area, which now filled half of the island, other ships, destroyers, carriers, cruisers and the Missouri's sister ship Iowa, were undergoing the same evolution. Within the hour, the ships would gradually exit the harbor and turn west. Their destination: Tokyo-3.