From the author: Merry Christmas , Happy Holidays , Happy New Year and the winter break for those living in Poland or other countries with it. I'm back from my break and the schoolwork crunch at the Semester's end.
don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion and Akira
Neon Genesis Evangelion belongs to Studio GAINAX and Hideaki Anno
Akira belongs to Kōdansha and Katsuhiro Ōtomo
"this" is speech
'this' is thought
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION HIGHWAY STAR : THE BALLAD OF SHINJI IKARI
Chapter 40: Ireul
"God damn it !"-Shinji screamed as he punched the side of the arcade machine , much to Asuka's dissatisfaction , Toji and Kensuke's shock , Rei's lack of reaction and Mana's happiness
"Yeah ! I'm still better in Mortal Kombat than you !"-Mana explained as Shinji sighed with him looking across numerous arcade machines around the group
"Shin-man , it's the 5th time you lost to Kirishima in this game. Perhaps go play something else ?"-Toji whispers to his ear as Kensuke also leaned
"Yeah , I get personal childhood bias but we're kinda tough watching you getting ass-kicked. We're going to play House of the dead , try beating her in something else"-Kensuke said as they walked away , Shinji only turned away to locate another arcade machine that he could beat Mana , Asuka was also trying to help him with her looking though every machine that she could see and making scenarios. 'Right , shooting games are out immediately , fighting games too apparently , maybe if Shinji picked Street Fighter. But wait'-she thought as her attention was brought onto a certain cabinet. One that read "Daytona USA" before pulling the sleeve of Shinji's jacket. And as he wanted to say something to her she pointed at the cabinet. The only response she got was a smirk
"Ok Mana , you're still better than me in MK , how about something more 3D ?"-Shinji asked as Mana turned towards Shinji to only see him pointing at Daytona USA. And as she realised that her grin. 'Dang it ! Can only hope for the best he didn't play it in a long time'-Mana thought as with a sigh she walked over to it and threw a coin inside with Shinji doing the same
"All right , me and Rei are going to play something else"-Asuka said walking away from them with Rei knowing that Shinji needed to be focused on the task at hand. And that was kicking her almost-predecessor's ass. Shinji and Mana looked at each other before pressing the start button
"So , what track ?"-Mana asked as Shinji looked at the CRT screen displaying the three available tracks
"Let's go with a classic set up , beginner plus manual"-Shinji said as Mana nodded and both of them picked the same option
"ROOOOOOLING START !"-The arcade machine exclaimed though its used up speakers as Shinji's right hand went to the shifter and his left continued to grip to steering wheel. 'Three , Two , One , GO !'-he thought as both he and jolted off to the first checkpoint. And as they begun to pass the rest of the stock cars both them were enourmed by the gameplay , and to defeat each other
"TIME EXTENTCION !"-the computerised voice exclaimed as both of them passed through the first checkpoint , first and many they needed to pass through 8 laps. But they continued to repeat the same routine : Slow down , downshift , turn , upshift and pedal to the metal. And as they repeated that though all the turns everyone passing them noticed how Shinji was only driving with his left hand with the other residing on the shifter. And everything continued to be stuck in a routine with both of them exchaning the possetion of the first place , that was until the last lap. With Shinji trying to come up with a way to shake Mana off with her continuesly praying behind Shinji's back. And that was until Shinji came up with an idea. 'Wait , i slow down in a synched way every lap. Maybe breaking that will help me a bit'-he thought as he waited for the last corner with his hand already waiting for him to down shift. And as he thought he did it , he waited only a few seconds before slowing with Mana not noticing that Shinji changed his routine , thanks to that Shinji managed to get out of the turn faster than her and cruise to the finish line with an easy win
"Yes ! Maybe im still not as good as you in MK but on the tracks of Daytona i still reign supreme ! So , Sega Rally or Touring Cars next ?"-Shinji asked as Mana only frowned in annoyance
"You were always the best in racing games , but i could try"-Mana said getting up from the chair with Shinji fallowing her , and as they wanted to make their way towards the next game Asuka and Rei walked up to them holding their bags
"We got a call from Misato , we're supposed to make our way to the Geofront pronto"-Asuka said as Shinji only sighed before looking at Mana nodded with Shinji grabbing his bag from Rei and making his way out of the arcade with two girls fallowing him.
"What are we supposed to waste our time today ? And please help me something in the sky will Nagisa be there ? Im tired of looking at him in school and have to spend hours looking at him in the Geofront"-Shinji asked as Asuka took a look on her phone to see what Misato written her.
"Aperantly its just three of us today , we have some special test we need to take. And since we're the standby pilots it's our job"-Asuka said as Shinji sighed in relief
"Great , at least I don't have to look in his punchable face"-Shinji said as they continued their walk , and after a 15-minute walk the trio reached the nearest Geofront elevator station. And so all of them got cramped in the metal tin can for another 15 minutes going down. And after all three of them stretched out their legs they made their way to the meeting spot
"Hello kids , it's the same monthly routine autopilot test as always , so get to the sanitation pods"-Ritsuko said over the comms much to
"Eh ? We're doing a naked test again ?"-Asuka asked as they stood in front of the doors leading to the pods
"Yes , all according to the routine procedures , you will be cleaned though. Shower and underwear change is not enough"-Ritsuko said as Asuka wasn't buying any word she said
"Why ? If we are testing some random autopilot ?"-Asuka asked as they walked in to the spot where they had to strip from their clothes
"Time isn't the only thing moving forward , Evas also have to develop. This why we collect data , Shinji should know something about it"-Ritsuko said as Shinji's mouth was forming a reply a small elevator brought his naked form to the empty space that had nothing but small lights
"Research , test and develop. Three key words of R&-AHH !"-Shinji was cut off by the sudden spurges of water and cleaning detergents that were supposed to wipe his entire body off bacteria. And that was repeated 17 more times. And as the 17th time finished the small doors opened revealing a white corridor
"Now we are clean like a tear , those machines washed us 17 times"-Asuka said as Shinji couldn't help but shiver noticing the cleaning hoses of the corridor's walls
"Fine , you need to remain naked. Go through this corridor to your Entry Plugs"-Ritsuko said expecting a reaction from any of them , and much to her surprise no one said anything
"The purpose of the test is to see how well you will sync without your plugsuits. And don't worry , the cameras are turned off"-Ritsuko finished as small glass gateways opened allowing them to pass though , all three of them walked through the corridor with little to no reaction. Everyone saw everything so there weren't that many surprises. After they reached the plugs all of them got in and swiftly got though the LCL stage and now were currently trying to sync with their Evas according to the procedure , so eyes closed and gripping the yokes.
"Pilots ready , inserting the test plugs"-One of the technicians said as all three of the plugs quickly connected with their mock-Evas
"Test plugs are under MAGI's control"-Maya announced as Ritsuko stared through the window at the mock-Evas
"How do you feel ?"-Ritsuko asked as everyone opened their eyes
"Something has changed"-Rei said
"Yeah , it feels kinda odd. Primal in a way"-Shinji added looking up the ceiling of his plug
"My mind is going crazy , i feel my right arm but everything else seems blurry"-Asuka said staring down her hand
"Rei , try moving your right hand"-Ritsuko ordered though the comms
"Right"-Rei replied and in a swift move the right palm of the prototype giant swiftly moved through the water
"Everything seems fine , switch to normal mode"-Ritsuko ordered as the three supercomputers begun to argue
"Conflict , the author's personality comes out"-Ritsuko thought out loud
"What do you mean , i thought you built them ?"-Misato asked looking at her college friend
"You don't know a lot about MAGI do you, Misato ?"-Ritsuko asked as Misato turned away before huffing
"Not my fault that you don't say anything about yourself like i do"-Misato countered
"Right , I only put the system on its legs. But my Mother for the design and building process"-Ritsuko quickly replied
"Can you show me the results ?"-Fuyutsuki asked leaning onto Shigeru's desk in the command centre
"No problem , they put up this wall , its broken in that spot"-Shigeru replied looking onto the displayed graph
"The wall number 87 ?"-Fuyutsuki asked as Shigeru enhanced the graph
"On the close up we can see discoloration what that could be ?"-Shigeru asked while looking at the graph
"Probably rust. I detect jumpy temperatures and conductivity. For some time many parts are getting destroyed for some reason"-Mokoto said while looking on his own screen
"The production cycle was slowed down for 60 days , the air poisoned the material. And Wing's B structure is getting worse"-Shigeru said looking at the sub commander
"They were built after the Angels came"-Fuyutsuki replied returning on his full legs
"I can't be shocked about it , we're all tired"-Mokoto added
"Switch them until the tomorrow before the commander will get angry"-Fuyutsuki quickly finished the chit-chat with the bridge bunnies
"Another leak ?"-Ritsuko asked turning towards Maya
"Another sprees of rust we're detected on the wall above us"-Maya replied causing a sigh from Ritsuko
"Greeaat , did it affect the tests ?"-Ritsuko asked
"For now no"-Maya quickly answered
"We're not stopping , we need a good reason for it. The commander will be angry"-Ritsuko replied turning back to the window
"Right"-Maya replied returning to her work
"Synchronisation in norm , connecting the sim-plug and the mock-Eva in the main Eva's body. Unit 00 confirms contact"-One of the technicians announced
"AT field force expected around two jokts"-Maya replied as the alert sound echoed through the small centre in the mock-Eva cage
"What's going on ?"-Ritsuko asked quickly demanding answers
"The infestation in the sigma block on Level A !"-A voice though the coms replied
"Wall 87 is leaking ! a leak of heat registered. Anomalies in the sixth cord"-One of the technicians added
"The rust is covering the entire wall , in a rapid speed"-Maya added while watching the infestation on her screen
"Stop the tests , cut off the sixth cord"-Ritsuko ordered
"Right !"-Maya replied and with a press of a button the sixth cord retracted
"Cords 60 , 38 and 39 sealed"-One of the technicians reported
"Rust on the section 42"-Another one added
"That's for nothing ! The rust covered the wall and padding !"-Maya replied
"Send out the polysomes !"-Ritsuko ordered as in a blink of an eye several Remote control drones were released into the water
"Full power of the laser , fire without order !"-Ritsuko added as the drones waited on standby
"The rust made its way to the 58th part , watch out !"-Maya reported looking onto her screen as the atmosphere in the room became quiet and tense , that was until Rei's scream brought them out of the silence
"Rei ?!"-Ritsuko exclaimed surprised
"Her mock-Eva is moving !"-Maya reported as meanwhile the Mock-Eva representing Unit 00
was beginning to try to get the cords it was connected to off it. Surprising the other pilots
"What the hell is going on ?!"-Asuka asked as Shinji was beginning to panic. He took a look at the hatch of the plug and then at the eject button 'I can't even swim my way into the mock-Eva , damn it !'-he thought as he continued to look with horror. And to add to the fear the mock-Eva reached out its hand to the protection glass. That was until Ritsuko pulled the Forced Shutdown lever causing the mock-Eva's hand to eject
"What about Rei ?!"-Misato asked
"She's ok"-Maya reported
"Eject the plugs , all lasers full power !"-Ritsuko ordered as all three plugs flew upwards through the water towards a safe place. And in a minute the plugs finally arrived at the artificial lake. Shinji quickly kicked the hatch of his plug away before taking a breath of fresh air before jumping to the water and opening Rei's plug helping her get out and swimming out onto the nearest shore
"You ok ? Never going down there again"-Shinji said as Rei spit out LCL
"What do you think was that brother ?"-Rei asked as Shinji only looked down though the water
"I think it's an obvious answer , a Nano-angel"-Shinji explained as Asuka finally caught up with them
"So what you're saying is that the Angels adapted to the situation , making itself a nanite and infecting our systems , that's a , fairly good explanation"-Asuka asked as Shinji only nodded and sat next to them , completely forgetting the part that they were all naked
"The part where we are spilling out ozone is completely free from infestation"-Shigeru reported as Misato was looking through his shoulder at the screen
"So the oxygen is bad for him ?"-Misato asked turning towards Ritsuko
"It seems like it"-Ritsuko replied as the NERV crew begun to send Ozone into the mock-Evas and for a minute it seemed that it was working , only for the angel to counterattack with twice the force
"That's for nothing , stopping the sanitation"-Maya reported
"The angel is sucking in the Ozone !"-Mokoto added as the graph on his screen begun to change
"Cut it off"-Ritsuko ordered as the screens were showing the Angel's growing cycle
"Incredible , it grows so fast"-Ritsuko said as she continued to watch it before the alarm sound echoed throughout the command centre
"Whats going on ?!"-Misato asked
"Sub Computer is being hacked , unknown attacker !"-One of technicians reported
"Wait , now we're being hacked ?!"-Asuka asked sitting on the grass with Rei and listening to the radio transmissions as Shinji was trying to connect the dots
"Aliens , we thought that they were just mindless monsters but they know how to adapt. Perhaps the Evas were only a temporary solution ?"-Shinji asked as meanwhile the situation remained tight
"We can see how it shapeshifts !"-Maya reported as stared down her screen
"Those glowing lights are the circuits , it's like a living computer"-Shigeru reported
"I'm creating a blind connection , it doesn't allow to redirect"-Mokoto added
"Cut off the main cord"-Misato ordered as it was no use
"The console isn't responding"-Shigeru replied
"Cut it with lasers !"-Misato once again ordered
"Ineffective ! The target turned on its AT Field !"-Maya replied as Misato wiped sweat from her forehead
"It's breaching the security database , it's trying to break the password ! 12 digits , 16 digits , password detected !"-Shigeru reported
"It broke into the security department's database ! It broke the main database ! I can't stop it"-Mokoto added as meanwhile Gendo Ikari was watching the entire situation though his glasses
"What does he want ?"-Fuyutsuki asked as Gendo remained silent
"It's jumping the main base ! Wait , it's the code to… Oh no ! It's breaking into the MAGI !"-Shigeru reported as the situation in the command centre was tighter than a plug suit
"Cut off the terminals"-Gendo ordered as Mokoto and Shigeru turned them off with a move of a key. And it didn't do much difference
"It still has power supply !"-Mokoto reported
"It's breaching further ! It's inside of Melchior ! I can't do anything ! The angel is going to overtake it !"-Maya reported as the angel finally overtook it
"MAGI-1 Melchior appoints for the self-destruction of the base , rejected"-A computerised voice announced as everyone in the command centre except for Gendo had hard time with breathing
"Melchior is beginning to hack Baltazar !"-Shigeru reported as the nanite angel was spreading its influence second after second
"Switch the Counting Mode ! Turn the clock to the 1/15 mode !"-Ritsuko ordered the crew to go to work. And it semi-succeeded
"How much time we got ?"-Fuyutsuki asked
"Judging by his speed , two hours"-Shigeru said as they stared at their screens
"To think about it , that the MAGI had betrayed us"-Fuyutsuki said
"We believe that the angel is made up from nanite microbes , they created a colony and rapidly spread. They evolved and created their own artificial intelligence"-Ritsuko reported
"They evolved ?"-Gendo asked
"Yes. The colony keeps evolving and shows no signs to stop. Searching for the perfect way of solving every situation"-Ritsuko explained
"Like life trying to survive in nature"-Fuyutsuki compared
"The only working method of defeating an enemy that is continuing to evolve is destroying him with yourself , there is no other way. I ask for permission to self-destruct the MAGI"-Misato exclaimed shocking Ritsuko
"Never ! That would mean self-destruction of the entire base !"-Ritsuko countered as Misato remained in her decision
"I file an official application as the operation director !"-Misato exclaimed as the two clashed heads
"Negative , this is the task for the Informatics department !"-Ritsuko countered as Misato was running out of patience
"Why are you so pushy about it ?!"-Misato finally asked as Ritsuko turned away
"Because it is my neglecting"-Ritsuko replied as
"You've been like that ever since we met, you take everything on yourself and always reject any help"-Misato said as an awkward silence was emitting throughout the room.
"If the angel is still evolving , we might have a chance"-Ritsuko finally ended the silence
"You're going to provoke it ?"-Gendo asked
"Yes"-Ritsuko replied
"The ultimate point of evolution is self-destruction"-Gendo quoted while looking down at the data on the table
"You want to advance this process ?"-Fuyutsuki asked adding to the question
"If the angel will believe it as the best option , it could try to coexist with the MAGI"-Ritsuko explained
"But is that even achievable ?"-Mokoto asked
"If the computer is the target , we're going to connect it with Casper. We'll be able to break into him and install a self-destruction programme but-"-Ritsuko was cut off by Maya
"We would need to to put down the firewall"-Maya explained
"Will Casper be faster than the Angel ? It's riskful"-Gendo asked as Ritsuko was certain of the answer. And a "Yes" was heard
"Will you be able to write the programme ? If we lose Casper it's the end"-Misato asked as a brief silence entered the room
"I'll keep my word"
"I didn't know it was that big"-Misato said as the giant wave a cord revealed itself with a hatch that led into the insides of the MAGI. 'Shin-chan would have a heyday around here , but probably would steal most valuable stuff and sell it to WILLE or on Yahoo auctions'-Misato thought as Ritsuko took off the hatch and entered the small corridor on her knees
"What are those notes ?"-Maya asked as Ritsuko proceed though the corridor
"Author's notes"-Ritsuko replied
"Incredible , those are the codes for the MAGI ! It would be a goldmine for hackers , I'm getting stressed from looking alone ! With this we will write the programme in a blink of an eye right ?"-Maya asked as Ritsuko nodded
"Thank you mom , now we will make it in time"-Ritsuko said as the three of them got to work , and as Maya begun to write to programme Misato was helping with the repairs
"Socket Wrench"-Ritsuko asked as Misato gave it to her
"Just like in college right ?"-Misato asked trying to keep the conversation alive
"Keyboard number 25"-Ritsuko nonchalantly asked as Misato handed it towards her , and as she started writing on it Misato came up with another topic
"Tell me more about the MAGI"-Misato asked
"It's a long story , and though most of it it's really boring. Have you heard about the personality system ?"-Ritsuko asked
"Yes , it's the human consciousness copied to a computer, the seventh generation , allowing it to think like a human. Evas work on the same rule "-Misato responded
"MAGI is the first sighting of that system. That technology was designed by my mother"-Ritsuko explained as Misato got curious
"That means she downloaded her personality in it ?"-Misato asked
"Exactly"-Ritsuko replied as she grabbed an angle grinder and begun to cut Casper's protection shell
"We could say that we're looking at her brain"-Ritsuko explained taking off the part of the protection shell to reveal the metallic brain
"Is that why you were defending the MAGI ?"-Misato asked
"Not really , me and my Mother didn't get along well. I said that as an scientist"-Ritsuko explained as meanwhile the Angel overtook Balthazar and the alert sound echoed throughout the Central Dogma and the main command centre
"It started already ?"-Misato asked, peaking out as Maya continued to write down the code. Meanwhile the situation in the command centre was getting more and more desperate an fearful second after second
"Come on Ritsuko !"-Misato said returning her gaze to her to her friend
"Don't worry , im a second ahead of it"-Ritsuko countered continuing to write on her keyboard
"A second ?"-Misato frantically asked
"It's more than zero right ?"-Ritsuko rhetorically asked as she continued to write
"Maya ?"-Ritsuko finally asked her young subordinate
"Ready"-Maya replied
"NOW !"-The final command was executed as both of them pressed enter on their keyboards
"The self-destruction procedure was called off , the paragraph 582 was also dropped , the MAGI returned to their normal work"-The automatic voice said as everyone let out a sigh. The angel was dead
"I think we should make our way to the base , I don't want anyone to think we had a three-way incest orgy"-Shinji said getting up as Asuka grabbed his arm
"And reveal our pristine naked bodies to someone !? NEVER !"-She exclaimed, bringing sighing Shinji to the ground. 'This is going to be the longest hour ever , i should've stayed in the arcade'
A/N: Another Angel dealt with ! And we enter a two-chapter break from the angel action as Shinji finally moves his figures on the chessboard. See ya until then