Disclaimer: Neon Genesis Evangelion is the creation of Anno and Gainax. I don't own it, make no claims to it, and am making no profit from this fan fiction. No infringement of copyright is intended. In other words, please don't sue.
Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or anything associated with it, and I am making no profit from this fan fiction. No infringement of copyright is intended. In other words, please don't sue.
Chapter Seven: Special Forces
Located about fifty kilometers outside of Tokyo-2, the JSSDF Central Command Base was one of the most secure facilities in Japan. Motion detectors, heat sensors, laser trip wires, and other advanced systems ensured that not even a house fly could hope to infiltrate the compound without being caught.
Of course, the Blue Beetle wasn't a house fly.
(Dun dun, da na! Dun dun, dun na!) The scarab cheerfully "sang" as Blue Beetle flew over the high fence around the base.
"The Mission: Impossible theme? Really?" the sapphire superwoman groaned.
(Personally, I think it's quite appropriate, given the situation.) The scarab commented cheekily.
"Can you be serious for just a little while? Say, an hour?" Blue Beetle asked testily. "This is very important."
(Fine, fine whatever.) The scarab grumbled, and Blue Beetle had the feeling it would have rolled its eyes if it could.
The superwoman sighed. Honestly, you would think that something that's supposed to be an alien doomsday device would be a little less childish, she thought, then frowned. Where did the scarab pick up its personality quirks from, anyway?
Its love of explosions and violence and general probably came from what was left of its programming; it was supposed to be a be a weapon, after all. The rest of it though…
If its personality wasn't innate, then the only place it could have come from was…contact with my mind, she thought.
What that implied about her psyche made her cringe and pale behind her helmet all at once, and Blue Beetle immediately concluded that the scarab's childishness was just the result of its corrupted programming.
Yes, that has to be it, Blue Beetle decided.
She could sense a flare of irritation from the scarab and realized that it had been following her thoughts. "Are you sure we're still dimension-shifted?" she asked before it could say anything.
(Yes. No one can see, hear, or touch us. We're ghosts.) The scarab reassured her.
"Good," Blue Beetle said, "because if I blow the dramatic entrance, we may as well pack up and go home right now."
(That would suck.)
"To put it mildly," Blue Beetle agreed. If she blew this, then she would have to try the UN military next. However, there were a variety of reasons why she thought her chances for success were lower with the United Nations.
So she really needed the theatrics to work.
"Scarab, can you give me a map of this place?" she asked.
(Piece of cake.) A cerulean, three-dimensional hologram of the facility appeared in the air before her. (…you know, I still don't get that saying.)
"Neither do I, now that you mention it," Blue Beetle said absently, studying the map closely.
A big blue arrow appeared, pointing at a small office. (The place you're looking for is here.)
"Has anyone ever told you that your scanners are frighteningly good?" Blue Beetle asked, somewhat in awe by the artifact's prodigious powers.
(I'm pretty sure you've told me that before.) It replied mildly.
Blue Beetle shook her head. "Do you know where the man we came to speak with is?" she asked.
A blinking dot appeared within the diagram. (Right there. Looks like he's headed back to his office. You ought to be able to beat him there if you hurry.)
"Perfect," she said, and began to fly quickly toward the massive complex which made up the bulk of the base. She had to phase through several walls to reach her destination in time, which was not something she felt comfortable doing. However, there was too much at stake for her to ruin things simply because her instincts kept screaming at her to stop.
Minutes later, she reached a fairly large office. It was very plainly furnished, save for the katana and wakizashi which had been mounted on the wall. Clearly, the office of a traditional military man.
Okay, here goes, she thought, dimension shifting the leather chair so she could sit in it before plopping down.
"Remember how we practiced it?" she asked the scarab.
(For the thousandth time, yes.) It answered, exasperated.
"Good," Blue Beetle replied, attempting to prop her feet up on the huge oak desk that dominated the room. However, she hadn't dimension shifted it, so her feet went through it as though it wasn't there and fell to the floor. Blue Beetle sighed.
Moments later, the door opened, and a man wearing the olive green uniform of the JSSDF entered. His chair was invisible to him, causing a frown of confusion to form on his face.
"Now," Blue Beetle said to her scarab, and it reached out with its phase shifting capabilities.
The JSSDF flag officer released a cry of surprise as his chair abruptly appeared before his eyes, along with one of Japan's superwomen.
"Good afternoon, General Katsuro," the sapphire superwoman greeted him pleasantly.
"Security!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "Get in here!"
"I'm afraid that won't do you much good, sir," Blue Beetle said. "You see, this room and everything in it are currently dimension shifted."
The man's stare was incredulous. "Dimension shifted?" he repeated with a frown, his hand slowly drifting toward his service pistol.
"Yes," Blue Beetle replied. "It's very complicated, but basically it means that we're just a little bit out of step with the rest of reality. And that means we can't interact with it until we return to normal."
With no one responding to his shouts, he had little choice but to believe her. "What do you want?" he demanded.
Blue Beetle smiled. "To enlist with the JSSDF, essentially," she said.
"You've got to be kidding," Katsuro blurted out.
The sapphire superwoman had to force herself not to laugh. She remembered Katsuro; he'd been one of the generals to show up at NERV on the day the Third Angel had appeared, and she had seen him before she'd had to leave the command center to start preparing Unit One. He'd been so proud and self-assured then.
It was a stark contrast to what he looked like now. The general was confused, a little scared, yet also tempted by what she seemed to be offering; the whole mess of emotions was written plainly on his face.
(His heart rate is elevated. I'm reading increased levels of sweat production, too.)
Thanks, scarab, she replied, before turning her attention back to Katsuro.
"I'm completely serious, General," she said. "Of course, I don't exactly have the standard recruitment process in mind. I was planning on skipping basic training, along with telling you who I am under this armor, for that matter."
Katsuro scowled and crossed his arms. "All right, enough being coy. What exactly are you proposing?" he asked. "Lay it out for me."
"Fair enough," Blue Beetle said. "I am volunteering to be your anti-Angel weapon. I will fight them in the name of the JSSDF, come to press conferences and publicity stunts to wave the flag around, and I will share a little of the advanced alien technology that makes up this armor with you. I won't tell you who I am, but when you tell everyone that I did, I won't contradict you."
Katsuro gave her a look. "Advanced alien technology?"
Blue Beetle just gestured to herself. "Is that really so hard to believe?" she asked.
The general hesitated, then shrugged. Blue Beetle could practically see him decide it really wasn't all that important where her technology came from.
"Why should I accept help from someone who won't even tell me her name?" Katsuro demanded next.
Blue Beetle smiled, though inwardly she was trembling; she'd been hoping the general would leap at the chance she was offering him, but she supposed she'd been foolish to expect that.
(As anxious as you are, he's worse. You can do this, Ritsuko.)
Thanks, scarab, she thought.
"Because, the honor of the JSSDF and yours were seriously stained when you and the UN military failed to do more than slow down the first Angel that attacked," she answered. "Jet Alone was supposed to be your ticket back into this war, but it didn't exactly go as planned. Now there are people in the government who are openly saying that the JSSDF should be folded back into the regular JSDF."
"Only a few people on the fringes are saying that," Katsuro retorted defensively.
"Maybe, for now," Blue Beetle replied. "But that aside, the fact is, the only way you can get back into this fight and redeem yourself is if you have the one thing on Earth besides an Evangelion that has killed an Angel. And that's me."
Katsuro paused, obviously thinking the matter over. The few seconds he remained silent were some of the longest in Blue Beetle's life.
(Pupil dilation shows that he's very tempted. He wants this. Relax.) The scarab whispered in her mind.
"What's your angle?" Katsuro asked, frowning.
"I beg your pardon?"
"You've spelled out pretty clearly why I would want this little arrangement," he said, his eyes narrowing. "But you haven't told me why you want it."
Damn, she thought. She'd been hoping to tell him as little about herself as possible.
"Is it so hard to believe that someone besides you has an axe to grind with NERV?" Blue Beetle asked.
Katsuro stroked his chin, then chuckled. "Well, I guess a prick like Ikari would have a list of enemies about a kilometer long…"
"So, do we have a deal?" Blue Beetle pressed.
"Even I can't make this decision unilaterally," Katsuro said. "How can I contact you later?"
Blue Beetle picked up a pen and pad sitting on the general's desk and wrote down a phone number. "I know you're probably going to ignore me when I say this, but don't bother trying to trace that," she said, handing the pad to Katsuro. "It'll save your tech people a very big headache."
Katsuro just grunted. "Since you showed yourself in, I'm sure you can show yourself out, too."
(Gee, think that might be a hint?) The scarab asked with a mental snicker.
Definitely, Blue Beetle replied. Scarab, let's allow the General and his office to return to normal and get out of here.
(You got it.) The scarab replied, allowing everything but Blue Beetle to return to its normal dimensional wavelength.
"Huh," Katsuro made a little impressed noise as the sapphire superwoman appeared to vanish before his very eyes.
Blue Beetle rolled her eyes. I was hoping he'd at least jump a little, she thought, then took her leave.
Moments later, they were flying back through the sky toward Tokyo-3, still invisible to the rest of the world. Blue Beetle was silent, feeling pensive and worried.
Unsurprisingly, the scarab wasn't exactly happy about that, and soon moved to end the quiet.
(So, what do you think? Will he accept your offer?) It asked.
"Why don't you tell me?" Blue Beetle retorted. "You're the one who was monitoring his vitals the whole time."
(Like I told you before, he wants your help.) The scarab said. (He wants it a lot, but he's afraid that you'll backstab him or that there'll be a catch somewhere. I don't understand human nature well enough that I can predict what he'll do.)
"That makes two of us," Blue Beetle sighed. "I hope he does accept my help, though. If he turns me down, I'll have to try this with the UN military."
(And you don't have a lot of faith they'll accept?) The scarab asked astutely.
"No, I don't," Blue Beetle said.
The UN army had suffered far heavier losses during the Third Angel's attack than the JSSDF had, but the JSSDF had endured a much worse blow to their pride. Japan was, after all, their nation; their failure to defend it constituted a very significant loss of face, and having to continually play second fiddle to NERV only compounded their humiliation. They would want to get back into the fight far more than the international military organization.
Not only that, but SEELE's tendrils reached far deeper into the UN military than they did in the JSSDF. The exclusively Japanese force was relatively puny next to the international military, so SEELE didn't bother to infiltrate it directly; when they needed to manipulate the JSSDF, they manipulated the Japanese government. The UN military, in contrast, was packed full of flag officers that were under the cabal's collective thumb.
(Well, then, I guess we'll just have to hope that the JSSDF says yes.) The scarab said cheerfully.
Blue Beetle smiled in spite of herself. "You know, the way you think is refreshingly simple sometimes," she commented.
She could feel the scarab perform the mental equivalent of a frown. (What's that supposed to mean?) It asked crossly. (Are you calling me simple?)
"Oh no, not at all," Blue Beetle replied with a smirk, her tone suggesting that she might not be entirely honest about that.
(Rit~suuuuu~ko!) The scarab whined.
Several days later found the residents of the Katsuragi apartment enjoying a typical morning, if any such thing could be said to exist for them. Shinji was at the stove, finishing up breakfast, while Misato and Asuka were sitting at the table.
"Honestly, do you have to leave the TV on while we're eating?" the redhead complained. "It's distracting and just plain rude."
Misato remained mellow in the face of the Second Child's gripes, probably because she was already working on her second beer of that morning. "Well, I'm sorry if it bothers you, but this is my only chance to catch the news most days, and since I am the one who pays the rent for this place…"
Asuka scowled and muttered something unintelligible, and for a few moments, relative silence reigned within the apartment.
Which made it easy for all three of them to hear the Channel 2 News anchorwoman.
"Good morning, Kanagawa Prefecture, I'm Chiyo Aoki. Our top story today: you've seen her in the sky, you've seen her on Youtube, and if you've been lucky, you've even gotten the chance to see her up close. But pretty soon you'll see her in the military. Yes, in a surprising move, the Blue Beetle has joined the JSSDF!"
Misato seemed to choke on her morning beer, then sent a spray of the stuff flying…all over Asuka, who happened to be sitting across the table from her.
"Misato!" the Second Child shrieked, eyes burning with rage.
"Shh," Misato shushed her charge, unappreciative of the danger of being maimed by a redheaded teenage girl.
"General Katsuro of the JSSDF announced the unexpected news yesterday evening," the anchorwoman continued, "stating that the Blue Beetle will be at the center of a new anti-Angel taskforce that the military is putting together. It is unconfirmed though widely believed that funding for this taskforce will be diverted from NERV. Channel 2 News will bring you more information on this story as it becomes available. In other news—"
Chiryo was cut off in mid sentence as Misato switched off the TV with the remote. The normally vibrant woman looked pale and shocked.
"Oh, great! As if this day couldn't get any better, the super bug had to go and try to compete with Evangelion!" Asuka scowled, the beer shower almost forgotten. "I'll bet my Unit Two will go without adequate armor just so the military can send more tanks and planes to get smashed by the next Angel!"
Shinji looked at Misato, then frowned. His guardian seemed even more shocked than this news merited.
"Misato? Are you all right?" he asked. "You look like you're about to be sick."
"Huh?" the purple haired woman blinked, then seemed to shake her herself out of her thoughts. "Oh, I'm fine, Shinji. Just surprised. And a little worried, I guess. Anyway, uh, are you two ready for school?"
"Yeah, I guess," Shinji said, still rather concerned. Misato really didn't look like she'd regained her equilibrium.
"Well, I was just about ready to go, but then someone had to spit beer all over me," Asuka grumbled. "I need to go shower and change. You'll have to call the school and let them know I'll be late."
"Oh, sure, no problem, Asuka," Misato said. "Guess you'll have to walk to school without her, Shinji."
"Right," he said, then reluctantly gathered his bag and left, all the while wondering about Misato's troubled reaction.
The factory was, from the outside, nothing special to look at. Once upon a time, it had been an automobile production plant, churning out cars to be exported all over the world. The Impact Wars had seen it converted to build tanks and other armored attack vehicles for the JSDF and JSSDF, but the return of peace had brought hard times to the factory. It had shut its doors, and dust had been allowed to gather inside.
Until recently.
The plant was once again alive with the great noise of heavy machinery and filled with bustling workers, but it was significantly different from the way it had been in the old days. Cutting-edge robotic assemblers toiled away tirelessly, and the objects rolling off the assembly lines certainly weren't tanks or cars.
In the midst of all the hustle and bustle of production, three men walked through the factory. All three wore hard hats, a mandatory precaution on the main floor, but only one member of the trio clearly belonged there. Of the other two, one man wore the olive green uniform of the JSSDF, while the third was clad in a white lab coat.
"Most impressive," General Katsuro said. "How quickly did you say they were producing these things, Ito-san?"
"We are currently completing one Bug every two hours, sir," the head foreman of the factory told him. "We expect, however, to reduce that by half within the next three months." He added proudly.
"Bug?" Katsuro asked, frowning.
Ito flushed. "Ah, sorry, sir," he said. "That's what we've taken to calling the BVG313 hunter-killer drones. They do sort of look like insects, don't they?"
Katsuro silently gazed at one of the nearly finished models. The blue and black craft was squat, with a mostly circular shape to it. Two emitters on the front looked like great, shining eyes, and the antennae from which it would receive radio commands did look very much like those of the average insect.
All in all, the thing looked like a giant robotic beetle.
"They do indeed," Katsuro said. "Well, Ito-san, I'm pleased to say that this facility has passed inspection with flying colors."
"Thank you, sir," Ito replied, obviously happy that the factory and the jobs it was providing the area would remain around.
"No, thank you," Katsuro said with a smile.
"Here, let me show you gentlemen out," Ito said, escorting them across the dangerous factory floor to the front entrance.
Katsuro and his shadow in the white coat shed their hard hats, exchanged polite farewells with the foreman, and then they were on their way. The pair climbed into the back of a waiting black sedan, which was soon driving through the streets of Kyoto-2.
"You were unusually quiet back there, even for you," Katsuro commented, once they were no longer within sight of the factory. "Saw something you disapproved of, Dr. Endo?"
"Not with the factory, sir," Endo replied, pushing his horn rimmed glasses up to the bridge of his nose.
Katsuro resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He supposed that civilian scientists like Endo were necessary to the military, at least from time to time, but that didn't mean he had to like dealing with them. "Well, come on, then," he said. "Spit it out, Doctor. What's on your mind?"
The scientist looked uncomfortable. "The JSSDF has spent a lot of money to get that factory, and others like it, up and working again in record time," he said. "I mean, it's only been a few weeks since the Blue Beetle shared some of her technology with us."
"Yes, what of it?" Katsuro asked with a frown.
Endo sighed and opened up a folder he'd been carrying with him, pulling out copies of the design schematics for a whole new generation of combat hardware. Drones like the BVG313's, new VTOL aircraft, artillery, small arms, tanks, machine guns…all of them based upon the revolutionary technologies that the Blue Beetle had granted them.
"These designs are all well beyond anything we've ever fielded before," Endo said. "In fact, if we hadn't complied with the new UN charter and shared this technology with our allies, they'd probably feel compelled to preemptively attack us before we could build too much of this stuff. And of course, the developments when this trickles down to the private sector are going to be enormous, even taking into account—"
"Get to the point, Endo," Katsuro said.
The scientist looked miffed at being interrupted, but he was nowhere near foolish enough to snap at a general for it. "This stuff is good, but against the Angels, it's still not good enough," he said. "Even the most optimistic models show that these new weapons can't penetrate an AT Field."
"Which is why the Blue Beetle herself will act as the centerpiece of our new anti-Angel taskforce," Katsuro said.
"But can we be sure that we can trust her to show when we need her?" Endo asked. "And for that matter, can we even safely assume that she has the firepower to stop an Angel, when these things we're building with her technology can't?"
"I never had any illusion that the Blue Beetle had given us her best toys, Doctor," Katsuro said. "She's more powerful than anything we're building. As for her showing up to the party, that's a gamble I'm willing to take."
"That's a pretty big risk," Endo said. "If she doesn't come when we need her, it'll be a huge blow to the credibility of the JSSDF."
"Which would almost certainly lead to this branch of the military being disbanded. Yes, I know that," Katsuro said. "But I truly believe that the JSSDF will meet the same fate if we don't get back into this war. And I saw too damn much evidence that Japan needs the JSSDF during the Impact Wars to let it go under without doing absolutely everything I can to stop that from happening."
The school was still absolutely abuzz by the time dismissal rolled around, much to Shinji's amazement. It seemed like everyone had heard the news about the Blue Beetle well before arriving at Tokyo-3 Junior High that morning, and they talked about little else for the entire day.
I get that it's big news, but that was just nuts, Shinji mused as he left the classroom, risking one quick glance back at Asuka before he departed. Even the class rep was getting into it between classes.
The redhead had not taken everyone's excited reaction to the news about the Blue Beetle well, and she had spent most of the day telling the "uninformed masses" why NERV and the Evangelions were vastly superior to the woman in the azure armor. Of course, trying to quell the excitement and rumors had been a futile task.
But Asuka's nothing if not persistent, Shinji mused, deciding that it would only be foolishness on his part for him to try and make her stop.
"Hey, man, where you going?" Toji asked, catching up to the Third Child in the crowded hallway.
"Me and Toji were going to go to the arcade this afternoon," Kensuke added, seeming to appear from nowhere at Shinji's left side. "You in?"
Shinji sighed. "I can't go," he said. "I have a mountain of homework I have to get to."
It really wasn't fair, he mused. He was often forced to let his homework pile up because he had to endure tests at NERV. It felt like he was regularly punished for laziness, without the pleasure of actually procrastinating.
"Man, that stinks," Toji said as the trio exited the school building.
"Yeah," Kensuke said, commiserating for a moment before quickly brightening again. "Well, we two bad dudes will punch a couple of ninjas for you on our way to saving the president."
"Um, okay," Shinji said, not getting the reference. "That—"
He was interrupted by the honking of a car horn. He initially shrugged it off, but then he heard someone call his name. "Huh?" he muttered to himself, looking around in confusion.
Toji spotted the person who'd called to the Third Child before Shinji did. "Whoa, Shinji, do you know that blond bombshell over there?" he asked.
Shinji finally spotted the car that had honked, and saw the Project-E chairperson sitting behind the wheel. "Um, yeah," he said. "She works at NERV. I don't know why she's here, though."
"She works for NERV, too? Man, that place is just bursting at the seams with total babes!" Toji crowed. "Hey, Shinji, you don't suppose your dad is secretly a huge hentai or something, do you?"
Shinji frowned. On the face of it, the idea seemed completely laughable. Then again, he had noticed that the female personnel at NERV tended to range somewhere between "pretty" and "unrealistic male fantasy."
"…nah," he decided eventually. "Well, I have to go, um, apparently. See you guys tomorrow."
"The life of an Evangelion pilot is glamorous indeed, my friend," the Third Child heard Kensuke comment to Toji.
Shinji rolled his eyes and kept heading for Ritsuko's car, pretending he hadn't heard the remark.
"Hello, Shinji," the scientist greeted him as he drew near. "I was afraid you weren't going to notice me."
"Hello, Ritsuko," he greeted. "What are you doing here?"
"Well, I ended up taking a pretty late lunch today," she said. "I left the base to get something to eat, and then realized I was right by the school. So I thought I'd offer you a ride home."
Shinji smiled. He seriously doubted that coincidence had actually been involved in that series of events at all, and he found himself touched by the gesture.
"Thank you," he said, "a ride home would be good."
"Then hop in," Ritsuko said.
Shinji quickly climbed into the passenger seat, and the scientist started up the car. Soon they were driving through Tokyo-3, and at a far saner pace than Misato ever used.
"So how was school, Shinji?" Ritsuko asked him.
"All right, I guess," he said. Then realizing this was a rather short answer, he added, "Everybody couldn't stop talking about the Blue Beetle, though."
Ritsuko chuckled. "Believe me, no matter how bad it was at school, I can guarantee NERV was ten times worse."
"I'll bet," Shinji said. "Ritsuko, are you worried about what'll happen to NERV because of this?"
"For myself, no, not really," the blonde said. "I mean, I like to think I have a skill set that's pretty desirable to most companies, so I'm not afraid I won't be able to find other employment if NERV goes under. I just hope that the Blue Beetle's up to the task she's taken on." The scientist seemed to become very grave as she said this last bit, and Shinji frowned, wondering if something was the matter. However, Ritsuko appeared to quickly shake off whatever had come over her.
"Are you worried?" she asked him. "After all, I'm sure you're pretty invested in EVA, in your own way."
Shinji paused a moment to consider the question. "I don't think I'd actually miss EVA. At least, not that much," he said. "But I would miss some of the things that come with it."
"What do you mean?" Ritsuko asked.
"Well, if not for Evangelion, I never would have come to Tokyo-3 in the first place," Shinji said. "I'd still be living with my uncle."
Ritsuko nodded. "Right," she said, "I read your file when you first started piloting for us—I hope you don't mind, by the way—and it didn't seem like you had a very good life there."
"Well, it's not like it was bad," Shinji said, not wanting Ritsuko to get the wrong idea about his uncle. "In fact, I miss it sometimes; it was quiet. But it was kind of empty, too. I don't really want to go back, but if NERV shuts down, that's probably what's going to happen."
Ritsuko smiled. "I wouldn't count on that," she said. "I think Misato's gotten pretty attached to you. It probably doesn't hurt that you do her laundry and cook for her."
Shinji smiled, but faintly. "Maybe."
"Hmm, tell you what," Ritsuko said. "If Misato does decide she doesn't need her roommate anymore in a world where Evangelion isn't required, then you can live with me."
Shinji blinked, barely daring to believe he'd heard correctly. "Really? You're serious?"
"Sure," Ritsuko said. "Why not? It would be nice to live with a friend again. Last time I did that was when Misato and I stayed together in college, and you're obviously a much more considerate and helpful roommate than she was."
Shinji chuckled, but he could feel his eyes becoming dangerously liquid. He turned his head so he was facing the window. Ritsuko had, he told himself, probably been motivated by pity to make the offer. He really shouldn't take her up on it if Misato kicked him out; he'd probably just be a burden on her.
Even so, he was still very touched by the gesture.
"Thank you," he finally said several moments later, when he trusted himself to speak.
Ritsuko smiled brightly at him, and a pleasant warm feeling washed over Shinji at the sight. "You're welcome," she said. "Oh, it looks like we've reached your stop."
The scientist parked the car in front of Misato's apartment building, and Shinji ambled out. "Thank you, Ritsuko, for the ride," he said. "Um, would you like to come over for dinner sometime? Perhaps tonight?"
"I'd like that a lot," Ritsuko said, looking up at the window of Misato's apartment, "but my schedule is going to be insane for the foreseeable future. Besides, things are a little…dicey between Misato and I right now."
"Oh, I didn't know that," Shinji said. "I'm sorry to hear that."
Ritsuko just nodded. "Well, I should be getting back to headquarters," she said. "I'll see you around, Shinji."
"See you, Ritsuko," he said. "And thanks again for the ride."
"You're welcome," she said.
The scientist then drove off, waiting until she had put a good two blocks between herself and Shinji before she allowed herself to heave a sigh.
(What's wrong?) The scarab asked.
"Oh, I guess I just wish it was that easy to make everyone so happy," Ritsuko said.
(Misato?)
Ritsuko smirked. "You're definitely getting more shrewd," she said. "Yes, I haven't spoken to Misato lately, but I'm sure she's pissed off at me. I flushed any goodwill I earned from her for saving the Children down the drain, that's for sure."
(But allying with the JSSDF was necessary for your plan to work.) The scarab pointed out.
"I know, but that doesn't mean I have to like all the consequences," Ritsuko said.
Of all the meetings Gendo had ever had with SEELE, this was probably the one he had wanted to avoid the most. Which wasn't surprising, considering that never before had he been forced to meet with SEELE so they could discuss how to avert an unfolding nightmare scenario.
"How could you have let this happen, Ikari?" SEELE 07 demanded the moment the monoliths appeared in the holographic meeting chamber.
Gendo arched an eyebrow. He'd realized that his co-conspirators' nerves would be jangled, of course, but not by this much.
"I take it you are referring to the Blue Beetle's recent alliance with the JSSDF, Councilman?" he asked sardonically.
"Do not toy with us, Ikari," SEELE 02 warned. "Of course that is what he meant."
"Ah, I was confused, because I do not recall this council ever declaring that it was my responsibility to monitor the Blue Beetle and ensure she didn't interfere with the Scenario," Gendo said.
"Perhaps not, but managing the Scenario is your responsibility," SEELE 07 retorted. "That includes removing any potential snags, and this one could easily prove to be disastrous."
That Gendo couldn't disagree with. It had been one of their greatest fears that the conventional military would find some way to get back into the war against the Angels. Once they were involved in the war again, they could siphon off resources that would otherwise have gone to the Human Instrumentality Project. Resources that might prove vital for the successful execution of the Scenario.
"If I remember correctly, all of you gentlemen agreed with me when I stated how unlikely it was that either Green Lantern or Blue Beetle would become one of those potential snags," Gendo pointed out instead.
Of course, none of us ever believed that either of them would go so far as to join the military in order to gain legitimacy, he mused darkly.
The presence of women with stupendous powers in Tokyo-3 had made the massively expensive Evangelions look superfluous to some, yes. That had been bad so far as public opinion was concerned, but Gendo had never truly feared that the Japanese government or the UN might start to feel EVA was unnecessary.
So long as the superwomen were merely very powerful vigilantes, NERV and the Human Instrumentality Committee could simply point out that the likes of the Blue Beetle and the Green Lantern couldn't truly be relied upon.
Unfortunately, this development changed the equation significantly.
"Are you trying to shift the responsibility for this miscalculation to us?" SEELE 07 exclaimed.
"Enough!" SEELE 01 broke in, before Gendo could respond. "Ikari is correct in saying that we all have erred. Therefore, we all must fix the problem."
"How can we?" SEELE 11 asked. "The UN General Assembly has already voted to divert a portion of NERV's auxiliary budget to the JSSDF's new taskforce. If it and Blue Beetle are successful in destroying more Angels before NERV does, it is only a matter of time before they give the JSSDF even more of NERV's funding."
"Perhaps," Keel conceded. "But the auxiliary budget is the only thing the General Assembly can meddle with by itself. Anything else requires the unanimous consent of the Security Council. I trust I don't need to remind you that we control every individual who is a member of that body, save China's representative."
"Even our abilities to control people have their limits," SEELE 03 warned. "If NERV consistently appears useless next to the Blue Beetle and her JSSDF allies, the public pressure to pull NERV's funding may convince the members of the Security Council to defy us."
"And that is where Ikari comes in," SEELE 01 said, and Gendo could easily picture the malicious grin on Keel's withered face, even though he couldn't see the man. "NERV must not be allowed to appear impotent next to the Blue Beetle."
"Fortunately for us, the Second Branch in the United States is nearly ready to install a prototype S2 organ into Unit Four," SEELE 03 said. "Once this is achieved, it will be sent to you. Unit Three will also be shipped to Japan, as soon as it receives its own S2 organ."
"With these resources at your disposal, NERV should be able to ensure that it destroys the next Angel, regardless if the Blue Beetle…interferes," SEELE 05 said.
"I understand," Gendo said, easily able to read between the lines.
If NERV didn't achieve victory next time, there would be serious consequences, both for himself personally and the Scenario as a whole.
But of course, I already knew that, he thought.
"Also, I realize this probably goes without saying, especially to you, but this problem will go away if the Blue Beetle…happens to disappear," SEELE 01.
"The necessary steps will be taken," Gendo said. "All of them."
"See that they are," SEELE 01 said.
"Ikari," SEELE 03 spoke up.
"Yes?" Gendo asked.
"Given the urgency of this, I would suggest that you skip right to the foremost…professional, in the industry," SEELE 03 said. "There's a man known as Slade Wilson. He charges exorbitant fees, but this council has employed his services many times before. He has yet to fail us."
Gendo nodded. With anyone else, he would've suspected that SEELE was just trying to get him to hire one of their puppets, but he knew of Slade Wilson.
That was a man who would never tolerate being a mere pawn of the old men.
"I understand," Gendo said.
It was a normal day in the life of Ritsuko Akagi. The blonde scientist was sitting in her office, drinking coffee and poring over data concerning the Second Branch's upcoming activation experiment. Nothing could be more ordinary.
Well, except for the fact that it's actually me here, she mused with a small smirk. Ever since the JSSDF had decided to accept her help, Ritsuko's life had become a haze of PR events and sessions spent collaborating with JSSDF engineers. Her holographic double had been coming to NERV far more often than she herself had lately.
Hell, forget NERV. I've barely been in the city recently, she thought, realizing that driving Shinji home that day had been about the only thing she'd done within Tokyo-3 besides sleep.
She shook her head and tried to focus on what she was reading again, but she didn't get very far before a certain symbiotic life form spoke up.
(Ritsuko, I'm detecting Green Lantern energy.) The scarab informed her, sounding worried, as it always did where Misato and her power ring were concerned. (She's headed in this direction.)
The scientist sighed. Having been away from the city so much, she'd avoided Misato without even trying, but Ritsuko knew that this meeting would have to happen sooner or later.
Still, she wished it could've been later rather than sooner.
(I could phase you out of here.) The scarab suggested, apparently picking up on Ritsuko's desire to avoid this. (She'll never even know we were here at all.)
Ritsuko briefly considered it, then shook her head.
No, she silently told the scarab. This is going to have to happen eventually. Besides, Misato's my friend. She deserves more than to have me run away from her like a coward.
(Fine.) The scarab grumbled.
Moments later, the door to Ritsuko's office was thrown open with enough force to make it bang against the wall. The scientist grimaced, feeling fairly certain that there was now a doorknob-sized hole in the plaster there. She really needed a doorstop.
"So, there you are," Misato said triumphantly, standing in the doorway and paying no heed to the damage she'd just caused.
Ritsuko frowned. Scarab, can she distinguish between me and Holo-Ritsuko that easily?
(Yes, she can do that with her ring.) It answered.
"Hello, Misato. It's good to see you," Ritsuko said. The Operations Director's eyes narrowed at this mundane pleasantry, and the blonde quickly continued before her friend could start shouting. "It's such a nice day out. Would you like to take an early lunch with me? We could eat by the lake."
Misato stopped, obviously realizing that her friend wanted to get away from all the cameras and other surveillance devices inside the base before they had their conversation about Ritsuko's latest move. "Yeah, that would be nice, Rits," she said, her tone and posture belying a barely restrained anger.
"Wonderful," Ritsuko said, much more convincingly. "Let's go."
The two women made a brief stop at the NERV commissary to pick up box lunches for themselves before heading out of the base and to the lake. Misato maintained an angry silence for the whole trip.
Any hidden monitoring devices around here? Ritsuko asked the scarab as the two of them approached a bench near the edge of the lake.
(Not a one. You two can talk freely.)
"So, Misato," Ritsuko said as she sat down on the bench, "I guess you're wondering about—"
"Why the hell did you decide to work for the JSSDF?" Misato demanded at once.
"…I have my reasons," Ritsuko said, not able to meet her friend's eyes.
"…that's it?" Misato asked, scowling at Ritsuko's 'answer'. "I'm supposed to just accept that? Ritsuko, the consequences of your actions are already being felt around here! The fate of NERV could be in jeopardy, but I'm supposed to be okay with it because you 'have your reasons'?"
"Come on, Misato, you know that NERV isn't exactly run by saints," Ritsuko said. "Present company excluded, of course."
Misato grimaced in response to the last bit. "I know that, but NERV is still the organization that's destroyed all the Angels except the last one," she said. "You can't just do things that might make the government pull our funding!"
"Would it really be so bad?" Ritsuko asked. "If NERV was shut down? Would it really? You wouldn't be needed every time an Angel showed up anymore. We could fight them together, as the Green Lantern and the Blue Beetle, instead of making teenagers defend humanity for us."
Misato blinked.
(Oh, you scored a hit there.) The scarab said.
You think? Ritsuko replied, easily able to read the look on her friend's face. Misato was definitely tempted by the idea of getting to fight all the remaining Angels herself.
Unfortunately, she wasn't quite tempted enough.
"You still haven't answered my question," Misato said. "Why are you doing this?"
Ritsuko looked away from Misato's gaze again. "I'm sorry, but I can't tell you that," she said.
The Ops Director glared hard at the Project-E chairperson for several moments. However, when Ritsuko just remained silent, Misato finally sighed and plopped down on the bench next to the blonde.
"You know that Asuka's completely freaked out about this?" she asked. "She'd never admit it to anyone, but the idea of NERV and the Evangelion program being shut down terrifies her."
"…I expected as much," Ritsuko said.
She didn't like the Second Child, but that didn't mean she wanted to see the brash redhead devastated by suddenly becoming useless to the war effort. Unfortunately, there was no avoiding that if she was going to get NERV shut down.
"So, it's that important, huh?" Misato asked.
"Yeah, it is," Ritsuko said.
"Then why won't you tell me about it?" Misato barked.
Ritsuko flinched, the outburst catching her by surprise. For the first time, she feared that Misato might force her to divulge the reasons for her actions.
And she's about the only person who could do it, too, the scientist thought.
(She could make a good try at it, I'll give her that much.) The scarab said with its version of a growl, but its bluster sounded like so much macho posturing to Ritsuko. It didn't want to engage in a second battle with the Green Lantern, but it would never admit to being afraid.
The scientist crossed her arms and refused to answer Misato. The Ops Director glared silently at the Project-E chairperson in response, and the tense moment dragged on.
Until, that was, it was broken by the approach of Makoto.
"Major Katsuragi! Dr. Akagi!" the lieutenant called, running across the grass toward them.
"What is it, Hyuga?" Ritsuko asked, glad for the interruption.
However, the technician didn't immediately answer. Instead, he nearly doubled over as he came to a stop next to the women, panting heavily.
"Did you sprint all the way here from headquarters?" Misato asked, wondering what could be so urgent. "Is there an Angel attacking?"
"N-no," Makoto gasped out, straightening up with a visible effort. "It's…the Second Branch. It's…disappeared."
Misato turned a look at Ritsuko, who shook her head. Then, without exchanging a word, the two of them started running toward the pyramid.
"Hey!" a still breathless Makoto called after them as he reluctantly began to follow the pair. "W-Wait up!"
"My god," Maya breathed, several hours later. "This is…this is horrible. It's unbelievable."
Ritsuko usually didn't like it when her underlings said things like that. So far as she was concerned, it was not their job to label things as "good" or "bad." They were scientists; they dealt with objective facts only.
This time, though, she was willing to make an exception.
"Play it again," she ordered.
"Yes, sempai," Maya said quietly, doing as she was told.
Immediately, the view screen on the far wall came back to life. It was a satellite image, showing one structure in the middle of a desert in Nevada. For several seconds, everything looked placid enough.
Then, red light flared from the lone building, which they knew was NERV's Second Branch. The video started to play in slow motion at this point, but it did little so far as seeing anything went. The light quickly grew in intensity until it was blinding. When it faded seconds later, all that remained was a hole in the ground.
"There were no survivors," Maya said softly. "Nothing was found there except a crater."
"They were swallowed by a Dirac Sea," Ritsuko said. "Probably one more volatile than the Twelfth Angel. They turned on that S2 organ they installed into Unit Four, and it did this. There's no other explanation."
(Isn't this good?) The scarab asked tentatively. (This will make NERV look even worse. This'll help convince the UN that they should pull NERV's funding and leave fighting the Angels to you.)
Well, yes, that's true, but that doesn't make what happened any less horrible, Ritsuko said. There were a lot good people there.
"Sempai?" Maya asked, perturbed by her superior's long silence.
"Has someone been sent to take soil samples from the crater?" Ritsuko asked.
"Yes, sempai," Maya answered. "They're shipping some of them here. They should arrive in just under a week."
"Good," Ritsuko said. "There's nothing else we can do here until then. Not with nothing more to work with than a few seconds of video taken from orbit. You can go back to your regular duties."
"Thank you, sempai," Maya said with obvious relief, then quickly scampered out of the room.
Ritsuko remained there for several seconds, looking at the viewer. The final frame of the video was frozen there, showing that empty crater.
(Standing around looking at that big hole in the ground isn't going to help you, or, by extension, me.) The scarab said, sounding peeved. (Honestly, do you always have to find something that makes you depressed and then contemplate it for three hours?)
Oh, I'm sorry that the deaths of thousands of people leaves me feeling a little disquieted, she thought sarcastically, a scowl forming on her face. Still…I guess you do have a point. This isn't exactly the most productive use of my time.
She left the small viewing room and was unsurprised to find Misato waiting out in the hallway for her.
"Hey," Ritsuko said.
"Hey yourself," Misato replied.
The two of them began to walk down the hall together. They were silent until they reached one of the enormous escalators which could be found inside the base.
"So, what's the situation?" Ritsuko asked, finally breaking the quiet.
"The American government is making noise about pulling out of NERV entirely," Misato replied, her tone bitter.
"They won't," Ritsuko said. "They know they'll be in big trouble if an Angel attacks them without NERV to help them."
"Hmph, you're probably right, but I just heard that they're shipping Unit Three here. They're afraid of it now, so they're dumping it on us," Misato spat.
"Considering what happened, I can't say I really blame them," Ritsuko replied.
That uncomfortable silence returned. This time, it was Misato who eventually broke it.
"Look," she whispered, leaning close to Ritsuko to ensure that even NERV's surveillance couldn't record what she was saying, "I realize you still won't tell me what you're up to, but can you at least say to me—honestly—that you're still one of the good guys?"
Ritsuko almost laughed at the irony of her friend's question, and she restrained herself only because she knew that wouldn't exactly reassure Misato.
When I was helping Gendo, she never suspected a thing. Only now that I'm trying to fix things is she breathing down my neck, Ritsuko thought.
"I'm one of the good guys," Ritsuko said with as much sincerity as she could muster.
Misato nodded, and the Operations Director was satisfied.
For the moment, anyway.
Toji Suzuhara wasn't sure that he'd ever been so bored before in his life.
Of course, he had pretty much felt the same way the last time he'd endured one of Sensei's infamous Second Impact lectures, and he would probably have similar thoughts the next time he was forced to listen to one.
Yet, even knowing this didn't stop him from thinking that today was particularly bad. The jock was currently trying his hardest not to doze off in class, but it was a battle that he was losing.
His eyelids began to droop closed, but he woke with a start before he could fully cross over into dream land.
Class rep'll kill me if she catches me sleeping in class again, he thought, casting a nervous glance back at the freckled girl.
He'd thought Hikari was cute when he'd first met her, before he'd discovered how much of a ruthless authoritarian she was. It always made him wonder what he'd been thinking when he remembered that day.
Toji was dozing off again by this point, except this time, he didn't realize it. Indeed, the only thing that saved him from a rather frightening nightmare (and the embarrassment of waking up from it with a loud yelp) was the school's PA system.
"Toji Suzuhara," it crackled to life, "please report to the principle's office immediately. Toji Suzuhara, report to the principle's office immediately."
Suddenly wide awake, the jock sat straight up at his desk, the summon catching him completely by surprise. Several of his classmates released muffled snickers; it was obvious that they believed he was in big trouble.
Unfortunately, they're probably right, he thought with a grimace, getting up from his seat.
"May I go, Sensei?" he asked.
"Hmm? Oh, of course," the wizened old teacher said with a dismissive wave, before launching back into his usual lecture.
Toji quietly left the classroom, then walked toward his destination at a very, very slow pace, not eager for what probably awaited him there. He tried to remember what he'd done recently that could both be traced back to him and merited a trip to see the principal.
He can't know that I was the one who broke that window with a soccer ball, can he? The jock wondered.
He suddenly realized that he was standing right in front of the principal's door, despite his best efforts to delay this moment for as long as possible. Toji took a deep breath, straightened his spine, and then knocked on the door.
"Toji Suzuhara entering," he announced himself, then walked inside.
Only to find himself assailed with the fear that he'd entered the wrong office entirely, because it certainly wasn't the school's stern old principal sitting behind the desk. Instead, he found himself confronted with a blond bombshell in a short black skirt, black nylons, a blue blouse, and a white lab coat.
He blinked, struck dumb by this switch-a-roo. I'm…pretty sure I'm not dreaming, he thought. Though, if I am, I don't want to wake up any time soon!
"Ah, Suzuhara-kun, good," the woman said in a pleasant but professional manner that made him realize he was probably awake. "Please, have a seat."
"Uh, yes, ma'am," he said.
She smirked at him. "You don't remember me, do you?"
"You came to pick up Shinji once," Toji said. "Your name's…Ritsuko, right?"
She nodded. "Ritsuko Akagi, yes," she said. "But I'm also a friend of Misato's. We met at the party to celebrate her promotion."
"Oh, yes! I remember you now," he said, as that memory finally came back to him.
How the hell did I not notice how much of a babe this woman is back then? He wondered. She's as hot as Misato!
"You must be wondering why I'm here," Ritsuko said. "And, for that matter, why you're here."
"Um, yeah," Toji agreed, even though his train of thought hadn't quite arrived at that station yet.
"Well, I'll just lay it all out for you," she said, suddenly becoming a good deal more grave. "Evangelion Unit Three is being shipped to Tokyo-3 and will arrive in under two weeks. NERV is going to need a pilot."
The jock's eyes widened, and a sick feeling formed in his stomach. "Wait a minute," he said. "You don't mean…"
Ritsuko nodded. "I do," she said. "The Marduk Institute has nominated you, Toji Suzuhara, to be the Fourth Child."
The jock swallowed, thinking back to that single, terrifying time he'd been inside the cockpit of an Evangelion before. It had been during the Second Battle of Tokyo-3, when the Fourth Angel had attacked the city.
Toji remembered it far more vividly than he wanted to, especially the part when Shinji had broken down crying at the end. He usually felt that any guy over the age of five who allowed himself to cry was being a complete wimp, but Shinji had been in such obvious pain and turmoil that the jock had never felt any scorn for the Evangelion pilot.
Kensuke's maniac enthusiasm for Evangelion had somehow survived the experience, but Toji wasn't so foolish. He knew quite well that piloting an Evangelion wasn't fun, glamorous, or glorious in any form.
"I…I'm flattered, Doc," he said. "Really, I am, but I think I'm going to have to take a pass on this one."
"I was afraid you'd say that." The blonde said.
"So…are we done?" Toji asked.
"No, now I have to offer you a bribe," Ritsuko sighed, looking miserable. "If you agree to this, NERV is prepared to transfer your younger sister to the medical ward at our base. She'll receive the best possible care there, free of charge, of course. She may even walk again someday."
The jock's breath caught in his throat. If there was anything that haunted him more than those few minutes inside Unit One, and the knowledge that his best friend endured that on a regular basis, it was what had happened to his younger sister.
My fault, he thought, his hands balling into fists in his lap.
He had blamed Shinji for it when he'd discovered that the smaller boy was the pilot of the purple robot, but that had just been because he'd been desperate to have a target for his anger besides himself. It had been his responsibility to keep Mariko out of harm's way, and he'd failed miserably.
Now I have a chance to make it right, he thought.
"I realize this is a terrible position I'm putting you in," Ritsuko said, after he had remained silent for several long moments. "If I had my way, your sister would've already received the treatment she needs from NERV, along with anyone else injured during an Angel battle. Unfortunately—"
"I'll do it," Toji said. "I'll be your pilot."
"Oh, good. I'm glad," Ritsuko said, though she sounded anything but. "Here, you'll have to sign these papers…"
She produced a sheaf of documents thicker than the average novel, and Toji was obliged to sign in about ten thousand places.
"There," he said after he was finally done, dropping the pen and shaking his cramped hand. "Is there anything else I have to do?"
"For now, all we need is for you to show up for the activation test on time," Ritsuko said, getting up from her chair.
"Right," Toji said.
The blonde looked like she was about to leave, but then she stopped. "For whatever it's worth, I'm sorry about putting you in this position," she said softly.
The jock waved a dismissive hand. "So long as my sister gets fixed up, it'll all be worth it."
Ritsuko gave him a small smile. "You're a very brave young man."
At just about any other time, receiving a compliment like that from a babe like the blonde in front of him probably would've prompted the jock to make some kind of move. However, Toji was currently filled with a mixture of cautious hope for his sister and the sinking feeling that he'd just signed his life away.
"Thanks," he said instead.
"You can return to class now," Ritsuko said. "I'll see you, Toji-kun."
"Yeah, see you soon, Doc," Toji said, not moving to get up from his seat.
Ritsuko gave him a concerned look, then seemed to decide that if he wanted to loiter in the office, she was fine with that. Without another word, she quietly departed.
Toji sighed, slumping in his chair. "Damn it, Suzuhara," he muttered to himself, "what have you gotten yourself into now?"
South Africa
The great manor house was opulent; there was just no other way to describe it. The very square, very Victorian-style structure was three stories tall and completely surrounded by dense jungle, with only a dirt path connecting it to civilization. The juxtaposition of such luxury right next to the wilderness was like a living echo of the Age of Imperialism.
Not that the owner of the home cared. Few people were willing to make the trek out to his home to visit him, not in an era when it was easier than ever before to reach out and touch someone.
Case in point, the owner's phone was ringing right at that very moment.
"Wilson residence," he said, picking up the receiver.
"Greetings, Mr. Wilson," a voice he didn't recognize spoke. "I'm in the employ of a very powerful man who is finding a certain individual to be very problematic. I'd heard you were a man who was exceedingly good at making such people simply…go away."
Wilson sighed, rolling his one good eye to look up at the ceiling. People who'd never used his services before always seemed to feel the need to beat around the bush endlessly, and if he didn't play along, they'd often get spooked and end their business relationship before it began.
"Yes," he said, "I'm extremely good at providing such services. Some even say I'm the best in the world."
"Good, that's very good," the still anonymous voice on the other end of the line said. "I expect that the thorn in my employer's side will be very difficult to, shall we say, terminate."
"That won't be a problem," Wilson promised confidently. "However, you must realize that my services don't come cheaply."
"Of course, what is your fee?"
"Minimum fee is ten million euros per head, plus expenses," Wilson said. "However, for especially difficult assignments, I often raise my price. I can't give you a solid number until you give me the name of the person you want removed."
"The Blue Beetle."
Wilson's eye widened. He had heard of the woman in the blue and black armor that had been causing such a stir in Japan, and he knew that killing her would not be an easy job.
She would be worthy prey indeed, he thought, feeling excitement course through him.
The assignments Wilson had taken during the Impact Wars had provided him with a number of interesting and stimulating experiences; he had encountered super soldiers and war machines that would've been science fiction years earlier. However, he had yet to face anyone or anything that made him believe, for even a moment, that he would meet with defeat.
He had made enough money in that short but terrifically violent era to last ten lifetimes, but the idea of a battle where he might have to struggle to obtain victory intrigued him. However, he was careful to keep it out of his voice.
"Fifty million euros. Not a cent less," he said flatly.
"That's…five times your regular fee."
"It's five times my minimum fee," he corrected. "This job will require the use of more…resources than I normally need to utilize. I'll have to bring my assistants along."
"Fine," the voice said. "My employer will pay."
"Good," Wilson said. "I'll expect half the money up front and half upon completion of the job. I have an old associate named Wintergreen who currently resides in Cape Town. You may see to it that he receives the initial payment, and then I will travel to Japan to begin the job."
"Very well. Good day, Mr. Wilson."
Days passed in relative calm for Tokyo-3. No Angels made an appearance, and there was no announcement that NERV was to be disbanded. The news of what had happened to the American NERV base and Unit Four continued to cast a pall over NERV Central, but otherwise the city was enjoying a period of quiet.
So Shinji was pretty surprised when the very routine and regular rhythm his life tended to take on in the absence of NERV business was broken not by an Angel, but by a second appearance by Ritsuko Akagi at his school.
"Hello there, Shinji," she greeted him from her car as he left the building for the day. "Would you like a ride home again?"
She was smiling, he noticed, but the expression looked forced. Shinji very much got the feeling that she hadn't come to pick him up so she could convey some good news to him.
Still, he liked Ritsuko, so he certainly wasn't going to be rude and decline the offer. He climbed into the passenger seat.
"Thank you," he said.
"You're welcome," Ritsuko replied, and soon they were driving away from Tokyo-3 Junior High.
For several long moments, there was a tense silence within the car. Finally, Ritsuko broke it.
"Shinji…" she began, then hesitated, apparently not quite sure what to say. "You…you know that Unit Three will be arriving here tomorrow, right?" she asked.
Shinji nodded. "Yes, I've heard about the activation test scheduled at the Matsushiro base."
They reached a red light at this point, allowing Ritsuko to take her eyes off the road to study Shinji. The Third Child soon felt the urge to squirm beneath the scientist's probing gaze.
"You really don't know, do you?" she asked. "Damn it, I thought Misato wasn't going to tell you, but I figured someone else would have let it slip around you."
Shinji frowned. "What? What are you talking about?"
The red light turned green, and Ritsuko started driving again. She sighed heavily. "Shinji, I don't know how to tell you this, but the Marduk Institute selected your friend Toji to pilot Unit Three."
Shinji blinked. "Wha…what?" he stammered, the news hitting him like a punch in the gut.
The idea seemed utterly insane to him at first. Toji, an Evangelion pilot? No way. Toji was one of the few parts of his life these days that didn't have anything to do with NERV (even if their initial encounter had had everything to do with Evangelion), and damn it, Shinji liked it that way.
Also, unlike Kensuke, Toji had never seemed to view Evangelion piloting as desirable. Shinji didn't discuss NERV affairs with the jock often, but he'd always gotten the feeling that Toji truly realized how…unpleasant Evangelion could be.
Not to mention that Toji can't have many warm and fuzzy feelings for NERV, considering what happened to his sister, Shinji thought, feeling an all too familiar stab of guilt.
Ritsuko seemed to follow his train of thought effortlessly. "NERV offered him the best possible medical care for his sister, if he agreed to pilot," she said softly.
"…oh," was all Shinji could say, feeling as though his stomach had plunged into his shoes.
My fault, he thought.
If only he had managed to do a better job of controlling Unit One in that first battle, Toji's sister never would have been injured. And if that hadn't happened, then NERV wouldn't have any leverage on Toji to make him pilot.
Shinji knew he was ultimately responsible for his best friend's agreement to take the great risks that went with piloting an Evangelion.
"I'm…I'm sorry," Ritsuko said after several long moments of tense silence.
A thought suddenly occurred to the Third Child. "Why didn't Misato tell me this?" he asked, frowning.
"I don't know for sure," Ritsuko said. "Misato and I haven't been speaking much, lately. But knowing her, I'd say she kept it from you because she knew how hard the knowledge would hit you. And she probably didn't quite know how to tell you. That's probably a piece of it, too." She added.
Shinji was quiet for another long moment, turning the information over in his head several times.
"Why did you tell me?" he asked abruptly.
Ritsuko bit her lower lip. "I told you because…because NERV puts the responsibilities of an adult—of a man—on your shoulders. I just thought we should treat you like a man, too, instead of keeping things from you 'for your own good.'" She said. "I guess I just thought you deserved at least that much respect."
Shinji blinked, a little surprised by the answer. He didn't think anyone had ever really treated him as quite so grown up before.
"…thank you," he said.
"You're welcome," Ritsuko said softly.
For the third time during the trip, silence reigned. However, this time it was far less uncomfortable than before. No words were spoken again until they had nearly reached the apartment building Shinji currently called home.
"Ritsuko?"
"Yes, Shinji?"
"You'll watch out for Toji, won't you?" he asked.
She turned her gaze away from the road just long enough to glance at him and quirk an eyebrow. "Shinji," she said, "you're the one who will be fighting alongside him, once he starts piloting in combat. I'll just be in the command center. You'll be the one in a position to watch his back, not me."
"I know that, I was talking about the activation test," Shinji clarified. "I know things can sometimes go wrong when you try to start up an Evangelion for the first time…"
His mind involuntarily flashed to the memory of how badly beaten up Rei had looked when he'd first arrived at NERV, as well as his own terrifying experience inside a berserk Unit Zero.
"…and I just hoped you could make sure that doesn't happen to Toji," Shinji finished.
"I don't have complete control of any Evangelion, Shinji," Ritsuko warned him. "No one does."
"Oh, I know," he said. "I just figured that if anyone was smart enough to keep it from happening, it was you."
"I…ah, thank you, Shinji," Ritsuko replied, suddenly looking very intently at the road.
They arrived at the apartment building moments later, and Ritsuko stopped to let Shinji out. They exchanged a brief goodbye, and then they went on their separate ways.
Ritsuko drove just far enough to get out of sight of anyone in the apartment building, parking next to the curb before she turned off the engine. She felt like she needed a moment to regain her composure, choked up as she was by Shinji's words.
"God," she muttered to herself.
(Ritsuko? Are you all right?) The scarab asked, both concerned and confused. She didn't seem to be depressed, exactly, but she was clearly very emotional. In fact, she was practically on the verge of tears.
"I'm fine, scarab," she replied, taking a deep, shaky breath. "It's just…that young man has so much faith in me. I don't think anyone's ever believed in me so absolutely. That includes my mother."
(I believe in you.)
Ritsuko swallowed past a lump in her throat. "You know, you're not making it any easier for me to keep the waterworks from going off," she said with a strangled little laugh.
She just sat in her car for several minutes, resisting the urge to cry. She hated the thought of looking like the stereotypical, hyper-emotional woman, but it was still damn hard to prevent herself from going to pieces.
(Ritsuko, there's a call coming in for you on the "blue phone.") The scarab told her just as she was ready to start driving again.
The blonde rolled her eyes at the name the scarab had awarded the phone line she'd given to the JSSDF. There was no actual phone that the number connected to, instead, the scarab itself picked up the call. That was why even the military couldn't trace her.
"Put it though," she said.
Hidden by her hair, something that looked very much like a Bluetooth headset appeared by her right ear.
"Blue Beetle here," she said. "Go ahead."
"Beetle, this is General Katsuro," the now familiar flag officer's voice answered. "The JSSDF has need of your presence tomorrow afternoon. We're going to be doing a public demonstration of the new VTOL attack planes' capabilities, and we want you to be there."
"But tomorrow's the day NERV is supposed to activate Unit Three," Ritsuko protested, holding back a groan.
She had just promised Shinji that she'd do her best to make sure the activation test ran smoothly, which of course meant actually being there in person.
"Exactly," Katsuro said. "I want to take the media's attention away from Matsushiro. The whole point of the demonstration is to steal NERV's thunder."
"I have other things to do that day, General," she said.
"Are you reneging on our deal?" Katsuro demanded, his voice suddenly a good deal colder than it had been a moment ago.
"Of course not," Ritsuko scoffed.
"Part of our agreement was that you'd show up for this sort of thing," Katsuro pointed out. "If you don't come to the photo ops, why should the JSSDF believe that you'll come when it's time to fight the Angels?"
The blonde gritted her teeth. She was being tested, which wasn't exactly a surprise. She had expected that the JSSDF would make her jump through a few hoops in order to gain their trust, at least until she'd killed a few Angels in their name.
Unfortunately, they had picked the worst possible time to throw this at her.
But what choice do I have? She wondered, suppressing a sigh.
"All right, all right," she said. "I'll show."
"Good. The event's at Kyoko-2 and is scheduled to start at 4:30. Be there at 3:30. Katsuro out."
The call ended, and Ritsuko rolled her eyes. "Bastard," she grumbled, finally starting her car again and resuming her trip through the Tokyo-3 streets.
(So what are we going to do?) The scarab asked.
"Unfortunately, there's nothing to do but go to Katsuro's stupid bug and pony show," Ritsuko grumbled.
(But you told Shinji—)
"I know, I know, but there's just no way around it," Ritsuko said miserably. "This is about saving the world here."
(What if we sent Holo-Ritsuko to the demonstration instead of to the activation test?) The scarab suggested.
"There's nothing I'd like more," Ritsuko said. "Unfortunately, there's no way we can turn Holo-Ritsuko into Holo-Blue Beetle in under twenty-four hours. Especially not if the JSSDF actually expects us to blow up some dummy targets, which they probably will. You know that as well as I do."
(Yeah, I do, but it just doesn't seem right…)
"I know, believe me, I'm feeling the same thing you are," Ritsuko said. "But like I said, there's no avoiding it. Fortunately, Unit Three is a production model. It's a lot more stable than our buggy prototype."
(Hey!) The scarab said, offended.
"Er, what I meant to say is that it's a lot more stable than our…glitchy prototype," Ritsuko corrected herself. "The odds of anything going wrong with the activation test are practically nil. Everything will be fine."
Meanwhile, many miles to the east of Japan's shores, one of the largest airplanes ever built by the hands of man flew over the ocean. There was no squadron of escorts nearby, mostly due to the inability of fighter jets to make a nonstop, transcontinental flight.
In truth, most of the Americans would've been pleased if Unit Three plunged to the bottom of the Pacific for some reason. However, the American military had felt obliged to station aircraft carriers at several strategic points along the journey. If anything threatened the transport plane, fighters would arrive in under two minutes.
However, all was calm at the moment. The massive aircraft cut through the air with ease, its important but dangerous cargo safely attached to its underbelly.
A great cloud drifted into their flight path, but the plane didn't change course. There was no need to worry about it concealing a mountain; the plane was far too high in the air for that.
Additionally, the puffy white cloud looked completely unthreatening, like a bit of cotton candy in the air to break up the monotony of the crystal blue sky, not a harbinger of a thunderstorm.
The pilot took the plane into it without a second thought.
Energy crackled within the cloud, and, unbeknownst to the crew of the aircraft, something hitched a ride inside Evangelion Unit Three.
The plane continued its flight toward Japan.
When Ritsuko had still been in college, she had studied abroad for a semester, spending a few months in California. It had been one of her mother's ideas, and Ritsuko had viewed the whole experience as a waste of time at first.
However, she had quickly come to enjoy her time in the United States. She'd met some fascinating people, had considerably improved her command of the English language, and had let go of many of the stereotypes about Westerners that she had held back then.
Of course, not every new experience had been pleasant. A friend Ritsuko had made there had taken her to an air show, and she had felt that the whole thing was just a loud, pointless, and horribly ostentatious affair.
She had been glad that Japan didn't indulge in such displays.
Or at least, they didn't indulge in such displays until I showed up, she thought glumly, peeking out from behind the stage that had been erected in the middle of Kyoto-2's large stadium. Now they seem to happen every other week. Good grief, what did I do?
(I don't see what you're so down about. I think these things are awesome!) The scarab commented.
Blue Beetle rolled her eyes. You would, she thought.
"Excuse me, Beetle-san?"
She turned to see a man in a dark suit approaching her. Try as the Blue Beetle might, she couldn't find one thing about him that didn't scream "bureaucratic pencil-neck" at a volume of about ten thousand decibels.
"Yes, what is it?" she asked.
"Ah, I just wanted to make sure you were clear about the plans for the event, ma'am. That you know your cue and everything," he said, casting a nervous glance at his clipboard.
"My cue is the roar of the new VTOLs as they pass overhead. That's rather hard to miss," Blue Beetle remarked.
"Ah, yes, but…"
She was saved from having to endure the man further as the stage began to shake slightly, and the unmistakable noise of an airplane engine drowned out his next words.
"Sorry!" she yelled over the noise. "But I believe that that's my cue!"
Without giving the man a moment to say anything further, Blue Beetle emerged from behind the stage and took off into the air. A pair of enormous screens, each easily larger than the main viewer in the NERV command center, gave a close up view of her to the audience that packed the stadium.
The crowd roared with approval. Blue Beetle smirked.
I can't believe that people actually still come to these things, she thought, even as she continued to gain altitude at an almost dizzying rate of speed. You'd think this show would get old eventually.
(Hey, I'm still enjoying it.)
Yeah…you frighten me a little sometimes, Blue Beetle commented.
They reached their target height just as the pilots of the new VTOLs—black and blue craft that incorporated Reach technology—finished a set of maneuvers that showed off the amazing agility of their latest toys.
Well, you know what to do, Blue Beetle told the scarab.
(This is the best part!) The scarab said enthusiastically, and the armor covering Blue Beetle's hands and forearms shifted into a pair of guns.
The sapphire superwoman held her arms up, and fantastic flashes of light and bursts of sparks erupted from the guns, gleaming with all colors. It was, Blue Beetle had to admit, a very impressive looking display.
You know, I still can't believe you have a fireworks setting, she commented.
(This armor has a setting for everything.) The scarab informed her cheerfully. (Everything.)
…I'll take your word for it, she replied, then began to descend, eventually landing on the stage.
Katsuro was waiting for her there, along with a handful of other JSSDF big wigs. The general was all smiles, but as soon as Blue Beetle's feet touched the stage, he leaned close enough to her to ensure no one else would hear him and said, "Glad to see you could make it."
"Just holding up my end, sir," she replied, resisting the urge to tell the man where he could stick it.
Katsuro then took the podium that had been erected at the center of the stage. The cheering crowd quickly hushed.
"Welcome ladies and gentlemen, to the unveiling of the JSSDF's latest aircraft capable of vertical landings and takeoff," Katsuro began. "You know, over the years, some people have questioned the need for such aircraft. When I hear people say that, I say to them…"
(And here comes the boring part.) The scarab groaned, and Blue Beetle had to agree.
She knew the drill by now. After the initial display, Katsuro or some other pompous individual would make a long, painfully dull speech. Then she'd be required to say a few words—though it really was just a few, thankfully. The JSSDF had quickly figured out that she had no knack for public speaking.
Then she would blow up some dummy targets, which was hands down the scarab's favorite part. Judging by the old tanks scattered around the field at the center of the stadium, the pattern was going to hold true that day.
Or at least, so it seemed until about halfway through Katsuro's speech. The ground seemed to tremble beneath Blue Beetle's feet, and she knew that she wasn't the only one who'd felt it. Confused murmurs were rippling through the audience, and Katsuro paused, suddenly looking worried.
Scarab, was that an earthquake? She asked.
(Negative. I'm not reading any seismographic activity in this region. I don't know what that was.) The scarab answered.
Someone in the audience saw it before anyone on stage did, and soon nearly everyone in the great mass of people was pointing to it and shouting. Blue Beetle turned to look in the direction they indicated, and suddenly she felt sick to her stomach.
A great plume of black smoke was rising in the distance. She didn't think she'd ever seen such an ominous sight in her life.
"That's in the direction of Matsushiro," she told Katsuro. "It could be that an Angel attacked the base or…"
(Or that something went catastrophically wrong with the activation test.) The scarab said grimly.
"I'm going to go there, see if I can help," Blue Beetle said.
It had been a statement, not a request for permission, but Katsuro seemed to treat it as such anyway. "Go," he said, looking like he could barely keep a wide grin from appearing on his face. "I'll scramble our newest hardware and have the rest of your taskforce back you up as soon as possible."
Blue Beetle wanted to punch the man. It was just so damn obvious that he was only thinking about how it would look to have the JSSDF save NERV, especially if an Angel was behind whatever had happened. The lives of the innocent people in Matsushiro had never crossed his mind at all.
(Ritsuko, let's go!) The scarab urged her.
She nodded and then took to the air, barely bothering to clear the top of the stadium before she activated her jets.
"Damn it," she hissed as she tore through the sky. "I should've kept my promise to Shinji. This is all my fault."
(You don't know that yet.) The scarab said. (For now, let's just focus on fixing whatever happened, okay?)
Blue Beetle nodded. "Agreed."
There were no more words as they flew toward their destination. Both of them put all their effort into getting there as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, that was taking much longer than either of them would have liked; the scarab's top speed was far higher than what they were doing, but if they really went at full throttle, they would leave a devastating sonic boom in their wake.
"Are we nearly there yet?" Blue Beetle asked.
(Yes!) The scarab replied in irritation. (Now stop asking. You're like a kid on a car trip!)
Blue Beetle scowled. It was always ironic when the scarab compared her to a child, but this time, she wasn't in the mood for it.
"Whatever," she said. "Can you detect anything of interest?"
(Maybe. We might be in sensor range of Matsushiro by now. Let me see…) The scarab paused for a second. A moment later, Blue Beetle could feel her companion's surprise. (Oh boy…)
"What is it?" the sapphire superwoman demanded.
(I'm changing our course.) The scarab announced, and Blue Beetle felt her trajectory shifting slightly. (The action's not at Matsushiro anymore. Now it's at Mount Nobe.)
Blue Beetle frowned. "What are you…?" she trailed off as what the scarab was talking about came into view.
She was still a good deal away from the battle field, but she could still see it all clearly. That was the good thing about combatants that were seventy meters tall; they were easy to spot, at least.
Evangelion Unit Three was stomping across the countryside, the bloody glow of the setting sun at its back. Standing in its path were Units Zero, One, and Two. All three of the older Evangelions were armed. This was a confrontation if she'd ever seen one.
"Scarab?" she said softly.
(All that armor is making it difficult to scan the thing, but I'm definitely picking up a blue pattern inside it, along with a lot of organic matter that doesn't belong.) The scarab said grimly. (It's safe to say that Unit Three's been hijacked by an Angel all right.)
Blue Beetle swore. If only she'd actually been there, rather than sending her holographic double in her place, the scarab would've picked up the Angel prior to the activation. She could've prevented this.
In other words, this was all her fault.
However, there was no time for self-loathing now.
"Toji?" she asked.
(He's alive. I'm picking up his life signs from within the plug. I think he's unconscious, though.) The scarab said.
Hope flared in Blue Beetle's chest. It might still be possible to fix this.
"Then we have to get him out before the other Evangelions tear Unit Three to pieces!" she proclaimed. "Let's go!"
(Wait! I'm detecting something else!) The scarab said.
"What is it?" Blue Beetle asked impatiently.
For now, NERV's veteran Evangelions were just holding position as Unit Three advanced toward them, but Blue Beetle knew that wouldn't last for very long. The battle would be joined soon enough, and she really didn't see a way it could end without somebody dying unless she intervened.
(I think it's…) Fear swept over the scarab, hitting Blue Beetle like a bucket of cold water to the face. (Oh, man…)
The sapphire superwoman was about to demand that the scarab tell her what it was picking up. Then her mind made the connection, and she stopped before the words could pass her lips.
There was only one thing that frightened the scarab like that.
"No…" she whispered.
Unit Three came to a stop, and the other three Evangelions suddenly looked hesitant, as though their pilots didn't know how to react.
Then green light flared around the Angel, the black armored form suddenly surrounded by a corona of emerald radiance. The Angel raised one hand, and a beam of jade light suddenly burst forth.
That got the other Evangelions moving, but it was too late for evasive maneuvers. The blast of green light split off into three separate beams, each of which curved in pursuit of a target, looking almost snake-like. The three Evangelions each took a hit right to the chest at almost the same moment.
The sounds of the Children screaming in pain seemed to echo across the landscape somehow. Then NERV's three Evangelions crumpled to the ground, the armor on their torsos badly melted and warped by the attacks they'd endured. Several seconds passed before the fallen Evangelions so much as twitched.
The Angel threw back its head and roared, and Blue Beetle could actually feel the reverberation in her gut. It was like the sound was loud enough to shake Heaven itself.
Parts of the Angel's body bulged grotesquely beneath Unit Three's armor, and several of the black plates abruptly burst off its form, revealing part of the beast's anatomy.
The core was one of the parts that was left exposed, and Blue Beetle could just see something stuck to the ruby sphere. With a thought, she commanded her HUD to zoom in on it, and the thing immediately came into view.
"God, no," she breathed.
It was Misato, or, more accurately, Green Lantern. The jade superwoman was adhered to the core with some sort of light gray goo, looking almost like a fly stuck to a windshield. Her head lulled forward, and her eyes were closed.
Blue Beetle immediately began to deduce what had happened, the pieces easily falling into place inside her mind.
Misato tried to fight the Angel when it showed itself, she thought. Then she rolled her eyes, surprised she'd even felt the need to reason that part out. Of course she did, she's Misato. But something obviously went very wrong, and the Angel's hijacked her and her power ring just like it hijacked Unit Three.
She shook her head to clear it. Figuring out what exactly had happened could come later; she had to deal with this situation now.
"Scarab," she said, "can you get a scan of Shinji, Asuka, and Rei? Are they all right?"
(I'm picking up life signs for all three of them, and they're stable. They're unconscious, though.)
"Then it looks like it's just us against the Angel," Blue Beetle said grimly.
The scarab made a noise inside her mind which sounded suspiciously like a gulp. (An Angel armed with a Green Lantern's light!)
Author's Notes: Man, this chapter was difficult to write, mostly because I just couldn't seem to get the pacing right. I can't just follow Ritsuko around the whole time, especially not with the time skips present it this chapter, but there didn't seem to be very many place to "go."
Well, anyway, we at last get to see Ritsuko's grand plan for getting rid of NERV. The whole idea that the superwomen made the Evangelions seem unnecessary and wasteful—and are thus a potential threat to NERV's funding—has been the standard reason for why Gendo wants them dead since Superwomen of Eva: Spirit. So I figured it was only right that at least one of these stories delve into that a little more, with getting all of NERV's funding yanked actually being Ritusko's goal. Of course, I know at least a few of you, dear reviewers, figured out that was Rits' objective a long time ago.
On another note, while much of this chapter might've been difficult, I must say I'm very pleased with the bit at the end. If I may be excused for saying so, I think it's one of the better twists I've written for the superwomen stories. Also, I tend to not do so well with crossing the superwomen stories with each other. Orionpax09 is usually much better at it than me, integrating the "guest" superwomen into the story without letting them steal the spotlight from the leading lady. In contrast, I tend more to have another superwoman show up, have a fight with the star of the fic, and then have her super powered alter ego practically disappear. At least here Misato's status as the Green Lantern remains relevant, for now anyway.
Anyway, thanks as always to my readers and reviewers, and thanks to my beta readers as well. Now for some fun!
Omakes
Seriously Lost
"Are you sure we're still dimension-shifted?" Blue Beetle asked as she traversed the JSSDF base.
(Yes. No one can see, hear, or touch us. We're ghosts.) The scarab reassured her.
"Good," Blue Beetle said, "because if I blow the dramatic entrance, we may as well pack up and go home right now."
(That would suck.) The scarab said. (But don't worry, like I said, we're ghosts. The only thing that could detect us is another—)
"Ow!" Blue Beetle exclaimed as she suddenly collided with something solid.
"Ooph!" That 'something' said.
Shaking her head to clear it, Blue Beetle focused on the person she'd just crashed into and did a double take.
"Shinji? Is that you?" she asked.
The boy in front of her did look very much like the Third Child, except he appeared to be…color shifted. His hair was a snowy white while his eyes were an electric green. Instead of his school uniform, or his plug suit, he wore a black and white jumpsuit she wasn't familiar with.
And he was floating about a foot and a half off the floor. That was odd.
"Um, yeah, I'm Shinji Ikiryo," he said, clearly not recognizing the scientist beneath the armor.
"Shinji Ikiryo?"
"Yeah," he said, looking around. He sighed. "Crud, I'm in a Superwomen of Eva story, aren't I?"
"Uh, yeah."
The boy's shoulders slumped. "I knew I should've taken a left at Albuquerque…"
Trouble with Words
By Ultra Sonic 007
"Scarab, can you give me a map of this place?" she asked.
(Piece of cake.) A cerulean, three-dimensional hologram of the facility appeared in the air before her. (…you know, I still don't get that saying.)
"Neither do I, now that you mention it," Blue Beetle said absently, studying the map closely.
(Speaking of cake, what about that other saying? "You can't have your cake and eat it too.") The scarab made a noise that spoke of confusion. (Isn't the point of having a cake to eat it?)
"Well, I think that-"
(How about "older than dirt"? I can identify several substances on this planet alone that are chronologically older than the soil beneath our feet.)
"Well, for that one, I-"
(Also, if my knowledge of human anatomy is correct, your lips don't secrete anything resembling sucrose. So why does one say "give me some sugar"?)
Ritsuko blinked beneath her helmet. "Um-"
(Some don't seem to have any coherent or consistent meaning. "You are what you eat." That implies that eating fruit is equivalent to cannibalism! "The customer is always right." If true, then the very concept of the 'customer service hotline' is a waste of time and resources. "Life begins at FORTY." This phrase contradicts itself! Your species' expressions are so confusing! I mean, how does one 'live off the fat of the land'? Does your planet possess a crust composed of adipose tissue? I think not!)
The Blue Beetle couldn't help but sigh at the scarab's frustration (some of it possibly justified) with commonplace vernacular. "Okay, you've made your point."
(Hmm…well, there is one colloquialism that has SOME measure of sense.)
"Oh?"
(Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.)
Ritsuko impulsively balked. "HEY!"
(See? It's true!)