A/N: Wow! What a reception! With the exception of Chapter 1, Chapter 50 got the most reviews for a single chapter ever in the span of time since it went up! This may be a complicated chapter, and possibly may contain content some of you can't stomach. That content has to do with Rei's life saving surgery. Hopefully I know more about surgery than Dr. Nick does. So here we go!
It was going to be a very long day for the Katsuragi residence. Today felt like Judgment Day. At least it would be that way for Rei Ayanami. Today, Ritsuko and a team of doctors would attempt to save Rei's life through a very unorthodox way of surgery.
Everyone minus Zack and Asuka, were sitting at the table, for Asuka was lying on the couch, and it was supposed to be Zack's turn to make breakfast. But instead of cooking, he said he had to go out and get something and that he'd be right back. And that was half an hour ago.
"Where did he go?" Shinji wondered aloud, "If he doesn't come back, I could always make something."
"No you're not," Asuka called out from the couch, "He's gonna make something to eat whether he likes it or not," she then sat up and looked at Ivana, "Say Ivana, why don't you go hunt him down and kick him in the nuts?"
Ivana smirked as she found that rather humorous, "I probably should do that. But I won't have time to because we still have school in half an hour." Suddenly, the door opened and in came Zack with Elly. There sudden appearance only made everyone else cringed, as they were both holding several white Styrofoam boxes.
"Look it's the Gruesome Twosome," Asuka growled, narrowing her eyes.
"Sorry I took so long," Zack nervously replied, "But I made a quick stop at NERV to get Elly to help me carry all these."
"Yeah, so say thanks," said Elly who was grinning at Asuka. This didn't make things any good for Asuka.
"So what did you get?" asked Misato, who was quite hungry herself, and wanted a day off from being a referee.
"We stopped at McDonalds," Elly replied, "Zack bought everyone pancakes there." Elly then gave a package to everyone.
"Zack was even nice enough to get one for Pen-Pen too," she continued while petting Pen-Pen and making him feel appreciated.
As everyone was eating, Zack is sitting on the counter as he had given Elly his seat, Zack noticed something odd, "Say Misato, where's the morning beer?"
"Are you nuts?" Misato replied, nearly outraged, "You expect me to be in a hospital buzzed or drunk!"
"So Misato, you're going to NERV to watch Rei's surgery?" Shinji asked, while everyone watched Zack cower behind the counter in fear. He swore he could see flames in her eyes.
"Yup," she cheerfully answered, as if nothing was amiss, "Since I'm her legal guardian, I have to sign the papers authorizing Ritsuko to do a surgery that has a chance of killing her." This made everyone gasp for a moment.
"No, I'm not asking Ritsuko to kill Rei. It's just that she may die during surgery," she quickly added, the look of shock on their faces scaring her.
"Can you tell us what happens if something happens while we're at school?" Shinji asked apprehensively.
Misato assured the boy, "Don't worry Shinji. I'll make sure Asuka's replacement is just fine," she finished with a teasing gesture that was aimed at Asuka.
Asuka had had enough, "Come on Shinji we're leaving." She pretty much dragged Shinji out the door before anyone could say or do anything. Once the door close, everyone broke out laughing.
"Man, she needs to relax," laughed Misato.
"Amen to that," Zack called out who finally came out of his hiding place.
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NERV Hospital – Briefing Room
Ritsuko was in a room with a team of handpicked doctors who were preparing for this very unusual operation. All of them were Ph. D's with at least 15 years experience each. She was giving them the final briefing before this operation would commence.
"Alright, you've all looked at how we're going to do this. This will be very complicated indeed." She pointed to a chart with Rei on it.
"Basically, we're going to reconstruct Rei and make her a new body."
One female doctor asked a question, "How are we going to make her a new body with the cells she has now? Isn't that what caused Angel Rejection Syndrome in the first place?"
"We have a donor with a relatively close genetic match up," answered the doctor. She showed everyone a vial of blood.
"You will each use the portions of the Reilith DNA to provide instructions during the creation of each of her organs, and body parts, and the DNA found in this blood." She paused for a moment before continuing.
"Her code however, needs to be rewritten. Alter the cells so that they first use the Reilith DNA to construct her body, but then change into the donor's DNA here, after a set amount of time. I have deemed it to be two weeks before the DNA begins to alter itself."
"Why would you want us to create organs for a teenager?" asked a male doctor this time, "If we were to create another human being, wouldn't they start out as a zygote or an embryo?"
"In most cases, yes," said Ritsuko. "But also, another alteration needs to be made. We have a new device that allows us to alter cells so that cell growth is accelerated. The plan is to accelerate the cell growth 15 standard years, or so, so that it matches Rei's current age. And the body will build itself up. Once that happens, I will then inform you on how we will proceed from there."
Another doctor raised his hand, "And what of the S2 organ? It also possesses the Angel DNA. What happens if we alter that with the donor's DNA?"
"The S2 organ is what her soul is housed in when the body dies, and what grants her, her powers. We will have to rewrite the S2 organ in the new body after it's been completed. We'll alter her S2 organ to mutate into her reproductive organs in time with the rest of her body."
"Dr. Akagi, if that is the case, what about the soul that I've been hearing about?" the same female doctor asked.
"That is a procedure I will conduct myself," she firmly replied, "That is a delicate operation, and only myself and one other are capable of such."
"I see. With your permission, may we observe the operation?"
"You may."
Once more, a doctor raised her hand, "Since we're altering her DNA, won't that change her overall appearance?"
"Most likely it will. Are there any further questions concerning this operation?" silence, "Very well."
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Once the kids were off to school, Misato was off to NERV to fulfill her duty as Rei's guardian. Sign the official documents giving Ritsuko the permission to perform what is likely a dangerous surgery, and give Rei any possible moral support she could. As she drove along, the memory of the incident that morning at the kitchen table came to her mind. 'Man, Asuka needs to relax. She doesn't realize we were kidding.' She was laughing out loud now as she was driving. 'Well when Ritsuko came over to examine Rei, we really tore into her though. Maybe I should have Kaji give Shinji the talk just in case something really happens. I think I can and should give Asuka the talk as well.'
Finally, Misato arrived at NERV HQ, as she parked her car Misato style. Once the computer recognized her as Major Katsuragi Misato, the large blast door granted her access inside. She proceeded quickly to NERV's hospital, where the EVA pilots usually ended up if they were injured in battle. Being here reminded her of the time Shinji first went head-to-head with the 3rd and 5th Angel, and the time with the 12th Angel as well.
Finally she arrived in the hospital wing, she told the receptionist at the desk that she wished to see Dr. Akagi. After flashing her ID allowing her clearance to see the doctor, she continued on to where Ritsuko was. She was in a briefing room drinking coffee and had a folder on the table.
"Ah Misato. So good of you to join us," said the blonde.
"It's not good what Rei has to go through," countered Misato. She took the papers from Ritsuko and began to read them over.
"So what are the real risks that could endanger her?"
"Let's see," Ritsuko looked at Rei's medical documents. "There's the probability that her soul may not stay within the S2 organ long enough and rejoin Lillith. The body's going to die soon."
She flipped the page, "And the other chance is that the new body may not function when completed."
"It's almost like you're playing God by doing this Rits," said Misato still looking over the papers.
"Yes, but this is the last time, and it's the only real chance to save Rei. You do want her alive and kicking again right?"
"You bet I do," Misato had a smile on her face, "Especially since Rei is more or less an Ikari when she comes back. I'd hate to see what would happen to Shinji if Rei doesn't come back." In her hand were the necessary documents with her signature on it.
"Go for it."
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Operating Room – No eating or drinking! (An hour later)
This was it. Time to do this seemingly impossible operation. It was very complicated indeed. The whole concept in general was complicated, and almost mind boggling, unless you were one who was familiar with the previous war. The first step would indeed be complicated. The first step was to take a single cell and alter the chromosomes of the cell.
"Okay," Ritsuko firmly spoke, "We have to remove the chromosomes from the cell first." She motioned to a group of doctors.
"Your group will remove the chromosomes. And be careful so as not to risk damaging the cell."
Ritsuko turned to another group, "Your job is to use the donor's chromosomes and merge them with the Angel chromosomes. But make sure that it is set so the donor's DNA will overtake and replace the Angel DNA, 2 weeks from now, and then merge with the present human DNA. Once you are all finished your tasks, we shall move on to the next step."
Ritsuko then turned to another team of doctors, "Your job will be to digitize Rei's memories and upload them onto the MAGI," pointing to Rei's comatose body near a computer terminal, "That is the easy step in this operation, so you guys have it easy. HOWEVER, you only have one shot, and the wrong button will wipe her. We haven't updated the MAGI data, so if we use the one the MAGI has, it was last updated just prior to 3rd Impact. So I beg you, don't screw this up."
"Yes doctor," the group replied in unison.
Removing the cell's original chromosomes was not easy. It was suggested that they just remove the part that held Lillith and merge it with Shinji's DNA. But Ritsuko rejected the idea, saying it was necessary to use the altered Angel DNA first so it would accept the S2 organ that housed Rei's soul.
While one team was removing the original chromosomes from the cell, another team was using Yui's DNA and merging it with the Reilith DNA that they had altered to eventually turn into Shinji's DNA. It would also consist of a difficult task. The slightest error among any lines could cause havoc for the newly constructed Rei.
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Tokyo-3 High
Shinji was having extreme trouble concentrating on school for the day. He was just too damn worried about Rei. His cooking teacher had to call him a few times even to get his attention. So at the end of the first class, he slinked over to a payphone within the school, and called Misato.
He waited out a few rings, until Misato finally answered, "Hello?"
Shinji waited a few seconds before speaking, "Hi… Misato."
"Shinji?" Misato seemed surprised that Shinji would call while at school, "Aren't you supposed to be in class?"
"Class just ended," Shinji quietly answered, "But, I just can't concentrate. I'm just too worried about Rei that's all."
"Cheer up," Misato spoke in a cheery tone, "Rei's in surgery right now. The doctors are doing the best they can to save her."
Misato suddenly had a different thought, "Where's Asuka at the moment? I figured she'd never let you out of her sight knowing how possessive she is of you."
"She went off to her own class," Shinji replied, "What I meant to ask was that could I come to NERV? I figure if I go to the source of my worries, maybe it'll help me relax."
Misato, tough gal Major of NERV, who never wavered in the face of fear, could still not turn down the request of a child, "Okay Shinji," she replied with a sympathetic tone, "I'll call the school and request you come to NERV on official business. I'll also ask Asuka to come too."
"Thanks Misato."
"Hey, what can I say? You kids are like my children. When you are hurt, I am hurt too."
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"Master, so how is the situation?"
"Well, it's taking a path I did not predict, but assumed it was going towards one of the scenarios I predicted." Two hooded men were walking through what looked like a medieval dungeon. The tall one was the one who asked the question, while the shorter one gave the answer. The place was far from pleasant looking too. There were people in the cells, begging for mercy, or begging to be put out of their misery.
"Master, the one thing I don't understand is why we do not send out Nebuchadnezzar now? Now would the most prime of opportunities to achieve our goal," the taller one inquired with a hint of agitation, "Because one of their comrades is sick, their morale is low, and so their resolve would be weaker when we unleashed our attack."
"You simply do not understand do you old friend?" the shorter one replied patiently, "It's an unwritten rule among all warriors, the rule where you don't kick an enemy when he is down. Even if Nebuchadnezzar was summoned and we did win, it wouldn't feel the same. You can't really bring down an enemy who was already fallen. It is pointless." they continued to walk past an endless line of cells, "You can determine how far someone can fall by how high up they go."
"So when we beat them when they are at their best, it will make our victory all the sweeter."
"Exactly. It will not be easy, but your drive to win grows when your opponent is able to fight back," the shorter one smugly replied.
"You will… not beat them…" called out a voice. It came from one of the cells.
This caught the shorter one's attention, "Ah, who is so bold as to believe I can't win?" He peeks into the cell to see who. There was a girl, who appeared to look like she had been tortured. She was dressed in a ragged shirt and shorts, and was handcuffed to the wall of the cell. Her green eyes shone brightly despite the darkness of her cell and her beaten body.
"Mana Kirishima is it? You used to be so loyal to me at one time. You almost won too against the EVA pilots. And now you oppose me. Not much you can do though being chained to the wall," he let out an evil chuckle, "Your AT Field was shattered because you surrendered and now your soul belongs to me."
"You… lied… to Me," she struggled to say, "Shinji will… destroy you…"
"Is that so?" suggested the man with the hood, "Maybe you'll still have your uses perhaps. Maybe…." he motioned to the tall one, "Come, let's go."
"Yes Master."
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NERV Hospital
"Perhaps your worries about Wondergirl have its uses after all." Asuka was walking with Shinji towards NERV. She was clutching one of his arms and letting her head rest on his shoulder as they continued on towards NERV. Misato had called the school and requested that they be allowed to leave school and go to NERV for 'official' reasons.
"How so?" asked Shinji.
"If you should ask, the teacher I had for my next class was a total jackass," she replied in a highly annoyed manner, "No sense of empathy for anyone whatsoever."
"Sounds like Coach Thunder," Shinji joked. This got them both laughing as they continued towards NERV.
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Outside the Operating Room
Ritsuko decided to come outside for a few minutes. The doctors were doing an excellent job so far. These doctors were actually handpicked by the Commander, so she knew they wouldn't let her or the Commander down. The chromosomes had been successfully removed from the cell, and were planning to reinsert the newly altered ones in its place. As she looked into the waiting room, she saw Misato had sat down and was reading a book.
"Nervous aren't you?"
"Sort of," she replied, looking up from her book, "This operation is a high risk like you said. And I know the others would be crushed somewhat if she dies."
Ritsuko tried to reassure her, "We're doing our best Misato. And the doctors are doing a phenomenal job so far."
"So what exactly have you done so far," the Major inquired.
"Well, the first thing we did was take a cell from Reilith. And then we decided to extract the chromosomes from it, and replace them with the chromosomes we altered ourselves."
Misato raised her brows for a second. "Hey, isn't the removal of chromosomes from a cell illegal?"
Ritsuko smiled, "Yes it is. But answer this then: If you wanted to save the life of someone, but you had to steal the medicine to save her, would you do it?"
Misato came to a realization, "Well it is against the law, but morally it would be the right thing to do overall."
"Exactly," confirmed the doctor with a bright smile, "Morally we're doing the right thing. And the government gave us jurisdiction as to what goes on in here. So really we can do this."
"So what exactly do you plan to do next?"
Ritsuko explained to Misato the process, "Well afterwards, we're going to insert the chromosomes into the cell, and then mitosis does its work from there.
Now the guardian was confused, "I wasn't that good in Biology, but if I'm correct, wouldn't that take a long time for her to grow from a zygote back into what she used to be?"
"Technically yes," Ritsuko relied with a smirk, "But we just found a breakthrough in technology that allows us to accelerate the zygote's growth. Once we finish altering the cell, we will place in a tank of special LCL we developed that allows the cell to grow and expand at a rapid pace."
"Wow, that's awesome."
"Yes it is. It will still take a few hours to grow the cell, and we have to monitor it closely too in case anything goes wrong. But I had better get back now." And with that Ritsuko went back into the operating room. So Misato went back to her book. Right as she was about to start reading again, two more people came in. It was Shinji and Asuka, and Asuka looked like she wanted to take Shinji's arm all for herself.
"Ah, it's about time you guys showed up," she called out, smiling at the couple.
"So how is the operation going Misato?" Shinji quietly inquired.
Misato gave him a neutral face, "Well, they haven't gotten that far yet. It's going slowly so as not to make any mistakes," but then her face brightened again, "But so far, everything is going as planned, so there's no need to worry."
"Hey Shinji," started Asuka, "I'm hungry. Can you buy us lunch?"
"Go ahead Shinji," said Misato, "If anything happens, I'll let you know."
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Operating room
Ritsuko looked on as the doctors continued to work with the microscopic equipment. So far, everything was going as planned. But it was going slow though. One of the doctors came up to her.
"Doctor Akagi, we've finished replacing the chromosomes for the cell," said the doctor.
"Good," replied the doctor, "Have them place the cell in the special tank we have set up for it. The fluid in the tank will allow the cell to grow at an accelerated rate. Our next task will be to monitor the cell so it grows properly into a human shaped structure."
"Yes ma'am." And with that, the doctor went off to tell her colleagues the new commands. Playing God sure was not fun. It wasn't back then when they first batch was created, and still isn't now. Perhaps this job should be better off left to the big man up there in heaven. But there was still the threat of the Black Angels, who followed somebody who was not God at all, and whoever was behind this threat would threaten to destroy all humanity and maybe cause a 4th Impact if one was possible.
Ritsuko went over to where the doctors were placing the cell in the tank. She then gave the order to fill the tank with the special LCL to accelerate its growth. Hopefully this would lead to a breakthrough in medical technology so if the other EVA pilots sustained any fractured limbs or burns or anything such, this fluid could be used to heal those injuries at a fast pace so they would be ready to go much sooner than waiting forever to heal. Not long after her order was given the tank which held the single cell was filled with the LCL and only time would tell if Rei could be given a new body.
"It's working Doctor Akagi!" a male doctor called, "The cell is undergoing mitosis at an accelerated rate!" Ritsuko smiled at the results.
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NERV Cafeteria
"Trust me Asuka, the food here is actually pretty good," he assured his girlfriend.
"Well it had better be. I won't complain that much since it's you that paying for it."
"WHAT? Why me?"
"Because it's the boy that's supposed to pay for himself and the girl. I thought you knew that was an unwritten rule."
"Okay. What do you want then?" Shinji and Asuka were having a small discussion on the quality of food in NERV's cafeteria. Asuka seemed convinced that the food here was bad, but Shinji was certain that the food was just fine.
"Let's see," said Asuka as she looked over the menu, "A rib steak sandwich glazed in BBQ sauce, and a bottle of Coke to go with it." So she watched as Shinji went up to the counter to place her order and his as well. She noticed his confidence had grown in the past while, and he stopped apologizing like he used to. She didn't mind if he apologized for something he did wrong, she just didn't like it when it got to the point where he just wouldn't stand up for himself.
Now as he was paying for their lunch, and not to mention scrambling to find enough money to do so, her memory flashed back to the night they fooled around a bit. It actually felt rather good though. His hands were soft and smooth, like a baby's almost. She replayed the moment over and over again in her mind. The only thing bad about it was Misato, Zack, and Ivana teasing her about her forgetting her pajama shirt was half unbuttoned. Her train of thought was interrupted by Shinji returning with their respective lunches.
"Something on your mind Asuka?" he asked her curiously.
"Nothing to worry about. Let's just eat because I'm starving. I'll tell you when we get home."
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Misato had finally finished her book. She had actually read the whole thing through. She checked the time. Almost four hours had gone by! The kids would be home from school by now. Her first instinct was to check on Rei though. But Ritsuko was there in front of her.
"Going to ask how Rei is doing?"
"You got me Rits," replied the Major, "What's her status?"
Ritsuko had a smile on her face, "Like I said, the process would be a long one, but it's going exactly as we planned it would."
She motioned for Misato to follow, "Come on, I'd like to show you something." And so Misato followed Ritsuko into the examination room. She told Misato to look through the window and see what was in the tank. She gasped at what she saw in the tank.
Floating in the tank in suspended animation was what Misato assumed to be a child. Likely a toddler. The toddler was curled in a fetal position, floating while attached to the machine.
"Misato," started Ritsuko. "This is Rei V."
Hey guys, this is Marine Brother Shran, J.G. the Hotshot Gamer's editor. Sorry for not getting this to him right away, but with school and all, I've been swamped. I hope that you guys enjoy reading this as much as he enjoys writing this and me editing this for your entertainment. Well anyways, that's all from me.