Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
-
-
-
Ghost in the Shell/Eva: The Recruit
-
-
-
Chapter 3: Background Check
-
-
-
Rei drew in a deep breath and slowly released it. She had been awake for almost an hour, laying on her side, and staring out the window. Some things never change, do they? She heard the person next to her sigh, then stretch. Rolling over, she rested her head upon his bare chest. "Are you awake?"
"Mmm." The young man wrapped his arms around her. "Barely," he whispered.
"Would you like to do it again?" she asked.
"Mmm." He ran his hands over her silky body. "Do you have to ask?"
Rei didn't respond verbally. Instead, she simply slid on top of him, straddled his hips, and kissed him deeply.
"Mmm. Rei…. God, you're amazing," he moaned.
-
-
An hour later Rei lay in the younger man's arms, her hand idling drawing figures upon his chest and belly.
"Hey," he laughed. "That tickles."
"That is why I do it," she replied.
They fell silent.
Feeling the need for conversation, the younger man asked, "So, you're officially a member of Public Security, Section Nine now?"
"Not officially. A thorough background check must be completed, but it should only be a formality."
"To be honest, I was hoping you would fail."
She looked up at him. "Why?"
"I like being able to see you everyday, even if it's only in the office. It gives me the strength to wait for you to feel like coming over." He tightened his hold around her slightly.
"Keniishi, about that." She sat up on the bed. "I believe it is time to end this affair."
The 25-year old SIU operative stared in total shock at the blue-haired woman. "Man, you don't beat around the bush, do you?" He sat up as well. "Why? What did I do? I don't understand, I thought… I thought…"
She gave him a faint smile and gently caressed his cheek. "You are a wonderful lover, Keniishi, however, I am moving on in my professional life and feel it is important that I move on in my personal life as well."
"So-o-o, what? New job, new lover?"
"No, I am not seeking a replacement for you," she explained. "However, you are a tie to my past. I must embrace my future."
"But, I could be part of that future. You and me, together." He hopped off the bed and stumbled over to his dresser. Retrieving a small item from the top drawer, he got back in bed scooted close to Rei. "I was waiting for the right time." He stared down at the small velvet box. Not knowing what else to say, he opened it.
Rei stared at the contents of the box, its significance simply not registering. "It is a ring."
Keniishi looked up at her then down at the ring again. Finally, he removed the ring and grabbed her hand, sliding it onto her finger. "It's an engagement ring. I've been saving up for almost a year." He held her hand in his. "I love you, Rei. I've loved you since the first time… well… you know… since the first time… " His face turned bright red. "I guess what I'm trying to say is… Rei, will you marry me?"
The young woman stared at the one and a half caret diamond ring a moment longer then looked up at the man who had been her lover for the past year. "No, I will not marry you, Keniishi." She carefully slid the ring off and placed it in the young man's hand, then got off the bed and started picking up her clothes from the floor.
The man sat stunned for several minutes, unable to believe what just happened. Eventually, he looked up at the mostly dressed woman. "Don't you love me, Rei? Don't you care for me at all?"
Rei had slipped on her suit jacket and was adjusting the collar of her blouse. She walked up to her lover, who was sitting at the edge of the bed now, and ran her hand through his hair and along his jaw-line to his chin. Tilting his head up so his eyes would meet hers, she answered, "You are a kind and gentle man, Keniishi, as well as a passionate lover. Any woman would consider themselves fortunate to be with you."
"Then why do you want to leave me?" A tear escaped his eye.
Rei gently brushed it away. "This is not about you. It is something I feel I must do in order to move on with my life. I am sorry to cause you pain. It was never my intention to hurt you, however my decision is final." She bend down and kissed him one last time. "Farewell, Keniishi. I know you will find someone worthy of that ring, someday." She turned and walked away.
Keniishi stared after her as she walked out the door and continued to stare at the door in the false hope that she might suddenly change her mind and return. When it became apparent that this was not going to happen, he looked down at the ring in his hand and whispered, "But I did find someone. I found you." He wept uncontrollably for hours.
-
(000)
-
Two days earlier"Surveillance skills, hacking skills, covert communication interception and misdirection skills, combat skills." Motoko went down the list. "Am I leaving anything out?"
"Okay, I understand why she sent Batou and Togusa on a wild goose chase but what I don't understand is why she sent me off in the wrong direction if she already knew what train you were on?" Pazu asked.
"Apparently, she didn't appreciate being called, babe." Motoko smirked.
Batou and Togusa stifled a laugh.
"So, it's unanimous then?" the Major asked.
The three men nodded their heads in agreement.
"Okay, Rei Ayanami is the newest member of Section Nine. All that's left is the background check and she'S in." Motoko signed the letter authorizing Rei's transfer to Section 9 and the request for a level-4 background check.
"So how are we going to handle training this time around?" Togusa asked.
"Good question." Motoko set her pen down. "Batou?"
"Well, after the last set of recruits, I said field training was a mistake, but in Rei's case, I'm not so sure. Fieldwork at the SIU can get pretty hairy. It's not all paper pushing and accounting. Still, there's a lot she can learn without putting her in the line of fire."
Pazu jumped in. "Say, why don't we have her train individually with each of us. If she's as quick a study as Batou says, she can pick up skills from each of us and whenever necessary back any of us up."
"That's not a bad idea," Motoko agreed.
"We should probably start her with Ishikawa, since she already has code breaking and hacking skills," Togusa added.
"Agreed." The Major set her elbows on the table and clasped her hands together just in front of her face. "Togusa, you'll be next. She can learn investigative skills from you."
The youngest member of the team nodded.
"Saito would be a good third pick. It's fieldwork but snipers are usually the last ones shot at, and it will get Rei out in the field. She'll probably be going stir crazy by then anyway," Batou threw in. "After that, we can play it by ear."
"Okay, we have a plan, and hopefully we'll be able to keep this one alive," Motoko added grimly.
"Major, how long should we spend training her?" Togusa asked.
"As long as it takes. What's important is that she learns what she needs to do the job, regardless of how long it takes. Pass that along to Ishikawa and Saito." She got up. "I'll get the Chief's signature and turn these in." She held up the paperwork. "And hopefully, we'll have her here within the week." She walked out the door.
"So…"
"So?"
"Lunch?"
"Thai?"
"Nnn, gives me gas."
"Korean barbeque?"
"Sounds good."
"You're buying?"
"Dream on."
The men walked out the of conference room.
-
(000)
-
Present day"Excuse me, sir. A Major Kusanagi is here to see you," the secretary to the Special Operative in Charge informed him.
The man in the modest sized office stood up quickly. "Major Kusanagi! Send her in, send her in." He couldn't help but smile as he walked out from behind his desk.
"Mister Ono, thank you for seeing me in such short notice." Motoko shook the man's hand.
"Not at all." He gestured to the chair in front of his desk. "Would you like something to drink, coffee perhaps?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Mana, can you please bring us some coffee?" he asked his secretary.
"Yes sir. How would you like your coffee, ma'am?"
"Black is fine." The Major informed her.
Going back to his seat, the SOC shook his head with a smile. "I must say, I'm not surprised to be having this interview about Rei, but I am surprised that it's you who've come to conduct it."
"Oh?"
"Your reputation precedes you, Major. I hardly expected someone such as yourself to be doing something as mundane as this." He sat down.
"Well, things are a little slow in the terrorism front, and besides, I wanted to know first hand, why anyone would be willing to let someone as gifted as Miss Ayanami go," Motoko answered.
"Here's your coffee, ma'am." The secretary set the cup down at the edge of the desk. "Here you go, sir." She handed her boss his cup.
"Thank you, Mana."
"Will there be anything else, sir?" she asked.
"No, that will be all for now." He smiled and nodded. The young woman bowed and left the room, closing the door behind her.
"Quite efficient. Is she the newest model?" Motoko took a sip of her coffee.
"Yes, yes she is. A vast improvement over the previous version," the SOC replied.
"And you named her? Why?"
"We find it humanizing. It helps us if we relate to her as just another person. Unlike you're unit, all my people are still mostly human. A few prosthetics here and there but no full cyborgs, like yourself." The man took a drink of his coffee. "To answer your question, to be honest, I didn't feel I had much of a choice."
"Much of a choice?"
"The day Rei Ayanami joined this unit was a turning point for all of us. We were wholly under staffed, and under funded, but that didn't stop Rei from making an immediate impact. Until she came along, we were just a bunch of glorified paper pushers and accountants, checking and rechecking the books from the banks across the country. Whenever we did come across a real case, we'd do some investigation work then pass it on to another department. Rei changed all that, and with her help, we re-staffed with people of like skills. Even still, Rei is in a class by herself. That's why when she told me that she felt it was time for her to move on, I couldn't possibly stop her. Trust me, Major, nothing would have made me happier than to keep Rei Ayanami here with SIU, but I owed her too much to stand in her way."
"Sounds like a mutual admiration society. She had nothing but glowing comments and praise for you," Motoko remarked.
"Really?"
"You sound surprised?"
"Well, to be honest, Rei isn't one to reveal her personal sentiments to anyone. In time, you'll learn that she is the consummate professional: always early, always working late, always on top of things, never letting her personal feelings getting in the way of what needs to be done…"
"Speaking of personal feelings." The Major opened the folder she had on her lap. "I was wondering if you could fill me in on what exactly happened in the Kogohiro case. According to the official report, Kogohiro killed three operatives and wounded two others."
"Yes, that's right," the SOC replied with a long look on his face.
"But Ayanami mentioned to me that she once pulled the trigger against her own agents. Operatives, was the word she actually used." Motoko leaned in a bit. "I went over her case files and this was the only one where agents were injured or killed in the line of duty. Care to explain?"
The SOC's expression turned very grim as he considered how to answer her inquiry. "May I ask, how it was that Rei even mentioned this?"
Now it was Motoko's turn to hesitate. "Well… to be honest, it was while she was holding a gun to my head."
"What!"
"During her exam, we engaged in hand-to-hand combat and just as I was about to render her unconscious, she pulled a gun on me," she explained.
"Her projectile gun?" The SOC smiled.
"Yes."
"She bluffed you into backing down." His smile grew.
"Yes. I'm guessing she's done this before."
"If she played poker, she'd be a millionaire." He laughed.
"So, Mister Ono, concerning the Kogohiro case…"
The man got very serious once again. "Do I have your word that what I'm about to tell you will remain strictly confidential? No one else must ever know."
Motoko paused for a moment, then answered, "You have my word."
"Very well." He stood up and turned around, looking out the window of his office. "Kogohiro was a ruthless art dealer and counterfeiter. The Minister of Art and Antiquities came to the Treasury Minister directly and asked for our help in bringing this man to justice. I assigned a team of agents to investigate. They ended up dead in what was called a triple suicide. That's when Rei volunteered to take the case. She was already handling a full third of all of our cases, but she insisted on taking the lead on this one. She dug up the evidence, built a case and went in to make the arrest, along with two other operatives, both of whom she had recruited and trained herself. They really looked up to Rei, both as a leader and a mentor. As it turned out, Kogohiro wasn't just a master counterfeiter, but also a master hacker. Kogohiro took over the other two agents' bodies and tried to take over Rei's too, but she detected him before it was too late, so he turned the other agents on her. She had no choice, she had to stop them, then she took out the target."
"I see."
"Despite the circumstances, you know what the public reaction would have been if anyone ever found out an agent shot another agent. Who cares if her actions saved not only her own life but also the lives of the agents in question? What they would say is, here's an agent that's obviously overworked, and overstressed. She overreacted and shot her own people. That's what they would say. And they would have ended the career of the best operative this unit has ever had."
"So, you covered it up."
"Yes, yes I did. Rei was ready to come clean. That's just her way. But by some miracle, I managed to convince her to alter the memories of the other two operatives and came up with the cover story that Kogohiro was the one who shot them."
"Well, in a sense, I suppose that's true, indirectly anyway. What I don't understand is why Ayanami would let it slip out that she did something like that. Revealing that sort of information to the wrong person could still end her career."
The SOC smiled and sat back down. "That's Rei. Believe me, Major Kusanagi; Rei's decision to join Section Nine was not something she made lightly. I'm sure she took the time to research your group thoroughly, especially you. If she said that to you, it must mean she feels you are someone she believes she can trust, otherwise, she wouldn't have whispered a word of it."
Motoko stood up. "Thank you so much for your time, Mister Ono, you've been most helpful." She bowed politely.
The SOC returned the gesture. "I'm glad I could help."
The Major started for the door, but stopped to ask, "By the way, what ever happened to the two agents she shot?"
"Mister Keniishi Miyaki and Miss Maaya Sakamoto; two of the finest young operatives on my team. Their injuries were serious but not career ending."
"I'm glad to hear it." Motoko gave a faint smile and walked out the office.
-
(000)
-
The Major walked in on the two androids that were conducting the background check on their newest recruit. "So how's it going ladies," the Major asked.
"From her instructors at the academy to her commanding officer in the airborne unit she was assigned to, they all share the same positive sentiment. Her record is spotless, and her performance, outstanding, every place she's been. Apparently, she was a model cadet and a model officer."
"And you?" The Major turned to the other android.
"I'm seeing the same sort of thing, but…"
"But what?"
"Well, it's a little strange. I was able to track down people who knew her as far back as ninth grade, but before then, the trail turns cold. On top of that, she has no living relatives or guardian. Apparently, she's lived on her own at least since she was fifteen."
"Well, that's not so unusual," the Major replied. "Lots of kids lost their parents during the war.
"Yes, but there's usually some record of that sort of thing. I haven't been able to find anything, nothing at all. It's as if she didn't exist before 2016."
"Hmm." Motoko considered her options. "Why don't you check on the background of some of her old friends and classmates? Maybe some of them share a similar past."
"I will try," the android acknowledged.
"So when do you think you'll be done?" the Major asked.
"I should be done by the end of the day," the first android replied.
"Depending on how quickly I can track down some of her old classmates, it may take me a couple of days still," the second android answered.
"Well, try and wrap it up as soon as you can. I'd like to bring her in before the end of the week." Motoko turned and walked out the room.
-
(000)
-
Walking into her spacious, two-bedroom apartment, Rei headed straight for the kitchen to deposit the groceries she purchased. She idly tossed the empty plastic bags towards the trashcan but they missed and landed on the floor. Not giving them a second look, the blue-haired woman casually made her way to the bedroom she used as her studio. As she walked, she removed each article of clothing until she stood at the doorway, naked.
Opening the door, Rei flicked on the light and grabbed the well-stained painter's apron that hung behind it. She draped it over her head and tied it around her waist while walking up to the painting that was currently sitting on her easel. After studying it for several minutes, she took it down and placed it with a stack of unfinished paintings, then grabbed a fresh canvas and placed it on the easel.
Grabbing a new palette, Rei took her time selecting the colors she wanted to use. Satisfied with her selection, she grabbed four paintbrushes, placing one behind each ear, and one in her mouth. Sitting on her stool and stared at the blank canvas for almost an hour, twirling the brush in her hand, the former SIU operative, former ASDF captain, former Academy Cadet, former Eva pilot considered what it was she wanted to paint
Finally, she looked down at the palette and mixed some red and blue together, then began applying to the canvas. Two hours later, shades of purple, blue, red, and black covered the canvas, and there were hints of what might have been or rather what might become three faces starting to take shape.
Satisfied with her progress, Rei stood up and tossed the palette and brushes in a large trashcan. She wiped her paint stained hands on her apron at first then on her legs and back to make sure her hands were dry. Walking to the door, she took off the apron and hung it back up, then slipped on a pair of paint-stained slippers and walked out of the room, turning off the light, and making sure the door was securely closed.
Rei went to the bathroom, and checked the thermostat of the Japanese bathtub. She adjusted it up slightly, then took the hand-held showerhead, rinsed herself down, and she washed herself thoroughly, scrubbing her body mercilessly to get all the paint off. After rinsing off, she carefully slipped into the bath, allowing the hot water to chase away all the tension in her body.
Slowly, she opened her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. Will they find out? If anyone is capable, they surely are. What will Major Kusanagi do with that knowledge? She sighed. I could withdraw my application, but… I do not wish to. Closing her eyes, Rei let herself sink under the water where she stayed for fifteen minutes. Releasing the air from her lungs, she sat up and took in a deep breath, then rose and stepped out of the bath.
At the entrance room to the bath, the wet female grabbed a towel and padded herself dry then tossed the towel in the laundry hamper. Grabbing a fresh towel and began drying her hair, she stopped long enough to douse herself with body splash. Satisfied that her hair was dry enough, she tossed the fresh towel in the hamper and quickly brushed her hair, then she went to the kitchen to make herself something to eat.
-
(000)
-
"Thank you for calling Nihon-Yo roppa's, can you hold please?" the female voice on the other end of the call asked.
"Yes, of course," the android replied.
A few seconds later, the voice came over the phone again. "Hello, thank you for waiting. Would you like to make a reservation?"
"No, thank you. May I please speak with Miss Hikari Horaki?"
"Who may I ask is calling?"
"This is Public Security, Section Nine in Tokyo. I'm running a background check and would like to ask Miss Horaki a few questions," she answered.
"One moment please." The woman placed her on hold again.
-
-
The hostess smiled at the couple before her. "Your table should be ready in just a moment." Then she walked to the back of the restaurant and into the kitchen, and waited patiently while the restaurant owner spoke with her sous-chef.
When Hikari was done, she turned to notice her hostess waiting for her. "What is it, Kimiko? I'm kinda busy right now."
"Miss Horaki, you have a call on line three. It's Public Security. They're running a background check and asked to speak with you."
"And of course, they have to call at the busiest time of the day." The owner groaned. "Fine." She wiped her hands on her apron. "Ayato, take over here for me, and remember, golden brown, not burnt." She went to her office and closed the door behind her. Sitting down for the first time all day, she sighed, then looked over at the phone and picked up the receiver, punishing line three. "Hello, this is Hikari Horaki speaking. How may I help you?"
"Hello, Miss Horaki, I'm with Public Security, Section Nine. We have a new recruit whom we are conducting a background check on. Someone you once attended school with. I would just like to ask you a few questions about this person, if it's not too much trouble?"
"Well, yes, actually, it is troublesome. This is the busiest time of the day for me. Can't you call back later, say after eleven?"
"I'm afraid not. I assure you this won't take long, besides, by law you are obligated to cooperate."
"Fine, fine. So who's the idiot looking for a government job?"
"The applicant's name is Rei Ayanami. I believe you attended middle school with her as well as one year of high school, is that correct?"
Hikari went pale and the receiver fell from her hand. She gasped and scrambled to pick it up off the floor.
"Miss Horaki?"
"Ahem, yes… I-I mean, no. I think you have the wrong Hikari Horaki. I don't remember ever going to school with anyone by that name. I'm sorry." Before the android could say anything else, she hung up the phone.
She sat motionless behind her desk, unable to think, filled with a numbness she hadn't felt since… Slowly, she opened the bottom drawer and dug beneath a pile of invoices and letters, and pulled out a photograph. A class picture she hadn't looked at in years. It was a ninth grade photo taken at the junior high school she attended at Kyoto.
"I looked so young. So-o young." She ran her finger over her picture. Then she looked at the four Eva pilots all sitting in a row. "Asuka, Rei, Shinji, and Touji." She ran her fingers over the picture of the boy in the wheelchair. "Touji." She began to cry, for the first time in over twelve years. She cried for her first love.
-
(000)
-
"Major, I'm sorry to interrupt," the android said upon entering the conference room.
"That's all right. What is it?"
"I did as you suggested, and tried to contact some of Miss Ayanami's earliest associates. However, I ran into some difficulty."
"What sort of difficulty?" the Batou asked.
"I was able to identify four persons whom Miss Ayanami appeared to have arrived at Kyoto with in April, 2016. One died on February sixth, 2018, one resides in Hiroshima, another in Vancouver, British Colombia, and the last in Berlin, Germany. I was unable to contact the two persons who live overseas," the android explained.
"That's all right, the one in Hiroshima should do."
"I spoke with her briefly, but when I mentioned Miss Ayanami's name, she seemed to get rather flustered and insisted on not knowing her. I double-checked my records to be sure. I am certain, she is the correct person."
"Here, let me see that." The Major reached out for the file. Looking it over, she informed the android. "I'll look into this myself."
"Very good, ma'am." The android bowed and left the room.
"Problem?" Batou asked.
"I'm sure it's nothing." Motoko flipped through the file. "Hmm, Hikari Horaki."
"Horaki? Say, isn't she the owner of a famous restaurant in Hiroshima?" Batou inquired.
"Have you been reading the travel guides again?" Motoko teased.
"Got to do something when I'm on a stakeout with Boma. He's not much of a conversationalist," the silver-haired cyborg shot back.
"Unlike you?"
"All right already! What is this, pick on Batou week?" He stood up, I'm getting something to drink."
"Big baby."
"Eat me!"
"In your dreams." With Batou gone, Motoko took her time reading through the file. "Hmm, I could use a nice meal." She closed the file. "Chief?"
"What is it Major?"
"Seems there is a small snag with Ayanami's background check."
"Is it serious?"
"No, I don't think so, but I will need to head over to Hiroshima for the day."
"Hiroshima? Very well, if you deem it necessary, just try and wrap this up as soon as possible."
"Of course." Motoko picked up the file and headed out the door. "Hiroshima, here I come."
-
(To Be Continued)
-
-
AN: I know I said I would have this chapter out sooner but unfortunately, my beta-reader hasn't returned it yet, so once again, I'm posting after attempting to edit it myself. Be kind. As soon as she give me her copy, I'll repost with by beta's corrections.
A. Amishi