I don't own anything.
Intelligence
-Chapter Eleven: Kimi
"How do you want to do this?" Naota scratched the scraggly hairs growing on his chin and looked around the restaurant.
"Divide and conquer," he stated finally. "We'll all take suspects and tail them. A couple of analysts are already working at NERV."
"Sounds good," Shinji stated. He glanced at his watch and then up at the door. "There's our fifth man."
"A foreigner?" Naota asked.
"A German," Shinji replied. One of Naota's eyebrows crept upwards. "He works for us now."
"If you say so."
"You began without me," Manfred commented as he sat down.
"You're late," Shinji replied. "This is Dan and Naota. They're part of the same agency I'm in."
"I'm Manfred Walther," Manfred stated politely, "formerly of the German Foreign Intelligence agency." He shook both the officers' hands. "What did I miss?"
"We're dividing the foreigners and each taking a few," Shinji replied.
"Sounds like fun," Manfred commented. "Any leads on our five-ten, one hundred and thirty to one hundred and forty pound Loretta Wulf?"
"Nothing," Shinji replied. "We need to head to NERV. They have a full list of our suspects there."
"One question," Naota began. "The analysts are checking finances. They thought it would be hard until they found that NERV keeps tabs on its employees spending. Why do they have that information?"
"You'll see," Shinji stated.
"When?"
"When we meet the Commander."
"Sounds ominous," Naota commented.
"Just keep your weapon by your side," Shinji replied. "And remember, they cannot legally make you disarm and physical attempts to do so are grounds for lethal force."
(:ii:)
Shinji pushed open the massive doors and looked around the office he had stepped in to. It was still as creepy as ever. "Shinji," the man sitting behind the large desk across the dark room stated.
"Father." Over the years Shinji and his father had reached somewhat of a peaceable arrangement. Shinji hated the man and Gendo Ikari did not care him. They both understood this and could therefore be fairly personable without feeling the need to demonstrate their opinions of one another. "Why have you blocked my analysts?"
"The information they are seeking is illegal for NERV to have," Gendo stated.
"But you have it," Shinji stated. "I know you do and so does most of the ISDF. Give my analysts access."
"I cannot give access to something that doesn't exist." Shinji frowned. The old man was getting at something.
"What do you want?" Gendo was silent for a few minutes.
"I have yet to meet my granddaughter," he commented. Shinji's frown turned into a scowl.
"What do you care about my daughter?" he asked as calmly as he could.
"I do not care," Gendo stated. "I simply wish to meet her."
"I don't want her to meet you. As far as she knows, your dead." Shinji was fighting to keep his nature in check. He wanted to grab the man and introduce him to his favorite knife. Everyone had a threshold. Go beyond it and they would do whatever you wanted. Or they would break. In that case Shinji would install a more helpful leader, he had done it before many times. Either way Shinji got the records he needed.
"Those files don't exist." This situation was beyond Shinji's control and he knew it. Shinji was not happy when he wasn't in control.
"I'll bring her to meet you," he stated. "I will be in the room at all times and if I don't like a single thing, she's gone."
"Very well," Gendo stated. "The files will appear upon her arrival."
"Half now," Shinji stated flatly. Gendo was silent for a moment. "I am bargaining with my daughter. Take the offer or we do this my way."
"Very well," Gendo stated. "The choice of employees will be up to your team."
(:ii:)
Takeo frowned as his direct superior stormed into the waiting room. It was disturbing to see the normally calm or cheerful man so agitated outside of a firefight. "Bad news?"
"Personal news," Shinji replied. "We just received access to half the files. We'll get full access before the end of the week."
"Good," Hirano, one of the analysts, stated.
"Time to hunt some agents," Shinji stated. "Give me a lift back to the apartment and I'll get my bike there."
"No problem sir."
(:ii:)
"Hello?" Asuka nearly jumped out of her skin as his voice rang out in the apartment. She had been jumpy ever since leaving Reinhard's office, imagining Shinji lying in wait for her somewhere. She stepped out of her room and nearly walked into the man she was currently thinking of. She leapt back quickly.
"Sorry!"
"Calm down," Shinji suggested. "You seem a little edgy." Asuka gaped at him. His dress shirt and undershirt were slung over his left shoulder and she could not tear her eyes away from the pale, faded scars that covered his torso.
"Are those from the accident?" she asked quietly.
"Some of them," Shinji stated, pulling on his undershirt. "Sorry. They bother most people, I didn't think anyone was home and I was going to change my clothes."
"Only some of them?" Asuka asked.
"A lot," Shinji allowed. "Quite a few are from corrective surgeries and the rest are just battle scars."
"You had to have surgeries?"
"Yeah," Shinji replied. "They were the kind my insurance paid for. Mostly they were just replacements."
"What did you have replaced?"
"Artificial hip, knee, and shoulder," Shinji stated. "Metal rods in my thigh, upper arm, and forearm. A couple of screws here and there." Asuka stated at him. "It was a bad accident. The left side of my body was crushed."
"How could you possibly return to active duty after only a year?" she demanded. It just didn't seem human.
"I'm good at managing pain," Shinji stated. "I kept my fitness scores high. Just don't ask how many drugs I was on and still am on."
"I can't believe they let you stay," Asuka stated.
"If you knew how good I was, you'd believe it," Shinji stated. He turned and walked into his room.
"I do know," Asuka whispered. "Hey Shinji?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to be staying in Tokyo-3 longer than I though," Asuka began conversationally. "I figured I'd stoop free loading and get an apartment."
"Any reason you're staying?" Shinji asked, reappearing in a new dark suit with his coat over his arm.
"Well," Asuka began, "my boss insisted that I stay on vacation. I think that bastard just doesn't like me. He sent a bunch of paperwork for me to do and said I should relax here."
"He doesn't like sweet little you?" Shinji asked, looking amused. Asuka scowled at him, her nerves temporarily forgotten.
"You're making fun of me!" Shinji smiled and Asuka's anger was temporarily forgotten. He did have an amazing smile.
"I wasn't joking about the sweet part," he stated, his tone slightly flirtatious. "But sorry anyway."
"You should be!" Her statement lacked much of its normal punch. "It's not my fault everyone finds me abrasive."
"You're just aggressive," Shinji stated. "It's an attractive trait in a woman." Asuka frowned. Was he flirting with her?
"Be careful Shinji, some girls might get the wrong idea if you talk to them like that."
"Maybe the wrong idea is the right idea," Shinji commented, his face friendly but unreadable. He ghosted past her silently, leaving Asuka in stunned silence. Misato had warned her that he might do something like that, but actually having Shinji flirt with her was definitely a strange experience. Was he trying to forge a relationship for information? "You want anything to eat? I'm making myself a sandwich."
(:ii:)
Shinji watched absently as Asuka walked out the door carrying her luggage. What in god's name did she have in all those cases? His phone buzzed and he crammed what was left of his sandwich into his mouth. "Hello?"
"You eating something?" Nagao asked.
"Even I have to eat," Shinji replied, swallowing thickly. "What's up?"
"We got something for you," Nagao stated proudly. "The German finally talked, don't ask how. I don't like your psych scores as is."
"Wasn't planning on it," Shinji stated.
"There's an agent already working in Tokyo-3," Nagao stated. "He should have been contacted by the new officer by now. Head over to his house and get the information. Alright?" Shinji sighed. And he had just eaten too. None the less he pulled out his notepad.
"Address?"
(:ii:)
Jeffrey Rossi growled in annoyance as the person at his front door continued to hammer away. Didn't they know it was his day off? "I'm coming!" Jeffrey jerked the door open and stared at the dark suited man standing outside his apartment. "What do you want?"
"You," the man stated. A fist flew up and connected squarely with Jeffrey's chin, the shock traveling right up his mandible and into his temples. He stumbled back into the apartment and the man followed without another word, pulling a knife from his pocket and flipping the blade open.
(:ii:)
"Hey Shinji!" Shinji turned and smiled at the raven-haired woman running towards him. "Has the train arrived yet?"
"Not yet," Shinji stated as he glanced at the monorail schedule. "Should be arriving in a few minutes."
"Good!" Misato squealed. She glanced at him and frowned.
"What?" Shinji asked.
"You've got something brownish on your shirt there." Shinji touched his collar where Misato had indicated. He felt the crust of dried blood and frowned. "That's blood!"
"I nicked myself shaving," Shinji stated. "You know me, always in a hurry."
"You're a mess." Shinji smirked and the older woman clamped a hand over his mouth. "Don't say it, Ikari. It's too obvious." Shinji chuckled and batted her hand away.
"I need you to watch Kimi tonight," he stated.
"Where are you going?" Misato asked.
"I have to take care of something tonight," Shinji stated. "I wish I could postpone, but I can't."
"Not a problem. There's the train!" The monorail blew into the station with the screech of brakes. Shinji glanced down at his watch. It was only ten minutes late.
"Color me impressed."
"Let me see." Shinji tilted his wrist so Misato could see his watch. "Not bad."
"Yup." The monorail's doors opened and Shinji immediately began scanning the meager crowd that filed out.
"Mister Ikari!" Shinji turned and saw a young woman holding his daughter by the hand.
"Daddy!" Shinji kneeled and scooped the charging eight-year-old into his arms.
"Kimi!" He spun her around, listening to her giggle. He set her down. "Go say hi to Aunt Misato, okay?" She nodded and ran to Misato. Shinji turned back to her babysitter and reached into his pocket.
"Thanks for bringing her all this way."
"It's not a problem," Yumi replied. "Well as much as taking an eight year old on a three hour trip can be not a problem."
"I know." Shinji pressed the wad of bills into her hand. "She should be home next week. When's your train leaving?"
"Tonight," Yumi replied. "I was thinking about going to a concert in town while I wait." Shinji frowned.
"Hirano?" he asked.
"Yeah," Yumi replied. "He's about to break out into the major scene, so I wanted to see him while he was still local."
"I wouldn't go," Shinji stated. "He supposed to be in some trouble with the law and I heard they were planning on moving on him at the concert."
"Oh," Yumi stated flatly. "Bummer." Shinji gave her a few extra bills.
"There's a pretty big department store up that way," Shinji stated.
"Thanks Mister Ikari."
"Not a problem."
(:ii:)
Asuka stared at her predecessor's notes. The man had already set up a pretty big group of agents throughout a lot of Japan. He had spent a lot of time flying from Tokyo-3 to Osaka and to many other cities. She was getting ready to go meet one of his less helpful agents, despite what the agent actually thought.
"Hirano," she read aloud. "This guy is going to be annoying. I just know it."
-End
(:ii:)
-Author's notes. Big cliff hanger!