Liebkind was laying on a massive truck, the left shoulder armor was gone, but no damage was visible. Asuka waited for another Section 2 agent. "Another case I can't open, right?"
"That's right, ma'am." The agent was practically cookie-cut from the last man who handed her a case, except this man had a partially exposed -white- cross tattoo on his forearm, as he handed over the briefcase. "But this one goes to the Section 2 director in Tokoyo-3."
Not the only white cross I've ever seen. "Do I get a name to find? Or are all you goons just clones of somebody?"
"You know him. Ryoji Kaji." His demeanor and expression gave no hint of deception, just seriousness.
Finally away from the rubble of New York, Asuka watched Liebkind being loaded onto another dropship. "Maybe Japan won't have any Angels invading."
"I would doubt it, miss Sohryu. Sorry your first trip to New York wasn't what you'd wanted." A man's familiar voice caught her off guard.
She turned to see the very aircraft pilot who had brought her to New York. "Rot!"
...
The aircraft took a very long time to get over the Pacific Ocean, but to Asuka and Rot, it seemed a short flight.
"All the way to America, and all I get is a lousy case."
"Don't vergessen the rifle and armor on your Eva! Might come in handy."
"They did, didn't they?"
"I'll have to see if Japan has anything my family might like. My daughter is so wahlrisch."
Asuka spent most of the trip reading several magazines she'd 'liberated' from a very open storefront in New York.
Kaji hefted the case along, crossing the immense office of Gendo Ikari. "You should know, the Committee wasn't happy to find out you didn't have Adam. I had to persuade them against ordering your unpleasant retrieval."
"I'm sure you had the best intentions, Ryoji." Kozo stood patiently beside the obelisk of a desk.
Gendo remained seated behind his obelisk, fingers intertwined in front of his face. "How fortunate your vacation in Vancouver was over when you were needed for... this. " Kaji placed the briefcase upon the desk, pressing the locks inwards to open it. "The old fools don't have an Evangelion to protect it. Every man, woman, and child on Earth would have died if the Committee called for myself and the case together."
"I don't believe they're that naive, but even I never know with them. They've ordered me to stay in Tokoyo-3, for the foreseeable future." The former spy uncaringly revealed.
"Another unfamiliar ceiling, great." Shinji could hear some voices outside the door. Rits and Misato... who's the other? The door opened and a cute redhead in a regulation school uniform walked in.
"What's with this place and smelling like blood?" She momentarily ignored whomever occupied the bed. "You must be the Third Child, Ikari, isn't it?
"You must be Asuka. I've heard some things about you, some of them were even good." Bandages, must be what caused her reaction with her Eva.
She turned her attention to anything nearby that wasn't him. "Hmph. I heard you're a criminal. Theft, kidnapping. Kinda lame if you ask me."
"If you knew the 'why', you may just do those things yourself. It's not exactly an approachable topic here, you know?"
She stepped forward, letting the door finally close behind her. "All I really want to know is how the hell you turned two Angels into paste."
Shinji let out a breath at the ceiling before speaking, "Of your own fight, what do you remember before your final assault?"
The girl stepped toward the window, avoiding looking at the halfway-covered boy. "If you won't tell me your 'why' here, I have no reason to tell you anything..." She paused for a second and turned to point her finger at him, "about -my- triumph!"
"That wasn't yours alone. It took seven years to make that rifle. Which, until your fight, had only ever been fired once. The cloak? That took nearly eight years of tireless research by a good number of people. I'm just glad everything worked as it was supposed to."
Asuka was glaring at him. "You're -glad- things worked? Everyone could have been killed if that damn cloak didn't function!"
"Adam isn't the catalyst that would obliterate humanity."
She marched up to the bed and grabbed his scrawny neck with one hand. "You mean I risked my arse for nothing?!"
His expression hardened ever-so-slightly, but he kept his cool. "If Ramiel had attained Adam, that Angel would be nearly unstoppable."
The redhead released her target with a thoughtful look on her face.
"An endless power source in Ramiel. Yes, I'm -glad- you won. Glad the things I helped -create-, helped -you- defeat Ramiel!"
"...ver dammt..." She left the room quickly.
The door barely closed behind her, "Smug bastard. I wanna tear him apart!"
Ritsuko and Misato gave her a concerned look, the latter gave the redhead a warning. "Asuka? He probably heard that."
Asuka quickly looked around the hallway. "How? Isn't this place soundproofed?"
The scientist was still reading something on her clipboard, but managed to listen too. "Apparently not enough. Might be a side effect of using Eva, but we don't have a proper sample size to test that theory, yet."
A loudspeaker chimed in with a woman's voice, "Doctor Akagi, please report to Recovery room two-twenty-seven."
Misato looked up toward the speaker along the ceiling, "Who's that, Rei? Is she awake, then?"
Ritsuko clicked her pen and stowed it in the pocket on her lab coat. "She should be. Asuka, care to meet the pilot of Unit 00?"
She gave a little smile to the girl.
Asuka shrugged her one, good shoulder. "If it means I don't have to spend another minute locked in a room without windows, sure."
The trio found Rei already dressed in her school uniform, the last of her bandages finally revealing her healed head. "Doctor, Captain... Second Child?"
Ritsuko contentedly greeted the blue-haired girl, "That's right. Asuka Langley Sohryu, meet Rei Ayanami."
Rei's gaze seemed only to infuriate the redhead, "What -are- you staring at?"
"I have never seen someone with red hair before, it is ... odd."
Asuka tried to cross her arms, but her attempt was thwarted by a shooting pain from her shoulder. Letting out a groan, she grumpily eyed Rei, "Odd is someone with naturally red eyes."
She sat back onto her bed, "I am odd?"
The original trio pulled back out into the hallway, letting the door close.
"Asuka, what the hell was that all about?" Misato downwardly stared at Asuka, but didn't give the girl time to answer. "You're gonna have to work with her; I suppose you two don't have to get along outside of work."
"There was an accident before Shinji arrived here. A contact experiment with her and Unit 00. Her plug ejected and landed on the floor. We have the Eva back in restraints, but Rei had several injuries." Ritsuko kept her voice low, but she wasn't sad.
Asuka drifted through her morning routine. Never not had a roommate before. Her mind drifted for a while longer than she had wanted, as her alarm signaled she should leave for school. "Scheizen!" The redhead spotted the cellphone issued to her by NERVE. She startled herself, "Mein Gott. Why am I thinking about that baka."
Looking at her phone again, she surmised, "It won't do any good not to resolve ..." Whatever the fick this is.
Shinji almost grabbed his cellphone, but the caller I.D. was unexpected. He held off for a moment, but picked it up after the phone rang out again. "Moshi moshi?"
"Gah! Why do you Japanese do that for -every- phone call?!" She didn't wait for him to answer, "Agh, is there some place we can talk?"
"Yeah, Club of Hearts. It's downtown; apparently I slammed into that last Angel about three blocks north of the place."
"Way to go, dummkopf. Look, I'll be there. Come by when you feel like it."
"Asuk... it opens at four." He looked at the phone, she had already ended the call. He dialed Kensuke and hit the speaker button.
"Hey Shinji. What's up?"
"Kensuke, I'm not gonna be in school today. I'll take a stab that neither will a new student. Would you get my papers for me? Uh... oh, maybe the class Rep can get the other person's?" It does kinda feel like cheating, but I can't ignore that we're definitely in a war.
"Uh, yeah. I think Toji goes past Hikari Hokari's place on his way to school. I'll see if he'll ask."
"Hey thanks, means I owe three people, but worth it."
"Tchya! But you know Toji and that black hole he calls a stomach!"
"Heh heh, yeah well, I'll see you later then."
"Uh what's that one... right, auf wiedersehen."
Putting the phone into his pocket, Shinji gathered his cello and made for the club.
Surveying the building, Asuka descended the wide staircase to the cellar door of Club of Hearts. She stopped her feet to focus on the intricate wrought iron decoration fastened to the door. Looks like the club from a deck of cards, but it's made of hearts. "That, must have taken forever to make."
The door was locked, but it looked like a nearly ancient skeleton key mechanism. She lifted her hand to her hair and plucked a bobby pin to use on the lock. Her success was greeted by a balding man nearly three times her size. "Oo' ze hell are you? Ve don't open for anozer zeveral hours."
The girl let out a sigh, "Shinji said this was a place to talk..." She leaned closer to the man, 'without NERV."
He huffed, "Ya, ya. Get in here." He suspiciously observed the street after closing the door behind the redhead. "You're zaht new girl, from Germany, ya?"
She nodded at him, "Jawohl."
"Zhen you vork vor NERV." The bear of a man locked the door and began walking toward the side of the bar.
The redhead annoyedly eyed him, "Is there a point to asking me things you know the answer to?"
"Hoping vor honesty. Vound. Besides, you soldier. Kill enemies 'oo vhant humanity dead! Soldier velcome. NERV security not." Reaching over the bar, he retrieved a can of beer and cracked it open. "You supposed to be in school, vhat you ask Shinji about?"
Asuka wandered around to behind the bar, finding something non-alcoholic in a can. "I wanted to know about his fights with the Angels. But I heard rumors of what he did five years ago. If he knows anything extra, it could help."
"Ya, could. Could hurt knowing, zough. NERV is -very- veird organization. One man decide everyting.. Paper trail impossible to follow." He took a drink of his beer. "He tell me notzing so far, I no ask. Scary enough shit seeing ze vehicle he operated. Fuck dat, I don't vhant to know."
She drank from her unknown, imported soda pop. "So... what -do- you know about him?"
The bear of a man crushed his beer can and set it on the bar, "Good musician. Man plays base vit a cello! Never seen zhat shit before."
"Speaking of..." She watched a figure with a large instrument case traverse the stairs, unlock the door, and get inside. "Was wondering if you'd even show up, Ikari."
Before Shinji could respond, the bear-man swiveled on his stool to face the boy. "You should play that one you were working on the other day."
Shinji flipped his gaze to the man, "Yeah, sure. Plenty of time for some idle musing too."
Asuka grabbed another soda, then drifted into the sea of tables toward the raised stage. She settled a couple seats away from where Shinji was setting himself up. "Things I should know about my Eva."
The boy sat behind his cello and picked up the bow, "Make that about all Evas. When you were fighting, you got hurt when your Eva did, right?"
"Mhmm." She was mid-sip, resisting the urge to cover Ikari in soda.
Pausingly, he set the bow aside, leaning toward the redhead. "You heard a voice didn't you? Kinda in the back of your head."
Her droning answers continued, "Uh-huh."
"Do you recognize the voice at all?" He sat back and finally started playing; a slow, somber set of chords.
She closed her eyes, concentrating on the memory. '..uka .arl...' Do I know that voice? It's... familiar. She thought about the heartbeats she heard. Asuka wasn't aware, but she was crying now. '...asuka darling... i have something for you...'
"NERV's original contact experiments, Asuka. Unit 02 was made here. -You- were here ... a time ago." Shinji was barely pulling the bow anymore.
Asuka fought not to cry more. "Mama! Gott Ver dammt! NEIN!" She shoved the table over, spilling her one soda can, while launching the other away. The two males let her cry and rage for as long as she cared to. Fortunately for Club of Hearts, her rage broke into all out sobbing on the floor fairly quickly.
Shinji set his things aside and hopped down. "When I found out where my mother had really, truly gone to, that's when I decided my father wasn't fit to keep her."
The redhead blasted something onto the floor, it wasn't red. "You're saying... is there any way to-"
"No, from the data I saw five years ago, it was permanent. I'd ask Rits, but I doubt the Magi could do anything to help. They're limited by what we can instruct them." Taking a seat nearby her, he added, "We can connect to the Evas because we have a bond with some part of its psyche. Even if the rest is a gigantic, frenzied, ball of instinct."
Shinji glimpsed at the man-bear, "Eric, I'm gonna need a mop."
Eric the man-bear slipped into the back room.
The boy lifted himself from the chair, "Asuka, if you want, I'll introduce you to my latest escape from reality." He took a swath of cloth from his pocket and offered it to her.
"If it's perverted in any way, Ikari... I'll show you your heart before it stops beating." The redhead snatched the cloth from him.
While Asuka collected herself, Shinji walked over to the bar. "Well, I guess it could be. But that's where self-control comes in. Let yourself go too far and... yeah. But, we're soldiers in war. NERV, but really my father, has seen to it that whatever we need, we get."
She finally stood up, facing him. "So what? You drink your sorrows away? Pathetic!"
He was now behind the bar, getting something together. "Nope. I'm a lightweight, though. Two and I'm comfortable. That's where I try to stay." He set the concoction on the bar, filling the remainder with orange juice.
He peered in her direction, speaking slowly, "If you're afraid of a challenge..."
Asuka calmly walked to the bar, opposite Shinji. "Afraid? Ficken you, Wonder Boy. Gimme that!" She snatched the glass from the bar, downing the liquid part quickly. She stood motionless for a moment. He wonderingly observed her.
"What the hell vodka is in this screwdriver?" She turned the glass in her hand.
"Just this." He rested the bottle on the bar, it read 'Kettle One'.
She peered into her glass of ice, "A bit strong, aber gut."
Shinji returned the bottle below her eyesight, "That's how I like it."
"Another." Setting the glass on the bar, she sat on a convenient stool. While he obliged her, she began questioning him, "I overheard Kaji when I got in town. He was saying something about a Committee?"
Shinji set the refreshed glass on the bar, "A group of old codgers, probably world leaders. They have this idea that there's a way they can become immortal. Problem is, they don't care who dies in the process."
She felt herself warming up a bit, but still cringed at her comrade. "I know I've read about them somewhere, Seele right?"
He clung to the glass, contemplating the answer. "Right. They're a secretive bunch. I'd found information contradicting what was publicly released about Second Impact. Their name came up, but nothing useful."
She was staring at the pocket of his shirt when she grabbed hold of the glass, Shinji's hand still clutching it. "Weird. What about Gehirn?"
His eyes drifted to the glass for a moment before meeting Asuka's straight on. "That eventually became NERV, both funded by the Committee called Seele. Gehirn was all about research into the Evas and the Magi, amongst other projects, until the death of Doctor Naoka Akagi. Who's own daughter pretty much took the position when she was able."
Shinji continued after a breath, "My mother was part of Gehirn, researching and building the Evas. She was..." He turned his gaze away, "lost in one of the initial contact experiments."
Eric watched unseen from a dark corner. Var, terrible burden vor anyone. Children? Vorget it.
Shinji tried to move the glass, turning to look, both were surprised to be almost holding hands. Both teens were blushing, flustered by the realization, but neither pulled their hand back. He practically apologized, but caught Asuka off-guard with a question instead, "If you don't mind, I think I need this drink."
The redhead blinked back to reality, silently releasing his fingers and the glass. After a bit, he was finished. She asked him something related, "I- I won't lie. .. know mine went crazy in her final year. Do you know-"
He looked her square in the eyes again, but didn't say anything. She felt more tears welling up inside her, "You better make us each another. Maybe tall glasses."
As Shinji turned to get the bigger glasses, Asuka left her seat. She made her intent known, "I'll... start cleaning up my mess."
The boy spied Eric standing in the dark doorway to the back room, "Gonna hold that mop forever?"
"Uh-uh." Eric strode forth to lend the redhead a hand.
"Shinji is gone. Nobody saw him leave." Misato said, holding her phone against her head. Meanwhile she was driving around Tokoyo-3. "No, he didn't attend school today. At least, his friends said he wasn't there." She stopped for a light and looked at the clock in the car. "Listen, I might have an idea. I'll call you back if I don't find him. Okay? Yeah, you too, Rits." Her phone rang, but said the number was restricted. "Moshi, moshi? No, it's not like Asuka to not follow her schedule. Look, I'll call you back if I don't find her, Kaji. Alright? Sure, see you tomorrow." She drove on, roaming the streets of Tokoyo-3. "Where's that dive at? Damn, I may have to call Kaji back..." She followed her instincts, which led her all over the city. Looking again at the clock, it was now 1820 hours. She glimpsed some people exiting a cellar on her left. "Hey now! That's it!"
The band members all wore black tuxedos, except for the one girl playing violin. She wore a deep blue dress that ended just below the knee, coupled with her red hair, she stood out against the sea of brown and black that was the club. Asuka spotted Misato's red jacket, quickly ending her current song. "Guys, cover for me. I need a break." The troupe obliged, and began another, faster tune Misato couldn't recognize.
Asuka made her way toward Misato, who was already at the bar ordering a drink. A few patrons made comments, but no perverts dared attempt to touch the redhead. "Thanks, have a great night. ... uh, no. I've never been to Japan before. Got a day job already."
"Finally." Misato was a little surprised at Asuka's popularity. Oh right, she did always force the point of being the center of attention. Being the only redheaded girl in twenty miles just makes her seem more desirable. Poor bastards, they just don't get it.
Asuka smirkingly greeted the woman with a hug, "Yeah, finally!"
She gave the girl a stern look, "Did you forget something today?"
Asuka stepped back and took the stool beside Misato, simultaneously giving a the bartender a nod. "I spoke with Shinji this morning."
Misato set her drink down, focusing on the redhead entirely. "Oh?"
"About his mother and father, the Evas... we even talked about the Committee and SEELE... NERV's evolution from Gehern." Asuka ignored the drink placed before her, "And..." A few tears escaped her self-control, '... my own mother."
Misato plucked her drink from the bar, offering a toast to the young woman beside her, "To a hell of a morning."
Asuka picked up her glass too, accepting the toast with a clink. "You got that scheiz right! One hell of a morning."
They took a drink in perfect synch.