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"The whales, you see, eat up the little fish. " -Thomas Churchyard
Last Child of Krypton
Chapter 7- Fish Story
Shinji never thought he would find flying boring. Soaring up away from the baking hot earth and streaking free among the clouds was the greatest relief he'd been granted, the chance to just get away from everything, even for a few minutes, and feel cool air blasting over his face and the joyous sensation of speed. Bending steel in his bare hands and seeing through walls had its perks, but flying was what made him glad to be alive. Unless by "flying" one meant "riding in a helicopter with Misato, Asuka, Hikari, Toji and Kensuke" which was less flying and more like Chinese water torture.
Shinji felt a rush of relief when Kensuke rushed to the nearest window, camera in hand, ginning ear to hear. He could he heard exclaiming in joy even over the din of the helicopter's engines as he named the ships of the Pacific Fleet, spreading out beneath him.
"There in the center, that's the Harry S Truman," pointed, "over there are the Illinois, Kentucky, and North Carolina, and there's the Kirov. She's Russian!"
Shinji glanced out at the ships. Other than the big flat one, they all looked the same to him, save for the number of guns that bristled across their backs. The one that stood out was the big, wide, ungainly cargo ship with the huge humanoid form of an Evangelion lashed to her deck under an absolutely enormous canvas tarp. Kensuke continued rattling off the names of the various ships. Shinji wondered how he knew every single one of them by heart, when the only difference he saw in them was size and shape. He could even tell apart the ones that were identical, so far as Shinji could see without looking too closely.
Asuka was staring hungrily at the ship carrying Unit-02, suddenly tuning out Hikari, who looked as if she was about to throw up, and was indeed clutching a tiny paper bag. As the chopper turned and began to bank towards the carrier, she pulled it to her face and began to breathe in and out of it. Toji seemed torn between letting the G-Forces push him into Misato and trying to steady Hikari. Shinji was almost amused by this, but was tired of the thumping of the rotor blades over his head. The world leaned hard to the side and straightened, and there was a feeling of lightness to which he was entirely accustomed as the chopper touched down on the deck of the carrier Kensuke had identified as the Truman.
Shinji waited patiently as the pilot spooled down the engines and the machine came to rest. After an uncomfortable period of time, the ramp at the rear of the craft descended and the occupants began unbuckling themselves from their tiny, uncomfortable seats. Misato arched her back and stretched, prompting Toji and Kensuke to stare at her, earning a scowl from Hikari directed at the latter. Asuka bounced to her feet and strode triumphantly out onto the deck, the sea wind flaring her yellow skirts around her legs. A line of officers in white stood on the deck to greet the landing party. The person standing at the end of the row caught Shinji's attention immediately.
She stood out from the others like a store thumb, a tall, brown-haired girl in twintails, dressed in a loose white shirt and a tartan skirt over stockings and mary-janes, a manic green on her face beneath heavy-framed pink eyeglasses. She locked eyes on Asuka immediately and bounced towards Asuka, her grin widening even further. Taller than Asuka by an inch, she, too , wore A-10 clips in her hair, although hers were part of a hairband, she was proportioned like a younger Misato, to say the least. She grabbed Asuka and pulled her into a bear hug, squealing with delight. Toji elbowed Shinji.
"Damn," he whispered, "are those d-cups?"
Shinji could probably have heard Asuka's teeth grinding without super-hearing.
Kensuke leaned over to Shinji, his camera aimed at the two young women. "I was born to witness this," he breathed.
SSSSS
Maya Ibuki was bored.
Working as a technician on the bridge or assisting Doctor Akagi with Project E was exciting to be sure, but the bridge was an empty, dull place when there were no Angels attacking and Doctor Akagi was out of the city, attending some conference or other with the Commander. That left her, Hyuga and Aoba sitting at their stations waiting for something to happen. Rei was in the base somewhere, technically on call in case of an Angel attack, doing who knew what. Asuka had flown out to meet Unit-02 and the new pilot, along with Captain Katsuragi and some of the kids from the school that Asuka and Shinji knew.
Maya looked around every five minutes, unable to concentrate on her romance novel for fear that someone would walk in, see her goofing off, and yell at her for wasting time. It did not occur to her that her comrades at keyboards were doing the exact same thing, only much more blatantly, with Hyuga next to her reading some silly manga about (of all things) giant robots, while Aoba had a pair of earbuds in his ears and an imaginary guitar in his hands. Something about all of this disturbed Maya on some level, as if this whole place was a front for a huge conspiracy and their jobs were part of the illusion while old men conspired over ancient scrolls somewhere and planned it all out in advance.
Nah.
"Hey, what's the new pilots name?" Hyuga said, without looking up.
"Uhhh," Maya said, tapping a few keys on her keyboard. "Mari Illustrious Makinami."
"What the hell kind of name is that?" Aoba said, pausing his imaginary riff for a moment.
Hyuga shrugged. "You think that's bad, Asuka's mother's middle name was apparently Zeppelin."
"Dude," Aoba said, staring him straight in the eye. "Never, ever bring that up. Trust me."
"Didn't she work at the Berlin branch?" Maya said helpfully. "I remember Doctor Akagi mentioning her a few times."
"What happened to her, anyway? It's kind of weird, sending her over here alone, and all."
"Dude," Aoba said more stridently, "she's dead. Just let it drop."
Hyuga sank in his chair a bit. "Sorry. Hey, what's that?"
"What?" Maya said, looking down at her terminal, "It's… oh crap, it's an Angel! Red alert!"
"It's a blue alert."
"Whatever!"
SSSSS
"This plugsuit is way better than my old one," Mari announced after her suit compressed, "finally they gave me one with enough room in the chest!"
Asuka stared daggers at her as she flicked the control on her own suit and it cinched up around her. Her current objective was to get Unit-02 up and operational, then kill the Angel. Then she was going to dump 'Mari' in the Pacific. No one would know, they'd think it was an accident. The entry plug was, thankfully, already in place, and so Asuka started climbing up Unit-02's back towards it.
"Hey, wait!" Mari called, scrabbling up behind her. Asuka huffed as she realized that leaving the new pilot behind wasn't much of an option. She caught up with surprising ease, and put a pink glove on Asuka's shoulder.
"Here, let me get in first. I'm bigger, so you should sit on my lap."
Asuka growled.
SSSSS
Shinji found himself in an awkward position. He was standing on the bridge of the U.S.S. Harry S Truman, along with dozens of other people, several of whom were screaming at each other, most prominently Misato and the bearded Admiral in charge of the fleet, who disagreed with the concept of activating a combat machine weighing hundreds of tons and having it jump onto the deck of his trillion-dollar aircraft carrier, which was apparently quite sensitive to such things as giant robots stepping on it. None of this seemed to concern the Angel, which approached in a huge wave that cut one of the outlying support ships in two.
Shinji slipped off the bridge, made sure there was no one in sight, and breathed a sigh of relief that he'd thought to just wear his suit under his clothes today. Stuffing his school uniform under some metal stairs, he jumped off the deck and dipped low, heading back out over the ocean. He rolled and banked around the front of the carrier, coming up just ahead of it. Some of the men on the deck glimpsed him and pointed, he was too busy putting on speed, leaving a trail of water beneath him, disturbed by wake of turbulence he was creating. Unit-02 sailed overhead in all its lanky, crimson glory, leaving behind it the trailing tarp, cast off like a bullfighter's cape. He felt as much as heard the impact as the Evangelion hit the deck of the carrier and put on more speed, feeling the air press against him, build and build and build until at last it warped and thundered out behind him in a sonic boom and all the sound around him went dead, replaced with the rush of blood in his own ears. He slowed as he came to the sinking cruiser.
The damage wasn't as bad as he thought, but she was no longer seaworthy. The Angel had come up underneath it and torn a huge rent in the hull. Water flooded in, steaming. He sucked in a deep breath and plunged under the surface, reached out, and took hold of the two halves of the tear. The metal warped and folded under his fingers, groaning in protest, and he pulled, hard, finally letting out a grunt that sent air bubbles flooding to the surface. When he had the two halves pulled together, or close enough, he focused on the place where the metal met and steam erupted, rising to the surface in hot streamers. When the opening was sealed, he took off again, pulling a great plume of water up behind him.
He surfaced just in time to finally spot the Angel itself. It was enormous as it breached like a whale, breaking the surface only to sink again, its massive tail flukes so huge they dwarfed the cargo ship that Unit-02 had taken off from. When it dove down again, the suction action of the water behind it wrenched the surrounding ships off course. He could see it diving down again, heavy tail working, building enough speed to launch its huge, blubbery body up towards the carrier. It seemed like it was all mouth, a huge maw reaching for Unit-02. Shinji pushed, pouring on the speed, but he was too slow. The thing almost pulled the carrier under as it mounted it, clamped down on Unit-02's legs, and pulled it under, umbilical trailing behind it.
He took another breath and dove, plunging under the water. He came to a stop, his cape floating behind him. The Angel was diving, dragging the Evangelion in its mouth. It frantically pounded at the Angel's flesh with a progressive knife, but the rents it opened seemed to have no effect on the creature as it went deep, pulling the umbilical cable out behind it. Shinji went down to follow, parting the ocean before him as he did the air rather than swimming. He could reach the cable, but thought better of it; if it snapped, there might be no getting Unit-02 back to the surface.
He had to find the core- that was the key, if he could disable thing, it would let them go and the ship could reel the Evangelion back using the cable. He just had to find it. He passed under the creature, outpacing it, but all he could see was a vast expanse of blubbery white flesh, and tiny beady eyes. Seeing no alternative, he went for the gap where the Eva was forcing its mouth open, passing by great recurved teeth bigger than he was. The inside of the thing was a mockery of biology, with a huge tongue and no real innards to speak of- save the core, embedded in overlapping petals of flesh. He landed on it and when he struck a blow the entire thing shuddered as the beast let out a wail of torment, and he saw a crack form in the gleaming crimson surface. He hit it again and again, and it yielded under his blows, fragmenting with each impact. Chunks of it floated up, past him towards the thing's mouth. Its grip slackened and Unit-02 came free, flailing wildly for purchase.
Finally the thing let out one last wail and lurched as it died around him. He raced for the mouth, cracking one of the teeth in two as he forced his way out, and almost went for the surface, until he realized that in its death throes the thing had flailed its mighty tail and snapped the umbilical clean in two, sending Asuka and Mari down to a watery grave, the Evangelion unable to propel itself through the water. What idiot decided to ship the thing by sea if it couldn't swim? He dove, as fast as he dared, an envelope of water pushing before him. He had to get them before they got too low, before the pressure overwhelmed them. The Eva reached for him and he grabbed its wrist in a bear hug and pushed, pushed upwards.
SSSSS
The bridge of the Harry Truman would have been silent if not for commands shouted to the damage control crews hurriedly rushing about the deck putting out a fire started when Asuka landed. When the cable went slack, Misato and the children and half the command staff crowded around the terminals as all signals from the Evangelion went dead. The Admiral removed his hat and held it over his chest, and his subordinates did the same. Misato half collapsed on the console in front of her, leaning on her fists.
"Look!" Hikari cried out. "Look!"
Superman breached the water, straining to drag the Evangelion behind him, holding it by the wrist. As both of its arms broke the water the machine took hold of the edge of the ship and the world went wild, tilting hard to the side as the weight of the Evangelion settled upon it. The tiny blue blurr flew down behind it and pulled, taking hold of the roots of the cable still embedded in the back armor, helping to drag the machine aboard, and gave one last push as the Eva rolled onto the deck and landed in a sprawl, deactivating. Misato raced outside, followed by the children and the officers, in that order.
SSSSS
Asuka coughed out a great gout of LCL as she emerged from the plug, nearly falling down Unit-02's back. It took all her resolve to keep her breakfast from joining the oxygenated fluid on the back of her Evangelion. Mari followed a moment later, her own lungful of oxygenated fluid joining Asuka's own. Unlike Asuka, she rolled onto her back and began giggling like a maniac, looking up at the sunny blue sky.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Asuka demanded.
"We're alive! We're alive!" Mari giggled, inhaling and exhaling deep breaths.
She laid out on Unit-02's crimson back with her legs spread as if she were making a snow angel while Asuka unrolled the emergency ladder from the plug and threw it over the side, then finally sat down on the plug, flinching a bit when her plugsuit-clad butt slid across the slick composite armor, steadying herself on the ladder. She was content to rest for a moment, panting.
"Are you ladies alright?"
She turned. It was him, hovering there like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"We're fine," Asuka said, looking at him for a moment.
She could almost reach out and touch him. She couldn't place it, but something in his sad blue eyes was so familiar, like some childhood memory at the back of her mind. The sea breeze kicked up and blew his cape out the side and the sun was on him, making his wet hair glow. There was something on the tip of her brain.
"I guess I should get going, then," he said.
"Wait," Asuka started, "I-"
"Oh wow," Mari cut in, "it's you! You're Superman!"
He turned to her in surprise, "I don't really-"
He didn't have time to finish before she sprinted across Unit-02's shoulder and jumped on him, actually jumped on him and grabbed him in a bear hug and gave him a big kiss on the cheek and he just hovered there the way he did and stared at her, blinking in surprise. He shook his head and he put his arms around her waist to keep her from falling.
"I saw you on TV! I didn't think you were real!"
"Well, I, uh, I guess… I should put you down."
At that he slid downwards, alighting on the deck, practically peeling her off. He came back up, bobbing absurdly in the air like a duck on water.
"Miss Soryu, do you want me to-"
"No," she said coldly, "I can handle it just fine on my own," as she descended the ladder.
SSSSSS
Misato watched as Mari skipped away from Superman, practically dancing with excitement, almost clapping. She had a great broad grin on her face and Toji and Kensuke and some of the younger officers, at least the ones who weren't worried about hiding it, were carefully observing her bouncing up and down in her skin-tight plugsuit, Kensuke most of all with his damn camera. Misato rounded on the boy.
"Turn that off. Now."
"But-"
"Now."
Sheepishly, the boy retreated and snapped the viewscreen on his camcorder close. She turned back to Mari.
"How dare you!"
"What?"
Misato fumed at her, standing to her full height to make her look up to meet her eyes. "Under my command, my subordinates do not jump up and down and celebrate on the deck of the ship they just trashed, in front of the officers and crew that may have just lost friends in a battle. This is not a game."
"Actually ma'am, if I may," the admiral said, "while I fully support, and appreciate, what you are saying, I'm happy to report that there were no casualties today. Thanks to you, sir," he said, turning to Superman, who lighted on the deck just as Asuka got to the bottom of the ladder, shrugging him off when he offered a hand to steady her.
"It was my pleasure, sir," he said, blushing. "I'm just here to help."
"I'd like to shake your hand, son," the admiral said, offering his. Superman took it and accepted the gesture, then waved to the cheering crew before taking off into the sky the way he did. Misato still wasn't used to seeing that.
"Hey," Toji said, "where's Shinji?"
"Right here," Shinji replied, walking up behind him wearing a life vest, several more hanging from either hand, uninflated. "I, uh, thought we could use these."
SSSSS
Asuka stood at attention before the Commander and Sub Commander, Mari standing at her side in a markedly less formal pose, although she had the good sense not to grin now. Rei had joined them, her bandages finally removed, dressed in her school uniform. The Commander studied them over his gloves for a good minute, then spoke.
"Pilot Soryu," the Commander said, "In light of your performance, your years of experience and your expertise, you will remain the primary pilot for Unit-01."
The girl stiffened visibly at that, but said nothing.
"Pilot Makinami, as you have trained in Unit-02, you will remain assigned to it until further notice. Pilot Ayanami, you also will retain your current assignment. In all future engagements, Pilot Soryu is designated field commander under Captain Katsuragi. I am giving you all one day of leave before returning to school. You are dismissed."
After they left, the Commander sealed the door behind them and leaned back in thought.
"You've chosen, then," Kozo said, not looking at his old student.
"Yes, I believe the Soryu girl is the best candidate at present. We will move forward. Increase the observation, I require data. I cannot make bricks without clay."
"As you command, sir. If I may?"
"Yes, yes," Ikari waved a hand.
Kozo made his way out of the office and took a personal lift to his own, avoiding the elevator for now; he figured at least a fifty-fifty chance that the Soryu girl was ready to ambush him and demand assignment to "her" Evangelion. He managed to avoid that as he stealthily made his way to his office, slipped inside, and locked the door behind him, turning on his own small desk lamp rather than disturbing the fluorescent light above, lest someone know where he was. He was not so clever as Ikari with that, but it served.
Sure that he was alone, he opened the top door of his desk and reached up under it, pulling the faded photograph from where he kept it stuck with a bit of tape. Ikari had gone out of his way to destroy every photograph of his wife, and as far as Kozo knew, this was the only one in the entire world. It was not of her, exactly- it was a photo from the old GEHIRN lab, with Yui and Gendo in the center, Katsuragi –Misato's father- off to the side, and the tall willowy Kyoko Soryu standing behind Yui, one hand on the shorter woman's shoulder. It seemed to be Gendo's destiny to be surrounded by beauties.
He pulled out an old bottle of brandy he kept in his desk and poured a toast to absent friends and considered how those long gone women would think of what he was helping Ikari do their children.