Chapter 5: Kaigi wa Kaiyou (会議は海洋)
XxXxX
I sank into my chair. "Can today possibly get any worse?"
I heard Maya say: "It just did."
I slumped and crashed my face into the console. "What now?"
"The new pilot is coming today and we have been asked to ensure she arrives safely," Misato explained.
"What? Why?" I whined.
"Because the Commander said so," the woman replied.
I hit my head on the computer a couple more times. "What do you mean by 'ensure she arrives safely,' Misato," I asked.
"She and Evangelion-02 are being transported by boat."
"Why? Can't they fly them here? It's not like the Evas are eighty-foot creatures covered in immense amounts of armour plating."
"Because Nerv-Germany stated that we must do it by ship."
"But why? Are they expecting an Angel attack or something? And if there was, shouldn't there be someone already there capable of directing the defence?"
"No," Misato replied, "That's why we have to go. We are the ones in charge."
I groaned. "I can understand why you have to go, but why do I?"
"Because we were ordered to, so quit whining and grab your shit. We leave in twenty."
Have I ever mentioned how much I hate my job sometimes? If not, consider it mentioned.
XxXxX
"Are we there yet?" Shinji's classmate, Touji Suzuhara, asked for what must have been the hundredth time.
"Stop asking, we'll be there when we get there," I replied from the front of the chopper, checking through some stuff on my phone.
"This is so cool!" cried out the military otaku, Kensuke Aida. I think he started talking about the Over the Rainbow, one of the UN's last aircraft carriers.
At last, we arrived. Aida was the first out, filming everything he could. Suzuhara and Shinji stepped out next. Misato and I were last to follow. Just as an extra precaution, I had another agent come along should we come under attack to watch over the civilians and left Anno in charge of Nerv security during my absence.
I sighed as the two civilians ran off, Aida to film something and Suzuhara to catch his stupid hat. I gestured for the agent to follow them while Misato and I looked for the new pilot and an agent –I checked my phone—Ryoji Kaji.
Misato and I stopped where we were heading when we heard a loud slap ring out. Misato muttered, trying to keep her hat from blowing away like the jock's, "We should probably go see what happened."
"Yeah…" I replied.
We arrive near one of the jets on deck to find Suzuhara rubbing his face where a giant, red mark had appeared. Standing in front of him was a fair-skinned redhead in a yellow sundress. "Is that..?" I started.
I didn't even need to finish before Misato replied, "Yeah."
"This can't be good."
"No, probably not."
Sometimes, I hate being right.
"What was that for?" the jock asked.
"That's the viewing fee; kinda cheap, don'tcha think?" the German, Asuka Langley Soryu, snapped back.
"We were right," Misato and I muttered in unison.
"If you want my opinion, it's overpriced. Don't worry, here's your change!" Suzuhara replied, dropping his drawers.
Asuka took on a look of shock and two more cracks shattered the silence. The stupid jock stood back a bit and rubbing both cheeks.
"Well, I guess you three have met the Second Child and designated pilot of Evangelion Unit-02, Asuka Langley Soryu," Misato laughed.
"Which one's the Third Child?" the girl asked. "It better not be him," she glared at Suzuhara.
"It's not, it's him," I gestured at Shinji.
One second she's standing a couple feet away from us all, the next she's mere inches from his face. "He's not much to look at."
"Misato, shouldn't we go meet the admiral of this tinker toy?" I asked, looking for any excuse to be doing something not out on the deck.
"IT'S NOT A TINKER TOY!" the otaku roared. "It's one of the last—"
"I know, Aida. You don't need to tell us a million and one times," I snapped. Being fed up with dealing with the children, I gestured for the agent to drag the two middle school students away. The four of us walked to the bridge to talk to the admiral.
XxXxX
When we arrived, the admiral, a seasoned sailor with white hair and a slight beard, greeted us with a sour expression that could have curdled milk. "Admiral, I believe you need to sign these papers," Misato stated, handing the man a stack of paper.
"Not on your life. Until we arrive, the girl and robot are under our jurisdiction," the sailor growled. "And why the hell are there children on my bridge?"
My eye twitched a few times at the word "children". I'm pretty sure Misato's did, too. "I'll have you know that I've got just as much training, if not more, than you, sir."
"How could a mere boy have more training and experience than I do after forty years in the Navy?" he snapped back.
"You'd be surprised at what I could do, sir," I calmly stated. "In the event of an attack, Colonel Katsuragi and I take charge of any—"
"Kid, get the hell out of my bridge, this is no place for a boy."
"Admiral, I think you've overstepped your authority, sir. I am a fully qualified Major with training in weapons ranging from close combat to assault rifles," I growled, ready to riddle the prick with the assault rifle I've been keeping on me in the event of another attack.
"Who in their right mind would let a boy play with guns?"
"What right do you have to call me a 'boy'?" I yelled, my patience with the man having depleted and my temper taking over. "You can get off your fucking high horse any time now. For your sake you better fucking hope there isn't an attack, or I might accidentally shoot you or let you get shot. Apparently with age comes arrogance."
"Apparently, the younger you are, the less respect you have for elders, you ungrateful little shit," the admiral remarked.
"Those who want respect don't fucking expect it, they earn it; I figured that'd be common sense, but apparently not. Guess you wouldn't know how to show someone respect if it slapped you in the face. Now, if you'd be so kind as to drop fucking dead, sir." I left the bridge immediately after, less I lose it and actually shoot him; not that he wouldn't deserve it, though.
Misato and the pilots came out a couple minutes later. Shinji seemed weary of me, and I can't say that I blame him. I did just lose my temper on a higher ranking officer. As for Asuka, she didn't seem to particularly care one way or another about what happened. Misato pulled me aside for a moment.
"Toshi, what happened? It's not like you to lose your cool."
"I don't know. There's just something about that asshole that I can't stand. He not only disregarded my rank, but also my position and training."
"If it makes you feel any better, you handled it much better than I would have. I'd have just shot him on the spot," Misato said with a smile.
"Trust me, if I was there any longer, I would have. Don't think it'd fly to well, but whatever. Now then, can we go somewhere that's not anywhere near him?" I returned the smile.
"Come on, you two. Let's go get some food!" Misato cheered.
Shinji stayed in front of me, directly beside his guardian, while Asuka lead the way, or at least pretended to.
Perhaps I overstepped my authority. I imagine that what I did wouldn't get me in Nerv's good books. Oh well, that prick needed to be put in his place.
XxXxX
At the cafeteria, we had just gotten our food when a fifth person decided to join us. He had black hair pulled into a ponytail and wore a rather formal suit. I wasn't sure if it was Ryoji Kaji, the agent escorting Asuka, or not. That uncertainty was dispelled the second Asuka cried out and tackled him. Misato, on the other hand, seemed to be ready to kill him. I wonder why that is.
When Kaji finally got Asuka off of himself, he took a seat at the table. "Misato, what brings you here?"
"Certainly not to see you," the woman retorted back.
"Misato, we don't need another incident. You remember the Nerv-HQ event last month?" I said quietly.
I have never seen a person turn red faster than she did just then.
"What's he talking about, Misato?" Asuka asked accusingly.
"Nothing. Forget I ever mentioned it," I quickly replied.
"Baka! You don't just mention something like that and brush it under the rug!" Asuka stated.
"Oh yeah? Watch me." If she wanted a battle of wills, I'll give her one.
"Are you referring to the exp—" Kaji started.
"Shut the hell up!" Misato roared, diving over the table to silence the other agent.
"Misato! Can you at least act your rank?" I called out.
"SHUT UP!"
I sighed. "Whatever, look bad and get Seele on your ass."
That got her attention instantly. She pulled herself off Kaji and quickly sat down. "This," she gestured around, "never happened."
"Sure, Misato, whatever you say," Shinji replied.
Kaji and Shinji just grinned, Asuka rolled her eyes, and I shook my head.
"Anyways, Agent Kaji, can I talk to you for a moment?" I said, gesturing to a table away from everyone else and the door.
We switched tables and quickly got to business. "You want the files for Asuka, I take it?"
"That obvious?"
"Why else would we be over here?"
"Touché," I muttered.
"Here they are. Anything and everything Nerv has on her." He slid over a small disk.
"Really? No paper?"
The other agent nodded. "This only works with Nerv equipment, so it's extremely secure."
"So much for reading up on this before we arrive in Japan," I muttered. I quickly answered his unspoken question when I continued. "I don't have a computer from Nerv here for the decryption to put it on my phone for reference."
We rejoined the others and chatting idling for a few minutes before several alarms started going off. "What the..?"
"Attention all crew, this is the captain speaking. We are currently under assault from unknown forces. Prepare for imminent boarding."
"SON OF A BITCH! I just can't catch a break, can I?" I yelled.
"Apparently… not," Misato mumbled.
"Time to go shove that old geezer off his throne, Misato. Let's go," I donned the rifle and turned off the safety.
"Agent Kaji," I started.
"Just call me Kaji."
"Now's really not the time, Kaji," Misato mumbled.
"I'll worry about it later," I replied. "Just cover our rear. Asuka, Shinji, follow behind Misato. Wait for the all clear to proceed."
The pilots quickly moved between the only two adults, and I moved to the door. Peeking out, I spotted no movement. "Clear."
We slowly made our way to the bridge. Agent Anno and a few other agents were already present, so were Shinji's classmates. "Admiral, I do believe that Colonel Misato and I have authority now."
"Kiss my ass! There's no way in hell I'm giving up control of my crew to a mere child!" the elderly man snapped.
"Sir, do you honestly want to go against the UN and Nerv?" one of the other crewmen asked.
"I've got more experience and training than this boy, so why should I give him command?"
As to prove a point, a bullet flew in through the window and embedded itself within the console near the admiral. The man dove for cover, as did the children and other crew on deck. Misato, Kaji and I took up defensive positions around the now-missing window. Finding movement, I quickly aimed the gun at it. In the scope, I saw a figure in a full black wetsuit, with his or her face covered, a black vest, and a water-resistant weapon, standing at the front of the carrier.
I switched the rifle to single shot and pulled the trigger once. The gun bucked, a loud crack rang out, and the figure slumped to the ground, severely injured or dead.
I'm certain the captain saw it; it'd be pretty hard to miss.
"Sir, you are hereby removed of command for failure to abide by the UN regulations regarding Nerv. All military command you had is now nulled pending a court hearing," I recited the speech all ranking Nerv members are required to know.
"As such, the control of this aircraft carrier is under the command of Nerv and its present officers, Colonel Misato Katsuragi and Major Toshi Kurokawa," Kaji finished.
The once forceful man shrank back slightly.
"Which ships are still ours?" Misato asked while I was scouting out movement on deck.
"Only two minor battleships. They've been disarmed completely and are currently trying to rescue those floating in the water," another crewmember replied.
"Toshi, what do you suggest we do?" Misato enquired.
"I'm not sure yet. How far out are we?"
"Two hours."
"By flight?"
"Hour and a half."
"So we couldn't get reinforcements for at least ninety. This isn't looking good," I mused. "Misato, keep a watch while I see what I can come up with." I unclipped the rifle from my vest and handed it to her. With a nod, she proceeded to take over my previous position.
"Why not send me out in the Eva?" Asuka offered.
"We couldn't get there even if we wanted to," I replied instantly.
"Why the hell not?"
"Firstly, it's heavily guarded. Secondly, they have C4 wired to go off when the door is breached in any way, assuming you can get past the team guarding the corridor," I replied, watching the cameras.
"What about the vents?" Shinji proposed.
"I suppose, but neither Misato, Kaji nor I can fit."
"But we can," Asuka beamed.
"We can keep them distracted while you diffuse the sensor on the door," Kaji agreed.
"Do we have someone that could talk them through the procedure?" I asked.
"Can't we just disconnect the wires?" Asuka suggested.
"Not even maybe. If they're pros, which I have no doubts they are, they'll have it wired so that breaking the circuit will trigger the detonation. That's the most probable way they have the door trigger set up, too," I explained, some of my knowledge of military training coming back to me.
"Isn't that also standard procedure for an assault of a fortified establishment containing precious materials?" Misato asked.
"Yup. Only the UN, Nerv, Seele and any government officials have any knowledge of the Evangelions. And those to," I indicated the other two middle school students.
The seven of us stood in silence for several minutes.
Eventually the captain spoke up, "Why not just remove the explosives from the robot or the wires from the door?"
"The live ends are probably melted to form a relatively resistance free contact with the door. As long as that piston isn't moved, the connection to the rest of the circuit will remain live, which is always good for us. It means no explosions. I don't want a fourteen and thirteen year old to remove high explosives," I explained. "But… Do you have any one millimeter wire?"
"Yeah, we store it in the same room as the robot. There are cutters and a small soldering iron there, too," the elderly sailor stated.
"Good, what you'll need to do is take about two meters of wire, solder one end to the door's wire, then the other to the wire coming from the other side. Then wait for a series of knocks. Three slow, three quick, three slow. Got it?" Misato ordered.
I sent a silent prayer to whatever god shone upon us.
Shinji and Asuka nodded.
"Let's get you as close as we can. Anno, keep the two civvies here. All other agents, I want you to follow us. And Misato, can I have my rifle back, please?" I barked.
When she handed it back, I quickly clipped it back into place.
"I'm going to swing by my cabin and meet up with you," Kaji stated, dashing out.
Misato and I lead the two pilots and the remaining agents to the corridor they were camped out in.
We stopped by a vent and pushed the kids in, Shinji first then Asuka to avoid any sort of injuries for either party's dignity.
"Okay, we move on three. Shoot from cover only," I said to the remaining group members.
"One." Safeties were switched.
"Two." Weapons were readied.
"Three!"
I leaned out and opened a hellfire on the unknown gunman at the door. My shots rang out amongst a deafening storm of gunshots, cries, the noise of reloading, and thuds as members of both sides fell.
The gunfight went on for almost a half hour until our side, and presumably the hostiles, ran out of ammo. There was silence for nearly two minutes. I peeked around to find not a single person guarding the door, although, it was riddled with dents from the bullets. A few went through towards the floor.
"Hope the kids are alright," Misato muttered.
"No kidding," I agreed as we moved towards the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock, knock, knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Are you done?" I asked through one of the holes.
The handle spun and the piston clanged before swinging open.
"Now, let's get these charges off the Eva and secured," Misato said. We quickly removed the triggering wires from the plastic explosives stuck to the armor before removing them as well.
After securing the C4, we returned to the bridge, had the papers signed and went to relax before arriving in Shin-Yokosuko. Apparently, Kaji fled after going to his cabin. What a coward.
A week was spent at the spas before we returned to Tokyo-3 and Nerv HQ with a new pilot and Eva.
XxXxX
A/N: I know I said this will follow Rebuild's timeline more, but I couldn't resist the freedom I'd have had for going to the original plotline. I'm not sure another Angel fight would have been as new and interesting. Plus I don't want to waste them all this soon! Anyways, some of the stuff here might scream "pulled out of his ass" and it's right. I don't really know much about ships and whatnot, so I made up what I needed.
Also, I apologize for the over-using of the f-word. But, Toshi's personality is slightly similar to mine, and if that happened to me, I'd probably have used it a few more times! I'll make sure to tone it down severely after this. I'm pretty sure I've reached my f-word limit for the first 20k words. Haha.
Thanks to Matsuko Hirioko for beta reading.
Next Chapter: Futago no Shito (双子の使徒)