Disclaimer: No ownership over any concepts or plots expressed in this work of fiction is stated or implied. The author intends no financial gain from the distribution of this material and makes no claim of copyright or trademark.
S
Misato opened the door to the apartment and slipped inside, sagging against the wall. Another twelve hour shift had taken its toll, and for once she did most of the work herself, having sent Shinji home. She was under an immense pressure. Tomorrow, the newly repaired Unit Two would undergo an activation test- a formality, since Kaworu had proven adept at piloting it already. Misato shivered at the thought of the silvery-haired boy, his eerily calm and confident way, so like Rei and yet so different, like the flip side of a coin. She slid her shoes off, wiped a thin bead of sweat from the walk up to the apartment away from her brow, and sighed. The activation test was short term, long term she had to prepare for the arrival of Unit Three and Unit Four- the latter would be tested in Nevada in two weeks, and then shipped over by air transport.
The only light in the apartment was a pool of soft glow in the living room. Curious, Misato stopped at the end of the hallway as she heard soft giggling.
"Okay," Asuka said quietly, "A car… travel? Travelling at…" she paused, "constant velocity… passes a stationary motorcycle at traff… at a traffic light. As the car overtakes the motorcycle, the motorcycle…"
Misato peered around the corner. Asuka was seated on the end of the couch, leaning against the arm. Her bare legs were over Shinji's lip, her toes curling as she read from the textbook, brows furrowed in concentration. Shinji leaned against her, following her reading with his eyes, although his gaze occasionally slipped to Asuka, dressed in her short shorts and loose, flowing top, which was pulled down to expose one shoulder and a dangerous amount of her chest.
"The following displacement-time graph represents the motions of both vehicles from the traffic light onwards," said Asuka.
Shinji smiled warmly. "You did it. That was almost perfect."
"Almost," said Asuka, leaning on his shoulder. "Where's my reward?"
As Shinji leaned in to kiss her, Misato gasped, backed up to the door of the apartment, and grabbed her shoes. She deliberately hurled them down into the floor, yawned theatrically, and stomped into the living room in her bare feet. When she stepped into the light, Asuka was sitting cross-legged at one of the couch, her shirt demurely gathered up around her neck, and Shinji sat at the other, leaning back nonchalantly with one arm thrown over the back of the couch. Misato suppressed the urge to grin, as he still had traces of lip gloss around his chin and the collar of his shirt.
"What's up?" said Misato. "You're up a little late, aren't you?"
Asuka closed the book. "I wanted to study in my room, but all of a sudden you have all these rules."
Misato scratched her chin and made a point of staring at Shinji's collar, and then used her hand to cover her amusement as he stiffened and turned a deep red. "Gee," said Misato, "I wonder why."
Asuka muttered something under her breath and stood up, tucking her book under her arm. "I should get to bed, I guess. You too, washout. We have school in the morning."
"Not you," said Misato. "Activation test. You're on standby."
Misato waited. She expected some kind of tirade. Asuka had been sore, at first, about remaining assigned the pilot of Unit One, but she no longer seemed to care. If anything, she was almost disinterested, unable to keep herself from trailing her fingertips across Shinji's chest as she passed him, then up his shoulder before she left the room, leaving him alone with Misato.
Misato burst out laughing. Shinji scowled.
"It was her idea," he said, grumpily.
"I know," Misato sighed. "You don't have to apologize, Shinji. It's okay."
He still looked a bit nervous, and slumped forward, rubbing his hands together. "So there's a test, tomorrow."
"Yeah," said Misato, sitting down on the couch. She rolled back until she was staring at the ceiling. "The official activation test for Unit Two, with Kaworu as pilot. He's been assigned to it by the Commander."
"I haven't seen him at school," said Shinji.
"You're not going to," said Misato. "His guardians have arranged for him to have private tutors."
"Good," Shinji said at once.
Misato sat up, or at least raised her head from the back of the couch. "That's not like you."
"What?" said Shinji.
"I mean, you're the most accepting person in the universe," said Misato.
Shinji didn't look at her, but shrugged. "There's something odd about him."
Misato bit her lip. He could see it, too. Everyone could. She couldn't unload her worries on the boy, though. He had enough to worry about, just getting by. It wouldn't be fair to lay more of the weight of the world on his shoulders. Instead, she ruffled his hair as she stood up.
"Don't be up to late," she yawned. "I can't stay up anymore, I'm going straight to bed."
"I'll get enough sleep," said Shinji, standing.
Asuka felt a prickling unease as she shrugged into her plugsuit and tightened it with a hiss of escaping air. She took a deep breath of the chilly air in the locker room, straightened herself, pointlessly tugging at the sleeves of her suit, and walked out, padding across the metal flooring in the thin slippered soles of the suit. Unit One loomed high overhead, hunched. It struck her suddenly how odd it was, the way she had become so casual around it. When she had first arrived, its appearance was strange and brutish to her, but now it was almost familiar. Unit Zero was in its own cage, powdered down and leaning forward. Rei would be brought in only if there was an emergency.
Unit Two itself had been moved into the testing cage, an immense room lined with layers of steel, composite, and concrete, near the combat simulation system. Most of the activity was concentrated there, and in the control booth above, there were only a few second stringers milling around. Asuka sighed, heading up the gantry to the entry plug. It was all routine, all too comfortable. Her stomach clenched as she sat on the edge of the hatch and swung her legs inside. Once she was in her seat, she leaned back and pushed the air out of her lungs as the LCL flooded in.
She took a deep breath of it, coughing a little.
She said nothing as the synchronization process began. Colors whirled in her vision, and the familiar feeling of an extra spine snaking up her back came and went, followed by the ghosting of phantom limbs as she consciously recognized the Evangelion's limbs, under her control yet separate from her own. As an exercise, she kept her hands neatly folded in her lap and flexed the Eva's fingers, closing her eyes in concentration.
A tiny voice whispered, stop them.
Asuka jerked, and the Eva moved with her, its great chest pumping, the restraints bolted into her shoulders groaning as she rocked on her heels. She looked around in a panic, swinging the Eva's head without realizing it.
"What?" said Maya Ibuki, "Asuka, what is it?"
Asuka swallowed, tasted the LCL on her tongue, and wanted to retch. "I don't know. I just-"
Alarms blared in her ears, and the lights in the cage began to flash, alternating red and white. Asuka sat up, reached for the controls. There was nothing wrong with her synchronization. Everything was normal.
"Asuka," said Maya, "Stop moving the Eva, you'll damage the restraints…" she trailed off.
"What is it?"
Maya swallowed, her throat clicking against the microphone she wore. "There's a problem with the synchronization test. Unit Two has gone berserk."
"Let me go," Asuka said quietly.
The restraining bolts slammed free, and Unit One hunched forward. Asuka clenched her teeth as she forced it to regain its balance, still up to its hips in chilled LCL. As the fluid drained, she surged forward, ducking to clear the retracting bridge. Her lips pursed in concentration as she moved, carefully balancing the Eva to ensure she didn't slip in the rapidly draining layer of liquid. She passed Unit Zero and stood at the end of the cages, at the gate to the simulator. When the LCL drained, the doors parted, yellow caution lights flashing on either side, their movement grindingly slow. Asuka resisted the urge to shove her fingers in the gap and force it open.
"Maya," said Asuka, "Where's Rei?"
"They're picking her up from school now," said Maya. "She's on the way. You're going to have to in there and restrain it."
It. Unit Two. Her Unit Two.
Asuka positioned herself at the door to the testing cage, pitched forward on one foot, hands out, head drawn down. The doors parted, moving much faster than the last set, and she saw her Eva. She gasped in horror, sucking in a deep breath of the heavy liquid, feeling as if she was about to launch into a coughing fit. Unit Two was going berserk, trying to tear its way out of the cage. Its fingers, stripped of their armor, the pale flesh underneath bleeding heavily, were digging long, painful gouges in the walls.
Asuka stepped into the cage.
"Asuka!" Misato shouted in her ear. "You need to restrain it."
"Did you blow the umbilical?"
Before Misato could answer, Asuka saw for herself. Unit Two turned, put its hands against the wall, smearing it with blood, and pounded its helmeted head straight into the control booth. She heard Misato scream, and saw pieces of glass raining down from the wall. Unit One surged forward, and Asuka raised her arms up under Unit Two's shoulders, dragging it back from the wall. The Eva bucked and jerked against her, dragging Unit One across the huge chamber. Asuka linked her arms about the other Eva's chest.
Unit Two roared. The sound was muffled, the inhuman scream vibrating against the inside of the Eva's armored helmet. It threw its hands back and Asuka instinctively jerked Unit One's head back. Her feet slid, throwing up huge slivers of broken composite plating from the floor, and Unit Two spun her around, until her back was to the control booth, and then stomped backwards, almost lifting her from the floor.
"What the hell is going on!" Asuka shouted.
For a time, there was silence, and it seemed to go on forever, leaving her alone with the roaring, flailing beast in her arms. Unit Two began to tug at her wrists, and when that failed, sought not her but its own armor, pulling wildly at the shoulder pylons. Finally, Misato returned to Asuka's vision, a thin cut trickling blood down over one eye.
"Keep it from getting out of the cage," said Misato. "If you let go, it's going to tear itself apart."
"Asuka, listen to me," said Akagi, "Don't let the Eva damage the shoulder pylons, no matter what you do. Do you understand me?"
"Yes," Asuka growled, "Why isn't it shutting down?"
"I don't know!"
Asuka seized Unit Two by the wrists, feeling the strain in her own Eva's arms as she forced the bloodied hands of the other Eva away from its shoulder pylons. Unit Two reared up, pulling her forward, and then slammed her back into the wall. The breath went out of her chest in a great push, bubbling in front of her face, and she nearly lost her grip. She put one heel against the wall and pushed forward, shoving Unit Two out into the center of the cage.
"Where the hell is Rei?" said Asuka.
"She's on her way to her… shit," said Misato.
"What now?" Asuka demanded, pushing Unit Two forward another step.
"There's a blue pattern on approach."
"What?"
"We're going to deploy her to the surface. We have no choice. We're going to have to do a bakelite injection and seal both of you until Unit Two shuts down."
"You can't!" Asuka almost screamed.
Unit Two seized on the opportunity. It had her by the wrists now, turned, and Asuka grunted from a phantom pain in her shoulder as the other Eva spun her around and slammed her into the wall. Unit Two took a bounding step forward and threw an underhanded punch into Unit One's belly plating. The armor cracked, and Asuka moaned in pain from the sudden surge of agony that rain up her spine. Unit Two grabbed her by the shoulders, wrenched her around, and slammed her head first into the wall.
"Asuka," said Misato, calmly. "You can't hold back. Cripple it if you have to."
"I can't," Asuka moaned, "I can't!"
Panic seized her. They wanted her to hurt Unit Two hurt her Eva. She couldn't let that happen. The idea of it filled her with raw, seething terror, a cold void in her insides that crept up and clenched a fist of frost around her heart. Her eyes started to sting.
"I can't," she croaked.
"Thirty seconds to bakelite injection." Said Ritsuko."
"Asuka," said Misato, "Take it down. I need you on the field, Rei is getting trounced."
Don't listen to them.
Asuka froze. "What?"
"You heard me," said Misato. "Do it. Asuka, please."
Activate your external speakers.
"Asuka," said Ritsuko, "Your synch ratio just jumped by twelve points. What did you do?"
Asuka flipped the switch on the control yoke.
Speak.
Asuka whirled, avoiding a heavy punch that cracked the wall and smeared it with livid red blood. Unit Two crouched like an animal, looking up at her, and Asuka put her hands out to her sides, ready to receive the attack. Her vision fuzzed, and something tickled her cheek.
"Stop," she whispered, "please stop," and the speakers made her plea a thunderous rasp.
Unit Two jerked, its massive body twitching wildly, stood up, and took two steps to the side. The light in its eyes extinguished, and the entire bulk of the Eva hit the wall, hard but limp, and slid down until it was seated there against the side of the cage. Asuka's heart hammered and her breath came in ragged gasps.
"What the hell?" she said.
"Asuka!" Misato shouted. "Get out! Get out now, before the Bakelite hits you!"
She blinked, shook her head, and ran, almost slipping as she moved. She passed through the doors just in time She didn't turn the Eva's head but whirled her own to glance over her shoulder, and the system superimposed the rear view from her optics package in her vision. Unit Two still slumped against the wall, thick streamers of molten plastic raining down over it as the doors slammed closed in front of it. She came to rest in the simulator.
"What now?"
"Get to launch tube seven," said Misato. "I need to get up to the bridge. When I come back on, I'll give you a sitrep."
"Is that all you've got?" said Asuka, lurching out of the simulator towards the launch tubes.
"It's bad," said Misato, and vanished.
Rei was beginning to realize she had a problem.
She had approached the angel without instruction, meaning to intercede before it entered the city. It was a low, squat thing, as big as an Eva but not quite as tall. It had no head to speak of, only broad, rounded, vaguely ape like shoulders and long arms that nearly trailed the ground. Its core was curious, bisected in a curved line, barely visible. Something about that tickled her mind as soon as she saw it. She followed standard procedure, ducked behind an armored plate for cover, and opened fire with her pallet rifle.
The angel folded around itself, shielding its core with its massive shoulders, and charged. It surged up from the waterline, knocking aside the leaning remnant of a pre-Impact structure, sparkling streamers of water hanging from its legs. As it hit dry land it picked up speed. Rei's rifle emptied and she dropped the magazine, slapped in a fresh one, and kept up fire. Craters of gray flesh opened on the creature's heavy, fleshy body, but it neither stopped nor slowed, but gained yet more momentum. Before she could reload again, it shouldered the armor plate aside and crashed into her.
The air went out of her lungs in reflex as Unit Zero rolled onto the ground, the weight of the angel cracking down onto her chest. Rei struggled for a moment with sympathetic pain before she remembered the crushing weight she felt on her beastbone was only a signal from the Eva, and tried desperately to turn the creature's weight aside, to roll out from under it, but it was too heavy. It began to claw at Unit Zero's armored face, and streaks of red pain lanced down her cheek.
A tiny projectile hurled itself into the side of the angel. The impact shook the air itself, blurring everything for the barest instant. The angel rocked backwards, and she saw the tiny object speeding around it, as biting insects harry beasts of the field. Another impact knocked it off of her, and she let out a bubbling breaths he didn't realize she'd been holding. The angel stumbled and fell, one huge hand carving furrows in the earth with its claws.
Superman landed right on Unit Zero's faceplate, tapping with his fist.
"Ayanami! Can you hear me?"
Before she could stop herself, he stumbled as she nodded, then lifted himself a few feet in the air.
"Can you get up? I don't know how long-"
The angel ignored her and hit him instead, batting him aside with a sharp backhand, a full body motion that described a speedy arc through the air. She lost track of him until she saw the impact in a ruined skyscraper, where the upper floors collapsed as the old building's bones broke from the impact. Quickly, she kicked the Eva's feet out and rolled onto her back, fumbling for her rifle, thought better of it, and was on her feet.
Unit One came charging between the buildings, long-handled progressive spear in hand. The new weapon was longer than the Eva was tall for reach in close combat and the blade almost as long as an Eva's arm. Rei had to duck a wild, chopping swing that bit into the angel's armored torso with a shower of sparks and sent it reeling backwards.
"Get back!" Soryu shouted over the comm, shouldering Unit Zero aside.
"You must be careful not to tangle-"
Soryu ingnored her, screaming in fury, spinning the spear wildly over her head for another ill-timed stroke. The blade slid along the angel's back and hit nothing but empty air. The creature pressed its advance on her, seized the forearm of the hand that held the spear, and headbutted Unit Zero. In the tiny display hovering before Rei, Soryu grunted, her head rocked back, and a tiny trickle of blood formed on her upper lip.
The angel closed with her, took Unit One by the waist, and threw it. The Eva lifted from the ground, umbilical whipping out behind it, and looped under Rei's cable as it was, it drug Unit Zero along before she could blow the connection. Both Evas crashed into each other and into a weapons station. Rei rolled away, ignoring Soryu's fusillade of insults and barked orders, dropped her umblical to free herself, and signaled for the weapons station to open. As Soryu charged back towards the angel, Rei lifted the prototype sniper rifle from the rack and checked the charge on its internal battery.
"Rei," said Captain Katsuragi, appearing in her view, "I need you to get another cable."
"There is no time," said Rei, propping her rifle over the tower.
"That was an order!" said Katsuragi, but Rei ignored her, synching the scope to her onboard targeting system. The reticle danced and turned red every time Soryu maneuvered Unit One between her and the angel.
"Soryu," Rei said calmly, "You must clear my field of fire."
"I'm busy," Soryu snapped as she danced about, half-stumbling on her unsure footing, taking wild strokes with her spear.
"But-"
"Enough!" Soryu shouted, raised the spear high in a two-handed overhand grip, and brought it down with the full force of the Evangelion's weight behind it. The blade struck true and sank down to the angel's core, which split neatly in two. Soryu left it there and stepped back, panting, before maneuvering the Eva around the unmoving form of the angel.
"See," she announced, planting the firsts of the Evan on its hips, "Nothing to worry about."
The angel's body continued to split, and the spear fell free. Both sides flopped to the ground with a great crash, throwing clouds of dust. Inside the puff of debris, the two halves moved, shifting. Rei's eyes widened.
"Soryu," she said, "look out."
Confused, Soryu wheeled, the Eva turning with her. Unit Zero automatically focused on Superman buzzing in from her side. He put both hands on Unit One's shoulder and shoved, pushing the entire bulk of the Eva aside.
"Hey!" Soryu shouted, "What the hell are you-"
The open-handed stroke from the angel that was meant for her hit him instead, battering him down to the ground.
"Superman!" Rei shouted, moving forward, rifle slung over her shoulder. She had forgotten her timer, and it beeped as it crossed the two minute mark. Moving quickly would only accelerate the drain.
The angel moved behind Unit One, threw it arms around the Eva's neck, and held it as a second angel, an identical copy of the first, stood up, grabbed Unit One's umbilical, and yanked it free. The cord snapped with a great ripping sound. Soryu was shouting in alarm.
Superman rose straight up out of the ground, caught one of the angels, and pushed it up into the air, its body curling around him, a tiny speck lifting the great bulk, and then he brought it down. It came down with a tremendous crash, shoving both the Eva and its other self aside. Rei frantically tried to line up a shot on the standing angel, but either Unit One or Superman were always between her and her target. In frustration, she snapped off a quick shot into the angel's leg, to no apparent effect. She realized she was gritting her teeth, and in an absurd moment of clarity, was stunned by her own anger.
"Rei," Katsuragi said, "Get on your speakers and tell Superman to bug out. The defense force launched an N2 mine!"
Rei blinked.
Before she had the chance, Superman bobbed out from under the angel's grasp. It ignored Unit One, chasing him instead, and Soryu was free. She ran across the open ground to Rei, and the breath surged out of her chest again when the two Eva's crashed together. Soryu tumbled on top of her as she cut power to everything but her AT Field, which shimmered to life over them both as the missile streaked in. The world went white, and Rei pressed her eyes tightly shut.
She opened her eyes in darkness, the LCL going cold, the strange sensations of synchronization fled from her. She let her head hit the back of the seat. There was nothing else she could do, now, but hope the mine had worked, or at least slowed the enemy enough that she might be rescued. If not, she could always be replaced.
Soryu, though, could not. Without quite knowing why, she hoped that would not happen.
She gasped as the plug started to move, jerkily at first and then more smoothly, and she realized what was happening as the metal around the hatch folded in on itself with a metallic squeal. The LCl drained as the hatch opened and with a metallic clang tore free and dropped off into space. Superman came to rest on the edge of the hatch. Soryu was clinging to his back, both arms around his neck and her legs about his waist.
As she saw their faces pressed cheek to cheek, something flickered in her mind. Tiny white lines appeared everywhere, encircling the pair. Rei blinked, but the sensation only grew more powerful, invisible lines of consequence and connection becoming stronger and stronger. Her fingers trembled, and she said nothing. Superman rested Soryu on the edge of the hatch, asked her if she was hurt, and waded over to Rei, hip-deep in LCL.
"Are you hurt?"
She shook her head. "I have only superficial injuries."
"The bomb did something to it. It's sitting there with its field up. I have to get you both out of here."
Rei nodded, and stood up. Blushing furiously, he pressed both girls to his sides, arms around their waists, as they layered their arms about his neck. Rei's stomach lurched, not unpleasantly, as he lifted up out of the entry plug, moved by some invisible force. Soryu's grip tightened and her face went pale, her eyes focused on the ground below. She put her head on his shoulder, a curiously familiar gesture for one she held in such contempt.
He landed with them both as the emergency crews approached, orange lights swinging in circles about their roofs. Both pilots released him. He scratched the back of his head, gave Soryu a long, strange look, and took off, feet dangling beneath him as he rose up into the sky.
"Showoff," she muttered.
Rei looked at her, and then up, into the sky.
Asuka buttoned the side of her dress. Rei was walking around in the locker room with her characteristic disregard for nudity, scrubbing her head vigorously with a towel until she ruined her haircut and puffed herself up into a ball, like a dandelion. Asuka sighed, reached into her locker, and handed a brush to the other girl. She stared at it for a moment before taking the hint and sitting down on her towel to brush her hair.
"We must be debrief," said Rei.
"I know," Asuka muttered. "I want some air. I'll be outside."
She stalked out of the locker room, hands curled into fists at her sides. The cages were empty- the Evas hadn't been moved back into position for repairs yet, that would take hours, maybe until the next day. She stood at the edge of the walkway watching the empty space where Unit Two had stood not long before, letting the cool air currents of the enormous hangars wash over her. High above, wisps of steam fuzzed the floodlights. The chambers were so big they had their own weather.
"So, there you are."
She jumped, and whirled. It was Kaworu, smiling softly, his crimson eyes staring through her to something on the other side. She felt small.
"What do you want?"
"To understand you," said Kaworu, moving closer to her.
She took a step back, keeping the distance the same.
"Yeah," she said, "well, I don't want to understand you. Get lost."
He ignored her. "How did you do it?"
"Do what?"
His smiled broadened, showing a hint of teeth. "Silence the one who lives within."
"I… I don't know what you mean," said Asuka, backing up. Her back hit the concrete wall.
Kaworu closed on her. "Oh, but you do. You like to yourself, evade the truth in a dozen twisting ways, but I see what lies underneath."
"Go away," she said, dumbly, covering herself with her arms.
"You know who she is."
Asuka gasped. Her vision blurred, and her eyes burned. She sucked in a breath and feared what might come with it, if she let it go. She was shaking, her teeth chattering, and Kaworu traced a finger down her chin. She wanted to bat his hand away, to strike him, to cry out.
"Such pain," said Kaworu, "So many lies, so many untruths. I see the sacred light of your-"
"Get away from me," Asuka managed, sliding away from him.
"There's nothing to be afraid of," said Kaworu. "I-"
Shinji appeared, from nowhere. Asuka couldn't say where he was before he walked right up to Kaworu, put his arm under the silver-haired boy's pointed chin, and pinned him to the wall. Kaworu looked at him, head tilted, eyes narrowed.
"She said, leave her alone," said Shinji.
Kaworu moved with lightning speed. His hands whipped up to Shinji's chest and shoved him, and Shinji stumbled backwards, a look of pure, uncomprehending shock on his face. He practically skidded on his feet into the far wall, hitting it so hard it set Asuka's teeth on edge. Kaworu followed him across the narrow walkway and grabbed a handful of his collar. Shinji set his jaw, snatched Kaworu's hand away from his neck, and for a moment the two stood there, hands locked, pushing each other, their legs pistoning. Shinji looked nervous, confused, and he was struggling.
A thought bubbled through her mind.
She'd never seen him struggle with anything before.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Asuka whirled. The head of security, Yoshida or whatever his name was, was walking down the bridge. When he stepped from metal onto concrete, Kaworu let Shinji go and stepped back, a cat's smile on his face. Yoshida grabbed Shinji's collar and hauled him up against the wall.
"Look here, boy. If I ever find you putting your hands on one of the pilots again-"
"Excuse me," Rei said quietly, stepping out of the locker room.
Yoshida froze. Rei stared him down. "Pilot Nagisa is in the female pilot's dressing area without permission, and was harassing Pilot Soryu. You will remove him."
"But-"
Rei ignored him. "Ikari was only defending Pilot Soryu," said Rei, tilting her head to the side. "They are in a relationship. This is normal behavior."
Yoshida's eyes widened.
Rei continued. "If I learn that you have threatened Ikari again, I will speak to the Commander," said Rei.
Yoshida backed off, and looked at Kaworu. "Let's go, Nagisa. You too, Ikari-"
"He can stay here if he wants," said Asuka, "We're both dressed, anyway. Get out."
Yoshida did not lead Kaworu away, the boy sauntered off on his own, hands thrust in his pockets. When they were both gone, Asuka slumped against the wall.
"Are you okay?" said Shinji.
"I'm fine. Did he hurt you?"
Shinji blinked. "I… I don't know. I don't think so." He looked at Rei. "Thank you."
Asuka watched her counterpart for a tense moment. She never spoke to Shinji, ever; she was under some kind of weird orders from the Commander to avoid all contact with him. Her red eyes seemed unfathomable for a moment, like they were expanding and taking them both in. Asuka could almost feel the wheels turning in her head.
"You are welcome," said Rei, and then she walked away.
Misato had a headache. She sat rubbing at her temples, staring at the satellite photo of the crater. Seawater had rushed in, steaming around the base of the now fused angel, a mass of hard, chitinous flesh formed into a shell made out of many thin streamers or tendrils, the core hidden somewhere deep inside. It was recovering, albeit slowly, rebuilding itself until a shimmering energy field that distorted the image and made it impervious to everything they'd thrown at it. On the plus side, it ignored the Evas and the recovery team.
Ritsuko leaned back in her chair, seated across the break room table from Misato, staring at the ceiling. Misato did a double take every time she looked at her- she'd stopped dying her hair, cropped it short, and had taken to wearing loose, flowing dresses under her labcoat, sometimes even pants, rather than her typical short skirt and fishnets. It was odd, to say the least.
"We're screwed," said Misato.
"We have to come up with something," said Ritsuko. "Looking over these numbers, I'd say we have seven days. I'd go six, just to be on the safe side. We'll have a better idea of when it'll reactivate as it gets closer to full strength."
Misato leaned forward into her hands. "I never figured on fighting two at once," she groaned, staring at the picture. "What if it can split again? There's no way it can take three of them."
Ritsuko sat up. She had her glasses on; usually she only kept them on while she was reading or working. "You know, they're evolving."
"They are?" said Misato.
"Of course," said Ritsuko. "The first one was a general purpose type-humanoid, had ranged attacks and could fight up close. That didn't work, so the next one tried pure melee."
"I see what you mean," said Misato, sitting up. "The next one executed a pure ranged attack. The aquatic one must have been a fluke- that's where the target was, so that's' where it attacked."
"Right," said Ritsuko. "Now, they're trying a divide and conquer strategy."
"We're ahead of them, though," said Misato, "We have more pilots. We need to keep ahead of them."
"We're not figuring on the x-factor."
"What's that?"
Ritsuko sighed. "Superman. I reviewed the footage of the fight. Before the missile hit, the angel stopped targeting the Evas. It didn't see them as a threat anymore. It started going after him instead."
Misato spread her hands flat on the table, and stared at her fingers. "That's bad, isn't it?"
"He can pick up an Eva. Pick it up, Misato. That's an incredible amount of force. We don't even know how. If they can adapt to him, we're in trouble."
Misato nodded. "Let's not worry about that now. How are we going to deal with this one?"
Ritsuko slid the pictures out from under her hands and flipped back to a view of the creature before the missile struck, before Asuka made it split. She tapped her fingernail on the image of the core. "It split itself as a defense mechanism. We need to crack it, not split it."
Misato scratched her chin. "What if one side is destroyed, but the other isn't? Will it regenerate?"
RItsuko shrugged. "Who knows? Even if it can't, it might be able to split again."
Misato stood up. "We need to formulate a coordinated attack, totally destroy all parts of the creature simultaneously."
"I'm grounding Unit Two," said Ritsuko. "I'm going to be pulling a lot of all-nighters figuring this out."
"So that leave us Unit One and Unit Zero," said Misato. "Asuka and Rei. Great."
"You need to have them work together," said Fuyutsuki.
Misato whirled. The subcommander stood in the door, a flat, enigmatic look on his face. "Doctor Akagi," he said, "would you excuse us?"
Ritsuko stood up, leaving her alone with Fuyutsuki in the break room. He closed the door, sat down, and gestured for her to join him opposite. She pulled out a chair and sat down, trying to keep her expression neutral.
"I believe if Commander Ikari were here, he might demote you, sanction you, or remove you from your position entirely."
"Are you going to do that?" said Misato.
"I don't have the authority. Instead, I'm going to ensure that by the time he returns from his trip, you will have defeated the enemy and demonstrated the competence and creative thinking that earned you this position in the first place."
Misato stared blankly at him as he stood up. He said nothing further, but turned to leave, stopping at the door. "I expect a report on your plan by this afternoon. You needn't deliver it in person. You'll be busy training your pilots, I'm sure. And Captain-"
"Yes?"
He smiled, a thin, cryptic smile. "All options are on the table for this operation. Am I understood?"
She wasn't sure what he meant, but she nodded anyway.
Rei stood outside Captain Katsuragi's apartment door, fingers curled into a fist, hovering just above the surface. She knocked softly, twice, and waited. She heard a thump, and what sounded like shouting. She struck the door more sharply this time, and heard the sound of bare feet walking towards the door. It slid open, and a smiling Captain Katsuragi greeted her.
"Wow," she said, "You made great time."
Rei studied her. "I do not understand your clothes."
The captain was dressed in a one piece garment that tightly hugged her body, under something similar to a once piece swimsuit. A towel, damp with sweat, was hanging around her neck and her hair was plaited to her neck from exertion. She was panting.
"Heh," she said, and tossed Rei a bundle of fabric. "You will in a minute."
Rei held the garment in her hands and let it unfurl. It was a match for the one Katsuragi wore, although smaller. It in fact seemed too small. Rei turned it slightly, studying it.
"It'll fit," said Katsuragi. "You can squeeze into a plugsuit, you can squeeze into that."
"I do not squeeze into a plugsuit. The fibers are-"
"Just get in here," said Katsuragi, rolling her eyes. She took Rei by the shoulder. "Come on, come on."
Rei obeyed her urgings and entered the apartment, stopping first to remove her shoes. She heard another thump, and Pilot Soryu snapping at someone. "Idiot, you're putting it in the wrong jack!"
"I am not!" said Shinji,
Rei rounded the corner to find Soryu, dressed in an identical outfit, crawling behind Katsuragi's television with Shinji at her side, attempting to manipulate a series of tangled cables. Soryu snatched at one in his hand, and he withdrew it, viper quick, lifting the dust-covered instruction manual.
"See," he said, "it goes in the red jack."
"Fine," she muttered, "Just get this over with."
Once the cords were plugged in, Shinji feigned struggle to move the television back into place, and began turning the device on. Katsuragi watched in fascination, and smiled as the screen went white and a video game company logo appeared. Soryu picked up a pair of rolled pads, wires trailing to the device attached to the television.
"What's this?"
Katsuragi grinned. "You stand on those, and you dance."
"What?"
"You dance. You and Rei will-"
"I," said Soryu, firmly. "do not dance."
"I have no experience with this activity," said Rei.
"You will now," said Katusragi. "Go get changed."
Rei shrugged, and walked past the kitchen, towards the apartment's bathroom, which was far more spacious than her own. On the way, the penguin paused and looked up at her.
"Penguin," said Rei.
"Wark," said the penguin.
She closed the door, neglecting to lock it out of habit, and quickly shimmied out of her school uniform. As Katsuragi said, it was an effort to get into the strange garment. It took her a moment to realize she had to stretch parts of it in order to get her limbs into it. Once she was dressed, she headed back out into the living room to discover Katusragi and Soryu jumping about wildly on their respective mats. She observed them for a moment, and then turned to the kitchen, where Shinji was busying himself cleaning dishes.
She stood next to him. "Why are you doing that now?"
He flushed, and swallowed, and Rei did something very un-Rei like. She made a soft, amused sound. She was laughing.
"You are embarrassed," she observed.
He stared at her openly. "You laughed."
She shrugged, a barely noticeable movement of her shoulders. "It is funny."
"I thought you weren't allowed to talk to me," he said, lowering his voice.
"I am forbidden from speaking to Shinji Ikari."
"Rei!" Katsuragi called from the living room, "Come on! Let's get started!"
She left him in the kitchen, as water dripped from his hands, hanging at his side while he stared at her, open-mouthed.
Kaji straightened his tie, which is to say he un-straightened it, carefully adjusting it into a sort of professional disarray, artfully arranged about his open collar. He pulled a damp, crumpled cigarette from his pocket and put it in his mouth, never meaning to smoke it, threw his suit jacket over his shoulder, and stopped at the door to Katsuragi's apartment complex. Rather than buzz her to unlock the door, he pulled a small device from his pocket, a block of plain gray plastic from which protruded a magnetic edge, like a credit card. He slid the card down through the reader, and the light blinked red, denying him entry. A second swipe opened it for him, and he jogged up the stairs.
He adjusted his tie again when he stood in front of her door, and raised his fist to knock. The boy opened it before his fist touched it.
"What are you doing here?" the boy said, quietly.
"Oh," said Kaji, "I just wanted to stop by."
"Who is it?" Katsuragi called from within the apartment, and in spite of himself, Kaji's heart nearly skipped.
The boy eyed him.
"It's me," he called.
There was a moment of silence. "Go away."
"I just wanted to see how the training was going," Kaji called back, pushing forward.
Shinji picked him up under his arms and set him down again out in the hallway, then stood in the entrance, arms folded over his chest.
Kaji pulled the cigarette out of his mouth. "Katsuragi, I just want to talk. I thought maybe I could buy everyone dinner."
She appeared, dressed in a leotard. He was amazed it still fit- the intel the UN had on her mentioned that she'd stopped drinking, and he believed it. She was as lithe as she was when they were in school together, maybe moreso, not a hint of age in her face. Her bearing had changed, too. Her confidence always seemed forced when they walked to class together, now it was real, and by the time she got to the door, he was full on staring at the sway of her hips. He really, really wished she would drop the towel she had around her neck, draped over her chest.
Shinji stepped aside, warily eyeing them both. Kaji didn't have to put in an effort to ignore him. Only years of practice let him suppress the lump in his throat.
"Look, I… I was hoping for a chance to smooth things over."
She watched him warily, and then nodded once, almost imperceptibly. "Right," she said, "dinner. We're about ready for a break, anyway. You're buying?"
"Wait here. I'll see what the girls want."
She went back into the apartment, and Kaji carefully watched every step, at least until Shinji put himself back where he'd stood before.
"You want to be a door when you grow up?"
The boy scowled at him. Katsuragi came back and he slid out of her way deftly, taking the menus she'd marked.
"You're coming with me," said Kaji, as Katsuragi left.
"I guess so," said Shinji, closing the door behind him.
Both of them were silent as they jogged down the stairs. The kid remained a few steps behind until they reached Kaji's lotus. He looked at the rental hatchback Misato was driving and smirked, wondering when she'd spring for a real car again. After he slipped into the driver's seat, he reached over and opened Shinji's door. The kid sat down next to him, hands folded in his lap.
"So," said Kaji.
The kid looked around, peering over his glasses, and took a good look at Kaji himself.
"You've got a gun," said Shinji. "But no tape recorder or anything."
"I'm not wearing a wire," Kaji said, sarcastically. "It doesn't matter. Your father knows exactly who you are, Shinji."
"So I'm told."
"You don't like me, do you?"
"No."
Kaji sighed. "This may be hard to believe, but we have the same interests at heart."
"You're right," said Shinji. "It is hard to believe."
"Look, I didn't want things with Asuka to go that way, but I didn't have a choice. I tried letting her down gently before, and she caught me off guard."
He seemed to soften, a little bit. At any rate, he leaned on the windowsill, resting his face on his palm.
"So," said Kaji.
"So."
"You can fly, obviously, and you're strong. I gather you can see through objects."
"Yes," he said.
"Well? What else?"
"I can hear your heart beating in your chest," he said, sitting up. He turned to face Kaji. "I can see the neurons firing in your brain. I can feel your blood pressure and I can see the patterns of conductivity and heat bloom on your skin. I know if you're lying."
"Do you now," said Kaji.
He went on. "I can see the whole electromagnetic spectrum, maybe part of it you don't even know exist, I'm not sure. I can see the solar wind skipping off the atmosphere and the whole world is painted a billion colors I can't describe to you. I can tell if something is alive just by looking at it. I quit eating meat because I can't look at it without seeing the bacteria swimming in it."
He looked out the window. "And I can't tell anyone about it."
"So no one else knows," said Kaji.
"Someone does. I don't think I should tell you, but it isn't anybody I live with. Someone else figured it out."
"It's not hard," said Kaji. "You're reckless. You show off."
"I don't-"
"You do," said Kaji, "if you forget yourself, like, say, if you're upset about something, maybe something happening to Asuka, or that teenage brain of yours gets it in your head that you need to impress her. Anyone who watched you long enough, carefully enough, would pick up on it."
He sank back in his seat sullenly, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I have to admit, the glasses are a nice touch. Smarter than a mask, most people don't think to look for your identity if you're not hiding it."
"That's not why I don't wear a mask," said Shinji.
"You're thinking about telling Asuka."
He looked at Kaji, incredulous. Kaji smirked.
"How did you-"
"I'm a spy. I figured it out. By spying."
"I promised not to lie to her," said Shinji.
"Then don't. Quit."
He sat up in the seat, balling his fists together. "I am not going to leave her."
"That's not what I meant," said Kaji. "I mean, don't put the costume on again. It's childish, Shinji, and it's stupid, and it's going to get someone killed."
"What?"
Kaji pulled into a parking lot, threw the car in neutral, and pulled on the e-brake. "Let me make this as simple as possible for you to understand. There are bigger forces at work here than you seem to realize, Shinji. The people pulling the strings around here have a plan. I don't know what it is, but it's big, and it's dangerous, and you are not going to stop it."
"I will if I-"
"No," said Kaji, "Listen. You're a wildcard. You're an x-factor, an unknown. No one knows what you're going to do. Right now, you're been serving their goals, stopping the angels, keeping the peace in the city, and everybody things you're working for the other side. They're all working on their plays, planning on how they can get rid of you, or if they can't do that, control you."
"No one is going to control me."
Kaji twisted in his seat, and leaned over him. "Oh? They aren't, are they? What if they decide to grab Asuka while you're out fighting an angel and you can't do anything about it? Maybe they'll torture Misato to death before they start on her, to prove their point. You don't know what you're dealing with, Shinji. I know it must feel good to be the invincible hero, but you're not invincible. You can do a lot of things, but you can't be in two places at once."
Shinji looked at him for a moment, and for a bare second, Kaji thought that he might have gone too far. The kids eyes were watering. He took a sharp breath, and closed his eyes to calm himself.
"You could help me."
Kaji blinked. "What?"
"You talk like you're working with someone else. I know you're not doing all of this by yourself. Look, I'm not stupid. I know you're not in this alone. I don't know what you're goal is, but you wouldn't be telling me all of this. I know you care about Misato, I know you care about Asuka. I'm sorry I roughed you up on the ship."
Kaji stared at him, openly. "I don't know that I can trust you. You're not good at keeping secrets."
"Then help me," said Shinji. "You're right. I can't do this alone. I've been trying for too long. I think there are people at Nerv and people in Tokyo-3 that know something is wrong here, and they'd be willing to help us."
"Oh?" said Kaji, "Who?"
Shinji closed his mouth, and stared at him for a while. "It's not that easy."
"What is?" said Kaji.
"For all I know, you're just working for my father and this all a way to get me to expose the people who've been helping me."
Kaji sat back in his seat, stunned. "Very good," he said, "Very good. I'm impressed."
Shinji continued to watch him, intently. He wondered if the boy could see through his own eyelids. That would drive a man crazy. He probably didn't actually need to blink, now that Kaji thought about it.
"So," said Kaji. "I have to earn your trust."
"That's right," said Shinji. "It's a two way street, and so far all you've done is threaten me and try to intimidate me."
"So," said Kaji, leaning back in his seat, thinking. He gave up on trying to keep his breathing even. It wasn't like a polygraph, the operator of a lie detector couldn't see inside your damned skull. He took a deep breath, and thought about what it might be like to light the cigarette in his pocket.
"You need me to prove I'm trustworthy. Okay. I work for Nerv, as a liaison to the United Nations. That means I spy on the United Nations, but no one really cares what they do. I work for your father, and I work for the United Nations, each spying on each other."
"Sounds complicated," said Shinji.
"Most importantly I work for Seele, spying on your father, and the United Nations, in turn spying on them for him."
"Seele?" said Shinji.
"That's all for now," said Kaji. "Here's an idea. Go to our other sources. Talk to them. See if what I say lines up with what they say."
"Okay," said Shinji. "Don't try following me."
Kaji put the car in gear. "Let's go get dinner."
Misato felt tension welling up between her shoulders. She'd thrown a t-shirt on over her leotard and in a stroke of brilliance on her part, made Asuka and Rei wear identical old shirts of hers over theirs. Without even being prompted, they'd taken up the same position at the table, sitting on one leg while the other dangled under the table, idly swinging in front of their chairs. Kaji sat closest to her, and Shinji next to him, opposite the girls. He kept glancing nervously at her, and at Asuka.
Misato poked at her take-out. "I should have had you cook," she said, to Shinji.
"He's not your property," Asuka said sharply, turning her nose up.
Misato smirked. "Because he's your property, now? I still pay his salary."
"I don't get paid," said Shinji.
"You should," said Misato, "The pilots would have to take pay cuts, though."
"I am not taking a pay cut," said Asuka.
"We get paid?" said Rei.
Misato stared at her for a second, then shook her head. "Shinji? Rei? Would you excuse us for a minute?"
Shinji shrugged and stood up, taking his and Rei's dishes away, and cleared some of the cardboard detritus of their meal, piling it up before shoving it down the chute to the incinerator. Shinji stopped at the door.
"I'm going out for a while."
"Fine," said Misato, waving him away.
"I am going to watch television," said Rei.
"Fine," Misato sighed.
They were alone.
If Asuka stared at Kaji any harder, he would burst into flames.
"I'm sorry," was all he said.
Misato braced for impact, tensing reflexively. Asuka's eyes narrowed, and softened.
She stood up. "No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you in that position. You…" she trailed off. "You did the right thing. I'm glad you did."
Kaji sat there, stunned. "Oh," he said. "Okay then."
"I'm going to my room," said Asuka, and left.
Kaji rocked forward in his seat and leaned his arms over the table. "Wow. I didn't see that coming."
"She's changing," said Misato. "She's growing up."
"It's him, isn't it," said Kaji. "He brings out the best in her."
"He has that effect on people," said Misato, turning a can of now-warm instant coffee in her hands.
"So," said Kaji.
"So," said Misato.
She shoved the table out of the way and would have knocked him out of his chair if he didn't stand up at the same time. She leaned into him and pushed him backwards into the refrigerator, rising up onto her toes to slide her arms around his neck as she kissed him. He grabbed her around the waist and lifted her up, until her full weight was resting on his chest.
Then, just as abruptly, she pulled back, her stocking feet slipping on the cold floor of the kitchen.
"Shit," she said, "I's sorry, I-"
Kaji wiped the lipstick off his face with the back of his hand. "No, no, go on."
"I can't," she turned away to lean on the cupboard. She could feel his eyes on her. "I can't do this again. Not again."
He stood up, catching his breath. "It was you who left me, remember?"
"The first time-"
"Both times," said Kaji. "You asked to be transferred back here."
"You were supposed to chase me," said Misato. "If I mattered so much to you, why didn't you try to find me?"
"Does it matter?" he said as he crossed the kitchen and leaned over beside her. "I'm here now."
"It does matter," said Misato, standing to move away from him. The temptation was too much. "Where have you been? What have you been doing?"
"I can't tell you."
"Bullshit," she snapped, poking an accusatory finger into his chest. "You won't tell me because you don't trust me."
"That's not true," said Kaji. "I'm only trying to protect you. It's too easy to get caught up…"
"Protect me?" she snapped, "From what?"
"I can't tell you. I told you."
"Then that's it," she said, crossing her arms. She moved away from him and turned her back. "I'm not going to be held at arm's length."
Before she could stop him, and mostly because she didn't want to, he slid his arms around her waist, and molded himself to her. She leaned into his embrace instinctively, and he touched his cheek to hers until she turned her head, and he kissed her again.
She pulled away from him. "That's it. That was the last time."
He sighed, picked his jacket up from his chair, and headed for the door. "I guess so. I'll see you at work, maybe."
"Maybe," said Misato.
She watched him leave, and waited for the sound of the apartment door closing. When he was full and truly gone, she slumped down to the floor, sliding down until she was sitting, and put her face in her hands, fighting desperately not to start sobbing, each breath a struggle. She heard bare feet on the floor, and Rei padded into the room and sat down next to her.
"You are upset," she observed.
"Yeah," Misato said thickly, scrubbing at her eyes with her thumb and forefinger. She pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You refused Mister Kaji's advances," said Rei.
"Yeah," she said again.
"I do not understand. You obviously enjoyed his affections."
"That's not all there is to it."
"Ah," said Rei. "You enjoy physical intimacy with him, but you are not emotionally compatible."
Misato stared at her. "What? No, we're too emotionally compatible. I couldn't stop hanging off of him when we… why am I telling you this?"
Rei shrugged her tiny shrug. "Because I asked."
"You don't… you've never had a boyfriend or anything, have you, Rei?"
"No."
Misato let her head hit the cabinet, winced, and laughed bitterly. "Good, don't start. Get a motorcycle, they're more fun."
"I do not understand."
Misato eyed her. "Nevermind."
"A motorcycle cannot provide emotional companionship," said Rei.
Misato snorted. "I said nevermind. Look, don't listen to me, you'll just get depressed."
"I am still confused," said Rei. "If you enjoy his company emotionally and physically, why are you not… together… with him?"
"I don't know."
"I see," said Rei, standing up. "I would like to know if these conditions change."
Misato looked up at her. "You're really bad at girl talk, you know that?"
"Girl talk?" said Rei.
She stood up, grabbing a towel to wipe her face. "You know what," she said to no one in particular. "I have an idea."
Fuyutsuki stepped out into the clearing, the note he'd found stuck inside his door folded in his pocket. Shinji was already there, leaning over the guard rail and looking down at the city. The old man stood next to him with his hands in his pockets, waiting. Shinji sighed and stood up. Fuyutsuki shook his head, wondering how he'd come to find it so commonplace to see him in his suit. The way he moved, it seemed like the cape draped over his shoulders was some kind of a burden.
"Hello, Professor."
"Shinji," said Fuyutsuki. "What is it? Your note said you had something urgent to speak with me about."
"I need to know everything you know about Ryoji Kaji."
Fuyutsuki sighed. "Not much, I'm afraid. Why do you ask?"
Shinji watched him for a moment, and then sighed. Fuyutsuki listened as he told the story. Everything, beginning with the events on the aircraft carrier, and the conversation in the car. He could see the worry on the young man's face, and frowned. Deciding whether or not to tell your girlfriend that you're an alien-human hybrid with superhuman powers wasn't exactly a relatable problem. Fuyutsuki watched the city for a while in silence, taking in the flow of lights from cars moving down the broad avenues and over the elevated highways.
"There's a huge weight on your shoulders," said Fuyutsuki.
Shinji nodded, leaning his chin on one hand as he stared off into space.
"You must feel like you can't put it down. Why haven't you told her?"
"I'm afraid," he sighed. "What if she doesn't like me anymore?"
"Why wouldn't she? You're still the same person. From what you've told me, she likes you best when you stop hiding who you are."
He shook his head. "She can't stand Superman. Every time she sees me in this thing or hears about me on television or I come up in conversation, she starts ranting about how much of a showoff jerk I am."
Fuyutsuki thought about that for a moment, scratching his chin. "I think I know why that is. She's looking for validation, Shinji. She doesn't like it when someone praises someone else instead of her."
"Yeah, that's true."
Fuyutsuki shrugged. "Not the most admirable of character traits."
"She's not a bad person," said Shinji, standing up. "She's kind to people who get to know her. Her… her attitude is just an act. I don't know why she does it. It's like she drives people away on purpose."
"We all wear masks, Shinji," said Fuyutsuki. "We all have our public and private faces. Keeping them separate helps us stay sane. You can't be Superman all the time, you'd go mad. She can't be the person she is in private, with you, because she's afraid she'll get hurt. Her arrogance is a suit of armor, a way of keeping people out of her life for their sake, not hers."
"I know some other people like that," said Shinji. "What would you do?"
Fuyutsuki winced. He could see the pain in the boy's eyes, the need for guidance, and there was no one there to give it to him. Who could relate to something like this?
"I wouldn't leave her," said Fuyutsuki. "I learned my lesson the hard way, Shinji. There's nothing worse in this life than leaving feelings unsaid and unspoken. Kaji is wrong about your powers. You will put other people in danger, yes, but look at all the good you've done since you came here. You can't turn your back on that."
"There's the other part," said Shinji. "I need to know if I can trust him."
"Trust him? No. Work with him? Maybe. He has so many contacts and agendas that I honestly don't know who he's really working for. You were wise not to give him any information he couldn't deduce already, Shinji. It all depends if he has resources you can use."
"What is Seele? He wouldn't tell me anything else about it."
Fuyutsuki sighed, and paced back and forth a few feet, scuffing his shoes in the dirt. He looked up at the moon and inhaled, deeply. "The German word for soul."
"It's more than that," said Shinji, standing next to him. "You know, I can see it."
"What?"
"The Apollo landing site. I've always wondered if I can breathe in space."
"No one can breathe in space," said Fuyutsuki, wryly.
"You know what I mean."
Fuyutsuki sighed again. "It's something of a secret society. The leader is a man named Keel. I met him once, in Vienna. He took an interest in my research. He was pulling together groups of young graduate students from all over the world at the time, building a network of intellectuals to study some vague problem about human evolution. He believes that our species is an evolutionary dead end and needs some kind of a jump-start onto a new path to survive."
"That's wrong," said Shinji, "but that doesn't sound too bad."
"I wish it stopped there. They found what they needed, in Antarctica. It was Seele that caused Second Impact, and covered up the true cause. Keel has a large number of wealthy and influential men under his sway, operating in small cells. Several of them are on the Security Council. One of them was your grandfather."
"Why would Kaji be working for them?"
"To spy on us, and on each other. Seele isn't so much a group as a number of like-minded individuals, and no one ever knows what Keel is truly up to, or what he has planned."
Shinji nodded. "There's something else I need to tell you. It's about Kaworu. He's not human."
"How did you come on this?"
"Well," said Shinji, "He has a core in his chest, and he shoved me into a wall."
Fuyutsuki blinked. "What did you say?"
"I let him," said Shinji, "but I think he could have pushed harder, if he wanted to. I don't know what he's up to, and it scares me."
Fuyutsuki sighed. "I see."
"There's something else. Rei isn't human either, is she?"
Fuyutsuki swallowed. "She is, partly. I don't know how similar she and Kaworu are, if they're the result of the same process, but Rei is a created being. A clone. We made her."
"So," said Shinji, "That's what she meant, if I knew what she'd done."
"Who?'
He shook his head. "Nevermind. Who is she a clone… of…" His eyes widened. "Wait, you said she was related to me… no, it can't be."
Fuyutsuki watched him cycle through it. He could practically feel the wheels turning in the boys's head. He sank to his knees. "Rei Ayanami is a clone of my mother, isn't she?"
"After the accident," said Fuyutsuki, "We tried to recover your mother from within the Eva. She was to be the first pilot, by the synchronization process failed. It dissolved her body and-"
Shinji was on his feet at once. "What? You have to stop this, now. Cancel the program. I'll stop the angels. I can't let anyone pilot those things if-"
Fuyutsuki put a hand on his shoulder. "I know what you're afraid of. Asuka will be safe, Shinji."
"How do you know? What if that thing absorbs her, too?"
"I don't think it will," said Fuyutsuki. "There is no safety system, Shinji. The buffer that prevents the pilot from being absorbed is another human soul. Your mother is alive, and resides in Unit One even now."
He waited. Shinji tried to say something, but all that came out was a choked sob. He sank to his knees, his cape pooling around him, and wailed into his hands. Fuyutsuki stood there like a statue, frozen, watching while his stomach sank down through his knees.
After a time, the boy was quiet. He stood up.
"I'll find a way to get her out. Someday, I will."
"You can't," said Fuyutsuki. "Rei was the closest we ever came, the body, but not the soul, the essence. It can't be done."
"Yes it can," said Shinji. "I'm Superman. I can do anything."
"This is ridiculous," Asuka grumbled, arms folded over her chest. She lay there, staring up at the ceiling on a sleeping bag in the middle of the living room. "I have a bed."
"It's a bonding exercise," said Misato, also staring up at the ceiling.
Asuka huffed. "We could bond in my bed, then. I don't see why I have to lie on the floor for a week."
"You'll live," said Misato. "During the Impact Wars, people would have died to sleep on this floor."
Asuka snorted. "Yeah, and I'll bet you had to walk uphill to school both ways, too."
"Captain Katsuragi is correct," said Rei. "Sleeping on the floor is preferable to-"
"I don't feel very bonded," Asuka said as she rolled over.
"Her bed would be a preferable option," said Rei.
Misato sighed. "No. That would be missing the point. Besides, Shinji would have a heart attack."
"I don't understand," said Rei. "Why would our sleeping in a bed cause him to have a cardiac event?"
"You're hopeless," said Asuka.
Shinji was starting to get tired of this.
Four days into the grand experiment in team building, Asuka and Rei were synchronizing with each other perfectly, during the dancing exercises. The rest of the time, Asuka was angrily sniping at Misato about being unable to sleep in her room, and having an extra person in the house. It came as something of a relief when, over dinner, Misato announced, "I'm going to be working overnight tonight. I have to make sure everything is ready for tomorrow."
Everything proceeded normally for the rest of the evening, even with Misato gone. Shinji cleaned up the dishes while Rei and Asuka practiced some more in the living room. He fed Pen-Pen a special treat, for no real reason at all, actually cooking some fresh fish for him. The bird warked appreciatively, spied that Rei was still in the apartment, and hid. Shinji had to fight not to stare along with him. Now that he knew what he was looking for, he could see it. The shape of her jaw, the fine subtleties of the shape of her eyes, the way she walked and moved.
A clone of his mother.
He shuddered. What did that make her? Sister? Aunt? She wasn't even fully human. He couldn't judge her for that, after all, but it was still a shock. He kept away from the both of them while he worked, trying to think.
After the dishes were done, he snuck into his room, closed the door, and tried to catch up on his homework. While the shelters had opened, the city was still in a state of emergency and schools were closed, and he had assignments to do while he was at home. Asuka had ignored all of hers, of course, and he wasn't sure Rei ever did schoolwork at all. He sighed, poring over some boring set of equations. He had to fill them out at a reasonable rate, as going too fast would burn through the paper.
He felt a genuine sense of fatigue as he went to lie down. He turned off the light and rolled onto his side, and started to drift off to sleep. Vague memories teased him, of walking in a summer city with a warm, soft hand clutching his. He realized he couldn't remember what his mother looked like anymore, and sighed deeply to himself.
It was nearly midnight when his door opened. He looked over his shoulder. Asuka crept into his room quietly, closing the door behind her, and nudged him with her foot.
"Move over."
He shimmied towards the wall.
"No, idiot. The other way."
He moved to the edge of his sleeping mat and she stepped over him, and lowered herself down between him and the wall. It was a tight fit, so he rolled over on his side to make room for her. She pulled her hair behind her head to move it out of his face and lay there for a while, just breathing.
"Are you okay?" she said.
"I'm fine. I'm just worried about you."
"I'll do fine."
He sighed. "I'm not worried you'll make a mistake. I'm worried you'll be hurt."
She looked at him, her blue eyes bright in the darkness, and smiled enigmatically. Then, she rolled over, and faced the wall. "I'm going to sleep."
He lay there for a moment, and started to drift of on his own.
"Idiot," she muttered, "I have to do everything."
Asuka reached over, grabbed his arms, and yanked him into her side. She turned and pulled his arms around her waist, and pushed her back against his chest until he got the hint and embraced her, resting his head against hers.
"Better," she yawned.
He didn't know how long he slept, only that there was sunlight spilling in under the door when he woke up. He didn't move for fear that he would wake her, until he heard something like a sob. Asuka shuddered in his grasp, and he shook her gently. She woke up with a start, sitting up and staring at him in confusion for a moment.
"Oh," she said.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
He looked at her. She bit her lip. "I had a bad dream."
"About what?"
She shook her head. "Nothing," and then she sighed. "It was about my mother."
"Your mother?" said Shinji. "What-"
"When I was eight," said Asuka, "she died. She…" her voice trailed off, wavering. "She took her own life."
"I'm sorry," he said, and he pulled her close to him, as tightly as he dared.
"Where… I know where your father is, but where's your mother?"
"She's dead," said Shinji. "I was so little I can't really remember her that well. I think I was six."
She turned around and slid her arms around his neck. "I've never told anyone about this. Ever. It's a secret. Just for us."
"Just for us," said Shinji. He looked at her, and swallowed. "Asuka, there's something I have to tell you."
"What?"
"I'm… I don't know how to say this. I, ah, I'm…"
Misato chose that exact moment to slam the door back. "Wakey wakey! Eggs and bakey!"
"Damn it!" Asuka shouted, jumping up from his embrace. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"If I remember right," Misato grinned, "I made a rule about certain people sneaking into certain people's rooms."
Shinji groaned.
"I'm willing to let this slide. I'm going to file it under the life-or-death-battle-today exception, but it better not happen again."
Misato didn't seem especially serious about it, waggling her finger and grinning. Asuka waited for her to leave before she huffed and hugged herself.
"Ugh, I have to go get ready. What were you going to tell me?"
"It's not important," said Shinji. "It can wait."
Misato tapped her foot as she watched the Evas take up their positions, standing next to each other, crouching like warriors in repose, each grasping a progressive spear. The shimmering field over the angel was beginning to flicker and distort, and the creature beneath moved, pulling apart again into two distinct parts. She held her breath as the field went down and the creatures stood up.
"On your marks."
Both of the gargantuan machines tensed visibly, the movement curiously human. She could feel the eyes of the command center on her as she in turn watched the creature drawing nearer to them, moving out of the flooded crater where it had rested and reconstructed itself. Misato straightened.
"Begin."
The umbilicals both blew off at once, and the Evas charged, their movements perfectly synchronized, each step falling within less than a second of the other. Rei had never been gifted in close combat, but had learned well from her partner. Both pilots spun away from the angel's first attacks, moving apart in a movement so graceful it could have been a dance.
Always aware of each other, they bobbed and weaved around the angels, forcing them closer and closer together while deftly avoiding each other. The creatures countered with fiery blasts from their face plates, and both Evas danced out of the way, moving lightly in a tightening circle around the angel. The creature's bisected bodies were touching when they made the final stroke, turning as one to impale it from either side.
Each of their spears plunged through the angel's twin cores, through the space between them, and into the other's body. The full operation took one minute, and ended with Asuka and Rei standing triumphantly on either side of the creature as it slumped in on itself, the twin cores shattered.
"That's weird," Misato mused quietly to herself. "He didn't show up this time."
Standing beside her, Shinji shrugged and handed her a cup of coffee. "I guess this wasn't a job for Superman."
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Last Child of Krypton: Redux
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Chapter 10: Masks