Part 4: Tokyo-3's Endless Summer Means Baseball.
The baseball landed in the catcher's mitt with a dull thwack. Ikari stood motionless in the batter's box, unable to decide if he should have swung- the pitch had been right on the edge of the strike zone.
"Ball Four, take your base!" The P.E. Teacher's voice filled the field. Dice shook her head as she looked over at Viper. They had managed to get the two of them and Shinobu onto the same P.E. Baseball team. Unfortunately, it had also cost them the better battery pair to another squad.
"Double play depth!" Viper called to his infield. The catcher had enough trouble catching, much less making adjustments. He stalked back to a deeper position at shortstop, with Dice laying in closer to Second Base. Ikari trotted down the line to first and took up a tentative position on the bag. There was no way around facing their lead-off hitter this inning, but it would have been nice to do it without someone on base.
They would really need a better pitcher to beat the seniors at the Festival, if Blue were still around for that.
Viper turned to Shinobu in left field, motioning her in a little closer. This batter didn't have power, but he was a good contact hitter to left. No sense making a bloop single easy for him.
The pitcher started into his windup, delivering a sharp fastball on the outside corner of the plate. The batter, who Viper only recently learned was named Suzuhara, caught the ball on the end of his bat, and sent it rocketing across the infield grass- directly into the gap between first and second base.
Shit, Viper thought as his brain unconsciously registered the implications. He raced for second base to cover it as he watched the play unfold. Dice leapt out towards the ball, throwing herself out in a full extension though the dirt of the infield, glove extended to stop the ball's speedy progress. Viper glanced up to see Ikari racing down towards second.
Quicker than I thought.
Dice's glove closed around the ball, and she rolled to her back, launching the ball towards second base as Viper closed on it. He snatched the ball in mid-flight as his foot landed on the bag. He flung himself high in the air, leaping over Ikari as he slid down towards second. Viper whipped the ball towards first, catching Suzuhara before he closed on first, completing the slightly unorthodox double play.
Viper tumbled slightly through the air, landing awkwardly on one foot and spinning around on his toe. He took a stumbling step before he righted himself. It took him a second to realize why- Ikari's foot had never planted itself in his gut as he threw, which he had compensated for during his all too brief flight. Viper sighed as he walked towards first, offering a hand to help Ikari up.
Ikari took it, and Viper tugged him a little closer. "You should've broken up that double play." Ikari gave him a confused look. "You know what a double play is, right?"
"Well, of course," he said tentatively.
"When you're coming into second base off a hit like that, you need to try to break up the play- kick me in the legs or something when you slide," Viper said, in that calm voice he reserved for instructing others on the fine points of America's Pastime.
Ikari recoiled slightly, his face flashing with a tinge of horror. "But, you might get hurt!" he protested.
Viper shrugged. "If I do, it's my own fault for not getting out of the way. Besides, it's all in the game." Viper looked up, and noticed the P.E. teacher glaring at them for delaying the game. "Anyway, remember that," he said, as Ikari trotted off to his team's bench.
Dice looked over at him as the little meeting broke up. "We're gonna have to do something about that guy, Viper," she said in English. "Motherfucker can't save the world with an attitude like that."
Viper nodded. "I have an idea." Dice shook her head with a laugh.
---
Shadow considered it a good thing that New Shinjuku Station was almost as busy as the Shinjuku Station he knew and loved. It would make him that much harder to follow as he twisted his way through the crowd of businessmen, NERV officials, tourist gawkers and students. He quickly broke into a non-descript tea shop, the Dreadnought Café. He worked his way through the lunch crowd to a back room, and knocked twice at the door.
It cracked open enough for an eye, then opened fully to reveal Whitman. "They follow you, too?"
"They tried, sir," replied Shadow, glancing out into the main room to make sure.
"Good." He stood aside to let Shadow into the small room.
Shadow glanced quickly around. "This room safe, sir?" he asked, more than a little worried.
"A friend said it was- if he's a double agent, we're all dead anyway," replied Whitman. "It's something of a Hobson's Choice."
Shadow shrugged and settled into a chair. "So, what do we need me to do, sir?"
Whitman took the chair next to him. "We need access to NERV's systems. In particular, we need to break in to this MAGI system- you know anything about it?"
Shadow gave a low whistle. "It's the nerve center of NERV, if you'll forgive the pun. I've heard a lot of rumors, but nothing solid. It's blacker than black, if you get my drift. Getting in will be hard as hell."
Whitman took a deep breath, exhaling it thoughtfully. "Shadow, we're running on null intelligence here. Everything EDC has on this outfit is either public knowledge, puff pieces or completely falsified. We know NERV is a big program, and that its mission is to fight the Angels. Hell, I never would have thought much more about it than that, save someone clued me in to his suspicions. He thinks there's a bigger conspiracy afoot."
Shadow leaned forward inquisitively. "You mean a Quisling conspiracy to turn us over to the Angels? Something like the Satrap Conspiracy?"
Whitman shrugged noncommittally. "It's not clear yet. The problem is we know nothing. It's best we proceed on the assumption it's a Quisling operation, though any data we get on NERV will help at this stage."
Shadow nodded. "Getting into the lower security areas of NERV's datanet won't be that hard. We'll have to wait for the right opportunity to get deeper."
"Get what you can, and keep it on the down low. They're only moderately suspicious of us; let's keep it that way for now."
---
The door to Katsuragi's apartment swung open wide, and she paused as three members of Blue Squadron gazed expectantly at her. "Can Shinji come out and play, Miss Katsuragi?" Viper asked, pushing his aviator's sunglasses up his eyes.
Katsuragi had to chuckle at Viper's childlike show. "Well, it's really up to him, you know. He's not a kid." She stepped aside to let the trio in as Ikari turned on the sofa to look back at them. Normally, one wouldn't expect two teenaged girls and a lanky guy to look imposing, but between their straight-backed posture and dark sunglasses, they managed to make Shinji feel more than a little nervous.
Viper's fist pounded into his baseball glove with a vague menace. "Get your glove, Ikari. It's time to practice a little baseball."
Shinji looked nervous. "I'm not really very good at sports," he said, glancing over at Katsuragi.
"Shinji, a young man should take up a physical hobby. It's good for the circulation, fresh air helps improve thinking and reflexes, and activity decreases the chance he'll become a sexual deviant," Viper stated mater-of-factly, sounding like a doctor from a 1950s health film. Shinobu and Dice tried not to snigger.
Soryu leaned out of her room. "It's too late for that pervert," she called out before ducking her head back in and sliding the door closed. Ikari's cheeks heated.
"Go on, Shinji." Katsuragi smiled encouragingly. "It should be fun, and you can get to know the Blue Squadron guys better."
Ikari nodded meekly, disappeared into his room and returned with his glove and a beat up Swallows cap. Viper led the quartet out of the apartment complex and to the open, verdant field of a nearby park. Shinobu readily produced a ball, and send it off to Viper, who corralled it and snapped it to Ikari.
"So, why did you ask me to come out here with you? I'm not very good at this," he said, making an awkward snag.
"Simple, Ikari," replied Viper as Ikari flipped it back to him. "You've got some talent." Ikari's eyes widened slightly in disbelief. "Don't sell yourself short, man. You've got great hand-eye coordination and good foot speed. A little fielding and batting practice and you could make a decent outfielder. We could use one on the Barnstorming Blue team we're putting together after the Quindoc War ends, and once this Angel mess is over, you'll need something to do other than just be a famous Eva pilot," Viper said as he tossed the ball over to Dice, who flipped it up high to Shinji.
Ikari trotted under the looping path of the ball and stuck his glove up. Unfortunately, he snapped it closed a split second too early, and it fell to the ground. He bent over to pick it up, and threw it towards Shinobu, who had to race to catch it as it fell short. "Like I said, I'm not that good at sports," he said apologetically.
Viper looked over at him. "I said you had talent, Ikari. You need to get skills, and you have a confidence problem," he said, paraphrasing his namesake. "That's why we're going to practice. I mean, its how you get to Carnegie Hall." Ikari's look of puzzlement elicited a chuckle from Viper. "Sorry, it's an American expression. Carnegie Hall's a big music hall where famous musicians play. There's an expression that goes, "If you want to get to Carnegie Hall, practice, practice, practice." Ikari nodded thoughtfully, as if chewing on the expression. "I guess it doesn't translate well," Viper apologized.
Ikari was about to make another protest as Dice launched a hard throw in his direction. He leapt quickly, ripping the speeding ball from the air mid-flight. Viper grinned at him confidently. He seems to think I can do it, Ikari thought as he pulled the ball from his glove. I guess it would be bad to let him down. I can try, at least.
He looked up at Viper as he tossed it towards him. "Practice, practice, practice?"
"Every day, Ikari. Every day."