Initial Perturbation Chapter 15: Transference, an evangelion fanfic

I do not own the characters of Neon Genesis Evangelion, nor any other aspects of it. Unless I have been sorely mislead by my legal council. But then again, they said my laser-mounted killer whales idea was bad for the environment. But with Japanese whaling going on, at least they get a chance to fight back!

Rating: T - a fair bit of swearing (possibly should be rated higher)

Initial Perturbation

CHAPTER 15 - Transference

"Uh...? Ami...?" Shinji murmured in his sleep, fitfully in the hospital room.

He blinked his eyes open, and looked around. "Uhh...not again. What this time...?"

He forced the memories back to the forefront of his mind. "Uhm...I don't remember an Angel attack...oh wait. Misato was teasing me...did I pass out? No, that's too pathetic, even for me. Something hit my chest..."

He looked down and patted down his chest through the thin hospital gown. He found a patch. "Huh."

A male nurse walked in, blonde haired and tall. A gaijin. Shinji shrank back from the strange, new nurse. 'Maybe he's Ami's replacement? Just my luck, not to get one of the others.'

"Ah, Shinji. Good to see you're awake."

The boy just nodded.

"Good then. I'll let the Major know."

Shinji sat up while the man walked outside of the room. A few minutes later he returned. "The Major isn't answering her phone. Anyone else I should try to contact?"

Shinji shrugged. "Uhm, maybe Asuka? The, err, Second Child."

"Okay." But he came back again. "No luck. She your girlfriend? She's got a loud mouth. On voicemail, at least."

"Uhm..."

"Hmm. Well, you can wander around for a bit if you like, but I don't want you to check out until you're supervised. Those knockout darts have all sorts of nasties in them."

"Uh, yes sir."

The man looked at the boy with a bemused expression. "Okay. Just call me if you need anything."

Shinji watched him go, feeling oddly abandoned.

Misato strode purposely into the room, only to take a shocked step backwards. "Doctor...?"

Asuka followed. She stared, wide-eyed at the tanks and their content. She pointed between the two, openmouthed. "Rei...! Eh..."

Ritsuko let a tight, thin smile onto her face, taut and uncomfortable. "This...is the truth behind the enigmatic Rei. The key, the cornerstone of Instrumentality."

Misato whipped around to face her old friend. "This is related to instrumentality...? I thought it would be more...instrument-ey."

"Oh, so Hyuuga managed to get that much? I'm impressed. But to answer your query, no it is not a giant trumpet or anything."

"Oh well, can't blame a girl for fantasizing. But it was Kaji who clued me in that far. Looks like he was holding some details out though."

"You rang?" the man said, coming over to the trio of volatile ladies. "Oh, uh...Asuka? What are you doing here, munchkin?"

"Herr Kaji...was ist hier los?(Mister Kaji...what's going on?)" Asuka asked, uncharacteristically quietly, staring hard at the blonde scientist as if to keep her at bay. "Warum ist Rei...?(Why is Rei...?)"

"Mmm. The quest for truth seems always to cost us something. I don't know how much it will cost to tell you." Kaji said carefully, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Oh for god's sake." Ritsuko snapped, rolling her eyes. "Rei is a hybrid between Homo sapiens sapien and Homo sapiens angelus: Homo sapiens soror (sister/mother). Her body is (mostly) human, her soul is Angelic in origin. Angels don't die unless you breach their cores, and Rei's core is kept safe. So, her soul lives in one of these clone bodies, one at a time, with several dozen more ready for when the active one is broken."

Silence ruled for a moment. Then, "WHAT the HELL are you SAYING!" Misato blurted. "Rei is an Angel? A clone! What the hell is this! Kaji, did you slip me some acid again! This is a dream, a fucked-up dream that I'm gonna wake up from. C'mon Asuka, I don't want us to wake up here."

Shigeru wandered up, palm-top unit in hand. "Yep, this shit's pretty fucked up right here. Still, if you wanna hear the punchline, Doctor Akagi you should administer the, err, 'flushing' agent pretty soon."

"'Flushing' agent!" Asuka asked quietly. "You mean, as in 'flush' Rei's soul?" she growled, eyes locked on the senior technician.

"How did you make that connection?" Ritsuko frowned.

"I'm a genius, dummkopf! What, you think a thirteen-year-old makes it through the German tertiary education system by being a bit 'special'? Now what exactly are you trying to do to my friend you've got posing so nakedly in those tanks! SPEAK UP GOD DAMN YOU!"

"Why didn't we put bathers on that one?" Lieutenant Shigeru wondered.

Ritsuko's brow ticked. "WE RAN OUT, OKAY! God, you're starting to piss me off."

"I don't care about that." Asuka said with disinterest. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH REI! Why is there two bodies there?" she said, ranging from a scream to a near whisper.

Agent Kaji scratched his back. "Well, hon, Rei the Second..."

Asuka shot him a piercing look.

"Uh, Rei was injured too badly, so they transferred her soul to a, uh, spare body." He winced as he said 'spare', skewered by the the glares of both Misato and Asuka.

"Right..." Asuka prompted.

"So that's why she lost her memories." Ritsuko explained, back in her element as the lecturer. "Then I managed to repair the nerve and neurological damage to the second body, so we're getting ready to 'push' the soul back into it. This way, she'll have her memories of her previous life back."

Misato shook her head and ran her hands down her face. "Wait a moment...'spare second body'?"

Ritsuko let out a heavy sigh. "Look you two, this yarn would take hours to untangle. Just shut-up for fifteen minutes, and I'll get back to you. With Rei's help, no less."

"Gott..." Asuka breathed. She sagged against an equipment stack, closing her eyes tight. "God damn you. Ja ja ja, show us your freak show."

Misato frowned, holding a hand against the holstered gun at her hip. "Go ahead. Proceed with caution, Doctor."

Ritsuko grimaced and took the pad from Shigeru. She typed in a sequence of commands, and looked up. She surveyed the room, catching the eye of every (conscious) person in the room before settling on Asuka, and silently executing.

A light blue contaminant in Rei III's tube swirled with as it diffused into the LCL. Rei III blinked. She grimaced slightly, and suddenly tensed. Then she was still. Her eyes stayed open, eerily vacant.

"Nein..." Asuka choked, covering her eyes. Kaji moved to comfort her, but she lashed out suddenly with her legs and fists. He backed off and she collapsed back again, letting Misato cuddle her a little.

"I...am awake." came a muffled, anechoic voice. Rei II looked bemusedly through the transparent glass at the assembled crew.

"Rei!" Misato gasped, rushing up to the tube to stare at the suspended girl.

"Rei?" Asuka gasped. She walked slowly to the tube, and fell to her knees before the encapsulated girl. "Is that...you?"

"Yeah." came the reply, punctuated by a soft smile.

"Uhm...Doctor? Major?" Shigeru said in a somewhat alarmed voice. "I'm detecting a foreign orange pattern..."

"What?" Akagi asked flatly.

"Confirmed! Orange pattern detected! There's an extra simulacrum presence in here..."

The scientist narrowed her eyes. Instinctively, she looked toward the 'other' Rei.

"It's Rei III! The body has acquired a soul!" Reported Shigeru frantically while confirming the readouts to his own satisfaction.

Ritsuko folded her arms. "That's simply not possible. Rei II has accepted the soul."

"You tell me, ma'am!"

Kaji rubbed his chin. "Hang on. Rei II is alive. Rei III is alive. They both have, err, simulation presences...eses. Whatever. What, did it split or something?"

Misato stepped forward. "What the hell is going on, Doctor?"

"Uh...not enough information...!" said the scientist, losing her composure as bewildered panic set in.

Misato frowned. "Could Rei's soul have split into two, for both bodies?"

Ritsuko held her forearm against her brow and leaned back, eyes closed. "I...don't think...I have absolutely no idea what process could possible drive such an event. I...I need the MAGI!"

Kaji leaned calmly against a handy bit of blank wall. "Combine Angels and necessity, and it's a mother...literally."

Asuka peered over at Rei III's body from her vantage point in front of Rei II. She saw her head lift, her eyes twitch. Puzzled as much or more than the others, she turned to 'her' Rei. She saw that the 'original' was staring at her previous body intensely.

Sotto-voce, she called to her. "Hey. What's going on? Is that over there 'you' too?"

Rei II looked down at Asuka, shifting her red irises away from the identical face. "I don't know." she said simply.

Asuka rolled her eyes. "Great. Who knows, maybe this is the most literal case of 'split personalities' ever and the sense of humour went to the other one."

Rei II didn't answer, Instead, she sunk to the bottom of her tube and pushed off the floor, and pulled herself out. She wiped herself with a towel and put on the clothes that had been left waiting for her, all the while watching her 'other' and the confusion that surrounded her.

"Soul mitosis...it's unprecedented..." Ritsuko was muttering under her breath while tapping at her pad as Shigeru cursed and bashed his keyboard. Kaji stood by, calmly useless as the professionals worked before him. Misato watched the action, hawk-eyed and standing by, feeling her firearm every once in a while.

Asuka waited until Rei finished dressing, then smirked. "Just great. Now you and your twin are going to give my baka a twin-fetish."

Rei tilted her head at the redhead. "If you require it. But my 'twin's origins are still in question."

With that, the albino child strode purposefully for the other tank, and fronted up to it, Asuka in tow, to look at the other's face.

"Is this me?" she questioned. Ritsuko and Shigeru stopped their flurry, and everyone's attention went to the enigmatic Child.

"I...would not know. Perhaps." came the reply. The room looked on in shocked silence as the third incarnation of Rei composed herself.

"Are you another me, or...something else?"

A slight frown creased Rei III's brow. "I...cannot answer."

Kaji pushed himself off the wall and ambled into the scene, ands in pockets. "I imagine this could go on for a while. Since I suspect nothing will be solved right away, why don't you get your 'sister' out of that vat. Then maybe we can all go for morning tea."

"...good idea." Rei II said softly.

Asuka shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever."

Ritsuko rubbed her temples. "Yes, time for a drink. The first round is on me."

"Just what are you up to, Ikari? Messing with Akagi's head too, just for good measure?"

"Concerned?"

"Somewhat. We're not far enough through the scenario to risk losing her."

"I won't lose her. You can rely on that."

"Well fine, I'll defer to your 'expertise' on that. But why the elaborate game?"

"Sometimes a pawn that knows that it is a pawn has it's uses. Even if it's a rook. In any case, I don't wish to share my full reasoning with you at this stage."

Fuyutsuki raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Something you're not sure of yet?"

"Ever the Sensei, Professor."

"Uh, sir?" Shinji called quietly to the man clad in surgical garb who was washing his hands.

"Yes, Shinji?"

"I, uhm...could I get some food?"

"Sure. I'll bring some to you in a minute."

"Uh, that is..."

The nurse smiled. "Let me guess: you'd like some real food, and not that slop they feed patients to give them the will to get better. Am I right?"

"Well..."

"Gotcha." he said with a wink. "I've got a break coming up, why don't you come with me to the cafeteria?"

"Uhm...thank you, sir." he mumbled, not looking up at the man.

"No need to be so formal. Call me Kaoru. Pleased to meet you, Shinji-kun."

"Machine coffee? The first round is canned coffee?" Misato spluttered as Ritsuko passed around the cans. They were occupying the Dogma lounge, much to the chagrin of the many lab technicians and scientists who were ill-at-ease with such a colourful group. Rei III was wearing a borrowed lab coat over her swimsuit, making her easy to distinguish from her twin in school uniform.

"Hey, at least it's hot." Ritsuko huffed, cracking hers open and taking a long drink.

"So's sake." Misato grumbled.

"It is 11 O'clock in the morning Misato-chan." Kaji reminded her in his usual teasing lilt.

Misato downed hers in a single gulp. "It's barely even 'weak' coffee. Alright, now it's my turn..."

Ritsuko held her down to her seat. "Sit." she stated in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Guys, I think we have some more important issues at hand here." Shigeru said, leaning back in his seat and taking a sip.

"This is too strong for my taste." Rei II said after a sip.

"I cannot drink this." said Rei III after following suit, and promptly spitting the beverage back into the can. Asuka made a disgusted face.

"Hmm." Ritsuko said after a beat. Looking directly at the lab-coated albino she asked, "Who are you?"

"I am Ayanami Rei." came the automated response.

"And what is your purpose?"

Misato and Asuka frowned at that. But Rei III replied, "My purpose cannot be divulged in the presence of unauthorised personnel."

Ritsuko nodded, content with the reply. "Well, the memories seem well seated. For Rei II, she's shown plenty of inflections that she picked up from the two kids already so I have no doubt there. But...I can't even come close to understanding why there are now two of you."

Aoba scrunched up his empty can and tossed it casually at a rubbish bin some meters away. "I take it we'll be examining the sensor logs with a fine-tooth comb then?" At Ritsuko's nod he groaned. "Since the Commander is in on it, can we at least do it on the bridge? I hate the terminals down here. Plus, with Maya's help I'm sure we'll be done much sooner."

The faux-bloned scientist held her head in her hands. "Yes, I suppose so." she sighed.

"In the meantime," Kaji said, "what will we do with our wonder-twins? I don't think it would be fair to keep them cooped up while you investigate. It could take days."

Akagi shook her head. "No, it could take months, or it may never be solved. It's entirely possible that this was a chaotic event, and as such no significant correlation might be found. All of our scans show that they're both clean...so I guess..."

"That we'll be adding another pilot to the roster." Misato interrupted. "Speaking of which, you'll need another name. I'm sorry, but I think Rei II should remain 'Rei'..."

"It does not concern me." Rei III said.

"How about 'Kyoko' (mirror)?" Shigeru asked. Asuka baulked violently, spraying coffee at the man.

"I don't think so." Ritsuko said dourly, watching the man wipe himself down with a napkin. Asuka watched the man with a tick in her right eye as he helplessly bore the seething teen's ire.

"Perhaps 'Kasumi' (fog, mist)?" Kaji suggested sagely.

"Very well. I will go and see the Commander now." 'Kasumi' said calmly, standing up and leaving.

"...what about you, Rei?" Misato asked.

"I don't need to see the Commander just now." she replied, appearing bemused that her twin felt the need to do so.

"Hmm. Ritsuko," Misato said, standing up, "before you go to your precious computers, we're going to have a little chat..."

Shinji sat apprehensively before his meal, eating it slowly like it required deliberate effort and care. They were in an unfamiliar Nerv canteen near the hospital, and he and his host had purchased meals arranged before them.

"Is there something wrong with your food, Shinji?" asked the nurse.

"No! No, sir. Uhm, thank you for buying it. I...I'll get my guardian to pay for it later." he said quickly, like he was trying to ward off an attack.

"It's my pleasure. But really, you should eat. To tell the truth, you're a little thin. You could use some meat on you." remarked Kaoru, his tone indicating this was his medical opinion.

"Uhm...I g-guess..."

Nagisa looked thoughtful. "Maybe you like sweets? Allow me to buy you some desert."

"N-No! Sir, I couldn't!" Shinji panicked. "Thankyou so much, but you mustn't!"

Kaoru frowned at this. "You don't trust me, do you? I can't say I blame you, given some of the circumstances I've heard. Well, that's okay."

"It's...not that I don't trust you, sir. I don't trust anyone much..."

Kaoru quirked an eyebrow. "Especially strange men who offer you sweets? That's probably a healthy attitude for you to have. It's just frustrating to me." the gaijin said with a sigh, and spooned up another mouthful of his soup.

"Uh...uhm sir?" Shinji said suddenly. "Why d-do you have a Japanese name?"

The man recognised the peace-offering for what it was. "I was...displaced after Impact. I was young and suffered amnesia from my previous life, and was adopted into your society with a new name."

"Oh...okay. Do you, uh, remember any of your past now?"

A shadow fell upon the gaijin's face. "Yes...but it didn't have as much...colour as this life."

"Hmm. I guess...I can relate." Shinji said tentatively.

The blonde man looked up suddenly. "Shinji," he said, not turning to face the boy, "go back to your room."

Shinji looked surprised. Kaoru grimaced, fully aware that he might accidentally crush the boy's burgeoning trust in him. "I have something I must attend to, Shinji. Please go. It would make things easier for me."

True to form, Shinji stood up with apprehension and hurt. "Uhm, yes sir. I...I'll go now."

Kaoru sighed. "I have a silent pager on. A patient needs my help."

"Oh!" Shinji suddenly felt bad. "I understand, sorry!"

"Thank you Shinji. I would like to continue speaking to you later." Kaoru said, smiling at the boy, hoping to salvage what he could. The young pilot left, taking his packet juice with him.

Kaoru looked expectantly at the doorway at the far end of the cafeteria. His eyes followed as the nephilim entered, calmly walking toward him, eyes fixed on his.

"Iruel." He stated.

"Tabris." Rei III's body (Kasumi) answered demurely.

"I see you haven't attacked yet."

"I see the same." said the girl with an impish grin. "'Know thine enemy', perhaps a little too well, brother?"

"'To understand is to forgive all'." came Tabris' retort. "If you have that body, you must come closer to that than I."

"I have a unique sense of perspective, by nature." Iruel stated blandly.

"Why didn't you attack in your turn?" Tabris asked, eyes narrowed.

"I saw an opportunity. To create fear within these 'pilots' will be more effective than in the others. And so, I will learn what fear for them truly is."

Kaoru supported his chin with an arm on the table. "Do as you must." he sighed.

"I have no choice in that. Unlike a certain, whimsically indecisive one I could mention."

"There you are!" Rang Asuka's voice as Shinji neared his room. "Where the hell were you!"

"Uhm, having lunch." he said sheepishly.

"Isn't it a bit early?" Asuka replied suspiciously.

"I didn't get any breakfast, you know." he retorted.

"Neither did I, baka."

"Oh...I'm sorry."

The redhead sighed, rolling her eyes. "So you should be. Next time, catch the bullet with your bare hands why don't you."

"Well...I could make it up to you..."

Asuka grinned widely. "You better!" she told him as she joyfully took him in her arms, allowing him to return the hug gently.

"I see that your relationship has...progressed." Rei said.

"Rei! Uhm, that is..." Shinji hadn't even noticed her against the hospital backdrop. Her lack of motion contrasted strongly with Asuka's energy.

"It's good to see you again. How...how long have I been...gone?" Rei asked suddenly, a hint of apprehension in her eyes.

"Gone?" Shinji asked.

Asuka released Shinji. "Don't you remember? Oh, I guess not. How long has it been since...the twelfth Angel? Unit 03...Gott, I hate to remember that."

Shinji shuddered. "Uh, over a month? But, what do you mean, 'gone'?"

Rei jumped up to sit on the bed, beckoning for the others to follow suit. "I'm not as normal as you might think, Shinji-kun. I will explain..."

Author's Rant:

An Angel in an 'angelic' body? Oh, what have I done! As for Kaoru...I'll reveal more about what motivates the Angels as we go along, since we now have two with the capability of human speech. It may be a bit hackneyed to give Rei a twin, but...hey, it's convenient. Also, if you're wondering about how the good Doctor could miss the Angel creeping into the body, remember that experts are the ones who know the most about their fields, not necessarily that they know everything about them.

I appreciate feedback, so reviews are most welcome. More than once they've made me think. (That's a good thing, mostly)

Thankyou as always to my beta-reader pyramidgirl89 (and especially for her help with deciding on a species for Rei to belong to), and Rahhel for making Asuka more German and not just a colourful, over-proportioned and loud teenager.

- Omake for Chapter #15 -

Shinji sat at his desk wearily, unwillingly hostage to another day of school. His eyes, hardly opened since the alarm that morning, collapsed shut as Hikari sounded her usual call to boredom.

He listened with half an ear, waiting for his name to be called.

"Rise, bow!"

'Nah, can't be bothered. Cut me some slack, Inchou.'

"Thankyou, Hikari-chan. Now, we have a new student."

'Erm? Unusual, but not open-eyes worthy.'

"M-My name is...Mana Kirishima! Uhm, pleased to meet you!"

"Please sit next to Ikari there."

"Arigato Gozaimasu, Sensei."

'Wait...Ikari...that's me, right?'

Shinji lifted his head to see the strawberry-blonde taking a seat next to him. 'Whoa! She's...cute.'

She looked at him briefly, causing him to jerk away in embarrasment. Then, because he was a teenaged boy after all, he looked at her.

'Argh! She looked back!'

He stared at his desk for a while. But temptation took him. He turned his head again...just in time to see her looking away in embarrasment.

'She was...looking at me?'

He looked back at his desk.

'Aww, who am I kidding?' and turned his head again. This time, their eye met. They both blushed furiously and looked away.

"Hmmph."

'Uh oh...'

"NYAHH!" Mana yelped, sitting bolt upright and grasping at her back. Shinji saw something red on her back.

"KIYAAAAAAA!" the girl shrieked after Shinji saw something white flash from behind him. He watched as the new girl fled the room, jerking spasmodically as she ran. For a moment, he thought he saw arcs of electricity jumping along her spine.

Shinji flashed Asuka and Rei dirty looks as they tried to look innocent.

"Well...Hikari, please check on Ms. Kirishima. Now, the typical period of courting for the species..."

Shinji rolled his eyes an assumed the Gendo position. 'So that's what those hairclips are really for. I'll have to speak to them about inappropriate use of Nerv property.'

He sighed as the Sensei's soothing chant lulled him to sleep. 'No wonder Father always wears those beer-goggled. With this kind of crap going on, it helps.'

"Multiple partner behaviour is common, however the unwillingness of females to share...is something wrong, Ayanami?"

"I wish to assist and advise the new student." Rei said. Shinji's brow ticked.

"Yeah, she's got a few things she needs to understand." Asuka said, standing up and subtly cracking her knuckles.

"Very well. Occasionally, females will form partnerships to keep others away from...what is it, Ikari?"

"I need to get Rei and Asuka not to beat up on the new girl."

"Again? Oh, very well. Third Impact changed the Muskrat's behavioural patterns..."

Erm, it was early July when I wrote that...

-fin-