Description:
With the Commander gone, Nerv must dare to deceive the council and delve further into the unknown. The secret of the Eva's soul is revealed to Asuka, and Tabris stands over Shinji's deathbed...
I do not own the characters of Neon Genesis Evangelion, nor any other aspects of it. I am also not a cyborg and Kaji isn't my favorite pawn. Third Impact was caused by a meteor, I swear my soul on it!
Rating: M - The Omake is getting too dirty
Initial Perturbation
CHAPTER 18 - Complex interactions
Maya spoke up against the panicked din. "Her synchronisation index is increasing! 83, 89, 95, 99%!"
"No, not again..." Ritsuko moaned in horrid expectation.
The command crew watched Unit 02 rise up from the ground to glower insidiously at the wretched amalgamated Angel. The invader launched another spear of helical spear at the Eva faster than a human could react. It crumpled against the sudden manisfestation of an electric-blue AT field.
"Asuka's AT field strength has gone through the roof!" Makoto reported. "It's absolutely off the charts!"
"It's reading as two slightly different orange patterns in perfect synch." Shigeru informed his superiors.
Ritsuko pushed her glasses up as she watched the screen. "It must be the soul in the Eva." she muttered to herself.
The first of the production Evangelions stretched it's joints, starting with it's hand and rippling down through it's body to it's toes while the Angel looked on uncertainly, nursing it's shattered limb. With each crackle, an Eva's broken bone was mended. With each stretch, a muscle or tendon was healed. Bits of ragged armour hung superfluously off the whole beast within.
Misato held her hands to her face in an expression of remorse. "Doctor, what is this going to do to Asuka?"
"Help her to survive, I suppose." the technical head of Project E said absently.
Unit 02 took long strides to a weapons bunker, pulling out a progressive katana in a fluid movement while the mangled monster glowered. Facing it's foe, Asuka's machine held the blade's hilt with it's right hand, edge balanced in the left. Evangelion Unit 02 stood in a slight crouch, balanced on the balls of it's feet, a samurai at the ready.
"Haaaaa!" shrilled the redhead, side-swiping the Ev-Angel in a sudden movement. The blade bounced off an orange AT field, but Unit 02 reared back with the motion and thrust again, this time with feeling. The AT field popped as the blade cut through and met Unit Zero's forearm, cutting shallowly into the malformed armour of the Zero's chest. The mutated beast hissed as it's thick vital fluids leaked out and slung another helical lance at the Eva, point-blank range. Asuka held up a palm to stop it, her glowing field holding back the spear in a blaze of purple. An amber rage followed the lance back to it's origin, turning the limb to white ash in it's wake. Unit 02 was thrown back, but maintained it's feet. Meanwhile, the Angel shuddered and writhed in a mixture of pain and rage, contorting it's uncertain appearance.
Unit 02 picked up the fallen Kodachi, standing armed with the two unequal swords. Winding back half a turn, Unit 02 flung the Kodachi like a throwing star . The kodachi faltered against the AT field, it's spin held back by the Evangel's barrier. But the blade didn't stop. Gradually it sped up to the speed of a frog in treacle as the dark orange field brightened.
"The Angel's AT fields are being overpowered."
The blade spun up like a flywheel and hurled itself into the Ev-Angel's chest. Unit 02 followed, reaching back with the katana in hand. The blade's edge shone a pale blue, imbued with an AT-field edge far sharper than what progressive science could achieve. It delivered the killing blow in a diagonal slash straight through the creature's body. Asuka growled with delight, using the sword to lever the armour away from the abdomen of the corpse. The exposed core, a sickly purply-maroon shiny with mucus, pulsed with an erratic, manic beat. She thrust the sword down, cracking the shell. She thrust again, splintering off a ruby shard, and again, building up to a jackhammer beat. Finally it gave, the shell caving in to a hollow center. Asuka drew out the tip, and immediately went pale.
Unit 02 lurched backward and dropped the sword. Asuka leant to her side and threw up into her LCL environment.
(Oh Gott..." she breathed. "Gott, why does it look like Rei?)
Ritsuko closed her eyes and muttered something silently. Then she turned to Misato who was barking for recovery teams. "Deactivate Unit 02, and get me a mobile lab set up around the Angel. Leave the Unit next to the Angel."
"What!" she stared at her friend with suspicious scorn. "I have a traumatised pilot in there! We can't leave her out on the field for a moment longer than necessary."
Fuyutsuki made his presence on the deck known by clearing his throat. "The recovery teams will get her back immediately. Doctor Akagi, please proceed post haste."
"Yes sir." Ritsuko responded, power-walking away.
"Yes, Sub-Commander." Misato said with a hint of venom. "Sir, perhaps you could explain why the Commander isn't here? Last I heard, he wasn't expecting to be un-available. Sir."
To her surprise, Fuyutsuki reached out and held her forearm with steady hand. "Come with me." he said tiredly. "I'll explain. In my office."
"But..."
"The others will clean up the mess. This mess, anyway. Your pilot might need you, but we've got bigger problems right now."
Shinji lay, still as death, on his hospital bed. He had not stirred since he was visited by a messenger, and now his vitals traced a flat pattern of hopelessness. His mental activity was nulled.
A presence of metallic purity with a steely will of purpose stood by the boy, shrouded in shadow. Tabris had assumed is true earthly form, and let his grim grey eyes observe the fated boy directly for the first time.
"I will this decisions, Father. It is not this one's time yet. I will face him yet before the final truths are told."
The delicate hands of a fourteen year old innocent touched another's forehead, then faded back into shadow.
Rei reeled slightly. Having been recovered from Kasumi's trap, Ritsuko had decided to deliver the news of the Commander to Rei herself.
"Are you okay?" Akagi asked.
"I...am not sure. Perhaps...not."
"This might sound strange, Rei, but...you look pale. More pale than usual."
"I...perhaps I am in emotional shock?"
"Maybe. Go to the bathroom and clean yourself up. Wash your face with warm water."
"I...yes, ma'am."
Rei left hesitantly, and found herself leaning against walls and doorways as she moved about. She couldn't help it - the world was moving around too much. At odd intervals she would find corners and edges at strange angles, inevitably obstructing her body as she moved.
The light-headed pilot found the bathroom and leaned against the sink.
She heard a gasp, "Ayanami!"
She turned and took a moment to focus on red. "Asuka..." she whispered.
"Rei...you..."
"I am not well..." Rei said softly.
"Mein gott, Rei...I didn't mean it, Rei!"
"What?"
"I killed her! I killed your sister! But...I didn't kill you. I didn't!"
"'Me'...? Oh...Kasumi...yes."
Asuka looked at her in shock. "Don't...don't you even care?"
"I'm...not normal." Rei stated, dousing her face in warm water.
"You freak!" Asuka spat, and slapped her. Rei fell, hitting her head on the basin as she went. The pale girl collapsed into a ball on the tiled bathroom floor.
Asuka looked at her in exasperation, then surprise. "You're...crying?" The redhead stared at the sobbing girl, then straightened. "I...sorry!" she mumbled, before leaving flightily.
Kouzo Fuyutsuki lingered outside of Nerv's detention center, idly wishing he'd taken up smoking seriously back in his doctorate years. Who the hell wanted to grow old these days?
With a resigned grimace, he straightened and walked in. "Stand aside." he ordered the burly security guard in his thick padded armour and his tazer stick. The gorilla stepped quickly aside, quick to show his respect for seniority.
Fuyutsuki went to the security door and submitted to a retina scan and a brain wave interrogation. Then he went through the heavy powered doors that had chuffed open for him. The detention center was small - Nerv didn't usually waste much time or space on prisoners. He found Kaji's room immediately, and opened the door.
"Leave us." he commanded the security guard who had been standing over the bruised, knotted heap on the small metal chair. He complied after only an instant's hesitation. The room's prisoner was in no shape to threaten anyone.
Kouzo sat down on an empty seat and leant back against the wall, rubbing his temples. "Mister Kaji. Do you know what you've done, in God's name?"
A wry, pained chuckle emitted from the battered heap. "We...all have...windmills to slay."
"You're in good condition, considering. These men are ruined for life, you know. Who's going to hire security agents with an assassinated master? I'm surprised you have the capacity to be able to think, let alone talk."
"Felt...sorry for...me. Broken...ribs."
"Mmm." Fuyutsuki nodded. "Nerv has excellent hospital services, you know? Some marvelous pain killers."
Kaji wheezed in amusement. "Are you...hiring me?"
Fuyutsuki shrugged tiredly. "I need all the cards I can pick up right now. Since you decided to take my King, I've got a vacancy for a Joker."
"...you know...my dealer..." he said with blood-shot eyes.
"Seele. Of course. But I have the feeling your days for seeking 'truth' are over. Now is your time to shape those truths."
"Never...had...enough...chips..."
"What I don't understand," the Professor continued, "is why you specifically targeted Gendo. He's just one man, in the end. Unless...the committee's scenario is what we had feared. And you, you had no plan for this. You were forced. What are they holding over you?"
Kaji tried his best to be stubborn. "I...was not supposed...to get caught?"
"Sarcastic to the last, eh? The old men need Nerv, but it seems they don't feel they need Gendo anymore, or you for that matter. Who did they threaten? Katsuragi? Akagi?"
"Shinji...and Asuka."
Kouzo grunted. "Bastards. The true reason for the dummy plugs was this threat."
"They hit...where it hurts..."
"Mmm. Our hope for the future." He stood up. "It's late in the game. I'm giving you a chance to fight against the final peace you must know the Committee is bent on having. Our only true assets are a trio of disillusioned kids whose hope might be fading."
"Always...liked a challenge."
"Good." Fuyutsuki went to the door. "We've got one."
"Wait," Kaji said suddenly. Kouzo looked at him questioningly.
"A nurse saved me...from dying."
Fuyutsuki nodded. "Fine, they'll get something."
"Not it. Appeared in Central Dogma...healed me without...touching me. Said, not my turn...yet."
The professor took a moment to digest the information. "A Messenger?"
Kaji smirked painfully in confirmation. "...Angelic."
Kouzo stood in thought for a moment. "I'll let Akagi know..." he said, leaving smartly.
Shinji sat up, shielding his eyes from the light from the doorway. "Oh, man. Shut the door!" he whispered harshly.
"Sorry." squeaked Misato. "Headache?"
"Scheiße, hab ich einen riesen Schädel (Shit, I have a big head)..." Shinji whispered back, still cradling his head.
"Whoa...and where did you pick up language like that young man?"
"In exchange for helping her with her kanji, Asuka had these...little phrases to teach me..."
"Heh, that little hellion. She won the last battle you know...hey, I'm glad you're okay."
"...yeah, me too. Uhm, she's okay?"
"You know her. It seems nothing with Eva is simple anymore, but if anyone can cope it's our Asuka."
"I want to see her. Uhm..."
"Wanna get some sleep?" Misato asked, still whispering.
"Yeah." Shinji said, collapsing back. He kept his arm draped across his eyes.
"G'night, Shinji-kun." she said, moving to the door. 'I'll tell you about your father...tomorrow.'
"Mama?"
(Liebling...)
"It's me, Mama. It's Asuka."
(Liebling...)
"I'm Asuka, Mama. Asuka."
(Liebling...)
"Say something. Tell me I'm a good girl, Mama. Tell me you're proud of me."
(Liebling...)
"Tell me you love me, Mama."
(Liebling...)
"I love you, Mama."
(Mein liebling...)
Ritsuko looked on grimly. "Asuka..."
"You evil, stupid BITCH!" Asuka screeched across the comm. channel. "All of you! You trapped her soul in here, now she can't even THINK! She's just...she's like a cow! She can't think, she can only BE..." she sobbed, covering her weeping eyes with her hands.
Ritsuko nodded sadly. "The soul of Kyoko Sohryu-Zepplin begat Asuka Langley-Sohryu. The soul recognises it's progeny, but it's mind is not human. So the Eva recognises you, Asuka, but she can't do more than love you."
"She can't be proud of me?"
"No more than the pride that is inherent in love...whatever that is. I'm sorry, Asuka."
Asuka sobbed some more, hugging herself while sheltered within her mother's spiritual breast.
Ibuki slugged back another tequila shot, gagged and emitted a high-pitched giggle. "Oh, god! I'm soooo drunk..."
Shigeru slapped her back, and held up a hand to the bartender. "Two more, thanks."
Makoto leaned forward on the bar, taking a long sip from his beer. "What a hell of a day."
Aoba snorted and flung back his shot. "Man, you haven't had the WEEK I've had, Man. Oooh, I'm gonna have bio-weird nightmares for a month!"
"Hah, did you see the way that thing hacked the MAGI in front of us? Insanity. It's like a kind of super-ultra-fast organo-computer was inside the Eva. I still don't understand how we stopped it."
Shigeru glowered. "To me...I dunno, maybe I read too many conspiracy theory blogs, but...it's like the EVA telemetry system was hardened against that kind of attack. Makes me wonder just what the hell is inside those things."
Maya shook her head vigorously. "I win this one, I sooo win this. Y'see. Alright,Doctor Akagi put on these huge rubber gloves, like up to her armpits. Then she got a hacksaw and an angle grinder. Then...she was on that...butchered thing, that thing that ate Unit Zero and Asuka sliced it up like a meat butcher. Oh god."
She shuddered, and slammed the next shot down with a painful grimace. "*Cough* Then the noise started...the grinder, and the hacksaw going through the armour. Oh, blood and bits everywhere...and then. Under the armour...gristle, oily bits, bone...! All over her, little bits, slimey...so much ichor over Sempai...then the organ. The bloodied organ of life...looks like, like a giant oyster but all yuck. She held it up before..."
"Yeaaaaaahhh...you win." Shigeru moaned.
"So. Don't. Give. Me. Fuck. For. Being. Shit-faced." Maya moaned, stabbing her finger only generally in Shigeru's direction.
"She's totalled man."
"No shit Sherlock!" Aoba snapped, nursing the drunken and depressed Ibuki enough to keep her on her stool.
"I think she's gonna chuck." Makoto observed, looking at his co-worker with alarm.
"You're right." Shigeru realised. "Help me!"
"We can't go into the woman's toilets! And we can't bring her into the men's!" Hyuuga protested.
"Idiot! Do you want to be wearing it!"
"Yeah yeah, fine." he stood up and drained his beer before helping to gather up the semi-concious lieutenant.
"Misato. You're here early." Kouzo said, turning to see her enter his office.
"Shouldn't you be...in his office now?"
Fuyutsuki shrugged as he sipped at his tea. "We all have our little symbolic gestures to fulfill. You'll get this office in good time."
"Uhm...if you say so sir. But, I don't see why we should pussy-foot around - he's gone and no amount of pretending will make the slightest difference. From what you've told me, we don't have time to waste."
The acting Commander smiled tiredly. "Want to tell me what's really bothering you, acting-Sub Commander?"
Misato groaned, and took a seat. "Sir...could you tell Shinji the news?"
"At least he's okay. Akagi tells me he was clinacally dead for six hours during the attack. How is he now?"
Misato grinned sadly. "He'd got a headache, but that's about it. I'm more worried about Asuka right now."
"Hmm, she's had quite a shock in the line of duty, saving us once more. Well, I'll tell Shinji about his father if I get time. Perhaps I'll explain some of what motivated the man who was his father, or at least as much as I know."
"Thankyou, sir."
The door open.
"Ah, Doctor Akagi. Have a seat."
"Yes, sir." Akagi said pleasantly, resting a clipboard on her lap. "I take it Kaji is running late again?"
"Kaji! Why the hell is that dick coming!" Misato spat.
"He'll be up in a minute." Fuyutsuki said calmly. "he's reluctant to adjust to the wheelchair."
"Wheelchair?" Misato said in surprise.
"Hi..." Kaji rasped, wheeling himself in through the still-open doorway.
Fuyutsuki stood up and closed the door. "Well. We've got a lot of issues to reveal, trust to offend and illusions to shatter. Let's get started." he said dryly.
"Mister Nurse!"
Kaoru disposed of the human waste he held in the bedpan, quickly disinfected his hands and went to his younger patient's ward. The little girl was playing with a doll enthusiastically on the ground, her saline drip unattached and a bowl of jelly spilled to colour the normally beige linoleum floor.
He watched her play for a moment before clearing his throat to make his presence known. "What is it, Aki?" he asked with a hint of stern-ness to his voice.
The little girl looked up at the blonde man. "Hello Mister Nurse." she said brightly.
"I wonder, my pre-sentient burden. Is it a kindness to give you time to achieve sentience, in a world such as this?" he said gently, his tone staying playful despite his words.
He picked the writhing bundle of entropy up and placed her onto the bed. She proceeded to play hide-and-seek with the light, by poking her head above or below the sheets. Kaoru picked up the drip line and pushed the saline stand aside, and begun cleaning up the mess. "I will...have to make a decision soon. So trivial a thing, and yet here I am. I was created to make the decision...so perhaps it is not so trivial thing after all."
He went to get a cloth to wipe up the jelly, when he heard the old man hacking and coughing harshly.
"In some cases, the kinder path is easier to see. I judge that your time is now, Oji-chan." said the Angel not unkindly.
Ritsuko stared blankly at Kaji, his words dying in her ears as her agile mind struggled in vain to absorb their meaning. She turned her head aside, instinctively making it Misato's side.
Misato frowned in shock. "You...you mean..." she stammered, choked with outrage.
Kaji grimaced and fished a cigarette from his jacket pocket, no easy feat with the bulky cast around his chest and his limited mobility in the chair. "I'm not proud of it. I'd be lying if I said I was prepared for the consequences, but they were preferable to the alternative."
"W...why!" Ritsuko choked. "In the name of God, why would you do that?"
"Rits..." Misato looked imploringly at her friend, not knowing how to reach out.
"He was our last fucking chance of salvation, the only one with visions for a real future, the new Genesis for mankind! He was a monster, but a monster for us! Our very own demon to fight off the demons of hell...and then a little bug-brained prick like you kill him."
Kaji ground his teeth, tasting bitter-sour tobacco in his mouth. "Was...fighting for my life..." he muttered.
Misato cradled her head in her hands. "This is too much. Kaji, you did this because those cretinous old men, those manipulative bastards told you to? No, there's more to it...you always play both sides. Why, Kaji? Who did they threaten?"
Ritsuko lunged from her seat with sudden fury. "WHAT COULD BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN THE COMMANDER?" she screeched, held back from mauling the invalid by a surprised Misato, who had managed to catch the enraged scientist only through training reflexes.
"Ritsuko, for God's sake..." she exclaimed.
"No, For HIS sake! Who was so important, Ryouji Kaji! WHO! You'd better not say Misato or some piss-weak excuse like that. I'm sorry Misato, but people like you and me are nothing compared to the Commander. The man was a demi-god, only to be killed by this jackass..."
The woman fell back in her seat, hands covering her eyes to hide the streaming tears.
Kaji leaned back in his wheelchair, studying the subtle eastern patterns that lined Fuyutsuki's office ceiling. "The Children. Don't want...to repeat in detail...what would happen. From anyone but them...wouldn't believe. Should we live...if men like them...will as well?"
Fuyutsuki nodded. "They seek to control us with the death of hope, starting with those two. Well, now you know the truth behind Ikari's death. One way or another, Seele wants us crippled."
He stood up and turned his back on them, hands clasped behind his back. He rocked on his heels, thinking. "All is not yet lost, though. They think we've got two Angels left, thanks to the MAGI, instead of just one. That is our chance. It buys us time."
Ritsuko split her fingers apart to look at the older man. "They...intend to control Third Impact..."
Misato growled in frustration. "There was a set number of Angels! Why wasn't anybody told? Stupid question, like the Commander didn't just breath secrets."
The Professor turned back around to face them with a grim smile. "With Ikari out of the way, who could oppose them? They think my capabilities to control the Children, especially Rei, is too weak to save us. And, they're right. That's why I've brought you three here today. You three, the best and brightest of a generation. With my knowledge of the Instrumentality project, we might be able to counter Seele's plans."
Ritsuko sneered. "You brought that little virus here to work WITH us! What could a waste of space like him achieve?"
Kaji looked thoughtful. "You want me to map out what I know of the Seele network, their operations and plans."
Misato tapped her nose idly. "If they think we've got two Angels to go, and not just one..."
"One we currently know the status of." Fuyutsuki noted.
"The Dead Sea Scrolls told us that the Sixteenth Angel would take an incarnation of a Nephilim and it's avatar. Depending on the accuracy of the translation, this still holds true and yet we still have Rei in her current incarnation. So we've got two Evangelions equipped with S2 engines, one of which they don't know about, plus Unit 06 AND a viable pilot in Rei..." Ritsuko added.
"Then we might just have enough cards for a bluff." Kaji said sourly.
Misato shook her head with a combination of admiration and disgust. "So thats what your post-battle operation was. Taking an S2 engine from the mutilated remains of Unit Zero and putting it into Unit 02. Doctor, you're amazing."
"We can't afford to be squeamish. If we have to do things we don't like to survive..." she trailed off, looking meaningfully at the Agent with a hard glint in her eyes.
Major Katsuragi let out a loud, huffy sigh. "Well, it seems like we've got a lot of planning to do. Now, exactly how much do we know about this 'Committee'...?"
Maya walked into the woman's bathroom, moaning and cradling her head. "Aww, I sooooo shoulda taken today off..." she groaned. She walked blindly in, managing to stop just in time to avoid kicking Rei.
"Rei! Honey, what are you doing on the floor?" she asked in surprise, hangover temporarily forgotten.
"Who...am I?" the girl asked while continuing to face the piping beneath the sink.
Maya blinked slowly, taken aback. "Uhm, you're Rei aren't you? Otherwise, we'd probably...you wouldn't be here right now."
"But...who is Rei Ayanami? What is the First Child of Project E? Why am I here, with no Commander to direct me?"
Maya sighed, and sat on the ground next to the fallen girl. "Y'know, last night I could have debated with you all night long, but right now I really can't. Have you been here all night?" she asked suddenly, concerned by the deep dark rings shadowing Rei's red-shot, tear-encrusted eyes and rumpled clothing.
The girl nodded.
Maya shook her head. "You look as bad as I feel. C'mon, let's get you a nice hot drink and somewhere to lie down."
"Why?" Rei asked sullenly, a hint of anguish apparent in her voice.
"Because its cold and wet on the floor." Maya answered. "And I'm too hungover to try and force you into a hot shower right now."
"Ikari is dead. Our information indicates that your man was captured and is currently being held in detention."
"Yes. He's not expected to survive more than a couple of days."
"If he's interrogated, he might give more information to Nerv than we would willingly allow."
"He knows nothing of importance. The dis-information I've fed him should compensate for what he does know."
"Give the man his dues. He was something of a master of sifting fact from fiction. It's what made him useful in infiltrating Nerv."
"Perhaps. However, Nerv's security forces are likely to torture him for personal vengeance rather than Nerv's gain."
"Did he deserve such a terrible way to go?"
"His loyalty was never in question, as he had none. Still, it is no way for any man of honour to go, such as he was. It is part of the price of salvation."
"It seems our timing was poor in providing Nerv with another Evangelion unit. This could be problematic after the final Messenger is dispatched."
"An Evangelion without the S2 organ is a minimal threat. It is the one with the Apple of Life that is of concern."
"Of course. But against fully thirteen Emissaries, even the fabled Unit 01 will fall."
"Such is the will of Seele. Tabris' will shall be our own."
The assembled held up their cups in toast. "Tabris' will as our own." they echoed, and drank.
Author's Rant:
-
This story does not get easier to write! But damn, it's satisfying when a good scene comes off. Oh, and the Omake is another continuation...I don't own persocon-Asuka but it seems like there might be a market for her! Next time, she might go on the rampage...Muhahahaha!
Thanks to my patient beta-readers pyramidgirl89 & Rahhel, as always. And to all who review!
OMAKE
"Asuka-chan, we're all alone..."
"FZZT"
"Asu-baby, let's get busy..."
"FZZT"
"Uhm, can we hold hands?"
"FFFTZ"
"GOD DAMNIT!"
Shinji gritted his teeth and gingerly explored where he shouldn't. His fingers found a button, which he pressed guiltily.
A pre-recorded voice emitted from Asuka's mouth.
Vhat are you doing! Zere iss a population krisis, you must find ein Real Girlfriend unt make ze bebies post haste! No robot-sex for you!
Love,
Ze Cherman Race
"Shit. Now I gotta get her chipped." Shinji muttered under his breath.
Shinji slunk meekly into Ritsuko's office, towing Asuka along on a little cart. "D-Doctor?" he asked.
"Yes Shinji, what is it?" the busy scientist said benignly.
He pointed at the broken girl. "Can you fix her so she'll have sex with me?"
Ritsuko blinked, and slowly looked from Shinji to Asuka, back to Shinji. Then she picked up the phone.
"Gendo? Yes, it IS me. You're an egomaniac who's ideas for world conquest and godhood are laughably pathetic and lack imagination or originality. In line with your sexual efforts, that is. And each time you call Yui's name I go to the Reiquarium and stab a Rei clone to death. With a sharpened pencil. Actually I just made that up, but this MY dream and I won't waste the opportunity!" and slammed down the receiver.
Then she looked and Shinji for a moment. He said, "Uh...so can you help me?"
Ritsuko rubbed her chin. "Yes, I believe I can. Head to examination room 69 and wait for me there. I'll give you some 'instruction'."
"Uh...Doctor Akagi? It won't work...she's got a child lock."
"Heh. An easy fix." Ritsuko mumbled, leaning down to one of her drawers and pulling out a pair of pliers.
"Sempai, I'm finished recapitulating the combobulations." Maya called as she walked into her office with her clipboard.
"Ah, yes Maya. Could you get Shigeru and Makoto to join us in ex-room 6-9 in about 20 minutes? And Rei? Oh, and if you see Kaji and Misato, send them along. Hmm, and just to make things complete, better let Fuyutsuki know too."
"Uh...yes Sempai? Uhm...something you want to show us?"
"Just a little 'group bonding' I've been thinking about for some time."
Maya wasn't dumb, she'd been to college. "Oh my god, Shinji's found a HUGE way to get revenge on me, hasn't he?" she quaked.
Asuka's frozen form did not react to Ritsuko's advance.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Shinji shrieked at the woman.
"Just taking her clothes off. Yours too, please." the scientist demanded.
"NO!"
"My imagination is too set on details. Fine, I'll take them off for you." Ritsuko smirked.
Gendo burst into the room. "Doctor. You are not dreaming."
"Oh, hello dear. You're early, as usual."
"I won't allow you to do this."
Ritsuko grinned widely. "Now this is more like it!"
Gendo looked at the two kids. "Leave immediately."
"Good luck sir..." Shinji whispered, dragging his catatonic girlfriend with him.
"Hey Shinji, I heard you got Asuka modded."
Shinji looked up from the couch, furrowing his brow as he nodded. "Yeah...why do you care Rei?"
"Her breasts are way outta proportion, and that red hair? Ridiculous."
The boy growled, "That's how she was before!"
Rei closed her eyes and shrugged, non-chalantly. "I heard you got the child-lock taken off your little prosti-droid too."
"SHE'S NOT A PROSTI-DROID!"
"Oh, you just wanna play 'doctors and nurses' with her huh?"
Shinji's face went beet-red and a puff of smoke escaped his ear. Rei could smell burning insulation.
"MOM!" she cried, "SHINJI BROKE AGAIN!"
Yui came in quickly in her lab-coat, and examined the stationary boy. Then she turned to Rei. "You HAVE to be less rough with your brother!" she admonished severely. Rei rubbed her severely admonished ears many times until the swelling went down.
Copyright 2006
-fin-