Holding On
Naoko Akagi had been here many times.
It was the same thing. SEELE would bring her out of her cell, interrogate her, torture her, then throw her back in the cell. Sometimes they wouldn't even give her the decency of wearing clothing, something that would grant her some agency in this miserable pit of Hell. Naoko wondered if the old men were getting off of seeing her debased like she was, or if it was simply a calculated move to unnerve her.
Whatever the answer was it would be irrelevant. Naoko had her pride to maintain, even if it was something as petty as denying them an answer.
"You have been asked about the Spider-Man many times. Yet each time your answer is the same. You do not know."
The question came from the chairman. Naoko had met Keel Lorenz during the early days of GEHRIN. She had thought him an affable old man when she had been first brought into the project. She would never make that mistake again.
"No. I don't, Chairman." Naoko was more than annoyed by this point. "I've communicated this many times, in multiple ways, including hand puppets. Do you want me to draw up a detailed schematic on how and why I don't know who some stupid pretender superhero is? I can do that if you so choose."
The other members glared at her. These pretentious, tired old men always got offended when they did not get exactly what they wanted, like toddlers begging for candy at a shop. The sight of their disapproving faces made Naoko cheer herself on for her bravery. Several voices started speaking.
"You speak out of turn, Doctor Akagi."
"Do you not know what happens to those to interfere with the agenda? The master plan to save the human race from it's evolutionary dead end?"
"Any move you make will have you beaten as you deserve, woman."
"There will be none of that." Lorenz spoke, making his fellow members silent. "Clearly she does not know. She would not endure this amount of humiliation out of spite for us."
It was definitive proof that none of these men had much interaction with Naoko before. They do not know the depths of her spite.
"Instead we have an alternate proposal. The Angels will be arriving in the next few months. NERV will need someone to operate the MAGI. Your daughter has proven competent but as much as we despise saying it, she is not as suited to the task as you are."
"Nice to get some appreciation around her." Naoko grinned. "What's the catch?"
"You will be under house arrest so to speak. No leaving the facility, no visitors to invite, your mechanical tentacles will be kept on a leash to prevent any… unnecessary problems."
The arms would have lunged for his throat if they could move. Sadly, they had been cuffed together while she was knocked out. If Naoko tried to attack anyone with them she would be electrocuted with the inhibitor chip.
"Unfortunate. But acceptable." Naoko nodded. "I will do my best."
She hated groveling, cowtowing herself to the men who would humiliate her at every turn, but bowed all the same. It was purely a means of survival in a cruel, cruel world.
If there is a plus side to being at NERV again, it was working with the MAGI.
Her greatest creation, her pride and joy, her magnificent baby, Naoko Akagi had loved building it years ago and it has been the one thing that never let down the doctor. Even when interrupted by an electric superhuman that one time. (SEELE had informed her of the truth not too long after the operation's failure), the MAGI worked to near perfection.
"You never disappoint me my baby," Naoko rubbed the computer, kissing the screen. "My darling girls."
With nowhere else to be, she hid here. A small metal box full of notes upon notes of Naoko's thoughts and her dreams attached to the walls. No one entered except for her. A space where she could work without the jealousy of others to hold her back. Freedom from the hell of other people.
Her own AT-Field if you will.
"Now that we have that settled… Show me Spider-Man."
Shinji Ikari. The boy. The Spider-Man. A thorn on Naoko's side like no other, yet not completely worthless like the other ones threatening to stab her at NERV. She thought he was a brat, a no nothing idiot who'd crumble at the first push against his pretty little face. Having Yui's nose and shape, along with that man's eyes, definitely didn't help her impression.
To her shock, Ikari actually stood his ground and beat her. The boy played her for a fool by attacking her age. Akagi had to admit, as much she hated being tricked like that, she had some respect for Ikari's spawn because of it.
Even with that, Ikari was still pretty stupid though. He and his little friends at school thought they could get by the system without triggering any alarms. Naoko had to bend over backwards to erase files upon files of Spider-Man talking to himself and changing back his "secret" identity. Ikari was not nearly as careful as he thought he was.
It definitely showed in the footage she was seeing. Earlier in the morning, a bank robbery was being staged by idiots who forgot to put masks on in the middle of their operation and were loudly proclaiming that they didn't have an escape plan in front of the hostages.
With amateurs like that, they deserved to get beaten up by a teenager.
"It has been quite educational though," Naoko spoke to herself. "If I'm destined to become a successful super criminal I have to learn from the mistakes of others."
She was under no delusion that she would return to a normal life after the Angels were gone. Even if SEELE was not a factor, her reputation was in the mud and certainly the boy would come and stop her. Naoko needed a new career to fall back on when it inevitably blows over.
"I was on my way to the cleaners you know, get my suit ready, but then I heard you guys yappin' all the way out here. You kinda suck at this whole robbery thing!"
Speak of the Devil, Spider-Man had arrived on the scene. Of the six robbers, only one of them reacted fast enough to point his gun but not fast enough to avoid the gun getting webbed.
"Morons," Naoko muttered to herself. "I would have landed a hit by now! Dammit."
Within a minute the criminals were picked apart like flies. A kick there, a punch there, it was rather dry for Naoko's liking. There was no style to Spider-Man's combat, free flowing between the criminals with little thought or care. Then again with opponents this weak perhaps it was a mercy.
More interesting was the chatter. Ikari was using a basic earpiece to talk to his classmates, Kensuke Aida and Touji Suzuhara.
"Watch to the left! No right. Uhh… crud I don't know."
"You're such a military guy, but you can't even get basic tactics right Ken?
"What, I'm only in it for the tanks! The warships, the artillery!"
"This is getting ridiculous. We're still not any closer on catching the Scorpion guy."
"Could you guys maybe tone it down a notch?" Spider-Man said. "I'm kind of busy fighting here?"
They weren't taking it seriously. An easy mistake to make, when you're young. Naoko pushed a button to delete the conversation. The Commander would not pleased if he found out his son was moonlighting as a vigilante. Naoko wanted to get her hands on the little brat first.
"I think about that's about enough of you for today." Spider-Man dusted his hands, having finished wrapping the criminals in webbing. "Maybe next time you set up an appointment for the bank if you want money!"
"Oh come on Ikari Jr. you can do so much better than that!"
Naoko practically screamed at the screen. If she was going to be beaten by a child, the least the child could do was come up with a slightly better quip than that!
"He frustrates me so… What time was it."
She checked the clock on her wrist, rubbing her eyes to wake herself up. Staring too long at a screen can disrupt your vision, or so Naoko had been told.
"Lunch time. Better eat before today's test. I don't need Ritsuko's shit right now."
The mess hall was quiet.
It was not surprising really. As Naoko ordered her sandwich, everyone kept giving her stares that lasted too long, or glares that would melt her down to a puddle if they had such powers. Naoko heard whispers of her sins, wondering whether they will be struck next.
Naoko wasn't bothered. It was nice to get recognition.
She ate her sandwich in peace, confident that no one would actually bother sitting with her so her arms could spread around the places. Really, who would want to approach a murderous lunatic like her?
"Hey."
One really stupid person of course. Naoko turned to find a man on the verge of tears staring her down.
"I know who you are."
"Oh do you?" She decided to humor this insignificant welp. "I don't think we've ever met."
"My sister worked at the Kokoro General Hospital. She was a nurse."
"Hmhm."
"You killed her."
"…"
"You shoved one of those freaky tentacles inside of her and killed her."
"…"
"Well?"
"Sorry."
"You really think that's going to make up for what you did?"
"No, you misunderstand." Naoko smirked. "I'm sorry because I don't quite remember her specifically. I killed a lot of people that night. It was a bit of blur to me."
SLAM!
A fist hit the table, the sound resounding across the mess hall. Naoko kept her composure even as the man grew angrier, getting closer.
"Do you have any shame!?" He screamed. "That was my sister you killed, bitch!"
"I fail to see how that's my problem."
He struck her face, sending her to the floor. If she had her way, Naoko would have snapped this man's neck or ripped him apart with her mechanical arms. However, the inhibitor chip wrapped behind her neck would prevent any use of her precious arms. Because of that, Naoko had to take it.
"YOU HAG! WENCH! MURDERER!"
He had his hands around her neck, attempting to choke her out, but security had already taken him back. Naoko clutched her jaw. Ultimately a mild inconvenience really. She picked herself up.
"Doctor." A guard said. "You're wanted at the Bridge."
Naoko brushed some strands in her hair away from her eyes. "I'll be right on it."
"WHAAAAT? Why do I have to take my clothes off for a dumb autopilot test?!"
Damn. Naoko forgot how annoying Unit 02's pilot can be. The little demon princess, Ayanami, Spider-Boy, and the Angel known as Tabris were in their finest birthday suits, naked before the eyes of the bridge technician staff to be inspected. The test was being conducted in The Box, an area of NERV below the lake where the Simulation bodies were located.
"We're not doing this to humiliate you Asuka," Major Katsuragi said to pacify the children, "We need an influx of new data every month or so to upgrade the Evas so we could better fight the Angels. Don't worry, I promise Shinji will make a nice dinner."
"Oh? Why are you not offering to cook yourself, Katsuragi?" Kaworu said in the cutest, most oblivious tone you could think of, being ignorant of what exactly he was asking.
"Errrm, it's best that I do the cooking, Nagisa." Shinji immediately said, saving the other children from a nightmare scenario. "Misato… isn't the best at cooking."
"I'll say," Asuka said. "It's a miracle she hasn't created a monster that eats consumes everything in it's path by now. Unless it's Pen Pen."
"Hey, that's penguin slander Asuka!" Misato said offended. "Pen Pen is an innocent little angel who would never hurt a fly."
"Probably not the best expression to make given our profession Misato."
"Shut it!"
Naoko tuned out the banter, instead paying attention to her daughter Ritsuko and her mousey little Kohai, Maya Ibuki.
"I swear, Misato is just as immature as these children." Ritsuko sighed. "It's a miracle we haven't been destroyed yet."
"W-well, Katsuragi isn't so bad." Maya stammered a bit. "We survived this long thanks to her didn't we?"
"I suppose we did. You possess the optimism of youth, Maya. Never lose it." Ritsuko said. "Alright children, start entering the plugs. We shut off the cameras to respect your privacy."
It was transparently obvious to Naoko that Ibuki had a crush for her daughter, what with the way her eyes lit up in awe or how she blushes upon close contact with Ritsu. Naoko would almost find it cute, if it weren't for the fact that Ritsuko was fucking her ex-boyfriend.
Yes Naoko was a little sore on that. Really, how else do you react to being replaced by your own daughter?
The testing went fairly smoothly. Each pilot was connected to rather large brown Simulation bodies built from the Evangelion's biological components. The pilots, except Nagisa, had complained about weird fuzzy feelings they were having being naked inside of the plugs. Ayanami was able to move her Eva a little, collecting the data needed.
A tiny alert came across Naoko's screen. That was curious.
"A dilemma." She said. "It appears we hit a roadblock."
"A roadblock?" Ritsuko raised her eyebrow. "But nothing's happened."
"I assure you, that's what the readings on my computer say."
"How would you know Doctor?" Maya asked. "Doctor Akagi hadn't detected it and she's worked on the MAGI longer than you."
Her daughter? Being more knowledgable than herself? On the most advanced systems on the planet? It was a funny joke, worth a laugh. A laugh that disturbed everyone in the room once Naoko let it out. Aoba, Makoto, Misato, most everyone all glared at her. Ritsuko uncomfortably shifted away from her mother.
"Don't forget Ibuki," Naoko said. "That Ritsuko may have provided the uplink, but it was I who developed the system. For someone smart enough to keep up with Ritsuko, you don't seem particularly informed. Such a shame!"
Maya returned Naoko's taunting with a fierce glare of her own, embarrassed in front of everyone. That made Ritsuko frown at her mother.
"What is it that you found Mother?" Ritsuko placed a protective hand on Maya's shoulder to calm her down. "There shouldn't be any stumbling blocks on our end."
So Ritsuko did have some spine when it came to her precious lieutenant. Interesting. Naoko saved this information for another time.
"As far as my MAGI were able to pick up, there's a corrosion seeping into the parts installed three days ago. Some discoloring, along with temperature changes that shouldn't be happening."
"How are we so sure?" Shigeru said. "Your perfect system could always have a design flaw here or there."
Naoko almost risked the inhibitor chip to strike at him down for that remark. Almost, because she had some self control.
"I. NEVER. make mistakes, Lieutenant." Naoko seethed. "We'll need to cancel the test. The corrosion is seeping into our floor and could interfere with the test."
"We can't just do that, Mother!" Ritsuko argued. "The Commander will chew our asses off for abandoning the data!"
Commander this, Commander that. Yes Ritsuko, go fight for a man who will throw you to the curb as soon as he was finished using you. Naoko thought this just now.
"The corrosion could be a sign of a more serious problem, Ritsu." Naoko said firmly. "Even the Commander wouldn't want his pilots to be endangered out of a misplaced sense of pride."
That's what he had Ritsuko for, she decided not to add.
Maya typed into her computer having discovered something shocking. "Oh my God, the corrision is increasing at a rapid rate!"
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
All eyes turned to the view screens. Rei was screaming in agony as her Simulation body twitched violently. In spite of the pipes being sealed the corrosion found its way towards the body and started infecting the plug. When it did, the Simulation body moved it's hand towards the crew.
"It's coming straight for us!" Makoto yelled. "What do we do?"
Naoko had already worked out the solution. With only minimal effort, she had activated the laser guiding system that severed the Simulation Body's hand. Secretly Naoko hoped Ayanami had felt the pain.
"Eject the plugs now, we need to keep the children safe!" Misato ordered fast. "Fire everything at the corrosion!"
So they came to pass. Everyone was sure the pilots were saved from the corrosion, once they had been sent above and the lasers went full blast at it. In any case the problem would and should have been stopped right there.
Except this was not to be. Instead, a familiar yellow shield formed around the corrosion, blocking the laser fire from destroying it.
"It can't be…" Misato said. "It's still there! It has an AT-Field!"
All in the Box now gasped in horror at the sight of the corrosion. Blue pattern now detected, the MAGI identified this particular Angel as Ireul. Unlike all it's brethren that came before, Ireul didn't even bother with a humanoid form. Instead it attacked in a way that has been guaranteed to end countless civilizations before: a virus.
Now, the corrosion had increased as such that the windows were cracking, releasing water into the room.
"Everyone, evacuate now!" Misato yelled, pressing a button. "MOVE IT!"
The doors opened, all of the technicians rushing out as quickly as they could. Naoko was about to join them. Truly she valued self preservation over most other things. However, she turned her head to find Ritsuko and Ibuki just staring at the cracked window.
"Oh you got to be kidding me!"
Ritsuko was shocked. Maya was grabbing her shoulder, trying to drag her away.
"Ritsuko, we have to go!" Maya tried to call out to her. "Ritsuko- WHOAH!"
Maya and Ritsuko found mechanical tentacles wrapped around their waists, violently pulling them away from the cracking window. The water poured in just as the doors closed. The Lieutenant and Doctor panted heavily, trying to recover from what almost happened.
"Ow! Mother…" Ritsuko clutched her forehead. "What the-?"
"A little thanks will suffice." Naoko grinned. "Be nice and I might not even add an I told you so on top of it."
They all gathered at Central Dogma.
Commander Ikari and Sub Commander Fuyutski stared down the motley crew. The technicians had been inspecting Ireul's progress into the Pribnow Box that connected to the MAGI systems. If the infection spreaded, they could lose the three core components of the MAGI and lose NERV to the Angels.
Ireul had thus far taken over Melchior. It was halfway through assuming direct control of Balthasar before they set the synchronization codes to switch every 15 seconds. That bought them two hours at best. The crew must take advantage of the time wisely.
"The Angel seems to be composed of nano machines," Ritsuko said. "These nano machines clump together to form colonies that are able to act as an intelligent life form."
"Like a fungus," Naoko continued. "They're shifting to match the circumstances they find themselves in. Total adaptability."
"The only way to destroy it then, is to kill the host." Misato spoke to everyone's thought process. "We have to destroy the MAGI."
A console was shattered next to the Crew. The mechanical arm slithered back to Naoko, who was glaring at the Major.
"Unacceptable." She hissed in a low growl. "You're absolutely deranged if you think sacrificing the MAGI is a good plan!"
"I'm the Head of Operations, Doctor." Misato crossed her arms. "I make the decisions that will guarantee lives are saved."
"You can't be serious! The MAGI is a work of brilliance!"
"Excuse me, but the people here are more important than your work."
"Without the MAGI, NERV won't stand even the slightest chance against the Angels!"
"We can make do. We'll still have the Evas."
"Major, don't be stupid now-!"
"Enough!" Commander Ikari adjusted his glasses, letting the outburst speak for itself. "Unless you want to continue bickering, do we have other alternatives?"
Ritsuko stepped up. "The Angel is constantly evolving, if we could control it's evolutionary trajectory-"
"We can trick it into a dead end, killing itself." Naoko grinned from ear to ear. "Ritsuko for once in your life you managed to be a genius!"
"But how are we going to do that Doctor?" Maya asked. "The Angel is still infecting the MAGI."
"It will be a simple matter." Naoko helpfully explained. "The nanomachines act as a computer virus, which can be hacked into. We'll lower the barriers on Caspar to deliver our own program that will force the Angel to self destruct, saving the base and saving my MAGI."
"It's a dangerous plan, Akagi." Fuyutski said. "How are you so sure Caspar will be able to outdo the Angel?"
Naoko smiled.
"Caspar is based on the part of me that is a woman. I can assure you, Sub Commander, the woman can be quite stubborn when she needs to be."
So they worked at the solution.
It had been an hour and a half since they began. Each of the technicians were off in their own fields connecting and fiddling around with computer programs, trying to help create the anti-virus needed to destroy the Angel approaching them. Misato was directing their efforts, so it left two people alone inside of the MAGI box.
Mother and Daughter Akagi were in an awkward situation.
"I'm surprised you preserved my work as it was." Naoko said. "I thought you'd be ashamed of me, with the way I've been living."
"…"
"Still, you are a scientist. I suppose even you can't deny the efficiency of the MAGI despite it's creator. It's my greatest legacy yet."
"…"
"So far it's the one thing that hasn't disappointed me."
Ritsuko sighed. "Mother. I never liked you."
"Oh really?"
"I respect you as a scientist. Maybe as a woman. But as my mother, you were only there when it was convenient. You never understood me. I never understood you."
"Hmmm…"
"What's funny is that I tried being like you. I dyed my hair blond so I wouldn't look like you, but I tried acting cold and rational because that's how you acted. I think deep down I wanted your respect, even if I never liked you."
"Down to having sex with the same man?"
"That's none of your-"
"You know he'll just throw you away when he's done with you?" Naoko said grimly. "I mean, you always rode on my cocktails but i didn't think you'd take it so far."
"He was… I was…"
"Dumb and stupid. Always were. Always will be. What would Maya think of you if she found out what you are?""
"Like you're so fucking innocent, Mom!" Ritsuko snapped. "You're always blaming me or- or someone else but look at you! You're a raving lunatic who'd murder anyone at the drop of a hat! Oh wait, YOU HAVE MURDERED PEOPLE! You don't get to lecture me on anything, least of all about my assistant!"
"I can and I will. I'm your mother-"
"YOU HAVEN'T BEEN MY MOTHER FOR THE LAST TWENTY YEARS!"
Silence between the two. Ritsuko only heard the sound of her buzzsaw piercing Caspar's core, revealing something resembling a human brain beneath.
"You're right. I haven't been a mother to you."
"Glad you could acknowledge that-"
"I never wanted to be a mother."
"…"
"I made a mistake marrying your father. I made a mistake having you. I was always weighed down by everyone else. By Ikari. By Yui. By you."
"…"
"I tried so long to get everyone's approval because I thought being alone was the worst thing int he world. But now? I know my mistake. I don't need the approval of the scientific community, they would never accept me. I never needed Ikari's approval, he will always love his wife more than me. I don't need him. I don't need anyone. I especially don't need you."
"…"
"You took away what could have been the best years of my life and never made anything of yourself. Even now, you're working in the same place I am, fucking the same man I fucked, running the system I created. I made mistakes but made something of myself. Can the same be said for you?"
"…"
"Finish the program. I've done all I could on my end." Naoko moved herself from the box. "Get ready."
Ritsuko was left by herself after that. With no one to look at her, she allowed herself to cry.
In the end, NERV won out. Ireul was defeated literally by a push of a button.
Everyone was congratulated for their hard work except for Naoko of course. Even when she saved their lives no one wanted to credit her. Oh well. She stopped caring about those things a long time ago. Instead she returned to her lair, the place where she truly belonged. Alone, with her thoughts.
BEEP!
An alert drew Naoko's attention. She scurried to find a strange signature on the map. It was a yellow signature, an alert for something that cannot be classified as human or Angel. It came from the former Tokyo-3 Central Sewer Facility, abandoned by the state once it became clear it was unsanitary. The signature disappeared quickly.
"Strange. What could be there."
Someone had to be living there. Upon closer inspection the Central Sewer Facility connected to dozens of pipelines in the uptown area of Tokyo-3.
"Around the areas where people kept disappearing…"
Citizens were vanishing left and right in the months leading up to the Angels attacking. Most of them had been refugees from Kokoro trying to make a living. NERV and the police did not make any efforts to find them, their hands stretched with the Angels as is. Ikari had been trying to track down the perpetrator responsible. Perhaps she should tell the brat about it?
"Nah. If he won't work with me, why should I work with him?"
That was that. Naoko took a bit of coffee, and grinned to herself. She remembered the day she found her true calling.
"Oh not much. I only broke something." Naoko laughed. "The train is getting faster and faster… You could try to do it yourself. Or you could try to stop me. What are you going to do, little hero? Let's find out."
Naoko lept off of the train into another building. Now that Ikari was busy, she could go after Yashida and gut him for sure! It was foolproof!
"Unless he decided to stop me," Naoko said. "I doubt it. Maybe the train will kill him for sure."
Her plan was genius. Go after her, she exposes his secret identity. Stay behind and get killed by the train. Win win for her. There was no way Ikari had the power to stop it. He was too weak. It's a shame she isn't killing Gendo right now, but killing Yashida would make a decent substitute. He gave off the same view anyway.
"How will I split Yashida apart? Maybe start with the head? His hands? No wait, maybe-"
"NEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!"
The scream shook Naoko to the core. She turned her head to spot the train slowly stopping in the tracks.
'It can't be!' Naoko thought to herself. 'The brat… is actually doing it?'
He was! Shinji Ikari- No, Spider-Man- was giving everything he had to stop the train. Little by little, he was succeeding in slowing down the train. If it had been a few seconds more they would be careening down into the street and dozens would have been killed. Instead, Spider-Man managed to stop the train at the edge of the tracks.
It was not easy. The web slinger had passed out, only spared death by the mercy of the people pulling him inside. But Naoko had seen enough.
"He did it… son of a bitch he actually did it!" Doctor Octopus grinned from ear to hear. "I have to get over there. I have to see for myself what he's really made of!"
Author's Notes:
The TV Tropes page hasn't updated in three chapters. Could someone check up on that please? A bit worried is all.
It's another Spider-Shinji light chapter, this time focused on Naoko. Iruel is the least interesting Angel to do a story on, so I turned this chapter into an important one for Naoko and Ritsuko. Naoko's barely been in a few chapters so I thought we could shed some light on her thought process and how she's been doing and also we needed to be clear on where she stands with Ritsuko. We're also getting hints about Maya's side of things since that's going to play a role next chapter.
Edit: Don't you just hate when you forget the continuity of your own fucking story? RealRemainder pointed out I made Misato a Colonel when she was supposed to be a Major. I switched it back now, thanks dude.
Time to answer reviews:
Jackie Lin Tho: He does. However, Kaworu respects that not everyone wants spoilers so he refuses to say.
keybladelight: You… well, some of it? There will be more next chapter!
Messiah of authors: Shinji will eventually punch his dad in the face.
Author0fntent: You should save that reaction for the next chapter. It'll be a real doozy! Do people say doozy? Eh probably not.
RealRemainder: Asuka's been over Kaji for a while, even before she arrived in Tokyo-3. Maybe you'll hear the story about that some other time.
Next time is probably the most divisive chapter yet. This might be the one that will make people angry. I promise there's a cool story there but not everyone's gonna like the wrap up to the Chameleon Arc in...
Next time: In Plain Sight