Friendly Neighborhood Superhero
Rei Ayanami placed the last of her own clothes inside the case.
She spent the time after school taking a final glance around the apartment she had lived in for so long, putting the last of her affairs in order. There wasn't much in this dingy place she could call her own, so the luggage itself was small. The moment had an air of finality, one that she still wasn't sure how it came to be.
Scratch that, she knew the moment things escalated.
Rei only met Shinji Ikari for the first time when she went to inform him of an Angel attack. He later confronted her on her father, and brought her into his circle of friends at a time she felt distant from others. It had been difficult for Rei, as she knew Eva was her purpose in life, defined by the Commander. Or, that was what she thought.
These days, Evangelion and the Commander had been the last thing on her mind. She may have been created with that purpose, but others are not defined by such narrow margins. Especially not Shinji, who was Spider-Man.
"I hope you are doing well, Ikari…" She spoke to no one. "Will I see you soon?"
Rei spotted a small little box on her table. Of course, she had forgotten. Reaching to the box, Rei opened it to pick up a set of glasses from the desk. Commander Ikari gave her these things; they were the one gift she ever got from him, and the lenses remained as clear as day. Gendo had brought her into this world, given her her purpose, talked to her, given her his smile. Rei had no doubt they were intended only for her benefit. It was why she followed him for so long.
As she felt the ghost of palms on her neck, Rei shuddered. Her hands gripped the glasses hard enough that they cracked the lenses. She placed them back down.
"Had you been deceiving me since the day you created me? I could have been replaced at any point, but to think you would have killed me the moment you had a chance…"
Rei knew she was a clone of Yui Ikari. Her purpose was to bring her back and act as a rod to control the Instrumentality Project. She would not survive the process when it came to it, and the Evangelions needed another pilot; that was why there had to be multiple clones, in case Gendo required a spare. Perhaps there was enough degree of separation between the clones that she hardly remembered dying the first time, or anything before then.
She thought that at least the Commander perhaps cared enough about her to keep her alive. That maybe, even though she could have been replaced in mind, he might have appreciated her soul to let her pass on. But she was trash to him even then, used her as a trap for Spider-Man; then he attempted to murder her for deviating from his image of Yui.
He was no different from the elder Akagi. Naoko was the one who killed her, that much she remembers now. Rei did not know why she called her a useless hag, only that it provoked such an intense response. In hindsight, both flew into rage for defiling their conceptions of themselves and others. Perhaps Rei was always destined for destruction, forgotten.
It would have been, if not for Ikari. Him, Suzuhara, Aida, Horaki… Asuka… they showed her a better way to deal with life, even if it wasn't by much. She would show them gratitude one day.
"Please be well, soon, Asuka." A tear fell down her eye. "I miss my friend…"
The girl was a blazing fire that burned her own path. Any moment she captured everyone's attention, a firecracker that sparked voices and chants of awe and envy. When she wallowed in her own despair, Asuka understood her pain and validated her. When Ikari seemed at a distance, Asuka would be there for her.
But then she called her doll. Rei hated that association, having no desire to be anyone's plaything, not after the Commander. Worse still, Rei knew Asuka hated dolls. That meant she hated her on some level, enough to say it just to hurt her. Even now, Asuka kept her guard up and refused to say. Rei wanted to help, she wished she could, but her own experiences left her sheltered. One day, she will see through hearts…
A creaking sound disturbed her reverie.
"You ready to go?"
There were a pair of guards stood at the door. Both were men, wearing the typical uniforms associated with Section-2. Rei nodded, going to close her luggage and lift it up.
"I am ready."
A rapid set of knocks on glass. Rei harshly turned to find the person who could reach this place, her heart letting out a gasp when she saw the only answer that made sense.
"Hey pretty lady!" One could feel the grin underneath Spider-Man's mask as he waved at her. "You don't mind if I take you out for a ride around town, do you? I'm pretty sure we've got things to talk about."
Rei felt a sort of giddy wonder at that moment. Her mouth went slightly agape at the sight of the wall-crawler, dressed in his usual garb. It was surprising he came to her so openly like this.
Without a thought, she turned to the guards.
"On second thought, take this to the apartment." She handed the case over to the guards. "I am going on a trip."
The guards nodded back. Having finished that business, Rei opened the window, letting Spider-Man turn around so she could climb onto his back.
"Hold on tight, Ayanami. The Spider-Man Express has been known to cause a lot of vomiting."
"As long as you keep me safe, I will be fine, Spider-Man. I trust you."
Letting out a small nod, Spider-Man escaped with Rei, swinging through the air towards parts unknown to the pair of guards. These Section-2 agents were left stumped on what to do next.
"I guess we'll just take the cases then? What are we gonna tell the Major?"
"Eh, I'm sure she'll be cool with it. Hope the kid has fun."
"Yeah, Spider-Man's a total badass. I wish I could web swing so I could take my boyfriend out for a nice view of the city."
"Dude, you know how much I hate heights!"
"I'm just saying, it must be friggin' great to do that!"
"It's cool to watch but completely terrifying when you're actually doing it! I don't wanna think about falling off and dying. "
"I really don't feel like you love me that much sometimes."
"WE ARE ON THE JOB! I can't be too affectionate or we'd get fired!"
"C'mon man."
"No, listen you little-!"
Swinging through the air with Spider-Man was… an experience.
Feeling the wind on her face made Rei close her eyes to avoid getting them strained. The people below could probably see her right now, something that would have shaken her before. Yet here, holding Spider-Man in her arms, she felt as invisible as the wind to the world. She felt the pride that he did, a burden lifted from her shoulders in the breeze.
"Is that Spider-Man?"
"HE'S HERE! WOO SPIDEY!"
"Who's that girl on her back?"
"Eh, probably some broad that needs medical attention. Let her be."
"Brooooo, look at 'im! He's great!"
He was the hero they came to see. She, much like the other pilots, only existed in people's imaginations in context of Evangelion. Of course the average person wouldn't care who Ayanami was. That was okay. The limelight was more Asuka's speed than hers.
"Just hang tight." Spider-Man said. "There's a good rooftop right around here where we won't get spotted."
Rei trusted him, as she always had. Soon enough, they did come across a decently tall sized building. Not high enough to be a skyscraper, just low enough in case he needed to hear someone. As the duo touched down, Rei let out a breath she didn't know she had.
"It's okay, Ayanami." He backed off a bit. "Take a breath. It's always crappy the first time, but it's easy to get used to."
She calmed down as Spider-Man told her to. Rei shrugged her shoulders to look at the boy who took her here.
"You okay?"
"I think… I may need a moment…" Rei tilted her head. "Not that I am unpleased to see you, but is there a reason why you took me here, Spider-Man? I would think the city needed your protection."
Spider-Man nodded. "It does. I know one of the Angels got loose somewhere in the city, so I'll have to find it. Right now though…"
To her surprise, he grabbed a hold of his own mask, then took it off to reveal Shinji Ikari's face lying underneath it. He smiled at her.
"You're a lot more important. Remember when I told you I needed time before I was ready? Well, now I am."
So he remembered. A smile curved around her lips upon gazing at him.
"That is good. I feel honored you would reveal yourself to me like this." She did have to wonder however. "What brought this about?"
"A lot of crazy things. With everything that's happened, I was expecting the absolute worse case scenario to happen, but Misato accepted who I was and then I got into a really good mood and-"
Rei stopped him. "The Major? You told her?"
"I, well-" Shinji scratched the back of his head. "She found out already beforehand, but I didn't know she did, but since I got stuck in the Eva and almost died there, I felt like I had to come forth and tell her. So I did."
"… I see… she was fine with this?"
"No. Misato's not happy at all. But she trusts me not to get hurt, for now anyway. Apparently the upper management guys at NERV also know who I am."
"I am surprised only they know who you are… you are very brazen, Ikari."
"Maybe. It's not like I was expecting to get absorbed in the Eva for a whole month." Shinji shook his head a bit. "But you knew who I was before that, didn't you? How?"
To be blunt or accommodating. A tough decision on most accounts, but Rei decided to be a little cheeky for once.
"If I may be impolite…" She crossed her arms. "You are awful at maintaining a secret identity."
He stared at her, mouth agape at the confession. For a good long second, he didn't know how to respond, until Shinji nervously laughed.
"Ouch. Harsh, but fair. For real, though, what exactly gave me away?"
"You called me by my name at the park. At first, my thought was that it had to be someone from school. Then, however, with your tiredness, your conversations with the Spider-Clan and the ease with which you broke into NERV, I eventually determined only you could be Spider-Man."
"I'm that easy to read, huh." Shinji frowned. "I have to be more careful about that."
"You should. You never know when someone may take advantage of your identity."
"Right. Hey, you mentioned the Clan?"
"I have been associating more with Suzuhara, Aida and Horaki in your absence. You have tried to integrate me before, but this time we shared our common hope for your safe return to us."
"Sweet. I'm glad my friends are getting along swimmingly. They didn't tell you I was..."
"No, your friends did not tell me the secret. They weren't subtle, but they kept it. I never revealed my own knowledge to them."
"We'll make it official at the party. I'm sure we can squeeze in Asuka if you'd like?"
He was confused when he saw Rei turn her gaze downwards, putting a hand over her other shoulder in shyness.
"She…" Rei trailed off. "We are not on the best of terms at the moment."
That didn't sound right. From what Shinji remembered, the two were practically inseparable. They hung out more together than they had apart. What could have caused this change?
"Oh, oh I'm sorry. Maybe if you could tell me what-"
"HELP! SOMEBODY HELP, THEY'RE GOING TO- ACK!"
Shinji's face twisted in annoyance. He put the mask on as Rei turned back to him.
"Give me a second, Rei. I'll make this quick."
With that, he dropped down and ran across the wall. A civilian was being harassed by a mob. Six guys, one with a gun, which meant that Shinji had to find a way to stop that fight before it got too ugly.
"Yo, you got enough cash for me too?"
That caught the crooks' attention. Spider-Man quickly webbed the gun away, jumping down and lassoing it to knock one of the other criminals down. Two of them went for a punch, but Spidey moved quickly to elbow them in the back and avoid a different punch by a third guy, whom he knocked off balance. The man who used to have the gun tried to make a run for it.
"No way man, I ain't getting involved in this shit!"
He yelled, but Spider-Man caught the criminal's feet with his webbing. The other two held their hands up.
"Whoah there, easy wall-crawler." One crook said. "We surrender, we just don't wanna get hurt."
"Yeah, what he said." The other said. "No hurty."
When you do a job long enough, you get a reputation. Survive the destruction of your town and spread yourself everywhere at once? Eventually, they'll just do your job for you. Spider-Man webbed them into cocoon-like traps.
"Good, now I hope you learn better than to gang up on someone. Especially in prison."
Shinji went over to the civilian. A middle aged woman looked up at him in awe.
"Quick and efficient. I don't think these guys will bother you anymore." Spider-Man raised his hand towards her. "You alright ma'am?"
She took the hand back, giving him a smile as she got back up.
"You were wonderful, Mister Spider-Man."
"Just doing my job." Spider-Man gave her a salute. "I've got to get going now-"
"Whoah is that him!"
"He's back!"
"We gotta call the hotline, 'cause he's right here!"
"Look at him, he took those guys down like it was NOTHING!"
"He's the best!"
Much to Shinji's consternation, a crowd had already started forming around him. They pointed and gasped in awe of their hero, who had returned after vanishing. Spider-Man, for his part, tried to take the attention in stride and waved at his adoring public.
"What's up guys?" He said. "I know I was away for a bit, but I didn't think you missed me that much."
"We do, you're practically our folk hero." One of the civilians said. "We'll always notice your absence. What happened man?"
"You found yourself a girlfriend?"
"Ran away to join a circus, then quit?
"Did you get kidnapped by aliens?"
"Whoah, whoah, time out!" Spider-Man waved his hands. "Long story short, I didn't leave anyone behind. Basically, I got into a fight that left me in a coma for a month. I just got out of recovery, but I'll always be there to help."
"That's cool." Another civilian said. "At least you're better than the crazy nutso that's been terrorizing us the past few days."
That caught Shinji's attention right off the bat. "Come again?"
"So you don't know her." An older man gave him a solemn stare. "We thought there was some kind of connection. Guess we were wrong."
"Her?"
"She's a fella in a black suit." A different civilian said. "White spider-symbol. Unlike you, she don't pull her punches… she left her victims with bones that shouldn't broken in places. Be careful Spidey. She's a real freak."
Black suit. White spider. Spider-Man shivered, knowing exactly what he was going up against. The questions now are who and why?
"I'll keep an eye out for her." He reassured them. "In the mean time, try to stay indoors. That thing probably won't get near you so long as long as you get out of the way."
Several of them nodded in response.
"Will do, Spidey! Beat her ass, my cousin's in a wheel chair 'cause of that bad girl!"
Having concluded that business, Spider-Man quickly crawled the wall back to the rooftop, where he left Rei. She stared at him curiously as he marched towards her in a stomp.
"That was quick."
"I wanted to get back on this quickly, but we're going to have to cut this short."
Rei tilted her head. "Why?"
"I don't know how much NERV's told you," Shinji crossed his arms. "But the thirteenth Angel, the one that possessed Unit 03… it's out here and attacking people. Brutally."
She had heard. It was curious the creature did not make an attempt to merge with Lilith, as that was the goal of all the Angels. The Angel was in a unique position to do so, as the MAGI were hardly able to detect it. What is keeping it here, threatening others like Shinji says?
"I see."
"Yeah," Shinji reached to touch Rei's shoulder. "I'm taking you back home."
"Why?"
That startled him. "Why? Rei, this is an Angel that possesses people! It's too dangerous to take you with me."
"I wish to go with you."
"No! I'm not going to-"
She glared, taking a step towards him. "I risked my life inside the Evangelion. I will go with you."
"I can't take you, Rei. This thing almost killed Touji. I can't risk it infecting you-"
"I know the risks involved. I nearly died during your fight with the creature at the carnival, did I not?"
Immediately, Rei regretted the way Shinji shrunk away from her. It was manipulative, dirty even, but after years of being treated like a doll she was tired of being left out of things. She wanted some control over her life, and that meant establishing boundaries.
"I want to be a part of your life, Shinji. That includes the good and the bad. Take me with you. I will be sure not to get in the way of your operation."
Spider-Man went from side to side, his head wracking around what to do. He didn't want her to get hurt, not again, but didn't he always encourage her to be open and trusting? Right now, he wanted her to trust him fully. So with a sigh, he nodded.
".. okay, fine. But if we run into Bardiel, you stay on the sidelines. Don't go in trying to help me. I cant take care of myself, but you can't."
She nodded in return. "Very well. I can accept that."
He turned around so that he could let Rei hold him tight.
"Tokyo-3 is big, so there's no doubt going to be some pitstops along the way, people who need help. You sure?"
"Affirmative. I hardly see what frivolous distractions will keep us from finding the Angel."
As if to tempt Rei's words, almost immediately Spider-Man found himself chasing after pigeons.
It was a simple favor. A man named Doctor Tori came across the web swinging duo and asked for their help in catching pigeons he had been researching. It was apparently a part of research into curing a flu virus that only wooden pigeons native to Japan could carry. Unfortunately, he made a blunder and allowed the ones he had caught to escape into the park.
On the one hand, Dr. Tori had put orange tags on the pigeons that would make it easier to find them. On the other hand, they were fast and Shinji was getting tired of the run around.
"Why did it have to be pigeons?!" He yelled out as he once again hit a tree, causing the pigeon to jump and leave. "Couldn't you research squirrels or something?"
"There are hardly any squirrels around Tokyo-3, Spider-Man!" Doc Tori said. "They're more of an interest to my colleagues over in America! I'm sure Doreen would love to examine them if she had the chance to come."
Spider-Man finally caught one in his hands. He still had a couple of more to go, as he ran straight towards Tori and placed it in a cage with the others.
"It had better be worth it, Doc." Spider-Man said. "I've got places to be soon."
"Relax, you'll be paid in exposure!"
"I get enough exposure as is, actual money would be nice!"
Spider-Man launched a web and dashed further into the green. Rei had been watching the event play out, finding amusement in the ways the pigeons would run around Shinji. She had seen him fight the Scorpion monster to a standstill, yet he had trouble catching pigeons? If only she could record it for the Spider-Clan.
Rei tilted her head towards the doctor. "Is any of this truly important?"
"Hm, relative to solving world hunger or the like, probably not." The doctor smiled. "But science is more than just finding ways to solve human problems. The very act of discovery is a worthwhile endeavor in it of itself, especially in this world created by the cataclysm of years ago."
"Second Impact, you mean?"
"Yes. A lot of strange changes were made to the Earth because of it, including creating fixed weather patterns in countries, mutating wildlife, spreading new diseases, and fungi.… If we get more samples of this, we might synthesize a cure to the virus, but who knows what else may be out there?"
"I see…"
Although their homeroom teacher spoke on and on and ON about the Impact, moments like these reminded her that Second Impact wasn't a distant memory, but a recent past that changed the world. There were people who remembered the world as it was, before change took effect.
A change for the worse, the result of greedy, older men who had the world in their oyster and wanted more. A change that created the likes of her to fulfill their ambitions.
"Doctor," She started asking, "Would this research be… misused?"
"Possibly." Dr. Tori gazed wistfully into the sky. "We never know what conclusions our research will take us to, until our hypothesis is proven. Or disproven. However many problems science causes, it can also solve, so long as humans work to keep it ethical."
"I do not believe they have been…"
"Hm. I suppose not all of us… I hope we can achieve some unity sooner rather than later. We are reaching an era where manmade disasters may lead to the death of the planet as we know it."
Rei took it in, watching her hand as she did so. She opened and closed the palm of her hand, searching for meaning. She was created in this world to bring about the scenario desired by the old men. She never thought to consider what she could do once she possessed this great power.
Perhaps Ikari had felt this way once upon a time.
"… I will maintain that hope." She said finally. "Just a little while longer."
"Me too, girl. Me too."
A few moments later, Spider-Man came back with the last pigeon. He placed it inside the cage and rubbed its head, cooing at it.
"Who's a good boy, who's goody… not you, not you boy, you're cute but not good."
Dr. Tori laughed. "Thank you so much, Spider-Man. With the research being collected, we'll be able to make a sure in no time."
"No problem." Spider-Man turned to Rei. "You good?"
Ayanami was disturbed from her reverie, nodding. "Yes. Where to next?"
Hostess clubs can be hard to work in.
They come in many shapes and forms around the world, usually shaped by the surrounding culture that spawned it. In Japan, there is a fixation on maids or maid-like figures serving their masters. As such, women adopt work for all sorts of reasons, money, pleasure, or the like. So long as they looked cute to the customer, no harm, no foul.
But life can be hard if you choose that profession. People often mistake the work done there for being sexual in nature, thinking they can touch and grab. It doesn't always pay well, with the maids not always getting their due.
None knew this more than Rumiko Tachibana, having just gotten off a bad shift on top of who knows how many. She washed the mascara from her eyes, trying to regain her senses by staring at the mirror. Rumiko wasn't any better or worse than her fellow maids, but on days like this, she couldn't help but resent their enthusiasm while she seemed to get the bad jobs.
"Just a few days, Rumiko…" She whispered harshly. "A couple of more. You can go back home then."
She slipped on the trench coat over her maid uniform for the day. Rumiko had lost her regular clothes in the laundry, so she had to make do. The next shifts' maids waved and cooed at her as Rumiko began stomping out.
"Hey Rumiko~!" One called out. "Your spider-boyfriend hasn't come yet?"
"I heard he got splashed all over the lake!"
"My brother saw him catch pigeons in the park."
"Oh boy oh boy!"
"It's not like that." Rumiko admonished. "We had a business arrangement. Nothing more."
"Well, we hope to see you tomorrow, Rumiko! Try to get that stick out of your butt!"
She sighed as she held the trench coat close to her. Rumiko's apartment was a few blocks away. She nearly always took the alleyway, as it was much safer to be hidden from view rather than risk getting exposed by someone. Anyone.
Especially the one person Rumiko didn't want finding her.
She would take any risk to avoid him, so that was her resolve. Rumiko took to the alley like a shadow to the wall, assimilating to the background to remain a sight unseen. The garbage was dumped around her, music from the apartments swelled so high that neighbors wouldn't hear a whisper coming from Rumiko's mouth.
She was effectively a no one in Tokyo-3. Her home in Kyoto wasn't much, but at least her parents had respected her. She made a foolish decision to leave it all behind the moment she ran off with that man. She got in too deep to leave right away, so Rumiko stayed hidden, trying, desperately to avoid a confrontation.
Only one person bothered to help her out, but Spider-Man's been for gone a while.
"Rumiko?"
No. No it can't be.
"Rumikoooo!" A gangly looking fella came from a corner. He had a sharp grin that disguised a hefty amount of crazy intent. "I've been looking for ya sweetcakes."
"Leave me alone." She pulled herself away from him. "I don't want to see you."
"You gonna ignore me after the connection we had? You can't tell me we didn't have some wild times!"
"Get away, Ryoji!" She shouted, pointing at him. "You're the reason I'm in debt! I can't even hang around you clean without getting mugged by your crew."
"Alalala, your Spider-Man swelled your head with lies, baby. Where's he at? You better come home with me, darling."
Her heart skipped a beat the moment he pulled out a gun. Rumiko waved her hands in the air.
"Now come on, Ryoji, there's no need to- we can just- SPIDER-MAN! PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME!"
He fired a bullet into the air. Ryoji grinned harder, not even the slightest flinch at his actions.
"Now up up up. Nobody wants a tattletale. Let's see that maid uniform you love so much~"
He waved his hand, trying to get her to come to him. It would have been so easy for her to give in. What would it matter if Rumiko gave her up? She had no one backing her up; even the superhero was gone. But…
But...
Her eyes flashed with the gleam of anger.
"No. No I won't. You ruined my life! I'd rather die than go back to you!"
Ryoji sneered. "What a shame. Guess you're gonna have to have a looooong hike…"
"She'll need someone to help!"
Just in that moment, the gun was webbed from his hand. Ryoji swore under his breath. Rumiko's eyes widening upon hearing the voice. Could it be?
She looked around to see that it was him. Spider-Man learned on the bars of the fire escape, ready to jump down the instant something went wrong. There was another girl clutching the bars, watching. A mysterious beast in Rumiko's eyes.
"Oh there you are you creepy bug!" Ryoji yelled at him. "Why don't you come down here and fight like a man?"
"I don't suppose you could come up here and fight like a spider?" Spider-Man shrugged. "Pretty sure I taught you a lesson last time."
Wasting no time, he launched himself from the fire escape and webbed Ryoji to the wall. He also webbed the mouth shut just to make sure that piece of shit didn't start spouting his hateful nonsense.
"You okay, Rumiko?" Spider-Man turned to her. "Sorry I didn't make it sooner."
"I'm- I'm just shocked, that's all." Rumiko said, clearly shaken from the experience. "Where you been Spider? Everyone thought you gone!"
"Was in a coma. Got better. Hanging out with my friend over there."
Rumiko suspected any friends of Spider-Man had to be pretty crazy characters. Then again, who was she complaining about rescues?
"Thank you… for everything…" Rumiko shook her head. "I'm getting close to paying off the debt. I don't know if I can stay another month here. I just hope my parents can take me back."
"I'm sure they will." Spider-Man reassured. "Second Impact broke a lot of stigmas. If your parents say no? There's always a FEAST Center waiting to help."
"That's right... thank you, Spider-Man. I suppose that frees you from the contract."
"Hey, I do that kind of stuff for free." He saluted her. "Just take care of yourself okay. You matter."
Rumiko seemed satisfied with that, giving him a real smile. "Thanks a lot… you matter too, okay?"
She walked off, more assured than she had been in a while. Spider-Man jumped back to the fire escape, looking at Rei.
"One saga ends; another begins." He said. "She was troubled and needed help. Hopefully she can rebuild her life.
"That is good." Rei tilted her head. "What was your arrangement with her, exactly?"
"Found her lost one day. She was broke and needed to pay off some debts, so I offered to work as a bodyguard. In between finding the Scorpion and school and piloting I'd take at least a couple of hours to hang out in the maid shop in case of emergencies."
"I see…" Rei. "You look out for the less fortunate."
"Everyone needs someone, and unfortunately not everyone's willing to lend a hand. Work is work, you should always treat anyone who provides service with respect. They're still a person, after all."
He snapped his fingers.
"That reminds me, there's someone else I needed to visit."
A dingy warehouse had its last box sealed.
In this place, a man with long hair and a couple of pounds, both gained from his time in prison, pushed his glasses up. As he gazed to find the boxes, the man dropped to his knees in exhaustion, letting his mind wander.
"That's almost everything, but does Section-2 know? I really don't need any more legal complications as I move and I don't know where I can find him…"
He was soon interrupted by a loud thud. Kitagawa's eyes widened at the sight of Spider-Man entering through the window with some girl. She looked like a character out of a bargain bin 90's anime with that blue hair!
"Kitagawa!" Spider-Man said. "I hope you don't mind if I drop in?"
Moya was shaken, but recovered quickly. "Not all at all, Spider-Man! In fact, you happen to be exactly the person I wanted to see!"
He took a seat, allowing the teenagers to run around his soon-to-be abandoned-home. Moya had questions, however.
"To start off with, where the heck were you?!" Moya started yelling as soon as he found the opportunity ti. "I think I may have caused yet another whole wide incident and I'm gonna get blamed for it AND I DON'T WANNA GO BACK TO PRISON-"
"Whoah slow down, take a deep breath." Spider-Man put his hands on Kitagawa's shoulder. "We can figure it out, but first you need to calm yourself."
Rei watched Shinji calm the panicked man. Kitagawa… that was the name of the man Mysterio was it not? What does he want with Spider-Man?
"Phew, okay good point. Good point." Kitagawa got serious. "Look, I know it's a lot to ask, but I really think you need to know this."
"Fire away! You seem pretty spooked."
"Tell me about it. It has to do with my inventions…"
Spider-Man shrugged.. "I'm not going to steal them for you."
"No, nothing like that." Moya shook his head. "Recently I had been given parole in exchange for moving to Kokoro and working with others on rebuilding the MAGI. That's not a problem for me. I'm good at computers and I'd like to pay back for my mistakes- but as I was packing the last of my things, I noticed that some of the left over Mysterio gas canisters were gone!"
"How did that happen?!" Spider-Man crossed his arms. "You didn't keep any for yourself, did you?"
"No, that was the thing! I thought I handed everything over to Section-2, I don't know how they came to be stolen!"
"So I guess go back and tell them the truth…?"
"No. I think that one of the guards must have taken it. In any case, I'm not sure if they'll believe me…"
"Yeah I see it. You might get into more trouble." Spider-Man nodded. "Don't worry, I'll get to the bottom of it."
"Thank you, thank you so much!" Kitagawa then noticed Ayanami. "Oh, I didn't know you were hanging around with a girl. Girlfriend?"
Rei immediately shut that down. "I am an Evangelion pilot. He offered to show me around the city, which he took."
"Ah, I see, my apologies."
"You said you were going to Kokoro?" Spider-Man asked, wondering about that himself. "I thought things there were too wrecked."
"They are, but the government decided that maintaining Tokyo-3 would be too much work and tax payer money. The city was designed with killing Angels in mind, which doesn't do a lot to reassure civilians. No one feels safe anymore, so there's been a demand to be moved back in."
"They're probably going to cut down parts of the budget for that. Makes sense."
With only two Angels left, this might end up being a good thing. In the wrong hands, Eva and Tokyo-3 could be used as a battleground to launch an all-out war on Japan. Taking the city out of it may have been the right call in the long run, though Shinji didn't doubt there might be an ulterior motive to it.
'Maybe the government wants its hands on the Evas… I have to talk to Misato about destroying them.'
"It does make sense, but we first need to get a MAGI system running. I can't do that if I'm caught."
"Okay, then I'll look into it." Spider-Man remembered. "Maybe if they don't hand a house over to you, you could stay at the FEAST Center. They help anyone who comes in."
"I'll be sure to give that a try." Moya bowed. "Thanks again, Spider-Man!"
Alls well and ends well on this front. Shinji picked up Rei to begin the search again, until-
"Actually," Moya spoke out again. "There was someone I know who asked if Spider-Man could make an appearance at the hospital…"
"Spider-Man's here! Say hello children!"
"YAAAAAAAAAAAYYY!"
Spider-Man was swarmed around by adoring little fans. As it turned out, the Tokyo-3 General Hospital had a special event for their children patients to deliver books or entertainment to them. Kitagawa asked Spider-Man to give them something a little more spectacular: himself.
They tug at his suit, chanting at him to jump or wall crawl, or do a back flip to show he's the real deal. Shinji smirked.
"Alright back away a bit." He said. "I'll give you everything you want and more."
He threw himself into the task, first by jumping towards the ceiling, attaching himself to it through his fingers. He crawled along it, wowing the kids.
"Whoah that's real!"
"I wanna wall-crawl like Spider-Man!"
"Puh-leeeaasseee, you'd hurt yourself if you tried!
"Still!"
"Now now, no need for that." Spider-Man jumped down to the floor. He then launched a web upwards, detaching it from his wrist. "Who wants to take a ride?"
"Me me me!"
Spider-Man picked one kid up and attached him to the web. He started carrying him around on it as if he were flying through the air. The other children were definitely jealous.
"I want that!"
"Wait for your turn. I'm going first!"
"You jerk!"
"Jealous much?"
Rei witnessed it all happen, amazed at how calm Shinjji seemed to be at handling them. She never took him to be the type to be comfortable around children, letting them near his personal space like he allowed them. Then again, could she say she knew him as well as she thought?
"That Spider-Man's not so bad." A doctor said. "Good thing too. Some of these kids don't have much. That Lizard freak took it all away from them."
Rei realized what he meant. "You mean the monster that kidnapped those people?"
"Kidnapped and killed. A lot of them anyway. We were just lucky enough survived to tell the tale. Many were traumatized. I'm just glad Spider-Man's here for them."
That was… depressing to hear. Rei turned back to the sight, wondering what would happen to them after this day. Will they be properly looked after? Left forgotten? Will they ever find a home?
After a bit, Spider-Man rubbed the forehead of one kid, when he spotted another one in the corner. The girl seemed to be trying to play the cello, but it was a struggle.
"Who's she?" Shinji asked. "I didn't see her here today."
"That's Akane." One child said. "She don't like us."
Is that so? Well, Spider-Man marched over to the girl anyway. He knew that when kids stayed in the corner, there was usually a reason. Still, he wanted to help out.
"Trying to play the cello?" He started. "Not bad for a kid."
Akane was startled, almost dropping the cello. However, she then frowned.
"You should go back to them. I'm no good…"
"Nah. Seems like you need company the most."
"They make fun of me, you know? They tell me that I'm just… lame…"
"The other kids just don't understand yet. Can you show me how you play?"
She tugged on the cello. "You want me to? I'm just a beginner… I can barely carry a tune!"
"I can help you out, if you'd like. I have plenty of experience with the cello"
Spider-Man went behind Akane, wrapping his hands around her wrists. She positioned herself to play the cello.
"Ready?"
Akane nodded. She then started playing with the thing, catching the attention of the other children. It came out a little jagged and awkward, but thanks to Spider-Man's guidance, she was able to play it somewhat decently. By the time they finished, even the little crowd were impressed.
"Not bad Akane!"
"She totally had help!"
"I mean, if it was Spider-Man helping me…"
"Keep practicing, every day." Spider-Man said. "You'll get the hang of it some day, trust me."
"Thanks…" Akane blushed. "You've been good to me, Spider-Man…"
Their search continued.
They swung through the air, still not having found a sign of the Angel. Rei held on just a little closer to Ikari this time, feeling a lot safer now having gotten to know this side better. Shinji himself seemed awfully pleased.
"Your life is Spider-Man seems… exciting" Rei said. "You command respect, even though they do not know you."
"Believe me, a reputation is something you build. No one likes a wall-crawling menace when they first show up. As for the exciting part… eh, sometimes. It can get pretty hard though, especially when lives are on the line."
"It is no different than Eva then."
"In that respect, sure. Whether inside that bucket of bolts or out in the field, there's always some crazy out to get you. You need to make sure not to let anyone prey on you."
"You seemed assured of your secret, however many people know."
"It's not like I spill out my secret identity to just about anyone. It just happens, that's all. I don't want to put people through the stress of what I do and worry if I'll be killed or worse. Misato already has enough on her plate, but that's out of my hands now."
Rei supposed she could not argue with that.
"Asuka would find a secret identity stupid."
Shinji laughed. "I guess she would. Can you imagine her just one day out of the blue revealing her secret in front of an entire conference?"
"I can. It is not funny."
"She'd be awful at keeping that a secret. Just like how she let out the fact she was an Eva pilot immediately."
"You still have not."
"I just don't want the publicity. Web swinging's enough of a chore, I don't need the press to cause me panic attacks over the whole thing."
"You spin a web of secrets around you."
"Yeah, I guess I do. Even this mask protects my feelings while I fight."
Rei hesitated. The topic had to come up eventually, but she knows Shinji well. She can explain herself.
"… There is a secret I must share."
"Is that so?"
"I am… am…" She breathed. "I am not… a natural born girl. I am what one may call a… clone…"
"Oh, I knew that already."
She was left utterly floored. How? HOW?!
"How did you know?"
Shinji very quickly realized he had made a mistake. "Uh, I- well, I had help from Naoko on that-
"YOU HAD WHAT?!"
Dumbfounded, Rei accidentally let go of Shinji to catch herself, which caused her to start plummeting towards her demise.
"AAAAHHHHH!""
"Ayanami hold on!"
Spider-Man immediately swan-dived after her, making sure to match his speed with hers. Catching her just in the mid point between her and the ground, Shinji quickly launched a web and swung them across a city block, landing safely next to some pedestrians on a bench.
"What the hell?" One of the bystanders said. "Crazy superhero games."
"Yeah, let's get out of here, Taiko." The other one said. "Go!"
They ran off, with Shinji panicking right about now. He pointed at his fellow pilot.
"Ayanami, what you did was dangerous!" He practically yelled. "You shouldn't have let go! You could have been killed!"
Rei shook her head furiously, glaring at her half-brother-to-be. She crossed her arms.
"Forgive me, Ikari." She spoke his name with venom. "I was bewildered not only that you somehow knew my origin, a secret I took pains to keep, which you not only found out by yourself, but you had the help of that MADWOMAN to find out?! You teamed up with her?! What is the matter with you?!"
After a second, Rei stopped herself. She was surprised by her actions, and blushed as she did not know how to deal with a situation like this. A violation.
"I- I am sorry, Shinji. I do not know what came over me."
"No, no, I deserve that." Shinji quickly reassured. "I really should have built up to that before dropping it on you. I'm really sorry."
"Okay…" She breathed. "Okay. But how did you know that? I do not believe the Commander ever told you."
"… very well."
Spider-Man looked around, seeing citizens staring at him or being bewildered by what had just happened. They had no context for this, so they're probably thinking that they're dating. That sucked.
"I think we should head somewhere more private. Are you ready for dinner?"
Ritsuko Akagi made sure to slide the door open quietly.
She knew that if Misato didn't answer her phone, it was because of one or two things: either she fell asleep or she was drunk. Probably a mix of column 1 or 2. Ritsuko wanted to know how things went with Shinji, and let her know about paperwork she had missed earlier, so she had to show up here.
Luckily, her own card seemed to work just on this door. Ritsuko stepped inside the apartment, finding it oddly tidy. Did Shinji do some work here?
"At least it's not a mess." She nodded. "Hmhm, no signs of a party here."
"WARK!"
There was a poke at her leg. Aha, there was the little critter. Ritsuko smiled, softly rubbing Pen-Pen's forehead. She always had a fondness for the penguin; she did help Misato get him after all.
"Hey Pen-Pen." Ritsuko said. "You wouldn't happen to know where Misato is do you?"
"WARK!"
He marched into the hallway, forcing Ritsuko to follow not too far behind. She noticed how the balcony was still open, the wind pushing the curtains up and down. Misato really ought to have closed that, she internally thought. Eventually, Pen=Pen pointed in the direction of her own room, which was barely an inch open.
"Oh there…" Ritsuko frowned. "I wonder what's up?"
Her dainty fingers slid that door open, Ritsuko finding Misato lying on the bed, her ears still covered by a set of headphones a little too small for her, plugged into an SDAT Player that had long stopped playing music. There were several beer cans next to her body, surrounding her as if paid in tribute.
She must have been drunk, Ritsuko decided. The conversation with Shinji clearly didn't go so well.
I guess I'll check up on you in the morning… I'll leave you alone for a bit."
Ritsuko moved to cover Misato in the sheets. However, as she moved the sheets just below Misato's chin, Ritsuko felt her friends' body shake, being disturbed to life. Misato's eyes were glassy, but slowly opening up to the world.
"Oh… Ritsuko…" She said. "*yawn* How are you doing?"
Ritsuko smiled. "Hey Misato. You had a rough day, huh?"
"Hmrrrphhh… tell me about it… what time is it?"
"About 4PM or the like."
"Okay… I'm feeling sleepy…" Misato realized where she was. "Shinji'll probably stay over at his friends' place for the night… Good…"
Ritsuko wasn't sure what to say. She could inquire, but she also knew how defensive Misato could be about Shinji. She decided not to pursue it for now.
"I guess you won't be joining me and Maya for our weekly bar night?"
"That'd be nice. To get away from it all, I think."
Misato leaned up, rubbing her head, trying to get over the headache she was having. It made Ritsuko remember the times they hung out in college; Ritsuko liked a stiff drink every once in a while, but Misato would raise the tab in the hundreds if she was left unchecked. One incident left them both naked in a hotel room. They tried their best to forget, as Misato would date Kaji right afterwards.
"There, there…" She told her. "Things are going to be a-okay."
"Squaaawwwk…"
"Hey, I just wanted to be nice!"
"Nice…" Misato gave her an odd look. "You really have been nicer, huh Ritsuko?"
Ritsuko raised an eyebrow. "I try to be."
"Heh, I can trust you with anything, right?"
Where was Misato going with this, Ritsuko wondered. She nodded.
"After everything we went through, I'd hope so."
Misato closed her eyes, breathing out.
"Can I ask you a question? Well, first let me tell you something, then you answer okay?"
"Sure. Anything." Ritsuko felt like a bomb was being set off. "Wait, where's Shinji by the way? I don't think he's here."
"He's going to a party with his friends." Misato waved her hand. "Probably Rei too. You know she's gonna move in next to us, right?"
"I know. I approved of the transfer to begin with."
"Niiiice. We had a talk, Shinji and I. About him being Spider-Man."
Ritsuko gasped. "I… see…"
"I was angry about it. A lot. Still, I kept my tempter in check to let him explain. I'm tired of jumping the gun without knowing why. Thankfully, he's been very forthcoming with me n a lot of things."
"You don't approve then."
"No." Misato frowned. "No, of course I fucking don't. I hate it that he's dedicating himself to fighting so much. I hate that he has that stupid guilt complex that makes everything all about him and soothing his own guilty conscience." She sighed. "But he's gonna put on the suit no matter what I tell him, so I have to put up with it no matter what. God, I thought I was over this, but…"
"Why didn't you force him to quit then?" Ritsuko wondered. "He listens to you."
"Because if I do, he'll just isolate himself further than he already had. Shinji reached out to me, without knowing I knew. I don't want him to be by himself; the more people he has, the better. I don't know what to do, Ritsuko. I want to protect him but he's him and I'm me…"
"I'm sure there are plenty of things you could do. Teach him combat or the like, he… doesn't strike me as an expert in that."
"Maybe..." Misato's eyes then narrowed at her old friend. "He told me everything, you know…"
There it is. The timer is ticking down. 3…
"… yeah? What about?"
2…
Pen-Pen scrammed out of the room. He had no place in this.
1…
"Kaji."
Ritsuko paled the instant she heard the name.
"Oh…"
"Oh right indeed." Misato pointed at her. "Did you know at any point that Kaji was the spy?"
"… I had my suspicions." Ritsuko frowned. "I speculated he might have been a triple agent working for the U.N., SEELE and us, and he was going to betray one organization to another. I didn't think he would choose SEELE."
"You lied to me! Again!"
"I didn't know how I was going to tell you! Hey, your ex-boyfriend turned out to be a murderous jackass that tried to frame Maya and put a bullet through my head! I was going to gently lead you to the truth because I already risked a lot telling you about the conspiracy and-"
"Please stop." Misato spat. "I bet you knew he was being tortured somewhere before this point."
"No, I did not, honest! There isn't a lot of coordination between the factions and I had no clue he had even been taken by HERZ."
"What would you have done if you had known?"
Ritsuko stopped herself.
"Would you have let him rot in there?" Misato asked. "Simple question."
Would she have done that? Ritsuko searched deep in herself to find the answer…
"No…" She said. "No I wouldn't…"
That moment of hesitancy told Misato enough. She went and turned herself to the side, ignoring the bleached blond scientist who had been faking a lot.
"Go home, Ritsuko."
Ritsuko already knew she had screwed up, but tried to continue. "I'm not going anywhere."
"You will. Leave."
"No."
"Tell me he died, at least. Did he?"
"I don't know…" Ritsuko answered truthfully. "His vital signs appeared dead, but Mother was the one that actually had him looked over."
"Okay. Now go away."
"You can trust me, honest!"
"No, clearly I can't." Misato glared at her. "Just so you know, if you do anything to Shinji, sell him out or whatever… I'll kill you."
Ritsuko nodded. She decided to leave Misato to her own devices this time, instead walking out to the door. She was unsure and afraid.
Will this trust be broken forever, as well?
Meanwhile, Spider-Man and Rei dropped next to a restaurant.
Khara's Palace was a modest place, compared to other restaurants in the upper district. Its neon sign was barely lit; the windows were wide to expose the customers eating there, and the building seemed to be made of bricks over concrete or something sturdier. It sat conveniently across from a jewelry store.
For many, it was an ideal place to kick back and spend some quality time with friends. Shinji checked his pocket, pulling out a small piece of paper, making Rei raise an eyebrow.
"What is that?"
"A coupon." Shinji explained. "I got one for this place a while ago. It should be good for our purposes."
He walked Rei into the Palace. Several customers and servicemen turned their heads at them, obviously not used to the new arrival. It wasn't every day that their friendly neighborhood superhero walked into their place for anything. Over the counter, a larger burly man grinned, stepping out to greet the superhero.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my favorite city guy. Give it up for Spider-Man!"
Several other people at the place started clapping, though Spider-Man waved at them to stop.
"Thanks, that's nice, good on everyone! Very nice, Natsuki, Todoh… oh hey, Stan! Steve! You got another writing session?"
"Excelsior, Spider-Man!" Stan grinned, tilting his sunglasses at him. "We're waiting on Romita. He comes late but he's just as important!"
"Just make sure to actually give us credit this time, old man." A guy with glasses, the man named Steve, said. "This is just a job for me, but he actually cares, you know?"
The burly man from the counter went and shook Shinji's hand.
"What brought you to this side of town, web slinger?"
"Yo, Serizawa!" Spider-Man said. "Decided to cash in on the offer." He pointed at Rei. "We're just here for a quick meal, so a table for two?"
A skinny waiter with a messy mustache leaned into Serizawa's ear. "Are you sure we should let this miscreant anywhere near our establishment? He could be bringing troubleeeeeee…"
"Relax, he gives our place free publicity." Serizawa said. "Pretty sure he saved your ass too a couple of times."
Spider-Man pulled out his coupon, handing it over to Serizawa. "This should be good, right?"
Serizawa took the paper from Spider-Man's hand. He slowly inspected it.
"Tch." He shook his head. "Sorry Spidey, but this expired two days ago! Why you so behind the times man?"
Spider-Man scratched the back of his head. "Uhhhh. Shoot. Was stuck in a coma, lost track of time. Sorry."
"You better be. You're not tryin' to rip me off, huh?!"
At that moment, Rei pulled out her ID card, handing it over to the man before he could proceed to call the cops on Spider-Man.
"This card will pay for any meal I order. I will pay for both of us."
Serizawa whistled as he stared at the card. "Ohhh, Eva pilot eh? You're hanging out with the big leaguers, Spider-Man! As payment for our misunderstanding we'll give you the best seats in the house."
"Sure… sure…" Shinji sweated under the mask. "No problem."
"Waiter, sit the two love birds by the window!"
Spider-Man raised a hand. "She's not really my-"
"Come on, up to it!"
The waiter led the two of them down to their table, Spider-Man trying in vain to explain that they weren't a couple. Instead, he and Rei sat awkwardly across from each other, as the waiter set the menus down for them. He also handed the teens glasses of water.
"What would you like?" He asked the teenager. "We have one everything."
"I'll have uh," Shinji looked through the menu quickly. "Some noodles with ramen sauce."
Rei nodded. "I will have the same."
At that, the waiter snootily took the menus back and walked away. Spider-Man waved it off.
"That guy's a jerk."
"It seems so."
Thus began the silence. Neither of the two wanted to break the ice, or knew how to, as such an anxious atmosphere. Shinji even began to shift around in his seat, trying to gather some courage. It didn't work.
"Ikari?"
"Hm?"
"Are you alright?" Rei asked. "You have been… rather busy today."
"I'm totally fine. I'm- I'm fine."
A skeptical look from Ayanami made Shinji realize he wasn't very convincing.
"I do not think you are. Have you had any psych evaluation since your escape from Unit 01?"
"No, I didn't need it." Spider-Man shook his head. "Besides, since when did NERV give out psych evaluations to us?"
"Fair point." Even Rei had to acknowledge their crappy treatment like that. "But you were quite relentless today. As if you were being distracted."
"I wasn't distracted. I was working!"
"People have thrown themselves into their work to avoid thinking about a topic."
"Well I told you I'm fine-"
"Are you?"
The waiter came back, dropping the ramen plates onto the teens. "Here you go. Let us know if you want anything else."
When he left, Spider-Man opened enough of the mask to expose his mouth, scarfing down on the ramen. Rei didn't even touch her own, as she was somewhat disquieted by Shinji's attempt to ignore the question.
"Ikari. I will not stop asking just because you avoid it. Now tell me."
He swallowed a lump of the ramen noodles down his throat. Shinji covered his mouth to avoid burping, then sighed.
"I… Ayanami, you have no idea how horrifying it was in there. First I thought I was trapped in the worst nightmare I've ever had… then I met my mother…"
In a rare sight, Rei was visibly crestfallen upon hearing him out. "You have?"
"Yeah. She tortured me in there, physically and mentally."
"…"
"She attacked every bad thought I ever had, tried to make me think I was- that I deserved to die. That I had nothing to live for." Shinji started sniffing. "I almost killed myself in there, because for a moment I thought she was right. It was only because Misato and the others reminded me that I even fought back.
"… Oh, Shinji…"
"I needed to be Spider-Man. I- I needed time to just not be myself for a couple of hours. Web swinging, being free… that always gave me some relief when things got hard. Misato was already so worried and I was- It was a nightmare, Ayanami, and I needed to get away from that."
"Rei."
"Huh?"
"Call me Rei. What happened was not your fault."
"I know." Shinji nodded. "Misato even said as much."
"She is right." Rei frowned. "You are more than an asset."
"My brain tells me that but… I don't know… some days, I just feel like without Spider-Man I'm nothing…"
"But there is no Spider-Man, without Shinji Ikari. That is a fact."
Shinji seemed to relax more upon hearing that. He moved the plate a bit from his face and smiled.
"Thank you."
"You are welcome." Rei said. "Now I need answers on another question. Why did you let the elder Dr. Akagi help you?"
Spider-Man shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but he nodded, deciding to tell the truth.
"I didn't… she came to me. Naoko, she had been tortured by the Committee, SEELE- you know about them right?"
Rei nodded.
"Okay. So she said she hated them for what they did to her, so Naoko offered to help me get back at them. At the time, I refused since I didn't think I could trust her. Then I met you and… well… I had questions… that only she could answer."
She kept quiet. Shinji decided to continue.
"I'll admit, I was freaked out when I saw the vat of clones down there. You're a clone of my mother, and Father paid attention to you without raising me and… I didn't know what to think… until you said Evangelion was the only thing you had. Then I couldn't do anything else but try to help you."
"You felt pity for me then?" Rei felt so disappointed. "Was that the only reason you approached me?"
"Maybe some of it, but certainly not the only one. I know what it was like to feel disposable, that you don't matter. It wasn't just because of Father or the Commander. All my life and I felt it and… I just didn't want you to feel alone either."
Rei's face softened upon hearing it. Her worst fears were for naught.
"You always made me feel welcome…" She said. "I understand why, but I still feel betrayed to some degree by this… that you went to Naoko Akagi, especially. She is not a good person."
"She's not. We just happen to share the same goal. SEELE is going to kill everyone; we want to stop them."
"She threatened to kill me."
Shinji gasped in shock, putting a hand over his mouth. "What?"
"I am pretty sure she already had killed me once… the first me." Rei said. "I am the second. The first was a child that taunted her, called her an old hag. I remember a choking sensation, before I was awakened in the LCL. I barely remember what I was before. But Naoko knows… she reawakened those memories in me."
She sniffed. Tears were falling down her eyes.
"I do not.. not… I do not want to die… not again… not by…"
Spider-Man grasped her hand, holding it tight.
"I won't let her hurt you." He reassured. "If Naoko so much as lays a finger on you, I'll make sure to throw her down a Hell she'll never escape from."
"I hope so…" Rei shook her head. "Asuka had already hurt me. I do not need another injury."
"She did? How?"
"We have not been on speaking terms… ever since the last Angel it seemed like she had turned crueler. I do not know how to reach her-"
BRRRIIIIINNNNG!
An alarm sounded across the street, right in front of the restaurant. Spider-Man put on his mask.
"We'll finish this later. Tell them I got a raincheck. Sorry."
Rei nodded. "Go. They need you."
He reluctantly got up from his seat and went straight towards the jewelry store. Rei had to wonder what kind of person would be so careless as to call attention to themselves when Spider-Man was so close by?
If the thief were there to answer Rei's question, she would say someone with complete and absolute confidence in her abilities.
Her gloved hands held a pink gem, a rare valuable from the stores' cabinet, which she tossed up in the air before letting it fall into her bag. The store was wide, with several display cases spread apart due to an influx of customers. Perfect for a small arena, one might say. The woman smirked, dropping said bag to the floor, and chanting a little tune to herself.
"Itsy bitsy Spider went up the water sprout… down came the rain and flushed the spider out… then came the cat and caught it in its paws, so the itsy bitsy spider got eaten by the cat…"
Indeed, it was effortless for the Black Cat to break into the store undetected. She broke through the vent on top of the roof, practically slithered around the laser tapwires, then used a well timed use of the hook claw to break open the safes' door. The passcode was a total joke to her, one swipe of her fingers breaking the last line of defense, revealing the jewels.
Glorious, multicolored jewels all for her.
Child's play would have been to fly the coup the moment she had them for the taking. However, then the Black Cat spotted Spider-Man and Ayanami conversing right across the street in Khara's palace. Quiet, but nice girl, from what the Cat had already seen. It dawned on the Cat knew that if she wanted to be taken seriously in this town, she needed to build a reputation first.
That was why she tripped the alarm. If she could beat Spider-Man in the middle of a heist, then she could prove herself to the city. As he opened the door, the Cat got ready to pounce.
"Hm, don't think I've seen you before." Spider-Man spoke. "Let me guess, you took a wrong turn at the anime convention?"
"A bit hypocritical coming from you, isn't it?" The Black Cat grinned her fiendish, devious grin. "I'm just a girl out to make a big break in this town. Maybe you can help me with my resumé?"
"Maybe. First, we'll need to take a stroll around campus. I'm sure you'll find the detention center lovely."
Spider-Man inspected the new feline fighter. She was definitely new around the neighborhood, clad in a skintight black suit that revealed a fairly impressive set of muscles, with white faux fur highlights, a cat pendant hanging around her neck, topped with a domino mask. Her hair was a snow-white platinum. Shinji couldn't tell if it was a wig or if it was real. It was as if she was taunting him for not realizing who she could be.
"Black and white…" He tilted his head slightly. "Pardon me, but you wouldn't happen to be related to the black suit girl spooking the residents recently, right?"
"Nah, I'm new in town. Just got in, you know?" She still grinned at him. "I'm Black Cat, less about being terrifying and more about just having fun. Well, maybe also causing some misfortune."
"I'd say stealing is a misfortune for the one being robbed."
"Eh, I'll hand it back later. The fun is in performing the heist." The Black Cat got into a fighting stance. "Just remember. Cross the Black Cat, seven years of bad luck."
"Funny." Spider-Man raised his fists. "Spiders have never been the most fortunate."
As Spider-Man walked on over, his foot ended up stepping on a crack. It caved in, causing the foot to get stuck on the floor.
"What the heck?!"
The Black Cat ran straight for him, launching a kick at him, which actually did cause him to get knocked on his butt. At least his foot was free, which he used to block another attack from Black Cat, then kick her off of him. She rolled across the floor just fine, however.
"Wow, you packed a kick." He said. "You didn't get training from HERZ did you?"
"Can't say I have. Guess I'm just magical."
Spider-Man immediately launched a web at Black Cat, which she dodged and instead knocked over a case to distract him. His spider-sense alerted him to a potential danger, so he blocked another kick from the side, aiming to punch her out, but she fell backwards to land her her hands, and kicked his chin.
The Cat back flipped, landing on her feet while sticking her tongue out to Spider-Man.
"How would you say I'm doing, Spider?"
He got up. "Not bad… maybe a 7 out of 10."
"Only that? I guess I'll have to raise the grade."
The two engaging in a rapid, agile fist fight. Both opponents landed some hits, but kept missing others, or were not privy to an indirect attack. They found themselves impressed by the resolve of their opponent.
"Nice moves." Shinji complimented. "Where'd you learn?"
"Krav Maga, karate, I trained in a bunch of disciplines."
"Nice. You wouldn't make a half bad crime fighter."
"Cats don't like being tied down, Spider. They'd rather land on their feet than rely on a stranger."
She then jumped behind him, grabbing Spider-Man by the back and launching him straight into another display case, shattering it. Spider-Man got up, launching webs from his wrists, but Black Cat caught them in her hands, and flipped him over, jumping again to stomp her boots on his back.
"Looks like your luck's run out, Spider-Man. You've met your match."
Spider-Man webbed a chair to attack Black Cat, successfully knocking her away from him. He was ready to fight again.
"Nice try, but there's more to a fight than luck. I've got experience."
Black Cat smirked again. "How right you are, but even the experienced can make a little mistake every once in a while."
She picked up a piece of the broken chair, then threw it into the sprinkler above Spider-man. Soon, the water works started pouring in as the whole system activated, causing caused Spider-Man to get doused.
"What the- Hey! You tricked me!"
He reached out to grab her, but Spider-Man started slipping from the water, struggling to maintain his momentum. With that, the Black Cat made her final move. With a quick swipe, she lassoed Spider-Man with her hook, clawing him to the ground. She then took advantage of the momentary distraction to grab the bag and escape through the front door.
"So long, Spider." She winked at him. "Let's make next time more fun, shall we?"
Breaking from the hook line, Spider-Man felt embarrassed. He hadn't been humbly defeated like this since… Rai? Naoko? Whichever of the two, this felt a touch more humiliating. She was a petty thief he never knew before, with no powers.
Some cops burst onto the scene.
"FREEZE!"
"Wait no, it's Spider-Man."
"Shit, where'd the thief go?!
"I tried to stop her." Spider-Man shrugged. "Guess I just suffered bad luck today."
A couple of minutes later, he was escorted out of the building by the police. They promised him a further investigation would be a hand. Rei then walked over to Spider-Man rubbing his shoulders.
"You are injured."
"I've had worse." Shinji shrugged. "Sorry that we couldn't finish dinner."
"It is alright. This evening has been rather illuminating."
"Oh?"
"Spider-Man stretches himself far and wide to be there for people. They are grateful for it, make you their hero even if you fail."
"Aw shucks." Shinji smiled underneath the mask. "When you put it like that, it almost makes up for my lame fight."
"Indeed. We must hurry soon, however. We might be late for the party."
"Right, the party… alright, climb aboard, Miss Rei."
He'll catch that Black Cat burglar some day. For now, he'll just web swing with Rei to see all his other friends he missed. Perhaps with Touji and Kensuke, Shinji might be able to make progress on hunting down that thief.
Meanwhile, on a rooftop not too far from them, the Black Cat emptied the last of the jewels in her possession. She laughed in victory.
"My first night on the town, and Spider-Boy couldn't even scratch me! It's almost like a dream come true!"
Slowly, her body shifted back to normal. Still clad in the costume, now her muscles were less defined, instead resembling more the average build of a skinny teenage girl. Her hair was blond, instead of platinum, revealing her true identity.
"Heh, it does feel great to get one over Spider-Man." Marie Vincennes grinned. "Not bad for a first night on the town, eh?"
She gazed at the cat pendant in her possession. Marie received this gift from a fortune teller in Vegas, on the same night her whole world was shattered. At first she thought the pendant's ability to grant bad luck powers and enhanced strength was just a myth. But Marie had time to experience it in action, gaining a ton of practice during her time in London. She effectively stole the good luck of others to add to her own, causing misfortune for whoever she chooses as her target.
That didn't mean Marie was without skill. She had been a clever thief before the pendant; that thing only simply gave her a bit extra to keep up with the changing world. Even so, Marie was content.
"Well, fun's over." She placed the jewels back in the bag. "I'll return it now and risk getting into a fight with Spider-Man later."
Just as she was about to leave though, she overheard a harsh conversation down below. Marie, giving in to her curiosity, decided to peer her head over to hear what was being said.
"Yo, this true? You got Mysterio tech?"
"Yeah, gas and everything. The Master Planner's asked for the stuff a while back."
"Master Planner? You think he's real?"
"He's got several guys spooked. We're gonna grab the big score three days from now at the warehouse. Get going, or we'll both be screwed."
Marie smirked at what she heard.
"Oho? A chance for more loot? I think I'll be needing help with this one… I wonder if Ikari is the type to take things personally?"
The party had been underway for an hour now. It was rather lame.
Kensuke had to watch his friend and Horaki awkwardly flirt like love-sick puppies. It was a pain to watch, not because he himself was jealous (in fact he wasn't really into anyone, never really cared to) but because they just kept dancing around each other. It was positively maddening! At least Touji's dad was still at work.
Instead, he went online to scurry through the latest news. Kensuke scrolled past the secret project he had, instead pulling up any news about Spider-Man. True to form, Shinji had been a busy beaver all day, carrying out a bunch of activities around the city. The most surprising part is that he was mentioned to be carrying around a young girl with blue hair. What was he doing with Ayanami?!
"Hey, when are Ayanami and Ikari showing up?" Hikari mentioned. "It is getting a little late."
Touji stared out a window, before shaking his head. "I'm sure he'll be here any minute. Why not go check on Sakura? She probably would love to see you, since you helped me bring her here."
"I guess so… be right back!"
Hikari walked out the door. Just a second later, Spider-Man knocked on the window.
"Shin-man!" Touji proudly grinned as he went to open it. "Ya finally made it, ya rascal! We've been missin' ya since forever-"
He then noticed Rei on Spider-Man's back, blinking at him. Awkward.
"Uhhhh…" He scrambled for an excuse. "He's a… guy named Shin. Nothing to do with Ikari, if you're thinking it!"
"No it's okay, Touji." Shinji said. "I told her everything. Let us go inside."
"Oh. Well okay."
Spider-Man entered first, making a loud thud as he landed, then helped Rei climb inside. The two were greeted by Touji and Kensuke, the former grabbing Shinji into a tight hug.
"Whoah!"
"I've missed you." Touji let him go. "I can't thank you enough for everything you did. You're a brother by now."
Shinji took off his mask, revealing slightly watery eyes. "No need to thank me… just, thank you. Both of you."
"So how'd she know?" Kensuke pointed at him. "You're not gonna replace us are you?!"
"Um, no not at all! She just deserved to know." Shinji explained. "Aya- I mean, Rei, figured it out long before. So I told her."
Rei was worried about rejection, especially when Touji and Kensuke glanced at each other. However, both shrugged and nodded at this.
"Nice to have someone else in the the know." Touji said. "She's already one of us."
"So long as she can keep a secret, I'm good." Kensuke grinned. "Welcome to the Spider-Clan! Again!"
"Hmm…" Rei smiled. "I am honored."
"Now Shinji, it might be a good idea to get changed." Kensuke put down the computer. "The Class Rep's also here and she could come back any second now-"
By then it was too late. The door opened to Hikari, carrying a cake in her hands.
"Hey Touji, did you drop something? I heard something crash here-"
She then stopped to see Shinji decked out in his Spider-Man costume. Rei was always there, but Hikari missed that. She thought of how they were able to get in when she didn't hear the front door opening, or why Shinji wasn't in his regular clothes. The poor cake splattered over the floor upon her dropping.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Hikari to scream. "IKARI IS SPIDER-MAN?! HE IS… HE IS…"
Shinji turned to Rei. "Hey Rei, next time we get into an Angel fight, can you let me die?"
Rei looked at him like he just grew a set of extra arms. "NO!"
After that, the Spider-Clan had to take another hour to mostly explain everything to Hikari. She sat down to take it all in.
"I just couldn't believe it…" Hikari whispered. "This is crazy! Why didn't anyone tell me?"
"It wasn't my secret to tell." Touji shook his head. "Sorry, Hikari."
"No it's fine, it's just… wow, this is… a lot. I never thought of Ikari as the type to go around fighting crooks in a costume."
"I try to be responsible with anything I do." Shinji reassured. "You're not gonna see me picking fights for no reason."
"That's good to hear."
"Yeah." Shinji turned to Kensuke. "There was something you wanted to talk to me about, right?"
Kensuke remembered, then grinned. "You better believe your eyes, Shinji. I'm about to blow your mind with the things I picked up the last month!"
He brought out the laptop again, gathering his friends around to show what lay inside. All had to take a pause the moment Kensuke clicked on the secret project. It was a set of articles and pictures showing…
Well, Shinji didn't know what to make of it.
Reports showed mysterious figures from across America and Japan; a green monster hiding out in the Nevada desert; a woman named Noriko Takaya had been thawed out of the arctic ice, said to be returning to duty as Captain America; Industrialist Rumiko Fujikawa unveiling a red and gold armored bodyguard at a press conference, called "The Iron Lady;" a fiery skeleton man on a motorcycle, known as Go-Devil riding across the wall of a building; a Squirrel Girl that can summon… well, an army of squirrels around her; a woman by the name of Kwannon creating some sort of purple blade from her hands on guards, and much more that Kensuke hadn't shown yet.
"Some of these are just sightings here and there." He pointed out, "But you as you can see here, you're not the only superhero in the world, Shinji."
Shinji blinked. "All that happened… while I was gone?"
"No, some of these have been around longer. But… it can't be a coincidence this all started happening when Spider-Man showed up, right?"
"Yeah, that is weird." Touji crossed his arms. "What do you think it means?"
"I don't know. The research says the world's changing… but for better or worse… we don't know."
Rei was astonished by the display. What else had she missed out on during her years alive? Does this represent some next stage of human existence? Hikari herself was uncomfortable with those questions. Her eyes caught on one article.
"Who is that?"
She pointed at the picture of a short, hairy little man. Her was bursting out of a car fighting security guards surrounding him. The most intriguing part had been the metal claws sprouting from his hands, which he was using to slice through his enemies.
"That one's from the 80's. No one's really seen him since." Kensuke smiled again. "He was given the coolest name ever. He's the Wolverine."
"Logan…"
As soon as those words left Shinji's mouth, everyone turned to him. He furrowed his eyebrows, the memory coming back to him.
"His name was Logan. I met him only once, back in Kokoro."
Author's Notes:
What's that? You DIDN'T read the chapter where Spider-Man fought Wolverine? Well, that my friends is what we call a retcon! We'll be checking out those details the next chapter.
Some have mentioned that Misato took the revelation rather smoothly than expected. I probably did screw up there, but I hope this chapter ends up illuminating more of her thought process; she may have listened to him because she already had her rage gone and wanted to understand but no, it wasn't easy for her really. She was putting up a brave face for Shinji, still affected by what happened. There are still some consequences for our characters.
The integration of the Marvel Universe has been a question that's plagued the reviewers section since the beginning of the fic. The truth was that, in addition to wanting to keep this a Spider-Shinji story without getting overwhelmed, I wanted to show a slow transformation of the Eva universe; Similar to Batman: The Long Halloween, which showed how Gotham's mobs and gangsters fell to the wayside with the colorful supervillains taking over, at first Spider-Shinji starts in the pseudo realistic world of Evangelion, but then it becomes something more like the traditional Marvel world we know and love from the comics. Shinji is in effect the first high profile superhero that leads the transition, and that's going to come into play in the Third Act of the story.
I felt this chapter was necessary, both as a breather after the intense events of the last few chapters, and to have a more standard Spider-Man adventure; we haven't really had a traditional "Spider-Man helps people out" story before, so we might as well jump on that train and show Shinji working out his issues with Rei while helping people out. It just seemed right at this point to do it, as well as start adding some universe building.
Time to answer reviews:
Boshwa: I just felt like if I started adding more superheroes, it would 1) take away from Shinji's story by overcrowding the fic with too many characters and 2) make the readers ask when he's going to meet them or why they aren't doing anything to help out. Don't worry however, as you see Shinji's going to end up meeting Wolverine next time!
Author0fntent: I'll definitely look into that design. I hope you get the approval for the omake, your idea sounded amazing in the DMs! Trust me though, no Clone Saga. I hope you liked Marie as Black Cat here as well!
Truenofan86: I loved TNAS, some of that darker atmosphere probably did end up spilling into the fic as I wanted to sort of stay true to both sides of the crossover.
keybladelight: Eh, if you want to write an omake with those two characters, and you get permission for it, I'll probably accept it for the Spider-Verse story. I'm not gung ho about actually adding them into the story, partly because I have different plans involved and frankly I don't like super powered Jaune fics.
Jackie Lin Tho: The difference between the Peter scenarios and what happened with Shinji is that of scale: Peter revealed, or had his identity revealed, to the wider world and that would naturally bring problems; Shinji only revealed his secret to people at NERV, who have reasons to keep it a secret and not cause too much trouble. Fuyutski himself says he needs Shinji as a weapon against SEELE.
Highguy: Kaworu is canonically the last Angel, but just because he's dead doesn't mean the other Angels will stop. As established, they're effectively lone wolves operating on their own, so we still need to deal with Arael and Armisael before we proceed with the End.
Mythos Zero: Rai will have probably heard of Kotei's death by now. Let's just say he won't be happy with Shinji next time they cross paths :)
FlightLight: I hope this chapter proves that Shinji hasn't forgotten why he fights.
Next: Sins Past.
P.S. This is NOT an adaptation of the story also called Sins Past. NONE OF THAT SHIT!