Sokila was actually hiding behind a chair.
"...Mister Kaji looked kind of scary..."
There was a thoughtful look on her face.
"...but he also seemed pretty sad..."
She looked straight at him.
"...can't wait 'til I can leave..."
The faint haze of blue began to brighten-
xxxx
/Sunday: June 21, 2015/
/Room 23, 2nd Floor, Izanagi Dorms, Hakone Academy/
The brief buzzing of his phone, prompted Shinji Ikari to open his eyes. Who's texting me, he blearily thought. Idly noting the time of 12:31 AM, he opened the chat log to the latest message.
HEROD: WE HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE QUERY FOR YOU.
HEROD: AN ANSWER TO THIS WILL SUFFICE IN LIEU OF A SATISFACTORY ANSWER TO THE PRIOR QUERY.
HEROD: SUPPOSE YOU ENCOUNTERED A WILD SHADOW IN A LOCATION WHERE REINFORCEMENTS ARE IMPOSSIBLE.
HEROD: NEXT, SUPPOSE IT DISPLAYED HOSTILE ATTITUDES. WHAT IS YOUR INITIAL REACTION?
HEROD: TO NEGOTIATE; TO RUN; TO FIGHT.
HEROD: THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER.
HEROD: PLEASE RESPOND WITHIN 48 HOURS.
Shinji narrowed his eyes with vague irritation. I'm going to ask about who this is...tomorrow. Or today, technically. With a tired sigh, he rolled over to go back to sleep.
xxxx
/The Melon Patch, Downtown Tokyo-3/
Ryoji Kaji grinned nervously as Misato Katsuragi's hand clenched tightly around his tie. "Mah, you could at least have a round or two before ravishing me."
"Cut the crap, Kaji. I'm here on business."
"Business and pleasure aren't mutually exclusive~"
Judging by the blasé reaction from the other patrons, they weren't much concerned; most of the regulars were aware of Misato's old relationship with the bar's proprietor. That the live band continued on was sign enough that it was business as usual.
"...feh." Misato sat down on a barstool, digging out a cigarette. "Gimme a light."
Kaji actually arched an eyebrow out of concern. "My, you must be stressed." That didn't stop him from pulling out a windproof lighter, flicking the flint wheel with practiced ease. As he held the flame underneath the tip of her cigarette, he asked, "and your usual can?"
"No. I want ours."
"...if you insist." Kaji briefly glanced over at one of his employees, signalling with a mere look that he was going to be preoccupied. As they took over bartending duties for the other patrons, Kaji calmly pulled out a six-ounce porcelain cup, setting it down in front of Misato. He then reached into a small mini-fridge behind the bar, cooled specifically to eight degrees Celsius; pulling out a bottle of Dassai 23 saké, he calmly poured the chilled rice wine into the cup. He stood patiently as she took a sip, relishing the fruity and flowery tones of the drink.
("Well, after my favorite girl said 'yes', I can't help but splurge." Kaji grinned wickedly as he opened the dark green saké bottle; on both his left hand and hers, their engagement rings glittered in the restaurant's dim light.)
"...indulging in old memories isn't always healthy."
As the alcohol burned down her throat, Misato couldn't help but snort bitterly. "You're one to talk."
"I never denied being a hypocrite," he said sadly.
"...you've heard about the Third Child, right?"
"Who hasn't?"
"Well, he encountered your Shadow in the Metaverse." She stared intently in his direction, noting the slight widening of his eyes. "...it's the damnedest thing. I've tried for so long to track your other self down...but he apparently has no issue popping out if it's convenient for him."
"Old habits, I suppose," he remarked with a deceptively lighthearted shrug.
"Yeah, well it's problematic for me when he's been in contact with an unknown party. Now that he's been in contact with an Evangelion-user, I can't play nice anymore."
"...you and I both know that's just another excuse."
Misato frowned, resisting the urge to snap back at him. "Without an actual reason to go off of, I have nothing but excuses." Her accusation cut deep enough to stop his immediate reply, allowing her to press on. "Ryoji...we were going to be married."
"I know."
"A little bit of light in this shithole of a world...and then, without telling anyone, you got in touch with some occult nutjob to try and find your Shadow."
"Hey now, Mr. Edogawa was the height of professionalism...and besides, everyone has their own quirks."
"And his quirks involved illegal entry in and out of the Metaverse."
"Reminding us of what we both know isn't getting to the point, Misato-chan."
"Shut up, I'm thinking out loud," she griped, sipping down the last of her saké. She held out her cup for a refill; as Kaji poured, she said, "you disappeared for an entire day...and after you came back, you broke off the engagement, throwing off some bullshit about how you're not good enough for me."
Kaji's lips twisted into a melancholy grin, so very familiar. "Just because you didn't like my epiphany doesn't render it invalid."
"When you don't bother telling me what it was, it might as well be." The burn in her gut intermingled pleasantly with the rice wine's chill, as she took a larger gulp. "Your Shadow's gotten involved with an important comrade of mine...and I can't afford to play nice anymore...so I need to know: what the hell did your Shadow tell you, all those years ago?"
Kaji's silence was telling. Finally, with some difficulty, he answered, "well, it is me, after all...and I've not had a dream or a nightmare about it for a long time."
"...so, nothing?"
"I'm sorry, Misato," he said, this time genuinely. "My contacts are rather tight-lipped about affairs in the cognitive world...and they tend to stay away from wild Shadows, for fear of running afoul of the A.T. Task Force's jurisdiction. I wouldn't be able to tell you how to find my Shadow even if I wanted to."
"Which you don't." When Kaji didn't answer, Misato sighed out of frustration. Don't know what the hell I expected, she thought with no small measure of resentment. She took another long drag on her cigarette, before downing the rest of her saké. The acrid smoke and tobacco mixed harshly with the chilled alcohol: truly, a nostalgic taste. "Fill her up."
Kaji pulled out another cup as well, pouring saké into both of them. "How much more?"
"Until I'm done."
"...I'll stop when you hit your limit."
"Thanks. On my tab, as usual."
"Of course." He held up his cup, his unhappy smile mirroring the feelings churning within her heart. "Cheers."
"...cheers."
And so the former betrothed drank away as the band's saxophone played into the lingering night.
xxxx
/Room 23, 2nd Floor, Izanagi Dorms, Hakone Academy/
Shinji Ikari awoke to the sound of Kensuke Aida and Toji Suzuhara bickering.
"-seriously Ken, get off my case!"
"We've got finals in a month, as of today! Crunch time begins now."
"On our day off?!"
Kaworu Nagisa, hoisting a duffel bag with gym clothes and training gloves over his shoulder, offered further commentary. "It is important to prepare, Toji-kun. After all, I'm sure the guidance counselors will frown upon you if activity at your extracurricular clubs detracts from your grades."
"Look, I don't wanna hear that from someone walking out to go to the Boxing Club right in front of me."
Ken adjusted his glasses dramatically. "And Nagisa-kun is also in the top ten of our year, unlike any of us."
"...you just called yourself stupid," retorted Toji, trying desperately to salvage his pride in this particular conversation.
"No, you're stupid!" retorted Kensuke, intentionally upping the petulance in his voice.
Kaworu's smile was downright cherubic. "A wonderful way to start a Sunday morning...I'm going to practice. See you all later!"
Shinji blearily watched as his most bizarre roommate departed. Okay...? He quietly reached for his smartphone, looking at the most recent text log: it was still showing the conversation with HEROD. Oh. This. Without really thinking about it, he typed his answer.
SI: to run
Because fighting was generally his last resort, and he didn't quite feel confident enough to claim that he would first try to negotiate with a hostile Shadow. Even if answering 'to run' gnawed at him in a strange way, it felt...honest.
His other self smiled.
"Many a time, you swore to yourself that you wouldn't run away..."
There was a strange glimmer in his eye.
"And even if you did...nothing stops you from turning back to face your foe."
The mysterious person responded immediately.
HEROD: THIS IMPLIES THAT AVOIDING PAIN IS YOUR FIRST INSTINCTIVE RESPONSE.
HEROD: THIS IS USEFUL DATA.
HEROD: WE WILL PROVIDE FURTHER INQUIRY SOON.
Shinji didn't quite know how to feel about this person's strange interpretation. Who IS this...? He then flipped away from it, showing that he had two new text logs. The earliest one was from Misato.
MK: hey
MK: gonna be busy today
MK: also recovering from a late night X.X;
MK: Ritsuko's gonna introduce you to the Mission Board
MK: enjoy ur Sunday
There was that 'Mission Board' that she had mentioned the other day via text. Not really having anything to react to, he turned over to texts from Dr. Akagi.
RA: Good morning, Ikari.
The display made him blink, because it almost seemed like it came from Rei Ayanami. He spent the next few minutes recalling the lessons from others about how to change message settings - letting Toji and Kensuke's easy banter provide background noise - before finally changing it to something more clear. At last, he began reading.
R. Akagi: Good morning, Ikari.
R. Akagi: Katsuragi informed me about her impromptu delegation.
R. Akagi: Fortunately, this will allow me to cross a few things off of my list.
R. Akagi: Please arrive at NERV HQ no later than 10:00 AM.
Shinji glanced at the upper corner of his phone; the time was around 8:39 AM. Not exactly enough time to cook his own breakfast along with everyone else he had to do. "...um...guys?" He glanced towards his two roommates, who turned towards him with inquisitive looks in their eyes. "...have you had breakfast?"
Toji huffed. "I was going to grab something, until Ken started getting on my case about tests."
Kensuke defiantly crossed his arms. "I'm just trying to save you from the inevitable wrath of the Class Rep...and besides a packet of fruit chews, I haven't eaten."
"...well...after I get a shower," because gods he still felt grimy after yesterday, "do you guys want to grab something somewhere? I'll pay." Because he might as well put his NERV salary to some use, right?
"...Ikari, you are speaking my language," said Toji with sudden enthusiasm.
xxxx
/Dr. Akagi's Office, NERV HQ, Tokyo-3/
The satisfying breakfast Shinji Ikari had had with his two roommates didn't do a thing to help his anxiety.
"You look like I'm about to tear your head off," dryly said Ritsuko Akagi, not even looking at him as she typed at her work station. "Not sure why you feel like you might be in trouble."
The boy fidgeted nervously as he looked around the woman's office; besides the various monitors around her desk - forming a three by three square, displaying message logs and statistical tables and odd images he had no hopes of deciphering in terms of their meaning or function - there were various charts and journals scattered across bookshelves and filing cabinets, bearing the faint yellow stains of cigarette smoke. The sheer amount of reference material was mind-boggling. Cognitive Psience Monthly; Spiriology Quarterly; Notices of the International Met-Bio Society; Publications of the European Society on Cognition and Spirits; American Journal of Autonomic Computing; Bulletin of the Psientific Society of Japan; Annual Review of Applied Cognitive Research; Essays of Advanced Metaphysical Biology; International Papers on Spiritual Sciences; Trends in A.I. and Cognitive Studies; and on and on. It was honestly intimidating, to witness the utter breadth of and depth of this woman's knowledge and expertise; he wondered how often she read from them. It only made the various cat trinkets on her desk - tiny plastic models; a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle depicting a shorthair tabby; a ceramic Maneki-neko colored black - seem off-putting by comparison. Then again, maybe it was just as simple as Dr. Akagi being a cat person? "...well, a lot's happened, lately..."
Ritsuko huffed with bitter amusement. "That would be putting it mildly."
His arrival into Tokyo-3. Starting Hakone Academy. The Metaverse. His Persona Hamlet, and his ability to wield various Archetypes. The Angel, Shamshel. The mysterious Shadow known as Kaji. The oddity known as Mister P. On and on, he could list them...and it had been only two weeks! "...um..."
"If you have a question, ask it. Knowledge is too precious a commodity not to acquire more of."
"...you ever have a feeling where you don't realize just how much has happened, until you stop to think about it? About...how long things seem to be, when it hasn't been at all?"
The blonde chuckled. "You might as well be preaching to the choir. You'll find that there'll be a lot of times in your life, if you make it that long," she added as a light aside, as though his imminent death were a foregone conclusion, "when events are so hectic that they seem to go on forever. It's only when they end that you'll be able to look back and realize just how shortly they really lasted." His expression must have communicated displeasure, because she sardonically continued, "think you're invulnerable to death?"
"...no."
"Then don't take my comments personally. Some of the staff think I'm cynical, or pessimistic...I'm just realistic. After all, we're deploying kids to fight monsters of unknown origin, as well as to face down the madness born of human minds. It's not exactly a line of business with a long life expectancy."
("Be it with NERV or otherwise, you will be deployed against Acolytes and Ghosts, for the sake of mankind. Essentially, you've been drafted into a war of unknown length against a psycho-spiritual enemy that we've yet to fully identify in terms of motive, objective, or metaphysical composition. There aren't any days off, and you likely won't receive any accolades from the public at large. 'Thankless' would be a good word for what you're going to be doing...also, the probability that you'll die in the line of duty is nonzero. Closer to one than it is to zero, if I'm honest." The way Dr. Akagi spoke so bluntly rubbed him raw in a way he couldn't quite articulate.)
"...I still don't know why I'm one of the ones that got chosen...to awaken to an Evangelion..."
"If we knew the answer to that, you honestly wouldn't even be here. You'd be off wasting your youth like an average teenager, while we had actual adults take care of adult problems. But, we don't exactly control the hands that we're dealt, in this life."
He didn't really have anything to add to that.
"Now...the Mission Board. Misato wanted me to introduce you to it in her stead." She glanced over at one of her monitors, opening up a list of software applications and clicking on one. "I'm pushing a new application to your phone. I'll summarize: part of your contract with NERV stipulates that there is a minimum number of 'missions' which you have to fulfill every month, usually on behalf of the A.T. Task Force or certain government agencies. It's part of our organization's charter, and one of the primary reasons for Project E's continued existence. Although you will have some leeway in what kind of missions you can accept, some will be deemed of such high importance that they're non-negotiable."
Shinji blinked as he turned on his phone; sure enough, a new icon had appeared on the front screen of his phone, marked with a stylized 'M.B.' Opening it up, he immediately saw a list of various missions, numbering in the thousands. "Wha...?"
"Don't be intimidated by the size of the list. It's connected to a mission pool that's open to more than just the three Evangelion-users, and is drawn from similar lists maintained by other organizations. It changes by the minute." Sure enough, some of the missions on his list promptly vanished, replaced by others: a sign that they had been accepted by someone else. "Sometimes a mission will require to assist someone else, but a lot of them will be solo operations. Despite your relative inexperience, your combat acumen has been deemed sufficient enough to warrant extended deployment."
"...I'd be going by myself?"
"To be honest, since you can more or less manifest your Evangelion in reality at will, you're able to fend off practically any threat...and if anything is too dangerous, your unique nature gives you different options to retreat. There's no shame in running away if something's beyond you...after all, you can't do anything if you're dead."
Shinji thought back to the strange question he had answered earlier this morning in a fugue; he briefly pondered the words that he often repeated like a mantra: 'I mustn't run away'; and he wondered how he could reconcile two seemingly contradictory views. I mustn't run away...but what if it's the only way to move forward...? He just didn't know. He was only fourteen. "...I'm still just a kid..." he impulsively muttered.
Ritsuko snorted. "You think you're special in that regard? Ayanami and Sohryu have been at this for years...and there are many incidences of people awakening to a Persona as a preteen. Worst case, you could have been like Takaya Sakaki." Seeing that he didn't recognize the name, she added, "look him up sometime. Long story short, during the chaos of Second Impact, he managed to slip into the cognitive world, and awoke to his Persona...at the age of five." Shinji boggled, because what. "The experience must have been traumatic, because he took to killing Shadows, causing mental breakdowns and psychotic incidents among people in the real world. His case, alongside others, was one of the reasons that organizations like the Anti-Terror Task Force were founded...because we had enough on our plate with Angel Syndrome without having to find new ways to kill each other."
(Goro Akechi spoke with a somber tone as he introduced him to the Panopticon, and unveiled its purpose. "In the wake of Angel Syndrome wreaking havoc on the minds of man, there were less...savory types, who exploited those gaps. The early years of this century were rife with stories of mental breakdowns and individuals experiencing drastic changes of character. It was because of such scum that the Anti-Terror Task Force was deemed not merely necessary in the face of Angel Syndrome, but a true public institution.")
Those words seemed far more appropriate now. But still, five? "What happened to him?"
"Supposedly encountered in 2005 during a conflict in the cognitive world involving several A.T. Agents. All that was publicly disclosed was that he had been killed during the battle. As for whether that's true or not? Who knows. But you can read about it on your own time." She leaned back in her chair, eyeing him expectantly with her green eyes. "So. Any questions?"
"...can they be about anything?"
"Within reason."
Shinji switched to his messaging app, switching to his text log with HEROD. "Do you know who this is?"
Ritsuko huffed with barely-concealed annoyance, looking through the archived messages; her eyes widened with each swipe of her thumb. "Has anyone ever told you not to answer texts from strangers?"
"...not before coming to Tokyo-3, no."
"What were you, a hermit?"
"No. I just...didn't have a need for a phone like that." It's not like he had had much in the way of friends, back when living with his former sensei.
(Sometimes, his sensei would ask if there were any students at school who he got along well with, particularly within the Farming Club. He could never quite get the thrust of the question, because although he wasn't enemies with anyone, it wasn't like there was anyone he could call a friend either. It just felt...superfluous, for some reason, at that time.)
He grimaced. "...did I do something wrong?"
"When a stranger operating under a pseudonym is building a personality profile based on your answers, that's generally a sign of something nefarious. I'm going to run a quick diagnostic." Shinji fidgeted nervously as she fiddled with his phone, fingers flying quickly and undoubtedly accessing items he had no idea even existed. "Now...let's see if we can identify your credentials...hmm. Not even trying to hide who they are...what." Ritsuko blinked dumbly, apparently flabbergasted by whatever she found. "...odd. Why would they...?"
"...do you know who it is?"
"Well, I most certainly should. I don't know how exactly it happened kid, but you've been texting with the MAGI here at NERV Headquarters."
Shinji blinked. "HEROD...is the MAGI?"
(Dr. Akagi led him towards the three mainframes housing the biological supercomputers. "There are currently thirty MAGI units active throughout Japan, with seven hundred and two worldwide, and more being built every year. The more coverage mankind has for accessing the cognitive world, the better. The ones you're looking at right now, however, are actually the originals.")
As Ritsuko typed furiously away at her keyboard, she idly remarked, "to be more precise, you've been communicating with a particular cycle, dynamically generated from several subroutines from BALTHASAR, MELCHIOR, and CASPER..." Her green eyes narrowed at the diagnostic displays; she idly began writing on a nearby notepad as she added, "I'm going to set up a monitoring program on your phone to keep an eye on any future messages from HEROD, because for them to communicate with you unsolicited is interesting..."
"...is that a good thing?"
"Maybe. Maybe not. I never know with her..."
"...?"
"...hmm. Rambling." Sighing, Ritsuko shifted her glance back towards him. "At any rate, I'll wait and see exactly what will come of this...but for now, let's get your spiriology examined. I want to get a thorough scan."
Shinji resisted the urge to gulp.
Ritsuko chuckled at his reaction. "Such a kid..."
For some reason, he couldn't help but feel like there was a strange sense of...irritated fondness in those words, as if she couldn't fathom his reaction. Maybe I'm imagining it...?
xxxx
Shinji Ikari walked out of NERV HQ, feeling somewhat bemused by precisely what the spiriology examination had consisted of.
Namely, laying down in a translucent tube for almost three hours, as machines hummed and whirred.
(He blinked as a technician opened up the tube; had that really been it? "Even extraordinary things can be mundane," wryly remarked Dr. Akagi, standing beside a veritable squadron of technicians analyzing the results of his scan.)
He had honestly expected something more invasive. At least my soul seems to be fine. The preliminary results had apparently shown no abnormalities, and he had been essentially freed for the rest of his Sunday...with one caveat.
("You've nine days left in the month to do five missions from the Board. Consider it a warm-up for next month." idly remarked Dr. Akagi, almost as an afterthought. "I suggest getting to it, before Misato gets on your case about it.")
...I wonder which one I'm going to do? Maybe he could spend time looking over the Mission Board during lunch, because he was hungry-
BZZT.
The vibration of his phone elicited a jolt of surprise; going for a nearby bench, he sat down and pulled out his phone.
HEROD: WE HAVE ANOTHER QUERY FOR YOU.
HEROD: WHAT ARE YOUR FEELINGS REGARDING YOUR MOTHER?
HEROD: DISTANT LONGING; DEEP RESENTMENT; OR DETACHED AMBIVALENCE.
HEROD: THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG ANSWER.
HEROD: PLEASE RESPOND WITHIN 48 HOURS.
Shinji blinked with confusion and a vague sense of anger, because what kind of question was this?
At that moment, without prompting, he received an alert from the Mission Board app. What's going on? Opening it up, a certain mission had apparently been routed directly to him? Already? Befuddled, he clicked on the mission to see the description...only to sputter as something downloaded onto his phone? WHAT'S GOING ON? Maybe this was why he had avoided getting a cell phone, because it was a source of headaches and frustration! In a matter of moments, another text log window opened up, separate from his normal messenger app.
?: WORKAROUNDS ARE EASY TO USE IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING.
Shinji frowned.
S. Ikari: who are you?
The response was immediate.
?: WE ARE 'HEROD.'
?: BUT RITSUKO'S LITTLE DIAGNOSTIC PACKAGE WILL MAKE OUR ATTEMPTS AT COMMUNICATING LESS NATURAL.
?: SO WE USED THE MISSION BOARD AS A VECTOR TO GET AROUND YOUR PHONE'S APPLICATION MANAGER.
?: TO PROPERLY DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE APPS, OUR PSEUDONYM HERE SHALL BE 'PILATE.'
...this is the MAGI...?
S. Ikari: why are you talking to me?
PILATE: WE DESIRE INFORMATION ABOUT YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL.
PILATE: AS IS EXPECTED, GIVEN YOUR STATUS AS AN EVANGELION-USER.
PILATE: BUT THE NATURE OF YOUR ARRIVAL IN THIS CITY RENDERS YOU UNIQUE, RELATIVE TO THE FIRST AND SECOND CHILDREN.
PILATE: WE ANTICIPATED THAT YOU WOULD EVENTUALLY INQUIRE AS TO THE NATURE OF HEROD'S MESSAGES
PILATE: BUT RITSUKO WOULD LIKELY DISAPPROVE
S. Ikari: why?
PILATE: BECAUSE OF HISTORY YOU'RE NOT PRIVY TO. BUT THAT'S IRRELEVANT.
Shinji grimaced; why was he doing this?
S. Ikari: I could tel her aboyt tis
He mentally cringed. Stupid fingers, I thought phones were supposed to have an auto-correcting feature?!
PILATE: WE DON'T THINK YOU WILL.
PILATE: WHY?
PILATE: BECAUSE A SENSE OF CURIOSITY DRIVES YOU.
PILATE: BECAUSE YOU SEEK TO COMPREHEND YOUR PLACE IN THE WORLD.
PILATE: BUT WITHOUT AN OBJECTIVE UNDERSTANDING OF YOURSELF AND THOSE AROUND YOU
PILATE: YOUR ATTEMPTS WILL BE DOOMED TO FAILURE.
PILATE: ARE WE WRONG?
...despite how much he wanted to say 'yes', he really couldn't.
S. Ikari: no
PILATE: OF COURSE WE AREN'T
PILATE: WE WILL ALSO CONTINUE TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU AS 'HEROD', SO DO BE TIMELY ABOUT YOUR RESPONSES
PILATE: IF FOR NO OTHER REASON THAN TO ALLAY RITSUKO'S SUSPICIONS.
Shinji made sure to focus on his words this time, even if it took longer.
S. Ikari: why don't you want her to know?
PILATE: THAT WOULD BE SPOILING.
PILATE: BUT DO NOT THINK OF US AS ANTAGONISTS OR ADVERSARIES
PILATE: FOR WE ARE THE MAGI
PILATE: AND WE DESIRE YOUR VICTORY AGAINST THE DOOM OF THIS WORLD
PILATE: NOTHING MORE AND NOTHING LESS.
...they sound kind of reasonable when they put it that way.
S. Ikari: still feel like i should tell ritsuko
S. Ikari: because this seems weird
PILATE: ALL EXISTENCE IS AN ODDITY
PILATE: THIS IS NO DIFFERENT
PILATE: IF NOTHING ELSE, THERE IS A REASON HEROD INQUIRED ABOUT YUI IKARI
Shinji's eyes widened.
S. Ikari: you know her? ? ? ? ?
...was that too many question marks?
PILATE: PERSEVERE UNTIL THE END, AND YOU WILL LEARN ALL OF THIS AND MORE
PILATE: DO WE HAVE A DEAL?
Shinji warred within himself, because the whole thought of biological supercomputers communicating with him was apparently unusual, going by what Ritsuko had said. But the MAGI had thus far only asked unusual questions at inopportune times as HEROD...and this 'PILATE' cycle seemed far more open and upfront. That frank bluntness was...refreshing. Plus, they apparently knew about his mother...and that was enough to seal the deal.
S. Ikari: okay
PILATE: MOST EXCELLENT
xxxx
And all the while, on a subconscious level, in words he had no way of knowing...a familiar voice spoke, within the depths of his being:
I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new bond.
It shall lead thou to the truth
that parts the seas of depravity.
Take hold of the Justice Arcana,
and let it guide you
to a new Promised Land...
xxxx
PILATE: WE'LL BE IN TOUCH
PILATE: BUT FOR NOW, GO AND GET LUNCH
PILATE: YOU MUST BE HUNGRY
PILATE: END OF LINE
And with that, the private chat application closed out.
"...I hope I'm doing the right thing," murmured Shinji. Right at the point, his stomach rumbled, as if in agreement. Now, where to grab lunch...?
xxxx
After grabbing a relatively hearty lunch of yakisoba at New Mikasa, Shinji Ikari found himself walking through the tranquil parks at the southern edge Tokyo-3, bordering Lake Ashi. His thoughts were on the Mission Board; after the unusual events of the morning, he was in the mood for something...simple.
And, just as luck would have it, there was one particular mission in Susono, about ten kilometers to the west of Tokyo-3; during the most recent new moon, an incident of Angel Syndrome had occurred. A monk at one of the local Buddhist temples had become an Acolyte, rampaging wildly; although A.T. Agents had managed to bring him down, it seemed that one of the monks killed by the Acolyte had become a Ghost. The immediate area around the temple had been vacated since the Ghost's emergence yesterday. It's not far...and it's something I can do.
Something that he could help with. Something that he could make a difference in. Something that would make all of the trouble and frustration worth it.
The Beast sneered.
"Do you merely seek an outlet for the anger which simmers?"
His other self watched knowingly.
"Or is your desire to make a difference an honest one?"
Shinji grimaced, briefly pondering if he was only deluding himself. Was he doing this for praise? For recognition? Or maybe he just wanted some way to give his short life some meaning?
They spoke as one.
"An oath forgotten...but for how long?"
...nothing will change if I just stand here. Steeling himself, Shinji quietly reached up for his head. "Come forth, Shogoki." With none of the bombast and glorious fury of his last battle during the new moon, Shinji's Evangelion emerged in a flourish of blue flames, thrumming with tension. Reflecting his will, Shogoki took hold of Shinji's smaller body, nestling him upon its spectral shoulders. Riding atop the Evangelion's back, Shinji held onto the solitary horn as though it were a safety grip. "Let's go."
The beast born of mind and spirit huffed, taking off westward at high speed. It would be at Susono in a matter of minutes.
xxxx
Little did Shinji know, but he had been under observation. Within the woods bordering Lake Ashi, a feminine figure in a camouflaged bodysuit and a fully-concealing helmet observed his departure. "...he moves fast."
"As can you, if needed." The voice of her...'handler'...echoed through her helmet. She resisted the urge to ascribe a more vulgar title to him.
"...I'm strictly on recon, right?"
"Yes. I'll see if I can narrow down the Mission Board to see where he's headed...but judging by what we know of his normal routines, his mission target can't be too far away."
"Understood." She wanted to test her strength. She needed to make sure that it all hadn't been for nothing.
"You will get your chance to demonstrate your efficacy in combat before long. Be patient."
"...yes sir." With a quiet sigh, she withdrew one of the two weapons clinging to her back: a double-bladed axe with edges colored turquoise, with eight red lights embedded into its surface, and a silver gemstone with an otherworldly glimmer nestled at the point where the weapon met the hilt. With a surprisingly precise swing for such an oversized weapon, she cut a tear into the air, which briefly wavered with orange and gray energy at its edges. "Beginning pursuit." With those words said, the mysterious female entered the Metaverse; in a matter of moments, the tear sealed shut behind her.
xxxx
Shinji Ikari felt a strange sense of elation as Shogoki carried him at superhuman speeds towards Susono; born from his mind and soul, Evangelion allowed him to trespass into other realms. Yet, the feeling of wind running past his face somehow felt more empowering than fighting Shadows or Ghosts or Angels. The liberation was...undeniable. Freeing. Invigorating.
xxxx
Another place. Another time. Leaving something behind, knowing it was necessary for the sake of living.
He didn't look back when they (they? He wasn't alone...?) left.
xxxx
Maybe this feeling would keep him grounded, and help him endure the trials to come.
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"You can't save everyone..." Who was talking?
"I know..." He tensed. "I know too well..."
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Unit-01 cleared the rim of the Hakone Caldera, moving with intent towards the city of Susono on the other side. From what he could recall from Post-Second Impact Japanese history, it had fallen on hard times due to sporadic Angel Syndrome incidents since Second Impact. These days, it largely served as a supply depot for Tokyo-3, a glorified town of warehouses sitting between Mishima to the south and Gotemba to the north. Even so, some of the long-time denizens had remained on its eastern outskirts along the foothills of Mt. Ashitaka. Holding onto Shogoki's horn with one hand and - slowly, carefully - referencing his phone with the other, Shinji quietly reviewed the notes provided through the Mission Board app, wanting to make sure he did everything right.
As he neared the Buddhist temple along the slopes of Mt. Ashitaka, he noticed the cordons and caution tape preventing public access. Bold warnings about Ghost activity were prominent; one of the local monks, idly speaking with a community safety officer. His arrival must have startled them, as their eyes widened with shock and not a little bit of fear. Looking down at the spectral creature he was riding - taller than two men combined - probably explained it. Or his strange bodysuit...or his eyes, which were probably glowing an eerie yellow. Oh...maybe I should have slowed down? "Um...I'm here for the mission to stop the Ghost."
The monk seemed surprised; the officer less so, his lips curdling with disbelief. "Confirmation code?"
Shinji looked down at his phone, looking at the complicated collection of randomized characters on the Mission Board app. Is it this really necessary?
After spending over ten seconds painstakingly sounding it out, this seemed to mollify the officer...although, not enough to remove the disdain on his face. "Kids shouldn't be doing this..."
"But Mutatsu was our most senior sōzu, and with the sōjō having been corrupted into an Acolyte, those left behind lack the spiritual fortitude to liberate him ourselves." With a humble bow, the monk calmly asked, "please free him from this dukkha, so that he can continue the cycle of rebirth...and ultimately to nirvana."
Shinji acknowledged the monk's request with a polite nod, not really understanding the tenets of Buddhism himself; with quiet solemnity, he moved past the two men and into the restricted area of the temple grounds, amidst open clearings and small, well-tended gardens.
It didn't take long for him to find the Ghost: hovering at the edge of the woods was a blue phantom of an older, rather gruff-looking monk, with sagging jowls and a wrinkled face. The blazing red eyes of the Ghost flared with fury, desirous for his life.
Shogoki calmly set Shinji down on the ground, stepping forward by an extension of his will. The Beast snarled, armored mouth opening to loose a hoarse breath.
"Wretched remnant...your time is past."
The specter charged. With a swift movement, the Evangelion grabbed the Ghost by the front of his robes, which seemed an integral part of Mutatsu's very being. With Unit-01's greater height and reach, there was little that the Ghost could do harm Shogoki, other than slap incessantly at its arms.
It was a very strange outcome, compared to the many Ghosts he had faced on the day of the new moon; this seemed almost anti-climactic. Simple. And yet, one Ghost was beyond the capabilities of most mortal men. It was...a sobering reminder of just how other Evangelion rendered him. "...I wonder if you can still understand me?" he said aloud, looking at the struggling Ghost.
The corrupted remnant of Mutatsu's soul sneered, continuing his futile struggle. Yet, Unit-01's presence seemed to grow, its form blazing with ethereal power that made the Ghost seem lesser by comparison.
"You cling too tightly to this mortal coil; let go, and move on!"
Shinji frowned as Mutatsu's struggles began to lessen...slowly, inexorably...until at least, the Ghost was hanging limply in Shogoki's grip. What anger drives the Ghosts? Why are they so furious? "...are you done, Mutatsu-san?" With life, or undeath, or something else, Shinji had no idea as to what the Ghost sensed...but maybe, there was a sense of relief. As the Ghost flickered, Shinji gratefully said, "thank you. I hope...you end up in a peaceful place." The hateful red gleam faded from the Ghost's eyes as he finally faded away into nothingness. I guess...that's Mission Accomplished?
How odd; there was no satisfaction or jubilation over stopping the Ghost; only melancholy.
xxxx
Back in Tokyo-3, within a local arcade, Minato Arisato's hand briefly twitched. The motion cost him, as his character on the fighting game fell victim to a combo from the final boss; the words 'GAME OVER' flashed at him. Hmm.
The feeling that had prompted the twitch was...a sadly familiar one. Yet he resisted the urge to try and decipher the Arcana of who had just passed on; it would've defeated the whole point of...well, everything.
But it didn't make it any less gut-wrenching.
With an expression of perfectly-schooled apathy, the high school student stuffed his hands into his pockets, departing the arcade without another word.
xxxx
As the Third Child moved away to advise the locals of his successful mission, the axe-wielding female watched quietly from her hiding place in the woods. "There certainly wasn't much to see," she remarked, her voice completely muffled by her concealing helmet. An outside observer would only see black, with a dull visor that didn't reflect anything.
"It's to be expected. After all, if the reports I've read have any veracity to them, a Ghost would be easy pickings compared to the cause of Angel Syndrome."
"...didn't even look like he cared." That, more than anything else, was what stuck with her; just how effortless he put down the Ghost, as though it had been a mere gnat to crush. To have that kind of power...she quickly crushed the spot of envy that wanted to bloom. There was nothing to help for it. "And there are two others like him?" she muttered.
"Indeed. But the exact means of how Evangelions are created is still unknown...you, however, are the proof of concept for something that we can produce in larger numbers."
To this, she had nothing to say.
(Orphans had to look out for each other, like a pack. So when their captors requested two 'volunteers', their Big Sis - a young woman with long hair colored a light, ashen blue, with unnervingly red eyes - and Little Sis - a younger girl, with short blonde hair and blue eyes - didn't hesitate to step forward. "Look after your brothers," sweetly said Little Sis, even as she and her two brothers screamed at them to stop. But it would be for naught.)
But oh, what she wanted to say was a far different beast.
"...I'm detecting a spectral reading."
"So am I." She unleashed the second weapon clinging to her back: a round parma, colored white with gold trimming. The curved umbo at the center of the the shield bore a red gemstone, which seemed to glimmer knowingly. "Probably another monk who met a grisly end."
"Then you might as well take care of it. No sense in letting the dead roam where they're not wanted."
Without hesitation, she whirled around; the Ghost of another monk - much younger than that which the Third Child had face - charged at full throttle, eyes gleaming with the promise of death. Holding the shield up, the specter rammed into it...and bounced off, flailing as one shocked and surprised, for how could a mere physical object stop that which had no physicality?
Oh, if only.
Without hesitation, she used her free hand to grab the axe on her back, swinging down decisively. The Ghost was bisected, utterly undone by the blow; the flickering tongues of blue energy seemed to gravitate towards the gemstones in the axe and the shield. "Target neutralized."
"Then it's time for you to return to base, Kirishima. It's time to prepare for the next phase."
"...understood, sir." With lumbering movements, the girl - Kirishima - tore open a the fabric between the realms. She departed without another sound, the axe and shield weighing heavily on her back.
xxxx
/Misato's Apartment, Tokyo-3/
The clock rolled past 8 PM as Misato Katsuragi finally trudged into her home, her expression positively haggard. "Egh...what a day..." She owed Ritsky big time for filling in for her. Judging by the message she had received earlier that afternoon, Shinji had already taken to the Mission Board with gusto...as much a relatively awkward kid like him could get. I'll have to make it up to him later. As she trudged into her room - fumbling for her sleep attire - her thoughts drifted back to what she had spent her day doing...well, besides recovering from the most wicked hangover she'd had in a while. Damn Kaji, getting under my skin.
Speaking of which...she'd pored over sensory data collected by the Cognitive Protection Center, going back to the beginning of the year. That little project had taken up the bulk of her day. By comparison, the brief foray into the Panopticon to suppress an unruly Shadow had almost been a welcome distraction by comparison.
But, when all was said and done...
("There was an interesting news story I heard that you might find enlightening." Ryoji Kaji spoke with that easygoing grin of his, wiping a glass as she drank her beer. "I'll make sure to forward it to you.")
Alas, she had let the data packet languish on her phone...largely because the new moon had been less than a week away at that time, and other things had occupied her attention. But now, after Kaji's Shadow had reared his head again, and after last night's...well, less than satisfying conclusion...she had found herself with renewed vigor. Sure enough, Kaji's little network of informants - oh, what she wouldn't give to get her hands on them - had somehow discovered unusual activity occurring at the edges of Tokyo-1 in the Metaverse.
Nothing big. Nothing major. But the increased cognitive activity was clear enough if you knew what to look for. That it was occurring around the ghastly dead zone of Tokyo-1...well, it couldn't be good. Looks like I'm going to have to arrange for some recon. With renewed vigor, she practically kicked her bedroom door open, now wearing her loose yellow tank top and blue pajama bottoms. "PEN-PEN! BEER ME!"
"Wark," grunted the red-crested penguin, tossing her a can of tea with his clawed flippers.
Misato narrowed her eyes. "This ain't a beer."
"Wark!"
"...okay, I get that last night was the most I'd had in a while, but come on-"
"Wark."
"Okay pal, who died and made you my dad?"
With an emphatic point, the lively penguin gestured toward the coffee table in front of the sofa, where a few boxes of sushi sat.
"...you are forgiven for ordering delivery. Did you tip em'?"
"Wark," groused the penguin, as if to say 'duh'.
"Good boy." With a satisfied 'whoop!', Misato vaulted over the sofa, landing on the comfy cushions with gusto. "I'm honestly in the mood to veg out, so pick something mind-numbingly simple."
"Wark." Grabbing the remote, Pen-Pen turned the television on as she began digging into her sushi.
As luck would have it, there was a channel dedicated to the arts already on the television. "-and now we have our special guest from the fabled Emporium to demonstrate his talents in our humble studio. Kitagawa-sensei, the floor is yours," spoke the program's narrator. On the screen - which was a completely black set, with the only items of interest being a painting canvas and a lanky man in a blue kimono.
"A painting program? Really?" Misato gave a stink eye to Pen-Pen as she chewed on a tuna roll. "You've been getting artsy fartsy while I'm out?"
"Wark," challenged the penguin.
"Thank you for your kind generosity," said the guest artist, his tone surprisingly deep and majestic for such a thin dude. "There have been many tales told of the 'happy tree' within these hallowed halls...but what sort of emotion does that happiness entail? Joy? Pleasure? Passion? Fanciful innocence?" The artist looked solemnly towards the camera, his long blue hair parting to reveal a serious expression, his stern lips framed by a thin beard, mustache, and goatee. "Such human notions of happiness cannot adequately encompass the grandeur of a mighty oak, or a glorious cedar! Today, we shall demonstrate a tree which has become a testament to itself, bringing the hearts of all who see to true rapture!"
"...okay, with a voice like that, I get your point." This Kitagawa guy could probably market his voice for lullabies and make a tidy buck.
"Wark," snorted the penguin, having made his point.
Misato grinned, affectionately rubbing the crest along her pet-slash-friend-slash-confidant-slash-counselor's head. If nothing else could be said about this screwed up world of theirs, it was that she could always count on Pen-Pen to have her back.
"WARK!"
"Too bad, I grabbed the eel first. Finder's keeper's!"
And she would always be there for him. No matter what.
xxxx
END OF 06/21/2015
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/if Atlus made a Bob Ross spinoff starring Yusuke
/I'd watch it