Demon City Tokyo
Nine
Information gathering in the city of Tokyo was a complicated business. The demon hunters at NERV were now the city's primary employer, more or less, and the people living in the city were fiercely loyal. If you so much as criticized NERV word quickly got around, and you could end up with 'accidents' happening around you. Not that Yui Ikari ordered anything to happen, of course. That was the beauty of the situation. People needed NERV so bad that they would willingly take action against threats to the company on their own.
That's why, when Rally Cheyenne was hired by the Japanese government as a consultant to look into Tokyo and the ongoing demon problem, she opened up a dive bar. She had her staff pose as the operators and used the bar to get a feel for what was really going on in Tokyo, underneath the surface. Alcohol loosened lips, everyone knew that, and in good company people were more likely to say interesting things.
Lebia Maverick walked into Rally's office in a tower not far from NERV, the cool blond dressed in a casual business suit. She was tall, thin and quite attractive, but everyone agreed she was also totally inapproachable. "Ma'am," she nodded respectfully, "here's this week's report."
Rally took the files from her, flipping through the pages. "Hmm, Kozo needs to be more careful what he says when drinking," she noted. Kozo Fuyutsuki was the principal of Tokyo's last, declining, high school, but once upon a time he had been a rising star in science, a professor in a leading university. Or so he claimed.
"His story checks out," Lebia confirmed smugly. "He was indeed Yui Ikari's professor, right up until the first wave of demon attacks."
"And that's when he first starts hitting the bottle seriously," Rally mused. "Do we know why?" she asked thoughtfully.
"I can't confirm it, but there are implications he's tied up with the original, demon summoning cabal. Along with Yui and her missing husband, Gendo," Lebia smiled coldly. "Sadly, Yui's academic records and other data are buried very deep. I've had no luck finding any of it."
"Yes, sadly we can't prove any of this," Rally cautioned her.
"Yes, ma'am," Lebia conceded.
Rally sat back thoughtfully. "Are we having any luck getting into NERV itself?" she asked as she looked out the window at the increasingly run down city.
"Mr. Suzuhara is not happy with his current position and his childrens' health," Lebia told her, "but he's quite loyal, considering Yui is helping cover the medical bills. We've also made contact with other staffers, but we need to be cautious."
"Hmm." Rally nodded.
"We've also had several visits from Mari Illustrious Makinami," Lebia started to say, her voice getting just a little eager.
"No," Rally held up a hand before she could continue, "it's too dangerous to try to pump her. She's too close to Ikari and her stumbling over our operation is rather suspicious."
"You think she's a plant?' Lebia asked with a frown.
"I don't know if I'd go that far," Rally admitted, "but her accidentally stumbling over our facility is quite a coincidence."
Lebia nodded, "True enough."
"Has Ryoji Kaji responded through any of the message drops?" Rally changed the subject, bringing up the Japanese agent who was supposed to be infiltrating NERV.
"No," Lebia shook her head, "and he's quite overdue to send something out."
Rally puffed out a sigh. "I guess Yui must have caught him," she mused. "Do you think they're holding him somewhere, or if he's been sanctioned?" she asked coldly.
"Do you really think Yui is capable of that?" Lebia had to ask.
"Oh, certainly," Rally answered calmly, "after all, we still don't know what really happened to Gendo or the original Kaworu." She flipped through the pages on her desk as she decided, "I think we're going to have to assume he's gone, at least for now." Changing the subject she asked, "How are the weapons tests going?"
"We acquired a sample of some of the swords NERV is using to kill the demons," Lebia said, "a chip from one of Asuka's swords, actually. We've got a lab running a full spectral analysis, but so far it looks like a standard steel alloy."
Rally grunted. She had hoped there was something exotic about the weapons NERV was using. Her rational, scientific mind had a hard time griping the concept that seemingly extraterrestrial creatures could only be killed with swords and bladed weapons. It just seemed wrong somehow. Especially considering how resistant to standard guns they were...
Speaking of that Rally asked, "How's our other project going?"
"Kiddy and Nami successfully captured one of the creatures in the slums," Lebia said, "we carted it off before NERV could find it. They're weapon testing various arms against it, trying to determine what works and doesn't."
"Good," Rally nodded, "we need to be prepared to present a viable alternative to NERV and their approach to demon hunting. If we can do that, we might even take their jobs away..."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Meanwhile, in a very secure research lab, Kiddy Phenil was calmly shooting a shambling demon, her pistol blasting holes in it that quickly closed up. "Well, damn," the green haired woman scowled, lowering the gun.
Mana Isozaki made a note on her clipboard as the blue haired woman said, "Standard police issue, ineffective."
"Eep," Nami muttered, the younger woman stepping backward as the thing threw itself violently at the protective barrier, rattling the thick impact resistant glass.
"Don't worry," Mana told her, "the barrier is rated to withstand powerful impacts." She looked at Kiddy, "Do you want to move up to the Magnum?"
"Worth a try," Kiddy agreed as she picked up the heavier grade pistol. She loaded it then took the safety off before stepping into the shooting booth.
"If you use the 'Do you feel lucky, punk' line, I'm going to have to hurt you," Mana added.
"Aww," Kiddy pouted while Nami looked confused, clearly not getting the reference.
Mana watched as Kiddy hefted the heavy gun, taking aim at the shambling creature. She pulled the trigger, the weapon bucking, and the bang made her wince and Nami jump. But the higher calibre bullet blew a satisfying hole in the demon, even as the flesh stitched itself together.
"Damn," Kiddy exclaimed, "that slowed it down a bit."
"It's still healing though," Nami noted.
"But it did significant damage," Kiddy grinned. "Imagine if I had been using a machine gun! Wonder why NERV never used them?"
"NERV reported it tested various weapons on the demons and determined the swords were best," Mana noted as Kiddy shot the thing a few more times, recording the healing times.
"Right," Kiddy said skeptically.
Nami took the 'devil's advocate' position as she suggested, "Things were very crazy when the demon attacks first started, you know. Political leaders all over died, things were chaotic... maybe they never got the change to use much more than police specials against the attackers?"
"Yeah, maybe," Kiddy conceded reluctantly as she finished up closing the firing booth.
"All right, we'll move on," Mana said, even though she privately agreed with Kiddy. Either NERV hadn't properly tested all weapons against the demons, or they suppressed the data they discovered. "There is one reason swords might be preferred, however," she noted aloud.
"Huh?" Kiddy looked at her in curiosity.
Mana smiled slightly, "Swords don't run out of ammunition."
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Yui Ikari scowled as she looked over the report leaked from the Japanese Diet, on the hiring of a consultant to investigate NERV. Why hadn't she heard about this sooner? Hell, she should have been able to completely nip this in the bud.
She shook her head, Yui sitting back in her chair. There was no time to be annoyed with her government contacts and their failure to notify her. It was more important to consider what the consultants might learn and possibly use against her.
What happened to Gendo was buried so deep there was no chance they could discover it. Lilith's existence too was something she had gone to great lengths to conceal, for obvious reasons. Yui felt certain that neither would become a problem. Hopefully.
The decision to use Youkai as 'hounds' to find the demons, as well as equipping her Hunters with bladed weapons would come under question, Yui knew. Still, she firmly believed it was the best choice to make. In their encounters with demons the police and regular army had all faired incredibly badly. People simply no longer trusted men with guns to save them.
It came down to building a mythology really. Or tapping into a old one. People WANTED to believe in young heroes taking up arms to save them, why else were there so many fictions about it? So Yui gave them what they wanted, and in the process helped people all over the world recover from the panic and terror that followed the first horrible wave of demon attacks.
'I very nearly saved the world,' Yui thought resentfully, 'and is this the thanks I get?'
The coincidence that Mayumi Yamagishi arrived here just before this investigation started bothered Yui, too. She had a complete background check, and Yui knew that Mayumi was clean. Yet her coming here now... it looked odd. She made a mental not to ask Ritsuko to do some digging into the reporter again, just in case.
Yui also found herself regretting eliminating Ryoji Kaji as quickly as she had. It now looked like he was at least connected to this new group, and possibly had been digging in NERV on their behalf. When Yui caught him he had been under the cover of a 'special inspector' while under that he had been a Japanese salaryman, too curious for his own good. Yui hadn't realized there might be three levels of deception involved.
'I wonder if Lilith adsorbed information from Ryoji Kaji when she ate him?' Yui wondered, knowing it was nearly time to see the demon once again. And there was the question of if she could trust anything Lilith told her. The demoness loved to lie, almost as much as she liked manipulating Yui.
With a sigh Yui shut off her computer and locked up the physical files. It was late, and it was time to go home. Her problems could wait until tomorrow...
To be continued...
Demon City Tokyo
Ten
The problem with looking for things was, you don't always find what you want. The city of Tokyo had mostly been abandoned by the middle class, many of whom fled the city in hopes of finding somewhere safer. Or if not safer, at least more readily defensible. And when they ran, many abandoned almost everything they owned. And when there was abandoned property, there were scavengers.
Ken Aida had, once upon a time, a bright future. He was smart, well educated and his family was well off. That had all changed when the demon wave hit, of course. His mom was killed in the first few weeks, and his dad just kind of... broke down. Ken tried to stay with going to school, but increasingly he failed to see the point.
Now, the young men hurried up the smelly hall of the long abandoned building, mold growing in corners and along some damp walls. They checked doors as they went along, peeking into each suite before moving on. The open rooms meant someone had cleared the place out, but every now and then you got lucky.
"Hey looks like I got something," the leader noted as he tried a dirty door handle and found it still locked. Jiro Yamada had brought them together, and he was the one with the contacts to fence whatever they found.
"Could just be jammed," Ken noted as he reached the older boy's side. "Should we try breaking it down or...?"
"Nah," Jiro shook his head. He called up the hall, "Yuri! Come take a look at this."
Yuri claimed to be a real delinquent, having run with the gangs in Osaka. Ken wasn't sure how much he actually bought that, considering the guy was named Yuri. Still, he was VERY professional with his lock picks, which was why they kept him around.
"Hmm," Yuri carefully worked the slim pieces of metal in the lock, his brown hair falling into his eyes. "Not jammed," he noted after a moment, "it's locked. But it's a cheap one."
"Can you get it open?" Jiro demanded impatiently.
Quite cheerfully Yuri answered, "Dunno." Before Jiro could add any threats he continued, "It all depends on how corroded the inside of the lock is. You know that."
"Yeah, yeah," Jiro grumbled. He looked over at the other boy, "Aida, keep checking doors. We might get lucky again."
"Right," Ken agreed as he walked along the hallway trying door handles. Honestly, he didn't wanna hand around as they snipped at each other anyway. He found empty room after empty room, then headed back up to the locked door.
"There we go...," Yuri murmured in satisfaction as they heard the soft click. He turned the handle, but the door wouldn't budge.
"Jammed," Jiro sighed. He looked at Ken, "Gimme a hand."
"Right," Ken agreed as he applied his shoulder to the door. Both men thumped against the door, applying enough force to start it moving. The smell of decay wafted out from the opening, and both men flinched slightly.
"Whew," Yuri winced.
Jiro forced the door open, the bottom of the door scrapping on the moldy floor. The room inside was furnished, and there were indications that whoever had lived there hadn't fled when the demons began attacking.
Ken took in the room, a odd feeling of familiarity washing over him. Yes, there was mold and a scent of decay, but the room still seemed cheery, a home for a usual family. It reminded him of the days before the demons and how things went to hell for them all...
Jiro calmly said, "Jackpot. All right, start looking for jewelry boxes, safes and money. After that we'll see what comes up."
"Right," Yuri agreed as Ken followed.
The living room had a endtable with drawers, that Ken quickly riffled through. He found some money and a watch, as well as a few nick nacks. Not knowing if they were valuable or not he pocketed the stuff. Jiro was looking through the bedroom off to one side, Yuri digging through the study on the other side. Ken moved on to the kitchen, opening drawers for any odds and ends that might have ended up there.
"Gonna open the fridge?" Yuri asked curiously as he carried a box through the kitchen.
Ken gave him a look, "You think I'm nuts? It's probably full of rotten crap."
"You never know," Yuri stopped to point out, "some people stashed valuable stuff in fridges, when they thought they might still come back."
"You're kidding," Ken said as he hesitated to open up the door.
"Scout's honor," Yuri vowed.
Ken doubted he had ever been a scout, but... bracing himself, Ken grabbed the handle and pulled the fridge open. The smell of rot and decay washed over them, then Ken got a good look at what was in the fridge. "Urk," he choked them was violently ill.
"Fuck," Yuri breathed out in horror.
There were body parts on the upper rack of the fridge, half decomposed, but still recognizable as human. Underneath there was food, melted and rotted, and the combined smells were nearly unbearable. In behind the twisted pieces of anatomy some hair was visible too.
"Is that a head?" Ken managed, a bit of vomit clinging to his chin.
"Don't know and I don't wanna find out," Yuri decided as he firmly shut the fridge door. "Let's get Jiro and get outta here."
Ken rather shakilly wiped his chin off on his shirt. "Where is he? You'd think he'd have come looking after hearing you yell," Ken noted, not mentioning his own being ill.
Yuri paled slightly. "Fuck," he breathed out as they headed towards the bedroom.
The scent of rot, and something else, that lingered in the apartment got stronger as they headed towards the bedroom. Ken let himself fall behind a bit, a sense of growing danger slowing him down a little. Yuri opened the bedroom door, then froze as he made a gagging sound.
"Oh hell," Ken managed to choke out.
Jiro was ripped open, blood and gore surrounding where he fell. He was being straddled by what almost looked like a human woman, but her odd, grey green skin and white hair marked her as something else.
"Jiro!" Yuri yelled, charging into the room.
Ken hesitated, then gave in to common sense and bolted. He had seen what these demons could do, close up, and he had no intention of seeing it again. As he ran down the stairs only two things ran through his mind... could he get away? And how quickly could he contact NERV?
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Mayumi Yamagishi watched curiously as Asuka fiercely bawled out the unshaven, slightly scruffy young man who had called in the attack. She had known him, a few years back, when NERV had tried to keep the pilots in school and maintain a normal life for them.
'Wasn't there a demon attack at the school?' Mayumi recalled. She had a mental note to try interviewing the kid later. Maybe she could get two stories out of it, the demon attacvk and looking t how Tokyo's young people were slipping through the cracks.
Asukja stalked over, still looking annoyed. She muttered something unpleasant in German and added, "Damn idiot."
"Friend of yours?" Mayuni asked curiously.
"More a friend of Shinji's, but..." Asuka shrugged slightly. "Idiot should have come to me, if he was in trouble," she growled.
Mayumi though about pointing out he might have felt uncomfortable going to her for help, but decided to keep silent. Instead she asked, "So, how is this going to play out?" she asked, nodding to where members of the Tokyo Police waited nervously.
"We go in first with Rei," Asuka said, "but the police will follow us in, to investigate the body parts in the fridge Aida found."
"You don't think that was the demon?" Mayumi asked, feeling vaguely ill at the idea of a human being doing that.
"The demon's don't save food," Asuka shrugged, "and from Aida's description they'd been in there awhile."
"Eww," Mayumi shuddered visibly.
The two police women walked over, the taller one having the odd combination f green hair and tan skin. Mayumi wondered if it came out of a bottle, but considering the woman's muscle she wasn't gonna ask. The other woman was small and seemed oddly meek, but she also seemed somewhat intelligent too.
"I'm Detective Kiddy Phenil," the tall woman introuced herself, "this is my partner, Nami Yamigumo. Pleased to meet you."
Mayumi noted she didn't sound pleased. Asuka bowed slightly, "Likewise."
"I just want to go on record that I'm not pleased we're following you three in," Kiddy noted as they headed inside the abandoned building, "we should take point."
"Noted," Asuka shrugged, "but both your and my bosses agreed that I and Mayumi go in first."
Rei sniffed the air, the strange albino youma acting a bit of a bloodhound. "I can smell it here," she said as they passed the elevator and went to the stairway, "but it's faint."
Mayumi held onto her sword at her side as they all hurried up the steps. "Is it still here?" she asked Rei grimly.
"No way to know," Rei shook her head, "I'll have to get closer."
As they reached the right floor both cops drew their guns. Nami carried a standard police revolver, but Kiddy's was a oversized monster of a weapon. The group advanced until they reached the right apartment, then both Asuka and Mayumi drew their swords.
Asuka pushed the door open, the smell of decaying flesh washing over then. Nami gagged a bit, and Mayumi had to swallow to keep from doing the same. They advanced through the suite, checking each room until they hit the bedroom and the body.
"No demon," Kiddy noted, sounding just a bit relieved.
"Damn," while Asuka sounded disappointed. Shaking her head she said, "Get your forensics people up here and examine the fridge. We'll call our team and investigate the demon attack."
"Will do," Nami agreed.
Mayumi looked around, taking in the torn up corpse on the bed and the less damaged boy on the ground. The room reeked of demon even to her uneducated nose, but she looked at Rei curiously and asked, "What do you sense?"
"It fled," Rei confirmed, "not long ago. I can follow it for awhile, but it's scent is mixed with the decay of this place."
"Intentional, you think?" Asuka asked, but Rei just shrugged slightly.
Mayumi watched Asuka stalk around the room, frowning. She examined the pile of bedding in the corner, the bare bed and even went into the bathroom to look around. Finally Mayumi had to ask, "What's wrong?"
"It's not acting like a typical demon," Asuka admitted, "that worries me."
To be continued...
Demon City Tokyo
Eleven
Kiddy Phenil studied Asuka, wondering what drove a girl like this. The redhead had been with NERV several years now, and was arguably their best hunter. That meant she was watched and studied a lot, but she seemed oddly normal, if somewhat arrogant. But studying the files was nothing like meeting the person in the flesh.
Asuka lead the way into the suite with the older reporter, Mayumi. She was more a unknown quantity, but Kiddy had been following her articles with interest. She had shown at least some of the downsides of working with NERV in Tokyo, and appeared unwilling to be a company propagandist. Of course, Kiddy wondered if that loyalty would hold if she knew the other things Yui Ikari was up to?
The two women checked the place out like a cop would, interestingly, advancing room by room. Nami looked up at Kiddy and softly asked, "Police trained?"
"Not that I heard, but the way they act makes me wonder," Kiddy answered. Once the demon sweep was over they advanced with the forensics squad, letting them examine the head in the refrigerator. They also kept a eye on the two hunters and the Rei youkai.
Mayumi looked around, taking in the torn up corpse on the bed and the less damaged boy on the ground. The room reeked of demon even to her uneducated nose, but she looked at Rei curiously and asked, "What do you sense?"
"It fled," Rei confirmed, "not long ago. I can follow it for awhile, but it's scent is mixed with the decay of this place."
"Intentional, you think?" Asuka asked, but Rei just shrugged slightly.
They all watched Asuka stalk around the room, frowning. She examined the pile of bedding in the corner, the bare bed and even went into the bathroom to look around. Finally Mayumi had to ask, "What's wrong?"
"It's not acting like a typical demon," Asuka admitted, "that worries me."
"You have a typical demon?" Kiddy had to ask from where she stood in a doorway nearby. Not that she expected a answer, but it was worth a shot.
Asuka gave her a look, but decided to answer seriously, it seemed. "They appear to be almost unreasonably violent, and act on very primal instincts. Eat, fight or fuck, pretty much," Asuka said to her bluntly.
"While this thing...," Nami started.
"It's planning, nesting... well, maybe. The ones I've ran into haven't done that," Asuka said. She frowned, "I'm going to call in, wait for me."
Kiddy scowled as Asuka moved off, using her cellphone to call in. Damn, she wished she could hear that conversation!
Mayumi looked at the two police officers curiously then asked, "You don't seem happy following NERV hunters. Why is that?"
Kiddy kept her reaction off her face, reminding herself that this was a successful reporter who was VERY good at reading people. "I think the police should be the ones to handle police work," she said diplomatically, "including protecting the citizens. I think we weren't really given a fair chance, during the first attacks."
Mayumi looked at her skeptically, "Not to be rude, but several police stations were out and out slaughtered in the first weeks. You can see why people have doubts?"
Kiddy wanted to snap at the younger woman, but she WAS right, damn her. "I think we're better prepared now, thank you," she answered instead.
Mayumi looked curious, "Could I interview both of you once we're done, tonight? I would be interested in seeing your perspectives."
"I'm sorry," Nami said to her diplomatically, "you'd need to clear any interviews with the department, first."
'Which,' Kiddy thought, 'was a polite way of saying no way in hell.' There was no chance at alkl their boss would want them interviewed. Before she could add anything Asuka snapped her phone shut and walked back to them. "What did NERV say?" she demanded.
Asuka gave her a frowning look but answered, "We need to do a area search, but Misato isn't confident we'll find anything. If the creature is acting this odd, it may be sharper than normal too."
Kiddy grunted, then opened her mouth to add something.
Asuka cut her off, "Of course, we don't want to take you away from your pressing police investigation, so Mayumi and I will head out. Good luck."
Nami saw Kiddy's face go purple and hurried to head off a explosion. "Thank you," she said swiftly, "you too."
"That little...," Kiddy grated out once they were gone.
"She's right, though," Nami pointed out to her respectfully but firmly.
Kiddy looked annoyed, but nodded choppily. "You're right," she conceded as they left the bedroom and went into the kitchen. The forensics team was carefully removing everything in the fridge, bagging and tagging each item.
"Gonna be awhile," the head of the team noted. "We need to take everything, in case of fluid transfer from the heads. We're also hoping to dust the interior, though the odd surfaces may create some problems."
"Any chance of a visual identification?" Nami had to ask.
Another forensics worker gave her a look. "It's a half rotted head, among several fully rotted ones," she said patiently, "the odds are pretty low."
"It's mostly intact though," Kiddy defended her collegue, "take a photo and run it through the station computers. We might get lucky."
"Thanks," Nami murmured to Kiddy as the grumbling tech shifted the head into the light and took a photo with her tablet and sent it to headquarters.
"It's nor likely," Kiddy shrugged, "but not impossible."
There was a chime from the tablet, the tech looked at it then blinked. "What?" Nami had to ask.
"Got a match," the tech sounded very very odd, "Lorenz Keel. The German magnate, bank executive and..."
"Assumed demon summoner, if the stories are right," Kiddy muttered, awed. "How the hell did he end up in a fridge in Tokyo?" she asked, exasperated.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Yui Ikari had a similar reaction as she looked at Misato. "Lorenz Keel?" she blinked, her glasses slipping down her nose.
Misato nodded, her own expression similarly bemused. "Yeah. Somehow he survived the demons, escaped Germany and disappeared. Then, as far as the forensics teams can tell, he reappeared in Tokyo a year ago, got offed and stuffed in a fridge."
Ritsuko drank some of her coffee. "Is that a exact date?" she wondered.
"A estimate. The fridge was running well, but they think there were power interruptions at times, which may have effected the rate of decay," Misato relayed.
"Which means?" Yui had to ask.
"There could be a few months margin for error there," Ritsuko said thoughtfully. She looked at Misato, "Can we stay involved with the case?"
"I have contacts on the force, but I can't promise they'll be able to keep us completely informed," Misato admitted. She looked at Yui, "Anyway you could get us put in charge? It does sort of apply to our jobs."
Yui made a face, "I tried, but there are politics involved. The city doesn't want to look like my lap dog, pretty much."
Neither Misato or Ritsuko pointed out the city pretty much was their lap dog, simply because it might irritate Yui. "Did you want the other bad news?" Ritsuko asked diplomatically.
"Oh what now?" Yui sighed.
"Mayumi has already filed a story on it. Just the publicly released information, with her own experience of being on the scene," Ritsuko explained.
"I knew I was going to regret having a reporter on staff," Yui sighed, though she didn't sound TOO bothered by it.
Misato shrugged, "I don't think she'd intentionally publish anything damaging, not without running it by us first at least."
That was pretty much Yui's feeling too. And if things went bad, she could always take steps. "Keep an eye on the situation, and let me know if anything changes," she told Misato. She looked at Ritsuko, "Hunter status?"
Ritsuko looked bored as she said, "Both Asuka and Mayumi check out normal, counting in residual excitement from the case etc etc." She looked amused, "Mari is also fine, other than the effects of her hitting that illegal bar we pretend not to know about."
"Why don't we shut these guys down again?" Misato wondered with a sigh.
"The city won't license bars, and people need to drink occassionally," Yui shrugged. "Besides, if we shut them down another will just spring up, this time with us NOT knowing where they are," she added dryly.
"Point," Misato sighed. "I'll talk to Mari, remind her to take it easier on the booze."
"Other than that, the pilots are fine," Ritsuko said, putting emphasis on the word pilots.
"All right, Rits, what else?" Misato sighed.
"You and Yui have been dodging your physicals," Ritsuko said seriously. "You're both past due, and it's important you stay healthy."
Yui sighed, "Ritsuko..."
"I'm serious, Yui," she cut her off as Ritsuko continued, "we deal with things we still don't fully understand daily. You at LEAST need to take your health seriously."
Yui studied Ritsuko a moment, wondering if the doctor would push. Deciding she would, Yui conceded, "Certainly, I'll be in in the next two days." She looked at Misato, "You too."
"Yes, mommy," Misato sighed.
"Oooh, kinky," Ritsuko smirked.
"Don't even go there," Yui ordered.
To be continued...
Notes: Next chapter might end up being lighter. Hopefully anyway.
Demon City Tokyo
Chapter 12
Megumi felt a degree of pride as she checked the news. Her latest story on the social breakdown in Tokyo had sparked a official investigation, and it looked like the Minister of Education was going to have to resign. Not that it was the poor bastard's fault, really, but a resignation was required to save face. Politics.
"Hey!" Asuka came into the dining hall, smiling. "Heard from Ken, he says you got him into school again?"
Megumi flushed slightly. "I know a teacher there," she explained, "and could pull some strings. Mind you, he's going to have to work to catch up, but..."
"He's got a chance, at least," Asuka agreed.
Megumi nodded. She'd interviewed Ken for her education story, about how badly victims of the demon attacks had fared. No counselling, not much financial support, families deserting you... it had been a disaster. And not just for Ken, lots of kids had suffered.
"Feeling guilty about that?" Asuka nodded to the paper.
"Not really," Megumi smiled wryly, "it's all for show anyway. He'll resign, the government will make various pledges to fix the problems, and in a few years he'll be back as a minister for another department and everything will carry on."
"And I thought I was cynical," Asuka laughed.
"I'm not that cynical, it's just...," Megumi paused, "look, I've been at this business a few years. Politics are cyclical, always. These guys come back, short of being killed."
"True," Asuka conceded before adding a bit defensively, "Well, I haven't really been following politics much."
"Even with the crowds of chanting protesters in front of here every day?" Megumi asked, looking at her in surprise.
Asuka shrugged, "They're just nutjobs."
Megumi looked at Asuka thoughtfully, wondering if she should tell her about the very real political opposition to the hunters. There were a lot of political factions at play, and at least some of them hated Yui Ikari's guts. Not to mention how much the politicians used the controversy to just get attention and drum up votes. Still, it wasn't something Asuka really needed to know.
Instead, Megumi asked, "Is Yui still pissed off at me?"
Asuka snickered, "No, not really. I mean, I think she knew when you came on board that you'd do things like filing a story without telling anyone."
"It IS kind of my job," Megumi said to Asuka drolly. "And you have to admit, it's news."
Asuka nodded, "That's true."
The shocking discovery of Keel Lorenz's disembodied head was still reverberating both through the news and the public awareness. He had been a wealthy, well known industrialist even before he became notorious as a demon summoner. Worse, there was a perplexing mystery around the story. How had he gotten from a fortified home in Germany to Japan, then ended up dead in a Tokyo apartment?
"Have they found the rest of him?" Asuka asked ghoulishly.
"Not yet," Megumi said, making a face.
The other mystery appeared to be what happened to the rest of him. So far, only his head had been found, and where the rest of his corpse was no one knew. The hunters had helped clear the building for the police, who now had forensics teams searching high and low. So far, the only body parts found were in the one room.
"How are you getting along with those cops?" Asuka asked curiously. She frowned, "There was something... odd about them."
"Hmm," Megumi nodded. "Something, yeah. They're a private security firm pitching police services to Tokyo, as I understand it. All very hush hush. I had to push my political sources even to find out THAT."
"As in, replacing us?" Asuka raised her eyebrows.
"That's the subtext, but I'm not hearing anything overt saying so," Megumi answered. She shrugged, "And no one with them will say anything to me, on or off the record." She looked cutely thoughtful, "Gee, do you think they might have something to hide?"
Asuka snorted with laughter. "You're gonna dig into this, aren't you?"
"Damn right," Megumi nodded.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"AAAAAA!" Misato yelped.
"Oh, hold still," Ritsuko growled as she grabbed the other woman.
"Can you at least warm up the instruments?" Misato complained as she sat back down on the examination table.
"Wimp," Ritsuko answered. "If you actually came in to your monthly physicals willingly, I wouldn't have to take steps like this."
"You're a sadist," Misato sighed. As the cold instruments ran along her back she winced, "Argh. I usually expect a woman to at least get me dinner before doing nasty things to me."
"Yeah, yeah," Ritsuko laughed, "stop fishing for compliments."
Misato patiently bore the poking and prodding, tho she occasionally pointed out when Ritsuko got TOO rough. "Okay," she said when Ritsuko jabbed her with a needle the size of a harpoon, "are we done yet?"
"Cry baby," Ritsuko snickered, "yes, we're done. Get dressed."
"Oh thank god," Misato sighed as she pulled on her shirt and pants. "Did you get Yui into your chamber of horrors too?" she asked.
"Yes, this morning," Ritsuko shrugged, "she whines less than you do, though."
"Meanie!" Misato laughed and swiftly escaped.
Ritsuko put the samples in for analysis as she typed a preliminary report on Misato. Then she picked up Yui's report thoughtfully. She COULD just send it via inter office mail, but... the odds were good Yui would ignore it.
Leaving her office Ritsuko headed to the elevators, smiling wryly as the doors opened to reveal Maya Ibuki. The boyish young woman blushed, "Ma'am."
"You can call me Ritsuko, you know," she purred, standing JUST near enough to make the younger woman nervous.
"Yes, uhm..," Maya stammered sweetly. She jabbed the open button and hurried off as she blurted, "Excuse me!"
Ritsuko pouted as she saw her hurry off. She REALLY needed to let the poor girl know she was onto her. Tho that might spoil Misato's fun...
Yui Ikari's secretary was a cool, calm looking young woman that Ritsuko REALLY wondered was a youma. Normal people don't come that calm and composed, damn it. "Doctor Akagi," Yuki Nagato nodded, "you are not on the day's schedule."
Ritsuko smiled faintly, "Can you fit me in?"
Yuki just STARED at her a moment, blankly, then looked at her computer. "I believe so," she finally said, "go right in."
"Thank you," Ritsuko smiled as she went by.
Yui Ikari was looking out the window as Ritsuko entered, but turned to see her. "Ah, Rits. Just the ray of light my day needed," she said dryly.
"Love you too," Ritsuko tossed the report on her desk as she asked, "Do you want the bad news or the bad news?"
"Go ahead," Yui sighed.
"You are BADLY underweight, anaemic and malnourished," Ritsuko said, "if I didn't know better, I'd think you were on a fad diet."
"Don't joke," Yui grumbled.
"I'm perscribing a new batch of multivitamins," Ritsuko handed her a sheet of paper, "and I would suggest more iron in your diet. The cafeteria also offers balanced meals, if you'd actually go in there and eat."
"Yes mother," Yui pouted.
Ritsuko rolled her eyes as she reminded her, "Keep in mind you gave me authority over you, at least in medical matters. If I have to I will order you to take time off."
Yui sighed, "All right, all right. What do you want, a contract signed in blood?"
"Considering how thin your blood is...," Ritsuko noted mildly then headed out.
To be continued...