Eighteen: The Walls of Jericho.

Arabian Sea. 50 miles west of Malé, Maldives.

August 16th, 2015.

Sohryu Asuka Langley rummaged through her suitcase. Should I wear the blue or yellow dress? The stateroom was paneled in dark wood, sumptuously decorated in navy blue. A painting of a sailing ship hung on the wall, identified by the plaque as the USS Constitution. Blue it is. She grinned. Kaji-san won't be able to resist this one. Asuka pulled on the dress, then clipped on her link headset. Asuka sat down at the oak desk, idly clicking a monogrammed pen. This is the life. Someone knocked loudly on the door.

She pulled open the stateroom door. Kaji Ryoji leaned against the wall outside, looking vaguely disreputable.

"There you are," he said.

Asuka smiled brightly. "You were waiting for me?"

"Left a bag in here. I was standing outside for thirty minutes. How long does it take you to get ready?"

Kaji walked inside, sidestepping Asuka.

"What do you think of my outfit, Kaji-san?"

Kaji dug around in the walnut wardrobe. "Very nice," he said without looking. "Would be nicer if you didn't take a half-hour to put it on."

Asuka's smile slipped a little. "It takes time to look this good, you know."

"It takes me fifteen minutes to go from bed to the front door."

I can see that. Did you sleep in your jacket?

"Are we going to breakfast?" Asuka asked.

"Coffee and a cigarette is good enough for me. You can go eat in the wardroom if you want, I've got work to do." He slung a leather bag over his shoulder and strode out, brushing past Asuka.

"Wait—" Asuka clenched her fist around her keychain. The door stuck partway, so she kicked it shut. The Second Child jabbed the key into the keyhole and stormed off towards the wardroom.

"Mr. Kaji's not here today."

Asuka made an irritable gesture with her fork. "Working again. He never wants to spend time with me."

Lieutenant Hölscher sat next to her at the corner table, taking painstaking care not to stain her white uniform. The large room was about half-full, comfortably furnished in the same shade of blue as the stateroom.

The test pilot munched on a piece of bacon. "What did you say his job was again? Something about the UN?"

"Metarmscom. No idea what exactly, but he keeps his apartment door padlocked…with an iron chain."

We've been at sea for twenty days—he's eaten in the wardroom five times.

"Sounds like intelligence. My uncle was BND. Not even my aunt's been in his study; the spooks came after he died and cleaned it out."

Asuka swallowed a bite of her omelet. "I can't even go up the stairs; there's a grate on the landing."

"You get your own apartment?"

Asuka nodded. "It's a duplex. Kaji-san took one unit and I got the other."

"Lucky. I have to share a room with three other sailors. Not a fun experience, especially in an old rustbucket like the O.T.R."

I'd rather live with Kaji-san, even if it was just one room. Especially if it was just one room. There'd only be one bed, of course…

"Anyway," Asuka said, "wanna play the Prime Game?" Last time was a fluke—She won't get lucky again.

Hölscher laid into her omelet. "A rematch?"

Asuka smirked. She's beaten me once out of thirty-one rounds. There's no chance…

Hölscher unfolded a piece of paper and laid it on the table. The page bore the first 25 prime numbers, starting from 2 and running to 97. We multiply the current number by one of these primes, then eliminate that prime. 2 can be reused. The winner is the last person who can multiply the current number in their head .

"2," Asuka said.

"I'm multiplying by 3. 6."

"Times 47, 282."

"Times 5, 1,410"

Asuka finished off her omelet. "Times 53, 74,730."

"Double it. 149,460."

"Times 7, 1,046,220"

"Times 83, 86,836,260."

Asuka's smirk melted like candle wax."Times 2. 173,672,520."

Hölscher's smile sharpened. After a pause, she spoke the next number slowly and deliberately. "Times 89. 15,456,854,280."

The Second Child pulled out a calculator and checked the number. She looked up. "How—"

"You're predictable when stressed. You're defaulting to the same sequences of primes; I just memorized their products and chose a large prime to beat you." She smiled. "It's not math, just psychology."

Asuka swatted her shoulder. "That's not fair. You aren't better at math, you just psychoanalyzed me."

She shrugged. "An unusual problem demands an unusual solution. This one doesn't always work, of course; you were stressed, a little lonely, so you went along with my ploy. 'Never run out of ideas, altitude, and airspeed at the same time.' "

"Let's play again. I'll beat you for sure—" Asuka stuck the calculator back into her pocket. "I'll start—"

"Asuka?" Kaji poked his head through the door. "Time for kanji practice."

"Coming!" She turned back to Hölscher. "This isn't over. I'll get you next time."

Hölscher stole Asuka's abandoned bacon, shoveling it onto her own plate.

The Second Child chuckled in spite of herself. She's unbelievable. She jogged over to the door.

Kaji glanced at her. "You've made a friend, huh? That's good."

"She cheats at the Prime Game." They set off down the hall.

"How do you cheat at multiplication?"

Asuka stopped outside her cabin. "Kaji-san, we aren't going to your cabin?"

He shook his head. "It's a total mess. Besides, you've got everything here."

But I wanted to see your cabin. Why won't you let me go in there?

She unlocked the door and they walked in. Kaji perched on the corner of her bed while Asuka rummaged through her cabinet. She paused on a physics book— I'll finish that later— and retrieved a notepad.

She sat down at her desk. "Well? How are they?"

Kaji leaned over her shoulder, peering at the rough characters. Asuka's breath caught in her throat. His stubbled jaw was mere inches from her face; he smelled like cologne and stale smoke.

"Asuka? Are you listening?" She flinched, face burning red. Kaji tapped the kanji. "The stroke order is wrong on this one. You draw it…" He placed his hand over hers and traced the correct order; Asuka's heart pounded in her ears. He's so close.

Kaji abruptly let go of her hand and stepped back. His face twitched slightly.

"Sorry," he muttered. "I didn't mean to—"

"That's okay," she said meekly, pulse slowly settling back to normal. "I don't mind."

Kaji's expression darkened. "I know you don't mind. That's the problem here…forget it."

Asuka considered for a second asking him to write the character for love, but discarded the idea. He's on guard now. Damn it, why does he have to be so decent? She sighed, redrawing the character. "Better?"

Kaji glanced at it, not moving closer. "Yeah. Remember, the most important part is the radical. Kanji are just combinations of radicals and other strokes; a lot of them can be read by combining the concepts of their constituent radicals. Now, thirty more lines."

She nodded glumly, picking up her pen. If only I could blow a trumpet and bring these walls crashing down.

Philippine Sea. 40 miles southeast of Odawara, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

August 30th, 2015.

Shinji looked out the helicopter window. The Pacific stretched to the hazy horizon, impossibly vast and incredibly blue. Tiny flecks of bright silver glimmered amidst the waves. The verdant sides of Oshima rose over the water, white foam breaking against her shores. Kensuke leaned over the aisle and tapped him on the shoulder. "See those streaks over there?"

Shinji frowned. "Where?"

Kensuke leaned over and pointed. "Those ones, off Oshima. It's the UN Pacific Fleet."

Shinji squinted. Sure enough, about a dozen gray spots were arrayed off the coast, tracing long wakes of foam across the waves.

Toji and Misato peered out the window on their side; or more accurately, Misato looked out the window while Toji stared at her. Kensuke blissfully recorded the fleet through his camcorder, ignoring the others entirely.

Toji glanced out the window. "It's a nice day, Ms. Misato." Shinji noticed his blush and fought back a laugh.

Misato smiled. "Right? It gets boring up in the mountains, so I thought I'd take you boys out for a Sunday date."

Kensuke suddenly regained his interest. "This is a real, honest to goodness date?"

She nodded. "Yep."

"Finally!" Kensuke crowed.

Toji adjusted his hat. "I bought this hat for this very day, Ms. Misato."

Misato went on. "And what better way to relax and unwind than a trip aboard a luxury cruise?"

Kensuke went still. "You mean…we get to visit the fleet?"

She nodded. Kensuke's face nearly split in half.

Toji snorted. "Nerd."

The helicopter flew over the Oshima beaches and began to descend. The first line of battleships passed by the window. Kensuke lunged across the cabin to the right-side window, treading heavily on Toji's foot in the process.

"Ow! Watch it!"

"That's Admiral Kuznetsov! Othello's over there , and Titus Andronicus right behind her. This is the best day ever!"

Misato laughed. "Shinji-kun, excited?"

"Yeah. The Second Child is onboard, right?"

"That's right."

"What is she like?"

Misato thought for a moment. "Competitive."

"Does she speak Japanese?" Toji asked.

"She does, with a bit of an accent."

Kensuke and Toji exchanged conspiratorial looks. Shinji had a pretty good hunch about what they were thinking. Still, she sounds interesting.

The helicopter swept lower, coming up on a huge carrier. Kensuke's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "No way…that's the Over the Rainbow !"

Toji scratched his chin. "That's a stupid name for a ship."

Kensuke kicked his shin. "Show some respect for the mightiest ship this side of Oahu. Over the Rainbow's the UN Navy's biggest nuclear carrier. She sank three destroyers in the Great Pacific War."

Toji looked out the window at the ship. "I dunno. Looks…rusty."

"She's seen better days," Kensuke said. "Took an Exocet at Vladivostok and another at Tsugaru Strait. The real miracle's that she survived."

"We're about to land," Misato said. "Make sure you have everything—and don't fall off the flight deck." The helicopter landed with a light bump on the deck. Misato leaned forward and pulled open the sliding door. Kensuke practically flew out the door, followed closely by Toji.

Shinji stepped out onto the flight deck and stretched his sore arms. Kensuke was darting around the flight deck at breakneck speed, recording absolutely everything—the deck crew were equal parts amused and bemused. Toji, meanwhile, was chasing his hat down the deck. Shinji closed his eyes, feeling the warm sun soak into his bones. The sea spray filled the air with the bracing smell of salt. This is nice.

"Hello, Misato! Are you well?"

Shinji looked up. A girl with flaming red hair stood in the middle of the deck, accompanied by a woman wearing pilot's wings. Her yellow sundress billowed in the wind—Shinji noticed her foot was planted firmly on Toji's hat.

Misato smiled. "As well as ever. You've grown, haven't you?"

"In all the right places. I'll surpass you soon enough." Toji yanked ineffectually at the hat, while Kensuke was still fanboying over an interceptor. Shinji looked over at Misato. "Is this—"

"This is Sohryu Asuka Langley," Misato said. "She is the pilot of Evangelion Unit-02."

Kensuke turned back around. "Hey, Shinji—"

At that exact moment, a gust of wind blew across the deck. Toji managed to pull his hat free at the worst possible moment; his eyes rose from the deck just as Asuka's skirt blew up.

SLAP.

SLAP.

SLAP.

Toji sprang to his feet, holding his face. "What was that for!"

Asuka tossed her head. "Consider it the entry fee for the view."

Shinji glanced over at Kensuke, whose eye was blackening. He looks about ready to cry. His own face stung from the slap. I didn't do anything. Slap the wind, if you're going to hit someone.

Toji's face purpled. "Fine. Let me refund my ticket!" Shinji realized a split-second too late what was about to happen. Toji dropped his pants and posed triumphantly, hands on his hips. Unfortunately, his underwear had gone with the pants.

Asuka's face turned several unique shades of red, before she let out a piercing shriek. "You perv!"

She slapped Toji again, this time with enough force to send him sprawling to the deck. The deck crew were now openly snickering. Asuka turned away, fuming.

Toji, face completely blank, buttoned his pants back up. He stuck a hand silently in the air and Shinji hauled him to his feet.

Asuka scowled. "The Third Child better not be that scum ." Toji flinched slightly.

Misato shook her head, pushing Shinji forward. "It's him. Ikari Shinji-kun."

The Second Child fixed the Third Child with sea-blue eyes. She leaned forward, staring at his face; Shinji leaned back. What's with her?

Asuka made a noise of disapproval. "Plain."

Excuse me?

Misato kneaded her forehead. Another hour before the new trainer's off duty.

The cramped, dark room had a single narrow window, looking out over the starboard side of the ship. Stupid captain kicked me off the bridge.

" I need a beer…" she muttered.

"Wanna come back to my place for a drink?" Misato whirled around, instinctively going for her handgun. Kaji Ryoji stood in the doorway. He wore his trademark roguish grin and an extremely rumpled suit.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Kaji chuckled. "Happy to see me, Katsuragi? I'm Asuka's guardian, you know. They've transferred me back to Japan per-ma-nent-ly." He leaned closer to her, smile widening. "I'll be with you all the time now. Ain't that nice?"

"This can't be real," she whispered.

"KAJI-SAN!" A blur of yellow shot through the door and surgically attached itself to Kaji's upper arm. Shinji followed, looking a little shell-shocked.

Kaji turned to Shinji—Asuka shuffling over to keep her hold—and held out his hand. "Ah, Pilot Ikari. Pleased to finally make your acquaintance. I'm Kaji Ryoji, UN Special Inspector. " Shinji seemed to recognize him for a moment before his face cleared.

Misato blinked. They shouldn't have met…right? Kaji hasn't been to Japan in years. And yet…

The two shook hands.

Asuka scowled. "How do you know him?"

"He's the Third Child, who beat the hell out of the Angel without any training and scored a sync rate of forty percent. Everybody in NERV knows him."

Shinji rubbed the back of his neck. "I just got lucky, that's all. I had no idea what I was doing."

"Perhaps it's destiny, then." Kaji gestured at the door. "Why are we all sulking in the dark? Let's go get some coffee. My treat."

Shinji sipped his cup of coffee, trying to tune out the bickering. This is a nice sandwich.

Kensuke prodded him. "Shinji-kun, back me up!"

Shinji blinked. "Huh?"

Kensuke glared at Asuka. "Tell her that the pallet rifle is clearly superior to the progressive knife!"

"Um…"

"You're an idiot, Aida," Asuka interjected. "How many Angels has the pallet rifle killed? The knife bagged two."

"Because Shinji can't shoot straight—no offense, Shinji-kun. If he actually shot the Angel—"

"What, you think the Third Child can knife-fight? He knocked off three aliens by flailing. Any imbecile can swing—"

"You've got firsthand experience with imbeciles, huh?"

"How many times have you synced, Aida? Zero. I've been in the Evangelion—"

"I was in the plug when the second croaked. You've never killed jack—"

"Name the system that connects the pilot to the EVA? You can't, cause you're a dumb perv—"

"Shinji-kun," Kensuke bellowed. "Back me up!"

"I–I don't think, well—" Shinji slid down in his chair. I'd rather jump off Unit-01 than get between these two.

Asuka made a disgusted sound. "Stop being a coward, Third, you know I'm right. This absolute Erbsenzähler is talking out of his Arschloch. "

Toji cut in. " Far sur Halle, sie dumm Red Devil! "

"Was that supposed to be German, or are you having a stroke?"

Toji turned red. "I took it for a year."

"Some people are impervious to education." Asuka tossed her head. "Anyway, the Evangelion's best weapon is the progressive knife. There's nothing better for gutting Angels."

"You're both wrong." All four children looked up at Misato, who was stirring sugar into her coffee. "Knives and guns are useless without a human will to guide them."

Kaji set his cup down. "Very wise, Katsuragi."

Asuka pulled a face. "It's a non-answer. 'My favorite color is rainbow.' "

Kaji bit his sandwich. "So, Ikari-kun, you're staying with Katsuragi-san?"

"It's been a month now."

"Hmmm…does she still roll around in bed?"

The table went suddenly still. Misato had gone a strange shade of purple, while the other three children bore identical expressions of shock.

Shinji smiled. "She knocks down the beer cans sometimes and wakes me up."

Misato nearly overturned the table. "W-WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TELLING HIM, KAJI!"

Kaji chuckled. "She hasn't changed, has she?"

Shinji nodded, sipping his coffee. What a fun, interesting person.

Misato was now muttering dire imprecations under her breath, hands wringing an imaginary neck. Apparently seeing his cue to exit, Kaji rose from the table. "Well, duty calls. I'll see you all in an hour or two. Asuka, be good. "

Asuka pouted. "Why can't I come along?"

"Sorry, it's a restricted area." Kaji sounded distinctly un-sorry as he waved a lazy goodbye and slipped out the door.

As expected, the fracas immediately reignited. Shinji snuck away as Asuka launched into a loud tirade against Toji's personal hygiene. I need some peace and quiet.

Asuka strode down the hangar deck, fuming. Those scheisskerle. What's their problem? She stopped mid-step. "Is that—who's playing the harmonica?"

She walked aft, towards the sound. The cavernous hangar was mostly empty, a few decaying planes strewn around. The maintenance shops were dark and cold. Asuka ducked under a winched-up engine and emerged onto the fantail of the carrier. Shinji sat on a crate, playing a harmonica. A sailor stood at watch on the other side of the stern, ignoring the boy. The sea churned in their wake, long white trails of foam spreading over the water; Othello and Coriolanus sailed behind. He's kinda good at that —Shinji promptly missed several notes, culminating in a high-pitched squeal. Never mind.

Asuka leaned in. "You sound awful."

Shinji flinched violently, nearly dropping the instrument. "Sohryu-san, don't do that."

The great Third Child…is a harmonica playing nerd in need of a spine transplant. No wonder he tried to run away. He's a waste of a plugsuit.

Asuka pulled up another crate. "What a waste. Well?"

"Well what?"

"Why are you moping?"

Shinji's voice took on a petulant edge. "I'm not moping, I'm relaxing."

Asuka's lip curled. "Fine, be that way." Is everyone in Tokyo-3 this pathetic?

A muffled boom echoed off the hull. Asuka whipped around. A trail of bubbles snaked across the waves.

Shinji stowed the harmonica in his pocket. "An underwater explosion. Do you think—"

A flash of ivory shattered the surface; a pair of mammoth jaws closed around the bow of the Othello . The stricken ship reeled back as the creature disappeared in a fountain of seawater. "No way," Asuka whispered. "A real Angel?"

"We have to get back to Misato-san—"

Here's my chance.

A high-pitched alarm sounded; the seaman sprinted to his station.

The intercom crackled to life. "General Quarters, General Quarters. All hands man your battle stations!"

Asuka grabbed Shinji's hand and yanked him inside. "Come on!"

The intercom rose in volume. "The route of travel is forward and up to starboard, down and aft to port. Set material condition 'Zebra' throughout the ship. Reason for General Quarters: Angel attack!"

Notes:

PREVIEW:
Yo, Ryoji here with your preview. The Second Child launches her offensive! The Roaring Beast stalks the Pacific Fleet. A far-fetched plan, a hair-thin advantage, and a locked door. Next time on Herz und Seele, Chapter Nineteen: Asuka Strikes! Don't worry, there'll be plenty of fanservice!