Chapter 34: Was It All Another Beginning?
Takeshi found himself taken aback as soon as he heard the gunfire die down. He was not willing to dismiss the efficiency of his men but he knew better than to think such a crucial stand could be over so quickly. As soon as he poked his head out and saw what was happening, he understood why.
The personnel of NERV that just earlier ignited an exchange of fire between them and the military was now on their knees on the ground with their hands over their heads. The soldiers of the JSSDF were not willing to take any chances as they gathered behind them and cuffed their hands behind their backs. It was a short while but the resistance that tried to delay their arrival was brushed aside by the Japanese soldiers taking the NERV personnel under custody.
One of the soldiers made his way up to Takeshi to report, "We're not sure what happened sir. They just suddenly stopped."
Takeshi gave a heavy breath as he told him, "And you're following through what you should be doing now. Don't let any of them try to take us by surprise."
Making his way to the doors, Takeshi looked around as he saw multiple people in NERV uniforms in the same position as the ones outside. Short of seeing them standing at attention he felt as though he was being greeted into NERV as an honorary guest. His men knew better than to let him continue unprotected as they walked ahead of him and pointed their guns at the personnel on the ground.
Despite the danger surrounding him, Takeshi stepped forward and made his way down the halls waiting for the first sign of real leadership among the threatened occupants. With only a few men at his side he kept his hands behind his back to give a display of confidence as he looked around to see his men making their way through the halls to assert their command. It took a while for him to find the first room he would occupy but found several members of NERV standing at attention with one man capturing his attention.
Takeshi kept his hands behind his back while viewing his prisoners with a restrained smile, "Kozo Fuyutsuki. Still playing the part of Ikari's mouth piece are you?"
Fuyutsuki acknowledged the observation, "That is what I have been brought here for. Your previous history with him is more than enough to make us weary of your approach General."
"You could foresee our arrival and you did nothing. That is more than enough to tell me how secure this place is. Given the nature of some serious accusations that have been building here, I would have expected higher security."
"Yet you believed it was serious enough to bring these men here. If my word is worth anything, the eruption if violence from our personnel took us by surprise as well."
"Scratching the surface of your issues is only going to get your organization so far. You have a choice here Fuyutsuki. Cooperate with our terms or your sentence will be more severe than you anticipate."
Turning to make his way to the bridge of the headquarters, Fuyutsuki agreed, "There is no need for you to be so demanding General. Everyone here will cooperate to the best of their ability."
Confidence in his ultimate victory over the current situation made Takeshi permit himself a chuckle before countering, "Only the inept blame their failures on their best Fuyutsuki."
Both Koji and Hajime could not determine how they were supposed to accept what became of Shinji and Misato. The affair they shared was well known by now but the display they saw now was at odds with what they understood. Even with the unusual gap between the two, neither Koji nor Hajime could deny they were seeing the signs of a fractured bond.
Koji was the first to try and understand the situation by attempting to assure, "I'm sure he's confused right now."
Misato watched Shinji from afar as she agreed, "You're right. This is a lot for him. And I never helped."
While he remained committed to his original statement of how he did not mind who Misato was with, Koji struggled to keep himself indifferent as he reminded, "I have to admit I never thought I'd see any of the kids like this. They're at that age but I always thought they wouldn't have the time either."
Averting her gaze to the ground as sorrow loomed over her made Misato confess, "And I really thought this would be the best thing for him. All I did was make things worse."
Koji tried to assure, "I know things might have been difficult. I wish I could help but it was just Kyoya's wish that I get both you and Shinji out of there."
Misato felt herself hurt further as she realized what was happening behind the scenes to make this reunion possible. She was so hopeful she would see Shinji into her arms but was reminded just how troubled he was. There was clearly much that happened to him that she was unfamiliar with and simply unsure how she could be the support he needed again.
Despite her disappointment, Misato took a few steps towards the other car as she tried to appeal to Shinji, "You don't have to do anything else if you come back with me."
Shinji refused to even answer as he walked away from the area and towards the alley Hajime's car came through. He was stopped as soon as he felt Hajime place a hand in his shoulder. As much as Shinji did not want to be caught where he was, he also knew it would be a struggle to find his way out of the area.
Hajime tried to snap Shinji out of his decision by reminding, "You know there aren't any other people out there now. Everyone else you might know is trapped in NERV."
Shinji remained unconvinced as he evaluated himself, "I'm better off this way. Everyone I've ever gotten close to has been worse because of me."
The depression he felt about his recent actions made Misato take another few steps towards Shinji as she countered, "I'm worse off because you won't even look at me. I... I know you were trying your best. I know you're better than you think."
While Hajime was able to keep Shinji from walking away, he found himself captivated as he heard him dismiss, "We wouldn't be here if I was. Nobody else would have had to get hurt."
Unwilling to let himself be the silent medium any longer, Hajime knelt to Shinji's level as he tried to assure him, "I don't know everything else that happened, but Asuka and Kensuke were not your fault."
"They were though!" Shinji denied. "I took advantage of Asuka and got Kensuke where he is... Now... Kaworu..."
Misato did not need to see his face to know Shinji was on the verge of tears as he remained so critical of himself. Even knowing the others as little as she did, she could tell there was something that caused him to feel so resigned to his fate. As much as she wanted to know, she was forced to admit there seemed to be no other way for her to empathize with what he was going through.
Misato clenched her hands to keep herself from revealing her own sorrow as she appealed, "I'm not trying to make you sad Shinji..."
"Then leave me alone..." Those were the last words Misato heard from Shinji as he brought a hand to Hajime to signal his desire to be released.
Unable to determine what other advice he could give, Hajime told both of them, "I understand there was a lot that happened. I'm sure if you both have some time to think, you'll be back to your old selves again."
Koji sighed as he saw what was on display before adding, "There's still a lot of hesitation between these two. Forcing it is not going to do anyone any good."
Such an observation did little for Misato as she asked, "Even after all that happened?"
Hajime assured, "I'll make sure he has a place to sleep. If anyone tries to take him, they'll have me to answer to."
Accepting there was nothing else she could dissuade him from his decision, Misato told Hajime, "Just keep him safe. For however long. Until he can face me again."
Hajime agreed to the terms, "You have my word."
Misato made her way down the alley past the others as Koji asked, "Misato? Will you be alright on your way?"
Misato waved a hand dismissing, "I'll be fine... It's not the first time I've walked home alone... This time I'll just be sober..."
The sadness behind Misato's parting only made Shinji unclench his hands as he looked down at the ground and left him quivering at what had just passed. He was still forced in place by Hajime's grip but could not muster the will to walk away now that he knew where Misato was headed. Despite the freedom that onlookers would have claimed he had now, he could not say he was pleased to have thrust himself from one imprisonment and into another.
As he watched Misato leave the alley, Shinji heard Koji ask, "You really think Misato isn't the one you want to be around?"
Shinji kept himself in place as he tried to keep himself from taking back his decision but clouded his fear of facing Misato explaining, "I've done nothing but make her miserable. I'd only make it worse."
Hajime denied the suggestion but appealed, "You've been through a lot just in one day. I'm sure you'll be able to think more clearly if you give yourself enough time."
Shinji was left struggling to accept such a possibility before telling them both, "I'm not doing it again. Not after all of this."
The siege of NERV went better than Takeshi expected as he made his way to the bridge of the base and saw the operators and technicians looking up to him with anticipation. He could tell that each one of them was waiting to hear their judgment and remained in place. It was an initially empowering feeling but reminded him that it only meant none of the SEELE agents were here to take him by surprise.
He received a report from one of his soldiers announcing, "General, we have four of the pilots acquired. Two of them are in critical condition however."
Takeshi tried to determine who was found asking, "Is Kaworu Nagisa among them? "
Looking over his list he answered, "Yes sir. As is Rei Ayanami, Kensuke Aida, and Asuka Soryu. The latter two are in critical condition and are not advised to be moved right now."
Takeshi realized one name was missing as he observed, "And Ikari's child is not among them. This will require investigation. Perhaps we will hear from him when we have him here."
Another group of soldiers made their way to Takeshi and the leading one announced, "Sir, we are having a major difficulty with extracting Commander Ikari from his office."
The news of Gendo's defiance made Takeshi respond, "You have full authority to use all necessary means to breach. I need to see him here now."
Another one added, "That's the issue sir. We've received a warning about that. We've had our specialists trace the connections to his door before reporting, but his threat is clear. It's connected to an area in the weapons bay and breaching the door will set off an ignition."
Takeshi felt himself taken aback by the report but kept himself firm as he commanded, "I need a clearer idea of what we've walked into. What are is this connected to? "
One of the soldiers handed Takeshi a sheet of paper to report, "An N2 mine sir. If we trip the systems, we will take this entire base with us."
The damage foretold by the presence of an N2 mine potentially being ignited was all Takeshi needed as he realized what sort of danger he was in. He could not imagine how he allowed himself to be compromised this way when he was so close to achieving the victory he believed he would have over Gendo. He could not determine if it was fear or anger that he was feeling in that moment, and failed to keep either in check as he crumbled the paper in his hand and gritted his teeth.
He became desperate to demonstrate any sense of courage by dismissing, "Ikari may be reclusive but he is not stupid. He would not place himself in this sort of danger even if it meant that he would be successful in whatever he's trying to pull here."
Overhearing the dismissal, Fuyutsuki warned, "Even if you believe that is true General, do you want to take that sort of risk?"
Attempting to display the sense of leadership expected of him made Takeshi order, "Do whatever it takes to get us out of this thing then! Move the bomb, cut the wires, do whatever it takes to disarm this trap!"
The gathering of soldiers dispersed as soon as the order was given and went about their work to secure the headquarters. Takeshi looked around as he took a seat and rubbed his forehead to keep himself from panicking. It was too late for him to realize he was sitting across from Fuyutsuki and felt himself irritated that he was once again at the mercy of an organization he had no desire to work with.
Fuyutsuki recognized this as he assured, "You are doing the best you can with what you have General. It falls to you if you are successful or not."
Sighing at the suggestion, Takeshi countered, "We have gone through so much to find you and the others in contempt. There won't be any hidden tricks you can pull when I'm through with you people."
Gendo was not alone in his office. He had his doors sealed shut and the windows were blocked off but he had company observing his recent actions. At the center of his secluded area, he was surrounded by holograms of the few he currently considered to be his superiors.
"You believed you were able to defy our reach so easily Ikari?" The 01 Monolith asked.
The 13 Monolith did not even bother with proper conduct as it added, "All you accomplished was buying yourself time. There is no one who can assist you now."
Gendo stood defiant to the accusations, "If you are willing to test my willingness to try my patience and your luck, you are welcome to make your way to me."
The 15 Monolith spoke, "It will be days at most before we find our way to you. Even if your threat was true, we know you would never destroy yourself. Not when you have your own desires at stake."
Gendo reminded, "But how many other means do you have to achieve Instrumentality? Try as you might, the Lance of Longinus will not acquired without worldwide attention at this point."
The 13 Monolith warned, "Our failure will be yours as well Ikari. This demonstration of manipulation is meaningless. It will provide nothing towards our ends."
The warning was only enough to make Gendo dismiss, "You must remember that you can only afford so many risks. Have your way with me and you will discover too late what you have allowed yourselves to-"
The 05 Monolith interrupted the threat as it proclaimed, "We are making no progress with this stalemate!"
The 06 Monolith observed, "It would seem there is more than the keys to Instrumentality that Ikari is keeping from us."
The 01 Monolith commanded, "You will reveal what you are holding from us Ikari. If you intend to remain a key part of our plans, you will do so this instant."
Gendo continued to defy the commands of his superiors by proclaiming, "Just as I will not harm myself, I know you will not harm me as well. You hold nothing that will threaten me."
The 06 Monolith relented its leverage over Gendo as it asked, "What do you hope to gain from this? You know there is nothing more worthwhile to be gained."
Pleased to hear one of his superiors ask, Gendo answered, "Give this place a few days. Hold everything and you will see what you forced me to do for trying to rush to our end goal."
The 01 Monolith accepted, "We will give you a one-week timeframe to prove yourself Ikari. If nothing of significance occurs before then, you will be reminded of your place."
The terms were set and Gendo was prepared for what would come as he accepted, "That is all the time necessary."
The 07 Monolith reminded, "We know your current accommodations Ikari. If you do not die of self-inflicted isolation, one of our own will ensure that occurs."
Gendo dismissed the warning by allowing his shoulders to fall and placing his hands in his lap before asking, "Isn't that what I have lived with after all this time?"
Four days passed after the seizure of NERV and few people were pleased with how everything progressed. News of the occupation became the talk of all Japan as its people realized what sort of organization they allowed to defend them. The whole truth was not yet revealed but the shaken confidence in NERV was more than enough to make people ask who they were placing their trust in after all this time.
Such news did little to affect Misato as she lay sprawled on the floor watching her television. While she fed Pen Pen earlier, she still struggled to be motivated to do anything else. She could not recall a time where she was less motivated to do anything but the grief she went through was enough to keep her from even looking at what she had done to her apartment over the last few nights.
As soon as she got home from Shinji's rejection, self-hatred washed itself over Misato like a tsunami. She was sad to see the boy she cared about still too grieved to even look her in the eye and refused to even think about speaking to her again. She never imagined she was so repellent to anyone before, but this was one of the few instances where it seemed to be the case.
The one detail that hurt Misato the most was the most obvious to anyone. She was sad over a breakup they agreed to and she was treating it like it was a normal relationship she had. The fact she had become so desperate for human contact she resorted to reaching out to a boy barely half her age.
This hatred of herself was what caused Misato to run for the fridge and attempt to chug the first can of beer she could get her hands on. Despite all her efforts she did nothing but cause herself to gag so hard that she threw up all of the contents of her stomach into the floor. It was only one can but it managed to be enough that she made a complete mess of everywhere she walked.
The hatred Misato had was replaced with frustration at the fact she could not get drunk when she most wanted it. She hated everything about what she had done to herself, so much she struggled to imagine how the baby inside her was handling everything. Try as she might, the best reason she could think of was that she was so foolishly still holding on to the hope that Shinji was ready to come to her again. She would accept anything if it meant he would be there for him even if it meant she would finally give birth.
This hope was enough to cause her frustration to boil over as she grabbed one beer can after another and threw them across the apartment causing a series of spills to leak everywhere and stain the walls and floors. Misato lost track of how many times she did it and which ones were subject to her throws, but her entire apartment smelled of the liquid that once gave her comfort. Finally she ran out of cans and she was left with nothing else to do other than cry about what sort of events she allowed to happen.
Days passed up to now and Misato had done little to make her living conditions any better. The smells were still sitting in the air and her walls and floors were beyond saving by now. The most effort she was willing to do was feed Pen Pen and herself. Her current habit made her think Pen Pen might have been receiving better nutrition by now than she was.
Misato did little else than eat uncooked ramen from the packets as she watched the news about NERV continue to be covered. There was no one she could think of who would approve of what sort of life she was living. After what she allowed to happen however, she decided this must have been the perfect punishment for her ever thinking there was a chance she could have been happy the way she attempted. At least until she was finally taken under arrest or interrogated for her participation in NERV.
She was situated in the center of her living room floor before turning around to notice a few steps breaking the long silence in the apartment. All hopes of meeting with another human presence were denied as she was reminded that Pen Pen was indeed still present but uncertain what he was supposed to do in his current environment. The lack of motivation or interest expressed by his guardian made him believe there was little else for him other than waddling his way back to the fridge for a nap.
Desiring even just a little interaction with something, Misato called out to him, "Hey Pen Pen… You like what I did with the place?"
Pen Pen turned his head as soon as he heard this but did not even respond with a sound. He watched Misato remain glued to the ground without any sign of care for the current state of the apartment. He continued to look at her for a while before settling himself on his back and looking up to the ceiling.
Misato could not even begin to understand what was going through Pen Pen's mind as he imitated her position. What she did care about was the fact being next to anyone would require her to get up from her spot and make her way over to him. An action that even after days of being unmotivated to do anything made her realize she was still unwilling to attempt.
She tried to appeal to Pen Pen by asking, "You really want me to come over to you now?"
As if to confirm this was his intention, Pen Pen wiggled on the floor to situate his back in his current position. Having no one to talk to but an animal turned out to be another punishment Misato could comprehend being worthy of everything she did as an individual. If she was unable to establish a worthwhile connection with another human, being isolated with an animal was the only substitute she could imagine would torment her just for being alive and unable to speak her language.
She committed to her denial of this request as she told Pen Pen, "That's all I ever did. Reach out. Do nothing but demand and take. And what do I get for it?"
Shinji could not make an argument that his life was any better than Misato's as he struggled to muster the will to rise from his bed that morning. Days had passed since his escape from NERV and he could not recall a time when he was more miserable. The few chances he had at leading anything resembling a better life seemed to come crashing down on him as he was forced to endure what came that fateful day. If there was any sense of karmic retribution that he could point to, it all seemed to come from his attempt to ease Misato of the pain she felt over Kaji's death.
His situation was still enough for him to wonder if everything he was enduring was enough or not as he considered his situation. Hajime was kind enough to let him take residence in a spare bedroom he had but did not demand he do anything to earn his place. It left Shinji wondering what he did to deserve such a luxury and it left Hajime wondering if he should have been so lenient.
Sitting himself outside the door of the spare bedroom, Hajime told him, "Shinji, it's not going to be long before the government decides to determine your life for you."
Complete silence followed. Hajime sighed as he realized that maybe this was something Shinji might prefer at this point. With how much of his life had been a rollercoaster of trying and difficult attempts to be kind to others, it left him afraid that he might not care about anyone anymore.
What seemed to be a disappointing ending for two individuals left Hajime dispirited in spite of stopping Gendo Ikari from achieving his overall goal. He knew such a challenge would never be easy to overcome when so much was at stake and others had their own intentions. With his intention to fulfill Kyoya's most personal goal however, Hajime could not help but feel as though he had failed in a way he did not expect.
Before he could ponder anything else, Hajime heard his phone ring and answered, "Hello?"
Hajime found himself surprised to hear Koji on the other line in an alarmed tone, "Hajime! You need to get out of there now!"
Looking around his area, Hajime asked, "What is it? Am I in danger?"
While Koji was still panicking, he managed to add, "We all are! Especially if we're as compromised as we think! Just go anywhere else right now!"
Hajime did not have a chance to ask anything else as Koji hung up the phone. He was left with the alarm that both he and Shinji were in danger but did not have an idea of what it would be. He knew Koji would not warn him of anything without reason and determined it was time for him to act.
He could not take Shinji's personal desire into account as he burst open the door to the spare bedroom and was relieved to find him lying on the bed. Making his way over to him, Hajime ordered, "Hurry! We have to go now!"
He picked Shinji up by the arm and dragged him along. Much to Hajime's relief he did not find himself met with resistance as he dragged Shinji along and searched for the front door to make his escape. The feeling of carrying him like a sack of laundry was not strenuous but Hajime still could not feel proud of himself for dragging Shinji along.
As soon as he made his way to the garage, Hajime heard Shinji protest, "I won't speak to Miss Misato if that's what you want."
Hajime started the car as he corrected, "I wish it was that simple. Right now I just hope Misato won't be targeted next."
As the four days progressed through NERV headquarters, Takeshi found his current situation to be more complicated than he imagined. Most of the personnel was accounted for and the equipment was indeed still in place while everything was prepared to be utilized at the first opportunity necessary. Even with the headquarters under his control, he could not feel comfortable reveling in what he considered to be an accomplishment over Gendo and his subordinates.
Watching over the bridge of NERV, he told Fuyutsuki, "Situations like this one are just unsuitable for where things have gone."
Fuyutsuki watched many of the personnel below now with soldiers right behind them in observation, commenting, "Being pleased with an initial accomplishment can always bring about a downfall later."
Uninterested in being complimented with his achievements, Takeshi turned to warn, "With everything I've reviewed I honestly can't believe you people managed to get away with so much. Putting humanity on the edge of extinction this much will put you all in so much prison time you'll forget what the outside is like."
Fuyutsuki remained unintimidated by Takeshi's warning by reasoning, "If we were successful that would have been the least of our concerns."
Takeshi groaned as he realized he would not convince Fuyutsuki of his determination and taunted, "Arrogant and sure of yourselves are you? Unfortunate you underestimated humanity so much."
The boasting only made Fuyutsuki place his hands behind him as he reminded, "You have not won yet. And you will not do so without complete cooperation it would seem."
Takeshi was reminded of how it seemed he had only scratched the surface when it came to uncovering what lay hidden in NERV. He knew there would be discoveries the agents were unable to uncover, but some of them were more alarming than he imagined. The state of the pilots, the presence of SEELE somehow still being hidden in plain sight, Gendo's willingness to shut himself off, the inability to find the sample of Adam, and most immediate to him the missing personnel who were nowhere to be seen.
He knew that most leaders in his position would buckle under the fear of what he did not know. This forced Takeshi to clench his hands as he considered the mysteries that were not adding up. Fixing NERV would take more than the number of days he was given and he was going to be the one to come out the better man.
Preparing to remind the onlookers who saw him at Fuyutsuki's mercy, Takeshi told him, "Cooperation is certainly crucial to making NERV what it was supposed to be. Perhaps fools like yourself don't have anything left to live for. Well, we have not given up and we will be sure to extract that information from you people when you and that is when you will know how hopeless your cause really is."
Fuyutsuki reminded, "There will be those who might break but those such as myself who are more dedicated than you believe. This will not be the demise of everything we have planned and you will discover that too late."
Being forced to hear more of Fuyutsuki's indifference made Takeshi let out a flood of questions he wanted answered as he reminded, "And what about everything else you had in mind? Was permitting an Angel to live supposed to allow you people to achieve your end goals? Was letting that damn thing walk around to find Adam part of your plan? I have seen some desperate plans in my time but this is certainly one of the most haphazard ones I've ever seen."
The accusations did little to move Fuyutsuki as he told Takeshi, "You are capable of understanding that SEELE had plans that are greater than what you might perceive. Once you determine what they are, you may be able to comprehend this situation."
Resigned to the idea he would not be able to intimidate Fuyutsuki by now, Takeshi accepted, "Say what you want. It will do nothing in your favor now. This base will be torn to its foundations if we have to find Adam that way. NERV has fulfilled its purpose and so have you."
Before either man could emphasize their position further, Makoto announced, "Sirs! We have a serious emergency!"
Preparing to respond to whatever was about to interrupt his warnings, Takeshi turned to Makoto asking, "Is it headed for our location?"
Makoto nodded, "Yes sir."
Determined to face whatever was threatening to arrive, Takeshi ordered, "Put it on screen."
Takeshi found himself wishing he did not give the order as soon as he realized what he asked to be revealed. It was one thing to see devastation being wrought across Tokyo-3, but the cause of it left him baffled at what he was seeing. The air of superiority he had over everyone else was lost as he found himself faced with a threat he had no hope of seeing.
Several of the JSSDF soldiers were left in shock as one of them asked, "That... That isn't real is it?"
Another one corrected, "No... There's no faking this!"
Takeshi revealed what little sense of shock and fear he had as he looked up at the screen and identified what everyone was looking at proclaiming, "An... Angel..."
Fuyutsuki was one of the few collected individuals who looked at what was happening as he observed, "So… you managed to accomplish your ambition Ikari."
A/N: So I know some might be disappointed to see this is not where the reunion would occur, but the two main characters haven't exactly come to terms with one another yet. Just because they might be out of a desperate situation doesn't mean they are going to immediately be clinging together again when they're worried about the happiness of one another. One road might be finished traversing, but there are still many more to go.
And yes, we have not seen the last of the Angels after all. Which one is it now and how will it be dealt with? That will be detailed in the next few chapters. Hope to see you all then.