The distant monorail glimmered like a comet against the GeoFront's internal atmosphere, but Misato's eyes were dragged off the window each time Kaji's knife dug through the dish and scraped against his plate. It jumped at her senses despite the constant cacophony of plates and trays clattering, the people idly chatting and the ambiance music inside the cafeteria.
"I must admit, I wasn't expecting this invitation." Kaji used the pinned piece of spongy pancake to mop up syrup and butter from a corner of the plate.
"Oh just can it, Mister. You should know why we're here."
"To reminisce about some lovely college memories? Ow!" He felt a kick to his right shin and lowered his gaze. Her plate was empty save for a quarter of a turkey sandwich.
"You haven't told me everything yet."
He picked up his cup of coffee and softly blew on it before whispering "We can't talk about that here".
"Be creative. The goons are more relaxed inside HQ, and I can't have you coming to my home all the time," she said quietly and finished her drink.
"How about some of the time?" He looked her in the eye with his trademark grin, which only made her more flustered.
"Start talking."
"Actually, before I do that, how is Asuka doing?"
Misato made a face at the obvious dodge, but she could relate to his concern. "Fine. It's been a bit rough, I mean, you know how she is. I don't know if you heard about the scene she and Shinji made after they defeated the last angel."
Kaji nodded. He finished chewing, then swallowed and cleaned his chin with a napkin. "You have to admit, it'd be good for the kid to come out of his shell."
"Now you're just taking her side."
"I could argue that you're taking his."
"Maybe I am," she said defiantly before reconsidering, then let out a sigh. "Okay, you might have a point. It's just a little frustrating because Asuka and Ritsuko think the same, but I think they forget just how much Shinji hates piloting. I thought living through a real battle would humble Asuka a little, but it's only made her even more confident... which is good for us—humanity, I mean—it's just... I don't know." She shook her head. "Now I'm just rambling."
"I think I know what you mean. But the faster we defeat those monsters, the faster we can let them live a normal life, there's still time for them to have a normal teenhood."
Misato knew the double meaning of what he said, and her expression softened for it. "Speaking of a normal life, the school just sent me their grade reports so far, they're not doing well at all. I need to be more on top of that."
Kaji nodded enthusiastically. "Be the best Momsato you can be,"
"Fuck off, what is that?" She laughed at his lame joke, tilting her head back, but almost froze in realization after a few seconds. She'd just lowered her defenses, and the bastard had immediately capitalized. She straightened up and cleared her throat.
"Now that that's settled, tell me what is going on," She commanded. Kaji finished his drink before talking.
"So, there's our documents, and then there's the other team's documents. Ours are very hard to read, and we—your old friends—thought this was a disadvantage. But maybe the other team's documents are hard to read too, you know? We might be able to go down an unforeseen path in a way that makes them think we haven't."
"I think I follow."
"But the big man seems to have other plans. I don't think he should show his hand yet but, of course it's up to him."
"And what about you?" She asked. He took his time to answer. Misato hoped he knew it wasn't a personal question.
"Well, let's just say I was inspired by a movie a cousin lent me. Won a bunch of Oscars. I'm pretty sure you haven't seen it yet, so I should really go to your place so we can watch it, make an evening out of it." He gave her that peculiar sly smile.
"I told you–"
"There's critics all around us, Katsuragi. But I think you should watch it for yourself and make up your own opinions. It's a classic." Kaji gave her a knowing look and a pointed silence. She got it.
"Okay. If you insist, I'm free on Thursday after my shift. But it better be good," she said and stood up with her tray, walking back to the counter.
"And just so you know, I hate that stupid smirk of yours," she said as she passed him.
"Is that so?" Kaji lowered his gaze but otherwise kept the facial expression.
"This is awful!" Asuka winced after drinking from the small carton. The Second and Third Child sat in their plug suits on a bench next to the elevator that would later take them to the simulation bodies' entry plugs, and the former's whine had pulled the latter out of his early morning drowsiness.
"How can you drink orange juice before a test?" Shinji gave her a worried look.
"If I knew it'd taste this cheap... Anyway, what's wrong with it? Oh, the LCL. Well it's a different consistency, I guess." She sipped again and a sudden vision of pulpy LCL made her gag, earning Shinji an elbow to the shoulder. "Nope, you've ruined it."
"Ow! I'm sorry... I am!" He pressed at her glare.
"You better be. Not all of us can have breakfast just before a round of Eva tests without puking."
"Huh, I'm the opposite: I start to feel weak if I test on an empty stomach."
"That just means you lack the vigor that comes with daily exercise. I've told you before: too scrawny!" She playfully drove a finger between his ribs, and a mix of a yelp and a laugh escaped his retreating form.
The automatic door slid open and Rei entered. Shinji smiled and waved, and she acknowledged it with a nod.
"Hey look, the freak's here."
"Asuka, don't call her that. It's too mean."
"Oh, so I'm the mean one? She won't even deign to talk to us."
"That's not true." He turned to the paler girl and smiled tentatively. "Ayanami, we were just talking about this: do you have breakfast when we do tests early?"
Rei walked to the left of Shinji and sat down on the same bench. Shaking her head minutely, she said, "Only liquids. It upsets my stomach."
"See? You even have something in common."
Asuka turned up her nose and said, "That just makes you the freak, if anything."
"There are no freaks in this team!" Misato appeared through the threshold, hands on her hips. "Today we'll be having a special test, and you will be the main participant!" She pointed at Asuka, and her words made the kid's blue eyes glimmer.
After the tedium of a regular harmonics test in the simulation bodies, the de-energization of LCL from transparent back to orange let Shinji know that the procedure was over. He and Rei were free to leave while Asuka was told to stay for "new, additional phases".
Shinji climbed down from the entry plug with great care not to slip, making sure both hands were grabbing on to the hatch and then the handrail before each step. Unlike in the Eva cages, the sim body entry plugs were docked on the other side of the thick metal wall, essentially adjacent to each other while on stand-by, so it was mere seconds before he was in front of Ayanami's ejected entry plug when the hatch opened.
"Want some help?" He offered an open hand.
"There's no need." She hopped gracefully off the edge of the hatch and landed with her balance almost intact.
"Oh, okay." He let his arm fall to his side. Rei looked up to face him and opened her mouth as if to say something, but then decided against it. Shinji thought to ask if something was wrong, but she paced towards the locker rooms, so he simply followed.
As they reached the adjacent doors for male and female lockers, Shinji spoke up: "Ayanami. After we're done, want to go check on Asuka?"
"Why?" Her eyebrows twitched inward, and Shinji found it fascinating—this was the first time he'd seen her this openly irritated.
"Do you not like her?"
Her impassive mask returned and she stared at him in silence. Shinji looked away in embarrassment and mumbled, "That was a stupid question. She shouldn't have called you that, I know."
"I don't care what the pilot of Unit-02 calls me," Rei said, and for once Shinji found it hard to believe her.
"Then, what else is bothering you?"
For Rei, it was baffling that Pilot Ikari wouldn't even consider Pilot Soryu's treatment of him as reason enough to avoid her. They did live together, so it was possible that the social mechanics were beyond her, maybe the sort of 'stuck together' resignation found in siblings. Expressing her apprehension at the developing relationship graph turned out to be very bothersome in the past when Captain Katsuragi breached the topic, so Rei decided to be more careful about sharing her feelings in the future. She was surprised at this last thought. Had this ever been necessary before? She shook her head, the thought wasn't worth delving into right now, especially when Pilot Ikari was still waiting for an answer. She decided that relenting would be the better, more efficient option.
"Never mind. I'll accompany you as soon as I'm ready."
"Thank you, Ayanami." He grinned none the wiser, and both pilots entered their respective locker rooms.
Shinji and Rei arrived at the Pribnow Box less than an hour later, where the technicians, Misato and Ritsuko monitored Asuka's feed from inside the entry plug. Just as Rei thought might happen, the Doctor spent a little too long glancing back at the pair entering together for her comfort.
"Glad you two could make it to the main show," Asuka teased through the main display.
Shinji waved at her and she stuck her tongue out at him before grinning confidently. They'd swapped her usual A10 clips with bulkier ones, which had an angled rectangular frame with a green segment on its front end. To Shinji, they vaguely resembled insect antennae. He turned to Rei who stared at the feed unblinkingly. It was probably not the right time to continue the conversation, but when he considered just how little they'd been able to interact during the past few weeks, and not knowing whether this pattern would continue, he couldn't help himself. He put a fist to his chest, leaned to his right and called for Rei's attention. It wasn't a whisper, just low enough as to not distract the adults in the room.
"So... What is it that bothers you about her? S-sorry if I'm prying too much, I'm just curious.'"
Rei kept quiet for a few seconds. Shinji waited patiently, hoping he didn't screw up. Eventually, she answered without turning to face him. "She is loud, uncooperative, and exhibits unjustified bouts of anger. I'd assumed that by keeping quiet and minding my own business she'd have no reason to object. Evidently, I was mistaken."
"Uh, I guess that makes sense. Well, I actually followed your advice, of paying attention when she's not upset and leaning on that, and now things are a bit better between us. Maybe you should try it."
"I do not plan on befriending Pilot Soryu," Rei stated plainly.
"Oh," was all that could escape from Shinji's lips.
"Pilot has begun link-up. Start System Phase 2," Maya announced from her console, waiting for the computer to give her the next cue. "Synapses inserted. Junctions connecting. Transmitting pulse."
A layered neural graph appeared on the displays, showing a live feed of Asuka's newly fit connectors and their input/output values. The sync rate indicator spiked before fluctuating less and less.
"Synchronization stabilizing at 42.1%"
'Yes! What do you think of that, Shinji?" Asuka peered down with a smug grin at the Pribnow Box through her holographic display, searching for the defeated face of the Third Child.
"Great job, Asuka!" He pumped a fist in the air and gave her a reassuring smile.
Taken aback by the gesture, her lower lip trembled slightly. She caught herself and her eyebrow twitched. "Aren't you a man? where's your competitive spirit?!" She tried to sound as indignant as possible, but her heart wasn't fully in it.
"Settle down, Asuka," Ritsuko ordered. She looked at Maya's console while she spoke. "These are good results, but I need you to push for 45% within the next few weeks. Do you remember about the changes your Unit was scheduled to undergo before coming to Japan?"
"The ones you refused to tell me about?"
"The ones I didn't want distracting you from the fight against the twin angel," Ritsuko retorted with no change in her tone, and she was still not looking at the girl. "Most of the modifications were done to retrofit a specific external power interface to the lateral torso areas, which means the Seychelles branch wasn't adding active hardware as much as preparing your unit for it later down the line when it reached Tokyo-3."
"Okay, and when do I get to test the actual equipment?"
"Can't tell you yet, because we don't know. What I want you to focus on is getting your synchronization rate to over 45% reliably and soon—that is key. Do you think you can pull it off?"
Asuka stiffened in her seat. "Of course I can. This is the job."
"Good to hear," the Doctor mumbled, unimpressed. She released her finger from the push-to-talk button.
"Isn't that a bit too fast? Are there any risks?" Misato asked.
Ritsuko's eyes finally peeled off the console and she turned to Misato. "Well, we don't fully understand the synchronization mechanism yet. It'll be more about the physical strain of being inside the Simulation Body for longer hours, if that's even how we're moving forward to help her increase her rate. We don't have much in the way of a step-by-step guide on the pilot's side of the process, though there's some evidence to suggest that clearing your mind helps."
"That's... surprisingly vague coming from you."
The Doctor tensed, but she understood. "There's no time for the kind of tests necessary to develop 'sync-improving techniques', so to speak. In the time it takes for us to prepare something like that, the pilot's might've found a way to intuitively do so by themselves, or the hardware might be different. There's many concurrent projects in development." Ritsuko turned to the two pilots near her before Misato could think about the possible implications of her last statement. "And I assume the pilots will let us know if they find a way, is that right?"
"Yes," Shinji and Rei said in unison.
Maya turned in her swivel chair and called, "We're reaching the end of the stabilization threshold, Doctor."
"Yes, continue to Phase 3." Ritsuko walked back to the console and held the button down once more. "Asuka, it's time for the new procedure to take over. Are you ready?"
"Yes," She replied firmly, and her unusually serious expression caught Shinji's attention.
"Remember what I explained, and let us know at any point if you cannot continue."
The girl nodded, and Ritsuko gestured at Maya to begin. The technician keyed a series of commands and the interface on the display next to Asuka's video feed switched to something akin to a complex crossword puzzle, but where every letter was replaced by extremely dense chicken scratch. It reminded Shinji of his temporary condition after beating the Angel of Flames.
Inside of the entry plug, the low hum of an engine joined the already present saturation of machine sounds, and Asuka saw and felt the green tips of her interface clips glow incandescently at her periphery. She closed her eyes and keenly felt the cold sweat emerge from her skin and travel down her back and thighs despite being submerged in liquid in a pressurized suit, and the sensation distracted her from realizing she was breathing in short gasps. She opened her eyes and half-expected the LCL to be in a roiling boil, but instead it lay eerily inert in a thick sludge that conspired with the green light to distort her view of the holographic displays in front of her.
"Synchronization rate stabilizing at 23%. Scan mode enabled, the MAGI requires approximately thirty seconds to collect the required data."
Shinji's mouth gaped at the drop. He turned to Misato and asked, "Is Asuka okay?"
The Captain did not take her eyes off the entry plug feed. "It's part of the procedure. She's a strong girl, she can do it."
The air was tense and only the voices of Hyuga and Aoba could be heard exchanging information and keying commands related to the experiment. The timer on the display read seventeen seconds left.
"The dampeners are overheating," Hyuga announced.
"We're almost there. Switch to low impedance mode as soon as critical temperature is breached."
"Yes ma'am." He stared like an eagle at the display. The timer ticked down to twelve, eleven, ten...
Misato gave one step forward, lowering her arms to her sides. She was about to protest when a yelp sounded through the display. "Don't stop it. I... I can do this, I can!" Asuka shouted through gritted teeth. Misato saw Ritsuko's lip curving upwards before the Doctor pressed the button again. "Just a few more seconds."
"Data collection complete in five, four, three, two–"
"Critical temp reached, switching!" Hyuga flickered a switch.
The Synchronization rate display spiked for a fraction of a second to over 60%. The world slowed down for Asuka as a garbled mess of visual hallucinations peppered her vision: faces of people she knew and didn't know, places she'd been and never been, a metallic rainbow of colors she could taste and some she didn't even know existed. Before she was able to fully understand what was happening to her, it was over. Everything went dull and quiet inside the entry plug and for once, she didn't mind. Her hearing slowly returned and her heart and breathing came back to her cognizance. Over the comms, Misato and Shinji asked if she was okay. She heard her own voice reassuring them, but there was a disconnection there she couldn't place. Ritsuko commended her moxie and began the shutdown procedure. Asuka let go of the controls and only now realized just how hard she'd been gripping.
Back in the Pribnow Box, the technicians were wrapping up as well. Ritsuko grabbed her now empty coffee mug and clipboard and turned to Misato and the other children.
"That was close, I just need to check on her to make sure everything's alright. The pilots can go home after that."
Misato sighed. She'd absentmindedly put a hand on Shinji's shoulder. "Good, I was a little worried there. Hey Shinji," she called and looked down at him. "Wanna go grab some ice cream? I think Asuka deserves it."
"Sure, Misato. We just need to be back by four or so, to receive our assignments from class."
"It's good that your household has at least one adult," Ritsuko said. Shinji chuckled while scratching his neck.
"Hey!" Misato complained.
"What? Are you done dealing with the insurance counterclaims from the fight against the seventh angel?"
"It'll be done in time! Don't worry about it," she grumbled.
"By the way, can Ayanami come with us?" Shinji chimed in.
Misato's eyes narrowed conspiratorially. She let go of him and turned to the girl. "I guess that's up to her, Shinji. Do you want to come for some ice cream, Rei?"
Unbeknownst to Shinji and Misato, Rei had been intently looking at Ritsuko the entire time. Startled by their question, her gaze shifted between Shinji and the Captain.
"No."
"Oh. Any particular reason?" Misato lifted an eyebrow.
Rei was conflicted between exposing her conditioning and ignoring a superior officer. There were no more scheduled tests today to use as an excuse.
"It's okay Rei, you can go with them," Ritsuko coaxed her with a very polite smile.
"Only if you want to," interjected Shinji. Her fate was sealed.
"Very well, I will join you."
"That's great!" Misato gave her a thumbs up and winked. After saying goodbye to Ritsuko and the technicians, the two pilots and the captain reached the main elevator, where Misato pressed two buttons in sequence, then tapped at Rei's shoulder with a finger.
"Before we leave the GeoFront..."
"Yes, Captain?" Rei stared at Misato, who now felt a little more claustrophobic than usual in the elevator.
"I couldn't help but listen to some of your conversation," Misato said apologetically. Shinji wanted to slap his own forehead.
"Don't worry, neither of you are in trouble," Misato clarified while looking at Shinji, then turned to Rei. "But I'm gonna need you to do me a favor."
The quiet, high-pitched thrill coming from his neck brought a gentle hand on the device and pulled him out of his literary immersion. Back in reality, Kaworu sat on the round gravel floor of the roofed terrace. He stared at the ground on his left as the approaching shadow extended ominously in the light of dawn and the sound of the culprit's steps reached him.
"Good Morning," Keel called.
"Good Morning," he repeated back and looked up. The old man carried a simple handheld device that Kaworu inferred to be a detonator. The old man kept looking forward.
"A few days ago, our satellites detected a very brief Pattern Orange, or maybe even Blue, east of the Mediterranean sea."
"Another unexpected angel?"
"Perhaps. Of course, that would be most unfortunate. It would all but confirm that our interpretation of the texts is wrong." He paused. Kaworu maintained an air of calm security, there was no way to tell if the Chairman was scrutinizing his face for a reaction.
"I'm a practical man, so in my efforts to fix this problem, I want to start with that which I find to be a simpler, more likely explanation." He dug his walking stick into the gravel. "What did you do, child?"
Kaworu slowly stood up and faced the man.
"Are you accusing me of something, Chairman?"
"Don't make this harder than it has to be."
"I've done nothing except reading these past days, maybe some piano. I could give you a detailed account if you like." He smiled warmly and lifted his green book, gesturing with it at the others on the edge of a square planter behind him.
Keel's face was a stone. After a few seconds, he produced a phone and speed dialed a number.
"Start the chamber, I need a scan." He hung up and faced the boy. "You will undergo a targeted memory scan. You know what happens if you've lied." He made a point of lifting the detonator in front of him.
"Of course." Kaworu bowed slightly and walked to the elevator. His disappointment was immeasurable.
Asuka waited in front of the elevator doors. Doctor Akagi had told her that except for the dull buzzing in her head, she was perfectly fine—nothing a little aspirin couldn't help smooth out. Being told to report immediately after exiting the entry plug, her red plug suit was patched with a thin film of drying LCL. But it was the reeking clumps in her accessory-less hair that grossed her out the most. She missed her standard A10 clips.
The door dinged open, and her stride slowed down at the sight of the First Child. Not willing to be intimidated by her, she stepped in past her, pressed the button to the locker rooms floor, and crossed her arms while leaning on one of the elevator walls.
"Aren't you going somewhere?" Asuka asked. Her chosen pose was a mistake; her now cold and mushy hair was pressing against her neck and dripping down her back. But she'd be dead before she showed any discomfort.
"No," Rei replied. The door closed behind her, followed by the familiar ticking.
After a few seconds of being stared at, the redhead asked evenly, "What is it?"
"You did well in your test." Rei deadpanned. Asuka frowned.
"Yeah, duh! But what do you care?"
"I'm relieved that you were not harmed."
Asuka scoffed. "Oh yeah, totally, I can see that in your face."
"Captain Katsuragi warned me that you might not believe me."
"Ah, so she put you up to this? Does she think I need a pat in the back or something? And from you of all people?" She felt her shoulders rise, but she couldn't help it.
"You are mistaken. Please listen."
"What?!" Asuka spat. So much for not showing her discomfort. It clicked in her head that the red-eyed fiend had chosen the elevator so that she couldn't escape. The forearms of her suit squeaked as she tightened her grip. 'Well,' she thought darkly, 'she's the one trapped in here with me.'
"Expressing myself is difficult," Rei started, and her eyes moved to somewhere beyond the girl in front of her. "I admit there's a utility to your wellbeing as a pilot, and that Captain Katsuragi requested I voice my thoughts to you, but the thoughts themselves are genuine. I understand it's hard for people to believe words like these, so I hope to demonstrate with my actions." She bowed slightly.
Asuka felt something get stuck in her throat. She straightened up and hesitantly said, "We'll... see about that." The way Ms. Prim and Proper addressed her and everyone else rubbed her the wrong way, but at least she showed the proper deference; Asuka had the highest sync rate, after all.
There was a chime followed by the doors opening. Asuka stepped forward and Rei moved out of the way before saying, "Captain Katsuragi also wishes to treat you with ice cream, for your results. She asks that you join us on the surface as soon as you're ready."
Asuka turned her head while looking at the floor, and then up at Rei. There was no humor in her face. As the elevator door closed in front of Rei, she nodded and left.
Two hours later, the three pilots and Misato arrived at the ice cream shop she'd previously taken Asuka to. Before that, however, their quick escape for a snack had turned into a full lunch break in a small cafe nearby, since it was already past noon by the time they reached the surface. Unfortunately for the Captain, she spent most of that time on the phone delegating some of the tasks she ought to be doing herself back at NERV HQ.
As for the pilots, there was very little conversation so far. Asuka had to admit the test had drained most of her energy and the other two children were simply not that inclined to engage in small talk. Her encounter with the First Child was still fresh in her mind, but seeing the strange girl sitting in front of her do something as mundane as eating ice cream made her a little more hesitant to think of her as a mindless drone. A groan coming from her right took her out of her reverie.
"What?"
"Ah, nothing," Shinji said as he cradled his phone in his hands.
Asuka rolled her eyes. "You have our attention now and I'm bored, so you better share with the class or I'm gonna make you regret it!"
"I don't know what's gotten into Toji, is all." Shinji panicked in his seat for a second. "He wants Kensuke and I to join him for early morning runs."
"Hah, told you! About time that dumb jock had a good idea."
"But we move the Eva with our minds!" Shinji grumbled.
"Body and mind synergize with one another. I bet this is why I always beat you in the combat simulations. You agree, don't you First?" She looked at Rei expectantly.
To Asuka's surprise, the blue-haired girl nodded. "The neural link to the Evangelion replicates our gross motor skill heuristics. This is why it's to our benefit that their form factor is bipedal like that of humans, otherwise we would need to learn how to move muscles that we don't actually have."
Shinji's eyebrows rose. Beyond the mouthful of what she just said, he was glad to see she wasn't ignoring Asuka anymore. 'Gotta thank Misato for that.'
"It's settled then! Whoops." A corner of her popsicle fell when she hit the table with her fist. She picked it up and ate it with an icy crunch.
"What's settled, you're not coming, are you?" Shinji asked, mortified.
"Wow, you hate me that much? For your information, I wasn't planning on going. I don't wanna hang out with a bunch of perverted boys. I'm interested in men"
Shinji rolled his eyes. It wasn't the first time she'd insisted on her oh-so-mature preferences. But it was a bit hurtful, if he was completely honest.
"Hey kids, I'm back. What did I miss?" Misato asked with cheery tone.
"Shinji will finally start doing some exercise."
"Is that right, Shinji? That's good!" She smiled reassuringly. He gave her a wan smile. At least Misato was being nice to him.
The chime and dripping sounds of the coffee machine was music to Shinji's ears. He spread butter on three pairs of toast and started biting on one of them as he turned to the microwave; It was just before 7 a.m. He poured himself a cup and drank as fast as he could manage without scalding his tongue. He held the rest of his toast on his mouth as he covered the other pieces of bread with upside down plastic containers. Then, he walked to his backpack and picked it up, then patted his side pockets to make sure his wallet and phone were in place. With a small nod, he pressed the button next to the automatic door and left.
Over the railing, he could already make out Toji's silhouette down below, so he hastened his pace to the elevator. As soon as the door dinged open down below, Toji fished him out and put an arm around his shoulder, forcing him to match his pace.
"C'mon, chief! You don't wanna get to the showers right before first term, the third years would kick us out."
With these faster, wider strides, Shinji was glad to have listened to Toji about buying a good pair of sweatpants, even if they now looked like they belonged in some weird music group. He stifled a yawn. "Just give me a few days to get used to it. And where's Kensuke?"
Toji pointed forward to the side of the apartment complex, Kensuke leaned on the wall, almost falling asleep, until Toji and Shinji passed him and Toji flickered his forehead with his middle finger.
"Ow!"
"I told to sleep early yesterday, dumbass!" Toji said without stopping. Kensuke jogged to catch up.
"They dropped the entire new season online! I told you I couldn't help but binge it."
"Whatever, dude. Just don't fall behind. Come on, let's go!" He let go of Shinji to clap twice loudly as they jogged to the park a few blocks ahead.
After reaching their destination and stretching the same way they did on P.E. class, Shinji asked, "What's the difference between this and what we do at school anyway?"
"I'm so glad you asked, Shinji" Toji said with a devious grin. The following hour was extremely painful for the two thinner boys. Every lap in the park had been interspersed with push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, and using the park's monkey bars for pull-ups. Or rather, the two sets that Shinji and Kensuke were able to manage before crumbling on the floor. Toji considered that a good place to take a break, sitting down in a nearby swing.
"So," Shinji said between huffs and puffs, "how long are we doing this for?"
"How long?" He shook his head. "This is your new life, Shinji."
"Huh, wha–?"
"Except for the Okinawa week, but I'm sure we can manage to squeeze some exercise in during that too!"
"What Okinawa week?" Shinji asked while going back on his feet.
"Were you absent when they told us?" Kensuke asked while still on the ground. "It's a class trip for the whole week. There'll be scuba diving and a big aquarium. Personally, I'd rather we go to the Oceanic Culture Museum, there's some neat pre-industrial ships in there."
"It's also plastered all over the bulletin boards, but I'm guessing you don't keep up with that shit," Toji added.
"Okinawa," Shinji thought out loud. "It sounds nice but... I don't think Misato would let us go."
"Why not?"
"Angel attack," Kensuke guessed. Shinji nodded.
"Well that's a bummer." Toji crossed his arms. "Hey, don't fret. We'll bring you a nice souvenir."
"I don't think he's gonna be that lonely," Kensuke said with a mischievous grin. "If he's not going because he's a pilot..." He started, and Toji's eyes widened before completing his thought, "It means the red devil and Ayanami are also staying".
'Oh no.'
Toji and Kensuke looked at Shinji and then back at each other, and his mortified stare was enough to send them into hysterics. Shinji's expression of worry morphed into intense annoyance, and he let out a dramatic groan.
"Okay, okay, let's drop it. Let's do a final lap and then straight to school." Toji stood up and stretched for a bit before returning to the concrete path.
"But for real, any news on that front, though?" Kensuke said more quietly while standing up. "You're not gonna tell me you don't think Asuka's hot too, right?"
"A lot has happened." Shinji closed his eyes, trying to temper his embarrassment. "I'll tell you guys during recess."
"Cool."
A shrill cry perturbed the area around the apartment and ruffled some feathers, literally.
"We can't go on the school trip?!" Asuka was leaning forward with her hands on the table.
"Nope."
"Why not?"
"You have to be on stand-by."
"Says who?"
"Says me, your operations director," Misato said with finality. Her smug façade distracted from the a firm tone she was employing. It made Asuka sound unreasonable.
Looking for an alternative, she pointed at Shinji. "You, stand up for us."
The boy shrugged and said, "I figured something like this might happen." He drank from his can in the most placid manner.
"So you saw this coming, and your strategy is to not even try?" She asked in disbelief, realizing she should know better by now.
"mm-hmm," he hummed while nodding almost enthusiastically, such a good boy he was. Now it was Asuka's turn to shrug dismissively.
"You're so pathetic, there's nothing worse than a domesticated man."
"Hey, don't put it like that!"
"I can sympathize Asuka, but this is out of our hands. What if an angel attacks? Also, don't you need to increase your sync rate?"
"Dr. Akagi says clearing your mind helps with that. What better way to clear your mind than to go on vacation?"
"Nice try, but I'm not buying it."
"Ugh!" Asuka plopped back down on her chair. "Day after day of stand-by, stand-by, stand-by, always on the defensive. Why don't we just figure out where they are and attack directly?"
"Would if we could," Misato said before drinking. "Plus, this is a good opportunity for you to work on your studies." She grinned while holding up two memory cards with their names on them. "Did you really think you could hide your results from me?"
"Your school system sucks, and Kanji sucks even more!" Asuka crossed her arms defensively. Misato smirked; this was just venting, the Captain had already won.
"Well that's too bad. As they say: 'When in Rome...'"
After a few more half-hearted rebuttals, the discussion died down and Asuka left, trying and failing to slam the sliding door to her room.
"I'm not the bad guy here, right?" Misato asked.
"I don't know. But she really wanted to go," Shinji said. "She'd gone with Mr. Kaji to buy a swimsuit and everything."
"Huh, really?" Misato lifted her eyebrow.
Her phone started vibrating on the table. She picked it up.
"Katsuragi speaking,"
"Katsuragi, it's me. Where are you?"
"Speak of the devil." She pointed to her phone, eliciting a chuckle from Shinji. "Why do you want to know?"
"If you haven't left for NERV, go east instead. We're prepping a helicopter for Mt. Asama's Earthquake Research Institute in building 25-E. Nothing's confirmed yet, but there's some interesting readings NERV might find... illuminating."
"Does anyone else know?"
"I told Ritsuko, she gave the okay. Listen, we might have to postpone our little movie night for another time."
'Typical', she thought. "Right. So, see you in about half an hour?"
"Oh, I'm flattered, but I'm afraid I won't be there. I'll be back in my office at NERV after six if you wanna come and–"
She hung up with a flustered look. "Men," she said contemptuously.
"Huh?" Shinji yelped.
"Just bring me another beer, please."
A few days had passed since the last harmonics test, and Rei swam in the pool inside the GeoFront. Ever since she was activated, Doctor Akagi had ordered her to set aside at least half an hour for daily exercise, giving her free reign of the facilities. The daily ritual had felt frustrating and Sisyphean—to spend a considerable fraction of your lifespan straining your joints and muscles lest they wither into uselessness. It was another pebble in the mountain of reasons why life was nothing but suffering. Fortunately for her, the water seemed to agree with her in some manner. She supposed it was related to human body's high water content, or the post-Impact weather being ideal for submerging in the cool liquid, or any number of other post-hoc rationalizations that the human mind was evolutionarily sculpted for. Eventually, she had to admit, it had become familiar, then calming, and finally enjoyable, preferable to many of the anxieties that occurred outside the GeoFront when interacting with classmates or purchasing groceries.
'Nothing but suffering', she repeated in her mind. It wasn't actually true, and Rei put great stake in being accurate with her thoughts and speech. Since her activation, a few motes of light had peppered the void of her senses. It was something beyond the material, more elusive than sleep or satiety or physical comfort, a gift to make her inevitable march into nothingness a hair more bearable.
And yet it was real, with real, tangible evidence of its existence: A pair of glasses on her dresser, a sticker, rescued and placed in her notebook, a porcelain cup, a pair of soft hands, a shy smile, a warm embrace while dripping in LCL...
When had he become so intriguing to her? Maybe it was just a coincidence, she was looking at him right then, after all. He'd come with the Second Child to escape the tedium of their regular schedule, or so she heard them say—their echoing voices were hard to miss in the facility. He'd sat down with his laptop to study while she distracted and berated him for not accommodating her every whim and demand. No, it wasn't a fair assessment. Rei knew first hand what a constant effort it took for Pilot Ikari to commit to word and action. And for all his sputtering and denials, he seemed perfectly comfortable to have the Second Child move ever closer to him, and he would give her odd looks when he was sure she wasn't looking. In an unmistakable pattern Rei had observed throughout her life, her fellow pilots constantly attempted to control other people's opinions and perceptions of them, and the realization that even within this one-in-a-billion trio she still felt out of place triggered a dull ache in her heart.
An internal clock shaped by habit let her know her exercise time was up, and she surfaced. She was still deep in thought as she grabbed a towel and dried her hair. It was hard to care for such things for long when they'd all be dead by the end of the year.
Something grabbed her attention and she turned her head over her shoulder to face him. Had he just been looking at her? and if so, did she deserve that?
She left the pool in silence.
"A-17?! We're going on the offensive?" Asked the US representative.
"Correct," Gendo replied. With such quick developments and none of them being part of his set of scrolls, he had to assume that this new angel could be found in theirs. If the old men had any objection to his plans, it would form some cracks in their domineering façade; plus, the general panic was always welcome.
"It's too dangerous," Keel protested. "Don't pretend you've forgotten what happened 15 years ago. "
"This is a golden opportunity. We can finally take the fight to them, rather than remain on the defensive."
"The risk is too great!"
"This is a living specimen. I don't need to stress the significance of that." Gendo argued, unmoving. They'd pestered him so much when requisitioning the fourth angel's core and now he was only glad to provide.
"Failure will not be tolerated," Keel reminded him, and the call ended.
"Failure?" Fuyutsuki asked to his left. "Failure would mean the extinction of humanity." Prompting a silent Gendo, he asked, "Are you sure this is wise?"
It was just too precious to see these pompous old fools lose control. For the first time in God knows how long, a grin appeared on his face.
"Hey, where's Mr. Kaji?" Asuka looked around inside Unit-02. Misato appeared on a holographic display to her left.
"That idiot won't be here, there's nothing for him to do," She said before disappearing. Asuka exhaled and some tiny leftover bubbles escaped her mouth.
"And here I was hoping to show off in front of him," she murmured to herself. Part of the reason she was willing to bear the embarrassment of the inflating, heat-resistant plug suit she was currently wearing was so that at least Kaji could bear witness to her excellent piloting skill. That, and the gall of the First Child, who would dare volunteer to pilot Unit-02 in her stead when Asuka was just having... a brief moment of weakness, nothing more. At least karmic justice was real, and the weirdo had been relegated to be the backup's backup, back at NERV HQ.
'"I hope to demonstrate with my actions" my ass,' she thought.
Meanwhile, Shinji shuffled in place inside Unit-01. Even if he wasn't chosen for the hardest part of the mission, there was still some anxiety eating at him. They were meant to fish out an angel that was still in a so-called pupal stage, but for that they'd have to actually dive into a freaking volcano! After burning his hands in the aftermath of the battle against the fifth angel, he wasn't sure he'd be able to do this, so it was good that his brave friend Asuka had arrived.
And then it hit him. If not for her, Ayanami could easily be put in Unit-01. This was a reminder of the reality he'd often try to avoid: he could avoid suffering if he had the choice, but if he did, then others definitely would. He knew he was a coward, almost wearing his weakness as a badge of honor, but this; inadvertently putting Asuka in danger by not volunteering, this was pathetic by all accounts. It could not happen again. If something happened to her during this mission, it would all be his fault.
The glimmer of supersonic aircraft passed above them, being distorted by the heat emanating from the caldera below. Shinji shook his head, he needed to use the opportunity to focus on the mission. He keyed a button near the control yokes, and asked, "What are those planes?"
"The UN Air Force. They'll be on alert until this operation ends," Ritsuko said through the open channel.
"Are they here to help?" Asuka asked.
"No, they're here to clean up the mess if we fail. They'll incinerate the Angel with N2 mines, and us along with it," Ritsuko said, and Asuka could detect the tiniest amount of disdain slip through the Doctor's words.
"That's awful!" She replied.
"Who would order something like that?" Shinji asked, bracing mentally for the worst.
"Commander Ikari."
'Of course,' Shinji thought, and his face fell once more.
Asuka heard the concern in Shinji's voice. She knew from his's public NERV file that he was the Commander's son, of course, but he'd also moved to Tokyo-3 just a few months before her. 'Did his parents get divorced or something?' She thought. Maybe she should've asked Kaji or Misato about this. But whatever the reason, Shinji was moping around once again. It was so unbecoming of a prestigious Evangelion pilot. 'Who cares about his stupid father? they all suck, anyway.'
But she knew it—he cared. After confirming her readiness to the command center, She felt her unit slowly descend into the magma. Trying to ease up his mood, she improvised a call back to their recent visit to the pool.
"Hey Shinji, check this out!"
"Huh?"
"Giant strong entry!" She announced as Unit-02 did the splits as best as a hulking mass of steel carrying a giant cage into a volcano could. The protective gear made her Eva look like an old-timey deep sea diver going for a splash.
Shinji just sighed at her antics, but his tired expression soon became a soft smile. 'Thanks, Asuka.'
As soon as she was under the magma, however, Asuka wasted no time in reporting her status and informing the command center of her poor visibility. Everything around her was a thick, red sludge, and the LCL inside her plug was extremely hot. The quicker she could get this over with, the better.
But despite the ever increasing depth, there was no angel cocoon in sight. Misato asked, "How's it going Asuka?"
"Looks like we're still good. I just want to hurry up, finish this, and take a shower."
"There's a nice hot spring near here. We'll hit it once we're done. Hang in there a little longer."
Asuka nodded, now that would be comfortable. She heard a low hum develop into a long howl that she assumed to be the metal around her contracting and moving due to the mounting pressure.
"Maximum allowed depth plus 200," Ibuki announced. A sharp snap could be heard, and Asuka barely felt a tug on her left leg. The screeching of metal reverberated around her, and she saw something swim away on her periphery.
"Unit-02 has lost its prog knife."
'Oh, shit.'
"Captain Katsuragi, any more than this and..." Hyuga protested, but when he turned to Misato, her determined stare unnerved him. "There's a human on board this time!"
"I am in charge of this operation. Proceed, please," Misato replied icyly.
Asuka nodded with a grin. If Misato wasn't chickening out, she would not be the one to ruin the vibe. "Misato's right, I'm okay, I can keep going."
As if to reassure her of her recklessness, a gigantic egg-shaped shadow appeared in front of her.
"There it is!" Asuka said.
"Visual confirmation of the target."
"Prepare to capture."
"Both of you are being moved by convection currents, so you'll only have once chance to make contact," Ritsuko warned.
"I know. Leave it to me," Asuka replied. To successfully perform a one-time maneuver under duress, this is what few could do, what only the best could do. She tried to get her nerves under control by envisioning herself playing a claw machine game: she straightened her arms and moved them in parallel to the side while visualizing the shape of the cage once fully deployed in 3D space.
After breathing in and out slowly, she pressed the button. The cage extended from an H-shaped construct of telescopic red metal into an four-pronged claw that connected on each vertex by incandescent electromagnetic induction. It was essentially a giant laser cage.
"Electromagnetic cage deployed. No problems detected," Asuka reported. "The target has been captured."
"Nice job, Asuka!" Misato said. A few claps could be heard in the background.
Misato ordered for a retreat. 'A live specimen... I wonder if this was foretold,' she thought. It was unlike anything they'd achieved so far. She turned to Ritsuko, who had been oddly silent behind Maya's chair. The Doctor's hand gripped the back of the chair, hard.
Besides her, everybody seemed to be at ease. Misato could hear the children having an amicable exchange for once, that was more good news. Only a few more minutes before she could fully relax. But Asuka's voice snapped her back to reality:
"What's going on?" The girl asked. From her feed, the cage started bulging and distorting in several places, and the red hot light around it contrasted with a silhouette that morphed and spread in front of their very eyes.
"It's started to emerge! It's much earlier than we predicted!" Ritsuko said.
Turning to the other console, Misato asked Hyuga. "Status of the cage?"
"No way it can hold!" Hyuga hurriedly read the information output, waiting for orders.
Misato was ready to move on to plan B, when Ritsuko declared, "We cannot lose the specimen, activate the glyph system prototype!"
The familiar sounds of an engine revving up reached Asuka. Her eyes widened, she wasn't expecting this again so soon. In each vertex of the energy prison, a strange red symbol came to life. The cold sweat began again, and the girl could do nothing but grip the controls as she braced for what was to come.
"Synchronization rate lowered to 21% and dropping" Maya reported, "She won't be able to move the Eva soon."
"It doesn't matter," Ritsuko said. "Asuka, listen to me. You don't have to move, the angel has already been captured. Just stand still and wait until you're back in the surface, we will get you out of there as soon as possible."
"Yes. I. will... try," Asuka replied between grunts.
"What is this?" Misato asked Ritsuko, dumbfounded. "You've barely tested this stuff for a few days, why would you–" She was interrupted by the doctor putting a hand on her shoulder.
"This has to work. It's an unforeseen path," she said quietly. Misato stood shocked for a moment, then slowly nodded, this was a deviation from the scrolls. But at what cost?
Shinji bounced his leg impatiently inside the entry plug, but when he switched to the holographic view of the command center, Misato just stood there biting on her finger.
"Misato, let me help her!"
"No, Shinji. You've seen what the glyphs can do, your unit will be paralyzed too."
"I can't just stand here while she's being hurt!"
"She's too deep in, your Eva will not be able to sustain the pressure." 'I don't have time for teen infatuation,' she chided mentally.
Maya winced at Asuka's feed, the girl was squirming in her seat with such ferocity that the technician had to cover her mouth and look away. Looking up at Ritsuko, she asked, "Doctor, is there no other way?"
Shinji gripped the controls. Asuka's yelps of pain were unbearable to him. This pain that she was going through, it was the pain the he was supposed to be feeling, that he was meant to endure. It was not fair. He was such a coward, running away and then feeling like shit when the obvious consequences came back to haunt him. When Asuka's defiant grunts broke down into whimpering sobs, he couldn't take it anymore.
"Shinji, what are you doing?! Stop!"
He closed his eyes and jumped in.