Chapter 46: Will Those We Know Comprehend Us?
Few were able to determine how much time the previous fight with Baraqijal bought the human race but the fourth day still left many in NERV on edge. Allowing the Angel to remain where it was in the center of Lake Ashinoko was a dangerous decision but achieving the conditions necessary for an even playing field demanded as much time as the Angel remained in its place. The most daunting prospect of all came when the Eva units were tasked with their mission of facing their opponent again.
Fear was not permitted among the two Eva pilots as their units launched to the surface with their weapons prepared. As a new addition to the extensive arsenal however, they both held injection guns attached to their sides. The sight of Baraqijal made its way into view as the immediate indication the battle was about to begin.
Shigeru announced, "Alkaline is linked and prepared General."
Fuyutsuki watched the weapons being prepared and observed, "This is quite similar to a previous encounter."
Takeshi recognized what Fuyutsuki was referring to, "Dr. Akagi confirmed the situation is close to that of the 8th Angel. We only need to see if we'll be fortunate to destroy this one so easily."
Ritsuko overheard the exchange pointing out, "We were most likely fortunate for that Angel to have been in its larval stage. This one appears to be fully developed and we may have additional challenges because of that alone."
Shigeru announced the arrival of their target, "The Angel is closing within the city limits. We are about to make contact."
The announcement of the Angel's approach commanded Takeshi's attention as he announced, "All units prepare to execute the plan."
Hearing their superior officer give the order made Kaworu ask, "You remember how we will approach this one?"
Although she could tell he was being sincere, Asuka remained as assured of herself as ever by telling him, "Just make sure you have the guts to try and keep up with me."
The discussion between the two ended as soon as Takeshi ordered, "Advance!"
Unit-02 and Unit Beta charged forward with Baraqijal in the distance. The Angel saw what was coming its way and increased its speed preparing to destroy its returning opponents. Another section of Tokyo-3 was about to be laid waste in the rampage but a new plan was already laid out to change the course of the battle.
In Baraqijal's roll forward it did not see the gaping hole that was covered beneath it. Its roll was cut off as it tripped into the open section of the city that was not sealed. Much like Azrael before it, the Angel was caught from continuing as it slid down a narrow corridor that contained it but was not yet defeated.
The sight of the Angel making its descent made Kaworu announce, "We have the opportunity."
Asuka prepared her injection gun encouraging, "You're first!"
Unit Beta leapt into the chasm where Baraqijal had fallen and prepared its sword. The Angel lay beneath its shadow and Kaworu made a mighty sweep with his sword before making contact with the AT Field. Both the Angel and the Eva units were locked with one another as the edge of Unit Beta's blade penetrated its enemy's field and came closer to contact.
The field shattered and Kaworu knew what he was being thrust into. Baraqijal recognized what seemed to be a folly from its attacker as it allowed Unit Beta to fall into its membrane. Kaworu there Unit Beta's sword into the nearest wall before taking hold of the injection gun and thrust it into the membrane unleashing the alkaline solution.
Baraqijal found itself caught off guard as it fell further into the chasm as the acid that formed its membrane lost its properties. The Angel was quick to recognize this as it separated itself from the dissolving membrane while preparing to attack Unit Beta. It was caught off guard as it found itself at the mercy of Unit-02's descent landing on top of it.
While still in the air, Unit-02 released another stream of alkaline into Baraqijal's membrane and reduced its strongest offense to nothing. The Angel tried to shower Unit-02 in a rain of acid by unleashing its membrane but found the action came too late as it was rendered harmless. Although it would have a more difficult time descending to the bottom of NERV, the Angel was prepared to use whatever means it could to destroy more of its obstacles.
The personnel within NERV's command room watched the battle unfold as Makoto announced, "The solution was successful. The Angel is now on the defensive."
Pleased to see the operation unfold as he hoped, Takeshi ordered, "Finish it off. Don't let it advance any further."
Fuyutsuki watched next to him observing, "It would seem Unit Beta is still struggling to provide the assistance necessary."
Takeshi watched the battle unfold and found Fuyutsuki's observation was indeed grounded in Kaworu's inaction. Unit-02 was not in danger of being melted but the spikes still proved to be a danger as it rolled towards it. It did not have a chance to stop the Angel as it was approached by its roll and threatened by its spikes.
The sight of Unit Beta's hesitation was a familiar sight at this point as Takeshi realized what kept Kaworu from acting. He was able to take hold of the sword next to him but even the threat of another unit's destruction did not make him immediately act. No order Takeshi gave would be able to change what was happening as Asuka's unit was subject to being crushed by the spikes.
The MAGI technicians knew it was time for them to act as they saw the display themselves as Satsuki announced, "Subject is hesitating."
Aoi ordered, "Activate DSS fibers."
Kaworu's hesitation came at the cost of feeling himself in pain again. His chest clenched and he knew exactly what was causing it. None of it from the fear of his survival at this moment.
Unit Beta made a charge to the area Unit-02 was locked in a struggle with while drawing its sword for the attack. Asuka found herself pinned to the ground as Baraqijal bore its weight onto her and impaled her unit on her legs. Feeling the Angel continue to roll on top of her forced Asuka to tell through the pain and reach her unit's arms up to push the Angel back.
Asuka felt a brief sense of relief as soon as she felt Baraqijal roll back from an attack she did not make. She saw several spikes fly off the Angels form before realizing Unit Beta finally came to assist her. Its blade remained at its side as it prepared to make another strike but was still shaken at what it had just done.
Strained from the pain she felt earlier, Asuka called out, "K... Kaworu?"
She could not even bring herself to bring up the nickname she had for him as Asuka forced Unit-02 up from where it lay. Drawing out its progressive knife it prepared to make an advance but was forced backwards as soon as she saw Baraqijal roll towards her. Asuka was confident she had a sturdy stance as she prepared for another advance but found herself facing the Angel's roll and raised her arms in defense. The toll was too fast for her to respond to however as she felt the spikes impale her again and were now inching closer to impaling her unit and taking her with it.
The sight of Asuka in pain and the pain he felt surge through him became a combined quandary Kaworu was forced to make a decision in. Everything in his body was telling him to stop hurting his fellow Angel but he knew what allowing Baraqijal to continue would do. The pain that came from his captors and the pain from within became the ultimate obstacle for him to overcome. Even when he finally made his next strike he felt himself continue to bear it.
Unit Beta did not make a simple slice this time but instead cleaved an entire section of spikes from Baraqijal's body. They fell to the ground and forced it backwards as it realized where its most serious opponent would come from. Asuka and Unit-02 were given the reprieve if no longer being impaled but the fight was not over yet.
Baraqijal knew its life was on the line as it rolled towards Unit Beta as it prepared to destroy its most immediate threat. Kaworu realized the threat he was in as he prepared Unit Beta's sword for another swipe and sliced the spikes of the Angel's lower half. What little momentum Baraqijal had left was used as it forced itself forward and threw itself into the air over Unit Beta.
Once again Kaworu found himself in danger but at the same time saw the perfect opportunity. The cleaved portion of Baraqijal continued towards him but Kaworu lunged his sword into the air where he accomplished his strike. It was a successful penetration into the core of the Angel but Kaworu discovered how dangerous the attack was all along.
As its sword penetrated into the core of the Angel, Kaworu found Unit Beta showered with its blood that turned out to be just as acidic as its membrane. Unit Beta crumbled as it thrust its blade in and out of Baraqijal in hopes of its destruction while more acidic blood poured onto him. Enough of the substance poured on to his unit to force Unit Beta to its knees but found its target falling on top of him. The Angel knew it was about to be destroyed but would do everything to take its attacker with it.
The sight of Baraqijal being struck by such a fatal blow commanded the attention of everyone in NERV as Takeshi asked, "What are the Angel's vitals?"
Maya answered, "They are declining rapidly. It may not be long before it is killed."
It was the best signal Takeshi had to order, "Eject Unit Beta's dummy plug immediately."
Ritsuko tried to remind him, "You believe it is wise to save an Angel at this point?"
The suggestion made Takeshi double down on his order, "Get him out of there!"
As Unit Beta continued to be drowned in the acidic blood of Baraqijal's remains, the back side opened up before launching the dummy plug. Unit Beta continued to crumble before it was reduced to limbs while the sword remained buried within the Angel. Relief found its way over the onlookers as they realized they were still successful in destroying the recent challenge to their existence.
Asuka looked on realizing Baraqijal did not move anymore before asking, "Is that it? Is this thing dead?"
Takeshi felt the ultimate justification as soon as he heard Maya report, "All vital signs from the Angel are flatlined. Target is down."
Confirmation of the Angel's defeat made Takeshi order, "Begin the retrieval process. Make sure everyone is fine."
Makoto reported the damage that had accumulated, "Major integral damage has made its way through the shifting actuators of the trap area. Acid is still finding its way down but appears to be slowing."
Shigeru added, "No major civilian concentrations are at threat. One city block might be locked out though."
Prepared to handle the issue, Takeshi ordered, "Send out standard evacuation procedures. We'll handle the damage done."
Hours passed before Unit-02 and the dummy plug for Unit Beta were retrieved. An air of accomplishment was present among the occupants of the Eva cages but not shared by everyone. Asuka was only one such individual who felt slighted by what had happened.
She revealed her displeasure with the results, protesting, "Did Boy Wonder really have to try and make himself look like a hero out there? He practically wanted to get drowned in that gunk."
Koji looked through the parts necessary to repair Unit-02 while telling her, "He did what he had to. If anything, be more worried about him and how he managed to save you."
Assuming she would be dismissed, Asuka brushed her hair telling Koji, "Tell him he's not getting impressing anyone if he really thinks he can just throw away a unit like that."
Koji returned his attention to the dummy plug telling her, "You can tell him that."
Takeshi looked at the dummy plug being raised before asking, "Has the pilot been released from there yet?"
Mitsuru reported on the process, "We had some trouble trying to open it sir. Some damage was done that kept it from opening."
Steam bellowed through the hangar bay before several NERV technicians opened the entrance to the dummy plug and revealed Kaworu inside. Opening the dummy plug revealed Kaworu was still alive but now completely shaken at the events that just occurred. After so many skirmishes with his Eva unit he destroyed an Angel with his own two hands, and he was reduced to a sight few ever seen before.
Before Takeshi had a chance to observe Kaworu himself he heard Ritsuko remind, "You had a perfect opportunity to rid us of two Angels today, General. You will have to answer for saving the life of this one."
It was another short while before Takeshi saw what he saved. He had little reason to base an argument that Kaworu could not have been an Angel at this point with all the prior information he had. The sight beneath him however made him form his counterargument.
"Do you see him? Can any Angel we ever faced was ever moved like this?"
The sight Takeshi referred to showed Kaworu hugging himself and hanging his head down. Despite the obstruction, Ritsuko could see tears dropping to the ground while keeping himself stable. It was a demonstration of vulnerability that she did not expect someone like Kaworu to demonstrate but refused to let herself be moved by whatever he might have been feeling.
Ritsuko was able to come to her own conclusion but knew Takeshi would only accept her warning, "There can be more factors than what you think are in play to get now General."
As if to challenge what Takeshi's assumption was at the time, Asuka made her way up to Kaworu , "Hey enough with the tears! So what if you broke your favorite toy out there? You stole my kill didn't you?"
Kaworu looked up to see Asuka and managed a smile against the flowing tears from his eyes. Revealing himself did not remove the sense of disgust Asuka had. He still managed to hold himself upright as he stepped forward and faced her.
Managing to force himself to speak through his tears, Kaworu revealed the cause of his grief, "I do not hope for you to comprehend what I chose to do. I only hope you will one day fully understand what brought all of the pieces here where they are."
The appeal made Asuka cross her arms asking, "Yeah? Maybe your whole mystery act worked on that stupid Rei. It's not doing anything for me."
It only took a few sights of the real her for him to see it, but Kaworu did see signs of what sort of girl she could have been for Shinji. He could not say there would have been no missteps but she very well could have been the one to make his life better. Relying on circumstances working for the best was little more than hopeful thinking at this point and left him pondering what her life could be like. Ever since the battle against Maelstrom, Kaworu was left to conclude that she and Shinji might never be close again but that he would still try to make up for everything he did to her.
Trying to ease her into this idea, Kaworu told her, "All you need to know is that you will still matter to the pilot of Unit-01 despite what you believe."
Asuka turned away from him dismissing, "You are such a weird idiot. You know that?"
Much to the relief of everyone, the exchange did not end with an outburst of violence. The sight of them ending their conversation on such a note did little to assure anyone the pilots understood one another better or they would be prepared for another battle like the one they went through. It was a matter that would have to be dealt with depending on how many Angels would remain.
Remembering what he could be facing became the justification Takeshi had for telling Ritsuko, "He may have to do this again. Regrettably we will need to replace his and Rei's soon."
Before Ritsuko could say anything, she turned to see Porter and Hawk make their way to them. Fuyutsuki followed behind them and warned, "I can only hope you are prepared to take opportunities when they present themselves General."
Takeshi tried to remind everyone of his authority by asking, "You have a reason to be here?"
Fuyutsuki answered his inquiry, "We have received a special message regarding what recently happened. You will find it coming as a relief to what we face."
Uncertain what he needed to hear at this point, Takeshi permitted, "What sort of message is it?"
Seeing Ritsuko nearby made Fuyutsuki answer, "We have recently accomplished what we were working towards. A full deployment of Mass Production Eva units."
The mention of mass produced Eva units brought back a memory from what might as well have been a long time ago. Arguably the most devastating Angel up to now, Maelstrom, not only swallowed entire portions of the city but according to reports turned Unit-02 against them. The idea he might be seeing them at their full potential provided a little assurance that he might be able to better defend NERV. Not having an idea of where they came from however left him struggling to appreciate what was coming.
Takeshi voiced these concerns by reminding, "Those things? The ones that almost found themselves swallowed by that one Angel?"
Fuyutsuki remained unshaken in his messaging by correcting, "Ideally more effective now that better precautions have been taken. If we are fortunate, our remaining Eva units will be all we need."
Being reminded of Unit-01 and Unit-02 possibly assisting against future Angels presented an opportunity for defending himself. Having them operational was not an issue but the question of their pilots was another one entirely. A dilemma that would require him to ease his current hold on Shinji and come to a conclusion on how he was supposed to handle him.
Committed to his original plan, Takeshi shot down Fuyutsuki's suggestion, "I don't know how much longer this is going to go on but Unit-01 will not be an option. Not as long as it continues to deny a new pilot."
Fuyutsuki accepted this denial before praising, "I have to admit. In spite of everything you have done all you could to keep yourself from being intimidated for a while."
Returning his attention to Kaworu and Asuka being managed, Takeshi agreed, "Clearly you people needed someone to keep you from falling into chaos after all this time. If it wasn't for our situation I would make sure a restructure from top to bottom would be happening right now."
Ritsuko warned against threatening anything else, "If that is your intention General, you are still going to have a case where you must come to a decision."
Hawk spoke to add, "We have the prisoner and she is waiting for us."
The time Takeshi had been loathing was finally being demanded. The mother of Misato Katsuragi was waiting in another room to be interrogated for something he never imagined possible. While she was safely locked and imprisoned he found himself struggling to come up with a scenario that would make Ikuko do everything she was accused of.
Takeshi let out a sigh before walking away to fulfill his duty, "It's not my job to assume how anyone can have such motivations. At best I'm part of the audience trying to keep up with everything that happened."
As he left the hangar bay, Fuyutsuki watched Takeshi leave and agreed, "How right you are General."
Porter and Hawk kept watch in the interrogation room as Takeshi stood across from Ikuko. In the aftermath of the Angels destruction, there was a sense of relief among everyone but him as he realized that another issue needed to be addressed by him directly. The situation should have been completely alien to the conflict humanity had against the Angels but every day that passed became another where it was further intertwined.
The dilemma of Shinji Ikari and Misato Katsuragi having made their affair public should have been enough to leave Ikuko in a state of utter loathing. Instead she looked up at Takeshi with indifference. Seeing her like this forced him to keep himself from immediately revealing all of his demands at that moment.
Takeshi began the interrogation asking, "So these two report what you have done. Quite a feat you were able to accomplish. Even in keeping such a low profile for all the years before."
Ikuko looked up to Takeshi and responded, "Yeah. You gonna throw me in the slammer now?"
Her reaction was not one Takeshi anticipated. All preparations he had to demand answers from Ikuko were for nothing now that she confessed to what she was accused of. She was here completely unashamed and willing to accept what was being thrown onto her.
He was sure he knew what the hope was as Takeshi answered, "You do know that imprisonment will not bring you any closer to your daughter do you? And that perjury will only add to your offense?"
Ikuko crossed her arms, "Just a quick minute with Misato is all I need now. That and her boyfriend of hers."
Seeing her give such a show of defiance to the situation she was in made Takeshi shake his head before asking, "This can't be right. You care so little about what your daughter did?"
There was less assurance in Ikuko's voice as she looked away, answering, "I know what she did and what Shinji went through. The kid makes me look like I have hope for my life going forward."
Takeshi clenched his right hand to correct, "You know that no one would willingly accept such a scenario. What she did to that boy is wrong in every way."
The defiance Ikuko had before returned as she dismissed, "And what business is it of mine? That girl of mine has her own life and she knows what she wants out of it and that kid doesn't mean anything to me."
Takeshi found himself struggling to even get what he thought would be a sensible reaction from Ikuko the further into the conversation he went. There was supposed to be a point where she was ashamed to discover the affair her daughter had and would do anything to see her. Her current demeanor left him concluding she could not care less about what happened to her.
He unclenched his hand while accusing with a sense of regret for Ikuko, "Is that your rationale? I believed you still might have had some manner of self respect but you certainly proved me wrong."
Bearing such shame did not affect Ikuko as she revealed, "Can't have that when you have nothing to live for. I'm washed up. I have nothing. I'm just a dead weight to my daughter now. The least I can do is try to make the world she lives in a little easier."
"And that's the justification you have for trying to cripple our operations. I never imagined you could have been such a tragically lost individual."
"That's all you were worried about huh? If you aren't planning to ask me out then it's time you locked me up isn't it?"
Realizing how little there was to be had from interrogating Ikuko at the moment, Takeshi accepted the answers he was able to receive, "We are going to have much to investigate later and I hope you are ready to cooperate as much as you have. Frankly your sudden introduction into all of this has been difficult to accept already."
Takeshi turned away and left expecting the agents to follow behind him. There was nothing else for him to gain in his hope for a sensible human being in Ikuko. That much was clear as he left the room and prepared to resume his duties in the command center.
Ikuko's face soured before asking, "Did I sell it enough for you boys?"
Porter spoke first, "It seems likely he will keep you here now."
Hawk agreed, "As long as you cooperate with future interrogations, you will not be immediately transferred."
What little assurance Ikuko received from following up on the deal made her lean against the wall behind her before dismissing, "You're both lucky I'm such a worthless human being."
Leaving her to accept her imprisonment, Hawk told Porter, "I have to make sure the General does not wonder what we're doing. Don't stay here any longer than you have to."
Porter watched Hawk exit the room leaving him and Ikuko to themselves. There seemed to be no more information to exchange but both looked to one another with interest. With no one else around, they now had the chance to discuss matters in secrecy like they waited for.
After assuming their confidentiality, Ikuko asked, "You haven't thought about what else you wanted from me huh?"
"The General did tell you what you could be facing if you were providing a false account of your actions."
"It's worth it if it really does mean he'll sit me across from Misato. Even if it's just to disown me, I still have to just come out and say I did the wrong thing."
"Your early account stated you could not bring yourself to accept what she did."
"And what good have I been huh? Can anyone say that I've been a mother who was there for her or even made sure she made good decisions? I should have been locked up a long time ago for all I ever did."
"That is an unfortunate conclusion to come to. Especially if you believe you have nothing for your own daughter now."
"If you have kids, try making sure you get through their heads what you're trying to do. That's the big life lesson I had to learn the hard way. And I'm still not getting that right "
"That sounds like an observation you made when Misato came to you."
"Right after telling Shinji he shouldn't be with her. That's the last thing I ever told him. He's probably beating himself up right now after hearing that from me."
"You were in the right to say that to him. I can't imagine anyone will accept what happened between them. Now or in their potential future."
"I've done nothing but make life difficult for her. If I'm going to change anything it should be to try and make sure she doesn't have to go through the hell I've put up with."
"It is not a perfect conclusion to come to. The intention behind your reasoning is still respectable."
"Yeah, I never even thought you would think about giving me this chance."
"The fact the General came up with this sort of scenario makes matters more complicated than I can comprehend already."
Ikuko found her attention grabbed as soon as she heard that detail. Her assumptions about Takeshi looking for someone to place the blame on for the recent bombings lost their ground as soon as she realized what ultimately brought her here. It was a chance to make sure she would not be separated from Misato but it was not grounded in any sensible way she could think of.
She tried to comprehend how this situation came about by asking, "You're serious? This was his idea? What was he all shaken up over? The fact I went along and he wanted me to stir up a bigger show for him?"
A state of uncertainty hung over the two occupants as they tried to make sense of what was revealed. What little sense of control they had over their situation seemed to be lost as they feared the possibility of being used in a greater scheme. A scheme that continued to seem more and more incomprehensible the more it developed.
Porter tried to rationalize what he was faced with by admitting, "I couldn't be sure myself. I never thought the General would be caught off guard by a confession but here we are. There is more happening here that we have still yet to uncover."
All of the developments that occurred over the past number of days through NERV were overtaken by the threat of Baraqijal. Only a select few were able to continue the unseen conspiracy from behind the scenes. It was difficult for him to continue such machinations but Fuyutsuki found the opportunity he was looking for as soon as the main operating room was emptied.
After activating a computer screen and inputting a password, Fuyutsuki found the signal to Gendo he was looking for. Gendo was still in his office untouched and had no other occupants with him.
Fuyutsuki began his report, "The Angel has been destroyed. This one was almost an accumulation of every strategy we have used so far."
"And everyone is still capable of handling such a threat. This bodes well for what is coming."
"You are certain this is the case? You believe the Book of Shemaiah has told us everything?"
"There will be nothing afterwards."
"That is assuming we are able to handle one of our pilots once we destroy this one."
"The precautions have already been set in place. This entire plan assumes we have participants who are intent to see the final steps executed."
"And I will do everything to assist."
Confident there was nothing else to plan for, Gendo prepared for what he believed was the ending in sight, "We have been forced to overcome what was little more than a hindrance. It is time to end it."
A/N: Well I finally managed to finish this one. I will say if this felt a little sloppy it's pretty much because I tried to get out more than I thought I had and I was rapidly trying to find a way to move a number of characters along. Unfortunately it resulted in a give and take situation where these chapters were essentially providing another glimpse into NERV without Shinji and Misato in the limelight so I hope it was worthwhile to read at least. I hope everybody enjoyed Baraqijal's chapters, as you might have been keeping count by now, that is probably the last Angel to have an image from the RPG books.
That being said, how many more chapters can there be? If there was an Angel hinted at the end, what more can there be? I'll be addressing these later on but more importantly I will tell you this much: Shinji and Misato will be refocused as the center of the story again.