Seventeen: Homo Faber.

Saitama, Saitama Prefecture, Japan.

August 10th, 2015.

Tokita Shiro straightened his tie in the mirror. You've got this, Shiro. Today, you'll put Akagi in her place. Wednesday before the Security Council, you'll put NERV in its grave. He flashed a smile at the mirror, nodded, and strode out of the bathroom. The buzz of the convention center was promising, as was the large turnout; suited men and women were still filing into the auditorium, a mere five minutes before his speech. Shiro flashed his speaker badge at the stern-faced Tokyo policeman and strode into the conference room. About a hundred attendees were sitting around the large tables; he recognized at a glance representatives of Japan Heavy Chemical, the JSSDF, Sevmash, the US Army, Ocotillo, and… Dr. Akagi. Shiro smirked. Perfect. She brought Katsuragi too, I see.

Shiro mounted the podium and adjusted the microphone height. The clamor of the room dimmed to a quiet murmur. He cleared his throat.

"Thank you for coming to Japan Heavy Chemical Industries' presentation on the Jet Alone system. I promise, it was worth the trip. I will give a brief description of the weapons system and its capabilities first, then we'll hold a live demonstration afterward.

Shiro launched into his spiel. He stumbled slightly over the pronunciation of the reactor model, but managed to recover with a quick joke. Good, they're eating it up. They haven't even seen the best part yet.

"Now," he finished, "I'll be taking questions."

A man clad in a US Army uniform stood. Four stars gleamed on his collar. "I have a few questions on the operational characteristics of the Jet Alone."

"General Wilson. Please, go ahead."

"Is the 150 day power limit at rest or in action?"

"The 150 day limit assumes moderate activity," he replied. "The standby mode would allow up to 720 days of action, while at full power draw the Jet Alone could continue for 9 days before needing shutdown."

"What are the upper and lower temperature limits of the unit?"

"The absolute temperature limits are 300 and -150 degrees celsius, although the recommended range is between 150 and -50 degrees. The armor can withstand 2500 degree heat for up to five seconds."

"Last question. Can a pilot be deployed within the Jet Alone?"

"No, not as currently designed. The radiation within the unit is not safe for humans. It is conceivable that a future model may include a pilot, but it would require significant redesign."

The general sat down.

Akagi Ritsuko stood up from her table; Shiro struggled to suppress his grin. Wonderful timing.

"Ah, Doctor Akagi," he said. "We are honored."

"I would like to ask some questions about the Jet Alone."

"Please, go ahead."

"I believe that it is dangerous to place a nuclear reactor so close to a combat zone."

"As opposed to? Our other option is a 'decisive weapon' that needs an extension cord."

Akagi furrowed her brow. "The Evangelion units may have limited power, but an Evangelion has no risk of meltdown, radioactive contamination, or hacking. If the Jet Alone is hijacked or compromised, you have no way to stop it from destroying everything."

"Jet Alone has robust features against intrusion and interference, with the added benefit of not psychologically contaminating the operator."

"And what of pilot malfeasance?"

"Unlike NERV, Japan Heavy Chemical Industries hires competent, adult staff. Further, the Jet Alone cannot disobey orders and go 'berserk'. I've seen the videos, Doctor, despite NERV's attempts to stifle the truth. How does it feel to be above the law?"

"The whole thing is pointless, Tokita. There's no chance your device could survive an encounter with an Angel. NERV still has the edge—"

Shiro scratched his chin nonchalantly. "You mean the AT-Field? We'll have that voodoo cracked soon enough." Her eyes widened for a split second; he stifled a smirk. That's right. You thought I didn't know your secret? "But really, tell me, Doctor: do you expect us to believe that 'heart' is going to beat the Angels?"

"Yes," Ritsuko said simply. "The mechanism of the Evangelions is not classified. The power of the human will is the strongest force on Earth."

A laugh rippled around the room. Shiro's smile widened. "Bold assertion, Akagi. Unlike NERV, Japan Heavy Chemical is still rooted in reality."

Ritsuko's jaw worked. "Unlike Japan Heavy Chemical, NERV has a history of results."

"With the amount of funding you get, any buffoon could produce a result. We are presenting a practical, transparent weapon against the Angels. You work for a bloated, unaccountable government project. How much more funding will you divert from malaria prevention, refugee housing, ten thousand worthier causes? We don't need to feed from the government teat; of course, you wouldn't know that sensation."

Ritsuko's eyes narrowed. "I beg your pardon?"

He raised his hands in mock surrender."We all appreciate your dedication to the cause, Doctor, including your personal sacrifices…though, isn't it time to retire, before it's too late for you?"

Scattered laughter. Shiro watched with satisfaction as Akagi struggled to not throttle him. Katsuragi shot him a vicious glare.

"We'll see," Akagi said. "You say your solution will supersede NERV? Then there shouldn't be any problem making it walk."

Shiro chuckled. "I think we can all say that Jet Alone is expected to meet and exceed expectations." He addressed the crowd at large. "Then, ladies and gentlemen, I will see you all at the practical test. Thank you."

Old Tokyo, Kanto Exclusion Zone, Japan.

August 10th, 2015.

Misato stepped out onto the scalding tarmac, ducking under the spinning blades of the helicopter. The tropical heat was unbearable this close to the coast, the oppressive climate drawing sweat from every pore. This really is what hell feels like. She walked into the hangar building. A man clad in a bottle green sport coat stood to greet her. His long blonde hair fell to his shoulders, framing boyish features and wide emerald eyes. A slender cigarillo smoldered between his fingers.

Misato sighed. "Parker, this is a government facility. You can't smoke in here."

He grinned. "Quit calling me Parker. It's Sully to you." He shook her hand firmly. "I'm looking forward to a play-by-play of the last fight, Misato. Some better ranged weaponry is a must." At this point he's dropping the honorific on purpose.

Misato strode towards the door, Parker falling into line.

"Well? What did you think of Tokita's presentation?"

Solomon thought for a moment, his face growing a measure more serious. "Interesting. If Heavy Chem can make it work, the JAs could change the game."

"They don't have an AT-Field, though."

"True. You'd have to switch to long range tactics. A particle rifle, maybe, combined with better early detection."

"What about against a ranged Angel? A destroyed reactor would do a lot of damage…maybe a buddy system could work. One mecha blocks and one mecha shoots, like the last operation."

"We'd have to whip up a suitable weapon, one that doesn't take all of Japan's power to fire. Ocotillo could rig one up in a few months, if you give us the prototype. We'll see, though. Jet Alone could end up a wash."

"He's a sexist prick, but he's a competent sexist prick. Doubt there's going to be an outright failure."

"Most people in this business are pricks," Solomon said.

"Including you?"

He flashed a winning smile. "No, I've got a wonderful personality."

Misato snorted. "Keep telling yourself that."

They passed through another hall and out into a colossal domed room. The entire ceiling was a giant viewscreen, displaying a 360 degree vantage of the ruins of Tokyo. The outside was a moonscape, desolate wreckage and hills of rubble rising over barren, burnt earth. A fine gray dust lay in heavy drifts and coated every window, the remains of the skyscrapers that once towered over the world's largest city. That's why nobody can live here; the dust tears up the lungs…on top of the radiation poisoning.

Ritsuko was sitting at the NERV table, sipping from a styrofoam cup of coffee. Misato clapped Solomon on the shoulder and sat down next to her.

Ritsuko cracked open a packet of chili peanuts. "Took you long enough."

"Parker wanted a word. What happened?"

"Nothing yet. Test is on in about five minutes."

"I see." Misato checked her pager. "NERV's on alert, just in case."

"What level?"

"Um…Saber, I believe."

"Raise it to Sulthan."

"Why? Do you think the test is going to fail?"

"Just a hunch."

Misato relayed the orders back to HQ and returned the pager to her pocket.

The room began to shake. Ritsuko leaned back in her chair; her lips were moving silently. She can't speak to the MAGI anymore, her access was revoked. Force of habit, maybe? She poked Ritsuko, who held out the packet. Misato took a handful, munching meditatively on the spicy nuts. She can't smoke in here, so she's snacking to keep her mouth busy. She grinned. You can't hide any secrets from your old friend, huh, Rit-chan?

A long, low building in the distance cracked open, the roof and front wall peeling apart at the seam and folding back. A steel frame tilted up, revealing the mecha. The Jet Alone was about a head shorter than Unit-01, clad in orange and ivory armor. Apelike arms hung down past its knees, terminated by long spindly fingers. A loud buzzer sounded, and a mantle of black spikes extended from its shoulders. The frame released with a pneumatic hiss audible from the observation deck.

Shiro cleared his throat. "Jet Alone; step forward on the left foot." The mecha extended its leg and set its foot down. A billowing cloud of ashen dust rose from the impact. "Walk ten steps!" The machine took another step, the frame sinking back into the warehouse. Slowly, steadily, it walked ten mammoth paces across the wasteland. One step crushed a burnt-out school bus flat.

Misato leaned over. "So it can walk."

Ritsuko scoffed. "The real difficulty is making it stop walking."

Shiro tapped another button. "Jet Alone, run one kilometer to the southwest at 60 kilometers per hour, then stop, turn 180 degrees, and run one kilometer to the northeast at 60 kilometers per hour."

The robot tensed its synthetic muscles and took off. Its steps kicked up a great wake of dust.

Interesting. Well, not near the Evangelion's speed yet but still quite fast. Maybe this thing is an actual threat.

Ritsuko nudged Misato. "Notice something?"

"Well, it's fast—wait, wasn't it supposed to stop after one minute?"

The scientist nodded, smiling slightly. She looked up at the bay above them, where the JA staff were beginning to whisper urgently.

An alarm blared. The audience shifted around, murmuring uneasily to each other. The staff was all clustered now around the control panel, which cast an eerie red glow over their faces.

Misato got up from her seat. "I'm gonna go help."

Ritsuko upended the pack of peanuts, tapping the crumbs into her mouth.

Misato threw open the bridge door. The staff turned to look at the newcomer.

"Under the authority vested in me by the United Nations," she said, "I am assuming command of this post and commandeering the equipment and staff present. What is the status of Jet Alone?"

"The reactor's overheating," one of the technicians said. "It won't respond to the remote stop or shutdown sequences."

"Is there a remote reactor SCRAM?"

Shiro replied, face pallid. "This is an RBMK, it has three AZ-5 shutoffs: one here in the control room, one accessed through a port on the right leg, and one inside the interior control console."

"Then hit it," Misato growled. "What are you waiting for!"

Shiro shook his head. "Nothing happened. The remote controls are completely down."

What kind of half-assed outfit have you been running, Shiro?

"What about the external shutoff?"

"No good," he said. "It's out of commission. Broke a few weeks ago, and we didn't have the time to fix it. The other AZ-5 is inside the reactor hall—but the radiation that close to the core can fry you through a suit. The mainframe in the upper hall can access the shutoff—but if the whole system is locked then only superusers can log in."

"If I get the superuser password, can I repair the system?"

"It's too late now to purge the corruption. If a hacker installed a virus, then it'll resist any attempt to recode the system."

One of the scientists interjected. "If you wipe the entire mainframe and force a restart, the standard boot sequence should detect the error and force an AZ-5."

"And that would stop the Jet Alone," Misato finished.

She turned to Tokita Shiro. "Code. Now."

Shiro held up a defensive hand. "You think they'd give me the superuser password? I don't have that kind of clearance."

Misato rubbed the bridge of her nose. The twinge of pain in her temples grew by the second. "Then get me someone who has the authority!" She stormed off the bridge and made a beeline for the other telephone.

Ritsuko was smoking in the doorway, looking faintly amused. "Well?"

"We need to prep the F-Type gear for launch."

"You know, it might shut off on its own…"

"What are the odds of that? We can't count on self-deactivation."

Ritsuko shrugged. "Just saying." She punched a number into the phone and handed Misato the receiver. "Knock yourself out."

"Can you go find Parker?" Misato asked, covering the telephone with her hand.

"Sure." Ritsuko took a puff from her cigarette and walked away, waving over her shoulder.

Misato put the receiver to her ear. "It's Katsuragi. Can you get me Lieutenant Hyuga?"

A pause. The phone clicked. "We have a situation. I need an aerial intercept from Unit-01….Negative. We're sending in an operator to board JA…" Misato grinned. "Why, me, of course."

Sully poked his head in the door. "You rang?"

Misato returned to the phone. "I've got a ride. I'll call you onboard." She hung up.

"Sully, I need a favor."

Yokohama, Kanto Exclusion Zone, Japan.

August 10th, 2015.

Shinji hugged his knees. The inside of the Evangelion shook and jostled in the turbulence. The plug was in low-power mode, dull reddish lights illuminating the cold LCL. A beep. Shinji pressed the comms button, and the dim image of Misato appeared on the screen.

"Shinji-kun, do you know the plan?"

"Kinda. I'm supposed to stop the Jet Alone, right?"

"Close. I want you to hold it in place while I climb in to stop it. I need you to drop me off on its shoulder first."

"That's crazy!"

"It's not that dangerous. The Evangelion is more than strong enough to survive a meltdo—"

'I was talking about you. What if you die in that thing?"

"If I do nothing we'll all die when the core blows nuke dust from here to Osaka." Misato smiled. "Thanks for the concern, though."

The lights flickered around the plug. "Time to activate the rest of the EVA. Good luck, Shinji-kun." Shinji felt for a moment the extremely odd feeling of having two bodies, before the Evangelion subsumed his physical senses. The viewscreen flickered to life. The gray, blighted land ran away under him, the occasional fallen tower sprinting by.

The comms channel hissed again. "Shinji-kun, coming up on the rendezvous.."

"Roger. Are you coming in from the side or above?"

"Don't worry about that. Just don't flinch from the exhaust." Shinji nodded. The explosive bolts cracked. Unit-01's legs dangled free from the jet. Shinji saw a second shadow racing alongside them, the distinctive profile of a VTOL. Shinji took a breath.

Hyuga's voice crackled over the mike. "Ready to launch, Shinji-kun?"

"Ready."

"Releasing restraints."

The last bolts broke, and Unit-01 was falling. Shinji hit the ground running, stumbling forward a few steps before regaining his footing. The Evangelion was sprinting with effortless power; the wind whipped around his frame, beating tiny pieces of rubble ineffectually against his gleaming armor. The Jet Alone loomed ahead, a cloud of dust rising in its wake.

Shinji held out his palm. A VTOL painted with a garish desert sunrise pulled up close; Shinji saw a person clad in a heavy radiation suit clamber into his palm, holding on to a fast rope. Shinji closed his hand gently around Misato, mindful not to squeeze too hard. The VTOL peeled away.

The Jet Alone veered slightly to the side, crushing a fallen roof underfoot. Shinji sped up, keeping his hand close to his body.

Misato's voice was half-drowned by the wind. "Almost there. Drop me off on the left shoulder, please."

"Ok. Hold on tight." Shinji was pulling almost even with the robot now. He reached out and set Misato on the shoulder ladder, grabbing one of the Jet Alone's rods for a grip.

Misato clambered up the ladder—her foot went out from under her and she plunged down. Shinji's heart stopped. He lunged for her falling form, reaching out an outstretched palm.

Misato caught hold of a rung. Her body swung hard into the curved back plates of the robot; Shinji winced. "Are you okay?"

Misato flashed a thumbs up. She crawled up the ladder and pressed the hatch button; the plate tilted out and she slipped into the gap. The plate slammed back into place; Shinji heaved a sigh.

Now I have to stop this thing. He grabbed the robot's arm and neck and slowed down, leaning back with all his weight. The Jet Alone faltered, reeling to the side.

"Hey, watch it! Every time it gets whiplashed I go flying into a wall."

"Sorry."

Shinji sprinted forward and placed himself in the mecha's path. He spun around and pressed on the Jet Alone's chest plate, digging his heels into the ground. The robot lurched to a stop, pushing with immense force against Shinji. Even Unit-01 can't hold this thing for long. He checked the timer. Three minutes.

"I'm in the mainframe," Misato said. "The password is…" A beeping sound. "It's not…working?"

"The shutdown code?"

"Yeah. Lemme…nope, not working." Misato grunted; Shinji heard the sound of a boot impacting metal.

"What are you going to do?" Shinji felt his right foot slip and shifted it back. Jet Alone pushed forward a step. He adjusted his grip into a bear hug. "Misato-san?"

"I'm here. Are the rods still out?"

Shinji nodded, then remembered she couldn't see him. "Yes. They haven't moved."

"This isn't good—"

A loud hiss. A jet of steam burst from the side of the mecha. Shinji covered it with his hand. Another five burst in rapid sequence along its shoulders. Shinji's grip weakened. One minute. Come on, come on. Jet Alone's paint was starting to run in the immense heat. Its plated armor shimmered with heat haze. The back seam groaned as the expanding metal pulled at the rivets, one of which popped loose and pinged against Unit-01's face. Shinji's hands were going from uncomfortably warm to painfully hot.

A sudden ping. Jet Alone's rods slid back in with a smooth whirring sound. The robot slumped over, lights flickering off. Shinji strained to hold it up. Please be okay.

The rear panel opened, and out came Misato. Her rad-suit was tacky, the colors running together in the melting plastic. The comms channel hissed.

"Shinji-kun, it worked."

"Did you do that?"

"No. It just reset somehow."

"Are you okay?"

"Not a scratch on me, except for when you bashed me against the wall."

"Thank goodness."

Shinji reached out a hand and took Misato off the mech, lowering her to the ground. "I was wrong about you, Misato-san."

"Oh?" Misato's voice was clearly amused.

"You're actually really cool. I've never seen anyone do something like this."

"Well thank you, Shinji-kun."

Shinji let go of the Jet Alone, which crumpled to the ground. "Please stop leaving your underwear in the living room, though. Toji nearly had a heart attack the other day."

"I'll consider it."

Yokohama, Kanto Exclusion Zone, Japan.

August 10th, 2015.

Shiro tightened the straps of his dust mask. The helicopter circled over the vast bulk of the fallen Jet Alone, sprawled across a drift of ashes. The Evangelion knelt a short distance away, the entry plug protruding from the nape of its neck. An impromptu NERV site had been put together besides the Jet Alone's head, with scientists and technicians in heavy radiation suits climbing down into the robot.

He pulled on a pair of goggles. "Put me down near the VTOL."

"Which one, sir?"

Shiro shot the pilot an annoyed look. "What do you think? The one painted with goddamn cacti."

The helicopter soared down low, kicking up a cloud of razor-edged dust. Shiro grabbed his pack and stepped out onto the sandy ground. The helicopter's blades emitted tiny sparks where the grit skipped off the metal.

The white, sterile facility was emblazoned in red with the fig leaf emblem of NERV, the same badge borne by the rifle-wielding guard that blocked his path. "This is a closed military area."

Shiro scowled. "I'm Tokita Shiro, head of the development team for the Jet Alone. Let me through."

"Do you have authorization?"

"No, but…"

"Let him through."

Akagi Ritsuko stepped out. "Actually, I wanted to question him so this is perfect." The guard moved out of the way. Shiro shot him a dirty look and followed her into the building. The fabric walls passed a dim gray light from outside, adding to the fluorescent bulbs' harsh luminance. She stopped beside a door marked with the name 'Henry Powell' and knocked. She's wasting my time.

The lock clicked open, and a tall man dressed in black pushed the door open. His dark eyes swept over them. "Thank you, Captain Akagi. I'll interrogate him."

Shiro clenched his fists. "I don't have time for this nonsense. I demand you let me see the Jet Alone."

Ritsuko let out a short bark of laughter. "What's wrong, Shiro? You were talking about how your mech would replace the Evangelions, but it couldn't even run a kilometer. You private quacks are all the same. You think you're Edison when you're just William Reich. You can't fill my boots, Tokita. You can't even get a puppet to walk."

Shiro lunged at her. "You bitch—"

Two Section 2 agents grabbed him. Where did they come from?

Ritsuko grinned viciously. "Enjoy your stay, Shiro-kun. Maybe your cellmate will teach you some manners."

The door slammed shut.

NERV HQ, Tokyo-3 Special Administrative District, Japan.

August 10th, 2015.

Benedikt stared at the report. "Well done, Captain Akagi. I was hesitant to approve this plan, but you pulled it off."

"Jet Alone is dead for the near term," Ritsuko said. "No reputable investor will come near a project with a safety record that bad. Our UN funding is secure."

"Good. It wasn't just protecting NERV; the Jet Alone was dangerous. We did Japan a favor by sabotaging its development."

"And I got to stick it to Tokita. The best use of Section 2, probably not, but we can't allow that level of disrespect."

Benedikt opened his desk drawer, deposited the report within, and shut it. "There is some merit to the notion of walking drones, though it can't replace the Evangelions. Evacuation walkers, for instance, or as mobile distractions to harass Angels approaching the city. I'll put together a committee—"

"I know about Mr. X," Ritsuko interrupted.

Benedikt stopped mid sentence. "What?"

"The mole in our systems. You didn't tell me because you thought I was working with him, but I've been trying to root out a particularly persistent rat in the MAGI for a long time. The messages went dead about three years ago, until they restarted last month."

His eyes narrowed. "So this is a persistent issue?"

"I believe it is SEELE. They weren't content with Gendo's promises, so they dug a backdoor route into the MAGI. Every access I shut down bred two more, like an infestation of termites. I was never onboard with the whole SEELE thing, you know. I just wanted to push the borders of science as far as they could go—I didn't think about how my work could be abused. My mother was the same way, although towards the end she was besotted with the Commander. Stupid woman let her feelings get in the way of science."

Benedikt leaned back in his chair. She's lying to me. A liar can always identify another liar, and I'm the king of liars. She's telling the truth about the account, though; there were messages in the secret log dating back to that period.

"So, you have information on SEELE?"

"I can give you a list of thirty names."

"Why are you agreeing to this now? What changed your mind?"

Ritsuko laughed bitterly. "They killed the Commander. He spent his whole life working for SEELE, and they stabbed him in the back."

"You cared for him?"

Ritsuko hesitated. "He gave me my big chance. Gendo's the one who put me in charge of Project E."

"You were his protege, then. I can imagine you'd want him avenged. I anticipate SEELE will be dealt with soon enough, which brings us back to the point at hand; the Instrumentality of Man."

Ritsuko curled her lip. "The Commander wasted his life on the hope he'd see her again, even if it destroyed the human race."

"We are in agreement, then." Benedikt rose from his chair. "We'll speak again at a later time, Captain, but I have a meeting with the UN Commissioner. Thank you for your cooperation."

Ritsuko shook his hand. "One more thing, sir."

"Yes?"

"Will you be dealing with Lorenz?"

"We plan to, anyway."

"I want him alive, to kill myself. He killed the Commander, and I want to avenge him myself."

Benedikt burst into laughter. Brilliant. She's the boldest liar I've ever met. She missed her true calling; would have made a top-class actor. He wiped a tear from his eyes. "Granted. Do whatever you'd like to the old Judas." Ritsuko saluted and left his office.

Benedikt lit a cigar. What a character. Well, our interests align for the near term. Powell can dispose of her later.

Notes:

PREVIEW:

Yo, Ryoji here with your preview. The Second Child's entrance approaches. Fenced in by locked doors, she sails for a new land. The Ancestor travels with her. Yours truly enters this story for good. Next time on Herz und Seele, Chapter Eighteen: The Walls of Jericho. Don't worry, there'll be plenty of fanservice!