Evangelion Unit-00 sat perched, gargoyle-like, atop one of the non-retractable skyscrapers dotting Tokyo-3, its specialized core and frame explicitly designed to support the weight of the combat machines. It turned its head in sync with Rei as the sisters scanned the city for their foe.
"I have no contact with the target," Rei whispered, her voice even softer than it usually was.
I can't see anything. Keep looking.
Asuka crept through the deserted streets below like a wolf padding through the woods. Hearing Rei's words, she grimaced. "Nothing? Try flipping your visual channels again First. Switch to the Infrared spectrum, and if that doesn't work, try the Ultraviolet range."
"Roger."
Unit-00 switched from the normal viewing mode into the infrared range without prompting from its Pilot, causing Rei to quirk an eyebrow. Her sister's soul, the heart of the Evangelion, had been strangely eager to assist her over the past few days. They still did not speak much to each other, and Unit-00 was much more talkative than her younger sibling. Her remarks, while still often sarcastic, were no longer pointed barbs used to hurt and maim. Even though both were wary of the deeper bond that accompanied higher synchronization, Rei's synch score had nonetheless increased by five points over the past week. Whatever had caused the change of heart was a mystery, but Rei was reluctant to upset the presumably fragile truce. Its terms were known only to Unit-00, but Rei noted there had been no mention of the time she had been spending with Shinji, something that was easy for Unit-00's soul to read with just a cursory scan of her mind thanks to the empathic link between Pilot and Evangelion.
Still nothing. I'm switching to thermals.
Rei nodded, aware that the Evangelion would sense her acknowledgment as she looked from side to side, hunting for the Enemy. Captain Katsuragi's attempts to get the pilots some time off had been flatly denied. Thus, Rei and Asuka spent hours in the simulator bodies, linked up with the cores of the Evangelions and running through different scenarios. While still off the active roster, Shinji was not left out of the simulations; instead, he was assigned the duty of Assistant Operations Director. He had initially been told to sit and watch in the background, but Dr. Akagi told him to sit and learn from Lieutenant Ibuki when he had asked for a more involved role. He was, however, unable to grasp the technical issues about her role since he didn't know how to read the different monitors concerning what they meant as a pilot.
So they stuck him to Misato's hip, hoping he could develop his rather rudimentary tactical skills instead of his less-than-rudimentary technical ones. He and his guardian switched spots for every other mission, with him in command for one and then watching and learning during the other.
They had been at it for three days now, and while he hadn't become a tactical genius, everyone noted his self-confidence had measurably increased. It could be heard as he spoke into his microphone from the training command deck, right under the Pribnow Box, some fifty meters from where the girls sat in the skeletal simulation bodies.
"Asuka, move to Sector 24, Firing Position 13. Face out into the city. Rei, move to Sector 17, Firing Position 2, and face Asuka."
Asuka grunted in acknowledgment as Rei whispered hers, both pilots abandoning their current tasks and moving to their newly assigned spots. They would be set up on the extreme edges of the city limits, directly opposite each other. Neither girl knew what the boy had in mind, but it had been drilled into them that they had to obey him as they would Misato when he was running one of the simulations. Remarks on his orders' usefulness or where he could shove them would be saved for the after-action review.
"Unit-02 in position."
"Unit-00, ready."
On the command deck, Misato and Ritsuko watched Shinji like hawks. While the previous simulations had been relatively straightforward, they had made the Angel undetectable this time, except that the MAGI had a Blood Type Blue reading within the city limits. So far, Shinji had let the girls take the lead in the hour-long search for the Angel content to watch the screens and see what they were saying, but now he was leaning forwards in his seat, hands clenched in front of his face, unconsciously mirroring his father as he studied the screens before him. The resemblance was eerie.
"Form your AT-Fields in front of you, like a wall, as wide as you can make them. When I say, start pushing them towards each other."
The screen overlay showed the twin fields forming, held in front of their respective owners, spreading out across the city. Neither AT-Field was strong enough to manifest changes visible in the normal light spectrum, but the MAGI's specialized sensors showed them as a softly glowing yellow light.
"Push."
Misato leaned in closer to her friend, nodding in approval.
"A trap. Very clever. He hopes the AT-Fields will at least show where the Angel is, if not hurt it or provoke some sort of reaction from it."
"Yes." Ritsuko tapped Maya's shoulder. "Maya, have the Third Angel materialize somewhere in the city along Asuka's AT-Field."
"Yes, ma'am. Normal abilities, or one of the other programs?"
"Normal abilities. I think this will be it for the day."
Maya nodded as she typed a few commands into her console, calling up the program to insert Sachiel, the Third Angel, into the current simulation. This was the sixth simulation they had done today, and all three Children had performed reasonably well.
Asuka cursed as the Angel popped into existence in the Eastern District, at the far edge of her AT-Field. The Angel began running towards her, smashing its way through buildings, its abnormally long arms stretched out for her. There was a sudden flash in the eyes of the bone mask, and she collapsed her wall and immediately reformed it around her in a tight dome as fire and light blazed from Angel to Evangelion.
Seeing their quarry flushed out of hiding, Rei dropped her AT-Field and engaged with her rifle, sending a volley of high-velocity tungsten-cored depleted uranium shells at the green monstrosity. The shells ripped into Angel and buildings alike, sending everything they hit crashing to the ground. Dropping the empty weapon, Rei threw Unit-00 into motion, bounding through the city towards the Angel, which was already regenerating and healing the terrible wounds it had sustained.
Rei's bombardment was not meant to kill, however. It was to wound and to buy time. Time Asuka put to good use, emerging unscathed from the energy attack and moving as fast as her teammate to close in on the Enemy.
As she ran towards the Angel, now back on its feet and raising its arms towards her again, Asuka shouldered her rifle and fed the creature another batch of rounds, but these were not the armor-piercing rounds of Rei's rifle. Asuka carried rounds of white phosphorous, each one burning a brilliantly incandescent streak across the sky, slamming into the Angel and setting it ablaze.
Screeching, the Angel flailed its arms wildly as it stumbled backward, its flesh healing but only serving to cover the wounds and not ridding itself of the burning fire now trapped within the lime green body. It screamed its otherworldly cry of pain as it burned again, this time from the inside, as the liquid fire sank its way deeper into the bubbling flesh. Tossing aside her weapon, Asuka charged towards the Angel, her leaping stride making short work of the distance. She dropped her left shoulder and slammed into Sachiel's chest, sending it backward, in time to meet Rei in Unit-00.
Unit-00 threw itself into a forward roll, coming up into a crouch behind the Angel, tripping it up, and sending it to the ground, where it continued to writhe in horrible agony as it continued to burn from the inside, smoke pouring out of the holes in the bone mask. Both Evangelions loomed over it, heads cocked to one side as Shinji spoke again into his microphone.
"Finish it."
Progressive knives deployed from shoulder fins, each arcing out into the air, each neatly caught by a waiting hand. With a vicious grin and an expressionless face, Asuka and Rei fell upon their foe, the humming blades making short, brutal work of the Angel's already distressed flesh and healing factor. As Asuka reached in with her other hand to tug at the thing's arms as she dismembered it, Rei carved the glowing core from its midsection with all the grace of a wolf ripping flesh from a moose's flank. Blue blood and white fire poured out onto the street in prodigious amounts.
Rei stood, one arm extended, red orb in hand, her bloody knife swinging around to neatly skewer it. Its light faded, and the remaining carcass began to liquefy, becoming a runny goo with the consistency of pudding, while the phosphorous burned into the concrete, etching strange designs in the man-made stone.
Ritsuko tapped Maya's shoulder again. "End the simulation and extract the Pilots. Have them meet us in conference room three."
Maya, looking pale, nodded as she began to shut down the simulation, her fingers flying across the keyboard to relay commands.
Misato helped Shinji to his feet, congratulating him as they made their way to the conference room for the last review of the day.
"You did very well today, Shinji. You've got a good grasp of things, and I liked your plan for trying to find the Angel on the last mission."
Shinji nodded as he maneuvered into the elevator, leaning against the side wall.
"It wasn't showing up on any of the regular sensors, so I thought maybe it was using its AT-Field to make itself invisible somehow. We always see something when AT-Fields touch each other, so I figured it would show up if it got hit."
"AT-Field RADAR then, huh? Pretty neat."
Ritsuko shook her head. "To make itself truly invisible, it would have to perfectly bend light around itself. Had it done that, it would not have been able to see outside its little shell, so it wouldn't be able to operate normally in any case. And that's not how RADAR works, Misato."
Misato rolled her eyes. "Whatever." Turning back to her ward, she nodded. "After this review, you three are free to go. However," she said in a firm tone, "I'd suggest working on studying. You don't have to do it at home if you want a change of scenery," her voice growing lighter again, "You spend too much time cooped up there anyways."
Shinji glumly nodded.
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Asuka liked swimming. It was an excellent full-body workout and was easier on the body than running. In addition, she was well used to the sensation of being submerged in liquid, although she had to remember she couldn't breathe underwater.
It was also probably the only thing she liked doing by herself, the isolation of being underwater being the only isolation she found bearable. This was not to say she minded having company while she swam, but she also didn't care if anyone was there watching her or not paying attention to her.
So it didn't irk her at all when she surfaced to find her teammates still huddled over Shinji's physics textbook with their backs to her, not even twenty feet away. It didn't upset her that the boy hadn't commented on her new swimsuit, the one she had selected specifically for the effect that she knew it would have on men, the one she had been looking forward to wearing on the beaches at Old Tokyo, flaunting her European heritage. She knew who the boys stared at the most during gym and why.
So, instead of trying to draw their attention with some caustic or witty remark, with a few kicks of her powerful legs, she swam over to the edge of the pool, listening as Rei quietly tried to explain one of the lessons to the boy.
"Now, as the object heats up, the particles that comprise the object's mass begin to move more and more as the temperature increases. This causes the object's volume to expand as the space between particles increases. This concept is called Thermal Expansion. An easily noticeable example would be concrete, which visibly contracts in cold temperatures and expands again in warm ones. This causes cracks to form in the concrete, weakening the structure. The effect of thermal expansion is not as noticeable in other substances, depending on the object in question. However, there is an interesting exception to this rule, which is pertinent to our work in the kitchen. Water expands as it freezes instead of shrinking. This is due to the structured formation of the ice crystals, which causes the volume to increase, making a mass of ice less dense than a similar mass of water. This is what allows ice to float."
Asuka, having exited the pool and silently crept up behind the pair, grinned, watching them slowly, unconsciously leaning in closer to each other as the lesson progressed. She threw her arms around Rei, clasping her hands to the girl's breasts, cupping them through the one-piece swimsuit she was wearing. Rei froze immediately, going stock still at the sudden and unexpected physical contact.
"Practical exercise," Asuka began, her voice as smooth as silk and just as sultry, "if I warmed up Rei's breasts, would they expand or contract?"
Shinji sputtered, his face turning bright red, as Rei's was turning pink. Asuka, disappointed the boy wasn't answering her coherently, released Rei from the embrace as she began to slightly tremble in her arms. Not having gotten the reaction from either she had expected, she sighed and shook her head.
"Such a boring pair of nitwits," Asuka said disappointedly. Turning, she stalked off towards the pool and slid back into the water, delighting in the sensation as she sank towards the bottom.
Well, that was a colossal failure. I would have thought Shinji would have said something, at least. Her, not so much, but he should have said something. I mean, really! His idiot friends would have killed to see that. They won't believe him when he tells them about it later. What a boring little boy. Has he even put my advice to use and kissed her yet? Probably not.
To say she had been startled by Shinji's question the week prior was like saying the sun was hot. She had almost lost her temper until he had managed to spit out an explanation, which had, in turn, made her lose her composure, literally falling off of the couch and rocking back and forth on the floor laughing. She had laughed so hard she had cried, and the younger boy's wounded expression was just as funny.
Once she could breathe properly again, she climbed back onto the couch. Yes, she had kissed before. Yes, it was easy to do, and it was fun. She had given him a few tips but hadn't offered to coach him. She knew even if he would be able to respond to such an offer coherently, he would turn it down. That had been the last of it, but try as she might, she hadn't caught them kissing, and she hadn't seen any change in their attitudes or general demeanor to suggest they had done so on their own. She doubted Rei had ever kissed anyone before. She had seen them hugging and cuddling on occasion, such as at the costume party, which was more than she would have expected from either of them, to tell the truth.
She shook her head and blew out a few air bubbles, watching them rise towards the surface. Not wanting to surface and see or hear the two just yet, she decided to see how long she would wait underwater. Her personal best was five minutes and ten seconds, but she hadn't tried it for a while and was out of practice. She loved being the master of her body and mind, being aware of and surpassing her limits. Towards that end she was constantly working herself, pushing herself harder in the quest to be the best at anything and everything she tried.
Closing her eyes, she concentrated, counting the seconds in her mind. She opened her eyes at two minutes, starting to feel the burn as her lungs screamed for sweet oxygen, and jerked backward in shock, more bubbles escaping her mouth as she was greeted by the sight of Rei floating silently in front of her, a disapproving cast to her features. Rei pointed upwards with a finger.
Asuka smiled and shook her head.
You want to talk to me? Then you can wait, Wondergirl.
Asuka swam away from the girl, gliding smoothly through the water. She turned her head to one side, and a thrill ran through her as she saw the stoically silent girl swimming behind her. Asuka surfaced for a quick breath of air, relishing the sensation, and then dove back under almost immediately, swimming towards the far side. She kept an eye on her pursuer, and then it became a race after the redhead noticed Rei was easily keeping up with her.
Back and forth, the two girls swam, racking up laps in the Olympic-sized pool. Both were seemingly tireless and content to chase and be chased. Blue was always right behind red, no matter what direction she chose to change to next. It did not escape Asuka's notice that Shinji was nowhere in sight when she surfaced, the enormous room empty save for them.
I wonder what that means. I would have thought that Rei would have left with him. It's not like he can exactly run away, now is it?
Asuka's mental musing was rudely interrupted as Rei reached out with a pale hand to seize one of her ankles. Asuka reflexively kicked back, but Rei held on and caught her other foot with her free hand.
Both girls sank to the bottom of the pool as they struggled silently with one another, fighting for dominance, a jumbled mass of limbs swirling around in the water, each ignoring their bodies' call and need for oxygen. Neither girl wished to yield to the other.
Asuka and Rei glared at each other, Auska's long red hair fanning out behind her while Rei's messy bob floated around her head like an azure halo. Growing tired of the whole thing, Asuka shook her head and pointed towards the surface. Rei didn't react other than to release her hold, pushing herself slightly backward but remaining within arm's reach, watching to see if her teammate was trying to trick her. Asuka shot up to the water's surface, sucking in deep breaths of air as she trod water. Rei surfaced almost directly in front of her.
"What was all that about, First Child?" Asuka asked, pushing away from the irritated girl.
"Why did you do that?" Rei responded, her voice as quiet as usual but hard. Her crimson eyes were hard, showing the emotions Asuka knew the girl had but, for some reason, hid.
"Why did I do what? Swim away from you? I didn't like the view."
"Why did you attempt to molest me when I was giving Ikari a block of instruction on the assigned Science homework?"
Asuka frowned for a second at the other girl's pronunciation of the word science. It was subtle, but there was a definite difference. But she pushed it out of her mind, deciding it wasn't important.
"I was providing an applicable example." She said, her voice arch. "One that was hot."
"I already gave several examples on the subject. I did not need your help."
"No, you gave two boring examples. What you should have been doing was flirting with him, you idiot! Boys and girls don't study together! They study each other! Mein Gott, what is wrong with you?" Asuka groaned as sudden realization struck her, rolling her eyes at the other girl's slightly befuddled expression. "You've actually been studying with him each time, haven't you? Every. Single. Time."
"That is the purpose of a tutoring session, Pilot Sohryu. For one to instruct, and one to learn."
Asuka shook her head, not wanting to believe what she was hearing.
"You're not human. Neither of you. That dummkopf hasn't done anything, has he? He hasn't made a move at all. I could have stayed home all those times, and neither of you would have complained. You weren't doing anything at all besides studying. Nothing else whatsoever, huh?"
Rei blinked and then slightly cocked her head to one side. "This is another of your assertions that Ikari is perverted, is it not? He is not a pervert."
"Wondergirl, you wouldn't know perverted if it was given to you all tied up with rope and ribbon on a silver platter." Asuka turned from Rei and began swimming to the pool's edge. "Where did he go off to? I would have thought you would have gone with him."
Rei quickly followed, likewise climbing up out of the water. "He was upset and embarrassed. I presume that he went home. I remained to discuss this with you."
"Well, Wondergirl, I'm done discussing things with you. You two must be a pair of the most boring people on the planet. I mean, what the hell-" Asuka stopped mid-sentence as Rei darted around in front of her, eyes flashing, obviously not ready to end their discussion. "What?"
"I was also embarrassed."
"Well, whoop di doo, princess! Nobody cares!"
"I do." Rei's hand shot out, as quick as a mongoose striking at a serpent, grasping the center of Asuka's bikini top. She jerked it forward as she pushed back on the redhead with her other arm, ripping the top off the girl as she fell backward into the water. Asuka shrieked as she fell, arms windmilling as her balance went haywire. When she surfaced, there was no sign of Rei, her top, or any towels.
"Oh, it is on, Wondergirl," Asuka muttered darkly. "Just remember that you're the one that started this."
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
When Misato walked in the door to her apartment, she knew something was wrong. Both Rei and Asuka were sitting on the couch, not looking at each other, the one watching the television and the other reading, which was expected, but the air seemed charged, the hair on the back of Misato's neck standing up as if an electrical current was being fed into the atmosphere. Shinji was nowhere in sight, but the rare sound of him playing his cello could be heard. While Misato was no connoisseur of classical music, European or otherwise, she thought it sounded okay, but she was worried anyhow.
Shinji did not often practice when other people were in the apartment, even before Asuka had moved in. When pressed as to why, he'd look sheepish and mutter about not wanting to bother anyone with it. When he was playing it while other people were around, it was a good sign he was upset about something and wanted to add another barrier between him and the world beyond that of his door and his headphones.
Misato crossed her arms and stared at the girls, neither one showing any signs of discomfort at the added scrutiny. Rei calmly turned a page in her book while Asuka flipped through the channels with the remote.
"Is someone going to tell me what's going on?" Misato asked, leaning up against the wall.
"Nothing's wrong, Misato," Asuka answered brightly, not taking her eyes off the television. "I'm just watching some television, Wondergirl's reading a book, and the Third's butchering Bach."
"Ikari is not butchering Bach. It is a reasonable rendition of the Cello Suite One."
"Is that so, Wondergirl? Are you an expert on classical music as well as physics, then?"
"His playing is within acceptable deviational limits from professional recordings."
"Which you've studied at length, I take it."
"No less so than you."
"How would you know?"
"Your file shows you have no predilection towards the creative arts, such as music, creative writing, drawing, or cooking. These are apparently beneath your notice, having no place among such interests as Meta-Biology, Chemistry, and Mechanical Engineering."
"You needed to read my file to figure that out? I don't need a piece of paper to tell me what's wrong with you: Boring, no drive to accomplish anything, is a teacher's pet thanks to a photographic memory, excels in nothing. A robot."
"You are referring to an eidetic memory; I do not have one. I am also not a pet. I am also not a robot."
"Add 'takes everything literally' to that list." Asuka got up from the couch and walked over to the DVD player, looking at the stack of disks sitting next to it, trying to find one to watch, ignoring the other girl and her commanding officer.
Misato had watched the verbal sparring with raised eyebrows and an unamused expression. She sighed and pointed to the front door.
"Okay, both of you get your shoes. We're going for a ride."
Vier, Drei, Zwei, Eins!
Shinji lay on his bed in his room, the door closed and the lights off, staring at the ceiling. He hadn't been able to say anything to Rei after Asuka's little 'example', and he hadn't been able to think of anything except how hot the two of them had looked, with Asuka nuzzling Rei as she groped her. Ashamed, unsure of what he was supposed to do, say, or feel, he scrambled for his crutches and got out of there as fast as possible, hoping Rei wouldn't follow him, fully aware he couldn't hope to outrun her. Obviously, the sight had turned him on, but how was he expected to react in a situation like that?
Once he had made it to the elevator without being pursued, he breathed a sigh of relief and continued his way home. His security escort had been waiting for him, aware he had fled from the pool, and drove him back to the apartment, unwilling to let him hobble home on crutches by himself.
He couldn't stop thinking about the two girls.
He had shut himself up in his room but could only stare at the ceiling and stew in his thouhts. He still hadn't replaced his SDAT, and had no means to fill his ears and mind with music to drown out the rest of the world.
He couldn't stop thinking about the girls, his teammates, his friends. He especially couldn't stop thinking about how the plug suit sharply defined Rei's backside and her front.
They were all partners in NERV's venture to save the world. They worked together, they went to school together, and he even lived with one of them.
Both of them were also hot. Water dripping off of Asuka, trailing down the curvature of Rei's body, Asuka's hands flexing slightly as she squeezed Rei... The sharp contrast of the paleness of Rei's flesh to the slight tan Asuka had, red hair spilled over blue, the way Rei's crimson orbs had snapped wide open as Asuka held her, staring ahead at nothing as her pink blush flooded across her alabaster cheeks...
Shinji reasoned with himself that it was one thing to be attracted to Rei. That was normal; she was beautiful. And the way she had moved on the night of their second date. The way her hips swished back and forth... It also helped that he was more than a little sure she was attracted to him. But this couldn't be right, could it? He was wronging them somehow, thinking of them like this. And Asuka, well, she looked good, too, right? But she didn't want him thinking about her like this. Did Rei?
Rei stood before him, still damp from the shower, drying her hair with a towel. Every single line, every curve of her body was etched perfectly into his mind, just as the way her breasts moved when her arms dropped to her sides as she approached him. Rei, lying underneath him, clear crimson eyes staring up straight into his, his hand closed around one breast, the other propping him off the ground as he straddled her.
Rei pressed against him underneath a blanket as they watched the night sky, looking at the stars. The night air in the mountains was chilly, but it was almost too warm under the blankets.
He couldn't stop thinking about her. Hormones waged their war against reason, each fighting for supremacy. The battle did not last for very long. When he was finished, he flopped back onto his bed, staring at the ceiling again, feeling even worse about the whole thing than before.
Bereft of his music, unable to push the whole situation out of his mind, he rolled over onto his side, staring straight ahead, when his eyes fell on the shape of his cello case, propped up in the closet. Maybe he could drown out his thoughts with it; with them, he could lose himself in the music...
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Rei and Asuka sat in the back seat of the blue death trap, each one gripping the emergency handle above their seats so tightly that their knuckles were a bloodless white. Misato, of course, had no issue with her driving even though it could only be described as 'reckless' and 'homicidal' in nature. It seemed to the girls that the woman didn't notice the other vehicles on the roads, at best treating them like scenery or obstacles to avoid.
"Now, I try not to impose too much on your privacy other than what's necessary. Your lives are already messed up enough, in my opinion. But I'm not stupid, and I don't like being lied to. Something's up, and you two are going to tell me what. I won't let my pilot corps destroy itself from the inside out. You two just started working so well together, so somebody had better start talking. Otherwise," she continued, her voice growing cheerfully manic, "we'll keep driving around Tokyo-3. Anyone feeling like talking yet?"
Watching both girls in the rearview mirror showed they wore similar expressions, each tight-lipped and full of resolve. Misato shrugged and settled into her seat, focusing back on the road.
She had been commissioned in the JSSDF's Armor Corps, and her first assignment had been as the platoon leader of a tank platoon. She had put the men and women under her command through their paces and had earned a reputation among the unit as a group of speed demons. There was speculation she had initially been assigned to the Air Corps as a fighter pilot, but they didn't have a plane fast enough for her.
Of course, as the slowest of the JSSDF's fighter craft was much faster than the Type 98 MK III Main Battle Tank, it forced one to ask why Lieutenant Katsuragi had been assigned to the fifty-four-ton behemoths. It was a question she refused to answer, with a tight smile and a shake of her head if she was in a good mood and a blistering string of curses if she wasn't.
She had extensive time at the controls of a tank going over ninety kph, putting it through maneuvers that others swore she shouldn't be able to do. Dealing with a tiny sports car going almost one hundred and fifty kph shouldn't be related at all, but Misato handled it and the environment around her with ease. She wasn't a bad driver. A bad driver would have crashed already.
Misato liked driving. She liked cars, and she liked engines. She had helped the mechanics work on the eighteen hundred horsepower engine of her old tank until her NCOs had asked her to 'kindly butt out of enlisted business'. But she was the only one who got to touch the engine of her Renault Alpine, and she knew exactly how much she could push her baby.
So she drove, taking turns and curves, speeding up and down the various roads of Tokyo-3, fully aware and enjoying that Section 2 had given up on trying to keep up with her on the ground and instead had a helicopter following them.
After about five minutes of tearing through red lights and stop signs, Asuka felt she had had enough of the current madness. "Oh, for Gott's sake, Misato, nothing's going on! We went swimming after the exercises, and Shinji left early to be by himself. He was playing his stupid cello when we got home."
Misato moved into the oncoming lane to move past a much slower car before sliding back over into her lane, ignoring the panicked honking of the truck she had neatly avoided smashing into head-on.
"Rei? Anything you'd like to add?"
"No."
"So Shinji just decided to hole up in his room and play the cello. And you don't think this is weird?"
Rei looked out her window, watching the landscape rush by in a blur. "He was playing when I returned to the apartment and would not answer me when I knocked on his door."
Misato's phone rang, its jaunty tune inconsistent with the mood of the vehicle. Not bothering to take her eyes off the road, Misato fished her phone out of her purse, snapping it open with a flick of the wrist.
"Hello? Oh, nothing's wrong. Having a heart-to-heart with the girls. Really? Mmhmm. Well, I suppose so. I mean, I can see it that way. Alright, alright. But you owe me one, remember this."
Misato snapped the phone shut and tossed it onto the front passenger seat.
"That was the Section 2 Liaison Officer. Nice boy. Wants me to take our discussion outside the city limits."
"But we already told you what happened!"
"Asuka, while I doubt it would take much to send Shinji to hide in his room, I also doubt he would leave Rei for some 'alone time'. What's more, I doubt that she would let him out of her sight. What happened to not letting him 'over-exert' himself, Rei? You haven't let him do so much as dry the dishes while you're around."
"We were done studying, and I wanted to swim. He does not like swimming."
"And he just decided to leave? Instead of watching you cavort around in a swimsuit?" Misato's voice was incredulous. She knew the boy avoided staring at her or Asuka at home, even when they were dishabille, but this was a little much to swallow. He was still a boy, for crying out loud.
"A one-piece swimsuit." Asuka snickered under her breath, earning a glare from Rei.
"It has more structural integrity than a two-piece outfit."
Asuka only glared back at Rei, her blue eyes flashing with anger.
Misato floored the accelerator again as they left the city, heading up into the mountains on the road to the Matsushiro Testing Facility. The sudden acceleration pushed the girls back into their seats.
"You know, all I need to do is call him back and ask him for a report on you three. I hope it doesn't come to that, though. I can treat you like adults, or I can treat you like kids. What's it going to be?"
Her question was met with brooding silence. Misato smiled as she watched the girls in the rearview mirror. Her voice lost its hard edge and became bright and cheerful when she spoke again.
"You know what? I think I'll ask Shinji. No need to bring Section 2 into this."
She was rewarded with two pairs of wide and worried as she reached for her phone. There was more to this than what the girls claimed if they didn't want her to phone the boy.
It was Asuka who decided to act, uncertain of how Misato would ask her questions and how Shinji would answer. She was also not confident in Rei's ability to salvage the situation satisfactorily.
"Okay, okay. You win." she said grudgingly, "We had a little fight, and Shinji ran off. But nobody got hurt, and we're all hunky dory now. Isn't that right, First Child?" Asuka shot a flat look at Rei, jerking her head in Misato's direction.
Rei nodded uncertainly before answering.
"Yes. Everything is... hunky dory. The issue was resolved... acceptably."
"So it's over?" Misato asked disbelievingly.
Asuka brooded silently.
Like hell it's over, she thought furiously. If Wondergirl thinks she can get away with that stunt, she's dead wrong.
Rei's thoughts ran parallel to Asuka's.
The probability that the Second Child will not attempt some sort of 'comeuppance' is nil. Based on observed habits and her psyche profile, there will be some sort of retaliation. Even so, if she reacts within reason, I should be able to deal with her with a minimum of effort. If she reacts without reason, our superiors will undoubtedly punish her far more severely than I ever could.
"Yes." Both girls answered in perfect unison, one in an earnest tone, the other tonelessly.
Misato began to slow the car down, pulling over to the side of the road. Throwing it into neutral, she set the parking brake and shut the engine off.
"Outside."
Uncertain as to what was going on, both girls unfastened their seatbelts and exited the car, each taking some comfort that they were no longer hurdling along the twisting road at breakneck speed. Below them in the valley, the million lights of Tokyo-3 glittered in the early dusk.
Misato leaned up against the guard rail, looking out over the city, picking out their apartment building in the Northern District, some distance from the central block of the city, which was laid out in the shape of a crucifix.
"So, if things are hunky dory between you two, there won't be any more fighting then, right? I won't have to worry about you three getting into it like children, right? I won't have to restrict your movements and activities, and I won't have to ask Section 2 for reports on your behavior when I'm not around, right?"
Both girls shook their heads in unison, but Asuka spoke for both.
"No, Misato. You won't."
Misato slowly nodded. "Come here, you two," she said, waving them over to the guard rail. "Tell me, what do you see?"
"Tokyo-3. Why?" Asuka responded, gripping the rail with both hands as she looked down the steep incline.
Misato ignored the girl's question. "Rei, what do you see?"
"A city. A human creation."
"Do you know what I see, girls? I see all of the people who depend on us. I see the whole world down there in that valley. Every single one of those lights is a family that needs our protection from the bastards that attack us. We can't use normal weapons against the Angels. That's why we have the Evangelions. That's why we have you."
Misato turned away, looking out over the city once more.
"I know it's not fair. There's so much we put on you, but you are all special. You can do what nobody else can. You can protect them.
Because of you, they can sleep at night. They don't have to worry that some giant monstrosity will come and end the world, to rip their families apart." She turned to face her charges once more.
"You are the defenders of humanity. Think about what that means, girls."
Misato turned and went back to her car, sliding inside. Rei and Asuka turned to follow but stopped in their tracks when they heard the click of the locks engaging. Misato rolled down her window, looking out at them.
"Think about it on the walk home. Section 2 won't be giving you a lift either unless it's an emergency." Misato said, pointing to the dark shape of the helicopter high up in the sky. "I'll have some food out for you when you return. Oh, and girls? You had better be sure there aren't any unresolved issues when you do get home."
Misato rolled the window up and, in a deft maneuver, spun the sports car around on the road and tore off back towards Tokyo-3, leaving the flabbergasted pilots behind.
As Asuka stood there, hands balled into fists, her mouth hanging open in shocked outrage, Rei quietly commented on their situation.
"That did not go as planned."
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Shinji looked at his clock as he heard the apartment's front door open. The glowing numerals showed it was just past three in the morning. Miss Misato interrupted his playing when she got home, forcing him from his room to eat dinner with her; she picked up a fair amount of takeaway from one of the numerous noodle shops on her way home. He was glad that she did; he had lost track of time, and neither of the girls had come home yet, which meant nothing else was prepared for dinner.
Misato hadn't asked where the girls were, which was good, as Shinji didn't know. But he noticed she didn't seem to be worried about them. He wondered if the noise was the girls getting back, dread and uncertainty filling him. What was he supposed to say? How could he explain fleeing from the pool?
Grabbing his crutches, he hobbled out of his room to the living room and then came to a dead stop, the hesitant greeting dying on his lips as he saw his teammates' state. His worries and concerns instantly vanished as he stood in the dim light, staring open-mouthed at the girls.
They were both filthy, for starters, almost head to toe with dirt, Rei's school uniform heavily stained. Asuka's blouse was missing a sleeve, and the frayed fabric showed where it had been ripped off. Both smelled heavily of dirt, sweat, and blood, actual, fresh blood, and not the residual stink of LCL. Rei had a black eye, and her upper lip was split, as well as boasting a set of scratches running down her left cheek that could only have been caused by fingernails.
Asuka looked no better. Her eyes were bloodshot, with dark rings underneath them, a clear sign her nose had been broken. She walked with a slight limp, and her long hair was tangled and knotted, with bits of grass and leaves still stuck in it.
But as strange as this sight was, stranger still was that Rei and Asuka were leaning on each other for support, each with an ambivalent expression.
"Rei? Asuka?" Shinji asked hesitantly, watching them as they gingerly removed their shoes, "Is everything alright? What happened?"
"We come traipsing in here at three in the morning, beaten black and blue, and he asks if we're okay." Asuka snarked, shaking her head, and the nasal distortion in her voice confirmed the broken nose. "You're something else, Third Child." Asuka released her grasp on Rei and limped past Shinji. "I'm going to take a shower."
Shinji's attention barely shifted from Rei's bruised face as Asuka moved past him. Rei looked up from neatly arranging their shoes, her eyes shifting from his back down to the ground.
"I desire food... did Misato leave out meals for us?" she asked quietly, shifting her arms behind her back, grasping a scabbed elbow in a dirt-stained hand.
"Yeah... but you're hurt! You c-can't eat like that!" Shinji exclaimed, his voice raising an octave. "Come into the kitchen and sit down!" He turned and moved as quickly as he could into the kitchen, heading for the cupboard where he kept first aid supplies. A pale arm reached up over his shoulder to retrieve the kit for him, but he snatched it away. "Sit down, Rei!" Shinji said more forcibly than he had expected. Shocked, Rei recoiled slightly but sat down at the table.
Shinji set the kit on the counter, then filled a bowl with warm water, awkwardly moving both items over to the table with one arm, using only one crutch to help him around. Sitting down next to Rei, he wet a napkin in the bowl and started to gently clean Rei's face, his features screwed up in worry and concentration as he focused on his task. Rei, for her part, sat quietly, both delighted and worried at his ministrations, feeling the slight shuddering of his anger through his hands as they moved over her face.
"Rei, w-what happened? Who attacked you? Why didn't Section 2 stop them?" Shinji asked quietly, the slight tremor in his voice overshadowed by the steeled resolve running through his words. "What did they look like? Where did you go?" He ran a hand gently through her hair, removing the remnants of a twig and dropping it on the table.
"No one attacked us, Ikari," Rei replied, her voice softer than usual, prompting him to lean in a little to hear her. "The Second Child and I had a difference of opinion."
"You what?" Shinji's left eye twitched violently.
Rei held up a hand, placing a finger against his lips to silence him. "It is fine. It is good, I think, that we did this. It cleared up several things."
Shinji took her wrist in his free hand and moved it back down to her lap. Releasing it, he reached for the disinfectant. "This is going to sting a bit," he warned, wincing in sympathy as he sprayed the scratches on her cheek, though Rei didn't flinch. "There's not much I can do for your lip right now, but the best thing is to stay hydrated and use a good chapstick to protect it as much as possible." He gently turned her head to one side, inspecting her eye, swallowing hard. "We'll want to put some ice on that to keep the swelling down and have you take some ibuprofen. I don't know how we'll explain this to Miss Misato, but-"
"She already knows." Rei interrupted, reaching past the fretting boy for the bottle of pills.
"She already knows?" Shinji repeated, his voice incredulous and strained. "She let this happen?"
Rei shook her head, recognizing the trembling in his arms and shoulders from the time he had assaulted their classmates. "It's fine. This needed to happen."
"Rei, I... I don't want to see you hurt!" Shinji said, his voice warbling, trying not to shout, not understanding how calmly his friend was taking this. "Not by the Angels, not by anyone..."
Rei pressed a finger against his lips again, silencing him. "It's okay this time. I promise. I... I don't wish to see you hurt either." She smiled softly, the smile she had only ever shared with two people. "Besides, I don't think Captain Katsuragi or the Commander would appreciate you further injuring the Second Child. She is our teammate, after all."
Shinji swallowed anger and shame, both stemming from his inability to do anything in the situation, feeling helpless and hopeless. He hung his head, dejectedly looking at the miscellaneous medical supplies as Rei calmly dry-swallowed several small anti-inflammatory pills with practiced ease. They sat in uncomfortable silence for a few seconds, and then Shinji reached for the liquid bandage tube, looking back at Rei's battered face.
"I'll cover the scratches with this before you go take a shower." he offered, unscrewing the cap, pulling the applicator brush out, and checking to ensure it was covered in the sterile goo. "Just be careful to not scrub your face very hard in there."
Rei nodded silently, holding her hands in her lap as she closed her eyes, again relishing the feeling of his fingers brushing over her face as he gently applied the bandage.
She opened her eyes to slits as she felt his hands stop moving, one hand still cupping her face, the other having vanished. He was sitting there staring at her, as still as she was, biting his lip either in concentration or worry, whichever it was; she couldn't tell. He still held the bandage brush in his free hand, resting on his leg.
Rei started to lean in towards him when Asuka limped into the kitchen.
"Oh, nice. We do have a first aid kit. I was getting worried when I couldn't find anything in the bathroom." the redhead commented, reaching up to gingerly touch her nose as she flopped down into another chair.
Rei pushed back away from Shinji, standing up. "I am going to take a shower," she announced, turning to leave but pausing in the doorway, turning to look back at Shinji, still sitting at the table. "T-thank you, Shinji."
Asuka shook her head as she watched the two, rolling her eyes.
"So, Third, you going to play doctor with me, or what?"
Shinji's eye twitched as he turned to stare at her for a moment, his face otherwise a carefully neutral mask. He screwed the cap back onto the bottle, tossing it down onto the table. Grabbing his crutches, he hauled himself upright and headed for his room.
"Play doctor with yourself."
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Gendo looked up from his computer screen as Rei entered his office, answering his summons as bidden. Her black eye was a dark and ugly purple that transitioned into a sickly yellow at the edges, the colors in vivid contrast with her pale skin. He impassively watched her as she slowly crossed the cavernous room, stopping in front of his desk, hands clasped behind her, her face slightly downcast, her eyes fixated on her feet. They were, unusually enough, alone in the office, the Sub-Commander busy in a meeting with the Tokyo-3 civic leaders topside.
Gendo watched her in silence for a few minutes, his face unreadable. He leaned back in his chair with a small, disappointed sigh.
"Rei, I trust this will not happen again."
Rei whispered an assent, never moving her eyes from the floor. It was obvious to the Commander she had been dreading this moment. It was not often that he had to reprimand her. This time, she didn't even have a semi-valid excuse to explain her actions. Fighting amongst the pilots was not supposed to happen, and he wouldn't allow it.
That was not to say he disagreed with his Operations Director's course of action. He was well aware of the cathartic effects of having an honest and physical difference of opinion with someone. But he could not allow his pilots the luxury of flat-out brawling with each other, despite his first-hand knowledge of how it could bring them closer together, building a basis for friendship. Rei should have understood that, even if the others did not. But what was done was done, so he would turn the event to his end and make the best of the situation. His old mentor was inordinately fond of saying that one couldn't plan for everything.
"I trust you gave as good as you got, yes?"
His question elicited a confused sound from Rei's lips, so soft it was almost inaudible, as she looked up from the floor to the Commander.
"You are dismissed, Rei. Return to the locker room to prepare for the exercises that Captain Katsuragi has planned." he returned to his work, his glasses reflecting the computer screen's light, masking his eyes.
Rei turned to leave, moving slightly faster, eager to be gone, when he called out to her.
"We will have dinner this Friday. Let me know where you wish to eat by Wednesday."
"Yes, Sir," Rei responded without turning around, softly closing the door to his office behind her.
Gendo stood and walked over to the window, shaking his head, commanding the MAGI to set its transparency to twenty percent. Squinting in the sudden light, he looked out over his inner kingdom, lost in thought.
It had been a few weeks since they had spent quality time together, the last being a light lunch after the girl had finished the routine imaging scan and download. She had been deep in thought that day, talking less than usual and only picking at the salad that had been served.
While he doubted her altercation with Sohryu's daughter was a cry for attention, having read the report of their spat at the pool, he regretted that they no longer met weekly for a meal. Between dealing with the faster pace of operations with the return of the Angels (despite their irregular schedule of arrival), dealing with SEELE, dealing with the UN, and sending her off to chase after his son, it seemed there wasn't time anymore. The scenario demanded resources, and he had to deliver.
Faith, he thought irritably, demands Sacrifice. But just because it's necessary doesn't make it any easier. Of course, it wouldn't be much of a sacrifice if it were easy, now would it?
He turned away from the window and moved back to his desk. He was reviewing the finalized plans for Unit-03, which was finally ready to be shipped from NERV-France. Once it arrived, they would have three line-ready units, and Unit-00 would be returned for use primarily as a testbed for new modifications. Thus, with the relatively simple task of installing a new core, he could have 4 combat-duty performing Evangelions at his disposal, circumventing the Valentine's Day Treaty.
As things currently stood, as the Evangelion had no core and no current pilot, it would be flown into Japan from France instead of being shipped over water. While it was unlikely that an Angel would manifest to attack the Evangelion, the UN was loath to risk a second shipment by boat. The fact that a large portion of their available fleet had been damaged or outright destroyed during the shipment of Unit-02 and thus was not available for escort duty played no small role in their decision. Long-range aircraft, however, they had in spades. Combining that with the availability of mid-air refuelers, once Evangelion Unit-03 lifted off from France, it should not have to touch the ground again until its delivery to the Matsushiro test site.
Once there, the core from Unit-00 would be removed and installed into Unit-03. Rei would then undergo the Activation test with it, and Unit-00 would be taken to the lower labs for storage and experimentation.
There was one slight hitch to the plan. The so-called 'Judas Messenger'.
Gendo pushed his glasses back up his nose as he called up his notes and translations on the Apocrypha of the Dead Sea Scrolls. It had taken a lot of work for him to obtain translations of them, let alone actual photographs and copies of the original parchment and papyrus documents. SEELE did not like the idea of other people gaining access to the artifacts that explained, amongst other things, how to become a god.
He had come a long way from being a skeptical outsider, curiously looking over a friend's notes to see if he thought what she was proposing was doable.
The scrolls claimed the 'Thirteenth of the Messengers' would be manifested in the 'Fourth Member of the Nephilim'. While they had not yet seen the rest of the Angels leading up to the thirteenth, that was no guarantee they would not all show up before the arrival of Unit-03. While the scrolls stated each Angel would show up by itself, there was no set timetable. Instead, it utilized a parable of many brides waiting for a groom whose coming is unknown and will not be when expected. They had to keep watch and be vigilant at all times, ready to fight whenever the next Angel appeared. So, while they still had five more Angels to kill before the 'Judas' showed itself, that did not mean they wouldn't show up within five days.
The old men claimed that there was no need to worry because the counting system used for the Evangelions began at zero and not one. Their confidence did not ease Gendo's worries, however. While they were certain the traitor Evangelion would be Unit-04, he wondered if the Angels cared or even understood the difference between the two counting systems.
With luck, the activation would go as planned. If not, well, there were contingency plans, including, of course, the flat-out replacement of Rei should her current iteration perish.
Of course, he had other options. He could just as easily send instructions to his minions to engineer their delays to the project. It would be a trivial matter to have Unit-03 delayed almost permanently. While it would be harder (not to mention much riskier), he could arrange for the Evangelion to be shot down during transport. The destructive capabilities of the strategic-level weapons were well documented, even if the rest of the project remained shrouded in secrecy. Some countries might want to try to claim one of the limited number of Evangelions for their use, foolishly believing they could train one of their loyal soldiers in their use.
A weapon was useless without ammunition, and Gendo was the only one with the keys to the ammo dump and the only one with access to the means to make more.
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Asuka sighed as the virtual city flickered and reset, the blasted landscape shifting, pristine towers appearing where there had been nothing but smoking wreckage moments ago.
"You know what I don't get?"
Misato's amused voice came over the communication net, already having traded places with Shinji to take command of the next mission. "What's that, Asuka?"
"Well," Asuka began, starting to count off her points on one hand, "for one, we always assume that it's only ever one Angel unless it splits itself into two, like with the Seventh. Why can't there be more than just one? Two, We're always in Tokyo-3. I mean, I know we're limited by the umbilical cables and our five minutes of internal power, but we've fought outside the city before with the Sixth. What happens if one shows up in, say, New York? What do we do then? Three, why are we always on the defense? You can't win a war that way. We have to find them and strike at their home, their base of operations."
"Those are all good points, Asuka," Misato replied. "Good points that deserve to be answered, but now's not the time for that. No," Misato said, pausing momentarily to let the suspense build, "Now is the time for CRAB BATTLE!"
Without further ado, a giant crab emerged from the waters of Tokai Bay. Easily twice the size of the Evangelions when standing straight up, it was also three times as wide as they were tall. Water poured off in vast rivulets from its massive carapace, encrusted with barnacles the size of basketballs. Two eyes, glowing a malevolent red, stood on thick stalks. Underneath the thing's mouth sat its core, shining with its infernal light.
Rei's voice came over the net as Asuka stood gaping at the new opponent.
"A crab that large would not be able to move. It would be crushed under its weight."
"It's an Angel, not a crab." Misato rebuffed her usually most dependable Pilot. It wasn't like Rei to not get down to brass tacks, but then it wasn't like Rei (or at least, it wasn't expected of her) to break Asuka's nose in a fistfight, either. "Now, get at him!"
Rei opened up a private sound-only channel to Asuka, the small pop-up frame on the redhead's HUD displaying the photo from her security card, Asuka not having uploaded a photo of her own into the on-board system. "Pilot Sohryu, I have a hypothesis."
Asuka rolled her eyes and threw herself into motion, slowly retreating from the giant crab as it advanced out of the water, snapping its vast claws at the two Evangelions. "What would that be, First?"
"Captain Katsuragi has chosen a... nonsensical... opponent for the first simulation of the day under her command to show us that 'there are no hard feelings'."
"Sounds about right. That's something she'd do, no doubt about it." Asuka reached into one of the armament buildings and took out the missile launcher held within, aiming at the base of the left claw. The 'Target Lock' tone sounded, and Asuka pulled back on the triggers in her butterfly yoke and was rewarded with the roar of the two-ton missile's solid state fuel igniting, flying out towards their foe.
The massive crab merely skittered to the side and caught the missile in its pincher, where it exploded harmlessly.
"Seriously?" Asuka asked, hurriedly grabbing another missile from the building.
"It is not without precedent. The Third Angel similarly caught a missile during its initial engagement with the JSSDF." Unit-00 was cautiously creeping along the rear flank of the crab, holding a progressive sword, a copy of the recently delivered shipment of arms from NERV-Moscow. Rei darted forwards, swinging the blade at one of the thing's legs, but was sent flying into a building when the crab side-swiped her.
"I think Misato's trying to tell us something here, Wondergirl."
"We have already discussed this, Pilot Sohryu. It was there are 'no hard feelings'."
Asuka sighed as she watched another missile get caught by the virtual crab and explode without damaging it in the slightest. "No, she wants us to work together on this. You know, that whole teamwork thing she was going on about."
"What happens if we elect not to work as a team and approach the issue singularly?"
In response to Rei's question, the city shook as two more crabs emerged from the water, their claws clicking ominously.
"Wondergirl? You just had to ask, didn't you?"
"Asking questions is a valid means of data collection." Rei protested, darting away from an advancing crab. "And I was not the one who asked why we have only faced singular targets until the Seventh."
Asuka growled at her teammate and target as her last missile was taken down. "Shut up and listen. I'm going to move to the armament building..." she paused, checking her map, "35A, and get the MK II Positron Rifle. I'm going to need you to distract it while I line up a shot on its core."
"It is one of three impossibly large crustaceans. How do you suggest that I distract it?"
Asuka grinned at the peeved tone Rei used. Obviously, the twit was as annoyed by the whole situation as she was.
"Just figure something out, already." Asuka killed the channel, not wanting to listen to anything else the girl had to say.
Rei narrowed her eyes as she slipped behind one of the cover buildings, evading one of the crab's claws. The other crabs were moving up on the first one's sides, protecting it from any flanking maneuvers she might try. Calling up her map of the city, she started reviewing her options.
Tokyo-3 was designed and built to be a fortress. The streets were more than wide enough for the Evangelions to move about on, and of all the buildings that did not retreat underground when the city shifted into its battle configuration, a large number were either armament buildings or buildings designed to provide cover and firing points for the massive war machines. Yet more buildings provided additional umbilical cables, allowing the pilots' freedom to maneuver around the city. All of this was faithfully recreated in the simulation environment.
Rei looked up at the tall structure she sheltered behind, and a plan began to take shape. It was bold, outrageously insane, and she wouldn't even consider it under normal circumstances. Right now, however, it seemed like a good idea.
Rei began to climb the building, the skyscraper affording her extra height over the decapods towering over her. Three sets of eyes turned towards her, claws clacking in her direction. Taking a deep breath, Rei jettisoned her power cable and leaped off the top of the building, sailing past the upraised claws of the lead crab to land on the top of the crustacean's shell.
Almost immediately, the Crab Angel reared, trying to dislodge its passenger, its claws unable to reach Unit-00. Grabbing onto one of the eye stalks, Rei scrambled for purchase on the smooth, slick surface. Drawing her progressive knife, she slashed at the claws of the second Angel and was rewarded with a scream like the hiss of boiling water. Not giving up her handhold on the eye-stalk, Rei swung back and forth as she defended against the other Angels. She willed open the communications channel again, this time not bothering to specify a 'Sound-Only' connection to Unit-02.
"Any time that you are prepared, Pilot Sohryu," Rei said breathlessly, dodging another incoming claw, a look of intense concentration on her face, "I believe the Angel is fully distracted."
There was no change in the redheaded Pilot's expression, the girl focusing entirely on the task at hand, aiming the red sphere that was the Angel's weak spot. "Just a moment..." she said in a sweet sing-song voice and pulled back on her controls, taking the shot.
Blue light blazed forth in a short burst, burning through the distance between hunter and hunted, the electrons ionizing the air as they passed through it. The Angel had no time to react, its core taking the full force of the ultra-high-energy beam straight on. The orb shattered under the assault, and the Angel reacted in the same manner as its brethren.
Rei shrieked momentarily as Unit-00 was sent flying up into the air, propelled by the sudden and massive release of energy in the form of a giant blazing cross. The blast also caught the other crabs, and their cores perished under the onslaught, going critical and exploding.
The simulation flickered and then reset itself instantly. Rei closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to reestablish her balance as she went from tumbling through the air to standing on the ground.
The communications system clicked on, Shinji's voice filling her plug.
"Rei, are you okay?" the boy asked, the worry in his voice evident. Rei knew he was no stranger to the motion sickness the simulations could cause, having vomited once after a spectacularly violent session. His concern, while predictable and freely available for any he met, still elicited a warm response in her cheeks and abdomen, and she liked to think that no matter how concerned he might be for the safety and welfare of others, she held the lion's share of his concern.
She was, of course, entirely correct.
"I am fine, Shinji." Rei blushed harder now at the second time she had used his given name to address him. "I have experienced worse before." She paused, trying to think of what to say. "Thank you." She smiled softly at the pause that followed. Rei was sure he was blushing in the endearing manner that made her want to wrap herself around him and not let go.
"Ah, yes... um..."
Yes, she thought, biting her lower lip in pleasure; he must be as red as Unit-02.
Rei's smile quickly became a tight frown as Asuka's voice came over the net as if the mental comparison of Shinji's complexion to that of the Evangelion had summoned her.
"Well, Misato? How'd you like that? Was that enough teamwork for you?"
Rei leaned back in her seat, surveying the virtual city as Shinji coughed nervously. She instinctively knew that he was rubbing the back of his head with one hand. "Well, um, she's not here. She got called out in the middle of the fight."
"WHAT? What do you mean she got called out in the middle of the fight? When did she leave?"
"Umm... almost right after the beginning."
"What." Asuka's voice was dangerously level but still vibrated with the promise of pain and punishment. "What was that with the other crabs, Third? Was that your idea of a joke?"
Shinji's response was immediate, his voice rising suddenly. "S-she told me to do that!"
"You know what? Forget it. I'm done with this." Asuka said, her Evangelion putting its hands on its hips, reflecting its Pilot's attitude and mental state. When nothing happened, Unit-02 raised its head to the sky as if searching for something. "Maya? Let me out. I'm not going to do this anymore today."
"Um... she's not here, either. I'm the only one in the control room."
Rei looked up now, her curiosity aroused. It was not like any of the technicians to leave their posts during the training events, and it certainly wasn't like them to leave someone untrained in the control room operation by themselves. Something was up, that much was certain, but at the same time, it wasn't a threat, as they had not been scrambled.
What is going on?
I don't know. The MAGI are busy and won't talk to me. I can't get into anything.
Is this why you've been quiet for the past half hour?
Yes. Something tripped all sorts of red flags, but no alarm has been issued. The MAGI barely paid attention to the last battle. You didn't notice that it was too easy?
Rei opened her mouth to comment that the 'easy' battle consisted of them hanging off of a giant crab, trying to avoid two more such opponents, but closed it again, her brow furrowed in concentration. Despite the size and number of the targets, the threat was relatively low, and the three angels did not attack with much energy.
What could it be?
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Kaji grinned at his three companions. Asuka, as predictable and exuberant as ever, was having a grand time, although she would obviously prefer to be alone with him. However, Rei and Shinji were oblivious to it as they kept shooting the other sideways glances as they ate. Despite the frequency with which they flicked their eyes to watch each other, their gazes never met.
After about twenty minutes of Shinji trying to figure out how to end the simulation and extract the girls from the simulator bodies, one of the on-duty techs came in from the bridge accompanied by the spy to end the program and remand the Children into the care of the security agent.
Kaji and Shinji had then met up with the girls, and the unshaven spy explained that something had happened elsewhere that demanded the full attention of the regular command crew. They were released from simulator duty for the day but were told to expect to return in the morning to continue training. Before leaving, Kaji told them he would treat them all to dinner, much to Asuka's delight.
That delight dimmed somewhat when she found out where they were eating.
The noodle shop was far from the romantic dinner the girl probably had envisioned, but the food was good, plentiful, and cheap. Thanks to his penchant for making friends, Kaji was a well-liked regular. The proprietor, a large man who didn't believe in skinny cooks, made frequent trips to their table, bringing with him more and more dishes, taking an almost morbid delight in the fact Shinji seemed to be a bottomless pit despite being so small, and that one of the girls kept trying to feed him more from her plate.
"So you'll be staying over then?" Asuka asked, trying to capture the spy's attention.
"Oh, no!" Kaji laughed. "I'll just be watching you while Misato's out of town. Besides," he said with a grin, "Misato would kill me if I slept in her room, and if I slept on the couch, where would poor Rei sleep?"
Asuka's face darkened briefly and then brightened back to its original luminosity. "She can sleep in Shinji's room!"
"Hwa?" Shinji gasped before starting to cough on a mouthful of noodles.
"Yes." Rei emphatically answered simultaneously, bringing her full and undivided attention to the other two for the first time that evening.
Shinji's coughing fit got worse.
Kaji laughed, shaking his head. "No, no. I'd love to oblige," he said, winking in a familiarly lecherous manner at Shinji and Rei, "but I was given strict instructions to have you follow the same rules as normal."
"Well, you can sleep in my room then!" Asuka slyly protested, a hungry look on her face.
Kaji held his hands up in front of him, waving them placatingly. "I couldn't impose on a beautiful young girl like that! No, I'll have to sleep at my place and swing by in the morning."
"But, Kaji~" Asuka protested, "if you don't stay over, how will you be sure that Ayanami here doesn't sleep with Shinji? You know they will if you don't." Asuka shot an arch look at Rei, who glared back silently.
The spy leaned back in his chair, seemingly deep in thought. "Are you sure you won't mind, Asuka? Really? I do need to make sure that Misato's orders are followed."
Asuka nodded vigorously. "Oh, of course I don't mind." She winked at Rei before turning back to her prey. "These two are like rabbits whenever Misato's not around, you know," she said knowingly, but the self-satisfied smirk vanished as her face tightened up, her eye twitching as Rei shifted slightly in her seat.
By electing to sit next to Kaji at the table, she had to sit across it from Rei.
Kaji nodded, either ignoring or having missed the act of under-table warfare. "It's settled then. I'll stay over tonight in your room, Asuka. Shinji here will sleep alone in his room, and you girls can share the large futon in the living room!"
"WHAT?" Asuka shrieked, her face locked in a look of horror, matched by an equally disturbed Rei.
Nobody noticed that Shinji was still coughing and turning a little pale.
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Shinji listened in the dark to the even cadence of the older man's breathing. Despite what he had said at dinner, the agent had not elected to stay in Asuka's room but had instead asked Shinji if he was okay with splitting his room for the night, a request the boy had acquiesced to without much prodding, but it was not for the reason that both Asuka and Rei suspected. He had questions for the man who seemed to know his way around women.
"Something on your mind, Shinji?" asked the man from the futon on the floor. There was a rustling sound as he propped himself up on one arm to look at the boy. "You know that you can ask me anything."
"Well... um... you're good at talking to people, right?"
Kaji grinned as he settled back on the mat, folding his hands behind his head. While it was one of the subjects he thought the boy would ask about, it wasn't the one he thought the boy would have opened with.
"Well, it's been said that I'm a very personable fellow."
"But Miss Misato doesn't like you." The unasked question hung in the air like the buzzing of the omnipresent cicadas.
Kaji's grin deepened as he saw where the boy was going. So it's going to be this, then.
"Misato and I have a history, Shinji. We used to be together in college." The spy sighed wistfully. "Those were the days. Young and as carefree as anyone could be. The world was still getting back on its feet, and the worst of the Impact Wars were over, even though the fighting was still going on."
"What happened?"
The older man sighed again, but this time, it was melancholic, and when he spoke, his voice was tinged with regret. "We had different ideas about the future. I wanted something more, but she wasn't ready for it then. Misato's lost a lot, you know. Her entire family perished during the chaos of the Second Impact and the wars. It was a bad idea to ask her to marry me. She wasn't ready to attach herself to another person on that sort of level. So we broke up. I made some foolish decisions, eventually dropping off the grid altogether for a few years.
As much as we might bicker, we still care about each other. I'm sure it seems confusing, but just ask Ritsuko about it sometime."
"So constant bickering and fighting with someone doesn't mean they don't like each other?" Shinji asked, confusion evident in his voice. He shifted into a sitting position on his bed, looking out the window.
"Well, you see, Shinji, people are complicated. Not everyone expresses themselves in the same way. Some people have problems showing how they feel, while others just do it differently. It's not always hugs and kisses. But I feel you've got more on your mind than my history with Misato."
"Well, yeah... but it's kind of embarrassing..."
Kaji shook his head. "Shinji, you have to let silly things like that go. Feeling embarrassed, while normal, is just you thinking too much about what others think. You are one of the three most important people on the planet. You should decide how you want to act."
"But-"
"But nothing," the spy interrupted, his voice firm, "When they can fight the Angels one-on-one, then they can tell you what you should feel embarrassed about. So, out with it. What's bothering you?"
Shinji swallowed, trying to gather up the courage to ask. Asuka's always going on about how awesome he is, how much of a real man he is, and how wonderful he is. Plus, it's not like I can ask anyone else.
"Well, how do you know when a girl likes you?" The boy paused and then added to his question. "I mean, likes, likes you. How do you know when it's okay to kiss her?"
"Shinji, if you're having doubts about whether or not Rei likes you, you should ask Ritsuko for a CAT scan to see what's going on inside your brain," Kaji said, but his tone was of gentle amusement and not of derision. "I'm guessing that you haven't kissed her yet?"
"Why doesn't anyone get it?" Shinji complained, frustration coloring his voice. "Is it so wrong that I want to be sure about... us... before I do something that might screw it up?"
Kaji, somewhat taken aback by the boy's outburst, frowned. "What do you mean?"
"She was the first real friend I had. I don't want to mess something up and make it so we're not friends anymore."
"Just do what feels right. People don't come with instruction manuals, Shinji, and you can't use one person's experiences as the basis of comparison for your own, except as wide generalities. Any other advice that I, or anyone else, might give you will seem to be contradictory. You'd get tips like being bold and taking charge but not being pushy. You might then ask at what point the change happens, and no one can tell you. All I can say is to take the opportunities that are given and see what happens from there."
Shinji was still thinking about the man's somewhat unhelpful advice when he fell asleep some hours later.