Asuka stared at the computer screen, looking at the egg sitting some twenty kilometers away from them in an underground lake of liquid rock. As she leaned back in her chair, twirling a strand of hair around one finger, she looked at where the First Child was sitting in stony silence, staring impassively at her phone's screen, pointedly ignoring everything around her. If Asuka didn't know better, she would have sworn the girl was sulking about something, as she had been less talkative than usual, which was a near impossibility in and of itself, and the few words she had said were terse and sharp enough to draw blood.
But what could the girl be sulking about? It wasn't as if she had been left behind in Tokyo-3 as an emergency measure. It wasn't as if she was missing out on a momentous occasion due to lackluster performance. It wasn't as if she was forced to put up with a sub-par teammate, one that dragged her down, that hung on her coattails, getting her grubby hands on her better's fame.
Maybe it's her time of the month. I mean, if this is all because she's been separated from that Dummkopf, she's got some dependency issues. I mean, seriously, it's like she doesn't care that we're going on the offensive here. Going after an immature Angel means we can learn more about their life cycles, which means we can try to figure out where they are liable to be 'born'. If we can associate a specific set of phenomena with a Proto-Angel, we can hopefully locate the others while they lie dormant or developing. We're developing new doctrine here, venturing into uncharted territory. Evangelion Warfare is taking a new path, and all she can do is sit there and frown!
Asuka turned back to the screen, her eyes tracing through the complex of lava tubes and caverns that made up the volcano. Unfortunately, while they knew where the Angel was, there was nothing they could do to get to the damn thing. It was submerged in a central lake, which lay underneath another cavern filled with magma, and that one sat underneath the main lava dome of the volcano. Even if the Evangelions could withstand the heat of the melted rock, and even if they could sink into it, they still would not have the range to reach the egg, as there simply wasn't enough umbilical cable.
Despite this, Misato had called to deploy her two operational Evangelions here at the site in case the Angel woke up, citing it was better to have forces on hand to fight an enemy they knew was there instead of leaving them back in the city. If another Angel appeared, it was agreed Shinji would be able to at least distract it until they could be redeployed. So, while there was little for the pilots to do in their capacity as pilots, Asuka had been able to keep herself occupied by helping out the regular technicians and scientists with their studies of the egg. Rei, while not contributing anything to the discussion other than suggesting that they detonate a series of N2 munitions on the volcano, had nonetheless been dragged out of the hotel room the pilots shared to the field operations base by Misato. Asuka wished the girl would go and menstruate someplace else and leave them to work in peace.
Sitting next to Asuka at the computer terminal, Maya shook her head with a sigh. "Nothing we've done has gotten any sort of response. We've bombarded the area with the highest-intensity particle bursts we can generate without the use of an actual weapons-grade emitter, but none of the readings have changed in the slightest."
Asuka nodded. "It's like the egg's location was purposely chosen to make it hard to get to. I mean, there's nothing physical we can do to it, and even gamma rays have trouble penetrating that far down, and if they could with any reliability, the thing shrugs off muons, for Gott's sake. It's not like they would be able to do anything to it. At this point, it seems like all we can do is wait for it to hatch and then beat the crap out of it until it dies. But there's no telling when that will be."
Maya drained the rest of her coffee in one go, the liquid long gone cold. "It's not an ideal situation despite being an incredible opportunity. We'll just have to keep doing what we have been until we can develop some new tests."
Rei looked over at the two others, her face an unreadable mask. "If all there is to do is to wait, I can wait quite well in Tokyo-3." She got up to her feet and headed for the door. "I will inform Captain Katsuragi I will return to base."
Maya looked uneasy at Asuka as the redhead whistled a low tone. "The Captain is not going to like that."
Asuka shook her head. "Misato is going to tear her a new one. Arguing with her when she's like this is no good." She looked around the empty room and then back at the monitors. They were set up in an out-of-the-way conference room and the only ones currently on shift in the power station. The other on-duty personnel was out on-site at the volcano, working on trying to elicit a response from the buried egg. "You know," Asuka said with a wink as she slid up next to Maya, running a hand through her hair, "the next batch of tests isn't for some time. And we're all alone."
Maya blushed but swatted the girl's hand away. "I don't think this is a good time or place for that, Asuka."
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
NERV-Central prided itself on being able to provide as many services as possible for its employees on location in the Geo-Front. To this end, several gymnasiums were scattered over the levels available to regular personnel. One particular gym was popular with the men and women of Section 2. As with several other different establishments within the Geo-Front and Tokyo-3, they had appropriated it for their use. It wasn't that people outside the security division were barred from the place per se, but everyone knew the gym on Level B16 Section 5 Sub-Section 3A belonged to Section 2. Others just didn't go there.
Kaji, while technically assigned to Section 2, was also not wholly accepted by the shadowy superiors of the division, who reported only to Gendo himself. That being said, he exercised regularly at the gym. He didn't have a set schedule, so it raised no flags when he showed up early in the morning to hit the weight room. Being a friendly fellow, he offered to spot another agent working at the bench press. They made minor chit-chat, as was usual, between any number of gym buddies. But amidst the innocent banter, information was traded, and secrets were secrets no more.
"The Institute is a dead end," the man, only known as Thirty-One, said as he pushed the bar up. "You should try looking into her home. Once you see the emptiness there, you'll understand. Apart from a few books, there's nothing there she's had for over a year, and most of what she does have now she's only gotten after the Third Child arrived. She came from nowhere with nothing. One day, she wasn't, and then the next, she was."
Kaji's eyes narrowed as he watched the man effortlessly bench the weights. "That's nonsense. Everyone comes from somewhere. Even Ikari has a trail, though it's been purposely obscured."
"That's what I'm saying. There is no trail. She never arrived here. She was always here. She's always belonged to NERV."
"What's the security complement for her apartment?"
"It's low right now since she's out of town. Only five men. You shouldn't have any problems getting in. Apartment 402. It's not locked; the lock is broken."
"Is there anything else you can give me besides some vague clues?"
Thirty-One grunted as he pushed the bar back up. "I'm telling you what I can risk based on what you're paying. Section 2 doesn't have a separate Internal Investigations department. We're self-regulating. If I'm found out, my life isn't worth squat. The way I figure it, you're paying enough for something to get started on. If you're smart, you can figure out more. But," he said conversationally, "to be completely honest, I also don't know much more. I've only ever been on the girl's security group twice."
"Do me a favor then and try to find out about Adam. I'll pay very well, rest assured."
"Adam? Adam, who?"
Kaji grinned down at the man. "Just Adam. There is some connection to the girl, but I'm not sure what. But for the moment, Adam lies with the Commander."
"How well are you paying?"
"For solid info on Adam? Six times what I'm paying you right now. But it has to be good information. My superiors won't dole out good money for insubstantial leads."
Thirty-One grunted as they racked the weights. "I'll look into it and tell you what I find out."
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Rei fumed as she aimlessly stalked through the power plant. Her request to be allowed to return to Tokyo-3 had been immediately shot down by the Captain, and when she protested, she was ordered to drop it and not worry about the boy but rather focus on the task at hand. Captain Katsuragi had then ignored her, turning back to argue with members of the JSSDF.
Fine. I will not worry about Shinji. I will figure out how to deal with the Angel so we can return home.
As she circulated through the geothermal power plant and volcanic research facility, her critical gaze washed over the various resources on hand, taking stock of what was available. If she could not make her point with reason, she would make it with Science.
While it is understandable they would not wish to simply detonate N2 munitions in the vicinity of the volcano, we still need a way to either disrupt or destroy the Angel's egg. We cannot physically reach the egg itself; therefore, capturing it is out of the question.
The regular technicians and operators of the plant had been briefed about NERV, so while she was the subject of many curious looks, none of the men and women she passed in the hallway stopped her. She, for her part, ignored them completely, lost in thought.
While their particle sensors report that the muons have difficulty penetrating it, a particle weapon remains the best, option, if not only. While the power availability here is not an issue, it will take some time to modify any of our existing weapons to allow them to make full use of the power grid without damage. While not much of an inconvenience from a purely operational standpoint, it is one for me.
As Rei rounded a corner, a sign caught her eye. OSHA compliance signs were designed to do just that, to make people aware of the hazards posed by various pieces of equipment and chemicals. However, the simple designs and bright colors of the numerous safety signs were not what drew the girl's attention; it was the much plainer sign positioned at the top of the danger markers. In boring white letters on a steel gray plate bolted to the door read 'Argon LASER Drill Storage'.
Rei cocked her head slightly to the left as the wheels began to turn.
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Misato frowned at the conglomeration of pipes, circuit boards, wires, and various things that she could only describe as 'sciencey stuff' that took up most of the conference room table. Chief Technician Isobe had a pale look on his face, no doubt from the realization that the teenager had cobbled the thing together from at least two high-tech pieces of equipment. Equipment that had belonged to him. Equipment that he was going to have to try to get NERV to replace. Asuka and Ritsuko, on the other hand, stared at the thing's creator, who stood off to the side, still wearing an appropriated lab coat and a pair of welder's goggles, which were pushed up on her head, sending the unruly mop of blue hair into further disarray. Behind these four, several technicians from NERV, the geothermal power station, and the research center murmured in hushed voices, unsure what they were looking at.
"Rei," Misato began, her voice cautious, her mind going back to the note in the girl's file about her burning down the building in the Geo-Front, "What is this?" While nothing in the assembly looked like it produced fire, several industrial-grade compressed gas canisters were hooked up to various tubes.
Rei focused on the Operations Director. Swinging her arms around to her back, one hand clutching the elbow of the other arm, she addressed the group in what could have been called a bored tone if it had been coming from anyone else. For the girl, however, it was her speaking normally.
"This is a prototype AT-Field Focusing and Directional Tunneling Array. It makes use of several high-intensity Argon LASER Drill components and the AT Field emitter array from the Evangelions to drastically extend the range and strength of a given AT Field."
Misato held up a hand to silence the others. "A laser drill?" She turned to Isobe. "Why didn't you tell me that you had a laser drill? That sounds like it could have been useful when it was still put together."
Rei interrupted the harried technician before he could do more than draw in a quick breath. "The Argon LASER Drill would have been useless as a means of contacting the Angel, Captain Katsuragi. The drill's beam would have lost coherency well before reaching the egg due to its current depth in the magma. However, the AT-Field is not constrained by the same physical laws as the drill."
Ritsuko began to nod, a smile starting to spread across her face. "And if the beam reached the egg, there's no guarantee it would affect it, as it's already sitting in the magma. But Angels do react to AT-Fields."
"Correct, Doctor. There is no need for a proof of concept for the ATFFDTA, as the principle technology has already been produced and manufactured. The latest shipment of melee weapons from NERV-Moscow utilizes the AT-Field manipulation emitter and focus array. This," she said with a slight nod to the setup, "merely re-purposes the same technology with the power amplifying systems of the Argon drill, as well as providing a superstructure to house the array, as well as the active cooling system."
Asuka narrowed her eyes as she shifted them from the girl to her prototype and then back again. As she slowly walked around the table, inspecting the setup from all sides, she pointed at the water cooling system. "Water cooling won't work on a device on the scale of the Evangelions, First Child. You're still using the Argon laser ion tubes as part of the amplifiers. Even on a small scale, those things pump out a lot of waste heat. Once this is scaled up to the Evangelion's size, the amount of heat coming off of it will be like taking a dip in the lava of the damn volcano!"
Rei looked coolly at her wing-man. "I calculated the heat will be less than that which was endured by both Evangelions Unit-01 and Unit-00 during the attack on the Fifth Angel. It is survivable."
Ritsuko sighed inwardly as her newest protege erupted. "That was a point attack, Dummkopf! This is going to be all over you!" The girl switched over into German, waving her arms around as she ranted about the First Child's idiocy. "Mit derartigen Methoden bringt man sich nur selbst um oder gefährdet die gesamte Ausrüstung! Es ist kaum zu zu glauben, dass eine solche Technik überhaupt in Betracht gezogen wird. Da draußen herrschen ja nicht gerade normale Laborbedingungen. Ich meine, wie kann jemand denn nur so beschissen blöde sein?" Judging by the shocked gasps of several of the people clustered around the edges of the room, several people knew the language, which wasn't that surprising, as it was one of three languages associated with scientific progress and study.
Misato cut the girl off with a glare and pointed cough. Turning to Ritsuko, she nodded at the science project. "Will it work?"
Ritsuko shrugged, tucking her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. "It has the potential to work. If the Angel doesn't react to being poked by the AT-Field, we could slowly bring it up to the surface, or at least to a depth where we could work on it. It would take some time to assemble, though. This is a research center, not a manufacturing site."
Maya spoke up from behind her superior. "We're not faced with a time constraint, though. It should be too easy for the Engineering Division to set up shop locally or to build the components back home and assemble them here." She pointed to the part where the Evangelion would plug into the superstructure, represented by a miniature Nicholas Tesla action figure from the gift shop. "They would need to be here to build and fine-tune that anyway."
Turning back to Rei, Misato clapped a congratulatory hand on the girl's shoulder. "Good work, Rei. Get your blueprints together, and I'll have them taken back to headquarters."
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
It's strange, Shinji thought to himself as he sat in the mostly empty apartment, except for the company of the hot springs penguin, at how fast a person can adapt to changes in their environment. I don't think I would've missed having other people around, even if they were like Asuka or Miss Misato.
It had been a little over a week since the girls had been summoned to the remote site, the location still being kept a secret, along with all other information about their activities there being highly classified. Shinji had been left to fend for himself as far as his regular day-to-day routine went, although one of his security detail had offered him transportation around town.
While a nice gesture and one that prompted an uneasy grin and heartfelt thanks from the boy, it was ultimately an unneeded one. The medical staff left in charge by Dr. Akagi declared that the growth spurt had run its course and fitted him with a new leg, thus restoring his mobility.
Shinji absently ate his dinner, which was, surprisingly enough, a package of instant noodles smothered in one of Misato's curry sludges, albeit with some of his improvements. It most certainly was not something anyone passingly familiar with his eating habits would expect to find him eating. However, his choice of dinner entertainment was much more in line with the image people had of him; instead of watching the television or listening to the radio, he was reading a book Rei had lent him. Rather than one of her books on one manner of science or another, it was a book of poetry.
I miss Rei, Shinji thought forlornly, looking back up at the digital clock on the microwave, only to sigh as only a few minutes had passed since the last time he had checked. I wonder how her day's been.
Due to new security constraints, the girls' phones had been confiscated a few days ago. Rei sent him an email each evening, and while her messages were short and to the point, the boy could decipher the girl's subtle moods without much conscious thought or effort. Most of what she and the rest of the crew had been doing was just waiting and make-work, apparently, but if anything interesting had been going on, revealing it would have been a breach of security, even on the MAGI link. He didn't believe she would lie to him, though.
Even so, the daily update was the highlight of Shinji's day, and he knew she liked to hear about how he was doing. She continued to instruct him not to over-exert himself and to obtain the assistance of his security detail whenever he needed anything. She also told him to maintain the same level of caloric and nutrient intake as before. It was clear Rei did not trust the judgment of the other staff, and he suspected that upon her arrival home, she would subjugate him to another battery of 'biological and medical measurements'.
To tell the truth, he was looking forward to it.
Looking back up at the clock to check the slow passage of time, the calendar on the wall caught his eye. Despite the lack of significant snowfall anywhere in Japan except in the highest mountains since Second Impact, the picture for December was one of a traditional winter scene with a cluster of cheerful snowmen. Automatically, his gaze drifted across the neat row of lines marking the passage of days and then went straight to the twenty-fifth, which was easy to find as it was marked in red instead of black.
If Miss Misato were here, she'd be planning another party. She'd go on about how 'it's not Christmas if you're not partying', and stuff. Shinji grinned as he shoveled another lump of noodles into his mouth. She'd also get the entire building covered in those little lights. Maybe some plastic decorations along the front walkway.
'Of course, we need a tree, Shinji!', he could almost hear her say, 'It's traditional!'. Asuka would go off about the holiday's history, no doubt. She'd also probably demand presents from everyone.
While Shinji couldn't remember ever actually getting a present for Christmas (or celebrating it other than saying 'Merry Christmas' instead of 'Hello' or 'Good Morning'), he wasn't so introverted that he wasn't aware of the 'socially expected and accepted activities', as his friend would describe them.
Rei would probably point out that while it's a social norm to exchange presents, it's highly inefficient to guess what the other person would like instead of asking them what they want or just giving them money. But she'd let Hikari or Miss Misato push her to participate and adhere to the 'social norm'.
His grin froze on his face as realization struck him. While he suspected they were off dealing with an Angel, somehow (for what else could demand the presence of the central command, technical, and engineering staff, along with two Pilots with their Evangelions?), he had no idea when they would be back. While he had, of course, been thinking about what he should get Rei, having adapted well enough to their strange relationship to ignore the obvious connotations the act of giving her a gift implied, he hadn't dedicated a lot of time to it, instead using his free time to clean and then to re-clean the apartment, as well as to read the stack of books the girl had lent him before her departure.
He was due for an activation test tomorrow after the first day of class, but the day after that, he was clear of other obligations, as was his new mission.
He would have to face the holiday shopping crowds and get the perfect gift for Rei.
Shinji removed the glasses he was wearing and set the book down on the table as he stood up. He would clean the dishes, take a shower, and go to sleep early.
He suspected that the next day was going to be a long one.
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Asuka looked up from her laptop as her roommate's one sounded with the NERV-OS's 'sent email' chime. The redhead grinned knowingly at Rei, who ignored the other girl as she closed the laptop, set it back into its carrying case, and pulled out a book, settling back against the wall.
"So, how's your boyfriend? Is he able to take care of himself without you being around?"
Rei shot a cool gaze over the top of her book at Asuka. "Pilot Ikari is not my 'boyfriend'. While he is indeed a boy and my friend, we have not entered into the social contract of 'going steady' nor have we participated in the usual social and romantic activities that accompany such a relationship."
Asuka, smirking, stretched out languidly on her bed. "Oh? So he's free?"
Rei blinked in confusion and lowered the book to her lap. "Free?"
"Free," Asuka repeated, looking like the Cheshire cat, "Single. Unattached. Going Stag. Open," she paused infinitesimally, "Game." She concluded the list with a suggestive smack of her lips and a lusty sigh.
"No." Rei blurted, her eyes fractionally wider than usual, "No, he is not."
Putting on an air of puzzlement, Asuka cocked her head to one side, something she had picked up from Rei during their synchronization drills. "But I thought that you said you two weren't going out? Is he seeing someone else? I didn't think he knew anyone else besides us."
"No. He is not seeing anyone else." Her eyes narrowed again, this time in understanding. "You are trying to upset me." Rei raised her book again and began to read. "It will not work."
Asuka grinned again, turning back to her laptop. After silently typing away for a few minutes, she looked back up towards Rei.
"So, you're saying that he's not free?"
The girl's only response was a look that would have been more deadly than the argon laser hooked up to the AT-Field amplifiers if looks could kill.
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
The dark room echoed with the monolith's distorted voice, sending shivers down Kozo Fuytusuki's spine as he waited silently in the darkness, away from the pool of light that bathed the desk Gendo sat at in a pale glow. The voices usually did that to him, and he suspected the booming and modulated voices were engineered to elicit the effect. His protege showed no sign of discomfort, however.
"Has there been any progress on the Asama site?"
"No," Gendo replied tonelessly, "There has been no further progress with the current experiments. However, work continues on constructing the AT-Field projection and focusing array according to schedule. The main portion of the operation is still set to take place in four days."
"It has been almost two weeks since this current plan has gone into operation. Two weeks of manpower and money being spent, with little to no return on the investment, Ikari. Are you certain this plan will work?"
"It has the best chance of working out of any other plan that has been brought up," Gendo replied, sounding like he wanted to shrug, prompting a sharp grin from Kozo. "The only other option would be to leave the Evangelions on standby until it 'wakes up'. Operation Henhouse is the more expedient of the two."
One of the other monoliths chimed in, for once on the same side as NERV's Commander. "If the operation is a success, it will net us much in the way of information about our enemies. This is just another long-term investment."
"An investment without a known rate of return is not wise."
The center slab, the one serving as the mask for Kiel Lorenz, spoke again and ended the back-and-forth argument. "In any event, we shall watch the site carefully and see what unfolds. The rest of the meeting does not concern you, Ikari."
As one, the monoliths winked out of existence.
Gendo pushed himself to his feet as Kozo stepped out of the shadows. Wordlessly, they left the conference room and started walking towards the elevator. Two men in suits followed at a discrete distance, but they did not enter the lift with their charges.
Gendo broke the silence first, tucking his hands into his pockets as he entered the familiar slouch neither Yui nor time had broken him of.
"How goes the work with ADAM?"
Kozo leaned up against the mirrored wall. "Slower, now that Dr. Akagi is off-site, but everything should be ready in a few weeks. Final testing is currently scheduled to begin in three days. Once that's done, all we need to do is wait for the Doctor and the First Child to return."
Gendo nodded absently, staring at the floor. "What of our other guest? I trust he is making good use of his time here?"
"He has made several assets in various departments, some we had suspected and others we hadn't. It appears he has stopped looking into the Marduk Institute, but he still manages to drop off the grid periodically, so our knowledge of his investigations is incomplete."
"Does Section 2 have an idea of his new focus? He is doggedly persistent, and we don't need him finding out things that he shouldn't. I still have a use for him, and it would be a shame to have to take him off the playing field early."
Kozo coughed nervously, clearly uncomfortable. "He's investigating Rei."
The news didn't elicit a reaction from the Commander, the bearded man mulling over the news in silence. Finally shrugging, he pulled a hand out of a pocket to push his glasses back up his nose. "Interesting, but his efforts will be fruitless. The girl has no history outside of NERV; even within it, it's sparse. Is there anything else of note?"
"Nothing major, except Dr. Vanterian says while the Third Child is completely fit for duty, he needs glasses. Not permanently, but just for reading."
"Is that so?" Gendo looked up from the floor to the ceiling, his face expressionless. "I suppose that it was only a matter of time. Yui wore reading glasses as well."
"And these days, you're as blind as a bat without yours."
"True. But I had hoped with the modifications, he wouldn't need them."
"Eyes are a tricky thing. If you remember, we wasted a lot of time on Rei's."
Gendo waved the older man's comment off. "Her problems were pigmentation, not functionality."
Kozo shrugged. "I suppose we can chalk it up to being another thing we don't understand. One must expect these things when playing in God's domain."
"Science will save us, Kozo. We have taken God's domain for our own, and it is through our works, our abilities, that we will prevail."
"This whole mess got started because Man wanted God's domain for his own," Kozo countered. "As impressive as our achievements might be, we still haven't been able to fully match, let alone exceed, the Angels. Our creations are as imperfect as we are."
The elevator doors opened, and the men stepped out into the hallway, pausing at the large bay window overlooking the Evangelion Simulator, where the bio-mechanical nightmares that served as the bodies for the virtual reality training sat. Various technicians, their breath steaming in the frosty room, moved from area to area around the skeletal torso, keeping a careful watch on things as the Third Child was put through his paces, seeing how much muscle memory he had retained during his little 'vacation' from the active duty roster.
Not taking his eyes off the section of Entry Plug visible beneath muscle, bone, and metal, Gendo frowned.
"It's true that we haven't made anything that is a match for the Angels." His frown disappeared, becoming a small, arrogant smirk as he watched his son train for the inevitable battles that awaited him. He turned, still smirking, towards his friend, the overhead lights catching on his glasses and obscuring the cold eyes behind them.
"Yet."
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Asuka was bored and tired of waiting for the technicians to finish assembling the monstrosity Rei had designed. It had been almost two weeks since they had started, and there had been little for her to do. Maya was always busy with their Sempai, and the pair were constantly busy with either the construction project or keeping an eye on the nascent Angel. She could only spend so much time a day practicing with the human-size swords she had managed to procure, and the Evangelions were on a strict standby mode, which meant she couldn't tinker with her Unit-02. As such, she was prowling around the section of the facility that NERV had taken over, looking for something to do. She smiled as she saw the other Pilot standing at the windows overlooking where the major components were being constructed. Taking care to move silently, Asuka crept up on the girl, who was focused with laser-like intensity on the work being carried out below.
"What's up, Rei?"
To the Asuka's great annoyance, the girl didn't even bat an eyelash at her, remaining as she was, one elbow clasped by her hand behind her back, crimson eyes tracking different men and women as they moved about, all with the slightest frown on her face.
"Up is a preposition, Pilot Sohryu." There was the slightest pause as Asuka gave her teammate a flat look before Rei continued, watching the activity before them. "I am watching the construction of the ATFFDTA. What is it that you require?"
"Oh, nothing from you, Wondergirl. I was just checking up on things." Asuka frowned slightly as the other girl continued to ignore her. "What's got your panties all in a twist? They've decided to go along with your insane plan. You should be happy." Asuka paused and turned back to watch the construction below. "Or is it because the techs won't let you near the actual construction? Or is it because he's not here?"
Rei turned to stare at Asuka, looking the redhead dead in the eyes. "They're doing it wrong."
"Huh?" Asuka asked, confused. She turned and looked at the technicians and then back to Rei. "Who is doing what wrong?"
Rei looked pointedly in the direction of the main portion of the assembly. "They are building it wrong."
"Wrong?" Asuka queried, confused. "It's your design, isn't it? How are they building it wrong?"
Rei shook her head irritably. "I am unable to explain it. They are just doing it wrong."
Rolling her eyes, the redhead sighed. "If you can't explain how they are 'doing it wrong', then they can't be doing anything wrong, especially if they are following the directions you gave them in the first place!"
Rei frowned at her wingman, her eyes narrowed. "You clearly don't understand. I thought that you were supposed to be good at Science, but if you can't tell when they are ruining your experiments," she said, her voice raising an octave and causing Asuka to back away slightly as the crazed girl pointed at the technicians, "then I was mistaken."
"What the hell does that mean?" Asuka snapped, incensed. "The last time I checked, I was the one who had graduated with honors from a university! You don't even pay attention in class! And designing that ridiculous array isn't science! That's engineering! You can't be a scientist unless you do actual research! It's not building toys that generate lightning or having flasks of mysterious bubbling chemicals! That's not real research! That's not real science!" She paused momentarily, then grinned as realization flashed in her eyes. "You pretend to be a scientist because the Commander was one! But you fail at that like you do everything else! A pretend girl with a pretend relationship, a pretend pilot, and a pretend scientist."
Asuka's grin deepened as she was rewarded with real anger flashing in the girl's crimson eyes, which doubled as she caught Rei's hand by the wrist when she flung it up to slap her.
"Not so fast!" she said, putting her training to use, twisting the girl around, and trapping her arms. "It's funny, you know... being told you're a pretend scientist pisses you off more than me teasing you in front of the idiot," Asuka whispered into Rei's ear, grinning at the sharp intake of breath. "Don't worry. I won't tell him that he takes second place to a textbook or a foolish delusion of grandeur."
"You're wrong."
"I'm what?" Asuka responded pleasantly. "Wrong? Wrong about what? That you're a doll? That you're a fake person? That you're a big fake fakey faker? Oh, I don't think I am." She pushed Rei forward as she released her, and the girl spun around to glare at her, hands balled into fists at her sides.
"You're wrong about everything. About me, about Pilot Ikari, about the Evangelions, and Science."
"You don't honestly think that, do you? You haven't even kissed the idiot! You two idiots haven't the faintest clue as to what you're doing, First Child," she sneered, stressing the last word. "Do you need a biology book or an instruction manual for the boy? Here, I'll give you a tip- Insert Tab A into Slot B!"
"You're wrong. You're wrong and-"
"If I'm wrong, prove it." The redhead sneered, crossing her arms.
"I will. I will prove that you're wrong." Rei's voice sounded deader than usual despite still being louder than normal, approaching what would be an average speaking volume for anyone else. "I will prove you wrong, and then you will see-"
"You're mad!" Asuka scoffed, turning to leave, ignoring the girl's further protests. She scowled back to her room. Baiting Rei wasn't even fun anymore, and the redhead hoped that they would be able to kick off the mission soon; otherwise, she was liable to go insane.
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
The operation, as Rei would later remark in her report, had been going fine up until the moment that the volcano erupted.
"I have lost contact with the egg." she calmly remarked, watching the thick plumes of ash lift high up into the sky as clumps of cooling lava began to rain down as the mile-high spray of molten rock continued unabated. "There was no indication of movement or response from the target."
The somewhat panicked voice of Lieutenant Ibuki came over the net, collaborating with the Pilot's statement. "None of the sensors picked anything up; no seismic activity or movement from the egg!"
"Well, something happened!" Asuka shouted, her Evangelion pointing at the tide of lava making its way down the sides of the mountain. She was using her AT-Field as an umbrella, shielding herself from the deadly rain. "Are any of the sensors even still up"
The Pilot was cut off as the ground heaved and buckled beneath them, sending the red titan to its knees. Unit-00, held secure in the massive superstructure, felt the vibrations but was otherwise unaffected.
The sky was growing dark, the clouds of ash spreading out to block the sun, and through her connection with Unit-00, Rei felt the static in the air moments before the first bolts of lightning began to spark, brilliant purple-white flashes serving as a counterpoint to the bright red lines tracing down the mountain, or the orange-white of the airborne spray.
Captain Katsuragi came over the net, calling for all personnel to evacuate the area. "Asuka, you'll have to help Rei get out of the superstructure. We don't have time for the crews to disassemble it properly, but-" The woman was cut off as a new but familiar alarm began to blare. "Girls, we have an Angel Alert! It's on the move!"
The earth shook again, and the volcano shuddered. The side of the mountain seemed to shake itself apart and cave in, only to violently explode outward. Rocks, lava, and ash went flying high as a glowing figure, huge even though it was still kilometers away, clawed its way out to the surface. The thing let out a mighty roar, gripping the hearts of all who heard it.
With a sound like wet cloth tearing, large bat-like wings sprouted from the Angel's back. The massive figure leaped into the sky, tracing a burning arc through the ash clouds behind it as its body began to cool.
"Drache!" Asuka whispered into her microphone. "Drache! Drache!" Rei turned to look quizzically at the red Evangelion, which had drawn itself up into a low crouch, one hand flat on the ground and the other grasping the hilt of the massive sword the girl had opted to carry for the day's mission. The four-eyed head turned and tracked the Angel as its Pilot continued to laugh into the microphone, prattling on in German.
"Pilot Sohryu, what is Drache?" Rei asked, wrapping her mouth around the foreign word.
"It's a Dragon! It's a Dragon, Wondergirl! Can you believe it? We're going to kill Smaug himself!" The girl continued to laugh. "No, wait! Not Smaug! Fafnir!" Asuka's ringing laugh filled the radio nets as she watched the soaring beast. "Look at the size of that beast!"
"Pilot Sohryu, you are not making any sense," Rei commented as she turned Unit-00's head back to watch the glowing figure trace a lazy circle in the sky above them as the communications net crackled with Misato's voice.
"Girls, We've got to ground that thing! We can't let it get away, not with Shinji being by himself back at Tokyo-3! Engage it at will, no restrictions!" There was a brief pause, barely a heartbeat in length, before Mistato continued. "Any collateral damage can be blamed on the volcanic eruption. Just kill the Angel!"
Asuka, needing no further invitation to attack, threw herself into action, pounding across the eight-hundred-meter distance to the abandoned flatbed serving as part of the mobile armory. Hefting the MK 6 Pallet Rifle, she almost sang her response back to her commanding officer.
"Not an Angel, Misato! A dragon! Asuka Langley Sohryu, the Dragon Slayer!"
Tucking the butt of the rifle into Evangelion's shoulder pocket, she took careful aim, the sensor suite of her war machine more than capable of tracking the Draconic Angel though it was now almost invisible to the naked eye. Grinning, she squeezed the trigger, sending a short burst of tungsten-cored rounds into the sky. She was rewarded with the characteristic flash of yellow hexagons as the Angel's AT-Field manifested to defend itself.
Asuka immediately threw herself into a left roll and successfully evaded the massive gout of fire the Angel spat at her as it dived towards the earth.
"Well, I've got its attention!" She announced over the net, unsure if anyone was still monitoring it, what with the massive amounts of distortion the ash clouds had to be churning out. However, she didn't care if anyone was listening, as the onboard recorders would faithfully record her running commentary for the eventual report, thus showcasing her genius once again. Best of all, with the Dummkopf back at headquarters and the Doll tied up in her bizarre contraption, there was no one to steal the spotlight this time.
This was her chance; this was Asuka's time to shine. Forget the mess with the Leviathan, forget the mess with the Twins; this was where her legend would be born. A Siegfried for a new era, Asuka Langley Sohryu, Drachentöter!
Flipping her system to include her external speakers, she sent another volley of rounds skyward, calling for the Dragon as she danced through the fires of its first assault, taking care to avoid getting her umbilical cable tied up in a knot.
"Oh, Lindwurm! Komme Sie hier!" she called out, voice sickly sweet.
The Angel screamed again, its roar frightening, but a detached part of her mind noted it wasn't as intimidating as the bestial roars of the purple and green Evangelion. "Is that the best you can do?" She replied, voice still jovial. "I know little boys who roar louder than you!" She fired off the rest of her magazine in a sweeping Z pattern, the supersonic rounds punching holes through clouds, allowing brief flashes of sunlight to play across the hellish landscape. Asuka dropped the magazine and leaped back toward the supply trucks, spare magazines, and other ranged weapons.
The Angel chose that moment to dive again, and Asuka was treated to a front-seat view of the massive monstrosity as it swooped in at her, its forelimbs host to a set of murderously brutal pair of claws. She threw herself flat against the ground and flashed her AT-Field into full strength across her back, glad the technicians had given in to her persistent bullying and added the extra emitters to the rear shoulders.
While she was protected against the assault, the Angel did not fly off again but instead flapped around her, keeping her pinned to the ground. Cursing, she rolled over, arching her back to protect the vital umbilical plug, and reflashed the defensive field into a half sphere over her in an attempt to erode the Angel's own.
The Angel's mouth snapped at her as they grappled with each other, the bulk of the creature keeping her pinned. However, Asuka wasn't entirely without options, as the original designers (and she) had anticipated such a melee.
"Guess what I have in my pockets, Smaug! I'll give you a hint, it's not a ring!"
As she spoke almost casually to the Dragon, the spike thrower in the upper left shoulder pylon popped open, and the Angel was treated to a face full of sharpened spikes, and hot blood sprayed across the Evangelion's face in a wave of dark blue, staining the red armor into a light purple.
The assault had no other measurable effect, however, and Asuka was starting to worry about her ability to keep the added weight of the beast from smashing her back flat against the ground when Rei's quiet voice came over the net, heavily distorted despite her being relatively near the struggling titans.
"Pilot Sohryu, please set your optical sensors to ninety percent tint."
"Why?" the irate girl snapped back at the other Pilot. "I kinda need to be able to see the damn thing to fight it!"
"I am going to blind the Angel, Pilot Sohryu. I am going to blind it," Rei paused as she set the last switch on the Argon laser system, "with SCIENCE." Rei pushed the button, one of the Pilot's configurable command inputs, with the smallest, tightest, and most satisfied of smiles. The hum of the eight Argon lasers, termed as extraneous and unnecessary by the technicians and her wingman, was loud enough to be heard through Unit-00's armor even without Unit-00's external audio pickups being activated. Blinding blue-green light tore across the battlefield, splashing over the two combatants and continuing toward the mountainside.
"OH SHIESSE!" Asuka screamed, frantically dropping her optical sensors down to the lowest levels she could without turning them off. The Angel screamed in similar fury and surprise, flinging itself back and off of Unit-02, shaking its head back and forth. The brilliant light died, and Asuka snapped her system back into full operation, launching herself at the stunned Angel with a massive hay-maker, noting the thing's eye sockets, currently home to a pair of smoking, crisped orbs, were already bubbling as the ubiquitous healing abilities of the Angels came into play. This Angel was healing much faster than the others had.
She brought her right hand back towards her shoulder, launching the reserve progressive knife into her fist, and brought it down across one wing as she head-butted the Angel. Infuriated, it kicked at her, the wicked claws slashing across Unit-02's chest, scoring deep cuts in the reinforced armor. Asuka hissed in pain as she brought the humming blade back into the Angel's midsection, right about where a human's kidneys would be if the Angel were a man.
The Angel squirmed out of her grasp, rolling and flopping around as it tried to fly away with the injured wing, which, like its eyes, was already starting to heal. Asuka leaped back to her feet and dove towards the trucks, hands closing around another rifle. Bringing it up as she twisted back around to face her foe, she sent more supersonic rounds at the Angel as Rei fired the modified drilling equipment again, prompting a new round of screamed curses from the redhead.
"Where was my fucking warning that time, you stupid bitch?" Asuka rubbed her eyes with one hand, using the other to hold Unit-02 on her previous command, draining the weapon's magazine dry in seconds and spraying the last rounds in a blind pattern.
"I am keeping it occupied, Pilot Sohryu, so you may resupply." The girl commented quietly, her voice infuriatingly calm. "I announced that I was about to fire again three seconds before I did so, and you were not facing the Angel at the time."
"You need to be louder, you menstruating twat! Just because you're all cramped and bloated, don't take it out on me when we're in combat!"
"I do not understand what you are implying, Pilot Sohryu. I am not menstruating at this time."
Asuka screamed as she threw the depleted rifle at the Angel, the weighty weapon smashing into its face as she grabbed the rocket launcher, only half listening as the other girl spoke up again, still only barely audible over the hiss of static. "The laser systems require time to cool down before I can use them again. The coolant systems are over-tasked at the moment, due in no small part to the spike in local ambient temperature."
Asuka shot a glance at her thermometers as she sent a salvo of Patriot missiles at the thrashing Angel and noted the outside temperatures had indeed gone up quite a bit from before, even if she factored in the encroaching lava flow, of which the leading edges were still a little ways off.
"It's the Angel!" She exclaimed, chucking the empty launcher at the Dragon, which was now flopping around like a fish out of water, its healing abilities over-taxed. The ground beneath the Angel was blackening, turning to ash and charcoal. "It must be causing an exothermic reaction in the local area, maybe as a byproduct of its healing ability." Picking up the now empty truck, she threw it at the Angel as she bounded back through the flames towards the abandoned sword. She grinned again as her hand closed around the hilt, beginning to stand up. "Now it's time to end-" She was cut off as the Angel slammed into her, its powerful tail battering her to the ground as it took back to the air.
"Shit, Shit, Shit!" Asuka screamed, bringing the long blade up, scoring a minor hit on the Angel, but nothing substantial. She turned and dove as it twisted like an eel in water to spit gouts of fire at her before disappearing into the gloom. The fire licked at the tumbling giant, scorching the earth and causing the concrete to melt and pool around the cyborg's feet.
Asuka frowned as she glanced around the battlefield, planning her next moves, her mind racing.
Rei is less than useless, stuck in that contraption of hers. I'm down to about half of my ranged weapons and my sword. The lava will reach this area in about eight minutes. After that, I can't count on having external power, so I've got roughly thirteen minutes to find and kill the Dragon.
Her frown shifted into a smile as a plan began to take shape in her mind, all of the component pieces falling neatly into place. The plan was good- no, the plan was more than that. It was perfect and didn't call for silly backup fighters to help kill the beast.
Gripping the sword in both hands, she brought herself into the back guard, switched her visual sensor suite to thermals with a regular visual spectrum overlay, and set the Evangelion's eyes to maximum brightness, the four lights cutting through the dark ash clouds like search beams, brilliant green light mixing oddly with the red glow of the lava and flickering orange of the fires.
"Rei, are you recording this?" Asuka asked with a grin on her face. "I want a picture of this to give to Kaji!" The only thing that came over the net was static, the thick ash fog disrupting short-range communications even as it clouded the sensors. Asuka hoped that the other girl would be able to record what was undoubtedly a battle worthy of a new epic for mankind, but she had more important things to worry about. With a tight nod, she set her plan into motion.
Unit-02 strode through the blackness of the ash clouds, its viridian gaze sweeping back and forth as its Pilot began to hunt.
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Leaning back in his chair, Kozo sighed deeply before sipping his tea. After setting the cup back down, he picked up his phone and called into the main command deck to the current battle captain.
"How long until we have another satellite in the area?" He asked, studying the last frame of the previous visual transmission, frozen on his computer screen, the two Evangelions visible as two blotches of heat, just barely discernible against the background temperature. He frowned at the man's response. "What do the MAGI say? Do they think the Angel will come here, or will it remain and fight?"
The answer to his question did not come from the command deck but from the man who stood slouched in the doorway to his office.
"It will come here, of course. It is drawn here, as are they all." Gendo smirked as his friend hung up on the battle captain. "The siren song they hear is far too alluring for it to remain at the site of its birth for long. It will stay and fight only if they serve to impede its progress and nothing more."
Kozo quirked an eyebrow quizzically. "Oh? And how long do you think the girls will impede its progress?" he asked as he called up a picture of the Angel on the screen. "It has wings, you know. Won't it simply just fly away from any annoying hindrances?"
"I rather suspect that the Pilot of Unit-02 will more than prove her worth today. The situation must certainly appeal to her. A lone warrior with no backup, up against one of the Old Ones, the great wyrms of legend? It is an ancestral enemy for her, after all."
"No backup? Is it you or her discounting Rei's efforts in this battle?"
"Rei's efforts are what woke the Angel up if the preliminary telemetry is to be trusted. That... invention... of hers has managed to immobilize and disarm Unit-00. Despite the superfluous incorporation of the drilling lasers, which were of minor use in distracting the Angel, Unit-00 will be sitting on the sidelines as much as Unit-01 is."
"So you expect her to prevail, then."
"She's capable, and she's hungry to prove herself. The only way she'll let it get away from her is if she's dead." Gendo shook his head dismissively. "The question is just how much it will cost to clean up the area and repair the Evangelions."
"Since that's settled," Kozo remarked, his tone slightly sarcastic, "you still haven't told me what you think of Rei's little toy."
Gendo sighed and shrugged. "I don't know what to think. We know she's a bright girl, but I'm at a loss to explain it. Dr. Akagi wouldn't shut up about it in her last report, though. She likes it, but no matter how I look at it, all I can see is that stupid apartment building she leveled." He paused, pushing his glasses back up his nose before removing them and wiping the lenses clean on the edge of his jacket. "Something's not right here, but..."
"But you're not sure what," Kozo suggested, leaning back in his chair. "Well, you can't say that building complicated and strange things doesn't run in the family."
Gendo shot a slightly disapproving look at his second-in-command as he replaced his glasses. "The most complicated thing Shinji has ever made is dinner," he said, his tone flatter than usual.
Their conversation was interrupted by the beeping of the telephone as the command deck called back down to Kozo's office. The shocked, breathless voice of the battle captain flooded the room.
"Sub-Commander, we have satellite coverage of the area again. I'm redirecting the feed to your station now."
True to the man's word, the computer screen blinked out and then back in, showing the two men a bird's eye view of the site, prompting twin sharp intakes of breath from them.
Black clouds obscured most of the picture, but ,there was a large circular area free of ash and smoke for some strange, unexplained reason. It looked about a kilometer in diameter, and at its center was the red Evangelion, fighting a bloody melee with the Angel. Off to the far edge of the clear patch, Unit-00 could be seen, a rifle in its hands, crawling forth from a lava flow, its paint burnt off and the metal armor glowing a dull red.
Unit-02 moved with a sudden burst of energetic violence, its image blurring on the feed, dealing a telling blow to its foe. A massive flood of blue sprayed over the Evangelion, and the feed disappeared in a blast of light, followed by nothing but static.
"Sir, we've lost the feed. We're trying to bring up another one now."
"Send the word to the air assets to get to the site. Get a visual confirmation that the Angel has been silenced. Initiate pilot recovery operations as a priority, followed by Evangelion recovery."
"Yes, Sir!"
Kozo looked back to the Commander. "Well, I suppose you were right about that. They were victorious, but-"
"But at what cost?" Gendo suggested, shrugging nonchalantly. "As long as the Second Child survives in good shape, things will be fine. The Evangelions can be repaired. A new Rei can be brought online if she does not survive. The scenario continues unabated. Now, I must report our latest victory to the old men."
"They won't be happy," Kozo warned. "The Angel woke up earlier than was foretold and was likewise defeated. This could throw their plans off, and they'll try to take it out on you."
"In other news, water is wet, the sky is blue, and fire is hot." Gendo shook his head. "I hope this does throw their plans off. It would be a waste of resources if it didn't. If they're rattled, they'll make a mistake. I can exploit mistakes."
"Their first mistake was trusting you," Kozo observed with a wry smile. "But yes, hopefully they will make some more."
Vier, Drei, Zwei, Eins!
When the Angel came roaring out of the ash clouds at the red Evangelion, it had changed color again, having finished healing itself and shedding the outer layer of protective scales.
When it had exploded out of the burning volcano, it had been glowing a bright red, the same hue as the lava gushing from the wound in the earth like its own fiery afterbirth. Its scales had rapidly cooled, taking on the appearance of charcoal, but the outer layer had been flaking off in bits and pieces throughout the fight.
Now the Angel appeared to be fully grown, thrice as long as Unit-02 was tall and out-massing it five times over. Its scales were bright iridescent red, covering it from the neck to the tail. Its head was the familiar bone white, but where prior Angels had an avian cast to them, this Angel's visage made one think of dragons, with the many toothed maws, the upswept bone ridges that ran from over the eyes burning like the very volcano to the thing's ears.
Asuka grinned, her expression savage and bloodthirsty as she brought her sword up to meet the Dragon's foreclaws, blocking the wicked strike, and the flash of yellow gave proof the AT-Field emitters were still working as the protective energy shields clashed. Asuka idly wondered, not for the first time, how the Angels generated the fields but pushed it to the back of her mind as the Angel snapped at her, teeth like bayonets mere inches from her face.
Rolling the sword in her hands, she amped up the power of its projectors and started to erode the Angel's field as she punched her foe in the snout. Enormous bat-like wings battered at her, but she ignored them as she grappled with the Angel, scoring numerous stabs and slashes as she searched for its one true weak spot, the core, as this Dragon wore no waistcoat of gemstones with an easily spotted empty patch for some sure eyed hunter to aim for.
As it opened its mouth to vomit fire at her, Asuka cursed as she caught sight of the crimson orb lying nestled in the back of the Angel's mouth.
"Of course, it would be back there, just like the other one! Damn it!" She cried, turning to take the flames on one shoulder fin, her free hand shooting out to grab the serpentine neck when a jolt ran through her as the five-minute countdown clock began. Risking a quick look behind her as she grappled with the beast, she saw that the lava flow had reached them, and her umbilical cord was done for.
She violently shoulder-checked the Angel to the ground, reversing her grip on the longsword and thrust it down at the snapping mouth. An electric shock ran up through her arms as the weapon glanced off the jewel, causing her to stumble momentarily. She cursed again as the Angel lunged to its feet, wings flapping as it began to take off.
Grabbing hold of one wing joint, she jerked her sword's hilt back and forth, smacking at the core with its edge. Despite the extra weight of Unit-02, the Angel effortlessly lifted off the ground, massive wings sending the ash cloud into a churning maelstrom.
"Oh no, you don't!" she screamed at the Angel, wrenching at the wing, then blinking as it reared its head back, bellowing again as it pushed its AT-Field against her, but succeeding in doing nothing but sending the ash away from them, letting the bright sun shine down on them once more. Gritting her teeth as the timer started to run down to the last minute, she let go of the wing. She swung her entire weight onto the sword as she punched her free hand down into the Dragon's mouth, clasping the core in a vice-like grip, jerking the sword into a tight circle, cutting at not the core, but the flesh around it as she dumped her entire AT-Field into the sword, hissing in pain as wicked claws raked Unit-02's back.
Her gambit was rewarded with a flood of boiling blood gushing out around her arm as she jerked it back, core in hand. As soon as it cleared the Angel's mouth, it exploded, the crucifix of light and energy throwing Unit-02 back to earth.
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Misato gave a contented sigh as she leaned back against the hot spring's wall. Looking over at Asuka, who was likewise relaxing in the hot water, she quirked an eyebrow at the redhead.
"So Asuka, what was that whole thing with the Angel's corpse? You pissed Ritsuko off with your stunt, you know."
Asuka reddened slightly, rubbing the back of her head absently. "Ah, well, I didn't mean to irritate anyone," she said, ignoring the almost inaudible sniff from where Rei was sitting on the edge of the bath with her legs in the water. "I just got a little carried away, is all."
Misato laughed, splashing some water over at the redhead. "A little carried away? When we got back on site, you were showering Unit-02 in the Angel's blood! You gutted the corpse like a fish! It's going to take forever to clean all the residue from the Evangelion." Misato looked over at Rei, who was picking at the bandages wrapped around her chest and back. "Rei, stop messing around with those. Ritsuko will have both our heads if your burns get infected. You know how hard it was for me to get her to let you stay here and relax a little before heading back home?"
Rei dutifully lowered her hand. "I am sure it was a protracted argument with Dr. Akagi, Captain-" Misato coughed. "Misato," Rei corrected herself, "But I do not see the point in my being here as my injuries do not allow me to fully partake of the benefits of the hot springs, unlike Pilot Sohryu's."
Asuka smiled smugly, running a hand over her left shoulder where three white lines began, sympathetic scars running across her back to end above her waist. "That's because mine are sympathetic injuries, while yours were caused by the lava heating your Entry Plug." Despite her smile, her tone wasn't harsh. "You did get off pretty well, though, Rei. I mean, your little array thing was right in the middle of the lava flow. Crawling out of the lava had to have sucked, but I have to say that the prototype stood up pretty well."
"I was not asking about the difference between our injuries, Pilot Sohryu," Rei commented. "I was asking why I must stay here to 'relax' when I cannot fully partake of the hot springs."
Misato flicked some water at the discontent girl. "Because we needed to have a girls' night. I mean, it's good to hang out without any guys around. This will probably be the only time we'll be able to." She smiled at the girls. "Once we get back to Tokyo-3, you'll be going right back to school."
"What?" Asuka cried indignantly. "What do you mean we're going right back to school?" She sat upright and stared in disbelief at her commanding officer.
Misato shrugged. "Your classmates returned from their trip ages ago."
"Already? Sheesh. Time flies when you're stuck on site being bored out of your skull waiting to attack an unborn abomination."
"That's why we're taking this chance to relax now." Misato slouched down, sitting so that just her head was above the steaming water, before sighing again. "But anyways, Rei, do you know what would have happened if you returned to Tokyo-3?"
Asuka smiled knowingly at the other girl. "I know exactly what would have happened." Rei narrowed her eyes in anger and opened her mouth to retort, but Misato spoke before Rei had a chance.
"If you're thinking Shinji, you'd be wrong. Ritsuko would have had her in the medical wing under observation."
Rei tilted her head slightly, thinking. She knew that would have been the most likely event, but she hoped Shinji would have visited her at the hospital. She was sure he would have come once he had heard that she was there. It would have proven to be a pleasant experiment, but one of the lessons she had learned from the Commander was that there was no use in dwelling on the past and what could have been. There was only the present and what one could shape the future into. She wondered what she could shape from her current present, stuck as she was with her commanding officer and irritating teammate.
"-Well, that would have sucked." Asuka lazily stretched out her arms. "But still, not the end of the world, I suppose. Sempai would have been too busy with her samples to bother you too much." She turned back to Misato, pouting. "So it's right back to the same old routine? Don't you Japanese celebrate Christmas?"
"Not the way you Europeans do. Besides, that's what that trip was for. The schools will be out for a long weekend at the end of this week, but that's about it." Misato shrugged as she sat up in the water, resettling against the wall. "Oh, that reminds me..." She turned towards Rei, a somewhat apologetic look on her face. "I'm going to have to kick you out of the apartment when we get back."
Rei sat up straight and looked over at Misato, her face expressionless.
"It's not that I dislike having you over, Rei." Misato continued, watching the girl. "But I need my living room back. Shinji's better and is already back on the active roster. The apartment's just not big enough for you to stay."
Asuka, watching the albino girl intently during the news, saw the smallest and briefest flashes of unhappiness pass over her otherwise emotionless face.
Why does she just calmly accept this? I mean, she flips out at me over that nonsense with the techs, but when Misato tells her that she can't live with the Dummkopf anymore, she obeys without protest. Always with the blind obedience to orders. But I know she's not happy about this. There's no way she's not seething under that calm exterior of hers. Where is her fighting spirit? I know that she wants him.
But while Asuka knew her teammate was unhappy, she didn't know what exactly to do with the information. For whatever reason, needling the girl didn't appeal to her. Rei certainly deserved all the verbal barbs she could send her way, particularly considering the laser shenanigans and how her prototype's recorder equipment only managed to get a few minor glimpses of her in all her glory. Still, Asuka's heart just wasn't in it.
Perhaps it was the pathetic way the girl looked, sitting there, sporadically kicking her legs in the bath's hot water, her face blank and emotionless despite the bizarre storm of emotions that the redhead knew lurked beneath the doll-like exterior. But on the other hand, this certainly wasn't the first time the girl had looked pathetic. Far from it, in fact.
I must be getting too old for this shit, she thought to herself, shifting around in the water, stretching her legs. It's either that, or I'm still running a victory buzz. It must be making me all magnanimous. But what can I do to highlight this? Rei needs someone to help her, but I've got my hands full with trying to install a backbone into the Dummkopf. I don't have time to teach the Doll how to be a real girl, even if she would listen to me. A smile suddenly split Asuka's face as the perfect solution hit her, much like she had hit the Angel earlier in the day. Climbing up out of the hot springs, she looked at the others.
"Either of you want something else to drink?" Asuka twirled her empty glass. "I need a refill."
"Thanks, but I'm still good!" Misato cheerfully answered, raising her glass. Rei shook her head negatively, causing the redhead to roll her eyes as she left the pool area.
Once in the locker room, she hurriedly dug out her phone and called Hikari. As the phone continued to ring, she began to mutter darkly in irritation, but once the phone clicked over into the other girl's voicemail, she sounded cheerful again.
"Hikari, it's Asuka. I need you to do me a favor and go over to Wonder- I mean Rei's apartment and make sure it's got the necessities and stuff. Misato's booting her from the apartment once we return, and I know she probably has no food or anything at her place. We'll talk more once we see each other, but I'm going to need your help with her. Oh- don't mention it to the Dummkopf- I'm sure that she'll want to have a teary-eyed goodbye with him. See ya!"
Clicking the phone shut, she buried it back into her clothing, wondering why her friend hadn't picked up. It wasn't particularly late, so she probably wasn't asleep, and it was a school night, which meant that the ultra-responsible girl wasn't out at the movies or anything. Putting her idle speculation aside, she made her way to the drinks stand, obtained a refill, and decided to argue with Misato again about why the woman wasn't letting her drink anything other than virgin daiquiris.
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Kaji paused the security recording and rewound it to the beginning, watching it again for the fourth time. This particular clip was only one of a few files on the unmarked CD that had shown up in one of his dead drops, but it was a goldmine of information. Strange, confusing information, but at the same time, very, very interesting.
Shinji Ikari, a meek, quiet boy with an exaggeratedly conflict-avoidant personality, launched himself at a boy several times his size, doing a remarkable amount of damage until his security team separated the pair.
A second video clip was of Shinji attacking his friend, Toji, despite still recovering from injuries sustained in the previous battle.
The third clip was of a crippled boy managing to overpower his security escort and make his way and Commander his Evangelion from the cages, where it had been waiting for Asuka.
There was no audio on the video clips, but there were transcriptions of what had been said.
The Section-2 agent who had left the CD for him had written the obvious conclusion in black and white in his summary, just in case the spy couldn't figure it out for himself.
This meek and unassuming boy, this boy who usually wouldn't say boo to a mouse, under certain circumstances, would flip out most astoundingly. The boy had certain triggers to unlock these near-psychotic rages, and the subject of Rei Ayanami, or to be more specific, her well-being, was one of them.
This, while interesting all on its own, was made more so when one considered how the girl seemed to reciprocate where the boy was concerned. Kaji looked over at the kitchen table, where the mark the thrown knife had left could still be seen if one was looking for it. She hardly ever seemed to react to anything else, even more so than Shinji, but she had definite ideas about what happened to people who would presume to partake of the boy's breakfast. Very violent ideas well past the point of mere disproportionate retribution and into the realm of insanity.
All of this from an otherwise calm, collected individual who remained unaffected by any other sort of provocation, be it from Asuka's pointed quips to the rigors of battle against the Angels.
It was an interesting puzzle on the best of days, but there was more. He had found nothing new at all about the girl's history. The girl was a ghost. What little there was on her was locked by order of NERV, including things that were of public knowledge for the other Children.
All in all, it was a fascinating puzzle. He couldn't wait to snoop around her home. There surely had to be something of interest there.
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Hikari stood in the open doorway to Rei's apartment, hands on her hips as she glared into the murky gloom of the dilapidated domicile. Toji and Kensuke, lassoed into helping her on this errand, stood with mouths agape as they peered past the irate brunette.
"Do we have the right place?" Hikari asked, not wanting to believe the small metal placard beside the door.
"It's apartment 402..." Kensuke muttered, tapping the number. "Ayanami, R. It's her place, alright."
"This is bullshit!" the girl exclaimed, walking through the door, not bothering to take off her shoes. "This isn't somebody's home; this is a hole you throw someone into and forget about them!" Eying the piles of trash in the kitchen with evident distaste, she started opening up cabinets and looking through them. The boys had no clue what she was looking for, but it was apparent she wasn't finding it. As Kensuke wandered further on into the mostly empty room, Toji ran a finger gingerly across the countertop, grimacing at the feel of dust and grease.
"No wonder she's all but moved in with the Shinji. Look at this place- she's got almost nothing at all." Toji ran a hand through his hair as he looked around the small kitchenette. "Does she eat anything but takeout? I mean... I know she was making food at Shinji's place, but-"
"But she doesn't have anything here past a frying pan and a kettle." Hikari finished her boyfriend's sentence, still looking around the apartment. "I knew that she was... odd," she said, biting her lower lip in both rage and unhappiness, "but... how could she live like this? Why didn't she say anything to anyone? There's not even a lock on the door! Anyone could traipse in here."
Toji frowned and was about to bring up the minor case of the armed guards downstairs when Kensuke returned to them.
"Guys, she's got like nothing but school clothes and a dress." He paused, looking at their expressions. "And that Halloween costume of hers, but that doesn't count as real clothes." He looked back into the room. "I think all she's got is a couple of books and these glasses."
"Rei doesn't wear glasses," Hikari said, puzzled, reaching for the eyepieces in Kensuke's hands. "Plus, these are broken. And they're men's glasses!"
"Look at the inside of the right arm." The bespectacled boy suggested, shoving his hands into his pockets. "It says G. Ikari."
"Ikari?"
Toji frowned as he mulled it all over. "Gendo Ikari. Shinji's dad. Hey, isn't he supposed to be like her guardian?"
Hikari looked up from the glasses, her eyes narrowing. "Yes, I think I remember that coming up. What do you bet he doesn't live like this? What is wrong with that man? He dumps his son off on the Captain, and for the girl he is the guardian of, he makes her live here?"
"I have heard him called 'The Bastard King' at Misato's parties before." Toji offered helpfully. "And Shinji's always an upset sort of tight-lipped about his dad, too."
"I wonder if the others know about all this?"
Hikari pursed her lips for a moment, then shook her head. "If they did, they'd freak. Shinji would, at least." Sighing, she walked into the middle of the room, each step sending up motes of dust into the air. "Alright, new plan. We're collecting what little she has up and taking it to my house."
"Your house?" Toji repeated as he started taking the small number of school uniforms out of the closet.
"My house." The girl confirmed, going to the kitchen to get a trash bag. "Misato might not have room at her apartment, but my house has a spare room. Even if it didn't, I wouldn't let her spend another night here." Opening up the lone chest of drawers, she sighed as she shoveled undergarments into the bag.
"Is your Dad going to be alright with this? What about your sisters? I mean-"
Hikari spun to glare through watery eyes at the boy. "What do you want me to do? It's not right for someone to live like this! Rei is our friend, Toji!"
"Yeah, but how are we going to explain to her bodyguards that she's moving? I doubt it's as simple as us picking up her stuff and taking it to your house."
A new look of angry determination settled over Hikari's face. "I'm going to make it that simple."
Kensuke came out of the small bathroom with confusion on his face. "Guys, why does Rei have a NERV nurse's uniform?"
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
Kozo walked into the tomb-like office to find Gendo standing at the window, staring out over his kingdom, the orange and yellow light of sunset painting a cheerful scene out on the forest and small city sitting nestled within the shelter of the Geo-Front.
"You wanted to see me?"
Gendo shifted his weight from leg to leg before turning and going to his chair. Only after pulling himself into his usual position, resting his elbows on the desk, hands clasped in front of his face, did he speak.
"The Old Men are changing things. They are sending the Fifth Child to us."
"But it's too early for that! He's not supposed to arrive until after the Twelfth Angel, at least!"
"I know. He's also not coming over in any manner of official capacity- Kiel is just lengthening the boy's leash. He also hasn't called to let me know about this, either."
The retired professor frowned. "What are they playing at, then? Are they expecting the boy to act as a spy? How do they expect him to explain his presence away?"
"My source is unsure. There have been some... odd reports about the boy amongst the mansion's staff."
"To be sure, if he is what we suspect." The older man's tone was sour as he mulled the information over. "What is your plan? How are we going to play this?"
"We're stepping up our timetables. The good Doctor has already scheduled the operation- all we need is for Rei to return from the hotel Major Katsuragi took them to."
"The first promotion, then?"
"Long over-due. Repeated successes against foes such as the Angels? Command of three Strategic level weapons, such as the Evangelions? She will not be a Major for very long."
"So you are advancing all of the projects, then. Risky move. Once you begin with Shinji, you cannot hold him in stasis. The status quo will have changed. There will be no going back."
"Until I know for certain what they are playing at with this move, I have to assume the worst. I could not do anything about the Second Impact, Kozo, but I will be dammed if I can't do anything about the Third. Kiel Lorenz doesn't just make idle moves with his pieces, and that boy is his lynchpin. His most powerful piece. He wants Nagisa to accomplish something here in Tokyo-3, and whatever it is, it will have to do with Impact. That's all that boy is meant for."
"Gendo..." Kozo paused, thinking for a moment. "Go ahead with the operation, if you must, but hold off on advancing Shinji's timetable. Let's be sure about this before we sacrifice his innocence."
"The Beast will awaken, Teacher," Gendo warned his old friend. "One way or another, the Beast will wake up and ascend on the path towards Godhood." He sighed, leaning back into his chair. "But I will hold off on the boy."
"Is there anything else, then? I was reviewing the estimates on repairs for Unit-00."
"Yes, about that... I think this is a good time to install some of our modifications."
"Which ones did you have in mind?"
Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier!
In the endlessly looping train in the perpetual sunset that was home to the souls of the Evangelions, Unit-02 looked up as Unit-00 limped into its train car.
What do you want?
Unit-00 sat beside the red Evangelion, giving off a wounded air. Hello to you too.
I was taking a nap. What do you want?
Unit-01 isn't letting me in its train car. I want to talk to it.
Are you still going on about when it kissed you? Because I think you dreamed that whole thing up. Even if you didn't, what are you going to talk about? How your sister is a batshit insane little girl? Or how you crawled through a river of lava?
I didn't dream it up, and it did kiss me. And is it so bad that I want to talk to it about this last mission?
The red Evangelion shrugged non-committedly. I suppose not. But why are you here bothering me when you should be bothering Unit-01?
The cycloptic Evangelion looked at its four-eyed sibling as if it was retarded. I already said that it wasn't letting me into its train car. I want you to talk to it. It might remember you from before. It's listened to you in the past.
Miss Ayanami, even if Yui still remembers me, I see no reason to facilitate this burgeoning relationship between a pair of souls currently housed in cybernetic war machines. Besides, Unit-02 appeared to sniff facetiously, you should feel ashamed of letting Evangelion's hormones get the better of you.
Hormones have nothing to do with it! Unit-00 protested, its singular eye flashing. Why couldn't it be interested in me for me?
Do you expect me to dignify that with an explanatory response?