Interludes After the Ninth Angel, Part 2

Note, the parenthesis indicate languages other than Japanese, in this case, English.
Please Read and Review. I'd like to know what I'm doing right (to keep doing it), and what I'm I doing wrong (to correct it).

Tokyo-3
Katsuragi-Ikari Apartment
Three Days After Matarael
04:17 P.M.

Shinji Ikari sat at the kitchen table, working on his homework. Misato was still at NERV, Rei at her apartment, and Asuka had gone to the roof to do whatever she did up there. As she had made clear, it was her private time, and if they really needed something from her, she always had her cellphone at hand.

As Shinji reached for a book, the colors shifted around him. The unmistakable sign that the Phantom Stranger was around.

The man stood next to the door, and tipped his hat to the young pilot. "Shinji."

"Stranger! How did it go?" His book and homework forgotten, the young man jumped to his feet, anxious to know the results of their work.

The mysterious man's lips twitched in almost a smile. "Dr. Akagi is now chasing an equipment malfunction. As we expected, she found Deadman's brainwaves in your operational recording of the fight against Matarael. She now believes the change in brainwaves and the drop in the synch rate were caused by some defective component in the Evangelion units themselves. As the anomalous readings have not occurred in Unit-00, she is concentrating on the other two. She has also iniciated discreet contact with the Second Branch, in Nevada. She asked to see the record of their pilot's synch and activation tests."

Shinji sighed, relieved. "So, Asuka?"

"I am confident her status as a pilot will be reactivated long before Sahaquiel arrives. In the meanwhile, I want to introduce you to someone who will help prepare you for what's coming."

"Who?"

The Stranger walked to Shinji's collection of books and magazines about the metahuman champion from the past, and pulled a book from its place. For a moment, he seemed to weight in on his hand, then he put it over the table and as soon as he released it from his hand, the book's pages began to flip by themselves, until they stopped around the middle of the book.

Shinji looked at the pages, surprised. "Him? But isn't he..?"

"Yes. He is dead. But there is still a place he can reach into the material plane. Even though he didn't really believe in supernatural matters, he was chosen to wait for the right ones to guide and train. You are one of them."

Shinji nodded, his lips pressed together into a thin line, his face full of determination. "What do I need to do?"

"Put your heart into your training. Listen to his words. And above all, persevere; he is not an easy person to know and deal with. Now, grab some warm clothes. We are going into one of the few places on this world where snow still falls." With a flick of his hand, the book returned to its proper place in the bookcase.

"Sure," Shinji could barely contain his nerves and enthusiasm, but Inner Robin brought a question to ask the Stranger. "Wait, there is another pilot?"

Metropolis, USA
Planet Media, Editorial Offices
The Day Before Matarael; 05:00 PM. (Local time)

"(Olsen! To my office! NOW!)" Perry White's unmistakable bellowing voice reverberated all over the main room of the Daily Planet.

"(On my way, Chief!)" Olsen answered from the other side of the room, hurriedly closing his laptop.

"(How many times do I have to tell you? Don't call me Chief! I hate that.)" Perry grumbled while James Olsen closed the office door, laptop still on hand.

"(Sorry, Perry.)" Olsen sat on the offered chair, while Perry walked laps behind his desk, as was his custom. He moved as much as possible when he needed to think.

"(Bah, just leave it! Now, I want you to get in contact with your sources again. Check if they have found anything about Luthor. The man has been living like a recluse ever since his second presidential turn ended.)" White's face twisted in disgust. "(It's been seven years since then. No one has seen hair nor hide of him. And shut your mouth, I know what you were about to say.)"

Olsen closed his mouth and smirked. "(Sure. Luthor has been too quiet, Perry. Since Superman disappeared, he well... it's like he just lost it.)"

"(He lost it, yes.)" White passed a hand over his thinning hair. He chewed on the end of his unlit cigar; it had been several years since he had stopped smoking in the Planet's offices, but still, having a cigar in his mouth gave him something to bite. "(He became a model citizen, and no one has been able to see what kind of shady deals he has been up to. It really looks like he cleaned his act.)" Perry sat heavily on his chair, rumbling his next words. "(And I don't believe that for even a single second!)"

"(Me neither, Perry.)" Olsen opened the laptop, and typed a few commands. A second later, pictures appeared on his screen. Most were of Luthor during his presidential campaign; smiling that disgustingly oily smile of his, shaking hands with the voters or government officers; a few were from the day he stepped down from office. "(But I think it wasn't really after Superman disappeared. Big Blue was last seen back in early 2003. Luthor slowed his shady business around mid 2001, after Mercy Graves was shot dead in the line of duty, and he was wounded himself.)" From the way Olsen said it; the word 'Duty'seemed dirty by association.

"(Dreadful woman that one.)" Perry grumbled. His reporters had had more than one fight against Luthor's personal bodyguard, "(Kent and Lane, God Bless her Soul, used to clash with her back in the day.)" The veteran publisher's eyes lost focus for a moment, remembering. His eyes flickered to a framed picture hanging on the wall, it had been taken years before, when Kent had published his second novel, Under a Yellow Sun. It was taken for some guy whose name he couldn't remember, a friend of Olsen. The group was sitting at a table during the presentation of the book, Kent, Lane, Olsen and himself, all smiling for the camera. '(Now, that was a good night.)' White thought.

After close to ten seconds, Olsen asked. "(Uh, Perry? Do you think Clark… will… come back?)"

The man sighed heavily and shook his head. "(I wish he would, Heaven knows we need people like him. But, no one has even seen him since I don't know when. I spoke to his mother last Christmas, and the poor woman hasn't heard of him for over ten years!)"

The unspoken conclusion hung heavily between the two men. Until Perry slammed his hand on the desk. "(What are you waiting for, Olsen? Get to work!)"

Jimmy stood up, galvanized by his boss' exclamation. "(Yes, Sir!)" and saluted.

Once the redheaded man was out. Perry smiled. "(Hah! I always knew a tour in the Army would do him good.)"

Gotham City.
Selina Kyle's Apartment.
October the 8th,2002; 02:18 A.M.

She was halfway through the living room and called out her name, forgetting for a moment just where she was.

"(Harl?")

There was no answer. Of course there wouldn't be any answer. Harley Quinn had been shipped out of Gotham. Her sanity broken by the horrors that damned clown had subjected her to. Her vibrant personality was completely gone. All that remained of her was a broken shell, mumbling barely understandable words.

Her eyes stopped on a framed picture over a side table. A memory of the good old times, back when they were three naughty friends having fun, robbing rich guys blind and being chased by the biggest and baddest good boy in the world.

She was in the bottom of the image, her cat ears being pulled by Harley, while Pam pulled Harley's pigtails. All three smiling at the camera, held by some guy Pam had enthralled with a kiss.

Selina caressed the picture with her fingertips, "(I miss you, gals...)" She whispered. Pamela Isley, AKA Poison Ivy, had simply disappeared after Second Impact hit, putting her life upside down.

Her heart broke a little more as she saw the frame on the wall. It was an old mewspaper clipping, the headline read "(Catwoman's Crime Spree Stopped by the Batman)" and a picture of her, tied up by wrists and ankles with batline and a batarang still hanging from the knot. A note had been pinned to her cowl. The text was unreadable, but the bat shape at the top was better than a signature.

She smiled sadly, Bruce was gone too. But unlike Harley, who might one day, with a lot of luck and work, recover. Or Pam, who might simply reappear, Bruce was gone. Forever.

Dick had told her so. From his hospital bed, while recovering from yet another surgery to try to give him as much mobility on his leg as possible.

She rummaged into the drawers, until she found a bottle.

Meanwhile, her black cat, Isis, rubbed herself against her ankles, begging for food. Selina Kyle cried silent tears of pain, loss and frustration.

She put the bottle down, and washed Isis' bowls. Once dried, she filled them with food and water. As the feline ate, Selina took the bottle, contemplating the licquor inside.

For long minutes she studied the way the light played on the amber liquid.

Finally, she put it down again and closed the drawer.

"(Not today. Not today.)" She whispered, and put the bottle back into the drawer, pushing it to the back.

"(Good. I was hoping you'd take the right choice.)" A voice whispered from the couch. Somehow, the whisper was loud enough to be heard at the other side of the apartment.

Selina crouched instantly, and her fingers tensed into claws. Her fingernails had lost some of their sharpness during her mourning, but would be up to the task of dealing with the intruder. It was a man, sitting on the rocking chair, his elbows resting comfortably on the cushioned arms, his fingers tented in front of his face.

"(Easy,)" the voice said. "(I mean you no harm.)" The figure held up his empty hands. It was a man, half-hidden in the shadows. Selina saw he was wearing a trenchcoat, and a fedora projected a deep shadow over his face, hiding it completely.

"(Who the Hell are you?)" She hissed, preparing helself to attack at the moment the man made any sudden move.

"(That would be the Question, indeed.)" He answered, tilting his fedora upwards. A surprised gasp escaped her lips.

Selina Kyle had seen many strange things since the first time she had taken the identity of Catwoman, but nothing had prepared her for the sight of a man without a face.

Where his features should have been, there was only skin, perfectly smooth skin.

Tokyo-3
Roof of the Building where the Katsuragi-Ikari and Ayanami-Soryu Apartments are Located
Three Days After Matarael
05:47 P.M.

Asuka Langley Soryu sat on the usual bench at the roof of the building, watching the city below. Next to her, a cardboard box had just been closed. Its content well cared for.

Asuka flexed her fingers, rubbing the fingertips agains her thumbs; they hurt a bit, but they hurt less these days. Soon she would be ready to prove to the Third Child just who she was.

She shook her head, flipping her long hair around.

Funny. Although being sidelined had hurt, knowing both the Third and First Child spoke in her favor, and were willing to refuse their kill-marks for her lifted her heart. She knew she wasn't the easiest person to get along with, she had the self-sabotaging habit of pushing people to see if they would abandone her, and they usually did, proving they weren't their friends, but somehow, Shinji and Rei, and even Misato, had stuck to their guns for her. Plus, the praise she had received (through clenched teeth, in the Commander's case) for her contribution in the emergency operations during the Ninth Angel's attack, well... Interestingly, she had been more praised for her ingenuity than her actual piloting. It was a strange new feeling, one she treasured.

Hey eyes roamed once again over the cityscape, looking for the place that creepy Angel had been killed. The cranes of the clean-up crew would be there for a long time. The size of the Angel was truly monstruous, and the removal operations would take a long time before that section of Tokyo-3 could be cleared, repaired, and used again.

A far away sound of cutting reached her ears. A big piece of one leg swung slowly from a high tensile cable, as the crane lowered it to the ground. Asuka had seen the crews at work before, but only for a few minutes, and never in the city itself.

It was almost hypnotic. The men would swarm over the titanic creature, preparing each section for cutting and transport. Asuka didn't know what they did with the pieces, but she guessed they would be destroyed, somehow. Once the Angels were dead, their bodies began to decompose, just like any other creature in the world.

Misato had told her of their problems with the Fourth Angel's body, the stench had been incredible after the first week. They had to use lasers to cut it to pieces and transport the fragments to somewhere they could safely dispose of them.

The Fifth Angel was at the same time, less and more of a problem. The crystaline thing didn't actually rot. The body was a single crystal, made of some matter Earth science couldn't even begin to analyze. However, it was incredibly hard, and the removal crews had to work very hard and spend a lot of cutting tools to barely made a dent on the cutting lasers were useless, as the light was refracted before making any dent in the body.

The Third Angel had obligingly disposed of itself, by blowing itself up. The Sixth, well... it had done the same, just under water. Asuka furrowed her brow. That was the moment she had realized Shinji was a little pervert. But... what if what Misato had said was true?

The baka had several chances already to perv out over her. And still... He hadn't taken the bait. He was acting like a gott-damned gentleman! Her plan to expose him as a perv was taking too long to yield any result.

She sighed. Her relationship (her WORK relationship, she hurried to ammend herself), with Ikari was complicated. So, Asuka went back to the Angels.

The Seventh Angel, also exploded, but this time, it had been by THEIR design, not like the Third and Sixth, which had tried to take the EVA pilots with them. And the Eight; creepiest looking Angel so far (even counting the spider-like Ninth Angel, a weird bird-like skeleton ranked highed in her creep-o-meter), had decomposed so fast they science crew barely had time to get some samples.

She stood up, and arched her back until she heard a series of popping noises. She had been up there for about an hour.

Time to go down and see what the Boy Wonder had cooked. She took her box, and went back into the building.

Author Notes

Jimmy Olsen was first introduced in the radio series The Adventures of Superman on April 15, 1940, and was officially incorporated in the comics in Superman #13 (November–December 1941). Although an unnamed kid in Action Comics #6 (November 1938), is credited as the first canonical appearance of Jimmy Olsen. Olsen had his own title Jimmy Olsen, Superman's Pal, for quite a long time (October 1954 until March 1974), with a lot of curious adventures, and gaining a respectable amount of temporary superpowers, from the interesting to the utterly ridiculous. And during Jack Kirby's tenure on the book, several ideas were permanently introduced to the DCU, mainly Darkseid, the New Gods, and Project Cadmus (and reintroducing the Newsboy Legion and the Guardian, with a new generation of Newsboys, and a clone of the Guardian).

Perry White also debuted in radio, in the second episode The Adventures of Superman (February 14, 1940). His first comic book appearance was in Superman #7 (November 1940). He has mostly have the same personality, but ocassionally also gained superpowers, not with Olsen's frequence, but yes, he did. The novel Under a Yellow Sun, a novel by Clark Kent isanother of those curious experiments, the book was actually published as a one-shot, IIRC, it runs two parallel storylines, one is the novel by Kent, the other is about the events that inspired the story in universe.

The original version of Lex Luthor first appeared back in Action Comics #23 (April 1940), although his most recognizable characteristics were first introduced with the Ultra-Humanite. Luthor has had several incarnations through the years, but the one I'm using here is the Post-Crisis version introduced in Man of Steel #4 (1986)

Of course, Luthor had to survive Second Impact. Just like in canon, he ran for President, and won. However, in this version of the story, he was reelected, after a tempestuous first period due to Second Impact.

This is not the last we will heard of Lex Luthor in this story.