Void, Part 3
Note, the parenthesis indicates languages other than Japanese, in this case, English and Interlac.
Please Read and Review. I'd like to know what I'm doing right (to keep doing it), and what I am doing wrong (to correct it).
Quintessence Plane
The Phantom Stranger and Deadman watched over the image-simulacrum-symbol of Earth. At a hand movement of the Stranger, the image grew until they seemed to stand as giants over Japan.
"(Whoah!)" Deadman exclaimed. "(Warn a fellow, will you? That felt like a rollercoaster!)"
"(My apologies, Deadman. I need to check on the bond.)" The Phantom Stranger stood over the ground on the image, his feet partly hidden by hills.
"(As long as it's not James, it's okay by me.)"
"(Nothing of the sort. I mean the bond between Shinji Ikari and Asuka Langley Soryu. If they are close enough after the events you related to me, it might be time to bring Miss Soryu into our side of events.)"
Deadman nodded, scratching his chin, "(Weeeell… they seemed to be quite smitten. I'm not a big expert in romance or chick-flicks or anything, but it seemed to me that if real life had a musical score, it would have been quite the celestial choir with harps and everything.)"
The image kept on growing under them, until they seemed to be about the height of an Evangelion. The Stranger gestured again. And they were normal sized again, standing at the top of a building, overlooking the almost empty place the pilots occupied.
"(There they are. Getting ready for school.)" A gesture from the mysterious man, and the building almost seemed to disappear, lights shone from within. The red lines between Shinji and Asuka grew brighter and thicker before their eyes.
"(Hey! The thorny thingies are gone!)" Deadman floated around the red thread, examining it closely. "(There are some bumps, but they are kinda blunt. What does that means?)"
"(It means Miss Soryu's soul had mended almost completely. Now it's only a matter of waiting for the right moment to reveal matters to her.)"
"(Cool! When will that be?)" Deadman rubbed his hands together in anticipation.
"(Soon. Just as with Shinji, she has to contemplate events from an outside perspective. At the moment, her pride would be the deciding factor in her answer. Once she has had the chance to examine her life, she will be ready to listen.)"
Tokyo-3
Japan
Katsuragi-Ikari Apartment
Kitchen Table
Three Evangelion Pilots and a Major sat at the table, ready to eat breakfast.
"Hey, Wonder Girl," Asuka elbowed her companion. "will you deny yourself this feast?" She inhaled deeply the steam coming from the kitchen, undisputed domain of their fellow pilot, Shinji Ikari.
"My diet doesn't include any kind of animal meat." She answered, "Fish counts too, tough other kinds of seafood do not. I may make an occasional exception of dairy products, maybe eggs, but that would be my limit."
"Oh, well… then I shall enjoy it in your stead, Wondy."
Misato put her can of beer on the table. "Easy, Asuka. Don't be pushy. Rei has a very strict diet, and we must respect it."
Shinji put a steaming pot on a wood piece over the table. "I am always prepared, Rei. I set apart some vegetable broth, and prepared a mushroom creamy soup." A moment later, he brought a bowl from the kitchen and set it in front of the bluenette. "Here you go. Would you like some shrimps next time?"
"Thank you. Yes, it would be nice."
"Anytime." He served the others before pouring his own soup.
Misato inhaled the steam eagerly. "Hey, did you do something new?"
"Yeah. Dr. Akagi brought a pack of dried fish. As a gift, but she asked for Misato to take some back to NERV. I got two thermos ready for her and Lt. Ibuki."
"Ah, sure, I'll deliver the soup to them before lunchtime" Misato beamed.
Asuka tasted the first spoonful, and closed her eyes in appreciation. "Well done, Wonder Boy! I bet you'll work your way in a restaurant in a few years. As a chef."
The phone rang at that moment, the machine picked up the message immediately. "Hi, Katsuragi. I found a bar that serves a decent drink. Wanna try it tonight? Bye!"
Asuka looked at Misato with suspicion. "Bar hopping in a Monday? What a shame! You're supposed to be our guardian, our example!" she cracked a smile after her diatribe. "Be here no later than 10:00 pm, little miss, or I'll have to ground you!"
"Yeesh… okay, mom…" The whole group erupted into laughter. Even Rei managed a small, tentative giggle. Shinji beamed, happy to see his quasi sister coming out of her shell, just a little bit more.
Tokyo-3
Japan
GeoFront
NERV HQ
Human Resources Office
Mr. Weatherbee typed furiously at his computer terminal. He had been processing job applications since he had started working for NERV. One or two of the applicants had the codified signs in their pictures that allowed him to recognize fellow drones of H.I.V.E. He managed to place one of them in a janitorial post. Later on, that drone would be designated to work near sensitive areas. After all, no one bothered a man with a broom. (1)
A Possible XXXIth Century
Sol System
In Stationary Orbit Around Titan, Satellite of Saturn
"(Imra?)" Live Wire asked, worried at the sight of Saturn Girl's (2) expression. His voice clear in the small confines of the orbital shuttle they had requisitioned at Titan's orbital docks.
"(I need to get closer, Garth. Even at this distance, I can feel intelligence and purpose in the giant. It's not simply a robot.)" Imra Ardeen held her index and middle fingers at her temples, in the classic pose of a telepath at work, while a a frown began to form between her eyebrows. "(It feels strange, as if there were several minds inside it. Together but still separate.)"
"(Hostile?)" He flexed his left arm. A crackle of electricity surrounding his fist, his right arm was a prosthetic replacement, it could handle some discharges of his power, but would have to be replaced if he wasn't careful. Ever since he had lost the original (3), he had taken to keeping at least one spare at hand; he and Lyle had chuckled at the accidental pun back when the two resident geniuses of the Legion of Superheroes, Invisible Kid and Brainiac 5 had modified the standard prosthesis into one that could handle high voltage discharges. For some reason, the Coluan didn't appreciate puns, jokes, or any other form of humor.
"(I don't think it is hostile. But I'll know more once we are closer.)" The blond Titanian looked intently at the block of space ice covering the colossus.
Back at the Legion cruiser, R.J. Brande listened to his two young friends. For a moment, his eyes wandered to Titan, remembering old friends, and one love lost in the name of peace and friendship. (4) He got back to the task at hand. Of the party that had accompanied him to Almeracian Empire territory, the only one still left in the ship was Lournu, Triad. The rest had gone either with Superboy, like Sensor and Gates; or back to Earth, like Apparition and Ultra Boy. Brainiac 5 had gone down to Titan, looking for a decently stocked lab to requisition, and charge it to the Legion's expenses bill.
"(What in the name of H'ronmeer (5) was Unit-01doing in the Almeracian Empire territory? It was lost after Third Impact was averted.)" He mumbled in ancient English. He took a decision, and pressed the comm link of his Omni-comm. "(Garth, Imra. Keep your distance. M'Onel will arrive soon. I'd prefer for you to have some heavy support before contacting the mind or minds inside that thing. And Ultra Boy had to go back to Earth with Tinya.)"
"(Sir?)" Garth asked, "(are you sure? Imra says it is not hostile.)"
"(It is asleep, for all we know.)" Brande observed. "(What mood are you in when you wake up?)"
"(Quite mellow, sir.)"
"(What about Ayla?)" The image of R.J. Brande smirked in the commscreen of the small ship the two Legionnaires had taken to examine the giant.
Garth gulped, finally the coin had dropped. His twin sister was a total terror until she had her first cup of caffstimm. "(Point taken, Mr. Brande. We are locking position to wait for M'Onel.)"
"(ETA 35 minutes, Garth, Imra. Get comfy.)" Brande sighed, relieved the hot-headed Winathian was not about to rush into a first contact with an unpredictable bio-mechanoid.
And if there was an unpredictable bio-mechanoid in the Galaxy, it was Unit-01.
Tokyo-3
Japan
GeoFront
NERV HQ
Harmonics Test Secondary Room
"B-Type harmonics test, all green."
"Projected adjustment values have been cleared."
The test was well within the expected parameters. The three pilots sat in their respective plugs, no more talk about cross-compatibility had been heard.
Lt. Hyuga looked aside at Major Katsuragi, normally, the woman was a force of nature, a purple-haired whirlwind, but not today. "You look tired, Major. Something wrong?" he asked.
She brightened immediately, "Yeah, for a lot of private reasons."
Dr. Akagi dotted an "I" on her clipboard. "Kaji related reasons, Misato?" she smirked.
Misato yelled back "None of your business! Shut your face!"
The Chief of Operations exhaled to calm herself. "Okay, back to the point, how are they doing, Maya?"
"Take a look." Maya leaned back on her chair, to allow Misato to examine the graphs on her screen.
"Oooh…" she cooed. "Three points up since the last harmonics test! This will be a big confidence boost!" she picked up a microphone, "Hey, congratulations! You are number one, Asuka!"
"Of course I am!" The redhead replied, with a big smile.
Tokyo-3
Japan
GeoFront
NERV HQ
Mess Hall
"I am great! I am awesome! I am invincible!" Asuka proclaimed her greatness right at the middle of the mess hall. "And you two are Wonderful! Wonder Girl and Wonder Boy. You better get your asses in second gear, I don't want to have to drag you up. I'd rather have us all in the higher scores! That would make our job so much easier!"
Shinji raised a can of soda to toast, "To Asuka Langley Soryu! The best in the test!" Rei, Misato, and Maya followed his example.
Tokyo-3
Japan
Hayashibara Books
Early Evening
"Good night, young Ikari!" The old man greeted Shinji as he crossed the threshold, "I am very glad to see you, I got a few more Newstime magazine issues."
"Great!" Shinji hurried to examine the bunch of magazines. One of them was a special issue about the JSA's 40th Anniversary!
Tokyo-3
Japan
Western District
Next Day
It was a sunny day, the kind of weather one can't help but enjoy. The shadows were sharp and defined.
However, one of those shadows was darker than any natural shadow had any right to be. It began as a shadow within a shadow. It began as a small point of darkness under a parked car; but amidst pinging sounds barely audible to the human hearing, it became a dot, then a circle, spreading itself under the car. A black circle of impenetrable darkness at first, it lightened to the shade a normal shadow should have as it emerged from under the car.
Hundreds of feet above the shadow, a colossal sphere appeared from thin air. It had an almost random pattern of black and white stripes, that made the eyes try to follow, but the pattern defied any attempt of a human mind to conciliate it with the sphere it belonged to.
Tokyo-3
Japan
GeoFront
NERV HQ
Central Dogma
Twenty Minutes Later
"Five minutes until evacuation of the Western District is complete." The reports came orderly to the Central Dogma crew. Since the first sighting of the strange Angel floating ominously over the city, the whole population of Tokyo-3 had responded according to the emergency drills practiced with regularity.
Lt. Aoba reported "The target is advancing slowly. 2.5 kph. It is coming right at us."
The door to the tactical floor opened with a hiss, Major Katsuragi ran to her post, adjusting her red jacket. "Sorry. Trafic."
"You are late." Dr. Akagi observed, acidly.
Ignoring the rebuke, Major Katsuragi looked from one holo image to the next, "What's going on? The observation centre in Fuji…"
Lt. Aoba cut her question. "They didn't detect it. It just appeared above us. No noise, no light, nothing! It just appeared."
Lt. Hyuga examined his screen, he delivered his own report still staring at it, fearing the data could change if he looked away. "Pattern Orange. No AT Field detected."
"What is this? A new kind of Angel?" Misato asked.
Lt. Ibuki cut in, "The MAGI are withholding judgement. Insufficient data."
Misato looked at the back of the chamber, the usual occupants of the highest vantage point were not in their places. "Damn! A situation like this, and Commander Ikari is away. Where's Vice-Commander Fujutsuki?"
Tokyo-3
Japan
Western District
The sphere floated lazily over the city, it even avoided touching the buildings, preferring to go around them, as if it were nothing but an impossibly big balloon.
It's movements were spied from behind the buildings, by several sets of eyes, not all of them human. "Robin here. The target keeps moving towards HQ."
"Wonder Girl reporting. According to my readings, the target keeps to a precisely set height. It doesn't hover up or down, nor laterally. Its movements are perfectly precise."
"I sent you all we have. At this point, you three have more data than us." Major Katsuragi nodded to herself. "Robin, Huntress, Approach it carefully and observe how it reacts. Wonder Girl, keep it in your sight. Be ready to shoot on my signal."
"Copy." The three pilots chorused
Tokyo-3
Japan
Western District
EVA-00 Core
"Boston-san?" a child's voice asked. "What is that? It's really an Angel?"
"I don't know, Rei. It must be an Angel, but it's even weirder that the big one that wanted to drop by for a visit."
"It's scary… it just doesn't do anything, but it scares me…"
"Yeah, I'm in the same page… I keep waiting for the big shoe to drop, and it doesn't. It would be bad for my nerves if I wasn't very dead, very buried, and very ghostly."
Tokyo-3
Japan
Western District
EVA-01's Plug
Shinji studied the enemy, while Misato kept instructing them.
"If you can, try to lure it outside the city limits. One of you at the front, the other two as back-up. Copy?"
Asuka was the first to answer. "Loud and clear, Major! I think it should be me on point. This is a job for the highest rated pilot, don't you think?"
Shinji gasped. Inner Robin didn't have any advice this time. He was only fretting at the back of Shinji's mind. He didn't have any argument against Asuka's proposal. "Be careful, Huntress. We don't know what kind of trick this thing is hiding." He said, "I'll move to cover you. Give me a minute."
Rei added immediately. "Unit-00 moving into new support position. Displacing 500 meters east."
Tokyo-3
Japan
Western District
EVA-02's Plug
Asuka was a bit surprised at the immediate support, but it felt good to have friends at her back. Especially as she and Shinji hadn't had a chance to talk about… she licked her lips, as if her mouth was dry, but actually, she was allowing herself a rare moment for a good memory.
She moved carefully around the buildings, keeping the striped sphere on sight as much as possible. She hefted the Smash Hawk in Unit-02's hands, checking its weight. After so many Angels had absorbed so many bullets without even a scratch, she had decided on a close quarters combat weapon. She would have preferred the Sonic Glaive, but in the close confines of a city, it would be hard to use it.
She stopped when she felt a pull at her back. The umbilical cable had reached its end. She stopped next to a fake building, letting the cable disconnect and fall to the ground, replacing it with a new cable, taken from the building.
"Control? Any changes?" She asked.
"None so far." Major Katsuragi answered, the worry clear in her voice. "The MAGI can't even decide if this thing is an Angel or not."
"Got it. I'm getting near. Robin, Wondy? Are you in place?"
"I'm ready, Huntress, trading hand weapon for a pallet rifle. Somehow I don't think I have enough firepower."
"Unit-00 in position, clear view to target center of visual mass, compensating aim to strike at center; ready to shoot on order."
"Huntress in position, Control. I'd like to see what does that thing do. Deploying secondary weapon for initial attack, main weapon in reserve." At her command, Unit-02 held the Smash Hawk in its left hand, while extracting the Progressive Knife from the left shoulder pylon. She tested the weight of the relatively small blade, calculating the best throw. After a second, EVA-02 took aim, drew its right arm backwards, and threw the PK at the floating balloon.
She expected it to either bounce or get stuck into the Angel's form, but the weapon simply passed through the space the Angel occupied. But as soon as the point of the knife touched it, the Angel disappeared with a flicker that hurt the eyes.
"Was? Where is it? Where is it? Control?"
Activity in Central Dogma jumped from tense to frantic in a moment. The first to report his findings was Lt. Hyuga, "Pattern Blue confirmed! It's an Angel!"
Author Notes
1. A plot point Sir Pterry Pratchett liked to use in his Discworld books.
2. Imra Ardeen, AKA Saturn Girl, is the resident telepath of the Legion of Superheroes, while Garth Ranzz, AKA Live Wire's power is high voltage electricity. The original versions, debuted in Adventure Comics issue 247 (Apr 1958); Though the original Garth was called Lightning Lad. The post Zero Hour versions, the ones we have here, debuted in Legion of Super-Heroes issue 0 (Oct 1994)
3. The original Lightning Lad lost his right arm to the Super-Moby Dick of Space, a titanic space whale; in a story very obviously influenced by Moby Dick, it was in Adventure Comics issue 332 (May 1965). Live Wire lost his arm during a fight with his brother, Lightning Lord, in Legionnaires issue 30 (Oct 1995).
4. Brande is remembering Princess Cha'rissa, Prince Jemm, and the events in the Rings of Saturn saga, published in Martian Manhunter issues 13 to 6 (Dec 1999 to Mar 2000)
5. Martian God of Death, fire, life and light. He debuted in the Martian Manhunter miniseries, issue 1 (May 1988)