Vertigo, Part 6
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)
Notes, the parenthesis indicates languages other than Japanese, in this case, English.
Day Four
Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront
NERV HQ
Central Dogma 2 (Former Secondary Hub; transitional stage to new Primary Hub)
"Slow… slow… stop… turn to the right… just a bit more… stop. Now push it forward… wait. Checking alignment… perfect! Push… stop." Lt. Tomoyo Yamaguchi confirmed the alignment of the heavy mobile cradle that transported MELCHIOR to its new location. It was a delicate work, with little margin for errors. The cloned brain had been put in a state similar to a deep sleep, reducing its requirements of energy, data, and nutrients to a minimum. Once confirmed that the heavy cradle was on the right place, she continued to guide the team to insert the living computer in its new place. "It's almost there, team. Steady…" A series of clicks broke the silence, the restraining bolts were all in position. MELCHIOR had been successfully moved to its new home. Lt. Yamaguchi entered an order in the cradle keyboard, and the delicate, but automated process of connecting the cloned brain to its new interface system began.
CASPER had been moved first, and was now running diagnostic routines on itself. Lt. Ibuki reported the progress, "Diagnostics green at 43%. No errors detected so far, Dr. Akagi. If we continue at this rate we will finish the moving tonight."
Dr. Akagi set down a note on her clipboard, satisfied with the progress. "Great news, Maya. Let's hope things keep on like this."
Maya cleared her throat, "Um… When will be able to try the recovery?"
"Not this week. We need to be sure the MAGI are working correctly. Then we must analyze the previous attemp data, add the current data on Unit-02, and run a lot of simulations."
"Oh. Of course."
"I know you're anxious to try, but this is one thing we cannot hurry."
"How are we going to integrate the Fifth Child into the schedule?"
"Simulations in the Pribnow Box, to start with. I'd rather not repeat the Unit-03 fiasco. That damned Angel almost killed us all."
Maya shuddered. "The last one was too close for any comfort."
"To be honest, the 13th scared me more. I barely had any time to realize we had the 14th upon us when Unit-00 crashed through the wall. With the 13th I had enough time to anticipate that something very bad was about to happen."
"I hadn't thought about it that way." Maya mumbled. "For me, it was the laser eyes. I thought that would be the last thing I ever saw. I've had nightmares the last few days." Suddenly, she gasped. "Dr. Akagi! What about the anomaly?"
The scientist groaned, shaking her head. "Put a pin on it. We will have to check if it has come up again in Unit-02."
Maya nodded, and added a note in the schedule for the day after tomorrow. Moving and setting the MAGI would take the whole day.
Somewhere in the Pacific Ocean
(Previous location of the Hawaii Islands Chain)
Dr Canus looked at the compass on his hand, and once again tried to make sense of the map he had brought back from Superboy's former home. It was a rough tourist map of the Hawaii islands, printed a few years before the Tide. But Canus had added some notes to it. It had been an exercise in navigation back then, before the Tide; but it was supposed to be their way to escape Nosferata's reach.
"(I don't understand…)" he mumbled. "(We should have found land already…)"
"(Um… Doctor?)" Tanny whispered, trying to not wake the pups up. "(We are running out of water. And powdered milk.)"
"(I know. I just… I thought we would find Hawaii here (1). All my readings say we are at the right place, but there's nothing.)"
"(Are we…)" the little lioness hesitated.
Canus knew what she meant. '(Grant!)' He prayed in silence, '(She's still a cub! And my children have not even opened their eyes. Please don't let us die here.)' He passed her the binoculars. "(Can you see anything?)"
"(Doctor! Look!)" Tanny stood up excitedly. "(Birds!)" She pointed towards the horizon. "(There must be land!)" (2)
Canus felt a new strength running through his veins. "(I'll handle the sail, Tanny! Don't lose them!)"
An hour later, they arrived at a small island. Canus dragged the boat to shore, waking up his cubs, who yipped loudly, scared by the sudden movement. Tanny tried to calm them, but it took them several minutes and a feeding to get them to sleep.
Canus surveyed the place. The vegetation seemed… limp… and he got a feeling of sadness. Like a lingering smell…
"(I'll look for a place to shelter.)" He said, taking one of the oars as an improvised weapon. "(By Grant!)" He interrupted himself. "(There's a stream there!)"
Tanny gave him a canteen.
"(Stay alert, close to the boat. We don't know if there are wild animals here.)" Canus said firmly. "(I'll check the water.)"
Minutes later, he brought back the canteen. "(It seems to be safe. But we better make sure.)" Gathering some dry leaves, he lit a fire on the rocky beach. It took a little while to boil the water, and then wait for it to be cool again.
He sniffed it. "(I'll try it first. You stick to the water we brought, okay?)" He drank a mouthful. The taste was different from the water in the Wild Lands, but it seemed to be fine.
He looked around again. Carefully this time. Almost hidden behind several fallen leaves, there was a wooden sign. The text was barely readable. The wood and paint had cracked under the tropical Sun. It took Canus a while to trace the letters.
"(We… ome to… oey Koe… ey?)" He read, and scratched his head in confusion. "(What does that mean?)"
A small figure appeared in the shadows of the bushes. It spoke with a weak, but excited voice. "(It means "Welcome to Kooey Kooey Kooey"!)" (3) A thin human emerged, he was almost naked, except for a skirt made of grass and a ratty baseball cap. "(I'm so glad you came! I was going nuts here, and Kooey Kooey Kooey too! We've been alone and drifting for years! But we kept hoping there was somebody else still alive!)"
The man was crying openly, he fell on his knees and sobbed, "(We are not the last…)" he said, his shoulders shaking with each sob. "(We are not alone.)"
Canus knelt next to the man, and awkwardly patted his back.
Tokyo-3, Japan
Tokyo-3 First Municipal Junior High School
Classroom 2-A
"Man, that last one really did a number on downtown, didn't it?" Kensuke blurted as soon as he saw Shinji and Rei. It was really early in the school day, so the group would have about five more minutes of relative privacy.
The two pilots glared at him. It was not exactly hostile, but it was definitively a cold reception.
"What?"
Hikari joined the group, dropping her book bag on her desk. "That was very insensitive, Kensuke." She said, directing her own glare to the bespectacled kid. "People lost their homes or their workplaces. Or both! And you're treating it like a… like an action movie!"
Kensuke looked down. "Sorry, you're right. I didn't think."
The three students relaxed a bit. Hikari looked around. "Is Asuka okay?" She asked, worried for her friend. "Will she come later?"
"You better sit down, Hikari." Shinji said, his face grim and serious.
"Is she…?" Hikari covered her mouth with a hand.
"We are not sure." Rei answered. Hikari looked at her, noticing the slight swelling on her eyes. It was clear the bluenette hadn't slept well.
Kensuke sat down too. A feeling of guilt creeping down to his stomach. He opened and closed his mouth several times, but couldn't find words. Suddenly, he was very glad to have dropped his photo hustle, despite the protests of their former clients. 'Toji was right.' He thought. 'He was right.'
Shinji closed his eyes, leaning his head back. He spoke with barely audible voice. "Something really strange happened. She… she went over the synch level. She surpassed 400% synch… Unit-02…" he gulped. Even knowing she would return, there was still a nagging sense of doubt and fear gnawing at his heart. Almost like a hook point. Shaking his head, he leaned forward again, speaking firmly, "Unit-02 absorbed her."
Hikari and Kensuke gasped. "What? How is that even possible?" She said.
"Dr. Akagi is preparing some way to get her back. I don't know what or how. Misato couldn't really tell me. Too much technobabble. The thing is that it will take a while." Shinji looked down.
Rei continued, "There is no guarantee she will come back." She swallowed the lump in her throat. Shinji squeezed her shoulder in silent support.
"About the only good news we have for now is that Toji is recovering nicely. He sends his regards."
"I'll get him the notes after school." Hikari nodded to herself.
Shinji shook his head. "There's a lockdown, Hikari. Only NERV personnel can enter. There was a lot of damage down the GeoFront, I doubt they will allow civilians in until the repairs are finished. Maybe not even then." Shinji sounded terribly tired, she thought. "I'll do it. I'll even help him study until they send him back home. I think they will release him by the end of the week, to heal at home."
"Thank you." She glanced at her watch, small groups of their classmates began to appear at the door. "Class is about to begin." She looked around, noting the empty seats. "We are missing several classmates, I hope they are well."
Kensuke looked around the half empty classroom, "I don't think they will come back. I heard some people talking in the bus stop. Everybody is scared of the next attack. They are moving to other cities. They say this place is cursed."
Shinji scoffed. 'It's not the place.' He thought.
Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront
NERV HQ
Commander's Office
(After school)
Shinji and Rei stood at attention at one end of the expansive office, waiting for Commander Ikari's instructions. Next to them, Major Katsuragi stood too, perfectly immobile.
As always, Vice-Commander Fujutsuki stood a step behind the Commander.
Gendo's eyes studied the trio, hidden behind his orange tinted glasses, and his interlaced hands hid his mouth, giving him a decidedly sinister look. After a long minute of watching the two pilots, Commander Ikari spoke.
"Due to the recent events, the roster of pilots will be adjusted as follows. The First Child will return to piloting Unit-00; the Third Child will return to Unit-01. A new pilot will be selected for Unit-02."
Rei inhaled brusquely, "But, Sir? What about As… about the Second Child?"
"Efforts are underway towards her recovery." Commander Ikari answered coldly. Rei's conditioning kicked in, and the cloned girl stood at attention once again. But behind her immobile face, her thoughts were in turmoil.
Fujutsuki decided to cushion the blow, "An interim pilot. Just in case of an Angel attack. Should it be necessary, otherwise we risk being overwhelmed, as the Fourteenth almost did." He tilted his head fractionally towards Shinji, a small sign of respect to Shinji. "Of course we will make every effort to recover the Second Child."
Shinji nodded. And hoped Deadman was listening.
"Major Katsuragi." Commander Ikari said, his voice as cold as ever. "The Marduk Institute is evaluating possible candidates as we speak. I expect to be notified of their choice tomorrow at the most. As Dr. Akagi is busy with the move to the Secondary Control Center, Lt. Ibuki will arrange matters with the new pilot and their family."
"Understood, Sir."
Commander Ikari addressed his son, without any semblance of parental interest. "Third Child, previously, you offered to help in the training of the now incapacitated Fourth Child. You will do the same for the Fifth."
'Not even bothered to ask?' Shinji thought, but he kept his opinion to himself, maintaining his meek mask. "Yes, sir." He said.
The Dreaming
The House of Secrets
Kyoko topped her host's teacup, "Say, this tea is very good, Abel. The best I've drank in my life."
"Glad you lik-k-ke it, Lady Kyoko. It was d-dreamt by some guy in the 1940s, and he left it here while he p-p-put on a gas mask for some reason (4). I found it when I moved in, and k-k-kept a tin for a special occ-c-cassion."
"I would like to get some back." Asuka said. Though she preferred coffee, a tea as good as this one was to be appreciated.
"Sorry, it c-c-can only exist in the D-d-dreaming."
Kyoko settled back on her chair, "Did you enjoy your story, Liebling?"
Asuka took a moment to think her answer. "Actually, yes. Abel is a great storyteller." She smiled, while Abel beamed a nervous smile. It was always good to be praised honestly. "I don't know why did you choose that story, but the protagonist reminded me of somebody I know."
"Wouldn't happen to be your special friend? Yui's child?" Kyoko enjoyed the blush spreading over Asuka's cheek. Pointedly, she brought up her knitting bag, and continued her work.
"Um… yes?" Asuka hesitated. "Erm… Mama? I hope you are not.."
"Oh, no, dear. You're too young for that, but knitting is something to do; to pass time. And what you said gave my two halves something to bond over."
Asuka exhaled in relief. "Saving the world comes first, Mama." She put her cup back on the saucer, stood up, and closed a fist in front of her face. If there was a place to be over-the-top dramatic, the Dreaming was it. There was even a lightning strike and the rumble of a thunder! "Time to visit your maniac of a brother." She growled, eyeing the pokers next to the hearth.
Abel followed her gaze, "D-d-don't even think it! He won't try to hurt you. He will just-t-t be t-t-trying to sc-c-care you, but wouldn't d-d-dare to try anything for r-r-real." Next to Abel's chair, Goldie chirped her agreement as she ate a cookie.
"He better not, I'm not in the mood to tolerate idiotic antics." Asuka hissed, and for a fleeting moment, a human-sized Unit-02 stood behind her, mimicking her posture, but holding a progressive knife in its hand. Asuka left the parlor without any delay, the light of the chimney fire projected her shadow on the walls, and it looked like Unit-02's.
"Oh, my." Abel gasped. "T-t-t-that's something you d-d-don't see everyday, even h-h-here."
"Indeed!" Kyoko clapped her hands a few times, almost like a little girl. "That's my baby!"
Tokyo-3, Japan
Tezuka Park (5)
Special Inspector Ryoji Kaji sat on a stone seat. It was a very specific chess table, in a very specific part of the park. He opened the newspaper, folded it down in a compact way, to keep his lines of vision open, and began to read.
There were multiple tables around him. A couple of old men, three tables away, played their own game. Kaji waited.
Finally, Mr. Weatherbee appeared, "Good morning, Mr. Kaji. Fancy a game?" He showed a cheap lacquered box.
"Why not?" He set the paper next to him. "I've been waiting for fifteen minutes."
"My apologies, Inspector. I had to change my route. The Angel damage, I'm sure you understand." The foreigner sat down on the opposite seat, and began to arrange the pieces.
Kaji took a pawn, and pushed it impatiently to open the game. "Let's go to the point. You said you had information."
Weatherbee moved his own pawn, "I do. I've been noticing some strange reassignments on the staff. I can't prove they are doing something illegal, but it's enough to make me suspect."
Kaji nodded, "Why didn't you ask your boss?"
"I'm not sure he is not involved. I thought you would be a better option."
"I'm here only as an observer. I don't have any official power."
"But you know somebody who has."
Kaji studied the man's face. "I can't confirm or deny that."
Author Notes.
(1) Second Impact caused a colosal tsunami. The wave sunk or damaged most of the Hawaii chain of islands.
(2) Birds on flight, generally seagulls, are one of the signs that there's land beyond the horizon.
(3) Kooey Kooey Kooey is a curious geographic location. It is a mobile, living island. During the JLI era, the tribesmen who lived there put Kooey Kooey Kooey under the protection of the JLI. After a few misadventures, including the ill-planned building of a resort (Blue Beetle and Booster Gold used JLI funds to pay for it), and the return of the Extremists, the status of Kooey Kooey Kooey was left vague, until the island was destroyed by an artificial tsunami. Kooey Kooey Kooey is not anchored to the seabed, and can move around by itself, ocassionally attaching itself to undersea mountains or volcanos. The tribesmen claim to be in a sort of telepathic contact with the island, and also claim that there's at least one volcano who is Kooey Kooey Kooey's friend. Kooey Kooey Kooey debuted in the Justice League International Annual 3 (Jul, 1989)
(4) The man with the gas mask is no other than the Golden Age Sandman, Wesley Dodds. He had a series of prophetic dreams about crimes and adopted the Sandman identity to stop those crimes. The Sandman has already appeared in this story, when the Phantom Stranger showed the origin of the JSA to Asuka and Shinji. He debuted in New York World's Fair Comics issue 1 (Apr, 1939), part of a set of two commemorative comics set in the eponymous event.
(5) Original place. Named after the father of Japanese manga, Osamu Tezuka (1928-1989).