Vertigo, Part 16

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 Nine

Tokyo-3, Japan
Horaki House
Entry

"I…" Shinji gulped. "I know Superman came back… or was that somebody else just pretending to be Superman? Like the Four?"

Hikari raised her eyes, it was a glimmer of hope after the senseless violence, death and destruction they had just witnessed.

The Stranger nodded at Shinji, and a door appeared in the empty whiteness they stood in. "He came back, yes. Death can be… well… not as permanent as it seems to be. Sometimes, souls come back, and though it is a rare event, it is disproportionately frequent for meta humans, or even regular humans who get involved in those struggles."

The door slid open, and the trio stepped back into Hikari's house.

"We will continue soon." The Stranger said. "This was almost all the time you could spare for now. In the meanwhile, reflect on what you have seen, and follow Wildcat's instructions."

"We will." Hikari said, hesitantly. She repeated herself a moment later, with more conviction.

Tipping his fedora, the Phantom Stranger vanished, and the colors returned to their normal shades.

"Hum…" Hikari cleared her throat. A gesture so human it belied her confessed nature as a White Martian. "What did you mean with 'The Four?"

"Ah, after Superman's funeral, four heroes appeared, each one bearing Superman's symbol.(1) They were very different from each other. I have very little info about them after the funeral. Only two of them were still active around the time Second Impact occurred, one turned out to be a genocidal monster." He paused, thinking. "People thought one of them had to be the real Superman, returned to life. Each one had their supporters. Let me remember…" he began to tick off his fingers. "There was Superboy, a young clone, he looked around fifteen or sixteen years old; but insisted on being called Superman (2)." Then the Cyborg Superman (3), supposedly Superman rebuilt with cybernetic parts, he looked like a freaking Terminator, only one quarter of his face was even organic, the rest was a mechanic skull. He was the monster I told you. Then, the Kryptonian (4); supposedly Superman reborn thanks to Kryptonian tech, but with energy powers; and the Man of Steel (5), a guy with a powerful armor and a big, and I mean really big hammer, one of those with a long shaft; I think the hammer was about my size. Steel was the only one who never claimed to be the real Superman. He said he was just honoring his sacrifice. After Superman returned, only Superboy and Steel were still active before Second Impact (6). I need to find the Daily Planet issues to show you."

"Or we can wait for the Phantom Stranger to show them to us." Hikari noted, while she took her shoes off.

"Sure. But I kinda like to know the public version too. Sometimes things are very distorted in the retelling."

Hikari sat down on a bench, while Shinji leaned on a tree. "Do you think… Asuka is… okay in Unit-02?" She bit her lip, a gesture so human Shinji had no doubt about her.

"She is not exactly in Unit-02. Supposedly she's in a… different dimension. One we go when we dream. She's with her mother, so I guess she is okay."

"I see you brought a visitor, daughter." A deep voice resonated in the garden. Both teens hurried up to stand and bow respectfully.

"Yes, Father." Hikari said, "This is Shinji Ikari, the Third Child and Pilot of Evangelion Unit-01. Shinji, this is my Father, Koichi Horaki."

"Walk with me." The Horaki patriarch said, turning back to the garden. Both teenagers followed him. "My daughter has told me many things about you, young Ikari. Her words were one of the factors that convinced both me and my own Father to give our permission for Hikari to pilot one of those monstruosities." He stopped close to the modest fish pond, observing its occupants for half a minute. Then he turned to Shinji. "I have three treasures I value over my own life. Kodama, my eldest daughter, Hikari herself, and Nozomi, my youngest."

He breathed out with tight control. "I have entrusted one of my treasures to NERV. Even after what happened to my daughter's… um… suitor?" Hikari nodded. "We were given a very expurgated version of the events, but your actions speak for you." Shinji lowered his eyes. "Raise your eyes, young man. I do not fully trust NERV, but my daughter is a good judge of character, and she graces you with her trust. So, I ask for you to protect her, both as a friend and as a fellow warrior." Shinji bent the knee, to the surprise of both Horakis.

"I will. Hikari is my friend, and that's a bond I cherish and respect. I will do my best to protect her and to prepare her for combat. And for as long as I'm able to, I will fight by her side and protect her to the very best of my ability."

Koichi nodded gravely. "Well spoken." He kept silent for a minute. "I've heard about the training regime you employ. Show it to me."

"I'm under medical restriction, Mr. Horaki. I cracked one molar during the last battle, and it had to be removed. I am not allowed to exercise until the medical staff clears me. It will be in a few days."

Mr. Horaki raised an eyebrow, looking at Hikari. She nodded.

"However, I can guide Hikari through the movements and have done so a couple of times."

Hikari continued. "We did some training before our study session." Technically true. "We can show you the routines."

"Acceptable." The patriarch sat down on a bench, and pulled a pipe from the shirt pocket. He didn't lit it, though, he just chewed on the tip. "Will this place do?" He said, pointing to a sand and gravel square.

Shinji nodded, "Yes, as long as there's no jumping involved."

For the next fifteen minutes, while the sun set down, Hikari repeated the Katas Wildcat had taught them in Nanda Parbat. Hikari's arms and legs flowed from one step to the next with almost disturbing grace. For a moment, Koichi looked askance at Shinji, fearing the boy suspected something, but the easy acceptance and encouragement in his words as he corrected Hikari eased them.

Day Ten

The Dreaming
The House of Mystery
Commander Ikari's Office (facsimile version)

Asuka checked the wall clock, it showed something that could have been numbers, letters, hieroglyphics, Cyrillic script, Japanese Katakana, or even Aurabesh (7), but was neither. Still, she got some meaning from it.

"How long have we been watching these toddlers?" She rolled her shoulders.

"Hrumph." Cain growled. "We are at issue 62; so, over half the full run of the book. They had an envy worthy run, that's for certain."

"Yeah. Who would have thought it?" She produced a metal lunchbox, proudly displaying a colorful gang of anthropomorphic animals, with an angular heading of the text "Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew" (8). "How about we have some lunch? The croc packed me some food."

"I don't see why not, girl." Cain turned the projector off, opened the minifridge, and brought out a small cauldron and a plate with small octagonal sandwiches. To Asuka's relief, the stinking cheese sandwiches were not on sight, though a small green tentacle emerged from the cauldron, and proceeded to steal a sandwich when Cain was not looking.

"What are those?" She asked, torn between curiosity and disgust.

"Kraken soup and wild boar sandwiches with yak cheese. Want some?" Cain grinned evilly.

"Just curious." She shook her head.

The Dreaming
House of Secrets
Tea Room

"Im sorry." Billy Batson wiped the tears from his eyes. "I…"

"It's natural, dear." Kyoko Zeppelin Soryu patted his shoulder, while holding a cup of tea for him. "It was a big shock after another. I am sorry for your loss. You need time to grieve properly."

"You think so? Don't you think I should just… go on?"

"No. Grieving is a natural part of life. You need time to process things, to… I don't want to seem callous, but you need to accept your loss before you can move on."

They kept on talking for several hours. Kyoko lending a sympathetic ear to the child in the body of a man, while he spoke, weeping ocassionally, sometime smiling sadly.

Abel, in the meanwhile, kept mostly silent, letting his guests set the pace and tone of their conversation.

A tapping on the window brought him out of his thoughts. He opened it, and a raven flew into the room, landing gracefully on the back of a chair. The bird watched the scene with curious eyes. "Abel. Lord Dream and Lady Death wish to speak with your guests. Ah, Billy Batson, you awake. Good, my Master's sister will want to talk to you too."

Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront
NERV HQ, Science Division
Dr. Akagi's Office

"Commander Ikari. We are ready for the second recovery attemp." She announced without preamble.

"Good. Proceed immediately. Status of the Evangelion Units?" He demanded with even voice.

"Biological repairs are concluded. Missing arms have been reattached or replaced. The cosmetic damage to Unit-00 is being repaired as we speak. Unit-01 responded well to regeneration treatments, and is fully operational. Unit-02 suffered damage to the armor plates that requires 63% replacements or a complete inspection, evaluation and refitting. Personally, I suggest a full replacement of all armor plates, including the helmet. This will allow us to install new security systems into the Evangelion's flesh. Many of the systems in the original armor were affected by Zeruel's detonation."

"Are there enough armor pieces in reserve for a full replacement?" Commander Ikari asked from behind his interlaced fingers.

"Not for Unit-02. We placed an emergency order but hasn't been delivered yet, it's in transit as we speak. We have a surplus of parts for Unit-01, as you instructed, and an adequate supply for Unit-00

"Use the spares delivered for Unit-03 then. They are compatible. It will change the color scheme temporarily to black and blue."

"The Second Child will not like it." Akagi noted.

"Her opinion on the matter is irrelevant. She is in no position to object. You may use some of the purple paint in reserve for Unit-01 to modify the scheme, it will distinguish Unit-02 from Unit-03."

"Very well. Should I proceed with another recovery attemp after replacing the armor?"

"No. Do it before. If it becomes necessary to destroy Unit-02, it will be easier to do so without new armor."

"Very well, Commander. I'll schedule the next attempt for tomorrow at…" she made a quick mental calculation, "3:00 P.M. Will you attend?"

"No." He didn't expand.

"Oookay, Commander Badshave," Deadman rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "if you don't wanna go, I'll gladly take your place, with a plus one with a fedora. im sure you won't object." he raised an eyebrow in mocking pause, "I knew I could count on you."

A Possible XXVIst Century
The Zoomway

"(Damn…)" Blue Beetle wheezed uncharacteristically. "(If that's not the most ludicrous thing I've ever seen in my career, I'll dye my costume yellow and change my name to Golden Chicken…)" he took a moment to lift his googles and rub at his eyes.

Behind the Digbug, the imponent mass of the Mountain of Judgement followed the mole vehicle. Over it, clumsily hanging from the gargoyle-like top half, Unit-04 propelled the whole thing all over the Zoomway by the simple expedient of grabbing the gargoyle, and pushing the whole thing with a foot. The eccentric pilot singing happily a tune the world had forgotten six centuries ago, apart from the few outcasts from the age before the Great Disaster.

"(Gotta make a move to a town that's right for me
Town to keep me movin'
Keep me groovin' with some energy

Well, I talk about it, talk about it
Talk about it, talk about it
Talk about, talk about
Talk about movin')" (9)

Dr. Canus left foot followed the rhythm happily, while the scientist read one old magazine they had found inside the Mountain of Judgement. For sone reason, the Hairies had laminated several magazines, each one dealing with a different subject, scale modeling, rafting, macrame, woodworking, hiking, stamp collecting (a subject that baffled Canus to no end), disco music, and skating.

Canus was very focused on the intricacies of macrame, when Booster Gold called for a stop. "(We are close, guys. According to the maps, the exit to Metropolis must be ahead of us. Turn right in the next exit, Ted.)"

"(Got it.)" Beetle answered. At the back, Kamandi slept peacefully, his long blonde hair around his head. It was hard to believe that the wiry teenager could turn into a hulking meta human at the drop of a hat.

Blue Beetle flashed the back lights if the Digbug, signaling Mari to stop. "(Mari, we are close to the Metropolis exit, get ready to stop so Booster can steer the Mountain.)"

"(Cool beans, Bugboy. Im gonna miss the old guy when we get out the tunnels.)"

"(Yeah, I'll miss the Zoomway, we have covered a lot of ground in record time. But I will feel safer once we can contact Brother Eye again.)"

"(He has better coverage than my old cell phone provider.)" Mari joked.

"(And better customer service.)" Beetle chuckled.

Tokyo-3, Japan
Ayanami-Soryu Apartment
(After School)

Rei put her book bag on the table, leaving it there for the moment. She stood immobile at the door to Asuka's Room, listening to the silence. Without noticing, she shook her head and pressed her lips.

She returned to the living room, and sat down on the two-seater. Closing her eyes, she leaned back, and reviewed her memories, looking for a specific memory. The first day she and Asuka listened to Shinji play the cello. How amazed the redhead had been to know the mild-mannered pilot played the cello.

Her fingers began to follow the melody in her memory. Barely noticing, she began to hum the notes.

Asuka was gone.

Pilot Ikari. Robin. He assured her bombastic friend would return. She trusted him.

Dr. Akagi. She had not given her a definitive answer. She didn't know if Huntress could come back. Rei had the faint impression she didn't care much for Asuka.

Lt. Ibuki. She smiled sadly when she tried to comfort her. She promised Dr. Akagi would find a way. Rei felt the young tech really wanted to bring Asuka back from the core.

Major Katsuragi. The woman ran herself ragged with worry, though she tried hard to keep her composure. Rei thought that effort was more for the pilots' benefit than for herself.

Hikari Horaki, the Fifth Child. She also presented a brave face to the world, but Rei noticed how many awkward pauses there were in their conversations, waiting for Asuka to say something.

Kensuke Aida. The bespectacled boy seemed… ashamed..? Whenever Asuka's absence was noted, he looked down for a few moments.

Commander Ikari. Rei refused to accept it. But the callous attitude of Commander Ikari was in evidence. Every time Asuka was mentioned, the man closed into himself.

Why?

Wouldn't he want to recover the missing pilot?

The music kept playing in her memory. But her thought were very far from the sequence of notes she was humming.

Author Notes:

(1) After the World Without Superman story arc came The Reign of the Supermen. Back then, there were four Superman titles, with a single shared storyline, so Superman had an effective weekly periodicity. During The Reign of Superman, each one of the four titles followed a different character. The titles were Action Comics, Superman, Adventures of Superman, and Superman, the Man of Steel. The four pretenders debuted in Adventures of Superman, issue 500 (Jun, 1993).

(2) The clone Superboy took over Adventures of Superman, starting with issue 501 (Jul, 1993).

(3) The Cyborg Superman took over Superman, starting with issue 78 (Jun, 1993).

(4) The Eradicator (the Kryptonian) took over Action Comics, starting with issue 687 (Jun, 1993).

(5) Steel took over Superman, the Man of Steel; starting with issue 22 (Jun, 1993).

(6) The Cyborg Superman was a recurrent villain during the 1990s. The Eradicator joined a version of the Outsiders. For this fic, both disappeared from public view before Second Impact.

(7) The alphabet shown in the Star Wars movies.

(8) The last Funny Animals book DC Published, AFAIK, it was basically a setting that contained by default all the funny animal characters DC had ever published. The titular characters are funny animals turned superheroes. They debuted in an insert published in New Teen Titans, issue 16 (Feb, 1982), and soon received their own title, Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew. The group consisted of funny animals who gained powers through exposure to radioactive fragments of a meteor. They were Captain Carrot, Roger Rabbit (later changed to Rodney, to not be confused with the more famous character of the same name, the one who was framed), a comic book artist who changed into a super strong hero by eating radioactive carrots, Pig-Iron, Peter Porkchops, a mild-mannered pig who become a hulking metallic pig after falling into molten steel (and who debuted in Leading Comics issue 23, Feb, 1947), Fastback, Timothy Joseph Terrapin; a speedster turtle; Alley-Kat-Abra, Felina Furr, a magical cat who performed spells using a wand. Rubberduck, Byrd Rentals (parody of actor Burt Reynolds) a Follywood actor who became elastic, Yankee Poodle, Rova Barkitt (parody of Rona Barret), a show business gossip reporter with magnetic powers (only to attract and repel) and a patriotic motif (stars to repel, red/white stripes to attract). The stories were definitively very far from being too serious, and were filled with awful puns and parodies of then current, or recent, pop culture references.

(9) Funkytown, by Lipps, Inc. A very popular song back in the early 1980s. It was originally released in 1979.