Vertigo, Part 17
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, German and Interlac.
Day Ten
Tokyo-3, Japan
In Route to Tokyo-3 First Municipal Junior High School.
"Shinji?…" Rei asked, biting her lower lip. "Do you think Asuka will come back? I am worried, and feel a strange oppression inside my thorax."
"I know she will." He reassured his half-sister. "I am sure."
"Will the oppressing feeling dissipate then? What is it?"
"You miss her, Rei. It's normal. I feel it too." He tapped his fingers over his heart. "But I am sure she will come back to us."
"I…" she hesitated, "Commander Ikari isn't sure she can return. He has been comparing Huntress' situation to Dr. Ikari's. Dr. Akagi has been running simulations non-stop in the MAGI. So far, not a single simulation has ended on her return."
Shinji looked up at the sky. "There's a factor they have not taken into account, that's all."
"Which factor? The science team has factored everything, even solar wind and tachyon flow."
He chuckled awkwardly. "I bet they would even include unit-02's horoscope… but all that is external. The factor I mean is Asuka herself. She is looking for her way back. Once she finds it…" he left things there.
Rei thought about it for the next block, when they arrived to the crossing her eyes lit up. "Once she finds her way, she will come back." There was a note of desperate hope in her soft voice.
"Yes. I don't think they can pull her out, the best they can do is to…" he snapped his fingers, looking for the right word. "Lit a beacon, shine a light, put a candle on the window. Metaphorically, I mean."
"Give her something to guide her back." She nodded slowly, "I'll talk to Dr. Akagi about this insight. It may be of help."
"Might be." He agreed, as the crossing light for pedestrians changed to green.
Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront
NERV HQ
NERV Hospital
Corridor to Physiotherapy
"What a sight we make, don't you think, Sakura?" Toji Suzuhara smiled, awkwardly manipulating the control of his motorized wheelchair. The device held his leg straight in front of him and kept his arm on a fixed position, to help his broken bones mend. He would have loved to just drive the device at top speed, but the first collision against the frame of a door convinced him otherwise.
"Yeah! Wanna race?" She giggled, as her own chair traced circles around her brother's.
"Ah, just let me get the hang of this thing and you'll see my dust in the horizon!"
"Children!" Hikari commented, a few steps behind the pair, smiling happily. "No racing in the halls."
"Awww…" both whined at the same time, eliciting laughter from all three.
Hikari walked behind them, distantly feeling Toji's emotions. She had always been somewhat sensitive to other people's emotions, but now she knew it had always had been her telepathy. Even blocked, there was some residual flow.
She bit her lip, knowing she would have to tell Toji about her true nature. Eventually. Not right now. But someday.
She hoped he wouldn't reject her outright.
That he at least would give her time enough to explain.
But that would come later.
Terrebone Parish, Louisiana; USA
Belle Reve Federal Prison
Warden John Economos' (1) Office
The past
"(President Luthor has been shot!)" The frantic TV reporter spoke into her microphone, trying to find a safe place as the panicked crowd pushed her and her cameraman apart. "(The Secret Service is now hurrying President Luthor into the armored limousine!)"
The image shook wildly, despite the best efforts of the man, for a fleeting moment, the crowd parted, giving him a clear view of the fallen bodyguard. The image went black immediately, as the control room censored the images thanks to the broadcast delay.
Had the image not been censored, the public would have seen the gory sight if an almost headless corpse. The faithful bodyguard who had saved Luthor's life, sacrificing her own.
In the coming months, many words would be written about Mercy Graves. Most of them complimentary, and most of them… wrong.
Warden Economos jumped to his feet, not believing his eyes, he hit a button on his intercom. "(All personnel on alert!)" He said, "(Repeat, all personnel on alert! Level Four Alert! I want everybody ready to contain a full scale riot!)"
Close to 60% of the inmate population had been incarcerated by direct or indirect orders coming from the presidential office.
Once the news spread… there could be a nasty riot, with some inmates trying to escape or just aiming to hurt their guards.
Certainly, Amanda Waller would be quite happy to see Luthor down.
In her cell, the former leader of the Suicide Squad steepled her thick fingers in front of her face, her elbows firmly set on her small table, her features tightly controlled by her iron will. She could already hear the cheers coming from other cells. Waller spared a sideways glance through the bars of her cell, and returned her attention to her Solitaire game. She moved a column to free the cards below.
A single thought crossed her mind. '(Everything according to the scenario.)' Satisfied, she released a lungful of air, allowing herself a nasty smile. '(Stage one, complete. Binary Sun Protocol on schedule.)'
She went back on her bunk and laid down on the thin mattress, lacing her thick fingers behind her head, looking intently at the ceiling. '(Let them celebrate.)' She half sat, and took a book from the floor. Her children might be very surprised to see her enjoy her guilty pleasure. Ocassional forays into classic science fiction. The Star Beast (2) was a little juvenile for her hard-ass, no-nonsense reputation, but she enjoyed Robert A. Heinlein's early works. And Belle Reve Prison had a small library of fiction she could read, as long as she behaved.
A Possible XXXIst Century
"Pluto" (3)
"(You are not authorized to go beyond this point!)" Batman growled, holding three small Batarangs between his gloved fingers, clearly willing and ready to throw them.
Next to him, Superman's eyes glowed ominously. "(Retreat immediately. This planet is interdicted.)"
Wonder Woman twirled her Golden Lasso between her fingers, "(Or we will be forced to enact contention protocols!)"
"(Stop!)" A voice was heard in the chamber. The ancient Justice League stood their ground, Batman's head turned fractionally, looking at the new arrival. It was a humanoid dog, female, if the contralto voice was any indication. She held high a crystalline stick in her right hand, showing it to the ancient heroes. "(There's no need for a fight! We are not invaders, villains or anything harmful. We are here on a mission from Superman himself! I mean, the first Prince-Consort of the Max-El Dynasty.)"
Lara Max-El tapped on her chest insignia, "(I come in peace, We come in peace, honored guardians. Lord Kal Max-El is my beloved ancestor.)"
Superboy held a finger up. "(And my adoptive cousin too.)" Everybody turned to look at him. "(What? He is! I had no true name until he adopted me into the family.)". He looked back at the guardians, "(I am Kon-El, adopted cousin.)"
Superman extended a hand towards Dr. Canus. Reverently, she put the data-stock on his palm. He closed his fingers around it. A flow of binharic (4) followed, a strange sound coming from the mouth of one of the greatest hero's of the Galaxy. "(So,)" he said. "(Unit-01 is back. Very well. Follow the lit corridors, do not, Repeat, do NOT deviate from the path, the automated defenses are fully active and deadly, you'll be safe in the light. )" He paused, as if listening to some very faint noise. "(They will be waiting for you. They might be a bit disoriented after their long sleep, so be patient with them. )" He returned the data stick to Canus, "(You'll need this. )"
The guardians disappeared as a corridor lit up. The last one to go was the Martian Manhunter, who nodded minutely at Brande. The old man nodded back, just as fractionally. The green Martian said a few words in the old Martian language.
For a couple of seconds, Brande stood stiffly. Dr. Canus shook him gently by the shoulder, "(Mr. Brande? Are you okay? Do you want to go back to the ship? )"
Brande shook his head. "(No, no; dear child. I… I just got lost in my memories for a moment. )" He smiled awkwardly. "(I'm a big admirer of the early 3k heroes, and seeing them here, in the flesh, so to speak… well…)"
Dr. Canus smiled too. "(I know! I'm the same way! My knees are trembling! Even as a hard-light hologram, Superman has such a presence! The old holos just don't make him Justice.)"
Superboy inserted himself between the two, "(Hey, guys, are you coming? We don't want to try those auto defenses, do we?)"
Behind the group, Supergirl rolled her eyes impatiently.
The Dreaming
Lord Daniel's Palace
Tearoom
"Welcome, Lady Kyoko. It's a delightful to see you are one once again." The pale young man, master of the Dreaming, bowed his head. "Abel." He smiled. "Glad to see you in good humor. And Billy Batson, I see. You all know my dear sister Death, don't you?" In her seat, Death leaned forward, smiling cutely. "Please, take a seat. We have a lot to discuss.
Kyoko bowed graciously, Abel adjusted his starched collar, and Billy felt completely out of place, with his faded jeans and red blazer.
The trio sat down, and a maid made of mist and music poured them a cup of tea each.
After some inconsequential small talk, they finally went down to business. Daniel noted, "My sister Despair is very cross with you, Lady Kyoko, and with the Phantom Stranger. I fear she will do everything in her hand to get you back into her domain."
"Luckily, she had some urgent matters to attend in the mortal plane, so we can talk without… unfortunate outbursts." Death chirped. "Let's focus on the most urgent matter, okay?" She held her tea cup between her delicate fingers, daintily covered by lace gloves. "That's you, Billy. You need to decide what's next for you."
The big man shuffled awkwardly on the barely big enough chair, "Uh? Me?"
Death patted his forearm. "Yes, you. Your circumstances are very unusual. You should have died when that building fell on you, but Shazam's magic has kept your soul in the Dreaming all this time. Your body has been wasting away back on Earth. If you go back to your body, you'll die. I walk with you to your next greatest adventure, and that's it. Or, you could simply stay here in the Dreaming…"
Matthew the Raven chose that moment to talk, "Like me! Squark! But you'll have to change! Krowrk! And work!"
"Thank you, Matthew." Daniel said, without rancor. "Please, continue." He tilted his head towards Death.
"The last option is the most interesting, I think. Your body can't sustain itself in the mortal plane, but in a place soaked in magic… well… you would heal eventually, but would have to stay there most of the time. And eventually, the deal I made with Shazam will end. He will have to transcend then."
She paused, "Old Shazam has wanted an apprentice for a very long time, you know." She nodded to herself. "In the end, the choice is yours."
Billy set his cup back on its saucer, put his fists in front of his face, his right hand covering the left, and after resting his chin on the fingers, closed his eyes. He almost looked like he was praying.
Pacific Ocean
Former Site of Kauaʻi Island
The Past
Dr. Canus and Tanny split their time between tending the pups, tending the human man after his nervous breakdown, and foraging for food.
The latter was incredibly easy, for the island had an abundance of fruits, vegetables and small prey and fishes, that almost begged to be caught. The human had a big area reserved for chickens and a few pigs and goats. Though, by tacit agreement, Canus and Tanny kept a reasonable distance from the chickens. After a short discussion about methodology, Tanny managed to gather enough goat milk to keep the pups reasonably happy.
While he tended to the human, Canus checked the small collection of books in the cabin. Mostly economics, business and administration. Some light novels, farming, medicine, and survivalists handbooks, and a pictures book about the Justice League International, dated 1990.
Idly, and keeping an eye on their guest, Canus set the JLA book apart. Right now, their host was sleeping; but it was not an easy sleep, as he turned and tossed constantly. The enhanced dog put a hand on the human's shoulder, and shook him carefully. "(It's just a nightmare. Go back to sleep. You need the rest.)" He said softly.
The human calmed down, and after a few minutes, he settled into a tranquil sleep, a relieved smile upon his face. Canus barely heard his mumbled words. "(I'm not alone. I'm not alone anymore.)"
Day Eleven
Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront
NERV HQ
Evangelion Cages
2:48 PM
Unit-02 stood on its cage, showing its bare skin and connection ports for the armor plates. Most of its original armor had been removed. The only pieces remaining were the greaves and the interlocking pieces covering the backbone. It's face covered by lead lined bandages (5) as instructed by the operational handbook, its four green eyes looking blindly ahead.
Dr. Akagi stood on the umbilical bridge, reviewing the last set of readings, Major Katsuragi approached her, her military boots sounding softly over the naked metal.
"Will it work?" She asked without preamble. There were dark bags under her eyes, betraying her lack of sleep. Even with Shinji's nerve calming teas, she had trouble to fall asleep. She envied his simple certainty on Asuka's return. These days, he was her rock, she feared she would break down to pieces without him. It was the same for Rei.
Ritsuko's voice brought her out of her thoughts. "Honestly, I don't know. Asuka's body can theoretically be reassembled, and her soul would then re-enter it. There are so many variables…"
Misato crossed her arms, glaring at the colossal creature. "Can I do something to help?"
Dr. Akagi thought about it for a few seconds, and looked pointedly at Misato's silver cross, hanging from a simple thread over her chest. "Maybe. A prayer might be useful. I can't do that, you know why, but if you can… moral support is never unwelcome."
Reverently, Misato took the cross in her fingers, and kissed it.
Astral Plane
"What do you think, Partner?" Deadman rubbed his chin in though, sitting Indian stake over the left shoulder of Unit-02. "Will they get Red out of the Core?" He patted the Evangelion as if it was a beloved car.
The Phantom Stranger strolled, unseen, over the umbilical bridge, his cloak hanging heavily from his shoulders. "It depends on her, Deadman. And on the Lord of Dreams plans."
The Dreaming
The House of Mystery
Commander Ikari's Office (facsimile version)
3: 17 PM
"Gnngh!" Asuka grabbed her head and screamed. "(What's going on?)" She demanded.
Cain paused his narration, put the control on the desk, and snorted. "It looks to me like you got a headache."
"It's a splitting migraine, you… you… Cain!" Asuka held her tongue, remembering all the warnings she had received about the host in the House of Mystery.
Cain opened a drawer, extracted an ancient looking bottle, with a peeling label. He shook it, smiling crookedly at the tingling sound. He opened the bottle, shook it, and caught two white tablets in his hand. "Here, swallow these and call your Witch-Doctor in the morning."
She looked at the tablets with mistrust. "What are these?" She wheezed. "Some kind of oniric concoction, made of dew and children's laughter?"
"Please contain your imagination, girl." Cain straightened the label on the bottle, showing it to Asuka. "Simple, over the counter, aspirins. Now take your medicine, we still have a lot of issues to cover."
He paused dramatically, "And an epilogue." He chuckled.
Author Notes:
(1) John Economos was the Belle Reve Prison Warden during the original stint of the Suicide Squad under Amanda Waller's supervision. They had very different points of view, and clashed more than once. He debuted in Suicide Squad issue 1 (May, 1987).
(2) The Star Beast is a light-humored story about a boy and his legacy pet. Quite a fun read. It was written by Robert A. Heinlein, and it was serialized in 1954.
(3) In the Reboot continuity of the Legion of Superheros, Pluto was destroyed and replaced by an artificial planetoid. One we have already seen in flashback in SV.
(4) Binharic is the language of the Adeptus Mechanicus in Warhammer 40,000; If I'm right, it sounds very close to a fax signal…
(5) The same exact type of bandages originally used by Negative Man, and later by Negative Woman, both members of the Doom Patrol, to contain the dangerous radiation their bodies emitted. Negative Man debuted in My Greatest Adventure, issue 80 (Jun, 1063), while Negative Woman did the same in Showcase issue 94 (Sept, 1977).