Return, Part 1
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, and Interlac.
Day Twelve
Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront
NERV HQ
Evangelion Cages
16:23 P.M.
Hikari Horaki sat at the control seat inside the plug, her orange plugsuit was the most comfortable garment she had ever worn, leaving aside the chest area, that part was a bit too rigid.
She controlled her breathing carefully. The voices of her Father and Grandfather echoing inside her head.
"Don't force contact. Listen with your mind." Father had said, right into her mind.
"We have loosened your block on your telepathy. Not much, or you'd be overwhelmed by the thoughts around you." Grandfather whispered softly. "We can't go too far, but we can show you how you can send your thoughts, how to listen for your friend."
"I wish I could be with you, my H'karii." Father had said. "But it's been made clear to us that only you can enter the restricted areas of the GeoFront."
"I understand." Hikari said.
"Now, concentrate. Feel the shape of my thoughts." He whispered, closing his eyes. "It's just as natural as listening."
She closed her eyes. "I…" she hesitated. 'I see…'
'Well done.' She heard his voice in her mind. 'Extend your reach. Again, it's like keeping silent to hear a weak sound.'
'Relax your brow, child.' Grandfather said, 'Won't help you and it makes you look constipated.'
She snorted a laugh. 'Grandfather!' She sent.
'Better.'
They spent the next hour practicing, until the black NERV car arrived.
Back in the here and now, Hikari heard Shinji's voice in the comms. "Ready, Hikari? Plug insertion in 20 seconds. "
"I'm ready."
"17, 16, 15," He counted.
Major Katsuragi spoke. "Remember, Hikari. This is not just a synch test, try to get used to the interface first. If you reach 35% synch, you could go into combat. But our real goal is for you to try to detect Asuka."
"10, 9, 8." Shinji continued.
"Got it." Her fingers tightened around the controls.
"We have set an automatic shut-off just in the remote case case you oversynch." Dr. Akagi said. 'Or if Unit-02 escapes your control.' She added mentally. "For now, focus on feeling the Evangelion, the sensory array is clearer the more your synch rises."
"3, 2, 1, Insertion." Shinji finished the countdown, and the guiding mechanism put the white cylinder in its place. Hikari shook the dread she felt, and waited for the LCL level to rise.
An Unnamed Dimensional Pocket
"(Isn't there something we can do?)" a deep baritone voice asked, full of worry. "(New Earth is sliding further into darkness each day.)"
("Not at the moment. This subdimension was completely cut off the regular space-time continuum when the Great Crisis ended. You know as well as I do that we were rendered incompatible with the new, unified, reality of New Earth.") A young voice answered, somewhat detached, "(When Earth-Two, Earth-Three, and Earth-Prime ceased to exist in separate dimensions we were cut off. We're pieces of a puzzle that was replaced, and were lost in the shuffle.)"
"(Poor people…)" A femenine voice now, looking sadly at the destruction brought by the latest Angel. "(It's been one thing after the other since the turn of the millennium…)"
"(And we are trapped in this…. This… place ever since!)" A teenager's voice now, angry with helplessness. "(It's been years since! I'm bored out of my mind.)"
"(Do you agree to return? It will take time and much of our limited resources.)" The second voice asked.
"(We had to watch so many people die, even if they were not our friends and families as we knew them, it still hurts.)" the first voice answered, "(I won't be just a witness if there's a chance for me, for us, to do something and help! I dedicated my life to do what was right in my own world, and even though it doesn't exist anymore, I won't stand idle.)"
The woman agreed. "(Wherever you go, I'll go, my love. Even though I am not as strong as I used to be, I am sure I can still work a typewriter!)"
The second young man agreed emphatically. "(The world is going to end! Those fake Angels will destroy everybody! We have to go back!)"
"(Very well. We are in full agreement.)" the second voice noted. "(I will begin work immediately.) He exhaled a lungful of air. "(It is entirely possible we won't be able to return on time to help.)"
"(Just do your best.)" the older man said, encouragingly. "(I trust you, Alex.)"
The young man turned around, "(I will endeavor to be worthy of your trust, Superman.)" (1)
"(I hope we can get back in time to help the pilots. Especially the red headed girl. She has retreated into herself since the 12th Angel absorbed Unit-01.) (2)
The Dreaming
The House of Mystery
Commander Ikari's Office (Facsimile)
"The Wilson family moved to Chicago. While the Plumm family went to San Diego." Cain put away the projector. "So, of course Sugar and Spike were separated. As babies are won't to do, the missed each other terribly for a while, until two things happened. They learned adult talk, and in forgetting baby talk, they forgot each other."
Asuka felt a twinge of sadness, "That's your epilogue, Cain? After all those adventures, they simply forgot each other?"
"Consciously, yes." Cain twisted the points of his beard, almost like a vaudeville villain. He leaned forward, conspiratorially, "But they met again years later, in college."
He pulled a photo album from the drawer of his desk. He pushed it towards Asuka, she opened it, finding a picture of two young adults, one blonde and the other red headed, crashing onto each other in the halls of a school. "They clashed for a while, but then found they…" His mouth twisted in disgust. "Clicked."
The following pictures showed a very normal, very conventional romance, going through courtship, compromise, wedding, births and even deaths. All perfectly normal. And Asuka felt a strange longing, and yes, a bit of envy.
"Depressingly normal, ain't it?" Cain grinned. "They never had any grand adventures again. They raised their kids, worked at an office or at home, retired, traveled a bit, and finally, bit the dust when Second Impact hit."
Asuka closed the book, feeling anger and sadness, "Why did you show me this, Cain? Why?"
Cain chuckled, "That's for the House to know, and for you to ponder. This is the House of Mystery, girl. You don't get the why."
Before Asuka could express her opinion, there was a very strident ring. Cain seemed disconcerted for a moment.
He opened another drawer, pulling an antique phone. "House of Mystery, Cain speaking." He listened, "Really?" He covered the microphone with his hand, "It's for you."
"What?"
"Answer, girl." Asuka took the phone.
"Hello?" Her brow furrowed in incredulity. "How in the Seven…" Cain made desperate cutting gestures at her, she interrupted herself and nodded, to Cain's clear relief, "Forget that, how did you even get this number?"
"I bet is a long tale."
"Well, we will have to give you your own call-sign then. Another of Shinji's metas, perhaps. Welcome to the team, Hikari."
"So you're in the know now, uh? Good, I have a lot to tell you. And Shinji."
"No, not yet. I have to do a few things here."
"Sure, report you made contact, but it was short and lost it suddenly. Commander Ikari will have Akagi checking everything with a fine toothed comb. That should give me time to wrap things here."
"Sure, I'll be ready and waiting. See you on the other side."
Asuka hung the phone and gave it back to Cain. "Duty calls. Are we done here?"
"Um, yes. The story has been properly told, you have no idea what it means, so you're free to go."
"Perfect." Asuka stood up, and to Cain and herself's surprise, she bowed respectfully. "Thank you for your hospitality and for the story, Cain. I must go now."
The phone rang again. "How in the left blue sock of…" Cain picked up the phone. "House of Mystery, Cain Speaking."
"Oh, hello, Mylord. How can I be of service?"
"Yes, she's still here. We were just wrapping things up. The story has been told according to the rules, she's free to go and ponder it."
"Of course, Mylord. I'll escort her myself, you can count on me." He hung up, and looked suspiciously at Asuka. "Lord Daniel wants to speak with you."
"Then why did you hang up the phone?" Asuka demanded.
"Because you are a guest, an honored guest;" Cain lifted his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "You are to speak with him in person. I, on the other hand, am a servant of the Dreaming, and therefore, Lord Daniel's. He can simply summon me to his presence or send me his orders. You, as a guest, must make a proper entrance. Got it?"
"So… I need to…"
"First, you need to change. That thing you're wearing is fine for informal meetings, but Mylord and his sister will speak to you and your mother."
"You mean…" Asuka joined the dots, "D…"
"Lady Death." Cain seemed to enjoy the correction.
"Oh, I thought you meant… the other one."
"You're learning, girl. Respect the power of names." Cain slipped into didactic mode, his NERV uniform changed to a stereotypical British professor's robe, and he walked fast towards the door, the familiar rooms and halls of the NERV HQ changing before her eyes, back into the peeling, decrepit and sinister House of Mystery. Cain grabbed the lapels of his robe as he walked.
"Traditionally, to know the name of a thing is to have power over it. But with entities like the Endless, to name them is to call for their attention. Rarely a good thing, as you have clearly deduced. My lord's family has seven members. And right now, two of them are looking at you. Lord Daniel is the Lord of the Dreaming, my lord and master. Lady Death and he are very close, and enjoy each other's company. Be respectful, be demure, and pay close attention to whatever they tell you. If they give you an order, you better obey it."
Asuka stood proudly. "I am not afraid. Not anymore. I've seen death to the eye."
"No, you have not. You have been in deadly danger. Not the same thing." Cain glared at Asuka. Any hint of joviality gone from his narrow, goat-like face.
Vega System
Okaara
"(Keep pushing!)" The Prince Consort flew right into a flight of Para-Demons, dispersing them around him. The cloned creatures were ill-suited to face a Kryptonian in battle, but their number was overwhelming. Behind Superman, ships from Rann, Thanagar, and a dozen other planets shot at the swarm, while soldiers with jet packs or Nth Metal winged harnesses fought the creatures with rayguns and energy weapons. It was a massacre for both sides.
On the ground, the Warlords of Okaara fought with abandon, killing scores of dog-riders and their monstruos warhounds. Warwheels ran roughshod over trenches and artillery posts.
Aleea Strange, Jon Max-El, and Nighstar followed their leader, providing covering fire and sniper shots as opportunities presented. Each one was heir to a heroic legacy from two worlds. (3)
"Ayeeeee!" A joyous scream from above, and an incongruously happy laughter surprised the trio. "Hello, pup! Long time no see you!"
"(Wha..?)" Jon asked as a body fell on him, knocking him off the sky, forcing him to crash on the dead ground.
Whomever it was, had jumped off him after the crash. A cloud of dust hid the attacker for a moment, revealing a tall, red headed woman, dressed in a green leotard, with dark grey and black striped gloves and boots, her face hidden behind a simple domino mask. "(Who are you?)" he growled, slapping the dust off his dark blue uniform.
"(You wound me, pup! I thought I had left a nice mark on your life! How could you forget Knockout (4)?)" the woman grinned, throwing a punch to Jon's face. The young hero flew back a good 80 feet (24.4 m), crashing against a boulder. "(Though it seems you are still a runt! By Darkseid s Omega Beams! You haven't grown at all, runt!)"
Jon shook his head to clear the ringing in his ears, "(Lady, I have no idea what your blabbing about.)" he stood up, "(but if you want a fight, you are getting one!)" he threw a psycho kinetic blast at his opponent, blasting the battlefield debris at impressive speed.
Knockout put her arms up, protecting her face from the attack. "(That's a new trick, runt! You didn't even use your hands!)" she laughed happily, "(But you'll need more than that to put me down! This Female Fury still has a lot of fight in her heart!)"
Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront, NERV HQ
Commander Ikari's Lair
08:18 P.M.
"You're dismissed, Pilot Ikari, Pilot in Training Horaki." Commander Ikari said, from behind his tented fingers and orange sunglasses. "Dr. Akagi, Major Katsuragi, stay."
Once the two teenagers were gone, Commander Ikari leaned forward fractionally. "Your thoughts." He demanded. Dr. Akagi consulted her clipboard.
"There was a strong increase in the readings, Sir. Pilot Soryu's pattern was clearly recognizable. Pilot in Training Horaki's assertion to making contact with the mental pattern of Pilot Soryu's in the core seems to be correct. Not just wishful thinking or a suggestible mind."
"Synch rate with Unit-02?" He asked.
"18%. Not enough to actually control the EVA Unit, but extremely good for a first attempt." Akagi glanced quickly at Major Katsuragi before continuing. "There a high probability we won't be able to recover Pilot Soryu," she tensed, "but with a regular training program, and Pilot Ikari's guidance, Miss Horaki will be, according to my projections, able to pilot Unit-02 in no more than five weeks, with a best possible time of three weeks."
"You're not dropping the recovery attempts, will you, Commander Ikari?" Major Katsuragi asked, her voice tired.
Commander Ikari looked at her for a few seconds, "No. NERV will continue to attempt to extract Pilot Soryu from Unit-02's core for as long as possible." He paused, letting that sink, "However, I must make clear that time and budget are not limitless. I've received instructions to stick to a time limit of 30 days, counting from the date of absorption, and also a restriction to both budget and material. The Committee's generosity is not infinite, and there a clear need for both a functional Evangelion Unit and a capable pilot."
Major Katsuragi's eyes dropped to the floor, she swayed slightly for a moment, but recovered. "I see, sir. I understand."
Dr. Akagi nodded, "We will do our best with what we have, Misato. I hope it will be enough."
Major Katsuragi nodded with an spasmodic movement. Despite her make-up, Akagi could see the bags under her eyes and general fatigue. But mentioning it here wouldn't help her old friend, so she kept silence.
"Analyze the readings obtained, and run simulations in Casper, leave free the other two MAGI for normal operations. Dismissed."
Both women bowed, and left the room.
From behind the Commander's chair, Vice-Commander Fujutsuki spoke. "It seems choosing Horaki was a good idea, I think."
"Her bond with Soryu May provide the missing piece to extract Soryu."
"And possibly Yui." He noted.
Commander Ikari barely moved, "Yes. And Yui, if we can adjust and compensate."
Tokyo-3, Japan
GeoFront, NERV HQ
Commander Ikari's Lair
(Spiritual Plane)
"Well, well, well." Deadman paced around the pair, walking upside down, his arms clasped at his back. "I'm sure my buddy with the shadowy eyes will be very interested in attending your weird science experiments, Commander Badshave, Vice-Commander Unsitting Guy. Maybe even lend a hand;" he stopped and tried to snap his fingers, "or two, if I can meddle a bit more in your Evil World Destroying Plan™. For now, keep talking, I want to hear eeeeeveeerything you say."
Author Notes:
(1) Infinite Crisis did a terrible disservice to the few survivors of the Crisis on Infinite Earths. The original Superman and Lois Lane, the only survivors of the pre-Crisis Earth-Two (both debuted in Action Comics issue 1; Jun, 1938); Alexander Luthor Jr., from Earth-Three, son of the heroic Lex Luthor who opposed the Crime Syndicate and his wife, Lois Lane-Luthor (Alex Jr. debuted in Crisis on Infinite Earths issue 1; Apr, 1985); and the Superboy of Earth-Prime (who debuted in DC Comics Presents, issue 87, Nov, 1985). They all made heroic sacrifices to save at least a part of the Multiverse, and deserved better than to be turned into antagonists/villains and/or killed.
(2) Yep, this is the Divergence timeline. I have plans for the four in the aftermath of Third Impact.
(3) Aleea Strange parents are Adam Strange, from the Earth, and Alanna, from Rann; she debuted in Adam Strange issue 3 (May, 1990). Jon Max-El and his two siblings are the sons of Superman, conceived in Krypton and born on Earth, and Maxima, Queen of Almerac, he's a semi-original character created for this story, an alternate version of him debuted in Convergence: Superman issue 2 (Jul, 2015), this version is the son of Superman and Lois Lane, from Earth. Nightstar is the daughter of Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing (and Delphos in this story) from Earth, and Queen Koryand'r/Starfire from Tamaran, she is not a part of regular continuity, having debuted in Kingdon Come issue 1 (May, 1996).
(4) Knockout debuted in Superboy 1 (Feb 1994). She was a former Female Fury, who fled from Apokolips and worked in Hawaii as a stripper. She befriended Superboy, and was a romantic interest for him, gradually eroding his ethical sense. However, she eventually went back to her roots as a Female Fury, when Superboy refused to kill an opponent, she attacked the young hero. She was captured and jailed, and disappeared from continuity until her sting in the Suicide Squad, but as that was after 2000, that won't affect this story.