Lt. Maya Ibuki was a nobody who learned to keep her head down.
She did her job well. She took her work as a computer technician seriously, obeying orders, kept her curiosity safely shut in the back of her mind, silenced her every objection. Anything to to be at the epicenter of technological progress. NERV was responsible for protecting the planet. Every resource not spent on combating the Angels were spent on benefitting the public, particularly with the MAGI. Based on the brainwave patterns of Naoko Akagi, they only determined success rates of any given plan, they took over the electoral process across every city district. Much less corruption that way, Maya thought.
It was a research paper on the MAGI that led Maya to Dr. Ritsuko Akagi. She was surprised to receive an invitation to NERV, and even more surprised when Dr. Akagi shook her hand to welcome her aboard. She had been keeping track of her work and wanted her for her skills managing the system. Maya couldn't say no.
From there, Maya took to her work with pride. The Angels were a terrifying menace, but there were long stretches where it was just her and her co-workers shooting the breeze. Moments like those, just her and them, Dr. Akagi's compliments, helped distract Maya from the horrors of her job. She could ignore the children being sent to fight so long as she didn't have to see them for too long. Misato already did her job taking care of them, no need to trouble herself too much.
After making a call to her mother to let her know she was alright, Maya printed out a set of reports and escorted them to Dr Akagi's office. Ritsuko preferred to read them on hand instead of on the computer screen, which Maya thought was funnily ironic. Even the experts couldn't shake off old habits.
Maya opened the door.
"Dr. Akagi, I came here with-"
Clealry, she had been interrupting something. Whatever they were doing before, Ritsuko and the Sub-Commander slunk back to their chairs, their coffee cups idly sitting on the table. Ritsuko rubbed her forehead, forcing a smile for Maya.
"Hi Maya. Is there something you need?"
"I… came here with the report that you asked for." Maya said, handing the report in. She saluted the other woman. "Sorry Sub-Commander, I didn't know you were here"
"At ease." Iscariot waved her off. "We were just talking. Ritsuko's doing a nice thing for me and I wanted to make sure she did it well."
She rubbed Ritsuko's bandaged nose, teasing the poor woman. Ritsuko slapped her hand away, hushing the Sub-Commander with a noticeable blush on her face, which made Maya wonder what was happening before she arrived.
"Um, first name basis?"
"She does a lot of work for us, Ibuki." Mary winked. "One can't help but grow attached the more you get to know someone. Especially when they're so important."
"Sub-Commander, you're not being professional!"
"Relax, we're just gal pals, nothing to worry about.'
Mary brought her cup to her lips, sipping it with a knowing grin. Maya suddenly felt awkward in the room, fidgeting in her position.
"I should, um, probably get going. Sorry!"
"Don't wait up on my account. Dr. Akagi and I have a lot to discuss."
"Sub-Commander!"
"It's the truth! Run along Ibuki, your lunch break'll be over soon. You'll never get anything sitting in front of a computer screen all day."
"I… see…" Maya waved Ritsuko bye. "See you soon, Dr. Akagi."
"Likewise."
In a hurry, Maya shut the door and dashed away. She felt a stab of jealousy rise in her chest.
"Why was the Sub-Commander there?" She shook her head. "Stop it! Ritsuko wouldn't do anything with a superior officer, it's too unlike her."
Which meant Ritsuko wouldn't be so unprofessional as to notice someone like her, Maya felt with some sadness. She was just a lab assistant at best. A mousy little thing, unlike the Sub-Commander who exerted confidence in every step. The only fate for people like her was to be stalked by men mistaking her timidness for an invitation, not having her actual feelings returned by a woman. Japan frowned on people like her, longing for what they can't have.
"At least that man is gone." Maya said. "Good riddance."
The price for Kaji's disappearance was how Misato became more withdrawn. The few times Maya had seen her, she was mainly stuck to Shinji's side without talking to anyone else. Not even Ritsuko, who had also become evasive since the meeting with the Committee. Maya supposed that might have been due to her altercation with Misato, a fact everyone heard of before the end of the Twelfth Angel. She wouldn't judge Misato for sticking close to Shinji. He nearly died from the Angel, it was only natural Misato would want to spend time with her ward. She clearly favored the boy over the others.
"I hope he appreciates her." Maya said to no one. "Well, maybe I won't have to worry about that."
She shivered, remembering the Unit 03 incident. He tore apart it apart after the Sub-Commander mentioned her supposed death. and now he's quieter than when he began as a pilot. He hadn't looked at anyone besides Misato in two days. The week away clearly did him no favors.
"Well, Misato'll make sure it's okay. There's no need to worry."
With her curiosity satiated, Maya went to the cafeteria. She turned left, only to be surprised to find two people sitting across the snack machines.
"Hyuuga? Asuka? What are you doing here?"
Hyuuga waved at her, before going back to his laptop. Asuka was sufficiently annoyed with her presence.
"We're having a moment. Please go away."
"You're next to the snacks." Maya pointed out. "It's not like this is a private area."
Hyuuga glanced at Asuka. "She's got a point."
"Shut it, idiot."
They were investigating something, Maya realized. Makoto pointed at his screen, Asuka moving to take a look. Maya shrugged. It wasn't any of her business. Hyuuga was okay for a man. There wasn't anything wrong with leaving him with a young girl like Asuka, especially when they were out in public.
Before Maya could walk away, she heard a gasp.
"Mein… Gott!"
"Something the matter Asuka?" Maya asked in concern. "Wait, you're looking pale."
Asuka was struggling to breathe. She moved backwards, both Hyuuga and Maya so shocked they didn't attempt to approach her. They gave Asuka space, as she slammed her hand to the wall.
"I… I think I'm going to be sick. What did you do…?!"
The sight of Asuka like this made Maya conflicted.
"I don't know what you mean."
"You're all sick in the head!" Asuka screamed. "All of you, liars! You stole all of our lives!"
She stormed off, pushing past other technicians in the process. Maya looked at Hyuuga, who shut his laptop in a huff.
"Hyuuga? Do you know what happened?"
For once, Hyuuga's glasses blocked his eyes. He looked down in defeat.
"Asuka is going to be sick. She won't be coming to the test today."
Maya nodded, ceding to his silent request. Before the test, she told Ritsuko that Asuka was sick, which the doctor accepted it without question.
The test began. The first one in a week, Maya helped oversee it as usual. Spirits were low in the bridge. Shinji and Rei were silent to reduce their mental noise, nothing new there. Misato and Ritsuko stood away from each other, only paying attention to the monitors detailing their progress. Maya kept her head down. Nobody asked for her opinion, so there was no need to ask.
They went through the motions of normalcy up until Maya noticed a problem.
"Katsuragi, you might want to look at this."
Misato turned from Shinji to Maya's computer, staring at the results. Her eyes widened in shock.
"That much? But how?"
"I don't know." Maya said honestly. "Pilot Ikari's sync ratio dropped by two hundred over the course of this test. I suggest running more trials to investigate this."
"I'll just tell him to concentrate better after we're done. You keep this to yourself, Shinji doesn't need to hear about it."
"Are you sure that's wise?" Ritsuko finally said. "We need all of our pilots available to fight the Angels."
"Don't worry, Ritsuko. You can tell the Commander his son will be fine. I can handle it."
Just like that, conversation was shut down. They went back to watching the pilots.
Maya wasn't sure about Katsuragi's assurance. Evidently, neither was Dr. Akagi but she said nothing. The Major had Shinji's best interests at heart, but will it do any good if humanity died because of it?
Misato felt the news could wait. She took Shinji to the cafeteria for lunch.
He took bites out of his food gently, savoring the taste. He didn't walk with a confident stride like he used to, but felt more at ease now than when he entered the Eva. Misato wanted to ask Shinji how he felt being inside it, but thought better. He probably didn't want to be reminded of the Angel. Instead, she switched to inane topics.
"I was just thinking of what's on TV." She said. "Checked last night, nothing interesting on."
"Not even the news?"
"What more is there to say? Government corruption, environmental destruction, all that stuff. It gets tiring listening to that twenty four seven and my favorite show got cancelled last week. Ugh."
"I guess that's bad." Shinji shrugged. "Well, it's not like a sync test was all that exciting either."
"Is it usually that boring?"
"Yeah. Sitting there, trying to empty my mind, it isn't all that good."
He looked down, frowning.
"What's up, Shinji?"
"I kept expecting something to happen… I don't know, like the Eva attacking me or something. Instead, it was quiet. I barely registered the Eva was there."
Misato narrowed her eyes. "That so?"
"I should feel better, but I'm not. I just keep waiting for something terrible to happen. Any time I feel good it's followed by a bad thing. Unless it's you."
"I get it. Don't worry, the worst is already behind us. My sweet Shinji's gonna beat the Angels all by himself!"
She ruffled his hair affectionately, which made him chuckle and blush. She wasn't lying when she said it either. There were a limited amount of Angels left. They really only had three left according to the manual. So long as Shinji did his job, they'd be fine. He blushed again.
"W-Well, I can't do it without my Misato's help."
His Misato. Somehow, she didn't mind hearing that. Misato grinned.
"We'll do it together then."
Shinji smiled. He continued to eat his food.
"Must be nice to have a sync test that didn't in a screaming match or some kind of disaster."
"It is. I wonder where Asuka was though."
"Ritsuko said she was sick." Misato rolled her eyes. "Personally, I think she's just slacking off."
"That doesn't sound like her."
"Well, I don't know. Not like she talks to me. It's either Kaji or you for her."
Realizing her distress, Shinji grabbed her hand. "I don't see her that way. You're the only one I want."
Misato's face flushed at the contact. She frowned, feeling guilty for her jealousy flaring up as it did.
"Sorry. God, I really shouldn't get like this over her."
"You shouldn't." Shinji raised an eyebrow. "You and Dr. Akagi didn't really talk to me."
"Oh. That." Misato sheepishly rubbed the back of her head. "I sort of punched her in the face last time we talked."
"What!?" His jaw dropped at that. "Why?! What did she do?!"
"It's nothing, something stupid. I'll probably apologize later… after we spend some time by ourselves."
She gave him a wink. Shinji knew what she meant from there.
"I'm still shocked we did that. I like it don't get me wrong, I'm just…"
He smiled so widely.
"I never felt so happy."
"You make me happy Shinji. Always."
If she were honest with herself, Misato was scared. Unit 01 terrified her. seeing footage of it tear through the Angel like a beast. Yet there was no effort to study the Eva or keep its dark powers locked. The Commander and Ritsuko had some stake in Unit 01, enough to warrant sacrificing Shinji for its return. Misato hated them for it, hated how they kept obvious secrets from her and put everyone at risk.
In the end, though, she resolved to put that anger aside. There wasn't evidence of intentional wrongdoing- yet, she thought with disdain- and even then there wasn't much she could do on her own. She was small in the grand scheme of things, this was out of her hands. Whatever possessed Unit 01, it killed the Angels and that was all they needed to do. So long as Shinji was safe, nothing else mattered.
Still, the matter of his sync ratio is something that needed to be taken care of. She needed to talk to Shinji about this soon, or…
Her doubt was smothered by footsteps. Misato looked back.
"Hello Asuka. Fancy meeting you here."
Asuka ignored her, approaching Shinji. She was grabbed a hold of his shoulder, making him wince.
"Asuka…"
"I need to talk to you. Now."
Misato glared at her. "We were supposed to head back to our room."
"Fuck you. This is a private conversation."
"That's not your decision to make is it?"
"Come on."
"Ritsuko said you were sick. I can report you missing a sync test to the Commander if you don't let go of Shinji now."
Asuka glowered at her. She let go of Shinji.
"I need to talk to you."
"Fine. I can do that." Shinji nodded at Misato. "It's not a big deal. I can finish quickly."
Misato shook her head. "Fine."
She allowed Asuka take Shinji away. The nerve of the girl to do this, after she almost got him killed. After not visiting him at all. Misato was tempted to just tell the Commander about Asuka's absence, but decided to stay her hand. She had to remind herself that Shinji saw her as a friend and nothing more. Nothing would happen.
"If anything important comes up, he'd tell me."
Misato was sure of it, even as she picked at her plate in guilty acknowledgement of her own hypocrisy.
Shinji hadn't seen Asuka in a while.
He wasn't sure how he would react to her, given the last he saw her they argued about Toji's death, how she mocked it. Maybe he should have been more angry. But Shinji had never seen Asuka so concerned and forceful in his time at NERV. Whatever was bothering her, it was enough to seek him out.
It was for this reason he followed her into a supply closet. She paced back and forth, her skin whiter than ever, obviously and visibly afraid. She was a fearless, angry person. Why would Asuka ever be afraid? Shinji's curiosity and concerned was suitably peaked.
"Asuka, what's wrong?"
"Shut up. Hold on." Asuka grabbed her hair, seemingly ready to tear it off. "I need you to listen, and listen good."
What did she think he was going to do? Say no? Shinji crossed his arms in annoyance.
"Okay? What happened?"
Asuka was struggling to form words on her lips. Struggling. Her hands formed into fists, shaking to the point Shinji wondered if she was going to slam the walls. In the end, she let out a sigh.
"It's NERV. Shinji, they're lying to us. They have been since God knows how long… maybe even the beginning. They're not good, they're- they're fucking evil!"
"What? Evil?"
"They are! The Evas, they're not machines! They're clones! Made from… god, where do I even start?"
"Evas?" Shinji began to see . "What did you learn?"
"Shinji. The Evas aren't just machines. They're made from Angels."
Angels? Evas? After what he saw, Shinji didn't find it implausible but the suggestion threw him off.
"That's… that's crazy!"
"They keep these clones sedated but with enough push they go berserk. That's what happened when you piloted Unit 01 the first time and how you escaped the last Angel! Evas are made from Angels! We've been using Angels to fight Angels! What we've been drinking? It's their blood!"
Shinji was shocked at hearing it. He made the comparison to blood long ago, but to hear it confirmed made him shake in horror. He resisted the urge to vomit.
"I… guess it makes sense. Nothing can get past the AT-Field right? What's your problem with it?"
"It doesn't end there. Oh no, it doesn't end there at all. The Evas can't just operate on their own. The bodies need souls to be alive. Somehow these freaks manage to extract souls and place them inside of our Evas. Souls of… our…"
Shinji began to realize what Asuka was referring to. He tried to deny it.
"Asuka, you're not making any sense. Souls? Why you talking about that, that doesn't sound scientific."
"They're real… and they stole souls for their Evas… your mom… my mom…"
Mama, Shinji remembered that word as he flashed back to the time Asuka slept next to him. Even though Asuka said she didn't need mothers, clearly they still affected her. No wonder Asuka was so distraught, fighting to keep tears from falling down.
"Your mom is in Unit 02."
He stated it so plainly, it almost broke Asuka. She scowled at him.
"All these years, I thought it was just an accident. But it's not! Someone killed her so I could be a pilot! None of it was her fault, they killed her and turned her into a doll! I've been fighting inside of her all along and I didn't know about it! They forced us into it, for all we know NERV killed Suzuhara's mom so he could be a pilot! Everyone in school had no mothers you think that was a coincidence?!"
"I… I didn't know about any of that. Why do this?"
"I don't know, and to be honest I don't care. NERV has blood on their hands. Hell, your dad is the Commander! He probably killed your mom to stuff her inside of Unit 01! He made you a pilot well before you were born, and you didn't get any training! What a deranged maniac!"
A lot of things made more sense to Shinji. Unit 01's behavior, his father, mother, NERV, everything. Even as he tried, Asuka's explanations made more sense than anything he heard before. However, she was wrong about one thing.
"Mom wasn't killed. She entered the Eva by herself."
Asuka's jaw tightened. "How do you know?"
"I talked to her inside the Angel." Shinji explained, his face twisted in disgust. "She wanted to be inside the Eva, so she could go off into space and leave us all behind."
"W-What?" Asuka was shocked at this. "She's so messed up…"
"I don't think Father knows about it. I feel like I should tell him, but I don't know."
"You shouldn't tell him shit. He's in charge of NERV and responsible for so much shit. Remember, he had all the time in the world to recruit you but didn't. He threw you to the wolves."
Shinji realized how misplaced his sympathy was. He agreed with Asuka, deciding to hear her out more.
"What else do you know? How did you find this out?"
"I know someone. We hacked into NERV's systems and we know for a fact they're going to perform their own Third Impact. Your dad already has the pieces to make it happen, we just don't know how."
"If NERV is going to cause Third Impact, why do we fight the Angels at all?"
"Their Third Impact is different than the Angels. The Angels want to kill everyone to get their land back. NERV wants to turn us into primordial soup to enact their god complex."
"B- But why? How?"
"It's still not all clear to me, but they need an Adam and Lilith to do it. I don't know where either are, and there's no way they'd ever tell us."
"This is all so much." Shinji felt dizzy hearing this. He rested against the wall. "My god."
"They ruined our lives, everyone at NERV! Kaji was the only one who knew and tried to stop it but he was found out. Misato is probably in on the whole thing."
Her name got a reaction. "Hold on! Misato wouldn't be involved in something like that."
"She's a Major, there's no way they can keep someone like her in the dark about NERV! She knows, she absolutely has to know!"
"No." Shinji stood his ground. "Misato is a good person. She'd never go along with NERV on this."
"No she's not!" Asuka shook her head. "Can't you see she's one of them? It makes so much sense, she's an evil person who wants everyone to die! You're just too blind to see it!"
"I'm not blind to anything. You are, if you think Misato is that cruel!"
"If you can't see what she really is then you really are stupid! Misato is a bad person, pure and simple! She's going to leave you behind like she did me!"
Enraged, Shinji slammed Asuka into the wall. She was caught by surprise as Shinji bared his teeth to her.
"Don't. EVER. Say that again! You don't know what you're talking about! Misato would never abandon me! She loves me, unlike you! I don't care what you do, maybe you're right about NERV, but leave me out of it! I don't want to help you, in fact, never talk to me again!"
He let her go, causing Asuka to drop to the floor. She glared at him.
"Fine. Be that way! I don't need your help for anything!"
She rushed past him, opening the door. She glanced back.
"I'm telling you, NERV is going to destroy the world. If you really want to know the truth, you know where to find me."
She slammed it shut. Shinji rolled his eyes at this.
"She isn't making any sense."
Still, Asuka was probably telling the truth. His mother was inside of Unit 01 and she talked about the old men. Maybe they were the Committee? He should tell Misato about it, or ask her what she knew.
"There's no way she'd do their dirty work. Asuka is probably lying like usual."
Indeed, Asuka was being ridiculous. She was probably bitter about Kaji, once again acting like Misato stole him from her or something. Utterly conceited, just like Asuka.
The alarm blared, leaving Shinji to sigh.
"Another Angel? Well, this shouldn't be too hard."
It would not be so easy, as he came to learn.
The Fifteenth Angel was detected flying from the moon, floating above Earth's orbit. The monitors showed Arael as a bird made of light, with wings that spread across the orbit. The sight reminded Misato of Adam, his wings that emerged from Antartica's searing remains. She despised the Angel instantly.
The Evas were sent to the surface, even though she couldn't see a point in doing so. The Angel hadn't moved from orbit, and there wasn't a way for the Evas to fight at their range. They were sitting ducks without options. She was tempted to suggest bringing back the Positron Rifle, but the legal hoops to get it were too much of a hassle to try again.
"Commander, we have no means of attacking the Angel." She pointed out. "If anything we're leaving the Evas out in the open for easy picking."
"Noted, Major." Gendo said. "That being said, we can never be too careful. The Angel could descend from its spot, we need to be ready to catch it if need be."
"All due respect sir, unless you have a weapon that can penetrate the thing there's no point."
"We do. We're just waiting for the right opportunity."
Misato frowned, turning back to the screen. As per usual, Asuka wasn't happy with the lack of action, even waving the gun into the air.
"Come out and show yourself Angel! We just want to talk to you!"
"Asuka," Shinji admonished. "We shouldn't threaten the Angel, it's too far away."
"Please, you're the last person to talk about being confrontational you fucking weirdo!"
"My god, could you stop it Asuka? We're not going through with this again."
"Maybe if you kept your mouth shut we wouldn't have to argue every single time you moron!"
"Asuka, shut up." Misato wasn't in the mood for this crap. "Keep your eyes on the Angel."
"Oh please!" Asuka glared. "You're always taking his side over mine! Shut up!"
Mary put her hand over her face. She was tired from earlier, she didn't need any more headaches.
"Insanity is doing the same thing over and over. Asuka, give it a rest. We have a serious operation to fulfill."
Asuka shook her head, dismissing anything the Sub-Commander, or anyone from the bridge, had to say.
"I'd rather die than take orders from the likes of you."
Mary was surprised by this defiance. Misato, however, was already on her case.
"Asuka, that's not called for!"
"It absolutely is! You and the rest of NERV can go to HELL!"
While they argued, Ritsuko looked over Maya's computer.
"What are you getting?"
"The Angel's AT Field is shifting." Maya explained. "It looks like it's… sending an attack? Toward…"
Ritsuko's eyes widened. She went to yell instructions but it was too late. A focused beam of light fell from the sky.
"IKARI, LOOK OUT!"
It was too late. Unit 01 was enveloped in the beam's light. An odd song was heard through the speakers, as Shinji began to scream.
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOP! AAAAAAAAHHHH!"
No one saw the attack coming. Asuka was shocked, frozen in place as her fellow pilot writhed in agony. For the first time, Rei showed a modicum of sympathy for another person. While the bridge sat around like sitting ducks, Misato wasted no time handing out orders.
"ASUKA, PULL SHINJI OUT OF THERE NOW!"
Before Asuka could follow through, the Commander raised a hand.
"Negative, Major. Pilot Soryu will do no such thing."
Misato flipped around, her face marked with feral rage. "Sir, that is your son dying out there. We have to do something now."
"He isn't." Gendo looked at Maya. "Explain."
"Um. Yes." Maya fought to keep her composure as Misato glowered at her. "T- The pilot's mind is being assaulted by the Angel. It's contaminating his mind, causing his sync ratio to be in a state of flux."
"Then we get him out of there!" Why are they wasting time? Misato was furthered angered by the Commander's indifference. "We don't have a choice!"
"Anyone else would just be caught in the mental assault. He needs to remain in place."
"But-"
"No buts, Major." Commander Ikari turned to Unit 00's screen. ""Rei, retrieve the Lance. You know what to do."
Rei nodded, acting without haste. For her part, Asuka just stood there, watching Shinji take the beam. She cringed at the sight of Unit 01 falling to its knees, his screaming so loud and so hard he could probably be heard throughout the city.
"FATHER! DON'T LEAVE ME, I'LL BE GOOD! I'M SORRY! HELP ME, AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! MAKE IT STOP, MAKE IT STOP! MAKE IT STOOOOOOP!"
Asuka couldn't take it. "Let me save him!"
"Do not do so."
"You're… you're horrible!" She was shocked. "You can't be so heartless! He's in pain!"
"That's an order." Gendo said, a hint of anger betrayed in his voice. "Do you wish to go down with him? We cannot risk two of our pilots having their minds destroyed. Stay. Put."
Asuka grit her teeth in frustration. She lowered her head in shame.
"Yes sir."
"Ignore him! That's an order!"
"Your favoritism is showing, Misato." Mary said. "Rei is in the process of saving your puppy. Trust in the process."
Misato stood there. She had to watch for long, grueling minutes as Shinji yell and beg for help, but unable to do anything for him. She fought the tears falling from her face, feeling even more helpless than from the last Angel.
"Rei, you better hurry it up right now!"
Thankfully for them, Rei returned with a lance. Piercing red, about as long as an Eva, ready to be thrown at a moment's notice. Misato didn't question its presence. Asuka did.
"What the hell is that?!"
"A gift from Antartica," was all the explanation the Commander gave. "Rei, throw the Lance."
She did so. The Lance was launched far past the stratosphere, stabbing into Arael's glowing white form. The sensors detected the Angel's demise, the camera showing a blood bursting from its body before exploding into a cross like the others. As the Lance jabbed itself to the moon, the bridge let out a collective sigh of relief.
"The Angel is dead…"
Mary Iscariot said with uncharacteristic defeat. She looked at Misato, a scowl etched in her face.
"Tend to him, Misato. He's going to need a friendly face for now."
Misato was ahead of her. She ran from the bridge as fast as she could. Taking a car, Misato reached Unit 01 kneeling to the ground. He was sitting by himself, curled up into a ball, crying his eyes out. Asuka as beside him, looking down on her friend.
"Shinji…" Asuka said. "I'm… sorry…"
She tried to reach out to him. He violently slapped her hand away.
"Shut up! You left me to die! I hate you, I hate you!"
Asuka said nothing. Misato ran past her to hold Shinji in her arms. As soon as he realized it was her, he clung to Misato like a lifeline.
"M-Misato… I'm…"
"It's okay, it's okay." She reassured him. "I'm here, I'm here. It's okay."
Shinji's eyes burned into hers. He was so desperate and sad and so relieved to see her. He continued holding onto her, refusing to do anything else. Misato took only a second to look up at Asuka, and glare at her.
"Stay away. All you do is hurt him."
Asuka opened her mouth but thought better. Her hands curled into fists as she began to cry.
"You hurt him. You and everyone else. You're disgusting."
She ran off, unwilling to let her tormentor see her vulnerable side. Misato felt pity for Asuka, but squashed it. Her Shinji needed her, and she would be there for him. She stayed with him until he felt ready to leave.
With nothing left to do, Asuka went back to work.
She sent a code over to the JSSDF, and now she would meet their agent again. Not in the warehouse, but in an old theater in the wrong side of town. After losing Section-2 somewhere else, Asuka approached the ticket holder.
"Ah, a young girl." He smiled innocently. "What can I do for you?"
"I write, erase, rewrite. Erase again, and then."
"A poppy. blooms." The holder finished, his tone turned serious.. "Theater 2. I'll be on the look out."
Asuka followed his instructions. She walked past badly furnished carpets and posters to reach Theater 2. She deliberately ignored the crappy romance movie playing in the background, as she took her seat. Not too long after, Asuka felt someone sit next to her.
"Do you have the information?"
"I do." Asuka pulled out a disk from her pocket. "NERV needs to pay."
"They will." Agent Pilate took the disk. "What's the secret, if you don't mind me asking? I've been curious ever since footage of the Third Angel battle was shown to us."
"Tch." Asuka bared her teeth. "They're clones of Angels using souls of our mothers."
"…"
"What did you expect? This whole thing is fucking insane."
"I just can't believe how far they'd go." Agent Pilate said honestly. "Your mother had no clue what she was getting into."
"I don't think she did." Asuka said, unsure of her words. "I don't know. My mothers were a part of Project E. Maybe they knew something. Maybe now. I'll never know. They were stolen before mine was."
"You can claim revenge for them, along with all the lives lost in Second Impact."
"You bet."
Agent Pilate moved the disk in her hand. "Is this all?"
"No, there's something else." Asuka remembered. "Rei pulled out a Lance from NERV's basement. Something is up with that."
"The Lance of Longinus." Agent Pilate realized. "NERV recently made a trip to Antartica to retrieve it. GEHRN used the Lance to stab Adam, triggering the Second Impact."
"Well, we threw it at the Angel. It's now on the moon. How convenient."
"Indeed. That's a piece of the board missing from them, which means they have another means of committing Third Impact. Did you say they took it out of the basement?"
"Yeah. Wait…" Asuka's eyes widened. "Maybe there's more stuff down there. I never thought to check before."
"Can you be sure?"
"I don't know. Maybe."
"If you can confirm it for us, do so. Anything for a precise location. Good job, Soryu. You are now one of us."
Agent Pilate handed a piece of paper to Asuka. Another code.
"Contact us again when you have confirmation."
Asuka nodded, taking the paper and running. Section-2 will probably notice something's up if she kept disappearing on them. She would need to be one hundred percent sure that whatever she found down there would be enough to take NERV down.
They will pay for their crimes and for all the lives stolen for their gain. Including her Mama's.
Misato entered the room. She frowned at his lack of reaction.
"Shinji, are you okay?"
She had just finished putting Pen-Pen to sleep. Since she took Shinji hime, he remained completely silent. He was almost catatonic. After changing into his pajamas, he lied still in bed. He didn't cook anything, nor did respond to her questions. He was just still.
Misato hated it. He was ignoring her, or maybe he was somewhere else. She approached him.
"Shinji. Please talk to me."
Ritsuko wanted Shinji brought for questioning. As Major, she told her to fuck off and let her bring him back to his room. She spent the day doing paperwork, rejecting offers from the Committee to talk to him. He wasn't ready, nor would he ever be. For once, the Commander understood. He approved of her request to suspend sync tests for a few days until Shinji recovered. Maybe he felt guilty. Maybe not. He could go fuck himself, since he put Shinji in that situation.
She had her white nightie on. Her nipples poked out of her gown as Misato sat next to him, rubbing her hand over his forehead. His eyes kept staring at the ceiling. He wouldn't even look at her. She hated this feeling, utter worthless in the face of the boy she loved so close yet so far.
"Don't shut me out." Misato sniffed. "I hate it when you do that. I don't want to be alone, and you shouldn't be alone either."
She kissed his cheek, hoping that would help. This time, Shinji turned his head toward her.
"Shinji?"
He said nothing. He grabbed her hand, rubbing it gently. Misato smiled. She was finally getting somewhere.
"Yes? Would you like anything? I want to help you, please."
She would do whatever she could for him. He had to know that. Maybe they could eat some leftover, sit in the sofa to watch a movie, or…
He pulled her hand, moving it down to his crotch. At the contact, Misato immediately understood what he wanted.
"… of course. I'll do that."
If it helped, she would go through with it. It was the best she could offer him.
Misato pulled his zipper down and removed his underwear, placing a hand over his small cock. She stroke it between her fingers, causing him to gasp. He flushed, which was better than the pale, frozen shock from before. He was feeling something other than pain. She was helping him.
This was what she was made for, after all.
Author's Notes:
I cut some corners writing this chapter to get it out. Mostly with Asuka's sections. I'll probably go back to this chapter later to add stuff.
Asuka was never my favorite if I'm being honest. I was annoyed with her when I watched Eva back in high school, and even on recent viewings I don't think about her as much as I do with Shinji or Misato for example. However, over the years my feelings on her softened, mostly in the sense I understand her as the product of trauma and a foil for Shinji, one that's been grossly misinterpreted outside of the original anime even in the Rebuild series. In that sense, much as I don't care that much about her I dislike Asuka being written as a one-dimensionally shrill even more, which probably informed the way she was done here.
Of course, this wasn't all for Asuka's benefit. I wanted Shinji to be in a specific place mentally, and these events worked toward that goal.
Will Jocasta will be uploaded to Ao3? I would like to, but… well, I made episode title cards for the fic and I'd like to include them within the chapters. Can't just upload them from my computer, and Pixiv doesn't work. If I can figure out how to put the cards in, then we're golden.
Reviews:
Volter: Took the words out of my mouth about A Past to Forget. Very much a subject matter undermined by the writing. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't trying to needle people with Gendo and Rei's scene, "why recoil at them but not Misato x Shinji?" sort of thing. Joke is on me, it exposed my own biases since I felt skeevy writing it. I guess I just feel more bad for the leads because a lot of things were outside of their control, while Gendo made Rei, willfully isolated her for his own benefit, his actions were spiteful to me even if he and Misato are both wrong. It's not just for shock value though, it'll make sense with one of the endings.