Hi all. I have a fic on what I think of as 'the great one.' Nuff
said, let's get into the fic. C&C are more than welcome.
This fic
'may' have spoilers.
The following fic is rated M. It is advised that
this story is read by mature audiences.
It contain some violence
and course language.
Here is where I thank everyone who had influenced this story.
First of all I'd like to thank my good friend Travis, who had helped
me with this fic. He has learned from the masters in this field, names
like Trever Hoffert, Tim Miller and Ketheres Elyion spring to mind.
My friends Rae, Jack, Reiko, and anyone else I have used in this
fic. If you see yourself in this story, that means a lot to me, that
tells me that I've done well in including you in this journey.
Everyone who was with me as we acted like total idiots on the mother
of all ticks of the clock on December the 31st, 1999.
You, for spending the time to read this fic and telling me your
opinion of it.
And most of all, Hideaki Anno and Hideo Kojima. Without your help,
this fic would not have been possible.
if there's anyone that I have missed out, then I apologise, but this
has been a enoumous effort that a lot of people have put their time
into, and this is only the first chapter. This is by no means the be all
and end all, but hopefully this will add another dimension to the neon
Genesis universe. Hope you enjoy it.
No one knows what path he has
taken in life.
No one knows the everlasting emotion
burning in his soul.
No one knows who he is, where he came from, or
why he's here.
They
will.
Adam
Kasugano.
Before the Shi-to returned�
�Friends,� the general said, �Allies. For fifty years, we have lived in
fear of the possibility of nuclear war. It has become the monster under
the bed and the skeleton in the closet for many a soldier since it�s
first use in the Second World War.� As if to prove a point, a video
played that showed a nuclear attack on Paris after the Second Impact.
�Test your nukes in Paris,� a voice said. Dr Ritsuko Akagi of the Secret
Service NERV looked in the direction of the voice, a man she once knew.
�Patric. So he�s a general now.� Ritsuko looked on as the former
security guard conferred with an older man, Japanese, who didn�t seem as
relaxed as the moustachioed Russian.
Speaking of�Ritsuko glanced at her assistant, Lieutenant Maya Ibuki. She
didn�t look well. Watching the mushroom cloud rise over Paris like an
evil fire would consume it�s prey, Ritsuko couldn�t blame her.
�The fires of Hell.� Seated next to Maya was her brother, Wing Commander
Kenneth Ibuki Severn. Impeccably dressed in formal clothing, Ritsuko
thought that Patric must have looked like that when he was younger.
Kenneth would be able to tell what Maya was thinking, graphic images of
Dante�s Inferno that she studied in university would be flashing through
her mind right now.
�Oh, my God,� Maya said in a shaky voice. Kenneth seemed to agree.
�Within those fires, there are souls. Each one swathed, with that which
scorned him.�
�Fifty years has been far too long to suffer,� the general continued.
�Through breakthroughs of science and technology, we have constructed a
weapon far more destructive, far more�safe than a nuclear device.� The
movie screen rose to reveal a barren wasteland that could only be a
nuclear test site. Looking around, Ritsuko saw another familiar face;
Brigideer General Jackson Andrews, a former commander of Maya.
�Hey�� Maya began, but Kenneth hushed her.
�Not now, they�re about to start.�
�Ken,� Ritsuko began.
�Please don�t call me that,� Kenneth said. �It sounds silly, it�s too
babyish for me.� Ritsuko ignored him.
�What do you know about this new weapon?� If there was more talk from
the general, none of them heard it.
�They call it a non nuclear mine,� Kenneth said as he leaned over Maya.
�N-2 for short. They hope to deliver the destructive force of a nuclear
payload without the radiation.�
�Thanks for stating the obvious,� Maya said playfully. Kenneth held a
hand up to Maya�s face.
�Well basically all I know is the obvious.� Maya playfully wrapped her
arms around Kenneth�s neck.
�Ay.�
�Knock it off,� the Asian said. �It�s starting.� True to his words, a
voice began a countdown.
�Five, four, three, two, one, zero.� On zero, there was a blinding
light, and a deafening roar that had everybody in awe. Ritsuko tried to
keep her focus on the destructive force of the weapon, but the white
flash was too great for her. She remembered a piece of writing written
about the nuclear attack on Paris.
As I looked up at the Eiffel Tower, I saw the fires of Hell, waiting to
tear our flesh from our corrupted bones and drag us to our very own
circle of Hell. Compared to Paris, this was like; the bright light
reminded her of an after mirage, or the light that people see when they
die. When her sight returned to normal, she was able to see that the N-2
Mine had indeed destroyed it�s intended target, a mock city, but as
promised, they had eliminated the need for radiation which would
otherwise make such weapons of mass destruction impossible. The general
again took a stand.
�Due to the tremendous threat that even this weapon poses, we have
voted to employ it for the use of the United Nations, and only the U.N
have access to this weapon. As we speak, one thousand of these are in
production.�
�So, we are still war like,� Kenneth said. �We haven�t changed after
all.� Maya nodded in agreement.
�Blown to bits,� Ritsuko heard Patric say. �There�s nothing left,
everything�s been vaporised.�
�These are even more dangerous than nuclear weapons.� Ritsuko suddenly
knew who the Asian was. Hideo Jun, the aged jaw line and grey hair of
the Secret Service spy was unmistakeable, it surprised Ritsuko that she
wasn�t able to pick it up before.
�Not true, Patric shot back. �These N-2 mines were created to eliminate
the problem of radiation, which is the real killer of nuclear bombs.�
�I agree.� Ritsuko wasn�t surprised to see Kenneth joining in the
conversation. �I remember seeing one of things used, and there was a
bright light, people and buildings and the like started burning, then
the shockwave hit and it tore the buildings apart, and people,� Kenneth
shook his head. �Flesh was easily torn from their skeletons, the bones
flying. Maya, I want to see your General Andrews, I think these weapons
are too dangerous for anyone.�
Star of the
Southern Cross
A bag filled with cans of various types of well known brands of soft
drink lay crumpled at the feet of the sleeping foreigner. At least he
gave the impression of sleep by the way he sat slumped on the window
side of the jumbo jet. Asuka had considered joking that he'd have to
book a private plane the same as the one they were travelling on just
for him, but decided against it and for once held herself in check.
Knowing what she knew about the giant next to her, it might not be the
best of ideas to joke around with him. Despite the fact that he was
quite vocal about his past, there was still an air about him. The fact
that he seemed unstable? No, it wasn't that he wasn't stable. How is she
to judge what is normal in a person? She remembered her parents a
little, but she forced herself to forget that years ago. Whatever it was
about him, it gave her the chills. Instead of trying to work out what
she didn't know about Gano, she decided to go over what she did know.
Adam Gano, born to a Japanese woman. Asuka had asked him if his name was
short for something. He replied, for the record he added, that his full
name was Kuniadamsun Kisaragi Kasugano. Adam had said to call him Y3K,
which seemed to make sense. Asuka looked at the leather jacket that bore
his nickname, then read the fake dictionary meaning in the background,
behind the large Y3K lettering.
"Y3K," Asuka said to herself, "pronounced Why-Three-Kay. One, a
multicultural youth born to lead mankind in the new millennium, that
makes sense." Adam's father was Canadian, and they moved to Australia to
live. It was the opinion of Adam that moving to live in Tasmania was the
worst mistake of their lives. "Two, one who is destined to lead by
example with courage, integrity and honesty." Adam had a lot of that,
Asuka thought, and he seemed to be a leader. But it was too hard to pin
down his personality.
"Three, Adam Gano." Asuka looked at Adam. If he was awake, he didn't
give any indication of it, he just lied there with his head looking out
the window. Her gaze fell to the pile of about a dozen empty cans of
which Adam had already consumed the contents. Asuka was surprised at how
big he was, for someone who is half Japanese. His exact height she
wasn't sure of, but he had to taller than that man in the glasses she'd
met before leaving Germany. There was an announcement that they were
about to touch down. They were already in Japanese airspace.
"Nice country." I really meant that. For some reason I've always liked
Japan. Maybe it's in my blood. Don't be silly, Kuni-sun, of course it's
in my blood. My tired eyes tried to fix themselves on Asuka. Her red
hair. Her Red? Pink? Ferrari jumpsuit she wore.
What did Nazis look like? It took me about two seconds after hearing
that Asuka was German to think Nazi. But she doesn't look like a Nazi.
It's something like our sixth week that we've known each other, and I
guess I have to admit that although she doesn't seem like a Nazi, she's
someone that I would have hated in another life. I'm willing to bet that
even Asuka herself had to admit that she isn't the most easily liked
person in the world. We get along great though, even thought of each
other as good looking. I don't have the guts to further our relationship
any more than it is. There had already been one or two instances where
we had probably gotten too close, too close for my liking at least.
Asuka's probably not willing to press the matter any further, either. I
held up a can.
"Drink?" Asuka had something to drink before take off, and she had a
few of the drinks that I had already on our long flight to Tokyo.
"No thanks." There was a tone in her voice which gave me some cause for
concern.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
"Nothing." I could see right through her, but rather than try and coax
the truth out of her, I tried to guess what was wrong.
"You still angry with them?"
"That's not...I said nothing was wrong." There was a touch of annoyance
in Asuka's voice. I know something about Asuka's past, but not much, I
didn't know exactly what traumatic experience she went through. I'm
willing to bet that it's the same thing I went through. But still, I
have to admit that Asuka knows more about what happened to me than I do
of her, a lot more.
"I would be." Asuka glanced at Ame.
"Here, gimme a drink," she said, taking the can out of my hands. I
reach into my duffle bag and pulled out another one, fiddling with the
pull tab a little before throwing it away. We drank in silence.
It's a good thing that we're not alcoholics and this isn't beer, I
thought to myself.
�So, you�re to go and pick up this�package then come back to Tokyo 3,
right?� Adam asked.
�Yeah.� Adam and Asuka had arrived in New Yokosuko so that they could
exchange flights. Adam was ready to board a flight for Tokyo 3, while
Asuka was heading back to Germany to pick up �a very important piece of
equipment,� which was all Adam knew.
�Not exactly the most economical of flights, here and back, there and
back again,� Adam said. All he needed to do now was wait for his flight
to start boarding. In the meantime, he was looking in the gift shop at
video game magazines.
�Well I guess nothing gets in the way of people trying to make some
money, eh?� Adam�s attention darted from magazines to cold drinks in the
cafeteria to model cars that were for sale.
�Look at that, they seem to think those sports cars are real, what with
the price they�re asking for.� There were times when Adam drove Asuka
nuts, such as when he talked about autism. However, she thought he was
cool, and deep down, she had to admit that he seemed alright taking his
autism into account. She was tempted to tell him all about her new
�occupation� in Tokyo 3, but she was sworn to secrecy. She can still
remember being told everything about autism, one long afternoon, four
hours or it. That was because she was going to be joined at Adam�s hip,
from when they first met six weeks ago to their new school. She was even
given a diary to read, like everyone else who was to be involved with
Adam. A few teachers from who knows where were there along with a
variety of medical experts, one being a psychologist that she thought
was alright, like another adult that she fancied, Ryoji Kaji.
�So when are we off, do you know?� Adam asked.
�Well, my flight leaves later today. I should be back in a few weeks.�
Adam took a sip from a bottle of lemonade.
�And my flight, I haven�t heard the boarding signal yet, when�s that
meant to leave?�
�In the next few minutes.� Adam dropped the two litre bottle in shock.
�WHAT!�
�It�s been boarding for half an hour. If you weren�t busy stuffing your
maw, you�d know.�
�One drink was all I had,� Adam said. �Shit, I�m late. I�ll see you
later.� Adam took off at an unbelievable pace. �Oh, and take care of my
luggage for me,� he called over his back.
Goddamn, I�m late, I�m so friggen late. I only hoped that I would make
this flight home, to my real home, not that shithole I used to live in
when I was an Australian.
�E�cuse me.� I love Australia, but I hated the place where I lived.
I�ll never forget what happened there, or forgive.
�I�m late, �cuse me please, I�m late.� Besides, Japan was my real home.
If I missed this flight, no telling when there�d be another one. I
suppose I could drive to Tokyo 3, I �think� I can drive, but I don�t
have any license, except in this cool video game I have, if Asuka sends
the bloody stuff. I saw my gate, but first I had to go through
inspection.
Shit, any knives, guns, money, chains,? What metal do I have on me? Oh,
�shit� the belt buckle, no, that only happens in movies. I hoped. I
prayed. I called that I had no luggage as I ran through customs and that
doorway. Funny how it reminded be of this blasphemous cross doorway,
where those who walked through it would have the �honour� of being
crucified. I bolted for the gate like a racehorse, shooting past a few
other stragglers on the way. I stopped only when I was asked for a
ticket, and was told that I had plenty of time, �we�ve only just started
to allow passengers on the plane� were the exact words. Goddamned Asuka.
I took my second class seat and put on a Metallica song on my walkman.
�Got that shit right,� I said. �Unforgiven, that�s me.� That didn�t
sound right. �I�m one unforgiving son of a bitch.� I didn�t say it too
loudly. Speaking of which, there�ll be Hell to pay when I see Asuka
again. Ah, she may have just been playing around.
Maybe.
�This is flight 1L19, we are approaching Tokyo 3 airspace, request
permission to land.� Flight 1L19 flew above the clouds in the
stratosphere, where land was impossible to see. Not that there would
have been much of a view anyway. If they were flying at low altitude,
they would have seen a vital piece of information.
�Zulu Tango, this is 1L19, request permission to land, over.�
�Huh?�
Maya Ibuki was so intent on watching the fifth Shito attack that she
hadn�t heard anything else.
�We have an aircraft coming in,� Hyuga said. �Civilian, they�re
requesting permission to land.� Maya looked at Ritsuko Akagi, Hyuga�s
focus remained on the aircraft.
�Send them a message,� operations director Misato Katsuragi said.
�Redirect them to Tokyo 2.�
�Roger.� Flight 1L19 began circling, apparently waiting for permission
to land.
�Flight 1L19, all landings have been cancelled,� Hyuga said. �All
flights are to head to Tokyo 2.� The pilot was just about to reply when
another message came through.
�Flight 1L19, this is tower, permission to land granted, runway 12.�
�Control, I�ve got a message up here saying to land at Tokyo 2. Confirm
please, over,� the pilot said. There was silence, then there was an
explosion.
Hyuga watched as the aircraft continued to circle the city. Had he been
watching the Shito, he would have been able to warn them.
�There�s a large energy build up from inside the target,� Maya said.
�So what does that mean?� Misato asked.
�I think it�s going to fire.�
�On the aircraft?� Maya didn�t answer. She didn�t need to. A long,
straight line of light shot out from the target towards the sky.
�No, no limits, we�ll reach for the sky, no river too deep, no mountain
too high�� I think everyone was asleep now. I was singing to myself,
listening to one of my favourite songs, No Limits.
��we�ll do what we want, and we�ll do it, shit.� What the hell was
that. Some years ago, I was miles away from a small explosion that
happened, like some gas bottles blowing up or something. The sound was
like a cannon going off right next to my ear. This was the same loud
bang, except this was much louder than I remember it. It actually wasn�t
very loud, but I guess that�s when something was deafening. The sound
seemed to be coming from everywhere, but I looked to where I thought the
sound had come from, to my right. Oh, �SHIT�, we were on fire. I could
see that both our right engines were gone. Everyone panicked, as I
expected, but I clutched onto my seat and waited to see if we could
land.
�Fuck that,� I said to myself, �we�ve got to get out of here.� I jumped
out of my seat and ran like I never ran before, trying to find a pilot,
steward, flight attendant, anyone who could help. I got to the front of
the plane, which was empty. Where was everyone? I noticed a pilot�s
locker, and looking inside, I saw a dead man in a flight uniform. I
don�t know how he died, heart attack? The point was that he had a
parachute, which I quickly took off him. Morbid, maybe, but my life was
on the line. I ran as fast as I could through the plane, looking for a
way out. There was no one on board, and I was worried about the plane
blowing up. I reached the back exit of the deserted plane, where someone
had been kind enough to unlock. The door wasn�t even in place. There was
no time to stop and second guess myself. I ran through the open doorway
and fell into space. I�ve never been parachuting before, but I knew how
to do it. You fall for about three seconds, then you pull the ripcord,
unless you were doing something like a high altitude, low opening jump.
I just hoped that the thing would work. Any other time, I would have
enjoyed this, I�ve been meaning to go skydiving, but all I could think
about was what I knew about parachuting. I remember that you don�t pull
the rip cord near the ground, but I wanted to try a low opening that I
had confidence I could do. I saw other falling shapes, human shapes.
Bits of flimsy material opened up all around me, and the human figures
floated slowly towards the ground. The wind blew against my nylon coat
as I span and speared in the air, like I saw someone do once. For the
first time, I had a proper look around my surroundings. The ground was
heading up fast, so I thought now was as good a time as any to open the
chute. My head jerked back as the white cotton filled with air, catching
a glimpse of something that looked out of place. As I flared my chute, I
was able to get a good look at the floating shape. Some kind of blue
diamond. I figured that it was one of the Shito. That was the least of
my worries as I watched the plane head out to sea. We were lucky to have
survived this. Suddenly I realised something, �I� was heading out over
water. Great, there goes my walkman and clothing, not to mention all the
luggage I had on the plane.
Maya put down the phone. She had just spent the last half an hour
talking to her brother, Kenneth Ibuki, about what happened. He simply
replied that he would be there to handle the situation.
�Commander Severn will be here shortly,� she told Misato.
�What�s happened to the aircraft?� Misato asked.
�It crashed landed in the sea. We don�t think there�s any casualties,�
Hyuga said.
�All right, I�m going.� Misato started to leave.
�Where?� Ritsuko asked.
�It will give us a good image if we are there to attend to the
survivors. There�s not much we can do now except wait for the positron
rifle to be ready.�
�She�s right,� a voice said. A man wearing a bomber jacket walked into
the command centre. He gave a quick salute to Commanders Ikari and
Fyuetski, then turned his attention to Maya and Misato.
�We should take a look and see what�s happened. Maya, you go with
Misato, I�ll do what I can from here.�
No hello, no nothing, Maya thought. It�s not surprising. He�s always
like this when an emergency comes up, I guess we all are.
�Doctor,� Kenneth said, turning to Ritsuko, �what can you tell me?�
�Well, most of it is classified, but we are trying to get around the
enemy�s defenses.� Kenneth sensed that Maya was still there.
�You should get going. Take care of the survivors, then I�ll tell you
what we�ve come up with.� Maya nodded.
�Okay then, let�s get going.� Kenneth turned his attention back to
Ritsuko.
�We have decided to use a high powered sniper rifle, the JSSDF
prototype.�
�The Strategic Self Defence Force? Why did you think this was the best
way?�
�We have found that the target will attack anything that comes within a
certain range.�
�Like flight 1L19. Well, an Non Nuclear device is out of the question.
Not in the city.�
�Captain Katsuragi suggested a sniper rifle. It�s been approved by
Commanders Ikari and Fyutski.� Kenneth glanced at the Commanders.
�I think we need a better place to organise this,� he said as he
started walking. �So where are we stuck?�
�We need some type of defence for the Evas. We wouldn�t usually call
you on such a matter, but as you�re the best person on hand who knows
about defensive measures��
�Means that I�ve got the job of working out a defensive plan.� Kenneth
paused for a minute. �Alright, let�s get to work.
I feel cold, miserable, tired and all in all shitty. I have just been
fished out of the salty sea where I had �landed,� and now I�m waiting to
be checked out by EMS. This pisses me off. I look up at the giant
diamond which I thought was the one that shot us down. I wondered where
the hell these great robots were. Actually, there had only been one, I
believed. Purple. What kind of colour is that? Green would have been
much better. I only really heard of one incident that happened, when it
took out this shito at night. Quite brutal, the robot thing was getting
it�s ass kicked, then came back, big time. Funny how it reminded me of
wrestling. I didn�t have anything to eat, nothing to drink, not that I
felt like anything at the moment. It would have been better if I had
walked to Tokyo 3.
Maybe.
At least I could get inside where it�s warm after these so called
medical experts checked me out. I thought that I had a few cuts and I
hurt like all hell, but I don�t think I needed to go to hospital or
anything. Not that I would if I needed to, I could still walk. One thing
I did know was that if my walkman still worked hen I'd be buying more of
the manufacture's products. Some guy in a white coat walked over to me,
took one look, and said I was free to go, if I felt up to it. Great,
that meant I could go and get someplace warm. There was a building where
they were giving away apples, so I sauntered over there and checked to
see if they had anything else. I took the apple and bought some lasagne
that was being sold. I then sat down and started to eat. No sooner had I
started eating that I saw two women. One was definitely Asian, red
jacket, shorts and not bad looking actually. The other looked like she
was with the air force. They were walking over to where I was, so I
grabbed my apple and stood up.
"Are you one of the survivors of the plane crash?" the Asian asked.
"If you mean the plane that caught on fire and I had to parachute into
the ocean from, then yeah, that's me."
"I'm Captain Katsuragi, this is Lieutenant Ibuki, we'd like to ask you
a few questions."
Ibuki. Where have I heard that name before? I thought about it and came
up blank.
"Sure. Um," I turned to the young Lieutenant. "Your name's Ibuki, isn't
it?"
"Yes."
"You got a first name?"
"Maya. Why?"
Another name that was familiar.
"Just thought I knew you from somewhere, that's all. So Captain," I
said, turning to Katsuragi, "you're army?"
"U.N."
"Ah. So what did you want to ask me?"
"Well, basically, what can you tell us about what happened?" I have a
habit of talking too much, so I thought I'd make this brief.
"I was listening to music, there was this loud bang, we were on fire so
I raced to get a parachute and jumped out." Maya seemed to be taking
notes.
"Uh huh, can you go into more detail?" I took a bite from the apple.
"Yeah, I can. Here," I said to Maya, "can you hold this please?" I said
as I handed her the apple. If it was detail they wanted, then that's
what they'd get. "Yeah, well, I was listening to one of my favourite
songs," I coughed.. "'Cuse me. I was listening to one of my favourite
songs, No Limits by 2 Unlimited, I don't expect you to have heard of it
at all." They didn't seem to have recognised the name. "Didn't think so,
it's quite old, and yeah, mostly everyone was asleep, and you know, one
of my favourite songs, so I was singing along with it quietly."
"Just the facts, please," Katsuragi said.
"Well, if you want the facts, I've pretty much told you what I know."
Katsuragi turned to Maya.
"So what can we say about the plane crash?" she asked.
"We know that the shito shot it down," Maya said.
"But what else? He'd know as well as anyone else, and we don't have
time to talk to everyone." Maya nodded.
"I'll talk to him." Adam was sitting down by then. Maya walked over to
him and handed him his apple. "We are trying to establish what exactly
happened." Her voice was serious, but Adam didn't take it as being nasty
or anything. "We don't have a lot of time. You can tell us what happened
because you were there. Do you understand?" Adam nodded.
"Yeah. Um, okay. I was listening to music when I heard this big
explosion. I'm sure it took out both our right engines. Everyone was
panicked but I thought I'd sit tight. Maybe something to do with me
being somewhat preoccupied with death." Maya was about to say something,
but Adam continued on nonetheless. "I sat still for about five seconds
waiting to see what would happen, then I thought, blow that, get a
parachute and get out. Jump into the sea if you had to. Um, I think it
was that diamond, the, what was it, shito that got us. I raced through
the plane looking for a parachute, and I found one on this dead pilot,
think he had a heart attack or something, so I took it and raced back to
jump out. The plane was abandoned by now, and I jump out from the back."
Adam's gaze went back and forth, but now it rested on Maya's face. "Is
that what you wanted?" Maya nodded.
"Thank you."
I know where I recognise the name from now. It occurred to me as I got
on the bus to my new home. Maya was a character from an old video game,
a fighting game. Maya looked like someone who I thought should be in a
fighting game, one of my favourite characters, Rebecca Chambers, but
Maya didn�t strike me as being the fighting type. I suppose she would
have to be if she was with the best army in the world. The best of
what�s left anyway. Ibuki was another character from another fighting
game. She looked more like the lieutenant, but again, I wouldn�t take
her to have a career in street fighting.
�Those two women who talked to you, what did they want?�
What? What�s going on? I looked at where I thought the person was and
saw someone who looked like, well; I haven�t seen anyone like her
before. She looks a little like this person I saw in a magazine years
ago, but other than that, I didn�t know who she was.
�I�m sorry?� I said.
�The two women who said they were from the U.N. What did they talk to
you about?� Should I tell her or not?
�Who are you?� I asked.
�I�m working for the Japanese secret service. We are investigating all
events carried out by NERV since that incident six weeks ago.� She must
have meant that robot. Fair enough, but I had some questions I wanted
answered first.
�Who�s NERV?�
�They�re a secret organization under the U.N, who are to fight the
alien beings known as shito.�
�Like that thing above us at the moment?� I asked. �What�s your beef
with them then?�
�These, robots as you think of them are very powerful, and very
dangerous, as was proven six weeks ago when it went out of control.�
�Yeah. Is there anything you can tell me about that?�
�I�m afraid not. It�s top secret. Now, all you need to know is that we
don�t want this power falling into the wrong hands.� I made a groaning
sound.
�Sounds like a spy movie.�
�Anyway, those two women are from NERV, and I want you to tell me what
they talked to you about.�
�Okay. I talked with them about music, some music that I like.� I
paused, going over once again what happened.
�Why would that interest NERV?�
�It didn�t.� I tried to smile, but felt too tired and miserable to. �I
think that Shito shot at us. Both our right engines were taken out. We
could have blown up right there. I grabbed a parachute from a pilot who
seemed to have died of a heart attack, and then jumped out. That�s
basically what I told them.�
�So where are you going now?�
�To check out my new school, then walk home. I would have attended my
mum�s old school, Tamagawa Minanmi High, but that was destroyed during
the Second Impact. Um, during the Civil wars I believe. So I�m attending
this one in Tokyo 3, um,� thankfully, I didn�t swear. �can�t remember
the name. It�s the main junior high school in Tokyo. I plan to start
there as soon as possible.�
�Do you plan to start along with anyone else?� What? Why would she want
to know that?�
�Yeah, um, a friend of mine. Asuka Langly, uh, how do you pronounce her
last name? Anyway, just her.�
�Is that all you know?�
��Fraid so. Oh, here�s my stop. You�re��
�Bond.� I narrowed my gaze.
�Like I said, sounds like a spy movie.� I decided that I had already
said enough, too much, in fact. As soon as the bus stopped, I hurried
off. I was standing right outside what was to be my new school. Very
flash, unlike the shithole where I had suffered for two years. With sun
to set soon, I could have stood there, probably looking like an idiot,
for hours just looking, without even going in. I checked my watch, then
decided to head home. I wanted to be home by four thirty, which gave me
just over half an hour.
�Adam.�
Huh? Who was that? I didn�t really know anyone here yet, just those two
U.N officers and that weird lady. Mum and dad would be at home, so who
called out? I looked around, but the only thing I saw was someone across
the street. She was walking in the other direction, and was quite far
away, it wasn�t her. I couldn�t even tell what she looked like, but it
looked like she had done something to her hair.
�How did you go with General Andrews?�
Kenneth was sipping coffee, feeling relaxed now that they had been able
to work out a decisive plan.
�There really wan�t anything he could do about it,� he told Ritsuko. �I
think that Kouzou is pretty pissed with the mines as well.�
�With good reason. They�re more destructive than the Evas, but we
cannot defeat the Shi-to with them.�
�Shitheads. Collateral damage, that�s the problem. At least the Evas
can defeat the Shi-to without killing us as well.�
�Man cannot survive by Eva alone,� Ritsuko said, repeating herself.
�Man can�t survive by Eva.� They fell silent for a minute, preying that
it wasn�t true.
�Maya.� Ritsuko looked up as Misato and Maya walked into Ritsuko�s
office, talking about something.
The Shi-to, no doubt, Kenneth thought. He glanced again at the messy
desk covered in cigarette butts and ash. What a slob.
�So how did it go?� Ritsuko asked.
�We spoke with a survivor of the attack, Adam Kasugano,� Misato said.
�Understandably, he wasn�t in the best of moods, but I was able to get
some information out of him.� A thought crept into Kenneth�s brain at
what Maya said, but was gone before he knew what it was.
�We really only have one option in defence, but it might not be
possible,� he said. �Do we have any shields, as in what the police force
use at all?� It took all of them by surprise.
�Um, we could probably build one,� Maya said.
�We�re dead. How can it be built in�� Kenneth looked at his watch.
�Seven hours?�
�It can be done,� Misato said. Kenneth hoped that they could rely on
her enthusiasm.
�Do it. Let�s go.� Instead of following orders, Ritsuko turned to face
him.
�Why didn�t you just say so? We could have had a shield built easily.�
�Maybe, but it sounded like such a, crazy plan, that I wanted Maya and
the Captain here for a second opinion.�
�When you�re around Misato, nothing�s crazy anymore. That�s something
else I wanted to talk to you about, you expect us to jump when you say
so?�
�We have less than seven hours left. Later. Maya, you�re with me.�
Ritsuko watched as they left the room.
�So what was this Adam like?� Kenneth asked.
�He seemed bitter, but with what he went through�he�s kind of like
Ikari.�
�The kid? Who would have guessed? Do they go to the same school?�
�I don�t know. Shinji and Adam are somewhat alike, I meant the
Commander.� Kenneth sniffed at that.
�Oh, the power that we need for this is incredible, we�re talking
bigger than anyone can provide us with. There�s talk about shutting down
Japan just so that we�d have enough juice to pull this off.�
�Shut down Japan of all power? Can that be done?�
�When I find out, I�ll give the bad news to the press. You get with
Ritsuko on that shield.�
What a shitty day. I nearly missed my flight, I was shot down, I�ve
lost hundreds of dollars in luggage and now for dessert, this.
�I know how you must feel, but considering your autism, we feel that
this is the best way.� My mum and dad have always been supportive, and
they did know best, but this was, it just seemed wrong.
�Yeah, maybe, but do I really have to miss out on school?� I had been
hoping to start tomorrow, or when it starts after the Shi-to attack.
�We want you to feel settled enough to go to school, with us just
moving to another country, and now this plane crash,� my dad said. �We
just want you to be alright.� I wasn�t listening. My attention was
focused on the TV. Maybe I�ll be on the news.
�All power will be shut down�� that was all I needed to hear for my day
to go from shitty to fucked.
Great, that�s just what I need.
�That does it, I�m off to my room to see if this walkman still works.�
�Not until you�ve had a shower,� mum said. �Oh, Asuka called before.
She said that your luggage had to go on an alternative flight.�
Bitch, I thought. In truth, I should be thankful for Asuka. My day was
now officially shitty again, as opposed to the alternative.
To be continued�
In the next instalment, tensions build as Adam is on �holiday,� and
NERV�s chain of command looks near collapse. Next chapter; The Sin of
Torment.
*Please note that Adam Kasugano isn't my real name. While writing
the story, I fell in love with it, and have chosen to use it. Look
forward to your opinions.
The Millenium Man, Y2A.