Hi everyone!
Here's Part Nine of Ascent! I'd like to thank everyone who has
commented over the past week--it was nice to hear a broad range of
opinions about my work. I have a few notes this week...
First, just to be clear (some people have difficulty with this) my
archive is at http://members.tripod.com/Sage_Ohlmin/evafic.htm and you
can get to Ascent by pressing the red A. Pressing other letters will
take you other places, all of them extremely pleasant and sweet
smelling.
Second, "Ich bin ein Berliner" does indeed mean that the speaker is a
jelly donut-like thingy. Also, Andrew Huang must create more
Evanjellydonut or I will get all sad and cry. Which, I'd like to point
out, is a really unattractive sight.
Third, I realized the other day that AotF (thanks for the acronym,
EeL!) has no fanart. This is for two reasons. 1) I can't draw, and
therefore I have produced no fanart. 2) Nobody else has sent me
anything. But if you can draw and would like to see your art on a
website, you can draw AotF fanart (or fanart for any other of my
stories, or even just for NGE in general), and I'll happily put it on
my site.
I'm shameless, I know.
On a down note, I won't be able to put new parts of Ascent up for the
next two or three weeks. A variety of events conspire to make me
unavailable for the amount of work it takes to put out a quality part
per week. Sorry. I have a few spamfics stored up I may inflict on you
by way of apology...
Anyway, here we go...
Sparky
*********
"Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."--Isaac Asimov
For Evangelion fanfiction and links visit Heaven's Gate
http://members.tripod.com/Sage_Ohlmin/evafic.htm
A Dies Irae Production
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-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: part09.txt
NEON GENESIS EVANGELION:
ASCENT OF THE FALLEN
By Sparky Clarkson
Part Nine:
"And he placed at the east of the garden of Eden angels, and a flaming
sword to guard the path to the tree of life." (Genesis 3:24)
*******
Makoto stood in front of the mirror, straightening his tie. He tugged
briefly at his collar, feeling a little uncomfortable due to the
tightness of the dress shirt. His normal attire, designed more for
functionality than formality, suited his disposition and his fashion
sense much better. A NERV jumpsuit, however, was hardly appropriate
for a five-star restaurant, so he'd have to deal with the discomfort
of the suit. He buttoned up the black waistcoat over the dark blue
tie, and pulled on the coat. Turning back to the mirror, he asked,
"Well, how do I look?"
_Not like Kaji,_ his mind replied. The coat's shoulders were a bit too
broad, the waist a bit too narrow. He looked like a man in an
uncomfortable suit. That was the truth, of course, but Kaji had always
appeared to be at ease in any situation, whether it was an angel
attack or a French restaurant.
<--
"Hyuga-kun, there is no time. This action has exposed me, and to cover
those who must remain in the organization, I'll have to sacrifice
myself," Kaji said, the words spilling rapidly from his mouth as he
gazed coolly around the deserted warehouse.
-->
_Even then, you seemed to have no fear,_ Makoto thought.
<--
"I have already done enough that you will not be harmed by our
association," Kaji continued, now focused on Makoto's face, "But there
are others, and to save them I must die." Seeing Makoto's shocked
expression, Kaji said, "Do not look so surprised, Makoto--this was
fated from my first arrival in Tokyo-3. A candle burned from both ends
glows brightly but soon goes out."
-->
_I wonder about that still... was it that you served too many masters,
or that you served only one, who could never be satisfied?_
<--
"Misato will be safe from NERV, but she will not be safe from herself-
-and I doubt any of the children will be able to help her. That must
be your job, Makoto. I know you care for her, but now you must work to
prove it. She will need you, Hyuga-kun. Please, do not let her down."
-->
_Because I promised you, I gained the courage to do what I otherwise
would never have attempted,_ Makoto thought as he made one final
attempt to straighten everything up. As he turned out the lights in
his small, one-bedroom apartment, he continued, _And now I have more
than I ever thought possible._ He slipped out into the hall, closing
the door quietly behind him. _Thank you, Kaji-san._
***
"Wow! Misato-san, you look incredible!" Kensuke shouted, practically
drooling at the sight of the major in her dark purple dress.
Misato smiled and stepped back to allow Kensuke, Touji, and Hikari to
enter the apartment. The military otaku had seemed unusually quiet
when he came by in the mornings during the past week, so she was glad
to see him back to his old, somewhat obnoxious self. "Kids, your
friends are here!" she called as the three teenagers filed into the
apartment, slipping off their shoes and issuing the customary
greeting.
"Coming!" came Asuka's voice from the back of the apartment, followed
by a slightly more muffled, "Hurry up, Rei! We don't want to keep them
waiting!"
Misato didn't hear Rei's response, because Touji's voice from the den
drowned her out as he said, "Wow! I'd almost forgotten you had any
clothes besides school uniforms and hospital gowns, Shinji!"
Misato grinned to herself on hearing that. In truth, he hadn't had any
others until today. Her one attempt at doing the laundry by herself
while Shinji was out had succeeded only in destroying all but a few of
everyone's outfits. She and Asuka had busied themselves shopping for
new clothes, but Shinji had settled for just getting two more uniforms
when he got out of the hospital. When he'd gone to get a haircut this
morning, however, Asuka had dragged him into a store and all but
forced him to buy some less formal clothes. Eventually she'd talked
him into getting some khaki shorts and a polo shirt.
"They were Asuka's idea," Misato heard Shinji reply as she followed
the newcomers into the den. Shinji and Kaoru were sitting on the couch
next to each other. Asuka had worked her influence on Kaoru, too, who
was dressed almost exactly like Shinji except that his shirt was
orange and Shinji's was blue.
At that moment, Rei and Asuka entered the room. Asuka had put on her
favorite yellow sundress, which had mercifully escaped Misato's
disastrous attempt at laundering. Rei, on the other hand, wore a dark
green dress. Ordinarily, it would not have gone very well with her
pale face, but Asuka's skillful application of makeup had subtly
brought out the color in her cheeks and eyes.
Everyone stood silently for a moment, shocked by Rei's unusual
appearance. The albino girl began to look uncomfortable after a
second, but Touji saved her from embarrassment by making a fool of
himself. He let out a loud wolf whistle and shouted, "Wow, Rei! You
look even better than Misato!"
Misato grinned. She might have glared at Touji for that, but at the
moment Hikari's iron grip on his hand was making him uncomfortable
enough for the both of them. While Touji attempted to placate his
girlfriend, and everyone else laughed, Misato heard a knock at the
door. She returned to the foyer just as Shinji and Kaoru were standing
up to go.
As Misato opened the door, all the kids arrived in the foyer at the
same time, filing out past her before Makoto, who stood outside, could
enter. The somewhat embarrassed technician bore the giggling and
nudges his presence provoked with equanimity, but sighed with relief
when all the children had gotten into the elevator.
Makoto bowed deeply to Misato and offered her his arm. "Madam, your
chariot awaits," he said.
Misato giggled, "A chariot?"
Makoto nodded earnestly. "Yeah," he replied. "It sounds cheap, but you
have no idea how much good oats cost these days."
Misato laughed and took his hand, sliding the door closed behind her.
They ambled slowly towards the elevator, enjoying the peaceful silence
of the building. As they waited for the lift, Makoto asked, "Where
were all the kids going?"
"There's an outdoor festival downtown this evening with a lot of bands
and stuff. From the sound of things, almost everyone must be there."
"Do you want to go? We could skip dinner..."
"No," Misato replied, "I want to have you all to myself tonight. I've
been spread so thin lately, especially with the kids, that I haven't
been spending anywhere near as much time as I would like on you."
Makoto blushed. "Well, it's only for dinner," he said. "The kids will
be back tonight, after all..."
Misato grinned slyly. "You'd think that, wouldn't you?"
Makoto smiled. "Or perhaps they'll be spending tonight with their
friends. So that means..."
"No interruptions."
***
As the discordant music finally came to an end, Shinji realized that
he had subconsciously been grinding his teeth all through the band's
performance. He slowly relaxed his jaw, grimacing at the dull ache
coming from his molars.
"Perhaps I should rethink my position on music," Kaoru said, looking
somewhat wobbly on his feet.
"*That* was music?" Asuka asked, with a confused expression on her
face.
"It sounded more like a train wreck," Touji agreed.
"Aw, you weren't even paying attention to the band!" Kensuke replied.
Hikari and Touji both blushed, having recently discovered the second
purpose to which concerts could be put.
"You look so *cute* when you do that!" Asuka exclaimed, squeezing
their cheeks. Touji jerked his head away with a somewhat embarrassed
grin, and immediately kissed Hikari again.
"Don't pay any attention to these jerks," he said to her. "Ya got me,
and that's all ya need." Hikari kissed him back.
"Don't your tongues ever get tired?" Kensuke asked. The couple refused
to dignify his comment with a response, but everyone else laughed
uproariously.
"I could really use something to drink," Shinji commented, stretching
his legs. "Who wants to come look for a stand?"
The other children agreed, and they wandered away from the makeshift
stage that had been erected in the largest park in the city. The
streets for several blocks around had been closed to traffic, and were
now lined with booths and tents featuring food, drinks, clothing,
crafts, and a variety of small diversions. The children gravitated to
a small cart selling lemonade. The cold, tangy beverage provided them
with welcome relief from the hot, muggy evening air of Tokyo-3.
The kids found a group of benches set back a few yards from the main
flow of foot traffic through the festival, and sat down to enjoy their
beverages. A few moments passed in relative silence while the children
slurped away at the lemonade. Finally, Kensuke leaned back with a
sigh, saying, "Ahh! That hit the spot!"
"Yeah, it's pretty good," Asuka agreed, slurping down the last bit of
hers. "I've had better in America, though," she added.
"Aw, who cares?" Touji asked. "You talk about America too much."
"It's interesting, though!" Kensuke countered, trying to get on the
Eva pilot's good side. "I like hearing about the Americans."
"They do have some amusing habits," Kaoru agreed. "Particularly their
taste for animation produced in a country most of them have never
seen."
"Or the fact that they listen to a lot of the stuff that Shigeru's
band plays," Shinji added, shaking his head. "I would have thought
they would be better. Shigeru's not bad with his guitar."
"Yeah, but he was playing rhythm," Asuka said. "So he only got to play
the basic guitar lines, while the frontman tried to sing and play at
the same time."
"He did not succeed at either," Rei commented, rubbing her temples as
if she had a headache. That brought a round of chuckles from everyone
except Touji and Hikari, who had started kissing again.
"It must be something in the air," Shinji commented, shifting a little
on the bench. While his physical wounds from the battle with Gabriel
had pretty much healed, he still had some continuing problems. His
muscles ached fiercely if he sat still for too long, or if he got too
cold. Also, he found himself cramping up a lot, as if his body had
trouble getting blood to the right places.
Rei, sitting next to Shinji, reached out and gently grabbed his hand.
Shinji looked at her curiously. _Has she finally decided what she
wants?_ he wondered. Gazing into her red eyes, he saw them soften
somewhat, revealing warmth instead of fire. Shinji blushed slightly
and smiled, gently squeezing her hand. As he was about to bend over
and say something to Rei, Asuka caught his eye by leaning over and
giving Kaoru a brief kiss full on the lips.
Kaoru blushed furiously as she pulled away. Asuka smiled and winked at
Shinji, saying, "I suppose it *is* something in the air."
Touji laughed and said, "Uh-oh Kensuke, it looks like you're out of
luck."
"I still have a chance with Rei!" the otaku protested.
"I think not," Rei replied, and rested her head on Shinji's shoulder.
She whispered to Shinji, "You understand, don't you?"
He nodded, quietly replying, "Yes... friends?"
Rei pulled Shinji's hand into her lap and clasped it with both of
hers. "More than that... but... yes, friends."
The conversation then turned to more mundane topics, with Hikari and
Asuka bringing in every bit of school gossip that they could. The
children also made the typical comments about those who were passing
by. Eventually, though, as the streams of people lessened, the
children also fell silent. At length, Shinji said, "I guess we should
go on home."
"Yeah," Hikari agreed. "Come on girls," she said, after giving Touji
one last kiss. Rei and Asuka stood up to follow her, and they quickly
disappeared one the way to her home.
The boys were left alone. "Shinji is spending the night at my place,"
Kaoru said. "Do you guys want to come, too?"
Touji shook his head. "Nah," he replied, "My sister's getting out
of... she gets home tomorrow morning, so I want to greet her."
"Yeah, and I'm going camping tomorrow," Kensuke said, "I want to find
a good place to watch the comet hit Mars in a few weeks. I need to get
an early start, so..." He trailed off, and looked like he wanted to
say something else, but he didn't have an opportunity before Kaoru
responded.
"Okay then. Good night."
"See ya."
Touji and Kensuke began to leave, but Shinji reached out and grabbed
the wounded boy's shoulder. "Touji, could you tell your sister
again... that I'm sorry about what happened to her?"
Touji smiled slightly and nodded. "Yeah, I'll tell her," he said.
"Thanks."
***
Makoto rolled over and nudged Misato's bare shoulder. "You're still
awake?" she asked. "I must be losing my touch."
"You certainly haven't," Makoto said, laughing. "I've just been
thinking..."
"Yes?"
"We... we've been together for about three months now, and... there's
something I need to ask you."
Misato propped herself up on her arm. In the dimness of the room, she
could not make out Makoto's expression precisely, but his furrowed
brow indicated that he was troubled. "Go ahead," she said.
"I may regret asking this tomorrow... I've loved every minute we've
been together, Misato, but I can't escape this feeling. Are you in
love with *me*, or am I just standing in for someone else?"
Misato flopped over onto her back and stared at the ceiling. _I always
knew he would ask this question,_ she thought, _but I'm still not
ready for it._ She rubbed her forehead for a moment, then said, "I...
I hate to admit it, but when we started, you were... yes. I was using
you for... for..."
"It's all right," Makoto replied, "You were hurt, and I wanted to
help. It didn't matter then."
"It does matter now, though," Misato said. "I've gotten to know you
better, to understand what kind of person you are. I... I don't know
if this is true love, or just... something that will change. I can't
be sure of that, yet. But I am sure of this: whatever emotion I'm
feeling, I'm feeling it for *you*, not some ghost. You've become very
important to me, Makoto."
Misato heard nothing for a moment, and almost rolled over to look at
Makoto again, but was stopped when he leaned over and kissed her.
"Thank you," he said. "That's all I needed to hear." They lay together
silently for a few moments.
Then Misato said, "Well, since you're up..."
***
"Well girls, what will it be?" Hikari asked, holding up the two DVD's
for Rei and Asuka to see.
Asuka shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me, really," she said, "I've
seen both of them a hundred times."
"You must prefer *one*," Hikari protested.
"I don't see why," Asuka responded, "They're totally different. One's
a film noir-style mystery, and the other's a fantasy love story.
There's no real way to compare the two, when you think about it."
"I think I would like to see the love story," Rei commented. Asuka
shrugged.
Hikari smiled. "_The Princess Bride_ it is, then," she said as she
slid the disc into the player. The microwave dinged in the kitchen and
she ran off to get the popcorn.
Asuka grinned, realizing she had a golden opportunity to rib her
fellow pilot. "You want to see the love story, eh?" she said, nudging
Rei with her elbow. "Looking for tips on how to attract Shinji?"
Rei turned to regard the redhead with a bland expression. "No," she
replied calmly, "I do not wish to romance Ikari-kun."
"What was that about at the park, then?"
Rei was silent for a moment, then replied, "I... I find it difficult
to explain. I want to be close to Ikari-kun, but I feel no desire to
be his lover. I love him, but I do not wish to be his mate."
Asuka almost said something, but stopped as Rei added, "And do you
wish Nagisa-kun to be your mate?"
Asuka froze, her jaw hanging open in silence. She would never have
expected Rei to come back with that question. "I..." she gasped, then
took a deep breath. "I don't want to talk about it," she said
hurriedly, then started the movie as Hikari came in with a bowl of
popcorn.
As the screen went dark to begin the movie, Rei leaned over and
whispered in Asuka's ear, "Perhaps you should. If not with me, then
with the one you love. If you wait too long to speak, you may not get
a chance."
***
"I am sorry," Kaoru said as he sat down on his futon.
"What for?" Shinji asked from the doorway. He kicked off his shoes and
stepped into Kaoru's apartment.
"I did not intend to have a kiss with Asuka," the grey-haired boy
replied.
Shinji sat down on the bed next to his friend. "Oh, that," he said.
"You are not angry? You are not... jealous?"
"I don't know why I should be," Shinji replied. "It's not like we're
dating or anything."
"You love her, though. You have told me so many times. Did you not
feel betrayed when she kissed someone else?" Kaoru asked.
Shinji sighed and slouched over. "What's to betray?" he asked. "It's
not like she knows I'm in love with her."
"You have not told her of your feelings?"
Shinji shook his head. "No, I couldn't. She'd probably just get mad at
me, anyway. Asuka's been a lot nicer since she came out of her coma,
but that doesn't mean she'll leap into my arms and be my girlfriend if
I tell her how I feel. And if she didn't accept me, living with her
would be hell," he explained.
After a moment, Kaoru nodded, saying, "Asuka seems the sort of person
who wants to make the decision for herself. Still, I think you should
tell her how you feel. It cannot be that bad if she refuses you."
Shinji shrugged, then asked, "Well, how did you like it when she
kissed you?"
Kaoru blushed. "It... I enjoyed it very much," he replied.
Shinji smiled slightly. "So you like her, too, huh?" he asked.
Kaoru nodded. "Being in her presence makes me very happy," he said,
"almost as happy as being in yours."
Shinji giggled quietly, saying, "Does that mean you want me to kiss
you, too?"
Kaoru draped an arm around his friend and pulled him closer. "Would it
make you uncomfortable to do so?" he asked.
Shinji thought a moment, then replied, "N-no... it'd just be strange.
Boys don't usually do that sort of thing." He paused, then added,
"Then again, we do a lot of things that boys our age wouldn't normally
do."
"So it is acceptable for a boy and girl to kiss, but not for two boys
to do so?"
"Well, when you kiss on the lips, it means you want to..." Shinji felt
himself blushing terribly. He gulped, then said, "It means you want
the other person to be your... your m-mate. Most boys want to have
girls for w-wives, so..."
"I see," Kaoru replied, then closed his eyes in contemplation. After a
moment, he continued, "I still feel confused, though. I want to spend
my life with you and Asuka. Why should I kiss her and not you?"
"I... I guess, if you think of a boy as your soulmate, it's kind of
silly not to kiss him," Shinji admitted.
"I suppose that is the weakness of man and woman," Kaoru said,
sighing. "People feel obligated to think of love in terms of sex, and
not in terms of emotion. When one steps outside the bounds of the
usual sexuality, others assume the *emotion* is tainted or false."
The boys were silent for a moment, and then Shinji repeated his
question. "Kaoru, do you want me to kiss you?"
"I do not want you to feel uncomfortable."
"That's not what I asked."
Kaoru sat up straighter, and replied, "I... I would like to share a
breath with you, but I do not think we should. While man and woman
exists, for us to kiss like that would be to lie, to boast of a lust
that does not exist."
Shinji nodded and wrapped an arm around his friend. He licked his lips
nervously, then turned and briefly kissed Kaoru on the cheek. For a
moment, Kaoru froze.
Then he turned and pulled Shinji into a tight embrace, a sign of
appreciation that needed no words to complement it.
*****
Kouzou frowned as he gazed around the storage room, watching the
technicians methodically inspect every corner of the room in their
search. He hated these rooms, though only a few short months ago they
meant nothing to him. Now, with their droning fans and stark metal
walls, they resurrected unpleasant memories.
<--
"You're late," Kaji said, standing up straighter as the newcomer
approached.
-->
_That young man always lacked patience,_ Kouzou thought, _As do I,
now. I wonder if he hated these places then as much as I do these
days._ Kouzou caught sight of a familiar person approaching through
the crowd of technicians and waved him over.
The man's long hair was in disarray, his face unshaven, and his eyes
bleary. He cringed at every loud sound as he walked, and constantly
rubbed at his temples with his left hand. His right hand held a small
clipboard.
"Lieutenant Aoba," Kouzou asked, "What is the status?"
"Oh... we, um... still haven't found it, sir."
Kouzou rolled his eyes. "It's not so small that it can be easily
hidden. I am certain it's in this room so keep looking," he ordered.
"Yeah... I mean, yes sir," Aoba said, obviously having some difficulty
concentrating. He turned to leave but stopped as Kouzou called to him.
"Lieutenant Aoba, do you care to explain your present state? You're
barely fit for duty."
"Well sir," Aoba replied, "After my band's concert last night, we did
a little partying. I... I wasn't expecting to come in today, sir--I'm
not on the duty roster."
"Well, unexpected situations sometimes arise. Go drink three cups of
water and take two aspirin--you should feel better shortly."
Aoba managed a weak smile as he saluted. "Yes, sir."
Kouzou watched the young man leave, then turned his attention back to
the mass of technicians. He frowned as he saw them swapping jokes
while they worked. _How little they understand,_ he thought. _All
these men view this as an inconvenience--two hours' work that takes
away their weekend time. If they knew how critical this was, would
they laugh so readily?_
<--
"I don't understand why you think this is necessary," Kouzou
whispered. "Gendo trusts me as much as anyone."
"That is why," Kaji replied. "Gendo must keep that trust, so you must
prove you did not collaborate. This is the only way to be sure that,
when the time comes, we can still make one last play from the inside."
-->
_One last play from the inside,_ Kouzou mentally repeated. A shout
from one corner of the room told him that someone had found the object
he needed. Kouzou smiled, and looked up at the storage room number.
_Well, Kaji-kun, it appears that now I will have the ball when it
comes time to make my play,_ he thought as he walked towards the
location of the shout. _Let's hope this is worth it._
***
"Well, we certainly got lucky," Misato commented from the main level
of the command center. "If this thing had shown up thirty minutes
earlier, we'd have needed an extra hour to get ready. Fortunately, the
kids all wanted to meet me for lunch."
"Good luck, maybe," Kouzou replied from the highest level, "But much
about this is bad. Without Lt. Ibuki or the Commander present, we have
lost much of our expertise. We shall have to take this carefully." He
frowned as he glanced back at the main screen. On it, he saw an angel
much like the previous four--it had the shape of a man wearing a toga,
with massive red, translucent wings that looked as if they had been
chiseled from rubies. Its eyes had the same appearance. Unlike the
previous four archangels, however, this attacker carried obvious
weaponry--a large round shield that looked like it was made of iron,
and a huge sword of fire.
"Well convenient or not, we have to deal with this thing now," Misato
replied. "I have a feeling that the ranged weapons probably won't work
against the archangel's AT field, so we'll probably have to use the
knives."
"I still think we need more information before we move in," Kouzou
replied. The archangel swung its sword through one of the dummy
buildings, neatly slicing it in two. It then slammed its shield into a
tower, ripping it off its foundations and sending it flying across the
city. _Such strength,_ he thought, feeling vaguely uneasy. _How can we
defeat it?_
"Well, our sources are limited," Misato noted, then asked, "Kaoru?"
"That archangel is named Uriel," Kaoru replied over the communication
channel. "Father gave him the sword so that he could guard the Tree of
Life. Beyond that, I know little about him."
"Do you know any weaknesses? Where his core might be?"
There was an embarrassed cough from EVA-05's entry plug. "No, I do
not," Kaoru said. "Like I have said before, it is not something about
which it is polite to ask."
Misato shook her head. "Well, we're going to have to work from basics
then. Until we know for sure, we might as well assume that the core is
in the same place that the heart would be if Uriel were human. Don't
take any chances, though. We're not sure enough that the heart is the
core for you guys to be making suicide charges," she said.
"Great," Asuka said. "So we honestly don't have any idea how to attack
this thing?"
"Don't be so glum, Asuka," Misato replied. "We have four-on-one odds,
after all."
"It's not enough," Shinji whispered in his entry plug, but only Kouzou
heard him.
The old man shook his head, thinking, _We begin with four warriors to
stand against one of the enemy. Yet... I can't help but feeling it
will come down to one--a single light to shine against the darkness._
He snorted, then leaned back in his chair. _Wistful and melodramatic
at the same time. I truly am growing old,_ he thought, _How Yui would
have laughed at that._ He focused his eyes on the screen showing Unit
One's emergence on the surface. _Will you protect him today, Yui?_ he
wondered, _Will that be enough?_
***
"Keep your eyes on the sword," Kaoru suggested, "You do not want to
have it hit you."
"I could *never* have figured that out on my own," Asuka muttered. Her
Eva was approaching the gigantic archangel from the north, and she
could see Rei's homing in on the monster from the opposite direction.
Shinji and Kaoru were converging on Uriel from the east and west,
respectively. All four Evas were moving slowly from building to
building, so as not to draw the attention of the archangel before they
were all in position.
It hardly mattered, of course. Like Jophiel, Uriel seemed oblivious to
their presence. He simply used his sword and shield as demolition
machines, slicing buildings in two or simply toppling them with bashes
from his shield.
"Well, how *should* we do this?" Shinji asked. He clenched his right
hand reflexively, then allowed it to relax, not noticing that his Eva
mimicked the action while maintaining a grip on its progressive knife.
"I say we rush him. We'll gain the advantage of surprise," Asuka
replied.
"Perhaps we should be more cautious..." Kaoru began, but Asuka had
already begun to charge the massive winged creature. "Damn!" Kaoru
shouted, then started running himself.
Shinji and Rei sped up too, but Asuka hadn't given anyone enough
warning. She reached Uriel several moments before the others, charging
at full speed with her knife ready. The archangel reacted by slamming
its shield into the head of EVA-02, sending the red giant flying head
over heels into a skyscraper. The building collapsed from the force of
the impact, part of it falling onto Unit Two's chest. Asuka cried out
briefly, then bit her lip to choke off the sound, piercing her skin
and drawing blood.
Uriel then turned to deal with Kaoru. The grey-haired boy went
airborne to avoid a swing from the flaming sword just as Rei and
Shinji arrived. They charged into the back and side of the angel, but
met no resistance and collided in the middle. The two Evas staggered
backwards while Kaoru swooped down on Uriel's head. He also felt no
resistance, passing through the body as if nothing were there. Unit
Five hit the ground hard, then jumped forward between the archangel's
legs to avoid a downward strike from the sword.
***
"Can *anyone* explain that?" Misato asked. No one replied, but heads
shook all around the room. Misato snorted and racked her brain for
some rational cause for the confusion. After a moment, she ordered
"Try probing the angel's body to see where there actually is some
matter. That's got to be where the core is."
"Doing it now," Makoto said, fear creeping into his voice.
"Kids, I want you to fall back for a moment while we try and figure
out what exactly is going on," Misato announced into the communicator.
She watched as the four Evangelions retreated from the archangel.
After watching them for a moment, Uriel continued wreaking destruction
on the area as if the Evas didn't exist.
Makoto cleared his throat. "Umm, according to every probing mechanism
we have, the body is in fact solid. It doesn't reflect certain long
wavelengths of light, but since most of those can actually pass
through matter, I don't think that indicates anything," he announced.
"Then we should start with what we know behaves like normal matter,"
Kouzou said. "Regardless of what our instruments tell us, there is
something about the shield and sword that makes them different from
the rest of the angel. That suggests with some degree of plausibility
that the parts of the angel in immediate contact with those objects
are the most like ordinary matter."
"The hands!" Misato exclaimed, then turned back to the radio. "Kids,
you need to focus on Uriel's hands. I have an idea for an attack
pattern..."
***
"Everyone ready?" Misato asked.
"Yes," Shinji replied, and listened to the affirmative answers of the
other three pilots. EVA-01 stood about 50 meters behind Uriel, with
EVA-05 an equal distance to the front. EVA-00 and EVA-02 were nearly
100 meters to the left and right of the creature, respectively.
"Okay then, kids," Misato said. "Go ahead and attack."
Asuka and Rei made the first move. They began charging towards Uriel,
each focusing on arriving at the nearest hand at the same moment. When
they were halfway there, Shinji and Kaoru began to charge. Rei and
Asuka changed their attack vectors at the last moment, Rei pulling up
and leaping backward to avoid a blow from the shield, and Asuka
throwing herself sideways off the remains of a building to avoid the
arc of the sword.
Shinji and Kaoru arrived just as Rei and Asuka were countering Uriel's
attacks. Shinji leaped for the archangel's left hand, which held the
shield, and Kaoru grabbed for the right.
"I've got something!" Shinji yelled as his left hand closed around the
massive digits which held the shield. He stabbed into them recklessly,
hoping to find the core.
"Me too!" Kaoru shouted as he shoved his progressive knife through the
palm of the archangel's hand. But Uriel seemed immune to pain. He
swung his shield arm around so that the edge of the shield came into
sharp contact with the back of EVA-05's head. Kaoru cried out, but
held on. "A little help, please?" he asked, but there was no time for
anyone to assist him. Uriel swung the shield again, and this time it
cracked EVA-05's neck.
"Kaoru!" Asuka screamed.
Kaoru's eyes dilated in shock, and then he fell mercifully
unconscious. EVA-05 crumpled to the ground, leaving its knife embedded
in Uriel's palm. A moment later, the entry plug ejected. Relieved of
the excess weight, Uriel swung his sword towards Shinji's Eva. Shinji
dropped free of the shield hand just in time, as the sword passed
harmlessly through Uriel's forearm and bit into the ground. As it did,
Shinji caught a glimpse of something sparkling on the hilt.
"Damn you!" Asuka screamed, and charged in on the sword arm again as
Uriel turned to follow EVA-01. Her knife slashed into Uriel's palm,
but the archangel barely seemed to notice. He swung his arm up against
a building, crushing Asuka against it again and forcing her free. EVA-
02 collapsed to the ground, and Uriel raised its sword.
EVA-01, however, had climbed back to its feet. Shinji made it vault in
front of Uriel, grab onto the sword's crossguard, and hold the blade
back from Asuka. Uriel and Shinji struggled while Asuka shook her
head, muttering. Rei drove in on the other arm, slashing against the
hand that held the shield. She wrapped one of her Eva's arms around
Uriel's wrist and then began hacking at the archangel's fingers with
her prog knife. Two of them fell to the ground and dissolved into
blood-red foam.
"The fingers are vulnerable," she announced as Asuka at last managed
to regain her footing. Uriel noticed the change and jerked backward
quickly on its sword. Shinji, who had been straining to hold the sword
back from Asuka, immediately overbalanced and fell forward.
Instinctively, he ducked into a roll, hoping to dodge Uriel's follow-
up attack.
Uriel, however, had retrained his focus on the red Eva. With its sword
free from Shinji's grasp, the archangel swung the flaming blade around
towards Asuka again. She tried to jump out of the way, but stumbled in
the rubble of the building she'd crashed into earlier. Her fall made
Uriel's horizontal attack miss, but the archangel quickly corrected
the swing and brought the sword down. Asuka tried to vault forward out
of the line of attack, but she moved too slowly and the sword sliced
cleanly through her Eva's right arm at the elbow.
Already somewhat dazed, Asuka was completely stunned by the pain.
Instinctively, she clutched at her arm as liters of fluid leaked
through the red fingers of her Evangelion. Unable to even scream, she
just sat open-mouthed in the LCL, her eyes wide and face twisted in
pain.
Uriel grinned, his ruby eyes seeming to come to life with the fire of
the sword. He raised his sword arm for one last, powerful strike.
Shinji sprang for the archangel's hand, hoping to grab hold of the
sword again, but he fell short just as Uriel swung. Asuka, frozen in
pain, seemed not to notice. She just stayed kneeling in front of the
ruby-winged giant, as if unwilling to avoid the certain doom that
rushed towards her. At the last moment, however, EVA-00 dropped free
of Uriel's shield arm and shoved EVA-02 out of the path of the blade.
Instead, the flaming sword cut all the way through EVA-00's torso.
***
Misato almost screamed in horror as the top half of EVA-00 toppled to
the ground, leaving only the legs standing. "Sever that neural link!"
she shouted for the second time that day.
"Already done, but... it may be too late," Makoto said.
"What do you mean?"
"The neural circuits went into intense biofeedback loops when the
sword touched the Eva. It's quite possible that Rei has experienced a
level of *physiological* damage equal to that experienced by the Eva,
or nearly so," Kouzou said, his face drawn. The glow of the monitor he
was examining made his aging skin look like parchment.
"You mean..." Misato began, but was cut short.
"Blood has been detected in Rei's LCL--the most likely source is the
lungs," Makoto reported.
Misato turned back to the screen. "Shinji, Asuka," she called, "You
don't have much time! You have to defeat Uriel as quickly as you can
so we can get medical crews in to help Kaoru and Rei. Rei'll die if we
don't get assistance to her soon!"
***
"You *bastard*!" Shinji shouted and charged the massive archangel.
Asuka, whose head had cleared when she hit the ground again, charged
also. She reached the angel first, plunging her knife into its shield
hand. Shinji had to jump back to avoid a downward swipe of the burning
sword. At that moment, though, he again noticed the sparkle on the
hilt, right in the middle of the crossguard.
"Scheisse!" Asuka cried weakly as Uriel slammed her Eva against the
ground. She coughed deeply and her Eva collapsed, no longer moving.
This, however, had distracted the angel long enough to allow Shinji to
make a final charge. He ran straight at the angel as quickly as he
could. Uriel did not have time to swing the flaming sword, so he just
thrust it toward Shinji's Eva, creating an easy-to-avoid counter.
Shinji, however, had not calculated his attack very well. Unable to
redirect or stop his Eva's momentum, he simply charged onto the sword,
impaling his Eva on the flaming blade. Shinji felt a horrific burning
pain in his chest and coughed a cloud of blood out into the LCL.
Still, he did not stop or slow his advance. With grim determination on
his face he charged up the blade and plunged his progressive knife
into the strange feature of the crossguard: a large ruby.
Sparks shot out of the ruby as the prog knife began to penetrate it.
Uriel began battering EVA-01's head with his shield, pounding even
more pain into Shinji's skull. Still Shinji pressed forward, working
his blade deeper and deeper into the ruby, until at last it emerged
from the other side. In that moment, Uriel at last disappeared, the
entire structure of his body dissolving into a huge deluge of crimson
foam. Gushing fluid from its torso, EVA-01 fell to the ground.
***
"Brainwaves cycling erratically!" Makoto shouted as his hands blazed
over the keyboard at a blistering speed. "Unit One is experiencing a
catastrophic biofeedback event!"
"Pilot blood pressure is decreasing rapidly! Pulse rate and brainwave
intensity are falling!" Shigeru shouted, working desperately at his
own station. "Magi predict massive organ failure within minutes!"
"Dammit! Where are the rescue crews?" Misato asked, her voice on the
verge of shrieking.
"They're having trouble getting through the debris... they don't want
to damage the trucks," Makoto reported a moment later
"I don't give a *damn* how scratched up their precious trucks get!"
Misato bellowed. "Their orders are to retrieve the pilots from the
plugs immediately. All non-piloting personnel and equipment are
expendable!"
"Major Katsuragi," Kouzou interjected calmly from the top level of the
bridge. Misato turned to him, and he continued, "The crews are doing
all they can. Please go down to the infirmary to begin arranging
critical care for the pilots. Lieutenant Hyuga, give the Major an ETA
on the rescue crews."
"Ten minutes," Makoto replied, looking almost frightened. He gnawed
his lip for a moment, then continued, "There's a lot of rubble out
there, sir."
"Well, it can't be helped now. Major?"
"Yes sir," Misato replied, then stalked out of the command center. She
hated this empty sensation in her heart, this feeling of helplessness.
As soon as she safely reached the hall, Misato slumped against the
wall and took a deep breath. _I can't lose my focus now,_ she thought,
_The children need me._ She steadied herself, then began walking
towards the elevator. She struggled to hold back her tears as she
pressed the button for the infirmary.
Asuka and Kaoru would come through this all right, after some rest.
But even though she wasn't a doctor, Misato knew what the information
displayed on Shinji's and Rei's monitors meant. _Shinji,_ she thought,
_Will I have a chance to fulfill my promise to you?_
*****
Busy draining a can of beer, Misato almost didn't hear the quiet knock
on her door. Nonetheless, the sound caught her attention enough that,
when it repeated after she finished swallowing, she got up and opened
the door. She expected to see Makoto or perhaps Hikari, so she was
surprised to find Maya waiting for her on the other side.
"May I come in?" the young scientist asked.
Somewhat confused, Misato nodded silently and stood to the side. Maya
entered and removed her shoes, then said, "Misato, I... I need your
advice."
"What about?" Misato asked, leading Maya into the living room.
Maya looked around somewhat nervously and asked, "Is Asuka... is she
here?"
"Yeah, but she's asleep in her room. They let her out of the hospital
this morning, but she still looked and felt pretty awful. I made her
go to bed almost as soon as we got back here. After we had some take-
out of course. There's no way I could cook right now, not even
instant."
Maya nodded, "I know. I wish I had been here when it happened. I know
I'm not the best scientist in the world, but I can't help but think if
I was in my place during the last battle and not in America with
Gendo..." She shuddered slightly at the Commander's name.
Misato raised her eyebrows, made suspicious both by Maya's referring
to the Commander as 'Gendo' and by her shivering at the name. With the
Major, one beer didn't even take the edge off. She realized
immediately that this might be one conversation she'd never wanted to
have.
Maya, oblivious to Misato's suspicion continued, "Did you go see
Shinji today?"
Misato nodded slowly. "It's hard to go, though. He's made so many
sacrifices during this whole war, faced so much pain. I'd almost say I
was relieved to see him in a coma so he wouldn't feel pain anymore,
but... his face still looks so drawn and pale, like he's hurting even
in that deep sleep," she said, slumping down onto the couch. "I almost
can't bear to look at him like that, and neither can the kids. Kaoru
always looks like he's about to cry when he's there, and Asuka can
barely stay in the room for ten minutes before she gets scared and has
to leave. I'd tell them not to visit Shinji, but I think that would
probably make things even worse. If they didn't have each other to
lean on, they'd probably have gone insane by now."
Maya sat calmly in a chair. "I wish I could help more," she said
wistfully, "But in so many ways, I just can't replace Ritsuko."
Misato nodded, then recognized a strange undercurrent to Maya's words.
Gazing intently at the young Lieutenant, she asked, "What did you want
to talk to me about, Maya?"
"I... when Gen... the Commander and I were in America and heard the
news about Uriel's attack, he didn't seem fazed at all. It was almost
like he had expected it to happen, and had intentionally gotten us out
of the country while it did. That made me suspicious, but I never
would have guessed...
"When I got home, I found a note shoved under my door--and I
recognized the handwriting as Ritsuko's. I don't know how she got it
to me but, as I read I realized I... I was such an idiot!" Maya said,
her voice nearly breaking. "I was so flattered when... he could be so
caring...
Misato's jaw dropped, and she stared wide-eyed at Maya. After a
moment, she collected herself enough to say, "You're having an affair
with Gendo?"
"He just seemed so... tragic. At NERV, he acted so coldly towards
everyone, but around me he was so kind and gentle. He told me... he
said that his behavior was a shell to protect his heart." She sighed,
and a tear rolled out of her eye. "I was a fool," she continued, "It
was all a lie. It seems I took Ritsuko-sempai's position in more ways
than one. Gendo was just trying to control me."
"That's what he does best," Misato said, her expression softening.
"You can't blame yourself. More experienced women than you have fallen
victim to him."
"That's not all," Maya said.
"What?"
"I tried to figure out what made him do it, what made him decide to...
take me like he did," the younger woman replied. "I think... I think
he did it because I got curious about Rei. He first... seduced me...
shortly after I started asking him some questions about her."
Misato sat back and thought for a moment, trying to put the pieces of
the puzzle together. "What exactly happened?" she eventually asked.
"One day I asked him why nobody had done a genetic screen on Rei, and
suggested that I should do one. He told me to see him in his office at
the end of the day. When I got there, he was looking at a picture of
his family from back when they were all together and... he was crying.
I immediately forgot about the whole idea," Maya explained. She
dropped her head into her hands. "I've been such an idiot," she
moaned.
Misato sat silently for a few moments, then responded, "Well, I think
you know what you have to do now."
*****
The IV drip was whirring quietly, injecting another dose of needed
nutrients into Shinji's bloodstream. The dimmed lights in the room
made it easy for Asuka to read the display as it counted down the
seconds until the injection ended. She stared listlessly as the
numbers slowly decreased to zero, then sighed as the whirring stopped.
She pulled her chair closer to his bed, then relaxed into it. Very
gently, she reached out and grabbed his hand. At first, she squeezed
it tightly, but she quickly let off the pressure, as if she feared to
injure the boy. The German girl sat staring at Shinji for several
minutes, then began speaking very quietly:
"Shinji, I don't know if you can hear me... I don't even know if I
want you to hear. I've been... I've been so confused ever since we
faced Azrael. I've never let people know how I really feel about them.
I guess I'm a little like you--afraid to let people into my heart.
"Recently, I've felt... I've felt torn. I was so happy after I woke
up. I had what I wanted: my life back, and success with the Eva.
Hikari was happy, you were happy, Rei was a normal girl for a while...
"But last week I failed you. I failed you all, and now you're hurt and
Rei's dying. I feel the same pain chasing me again, the pain that made
me run away last time, and...
"I don't want to run away, Shinji. I want to stay here. I... I... I'm
so afraid, though. I don't know how I can deal with that shadow... my
mother... What I'm trying to say, Shinji, is... I... I need you...
and... I love you. Please... please don't leave me."
The unconscious boy did not reply. Asuka sighed deeply. "I guess
you'll never know how I feel," she said after a long pause. "I don't
think I have... the strength... to tell you when you're awake."
She sat there for half an hour more, silently watching the boy sleep.
Then she gently pulled back her hand, quietly pushed back her chair,
and retreated from the silent room.
***
"Asuka?" Makoto asked, causing the redhead to whirl around in
surprise. She had just shut the door to Shinji's hospital room, and
the sudden arrival of the technician had almost made her jump out of
her skin. She took a moment to catch her breath. "Sorry," Makoto said.
"I didn't mean to startle you."
Asuka finally calmed herself. "It's nothing. I've just been a
little... edgy lately. I have a stressful job, you know," she said.
Makoto smiled ruefully. "Yeah, I've noticed," he said, "I wanted to
give you something that I hope will make it a little less hard on
you." He held out small DVD disc. "You know there are cameras in the
rooms, right? And that they have sound equipment?" he asked.
Asuka nodded. She had carefully placed her bag in front of the
microphone in Shinji's room before she talked to him.
Makoto placed the disc in her hand. "Any of the machines in the
complex will play this back for you," he said, "I thought you'd want
to have it, in case..." He trailed off into silence, then added, "Just
watch it, okay?"
Asuka closed her hand around the tiny disc and put it into her bag. "I
will," she said.
***
Magus Caspar: Access DENIED
Ritsuko dropped her head into her hands. All her expertise and
knowledge about the Magi had gotten her nowhere with this task. The
files she wanted were too well protected by her mother's creations.
Every program, every worm, every method of infiltration she had tried
had failed against the stalwart defense of Ikari's private files.
Frustrated, Ritsuko called up the passive interface.
When she worked at NERV, Ritsuko had often typed aimlessly in the
passive interface as a kind of communication with her mother. Now she
typed with a purpose, half-hoping (though she knew it was ridiculous)
that the part of the supercomputers that had her mother's personality
would hear and help.
Ritsuko typed:
acc req dir //Command/Ikari_G/Instrumentality/
Ritsuko didn't expect it to work. The command "acc req" was just the
most basic request, and called for the Magi to compare the user's
credentials against the requirements to access the specified
directory. With her hacked user identity, she hadn't managed to get
the required credentials. Ritsuko received her first answer in
moments.
Magus Melchior: Access DENIED
Ritsuko's fingers began to dance across the keyboard instantly,
sending in her next message before Balthazar could respond.
why are you protecting him, mom?
The Magi responded quickly:
Magus Balthazar: Access DENIED
Ritsuko's fingers leapt to life again.
dammit mom, he never loved either of us! he only wanted his wife
back!
After a moment, the Magi returned their third response.
Magus Caspar: Considering...
Ritsuko watched the screen for a moment, and then her eyes widened as
she realized that Caspar was still considering.
mom, he killed you, and he almost destroyed me! don't shield
him!
Magus Caspar: Considering...
mom, help me please. don't let him kill us both.
Magus Caspar: Considering...
Mom
Magus Caspar: Considering...
mom, I love you. please, save me. help me save the children.
Magus Caspar: Considering...
please, mother
Magus Caspar: Access
Ritsuko held her breath, then almost sobbed as she saw the final
decision.
Magus Caspar: Access GRANTED
***
Asuka gave up on the doorbell and began pounding her fist on the door
to Kaoru's apartment. "Dammit you jerk, where the hell are you?" she
shouted.
When the door did not reply, she kicked it in frustration, ignoring
the pain the action caused her foot. Still, the door had no reaction.
Asuka slumped against it and slid down to the floor. _Where can he
be?_ she silently demanded. She had scoured Tokyo-3 looking for the
fallen angel, looking in or calling every place she had ever seen
Kaoru--even to the point of returning to Shinji's hospital room on the
chance he might have gone there. Asuka sighed ruefully. All her
efforts had been for nothing.
She looked down at the small disc that was still in her hand... the
disc she had not let leave her palm since she pulled it from the
player back at NERV. She stood and slowly walked down the hallway,
ignoring the stares of a few tenants who had seen her angry display.
Asuka walked into a waiting elevator and pressed the button for the
ground floor, slumping against the wall as it began to descend.
"Kaoru," she whispered, "Where are you when I need you?"
***
The simple sign outside the small room perfectly expressed its nature.
The sign read, "Interfaith Chapel," and the circular chamber only a
few steps away certainly was. Ten marble panels spaced by simple Doric
columns made up the walls. The generic mandalaic pattern inlaid in the
white tiles of the floor could have suited any of a dozen religions.
Soft fluorescent lights recessed in the tops of the columns created a
diffuse white glow across the domed roof.
Kaoru knelt in the center of the circular room, his face turned
towards the floor between his knees. "Father," he said quietly, "Give
me guidance, I beg you. I am lost. I fear so deeply for Shinji's
health, Asuka's mind, Rei's life... I know you have given me the
pieces of the puzzle, but I cannot put them together. I have not the
wisdom to see how the edges fit. Please, father, give me the
inspiration..."
He sighed, then continued, "I know that the time approaches, Father,
and that the Adversary comes with it. I shall prepare myself and the
others for the challenge as best I can, but I know I have missed
something important. I sense the edges of the key, but I do not yet
see how it opens the lock. I pray you, guide me to that key, and I
shall do what must be done. Thank you, Father. Allahu-akbar."
***
The only light in the briefing room emanated from the screen located
at its front--a screen playing a single loop of video over and over.
The sole person watching the display sat in her customary chair at the
front of the room, her glistening eyes glued to the screen as if it
were her only path to salvation. Occasionally she brushed tear-
dampened strands of red hair out of her face.
The screen showed a dim hospital room, where a haggard-looking boy sat
in a chair, holding the hand of a vacantly staring girl lying in a
bed. A tear rolled down the boy's cheek as he quietly said, "I'm so
sorry Asuka. I... I'm useless. Everyone hates me. But... But I... I...
I l... love you."
*******