Welll, this is running late so any comments or
suggestions you have would help if they come quick
(heh), otherwise enjoy reading the draft, if any
changes are made I will post the final draft as well.
I f you wish to read the previous parts goto the
bottom nd you will find the addy's.
you are now free to start reading. :)
========
Warning: Lime content present!
Not intended for anyone under 15, read at your own
risk.
OOCness ahead, maybe.
----
Version I-B {1.2}
----
"speaking"
'thinking'
<phone>
=dream=
----
This Chapter follows the events of Chapter One
----
-Rei's Child-
Written By: Jon L
-Chapter II-
----
Tokyo-3, a city that has suffered from numerous Angel
attacks now sits in ruins. At the edge of the city,
only a few structures of the city remain standing. It
is in one of these structures that Misato Katsuragi
resides. Currently, she is asleep on her futon,
dreaming about what could have been if Second Impact
had never happened, but that is all about to come to
an end as an unexpected visitor is about to drop by.
Misato is soon awoken by the sound of her phone
ringing.
"Nnnnn...damn phone!"
She blindly reaches out for her phone next to her
futon, once she has it she picks it up.
Misato lets her mood show for the person at the other
end of the line, "This had better be good!"
<Misato, I have to talk to you right away!>
"Ritsuko?"
<Misato, wake up. I have something to tell you about
the synch test!>
"Where are you?"
<Outside your apartment.>
"Hold on, I'll be right there.>
<-CLICK->
'What has her so wound up?'
Misato crawls out of her bed and heads toward the
front door. Once she has arrived, she enters in her
pass-code and opens the door.
"Ritsuko, what's going on?"
"I have some info about the synch test and the
brainwave charts for the pilots."
"Come in then."
Ritsuko hurries into the apartment. Misato locks the
door again and walks into the living room where
Ritsuko is standing.
"Have a seat."
"Thanks."
"So what is so important that you had to come tell me
now?"
"I went over the results and found out that Rei and
Shinji were both affected by the same thing, that
unknown pattern. It may also be the cause of Unit-02
going berserk. But that isn't the problem I have
discovered, when I took a look at the brainwave charts
for the First and Third Children, I found out that
their brainwaves match the unknown pattern's."
"In English please."
"The pilots were thinking the same thing at the same
time, as well as the unknown pattern."
"So they have some kind of telepathic connection?"
"Not exactly, they shared the same thoughts for a
short period, but they were not conscious when it
happened."
"So, that means..."
"I don't know, I need to run some tests right away on
them, can you go wake them up and bring them to NERV
ASAP?"
"Um...that could be a problem, I kind of lied about
them staying here."
"WHAT?!"
"They are at Rei's apartment right now, more then
likely asleep."
"Misato, I told you they were to stay with you at all
times!"
"I didn't have a say on the matter!"
"What do you mean?!"
Misato's voice becomes a whisper as she prepares to
tell Ritsuko about her snooping around NERV, "I have
been trying to figure out what NERV is up to, one of
the places I have looked is in Terminal Dogma. Rei
has seen me down there, they were going to tell
Commander Ikari about what I have been doing, unless I
let both of them leave the hospital."
"Misato, you had better hope we don't find them in the
same bed together!"
"That might be what we will find, but I have complete
confidence in Shinji not to do anything stupid."
"I sure hope you are right, otherwise I won't even
hesitate to shoot you myself, I know that is what
Commander Ikari would do!"
"I have faith in Shinji."
"Well talk about that later. Lets go pick up those
two so I can start the tests."
Misato doesn't say a word as she heads to her room to
get dressed before heading out the door with Ritsuko.
'I sure hope I am right.'
****************
Misato and Ritsuko head over to Rei's apartment in
Ritsuko's car.
"Can you tell me anything else about what you have
found?"
"I can't be sure yet, but Rei seems to have put on
some weight since the last synch test."
"What?"
"I don't know why, I think it is related to that fluid
she gave me."
"Do you know what it is?"
"I haven't had time to look at it closely, but I do
know what it is composed of."
"Which is?"
"Knoxidren, alcohol, stomach acid, and one other
thing."
"Isn't Knoxidren the chemical that counteracts pain?"
"Sort of, it is used primarily for when someone has an
internal injury, but Rei hasn't had any injuries that
required it recently."
"What about when Unit-00 exploded, she must have had
some injuries then?"
"If we had used Knoxidren on Rei then, she would have
gone into shock."
"Ohh, so how did it get into her system?"
"I don't know."
"What about that fourth item?"
"I need to run another test before I can identify it."
They end their conversation as Ritsuko pulls up in
front of Rei's apartment building
****************
Rei and Shinji are sleeping peacefully next to each
other, neither caring about what is happening outside
the apartment, or whether they are sleeping in the
same bed, for the only thing on their minds right now
is sleep. They are totally unaware that they are
about to be woken up and told they are needed at NERV.
Shinji is awoken by the sound of knocking coming from
the entryway; He climbs out of the bed in a manner as
to not wake up the person next to him and proceeds to
the front door.
"Who is it?"
"Shinji, it's me, Misato, open the door."
Shinji does as he is told, and lets the two ladies
outside the apartment in.
"Shinji, where is Rei?"
"Still sleeping."
"Go wake her up."
"Okay."
Shinji walks back to the bed and gently shakes Rei
until she opens her eyes, "Shinji?"
"Ayanami, we have company."
Rei turns her head to the doorway and sees Misato and
Ritsuko standing there.
"What is going on?"
Ritsuko beats Misato to the answer, "I need you both
to come to Headquarters right away for some tests."
"Understood. May Ikari and I get dressed first?"
"Yes, but please hurry up."
Shinji sees that Misato and Ritsuko are standing in
the doorway waiting for them to finish, and decides to
speak up, "Do you two mind maybe waiting outside?"
"Um...okay."
The two ladies turn and exit the apartment, giving
Shinji and Rei a chance to get dressed without prying
eyes.
"Shinji, why did you ask Major Katsuragi and Doctor
Akagi to leave?"
"I didn't think they needed to watch us get dressed,
at least not me."
"But they have seen us naked before."
"Yeah, but that was when I didn't have a choice. I
have one this time."
"Hai."
Nothing more is said as the roommates finish getting
dressed.
****************
Outside the apartment, Ritsuko and Misato wait
patiently for the two pilots to get dressed.
"Ritsuko, what kind of tests do you need to run that
couldn't wait until morning?"
"I need to do a blood analysis on them to be sure that
the connection they shared wasn't chemical induced."
"You think someone caused this to happen?"
"Maybe, I don't know."
"I hope it's nothing serious."
"Same here."
They soon hear the door open and see Shinji and Rei
exit the apartment.
"Ready, Misato."
"Hai. Lets get this over with."
The four co-workers head down the hall to Ritsuko's
car and start their trip to NERV in silence.
****************
Once the group arrives at NERV, they make their way to
Ritsuko's office where she stops to pick up some
stuff, then head to the Medical Ward where the tests
are to begin. Once they arrive, Shinji becomes
curious as to what kind of test will be done.
"Doctor Akagi, why are we here?"
"I need to run a blood analysis on both you and Rei to
see if either of you have any drugs in your systems."
"Will this take long?"
"I hope not, but I can't make any promises."
Ritsuko draws a blood sample from the two children and
heads off to another room to perform the necessary
tests.
"Misato, while Ritsuko does the testing, do..."
"Yes, Shinji?"
"Do you think we could go back to sleep?"
"I...I guess it can't hurt."
"Okay, goodnight."
Shinji lies down on the bed he is sitting on and falls
asleep; Rei follows suit a few moments later.
'They look so peaceful, it's to bad they can't enjoy
their childhood in this way. I wish I could have had
a peaceful life.'
Minutes pass as Misato waits for Ritsuko to finish the
tests, during this time Misato decides to do what the
children have already done, fall asleep. About a
half-hour later she is violently awoken by the doctor
and pulled into the hallway.
"Misato, the tests came out negative for chemicals in
Shinji's bloodstream..."
"But what about Rei?"
"She is positive, but I found out something even more
surprising, come take a look."
The two ladies walk to the room where Ritsuko has run
the tests on the blood samples taken from the two
children.
"Take a look at the screen that has Rei's results from
a month ago, then look at the one from today."
Misato does as Ritsuko has instructed and sees they
are different.
"They're different, what does that mean?"
"Now take a look at Shinji's result from the same time
frames." Ritsuko types a few commands in, causing the
screen to change. Misato takes a look and sees they
are the same.
"So, they are the same?"
"That proves there are no drugs in his system, but Rei
has something that I can't identify in hers." Ritsuko
types in a few more commands into the terminal, "But
that is only half of it, Rei also appears to
be...pregnant...according to the recent data that I
have gathered tonight."
Misato hurries over and shuts the door to the room.
"What?!"
"Exactly what I said."
"But how did this happen?"
"I don't know yet, but I don't think it was done
naturally."
"How do you know?"
"Because I didn't find evidence of possible sexual
intercourse during the last physical."
"Then..."
"I can't tell yet, but I think Rei should move in with
you for a while until I can find out what is going
on."
"Do you want to tell them, or should I?"
"It may be best if you tell them. Here..." Ritsuko
hands Misato her car keys, "After you break the news
to them, take my car and head back to your place with
them, do not let them out of your sight this time."
"You have my word on that."
"And, how about you take the next few days off as
well."
"Sure."
Misato opens the door again and heads back to the room
where the children are sleeping. When she has
arrived, she closes the door and wakes up the two
pilots, then prepares to break the news to them.
"Shinji, Rei, we need to talk."
"About what, Misato?"
"This may sound shocking to both of you, it did to me,
but..."
"What is it?"
"Shinji, Ritsuko found nothing wrong with you."
"That's good, but what about Ayanami?"
"That's...that's a bit more complex, Ritsuko found an
unknown substance in Rei's bloodstream..."
"And?"
"Err...Rei is...she is...pregnant."
Shinji and Rei are shocked about what they have just
heard, so shocked that Shinji passes out from the
overload of info being fed into his brain.
"I...am pregnant?"
"Yes, Rei. We are unsure as to how, but Ritsuko is
working on it as we speak."
Rei wears a shocked look on her face as she just sits
there on the bed next to an unconscious Shinji.
"I have been told to look after you at my place until
we can figure out what is happening, but Ritsuko is
positive that you are pregnant."
"But...when?..."
"I don't have the answers right now, but I hope to
soon."
Rei just stays silent as the news sinks in.
"If you want, we can head back to my place and get
some rest, I won't have to come in to NERV for the
next couple of days so we can talk about this during
that time."
"Understood..."
Rei gets up and proceeds to wake Shinji, but Misato
stops her, "Lets just let him sleep, here..." she
hands the car keys to Rei, "...If you unlock the door,
I'll carry Shinji to the car."
"Hai."
Misato picks up Shinji and carries him out of the room
in her arms.
****************
By the time Rei, Misato, and Shinji arrive at Misato's
place, it is 2:30 in the morning; Rei assists Misato
with bringing Shinji up to the apartment and to his
room.
"May I sleep in here tonight, Major Katsuragi?"
"I guess so, just take care of Shinji, and if you need
anything, you know where to find me."
"Hai."
"Goodnight Rei, see you in the morning."
"Hai."
Misato shuts the door after she leaves Shinji's room,
leaving Rei with having to position Shinji on the bed
so he won't fall off. As Rei finishes, Shinji wakes
up.
"Rei?"
"Shinji?"
"What just happened?"
"It is best if we talk about it in the morning, get
some rest now."
"Okay, goodnight Rei."
"Goodnight."
Next, Rei crawls into bed next to Shinji to catch a
few more hours of carefree slumber.
****************
The next morning Shinji is awoken to the sound of a
loud noise coming from the kitchen.
"YYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!"
Shinji wakes with a start, "ACK!"
As soon as he gets his bearings, Shinji gets up and
heads to the kitchen, 'Why can't she just drink beer
in peace?'
Once he has entered the kitchen, Shinji sees that
Misato has decided to do the cooking this morning.
'There goes breakfast.'
"Morning, Shinji."
"Morning."
"Is Rei awake yet?"
"No, she is still asleep."
"Have a seat Shinji, I think you and I should talk
about earlier this morning."
"Hai, Misato."
Shinji walks over to the nearest chair and takes a
seat; Misato sits down on the opposite end of the
table.
"Shinji, do you remember anything about earlier?"
"Sort of, I recall hearing something about Ayanami,
but I can't remember what it is."
"I am pregnant, Shinji."
The two housemates at the table turn towards the
doorway where Rei is standing, "I don't think I will
ever get used to that."
"Good morning, Ayanami."
"Good morning, Ikari."
"Rei, maybe you should be included in this
conversation, have a seat."
"Hai."
Rei walks over to the table and sits down next to
Shinji.
"Anyone want something to eat first?"
"Ahh...I'll pass."
"Yes."
"Okay, Rei, I'll just be a moment."
Misato gets up and prepares a dish of rice for Rei.
Shinji leans over and whispers something in Rei's ear,
"Rei, are you sure you want this?'
Once it is ready, she comes back to the table and
hands the dish to Rei.
Since Rei has not had Misato's cooking before, she is
not prepared for the taste of rice and curry powder.
After her second bite, Rei gets up, walks out of the
kitchen, then runs to the bathroom, the sound of her
throwing up can be heard in the kitchen. After the
sound has stopped, she comes back in with a test tube
in her hand, inside it is an orange liquid.
"What's that Rei?"
"I do not know, I will give it to Doctor Akagi for
analysis."
"Um...okay."
Rei sits back down at the table and pushes the plate
away from her.
"Anyway, I think we should talk about is going on
right now."
"What do you mean, Misato?"
"Well...Shinji...Rei is...is..."
"...I am pregnant."
"What?"
"It's true, Shinji."
"But how did it happen?"
"Ritsuko is still unsure, she is working on finding
out the how, and who the father is, right now."
"Is that why Rei has been throwing up?"
"I don't know that either, but we did find out one
thing, Rei has some kind of pain killer in her system,
along with something else that we can't identify yet."
"What is going to happen to Rei for now?"
"That is what we need to talk about. Rei, Ritsuko
would like you to move in with us for a while, you can
sleep in Asuka's room since she has gone missing."
"Misato, what is wrong with her being in my room?"
"You two shouldn't be sleeping in the same bed, and
that seems to be a common occurrence right now."
"What if I gave her the bed and set up a futon for
me?"
"Hmm...that would be okay, but I don't want to see you
both in the same bed every morning, this is
non-negotiable you two."
"Hai."
"Okay, we have the sleeping arrangements sorted out,
now to take care of the chores. I think I know the
best way to do it too, 'Rock, Paper, Scissors.'"
"MISATO!!"
"Okay okay, I'll come up with a better way. You don't
have to yell."
"What about the cooking?"
"Do you know how to cook, Rei?"
"No."
"Well, maybe I can help you wi..."
"NO, no, I can help her with that, Misato."
"Are you sure?"
"Very sure."
Well, if you want you teach her, be my guest, means
less work for me."
"Anything else, Misato?"
"Not right now. As a matter of fact I need to go talk
to Ritsuko right now about some things. If you want
Rei, I'll be glad to drop that tube off for you."
Rei hands the test tube to Misato, "Okay."
"Well, I'm off to NERV, be good."
"Hai."
Misato gets up and heads out the front door, leaving
the two children alone in the apartment.
Rei grips her stomach in pain.
"Rei, how to you feel?"
"Like I have been punched."
"Sorry about that, I should have warned you about
Misato's cooking."
"Is that why you insisted on teaching me how to cook?"
Though Shinji gives no answer to Rei's question, she
still understands, "I see..."
"How about you go wash up while I prepare some real
food."
"Hai."
As Rei heads towards the bathroom to wash up, Shinji
digs out some fresh bread and prepares to heat it up.
Before he starts the toaster, however, he prepares to
make a new batch of rice by tossing the rest of
Misato's rice into the wastebasket, then puts more
rice into a pot.
****************
Rei enters the bathroom and closes the door.
'I must remember that Misato is a bad cook.'
Rei turns on the water and undresses; once the tub has
been filled she shuts the water off and sits down in
the bathtub and begins another dream sequence.
=(Rei is sitting at the same table she was before,
only this time she is alone.)=
="What is happening to me? Who are you? ANSWER ME!"=
=//"Mother, you now are aware of what is happening,
what you are going to do about it is now up to you.
My life is in your hands; it is you that must decide
what will happen to me, as it will be for now on. I
have provided the connections for you, but that is all
I can do, the only two people who have control are you
and father. The lessons you must learn I cannot help
you with, that is beyond my control, only one person
can help you. I trust you and father will make the
decisions you feel are right, don't let _HIM_ make
them for you. I must go now, please take care, I
would love to see the outside world soon. Before I go
though, I do have one more thing to ask of you, please
don't eat any more of auntie Misato's cooking. That
is the best way to kill me quickly."=
="I...won't.=
=//"Take care mother, say hello to father for me."=
="Hai."=
Rei wakes up in the bathtub, 'I must let Shinji know
what I have been told.' Rei finishes washing up and
heads out of the bathroom to the kitchen where Shinji
is finishing up on breakfast, "Shinji?"
"Yes, Rei?"
Rei walks up to behind Shinji and continues, "We need
to talk."
Shinji turns around and sees Rei standing very close
to him. Unfortunately, as he turns around, his hand
brushes against one of her breasts, causing him to
blush and quickly pull his hand away, "AAH! I'm sorry,
OUCH!!" Shinji's hand bumps into the heated pot,
slightly burning the back of his hand.
"Shinji! Are you okay?"
"Yeah, just a slight burn. Why don't you have
anything on?"
"I do not have any clean clothes here right now."
"Ohh...well, if you watch the rice, I'll go find you
something to wear until we go to your place to pick up
your stuff."
"Hai."
****************
Shinji hurries out of the kitchen to his room to find
some clean clothes for Rei, 'I should have let Rei
know it isn't a good idea to walk around here with
nothing on before she went to wash up.' Shinji finds
some cloths for Rei and sets them out on the bed for
her, then goes back to the kitchen.
"Rei, I have set some clothes out for you on my bed,
you should probably get dressed just in case Misato
comes back."
"Hai." Rei walks out of the kitchen and into Shinji's
room.
Shinji walks back over to the stove and dishes out the
rice, then starts toasting the bread for when Rei has
finished.
'I wonder where Asuka has disappeared to lately. She
hasn't been back since the 15th angel attacked, ever
since Rei rescued her...'
(FLASHBACK)
Shinji sees Asuka sitting inside a quarantine zone set
up by NERV technicians.
Shinji "I'm glad you're okay, Asuka."
Asuka "Shut up! Who the hell is 'okay'?! How could
it get any worse? That little bitch rescued me. That
little bitch rescued ME. I'd rather have died!"
Shinji just stands there and looks at Asuka.
Asuka "I hate you! I hate you! I hate everyone! I
hate you! I HATE YOU!"
(END)
'I wish she would just come back again...'
Rei comes back in to the kitchen again; this time
fully clothed, and sits down at the table. Shinji
puts aside his current thoughts and brings the rice
and toast over, he gives one bowl of rice to Rei and
sets to other one down for himself.
"Thank you, Shinji."
"You are welcome, Rei."
As they both begin to eat a healthy breakfast, Shinji
continues to think about Asuka.
'Maybe Hikari knows where Asuka is, she shouldn't be
alone right now, not after what happened...I miss
hearing her voice. Even though she always insulted
me, I still liked hearing her speak.'
Rei finishes eating and looks toward Shinji, who is
still holding some rice in his chopsticks, "Shinji, is
something wrong?"
"Huh? Ah...no, it's nothing."
Rei does not believe it is nothing and presses on,
"Shinji, what is it?"
"It's nothing, really." Shinji makes the mistake of
taking a glance at Asuka's room with Rei watching him.
"You are worried about Soryu?"
"What? No."
"I am worried about her as well."
"You are?"
"She is a fellow pilot, and..." Rei pauses for a
moment to find the right words. When she has found
them, she quietly continues, "...a friend."
"Rei, I..."
"It is okay. She is like you, Shinji."
"How?"
"You are both confusing to understand."
****************
Misato has arrived at NERV and is heading towards
Ritsuko's office. Once she has arrived, she knocks on
the door.
<-KNOCKING->
"Yes?"
"Ritsuko, it's me, can we talk?"
"Come in, Misato."
Misato opens the door and walks in, closing it behind
her.
"What can I help you with, Misato?"
"First, Rei wanted me to give this to you." Misato
walks over and hands the tube with the orange liquid
inside it to Ritsuko.
"Thanks."
"Second, do you know anything about the whereabouts of
Asuka?"
"No, no one has been able to find her since the
explosion, Security Division 2 is currently looking
for her right now."
"That's what has me worried, and the fact that if she
comes home and sees Rei living with me, she may run
away again or retaliate against Rei somehow."
"Well, what do you think should be done? You are her
guardian, Misato, and Rei must stay with you for now.
By the way, why are you here and not watching over her
like you should be doing?"
"I had to talk to you in private, that's why."
"And you couldn't do that over the phone?"
"I haven't ask my main question yet."
"Well, ask away, Misato?"
Misato's voice takes on a more quiet and demanding
tone, "What is the REAL reason that Rei survived the
explosion?"
"You have the report, your answer is in there."
"Don't bullshit me, Ritsuko! I know the plug was
destroyed, and that Ayanami would have been destroyed
with it. Tell me the REAL reason, or I'll go find it
myself."
"Are you sure you really want to do that, Misato?"
"It's time I find out what is going on here, Ritsuko.
I only asked you because I was hoping you were my
friend. It looks like that isn't really the case
though, you just want to keep me in the dark."
"It's better not to know the answer, Misato. You may
not like it when you find it."
Misato leans over Ritsuko's desk and grabs the
Doctor's collar then pulls her close, "I could care
less right now, Akagi! Kaji died trying to find out
what NERV is up to, I could care less what the answer
is, as long as it is the truth! So I will ask you
once again, how did Rei survive?!"
Ritsuko doesn't bother to answer the question. Misato
finally gives up after a few moments and thrusts
Ritsuko back into her chair.
"Thanks a lot, _FRIEND_!"
Misato turns to leave when Ritsuko finally answers the
question.
"She didn't."
"What?"
"That Rei didn't survive."
"Then who is at my apartment right now?"
"Rei is."
"Ritsuko!"
"Misato, I can't tell you anymore right now, I would
rather show you when Shinji is here with us."
"Then I will go get Shinji and Rei right now."
"I can't do it right now anyway, you will have to wait
'till tonight."
"Fine, I want to see you at my apartment no later then
20:00h."
"Understood."
Misato turns and leaves Ritsuko's office, then heads
back to her car to go home.
'What is it she must show Shinji as well, how does
this involve him? Can I really trust her not to turn
me in? Kaji, I wish you were here to help me, I could
really use it right about now.'
Misato decides to worry about what will happen
tonight, later.
'Why is NERV security having trouble finding Asuka?
They are supposed to be better than this. It's as if
they are not even looking for her.'
****************
Somewhere on the surface, hiding in the shadows of the
ruins of Tokyo-3, a lone figure moves about in one of
the buildings that remain standing. This figure has
the appearance of someone that hasn't eaten anything
in days and its long hair has a very messy look to it.
A slight breeze blows through the building, causing
this person's clothing to sway on their body, every
once in a while we can see a faded blue skirt and some
red hair sway into the late morning light streaming in
from a hole in the ceiling. The figure appears to be
wearing a school uniform from the local school. On
the ground, two red hair clips sit, smashed by an
angry foot. The figure quietly speaks before moving
on to another location, "Synch ratio 0..."
****************
Misato comes to a stop in front of her apartment
building and gets out of her car, 'Good thing I don't
have to worry about my car being towed.' Misato
enters the building and proceeds to the stairs since
the elevators are out of order, and heads up to her
floor.
'Why can't someone fix the damn elevators, they have
been stuck ever since the explosion.'
When she reaches her floor, she walks down the hall to
her place and opens the door, "Shinji, Rei, I'm back."
"Hai, Misato."
"Shinji, where are you?"
"In the kitchen with Rei."
Misato walks down the hall to the kitchen and sees Rei
washing dishes while Shinji dries them.
"What up, Misato?"
"Ritsuko will be taking us to NERV tonight on a little
field trip, I don't know how long it is going to take
though, so I wanted to let you know I will be getting
some sleep before tonight, and you might want to do
the same as well."
"Okay, but first I think I will stop by Ayanami's
place and pick up some clothes for her, since Ritsuko
said for Rei to stay here. Is that okay?"
"Sure, just be back before 16:00."
"Hai, I'll take off right after I finish here."
Misato turns and heads to her room and closes the
door, 'Sorry Ritsu, I can't wait until tonight.' She
goes over to her desk and turns on her computer, 'I
hope this chip works.' After the computer has warmed
up, Misato keys in a few commands and waits for the
next step.
[MAGI - Casper - 3]
[System 6.3.9]
[Enter Password - ]
Misato enters in her password, then waits for the next
step.
[M. Katsuragi]
[Clearance Level - Delta]
[Enter File Name Or Press F4]
Misato hits F4 and waits.
[Enter Keyword - ]
She types in Rei's name and waits for the screen to
change.
[Found 0 Files With Keyword - Ayanami, Rei]
She types in a few more commands into her computer and
waits for the next screen.
[Found 2 Files With Keyword - Ayanami, Rei]
She opens the first file and finds it is not the file
she wants, next she opens the second file and comes up
empty. "Damn, where are those records." After closing
both files, Misato returns to search mode.
[Enter Keyword - ]
She types in another word and hits return.
[Classified Info]
[Your Clearance Does Not Allow Access]
She types in another string of commands and waits.
[Clearance Level - Alpha]
[Found 18 Files With Keyword - Ayanami]
[Narrow Search? Y/N]
She hits Y.
[Enter Next Keyword - ]
She types in -Medical- on her terminal and waits some
more.
[Found 2 Files With Keywords Ayanami/Medical]
She opens the first file and sees it is the results
from last night. "That's not it." She closes that file
and open the second file up.
[Access Denied On Casper]
"Damnit, Ritsuko must have moved the file to somewhere
else." Misato logs out of the system and shuts off
her computer.
'I need a beer'
Misato gets up and walks out of the room, and heads
towards the kitchen. When she arrives she sees Rei
sitting at the table by herself, "Rei, where is
Shinji?"
"He has left to get my stuff for me."
"Okay. Have any plans for the day?"
"No."
"Well, don't forget about tonight, it may be best to
just get some rest."
"Hai."
Misato grabs a can from the fridge and begins to walk
back to her room when Rei asks her a question.
"Major Katsuragi.., what is it like to be pregnant?"
Misato freezes in mid-step, "What did you say?"
"I asked, what is it like to be pregnant?"
Misato walks over to the table and sits down, "Err...I
am not sure, Rei. I have never had a child before."
"I see..."
"Why do you ask?"
"I...want to know whether I should give birth or not
to the child when it comes time."
"Well.., if it were up to me, I would say you are too
young to have a child, but this is not something I can
decide for you. You are the one this child will call
mother, this is your decision, but I will give you
some advice if you want."
"Okay."
"Decide whether or not you are ready to become a
mother yet. Once you have the answer to that, you can
then make the decision you think is right, but don't
answer it right away, think long and hard about it."
"Hai."
"I hope that helped answer your question."
"It did not."
"What part do you still need help on?"
"Motherhood."
"That is a totally different story, though I have
never taken care of a small child before. When Shinji
first moved in with me, he was here so I could watch
over him. As time passed and I got to know him
better, I started to take on a motherly roll with him,
and I still feel like that to this day. The same
thing applies to Asuka, though she does not get along
with Shinji, she still became a daughter to me, I
don't know what I would ever do if they got killed in
battle. Rei, I see both Shinji and Asuka as my
family, I never had a family before I knew them, and
now that I do, I think it is the best thing to have.
Do you understand what I mean?"
"Hai."
"I wish I could have been prepared for it though, it
always helps to learn how to be a mother before you
become one." Misato looks over at Pen-Pens fridge and
gets an idea, "Rei, how would you like to help me take
care of Pen-Pen? I was going to send him off with the
Horaki family, but I think this might help you out
with learning how to be a mother, sort of."
"Hai."
"Great. I'll go call Hikari and tell her he will be
staying here for awhile."
"Hai."
Misato grabs the phone and calls up Hikari's relatives
in Tokyo-2, "Yes, is Hikari there?.."
****************
Shinji is walking along the street in the northwestern
section of the city.
'I wonder what Ritsuko wants to show us at NERV, maybe
it will be about Rei's pregnancy?'
Shinji continues walking, until he sees something
moving out of the corner of his eye. He stops walking
and turns around, what he sees is someone walking
through the ruins of a building unlucky enough to be
caught in the blast zone from about two weeks prior.
Though he can't make out the person's features, he has
a feeling he knows this person from somewhere. When
the person disappears into the shadows again, Shinji
continues on his way to Rei's Apartment a few blocks
up.
****************
Hidden among the shadows, A girl watches a now moving
figure walk away from the place where she hides,
'Shinji. This is his fault, he and that doll of his
did this to me, I was an elite pilot, now I can't even
pilot anymore. I hate him, I hate that doll, I hate
everyone, most of all, I hate myself.' The girl steps
out of the ruins and heads in the direction of her
friend Hikari's house. 'Everyone has left me, left
when their homes were destroyed, now I have no one
left to talk to. I can't go back, I can't even pilot
my Unit-02 anymore. I am useless to them now. I have
no reason left to live, father left me, mother left
me, everyone left me, I am alone.' The girl continues
on her long walk across the city, weaving in and out
of the shadows, avoiding all whom are left in the
city, on her way to her final destination.
****************
By the time the Third Child has finished his trek
across the city, it is beginning to get late. Once
Shinji has arrived at the door to Rei's apartment, he
opens it and steps inside.
"What was it Rei wanted me to pickup?" He reaches
into his pocket and pulls out a folded sheet of paper
and unfolds it.
Pick up:
Clothes
Medicine
Bag
Glasses on dresser
Beaker full of water
(Do not empty beaker)
Tubes
"This could take a while, I wonder if I can get all
the clothes in her bag?"
"Hey you!"
"Huh?" Shinji quickly turns around and sees a NERV
Security agent standing in the doorway.
"What are you doing in here?"
"I-I-I...I came to pick up some stuff for Ayanami,
sh-she is staying at Misato's apartment for a little
while."
"Stay right there while we verify your story."
The agent turns around and head out the door to talk
to his superiors on the phone.
'Maybe I should have let Misato come instead.' While
Shinji waits for the man to return, he thinks back to
a few minutes ago when he saw the person in the
shadows outside, 'Who was that person I saw in the
building? Could it have been Asuka? What would she
be doing there?' Three NERV Security agents enter the
room, interrupting Shinji's thoughts.
"Your story checks out, we have been told to assist
you in bringing anything needed to Major Katsuragi's
apartment by transport." The agents waste no time in
putting clothes and other stuff into a box. When one
is about to grab the beaker, Shinji stops them by
grabbing it himself. "I will hang on to this myself."
"Understood."
After everything is packed, Shinji and the NERV agents
leave the apartment and head to a black car waiting
outside.
"Leaving First Child's apartment now, en-route to
northern sector."
Once the box is put in the car, Shinji climbs in
himself with a firm grasp on the beaker of water,
along with the first agent getting in on the other
side. Once the other two agents are in, they start
off towards Misato's apartment building.
****************
About twenty minutes later, Misato and Rei are sitting
in the living room together watching TV, when they
hear a knock at the front door, "Rei, could you see
who is at the door?"
"Yes."
Rei gets up, walks over to the front door and unlocks
it, causing the door to open a moment later. She sees
Shinji is standing outside the apartment with a
security agent standing behind him, "Major Katsuragi,
please?"
"Rei, who is it?"
"NERV Security Division 2, Major."
Misato immediately gets up and runs to the door, "Is
there something wrong?"
"No, Major, just escorting the Third Child back here
safely with some stuff for the First Child."
"Did he do something wrong?"
"No, just making sure nothing goes wrong. This is the
stuff retrieved from the First Child's apartment."
The agent hands Misato the medium sized box he is
holding.
"Thank you, sir, I can take it from here."
"Yes, Major."
After the agent is dismissed, he walks back to the
stairwell he came up. Shinji steps into the apartment
as the door begins to close, "Sorry it took so long,
Rei. I made sure not to spill any water on the way
here." Shinji hands Rei the beaker and walks to his
room.
"Thank you."
"What's the water for, Rei?"
"I like to keep it around."
"Where do you want me to put your stuff?"
"Ikari's room will be adequate."
"Okay." Misato walks to Shinji's room and sets the
box down inside the doorway. Rei soon follows at a
slower pace, admiring the water inside the beaker as
she moves. "I think I will go..."
Both Rei and Shinji pick up on what Misato is planning
on doing and reply in unison with "NO!!"
"...into the living room and watch some more TV."
Shinji and Rei let out a sigh of relief after hearing
Misato change her mind.
"Oh...okay, Misato."
Misato moves back to the couch the living room and
sits down again.
Rei walks into Shinji's room, which has become her
room as well at this point, and slides the door
closed. "Shinji?"
"Um...yes, Rei?"
"I had another dream again this morning, while washing
up."
"What was it about?"
"The same thing you and I shared."
"With Pen-Pen in it?"
"...Yes."
"What did it say this time?"
"It said we have to make our own choices now, it
provided the connections for me, and not to let The
Commander make our choices for us."
"So we have to decide what to do alone?"
"Yes, but, we must proceed together. It also said one
other thing."
"What?"
"Don't eat the Major's cooking anymore."
"That is one thing I agree with."
"As do I." Rei lets out a slight giggle after saying
that.
"Rei, did you just...laugh?"
"...Yes." 'Why did I laugh?'
"Well, I think it sounded...nice...coming of you."
"Thank you."
"No, thank _you_. That was the first time I ever
heard you laugh. I wish you would do it more often."
"I...I will try."
"No, Rei...don't force yourself to laugh, just let it
happen naturally."
"I will."
"So where do you want to set the beaker down?"
Rei looks around the room and sees an empty spot on
the dresser, "Right there."
"Okay, that is where it will go then."
Rei walks over and sets the beaker down on the wooden
dresser.
"Next, getting you moved in. Lets see, I can put some
of my shirts in the closet, making room for some of
your stuff in this drawer, and I don't use this one,
so what ever is left of your clothes can go in there."
"What about my school uniforms?"
"If you want, you can hang them up in the closet
opposite of my shirts."
"Hai."
Rei and Shinji begin to unpack the box next to the
door, first taking care of the cloths and bag. Next,
they find a spot for the tubes and medicine, then the
glasses she got from his father. After every thing is
taken care of, he sees she is satisfied with the
arrangements.
"Now for the hard part, moving the futon out of
Asuka's room and into here."
Rei and Shinji walk out of their room and into Asuka's
to retrieve the futon mattress from her closet, and
carry it back to their room. Once they have it in the
room, they decide to drop it on the floor, with the
result being a large amount of dust being released
from the futon being blown at Shinji, turning him into
something resembling a person that has been cleaning
all day. Rei catches a glimpse of the dust covered
Shinji and lets out another small laugh.
"Hey, what are you laughing at?"
"I am laughing at your appearance."
Shinji takes a good look at himself and begins to
laugh as well, "Yeah, I do look kinda funny."
The two of them laugh for a few moments longer before
they return to their normal selves.
"Did you want to change before we eat, Rei?"
"Yes."
"Well, I am going to go wash up before I start dinner,
feel free to lay down if you want, or keep Misato
company, or anything else you want to do. This is
your home too now, at least for a while."
"Hai."
After he leaves for the bathroom, She chooses to make
the bed and put some sheets on the futon for Shinji,
after she is done with that she heads to the living
room and joins Misato on the couch.
"So, have you and Shinji finished unpacking everything
yet?"
"Yes."
"Rei, can I ask you a question?"
"Yes, Major Katsuragi."
"You don't have to call me Major Katsuragi, you are
now a part of this family, Rei, Misato is good enough.
Besides, Major is just too formal for my taste."
"Hai...Misato."
"Much better. Now then, Rei, why is it you want to be
with Shinji so much?"
"I...don't understand?"
"What is it about Shinji you like so much that you
want him to be close to you?"
"I do not know...I feel more secure when he is near
me."
"Rei, have you thought about having a child any more
since this morning?"
"Yes."
"Would you ever consider having someone help you?"
"In what way?"
"Well, I never got to know my father when I was young,
my mother left him when I was young because he cared
more about his work then his family, at least that is
what I thought back then. When Second Impact
occurred, he sacrificed himself to save me. I think
that Shinji would make a nice father, Rei, he is the
kind of person that would rather die then let
something happen to someone he cares deeply for. When
Shinji saw your Eva explode, he was devastated to the
point where he shut out all outside contact, including
me. When he found out you were still alive, I saw him
come back to life. He cares for you, Rei. He cares
more then he knows, and that is something that would
make him a great father. Do you understand what I am
saying?"
"...Yes."
"Good, but remember, the choice is yours to make."
"Understood."
****************
Shinji enters the bathroom and closes the door, once
it is locked he undresses as the tub begins to fill.
Once everything is ready Shinji sits in the bathtub,
thinking about events passed.
(FLASHBACKS)
- Shinji meeting Rei for the first time -
- Shinji in Rei's apartment for the first time -
- Shinji meeting Asuka for the first time -
- Shinji saving Asuka in the volcano -
- Shinji sitting in his entry plug, listening to
Asuka's screams over to comm. -
- Shinji watching Rei's Eva explode before his eyes -
(END)
'What is it I see in my fellow pilots?'
//'You see people you can depend on.'
'Who said that?'
=(Shinji is swept away into a dream that is alien to
him.)
=//"I did."=
="You, what are you?"=
=//"I am what you make of me."=
="What is it you want?"=
=//"I must tell you something that mother can't know
about yet."=
="What?"
=//"You are the key to helping someone else as well,
father."=
="What do you mean?"=
=//"Auntie Asuka will need your help soon as well.
You must not give up hope for her, she will in turn
help you out in the end if you allow her to."=
=(An image of Asuka lying in a bathtub appears in
front of Shinji.)=
=//"She will soon need your help, you must help her
gain back her confidence in herself, only then will
she be able to help you with what lies ahead."=
="But I don't know how to help her."=
=//"You should listen to your own advice."=
=(FLASHBACK)=
=Shinji "No, Rei...don't force yourself to laugh, just
let it happen naturally."=
=(END)=
="But that was about laughing."=
=//"It also applies to this situation, don't force
your help, just let it happen."=
="I think I understand."=
=//"I wish you luck, father, you will need it."=
Shinji finds himself back in the bathtub again.
'This is getting to be too strange.'
Shinji decides he has been in the water long enough
and gets out, once he has finished drying off, he
wraps a towel around his waist and heads to his room.
After he has closed the door, he goes over the dresser
and pulls out some clean clothes to wear. When he has
found some, he drops the towel to the floor and begins
to get dressed.
"Misato is getting hungry."
Shinji instantly turns his head and sees Rei standing
in the doorway. "AAH!!" Shinji quickly wraps the
towel around himself while turning a very deep shade
of red. "I think we need to have a talk about
sneaking up on people later on."
"Hai."
"What can I do for you?"
"I wanted to inform you of the situation concerning
dinner."
"Is Misato in the kitchen yet?"
"No, she is sitting on the couch, but she is thinking
about making dinner herself."
"I will be right out, let me finish getting dressed
first."
"Hai."
Rei leaves the room and closes the door, leaving
Shinji alone again to get dressed. 'I wonder where Rei
learned how to do that.'
After Shinji has finished dressing, he walks into the
kitchen and prepares start dinner, 'Hmm...since it is
Rei's first night as a housemate, I should make
something she will enjoy." Shinji thinks back to when
Misato took them out to eat, then goes and looks in
the fridge for anything he can use to make a decent
meal with. But luck is not on Shinji's side and he
ends up heating up instant instead. "Dinner is
ready."
"Hai."
Misato and Rei walk into the kitchen and have a seat
at the table in the arrangement they did that morning.
"I couldn't make anything fancy for dinner since we
are out of the _basic_foods_..." Shinji casts a cold
glare in Misato's direction "...so I will stop by the
store tomorrow and pick up food that isn't instant."
<-DING DONG->
Shinji, who was just about ready to sit down, decides
to answer the door instead, "I'll get it." He walks
out of the kitchen and down the hall to the front door
and opens it, "Good evening, Ritsuko."
"Evening, Shinji. May I come in?"
"I guess so."
"Thank you."
Ritsuko walks into the apartment then turns to Shinji,
"Did Misato cook, Shinji?"
Shinji closes the door and turns to Ritsuko, "No, it
was my turn to cook."
"Good."
"Why?"
"I found out what that orange stuff in the tube was.
Did Misato make breakfast this morning?"
"Umm...the first one, yeah."
"That explains why the liquid was comprised of curry
powder and rice, did you have any?"
"No."
"A smart move on your part. Did you make enough food
for me, by any chance?"
"Help yourself."
"I think I will, thank you."
Shinji and Ritsuko walk into the kitchen and join the
others at the table.
"Evening, Ritsuko."
"Evening, Misato. How are you feeling, Rei."
"I feel fine."
"That's nice to hear. By the way, Misato, I found out
that the stuff in the tube was just a random chemical,
it shouldn't have any bad effects on Rei."
"Oh, that's good. Have a seat."
****************
After dinner has been finished and dishes have been
washed, Shinji, Rei, Ritsuko, and Misato head into the
living room and sit down.
"So, Ritsuko, what is it you want to show Shinji and
I?"
"I wanted to show you two what has been kept from you
since you came, about Rei and Eva."
"So this is about Ayanami."
"Yes, Shinji. You have a right to know who and what
Rei is."
"Who and what?"
"It's best if I show you firsthand the secrets that
NERV does not want others to know."
"When do we go?"
"What time is it?"
"Um..." Misato takes a look at her watch, "...It's
five to 8:00."
"Then we can go now."
"Will Ayanami be coming along?"
"I would like to come, and help Shinji."
"Help me?"
Rei bows her head and quietly replies, "Yes."
"Umm...Ritsu, maybe we should go talk in my room for a
few moments."
"Hai."
Misato and Ritsuko get up and head to Misato's room at
the end of the hall. When they are both inside,
Misato shuts the door so Shinji and Rei won't hear
their conversation.
"Ritsu, is it really a good idea for Rei to come?"
"Rei is a part of this, Misato. Beside, it might be
best if Rei comes along for Shinji's sake, some of the
thing he will see will be a total shock to him, if he
has someone to help him through this, maybe he will be
able to handle the shock."
"I understand. Now, is there anything you want to
tell me before we go?"
"No, but I would like to check on a program I have
installed in the MAGI for our little expedition, if I
may?"
"You can use my computer."
****************
"What is wrong, Rei? What do you mean by 'help me'?"
"Shinji...I have told you about my past, but I never
wanted you to see my origins until the time was
right."
"Origins?"
"Yes, Doctor Akagi will show you who I am tonight."
"Rei, I don't care what she shows me, I will still
feel the same way I do now about you. I don't plan on
having that change anytime soon. As long as you are
safe, I will be happy."
"Hai."
"I wish we didn't have to pilot Eva sometimes, I just
wish we could be kids without having to suffer like
this, we are forced to fight stuff we don't
understand, all for the sake of humanity. Sometimes I
wish you, I, and Asuka could just live normal lives
together..."
"Shinji?"
"...But we can't, not as long as we are needed for
Eva. We pilot for the sake of others, but we don't
pilot for the sake of each other..."
"Shinji?"
"...And now Asuka is gone, and you are pregnant. This
isn't how we should be living, Rei, we should be
allowed to have fun when we want, be allowed to make
our own choices without others making them for us, I
wish I could just get away from it all."
//'Father!'
"Shinji??"
"Huh?" Shinji snaps out of his trance and sees he has
a very tight grip on Rei's hand, so much that she
looks like she is in pain. Shinji releases his grip
and turns away from Rei.
"I wish the same thing could be true, but we have to
live with what we have to do, because only we can do
it."
"I'm sorry, Rei, I didn't mean to hurt you."
"It is alright, I share your feelings."
****************
About two hours later, the group of four are riding
down a shaft on a small circular platform. "What you
are about to see is what NERV has been hiding for
years now. I show you this because you have a right
to know."
The platform comes to a stop and the four of them step
out onto the cold concrete floor.
"Welcome to Terminal Dogma, Misato. Are you ready to
begin?"
"Hai."
"Then, let us begin."
Ritsuko signals for them to follow her to the first
area of the tour, "We will start with Annex No. 3."
After walking for thirty seconds, they come to the
first door on the tour; "This is the Artificial
Evolution Laboratory."
Ritsuko opens the door and enters the room, followed
by Misato, Shinji, and Rei. She pulls out a small
controller from her lab coat and enters in a few
keystrokes, causing the lights to activate in the
room. What Shinji sees is a setup similar to Rei's
apartment, "This looks like Ayanami's room."
"This IS Ayanami's room. It's..."
"It is where I lived the first few years of my life,
where I was born."
Shinji looks around the room and sees it contains the
exact same furniture that her apartment holds when he
spots the beaker on the dresser, "What was the beaker
for?"
"When Rei was first born we had to do testing on her,
the beaker was used to hold the water used to mix her
medicines in."
Shinji takes another look around the room and sees the
writing on the floor and walls, "What about the
writing?"
"They are a part of what makes up her mind. The light
and water that define the depths of her mind come from
impressions of this place."
"This place is what prepared me for living."
Misato is now becoming impatient "Ritsuko, this is not
the only thing I wanted to see."
"I know, Misato. I am showing this to him as well."
After a few moments, Ritsuko turns and leaves the room
with the others in tow, they all continue on about 500
meters until they came to another door. Ritsuko again
opens the door and steps inside, turning on the lights
as she enters, what can be seen is a large room full
of bones laid out on the floor. Shinji walks over to
the edge of the platform and looks down at the first
skeleton below him.
"The very first one. But it was a failure. It was
discarded ten years ago."
Rei walks up behind Shinji, "An Eva graveyard,
Shinji."
"It is now just a dumping ground for failures. This
is also the room where your mother disappeared,
Shinji, but you may have been too young to remember
it."
Shinji quickly turns around and faces Ritsuko, "What?"
"Your mother was the first pilot of Unit-01. During
the first activation test, she got absorbed into Eva.
The recovery process failed and all that was left was
an empty shell."
Shinji begins to turn pale as Ritsuko finishes
speaking and looks at Rei, who is wearing a shocked
look on her face as well. Shinji tries to form a
question but no words come out, but Rei knows exactly
what he is trying to say and quietly replies to his
unasked question, "I'm sorry, Shinji, I didn't know."
"You may not remember it, Shinji, but you were
watching when your mother disappeared."
Misato has heard more then enough, "Ritsuko!"
Ritsuko turns and walks out the door, others
following, and walks to the next destination. When
she arrives she enters a few commands into the
controller and opens the door, "Before we go in,
Shinji, are you sure you are ready for this?"
"...Hai."
"Okay, but I will warn you now, this may seem very
unsettling to you."
"Understand."
Ritsuko walks through the doorway with Misato behind
her. Shinji and Rei hold back for a few moments
before entering, "Shinji, are you sure you want to see
this?"
"Yes, Rei, I must see it and learn the truth for
myself, no matter how disturbing it may be."
"Hai, I will be right beside you if you need me."
The two children enter the room and walk up to Misato
and Ritsuko, who are standing 30 meters in front of a
tube connected to a mass of piping leading up into the
ceiling.
Misato breaks the silence by asking the first
question, "Is this the source of the dummy plug?"
"No, this is only a piece of it, let me show you the
truth."
Ritsuko taps the controller, causing the walls of the
room to glow a golden color. When the light has
become strong enough, they all can see bodies floating
in a tank that wraps along the walls.
Shinji's eyes widen as he realizes who the bodies look
like, "Rei?" As soon as Shinji finishes, dozens of
eyes instantly focus on him, causing Shinji to gasp.
"Impossible! Eva's dummy plug is..."
"Correct, this is the production factory for the core
of the dummy plug."
"This is?"
"These are all dummies. They are also replacement
parts for Rei. Man found God, and they tried to pick
him up. For that Man was punished! That happened
fifteen years ago, and the God they found disappeared.
Then Man tried to resurrect God with his own hands
and that's how Adam was created. From Adam, Man
created what resembles God, himself. That is Eva!"
"So...they are human?"
"Yes, they are human. We put supposedly mindless
souls in Eva. All the souls were salvaged souls. Rei
is..."
"I am the only one that can hold them."
"Right. The souls are born only in Rei. The room of
Guaf is empty. These are merely empty containers.
They have no souls. So, I want to destroy them
because I hate them."
"NO!!" Before Ritsuko is able to touch the screen,
Rei uses her quick reflexes to knock the controller
from her hand and lets it fall to the floor a couple
meters away.
Misato grabs her firearm and points it at Ritsuko,
"Ritsuko, stop this!"
Shinji, having been silent the whole time, finally
decides to speak up, "So...this is what you meant by
saying you were the third?"
"Yes, Shinji, as I told you last night, I am a clone."
"But...why, why were you required as an Eva pilot?"
"I do not know."
Ritsuko's knees begin to wobble as she starts to cry.
Misato lowers her gun and walks up to her friend
before she falls, "Shinji, could you help me bring
Ritsuko into the hall, please?"
Shinji does not say a word as he stands there, stunned
by all the stuff he as been told about Eva, his
mother, and Rei.
"Shinji?"
The boy simply does not respond as Misato calls to him
again.
"Rei?"
"Hai."
Misato and Rei carry the doctor into corridor and set
her down with her back against the wall, "Thank you,
Rei, now go watch over Shinji, please. I need to talk
to Ritsu alone right now, and Shinji really needs your
support."
"Yes, Misato."
Rei walks back into the room as the door shuts behind
her, leaving Ritsuko and Misato to talk in private.
"Ritsu?"
More crying can be heard coming from the person
sitting in front of Misato
"Ritsu! Snap out of it!" A loud crack soon follows,
echoing down the long hallway, "What is your
problem?!"
"He used me, Ikari used me, just like he did my
mother."
"How did he use you?"
"He used me to fulfill his purposes, he cares for that
doll more then me. I was a fool to trust him, the
Akagi's were fools."
"What do you mean?"
"Misato, Rei is a clone of Shinji's mother."
"What?"
"It's true, she has Yui's DNA, but her soul is her
own. A salvaged soul."
"Ritsuko, why did you want to destroy the clones,
Rei's sisters?"
"It was my revenge towards him. I don't care how
retched I become, as long as they are destroyed."
"Ritsu, right now is not the best time to seek
revenge, get a hold on yourself and give me some
answers that you haven't yet."
"I have told you everything."
"Not yet. You still haven't told me how Rei became
pregnant?"
"I don't know how yet, I do know that it shouldn't be
possible for her to have a child, that is one of the
problems with Rei. She was never meant to become
pregnant."
"And yet she is."
"I know."
"Ritsu, right now you are the only one that can find
out why this has happened, but you have to keep your
head on straight if you are going to find it."
"Misato, why did you let Rei stop me?"
"Because she is part of my family now, even if you
choose not to accept it."
"But Rei would have survived?"
"Yes, but she would have seen her sisters be
destroyed. Besides, I don't think it would have been
a good idea with Shinji watching. You saw how he
reacted when you told him he saw his mother die in
Eva."
"I see your point..."
"And if Rei had suffered another death, Shinji may not
have been able to go on." Misato's tone becomes
softer as she continues "He cares about her, Ritsu,
Shinji was in shock when he saw Unit-00 blow up with
Rei inside it, only when he heard she was still alive
did he come back to life. I don't ever want to see
him like that again, it hurt too much."
"I understand, Misato."
"So please, if you can't do it for yourself anymore,
do it for him at least, allow him to find some
happiness."
"I will."
Misato finally takes a seat next to Ritsuko against
the wall, "So is this all you wanted to show us?"
"No. We still have one more stop on the tour, as soon
as Shinji and Rei are ready to go."
****************
Rei walks back into the room as the door shuts behind
her, leaving Ritsuko and Misato to talk in private.
Rei walks back over to where Shinji is standing.
"Shinji?"
Shinji just stands there, silent, staring at the clone
tank in front of him, and at the eyes that stare back
at him.
Rei walks over to where the controller now sits on the
floor and picks it up, then enters in a few commands,
causing the golden glow to fade out, then stuffs the
controller into a pocket.
"Shinji?"
"Rei...these are all you?"
"Yes, but they are only empty shells."
"And...and you are...a copy of my...mother?"
"Yes, I am."
Shinji turns pale again and begins to fall backwards,
but Rei quickly catches him in her arms and carries
him over to the steps near the tube in the center of
the room. "Shinji, I never meant for this to happen,
and I have hurt you now." She sets him down on the
bottom step then sits down a few meters away. "I only
wanted you to be safe...and happy..." She rests her
face in her hands and begins to cry, tears roll down
her face and fall to her thighs as they reach her
chin, making little dark circles on the clothes she
has on. She quietly mouths three words between a sob,
"I am sorry."
After a few moments, Shinji begins to move again, his
blank expression slowly disappearing from his face as
he gets his bearing. Soon after, Shinji hears the
sound of someone crying and looks over in Rei's
direction, "Rei?" When Rei does not respond to his
voice, he gets up and moves closer to her, "Rei, why
are you crying?"
Rei's head slowly lifts and turns to face Shinji, a
moment later she puts her head on his shoulder and
continues to cry, "I have hurt you, Shinji."
"What are you talking about?"
"I have hurt you by letting you see all this, you know
everything about me now."
"Rei, it was probably better I saw this now then later
on, and you did not hurt me, nothing Doctor Akagi
tells me about you will hurt me. I care for you Rei.
When I didn't want to pilot the first time I came
here, you were the one that was to take my place.
When I saw how much pain you were in when I first saw
you, I thought it was cruel of me to have forced you
to pilot in your condition. though I wanted to run
away, I chose not to...and ended up piloting instead.
I didn't know why at that time, but I do now, I did it
to keep you from suffering."
Rei's sobs slow down as she raises her head up from
his shoulder, "You...you did that to save me from
pain?"
"Yes, I don't want others to suffer because of me.
Especially you and Asuka."
Rei stops crying tears of sadness and begins to cry
tears of happiness, "Thank you, Shinji...for caring."
Shinji gives Rei a hug as they both shed tears out of
happiness "You are welcome, Rei."
After what seemed like hours, they both release each
other and wipe the tears from their eyes.
"Where are Misato and Ritsuko?"
"They are in the hallway talking."
"How about we go check up on them?"
"Hai."
The two of them walk in the direction of the door,
where on the other side sit Misato and Ritsuko. Once
they arrive at the door Rei pulls the controller out
of a pocket and taps a few commands in, causing the
door to open and the room lights to turn off as they
exit.
What they see is Misato and Ritsuko are sitting next
to each other against the wall.
"How are you two doing?"
"Better, Misato."
"Ready to head out of here now?"
"Hai."
Ritsuko stands up and turns towards the door, "We have
one more stop on the tour before we are done, but
first I need to grab my controller from inside."
Ritsuko walks up to the door and waits for it to open.
"Doctor Akagi?"
"Hold on, Rei. The door seems to be stuck."
"It is locked."
"How did it..." She does not get to finish her
sentence as Rei presents the controller she is holding
to the doctor. "Oh, I see. Thank you, Rei."
Nothing more is said as Ritsuko takes the controller
and leads the way back to the circular platform they
rode down.
Over a half-hour later the group is standing outside
the LCL production plant, "This is the last stop on
the tour everyone." Ritsuko types her pass code into
the keypad and swipes her card through the reader,
causing the door locks to release and the door to
open.
"Ritsuko, I already know what is in here."
"Not really, Misato."
As the doors finish opening, the group steps inside
and walks up to the edge of the LCL pool in front of
them. At the center of the pool sits a giant creature
nailed to a red cross.
"Everyone, say hello to Lilith."
Misato's eyes go wide when she hers the name Lilith.
"I thought this was Adam?"
"No, Adam was the creature that caused Second Impact,
he was found at the South Pole. Lilith was here when
the Geofront was uncovered. Lilith's blood is what we
use to fill the entry plugs with, it is what you
breath Shinji every time you fight an angel.
Hearing this causes Shinji to become sick for the
first time that night, causing him the run up to the
LCL pool and throw up. When he has finished, Shinji
looks at the golden pool where he threw up and sees
his vomit has disappeared.
"What the?.."
"It is alright, Shinji, LCL is the primordial soup
that makes up life, it breaks down the structure of
any body fluids and turns it into LCL."
"How?"
"Lilith is known as the mother of all living things
according to the Dead Sea Scrolls."
"What are those?"
"I am unsure myself, I have never been told what they
really are."
"Ritsuko, what was the purpose to showing us this?"
"To answer the question of where LCL comes from, and
who this creature really is down here."
"Are we done then?"
"Yes, the tour is over now. We must now hurry back up
to the surface before my program has finished
modifying the records of what has transpired here
tonight."
They all start walking back the same way they entered,
and after Heaven's Door has finished closing, head to
the elevator that will bring them to the surface. As
they walk, Shinji and Rei fall back a few steps and
talk amongst themselves.
"Shinji?"
"Yes, Rei?"
"I have been thinking about what you said tonight."
"And?"
"I am wondering if you would like to do something for
me."
"Anything Rei, just name it?"
"Not now, I will ask you soon."
"Hai."
The group finally arrives at the elevator that will
bring them to the exit to NERV, where they will
finally be free of the organization that has many
secrets buried in its basement, and head for home.
****************
Nighttime has fallen upon the city of Tokyo-3, and at
the now destroyed house of Hikari Horaki, a girl sits
in a bathtub. Her clothes have been removed, neatly
folded, and set on to a chair nearby. The girl in the
bathtub is pale from the cool night air, but she makes
no attempt to cover up, she just sits in the bathtub
with her head tilted back, looking up at the night
sky. The young girl quietly speaks, even though no
one seems to be around to hear her.
"Synch ratio 0. I can't be the Second Child anymore.
I have no reason left to live. Nobody cares about me
anymore. My papa, my momma, nobody cares. I have no
reason left to live."
Unknown to the girl, the sound of objects falling over
can be heard coming from outside the bathroom as two
men walk through what was once a hallway. When they
arrive at the bathroom door, they stop as one of them
speaks.
"Are you Asuka Langley Soryu?
To Be Continued...
----
Even more mystery here.
Why is Rei suddenly able to feel emotions?
How much emotion will Rei have?
What is Rei going to ask Shinji?
What will happen to the clones?
Will Ritsuko ever be the same again?
What will happen to Asuka?
Find out next time in "Rei's Child, Chapter III".
----
More Omake's for you, notes below
Omake 1
As Rei heads towards the bathroom to wash up, Shinji
digs out some bread and prepares to heat it up.
Before he starts the toaster, however, he prepares to
make a new batch of rice by tossing the rest of
Misato's rice out on the ledge for the bugs and birds
to eat, "How the hell could Misato do so poorly on
such a simple thing as rice?" After about ten
minutes, anything that does not know about how bad
Misato's cooking is, has flown or crawled away after
tasting the rice. "Hey, what happened to all the
birds?" Little does Shinji know, any birds that have
tasted the rice have prepared for an assault on anyone
that comes out of the apartment.
Omake 2
Ritsuko taps the controller, causing the walls of the
room to glow a golden color. When the light has
become strong enough, they all can see bodies floating
in a tank that wraps along the walls.
Shinji's Eyes widen as he realizes who the bodies look
like, "Rei?" As soon as Shinji finishes, dozens of
eye instantly focus on him, causing Shinji to gasp.
"AHH!! They are all naked!"
Shinji quickly whips out his cell phone and calls up
the nearest clothing store, "Hello, I would like to
place an order for 100 bathing suits to be delivered
immediately to NERV headquarters, the address is 1
Geofront Lane, Tokyo-3, Japan. Yes, charge it to NERV
HQ Attn: Gendo Ikari. Okay, bye."
Shinji ends the call, then turns to Rei, "Rei, your
sisters really should have something on, you never
know who has access to this room."
Everyone, including the clones, grow huge sweat-drops
on their foreheads.
Unknown to Shinji and company, the entire male staff
at NERV have access to this room every Thursday
evening.
Omake 3
Ritsuko taps the controller, causing the walls of the
room to glow a golden color. When the light has
become strong enough, they all can see bodies floating
in a tank that wraps along the walls.
Shinji's Eyes widen as he realizes who the bodies look
like, "Rei?" As soon as Shinji finishes, dozens of
eye instantly focus on him, causing Shinji to gasp.
Minutes later, the entire room is full of blood from
Shinji's nose, coming up to everyone knees.
"Shinji, have you been talking to Lilith by any
chance?"
Omake 4
As Ritsuko shows the pool of LCL and Lilith, a crew of
workers takes a piss into it. "As you can see Gendo
has us hand out alot of beer to the crew members so
they go here to help make more LCL." After seeing this
Shinji pukes.
----
Notes:
HOLY CRAP. That was very hard to write, but I got it
done (though Rei crying my have been a bit too much at
this point in time). I hope I didn't mess up the main
events too much. I can't wait for the next part
myself; this is just too mind bending to wait for.
How come I have left the clones intact, you may ask.
Think back to the series when Ritsu pushed the button,
that could have alerted Gendo to what was going on,
and since Ritsu is important for the continuation of
the story, I thought saving the clones would be best.
And Asuka will be making more appearances in the story
(She has a purpose here) but I can't say why yet, just
look in future chapters.
Omake 1 is something that I typed at random one night
when thinking about how nature would deal with
Misato's cooking.
Omake's 2 and 3 are ones that came to mind after I
finished writing the part where the tanks light up.
Omeke 4 was sent to me by Quick_Man
Well, C&C is welcomed.
Flames will be tolerated.
quizered@evafan.com
ICQ: 77294434
http://members.xoom.com/tvinc01
or
http://tvinc.w3.to
Of course, any fuck-ups are my fault. :-)
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