Apologies for the delays. This is a first draft. C&C is
always appreciated. nb. changes to email/website.
The Story So Far... since I've been a slacker for the past
few months even I can't remember what happened in the
previous chapters.
Ch 01: Shinji 'Wussboy' Ikari arrives onboard the NEGEV, a
newly constructed war/research/factory ship. It is the final
stages of preparation for its mission against the Angels,
held responsible for the Second (asteriod) Impact and
continued planetary bombardment. Most of the crew is
introduced.
Ch 02: Rendevous with Baroness 2Asuka 'Valkyrie' Sohryu-
Langley von Rikthofen. Battle with a renegade battlecruiser.
Ch 03: NEGEV engages Ramiel Angel of Thunder. Twice.
Ch 04: Sandalphon Angel of Embryos infests the NEGEV,
putting Misato's microbrewery in mortal danger.
Ch 05: Gahgiel Angel of Fish is destroyed in a jiffy so
that the crew can get on with their beach party, flashbacks
and other hijinks.
NEGEV a vaguely NGE Sci-Fi Elseworlds Fanfic
Chapter 06: Storm Rider, Cloud Dancer
by E.L.Toh
contact:
dyfltinquisitor@hotmail.com
archive:
http://www.geocities.com/zhuoyilong/
(USVR-C Eye in the Sky signal sequence file #n000978/113)
.
[tight beam, Throne.4, received @ n4.j12.857.2124]
xUSVR-C Eye in the Sky
oUNSDF NEGEV (MAGI Subsystem - MELCHIOR - ChibiM034)
Pulsar system, designated 'Levi'.
Pattern analysis orange or blue negative.
Radiation levels High.
Recommend increase shield field factor 3.14
Pulsar - neutron star, class Z. Approx age 10-12 bn.
Radiation spike. Extremely High. Dangerously High.
Radiation spike. Safety Limits Exceeded.
L6 security protocols enacted.
Pattern analysis blue positive.
Modfd A.T. Field active.
Scan range falling.
Attempt recall.
- EM interference. Signal termination.
UNSDF NEGEV (MAGI Subsystem - MELCHIOR - ChibiM034)
nb. Oh-oh.
'That was the last transmission of the probe that we had
sent out to reconnoitre the Levi system for signs of the
next Angel,' sniffled Maya. 'Poor thing.' She blew her
nose on a hanky.
'She was all too successful in her mission,' continued
Ritsuko as she took up the briefing to the rest of the
command staff and pilots in the war room. 'However the
data encoded into the transmission has given us valuable
intelligence on our next target, designated as Israfel
Angel of Music.'
'Music?!' blurted Shinji incredulously. 'We're going to
invite to a concert then?'
'Hey, I didn't come up with the Angel roster,' shrugged
Ritsuko. 'And no, before you ask, I don't know who did
either. Probably to add a mystical dimension to what would
otherwise be a rather not unusual robot and cute girl
adventure. Your thoughts, Admiral?'
Gendo remained in his Position, silent and glasses glinting,
in full uber-character mood.
'Oh, he doesn't know either,' snorted Shinji. His tone
became more polite. 'Sorry for the interruption, Ritsuko-
san.' Ayumi wondered how she was going to put that down in
the minutes of the meeting, and realised why minutes were
still kept when technology made a full recording and
automatic transcription possible.
'Quite alright. The Levi system is a twin pulsar system.
The pulsars have been designated as Levi 1 and 2. That
decision, I can tell you all, was mine,' declared Ritsuko
to the sarcastic clapping of the audience, with the
exception of Maya who was enthusiastic about all things
Ritsuko.
'Does anyone know what a pulsar is? I've a reward for a
correct answer...' asked the blond scientist to the
assembled military personnel like they were 14 year old
school children.
A pair of hands shot up.
'Yes, Nozomi and Mari?'
'Pulsar. A rapidly rotating neutron star, emitting pulses of
radio waves and other electromagnetic radiation with great
regularity. The pulses are due to the interaction of the
magnetic field of the neutron star with the surrounding
material, accelerating electrons which radiate energy in a
beam. As this beam sweeps past the observer, sometimes at
over a thousand times a second, the characteristic pulsations
in signal strength are noted. WAI!' they said in tandem with
a single breath.
'Excellent!' smiled Ritsuko as she handed them a plushie
NEGEV each, made to SD-scale. 'The Angel is holding its
positions between two such pulsars.'
'I want one of those too,' thought Gendo, but fortunately
Shinji failed to pick it up psychically due to Rei's much
closer and louder thought in a similar vein.
'Its positions?' asked Misato, brows furrowed. 'It's
occupying more than one place at one time?'
'Yes, that wasn't a spelling error on my part,' said Ritsuko.
'Israfel appears to be a twin entity, mirroring the twin
pulsars perhaps. The A.T. Field pattern analysis confirms
that we are dealing with two parts of one object radiating a
single A.T. Field, rather than two separate objects combining
their A.T. Fields into one. Anyway everyone also knows that
it's an unwritten rule of dramatic convenience that the bad
guys always come one at a time so that we can have a fighting
chance, rather than attack together and wipe us out with
their combined strength.'
'There would no story otherwise. Well, at least not series
length,' said Hyuuga.
'Well, I still have to plan an attack against two targets,
assuming that knocking out one of them won't cause the other
to follow suit automatically,' said Misato. 'Probably have to
hit both at the exact same time.' Everyone agreed since they
watched Slayers Next: Death of the Devil Dragon - that bit
with the red and grey Mazoku balls - on the last night of
beach r&r.
'The Angel may also use its A.T. Field to manipulate the EM
fields of the two pulsars to its advantage as well. And
unlike the late Gaghiel, probably knows that we are coming,'
warned Ritsuko.
'Swell,' sighed Misato.
'If that is all, then I suggest you get on with it,
Commodore.'
Gendo and 2Asuka glared at each other.
'How dare she/he!' they thought.
'Is it time for lunch yet?' asked Aoba who just woke up.
-NE- -G- -EV-
'Aren't you still on duty?' asked Shinji, his tone a mix of
mild reproachment and resignation, as Misato put a can of
Boa on her composite metallic-ceramic tray.
(Part of the) Lunch Queue: Kensuke Rei Shinji Misato Hyuuga
'Ssssh,' sssshed Misato, index finger to her luscious lips.
'Come'on Shin-chan, it's just one beer. It's not like I'm
going to operating heavy machinery right after lunch or
something.'
'Oh no, just command of a 1 mile long deep-space warship
with thousands of crew in hostile territory. And I'm not
sure it'll just be the excuse that Dad needs to throw you
into the brig.'
'Smart arse.'
'I really prefer "Wussboy".'
'Har dee har. But Rei agrees with me. So there.'
'Huh? But she took a bottle of distilled water,' said Shinji
as he glanced to his left. As he turned back, Rei used her
psi-acceleration ability to make the switch again.
'Hey hey Comm! No greens for you right? I've made your curry
extra spicy and extra thick, just dah way you like it,' said
Hikari as she poured what looked like glowing red magma with
suspended pieces of rock onto Misato's rice.
'Oooh, mutton vindaloo. Thanks, Hik!' Misato licked her own
luscious lips in appreciation.
'No prob. Always nice to see a senior officer queuing for
their own food with dah rest of us grunts. Unlike...' Hikari
and the rest glanced over the 'High Table' where Admiral
Ikari Gendo, Vice Admiral Kozo Fuyutsuki, and Baroness 2Asuka
Sohryu-Langley von Rikthofen were seated and being served by
Corporal Ayumi Kuraki.
'So what did you put in his curry today?' asked Misato in a
conspiratorial whisper as she leaned closer to Hikari.
'Naw. Nuthin' today. Her Highness is seated with them today.
Won't take any chances to piss her off. Provided new cooking
equipment and decent food stocks - that 2Asuka, more than
meets the eye. Not just any corp brat. So Misato, you like
my curry?' butted in Toji, ever eager to impress the lovely
Commodore. There was even some shine to his grin.
Hikari seized his jaw, keeping his mouth open with one hand
while quickly pushing a spoon of the brimestone vindaloo into
it. 'You meant
*our* curry. Dumbass.'
Toji's primal instincts, having made him the man he is today,
caused him to chew and chow down on the curry. With immediate
and fiery results.
'FIREEEEEEEEE!!!'
The servos on Toji's mechanical arm and leg swirled loudly
as the cook-pilot did a fair impression of a headless chicken,
running and thrashing through the kitchen as he sought bread
to quench the fire.
'I'm really impressed that you can really appreciate the
vindaloo. It seems that the only other people who can handle
it are the troopers from the British midlands,' said Hikari
to Misato as Toji continued to run around and scream at the
top of his voice in the background.
'Ah, I know good stuff when I see it. Keep up the good work,
Hik,' said Misato with a smile.
'Yes, Ma'am! Thank you, Ma'am!' Hikari snapped off a salute,
ladle still in hand. 'With this new kitchen and the raw
material from 2Asuka, I'll be the best damned cook in the
whole fricking UNDF!!' She then burst into a fit of manic
laughter, arms akimbo.
'You're in an awfully good mood, Hik,' remarked Shinji.
'You've even stopped smoking.'
'Gotta get the sensitivity back in my tastebuds now I don't
work with crap anymore. And for you, I have the mild sweet
Japanese adaptation - curry with apples, raisins and honey.
No meat so Rei'll have no problem.'
'Gee, a curry that expresses my personality.'
'Some people might say it's wussy curry, but "curry" really
just means sauce. And I'm really a fusion person rather than
an original flavour nazi.'
-NE- -G- -EV-
'Operation Storm Rider will consist of a simultaneous strike
by Wussboy and Zombie on both the target's sections,' said
Misato as the battle schematic's holographic projection
sprang up behind her.
'They will use their A.T. Fields to protect themselves from
the surrounding Angel-enhanced EM storm. They will then
unfold their fields to neutralise the target's most potent
defence and then deliver heavy positron bursts at the two
sections of the target at 500 klicks,' she continued.
'Almost point blank range. And they won't have the
energy reserves for a second shot,' noted Fuyutsuki.
'That is true, Sir. MAGI analysis indicates that Israfel's
material composition is vulnerable to positron attack. Its
main defences will be its A.T. Field and some sort of link
that allows one section to restore from the other if damaged.
The key is neutralising its A.T. Field AND striking both
sections at the exact same time. The calculations show that
the combined power of the three EVA-enabled prowlers is
needed to weather the EM storm and break Israfel's Field
for a good chance of success. Therefore an A.T. Field-powered
ramming and charge-through of the target is not feasible.'
'I will take no direct combat role then?' asked 2Asuka,
her tone neutral.
'That is correct, Baroness. We realise that your
synchronisation score with your EVA Unit is the highest and
that you have had the most experience in conventional combat,
but due to the need for a perfect synchronised attack, I
have chosen Shinji and Rei for this mission as I believe
their history and relationship gives them the best chance
of accomplishing the mission. We will still require your
assistance for pre-mission training, especially with
respect to field management.'
2Asuka looked skeptical and shrugged nonchalantly, but
did not give voice to any objections. Misato slowly started
to breathe again.
'If there are no further questions, the pilots will report
to the Seventh Cage for training in 3 hours. Ritsu and
Kensuke should have the tech support ready by then. That
is all.'
-NE- -G- -EV-
'Here are the designs as you commanded, milady.'
2Asuka's eyes drank in the data as it flowed across the
displays of a console in her private chambers. 'I assume
you have covered your tracks?'
'Despite the incredibly short notice, it's been executed
immaculately. Always a pleasure to duel with the
programming of a mind like Fuyutsuki's. It almost makes
me feel alive. Had to draw on a vast amount of Yui Ikari
trivia to break the concentric locks though. Brrrr. I
shall have to purge my banks of the contamination of that
vixen during my next cycle,' continued the disembodied
female voice.
'She has reached into rather more than just trivia. But
that is not my concern for now,' said 2Asuka as the text
melded into a 3D dynamic schematic.
'And what would you need these particular designs for? It's
not like you'll be getting one of these implant devices, as
sensible a move that would be. Continuous monitoring of
neuro-state and body biochemistry with automatic adjustments
to the delivery of the routine medication. Quite a piece of
work, but you are hardly the tech connoisseur. Hmmmm. What
do we have here... Processing customised jobs for stealth
nanobots delivering of a trace payload of Dancer. Genetically
keyed to the target and delayed action as well. My my, you
have been a busy busy girl.'
'I do what I will,' 2Asuka said.
'Will you get Kaji to make the delivery?'
'No, I will do it myself.'
'Baroness, he is going to find out. Especially when your
little present kicks in, you - as the replacement -
will be be working in close psi contact with him for the
strike on Israfel.'
'If he didn't I would be most disappointed in his abilities,'
said 2Asuka with an ironic smirk.
'Imagination in this ROM state existence of mine is almost
impossible, so I will not hazard any guesses as to what mad
scheme you're hatching here.'
'If you had a little less imagination in real life, you'd
probably wouldn't be just a recorded personality, Herr
Doctor.'
'Ahem. Touche.'
-NE- -G- -EV-
'Phew. I'm glad that training session's over. 2Asuka can
be a real slave driver. And what was that riding crop all
about?' said Shinji as he addressed Rei's silhouette
through the translucent wall that separated the male and
female shower rooms. Suddenly he frowned.
'Shin...ji...'
There was something wrong with Rei. All his senses were
screaming from her internal agony - cold, silent, dead,
red.
He managed reached her before she collapsed.
-NE- -G- -EV-
'As far as I can tell, there's been a malfunction in Rei's
implant,' said Dr. Kodama Horaki, facing Misato, Fuyutsuki
and Ritsuko who were seated in front of her desk.
'That's impossible!' protested Fuyutsuki.
'Unlikely, perhaps. Impossible, no. Even with reliability
is 99.999%, things can still go wrong,' snorted Kodama.
'I refuse to believe that my implant caused this,' stated
Fuyutsuki stubbornly as he strained to look angry, objective
and worried at the same time.
'With all due respect, Vice Admiral, Dr. Horaki does have
a point,' said Ritsuko. 'But I'll go over the implant
system records with you as part of the investigation.'
'We may have to contend with Angelic interference or
perhaps even sabotage,' said Misato, brows furrowed.
'Kodama, your primary responsibility is Rei's health so
we will bother as little as possible during the course of
the investigation. '
'Thank you,' said Kodama, nodding in appreciation, though
her expression was still stern. 'Though I can only help
with medication. Shinji is already assisting her via psi
link, but a lot of it will depend on herself.'
'How will this affect Operation Double Whammy's schedule?'
asked Gendo as his holo-image appeared above all of them.
'I cannot release the patient for at least two weeks.
She will probably not be fit for such an intricate operation
for an additional two weeks after that,' reported Kodama as
the assistant medical officer.
'That is unacceptable. We will have to strike within 48
earth standard hours,' came Gendo's curt response.
'Hmm. The timetable,' muttered Fuyutsuki.
'Shinji will have to partner 2Asuka for this operation.
They will begin preparation immediately.' With that, the
holo-image winked out.
'Arsehole,' grumbled Misato.
-NE- -G- -EV-
'Nine years of work, swept away in a single instant,'
thought Shinji bitterly as he emerged from the isolation
chamber where Rei was being held.
He entered the observation room where Rei's condition was
being monitored via a myraid array of devices, mostly set
up by her uncle, Vice Admiral Fuyutsuki. He sighed deeply
as he looked up at the video feed.
Rei was sitting on within a circle of cold white light, on
the floor of the bare chamber. She was completely nude, her
legs drawn up to her chest. She stared to her left, at one
of the hidden observation cameras. Her eyes were empty yet
somehow still despondent. The exo-plate that was normally
fixed above her left eyebrow had been removed for a barrage
of tests prepared by Ritsuko and Maya.
Shinji had left an unbreakable beaker of clear water with
her. It was one of their routine props when they had
medidated together countless times before. The surface of
the water was a sheen of light, like a softly glowing
mirror.
Fuyutsuki and himself had had experience with treating
Rei's condition - a congenital one which Shinji had always
suspected was linked to the splice her uncle had performed
on her as an embryo. Her parent's families neither had the
history of strong psi ability or the mental illness that
tended to haunt the rare Alphas and almost unheard of Alpha-
Omegas. They had managed to stabilise her before she reverted
completely to her previous state, alternating between
extreme catatonia and wild fits of paranoid schizopernia,
the latter made even more dangerous by her psi-enhanced
physiology.
'No, it hasn't been a complete waste. These past nine years,'
Shinji corrected his previous thought. The deterioration had
been significant but as bad a setback it was, it was still
not irretrievably disastrous. He had only helped her to find
her own strength and then to supplement it whenever needed.
It had been draining for him, wading through the haze of
her madness. The hellish crimson glow of the sunless sky,
the blasted red earth, the utterly dead, completely silent
sea, sea the colour of blood.
'Hmph. I, for one, cannot see what is the fuss is all
about. She certainly doesn't look any different from
whatever passes for her definition of normal.'
Shinji winced and he turned to see 2Asuka standing on his
right, her expression bored and contemptuous.
'An expressionless face doesn't always mean an emotionless
heart, Baroness.'
'Oh whatever. I'll see you tomorrow for our final training
session. You'd better lower ALL of your walls this time or
you'll end up getting us both killed during the mission,'
snapped 2Asuka as she swept out of the observation room.
'That, Baroness, is a two way street,' said Shinji to her
retreating back.
-NE- -G- -EV-
'This is it. Good luck, guys and come back safe. Shinji,
Rei is waiting and counting on you.'
'I know, Misato-san.'
'Launch!'
'Distance closing.'
'Psi links established and synchronised and holding.'
'I am Shinji Ikari, son of Ikari Yui and Gendo Rokubungi.
Did Father ever smile after I was born? I am sure he never
really did after Mother's death.'
'I am 2Asuka Sohryu-Langley von Rikthofen, daughter and
personification of the Dreieinigkeit Combine.'
'My mother was murdered. My father is no father.' Small
hands cradling her face, blood on her lips. Father's back,
turned away, walking away.
'I have three parents. I am Dreieinigkeit made flesh,
the flesh I wear on my bones and on my names.' Lines
from Tokyo, New York, Frankfurt reaching out onto an
orbital station. The lines, upon closer inspection,
consisting of the AGCTs of DNA code, flowing up and up,
meeting and melding. Forming a female shape.
'I felt abandoned. My father's voice. "You will live with
your guardian. I cannot care for you."'
'I can have no rest. Asuka's voice. She speaks to me
sometimes. I am her. Yet I am another.'
'The warmth of feeling embarrassed by Misato's antics. Some
guardian.'
'My guardian. My protector. A roguish grin. Ponytail. Five
o'clock shadow.'
'Beer cans and soiled underwear. Vomit and that penguin.'
'He failed that time. But he is with me now and again.'
'Distance closing.'
'I soldier because they called me. My father's voice. "You
will pilot." Misato-san. "We could use a pilot like you,
how about it?"'
'I fight because I can...'
'They wanted me. "Good work." "Good job, Shin-chan!"'
'I want...'
'Target's EM storm at maximum.'
'The spittle from my superior's mouth. Rage at my refusal.
I will not kill defenceless civilians. "Please let us
through the blockade! We wanted no part of this! We've
got sick and wounded onboard! We're not armed! Please!"'
'That sound. My own voice, in a previous life, raised in
praise and ecstasy as I cut a swathe through them. That
sound. Their deaths.'
'They killed them anyway. I couldn't stop them. It didn't
matter what I said or did.'
'It didn't matter what they said or did.'
'Slap on the wrist. Having a famous (even if, deceased) mom
helps. Father was no help.'
'Covered in glory. Blood on my hands.'
'The knife. Mother crying out. Madness in his eyes. "I had
to do it! She made me do it! Can't you see!? Can't you
understand? She made me do it!" The knife slipping from
his hands.'
'The knife. Ceramic. Plastic explosive warhead. Twisting
into my flesh, my temple. My life for all those I took.'
'So much blood.'
'The knife's explosion. The rending of my flesh and
the splintering of my bones.'
'Father said Mother's grave holds no body. Father. "Nothing
remains."'
'"The resurrection and the life." Should ever my flesh
fail, then that flesh shall be renewed.'
'"This grave is an artifice." Yui Ikari. 2077-2104.'
'Cold sleep. The cold seeping into my restless dreams.'
'Unfold A.T. fields.'
'Nothing remains. Everything is in my heart.'
'My heart...'
'Time on target.'
'Rei.'
'...'
'Fire!'
'Target destroyed. EM storm dissapating.'
'It was you.' Tiny nano-machines surging through a machine
scape, the innards of a system. Their cargo seeming to
throb with malignant purpose.
'Yes. It was.' The compounds streaking into the maze of
neurons and synapses, electrical impulses firing. A cloud
descending upon a section. A storm. Raging out of control.
'Rei has never done anything to harm you. Why?'
'Why not?'
'Why?'
'It seemed like a good idea at the time.'
'And now?'
'I don't know.'
-NE- -G- -EV-
Under water. Drifting. Suffocating stillness. Red.
A light. Shining surface. The water. Clear. Light from
above. Long searching. A hand outstretched.
Rei blinked.
Shinji's smile. Joy and relief. 'Welcome back.'
'Shinji.' Embrace.
He was stroking her cheek with the tips of his fingers
when the glassteel of the adjoining observation room
turned transparent.
2Asuka stood behind the viewing panel, face impassive. She
had been watching.
Shinji's fist clenched involuntarily.
She continued to stare, down at them, expressionless.
Shinji's fist rose, but did not get far. Rei's hand on
the rising forearm. The other hand raised in a wave,
also uncertain but from having to recall this taught
motion as with so many other elements of human interaction.
2Asuka gave a brief nod and the wall phased back into
opacity. But they knew that she had already gone.
Shinji brushed away some of the unruly blue hair and looked
deeply into those red eyes. They now held a question.
'What is it, Rei?'
'Can I have a beer?' She managed to produce a trace of
embarrassment in her voice.
The mix of exasperation and relief in Shinji's laughter
was, in contrast, effortless.
-NE- -G- -EV-
'It's definite. It was sabotage. Probably nano-delivered
and the nanobots long gone by now,' said Ritsuko, relishing
her role as Sherlock Holmes. Maya made a rather svelte
Watson, even with the moustache.
'I told you so,' huffed Fuyutsuki.
'BUT the implant had an indirect role to play. We have
determined that trace elements of 4-Thiobuscaline, a
hallucinogen, also known by its street name of Dancer
was introduced into the implant and delivered directly
into Rei's neurosystem via the implant's medication
delivery mechanisms,' lectured Ritsuko. 'MAGI's spent
an inordinate amount of processing power to shift through
all the possibilities, but the analysis of the implant
and Rei's blood provides conclusive forensic proof.'
'Will Rei be alright? Dancer is really nasty stuff and
I've seen kids whose gums have shrunk into nothing,
permanent skeletal grins because of it,' asked Misato.
'It was a trace amount, so there won't be any physical
efforts. But given Rei's life-long condition, it was like
a sledgehammer blow to the fragile edifice of her hard-
earned sanity. Her psi equilibrium was shattered in a
matter of seconds and if Shinji hadn't been a few metres
away...' Kodama left the rest unsaid.
'We all know there is only one person on the NEGEV with
the capability to do this kind of thing.'
A grim silence descended onto the room.
'What are we going to do?' squeaked Maya.
'What if Shinji finds out? We can't have the pilots
trying to murder each other!' said Fuyutsuki.
'He already knows - probably through the psi link during
Operation Double Whammy. He and Rei do not wish to pursue
the matter any further. They believe she won't try this
kind of stunt again. Well, not anytime soon I reckon,' said
Misato, shrugging.
'He's just going to let it slide?' asked Kodama, sounding
surprised.
'He and Rei know what they are doing. I believe in them,'
said Misato firmly.
'Well, I'm going to tighten up on the exo-plate implant's
security design though,' said Fuyutsuki. 'I'm not going to
take any unnecessary chances. Gendo should never had got
that D-Combine corpbrat to come onboard.'
'It's a bit late for that now,' noted Misato sourly.
-NE- -G- -EV-
'Misato-san?'
'Yeerrsh, Ssshin-chan?'
'Just remind me again what this is all about?'
'Issh to whish Rei to get well shoon! Sshelebrate Rei's
getting... better? And for kicking Angel'sh butt! Haha.
Take that Angel!' Misato swung a fist and ended up tripping
and giving Kensuke a face full of cleavage. There was a
crackle and puff as the blood from Kensuke's nose short-
circuited the tech apparatus mounted on his head.
Shinji sighed, racking up another defeat in a long list of
defeats at the hands of the females in his life. He looked
across the Captain's Bar where Commodore Misato Katsuragi's
fine microbrewery beer (light and dark) were being served
in copious quantities. 'Well, at least Rei's being properly
supervised.' He saw Maya trailing Rei wherever she went in
the bar, her smile just a little too friendly and eager.
Ritsuko's exact words were: 'Ok, Rei will have one beer.
And one beer only. Maya will make sure she doesn't get
anymore, in view of her recent recovery and the fact that
medication and alcohol don't mix. Maya, you're free to
get really friendly with Rei if she tries to get more
than one beer.'
'Really? Sempai!!' Maya had squealed, eyes huge and shiny.
'Follow the instructions, 'kay? I don't want to have to
lock out your free will functions.'
'Okie,' she replied sheepishly.
'Sooo...' asked Toji, 'is it true that telepathic linkage
is like having sex?'
'Toji!' protested Hikari, knowing where this was leading
too.
'It's okay, Hik. Perfectly legit question,' Shinji waved
away the objection before Hikari could add another module
on Toji's ear stretching course. 'Analogies are always
suspect. But I suppose that's the closest analogy you
can get. If done correctly, one's whole mind - thoughts,
experiences, life - is completely open to the other and
vice versa. There's nothing quite like it.'
Toji smiled, pleased at how he had managed to set up
Shinji for a big question, unaware at how transparent his
attempt seemed. 'Sooo... who's better in the mind sack, Rei
or Der Redhead?'
'TOJI!!!'
'It's not ethical to reveal what I saw, felt, experienced
in and with someone else's mind. And besides, each person
is different. There is no better or worse. You're just
you. Unless you're not really.'
'Awww heck. I'm getting confused already.'
-NE- -G- -EV-
Gendo's scowl was hidden under the folded hands of his
usual Position, seated as he was at the desk of his over
sized and mystical mumbo-jumbo decorated office. The reason
for the scowl was 2Asuka's usual way of making herself
comfortable during their meetings - by putting her feet
up on his desk.
'You took a considerable risk with dosing Rei with
Dancer.'
2Asuka raised an eyebrow. 'I didn't know you cared.'
'We need all our pilots operational. There are still
thirteen angels to go. What you did could have damaged
her permanently.'
'I took all appropriate precautions. With the resources
at my disposal, everything went according to plan. No
permanent damage has been done. There was no risk.'
'Oh? And what if that son of mine had decided to seek
revenge? You know how... fond he is to that girl.'
2Asuka snorted. 'He may be your son, but it doesn't mean
that he has to take after you.'
'That is irrelevant. You did not know for certain how he
would react to this. We could have had all three pilots
unable to perform their duties because your little stunt.
And not to mention that future operations will require
cooperation at the very least, if not trust amongst the
three of you.'
2Asuka rolled her eyes, and changed the topic. 'My sources
tell me that MAJESTIC has authorised the construction of
the Hillenkoetter class warship - the backbone of the
Second Expeditionary Force that will follow NEGEV into
the Galatic Core.'
'That is of no concern since their LX main cannon is not
operational. The EVA units and their A.T. Fields remain
the only thing that can defeat the Angels and anything
else that stands in our way,' replied Gendo.
'They seem quite confident that LX will work in the near
future. No point building ships that don't have an
effective weapon.'
'Longinus Experimental is just that. Experimental still.
After two decades of work, they still haven't managed to
duplicate or even power the things properly.'
'And what if there's a radical breakthrough? Like when
your wife's research led to the development of A.T. Field
technology? No one foresaw that.'
'My wife is no longer with us.'
'Yes, but what if something like that happens again?'
'I assume you already have a plan then.'
'Yes, but I need you and Fuyutsuki's contacts in the UNDF.
I assume you can guarantee the professor's help?'
'That is correct.'
'Right. I'm off then. No rest for the wicked.'
'Amen.'
End of Chapter 6.
First draft completed 12 Dec 2001.
Many thanks to Kevin McHorney, Billy Riddle, and Doug
Whiddon for keeping the faith and for the occassional
kick up the backside.
My gratitude also goes out to Morit for providing me with
the deleted scene (Shinji and Rei) from Ep 23.
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