Evangelion: Redemption (Ch. 16 of 19) - Part 1

[fanfic_mausoleum_n_grill]

Neon Genesis Evangelion

EVA-R Prime Extension

(c) Alex Voutsis

Writer's Notes:

Credit where credit is due to Gainax, etc etc. Evangelion is someone else's property, etc.

Additional Credits to the creators of EVA-R Illustrated Fan Fiction. Find it at http://www.eva-r.com - it is an absolutely brilliant fan fic and essential reading to understand this story. You should have read EVA-R up to episode 53 PRIME before reading this fan fiction.

The other fan fictions that are a part of this storyline are

Light of the Soul/Contact

Light of the Heart/At Last, a Reason

The Runaway

Stand By Me

Another's Touch

Thanks for Caring

House of Cards

In the Shadows

A Wish for Dreamless Sleep

Pandora's Box

Progeny / Second Child

Homeostasis/Transistasis

Faces in the Crowd

Meaningful Gestures

This fan-fiction is intended to continue the story begun in the above episodes.

Best Foot Forward

The events in this story follow on directly from Meaningful Gestures.

Touji: So you can't just, you know, hack in?

(Kensuke Aida's bedroom is a mess. It's also where his separate "lives" meet.

In one corner is Kensuke Aida, high school student. A schoolbag makes a small, sad-looking shape, half-buried under textbooks, half-used notepads and rumpled sheets of paper. This self clearly ends the moment Kensuke enters the room after school and throws his bag in the corner.

Neatly beside the bed - the most convenient place - is Kensuke's computer. This is the home of Kensuke Aida, computer jockey. Apart from the usual keyboard, mouse and monitor there are a set of hefty rectangular cases, where the guts of the computer's hardware is contained. One case is active, humming with its cooling fan, while the other is dark and silent. Both have had their covers removed - Kensuke upgrades his machine so often that he rarely bothers to cover the components. There is also an impressive sound system, with an enormous speaker flat against the floor, quietly thumping away to the rhythm of whatever music track is running and deafening the local rodent population. The rest of the desk - which isn't covered by the computer - is buried under CDs and pieces of paper.

Across the room there is a bookshelf, but the books look too dusty to have been read any time in the past year. Most of the higher shelves have been cleared out to make space for Kensuke Aida's third life - firearms. It makes a history of the boy's experience with guns - from his first plastic water pistol, to a battery powered toy that makes an electric gunshot sound, a pump-pressured watergun.. and then his more serious arsenal. The pride of Kensuke's collection is a couple of ball-bearing firing replicas which are almost indistinguishable from real weapons - which to Kensuke is so cool!! .. but to Touji is just weird - oh, and the World War II replica that is also only a BB gun.)

Kensuke: Maybe, if the grades are on an online system, which is likely with all the government control over the curriculum these days..

Touji: Well, what are you waiting for?

Kensuke: Geez Touji, why do you want to know your grades so bad? They'll be posted in a few days anyway.

(Suzahara straightens and paces around Kensuke's bedroom; his steps are even, his prosthetic leg almost unnoticeable. Absently he picks a BB rifle from the shelf and pretends to sight down it.)

Touji: A few days, yeah, then I'll shoot myself. Hikari's so into me doing well at school I think I'm gonna die.

Kensuke: So she cares, big deal. Why do you care about your results so much?

Touji: (pained) I can't get a student rep job if I get Ds! I can't believe I let Hikari talk me into that.. hey, is this thing loaded?

Kensuke: (typing) No, but don't mess around. Hey, if I can get in I might be able to alter your grades. Imagine Hikari's face when she sees a report card of As.

Touji: She'll see through it like that .. (snaps fingers) ..

Kensuke: She might just be really, really surprised.

Touji: Man, forget the lot, I ain't changing my grades. Anyhow I couldn't be a responsible rep if I cheated..

Kensuke: Huh? What's that got to do with it? No one would know.

Touji: You know that ain't the point, Kensuke.

Kensuke: You've been spending too much time with Hikari. You were about to say that cheating is wrong.

Touji: An' what if it is?

(Kensuke's fleet fingers freeze on the keyboard. After a moment, he resumes.)

Touji: So what are you screwing with now?

(Touji peers over Kensuke's shoulder as the freckled boy answers.)

Kensuke: I'm not screwing with anything. Just trying to confirm a theory..

Touji: Whaddya mean?

(Kensuke gestures to one of the scrawled-on papers on his desk. It appears to show a sketched map of the world, with certain sections circled - Japan, Europe, the east and west coasts of northern America..)

Kensuke: You know how the attack on France has the UN and everyone up on their feet about the new dangers of attacks, right?

Touji: Nah.

Kensuke: Well, it did. I've been talking with these guys-

(-Touji remembers that Kensuke sees little difference between talking to someone in the flesh and typing messages to them on a forum on the internet-)

Kensuke: -and most of the time they argue about whether it was an Angel or an Eva controlled by humans that hit Europe. They're so pretentious - I mean, they don't even know any Eva pilots, so what right do they have to disagree with me?

Touji: Huh?

Kensuke: But they all agree with me on one thing - whatever it was, it shows that they can strike in more areas.

Touji: Uh yeah.

Kensuke: Take basketball. You've got to defend the hoop - that's Tokyo-3 - and you've got four players to do that with - they're Shinji, Asuka, Ayanami and Lyn. But suddenly, you've got hoops all over the court-

Touji: (interrupting) I'm not dumb if that's what you're thinking-

Kensuke: -and so, they'll need more players to defend those hoops. Which means more Evas. This is it, I can feel it!

Touji: What, again?

Kensuke: They'll need more Eva pilots. They'll need more Eva pilots!

Touji: I know where this's headin'..

Kensuke: But it's not just the Evas, but the information! Those guys at NERV are going to be at the center of everything when this is all dealt with. I've heard stuff about delegates and representatives heading here, Tokyo-3, for a giant conference. Everyone is trying to get with NERV, and damn but I want to be there to see it.

Touji: I guess in that case, you'd really be able to hammer those guys you argue with on your computer..

Kensuke: It's the internet, not my computer, and no I wouldn't really.

Touji: Why not? You got the info, they don't, you win, right?

Kensuke: It's not that simple - not with those idiots anyway - but even if it was, I don't think I'd want to.

Touji: What?

Kensuke: Any idiot can win an argument on the net. It's about knowing the other guy is wrong. That's the really satisfying part.

Touji: I read somewhere winning an argument was like winning the special Olympics, man..

(But like always, Kensuke ploughs onwards, his continued and vehement ramblings making less and less sense to his friend.)

--------------------------------------------------

Maya: I'm out of time and you're my last hope.

(Yuri blinks.

The young woman is standing at the entrance of her apartment, having just opened the front door to find Maya Ibuki standing outside.)

Maya: You've got to help me.

Yuri: With what exactly?

Maya: (urgently) Can I come in?

Yuri: (stepping back) Of course, sure, come in..

(Yuri's long-time friend - and immediate superior - ducks inside, biting her lip with worry.

The apartment is a "standard issue", one of many in this area that had been allocated for NERV personnel when Tokyo-3 had been designed. The entire area is closely guarded by discreet security forces, and has easy access to routes to the Geo-Front and NERV headquarters.

Yuri hasn't done any serious redecoration, not with the duty hours she has to keep as part of NERV's command crew. The biggest changes are the posters that adorn nearly every spare wall. Faces and images from music bands and TV shows compete fiercely for wall space. Looking around her, Maya is suddenly reminded of the world of TV and music that she knew back in college, before coming to NERV. Her work under Ritsuko Akagi had gobbled up any time she might have used to keep up with that world.)

Yuri: So what's happening?

Maya: The conference tonight - everyone has been asking me if I'm going or not, and you know..

Yuri: So.. are you going?

Maya: (pained) Not you too..

Yuri: I'm just joking. You said you needed my help.

(Maya nods, finding her shoes interesting.)

Maya: You remember back in college, the Impact Remembrance night?

Yuri: Not exactly..

Maya: Near the refectory that sold those biscuits you always had to get?

Yuri: (suddenly nods) Oh yeah, I remember.

Maya: I don't.

Yuri: ..

Maya: I didn't turn up, remember? I had gotten dressed, had everything ready, I walked out the front door and realized just how stupid I looked.

Yuri: Well, since I wasn't there I can't really say..

Maya: Well, I don't want that to happen again, you know?

Yuri: So.. you are going to the dinner thing? The one tomorrow, at NERV?

Maya: (nods)

Yuri: And you don't want to look stupid.

Maya: I need your help.

Yuri: You won't look stupid Maya -

Maya: (interrupting) Have you seen my closet lately? I haven't got one dress. Not one, I left them all behind when I got my transfer here and I never bothered to get any since. I haven't needed to. Besides, I've never been good at picking stuff out like you are..

Yuri: Well I suppose, but.. Maya, the dinner at NERV is tomorrow. Clothes don't just appear out of thing air - and it's more than just clothes, but shoes and if you're really serious then accessories-

Maya: Late night shopping tonight. I brought my car.

Yuri: It'll be expensive.

Maya: I brought my checkbook, too.

Yuri: (giving in) Okay, let me grab my stuff..

Maya: There's one more thing.

Yuri: ..?

Maya: I brought Tenkei.

(Yuri finds her eyes focusing on the boy, who is sitting on Yuri's couch in front of the TV. Who has been sitting on the couch in front of the TV the entire time.)

Yuri: How did he..?

(The boy looks up and smiles.)

Maya: I don't want to leave him at home, alone. So can I..?

Yuri: Bring him along? Well, I suppose..

--------------------------------------------------

(What follows is, for Tenkei, a very strange experience.

For the most part it seems that if he isn't walking on aching feet, then he's sitting down waiting for something. Whatever something is, it's done behind doors labeled "Ladies changing rooms". Maya goes through these doors a lot. Tenkei guesses she has a lot of rooms to change.

When she comes out, she wears different clothes. Yuri either likes what Maya looks like or doesn't like what Maya looks like. Sometimes they ask his opinion - but the answer he gives seems to have little relevance. Regardless, Maya inevitably goes back inside and comes back wearing something new.

And not just clothes. Shoes. Apparently there is a world of difference between one pair of shoes and another. For Tenkei, the main criteria for shoes is that they stop your feet from melting and sticking to the sidewalks of Tokyo-3 on a hot day. Maya's shoes - or at least, the shoes that Tenkei normally sees Maya wearing - aren't any different from his own shoes. The shoes she is trying on now are alien. They haven't got tops. They have spikes - on the bottom, which doesn't make any sense. What if they get stuck in something?

While he may be able to project an AT field - or survive a direct hit from a Evangelion sidearm - the detail of women's fashions is entirely lost upon the young boy.

And when Yuri decides they're finished in one place, she and Maya walk away with him. But they're wearing their normal clothes, and normal shoes - whatever they bought is probably in those bags they're carrying. But instead of walking to the car and going home, they go to another place where Maya continues to spend.

At some point a hat is put on Tenkei's head.)

Yuri: Oh my god, so cute!

Maya: Adorable!

Tenkei: ..

Yuri: (examining the tag) And it's on special!

--------------------------------------------------

(With the next day Tokyo-3 awakens to the school holidays.

School is over for now, and students are now free to roam the city during the weekday. It is while walking through one such surprisingly packed shopping center that Aoi Tamashii becomes aware of sudden attention, of sharp interest.

Several minds, maybe half a dozen, working tightly together, following the movements of their target. They are attentive, focused, and trained for this task. They communicate between each other, informing each other as their ward changes course, stops in her walk, and resumes. They watch the streets, wary, but comfortable.)

Aoi: ..

(Tamashii is familiar with minds like these. Whenever she is near Lyn they are there; agents from NERV security, trailing him, shadowing him. For a time, Aoi had such a team of agents following her.

And for a very short time, she had felt the focused intents of dozens of such men - trained soldiers, each with a rifle leveled at her. Each ready to kill, and each completely unaware of their impotence against her AT field.

Compared to the constantly shifting and unfocused intentions of pedestrians and drivers, the thoughts of the NERV security team are sharp and clear, touching the edges of Aoi's mind with hard edges that instantly alert her. They are following someone.. not her, of course. She had evaded her security teams with the same technique that Tenkei had hidden himself and Rei from their attention.

Rei Ayanami - she's found her.)

Rei: ..

(The First Child is suddenly walking beside Aoi, her eyes level with the street.)

Rei: Why are you hiding yourself?

Aoi: Going to give me away?

Rei: No.

Aoi: ...

Rei: The guards will not think it unusual if I talk to.. myself.

(They walk in silence for a moment. Aoi tests the edges of thought around her, seeking and finding the security teams. Brushing against their minds, she knows - they are still following Rei, but are completely unaware of herself as she walks beside the First Child.)

Aoi: One of the few people in the world who might actually find me.. and you decided to come looking. Isn't that just my luck?

(If Rei thinks that's funny then she isn't showing it.

Despite her abilities, Aoi cannot penetrate the veil that conceals Rei's intents; the First Child's stunted capacities have long worked with her seclusion to push away intrusive minds, leaving her with her own space, her own quiet. This has also rendered her a bit of mystery to Tamashii - contact is not impossible, only very difficult for the most part.

Although at several points she has had to make contact with her..)

Rei: I never thanked you for what you did.

Aoi: What I did?

Rei: Tenkei. I know you helped him.

Aoi: Oh. That.

Rei: ..

(A slightly alarming thought occurs to the Seventh Child; could Rei, even now, be touching on her mind without her knowledge?

Aoi dismisses the thought as paranoid fantasy.)

Aoi: Well.. we made a deal. Something for something.

Rei: Something for Tenkei.

Aoi: ..

Rei: It will be something horrible, won't it?

Aoi: ..

Rei: When you ask me to do.. whatever it is you want me to do, it'll be something I would never want to do.

Aoi: ..

Rei: ..

(And Aoi blurts out a sudden thought.)

Aoi: (quickly) If I told you to fall in love with Lyn Anouilh, could you do it?

Rei: Anouilh?

Aoi: Yes. Could you?

(Rei seems to seriously think over this, giving the question far more consideration than Aoi had.)

Rei: I don't know if I could love him.

Aoi: ..

Rei: But I could most likely pretend.

Aoi: Hmmph.

Rei: (glancing over) Is that what you want me to do?

Aoi: No.

Rei: ..

Aoi: It was just a thought.

Rei: ..

Aoi: Not as horrible as you expected, was it?

Rei: I don't know.

(Suddenly Tamashii laughs out loud, closing her eyes in her mirth. The sound draws no attention from her fellow pedestrians - not a look, not even a glance, as if they do not hear her.)

Aoi: Pretend to love someone. The very idea!

(Rei remains quiet in the wake of Aoi's laughter.)

Aoi: Weird thing is, I know how you'd do it. Just like how you tried to be a mother.

Rei: ..

Aoi: That whole deal on the swing - you had no idea, but you copied what you saw other people doing.

Rei: It seemed to be the right way to use the swing.

(Aoi's laughter drops down to a sigh as she kicks at a paper cup on the sidewalk.)

Aoi: Rei, can I ask you a question?

Rei: ..?

Aoi: When you wake up in the morning, do you remind yourself to be the same Rei Ayanami as you were the day before?

--------------------------------------------------

Misato: Security entrances?

Asuka: (eyes closed, head back) Okay.. two on the upper level, far ends, and three on the lower. One at the main entrance, one near the service entrance, and one in the north wall. And there'll be the guys on the upper level overlooking-

Misato: (interrupting, hands up) Okay, I'm convinced. You know it.

(The Second Child opens her eyes and grins at her little victory. She and Misato are in the living room of the Major's apartment, trying to lounge around while doing last-minute revisions of what is going to happen tonight. The balcony door is open, letting in the sound of Tokyo-3 midday traffic.)

Asuka: Ikari sure is taking his time in there.

Misato: (smiling) So did you, Asuka.

(The teenager glances down at her uniform. Misato had chosen Shinji and Asuka's nearly identical outfits, and Sohryu hasn't found much to complain about. It is a dark suit with red highlights and NERV insignia, strikingly similar to Misato's official black and red uniform. Of course there is no indication of rank on Asuka's outfit, but simply a red "02".

In Asuka's opinion, it's a vast improvement over the other ensembles - figurehugging, disgustingly bulbous, or embarrassingly bare - that she's had to wear since coming to Tokyo-3.)

Misato: You look very adult, trust me. You should relax, it'll probably end up being boring. Unless the party gets crashed by a giant robot or something.

Asuka: Well, that'll be Lyn's job, won't it? (looks over) About time, Shinji.

(The Third Child steps into the living room, still trying to settle the edges of his new outfit. It is essentially the same as Asuka's, except for the slacks instead of a long skirt, and the "03" in red where rank would normally be indicated.)

Shinji: Well, I guess I'm ready. (fiddles with cuffs)

Misato: (standing) Your collar, Shinji.

(Ikari looks slightly embarrassed as the Major touches up his collar, setting it right-

-Asuka smiles as she watches the boy endure Misato's attentive attentions -

-then Katsuragi stops and stares.)

Shinji: Uh.. Misato?

(Katsuragi leans forwards, her dark eyes pinning the pilot of Unit 01 to the wall. This is far too close for Shinji's comfort - and probably too close for Asuka's. Of course, with the wall at his back Shinji doesn't have much choice.)

Shinji: What is it?

(When Misato speaks her voice is low and steady.)

Misato: (quiet) Who gave you permission to grow taller?

Shinji: (speechless) ..

(Asuka quickly stands. From her new vantage point she has a perfect view of what Misato has just realized. Even as the Major corners Shinji, the Third Child is nowhere near concealed behind Misato. In fact, he's a little.. higher.)

Misato: Taller than me?

Asuka: No way, lemme see!

(Sohryu barges past, and Shinji is forced into uncomfortably close quarters with his back against the wall, again.)

Asuka: Straighten those knees Ikari!

(He obediently straightens up, the back of his jacket rasping lightly against the wall as he goes up.. and up. And up.

When finally Shinji Ikari is standing upright, he is a full inch taller than Asuka.

An inch.

An INCH. It may as well be a mile, or a mountain. He's TALLER.

This is TERRIBLE. Of all the places in the where an inch could crop up it had to appear on Shinji Ikari's head, where it would do the most damage. A horrible, destructive inch, bent on shattering the natural order of the world where Shinji is LOWER than Asuka, or at the very worst isn't noticeably TALLER. But now order in the world is gone, giving way to chaos and confusion, when nothing has a set place and an inch can throw down heaven..)

Asuka: (huffing) He's still not much to look at.

--------------------------------------------------

Goro: Why do I have to do this..?

(The schoolboy rubs his forehead in anguish, looking up at the camera. Kensuke zooms in and out, trying to get the best shot of Goro with the squat steel structure behind him. The two of them are standing outside one of the armored entrances to the Geo-Front; for Kensuke and Goro, this is as close as they can get to NERV and its operations.

Kensuke can feel the sheer cool of the Evangelions somewhere below him, running through the ground and up his feet, shaking his very being with the thought of all that awesome power. Goro, proving that his head is screwed on correctly, feels nothing. Except maybe they should move away from the entrance in case some security spooks see them recording and decide to do something.)

Kensuke: It's real simple. Just tell me what you told me.

Goro: What, now?

Kensuke: No, before.

Goro: You mean what I said before?

Kensuke: (nodding) Say it now.

(Goro straightens and clears his throat, facing the camera.)

Goro: Okay. Okay, yesterday Touji, Kensuke-

Kensuke: (chiming in) That's me.

Goro: -and I were thinking of going to the movies the next night, which is tonight. I called up Ikari's place to talk to Shinji about it, if he wanted to come or not.

Kensuke: And what did he say?

Goro: Well, he didn't actually say anything at that point because it was Sohryu that answered the phone. I told her what I was calling for-

Kensuke: (quiet) Big mistake..

Goro: (continuing) -and she delayed and played dumb and gave me the run around, until finally she said Shinji was home and she'd call him to the phone.

Kensuke: And he said?

Goro: He said he couldn't come, because he had to go in to work tomorrow - tonight, I mean - for a dinner thing.

(Kensuke turns the camera around, speaking to the lens.)

Kensuke: Shinji and dinner? Shinji and dinner? This must be something official! I'm sure that since the destruction of the last enemy, an Evangelion, enormous changes have been taking place! The world cannot stand idly by as terrorists use giant robots to kick ass across the planet!

Goro: Isn't that a line from a computer game?

(Aida continues, gesturing as he speaks.)

Kensuke: And it is here, or actually below here, with the Evas, that things are changing. Tonight!

Goro: Or maybe Shinji just has a date.

Kensuke: Are you going to draw ridiculous conclusions all day??

Goro: I'm just saying, it's not entirely impossible..

Voice: (distant) If you're not so sure about it, then maybe you shouldn't go.

(The two boys firmly shut their mouths, hushing automatically at the approach of strangers. They glance over, waiting to see how long it will take for the newcomers - two women and a child - to pass by so they can get back to talking.

In all honesty, neither of the boys pay attention to the child. If they had, they might have noticed his bizarre eyes almost hidden under the brim of his cap - the cap that certain people had insisted that he wear to NERV today. Kensuke and Goro don't pay to much attention to one of the women either - they're too busy staring at the other girl, the one who's speaking now..

Goro's jaw drops. Then Kensuke's draw drops. Then Kensuke's camera rises.)

Maya: No, I'm going to do it. (pause, firmer) I'm going to do it.

(The boys stare.)

Yuri: (grinning) That's better. You could kill a man on sight in that outfit, Maya.

Maya: (embarrassed) Please don't say that, that's not what I'm after right now..

(Kensuke simply records. Goro simply stares. The two women pass by without seeing the boys - the gold-eyed child turns an unseen gaze on them - heading for the entrance to the Geo-Front, the backdrop Kensuke was using for the recording.

ID cards slide through scanners, and the alloy doors slide open for them. They disappear from view.

Kensuke breathes.)

Goro: Oh wow.

Kensuke: Tell me about it..

Goro: She was..

Kensuke: .. beautiful.

Goro: Yeah.

Kensuke: Just great.

Goro: Uh.

Kensuke: What?

Goro: Did we just see.. Shinji's date?

Kensuke: Shinji's date?

(The two boys consider this for a moment. Simultaneously they come to identical conclusions.)

Goro: (slowly) That unbelievably lucky bastard ..

Kensuke: I can't believe it. First the Evas, then Misato, now this!?

Goro: ..

Kensuke: ..

Goro: Can I get a copy of the tape when you're done?

(Aida shakes his head, grinning to himself.)

Kensuke: You'll just have to download it like everyone else.

--------------------------------------------------

(Katsuragi addresses the gathered NERV personnel, her hands raised for attention.)

Misato: Alright. We have maybe three minutes before the delegates finish watching the presentation in the display room. Then the Commander will bring them out into the dining hall, and everything will be go.

(As the Major continues, Shinji finds himself feeling nervous about this - right at the last minute, too! He hadn't been bothered by what he has come to think of as "the UN dinner". It occurs to him that he should have expected nerves tonight. It also occurs to him that he can expect absolutely no help from Asuka.

Upon arriving at the Geo-Front Shinji has noticed that yes, Misato had been right - he is taller. People he pass in the Geo-Front don't seem to loom over him the way they used to. In fact, a lot of the women who work at NERV seem surprisingly short to his new perspective. It makes him feel.. bigger? More confident, he guesses, knowing that he actually fits a NERV uniform rather than having one made in size small for him.

That confidence is definitely there, but right now it is accompanied by a leaping and dancing sensation in the pit of his stomach. Shinji settles for blaming it on last minute nerves. Either that, or something in the curry lunch Misato made is now alive and squirming in his digestive system, which might be closer to the truth.)

Shinji: (thinking) No, it's nerves. Just nerves.

Shinji: (thinking) NERV nerves.

(Now that is a joke so bad that he's never going to say it out loud.

Shinji touches his ear lightly - an earpiece is lodged there, identical to the ones worn by all the NERV staff present. It serves two purposes - first, it is linked by wire to a palm-sized translator neatly hidden in a jacket pocket of his uniform, and secondly it is linked into NERV's security channels, enabling staff to send messages to any wired personnel.

The guests will be wearing NERV issue devices that are similar, except they have no link to NERV security - unless you count the bugging and tracking devices built in to each.)

Misato: Lyn, are you okay with this?

Lyn: I don't mind Misato. Just give me some advance warning when they head down to the cage.

(The Sixth Child wears his plugsuit, looking out of place in the carpeted and well-furnished room. He is not going to be attending the dinner, but instead has another task tonight. Behind him is Major Arnold Hayridge, who has been speaking to Lyn quietly in English for the last few minutes. Shinji shrugs - maybe Lyn has nerves too.

Anouilh leaves quietly, without any display; that will come later when he begins the Unit 06 demonstration.)

Shinji: (turning) ..

(Asuka Langley Sohryu stands next to Shinji, and displays none of the discomfort Shinji feels. Her earlier reaction to his height has had Ikari worried. Shinji is sure of what he saw - a swarm of emotions storming over the young woman's face - but then she had fallen back on a simple insult. And worse it had been an insult she had already used!)

Shinji: (thinking) Losing her edge?

Asuka: What are you looking at?

Shinji: Uh.. nothing.

(What is he looking at?

He is looking at Asuka in her NERV uniform. As "grown up" as he might feel, seeing Asuka this way is setting something off in Shinji, making him want to say something about it. A compliment, maybe. A comment on how she looks, possibly.

Something, anyway.

Why is he feeling this? Shinji would like to have a little time to think about it, but something is pressuring him..)

Asuka: Shinji, what is it?

Shinji: Well, your.. uniform.

Asuka: (eyes him suspiciously)

Shinji: It's just, if I didn't know you I'd say you were a person from NERV.

Asuka: I am a person from NERV, Shinji.

(Asuka resists an almost overpowering urge to smirk.

It's not that she enjoys watching Shinji awkwardly fumble for the right words. Alright, that's a lie. She does enjoy watching Shinji awkwardly fumble for the right words. It's only when he's fumbling that Asuka is sure that he's really trying to say something. If the words just came out smoothly with no effort, they wouldn't be worth as much.

Of course it occasionally makes Shinji seem clumsy.. all right, that's another lie. It always makes Shinji seem clumsy.)

Shinji: Asuka, You know what I mean..

Asuka: I do? Well, that clears it right up then.

Shinji: I mean that you look.. nice, kinda.

Asuka: (bland) Nice kinda, huh?

Shinji: Yeah.

(This is just too perfect.)

Asuka: Nice kinda huh yeah?

Shinji: Don't be that way Asuka..

Asuka: (innocent) What way? This is important stuff Shinji. We work together, making it vital that we're completely honest with each other. Me knowing that you think I look nice kinda huh yeah is of great assistance to my performance as a pilot.

Shinji: (sighing) You look great, okay?

Asuka: ..

Asuka: (thinking) Only Shinji could give up as he crosses the finish line..

Shinji: (quietly) Really great.

Asuka: (thinking) Or maybe..

(She remains silent, but flashes a glance at him, to let him know he has her attention. He catches the look, and shifts a bit; this is going better than Asuka could have expected.

And then everything collapses as Maya Ibuki enters the room.)

Misato: Maya, glad you decided to join.. (trails off)

(The conversations in the room do not die. This is not a western, and Maya Ibuki isn't the stranger stepping into the suddenly quiet saloon. The sentences keep going but it's just that no one cares, leaving a lot of words floating around feeling lonely. Everyone doesn't stare at Maya and her outfit. They simply take every opportunity to sneak a look over at her. Very quickly, the attention in the room gathers around the young Lieutenant.

Katsuragi and Sohryu are both wearing uniforms, as part of Misato's idea of emphasizing the military aspect of NERV. Maya has clearly not dressed with this in mind. She is not wearing a uniform, but a dress. A short dress. Red with black in touches - the same colors as NERV's presentation uniforms - but clearly not military. Very clearly not military, very clearly a dress that was chosen - possibly cut and styled - specifically for Maya by someone who knew exactly what visual strings to pull and optical buttons to press.

Unlike Misato and Asuka's uniforms, Ibuki's dress allows her to visibly have legs. And she has legs. Of course, Maya's legs are only one facet of what has suddenly stolen the attention of the room.)

Arnold: (in English) This might cause some security issues.

(Misato suddenly feels unaccountably.. baggy. Sagging. Old, even. Which strikes her as particularly unfair, as she is neither baggy, sagging or old. A quick glance downwards confirms this - no bagging, no sagging and definitely no olding. But seeing Maya in that outfit makes her feel like a craggy relic, wearing a stiff, hot and uncomfortable uniform when she should be wearing something.. something like what Maya is wearing. Exactly what Maya is wearing. Yes, exactly that.

A small fashion-conscious voice in Katsuragi's head tells her that she'd look horrible in red with her hair color. The rest of Katsuragi's head believes that a bit of dye is a small price to pay.

Asuka, meanwhile, feels like a boy. A little flat boy. Flat, in that way - you know! Suddenly she remembers all the time she spent wanting to be grown up, wanting to be older, more mature, someone that people would take seriously. And now that she's there, what did she do? She let some stupid woman dress her up in a uniform! A horrible, yucky uniform that makes her look like a bean bag when compared to Maya's outfit.

And in the meantime, Shinji and many of the other men in the room are discovering how entrancing just a few inches of exposed back can be. And many more inches of exposed leg, but that's beside the point.)

Maya: (fast, impatient) Okay, I'm here, for all of you who badgered me into coming.

(Asuka had felt a peculiar warmth as Shinji had struggled with commenting on her looks. All that warmth vanishes in the ice cold realization that Shinji is staring at Maya. Yes, he's staring. The other people in the room have the social skills to at least pretend they're looking at something else, but Shinji is full-on staring at her, lacking even the maturity to make his eyes go to other places occasionally.)

Misato: Yes.. you are here.

(This is horribly, horribly unfair.

Living with Misato, and all the body parts attached to Misato, is pretty bad. Puberty is unsettling enough without having Misato as a live-in comparison. And then there's Rei Ayanami, picture perfect Rei, who even with her messed up hair - which she obviously never does anything more than rake her fingers through it - and boring rumpled school uniform manages to act as some sort of a Shinji magnet without her even trying.

That's enough material for jealousy. A normal human being doesn't need any more jealousy than that. If she had to compete for Shinji - not as if she does or wants to or would ever dream of doing, Asuka adds mentally - then Misato and Rei are bad enough to deal with.

But now this, this, this-

-this short haired tomboy with no life, at least not any that Asuka knows or cares about, who has spent the last year and a half only existing as background noise in Asuka's life, nothing more than a voice on the other end of a radio, has the temerity to dress like a woman. And Shinji, poor, stupid Shinji, is responding - for probably the first time in his entire life - like a typical male. And if he keeps this up in front of Asuka, it might become the last time in his life.

How can this have happened? What hidden switch was flicked in Shinji's head to make him do this? This is Shinji Ikari, the boy who was terrified of how thermal expansion would work with Asuka Langley Sohryu and her swimsuit! What's happened to him?

It's all horribly, horribly unfair, and yet strangely enough.. it is absolutely fucking typical.

And yes, that is exactly what Asuka thinks.)

Maya: What's the matter? (looking around) God, I just want this to get over with.

(And then it gets worse. Shinji takes a step towards Maya.

It's a slow, slightly dawdling step, that puts Asuka in mind of a moth flying lazily towards a flame, unaware that it is about to experience a flaring, painful death.

Asuka shakes her head. Maya Ibuki is not a flame. Maya Ibuki is some girl in Central Dogma. Maya Ibuki is some tech junkie who lives in computer systems. Maya Ibuki is a distant voice that says things like "It's totally out of control!" If not for an incorrectly placed X chromosome - where the Y chromosome should be - Maya Ibuki would be a boy. She is not a flame. There is no similarity between an Ibuki and a flame. There is nothing even remotely flamelike about her!

But, Asuka reflects, Shinji is perfectly described as a moth. Small and brown, with large, overly sensitive feelers. Will cling to one spot until you jab it. Circles around things. Very, very stupid.)

Shinji: (cautiously) Do you.. normally go to.. things, dressed like that?

Maya: What? No, not normally - why, do you think it's too much?

(Misato - who has in the last ten seconds considered driving home and getting changed in the minute-and-a-half they have left - is enormously satisfied by seeing Maya look around nervously. All of the male staff are wearing uniforms, and all of the female staff except for Ibuki..

..no, there's another girl out of uniform, a poor traumatized soul in a long green dress who is trying to hide behind the crowd, afraid to be compared to Ibuki. Maya - to Misato's disgust - draws strength from the fact that she isn't the only woman out of uniform. Katsuragi mentally groans; she had hoped for a little angst and insecurity.)

Shinji: No! No, that's.. fine, I guess..

(And Asuka draws a little strength that at least Shinji's inability to give a decent complement hasn't failed her. Bad enough that his backbone spontaneously grows at the sight of Ibuki in a red dress. If he had magically produced a smooth, well-worded compliment, then the world would have ended.

Wait a second, she's wearing a red dress!)

Asuka: (thinking) She stole my color!

(The Third Child walks back to Asuka - well, goes back the one step he took - and shakes his head.)

Shinji: (quietly) Wow. Look at those.. earrings.

Asuka: (stunned)

(She looks - yes, Ibuki is wearing earrings. Fairly nice earrings. Large enough to be visible, small enough to avoid being tacky. The sort of earrings that boys never notice or comment on, unless they're trying to be smooth.)

Asuka: (slowly) What's with her earrings?

Shinji: Nothing, I guess. I just never really paid attention to anyone enough to notice earrings.

Asuka: (deliberately) Yes Shinji. You haven't paid close attention to anyone.

(This doesn't register.)

Shinji: You know, I can barely see the translation unit. (laughs) It's just surprising, really. I never really imagined Miss Ibuki like that.

(Now Shinji is not a moth fluttering into a candle's flame. He's a moth flying headlong into a nuclear furnace. A moth that is buzzing happily.)

Asuka: There's a lot of things you've never imagined, Shinji.

Shinji: (grinning) Yeah, I guess. I mean, wow. You have to admit, she looks really nice.

Asuka: Just think Shinji; someday, you could look like that.

(Neurons in Shinji's brain belatedly fire warning signals.)

Shinji: Are you feeling okay Asuka?

Asuka: Gee, I wonder. I know, let's do a survey and see what my knuckles think.

(She lifts a clenched fist to chin level.)

Asuka: (to fist) Do you think Shinji is being a dick? (pause) Really? (another pause) You feel that strongly about it? (lethal pause) Well Ms Knuckles, I suggest you take it up with Shinji. (raises fist)

(Asuka is interrupted by Misato finally giving the order.)

Misato: (loud) Okay everyone, it's time.

(As the gathered NERV personnel move slowly through the exits - much slower around Maya Ibuki than in other areas - Asuka keeps up with Shinji to vent her discomfort a bit more.)

Asuka: Okay Shinji, just let me do all the talking. I know how to handle these people.

Shinji: You do?

Asuka: Well no, but I can't be any worse than you.

--------------------------------------------------

(He still has plenty of time.

Lyn Anouilh had jumped at the chance to avoid the dinner. He doesn't want to hear another person tell him how his father's death had been a tragedy. He's heard all that before, from the UNSynaps personnel, and from Arnold Hayridge. He's heard it enough.

He had volunteered for the activation as soon as he had heard. He isn't really eager to try out Unit 06 again - although he supposes that he is meant to be excited about having his own Eva - but he is content to be out of the public light. This had been a chance to get out of that dinner, away from those people.

He grips the shoulder of his plugsuit as he shifts his arm around, making sure the fabric is set. Beside him on the gantry rests the plugseat, ready to be moved to the entry plug. Evangelion Unit 06 stands silent in its restraints, awaiting its pilot. Its two-eye configuration and faceplate greatly resembled those on the destroyed Unit 03; the old design had been reused here, fitted onto the unfinished Eva.

Before coming to NERV he had briefly been synchronized with this Evangelion. It had been a long time ago, back in France, with this same giant that now bears his designation. It had been little more than a compatibility test, to see if he could work with the Eva. He barely remembers it - he doesn't remember the awareness through Eva that he now has almost instinctively. And certainly this Evangelion, sleek and complete, gleaming yellow as the last of the coolant is drained from its cage, bears little resemblance to the unfinished creature he had synchronized with.

And Lyn finds himself smiling. It isn't a bitter smile, but something wry, something accepting.

Unit 06 bears little resemblance to the Eva he first synchronized with - just like he has little in common with the child who had first synchronized within it.

He's changed. Since then, he's become someone else - someone with the same blood, the same bones, the same memories, but also someone whose path has been pushed to one side by something much larger. The Eva project, and the people has met here, has altered him.

Lyn finds that the question of better or worse doesn't bother him. If he is somehow a.. less painful person, with a "better" life, seems such a stupid idea.)

Lyn: I'm.. just me.

(And something there eludes him - some thought or revelation that would make sense of it. A final knot that would tie his thoughts around in a perfect circuit escapes him, slips out of his grip.

Lyn Anouilh shakes his head. He still has plenty of time, plenty of time to think.)

--------------------------------------------------

(Steak was not cheap in Japan before the Second Impact, and the economic and ecological collapses that followed did nothing for the market. The meal on the plate before him is worth more than a week of take-out; he doesn't try to guess how much food for everyone present is costing NERV.

Shinji Ikari has never really liked steak. The idea of eating money never struck his stomach as appetizing.

Beside him the Second Child is patiently sawing at her meal, maintaining polite conversation with the others at the table. "Polite conversation" isn't something normally seen from Asuka; all trace of her usual impatience, selfishness, standoffishness.. everything Shinji knew as Asuka seems to be gone.

There are big people at this table - ranking officers, diplomats.. but somehow Shinji doesn't believe that these particular people are really that important to NERV. The really vital people - potential allies - are probably sitting over with Commander Fuyutsuki at "the grown-ups' table" rather than exiled here, with the children.

On the other hand, maybe these people don't see them as children, but as pilots - soldiers, vitally important soldiers. Shinji isn't entirely sure as he listens to the conversation via his translator.)

General: (continuing) ..to say the least. I will be honest - concerned parties in my country have had their doubts about the Eva project for some time. And now, their own purpose being replaced by NERV, it's becoming more than a concern.

Asuka: I wouldn't be worried in your position, General.

(And most of the conversation seems to be directed at Asuka, rather than at Shinji. This fact, combined with how strangely appealing she looks in her new guise, is making the Third Child very uncomfortable. The inexplicable fist she had been waving at him before - just after Maya had made her amazing entrance, Shinji remembers - is only a memory; she certainly isn't threatening him now. But the memory bothers him; somehow he had missed something very important that was going on, something that Asuka is sure to remind him about later, after all this is over.

But what makes it worse is just how well Asuka is handling herself.)

Asuka: NERV has always used military craft in support roles for the Evas; in fact, the Evangelions cannot function without them in many cases.

Major: After the demonstration videos I'm finding that a small comfort.

(Just before coming into the main hall, NERV's guests had been treated to a viewing of video clips from Evangelion activations - presumably from the wargame they had undergone only a few days before. As yet, none of the people at the table have asked any serious questions about it.)

Shinji: (thinking) They probably can't believe that it was us inside the Evas..

Asuka: When tanks became commonplace in armed forces, did they render infantry useless? No. They changed their role, yes, but hardly made them obsolete.

(Shinji didn't know Asuka knew anything about tanks, and maybe she doesn't, but it sounds convincing. And certainly those two military guys seem happy with what she's saying. Or maybe they're just smiling at Asuka.

Now Shinji feels really uncomfortable.)

Asuka: The same is happening here. NERV will not be able to function without military support; in fact, it's not really you who need our help, but us that need yours.

Lieutenant: Of course there's security for the pilots, for which you'll need more or less conventional forces. I believe that you and Ikari share residence..?

(Shinji feels a lot of attention center on him, attention that he really doesn't want.

He knows what this looks like. Pilot or not, he's a "young person" to these people, and he's sitting next to a pretty girl. A pretty girl he works with. A pretty girl he lives with. These military people probably think they know exactly what's going on between them.)

Lieutenant: That must make the task of protecting pilots easier - and Major Katsuragi, the head of operations, as well as the Sixth Child, all in the one building.

Asuka: Well, there are good and bad sides to putting all your eggs in one basket.

Shinji: But I guess, afterwards, it's easier to see the good things.

General: Oh yes?

(Asuka doesn't comment on Shinji's statement, but her eyes drill holes in his skull as she waits for him to continue. He knows he has to make this count.)

Shinji: Well, convenience, like you say, was definitely an advantage. (pause) But it's also a good thing to know and trust who you're working with.. you can trust their orders, their judgement, and understand how they think..

(Asuka deems this acceptable, and adds to it.)

Asuka: And certainly it's allowed us to work with Major Katsuragi better, and each other.

Shinji: But it's not always that way. I mean, Ayanami lives miles away by comparison.

(Shinji misses the quick look Asuka sends him.)

General: Where is the First Child? I haven't been able to pick her out, and since she's not at this table-

Shinji: She isn't here.

General: She isn't?

Asuka: Only myself, Shinji and Lyn Anouilh.

Shinji: (adding) Lyn isn't actually here here. He's.. busy.

Lieutenant: He's busy? With what?

Asuka: That's a surprise. Think of it as classified.

General: Well, there was more I was wondering. I had expected that the conference would be headed by Commander Ikari -

(-he nods towards Shinji, as if the Third Child wouldn't recognize the reference to his father-)

General: - but all communications I received prior to this were from Commander Fuyutsuki. And if I'm not mistaken, those are the stripes of a full Commander he's wearing.

Shinji: They are. Commander Fuyutsuki is essentially in total control of NERV.

(Asuka doesn't open her mouth on this one, but lets Shinji deal with it.)

Shinji: (quiet) My father has.. chosen to stand down from his position. And that is his own choice to make.

(Ikari returns his attention to his overpriced meal, not adding to his explanation.)

Asuka: As I was saying, we're practically on first-name basis with a lot of the staff here, and that helps everywhere really - communication, security, the running of the whole show, really.

(The Second Child pauses for a fraction of a second, then sets her cutlery down. Shinji is a little surprised as the girl stands.)

Asuka: Excuse me, but I have 'ladies business' to attend to.

Shinji: (thinking) Ladies business?

(The alien phrase coming out of Asuka's mouth horrifies Shinji for some reason. Hyuga's voice, audible only to Shinji through his earpiece, explains.)

Hyuga: (radio) Don't worry Shinji, she's just been called over by the Commander.

(Shinji almost asks a question in reply, but doesn't dare - not in front of the guests.)

--------------------------------------------------

(While NERV deal with their guests, another gathering is taking place.

From across the globe they have called each other together. None of them are attending the meeting in Tokyo-3; with recent events it would be far too dangerous to expose themselves.)

SEELE: And they will leave believing that NERV will protect them.

SEELE: They are not all so foolish. They will examine alternatives, if they are presented to them.

SEELE: Alliances with other nations could strengthen their position dangerously.

SEELE: Or divide their forces, weakening them.

Kihl: But that will be irrelevant. Events in the schedule will finish this long before any alliance bears fruit.

SEELE: Perhaps.. if our own allies do not attempt another "surprise."

--------------------------------------------------

(Asuka hadn't come back to the table.

Shinji's earpiece dangles from its spring-like cord, waggling uselessly over his shoulder. As soon as he had gotten into the men's room Shinji had popped the device free and headed for the washbasins. As he rubs his face with wet hands, he realizes how much of effort it had taken to constantly listen to the droning translations.)

Misato: How are you doing?

(Asuka had managed to hold up her facade of disturbing "normalness" during the evening, but Shinji had found it a strain. He feels oddly stiff - maybe from the uniform, maybe from a effort of dealing with the guests out in the dining hall.)

Shinji: I thought this was the men's bathroom?

Misato: I was wondering how you're feeling. (leans against the wall) How are you feeling?

Shinji: (takes a breath) A little tired. I'd just like to go home, you know? But I'll make it - watching Asuka at play out there..

Misato: What?

Shinji: She's being so.. un-Asuka. Almost, sort of polite. Professional. It's weird.

Misato: She's been doing great. If we have to arrange something like this again, we might put her in a more important role.

(The young man rubs his face with a towel.)

Shinji: Aren't you worried someone might walk in?

Misato: They're all heading down to the cage for the demonstration. You've done well - your job is basically over. The guests aren't exactly going straight home after this, but you won't have to do any more parading.

Shinji: Great.

(As Shinji finishes up, Katsuragi walks around to where he stands. She speaks softly.)

Misato: You know where this whole thing is heading, right?

Shinji: What do you mean?

Misato: These people are hoping that NERV will send Evas to protect them. This can't happen, of course, at least not right away. We simply don't have the Units, or the pilots.

Shinji: So we're be making more Evas?

Misato: (hesitates) It's more complicated than that. There are.. political factors at stake.

Shinji: Political? How can this have anything to do with politics?

Misato: These people aren't just here to give us their help. They want us to show that we're willing to put ourselves at risk for them.

Misato: There are facilities in Germany where they made Unit Two, and a lot of spare parts for the Evas. Those facilities are going to be restaffed and put back into operation.

Shinji: Uh huh..

Misato: But the enemy we're fighting now isn't like the Angels. The Angels only attacked here, Tokyo-3. These people.. are smarter than that. The facilities in Germany could be seen as a threat, and so we'll have to send over one of our Evangelions to protect them.

(Shinji freezes.)

Shinji: You're sending one of us to Germany?

Misato: They're sending Asuka. It's already been decided.

Shinji: (stammering) What - just now, they - decided just then?

Misato: (apologetic) No, this conference is just for show. Most of the real decisions were made days ago. I've discussed it with the Commander, offered alternatives.. but in the end, this was the only option.

Shinji: But why her? Why does she have to go?

Misato: (patiently) She's the best choice. She already knows the language that most of the staff will be speaking. She's familiar with the power grid and the weapon stations that are there - she trained in Unit Two in Germany, remember? And since we're still working out the bugs in Unit Six, and Rei is being.. unresponsive..

Shinji: (bitter) And Unit One can never leave the city.

Misato: Shinji..

Shinji: I know.

Misato: Shinji, listen to me.

Shinji: When is she going?

Misato: Maybe two weeks, maybe less - Shinji listen to me!

(The Third Child stifles his incredulous response.)

Misato: I promise you that she's not going away for ever.

(Shinji backs up, clamping his mouth shut as his gaze drops down and away. Katsuragi steps up to him and grabs him by the shoulders.)

Misato: (urgent) She's going to come back, I'm going to make sure of it.

(He feels his throat go suddenly sore, made worse by the tone in Misato's words.)

Misato: (voice cracking) Do you hear me?

(And for a long, horrible moment, Shinji Ikari does nothing.

He looks at Misato, at the expression on her face, at the feelings that mirror his own. She doesn't want Asuka to go. Shinji doesn't want her to go.

He knows through her touch, through the tones in her voice, that Misato feels the same thing as him - the same surge of anger, the need to find someone to blame, the need to find some other way.)

Shinji: (hesitant) It isn't your fault.

(And Misato laughs, leaning forwards slightly to hug Shinji briefly. The Third Child pushes away slightly, getting a bit of room to move.)

Shinji: It isn't.

Misato: Don't give me this understanding crap. That sensitive new age guy stuff went out of fashion before Second Impact.

Shinji: ..

(Misato takes a breath and speaks. The breaking tone in her voice is gone, and Shinji feels that somehow he has done the right thing. He just isn't sure what.)

Misato: Asuka said she wants a day to do nothing - just relax, nothing to worry about. So I'm not going to tell her yet, not for a few days.

Shinji: (eyes down) Thanks, Misato.

Misato: Take her to the movies. Have a party. Get your friends together, Hikari and everyone. Something.

Shinji: Yeah.. I think I should. But we're going to have to tell her.

Misato: I know, but that can wait just a bit, okay? (turning) Besides, we've got Lyn's activation to get to.


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