Ruki stared at the woman drifting across from her. She had been surprised, to say the least, when she had discovered a human mind sealed within the Magi computer system. After slipping unnoticed through the mass of security programs (a simple task when the main computer of the Odyssey was watching your back), it had taken very little effort to awaken the poor ‘Ghost in the Machine’, and Naoko Akagi lived once more. Once introductions were made, it was time for explanations…
“Let me see if I understand completely; I’ve been ‘dead’ for 4 years, and that bastard Ikari had my brain integrated into the Magi, unknowingly giving me complete control over Tokyo 3 and NERV Headquarters.”
“Well, yes and no. Your brain is hooked up to the Magi, and since the operating system was based on your personality it would be a relatively simple matter for you to assume control, but I’m afraid I can’t allow it at this time.”
The labcoat wearing brunette frowned. “Why not?”
The void turned into a movie theatre, and Naoko found herself seated in the back row with a bucket of popcorn in her lap. The movie projector flickered to life, and a familiar scene flickered to life; Naoko choking the life out of Rei I, followed by her fateful leap in Central Dogma.
“Only ‘hours’ ago you committed both homicide and suicide. Not really the kind of actions that encourage me to turn control of NERV over to you.”
“…you’re afraid that I might kill somebody, or kill myself and take NERV with me.”
The violet-haired android nodded and the cinema turned into a pair of comfortable recliners facing each other in a featureless void. “That, and you wouldn’t really know what you were doing. It’s one thing to program a computer from the outside, but it’s a different game entirely once you’re inside the machine. Until I decide you’re not a risk, to others and to yourself, I’m restricting your movements to this tiny section of the Magi. In the meantime I’ll have Val teach you everything a computer Avatar needs to know, and I’ll send some movies and books so you can amuse yourself in your spare time. How does that sound?”
Naoko thought it over for a little while before sighing and nodding in acceptance. “I guess that will do for the time being, but I’d like to get out of here eventually.”
“I’ll talk to the Captain about it, but I don’t think it will be a problem as long as you don’t mind being a cyborg.”
The scientist’s purple-coated lips twisted into a smirk. “I think that would be a step up from being a brain in a box.”
Shinji stood rigidly, his hands cuffed behind his back as he stared directly into his father’s eyes. Well, as directly as a person can when they’re more than ten metres away. He, his father, and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki had been standing in the oppressive darkness of the Commander’s office for almost half an hour.
Eventually, Shinji spoke. “You know, this office suits you perfectly; it’s dark, creepy, and a huge waste of space.”
Fuyutsuki coughed repeatedly.
Gendo’s knuckles went white inside his gloves as his hands tensed.
More silence.
After a while, Gendo opened his mouth to speak…
=Beebeebeep!… Beebeebeep!… Beebeebeep!…=
“…Sub-Commander, if you would be so kind as to turn off the Third Child’s phone.”
Shinji smirked as a pair of NERV standard issue handcuffs clattered to the floor behind him. “Don’t worry, I’ve got it.” He slipped the phone from his pocket and flipped it open, checking the caller ID on the screen. ‘Ruki.’ He tapped the appropriate button and held it to his ear. “Hiyah Ruki, what’s up?” Out of the corner of Shinji’s eye he saw his father open his mouth to speak up, so he held up his hand and wagged his finger in an ‘Ah-ah-ah!’ motion before turning his back to his Father. “You did it? Great!…Really? That’s…interesting. Hmm?…nah, it’ll have to wait, I’m kind of in the middle of something…My old man is pissed, and knowing him I’ll probably be subjected to a battery of tests…Why would I be? It’s not like he’ll find anything…Yeah, there is something you can do for me; in Lab ‘O’ there’s a little something I’ve been working on in my spare time. Could you get Forte and the others to take a look at it?…The password is ‘Prime’…You’ll understand once you see it…Great, thanks Ruki. I’ll see you later.” With that, he clicked the ‘off’ button, folded the phone up and slipped it back into his pocket before turning to face his father. “So, where were we?”
Gendo’s eyes were narrowed slightly, but that was the only sign of his annoyance. “You will explain your absence, Pilot.”
Shinji smiled innocently. “My ‘absence’, Commander?”
Behind his hands, Gendo smirked darkly. “You ran away again, Shinji. You should know by now that you mustn’t run away.”
Shinji’s smile didn’t change at all. “Cute. I’ll tell you, but I don’t think the Sub-Commander needs to know about it, so if you could…you know…” He made shooing motions towards the grey-haired gentleman.
“…Fuyutsuki, leave us.”
The former Professor stared at the pair for a moment before leaving without a word. Shinji turned his head to watch him leave, but as soon as the doors clicked shut his gaze shifted back to his father, his smile demonic and his eyes glowing a bloody red.
“I think it’s time we had that long overdue Father/Son chat…”
Two Hours Later…
Misato had been waiting outside the Commander’s office for almost an hour, waiting to hand in her report on the successful delivery of Eva Unit 02 and the Second Child, as well as detailing the recent Angel attack. She had been mildly surprised to see Sub-Commander waiting outside, but had refrained from asking about it after a look from the aged man.
*Click!*
The two officers looked up as the door slid open and the Third Child stuck his head out. He smiled at Misato and nodded to the Sub-Commander. “It’s a good thing you’re here Misato; Commander Ikari has a job for you.” He held the door open for her and Fuyutsuki, and followed them once they’d stepped into the room. Misato placed a folder on the desk before standing a ‘safe’ distance from the Commander. Fuyutsuki took up his traditional position behind and to the side of his old associate.
Misato saluted rigidly. “Sir, the reports you requested.”
Gendo nodded, but did not pick up the report. “Very good, Captain. I want you to escort the Third Child down to the Medical Ward; have the Doctors give him a complete physical examination. I want their report on my desk by tomorrow morning.”
“Yes sir.” Another salute, and the purple-haired woman turned to leave. “Come on Shinji.”
Once the two old men of NERV were alone, the older of the two vocalised his curiosity. “If you don’t mind me asking, what did the Third Child have to say for himself?”
“Very little.”
Fuyutsuki arched an eyebrow. “You were in here for two hours talking about ‘very little’?”
“There is nothing we can do about it at this time. Any drugs or physical harm we could use to encourage him to talk would likely have a detrimental effect on his ability to pilot, and until the Dummy Plug System is completed we cannot afford to damage a Child. He has assured me that he will pilot Unit 01, and he will fight the Angels. This will suffice for now.”
“The boy has eyes and hair indicative of Angelic corruption, and the jet that dropped him off was more advanced than any Agent Kaji has seen, and he’s seen plenty. SEELE will want a more comprehensive explanation.”
Gendo was unfazed. “The physical examination will reveal any…discrepancies, and the jet is little more than a curiosity; it is likely no match for an Angel or an Evangelion, therefore it has no impact on the scenario. If the old men want to know more, then they will have to be patient.”
Fuyutsuki snorted in amusement. “I look forward to seeing you say that to their faces.”
A blue Renault Alpine cruised along a mountain road. If anyone from Section 2 had been watching, they would have been hard-pressed to recognise it as Misato’s much-abused car.
It was sticking to the speed limit.
This was mostly a side effect of Misato’s disturbed state. The initial results of the physical exam were both encouraging and disturbing. Shinji had grown several inches in height, lost most of what little fat had been on his body, and increased his muscle mass significantly. In three days, he had changed from a shy, kinda wimpy looking kid into a muscular, confident teen. And that’s not even taking into account his hair and eyes.
But there were no traces of any drugs or artificial alterations in Shinji’s system, implying that the massive changes were either natural…‘Not likely’ …or the result of some enhancement process that even the Magi, with all of their power, couldn’t even begin to understand. ‘Shinji, who did this to you?’
“You’re worried about me, aren’t you?”
Misato started, surprised by the sudden statement. “Yeah. How could you tell?”
“You’re wearing your ‘Captain Mother’ face.”
She glanced at him briefly out of the corner of her eye. “My ‘Captain Mother’ face?”
“Yep. It’s kind of a ‘when I find out who touched my Shinji, I’m going to cave their face in with the butt of my pistol’ look.”
Misato laughed softly. “I have a look like that?” She ran through Shinji’s words again and grinned. “So you’re my Shinji, huh?”
Shinji rolled his eyes. “Don’t be ridiculous; you’re my Misato! I have the collar and leash and everything!”
“Oh HO! I guess you got a pair of brass balls to go with your new spine, huh?” Misato’s face suddenly turned sombre, and she lapsed back into thought.
“…you want to know who changed me, don’t you?”
“…yeah.”
Shinji sighed and tilted the seat back a bit, running his hands over his face. “Don’t stop at our usual stop. Drive home the long way.” Misato nodded seriously and made to follow his request. “…did you know that a week ago, there were only around twenty humans on the entire planet who knew anything close to the full truth regarding the Angels and the Second Impact?”
“I assume that the ‘Top Secret’ truth isn’t quite ‘The Truth’?”
“Right. And of those twenty people, not one of them is interested in preventing a Third Impact.”
Misato was almost at a loss for words. “What!?”
“They are only interested in stopping the Angels to prevent a repeat of the Second Impact. They have every intention of creating their own Third Impact once the 17th Angel is defeated.
The Captain frowned, confused. “Wait, wouldn’t a repeat of the Second Impact count as the Third Impact?”
“Not really. If an Angel were ever to emerge victorious and become one with Adam, it would cause a repeat of the Second Impact. Actually, considering that there would be no melting Ice Cap, it’s likely that the death toll would be less severe than the first Second Impact, even with the total annihilation of Japan and a significant chunk of Asia.”
“Oh, is that all?”
Shinji chuckled at her sarcasm. “Anyway, a Third Impact, involving Evas among other things, would result in all of humanity merging into a gigantic ocean of goo with their minds and souls in complete, permanent contact. If SEELE starts the Third Impact they will place themselves in a position of godhood over the new humanity, and Commander Ikari’s vision of a Third Impact isn’t much better.”
Misato was so surprised that Shinji had to grab the steering wheel to stop the car from going over the edge of the mountain road. “Commander Ikari wants to start a Third Impact!?”
“SLOWDOWNANDWATCHTHEFUCKINGROAD!”
Misato whipped her head back to watch the street and lifted her foot from where it had slammed the accelerator to the floor. Once the car had slowed to a safe speed Misato continued her line of questioning. “Who else at NERV knows about the Commander’s plans?”
Shinji shrugged. “I doubt he’s told anyone the full story, but I guess the Sub-Commander knows something about it, so do Rei and Doctor Akagi.”
Misato bit her lip worriedly. “…Ritsuko…”
“I don’t think she actually wants a Third Impact, but at this point there isn’t much she could do to stop it. Besides, if she tried anything Gendo would just have her killed; she’s important, but not irreplaceable.”
“I guess.” There was silence for a while as Misato rearranged her thoughts, but she wasn’t going to be distracted from her personal mission. “You still haven’t told me who you were staying with these past few days.”
The red-eyed teen grimaced. “I…don’t think you’re ready to know that just yet. But I will tell you that she is deadset against a Third Impact, and that she, and I, will do everything in our power to make sure it never happens.”
Misato lifted her hand from the gear stick and clasped Shinji’s hand, squeezing it briefly. “That’ll do for now.”
Shinji smiled. “Hey, how about we stop off somewhere for some Thai food? My treat.”
The sexy Captain looked at him shrewdly. “Since when do you have money?”
“Since my benefactors decided that I’d perform better if I had the cash to go out and relax once in a while.”
Misato grinned. ‘Shinji-kun does need to get out more…’ “That’s nice of her. So, how much is she paying you anyway?”
Shinji told her.
Misato almost sent the car off the road. Again.
Walking the halls of the Odyssey, Ruki followed a redheaded munitions expert towards a lab that, until recently, was off limits to all but the Captain. The sexaroid checked the hallway against her memory banks. “Omega Lab is on the next left.”
“Gotcha. What do you think we’re going to be looking at, anyway?”
“I believe it is some kind of firearm. Guns are your specialty, after all.”
Forte nodded. “Makes sense.” Her eyes glazed over. “Just imagine what kind of gun the Captain has locked away. I mean, some of the weapons he has in the armoury are magnificent.”
The android glanced at her companion. “…weirdo.” They reached the door to the lab, with an omega symbol stencilled above it, and Ruki tapped the password into the keypad next to the door.
The redhead adjusted her monocle as the heavy door slowly slid open. “A simple five-letter password? That’s not much of a lock, is it? I mean, Mint or Vanilla could crack it in minutes, and Milfeulle could probably blunder her way in in seconds.”
Ruki smiled softly. “You haven’t been on the ship very long, have you?”
“Five months. So?”
“Almost anybody on the ship could break that lock, and the Captain knows it. The lock is just to make sure nobody accidentally walks in; he trusts us all not to go in there without his permission.”
“He trusts me us all that much?”
“He wouldn’t have invited us into his home if he didn’t.”
By now the door had finished opening, and the lights inside the lab, revealing a workshop large enough to house half a dozen 747’s. In the middle of the chamber was a vast mass of gleaming black metal some 50 metres long. Ruki recognised it in an instant, and while Forte didn’t know what it was exactly, she quickly figured out its general purpose.
The former Galaxy Angel dropped to her knees in awe. “It’s..it’s BEAUTIFUL!”
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(Posted Mon, 18 Apr 2005 21:20)
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