Another thing in common with the NERV Manual he'd glanced at on that train, it had nothing really useful. Dental benefits and 401K information had little meaning for a 14year old boy out to save the world.
Shinji put it aside as they pulled into a gas station that had apparently been abandoned when the area was evacuated.
"Just a moment," said Misato, getting out of the car to stand next to one of the pumps.
"But it says 'out of order'," pointed out Shinji.
"Nothing wrong with your eyes," said Misato, smirking and sliding her card through the debit slot.
k-chunk! whirrrrrrrrrrrr
Shinji's eyes widened as car and the slab on which it was sitting began descending. "An elevator?"
"Commander Fuyutsuki is a real James Bond fan," said Misato. "Besides, we had to have various ways of getting to the base in case of emergencies. Too many of the roads are blocked by abandoned cars right now to be usable."
"I see," said Shinji as Misato got back in and started the car. "That explains why you pulled an electric car up to a gas pump."
"Yeah, well, hang on," said Misato, driving off the slab - which immediately began rising back up. Everything went completely dark except for the headlights. "Unfortunately the budget for the tunnel ran out before lighting could be installed."
Reading from a textbook in his schoolbag, Shinji determined that Second Impact had occurred in Shinjuku on December 31, 1999 at 23:52. The being dubbed "Orochi" by the Japanese press after its rampage was finally stopped in Antarctica by the use of nuclear weapons, but only after it had managed to melt the icecaps and lay a swath of destruction across half the world. Including the backlash of its dying, three and a half billion people were dead by the time it finished.
The Orochi had not been mindless, though. In its dying it had promised that its brethren would come to finish the job.
Considering that it had gone from Japan, through China and Southern Asia, and finally ended up crossing Africa to Antarctica - casually annihilating all life and any opposition along the way - the idea that this thing had brothers was not well received.
Shinji looked at the map of destruction and the picture of the Orochi. Damn. He wouldn't want to tangle with THAT even if he had Unit 01.
Still, when he'd seen the "Angel" earlier - it had looked EXACTLY like the one he'd fought that first time he'd sat in an Eva. So it couldn't be too different, could it?
"So what do we know about the Enemy?" asked Shinji of Misato. "I mean if we've got giant monsters, we're fighting them in giant robots, we've got to know something about them. Right?"
"Very little," admitted Misato. "It's not like we've got secret scrolls on the subject."
"Right," said Shinji, accepting that this was too much to hope for.
"Oh, here we go," said Misato, seeing lights ahead. "Turn off that reading light. You'll want to see this."
"A geofront?" asked Shinji, knowing perfectly well that this was what it was. This had apparently not changed too much. Though that time they'd been travelling by rail, not driving into a miniature city festooned with parks and what looked like... watermelon farms? No, no - there was one with cornstalks growing.
"Gee, don't get very excited about it, do you?" asked Misato, disappointed. She'd expected more of a reaction.
"Oh it's very cool, but with giant robots and giant monsters, I kind of expected a secret underground base," explained Shinji. He was hoping she'd buy this. What was up with some of these buildings anyway? Everything looked gleaming new and modern, and then you'd run across one that looked like it dated from the Edo period.
"Uh huh," said Misato. "Now, let's see. Where was the parking garage?"
"Why'd you make a left turn, there was a parking sign there!" Shinji pointed back the way they'd just gone.
"Oh, uhm, short cut. Hang on!"
Fifteen minutes later, Shinji felt he needed to say something. "We're lost, aren't we?"
"The GPS doesn't work too well down here," said Misato, "don't worry. We're almost there."
Another fifteen minutes later, Shinji again felt the need to say something. "We've passed this point five times."
"Are you sure? All these buildings look alike," complained Misato.
"That love hotel over there has cherub statues lining the walkway," said Shinji.
Shinji waited another fifteen minutes before he felt he really had to point something out. "You seem to have a little problem with directions."
"It's not my fault, the GPS auto-map doesn't work down here," griped Misato. "I can't help it if someone keeps moving the buildings!"
"Right," said Shinji. Apparently this was another change in the timeline. Misato only got lost a few times in the original way things had gone, but Ritsuko had made references to her frequently getting lost in the past. Apparently Misato's ability to get lost was quite intact and even enhanced in this new timeframe.
"Captain Katsuragi, are you lost again?" asked the radio.
"Ritsu! Someone moved the parking garage!" insisted Misato.
"Did you find Shinji?" asked Ritsuko's voice.
"He's right here," said Misato. "I promised I'd get him!"
"You are SO hopeless," said Ristuko Akagi's voice over the radio. "Shinji?"
"Yes, maam?" asked Shinji.
"Misato will stop the car, you'll take the wheel. Right next to that love hotel is a parking garage. Park the car, go to the third cherub on your right as you face the building. There's a camera and audio pickup built into it. We'll guide you to the base from there. Misato, stop the car, switch with Shinji, and then follow him."
"But-" protested Misato.
"Misato, whenever you get nervous you start getting lost. So CALM DOWN. Even if there's a vaguely humanoid giant demonic being menacing the city." Ritsuko sounded somewhat peeved.
Shinji proceeded, eventually finding the parking spot and the correct porcelain cherub. He was met at the door by Ritsuko, who was different from expected too. In this case it was because she was:
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(Posted Thu, 08 Jun 2006 17:38)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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