Neon Apocalypse Luciferion
David Johston, rgorman@telusplanet.net
Disclaimer: Technically Hideaki Anno is the creator of these
characters, although if I changed the names, you'd probably never be
able to tell.
The airbase seemed strangely desolate in the rain, as if some divine
hand had reached out and snatched everyone up. The only sign of life
was one spindly boy, cold, hungry and footsore, wondering where he was
supposed to go; if he'd missed his flight and if catching it would be
worse than missing it.
He stood there for a moment, trying to decide whether to head for the
large hanger and then his eyes widened. A pale form stood motionless,
just watching him. The rain made it hard to see clearly, but
something about the shape suggested a girl.
"Excuse me!" he called out, as he walked toward her. "Could you tell
me where..." There was nothing there except a closed door. He
shivered, but opened the door anyway. There was no point in standing
out in the rain and whoever that had been had probably just gone
inside.
The transition was abrupt and almost overpowering. Inside, all was
chaos, with a good dozen men shouting and rushing about underneath the
deafening roar of the rain on the hangar's tin roof as they hauled
crates into a twin-engined cargo plane.
He'd hardly taken two steps when a beefy hand caught hold of his
shoulder in a grinding grip and shook him vigorously. Living proof
that the military wasn't operating on the same kind of short rations
accorded to civilians glared at him and shouted, "Hey you! What the
hell are you doing here? This is a restricted area!"
He rattled loosely in the mechanic's grip, too numb to think straight
as he stammered, "I-I'm-"
"Speak up, punk! You better have a good explanation or I'll-"
"Ikari Shinji?" Another voice called in a sharp soprano as its owner
walked up to them.
He nodded, confused by the sight of an undeniably female form in a
flight suit, red scarf providing a dashing accent to her otherwise
drab attire. "Yes, that's me!" he shouted, reaching for his orders.
She snatched them, took a glance and nodded. "Get on board."
"What, are you cradle-snatching your boyfriends now?" the mechanic
asked.
She obviously compared him and commented, "I could do worse. C'mon
kid, you can ride shotgun."
"You're the pilot?" he asked as they walked to the plane, which was
almost finished loading. The answer was obvious, but it was hard to
believe. What kind of woman flew planes?
"That's me! Katsuragi Misato, your personal chauffeur! Now let's get
you loaded. I'm running behind schedule."
Shinji watched with interest from the other seat as Misato deftly
started the plane's motors and taxied the plane out through the big
sliding doors of the hangar. "Isn't there supposed to be a co-pilot
in this seat?"
"Uh-huhn." she answered. "Don't worry, you'll pick it up in no time."
"Me!"
"Relax, I was just kidding. All you have to do is sit there and wake
me if I nod off during the flight."
"Nod...off?"
"I probably won't, but it is a fourteen-hour flight."
"Where are we going?"
"Well, I'd tell you, but then your father would have to kill me, so I
guess you'll have to wait until we get there.
_____________________________________________________