Neon Chronicle Evangelion
Chronicles 0:2
"Ready for the seminar tomorrow?"
"I hope so, Ritsuko," Misato replied. "I still don't understand why
the Commander chose me to be the main speaker, though. I mean, here I am,
trying to cope with all those years I spent in catatonia and now he wants
me to speak in front of a large audience?"
"A huge audience. Early registration numbers indicate about a
thousand or so applicants, and that's not including those applying on the
day itself."
"I stand corrected, then. A HUGE audience," Misato said, eyebrows
twitching. "What about you? Are you ready?"
"Ready? I wish it were over already," Ritsuko called out from inside
Melchior, "I'm dying to get some help here! We're seriously undermanned!"
She reached a hand out of the hatch. "Hand me the soldering iron."
"Gee, what makes you say that?" Misato said, handing Ritsuko the
tool. "I mean, I'm only operations commander, deputy public relations
officer and pilot babysitter all at once. Pile it on! I can take it!" She
stuck her tongue out.
"At least you're not second stringer to your own mother."
"What about my mother?" Misato snapped. "She's at home, still
moping, nagging me to give her grandchildren."
"Oh, you too, huh?" Ritsuko said, snapping a circuit board into its
slot. "My mom doesn't understand that the reason I don't have children yet
is because I don't want to end up like her."
"Yeah, exactly. Although I thought the reason you didn't have kids
was because you keep working yourself silly."
"I don't have a choice, now do I?" Ritsuko muttered as she slid out
from underneath the MAGI Unit.
"Here, give me your hand," Misato said. "I don't think you don't
have a choice," she said as she helped Ritsuko to her feet. "I think
you're here because you want to be here. To be close to someone, I mean."
"Oh, sure," Ritsuko said. "Me and good old Fuyutsuki-sensei. You can
just feel the chemistry between us there, sure. I just love his manly gray
locks, and that squint - oh, come to mama!"
"Okay, enough already," Misato said, giggling. "I was just teasing
you."
"I know," Ritsuko said, wiping her brow. "You should be glad I'm not
hitting on Kaji."
"You can have him," Misato muttered. "Besides, you don't have to hit
on him, he hits on you already."
"He hits on everyone, that's true," Ritsuko agreed, "but it's never
serious. You know that."
"How DO I know that? He hits on you, he hits on your mom, he hits on
Dr. Ikari -- Yui, I mean, don't get any funny ideas -- heck, he even hits
on my landlady."
Ritsuko smirked. "Yes, but whom does he share the bed with?"
"Oh, just shut up."
"Hey, Asuka."
Asuka turned to face the voice. "Oh. It's you, Shinji. Leave me
alone."
"Why?" Shinji asked innocently. "I just noticed that you might need
some help."
"I don't need any help from you," Asuka spat as she wiped the top of
the classroom desks with a rag.
"Look, I'm sorry I got into trouble yesterday, all right?"
"No, you're not, now leave me alone."
"Yes, I am, honestly," Shinji said, grabbing another rag and wiping
the desk next to Asuka. "I just think you're too grouchy all the time."
"So what?"
"Well. If you're going to be that way, there's nothing I can do,
huh?"
"No. Now get out of here, it's not your day to clean."
Shinji smirked. "So what?"
"So you don't have any business even being here!" Asuka shot.
"Hah! Well, if I'm going to be this way, there's nothing you can do,
huh?"
"I..." Asuka began, then stopped.
Shinji grinned at her and began laughing.
Asuka tried to get angry, but found she couldn't. She tried to
stifle a giggle, but Shinji's laughter was infectious. Soon they were
clutching at their stomachs, laughing uncontrollably.
After wiping tears from the corners of her eyes, she said, "I am
being ridiculous, huh?"
"No, just a little testy," Shinji replied, catching his breath.
"Don't worry about it."
"Hey, Shinji?"
"Yeah?"
She grinned. "You're silly."
"Aida Kensuke! You come here this instant!"
Busted! thought Kensuke. He was lying underneath a tree right next
to the soccer field, dreaming up another commando raid into the enemy camp
(the enemy being whatever fascist faction he was interested in at the
time), and his glorious death scene (Leave me behind, Corporal, and carry
out our mission! That's an order!) was interrupted by the class rep's
nagging.
Stupid girl! "Why should I?" he yelled.
"Because," Yagami Ibuki snapped back, walking over to where Kensuke
was lying, "you're supposed to be on classroom cleaning duty with Asuka,
that's why!"
"So go nag Asuka."
"I don't have to nag Asuka. She's already cleaning the classroom
with Shinji."
"See, they don't need my help. Besides, Shinji probably wouldn't
like me interrupting his pitch."
"Whether or not Asuka and Shinji can do the job without help is not
the point. You're supposed to be cleaning the classroom, and that's what
you're going to do!" Ibuki kicked Kensuke in the ribs.
"OW!" Kensuke got to his feet, clutching his side. "That hurt!"
"Oh, come now," Ibuki said, smirking, "a battle-scarred veteran like
you can take a few bruised ribs."
"Hey! Are you making fun of me?"
"Yes, I am!"
Kensuke paused for a moment, then shot back with the best response
he could muster. "Why?"
Ibuki shrugged. "Let's just say I've singled you out today. Now get
to work."
"And... and another thing. I... hic! I hate your sideburns. And the
glove thing is plain stupid."
"That's right, Fuyutsuki-sensei. Let it all out."
Gendo and his inebriated second-in-command were at a little ramen
stand near the NERV Tenement Project. Gendo always came here for the
ramen -- it was cheap, delicious and always piping hot. The sake wasn't
anything to sniff at, either. If anything, it was the only place he had
ever gotten Fuyutsuki to imbibe anything alcoholic. That night Gendo had
taken Fuyutsuki there to vent -- the old man had the martyr complex, and
Gendo would not have a disgruntled Sub-Commander standing behind him
during an operation, especially since the Dead Sea Scrolls predicted that
the next wave of trials would arrive soon.
"And... and that's 'bout it, I guess."
"Oh, I don't think so, old man!" Gendo said, slapping Fuyutsuki on
the back.
"Ugh... Please don't. The world spins when you do... what you just
did."
"Oh, sorry." Gendo reminded himself just how low Kozo's tolerance
for liquor seemed to be. "So... how about that Naoko, huh? Still a hottie
after all these years."
"Shut up. I know she likes you, Gendo, not me. She's been trying to
get into your boxers for a decade and a half now... ugh... someone stop
rocking the boat..."
"Actually, she's been sucking up to me just to get closer to you all
this time."
Fuyutsuki blinked. "No... really?"
"Yes, really."
"Gendo?"
"Yes?"
"You're a damned liar."
"Don't be that way, sensei. I'm trying to help you out here. Hey,
there's always her daughter, Ritsuko. She's pretty, intelligent, and you
have to coordinate with her a lot, so... why don't you, you know...
'coordinate' with her?"
Fuyutsuki glared at Gendo. "The woman is half my age."
Gendo shrugged. "What's your point?"
"I know she's your type, Gendo. Don't project your fantasies on me."
Gendo put on his best indignant face. "Fuyutsuki-sensei! I'm
shocked! You know I'm happily married to Yui already, and..." Gendo
stopped. Uh-oh, he thought, I mentioned Yui. Here it comes...
"There!" Fuyutsuki said, slamming his cup on the counter. "You
wanted to ask me what the matter was, THAT'S the matter! You took Yui away
from me, you scumball!"
"No more drink for that man," the old man behind the counter said,
grabbing Fuyutsuki's cup and wiping it on his apron. "Hey, buddy, I know
it's none of my business, but did you really steal his girl?"
"I didn't steal her, I fell in love with her, and she fell in love
with me (miracle of miracles!). We married. It was natural that we did,
I'd like to think. Meanwhile, Fuyutsuki-sensei here wasn't exactly on the
top of my list of considerations," Gendo replied.
"So she's your wife, then?" the stall owner asked.
"Yes," Gendo said, "absolutely. And damn proud of it."
"I've been in business for over forty years now," the old man
continued, "and if anyone ever looked like a happily married man, it's
you."
"That's what I've been telling Fuyutsuki-sensei here all along!"
"Don't call me 'Fuyutsuki-sensei'!" ranted Fuyutsuki. "Only Yui is
allowed to call me that!"
"See, look," Gendo said, pulling out a photo of Yui from his wallet
and showing it to the old man, "would you cheat on this woman if she was
your wife?"
"Nope," the old man replied. "I don't even see how anyone could
bring themselves to cheat on that fine woman. Unless she's no good in bed,
that is."
"My good man, I assure you, that is absolutely not an problem,"
Gendo replied, putting his wallet back.
"I don't want to hear this!" Fuyutsuki-sensei wailed. "My pure,
sweet Yui, defiled by this dirtbag! Endless nights of servitude, bound to
this fiend's evil whims... ugh... God, someone please stop rocking the
boat!"
Gendo sighed. "Old man..."
"What?" the vendor asked.
"Remind me never to mention my wife to this man while he's liquored
up ever again."
"I'm home!"
"Welcome home, Brother," Rei replied, looking up from the book she
was reading.
"Is Dad home yet?" Shinji asked while taking off his shoes.
"No. Neither is Mother."
"Oh, okay. Have you eaten? I'll go fix something up."
"I've eaten," Rei replied.
"Okay then. I'll be in the kitchen if you need me."
"All right." Rei resumed her reading. The protagonist in the story
had fallen in love with a girl that was conditioned from childhood to
distrust strong emotion. Rei could neither understand nor even see the
dilemma. What was the problem? Why would anyone fall in love with someone
who was so obviously disinterested with emotion? Why did the hero insist
on a lost cause?
She marked the page she was reading and put the book down. She
entered the kitchen. "Brother," she began, "would you insist upon courting
a girl who obviously does not care for your affections?"
Shinji paused his stir-frying. "It depends. If I like the girl, and
this girl doesn't like me obviously, I have to find out if she likes me
secretly. If she does, I have to make her realize consciously that she
does indeed like me."
"I don't understand."
"It's hard to explain in an abstract way. It's not something that
lends itself to words very well." He resumed his culinary labor. "What
exactly brought this on?"
"Charles Dickens."
"Uh-huh. Charles Dickens wouldn't happen to be a code name for
Ryunosuke Natsume, would it?"
Rei pouted. "No. He's the author of the book I'm reading."
Shinji chuckled. "I know that. I was just teasing."
"Well. That's all I wanted to ask. Thank you."
"All right. Good luck with Mr. Dickens. I hear he's quite popular at
school. That's my sister."
Rei raised an eyebrow. "What on earth do you mean?"
"Nothing." Shinji grinned. "Nothing at all."
Darn that Ibuki! What right did she have to push him around like
that?
Kensuke unrolled his sleeping bag and laid it on the tent floor. He
sighed as he took off his helmet and placed it on top of his folded
fatigues and pistol belt. She's class rep, that what she is, he thought.
He unlaced his boots and placed them in a corner, next to his scale
replica M-16. Even so, he thought as he dressed for sleep in camouflage
boxer shorts and shirt, she's obviously powertripping. The position had
gone to her head. In retrospect, he decided that he should have cast his
vote for Hikari as class rep instead of for Yagami.
He unzipped his sleeping bag and crawled into it. Oh, if only he
could give her a piece of his mind! Tell her off! Remind her that she was
just a student, same as everyone else. Take her bloated ego down a few
notches. She needed it, and everyone would thank him for it.
Kensuke convinced himself that he would have done it that very
afternoon, too, if only that stupid girl wasn't so darned... cute.
He zipped his sleeping bag shut. "Damn."
"What have you found out?"
"The personnel drive is tomorrow," Kaji said to his contact.
They met at an abandoned house, tagged for demolition in a few days.
The contact sat on the front step, while Kaji spoke from behind the front
door, opened just a few inches.
The house seemed lived in, as if the owners had simply stepped out
for a moment. The vases were filled with water and wilted flowers; the
couch was well-worn; the table bore water rings and scratches. Kaji
briefly wondered what kind of people lived there. Perhaps a happy family,
a man and his wife, maybe one or two children. Maybe the house was empty
now because the man left or the wife left, or the children had grown up
and had families of their own, and the couple grew old, grew old happy
together...
"Is that all?"
Kaji shook his head. This is no time for reverie, he told himself.
"There's more. My sources tell me that none of the Children have even
begun the synchronization tests. This occurring so very close to the 3rd
Trial, if the timetable in the Dead Sea Scrolls are correct."
"I see. Chairman Lorenz will not like this news."
"What about you? What can you tell me about SEELE?"
The contact looked around hesitantly, then began the report.
"Chairman Lorenz is currently pleased with the progress, and eagerly looks
forward to observing how the organization deals with the next wave of
crises. However, he believes that your commander is running his ship too
loose for comfort."
Kaji rubbed his chin. "Hmm. Anything else? Anything more...
interesting?"
The contact smiled. "You know me well. There are takeover plans.
Poised to occur after the 17th trial. Full military operation. All
hush-hush. High clearance. I'm not even supposed to know about it."
"How do you know this?"
"I have eyes and ears. That and there are many holes in the walls to
crawl through, in a manner of speaking."
"I'm impressed," Kaji said. "I would never have guessed you would
know so much."
"I do my best."
"But what if there were no holes in the walls?"
"Then we would simply have to break the walls down, wouldn't we?"
"This is it, Captain Katsuragi. Nervous?"
"Uh, a little, Commander." Actually, a lot, Misato thought, but she
wasn't about to tell Commander Ikari that. She double-checked everything:
The speech was ready; the dress she picked out was both appealing and
tasteful; she was having the best hair day of her life; and last and most
importantly, her makeup was perfect. Good. Now if only her knees would
stop shaking.
She wasn't a public speaker; at least, she lacked the Ikari knack
for empathy, or Kaji's nonchalant flair. And there was that thing she
wanted to ask the commander ever since she was told she'd been assigned to
be the main speaker at the seminar...
"Commander?"
"Yes, Captain? Is something the matter?" he asked, one gloved hand
pushing back his amber-tinted glasses.
"No, it's not a problem, sir, just a small question."
"Okay, then. Fire away."
How could someone so congenial be so intimidating? "That is, um, I
was wondering why I got assigned to be the speaker, since I'm only deputy
public relations officer."
"Well," the commander said, scratching his beard, "since Yui isn't
here, and since she's head of PR, you were next in line."
"But sir, I was assigned the duty so far in advance, practically
right after I got promoted to captain. Department Head Ikari's departure
was months into the future then."
Commander Ikari nodded. "Yes, that's true. But the timetable
dictated that Yui would be gone when the seminar took place."
Misato swallowed. "Our timetable is planned that far ahead?"
The commander smiled wryly, which reminded Misato of Kaji. Smug,
wry, almost cunning, just like Kaji's... only more jovial, which struck
her as an odd combination. "No," he replied. "Much, much farther ahead.
Sometimes I can barely see the end of it, myself." He peeked out into the
audience. "Well, it's time. Good luck, Captain."
"Thank you, sir." Taking one last deep breath, Misato stepped onto
the stage.
She felt her confidence build, instead of flag, as she realized that
every eye in the audience was on her at that moment, some eyes lingering
longer than others. As she stepped on the podium, she gave one last look
to the commander, letting him know that, as conceited as it seemed, she
realized the real reason why she was chosen to speak that day.
The commander smiled wryly and nodded.
She gave the commander a brief smirk. Then, turning to the audience,
she spoke. "Good morning. I am Katsuragi Misato, Captain, Operations
Commander, deputy head of Public Relations, and I represent the
organization known simply as NERV."
To be continued...
=====
w.o.m
TimeRunner's Web Page:
http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/7482
=====
Theory of Diminishing Fanfic Returns:
Actually, as a universal rule, the longer a series runs, the
less C&C it gets. This does not reflect on quality or popularity,
it merely means that it's now taken for granted. Ask any author
of long-running series, and a majority will tell you that their
C&C has dropped off since beginning their project.
In other words, it's business as usual.
-Rod M.