Fan Fiction / Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ NGE - Terminator ❯ Coming closer ( Chapter 7 )
[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]
By: Steve VADER 
Some training, some romance, some killing.
And the second Terminator begins its attack.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction / Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Sci-fi / Hentai | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 11.14.2006 | Pages: 10 | Words: 10.1K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
Some training, some romance, some killing.
And the second Terminator begins its attack.
Anime/Manga: Fan Fiction / Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Sci-fi / Hentai | Type: Crossover | Uploaded On: 11.14.2006 | Pages: 10 | Words: 10.1K | Visits: 1.3K | Status: Completed
NGE - TERMINATOR
Chapter 6 - Coming closer
As Kaji watched the news, he was unable to hold his amusement back. He had thought long for a way to find a
fitting punishment for Cardinal Mbobonge, who was known as hardliner in the Catholic Church. It was not easy
to make a simple kill, but instead to kidnap him and hand him over to some Satanists. Those, stupid as all
other religious lunatics, made quite a show with their great mass where they sacrificed the Cardinal to
Satan, in hope that their dark Master will come. They even went so far and taped everything, which was the
reason that now; a heavy censored version of the tape could be aired on all news stations.
He was already on his way to his next victim, and planned a fitting demise for this next member of SEELE.
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Shinji didn't sleep well in the night after his little fit. Sure, he wanted to clear things up, but
afterwards, he was shocked by his own courage. Also, he would have to live with the results of it, and he
wasn't sure if Dr. Akagi didn't file him in for each cruel and unnecessary test she could think of.
The next few days showed that his concerns were useless. It already started on the first day, as he entered
the bridge and found Makoto and Hyuga in a simulation battle against one of the Angels. Both grinned to
their ears as they used this to formulate sound battle plans against the simulated Angel. Finally, after
years where they only sat around, looked at boring monitors and called useless comments, they could do the
job they were originally hired for. Sure, Akagi shot him a few icy glares, but there were no tests or other
experiments scheduled for him. And Commander Fuyutsuki looked now with a little bit more respect on him.
Still, the greatest changes were in his close vicinity. It started with Asuka. As she heard of his tantrum,
she smacked him lightly on the head and complained that she didn't see it live.
"You could really have been more considerate. Finally, you show one time that you are a man, and then I'm
not there to see it," she huffed.
"Just to ensure that you don't grab him and run off with him,’ countered Mana amused.
Asuka blinked and grinned evilly. "Jealous?"
The following banter between the two girls was not amusing for Shinji. Both pointed merciless his weaknesses
out, and how they found them repelling. And as they realized that he stood the entire time with them, and
heard their comments, whose impact could be clearly seen, due to his red, embarrassed and angry face, they
didn't even apologize. A simple "Suck it up." from Asuka was all he got.
Despite this incident, Mana's company was not only amusing, as her dry comments sounded very often funny to
him, but also very useful. As the training continued, she participated actively and helped them to get
better. Now she didn't only help Rei, but him too. Their scores improved a little by this, and while they
were still far from Asuka's score, they moved closer.
Rei was another matter. She was as often as possible in his vicinity, especially when Mana was around. Now
that the redhead from the future was nearly all the time around, she was too. He just hoped that she would
thaw up a little, as her demeanor got even icier. Asuka, who observed this as well, already joked that he
would need a heated condom with a hole in the front to do his job, or he'd get bad frost burns. Shinji
didn't find this funny, although Mana laughed soundly over this.
This events had naturally an effect on him, and it wasn't one that furthered the plans future had for him.
His friendship with Asuka deepened, and while he wouldn't admit it loudly, sometimes he wished it were her
who he should make a child with. On the other, or, more precise, the opposite side, he drifted away from Rei.
Her constant presence did not warm their relationship up, instead he felt often intimidated by her. The
prospect of having family with her looked less and less pleasurable. And Mana, she was probably the biggest
problem. Within a few days, she became his most trusted friend. Shinji adored her for her strength,
developed a complete new feeling for the strange girl. Only his feelings for Misato matched those, and he
often wondered what those feelings were.
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His visits to his former guardian had also several other benefits as well. It was the only place where he
could go alone, as all other girls refused to visit the Major. Even more important was the time he spent
with her. While their kiss had no follow-ups, what he often regretted, they had a good time together. She
treated him now as equal, and talked with him about every thing they could think of. Her advice, which he
often seek, was good, and he followed it mostly. His visits of her where the highlights of his days, and
he always looked forward to spending time with the purple haired beauty.
For Misato, those visits where a double-edged sword. They dampened her loneliness, and told her that
someone still cared for her. She was very grateful for that, especially as she liked Shinji very much, too
much. And this was the other side of the coin. He often asked for advice considering the strange situation
he was into, which placed her between her own feelings and the destiny that should happen. She tried her
best to present the blue-haired girl in a better light, yet she herself wanted to scream to forget Rei and
take herself instead.
It was exactly a week after their kiss, as Shinji came in a better mood than usual to her. He greeted her
with a small smile on his face. As she saw his upturned lips, she just wanted to place her own on them. But
this should not happen, so she restrained herself again.
Shinji told her about the latest developments, which were very positive for him. Hyuga and Aoba were
finished with their plans, and got them approved by Mana and Fuyutsuki. To celebrate this, they went for
lunch in an expensive restaurant, and they had invited him. Because he was responsible that they got their
chance.
Misato smiled as she heard this, it seemed that things were going rather well. She was proud of him; he had
come a long way since the arrival of the mahogany haired terrorist.
As he saw her smile, a pang shot again through his heart. Several thoughts ran through his mind, but one
was prominent and won the race. That he had to act brave to gain something. It worked once, maybe it would
work again. They sat together on the same bench where they had spent the day, so his action was easy to
implement. He turned to her, moved quickly forward and pressed his lips against hers.
Misato was too surprised to react, and as she finally did it, it was her feelings that controlled her. She
embraced him and kissed back.
Shinji felt the arms around his body, and he knew that it had worked again. He had taken the risk of being
rejected, but he had won. Knowing that he pressed his lips too hard against her, he lessened the pressure
and was rewarded with slight parting of her lips. He copied this, and soon, he felt the tip of her tongue
roaming over his lips. Their tongues touched, caressed each other in a slow dance full of emotion.
Misato didn't know how long the kiss lasted, but as she slowly broke it, she knew that things had changed
forever. Doubts gnawed at her mind, as she didn't know if the change was good or bad, but this she would
learn in the next few minutes.
After Shinji had opened his eyes, which were closed during the kiss, he looked directly in the soft brown
orbs of his guardian. He saw the sincerity of her feelings, so he didn't ask the question 'Why?', which
lay on his tongue. Instead, he brought his right hand to her face and softly caressed her cheek.
"That was wonderful,’ he admonished.
Misato smiled warmly, her hopes had risen, as he didn't flinch back afterwards. "Yes, it was."
"Can we do it again?"
She smiled at the polite question. Shinji was so different compared to the other males she knew. He was what
she really needed, and she wanted nothing more than ensuring that he would be hers. But on the other side,
she had to live to be with him, and this meant that he had to do his job with Rei, and work closely with
Mana, who he liked too, as he had confessed. Why did she always have to have such bad luck with men? During
her musings, her body acted on instinct, and as her brain caught up with reality, they were kissing again,
even more intense than before.
On the other side, Shinji's mind was blank. Somewhere in his subconsciousness, the questions that would
haunt him for the next time were formulated, but for now, all parts of the brain that were not needed to
enjoy the feeling of Misato's tongue in his mouth, were shut down.
For long minutes, only the sounds of heavy breathing, as well as the wet sounds of an intense kiss filled
their surroundings. There were no birds chirping, no insects buzzing, and no light breeze rustling the
leaves. At least, they didn't were aware of such things.
After the kiss broke, they were both gasping for air. Then, they looked deeply into each other´s eyes, and
knew that things had now changed forever. There was never a way back to the old days of ward and guardian,
never a way back to simply living together. Their feelings were too deep to allow such things. They could
either act upon them, or deny them, but either case would change their relationship for good.
For the rest of Shinji's visit, no words were spoken. They kissed each other several times, but only light,
without tongue. Beside that, they sat on the bench, nestled against each other, both in thoughts about a
future that was now even more uncertain.
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On his way home, driven by a Section2 agent, Shinji used the view of the moving landscape to focus his
thoughts. He sighed deeply as he admitted to himself that he loved Misato deeply, and neither as mother,
nor as older sister. He loved her as woman, and, as he had to admit too, he desired her. But there were
his feelings for Mana too. Over the last time, she had become a good friend, and he felt himself drawn to
her. She was beautiful, intelligent, was a nice company and understood him pretty well. Was she important
to him? Yes, very. Did he love her? It seemed so. Did he desire her? Definitely. Was it the same as with
Misato? No, it was different. But he didn't know how, or why. And then there was Rei. The shy and quiet
girl was at least as beautiful as well. She was always on his side, always supported him, and never hurt
him. She was there for him, even as nobody else was. Rei was important as the other two to him, and while
he desired her too, he didn't love her. He liked her very much, but this was vastly different from his
feelings for the others. So, what should he do now?
A small smile crept over his face as he prayed whatever deities existed that at least Asuka was only a
friend, and not another possible love-interest. That would have been the last thing he would need. Or
worse, Hikari. The funny thing was, that he and the freckled girl would fit together so well that it was
almost creepy.
He shook his head and grabbed a newspaper that laid beside him on the backseat. Prodded by Mana, he had
begun to develop an interest in the things surrounding him, so he started to watch the news, and read
the newspaper. Shinji chuckled as he read the headline, which was written in large, bold Kanji. MINISTER OF
DEFENSE RUN OVER BY TANK - SABOTAGE? Sabotage? Maybe, but it surely was Kaji. He had learned to
recognize the handiwork of the spy, and he respected him for his playful professionalism. But he had also
lost a lot of his respect because he didn't even sent a greeting card to Misato. This was no way to treat
friends.
The car stopped in front of their house, and as he exited the car, Hikari, who was once again playing the
prefect housewife, greeted him formally. To get his mind away from another round of musings about the
females in his life, he decided to help her making dinner, which was a relaxed and amusing affair, as Asuka
had a nice tale about her latest shopping excursion to tell.
Evening was once again spent in front of the computer, but not working, playing. Mana had acquired a wide
range of ego-shooters for him, which he had to play to learn moving around stealthily, and to weaken his
adverse to shoot on human figures. After this, he went to sleep. And dreams of Misato, Mana and Rei haunted
him the entire night.
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He knew that he was not so fast as the other models were, but this was not of his concern. He was made for
stealth and deception, not open all-out warfare. He had run a long time, before he arrived at the city that
was his first stop. There, he smuggled himself aboard a ship, which destination was Neo Osaka. It would take
some days to arrive, but then he would be close to the city that was his primary target.
Nobody knew that he was already underway, so he was proceeding well.
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Shinji was not the only one who had problems with his feelings. Hikari had the same. Contrary to him, her
problems did not stem from straying with her thoughts to another person, but to get her love to see her as
more than just a good friend. Her living together with Asuka functioned better than she had imagined, as
the German girl was willing to accept some compromises. They talked often with each other, even about their
best-kept secrets.
Asuka seemed to be content with that. She was also friends with Shinji, and happy to have someone who she
could trust. On the battlefield, and private. Hikari however had already accepted the possibility of a more
intimate relationship with Asuka, but this wasn't progressing at all.
On the beginning, it was for the freckled girl hard to admit that she was more attracted to the female
redhead, than to the dark haired jock. What would her family say if she brought Asuka home as her lover?
Kodama was liberal, but Hikari was sure that she had her borders. And her little sis as dyke could be one
of them. And what example would she set for Nozomi. As 9-year old, she was very impressionable. Not to
mentioning her father, who always made clear that he expected his daughters to become respected housewives,
mothers of lots of children and married to men who had good jobs. And Asuka wasn't only a girl; she was a
half-gaijin to boot. If her father wouldn't suffer a stroke, he would make at least a scene that would fit
in history books.
It was a long process, which allowed her to accept her feelings for the other girl. During the last month
of harsh training, she could see the enormous strength Asuka had, her determination to be the best, but also
the frail girl behind the facade. The girl she wanted to hug and spoil, to be protected and held in exchange.
That Asuka was able to show this strength despite her past, despite her bad message from the future, showed
her what she loved.
They had talked a lot in those last weeks, and came closer with each spoken word. But there were still limits
and boundaries that they hadn't overstepped. There was no more intimate physical contact than the kiss in
their 'night of revelations'. Still Hikari had decided that she would take the risk with her family. Kodama
would hopefully understand, if not, it would be her problem. And if Nozomi was not able to find her own way
when she would be old enough, nobody could help her. For her father, she would stretch the financial details
a little bit. Because those were terms where Asuka was definitely a good catch. For the gaijin problem, she
would argue that Asuka is half German, an old and trusted ally from Nippon. Besides, children would always
have to leave the parents to live their own life. And Hikari Horaki was ready for that. At least, she
thought so.
So, she had set her goals and wishes, and now, only one ingredient was amiss. A cooperative Asuka. While
their friendship flourished and was much valued, it was time for more. She would just need to find a way
to initiate this change.
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After dinner, Mana and Shinji went straight to their room, where she had set up a video game, where they
could play against each other. This activity consumed most of the rest of the day, and for once, Shinji
didn't complain about the fact that he had to play another ego-shooter, nor that he got fragged all the
time. A change that Mana noticed, especially as she had already became aware that Shinji was often in a
better mood after he visited his former guardian. Maybe it was time to shed some light on that.
"You are in an awful good mood today." she commented calmly.
Shinji only smiled. "Even I can have good days, can't I?"
"Sure, but what made this day so good? Hikari's cooking?"
He knew very well that Mana knew that he was in a good mood long before dinner, but for now, he decided to
play along. The longer he could stall any information about his activities with Misato, the better it was.
Sure, he had a little crush on Mana as well, but that didn't mean that he was so delusional to not expect
her to order him to be nicer to Rei, and cease the visits of Misato. "Hikari's cooking was delicious as
ever, don't you agree?"
"Yes, but you were on cloud seven before," Mana pointed out.
"Can happen."
"Nearly as you always are after you visit Misato. Today it was just exceptionally strong."
"I like her, and to see how she gets better relieves me."
Mana nodded slowly. "Why do you like her so much? She wasn't exactly an excellent guardian, and as
commanding officer, she wasn't all that good either. So, why?"
"Because she gave me a home." he started to explain. "I lived for a decade with a tutor. He fed me, gave
me a good education, and a roof above my head. But that was it. I lived there, waiting for someone to show
some emotions for me, waiting for any signs of life. I was dead there. It was one day after another, all
the same. No surprises, no contact with others. I never got a hug, was never teased on purpose. I had no
sadness, but I had no fun either."
"Your life was that hollow?" Mana asked astonished. She hadn't expected that it was that bad.
"Yes. But when I came here, and Misato decided to take me in, everything changed. Sure, she made me her
house-slave, but she also talked with me, and not only about school stuff. She teased me, she hugged me.
She was concerned about me. It was the first time I can remember that someone showed any emotions about me."
Mana had to admit that she couldn't understand his reasoning, as her life was entirely different, but she
accepted his explanation. The light in his eyes heralded clearly how important those events were for him,
so she didn't doubt his words. Instead, she decided to tease him. "So, is this Misato's lipstick on your
shirt?"
"Cosmetics aren't allowed in the clinic," he countered immediately, and in a harsher tone than before.
"And if it were?" Mana asked nonetheless. If Shinji fell in love with another woman, her job would be that
much harder. Sure, she had already talked over all other possibilities with Akagi, so it wasn't necessary
for him to fall in love with Rei, yet such a scenario would still be the best.
"Then you would probably tease me with the question why there is no lipstick on my shirt." Shinji shot
smugly back. And it wasn't even a lie, as Misato's lips were never on the collar of his shirt.
Mana sighed defeated. She didn't want to start an argument about this issue, especially as he was so happy.
If he wanted to visit her, why not? And if he felt more than just gratefulness, it was his life. Their plans
could be adapted. But what did he feel about Rei? "Maybe I should ask Rei to wear some, then?"
"Rei doesn't need cosmetics to look good." Shinji replied dryly.
She felt some relief, as probably, the original plan was still on track. At least until his next words met
her ears.
"But maybe I know another girl who should start to wear cosmetics. Maybe then I would have some of it on
my clothes." Shinji added. As he saw Mana looking immediately sharply at him, he realized that he just
made a blunder, which he had now to cover up.
"And who would that be?" the soldier girl asked.
"That's for me to know, and only for me."
"Tell me." she demanded.
"Only if you tell me who you like." Shinji answered smiling. He knew that Mana would now start an ordered
retreat.
"There is nobody, I only have my duty."
"Your duty is clearly limited. After the Terminators are gone, you can start a normal life, here, in this
time. Have you never thought about that?"
She shook her head. "No."
"That's sad." Shinji commented finally, and ended the conversation with going into the bathroom to prepare
for the night.
After he was finished, Mana did the same, and as they went to sleep, she decided to tease him a little bit
more. He still was often tense when she or Rei were nude, so it could also count as added training. Without
hesitation, she slipped to him in the bed. He tensed immediately, which let her escape a chuckle. "You are
interested in another girl, so I should be safe anyway." she commented her unexpected action.
Shinji gulped audibly. "Who said that this girl isn't you?"
She chuckled silently and hugged him, as she found his comment endearing. Exactly at this point of time,
Rei entered the room. She saw them lying together, and while her expression didn't change, Mana could have
sworn that she was not amused. Without saying a word, she too crawled into the bed, and placed herself
between them. Then she whispered a simple 'Good night', and ended this days activities.
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As Rei lay there, she was unable to sleep. The warmth from two sides was too much for her, yet she was not
willing to leave her place. During the last weeks, she had learned a lot about living, and about her own
feelings. A lot of events came surprising, like the help she gained from the new Commander. Fuyutsuki
started to treat her as if she was his own daughter, a kind of relationship she never knew. He supported
her in the little time he had as well as he could, and gave her more freedom than she could have ever
imagined. Dr. Akagi was another matter. While her open hostility had ceased, she held still a lot of
distance, now even more than before.
But those people didn't puzzle her the most. Asuka's cease of hostility was a much greater surprise, and
while she knew that she had upset the redheaded girl, as she didn't show her appreciation of this clear
enough, it was very important to her. It surely improved her trust in the other pilot, and should make the
future battles easier. And maybe, if she was able to improve her social skills enough, they could become
friends. Hikari was another mystery to her. While they had known each other for some time from school,
they had never interacted with each other. But now, that they had to live and work together, it seemed as
if the freckled girl was unable to not try to become her friend. Rei didn't understand this fully, and
decided to tread this dangerous ground carefully. Any change on the relationship between herself and
Hikari would have some effect on Asuka too, and the German girl was deemed more important by her. So,
upsetting Asuka by threatening her upcoming relationship was not planned.
A lot of the others, like Captain Ibuki, or Major Kaji were irrelevant to her. The same couldn't be said
for the two people who lay at her sides. Her relationship with Mana was more than just strange. As she
heard that the girl killed her creator, she felt repulsed, even hated her. Later, as she listened to the
message from the future, those feelings diminished mostly, but some contempt survived. That she was
working like mad and never interacted with the others gave Rei the chance to ignore her. And her negative
feelings fell to sleep. After Shinji had freed her from the work, she had helped him and her immensely,
especially with the training. Without Mana's help, she would have failed for sure. This changed her view
again a little bit, as they became friendlier. But now, as she started to spend more and more time with
Shinji, she wasn't again happy with the mahogany haired girl. Her close proximity to Shinji was clearly
a disturbing factor for Rei, and as she saw them together in bed, she had to intervene, hence her
situation as wiener in the hot dog. And Shinji wasn't better. He was the only one who tried to talk with
her, even after she ignored him most times. He was insecure and clumsy, which made him sometimes rather
annoying, still, he was the only real contact with people of her age. Hearing that she would become pure
Angel was no surprise to her, as she had know that this fate would befall her no matter what. But that
she would get a child with Shinji was a surprise. She had never thought of him this way, and she still
had large difficulties doing so. That he was now nearly constantly at Mana's side made matters worse.
Rei was not happy about that.
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Kaji sat in a cheap motel room and watched the upcoming sunrise. Soon, he would erase his next target, but
for now, he was consent with sitting there and thinking over his life. It was hard to accept that he lost
Misato either way. He knew that he wouldn't need to talk to her again, after he didn't visit her in he
hospital. Still, to hear that he would lose her otherwise too hurt. It was the only part of his message
that he didn't like.
Ritsuko on the other hand was always somewhat distanced to him, especially as he came back to Nippon. Sure,
she was attractive and intelligent, yet she was also even more haunted from her past than Misato or himself.
He never met Ritsuko's mother, and he was grateful for it. After hearing Ritsuko ramble one time about her,
he was sure that he would have become gay.
Kaji sighed, and then he promised himself that he would do his best to thaw Ritsuko up after his current
objectives were finished. Also, he would have to help Shinji. The boy would need it desperately. A happy
family with Shinji and Rei. That was nothing he would have ever expected. That Asuka would one time fall
for him and drag him into her lair to seduce him for good, that yes, but Rei? That seemed so far off. He
chuckled as he mused if those two would ever really talk with each other, and laughed out loud as he came
to the conclusion that they wouldn't never have to be careful about the noises from their home. Mean, but
truthful thoughts.
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Rei and Mana were not the only ones who were confronted with some developments and revelations in this
night. Asuka had just lain down, as Hikari came to her and sat on her bed. "We need to talk."
Asuka was tired, but it was easy to hear that this was important for Hikari. "Yes."
"It's about us."
Now she had Asuka's full Attention. "I'm all ears."
Hikari sighed shortly, then spoke: "We both know what we will most likely become, yet we are not progressing
at all. Our friendship is stronger than before, and we talk more often, about our most important things. But
while we trust each other at this level, on another, we are drifting apart. We don't kiss, we don't touch.
We behave more and more like good old friends, instead of a young couple. I don't know what you think, but
I would like to try the outlined future. Together."
"I too." confirmed Asuka, which relieved the freckled girl. Then, Asuka continued. "It is still hard for me
to accept your love. This isn't about morality, but about my outlook at life. It has been a very traditional
one, so far. The message has changed this. I need some time to think about all those things, all those
changes. Time I haven´t had so far. Training, tests, the battle against the first Terminator, the aftermath
of this humiliating failure. You have had this time, and you made your decision. You are very important to
me, but I still need some time. Can you understand that?"
This was not what Hikari had hoped to hear, but she understood the plight of Asuka. She was right; she had
way less time to make her decisions than she had herself, so her plea was nothing extraordinary. Suppressing
a disappointed sigh, Hikari nodded in approval. She was on her way to stand up and going back to her own
bed, as Asuka sat up and stopped her. The redhead lifted invitingly her blanket, which surprised Hikari.
Asuka grinned sheepishly as she said: "Hey, as long as you don't try to molest me."
Hikari giggled and crawled to Asuka in her bed. She snuggled close to her and wished her good night.
It didn't take long, before her regular breathing told Asuka that she was asleep. The German redhead was in
turmoil. Hikari was very important to her, and the last she wanted was to hurt her. Yet her inactivity
threatened to do exactly this. The warm breath on her skin spoke of the closeness and trust the other girl
had in her more than thousand words. Slowly, she started to caress the brown hair of the other girl softly.
This night, no sleep came to Asuka. For this, she made an important decision.
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It was rather easy to appear as part of a plane, which was the way he used to reach Japan. After leaving the
Nagano airport in the form of a technician, he used the car of his victim to drive southwards. Now that his
goal was considerably closer, he also needed a strategy to achieve victory.
His plan was parted in three steps. Information gathering, infiltration and execution. As soon as he would
arrive in Tokyo3, he would start with phase 1.
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The next day started rather normally. Sure, it was strange for Rei to awake between two hot bodies, one of
them hugging her, but while the heat was unappreciated, the closeness to another being was somewhat
comforting. She couldn't exactly place her feelings, but they were agreeable. Today would be important for
her; she just hoped that everything would go well. It was one thing to hear about certain things, but a
completely different one to be confronted with hard facts. Today, a lot of people would learn the hard
reality of this threshold.
If Asuka would have know how similar her awakening was to Rei's, how alike their feelings were, she would
have thrown quite a fit. Hikari lay still in her arms, and she found this comforting and sweet. She studied
the calm face of the still sleeping Hikari, and begun slowly to understand why her older self preferred her
for a serious relationship. Hikari was cute, and her freckles accentuated this in a sweet kind of way.
Slowly, Asuka started to stroke softly over the soft, dark-brown hair of the other girl. Her feelings were
still divided about the prospect about a serious relationship with another girl. Sure, she would be nervous
about a possible relationship with a boy too, yet it was still different from that. At least she thought so,
as she had no experience to compare.
Hikari's day started like always, with a cute frown on her face and some unkind thoughts about the fact that
she had to leave her bed and face the day. After a few blinks, she opened her eyes finally for good, and
looked directly in Asuka's blue orbs, which studied her affectionately. Without thinking, she did the first
thing that came into her mind, and she softly pressed her lips against Asuka's. It was long seconds later,
as she realized what that meant, and even longer before she understood that her action was not only
tolerated, but also reciprocated. They stayed for some time in this kiss, before Hikari reluctantly broke it.
Another look in Asuka's eyes confirmed that the German girl was not agitated about this morning´s event, and
she relaxed. Hikari knew that this would be an important day for her friend, as Asuka could finally try to
reach out to her mother´s remains in 02.
Breakfast was a silent affair, and only Maya spoke a few words, telling them the agenda of the day.
"We have to report in NERV at 08:00h, and meet with the Commander immediately. He said that he has a lot of
surprises for us in store, whatever that means. And afternoon is dedicated to synch tests. Shinji and Rei
will have normal tests, with the only deviation that the EVAs will be fully prepared and battle ready. Asuka
you can try to reach your mother, and in case something goes wrong, the other Units can minimize the danger
to others. Any questions?"
Asuka wanted to ask what was so important that she had to wait for noon to get her chance, but decided
against it. She had already waited for so long, there was no need to voice her displeasure about a few hours.
Shinji wanted to ask what those surprises were too, but it was obvious that Maya didn't know. So, he
refrained from asking, just like Asuka.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
During their way to NERV, Rei tried to tell Shinji via gentle gestures what the surprise was, but it was
Mana, who whispered it into his ear, so that he finally understood. Rei was not pleased with this new
display of a growing bond between them, especially not on this day.
Upon their arrival at NERV, Fuyutsuki greeted them. He then led them through several corridors into a small,
but well equipped surveillance room. There, he gave a short declaration that this was a very important day,
as a new age for NERV would begin. As he continued, he was able to even surprise Rei. "Upon request, it was
decided that the second child should be the first to see the beginning of this new era." Asuka grinned over
her entire face. "Finally I am treated the way I deserve it." Hikari groaned at this display of the old
Asuka, and hoped that it was only a minor slip. Fuyutsuki told Asuka how she could reach the room where she
would find these important items, and the redhead immediately marched on.
As soon as Asuka had left, Fuyutsuki continued. "We are here because it was requested that we tape this
event, and that you see it live." Fuyutsuki ignited the main monitor, and Hikari couldn't help herself and
shuddered. She had a bad feeling about this. The monitor only showed a dark room, where nothing could be
seen. The door opened, and a little stray light entered, but not enough to recognize anything.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
After he had entered the city of Tokyo3, he encountered several problems. The entrances to NERV were heavily
guided, and equipped with sensors that could break through every cover he could made. A direct assault was
not possible.
After searching his data banks for useful information, which took him only the tenth of a second, he decided
on a new course of action. If he couldn't get to the target, the target would have come to him.
The information about the target was extensive, and included all persons he cared for. It should be easy to
replace one of them end persuade the target to come. A little search on a map told him which of those
persons was the best for his purpose.
Finished with adapting to this new situation, he continued his way to the bait.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
Asuka entered the dark room, and was not impressed. If there was anything important in here, why wasn't it
lighted up? As she noted that the little light from the door got dimmer, it was already too late. The door
closed with a thundering noise, and she was alone in the darkness.
Suddenly, a red dot appeared on her uniform, directly over her chest. Was she about to be shot? Asuka
suppressed a shiver. Only her logic, that told her that it was unlikely that she would be harmed here, she
was too valuable as a pilot, stopped her from a panic attack. Instead of bolting to the door and hammering
against it, she simply stood there and waited for the things to come.
Another dot appeared, followed by another, and another. As the number grew, she was able to determine two
things. First off, they were most likely more laser-pointers than targeting systems of weapons, and they
were moving.
A lonely spotlight went up and blinded her. She had to close her eyes, and it took her some seconds before
she was able to open them again. She blinked for a few times, then she was finally able to see what was
going on around her. And this sight didn't calm her one bit. She was surrounded by Reis. Asuka had no better
term of calling those figures. They all looked the same, they all had the same expressionless face, and they
all looked straight at her. For uncounted seconds, she simply stared at them.
They all stood unmoving, until, with a strange jerking motion, one of the blue-haired girls went closer to
Asuka.
"We are the Reis. We will assimilate your technical knowledge, your wisdom and your body. Your mannerisms
and temper will not be assimilated, as they are too loud and boisterous. We will dye your hair blue and give
you red contact lenses. You will only speak when you are spoken to. Resistance is futile."
Asuka recognized the Star Trek reference easily, but this did not explain why there were so many Reis. At
first, she surmised that this was a hoax, but as they were closing in, she became uncomfortable. She tried
to go in a fighting stance, but pale hands from behind grabbed her arms and legs. Now, this wasn't funny
anymore. Her eyes widened in unspoken terror, as she saw two of them coming to her. One held a bottle with
blue hair-dye, and the other a case with red contact lenses.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" wailed Asuka. She struggled to get free, but without success.
They were too many.
The two creepy girls came closer and closer, and Asuka felt unspoken horror as she watched them getting
closer. She would never admit it, but she nearly soiled her pants, as she was suddenly free. And all of the
Reis doubled over in laughter.
It took her some time before Asuka regained her composure, then she realized that they were laughing about
her. This was not to be tolerated.
"Stop laughing! Now!" she demanded in a shaky voice, but this made them only laugh harder.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
Back in the surveillance room, everyone gasped as the saw the seemingly endless number of girls who looked
exactly like Rei. Only Mana took it in stride, she was accosted to clones, as in her timeline, it was the
only way to keep the population on a level that allowed survival.
Shinji gulped, and most of the others gasped. The only exception was Hikari. She didn't care if they all
looked the same or not, or if they were clones or not. After she had learned of her possible future, she
had decided to never judge somebody again only because of looks only. She was more concerned about the fact
that they wanted to meet Asuka alone at first. This didn't make any sense to her, and she was concerned,
which could be seen as she had a light frown on the face.
As the blueheads played their prank, everybody in the room wondered, and then laughed like mad, again with
only Hikari as exception. She was mad at them. They had no reason to shock Asuka this way, and it surely
was not funny! Angered by this, she left the room and stalked directly to the room where Asuka and the
clones were in. While it couldn't be opened from inside, she just needed to use a small lever to open it
from outside.
As soon as the door opened wide enough to let her in, Hikari stepped into the room. She shoved a few of
the clones roughly aside to reach Asuka, who was still too shocked to do more than yelling that they should
stop laughing. She closed in to her, and the freckled girl saw clearly that Asuka still shivered. This was
not a nice little prank. It went way too far for that. Hikari went to Asuka and placed herself in front of
her, and then she had to wait a few seconds before she saw in Asuka's eyes that she was recognized. Only
then, she took her in a close embrace. The redhead still tried to keep her angry and cold appearance, but
Hikari could feel her accelerated breath on her skin, could feel the fast staccato of Asuka's heartbeat,
and see the thin layer of sweat on her skin. Slowly, she led Asuka out of the storage hall, while holding
her all the time. Then, she gave her a small kiss and broke the embrace. She had to give some
wannabe-terrorists a piece of her mind.
The next ten minutes showed impressively how deeply Hikari cared for her friend and more. Vastly
outnumbered, she verbally defeated over hundred girls and made it clear that this was NOT funny. And in the
surveillance room, all occupants had the same thought in the same time.
<Note to self: Never make Hikari angry. Very bad for Karma.>
Finally, one of the blueheads officially relented and went to Asuka, who had recovered enough to not freak
out as the pale girl closed in to her. The clone apologized formally, and Asuka, too dazed to throw a
tantrum, nodded only dumbly. This satisfied Hikari, so she went back to Asuka, and the clones were happy
too. They would have more than enough time for laughing when they watched the tapes of all 17 cameras in
the storage hall.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
Still, the prank was a full success. It broke the ice between the clones and the NERV staff, and made the
introductions much easier. While especially Ritsuko had some reservations about them, most of the others
had no such problems. Makoto was confused about so many girls who all looked alike, yet he took it in
stride and cursed his taste in women. If he had settled for blueheads instead of unreachable purpleheads,
he would have found his paradise. And Aoba saw it even more relaxed. He had started to work for NERV not
because it was supposed to be the savior of humanity, but because he wanted to be part of the biggest
technological breakthroughs in the history of mankind. And over 100 cute clones were surely one of them.
Maya had also very little reservation, especially as a few of them came to her and asked about the MAGI,
and if they could work with them. She asked them a few questions, and was surprised to hear that they had
a very extended IT-knowledge implanted. All they lacked was actual experience, which they could gain via
helping her in abundance. A perfect solution for all.
Asuka was still pissed at them, yet at the same time, she understood a very important difference between
them and the Rei she knew. Their behavior was much more human-like, and despite the bad start, there were
a few of them whose had similar interests as she had herself. Possible friends. So, she grumbled, but at
the same time, she knew that she could get along with them. At least with a few.
Hikari made similar observations. While she never was really familiar with Rei, the differences were easy
to be seen. She was sure that some of them would be quite acceptable personalities. Still she was angry
with them because of their introduction, and what they did to Asuka. That was absolutely uncalled for.
For Mana, it was irrelevant what they were. She was accosted to treat everybody the same.
Shinji made the same observations as Asuka and Hikari. But while they mused if they found some friends, he
observed them for other reasons. He took note about each and every one difference to Rei, and the conclusion
was another reason to hate his father. They were the same as Rei, but they were able to express their
emotions, follow their own interests, live their own lives and make their own decisions. Contrary to Rei.
Genetically, they were the same, only their upbringing was different. The clones were 'raised' by machines
and computers, which implanted all necessary knowledge to let them prosper. Then they had some time to
develop their own interests and talents, before their direct education was finished with courses that fit
best for them. And Gendo raised Rei, another extreme certificate of failure as parent for the donator of
half of his own genetics. Shinji sighed, and then he started to talk with some of them, and found them more
human than Rei.
The quiet girl stood in one of the corners and watched the unfolding scene. She had understood why her
sisters used Asuka to break the ice, but was unable to find it funny. It was simple retaliation, after all.
Her sisters had a lot of her memories, including some of Asuka ignoring or belittling her. She observed
them, and how the others reacted to them. Satisfied that all seemed to going well, she went over to Asuka.
"I'm sorry." apologized Rei.
Asuka looked annoyed at her. Did she want to pull a Shinji? "What for?"
"My sisters used you to break the ice. This was not permitted by you."
"Was it your plan?"
"No."
"Did you have any part in the plan?"
"No."
"So you apologize for something that you weren't aware of, and that you didn't support?"
"Yes."
"Is this logical?"
Rei contemplated this question for some time, and then she nodded in understanding and went away. Her next
stop was beside Shinji, who had his problems of accepting so much beautiful girls at once, but who managed
to hold his ground in a conversation with three of them. As Rei joined them, silent as always, he gently
took her hand and held it.
The rest of this first contact went well, and soon, some of the clones found places where they could work
for NERV. Which relieved them of any need to cover their identities while being at work.
Fuyutsuki, who knew the girls at best, observed this gathering and was satisfied with its progress. He
smiled a little as he saw those presumed soulless shells begin their start in their own lives. All was
going well, as his phone rang and he got a disturbing message.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
The bridge was manned with the second shift, as Fuyutsuki arrived. Satsuki immediately opened a large map
on the holo display and begun the report.
"The UN-satellite LG 19 has spotted this artificial crater today at 06.53 Zulu time." The display switched
from a map of Siberia to the picture of a small, perfect, half marble that was melted in the ground.
"It is exactly the same as we found in Africa, and the one the emissary made as she appeared here." The
blonde beauty continued.
Fuyutsuki sighed, then he contacted Mana, who´s appeared a few minutes later on the bridge. Her verdict
was clear.
"The second is here. How old is the crater?"
"Given the way it has cooled down, approximately 2 days." Satsuki answered immediately.
Fuyutsuki didn't need that Mana told him how to proceed. Before she could even speak up, the alarm sirens
sounded through the entire complex. It was not the long, wailing tone that indicated an Angel alarm, but
short, aggressive sounding burps that heralded that a Terminator was on its way.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
It came as no surprise that only minutes later, the Command Center was in turmoil. Satellites were ordered
to search for a low-key S2-signature, despite Mana's information, which said that the second Terminator
should have none of these organs.
The entire geofront was sealed up, and the city limits were soon patrolled by NERV-troops, which were
equipped with new EMP-grenades, that should be able to take the killer-machine out. At least theoretically.
The JSSDF got also a warning, as one of the scenarios was that the Terminator infiltrated the Command
structure of the army, to use N2 mines against Tokyo3.
Shinji, Rei and Asuka were gathered in the pilots changing room, and had to put their plug suits on. As
long as a Terminator was underway, one of them would always be on guard in an EVA, while the others were
on standby, and not permitted in the immediate vicinity of the cages. The only exception would be if the
Terminator were confirmed within Tokyo3. Because then, Shinji would be relocated to a safe shelter with
a time lock, which would keep him safe for 24 hours. If they weren't able to defeat it in this time,
their cards would be bad anyway.
The clones were also brought in for security. As it stood, they had no role in NERV, which was the reason
why they were taken to a shelter, where they had to wait for the end of the alarm. Hikari had to accompany
them.
As soon as all those things were accomplished, Mana left the ops to get back to Shinji. If she didn't
protect him now, she would have been useless as bodyguard. She reached the changing rooms and entered,
without bothering to knock or warn Shinji. He was lucky that he was already finished with changing; as
otherwise, he would have found himself in a rather embarrassing situation.
Instead of this scenario, he simply asked her if she knew what was going on.
"The second Terminator is on its way here. We found the zone of his arrival, and its two days old. Chances
are good that it´s already in Japan."
Mana saw no reason to sugarcoat things; she preferred to say things how they were. If he had problems with
that, well, she could smack some sense into him anytime. But much to her surprise, he took the news calmly.
He looked even relieved, which she didn't understand at all.
"Hey, why are you in such a good mood? I told you that a killer is after you, and you seem happy about it."
"Kensuke called me just before the alarm started. Our friendship is still intact, and that relieves me." He
answered to the soldier girl.
Mana suppressed an annoyed groan, and said: "That's good to hear. What did he say?"
"That he would like to visit me soon, and that he looked forward to talking with me again."
Asuka made a groan of annoyance, and Mana blinked, in confusion. She could have sworn that the geek would
never have had the guts to come in her vicinity again. This didn't sound like him at all.
"Did he say something about his first visit here?" she asked suspicious.
Shinji shook his head. "No, why?"
Asuka's eyes widened, and she had already opened her mouth, as Mana set the puzzle together too. She
stopped the German redhead with a gesture, and called Fuyutsuki immediately.
"Fuyutsuki." the Commander said on the phone.
"The Terminator is already in the city. I bring Shinji in the special shelter, now."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Then proceed."
After this conversation, she immediately grabbed Shinji's hand and yanked him into motion, while Asuka and
Rei made their way to their EVAs.
"What's going on?" Shinji demanded to know, while he was dragged at a high speed through the corridors.
"The Terminator is already in the city."
"Why? What...?"
"Kensuke is dead. The Terminator has just tried to used its knowledge of your friendship to get into NERV via
invitation." she informed Shinji coldly.
Deeply shocked, he was unable to do anything. So, he was dragged like a puppet to the shelter. The massive
door
was open; all they had to do was to go inside. For a last time, she contacted Fuyutsuki.
"I´ll escort the third into the shelter, as a last line of defense. The other pilots know what is going on,
they will try to get the target immediately." she informed the Commander.
"They already told me. Good luck, you´ll hear from us again in 24 hours." Fuyutsuki answered.
She pushed Shinji roughly in the shelter, and ignited the sealing procedure. The massive doors closed slowly,
and a hydraulic hiss indicated the sealing of the shelter. Now, they could only wait, while the others had
to fight.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
Preread by bmatsea
Useful comments and encouragement to write by Kuracao
Domo arigato.
Chapter 6 - Coming closer
As Kaji watched the news, he was unable to hold his amusement back. He had thought long for a way to find a
fitting punishment for Cardinal Mbobonge, who was known as hardliner in the Catholic Church. It was not easy
to make a simple kill, but instead to kidnap him and hand him over to some Satanists. Those, stupid as all
other religious lunatics, made quite a show with their great mass where they sacrificed the Cardinal to
Satan, in hope that their dark Master will come. They even went so far and taped everything, which was the
reason that now; a heavy censored version of the tape could be aired on all news stations.
He was already on his way to his next victim, and planned a fitting demise for this next member of SEELE.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
Shinji didn't sleep well in the night after his little fit. Sure, he wanted to clear things up, but
afterwards, he was shocked by his own courage. Also, he would have to live with the results of it, and he
wasn't sure if Dr. Akagi didn't file him in for each cruel and unnecessary test she could think of.
The next few days showed that his concerns were useless. It already started on the first day, as he entered
the bridge and found Makoto and Hyuga in a simulation battle against one of the Angels. Both grinned to
their ears as they used this to formulate sound battle plans against the simulated Angel. Finally, after
years where they only sat around, looked at boring monitors and called useless comments, they could do the
job they were originally hired for. Sure, Akagi shot him a few icy glares, but there were no tests or other
experiments scheduled for him. And Commander Fuyutsuki looked now with a little bit more respect on him.
Still, the greatest changes were in his close vicinity. It started with Asuka. As she heard of his tantrum,
she smacked him lightly on the head and complained that she didn't see it live.
"You could really have been more considerate. Finally, you show one time that you are a man, and then I'm
not there to see it," she huffed.
"Just to ensure that you don't grab him and run off with him,’ countered Mana amused.
Asuka blinked and grinned evilly. "Jealous?"
The following banter between the two girls was not amusing for Shinji. Both pointed merciless his weaknesses
out, and how they found them repelling. And as they realized that he stood the entire time with them, and
heard their comments, whose impact could be clearly seen, due to his red, embarrassed and angry face, they
didn't even apologize. A simple "Suck it up." from Asuka was all he got.
Despite this incident, Mana's company was not only amusing, as her dry comments sounded very often funny to
him, but also very useful. As the training continued, she participated actively and helped them to get
better. Now she didn't only help Rei, but him too. Their scores improved a little by this, and while they
were still far from Asuka's score, they moved closer.
Rei was another matter. She was as often as possible in his vicinity, especially when Mana was around. Now
that the redhead from the future was nearly all the time around, she was too. He just hoped that she would
thaw up a little, as her demeanor got even icier. Asuka, who observed this as well, already joked that he
would need a heated condom with a hole in the front to do his job, or he'd get bad frost burns. Shinji
didn't find this funny, although Mana laughed soundly over this.
This events had naturally an effect on him, and it wasn't one that furthered the plans future had for him.
His friendship with Asuka deepened, and while he wouldn't admit it loudly, sometimes he wished it were her
who he should make a child with. On the other, or, more precise, the opposite side, he drifted away from Rei.
Her constant presence did not warm their relationship up, instead he felt often intimidated by her. The
prospect of having family with her looked less and less pleasurable. And Mana, she was probably the biggest
problem. Within a few days, she became his most trusted friend. Shinji adored her for her strength,
developed a complete new feeling for the strange girl. Only his feelings for Misato matched those, and he
often wondered what those feelings were.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
His visits to his former guardian had also several other benefits as well. It was the only place where he
could go alone, as all other girls refused to visit the Major. Even more important was the time he spent
with her. While their kiss had no follow-ups, what he often regretted, they had a good time together. She
treated him now as equal, and talked with him about every thing they could think of. Her advice, which he
often seek, was good, and he followed it mostly. His visits of her where the highlights of his days, and
he always looked forward to spending time with the purple haired beauty.
For Misato, those visits where a double-edged sword. They dampened her loneliness, and told her that
someone still cared for her. She was very grateful for that, especially as she liked Shinji very much, too
much. And this was the other side of the coin. He often asked for advice considering the strange situation
he was into, which placed her between her own feelings and the destiny that should happen. She tried her
best to present the blue-haired girl in a better light, yet she herself wanted to scream to forget Rei and
take herself instead.
It was exactly a week after their kiss, as Shinji came in a better mood than usual to her. He greeted her
with a small smile on his face. As she saw his upturned lips, she just wanted to place her own on them. But
this should not happen, so she restrained herself again.
Shinji told her about the latest developments, which were very positive for him. Hyuga and Aoba were
finished with their plans, and got them approved by Mana and Fuyutsuki. To celebrate this, they went for
lunch in an expensive restaurant, and they had invited him. Because he was responsible that they got their
chance.
Misato smiled as she heard this, it seemed that things were going rather well. She was proud of him; he had
come a long way since the arrival of the mahogany haired terrorist.
As he saw her smile, a pang shot again through his heart. Several thoughts ran through his mind, but one
was prominent and won the race. That he had to act brave to gain something. It worked once, maybe it would
work again. They sat together on the same bench where they had spent the day, so his action was easy to
implement. He turned to her, moved quickly forward and pressed his lips against hers.
Misato was too surprised to react, and as she finally did it, it was her feelings that controlled her. She
embraced him and kissed back.
Shinji felt the arms around his body, and he knew that it had worked again. He had taken the risk of being
rejected, but he had won. Knowing that he pressed his lips too hard against her, he lessened the pressure
and was rewarded with slight parting of her lips. He copied this, and soon, he felt the tip of her tongue
roaming over his lips. Their tongues touched, caressed each other in a slow dance full of emotion.
Misato didn't know how long the kiss lasted, but as she slowly broke it, she knew that things had changed
forever. Doubts gnawed at her mind, as she didn't know if the change was good or bad, but this she would
learn in the next few minutes.
After Shinji had opened his eyes, which were closed during the kiss, he looked directly in the soft brown
orbs of his guardian. He saw the sincerity of her feelings, so he didn't ask the question 'Why?', which
lay on his tongue. Instead, he brought his right hand to her face and softly caressed her cheek.
"That was wonderful,’ he admonished.
Misato smiled warmly, her hopes had risen, as he didn't flinch back afterwards. "Yes, it was."
"Can we do it again?"
She smiled at the polite question. Shinji was so different compared to the other males she knew. He was what
she really needed, and she wanted nothing more than ensuring that he would be hers. But on the other side,
she had to live to be with him, and this meant that he had to do his job with Rei, and work closely with
Mana, who he liked too, as he had confessed. Why did she always have to have such bad luck with men? During
her musings, her body acted on instinct, and as her brain caught up with reality, they were kissing again,
even more intense than before.
On the other side, Shinji's mind was blank. Somewhere in his subconsciousness, the questions that would
haunt him for the next time were formulated, but for now, all parts of the brain that were not needed to
enjoy the feeling of Misato's tongue in his mouth, were shut down.
For long minutes, only the sounds of heavy breathing, as well as the wet sounds of an intense kiss filled
their surroundings. There were no birds chirping, no insects buzzing, and no light breeze rustling the
leaves. At least, they didn't were aware of such things.
After the kiss broke, they were both gasping for air. Then, they looked deeply into each other´s eyes, and
knew that things had now changed forever. There was never a way back to the old days of ward and guardian,
never a way back to simply living together. Their feelings were too deep to allow such things. They could
either act upon them, or deny them, but either case would change their relationship for good.
For the rest of Shinji's visit, no words were spoken. They kissed each other several times, but only light,
without tongue. Beside that, they sat on the bench, nestled against each other, both in thoughts about a
future that was now even more uncertain.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
On his way home, driven by a Section2 agent, Shinji used the view of the moving landscape to focus his
thoughts. He sighed deeply as he admitted to himself that he loved Misato deeply, and neither as mother,
nor as older sister. He loved her as woman, and, as he had to admit too, he desired her. But there were
his feelings for Mana too. Over the last time, she had become a good friend, and he felt himself drawn to
her. She was beautiful, intelligent, was a nice company and understood him pretty well. Was she important
to him? Yes, very. Did he love her? It seemed so. Did he desire her? Definitely. Was it the same as with
Misato? No, it was different. But he didn't know how, or why. And then there was Rei. The shy and quiet
girl was at least as beautiful as well. She was always on his side, always supported him, and never hurt
him. She was there for him, even as nobody else was. Rei was important as the other two to him, and while
he desired her too, he didn't love her. He liked her very much, but this was vastly different from his
feelings for the others. So, what should he do now?
A small smile crept over his face as he prayed whatever deities existed that at least Asuka was only a
friend, and not another possible love-interest. That would have been the last thing he would need. Or
worse, Hikari. The funny thing was, that he and the freckled girl would fit together so well that it was
almost creepy.
He shook his head and grabbed a newspaper that laid beside him on the backseat. Prodded by Mana, he had
begun to develop an interest in the things surrounding him, so he started to watch the news, and read
the newspaper. Shinji chuckled as he read the headline, which was written in large, bold Kanji. MINISTER OF
DEFENSE RUN OVER BY TANK - SABOTAGE? Sabotage? Maybe, but it surely was Kaji. He had learned to
recognize the handiwork of the spy, and he respected him for his playful professionalism. But he had also
lost a lot of his respect because he didn't even sent a greeting card to Misato. This was no way to treat
friends.
The car stopped in front of their house, and as he exited the car, Hikari, who was once again playing the
prefect housewife, greeted him formally. To get his mind away from another round of musings about the
females in his life, he decided to help her making dinner, which was a relaxed and amusing affair, as Asuka
had a nice tale about her latest shopping excursion to tell.
Evening was once again spent in front of the computer, but not working, playing. Mana had acquired a wide
range of ego-shooters for him, which he had to play to learn moving around stealthily, and to weaken his
adverse to shoot on human figures. After this, he went to sleep. And dreams of Misato, Mana and Rei haunted
him the entire night.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
He knew that he was not so fast as the other models were, but this was not of his concern. He was made for
stealth and deception, not open all-out warfare. He had run a long time, before he arrived at the city that
was his first stop. There, he smuggled himself aboard a ship, which destination was Neo Osaka. It would take
some days to arrive, but then he would be close to the city that was his primary target.
Nobody knew that he was already underway, so he was proceeding well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
Shinji was not the only one who had problems with his feelings. Hikari had the same. Contrary to him, her
problems did not stem from straying with her thoughts to another person, but to get her love to see her as
more than just a good friend. Her living together with Asuka functioned better than she had imagined, as
the German girl was willing to accept some compromises. They talked often with each other, even about their
best-kept secrets.
Asuka seemed to be content with that. She was also friends with Shinji, and happy to have someone who she
could trust. On the battlefield, and private. Hikari however had already accepted the possibility of a more
intimate relationship with Asuka, but this wasn't progressing at all.
On the beginning, it was for the freckled girl hard to admit that she was more attracted to the female
redhead, than to the dark haired jock. What would her family say if she brought Asuka home as her lover?
Kodama was liberal, but Hikari was sure that she had her borders. And her little sis as dyke could be one
of them. And what example would she set for Nozomi. As 9-year old, she was very impressionable. Not to
mentioning her father, who always made clear that he expected his daughters to become respected housewives,
mothers of lots of children and married to men who had good jobs. And Asuka wasn't only a girl; she was a
half-gaijin to boot. If her father wouldn't suffer a stroke, he would make at least a scene that would fit
in history books.
It was a long process, which allowed her to accept her feelings for the other girl. During the last month
of harsh training, she could see the enormous strength Asuka had, her determination to be the best, but also
the frail girl behind the facade. The girl she wanted to hug and spoil, to be protected and held in exchange.
That Asuka was able to show this strength despite her past, despite her bad message from the future, showed
her what she loved.
They had talked a lot in those last weeks, and came closer with each spoken word. But there were still limits
and boundaries that they hadn't overstepped. There was no more intimate physical contact than the kiss in
their 'night of revelations'. Still Hikari had decided that she would take the risk with her family. Kodama
would hopefully understand, if not, it would be her problem. And if Nozomi was not able to find her own way
when she would be old enough, nobody could help her. For her father, she would stretch the financial details
a little bit. Because those were terms where Asuka was definitely a good catch. For the gaijin problem, she
would argue that Asuka is half German, an old and trusted ally from Nippon. Besides, children would always
have to leave the parents to live their own life. And Hikari Horaki was ready for that. At least, she
thought so.
So, she had set her goals and wishes, and now, only one ingredient was amiss. A cooperative Asuka. While
their friendship flourished and was much valued, it was time for more. She would just need to find a way
to initiate this change.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
After dinner, Mana and Shinji went straight to their room, where she had set up a video game, where they
could play against each other. This activity consumed most of the rest of the day, and for once, Shinji
didn't complain about the fact that he had to play another ego-shooter, nor that he got fragged all the
time. A change that Mana noticed, especially as she had already became aware that Shinji was often in a
better mood after he visited his former guardian. Maybe it was time to shed some light on that.
"You are in an awful good mood today." she commented calmly.
Shinji only smiled. "Even I can have good days, can't I?"
"Sure, but what made this day so good? Hikari's cooking?"
He knew very well that Mana knew that he was in a good mood long before dinner, but for now, he decided to
play along. The longer he could stall any information about his activities with Misato, the better it was.
Sure, he had a little crush on Mana as well, but that didn't mean that he was so delusional to not expect
her to order him to be nicer to Rei, and cease the visits of Misato. "Hikari's cooking was delicious as
ever, don't you agree?"
"Yes, but you were on cloud seven before," Mana pointed out.
"Can happen."
"Nearly as you always are after you visit Misato. Today it was just exceptionally strong."
"I like her, and to see how she gets better relieves me."
Mana nodded slowly. "Why do you like her so much? She wasn't exactly an excellent guardian, and as
commanding officer, she wasn't all that good either. So, why?"
"Because she gave me a home." he started to explain. "I lived for a decade with a tutor. He fed me, gave
me a good education, and a roof above my head. But that was it. I lived there, waiting for someone to show
some emotions for me, waiting for any signs of life. I was dead there. It was one day after another, all
the same. No surprises, no contact with others. I never got a hug, was never teased on purpose. I had no
sadness, but I had no fun either."
"Your life was that hollow?" Mana asked astonished. She hadn't expected that it was that bad.
"Yes. But when I came here, and Misato decided to take me in, everything changed. Sure, she made me her
house-slave, but she also talked with me, and not only about school stuff. She teased me, she hugged me.
She was concerned about me. It was the first time I can remember that someone showed any emotions about me."
Mana had to admit that she couldn't understand his reasoning, as her life was entirely different, but she
accepted his explanation. The light in his eyes heralded clearly how important those events were for him,
so she didn't doubt his words. Instead, she decided to tease him. "So, is this Misato's lipstick on your
shirt?"
"Cosmetics aren't allowed in the clinic," he countered immediately, and in a harsher tone than before.
"And if it were?" Mana asked nonetheless. If Shinji fell in love with another woman, her job would be that
much harder. Sure, she had already talked over all other possibilities with Akagi, so it wasn't necessary
for him to fall in love with Rei, yet such a scenario would still be the best.
"Then you would probably tease me with the question why there is no lipstick on my shirt." Shinji shot
smugly back. And it wasn't even a lie, as Misato's lips were never on the collar of his shirt.
Mana sighed defeated. She didn't want to start an argument about this issue, especially as he was so happy.
If he wanted to visit her, why not? And if he felt more than just gratefulness, it was his life. Their plans
could be adapted. But what did he feel about Rei? "Maybe I should ask Rei to wear some, then?"
"Rei doesn't need cosmetics to look good." Shinji replied dryly.
She felt some relief, as probably, the original plan was still on track. At least until his next words met
her ears.
"But maybe I know another girl who should start to wear cosmetics. Maybe then I would have some of it on
my clothes." Shinji added. As he saw Mana looking immediately sharply at him, he realized that he just
made a blunder, which he had now to cover up.
"And who would that be?" the soldier girl asked.
"That's for me to know, and only for me."
"Tell me." she demanded.
"Only if you tell me who you like." Shinji answered smiling. He knew that Mana would now start an ordered
retreat.
"There is nobody, I only have my duty."
"Your duty is clearly limited. After the Terminators are gone, you can start a normal life, here, in this
time. Have you never thought about that?"
She shook her head. "No."
"That's sad." Shinji commented finally, and ended the conversation with going into the bathroom to prepare
for the night.
After he was finished, Mana did the same, and as they went to sleep, she decided to tease him a little bit
more. He still was often tense when she or Rei were nude, so it could also count as added training. Without
hesitation, she slipped to him in the bed. He tensed immediately, which let her escape a chuckle. "You are
interested in another girl, so I should be safe anyway." she commented her unexpected action.
Shinji gulped audibly. "Who said that this girl isn't you?"
She chuckled silently and hugged him, as she found his comment endearing. Exactly at this point of time,
Rei entered the room. She saw them lying together, and while her expression didn't change, Mana could have
sworn that she was not amused. Without saying a word, she too crawled into the bed, and placed herself
between them. Then she whispered a simple 'Good night', and ended this days activities.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
As Rei lay there, she was unable to sleep. The warmth from two sides was too much for her, yet she was not
willing to leave her place. During the last weeks, she had learned a lot about living, and about her own
feelings. A lot of events came surprising, like the help she gained from the new Commander. Fuyutsuki
started to treat her as if she was his own daughter, a kind of relationship she never knew. He supported
her in the little time he had as well as he could, and gave her more freedom than she could have ever
imagined. Dr. Akagi was another matter. While her open hostility had ceased, she held still a lot of
distance, now even more than before.
But those people didn't puzzle her the most. Asuka's cease of hostility was a much greater surprise, and
while she knew that she had upset the redheaded girl, as she didn't show her appreciation of this clear
enough, it was very important to her. It surely improved her trust in the other pilot, and should make the
future battles easier. And maybe, if she was able to improve her social skills enough, they could become
friends. Hikari was another mystery to her. While they had known each other for some time from school,
they had never interacted with each other. But now, that they had to live and work together, it seemed as
if the freckled girl was unable to not try to become her friend. Rei didn't understand this fully, and
decided to tread this dangerous ground carefully. Any change on the relationship between herself and
Hikari would have some effect on Asuka too, and the German girl was deemed more important by her. So,
upsetting Asuka by threatening her upcoming relationship was not planned.
A lot of the others, like Captain Ibuki, or Major Kaji were irrelevant to her. The same couldn't be said
for the two people who lay at her sides. Her relationship with Mana was more than just strange. As she
heard that the girl killed her creator, she felt repulsed, even hated her. Later, as she listened to the
message from the future, those feelings diminished mostly, but some contempt survived. That she was
working like mad and never interacted with the others gave Rei the chance to ignore her. And her negative
feelings fell to sleep. After Shinji had freed her from the work, she had helped him and her immensely,
especially with the training. Without Mana's help, she would have failed for sure. This changed her view
again a little bit, as they became friendlier. But now, as she started to spend more and more time with
Shinji, she wasn't again happy with the mahogany haired girl. Her close proximity to Shinji was clearly
a disturbing factor for Rei, and as she saw them together in bed, she had to intervene, hence her
situation as wiener in the hot dog. And Shinji wasn't better. He was the only one who tried to talk with
her, even after she ignored him most times. He was insecure and clumsy, which made him sometimes rather
annoying, still, he was the only real contact with people of her age. Hearing that she would become pure
Angel was no surprise to her, as she had know that this fate would befall her no matter what. But that
she would get a child with Shinji was a surprise. She had never thought of him this way, and she still
had large difficulties doing so. That he was now nearly constantly at Mana's side made matters worse.
Rei was not happy about that.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
Kaji sat in a cheap motel room and watched the upcoming sunrise. Soon, he would erase his next target, but
for now, he was consent with sitting there and thinking over his life. It was hard to accept that he lost
Misato either way. He knew that he wouldn't need to talk to her again, after he didn't visit her in he
hospital. Still, to hear that he would lose her otherwise too hurt. It was the only part of his message
that he didn't like.
Ritsuko on the other hand was always somewhat distanced to him, especially as he came back to Nippon. Sure,
she was attractive and intelligent, yet she was also even more haunted from her past than Misato or himself.
He never met Ritsuko's mother, and he was grateful for it. After hearing Ritsuko ramble one time about her,
he was sure that he would have become gay.
Kaji sighed, and then he promised himself that he would do his best to thaw Ritsuko up after his current
objectives were finished. Also, he would have to help Shinji. The boy would need it desperately. A happy
family with Shinji and Rei. That was nothing he would have ever expected. That Asuka would one time fall
for him and drag him into her lair to seduce him for good, that yes, but Rei? That seemed so far off. He
chuckled as he mused if those two would ever really talk with each other, and laughed out loud as he came
to the conclusion that they wouldn't never have to be careful about the noises from their home. Mean, but
truthful thoughts.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
Rei and Mana were not the only ones who were confronted with some developments and revelations in this
night. Asuka had just lain down, as Hikari came to her and sat on her bed. "We need to talk."
Asuka was tired, but it was easy to hear that this was important for Hikari. "Yes."
"It's about us."
Now she had Asuka's full Attention. "I'm all ears."
Hikari sighed shortly, then spoke: "We both know what we will most likely become, yet we are not progressing
at all. Our friendship is stronger than before, and we talk more often, about our most important things. But
while we trust each other at this level, on another, we are drifting apart. We don't kiss, we don't touch.
We behave more and more like good old friends, instead of a young couple. I don't know what you think, but
I would like to try the outlined future. Together."
"I too." confirmed Asuka, which relieved the freckled girl. Then, Asuka continued. "It is still hard for me
to accept your love. This isn't about morality, but about my outlook at life. It has been a very traditional
one, so far. The message has changed this. I need some time to think about all those things, all those
changes. Time I haven´t had so far. Training, tests, the battle against the first Terminator, the aftermath
of this humiliating failure. You have had this time, and you made your decision. You are very important to
me, but I still need some time. Can you understand that?"
This was not what Hikari had hoped to hear, but she understood the plight of Asuka. She was right; she had
way less time to make her decisions than she had herself, so her plea was nothing extraordinary. Suppressing
a disappointed sigh, Hikari nodded in approval. She was on her way to stand up and going back to her own
bed, as Asuka sat up and stopped her. The redhead lifted invitingly her blanket, which surprised Hikari.
Asuka grinned sheepishly as she said: "Hey, as long as you don't try to molest me."
Hikari giggled and crawled to Asuka in her bed. She snuggled close to her and wished her good night.
It didn't take long, before her regular breathing told Asuka that she was asleep. The German redhead was in
turmoil. Hikari was very important to her, and the last she wanted was to hurt her. Yet her inactivity
threatened to do exactly this. The warm breath on her skin spoke of the closeness and trust the other girl
had in her more than thousand words. Slowly, she started to caress the brown hair of the other girl softly.
This night, no sleep came to Asuka. For this, she made an important decision.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
It was rather easy to appear as part of a plane, which was the way he used to reach Japan. After leaving the
Nagano airport in the form of a technician, he used the car of his victim to drive southwards. Now that his
goal was considerably closer, he also needed a strategy to achieve victory.
His plan was parted in three steps. Information gathering, infiltration and execution. As soon as he would
arrive in Tokyo3, he would start with phase 1.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
The next day started rather normally. Sure, it was strange for Rei to awake between two hot bodies, one of
them hugging her, but while the heat was unappreciated, the closeness to another being was somewhat
comforting. She couldn't exactly place her feelings, but they were agreeable. Today would be important for
her; she just hoped that everything would go well. It was one thing to hear about certain things, but a
completely different one to be confronted with hard facts. Today, a lot of people would learn the hard
reality of this threshold.
If Asuka would have know how similar her awakening was to Rei's, how alike their feelings were, she would
have thrown quite a fit. Hikari lay still in her arms, and she found this comforting and sweet. She studied
the calm face of the still sleeping Hikari, and begun slowly to understand why her older self preferred her
for a serious relationship. Hikari was cute, and her freckles accentuated this in a sweet kind of way.
Slowly, Asuka started to stroke softly over the soft, dark-brown hair of the other girl. Her feelings were
still divided about the prospect about a serious relationship with another girl. Sure, she would be nervous
about a possible relationship with a boy too, yet it was still different from that. At least she thought so,
as she had no experience to compare.
Hikari's day started like always, with a cute frown on her face and some unkind thoughts about the fact that
she had to leave her bed and face the day. After a few blinks, she opened her eyes finally for good, and
looked directly in Asuka's blue orbs, which studied her affectionately. Without thinking, she did the first
thing that came into her mind, and she softly pressed her lips against Asuka's. It was long seconds later,
as she realized what that meant, and even longer before she understood that her action was not only
tolerated, but also reciprocated. They stayed for some time in this kiss, before Hikari reluctantly broke it.
Another look in Asuka's eyes confirmed that the German girl was not agitated about this morning´s event, and
she relaxed. Hikari knew that this would be an important day for her friend, as Asuka could finally try to
reach out to her mother´s remains in 02.
Breakfast was a silent affair, and only Maya spoke a few words, telling them the agenda of the day.
"We have to report in NERV at 08:00h, and meet with the Commander immediately. He said that he has a lot of
surprises for us in store, whatever that means. And afternoon is dedicated to synch tests. Shinji and Rei
will have normal tests, with the only deviation that the EVAs will be fully prepared and battle ready. Asuka
you can try to reach your mother, and in case something goes wrong, the other Units can minimize the danger
to others. Any questions?"
Asuka wanted to ask what was so important that she had to wait for noon to get her chance, but decided
against it. She had already waited for so long, there was no need to voice her displeasure about a few hours.
Shinji wanted to ask what those surprises were too, but it was obvious that Maya didn't know. So, he
refrained from asking, just like Asuka.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
During their way to NERV, Rei tried to tell Shinji via gentle gestures what the surprise was, but it was
Mana, who whispered it into his ear, so that he finally understood. Rei was not pleased with this new
display of a growing bond between them, especially not on this day.
Upon their arrival at NERV, Fuyutsuki greeted them. He then led them through several corridors into a small,
but well equipped surveillance room. There, he gave a short declaration that this was a very important day,
as a new age for NERV would begin. As he continued, he was able to even surprise Rei. "Upon request, it was
decided that the second child should be the first to see the beginning of this new era." Asuka grinned over
her entire face. "Finally I am treated the way I deserve it." Hikari groaned at this display of the old
Asuka, and hoped that it was only a minor slip. Fuyutsuki told Asuka how she could reach the room where she
would find these important items, and the redhead immediately marched on.
As soon as Asuka had left, Fuyutsuki continued. "We are here because it was requested that we tape this
event, and that you see it live." Fuyutsuki ignited the main monitor, and Hikari couldn't help herself and
shuddered. She had a bad feeling about this. The monitor only showed a dark room, where nothing could be
seen. The door opened, and a little stray light entered, but not enough to recognize anything.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
After he had entered the city of Tokyo3, he encountered several problems. The entrances to NERV were heavily
guided, and equipped with sensors that could break through every cover he could made. A direct assault was
not possible.
After searching his data banks for useful information, which took him only the tenth of a second, he decided
on a new course of action. If he couldn't get to the target, the target would have come to him.
The information about the target was extensive, and included all persons he cared for. It should be easy to
replace one of them end persuade the target to come. A little search on a map told him which of those
persons was the best for his purpose.
Finished with adapting to this new situation, he continued his way to the bait.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
Asuka entered the dark room, and was not impressed. If there was anything important in here, why wasn't it
lighted up? As she noted that the little light from the door got dimmer, it was already too late. The door
closed with a thundering noise, and she was alone in the darkness.
Suddenly, a red dot appeared on her uniform, directly over her chest. Was she about to be shot? Asuka
suppressed a shiver. Only her logic, that told her that it was unlikely that she would be harmed here, she
was too valuable as a pilot, stopped her from a panic attack. Instead of bolting to the door and hammering
against it, she simply stood there and waited for the things to come.
Another dot appeared, followed by another, and another. As the number grew, she was able to determine two
things. First off, they were most likely more laser-pointers than targeting systems of weapons, and they
were moving.
A lonely spotlight went up and blinded her. She had to close her eyes, and it took her some seconds before
she was able to open them again. She blinked for a few times, then she was finally able to see what was
going on around her. And this sight didn't calm her one bit. She was surrounded by Reis. Asuka had no better
term of calling those figures. They all looked the same, they all had the same expressionless face, and they
all looked straight at her. For uncounted seconds, she simply stared at them.
They all stood unmoving, until, with a strange jerking motion, one of the blue-haired girls went closer to
Asuka.
"We are the Reis. We will assimilate your technical knowledge, your wisdom and your body. Your mannerisms
and temper will not be assimilated, as they are too loud and boisterous. We will dye your hair blue and give
you red contact lenses. You will only speak when you are spoken to. Resistance is futile."
Asuka recognized the Star Trek reference easily, but this did not explain why there were so many Reis. At
first, she surmised that this was a hoax, but as they were closing in, she became uncomfortable. She tried
to go in a fighting stance, but pale hands from behind grabbed her arms and legs. Now, this wasn't funny
anymore. Her eyes widened in unspoken terror, as she saw two of them coming to her. One held a bottle with
blue hair-dye, and the other a case with red contact lenses.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!" wailed Asuka. She struggled to get free, but without success.
They were too many.
The two creepy girls came closer and closer, and Asuka felt unspoken horror as she watched them getting
closer. She would never admit it, but she nearly soiled her pants, as she was suddenly free. And all of the
Reis doubled over in laughter.
It took her some time before Asuka regained her composure, then she realized that they were laughing about
her. This was not to be tolerated.
"Stop laughing! Now!" she demanded in a shaky voice, but this made them only laugh harder.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
Back in the surveillance room, everyone gasped as the saw the seemingly endless number of girls who looked
exactly like Rei. Only Mana took it in stride, she was accosted to clones, as in her timeline, it was the
only way to keep the population on a level that allowed survival.
Shinji gulped, and most of the others gasped. The only exception was Hikari. She didn't care if they all
looked the same or not, or if they were clones or not. After she had learned of her possible future, she
had decided to never judge somebody again only because of looks only. She was more concerned about the fact
that they wanted to meet Asuka alone at first. This didn't make any sense to her, and she was concerned,
which could be seen as she had a light frown on the face.
As the blueheads played their prank, everybody in the room wondered, and then laughed like mad, again with
only Hikari as exception. She was mad at them. They had no reason to shock Asuka this way, and it surely
was not funny! Angered by this, she left the room and stalked directly to the room where Asuka and the
clones were in. While it couldn't be opened from inside, she just needed to use a small lever to open it
from outside.
As soon as the door opened wide enough to let her in, Hikari stepped into the room. She shoved a few of
the clones roughly aside to reach Asuka, who was still too shocked to do more than yelling that they should
stop laughing. She closed in to her, and the freckled girl saw clearly that Asuka still shivered. This was
not a nice little prank. It went way too far for that. Hikari went to Asuka and placed herself in front of
her, and then she had to wait a few seconds before she saw in Asuka's eyes that she was recognized. Only
then, she took her in a close embrace. The redhead still tried to keep her angry and cold appearance, but
Hikari could feel her accelerated breath on her skin, could feel the fast staccato of Asuka's heartbeat,
and see the thin layer of sweat on her skin. Slowly, she led Asuka out of the storage hall, while holding
her all the time. Then, she gave her a small kiss and broke the embrace. She had to give some
wannabe-terrorists a piece of her mind.
The next ten minutes showed impressively how deeply Hikari cared for her friend and more. Vastly
outnumbered, she verbally defeated over hundred girls and made it clear that this was NOT funny. And in the
surveillance room, all occupants had the same thought in the same time.
<Note to self: Never make Hikari angry. Very bad for Karma.>
Finally, one of the blueheads officially relented and went to Asuka, who had recovered enough to not freak
out as the pale girl closed in to her. The clone apologized formally, and Asuka, too dazed to throw a
tantrum, nodded only dumbly. This satisfied Hikari, so she went back to Asuka, and the clones were happy
too. They would have more than enough time for laughing when they watched the tapes of all 17 cameras in
the storage hall.
------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------
Still, the prank was a full success. It broke the ice between the clones and the NERV staff, and made the
introductions much easier. While especially Ritsuko had some reservations about them, most of the others
had no such problems. Makoto was confused about so many girls who all looked alike, yet he took it in
stride and cursed his taste in women. If he had settled for blueheads instead of unreachable purpleheads,
he would have found his paradise. And Aoba saw it even more relaxed. He had started to work for NERV not
because it was supposed to be the savior of humanity, but because he wanted to be part of the biggest
technological breakthroughs in the history of mankind. And over 100 cute clones were surely one of them.
Maya had also very little reservation, especially as a few of them came to her and asked about the MAGI,
and if they could work with them. She asked them a few questions, and was surprised to hear that they had
a very extended IT-knowledge implanted. All they lacked was actual experience, which they could gain via
helping her in abundance. A perfect solution for all.
Asuka was still pissed at them, yet at the same time, she understood a very important difference between
them and the Rei she knew. Their behavior was much more human-like, and despite the bad start, there were
a few of them whose had similar interests as she had herself. Possible friends. So, she grumbled, but at
the same time, she knew that she could get along with them. At least with a few.
Hikari made similar observations. While she never was really familiar with Rei, the differences were easy
to be seen. She was sure that some of them would be quite acceptable personalities. Still she was angry
with them because of their introduction, and what they did to Asuka. That was absolutely uncalled for.
For Mana, it was irrelevant what they were. She was accosted to treat everybody the same.
Shinji made the same observations as Asuka and Hikari. But while they mused if they found some friends, he
observed them for other reasons. He took note about each and every one difference to Rei, and the conclusion
was another reason to hate his father. They were the same as Rei, but they were able to express their
emotions, follow their own interests, live their own lives and make their own decisions. Contrary to Rei.
Genetically, they were the same, only their upbringing was different. The clones were 'raised' by machines
and computers, which implanted all necessary knowledge to let them prosper. Then they had some time to
develop their own interests and talents, before their direct education was finished with courses that fit
best for them. And Gendo raised Rei, another extreme certificate of failure as parent for the donator of
half of his own genetics. Shinji sighed, and then he started to talk with some of them, and found them more
human than Rei.
The quiet girl stood in one of the corners and watched the unfolding scene. She had understood why her
sisters used Asuka to break the ice, but was unable to find it funny. It was simple retaliation, after all.
Her sisters had a lot of her memories, including some of Asuka ignoring or belittling her. She observed
them, and how the others reacted to them. Satisfied that all seemed to going well, she went over to Asuka.
"I'm sorry." apologized Rei.
Asuka looked annoyed at her. Did she want to pull a Shinji? "What for?"
"My sisters used you to break the ice. This was not permitted by you."
"Was it your plan?"
"No."
"Did you have any part in the plan?"
"No."
"So you apologize for something that you weren't aware of, and that you didn't support?"
"Yes."
"Is this logical?"
Rei contemplated this question for some time, and then she nodded in understanding and went away. Her next
stop was beside Shinji, who had his problems of accepting so much beautiful girls at once, but who managed
to hold his ground in a conversation with three of them. As Rei joined them, silent as always, he gently
took her hand and held it.
The rest of this first contact went well, and soon, some of the clones found places where they could work
for NERV. Which relieved them of any need to cover their identities while being at work.
Fuyutsuki, who knew the girls at best, observed this gathering and was satisfied with its progress. He
smiled a little as he saw those presumed soulless shells begin their start in their own lives. All was
going well, as his phone rang and he got a disturbing message.
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The bridge was manned with the second shift, as Fuyutsuki arrived. Satsuki immediately opened a large map
on the holo display and begun the report.
"The UN-satellite LG 19 has spotted this artificial crater today at 06.53 Zulu time." The display switched
from a map of Siberia to the picture of a small, perfect, half marble that was melted in the ground.
"It is exactly the same as we found in Africa, and the one the emissary made as she appeared here." The
blonde beauty continued.
Fuyutsuki sighed, then he contacted Mana, who´s appeared a few minutes later on the bridge. Her verdict
was clear.
"The second is here. How old is the crater?"
"Given the way it has cooled down, approximately 2 days." Satsuki answered immediately.
Fuyutsuki didn't need that Mana told him how to proceed. Before she could even speak up, the alarm sirens
sounded through the entire complex. It was not the long, wailing tone that indicated an Angel alarm, but
short, aggressive sounding burps that heralded that a Terminator was on its way.
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It came as no surprise that only minutes later, the Command Center was in turmoil. Satellites were ordered
to search for a low-key S2-signature, despite Mana's information, which said that the second Terminator
should have none of these organs.
The entire geofront was sealed up, and the city limits were soon patrolled by NERV-troops, which were
equipped with new EMP-grenades, that should be able to take the killer-machine out. At least theoretically.
The JSSDF got also a warning, as one of the scenarios was that the Terminator infiltrated the Command
structure of the army, to use N2 mines against Tokyo3.
Shinji, Rei and Asuka were gathered in the pilots changing room, and had to put their plug suits on. As
long as a Terminator was underway, one of them would always be on guard in an EVA, while the others were
on standby, and not permitted in the immediate vicinity of the cages. The only exception would be if the
Terminator were confirmed within Tokyo3. Because then, Shinji would be relocated to a safe shelter with
a time lock, which would keep him safe for 24 hours. If they weren't able to defeat it in this time,
their cards would be bad anyway.
The clones were also brought in for security. As it stood, they had no role in NERV, which was the reason
why they were taken to a shelter, where they had to wait for the end of the alarm. Hikari had to accompany
them.
As soon as all those things were accomplished, Mana left the ops to get back to Shinji. If she didn't
protect him now, she would have been useless as bodyguard. She reached the changing rooms and entered,
without bothering to knock or warn Shinji. He was lucky that he was already finished with changing; as
otherwise, he would have found himself in a rather embarrassing situation.
Instead of this scenario, he simply asked her if she knew what was going on.
"The second Terminator is on its way here. We found the zone of his arrival, and its two days old. Chances
are good that it´s already in Japan."
Mana saw no reason to sugarcoat things; she preferred to say things how they were. If he had problems with
that, well, she could smack some sense into him anytime. But much to her surprise, he took the news calmly.
He looked even relieved, which she didn't understand at all.
"Hey, why are you in such a good mood? I told you that a killer is after you, and you seem happy about it."
"Kensuke called me just before the alarm started. Our friendship is still intact, and that relieves me." He
answered to the soldier girl.
Mana suppressed an annoyed groan, and said: "That's good to hear. What did he say?"
"That he would like to visit me soon, and that he looked forward to talking with me again."
Asuka made a groan of annoyance, and Mana blinked, in confusion. She could have sworn that the geek would
never have had the guts to come in her vicinity again. This didn't sound like him at all.
"Did he say something about his first visit here?" she asked suspicious.
Shinji shook his head. "No, why?"
Asuka's eyes widened, and she had already opened her mouth, as Mana set the puzzle together too. She
stopped the German redhead with a gesture, and called Fuyutsuki immediately.
"Fuyutsuki." the Commander said on the phone.
"The Terminator is already in the city. I bring Shinji in the special shelter, now."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Then proceed."
After this conversation, she immediately grabbed Shinji's hand and yanked him into motion, while Asuka and
Rei made their way to their EVAs.
"What's going on?" Shinji demanded to know, while he was dragged at a high speed through the corridors.
"The Terminator is already in the city."
"Why? What...?"
"Kensuke is dead. The Terminator has just tried to used its knowledge of your friendship to get into NERV via
invitation." she informed Shinji coldly.
Deeply shocked, he was unable to do anything. So, he was dragged like a puppet to the shelter. The massive
door
was open; all they had to do was to go inside. For a last time, she contacted Fuyutsuki.
"I´ll escort the third into the shelter, as a last line of defense. The other pilots know what is going on,
they will try to get the target immediately." she informed the Commander.
"They already told me. Good luck, you´ll hear from us again in 24 hours." Fuyutsuki answered.
She pushed Shinji roughly in the shelter, and ignited the sealing procedure. The massive doors closed slowly,
and a hydraulic hiss indicated the sealing of the shelter. Now, they could only wait, while the others had
to fight.
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Preread by bmatsea
Useful comments and encouragement to write by Kuracao
Domo arigato.