Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction / Fan Fiction ❯ Silence of the Angels ❯ Setting the Stage ( Chapter 1 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

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Disclaimer: I do not own Neon Genesis Evangelion, nor do I own Silence of the Lambs. They are the properties of Gainax Studios and Thomas Harris respectively.

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Author's Notes: I've gone and rewritten chapters 1-5 of this story. When I looked back on the story, I felt it needed some editing; and since I'm the author, I did it. The edits are just little things here and there and some grammatical changes; so enjoy the story.

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SILENCE OF THE ANGELS

By Northridge

***Chapter One***

SETTING THE STAGE

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FBI trainee Shinji Ikari gradually followed the orderly through the inner depths of the insane asylum.

The hallways were sterile white at first; but as they proceeded deeper into the dark institution, faded bricks began to replace those clean walls. The people around the two were more alert compared to the people in the outer areas, where the patients had only mild cases of mental illness.

He was being escorted to their worst "patient."

Shinji could not help but sweat slightly before arriving at their destination, which holds one of the most dangerous people locked away from society. The inexperienced trainee took his handkerchief out from his coat pocket to dab at the beads of sweat that were forming on his forehead. His folder of papers was threatening to slip from his shaking hand and his mouth was dry from swallowing continuously.

Shinji could only recall the events which led up to this point.

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The other day...

Woods near Quantico, Virginia...

"I can't give up…I can't give up…can't give up" Shinji wheezed while dashing erratically through the woods.

But he was almost out of breath.

Shinji Ikari was grasping for air while running through the crisp Virginian morning. While the sun peaked through the cloudy grey sky, his head was soaked with sweat; his UVA T-shirt loosely hugged his equally sweat-soaked body. His running shoes were pressed with dirt and coming undone due to constant use. The air was moist from the light rain that herald in the night before.

For the past two hours, he pushed himself through a gauntlet of torture. Scaling splintered walls, climbing ropes till his hands blistered, and jogging long miles were beginning to take their toll on the persistent trainee. His twenty-five year-old body hardly had any muscles, which didn't help much with his current exercise routine; but he continued on nevertheless.

Though his body was small, he made it up with his agility. Shinji rated fairly well when it came to hand-to-hand combat and sharp-shooting. Though his body was thin, he made it up with his looks. His face was masculine, but not too rough. If not for a meticulous shave every morning he could have passed for his father; too much like his father for his taste.

At the moment, Shinji was the object of attention of a young man leaning against a tree up the road. He decided to end his morning routine to see what he needed, and because he simply could not push himself any further. He quickly ended his jog to rest his hands against his knees. Taking a few deep breaths, with coughs in between, he gently collapsed himself into a sitting position on the grassy ground.

Shinji addressed his companion when he caught his breath.

"Hey Kensuke, how's it going?" he asked weakly.

"Shinji you really need to stop doing this to yourself. You're going to ruin that pretty face of yours, and you know how the ladies feel about that," he said with a joking smirk.

Shinji flushed at that last comment and went into a coughing frenzy.

His fellow roommate at the FBI training academy, Aida Kensuke, quickly tossed him a bottle of water which Shinji quickly uncapped and drank.

After a few more moments rest, he asked him what his friend was there for.

"Shinji, I'm simply being a friend and looking out for you" Kensuke said with an over-exaggerated frown.

Shinji knew that was a lie. Kensuke hardly ever accompanied him on his morning excursions.

"And…?" pressed Shinji.

"…and the director wants to see you" Kensuke added hastily with a smile.

"Wha, WHAT!?!" Shinji spurted out, dropping the water bottle into his lap.

`SHIT!' thought Shinji.

"What did I do? Why would he need to see me?" he stuttered while getting up to wring out the water from his running shorts.

Kensuke chuckled softly. He took his glasses and cleaned it with a tissue from his pocket.

"I have no idea. But you better hurry and get yourself cleaned up before meeting him. You know how he hates to be kept waiting."

But Shinji had already run off.

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In the Behavioral Science Wing.......

Director Kozo Fuyutsuki did not like waiting.

He sat in his office in the Behavioral Science section of the FBI waiting patiently for the young trainee to arrive. Fuyutsuki decided to look again over various case files surrounding a certain serial killer yet to be caught. Graphic photos of the victims and newspaper clippings adorned a wall. After a few minutes, he could not take in the information any longer. Though his department was only advisory in the FBI, he personally had been instrumental in stopping no less than three serial killers from continuing their sprees. Fuyutsuki took his job seriously and he wanted to continue doing his job to the best of his ability; but retirement was lurking around the corner for him. Fuyutsuki wanted to end his career with this case solved. But the strain was becoming too much for him; so his thoughts went back to Shinji Ikari.

Fuyutsuki knew that Shinji exercised daily in the morning so he thought he should cut him some slack. He also knew Shinji from the time the trainee was a child back when he lived in Washington, D.C. Fuyutsuki was impressed with how the young man rose to the top quarter of his class, despite his personal problems.

`Shinji, why must this rift between your father and yourself continue?' he thought, but Fuyutsuki knew too well why.

He was startled out of his thoughts when Shinji busted through the doors still in his running attire.

He also noticed Shinji's soaked shorts.

"Agent Ikari," he stated humorously, "you weren't too scared to see me were you?"

"What sir?"

Fuyutsuki pointed to Shinji's shorts.

"Oh, I had a mishap with a water bottle sir! Sorry" he replied sheepishly.

Fuyutsuki wondered whether this was true or not given what he knew of Shinji's nature, but he decided to give the young trainee the benefit of the doubt.

"Anyways, let's talk about why I called you here. Have a seat."

Shinji carefully seated himself into the chair, careful not to soak the leather cushion.

"A field assignment came up and I thought of you."

Fuyutsuki took some papers out of a folder.

"An assignment sir?" Shinji asked curiously. Very rarely were trainees given field assignments.

"More of an errand actually; it should give you some hands-on experience before you graduate. Behavioral Science is compiling data on all the serial killers we have in custody. We're trying to form a psycho-behavioral profile. It could be very useful in the future. Most of them were willing to cooperate with us; except for the one we want the most. I was hoping you could go down to the Baltimore asylum to question her."

"Her?" Shinji didn't know of many female serial killers…except for one.

"Dr. Asuka Langley Sohryu" Fuyutsuki replied.

He placed the papers in front of Shinji; a mug shot of HER was clipped to them. Silence permeated the room for what felt like several minutes to Shinji.

"Black Widow Asuka." Shinji whispered in reply.

"The one and the same" Fuyutsuki confirmed.

"Sir" Shinji looked for the right words to say, but failed. "Why me? Shouldn't someone with more experience question Dr. Sohryu…given her character?"

Fuyutsuki gave his prepared reply.

"That's true. However, due to a shortage of experienced manpower for our other investigations, we need to utilize all our resources, regardless of inexperience."

"Yes sir."

"Shinji…" Fuyutsuki switched to his first name. "I don't expect her to cooperate with us. She just insults all the other people we sent to interview her. But given how the public criticizes our every move lately I have to be able to say we tried. So just give her our questionnaire. If she refuses to cooperate report any details about her and her behavior and leave."

But that didn't do much to soothe Shinji's mind.

"Here is a dossier on Dr. Sohryu, a copy of the questionnaire, and a special ID."

Shinji nodded and took them.

Fuyutsuki decided to ask now.

"Shinji…have you talked to your father lately?"

At this question Shinji could not help but feel a surge of anger and sadness rise deep within his heart; beginning to tear at his very sanity again; but he kept it in check.

"No, sir" he replied calmly and looking down and paused. "We haven't talked in a long time."

Fuyutsuki could only nod. He regretted asking the young man that particular question.

"How's your sister?"

At this question however, Shinji's mood brightened. He smiled and looked up.

"She's doing great. Last I heard from Rei, she seems to enjoy going to Penn State. She still insists on being a vegetarian."

Fuyutsuki smiled too and laughed wholeheartedly.

"Give her my regards…and good luck on your assignment. Have your memo on my desk by 0800 Wednesday."

"Yes sir."

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In the showers, Shinji slowly went about cleaning the morning sweat and grime off his body. He went about rinsing the shampoo from his dark hair and proceeded to do the same for the rest of his body.

While Shinji was showering, his mind drifted off into the void of his subconscious. Bits and pieces of his past came up in his mind. HIS FATHER, his sister…his mother. But one particular memory kept coming back to him again and again was that of a young girl he briefly met when he was a child. He quickly shoved the memory away and started to get ready for his trip tomorrow.

But some things do not easily go away for him.

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"Shinji! Man I heard what happened!"

"Yeah Kensuke what did you hear?"

The two friends were talking while walking back to their room; or rather, Shinji was walking and Kensuke was jumping and screaming ecstatically like a girl.

"I heard Fuyutsuki gave you a field assignment!"

The brooding trainee didn't share his roommate's enthusiasm.

"Yeah, lucky me." Shinji felt extremely sarcastic at the moment.

"Dammit Shinji! You're lucky! Not many trainees get to go on one of these things. What's the assignment? Can you tell me?"

"Oh, I'm just going to question a serial killer that's all."

His friend could not believe his ears.

"FUCK DUDE, you are so lucky! Who is it? Manson? Bundy?"

"Ted Bundy's already executed."

"Whatever. But who is it?"

Shinji knew his answer would probably kill his friend's envy.

"Dr. Asuka Langley Sohryu" Shinji stated in a mocking manner.

Kensuke turned visibly pale at that moment.

"On second thought never mind. You aren't lucky at all."

"Thanks for your support" Shinji replied sarcastically.

"I'm just telling you the truth."

They walked the rest of the way in silence.

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The next day...

"Are you sure you can handle her?"

Shinji sat in the plush office of Dr. Ritsuko Akagi at the Baltimore State Forensic Hospital. The blond woman sat behind her desk and was filling out some paperwork. He noticed that she asked him with a lecherous look in her eyes. Shinji knew that look from the many inviting stares he got from the opposite sex in his life; though he never acted upon the invitations; but this look creeped him out.

`She has got to be at least twice my age.' he thought uneasily.

"Dr. Akagi my orders are to give her a questionnaire." Shinji answered with false determination.

"If you say so" she replied. "However, she has been here for four years, and all she ever does is piss me and everyone else off. It's sad how a brilliant mind like hers can be so sick and evil at such a young age."

"Still Dr. Akagi, I would like to see her at the earliest possible convenience."

"Very well" she said while getting up from behind her desk. "Come this way, Mr. Ryouji will show you the rest of the way; we have her locked up in a nice cozy place, since all she ever does is scare all our other residents and staff" Dr. Akagi remarked dryly.

As Shinji got up he decided to ask for advice in dealing with Dr. Sohryu.

"Dr. Akagi is there any other information that can be useful in interviewing her."

She chuckled lightly.

"Agent Ikari, she is basically a monster and bitch combined. If you're lucky, Sohryu will just ignore you. Good luck."

As she led him out of her office, Shinji said his mantra over and over again in his mind.

`I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away.'

"Agent Ikari, are you doing anything afterwards? Baltimore can be a really fun place…with the right company" she asked seductively.

`Oh fuck it.'

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The orderly, Mr. Kaji Ryouji, was not a bad man. Considering the nature of the place he worked in, Kaji still gave off an aura of ease and calmness. His ponytail and stubbled faced gave him an unprofessional presence; yet, one would not question his air of authority. Where any other person with his job would probably go nuts, he smiles and goes about his duties. He led Shinji through several security checkpoints and to their final destination, which so happened to be a huge metal door. Shinji turned to face Kaji in the murky light to see not his usual jovial face, but a stern and unreadable one.

"Mr. Ikari, Dr. Sohryu's cell is at the end of the hall past all the other patients. Do not approach the barrier between you two, nor any of the others. Pass only soft paper through the grate. No pencils or pens. I placed a chair in front of her cell for you."

Kaji then paused for a second. "Are you sure you can handle her?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Shinji replied guardedly.

But Shinji really didn't want to know.

Kaji looked at him quietly.

"Let me put it this way; while faking a seizure, Dr. Sohryu tore off the nose of a doctor with her teeth. Many people that come to interview her, mostly psychiatrist, journalist, and detectives come out crying or pissed. She's killed at least twenty people…that we know of. So in other words, don't let her get to you, literally and figuratively."

Shinji gulped.

"How do you deal with her, Mr. Ryouji?"

He smiled weakly in reply.

"I don't know why, but she likes me. Hell, I don't know whether that's good or not."

"Right." Shinji was quickly loosing his confidence.

"Good luck, I'll be right outside if you need me."

Shinji slowly nodded and walked through the rusted door. He stood there for a minute after hearing the door loudly shutting behind him. The hall extended for at least sixty feet, towards a rusty metal folding-chair, that stood in front of the farthest cell. The only illumination came from the line of bare light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. The air was smelly from the feces that permeated from one of the barred cells. Shinji took a last dab with his handkerchief to absorb his sweat, adjusted his folder in his hand, and cautiously walked down the hall.

As each of his steps echoed throughout the hallway, the "patients" eyed him disturbingly. One fat bald guy gave him a toothy grin and a "hi," another guy sat mindlessly staring straight ahead; however the last guy was very enthusiastic to see Shinji:

"I CAN SMELL YOUR COCK!" the man hissed through the bars. He had his hands moving in his pants.

`Note to self: Stay the fuck away from that one!' Shinji thought to himself.

When he got to Dr. Sohryu's cell, he noticed that instead of metal bars, there was a three-inch glass barrier with air holes lining the top and bottom. There were several sketches on the right wall. A metal toilet sat the corner with a paper screen moved to the side.

Dr. Asuka Langley Sohryu sat on the cot, which hugged the left wall. She had her right arm resting on a knee dragged up to her chest. Her other arm was detailing a drawing on boarded butcher paper, which rested on her other leg.

She wore the standard dull gray jumpsuit that the other people wore. Except in this case, she was fastidiously clean about wearing it. Her skin was healthy and wrinkle-free despite a lack of sunlight to the cell. Her long red hair hung unbraided, but that only brought out more of her deadly beauty.

It gave her the unnatural appearance of a ravenous spider.

`Just like her nickname' Shinji thought with strained amusement.

But her eyes, her eyes, got most of his attention. When Dr. Sohryu looked up from her detailed work, she stared at him. They were a pure light blue that engulfed his senses. She was beautiful…for a serial killer.

She looked at him for what seem to be an eternity…and then smiled mischievously. She said only one word to greet him.

"Hello."

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TO BE CONTINUED…

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Please read and review.

-Northridge