Kind Angel's Thesis - 5Teineina Tenshi No Teze
Kind Angel's Thesis
A Ranma 1/2, Neon Genesis Evangelion Crossover.
Neon Genesis Evangelion and all character belongs to Gainax
Ranma 1/2 and all characters belong to Takahashi Rumiko
No copyright infringement is intended.
Thanks to my pre-readers:
Ben Aevan http://aevan.virtualave.net
Kevin D. Hammel http://www.anime.sobhrach.com/~khammel/
Blood Blade http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Towers/5920
Mike Rever
Please distribute this work unaltered and crediting the author.
dzillman@ozemail.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~dzillman/fire
What has gone before:
In the year 2000, Ranma was attacked by a demon summoned by Happosai. In an
attempt to save Akane, he travelled to the Antarctic to gain power of a heavenly
warrior Cologne told him about. Unfortunately, he died in the effort.
It is now 2015, and Ranma has been reborn and recruited as the Fourth Child for
NERV. In some unknown manner, Rei and Ranma share the same body, changing bodies
and controlling personalities in the same way that Ranma's curse always used to
work. With the defeat of the fifth Angel, Ranma is beginning to settle into a
routine at school and at NERV. However, people are beginning to grow suspicious
of Ranma and Rei, and NERV's ponderous security is turning their attention to
the children.
(Story 5)
"I asked you a question. I expect to be answered."
Unfortunately, Ranma was still concentrating on the strange and intimidating
office rather than on the speaker. Red lighting was streaming in from Ranma's
left, casting haunting shadows on the wall of the office behind Ikari Gendo.
Against the red-lit background, the support beams for the windows cast dark,
angled lines, reminiscent of a Christian cross.
From Ranma's perspective, Gendo sat at the base of this cross, his hands clasped
in front of his mouth, eyes shielded by his glasses and hidden in the shadows.
The image presented by the imposing room was confusing and destabilising. From
his position behind the desk at the base of the shadows, Gendo seemed to be
praying to the cross, supplicating himself to the god of some greater power. At
the same time, Gendo radiated the smug contentment of a spider in the middle of
its web, reaching along shadowy lines to all that might enter.
Ranma did not consciously recognise all of this. All that his instincts said was
that here was a dangerous man. A man without care for his own life, but someone
carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. In many ways it was
unfortunate that more people did not share Ranma's insight into Gendo. Someone
responsible and rational might have held command of NERV if they did. Of course,
a responsible and rational man could not have accomplished the miracles that
Gendo had. Only someone driven to the edge of madness could achieve so much, and
only time would tell which side of madness Gendo truly lived on.
"Uh... Sorry, what was the question again?"
Gendo scowled. Scowled more than usual, but this was not noticeable behind the
shadows and his clasped hands. "I am not in the habit of repeating myself, so
pay attention. My time is valuable."
Ranma nodded once, giving Gendo at least some of his attention.
"I asked how long you had been having sex with Ayanami Rei."
Staggering back a couple of steps, Ranma was completely unable to keep his voice
at a normal tone. "WHAT?!"
"I do not intend to ask a third time. You heard me perfectly well."
"I dunno what your even talking about! I hardly even seen her! What makes you
even think I'd be doing _that_ with her."
Gendo leaned forwards. "Do not attempt to lie to me, young man. We have every
evidence that you are involved in a relationship with the First Child. There is
no other motive that can be attributed."
Flabbergasted, Ranma could only gape inanely and try to respond. "But... She and
I... We never even..."
Slapping his hands onto the table with a sound like a gunshot, Gendo put an end
to Ranma's attempts to explain. "Do not even try to lie to me. I do not care
what you are doing to the First Child. My only concerns are Ayanami's utility to
NERV and her ability to pilot. Your piloting ability comes in third by a
considerable distance. "So long as you do nothing to jeopardise those first two
priorities, I do not care what you do with or to Ayanami. If satisfying your
teenage lusts makes you a better pilot, then I would encourage you to continue
your course of action. However, do not think for an instant that you could
conceal anything from myself or NERV."
"Doesn't do anything to jeopardise her utility to NERV?..." Ranma spluttered.
"What kinda talk is that? She's a girl, damn it, not some kind of machine. She's
got feelings too, you know. How impressed you reckon she would be if she heard
you saying this about her?"
"Ayanami has no feelings. She is a tool to be used just like the Evangelions,
and with the same capacity for feelings. As far as both she and the rest of NERV
are concerned, she is a component in the Evangelion system. A replaceable
component, just like you are. Make no mistake, Saotome, if you attempt to
interfere with Ayanami's ability to function, you will be removed from this
project."
"I can believe you said that! She's a human being! A living breathing person!"
"No! We are in the middle of a war, never forget that; even for an instant. She
is simply an expendable resource. When her utility is at an end, she will no
longer be needed. Until that time, she is a valuable tool. A resource. But that
is all. She will never be anything more than that."
Ranma wanted to argue more. He wanted to yell and scream, to refute Gendo and
wipe the smug expression off his face, but he could not. Gendo was right. Not
about everything, but enough. Ranma understood well enough what Dr. Akagi had
briefed him on. If the Angels got through, it would be the end of the world.
Against that, his life and the life of Ayanami Rei did dwindle into
insignificance.
Even if Gendo was right in principle, he was wrong in practice. Ranma knew that
Rei was willing to sacrifice herself if needed. If her willingness to stand in
front of a particle beam as it melted through her Eva had not been testament to
that, her silent acceptance of death was. The thing that mainly irked Ranma was
the callous way that Gendo treated that willing sacrifice. He should be praising
her to the stars and offering her every consideration he could. Instead he
almost said that they would chew her up and spit her out.
Pointing a finger at Gendo, Ranma stood his ground. "I don't care what you say.
Rei's special, and she's got just as much right to enjoy herself as anyone.
What's more, I'll prove it! So long as it don't bother your precious piloting,
I'm gunna make sure Rei's happy."
Gendo smirked and pressed a hidden button, activating the door behind Ranma.
"Good. So long as you understand that Ayanami's usefulness to NERV is always her
first priority, you may do as you wish. Take her to the Kabuki or shut her in a
box away from the world; I do not care which option you choose. Her only use is
within the Geofront or inside an Evangelion."
When Ranma stalked out the main office door, Fuyutsuki opened a hidden panel and
came into view. "Hmm... I don't suppose you gave him a bit too much information
then? Dr. Akagi did give him quite a high intelligence rating for a boy his
age."
Settling back into his seat, Gendo studied his second in command. With his calm
re-established, it was easy to see how the annoying boy had managed to goad him
into almost saying things that were too accurate for public knowledge.
"No. Saotome is simply going through the imprinting that is normal for any child
his age undergoing their first liaison with a member of the opposite sex. His
interest in Ayanami will quickly diminish when he learns that she has no
capacity for emotion. While the physical attraction may last, the lack of
feelings on her part will end the relationship naturally."
"You seem very sure of those words."
"I am. The First Child has been raised without any emotional content in her
life. Every effort has been taken to destroy all of the subject's capability to
have independent feelings. They would be inconvenient for what is to come. The
Saotome boy might as well confess his affection for this table, for all the
response it would get him. Dr. Akagi, mother and daughter, have been very good
at her work, and they have made sure that Ayanami matches our specifications...
Physically and mentally."
Fuyutsuki nodded. It was a sad state of affairs that they were in, but it was in
everyone's best interests. Arguably, what they were doing was not in Ayanami's
best interests, but as Gendo had said earlier, it was best to think of her as a
resource; a component of Project Eva. That was all she was; nothing more,
nothing less.
* * *
'I'm sorry you had to hear that, Rei.'
*Why?*
Stalking down the corridor, Ranma glared at anyone he passed, still thoroughly
annoyed at Gendo. He was used to his own father being insensitive, but Gendo
managed to take that trait to new levels. At least when Genma had run one of his
torturous training missions, Ranma could be confident that it was being done to
make him a better martial artist. Gendo... All Gendo cared about was his giant
robots. The people who piloted them were no more important than... Ranma was not
sure what something cheap on the Eva was, but he was sure that it would be the
right thing to compare their worth to.
'You respected him, Rei. It's not just that something rotten was said, it's the
fact that it was said by someone you respected.'
*Commander Ikari was correct.*
"WHAT!?" Sheepishly, Ranma looked around. He had not meant to speak out loud,
but Rei's reaction to Gendo's comments had startled him. Fortunately he was
alone on the massive escalator that he was riding to the upper-levels of the
Geofront. At least, he was alone as it was possible to be while you had another
person's soul riding around inside your head.
*Commander Ikari was correct.*
'Would you care to explain how he could possibly be correct? What possibly gives
that guy the right to treat anyone like that? Especially you!'
Ranma had almost reached the end of the escalator ride before Rei responded. He
needed to get to the bottom of this, and Ranma knew that it meant the
conversation would take a long time. Rather than meeting up with Dr. Akagi and
trying to get a lift home off her like he had originally planned, Ranma faced
towards one of the trains leading out of the Geofront. He would get to the
surface and walk back to their place. Surely that much time would be enough to
have a conversation with anyone, even Rei.
*I cannot tell you why he is correct. You do not have sufficient security
clearance.*
Ranma was about to become rather vociferous on the subject of security
clearances when he halted himself in the middle of his wind-up. If he had
started arguing with Akane, he knew that the two of them would make each other
heard simply by yelling. Arguing with Rei was a different kettle of fish. If you
interrupted her - breaking into one of her pauses that could easily be mistaken
for a complete silence by someone who did not know her - she would simply forget
what she had been about to say and move on to the next point.
Fighting down the urge to say something eloquent and tactful about their
commander, Ranma waited for Rei to continue. *Commander Ikari is the designated
commander or NERV. This gives him the right to commandeer resources as needed to
defend the Earth from the Angels.*
'I know NERV can get that big cannon and stuff, but it ain't the same for
people.'
*I am a resource.*
'And does that make me a resource too?'
*You are a part of me.*
'I ain't no resource. Neither are you. You got that?'
There was a long silence. Ranma was almost home by the time Rei spoke again. She
was very quiet, sounding more timid than he had ever heard her. *Commander
Ikari... He told me that I was. I am expendable. No-one has ever contradicted
the Commander before.*
'Trust me on this one, Rei. You can't treat people like machines. We aren't just
rolled off an assembly line or nothin'. We're special, all of us.'
There was silence all the way up the stairs and into their apartment. Even when
Ranma splashed himself with cold water and Rei took over control of their
time-shared body, she did not speak. Ranma attempted to draw her out and get her
to say something, but he was hampered by the fact that he was trying his best to
avoid looking at anything while she changed out of his clothes and into her
school uniform.
Leaving Ranma's clothes in an untidy heap on the floor, Rei lay down on the bed
face-down. With her cheek resting on her crossed arms, she looked blankly at the
stained metal walls of her room. Hauntingly beautiful red eyes blinked once as
she lay there, otherwise completely motionless.
In all her time with NERV, she had never been in this position before. Every
time she had been told something, it fitted into the nice, clean, sanitised
version of the world that she had been given. No facts contradicted each other,
and you could always depend on your leaders. She realised that what her teacher
at school told her about Second Impact was not reality, but simply the story
that had been provided for security reasons.
Now that she was with Ranma, things had become very strange. They were
unpredictable, disorganised, and worse, dissenting. Was Commander Ikari correct?
Was Saotome Ranma correct? Commander Ikari had not given her any orders on what
to believe. She wanted to believe the Commander, but Ranma believed something
else. He would not believe this unless he had been told to, but who would have
told him to believe they were special? What did the Commander want her to do?
Could Ranma be right about him, but wrong about herself? Even though they were
the same person... "Who do I believe?..."
She knew Ranma was saying something to her, but she did not listen. Rei was
thinking, her face completely expressionless as she tried to wrap her mind
around these mysteries. What was the correct thing to do? What should she be
doing? Should she try to stop Ranma? That should only be necessary if he was
compromising her ability to pilot or complete the Human Instrumentality Project.
So far she had not managed to detect any adverse affects of having his soul
reside within her.
Rei blinked her eyes again and decided that she would need to keep a close eye
on Ranma. If he showed any signs of trying to aid the Angels or endanger the
Project, she would report him to Commander Ikari. The Commander had clearly said
that these were her main priorities. He had also said that Ranma may do anything
else he wished with her. After several hours of thought, Rei decided that this
meant that it was safe for Ranma to continue to act in this manner. Perhaps it
also meant that she could do whatever she wished so long as she was available
for NERV.
Silently, Rei lay there and wondered. What did she wish to do?
* * *
"Ranma?"
"Yes, Dr. Akagi?"
"Is Ayanami there?"
Ranma put down the phone and looked around the small apartment. The place was
barely big enough for one person, let alone two. Even after talking to Commander
Ikari that morning, Ranma still had a hard time believing that people thought he
was in some sort of relationship with Rei. After all, he was a martial artist
rapidly approaching the prime of his life. He had no time for girlfriends. Or
fiancées, he added as an afterthought, with a slight smirk that quickly faded.
With a slight edge to his voice, Ranma replied. "No. She's not."
While he could not see her face, Ranma could tell that the head of Evangelion
project was smiling. "Well, in that case, Ranma, could you please tell her
something the next time that you see her?"
"Sure."
"Misato and I am going out to Jet Alone tomorrow. There's going to be a
demonstration on there for the next couple of days."
"Ahh... So why are you telling me?"
"It means we need to cancel your Eva practice and sync test tomorrow. You do
remember them, don't you?"
Sweating nervously, Ranma tried to place as much honesty and confidence into his
voice as possible. "Ahh.. Yeah, sure! Sync tests. No problem."
"Ranma, Ranma, Ranma. You're just too honest for your own good."
*Ask Dr. Akagi how the deployment of the Jet Alone robot will affect the
operational parameters of Project Eva.*
'Sure, gimme a second.'
"Hey, Doctor... How's the... um, deployment of the Jet Alone robot gunna...um."
"How will JA1 affect your duties? I'm surprised you're asking Ranma. I would
have expected that sort of question from someone more informed, like Ayanami.
Are you sure she's not there?"
"Oh, yeah. Sure, I'm sure! No-one here but me. All by myself, that's me. Heh,
heh..."
Ritsuko gave a short giggle before she continued. She had the security report in
front of her saying that Ayanami had gone to school and then come home. No-one
had seen her leave the apartment, despite the fact that Ranma had gone out to
train for a few hours. Since it was Ranma answering the phone, the conclusion
was fairly obvious. Young love was so funny to watch.
For a few moments Ritsuko honestly wondered what Ayanami thought about Ranma's
attentions. It would make an interesting study really. That sort of emotional
involvement would be entirely new to the girl. Perhaps Ritsuko should start to
take notes on her progression. It would be a fascinating project to be able to
monitor her emotional development.
Equally interesting would be doing a psychology thesis on Ranma's mental state
as he came to realise that his feelings for Ayanami were all one sided.
According to all of the analysis and design that both Ritsuko and her mother had
done, almost nothing should be able to shake their experiment out of its
emotional wasteland. Normal human life was filled by emotion, and that was why
Gendo had been so important to raising Ayanami Rei. The man was almost as
emotionless as the girl, and his willingness and ability to sacrifice anything
to his goals allowed him to control Ayanami perfectly.
Enough speculation, Ranma deserved an answer to his question. He did not deserve
the truth; it would spoil his impression of NERV as an humanitarian
organisation. The truth that Ritsuko knew exactly what would happen to Jet
Alone's demonstration was never going to be public knowledge.
"JA's robot won't have much effect on you or your job. The Evangelions will
always be necessary until the Angels are defeated. With our ability to generate
an AT-Field, the Evangelions represent the Earth's only hope."
Ranma swallowed audibly. "Well... I guess that's nice to know..."
"All right Ranma. That was all I wanted to tell you. As soon as you've finished
whatever you are up to with Ayanami, please pass on my message. Thanks."
"Hey, I was just practising martial arts!"
"Ranma, you were training here earlier this afternoon. No-one is that dedicated.
At least try and pick a plausible excuse for the heavy breathing next time."
"But---"
"Goodbye, Ranma."
With a click, the phone in Ranma's hand disconnected. 'Why doesn't anyone ever
believe me?'
*I believe you.*
'Thanks, Rei.'
* * *
It had been two days since Ranma had spoken to Doctor Akagi Ritsuko on the
telephone. By almost any measure, those days had been perfect. With Rei
controlling the body and attending school, Ranma had been able to effectively
sleep all day. They spent some common time in the evenings, but after and before
school he could train as hard as he liked.
In all honesty, Ranma was hard pressed to think of how life could be much better
than the last couple of days. He had someone to talk to who did not constantly
either cling onto him or thump him on the head, and he could train almost
non-stop. Surely that was the definition of a good life. It had taken a bit of
adjusting to, but Ranma was beginning to appreciate Rei as a conversationalist.
When she did not have anything to say, she said nothing.
Of course, he tended to have lots of important things to say about martial arts,
but not once had Rei complained. The only other person who he had known that was
willing to talk about martial arts that much was his father. Admittedly, Rei did
not so much talk about martial arts; she just listened. Then again, Ranma
assumed that she was listening. Since he knew that she was not particularly
interested, he did not ask her any questions, so on the whole he just talked.
Ranma was talking about he recent training as they walked through NERV's
Geofront. He was hot and sweaty, but it was a good feeling. His blood still sang
with adrenaline, and his muscles had the sore, stiff feeling that only comes
with healthy exercise.
Stopping partway through his description of his recent speed training, Ranma
turned and smiled at Shinji who walked up behind them. "Hey, Shinji. What are
you up to?"
"Ranma-kun. I was just walking around. Why are you here? I thought you would be
out in the city somewhere since it was a Saturday."
Ranma shrugged. "Nothing to do. I just thought I would come over here for a few
hours and do some training. I was just going to head back home. How 'bout you?"
Shinji grimaced. "I'm on site for any potential emergencies. Since Misato-san
and Dr. Akagi are away, they wanted at least one of the pilots to be here."
"Sure is quiet without them. Sometimes I think it's the girls that make
everything noisy and confusing. That's what it was like before I came here. When
it was just me and Pops, everything was nice. Soon as I started to settle down
and..."
Ranma trailed off. Thoughts of Akane, Ukyo and Shampoo flittered through his
head. No matter how nice it was to be here today, he would have traded it all
for a single hit in the head, or a single ramen or Okonomiyaki cooked just for
him.
"I... I don't really know. I used to live with my Aunt and Uncle... The only
women I really know are Misato-san and Ayanami. I... I hardly think that
Misato-san is a good example, she's always drinking and she's such a mess. I
don't think all women could be like that."
"Nah. They're worse. If they're not cooking for you, they're trying to kill you
or date you. And if that ain't enough, they're always fighting each other. Trust
me, Shinji, you get a few girls together and you'll never get any peace."
*Do I cause you problems, Ranma?*
'What? No, Rei. I mean... You're special.'
Shinji looked at Ranma with doubt showing plainly on his face. "Are you sure?
Misato-san can't cook, but she never really causes trouble. She just likes to..
Well, lay around the house, I guess."
"Oh, yeah. Trust me, the tomboys who can't cook are the worst. I used to know
this one who..."
Shinji waited a moment. Even after waiting for a bit more, Ranma did not
continue, he just looked off into the middle distance with a sad expression on
his face. It was an expression Shinji knew well, because he wore it every time
he thought about his mother.
"Do you... That is... Umm..."
Forcing a smile to his face, Ranma turned and gave Shinji a grin. He had been
putting off his search for Akane's grave because he knew it would be hard to
visit. It was even worse trying to talk to someone about it. "It's a beautiful
day, isn't it, Shinji?"
Shinji looked up and briefly considered the inside of the Geofront. "I guess..."
"What are you up to today?"
"Well, I was going to---" The strident ringing of Shinji's mobile phone cut him
off. When Shinji pulled out the phone and began speaking into it, Ranma turned
away and admired the view. He was contemplating the aesthetics of the monorail
that corkscrewed its way around the side of the Geofront when Rei spoke.
*Am I special?*
'Sure, Rei.'
*How do you know?*
'Ahh... That's a hard one. I guess we're all special. I mean, it's not as though
they have a dozen of you in stock and can just pull out another Ayanami Rei when
they need one, is it?'
*Not a dozen... No.*
'See, and that makes you special. You're a person. Hey, you're a part of me,
that has to make you special.'
*So I am special because I am part of you.*
'No, that ain't it. You're special because you're my friend. You don't have to
do nothing, and you don't have to say nothing. It's not because you're like
someone else, it's because you're you. That's what makes you special.
Understand?'
For a while, there was just the sound of Shinji talking on the phone. *No.*
'You know, Rei, you've got a real confidence problem. Didn't no-one ever say how
you do a good job and stuff?'
*Commander Ikari once told me that I was fulfilling my role, and that there
should be no delays in the schedule.*
'Hmm... That ain't exactly what I meant. You gotta---'
"Ranma!" Shinji called out. "Misato-san's in trouble! Something went wrong at
Jet Alone and we need to stop the robot."
The mere thought of action and challenge brought light to Ranma's eyes. "Great!
When do we leave?"
For a moment the Third Child was taken aback, but then he remembered who he was
talking to. This was Ranma, the same madman that volunteered to get back into
the entry plug even after he had been hurt so badly from the bio-feedback during
the last Angel attack. In a calming manner, Shinji held up his hands. "That's...
That's not really what I meant. Misato-san wants me to come and help her. We
need an Evangelion there to keep the robot from reaching Tokyo-2. I... I don't
know all of the details. Misato-san was going to tell me on the plane there."
"But what am I supposed to do? Why can't I go instead? I bet I could beat it
faster than you could."
"I... I don't know. She only said that I was needed. I don't even think we're
trying to destroy it. Besides, what about Ayanami? She'll still be here too."
"Yeah, but she's..."
"She's what?"
"Ah... Heh, heh... Nothing, nothing at all... All right Shinji, you can go this
time, but just remember something. While you're off fighting this thing, Rei and
me are gunna be training! Saotome Ranma will never be second choice in anything
for fighting!"
"That's, um... nice... Ranma. I'll see you later."
Watching Shinji walk into the distance, Ranma grimaced. It really got to him
that someone else would be chosen as first preference when it came to fighting.
Regardless of the fact that he wanted to head back into the command centre of
NERV and practice fighting in their Eva, Ranma continued on his way out. He had
made a commitment to Rei that on the weekend they would share their time. This
morning they had agreed that he could have the morning for training, and the she
could have control in the afternoon.
As important as fighting was to him, the idea of ignoring Rei's needs and going
back hardly even crossed his mind. It was not the risk of retribution that
prevented the action, it was simply that he had told her she could be in control
in the afternoon. Ranma's word was his bond, even if it was made in haste. A man
could lose everything, but still have his honour. But a man who lost his honour
- who broke his word at the first difficulty - what did he have at all?
'Rei, do you really think Misato-san chose him because he's better than us?'
*Commander Ikari will tell the newspapers that he wanted to keep two Evangelion
pilots here in case Tokyo-3 is attacked.*
'Really? Do you think he wants us here to protect everyone?'
*No. There is no danger of attack.*
* * *
In the year of 2014, it would be a sorry error to allow oneself to fall into
assuming the stereotypes of the proceeding century. Most notable of these was
sexism. Of the senior officers in NERV, two were male and two were female.
In Doctor Akagi Ritsuko's professional opinion, there was a very simple reason
why the commander-in-chief of the most powerful government agency in the world
was a man. It was because Ikari Gendo had been born male. If he had been born
female, Gendo still would have been the one to rise to the position of power.
No-one else in the world was driven enough, committed enough. Ruthless enough.
"Shinji-kun has JA1 in his grip. OK... Misato's inside now."
Sparing a glance from the field glasses, Ritsuko looked at the small, portable
terminal next to her. Through this very terminal, she controlled all of the
vital systems on the JA1 robot. She had no idea who had infiltrated the rival
company, nor how they had arranged to sabotage the systems. All she knew was
that she now was the only person in the world that could avert a catastrophe.
"Excellent. Tell me when the robot enters Tokyo-2."
"Sir... They still haven't completed the evacuation of Tokyo-2."
"I am aware of that. Jet Alone will not lose sufficient credibility and
therefore funding unless there is a spectacular error. Proceed with the
operation."
Ritsuko looked through the field glasses again and chewed her lip. She knew that
the world's only hope was NERV, but these tactics did not sit well with her.
"Perhaps..."
"If you had any better suggestions, they should have been raised at the
appropriate time. Proceed with the operation."
Minutes passed. In one-ear piece, Ritsuko could hear the frantic shouting of
Shinji and Misato. Misato had come across the fact that the emergency shutdown
codes had been disabled. Flicking a glance to the laptop's screen Ritsuko
returned to watching the giant machines struggle against each other. All it
would take was for her to press one button and the control rods could be
re-inserted into the fission pile.
"Is the operation complete yet?"
"Negative Commander. Captain Katsuragi's plan has worked better than
anticipated. Since the Evangelion was deployed, JA1 has made no effective
forward motion."
Gendo snorted into her earpiece. It had been a simple and elegant plan. When Jet
Alone did their field test and demonstration of it's new JA1 robot, they would
discredit it and call upon the United Nations to cease funding the smaller
company. With operating costs for the Evangelions being higher than anticipated,
NERV could not afford to let a rival company suck away some of the funding that
it needed.
Ritsuko was well aware of why they were doing this. She regretted it, she
honestly did. In an ideal world, everyone would have had the funding to work on
research projects of this sort of grand scale. Unfortunately, this was far from
an ideal world, and only one could survive in this harsh economic climate. That
one must be NERV. No-one else had the AT-Field. No-one else could possibly match
their capabilities.
No-one else could make all of humanity into gods.
There were precisely four people in NERV that knew what they were really doing.
Ritsuko was one of them, and some days, she even questioned the true extent of
her knowledge. She knew that through the Evangelion project, they could prevent
the Angels from triggering Third Impact. By saving the world, it would buy them
sufficient time to complete NERV's true, hidden agenda. An agenda so important,
barely a dozen people in the entire world knew of its existence.
"Sir, I've allowed the damping rods to enter slightly for extra time, but I
don't see anyway of getting JA1 past Shinji's Eva."
"Hmmm. I should have foreseen this. We set out to demonstrate the Eva's
superiority, and it has worked against us. The Evangelion is generations ahead
of JA1. There is no chance that the robot will succeed in reaching the city
without external intervention."
The voices in Ritsuko's other earplug were getting quite frantic. According to
the screen in front of her, the JA1 would go critical in less than a minute.
"Will we go ahead with the meltdown now that we cannot reach the city?"
"I see no reason not to. Unit-01's AT-Field will render it immune to anything as
trivial as a nuclear meltdown."
Ritsuko paused and licked her lips. Misato was her friend. More importantly, she
was in charge of the military operations of NERV.
"Captain Katsuragi is still inside."
"Yes."
The countdown time was nearing its end.
"Will her death be sufficient advantage? Everyone has already seen that the JA1
is an unacceptable risk."
The numbers ticked inexorably down. All it would take was a single touch of her
finger, and the dampener rods would be shunted into their shutdown position. A
single button on her laptop was all that stood between Misato and a glowing hole
in the desert.
Five. Four. Three. "Damp the pile."
While she heard cheers in one earpiece as the staff in Jet Alone celebrated,
there was a quiet click of disconnection in the other. Commander Ikari's plan
had not gone quite as he had expected, but in her heart, Ritsuko could not find
any sorrow for that. Thousands, possibly millions of people would live as a
result of Shinji's actions. It was something he could be proud of, especially if
he never found out about the cause of the near-disaster.
* * *
Ranma was bored. To say that he was bored brought whole new levels of meaning to
the word. With their busy school and training schedule, Ranma had never really
had time to appreciate what Ayanami Rei's life was like before he arrived.
Before Ranma had arrived, Rei life had consisted of going to school, working
with NERV and living at home. Some might say that those tasks in themselves
constituted a busy and exciting life, but it depended on your level of
involvement. For Rei, going to school and working at NERV entailed doing exactly
that. She would go there, do what she was told, then leave. There was no
socialisation, no extracurricular activity, no heartfelt devotion to a task.
Living at home was just that: living. That was all she did; she lived. She would
lie on her bed, staring blankly at the wall; breathing in and out. After they
had come home, she had changed, lay down and stared at the wall. She was not
asleep, she was not talking, nor was she doing anything. The sole movement and
excitement in this routine came every now and again when she would blink.
Ranma was bored.
*Rei! We've been like this for ten minutes now! What are you doing?*
'I am waiting.'
*What for?*
'School.'
*WHAT? But that's not until Monday...*
'Yes. Commander Ikari said that when I had completed all my other tasks, and
there was nothing else to do, I should wait patiently. '
If Ranma had been in control, he would have been banging his head against the
wall in frustration. It was always Commander Ikari this, and Commander Ikari
that. It was almost like Rei was his puppet or something. *Have you considered
doing something while you wait?*
'No.'
*Perhaps you should consider it now. I'm getting bored just laying here.*
Silence reigned. Ranma did not interrupt. He knew that it was futile trying to
rush Rei into these things. She was not like him; he could make decisions
instantly, she preferred to think. He liked action, she preferred inactivity. He
was outspoken and direct, she was quiet and never criticised.
Caught up in listing the differences between them, Ranma was caught by surprise
when they suddenly moved. Feeling her legs move, Ranma looked around, trying to
understand what had roused her from her supine position. *What's happening?
Where are we going?*
'We are going into the city.'
*Why?*
'To purchase clothes.'
Ranma was stunned. Rei was going to buy clothes? The girl that owned precisely
three identical school uniforms and two swimsuits? Even one of those swimsuits
was part of the school uniform. This same Rei was going out to buy clothes.
*Why are you going to get clothes?*
Ranma felt the muscles in her face tense slightly. Not enough to move the skin
and make it visible, but they were the right muscles for a smile. 'No-one told
me not to.'
* * *
Ranma had finally come to accept the clothes that Rei had proposed. He had no
problem in her taste in clothing; it was simply that she had feminine tastes.
Nothing overly frilly or lacy, but things like skirts and dresses always made
him nervous. True, they had managed to avoid being splashed with hot water while
she was at school so far, but he could not expect it to last forever. Since she
had refused to wear his clothes to school - Commander Ikari had told her to wear
a uniform - he had nervously tolerated it. But voluntarily putting him at risk
by wearing a dress when they did not need to...
*All right, Rei. Get what you want, but nothing too girly.*
'I am a girl.'
*But I'm not! What if we get splashed while you're wearing that pink thing?*
There was silence while Rei contemplated the pink teddy. To get to the casual
wear section of the store, Rei had taken the direct route through the store.
Needless to say, that had given Ranma a close-up and personal view of the entire
lingerie section.
'If someone saw us wearing that, they would be inside our house. We do not
normally have guests.'
*That isn't how it works. Just say a revenge crazed martial artist attacks you
in the middle of the night. When you fight back, the battle goes outside, and
right in the middle of a café, someone splashes you with hot tea. Then think how
we would look.*
'Is that likely to happen?'
*I guess. It's happened to me a couple of times...*
Nodding to indicate her acceptance of the wisdom that comes from experience, Rei
moved to the next rack. 'In that case, they would probably assume that you are a
pervert.'
*Thanks, you're a big help.*
She still needed sleep clothes, but if they caused Ranma that much difficulty,
she could wear something different. Picking up several pairs of matching tops
and bottoms, she collected a few style variations all in plain colours. Idly she
wondered what it would be like to sleep in something other than her school
uniform.
Getting the rest of the clothes was even easier. With the staff at NERV being
her main reference for fashion, Rei did not have particularly outgoing taste.
Having pretended to be a girl often enough, Ranma was well versed in how to
choose clothes that accentuated whatever features you wished.
One of the most important things he had learned in his previous life was when he
had taught his female mirror-twin to pick up boys. He had gone out on the town
with the female duplicate of himself and shown her how to dress and how to act
so as to drive the boys wild. All of that knowledge and experience were put to
use right now. Nothing could change the fact that Rei had a good body and great
face, but it was easy enough to steer her away from the clothes that would make
every boy that saw her fall down drooling. Lining Rei up with dates was not
something high on his list of things to do.
Despite his reluctance to make Rei too enticing, Ranma had his pride. More
importantly, Rei deserved to have her own pride too. With careful eyes, Ranma
helped Rei choose an assortment of clothes that would serve her well in almost
every situation. Fortunately, at the moment, their sizes were fairly similar.
Due to a girl's earlier start into puberty, Ranma was in no great danger of
destroying the clothes if Rei suddenly was splashed by hot water. Always an
important thing to be aware of if you have a Jusenkyo curse.
Since they were getting clothes for all occasions, Ranma convinced Rei to get
something suited for more formal business use. Wearing the sharp, well cut, red
skirt-suit, he was sure that she would stun anyone at NERV. Of course, Ranma did
not need to dress up to stun people, he was good enough at martial arts that he
did not need to worry. Rei on the other hand could use it as a sort of brace;
something to bolster her ego when she went to talk to the senior staff there. It
would be especially useful when she spoke to Gendo, since he seemed to have such
an uncaring opinion of her. Maybe this would give her the confidence to stand up
to him.
They were approaching the sales counter with their latest armful when something
occurred to Ranma. *Hey, Rei! How are you going to pay for all of this?*
'I have a credit cared linked to a NERV account. The account is for the
provisioning of maintenance and equipment as needed for the First Child.'
*Wow, not bad. Do I get anything like that?*
'There should be one in the information packet provided by Doctor Akagi that you
have not read.'
That kept him quiet. He had been wondering how Rei had afforded the food they
had been buying, and now he knew. Through Rei's eyes, Ranma watched the sales
lady as she packaged Rei's purchases. He could tell what the woman had been
thinking by the way that she acted while they were selecting their purchases.
Suspicious of the pale girl who examined every garment with the same total
intensity, the sales woman may have been worried about Rei's intentions. When
she tried the credit card and the sale went through without a hitch, the woman
visibly relaxed.
When they got back to the apartment and Rei immediately began to change out of
her school uniform, Ranma began to feel worried. What if Rei intended to get
changed then go back to lying on the bed? How could he possibly stand the
boredom again? It had been quite nice with the two of them walking around and
talking, but now that was done, he needed to find something else to distract
her.
When she packed her swimsuit and towel into a bag, Ranma got excited. This could
be what he had been searching for ever since he met her. Swimming! She had been
several times in the past, and now she was going again. There was no obvious
motivation, and no requirement being imposed on them like at school.
*Are we going swimming?*
'Yes.'
They were half way to the train station before Ranma realised that he had again
missed an important fact about Rei. Despite talking with her on such a regular
basis, it was easy to forget that she was a very literal person. *Where are we
going?*
'NERV. There is a pool on sub-level six.'
Hoping that this must finally be an activity that Rei did because she enjoyed it
rather than it was forced on her, Ranma tried to coax her along in the right
direction. *Why are we going swimming?*
'Commander Ikari stated that I must have sufficient physical activity each week
so as to be an effective pilot for Unit-00. Swimming not less than three times
per week was recommended.'
For a moment Ranma's hopes were dashed. How was he supposed to understand
someone like Rei? How was he supposed to be nice to someone like her when she
did not have any wants or desires? Shampoo, Ukyo, Akane, even Kasumi seemed like
the worlds greediest, most demanding people in the world compared to Rei. To get
a smile of friendship out of the girls he used to know was so easy. Eat their
food, say something nice, even just smile at them and they would be your friend.
He had lived with Rei now for weeks, and he was still no closer to being her
friend.
Ranma never had many friends when he was growing up, and every one was precious
to him. That was why he had hounded Shampoo so much when she had worn the
Contrary Jewel. It was also why he chased Akane across all of Japan and half of
China on numerous occasions. He would never desert his friends, and he would
never allow them to forced into something against their will. How he could
possibly accomplish that with Rei was beyond him. She did not display a desire
for anything beyond what she was instructed to do. How could he help her, how
could he get to know her if they could not be friends? They shared the same
body, but he still felt like they were strangers.
*Considering the fact that I'm training for four or five hours a day, and doing
other stuff, is that enough exercise for you? We've already seen the pain and
growth and stuff carries over between us.*
'Yes.'
In the middle of the train station, Rei stopped. She faced straight ahead, eyes
not seeing anything. People walked around them, but they did not move. Although
he knew she was working on a weighty question, Ranma eventually interrupted her,
but it was to no avail. After almost ten minutes of thought, Rei started
forwards again, the sounds of her shoes once again blending into the sounds
around them.
*What was the matter? Why'd you stop?*
'I have decided. I do not need to go swimming. I am not required to go swimming.
I _want_ to go swimming.'
* * *
Ranma was back in Gendo's office again. He was not there in person, but instead
he was again a passenger within Rei's skull. The last week had finally seen a
change in their relationship. A week ago, Rei had discovered that she enjoyed
swimming. It may have started out as an order from Commander Ikari Gendo, but
now it was a hobby, a sport that she enjoyed. It had also become a normal part
of their daily routine. Ranma had shortened his workout, focussing mainly on his
technique, and Rei's swimming was providing part of the exercise, helping to
look after the endurance.
Most importantly, it gave them a common ground. After much searching, they had
something that they both enjoyed, and they both understood. Although Ranma had
not been fond of swimming since he got his curse, he had once been very
proficient at it. When he and father had made their ill-fated trip to China, it
had been the power of their arms and legs that had allowed the pair to swim the
distance.
Rei had politely pointed out that it would no longer be possible to swim the
distance due to the rise in the sea level. With the melting of the southern
polar icecap, the sea level had risen dozens of meters, and now large portions
of coastal Japan and China were underwater. Assuming that he could make the
distance, the risk of being snagged on an unseen submerged tree or building was
quite high. Worse still, with surf sometimes breaking over the remains of
cities, they could be dashed to death through no fault of their own.
After talking to Ranma for a while during the week, Rei had come to the
realisation that since Ranma had not read his NERV briefing material, she was
not sure what security clearance he had been awarded. Since she had been
directly ordered not to reveal any NERV secrets to those people who did not have
the clearance, she needed to get Ranma sufficient security clearance. More
importantly he would need the clearance in less than a week. In one week's time,
she would be returning to the restricted levels of the Geofront for further
testing of the cloning process.
"Commander Ikari."
"Rei." The commander sat behind his desk with his hands clasped in front of his
chin. "You are not wearing your school uniform. Why is that, Rei?"
In truth, she was wearing a rather attractive blouse and skirt combination that
looked very nice. A simple black skirt of modest length showed her trim figure,
while the pale blue blouse matched almost perfectly with her hair, but did not
clash with her pale appearance. White stockings and simple, black, low heeled
shoes showed off her trim legs. While no more flesh was shown in these clothes
compared to her school uniform, it did more to flatter her than the
uncomplimentary clothes.
Taking advantage of the silence that indicated his charge's ongoing cognition,
Gendo paused to examine her slightly longer than would be considered acceptable
in polite society. Possibly it was just that girls can change so rapidly at this
age, or maybe it was even her "special" DNA, but something seemed different
about Rei. She looked fitter, leaner, more than the pencil thin girl that she
had been. From what he could see of her calves from where he sat, they seemed
more like a runner's muscles, rather than someone who only did the minimal
exercise like she did. Perhaps he should schedule a complete physical for her
soon. "I am wearing clothes appropriate for not being at school."
A generous person would have acknowledged Gendo's slight head movement as nod.
Although he accepted the answer that she had given, the fact that he had needed
to ask her at all concerned him greatly. Rei was not supposed to have the
creativity needed to spontaneously go out and select an appropriate wardrobe for
herself. She should also not be inclined in any way towards being sociable and
caring about what she was wearing.
Ayanami Rei was the key to his destiny. She was an vital part of the Human
Instrumentality Project, and absolutely vital in his being reunited with his
beloved Yui. Many people would question the actions that Ayanami would be
required to carry out to complete the Project. If she began to have independent
thought and emotion, she might begin to question his orders too. This was a
concerning development that he would need to watch closely.
"What did you want to speak to me about, Rei?"
"I need to know Ranma's security clearance."
Gendo gave a cruel smile. Perhaps things were not as bad as he had initially
expected. Rei might be showing signs of original thought, but that could simply
be the Saotome boy forcing his preferences onto the girl. If she was concerned
about his security clearance, she was clearly still Gendo's tool.
"The boy's clearance is Red. He may know anything that is essential to his role,
but you are under no obligation to tell him anything."
Rei nodded. "What if he finds out from other sources?"
Gendo considered that. "Knowledge of the truth is considered Ultra- Violet.
Under no circumstances should you reveal the truth of what is occurring to him.
Remember, knowledge that there is a hidden truth is considered Green clearance.
You should provide no indication to him of your function within NERV."
"I understand. Is it acceptable for him to learn these facts if you or Doctor
Akagi tell him?"
"I do not expect to tell him, but if I do, then yes, he may know."
Rei nodded once and left the room. She was one of the few people that did not
always wait for him to dismiss them before she left. She felt as comfortable
around Gendo as she did around anyone else. Since she knew that he did not need
her for anything else, she assumed that there was no other reason for her to
stay. It was an attitude that Gendo quite appreciated. Quiet functionality. As
perfect and useful in person as it was in any machine.
They were outside the office before Ranma dared to ask a question that had been
preying on his mind since they entered. *Why haven't you told him about me?*
'If Commander Ikari wanted to know about you, he would have asked.'
*Come on, Rei. That can't be the only reason. I heard what you said in there.
You know stuff you ain't telling me, but you set him up. If he don't know I'm in
here, he won't try and hide anything. Why? Why'd you do it, Rei?*
The only sound within the bowels of NERV's headquarters was the soft sound of
air conditioning and the quiet click of her shoes on the utilitarian grey floor.
'I wish to go for a swim.'
*Hey! That ain't no answer!*
Silence was his only answer. 'I wish to go for a swim'? What sort of answer was
that? What did swimming have to do with Rei trying to fool her boss? Ranma had a
horrible suspicion that if Gendo did find out about him, something terrible
might happen to him. But even then, Rei had said nothing about that. All she had
said was swimming. Why swimming?
* * *
"At the conclusion of the synchronisation tests, you will come to my office,
Captain."
Misato nodded. When the normally cold Commander gave you an invitation worded in
that way, it was easy to understand that refusal was not an option. Since it was
almost dinner time, she had been intending to grab Shinji and head for a ramen
shop that she knew. The ramen was fairly average, but the drive-in liquor shop
next to it had great prices.
"Yes, Sir. Ahh, Rei reported that Pilot Saotome would not be able to attend. She
said that he was currently unavailable, whatever that means."
"I see. What do you propose to do about that?"
Briefly Misato considered changing her initial plan, but then decided against
it. "Nothing, Sir. Pilot Saotome has logged almost twenty hours of practice time
in the last week. Considering his dedication to the project, I feel willing to
let this one slip, Sir."
"Very well. My office, as soon as the tests are complete."
From that point on, the tests could not finish soon enough for Misato, who was
filled with concern over what Gendo may have wanted. Shinji's constant
improvement was something to look on with joy. At this rate he should have no
problems in future battles from poor synchronisation. The surprising aspect of
the test was Ayanami's increase. Up by a healthy three percent in the last two
weeks, she was showing amazing improvement for someone that had not done any
training.
Maybe relaxing with Ranma had helped her, Misato speculated. She had shared a
giggle with the rest of the command staff when the story got around that Ranma
and Rei were living together. Personally, she thought it was kind of cute. Not
that she thought they should be doing anything at their age, but it was good for
a laugh.
When the tests ended and she made her way to the Commander's office, it was with
slight hesitation that she pressed the admittance key and watched the door slide
open. "You wanted me, Sir?"
"Yes. As you are no doubt aware, we have been having discipline problems with
the Children recently. Saotome's flagrant disregard for procedures today was
simply another indication of this chaos."
"Well... I'm, not sure that it is quite that bad, Sir."
Gendo steepled his hands and leaned back slightly. "You are to be congratulated,
Captain. Your work with the Third Child has produced most desirable results in
the last few weeks. Under your influence he has proven to be sufficiently
tractable and obedient. Well done." "Ahh... Thank you, Sir."
Surprised by his unexpected compliment, Misato was shocked even further by his
next comments. "However, you will not be aware that after Jet Alone, we have
been able to put sufficient pressure on the UN and the Germans to release the
Second Child and the first production model Evangelion to us. Their arrival is
expected at the end of next week."
"That's good news, Sir."
"In light of your performance, I am hereby expanding your duties, _Major_
Katsuragi."
Major! Promoted just like that! All she had done was look after Shin- chan and
provide him the occasional curry, and she was being promoted. Who would have
believed it?
"As a part of this promotion, you will be moved to a new secure apartment
complex on San-Chome. Since this will be within your current suburb, the move
will be carried out the day the Second Child arrives. Your new duties will
include the oversight, maintenance and security of all the Children."
"Sir? All of the Children? Even Ayanami and Saotome?"
"Especially those two. Saotome is exhibiting traits of being a rogue element and
an independent thinker. I trust that you will be able to curb this as well as
you did with Shinji. More importantly, by gathering the Children together, you
will be able to provide them with the security that is needed. I intend to see
an end to this practice of the Children vanishing whenever they feel like it."
"Y-Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir. I won't let you down."
"I know that you will do your best. When the Second Child arrives, I want you to
take Shinji out to meet her. During this time, NERV staff will relocate your
belongings. As Rei will be required here, she must remain. You may take Saotome
or not, as you please."
"Yes, Sir. I'll ask him before we go and pick up Asuka. Is that all, Sir?"
"No, Major. As part of your security role, you will be expected to undergo
additional training. I am aware that you have had basic training in both
firearms and hand-to-hand combat. During the next three months, you will be
re-familiarised with these, and then proceed to more advanced training. You
shall also be required to carry a minimum of one firearm from this time
onwards."
All Misato could do was nod. Even after Second Impact and the chaos that
followed it, almost no-one in Japan could carry firearms. To carry one at all
times, not just while in uniform, was almost unheard of.
"Do not misunderstand me, Major. Those Children are the future of our planet. I
would rate their lives more highly than any person in this facility. In
particular, they are more important than any person who might attack them. Are
you completely clear?"
After an audible gulp, the newly appointed Major nodded. She understood exactly
what he meant, and exactly what the training would enable her to do. She had
just become the last line of protection between a group of defenceless
fourteen-year-olds and any human threat on the planet.
End Of Chapter
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