Kind Angel's Thesis - 6Teineina 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. Despite the fact that Shinji was the one chosen to help with the out of
control Jet Alone robot, Ranma is happy with life. Rei is starting to show signs
of a personality, and there are plenty of people to train with in NERV's
security teams.
(Story 6)
---------
'I do not understand. Dr. Akagi and Captain Katsuragi both wear very short
skirts. Why should I not wear them also?'
Ranma had been fervently hoping that Rei would not ask that question. As far as
he could tell, there was one simple reason why both of their bosses tended to
show off like that: both were good looking women, and both wanted attention.
That sort of attention was exactly what he did not want Rei to receive. For a
terrified moment Ranma visualised himself watching through Rei's eyes as she
kissed a boy. Without control of the body, he could not shudder, but he wanted
to.
Desperate to stave off any attempt by Rei to dress like Misato, Ranma fell back
on a dirty tactic. *They want to pick up boys. Has Commander Ikari told you to
have a boyfriend?*
'No.'
As soon as he had uttered the words to Rei, Ranma immediately felt bad. He was
the intruder here. From what little he knew of her life, Rei had been a
completely normal schoolgirl - if rather impressionable - before he arrived. It
was really unfair to force her into a decision like that. He knew that Gendo
would not have told her to find a boyfriend, and without orders, she would
almost certainly make no move in that direction by herself.
Despite the fact that she was entirely capable of making her own decisions, Rei
tended not to make them unless forced. By invoking the commander's name like
that, Ranma killed her social life more effectively than if he yelled and
screamed at her. There was almost nothing in the world that he feared more than
Rei being involved with someone, but the guilt of forcing her into an unwanted
decision quickly began to gnaw at him.
While Rei continued to get changed for her training session in the Eva today,
Ranma struggled. He could not encourage her, no matter how normal it might be
for girls her age. He simply could not. But cutting her off like that, making
the decision for her; the guilt would eat away at him from inside. Rei was so
different from all the girls he used to know. If someone had even suggested that
there was something that one of his fiancees could not or should not do, they
would be doing it in a flash. Rei would silently nod her head and accept what
she was told. Knowing that he would not be able to sleep well again until he
asked, Ranma slowly found his voice.
*R-Rei? D-Do you want a b-b-boyfriend?*
Rei's habit of considering things and responding slowly normally did not matter.
This time, it did. If he had control of their body, he would have been chewing
his nails, pacing, jumping off the walls and screaming in frustration... All at
the same time if physically possible. Being trapped inside her mind, all he
could do was wait and fret
'No.'
The quiet word came at the completion of her dressing. He had been so nervous,
he had not even noticed the strange, slick feeling of donning the rubber
protective suit. In his fragile, tortured state of mind, that was probably a
good thing. Heaving a mental sigh of relief, Ranma felt much better. He had done
it properly this time. He had actually asked her what she wanted. Now there was
no need for him to feel guilty about anything.
'Why are you nervous?'
*Hey! I'm not nervous, I'm just---*
Ranma stopped in mid sentence. Whenever Rei changed clothes or took a bath, he
deliberately turned his attention elsewhere and avoided looking through her
eyes. Now he made the mistake of doing just that, despite the fact that she had
finished changing. Rei was standing directly in front of a mirror, looking at
herself while she spoke to him. Trapped by the image in front of him, Ranma took
his first good look at Ayanami Rei, First Child of the Evangelion Project, while
she was dressed in her plug suit.
For the most part, the suit was white, with the occasional black highlight.
Vacuum sealed against her body for maximum sensor contact and protection, it
gave her the appearance of a die-cast plastic statue. An extremely elegant,
plastic statue, his numbed brain told him. He knew from wearing it that the suit
was a good fit, but until he saw it on Rei, he never realised just how good that
fit was. The designers had obviously been careful that nothing indecent was
shown, but there was almost nothing left to the imagination.
He had seen girls in extremely revealing clothes in the past, but somehow they
did not have quite the same impact as this. Despite the fact that the plug-suit
covered everything from her neck down, it covered it in a way that even a
swimsuit had difficulty copying. Every curve, every line, was brought to the
viewer's attention. Numbed completely, Ranma looked out Rei's red eyes and
gibbered incoherently. He had never seen anyone wear something like this before.
Just picturing anyone else he knew in one - Shampoo, Ukyo, Kodachi, even Akane -
threw his brain into overload.
After getting no response to several of her questions, Rei waved a hand in front
of her face, but even that elicited no query or complaint. After waiting as long
as she could, Rei eventually left the change rooms. As she walked to the
training area where she would practice target shooting, she wondered what had
happened to Ranma. Normally he never stopped talking. Now he was completely
silent.
Stranger still, Rei kept feeling an unusual tingling sensation in her nose. She
wondered if this meant that Ranma would have been doing something strange if he
had been in charge.
* * *
Tuesday morning started out like any other. There was a talk by their teacher on
Second Impact and its repercussions on society. Since Rei was attending class,
Ranma was asleep. At least, he had been asleep until Rei had woken him with a
mental shout that she needed to speak to him.
Yesterday she had taken copious notes on what the teacher was saying. She had
never bothered to pay more than minimal attention to this class because she knew
that it was a NERV public relations fabrication. All that Commander Ikari
required was satisfactory progress. That was so easy to attain that even Ranma
could manage, despite his very limited attendance.
*What?! What is it Rei? Are we under attack? Why'd you wake me?*
'I must teach you about Second Impact. You must know the truth so that you will
not hamper my ability to perform my tasks at NERV.'
*Huh? What are you talking about? I already know about Second Impact. The
teacher tells us about it every day, doesn't he?*
Rei pointed to her notes on the computer screen. 'This is the official
description of what occurred during Second Impact.' She scrolled through her
notes slightly. 'As you can see, a small meteorite travelling at close to the
speed of light impacted Antarctica in the year 2000. The resulting destruction
killed two thirds of the Earth's population.'
*I know this, Rei. Let me go back to sleep. I was up all night yesterday
training.*
'This is not the truth.'
*Sure, sure. I knew... IT'S WHAT?!*
'It is not the truth. That is a story that was fabricated to protect NERV.'
*Huh? What does NERV have to do with anything? I thought they were created to
fight the Angels.*
'Correct. NERV is the only group capable of stopping the Angels. This is why the
truth is not allowed to be revealed to the pubic. NERV is aware of the true
cause of Second Impact.'
When Ranma was quiet for a while, Rei continued. 'In the year 2000, an
expedition was sent to Antarctica to visit a location close to the South Pole.
This expedition was charged with finding an Angel that was buried there.'
*The Katsuragi Expedition...* Ranma whispered.
Despite her expressionless tone, Ranma could have sworn he heard surprise in her
voice. 'Correct. How did you know of their existence?'
*I was there for the same reason. I caught a lift with the Katsuragi expedition
to the South Pole. From what I heard, they were supposed to be doing a
geological survey and testing a new survival capsule. So that was all a front
for NERV, was it?*
'No. NERV was not formed until almost five years later. The existence of the
Angel, named Adam, had been discovered in ancient Chinese and Hebrew texts.
Wishing to learn the secrets of the Angel, an expedition was sent with the
facilities to unearth and examine the Angel. Before the examination could be
completed, the Angel exploded. This was the true cause of Second Impact.'
*Wow, that is so weird. My fiancees... Well, three of them, had been captured by
a demon. I was told that the only way that I could save them was to do almost
exactly the same thing. Um... Learn the secrets of the Angel, that is. Not
destroy the world. Nabiki, that's one of the people I used to live with, she
managed to get me a lift on the Katsuragi expedition. When I got there, I
managed to get ahead of the Katsuragi Expedition and found it first, since I
knew where it was. *The only problem was, it was buried all the way under the
ice. I just couldn't reach it. Since I knew that I needed to get back to Japan
real quick to help any of the girls that were still alive I tried one of my
special techniques to try and blast it out. I guess I must have used some of the
Angel's power, because the last thing I remember was a bad burning feeling all
over.*
They were both silent for a while as they digested what each other had said.
Oddly enough, it was Rei that broke the silence.
'I think you died.'
*Yeah, me too.*
'I do not like dying.'
*Hey, it's not like I intend to do it again or nothing, OK?*
Rei gave no response and was silent for the remainder of the class. Ranma tried
to get her attention several times, but he did not succeed. At the end of the
day, Rei changed their usual routine and went to NERV instead of going home.
Throughout the train trip there, she did not say a word, just staring into the
distance, her thoughts as private as any person's.
When the finally arrived, Rei walked them through the almost unending security
and into the Eva cages. Taking a seat on the cold metal walkway, she stared at
the large head jutting out of the water. From inside their body, Ranma was
momentarily taken by the thought that there was some similarity between them and
the Evangelion. To everyone at NERV, they were simply a tool for winning the
war.
'The Evangelion was made to defeat the Angels.'
Ranma waited. He felt sure that Ayanami was going to say something else. 'And
that's why NERV has to keep the secret about Second Impact.'
Rei weighed her words carefully. She did not want to lie to Ranma, but she knew
that she should only tell him what he needed to know. If Ranma got the wrong
idea about who she was and why she was here, he could create all sorts of
problems. If Ranma created problems, she knew that either Commander Ikari or
herself would be forced to get rid of him. Thinking of killing Ranma, especially
if it entailed her dying again to achieve it, did not sit well with Rei. It made
something in her abdomen clench and her breathing became harder. She was not
used to the sensation, and did not want it to continue.
'NERV has used information from the Angels to help create the Evangelions.'
*Good idea. Always use your enemy's strengths against them.*
'I too am part of the effort to defeat the Angels.'
*Don't forget about me, Rei. I'm here to fight them too.*
'No. I mean that I am... Special. Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi will need to
monitor me some times.'
*I don't understand.*
'According to specifications that I have read, normal people do not change
bodies or personalities when splashed with water. I believe that your being here
is a result of your contact with Adam. You complete me.'
*I don't understand, Rei. What's going on?*
The small, blue haired girl stood and turned away from the Evangelion. She had
hoped that she could make Ranma understand. She hoped that he would accept what
she said and would not question it, but she had failed. Walking off into the
depths of the base, she did not look any different from normal, but inside there
was a heaviness she did not understand and did not like.
'Tomorrow I will be re-entering the dummy plug monitoring system. I will answer
all of the questions I can then.'
*Your starting to make me nervous, Rei. What are you talking about?*
'Ranma... I am sorry.'
* * *
After the pistol range, Misato was feeling confident. Although she had not
handled a gun seriously in years - since basic training - her skill had not
significantly deteriorated. Holding the big semi-automatic in her hands had felt
so natural, and completely normal. When she had started discharging the weapon
downrange, things came back quickly.
Every shot hit the target in her first magazine, and after her second, there was
nothing outside the second circle. Admittedly, she was still using a fairly
short range, but it was a relief to know that she was capable of handling the
firearm. She had stayed there for almost an hour, gradually moving the target
out. She was by no means a marksman, but as her instructor had said "she had a
natural instinct".
Smiling, she thought about how Gendo had told her that alcohol and firearms did
not mix. Naturally, she had agreed immediately. She considered herself to be one
of those lucky people that could have a couple of beers first thing in the
morning, some during the day, and a heap at night, and the alcohol had virtually
no effect on her. She was confident that no matter how much she relaxed - or how
much she drank - she would be fine with the weapon.
Walking to her next class, the handgun was a heavy, but familiar weight under
her armpit. She had considered storing it in a purse, but that raised the risk
that it would not be there when she needed it. A shoulder holster might mean she
needed to wear a jacket even on the hottest of days, however it meant that if
ever anyone attacked her or the Children she would be armed and capable of
protecting them.
Misato had not seriously expected anyone to attack the Children - they were
humanity's first and only line of defence against the Angels. When she had said
that to Ritsuko, her friend had chuckled and thrown over a security report she
had been reading. The report was thin, only six pages, but it was simply a
summary and an index to more detailed reports. NERV security was actively
tracking over a dozen cults that were operating near Tokyo-3. Armageddon cults;
cults that saw the Angels as either saviours, and others that saw NERV as the
Anti-Christ for defying the will of god. No particular god was mentioned, but
Misato could think of at least three main-stream religions that were doing good
business in the post-Second Impact era.
After reading the report and seeing the weekly count of death threats, Misato
took her bodyguard role much more seriously. Security did not keep a total count
of the threats; when they were receiving dozens each week, the total soon lost
meaning. Reading the security reports also gave her a new appreciation for NERV
security. Despite the fact that they still had a hard time explaining how they
lost Shinji, Ranma and Rei before, they were doing an excellent job on
counter-terrorism. Much better than Jet Alone for example, who had failed to
stop someone from ruining their prototype.
Upon arriving at the training room for hand-to-hand combat, Misato was given a
fresh, new, training Gi. Once she had changed and presented herself to the
young, eager faced corporal who would be conducting her evaluation, the pair
crossed over onto the training mats.
"Now remember, Major; this is just a quick evaluation session so that we can
grade you and put you into the right class. From what I've heard, it's been a
few years since you did your basic training, right?"
"That's right."
Starting a slow jog around the room for a warm up, the corporal kept talking.
"From what we get in here, Major, there seems to be two types of people in NERV.
First one is your regulars... They train, they keep fit, they stay up-to-date.
If you're in that group, we'll stick you straight into the intermediate class,
maybe even give you a shot at the advanced if you're good enough. The other
group is the staffers that seem to spend all day polishing a seat and all night
drinking. Which group do you fit into, Major?"
When the corporal turned around, he immediately regretted asking the question.
Major Katsuragi was already showing signs of difficulty keeping up with him on
the warm up. Her face was red, and she was showing obvious signs of trying to
exert herself in ways she was not used to. They stood there for a moment,
waiting for her to regain her breath before the actual fighting started.
"Don't worry about me, Corporal. I just got off the pistol range and I did fine
there. I'm sure I'll have no problems." Misato managed to say as her lungs
worked in ways that they had not been required to in the recent years of easy
living and no exertion harder than pushing her luck or jumping to conclusions.
"OK, Major. Whatever you say."
Unfortunately, Misato's confidence only lasted for about a minute longer, or the
first two falls in the many to come that day. The good eyesight and steady hand
that had served her so well on the pistol range had little to do with the
strength, speed and reflexes needed for hand-to-hand combat.
When they first sized up against each other, Misato came in for a clumsy punch
that saw her thrown by the slightly larger man. When she levered herself off her
back and onto her feet, she tried again, this time to fall prey to a deceptively
easy looking leg sweep.
Continuing on into the day, they practiced for almost an hour. An hour of
successive failures and disappointment for Misato. She knew that she did not
take great care of herself, but she never imagined herself to be that out of
condition, and that out of training. At the end of the time, the young corporal
smiled and told her that things were not as bad as they seemed. She had lost
almost everything from her basic training, but she had retained enough of the
basics that she would be able to learn the rest quickly.
For Katsuragi Misato, it was time to go back to basics, and learn how to defend
her Children.
* * *
"Nice of you to join us, Ranma-kun. I don't suppose you know where Ayanami is?"
Ranma looked around at the assembled adults and grinned sheepishly. "Umm... No?"
Misato and Ritsuko shared a glance and the blonde rolled her eyes. She was not
sure who she pitied the most; Ranma for being such a poor liar or herself for
having to hear them. "Please Ranma, I need you to understand that when I ask for
both pilots of Unit-00, I mean both you _and_ Ayanami. Not just one of the
pair."
"Yeah, but Rei said she was going to be seeing you this afternoon for more
tests, so she---"
Misato turned and looked at her friend with an expression that was not entirely
pleased. "What tests? Ritsuko-san, I'm supposed to be informed of all Evangelion
testing the pilots undergo. That is why I am responsible for their schedule."
Trying to brush it aside, Ritsuko waved her hand. "It's nothing, it's nothing.
Just some routine tests. We want to check up on Ayanami after the injuries she
suffered against the fifth Angel."
"Huh? But Rei said---"
Talking over the boy - who Rei had definitely told too much to - Ritsuko
gestured to the currently darkened window leading out into Bay 3, the site of
Unit-00's recent rebuilding. "Following the battle with the fifth Angel,
Evangelion Unit-00 required extensive repairs. Although the particle beam only
hit the front of the unit, substantial melting occurred to over 73% of the Eva's
armour."
Bringing up a revolving wire frame diagram of the Eva, Ritsuko indicated the
areas that had suffered the heaviest damage. "Note that while less than
three-quarts of the armour plate was melted, the actual quantity of damaged
armour plate was much higher. When you add in the assorted damage caused by
falling and the unorthodox exit route created by Unit-01's pilot, over 90% of
the actual armour plates required repair or replacing. In effect, while the
inner structure of the Evangelion was largely undamaged, a complete rebuild was
needed of the exterior."
Stepping over to the control panel for the polarisation on the window, Ritsuko
pressed a button and let everyone see into Bay 3. All around, a chorus of "Ohhs"
and "Ahhs" followed. Looking at the people's faces, Ritsuko could not help but
give a small smile of pride.
"As you can see, since we needed to do a complete replacement of the armour, we
decided to accede to the Forth Child's - Saotome's - request. We made it blue."
Indeed, the Evangelion had been completely redone. Rather than the lacklustre,
uninspiring orange that it used to be, the giant blue robot was now an
attractive blue in colour.
"I don't suppose you could have made it a cool red like my shirt?"
Ritsuko frowned. "No. Sorry, that's being used by Unit-02."
"Black?"
What did it take to please some people? "No. The Germans are using that for
Unit-04."
"White?"
"No! Look, we did the best we could! You asked for something brighter and more
impressive, we gave you blue! Be happy... Besides, I was told we couldn't use
white either."
"Oh... OK. I guess at least it ain't yellow. That would really suck, going into
combat wearing yellow... And I guess it sort of goes with Rei's hair... sort
of."
Looking down at her charge, Misato honestly wondered what it was that interested
kids these days. She grew up in the post-Second Impact years. Just getting
something to wear was good enough for most people. Mind you, it was nice that
Ranma was so considerate of his girlfriend that he recognised the match with her
hair. "Honestly, Ranma. Does it really matter what colour it is?"
"Nah, not really. But if you're going to fight, you've got to look good. After
all, it's not just enough to be the best, people have to know it to. Looking
good is all part of it. Not only that, but if you go into a fight thinking how
bad you look, you lose confidence, and that's half the battle right there. You
have to be in the right frame of mind."
Misato gave Ranma a condescending smile. "Trust me, Ranma. When you get a little
older and a little wiser, you'll understand that there is more to winning a
fight than confidence and being a good fighter. Planning, preparation and having
the right weapons means more than anything else."
Ranma snorted. "Maybe for fighting armies or something, but one-on-one it don't
matter at all. Besides, piloting an Eva's just like you're the one doing the
fighting. If you want to win, you got to be the best. And I _am_ the best."
"Oh, gods. Spare me from more egotistical pilots." Misato wearily rubbed her
face. "I thought we'd be free of this until the Second Child arrived. Mind you,
Commander Ikari did say that they would be freeing her up soon..."
Ritsuko coughed and looked away in embarrassment. "Actually, Misato..."
"What? What is it? Has something happened?"
"Well, You weren't going to be notified of this until tonight, but I don't think
there will be any problem if I tell you now. The Germans have released Unit-02
and the Second Child to us a little ahead of schedule."
"Really? That's great! Four pilots and three Evas. If that doesn't keep Tokyo-3
safe, nothing will... So, when is the Second Child arriving? It about a two week
trip from Germany to here by sea, isn't it? That was the latest plan I heard for
shipping the Evas long distances. I think Commander Ikari said she would be
leaving within the next week or so."
Ritsuko had the good grace to at least look embarrassed. "Well... Yes and no. It
is about a two week journey. Eleven days to be precise. But..."
"But what?"
"But you'll be taking a helicopter out there early in the morning tomorrow.
Unit-02 was loaded for shipping ten days ago."
Misato's face went livid. "WHAT?! Why wasn't I told about this? Not only are the
Children supposed to be my responsibility, I'm also in charge of NERV's military
status. How am I supposed to do my job if you keep dropping things on me like
this? Commander Ikari didn't mention anything about it being this soon!"
"Calm down, Misato. You're starting to sound hysterical."
"I AM NOT GETTING ANGRY!"
Ranma coughed from the sidelines. "Actually, you are." He gave a quick snigger.
"Starting to sound like a bit of a tomboy too, if you ask me."
"Well I didn't! I don't know what you're still doing here anyway. Go find Rei
and get her back here. She still needs to be told about this. And then there are
these mysterious 'tests' Ritsuko has planned."
The woman in the lab coat calmly placed her hands in her pockets and looked at
Misato. The best way to get past Misato's outbursts was to counter them with
cold indifference. That was what Commander Ikari had taught her, and it seemed
to work in the past. Of course, that was his answer to everything. Ritsuko was
not sure that she could stay calm and indifferent when faced with the end of the
world, but the Commander could. Deciding that what she needed was practice;
Ritsuko stayed around to let Misato tear strips off her for the security she had
in place.
"Really, Misato. There is no need to be agitated. We are all on the same side."
"Are we? Sometimes I wonder. Shinji, Rei, Ranma, and Fuyutsuki I can accept. You
and Gendo... Sometimes I wonder whether you're aiming for the same thing as the
rest of us."
"The Angels must be defeated. You do not need to worry about anything else."
"I do, Ritsuko, and that's the problem. Commander Ikari made the Children's
health and well-being my responsibility. How am I supposed to look after them if
you keep things from me? Where's the Second Child going to stay? How about Ranma
and Rei? What are we going to do about them? Commander Ikari told me we would be
moving into a new apartment, but if they've just started looking for it, that
could take weeks. Until then, the Children will be on their own. I know Asuka is
competent, but does Ranma really strike you as the responsible type?"
"Actually, yes, he does. Don't worry. Rei won't allow anything to happen that
will interfere with her ability to pilot."
Misato rolled her eyes. "Gods, you speak about her like she's some kind of
automaton. She's just a kid, and kids make mistakes. I tell you, ever since
Gendo gave me this job, it's been driving me nuts to have the two of them living
off by themselves. It's just not healthy."
"So do something about it then. Was there anything else? I have work to do."
"Yes... It's about these tests for Ayanami. If... If you find out anything is
wrong... Please call me. I need to know."
Ritsuko looked at her friend and saw the genuine worry in her eyes. Sometimes
she needed to remind herself that Katsuragi Misato was not like herself and the
other two senior staff at NERV. She was dedicated to NERV, and to seeing the
defeat of the Angels. She honestly believed in what NERV said it was doing, and
cared about how they were going about it. Those attributes made her different
from the people who knew how Second Impact was really started, and knew what
awaited if Third Impact was done correctly.
In a soft voice, filled with concern that she did not really feel, Ritsuko
reassured the woman that had been her friend when they were at school and
university. "I will. If anything is wrong with Rei, I'll make sure we do our
best to fix her."
"Thank you."
Walking back to her sanctum were she would meet Ayanami soon, Ritsuko wondered -
not for the first time - whether Misato should have been a party to the whole
plan from the beginning. Now was too late. The decision had been made, and it
would be too difficult to explain why things had been done. But if she had been
one of them from the beginning... Maybe the Major would not be the person they
needed now if she looked at things the same way the Commander did. Perhaps that
was his reason for having a genuine, honest person in charge of their military
arm. Because Major Katsuragi cared. As simple as that.
But, she wondered, what does that imply about me? She shied away from the
question, lest she not like the answer. The implication that she might no longer
care about people left a cold feeling in her stomach, and even more questions
she had no desire to confront. Fixing NERV's goals firmly in her mind, Ritsuko
pushed away the thoughts that disturbed her. The people in charge here knew what
was best for everyone. She had to accept, believe and concentrate on that.
Anything else would just lead to failure.
* * *
Changed into a thin hospital gown, Rei sat in Ritsuko's room and waited. Most
people would have wondered how she had gotten into a locked room, but that had
not bothered Rei since she was a small girl. Considering her significance to the
project, she had a very high security clearance. There was not much point trying
to conceal things from her, she was one of the biggest secrets NERV was working
on concealing.
The same held true for limiting her access around the massive NERV Geofront.
Since Rei was a privy to all of the secrets, there was nothing for her to find
if she did go looking for sometime. More importantly, Gendo and Ritsuko were
both fully aware of how little interest Rei had in exploring her environment.
Chances were slim and none that she would consider wandering around the base of
her own volition.
Giving Rei access to supposedly secure rooms was actually a form of protection
in their investment. If worst came to worst and Rei did need to run from someone
or hide, she could duck into literally any room. While Rei was replaceable at
the moment, the theory was that any threat that might put Rei in danger within
the Geofront would be enough to threaten the cloning chamber also. If that
happened, a little preparation might well save the entire Human Instrumentality
Project.
Sitting in the office, Ranma tried to be grumpy while Rei waited. Being upset
was difficult when you could not glare, cross your arms or snort in an angry
fashion. *So you think you can tell me what's going on yet?*
'No.'
*Not even a little hint?*
'No. You do not have the security clearance necessary for the information.'
"Hello, Rei. It's good to see you're on time. I was beginning to get worried
about you."
"I have been waiting since the assigned time."
Ritsuko smiled. "Of course, Rei. You're usually very dependable. I think I was
just worried about you since you have been living with Ranma."
*Hey! What's wrong with me?*
The doctor escorted Rei out of her office and to one of the secure lift wells
that would take them to the bowels of the Geofront and NERV's headquarters. "Why
are you worried about Ranma?"
Surprised that her charge would exhibit signs of curiosity, Ritsuko took
advantage of the time she needed to access the security on the lift to think of
a response. "Well... Not anything in particular. I guess we just don't know much
about him. There's also the way that he seems to keep hiding from people. I
don't remember seeing the two of you together at all... Unless... Was he with
you at Thursday's briefing?"
"No. I have not attended any briefings with Ranma."
*Hey, Rei. Ask her what she wants to know about me. Maybe I can get the security
clearance you need.*
'As you wish.'
"Akagi-sensei. What information do you wish on Ranma?"
Ritsuko smiled. Of course. Rei would have checked to ensure Ranma was not a
security risk before she allowed him to live with her. "General information,
mainly. Who are his parents? Where was he born? Date of birth? That sort of
thing."
Rei was silent for a moment, then spoke. "Saotome Genma and Nodoka. Nerima-ku,
Tokyo, Japan. March 6, 1984."
Ritsuko snickered. "I think that date is a little out, Rei-chan. That would make
him thirty. Mind you, I think I'll follow this up after the testing. If you can
give me any more details, we can see about verifying them later."
The lift finally reached the end of its journey and Ritsuko stepped out. She had
started down the corridor to where the dummy plug program was housed when she
stopped and turned. Rei was still in the lift. "What's the matter? Are you
waiting for something?"
"Ranma wants to know what I am doing here."
Ritsuko shrugged. "Lie to him. Tell him the same as what I told Misato. Just say
that it was a medical check up."
"Ranma is aware that I do not need that. Attempting to lie to him would be
counter productive."
"Then don't tell him anything."
Still Rei did not move. "Ranma must be told something. Commander Ikari has told
me that he must not be a risk to the Project. However, Ranma is needed as the
Fourth Child."
Coming closer, the head of Evangelion development looked down at the
emotionless, pale girl and tried to read her expression. One of the problems
with raising Rei as an emotionless drone was the fact that it was impossible to
tell what she was thinking. She tended to be more unreadable than Gendo most of
the time. At least with Gendo you knew there were feelings and emotions hidden
behind the mask.
"Are you worried about Ranma?"
Rei gave a slight nod. She was not sure why, but it was true. She did not want
to die again. She did not want Ranma to die either. Rei could not remember
whether Ranma had been a part of her when she had first lived. She could not
tell. As far as she knew, Ranma had only been awakened when she first piloted
the Evangelion. That first time, when Unit-00 went berserk, Ranma seemed to
spring fully grown into her mind. What if he did not go away when she was
brought to life again? Or worse, what if he did?
She did not understand why she felt this need to conceal Ranma from NERV.
Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi had always assured her that they knew best, and
they should be the ones to fix any problems she had. Somehow... Somehow she did
not want them to fix this. Ranma was... Interesting... Different... Enlivening.
Perhaps that was the reason. In the weeks since Ranma had become a part of her,
she had done more than in her previous fourteen years. There had become more to
life than just living. She was not sure if she liked that yet, but she knew that
she did not want to lose it.
Since she had not been explicitly told to reveal any effects such as Ranma, she
had not done so. If things went well, she would continue this way. As Commander
Ikari often said to other staff while she was present, it was 'need-to-know'. If
the Commander needed to know, he would ask. If he did not need to, he would not.
That rationalisation was simple enough to accept. Now all she needed to do was
simplify things for Ranma. She did not expect that he would be ready to accept
the entire truth about who she was.
Ranma had called her special. She doubted he was correct. However, it would be
nice to find out if he was. For that, she needed to provide Ranma with more
information. Simply going into the room with the dummy plug system would reveal
more to him than he already knew. Somehow, she needed to dampen that
information.
Blinking once at the doctor, Rei came to the answer to her question. "Yes."
Giving a little sigh, Ritsuko was impressed. She had not expected Ranma to have
such a profound effect on Rei. She hoped it was not merely the physical side of
the Children's relationship. Ritsuko had always liked to believe that people
were more advanced than just that level.
"Very well, Rei. I shall arrange to have Ranma's security increased. If you need
to, and only if you need to, you can give Ranma a briefing on some of the basics
of your creation. I'll leave it up to you what is revealed, but you have to keep
him under control. Do you understand? Nothing about the Human Instrumentality
Project, nothing about the Angels, and certainly nothing about SEELE. Just... Be
careful, all right, Rei?"
"Yes."
*Rei! What's the Human Instrumentality Project? What's SEELE? What can't you
tell me?*
'I cannot tell you.'
Walking down the corridor, Rei sorted out her thoughts for a moment before
dipping her head and looking at the floor as the door opened.
'I am not like other people.'
Ranma chuckled. *I ain't exactly normal either, Rei.*
Keeping her head down so that all she saw was the floor, Rei walked forward into
the room. Once she neared the central pillar containing the monitoring system,
she removed the hospital gown and activated the hatch by touch alone.
'I was not born like other people. I am different.'
Climbing into the monitoring chamber, Rei closed the door behind her and waited
for it to fill with LCL. When the thick liquid was over her head, Rei finally
looked up, to see Commander Ikari and Doctor Akagi at the monitoring station.
'This is the dummy plug system. It is an attempt to create an artificial pilot
for the Evangelion units.'
*Huh? An artificial pilot? Can't they just wire up a computer or something?*
'No. What do you know of the Evangelions?"
*Not much. Big robots, mankind's last hope, that sort of thing.*
'The briefing materials you have been given do not include the fact that the
Evangelion units are biological entities. They are not robots. They are...
almost animals.'
*Wow!* Ranma was very impressed. He had always thought that they were just big
machines, just like Veritech fighters and stuff from Macross. Imagine... Making
an animal that big... The only thing he could think of to compare to it was an
Angel.
*Hey! Are they done similar to the Angels? They're alive too, aren't they?*
'I do not know. There is insufficient information available on all of the
Angels. I know that Evangelions bear some similarities.'
*So what's this dummy plug thing for? You still haven't said why they can't just
plug in a computer.*
'An Evangelion is almost alive. What it lacks is a soul. The body cannot live
without a soul, and the soul cannot live without a body. This is why you die
when your heart stops. Your soul dies without a body. The Evangelion unit is
similar. We can keep the bodies alive, but it requires a soul to move it. The
pilot provides that soul.'
*That's... That's really amazing. You mean... I'm actually using my soul to
pilot the Eva? It's sort of living off my Ki or something?*
'Incorrect. The Evangelion is alive, it is just missing something from the soul.
It is that missing part that the pilot provides. That is why you must
synchronise with the Evangelion. You soul, its body, become one.'
*Spooky.*
Rei was silent for a while. Looking out at the two heads of NERV as they
conducted their experiments, she wondered how much she should tell Ranma today.
Not too much, she decided. He would not be able to cope with what he was
learning. Ranma must be made to accept and understand what she was and why she
was here. If he objected, he may become a threat to the Project and that had
been categorically stated as being unacceptable.
She had to make him understand and accept. She must.
'The dummy plug is designed to be an artificial soul.'
Now it was Ranma's turn to do the silent, contemplative routine. *They... They
can do that sort of thing?*
'No. They have not succeeded in creating a soul for the dummy plug program.'
More time passed. For Ranma, it was time spent in trying to wrap his mind around
what they had heard. Mankind really had advanced since he had been around
before. Rei, who normally either sat there with a blank mind or looked at the
dozens of clone bodies sitting in the tank behind her, studiously gazed at the
Commander. She wanted to get advice from the Commander, but that made her more
worried. She was sure that he would see Ranma as a threat. Perhaps she should
also, but she could not. In so many ways, he had become a part of her now. She
did not want to lose that part.
As Rei was stepping out of the monitoring tube and getting dressed, Ranma again
took up the thread of conversation. *Why you, Rei? Why not Shinji or Gendo or
anyone else?*
'No-one has been able to explain why only children born within nine months of
Second Impact can successfully synchronise with an Evangelion. Others have
tried. There were not... entirely... successful. I have been prepared since
before...' Rei stopped and changed her mind on how to explain it. 'I am the only
suitable subject for the experiment.'
*Really? Why? What's the bet I could do it better with all my Ki? Martial arts
gives you pretty amazing control over that sort of thing.*
'No. Only I am suitable. I cannot say why.'
Sensing her reluctance, Ranma did not push her on the subject much more. He
already had a lot to think about with what he had heard, and also what he had
not heard. He knew he would be having more talks like this with Rei over time,
but perhaps that was a good thing. All this thinking was giving him a headache,
and what he really wanted was for Rei to give him control so he could do some
training.
Behind them, the door to the room closed with a soft hiss. Safely sealed behind
the door was a greater myriad of secrets that Rei had managed to avoid telling
Ranma. Thanks to her care, he knew of the dummy plug system, and was acquainted
with significance of work on human souls. Equally, he did not know anything
about the dozens of Rei bodies still floating in their special fluid surrounding
the room. The revelation of that would wait until she was more confident of
gaining a viable reaction from her partner.
* * *
"Hello?"
"Good morning, Ranma-kun. How are you this morning?"
Ranma shifted the phone slightly so that it rested between his head and
shoulder. While he did not strictly need both hands for the cartwheel, that was
what the Kata called for.
"Good, thanks. Just getting some exercise."
Misato gave a brief giggle. "Oh, is that what's causing all that heavy breathing
I can hear. And first thing in the morning too."
"Umm... Yeah. I usually start at sun rise."
More giggles. "Ahh, to be so young again. I remember a boy from college that
used to be like that; never satisfied."
Ranma grunted as he did a one handed spring. "I've got to get it done now, you
see. Rei needs to go to school soon, so it's not like I can do it then."
When he got tired of Misato's loud laughter ringing in his ears, Ranma changed
Kata to one emphasising kicking. It was much easier to talk on the phone if you
had your hands free. "Is there any reason you're calling me this morning,
Misato-san? Shinji told me you're not even up this early most of the time."
"I'll have you know I went to bed after just six beers last night. All so that I
could get up early and call you before I left at half past seven." The Major's
voice rang with pride at those obviously difficult accomplishments.
"Umm... Thanks, I guess. Well... When are you gunna be back? Or is someone else
in charge of the Eva's now?"
"No need to sound so eager, Ranma-kun. I'm just going away for the day.
Shin-chan and I am going out to meet the Second Child today."
"Second Child?"
"Um-hum." Misato mumbled her assent.
"What happened to the first one?"
"Dummy! Your girlfriend is the First Child?"
"Huh? I don't have no girlfriend."
Maybe Misato was drunk. That would explain all the giggling she was doing this
morning. "Well, if she's not your girlfriend, how would you describe your
relationship with Ayanami?"
Even though he was separated by half a city and talking on the phone, Ranma went
as red as a cooked lobster. "I... Well... That is... We never intended anything,
it just sort of happened and..."
"It's OK, Ranma-kun. I don't mind. Well... Not too much, anyway."
"So what's this about children again?"
Misato explained, in her most patient voice. "NERV has designated the pilots of
the pilots of the Evangelions by the order they were found. So Ayanami is the
First Child, Shin-chan is the Third Child, and you're the Fourth Child. Shinji
and I are going out to meet the Second Child today."
Ranma stopped and scratched his head for a moment. "Isn't that sort of...
Insulting or something? I mean, I might look like a kid now, but I ain't gunna
be a Child forever you know."
"Don't worry, Ranma-kun. I'm sure once you defeat all the Angels, they'll let
you pick any title you want. But that's not really why I called you."
After a short, overly dramatic pause, Misato continued. "We've finally been able
to get NERV to pay for some decent accommodation for you pilots. So, today while
Shin-chan and I are away, you can be the first to move into our new apartment."
Ranma stopped what he was doing very suddenly. One leg was stuck out forty-five
degrees above the horizontal as he halted mid-strike, but his balance was
unimpaired. "Hang on. What's this about _our_ apartment?"
"Isn't it exciting?" Misato almost bubbled over with exuberance. "I have to
admit, when I was first told to look after Shinji, I was a bit worried, but now
I'm looking forwards to this. All four of you are going to be living together in
the same big apartment with me!"
"Ummm... I'm not so sure about this, Misato-san..."
"Don't be such a stick-in-the-mud, Ranma-kun. It'll be great fun. You, me,
Shin-chan, Ayanami and Asuka-chan, all in the one place. We can share the
cleaning and cooking and everyone will be nice and safe. Besides, I had a look
at the apartment last night. It's actually a penthouse in the middle of the
city. NERV really seems to have gone all out on this one. I think it's because
someone finally convinced them that if they can spend so many millions on the
Evas, they can spend a few thousand on the pilots."
She left that one hanging for a moment, but Ranma made no attempt to catch the
obvious bait to thank or congratulate her. When the silence on Ranma's end of
the line became too irritating, Misato coughed and continued.
"Anyway, I'll be back tonight with Shin-Chan and the Second Child. So if you
want go over, I've left a number there for a moving company. They can take all
of your and Ayanami's gear over. This way, the two of you can set things up for
all of us! How would that be, a nice family dinner tonight? Just the five of
us?"
"Well, Rei and I are pretty happy out here. Besides, it's not like I'm not used
to living on my own."
"Ranma-kun." All humour dropped out of the Major's voice. "You seem to
misunderstand me. I'm not actually asking if you want to move in with us. I'm
telling you."
*Gulp* "R-Right."
"Very good!" Misato was back to her normal bubbly self. "In that case, I see you
in about ten or twelve hours. I hope you have something nice cooked. Oh, and one
more thing, Ranma-kun... Separate rooms for your and Ayanami. Byeee!"
The phone disconnected with a quiet click. Looking at it, Ranma wondered if
there was any way that he could get out of moving in with his boss and a couple
of other fourteen-year-olds. It was not that he disliked Rei, quite the
opposite, she was a real friend. It was just the fact that he did not like the
idea of exposing his curse to the rest of the world. Back in Tokyo - the
original one, not this 'new and improved' model - having people know about his
curse seemed to cause no end of trouble. Just thinking about how much worse it
would be now that his girl side was actually someone else who could not defend
herself made Ranma shudder.
Fearing that he knew the answer, Ranma realised he needed to check. It was not
as though this was a decision he could make by himself. 'So, what do you think,
Rei? Do we move?'
Someone else might have had surprise in their voice. Rei simply... was Rei. *Of
course. Major Katsuragi has given us a direct order.*
With a sigh, Ranma hanged his head. 'OK, Rei. You want me to pack, or you wanna
do it?'
Rei considered it. As Ranma entered their small, apartment she reached her
decision. There was no reason for her to pack. All that she possessed were some
clothes that she and Ranma had picked and some underwear. If Ranma had indeed
possessed a girl's body before, he should be comfortable with all of that. The
only item she possessed other than that was a pair of broken glasses that
belonged to Commander Ikari.
*You can pack. Please take the case on the drawers.*
'Gotcha.' With that, a box for his own clothes, and a spare, Ranma was almost
ready. Now he just had to pack stuff.
First in went Ranma's spare clothes, some emergency stuff NERV had given him
that had been ignored and his portable phone. Looking around the apartment,
Ranma dropped Rei's few clothes - more than before, but still not many - into
the second box. Next... Next was the hard part. He might have been forced to
wear lingerie before when he had been trying to trap Happosai, but he was not a
pervert like the old man.
With one hand over his eyes, Ranma pulled open the draw that held Rei
"intimates" and completely blind proceeded to pour them into her box. When the
draw felt empty, he sighed in relief. 'How's that, Rei? Did they all go in?'
*I do not know. You still have your eyes closed.*
'Oh, right.'
Braving the prospect of looking at a lady's personal possessions, Ranma put the
draw down, removed his left arm from across his face, and slowly cracked open an
eyelid. "Hey! Am I good or what, Rei? Everything in perfectly, first go!"
Dancing a little gig, Ranma closed the box and stacked it on his possessions.
Well, everything packed, an hour to go before school. With a last glance around
the room that had been home now for several weeks, Ranma scratched the back of
his head. Talking to himself more that the second soul residing with him, Ranma
picked up the boxes and poised them on his middle finger.
"Guess this means I ought to get settled in at the new place."
The run over to the new, much higher class, building did not take long, and soon
Ranma was working on scaling the side of the building for some training.
Normally it was not hard, but carrying two cardboard boxes in one hand...
When he reached the top, Ranma looked around and found the stairs. He would have
used a window to get in, but this high up they were all sealed. With a smile,
Ranma thought about the fun he would have practising his jumping and martial
arts on the roof. The address he had been given for the penthouse apartment, the
only place large enough to house a group of five individuals in the middle of
Tokyo-3. So, without further ado, Ranma descended from the roof into the
top-level entrance to their new home. Pushing open the unlocked door, he entered
and looked around.
The place was big, he had to give it that. Probably larger than the Tendo place,
it had five bedrooms, a kitchen, two living rooms and enough space for a massive
pile of boxes. Looking closely at the boxes, Ranma found a delivery label on
some of them indicating that they were for a "Souryuu Asuka Langley". 'Must be
that Second Child Misato-san keeps talking about.'
Rei did not answer, so Ranma carried his boxes into one of the rooms. The room
nearest the kitchen. After all, it pays to be close to the important stuff.
Dropping both boxes on the floor, Ranma opened the cupboard there and placed his
clothes in. Having spent most of his life living out of a small backpack, Ranma
was quite used to folding and compressing clothes, and shortly his entire set of
clothes was nothing more than a small shadow in one corner of the wardrobe.
Looking around the room, Ranma took in the bed, the drawers, the desk and the
wide expanse of floor.
For a time he considered taking the bed into another room. He preferred sleeping
on the floor since you lost your edge if you were pampered by beds and soft
stuff like that, but decided to keep it. Rei has slept on a bed at their old
place, so she might want one now.
Checking the time on a conveniently mounted clock in the living room, Ranma
grinned. 'How's that for timing? I'll go get changed and you can go to school.'
Rei did not say anything, but he could feel her silent approval. It was easy to
keep the blue haired girl happy. All you need to do was make sure that things
run like clockwork and she was set. Rei wanted to go to school, and Ranma had
left her enough time to change clothes and still reach the school before the
last bell rang. With a splash of cold water, Rei set about doing just that.
Simplicity. Precision. Obedience. These were the things that ran Rei's world.
School was boring enough that she did not need to listen to what was being said,
but she attended because she had been told to. She knew that most of the other
students there did not understand her or how she viewed the world, but that did
not matter either. Before class, she would simply watch the small birds that
flew outside the window. At lunch, she would eat alone. None of the students
bothered her, and that was all she wanted.
Of course, none of the other students realised that she spent a large portion of
the day talking with Ranma. The martial artist was - again - discussing his
training plan with her. For reasons she could not understand, training was very
important to Ranma. This confused her, because to the best of her knowledge,
no-one had told him to train. More confusing was the fact that he did not seem
to be training _for_ anything. Even when Major Katsuragi had them practice in
the Evangelions or do a sync test, there was the purpose of becoming better so
that they could beat the Angels. Ranma trained... Ranma trained simply for the
sake of it.
Resolving that she would one day ask him why he trained so hard without a
reason, Rei walked home. School had been achieved, and that left her only one
more task that day. After entering the penthouse and taking off her shoes, Rei
walked into Ranma's room and moved her box next door. Although her muscles had
become stronger because of Ranma's training, she still felt the box was heavy,
being filled with clothes. How Ranma managed to carry both boxes on one finger
was a mystery.
Setting the box down in the new room - hers, she assumed - Rei began to unpack.
*What are you doing, Rei? Do you want everyone to know about us? I thought you'd
stick your stuff in the same room as me. That way we won't attract any
attention.*
'Major Katsuragi ordered that we should have separate rooms.'
Mentally, Ranma slapped his forehead. He had forgotten about that. Well, he
could always just break a couple of windows and let himself slip between rooms
that way. Being fifteen stories up and jumping from one narrow window sill to
another did not bother him, but having everyone think that he and Rei were in
some way connected did.
Rei had completed her work, they had cooked and eaten dinner and Ranma had begun
doing some training in the living room when the sound of movement came from the
front door. Turning to face the newcomer, Ranma was greeted by the sight of a
confident looking girl in a knee length yellow dress and red shoes. Long,
lustrous red-orange hair swirled behind her as she stood in the doorway
regarding him the same way an anthropologist regards a new form of bug.
"So this is the new Forth Child, eh? Not much to look at is he?" The girl pushed
some stray hair back over her right shoulder with a gesture of casual
indifference. "I'm Souryuu Asuka Langley, Second Child and pilot of the first
production type Evangelion Unit. And you better not try anything funny at night,
or you'll get the same treatment as Baka- Shinji here!"
Hurricane Asuka had just hit mainland Japan.
---
End Of Chapter.
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