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Post by Mizagium on Feb 15, 2011 18:26:55 GMT -5
IHe's still a manipulative bastard, but he has motives. Then he grafts the fetus to his palm and starts to loose it
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Post by TEAM_DERRICK on Feb 15, 2011 18:37:55 GMT -5
So he loses the baby?!
awww
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Post by Mizagium on Feb 15, 2011 19:52:48 GMT -5
lol I smell a ToE joke.
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Post by Mizagium on Feb 16, 2011 0:17:26 GMT -5
Not nearly as epic as the last few updates, but at least we're back on track.
The all-night movie theater was nearly devoid of life, from what Shinji could see. At least three people were asleep in various positions, and there was one couple ignoring everything but each other. Projected onto the screen was a classic B-movie depicting the aftermath of Second Impact. The setting of the movie was left vague, but Shinji guessed it was New York; he recognized the World Trade Center towers in the skyline. And it was a safe bet that a disaster movie would be set in the city that never sleeps.
He’d shut off the SDAT player, but left the earbuds in, allowing him to observe the outside world without seeming to do so; it was a technique he sometimes employed in crowded areas. People were surprisingly open about their personal lives in groups and even more so when they thought no one else was listening.
While the hammy actors onscreen recited some technobabble about the proportions of the meteor and the scale of the tsunami (both of which sounded ridiculously inaccurate) Shinji watched the handful other moviegoers with something approaching distaste. At least two men were asleep; one had his feet up on the chair in front of him, and the other was laid out across the aisle. From the way his shoes stuck on the way in, Shinji wouldn’t have repeated the man’s actions unless it was for a good sum of money. A third man was possibly awake, but held an open book that he was much more engrossed in. Or he was asleep, like the other.
But it was the couple sitting three rows ahead that his eyes focused on. He couldn’t hear what they were saying above the overacting in the film, but they visibly giggled. Someone else might have described them as cute; Shinji didn’t know what to call them. What he did know was that their interaction intrigued him – and somehow irritated him at the same time. Is that normal? No one does that with me. It wasn’t until the boy leaned over and kissed the girl that Shinji stood up and left. No one noticed.
He drifted in and out of sleep for the next few hours on a cushioned bench in the lobby. No one noticed.
When the morning came, Shinji shuffled out into the waxing sunlight, SDAT on full blast, eyes on the ground. The feeling of claustrophobia – like he had experienced on the train car – returned, accompanied by a buzzing in his head that drowned out the music.
Shinji.
He froze in place, shaking.
You are running away.
The voice echoed inside his head.
Is this your decision?
“Get out!” He clutched at his skull as if it would be enough to purge the presence from his mind. “Get out of my head!”
Choose.
Breaking free of his trance, Shinji ran. With no destination in mind, he ran.
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Post by TEAM_DERRICK on Feb 16, 2011 18:18:25 GMT -5
Like it!
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Post by Mizagium on Feb 16, 2011 18:50:20 GMT -5
Here's two sections. This one directly follows the previous one, and leads into Shinji arriving at Ariadne's.
A few hours and a bus ride later, Shinji sat on the edge of a cliff, knees hugged tightly to his chest. A constant, cool breeze whips at his hair and clothes, several degrees lower than anyone usually experienced in Japan these days. Tokyo-3 occupied the valley below, from mountains to lakeshore. His eyes traced the tops of the skyscrapers absently. Even from a bird’s eye view, tracing a route through the streets was difficult bordering on insane.
That’s when something occurred to him. Misato had mentioned once that the city was built to be a fortress in the years following the Impact Wars (or World War III, depending on who you asked). Even after the fighting had stopped, the world wasn’t going to take chances. With Old Tokyo bombed out, and the United Nations moved to Tokyo-2, Tokyo-3 was built to withstand any sort of attack. But Shinji recognized the layout for what it was: a labyrinth. The layout was designed to deliberately confuse invaders, just like the layout of NERV Headquarters in the GeoFront.
Where they really expecting to be invaded? Shinji supposed it didn’t matter.
Time crept by. The sun followed its daily route across the sky, passed the apex, and continued onward.
Something else Misato said echoed in his mind. Look Shinji. This is your city now. All of the people living in it, whether they know it or not, owe their lives to you. This is what we at NERV are fighting to defend.
This was…his city? The Angels were coming to destroy everything; he had defeated two of them. Could he keep going? Did he think he could handle however many more there were? Was he really going to fight for total strangers?
Slowly he got to his feet and stared down the side of the mountain. He teetered on the edge of the cliff until vertigo made him take a step back.
Tokyo-3.
“I should go back.” He couldn’t go back to Misato, not after he had run out on her like that. With that he seated himself again and it was some time before he remembered the folded piece of paper in his pocket, the one with an address printed on it in scratched-out English and then again in Japanese.
~~~~~~
This last one takes place after the entire episode at Ariadne's, when Shinji is taken in by Section 2 agents.
Gendo Ikari rarely ventured outside his spacious office. If anyone wished to speak him, nine times out of ten, they could find him sitting at his death, beneath the illuminated diagram of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. But not today. Today, Ikari paced back and forth across the walkway of Cage 7. Arms folded behind his back, his face a mask devoid of emotion, Ikari would do a smart about-face at either end of the walkway. Under the stoic gaze of Unit 01, Gendo Ikari pondered.
I suppose I should not have expected any different from him. But I had always hoped – hoped he would simply jump right up and pilot. But he’s just as screwed up as I am. What do I do?
Gendo stopped and faced the purple monstrosity. “What do I do? Yui – Tell me what to do!”
No response. He stood gripping the railing for several minutes before the world around him blurred as the Somnacin dissolved in his blood and he awoke in his office, hands folded across his face. With efficient indifference, he removed the hypodermic and stashed the PASIV device under his desk. On cue, there came a knock.
“Enter.”
The door slid open, but Fuyutsuki remained beyond the threshold. “They found your son. He’s in Section 2 custody and on his way here.”
“I see. Have him brought to my office.”
“Understood.”
A single drop of blood rolled down his arm.
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Post by TEAM_DERRICK on Feb 16, 2011 19:15:15 GMT -5
sitting at his death
fucking metal
Wait... Did Gendo just show... EMPATHY?
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Post by Mizagium on Feb 16, 2011 19:23:22 GMT -5
Yes he did. Remember, hesaperson in this
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Post by TEAM_DERRICK on Feb 16, 2011 19:36:08 GMT -5
Oh lord... The implications...
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Post by Mizagium on Feb 16, 2011 19:43:03 GMT -5
He's still unable to connect with people like in the series. I just want to show the reader he's at least that - because once he has Adam, he actually starts to go crazy bastard mode.
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Post by TEAM_DERRICK on Feb 16, 2011 19:48:13 GMT -5
oh dear
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Post by Mizagium on Feb 16, 2011 20:54:10 GMT -5
NON SEQUITUR SCENE!!!
Cobb pressed the barrel of the gun to Thompson’s head. As much as the former Extractor appeared composed, Cobb observed a bead of sweat run down his neck. He was nervous. He wasn’t sure if he was still dreaming or not. That was exactly where he and Arthur wanted him.
“You’re very good, Thompson, you wouldn’t have been in Gehirn’s top class otherwise, but I’m afraid we’ve outsmarted you.” It wasn’t Cobb who spoke, but Eames. Arthur frowned at the Brit, but Cobb wasn’t bothered. It was his dream, after all, might as well let him take charge of it.
“You guys…” Thompson’s eyes darted from Cobb to Eames to Arthur and back. “How did you do that? How did you fool me for so long? I’m the best Extractor out there!”
Cobb leaned in close, pressing the barrel harder. “No, Mr. Thompson, I’m afraid that title belongs to me. I’m the best Extractor there ever was. If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to outsmart you.”
Arthru conspicuously checked his watch, making it seem as if they were running late. Which they were; Thompson had managed to evade them for much longer than they had expected in the second level – he even managed to get a hold of his Totem, which was how he discovered their deception. He woke up, tied to a chair with Arthur waving a gun in his face.
Trembling, the man stumbled over his words. “Th-this is still a dream! I-I know…it has to be! The best of us….w-we always went at l-least two l-levels down!”
“That is what they taught us at Gehirn,” Cobb agreed. “But Gehirn is gone, now Thompson. After the accidents, they shut us down. I haven’t obeyed a single one of their rules in years. Even if we were by-the-book Extractors, you can’t reach your totem. You can’t prove this world isn’t real. So are you willing to risk your life over it?”
Thompson tried to jerk his head away from the gun and tipped the chair over by accident. “This isn’t real, this isn’t real, this isn’t real,” he repeated to himself.
Cobb kicked him in the stomach and pressed the gun to his cheek. “What is the combination?” He was practically screaming by now. He wasn’t used to this; most of his marks had been corporate bigwigs, untrained in the finer arts of dream-sharing. Even those with some knowledge only knew how to defend themselves – going down two levels was usually enough to get the information. Extracting a fellow Extractor required more direct force. Kidnapping on all levels, varying levels of torture, and often a longer subconscious stay.
Thompson eyed the gun, then the safe, then the gun, then Cobb. “3.1415926.”
“Pi?” Arthur asked. “Seriously?”
“I like that number,” Thompson insisted. “It doesn’t repeat itself, like you clowns.”
Cobb swallowed hard. “Eames, open the safe. Now. Quickly!”
Cobb kept the gun pressed on Thompson, showing no outward emotions, but inside he was panicking. Thompson knew. He had to know. But why would he give up the combination so easily? The captive man started to grin.
“Got it, Cobb.”
“What does it say?”
Silence for nearly a minute as Eames skimmed the documents. “Everything. It’s just like Kretzer.”
“Then we can’t let him go,” Arthur said.
“No.” Cobb let up on the gun. There was no reason to threaten him anymore. “Why are you going to see Miles?”
“Why wouldn’t I go see Miles? He’s the only one that can help us.”
“Miles doesn’t work with Gehirn anymore, Thompson. He doesn’t work with anyone. He’s just an architecture professor now.”
“No!” For the first time, Thompson struggled against his bonds. “He has to help us! He doesn’t know what they’re planning! Miles would know how to stop it.”
“Why would you want to stop it?” Arthur asked, moving close. “We’re over there making sure the Angels don’t win. Why would you want to stop that?”
A sick grin cracked Thompson’s face. “He doesn’t know. Aahaha! He doesn’t know!”
“What don’t I know?” Arthur first asked Thompson, but the man was too busy laughing insanely, so he turned to Cobb and Eames. “What is he talking about?”
“Nothing,” Eames answered quickly. “He’s mad, just like Kretzer was. Too much dream sharing ruins your mind. Thompson’s the edge now.”
Before Arthur could ask another question, the room filled with the echoing of slowed-down French music. Time was up.
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Post by TEAM_DERRICK on Feb 16, 2011 21:01:18 GMT -5
We need to incorporate this somehow. Hell, you could have this be the intro to the chapter after the Ramiel fight.
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Post by Mizagium on Feb 16, 2011 21:04:30 GMT -5
no. this is this chapter.
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Post by TEAM_DERRICK on Feb 16, 2011 21:05:52 GMT -5
Oh. Even better.
Oh now I see what you mean by non-sequitur.
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Post by Mizagium on Feb 16, 2011 21:08:30 GMT -5
there we go!
Mari shows up briefly later on to eat Thompson's mind.
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Post by TEAM_DERRICK on Feb 17, 2011 16:12:35 GMT -5
omnomnom
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Post by Mizagium on Feb 17, 2011 16:56:47 GMT -5
Not sure if want to name her outright yet. Her appearance was supposed to be a surprise, but people are smarter thant I thought...
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Post by Mizagium on Feb 18, 2011 13:24:04 GMT -5
Father and son faced each other from a distance: Shinji, standing, hands shackled in front of him; Gendo, sitting at his desk, hands folded. Neither smiled, neither frowned. Carefully, they avoided each other’s eyes, mutual uneasiness being the only thing that could ever hope to bridge the chasm that separated them.
Gendo spoke first, direct and to the point. “NERV may be a clandestine organization, but we are technically employed by the United Nations. The ranks we hold here are not for show; Ms. Katsuragi is indeed a Captain. I am a Commander. We exist for the sole purpose of defeating the Angels and preventing the destruction of the human race. As, such, your little stunt not only was desertion of the military, but it also potentially compromised global security. Had you not alerted Section 2 to your presence, the order would have come to down to eliminate you.”
Shinji’s surprise was visible. “You…would have me killed?”
“Not me, the UN Security Council. Outside of NERV and the Oversight Committee, the Angels are not known to the populace. If word of their existence got out, it could cause a worldwide panic. Do you understand?”
“…Yes.”
Another moment of awkward silence passed. Shinji inclined his head ever so slightly, just enough to avoid his father’s gaze.
“However. You returned of your own will. No secrets were leaked. The integrity of NERV remains intact. We cannot ask for more than that, therefore, it if the advice of the Oversight Committee that no sanctions be placed on you at this time. Consider this your warning. If you disobey orders again, for any reason, we will not stay our hand. Is that clear?”
“Yes.”
“Release him.” An agent appeared from the shadows near the door and unlocked the triple levels of handcuffs.
“What about…um, Aridane? Is she going to be…?”
“She will not be punished; however, a record of this incident will be kept.”
Shinji massaged his wrists where the cold metal had bit into his flesh.
“That will be all. Dismissed.”
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Post by Mizagium on Feb 18, 2011 19:24:03 GMT -5
And finally we come to the conclusion of chapter 9, many weeks behind schedule. Character thoughts that are usually in italics are in regular script because I'm feeling lazy.
~~~~~~
Thompson slumped forward in his seat, sagging against the restraints that held him upright and in place. The girl with the skirt and glasses tore her hands away from his head reluctantly and dabbed at the blood under nose. She examined it perfunctorily before licking it clean.
‘Thank you, Mari,” Saito said with a polite nod.
“My pleasure.”
To no one in particular, the again Asian businessman said, “We’ll get a cleanup crew in here shortly. No one will ever know he existed. Thank you, Mr. Cobb, Mr. Arthur, Mr. Eames; you have done an excellent job.”
Arthur folded his arms and shifted his glance from Saito to Thompson, a thin stream of drool hanging from his lower lip. Saito motioned for Mari to follow him and they turned to leave.
“What exactly did we keep him from leaking?” Arthur asked.
Saito and Mari stopped dead. Eames and Cobb jerked their heads toward him.
“What’s so important that we had to do everything but kill two men for?”
“Why, the Angels, Mr. Arthur. If knowledge of the Angels ever became public, we would have global panic on our hands, one of the magnitude that followed Second Impact.”
“Why would Thompson want to let it out?”
Arthur refused to look at either Cobb or Eames who were shoot daggers at him. He remained fixed upon the back of Saito’s head
“Because he is insane.”
Saito waited for Arthur to say anything – anything – but a long moment passed in silence, which he took for acceptance. Saito signaled again to Mari and they left the room. When they were safely out of earshot, he said to Mari, “Remind me to keep an eye on that one.”
“I don’t understand why you didn’t just let me handle him.”
“Because he is a skilled Extractor. Cobb trusts him with his life. Cobb is the best there is and the only one we can rely on.”
“I thought you said we couldn’t rely on anyone?”
With a wry smile, Saito ruffled her hair. “You catch on quick.”
-
Ritsuko had had quite the week. First the Angel attack. While it had almost been a failure, the Core of the Fourth Angel hadn’t been damaged significantly, allowing the MAGI to run a thorough scan of its structure; the data gleaned now ran on a continuous feed to her personal terminal – a ceaseless feed of 1’s and 0’s. Then the Third Child ran away and was missing for…she didn’t actually know how long he’d been gone. And now she had two days to solve any remaining problems with Unit 00 before they attempted to synchronize it with Rei again.
Like anything I can do will make a difference. It’s an Eva, not a machine. What the hell am I supposed to do with it?
She drank her coffee angrily, ignoring the scalding of the inside of her mouth, needing the caffeine if she was going to get anything done today. She sighed. I need a cigarette. After hunting around her desk for an empty space to set her mug, Ritsuko had to root through her papers to find the damn carton .
Figures. Never around when I need the damn things. Huh? What’s this?
It was a manila envelope, small enough so that only an index card could be slid inside. She most certainly did not remember this being here before; as much of a mess as it seemed, Ritsuko knew where everything was located (except the cigarettes).
“Maya? Are you out there?”
“Yes, sempai. What is it?”
“Nothing. Just…wait right there.”
In case it’s a bomb or poison or something.
Very carefully, she opened the folder. Nothing happened. Well, what had she expected? Working in secret for so many years had turned her paranoid. Inside was a small card, not much bigger than a standard business card. On one side was the holographic logo of ENCOM. On the reverse was a handwritten note – almost chicken scratch, but she recognized the script.
This might come in handy soon.
- Flynn,
Curious, the blond tipped the remaining contents into her hand. An old flash drive memory stick. It, too, was embossed with the ENCOM logo.
“Maya, are you still out there?”
“Yes, sempai.”
“Come in here, and bring your laptop. I want to see something.”
Maya appeared less than a minute later dutifully and handed her computer to her impatient mentor. As soon as the drive was inserted into the USB port, a window opened displaying pages of data. At first she didn’t understand; the mathematics being shown to her were purely theoretical, far beyond the scope of – suddenly it clicked.
“Take a look at this, Maya!” She practically shoved the screen in her student’s face. Like herself, the revelation was slow coming.
“What…what is this?”
“A gift,” she said. “A gift from an old friend.”
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