Disclaimer: Evangelion is owned by GAINAX.
SCRIBES OF TOKYO-3
By Eva On The Rocks
CHAPTER 4. THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE FAN-FICTION
TOKYO-3 HIGH SCHOOL
Rei Ayanami stared out the classroom window, finding the sight of white clouds against the backdrop of blue sky peaceful. Combined with what her classmates referred to as the 'rambling' of the sensei, it would have been easy to daydream.
Daydreaming. Dreaming. These concepts were foreign to Rei Ayanami. She knew what they were, from books and other sources, but was yet to experience either sensation.
Did she feel envious of others because they experienced these things, and so much more, while she did not?
No. Only a mild curiosity as to why it was so, which was quelled through knowledge. Dreams and daydreams, these things were irrelevant to her.
Were they relevant to Shinji Ikari?
An odd thought to have, Rei noted. Perhaps the thought was connected to her desire to protect him.
She turned her crimson eyes in the boy's direction and saw that he was not paying attention to the lecture about Second Impact. Rather, the laptop computer on his desk was holding his attention.
A glance towards the Second Child showed that she was also busy at her laptop, and a small chuckle from the red-haired girl told Rei that it was not school-related work that held her attention.
What had made the Second Child laugh? From where Rei was sitting, it looked like a website of some sort, and another glance at Ikari revealed he was looking at a similar website and that he was blushing.
Rei was curious. She decided to use the communications program, referred to as 'chat' by her classmates, to question Ikari.
IKARI, YOU ARE NOT READING SCHOOL-RELATED MATERIAL, YOU ARE LOOKING AT SOMETHING SIMILAR TO WHAT THE SECOND IS LOOKING AT. SHE IS AMUSED BUT YOU APPEAR EMBARRASSED. WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Rei hit send and a gasp from the boy named Kensuke Aida caught her attention, but it seemed unimportant as she waited for Ikari's response. Her display flashed and a reply message from Shinji appeared.
IT'S CALLED FAN-FICTION. PEOPLE HAVE BEEN WRITING STORIES ABOUT US...
Rei frowned before she sent her response to Shinji.
HAVE OUR SUPERIORS BEEN INFORMED?
A moment passed before Shinji replied.
YES, MISATO KNOWS. DO YOU WANT TO SEE?
Rei hesitated.
Would the Commander be displeased? It would be irrelevant to any of his plans, so he would not care.
Would it help Rei gain some insight into the behaviour of her fellow pilots, something that would be beneficial in working as a team and thus, defeating the Angels?
YES.
Another sound of surprise from Aida, as Shinji forwarded the URL to her.
Rei clicked on the link, and thus, she joined the growing number of NERV employees reading Eva Fan-Fiction.
THE KATSURAGI RESIDENCEThe children were at school, and Misato was having a second serving of breakfast (beer) while waiting for Ritsuko to show up.
Ritsuko had called half an hour ago. Apparently she had something important to discuss with Misato and would be there soon.
"Woke me up, too," Misato grumbled, taking another sip of beer, as she flicked through the reviews that 'Yebisu Queen' had received and selected the most recent comment.
Misato tried to scowl, but found herself smiling as she began to read.
"Inspiration comes in many forms, in this case, from a beer can. I'm not sure if beer is the way to Shinji's enlightenment, but it's a fun read nonetheless. I never knew you were so gifted with words, even if it does seem you were intoxicated when you wrote them. Don't shoot the monitor! Kisses, God's Gift."
"Kaji," she said, still smiling as she scrolled down to the next review, written by 'Red Devil 02.'
"This story had its moments, but you've got the characters all wrong! Asuka is not that prone to violence and verbal outbursts - and if she is, the people on the receiving end deserve it! And the idea of a Shinji and Asuka romance is RIDICULOUS! What would the world's greatest Evangelion pilot see in that dork?!"
"Hello, Asuka," Misato smirked, linking the name with the new story, 'Asuka Strikes Back.'
The doorbell rang and Misato opened the door to see Ritsuko standing there, laptop in hand.
"What's so funny?" Ritsuko asked.
"Huh?" Misato said, then realised she was still smirking. "Oh, nothing..."
"Sure." Ritsuko removed her shoes and walked into the kitchen.
Misato made some coffee, remembering what she had read about Ritsuko and the Commander.
Eww!
"Pardon?"
"Oh!" Misato grimaced, unaware she'd spoken. "Nothing."
And then, according the to the rough timeline Misato was working on as she read the fan-fiction, the Commander would cast Ritsuko aside when she had served his purpose anyway!
Bastard!
But how could somebody as smart as Ritsuko end up in his bed anyway?
"Eww!" Misato knew she spoke that time.
"Misato!" Ritsuko sat at the table, watching her suspiciously.
Misato set the coffee down on the table and did her best innocent smile, which Ritsuko didn't buy for a second.
Damn it. This conversation was probably going to be about the Evas that had been constructed in America and were now being transferred to Tokyo-3.
Misato had convinced Kaji to use whatever means necessary to make sure that Unit Four's activation with the S2 Engine did not occur. Kaji had assured her it was done and Misato had felt relief, knowing that she couldn't live with herself if things had gone wrong at the Second Branch and she had done nothing.
"Unit Three is being transferred here at the end of the week," Ritsuko said.
"It is?"
"Yes," Ritsuko said. "And Unit Four won't be far behind. The Americans removed the S2 Engine after they cancelled the activation test and will ship both it and the Eva over here after Unit Three's activation."
"Oh..."
"Oh? Is that all you have to say?" Ritsuko asked. "At least Kaji can be convincing when he plays dumb. You, however, don't pull it off. I know about this fan-fiction you've been reading. I've spent the last sixteen hours educating myself on it and it's disturbing how accurate their information is."
"Disturbing why?" Misato asked. "Because these terrible things might actually happen or because all your dirty secrets are available on the net?"
"Even I didn't know some of the things on there," Ritsuko said. "Do all of the pilots know? I saw Asuka's effort with that story, 'Asuka Strikes Back.'"
"It was a pretty average story."
"Misato!"
"Well, it was!"
"I suppose you consider the stories by 'Yebisu Queen' to be works of literary art?" Ritsuko raised an eyebrow. "Are Shinji and Rei aware of these fan-fiction sites?"
"I'm not sure about Rei, but I think Shinji might be," Misato admitted, ignoring her coffee and grabbing another beer. "I accidentally stumbled across the sites a couple of nights ago. Who else has seen them?"
"At least two out of three of our pilots, you, Kaji, Maya and myself," Ritsuko sighed. "Shit."
Misato chuckled, recalling the Ritsuko and Maya pairings she had stumbled across. They sort of looked cute together, but there was the matter of the Commander...
"Hey, Ritsuko?"
"What?"
"How long have you been sleeping with the Commander?"
Ritsuko spat her coffee across Misato's table and turned bright red, sending Misato into a fit of laughter.
THE OFFICE OF GENDO IKARIGendo Ikari sat in what was generally considered his trademark position, with elbows placed on the desk, hands before his face, and his expression unreadable.
Kouzou Fuyutsuki took a seat opposite the commander, having been summoned, probably to discuss the impending arrival of NERV's newest Evangelions.
"Units Three and Four are to be transferred here," Fuyutsuki said, leaning back in the seat opposite Ikari. "What do the old men think of this development?"
"I am yet to hear from them," Ikari replied. "So we can assume they are re-writing their schedules."
Fuyutsuki gave a small chuckle. "They can't be happy. It was my understanding they wanted to be rid of Unit Four. The fact that the Second Branch has removed the S2 Engine and signed for both it and the Eva to be transported here must have the old men worried."
"Yes," Ikari said. "However, the arrival of Unit Three and its possible infection by the next Angel is still within the timeframe predicted by the scrolls."
"Hmm."
Gendo Ikari had his own schedule that was slowly, but surely, branching away from Seele's.
"There was a warning sent to the Second Branch," Fuyutsuki said. "Somebody knew the S2 Engine could be unstable and convinced them to remove it."
"It is irrelevant at the moment," Ikari said. "And Units Three and Four are not the reason I summoned you here."
"They're not?" Fuyutsuki was surprised. "Why did you send for me then?"
"Fuyutsuki, have you noticed any of the Project E staff acting strangely?"
"No more than normal," Fuyutsuki said. "Although, I heard that there was a false alarm in Major Katsuragi's office yesterday."
"The false alarm involved a firearm being discharged by the Major and a computer monitor being destroyed in the process."
Fuyutsuki tried not to chuckle at that.
"Agent Kaji was actually in his office yesterday. That in itself is odd, as normally he would be conferring with his other employers. I sent Doctor Akagi down to investigate, to see if he was aware of what was happening with Units Three and Four."
"And?" Fuyutsuki asked.
"He was aware. He claimed to be doing 'reports' on the computer," Ikari said. "The same 'reports' Major Katsuragi was catching up on when she felt compelled to open fire at a monitor."
"I see. So what are these 'reports' then?" Fuyutsuki knew how tedious paperwork could be, and often felt the urge to shoot his computer, but this was clearly something else.
"Doctor Akagi was rather vague with her responses when I asked her," Ikari said. "It would seem that she too has become intrigued by these 'reports' and wishes to investigate them herself."
"Ah," Fuyutsuki said. "I take it you have seen them yourself then?"
"Yes." Ikari met Fuyutsuki's eyes. "I am unsure what to make of this development."
Fuyutsuki tried not to let himself appear shocked, but he was hearing the impossible - Gendo Ikari uncertain of something?
Ikari slid his laptop computer across the desk, turning it around so that Fuyutsuki could lift up the monitor and have a look.
"Read for yourself, Professor."
Professor?
"It's been a while since you called me that," Fuyutsuki said, turning his attention to the laptop.
His eyes widening at what he saw, Fuyutsuki slowly began to understand why Ikari was slightly disturbed by this discovery.
TOKYO-3 HIGH SCHOOLClass had been dismissed twenty minutes ago, but two people remained in the room. Kensuke Aida was tapping away at his computer, leaving a review that could probably be more accurately described as a 'flame' for the story 'Asuka Strikes Back.'
"Ha!" Kensuke hit the send button. "Signed by the 'Soldier of EVA!'"
"What are you chucklin' about?" Toji Suzahara asked between mouthfuls of food.
"I was sort of monitoring what the pilots were looking at in class. It appears to be a website with stories, about all of the NERV staff! The pilots, Misato, Shinji's dad - even you and I get a mention!"
"We do?" Toji asked.
"Yeah, in this story by 'Red Devil 02' called 'Asuka Strikes Back,'" Kensuke said, wrinkling his nose. "I just sent her a review."
Toji scowled at the mention of Asuka, before having a read of what Kensuke had written.
"She's going to kill you!" Toji said, laughing. "What else is on there?"
"I don't know. I only saw the New Stories page and looked at reviews and summaries," Kensuke admitted, before recalling an important detail from class. "And you know what?"
"What?" Toji mumbled, chewing on the last of the hamburger.
"I was sort of monitoring Shinji's computer and you know who messaged him? Who actually used the chat system?"
Toji shook his head.
"Ayanami!" Kensuke said.
"Really?"
"She wanted to know what he and Asuka were looking at. That's why I looked. I mean, if Ayanami is interested in some website, it must be worth looking at!" Kensuke adjusted his glasses. "She's never interested in anything."
"Except maybe Shinji?" Toji said.
"You think?"
"You said yourself, with that Fifth Angel, she almost sacrificed herself to protect him."
"He never really talks about it," Kensuke said, giving a sigh. "I wish he did. Guess that's just him though."
"Eva pilots are a weird bunch," Toji said, shrugging. "Hey, I gotta take off, visiting my sister today."
"How is she?"
Toji seemed thoughtful, then he smiled. "Getting there."
THE KATSURAGI RESIDENCE"It's not just NERV's dirty secrets out there, it's our secrets too," Misato said. "I know at least some of what I've read is true, about myself, about Asuka's mother, but I have some questions." Misato paused. "You've answered one of them. I didn't know a person could blush that much."
Ritsuko promptly turned the colour of a tomato again, which was ruining the effect of the glare she was shooting Misato.
"Rei, Unit One, Yui Ikari..." Misato paused again. "Is it true, what I've read?"
"Yes," Ritsuko said, cracking open the beer that Misato had placed in front of her.
"And that...thing, in Terminal Dogma," Misato said. "That's not Adam, it's Lilith."
Ritsuko nodded, letting out a small sigh.
"And Unit One is a clone of Lilith, not Adam, like the other Evas..." Misato was simply thinking aloud now, Ritsuko just nodded every now and then. "And Shinji's mother - well, her soul anyway - is inside it? No wonder the Commander values it more than the others. That would explain why it has moved without power to protect..."
It was good in a way, not to be the keeper of terrible secrets anymore, but now Ritsuko was frightened of what Ikari might do. And the children, would they still pilot if they knew the truth? If they didn't, surely the Angels would destroy them all...
"...still can't believe you're sleeping with that bastard!" Misato's voice derailed Ritsuko's train of thought.
"Neither can I anymore," Ritsuko said, her voice practically a whisper.
"You're a scientific, logical person." Misato chugged down a beer. "Listen to that side of your brain. It isn't wrong very often."
Ritsuko just blinked a few times in response, surprised that Misato had actually given her useful advice regarding her personal life.
"As for the children, I'm not sure exactly what they know," Misato admitted. "Asuka thinks it's a contest between herself and the world, but that's Asuka. From what I know, they think they're just stories and aren't aware that there are facts amongst all that stuff."
"If Rei reads it, she will know what is fact," Ritsuko said.
"Is there really a Rei-quarium?" Misato asked.
Ritsuko nodded, almost able to picture herself destroying the clones, as she had read would happen.
"And the Fourth Child...Toji Suzahara?"
"He's to be notified tomorrow."
"Damn," Misato sighed.
"We need these kids to pilot. There's nobody else..." Ritsuko said quietly.