Disclaimer: Evangelion is owned by GAINAX.


SCRIBES OF TOKYO-3
By Eva On The Rocks



CHAPTER 7.2 Now I'm Bored And Old.

NERV HEADQUARTERS

In the Control Centre of NERV, Aoba Shigeru and Hyuga Makota were relishing the fact that their superiors were absent because this allowed them both a chance to relax.

"Where is everyone?" Aoba asked, brushing up on his air guitar skills.

"I'm not sure," Hyuga replied. "It's been weird around here lately. Major Katsuragi opened fire at her computer a few days ago, and Maya has hardly said a word to anyone lately."

"Yeah, that's strange. She hasn't even volunteered to help Doctor Akagi, which isn't like her."

"And the Commander was present for the last synch-test. That's unusual. Normally he just lurks in his office like the Emperor in his Death Star."

"Shh!" Aoba looked around nervously. "He'd probably shoot you for that comment!"

"There's nobody around," Hyuga said, before looking over his shoulder just to be sure. "I hope."

"That was weird though, that last synch-test, when Asuka said something about...what was it?"

"Seele."

"Yeah, and everybody just freaked. What's a 'Seele'?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Hyuga lowered his voice. "But I don't think it's something we should be discussing here."

The seriousness of his tone was not lost on Aoba, who gave a nod of understanding before flicking on his terminal and heading for the Internet. Time to download some guitar tabs, even if he only had an 'air guitar' to work with at the moment.

"What's this mean?" Aoba asked, frowning at the display. "There's some message about restricted access when I want to go on the net."

"It's probably just a standard disclaimer. You know, 'we are watching you, don't look at bad sites.' I wouldn't worry about it. NERV has more important things to do than check on what its employees are browsing online."

"Nah, it's different."

"Let me see." Hyuga activated his own terminal and found himself confronted with the same message.

"What the hell is an 'Eva-Fic'?" Aoba asked.

"Beats me," Hyuga replied. "Although now I think about it, I could have overheard Mis-" He stopped, correcting himself. "Major Katsuragi talking about it yesterday."

"Did you now?" Aoba chuckled, well-aware of Hyuga's crush on the Major. "Ask her out already."

"It's not that simple."

"The worst that can happen is she'll say no."

"She opened fire at a computer," Hyuga said. "I think I'll wait a while."

"You mean you'll wait until that Kaji guy is out of the picture."

"You're keen on Maya, aren't you?" Hyuga tried to change the subject. "Why don't you ask her out for a drink?"

"I have," Aoba said. "But she was swamped with work."

"Uh-huh," Hyuga said. "Sounds like you were turned down."

"Maybe. But at least I asked."

"Yeah, yeah." Hyuga waved a hand dismissively before turning back to the computer. "It says here that only authorised personnel are to look at these sites and that any access will be monitored."

"Well, aren't we classified as 'authorised personnel'?" Aoba said, proceeding to one of the 'prohibited' websites. "Guitar tabs can wait. I want to know what this is about."

"I hope this isn't a bad idea," Hyuga said, before following Aoba's lead.

The pair of them stared at the home page of an Eva Fan-Fiction archive and blinked in unison.

"Huh?" Aoba said, recognising the images of the pilots. "Stories..."

"About the pilots and Project E staff," Hyuga said. "I have to see this."

"Definitely."

The Tokyo-3 audience of Eva Fan-Fiction grew by two more...

 

On a train descending into the GeoFront, with warm sunlight bathing everything in an orange light, two men stared contemplatively out the window. They had been discussing the completion of the seventh construction phase of Tokyo-3, the intercept system, as well as Ikari's impending meeting with the Committee.

A small beep from a laptop brought the conversation to a halt though, and Fuyutsuki chuckled as the MAGI reported Lieutenants Shigeru and Makota had accessed the fan-fiction websites.

"It was only a matter of time," Fuyutsuki said, glancing at Ikari. "Shall I call security?"

"Let them be," Ikari replied. "If what they read affects their ability to function, or anybody else's for that matter, then they will be replaced. The fan-fiction will not alter my scenario."

"I see." Fuyutsuki closed the laptop. "You won't be contributing any more fan-fictions to those unsuspecting readers, will you?"

"Not at this point in time."

Fuyutsuki sighed with relief.

"You disapprove?" Ikari glanced at the older man for a moment, raising an eyebrow, before returning his gaze to the window. "I may be a cold and ruthless dictator, but surprising as it might seem, I do occasionally find the time to amuse myself. Even if it is at the expense of others."

"Yes, well..." Fuyutsuki shifted in his seat, waiting a moment before changing the subject. "The Dummy System is operational?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." Fuyutsuki glanced out at the GeoFront. "At least this fan-fiction has allowed us to prepare for future events."

Ikari said nothing.

"What does Doctor Akagi think of its effect on our scen-?"

"It is irrelevant what she, or anybody else, thinks about it. They will all serve their purpose."

The faintest touch of anger, Fuyutsuki noted. Had Ikari's liaisons with the young doctor come to an end?

"She will remain as the Head of Project E?" Fuyutsuki asked finally.

"It is unacceptable to lose her services at this time."

Fuyutsuki had read about what was destined to happen in that 'relationship,' but he wondered why Akagi would have agreed to stay. "How did you convince her to stay?"

"Doctor Akagi is the best in her scientific field and a great asset to NERV," Ikari replied. "However, like her mother, she is still a woman. They are easy enough to manipulate."

"Ah."

A moment of silence passed before Ikari spoke again, catching Fuyutsuki completely off-guard with his words.

"I always wondered about your motivations for joining us, Professor. At first, I thought that you were like us, eager to create a new genesis for mankind and push the boundaries of science to new heights." As Ikari spoke, Fuyutsuki felt the temperature in the train carriage drop a few degrees. "But now I think your reasons were much more simplistic."

"Is that so?" Fuyutsuki asked, years of dealing with Ikari ensuring that neither his voice nor expression betrayed his emotions.

"Hmm." Ikari turned his eyes from the window and looked at Fuyutsuki, the smallest smirk playing on his lips. "You would see her again."

Not a question, a statement.

It was vital that Fuyutsuki chose his next words carefully.

"Yes," Fuyutsuki replied, calmly and honestly. "Yui was a dear friend."

Ikari nodded, apparently finding that an acceptable response, as the train descended into Headquarters and the warm sunlight disappeared.

 

In one of the smaller lounge areas of NERV Headquarters, Maya Ibuki was sitting alone, lost in thought as she nursed a can of soda in her hands.

Since she had reported the fan-fiction, Maya had gone out of her way to avoid Doctor Akagi. When it came to work, Maya functioned as expected, but no longer did she offer to get Ritsuko her coffee or take on extra work.

She had to know, Maya thought, glancing down at the can she held. As did anybody else who had read the fan-fiction.

But Ritsuko was yet to say anything.

After psyching herself up for a confrontation and spending days terrified of being asked directly if she had feelings for Ritsuko, or told straight out that such feelings were never going to be reciprocated, there had not been a word.

It was driving Maya nuts. Did that mean there was a chance...?

Of course not, Maya's brain scolded. Ritsuko was in love with Commander Ikari anyway.

"Well, well, well!" The voice of Ryoji Kaji shook Maya out of her thoughts. "If it isn't the lovely Maya Ibuki."

Maya looked up and forced herself to appear cheerful.

"Can you believe that NERV won't even throw a party to celebrate the completion of the intercept system?" Kaji asked, shaking his head.

"I...hadn't really thought about it, Mr Kaji," Maya admitted.

"Maybe we could have a private party?" Kaji winked, shifting into flirtatious mode. "What do you say?"

Surely Kaji would have read the fan-fiction and knew he was wasting his time, Maya thought.

"I don't think...I mean…it's..." Maya found herself flustered by the man's attention anyway.

"You look like you have a lot on your mind," Kaji said, toning down the flirting. "A few drinks might help. My shout, what do you say?"

"I'm working."

Kaji raised an eyebrow. "You're on a break. How long until you have to go back to work?"

"Forty-five minutes," Maya replied.

"Plenty of time!"

"I can't go drinking and then go back to work!"

"Sure you can!" Kaji grinned. "Katsuragi does it all the time."

The sound of Misato Katsuragi clearing her throat caused Kaji to gulp nervously.

"Is it wise to be taking girls, who are under certain chains of command, out drinking?" Misato asked. "On their lunch break, no less?"

"Would you like to come with us?" Kaji asked. "Lieutenant Ibuki was looking a little down in the dumps. I thought a quick drink might cheer her up."

"I think I'll just get going," Maya said, getting to her feet and trying to sneak off. A 'quick drink' with Misato and Kaji would probably get her fired. "I have work...excuse me."

"Hmm." Misato rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

There was something in the Major's expression that Maya found unsettling. It was similar to the glint in her eyes when she had a flash of tactical brilliance during an Angel battle, and this time the look was directed at Maya.

"Just a quick drink," Misato said, pulling her cell phone out of her jacket. "Let's see what Ritsuko's up to!"

"No!" Maya cried, then blushed when she heard how her voice sounded. "Doctor Akagi is really busy, yes, lots of work, you know, with Unit Three and-"

"Well, she'll probably be happy to have a break then!" Kaji nodded his encouragement to Misato.

"Ritsuko," Misato spoke into the phone. "Whatcha doing?"

Maya felt her heart racing. Please let her be busy, please!

"Kaji, Maya and me wondered if you wanted to join us for a drink?" Misato said, then rolled her eyes as she received a response. "Oh, don't be like that! It's after twelve, and we all know that nothing bad's going to happen for a while." Another pause, another eye roll. "Kaji and I are very responsible people, Ritsu. Do you really think we'd get your assistant drunk and send her back to work?"

"I don't think Ritsu approves of our plan." Kaji grinned at Maya, apparently oblivious to her panic attack.

"You're missing out," Misato was saying in a sing-song voice. "Come on, Ritsuko. It'll be fun. Oh, what Ikari doesn't know won't hurt him. I'll bet him and Fuyutsuki sit up there drinking premium whiskey while we slave away at-"

"Major Katsuragi."

Misato shrieked at the sound of Fuyutsuki's voice and dropped the phone.

Maya and Kaji watched as Misato slowly turned around, her eyes closed as if that would make the Sub-Commander disappear.

"Err...hi, Sub-Commander," Misato said, smiling nervously. "Would you...um...like to join us for a drink?"

Thank God it wasn't Commander Ikari, Maya thought, as Kaji began to chuckle.

Fuyutsuki took his time responding, seeming to enjoy the Major's discomfort, before glancing at his watch.

"Some other time, perhaps. I have another engagement," Fuyutsuki replied with a smile. "And I'm not that fond of whiskey."

Maya barely stifled a giggle as Fuyutsuki walked away.

"I need a drink," Misato said, retrieving her phone from the floor.

 

In the Command Centre, Aoba and Hyuga were chuckling to themselves as another story found its way into cyberspace.

"You think they'll know it was us?" Aoba asked.

Hyuga shrugged.

"Nobody writes stories about us," Aoba said. "We're just secondary characters to those people."

"Seems so." Hyuga let out a sigh. "Is it really that obvious I have a thing for Major Katsuragi?"

"Yes."

"Hmm." Hyuga scrolled through the New Stories page. "I guess now we know why Maya turned you down."

"Yeah," Aoba said, shaking his head. "I knew she was dedicated to Doctor Akagi, but not that dedicated."

"You think that's why Maya's been acting funny?"

"Could be," Aoba said. "If the world knew about my secret crush on somebody, I'd be pretty freaked out about it."

"Hmm."

"Doctor Akagi though?" Aoba began playing his air guitar again. "She seems so cold."

"And she's been sleeping with the Commander!" Hyuga whispered.

"Maybe his personality rubbed off on her?"

"Who knows," Aoba said. "Seems those stories are the only way we'll ever get to know anybody around here."

"I'm beginning to think you and I are the normal ones."

"That's a scary thought."

"Do you think people will like our story?" Hyuga asked.

"Which story would that be, gentlemen?"

The two techs spun around to see Doctor Akagi standing there, arms folded, watching them with a mixture of amusement and disapproval.

Both men wondered how much had she overheard...

"Doctor Akagi!" Hyuga gasped. "We were...just...um..."

"Save it." Ritsuko moved forward to glance at his terminal.

"I think we're busted," Aoba whispered, proving he was blessed with the ability to state the obvious.

"'Dude, Where's Our Backstory?'" Ritsuko read aloud. "Written by 'The Secondary Characters.'"

"It was his idea!" Aoba and Hyuga shouted at the same time, pointing at one another.

"Hmm." Ritsuko stepped back, peering down at them both. "Because of your 'secondary character' status, I won't discipline the pair you over this incident. This time."

The techs let out sighs of relief.

"However," Ritsuko smiled. "The commanders are also monitoring access to these websites."

"Huh?" Hyuga gasped, while Aoba's eyes widened.

Before Ritsuko could respond, her cell phone rang.

"Yes, Misato?" Ritsuko said, using a tone akin to that used on a disobedient child. "A drink? It's the middle of the day." Ritsuko's eye began to twitch. "Major Katsuragi, you know that matter is not to be discussed, nor is it to be used to schedule your partying around! You and Kaji are not taking my assistant out for a few drinks before her next shift starts. I know what your idea of 'a few drinks' is. It usually ends up with somebody being comatose!"

Hyuga and Aoba looked at one another and chuckled, only to quickly lower their gaze when Ritsuko glared at them.

"Oh, I know what I'm missing out on. If I suspect Maya to be the least bit inebriated when her next shift starts, I'm holding you responsible." A pause, then Ritsuko frowned. "Misato?"

"Don't even think about it," Ritsuko warned.

 

Part 8

 

Notes:

Thanks to my pre-readers again.

Yes, I know. My notes are boring and uninformative. :-)