Neon Genesis Evangelion Higher Learning Strike Fiss, 2000 Twenty-First Lesson: "Aftermath" Ritsuko watched with faked interest as the view screen showed the events at hand. The footage was already a week old, yet only she and Commander Ikari had seen it sooner than this 'emergency report' issued by the MAGI. Maya recited the 'T-Minus' seconds as an overhead camera shot of the US Nevada NERV facilities sat peacefully on the Earth's surface. As the countdown reached 'zero', a red and white fireball spread out and engulfed the entire structure...before causing the camera view to short out due to the EM pulse. As Misato and the others gasped and then began asking questions, she sighed. It was getting tedious...keeping the others up on secrets that were already censored and filtered to the point of harmlessness. She had once asked Gendo why they bothered. "It will keep them happy." he had smirked. And true enough, it did. Though Misato would occasionally notice a bit too much for her personal comfort, Ritsuko saw that everyone was filled with a sense of awe and purpose when given these little tidbits. If they knew the whole truth, it might crush them. At least this way, they had only the motivation. She wondered briefly how much the Commander was keeping from her. After all, no matter how she tried to fool herself into thinking otherwise, the only person on this planet that knew Ikari's plan was Ikari. And he did not offer much up during pillow-talk. That was certain. "Unit 04...missing." Misato sighed as she scratched her head. "Well, I suppose we won't have to hurry up to find the Fifth Children anytime soon." "Always look on the bright side, eh, Major?" Ritsuko smiled across the dull glow of the display panel. "Steps are being taken to ensure we no longer have to rely on that method." Gendo mentioned suddenly. "Unit 04 does not concern us. I expect you all to be ready for Unit 03 when it comes this week." The bridge crew all nodded crisply, though Ritsuko could see the tension in Gendo's features. Tension replaced his cool, icy manor...though the change was subtle, it was noticeable by anyone who had spent so much time in his presence. "That will be all." Gendo dismissed everyone, snapping the doctor out of her reflective mood. As the rest of them shuffled out, discussing things that they would have to prepare for in the upcoming Eva transfer, Ritsuko dared to linger on a bit, walking up to the Commander as he rubbed the bridge of his nose lightly. "Ikari-kun." she said softly. "You're tired." "Mmm." he hummed. It was his patented 'no comment' reply. She raised an eyebrow and took the glasses off her face in a futile attempt to get them cleaner than they already were. "The dummy plug is almost finished. You said yourself that Unit 04 is of no concern to us." she put her specs back on and crossed her arms around her note- pad. "I doubt you're losing sleep over those things." "I'm not losing sleep." Gendo grumbled. She sighed. "Well, how was the concert then?" The twitch in his face was almost audible. Ritsuko jumped in surprise. "Mmm." "Did Rei play?" "Mmm." She smirked to herself. Rei. Should have known it was something about Rei. God knew he'd never get this dishevelled for anyone else. "She played Air." Gendo finally offered. "It was very good." The way he said it seemed forced. Ritsuko's curiosity got the better of her. "Then what happened?" "I am not sure." he said finally, standing before the cryptic comment could be questioned. Ritsuko sighed and followed him out. "How about Shinji and Asuka?" "They played well." Gendo said after a moment, letting the door close behind them. She sighed, knowing the conversation was about to revert back to 'mmm's. "Well, that's good." "Mmm." Gendo agreed. They rode the elevator in silence for a moment. "Will the plug be done in time?" she asked. "Of course." he nodded. "Why do you ask?" "I'm just wondering if we should bother to notify the Forth Children." Ritsuko said. Gendo smiled slightly. "I suppose it couldn't hurt to have a...spare." Kensuke sat in his desk, idly watching the class for interest to spark, but not really expecting it to. Toji wasn't in class yet...visiting his sister at the hospital overnight again. He probably wouldn't show up till second period. Sensei hadn't arrived yet, nor had Shinji and Asuka. Rei sat in her corner, typing on her laptop, but otherwise keeping with her morning quietness. Hikari walked up to him as she often did when his fellow Stooge wasn't around. "Mister Aida." she announced crisply. "Do you know where Suzuhara is?" she glanced at the clock. "He's usually here with you around this time." "Probably visiting his sister." Kensuke yawned, then smiled. "Why do you ask?" She faltered for a moment, trying to come up with something. Finally, the good ole standby... "I'm the Class Rep! I'm supposed to ask!" "Really?" Kensuke shrugged. "Well, as the Class Rep, I would thing you'd be more concerned that the morning bell is about to ring and Sensei hasn't showed up yet." She gasped, just as the bell rang and the rest of the students filtered into the class. Asuka and Shinji showed up finally, while she was discussing the merits of him always making lunch for her. "Has anyone seen Sensei?" Hikari asked, running up to the two Pilots. "Normally he's here by now!" Asuka flipped her hair away from her eyes. "I'm sure he's just got a late bus or something." she beamed. "Relax!" "Remember last time?" Shinji nodded. "I'm sure he'll show up." Kensuke was promptly taping the rare incident of them agreeing on something for his "Wedding archives". Hikari wasn't satisfied and huffed to the front of the class so she could adequately yell at everyone for not behaving like stone statues while the Sensei wasn't around. As Shinji and Asuka sat down in their seats and got comfortable, he frowned. "I hope he didn't oversleep like last time." Asuka grinned. "You KNOW where I was last night, so don't blame me." The young Mr. Ikari promptly turned red and smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Shinji!" Kensuke leaned over, scaring his friend almost out of his seat. "Did you hear?" "Hear what???" Shinji blinked, regaining his balance. Kensuke looked around for the spies that always seemed to plague him. "I hear that we're getting a new Evangelion tomorrow." Both Children's jaws dropped. "Why do we need another one when they have me and my Unit-02?" Asuka said. The boys shook their heads silently. Shinji, testing out his diplomatic talents, cleared his throat. "Maybe they're just preparing in case two or three angels attack at the same time, Asuka-chan." That seemed to lighten her grumbling somewhat. "Mm, I suppose, after all, I can only handle three or four myself...you never know..." "And they can always use it for spare parts." Shinji offered wisely. "Of course!" Asuka smiled. "After all, you never know when your Test Type or Rei's little bundle of bolts might drop an arm or a leg." If anyone was watching Rei, they would have seen a sweat drop form on her forehead...briefly. Shinji sighed. "...I suppose..." "Besides, it's not like they have a pilot for it yet." Asuka said, then looked over to Kensuke. "Do they?" "I don't think so." he said, looking at a print-out from his computer. "I can only access a few of NERV's records, but it doesn't even look like they have any spare access-cards made yet. They could do it at the last minute, but that's doubtful." "Mmm. I haven't heard anything about it." Shinji shrugged. "Misato would tell us, right??" "I don't know." Asuka said, switching into 'pilot' mode. "I'm not sure if our security clearances are high enough. Maybe even Misato won't know ahead of time. We might not meet him or her till they are in the change rooms putting on a plug-suit." "Of course, there is a chance that nobody suitable has been found yet." Kensuke said...then began to smile, looking up at them. Both Children blinked. "Would you two be able to put in a good word for me?" Kensuke grabbed both their hands and bowed his head. "PLEASE! At least get me a chance to prove myself! Just once! Even if I can't sync or something, at least then I'll KNOW!!!" "Eww! Stooge-cooties!" Asuka ripped her hand free. "I...I really don't think it's up to us." Shinji said. Kensuke looked up at them with what would be an amazingly accurate 'puppy dog look' if it hadn't been for his glasses squished crooked on his nose. "Pleaaaaaaaaase?" Shinji turned to Asuka. "I guess it couldn't hurt, Asuka..." She sighed and looked down at the grovelling boy. "Well, as long as it isn't Toji." she conceded. "Sure. We'll ask Misato if she can get you in." Kensuke almost burst into song he looked so happy. "Arigato!" he bowed quickly. "Both of you! Did I ever tell you I love you guys?" "No." Asuka grimaced. "And don't start." Kensuke nodded happily. "And if you peep at me when we're in the changing rooms, I swear I'm jamming my Prog Knife into your Eva's crotch." Both boys cringed promptly. Not too far away, Toji Suzuhara walked towards class. His face was a mix of determination and anger, as was customary for his day after visiting his sister. Though his anger had shifted away from Shinji and Unit 01, it still existed every time he saw his sister injured like that. It had shifted towards NERV. Enforced also after he saw and heard how Shinji suffered at their hands. How he had come close to losing his friend many times...and yet it was considered okay because he had saved the rest of them. That kind of responsibility was something he wouldn't wish upon his worst enemies, let alone Shinji Ikari...or even Asuka. Fate, it would seem, not only had a sense of irony...but a rather sharp whit. He regarded the tall blonde woman with mild interest as she came into the hallway from the principal's office just ahead of him. She wasn't particularly young, but did have an air of attractiveness around her. If it wasn't for her lab-coat, Toji assumed he might have a nice view of her butt. Toji cleared his throat, wondering what she looked like. "Hey, lady." he announced, catching her attention. Dr Akagi turned and blinked at the young man. "Yes?" "You looking for any room in particular?" he said, a little disappointed now that he saw her hair to be bleached. "You looking for anyone?" She smiled. It was then he noticed a small picture of...himself...in her hands. "Actually, I was just coming to see you." she offered her hand over back along the hall towards the principal's office. Toji blinked. "Listen, I didn't do anything to that cat. It was like that when I found it!" Ritsuko raised an eyebrow. "Uhm." she shook her head. "Actually, I'm here to talk to you about something a bit more important." Toji immediately wished he stayed at home in bed today as he noticed her little NERV ID tag. "Oh..." "If you'll just come this way, Mister Suzuhara." she lead. He nodded and sighed, following her. "It's your dime, lady." With the threat of Hikari The Butcher hanging over their heads, the class actually behaved quite well while Sensei Miyazaki was gone. Still, when he finally poked his head in through the door, Hikari shot him a look that could have killed a lesser man. "Hey class." he smiled brightly, bowing to Hikari in thanks. "I see the good Miss Horaki has kept you all in line while my car decided to die?" he chuckled. "Does the Principal know of your tardiness, sir?" Hikari grumbled. "Actually, no, the office staff seemed very busy today. But I promise I'll tell them of my absence so they dock me some pay." he reached into his briefcase and pulled forth a small grocery bag. "And I brought you all food as a peace offering." The class immediately crowded around his desk, drooling as the smell of fresh baked cookies filled the air. Shinji gasped as he recognized the smell. "I LOVE these!" he surprised Asuka by almost leaping over three other students in order to get a handful. "Now, now. Everyone behave." Sensei laughed as Asuka took Kensuke's share...curiously without complaint on his part... "There's lots more. Today, we're going to have to do some REAL school work, so I thought I'd make it up to you by buying lunch." Asuka gave him a thumbs up. "Well, it's better than what Baka here makes. You're forgiven." The class settled back into their desks, still munching on their cookies as Kaoru began to pass out work sheets. "Just a review of the math chapters. I got word that your regular Sensei got ill just before you could complete the test, so this will have to do." Everyone sighed, but didn't complain much, considering the day. Hikari sighed as she looked around, still not seeing Toji. "I hope he's okay." she whispered to herself, no longer busy with the task of controlling the class. Shinji finished most of his work sheet when Asuka messaged him. "Hey, baka...what does that little squiggle that looks like a railroad track mean again?" He looked down at his computer and sighed. "It's a not-equal-to sign." he typed back with a smile. "I thought you said you were studying your kanji?" "Oh, well, that explains it. It's not even kanji." she replied with a little smiley-face next to the words. Shinji smiled and was about to turn back to his work, when a stray thought hit him. "Didn't Rei say that Sensei didn't have a car?" Asuka frowned from her desk, then shrugged. "Yeah, so?" she typed back. "Then why did he say his car broke down?" Shinji looked up from his computer to Kaoru, who was busy marking a few papers. Asuka sighed. "Maybe he's just making up an excuse for sleeping in. That's what I always do." "Mm, okay." The door opening and closing interrupted further speculation. The class looked up to see Toji walk over to Kaoru's desk, handing him a note, and the walking over to his seat. "Sorry, teach. Did I miss much?" "Not really." Kaoru nodded. "Actually, you're just in time." he turned to the class. "Everyone, I'm just goinna take these last few minutes before lunch to dive back into discussion with you all." Everyone happily put down their pencils and pens. "Does anyone remember World War Two?" Kaoru said, standing up and circling his desk to sit against it as was his custom. "Do I!" Kensuke raised his hands happily. Everyone groaned. "Okay, more specifically, what HAPPENED during World War Two?" Kaoru chuckled. Rei nodded and raised her hand. "Europe was at war, with Nazi Germany being the leading aggressor. North America was pulled into the war with Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbour, eventually leading to the nuclear drops." "Very good." Kaoru nodded, then turned to Asuka. "How about you, Asuka? What happened over more on the German front? We all know about the Japanese side, but it would be good to get your point of view." Asuka shrugged. "Well, Hitler got everyone all nuts and the Nazis killed Jews until the war was over. It was a very embarrassing and retarded time for my lovely country." she sighed. "I'm sure we'd feel the same way." Kaoru nodded. "After all, Hitler and his group of generals were responsible for many war crimes. Things that we consider to be in the dark ages, even though they were less than 100 years ago." The class nodded solemnly. "Now, here's an interesting question I want you all to ponder over as you eat your lunch." he walked over to the front of the room and rocked back on his heels. "What if you could kill Hitler?" Kensuke shrugged. "Like a time machine? Go back and kill him?" "Exactly. What if you could go back and get rid of Hitler before he could cause all that bad stuff to happen. Millions of deaths and horrible things that most children your age can't even imagine used to exist." Kaoru said. "Do you think it would be worth it?" "What do you mean?" Hikari said quickly. "That's no question! I'd say do it!" Kensuke shook his head. "But what about all the stuff that happened because of Hitler?" he said, raising his hand to count off points on his fingers. "We might not have nuclear power, or jet engines, or even computers and Evangelions if it wasn't for WWII." Shinji raised his hand timidly. "And you never know...what if someone else took Hitler's place?" Toji nodded as the class murmured the ideas. "Yeah, and who needs Hitler when you have Asuka??" "WHAT WAS THAT?!?!!?!?!" Asuka stood and lifted her chair up over her head before the neighbouring students could hold her back. Kaoru laughed and motioned for everyone to calm down. "Relax people, it's just a discussion. We don't need a recreation of the Second Impact in my class." "Grrr." Asuka grred at Toji who just smiled at her. "What do you think, Shinji?" Kaoru asked. Shinji looked around nervously. "Um, well, I dunno...I mean, Evas and stuff are pretty important...but a LOT of people died in that war...and that wasn't even part of the fighting..." "How about you, Kensuke?" "Oh, I agree. Who needs Hitler when you have Asuka!?!" he smiled happily, before being glared into the ground by the Red Devil herself. The lunch bell rang, interrupting the growling and cowering. Kaoru chuckled. "Well, anyway, I want you all to write a paper, due tomorrow, about your thoughts on the subject. It can be as long as you want it to be, or as short as one paragraph. I don't mind. The best will get more of these cookies." Everyone nodded, and with Hikari's instruction, stood and bowed before leaving. On the way out, however: "Mister Suzuhara." Kaoru said after a moment. "Can I see you for a moment?" Asuka promptly made a face at Toji and laughed. "Ooh, detention!" Shinji and Kensuke shook their heads and followed her out of the room as Toji stayed seated. After everyone was gone, Toji looked up to the Sensei. "You know, don't you?" Kaoru nodded. "You are to be the Forth Children." he sighed, then smiled. "Ever wonder why they call it 'Children'? Maybe NERV has bad English instructors." Toji smiled slightly. "I guess." "I can see the look in your eyes you'd rather not be." Kaoru said, sitting down in the seat next to his student. "Mmm...I still have to decide if I like it or not. All I know is I have to." Toji shrugged. Kaoru nodded and leaned back in his seat. A pause passed between the two. "Would you do it?" Toji looked over to him. "Nani?" "Kill Hitler." Kaoru said. "Go back and shoot the fucker in the head." Toji sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. "Well...Kensuke's right...a lot of things happened because of that. But I suppose that could have been any point in history you were trying to change. It all becomes big later on." he looked up and clenched his fist with a smile. "I'd kill the fucker." Kaoru smiled. "Why?" "Mm...well, I guess, it's like you said. Someone would have probably replaced him...but at least then there would be less of a chance of that holocaust happening...and maybe the war wouldn't have been so bad." he shook his head. "And even the Evas aren't worth all the people who died because of Hitler." Kaoru nodded to himself. "Well?" "Pardon?" Kaoru blinked. "Did I answer right?" Toji smiled. Kaoru shrugged. "Let's hope so." he smiled. "Go on. Have a good lunch." Toji stood, nodded, and walked out of the class, leaving the Sensei to his thoughts. "Let's hope so." he sighed to himself, then walked over to his desk to retrieve an extra cookie to munch on. To be continued... ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Author's notes time! Whee! Well, it's official. I'm not going to get JACK SHIT done during July and August, so I'll try my hardest to start writing some Higher Learning buffer material, so even if I'm slacking off, you'll all have fresh episodes to read. ^_^ Well, that's about as likely as the million other things I have planned, but I can hope, can't I? ^_^ Guest Omake by KatarnX2B! ------------------------- SCENE: Shinji and Kaworu are sitting in chairs, with a monitor. The Words "Men On Fics" are stencilled on a sign above them. Kaworu is wearing a very revealing cowboy costume (neon pink chaps, matching thong and vest, and a small pink cowboy hat strapped to his head), while Shinji is wearing a Sailor Scout outfit (namely Uranus). They both sit with their legs crossed in a very effeminate manner. Shinji: (In a perky voice) Welcome to "Men On Fics"! Kaworu: (In an equally perky voice): Tonight's first fic is made by Eyrie Productions. Shinji: Yes, the story of DJ Croft, his adventures through the supernatural world of Evangelion. Shinji/Kaworu: (with a simultaneous, broad finger snap) Hated it! Kaworu: They spent the first third of the series hinting at a DJ-Jon relationship, then they brought in all those floozies! Shinji: You should have known, Dj's too short to be gay! Kaworu: (Pushing Shinji's shoulder) Oh stop! You're so bad! Shinji: I know! I need a spanking! Kaworu: Anyway, did you see how they had me dressed! No coordination at _all_! Shinji: They need to stop by Fran‡ois' and get some advice because they need it bad! *SNAP* Kaworu: You go girlfriend! Shinji: Our next fic is "The One I Love Is..." by Alain Gavel. Shinji/Kaworu: Loved it! Kaworu: Now this is a man who knows his fashion! Shinji: I guess we finally got together! (Both... err... boys laugh.) Kaworu: Unfortunately, that's all the have time for today! Shinji: Come back next week when we'll review "Child of Love" by Axel Terizaki, and "The Death of One" by Godsend777. Kaworu: Until then... Kaworu/Shinji: Save a seat for us! (No characters were harmed in the making of this [though we did poke one with a stick until they cried].) --------------------------------- ^_^ Till next time, gadget...next time. Meow. Homepage: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/9110 e-mail: strikef@bigfoot.com Strike Fiss, Ninja Crowbotics 2000. Khattam-Shud, EOF.