Neon Genesis Evangelion Fan Fiction ❯ Interregnum ❯ Resurgence ( Chapter 4 )

Interregnum

By TheLastWaltz

Rating: T

 Notes:          Neon Genesis Evangelion is the property of Hideaki Anno, King Records, Starchild, Studio Khara, et al. This a fan created work, and I do not intend to make any money from it. Should the involved parties request that I take it down, I will do so.

Chapter Four: Resurgence

            Shinji lay flat on his stomach, pressed against the floor of the ventilation shaft he ensconced himself in. He bit down hard on his lower lip, resisting the all-consuming and convulsive urge to sneeze or cough as he breathed in the thick dust coating the duct he concealed his teenage form in. Asuka laid on her stomach as well, in the duct directly across the hallway from Shinji. The two of them hid within a pair of grates set into the bottoms of the walls in a dark and damp hallway located in the lower levels where most of the maintenance machinery whirred and clanged, near the water reclamation and heating plant for the shelter they lived in. The two Children collectively held their breaths as the sound of heavy boots grew nearer. A squawking voice came out of the radio Mic clipped to the epaulets of one of the men Shinji and Asuka now realized were searching the shelter.

          “Anything?” the voice on the radio queried, which caused the footsteps to stop momentarily before the click of a button, and an electronic squeak was heard in the hallway, followed by another voice.

          “Affirmative. We have signs of habitation. The power is on, but the lights in the sub-level are out. Reason to believe individuals are hiding in the shelter." the male voice replied. While Shinji’s mind reeled with the realization that others had now returned from the sea,  Asuka’s fist clenched as she waited in the vent. Images flooded her mind of the assault on NERV, and soldiers she had killed while in Unit 02, before finally dredging up the memories of being torn apart by the Mass Production EVAs. Shinji remembered the assault as well, shuddering at the memory of being curled up under a staircase, allowing a JSSDF soldier to press the barrel of a gun to the top of his head, before being rescued by Misato and hurtled towards the Eva cages. He remembered the taste of death on Misato's lips, as she promised him something they both knew would never be realized. He remembered screaming at Unit 01, begging it to break free of the tons of Bakelite holding it in place. Then, the ascent to the Geofront's surface and finally seeing the remains of Unit 02, after it had been devoured. Finally, the sound of his screaming, and everything that followed after.

          “10-4. Exercise caution.” the voice on the radio responded. From their vantage point, Asuka and Shinji could only see the black boots as they passed the vents they were hiding in. With a loud war cry, Asuka sprang out first, grabbing the ankles of the men as they passed by, sending them tumbling to the floor in a confused crash. Shinji matched her pace exactly, the results of their synch training once more paying dividends. Asuka pulled a gun from the holster of one of the men now on the floor, the memories repeating in her mind, overwhelming her as she and Shinji pinned the men to the ground, their knees pressing into the smalls of the men’s backs. Shinji watched as Asuka brought the gun to bear on the head of the man she was on top of. Out of the corner of his eye, Shinji noticed that the men’s outfits were blue and not black, and made of a different material than the hardened body armor of the special ops team sent to eradicate NERV.

          "ASUKA, WAIT!" Shinji screamed, moving quicker than he realized was possible for his slender frame, bringing his arms up and knocking the gun upwards as it went off. The bullet buried itself in the ceiling as he lifted Asuka off the man and slammed her hard into the wall. She brought her knee upwards into his stomach, driving the wind from his body, and shoving him away from her. He hit the floor with a thud but twisted his body enough to grab her ankle and pull her down as she kicked at him.

          “LET GO, YOU FUCKING IDIOT! THEY’RE GOING TO KILL US!” Asuka bellowed, one of her kicks striking him just above his eyebrow, leaving a deep cut that dripped onto the floor as she regained her footing. One of the men had regained enough composure to try and tackle Asuka, but being trained by the Bundeswehr gave her an edge the man couldn’t match. She used a perfectly timed judo throw to land the man squarely on top of Shinji, keeping him on the floor, and breaking the hold on her ankle. The other man now on his feet simply bum-rushed Asuka from the side, taking the air out of her with a hit that sent her back down to the ground, holding her ribs, the gun skidding from her grasp. The next second, Asuka felt herself being forced onto her stomach, and her arms being pinned behind her back as something cold latched itself to her wrists. She grunted as she was hauled to her feet, looking over to her left, she watched as Shinji was given the same treatment. “Great fucking work, Third. They're going to drag us outside and put a bullet in us," she muttered to Shinji as the two men began to frog-march them up the stairs and towards the surface. Shinji turned to face her with a tired expression as blood continued to drip down his face.

          "Shut up, you two!" one of them barked as the other re-holstered his gun and thumbed the button on his radio. Asuka turned to look back at the man and paled as she finally realized why Shinji had interceded. Instead of the black armor of the JSSDF kill squad, these men wore the blue uniforms of the Tokyo-3 Metropolitan Police. If Shinji hadn't stopped her, she would have killed two innocent men. Her stomach plummeted into a pit of rising nausea, her knees weakening as she leaned against the wall for support before she expelled the contents of her stomach onto the floor. The policeman holding her cuffs gently gripped her shoulder and steadied her before continuing onward. Asuka's feet dragged as her mind reeled. Shinji watched her with concern as they proceeded toward the city.

          “Control, this is Squad six. We found two people in the shelter, and are bringing them to the surface for questioning. Have medics standing by for minor injuries.” A brief pause ensued, filled only by the sounds of their footsteps before the other side of the radio responded.

          “Roger. Clarify the nature of the injuries?” the voice questioned before the cop guiding Shinji responded. “We were assaulted by the two individuals, and have minor bruises. One of the two individuals received a deep cut to his forehead, bleeding at a medium rate, and the other is suffering from nausea and vomiting.” he finished.

          “Copy that. Medics will be standing by.” the voice uttered before the radio fell silent once again with a crack of static. Shinji reeled as the sunlight struck his eyes like a fist, his vision whitening before slowly adjusting. The stiff sea breeze whipped his clothes as sand peppered skin. Gulls and other birds cried out above him, wheeling in the air. Whereas last night had been silent as the grave, the cacophony of life had now returned to this slice of the world. His breath caught in his chest at the sight of at least fifty people milling around in a daze, a vague column with its head at the entrance to the shelter, a burly policeman barking orders to the crowd, demanding they wait patiently to be allowed in. Now that they were in the harsh mid-morning light, Shinji could make out the officers’ features. The one holding him was tall, with a slender nose and a track athlete’s frame. The one keeping Asuka in check was just as tall, but far more built, with the body of a wrestler. Asuka’s shoulder bumped Shinji’s as she wobbled on her feet, still dealing with the shock of nearly killing an innocent man. Her eyes dazed and unfocused, she didn’t seem to register the lines of men, women, and children all huddled together. The officers and Children stopped briefly at the top of a small hill that led down from the town proper to the beach and Shinji once again lost his breath. Hundreds of people were arriving on the beach, making their way slowly from the ocean of LCL. A small cadre of nine or ten other officers was guiding the survivors uphill and away from the beach, and Shinji could dimly hear them warning them against looking at Lilith's severed head.

          “Come on…” one of the cops grunted, steering Shinji and Asuka down the hill, making their way to the beach parking lot. One of the survivors bumped Shinji’s shoulder as she passed, causing him to wobble slightly.

          “Sorry.” he apologized quietly, briefly turning his head to catch a glimpse of purple hair draped over the back of a crimson jacket. His eyes widened and attempted to jerk himself free of the officer’s grasp. He struggled in vain, however, as the officer outweighed him by more than double. Still, he fought, managing to snap Asuka out of her daze. She stepped to the side, not wanting to get caught up in Shinji’s flailing.

          “What the hell’s got into you, Third?” she snapped, recoiling from Shinji’s futile attempts to get away from the officer with the iron grip.

          "I saw Misato!" he shouted back, turning to look at Asuka for a split second, which was all the officer needed to bring his fist down onto the top of Shinji's head, stunning him. At the mention of their guardian, Asuka whipped her head around and caught sight of the back of NERV's tactical operations director. Summoning all the power in her lungs, Asuka screamed at full volume.

          “MISATO!!!!!” Asuka’s voice exploded from her body, with as much shrillness as possible, causing the officers and Shinji to clap their hands over their ears. After a moment, the cop leading Asuka slammed his hand over her mouth, his grip rough and painful on her jaw. The rapid beat of footsteps approaching, though, signaled their rescue as the policeman with a hold on Asuka suddenly released his grip and sent him crashing to the ground, holding the back of his head, blood dripping between his fingers from where Misato had struck him with the butt of her pistol. In his spot stood Misato Katsuragi, her gun was drawn and breathing heavily, a look of uncompromising ferocity on her face as she leveled her pistol at the officer holding onto Shinji.

          “Let my fucking children go," she demanded, her tone frigid. The second officer raised his hands slowly, finally releasing Shinji who stumbled to Misato’s side. “You alright, kids?” she asked.

          “Your kids are under arrest for assaulting an officer.” the cop who held Shinji responded before the Children could answer. Shinji opened his mouth to explain, but Misato cut him off with a wave of her hand and a stern glance at both him and Asuka.

          “I see you’re wearing a Tokyo-3 uniform. That means you damn well know who I am, and until the UN Special Order that founded NERV is rescinded, my authority still stands. These children are under my legal guardianship as part of my duty. That said, the three of us will accompany you to your command post, and my wards will give their statements. This is not a negotiation.” she concluded, as Asuka moved to Misato’s opposite side.

          “Fuckin’ NERV.” The skinny officer grumbled as he offered his hand to his fellow officer who was finally picking himself up from the ground, holding his other hand to the back of his head. “Not even NERV’s charter extends to assaulting cops.” he stated, glaring at Misato.

          “My duties include safeguarding NERV assets, with lethal force if necessary.  These children are vital assets. The nature of their duty is classified. Now, please escort us to your command post.” she directed. Growling, the two cops moved in front of her and formed a wall, pushing through the crowd toward the beach. Turning left, away from the packed street, the five of them made their way to an imposing three story granite building. All the windows on one side had been blown out, but the building remained upright. A triage station had been set up to the left of the building. Aside from their general confusion and disorientation, most of the returners were in excellent physical health, so there was no wait for Asuka, Shinji and the two officers to be medically evaluated. As Misato brought the kids into the triage tent, she saw two people in brown NERV uniforms carrying boxes of supplies. One was a young man with messy brown hair and thick glasses, and the other a slender young woman. “Maya? Hyuuga?” Misato called out, causing both of them to turn in her direction. Maya let out a sharp yelp of surprise and set her boxes down before running over to her and giving her a tight hug, weeping. Makoto came over to Misato as well, giving his former boss a pat on the shoulder as he himself brushed away tears with the sleeve of his jacket. After a moment, Hyuuga stepped back and sat himself down on a bench, as Maya gently untangled herself and sat down next to him. 

          “What happened, Major?” Maya asked, looking up at the purple-haired woman. “I remember being shot at, Asuka fighting…her dying. Then Shinji went up in Unit 01, and…” Maya trailed off, her expression now haunted. “Third Impact happened. I remember these impossible readings coming from Unit 01, the Geofront being pulled out of the Earth.” Maya paled, sweat beading on her brow as her pupils dilated. “Ritsuko…” she whispered, bolting from her seat and fleeing around the corner of the tent, her vomiting audible to everyone inside, including Shinji who looked even more downcast than before as the other nurse cleaned his wound and placed a couple of plastic butterfly strips on it. Misato then turned to Hyuuga.

          “What’d you see?” she asked him. He blinked in response before looking back up at her, his hands folded in his lap as he leaned forward.

          “I remember pretty much the same things as Maya. I didn’t see Dr. Akagi, though.” Hyuuga paused, before turning slightly red and angling his eyes away from Misato. “I can’t remember what I saw at the end. I just remember swimming back to shore an hour or two ago.” he concluded.  “What about you, Major?” he asked, looking at her once more. Sighing, she sat down and took a seat next to him on the narrow bench.

          “I got Shinji to the Eva cages. Got myself shot in the process. Arterial bleed in the right side. Once he went up the elevators, I hit the floor. I saw Kaji, and that was it. Next thing I know, I’m dragging my soggy ass up onto the beach.” she replied, turning to keep an eye on the kids, who are waiting for her, along with the two cops who have also been patched up. Rising to her feet, Misato shakes hands with Hyuuga before she walks over to her two wards. “Take care of yourself, Hyuuga. Keep an eye on Maya, too.” Misato finishes, as Maya walks back into the tent, still looking slightly green.

          “I’ll be fine, Major. Sorry you had to see that.” Maya apologized, her voice barely louder than a hoarse whisper. At that, Misato nodded, the gave the junior technician a light pat on the shoulder. Turning to look behind her, Misato saw that the children and the two cops had been tended to and were now waiting for her to rejoin them. The purple-haired commanding officer headed back to Shinji’s and Asuka’s sides.

          “Follow us.” The slender cop grunted as they left the tent and walked around the far side of the building to the rear parking lot. A series of tables and chairs under blue balconies emblazoned with the symbol of Kanagawa prefecture greeted them. The two cops guided them to a table with four other police officers. Two of them wore the same light blue of Tokyo-3, but the other two wore the darker blue, and a sleeve patch denoting them as part of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Department. The oldest man there stood 5’11, with salt and pepper hair, wearing an Kanagawa uniform. The man barely looked up from his maps as the four of them stood in front of him.

          “Captain Jiro Shigeyama. Until someone higher up the food chain comes back, I’m in charge of law enforcement here. Please tell me why, not even one full day since whatever the hell this is happened, I have two children in front of me, accused of assaulting my officers.” he uttered, his voice a deep bass growl. Shigeyama finally looked up from his paperwork, fixing them all with a hard glare, his stony brown eyes reminding Shinji of his father’s. After a moment, Misato stepped forward to speak.

          “My name is Misato Katsuragi. I am the Chief of Tactical Operations for UN Special Agency NERV. I’m also the legal guardian of these children.” She answered formally, before slowly opening the left side of her jacket, revealing her holstered sidearm. Noting the expected stiffening of everyone’s posture in reaction to her weapon, Misato slowly reached beyond the gun into the inner pocket of her jacket and withdrew her NERV credential, setting it down on the desk. Captain Shigeyama took up the pleather wallet and examined it. After a moment, he handed it back to the purple-haired major, who slipped it back into her jacket.

          “Fine,” he sighed. “Do you have any idea what the hell just happened?” he asked, settling into a more relaxed stance. Misato just shook her head, a blank look on her face.

          “With all due respect, Captain. I just crawled onto the beach a little over an hour ago. I’m just as lost as everyone else here.” Not entirely a lie, as Misato had learned some of NERV’s secrets just before she was interrupted by the JSSDF attack, but she didn’t learn nearly as much as she had hoped. “What I can tell you, is that just before…the event, NERV had come under attack from an unknown, human force. I took a fatal GSW to the side. I died getting these kids to safety.” Misato finished. A modified version of the truth, but serviceable for now. Shigeyama nodded, and turned to face Asuka.

          “Young woman, what is your name, and when did you come back?” he asked, his tone a bit gentler as he looked at Asuka with a comfortable half-smile, but his eyes still held the same sternness as he locked onto Asuka’s blue eyes.  Never one to back down, Asuka stiffened her posture and cleared her throat.

          “Asuka Langley Soryu. I returned last night, and found him already here.” Asuka stated, inclining her head towards Shinji, who blinked at being suddenly drawn into the conversation. Granted, he knew he was going to have to speak up eventually, but he wasn’t prepared to be tossed into it headfirst. Not taking the bait, Shigeyama kept his attention on the auburn-haired pilot.

          “I see,” he replied. “And what caused you to attack my officers?” he queried, folding his hands behind his back. Asuka winced as she heard the question. She knew it was coming, but she definitely didn’t want to admit she had nearly killed a cop.

          “Um, well, after I woke up this morning, I heard the sound of boots and voices. I…was scared. I thought it might have been the soldiers from before, so I turned off the lights and hid in a ventilation shaft. Once they passed, the two of us,” she paused for another brief nod at Shinji, who simply withered as Shigeyama finally shot him a glance. Misato lightly elbowed him into standing up straighter, to which he reluctantly complied before turning his head to the left and letting out an explosive sneeze that he had been holding in since pulling himself out of the duct. Righting himself, Shinji simply apologized.

          “Sorry.” He offered lamely, as Asuka just snorted and shook her head before continuing.

          “We ambushed the two officers as they passed our position. I grabbed one of their guns, and I was about to pull the trigger…but Shinji stopped me. Somehow, he saw the color of their uniforms, and realized that they were police officers. If it weren’t for him, I would have killed two innocent men.” She finished quietly. Shigeyama nodded in response, absorbing the information before finally turned to Shinji, who took a deep breath.

          “And what about you, young man? What’s your name, and how long have you been back?” Shigeyama asked, with no more or less emotion than he had used with Asuka, his gaze unchanging. Firming up his gaze in return, Shinji summoned up his courage and replied, though in a more subdued tone than Asuka.

          “Shinji Ikari. I’ve been back for…eight weeks.” Shinji said, his voice wavering. Tears began to well in his eyes, but he brushed them away furiously with the back of his arm. “I’m the first person to return. I was here for eight weeks, before Asuka returned.” Misato drew in a sharp breath. Eight weeks of total isolation was bound to have an effect on anyone. She decided to have a long talk with him later on, when the three of them could just sit down together and discuss things. Even Shigeyama’s eyebrows rose at that declaration, as he looked around at his fellow officers, some of whom had stopped to listen. Realizing Shinji might be somewhat unstable at the moment, the older captain moderated his tone.

          “It’s alright, young man. Just take your time.” Shigeyama eased, to which Shinji nodded before blowing his nose on his sleeve again.

          “Thank you, sir.” Shinji said quietly. “Everything else happened just like Asuka said. The only reason we attacked your officers is because we thought that that attack squad might have come back to find us and kill us. I’m just glad I was able to stop Asuka from killing them.” he explained, before deciding to amplify Misato’s statement with an absolute lie of his own. “Neither Asuka or I have any idea why that group decided to attack NERV. I had just come to visit my father, the Commander of NERV. Asuka was an intern in NERV’s science department.” Asuka did her best to maintain a stoic facade, while Misato stood ramrod straight.  Shigeyama raised his eyebrow a fraction before nodding.

          “I see,” he uttered. “So, am I to understand that you’re the one who powered on the shelter’s systems? Seems rather advanced for a kid.” Shigeyama queried, to which the younger Ikari shook his head.

          “Not really.” Shinji responded. “The manuals in the generator room were really easy to read. I guess in case one of the engineers got hurt or something, they wanted to make sure anyone could get the power up and running.” Shinji explained. The police captain nodded, looking at Shinji and Asuka, before directing his gaze back to Misato.

          “I’m sure you realize we’re not at the point where we can independently verify your story, but until I have contravening information, I really don’t have any choice but to accept it. Keep your kids from harming anyone else except in dire need, and we’ll be alright.” Shigeyama finished. “What rooms were you two staying in?” he asked, turning to Asuka.

          “Sixteen and seventeen, sub-level C.” she replied, puzzled. Shigeyama turned to his left, examining a floor map of the shelter for a few minutes.

          “We’ll put you in one of the family units. Number nineteen, sub-E.” He stated. “There’s a private shower, a bunk bed, and one large bed. Meals will still be taken in the mess.” he concluded. Picking up the radio, he called the man at the door to the shelter. “Yamada. I’ve got a woman with two kids. Purple hair, red jacket. I’m assigning them number nineteen, on sub-level E. Make sure they get settled. Mark them on the official rolls as Misato Katsuragi, adult. Shinji Ikari, child. Asuka Langley Soryu, child.” he finished, setting the handset back down. “Well, that’s that. Best of luck.” He said, bidding them farewell. Bowing slightly, the three of them headed back to the main road, following the herd back towards the shelter. After they left, the two cops stepped in front of the desk.

          “With all due respect, sir, what the hell was that? Those kids attacked us.” the larger cop asked. The captain just sighed.

          “Yeah. You got your asses handed to you by a couple of twigs. Think on that for a moment.” he snapped back. The two cops bristled but said nothing. “Can you imagine that, though? Being the only person, as far as you know, on Earth for eight weeks, all that time wondering if a bunch of soldiers are going to pop out of the water and shoot you dead. I’d be a little tweaked myself.” Shigeyama finished. Both cops shifted uncomfortably. “Watanabe.” He called out, the slender cop standing to attention. “Keep an eye on them, but don’t hover.” He instructed. “Saito, man the radio room. If there’s a unified command anywhere else on this fucking ball, I want to know first. Dismissed.” The blockier man saluted and spun on his heels, followed by Watanabe.

          Back at the shelter, Asuka, Misato, and Shinji grunted as they moved with the crowd, the sea of humanity descending the stairs through the various sub-levels, taking in more air to breathe as the crowd diminished the further they descended. Only a sparse few remained as they reached sub-level E. Turning left and proceeding to the midpoint of the hallway, Misato pressed the RFID card she was given to the flat, black plate just above the doorknob. Hearing the accompanying beep, she turned the knob and entered the room. Just as described, it was a plain white room with a large gray bunk bed one one side, a double bed on the other. Between the beds, a door was set into the wall. Through the open door, a toilet and shower were visible, with a medium sized cabinet fastened to the wall. A chest of drawers sat in front of each bed. In the middle of the room sat a table with with four bare metal chairs around it. Everything in the room was built for utility, not comfort, painted in a drab off-white. Misato winced at the overwhelming dreariness of the room. There were two lights in the main room, mounted to the ceiling, and two more on top of the drawers. The bathroom had one light above the sink, and another on the ceiling. Misato pitched her new set of coveralls and personal supplies on her bed, and stripped off her jacket. The two children followed suit on the bunk bed. Unbuckling her holster from around her body, she drew her pistol and removed the magazine. Racking the slide, she palmed the bullet from the chamber and snapped it back into the magazine. Locking the slide open, she peered into the chamber to visually confirm the chamber was clear. She opened the upper drawer and pulled out a small silver key, testing it in the small lock set into the drawer. Confirming that it did indeed work, she slipped the key around her neck after locking her unloaded sidearm away.

          “Asuka, grab a shower. Shinji, you’re next. You’re both filthy and smell like you’ve spent a week living in the center of the world’s largest vacuum.” Misato said, unzipping her boots and tossing them aside with a tired groan. Asuka nodded, covering a yawn with the back of her hand before picking up her towel and giving Shinji a love tap to the back of the head.

          “Top bunk, Third!” Asuka called out before dashing into the bathroom and closing the door with a click of the lock. Shinji just rubbed the back of his head and grumbled as he heard the sound of water start to emanate from behind the door.

          “Shinji.” Misato’s voice brought him back to reality. Though for some reason, she looked rather embarrassed and nervous. “Um… I’m sure you remember that ‘promise’ I made you before you got into Unit 01, but…” Shinji raised his hand to cut her off.

          “Please, Misato. If we ever survived, I never planned on holding you to that. I know you don’t actually feel that way about me, and I don’t feel that way about you. I like you, a lot, but more like a really cool cousin or something like that. I care about you, but I’m not into you. If that makes sense.” Shinji finished, sounding apologetic and slightly awkward. Misato let out a breath she wasn’t aware she was holding, her shoulders sagging in relief.

          “Thank you, Shinji.” she breathed, her voice barely louder than a whisper. After a moment, she looked up at him with watery eyes and wrapped him in a fierce hug. Shinji stiffened, but after a moment, relaxed into the hug. They stayed like that for a while, until Asuka emerged in nothing but her towel. As she tried to edge past Misato and Shinji, who were still in the middle of the room hugging, Misato reached out and snagged Asuka, forcibly pulling her into the hug as she squawked in protest.  “Thank you for coming back to me…” Misato whispered, trying in vain to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill from her eyes.

          “Thank you for coming back to us.” Shinji whispered in return, his voice thick, trying not to choke up. Hearing Shinji broke Misato’s defenses and she began sobbing, with Shinji doing the same a moment later. Asuka bit her lip, her hands balling into fists in Misato’s dress and Shinji’s filthy shirt. She squeezed her eyes shut as the walls around her heart shattered. Asuka sank to her knees, with Misato and Shinji following her down as she erupted in tears, weeping with the others , the three of them grieving and rejoicing at the same time, as a family.

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A/N: And now we're all caught up. I'm crossposting this fic on two other sites, so you might see it there as well. In any case, please read and review, as I won't get any better without constructive criticism! Thank you!