Futuristic At the Edge of the Apocalypse, an Eternal Principle

[SephirothSage]

Gregorvitch pauses at the doorway- on hearing the pilots words. He turns slowly- a twisted smile spreading across the German scientists face as he soaks her words in... and strokes his chin.


"Vait, Vait, Vait- Vat precisely do you mean, ven you say zay it felt like it arrived /because/ of ju..? Vas it.... just a feeling, perhaps- a tickling at your own AT Field? Or perhaps it vas.... something you saw, underneath zat hellmouth ve have been studying for years now..?" he inquires- the light gleaming of his glasses as he grins wide at the two pilots- fascinated with the idea.

 

[Random Word]

Renée Durant


Renée smiles patronisingly at Natalia, "I'm certain you're aware that Germany is working as fast as they can to bring the next round of Evangelions online. Unit-02 should complete field trials next month, with Unit-03 to begin field trials two weeks later. Regrettably, we may not be assigned these units, despite our obvious priority. Several branches have requested units for research purposes, and they have a great deal of political pull."


As the officers are leaving UN Major Adachi places her hand gently on Natalia's shoulder, pointedly not giving a reassuring squeeze to avoid exacerbating any injuries, "Nice shooting out there Lieutenant," she nods and smiles at Caissy, "You, too, Lieutenant." An RAF Group Captain nods as he passes, "Aye, A lot of my mates are still alive because of you. Chin up, Lt. Kelly. We've not seen the last of them yet." Major Adachi shakes her head and files out with the rest.


Renée turns away from the window as Gregorovich speaks, then adds, "All attempts so far to transfer information through the rift have failed. This is certainly not to say that the Angels can't sense our side, simply that we have no evidence to suggest they can, nor any theory about how they might - barring a new property of the AT field, of course," she acknowledges with a nod to Gregorovich. "If it responded to anything, I imagine it would be Unit-01. I can't make operational plans based on a gut feeling, but rest assured I always keep in mind the possibility the Angels may be watching any time we move an Eva on the surface. Please make explicit note of this in your report, and answer any of Dr. Gregorovich's questions about the matter." She turns back to the window and stares out into the Geofront pensively, "If that's everything, Lt. Kelly, you are dismissed. Please wait outside, and Lt. Romanova will show you to your quarters shortly."


As Cassidy closes the door, Renée addresses Natalia, "During a scramble call you got into a car with a complete stranger without informing your Section 2 detail," she observes coldly. "This isn't a disciplinary hearing, but next time it will be. We shouldn't even be having this discussion. You are aware of the rules - if you think your Section 2 detail has been incapacitated, or you cannot locate them, you use the emergency command line to report that fact and request support. You instead chose to use that line to order your Eva launched, which was not even within your authority to do, and entirely unnecessary as launch preparations always begin as soon as Pattern Blue is suspected. Did you honestly believe we put you in a hospital with no plan in place for returning you to your hangar in the event of an emergency?" She turns to look at Natalia reprovingly, "I know you're a child, but I need you to be an officer. I need to be able to trust that in an emergency you'll think clearly and follow regulations where they don't obviously hinder your ability to sortie. You have done nothing to earn that trust today. Your exemplary combat performance is worthless if you die on the way to the hangar because you jumped into a car with the first stranger to offer you a ride."


She turns away and takes a long draw from her cigarette. "Mr. Falstheim is in custody. What did he speak to you about?"

 

[Sherwood]

Natalia Romanova


A sinking feeling fills her stomach as Renee dresses her down. "I-I am sorry. I never thought that there was any thought to me being still launch ready while I was still in the hospital. When the Angel appeared, all I could think about was having to get to my Eva as fast as possible. Please don't blame him; I told him to give me that ride to the hangar, not knowing that there was already something in place to get me there faster." All of the possible bad outcomes start flashing through her mind, and none of them were pretty. "All that he had time to do was to offer me a new cybernetic eye to replace what I have lost in the last fight. He asked what I was willing to offer for this, and I told him that I have nothing to offer. Its not like I have any money, and I told him that I wouldn't do anything to betray my country or NERV. That's when the alarms started going off, cutting off any chance of a conversation."

 

[Random Word]

Renée Durant


Renée shakes her head, amused, "I have a printout of the standard operating procedures manual for Eva pilots sitting in my office. It's a terrible waste of space. In a pinch I'm certain I could use it to stop small arms fire," she muses, "I'm certain it has instructions to, in the event it is to be used to stop small arms fire, prioritise defending you. It's stupid to have it in paper, I have an electronic copy, but there's another NERV regulation which states that all senior officers must have a copy operable in the event of catastrophic EMP, long term power failure, or AT manipulation that renders modern electronics inoperable. You will soon learn that NERV has a plan for everything. Not the least of which is getting the pilots of humanity's last, best hope for survival to their Evas come hell or high water in the event of an Angel attack."


She leans back stretches, "As to Mr. Falstheim and his offer, rest assured that your continued care is our top priority - right after stopping the Angels. If his company can demonstrate their prosthetic can be relied upon in combat conditions, and won't leave you in recovery for an unacceptably long period of time, NERV will pay almost any price they can name to see to it you're in top fighting form."


She leans forward, earnestly, "We are here for one reason and one reason only, Natalia. To ensure you can do your job, at all costs. So do us a favour, and let us do ours. Dismissed, Lt. Romanova."

 

[Sherwood]

Natalia Romanova


As she is dismissed, she snaps off a salute and turns on her heel and steps out of the office. After she is out in the hall, she lets out a deep breath that she was holding in. Well, if you were hoping to impress the commander, that was NOT the way to do it. Idiot. Use your head next time. Now that she is done getting her butt chewed on, she goes looking for Cassidy. She finally finds the other pilot talking to members of the deck crew. "Hey. I don't know about you, but I have a yen for some pizza. You game for a slice? There is a small diner not far from our apartment that serves a good pie."

 

[Random Word]

Renée Durant


Renée fidgets anxiously in the empty conference room, her desire to leave warring with her desire to avoid running right into Natalia again out in the hall. The girl needs her space. She lasts almost a full minute before crushing her cigarette into an ashtray with entirely more force than necessary, and all but bolts from the room, her stride barely restrained from a jog in the name of decorum as she heads for one of the high traffic thoroughfares in the base. She smiles as she spots an officer she knows and strikes up a conversation as they walk towards her office - she has a recovery to coordinate, and that will take hours.


 

Spoiler

[dice]8368[/dice]


Surprisingly, she doesn't punch him!


Her eyes flash, a brief window into the fury simmering beneath the surface, but she takes another long draw from her cigarette and composes herself. It will be more satisfying to best him intellectually than hit him in his smug mouth. Probably.


"Please do not insult my intelligence, Mr. Falstheim. You intentionally circumvented her security detail. You were not unaware there was a plan in place getting her to her hangar. You were not unaware you were being tailed, and certainly couldn't fail to observe the Hornet in pursuit. You in all likelihood knew you would be detained upon reaching the outer checkpoint, rendering your intrusion into the camera system irrelevant." She pauses and turns her head aside to exhale a cloud of smoke. "Every facet of this escapade was a message - a statement of capability, or of intent," she stares him down, her eyes hard. "I need more than token platitudes to demonstrate to me you aren't threatening our best hope of survival."


"Trade secrets," she snorts derisively, "Unless Chiron is diversifying into selling zero-days in secure government systems, it's nothing of the sort. You did not shoot Lt. Romanova, nor did you kidnap her, but the next person to exploit the same vulnerability in our security just might. I'll accept Chiron's offer of reparations, and unless you feel like gambling with the lives of the entire human race, I recommend an anonymous friend of NERV submits a working example of the exploit in short order."


"As to the prosthetic, I want a report on its specifications and any testing you've done forwarded to Research. I expect you've already put it through human clinical trials? Legal or not, I don't care, I want to know the expected time to preoperative perceptual acuity, and I want it tested in LCL. I need to know exactly how much time I'm risking between when she goes under the knife and can next be deployed. Nausea, double vision, migraines, none of it is acceptable. If you can demonstrate to our satisfaction your product works, you can name your price. We'll settle our debts if we don't all die."


She steps out of the lift having left the detention cells and crosses the hall to a solitary elevator with no signage or indicators. Very few keycards grant authorization to open this elevator. Renée steps inside and watches the doors slide silently shut with no small amount of trepidation, ascending in uncomfortable silence.

 

[SephirothSage]

Falstheim smiles winningly at your accusations- and chuckles as he nods slowly. "Mrm. Not Chiron trade secrets- personal trade secrets. I am sure you understand the difference, yes Madam?" He says calmly as he crosses his legs- before holding up a hand and nodding. "That said, I am willing to acquiesce to your demands; I, quite frankly... liked what I saw in the pilot. Her first concern was her duty- as it should be, in this turbulent time. On the grounds that I spoke honestly of my missions intent- and am happy with the results thereof... I will more than happily explain to your own security agents how I fooled them all." He states warmly.


"As for what the message is... well. I'll be frank. The Angel's /will/ be defeated. I for one, have no doubt of this- not because we believe there is no chance of failure, but because it is the only future worth planning for, the only one worth accepting; it is the only future possible in which there /is/ anything to plan for. So the question is raised- what kind of people are we relying on to keep these monsters at bay- and what happens after they win..? What kind of people will be holding the leash on the worlds greatest super-weapon when the end of days is over, and a new Era about to dawn..?" He inquires softly- before shrugging. "So far, it looks like good people will be in those pilot seats. Which is all I needed. The Prosthetic will be free of charge, and I am more than happy to allow the tests you requested- I don't know the specifications myself, I'm not a scientist... but I can certainly forward your scientist to one of my scientists." He offers calmly- smiling gently. "As for Human Trials.. I myself am a near full conversion Cyborg." He adds on with a winning smile- letting that chilling information sink in... along with the idea of just how dangerous he could potentially be in a fight, if he's not bluffing.


"I hope you understand. Chiron has no desire to antagonize or make an enemy out of NERV. Just.... a bit of healthy paranoia, I suppose." He admits with a warm chuckle.


---------------------------------------------------] The King's Lair [--------------------------------------


Some time later, Renee finds herself in a familiar elevator, riding up to meet a man who currently is her commanding officer. A man who is the commanding officer, CEO, and overall manager of NERV, the organization working to stop the apocalypse. In that sense, he can be considered one of the most important men in the world, in many ways- and yet, he is a man of whom the world knows very little. It's unnervingly similar to the intense secretiveness of Seele, for Renee, as she ascends the elevator into the office of a man whose loyalties she does not know.


Alphonse Rosengard, one of the scientists integrally involved in the initial research that led to the development of the Evangelions, and a descendant of old English money that has it's roots in even older English nobility. As you enter the room, he's seated in a high backed chair behind his Mahogany desk already- the only illumination in the room the blue of viewscreen monitors that show the bridge and the briefing room in impeccable detail- casting an eerie light on the shadowed figure of the man behind the desk. He nods his head in recognition of her arrival- and speaks calmly as she enters the room.


"The Children performed above expectations. Congratulations on having done your job well in preparing them, Miss Duvont." He says- speaking in a calm, well tempered voice; his initial manner.. almost serene. It lacks any positive inflection- any inflection at all, really... but that also means it lacks any rage, any negative inflection. "In light of how well you've done preparing them, and their training programs, I've made a simple decision. They are going to be living with you; the Pilot's, that is. I feel that living together will allow you to... keep a closer eye on them. Especially considering the Third Child is incoming.... I feel this would be wise." He states with that same dispassionate, emotionless tone.

 

[Random Word]

Renée Durant


The Interrogation Room

Renée relaxes visibly, eyebrows arching as Mr. Falstheim reveals his extensive augmentations. "You're right, of course. NERV is too entrenched. It won't be disbanded any time soon, even if - when," she nods, "The Angels are defeated. If I were you, I'd worry less about the children and more about their commanders - I've always wanted to conquer Australia," she smiles mischievously. She straightens and her expression returns to an unreadable mask, "I appreciate Chiron's cooperation in this matter. You're free to go." She stands and turns to leave but pauses, "In an entirely unofficial capacity, this is my personal number," she holds her phone out, screen facing Rhandall, "I don't know if you drink, but I imagine I can drink enough for both of us. I admit I was not briefed on the... extent of Chiron's progress. I would enjoy hearing about what it's been like since the procedure." She grasps her walking stick and strolls towards the entrance, addressing Mr. Falstheim without turning, "Someone will be along to show you out of the Geofront shortly. Have a nice day, Mr. Falstheim. I'd avoid downtown, if I were you."


The King's Lair

"Thank you, sir," Renée replies, smiling earnestly. Her expression falters as he continues, "This is... highly irregular. My apartment doesn't have two bedrooms, let alone four. I barely spend any time in it, and when I do I often have company," she replies, pained. "I can see the benefits of quartering the children together. They're easier to protect, more likely to be together in the event of a scramble call, and they'll be able to socialize with one another, but it hardly seems appropriate for them to live with me. I don't know the first thing about raising children. Shouldn't someone from Section 2 be doing this?" she asks, hopefully.

 

[Bardiel]

Cassidy Kelly


Turning to reply to the gleeful scientist, Kelly feels the uneasy scalpels of the man's eyes. "No, I don't believe there had been any visual indication present that would not have had been identified during the Angel emergence, or rather, materialisation from the Rift. Perhaps you are correct, and it was Unit-01 presence, Sir." A sense of disconnect remains, almost resentment, to which they quickly put aside. You say it like we aren't the same. There is a reason why only one Pilot can synchronise with the Evangelion at a given time...


Waiting outside, while Natalia is privately debriefed, the excited sounds of the assembled members begins to fade. Only the odd technician or other employee, struggling to carry stacks of papers rushes by. Must be all the work orders and permits. I might be done here, but they've a city to rebuild. I've done my job... Cassidy catches themselves smiling a little, flexing their hand unconsciously at first. I was thanked by them. UN Major Adachi and that RAF Group Captain... Like it was my father or mother... The Captain must have been from the 42nd. So many more of them survived than I had expected. Even still, they didn't resent me. Cassidy clenches their hand into a fist. We worked together for our purpose, to defeat the Angel! Kelly gets up and decides to follow the distant noises of conversation.


"The manoeuvrability of the craft is impressive. What Alpha Wing was able to do around the Angel was even more so. I suppose it does cut back on operational range, but in these circumstances it was perfect. I still can't believe how close some of ye flew towards the target. I'm grateful for your help. Thank you." Comfortable discussing military matters and loosing track of the time, lost in their thoughts and conversation, Kelly is almost startled when Romanova appears. Wait, she asked to be called Natalia.


"Sure." Of course, I had the essential nutrient supplements after disembarking to replace what was lost Piloting, but I didn't have anything like this on the way over to Japan. I was trying to stay in shape for duty. And I'll have to watch myself here. I know they have a lot more instant food in this country compared to France. Maybe I could get a reduced fat pizza... Cassidy is momentarily self-conscious of their figure, however this is replaced my the realisation that their fellow Pilot is receiving them so welcomingly. "That sounds great. You know the lay of the land. Lead on!

 

[Sherwood]

Natalia Romanova


Heading down to the garage, the slim Russian girl pulls out a motor scooter that is just large enough for two if they are very friendly. She grabs a helmet and tosses it to Cassidy, and then puts one on herself. "You can hold my hips, just don't squeeze. I still have some stitches and a few nasty bruises from the last Angel I fought, and if your hands go anywhere they are not supposed to, I'll dump you on the road and run over you with my Vespa." She waits for her fellow pilot to get on and get a grip, then Natalia starts the motor up and pulls out onto the afternoon traffic. Weaving between cars, she finally pulls up in front of a small restaurant with a neon sign out front with the name 'Buca de Beppo'. "Here we are. The owner is a great guy named Oliver. He has a son about our age named Rick that goes to our school. Rick is ok, just has a bit of hero worship because I get to pilot an Eva. Be ready to be bombarded with questions about your time in the cockpit."


Inside, the sights and smells of old world Italy bombard the senses as you walk in. From behind the counter, a largeish man with a bald head tossing pizza dough calls out, "Hey! Welcome to Buca! Oh, its little Natalia, and a you've brought a friend! Someone special, perhaps?" He chuckles at the look on Nat's face when he says that, then he notices the eyepatch. With a touch of concern, he says, "I had heard you were in the hospital; are you ok?"


"It looks worse than it really is. But we sure could use a couple of Cokes and a pizza with pepperoni on it. Oh, and this is Cassidy. He works for NERV as a pilot, just like me."


"Good to see you up and about. You are all over the news today with what you did to that monster from the rift. The two of you did good. The pie is on me today! Have a seat and I'll whip it up fresh for you two."


"Thanks, Oliver. You're the best."

 

[Bardiel]

Cassidy Kelly


The discrepancy between piloting the most potentially destructive living engine ever devised and riding on the back of a Vespa with a still recovering driver was not lost on Cassidy. Nor was the proximity of the Russian pilot. Perhaps for another teenager this would have been a greater issue, however the years training in Saint-Cyr had many occasions of cadets being intimate in a platonic degree. The passivity of the situation and suddenness was more surprising to Kelly. She seems friendlier than I expected. Maybe I was being too pessimistic on the journey. How do naval personal not let there mind's wander to terrible conclusions?


The sensations upon entering Buca de Beppo was inviting. Like a proper restaurant back home... Home? No, its' here now. The rotund gentleman's greeting towards Natalia and concern for her was comforting. "Pleasure to meet you, Sir. I am Cassidy Kelly. Transferred to the Tokyo-3 branch today." Sitting down alongside Natalia, Kelly adjusts his hair after the helmet and ride over.


"Uh, thanks for inviting me out. Haven't got to eat something other than from a galley for the past fortnight." Trying to respond to her openness, Cassidy starts the conversation, glancing about at the few patrons around. "Seems like a real nice place here."

 

[SephirothSage]

The King's Lair





Alphonse smiles with a certain note of sardonic amusement. "No one from Section 2, will be the person they most need to be able to implicitly trust in the event of an emergency. No one from Section 2, is their primary handler in combat matters. No one from Section 2, is going to need the implicit trust of the children piloting machines capable of more mass destruction than the nations current N2 Arsenal." He states flatly- staring at her with a certain degree of absolute amusement.


"They are Children, and in time there will be a point where you give orders they don't like. True, they have been trained for such- but they are hot headed, strong willed, hormonal teenagers. I can only imagine what foolishness they will get up to if left be- so you will take care of them, you will raise them, and you will secure their absolute trust by being a maternal figure where they need it. It's that simple." He states flatly- as he stares at her with those cold, half dead eyes- as he speaks in a monotone despite the amusement evident about him; he is stating logical facts from his viewpoint, no more or less- and he expects to be heeded.

 

[Sherwood]

Natalia Romanova


When the pizza comes out, Natalia snags a slice off the pan and takes a big bite, despite the volcanic heat. "Ah. I have developed a real love for this style of cooking, thanks to this place. I have no idea how authentic it is, but I really don't care. It's good, and that's all that counts." She smiles as she wipes off a bit of sauce from her chin, then follows up with a drink from her soda. "You'll get to know where to find everything soon enough. Tokyo 3 kinda grows on people."

 

[Bardiel]

Cassidy Kelly


Not wanting to scorch off their taste buds and ruin the taste, Cassidy tentatively takes a slice, blowing back the rising steam through pursed lips. "I have looked over the schematics and images, but those are dry, lacking all features the public have brought to the area as it has been built." He glances over the slice to the turned back of Olivier. This is real mozzarella after all. I thought it was going to be a substitute. "This is real good, real cheese." He smiles as he washes it down with the soft drink. A sip of pinot noir would be nice, but Japan has such stupid laws about these things, even during meal times. Oh well, at least I can try some proper saki sometime, though I don't really know what sort of food goes with it.





"The streets are so wide here. Of course we know why, but compared to the small winding lanes that are centuries old... the scale is certainly different. It's like everything is the Champs Elysées Avenue!" His grin is covered as another bite is taken.

 

[Random Word]

Renée Durant


The King's Lair

Renée grits her teeth and pointedly averts her eyes to avoid glaring at a superior. She protests with an air of resignation, knowing her input will almost certainly be ignored, but that it is her duty to provide it, "I'll comply, but as OD I must formally protest the deleterious effects I believe this will have on the command structure. There's esprit de corps, and then there's inappropriate fraternization. When a teenager receives an order from their mother, they curse and storm out to write bad poetry. When a soldier receives an order from a superior, they comply. Humanity survives in only one of those scenarios. Excessive off-duty familiarization in a domestic context flies in the face of decades of command psychology." She returns her eyes to the Director, "That being said, I will find a suitable living arrangement for myself and the Children as soon as possible. When will I receive the report on the Third Child? I haven't so much as a scrap of preliminary data to begin simulations with, and Germany is obstinately refusing my requests for the specifications and qualification results from Unit-02."

 

[Sherwood]

Natalia Romanova


Finishing up her food, the young girl eyes her fellow Eva pilot. "Well, I'll take your word for it; I've never been to France. I haven't traveled much, except around Russia. Being the good patriot that I am, I am not supposed to want to leave the glorious homeland. After all, everything a happy worker needs is right there." The sarcasm can almost be seen dripping from her words. Obviously, she does not consider herself a happy worker. "Now that you've eaten, do you want to go to the apartment we share, or do you wish to see some more of the city? There is a nice mall, and a few impressive sights to see around here."

 

[Bardiel]

Cassidy Kelly


He nods in response, taking the sarcasm on board. "Furthest I'd gone was from Ireland to France. Until deployment here." He pauses, as if something is reminiscent to him. "It's been an eventful arrival, I wouldn't mind getting settled into to the new accommodation. I'd rather leave tackling the mall until tomorrow." With a smile Kelly adds, "However, there isn't a rush, so how about we take the "scenic" route back?" The notion of being in a crowded area with unfamiliar accents is a little intimidating after a long sea journey and their first Angel battle. A lot of new things, it's pretty intense, tiring... He tries not to think about it, lying to himself that it is exhaustion, pretending not to notice on the vespa ride to Buca de Beppo. If we go to the mall... then the people...everyone being fashionable... Cutting off their own thinking, Kelly stuffs another slice into their mouth, before they lose their appetite, as they know they will. I'm being so rude... "I thought things had gotten better there in the nineties, before you, you know..." Checking that Oliver was tending to some other business and wouldn't overhear, "Second Impact. At least, that was that I read in the history books."

 

[SephirothSage]

The Kings Lair





Alphonse just continues to smile, hands templed atop his desk as he looks towards her with a serene air about him, and thinks quietly on what to say next for but a moment. "You will receive information on the Third Child and Unit 0-2 shortly, Miss Durant- worry not. The files will be waiting on your desk tomorrow- for now... focus on the assignment at hand, perhaps." He suggests mildly- but then again. She is well aware by now that it is not the Director's way to raise his voice, to show any emotion other than faint amusement outside of his unusually intense fire and brimstone rants to the media; indeed, his usual persona makes the wild press release he used to kick up fervor and support towards and for NERV an almost unsettling break of character to those who know him whatsoever- such as Renee...


Who is well aware that all that release means, is that he is an actor of the highest quality, able to fake emotions and passion to a disturbing degree. Combined with his generally cool demeanor, it points to the director of NERV being a high functioning sociopath of some kind.


--------------------------------------------------------------


Tokyo Three In General; The Pilot's Vicinity





The City is alive with hustle and bustle in the space between disasters- the rebuilding occurring in the docks district where the battle took place relatively minor considering the scope of engagement that took place. The two pilots identities are not, as some might have expected, heavily classified state secrets; but where they live most certainly is, among with most any personal details not inherently obvious. In the aftermath of the earlier battle, most peoples minds weigh them as a net good, despite the damage to the city- the horrific abomination they struck down having far outweighed the meager damage to the city...


In general, the city is happy and alive- people go on with their lives as usual, heading to and from work, in and out of restaurants, and filling the rotating city with a vibrant, passionate sense of life.

 

[Random Word]

Renée Durant


The King's Lair

Renée salutes crisply, turns on her good heel, and walks quickly to the elevator. As soon as the doors close she leans heavily against the wall, "Fuck." She smiles to herself bitterly - she probably won't be doing any of that any time soon. She pulls the phone out of her pocket and calls her chief of staff. "What? No, I don't want a progress report on the cleanup, I'm sure you're doing fine," she snaps absently, "Yuki, I need you to get accounting to sign off on the purchase of a four - no, let's make it five just to be safe - bedroom condo in the city. Something nice but not lavish. Bill it to the pilot operational fund. No, I'm not embezzling, this is straight from His Majesty. Yes, I'm serious. Keep the purchase quiet and make sure Section 2 signs off on the location, this is a pilot residence. For fuck's sake make sure it has windows, overrule them if they have a fit about snipers. Yes, both of them, and the next one, too. It would be a miracle if you could find something where the master suite has its own entrance. You don't need to know why," she can feel the colour rising in her cheeks, "Oh shut up. Yes, if you must know, I've been ordered to billet there. There was no hope of this not getting out, anyway," she groans. "Text me the address when you have it. I'm going to oversee the cleanup in person. Then I'm going to drink until I forget this ever happened." She ends the call and scowls at her phone for several seconds before the elevator chimes and she steps out, her composure restored.


Ground Zero

She texts her driver to meet her in the parkade and ten minutes later is staring morosely out the window of her sedan at the beautiful view of the Geofront laid out below her as the elevator lifts the car to street level. A twenty minute ride through the throng of evacuees still returning to the city sees her rolling through the gates of the headquarters of the former JGSDF 1st Engineer Brigade - now the UN 11th Engineer Brigade, the centre of the damage control and reconstruction effort. Twenty minutes later she has donned a bright yellow hazmat suit and is standing amongst a column of tanks and NBC utility vehicles on an overpass, binoculars awkwardly held to the glass face plate as she leans over the guardrail, observing the remains of the angel. Her walking stick leans against the rail beside her. "Well, Colonel," she addresses the similarly garbed figure beside her over the radio, "how bad is it?"

 

[Sherwood]

Natalia Romanova


Taking a roundabout course back, Nat points out various places of interest to Cassidy as they go. Finally back at the base, she says, "Well, here we are. I don't know about you, but I am totally beat after this day. Lets call it a night." She offers the new pilot a hand for a friendly shake as they part ways.


Back in the privacy of her own room, the young girl settles down, stripping to her underclothes as she does so. Catching a glimpse of herself in the mirror, Natalia is still shocked at the sight of the angry red scars and the bandages that still have her wrapped up. Without thinking, one hand reaches up to touch the eyepatch covering the open hole in her skull where her eye used to be. My God, what have I become? I look like Frankenstein's Monster with all of these scars. The tears start up as she stands there, looking at herself. I'm not quite hideous, but I don't have the good looks I once had. Damn the Angels. Damn them all for what they have done to me. Clutching her favorite teddy bear (that just happens to be wearing a fuzzy plug suit), she carefully settles into bed and cries herself to sleep, a troubled sleep haunted by nightmares of giant spiders.

 

[SephirothSage]

Ground Zero





To say one is observing the remains of the Angel, one must first presume that it's remains survived it's death; a sadly inaccurate fact. It is then more accurate to declare that Renee is observing the damage it's death caused; the burnt and scorched earth and stone left by the last cry from the light of it's soul. The land tainted by it's twisted blood- from where twisted mutant things already grow, and about where plant-life is withering away to die in some forms, and mutating into others from the death. It is as if it's death has left a stain, a mark on the land- it's unholy blood twisting the land where it spilled. Who knows how much of that twisted fluid escaped into the harbor- but the ocean was poisoned long ago, in the advent of second impact, and few know what may now dwell beneath the endless waves. It is of more import to make sure that the blood does not reach the aquifer- and to that purpose irrigation trenches have been seared into the ground to divert the twisted fluid out to the ocean... and also to that purpose it is that the mutated plantlife in the crater is being burnt away by men in hazmat suits with flamethrowers.


The young man in the hazmat suit salutes Renee, as she asks- before sighing wearily. His voice is muffled and distorted by his suit, of course. "It is, somehow, worse than the first one we killed. That spider came out by the hills, away from the water- this one managed to make shore, and got near the plumbing. Thankfully, we got here in time... but I think we're going to be shifting all the main plumbing lines deeper. It'll cause some daily disruption while we do it, but in the end it should be safer when you folks keep killing giant mutant monsters around the soil... because if they keep getting bigger, Ma'am, we won't be able to keep the blood from reaching deeper than the topsoil."


 
The Moonbase





It's not a facility well known to many, the strange orbital platform upon which Seele holds reign. It is not known to much of the world, that colonization of the moon has already been attempted. It is known to even less of the world that this attempt succeeded- and it is known to none outside a spiderweb conspiracy what truly goes on in the deep halls of this place; though it is known to all upon the moon, that NERV's final outpost lays not within it's primary headquarters, but a heavily fortified research facility positioned on a satellite orbiting the moon.


It is within the halls of this research facility that two pilots ready for deployment- and one who it seems lacks an Evangelion to pilot- prepare themselves for what is to come. Irene and Huggins, walking along with a young boy of sixteen or so years they met upon the moon; Bartholemew. He's being trained as a pilot, but lacks an Evangelion to pilot of his own due to the limited funding the world can supply- still, he's been an invaluable asset to them both in the portion of their training that took place over the last month upon the moon.


Presently, the three of you stand by a window- looking down on the earth that remains in the wake of second impact; gazing down at a world that looks halfway transformed. The Antartic ocean is a sea of red- wavy lines where it creeps northward every year visible along the ocean. The rift, a burning red eye open wide, staring back at you from below as you gaze down upon your destination; the ground beneath that searing red rift that is visible even from orbit. Bartholemew smiles sadly, eyes flickering between the other two pilots.


"...It's at once kind of pretty... and awfully sad- wouldn't you say?" He says in a soft, gentle voice. His hair is a wild black mess, and his eyes are a piercing yellow as they settle on the red sea below. "How much of the world is dead. How much of the world is dying.. And to think! It's us they expect to push it back- madness, some would say I am quite sure. Tell me, my friends- do you think they have put the world in good hands?"

 

[Random Word]

Renée Durant


Ground Zero

An enthusiastic smile lights up her face as she forgets entirely about her previous troubles and focuses on improving the city. Her city. "This is ideal, Colonel. You're already digging up the first maintenance and utility level, and I've just received funding for the next phase of the Bastion project: a new layer of articulated armoured plates between the street and Utility 1. The designs have been drawn up in Germany, and I've ordered manufacturing to begin in Shenzhou tonight. The first set of plates should arrive in three days, and we'll begin installation here in district 7 as part of the reconstruction effort." She puts down the binoculars and turns towards him, "The next time one of these fuckers decides to paint the town red we'll be able to instantly set up concentric containment barriers to dam the flow, and then form a three metre thick steel channel to the coast to drain whatever this is, and that's the least of what this phase is capable of," she says, eyes alight with inner fire. "Continue cleanup but halt any reconstruction. Prioritise getting as much as possible of Utility 1 exposed and sound to build on by the time the plates begin arriving." She turns once again to survey the area, muttering to herself as her eyes dart across the scene, "We'll need somewhere to move all the debris, and I'll have to requisition all the available heavy lift wings to get the plates in place - cranes will be too slow, and we'll need to fly in more staff from Germany..."


She spends the next several hours assembling resources and laying the groundwork for the construction effort before inviting the officers she's been working with to join her in partaking in the #SurvivedKaiju celebration ongoing at a nearby bar just outside the exclusion zone.

 

[Bardiel]

Cassidy Kelly


Thanking Natalia for the tour of the sights, he shakes hands and walks to his own apartment. Before entering, he approaches the guardrail overlooking the apartment block's public garden. It was dusk, the sun setting in the west as it always had. A weak offshore breeze carried the faint sounds of ongoing construction away from Cassidy. The city appears to be blowing her troubles away out to sea. The door slide open, greeting them with hallway with stacked boxes. Kelly noted that there were fewer than expected: some of here personal possession were destroyed or sitting at the bottom of the harbour. Replaceable, I suppose. The word had a sombre ring to it. How replaceable are we, I wonder. Seeing some additional uniforms, they snap their focus back. As expendable as needed. We are soldiers, like everyone else, fighting to protect us all from the Angels! After checking out the apartment, learning the entry and exit points of it, they begin to engage with the night time rituals prior to going to bed, exhaustion creeping upon them. Cassidy stood, staring at themselves in the mirror as they brushed their teeth. The location may change, but follow the drills, there're the same, there're consistent.





The moment Kelly secretly dreaded and craved came at last. Night had come to Tokyo-3. They were alone in the apartment. Staring across at the black duffle bag, from their bed, Cassidy rose. Carefully searching through all that worldly mattered to them, they took the first out and then continued for the rest. An hour past and everything was carefully put away again, their head spinning. Coming back from the bathroom, they lay back down on the bed in their underwear, unprepared for the summer's heat at night. Opening the window, Kelly admired the city illuminated at night from the bed.


She was pleased with me, I think, the Commandant. Proud of my work today, even. She's so incredible. I hope I can be just like her, so decisive and strong willed. She knows just what to do. Ha, if someone heard me talking about her like that, they'd think I had a crush on her! Idiots, of course they'd jump to a stupid conclusion like that, making assumptions because of who I am.... what I am. They don't understand anything! Rolling over, and curling up, the day's memories came back to them. She ordered me to move... If I did, many more people would have died. I could have died. I should have followed orders quicker. Did I do the wrong thing? How can that be, if we are to protect people in this city? But, really, we are stop the Angels. No matter what. That's what you trained for, you idiot... Just like the 42nd AAG, just like the LÉ Eithne, they did their duty.


Just like her. The image of Natalie came to mind. She did her duty, even with her injuries. And even after all that she was smiling earlier. Though she was in trouble for something, she was able to defeat the Angel. Eventually exhaustion takes hold and Cassidy falls into a deep slumber.

 

[DeusExAlice]

"I think they thrust the responsibility into the only hands that can fix it."


There was an edge to her voice, she had lost any real love for NERV sometime ago but faced with the extinction of mankind Irene had been willing to not give voice to such feelings. She was also going stir crazy. It was an extraordinary experience just going to the moon, much less living on there. After awhile though the same corridors, the same recycled air and the same grey expanses started to drag her down.


"What do you think?" She said looking out towards the planet Bartholemew was referring too, but her question was addressed to her second shadow.

 

[Napalm on Toast]

Huginn looked at the window without seeing the view beyond. There was the Earth, blue and green and cracked. There was the Rift, red and seething and vile. Despite the majesty of the orbital tableau, he didn’t have any attention to spare for the world. No, he looks to the void instead, the blackness speckled with stars that transforms the thick glass into a reflective mirror. Why would I want to look outside when she’s within? A small smile played over his face, there and gone again in a flash.


He doesn’t speak at first, letting Bartholomew’s question hang in the air. Huginn shuffled awkwardly, dark gray jumpsuit crinkling, NERV’s logo plastered over his heart in white. When Irene does reply he watches her obliquely in the reflection, gauging her reaction, burning her expression and words into his memory. She’s so strong… I have to be strong too. For her, and the world. In that order.


He put one hand against the thick view display, fighting the impulse to move closer to her. His hand looked frail against the backdrop of merciless vacuum, pale and thin and alone. It didn’t look strong enough to hold up the world. “Of course you’ll fix it Irene. That’s why they found you.” The words are soft and hesitant, almost as if he’s apologizing for voicing them aloud. He turns a halting smile on Bartholomew, although Huginn doesn’t look the other boy in the face. His icy blue eyes flicker from the polished steel floor to the window, looking anywhere but directly at the other manufactured. “You’ll get your chance to help soon enough. As soon as they have an Eva built for you…”


He trails off, not voicing the other possibility.