Quote:“He kept me awake last night,” Kotono said, nursing a steaming cup of tea.
She didn’t need to explain how.
Jet creaked back against the wall, crossing her legs where she stood. “We expected that,”
Kotono looked down at her tea. She was worried as hell.
“You think we’re in over our heads here?” Ford asked from the doorway.
Both women looked at her for moment.
“I’ve been exchanging mails all night,” Jet answered. “Noah offered to send Yayoi to help, since she has experience,”
Ford folded her arms, “You know how I feel about them,” she said, keeping her voice quiet. “But I won’t let others suffer for my personal feelings. I won’t object.”
Kotono put her finger to her lips, “I think I met her once,” Her eyes scanned between Jet and Ford before she took another gulp from her mug. “When’s she coming?”
“It’s only an offer so far,”
“I see. Since I’m doing nothing for the next few hours I’ll get one of the empty apartments ready for her,” Her eyes expected help. She switched her gaze between Jet and Ford. “It’ll save time if we have to move quickly,”
“You don’t sound too thrilled about that,” said Ford. She didn’t mean for it to sound like an accusation.
“He might feel like I’m kicking him out.” Kotono said, tentatively. Her lips curled up slightly. “That’s why we’re keeping him here, isn’t it?”
Jet’s eyes narrowed. “Alright,” she forced an exasperated sigh. ”You were right. I was wrong,”
Kotono answered with a crystal grin of satisfaction. “Thank you,”
------
Shinji’s first thought on meeting Daryl Haur was that she looked like a strange crossover between Appleseed and Sailor Moon. She had the full Sailor Moon uniform, with the leotard, thigh-high heeled boots and pleated skirt. She also had the cropped hair and hard green eyes of Deunan Knute.
“You sure took your time,”
And the attitude.
“Sorry, I was talking with Shinji here”
Mackie foisted all the blame on him with a simple point of a finger.
“Hello.” He concentrated hard not to sound like a stereotype “I am Shinji Ikari,”
That was.... easier than he expected. Clear, crisp and well enunciated. The shocked expression on Mackie’s face brought a satisfied smile to his lips. Apparently, his schooling had sunk in better than he thought.
“Well, nice to meet you Shinji,” she answered with a cheerful smile. “I’m Cosmic Senshi Daryl Haur. Now get aboard the chopper, we’re behind schedule.”
He watched her walk towards her own aircraft.... one of the shining new dual rotor machines. The heels on her boots clacked as she walked across the steel floor.
Or maybe she was more like Ritsuko Akagi, if she’d gone military.
“Nice legs, huh,” said Mackie into his ear.
Shinji nodded.
“I heard that!”
Both boys winced.
“Is she?” he whispered into Mackie’s ear.
An artificial intelligence like you. Shinji still couldn’t make himself say it. It seemed so impossible when every instinct told him he was looking at a flesh and blood human being.
“She’s an ordinary human.” Mackie answered. “And so’s Kotono. Ford’s technically just a minor biomod too.” He grinned. “Ford doesn’t look over thirty years old, but she is.”
Shinji would’ve pegged her somewhere around nineteen. Everyone seemed young.
“Handwavium keeps people from getting older?”
Mackie shrugged. “Sometimes. It’s powerful stuff. And inconsistent.”
Shinji was being led towards one of the older single-rotor choppers, fully loaded with missiles, and a gun turret under the chin. They wouldn’t arm it if they didn’t think they could be attacked, would they?
“Take the front seat Shinji,” Mackie directed with a wave of his hand
“I don’t want to fight,” Shinji murmured. He stood still, planting himself where he stood. Mackie stopped, turning to face. His expression was somewhere between irritation and understanding. Shinji quailed inside, regretting it immediately.The AI glanced over at Daryl who was clambering in through the cockpit hatch of her chosen machine.
“We’re not going to fight.” Mackie kept his voice mild. “We’re just going out to escort some friends in for the last few million kilometres,”
Million?
In that.
Mackie read his expression. “Space is big, Shinji.”
----------
----------
Space didn’t feel big.
It was a black backdrop, speckled with white bits. The only obvious hint that this wasn’t just a room with projections was the other chopper hanging in mid air, a kilometre away. It’s navigation lights strobed.
Shinji pulled his attention back inside the cockpit, puzzling out a dizzying array of lights and gaues cocooning him in the gunner’s seat. He guessed the screen in front of him displayed the surrounding space. Fiddling with the buttons a little highlighted a blue icon that seemed to be aimed right at them.
It was quiet, with only the hum of the electronics and the distant whine of the engines for company. Seatbelts were tight on his shoulders, and uncomfortable between his legs. Pinned in place in a cockpit closing in around him.
The taste of blood welled up inside his mouth.
He could feel a panic building deep in the pit of his stomach. The locking handle on the cockpit door beckoned. Painted red, with TURN TO OPEN printed on it in soothing white letters. Dry air clogged his throat. His helmet crushed down onto his head.
He didn’t doubt he’d die quickly if he pulled it. He desperately wanted to onetheless. He had to get out. He had to move. He had to stratch his hands. He couldn’t breath. He tried to gasp, he tried to pant but the belt straps squeezed down on his chest.
His hands gripped at the buckle release, cool,metallic and hard.
He closed his eyes. And forced himself to speak. Anything to give his mind something else to focus on.
“Mackie,” he forced out. “How.....” he took a few moments to gather his thoughts.
“Yeah,” the boy behind him answered. The voice crackled and fizzed in Shinji’s ears.
“You..... um...... You don’t seem four years old.”
He could hear chuckling through the mic.
“Well yeah.... Most of my memories were created when I was, to give me a personality. I remember growing up with my Sister,”
“But you didn’t?”
“No. But I remember growing up with her,”
“So they aren’t real?”
“... it’s complicated. Shinji, You’d probably be better of asking my Sister about it,”
Shini felt himself cringe inside.
“I’d rather not,” he said, meekly.
“Why?” Mackie asked him calmly.
“I don’t like her,” he offered, tenatively. “She such a bully,”
“Huh?”
“The way she speaks. And,” he felt himself gather momentum, “She’s keeping a secret from me. Everyone is. But she was so blatant about it,”
She was mocking me.
Mackie was quiet behind him.
One thought rooted itself in Shinji’s mind; I just insulted his Sister.
“Okay Shinji.... I’m not supposed to tell you and you can’t tell anyone I told you or they’ll give me hell for it this but there really is a secret they’re keeping from you, and they think they’re doing it for your own good.” A beat. “They don’t want to hurt you. Shinji”
“Typical,” Shinji snorted, feeling a hot pulse of anger rush through him. “Everyone’s keeping secrets from me. It’s just like before. They’re no better...”
“Well.....” Mackie interrupted. “I think they’re kinda right to keep it, to be honest but....” Shinji could hear his mind churning it over. “Look...um... what I meant was. They all mean well and they’re trying to do their best for you, they just don’t know what that is. I just don’t want you to mistake mistakes for them evil,”
“I...” Shinji started. “Do you know what the secret is?”
“Yeah,”
“And you won’t tell me,”
“No,”
“So you’re no better,” Shinji snarled.
“Well, I did admit that there was a secret,” Mackie pointed out. “But, they think it’s best if you work it out for yourself and come to your own conclusions. I don’t know if that’s the right or wrong choice or plan but....” he sighed. “It’s what everyone decided on.”
That's why you hurt others. Deep down you know you suffer more when you cause someone else pain... than if you just let yourself get hurt.
“Misato...” he mumbled. “What am I supposed to do?”
Silence answered. He slumped forward against his harnesses.
Mackie broke into his thoughts. “I know since we first realised who you are my sister hasn’t slept.... everyone cares about you.”
“If they cared, why would they lie?”
“Because they care,”
They’re trying to do their best for you, they just don’t know what that is. They don’t want to hurt you. What truth could be so horrible, that they would be terrified of telling.
“Are Asuka and Misato dead?”
As soon as he asked, he knew he didn’t want to know the answer.
“It’s not that,” Mackie shot the question down. “Look. I’ll give you one hint; They’re arranging for you to get some animé to watch tonight. If you really want to know the truth, pay close attention. Then add up everything that you’ve seen today.”
“Huh?”
“It’s complicated.”
That’s what they all say, Shinji didn’t say.
“Stargazer, Stargazer this is Guardian 01. We’re here to escort you,”
Daryl’s voice hissed and crackled over the radio.
“Guardian 01 This is Stargazer, We have you on sensors. Thanks for the escort,”
A girlish voice. Sharper and more high pitched. She sounded younger than Asuka ever did.
“This is Guardian 02, Why don’t we switch to video?” Mackie suggested.
There was a grin on his face, Shinji could hear it and it worried him. An image came up on the monitor a moment later. Grey fur. That’s the first thing he saw.
“Y.... you’re a..... you’re a.... Catgirl,” he stuttered out.
Mackie started to laugh.
“And you’re rude.” she hissed at him. Her ears twitched.
“Handwavium,” Mackie offered a one word explanation. “Anyway, let’s get going together shall we?”
“Of course,” the catgirl answered, the edges of her lips curling up, baring brilliant white fangs “And who are you acting like you’ve never seen a catgirl before?”
He yellow slit-eyes stared right through him across the comm-link. Shinji couldn’t speak. His mouth goldfished, no data coming from his brain to form proper words.
“I haven’t” he just about managed to say.
“Well, we’ll have to meet in person on Frigga then, won’t we?”
He nodded gormlessly. Why did that sound like a threat?
Out the window, he saw a car approach. An apparently standard European estate car towing a trailer.... hanging in open space.
A flying car towing a trailer.
This world was insane. This world.... this can’t be real, can it?
----------------
This was tough and still feels a bit clunky.
And yes... Shinji hasn't realised he was speaking English almost the whole time.
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--m(^0^)m-- Wot, no sig?