“Shinseiki Evangelion,” or “Neon Genesis: Evangelion” belongs solely and completely to Gainax Co. Ltd. Rights to the English version of the aforementioned belong to AD Vision and Manga Entertainment. All rights reserved.

The original storyline of “Ningen no Daraku” belongs to Kenji Moroboshi, T2P Studios, and the 2002 Otaku International. All rights reserved.

--

Ningen no Daraku: Evangelion

Written by Kenji Moroboshi

--

(Bright, harsh halogen lights suddenly flipped on in a containment cell, causing its hapless prisoner to blink owlishly.)

(Ichinomori Daisuke, prisoner in the headquarters of PANDORA, deep under Tokyo-4, sat on a simple wooden chair. He had been held in this prison for three days, waiting for the interrogation he knew would come…)

(Standing across from him, silhouetted by the light, was the shapely form of his interrogator, Major Kirishima Mana…)

Daisuke: (smirking) You’re late…

Mana: Spare me. I’ve turned off the surveillance equipment. We can talk in private…

Daisuke: It’s not as though that changes anything, is it?

(Mana didn’t reply.)

Daisuke: Can I smoke?

Mana: No.

(Daisuke put a cigarette between his lips and lit it with his lighter, engraved with a European sword…)

Daisuke: Doesn’t matter what you think… I was just being polite.

(Mana crossed her arms, frowning…)

Mana: You don’t have to be rude about it…

(Daisuke blew a puff of smoke…)

Daisuke: The time has long since passed since you could make me do anything… Mana-chan…

Mana: Now look at your position. I have a gun. You don’t. I think you had better reconsider your resolve, here… Why don’t you tell me the location of SWORD’s hidden base?

(To Kirishima’s annoyance, Daisuke began to laugh…)

Daisuke: Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha… You’ve maintained your sense of humor, at least…

Mana: I was serious, Daisuke. Where’s the base’s location?

Daisuke: What…? You don’t already know? And I thought PANDORA’s connections, along with those of the masters that pull their strings, extend worldwide? Why don’t you already know the location of this… “base?”

Mana: (pouts) I don’t get what you’re talking about…

Daisuke: Of course you don’t… Since the surveillance equipment has been deactivated, as you say, I’ll tell you this much, Mana-chan…

Mana: What?

Daisuke: (smirks) Heh… T-san has grown impatient…

(Mana narrowed her eyes.)

Mana: What do you mean by that…?

(Daisuke blew another puff of smoke.)

Daisuke: Don’t play dumb, Mana-chan… You know exactly what I mean…

--

(Commander Aida Kensuke sat at his desk, which was situated in a dark chamber.)

(Then, a voice, blurred by a digital scrambler, came through the darkness…)

Voice: Aida-kun. Have you done as we asked?

Aida: Of course. A suitable pilot has been found for Eva Unit-15.

Voice: Excellent. All things are as they should be.

Voice: The new Eva Series is well underway. Things are proceeding smoothly, and according to our scenario.

Voice: Evangelion Unit-15 now has a pilot, and will take its place among its brethren in PANDORA’s halls.

Voice: At least… for the time being.

Aida: You do realize the threat that stands against the Committee’s scenario?

Voice: Indeed we do. We know of the secret society of SWORD.

Voice: We have come to an understanding that you have, in your possession, a member of that organization?

(Aida made no response.)

Voice: We will take this member of SWORD, and question him ourselves.

Aida: That… cannot be done.

(A deathly hush fell in the darkness.)

Voice: And why not?

Aida: He escaped. We believe we have a mole in our organization, who helped him escape. As of yet, we have no conclusive information on the accomplice of this individual.

Voice: SWORD’s influence runs deep… that is true. But, I sincerely doubt that it runs so deep as to infiltrate PANDORA…

Aida: We were caught by surprise, ourselves. We believed our organization was free of spies.

Voice: Evidently, Aida-kun, you believed wrong.

Voice: This is a grievous error on your part, as well as your entire organization.

Voice: See to it that you make no more errors such as this.

Voice: Remember, the Committee has total jurisdiction over PANDORA, and can replace you at will.

Voice: Remember, Aida-kun, you are at our mercy.

Aida: … Understood.

Voice: Very well. You are dismissed, Aida-kun.

Aida: Before I leave just yet…

(Another hush fell over the darkness…)

Aida: Chairman. When is the next Angel supposed to come?

(In response, a massive black monolith appeared in front of Commander Aida. It stood five meters tall, and three meters wide. Near the top was, in red print, “SEELE-01 SOUND ONLY.”)

Seele-01: As of yet, Aida-kun, that is none of your concern. You are dismissed.

Aida: Then I will take my leave, Chairman.

(Aida, along with his whole desk, vanished into thin air.)

Voice: The Committee grows increasingly impatient with him.

Voice: I suggest that he be dismissed from his position, and replaced by someone more… submissive.

Seele-01: Aida-kun will serve the purpose laid out for him. No more and no less, I urge the Committee to have patience, until he proves his incompetence…

(The SEELE-01 monolith vanished into thin air as the SEELE Committee was dismissed.)

--

(The eyes of Kyogou Reiji slowly opened.)

Reiji: (groggily) Ugh… where am I…?

(His vision cleared, and he found himself staring at the bleak white ceiling of a hospital. He rose himself to a sitting position, only to find that, indeed, he was confined in a hospital room.)

Reiji: I wonder what they’ll do when they find out I’m awake…

(He looked at his right forearm, which had an IV tube sticking in it. With a wrench, Reiji pulled it out, and mopped up the blood with the cotton ball that held the tube in place…)

Reiji: (thinking) No choice. I’ve gotta escape, and somehow get back to Kyoto…

(The door to the hospital room opened slowly. Reiji immediately lay back onto the bed and pretended to be asleep. Yet, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a young girl enter the room.)

(This girl was about his age. She had long brown hair and wore what Reiji guessed was a school uniform. This girl stood over his bed, watching him. Then, finally, she spoke…)

Girl: There’s no need to feign sleep, I can see that you’ve disconnected the IV…

(Reiji opened his eyes, and slowly sat up.)

Reiji: What are you going to do now?

(This time, he got a good look at this girl. Apparently, she was a patient of this hospital, too, seeing as she wore a bandage around her forehead, and her arm was in a sling.)

Girl: Nothing, really. Although, I would like to know why you’d try to pretend to be asleep when you are really quite awake…

Reiji: It’s… it’s nothing.

Girl: I read from the chart. Your name is Kyogou Reiji.

Reiji: Uh-huh…

Girl: You are the Seventh Child.

Reiji: (blinked) Huh? “Seventh Child”…?

(The girl nodded, but said nothing.)

Reiji: (narrows eyes) Were you sent by PANDORA…?

Girl: No. I wasn’t sent by PANDORA. However, I am a part of that organization.

(Reiji didn’t respond. Instead, he resorted to just glaring at the girl.)

Girl: Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Amano Atsuko. I am the Sixth Child, and the pilot of Evangelion Unit-16…

(Now Reiji was really surprised. This beautiful girl was a pilot, just like him, apparently. But, he wasn’t about to let his guard down, not just yet…)

Atsuko: I’ve heard of your treatment by the Commander… don’t let it bother you.

(This really caught Reiji off-guard, but it succeeded in making him angrier than anything else…)

Reiji: And why not? He threatened my family! I don’t suppose you have a little sister, who you love more than the world itself… do you?

Atsuko: No, I’m afraid I don’t. But, you must believe me when I say that the Commander has a good heart. It’s just that he has a great amount of responsibility…

Reiji: (snarls) It wouldn’t matter if you had the body of a goddess. Nothing could make me believe that crap…

(Atsuko’s expression changed. She seemed to become irate…)

Atsuko: What was that supposed to mean?

Reiji: Nothing… It didn’t mean anything at all…

Atsuko: I was not sent here by the Commander, or by anyone else. I came here of my own accord to tell you to make the best of your situation! You cannot leave Tokyo-4, because you now have a great responsibility on your shoulders.

Reiji: (scoffs) Responsibility? Don’t lecture me on responsibility! Thanks to your precious Commander, I’m now unable to perform my duties! I have a father who is under so much mental trauma, that he literally can’t do anything important! I have a little sister, barely over seven, who can hardly take care of herself, much less her father as well! I have all the responsibilities! I make the payments, I balance the checkbook, I earn the money! So don’t talk to me about responsibility!!

(Atsuko was speechless. Obviously, she did not know about Reiji’s personal life…)

Atsuko: I’m sorry… I didn’t know. Nevertheless, you have even greater responsibilities now… I’m sorry to say this, but you must abandon your responsibilities for these presented to you.

Reiji: (incredulously) What responsibility could possibly be greater than my own family?! Tell me that much!!

Atsuko: If you are willing to come with me, then I will tell you just that…

Reiji: (blinks) Huh…?

Atsuko: If you’ll follow me, then I’ll take you back to PANDORA Headquarters, and the people there will explain to you your new responsibilities…

Reiji: (firmly) I’m not going back there.

Atsuko: You have no choice. You can’t return to Neo-Kyoto whether you want to or not, so you may as well know the real reason of why you’re here…

(Reiji didn’t respond. Although, he could see the logic in this girl’s words. There was no way he could go back to Kyoto that he knew of. If he tried to run into the city, all he’d do was get lost. He decided to humor her…)

Reiji: Fine… I’ll go.

--

INTRODUCING ATSUKO

--

(A hexagonal door opened, and the moving platform became a moving catwalk over what seemed to be a bottomless pit. Needless to say, Reiji wasn’t too comfortable…)

Reiji: Where are we going?

Atsuko: It’ll just be a little while longer, and then we’ll be at Dr. Dmitriev’s office.

Reiji: Dr. Dmitriev? Who’s that?

Atsuko: He is the head of E2-Project, and the designer of our Evangelion units.

Reiji: You mean that robot I was in?

Atsuko: Exactly.

(The moving platform encountered another door, which opened for them. Then, the platform belt came to an end, and Reiji and Atsuko disembarked. They were now in a long hallway. Atsuko kept walking along, and, since she seemed to know where she was going, Reiji followed without question.)

--

(Meanwhile, in a coffee shop on the surface of Tokyo-4, Kirishima Mana was waiting.)

Jagawa: Sorry I’m late.

Mana: Quite alright.

(Jagawa, a technician at PANDORA and one of Mana’s friends, sat across from her at the table…)

Mana: Anything new?

Jagawa: (quietly) Contrary to what we thought, the Committee isn’t going to extract our “friend,” Ichinomori. Somehow, the Commander managed to convince them not to do it.

Mana: And how did he manage to do that?

Jagawa: I don’t know, but one thing I know is that there’s some kind of “search” for a mole in PANDORA. I don’t know what’s going on, but something doesn’t smell right.

Mana: Yeah, I know what you mean… I’ve been getting a bad feeling recently.

Jagawa: Also, T-san is starting to become edgy. Something’s going to happen… something bad.

--

(Atsuko’s hand knocked three times on the door marked “Dr. Piotr Dmitriev.”)

Dmitriev’s Voice: What? Who is it?

Atsuko: It’s me, Amano Atsuko…

Dmitriev’s Voice: The Sixth Child? Come on in!

(Atsuko pressed a button on the panel to the right of the door, and it opened into a rather cramped office. There, working feverishly on a computer, was Dr. Dmitriev, the head of E2-Project…)

Dmitriev: What can I do for you… Oh? Who’s that with you?

Atsuko: I believe you know him by his name. He is the Seventh Child, Kyogou Reiji.

(The Russian scientist rubbed his unshaven chin…)

Dmitriev: (slowly) The Seventh Child…

Atsuko: Yes. He woke up today, and I’ve brought him here to show him the reason why he’s been… “drafted.”

Dmitriev: Yes… that is probably a good idea. Hopefully, once he knows, this will prevent more “incidents”…

(Reiji looked away when Dmitriev mentioned his attack on the command box in Eva-15.)

Dmitriev: Atsuko, would you please look in the file cabinet to your left, in the drawer labeled “shi?” Bring me all of the folders labeled “Shito.”

(Atsuko did as he asked, and pulled out fifteen folders, giving them to Dmitriev. The Russian pulled a disk from the first folder, and placed it in his computer.)

(It pulled up video footage of a massive creature, with black skin, a red sphere in its abdomen, and a strange, skull-like head. Reiji watched with disbelief as it leveled a city using beams fired from its eye sockets. Then he watched as a giant purple robot, not unlike the one he piloted three days ago, beat it into submission…)

Dmitriev: This footage was filmed in the year 2015. You are watching the battle between Evangelion Unit-01 and the 3rd Angel. The Angel attacked with one purpose in mind, to initiate Third Impact and, in effect, wipe out the human race.

(He pulled out the disk and inserted another one. In this one, a large, purple creature with another red sphere in its head, and a pair of glowing whips. Reiji watched as the same purple robot, Eva Unit-01, fought this enemy…)

Dmitriev: This was the battle against the 4th Angel, filmed in the same year. As you have undoubtedly noticed, Evangelion Unit-01 participated in this battle, as well.

(He pulled out the disk and inserted a third one. In this one, Eva Unit-01, along with an orange Evangelion, fought an enormous blue eight-sided prism using a massive sniping rifle.)

Dmitriev: The battle against the 5th Angel. I could go on and show you all of the footage, but I think I’ll stop here. The point is, two decades ago, mankind fell under the attack of these mysterious beings, each one stranger than the last. To protect them, they had the Evangelions. However, because of the Second Impact, in the year 2000… Have you learned about Second Impact, Seventh Child?

Reiji: Uh… yeah…

Dmitriev: Anyway, because of the effects of Second Impact, only certain kinds of people, born after the catastrophe, could pilot the Evas. These people just so happened to be fourteen-year-old children.

(He inserted another disk, not from a “shito” file. A group shot of a black-haired boy in a skintight white and blue suit, a redheaded gaijin girl in a red skintight suit, and a blue-haired albino girl in a white skintight suit, appeared on the monitor.)

Dmitriev: These were the pilots of the Eva team of twenty years ago. The boy was the Third Child, Ikari Shinji. He piloted Evangelion Unit-01. The redheaded girl was the Second Child, Soryu Asuka Langley. She was the pilot of Eva Unit-02. The albino girl. She was Ayanami Rei, the First Child, and the pilot of Eva Unit-00. These three held off the attacks of fifteen Angels, in a heroic attempt to save mankind. Unfortunately, they were unable to stop Third Impact, in the year 2016…

Reiji: W-Wow…!

Atsuko: You see, Kyogou-kun, we have a high and mighty responsibility before us. We barely survived Third Impact, just barely.

Dmitriev: The Angels are going to launch another attack soon, and we must be able to answer the threat. You, Kyogou Reiji, along with Amano Atsuko, are currently the only Evangelion pilots we have. You two are mankind’s only defense against the Angels. Now do you understand your situation, as well as your responsibility?

(Reiji looked down at the ground…)

Reiji: It… I just can’t believe it…! But…

(He raised his head.)

Reiji: Why must I have this responsibility?!

Dmitriev: It is not your choice, nor is it ours. It simply is the way it is. You were born with the pattern that allows you to synchronize with an Evangelion. Because of that, you are charged with this responsibility.

Reiji: But, I… I can’t have this…? I can’t handle this responsibility! I’m sorry, but… I have other things I must take care of…

Dmitriev: It cannot be helped. We only have two pilots, and you are one of them.

Reiji: Excuse me… I gotta go clear my head…

(With that, Reiji left the room, disoriented.)

Atsuko: Should I follow him?

Dmitriev: No… He needs his space. This is a lot to digest… Let’s just give him some time.

--

Ningen no Daraku: EVANGELION

Episode:2 – Slight Shadows of the Past

--

(Reiji wandered outside the PANDORA pyramid, in the grassy hills. His mind was abuzz with myriads of different thoughts.)

Reiji: (thinking) What should I do?! I can’t just leave them… besides; they wouldn’t let me go, anyway. But, my father… and Yui-chan… What should I do? What should I do?!

Mana’s Voice: You look troubled, Reiji-kun…

(Reiji turned to find Major Kirishima Mana. She was watering melons in a small garden…)

Mana: Is something wrong?

Reiji: Mana-san…

Mana: It’s alright. You can tell me…

Reiji: Well… I… To tell you the truth, I…

Mana: What is it?

Reiji: I haven’t… exactly been fair to you… I mean…

Mana: Don’t say it, Reiji-kun. I understand.

Reiji: Y-You do…?

Mana: After what the Commander said to get you to pilot Eva… I can understand your being angry, even you striking out at the Commander once you got in the Entry Plug…

Reiji: So… what will happen to me now…?

Mana: You’ve been talking to Dr. Dmitriev, haven’t you?

Reiji: Yeah…

Mana: Then isn’t it pretty obvious? The “incident” yesterday has been attributed to a berserker, so your record is clean. You have a second chance to get it right…

Reiji: …

Mana: Listen, Reiji-kun. You have to trust me. Trust me in that I’ll do everything in my power to help you and your family. But, you have to give me your trust, before I can do anything…

(Reiji’s eyes fell to the melons at Mana’s feet…)

Reiji: Do you grow those?

Mana: Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah, they’re mine. I got the seeds from an… an old friend, twenty-one years ago. When I came to PANDORA, I planted these, and have been taking care of them ever since…

Reiji: Really…

--

(Commander Aida sat at his desk, in an enormous, dark office. At least six meters from the desk stood Reiji. The boy couldn’t help but feel intimidated by the room, which seemed to magnify and multiply the Commander’s terrifying ambiance…)

Reiji: (subdued) Yes, Commander…

Aida: The incident of yesterday has been labeled a “berserker.” Consider it an “act of good faith” on my part. I will be expecting no more such incidents like that, from now on. Do you understand?

Reiji: (subdued) Yes, Commander…

Aida: There will be another test tomorrow morning. You will attend, and we will collect the “real” data on your capabilities.

Reiji: (subdued) Yes, Commander…

Aida: That is all. You are dismissed.

--

(Late that evening, at an apartment complex in Tokyo-4. Mana and Reiji arrived at a particular apartment, #38. Mana took out a card and slid it through the reader. The door slid open, and Mana walked through.)

(Reiji, on the other hand, was still standing outside.)

Mana: What, is something wrong?

Reiji: No… it’s just… I’ve never lived outside my own home… that’s all.

Mana: Really? You mean; you’ve never even spent the night at a friend’s?

Reiji: No… I can’t afford to. My family needs me…

Mana: Ah… I see. Well… I guess it’ll just take some getting used to, that’s all.

Reiji: …

Mana: Come on in, Reiji-kun. We’ll get your room set up…

(Reiji took a deep breath, and took a step into the room.)

Mana: There you go. Now, was that so hard?

Reiji: No… No, it wasn’t.

Mana: (smiles) Good!

(Mana set her bags down near the door, and walked over to her room, shutting the door. Reiji looked around the apartment.)

(It was rather plain, having off-white paint covering the walls, and no exotic furniture. There were three doors aside from the entrance and the glass door. One led to Mana’s room. Reiji was sure that one led to the bathroom, so he guessed that the third one was his.)

(The “kitchen” was actually a part of this main room, and contained a stove/oven, cabinets, a sink, and two refrigerators. Only a counter provided a “boundary” between it and the rest of the room.)

(But, this was all secondary to what Reiji noticed first. Apparently, Mana had quite an impressive porn collection, judging by the way it was scattered all over the main room. Tapes littered the couch and the floor near the television and DVD player. Dirty magazines and hentai manga were strewn in every place imaginable.)

(And, was that a whip leaning next to the door of Mana’s bedroom?)

(The entire spectacle was quite startling to Reiji, who had neither the time nor funds to invest in such… perverse activities. Curiously, he picked up a magazine and leafed through it…)

Reiji: (turning red) Hmm… um… okay…

(He heard a sound coming from Mana’s room, and he immediately closed the magazine and threw it back in the general direction it came from.)

(Mana emerged from her room, wearing a white, sleeveless shirt and a miniskirt.)

Mana: So, Reiji-kun, what do you wanna eat?

(Reiji shrugged, slightly nervous.)

Reiji: Uh… I don’t know…

Mana: Ah, don’t worry; we’ve always got something…

(She opened the refrigerator closest to the oven…)

Mana: Lessee… uh… well… there’s ramen… and some other instant stuff…

Reiji: Instant?

Mana: What can I say? The pay’s poor.

Reiji: Instant’s fine, I guess…

(Mana pulled two cans of beer out of the refrigerator, handing one to Reiji. She then opened a cupboard, and pulled out two Styrofoam cups, filled with dry ramen. She promptly filled both with water and set them in the microwave.)

Mana: In a few minutes, dinner will be served…

Reiji: Okay.

(His eyes then fall to the can of beer in his hands…)

Reiji: And what about this? You want me to hold it until you’re finished with your first one?

Mana: (giggling) No, silly! I want you to drink it!

Reiji: D-Drink it…?

Mana: Yeah, of course! C’mon, just open it and drink it down.

(Reiji blinked, utterly confused. Then, slowly, cautiously, he opened the can.)

Reiji: You sure?

Mana: Of course, I’m sure!

(Reiji took a sip of the beer, and immediately set it down…)

Reiji: (gagging) This is disgusting!

Mana: What’s so disgusting? Barley, hops, alcohol, it’s a meal all in itself!

Reiji: Oh, c’mon! That’s stupid!

Mana: (rolls eyes) Whatever.

(She opened her beer and took a long drink.)

Mana: I don’t have anything else to drink, here… so, your loss.

Reiji: Then I’ll take water. You can have the rest of mine…

Mana: (almost sarcastic) A polite request like that? How can I refuse!

Reiji: …

--

(Reiji walked over to the couch and flopped on to it. After shifting uncomfortably a couple of times, he reached under him and pulled out a tape of porn. Casually, he threw it out onto the floor…)

Reiji: (thinking) Ugh… There’s a reason I don’t eat instant… How can she even bear to eat that crap…?

(He held his stomach with his right hand, a rather uncomfortable look on his face…)

Reiji: (thinking) Damn it all…

(Then Mana wandered in. She was carrying a half-filled beer can, and her cheeks were reddened by drunkenness…)

Mana: (cheery) Hello!!

(She spun once and fell onto the couch, right next to Reiji…)

Mana: How’re you doin’, Reiji-kun…?

Reiji: Fine…

Mana: That’s great… Really, that’s great…

Reiji: … thanks.

Mana: Reiji-kun… would you be a good boy… and pop this tape in for me?

(She handed Reiji and porn tape…)

Reiji: Wh-What…?

Mana: You heard me, Reiji-kun… Do it, please…

Reiji: (weak smile) Y-Yeah… sure…

(He took the tape, holding it by the corner with his thumb and index finger, and walking slowly to the television. He removed the tape from its sleeve and popped it in the VCR. He then turned on the television, to see that it was already playing.)

Mana: C’mon… sit down…

(Reiji sat next to Mana as the previews were playing. Reiji had a very fake smile plastered on his face…)

Reiji: (thinking) Oh… shit… Is she actually… making me watch this crap with her…?

Mana: I’d like to get that tape someday… but I hear it’s illegal…

Reiji: (thinking) Kill me now, God! I’m not the porn-fiend you’re making me out to be!! I don’t deserve this!!

(Mana hiccupped. Reiji’s plastered smile gave way to a grimace, but he quickly recovered.)

Sultry Female Voice: And now… for the Feature Presentation…

(Reiji’s pupils dilated.)

Mana: Ooh, yeah… I love this one…

(She put her arms around Reiji’s neck, resting her head on his left shoulder. Almost as if to add to Reiji’s discomfort, she began rubbing her bare leg against his thigh. Reiji’s face lit up like a traffic light…)

Reiji: (thinking) Ohh… shit…! Holy shit!!

(Quickly, he pulled his shirt over the crotch of his pants, looking extremely uncomfortable…)

Reiji: (thinking) I can’t decide whether this is my luckiest day… or my unluckiest…

--

(Meanwhile, in the depths of PANDORA Headquarters, several teams of technicians were working to free Evangelion Unit-15 from the Bakelite. Dr. Dmitriev and Commander Aida stood in the ruined control box, only a few feet away from the Eva’s massive fist, watching the proceedings…)

Dmitriev: We can expect repairs to be finished within the next two weeks…

Aida: Good. See to it personally that it is done as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Dmitriev: Of course, Commander.

Aida: As for the pilot?

Dmitriev: I have filled his head with enough patriotic trash that it should keep him in line for a while… Don’t worry; you still have a pilot.

Aida: …

Dmitriev: It seems that the Sixth Child has sufficiently healed. Eva Unit-16 is almost completely repaired, as well.

Aida: We will test them when they are ready. But… you will test Unit-16 far away from Eva Unit-15… We do not know the possible outcomes of activating the two near each other, as of yet…

Dmitriev: Of course. I understand completely. Are there any more pilots on the way? We may need replacements…

Aida: They are currently looking for a suitable candidate in Germany. Eva Unit-18 has been completed, and Heinrich is getting impatient. He has a particular candidate in mind, someone who is all but perfect for this Eva… but he doesn’t want to use her. Not unless it is absolutely necessary.

Dmitriev: You mean…?

Aida: Yes. That’s exactly “who” I mean…

Dmitriev: I see. I guess the painful cycle perpetuates itself…

Aida: So it does. But that matters not to us… Everything is in working order…

Dmitriev: And the Committee’s scenario?

Aida: …

Dmitriev: I see…

Aida: The loss of Eva Unit-17 was unexpected, but the Committee seems to be hopeful for some kind of “healthy reaction”… We won’t know until the time comes…

Dmitriev: Of course.

Aida: Finish this business up. I have some important business to take care of…

Dmitriev: Yes, Commander…

(Aida walked toward the door. The door opened, and Choujahara Sakura was on the other side. She shrank back as Aida glared at her, absolutely stone faced…)

Aida: Carry on, Lieutenant Choujahara…

(Aida walked out and into the hall. Sakura walked into the control box, toward Dmitriev…)

Sakura: Doctor…

Dmitriev: Yes, Sakura?

Sakura: Reconstruction of Eva Unit-16 is complete… All we need now is the pilot.

Dmitriev: The Sixth Child is not quite ready yet… but she will be soon enough. Have patience, Sakura…

Sakura: Yes, Dr. Dmitriev…

--

(The Sixth Child in question, Atsuko, lay on her bed in a rather drab apartment. She wasn’t asleep, just staring at the wall…)

(The apartment wasn’t painted, so the dull gray of the concrete showed through very easily. There wasn’t much for furnishings outside of the simple bed, a small refrigerator, a chair, and a small black-and-white television.)

(So, Atsuko lay there, in her wrinkled school uniform, staring at the wall. She did not even seem to notice the clicking sounds coming from her door…)

(The clicking sounds made by a lock pick…)

(The lock opened, and the steel door slowly opened. In crept a young man, probably in his twenties, wearing a baseball cap. This man looked at what he thought was a sleeping Amano Atsuko, and smiled.)

(This man closed the door as silently as he could. However, the door was so rusty that it made a horrible screeching sound as it closed. The young man’s eyes darted between the door and Atsuko, who seemed to be asleep. Gritting his teeth, the man closed the door all the way and locked it…)

Man: This chick must be a heavy sleeper, or something…

(Without removing his shoes, he crept into the apartment, getting ever closer to Atsuko, who still seemed to be asleep. He snuck closer and closer, until he was standing over her…)

Man: (smirks) She looks cute while asleep, too… Amano Atsuko… Grade Nine. The “untouchable hottie” of Tokyo-4 Junior High… Ha, ha… We’ll see just how untouchable she really is…

(Atsuko remained “asleep,” and the man’s confidence began to rise. He cracked his knuckles and unbuttoned his shirt. Then, he tensed up, as if preparing to pounce…)

(Atsuko didn’t move.)

(Then, very quickly, the man pounced upon her. Quickly, almost expertly, he rolled Atsuko on her back and pinned her shoulders to the bed.)

Man: Gotcha!! Little bitch!!

(Atsuko didn’t even react. All she did was stare at him.)

(This man, slightly disturbed by the girl’s unending stare, immediately set to work. While keeping this girl pinned to the bed, he managed to unbutton the top of her school uniform and tear it open. It was obvious that he had done this before…)

(Atsuko merely stared.)

(The man tore away Atsuko’s skirt. Then, her stare finally got to him. He pinned her shoulders with both hands…)

Man: What the hell are you looking at?! What?! You can’t guess what’s happening?! Huh, is that it?!

Atsuko: …

Man: Don’t you know who I am?! I’m Ichiro! The infamous Ichiro from the news!! Surely you’ve heard of me, the serial rapist!!

Atsuko: No… I’ve never heard of you in my life…

(Enraged, the man leaned close, his face just inches from Atsuko’s…)

Man: Okay, bitch, enough talk! I’m gonna do you from head to toe, and there ain’t nothing you can do about it!!

(Atsuko made no response, other than to smash her forehead into the man’s face. The would-be rapist released his grip on her shoulders, trying to staunch the blood pouring from his nose…)

Man: (muffled) Aaugh!! You bitch!! How dare you?!

(Atsuko wrapped her legs around the man’s waist and pulled herself up. She slammed her fists into his stomach, then his face, alternating and keeping ahead of his hands, leaving him gasping for air. She lay back again, releasing her leg-lock on him.)

(Then, with one swift, graceful motion, she kicked him off the bed with both feet. He landed on the concrete floor with a thud…)

Man: AAAUGH!!!

(Atsuko wasted no time. Before the man could even start to regain his senses, she had grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up. Then, just as quickly, she turned and kicked him in the abdomen again, sending him into a wall…)

Man: AAAUGH!!!

(Atsuko grabbed his hand and twisted it behind his back. The man tried to fight back, but it was in vain. The girl squeezed harder, applying more and more pressure to the joint, which was already straining beyond its limits…)

(Crack.)

Man: (screaming) AAAAAUGH!!!!

(Quickly, Atsuko opened the glass door to the balcony, and led the man out onto it. With an iron grip on his throat, she pushed him against the railing, bending him against it.)

(The man had enough sense to look down, and see that it was a five-story drop to the ground…)

Man: P-Please…! Please don’t kill me…! I… I… I didn’t mean anything I said! I wouldn’t have hurt you one bit! Please, don’t kill me…! Please!

Atsuko: (softly) You didn’t take your shoes off when you came into my apartment…

(The man’s eyes slowly widened. Atsuko pulled her fist back, and smashed it into his stomach with full force. The man gasped and a drop of blood rolled from the corner of his mouth. Atsuko then shoved him over the edge…)

(Crack.)

(The man had fallen five stories to his death, on the hard asphalt. Atsuko took a quick glance, then walked back into her apartment, shutting the glass door behind her…)

--

(The harsh lights of the PANDORA containment cell lit up, causing Daisuke to blink owlishly…)

Daisuke: Who is it, this time…?

(Commander Aida didn’t reply.)

Daisuke: So… what’s the word? Does the Committee want to talk with me…?

Aida: No.

Daisuke: (raising eyebrow) Really…? What did you say to them that made them changed their aim…?

Aida: That you had escaped, and that there was a mole in PANDORA.

Daisuke: There probably is, you know…

Aida: Of course, I know.

Daisuke: So… what are you going to do with me now?

(Aida pulled a nine-millimeter revolver out of his uniform.)

Aida: Say that you were found, armed and dangerous. You fired, and the security officers had no choice but to fire back.

(Daisuke turned around to face the Commander, sneering…)

Daisuke: Oh, really? Isn’t that a little extreme?

Aida: No.

(With that, he pulled the trigger…)

--

Voice: How very interesting…

Voice: Killing his single source of information. He would rather do that than turn him over to the Committee…

Voice: That is more than sufficient grounds for removal!

Seele-01: Perhaps… We will allow him to play his game for a while yet. He will be useful.

Voice: Useful to what end?

Seele-01: The ends of the Committee, of course… When the Angels attack, he will assume proper command, as it should be. Don’t worry, there are many other SWORD operatives floating around out there… One will come to us, eventually.

--

(Reiji breathed a sigh of relief. The porn was finished. Done with. Out of its misery.)

(Mana was asleep, clinging to him, or rather, sprawled on top of him. Reiji dared not move, unless she would wake, and ask him to put another godforsaken tape in the VCR. So, he just sat there, motionless.)

Reiji: (thinking) Luck is not with me…

(His eyes fell on Mana’s thigh, which was right over his crotch. His cheeks glowed red. Slowly, carefully, he grabbed her thigh…)

Mana: Mmm…

(Reiji froze in place. Mana shifted slightly, but didn’t wake up. Slowly, he slid from underneath her and, after a painfully slow crawl, climbed away from the couch.)

(Crunch.)

(He sat on a tape. His eyes locked on Mana, he reached under his butt and grabbed the tape, and set it to one side. Once he was sure she didn’t wake up, he lay down on the floor, closed his eyes, and tried to go to sleep…)

Reiji: …

--

(Atsuko lay on her bed, completely silent. Yet, she did not sleep. She could not sleep. She was aware of all that went on around her. She even heard the police and ambulance sirens coming from the street under her balcony…)

Atsuko: …

--

Voice: Grr…

(Reiji could feel something watching him. He shifted uncomfortably…)

Voice: Grr…

Reiji: Wha…?

(Slowly, he opened his eyes. Two dark shapes with glowing green eyes stood over him, watching…)

(It took a while before Reiji could register what was happening. But, when he did…)

Reiji: (screaming) EEEYYYAAAAHHH!!!

(Reiji tore past the two shapes, making for the glass door to the balcony. He tripped and fell. When he regained his senses, he rolled over on his back and sat up, to see what the threat was…)

(Two… penguins?)

Reiji: Wh-What…?

Mana: What’s all that racket about…?

(Mana woke on the couch, rubbing her eyes. She looked at Reiji, then the penguins, then at Reiji again…)

Mana: What are you doing, Reiji-kun?

Reiji: M-Mana-san…? What are those?!

Mana: Huh?

(She turned to the penguins, which were looking at her now. Her face brightened…)

Mana: Oh!! I forgot to introduce you guys!

(She ran over to the penguins.)

Mana: Reiji-kun, these are your roommates, aside from me, of course. This is Hans…

(She set her hands on the “shoulders” of the penguin whose nametag, coincidentally, read “FRANZ.” This penguin was black, with a white chest, green eyes, and blue “eyebrows.”)

Mana: And this fine young lady is Franz…

(She set her hands on the “shoulders” of the obviously masculine penguin whose nametag read “HANS.” This penguin was also black, with a white chest and green eyes; however, his “eyebrows” were red.)

Reiji: Uhh… pleased to meet you… Hans… Franz…

(The two penguins inclined their heads, but made no response.)

Mana: (giggling) Now that you’ve been introduced, it’s time to get to business!

Reiji: Eh?

(Mana picked up a tape.)

Mana: Reiji-kun, could you put this in the VCR for me?

Reiji: (weakly) Another porn…?

(Mana nodded, drooling slightly.)

(Reiji immediately turned pale. Slowly, he turned to the glass door. Then…)

Reiji: (screaming) OH MY GOD!!!!

--

TSUDUKU – To Be Continued --