Anime/Manga È Evangelion È Evangelion: Third Genesis 	font: B s : A A A . width: full 3/4 1/2
Author: shanejayell 	
Fiction Rated: T - English - Drama/Romance - Reviews: 172 - Published: 04-26-03 - Updated: 10-01-08 - id:1321921
Evangelion: Third Genesis
Part Thirty Six
Misato Kisaragi sighed as she entered her office, glad that the latest meeting was over. The black haired general didnÕt necessarily mind handling all the administrative work that went with running a organization like NERV, but there were certainly days where sheÕd gladly shoot someone to get away from it all.
ÒWould you like me to get you some coffee, maÕam?Ó Himiko Yamato asked from the doorway, her ash grey hair held back by a set of golden hairclips.
ÒIf you wouldnÕt mind,Ó Misato smiled as she sat at her desk and called up her desktop. Absent mindedly she checked her computerÕs progress in cracking the latest section of Gendo IkariÕs encrypted files, noting they were at ninety five percent completed. ÔWonder if I should wait?Õ she mused silently.
ÒIÕll be right back,Ó Himiko smiled as she hurried off.
Misato stretched her legs out, setting her feet on her desk as she reclined backwards in her chair. It had been a long morning so far, running from a meeting of the cityÕs business leaders to receiving the latest briefings on the mid-east conflicts. She frowned slightly, wondering why the latest reports bothered her so much.
Himiko entered carefully balancing a cup of coffee and a donut, dropping both on MisatoÕs desk. ÒHere you go,Ó she said as she put them down.
ÒThanks,Ó Misato said as she reluctantly sat up again.
ÒDo you want me to hold any calls for a bit?Ó Himiko asked. A impish twinkle appeared in her eyes, ÒOr just tell them youÕre out?Ó
ÒJust hold,Ó Misato smiled wryly as she picked up her coffee and took a drink, ÒI canÕt let myself play hokey too often.Ó
ÒRight,Ó Himiko nodded briskly, turned and went to the outer office.
ÔWhat a woman,Õ Misato mused as she picked up her donut and munched while she also went over all the paperwork that had arrived while she was out doing the morning meetings, ÔIÕd be lost without her.Õ
AobaÕs latest report on the girlÕs martial arts training was very positive, with the added note that Asuka was really showing signs of developing a real killer instinct. Rei, on the other hand, was better as a defensive fighter and showed a marked reluctance to hurt anyone.
ÔInteresting,Õ Misato mused. She wasnÕt too surprised to hear that Asuka was doing well at this, all things considered. She had a dark streak in her, one she had not controlled too well in the past, and Misato hoped the girl would have more luck managing it now.
MayaÕs latest budget made Misato wince, but she couldnÕt really blame the girl. She was currently juggling building a Archangel Unit-2, refitting the transport planes and refining the onboard AI of their first unit, all of which took time and money. She signed at the bottom as she approved the increase in funds, but she knew the UN was going to yelp over it.
YuiÕs final report on the body switch was also less than encouraging. Rather apologetically she explained that without further data on the event she and the Magi couldnÕt reconstruct the events that caused the switch, nor could they determine what might be needed to reverse it. Of course they would continue to work on it, but at this point they were not expecting any sudden breakthrough.
ÔSo,Õ Misato wondered as she set the memo aside, Ôwhat do we do if we reach Evangelion Unit 1 and canÕt remove Shinji from it?Õ She rubbed her face with her hands, ÔDamn it, we canÕt just leave him there... can we?Õ
ÒMisato,Ó Himiko stuck her head in the door, Òthe new representative of Japanese security is here to see you.Ó
Misato sighed, ÒSend him in.Ó
ÒHer, actually,Ó the dark purple haired woman said pleasantly as she walked in carrying a briefcase, her eyes hidden behind sunglasses. ÒMotoko Kusanagi, at your service.Ó the military dressed woman said as she sat down across from her.
ÒMajor, I see,Ó Misato noted.
ÒAn acting rank,Ó Motoko admitted as she opened up the metal briefcase, Òmy branch of the service is somewhat more informally organized.Ó
ÒAh,Ó MisatoÕs mind raced, ÒInternal Security? Or...Ó
ÒPublic Security,Ó Motoko smiled slightly, Òand I canÕt tell you which section, maÕam. ThatÕs need to know.Ó
ÒFair enough,Ó Misato conceded even though she felt a flash of resentment. ÔRemind me to ask my contacts in intelligence about her,Õ she mused. Aloud she said, ÒSo, you have a briefing for me?Ó
Motoko popped the locks on her case, removing several files as she answered, ÒYes, maÕam. A spy satellite managed to capture some images weÕd like you to look at...Ó
Misato took the printouts and glanced at then before stopping with a frown. It resembled a Evangelion but more angular, almost awkward looking with glowing red eyes gazing out of a featureless helm. ItÕs primary weapon other than itÕs strength was a massive axe it carried around with inhuman ease.
ÒA Evangelion,Ó Misato said flatly then frowned again as she noticed odd details on the massive construct.
ÒYes?Ó Motoko asked, leaning forward slightly.
ÒHold on,Ó Misato said as she called up schematics of the various Evangelions on her computer, studying the data as she compared it to the mysterious new unit. ÒIt looks like someone took a mass production unit,Ó she showed Motoko the image, Òbut grafted on different arms and legs.Ó
ÒIt certainly looks like it,Ó Motoko gave Misato a thoughtful look, Òare you certain?Ó
MIsato shrugged, ÒIÕll run these images by our scientists, of course, but IÕve been working with Evangelion for years.Ó
ÒFair enough,Ó Motoko nodded. She sat back with a frown, ÒWe filmed it coming out of the desert near Saudi Arabia, but where it came from or went to we donÕt know.Ó
ÒEven with the eye in the sky satellites?Ó Misato sounded surprised.
ÒSandstorms,Ó Motoko scowled, Òwe couldnÕt see a thing through them.Ó
ÒDamn,Ó Misato sighed. She looked at Motoko thoughtfully, ÒI assume you want us to deal with this?Ó
ÒMy employer does, yes,Ó Motoko agreed, Òwhomever is operating that thing is destabilizing our regional interests.Ó
ÒIn other words, the government is worried about our oil supply,Ó Misato guessed, rolling her eyes.
Motoko hid a smile, ÒSomething like that.Ó
Somewhat more seriously Misato continued, ÒWeÕve been preparing to investigate rumors of a rogue unit, but I never expected to get confirmation this soon. WeÕre not ready.Ó
Motoko nodded as she said, ÒI wonÕt pressure you to move now, IÕm well aware of how badly a operation can go wrong if itÕs rushed.Ó
ÒThank you,Ó Misato nodded.
ÒBut,Ó Motoko added a warning, ÒI canÕt promise the government or other agencies wonÕt act if you donÕt.Ó
ÒUnderstood,Ó Misato said as the woman left several photos and a data disk on the desk.
ÒI thought you would,Ó Motoko agreed as she closed her briefcase and excused herself.
Within a few minutes Misato had called Ritsuko and Maya up to her office, then after a momentÕs thought added a call to Yui Ikari too. Ritsuko has a faint blush on her cheeks, as did Maya, and Misato wondered what she might have interrupted.
ÔSorry,Õ Misato thought as she passed the photos over, ÒTake a look at these.Ó
ÒDamn...Ó Ritsuko muttered.
Maya peered over her loverÕs shoulder, her own eyes widening as she said, ÒThatÕs the rogue Evangelion?!Ó
ÒIt appears so,Ó Misato agreed as she added, Òwe just received this data from certain intelligence agencies.Ó
Yui Ikari bustled in, her brown hair slightly messy as she smiled apologetically. ÒSorry,Ó she said, ÒI was working on a simulation with the magi.Ó
ÒThanks for coming,Ó Misato said respectfully.
ÒYui,Ó Ritsuko turned in her seat, Òwhat do you make of this?Ó
Yui Ikari blinked in surprise, ÒThatÕs the GHERIN design. Is that a archival photo?Ó
ÒWhat?Ó Misato, Ritsuko and Maya blurted out.
Yui looked at them with a certain amount of confusion as she explained. ÒItÕs a early design of Evangelion developed back when we were still called GHERIN. We used cybernetics for the arms and legs because we were still having difficulties growing EvangelionÕs body...Ó
ÒItÕs not a archival photo,Ó Misato managed to recover her wits enough to say, Òsomeone has deployed it in the Mideast.Ó
MayaÕs eyes shone with excitement, ÒWeÕll have Magi call up those files, see if we can find any weaknesses we can exploit.Ó She turned to Yui, ÒWeÕll be counting on you, too.Ó
ÒAnything I can do,Ó Yui agreed.
ÒWould you excuse us?Ó Ritsuko said to Misato as she looked with some amusement at her two eager co-workers.
ÒGo to it,Ó Misato agreed as they hurried out.
To be continued...