She
stares at the phone, hands folded in front of her, not oblivious to
the world around her but hyperfocused on the electronic instrument.
It dares her. It mocks her, her indecision on the matter, on her
past and how it has lead to the moment.
"Kyoko,"
Pieter says, leaning down, hands on her desk despite his own sense of
self preservation, "Either you call her, or I do."
Kyoko
scowls at him, before almost emboldened by his ultimatum, she grabs
the phone, swatting his hands away from her desk as she turns to the
screen and the internet search emblazoned on it. Tapping in the
country code, area code, and number, she brings up the receiver to
her ear and lets out a long, steady sigh...which ends when the line
picks up and she hears a particular, albeit older, voice answer.
"Yes,"
she says, "I'm looking for a Miss Elisa Randell?"
A
reply. Checking her world clock, it's still a reasonable hour in
Germany.
"Yes,
this is she?" Kyoko asks, "Ah, yes...um...this is Kyoko Sohryu.
You worked for my mother and-...oh, yes. So you do remember me.
Well...um..."
She
pulls at the collar of her sweater, as Pieter smirks, arms folded.
"Yes,
I know, I...well, I didn't talk with you much after my mother died.
But...well, I'm getting married, soon. And I wanted to invite you to
the wedding, and-"
Her
eyes snap open.
"You'll
come? Okay...well, I'll arrange for a flight, my company pay for
it...and you have...you have grandchildren. Excellent, I would love
to introduce them to my son and daughter and...oh, thank you. Yes.
Yes. It's good to hear from you, too."
The
phone clicks, the other person, her caretaker in those dark,
formative years, hanging up. And Kyoko slams the receiver down,
retracting her hand like it was burning.
"Was
that so hard?" Pieter asks.
"Harder,"
Kyoko says, "Other than you and me, she was the only person at my
mother's funeral. Even her coworkers couldn't bother to show up.
But, considering the rancid evil bitch my mother was..."
She
sighs, letting loose the long breath, the tension draining out of
her.
"Well,
there's the difference," he says, and leans in, "She drove people
away. And you are a better
person than she is."
He
leans in, kissing her on the forehead, and she smiles, an unsteady
and nervous thing on her lips, before she leans back. He is right.
She was in danger of falling into the same trap her mother lived her
life in. Her eyes wander to her desk, transformed over the past few
months since the angel Leliel, now with pictures of her and Asuka and
her and Uri and her and Pieter, pictures where her smiles become less
forced and more genuine.
"Damned
straight I am," she says, "Now, just to reassure you, Pieter. If
you screw up the marriage this time, I will cut
you."
He
smirks, and salutes.
"Yes,
ma'am."
-
-
Chapter
98: The Calm Before
-
-
"Thank
you again for taking the time for this interview, Commander. My
viewers have shown interest in the inner workings of NERV, and
hearing some explanations from the Supreme Commander would go a long
way to easing some doubts the viewership has towards the war NERV is
fighting on humanity's behalf."
The
woman, middle eastern descend evident from her darkened skin and
black hair, dressed in a two piece business suit and holding a tablet
computer, the mounted video camera behind her flashing to life as the
light shines on Gendo. He blinks, and pushes his glasses up his
nose.
"Shall
we begin, Miss Al-Jilani?" Gendo asks, leaning back in his chair,
the vastness of his office doing little to dissuade the reporter that
somehow got on his schedule. Times like this he wished he actually
told his secretary anything. Yui would do this, usually. But, she
is busy babying the girls.
"Yes,
Commander," the reporter responds, "Recently, some scrutiny has
emerged from budget talks at the UN over NERV's rather large
'Evangelion Pacification' budget. Why do the Evangelions need this
much pacification?"
"A
happy Evangelion is an Evangelion that needs little other incentive.
Next question."
"Is
it true that NERV employs child soldiers?"
"NERV
employs pilots who can operate an Evangelion."
"But
are they minors?"
"NERV
is given special dispensation by the UN, and identity of the
Evangelions is public knowledge."
He
resists the urge to steeple his fingers.
"Yes..."
she says, and clears her throat, "Well, there is the question of
who exactly NERV works for. Several conspiracy theories have cropped
up. Especially one involving what appears to be a German cult. Do
you have any comments?"
He
suppresses the grin. He did publish that knowledge anonymously,
using old screen names from his younger days. Mainly to highlight to
the Old Men how ridiculous their entire plan was, from the outsider's
perspective.
"Ah,
yes," he says, and brings up his gloved hands for air quotes,
"'SEELE'. The supposed collective of old men who somehow manage to
wield enough influence to manipulate the UN."
He
folds his hands again, leaning back.
"We
have dismissed that claim."
stares at the phone, hands folded in front of her, not oblivious to
the world around her but hyperfocused on the electronic instrument.
It dares her. It mocks her, her indecision on the matter, on her
past and how it has lead to the moment.
"Kyoko,"
Pieter says, leaning down, hands on her desk despite his own sense of
self preservation, "Either you call her, or I do."
Kyoko
scowls at him, before almost emboldened by his ultimatum, she grabs
the phone, swatting his hands away from her desk as she turns to the
screen and the internet search emblazoned on it. Tapping in the
country code, area code, and number, she brings up the receiver to
her ear and lets out a long, steady sigh...which ends when the line
picks up and she hears a particular, albeit older, voice answer.
"Yes,"
she says, "I'm looking for a Miss Elisa Randell?"
A
reply. Checking her world clock, it's still a reasonable hour in
Germany.
"Yes,
this is she?" Kyoko asks, "Ah, yes...um...this is Kyoko Sohryu.
You worked for my mother and-...oh, yes. So you do remember me.
Well...um..."
She
pulls at the collar of her sweater, as Pieter smirks, arms folded.
"Yes,
I know, I...well, I didn't talk with you much after my mother died.
But...well, I'm getting married, soon. And I wanted to invite you to
the wedding, and-"
Her
eyes snap open.
"You'll
come? Okay...well, I'll arrange for a flight, my company pay for
it...and you have...you have grandchildren. Excellent, I would love
to introduce them to my son and daughter and...oh, thank you. Yes.
Yes. It's good to hear from you, too."
The
phone clicks, the other person, her caretaker in those dark,
formative years, hanging up. And Kyoko slams the receiver down,
retracting her hand like it was burning.
"Was
that so hard?" Pieter asks.
"Harder,"
Kyoko says, "Other than you and me, she was the only person at my
mother's funeral. Even her coworkers couldn't bother to show up.
But, considering the rancid evil bitch my mother was..."
She
sighs, letting loose the long breath, the tension draining out of
her.
"Well,
there's the difference," he says, and leans in, "She drove people
away. And you are a better
person than she is."
He
leans in, kissing her on the forehead, and she smiles, an unsteady
and nervous thing on her lips, before she leans back. He is right.
She was in danger of falling into the same trap her mother lived her
life in. Her eyes wander to her desk, transformed over the past few
months since the angel Leliel, now with pictures of her and Asuka and
her and Uri and her and Pieter, pictures where her smiles become less
forced and more genuine.
"Damned
straight I am," she says, "Now, just to reassure you, Pieter. If
you screw up the marriage this time, I will cut
you."
He
smirks, and salutes.
"Yes,
ma'am."
-
-
Chapter
98: The Calm Before
-
-
"Thank
you again for taking the time for this interview, Commander. My
viewers have shown interest in the inner workings of NERV, and
hearing some explanations from the Supreme Commander would go a long
way to easing some doubts the viewership has towards the war NERV is
fighting on humanity's behalf."
The
woman, middle eastern descend evident from her darkened skin and
black hair, dressed in a two piece business suit and holding a tablet
computer, the mounted video camera behind her flashing to life as the
light shines on Gendo. He blinks, and pushes his glasses up his
nose.
"Shall
we begin, Miss Al-Jilani?" Gendo asks, leaning back in his chair,
the vastness of his office doing little to dissuade the reporter that
somehow got on his schedule. Times like this he wished he actually
told his secretary anything. Yui would do this, usually. But, she
is busy babying the girls.
"Yes,
Commander," the reporter responds, "Recently, some scrutiny has
emerged from budget talks at the UN over NERV's rather large
'Evangelion Pacification' budget. Why do the Evangelions need this
much pacification?"
"A
happy Evangelion is an Evangelion that needs little other incentive.
Next question."
"Is
it true that NERV employs child soldiers?"
"NERV
employs pilots who can operate an Evangelion."
"But
are they minors?"
"NERV
is given special dispensation by the UN, and identity of the
Evangelions is public knowledge."
He
resists the urge to steeple his fingers.
"Yes..."
she says, and clears her throat, "Well, there is the question of
who exactly NERV works for. Several conspiracy theories have cropped
up. Especially one involving what appears to be a German cult. Do
you have any comments?"
He
suppresses the grin. He did publish that knowledge anonymously,
using old screen names from his younger days. Mainly to highlight to
the Old Men how ridiculous their entire plan was, from the outsider's
perspective.
"Ah,
yes," he says, and brings up his gloved hands for air quotes,
"'SEELE'. The supposed collective of old men who somehow manage to
wield enough influence to manipulate the UN."
He
folds his hands again, leaning back.
"We
have dismissed that claim."