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Where Darkness Falls	By : JME Category: +M to R > Neon Genesis Evangelion > Crossovers Views: 9106 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own this anime/manga, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 6
- 7
- 8
Where Darkness Falls

Chapter 6 � True Colours

Misato�s knelt, very carefully, and placed the shotgun on
the floor, swallowing hard as Gendou stepped into view on her left side and
slid his hand into her jacket, his lips compressed into a thin line as he pulled
her service pistol and dropped it on the floor. Ohhh, not good, Misato
thought, taking stock of her options as the cool, smooth barrel of an assault
rifle pressed tighter against the nape of her neck.

�Now turn around,� Fletcher�s voice ordered, the barrel
pulling away from her skin.

With her hands up, Misato turned and found both Ikari and
Fletcher standing in front of her, their weapons aimed at her forehead
(Fletcher) and her stomach (Ikari).

�So you were the ono opo opened the locker before us,�
Gendou said, regarding Misato with a coldly appraising glance. �What are you doing here, Major? I would think that you would have the sense
to know when your presence is neither required nor needed.�

Misato drew a deep breath.
Well, she thought, when you got nothing to lose, sometimes you
just have to say fuck it.

�I was just curious about the properties of something called
�Sakura,�� she said boldly, �it seems like you and the chief here have gone to
a great deal of trouble to make sure no one finds out that you�ve been testing
it� feel like letting me in on the secret?�

Fletcher looked edgy, glancing around the room and
tightening his hold on the assault rifle in his hands, but Gendou�s features
bent into an indulgent smile � as if he was talking to a rather dim-witted
child. �I don�t suppose telling you
will affect much,� he said smoothly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a
small, opaque vial, �after all� after seeing all that you have seen, you will
not be leaving this basement.�

Misato fought the urge to shiver, meeting her Commander�s
gaze head on and waiting silently for him to continue. We�ll
just see who walks out of here and who doesn�t.

�Project Sakura is an experiment in methods of making an EVA
pilot more�co-operative,� Gendou said, clearly pleased to be explaining his
program to someone with the capacity to fully appreciate it. �This current incarnation utilizes a drug
extracted from a flower unique to this region called �White Claudia,� a mild
narcotic at its weakest� but a powerful personality suppressor when compounded
with a few other key elements.�

�You were planning to control the Children with DRUGS!?�
Misato snapped, unable to contain her anger.

Kaji is one thing,
she thought, her fingers itching to close around the man�s neck, he knew what he was getting into when he
started poking around � but Shinji, Asuka, and Rei? They�re just KIDS!

�When broken down to its most basic, yes,� Gendou said
mildly, slipping the vial back into his pocket. �White Claudia�s potential applications in �brainwashing,� if you
will, were quite enormous and I was often frustrated that I had no method to
use to ensure that the Children were obedient to my instruction without
undermining their piloting ability until I discovered its properties. The disappearance of the Second Branch was a
minor inconvenience, as one of their facilities was testing the limitations of
the compound, thus I was forced to have Chief Fletcher here arrange some
facilities for us and provide us with more of the base ingredient.�

Misato glared at Fletcher, who simply shrugged and added,
�Well actually, I was more of a middle man � can�t be actually involved in things like that you know, I
do have a reputation to uphold.�

Gendou frowned at the interruption, continuing, �The
directors of both Ridgeview and Brookhaven were quite co-operative, and-�

�Yeah, when you blackmailed them,� Misato muttered
disgustedly.

�The director of Ridgeview has an addiction to White
Claudia,� Fletcher clarified, grinning as he added, �and Carter�well he fucks
around with some of the nurses and kind of has an��unhealthy� attitude towards
sex � which includes a rather nasty penchant for sadomasochistic
practices. Some of his �employees� were
hurt� he had the poor judgement to tape it.�

Misato straightened her back. �Where does Kaji fit into of all this?�

Gendou took a discrete, cautionary step back. �Ahh Agent Kaji,� he said slowly, �I thought
he would be a worthwhile test subject� and seeing as how he had decided to
pursue his own agenda rather than my own, I ordered Section Two to have him
brought in alive and transferred to Ridgeview where our temporary facilities
were set up. Within a month they had made excellent progress,� he shot Fletcher
a disdainful glance, �until he escaped, that is��

�What really happened?� Misato looked pointedly at the
police chief, who shrugged indifferently.

�Well after he escaped I found him near the Lonsdale
apartments,� Fletcher said coolly, �I hadn�t been able to find him for nearly
24 hours, so I was sure he�d skipped town, then I spotted him down an alley �
and hey, you Japs aren�t all that common around here, right? So even thought it
was dark, I knew it was him.� Spotting
Gendou�s narrowed eyes, the man hurried on.
�Anyway, I tried to bring him in quiet � you know, tell him I�m here to
help him, all that crap, but he must have recognized me. Fucker waited until I got close, holding his
stomach and pretending to be in pain, and then made a move for my gun.� He shrugged. �The rest is in the report.�

No mention of Shinji, the thought popped into Misato�s mind like a bullet hitting her in the
forehead, maybe they don�t know he�s here? Hell, it sounded like they didn�t
know Ritsuko was here until they saw her�but who in the hell is this �alternate
subject�? Maybe a native? Damn it, I hate being in the dark!

Misato braced herself as the Commander brought his gun up
and thumbed the hammer back.

�Someone else will find out,� she said levelly, refusing to
close her eyes as Fletcher readied the assault rifle, mirroring Gendou�s
pose. �Something this big will be
uncovered by someone, and-�

�Unlikely,� Gendou cut in coolly. �Goodbye, Major.�

Misato kept her silence, waiting for the inevitable. I
never thought he would stoop to this, she thought grimly, her eyes meeting
Gendou�s as her lips compressed to a thin line, controlling people with drugs, taking away even the most basic freedom�
it�s sick! God, I don�t suppose you
could do me a favour and hit him with lightening do you? Maybe it�s a selfish last request, but
someone needs to take this fucker out!

In spite of her best efforts, the sound of gunfire made
Misato cry out, her eyes clenching instinctively closed. When she was still standing a moment later,
she risked a peek out of her right eye, finding the two men staring at the only
door from the room.

�I�ll check it out,� Fletcher mumbled, hefting his assault
rifle and starting for the door, �might be your doctor friend.�

Gendou nodded. �I�ll
finish up here,� he said calmly, levelling his pistol at Misato as the
policeman made his exit. �You really
should have stayed out of this Major;� he said quietly, �what we�re doing here
is for the sake of all humanit-�

He was cut off by Misato�s laughter. It was not a humorous laugh but a cold,
bitter sound that dripped with contempt. �That�s what you keep saying,� she
said, shaking her head ruefully, �but the fact is you�re only in for yourself �
you don�t give a shit about defending humanity! All you care about is yourself�
good god; you don�t even give a fuck about your own wife and son! Their just
more means to your ends!�

Gendou�s normally blank expression contorted to rage. �What
would you know about it?� he snapped.
�I-�

�Have no room for trivialities like a wife who died so you
could have your precious �scenario� � you never really gave a fuck about
her! Did you wait until after the
funeral before abandoning your son, or did you kick him out before the LCL was
cold?!�

�I didn�t-�

�You found time to raise Rei, though,� Misato whispered,
taking great pleasure in seeing the Commander at a loss for words, �how
convenient��

Their exchange was cut off by the sound of the door banging
open. As Gendou turned to make sure it
was Fletcher coming in, Misato made her move; grabbing the man�s gun hand and
whipping him back around, making sure to keep the barrel of his pistol faced
away from her as she brought her knee up into his stomach, driving the air from
his lungs. As he stumbled, gasping for
breath, Misato drove her right fist into his jaw, sending him to the floor in
an undignified heap.

Keep ng!

�Damn,� the woman in the doorway muttered, lowering her
shotgun, �you work quick.� Ritsuko
shook her head as Misato opened her mouth, forestalling any questions. �No time � let�s go!�

�Wait,� Misato called, scooping up her shotgun and hurrying
to the door, �in the first office on this floor, there�s a girl, I-�

�There�s no one here but us!� Ritsuko cut in quickly, �I was
just in that office � now come on!!�

Reluctantly, Misato let herself be led away, praying once
more that the teen was ok as they rushed out of Brookhaven as fast as they
could.

**

The run from the hospital was so fast and adrenaline driven
that Misato barely even knew where she was.
�In here!� Ritsuko gasped, yanking the other woman into a nearby house
whose door was slightly ajar.

�Thanks� Ritsu�� Misato panted, resting her hands on her
knees and leaning forward to catch her breath, �didn�t� think I�d� make it that
time��

�No� problem�� Ritsuko panted back, drawing in a few deep
breaths to calm down, �I was just walking down the hall, looking for you, when I
heard Gen- Commander Ikari�s voice� I heard the whole thing.� She leaned against the house�s front door,
wiping sweat from her brow. �I ducked
back into one of the offices and fired a shot, knowing they couldn�t just
ignore it, and prayed they would come check it out BEFORE finishing you
off.� She shrugged uncomfortably,
averting her eyes. �Sorry,� she
mumbled, �I just didn�t think I could take them both head on��

Misato nodded. �I
understand,� she said soothingly, �believe me, I�m not complaining � but what
happened to Fletcher?�

Ritsuko grinned.
�Oh, he�s in a closet with a golf club through the handles,� she said
airily, �I imagine he�s broken it down by now, though.�

Misato did not doubt it.
Fletcher was a powerfully built man and it would not be impossible for
him to break through solid oak, in her opinion.

�So,� Ritsuko said slowly, �What happened? I� I heard them
coming into the gym, but I couldn�t get back downstairs to warn you.� She smiled weakly. �Looks like I�m not much of a partner."

Misato shrugged the apology off, quickly telling Ritsuko
about all that had happened since their separation, including the Sakura
project and everything she understood of it. Ritsuko�s face fell as Misato told
her what happened to Kaji and she showed genuine horror that their old college
friend would be strapped to a bed like an animal and treated with drugs that
made him �obedient.�

�I thought that program was shut down long ago�� Ritsuko
muttered, looking visibly shocked that anyone could try to control another
person for the sake of �humanity.� �It was from my mother�s time but��

Misonlyonly nodded.
This time she could believe Ritsuko � because while they had their
differences in the past, there were some things you just KNEW about a person,
and Misato knew that Ritsuko was as disgusted by this as she was.

�Wonder who that alternate subject could be�� Ritsuko mused.

Both shuddered at the thought of someone else being
subjected to these barbaric mind control experiments.

�Do you think it could be Shinji?� Misato asked softly, not
truly wanting to hear the answer.

Ritsuko thought about it for a moment, then shook her head.
�I don�t think so�� she said finally, �I doubt Gendou even knew Shinji or I
were here. It�s likely he�s having the subject transported in, or he might have
been bringing their here personally�I hope its not��

Misato caught �Maya� on Ritsuko�s lips as the woman cut
herself off, and she paled just imagining what would happen to the na�ve tech
if Gendou found out that she helped Ritsuko escape.

�Huh? What this?� Ritsuko said suddenly, pointing to a photo
hanging on the wall with a look of recognition.

Misato turned around, reading the plaque underneath a small
frown. United States Marine Corps huh? Hey! She gasped as she recognized
the blonde hair and younger, but still recognizable features of one of the
soldiers in the photo.

�Holy shit we�re at Fletcher�s place!� she sputtered.

�Looks like it.� Ritsuko mumbled, nodding to the living
room, �seems like your average clean-cut people, don�t they?� she said
thoughtfully, pointing to a row of pictures showing Fletcher with his wife and
son. �All-American, hotdogs and apple
pie kind of family� if you ignore the psychoses.�

Misato nodded, wandering through the house until she found
herself in a much-used, neatly kept study on the second floor. Uniform,
she thought, opening a small wardrobe in one corner, made sergeant, it looks like� and service ribbons too. You must have been a good man at some point,
Fletcher� what happened? Shened ned
to her left, finding a small, glass-front cabinet filled with a variety of
photos and medals, further reinforcing the idea that the man who lived her was
once more than he was now.

On a computer desk she saw a younger Fletcher standing arm
in arm with a woman almost unrecognizable from the one in the photos
downstairs. Happier times I guess� she thought with a trace of sadness, taking
in the woman�s bright smile and laughing eyes.

Misato nearly screamed as she whirled around, levelling her
shotgun at the small white device that had beeped so loudly.

�Hello Aaron,� a tired sounding voice issued from the
small box, �this is Dorothy. I just
wanted to call to say I�m sorry�I�ve been trying to help Edith but all she does
is scream at me and Charlie. No matter what I do she gets worse and worse. I
think I�m beginning to understand what you meant, and I� I have to admit that
you�re right�she does need professional help. Please try and call me back and
I�ll� I�ll sign her commitment papers, okay?
G-goodbye.�

The answering machine fell silent again. leaving the room
deathly quiet. What the hell? Misato thought, tapping the Play button over and
over with no result.

�What was that?� Ritsuko asked, making her way into the
study. She frowned as Misato recited as
much as she could of the message, crouching down to check the plugs before
muttering, �Nothing electrical has worked since this whole nightmare began� why
now?�

�Don�t know,� Misato admitted nervously, �I really, really
don�t know� but I don�t like it.�

�Amen to that,� Ritsuko whispered, �let�s get out of here �
we still have to find Shinji.�

�And Amber,� Misato added quickly.

Ritsuko sighed.
�Fine,� she conceded, �and Amber� see if you can find anything useful,
I�ll check the bedroom.�

Misato quickly rummaged through Fletcher�s desk, finding
only a small black journal and another framed picture of his wife� but on
closer inspection, she found the corner of the picture folded down, as if it
had been hastily shoved back into the frame.
�What�s this�?�

Her eyes widened as she removed the back of the frame,
finding another picture hidden behind the first. In it, she could see Fletcher smiling broadly, his right hand
tucked easily around the waist of a blushing, grinning, dreamy-eyed, Amber??

There was no mistaking the teen�s open, innocent features�
or the possessive way Fletcher�s hand was pulling the girl closer to his
side. �What the hell is going on?�
Misato whispered, examining the picture closely before sliding it slowly into
her pocket and opening the journal.
�Maybe this will shed some light on things��

6^th
August 2015

Edith keeps faking
those symptoms and screaming at me for no fucking reason. This is really getting old! She even screamed at Charlie for being lazy,
just because he didn�t pick up the potato chips on his dinner plate! She said
he had to be a good little boy or he was going to hell. I told her to shut the fuck up! God, I�m sick of this shit! Charlie keeps
asking me what�s wrong with her� what am I supposed to say? Sorry son, your mom�s off her fucking
rocker??

13^th
August 2015

Finally got the
bitch to see the doctor. Man, those
psych drugs are fucking expensive! I�m
seriously hurting here� but I know a few ways to make it up.

Misato leafed through several more pages of mundane entries
and complaining about �the bitch.�
Nothing else was truly noteworthy until�

5^th
November 2015

I went to the
doctor to discuss our �options.� Know
what that fucker told me? �Edith�s making no progress.� Can you believe
it? Just like that! All that fucking money down the toilet! We both agreed she should be committed
(guess the fucker got all he could out of me so he wants to cut his losses),
but fucking Dorothy used some power of attorney and got the bitch to live with
her � Charlie too!! I told her to do
whatever the hell she wants but Edith needs to be committed�

7^th
November 2015

Went out with A
again. God, if Edith was like her, I�d
never complain again! Little thing sure
knows how to treat a man, that�s for sure � or at least, she did once I taught-

�Misato!� Ritsuko cry drew Misato�s attention from the
journal. �I think you better come see
this!�

Misato set the journal down, a disturbing thought
half-forming in her mind as she headed down the stairs to the living room. A�

�What is-� she cut herself off as she found Ritsuko at the
bottom of the stairs, holding a small red envelope with the initials, K. M. and
A.R. across the front. �Another one??�

�So it seems,� Ritsuko said softly, �here� I already read
it.�

Misato took the note and unfolded it, her lips moving
unconsciously as she scanned the short page.

Miss Katsuragi, Miss Akagi

Not bad, but I do not think you will find anything
significant at Mister Fletcher�s home.
I strongly recommend continuing on your way to the lighthouse.

-A

�Who is this from?� asked Ritsuko, turning the envelope over
and over in her hands.

�Alicia�� replied Misato, wishing she had something else to
say, but not really knowing just how to feel about this turn of events.

Who is she? she
thought suspiciously, How is it that
she�s always one step ahead of us?

With a deep sigh, she pocketed the enveloped, nodding
towards the door. Worry about it later�
just keep moving � that�s the most important thing, just never stop moving.

**

Misato and Ritsuko walked along Sandford Street wrapped in
thoughtful quiet, each woman pondering her own part in this unfolding
drama. Misato was just opening her
mouth to comment that the lighthouse should not be much farther when she
spotted a small, dark-haired figure ducking through the front door of the Lake
View Hotel.

as]>

�Did you just se-�

�Yes!� Ritsuko cut in, grabbing the other woman by the upper
arm. �Go � GO!!�

They both entered an empty lobby, seeing no immediate sign
of other life.

�I�ll check this floor,� Ritsuko said quickly, fighting down
a giddy smile, �I think it was him, Miso��

�I�ll search the second,� replied Misato, �just� let�s not
get our hopes up, k?�

�You do it your way,� Ritsuko grinned, �I�ll do it
mine. Meet back her in twenty.�

Misato sighed as the woman headed off down the hallway,
finding it hard not to be infected with her enthusiasm. It
really looklook like him, she thought, walking towards the stairs and
starting up, I guess a LITTLE hope is ok,
right?

As she searched the second floor, Misato�s mind wandered
back to the picture in Fletcher�s desk� and the journal. �Just what is going on with those two?� she
mused, closing an empty broom closet; �She couldn�t be the A from his journal,
could she? I mean, she�s half his age!�

Shinji�s half your
age�

This thought brought Misato up short. �Maybe,� she whispered to herself, feeling
suddenly very uncomfortable. �But I�m
not fucking him!�

...don�t you want to?

�No!� she hissed sharply.
�I�m� Shinji�s� we�re not like that!�

...don�t you want to
be?

�Shut up.�

Ok, Misato
thought, glancing into another empty room before continuing her search, so I�ve CONSIDERED it. Big deal. He�s a guy, I�m a girl, he�s cute, I�m
single � I LIVE with him � it�s natural that I would think about it at least
once. She gritted her teeth as she
thought, yeah, but was it just once�?

�Shut� UP! I�m not a
ped-� her sentence was cut short as she tripped over a bundle of cleaning
cloths, sprawling painfully in the middle of the hallway. �Damn it��
She started to her feet, feeling completely embarrassed as a pair of
hands came up under her arms, helping her to her feet. �Thanks� but weren�t you supposed to search
the �wuff!�

The air left Misato�s lungs in a rush as she was propelled
face first into the wall, a thick forearm slipping easily around her throat as
a large body pressed into her back, pinning her with ease.

�Nothing personal,� Fletcher�s voice grunted in her ear, his
superior weight preventing her from so much as twitching, �should have stayed
out of it � like your boss said.� His
hot breath blew against her neck as he chuckled. �Your little doctor friend is next,� he said cruelly, �think I�ll
just snap her neck, you know? Always
hated blondes with big tits � think they�re so much better than you� they
remind me of my wife.�

Misato struggled fiercely, but it was no use. Fletcher outweighed her by at least a
hundred pounds, and his forearm was thick and corded with muscle, ensuring that
she was not going anywhere. Not fair� she thought almost petulantly,
knowing with an abstract sense of horror that the wretched gagging sound
echoing in her ears was coming from her own mouth, I just� wanted to� see him� one� more� time� God, for� give� me�

As the world started fading away, a terrific crashing sound
filled her muzzy hearing, followed by a roar of enraged pain.

And suddenly, she could breathe again.

�Misato!!�

Misato staggered a few steps as Fletcher released her, and
for the life of her she could not grasp why her feet were surrounded by
fragments of wood.

�Misato, God da- ahhh!�

A pair of meaty �thumps� drew Misato�s head around. �R-ritsuko?� she rasped, still fighting to
regain her senses as her lungs automatically drew deep, ragged gusts of air.

The blonde was doing her best to regain her footing, the
shattered remains of a chair clutched desperately in one hand as she held her
stomach with the other, the light from the second story window threw her face
into stark relief, clearly outlining the pain and fear in her eyes.

Fletcher was towering over her, all traces of amusement now
gone as blood streamed down his face.
�Bitch,� he hissed, sounding dazed, �fucking women � you�re all the
same! I give and give and give, but it�s never enough! Even that stupid little girl! I give her one thing � ONE THING � to take
care of and she fucks it u-�

�Hey� dickhead.�

Fletcher whirled around, his eyes widening as he found
Misato bracing the shotgun against her shoulder.

�Tell my boyfriend I said hi, motherfucker.�

Misato nearly passed out as the shotgun kicked in her hands,
driving her weakened body back into the wall, but the results were most
satisfying. The blastght ght Fletcher
full in the chest, knocking him through the window in a hail of glass and wood.

�He� dead�?� Ritsuko managed, dropping the fragment of chair
with a pained groan and doubling over to cough out a mouthful of blood and what
looked suspiciously like a tooth.

�Has� to be�� Misato replied, using the shotgun as a crutch
to force herself to her feet, �God� he really did a number on you��

�He only hit me � ow! Twice�� Ritsuko grimaced in pain, a
large bruise already showing on the side of her face. �It�s� lucky for you I saw him head up the stairs��

Misato took in the woman�s swollen face, bleeding nose, and
hunched posture, and knew that she was not going anywhere anytime soon. �Come here,� she rasped, rubbing at her sore
throat as she staggered over to room 204 and pushed it open, �stay here, lock
the door, don�t open it for anyone but me, got it?�

�Got it,� Ritsuko groaned, in too much pain to offer any
argument as she was lead inside and laid down on the bed. �Got any� aspirin on you�?�

Misato managed a rough chuckle, pulling the small first aid
kit from her jacket pocket. �See what
you can find there,� she whispered hoarsely, �I�ll be back with Shinji.�

Ritsuko grabbed her arm as she stood to leave. �Hey,� she whispered, �if he�s not here�
we�ll keep looking.�

�Damn right we will.�

On her way out, Misato spied a glint of silver. Slowly, still feeling as if she could not
quite get enough air, she crouched down, reaching out and picking up the small
sheriff�s star from the floor. Charlie, huh? she thought grimly,
clutching the star tightly in her hand, did
you ever think your father was a bad man?

�Of course you didn�t,� she whispered, hesitating, then
pinning the star to her flight jacket, �I�m sorry��

Silently, she turned from the wreckage of the window and
continued her search.

**

The second and third floors proved to be devoid of life, reducing
Misato�s hopes with each empty room she passed. Found another first aid kit
though, she thought, trying to stay optimistic as she headed towards the
stairs back down, reasoning that Ritsuko probably did not have enough time to
properly explore the first floor. And one of the guests must have been on a
hunting trip, because that was a lot of gear. She grinned, patting her newly acquired leg pouch.

�They won�t mind,� she thought, pushing the door marked 3 n win with one hand, �I�ll bring it back later � and Hell, I�ll even pay them
back for the rifle shells! Sure I don�t
need them now, but you can�t be too caref-�

She was cut off as another scream ripped through her mind,
leaving her breathless. Crap!!

Carpet and quaint paintings were replaced by rusted grates
and grotesque murals, the stench of rot and decay nearly overpowering her as
she quickly swept the hallway for anything walking, staggering, slouching, or
slithering her way.

�Oh that�s just perfect,� she growled, turning to find that
a large iron grate now covered the stairs down. �I�d take the elevator, but I don�t-�

Stop TALKING TO
YOURSELF!!!

�Guess we go up,� Misato muttered, ignoring the mental
command and starting up the stairs to the roof. The door to the roof opened with a rusty creak, sending shivers
up and down Misato�s spine� but as she stepped out onto the roof, she found her
breath stolen by the view offered her.

For miles and miles, in every direction she looked, rusted
metal and decaying towers dominated the scen It was as if she had been plucked from the world she knew and
dropped onto some bizarre, alien landscape � a place so used up and tired that
it could no longer support life. This
idea was reinforced as she gazed out into the dark, seeing points of light from
huge, unseen spotlights casting beams of useless illumination up into the
night.

Useless because
there�s no one here to see it, Misato thought, fighting a wave of
melancholy so powerful it nearly drove her to her knees, this place � this VERSION of Silent Hill� is dead, and has been
forever, and ever, and ever, and ever� God,
what�s HAPPENING here?!?

A low droning sound made her look to her right, and on
instinct alone, she stepped back, just escaping a spray of some acidic
substance issued from the open maw of the gigantic, fly-like creature whirring
towards her face.

A housefly�s vomit can
dissolve almost anything organic, she thought distantly, bringing her
shotgun up and neatly sidestepping the thing�s charge, was it Kaji who taught me that� or mama�?

It all seemed so pointless all of the sudden. If this place, this world she was in, could
just sputter out and die� what hope could the �real� world have for the future?

Maybe this IS the
future, Misato thought, walking sideways and firing a burst as the
fly-thing made another pass, the
Commander�s always going on about how Humanity is a society of worthlessness �
maybe this is how it all ends� with rot and darkness and emptiness�

A cold wave washed over her at the feeling of HONESTY this
thought held, and Misato slowly fell to her knees, closing her eyes as the
fly-thing buzzed off into the darkness, presumably to make a faster run from an
unseen tangent.

�I have seen the future,� she whispered, keeping her eyes
tightly closed as tears began slowly streaming down her face, �and there is
only darkness��

From somewhere to her right, the buzzing sound reappeared,
sounding louder and somehow angrier as it sped towards her.

�But you know something�?� Misato asked the empty town
before her, ignoring the buzzing as it grew closer and closer.

�I�m not ready to die yet.�

Trusting her hearing alone, Misato whipped the shotgun up
and fired one-handed, letting her body move with the recoil and falling
sideways onto the rusted rooftop.

No, she thought
tiredly, ignoring the screaming in her mind and the white light all around as
her weapon�s buckshot vaporized the fly-thing�s head and sent her back to the
�real� world, not just yet�

**

�Good afternoon, Miss Katsuragi��

Misato showed no real surprise as she pushed open the door
to room 204 and found Alicia sitting comfortably in a chair next to Ritsuko�s
bed. �Thought I told you not to unlock
the door�?� she whispered.

Ritsuko shook her head, looking nervously at the woman in
the blue dress. �I didn�t��

�Ahh.�

Alicia smiled indulgently.
�You are wondering, I�m sure, what is going on.�

�You could say that,� Misato muttered tiredly, �I had a look
into the abyss� and I don�t like what I saw.�

�Well, you know the old saying,� Alicia said lightly,
��Those who stare into the abyss beware � for as you stare into the abyss, the
abyss stares into you.��

�Tell me what�s happening here,� Misato said flatly,
ignoring Ritsuko entirely, �what I�m� seeing, is that-�

�This is the work of a far greater power,� Alicia cut in
gently, �a power that knows and senses.�

�What are you talking about?� Misato demanded. �Damn it, be clear!!�

�That power wouldn�t happen to be worshipped here? Would
it?� asked Ritsuko, giving her friend a worried glance.

Alicia smiled but did not answer, rising to her feet and
arranging her dress serenely as she started towards the door.

�Hey! Wait a minute!� yelled Misato, the lethargy of the
roof melting before the rage welling up within her. �Answer me, goddamn it!!�

Alicia raised a hand for quiet, opening the door and taking
a deep, even breath.

�Go to the lighthouse� you will find answers there.�

She stepped out without another word, closing the door
behind her. Misato immediately tore it
back open, her mouth open to call the woman back� but the hallway was empty.

�Damn! That is so annoying��

�Guess we know there�s nothing here, huh?� Ritsuko said,
trying to make her voice light in spite of her shared annoyance of the woman�s
behaviour. �Let�s go� I�m ok now.�

Misato could only nod in agreement as they made their way
out of the hotel and started off towards the lighthouse.

TBC

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Where Darkness Falls

Miss Katsuragi, Miss Akagi