* Anthony_Hartman stumbles his way out of the sim room. The lack of sleep and constant simulations finally taking it's toll.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "This was a bad idea..."
 =-= Elly_James is now known as James_Arroyo
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Shipping off in the morning, and I decide to wear myself out even further. I am an idiot aren't I?"
 =-= Firespitter is now known as Fires|Cortexcommand
 <Jane_Shepard> There is loud cursing and some crashing sounds coming from one of the simulators.
 * Ai_Yamashiro is leaning on the wall outside, and answers as soon as he walks out, she's already changed into her plug suit, God knows how long she's been like that "You don't look so good, you should try to get some rest before we move out."
 * Jane_Shepard is kicking the panels of the simulator in and screaming at the machine for crashing again.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Been trying. Can't sleep. At least more than a few hours."
 * Anthony_Hartman turns around and talks back into the room, "You know you're just gonna break it worse if you keep doing that."
 * Ai_Yamashiro acts like she isn't listening to Jane being, well, Jane. "I see, was it something from last time?" she is pretty sure he heard her going nuts over the comms back then.
 * James_Arroyo is sitting on the floor with his back against the wall, also plugsuit clad
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Nothing it did, no. Just stress I guess."
 * Jane_Shepard smashes the screen, cutting her hand. She fumes for a moment and storms out of the machine.
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "...okay, if you say so. Listen, Michael has... a plan, of sorts."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Lovely. The man's just crazy enough for it to work, I suppose."
 * Jane_Shepard slumps against the wall, panting from exertion.
 * Anthony_Hartman walks over to her smiling, "Good job. You killed it."
 * Ai_Yamashiro nods, she looks serious but doesn't seem too convinced "The Angel is suited to attacking us from a distance, and if we give it time it is likely going to end up in a scenario like that from the last battle." she sighs "Worse, the Angel has apparently fed on radiation the past week, it has grown stronger." she isn't really sure how to say the next part.
 * Anthony_Hartman looks back, "Then why'd we wait this long, instead of heading back the moment our EVAs were repaired?"
 * Jane_Shepard grunts, too out of breath to say anything.
 * Anthony_Hartman has to stop himself for making a comment about overexertion. That would be a tad hypocritical.
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 <Ai_Yamashiro> "About that, he was preparing a countermeasure against its ability to make the Evas go out of control... but anyway, our plan is to close the distance to it as quickly as possible. We will switch our armor from B-Type to the A-Type... it is lighter, but it has a... you could say it's a jetpack, it would enable us to catch up to it should it try to escape again."
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 =-= James_Arroyo_ is now known as James_Arroyo
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "We are being cast into the fire, essentially."
 * Jane_Shepard looks at the blood starting to drip from her hand, her expression blank.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Yeah, popcorn would be nice, wouldn't it?" Looks like the stress and lack of sleep is catching up to him.
 * Ai_Yamashiro frowns, this girl has issues. "It's the best Command could come up with."
 <James_Arroyo> "I think it's okay," James finally decides to speak up. "I mean, it's a straight foward. Hard to mess that up, right?"
 * Anthony_Hartman rubs his eyes for a bit, bringing them back into focus, and notices the blood, "Are you alright? How'd you do that in the simulator?"
 * Jane_Shepard just stares at the blood, rather than looking at Ai. "I will do whatever I am ordered to do."
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "Even if I were to order you to strip off your A.T. Field and pass it to me?"
 * Jane_Shepard shrugs.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Hey, she hurt herself. Someone go get a first aid kit."
 * James_Arroyo goes to retrieve one.
 * Jane_Shepard looks at Tony. "I'm fine. It's nothing."
 * Ai_Yamashiro looks at James, good, he does so without even requesting it.
 * Anthony_Hartman starts laughing, "She cuts her hand open, and thinks it's nothing."
 * James_Arroyo returns a moment later with the first aid kit and faces, Jane. "Let me see it," he says. He's trying to give Jane the distance she's asked for, even if he is physically attending to her.
 * Ai_Yamashiro keeps silent.
 * Jane_Shepard says "It's nothing. It's just a small cut."
 * James_Arroyo shakes his head. "Then let me get it out of the way," he offers his hand.
 * Ai_Yamashiro gives Anthony a 'what do you think' look.
 * Jane_Shepard pauses for a long moment, not sure what to do, then just lets James see her hand, not looking at him.
 * Anthony_Hartman slumps against the wall. Finally, some progress.
 * James_Arroyo takes her hand and examines the cut. "This... This could get infected," he says. At least its not so bad as to need stitches. He sits on the floor, holding on to Jane's hand, then lightly tugging, hoping she follows.
 * Jane_Shepard almost falls down, too tired to keep her balance.
 <Ai_Yamashiro> ...this isn't looking too god. "You should try to have a rest as well, Jane. You want to be well rested by the time the operation begins."
 * James_Arroyo moves quickly to a crouch to ease her down, and withdraws contact as soon as he's sur eshe's okay.
 * Anthony_Hartman looks like he's about to nod off, but manages to stay awake.
 * Jane_Shepard says "I'm fine. It won't affect my combat performance."
 * James_Arroyo then gets to work on the hand. He cleans off the blood with a wetnap from the kit.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "You've been in here more than I have. You should take the rest of the day off."
 * Ai_Yamashiro ponders silently.
 * James_Arroyo applies disinfectant to the cut.
 * Jane_Shepard says "I can rest when the Kachina is dead."
 <James_Arroyo> Finally, James applies a few bandaids to the cut, eschewing a larger one so Jane doesn't have to sacrifice flexibility or risk the bandaid coming off from forced movement.
 <Anthony_Hartman> You're gonna kill yourself through overexertion before we even head back out there.
 * James_Arroyo inspects his work, still holding her hand. He lingers a few seconds over long before releasing it to her. "...Done." he says.
 * Jane_Shepard takes her hand back and rubs at it for a moment.
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "You don't look too good yourself, the both of you, lie down for the next two hours. Do not sleep if you don't want to, just rest physically." she glances between the couple "...this is not an order, I don't like ordering you guys around."
 * James_Arroyo looks at Jane's face, searching for some sort of recognition, before quickly averting his gaze and gathering up the contents of the kit. Once done, he stands and leaves to return it.
 * Jane_Shepard just rubs at her hand, not even seeming to hear Ai.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Believe me, I'd like nothing more than to..."
 * Anthony_Hartman 's head drops and he starts breathing softly.
 * James_Arroyo returns in time to see Ant conk out.
 * Ai_Yamashiro gives James a nod, she would say something else but... really, to what effect? So she just stands there, relatively comfortable against the wall, not too bothered by the tension.
 * James_Arroyo sits on the ground and leans back, supporting himself with his arms. He's a little listless, with nothing to do but wait.
 continues to steal glances at all three of his fellow pilots. Not sure what to say.
 * Jane_Shepard sits back against the wall and closes her eyes. She says, quietly, "...thank you."
 * James_Arroyo doesn't dare smile. He just nods seriously, "You're welcome, ...Jane."
 * Ai_Yamashiro sighs, she's a bit more relieved now that they will sleep for a bit.
 * James_Arroyo sees that Jane has closed her eyes and then swings his view over to Ai. He pats the ground next to him, inviting her to sit.
 * Ai_Yamashiro glances one last time at the other two, she walks over to James' side and sits down crossing her legs. "A real case, aren't they." she sounds more like she pities rather than making fun of them.
 * James_Arroyo smiles. "Yeah. We all worry," he says, taking her hand.
 <Ai_Yamashiro> She grunts, but locks fingers with him anyways "You think we'll do fine?"
 * James_Arroyo squeezes. "We'll be okay," he says. "It'll be tough, but we'll make it."
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "...You have no logical basis to say that, you know we are setting up ourselves for a repeat of last time."
 <James_Arroyo> "No," James denies. "We have a plan," he says. "Also. I'm going to take care of you. And you're going to take care of me, remember?"
 * Ai_Yamashiro winces "Hnn." she looks away, but stays where she is "We will."
 <James_Arroyo> "...Is there something wrong?" he asks.
 * Ai_Yamashiro shakes her head "This is just... tiring." she gives James a weak smile "But we promised we'd look out for each other, and we can do that, no matter what..." eyes shift to the side for a moment "...Right?."
 * James_Arroyo answers her question with a gentle kiss on the lips. He closes his eyes and enjoys the closeness for a moment before withdrawing. "Yes," he says, with quiet certainty.
 * Anthony_Hartman starts muttering in his sleep.
 * Ai_Yamashiro sits there for a while, eventually she shifts posture and lies against James' shoulder.
 * Jane_Shepard is perfectly still. It's hard to tell if she's even alive.
 * James_Arroyo eventually leans back, steadying Ai on his descent, so they can both lay down.
 * Ai_Yamashiro would be more concerned about what she just heard if the situation wasn't so dire, she'll chalk it up to Anthony being stressed. "James?"
 * James_Arroyo takes a moment to register Ai's voice. "Yes?"
 * Ai_Yamashiro asks, weakly, as if she wasn't too sure of doing so "Do you think this is changing us?" or maybe she is tired too, who knows.
 <James_Arroyo> "I-I guess," he says. "But, I mean, good too," he says.
 *good ways too
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "Hmm..." she shifts one more time "I guess."
 <James_Arroyo> "I'm not sorry that we met," he says, attempting to encapsulate his feelings.
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "That's not what I meant." she sounds offended, but trying to keep it inside. "It's just that... so much is happening, so fast."
 <James_Arroyo> "Tell me," he asks softly. He want's to know her mind.
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "What do you mean?" she attempts to deviate the conversation again "It's nothing, just... stuff."
 Okay that wasn't going to convince anyone "...I'm just saying, things happen that I would have never thought would happen." she fidgets a bit around at that, but remains where she is.
 * James_Arroyo gives her a snug embrace. "Stuff," he says. But he sounds like he doesnt't want to press her too hard.
 <James_Arroyo> *strike that: Replace 'stuff' with "Like?"
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "Just stuff!"
 * James_Arroyo remains quiet. Things are... delicate now. They promised to share everything, but sometimes, sometimes they need some time. He turns to look at her, the distance between their faces quiet small. He doesn't give her any sort of accusing look, just searching for a decision, as to whether or not now was the time.
 * Ai_Yamashiro looks away, does he need everything spelled out? Doesn't he pay attention at all? "I don't know, it's complicated." she pouts, she has to say something now "What if they keep doing strange things like that?"
 <James_Arroyo> "Jane? Anthony?" he asks her. He's dim sometimes. That's just how he is.
 <Ai_Yamashiro> A sigh. "I mean the Kachina, you dummy." He's really dense, isn't he. "What are we supposed to do if they do... weird things like that? Last time I just... passed out." she tenses up a bit.
 <James_Arroyo> "Um."
 "You remember the first Kachina?"
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "Hnn."
 <James_Arroyo> "When we were fighting it, at one point it looked at me."
 "And it... I felt it, or something."
 "It didn't last long or anything. But I was kind of glad that the next two didn't look at me like that."
 <Ai_Yamashiro> So it seems they do this a lot "It made you uncomfortable?"
 <James_Arroyo> "Yeah. I mean, it was unnerving," he says. "...I didn't think I could feel that way."
 * Ai_Yamashiro thinks about this, she doesn't fully grasp it but then again, neither does anyone probably.
 * James_Arroyo gives a reassuring squeeze. "We'll go through it together."
 * Ai_Yamashiro smiles one more time, this time a little more genuine "Yeah."
 =-= Jane_Shepard is now known as Jane|Hibernation
 * Ai_Yamashiro says "No one asked about the countermeasure for the Evas going out of control."
 * Anthony_Hartman slowly starts falling to the side before hitting the floor and jarring awake.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Why am I on the floor?"
 * Ai_Yamashiro jumps out of James' shoulder. "H-Hey, Anthony..."
 was surprised at that "Um, you okay?"
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Bit of a headache."
 * Ai_Yamashiro adopts a teasing tone "...You fell asleep standing there, it was kind of cute."
 * Anthony_Hartman grins awkwardly, "Oh, guess I was dreaming then..."
 * Ai_Yamashiro points towards Jane "You're not the only one."
 * Anthony_Hartman smiles, "I know what we're up against, but I wish she'd take it easy now and then."
 * James_Arroyo nods.
 * Ai_Yamashiro nods "You're practicing a bit much too, you know."
 gives Anthony a worried look "You need to take better care of yourself."
 <James_Arroyo> "You need to take care of Jane," James says quietly, "So you got to take care of you too."
 * Anthony_Hartman rubs his head, "We're going to win, I gotta practice."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "At least until this one's dead."
 * Ai_Yamashiro suddenly feels like James and her are parents telling their kid obvious things "But practicing will do you no good if you're going to be that tired, what if the Kachina made a move with you in this condition?"
 * Anthony_Hartman looks away, "It...I..."
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "You would have ended hurting yourself in the end, and all of us too. We need you well-rested."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "It already hurt me. That's why I'm doing this."
 "It won't happen again."
 * Ai_Yamashiro knows what he's saying all too well, but... "Okay, just promise to be careful."
 <James_Arroyo> "Anthony."
 "You're my best friend."
 "Don't hurt yourself." He says seriously.
 * Ai_Yamashiro squeezes James' shoulder, she's worried that he's worried, and she'll look at Anthony waiting his response.
 * Anthony_Hartman looks back and forth between them, "It's not my job to be careful...but I'll try."
 * James_Arroyo nods. "Okay."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "I can promise you this though. I am going to kill it, and I am going to come out alive."
 * Ai_Yamashiro nods too and smiles a bit "That's the spirit."
 * James_Arroyo smiles, and his heartened by his words. "We'll help," he says.
 * Ai_Yamashiro smirks "But I'll kill it first."
 * Anthony_Hartman grins, "Is that right? Wanna put money on that?"
 * James_Arroyo shakes his head and points at him. "Dinner."
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "You bet, Mr. Hartman. Litera-" awwww "-Fine, fine. No money."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "I'll get first blood before you even hit the ground."
 * James_Arroyo looks at Ai. "Winner picks the place?" he says.
 * Ai_Yamashiro has a shit eating grin on her face "It won't be cheap."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Sure won't. Haven't had a nice lobster in nearly a year."
 "Maybe some snow crab."
 * Ai_Yamashiro vainly flicks a lock of hair "I will ask to be treated to the most expensive and elegant place nearby, as befitting someone like me."
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "...So you know, you can't afford to lose. And this time I mean it literally."
 * James_Arroyo smiles a little at that. "I just want a burger. So make sure I don't win."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Course you guys don't get good seafood down here, so it'll all have to be flown in."
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "What, you serious?" Ai pinches James in the cheeks "You're ruining this for us, James!"
 <James_Arroyo> "Um... I want a kobe burger?" he tries to recover.
 "With swiss cheese from switzerland?" he shrugs.
 * Ai_Yamashiro pouts and raises one eyebrow "Mou, you're hopeless." then pushes him away from her.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "...Now I'm hungry."
 <James_Arroyo> "French fries made from potatoes from Ireland?" James adds playfully. Seeing as how Ireland is a little bit underwater, they may seriously not want him to win at this point.
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "You're terrible, and now I want to eat too. I had a light meal for dinner."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "I haven't eaten since breakfast."
 * James_Arroyo checks his pockets, and remembers he's in a plugsuit.
 <James_Arroyo> "Anthony... there are vending machines down the hall."
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 <Ai_Yamashiro> "But!" Ai protests "I mean we have a sortie soon and..." or tries to, she ends up rolling her eyes in defeat "...fine, let's just not eat too much."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "In the morning. Now is the time for dinner."
 <macrophage> And so it comes to this. With the delays the dummy plug project has had, your deployment for some reason, has been delayed by a week. So here's what you face now: an AT Field a kilometer in width, and decentralized, over a piece of once-irradiated land. Nobody normal has been able to pass within its borders without dying in a presumably horrifying manner. This is what you four face. Nobody else
 can come with you, seeing as how you're the protected ones. You are given automated maintenance vehicles, basically generators with parachutes, and specially-crafted ultra long range umbilicals for you to plug into(you're encouraged to disconnect before flying.) You face a hazy barrier that obscures the area before you, already in your evas. An air drop has not been recommended, but you will be
 doing one anyways. "You will not be able to transmit or recieve signals through this area. You will be on your own.", the commander will say. And then...."Good luck.", you will all drop.
 You drop, and begin gliding. You will pass harmlessly through the barrier, and below you, you will see....a world that is not this world. Below, lies a neon green and violet ground, and a field of glasslike flowers. Around you, the sky is a hazy blue and red, streaks of crimson across what appears to be a cieling, a red moon that looks painted on, a black, baleful sun also visible,
 violet-rimmed. Below, a flower that was once clear, now still translucent, but swollen and pink. You descend upon your target in radio silence. The only ones who can help you are yourselves, now.
 * James_Arroyo takes in this surreal world as he free falls, field spreading. "It's... beautiful," he says unable to help himself.
 * Ai_Yamashiro gently floats to the ground safely, her A.T. Field seems to take the form of a sphere around her. "A.T. Bunker deployed. Landing... wait, there's no one to relay things to here." she sighs "Everyone ready?"
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Looks like someone threw up on a canvas to me."
 * Ai_Yamashiro looks around, her Evangelion shrugs, possibly because that's what she does too "...I've seen worse."
 * Jane_Shepard says nothing, just focusing on the enemy.
 <macrophage> There is no time to look around, or comment. The flower you surround now, opens up....and...about the most terrifying thing you can imagine happens. Upon that painted sky, in smears of red, as if someone was writing with a bloodied hand appears the text, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU
 * Jane_Shepard smiles.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Well, isn't that sweet."
 * James_Arroyo feels the blood go cold between heart beats. His vision narrows. And his heart beats again, dispelling the chill. The enemy is there.
 <macrophage> The flower is on the ground, just like last time. You do not know if it will attempt the same thing it did.
 * James_Arroyo wastes no time and closes rapidly, thrusters mounted on his armor coming to life. His field sparks, visible as it touches the Kachina's own, the enemy's defenses spark to life, diminished but not beaten.
 * Ai_Yamashiro doesn't just feel chills, she thought she had walked into a deathtrap, but the confirmation of it in this nightmarish landscape is more than most could handle, specially her. She starts to shake, hair stood up... but then it all goes away "You'll have to do better than that." comes the response from the comms, which the Kachina probably didn't hear anyway, and her Eva strikes a kendo stance...
 ...with her katana. She is still shivering though.
 * Anthony_Hartman grins widely, and laughs, kicking his thrusters into full and charging towards the Kachina, trying to tear his way through it's AT field.
 <macrophage> The Kachina attempts its usual strategy: area attacks. A wave of pink energy washes over it, catching the two pilots who have currently engaged it.
 * Anthony_Hartman lets out a mad laugh, "Not this time you son of a bitch." He doesn't even notice James get knocked backwards.
 * James_Arroyo is knocked away over 100 meters. His thrusters fire on, correcting his equilibrium. The damage to his chest armor is severe, but he's still fully combat capable.
 * Jane_Shepard lunges at the enemy, a short burst from her A-type equipment enhancing her usually-slow movement. She crashes into the thing's AT field and pours her field into it, trying to bring it down.
 <macrophage> The thing's AT Field goes down.
 The Kachina does nothing obvious, from what you can see.
 * Jane_Shepard screams and falls to her knees.
 * Ai_Yamashiro strides towards the Angel, crushing glassy flowers under her feet "Shit, Jane, pull yourself together!" she extends one hand to send a piece of her own A.T. Field at the Kachina to prevent it from coming back up, keeping the most to power her shield.
 * Jane_Shepard is sitting in the entry plug, glassy-eyed and staring into space.
 * Anthony_Hartman snaps out of it, "Jane, are you alright?!"
 * Jane_Shepard says nothing.
 * James_Arroyo charges back into the fray, sword bared. It skates off a petal harmlessly.
 * Anthony_Hartman becomes enraged, "That's it you bastard. Now you die."
 -->| PokeWarVeteran (qwebirc@Rizon-A44697DA.cpe.cableone.net) has joined #fourcorners
 * Anthony_Hartman seems to have gone absolutely berserk. Screaming in rage, he brings his axe down straight on the kachina's core, following through straight into the body.
 <macrophage> The core has an entire section of it shaved off. It seems to take it in stride, strangely enough. The body, those flower petals...are broken. It is a naked core on a stalk, pieces of it leaking away, floating upwards.
 * James_Arroyo starts, as if woken from a nightmare, even though his eyes never closed. His vision refocuses on the Kachina. He breathes deeply, feeling violated.
 * Jane_Shepard stands up, screaming in rage, and jumps at the Kachina like a wild animal, teeth bared.
 <macrophage> Jane won't get close enough to complete that bite. She stops just short of it, teeth barely making contact with that core, before her eva's head is yanked away. Yanked by what, by the way? It becomes very obvious in short order, now that you see its effects. Glistening limbs of gossamer strands, insectile, arched, protrude from its core, each terminating on the ground, presumably for support,
 except for four, which are all in your eva's skulls. At the center, protruding from the core, is a humanoid torso. Plated, grotesque. It is blackened, body rent apart. Its mouth is large, agape. Eyes are holes that glow red. The entire thing seems to occupy a negative space, originating at the core.
 * James_Arroyo blanks out for an instant again, his skin is clammy, even in the warmth of the surrounding LCL.
 * Ai_Yamashiro gauges distance, from her defensive stance, she lets go of the Katana in mid-air and points her index finger at the enemy. "Go!" it connects with its target, before being pulled back and returning to her hands.
 * James_Arroyo grabs the tendril lodged in the back of Unit 03's skull and tears it free violently, blood spurting before subsiding. He draws his sword back and stabs into the core itself, penetrating deep, He with draws and gains leverage, and stabs his sword once again, down into the mouth of the THING growing from it, through it's head, torso, and once again still even deeper into the core.
 looks at the thing, wide eyed and furious. He rears back and stabs again and again and again into the blackened body, attempting to extract revenge for the offense against his heat and mind.
 <James_Arroyo> *heart
 <macrophage> The core is struck.....and breaks. James ensures that, splitting it in half. The pieces crumble. The sky turns red. The baleful sun grows. Flowers melt at your feet. The torso vaporizes. And that's when the eva's systems go nuts.
 * James_Arroyo feels the wave of... something wash over himself and his EVA. Unit 03, as always resists it by not evening countenancing it's existence. The sleeping EVA remains under James' command. James turns to check his fellow pilots.
 <Ai_Yamashiro> There's that familiar sensation again, even if she is still unnerved, it's not enough to get knock her out. Not again. Omoikane gives her strength.
 * Anthony_Hartman 's consciousness fades, as his EVA goes berserk, and starts running off.
 * Jane_Shepard slumps a little in her entry plug, barely conscious. And that's when all the systems shut down, and Unit 01 charges at Ai. It seems to remember they were in the middle of a fight.
 <James_Arroyo> "Commander?" James tries to reestablish communications, now that the Kachina has been defeated.
 * Ai_Yamashiro jumps backwards, or so it seems, she actually -flies- backwards.
 <macrophage> Communications are fuzzy. But you'll hear chatter. "Stand by for recovery.", is all you'll hear.
 <Ai_Yamashiro> "Someone get her under control, eject the plug, maybe that'll keep the Eva away from me." She turns the thrusters of the A-Type on, that's... a lot of speed she's moving at.

> During the fight...Anthony sees James deal a wicked blow to the enemy...and then the eva's systems go haywire.  Anthony feels horrible pain, everything getting dark, and then...soothing cool.  He'll also find his senses coming back to him....it doesn't feel like he's still inside that entry plug.
03* macrophage is now known as Nina
06* Anthony_Hartman groans a bit, before painfully lifting his body up from the slump he was in and looks around.
03* Nina is now known as Guest44192
03* Guest44192 is now known as Nina_Shepard
01<@Nina_Shepard> Anthony will wake up to see what appears...to be a vaguely horrifying room. Horrifying not because of anything in particular, but the setting itself is just terribly uncharacteristic. It's...a room. With no exits. One of the walls is painted like a green meadow...another one, plastered with posters, but the images themselves are blurred out. One wall has a horrendously stuffed bookshelf. The
01<@Nina_Shepard> fourth wall is bare. The floor is covered with pillows. Small snowglobes, a music box, and a porcelain unicorn sit in a corner. Anthony himself will feel smothered, surrounded. If he opens his eyes or moves around...he's covered in a small pile of pillows. A girl sits on the futon. It...looks like Jane. But taller, thinner, and less developed, and with dark brown hair and dark blue eyes. She
01<@Nina_Shepard> looks...nervous.
<Anthony_Hartman> "...Jane?"
01<@Nina_Shepard> The girl shakes her head.  She looks like she wants to talk, but doesn't.  "A-Anthony...right?"
<Anthony_Hartman> "Yeah. Um...where am I?"
01<@Nina_Shepard> "You're...umm.  You're un...", she'll pause as if trying to remember the word.  "un-un-un....", she looks at Anthony like she wants him to complete the word.
<Anthony_Hartman> "Un...conscious? So this is a dream?"
01<@Nina_Shepard> "Like..dreaming.", she will reply.  "But it's awake again...."
<Anthony_Hartman> "It?"
<Anthony_Hartman> "What's awake?"
01<@Nina_Shepard> "I don't know it's name....but...it spends most of its time...", she pauses..."sleeping.", she slides off the futon onto the floor, kneeling.  "Last time it woke up, I...uhm...", she tries to think of how to put this.  "I asked it to do what you wanted."
<Anthony_Hartman> "Last time it woke up...?" It dawns on him. "Oh...when it's the Eva isn't it?"
<Anthony_Hartman> "Last time it wanted to kill one of my friends."
01<@Nina_Shepard> "Eva...", she parrots the word blankly.  "I asked it...and I do not know if it listened.  It's...scary.", she frowns and curls up.
<Anthony_Hartman> "So that was you."
06* Anthony_Hartman smiles, "It listened. Thank you."
01<@Nina_Shepard> He smiles, and her expression goes from frightened and withdrawn, to bright and happy, eyes widening, mouth opening into a large smile.
<Anthony_Hartman> "You know. I never got your name."
01<@Nina_Shepard> "Nina.", she'll reply hurriedly.  "My name is Nina...", her mouth stays open a bit, as if she expects the rest to come out naturally, but fails.  Her expression darkens some when she realizes the rest isn't coming.  Gaze drops.
06* Anthony_Hartman misinterperets this look, "Don't look like that, it's a nice name."
01<@Nina_Shepard> "I-I can't remember my last name."
<Anthony_Hartman> "Really? Hmm."
<Anthony_Hartman> "Well, you do look a lot like one of my friends. Maybe you're related..."
01<@Nina_Shepard> She listens.  "I...my father...he works for NERV.", she'll volunteer.
<Anthony_Hartman> "What does he do? Maybe I can ask around?"
01<@Nina_Shepard> "The Op...spulashions...Retractor.", she looks frustrated.  That doesn't sound right, does it?
<Anthony_Hartman> "Op..sp...wait. The Operations Director?"
01<@Nina_Shepard> She nods her head emphatically.  "Yes!", she creeps across the floor towards Anthony.
<Anthony_Hartman> "They got a new one before I was assigned. I'll have to ask around when I get back."
<Anthony_Hartman> "Unless your name is Smith."
01<@Nina_Shepard> She shakes her head, that doesn't sound right.  "Do you have to go?"
<Anthony_Hartman> "Eventually. I have a job to do."
<Anthony_Hartman> "...But I can stay and talk for awhile if you like."
01<@Nina_Shepard> "...okay.", she still looks sad.  "It's lonely here."
06* Anthony_Hartman knows what it's like to not have anyone to talk to, even if it was never this...bleak and empty.
<Anthony_Hartman> "Yeah." He gets up and sits down closer to Nina.
06* Anthony_Hartman smiles, "So. What would you like to talk about."
01<@Nina_Shepard> "I....", she perks up, trying to think of something...but the excitement quickly dies down.  "Tell me about you.", she'll say, and finally crawl along the floor to him.  She'll sit beside him, and lean against, if he allows.
06* Anthony_Hartman does. She looks so much like Jane it just seems natural.
<Anthony_Hartman> "Well...my parents died when I was six. Spent most of my life in an orphanage."
01<@Nina_Shepard> "What's an orphanage?"
<Anthony_Hartman> "It's where they put kids who don't have parents. The adults there are supposed to take care of the kids until other people come along and adopt them."
01<@Nina_Shepard> Another blank stare.  "Adopt?"
<Anthony_Hartman> "Mine...didn't so much."
<Anthony_Hartman> "Yeah. Adults sign some papers, and then they make that kid their son or daughter by law."
<Anthony_Hartman> I didn't get adopted until I was 12, so I spent six years there.
01<@Nina_Shepard> "Oh.", a simplistic reply.  Then, since he is so patient, and because she thinks it might be similar.  "I...don't know how long I've been here."
06* Anthony_Hartman doesn't quite know how to respond to this. "That must've been lonely."
01<@Nina_Shepard> She nods sadly.  "You're the first person I've seen since I got here."
<Anthony_Hartman> "Really? Well, apparently nobody else is able to sync with this Eva. I don't know why."
01<@Nina_Shepard> Another shrug.  "Can you tell me what it's like outside?"
06* Anthony_Hartman is unsure of whether or not to make it look too appealing, "It's hot and humid, and Nerv section 2 won't leave us alone."
01<@Nina_Shepard> "It sounds...exciting.", she'll say quietly.  Her arms stretch out, she hugs him.
06* Anthony_Hartman strangely doesn't react negatively to the hug, "You really do look so much like her. It's uncanny."
01<@Nina_Shepard> "Who?"
<Anthony_Hartman> "Jane. She's my girlfriend. You look almost exactly like her, except your eyes and hair color."
01<@Nina_Shepard> "Girl...friend?"
<Anthony_Hartman> "Oh...uh..." That probably wasn't wise to bring up.
<Anthony_Hartman> "Well..."
<Anthony_Hartman> "You ever have someone you wanted to spend all your time with? That you'd do things you wouldn't do with other people?"
01<@Nina_Shepard> "I, uhm....", she looks nervous.
<Anthony_Hartman> "Oh, sorry. I shouldn't have brought it up."
01<@Nina_Shepard> "I want to hear....", she sounds a bit insistent.
<Anthony_Hartman> "About what?"
01<@Nina_Shepard> "About your girlfriend....", she'll whine, snuggling up closer.
<Anthony_Hartman> "Well, she looks a lot like you, but your personalities are really different."
<Anthony_Hartman> "She's a bit possessive, and she can get jealous real easy."
<Anthony_Hartman> She got in a fight with her brother because he got a girlfriend."
01<@Nina_Shepard> She listens, face giving the impression that she's just awestruck by the whole prospect of getting to hear about these kinds of things.  "I...have nothing to be poss-poss-poss..", she frowns.  "I can't say it."
06* Anthony_Hartman smiles, "It's alright."
<Anthony_Hartman> "Most people don't like that sort of thing, but I'm ok with it. She didn't exactly have a good childhood."
01<@Nina_Shepard> The girl nods slowly.  She'll gladly listen to him talk about anything, until she falls asleep...and Anthony will wake up, being yanked out of his entry plug in the middle of goddamn nowhere.
03* Nina_Shepard is now known as macrophage|gone
<macrophage> Two days after the fight....everyone has been recovered, and pilots have been sedated and put into recovery and are under heavy surveillance. Jane...will wake up much like she woke up the last time. Tied down, woozy, feeling like hell. Dr. Garcia is sitting at the opposite end of the room.
 * Jane_Shepard blinks a few times to clear her vision, then tries to focus on Garcia. "This is becoming a familiar situation."
 <macrophage> "Hopefully, now that you've killed that one...it won't happen again.", the woman stands up, walks towards Jane's bed, and presses a button. A tiny beep is heard, but nothing else. "How are you feeling?", she returns to the opposite side of the room again.
 * Jane_Shepard says nothing for a moment, considering the question. "Better, now that the Kachina is dead."
 <macrophage> "Are you sure? You...weren't in a good state when we pulled you out."
 * Jane_Shepard vaguely remembers chanting the Eva manual startup checklist, but saying 'Jane' instead of 'the Eva'.
 says "I'm fine."
 <macrophage> Dr. Garcia doesn't believe it. "I don't believe you.", she'll even say as much. "Look, I know you're mad at me about the moving out thing, but I'm here to help you....what happened?"
 * Jane_Shepard tenses up. "Nothing happened."
 <macrophage> "..If I were to let you move out, then?", fine. Time to negotiate.
 * Jane_Shepard shrugs. Or at least tries to shrug. It's not easy to do while restrained and lying down. "It doesn't matter. All it did was... nothing important."
 <macrophage> Madison catches that. She's not going to let it go. "So it did something."
 * Jane_Shepard looks at Garcia. "If it didn't do something, Unit 01 would not have gone berserk. It should be obvious that it was attacking us, even if the means was not visible."
 <macrophage> "Which is why I'm asking you what happened. So we can make sure it doesn't happen again.", the woman sounds like she's starting to get irritated. Jane's been...infuriating recently.
 * Jane_Shepard says "It was nothing. It just... made me see things."
 <macrophage> Better. The woman seems pleased with Jane's confession. She will sit down. "Like what?"
 * Jane_Shepard says "It was... similar to the last time."
 <macrophage> "Can you please tell me what happened in detail?"
 * Jane_Shepard sighs. "It... made me know things. It was more violent about it than the first attack."
 <macrophage> Madison seems interested now. It...made her know things? Like what? She's aware, via recorded data that it was intelligent, but HOW intelligent? "Violent how? And...what did it make you know?"
 * Jane_Shepard says "It did things inside of my mind. I... don't think I know the right word for it."
 <macrophage> The woman nods. "Well, did it mess with your memories or something? What did it make you know?"
 * Jane_Shepard says "It told me I was created in a lab." Jane looks down. "And... that I wasn't human."
 <macrophage> That's....wow. "So it could read your memories?", Dr Garcia thinks...."It said you weren't human? Was it trying to convince you of anything or something?"
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 * Jane_Shepard is looking off into a corner of the room. "...Doctor, you have access to my medical records. How was I made?"
 =-= Karla_Ortega is now known as HLeviathan
 <macrophage> "You're not really authorized for the details...but...we can fix that. Because I trust you.", The woman will smile faintly. "Around the time that James was...uhm, concieved, we found a girl with a very high synch ratio. We were going to use her, but...well, there was an accident. She died....and..well, we still had the facilities used for James...and excess budget, so we used that material,
 since it was superior to how James's specifications."
 * Jane_Shepard says "Was any material used... from Evangelion Unit 02?"
 <macrophage> The woman looks horrified all of a sudden. "...Just how much did it tell you?"
 * Jane_Shepard looks at Garcia. "Ah. I see."
 <macrophage> It slipped. Great. She gets serious. "The specimen we used was contaminated. And no, you're not allowed to tell anybody about this. I don't think I have to tell you how badly people might react."
 * Jane_Shepard says "How many people know?"
 <macrophage> "A few of the staff, the commander. The old Operations Director. He's agreed not to speak on the matter.", and then...Dr. Garcia thinks..and asks a question. "Did it tell you anything else? It is very easy to get someone to believe lies if you tell them something truthful, too. And...how did it know? Did it tell you?"
 =-= HLeviathan is now known as Elly_Hall
 * Jane_Shepard shrugs. "I don't know how it knew."
 <macrophage> "Are you upset about us lying to you?"
 * Jane_Shepard shakes her head. "I should be. It expected me to be. But it just reaffirms that my purpose is to do what I enjoy, piloting the Eva. As I told Michael Smith, I am part of the Eva Project, a war machine."
 <macrophage> The woman clears her throat. "You aren't, really. No more a machine than any other person. So don't think this gives you an excuse to write off your friends and other people and do what you want when you're not fighting."
 * Jane_Shepard tilts her head slightly. "I don't understand. What do you mean?"
 <macrophage> "It means that you should have a plan for what you want to do when you're done fighting. Don't you have any career interests?", Madison reaches for a remote control panel on the wall, presses a switch. The restraints on Jane release.
 * Jane_Shepard sits up and rubs at her wrists, idly feeling at her wounded hand. "I don't. Piloting Eva is what I'm for."
 <macrophage> "And if you happen to outlive the need for evas?"
 * Jane_Shepard shrugs. "I doubt I will."
 <macrophage> Dr. Garcia sighs. "Look, Jane. I can't authorize you to live on your own if I'm not convinced you won't kill yourself or something stupid the first chance you get."
 * Jane_Shepard says "If I kill myself, I wouldn't be living alone at all..."
 <macrophage> "Look, why don't you want to live for anything else, Jane? There's a whole world out there of people, and things to do. Don't you find anything enjoyable? I mean, I'm not asking you to be like your brother...but people like things. And synch ratio has been shown to decrease with age."
 * Jane_Shepard "...I like reading."
 <macrophage> "Well, that's a start. Nobody's expecting anyone your age to have everything planned out, but I do think you need to have a more long-term view of things.", Dr. Garcia smiles, easily satisfied. "We plan to start moving students into dormitories on the school campus next semester. You might feel a bit more comfortable there, than here...though you'll still have to obey rules."
 * Jane_Shepard shrugs. "I... don't know if I still need to move out." She looks back at Garcia. "How long was I unconscious?"
 <macrophage> "A little more than two days. When we recovered you...you were in a bad state. James is in a similar state. Anthony...his unit ran away, but we found it. He's mostly fine. Ai is doing well.", she'll update Jane on the state of things. "I want you to have weekly talks with me until we're sure you're okay...in case that attack on your mind had any lingering effects."
 * Jane_Shepard nods. "I'm fine, Doctor."
 <macrophage> "I don't think you're qualified to make that judgement. Anyways, you're free to leave the hospital as long as you take it easy.", Dr. Garcia stands, and makes her way to the door, opening it. She will leave unless Jane has anything else to say.
 * Jane_Shepard says "Thank you for... telling me the truth."
 <macrophage> "Nobody else is allowed to know. Make sure you don't tell anyone.", and with that, Jane is left to her own devices.

<macrophage> James will wake up. He's in a straitjacket. He's also alone in a room with a closed door and no windows. At least the lights are on.
 * James_Arroyo takes deep calming breaths. He's not sure how long he was out, but his night fits were worse than usual.
 <James_Arroyo> Once he's managed to bring his heart rate back down, he takes stock. The room. The jacket. Huh. Looks like TV didn't misrepresent the straight jackets much at all.
 =-= Jane_Shepard is now known as LawfulNice|Away
 <James_Arroyo> "Hello?"
 <macrophage> These ones are a little more complex, if anything. They look like mechanical restraints. James wakes, and...people enter shortly. So he's under surveillance. Two staff members, and generally overworked ones. Hayes, who also teaches psychology, and Thompson, possibly the worst, most inattentive doctor ever. The two men have clipboards. "Good to know you're among the living, James. Now...if you'll
 just comply with all these tests, we'll have you out of those restraints quickly.", Thompson looks at the clipboard. "This is all stupid. Hey James, what's twelve minus the square root of twenty-five?", Hays sighs, like he's used to Thompson disregarding protocol.
 <James_Arroyo> "Seven," he says automatically.
 <macrophage> "Good. And how many fingers does a man who's lost one hand, one eye, and both legs in a war have, when added to the number of eyes belonging to your female roomates?", What's with these ridiculous questions?
 <James_Arroyo> "Eight," again, automatic.
 <macrophage> "...Which one of your friends has a glass eye?", Thompson will ask, smirking.
 * James_Arroyo goes wide eyed.
 <James_Arroyo> "What happened!?"
 <macrophage> "Five hands plus four eyes equals nine, James.", Hayes will answer, while Thompson turns his head, trying to stifle a laugh.
 *Five fingers
 * James_Arroyo relaxes, realizing he's been made fun of.
 <James_Arroyo> "..."
 "A hand has four fingers."
 "And one thumb."
 * James_Arroyo smiles a little at Hayes.
 <macrophage> Both men :| at James. "Don't joke around right now. We're trying to determine if you're still sane after all that. We had to sedate you, you know.", Thompson doesn't look too amused. Hayes shakes his head at such a weak joke. "We've been told to ask you about what happened."
 * James_Arroyo shakes his head. "I thought it was a trick question," he says.
 <James_Arroyo> "What part do you want to know?" he asks.
 <macrophage> "We've been told to ask you about everything...and more.", Hayes adjusts his glasses, while reading some sort of note written here. "Then, if we're confident you won't do anything like try to run off or beat us to death or kill yourself, we can release you."
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 * James_Arroyo shakes his head, "I'm not like that," he tells them. He then leans back and looks at the ceiling, collecting his thoughts.
 takes a deep breath. "We were dropped in. The affected zone was surreal. Strange, vibrant colors. The Kachina was pinkish instead of white."
 <James_Arroyo> "We all engaged it in close combat. We weren't going to let it get away this time. We neutralized its field quickly."
 <macrophage> "We've got all that, including the communication. We need to know if it attempted to establish mental contact."
 <James_Arroyo> "...yes."
 <macrophage> "Care to explain what it did?"
 <James_Arroyo> "It... rooted around in my head. It asked me for a secret. And... I told it a secret. And then it hurt me with it."
 <macrophage> "What was the secret?", Thompson asks this one, while reaching for a pen from his pocket. He starts lazily checking boxes.
 * James_Arroyo furrows his brow as he looks at him. "...That's private."
 <macrophage> "Gotta get it out of you. This is an order."
 * James_Arroyo shakes his head. "Please. It's private. It's not NERV sensitive information."
 <macrophage> "We'll have to take this up with Dr. Garcia. And she'll have to take it up with the commander. Look, I don't care if you're gay or anything. We just need to hear what it is, or we can't let you out of here."
 Thompson isn't taking no for an answer. Hayes, for his part, lets the man do his work.
 =-= YOU are now known as Elpizo
 * James_Arroyo is starting to look panicked. "Don't make me think about it," he says, "I'm not allowed to!"
 <macrophage> "Right. So he's still crazy. We're done here, I think.", Thompson exhales, and shakes his head. He's turning around. Hayes is following.
 <James_Arroyo> "..Wait," he says, doing his best to calm down.
 <macrophage> They stop. "Ready to share?", Thompson asks.
 * James_Arroyo looks around trying to think of way out of this.
 <James_Arroyo> "I'm not crazy," he says, trying to calm down again, "I-I know it's in my medical record already. It just... made it worse. Dr. Garcia will understand," he says, trying to avoid saying what he desperately does not want to say.
 <macrophage> Hayes shakes his head. "Look, I've got stuff to do. You handle this.", Thompson walks back towards James while Hayes leaves, presumably because he's overworked and has to teach, too. Thompson continues to wait. "Well?"
 "Your anxiety attacks are a secret? That doesn't sound right. Now quit lying.", Thompson pulls out a pack of cigarettes.
 <James_Arroyo> "No," he says, "It's... what my anxiety attacks are about."
 <macrophage> "Look, I don't know why you're being so secretive about all this. I can't clear you when you're acting so suspicious.", Thompson lights up. ...it seems that lots of the staff who smoke around here don't really care for rules about it, doesn't it?
 * James_Arroyo looks at his lap. "...I," as much as he hates it, he has to confront it directly, "I'll talk to Dr. Garcia. I'm sorry."
 <macrophage> "She's busy with Jane. You'll have to deal with me.", and this room isn't exactly well-ventilated. Thompson smokes quietly, while letting James lie down, straitjacketed.
 <James_Arroyo> "...I'm angry," he says, sounding if anything, normal, "about how I grew up."
 <macrophage> "Yeah? Like in what way?"
 * James_Arroyo occupies his gaze with the ceiling. "Alot."
 <James_Arroyo> "...I was lonely all the time."
 <macrophage> "Keep going. I don't see how it used this to hurt you."
 <James_Arroyo> "...I..."
 "I was trained since I was little."
 There's a long pause.
 "So I would follow orders. And fight the Kachina."
 <macrophage> Thompson waits, still smoking. He'll let the kid rattle on.
 * James_Arroyo turns his head as far in the opposite direction from Thompson, "So I'd never ever be scared."
 <James_Arroyo> "And it worked," he breathes out, "And every night I feel like I'm dying."
 <macrophage> Thompson finishes one cigarette, uses it to light the next.
 <James_Arroyo> "And it's okay as long as I don't think about it."
 "I'm angry about it. But I'm not allowed to be angry. I'm not allowed to think I'm angry about it."
 "...Please, is that enough?"
 <macrophage> "I don't know, is there more?", James is bad at concealing these things, isn't he?
 <James_Arroyo> "...yes."
 <macrophage> "Well, then keep on. You're only making this longer than it should be."
 <James_Arroyo> "Why do you do that?" he asks him.
 <macrophage> "Do what?", Thompson will ask.
 <James_Arroyo> "Talk to me like you don't care."
 <macrophage> "Being a professional means you have to establish a bit of distance. I mean sure, people tell you about how they have this bond with their patients...or with their doctors..but you can't let familiarity or anything like that cloud your judgements. It's not really fair to you, but...it's better than some kinds of upbringings. Now enough of this. Can you continue what you're telling me..."
 * James_Arroyo looks away again. "I'm sorry," he says, choking up, "But it's not as easy for me."
 <macrophage> "Look, you're trying to change the subject here. I'm really only interested in your secret, and how the enemy used it on you. The sooner we get you out of here, the sooner you'll be able to go to school and make up for lost time, right?"
 <James_Arroyo> "I'm angry and Dr. Garcia and the Commander!" he shouts, still facing away.
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 <James_Arroyo> "I'm mad that I'm not allowed to be!"
 * James_Arroyo starts to hyperventilate, "I'm mad because when I let myself think about it hurts me worse."
 <macrophage> Dr. Thompson exhales. "That's better. So...it hurt you how?"
 <James_Arroyo> "It made me think about it!"
 "It wouldn't let me stop thinking about it!
 ((BRB 15))
 <macrophage> "Huh. That's it? Man...that's kinda weak. But then, I guess you and your sister...you're kind of fragile.", Thompson will put the second cigarette out. "So do you think you'd do anything harmful or crazy if we let you out?"
 <James_Arroyo> "..." James looks guilty.
 <macrophage> "Am I supposed to take that as a yes? Because you should be honest."
 <James_Arroyo> "I won't do anything crazy or bad. But there's more."
 <macrophage> "Well, go on, then."
 <James_Arroyo> "...It had me kill the Commander. ...and Dr. Garcia. ...and myself."
 * James_Arroyo rolls to his side so he's facing Thompson. Tears are falling, and he looks miserable.
 <macrophage> "...And...", where is this leading? "What, did you like it, or something?"
 <James_Arroyo> "It hurt. But it made it stop hurting."
 <macrophage> "I don't get it."
 * James_Arroyo looks at him, somewhat resentful, "What do you want from me?"
 <James_Arroyo> He's already said more than he thought possible, that it doesn't satisfy Thompson is stupifying, and even offensive.
 <macrophage> "Accurate information, so I can evaluate you.", James isn't making much sense. "So what, it made the idea of killing people close to you seem palatable?"
 <James_Arroyo> "..."
 * James_Arroyo tries a different approach.
 <James_Arroyo> "They did something to me."
 "It was for my own good."
 "But it was bad."
 "And it makes me angry."
 "And it hurts me."
 "But when thinking about, being angry about, makes it hurt worse."
 <macrophage> "You're making this hard for me to figure out, James. So...you're saying that killing yourself is for your own good, but you recognize it as being bad?"
 =-= LawfulNice|Away is now known as LawfulNice
 * James_Arroyo shakes his head. "No!" he says, "what they did when I was growing up!"
 <macrophage> "Right. Well look, are you sure you're not going to do anything stupid or regrettable if I let you out?"
 * James_Arroyo shakes his head. "I just want to go home."
 <macrophage> "Fine. I think you're fine, then. But don't be a stranger. If you've got problems, we're here to help about that.", Thompson pushes a switch on the wall, the straitjacket loosens. "You know...having a shitty upbringing is probably better than coming from somewhere that just doesn't care about you at all."
 * James_Arroyo looks at the ground as Thompson unties him. "Stop. Please," he says quietly, "I know you're trying to make me feel better."
 <James_Arroyo> "But I already feel guilty enough."
 <macrophage> "I'm really not trying to make you feel guilty. You've got a right to be angry...and it's my opinion that the whole program is wrong. Just don't do anything stupid. We'll be past this soon, and well, you've got friends and stuff, right? You're normal enough.", Thompson pockets the pack of cigarettes.
 * James_Arroyo nods and tries to smile. It's not bad. "I know. That's what I want."
 <James_Arroyo> "...they owe me a hamburger," he tries to joke.
 <macrophage> "Kind of inappropriate for jokes like that right now.", especially lame jokes. Thompson rises. "Physically, you're fine. I also hear Jane's in good condition. Your other friends, too. Also...you might want to tell everyone you've been given a free pass on finals. All the stuff you learn your first year are pointless, anyways."
 * James_Arroyo nods. "Okay."
 <macrophage> "Anyways, I need to hand off these results. Take care, James.", Thompson moves for the exit.

* James_Arroyo joins Jane in the waiting room as he waits for his, and no doubt, her, release paperwork to clear. He tentatively sits down in the seat next to hers.
 <James_Arroyo> "Hi."
 * Jane_Shepard glances at him. She doesn't seem sure what to say. "...Hi."
 <James_Arroyo> "Dr. Thompson tells me that you're okay."
 * James_Arroyo looks straight ahead, his eyes flitting to the side as he both tries to look at her and avoid direct eye contact.
 * Jane_Shepard nods. "As I told Doctor Garcia, I feel fine."
 <James_Arroyo> "I'm glad," he says.
 * Jane_Shepard looks at James. "...I heard you... weren't in a good state when they retrieved you."
 <James_Arroyo> "No," he admits, "I wasn't."
 * Jane_Shepard pauses, tilting her head for a moment, eyes unfocused, as if listening to something. She focuses again on James. "Are you... feeling better?"
 * James_Arroyo turns his head to look at her, "Yeah. I am. I just need to not think about it." Even as he says this, he lays his hand palm up on his thigh, a gesture he has so often made in Jane's presence that it came unbidden.
 looks at what he's doing, and closes his hand, then places it palm down.
 * Jane_Shepard looks at James' hand and thinks for a moment. She nods to herself slightly, and puts her hand on top of his.
 <James_Arroyo> A smile comes to his face as he flips his palm face up again.
 "Jane."
 * Jane_Shepard takes James' hand, not saying anything.
 <James_Arroyo> "I missed you."
 * Jane_Shepard says "I... am still upset... but I think I need to... to stop being angry at you."
 <James_Arroyo> "I promise you," he says, "even if I do like other people," he looks at her earnestly, "There will never be anyone to replace you."
 * Jane_Shepard pauses for an awkwardly long moment. "...I'm sorry, for the things I said."
 <James_Arroyo> "...I'm sorry, for being stupid and thoughtless."
 "...you don't have to be friends with anyone you don't want to. But I want you to be a part of my life."
 * Jane_Shepard says "I was being... stupid. I just couldn't accept that I wasn't the only thing you had. I was... jealous of Ai."
 * James_Arroyo gives her a hug.
 * Jane_Shepard hugs James.
 <James_Arroyo> ((got to change to phone, brb))
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 -->| HLeviathan (~Android@Rizon-4225DFC7.sub-97-174-131.myvzw.com) has joined #fourcorners
 =-= HLeviathan is now known as James_Arroyo
 <James_Arroyo> After some time, the embrace ends.
 * Jane_Shepard says "I'll... try and get along with Ai."
 <James_Arroyo> "Only if you want to."
 * Jane_Shepard shrugs. "We live and work together. I have to try."
 =-= RaspberryCommie is now known as Anthony_Hartman
 <James_Arroyo> "Thank you," he says.
 Soon, they get the signal that they've been cleared. Seeing as how its all still the same facility, all they have to do is walk back to their suite.
 * James_Arroyo stands and offers Jane a hand.
 * Jane_Shepard accepts his help standing. And it is a help, with all the drugs they pumped into her.
 * James_Arroyo moves to steady her, wrapping an arm around her.
 <James_Arroyo> "Ready?" he asks
 * Jane_Shepard nods.
 * James_Arroyo and Jane take their time getting back to the suite.

 * Anthony_Hartman had been out of psychiatric evaluation for nearly an entire day, but hasn't seen any of the other pilots, as Section 2 wouldn't let him get near them while they were still under observation.
 * Jane_Shepard stumbles back into the suite, still in her hospital gown. James is helping her, but as they get inside she breaks away from him, feeling well enough to stand on her own. That doesn't stop her from finding somewhere to sit ASAP.
 * Anthony_Hartman nearly tackles her the moment she gets into the room, "Are you okay?! That thing didn't hurt you did it?!"
 * Jane_Shepard is slow to react, still quite drugged up. "Tony! You're... okay, then?"
 <Anthony_Hartman> "I'm fine. Don't worry about it. It didn't do anything to you did it?"
 * Anthony_Hartman seems on the verge of panic.
 * Jane_Shepard says "Nothing important." She tilts her head, listening to something, then looks at Tony and laughs like she's just heard the funniest joke in the world.
 * Anthony_Hartman looks confused, "What's funny? I was worried about you."
 * Jane_Shepard laughs. "It's..." she pauses, forcing down a giggle. "It's nothing. You wouldn't understand." She breaks out laughing again.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Well...you seem ok...I guess."
 * Jane_Shepard leans on Tony. "Just... just help me sit down before I fall over." She suppresses another giggle.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Oh, oh right."
 * Anthony_Hartman guides her over to the sofa.
 * Jane_Shepard sits down heavily. "You do make a good pilot," Jane says. "I wonder if that's why..." Jane laughs more, not finishing the sentence.
 * Anthony_Hartman looks seriously at her, "Are you sure you're ok?"
 leans down and checks her eyes to see if they're focusing properly.
 * Jane_Shepard smiles at Tony. "I'm fine. I wish I could tell you what was so funny, but I've been ordered not to."
 * Anthony_Hartman sighs, "Orders. I've been worried sick about you. You start screaming, then you go quiet, and the next thing I know I'm being dragged out of my entry plug in the middle of nowhere, and told you guys are under psychiatric observation."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "I just...I don't know."
 * Anthony_Hartman slumps down on the sofa.
 * Jane_Shepard pauses for a moment, staring at a wall intently.
 looks back at Tony. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "It's...ok. It wasn't your fault. Sorry for getting so upset."
 * Anthony_Hartman hugs her tight, "I just...don't know what I'd do without you."
 * Jane_Shepard pulls Tony even closer. "I'm glad you're okay. You don't need to worry about me. I'm tough. I've got... good genes." She giggles.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "I know you are. But I can't help it. Just thinking about you getting hurt drives me crazy."
 * Jane_Shepard says "I'll be fine, Tony."
 breaks off the hug, then lays down, resting her head on Tony's lap.
 * Anthony_Hartman calms down, "Sorry. I'm sure the last thing you wanna hear after all that is me getting all upset over something."
 * Jane_Shepard is quiet for a moment. "Did the enemy... do anything to you this time? Make you... know things?"
 <Anthony_Hartman> "No. It didn't even touch me. Not until the end when it made my Eva go crazy..."
 * Anthony_Hartman isn't sure he should tell her about Nina or not.
 * Jane_Shepard says "I know last time it... hurt you."
 * Anthony_Hartman smiles and strokes her hair a little, "Yeah, I may be small, but I can take a hit too, you know."
 * Jane_Shepard says "Did you... get hurt again?"
 <Anthony_Hartman> "No. Not this time. It was strange..."
 "You said you knew the last OD, right?"
 <Jane_Shepard> "Yes. He was... a lot different from Michael. I miss him."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "...Did he have a daughter?"
 * Jane_Shepard says "He... used to. He lost her before I was... before I was born."
 * Anthony_Hartman has a rather strange look on his face, "What was her name?"
 * Jane_Shepard says "Nina. Nina Shepard."
 * Anthony_Hartman freezes.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "She...I know what happened to her."
 * Jane_Shepard says "Do you?"
 <Anthony_Hartman> "She's...IN Unit 02. I don't know how it happened, but when my Eva ran off she TALKED to me.
 * Anthony_Hartman is noticably freaked out.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "She looked like you. Like exactly like you. Aside from her hair and eyes."
 * Jane_Shepard looks up at Tony. "In Unit 02? I guess that's kind of ironic..." Jane trails off, thinking. She suppresses a giggle, muttering something to herself about 'the exact opposite'.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "...Huh? You're not...you're not surprised by any of this?"
 * Jane_Shepard smiles at Tony. "I wish I could tell you."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "I'd tell you things even if I was ordered not to. Not that anyone ever tells me anything worth hiding to begin with."
 * Jane_Shepard looks at Tony, serious. "I've... never disobeyed a direct order."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Not even if it was a bad one?"
 * Jane_Shepard looks off to the side. "I don't know if I should say anything. You might... think less of me."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "What could possibly make me think less of you?"
 * Jane_Shepard tenses a little, obviously worried. "It's... complicated."
 * Anthony_Hartman grins, "You're not gonna tell me you're like a serial murderer or anything are you?"
 * Jane_Shepard shakes her head. "It isn't anything I did. It's... what I am."
 * Anthony_Hartman takes her hand, "I promise, I won't think any less of you. No matter what it is."
 * Jane_Shepard looks up at him, and sighs. "I guess... in simplest terms... you could say I'm a clone."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "What? Seriously?
 * Anthony_Hartman grins. "Holy crap, that's awesome."
 * Jane_Shepard blinks. "Awesome?"
 <Anthony_Hartman> "I figured there was something different about oyu, but I didn't think it'd be that cool."
 * Jane_Shepard says "I'm a clone of Nina Shepard. And..." she stops, biting her lip.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Yeah, you two DO look almost exactly alike. But if you're a clone, why would you have different hair and eye colors?"
 "I may not pay attention in biology, but I thought that stuff was determined by genetics."
 * Jane_Shepard nods slowly. "The... sample of Nina's DNA was... contaminated."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Oh? By what?"
 * Jane_Shepard pauses for a long moment. "Evangelion Unit 02."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Wait...so...did Unit 02 EAT Nina or something like that?"
 "It's not gonna try and eat me too, is it?"
 * Jane_Shepard shrugs. "I don't know. I know there was an accident. It was before my time... obviously."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "R-right."
 "Well, if it helps, now Unit 02 scares me."
 * Jane_Shepard says "You don't need to be afraid, I think." Jane smiles. "After all, I like you, so it must like you too."
 * Anthony_Hartman smiles, "Ok, if you say so."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Doesn't that make you jealous though?"
 * Jane_Shepard giggles. "Well, you do keep putting your entry plug inside her..."
 * Anthony_Hartman grins, "Oh? Would you rather it was you?"
 * Jane_Shepard smiles. "Maybe."
 * Anthony_Hartman leans in close, "Oh really?"
 * Jane_Shepard sits up a bit, and kisses Tony, then settles back down.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "I don't know what's come over you, but I think I like it."
 * Anthony_Hartman kisses her back.
 * Jane_Shepard says "I'm just... at peace with myself," Jane says, smiling.
 <Anthony_Hartman> "Good to know. I was a bit worried the way you've been acting the last couple weeks."
 * Jane_Shepard says "When things are... settled again, we should go out and do something together."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "All four of us?"
 * Jane_Shepard nods.
 says "I... want to be friends with Ai and James."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "So you're not Jealous of Ai anymore?"
 * Jane_Shepard says "I... still am. But..." She looks up off to the side for a long moment, then nods, apparently to herself. "...If I don't try, I'll just stay angry forever."
 <Anthony_Hartman> "That's a very mature decision you know. I'm proud of you."
 * Jane_Shepard closes her eyes. "If I don't try to keep people close to me... it would be very lonely here..." she drifts off to drug-fueled sleep.
 * Anthony_Hartman thinks, ...Lonely. Maybe they're more alike that I thought.