Unexpected Payoffs...

"You're serious?" Elrondir blinked, looking at both Dr. Akagis as if awaiting a punchline to a poor joke. "The Chaos Energy actually had done something GOOD and fixed the damage caused by Second Impact?!"

"As unbelievable as it is that is how it turned out," Dr. Ritsuko Akagi says, glancing up from a printout. "Given every negative result we'd survived with each Chaos Event I'm more than a bit amazed myself but here it is."

She waves at several articles and reports from across the reshaped globe. Antartica was now back and again frozen in ice. The world's axis was now back to what it had been before the First Angel named Adam messed things up. Climate changes back to pre-Second Impact conditions (which meant a LOT of people had to buy coats now . . . what with it being winter and all that here in Japan). Even the submerged cultivated land, infrastructure, and cities had been restored to something approaching usable. This was good because this Earth had again six billion people upon it!

Those killed in Second Impact were still dead but the loss in numbers had been made up by the inclusion of those from Lilith's Earth. While not exactly the most modern and luxurious of accommodation, the slightly dated cities and such would do for their needs. At least that need had been met: shelter. Everything else was pretty much too scrambled up and shaken up by events for anyone from that other Earth to object too strongly to this world's UN stepping in and . . . taking the reigns of power what with the current power vacuum and all that left over from events (off screen) from Lilith's Earth.

Lilith's SEELE had been MOST messily lynched after having been mistaken for this world's SEELE by enraged mobs, you see.

Last word was that most of those left from SEELE and the fellow co- conspirators had either surrendered themselves after word of THAT got out. Those left either were still in deep (and I mean DEEP) hiding. That or had found themselves buried next to some guy named Jimmy Hoffa.

Still, not everything was smelling of roses. While it had done a lot of GOOD things, a lot of STRANGE things had been birthed by the Events as well. The most prominent was the large number of the human communities from both Earths found themselves transformed into various "furries" and creatures of myth who insisted that this is how they had always been after willingly subjected themselves to "genemods" and such.

Was a load of drek and didn't hold water, but the technology (which appeared from nowhere) was out and widespread . . . and commercially a hot new market. So much so that even the most conservative factions within the UN could do nothing more than grind their teeth when it was decided that the bulk of the charges facing Dr. Ritsuko Akagi should be dropped. It had to be being that the bulk of her crimes had dealt with violations of the bane on human cloning and genetic experimentation. With the new genemod market out there, doing money hand over fist (and not listening to orders to halt) . . . why bother? It would be . . . pointless. Besides, they had much bigger fish to fry (or hang depending on outcome of trials) in the Gendo Akaris and various SEELE people who were in custody.

All fine and well, but . . .

"Well, if nothing else after I do a bit more of . . . community service with Elrondir here I guess I will have NO problem finding work after NERV closes down," Ritsuko deadpans, rolling her eyes slightly. "This must be the third email from some Dr. Hashimoto of 'The Body Shop' who wants to hire me! Seems to have good things about me from somewhere, somehow!"

She wads up the email printout and throws it into the garbage, clearly not interested. She'd gone into the field of meta-biology (amongst other science disciplines) for better reasons than to waste her time (and talent) on such . . . a banal career field.

She didn't approve of it and neither did a lot of NERV personnel, but that's as an aside.

"Though the job market doesn't exactly look good right now anyway anywhere else for us dear," the elder Dr. Akagi sighs, half heartedly scanning her resume she'd pulled up from somewhere.

Not only was working for NERV going to be the kiss of death for a lot of job interviews (word gets around about what happened here) even IF one wasn't involved in the darker aspects of it, for the elder Dr. Akagi she found that having pulled forward in time by almost a decade put a serious dent in her career opportunites. A lot was needed to keep abreast in her field and a lot had advanced (due in large part to her daughter, as it stood).

The elder Dr. Akagi was proud of her daughter but . . .she was finding out that she was way behind the curve here.

"Hm, I might be able to help with that," Elrondir says, after sighing in silent relief that the Akagis didn't feel like hooking up with Hashimoto. The name might be a coincidence but he did recall a similar sounding named doctor (within the same field) from Game 3. Last he had heard that doctor had been transformed into a brainless bimbo by some magical water during one of the Quests that Jarlath's group had gone on, but it might have worn off.

Best to steer clear of such business, whatever the case. Kind of like asking for trouble, otherwise.

"Uh . . .perhaps but I'm not sure about this business about us actually being what you call 'techno-mages'," Dr. Ritsuko Akagi says doubtfully. "I mean we're scientist, Elrondir. No offense, but frankly I've never pulled a rabbit out a hat, much less actually cast any magic spells."

"But have you at least tried that cantrip I showed you?" Elrondir continued, trying to wheedle his way into them taking his job offer. Though the cantrips didn't necessarily belong wholly in the 'techno-mage' school of magery, it was imminently usable by the Akagis.

They'd tested positive for the "magery" genes, he'd discovered after they'd asked for a test on a whim.

"We could always use a few extra talents back home who can actually wrap their mind around combining science and magic together," the elfin male continues. "And despite protest to the contrary I fear that due to things changing in axioms or whatever after coming here it means that what had been just a field of science got muddled together, making you at least scholarly experts of that field of magic. Could you at least humor me?"

The Akagis look at each other and then the elder sighs, deciding to take the plunge if only to humor the elf. She places certain things in place to prepare. Concentrating (actually trying to talk herself) on actually believing she could do it, she then opens her eyes and casts a half hearted, sloppy casting. She had been hoping to cast it upon the resume she'd pretty much given up on, hoping to incinerate it and be done with it.

"JESUS!!" Ritsuko Akagi and Naoko Akagi scream in fright as the wastepaper basket besides both of them bursts into flame. It is quickly put out quickly enough, but the NERV scientists are still a bit shaken by it.

“I . . . actually felt it flow through me when I did it,” Naoko blinks, suddenly understanding what had gone on. “I actually did . . . magic.”

“Yes you did at that,” Elrondir agreed in a somewhat strained voice as he put back the fire extinquisher. “But next time perhaps a bit more effort in control may be in order?”

“Could I try that?” Ritsuko blinks, wanting to see for herself.

More serious effort gets much better results from both Akagis this time around. Smiling a bit at each other, they find they both rather . . . enjoyed that. Grounded as they are in the rational, this has a mad appeal to them. Besides, it’s a whole new world to explore and experience first hand for them AND would get them away from those who’d make their lives a spectacle. Too much was known about their lives and NERV in general by that other Earth that Dr. Gordon Freeman haled from and soon enough something would slip out . . . and then no privacy at ALL for the Akagis unless they moved away (off planet at the least).

“I’ll pass along the resumes to the head of my House,” Elrondir says after taking both of their resumes. “I’ll also pass along some good words about your good character, but I believe it is, as they say back Home, a slam dunk.”

“Especially after I share with them what we learned from today’s examination of the personality elements left behind by that other Dr. Naoko Akagi in the Magi computers,” Elrondir mutters, remembering the shouts of anger the elder Akagi had given upon what she’d seen especially in “Casper”. Casper (both the anime version and the anime one) held Dr. Naoko Akagi’s personality as a woman. while perhaps not the best of people, the living Dr. Naoko Akagi had found what had been left in Casper to be most . . .petty and spiteful. Murderous even in her jealousy.

In other words, just the kind of person who’d strangle a little girl in anger over having been told the truth about being used by Commander Gendo Akari. While not exactly an expert in “personality transfer”, he could garner enough info on what he saw of the backup copies of the anime Magi Casper that told a tale about the differences between the living and the dead Naoko. Mostly, it said that she wasn’t the best of people as a woman but hardly the murdering kind.

The process had been . . . difficult (Casper did not want to be . . . reformatted), but with help from her daughter it had happened. Well worth the time and effort, considering that one does NOT want a murderer in charge of things like life-support and such in the Geo-front. It had been obedient enough now, but strange things had been known to happen with this level of super computer. A wrong surge here and the wrong pushed button there and BOOM: free willed computer!

Well, it wasn’t that easy, but you get the idea. And after all the insanity that had happened today those within NERV very much felt like not taking chances and ignoring warnings from the Champions about such matters!!

Honestly, the Champions had more than a few people VERY spooked here. Point in fact the Akagis were still a bit spooked about them, but then again each had been rather spooked about everything today (up to and including about the apparent dead actually not being so dead after all: i.e. the elder Akagi being still alive and kicking).

That said, however....

“On another note how are the patients doing?” Elrondir asks, changing the subject after stowing away the resumes for later delivery. “Are Asuka and Shinji up and about and has anyone heard anything about . . . . Nadia?”

“Tabris is still talking with her over that com channel you managed to set up through our link her at NERV up to the Enterprise,” Ritsuko says, glancing off to the side at the room where the red eyed pilot was holed up in. “Don’t know much about it but something tells me that the same events and entities who brought HIM back here also had effected her as well.

“She looked a bit shocked to being the age she had been when she got . . . transgendered,” Dr. Akagi (senior) explains, remembering the young dark skinned woman on the static ridden video screen she’d glimpsed at the beginning of the conversation.

“Got up and out of bed and down to the chapel right after opening their eyes practically,” the blonde doctor sighed. “Injuries or not they were . . . most insistent. Shinji especially, I’m afraid.”

Elrondir didn’t look all that surprised. Marriage at 15 was LEGAL in this world, what with after losing 3 billion people and desiring to bolster (until now) still dwindling population somehow. Also, after having learned that it had been Shinji in control during one rather brutal Angel battle where he’d gotten actually absorbed into his Eva unit for a time, it didn’t surprise him at all. IN that particular battle he’d gotten so angered at what that weird, accordion paper armed freak had done to his fellow Eva pilots he’d gone ballistic. After his Eva had gone berserk and he’d been absorbed, he’d apparently been in control enough that it had been HIM commanding his Eva to actual . . . eat the defeated but still living Angel. The marriage was going to be legal and with an aggressive Shinji teaming up with an aggressive red haired woman named Asuka . . . the base chaplain (or whatever) better snap too it!

. . .

Had nearly caused Elrondir to lose his lunch having witnessed live videos of the event. Much more disturbing to see it in living color than in a cartoon shall we say.

“Mated pair of dragons,” Elrondir nodded knowingly. “Even returned to human couldn’t erase the bond.”

Didn’t surprise him, after all. After living for so long with those of the draconian persuasion he’s somewhat familiar with their . . . quirks.

“I’m just surprised that their transformation had been good enough to actually CAUSE it,” Elrondir sighed, mentally racking up another set of names to add to the ‘Eye meets Eye’ list of “victims” he’d known over his short life.

“Should have heard the squawk of protest that your friend Misato gave for having practically jumping right in front of her and that scruffy boyfriend of hers,” the elder Akagi chuckled slightly. “Almost felt sorry for them for having to wait in line to be married.”

Naoko then frowned slightly, looking at Ritsuko.

“I should add that I am more than a bit . . . disappointed in your friend for having not at least invited you down to the event, even IF you’d been rather busy,” the elder Akagi says, looking at her daughter. “Dear, has something happened between you two because I sensed a kind of . . .strained silence between you both. Before I knew you were close friends, dear. What? Did that bastard Gendo do something to put you both at odds.”

Elrondir mutters (under his breath) something about filling holes in life with cats and excuses himself from the room. He knows that at this time and place the friendship between Misato and Ritsuko had become more formality if anything but felt not at all qualified at playing referee here.

He comes up short as he practically runs straight into some of the elves from the Dawntreader who in turn had practically cornered his wife, asking her questions about what elfin life was like on Terra Prime. They’d been waiting patiently for this chance and had been polite, at first.

At first, they’d only had faint hope that these strange, alien elves would have news of anything different than that which had befallen their kind on their home world. Might as well face their fate with dignity (and good manners). Imagine the shock and delight upon hearing the upswing in population (and general fortune) for elves on Terra Prime. IN their happiness they . . . forget themselves and their manners and are now rather trying B’Elanna’s patience (not a good idea), pestering her with all kinds of eager questions.

“May I recommend that you kindly refrain from crowding my wife?” Elrondir asked the crowd pointedly. “She and I for the matter don’t react too kindly to such treatment, please.”

As the elves blink, and cough a bit in embarrassment at their behavior. The questions still come, but politely this time. Since they are polite (if eager), B’Elanna and Elrondir gladly answer until both of them find their PDAs (handly little Military, multifunctional devices) are calling for attention.

. . .

They have been paged, each with some rather interesting “ringtones” to call attention to that fact . The “ringtone” that Elrondir has for his PDA was most . . . unexpected to the elves, who’d only sampled such music before from various Tokyo 3 humans who were “metalheads” as they called themselves.

Honestly, it was an aquired taste that they never bothered to get, even IF the music from the band called Alice in Chains was one of the better brands out there...

“Here,” Elrondir says reaching into a pouch and pulling out a business card. “Use that subspace frequency and as for the elfin consolate for my nation. They’ll tell you all the details needed in arranging immigration for you all and such. Wish I could stay and talk more but . . . duty calls.”

“Your no longer alone,” B’Elanna reassures the elves before leaving. “We’ll not leave you behind, promise.”

After that, reading the text message sent them they meet the others in a conference room nearby.

Elrondir draws up short as he sees Mina giving the white haired woman known as Lilith an embrace that he’s seen only given to those very close to her (ala family).

Tell me we didn’t just pick up another stray, he thinks to himself, looking over and up at Alan in askance.

“Thank you Mother,” Lilith whispers, crying a little bit from emotional overload.

1. “O-Kaaay, what did we miss now?” Chiana asks, looking over at the Quatermains.

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