2022-07-12: Moderator Record – A1.07.12.96
Cutscene: Moderator Record – A1.07.12.96
Cast: Ouka Nagisa, Aguila Setme, Cuervo Cero
Where: Undisclosed School Facility - Moderator Room
Date: July 12th, UC 96 (July 12th, 2022)
Summary: Ouka Nagisa is a kind, gentle soul... but her mind is not her own. When the emotional toll of her existence proves too taxing to her, Dr. Aguila Setme provides a cure - but at what cost?
It's not a wholly novel experience for Ouka Nagisa, Aurum-1, to awaken within the fluid-filled confines of a clear tube. Her elbows and knees are bolted down, her body clad only in the Moderator connection harness with its matching helmet weighing down atop her head. Her brain feels hazy, her limbs stiff, her torso sore. She can't remember how she ended up here. The last thing she remembers... she was planning the final details of a trip to Tsutsujidai with Rei Ayanami and Asuka Shikinami Langley?
A sharp pain lances through her brain when she thinks of Asuka. Not Rei, just Asuka. Why? Did something happen to her? She can't remember but she feels like something... more pain. A pained gasp, she releases some of the few remaining bubbles in her airway into the medium of the tube. Voices begin creeping in...
"She's been restored to her last stable backup. Per your direction I placed some deterrents on the C-level regarding the disruptive subject." The voice is that of a man. She recognizes him: Dr. Cero. She tries to understand what he's saying but for some reason the words slip through her cognitive grasp like a fading dream.
Another voice, this one feminine yet raspy. Dr. Setme. "Excellent. And it appears that she is recovering well from the implanting of subdermal thoracic leads. Vitals are stable. We'll proceed with the operation, initializing at the S1 Level." Following those words, Ouka feels the Moderator interfacing with her. The conscious world melts further away, and she is locked in a place between awake and sleep.
"Aurum One." A voice rasps across her mind, causing her to shudder. "Aurum One. You were involved in an incident, a confrontation, with the Second Child." Asuka, Ouka thinks, they were involved in an incident? A confrontation? Why... what happened? She wants to know. She wants to understand. But attempting to grasp more into her own memories merely causes her more pain...
... "Yes, that one." The voice whispers, sounding pleased. "She had become a threat to your mission. Her actions a danger to both you and the First Child. You were planning to inform her of your displeasure." Was that... why? She can't remember what happened on the mission. Had Asuka done something wrong? It's true, Asuka was prone to independent action that often put herself in danger but rarely did things that put others in harm's way.
"She is flawed. She is faulty. She is who you are there to replace. The world does not need a Child as ill-behaved as her when it can have Boosted Children piloting Evangelions. That's what you were going to tell her."
Her mind recoils in horror at this. No... no this isn't right, that's not something she would have said to Asuka. Even for all her faults... she recognized how hard she tried. How hard she fought. And how she tried to take everything upon herself, even when it was clear she needed help. True, the two have had their antagonistic moments. She even slapped her once... in defense of Seolla. But to say something like this? No... no it couldn't have been what she wanted to do.
"Tsk... interfacing at S2." The voice rasps, and Ouka feels her conscious mind slipping even further from her. The thoughts she just had... slipping away through the murk. "The Second Child is nothing to you. An irritant to you and Bronzo-27, a flawed pilot, and a poor soldier. There is no point wasting your time and energy on her. It will only serve to jeopardize you and your mission."
Ouka tries to resist the narrative being imprinted over top of her... but at this level it's hard to even remember what she was trying to resist? She remembers... yes... she remembers Asuka's cruel mocking of Seolla. Her refusal to even use her name. The smug look on her face after the she struck her. Who is this girl, to her? Why should she even care... she can't remember... she can't remember.
"She is expendable."
Yes... if the Second Child was gone, it would only make matters simpler for herself and Seolla. Even Rei and Kaworu seem to only tolerate her at best, and Shinji often throws himself into harm’s way trying to save her from herself. Yes. This all makes sense. It all makes sense... and she's so tired. She just wants to sleep...
...
"There. She is adapting to the memory imprinting. Once she is done with two REM cycles, we should be ready to resume her normal schedule." Aguila's tone is smug, even as she looks at Cuervo's face. As usual he looks like he might be sick to his stomach. Such a weak-willed little fool. Really his fault for treating them like people, even go so far as to give them /names/. But even someone like him has his uses.
"You can take care of the rest." She says offhand. He'll let him play pretend with the doll, if it makes him feel better. Her work is done for now.