Doctor Who: The Evangelion Error (Book Two)

E9 Part 7: Lonely Stranger

She looked back to Rei. "And who's they? What are these things? Can you really... I don't know... possess them or something?

Rei stared into the distance over the towel's edge. "If I die, I can be replaced."

"Yeah..." The Doctor swallowed and looked away. To Shinji, he seemed to be regarding his own reflection in the glass. "I know the feeling..."

Misato looked back and forth between the two of them, then sighed. "Do you have another one of those?" She pointed to Rei's towel, then to her closed eye. "I don't know if you can tell, but this really sucks."

"Oh, right. Here." The Doctor pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and handed it to Misato. She spit on it and started rubbing her eye. He winced and turned back to the girl. "Rei, I'm sorry. I can only guess how far we've already pushed you. But there's something else I need to know.

"Your memory unit up there." The Doctor motioned towards the brain above them. "It's not just shaped like that for show, is it?"

Rei paused. She slowly lowered the towel and carefully folded it in her hands. "... no," she finally said.

Shinji glanced at the Doctor. "So what does that mean?"

"It means that that's Lilith's brain," the Doctor said grimly. "Ripped out of her skull. Taken apart and scanned for information. Then pieced back together again artificially. It's a primitive neural mapping technique. Serial sectioning, they call it. Guh." He shook his head with a disgusted growl. "Assured me it was autonomic, did he... that's how your dad knew. They must've only left her with the brainstem.

"But all that's just lead-up. Here's the big question." The Doctor fixed Rei with a piercing look. "Rei... are you Lilith?"

"Wait, what?!" Misato snapped her head up from behind the handkerchief.

Rei stood completely still. For a moment, it was almost enough to make Shinji wonder if she, too, could only move when out of sight.

"Rei, answer him." Misato said, an edge in her voice. "That's an order."

"Oy!" The Doctor shot her a disapproving glare. "Don't force her! A little sensitivity, thanks?!"

Rei cast her eyes down. "No."

The room fell silent. After a moment or so, the Doctor raised an eyebrow. "Just... no?"

Rei sighed. "That was the hope when I was created. But if any information remains within the Chamber of Guf, I have no conscious access to it."

The Doctor nodded thoughtfully.

"Okay, so no memories." Misato narrowed her eyes. "What does that make you, though? What are you? Human or Angel?"

Rei looked away. "I don't know."

"Guess."

"Both." She shrugged. "Neither."

"What does that even mean?!" Misato moved one hand to her gun in its holster.

"It means she's something new." The Doctor stepped in front of her. "And that's enough, Captain. She's told you everything she can."

Misato opened her mouth as if to say something. Shinji stepped towards her, his hands held out. "Maybe -- um. Maybe we should save this for a day where we haven't been running for our lives?..."

She hesistated, then sighed and let her arms drop to her side. "Yeah, all right, all right..." She rubbed her eye with the handkerchief, then looked back to the Doctor. "Can you help me blank the security footage in this room? I think there might be active cameras in here."