Chapter Eight
"You're joking." Mat said. Misato simply shook her head. "You're serious? You're telling me that that little girl is the pilot of the Evangelion?"
"That's right." Misato replied. "In fact, you should probably thank her." Mat looked at Misato for a second, before walking over to the table where Rei sat. He pulled up a chair across from the blue-haired girl, and sat down, before turning to face her.
*cue Ayanami Rei*
"Hey, uh, thanks." Mat said. "Ya know, for saving our village."
"Why?" Rei asked, her voice almost a whisper.
"Wha... what?" Mat asked, understandably confused. "It's just... well... you..."
"Why are you thanking me for saving a village, when I didn't? Emond's Field was destroyed in the battle."
"Because you just saved all our lives. Sure, the buildings are gone, but we're all here, thanks to you."
"No, you aren't." Rei replied. "Many villagers died in the Trolloc attack. I did not save the whole village."
Mat stood dumbfounded. He had seen many things before in his life, and had heard the stories told by wandering Gleemen, Ferengi merchants, Space Wolf recruiters, and all other sorts of unusual people who had come into Emond's Field over the years. Not to mention the recent battle with the Trollocs. But nothing could prepare him for Rei Ayanami. Here was a 14-year-old girl who spoke just louder than a whisper, had naturally blue hair, and would refuse to take credit for saving the village, in a bizzare mix of literalism and self-denial.
"Well then, thanks for saving those of us who you could." Rei looked at Mat, locking eyes with him for a few seconds, before turning back to window, gazing at the starfield. Mat walked away, shuddering. "What the hell is wrong with that girl?" He asked. Rand and Perrin exchanged a brief glance, wondering exactly the same thing. Misato sighed.
"You knew that would happen, didn't you?" Rand asked.
"Not fully." Misato replied.
"What do you mean, 'not fully'?"
"Well, you see, Rei's always been a bit... um..."
"Cold?" Mat asked. Rand punched him in the arm.
"Distant." Misato finished. "But lately she's been opening up. A little." Rand, Mat, and Perrin exchanged glances, before looking right at Misato.
"She's been opening up?" Mat asked, incredulous. "What was she like before opening up?"
"Look, can we talk about this later?" Misato asked. "There are more impor-"
"
Sickbay to Rand al'Thor." A masculine voice said over the intercom.
"Rand here." Rand said, pressing the combadge that had been issued to him when he was brought aboard
Voyager.
"
Come here immediately. You're father has begun to talk about things concerning you. Things you should hear."
"I'm on my way." Rand said, nearly bolting out the door of the galley, and into a turbolift. "Sickbay." He told the turbolift's computer.
"So," Mat began. "Where exactly are we going?"
"Sarceron." Misato replied.
"Sarceron?" Mat asked. "What's there?"
"We're going to Sarceron to pick up another person, and after that, Earth."
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Rand rushed into the sickbay to find a bald man running medical scans over his father. The man turned to face him.
"Ah, Rand. Just in time." From the way he talked, Rand could tell that it was urgent. "Come over here." Rand walked over towards Tam, who lay halfway unconscious on the biobed. "He just started talking two minutes ago, mentioning stuff to someone named 'Kari'. Do you have any idea who that is?"
Rand shot up to face the doctor.
"Kari... that was my mother's name." He said.
"Well, that certainly does explain a lot."
"Dragonmount." Tam began. "On Dragonmount, just after the battle... One of the corpses... a woman. Just gave birth. Baby... boy. Couldn't let him die. Brought him home... just after you got back from working at Gehirn. What do you think Kari? We always wanted a son. Name him... Rand."