The Recruit Chapter 1: The Prospect, a ghost in the shell fanfic

Disclaimer: Ghost in the Shell was created by Shirow Masamune. GitS:SAC is the property of Bandai Entertainment. GitS: SAC-2ndGIG is the property of Manga Video. Neon Genesis Evangelion was created by Studio GAINAX and is the property of ADV Films in the United States. I own nothing and am simply writing this story for the enjoyment of my readers.

GitS/Eva: The Recruit

Assumptions: Third Impact was averted. The Angel Wars were successfully covered up but by Seele and the UN. Cybernetic technology was in full swing even before the Angel Wars. Section 9 is still in tact and functioning after the events of 2nd Gig along with all of its members.

Description: Inspired by Episode 11 (Affection), the war was started to conceal NERV's battle with the Angels. Tokyo3 has been destroyed, Tokyo2 has been renamed New Tokyo, and is eventually simply called Tokyo, and everyone from NERV who is still alive has moved on with their lives. Asuka lives in Berlin and is the editor-in-chief of a German political/fashion magazine. Shinji lives in Vancouver and is an insurance adjuster. And Rei, after attending the military academy, and serving 5 years in the Japanese Military with honors, is now an Operative with the Special Intelligence Unit, which answers to the Treasury Department and investigates counterfeiting and illegal bank transactions. But the SIU does not pose enough of a challenge for the former Eva pilot and she seeks a new challenge. But will her past keep her from fulfilling her goal?

Chapter 1: The Prospect

Batou flipped through the stack of applicants, his usual dark demeanor amplified by what he read in each. "No… No… No… Get real! … No… No… You got to be kidding me! … No… No… NO!"

"Problem, Boss?" Togusa walked into the room carrying two cups of coffee and deposited one on the table next to his fellow Section 9 agent.

"These applicants are a joke. I thought the bunch we tested awhile back were bad. At least they were worth putting through some training to test them." He held up the stack of papers in his hand. "These losers aren't even worth the time of day." He tossed the papers across the conference table and grabbed the cup, taking a big gulp of the steaming brew.

"They can't all be that bad." Togusa slowly reorganized the pile using only one hand while he sipped his coffee, then sat against the table and started flipping through them himself.

One by one, he tossed each application aside. The glib early-morning expression he had had on his face when he first walked into the room slowly turned as dark as Batou's. "Gosh, you're right, there's not a worthy candidate among them." He tossed the second to last aside, then started skimming over the final one in the pile. After a minute of reading his spirits rose. "Wait a minute. What about this one?" He flipped the page and continued to read. "First in her class at the military academy. Earned seven commendations in her five years in the service. Special Intelligence Unit operative for the past four years, she's received ten commendations during that time: fluent in seven languages, proficient in the use of over 30 firearms, code-breaking skills, hacking skills. She's got it all."

"Here, let me see that."

Togusa handed the file over.

"Hmmm, pretty impressive." Batou flipped through the rest of the file. "How'd I miss this one?" He flipped it back to the first page. "Rei Ayanami. … Wait a minute." Batou spotted what had stopped him from reading the rest of her file earlier. "She's already thirty-years old. Her best years are behind her."

"Are you saying you're already over the hill, Boss?" Togusa grinned then took another sip of his coffee.

"No, Wiseass! What I'm saying is that by the time she goes through the initial training – assuming she passes the qualification test – then competes the team training, then learns the ropes from the rest of us, she'll only be giving us eight, maybe ten good years before she'll be forced to resign, assuming she makes it that long. We look to get twelve to fifteen years out of a new recruit at a minimum." Batou tossed the application on top of the others.

"Does she have a prosthetic body? If she does, then it won't matter how old she is." Togusa picked the file back up and started scanning it again.

"It doesn't say in there," Batou answered, taking another long drink of the black elixir.

"It doesn't say anything. Maybe they left it out." The younger agent stood up. "Why don't we check it out? Considering her qualifications, don't you think it's worth the effort?" He took a few steps towards the door, then looked back to see if his comrade was following him.

Batou just stared at him for a moment, then grudgingly got up off his chair. "I guess." He reached over and picked up the applicant's file. "Beats having to look through the rest of those files again."

(000)

In the systems and analysis room, Batou and Togusa stood on either side of the analysis android as she entered in the key data and brought up the files on Special Intelligence Operative, Rei Ayanami. A moment later, the information appeared on the screen.

"No way!" Batou shouted.

"She looks like a kid. It must be a prosthetic body," Togusa assumed.

"Negative, sir," the android replied. "According to the data, Special Operative Ayanami has had some prosthetic enhancements, which include: bone densifiers, lung optimizers, and a number of brain enhancements, but her body is organic and original."

"It's got to be a screw up. She's supposed to be thirty-years old, the woman in that picture looks no more than… " Batou analyzed the picture and tried to place an age to it.

"Fifteen, maybe sixteen?" Togusa completed the thought.

"At most. This has got to be somebody's idea of a joke."

"Do we know Miss Ayanami's current location?" Togusa asked the android.

"Yes, sir," she answered. "She is currently at SIU Headquarters and has just left a conference room. She is now engaged in conversation with several fellow operatives in the third floor walkway, overlooking the main lobby."

"Is there a surveillance camera we can access?" Batou asked.

"Just one moment, sir." The android's fingers flew over her keypad and a moment later the monitor showed four SIU operatives standing along the walkway talking.

"Zoom in on the female," Togusa instructed and an instant later they had a close up of the woman in question. "Oh my god."

"No shit."

(000)

At the end of the morning briefing, Batou tossed a file in front of the Major.

"What's this?" She looked at the file and focused in on the picture in the right hand corner. "Are you planning on adopting a teenage girl, Batou?" Everyone laughed.

"That's no teenager. Her name is Rei Ayanami, and she's thirty-years old," the square-jawed cyborg replied.

"Thirty? You're kidding. She doesn't look a day over fifteen." Motoko started reading the file.

"I know, but Togusa and I checked her out. She currently works over at SIU and we double-checked, using one of their surveillance cameras. No joke, she looks just like her picture. A bit more mature maybe, but that was probably the suit she was wearing. Those SIU guys always like to overdress."

"Say, Major, let's take a look." Pazu held out his hand and she tossed him the file. Looking at the picture, he whistled. "What a babe."

Ishikawa looked over his shoulder as he walked past. "Pazu, you pedophile." Boma and Saito laughed, and even Motoko smiled.

"Hey! Says right here…" He pointed. "She's thirty years old," Pazu said in his own defense. "How does that make me a pedophile?"

"It's not how old she is that makes you a pedophile, it's how old she looks," Ishikawa answered. "And she looks like she's barely out of diapers."

Everyone laughed this time. Pazu glared at the older agent and flipped him the bird, which only make Ishikawa laugh all the more.

"So, Major, what do you think?" Batou asked.

"I don't know. Most of our recruits are from the JSDF Special Forces, and are full cyborgs." She grabbed the file back from Pazu. "She's still mostly human." She read the rest of the file. "And tiny."

"I know, but something tells me this kid could be something special," Batou countered.

"Is that your ghost talking, or are you just looking to show off your training abilities?" the Major shot back.

"Hey! You know I would never risk someone's life just to show off." He paused. "Yeah, I feel it in my ghost. I think she's got the stuff."

"If you think she's got what it takes, put her through the training. We'll give her ten days. After that, we'll test her. If she passes, great; if not, we'll have invested less then two weeks."

"Sounds like a plan," Togusa agreed.

(000)

A young woman with light-blue hair poked her head into her boss's office. "You wanted to see me, SOC?"

The Special Operative in Charge looked up from his mountain of paperwork. "Ah, yes, Miss Ayanami. Please come in."

She nodded and walked into his office.

"Would you please close the door?" he added.

Doing so, she walked over and took a seat in front of his desk.

"Miss Ayanami, I'll get right to the point. It appears your application to Section Nine has been accepted." He picked up a letter from his desk and offered it to her. Rei leaned forward and took the letter, reading it carefully while still listening to her superior.

"It's only temporary, mind you, until you complete their initial training and pass their admittance test, but knowing you, Miss Ayanami, that should only be a formality." He smiled.

"When does it take effect?" Rei asked without looking up.

"You are to report to Yokota Military Base, near Fussa City at 8 am the day after tomorrow. You can use the rest of today to gather your personal belongings and turn over your caseload to Mr. Sato, Mr. Watanabe, Mr. Miyaki, and Miss Sakamoto. While tomorrow will be your last day officially, you can consider it a vacation day. Use it to clear your head of everything you had going on here and to prepare yourself for your new assignment." He rose and walked over to her. "On a personal note, this unit won't be the same without you, Miss Ayanami. Your dedication to service and unique abilities will be difficult if not impossible to replace." He extended his hand to her.

The young looking woman stood and accepted his hand. "Thank you, sir. It has been an honor to work under your command."

Rei walked out of the SOC's office and over to her own. Picking up the cardboard box that was used for paper recyclables, she looked about for any personal effects. There were none. Most of her colleagues had pictures of family members or group pictures taken after a particularly successful assignment on their desks or atop their cabinets. Some hung the few commendations they received on the wall. Rei's walls were bare, and aside from office supplies and piles of case files, there was nothing of a personal nature on her desk or cabinet.

Walking over to the cabinet, she checked each drawer. The top three were filled with case files and assorted reference materials. The bottom drawer had the ten commendations she had earned while with the SIU. Taking them out one at a time, she looked at them and read the framed letters, allowing herself a moment to reminisce on each case. The Kamegashi Case, only her third case as a member of the SIU. A multi-national corporation involved in counterfeiting on a global scale. The Yamashiro Case, a banking scam perpetuated by the vice-president of the second largest back in Australia. Extraditing the criminal was painstaking and slow but in the end Rei brought him to justice and helped save the Japanese banking system from collapse. The Kogohiro Case, a small case by comparison to her others, but three other operatives had died investigating the notorious art-dealer who used gullible, aspiring artists to counterfeit works of art. Not something the SIU normally investigated but did in conjunction with the Ministry of Art. Two other agents were seriously wounded but survived because Rei managed to kill the criminal before he could finish them off.

After placing the last commendation in the box, she sat at her desk and stared down at the middle drawer. She knew it was the only one that held anything of a personal nature. Pulling it open, Rei reached in and took out a 5 by 7 framed picture. It was the one item she took with her wherever she went. She used to keep it on her desk but got tired of the questions it generated, even though she never offered any answers.

She ran her fingers over the picture. It was old, nearly sixteen years old. In it, three fourteen year olds stood next to each other, staring at the camera. The redhead with a big, happy grin stood on the left. The picture was taken shortly after her arrival to Tokyo3, before she learned to hate Rei with every fiber of her being. Rei stood on the right, her face as expressionless as always back then. I should have smiled, she thought. It would have been the appropriate thing to do. Then she looked at the boy in the middle. He had a nervous grin and the start of a blush upon his cheeks. Remembering what had caused that reaction made her smile.

"Smile, Shinji. You're standing between your two girlfriends after all," his purple-haired guardian teased, right before taking the picture.

Rei ran her fingers over the picture again. "Asuka, Shinji… where are you now?" It would have been an easy enough thing for her to find out, but in truth, the question was a rhetorical one. She preferred not knowing, that way she could assume they had found rich, fulfilling lives, wherever they were. She released a gentle sigh and placed the picture face down in the box.

"So, this is finally it, huh?"

Rei looked up and saw her fellow female operative, Maaya Sakamoto, standing at the doorway. "I am afraid so." Rei offered her friend a faint smile.

"I don't know how this agency's supposed to carry on without you, Rei." The young 27-year old shook her head and walked next to the desk, leaning up next to it. "Seven operatives and you handle a full third of our case load yourself."

"By the way, the SOC instructed me to notify you that you are now responsible for my case load," Rei informed her.

"WHAT? I can barely handle the cases I already have!" The younger woman panicked. Rei gestured silently for her to lower her voice. "Is he nuts?" the dark-haired woman whispered.

Rei's eyes sparked just a bit. "Oh, did I fail to mention, you would be sharing my case load with Satakeshi, Kei, and Keniichi?"

Maaya turned red faced and her lips puffed out. "Oh, Rei! Why do you have to be like that?"

Rei offered her colleague a faint smile. "Because it is so easy to deceive you."

The woman scowled. "Fine! Just for that, we're not taking you out tonight."

"Tonight?" Rei tilted her head.

Maaya's anger dissipated almost instantly. "Yeah, we're taking you to Ten-ichi in Ginza. I hear they make the best tempura in all of Tokyo." She smiled.

"Ten-ichi? Is it not expensive there?"

"Don't worry about it. We've got you covered and you're worth the expense, trust me." Maaya winked. "And afterwards, we're taking you to karaoke."

"Maaya." Rei shook her head. "I cannot go…"

"Why not?"

"Because… I must prepare for my new assignment."

"You have all day tomorrow for that. And don't say you can't sing."

"I cannot sing."

"Liar! You have a great singing voice. Remember, I heard you sing on the Goshigo investigation."

Rei's lips turned downward ever so slightly. "I thought I destroyed the recording of that."

"You did."

"And concealed your memory of it as well."

"You did." Maaya slammed her fists upon her hips. "And I'm still mad at you for that, but I managed to make a backup disk and sent it to myself before you ghosthacked me." She smiled. "It took me awhile to figure out what the disk was from, but eventually I pieced the missing parts of my memory together and figured out it was you. Come o-o-on. Everyone's going to be there. Even Section Chief Yogaru said he might show up later and sing a few songs in your honor."

Sighing in defeat, Rei conceded. "Very well."

"Eeee!" Maaya clapped. "This is going to be great. You're going to have a great time. And have something special to remember us by, you'll see." She turned and rushed out of the office, back to her desk to confirm the reservations.

Rei smiled momentarily, then logged into her computer and went about the process of dividing up her caseload between the four other operatives.

(000)

Rei Ayanami drove through the main gate at Yokota Military Base ten minutes early. The guard told her where to park, then she got her duffle bag out of the trunk and made her way to the women's barracks.

Batou sat on the steps leading to the barracks, waiting for the new recruit. As she approached, he rose and placed his hands upon his waist. "Rei Ayanami?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I'm Batou from Public Security, Section Nine, but you can call me Boss." He flashed her his ID.

"Very well, Boss."

"The barracks' chief will show you your bunk. Meet me at the parade grounds at 0815."

"Yes, Boss." She gave a nod and went inside.

Batou glanced over his shoulder. "Hmmm." He cracked a smile then made his way towards the parade grounds.

(000)

Rei arrived right on time, wearing green camouflage fatigue pants, a red airborne paratrooper's t-shirt, and a pair of military issued cross-trainers.

"Airborne, hey?" Batou hovered over her.

"Yes, Boss." She stood at-ease.

"I ran into a bunch of those pricks in a bar in South America during the war. Wusses couldn't drink, or fight," he snarled.

"I'm sure their training standards have improved since then… on both accounts, sir." Rei replied without batting an eye.

"Can't you speak any louder? I can barely hear you," he taunted her.

"This is how I speak, sir. It has served me well for thirty years."

"Hmmm…." Not easily intimidated. That's good. She could look like a little girl as long as she doesn't act like a little girl. Batou smiled inwardly. "Alright, over the next ten days I'm going to teach you the basics: surveillance, analysis, infiltration, along with a few other things. After which you'll be tested. If you pass, you're in. If not, well, I hope they haven't given your office away back at SIU Headquarters." He smirked. "Any questions?"

Rei looked from side to side, then asked, "Boss, where are the other applicants?"

A stern expression formed upon his face and he looked out along the long mountain path. "You're the only one." Batou paused for a moment. "We'll warm up with a 10K run." He started running up the path. "Try and keep up!"

Rei watched him for a moment before running off after him.

(000)

They followed the main path through the foothills for six kilometers before taking a side path around the mountain. Batou continued to set the pace; glancing back every so often to verify the prospective recruit was still with him.

The path after the break was mostly downhill, winding and dense through the forest. While there was still a path, it was not an easy one to follow, even in broad daylight, but this was the only way to where Batou wanted to go. For this reason, he wasn't too concerned initially when he would look back and not see Rei, simply assuming she had fallen a bit further back, out of his line of sight, but after looking back a forth time and not seeing her, he stopped and waited.

One minute, two minutes, three minutes passed and still no sign of the new prospect. The thought of going back crossed his mind. "Ah, to hell with it, if she can't follow a path then she doesn't deserve to be part of Section Nine." He continued on his way.

Two kilometers later he cleared the forest and made his way to the shooting range. As he drew near he saw someone sitting on the fence that circled the range. Though he couldn't make out the person's face, there was no mistaking the light blue hair.

"How the hell did she… " He cut himself off and continued to run along the path towards her.

As he neared, he could see that she was only wearing her t-shirt and military issued boxers. Her pants and socks were draped over the fence and her shoes were sitting upon one of the large posts.

With Batou quickly approaching, Rei grabbed her socks and checked them to see if they were dry yet. Satisfied, she put them back on, then grabbed her pants and hopped down off the fence. She was tying her shoes when Batou came to a stop in front of her.

"Where the hell did you go?" he barked.

"After you veered off the main path, I grew weary of the pace you were setting, so I chose an alternate path."

"But the only other way here is by the creek. That's an extra two kilometers, through icy water."

"Only one and three-quarters of a kilometer actually."

"And you got here long enough for your clothes to dry?"

She bent at the waist and patted her pants. "All dry."

"Okay, but how did you know this was where I was heading? Wait a minute! Did you hack my ghost?" Now Batou was getting worried. He didn't sense anything unusual at all during his run, and to be hacked so easily was beyond disturbing.

"No. I have trained at this base before, sir. I knew once you turned off the main path that you were either heading here or the artillery range." She pointed beyond the far gate. "I deduced that you were not bringing me to fire a cannon, so I stopped here."

Batou stared down at her for a moment, then smirked. "Not bad, recruit. Not bad."

(000)

Rei waited patiently in the deserted firing range. Suddenly, Batou returned with a massive weapon over his shoulder.

"Okay, so you've shown proficiency with at least a dozen small arms weapons, but sometimes we need to use something with a little more kick." He flung the beast off his shoulder and held it in his hands. "This is the Penetrator, your basic armor buster for taking down the real tough baddies. It fires semi-automatic 14.5mm HEAT shells." He hoisted it back onto his shoulder and took aim at the target. "It uses an advanced long-travel recoil absorption system." He pulled down on the trigger and fired, obliterating the target. "But it still has one hell of a kick." He shrugged it off his shoulder and turned to hand it to the new recruit. "Give it a try."

Rei looked up at him for a moment, wondering if he was just teasing her, but when he didn't flinch she reached out and took the gun from him. She nearly dropped it but somehow managed to keep it balanced in her arms.

Realizing there was no way she was going to be able to fire the beast while standing erect, she set the back end on the ground and went down onto one knee.

"What the?" Batou took a step back.

Rei lowered the gun into place on her shoulder and leaned into it slightly, resting the barrel jacket on her other knee. She looked up at the targets and said, "Targets one, three, and six," then she took careful aim and in quick succession obliterated the three targets. Leaning to the side, she slid the Penetrator off her shoulder and let the back end rest on the ground again as she stood up and offered the gun back to her trainer. "You were correct, sir. It does have quite a kick." She rubbed both her shoulder and her knee.

Batou looked from the gun, to the girl, to the three smoldering targets. "Well, I'll be damned." He took the gun and flung it back upon his shoulder. "That's the third time today you've managed to impress me, Agent Ayanami."

"Thank you, Boss." She bowed.

"Cut the formal crap. Call me Batou." He gave her a slap on the back and gestured toward the arms locker.

"Very well, Batou. And please call me Rei."

(To Be Continued)

AN: Hoped you enjoyed it. I know I did. This should be a short story, about 5 chapters, I think. Already working on chapter 2.

I'd like to thank Tannim Murphy for his suggestions and ideas. He really helped me tighten up this first chapter.

This is being posted without going thought my beta-reader. When Janice is able to get around editing this chapter, I'll repost it.

04/19/2006 Update: As promised, here is the edited version, courtesy of my beta-reader, Janice. As I expected, despite my best efforts, she found tons of errors. Man, I suck at editing. But Janice is awesome at it. I'm sure this version will read much cleaner. Thanks you large, Janice.

A. Amishi