Doctor Who: The Evangelion Error (Book One)

E5 Part 3: What are my child's strengths and weaknesses?

Fourth Floor Teacher's Lounge

Misato gripped the edges of the window, her eyes wide, her nose pressed against the glass.

"How many other people were there on that train?" the Doctor asked. "Other than the ones Shinji and I met."

"Six," Misato found herself answering, much to her own surprise. "Three drivers, a conductor. Two students in the back car. All missing since."

"Looks like they found some friends, then. Catch."

Misato spun around and caught her purse out of mid-air. By the table, the Doctor pulled on his long brown coat. Shit, when had he gotten behind her? She raised the gun. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Think about it." The Doctor looked at her. "Why are they here? What's here that they'd want?"

Misato's brain kicked back in. She swore. "Where's Shinji and Rei?!"

"Second floor. Come on!" They raced out into the corridor.

***

Class 2A

Shinji stood frozen in place, his hands trembling, the feeling of cold sweat on the back of his neck. Oh, God, not again, he thought. Please, not again. This isn't fair. The classroom was silent as everyone stared, slack-jawed, out of the windows.

Then Rei spoke. "NERV Command." She stood by her desk, a cell phone in her hand, the same calm expression as always on her face. "Identity confirmation three-one-aleph-seven Ayanami Rei. Reporting emergency code one. Angel incident in progress. Request instructions."

Someone towards the back of the room screamed. "Quiet! Stop that!" Hikari yelled, her voice quavering. She pulled out her own cell phone and franctically mashed at the buttons. "Don't panic! Remember the evacuation drills! We can't panic!"

Someone else started to scream. The door slid open. Shinji glanced back just in time to see two of the other boys run full-tilt out of the room.

He slowly turned his head back to the side. Next to him, Toji had his face screwed up, like he was trying to hold back a sneeze. Kensuke crouched down on the floor, his video camera clutched to his chest, a dazed look in his eyes.

"Kensuke," Shinji heard himself say.

His friend didn't look up. "Y-yeah?"

"Didn't you - weren't you talking about a movie like this the other day?"

"Oh. Yeah." Kensuke blinked. Then shot up onto his feet. "Oh! Yeah!"

***

Second Floor

The Doctor slammed the door to the stairwell shut behind them. He held the screwdriver up to the handle. It locked.

"What the hell is that?" the captain asked.

"It's a screw - look, does it really matter right now - oh." He looked where she was pointing. Further down the hall, just before where the corridor turned to go into the building's other wing, a set of heavy plastic fire doors had been halfway pulled back from the walls. In front of them, a handful of desks had been turned down on their sides.

"Doctor! Misato!" Shinji stuck his head out from behind one of the desks, a relieved grin on his face.

"Shinji!" The captain took off down the hall towards him. The Doctor followed.

"Doctor --" Shinji stood up as they approached, his body shaking like a leaf in the wind. "Outside. They look just like the thing. That thing on the --"