Outside Tokyo-3
The tricky thing about the Doctor, Shinji thought in the back of his head -- or, at least, the small part of his brain that wasn't repeating faster faster faster over and over like a mantra as the Eva sprinted down the highway and the world around Shinji turned into a single blur -- was that he really did like to make it sound like he was a coward. That he always ran away from trouble.
Which he did, really. That much was true.
But while he might run away... the Doctor never left anyone behind, either, did he? Or no one that he could help, anyway. He hadn't left Shinji behind that night on the train. Or at any point since.
So maybe... Father's words weren't entirely right... or maybe just weren't the whole truth. Maybe it really was okay to run away sometimes. Just so long as you were ready to run back, too, if people needed you.
According to the map, he needed to turn soon. Shinji felt time slow to a crawl. (He wondered what that was about. He'd have to ask the Doctor later... unless... He thought at the Eva: are you doing this somehow? If you are, don't stop. It's really useful.) He started to angle Unit One to the left, back towards the city.