So, here's the re-write of Chapter 2. Didn't hit my aim of 10,000 words here but I'm not overly concerned about that. There wasn't much more I could add here. A couple of Manga scenes were added and I also added a little scene with Rei after Shinji decides to pilot the Eva, but even that I couldn't make much longer than I did. Most of this was just re-writing what already existed. Enjoy the rewrite!
Original AN: Chapter 2! The second half of Episode 1 here. The main point of the story will not start until next chapter, but I love writing Sachiel's thoughts before he becomes a shoulder angel. Anyway, the battle itself won't be for another couple chapters, but enjoy the introduction of our favourite Eva Unit, and the reunion of Father and Son!
-.-
July 16th, 2015.
Shinji glanced up as he stepped out of the car, stepping into the depths of NERV HQ for the first time. He glanced at Misato, who stood up quietly, adjusting her signature red jacket and giving him a smile, pulling out a map and glancing down at it. "Alright, well let's get going Shinji, we have places to be and little time to get there." Misato said, walking towards the nearby doorway and entering the building, setting onto a long hallway behind it. Shinji followed slowly, noting the grey colour with nothing else.
"Well, it's a nice colour." Shinji said sarcastically, causing Misato to laugh.
"I don't think the colour of the walls was the first thing on anyone's minds when this place was built." Misato replied, not glancing up from her map sitting in front of her face. Shinji pulled out the manual he'd been given in the car, reading and walking at the same time. As he walked, thoughts plagued his mind again. About his father.
'After all this, I still don't know why my father called me.' Shinji thought, following Misato into the depths of the building, stepping onto a travelator, no longer needing to walk, taking some ease of the situation. 'I know one thing though... this isn't going to be a joyous reunion.' Shinji glanced up as Misato muttered to herself.
"Let's see here. We arrived at the West entrance and made a right at North Gate No. 3. Leading here, to Route 8." Misato muttered glancing hard at her rather crude map of NERV HQ, a map that she really shouldn't need by now but still used. "I'm sure this is the right way..." Misato muttered, as the door quickly opened with a clang, revealing a rather dark looking path behind them. Route 8 opened up to one of the few openings around NERV HQ, so the wind was blowing quickly and efficiently as they passed. "Damn, I knew I shouldn't have worn a skirt today, the wind makes everything so much harder." She scrunched up her face as she read her map again. "I'm still wondering where Ritsuko could be..." Shinji glanced up briefly, meeting Misato's eyes. "God, I swear they purposely made this place confusing on purpose..."
"Hey, Misato?" Shinji asked, staring at the woman for a moment. She glanced up, a small smile on her face.
"Yes, Shinji?" She asked, an eyebrow raised in questioning.
"Are you sure you know where you're going? We've been traveling for a while now and we still haven't found my father yet..." Shinji replied, exasperation in his eyes.
"Don't worry, Shinji! Where're on the right path now! I think..." Misato replied, not keeping eye contact with the boy. Shinji frowned.
"You're lost, aren't you? We've passed this place twice already." Shinji replied, a small smile on his face. Misato frowned, giving the boy a small glare, before cheering up again, as if nothing had happened.
"Look, I'm new here okay? Besides, they should be thanking us for using these systems efficiently. But look on the bright side, Shinji! You know that we'll be getting there eventually!" Misato said, glancing up, a look of determination on her face.
'Or, we'll just end up more lost...' Shinji thought as they quickly shifted through another door, Misato's eyes back on her map.
-.-
A large machine sat in wait, cords and wires sitting out of the large machine. A large hand sat inside some dark red liquid, some workers swimming around the large hand, inspecting it and making sure it was fine. "Secondary cool down complete." Came the calm and collected female voice over the speakers.
"Maintenance crew, return to surface immediately." Came a male voice over the speakers, causing everyone in the liquid to rise out of the water, drying down and preparing for the rest of the days events, knowing that the machine was fine.
"Alert! Would the head of Project E, Technical Department Division 1, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, please contact Captain Misato Katsuragi of the Operations Division, No. 1 immediately." Said doctor quickly stood up and turned to her men, her voice coming through strong and hard, knowing that what they were doing was very important.
"Finish the left arm's conductive plating defrosting and get it ready to go in three minutes!" Ritsuko said, indicating to the large purple and green arm, sitting snugly in its connections. "Don't forget about that apoptosis data as well!"
"Captain Katsuragi has a boy with her, they are currently in Shaft S36." Ritsuko sighed as the loudspeaker finished their announcement. She quickly pulled herself out of the liquid, unzipping the dark blue wetsuit, leaving her in a snug light blue one-piece underneath. She pulled her goggles off, revealing her hazel eyes behind a shed of blonde hair.
"I'm not surprised. Of course she got lost again. That woman really needs to get a hold of herself." Ritsuko said, stepping over the her nearby lab coat, dumping the wetsuit next to the white piece of clothing. The Doctor pulled the lab coat over her swimsuit clad body, walking quickly towards the nearby elevator. She watched as the doors closed behind her, pressing the button for 8-28, she waited as the elevator moved quickly. Ritsuko glanced up as the Elevator opened to the current floor. The blonde doctor stepped out quickly, the ding that resounded out in the hallway alerting both Shinji and Misato to the doctor's presence, and she wasn't happy. "Stop right there, you two! Do you understand how late you are!" Misato turned slightly, giving the woman a small wave.
"Oh... hi, Ritsuko..." She muttered, as the Head Scientist walked down the hallway, the elevator sliding shut immediately behind her. She had one thing on her mind, reprimanding her so called friend.
"You're twelve minutes late, I'll have you know! Why are you wasting my time, Captain." She said, knowing that the other woman was holding on to every word she was saying. "You should be glad I found you when I did. I'm sure you of all people would understand how short we are on time and manpower, we don't have time for your nonsense, Katsuragi. Any longer, and we would've had to send a search party." Misato frowned slightly, giving her friend a sorry look.
"Sorry!" Misato said, smiling apologetically. "You know I still don't have the layout of this place down yet!" Ritsuko sniffed slightly, giving her friend a frown.
"Then maybe you should memorise that map instead of carrying it everywhere you go." Ritsuko pointed out, smiling slightly as Misato quickly stuffed the map out of sight. Ritsuko sighed, turning towards Shinji, who glanced at the newcomer, utterly confused, the book Misato gave him lying open in his hands. "So, I take it that this is the boy?" She asked, turning her gaze to Misato for a moment.
"Yep. According to the Marduk Report I was given, he is the designated Third Child." Misato replied, crossing her arms under her chest. Ritsuko nodded at Misato, as Shinji glanced at the woman.
"I'm Shinji Ikari. It's nice to meet you." He said, his eyes betraying the wonder behind his thoughts. 'Why did Misato just call me the Third Child? What does that mean?'
"A pleasure I'm sure." Ritsuko noted, giving the boy a small smile. "I'm Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, the head of the Chief Engineering Division, and the Administrator of Project E." Shinji didn't really understand much of what Ritsuko was saying, so simply nodded in response.
"Okay..." He said, returning his gaze to the book sitting in his hands. Misato smiled slightly as she leaned against the nearby wall.
"I'm afraid he's just like his father. The... undearing type. A bit gruff and unfriendly." Shinji scoffed slightly at Misato's words, disliking the fact that he was currently being compared to his father, someone he very specifically didn't like.
Ritsuko smiled slightly, before turning to Shinji again. "Come along, Shinji." She said, starting off down the hallway, she very quickly came to a door, which she opened with her own ID Card. Misato growled slightly as Ritsuko gave her friend a small look, knowing that she would be annoyed by how close she actually was. She directed her attention back to Shinji again, who wondered what was happening. "There's something that I need to show you before you can see your father again."
"Something you need to show me...?" Shinji echoed, glancing up from the book once again. "I see..." He noted, glancing down at any idea of his father and him meeting again. 'I wonder what this could be about.' Shinji thought as the small group went through the door, said door sliding shut behind them.
-.-
Gendo stood nearby, staring up at the giant screen showing Sachiel's current movements, he turned quickly, staring at his Sub-Commander in the eye. "Fuyutsuki, I'm leaving everything to you. Make sure that everyone understands what is currently happening." Fuyutsuki nodded, watching as Gendo departed Central Dogma on his own personal lift system. He smiled sadly to himself, watching the man go.
'Father and son... meeting for the first time in over three years...' He thought, feeling sorry for the boy, feeling a sort off, uncle-like affection for the boy, stemming from Yui's brilliant mothering.
"Sub-Commander!" Came Makoto's voice from his post, staring hard and intently at the readings he was very quickly receiving. "The Angel has progressed it's advance! It's broken through the final defence perimeter!"
"The Target has adjusted its progression factor by five degrees!" Shigeru noted, glancing at Fuyutsuki. "It hasn't slowed down in the slightest!"
"The MAGI is predicting that the target is currently en route towards our very own city, Tokyo-3!" Maya said, completing the trifecta of the Bridge Bunnies new information.
"Understood." Came Fuyutsuki's reply, he quickly grabbed the loudspeaker, broadcasting his next note to everyone on base. "All personal, assume first stage battle stations! Keep high alert!" He said, watching as Central Dogma became a flurry of movement below.
-.-
Ritsuko led Shinji and Misato across the nearby hallway, coming to a small boat resting on some blood red liquid. As they hopped in the boat, Ritsuko starting the engine and preparing to take them to a small location holding a door on the other side. Shinji glanced straight ahead, seeing a giant purple looking object sitting in the liquid, only a small part of it visible in the wall. As they went, the loudspeakers blared all throughout the base, relaying a very important message. "All personnel, assume first stage battle stations immediately. Repeat, all personnel, assume first stage battle stations immediately. Everyone prepare for a ground level intercept of the target."
"Well, it certainly sounds very serious." Ritsuko commented, deftly steering the boat across the red liquid in quick succession.
"Sounds very serious!" Misato replied, glancing around in concern. "What the hell do they mean, Ritsuko? What is actually happening here?"
"Unit-01 is currently in refrigeration. Cooling down after its recent attack on the Angel. It's resting in B-Type Equipment to aid it's cool down." Ritsuko replied, glancing at her friend.
"That's not what I'm concerned about Ritsuko!" Misato replied, glaring hotly at her friend. "I'm concerned about Rei! If Rei's in the hospital... then who will they get to pilot?" Ritsuko didn't answer, just glancing at her friend. Shinji looked up at Misato, wondering what she was going on about. "Just what is the Commander thinking! Activating Unit-01! The Unit barely works most of the time, it was a relief that Rei even activated the thing!" Misato noted, crossing her arms in frustration.
"Don't be so degrading, Misato." Ritsuko replied. "We already know that the total possibly of Unit-01's activation is 0.000000001%. Pathetically though, the staff continue to call it the O-9 system."
"You're just trying to put a number on 'It doesn't work.'" Misato replied, shaking her head in disbelief.
"Don't be insulting. It's O-9 because of the Japanese word Oni, a devil in folklore. However, it's not zero, as Rei demonstrated earlier today." Ritsuko replied, returning her focus to the liquid ahead. The Doctor continued to steer the boat on its course, listening to Misato's rambling.
"Just a number." She muttered to herself. "Bit late to tell someone: Hey, we're sorry, but the Unit doesn't work." Ritsuko simply gave Misato a look, sending her briefly into silence. However, the events of the day hadn't left her mind yet, and it wasn't long before the woman spoke again. "So, I'm assuming that due to the JSSDF's performance earlier today, that the N2 Mines didn't do much against the Angel?"
"You would assume right, Captain. All the mines did was slow down the Angel slightly. We did more damage to the surrounding regions than the target itself. It's still moving, heading right for us." Ritsuko commented, causing Misato to tilt her head back and glance at the ceiling. "We've also figured out that the Angel has an Artificial Intelligence Capacity. The MAGI systems gave us an analysis on the target, and determined that it is not powered or manipulated by an outside source. The Angel is a giant form of intelligent life. Everything its done it has done for a reason, and it knows what it's doing."
"Wait..." Misato said, staring at her friend in disbelief. "You mean like..."
"Yes." Ritsuko replied, indicating to the Purple machine quickly coming closer. "It's just like Unit-01." Shinji still didn't understand much of what was happening, but he would be finding out very soon as the boat came to a slow stop in front of him. It came to a rest beside the small doorway, the door opened, revealing the stretch of darkness behind it.
"Hey, wait a moment!" Shinji said, staring into the bleak darkness. "Why is it so dark through there!?"
"Shinji, tread carefully." Ritsuko stated, slowly pushing the boy into the room. Shinji slowly stepped forward, as the door closed behind them, sealing the room from the only source of light that came from outside. "Shinji Ikari. What I am about to show you is going to surprise you." Ritsuko said, before she flipped a giant lever, lighting up the room.
Shinji jumped, sitting right in front of him was the head of a giant robot. Purple mainly, it's piercing yellow eyes staring deep into his soul. "A face? It's a giant robot?" Shinji questioned, remembering back to the earlier events. "Wait... this was the giant robot that came to save us earlier!? What the hell is this?" Shinji said, flipping through the green booklet, searching far and wide for any information on what he was currently looking at.
"You won't find any information on this in there, Shinji." Ritsuko said, glancing up at the giant machine. "Strictly speaking, she's not a robot. Rather, a humanoid looking, man-made ultimate battle weapon. The artificial, synthetic life form, known to us as Evangelion. This Shinji, is the last chance for Humanity. This particular Unit is called Unit-01. It was built here in absolute secrecy. Truly, mankind's last hope." Ritsuko finished, as Shinji stared up at the synthetic human in disbelief.
"So... all of this... is part of my father's work?" Shinji asked, as he stared into the eyes of the being.
– Music from Evangelion 1.0 – Track 2 – I'll Go On Lovin' Someone Else –
"That would be correct." Came a cool, calm and collected voice, powerfully speaking from far above. Shinji glanced up, standing in a cool box, above the head of Evangelion Unit-01 was his father, Gendo Ikari. "It's been quite a while... hasn't it."
"Father... It's you..." Shinji muttered, as his judgement was completely clouded with overwhelming feelings of pain, anger, abandonment, hate. All directed towards the man standing far above him, a smirk on his face. The man who dared to call himself his father. Gendo smirked as he glanced down, only a few things on his mind.
"Prepare to sortie." Gendo said, his smirk still on his face. "We're moving out immediately."
"Wait! Moving out!?" Misato asked, shock coming across her features. Over the days events, this was not what she expected. "But Unit-00 is still in cryo-stasis! There's no way that the Eva will start!" Misato said, glancing at Unit-01, realisation coming over her. "Wait a minute... you're seriously planning on using Unit-01!?"
"Do you know of another option, Captain?" Ritsuko asked, her face a composed stare, a contrast to Misato's increasingly frightened look.
"Now wait just one second. We can't use Rei! At all! She's still recovering from not only the Unit-00 activation test, but also being beaten up by the Angel still out there! We can't do anything! We have no pilot!" Misato said, staring over at the boy beside her, as Ritsuko spoke, narrowing her eyes at her friend.
"We've just received one, Captain." Ritsuko commented, drawing out Misato's title in a show of annoyance.
"So, you're serious..." MIsato commented, glancing down at the ground. Shinji, in the heat of the moment, didn't fully understand what was going on, but felt that it was very important to him somehow.
"Shinji?" Gendo stated, staring down hard at his son standing on the bridge below.
"Yes, father..." Shinji replied, wondering what exactly his father was asking of him.
"I want you to listen carefully to what I am about to tell you." Gendo stated, his arms hanging lazily at his sides. "You are going to be the one to pilot her. You will be going out and fighting that Angel!"
"Wha-?" Shinji replied, confusion and concern over what it was he had just heard come out of his father's mouth.
"Wait a minute, Commander!" Came Misato's call, stepping forward to address her superior directly. "You're asking a boy who's never seen this thing in his life before now to get inside the Eva and synchronise with it!? It's impossible! Rei took seven months... Seven months to synchronise with Unit-00! We can't do it! Shinji just got here!"
"Captain Katsuragi," Came Gendo's cold reply. "I only expect the boy to sit in the seat. I don't expect him to be able to do much more than that."
"But..." Misato replied, her mind becoming overly affectionate for the boy beside her, who was currently spending the entire conversation staring hard at the ground.
"Captain Katsuragi! I'm sure you of all people would understand the crucial circumstances we find ourselves in! Our top priority, above everything else, is to at least halt and repel that Angel. It is imperative that if we happen to have someone, anyone, who could sync with an Eva, that we must give it a shot. We aren't expecting anymore from Shinji than for him to sit inside it. That is all. This is the best chance we've got." Ritsuko replied, reprimanding the Operations Director for her current emotional responses. "Or, would there be any other alternatives you'd like to share?"
"I suppose... if that's the case..." Misato growled, giving her friend a glare from her side of the room. She didn't notice as Shinji shook with anger, an uncharacteristic emotion from the boy. She hadn't known him for very long, only a few hours at most.
"Now, Shinji," Ritsuko said, stepping towards the boy. "If you would come this way." Shinji didn't move, continuing his stare at the ground.
"Father!" Came Shinji's sudden outburst, staring with years' of Anger at the man that dared call himself his father. Everyone around him stared in shock at the boy. The boy who had stayed rather quiet up to this point, had suddenly raised his voice in anger. "Why the hell did you send for me!?"
"I'm sure you already know why." Gendo replied, a small smirk on his face. "I believe it's been made quite clear while you've been here."
"So, you're fully expecting me, your only son! To take this thing, this thing that I've never seen before in my life, and go out there and fight that thing that we saw, with no prior knowledge or training!" Shinji replied, his face starting to twist into a mess of anger and sadness.
"That is correct." Gendo replied, no emotion betraying his features.
"You're kidding me, right!?" Shinji asked, staring up at his father. "I can't do something like this! Why now!? Why not before!? What changes then compared to now!? How could you do this to me!? This is something completely out of nowhere! I thought you didn't want me! That's why you left me ten years ago wasn't it!? Over time I've thought that was for the best! But it appears I was wrong! I hate you father! I HATE YOU!"
"Just accept this explanation, Shinji." Gendo replied, continuing to stare hard at his son. "I need you now because I have a use for you."
"That's your reasoning!?" Shinji replied, anger increased tenfold. "Because I'm now useful!? Why me!? Why not anybody else!?"
"Because you are the best candidate we have." Gendo replied. "No..." The Commander said, his voice lowering considerably in tone. "You are the only candidate we have. It's impossible for anyone else."
"No! None of this makes any sense! I can't do something like this! It's impossible!" Shinji replied, his shock overcoming him.
"You don't need to understand." Gendo replied, his frown coming into full effect. "You need not worry, you will be instructed. Now get inside!"
"You think that just by giving me simple instructions I can do what you want me to do! I've never done anything like this before! I can't pilot that thing, father!" Shinji continued to shake out of control as his anger continued to grow. "That's what you called me here for, isn't it!? To lead me straight to my death! That's how you want this reunion to go! After years of neglect and abandonment, you want favours! I won't do it!"
"If you do not do as I say then all of humanity will perish!" Gendo replied, getting equally as angry. "Keep this in mind, Shinji. The very existence of the human race is held entirely on your shoulders! Now, get in the Eva!"
"No! Not again! Stop this already! I've made it clear! I'm not going to do it! And no matter what you do, you won't make me do it!"
"I see... If you're going to do it, then get inside and do it now! If not, then I have no further need of you. Get out. Go home." Gendo said, as Shinji stared straight into the eyes of the giant machine in front of him. "Cowards are useless, in a battle where's man's very life is at stake." Misato, Ritsuko and the various workers all glanced at the boy in various states of affection, too disinterest.
Far above, inside the city itself, Sachiel stood silently, surveying the landscape around him. He was very interested in what was below the city itself, feeling incredibly giddy.
Don't you worry everybody! I won't do too much damage! After all, I am here on my mission to go plow your mum!
The Angel continued on its path, setting it's sights on a specific spot near the centre of the city.
Oooooooohhhh! What's this? The pull is so strong here! I have a genius plan that just can't fail! I'll just go... Blam!
The resulting explosion caused the ceiling lights in the cage to start rattling intensely, hanging only barely by their cords. They swung back and forth, threatening to fall. Another explosion would set them off immediately. Gendo glared up at the ceiling, a frown on his face. "Dammit. It has sensed us. It knows of our location."
Sachiel continued to stare at the location, annoyed that his blast didn't do much damage. The Angel raised his arm again, sending another blast towards the location.
You guys are tough to get to! Blam, round 2!
The explosion erupted through NERV HQ, erupting much closer to the cage then previously indicated. "Warning! Armour plating layers 1-8 have been destroyed! If this keeps up, all 24 armour layers will be destroyed within four blasts!" Came the announcement on the loudspeaker, a distinct female voice. Ritsuko glanced up, noticing the lights starting to slowly detach from the ceiling. She turned to Shinji.
"Shinji, we don't have much time." Ritsuko calmly stated, bringing a hand to the boys shoulder. "If you would come with me."
"There are widespread fire alarms in Block D! All fire doors are closing! All personnel in Block D! Evacuate immediately!" Came another announcement over the speakers. Male this time.
Shinji didn't move, he shook with anger, glancing for a moment at Misato. Misato had an uncharacteristic look about her, standing stock still, a small frown on her face, arms crossed in front of her chest. She spoke a very simple sentence. "Get inside the Eva, Shinji."
Shinji immediately broke down in sobs, causing the older woman to immediately regret her actions, coming over to comfort the boy, a sad look on her face. "It's no use!" Shinji gradually got out between his sobs, both from anger and sadness. "This is wrong! Why did I come here if it was only for this!?" Misato leant down, getting onto the boy's level. She gently wiped the boys slow tears away, directing him to look at her.
"Why then, Shinji?" The woman asked gently. "Why did you come here? Why did you come if not for this? You mustn't run away, Shinji. Not from your father, and definitely not from yourself." Shinji glanced away for a moment, gathering his thoughts.
"I know that!" He replied, wiping his tears away. "But what you're asking is impossible! For anybody! There's no way that I can do this!" Misato stood silently, sadness in her eyes. She turned up to the Commander, who watched the exchange with a disappointed look. Ritsuko glanced on, blank faced.
"Fuyutsuki!" Gendo stated, causing the video screen beside him to immediately turn on. On the other end, the Sub-Commander turned to face his companion.
"Yes, Commander?" Fuyutsuki asked, wondering what could be happening down there.
"Wake up Rei. Begin prepping her for immediate combat." Gendo replied, his face continuing to betray no emotion.
"But... can we use her?" Fuyutsuki replied, surprise on his face.
"She's not dead yet." Gendo replied, continuing to be uncaring. "Have her transported here immediately."
"Understood." Fuyutsuki replied, ending the call immediately. The call immediately switched over, showing Sound Only on the screen.
"Rei?" Gendo asked, watching the screen intently. There was some soft but hard breathing on the other end, before the answer finally appeared.
"Yes?"
"Our only spare is useless. You will go out and pilot again."
"Understood..." Came the pained reply from the other end, before the call fizzled out, cutting the screen off.
Ritsuko glanced down at Shinji for a moment, her gaze slowly becoming a glare. She shook her head, as she turned to the nearby technicians. "Deactivate Unit-01! Reconfigure the core system for Rei once again! Switch out to the L-00 Core system, then reactivate!"
"Roger." Came the voice from above. "Halting all present operations, preparing Unit-01 for reactivation."
Far below, Shinji stared at the ground, Anger starting to overcome him once again. 'Dammit, Father! I knew this would happen! I'm weak! I'm not needed after all! I never am...'
- End -
- NGE: S2 Works - Disc 3, Track 31 - A-13 A-Type –
The rush of footsteps brought attention to the nearby door, where a group of nurses was quickly moving a hospital bed towards the main hangar. "The target has broken through the final defence line! It's proceeding to position directly above." Came the announcement above as the bed appeared in the docking bay.
Lying atop the bed was a teenage girl. She was incredibly pale, with piercing red eyes and weirdly, light blue hair. As she was dragged in, Shinji noticed that she wore a skintight body suit, largely white, that had been cut off at the arms. She slowly brought herself to a sitting position, a pained look on her face the entire time. Shinji caught one last look at the suit she was wearing. There was a 00 right above the girls breasts.
'What... Why would my father do something like this... This isn't right...' Shinji thought as the cage started to rock around again.
Sachiel glanced down again, smiling to himself.
Blam... take 3!
"That noise!" Misato called out in alarm as the cage started to rattle back and forth incredibly violently. In the chaos, the girl on the bed fell off onto the hard ground. This time, the blast had broken through the final defensive layers, sending MIsato immediately into a panic. "Move quickly! The city blocks are starting to collapse onto the ground!" Shinji glanced towards the ceiling, where the lights were already snapping from their last barrage of attacks, and started falling directly towards Shinji, who watching in horror. Misato watched in terror as the light fell ever closer to Shinji's unmoving form. 'Well... death by light... it's been a fun life... I guess..."
The snapping of cords announced the unusual movement of the Evangelion Unit inside the cage. The arm moved quickly into place, settling right above Shinji's head, blocking him from the falling lights. They rained down on the purple hand, protecting the young boy from harm. Gendo watched from above, smirking the whole time. All was going to plan. Shinji glanced up, moving his arms away from his face, surprised at the movement.
"The Eva just activated itself!? It moved it's arm! Ripping it right out of the arm restraint!" Came the voice of one of the technicians. Completely surprised at what had just happened.
"No! I refuse to believe that!" Came Ritsuko's incredulous reply. "The Entry Plug for Unit-01 wasn't even inserted! There's no way that Unit-01 could have possibly moved!"
"You're saying that the Eva moved without any sort of interface!?" Misato replied, pulling herself up from the ground. "Or, could it have been protecting someone...? To protect Shinji?" As she watched the scene before her, realisation dawned on her face. They had a chance. Things were looking up. "It's him. We can do it."
Shinji's concern was not on himself however. As soon as he stood up, he was running towards the girl, still lying on the floor in considerable pain. "Hey, are you alright?" He asked, as he gently picked the girl up from the ground, cradling her in his arms. "Hang in there, okay?" He said, as she gave another considerable gasp of pain. As he held the girl softly, Misato walked up behind him, watching the moment like it was a brother cradling a younger sister.
"Shinji..." She started, as she watched the boy. "Don't you see why we need you now? However, if you don't pilot the Eva, then you'll just be in the way. You know this, don't you? You knew, from the beginning, that you weren't going to be coming here for a joyous celebration, a reunion with your father, right? You knew that there would be a reason to come so far, did you expect anything less? So, I ask you. Are you planning on leaving here without a word? After everything that your father has told you? Don't you understand!? If you don't pilot her, she'll have to do it! Don't you have any shame, Shinji!?" Misato asked, pleading with the boy at the end of her speech.
"Enough of this." Came Gendo's cold voice above. "We don't have time to waste on people like him, Captain Katsuragi." Shinji stared at the ground, alerted by the sudden shout of his father. "Shinji! If you're going to leave! Then get up and do it now! Don't dawdle!"
'That's all father wants, isn't it?' Shinji thought to himself as he held the girl. 'Just to prove to himself that I'm nothing. I'll show him. All I have to do is get in, right?' Shinji moved the girl slightly, feeling a liquid sensation on his hands. He pulled it out, staring at the red blood now staining his hand. Shinji turned quietly towards the Eva, it's one on eye slowly shutting back down. The girl gave a gasp of pain again as Shinji resolved himself, shutting his eyes tightly. 'I mustn't run away. Not now, not when my father wants me to! I mustn't run away!' Shinji glanced up at Misato. "I only need to get in, right?" He asked, to which Misato nodded. "Then... I'll do it... I'll pilot the Eva!"
"Well said, Shinji." Ritsuko commented, as Shinji gently brought both the girl and himself to a standing position. "Leave Rei, she'll be attended to shortly. Now, if you'll come this way, I'll give you a rundown on all the basic operating systems." As Ritsuko led Shinji away, he turned back to glance at Misato, who gave him an encouraging nod. He finally looked at his father, who smirked once again.
– End –
"Captain Katsuragi." Came Gendo's stern voice as Shinji and Ritsuka left the cage for a moment, heading towards the upper level. "I believe you have a job to do." He stated, turning on his heel and walking swiftly out of the room. Misato stared hard at the man's back as he left. Completely incredulous to the man's actions in the vicinity of his son. She was shocked. Shinji had mentioned that the relationship with his father wasn't the best, but she wasn't expecting them to outright hate each other. She wasn't completely sure exactly how they ever once got along. Misato strode out of the room, thoughts plaguing her mind as the operations began for the oncoming Angel battle.
-.-
Rei settled herself back down on the mattress as she was wheeled back out of Eva Unit-01's cage. Her thoughts were on the boy that had appeared that day. In a strange show, he had shown her kindness. The only person she'd ever seen kindness from before was the Commander, and sometimes Dr. Akagi.
It felt strange to her. It was something she'd never had to deal with before, yet when the Angel had attacked the base itself, and the lights fell, he'd come over and checked if she was alright.
"Why?" She asked herself, as the nurses moved her back into her hospital room, and starting to move her onto her bed once again. She let them do their job, as they always did. She was used to this after all. She'd settled down on the bed, as the nurses hooked her up to the IV once again.
They'd left once that was done. As usual.
Rei gently reached over to the glass of water on the bedside table, grabbing the pills sitting nearby as well. She took her pills as she'd been ordered to for months now. Then relaxed back on the bed once again.
'That... person... Why did he see if I was fine?' She thought as she sat there. 'Why should it matter? It's okay. I can be replaced. If I die... it doesn't matter.' She thought as she lay there. 'So, why did he help me?'
The pills caused her to become extremely tired, so it wasn't long before Rei was silently sleeping, the sounds of battle soon to take place going on around her. She didn't think much of it though, as the calm and serene face of Gendo Ikari helped her sleep.
-.-
– Neon Genesis Evangelion OST I – Track 12 – I. Shinji –
Ritsuko led Shinji at a brisk pace towards the top of Evangelion Unit-01's Cage. Ritsuko wasn't one for idle conversation, so she largely kept silent. As such, Shinji spent his time following Ritsuko glancing around the area, while also thinking hard on his father's actions. He hated the fact that his father continued to shock him into silence, despite retaliating against him. 'I hate him.' Shinji thought as he slowly climbed up a couple of levels. 'I hate how he abandoned me years ago. I hate how he expects me to just do something like this without any thought or meaning.' Shinji sighed as they walked, glancing over at the back of Unit-01. Shinji watched as a large crane like arm extended out from the nearby wall, it picked up a large plug like object, from a nearby wall and placed it gently on the grated ground near the Purple Eva. "Is that where I'll be entering the Eva?" Shinji asked, watching as the arm pulled back from the ground, residing nearby in a settled, ready position, ready for the next job it needed to do.
"Something like that." Ritsuko replied, leading the boy to the Entry Plug, indicating to it. "This is the Entry Plug. This is what allows you to pilot the Evangelion." Ritsuko pointed to a quite comfortable looking seat sitting in the middle of the Plug, in front of it was a control system, obviously meant to control the Eva. "That is the Pilot's Seat, with the Control System in front of it. That is what controls the Eva. You'll also need this." Ritsuko said, pulling out a headset of sorts from her pockets. They were rather simple, a basic band holding two mechanical looking bulbs prominently displayed. "This is an Interface Headset, and is highly recommended to use when piloting an Eva." Shinji nodded slightly, taking the light blue headset into his hands and placing it onto his head.
"Right, okay..." Shinji replied, glancing down at the Entry Plug.
"We'd also have you wear a Plugsuit," Ritsuko said, Shinji interrupting soon after.
"What's a Plugsuit?" He asked, understandably confused due to never hearing about these things before. Ritsuko gave him a sight glare due to the interruption, but she continued anyway.
"A Plugsuit is a recommended but not required, piece of clothing that you can wear while piloting an Evangelion." She replied. "Rei, that girl you helped, was wearing one before, albeit, cut off at the arms due to her injuries. They help immensely with syncing to an Evangelion. We'd have you wear one, but we haven't had you fitted for one yet, so we'll need you to come in at some point after today to get fitted for one." Ritsuko brushed her hands on her jacket, and turned to Shinji. "Well, that is all, everything else we'll tell you when you're out there. Remember, Shinji, we aren't expecting much from you right now, but if we can do anything then we have an advantage."
"Right... of course..." Shinji replied, slowly entering the confines of the Entry Plug and settling into place in the seat. He watched as the Ritsuko disappeared from view as the Entry Plug sealed itself off, and he was left in the darkness of the Entry Plug. 'Does my father really think I wouldn't think this through a lot. He never needed me for years... But now he suddenly has this giant robot that I need to pilot? My father is many things, but he's not a coward. He'll spring this on me? Fine! I'm happy with a challenge! I swear that I'm not going to die today! And most of all, I will not let my father call me a coward!' Shinji thought to himself, staring hard as he softly heard the voice of Ritsuko, muffled by the sealed Entry Plug.
– End –
– Music from Evangelion 1.0 – Track 3 – Premiere Manœuvre –
"Commence draining of the Evangelion Cage!" Ritsuko called out, watching carefully as the weird, red coloured liquid started to drain from the Eva's Cage, the liquid moving quickly and swiftly out of the small room, draining at a fast rate. Around the area, and up at Central Dogma, the Start-Up sequence began for Evangelion Unit-01.
"Stage three cool down, completed!" Came the voice of a female operative, coming out loud over the loudspeakers in Eva Unit-01's cage.
"Flywheel rotation currently in shut-down." Came a male voice, as the workers quickly exited the area.
"Right-arm has been re-secured following the unique activation of Unit-01 earlier." Came another male voice.
"Stage One, disengaging connectors!" As the words came out, the locking mechanisms started too unlock one by one. Before too long, all the connectors were unlocked, with the pieces staying in place, ready to be removed.
"No problems detected in the Auxiliary Power. It is nominal."
"Evangelion Unit-01's cage is now in a docking position." A screen in front of the Bridge Bunnies showcased Unit-01's current status, with everything in the cage still connected in some way to the giant mech.
"Roger that!" Maya Ibuki replied, taking her role as one of the Bridge Bunnies into full effect. The woman didn't glance away from her station as Misato and Ritsuko entered Central Dogma at seperate times, battle was about to occur and Central Dogma was ready for anything. "Ejecting the Signal Termination Plug from Evangelion Unit-01 now."
As Maya spoke, the back of Evangelion Unit-01 opened up, and the crane, having sat on standby, moved to remove the Signal Termination Plug from the back of the Evangelion. It came out quite easily, and the crane deposited the Plug on the grates nearby. "Ejection confirmed. Retrieving Entry Plug now." Shinji immediately felt the Entry Plug jolt as the crane rather awkwardly picked up the Entry Plug and moved it into place near the back of the Eva. It slowly moved into place. "Releasing core spinal transition systems. Preparing for First Stage Connection." Came the soothing female voice on the other end. The Entry Plug was slowly moved into the Eva's back, sitting halfway into the Eva. Shinji felt the cockpit seat shift inside the Plug, moving slowly but surely. "The Pilot is now in the cockpit position. Entry Plug ready for insertion."
"Roger." Maya replied. "Inserting Entry Plug now." The Crane released the Entry Plug with a whine, and the Eva completed the rest of the operation. The Entry Plug quickly spun into place, locking. The Eva closed up behind the plug, keeping Shinji inside. "Entry Plug has been inserted. Plug Needle is okay. Primary Sync has been established, Pilot Psychological Corruption values are within the acceptable range. Holding at Plus-02 and Minus-05. Interior has been successfully anchored. Plug Insertion procedure has been completed! Initiating first stage interface!" Throughout all of this, the computers in Central Dogma showed images of the Entry Plug's current status, a colourful model showcasing Shinji's current position inside the Entry Plug.
"Initiating Primary Contact!" Shinji watched carefully as the Entry Plug flashed various colours right in front of his eyes, as the Eva connected up to the Pilot inside the Entry Plug. "Filling the Entry Plug now." Shinji glanced down as he felt his feet suddenly get much colder. He didn't have to wonder what was happening for very long as the Plug started to fill with a blood-red substance.
"W-What is happening?" Shinji called out as the Plug filled quickly, coming up past his stomach and towards his face. "What the hell is this stuff!?" He called out, quickly holding his breath as the liquid went past his face, he started to feel faint as Ritsuko's voice came over the speaker.
"Relax, Shinji. You're okay." Ritsuko said, watching carefully. "Once your lungs have been sufficiently filled with LCL, your blood will be oxygenated directly." Ritsuko commented, turning to Misato, who stood nearby. Shinji didn't let up, still holding his breath.
"You're okay, Shinji!" Misato stated, coming over as well. "You'll be alright. Don't worry, you'll get used to it really quickly." Shinji quickly let go of his breath from nearly fainting, letting his lungs saturate with LCL.
"I'll get used to it quickly?" Shinji asked sarcastically, glancing straight ahead. "I feel like I'm going to be sick. 'Geez... At the rate I'm going, the Angel out there won't even have a chance at trying to kill me...'
"Stop complaining, Shinji!" Misato said again, her easy-going voice flowing through the Entry Plug. "You're a boy aren't you!?" Shinji knew Misato couldn't see him, but it didn't stop him from frowning at her somewhat harsh words.
The crane moved once again, this time towards a weird, plug like object sitting quietly on the wall nearby. It grabbed it silently, softly moving it towards the back of the Eva Unit. It plugged it inside, connecting with a click. "Primary Power source has been connected." The Crane moved away quickly afterwards, leaving Unit-01 with a source of Power.
"All circuits are now transmitting power." Came another male voice, as the Evangelion whirred in response, waiting for its next objective.
"Roger. Connecting secondary contacts." The LCL became clear in the Entry Plug. As Shinji glanced forward a moment. "A-10 nerve connection, normal." As the Eva went through its start up, the Entry Plug flashed many patterns and colours. "LCL ionization normal. Setting primary performance language to Japanese."
"All preliminary contacts established. Performance nominal." The Entry Plug stopped flashing, and showed the outside of the Eva. The cage wall looked right at Shinji inside the Entry Plug. Shinji stared in shock at the wall now showing in the Entry Plug. This was completely different to anything he had seen before. "Initial contact completed, no problems detected."
"Bi-directional circuits are open. Opening all communication channels." Maya said, running through all diagnostics. "Checklist fine up to 1405, we're all clear." Ritsuko stood behind Maya, watching carefully as the Synchronisation graph came up on screen. It ratated around each other for a moment, before settling into form together. Synchronisation had been achieved. "Synapse synchronisation levels being measured now." The display dinged, providing the final sync ratio. "Synchronisation ratio holding at 41.3%."
"That's incredible!" Ritsuko replied, turning to Misato. "And this is without the use of a Plug Suit! The boy is a natural!"
"Harmonicas seem all normal. No abnormalities have been detected." Maya replied, checking as the systems checked into place in front of her. "Synchronisation errors are within 0.3%!"
"We're all clear for launch! Let's do it!" Ritsuko said, standing beside Misato. "We have a chance. This is going to work!" She said to Misato, who nodded in reply, confirming the words her friend had said.
"We are go for Launch! Prepare Evangelion Unit-01 for immediate deployment!" Misato said, raising her voice so everyone in Central Dogma could hear the Operations Director's orders.
"Initiating the Launch sequence!" Came the reply from Central Dogma, the gates holding Eva Unit-01 in place shifting out of the way. Shinji watched as he felt the lock bolts holding Unit-01 in place start to shift.
"Engaging lock bolts one. Removing them now." With a click, both shoulders of Evangelion Unit-01 were released as one, dropping of as the metallic bolts released the beast from its confines.
"Lock bolt removal has been confirmed." A female voice said in reply as the next stage began, a large siren whirring throughout NERV HQ.
"Removing the Umbilical Bridge." A male voice came through as the whirring sent the Bridge slowly moving away from the Eva. The Unit had a bit more room now, as the bridge was shifted away, into place on the opposite end.
"Disengaging lock bolts two." Came the next step. The click and whirring of bolts coming out of place on the wall could be heard around the small area. The main restarts were now ready to be removed.
"Disengaging Primary Restraits." Came the male voice as Shinji noticed the restraints holding Unit-01 in front of the left and right sides moving away, shifting along the wall. "Primary Restraits confirmed, removing Secondary Restraints." Shinji felt as the Evangelion Unit was released from its confines all around him. He felt the whirring as the machinery all around him as it worked hard to complete its task.
"Releasing safety locks numbers one through fifteen." Came another voice, as the final safety locks finally came off the Eva, leaving the giant mech standing largely on its own, ready to be launched.
"Release has been confirmed. Unit-01 is now standing freely." Came a female voice, continuing to watch intently as everything happened.
"Internal batteries are fully charged! External batterie outlet is proceeding as normal." Came the final male voice, as Maya took in all that was happening around her.
"Roger!" Maya confirmed all that had happened, locking in final orders as she went. "Transport Evangelion Unit-01 safely to the Launch Pad!"
Shinji immediately felt the forces of the Eva shifting slowly, moving on a predetermined track towards the nearest launch elevator. "All Eva movement systems are functioning normally. Electromagnetic systems are running as normal. Now moving Eva Unit-01 to K-52."
"The launch sequence is proceeding as normal."
"Eva Unit-01 has now arrived at the Launch terminal hub. Now locking into position." Shinji jolted slightly as the Eva suddenly was locked into place. The lock bolts locking the Eva into place on the pad. Shinji glanced up as the hatches above started to open in quick succession, calculating the quickest route to intercept the Angel. "Stand by, opening quickest launch path to interception."
"Launch path is clear!" Came Maya call, as she watched the map of the elevators on her screen. "All systems are green."
"Then we're ready for launch!" Ritsuko replied, Misato glancing at the woman out of the corner of her eye. Nodding in reply.
- End –
"Understood." Came Misato's reply, turning immediately towards the Commander, sitting high above everyone else, seeking final confirmation. "This is the last chance to abort." She said, determination on her face. "Can we really do this? Do we proceed with the operation?"
"Absolutely." Gendo replied, his face betraying no emotion as always. "Unless we stop that Angel, than humanity as a whole will no longer have a future to look forward to." Misato nodded in reply, turning back to the main screen. Fuyutsuki stood nearby, his arms folded behind his back.
"Ikari." Fuyutsuki stated, his eyes and body not changing position, yet obviously speaking to the man beside. "Are you positive this is going to work?" Gendo smirked in reply. No answer was needed.
- Music from Evangelion 1.0 - Track 4 - Staggering Yet –
"Then we have confirmation to go!" Misato said, her voice reaching every corner of Central Dogma. "Evangelion Unit-01! Launch!" The Launch Pad immediately shot up towards the surface. Shinji grunted against the extreme pressure of the situation as Eva Unit-01 continued to shoot towards the surface.
As the Eva made it further towards the surface. Sachiel felt the sudden disturbance of something far underground. The Angel rounded the corner, glancing straight towards the now glowing red outline on the ground.
What the hell!? My god that blaring siren is so annoying! Leave me alone so I can consummate with the being deep below the ground! Goddammit!
The blaring alarm only got louder as the Eva neared the surface, the red glowing outline starting to open in the surface. Sachiel was very curious now, stepping towards the hole opened up in the ground.
Didn't I tell you to shut up! That incessive beeping is incredibly annoying! It only got louder! Wait... what's that?
The hole had opened completely now, with two large prongs coming out sitting into the air. Evangelion Unit-01 shot out, coming to a standstill nearby. The giant mechanical being standing tall in the dark of the night, causing Sachiel to watch in confusion and excitement. Throughout all of this. Unit-01 was still attached to its final restraints.
Holy mother of Adam, that thing is the coolest looking thing I have ever seen! It's awesome! A nice purple colour and with glowing green highlights! Oh what a cool thing! Wait a minute... it feels a lot like the mother I'm trying to find below... why is that...
Shinji watched Sachiel from inside Unit-01, his face forming a look of terror as the Angel stared straight back at him. Nothing moved. Not Unit-01. Not Sachiel. Not anyone in Central Dogma. All eyes were on Shinji in Unit-01 as their last hope stood in wait, ready for its next order. "This is it, Shinji!" Misato called out, with the boy shakily replying.
"Uh... sure..." He said, his voice wavering from the terror her was currently witnessing.
'Shinji...' Misato thought to herself, as she prepared her next order. 'You'll be alright. You're safe in the Eva. But whatever happens... don't get yourself killed out there...'
- End –
-.-
– Neon Genesis Evangelion OST I – Track 22 - Next Episode (30 Seconds) –
"Evangelion Unit-01 triumphs against the Angel! But the defeat of the Third Angel is only the beginning! Shinji falls hard into a coma as Misato struggles to figure out what to do following the Angel attack. The mysterious arrival of a not so dead Angel sparks more issues. As Shinji runs into more troubles with his father, he has no desire to ever set foot in the same room as him again. Misato takes this upon herself and tries to help him out by giving him a place to live. However, setting her heart on this was no more than her pride as an adult. Next time, Unfamiliar Ceiling! And don't worry, I'll be giving you some more fan-service as well!"
– End –
-.-
Sync Ratios:
Shinji: 41.3%
So that's the end of the 2nd Chapter rewrite. Chapter 3 will have significantly more extra content as I can write some stuff while Shinji is in a coma. Fun times abound. Chapter 23 will come first though, so look forward to that!
Original AN: End of Episode 1, and Chapter 2! Chapter 3 will go straight into Episode 2, and we will finally start seeing the main plot of this story start to unfold. Now, the story will start quite comedic, and will not really get dark until the later half. Considering the last five Angels, as well as EoE, this story will not fully be a comedy, as that's just not what Evangelion is. Also, Shinji/Asuka is endgame for this story, as anyone who knows me should know, and I already know where the start of the relationship will be. Sachiel's inner monologues are great and all, but when the Angel is defeated, that's where the fun really starts. I hope you enjoyed this rather straight forward adaptation of Episode 1.
Changes made to original story (From Manga/Rebuild):
I will note changes made to the Original Anime here as they happen, I missed the first chapter so I will note that here as well.
Shinji's personality is a mix of Manga/Anime, I like Manga Shinji quite a bit, but I also want to keep what makes Shinji, Shinji, so that's I'm doing this approach. Shinji's Manga personality has already come out a little bit.
Shinji's background comes from the Manga primarily, in fact a lot of characters will. The Manga just has more interesting backstories.
LCL is coloured blood red instead of orange, this comes from Rebuild. I think the colour fits better for what LCL actually is.
Anyway, until the 3rd, Ciao!