(A/N): This is a fan-fiction of Neon Genesis Evangelion. All copywritten materials belong to their respective owners.

(A/N 2): This is also a different kind of fan-fiction. It will be conducted in an interview format. Some events will be left out, as well as some aspects not covered. I hope you all enjoy. Reply with comments and PMs and how you like.

Subject 1: Shinji Ikari.

All interviews conducted by Tsgt. West, United States Air Force, former NERV US. (Represented by TW)

Interviewee A: 1Lt. Makoto Hyuga, NERV HQ, JSSDF. (Represented by MH)

Interviewee B: 1Lt. Shigeru Aoba, NERV HQ, JSSDF. (Represented by SA)

Interviewee C: Cpt. Maya Ibuki, NERV HQ, JSSDF. (Represented by MI)

Interview conducted on 04-17-2017.

*sounds of MH walking inside*

MH: They're really conducting an interview of this?

TW: Yeah. As far as I know, this is all classified stuff. This is to be sent to the officers of NERV US as well as high-ranking officials across the US. Don't worry, what you tell me is still going to be confidential and kept under a "Secret" clearance.

MH: Good. That's what I'm afraid of. Are you only recording voices for this interview with my companions and I?

TW: That is correct, sir. If there is anything of personal detail you don't feel like disclosing, let me know and I'll censor it for you.

MH: ...Thank you, Sergeant.

TW: Yes, sir. Now, onto business... How well did you know Shinji Ikari?

MH: Diving into the deep end already, are we now, Sergeant? See, I didn't know Shinji all too well. After all, he only arrived in Tokyo-3 the day the third angel tried to stride in on us.

TW: Right. I reviewed the paperwork. March 15th, wasn't it?

MH: Jesus, it's already been two years? Whatever. Keep the questions rolling. ...I didn't meet him on his first day. After all, I just told you an angel was attacking us. However, news travelled fast.

TW: Explain.

MH: See, at the time Rei was injured during a synch test. My humble benefactor at the time kept her available as a bluff in the case that Shinji wanted to turn into a bitch.

TW: Did he?

MH: Couldn't tell you. Misato was moaning about it for hours, so I guess? If you ever interview her, be sure to ask on my behalf.

TW: I am not authorized to disclose who the subjects of interview are.

MH: Dammit. Anyways, as I was saying... Rei was a bluff. We couldn't let her pilot a giant robot against a giant war machine of death. She'd get killed. But we need incentive.

TW: And a paraplegic was?

MH: You know I didn't make that call, Sergeant! Never mind that. Anyways, one of the higher officers, currently Ltc. Katsuragi, was our envoy to recover Shinji. After all, that was who we instructed him to meet and be an alternative to having an actual guardian. Gendo was a shitty father to him, but I assume we are supposed to discuss him at a later date.

TW: That's correct sir. But something concerns me.

MH: And that would be, Sergeant?

TW: Is someone valuable enough to send a colonel to recover them?

MH: At the time she was a captain. But have you seen Saving Private Ryan?

TW: A few times. Why?

MH: Then you've just answered your own question. Anyways, we sent her out to recover him, giving me time to return to my battle station. It was only around 0900, so a lot of us were still groggy as hell. But, man! You should've been there. It was packed like you couldn't believe. A lot of us have never fought an angel, but we trained for hours to prepare for it. We were either entirely fucked, or we were about to kick some major ass.

TW: And were they officers like you?

MH: Not all of them, no. Some of them were, Maya and Shigeru. But there were a lot of enlisted guys manning computers and security systems. But we had a special guest there at the time; some reps from the JSSDF were there to actually watch us conduct research on the EVAs themselves and determine their use as a weapon.

TW: And possibly mass-produce them?

MH: None of us saw that coming, but we're gonna discuss that later, I hope?

TW: Yes, sir.

MH: Good. As I was saying, there were some generals from the JSSDF there to observe the potency of the EVA-series against a live target. They received the test paperwork, weapons specs, all the fun stuff. They wanted to see it in live action and that was their easiest time to.

TW: Was there ground personnel engaging the angel at the time?

MH: Yeah, ground and air. Hell, we even deployed an N2 mine, nothing worked. But somehow the captain saw something in Shinji. He barely knew how to walk around in the EVA. Want to know how he lost?

TW: Of course.

MH: He fell on his ass. The EVA tripped on the pavement and was recovered by the angel. The angel tried crushing his head. However, something happened in the EVA that caused it to go berserk. I don't know what or why, but it went mad! It tore into that thing with no mercy whatsoever. The third angel was nothing but smoldering ash by the time EVA-01 was done with it. I know for a fact that it couldn't have been Shinji. Maya lost contact with him! We couldn't see inside of the entry plug! But somehow he won.

TW: Does Shinji know how?

MH: That's the driving point! He has no idea either! But whatever. That first fight was all the detail you need to have insight onto who the hell Shinji is. He's passive. He is not the pilot of EVA-01. He just can't be.

TW: Thank you for conducting this interview with me, sir.

*sounds of MH getting up from the chair, as well as TW getting up*

MH: It's no problem, Sergeant. When can I expect the next interview?

TW: Would next week be okay with you?

MH: Sure. I'll see you then.

*sounds of MH walking away*

*sounds of SA walking in*

SA: Huh. Didn't think they'd have you conducting interviews. Didn't they almost transfer you to HQ?

TW: Yeah, but I was being insubordinate so they put me back into the Air Force.

SA: Sucks, man. Hey, is it cool if I smoke in here?

TW: Go ahead.

*sounds of SA opening a pack of cigarettes, then lighting one*

SA: Thanks a bunch. I need one.

TW: Sure, let's get down to business.

SA: Fine by me. What are you gonna ask about?

TW: Shinji Ikari.

SA: God, that kid was a fucking scumbag!

TW: Why was he a scumbag?

SA: If I was his age, I would've loved to pilot a giant robot. I was addicted to Gundam and I still am. Want to know what he did when he was first sent into the entry plug?

TW: What?

SA: He started crying like a bitch! I would've been giddier than a schoolgirl meeting a teen pop star if I was in his seat!

TW: It is probably much more of a responsibility than you think.

SA: Don't start lecturing me, Sergeant. It's additional crap I don't need.

TW: Okay, go on about your hatred for Shinji.

SA: Okay. Every time he got in the entry plug, he whined every time. It's annoying and it makes him come off as a bitch. Hell, beyond that, he doesn't listen! It makes you look like a perfect angel.

TW: He's insubordinate?

SA: You're putting things lightly. I expect you to be brutal. But yeah, he's insubordinate.

TW: How so?

SA: Sure, I mean it was fucking cool about how he kicked the shit out of the third angel. But the fourth... Oh, god, the fourth. That's what really made me hate this kid.

TW: Elaborate, please.

SA: It was a giant squid thingy. Eight tentacle thingies, electro-whips, all these sick bells and whistles. Shinji was trained further, thinking he can fight it. But he couldn't. He was gonna be boned. Hard.

TW: The angel fought on March 29th?

SA: Yeah! He was fighting a giant squid! With whips! How can he kill something like that in five minutes?!

TW: You failed to mention the fact that he had five minutes.

SA: His power cord was disconnected when he got whipped by that thing.

TW: And EVAs...

TW and SA: ...only have five minutes of internal power.

SA: Yeah, that was the problem. He had five minutes so he tried to take the fight outside of city limits to avoid collateral damage.

TW: I take it as that was an even worse problem?

SA: Catastrophically worse. We were all screaming at him to retreat. He just didn't listen! Anyways, he was on the hillside, fighting this thing, when one of the other guys detected his two little friends outside. Wanna know what he did next?

TW: I'm going to guess that he let the two of them in.

SA: Yeah. The first non-certified pilots who weren't test subjects in an EVA. Civilians. Yeah, it's a good thing Shinji won. We would've been fucked if he didn't. But it was still really dickish of him. And he didn't get better after the fact. It was the biggest pain in the ass to recover EVA-01 and a dead angel corpse. Ever see any of those things in person?

TW: No. Only photographs in reports.

SA: Figures.

*sounds of SA getting up, tossing the cigarette from his mouth*

SA: Anyways, I'm gonna go home and have some drinks. Nice seeing you again, bud.

TW: You too, Shigeru. See you next week for the next interview.

SA: Sure.

*sounds of MI walking in*

MI: It's been so long!

TW: It has. How have things been?

MI: They've been going.

TW: Have they?

MI: We need to get together again sometime. I would want to catch up.

TW: I have nothing better to do. Wanna go see a movie after we're done here?

MI: Sure. I'd like that.

TW: Great. Now, time to get down to business. What can you tell me about Shinji Ikari?

MI: Other than he's Gendo's only kid? Not a lot. See, he's always had issues on the homefront ever since his mom died.

TW: So all he has is an estranged father?

MI: Hearing through the grapevine? I don't think he has that any more either. I think Misato adopted him.

TW: Ah.

MI: But that's really not all I know. I mean, I see him all the time; he's one of the children. I would go into details with the other two, Rei and Asuka, since I'm around them more, but this is about Shinji. Yeah, he has issues at home. His mom died when he was three years old and he was sent far away afterwards.

TW: Gendo's idea?

MI: Yeah. He sent him far away, with one of his teachers or something. I wasn't at NERV at the time, I was still in school. I wasn't officially in NERV until 2010 after all.

TW: Unnecessary detail. I need you to focus on Shinji.

MI: Yeah... I'm not a good person to ask on that. I mean, he seems like a sweet kid; as normal on the outside as any 14-yeah-old should be. But Jesus, just see him outside of that. That EVA... does stuff to him. It tears him up. Rei's a generic stoic and Asuka's a killing machine. Shinji is as normal as a kid should be. The weight of the world rests on his shoulders. If I was a teenage boy, I should be chasing skirts and going to parties, not saving the world.

TW: Do you know why he defeats himself as he does?

MI: Because of that pressure. It's a lot of pressure, too much for a kid like him. I feel bad that he and I didn't talk as much. I mean, he should be getting to know Asuka and Misato better, since they're his housemates. But having no mom and an estranged dad who hates him? That's heavy shit. That's really heavy shit. I feel terrible for him!

TW: But yet he pilots the EVA.

MI: He has to. He has no other choice.

TW: Why?

MI: I don't know why. He has to. Gendo tells him he has to, Ritz tells him he has to, Misato tells him he has to, us deck bunnies have to tell him he has to also. We don't since the former three do it for us. But it's a lot more than that.

TW: Stuff beyond your control.

MI: Exactly. If I can rewind time, replace all that hurt with a loving home, I would. But, anyways... That doesn't really matter. Shinji did what he did. What are you recording this interview for, anyway?

TW: Some officers and generals back in the United States wanted to conduct research during the extra-terrestrial barrage launched against NERV HQ. We want to be better defended in the case something like that happens again.

MI: I hope it doesn't happen again.

TW: It hasn't for a while. Keep your fingers crossed. I know I am.

MI: I pray every night.

*sounds of MI and TW getting up*

MI: Let me guess; another one next week? Who about this time?

TW: I am not authorized to disclose that information.

MI: Aw. Oh well, I'll be waiting.