Author Notes
Evangelion is not owned by me, and this is not for profit.
Feel free to copy this, as long as you give me credit.
Also feel free to critque me, because while I've proofread all this, I'm sure it could be better.
And one last disclaimer: This is not an author insert. I don't look, act, talk, or behave like any of the characters in this story (as far as I'm aware.)
Happy reading!
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The Nerv-02 facility, formerly known as Area 51, Nevada, was normally a quiet place. The calm desert air was rarely disturbed by klaxon, and in fact the loudest it ever got was when the large aircraft brought in new parts for its production model unit deep underground. The massive aircraft only came by about once a week, landing and unloading huge crates of equipment that was never seen by the public eye.
Security towers were located every fifty feet along a tall chain link fence. The towers were supplemented by cameras every twenty feet and a high tech control center that could monitor every square inch of the perimeter fence. Armed guards patrolled approximately every fifteen minutes, leaving the interior of the base nigh impregnable.
The facility extended deep underground, after multiple sets of steel doors prevented access to the lower levels. Most of the facility was dedicated to support for Nerv Headquarters in Tokyo-3, with a few other major facilities on-site. In fact, for now, the Adam embryo was housed here, although only a few were aware of it, and it was due to be moved to Germany in two days. There was only one other significant project underway in the base; the manufacture and maintenance of the fifth production model Evangelion.
The production model Evangelion, Unit Four, was a white and chrome monstrosity. It resembled the two previous models, Unit Two, built in Germany, and Unit Three, built in Boston, but possessed a few significant differences. For one thing, Unit Four had only two eyes, similar to the prototype Unit One. The chrome trim and white body of Unit Four stood out starkly compared to the other Eva units; while Units Zero, One, and Two were gaudily colored, and the still incomplete Unit Three was a dark blue, Unit-4 was simple and distinctive.
Also unlike the other Evangelions, the white Evangelion neither had a pilot nor a guiding soul. Dr. Gerald Howell, the MIT educated managing engineer of the project, was incredibly uncomfortable with the notion that someone would have to sacrifice themselves for the thing to function, but had been shoehorned into controlling the project by his Japanese colleague, Ritsuko Akagi. Dr. Howell was fully aware of the details of Second Impact, and understood the need to defend the world from the Angels, but never totally understood the need to give up a human life for the thing to operate; he was a biochemical engineer, not a metaphysical biologist.
So far, no one else in the Nevada facility was aware of the operational needs of the Evangelion; as far they were aware, the reason the thing deep inside their facility was not operational because it lacked a pilot, not a human soul. So far, Unit Four had never operated under any sort of power. Every activation test and contact experiment thus far had failed. Every pilot candidate had failed to sync, and only the Doctors Akagi and Howell, along with the leaders of Nerv, were aware that the Evangelion needed something more to function.
Gendo Ikari, the commander of Nerv, had tried to find a pilot for the Evangelions, but so far only a two had proven themselves able; Rei Ayanami, handpicked for the project, and Asuka Langley Sohryuu, the prodigy of Germany, had so far been successful at piloting, although he was fully aware that his son was capable of piloting Unit One; the more recent iterations of the project, however, had proven more resistant.
Commander Ikari was, however, aware of the role given to the newer Eva units. According to the Dead Sea Scrolls, the fourth (Unit Three) was destined to become an Angel, while the fifth (Unit Four) would have little part to play in the coming events. It was his understanding that finding a pilot for either unit was not necessary, and so gave it little thought.
Destiny, naturally, had other things in store.
Christopher Roland was a miscreant. He had grown up an orphan, in and out of the system that had developed after Second Impact. He was odd; he normally acted like an average boy of his age, but at times seemed like a completely different person; the average boy, a boy who seemed normal until the tricks and crimes began piling up, and more rarely a violent berserker with no self-control and an incredible violent streak. He had been kicked out of three separate orphanages for his habits and temper; now, he was "living" with a foster family in Roswell, New Mexico. He had, in the second week after arriving there, hitched a ride with a passing trucker and arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada, with a fake ID and a stolen credit card. It had not taken long for him to get kicked out.
Christopher Roland was also fourteen years old.
He had hitched another ride, but this one had been unable to stand the mischievous little teenager riding with him in the cab, and had dumped him out on the highway. Coincidentally, Chris had walked east until he had reached the high chain link fence surrounding the Nerv facility. Despite the posted signs warning that if he proceeded he would be shot, and despite the obviously armed guards surrounding the facility, he had resolved to get in. After all, what did he have to live for?
Despite his occasionally violent manner, Christopher was also quite intelligent. He knew that the security around the facility would be incredibly difficult to penetrate. He was also quite stubborn, and this did not deter him. He watched as a man in a tan uniform walked past the fence, surveying the countryside outside the fence. He looked bored, and Christopher had no doubt he had never seen any action. He waited for the guard, a young man who looked like he was about twenty five years old, to pass by as he hid behind a bush, and he was shortly out of sight.
Christopher couldn't see the cameras positioned on the tower, but the thought never entered his head that other security could be present; his only thought was that it might be interesting to see what was inside the base. He grabbed hold of the chain link fence, then slowly climbed to the top. The razor wire at the top didn't even slow him down, as he threw himself over it and suffered only a minor cut on his leg. He landed in a heap, but the nearest guard didn't hear anything, and luckily enough for Christopher, the camera was scanning in the other direction as he leapt over. With a quick look around, he began running towards the only building nearby; a steel hanger that looked fairly empty.
No one opposed Chris as he arrived at the building, and he assumed he had not been spotted. The hanger was full; a large vehicle similar to the flying wings he had occasionally seen designed. This one had been modified for use as a carrier, and a large assembly was hanging below it, as if waiting for massive cargo. Christopher was impressed by the size of the thing, but otherwise paid it no mind as he found a door that was unlocked.
The door led to a huge staircase, deep into the ground. The massive staircase looked old, but the curious part of Christopher's mind drove him to descend. He spent nearly an hour walking down the stairs. Partly, he was bored by the monotony of it, but by the he reached the bottom, he anticipated the rewards of his journey greatly.
As he pushed open the final door, he failed to notice the alarm connection that went off. Meanwhile, deep in the control center of the facility, Dr. Howell was about to wrap up his late night of work when the alarm went off. He wasn't unprepared for such an eventuality, but it startled him nonetheless. With a glance at the facility map, he saw the unused section of the facility in the east wing was highlighted. He grabbed the microphone, and the base's speaker system began broadcasting.
"Attention all Nerv personnel! This is Doctor Howell. There is an intruder in the east wing of the facility, near access door 7-A. Organize a lockdown and keep an eye out." Howell pulled back from the microphone and began speaking to his subordinates in the control center. "Secure the Evangelion facility. We can't have anyone finding out what's happening down there. And dammit, how did anyone get past the perimeter?"
"Doctor, no system is perfect, that's why we have alarms on the access doors." His subordinate, whose name he could never really recall, was a short brown haired man with an impressive girth. Howell glanced at him, then returned to the control screen. The doctor pulled his lab coat up on his shoulders, then turned and began to leave.
"I'm going to patrol the Eva facility. Keep an eye on things for me." He left through the sliding automatic door, and his subordinate only sighed as the black haired doctor left.
For his part, Christopher did not fail to notice the announcement. With a quiet groan, he looked for somewhere to run, and dashed down the hallway to the left, hoping that the facility didn't have the capability to track his movement. Why he hadn't thought so hard about security earlier worried him, but that didn't stop him from barreling into what appeared to be a sterile laboratory.
The door was temporarily sealed, but Chris only had to punch a red-lettered access button to open the door. Inside were two long, empty cylinders labeled in English and Japanese. The English label read "Unit-04 Entry Plug" in large black letters, though he had no idea what it read in Japanese; he assumed it was the same in both languages. The top of the cylinder had an irised opening that was apparently sealed open. He turned to leave the lab, but heard footsteps as he turned and saw a black haired man in a white lab coat walking towards the lab. The tall scientist almost hit his head on the low hanging STERILE sign as he approached, but ducked and continued on his way.
Christopher almost panicked, but the rational part of his mind prevailed and he ran to the empty cylinder. With a quick look around, he crawled over it and into the entrance. It was large on the inside, with a seat just large enough to accommodate someone of his stature, him being taller than the average fourteen year old, but he was able to curl up and conceal himself in front of it. As far as he was aware, he could not be seen without actually entering the plug.
Dr. Howell entered the entry plug laboratory. Although it wasn't immediately visible, a large egress on the right side of the lab led directly from the lab to the primary Evangelion construction facility. The two entry plugs that were on loan from Nerv Tokyo had been unsuccessfully used in several tests with Unit Four, and through the side of the lab could be loaded directly into the Eva.
Dr. Howell noticed that one of the plugs had been left open, probably from some recent maintenance. He glanced in quickly, to make sure nothing was out of place, and then sealed it shut by pressing the close button on the outside. Christopher, on the inside, was left in darkness.
"Well, shit."
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The night came and went, and no one found Christopher on the inside of the plug. Dr. Howell remained in the facility all night, sleeping in the control center to remain apprised of the situation, but the intruder was not found. The only indication of something wrong was a door opened without authorization near the entry plug labs, but no other sign was found.
Christopher attempted to attract attention by banging on the inside walls of the plug, but no one entered the lab, and he eventually gave up and went to sleep. His sleep wasn't troubled by dreams, but when he woke up, he could not for the life of him remember where he had fallen asleep. His last memory was of falling asleep in his new foster home. He looked around, but was in the dark, and couldn't see anything. He felt himself sitting in a padded chair, and was enclosed on all sides by a dark wall.
Dr. Howell woke up to find himself in the control center of the base. He looked at the clock, and discovered that it was about eight o'clock in the morning, meaning that he had technically started work. He moaned out loud; he had looked forward to going home and seeing his girlfriend, but he would have no such luck today. At nine thirty another entry plug test was scheduled, and Doctor Howell had the unfortunate duty of supervising it.
Christopher began banging on the walls again, hoping for someone to hear him, but after about an hour he gave up. He sighed and gave up; maybe he would be lucky enough for someone to open up and rescue him. He sat down in the chair again and prayed for a miracle.
At nine thirty, Doctor Howell began the entry plug test. A team of technicians connected the Evangelion to its external power source. To the doctor it appeared inefficient; the power plug design was suitable for home electronics, sure, but this 2015, dammit, and they had better designs! He didn't speak his complaints out loud, however, and the Evangelion was connected in short order.
The entry plug lab in the eastern wing of the facility was quiet until three technicians entered in order to move the plug into the Evangelion. The egress opened quietly. The plug was so well padded that Christopher didn't hear anything on the outside, and the technicians did not hear him on the inside.
"Use the number two plug. With any luck we might have a successful activation." The technicians pushed the plug, naturally the one that Christopher was in, onto a metal assembly that would put the entry plug in position for insertion into the Evangelion waiting for it. Christopher felt the movement and began hitting the walls and yelling, but to no avail; the plug was insulated to prevent the pilots from being too distracted.
"Entry plug number two is prepared for insertion, doctor." said the portly subordinate, the same one who had been working the night before. Unlike Doctor Howell, he had returned home the night before and had a good night's sleep. In the doctor's opinion, it only gave him another reason to dislike the technician.
"Very good. Is power running to the Evangelion?" Doctor Howell rubbed his forehead. He had a headache too, but he couldn't go home, at least until the experiment was completed.
"For the last time, doctor, yes. The experiment is ready to continue on your command." The technician wasn't doing himself any favors with his attitude, and Doctor Howell was sure to remember every snarky comment.
"Alright. Fill the plug with the LCL." LCL was a complete mystery to the doctor. It exhibited properties of a variety of chemicals; sometimes it was similar to a simple liquid, and at others more like some kind of protein. His every attempt at analysis had failed, though experiments had shown a variety of uses for the stuff. In controlled conditions in stimulated the correct portions of the brain to synchronize with an Evangelion, and when electrified allowed liquid respiration. It also exhibited some regenerative properties, particularly on the lungs, although only on certain persons. His supply of the stuff was also limited, so he couldn't study it as often as he wished, but the LCL used in entry plug experiments was recyclable, so he had little worry.
Some pilot candidates worried that the LCL was dangerous. Dr. Howell, however, had determined after extensive testing that when electrified, full immersion in LCL was completely harmless. On the inside of the entry plug, however, none of this was consolation to Christopher, who was now fully covered in the stuff. He coughed extensively as the stuff filled his lungs, though he quickly discovered that he could breathe in the orange gunk filling his shelter. The smell, however, was enough to make him sick. It was reminiscent of blood, and he nearly vomited up some of the liquid now filling his lungs.
"Hmmm. There's a discrepancy in the volume of LCL in the entry plug." The technician wasn't particularly surprised; some of the equipment Nerv Four had received was sub-par. Nerv headquarters and Nerv Germany had significantly better technology, but Nerv Nevada received some very low grade equipment. Apparently Evangelion Unit Four was not as necessary to the security of humankind.
"Bleed some off, and we'll recycle it later." Doctor Howell had no trouble believing the error, either. At least for once the technician was saying something intelligent.
"Done and done."
Christopher was beginning to panic. He could somehow breathe in the liquid, which had turned clear in the presence of electricity he was unaware of. He found he could move normally, and for the first time noticed the two hand holds at his side. He wondered what they were for, and the rational question took his mind off the situation he was in.
"Alright. Begin the activation sequence." Doctor Howell had attempted to activate the Evangelion a dozen times before; he was the only one in the Nerv facility aware of the futility of it.
This only made him more surprised when the technician exclaimed "Sir, the A-10 nerve connection has activated!"
"WHAT?!? What the hell is going on? What's different?"
"As far as we're aware, this is the same experiment we've run a hundred times. Maybe we got lucky?"
Howell wasn't so sure.
Christopher, on the other hand, had bigger problems. He had a splitting pain in his head, and he grabbed the sides of his head and screamed. The pain was so intense that he could not focus on anything else. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced; it was so painful he thought he would black out, but the pain would not even allow him to do that.
"GAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" All he could feel was pain, and every other thought about his situation was pushed out of his mind.
"What are the diagnostics saying? Can we determine why the A-10 nerve is active?" Howell was almost in a panic. Every other successful activation of an Evangelion had relied on a human soul being present, yet here and now he was seeing evidence to the contrary.
"Wait a minute! Sir, we have a problem! Someone's inside the entry plug!" This time, his female subordinate, a short brunette, spoke. "The pressure sensors are showing readings that someone is sitting inside!"
"WHAT? How is that possible? How could anyone have been in there?" Then Howell had another thought. "Oh shit, the intruder! Shut down the Eva! Disconnect power! Eject the entry plug!"
The Evangelion's power cord separated from the unit's back, and small jets on its back allowed it to land without any damage. The entry plug seemed to stick for a moment, then flew backward. The thrusters threw it back against the wall of the facility, which it fired against for a moment before the jets shut off and it fell to the ground with a crash.
Dr. Howell was fully aware of the results of the disastrous activation test of Unit Zero in Tokyo, but Unit Four had not yet moved, and so far the only external indications something had happened were the eyes. While before they had been completely hidden behind the face plate that protected and controlled the Evangelion, they now glowed a sickly green color. Even as the doctor and technicians watched, however, the eyes went from green to red, and its arms began to move. A monstrous roar emerged from its open mouth, and the monstrosity began to rip its way out of the meager bindings holding it in place.
Thankfully, the Evangelion did not possess enough energy to continue its rampage. Before it could reach the window to the control room and do any damage to it, it shut down and slumped forward, out of power.
Dr. Howell wiped the nervous sweat of his brow and turned to the two technicians in the control room with him. He noticed that the fat one had soiled himself, but decided to tactfully not bring it up. "Well," said the young brunette, "at least the damned thing works."
Howell and the fat technician only glared.
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It took some time for the entry plug to cool, and afterwards it had to be drained of LCL. Dr. Howell was expecting the person inside to perhaps be Nerv personnel, or a trained infiltrator sent by some shadowy organization. A fourteen year old miscreant was beyond his ken.
Christopher was unconscious when he was brought out of the entry plug, and immediately sent to emergency care at the nearest intensive care facility. Cockpit recorders had gotten the entire event on tape, but few could bear to listen to them after the boy began screaming.
Later that day, while Christopher was still in his sleep, Dr. Howell confronted his chief of security, Colonel Jacob Klemens.
"So, Colonel, perhaps you'd like to explain how a teenager entered our secure perimeter, then managed to not only get into our facility, but into one of our labs, and nearly destroyed over a decade of work?" Howell was still angry, but had calmed significantly in the time since the incident. Now, he was worried about several other things; the boy's status, of course, but also the wrath of Gendo Ikari and Ritsuko Akagi when they learned of this. His fear was that after coming this far, he would be removed from the project. Normally, he would not have minded, but now, after a success, however brutal, he was reluctant to leave.
"Doctor, I can't explain how that boy got inside last night. All my people swear that they didn't see or hear a thing." Klemens spoke with a southern accent, though he knew better than to use any slang in the doctor's presence; Howell was notorious for lashing out at those who made up words. At the time, however, that was the last thing on his mind.
Howell took a sidelong glance at the colonel, then put his hand on his forehead and sighed. "I understand, Colonel. Sorry. It's been a long couple of days." Howell was almost surprised at his own benevolence, but assumed it was because he feared for his own position as well.
"Don't worry about it, doc." Jacob lapsed into his more comfortable speech pattern, and Howell didn't seem to mind. "We think there may be a faulty camera on the eastern perimeter, so we're looking into that. Seems like a bit of a long shot, though."
"Alright. See if you can find anything out. I'll probably be the one who takes the heat for this one, anyway." Howell again turned away from the colonel. As if on his cue, his brunette assistant arrived.
"There's a phone call for you from Nerv headquarters, Doctor." she said quietly. Howell sighed again, then shoved the chair toward the table and walked to his office to take his berating in private.
The voice on the other end of the phone was the formal tone of Nerv's commander, Gendo Ikari. This was not unexpected, though Doctor Howell had never enjoyed speaking to Ikari; something about the older man unsettled him.
"Doctor Howell. I will speak English, so that you can clearly understand the trouble this incident has caused."
"Sir, I assure you, reasonable precautions had been taken - "
"Your reasonable precautions resulted in the largest breach of security this organization has ever seen."
"Sir-"
"You will not interrupt me again, Doctor." Howell fell silent. He scowled, though Ikari would not see that over the phone line. "Not only is an unauthorized civilian now aware of the Eva, he has been inside of it, and apparently made contact with it. Unit Four has now activated, and we cannot be sure that it can be controlled. Furthermore, there is the matter of the boy." The doctor's frown widened. By his reckoning, the boy's welfare should have been the first priority. Ikari was a notoriously cold man, however; Howell had heard stories that he had essentially disowned his own son.
"Am I to understand that we currently have no information about this boy or where he came from?"
"That's correct, sir. No name, date of birth, residence, or identification of any kind. Until he wakes up, we won't know anything about him."
"I see. He survived the contact incident, correct? Do we have any idea what kind of condition he is in mentally?"
"We have no indication of that, sir. A CAT scan showed no permanent damage, but it didn't in the Sohryu case either, so we can't be sure." Howell was referring to the disastrous contact experiment that another of his colleagues, Kyoko Zeppelin Sohryu, had undergone, which had left her insane, and eventually resulted in her suicide. Although he spoke dispassionately about it to Ikari, he had greatly admired the young scientist, and had been devastated to hear of her death.
"Very well. Keep me apprised." Ikari abruptly hung up, and Howell let out a sigh – this time of relief - that he had not been instantly fired. He turned to leave, but the phone rang again. This time, he answered it himself.
"Hello? What? He's awake? I'll be there as soon as possible." He put the phone down on the stand. "Margaret, I'll be out of the office for a few hours. If Commander Ikari calls, tell him to shove off for me." Margaret, his assistant, had received this instruction several times; after the first, she had learned it was truly a jest, and one did not speak to Commander Ikari in that manner.
Dr. Howell walked outside to his car, a DeLorean. It was often joked that if he had the time and patience for it, he would have already built a time machine out of the thing. As it was, the car had minimal modifications; a sports car red paint job, a turbo hidden in the engine, and a coffee maker in the dashboard. No one had ever called the doctor uninventive, simply lazy.
As he drove down the desert highway that led away from the base, he couldn't help but think about the Evangelion hidden safely underground. It had not activated since the accident, but no power had been supplied to it either, and he assumed it could not operate without power. Moving without even an entry plug, however...that worried the good doctor very much. He would need to compare notes with Dr. Akagi to figure out what had happened. He hated working with these unpredictable things – he wasn't even sure what to call them, machines or creatures - but somebody had to do it, so it might as well be the most qualified.
The hospital was only a short drive from the Nerv facility. While the Nerv headquarters in Tokyo-3 had its own dedicated hospital facility, Nerv's fourth branch was not quite so lucky; they had to share a hospital with a nearby US Army and Air Force facility. Military accidents were not uncommon at either base, but they also had to deal with more exotic problems from the Nerv base, and so it was in some ways considered an extension of that facility.
Christopher was currently being housed in the intensive care unit of the hospital. While his injuries did not appear severe, he had been unconscious for nearly twelve hours. The doctors at the hospital could not be made aware of the could not be made aware of what had caused his condition, not that it would have done any good anyway. When he had awoken he forgot where he was for a moment, but then the previous day's events came crashing down on him.
He still did not remember entering the entry plug, but the loading and the pain he had experienced was still very fresh. Thankfully it had stopped completely, but he had blacked out as soon as the pain had ended, so again woke up to an unfamiliar ceiling. The only he remembered while being unconscious was of an incoherent yelling filling his head, but that faded away eventually as well.
The older doctor who was overseeing his recovery had told him he could not leave his bed until they had conducted some tests. These had so far consisted of blood sugar level tests, an MRI and CAT scan, and a psychological examination, complete with inkblot tests. The old man had last told him that before he could leave, he would need to speak to a "Doctor Howell."
Howell happened to be a six-foot two black haired doctor from South Dakota. When he entered Christopher's hospital room, the two studied each other for a moment.
Doctor Howell wore a pair of black slacks and a white button-down shirt that he left untucked. He kept his black hair short and flat, and his green eyes carried a remarkable weight of cynicism. It had been some time since he had a chance to shave, so the stubble had begun to grow on his face. He was also very skinny; he had little fat, and no obviously developed muscle.
Christopher was likewise tall, although tall for a fourteen year old was closer to closer to five-seven or five-eight. He had brownish-blonde hair was of middling length, and made no attempts to style it;he would have grown it longer, but the last orphanage had made him shave it off, so it was still in the process of regrowing. His eyes were brown, and right now they reflected his confusion, as he observed every detail in the hopes of figuring out what had happened. Right now he wore a green hospital gown, though his clothes – a pair of faded jeans and a t-shirt – were laid at the side of his bed.
"So can you tell me what the hell is happening?" The boy didn't hesitate to ask questions, and didn't mince his words either. The doctor could respect him for that.
"Before I answer any questions, I need you to do something for me." He opened a messenger bag, covered in black leather, that he had slung across his shoulder, and removed a small stack of forms. "I need you to fill out these non-disclosure agreements. Anything I tell you cannot leave this room, understood?" He held out a pen to the boy.
Christopher nodded, seized the pen, and went to work on the forms. It took about ten minutes of initialing and signatures before he was done. "Alright, I'm done. Now what happened to me?"
"Do you want me to start with the part where you entered a secure facility, or should I jump ahead to the bit where you interfered with a classified experiment?" Howell say the confusion forming in the boys eyes, and offered a sigh of weary resignation. "I'll start from the beginning, then. You somehow infiltrated our secure perimeter, probably on the eastern side, then entered an unsecured access door in Hanger 7. You then proceeded to enter one of our laboratories, and entered an entry plug we were preparing to use an experiment. You were still inside when that experiment began, and blacked out when it was called off. Any of this sounding familiar?"
"The last thing remember is waking up in a dark chamber, then some movement, and lastly the worst pain I've ever felt. What the hell kind of experiments were you running, anyway?" Christopher shook his head. Something felt wrong, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was just the lingering effects of the experiment.
"I'll be honest, explaining it to you will get us nowhere. Put your clothes back on, you're healthy enough to leave." With that, Dr. Howell turned and left. He glanced at the forms; the boy had signed them as Christopher Roland. At least he had a name. A few moments later, the boy emerged from the room, wearing the faded jeans and the t-shirt. Howell could now see it read "Irony is my bitch." He chuckled inwardly at the turn of phrase. "Follow me, please."
Chris followed the doctor out of the hospital. The waiting car was a DeLorean, which he was quick to laugh at. "Seriously, man, did you watch Back to the Future one too many times?" The doctor glanced at him; not many of the younger generation had bothered to watch the movie he had once considered his favorite.
"You kids don't have an appreciation for the classics." He pushed a small button on his key ring, and both doors opened at the same time. "Get in, the drive isn't too long."
The doctor was true to his word; the Nerv base was only about twenty minutes from the hospital, in case of medical emergencies. They passed through the security checkpoint on the outskirts of the huge airfield, and proceeded to the central building. Once inside, they boarded an elevator.
"So you had to drag me all the way back here to show me what, exactly?" The elevator ride was long, and Chris was fairly certain that it was longer than the car ride he had just taken.
"If I try to explain it to you, you won't believe it." The doctor smiled. Upon entering the base, he had again donned his lab coat. Whenever he worked in a lab setting, he was sure to wear it. It hardly served to impress the teenager beside him, who was remarkably verbose for a kid.
"Yeah, right. If I had been around sixteen years ago, I wouldn't have believed an alien attack would knock the planet off-kilter, and look where that went."
Howell scowled for a moment before speaking. "An alien attack? How'd you hear that?"
"Psh. Come on, an asteroid hit? Sounds like one of those lame-ass excuses."
The elevator began to slow, and then stopped. Howell had a grin on his face. "As it turns out, you're half-right." The elevator doors opened, and a metal face stared down the pair. Christopher jumped back so quickly Howell couldn't help but laugh. He tripped over a crack in the floor, and fell to his back.
"What the hell is that thing?" yelled the now frantic boy. "Jesus Christ, is this some kind of fucking alien?"
"Not exactly. You are looking at the pinnacle of human science; the Evangelion!" Howell decided to ham up his performance for the boy, who was now suitably cowed. "Built to protect our planet from the threat of the Angels!"
The white Evangelion seemed to stare at Christopher. He looked back at it. The doctor's description did nothing to calm his nerves. "And what the hell do you mean by angel?"
"Sorry. Some of my Japanese colleagues came up with it, and it stuck." He looked at the Evangelion again, then helped Christopher to his feet. "Fifteen years ago, the first Angel attacked Antarctica and nearly wiped out all life on the planet. My organization, Nerv, is dedicated to defending the Earth from further attacks, and these are the things that will do it!"
"How does it even work?"
"Every Evangelion needs a pilot. And you, for however short a time, were the first person to successfully synchronize with this one, Unit Four. Congratulations. You are now the first American Evangelion pilot."
"WHAT? You cannot expect me to pilot that thing! I'm fourteen, dammit, I'm not some kind of soldier. You have to have trained professionals for this kind of shit!"
"The problem is that, for whatever reason, we've only ever had luck with kids your age. It has something to do with Second Impact, we think."
"Are you telling me you built these things, and you don't even understand why they work?!?" Christopher's look was one of utter confusion. How could something be built without complete understanding of its function?
"Don't ask me, I didn't design the damned things. As it is, these are our last line of defense against the Angels. And when it comes down to it, if you can pilot it, then we need you to. You're only the third person to actually activate it." Howell didn't mention how the manner of the Eva's activation was hardly typical of the other activation tests.
"Do you know how much that thing hurt? If it does that every time, then I won't get in that thing!"
"Your first activation was more typical of something called a 'contact.' It only happens once per Evangelion, so that won't occur again."
"Great. So now, I get to pilot a giant metal death machine before I even manage to have a first kiss." He glanced at the doctor. "Might as well get started, then. How's this thing work?"
"Glad to hear you're eager. If you'll just follow me this way..."
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Christopher was again inside the entry plug, though this time there were several differences. This time, he knew where he was, and he hadn't been sealed inside forcefully. He was also wearing the neural uplink band that would allow him control of the Evangelion, and the tight fitting plugsuit that apparently enhanced his synchronization ratio. He didn't enjoy how the thing seemed to fill in to his cracks, but he supposed it was better than being naked.
The entry plug was not inside of the Evangelion. Instead, it currently resided inside the synchronization test chamber, a level above the Evangelion's holding pen. The Magi computer system, officially designated as Magi 07, was not as powerful as the primary trio in Japan, but it had enough computing power to route the sync test chamber through the actual Evangelion.
"Alright, Christopher, try to relax." Dr. Howell's voice came through the speaker system installed in the entry plug. "This isn't about control, this is about seeing if you can synchronize again." He pressed a series of buttons on the keyboard in front of him, and the circuits that connected the test chamber with the Evangelion came alive.
When he connected with the Evangelion this time, Chris had a very different sense than his first disastrous encounter. He wasn't in control, but he could feel the Evangelion almost like it was an extension of his own body. It was odd, to say the least.
The sync graph on the monitor to Dr. Howell's left began running. Christopher's scores were about an average between the two other recorded pilots, Asuka Sohryu and Rei Ayanami. "Good, Chris. We're going to lower the plug depth."
"What does that mean?"
"We're going to increase the LCL pressure and lower the plug to see if that affects your ratio. Don't worry, it shouldn't hurt." With that ominous remark, Howell pressed another series of keys and watched at the entry plug sank deeper into the solution. Thankfully, it appeared that Howell knew what he was talking about; Chris experienced a deepening of sensation with the Evangelion, but felt no more pain.
The sync ratio didn't move, so Howell turned to the fat technician, again working with him, and spoke. "I think we're ready for an actual activation test. Get the other entry plug ready." He turned again and spoke into the microphone. "Alright, Chris, we're gonna pull you out of there. You ready?"
"Yeah." Chris shuddered a little bit as the connection suddenly ended. "Man, that is weird. I don't think I'll be able to get used to this..."
The trip from the test chamber to the entry plug lab took about ten minutes. Chris kept the uplink band and plugsuit on for the trip, even as the damned thing started to give him a wedgie. "I'm already piloting the goddamned Eva, they couldn't make it comfortable?" he muttered to himself as he walked down the hallway.
The plugsuit matched the colors of his Eva; the body was white, but chrome highlights were on a number of parts. It wasn't comfortable to walk or stand in, though it fit well when he sat down in the Evangelion. He idly scratched his head and nearly knocked the band off, but managed to secure it to his head again.
He entered the other entry plug in the lab, and waited for a moment as it shifted into position. It began filling with LCL, and he took a deep gulp of it into his lungs.
"Alright, ladies and gentlemen. This is the moment we've all been waiting for." He dramatically flourished his arm before pressing the button that sent power to the Evangelion.
"It's a success, sir! The A-10 nerve connection is active."
"Excellent. Christopher, try some simple maneuvers; arm movement, walking, stuff like that. I need to talk to Commander Ikari." Christopher walked out of the command center and down the hall to his office. The hallways were quiet, as all eyes were on the Eva's activation test. He entered his office and picked up the phone.
The two Nerv branches had a direct phone connection that couldn't be tapped by normal means. This allowed Dr. Howell and Commander Ikari to speak almost immediately, as the connection worked even better than speed dial.
"This is Commander Ikari. What is it now, Dr. Howell? Did another teenager breach your security?" Ikari seemed to be in a better mood than usual. Normally, he wouldn't be sarcastic at all, even if his tone of voice remained exactly neutral.
"It's good news this time, Commander." Dr. Howell couldn't help but grin. "It turns out the boy can, in fact, pilot the Evangelion. It looks like we have our Fourth Child, huh?"
Ikari didn't let his surprise carry into this voice. "Really. In that case, I think it's time for Evangelion Unit Four to come to Japan."
"Are you sure, Commander? It seems a little soon, and we haven't seen any sign of the Angels yet."
"Are you questioning my orders, doctor? I can always find someone else to manage Unit Four."
Howell almost sighed, then realized the sound would carry over the phone and stopped himself. "Yes, sir. I understand. I'll make the preparations."
"Good to hear, doctor. And send the boy over first. The Third Child is due to arrive in Tokyo-3 at any time, so it would be convenient if they came at the same time."
"The Third Child? Your son?"
"Yes, the Third Child is my son, but that is not of your concern. Make your preparations and send the boy over as soon as possible." With that, the Commander hung up the phone, leaving Dr. Howell holding the receiver.
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The day after, Dr. Howell told Chris his instructions.
"I can't go to Japan, I don't speak Japanese! I won't understand anything!"
"Sorry, Chris. The commander was insistent. And when the commander says jump, you jump. Anyway, you're young. You can learn the language easily enough."
"Great. Not only do I get to pilot a giant death machine, I get to do it in a foreign country where I don't even speak the language." He sighed. "When do I leave?"
"The flight is later today. And don't worry too much, I'll be coming over with the Evangelion. It'll just be a couple of days. And a lot of Nerv personnel speak English anyway."
Christopher grumbled something under his breath that the doctor didn't quite catch. He chose to ignore it. "The other pilots are your age anyway. It will do you some good to have some friends."
"Fine, I'll go. But I won't enjoy it."
"I'm sure you won't."
Later that day, Chris prepared to board a Boeing 848, a model they began producing about ten years after Second Impact. The plane was fast, but the flight would still be about ten hours. It was rather exciting for a boy who had so far never been on an airplane.
Doctor Howell accompanied him to the gate, and his status as UN personnel allowed him to go through security. "Alright, Chris. When you get to Tokyo-3, you need to find Captain Misato Katsuragi. She's Nerv's tactical advisor, and she'll be your superior while you're in Japan. This is her number." Howell handed him a post card. This picture on it was of a woman, probably about thirty, in a loose tank top, bending over and giving a rabbit ears sign.
"Seriously? She looks more like a stripper than a military officer."
"She's a little eccentric. But she's very good at what she does, so don't judge her too harshly. I'll see you in a few days."
With that, Christopher boarded the plane to Japan. The trip was mostly uneventful; he had the opportunity to see Jurassic Park for the first time, and turbulence nearly made him spill his drink, but he arrived in Tokyo-3 without incident.
He was only there for a few moments when the first alarms began.