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XXXXXX

It's too warm. It's always far too warm. Ever since he first set foot on the island-nation he had always felt to warm. The others around him didn't seem to think so, but almost all of them where natives of the island and those few that where not had been here for a considerable time, and so had time to adapt to the eternal summer.

But in here, he felt different warmth. This warmth was not one of actual heat, it didn't discomfort him, if welcomed him, invited him, and made him feel at home. He didn't know why, but in this place which reeked of death and paradoxically of new life, he felt at home.

And he was ready.

"Captain Haida, launching."

XXXXXX

Looking at the picture of a scantily dressed woman winking at the camera with the words "look here" with an arrow pointing to her cleavage, Shinji wondered if he had made a mistake coming to the place he was told to meet with her instead of running away to the nearest shelter.

Not that we would have phrased it as such.

But he would.

Looking out into the city, the rundown state that had been caused from lack of maintenance coupled with the overgrowth that was common in cities in the post-impact era, gave the city a cold, empty feeling about it on its own. The abandoned cars scattered in the middle of the roads didn't help. It gave a sense of calm before the storm.

And the storm came with full force.

Flying high over his head, Shinji could see dozens of VTOLs and to say he could hear them would imply that he was capable of hearing anything else. His attention was drawn away from them as he saw what appeared to be a dark blue plane flying with around so fast he almost didn't notice it, and then he lost sight of it. Before he could find it again he felt a clod shill go down his spine as he saw what the VTOLs where preparing to fight.

The dark monstrosity was, if he was going to choose a word for it, unearthly. It's hideous sight defied reason and its mere ability to move spate in the face of multiple laws of nature. Surviving a barrage from the VTOLs, the beast raised an arm and silenced one of the aircraft with some form of energy expulsion from its hand.

The VTOL crashed far too close to Shinji only meters away from him, the collision with the ground nocking Shinji off his feet. Before he could get himself up, the unholy monster silenced anything that may have survived the crash with its foot. The pieces of metal that flew in all directions probably would have harmed or even killed him had it not been for a rundown blue car that placed itself between him and the crash site.

"Sorry." he hears a woman's voice say. Looking up, he sees that the offering him entry to the car was the same woman he had been told to meet. "Get in. Am I real late?"

Diving into the car, Shinji could hear missiles being fired right over their heads at the creature as the woman put the car in reverse and floored it, narrowly avoiding being crushed by a foot of the monster. Quickly turning around, the woman quickly put the car into forward and the car began to move at a pace Shinji had not imagined a working car would, let alone the barley legal machine that was falling apart he was in.

Looking behind them, he felt relief that the abomination had moved its attention back to the VTOLs.

XXXXXX

Looking down at the scene, Haida watched as for the untold time in these few hours the VTOLs, MRLS' and cluster bombs failed to even phase the monster, let alone stop it. With the JSSDF's inability to stop it with conventional weapons clear, he knew it was only a matter of time.

"Captain" a young, female voice said over his comm. "the JSSDF is requesting for you to use the payload on the Target."

"Confirm, beginning my run."

XXXXXX

Shinji couldn't help but feel embraced. The woman who he was with had stopped the car to observe the monster from a distance with binoculars. While she had her sights on the animal, all Shinji could see what her chest.

Seeing the VTOLs begin to move away from the creature as a plane high in the sky dove at it at a fast speed, before pulling up from its dive a hundred meters above it's head.

"Now wait a second" the woman said, removing the binoculars from her eyes. Realization struck her "No! They're going to use an N2 bomb. Get down."

She dove down and covered Shinji protectively. Before he had a chance to ask anything, he heard a deafening noise and, despite not looking in the direction of the blast, his sight was filled with the bright light from the blast. At first it was fine, and Shinji felt confident everything was going to be ok. Then the car was hit by the shockwave from the blast.

Feeling himself, the woman and the car flip over several times, he felt like his body was going to be ripped apart for those moments that felt like an eternity before the car came to a stop on its side.

XXXXXX

He could hear cheers over his comm. And he didn't like it. The N2 bomb was just a glorified nuke which was just the power of normal explosives just increased in magnitude by a factor of a few thousand. Though he had an understanding of 'death by a thousand cuts', he didn't think that nothing times a thousand would equal to something.

Turning his aircraft around after his run, he was unsurprised to see that the monstrosity still stood. It did appear to be slightly injured, and it did stop its movement for the first time since this battle started. He also noticed that a second "face" seemed to be trying to force itself out from under what could barely be called its skin.

"Haida, Nerv-1, Target still stand, repeat Target still stands. Beginning spick run."

Lowering his aircraft to be level with the red…. Thing on the creature's torso, he shared at the monster with the craft's spicks to the left and right of the canopy ready to attack.

500 meters

He noticed that monster's eyes begin to glow as it's right arm lifted to face him.

400 meters

Now the hand itself began to glow.

300 meters

No, it's not plowing, it's firing at him!

200 meters

Seeing the purple energy coming towards him, he moved his craft slightly to the left so he could avoid it while still making his run. The discharge missed but it was close enough for him to feel its heat.

100 meters

Keeping his sights on the red circle on the beast's torso, he fired the spikes, first salvo only a split second before the other. After unleashing his payload, he pulled up to avoid collision. The first salvo of a dozen spikes hit their mark, causing cracks to appear on the monster's core. The second salvo, only a split second behind the first, was deflected by some wall that had not been there a moment before.

Having obverted the events from the command center, sub-commander Fuyutsuki Kozo only said one thing. "An A.T. Field."

To which the only response he received was "Yes."

XXXXXX

"On three. Three!" The woman said to signal the two of them to begin pushing the car to try and get it back on its wheels. Landing with a loud clunk, the car somehow managed to stay in one piece after everything it had been through.

Then the bumper fell off.

'Almost' Shinji thought.

"Thanks Shinji, you're pretty useful." The woman said.

"You're welcome miss…." Shinji stopped to try and remember the name he had seen on the picture "Miss Katsuragi, but I should be thanking you."

"Misato is fine. So Ikari Shinji, we meet at last."

XXXXXX

'Great, the fate of the world is at stake and I'm now stuck here going into the pits of hell.' Haida thought to himself as the platform his craft was on descended into Nerv. Without the spikes and the N2 bomb his craft had no armaments, and with VTOLs flying around and observing the thing at a safe distance he was useless in the field.

'Will they use it, will they dare you it?'

XXXXXX

"Yes, don't worry; his safety is my top priority. Look, can you get a car train ready for us? An express of course." Shinji heard Misato say into her cellphone. Not really caring for what she had to say, he looked around the terrain in his surroundings. Noticing a large blue airplane parked in the distance, he was slightly surprised to see it disappear into the ground. Unaware of where it was heading, he herd Misato continue. "Well I did volunteer to pick him up, so it's only my duty to make sure he gets there."

Turning off her cellphone, Shinji turned around to see Misato in distress as she noticed a piece of her car fall off. Shinji, on the other hand, noticed something that begged a question.

"Uh Misato?"

"Yes?"

"Uh, those batteries" he said, pointing to a collection of a dozen batteries in the back seat "Isn't that theft?"

"Uhm… don't worry about it. It's an emergency and we needed a working car, right? I am a government official after all, so everything going to be ok? Ok."

"I don't think anyone is going to buy that excuse."

"You're no fun. You know, you're not as cute as I thought you were either."

Taking offense of the comment, Shinji simply said "Is that so?"

Smirking, Misato asked "oh, angry? I'm sowwy. Hahahaha, you're just a boy after all."

"You're not as mature as I thought you'd be either." He deadpanned. A few moments later he regretted his comment as she swerved around the road as they came to a tunnel, taking at least a few years off his life.

XXXXXX

Pulling himself out of his Evalon, the young captain was face-to-face with Dr. Akagi. Before she could say anything, he lifted his finger to signal that he needed a moment. Taking a deep breath, he exhaled with a good mouthful of LCL coming out and pouring down on the side of the Evalon. He repeated this a few more times until nothing came out when he exhaled.

"You alright Jonathan?" The doctor asked him. Straightening his back, he cleared his through before looking at her.

"I'm on duty; you'll refer to me as Captain or Captain Haida. Now how long will it take to replenish my ammunition? I want the Evalon prepped for launch ASAP."

Ritsuko sighed. She had read the young pilot's physic profile, so she should not have been surprised by what had been the first things the young man ever said to him was. But she didn't have to like it.

"I'm afraid to inform you captain that you are out of this fight. Your port wing armor is partially melted, your spike carriers are jammed in open mode, your LCL filter failed while you out there and all of your landing gears are either fused together or the rubber of the wheels are melted all together." She explained.

Head down, clearly disappointed, Jonathan sighed. With him out of the fight, all he was good for was to stand around while some unknown, untrained soldier took all the risks.

"Where is this third?" He asked. He at least wanted to see him before the guy was pushed into battle.

"He's only now entering the Geo front. I should be meeting with him soon, fell free to follow me. I can't help but feel that Misato is going to get herself lost again." The doctor told him as she started to walk away.

With nothing better to do, he chose to follow.

XXXXXX

"Nerv?" Shinji asked as the car came to a stop is some sort of car elevator.

"Uh-hue, it's a secret organization controlled by the UN." Misato explained.

"And that's where my father works?"

"Well ya, you do know what he does don't you?"

With a sigh, Shinji looked away from Misato. "All my teacher told me was that it was important to the future of mankind." He stopped for a moment as he noticed that the elevator started to move.

"Misato, are we going to see my father?"

"Of course, of course we are." She sounded happy, but that didn't make Shinji feel any better. It only brought back memories of his abandonment.

"Oh ya, did your dad send you an I.D. card?" Snapping out of his thoughts, Shinji opened his bag.

"Yes, this is it." He told her, handing her the papers his father had sent with his I.D. card attached. To Misato's surprise, with the exception of Shinji's name and service number, everything was censored. Getting her attention back on track, she took out a book titles "Welcome to Nerv" and handed it to Shinji. "Here, start reading this ok?"

"Nerv. My father's agency." He said in a quiet voice. "Am I going to be working for him?"

Misato didn't answer.

"What am I saying? He wouldn't have sent me a letter unless he needed me for something."

"Sounds like you don't get along with your dad. You sound just like me."

"Huh?" Shinji tried to think of something to say, but before he could muster a response the view suddenly changed from that of an elevator wall to that of an upside down city. "Wow, awesome."

Looking down, Shinji could see a lake and forest a few hundred meters below them. In the forest there was a pyramid of some sort which he couldn't see very well, as well as what appeared to be a few rail lines meeting up at a building not too far from it. Both looked out of place in the otherwise all-natural underground ecosystem.

"It's a real Geofront." Shinji had never seen a Geofront, but he had read of them. Not much, albeit, but he was aware of them. He had never thought he would get to see one though.

"That's right; this is our secret underground base. Nerv Central. This city is the key to rebuilding our world. A fortress for all mankind." Misato explained. She decided not to tell him about the fact that both this Geofront and Nerv as a whole where the worst kept secrets in the post-impact era, and that not only did every government know about both, but that both where common knowledge. But she was trying to impress him.

XXXXXX

"Doctor, is there a reason why eva Germany deployment soon?" Jonathan asked in broken Japanese. Ritsuko had to force herself not to laugh. She knew what he meant, but his accent was so thick it was hard to take him seriously. Not that she had a right to say so, according to the documents she was given, he knew four other languages, all of which he was better at. She, on the other hand, knew only Japanese and some programming languages. It's the reason why even if she wanted to, she couldn't work at a different Nerv branch.

"It's because we need all we can get. This isn't just some skirmish; this is the beginning of an all-out-war." As she walked down the hall, the young pilot in tow, she noticed that every tech they walked by would stop and stare at him for a moment. She knew he looked out-of-place, but still, she didn't think he looked that odd.

"And what of Evalon? 1 finished, 2-3 near done, 4-9 build start. Homeland could handle on self, UN no, Japan no, Euro no. Empire strong already, Southern Conquest and American restoration show it true. With Evalon we no need have Evangelion. No risk collateral, and…no risk Asuka." The last part he said was barely audible, but Ritsuko heard it clear. She was aware of Jonathan's time training in Germany, but this was a development she had not been aware of. She would make note of it and bring it the Commander.

"You're a soldier and I'm a scientist, neither of us should needlessly worry ourselves with international politics. Let the Commander worry about that." She said dismissively.

Stopping at an elevator, Ritsuko stopped and moved her arm in front of Jonathan to signal him to stop as well.

"What stop here?" He asked.

"Misato will be here soon, it's just a matter of time."

XXXXXX

"What on Earth? Isn't this the right way?" Misato asked herself. Putting her map down, she looked as they entered into yet another section of Geofront. This new one had a gentle breeze going through it. "It's because of these things that I hate to wear a skirt around here. I wonder where the hell Ritsuko is."

Although Shinji could hear, he wasn't paying attention as he was reading the book he had been given.

"I'm sorry; I'm not used to this place."

Without looking up, Shinji simply said "We paced this spot twice already."

"Uh, well don't worry, they make these transit things to be used you know."

XXXXXX

After finally finding an elevator, Misato felt that she was finally going in the right direction. Hearing the *ding* which indicated having reached their destination; Shinji looked up to see two people in front of them.

One of them was a woman who appeared to be Misato's age, but more sophisticated with her lab coat. He did suspect that her hair was not naturally blond though, given its rarity in Japan.

The other person, on the other hand, was quite something else. Standing half a head taller than him, the other boy was most definitely not of Japan. Short hair somewhere between light brown and dark blond, complemented by dark green eyes, this boy was definitely a Westerner. Shinji had never seen one in person, let alone been this close to one. He hoped that some of the things his teacher had said where all lies.

He was afraid either way.

"Uhhhh, hi there Ritsuko." Misato said nervously. Merely humming, Ritsuko walked forward into the elevator before it could close, the boy doing the same.

"Why am I not surprised Captain?" The woman asked Misato. "Don't you realize we are short on both time and manpower?"

"Sorry."

Looking over at Shinji, the woman continued. "So, is this the boy?"

"Huh, oh yes. According to the Marduk report, he's the Third Child." Misato explained. "And this is…" She asked, looking at Jonathan.

"I am Captain Jonathan Haida, pilot of Evalon 1. As of three hours I stationed here." Jonathan said, extending his hand to Shinji. Shinji hesitated for a moment before taking his hand and shaking it. "I'm Ikari Shinji, nice to meet you Mr. Jonathan."

Clearing her throat, Misato leaned over to Shinji and quietly told him "Shinji, Westerners use their Surname then their family name."

"Oh, sorry." He said, scratching the back of his head.

"No worries, I had problem when same came here. Though commander's clan name Gendo." Jonathan replied. No one bothered to correct him.

XXXXXX

"Battle stations, Level one. Prepare for ground level intercept." A woman's voice said over the base intercom.

"It sounds pretty serious." Ritsuko said as an elevated platform moved them towards their destination.

"If not for problem Evalon, I would be on offensive. Hurt it before, would finish it off if given chance again. Made cracks in exposed heart. Shouldn't trust untested against monster, all worst off first time in fight."

"Wait are you saying I was brought here to fight against that thing?" Shinji asked nervously.

"Why else bring here instead far possible from battle?"

Ritsuko and Misato looked nervous, but didn't say anything on the matter.

"So how's Unit 1 coming?" Misato asked, changing the subject.

"It's currently undergoing refrigeration using the B type equipment."

"Does it really work? It's never worked before has it?"

"The possibility of activation is 0.0000000001%. Around here we just call it the oh-nine system."

"Does that mean it doesn't work?" Misato was now starting to get worried about this. Well, more worried than she already was.

"Don't be insulting, it's oh-nine, as in Oni, a Japanese Devil."

"Sounds like broken Evalon more chance working current state." Jonathan interjected.

"Well" Misato said "anyway, I suppose it's a bit late to be saying 'sorry, it doesn't work'."

While Shinji was keeping his nose in his book, he didn't notice Jonathan's cold look of fear as he saw a massive metallic hand in the tank next to their platform, which he had until then thought was just a wall.

'What monstrosity have they built in this place?' He thought to himself.

XXXXXX

The door closing on them in the unlit room, Shinji would be lying if he said he wasn't a little afraid of whatever was in the room. Not that anyone would have guessed after he screamed "Hey, why is it so dark in here?"

Then there was the screech he released when the lights were turned on and he was face-to-face with a purple monster.

"It's… a face? I giant robot?" He asked, uncertain of what he was seeing. Remembering the book he had been given, he opened it to see what it was.

"You won't find it in there." Ritsuko said.

"What?"

"This is mankind's ultimate fighting machine." She explained. "The synthetic life form known as Evangelion Unit 1. Built here in secret, it is mankind's last hope."

After a long moment of silence, Shinji asked "Is this my father's work?"

"Correct." A loud voice said. Looking above the Evangelion's head, behind a large glass a lone figure could be seen. Commander Ikari Gendo. "It's been a while."

Looking up at the man, Shinji was paralyzed in fear looking at the man who had abandoned him. "F… father."

Smirking, the commander said "Where moving out."

"Moving out? But Unit 0 is still in cryo-stasis." Misato exclaimed, before gasping as realization struck her. "Wait a minute; you're going to use Unit 1?"

"There's no other way." Ritsuko stated.

"Now wait, Rei can't do it yet can she? We don't have a pilot."

Jonathan slapped his hand over his eyes. How did Misato not understand it the moment they stepped in the room?

"We just received one." Ritsuko informed her.

"You're serious." It wasn't a question, Misato finally understood.

Looking over at Shinji, Ritsuko told him "Ikari Shinji, you will pilot it."

"Huh?"

"But even Ayanami Rei took seven month's to synchronize with Unit 0. It's impossible for him to do it, he just got here." Misato clearly did not approve.

"He just has to sit in the seat. We don't expect more than that."

"But,"

"Listen, defeating that Angel is out top priority. If we have someone who has a chance of synchronizing with an Eva, then we've got to risk it. You do understand that, don't you Captain Katsuragi?"

"But" Misato looked over the two boys "What about Jonathan? He's already received military training, and we know he can synchronize with the Evalon."

"The systems used in the Evalon are to different, and the Marduk report didn't list him as even a possible Evangelion pilot. If anything it would be an even larger risk to try with him." Ritsuko explained. "Is that understood?"

After a few long moments, Misato replied "Yes ma'am."

"Why did," Shinji started, taking a moment to think. "Why did you send for me?"

"You know why I sent for you." Gendo answered.

"So, you're asking me to take this thing, and go out there and fight?"

"Correct."

"How can you do this to me!? I thought you didn't want me! Why? Why did you have to call me now father?" Shinji asked, tears welling up at the side of his eyes.

"Because I have a use for you."

Lowering his head, Shinji again asked "But why? Why me?"

"Because there is no one else who can." His father simply stated.

"No! I can't. I've never even seen anything like this before. There's no way I can do this."

"If you're not going to get in, then go, and stop wasting our time." After Gendo finished there was a long silence as Ritsuko, Misato, Jonathan and the tech crew watched the young boy. On the surface, an angle induced explosion destroyed several buildings, causing a shockwave that could be felt all the way down in the cage.

"It's found us." Gendo stated. Another shockwave soon followed.

"Shinji, there's no time." Ritsuko told him. Looking over at Misato, she simply told him to get in. Not a request, an order.

"But I can't, I just can't."

"Shinji, why did you come here?" Misato asked. "Don't run away from your father, and especially don't run away from yourself."

"I know, but I don't think I can do it."

"Restart and reconfigure the system for Rei." Ritsuko ordered the techs.

"Yes ma'am, restarting." A woman's voice said over the intercom.

'It's just as I though, I'm not needed.' Shinji thought to himself. Feeling a hand on his shoulder, he turned his head to see Jonathan looking at him with a sympathetic look.

"Don't worry Shinji, if was your place I would not feel ready fight. You're not ready; other pilot should have fought from start. Not reflect on you as person, just means not ready for what they want you do." Even in broken Japanese, his words got to him. When he had first met him, the boy was the scariest person he had ever known after his father. Now not an hour later he seemed to be the only person in the world who cared for him at all.

Hearing a door open, both of them looked over to their right to see two nurses and a doctor pushing abed with someone on it towards them. As they wheeled the bed closer, they could see that the patient was a girl about their age.

"Uh" Jonathan was visibly nervous "if that backup pilot, you need go and fight. Not possible her fight in condition."

As he spoke the girl tried to get up, groaning from the pain the movement caused. At that moment a large shockwave struck again, causing several of the structures at the top of the Geofront to fall onto the base. The violent shacking caused the bed to be pushed over, and thus the girl on it as well, and several of the lights from the ceiling to fall. Charging to protect the girl, Shinji didn't notice that the right arm of the Evangelion lifted itself up and deflected the lights, causing one of them to smash itself against the window that Gendo was behind. He was smirking.

"The Eva moved. What happened? The right arm's bindings have been torn off." A tech announced over the com.

"That's impossible. The entry plug isn't even inserted, it can't move without it." Ritsuko said, looking over to Misato.

"It reacted without the interface. But, was it protecting him?" Misato thought to herself out loud. "He can do it."

Pulling themselves up, Shinji and Jonathan ran over to the girl, Shinji taking her in his arms. Jonathan moved to the bed and tried his best to make it stand up right. Looking back to the Evangelion, the eye began to glow, but Shinji's attention was drawn back to the girl as she shock more and groaned in pain. Looking down at his hand, he saw that she was bleeding onto him.

'I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away. I mustn't run away.' He thought to himself.

Looking up at, he said. "I'll do it, I'll pilot that thing."

XXXXXX

As the entry plug was placed into the Evangelion, Shinji could hear many people talking about techno babble he couldn't really understand.

"Injecting LCL into the plug." He heard a woman's voice say. Looking down, he panicked as he saw some strange orange liquid fill the plug.

"What is this?" He asked in a panic before taking a deep breath. Holding his breath as the liquid rose above his head, he heard Jonathan's voice.

"Don't worry Shinji, it safe to breathe. Just remember to deep breaths when exiting plug. Takes few moments to get all out."

Leaning closer to Ritsuko, Maya quietly asked her "Does he always talk with such a thick accent?"

"As far as I know. I only met him today after all."

Releasing the breath he had been holding, Shinji inhaled a lung full of LCL. "I feel sick."

"You can handle it. You're a man, aren't you?" Shinji heard Misato's voice say. Then more techno babble was being said over the comm. The orange appearance of the plug interior changed to a much clearer, metallic one for a few moments before the interior walls became a rainbow of color with a sort of sparkling appearance that hurt his eyes. Moments later the colors disappeared and where replaced with a view of the area around the Evangelion.

"Synchronization ration at 41.3%" Maya informed Dr. Akagi.

"Amazing."

"Harmonics normal, I see no disturbances."

Looking back at Misato, Ritsuko said "Let's do it."

"Begin launches sequence." Misato ordered.

Feeling movement around him, Shinji could see the massive walls and bridges around him move away and felt the Evangelion begin to move backwards until it reached a wall.

"Path is clear, Evangelion ready to launch." Maya informed the bridge.

"Understood." Misato stated, turning to face the commander. "Can we really do this?"

"Of course." The commander responded, his expression hidden by his gloved hands. "Unless we defeat the Angels, we have no future.

"Eva Launch." Misato yelled. The sudden force from the assenting caused Shinji to screech for a moment, before he got used to it. Reaching the surface, he could see that the monster was only a few blocks away from him. He felt fear. This thing had survived so much. But he could see it eye-to-eye, he was inside of his own monster, and he could see some of the cracks in the thing's core.

"So it begins." Jonathan said to no one in particular. Not that most of them understood, as he said it in English. "Empress help us."

XXXXXX

Author's notes: so the first chapter comes to an end. For those wondering about the Evalon, in my mind it's in the approximate shape of an Avro Arrow that's painted bright blue and with much larger proportions. Not sure about the exact size, but large enough that it would take up most of the space provided by the Eva launch catapult if it were to use it (spoilers).

As for Jonathan, the story won't revolve completely around him, but this is the story of both him and Shinji in the same way the show was the story of Shinji… in the parts that make sense.

And before anyone asks why Jonathan started having a thick accent half way through, the part where he didn't have one was from his point of view. And if anyone doesn't like it, it will disappear over time so don't worry. But if you like it, well, you'll like the next few chapters.