Disclaimer: Don't own eva, Gainax does.
Plot Deviations: © David Carlson
Prologue"Is this correct? Another Child Ikari?"
"Yes, we must keep moving in the right direction. The angels will continue to increase in intelligence and wit." Gendo passed the folder to the sub-commander and then resumed his usual stance as Fuyutsuki read the name aloud.
"Adley Hawklyn…"
Under PoweredMisato and Ritsuko were discussing the EVA pilots in a corner of one of NERV's numerous employee lounges. Misato was discussing with Dr. Akagi the children's recent behavior .
"…And that's what they did, again." Misato grumbled as her friend smirked.
"Guardianship is never easy Misato." Ritsuko noticed the file she was holding in her grasp, "Speaking of Pilots, we're getting another in a couple days. The Seventh Child." Ritsuko allowed Misato to read over the file briefly as she continued to speak. "He will be piloting Unit 5 which will arrive about two weeks after he does. Evidently, the Commander has already slated you as his guardian and also given you permission to choose where he lives."
Misato sighed closing her eyes, not bothering to reply after having worked too long of shift already. "When does he arrive?"
"In two days, you'll be meeting him at the airport." Ritsuko reclaimed the file from the Major's hands and turned to return to her office while Misato stood there, her mind slowly catching up with the facts that had sledge-hammered into her skull.
"Great." Katsuragi murmured to an already distant and out of earshot Ritsuko, "How do I tell the others?"
-
The pilots were in class, facing the boredom with which their sensei always brought on in different but usual ways. Of course, this included most of the class as the material used was rapidly becoming a pesky fly that needed extermination.
Asuka was quietly sitting with her head resting on her arms, her expression revealed her to be in thought as she alternated her gaze between the other pilots.
I wish the First Child was a bit easier to read. She hardly says a thing, let alone expresses herself…'
Then her gaze switched to Shinji and her mind tensed momentarily, Why did that Baka save me in the volcano anyway?' She frowned minutely as she gazed at the Third Child, remembering the fight with the angel and the victory. Granted she had to use Unit 01's knife, but it still was her first angel kill.
Then there was the incident that caused her heart to leap into conflict with her mind. The pipes holding her had weakened and then broke due to both the high heat from the magma as well as the 8th's struggling. Instead of suddenly getting burned and melted to death like she expected, she found herself dangling by one of the hands of an unprotected Unit 01. She had no time to really thank him for that as Shinji was swept away by the major for a good thirty minutes, and by then, there was no time or chance to talk to him about that…
The sound of a bell interrupted her thoughts as Hikari went through formal ritual that symbolized school days and prepared to walk home with the Third.
Rei Ayanami watched the world outside the school as the teacher droned on about the Second Impact. She frowned imperceptively and continued her perusings of the scenery beyond the window. While others thought that all she was doing was staring out the window, her purpose was actually beyond that, as she could watch her fellow classmates indirectly as well as keep her ears open.
Which was how Rei spotted Sorhyu's gaze toward her a while ago. She watched the Second's eyes flicker from her to Pilot Ikari and mentally filed it away as unimportant. Even though she had noticed the Second's gaze on her more often in the past few days, she didn't think it very important as to what Sorhyu thought.
The bell rang and Rei followed the instructions of the class rep to end the day. Briefly wondering what Pilot Ikari was thinking as she and her fellow coworkers and pilots packed up at the end of another school day.
Shinji sighed as the school day neared its closure, he could feel what had to be Asuka's gaze on him, but on turning to look, he was greeting by a glare or her gaze was elsewhere. He sighed to himself and mentally rewound the previous few weeks, specifically the eighth angel.
Oh yes, Misato had chewed him out for jumping into the volcano unprotected, but he had pointed out that Unit 2 WAS important to NERV as was Asuka. Being as that was, he didn't want to see Asuka die, so he had to do what he did. The smile from Unit 2's pilot upon her realizing that she wasn't falling to her demise was worth the chewing out and especially nearly bone crushing hug that came after.
The one thing on his mind at the moment however, was the redhead from hell, as his two friends liked to call her. She was still mean to him, but not as nearly so as before the volcano. He still wished that she would really tell him what was on her mind unsuperficially, but as quickly as that thought came to mind however. The bell ringing as well as a resigned mental sigh replaced that tiny miniscule hope as Hikari went through the end day formalities.
Now, he would have to walk home with his beautiful room mate, who, as he thought rather dryly, had known of his calling her such, would have called him a hentai for a simple compliment. Briefly, he wondered at the insanity of it all then blanked expression from his face as he sensed the redhead coming near him.
"Hey Baka, wait up!"
The two of them exited the school with Ayanami following behind unintentionally to the entrance of the school grounds, walking along, all unknowing that the usual droll life would soon have excitement in it.
- A day Later-
"Good job guys." Misato smiled at the three pilots present for the usual post sync test briefing.
The three were dripping with LCL and looked anxious to go wash off the liquid blood, all perhaps but Ayanami. The First Child simply looked like she usually did, blank and empty expression. The Major decided to speak up again in their dismissal.
"Before you go to hit the showers, I wish to tell you that we are expecting a new pilot tomorrow-"
"-WHAT? Why do we need another pilot anyway…"
Check, Asuka's herself.' The Major thought wryly as she raised a hand to hopefully stop the Second's blistering oratory on why more pilots are needed. "-As I was saying before you interrupted me Asuka."
Misato smiled inwardly as Asuka's expression reddened a bit and she continued on.
"We are getting the Seventh Child tomorrow. I will be picking him up tomorrow from the airport and you are advised by me as your commanding officer to come along and meet him. You get a free day off from school too."
As she hoped, the last statement sunk any opposition from Unit 02's pilot.
"Well, not like school is really important for me anyway, and I wonder if he's cute…"
"Very well Major Katsuragi, what time will you depart for the airport and will you pick me up or shall I walk over to here to meet you?"
"We'll pick you up Rei, probably around 9:00… Shinji, no problem with tomorrow?"
"No, that's fine Misato. I wonder what he'll be like…"
-
Meanwhile, on a plane that just left Boston, The Seventh Child wondered the same thing as he made himself comfortable for the rather long flight to Japan. His window seat enabling him to look over the landscape. His special NERV flight basically included a couple extra techs and some Section 2 goons along with the test plug.
Hawklyn was an unimpressive person if you looked at him from a glance, or more correctly, he seemed unimpressive, mainly due to his quiet attitude. He was around 5'11" and had blue eyes, rather the majority among the Pilots as far as eye color. He also considered himself a fairly fit person, if you consider mile long walks every day to be keeping in shape.
Adley closed his eyes, recalling the past. He was born November 12th, 2001 after the loss of his father who disappeared in the Second Impact in California. His mother went to work for NERV and went missing when Adley was seven. The cause of his mother's demise was shrouded in smoke and mirrors, causing Adley to give up an active search.
He himself started training when he was 11 years old, also taking on the challenges of learning 3 foreign languages at once. His guardian, Ryan Sage, had helped to educate him, resulting in a most astute knowledge of history, and endowed Hawklyn with a certain sense of perception and intuition on or off the battlefield. He had also developed his talents for art starting at the young and impressionable age of five.
Needless to say, he was an accomplished person, but you wouldn't think that in the first impression. He smirked to himself as he adjust his trenchcoat and dug into one of the labrynthian pokets for his mp3 player. Upon taking it from his pocket, he set aside his black hat and donned his headphones, stretching out his black trouser legs so his combat boot clad feet protruded into the aisle, He settled in for his flight and into a light nap.
-Dream SequiVision—
A seven year old Adley Hawklyn stared up at the men in the onyx suits with a look of fear in his eyes, "Where's Mother?" He whispered to the closest of the men, who was now offering Adley a hand.
"She arranged foor you to have a temporary Guardian while she is away." Onyx Suit #1 said, grasping Adley's hand tightly and essentially forcing him to come along even as the youngster cried out for his mother.
-scene fades out and into another—
"Ryan Sage?" Onyx Suit #1 queried.
"That's me." The young man replied, noticing the small child with the 3 suitcases. "Ahh, the child correct?"
"Yes. He will stay with you until further notice."
"Got it."
After the men had left, Ryan took a good long look at his new charge, placing his hand on the young one's shoulder comfortingly. "Adley, there's something you should know about your mother…" Ryan bit his lip as he stared the child, "She went missing yesterday… Presumed dead… I'm sorry Adley, just thought you deserved the truth-"
-End Dream—
(Author's Note: Yes, I know, why is there a 7th child when the spots for the 4th thru 6th are unfilled? I feel that there can be perhaps "reserved slots" if you will. Plus, this enables me to have perhaps, Touji and even Hikari as pilots keeping Nagisa's 5th child spot for Nagisa. Also, the character name I chose for Adley's guardian. Near Kaji's name, but not really so. Besides, the idea that there could be a person with a name similar to someone else's is plausible.
The reason I do this to perhaps have a character act as a person on Shinji's side of the pilot room and to defend against Asuka's taunts. Because where the inspiration struck me to do this story is the end the episode with the 10th Angel where Asuka criticizes Shinji for the comment about his father's praise., which I think was uncalled for. Anyway, RnR if you wish to read more.)