Standard Disclaimer: "Neon Genesis Evangelion" and "Bio-booster Armor Guyver" are the creative property of Hideaki Anno and Yoshiki Takaya respectively. I am but a poor fanfic writer trying to honor these fine works, so please restrain your rabid and drooling attorneys.
Other Standard Disclaimer: This fanfic is rated PG-13 (or T) for violence, swearing, and mild sexual references.
Introductory Author's Note: This is a first attempt at writing a fanfic, so constructive criticism is both welcome and appreciated. If anyone would like to act as a pre-reader for future chapters, just let me know by e-mailing me (my address is on my profile). Oh, and for those of you who are unfamiliar with "Guyver," check out the data files I included at the end of this chapter (plus the omake). Enjoy!
KEY
"spoken"
'thoughts'
(radio
communication)
Out
of Control
A
Neon Genesis Evangelion/
Bio-booster
Armor Guyver Fusion
By:
Mares Guyver
Chapter 1: A Bitter Reunion
"Due to a state of public emergency, all phone lines are currently unavailable."
Upon hearing those words, the boy clutching the receiver slumped forward, blowing a dejected breath of air from his mouth. With more than a little amount of force he placed the treasonous device back in its cradle, then turned to exit the public phone booth. Looking back and forth down the long city road, Shinji Ikari rolled his eyes skyward, allowing himself yet another long sigh.
Not for the first time since arriving in Tokyo-3, Shinji dug out the scrap of paper and Polaroid that he had received in the mail only days earlier. The piece of paper contained a single word, "Come," which simultaneously revealed nothing yet said so much on other levels. The photo on the other hand was a little more . . . revealing, though not in any useful information. The scantily-clad, smiling woman it displayed (with an arrow pointing right at her huge . . . tracts of land) seemed to offer a warm distraction from the chill of the former note, though it did little to ease Shinji's discomfort with the situation.
'Perfect, just perfect . . .' Shinji thought as he looked down at the picture again, 'This Katsuragi person said she'd pick me up at the station, but it's been more than an hour since I got here. And when I try to call in and figure out what I did wrong, the stupid phone's out of order! Well, I guess I'll just wait here until somebody drives by . . . hopefully someone's heard of this NERV place my father works at . . .'
At the mere thought of his estranged parent, the dark-haired child felt something contract inside of him. Slowly his right hand, which held the note and picture, began tightening, rhythmically flexing and unflexing as Shinji's own heartbeat began thudding in his eardrums. Soon the whispers came, as they always did when he thought angry thoughts, and his mouth tightened to a barely perceptible line.
'Otou-san . . . it's all his fault. If he hadn't left me behind, it wouldn't have happened. I'd still be normal. I wouldn't be a . . . a . . .'
A sudden movement in the corner of his eye derailed Shinji's train of thought. Turning, he saw a young girl, dressed in a powder-blue school uniform with matching hair and piercing red eyes, staring at him from a few meters away. But just as Shinji was about to call out, he was startled by the sudden takeoff of a flock of birds. After verifying the source of his distress, the boy turned back, but the strange, pale girl had disappeared.
'Well, that was odd . . .' But while he was thinking this, the roar of twin jet engines and explosive gunfire suddenly came into being. Shinji turned in the direction of the new noise, and his eyes widened at the sight before them—two military aircraft retreating from something resembling a giant, headless, obsidian-covered bodybuilder. 'Ooookay . . . strike that.'
But just when Shinji felt things couldn't get any weirder, screeching tires and a blue streak on the road magically stopped behind him and resolved into a late model sports car with none other than Shinji's appointed pickup behind the wheel. Rolling down the windows, she leaned out (giving the boy yet another nosebleed-inducing peek) and yelled, "You Shinji Ikari? If you are, then get in!"
Shinji blinked—he had been expecting something more along the lines of, "Come with me if you want to live." Quickly gathering his senses, he threw his backpack into the backseat then scrambled around the car and in through the passenger side window. No sooner had his rear settled in the seat then the mauve-haired beauty sent the pedal to the floor, and they were off.
Buckling his seatbelt with slightly shaking hands, Shinji turned to his new companion, "Are you Katsuragi-san?" The stunning woman in the black dress beside him smiled and nodded.
"That's right, Captain Misato Katsuragi at your service," she then turned, pulling down her sunglasses and winking, "But you can call me Misato."
Shinji felt a small bead of sweat roll down the back of his head, "R-r-right, Misato-san." The display of nervousness drew a chuckle from the NERV Captain.
"Don't worry Shinji-kun, I won't bite . . . much." Seeing her companion sink a little deeper into his seat, Misato couldn't help but grin. 'Oh, this kid is going to be so much fun!'
Trying to keep any more . . . stimulating thoughts from entering his head, Shinji looked out his window at the lumbering giant, which had stopped just a few kilometers outside the glittering metropolis of Tokyo-3. Military aircraft hovered in a semicircle around the creature, each seemingly waiting for the other to make a move. Resting his eyes on the beast, Shinji took in every detail—the huge bulky torso and shoulders, the thin and gangly arms, the odd beaked mask, and the large red orb in the center of its chest. As the standoff continued, the whispers came back, as it began sensing a potential threat . . . and potential adversary.
Danger . . . Enemy . . . Battle . . . FIGHT . . . DESTROY . . . KILL . . .
Closing his eyes, Shinji concentrated on making the voice go away. It would not get its way, it would not get release . . . not now, not at all. Soon the voice faded to a bare murmur, and hoping for a distraction, Shinji turned to his current caretaker.
"Misato-san, wha-what is that thing?" Misato's cheerful demeanor seemed to fall away as her mouth settled into a serious frown.
"That, Shinji-kun, is what we call an 'Angel'—the third Angel to be exact." Still paying attention to the road, Misato glanced over at her wide-eyed charge, "NERV, the organization your father runs, was formed with the sole purpose of defending mankind from the Angels."
"Otou-san is in charge of NERV?" At Misato's nod, Shinji turned back to face the road ahead, frowning slightly as he contemplated this new information. For a few minutes the hum of the car's engine was the only sound to break the silence, but then the hum died as Misato pulled the blue Renault on to a small overlook on the side of the highway.
Seeing the boy's questioning look, Misato smiled as she pulled a pair of binoculars from the backseat, "I just want to see what those military hotshots are up to." Nodding his understanding, Shinji exited the car along with the purple-haired Captain. Taking a position behind the car, the young Ikari tried hard to stare at the monster movie-esque scene ahead rather than the bent-over female beside him.
Aside from the cicadas endless chirping, nothing seemed to happen for a long time, at least from Shinji's perspective. Misato, on the other hand, suddenly tensed up and lowered her binoculars, "Those fucking idiots! They're gonna drop an N-2 mine!" Moving quickly, she threw the binoculars back in the car, grabbed her charge and dropped to the dirt, covering his head with her hands. Shinji was about to ask what the heck the big deal was, when a blinding light and roar answered his question for him.
When Shinji opened his eyes again, Misato was already up and struggling to shove her poor battered car upright. Apparently, the blast had blown the sports car right off the road and onto its side. Standing and brushing the dirt off his pants, Shinji just stared until Misato stopped and threw him an annoyed glare, "Well, you gonna help me or what?" The boy's face did a fare impression of a tomato as he blushed.
"S-s-sorry . . ." Jogging over, Shinji put both his hands against the car and gave a forceful shove. Almost instantly the car flipped right-side up, and even skidded forward a few feet back onto the road. Blinking, Misato looked over at the thin, fairly scrawny boy next to her.
"Wow, you're stronger than you look . . ." Blushing an even deeper shade of crimson, Shinji tried to stutter out a reasonable explanation.
"Y-y-yeah, well I . . . you know, w-w-work out, and stuff . . ." As his words trailed off, the brown-haired lad looked up sheepishly to a blank-faced Misato. She blinked, then blinked again, and then finally shrugged her shoulders.
"Works for me." Turning his head, Shinji let out a silent relieved breath before following the Captain back to the car. After a little more tinkering and a quick stop in an abandoned garage, the blue Renault roared back to life and hurried down the road at even more staggering speeds than before.
Glancing at the pile of car batteries in the seat behind him, Shinji turned to his supposedly responsible caretaker, who seemed lost in her own slowly growing world of automotive despair. "Ano . . . Misato-san, was it legal to take all those things?" Snapping back to reality, Misato paled slightly before turning and giving the boy a huge, ridiculously transparent grin.
"Of course it was, Shinji-kun! After all, I'm a government official, and as such I have certain privileges in times of emergency." Shinji just stared at the woman, who slowly felt her grin slipping as sweat beaded on her forehead. Eventually though, the boy turned away and faced the road.
"Somehow, that still doesn't seem very honest." Misato scowled at the boy, and harrumphing, turned back to the road herself.
"And somehow, you don't seem quite as cute as you did before." Shinji automatically blushed, but for a brief instant a sliver of backbone materialized in his spine, and a smirk formed on his face.
"So younger guys do it for you, eh?" The purple-haired wonder's cheeks turned a healthy pink, but then she fumed, thinking, 'So that's the way he wants it, huh?' In an instant, the Renault was wildly swerving back and forth, crossing both lanes of traffic as the driver grinned savagely and the passenger held on for dear life.
"MISATO-SAN!"
None too soon for Shinji, the ride that would put most major theme parks out of business came to an end. As the blue sportscar descended underground via a specially designed lift, the son of the often feared Gendo Ikari tried to stop shaking while his caretaker calmly spoke into a cell phone beside him.
"Yeah . . . I've got him, we're riding the lift right now . . . well it's not my fault, he's the one who decided to leave the station . . . I wasn't that late . . . look, just be ready for us in fifteen mintues, okay?" Sighing, Misato closed the phone and put it back in her purse, rubbing her temple with her other hand. 'God, I could use a beer right now.'
"Is everything all right, Misato-san? I'm sorry if I've caused you any trouble . . ." Pausing in her massage, Misato looked over wearily at the downcast boy, his eyes obscured by his lowered bangs. Slowly, a warm, gentle smile worked itself onto the NERV Captain's face, and she reached over to ruffle Shinji's hair.
"You aren't any trouble, Shinji-kun—it's that damned Angel . . ." Her charge looked up with curious eyes, so Misato continued, "The blast from the N-2 mine didn't kill it, just wounded it. And by our people's best estimates, it should be fully regenerated within an hour or so." Shinji's eyes widened as he took this new knowledge in.
"Wha-what will you do to stop it?" Misato shook her head.
"I don't know, Shinji, I really don't know right now . . ." For a moment neither of the pair said anything, but then Misato smiled and turned to Shinji, "So, how does it feel coming to Tokyo-3? Do you know why your father called you here?" The questions seemed innocent enough, but she was shocked when Shinji's face grew noticeably darker, a deep frown marring his soft features.
"I have no idea why my father called me here. He . . . left me with a caretaker a long time ago, so until today I didn't even know where he worked, much less that he was in charge . . ." Misato's shocked expression gave way to recognition, and then deep sympathy. 'So familiar . . .' she thought, turning back to face forward, and when she spoke again, her voice had softened a great deal.
"I guess . . . you have a lot of issues with your father." Shinji's eyes closed as unrestrained memory pushed itself to the forefront. Himself as a child, standing in the rain, watching his father's retreating back. Days and weeks by himself, practicing his cello again and again to perfection. That last meeting at his mother's grave, only a few years back, and the awful things they both said. And most recent, hiding in the woods behind his caretakers' house, falling into a dark cave, a whirring noise, and then . . . pain.
"Yeah . . . I guess so . . ."
Shinji's eyes snapped open, and he jumped slightly as a large, warm hand rested itself on his shoulder. Slowly, he turned to look at the purple-haired goddess beside him, who was smiling the same gentle smile as before. The boy's expression was priceless—he was absolutely befuddled by the older woman's action, and that confusion only made Misato smile more.
"You know, that means we have a lot in common then, Shinji-kun." The young Ikari's eyes widened slightly as he took in Misato's words, and he quickly looked away, head downcast in embarrassment. But after a moment, he glanced back, and his deep cobalt eyes found connection in her earth brown ones.
"Th-thanks, Misato-san." Misato grinned.
"Anytime, Shinji-kun . . ." the mauve-haired beauty then grinned even wider, and pointed behind the boy, "Take a look." Shinji turned, and for the umpteenth time that day, he was shocked speechless by the sight in front of him. They had entered an immense cavern, perfectly formed, with seemingly natural light shining from above. Grass and woodland covered the wide ground, and in the distance the brown-haired lad could make out a pyramid and other buildings forming a large underground city. The real shocker though, was the other city, seemingly hanging upside down from the ceiling like a collection of glass and steel stalactites.
"Wow . . . a real Geofront!" Misato nodded.
"Yes, this is our base, our home, and our last defense against the Angels. Welcome to NERV headquarters." Still gaping in awe, her charge could only nod in reply.
'"God's in his heaven, all is right with the world"? What genius thought up that motto?' thought Shinji as he leafed through the thick text he been handed. He and Misato had left the blue Renault almost half an hour ago, and for that entire time they had been wandering the endless corridors of the Geofront, seemingly getting nowhere despite the purple-haired Captain's self-assuring claims. The text he was reading was an introductory manual to NERV, emblazoned with the red half leaf just like it seemed every other object he passed was. 'Otou-san sure knows how to keep a theme going . . .'
Misato's sudden stop in front of him caused Shinji to quit his inner dialogue and look up. A small bead of sweat rolled down his temple as he recognized the current surroundings, "Ano . . . I think we've already passed these elevators before, Misato-san." Back to Shinji, Misato felt her eyebrow start twitching.
"I know that! We're just here to wait for someone." Self-defensive instinct kicking in, Shinji shrank away from the fuming older woman. Stuttering in his nervousness, he once again stated his most well-used phrase.
"S-s-sorry, Mi-Misato-san." The purple-haired beauty sighed—she had scared the poor boy, again. But before she could say anything the elevators in front of her opened, and a short-haired blond woman in a white lab coat stepped out. Shaking her head, the newcomer gave Misato a disappointed frown before speaking.
"How long have you been here, Captain Katsuragi? Two months? And you still can't find your way around?" Misato pouted cutely.
"No fair, Ritsuko! You know that they change the layout every other week. How am I supposed to keep up?" The blond, now identified as Ritsuko, just sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"We really don't have time for this . . ." Looking back up, Ritsuko noticed the area's other occupant behind the purple-haired Captain, seemingly doing everything he could to make himself invisible. Stepping past Misato, the blond woman held out her hand to the diminutive lad, "I'm Ritsuko Akagi, NERV's Chief of Development. You must be the Third Child."
Nodding at the still strange designation, Shinji bowed low before reaching out and shaking the new woman's hand, "Y-y-yeah, I'm Shinji Ikari. It's a-a-a pleasure to meet you." Ritsuko's expression softened a hair as she took in the boy's embarrassment.
"Well, well, quite the charmer I see." The blond doctor smirked lightly as Shinji turned a fair shade of crimson at her compliment, thinking, 'He's nothing like his father . . . not the slightest bit . . .' Turning back to Misato, Ritsuko started walking down a hidden corridor just behind the row of elevators. She paused for a moment and glanced over her shoulder, "Well, are you two coming?" She almost laughed at the shared blank expression between the young boy and the purple-haired Captain. After a moment, the two came out of their trances and hurried after the scientist.
After today, Shinji was fairly sure that his weirdness quota had been used up for the next few decades. Following Ritsuko through a random maze of passages, the three had eventually been forced to cross a large and chilly lake by boat. The passage over, they had entered a completely dark but seemingly huge chamber, given how sound seemed to reverberate from everywhere. If that wasn't enough, when the lights were actually turned on, Shinji found himself being glared at by a giant purple face! The boy had tried to find "Ugly giant robot thing" in his manual, but Ritsuko quickly assured him that it wouldn't be there.
"All-Purpose Artificial Humanoid Decisive Battle Machine Evangelion Test Unit-01, the ultimate weapon developed by mankind." Ritsuko stated with no little amount of pride. Shinji blinked at the tall blond woman, then turned back to take in the menacing-looking robot.
"So . . . this is what my father's been working on?"
"Correct." The booming voice momentarily caused Shinji's heart to stop beating, and when it started again, he chided himself for startling so easily. Adopting a grimace as his base expression, Shinji looked up to the source of the intruding presence.
High above on a platform above EVA Unit-01, standing like some ancient idol or demigod, Gendo Ikari glowered down at his son, his expression somewhat hidden by amber-colored glasses. The Supreme Commander of NERV watched silently as the boy's expression shifted from grimace to hateful frown, his right hand clenching and unclenching compulsively. To Gendo, the child seemed to be at a loss for words.
In actuality, Shinji had several things which he wanted to say to the Almighty Bastard King, most of which would make even a loud red-headed German blush. However, at the moment he was to busy trying to mentally restrain it from letting loose and tearing his father a new one. His heartbeat sounded like tympani in his ears, and the usual whisper had become a desperate scream for attention.
ENEMY! ENEMY! ENEMY!
'I mustn't lose control, I mustn't lose control, I musn't lose control . . .' Shinji repeated over and over, his usual mantra whenever it pushed and begged him this hard. Lowering his head so that no one could see his inner torment, the brown-haired boy finally managed to utter, "Otou-san . . ."
Leering for a moment, Gendo took in his son's apparent deference before speaking again, "It's been awhile." His leer grew as he observed his son's hand tighten into a fist.
'Three years you bastard . . . THREE. YEARS. Though these days it seems like a lot longer . . .' Out loud though, Shinji asked, "Why have you called for me, Otou-san?" Gendo's expression returned to its usual non-descript.
"I have a purpose for you." At this, Shinji finally looked up at Gendo with fire burning in his eyes.
"A purpose? That's all?" Gendo nodded, ignoring the child's enraged tone. With a flourish, he pointed at the giant purple mecha.
"You will pilot it." Shinji's eyes bugged out in disbelief, and Misato mirrored his reaction.
"WHAT! Me! Pilot that thing? I don't know anything about it! You honestly expect me to be able to pilot this when I've just gotten here!" Ritsuko stepped forward beside Shinji.
"You will be instructed. Right now, all we need is for you to sit in it and try," Ritsuko spared a quick glance at Misato, who eyes were narrowed angrily, "That's all we expect of you right now."
Across the catwalk from the scientist, Misato's mouth settled into a thin line of frustration, 'If they were planning to use Unit-01, much less bring in a new pilot, they should have told me! It took Rei seven months to develop a good enough synch ratio just to move her EVA. How can they expect him to do the same in only a fraction of that time?' Russet eyes shifted from the blond woman across the way to the slouching, quivering child between them, anger slowly giving way to worry and concern. 'Shinji-kun . . .'
Head hung low, the boy in question contemplated the strange new situation he found himself in, 'Otou-san . . . I knew he didn't want me. But how could he . . . after everything . . .!' Taking a deep breath to calm his surging emotions, Shinji tilted his gaze back up to his father, trying to maintain the illusion of sheer defiance.
"Why me?" he asked quietly.
Gendo pushed his glasses back up on his nose, causing the lenses to flash with reflected light. After a pause, he finally spoke, "Because there is no one else who can."
As the weight of the Commander's words hung in the air of hanger, a muffled boom suddenly rocked the foundation of the base. Glancing upwards to the shaking fluorescent lights, Gendo stated calmly, "So, it's figured out where we are." After a moment, he tilted his head so that his amber-glassed gaze fell square on Ritsuko.
Nodding, the blond turned to Shinji, stating seriously, "Shinji-kun, we're out of time. Will you pilot, or not?" Rather than answer, the blue-eyed child just stared at the bright orange coolant pool beneath his feet. Narrowing her unbleached eyebrows, NERV's Chief Scientist looked over into the brown eyes of the Tactical Operations Director, her eyes widening insistently.
Misato pursed her lips, her eyebrows knit in a tight knot of indecision. She glanced down at Shinji, who sensed the motion and looked at her with a pleading expression on his young features. Misato quickly looked away and closed her eyes, and when she spoke, it was barely above a whisper.
"Get in the EVA, Shinji-kun." Shinji stumbled back, tears of hurt and betrayal stinging his eyes as Misato turned to look at him, her face a blank mask, "You're our only hope now—mankind's only hope. We need you to pilot Unit-01 against the Angel, or else we're all doomed." Shinji shook his head wildly, holding his hands over his ears.
"NO! This is crazy! I don't know anything about this! I won't do it!" Misato's expression flickered, and she reached a hand out towards the boy only to have him violently jerk away.
"Shinji . . ."
"Forget it, Captain. If the child wants to run away and go home, then we'll let him." Walking across the platform, Gendo pressed a button on a small control panel, "Fuyutski, send Rei to the EVA loading dock . . ." Frowning deeply, he glanced down at Shinji, who was still disappointedly curled over on the catwalk below, "The replacement is useless."
A rich and cultivated voice crackled on the speaker, (Is that wise? She may be incapable of piloting.) Gendo shrugged.
"She isn't dead, yet." After receiving an affirmative response, Gendo turned off the intercom and resumed his previous position. Soon, three medics rolled a gurney onto the same catwalk as Shinji, Misato and Ritsuko, and Shinji looked up with curiosity and shame. His eyes widened as he recognized the girl he had seen on the road before. Standing up, he walked past Misato until he stood by Ritsuko, his mouth giving voice to the question he asked in his head.
"Who is that girl?" The blond scientist glanced down at the boy, whose eyes were fixed on the pale, heavily bandaged pilot. Ritsuko frowned slightly then faced the gurney herself.
"Her name is Rei Ayanami, and she is the First Child—the first EVA pilot to be discovered." Shinji gulped, and he took in the girl's current state of being. Rather than the school uniform he had seen her in previously, she was now wearing a skintight white jumpsuit, the arms bare to allow bandages to be wrapped around them. Her right eye was covered by a large bandage, secured to her head by a headband of white gauze. More gauze seemed to be wrapped around the girl's chest beneath the jumpsuit, and her right arm was bent at a permanent ninety degrees thanks to a cast. The odd thing was, her face was totally impassive, making no expression, no sign of the pain she had to be in.
'Otou-san would make someone pilot in her condition?' Shinji's eyes narrowed, 'Of course he would . . .'
"Rei . . ." Gendo started, and waited until the child's crimson eyes rested on him, "You will pilot again." Rei's lips opened, and uttered the softest voice Shinji had ever heard.
"Yes, sir . . ." Closing her eyes, the First Child struggled to sit up, and then swung her legs over the edge of the gurney. But before she could lower herself to the floor, a loud explosion rocked the base, and Rei was thrown from the gurney as the medics panicked. Shinji was already moving, and lunging he caught the pale girl before she could hit the ground. The formerly stoic pilot cried out in pain, and as blood from her reopened wounds covered his hands, Shinji sat up and pulled the girl close, trying to keep her safe amidst the chaos around them.
"Shinji-kun, look out!" At Misato's scream, Shinji looked up to see a dislodged and unfamiliar piece of ceiling plunging straight for him and Rei. The boy quickly covered the albino with as much of his body as possible, for unleashing it this close would kill the poor girl, plus Shinji felt he owed Rei for putting her in such pain in the first place. The impact never came though, and after a moment Shinji opened his eyes . . . and discovered a gigantic, armor-plated hand hovering over him.
"Unit-01 moved on its own! Impossible!" Blinking at the exclamation, Shinji looked towards the side and sure enough, EVA Unit-01's purple and green-streaked arm had magically risen from the coolant lake below to deflect the debris from Shinji and his wounded companion. The boy wasn't sure, but he could swear he saw the eye closest to him glow brightly before fading back to nothing.
'Well whadaya know, the thing likes me! Must be a sign from Kami-sama . . .' Shaking these random thoughts away, Shinji turned back to the still whimpering girl in his arms. As gently as he could, Shinji lifted Rei up and carried her back to the gurney, which the medics had finally set back upright. As soon as the girl had been lowered to the bed, her expression once again became a rigid mask, but she turned her head to look at Shinji—her eyes probing, questioning.
In an uncharacteristically bold move, Shinji rested his hand on the girl's cast, a faint blush spreading to his cheeks, "F-forgive me, Ayanami-san. But rest now; I won't let you get hurt anymore." The only muscle to move on Rei's face was her eyelids as they blinked, but her crimson orbs seemed to convey . . . gratitude(?), and understanding. Shinji watched as the medics rolled her back out of the EVA dock, and tightening his hands into fists, turned around to glare up at the expressionless NERV Commander.
"Alright Otou-san, I'll pilot it."
Things moved swiftly after Shinji affirmed his commitment to piloting EVA Unit-01. Gendo and Ritsuko quickly relocated to the base's Command Center while Misato stayed behind to observe Shinji's preparation and insertion into the mecha. Still a little hurt by the Captain's earlier actions, Shinji paid her no mind as he stepped into a cockpit that eerily resembled a giant, white p . . . pencil. Even stranger was the metal hairclips he was told to wear, supposedly to aid his mind in "synchronizing" with the EVA.
'How the heck are barrettes supposed to aid in telepathic communication with giant bio-mechanical robots? Next they'll be telling me I have to do this whole thing underwater . . .'
Ritsuko's voice suddenly crackled from a radio mounted on the pilot seat, (Okay Shinji-kun, your plug has been successfully inserted. We're going to pump in the LCL now.) Shinji's eyes narrowed slightly.
'Curse you, Kami-sama . . .'
Misato strode into the Command Center just as the aforementioned orange goo began sloshing into EVA-01's Entry Plug. All eyes were on the main viewer as Shinji struggled to hold his head above the rapidly rising fluid, then finally submerged, cheeks puffed out with trapped air. If the overall situation hadn't been so serious, the entire deck might have burst out laughing.
Sighing, Ritsuko grabbed the microphone in front of her, "Shinji-kun, stop holding your breath. LCL will oxidize your body directly—you can breath it." On the viewer, Shinji slowly nodded, and after a pause released a swarm of bubbles from his open mouth. When the bubbles had cleared, the bridge crew could see a much paler Third Child, leaning forward a bit and clutching his stomach.
(Ugh . . . I think I'm going to be sick . . .)
Ritsuko lips twitched at this comment, though inside her mind she cackled evilly, 'Not in that Entry Plug, if you know what's good for you . . .' Shaking her head, the blond scientist began making adjustments to the panel in front of her, readying the Evangelion for its first activation in . . . in a long time. After a moment, she noticed her protégé, Maya Ibuki, waving at her from the forward terminal.
"S-s-senpai, I think you want to look at this telemetry from the pilot . . ." Nodding, Ritsuko stood and walked over, trailed by a frowning Operations Director. Placing her hand on the short-haired brunette's shoulder, Ritsuko leaned forward to read the data on Maya's display, eyes widening as the numbers Shinji was putting out.
"What's wrong?" Ritsuko and a blushing Maya turned to Misato, standing behind them with arms folded and a worried expression on her face.
Frowning herself, Ritsuko replied, "Nothing's wrong exactly, just . . . unusual." Turning back to the monitor, the faux blond continued, "The Third Child's readings are very good, almost abnormally good for your average 14-year old boy. His metabolic rate and neural activity are much higher than anything we could have expected, and every other vital center is working at peak, and I do mean peak efficiency . . ." Tilting her head, Ritsuko glanced back at her purple-haired companion, "I guess you could say that, from a physiological standpoint, Shinji-kun is 'beyond the norm'." Misato's frown deepened.
"What does that mean, Ritsuko?" Smiling, NERV's Head Scientist stood and walked back to her desk, patting her friend on the shoulder.
"I honestly don't know, Misato . . ." Sitting down, she called up a picture of the rampaging Third Angel on her viewer, "And right now we have bigger concerns."
Nodding once, Misato spun on her heel and called out, "Prepare for EVA-01 activation!"
The techs in front her, nicknamed the "Bridge Bunnies" by the way they scurried about, immediately began typing on their respective consoles, calling out the results of each step in the activation process. Things proceeded smoothly as Unit-01 was prepared to link up with its young pilot's harried mind. Finally the ego-border was reached, the Evangelion's systems roared to life, and after a short countdown all eyes turned to the display showing Shinji's synchronization ratio. For a moment no one said anything, but eventually a high and strangled voice broke the silence.
"Synch-synchronization r-ratio . . . 0.0. Activation . . . failed." Shigeru Aoba finally croaked out. Behind his thron . . . desk, the oft-called Supreme Bastard King frowned mightily, though it was hidden by his tightly clenched hands. This was not in the scenario . . .
Sensing his former pupil's ire, the more eloquent Vice Commander Kouzou Fuyutski stood and addressed the bridge, "What seems to be the problem?" His response at first was the rapid clicking of keys as the techs hurried to find a solution.
Maya was
the first to speak, "Unknown, sir. A signal is being registered
from both the EVA and the Third
Child, and for a moment there was
partial synchronization."
Makoto Hyuga chimed in, "Currently showing rapid fluctuation from Unit-01. The EVA seems to detect the pilot's presence, but is having difficulty establishing a connection . . ." Fuyutski frowned, for this was certainly an unexpected development.
"Solutions?" Silence fell over the bridge, as each person tried to think of something that would fix the unplanned circumstance. It was not the Commanders, the Directors, or even the Bridge Bunnies that finally spoke though, but the young boy still drinking blood-colored fluid and waiting for something to happen.
(Ano . . . Misato-san, what's going on?) Misato smiled with hidden relief—he was finally speaking to her again—and calmly she spoke into her microphone.
"Just a slight glitch, Shinji-kun, nothing to worry about . . ." After a pause to gather herself, she continued, "The EVA seems to be having trouble locking on to your brain-pattern, so I'm going to need you to concentrate. Rather than what's in front of you, focus on Unit-01 . . . imagine that its body is your body, its arms and legs are your arms and legs. Try to become the Evangelion, Shinji-kun." Shinji just blinked for a few moments, but then he nodded.
(I-I'll try, Misato-san Misato smiled as the boy closed his eyes, his eyebrows furrowing in concentration. Beside her, the blond-haired scientist gave an appreciative whistle.
"Not bad, Katsuragi . . ." Misato grinned wolfishly, then tilted her head back to wink.
"I try my best, Rits-chan."
Inside the Entry Plug, the newly appointed Savior of Humanity was struggling to follow his Operations Director's somewhat ambiguous directions. As was typical for him, Shinji had thought up a new mantra to try and help him.
'Become the EVA . . . Become the EVA . . . Become the EVA . . . Become the EVA . . .'
Had he not been focusing so hard on mental repetition, Shinji might have noticed a faint pulsing sensation in his upper back, as two small growths began calling out in perfect time to his words.
Hyperspace. The Sea of Dirac. Hammerspace. All words used to describe the Realm between Realms, the infinite expanse of primal energy where time and space held no meaning. It was here that it rested when it was not needed, always keeping silent vigil over its host, its master. Floating in the void, it endlessly waited for the moment when it would finally be needed, when he would call out and summon it to action.
Its true designation was Bio-booster Unit-G, and its current host a premature human male. The Unit had sensed distress and possible danger from its master several times in the recent past, and each time it had pleaded for activation so that together they could destroy that which threatened him. But each time it had been rejected, so it remained, floating in the sea of burning energy as it waited to finally be recognized.
Suddenly, the Unit sensed its master calling out, but not to it . . . rather, it was to another weak signal located in the same physical realm as the host. With what could be equated to puzzlement, the Unit began analyzing the strange new signal through the organism receptors on the host's back. The signal's origin was another bio-mechanoid, similar in nature to the Unit, if lacking in some sophistication. Contacting the other's memory and AI confirmed that the new bio-mech was a friendly, offering little or no threat to the Unit's host entity.
With the analysis complete and the safety of the master confirmed, the medallion that served as the Unit's central processor began pulsating with greater and greater frequency. Working in conjunction with the organism receptors, it established a link from the host to the other bio-mech, internally cataloguing the other as an Alternative Unit of Unknown Configuration.
In the Command Center, every monitor suddenly lit up as synchronization was confirmed between EVA Unit-01 and Shinji Ikari. Cheers of joy and triumph erupted across the bridge, and a small smirk worked its way onto Gendo Ikari's face, though again no one could see it. Smiling broadly, the Vice Commander slowly got everyone to settle back down, and then made a query as to the Third Child's synch ratio. Once again the Bridge Bunnies fingers flew across their keyboards as they called up the relevant data. Once again there was a shocked silence until the long-haired Aoba spoke up.
"A-amazing! We're showing a 67 percent synchronization between the Third Child and Unit-01!" Gasps echoed across the bridge, and at his desk Gendo allowed his smirk to grow a little larger, though internally he was laughing his ass off at the ignorant peons below. After a pause, Misato spoke into her microphone, with more than a little bit of concern in her voice.
"Shinji-kun, how do you feel?" The boy on the viewer groaned slightly and scratched his head.
(Okay, I guess . . . a little strange maybe. I-I feel like I'm two places at once. I'm here in the cockpit . . . but I'm also outside, and heavier . . . I don't know) Ritsuko traded places with Misato at the mike.
"That's perfectly normal, Shinji-kun. The other things you're feeling are the sensations experienced by the Evangelion. In addition to being you, you are also now, for all intents and purposes, EVA Unit-01." Shinji nodded to show his understanding, and Misato moved away from Ritsuko to take center stage.
"Prepare Unit-01 for launch!" At the Operations Director's order, the Bridge Bunnies turned back to their stations, monitoring the artificial behemoth as it was moved into position onto one of NERV's many launching platforms. After confirming the route that would take the EVA into the most advantageous position against the Angel, Makoto signaled the Command crew's readiness. Grinning widely, Katsuragi Misato issued her next command like she had been born to say it.
"Launch EVA!"
END CHAPTER ONE
TRANSLATION GUIDE
Otou-san:
Father.
Ano: Sound
of uncertainty; equivalent to "uh".
Kami-sama:
In the Japanese Budo-Shinto tradition, the equivalent of God or a
higher being.
Senpai:
Roughly translates to "senior"; used by a person of lower
standing to a person of higher rank/class/position.
-san:
Equivalent to Mr./Ms./Mrs.; used when formally addressing an
individual, and almost always when a subordinate addresses a superior
or elder person.
-kun:
Used in causal/friendly relationships, typically with males, and most
often as a sign of light affection from a superior to a subordinate.
Also used between people of the same age who share friendly
relations.
Author's Notes: And so ends the first chapter of my very first fanfic! Thank you very much for taking the time to read "Out of Control"—I hope the story caught your interest! Please let me know if I've made any factual or grammatical errors in writing this story. I know that I'm not the best writer in the vastness of the fanfic community, but I would like to get better. So please, any constructive criticism that you readers can provide to help me improve would be most appreciated. Also, feel free to raise any questions or issues you have with the changes I've made to the EVA continuity—I'll try to answer your queries to the best of my ability!
To explain where this story came from, as a fan of both "Evangelion" and "Guyver," this is one story idea out of many fanfic ideas I've thought up over the last few years. Since I'm a little unsure about my ability to weave an enticing tale, and because there was only one other EVA/Guyver crossover on I decided to go with this idea first because I figured it would be the easiest and most fun to try, plus it would make for good practice before attempting other stories. The general premise began as "What would happen if Shinji had a Guyver Unit?", and quickly grew from there. In the end, I hope that "Out of Control" will be a story that Evangelion fans unfamiliar with the world of "Bio-booster Armor Guyver" can still enjoy. For those who would like to know a little more about what Guyver is, here are the datafiles I promised at the beginning . . .
DATAFILE: "Bio-Booster Armor Guyver"
A long-running manga series in Japan, "Kyoushoku Soukou Guyver" is the brainchild of manga writer/artist Yoshiki Takaya. In addition to the popular manga series (which is nearing book 25, though only the first 7 were published in the US), "Bio-booster Armor Guyver" has also spawned a 12-episode OVA anime series, a one-shot OVA movie, and two AU live-action movies (oddly featuring an American Guyver).
The main story centers around Sho Fukamachi, a 17-year old boy who one day encounters a mysterious alien device while walking home from school. An accidental activation causes the biomechanical organism to bond with Sho, and together they form the Guyver—an immensely powerful, bio-enhancing armor system. Now known as Guyver I, Sho and his friends Tetsuro and Misuki Segawa must escape the clutches of the evil Chronos Corporation, who wish to use the power of the Guyver Unit as part of their plans for world domination. Together with the somewhat shifty Guyver III, Sho defends his friends and the world from Cronos and their shape-shifting, genetically engineered soldiers, the Zoanoids.
DATAFILE: Bio-booster Unit-G; "Guyver" Bio-booster Armor
The Bio-booster Unit-G is a multi-purpose device created by aliens who visited planet Earth billions of years ago. When bonded with a human host, the Unit-G has the unexpected effect of freeing the host from all forms of outside telepathic control or communication. Hence, those ancient visitors dubbed the resulting creature, "Guyver," for "out of control" or "beyond the norm".
The Unit-G itself consists of a parasitic, genetically-engineered bio-boosting organism, and a control medallion that regulates the growth and function of the bio-booster as well as the connection between Unit and host. When activated, the bio-booster acts much like a symbiote, completely absorbing the host and forming a nearly impervious suit of armor around it. In exchange for the host's bio-energy, the Guyver unit boosts the host's strength, speed, and agility to nearly 100 times their normal capacity. In addition, numerous weapons systems emerge on various locations on the armor. These weapons include: a high intensity laser (mounted on the forehead), a pair of sonic emitters (which project high frequency sonic waves, located on the mouth), a pair of high frequency vibrational blades (mounted on the wrists, these are the same as progressive knives), a gravity control orb (on the waist, this allows for flight, the creation of shields, and a ki-ball style attack called the Pressure Cannon), and most powerful of all, the Megasmasher (mounted beneath the chestplates, think full-on Kamehameha Wave). Lastly, a pair of sensory orbs, mounted in grooves alongside the headpiece, allow the Guyver to "see" great distances in all directions.
When not in use, the armor can be stored safely in a pocket dimension (hyperspace) with the only visible trace of its existence being a pair of growths located on the host's back. These organisms allow the host to summon the armor back from hyperspace, as well as communicate telepathically with other Guyvers. The only time the armor can not be removed immediately is when the host is injured and the armor is repairing the damage. The regenerative abilities of the Guyver are so great that only a small piece of bio-booster material needs to be connected to the Control Medallion for complete regeneration. At times when the host is knocked unconscious due their injuries, the Guyver is capable of going into a self-defense mode, where it will instantly attack and destroy anything it perceives as a threat to the host (AN: gee, that doesn't sound familiar . . . ).
AN: I hope these datafiles are a help to those readers unfamiliar with "Guyver". While I don't want to ruin the story, I do realize that Guyver is one of the lesser-known anime/mangas out there, so I hope this information will add to this work rather than detract from it.
To those fans of Guyver who were disappointed with this chapter, fear not! There will be much more bio-boostin' action as the story progresses, and as Shinji comes to realize the coolness of his "wicked awesome bio-boostin' armor look"! Guyver characters both old and new will make their appearance in the EVA world, and with each chapter the line where Evangelion begins and Guyver ends will become less and less distinct. All is going according to the scenario, so hang in there!
And before you all go . . .
OMAKE!
AN: What we really wanted to see happen during the reunion of the two Ikaris . . .
"Correct." The booming voice momentarily caused Shinji's heart to stop beating, and when it started again, he chided himself for startling so easily. Adopting a grimace as his base expression, Shinji looked up to the source of the intruding presence.
High above on a platform above EVA Unit-01, standing like some sort of ancient idol or demigod, Gendo Ikari glowered down at his son, his expression somewhat hidden by LCL-colored glasses. The Supreme Commander of NERV watched silently as the boy's expression shifted from grimace to hateful frown, his right hand clenching and unclenching compulsively. To Gendo, the child seemed to be at a loss for words.
In actuality, Shinji had several things which he wanted to say to the Almightly Bastard King, most of which would make even a loud red-headed German blush. However, at the moment he was to busy trying to mentally restrain it from letting loose and tearing his father a new one. His heartbeat sounded like tympani in his ears, and the usual whisper had become a desperate scream for attention.
ENEMY! ENEMY! ENEMY!
'I mustn't lose control, I mustn't lose control, I musn't lose contr—oh, hell with it!'
Leering for a moment, Gendo took in his son's apparent deference before speaking again, "It's been awhi . . ." He never had a chance to finish. Unexpectedly, an immense beam of green light engulfed Gendo, blasted into the Geofront, and then tore through all 22 armored plates above before finally exiting into the open air. Surprisingly enough, the Third Angel, Sachiel just happened to be standing nearby when the beam emerged, vaporizing his core as it made its way out into the upper atmosphere. His body exploded shortly thereafter, and throughout Tokyo-3 there was much rejoicing.
Back on the EVA dock, an open-mouthed Ritsuko and Misato turned to Shinji, now covered in shiny, chitinous plates of armor with a mesh of darkly-colored fleshy coils beneath. Glowing eyes remained fixed on the spot where Gendo had previously stood while one hand closed a chest-plate to his new attire, sealing away the gelatinous lens that gave new meaning to the phrase "concealed weapon." After a pause, Shinji turned to the two women, then bowed his head, hands fidgeting behind his back. When he finally spoke, his voice was slightly digitized, as if coming through an electronic speaker.
"S-s-s-sorry, Mi-Misato-san and Akagi-san. I-I-I guess I ju-just couldn't hold back anymore." Anyone within hearing range of the armored being's bashful apology immediately fell to the floor.
Looking between the new Shinji and the still smoldering tunnel, both Ritsuko and Misato blinked a few times then eventually shrugged. Walking forward, Misato put a hand on the teen's armored shoulder, "Don't worry about it, Shinji-kun—people have been wanting to do that ever since he banned Dr. Pepper from the vending machines." Behind the Captain, Ritsuko nodded sagely.
Had anyone been watching Unit-01, they might have seen its eyes start to glow slightly, reflecting its captive soul's deep-felt pride.
'That's my boy!' thought a smiling Yui Ikari.
END OMAKE
AN: That's all for now! Mares Guyver, signing off.
