"Does it have to begin so soon? There is still so much to prepare-"
"Now is the time, it cannot be put off any longer. They will have to be ready."
"I hope you are right. So much is at stake, so many lives…"
"One way or another, this will be resolved."
"That is what I'm afraid of."
Litany of Evangelion
An Evangelion AU
The leviathan glides through the empty sea with the ease and grace of an organism perfectly crafted for doing such a thing. Not a ripple on the surface betrays its passage, wide toeless feet moving in a slow wave pattern to push it effortlessly forward, ever forward to the place where it feels the undeniable call. Not long ago, it would have shared the waters with whales, seals and even the occasional giant squid, but the wrath of the One Who Was Before has cleansed the seas of this planet of nearly all life.
It wouldn't mind a snack, at the very least…
"Sir, we've got something on the long range sensors." The Nerv observation post was little more than a concrete box with facilities for three people to live in for weeks at a time while watching the monotonous patterns of the sensor nets. "I don't think it's a school of fish this time, it's holding far too steady of a course for that." The young technician glanced over at her commanding officer, a gaunt middle aged man who was currently engaged in a desperate struggle for his life against a finger trap.
"Is it a submarine? It's the NJSDF's job to take care of them, you know." The Sergeant was not a man to take on excess responsibilities, or make risky career moves.
"When it hits the second line we'll know for sure. I really don't want to have to explain why we called in a full alert in response to fish again."
Whatever it was, it was getting close to the second line of sensors, the ones that could tell them if it was something man-made, in which case the NJSDF would have to deal with it, or something biological, in which case they would make a priority call to headquarters and report it so they could be ready when they NJSDF couldn't deal with it.
"It's nearing the primary sensor net, if it holds course we'll have confirmation in ten seconds."
"There's an anomaly on the aquatic sensor nets commander, we're picking up something massive and possibly alive approaching from out at sea." The NJSDF's monitoring station was a far cry from its Nerv counterpart; located in New Tokyo's military base it was more fully staffed and considerably more comfortable.
"Show me." Colonel Tokita was an imposing man, tall by Japanese standards and possessing the air of someone unwilling to accept any nonsense.
"Here, sir. It's nearly close enough for us to determine if it's a submarine, or a pattern orange."
"We do not have any submarines on patrol in this area. Notify the fleet, they may be called in to action." The Colonel turned to look out the window, towards the ocean. "We cannot allow an enemy to strike at us here."
If it were possible to be in two places at once, one could observe both monitoring stations as the alarms blared near-simultaneously, and warning messages popped up over the sensor readings. The frantic activity displayed by the monitoring stations' machines stood in stark contrast to the stations' personnel who were frozen at their consoles, their minds refusing to accept the horrible but inevitable conclusion that flashed before their eyes:
The Pattern: Orange was confirmed; a superscale biological entity was on its way to the shores of Antarctica.
Chapter One: In the Flood I Stand
"Homage to you, O glorious Being, you who art dowered with all sovereignty. When you rise in the horizon of heaven a cry of joy goes forth to you from all people." - The Book of the Dead
New Tokyo, shining metropolis of hope for humanity's future and the first truly modern post-Second Impact city. Built 13 years ago in a whirlwind of record-breaking fast construction, its population is mostly Japanese, but it has become a place for people from all over the world to start new lives and heal the wounds of a devastated humanity. The city is a popular destination for those who can afford it, whether to live there or simply as a place to vacation, and so it is a very lively place.
Or so the brochures had said.
From the perspective of the sixteen year old boy wandering the empty streets it was a pretty dismal place. The airport employees had warned all of the flight's passengers that a state of emergency had been declared, and that they were to proceed to the nearest underground shelter immediately. He had considered going along with them, but the letter, his whole reason for coming here, said he would be picked up outside the airport. Taking his duffel bag in hand, he had just walked out of the building, and nobody had paid any attention to the dark-haired boy going the wrong direction. He was, to put it simply, somebody else's problem.
There hadn't been anyone waiting for him outside of the airport, but he knew there was more than one place he could have exited from, so, feeling rather smarter than he did now, he started off in a random direction. Twenty minutes later he still had yet to see anyone waiting for him, let alone another person. As he passed the entrance to an indoor shopping complex several automated advertisement displays activated in response to his presence.
"Looking for the perfect way to remember New Tokyo Shinji Ikari? Come on in and check out our selection of-"
"Welcome to the New Tokyo Airport west shopping district Shinji Ikari! We've got the best deals anywhere on souvenirs, commemorative t-shirts and-"
He ignored them and walked on, the novelty of having each one know his name had worn off after the first time it happened. The letter had included a temporary ID card, which the ads could apparently scan to find out who he was. After hearing his name shouted at him in an overly-cheerful voice by a computer for what seemed like the hundredth time, Shinji was ready to start throwing bricks.
As he passed a row of payphones, he had a sudden flash of inspiration. Digging through his bag, he found the crumpled envelope that the letter had come in, along with the ID card, some paperwork with most of the lines blacked out and a photograph of a woman he had never seen before. Looking at the picture once more, he noted the phone number that had been hastily scrawled across the bottom margin, along with the message 'Wait for me, I'll be picking you up –Misato' and a note directing his attention to the woman's not inconsiderable cleavage. What had really drawn his attention though was the fact that there appeared to be a penguin sitting in the driver's seat of the car behind her.
He punched the number in on one of the phones and waved his ID card in front of it, hoping that it was connected to some sort of account that would just be charged for the call.
"We're sorry, but due to the state of emergency that has been declared, all phone lines are currently disconnected for civilian calls. This is a recording."
Shinji stared at the receiver in disbelief before replacing it on the hook and picking his duffel bag up once more. Maybe he would feel better after shouting at something. No, if someone saw him they might think he was insane, and that was not the sort of impression he wanted people getting about him. Maybe I should find a shelter. If they're having everyone go underground it must be something serious.
"Damn, I can't believe I'm running late today of all days!"
Many things had been said about Misato Katsuragi, one of them that was repeated often was that she looked good in a uniform. The uniform in question was a reddish-brown jacket over a white shirt and red tie with a matching skirt, standard fare, for the most part. So maybe the skirt was a little shorter than it had been when she first got it, and she had removed those uncomfortable shoulders from the jacket, the ones that looked almost like armor; it was still almost a regulation uniform.
The wind blew through her hair in a fittingly dramatic fashion as her vehicle raced along, weaving between buildings as she searched for the boy she was supposed to be taking back to HQ right now.
"I hope he hasn't gotten himself lost already."
Shinji jogged through the streets, heart racing and breath coming in short gasps. He could recognize the signs of an oncoming panic attack; he had never experienced one for himself, but he had seen other people on the verge of losing themselves to one often enough to know what was happening. Not that the information helped at all, the thought that he was stuck outside while something undoubtedly horrible was going to happen to the city drove his analytical thoughts to the background of a crowd of gibbering, fearful ideas that all fought for attention.
He rounded a corner and started down a long, straight road that crested a slight hill before dipping down out of sight. Shinji stopped, leaning against the corner of a wall and took deep breaths in an attempt to calm down. After a minute he straightened up and prepared to move on.
Something down the street caught his attention. Two people in their early teens were walking in his direction; they had just reached the top of the hill. The air seemed unusually still, and all sounds became muted and distant. One of the figures was a girl with jaw-length blue hair wearing a Japanese school uniform; the other was a boy with tousled silver hair in a white shirt and black pants. They were holding hands, but stood far enough apart that their arms were stretched out between them. As Shinji watched, they seemed to catch notice of him and waved with their free hands. Mystified, he raised a hand in response.
The moment was shattered by the sound of a jet engine nearby, and Shinji ducked and looked around for its source. A VTOL craft had just passed over a nearby row of low-roofed shops and was turning towards him. Shinji glanced back, but the boy and girl were gone without a trace.
As the Jet-VTOL descended near him a door in its side slid open and a black-haired woman in a military uniform jumped out. "Shinji Ikari I presume? Hop in, I'm Misato Katsuragi, I've come to pick you up." She offered her hand and helped him up into the aircraft, which took off as soon as the door was shut. "I had a hell of a time finding you, Shinji. Did anyone give you trouble for not going to a shelter?"
"N-no, I just, um, I kind of panicked and ran around for a while, looking for you. I wasn't expecting you to show up in this." He gestured to the VTOL's interior, which was empty except for the row of hard seats they were sitting on.
Misato smiled proudly. "I've got the authority to requisition vehicles like this from Nerv's hangars; I figured if I've got it, I should use it!"
"Nerv? What's that? I thought you worked for the government."
"In some ways I guess you could say we work for the government, but most of our funding comes from the UN. Did your father not tell you anything about what he does?"
"I'm… not very close to my father. I last spoke to him four years ago, when my mom was doing well enough to travel. His letter only said 'Come' and had the plane ticket in it."
"I kind of know how that is, my father and I didn't get along very well. It didn't help much when he died when I was fifteen." Misato looked thoughtful for a moment. "I guess this means I'm supposed to brief you on what NERV is so what we want you to do here makes sense." She turned aside and began digging through a duffel bag on the floor.
Figures that father would only call me here if he needed me to do something. At least I'll get to see mom too. Shinji grunted in surprise as Misato dropped a heavy manual into his arms.
"There you go! Everything you need to know about us in a condensed form!"
"Condensed? So what's the unabridged version look like?" He stared at the thick book in disbelief. Its cover was black, with a red logo on the front consisting of half of a fig leaf and the letters NERV.
"I'm just messing with you Shinji; you don't actually have to read through all of that. I'll give you the highlights as we go."
In a secret underground lair plots were being hatched and legions of underlings were being directed to mysterious, but not necessarily nefarious, purposes. Of course, it was underground merely for convenience, everything in the Geofront was technically underground, and it wasn't particularly secret, it just had strict clearance requirements. It does so happen that from a certain point of view there are some nefarious plots at work, but the majority of them involve stealing a coworker's lunch from the break room.
At the heart of Nerv HQ is the Command Bridge, a massive room outfitted with the latest technology for coordinating the defenses of the city above, along with the forces at NERV's disposal. In the center of this room, on a raised platform, is the Commander's Seat, normally occupied by an intimidating custom made chair which is in turn occupied by Gendo Ikari, an intimidating man.
Gendo is not in his usual spot, and thus, he is not happy. Instead, three NJSDF generals share a desk hastily dragged into place to accommodate them as they direct their fleet in attempting to stop the approaching Pattern: Orange before it reaches shore. The bravado they first displayed has been replaced with disbelieving mutters as the heavy depth-charging currently being applied to the creature has no effect. Gendo sits at a small desk to one side and smirks behind steepled hands. Standing behind him, his second-in-command Kozo Fyutsuki remains impassive, his hands clasped behind his back.
One of the generals has a heated discussion with someone on the other side of a phone line, finally slamming the receiver down and pumping a fist in the air in triumph. "We're using an N2 mine! That bastard won't know what hit it!"
Fuyutsuki raises an eyebrow, Gendo's smirk doesn't waver a bit.
"Wait, hold on a sec." Shinji had been listening to Misato explain her way around Nerv's purpose for the last few minutes. "You're telling me that you work for a semi-secret organization formed by the UN to fight aliens? Are you messing with me again?"
"Nope" Misato grinned. "It's all true; we use technology hidden from the public to give us an edge." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Mind you, I haven't seen any alien-fighting going on lately, but I have seen things that convinced me that it's all legit."
Shinji shook his head in disbelief. "So if that's true, then why would they need me?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure." Misato shrugged "They didn't tell me for some reason."
There was a crackle of static from the radio at Misato's side, and she unhooked it from her belt. Shinji tuned out the rushed conversation that followed, paging through the manual she had given him. Most of it was legal speak incomprehensible to him, and what little he could understand gave not hints as to why he might have been called to Antarctica by his father. He didn't look up until Misato started pounding on the cockpit door, startling him. She slid the door open and yelled at the pilots.
"The NJSDF is gonna use an N2 mine on the Pattern: Orange! It'll be just offshore, to the north!" She shut the door and sat down again, buckling a safety belt around her waist. "You'd better buckle yourself in too, Shinji. We won't get caught in the blast, but the shockwave might throw us around a little." As Shinji strapped himself to the bench, Misato struggled with a window slider, muttering angrily to herself. "Damn window controls are so complex! Not everyone in this organization is a mechanical genius you know!"
Shinji took a look at the controls, leaned over Misato and unlocked the window cover. Misato blushed as it opened easily, giving them a panoramic view of the distant ocean. "I guess I was over thinking it a bit."
A ways out from the shore a large group of ships could be seen sailing away from a small dot bobbing in the waves. Further out, a massive, dark shape could be seen approaching the shore.
"They'll have the mine hanging from a buoy, to make sure it stays at just the right depth. You might not want to look directly at it." Misato took a pair of sunglasses from her jacket pocket and put them on. "I'll see about getting you a pair of these just in case. They're specially made so you can look straight at the sun and still see in normal lighting. You never know when you might need 'em!"
Shinji nodded and turned so that he was watching out the window with the corner of his eye, and waited for the dark mass to reach the buoy.
A bright flash of light, like a star appearing just below the surface, and a wide swath of ocean turns to mist. The sound follows a second later, a brief ragged shriek overtaken by an all-consuming roar that drowns out all other sounds. A massive spherical cloud of water vapor conceals the area for a moment before a column of water rises through it. The surface of the water shudders as a pressure wave rolls over it, reaching the VTOL in seconds and causing it to roll and shake.
Misato whoops and smiles as the VTOL rocks and weaves in the turbulence, enjoying the ride. Shinji just holds on and tries to keep his lunch down.
The NJSDF generals stood as the cameras on the ROVs above the explosion blank out, anticipating the carnage left in the wake of the N2 mine's detonation. One even went so far as to turn to Gendo and gloat. "Looks like we won't be needing your involvement after all, Commander Ikari."
The main screen behind him flickered back on, to display a mountain that appeared quite suddenly off-shore. As the command bridge's occupants looked on in amazement, limbs unfolded from the lower parts of the mass, followed by a five-eyed head.
"Sensors are picking up a massive energy spike from the target! It's moving towards a-"
Alarms blared and warning messages popped up over several of the side displays.
"Pattern: Blue! I repeat, we have a confirmed Pattern: Blue!"
"So it's true. The Scions have come at last." Fuyutsuki remained completely calm, in contrast to the NJSDF generals who were shouting orders to subordinates at a furious pace.
"It's been fifteen years. Just as the old men said." Gendo's expression, still hidden behind his hands, had become neutral.
One of the generals, the one who just minutes ago had been gloating in Gendo's face, turned back to the taciturn pair and gritted his teeth. "Nerv's involvement in this operation has been approved. Whatever tricks you've got, we're to back you up."
"Thank you gentlemen." The commander stood from his temporary desk. "Designate the Target as the First Scion, and have the Magi search the Rosetta Stone's records for the closest match. Fuyutsuki, take over from here." He walked over to a square on the floor outlined in red. Railings popped up around him and the section of floor started to descend. "And get that desk out of here. It's in the way of my seat."
Misato shook Shinji's shoulder, pulling his attention away from the heavy manual in his lap. "We're here, take a look outside."
Shinji leaned over to the window and gasped in surprise. He had been here years ago, but his memories were foggy at best. Things had quite obviously changed since then.
They were passing over a low mountain range, and perched on the lower slopes of the highest twin-peaked mountain was a shining metal jewel. Towers and city blocks rose in wide, arced terraces above a flat plain decorated with low buildings where vehicles and people swarmed like a disturbed anthill.
"Markham City, home of Nerv HQ and Antarctica's second-biggest settlement!" Misato glowed with so much pride one could almost think she had built it with her own hands. "It's also a self-contained fortress capable of holding out against attacks from nearly any sort of threat!"
Shinji barely listened; the view below as the VTOL passed over the city was so engrossing. As he watched, the towers began to shrink, dropping into the ground. Misato explained it for him. "To protect the civilian parts of the city from attack, it all drops down into massive bunkers. Once it's all locked down defensive weapon emplacements are moved in over the empty spots."
Just as she said, when the buildings had all disappeared into the ground and doors closed over them, tank battalions and artillery were rolled out and positioned on the terraces. In other places new, heavily armored towers rose up and sprouted missile launchers, gigantic gun barrels and antennas. A similar process was going on below the city; however the center of the flat plain, which Shinji noticed was roughly circular, was curiously empty.
"All this is to fight that thing they used the N2 mine on? How do they know it's coming here?"
"Hmm, you know, I'm not entirely sure. They told me that there's a near guarantee that those things will all come here, but apparently the reason why is classified."
"All of them? You mean there's more?"
"Heh, I guess I'm getting a little ahead of myself. I'm sure you'll get a more thorough briefing once we've landed."
The VTOL was nearing the ground, coming down over a raised landing pad. When it touched down and the engines were shut off, the entire landing pad began to descend into the ground. It stopped in a hangar where they disembarked, ground crew towing the aircraft to its berth. Misato led Shinji to an elevator and consulted a map she had taken from the duffel bag she carried out of the VTOL. The elevator controls were much more complicated than any he had seen before, and Shinji began to suspect the reason why Misato hadn't been able to operate the relatively simple window lock.
Misato eventually punched in a combination of three buttons, and the platform moved, downwards at an angle. Bare metal walls gave way to mechanical components, massive pistons and armatures, pipes and bundles of cable. Strangely, daylight shone ahead, and Shinji turned to question Misato. Before he could say anything, they passed through a doorway and into open space.
"Oh wow, a Geofront!" Shinji looked all around in amazement; the wall of the cavernous space fell behind them as they slid along a suspended rail. They were about a hundred meters off the floor of the cavern, but the ceiling was high above them, a dome arching nearly a kilometer in the air. The rail curved gently alongside a structure rising from the ground, and Misato stepped to the side of the platform in anticipation of it stopping. Their transport apparently had no intention of stopping there, instead continuing on.
"Woah! Wait you stupid hunk of metal! That's where I wanted to get off!" Misato shouted, scrambling over to the control console and punching buttons.
"Warning, altering course while platform is in motion not recommended." A gentle computerized voice reprimanded.
"I don't care!" Misato punctuated her words with blows to the console. "Take us back!"
"Warning, altering course while platform is in motion-" Misato swiped her ID card through a slot in the side of the panel and the voice changed tone. "Override accepted. Re-routing platform."
Misato looked triumphant until the platform showed no signs of reversing; instead, it reached a junction and switched tracks.
"No! No, stop that! This is the wrong way!"
"Would the chairperson of Project E, Nerv Technical division, Ritsuko Akagi, please contact the Tactical Operations Director, Misato Katsuragi."
The voice echoed out through the flooded chamber, catching the attention of a wetsuited young woman sitting by the edge of the red-tinted pool. She sighed, and replaced the diving equipment she had been removing. "Akagi-sempai isn't going to be happy about this." She pushed off from the edge and dove downwards, to where several other figures were working around a tangled collection of devices.
She approached the one with a mane of blond hair floating around her head and signaled for her to ascend. They surfaced, and removed their masks.
"What is it, Maya?" Ritsuko Akagi, Doctor Akagi to most people, pulled herself out of the pool and wrung the red liquid from her hair.
"Luka had a message for you; you're supposed to contact Director Katsuragi." Maya Ibuki was Ritsuko's assistant, and one of the few people allowed to call her by something other than Doctor Akagi or her title. "She's probably lost again, Akagi-sempai."
Ritsuko growled and gritted her teeth. "That woman is incorrigible. If she would just admit that she doesn't know how to operate the platforms worth a damn and ask for help this wouldn't happen! Luka, where is she now?"
"Approaching sector VII, level 12 through shaft two. If you leave now, you should be able to intercept her on level 10."
"Thank you Luka. Maya, you're in charge until I get back or you're called to the command bridge. I assume you can handle things from here." Ritsuko grabbed a lab coat from a convenient rack and threw it on over her wetsuit. "I'm going to give Misato a piece of my mind, and maybe I'll help her find her way afterwards."
When she had left, Maya sighed. "I wish I could have her confidence. I would never be able to tell Director Katsuragi off like she can."
"You would most likely lose your job if you were to do so without sufficient reason. Doctor Akagi and Director Katsuragi are not only equal in Nerv's hierarchy, they share a-"
"I know Luka. I was just thinking out loud." Maya prepared herself to dive once more. "Anyways, don't you have anything better to do than comment on my thoughts?"
"Very well, I will occupy myself elsewhere."
The platform came to a halt in front of a pair of metal doors, and Shinji looked up from the Nerv pamphlet he had been examining ever since he realized that Misato didn't know what she was doing. Misato stepped forward, eager to be done with the platform system and its inability to read her mind, but was stopped by a blond woman in a lab coat.
"Ah- uh, hey Rits! I was just trying to contact you!" Misato stammered, backpedaling as the other woman boarded the platform.
"Still can't work the platform controls Misato?" The other woman was the same height as Misato, but her steely gaze made her seem almost imposingly tall. "I would have thought by now you would have figured it out, or made a cheat sheet at least. How many times is this since you transferred here?"
"Um, well I haven't been counting, you know. It's not like it's something I'd want to keep track of…" Misato attempted to brush aside the question.
The blond woman looked up at the ceiling and spoke clearly. "Luka, how many times has Misato Katsuragi failed to reach her intended destination on time because she was unable to properly input transport commands?"
"Forty-two times, including today. In fact, she has successfully navigated the platform system only once." The response came from above.
"It's not fair; you Project E members can just have Luka do it for you. The rest of us have to use the control panel which I swear they change every day." Misato grumbled.
Ritsuko smiled. "Speaking of which, Luka, take us to the Cage-01 observation room."
"Of course, Doctor Akagi."
The platform glided upward, back the way they had come. Ritsuko turned to Shinji, seemingly noticing him for the first time. "And this must be him."
"Yep." Misato was relieved to have the conversation turned away from her. "The Commander's son, Shinji Ikari."
Ritsuko offered her hand. "Ritsuko Akagi, Director of Project E and Nerv's technical division. I'm sorry your first impression of our headquarters had to be with Misato guiding you."
Shinji shook her hand, and noticed that the scientist was wearing a wetsuit under her lab coat, and that she was barefoot. "S-Shinji Ikari. Nice to meet you."
There was silence for a while, broken only by the sound of the platform's motors.
"If you don't mind my asking," Shinji winced slightly as both women turned to him. "What was that voice you were talking to earlier?"
"I am Luka, digital assistant to all members of Project E." Shinji jumped as the voice emanated from behind him. He turned to see a small speaker mounted on one of the platform's railings. "It is nice to meet you, Shinji Ikari."
"Uh, yeah, nice to meet you too…" Shinij gave Misato and Ritsuko a questioning look. Ritsuko laughed.
"Luka is an assistant program that was put together in our Gehirn days when Project E was first started. People kept adding bits to it, to make it more useful to us, and eventually we just decided to redesign it with all the changes as a self-aware AI. She doesn't have control over anything, but she can communicate with the Magi servers and request their action. She's very helpful, especially with the transit systems."
"Yeah, but she only listens to Project E members, everyone else pretty much gets ignored unless they're with someone who she'll listen to." Misato interjected, glaring daggers at the speaker.
"If I were to attempt to intermediate every request to the Magi servers, I would soon be overloaded and have my processes slowed an unacceptable amount. Perhaps you should request the additional budget for an AI for the Tactical Division in your next meeting with the Commander." For a synthesized voice, Luka's managed to be quite expressive.
"Ugh, no thanks." Misato stuck her tongue out in the direction of the speaker. "I hate budget talks; I get my assistant to do them whenever I can."
Shinji observed the conversation with growing apprehension. If this was what Nerv was like, how was he going to fit in? And more importantly, what in the world did his father want him to do here?
"We have visual contact with the Target from Markham Base ground monitoring systems."
"Observation drone swarms Delta and Epsilon maintaining distance from target, no apparent change in course."
"The NJSDF has confirmed that their forces are ready, standing by for orders."
"Very good." Kozo Fuyustuki stood before the Command Bridge's main display, hands held behind his back. "Pull the drones back to a safe distance and have the NJSDF begin a heavy long-range bombardment. That will at least slow the Target and buy us some time."
"Sir, the Magi have returned a proper designation for the Scion." A man with long brown hair spoke up from the center monitoring station.
"Bring the data up on my monitor here."
"Yes sir." A moment later a holographic screen next to Fuyutsuki's vantage point sprung to life, displaying several images and lines of text.
"Hmm, an aquatic life-form, and the inspiration for the Egyptian goddess of floods. Appropriate, I suppose." He turned to address a Magi terminal. "Append the Scion's designation to include this information as necessary."
"Acknowledged." A neutral voice from the terminal informative tag above the Target on all screens disappeared for a moment, to be replaced by another.
First Scion: Satis
Shinji spent the rest of the platform ride in silence, half-listening to Misato and Ritsuko discuss preparations for fighting the giant thing he had seen outside. A short while ago Luka had informed them that it had been confirmed to be the First Scion, whatever that meant, and their voices had shifted to more worried tones. Eventually they arrived at a large, imposing door with the Nerv logo, bearing the words "God's in His heaven, all's right with the world". The sign beside the door indicated that it lead to "Secondary Control Room and Primary Cage Observation".
Cage? That doesn't sound good. Shinji hung back a little as the platform came to a halt and a section of railing slid aside to give them access to the door. There was a distant sounding chorus of mechanical noises, and the doors slid open dramatically.
Beyond lay a room filled with soft light and muted sound. Two of the four walls were covered in high resolution display screens, most of them showing the progress of the gigantic creature approaching Markham City. Terminals all throughout the room were attended by a host of technicians, their eyes glued to the transparent flat panels in front of them as cascades of information that only they could understand passed by.
For Shinji, who had little technical experience, it was almost mystical to see so much post-Second Impact technology in one place. Even fifteen years after the incident that destroyed the Japanese archipelago, the world was still recovering, and advanced electronics had become a rare commodity. There were a few holographic displays even, freestanding constructs of light projected from the ceiling.
He didn't have much of a chance to take all this in before a door on the opposite side of the control room opened, his father walked through.
"Shinji." More a statement than a greeting, it was stiff and formal, matching his appearance.
"F-father." Words escaped Shinji. He hadn't seen or even spoke to his father in four years, and now they stood, face to face.
Gendo cleared his throat and began to speak. "I realize that we are not on the best of terms with one another, and that we have not spoken for some time. However, I have a difficult request I must make of you." It took Shinji a moment to realize it, but it was becoming more obvious that his father was giving a memorized speech. "What you have heard about this organization may seem impossible, but I assure you that if Captain Katsuragi has briefed you as directed, everything you have been told is true. Nerv does indeed fight extraterrestrial life forms; you saw one on your way here. It is called a Scion, and only we have the weapons to fight it."
"But what does all this have to do with me?" Shinji finally managed to force words from his unresponsive mouth. "That thing is huge! Why do you need me?"
"Come with me, and I will show you." Gendo turned back to the open door and motioned for Shinji to follow. Through the door was a room larger than the one they had come from, with six walls. There were a few terminals along the sides, but the main focus of the room was the three walls across from the door. Each was dominated by a massive window overlooking a different cavernous chamber. Gendo stopped in the middle of the room. "Turn on the Cage One spotlights."
Halogen spotlights flickered to life on the ceiling of the chamber visible through the right side window, illuminating a myriad of catwalks crossing from wall to wall.
Beneath them stood a giant.
Clad in purple and green armor, it was easily 60 meters tall. Its helm had a bestial face with a pointed chin framed by wide cheekbones, and a single thin horn rising from between its green eyes. A thick band of armor ran around the back of its neck, attaching on either side of the head over the jaws, locking them shut. Narrow fins rose from its shoulders, held by panels in the wall behind it. In fact, it appeared to be restrained by the structures in the room. It was up to its chest in red liquid, giving a distorted view of what was beneath the surface.
Shinji was dumbstruck by the sight.
"Evangelion Unit-01, the synthetic humanoid weapon, and humanity's last hope of survival." Gendo's voice was soft but firm, as if he were in awe as much as his son beside him. "Shinji, you will be its pilot."
"Wh-what?"
"WHAT?"
Shinji's stammer and Misato's cry of disbelief came almost simultaneously.
"You are the only one who can do this Shinji; it is why I called you here."
"But that's crazy! I've never fought before, let alone piloted anything! I can't even drive a car!" Shinji was nearly hysterical.
A low rumble interrupted them, coming from far above. A young man ran into the room, at the same time the PDA in Ritsuko's hand chimed.
"The Scion has reached Markham City! It has begun to assault the upper armor layers of the Geofront with some kind of energy attack!" The young man was out of breath, and leaned against the doorframe for support. "Vice-commander Fuyutsuki as ordered that the artillery and missile strikes against the Scion cease, so as not to accidentally aid it."
"Luka reports that if its attacks continue at their current rate, it will break through all twenty-four armor layers in approximately thirty minutes." Ritsuko reported, not looking up from the device in her hands.
Gendo put a hand on Shinji's shoulder. "I would not ask you to do this unless I had to, but it's our only option. We did have another pilot, but she is badly injured. If she goes out against the Scion, it is highly probable that she will die."
"So you send me out to die instead." Shinji refused to meet his father's eyes. "There's no way I can fight something like that!"
Gendo's expression softened slightly. You can, I know for sure, because you are my son. How could I not have faith in you? He wanted to say, but was unable to. Instead, he turned to the monitor controls by the wall. When he turned back to Shinji, it displayed a brown-haired woman sleeping in a hospital bed.
Shinji gasped in surprise. "Mom!"
"Yes, Yui is here as well. If for nothing else, go and fight for her sake. She needs you to do this as much as the rest of us do." Gendo put both hands on Shinji's shoulders and looked directly at him. "Please, Shinji. I cannot ask anyone else."
Another rumble, louder than before, echoed from the surface. The floor of the chamber vibrated slightly.
Shinji looked up into his father's eyes. "Alright, I'll do it."
"Pilot in place, entry plug sealed."
"Loading arm in place, preparing to insert the entry plug."
"Internal batteries fully charged, cable system in place."
"Ready to flood entry plug."
"Inserting entry plug."
"Shinji, how are you doing?"
Shinji jumped in surprise at being suddenly addressed. Immediately after he agreed to pilot, he had been rushed off to another room where they had fitted a set of clips to his head and then shoved him inside this capsule. He had been ignoring the distant chatter, relayed to him through the entry plug, for the most part.
"I guess I'm all right. I still don't know what I'm doing."
"That's ok, for now we'll just concentrate on getting the Evangelion prepared." Misato reassured him. She, along with Ritsuko and Gendo, were in the control room connected to the observation chamber.
"We're going to flood the plug with LCL. Just keep breathing normally and don't panic." Ritsuko's voice joined Misato's. Shinji couldn't see anything inside the plug other than its off-white metallic sides, lit by small internal lights placed at even intervals.
"Flood? Wait I- ack!" True to her word, the plug began to fill with a red-tinted liquid. Shinji held his breath for a moment, then tried breathing as Ritsuko had instructed. Bubbles flew from his mouth, and for a few desperate seconds he was sure he was drowning. His panic cleared as he failed to die, and kept on breathing.
"Successful. Setting plug depth."
"Energizing LCL."
The liquid around Shinji became clear and nearly as thin as air. Colored lights began to play around the edges of his vision on the blank sides of the plug.
"Initiating primary connection."
"Setting secondary contact. A10 connection nominal."
The lights spread all across the plug, before it disappeared entirely.
"Wah-woah!" Shinji was startled by the sudden change.
"You're seeing through the Eva's eyes now Shinji." Ritsuko told him, her voice slightly distorted by the fluid-filled chamber. "Setting localized communication language to Japanese. Opening primary communication channels."
"Connection established." Maya reported from the Command Bridge. "Synchronization at 41.1%, Sympathy ratio at .33:1, both holding steady."
"Incredible! His first try, and without a plug suit!" Ritsuko reviewed the data before her. "We're good to go, Commander."
"Very well, move Evangelion-01 to the launch pad and await further orders. Doctor Akagi, Captain Katsuragi, we're going back to the Command Bridge." Gendo left the room without waiting for further confirmation.
In the cage, massive bolts unlocked around Unit-01, and restraints slid away, leaving it held upright on a square platform. Massive rollers moved it back and upwards, to a set of rails against a metal wall.
On the surface, the shelled giant stood amidst the wreckage of vehicles, bunkers and debris left by the retreating ants that persistently stung at it. Their barrage of ineffectual weapons had let up once it had reached a point above where the call that drew it here was strongest. The ground here was not easy to break through, even with the power of its attacks, and progress had been slowed to a crawl. Firing another blast from its center eye, it casually ignored the tank fire that was harmlessly deflected by the radiance of its soul.
Gendo took his place at the highest point in the Command Bridge, his custom chair in position, and several holographic and clear panel screens arrayed before him. All was right with the world.
"Evangelion Unit-01 is in position on the launch pad and ready on your word, Commander." Misato stood one level below Gendo, in the middle of the three main Operator's terminals.
"Are you sure he can do this?" Fuyutsuki asked Gendo quietly. "We are asking a lot of him."
"He can do it, I know he can." Gendo replied, leaning forward and folding his hands in front of his face. "Proceed with the operation, Captain."
"Yes sir!" Misato shouted in clipped, military tones that contrasted sharply with her previous laid-back attitude. "Evangelion Unit-01, Launch!"
Shinji had no warning before he was flattened in his seat, pushed down by a great force. He gurgled, an attempt at a scream, but it took too much effort to just breathe. Moments later, it stopped, and he was on the surface, looking out at a sprawling military complex. Far ahead of him, he could see the giant Scion standing with its back to him. As he watched, a beam of light lanced out from its head and struck a crater in the ground, where a red sphere of fire appeared and burned for a few seconds before winking out. He gulped, and tightened his grip on the controls before him.
"Inner AT-field active, Radiant AT-field has not deployed." The man at the center Operator's Console on the bridge reported.
"That's not good. He'll be able to move at least, but Unit-01's defensive capabilities will be severely reduced." Ritsuko observed. "Maya, does anything you're seeing explain this?"
"No ma'am, his connection is stable. I would say we're lucky he synchronized at all so quickly."
"We'll have to make do. Release final safeties! Evangelion Unit-01, move out!" Misato ordered. The clamps holding Unit-01 to the launch pad disengaged, causing it to sag slightly.
"Just concentrate on walking for now, Shinji." Ritsuko's face appeared in a small frame on the side of the entry plug in Shinji's vision.
"O-ok." He concentrated.
Walk. The Evangelion shifted, and then took an unsteady step forward.
That's it, walk!
"He's doing it!"
"Keep it up, Shinji!"
Unit-01 took another step forward, lifted its other foot to walk further, and then Shinji's train of thought went too far. Wait, how is me just thinking about walking making this giant robot move? Isn't that kind of strange? I mean, it's- "Woah!" The Eva wobbled, and then stumbled. Shinji threw his arms out reflexively, and the Evangelion caught itself, falling to its hands and knees instead of flat on its face. I just have to do it, don't over think it!
"Shinji, get up! The Scion is here!" Misato shouted.
"Huh?" Shinji looked up. Attracted by the noise, the Scion was approaching, head tilted in curiosity. One massive hand with four elongated fingers reached out towards him.